The Rikers or Rycke's Lents and Krankheyts " were of common origin in Germany and located at a very remote period in Lower Saxony where they enjoyed a state of allodial independence, at that day regarded as constituting nobility. They there possessed the estate, or manor of Rycken, from which they took their name, then written Von Rycken, indicating its territorial derivation." " Hans Von Rycken. the lord of the manor, and a valiant knight with his cousin, Melchior Von Rycken, who lived in Holland, took part in the first crusade to the Holy Land, in 1096, heading 800 crusaders in the army of Walter the Penniless. Melchior lived to return, but Hans perished in that ill-fated expedition." " In time the descendants of Melchior Van Rycken extended themselves from Holland to the region of the Rhine and into Switzerland." " In the Spanish war Capt. Jacob Simons de Rycke, a wealthy corn merchant of Amsterdam, and a warm part'zan of the Prince of Orange, disa Alb. nook of Pat. Lib. &. fol. 114 to 117, Co. Rec»Lib. L p. 145. 6 Co. Rcc, Lib., E., 15T.

THE TOWN OF CORTLANDT.

tinguished himself by his military services." His son Jacob de Rycke was probably the father of Abraham de Rycke who emigrated to this country in 1638, as he received in that year an allotment of land from Gov. Kicft, for which he afterward took out a patent, dated Aug. 8, 1640. He died in 1689, leaving his farm by will to his son Abraham. By his wife Girtie, daughter of Hendrick Hermensen, he had nine children-- Ryck Abramsen of Cortland manor who adopted the name of Lent; 2, Jacob, born 1640, died young; 3, Jacob born 1643, united with his brother Ryck in purchashing Ryck's patent. This grant was indeed in the manual limits; 4, Hendrick, born 1646, died young; 5, Mary, born 1649, married Sibout H.