Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library Gift of Seymour B. Durst Old York Library Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/historyofwestcheOOscha PIT STORY WESTCHESTEE COUNTY, NEW YORK, INCLUDING MORRISANIA, KINGS BRIDGE, AND WEST FARMS, WHICH HAVE BEEN ANNEXED TO NEW YORK CITY. J. THOMAS SCHARF, A. M., LL. D. Author " Ilislory of Mnri/lanil," "Chronicles …

The plan of the work is to a large extent novel -- the grouping of so many representative writei-s, to tell so interesting a storj' as that of the origin, career and significance of Westchester County, has no parallel in the history of any other county in the United States. To present the principal historical phases of the several towns, and the county's life and development, together with the…

The Editor has endeavored to prevent any unnecessary repetitions, and to provide against serious omissions of what might naturally be expected in a history of its kind. In more than one instance he has been constrained by his deference to local authority upon strictly local subjects, and by yielding to the testimony of experts in matters which they alone are supposed to know thoroughly, to hol…

The achievements of the living must not be forgotten, nor must the memories of those who have passed away be allowed to perish. It is the imperative duty of the historian to chronicle the public and private efforts to advance the great interests of society. Their deeds are to be recorded for the benefit of those who follow them, -- they, in fact, form part of the history of their communities, …

The scope and method of this history of Westchester County, is best understood by the table of contents, and the names of the Avriters annexed. It is sufficient to demonstrate the broad taste and judiciousness of selection on the part of the Editor. Without their indispensable aid and invaluable stores of material on the history of this interesting county, which they have been diligently colle…

They have most liberally met every desire of the writers in respect of letter-press and engravings of portraits, views, maps and other illustrations ; they have spared no expense or effort to make the mechanical execution of the volumes equal to the subject, and to the Editor's ambition, and they have helped him in every difficulty and sought to remove every obstruction from his path while the …

The Origin and History of Manors IN New York, and in the County of Westchester, 31-160 a Parts : 1. The Indian Owners of New Nethorland ami of Westchester. 2. How tlie Indian Title vested successively in the Dutch West India Company, the British Crown, and the Independent State of New York. 3. The Dutch in New Nethcrland. 4. The Colonization by the West India Company. 5. The Nature of th…

The Churih of Enj;land I'arochial Organization in Westchester County, and its Relations to tlie Manors. 12. The Manors and the County in their Mutual Kclations, and the Origin and Formation of the latter. 13. The Manor of Cortlandt, its Origin, Special Franchises, Division, First Lord and his Family, Particular Histoi-y, and Topography, 14. The Manor of S< ars<lale, iU Origin, Local History,…

By Edward Floyd de Lancey. By Hon. Isaac N. Mills. vi CONTENTS. Page. The Medical Profession, 568-598 By Geobge Jackson Fisher, M. D. The Literary Men and Literature OP Westchester County, . 598-639 By J. Thomas Scharf, A. M., LL.D. The Civil History, 639-657 By Rev. William J. Cdmming. Soarsdale, 657-685 By Allen M. Butler, M. D. New Rochelle, 685-701 By Rev. Charles E. Lindsley, D.…

Blue Bell Tavern 472j Brewster, Joseph B., Portrait of 70X Brown, Neheniiali, Portrait of 528 Butler, Allen M., Autograph of 684 Camp, Hugh N., Portrait of 836 Carjienter, Jonathan, Residence of 698 Carpenter, Jonathan, Portrait of 099 Caqwuter, W. J., Portrait of 598 Cauldwell, William, Portrait of 624 Cheese-Press, Primitive . 472a Church, Old Dutch, at Fordham 620 "Clermont," The Ste…

William H., Portrait of 867 Depew, Chauncey M., Portrait of 557 De Vries, David Pietersen 35 Dickel, C. W., Residence of 664 Disbrow House 856 Doctor of Olden Time 468 Drake, Joseph R., Portrait of 016 Dyckman, Isaac M., Portrait of 765 i Dyckman, Isaac Residence of 765 Dyckman, J. O., Portrait of 534 Dyckman, John H., Portrait of 705 Dyckman, William X., Portrait of 704 F.dsall, Thoma…

Franklin, Benjamin, Portrait of 171 Franklin's Cream Pot 641 Garth. D. J., Residence of 081 Gedney, Bartholomew, Portrait of 743 Gedney, Bartholomew, Residence of 743 Giffbrd, Silas D., Portrait of 532 Goodridge, Frederic, Residence of 769 Graystone, Residence of S. J. Tilden 554, 555 Griswold, U. B., Portrait of 597 Guion, Place, View of 686 Haerlem, View of, from Morrisania, 1765 394 …

Huntington Homestead, Views at 822 Huntington Homestead 821 Huntington, H. K., Portrait of. 596 Indian chief 32 Indian family 33 Indian fort 34 Indian relics and specimens 14, 15, 16 Irving, Washington, Portrait of blO Jay, John C, Portrait of 582 Johnson, IsaacG., Portrait of 768 Johnson, S. W., Portrait of. 564 vii ILLUSTRATIONS. On or opposite page Johnson & Co. 'a Works "69 Lark…

Map of Fordham and the Meadows 775 Map, Roads about White Plains 732 Map, Sauthier's, published by Faden 403 Map, White Plains, 1721 720 Map, White Plains, 1776 . . . . 727 Mapes, Daniel, Portrait of 841 Mills, Isaac N. , Autograph of 550 Mitchell, Josiah S., Autograph of 740 Morris, A. Newbold, Portrait of 829 Morris, Fordham, Autograph of 817 Morris, Gouverneur, Portrait of 603 Morris…

Popham, L. C, Residence of 680 Popham, W. U., Portrait of 673 Popham, W. H., Residence of 672 Popham, W. S., Portrait of 672 Purdy, Samuel M., Portrait of 558 Putnam, A. E., Residence of 758 Reiufelder, M. I., Portrait of 596 Reynal, J., Residence of 724 Robertson, W. H., Portrait of 530 Sands, D. Jerome, Portrait of 590 Scharf, Autograph of 9 Scharf, J. Thomas, Portrait of Frontispiece…

Tilford, J. M., Residence of 742 Tompkins, Daniel D., Portrait of 671 Truman, Norman K., Portrait of 591 Van Cortlandt, A., Portrait of 762 Van Cortlandt Manor-House, King's Bridge 764 Van Rensselaer, W. P., Residence of 553 Van Rensselaer, W. P., Portrait of 553 Van Wyck, P. C, Portrait of 595 Varian, William A., Portrait of 584 Washington's Headquarters, White Plains 728 White Plains, …

Never fettered by axioms, they avoid all prejudices that come from the past; not more attached to one line of operation than another, they are not prone to employ an old method rather than a new; without rooted habits, they easily shake off the influence which other nations might exercise. Their firm conviction is that their country is unlike any other, and that their situation is without …

As the same causes are continually in operation throughout the country, they ultimately impart an irresistible im- .pulse to the national character. The American, taken as a chance specimen of his country, must then be a man of singular warmth in his desires, enterprising, fond of adventure, and above all of innovation. The same bent is manifested in all that he does; he introduces it into h…

Alison, in his "History of I'urope," prophesied that " democratic institutions will not and can- ! not exist permanently in North America. The frightful i anarchy which lias prevailed in the Southern States I since the great interests dependent on slave emancij pation were brought into jeopardy, the irresistible j sway of the majority, and the rapid tendency of 1 the majority to deeds of atro…

Democratic ideas will not be moderated in the New World till they have performed their destined end, and brought the Christian race to the shores of the Pacific." All the convulsions thus predicted have taken place with even greater force and consequences than the historian contemplated, and yet our Union is preserved in greater strength and more apparent durability than was thought possib…

BouxDAEY. -- The northern boundary line of Westchester County, as it is at present marked, was fixed at the time the county was erected November 1, 1683, and at the same time Long Island Sound was designated as the southern boundary, and the Hudson River a.s the western boundary. The line between New York and Connecticut has for more than two centuries been a matter of dispute between the t…

Van Twiller, in 1633, purchased from the Indians an extensive tract of land, called the Connittelsock, lying on the west bank of the river and sixty miles from its mouth. At this point was established a trading post, called "The House of Good Hope." November 3, 1()20, King James I. incorporated "The Council established at Plymouth, in the county of Devon, for the planting, ruling, ordering …

The Plymouth Company complained to the privy council about " the Dutch intruders," and as early as February, 1622, we find the British ambassador at the Hague, Sir Dudley Carlton, claiming New Netherland as a part of New England and re(iuiring the States-General to stay the prosecution of their plantation. To this remonstrance no attention was paid. I\Iay 5, 1632, the West India Company re…

What boundaries Your High Mightinesses have granted to your subjects, can be seen by the charter issued in the year 1615," which date appears to refer to the charter of October, 11, 1614, which went into effect January 1, 1615. The remonstrance of New Netherland of July 28,' 1649, maintains their right of possession by virtue of discovery made by the ship "de Halve Maen " belonging to the G…

It was upon the validity of this sale, in connection with the voyage of the Dutchman, Adrian Block in 1614, through Hell Gate and along the coast of Connecticut to Fisher's and Block's Island, and Cape Cod that the claim of the Dutch to Connecticut rested. The claim of the Dutch to the coast of Connecticut was maintained in 1646 by Governor Kieft, who threatened Clovernor Eaton, of Connecti…

In 1650, Peter Stuyvesant, on behalf of the colony of New Netherland, had a conference with the authorities of Connecticut at Hartford, which resulted in a provisional treaty on the boundary that the line should "begin at the west side of Greenwich Bay, being about four miles from Stamford, and so run a northerly line twenty miles up into the country, until it shall be notified by the two go…

War breaking out between England and Holland, this agreement or treaty was never ratified by the home governments. King Charles II., on the 23d of April, 1662, granted to the colony of Connecticut the following boundary : " All that part of our dominion in .\merica bounded by Narraganset liay, conunonly called Xarngousit l!)iy, where the said river lalleth into the sea, and on the north by …

