ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOK SOURCES

• Bacon, Edgar Mayhew. (1897) The Chronicles of Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow. New York: Knickerbocker Press.
  This special little volume has 163 pages with nine succinct and clearly written chapters. It is not among the more scholarly works, but it is one of the most readable. There is a "Myths and Legends" chapter which presents both popular and some of the lesser-known local legends. The "Old Sites and Highways" chapter takes particular pains to provide the multiple names given to some places. Photographs, a map of the Tarrytowns and index are included.

• Bolton, Robert, Rev. (1905) History of the Several Towns, Manors and Patents of the County of Westchester. New York: Jon. J. Cass. Volume I, pp 505-564, The Town of Mt. Pleasant.
  Rev. Bolton's 2-volume set has gone through several revisions and apparent title changes. This is the most recent of the copies owned by the Mt. Pleasant Library. The cited chapter presents a chronologically arranged history of the area spanning from the late 1600s to the mid-1800s. It begins with descriptions of Indian names in this township and their sale of land to Frederick Philipse, and continues through the early settlers, Philipse manor, the Dutch Reformed Church, Beekman Mill, Major Andre's capture, the Headless Horseman and culminates with a list of town officers elected in 1845. The majority of this interesting narrative is focused on historic information during the American Revolution and genealogies are reconstructed from church foundings and memberships.

• Corcoran, Dennis J. (1995) Pleasantville: 300 Years from Manor to Suburb 1695-1995. New York: The Village of Pleasantville.
  This 58 page, illustrated book gives a quick history of the village from the first settlers to the present day. Chapters focus on periods and are arranged chronologically. There is neither a table of contents nor and index. Particular emphasis is placed on the village's historic homes and churches. Photographs show the evolution of the village through changing street scenes and the forefathers of the village.

• Fisher, George Jackson. (1886). Ossining. In J.Thomas Scharf, The History of Westchester County, (volume II, pp 321-365). Philadelphia: L.E. Preston & Co.
  The Ossining chapter mentions the Indian origin of the original village name (Sing Sing), its silver and copper mines, cemeteries, churches, and schools. Illustrations and an early farm map of Sing Sing are included. This history spans from early settlement up to the time when the village broke from Mt. Pleasant to become its own town. Development of the village in view of its relationship to the river is emphasized.

• Horne, Philip F. (1971). Mount Pleasant: The History of a New York Suburb and its People. New York: privately printed.
  Mr. Horne breaks down this 58-page publication into 8 chapters with each one being assigned a span of years. Interesting details are provided like a list of items Philipse traded for land from the Weckquaeskecks and a list of locals who served in the American Revolution. Emphasis here is away from the Pleasantville and North Tarrytown areas. A bibliography is provided and a table of contents, but there is no index contained in the volume. A sir name index for this book has been compiled by the library and is located in a file box on top of the vertical file.

• Hutchinson, Lucille and Theodore. (1975). The Centennial History of North Tarrytown. New York: North Tarrytown Centennial Committee.
  This book chronologically covers early events in North Tarrytown including area settlers who were attracted by the Pocantico River, the Old Dutch Church, the Hokohongus tree, and the capture of Major Andre. It is filled with photographs including one of the infamous Leather Man. Unfortunately, the photographs are not captioned, but there is a descriptive list in the back of the book. It lacks a bibliography but does acknowledge persons and institutions that provided information.

• Pleasantville School 7th & 8th grades. (1947). History of Pleasantville, New York: Pleasantville School.
  In commemoration of the village's 50th anniversary these students have each written brief (usually one page) entries on various local history topics which are pulled together chronologically. The included entries do occasionally drift a bit from the Pleasantville area, but on the whole the topics covered are significant. Although it is not the most authoritative work, it is well researched by the students and a careful job of editing was done by an unnamed teacher. Notable entries are the one on the "Lost Cave" and the Pierce family who were participants in the Underground Railroad.

• Todd, John A., Rev. (1886). Mount Pleasant. In J.Thomas Scharf, The History of Westchester County, (volume II, pp283-321). Philadelphia: L.E. Preston & Co.
  The Mount Pleasant chapter discusses Indian land sale to early settlers, the founding of the Town of Mount Pleasant in 1788 with its original boundaries. Much information is derived from church records, especially the Old Dutch Church. Also included are schools, factories, notable persons (Anderson, Kingsland, Aspinwall, Cooper), and descriptions of individual villages. Illustrations and a map are included. Work is scholarly and detailed but lacks color.

LOCAL HISTORY NOTEBOOKS

• Johnson, Carsten, compiler. (ND) Mt. Pleasant Sampler Volumes I and II, Carsten Johnson, compiler
  Volume I, Number 1: Gazetteer, Environment, Indians, Chronology, Revolution, Philipsburg Manor, Mt. Pleasant, Parks and Open Space (i.e.-Cemeteries), Commerce
  Volume I, Number 2: Industry, Transportation, Education, Iconography, Agriculture, Churches
  Volume I, Number 3: Medicine& Pharmacy, Social Issues, Reservoirs & Aqueducts, Daily Life, Post Offices, Genealogy, Historic Sites
  Volume II, Parts 4,5, & 6: Histories of Mt Pleasant villages and hamlets- Hawthorne, Pleasantville, Thornwood, Pocantico Hills, North Tarrytown, Sing Sing and Kensico
  These volumes are particularly good for information on how places got their names, legends, construction of the Kensico Dam, the marble quarry, shoemaking, the Old Dutch Church, cemeteries in Mt. Pleasant, postmasters of Pleasantville, and historic houses of Pleasantville with description and illustrations. This sampler is also a good source for students searching for a topic in the area of Mt. Pleasant history.

