The tract constituted a portion of the so-called Keskeskeck region, bought from the natives for the West India Company by Secretary Van Tienhoven, " in consideration of a certain lot of merchandise," under date of August 3, 1639. That Van der Donck made substantial recompense to the original owners of the soil is legally established by testimony taken in 1G66 before Richard Nicolls, the that it is stated in which first English' governor of New theYork, Indian proprietors concerned " acknowledged to have sold and received satisfaction of Van der Adrian Van der Donck was a genDonck." tleman by birth, being a native of Breda, Holland. He was educated at the University of Ley den, and studied and practiced law, becoming uiriusque juris. In 1641 he accompanied Kiliaen Van Rensselaer to New Netherland, and was installed as schout-fiscaal,or <>LI> DUTCH IIOUSK. sheriff, of the patroonship of Rensselaerswyck. In this post he continued until the death of the patroon, in 1646. Meantime he had manifested a strong inclination to establish a " colonie " of his own, at Katskill; but as such a proceeding by a sworn officer of an already existing patroonship would have been violative of the company's regulations, he was forced to abandon the project. On October 22, 1645, he married Mary, daughter of the Rev. Francis Doughty, of Long Island. Earlier in the same year he loaned money to Director Kieft, a transaction which probably helped to pave the way for the prompt bestowal upon him of landed rights upon the termination of his official connection with Rensselaerswyck. In the Dutch grant to Van der Donck, the territory of which he was made patroon was called Nepperhaem, from the Indian name of the stream, the Nepperhan, which empties into the Hudsou at Yonkers, where stood at that period, and for perhaps a quarter of a century later, the native Village of Nappeckamack (the " Rapid Water Settlement").