History of Westchester County, New York, Vol. I
Now that Heathcote was dead, and his powerful influence with the Governor and Council no longer stood between the people and their rights, it only remained for them to .submit to the e.xcessive exactions of the Governor and Council before their territory should be finally confirmed to them. Three times were they compelled to make surveys of their goodly land,-- three times required to notify the owners of adjoining lands that such surveys were about to be
* Land Papers, vol. viii. page 126.
'Book of Patents, .\lbany, vol. viii. page 450.
« Baird's Rye, lofi.
HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNT\.
made, and all to furnish pretexts for oppressive charges by the oflScers of the Governor's Council. But at length the royal jiatent was obtained and the long coutroversy was ended ; the cloud that had so long hung, like an evil omen, over the title to the White Plains, -- forever disappeared, and the sun of prosperity once more shone brightly on the land and its people. Many of the most enterprising citizens of Rye removed to White Plains, and at the present day some branches of nearly all the ancient families are more numerously represented in White Plains than in the parent settlement.
The patent was obtained for the benefit of all the owners of the White Plains lands, although but onehalf of them were named as patentees ; and in order to establish the rights of the other owners, the patentees executed a conveyance to Joseph Horton, Sr., Joseph Horton, Jr., John Travis, James Travis, Jr., Solomon Yeomans, John Hyat, Thomas Travis, Jonathan Purdy, Monmouth Hart, Abraham Smith, Robert Travis (son of Philip), Daniel Horton, Jonathan Horton (son of Jonathan Horton), Nathaniel Baylie, Caleb Horton, John Rockwell, Samuel Merritt and Still John Purdy, in which their rights were declared, and whereby the patentees quitclaimed " to the said grantees, their several and sei)arate heirs and assigns forever, all such right, title, interest and demand as the said grantors, or any of them, have, by virtue of said patent, in or to the lands heretofore laid out to the said grantees, and the proportionate share of such lands as are yet undivided." This conveyance bears date January 18, 1722, and is recorded in Westchester County register's office, in Liber G of Deeds, page 393.