Organization Charter Members

Deaths

Removals

(original in possession of Historical Society of Newburgh Bay & the Highlands (Crawford House)

Deposited in the

Historical Society of Newburgh Bay
and the Highlands

by James W. Fowler 

The date of organization of Engine Company No 1, the names of charter members, deaths and removals were all obtained from the small manuscript book left by the late Gilbert O. Fowler, father of James W. Fowler, who placed this valuable book in the archives of the "Historical Society of Newburgh Bay and the Highlands." To this book the firemen of Newburgh are indebted for all the information concerning the fire department from March 24, 1979, to May, 1804.

"Fire Company Register"
Minute Book of Orga[n]ization
of the First Fire Company
in Newburgh, Ma[r]ch 11th
1797

A small quarto man-
uscript book bearing the inscrip-
tion, "Fire Company Register," has
been placed in the archives of
the Society by James W. Fowler,
Esq., in among the books and
papers of his father, Hon. Gilbert
O. Fowler, in which is given
the act of the Legislature author-
izing and the organization effect-
ed under this act. It The record is deemed
eminently worthy of more ef-
fectual preservation by printing
in the publications of the Society,
especially as it gives the resi-
dent householders and store-
keepers of the then village residing within
the limits prescribed by the act.
The organization under this act
was succeeded in on the 25th
March, 1800, by the incorpora-
tion of the Village of Newburgh,
into the Trustees of which authority
passed, and this record was dis-
continued, although the company was
re[]ed and formed the first fire com
pany of the Village, Known half a
century ago as "Old No. 1." The Its engine
was non suction; hence the fire buckets
were required to supply it with water.

Register

5

 
 
An Act for the better ex-
tinguishing of fires in the
Village of Newburgh in
the County of Ulster

Passed the 22th of March, 1979
 
 
Be it inacted by the people
of the State of NewYork, repre-
sented in Senate and Assembly:
That it shall and may be law-
ful for the freeholders and Inhab-
itants living in the Town of

6

Newburgh, having a right to
vote at town meetings, and
residing within the following
limits, to wit, beginning at
a place on the west bank
of Hudson's River where a
due west line will run six
rods north of the Academy, the
same line to be continued to the
west line of the German Patent
then South along the said west
line to the South line thereof.
Then Easterly along the South
line of said Patent to Hud-
son's River. Then Northerly
the same to the place of begin
ning, to be called the Village
of Newburgh, to meet to-
gether at such place in the

7

said Village of Newburgh as the
Trustees herein after [have] di-
rected to be chosen shall ap-
point, on the first Monday
in May in every year.
And then and there proceed
to choose by Ballot not less than
three nor more than five trus-
tees, to be called the Trustees
of the fire Company in the
Village of Newburgh

And be it further inacted:
That the first meeting of
the freeholders and Inhabitants
in said Village for the purpose

8

aforesaid, shall be hold in at
the house of Francis Brewster.

And be it further inacted:
That the said Trustees chosen
as aforesaid, or a major part
of them, shall have full power
and authority to nominate and
appoint a sufficient number of
firemen (willing to accept) not
exceeding twenty to every fire
Engine now provided or hereaf-
ter to be provided for the use
of the said Village out of
the persons being freeholders
or persons renting teniments
to the value of one hundred
dollars per Annum.

9

to have the care, management
working and using the said
fire Engines, and the other
tools and Instruments now
or hereafter to be provided
for the extinguishing of fires
within the said Village, which
persons so to be nominated and
appointed as aforesaid shall
be called the firemen of the
Village of Newburgh who
are hereby required to be
ready at all fires as well
by night as by day, to manage
work and use the said fire En-
gines and other tools and In-
struments aforesaid 

10

And be it further inacted,
That each of the persons so
to be nominated and appoint-
ed a fireman, shall during
his continuance in Office be
exempted and priviledged from
serving in the Office of Consta-
ble, and from being impanelled
upon any jury or inquest (ex-
cept in the Justices Courts with
in said village) and for this
purpose the name of each fire
man to be appointed by vir-
tue of this act shall be
entered with the clerk of the town
of Newburgh and his Certif-
icate shall be sufficient

11

evidence in all Courts and
elsewhere of such exemption
and priviledge.
And further: that said trus-
tees or a major part of them
shall have power from time
to time to remove any fire
man so to be appointed and
others to appoint in the
stead of those removed, when
and as often as they shall
think proper.
And further enacted That it shall
be lawful for the said
Trustees or a major part of
them to make, establish
and ordain such rules and 

12

Regulations for the government
duty and behaviour of the per-
sons so to be appointed firemen
as aforesaid, in the working and
frequent using and trying the
said fire Engines, tools and
Instruments, and to impose
such reasonable fines and pen-
alties (not exceeding five dol-
lare for any one Offence) upon
such firemen or any of them
for default in performing
the duties hereby to be in-
joined or required from them
as they from time to time
may think proper.

