232 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER. 



kories. The Secors, Sicards, or Sycars were among the French Protest- 

 ant refugees who fled from France in 1681. The name occurs freqently 

 on the records of the French church Du St. Esprit in New York between 

 the years 16S0 and 1770. In 1708 the name of Ambroise Sycar appears 

 among the freeholders of New Rochelle. Two years later there was re- 

 siding in that town James Sycar, Sen., born in France, A.D. 1635; 

 Daniel Sycar, born in France, 1660; Sussannah Sycar, aged thirty; 

 James Sycar, born in France, 1676, Mary, his wife and their children — 

 John, Elizabeth, Mary and Sussanah; Daniel Sycar had Daniel, Jun., 

 John, Peter, Andrew and Mary. The sons of Ambroise Sycar, the 

 Refugee, were — Ambroise and James, the latter by his wife, Catharine, 

 had first James, the owner of the late Richard Secor's property, upper 

 Rochelle, secondly, Peter, owner of the property lately held by Philip 

 Carpenter, and thirdly, Daniel, owner of the estate of Benjamin Secor; 

 of this family was Israel Secor of Upper New Rochelle, who formerly 

 owned the property held by the late Richard Secor ; his sons were 

 Richard, William, Abraham, Benjamin, Samuel and Peter. The fourth 

 son, Benjamin, who married Jane, daughter of John Renaud, is the father 

 of the present Darius Secor of New Rochelle. 



By a survey and division of Heathcote's lands lying in Scarsdale 

 manor on the nth of August, A.D. 1774, in the county of Westchester, 

 the property of Caleb Heathcote in his lifetime, and which remain unsold 

 by his descendants since his death, &c. No. 1, in north division, contain- 

 ed twenty-one lots, and likewise two small lots in the possession of Wil- 

 liam Barker. Lots Nos. 1 6 and 1 7 were controverted lands in this division. 



Upon the west side of the manor the proprietors appear to have been 

 the Crawfords, Devauxs, Vailes, Gedneys, Anjevines, Tompkinses and 

 Townsends. On the east side, the Griffens, Fishers, Vails, Underhills, 

 Gedneys and Cromwells. On the south west, the Griffens and Barkers.- 



The surface of this town is undulating and hilly ; soil, sandy and clay 

 loam ; drained, south by the Bronx river, which bounds it on the west. 

 Two small streams called the Hutchinson and Sheldrake, rise in Scars- 

 dale and flow southerly into the Sound. The latter is a tributary of 

 the Mamaroneck river. They are well supplied with all kinds of fresh 

 water fish. 



The most prominent features of Scarsdale, however, are the extensive 

 tract of woodland which completely cover its wild and romantic hills on 

 the west, displaying themselves to great advantage from every part of 

 the surrounding country. The Saxton forest which forms a large por- 

 tion of this woody district, abounds with foxes, rabbits and other wild 

 game, and retains much of its ancient grandeur. 