This grant embraced Connecticut east of the Connecticut River -- with some variations of the boundaries -- and also the whole of Long Island, " together with all the river called Hudson River, and the lands from the west side of Connecticut River to the east side of Delaware Bay." By the charter and patent issued within less than two years of each other, nearly all of New York was THE DIF…

York for the purpose of cougratulation and settlement of the boundary line. These delegates and the commissioners appointed by the Governor of New York met on the 28th of October, 1664, and came to the understanding that the boundary limit between the two claimants should be fixed at a distance of twenty miles east of the Hudson River, and ninning parallel with that river northward from Long…

The intention was that this line, twenty miles east of the Hudson, should continue at that distance until it struck the boundary line of Massachusetts ; but being given a " North Northwest " direction, it intersected the Hudson River at West Point, and cut off a large part of New York west of that river. On the 24th of November, 1688, negotiations were again undertaken to fix the boundary li…

The boundary thus agreed upon began at the mouth of Byram River at a j^oint thirty miles from New York, and following that stream as far as the head of tide-water, or about a mile and a half from the Sound, to a certain " wading-place," where the common road crossed the stream at a rock known and described as " The Great Stone at the Wading- Place." From that stone the line was to run north…

The Legislature of Connecticut, on the 8th of May, 1684, formally approved the agreement and appointed a surve} or to lay oft' the line. In October following. Governor Dongan's officers met the surveyor of Connecticut at Stamford, and the amount of land conceded to Connecticut was ascertained, but their survey terminated with the line drawn parallel to the Sound as far as a point twenty miles …

" A probationary act" by New York followed, providing for the appointment of a new commission by each colony, and requiring the New York commission to run all the lines in accordance with the agreement and survey of 1683 and 1684, and this duty was required to be performed, though no commission from Connecticut should be appointed. This act was conditional on the royal approbation. This propo…

had been scattered. Traditions were found inconsistent and contradictory, varying the line in places to a considerable extent. Along the whole distance the greatest uncertainty existed, and a distrust and want of confidence in all the supposed lines, ratherthan a disposition to contend for any. Resident* near the border refrained from voting in either State ; while officers of justice and collec…

On the other hand, the commissioners of New York considered their authority limited to " ascertaining " the boundary as originally defined ; no agreement was reached, and in August, 1859, each State appointed new commis- I sioners ; but at their conference at Port Chester, on 13th September, of that year, the same difference of views confronted the commission, and the conference resulted in …

An agreement was made, December 5, 1879, whereby the western boundary of Connecticut was fixed as the ex parte line surveyed by New York in 1860, which was the old line of 1731. Connecticut, therefore, gave up her claim to the twenty-six hundred acres in dispute, between the straight line and the line of 1731 as reached, in exchange for her southern boundary extended into the sound. That agr…

The continuous valleys, extending north and south have been availed of by the railroads which intersect the county, while other roads in every direction have made the means of inter-communication easy and convenient. These features give to the roads running north and south a generally level character,wliile those extending across the country east and west are a constant succession of ascen…

These depressions have in several places created small lakes, of which Croton Lake is entirely artificial. Byram Lake, in Bedford and North Castle, Rye Pond in Harrison (covers two hundred and ten acres), Cross Lake and North and Solith Ponds, in Poundridge, Waccabuck Lake (covei-s two hutidred and twelve acres), in Lewisboro', Peach Lake, in North Salem, Mohegau and Mohansic Lakes, in York…

Furnace Brook, in Cortlandt, is another small tributary of the Hudson. Pocantico River, rising in New Castle, forms the dividing line between Ossining and Mount Pleasant, and through Sleepy Hollow, finds its outlet in the Hudson at Tarrytown. Neperhan, or Saw-Mill River, rises in New Castle, and flowing through Mount Pleasant, Greenburgh and Yonkers, discharges its waters into the Hudson at …

The Maharness, rising in North Castle, and Stamford Mill River, rising in Poundridge, flow into Connecticut and thence to the Sound. The southern or Sound shore of the county is indented with bays and estuaries, of which Westchester or Pelham Bay and Mamaroneck Harbor are the largest. Peninsulas stretch out into the Sound, of which Throgg's Neck, Pelham's Neck, Davenport's Neck and DeLance…

Yonkers, Hastings-on-the- Hudson, Dobbs Ferry, Abbotsford, Irvington, Tarrytown, Sing Sing, Croton, Crugers, Verplanck and Peekskill, are the principal stations along the line of this road. The New York and Harlem River Railroad extends through the central portion of the county, through Morrisania, West Farms, Eastchester, Scarsdale, White Plains, Mount Pleasant, New Castle, Bedford, Lewisb…

1 The accompanying geological map of Westchester County was prepared by the officers of the United States Geological Survey, at Washington, D. C, from data prepared by Professor Dana, and presents the latest conclusions of that school of geologists who agree with Prof. Dana as to the Lower Silurian age of the Westchester County rocks. The geological portion ol' this cliapter was written at th…

Dana's account of the limestone beds as the most importiint feature and value which geology points out for the county. Of course we had to abridge as much a.s possible in order to keep within the limits of our work. '- Prof. I. S. Newberry, in Popular Sci«Ht« Monlhly, for October, 1878. 73"45 73°30' 45' 73 •45 ' 73 '30' Geoloi>ir Map of VV^est Chester Coimty, N.Y. MILES .Ale/^morpftif .…

In Vermont the marbles occur in what is essentially a single belt, are fine-grained, unusually banded and mottled, are nearly pure carbonates of lime, and the rocks immediately associated with them are gray siliceous limestones, quartzites and slates. In Westchester County and on New York Island, on the contrary, the niarbles are very coarsely crystalline dolomites (double carbonates of lim…

Dana ' holds that Westchester County is comprised within t\u Green Mountain region, that it borders the southern side of the Putnam County Archa'an, as Dutchess County does the northern, and resembles in its ordei that part of the Green Mountain region which now makes Western Connecticut. The topographical features of the county owe much to the lime-stont bolts, which, by their easy erosio…

Dana holds that the throw of the waters against the right bank of a stream (the western if flowing south, or the northern if flowing west), in consequence of the earth's rotation, may have had its effects, and may possibly account for the cases in which the western side is the steep one, notwithstanding a vertical or even a high eastern pitch. The lime-stone belts of the county are divided…

The most southern outcroj) occurs about a mile north of the Bridge; it again outcrops near the " Club House." This belt probably continues southward into New York Island. The third area of the southern section is a prominent feature of the north end of New York Island, from which it extends three miles northward into Westchester County along Tippitt's Brook. The Harlem River makes a deep cut…

There are indications of a more eastern belt along the Saw-Mill River Valley just north of the city. On Gnissy Sprain Brook a small area exists with a width to the south of live iiundred yards. On the IJronx River a lime-stone belt begins near Bronx ville, and taj)ers out to the south, while to the north, and for the most of its course, it is divided into two parts, separated by a band of …

Half a mile east of the village of Croton occurs a small area without distinguishable features, and south of the Croton River a narrow area extends from near " Quaker Bridge " to the forcation of the river at Huntersville. At Merritt's Corner, and on the east border of Croton Lake, as well as near Bedford Station, small areas of lime-stone are indicated. East of the Pleasantville belt, on t…

It is in accordance with this that the least degrees of metamorphism are found in the lime-stone and associated schists of the vicinity of Peekskill, in the northwest corner, while along the central and eastern portions of the county, and in the western, also, south of the Croton, the crystallization is commonly very coarse; that the lime-stones have the same kind of associated rocks -- that…

The hillsides have suffered I'rom washing by heavy rains, but yield abundant crops to good cultivation. About the hill-tops and along the .summits of the ridges the rocks generally crop out, so that these localities are mostly left to be covered with forest growths, adding greatly to the beauty of the scenery. In many places in the county there are peat swam2>s, where ancient lakes have be…

It stands on the hill directly northeast of Muscoot Mountain in the southwestern part of Somers, and from its top can be seen the blue hills of Long Island across the sound, the northern elevations of Dutchess County and the distant lands of Connecticut. To the west it overlooks Yorktown and Cortlandt. One side of this curious rock has the appearance of an Indian's face. It is an immense m…

On that day Henry Hudson, the intrepid English navigator, anchored his vessel, the "Half-Moon," in the newly-discovered river, near the site of the present city of Yonkers. The dawn of the following day disclosed the residents of the village of Nappeckamak gathered upon the eastern shore, and viewing with wonder, but with a kindly interest, the strange revelation before them. We now know m…

Their color was unique, and was imagined to resemble that of copper ; but further investigation showed that this color varied greatly. Some of the natives were found to be nearly as dark as negroes, while in other sections they were almost as light as Caucasians. They spoke many hundred different languages, which showed striking analogies in their grammatical construction, with equally str…

We may reasonably suppose that man existed here for a long time before he discovered the litness of maize for food, and for a much longer period before he began its cultivation; and then it must have required centuries to introduce it to general cultivation over nearly a hundred degrees of latitude in the two continents. It is well known that plants change their character very slowly; but mai…

The attempts to designate particular nations as the original peoplers of the American continent, whether they were the Lost Tribes of Israel the Phwnicians or the Chinese, have so utterly failed to convince inquirers, that they have been generally abandoned. The autochthonic theory, the theory of indigenous origin, has had many strong arguments produced in its favor. Some of its advocates su…

The Pacific currents frequently cast the wrecks of Japanese vessels upon our northwestern shores. The islands of the South Pacific afforded a probable way of communication, and it is believed that many have disappeared, comparatively recently, beneath the surface. On the Atlantic side the difficulties were by no means insurmountable, even if we ignore "the lost Atlantis." The tradewinds and …