• Johnson, Carsten, compiler. (1985). Mount Pleasant, New York Genealogy and Biography of Pleasantville, Thornwood, Hawthorne and Valhalla 1660-1930.
  This three-binder set is an alphabetical arrangement by original family name. Branches, marriages, etc. listed only under the main name. An index to the names in these books is located in a file box on top of the vertical file. Most entries are photocopies from other sources and indicate source material and some have brief bibliographies. The type of information varies greatly- some are simply names with dates and relations, others are internet-accessed genealogies, biographies and personal remembrances.

• Johnson, Carsten, compiler. (1985) Town of Mt. Pleasant Nineteenth Century Source Book. This volume contains copies of orations, census reports, inscriptions from the gravestones at the Old Methodist Cemetery and the Banks Cemetery and lists of estate papers and wills filed the Westchester County Court. This material is useful in identifying someone as a one-time resident of the town of Mt. Pleasant.

GAZETTEERS

• Lederer, Richard M. (1978). The Place-Names of Westchester County, New York, New York: Harbor Hill Books.
  If you have the name of a place in Westchester County, be it a town, village, hamlet, lake, river, pond, park, etc., chances are that Richard Lederer can tell you something about it. The names are listed alphabetically with their corresponding description and codes which refer you to the bibliography (the bibliography has three sections: 1.books, articles and pamphlets, 2.directories, 3.individuals, organizations, and officers). There is a 1980 addendum to the book as well as additional biography entries. An additional index of "Names by Category" is located at the back of the book. This is a terrific source for discovering how various places got their names and what other names they had been known by in the past.

INDEXES

• Fuller, Elizabeth Green, compiler. (1988). Index of Personal Names in J. Thomas Scharf's History of Westchester County. New York: Westchester Historical Society.
  This book contains a complete alphabetical listing of all the sir names mentioned in the two-volume Scharf set. It is an excellent source for locating individuals who resided in or were important to the area up to the mid-1800s.

PERIODICALS

• The Quarterly Bulletin of the Westchester County Historical Society, aka, The Westchester Historian, Westchester County Historical Society, White Plains, NY.
  Thorough and helpful indexes to these quarterlies (which changed its name in 1955) are produced every 12 years or so. There is a cumulative index for the years 1925 to 1989, and a supplemental one for 1990 to 2000. These indexes may be used to locate articles of historic interest on any of the villages or hamlets associated with the town or the authors who wrote these articles. Articles appear about the "Lost Cave" in Pleasantville, the underground railroad and the Leather Man. This group has written numerous scholarly articles regarding this area and its inhabitants and periodically runs series on a specific locale. Photographs accompany most of the articles, as does a listing of sources. Slices of everyday life in earlier time periods and unique, high interest stories are most common here.

MAPS

• Historical Map of the upper part of the Manor of Philipsburg showing farm occupants in 1785 (drawer 2, magazine room and Board Room)
  Shows land division of the area according to the boundaries of farms. Farm ownership is indicated, as are roads. The area covered is nearly identical to that of the current towns of Mt. Pleasant and Ossining. This is a good source for determining which town areas were part of the original Manor and who owned what parcels of land and where.

• Map of Henry Banks'es Cemetery, survey 1863.
  One hundred twenty-five carefully grided plots are shown with an accompanying list of names of the owners of the plots. Names of historic interest include Van Wart, Clark, Cronk, Farrington and See. Consult this map to find names of locals residents and family ties.

• Map of Ossining and Mount Pleasant, circa 1888 (Board Room)
  This road map also displays locations of homes, churches and schools and indicates the name of the property owner. School district boundaries are also shown. Delineates who owned what in 1888.

• Map of the Townships of Ossining and Mt. Pleasant, published by Clark and Wagner, 1862.
  This 3 by 4 foot municipal map displays roads, structures and some topographical features. Property ownership is indicated by owner's name. Detail maps of Beekmantown, Pleasantville, Sparta and the Village of Ossining are provided, as are brief directories for Sing Sing and Mount Pleasant. Pen and ink drawings of notable homes, businesses and institutions surround the map. The map allows a full view of the division of the towns of Ossining and Mt. Pleasant and what they looked like before the division.

• Westchester Heritage Map, (drawer 2, magazine room)
  Displays waterways and bodies, major roads/trails. Indian symbols (mound, village, burial site, campsite, stockaded fortress, etc.) and Colonial symbols (Army camp, church, tavern, house, courthouse, mill, etc.) indicate early usage. A gazetteer at the bottom gives site names and an accompanying asterisk indicates that the structure is still standing. Provides a wealth of information regarding historic events.

VERTICAL FILE

• Local History Vertical File at the Mt. Pleasant Public Library
  This file contains newspaper clippings, articles, brochures and pamphlets about the town of Mount Pleasant and its villages and hamlets. Contemporary articles cover the time period back to early settlement and up to the present day. The file is arranged by subject with the Mount Pleasant history folder and the Pleasantville history folder containing the greatest amount of pertinent information. This is a good source for historic information contained in coverage of local centennial celebrations. In particular, there are articles on the Great Oak in Pleasantville, the building of Kensico Dam, and the last Civil War hero of Pleasantville. There is also an historic timeline for Mt. Pleasant and a listing of houses built before 1776 in this township.