Early History

The present site of Yonkers was purchased from the Dutch government by Adriaen Van Der Donck. Although he did not arrive in this country to inspect his purchase until 1641, many events were developing to shape the future. In 1646, title to the territory now known as Yonkers passed from the Indians to the Dutch Republic, which in turn vested the title to the New England Company. It then passed from that company to Van Der Donck.

Van Der Donck built a sawmill at the junction of the Hudson and Nepperhan Rivers. It is this rather small river which flows through Yonkers, and the waterpower it afforded, that was undoubtedly the reason for locating the mill at that point. Van Der Donck, by reason of his status in Holland, was known as "Djonk Heer" which means "Young Gentleman" or "Young Nobleman." These words evolved through several changes to "The Djonk Herr's land, " and "The Younckers," "The Yonkers" and finally simply "Yonkers." The area acquired by Van Der Donck passed into the hands of the Philipsburg family in the latter part of the 17th Century, and the present Philipse Manor Hall was erected at the junction of the two rivers. This strategic location at this junction became the driving force that resulted in Yonkers' growth into a major trading center. Early settlers of Yonkers, including Native Americans, English and Dutch, created the flavor of a diverse cosmopolitan population that remains through the present day.

The Village of Yonkers was incorporated on April 12, 1855, at that time extending approximately two miles along the Hudson River with an average width of about one mile and a population of approximately 7,500. On June 1, 1872, the charter establishing Yonkers as a city was signed by Governor Hoffman; by this time, the population had swelled to about 20,000 and was well on its way to the nearly-tenfold number of residents in Yonkers today.

Its notable residents over the years have included William Boyce Thompson, copper magnate; C.C. Dula, former head of Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company, Ella Fitzgerald and W.C. Handy, two of the world's most beloved cultural figures, and John E. Andrus, head of the New York Pharmaceutical Association (later Arlington Chemical Company in Yonkers) a mayor of the City, a U.S. Congressman (1905 to 1913) and philanthropist whose trust funds have established the Julia Dykman Andrus Home for Children, John F. Andrus home for Aged and St. John's Hospital. Some widely renowned people who worked in Yonkers were John Masefield, poet laureate of England; Charles P. Steinmetz, noted electrical wizard; Leo H. Bakeland, inventor of Velox paper and Bakelite, and Edwin Howard Armstrong, the inventor of FM radio.

For more information and photos of early Yonkers, visit the Yonkers Historical Society site.