Their traditions referred in a very vague way to long journeys from the northwest, and great suflTering from cold on their way hither, and of contests with a people who occupied the country before them. Of their own history they were lamentably ignorant. Their computation of time by moons and revolving cycles led all investigations into inextricable confusion. Any event beyond an individual'…

It has been found more fertile in dialects than any other aboriginal speech. It was strangely agglutinative, and gave expression to thought by stringing words together into an extended compound. It was the mother-tongue of those who greeted Raleigh's colonists on the Roanoke, of those who boarded the " Half-Moon " on the Hudson, and of those who welcomed and fed the Pilgrims at Plymouth. It…

Long Island was occupied by Mohegan tribes. It has been stated that at the time of discovery the Mohegans were under military subjection to the Iroquois, and were compelled to pay an annual tribute to them. This is not substantiated by investigation, for we find no reference to it in any of the treaties made by these tribes with the whites, nor was such a thing ever alluded to in all the prot…

The national obligation was imperative, and treason to the decisions of a council was punished with death. Each nation had its emblem, or totem, which served the purpose of the flag of a civilized nation. These were used in times of war, and were drawn upon trees and rocks to indicate that the tribes had taken up the hatchet and had gone upon the warpath. The Mohegan totem was a wolf, and in …

The ownership of land depended upon conceded original occupation or upon conquest. If obtained by conquest, all original rights became vested in the conquerors, and if it was re-conquered, these returned to the original owner. They had but little idea of title to land. They valued only its occupation and use. The game that filled the forests and the fish that swarmed in the waters gave a valu…

Their territory also extended along the Mahicanituk, or Hudson River, northward to the Neperhan, or Saw- Mill River, and eastward to the Aquehung, or Bronx River. Between the Neperhan and the Pocantico were the Weckquaesgeeks. The Sint Sinks occupied the land between the Pocantico and the Kitchawan, or Croton River. North of the Croton were the Kitchawancs, whose lands extended to Anthony'…

These villages were located where there were special advantages for fishing, or where a light and easilyworked soil was favorable for cultivation. The Manhattans had three villages upon Manhattan Island. Their largest village in this county was Nappeckamak, which occupied the site of the present city of Yonkers. At the southern end of the original township of Yonkers, overlooking the Hudson …

They had another village upon Verplanck's Point and a larger one called Sackhoes, where Peekskill now stands. The Siwanoys were a numerous tribe. They had a village upon Pelham Neck, ill the present town of Pelham ; another on Davenport's Neck, in New Rochelle ; and their largest settlement upon the shores of Rye Pond, in the present town of Harrison. Here was a very extensive burial-ground…

The whole county is remarkably well watered and its soil produced an abundance of rich natural grasses. These conditions caused an abundance of game. The lands bordering the Beaver Dam River in Bedford were called "the deer's delight." The numerous lakes and streams throughout the county were well stocked with fish. These were taken with lines and nets, the cordage of which was made of twis…

The valleys from the south and southwest come together here by the subsidence of the intervening ridges. The Indians in considerable numbers would start in the early morning many miles away, and would " beat the bush " with hideous yells, working in the direction of the trap, while parties ran along the ridges on the right and left to prevent lateral escapes, and thus they drove before them…

So extensive were these shell-heaps upon City Island, now forming part of the township of Pelham, that they gave to the surrounding waters the name of "the great bay of the island of shells." Similar heaps were found upon Berrian's Neck, in the township of Yonkers, and at the various village sites along the Hudson. The largest of these were upon Croton Point, where considerable areas are st…

To overlook and protect the important oyster-beds of this wide portion of the river, the fort upon Van Cortlandt's neck was erected. It is an interesting fact that where these shells have remained undisturbed they are nearly all found whole, showing that the Indians opened the oysters without breaking them. It was probably accomplished by exposure to the sun. None of them have been exposed to…

It must be remembered that he had taught no animal to assist him in his labor. He had no flock or herd, nor any kind of poultry. His dog was a worthless creature, resembling a cross between the fox and the w-olf, and was only the lazy sharer of his cabin or the playmate of his children, and was not trained to usefulness in the chase. He had no iron nor any other metal, except rare spec- THE I…

His most important crop was maize, and upon this he relied, very largely, for his subsistence in winter. It was roasted while young, and when matured and dry was ground into meal by stone pestles and mortars, and when this was moistened with water and baked upon heated stones.the product was called nookhik," from which have come " nocake and " hoe-cake." The grain was preserved after harve…

In November, 1624, among the cargo of the first laden vessel from New to Old Amsterdam were 7246 beaver-skins, 675 skins of otters, 48 of mink, 36 wild-cat and various other sorts. In Wassenares' " History of the New Netherlands," it is narrated : " The tribes are in the habit of clothing themselves with otter-skins, the fur inside, the smooth side without ; which, however, they paint so beau…

The men always went bare-headed, and, in the summer, wore nothing beside a short garment about the loins, called, by the white settlers, " Indian breeches." The women dressed their glossy hair in a thick, heavy plait. Their dress usually consisted of two garments, -- a leather shirt and a skirt of the same material fastened around the waist, with a belt and reaching below the knees. From th…

Their villages were composed of houses closely huddled together about a central .sj)ace, which was used for the transaction of public business, for ceremonies and amusements. Besides the manufactures already named there were others that attested the Indian's skill. He made boats of two kinds. One consisted of a light, wooden frame, covered with birch-bark, skillfully and tastefully fastened a…

Specimens of all these have been found in Westchester County. The mortars were usually bowl-like depressions worn into some rock beside the village site, where the women could conveniently resort to grind the corn. Sometimes they were made in portable stones. The pestles were from two to three inches in diameter and from six to twenty inches in length, and generally of fine sandstone, greensto…

The cutting tools were leaf-shaped implements made of flint or jasper, finely chipped to an edge, which combined in its cutting the principles of the saw and the knife. There were also flakes of obsidian that had sharp cutting edges. Skinning tools, or celts, were wedge-shaped implements made of many kinds of stone, worked to a fine edge at one end, and generally polished. Perforators were…

Occasionally throughout the county quantities of flint chips are found on some Indian village site, where the ancient arrowmaker had his workshop. Mauls and hammer-stones were made of several varieties of tough stones. The former were grooved for hafting, and the latter were POLISHED FLESHER. FLESHER WITH HANDLE. THE INDIANS. circular or elliptical, two and a half inches in diameter, or …

Pipes have not been found in great numbers, but some of the specimens are very interesting. They are made of greenstone, steatite and sometimes were fashioned of clay. They represent birds, or the heads of birds, turtles and various animals, the beaver more frequently than others. Ceremonial stones were the most finely wrought of all the Indian's stone-work. They were carried as evidences of …

These facts prove that the Mohegans carried on commerce of exchange with other tribes, and thus obtained articles that liad been brought from very remote localities. Holes were drilled through stones for ornament or use by a drill ot flint, or a reed with water and sand. These were worked by a bow-string. The bow was an important article of the Indian's outfit, and was his chief weapon in…

They were used for ornament as well as for coin, and ten thousand or more were sometimes wrought into the belt of some 1 Six by two inches, found in Bedford. GROOVED HAMMER. HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY. great chieftain. The district about Byram Lake was called Cohemong, which meant the place where wampum is made. There have been but few unbroken specimens of Indian pottery found in West…

The consent of the sachem was obtained to their marriage, and he usually joined their hands together and they went away as man and wife. The man had but one wife, unless he was a sachem or occupied an exceptionally high position. The marriage tie was respected, and unfaithfulness was looked upon as a crime. In cases of separation the wife was given her share of the goods and departed, bein…

They had learned the medicinal virtues of many herbs and of a few other simples. They bound HAND-MADE AND FINCiER-MARKED VESSEL OF POT T E up wounds with mollifying preparations of leaves. They treated fevers by opening the pores of the skin with a vapor bath ; but their chief reliance in many diseases was upon supernatural cures. Their medicine-man, or pow-wow, excited their superstitious s…

The Indian endeavored to express these in a language imperfectly understood by the whites, and naturally the hearers interpreted these expressions according to their own predilections. It is not strange, therefore, that very little has come to us that can be implicitly accepted. But all our witnesses unite upon this important point, -- thea-e was no kind of idolatry practiced among the abori…

They believed in rewards and punishments hereafter, and they held that after death the souls of the good went to the home of Cantantowit, far away in the good southwest. There they were delivered from every sorrow and preserved from all suflering. The pleasures they there enjoyed were similar in character with those they had known here, but their perfection was more complete and their abundanc…

At best, there was presented only a dissolving view that was transformed before the observer's gaze. The Indian was immediately called a drunkard, and yet he had no beverage whatever that could intoxicate, and no drug that answered any similar purpose. The first Indian who felt the influence of alcohol found it in the cabin of the " Half-Moon." So, also, with other vices. True, the Indian was …

The one fixed, unchanging and unchangeable factor in his existence, upon which he could imjilicitly rely, was the land ; and now this was snatched from him by devices of which he was totally ignorant. The term "title" conveyed no meaning to his understanding. Acting under the laws of his fathers, and doing only what he had always been taught was right, he found himself accused of gross wrong…

He detained two of their number (*n the vessel, and, although they soon jumped overboard and swam to the shore, his act was nevertheless an outrage upon the universal rules of hospitality. He recorded that, when they reached the shore, they called to him "in scorn." Hudson ascended the river to Albany, holding communication with the Indians along the way ; and so kind was their disposition t…

The young men whom he had attempted to kidnap came out with their friends in canoes and discharged their arrows at the " Half-Moon," "in recompense whereof six muskets replied and killed two or three of them." The Indians renewed the attack from a point of land (perhaps preceding the vessel to Fort Washington), but "a falcon shot killed two of them and the rest fled into the woods ; yet th…

