The Company, or the Company's Director, was under some obligations to Van der Donk, it is said, for advances of money; and land grants have been convenient for discharging obligations of that sort in all ages of the world.

The deed named the tract so acquired " Nepperhaem" ; but the names by which it was popularly known to the Dutchmen of that day were " Coin Donk, " or the '■ Colony of Donk," and " De Jonkheer's," or the "Young Lord's," which has been corrupted into Yonkers. This grant became a manor in 1652 and Van der

204 The Hudson River

Donk was its Lord for three years, though perhaps he never hved there. He became involved in a quarrel with Stuvvesant and went to Holland with a remonstrance, but was beaten b}^ the doughty Governor. He left no impression upon the land over which he was Lord for so short a time. Between 1681 and 1686 Vredryk or Frederick Flypse or Filipse became Lord of a manor that was really lordly, a domain to put to shame many a princeling's patrimony. His various Indian and other purchases, confirmed by grants, finally included all that tract of land lying between the Croton River and Spuyten Duyvil creek, -- from Ritchaw^an to Papuinemen. When his first wife died, in 1690 or '91, he married the daughter of Oloff Van Cortlandt and widow of John Dervall, who brought him a fortune of considerable extent to add to the eighty thousand guilders which made him already the richest man in the Colonies. All of his estates were confirmed to him in 1693. He was actually Lord of the Manor, with baronial power. From 1693 till his death in 1702 his country residence was probably at Tarrytown, in the stone house -- called "Castle Filipse" -- that he built there, and that has been going slowly but surely to decay up to this year of grace, 1902, because of a lack of public spirit or sentiment, or whatever the emotion may be that moves men to the preservation of historic landmarks.