Middletown transcript., 1869-10-16
Original Shetth.
LINDENWALD.
The Home OF the Lnte Martin Van Buren,.

Uriucn for The MddletOmn Transcript.
by D. s. t.
To reach LindenWald, the favorite hab-
itation of the Sage of the Albany Regency,
one can take an easy and airy car of the
Harlem Railway, at A. NJ and arriving
at Kinderhook station, 126 miles from
New York city, about II NJ. from thence
to old Undertook village, Columbia coun-
ty, N. Y six miles away, by stage. Or,
if in the travelling season, the tourist de-
lights to view the charming scenes on the
Hudson, from the commencement of the
Palisades to the termination of the High
lands Just above West Point, with the no.
BILE Catskills in the distance, then by all
means take the swift and magnificent AL
bany day boat, which will land him at
Stuyvesant Landing, by P. NJ. six miles
from Lindcnwald, or Kinderhook, where
as in the other route a mail stage awaits
passengers.
The Hudson River Rail Road is still
another mode of transit, but the two first
are preferable.
Before alluding farther to the pleasant
spot where Ex- President Matty Van-as
he is Familiarity called by the towns-peo-
plc-was wont to receive his friends in
days past, perhaps short account of his
political career will not be inappropriate at
this stage of our jottings.
The Eighth President of the United
States was born in the pleasant and thriv-
ing village of Undertook, now number
ing about $500 inhabitants, September 9th
1882. His parents were respectable and
frugal Dutch Hollanders, but were not
considered by any means leading citizens
of the place. Aaron Barr was boarder
in the family at one time, and Matty was a
protege of that celebrated individual. Per-
haps it was Burr who first gave him an
insight into law and political matters; al
all events, he received the best education
that could then be obtained in the schools
in his immediate vicinity. Having sufi-
ciently prepared himself for the study Of
law, he entered the office of Francis Syl.
vcster, Esq the leading lawyer of Kinder.
hook, where he remained six years. Bu
law did not engross his whole time; he
found leisure occasionally to peer into the
mysteries of political economy, and finally
dTTlbtu 1T Tue CDuCluSlOu tldb CudDCcs
for fame and fortune were at least equal il
the arena of politics to anything he nigh
accomplish by strict adherence to lega
pursuits. Fully impressed with this idea
he early set about cultivating what littlt
popularity could be gained in his limitec
sphere, and so won upon the confidence o
his neighbors and friends as to be appoint
ed, while yet in his teens, delegate to
convention in his native county, in whicl
important political measures were to be ac
ted upon.
We can imagine thai at this early stag,
in the political world, he saw the extend
ed influence of the Federalistic Esscr Jun
to-which had its seat of power in Eastern
Massachusetts, and exercised almost un
limited sway over the politics of this coun
try, until its disappearance from the seen
at the termination of the war with Eng
land.
In 1903, he was appointed Surrogate o
Columbia County, the first public Office h
) ever held {; and in 1919, and 1916, he wa
elected to the State Senate, in which bod,
be became distinguished leader of tn
Madison party, and one of its most elo
quent supporters.
In 1921, he was elected to the Unite
o States Senate, in which he held his sea
for nearly eight years, and became remark
able not only for his close attention t