In 1639 the first sale of land in Westchester County was made. It included the northern shore of Spuyten Duy vil Creek. Other sales were made by the Indians to the Dutch until, on the 8th day of August, 1699, the Sachems Sackima, Corachpa, Wechrequa, Monrechro and sundry other Indians gave a general deed confirming numerous smaller sales made to Stephanus Van Cortlandt and others, and conv…

Subsidiary to this great sale, numerous others were made, -- some of lands included in the above, and others of lands adjacent thereto, like the one made to Thomas Pell, of Fairfield, Conn., in 1654, and to Edward Jessup and John Richardson, in 1663, of tracts adjoining those sold to the Dutch in the southern part of the county. By these sales the Indians disposed of the entire area of West…

It is not necessary here to specify the considerations named in the several deeds, as this matter was the work of the settlers, and will be more fully considered in their connection. They consisted of a few hoes, hatchets, knives, kettles, articles of clothing, rum and "divers other goods." These seem very insignificant to us; but, in justice to the settlers, it must be remembered that values…

So soon as the Dutch had made a settlement, their cattle were allowed to run at large for pasturage, and "frequently came into the corn of the Indians, which was unfenced on all sides, committing great damage there. This led to complaints on their part, and finally to revenge on the cattle, without sparing even the horses." In 1626 a Weckqujesgeek Indian, from the vicinity of Tarrytown, whil…

Finally, a treaty was concluded between the Dutch and the Indians, the former agreeing to some matters required by the latter, on condition that the murderer should be surrendered. But the treaty was never fulfilled by either party. It was a very difficult matter to have an Indian arrested whose actions had been in strict accordance with the laws and customs of his race. Against the advice …

The farmer was murdered in the open field; women and children, granted their lives, were swept off" into long captivity; houses and boweiies, hay-stacks and grain, cattle and crops were all destroyed." The Indians were now satisfied, and on the 22d of April, 1643, they made a treaty of peace, in which it was declared that '"all injuries committed by the said natives against the Netherlander…

The position of the Dutch was perilous in the extreme, and had the Indians known their power the whites would have been swept away. Governor Kieft now solicited aid from New England, offering a large sum for men and arms and proposing that New Netherland should be mortgaged to secure the i)ayment of the money. They received the aid, however, of only a few English volunteers. Two companies, on…

The inmates preferred to perish in the flames rather than to fall by their enemy's weapons. In this merciless manner five hundred human beings were butchered. Other statements carry the number to seven hundred. The militarj' power of the Indians was now broken and thereafter warlike operations ceased. On the 30th of the following August, 1645, a general treaty of peace was concluded between t…

All this through a foolish hankering after war, for it is known to all right-thinking men here that these Indians have lived as lambs among us until a few years ago, injuring no one and affording every assistance to our nation." There are traditions of the slaughter of large numbers of Indians at other points in the county, but they are believed to be unfounded. Mount Misery, near the Sound,…

On the 31s;t of August, 1778, they took part in the engagement at Tibbet's Brook, on the Van Cortlandt's estate, in Yonkers. They fought bravely and over forty of their number were killed. When Nimham saw that they were surrounded by the British horse, he called to his followers to fly, exclaiming, " I am old and will die here." Ridden down by Colonel Siracoe, he wounded that officer, and wa…

The Indians vanished from Westchester as noiselessly as the morning mists disappear before the advancing day, inclosed valleys and hidden nooks retaining remnants after the great body had gone. They left behind them so few material evidences of their existence here that we find them only by accident or by careful search. But many of the names applied by them to mountains, streams and localitie…

These visible realities had been supplemented by extravagant fables of the riches of the East, until the minds of navigators were inflamed with an eager desire to reach these inexhaustible treasures and bring them quickly home in their ships of the sea, instead of upon the "ships of the desert," as they had so slowly come before. This desire led to great events. It developed navigation into …

The daring fishermen of France sought the shores of Newfoundland in the pursuit of their vocation, and were followed into the St. Lawrence by the flag and arms of their country, where they so tenaciously remained. England waited for the reign of Elizabeth for the enterprise that developed her greatness in every direction and planted colonies in North Carolina and Virginia, and later, showe…

The wealth and power of Spain were considered almost boundless. The revolting )jrovinces were small in area and in population. The ' contest seemed most unequal, but the same energy, persistence and skill that had wrested their fertile land irom the sea defeated the armies of Spain and wore out the endurance of her sovereigns, until, on the 9th of April, 1609, the protracted struggle ended a…

Striking the American coast at Nova Scotia, Hudson skirted the shores of Maine and Cape Cod and next reached the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, and, turning northward, passed the coast of Maryland and entered Delaware Bay. Again standing northward, on the 2d of September he sighted the highlands of Navesinck, " a very good land to fall in with and a pleasant land to see," and on the following da…

England, becoming jealous of the advantages that might accrue to her maritime rival by these discoveries, prevented Hudson from returning to Holland, and his connection with the East India Company ended. He never revisited the river that makes his name immortal, but under English patronage he continued the vain search for a sea-way to India and lost his life in Hudson's Bay in 1611. The comp…

During the war with Spain they had opened and developed a profitable interchange ot commodities with the countries of the Baltic, and they had become the chief distributors of Russian furs to the countries of Europe. Naturally, they soon turned their attention to the prosecution of the fur trade with the Indians of the Hudson River, where beaver, otter and other valuable fur-bearing animals…

In the " Restless " Block sailed boldly through the rushing currents of the East River, naming its most dangerous portion " Hell Gate," after a similar situa. tion in a branch of the Scheldt, near Hulst, in Zealand, called " Hellegat." He explored our shore of Long Island Sound, and continued eastward to Cape Cod. The importance of these enterprises increased so that the States-General passe…

Various propositions were considered and dismissed, until, in 1621, the West India Company was organized, and received a charter of almost unlimited powers of government, while it was required to "advance the peopling of this fruitful and unsettled part, and do all that the service of those countries and the profit and increase of trade shall require." The internal organization of the company …

Opportunely, the West India Company invited settlers to New Netherland. Considerable numbers embraced the offer, and thus the Walloons became the first permanent residents upon the shores of the Hudson, and the first tillers of the soil. They spoke the French language, and were chiefly united with the Hollanders in their common hatred of the Spanish rule. They came here to establish homes for…

Having the interest of the fur trade more in view than the welfare of the colonists, the members of the company were, unfortunately, dispersed, some going to the South, or Delaware River, and others to Castle Island, near Albany, where Fort Nassau was soon afterward built. May had been appointed Director. The settlers who went to the South River soon returned. Other Walloons came from Hollan…

It was soon seen that the rights of the Indians must be respected, as being superior to any European right of discovery and occupation. Minuit, therefore, very justly opened negotiations with them for the purchase of Manhattan Island, and they relinquished their claims thereto " for the value of sixty guilders," which was equivalent to about twenty-four dollars of our money In the light of…

With the increase of wealth from trade and manufactures, the rich merchants were unable at home to satisfy their desires for landed estates, and hence it was proposed to offer them lands in New Netherland. On June 7, 1629, the West India Company issued its " Charter of Privileges and Exemptions," by which any member of the company who should purchase land of the Indians, and found a colony …

wealthy directors took immediate advantage of the company's action before the other share-holders could avail themselves of its privilege, and at once the most desirable territory was seized by a few. Disagreements and dissensions speedily followed. Intelligent emigrants were afraid to place themselves under the control of such grasping masters. Instead of encouraging the settlement of the co…

It was called Donck's Colony, and its proprietor, invested with all the rights and privileges contained in the charter of 1629, became a member of the order of Patroons. In 1650 a contract was made by the West India Company, with Van der Donck and others, for the transportation of two hundred persons to New Netherland. Yonkers soon became a place of considerable trade with the Indians, and …

During Kieft's administration an Indian war, resulting from the murder of an Indian, as is related in the previous chapter, befel New Netherland, and drove the white settlers from Westchester County and threatened the complete destruction of the colony. Kieft's administration proved unfortunate for the company. It was considered that he had unnecessarily brought on the disastrous war with the…

PETEK ST U Y \-ES A N J . further troubles with the Indians up the Hudson. The internal affairs of his government were very jarring. Jealousies and disputes were frequent. He was stern in his assertion of authority, but that authority was but poorly respected. To add to his difficultie-', lie was very insufficiently supported by the college of the company in Amsterdam. The unfortunate organiza…

The grants made to the Patroons were not interfered with. Adriaen Van der Donck died in 1655, leaving to his wife the colony of Yonkers. She subsequently married Hugh O'Neal e. In 1666, Governor Nichols granted a patent to Hugh O'Neale and Mary, his wife, confirming the rights of Van der Donck. There were a number of subsequent transfers of the title to these lands, until they became vested…

Under the fostering care of the Philipse and Van Courtlandt families, the settlement of the lands along the Hudson rapidly progressed. English families mingled with the Dutch to a considerable extent, but the Holland emigrants greatly, outnumbered them, so that, in the people and their habits, customs and character, the settlements along the Hudson were active with the occupations and refle…

They were thoroughly imbued with the democratic spirit that, with the freedom of the individual, respected fully both the natural and the acquired rights of others. They valued education. In Holland their free-school system was the best in Europe. Women occupied an exceptionally honorable position, both in society and in the management of afiairs, so that they ably assisted in the business …

The chief disputes were among the Protestants themselves, and mainly concerned the extent to which the changes should go. The people abandoned themselves to the consideration of questions of civil and religious liberty. Dissenters returning from the Continent threw their advanced ideas into the arena of public discussion. During the Commonwealth the spirit of controversy seemed to possess all cl…

At one time they looked toward emigrating to New Netherland, and at another to Virginia, but, finally, arrangements were completed for a more northern location, and, in 1620, they crossed the Atlantic and commenced the Massachusetts settlement. Their trials and sufferings in the new home were varied and severe. The settlement grew, however, and it was not long before the spirit of adventure…