13

And be it further enacted
That upon he breaking out
of any fire within the said
Village, the trustees aforesaid
and Constables of said town
of Newburgh, then being
in said Village, upon notice
thereof shall immediately
repair to the place where
such fire shall happen with
staves and such other badges
of authority as shall be ordain-
ed by a majority of them to
be worn, and be aiding and
assisting as well in extinguish-
int he said fires as in pre-
venting any goods from being
stolen, and also in removing

14

and securing the same and
in the execution of the duties
required of them by this Act
together with the Justices of
the peace if any shall be present.
They are hereby authorized to
command the assistance of
all and every of the able bodied
Inhabitants of said Village
whose duty it shall be to obey
and execute all orders and di-
rections of the trustees and ma-
gistrates aforesaid, in extinguish-
ing said fires, removing and se-
curing of goods, providing wa-
ter for the Engines, and as
sisting the firemen in
working the same.

15

And be it further enacted
That it shall and may be
lawful for the trustees aforesaid
or a major part of them to di-
rect and require the inhabitants
or Owners of dwelling houses
and other building in said
Village to provide themselves
with such and so many fire
buckets to be ready in such
houses and buildings for the
purpose of extinguishing fires
and to impose such reasonable
fines and penalties for disobe-
dience thereof as they shall
think proper, not exceeding
the sum of three dollars for
each bucket which shall 

16

be neglected to be furnished
as aforesaid

And be it further enacted
That all fines incurred and
adjudged to be levied by the
Trustees aforesaid shall be re-
covered by any one of said
Trustees aforesaid in his own
name, before any Justice of
the peace of in the same County
with Costs of suit, to be re-
ported to the said board of
Trustees and appropriated
by a majority of the same
for the purpose of procuring
and keeping in repair

17

the fire Engines and other
Instruments necessary for
the extinguishing of fires
in the said Village of
Newburgh 

18

At a meeting of the Trustees
of the Fire Company of
thee Village of Newburgh,
held at the house of Francis
Brewster, on Monday the 11th
of September 1797

Present:

Phineas Howell
George Gardiner
John McCauley Trustees
Robert R. Ludlow
Hugh Walsh

19

1st. resolved, that George
Gardiner be and he is here-
by appointed Engineer
to said Company

2nd. That Aaron Lyons
be & he is hereby appointed
Foreman, and Edmund Griswold
Assistant Foreman, to said
Company

3rd. That Robert R. Ludlow
be and he is hereby appointed
Clerk and Stewart to said
company

20

4th. That Selah Reeves,
Leonard Carpenter, Drake
Hobby, Wm Holmes, Anson
Bradley, Alexander Falls, John
Hoffman, Joseph Hoffman
Samuel A Gregory, James Burns
Robert W. Jones, George Monnell
David Denniston be & they are
hereby appointed firemen to said
Company

5th. That Solomon Sleight, Justin
Foote, William Seymour &
Benjamin Case Jun be & they
are hereby appointed Bagmen
of Said Company.

21

6th. That Squeir Embler
Alexander Wallace, Jason Rogers
Thomas Cooper, John D. Lawson
be & they are hereby appointed
Hook & ladder men to said
Company

Newburgh, Sept. 11th 1797

22

At a meeting of the Trustees
of the Fire Company of the Village
of Newburgh, held at the house
of Francis Brewster on Thursday
the 25th of October, for the purpose
of assessing the Inhabitants of
the Village with a proportion
of buckets, agreeably to an
Act entitled "An act for the Bet-
ter extinguishing of fires in the
Village of Newburgh in the Coun-
ty of Ulster."

