II 8 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER. 



Gedney, his wife, aged 53 years, was painted Feb. 27, 1783, and she is 

 interred in Trinity church-yard, New York. 



Dr. John Huggeford of New York, son of the above, died during the 

 prevalance of the yellow fever there; with his brother Peter Hug- 

 geford, also a physician, aged 56, was painted by William Williams. 

 Major William Lainey Huggeford, painted Feb. 23, 1783. He is 

 represented in a red coat turned up with blue, black cravat, hair pow- 

 dered, tied with cue; he was a noted partisan officer and was the second 

 man to scale the walls of Fort Montgomery. He died quite young in 

 Nova Scotia. His wife Charity, who died in 1807, is buried at Harrison. 

 The family were all staunch members of the Episcopal Church. After 

 the close of the Revolution some of them returned to this country and 

 settled at Horseneck, Greenwich, Conn. Mrs. Betsey Field, aged over 

 eighty-six years, who resides with her brother Capt. Requa, is a grand- 

 daughter of the elder Dr. Peter Huggeford. A grand-daughter of Dr. 

 John Huggeford is now living at Northampton, Mass. 



South-east of Peekskill is the " Mount Florence House," formerly the 

 residence of D. H. Craig, at one time one of the most beautiful places 

 in the county. 



The Manor of Cortlandt formerly included three wards or precincts, 

 viz: — "Cortlandt, Gertrude's boro' or Hanover and Salem, commonly 

 called east, middle and west wards of Cortlandt Manor. While under the 

 royal charter of 1697, the mesne lands were possessed of the impropria- 

 tion and the patronage of all and every the church and churches erected 

 or to be erected in the manor." 



The earliest records relating to the history of this parish, now accessi- 

 ble, are principally to be found in the MSS. of the venerable society 

 for the Propagation of the Gospel. From these documents it appears 

 that as early as 1744, the Rev. James Wetmore, of Rye, performed di- 

 vine service at Peekskill. Writing to the society on the 3d of April, 

 1746, he says: — "That as there are great numbers of people in the wil- 

 derness northward of Bedford and Westchester, who have very little 

 knowledge or sense of religion, Mr. Lamson's labors will be employed 

 to good purpose among them." In 176 1 Mr. Dibble of Stamford, Conn., 

 officiated here, where he informs us "he found no settled teacher of 

 any denomination, but met several heads of families, professors of the 

 Church of England, and many others well disposed towards it." Mr. 

 St. George Talbot, who accompanied Mr. Dibble on this occasion, 

 writing to the society, says: — "The state of religion I truly found de- 

 plorable enough, they were as sheep without a shepherd, a prey to va- 

 rious sectaries, and enthusiastic lay teachers; there are many well wish- 