Remaining but a short time at Boston, they came to Connecticut and securely planted the New Haven colony in the spring of 1638. The land had been purchased from the Indians in the preceding autumn. So soon as they were comfortably established they desired to enlarge their borders, and on the 1st of July, 1640, Nathan Turner, on behalf of the people of New Haven, purchased of the Indians the t…

In 1661, John Richbell, of the island of Barbadoes, West Indies, purchased of the Indians a tract lying between the lands purchased by Pell and those just mentioned, and extending a long distance inland. His title to this was confirmed by lettera patent issued by Governor Lovelace in 1668. In 1696 the widow of John Richbell conveyed these lands to Colonel Caleb Heathcote, who also made additio…

By her mother, she was connected with the family of the poet Dryden. Her religious views did not harmonize with those of the Puritans, and she was driven out of the colony. She first went to Rhode Island, but afterward sought peace and security near the Dutch settlement in New Netherland. She settled with her family upon Pelham Neck in 1642. Soon afterward John Throckmorton and thirty-five…

The old " Westchester Path " had long been used by the Indians and furnished the whites with the best inland communication. The fields that the Indians had cultivated were already cleared for the whites, and enabled them at once to raise the necessary food for their support. Gradually the settlers pushed inland and made additional purchases from the Indians. In 1683 the inhabitants of Rye bo…

begun. Poundridge and Salem were settled from the same source. While the growth of these settlements was not rapid, it was steady and healthful. The people gradually became rooted to the soil. After wandering so far, they were content to remain in the quiet enjoyment of their new homes. Nearly all those who settled in the eastern portion of the county were Dissenters, who afterwards became Pre…

Beside the Puritans, who came fi-om Connecticut, another English element came into Westchester County after the transfer of New York to the English, in 1664. The Governors sent over by the Duke of York were accompanied by numerous officers and retainers, who were no sooner established in their new positions than they began to look about them for lands for themselves and their families. Natur…

The most of these centred about the present town of North Castle. THE DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT. The Huguenot Settlement. -- Simultaneously with Luther's work in Germany thereformed ideas were widely spread in France. They were born on French soil, but were greatly strengthened by the progress of the Reformation in Germany, and grew rapidly under the active influences of Geneva. French Prote…

The Huguenots stoutly defended themselves throughout France, although great numbers were slain. The tide of their fortunes constantly ebbed and flowed. In 1598, Henry IV. issued the famous Edict of Nantes, which was helpful to both Catholics and Protestants, reproducing the more favorable and tolerant of former edicts. Under Louis XIII. their rights were again attacked, which led to an unluc…

Great numbers went to England, causing silk manufacture and other important industries to flourish there; others went to Ireland, making her linen and poplin manufactures the most important in the world; some went to Switzerland and some to Germany, and many crossed the Atlantic to seek peaceful homes and assured liberty in the New World. Their trials and sufferings and heroic steadfastness,…

He came to America in 1660 as a private soldier in the service of the Dutch West India Company. Leaving the army, he engaged in the Indian trade, with great success, and acquired a considerable fortune. Under Dougan's administration, in 1683, he was appointed one of the commissioners of the Admiralty Court, and, when Dougan was succeeded by Lieutenant-Governor Nicholson, Leisler, as captain o…

On the 20th of September, while Leisler was exercising the full power of a Governor in all civil and mrlitary matters, John Pell, lord of the manor of Pelham, conveyed to him for the consideration of sixteen hundred and seventy-five pounds and five shillings sterling, "all that tract of land lying and being within said manor of Pelham, containing six thousand acres of land, and also one hundre…

In the following year he conveyed these lands to them, when his connection with the settlement ceased. Some of the Huguenots came here by way of the West Indies, but the greater portion came from England. The main company landed at what is known as Bonnefoy's Point, in Echo Bay, adjoining Davenport's Neck. Numbers continued to arrive until the year 1700. Their new home was named in honor of …

Claiming the complete spirituality of the gospel dis- ' pensation, they denied all outward rites and ceremonies, and insisted that the types' of the Jewish ritual were fulfilled and ended in Christ. They acknowledged no order of priesthood but the universal priesthood of believers. They held that Christ as the head of His church chose and commissioned whom He would to preach His gospel, and t…

This claim rested upon the clause in the Massachusetts charter which expressly guaranteed " all liberties and immunities of free and natural subjects of the realm to all Englishmen 'which shall go to and inhabit' Massachusetts, or which shall happen to be born there, or on the seas in going thither or returning from thence." The result of the contest was one of those sad episodes in history o…

Governor Winthrop thus speaks of her in his journal : " In 1643, Lady Moody was in the colony of Massachusetts, a wise and anciently religious woman, and being taken with the error of denying baptism to infants, was dealt withal by many of the elders and others, and admonished by the church of Salem, whereof she was a member, but persisting still, and to avoid further trouble, etc., she rem…

Friends came to Gravesend in considerable numbers in 1657. Many of the inhabitants embraced their doctrines, and their first religious meeting on Long Island was established there. It was recorded that " meetings were held at the house of Lady Moody, who managed all things with such prudence and observance of time and place as to give no offense to any person of another religion ; so she and…

In the official instructions given by the directors of the Dutch West India Company, the official oath required '" the maintenance of the Reformed Religion in conformity to the word and the decrees of the Synod of Dordrecht, and not to tolerate in public any other sect." In this the Governor had an excuse for his treatment of the Quakers. Some were imprisoned for a long time. Some were sever…

The first who settled here located in the town of i Westchester. When the first meeting was held there i we cannot learn, but one was in existence in 1685. \ Soon afterward numbeis of Quakers settled in Mama- i roneck. In 1695 a step was taken that proved of great moment in the future settlement of Friends in Westchester County. John Harrison, of Flushing, purchased of the Indians a tract o…

Harrison's purchase was made for the settlement of Friends from Long Island. They called it " The Purchase," and it is still so known. The emigration began as soon as the interests of the patentees who were not Friends were purchased, and the necessary arrangements completed. Large numbers then came across the Sound. In 1704 the Court of General Sessions recorded the places where the Quakers h…

Into this the Quakers rapidly ])ushed, purchasing the lands from those who had obtained titles therefor. The line of settlement ran through the i)resenttownsofHarrison, North Castle, New Castle, Yorktown, Lewisborough and North Salem, and through Putnam, Dutchess and Columbia Counties. In the town of Harrison, and in some of those just named, the Quakers constituted for a considerable time a …

In 1767, Purchase Quarterly Meeting sent the following minute to the Yearly Meeting, then held at Flushing : " If it is not consistent with Christianity to buy and sell our fellowmen for slaves, during their lives and their posterity after them, then whether it is consistent with a Christian spirit to keep those in slavery that we have already in our possession by purchase, gift or any other…

But they did not leave the matter therein 1781, Purchase Monthly Meeting, in session at Chappaqua, decided "to appoint a number of solid, judicious Friends as a committee to perform a visit to such Friends who have set their negroes free, and inspect into the circumstances of such negroes and aflford them advice, both with respect to their spiritual and their temporal good, as they may be en…

All slaves in the State of New York were made free by law on 4th of July, 1827. When the Quakers of Purchase liberated their slaves they settled them upon their rough lands in the northwestern portion of the town of Harrison, and thus the negro community', still existing northeast of the village of White Plains, was begun. Some of the slaves liberated in the northern portion of the county c…

The heat of summer and the continued cold of winter were found most trying. The animals they brought with them were greatly reduced by their long voyages and then had to endure the trials of acclimatization. As there were no mills for sawing lumber, the houses were constructed of stones and logs, while the necessary boards were obtained only by tedious hand labor. The shingles were riven fro…

Oxen also performed nearly all the animal labor of the farm. There were but few horses. These were chiefly used under the saddle, the women often riding upon pillions behind the men. Until mills for grinding grain were built, the flour was made by hand-grinding in a mortar, and afterward, the mills being few in number, much of the grain was carried long distances upon • the backs of horses. …

essary adjunct to every well-regulated establishment. The people made their own shoes or were supplied from leather of their own making by the itinerant shoemaker, who sojourned with the family till his work was completed. In the preparation and manufacture of so many articles all the members of the family were employed, and each home was the scene of busy industries, furnishing all its inmat…

They manfully overcame the obstacles that beset them; from rough materials they hewed homes of comfort and contentment ; they reared their families to virtue and usefulness, and their children rose up to call them blessed. Tho.se were rich streams that flowed into Westchester County : the Dutch, the Puritan, the Huguenot and the Quaker. Each fought its battle for civil and religious liberty.…

They saw before all others, her lofty hills, rich valleys, and deep magnificent forests, glowing in the transparent air and warm sun of Autumn beneath the bright blue sky of America.^ They sailed up the river as far as the site of Albany and then slowly returned. On the second of October, they anchored at the historic inlet of Spyt-den-Duyvel, their progress being checked by a strong flood …

These Indians, as well all the others with whom Hudson came in contact, belonged to a great aboriginal nation, or stock, termed the Lenni-Lenape. This was the name of that great confedera cy of Indian tribes, which, as Heckewelder states, extended from the mouth of the Potomac northeastwardly to the shores of Massachusetts Bay, and the mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont, and westwardly t…

HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY. used, however, by many writers to describe all the aborigines east of the Mississippi and south of the j St. Lawrence, from the singular and very striking fact, that but one language was spoken throughout this entire region which was styled the "Algonquin" or "Algonkin." All the Indians Avithin these limits j understood each other. There were only comparativel…

Potomac and Ohio on the south, to Canada on the north, and from the Atlantic Ocean on the east, to the Father of Waters on the west, at the time of Hudson's discovery of the great bay of New York and the magnificent river which bears his name. Each of these three confederacies embraced numerous distinct tribes, sub-tribes, and smaller tribal divisions, or cantons, and chieftaincies, all havin…

