THE TOWN OF CORTLANDT. 1 79 



Jacob Dyckman ft of Philipsburgh, and the protege of Gen. Staats Morris, 

 he was also for many years the private secretary of Sir William Erskine, 

 (Commissary General of the British army) in which capacity he attend- 

 ed the latter to Europe. Sir William died in 1795, leaving a large and 

 valuable property to his secretary. 



Soon after the death of his friend, Mr. Dyckman returned to his na- 

 tive country, purchased the Boscobel estate, and erected the present 

 mansion. After the Revolutionary war the English Government in 

 gratitude for services rendered, presented Mr. Dyckman with a full set 

 of diamonds, and a golden urn 18 inches high. As stated above, 

 Elizabeth, wife of Col. John P. Cruger, was the daughter of Peter C. 

 Dyckman, the son of Staats Morris, by his wife Eliza Kennedy. In the 

 possession of Mr. Cruger, is a "loving cup," used for family christen- 

 ings, brought from Ireland by James Kennedy, more than a hundred 

 years ago; marked, "B. K" 6 



The library at Boscobel formerly contained a valuable collection of 

 books, (amounting to 6,000 volumes) most of which were accidentally 

 destroyed by fire, but twenty volumes still remain of the old collection. 



Among other rare books, are the modern part of a Universal History 

 of London, 1781, in 65 volumes; "from the earliest accounts to the 

 present time, compiled from original authors." The Annual Register, 

 from 1750 to 1800, 44 volumes printed 1791, Encyclopedia Brittanica, 

 20 volumes, London, 1797. Junins, in several volumes richly bound in 

 vellum, 1797. An account of the preservation of King Charles II, 

 after the battle of Worcester, drawn up by himself, &c, London, 1803 

 containing portraits of Charles the Second, Richard Penderell, Mrs. Jane 

 Lane, His Excellency Lieut. Gen. Dalyell, of Brims, Commander-in- 

 Chief of His Majesty's forces in Scotland, 1666-1685, Boscobel House 

 with its timbered gables and tower, with antique garden. There are 

 three volumes of Bible, Old and New Testament. British Theatre 34 

 volumes, 1795; Porcupine's Works, &c, by William Cobbett, 12 vol- 

 umes, London, May, 1801; Orlando Furisso, translated from Italian by 

 Judovi co Ariosto, with notes by John Hoole, London, 1799; Jirmen 

 Theatre, translated by Benjamin Thompson, Esq., in 6 volumes, Lon- 

 don, 1 80 1 ; Cook's Voyages, 8 volumes quarto, London, 1785; Bruce's 

 Travels to discover the source of the Nile, 1768-1773, Edinborough, 



a Jacob Dyckman resided on the Taite property situated on the road leading to King's Ferry 

 on Verplanck's Point, near Green's Cove. 



b The arms of Kennedy (Johnstown County Dublin, Bart.) Sa on a fesse ar. betw. three 

 helmets close, a fox courant, ppr. Crest a demiarm embowed in armour ppr. holding a branch 

 of oak— motto— Adhasreo Virtetti. 



c Some portions of the second library brought by Staats Morris Dyckman from England, 

 were sold to Chancellor Livingston. 