23

1st. Resolved, That each householder
in the village of Newburgh pro-
vide themselves with the follow-
ing number of buckets, and that
they be present with them on
Saturday the 4th of November
next ensuing, at the house of
Widow Howell under the penalty
of three Dollars for every deficient
bucket

Assessment of Buckets

Present:

Phineas Howell
John McCauley
George Gardiner
Robert R. Ludlow
Hugh Walsh

Trustees

James Renwick
Edward Downs
William Brown
Robert Wright
Isaac Hasbrouck

3
1
1
2
3

Silas Coleman
Thomas Bell
James Minton
Alexander Colden
Robert Gourlay

2
1
1
2
3

24

25

Assessment of Buckets

Continued

Thomas Gardiner
Isaac Belknap
George Gardiner
Robert Cooper
John Harrison
George Monnell
Kenneth Morrison
Leonard Carpenter
Andrew Miller
David Denniston
Wm W Sackett
Alexander Falls
Henry Carpenter
Widow Howell
John Agar
Isaac Belknap Jun
Jeremiah Wood

2
3
1
1
3
2
1
2
3
1
3
2
3
1
1
1
2

Edward Howell
John McCauley
Clemons Hathaway
Widow DeGrove
Robert Ludlow
Hugh Walsh
Samuel O Gregory
Alex Wood
Rob W. Jones
John deWint
Jason Rogers
Daniel Smith
Lewis Carter
John Dubois
Francis Raymond
John D. Lawson
Robert Gardiner

2
3
3
1
2
4
3
1
2
2
3
1
1
1
1
1
2

Peter F. Goelet
Ben Case sen
Phineas June
Wm Seymour
Oliver Wood
Levi Dodge
Isaac Hudson
Ben Buckingham
Anson Bradley
Chauncy Griswold
Abram Ward
Will Holmes
John Clemens
Caleb Hallock
Abram Van Duessen
Christopher Van d

1
2
2
4
1
2
1
2
2
2
2
1
2
2
3
1

Selah Reeves
Wm Gifford
Widow Topper
Jason Rogers
Widow Hudson
Capt Beebee
Phineas Howell
Squier Embler
Phineas Howell
John Anderson
Francis Brewster
John Downs
Alex Carnighan
Widow Reeves
Edmund Griswold
Alex Wood

2
2
1
2
2
2
3
2
1
3
3
2
1
2
3
2

26

27

Assessment of Buckets

Present

Samuel Bond
Widow Wood
Ben Case Jun
Wm Lawrence
Daniel Hasbrouck
Wm Holly
Capt Van [K]uren
Edward Luther
John McBurney
Amos Curtis
Academy
Aaron Lyons
Daniel Bailey
Elnathan Foster

2
2
2
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
4
1
2
2

Andrew Harpending
James McCoy
Widow Wyant
Widow Morrison
Robert Dolph and
James Jackson
Dirck Amerman
Benjamin Smith
Wm Nichols
Albertson Smith
Thomas Cooper
John Dodge
Phineas Bowman
Engine house

2
1
1
1
1

1
3
1
1
2
1
3
8

At a meeting of the Trustees of
the Fire Company of the Village
of Newburgh, held at the Coffee
Room on Friday the 1st day of June
1798, the appointments, Rules and
Regulations following were ordained
agreeably to an Act "entitled an
Act for the better extinguishing of
fires in the Village of Newburgh
in the County of Ulster."

Hugh Walsh
George Gardiner
William Seymour
John McCauley
Phineas Hodges

Trustees

Newburgh, Oct 31st, 1797

28

1. Resolved, that Phineas Hodges be
and he is hereby appointed Clerk and
Steward in the Room of Robert R.
Ludlow deceased

2. That Phineas June be and he
is hereby appointed Fireman in
the Room of Selah Reeves
removed

3. That David Smith be and he is
hereby appointed Hook and lad-
der man in the Room of Alexander
Wallace removed.

4. That it be the duty of every fireman
Hood & Ladderman belonging to the
fire Company to meet at the

29

Engine house the first Saturday
in April May, June, July, August
September,October, and November,
of every year, precisely at 5 o'clock
P.M. of the said day, then and there
to work and manage the fire Engine
in such manner as the Captain of
the said fire Company shall direct
And be it further resolved that every
one offending in the premises shall
forfeit and pay the sum of 37 1/2 Cents
to be recovered as the law directs.

5. That it be the duty of every house-
holder within the Village of Newburgh
to fire his or her Chimney the first
wet day of every month and that
every one so neglecting or refusing
to fire his or her Chimney 

30

shall forfeit and pay the sum of
two dollars and fifty Cents (prov-
ided their Chimney take fire
in the onth in which such neglect
or refusal has taken place; to be re-
coved as the law directs.

6. That it be the duty of every
householder in the Village of
Newburgh to appear at the Engine
House with their quota of buckets
on the first Saturday of July
next precisely at 5 o'Clock
P.M. of said day.

Newburgh, June 1st 1798

The End

It was found among the
papers of [gent] Gilbert O.
Fowler, into whose hands
it had passed. 

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