THE TOWN OF SOMERS. 255 



The oldest record relating to town officers occurs in a small manu- 

 script volume, entitled as follows : 



" Book of the records of the proceedings from the first town meeting of the 

 people of Stepheutown, being the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred 

 aud eighty-eight, whereof William Horton, Esq. , was chosen town clerk. 



" The first Tuesday in April, iu the year above written, the people of Stephen- 

 town met at the house of Benjamin Green, for choosing town officers aud other 

 necessary business of the town for the year ensuing. 

 Hachaliah Brown*. Supervisor, 

 William Horton, Esq., Town Clerk. 



OlSADIAH PuRDY, ~) 



Nathaniel Wright, I »_„_„__, 

 Herman Hillikee, \ Assessors - 

 Samuel Green, j 



John StedwelO r\ t *i n 



J acob Lent, \ Overseers of the Poor, 



Benjamin Green, Constable and Collector. 



The village of Somers is pleasantly situated on a beautful plain almost 

 surrounded by romantic hills, the tops of which are clothed with a 

 profusion of green verdure. The air of this delightful region is said to 

 be uncommonly mild and salubrious. To the south of the village lies the 

 delightful vale of Phnn Brook, through which passes the road to Pine's 

 Bridge. On the north-east, Prospect Hill rises in a grand picturesque 

 manner. The village of Somers Plain, commonly so-called, "is the 

 principal market of lean cattle and sheep, brought hither from various 

 and distant parts of the country to supply the wants occasioned by the 

 sales of fattened cattle and sheep to the butchers of New York. The 

 farmers of this county carry on an extensive traffic in this way, and 

 droves are annually and almost constantly arriving from the inland 

 regions — some from ioo, 220 and 300 miles — to replace the consump- 

 tion."" 1 It is computed that over 5,000 head of horned stock are 

 annually fatted in this district alone. 



A bank has been for many years established in this village, under the 

 name of " Tke Famers and Drovers Bank of Somers." This institution 

 was first organized under the general banking law of 1839, with a capital 

 of $111,000. First president, Horace Bailey. Esq. It deserves notice 

 that the money of the Farmers and Drovers Bank has always been re- 

 deemable at par. The present board of directors, consist of : 



Horace Bailey, Esq., Lewis Doane, Leonard D. Clift, 



Epeneits Howe, Edwin Crosby, Stephen Brown, 



John Titcs, Charles Wright. Gerard Crank, 



Daniel Kenx, Thaddeus Crane, Lewis Brown, 



Officers, Solomon Bailey. 



Horace Bailey, Esq., President, Egbert Howland, Cashier. 



a New York Gazetteer. 