Like more civilized people they took up the hatchet against a tribe of the same stock, if occasion arose, as freely as against an enemy of another race. Conflicting claims to lands, disputed boundaries, and the rivalries of neighborhoods, not unfrequently gave rise to enmities and wars. Thus in 1609, the tribes on the western side of the bay of New York and the lower Hudson, and those on th…

The first writer on New Netherland, was Johan (John) de Laet, a learned man, a native of Antwerp) but a resident of the city of Leyden. He wrote in 1622, and first published in 1625, sixteen years only afler the discovery, through the Elzevirs at Leyden a "History of the New World," which contains the first historical account of what is now New York. He was a director of the Dutch West India…

At that time, de Laet says, the Indians on the west side of the Bay and River were called " Sank/iicanni," or Sanhicans, and those on the east, " Makicanni," or Mahicans, Mohicans, or Mohegans' the latter being Connecticut spelling of the word* The Dutch termed them " Mahikanders," and the natives on both sides of the Hudson collectively, the " River Indians." The Dutch word, however in gen…

All the natives of the main between the Hudson and the Connecticut, from the Sound on the south to the Green, and the White, mountains on the north, were Mohicans, and their great council fire was established on the Hudson, in the present town of (xreenbush, nearly opposite Albany. The name of the Hudson was " Mahicannituek," or River of the Mahicans; just as the Delaware was called by the…

3 Memoir, N. V. Hist. Soc. Coll., II. series, vol. 2, p. 85. The Indians of Westchester County were therefore Mahicans, or Mohicans, as it is easier to call them, of the Turkey tribe or clan of the Lenni-Lenape, or Delaware, stock of North American aborigines. They Avere divided into several sub-tribes, cantons, or chieftaincies, each ruled by a Sacchima, as the Dutch called the title, or S…

A few miles further up the Hudson was another town of the same tribe called Alipconck, or place of Elms, now Tarrytown. This tribe seems to have held the centre of the County from the lands of the Siwanoys on the east to the Hudson on the west. Adjoining them on the north were the Sint-sinks possessing two villages, Ossingsing now Sing-Sing, and Kestabuinck, the latter of which was inland a…

From Hellgate along the Sound, including the whole eastern side of Westchester County, and Connecticut, as far as Norwalk and its islands, and inland to the valley of the Bronx and the head waters of the Croton, a single and numerous tribe possessed all the land. These were the Sewanoes, or Siwanoys, as de Laet writing in 1624, the earliest and most trustworthy authority on New Netherland h…

One of these was at Throg's Point, another at the extreme point of Pelham Neck, another on de Laucey's Neck at the narrowest point at the mouth of the Harbour, where a small creek running into the Harbour from the west, and a round field.of upland adjacent to it, are still known as the Indian creek, and the Indian field, and the point itself as Indian Point. A fourth existed on Milton Neck…

" Oh ! you are an Indian giver " is sometimes heard, expressive of the idea, of giving a thing and then taking it back, which has its origin in this custom. They sometimes sold and deeded the same land more than once, in whole, or in part. This was in pursuance of a custom which with them was a law. It is thus stated by Ruttenber in his " History of the River Indians," page 80. " Land« hel…

In Westchester County the Indian title was first extinguished by purchase from the Indians pursuant to a license from the Dutch or English authorities, then Manors and (frants, by patents were obtained in the manner directed by the Dutch or English laws. And usually in the case of the Manors and larger patents, deeds of confirmation were subsequently obtained from the Indians, merely as a ma…

The chief of some tribes attended, to complain of a purchase of lands which had been made from the Kickapoos. The harshness of language used by Tecumseh in the course of the conference caused it to be broken up in confusion. In the progress of the long "talks," which took place, Tecumseh, having finished one of his speeches, looked around, but seeing every one seated, while no seat was prepa…

1 Mi>iilton's Hist. N. Y., 27. vided between themselves this western world. These principles formed the basis of a conventional international law wliich has been always observed in America. They define with precision, to whom the Indians could dispose of their rights to dominion and to the soil, and to whom they could not. They have been laid down by Chancellor Kent and Chief Justice Marsha…

" First, that discovery gave title to the government, by whose subjects, or under whose authority it was made, against all other European governments, which title might be consummated by possession. Hence if the country be discovered and possessed by emigrants of an existing acknowledged government, the possession is deemed taken for the Nation, and title must be derived from the sovereign i…

" Fourthly, The ultimate dominion was asserted, and, as a consequence, a power to grant the soil while yet in the possession of the Natives. Hence, such dominion was incompatible with an absolute and complete title in the Indians. Consequently thej' had no right to sell to any other than the government of the first discoverer, nor to private citizens without the sanction of that government. H…

Therefore each State before the Union in 1789, and each State since, (within its circumscribed territorial jurisdiction) possessed, and possesses, by its government the exclusive right to purchase from the Indians. ""Sixthly, That the allodial property in the territory of this State, or that which has become exclusively vested in the United States, is solely in the governments respectively, …

Such were the contests of France and Spain as to the territory on the north coast of the Gulf of Mexico ; between France and Great Britain from their nearly contemporaneous settlements, till the treaty of Paris in 1763, when France ceded and guaranteed to Great Britain, Nova Scotia or Acadia, Canada and their dependencies. The cessions and reti-ocessions of the European powers in America wer…

A Patent was granted to Ferdinando Gorges for Maine, which was allotted to him in the division of property. New Hampshire was granted to John Mason. Before the surrender by the Dutch of their colony, now New York, in 1664, the King of England had granted to the Duke of York, the country of New England, and as far as the Delaware Bay. The Duke subsequently transferred New Jersey to Lord Ber…

However extravagant the pretension may appear, of converting the discovery of an inhabited country into conquest, if the principle has been asserted in the first instance, and afterwards juaintained ; if a country has been acquired and held under it ; if the jjroperty of the great mass of the community originates in it, it becomes the law of the land and cannot be questioned The law of conque…

Wars, in which the whites were not always the aggressoi-s, ensued. European policy, numbers, and skill, prevailed. As the white j)opulation advanced, that of the Indians necessarily receded. The country in the neighbourhood of agriculturalists became unfit for them. The game fled into thicker and more unbroken forests, and the Indians followed. The soil to which the CVown originally claimed ti…

By the treaty of peace, in 1783, Great Britain relinquished all claim not only to the government, but to the soil, and territorial rights, of the thirteen Colonies as claimed by the American negotiators of that treaty, the boundaries of which collectively were fixed by its second article. And by that treaty all the powers of that government and its right to the soil passed to the Thirteen St…

During her whole existence as a British Colony, a period of one hundred and nineteen years, New York was a Royal Government, a Province independent in all respects except her allegiance to the British sovereign, whose representative was the Royal Governor for the time being. As such representative the Governor granted by patent all the lands which were granted in the Province, except those p…

Conscejuently a grant from the British Crown is tlie highest source of title in this State, and one which is irrefragable, and incapable of being affected adversely in any way by any legislative, or other, act of the State government, or any decision of any Court of this Stale, or of the United States. 3. The Dutch in Xeto Netherland. A brief statement of the dealings of the Dutch with th…

The extraordinary success of the East India Company at that time and the enormous dividends it declared drew the general attention to the eastern, and not to the western world. A single vessel in 1610, the year after the return of the Half Moon, made a successful trading voyage to the "River of the Mountains," returning to Holland with a valuable cargo of peltries. Two Dutch navigators, He…

In this yacht, in the summer of 1614, Block sailed through Hellgate and explored Long Island Sound and the adjacent coast as far east as Cape Cod, discovering the Housatonic, and Connecticut rivers Narraganset Bay, and the island that still bears his name. He then first ascertained that Long Island was an island. The Connecticut river he ascended to a little above the present city of Hartfo…

They presented a memorial to this effect, accompanied by the first map ever made of the region of New Netherland -- a "Carte Figuratif," as they styled it -- to the States-General in the autumn of 1614. The application met their approval, and on the 11th of October, in the same year, that sovereign body made a grant to the petitioners of the privilege sought, to run for the term of three ye…

Merchants of the City of Hoorn, owners of the ship named the Fortuyn, wherof Cornelis Jacobssen May was skipper ; all now associated in one company, have respectfully represented to us, that they, the petitioners, after great expenses and damages by loss of ships and other dangers, had, during the present year discovered and found, with the above-named five ships, certain New Lauds situate …

" Which being considered, We therefore in Our Assembly having heard the pertinent Report of the Petitioners, relative to the discoveries and findings of the said new Countries between the above-named limits and degrees, and also of their adventures, have consented and granted, and by these presents do consent and grant, to the said Petitioners now united into one company, that they shall be pr…

rectly or indirectly, within the said three years, on pain of confiscation of the vessel and Cargo wherewith infraction hereof shall be attempted, and a fine of Fifty thousand Netherland Ducats for the benefit of the said discoverers or finders ; provided, nevertheless, that by these presents We do not intend to prejudice or diminish any of our former grants or charters; And it is Our intenti…

This the States-General refused, having in contemplation to charter a great military and commercial company for the West Indies similar to the great organization of that nature then existing for the East Indies. The object in view in both was the same, namely, to establish a power, which could, at the same time, maintain profitable foreign trade, and carry on military and naval enterprises a…

This committee sat for several months endeavoring, after hearing both sides, to effect this object ; but finding it impossible, they so reported, and the States General refused to give either party the wished for prize. In less than seven months after this rejection, " the long pending question of a grand armed commercial organization was finally settled; and an ample charter, (bearing date …

By the good efforts of some benevolent monks of Malaga many of the kidnapped Indians were rescued from slavery, and eventually found their way back to America. One of these was Squanto, who on reaching London, was sent by Mr. Slaney, merchant and treasurer of the Newfoundland Company to that island. There Dermer met him, on touching at the island on his way to England on a previous voyage, …

