James McCord (1752-1833)

James McCord (1752-1833). Early Settler, Revolutionary War Veteran and Emancipator. James McCord was the oldest of four sons of John McCord and Jane Roberts McCord, who settled here in 1750, raised six children, and began the McCord family story that unfolded over the next five generations. Before he joined the Patriot cause, a young James McCord managed the family farm in the northeastern hills of what was then Philipsburg Manor. , All the McCord men played a part in the Revolution. James's father John was imprisoned at the age of 59, supposedly for his refusal to support either Patriots or Loyalists. His position was understandable: While his sons James and Robert served under Colonel Hammond in Westchester's Militia, his sons David and Samuel fought for the British, for which they were pruned from the family tree and died in exile. James and Robert remained on the farm the rest of their lives. , After the war, James purchased his 217 acres from the state and married Hannah Smith, with whom he had five children. In 1790 he was elected the first assessor of the Town of Mount Pleasant (all of Ossining was part of Mount Pleasant until 1845). Five years later, he freed Abigail, a slave, another first for Mount Pleasant. In the early 1800s James's son David enlarged the family homestead that still stands at the north end of Narragansett Avenue. The farm remained in the family until 1937, when it was subdivided for residential use. , There are three James McCords resting at Dale. The first was our settler and soldier; the second was his son, who married Catharine Trowbridge, daughter of Revolutionary War veteran John Trowbridge. The third was James and Catharine's son, who served as president of Sing Sing in 1866.