THE TOWN OF POUNDRIDGE. II7 



party remounted and rode off. Only fifteen minutes had elapsed when 

 Leavenworth appeared with a strong force of American militiamen, who 

 immediately followed the retreating Legion to Dan Town. Ere this, 

 word had been sent all around; and but for their hasty retreat, the ene- 

 my would soon have been surrounded. 



James Raymond in former times owned considerable landed property 

 in and around what is now denominated Raymond Hill, once included 

 in the East Patent, and bordering on the west side of the oblong ; some 

 of his descendants still reside in that vicinity. 



In the south-west corner of this town is located the Searles property, 

 which formerly belonged to Major Samuel Lewis, who was living here 

 in 1777. James Searles subsequently purchased the estate of his heirs. 

 The father of James Searles, also named James, died in 1776 at Hart- 

 ford, Connecticut, of small pox. This individual was once taken. prisoner 

 by the British, and confined in the New York provost. Xehemiah, his 

 grandson, is now residing at Armonk in this county. The Searles 

 cemetery is located one mile south of "Great Hill" on the Bedford and 

 Stamford road. Among the oldest settlers of Poundridge was Nathan 

 Slawson, son of Eleazar of New Canaan, and grandson of Jonathan, who 

 is said to have removed from Holland to Norwalk, Conn. Nathan 

 married Hannah, daughter of James Ferris, and left a son Nathan who 

 died here in 1821; the latter by his wife Mary, daughter of Daniel 

 Stephens, had two sons and two daughters, Eleanor of Poundridge, and 

 Levi, of Columbia County ; Eleanor married George Caldwell, of Stam- 

 ford, Conn.; and Nannet married Charles Hoyt, of Stamford, east corner 

 of Poundridge bordering on Lewisboro. 



During the contest between England and the colonies, the in- 

 habitants of Poundridge, generally appear to have taken a decided 

 stand in favor of liberty and independence. The following letter from 

 the committee of public safety, to the Hon. Provincial Congress, is 

 found in the acts of the latter body. 



PorxDr.iDGE, 15th of October, 1776. 



Honored Sip.: — "We the sub-committee of Poundridge, in Westchester County, 

 beg leave to inform your Honors, that we are apprehenshe that there is danger 

 of our prisoners leaving us and joining the ministerial army, as we are not above 

 nine or ten miles from the water, where the sound is full of the ministerial ships 

 and tenders. One of our number is already gone to Long Island, and numbers 

 have gone from other places, who are no doubt now in the ministerial army. 

 There are disaffected persons daily going over to them, which gives much trouble. 



a Lois Raymond, a daughrerof James was baptized in the old Dantaonae which occupied the 

 site of Samuel Caufield's residence, and married Daniel Coggeshull, son of Lyman Coggeshall 



