46 HISTORY OP the traditionary history of the first settlements, as any person at present living, — possessing naturally an enquiring mind and a retentive memory, and having been brought up in one of the original families, most of the leading incidents have come with- in the scope of his research and observation. Perhaps no settlement in Delaware County, dates anterior to that in Middletown. In the latter part of the year 1762, or early in the spring of 1763, a party was formed in Hurley, Ulster County, for the purpose of exploring the Delaware valley, and if considered expedient, of making arrangements for emigrat- ing thither with their families. Among these adventurers were Hermanns Dumond^ his brother Peter Dumond, J ohannes Van Waggoner, and a man by the name of Hendricks ; each of whom, after having made the necessary explorations, purchased a farm of the patentee, at a place called by the Indians, Pakatakan, and as before stated, near where the present village of Margaret- ville is located. These four pioneer families, constituted the first permanent colony on the East Branch, but at the period of their arrival in the valley, there still remained abundant evidence of their having been preceded by others, supposed to have been French Canadians, or half-breeds, who had squatted upon these flats previous to, or during the French war, for the purpose of traffic with the aborigines, but who were compelled to retire from considerations of personal safety, during the troublesome times that followed. Mr. Kittle, has frequently asserted that his step-father Hendricks, purchased his posses- sion of one of these squatters, and Mrs. Yaples well recollects from the narrations of her mother, that agricultural imple- ments of various kinds, were found by her parents on their arrival, satisfying them that they had been preceded by others of European extraction. The land titles of the first settlers, were warranty deeds granted by Mr. Livingston to the purchaser, with a provision allowing the latter to cut wood or quarry stone, upon any