Their disease is the plague, for we might perceive the sores of some that had escaped who described the spots of such as usually die, (evidently the small-pox). When I arrived at my savage's native country, finding all dead, I travelled a long days journey westward to a place called Nummastaguyt (a place fifteen miles west from Patuxet) where finding inhabitants, I despatched a messenger a d…

Patuxet was the very place where on the 21st of December, 1620, eighteen months later, the Pilgrims from Leyden landed from the Mayflower, and which Captain John Smith six years before had called " Plymouth," a name which will ever be famous in New England history. Strange are the historic facts, that slaves were its first export, and those slaves Indians, that its first foreign visitors, a…

Squanto terribly disappointed at finding all his 2:)eople dead, remained with Dermer, till he touched on this second pinnace voyage, at Sawah-quatooke (an Indian town in the present township of Brewster on Cape Cod) " where," in Dermer's words, " he desired to stay with some of our savage friends." Subsequently Squanto, from the knowledge of English he had picked up> became of great assist…

Near unto this we found a most dangerous cataract amongst small, rocky islands, occasioned by two unequal tides, the one ebbing and flowing two hours before the other." This was Hellgate, and the place were the Indians " let fly" at them was in the neighborhood of Throg's Point. Such was the voyage of the first Englishman who ever sailed through Long Island Sound, and the first who ever behel…

Dermer spent the succeeding winter (1619-20) in Virginia, went back to New England the next summer, again visited Plymouth in June, and described its advantages for a town settlement in his letter of the 30th of that month, went again to Virginia, and there died. On this return voyage from Virginia, Dermer, in the words of the " Brief Relation " of the Plymouth Company's proceedings from 16…

Twenty-nine years after Dermer's visit, in the year 1648, there appeared in England a ])amplilet, under the nom de plume of " Beauchamp Plantagenet, Esq.," entitled, " A Description of the Province of New Albion," in which it is stated, that Capt. Samuel Argall, on his return to Virginia from Acadia in 1613, "landed at Manhatas Isle, in Hudson's river, where they found four houses built, and…

Murphy of Brooklyn, a great lawyer, a practiced statesman, in the Dutch language profoundly skilled, and who had been minister to Holland, after a thorough investigation of this story of Argyll's visit, placed in a note to his translation of Van dor Donck's "Vertoogh," or "Representation," of New Netherland, published in 1849, the following emphatic opinion, -- " This story is a pure fiction…

The first step in this direction was the chartering of the West India Company by the States General of the United Netherlands on the third of June 1621. Such an organization as an armed military trading company to Africa and Virginia, was suggested by William Usselinx, a merchant of Antwerp, in 16uG, as a means of aiding the Government in the war with Spain, then raging. Some preliminary mea…

1 II. N. Y. Hist. Soc. Coll., 2d Series, 326 ; see also I. Brodhead, 51, and note E., p. I'A. - Prince Maurice. to, and approve thereof, and direct that the same shall be punctually attended to and observed, by the directors, members, and every person concerned therein, in the same manner as if they wore inserted in the charter; because we find them proper for the service of the West India …

The West India Company's Charter consists of a preamble and forty-five articles, together with the preamble and twelve articles of the final agreement of the 21st of June 1623 above-mentioned. The central power of this vast association, as O'Callaghan states, " was divided, for the more efficient exercise of its functions, among five branches or chambers, established in the dilferent cities…

Apart from the exclusive trade of the coast of Africa, from the tropic of Cancer to the Cape of Good Hope, and of the coast of America, from the Straits of Magellan to the extreme North [Terra Nova or Newfoundland], this Company was authorized to Ibrm alliances with the chiefs of the Indian tribes, and obligated to advance the settlement of their possessions, encourage population, and do eve…

The Director-General and his Council were invested with all powers judicial, legislative, and executive, subject, some supposed, to appeal to Holland; but the will of the Company, expressed in their instructions, or declared in their marine or military ordinances, was to be the law of New Netherland, excepting in cases not especially provided for, when the Roman Law, the imperial statutes o…

" The States General engaged, among other things, to secure to the Company freedom of navigation and traffic, within the prescribed limits, and to assist them with a million of guilders, equal to nearly half a million of dollars; and in case peace should be disturbed, with sixteen vessels of war and four yachts, fully armed and equipped; the i'ornier to be at least of three hundred, and the …

And such was the basis of the legal system under which civil rule and civil law was first established within its borders; and under which it flourished and was governed, till the close of the Dutch dominion, a period of more than half a century. 4. The Colonhntion by the West India Company. In the same year, 1623, the West India Company began the colonization of New Netherland, which was…

These Walloons were the inhabitants of the frontier between France, and Flanders, from the river Scheldt to the river Lys, their language was the old French, and their religion the Reformed Faith of the Huguenots. Associated with this expedition, as the captain of the ship, was Adrian Joris, who had made several prior voyages to the coast of America, although he is sometimes erroneously style…

The first colonists of this region spoke no English, and knew no English law, and they were brought here by the nation which first discovered and occupied the land,' a nation likewise ignorant of English law and of the English tongue. The Roman law, with a few Batavian customs engrafted upon it, was the first legal system established in the entire region, and it not only governed the founda…

in those days was also the seal of "New Amsterdam," Burmounted by a mantle having in its centre the letters G. W. C, the initials of " Geoctroyeedo AVest Indische Comp\gnie," the Dutch appellation of the West India Company. --III. Doc. Hist, 396. 6 Wassenaer, III. Doc. Hist., 4.3. 6 I. Brod., 156. " Cabot, whose voyage along the coast of North America was the basis of the English claim to N…

The rest on arriving were landed on "Noten," now Governor's, Island, then covered by a dense forest of nut trees, so thick that the pasturage was insufficient, and two days later all the animals were transferred to Manhattan Island where they throve well. These ships also brought six more families of Walloons, and a few single people, forty-five persons in all.' To Verhiilst succeeded, as t…

By virtue of these powers, and of the vote of the Company placing New Netherland under its sole control and management, the Amsterdam Chamber of the Company appointed Peter Minuit Director- (teneral, and the following persons as his council, viz., Peter Bylvelt, Jacob Elbertsen Wissinck, Jan Jansen Brouwer, Symon Dirksen Pos and Reynert Harmensen. To these were added Isaac de Rasieres as P…

He was also chief custom-house officer and had power to inspect vessels and their cargoes, sign their papers, and confiscate all goods introduced in violation of the Company's regulations. This most responsible of all the offices in the new government was held during Director Minuit's entire administration by the above-named Jan Lampo who was a native of Cantelberg. It should be stated also…

The Governor and Council first laid out and commenced the erection of a regular fortification on the extreme southern point of Manhattan Island. The engineer was Krijn Frederickje, and it was begun in 1626, was not finished in July 1627, as de Rasieres tells us, but was probably completed at the end of 1627. Its predecessor, though called a fort, was simply a stockaded trading house. This, h…

Bradford of Plymouth, for a friendly trade, visited that celebrated place, as a New Netherland envoy in 1627, and has left us an account of it in this letter, discovered at the Hague in 1846, and first printed in II. N. Y. Hist. Soc. Coll., 2 Series, 339. On the 23d of September, 1626. this shij), the " Arms of Amsterdam," sailed again on her return voyage to Holland, with a very vakiable …

She had a comparatively rapid passage, reaching Amsterdam on the fourth of November following, a little over six weeks. The very next day, the delegate of the States- General in the "Assembly of the XIX.," then in session, advised that august body of the arrival, and the news, by letter. Unfortunately Minuit's official despatch has not been preserved, but tlje letter of Pieter Schagen, the S…

They send thence samples of summer grain ; such as wheat, rye, barley, oats, buckwheat, canary seed, beans, aud flax. The cargo of said ship is ; -- 7,246 Beaver skins. 178J Otter skins. 675 Otter skins. 48 Minck skins. 36 Wild cat skins. 33 Minckes. 34 Rat skins. Considerable oak timber and hickory. Herewith, High and Mighty Lords, be recommended to the mercy of the Almighty. In Amster…

Of no other of the nations of Europe which colonized America, except the Dutch, can it be truly said that this wise and Chiistian principle always governed them in their dealings with the Indians. Much has been written about AVilliam Penn as being the first to purchase their lands by treating with them. But Director Minuit on the banks of the Hudson preceded him in this honorable and Christ…

The price paid for the Island was a fair one, for the time, age, and place, for it was nothing but a little wild island on a coast almost unknown, of a continent entirely unknown. It was but one of hundreds and hundreds of small islands lying all along the Western shores of the Atlantic Ocean, with nothing to show it had any value at all except the prior occupation of one end of it as a tra…

New Amsterdam, and that the value of the imports (supplies and goods) was 20,384 guilders, about 8,500 dollars, and that of the exports (furs and timber) were 45,050 guilders, about 14,000 dollars.* It was simply as a station to collect furs from the Indians that Manhattan Island then had any value whatever. Such was the beginning of that "Province of New Netherland" in the year 1623, which …

This Petition of fifty-six heads of families, Walloon, and French, all of the Reformed Religion was presented to, and left, with Carleton, who sent it to Eng- 1 md, enclosed in a letter of his own favoring its object, dated the 19tli of July. 1621. Accompanying the petition was a written covenant in these words ; -- "We promise his Lordship the ambassador of the most serene king of Great Bri…

Among the names are those well known in New Amsterdam from that day to this, as De Forest, De La Montagne, Lambert, Le Roy, Du Puy, and others, as good, honest, upright people. The Lords in Council referred the application to the Virginia Company, who received it very coldly, suggested a few modifications and declined any assistance, in money or in transportation. This ended the matter with t…

and under which they had always lived, and was based on fealty, homage, and manorial rights, as fixed by the Roman law, with which alone they were acquainted, and which under the West India Company was established as the law of New Netherland, and governed it till its conquest by the English in 1664. The articles of this " petition" numbers five and six, are in these words (The whole is in Fr…

