last above named in whom the undivided lands had vested in 1753, by lease and release, the latter dated the 14th of December in that year, conveyed them to Oliver de Lancey, John Watts, and John Van Cortlandt, in trust, to settle all disputes as to encroachments and trespasses on the lands, either by ejectment, or arbitration, as they saw fit ; and all as to boundaries in the same way, and when the lands were recovered to sell the same and divide the proceeds among the heirs; and in case of all undisputed lands to have the same surveyed and divided equally among all the parties.

These details of these partitions and divisions have been taken from recitals in original deeds in possession of the Van Cortlandt, Van AV'^yck, and Kemble, families, and papers and documents in the writers own possession. In the Secretary of State's office in Albany, and in the Westchester County Register's office, at White Plains many of the original deeds may be found on record. The original release of 1753, last mentioned, is among the Van Wyck papers in the possession of that family.

The lauds north of the Croton River were divided into two ranges called north and south "Great Lots " of the same Arabic nundiers, from 1 to 10. Those north of the Croton but fronting on the Hudson River were called "Front lots" and were also numbered from 1 to 10. Number 11, was the tract on the west side of the Hudson. The lots south of the Croton were also numbered in the same way, and called "Lots South of Croton."