The history of Putnam County, New York

We hardly know what excuse to offer the reader, for daring to introduce our little work into his literary presence, and lay his time under an embargo for its perusal. We have not written for fame or profit, ^ad we done either, or both, we would have selected a different subject than the history of a little County like that of Putnam. What we have written is the result of leisure hours, which might possibly have been squandered in the pursuit of a less worthy object, productive of no benefit to self or community. If we have garnered up one fact that was in danger of being lost, and which is beneficial and worthy to be preserved, in a historical point of view, we are satisfied and rewarded for our labor. That our little work is defective, no one is more thoroughly satisfied, and ready to admit it also, than our humble self Our sources of information have been narrow and limited, and in many instances defective.

A generation has passed away, in this County, from whom valuable Revolutionary information might have been obtained. In addition to this, the records of the different towns in some instances have been defaced, by accident, we presume, and become obscure by lapse of time; rendering the record unintelligible and valueless to the delver in search of the treasures of the past.

We had intended to incorporate an outline view of Dutchess County in our little work, but finding that it would increase our pages beyond a given number, we were necessitated to withhold the article already prepared.

 

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Philipstown is named in honor of the Philips family, a member of which patented the whole of this county; Frederick's town, in honor of the christian name of Capt. Frederick Philips, who inherited one third part of it, and Southeast, from its geographical position with respect to the other towns.