By his will he bequeathed to his brother, Gen. Pierre Van Cortlandt, 600 acres ; to his three sisters, Anne Van Rensselaer, Cornelia Beekman, and Catharine Van Wyck, 200 acres each ; and his western lands to his nephew, the late Philip G. Van Wyck of Sing Sing. The latter gentleman afterwards inherited his mother's portion consisting of 200 acres on north lot No. 1, south of the Croton, together with 112 acres north of that river.

Peekskill, the principal town in Cortlandt town, is beautifully situated at one of the most picturesque points on the Hudson and east shore of the Bay of the same name. This place commands every advantage of river navigation, besides an extensive inland trade, of which it forms the depot.

By the Mohegan Indians the place was called Sachoes, a term dea Extracts from Gen. Philip van Cortlandt's diary In the possession o: lU3 nephew, the late Philip G. van Wyck, Sing Siug.

THE TOWN OF CORTLANDT.

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rived from the adjoining lands. The small stream intersecting the village was called by them Magrigaries.

The Dutch first denominated the village Peekskill from Jan Peek, one of their early navigators, who, mistaking the present Annsville creek for the proper passage through the race, ran his yacht ashore on the former. Here he subsequently erected a habitation and spent the winter.

The earliest settlement in this neighborhood commenced one mile north-east of Peekskill, on the property of Capt. John McCoy. The landing place was then at Pemart's dock, near the head of the tide waters of the creek.