Peter Gumaer located himself at the southwest end of the hill, John Tyse between that and the spring brook, Bernardus Swartwout on the easterly brow of the hill, a few rods westerly of the spring, where the cellar now remains; Thomas Swartwout on the central part of the hill, opposite the spring, where the cavity of his cellar remains; Jacob Cuddeback a few rods northeast of the northeast end of the hill, on the low ground, where has been a cavity of his cellar, now leveled; Anthony Swartwout, where the house formerly of Cornelius Van Inwegen stood, a few rods northeast of Cuddeback's place of residence, and David Jamison, somewhere near this last location. Here these few families had advantageously located themselves for material assistance to repel Indian attacks, in case they should happen, and also for all of them to get water out of the spring for their drink in hot weather. The most distant of those residences was not over thirty rods from it.
Eager, in making researches for a history of Orange County, found this settlement to be the earliest of any in it. [FN-1] The liberty of settling here was probably obtained from the Indians by purchase; for it appears that these settlers were and remained at peace with them and on friendly terms until the commencement of the French war. As the neighborhood in time extended about four miles in length, it continued to bear that name, although there were several localities within that distance which had other Indian names; one at my present residence; one at the Neversink river, near the aqueduct of the canal; one at the present residence of Col. Peter P. Swartwout, [FN-2] and two between that and the first Peenpack locality. In these several places resided small collections of Indians near living springs and streams of water.
[FN-1] Since then it has been ascertained that there was an earlier settlement in the county near New Windsor, at what is known as Plum Point. In 1684, Patrick McGregorie, his brother-in-law David Toshuck, who subscribed his name "Laird of Minivard," and twenty-five others principally Scotch Presbyterians, purchased a tract of 4,000 acres, embracing lands on both sides of Murderer's creek. Here, on Couwanham's Hill, so-called from its aboriginal owner, but now known as Plum Point, McGregorie built his cabin, and in the same vicinity were those of his associates, William Chambers, William Sutherland and one Collum, while on the north side of the creek David Toshuck and his servant Daniel Maskrig established a trading post. (See Ruttenber's History of Orange County, p. 21, 22)
[FN-2] Now (1889) owned and occupied by Benjamin Swartwout.
When this place was first settled, it was about 25 or 30 miles distant from the nearest settlement of white people, which latter was on the road from here to Kingston. Two of the first pioneers, Cuddeback and Gumaer, were from France and of families who were in comfortable circumstances of life, which appears evident from what has been said by them in relation thereto, and from the fact that they had been brought up without doing any manual labor. It was said that their hands were so soft and tender when they first came into America that they blistered and bled when they first labored for a living in this country. The family of Cuddeback were in a trading business, in which Cuddeback had served as clerk. It was said the family of Gumaer were rich and in possession of large bills of exchange, for which they could not get money before he had to flee to escape persecution or death. From a certificate of his, in the French language, in relation to his church membership and character, dated the 20th of April, 1686, it appears that he then was in France and about 20 years of age. In 1685, the edict of Nantes was revoked by Louis XIV., King of France, whereby the Huguenots became unprotected by the laws of that country and exposed to the vengeance of the Catholics, who were the most numerous and powerful class of people in that country, and, after they became unrestrained, exercised their power to torture and murder the former, and to plunder and destroy their property, which caused a flight of thousands of them from France into other countries, in which the two individuals mentioned made their escape from it.
The name Cuddeback, as now written and Codeback as written in the patent, must both differ from the original orthography. Cuddeback has said that his name was that of a certain city in France. On examining an ancient gazetteer I find the orthography of one city in that country to be "Caudebec," which, in the French tongue, has the same oral sound as that of Codeback in the English tongue.
The Rev. Henry Morris, of Cuddebackville, has furnished me with some historical accounts from Malte Brun's Universal Geography, Vol. 6, being the following notice of Caudebec:
"Caudebec was formerly the capitol of Caux, a small country in which agriculture has attained to a high degree of perfection, where every house, surrounded by trees of different sorts, contributes to adorn the different sites; indeed, the country, watered by the Seine from Havre to Rouen, may vie with the vaunted banks of the Seine. Caudebec was a flourishing town before the revocation of the edict of Nantes; it was almost ruined in consequence of that impolitic measure, and, although it possesses a convenient harbor, the population does not exceed three thousand souls. It is situated in the district of Yvetot, a small town of which the lords before the reign of Louis XI. were styled kings by their vassals."