The Home Farm

What I call here The Home Farm is the farm where I grew up, originally about 210 acres, located 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 Goodrich Place, or Farm or Homestead. It was also earlier known as The Stewart Farm. None of these appellations were known to me until I started researching the history of the farm.

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.

History of the Home Farm

Here I will attempt to discover and record the history of what I call the Home Farm, the farm where I grew up, originally about 210 acres, located 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; none of these appellations were known to me. Home Farm is what I've taken to calling the place in later years.

The Stewart Farm

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.