Coldengham, New York
Store of Cadwallader Colden, Jr.
Stephanus Crist and his Grist Mill
250 years ago today, Stephanus Crist sold two bushels of ground corn to Colden. The DayBook contains the notation that it was ground at Crist's mill.
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This article is one in a series of a daily accountings of Colden Store transactions. Be sure you read the first installment for an introduction to the store. You should also read this article which appeared in the Journal of the Orange County Historical Society.
The Crist family was wealthy and prolific. Stephanus was one of at least two brothers who had settled with other Germans as early as 1721 on the west side of the Wallkill River. Crist acquired a most advantageous lot of 200 acres on the river that was known as the 'Crist Mill Lot.' [Rutterber, History of Orange County, p372]
This lot was at one of the few locations where a bridge spanned the Wallkill. In fact, there are two entries in the DayBook where Crist is referred to as "at the Bridge."
The Crist surname appears over 90 times in the DayBook. Stephanus appears 18 times. His son, Christian, appears 16 times [CORRECTION: Christian was probably the nephew of Stephanus. See note below].
Seven years from this date, on May 20, 1775, Stephanus would execute his last will and testament. The will gives his occupation as 'Tavern Keeper.' It also enumerates his wife (Eva), his sons (Daniel, Christian, Simeon, Jonathan, and Frederick), daughter (Hannah), and slaves (Jean and Closs). [Probated March 7, 1776 in Ulster County, New York City Wills, Liber 30, page 125.] Accessed at https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/8800/005519026_00109?pid=2939900
Stephanus Crist would not live to see the birth of the United States in 1776, but 250 years ago today, he was spending a cold February Saturday in the Colden Store.
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| Crist property (green circle) near Wards Bridge over the Wallkill River. |
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Hi Joel - The Christian Crist who visited the store probably wasn't Stephanus's son (he was born in 1767). It was probably his nephew, the son of his brother, Johannes Martinus Crist. That Christian was born in 1745. Great job on the blog!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the correction. Your suggestion is supported by page 444 of the DayBook where Johannes Crist Junr's wife is in the store and picks up items for Christian. She is described as "his Brother's wife."
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