lands of Central New York were opened to settlers. Many of the younger men of the third generation emigrated to that portion of the state and became pioneers on the "Holland purchase" and the military lands of the state where their families have continued to reside.

Later the descendants in the fourth generation, farmers and those of allied pursuits, became owners of nearly all of the most fertile bottom lands in the valley. They were jealous of their ownership of these paternal farms, and guarded them from outside ownership and intrusion. This spirit developed also in the members of those families in western New York where they located. Near Skaneateles, through one section, farm after farm for miles in extent was the property of a Cuddeback, at Owasco, at Moravia. In Niles township, at Twelve Corners, the same conditions existed. Farm after farm was the property of a Van Etten, Westfall, Van Fleet or Cuddeback, or a relative of one of them in the third or fourth generation, from Deerpark ancestry.

Similar conditions to a limited extent existed in other sections as in Wayne County, N. Y., Seneca County, N. Y., Niagara County, N. Y., Wayne and Bradford Counties, Pa., near Adrian, Mich., and in Iowa.

In 1745 Roelof Elting bequeathed to his daughter, Jacomyntje Codebec, certain sums of money—to others lands, which if they sold, they must first offer to their brothers and sisters at the same price a stranger would pay.

In this development of families of succeeding generations in different localities we see illustrated the migratory element of our people.

These sturdy young emigrants of the middle of the seventeenth century settled and established their homes near Kingston, N. Y., about 1650 and reared their families there. As their children reached maturity and began life for themselves, some of them with others, later emigrants, sought adjacent locations for their homes. The Meckheckemeck settlement was formed just previous to 1700. Lands were purchased and the Cuddeback patent was obtained. Here a new generation grew to manhood. Youth again active, restless and alert sought other locations. From 1730 to 1750 the lands along the Delaware, both in New Jersey and in Pennsylvania were attractive. The younger of the families of Cuddeback, Depuy, Shimer and Hornbeck established homes there. Records show that some of the Swartwouts of the third generation, natives of Meckheckemeck, then called "Pin-peck," or "Peenpack," removed to this section.

As the next generation grew to manhood many of them seeking homes crossed over into the valley of Susquehanna into the southern central New York counties. This movement was quite extensive just after the revolution, when influenced by the DeWitts, surveyors, quite a colony from Peenpack established themselves in the "lake country" of central New York.

Again in each succeeding generation similar developments occurred. Soon after 1800 the active, restless young people from Central New York emigrated to Michigan and to Ohio accompanied by relatives and friends from the older settlements on the Delaware and Susquehanna.

These migrations have continued. The more alert or venturesome of each generation have sought new locations to establish their homes. They are now in every state of the Union some who are direct lineal descendants of the emigrant Jacques Caudebec and in the older locations the network of relationship is intricate and closely woven.

The lands in the valley continued to be most productive during the first half of the nineteenth century. Substantial stately houses were built. Large barns and out buildings were erected. The thrift and prosperity of the farmers continued. The social life centered about the church and the homes—a broad hospitality prevailed of which the family was the unit.

During the lives of the fifth and sixth generations, conditions have changed materially. The varied pursuits of the twentieth century gives occupation as varied and diverse as their homes are distant from one another and from the ancestral home of the family. The exhaustion of the soil, the attraction of the productive western farm lands, the migration to the cities, all have tended to diminish the population and the representatives of the family throughout this entire region of country. It is a fact, however, more than eighty per cent, of the lands of the Caudebec patent remains today in the possession of owners whose ancestry may be traced to a patentee.

The first attempt to build a grist mill in the valley was made by Jacob Caudebec and his sons, near the Caudebec stone house. The small run of water over the steep declivity just east of the house furnished the power, the rough stone blocks, the mill stones, were obtained from the Indians. Grains for both the settlers and the Indians were ground there for many years, substituting this for hand pounding with pestle in mortar and for the sapling and stump mortar.

Later other and better mill sites were located in the valley. One of which was the mill site of Henry Decker on the old dam brook. "Ouwe Dam Kill"—a dam across the spring brook about one mile northeast of Port Jervis, overflowed a long, low marshy tract of land extending toward Huguenot, stored water for power purposes for a mill located at that point.

Remnants of this dam are visible today just west of the Huguenot highway where it crosses the railroad as both cross the stream near Port Jervis. Also foundation stone of the old log house, the mill house are still visible about twenty-five feet east of the present dwelling. This property became the property of Benjamin Cuddeback about 1800. The present dwelling built by Benjamin Cuddeback about 1814 stands today typical of its time in shape, size and structure. Later it was the home of Elting Cuddeback for eighty years and of his son, the writer, during his youth.

Jacob Caudebec and Peter Gumaer were French Huguenot refugees. Caudebec came from Caudebec-en-Caux—a thriving agricultural and manufacturing town on the Seine in Normandy, France.

These refugees, Caudebec and Gumaer, fled in 1685 to England or Holland, thence to Maryland, in America, later to New Amsterdam, thence to Oesopus and Wylt Wyck (Kingston), N. Y.

Jacob Caudebec was born about 1666 in Normandy of a family of prosperous merchants. In his flight he became separated from his people. He was unable afterwards to find trace of his own family or sisters or to recover any of their property. Although the following story is found among the writings of Peter Gumaer: "Now I have understood that it had been concluded on between Cuddeback and two of his sisters that he and Gumaer would go to a certain place in England or Holland (I am not certain which) and that after a certain time these two sisters would embark for the same place and bring money to enter into a mercantile business at the place of their destination; and that Cuddeback and Gumaer after being landed at this place waited for these two sisters till after the time for their arrival had elapsed; and giving up all hopes of their coming embarked for America and were landed in the State of Maryland; which passage exhausted the last of their money. Cuddeback had information afterwards, that his sisters after some length of time had arrived and entered into a mercantile business; and he was chagrined in consequence of their having all the money. It was said that after they had arrived Cuddeback corresponded with them by letters and would often remind them of their injustice in keeping to themselves all the property; which I have understood they offered to share with him if he would come and live with them or they would take and do well by one of his children if he would send one of them." Ruttenber states that Peter Gumaer and Jacob Caudebec were the younger members of the families of Abraham Guimar and James Caudebec. He soon adapted himself to the different conditions of life of the new world. He found employment with Benjamin Provost, a trader of New York and Oesopus. He came to this valley in 1690. On October 21st,