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- Thurston's History of the Town of Greenwich, says: —
" The next settlement in the town was in the Saratoga patent in 1766, when Judge Nathan Tefft and his two sons, Stanton and Nathan 2nd, came from South Kingston, Rhode Island, and located in the towns of Easton and Greenwich, Judge Tefft with his son Nathan taking by lease from Kelleyan DeRidder, the farm now owned by his great-grandson, Nathan B. Tefft in Easton, while Stanton Tefft took in the same manner from DeRidder, the farm now owned by Harvey Rogers, at Middle Falls, and built on the Battenkill at the fine water-fall at that point, the first saw-mill on that stream, of which we have authentic information. The following mention of this mill, is made in the field-book of the survey of the Saratoga patent, made in 1764 by J. R. Bleecker: ' where-as, we the subscribers, commissioners appointed for the partition of all such lands, creeks, rivers and falls of water as remained undivided in the Saratoga Patent, have lately proceeded to the Survey, Partition and Balloting thereof; and have assigned for defraying the expenses accrued on the same, all the islands lying in the Hudson River between the Southernmost and Northermost bounds of the said Patent, being in all nine islands, as also two Falls of water with four acres of land lying adjacent and convenient to each of them, the one being the second fall on Diondehowa Creek, where Staten Tefft now has a saw-mill.' This conclusively proves the early date of their settlement in Greenwich. After the mariage of Nathan 2nd, Judge Tefft lived at the house of his son Stanton, in Greenwich, until his death in 1789.
The settlement of the Teffts, was the beginning of the large influx of Rhode Island colonists from which the Baptist church subsequently organized." Above bio from Find A Grave contributor Caroline Hoag
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