The Home Farm
The Home Farm is the farm where I grew up, at the intersection of Clark Road and Columbia County Rt. 9, in the Town of Chatham, Columbia County NY.
This farm was known to previous generations as The Stewart Farm, and later as The Goodrich Place (or Homestead), an appellation not known to me until I started researching the history of the farm and learned my great-grandfather, Frederick C. Goodrich, succeeded the Stewarts on the place.
Originally settled by "old John Clark", most likely before 1786, after passing through several hands it was bought by Jesse Goodrich Jr. in 1837. The farm remained in Goodrich family hands until my folks slowly parceled it off, beginning about 1950.
Contents
- The Stewart Farm
- History of the Home Farm
- 1 ~ Early History of the Farm
- 2 ~ 1837 - Jesse Goodrich Jr.
- 3 ~ 1837 - William D. & Betsey Stewart
- 4 ~ 1894 - Frederick C. Goodrich
- 5 ~ 1928 - Jesse C. Goodrich
- 6 ~ 1932 - Lucy Lamoree
- 7 ~ 1945 - John E. & Ethel M. Coxon
- APPENDIX A - Early Deeds and Mortgages
- APPENDIX B - Published References
- APPENDIX C - Babcock - Allen - Goodrich Burial Ground
- APPENDIX D - The Ancestors and Descendants of Frederick Carlton Goodrich
- APPENDIX E - Stewart Farm to Frederick C. Goodrich
Columbia County farmers were doing well in the late 19th century as the Harlem Division railroad opened up the New York milk market. The Stewart Farm is one of many farms illustrated in “History of Columbia County, New York. / With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers” published in 1878.
What I present here comes from remembered family lore, old family documents, recorded deeds, and some published articles and websites I have found. I can't vouch for the absolute accuracy of it all but have done my best to suss out a reasonable history.
— revised 2024-07-16 jhc