Whether they would be permitted in the "said lands to hunt all game whether furred or " feathered, to fish in the sea and the rivers, to cut "heavy timber, as well for ship building as for com- " merce, at their own will ; in a word, whether they "could make use of all things either above or beneath "the ground, at their own pleasure and will, the royal "rights reserved; and whether they co…

It found this a difficult duty to perform, mainly in consequence of two causes. The first was, the extreme profit of the fur trade which absorbed the general attention. The second was, that the farmers and laborers of Holland knew that they could do well enough at home. This fact is thus state<l in a report of the Assembly of XIX. to the States General in 1629, referring to the effect of a …

After much discussion, and long deliberations, it was finally determined in the Assembly of the XIX. that a plan should be prepared giving special privileges, powers, and exemptions, to such members of the Company who would, at their own expense and risk, send out expeditions, and establish separate and distinct plantations in any part of New Netherland, Manhattan Island excepted. The details…

Only three or four copies of this pamphlet are now known to exist, and it is so rare that within ten years a distinguished New York antiquarian reprinted it in fac-simile. As it is the first instrument under which lands in the States of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware, and Connecticut, were acquired, and on which titles rest, it is here given in full from the translation ma…

shall be permitted to send in the ships of this Company going thither, three of four j)ersons to inspect the situation of the country, provided that they, with the officers and ships company, swear to the articles, so far as they relate to them, and pay for provisions and for passage, going and coming, six stuyvers per diem ; and such as desire to eat in the cabin twelve stuyvers, and to be …

All such shall be acknowledged Patroons of New Netherland, who shall, within the space of four years next after they have given notice to any of the chambers of the company here, or to the Commander or the Council there, undertake to plant a colonic there of fifty souls, upwards of fifteen years old ; onefourth part within one year, and within three years after the sending of the first, maki…

The Patroons, by virtue of their power, shnll and may be permitted, at such places as they shall settle their colonies, to extend their limits four miles along the shore, that is, on one side of a navigable river, or two miles ' on each side of a river, and so far into the country as the situation of the occupiers will permit; provided and conditioned that the company keep to themselves the…

were such, that the Commander and Council for good reasons, should order otherwise; always observing that the first occupiers are not to be prejudiced in the right they have obtained, other than, unless the service of the Company should require it, for the building of fortifications, or something of that sort ; remaining, moreover the command of each bay, liver, or island, of the first settled…

They shall forever possess and enjoy all the lands lying within the aforesaid limits, together with the fruits, rights, minerals, rivers and fountains thereof; as also the chief command and lower jurisdictions,' fishing, fowling, and grinding, to the exclusion of all others, to be holden from the company as a perpetual inheritance, without it ever devolving again to the Company, and in case it…

The Patroons may, if they think proper, make use of all lands, rivers, and woods, lying contiguous to them, for and during so long a time as this company shall not grant them to other Patroons or j)articular individuals. " IX. Those who shall send persons over to settle colonies shall furnish them v.-ith proper instructions, in order that they may be ruled and governed conformably to the rul…

In case it should not suit the Company to send any ships, or in those going there should be no room ; then the said Patroons, after having communicated their intentions, and after having obtained consent from the Comi)any in writing, may send their own ships or vessels thither; jirovided that in going or coming they go not out of their ordinary course ; giving security to the Company for the s…

All the Patroons of colonies in New Netherland, and of colonies on the Island of Manhattes, shall be at liberty to sail and traffic all along the coast from Florida to Terra Neuf,* provided that they do again return, with all such goods as they shall get in trade, to the Island of Manhattes, and pay five per cent, for recognition to the Company, in order, if possible, that after the necessary…

In case the ships of the Patroons, in going to, or coming from, or sailing on, the coast from Florida to Terra Neuf, and no further without our grant, should overpower any of the prizes of the enemy, they shall be obliged to bring, or cause to be brought such prize to the college (chamber) of the place, from whence they sailed out, in order to be rewarded by them ; the company shall keep th…

But the same shall be permitted at such places where the company have no factories,' conditioned that such traders shall be obliged to bring all the peltry they can procure to the island of Manhattes, in case it may be, at any rate, practicable, and there deliver to the director, to be by him shipped hither with the ships and goods ; or, if they should come hither, without going there, the…

All coarse wares that the colonists of the Patroons there shall consume, such as pitch, tar, wood-ashes, wood, grain, fish, salt, hearthstone, and such like things, shall be brought over in the company's ships, at the rate of eighteen guilders ($7.20) per last; four thousand weight to be accounted a last, and the company's ship's crew shall be obliged to wheel and bring the salt on board, wh…

They will not take from the service of the Patroons any of their colonists, either man or woman, son or daughter, man-servant or maid-servant ; and though any of them should desire the same, they will not receive them, nor permit them to leave their Patroons, and enter into the service of another, unless on consent obtained from their Patroons in writing; and this for and during so many year…

In regard to such ]irivate persons as on their own account, or others in the service of their masiers here (not enjoying the same privileges as the Patroons), shall be inclined to go thither and settle; they shall with the approbation of the Director and Council there, be at liberty to take up as much land, and take possession thereof, as they shall be able properly to improve, and shall enj…

And it is consented to tlint the Patroons of Colonists may send ships along the coast of New Nciherland, on the cod fishery, and witii the fish they catch 10 trade to Italy, or other neutral countries, paying in such cases to the Company for recognition six guilders (82.40) per last; and if they should come with their lading hither, they shall be at liberty to proceed to Italy, though they sh…

And the Patroons shall be exempt fr m all recognition to the company for the term of eight years, and pay only for freight, to bring them over, two i)er cent., and after the aforesaid eight years, for recognition and freight, the one-eighth part of what the same may be worth. "XXV. The company will take all the colonists, as well free as those in service under their protection, and the sam…

The colonies that shall happen to lie on the respective rivers, or islands (that is to say, each river or island lor itself), shall be at liberty to appoint a deputy, who shall give information to the Commander and Council of that Western quarter, of all things relating to his colonie, and who are to further matters relating thereto, of which deputies there shall be one altered or changed ev…

It will be noted that under the first article of this Plan, or charter, of Freedoms and Exemptions, the privilege of becoming Patroons, with all their rights, powers, and exemptions, hereditary and otherwise wr.s confined solely to the members, that is the stockholders, of the West India Company. Other persons however, could, with the permission of the Director ard Council of New Netherland,…

The first of these were Samuel Godyn and Samuel Blommaert, whose agents, sent out some time previously, on June 1st, 1729, a few days before the passing of the charter, bought for them of the Delaware Indians, the lands on the southwest side of Delaware Bay from Cape Henlopen thirty-two miles northwardly in length, and two miles inland in width. As these were Dutch miles, the tract was 128 …

It bears date the 15th of July 1630, and bears the signatures of Pieter Minuit and his Council, -- the only signatures of those officials known to be iu existence, and is the first title given by civilized men to lands in the present State of Delaware, and the first in New Netherland under the charter of Freedoms and Exemptions of 1629. Its date is two years before Lord Baltimore's charter o…

" We, the Director and Council in New Netherland, residing on the Island Manahatas and in Fort Amsterdam, under the authority of their High Mightinesses tlie Lords States-General of the United Netherlands, and of the Incorporated West India Company, Chamber at Amsterdam, hereby acknowledge and declare, that on this day, the date underwritten, came and appeared before us, in their proper person…

Samuel Godin and Samuel Blommaert, absent; and for whom We, by virtue of our office, under proper stipulation, do accept the same namely : the Land to them belonging, situate on the South side of the aforesaid Bay, by us called the Bay of the South River, extending in length from C. Hinlopen off unto the mouth of the aforesaid South River, about eight leagues (groote mylen), and half a leagu…

Without they, the Grantors having, reserving, or retaining for the i'uture, any, the smallest part, right, action, or authority, whether of property, command, or jurisdiction therein ; but now, hereby, forever and a day desisting, retiring from, abandoning and renouncing the same for the behoof aforesaid; promising further, not only to observe, fulfil, and to hold fast, unbroken and irrevoc…

Another of the directors who took time by the forelock in the matter of the Patroonships was Kiliaen van Rensselaer of Amsterdam, who de Vries tells us " wns accustomed to polish pearls and diamonds." At his request Sebastian Jansen Kraol, who had resided as commissary at Fort Orange for three or four years, bought for him early in 1630, of the Mohican Indians, a tract on t"he west side of t…

We the Director and Council of New Netherlands residing on the Island of Manahatas and iu Fort Amsterdam, under the authority of their High Mightinesses the Lords States-General of the United Netherlands and the Incorporated West India Company, Chamber at Amsterdam, do hereby acknowledge and declare, that on this day, the date underwritten, before us appeared and presented themselves in thei…

Van Rensselaer, or those who may hereafter acquire his interest ; also to dispose of, do with, and alienate it, as he or others should or might do with his other and own Lands and domains acquired by good and lawful title, without the grantors therein retaining, reserving, or holding, any the smallest part, right, action, or authority, whether of property command, or jurisdiction, but rather…

There was besides : This conveyance written with mine own hand is, in consequence of the Secretary's absence, executed in my presence on the thirteenth day of August, XVI, = and thirty as above. (Signed) Lenart Cole, Deputy Secretary^^ The lands covered by the above " transport" together with some adjacent land subsequently acquired by Kiliaen van Rensselaer formed the great Patroonship o…

Like Godyn, Blommaert, and Van Rensselaer, early in 1630 he bought through agents the Indian title to the lands on the west side of the Hudson River, opposite Manhattan Island from the heights of Wehawken, and Hoboken, to Bergen Point, and also the island of Staten Island. He duly obtained like transports of these regions from the Director and Council, and gave to his Patroonship the name …

" Whereupon some directors of the before-named Company in addition to tlie great interest they possessed with their next friends in the said Company (who imported [to the value of] more than two tons of gold) ; animated with new zeal to carry out their High Mightinesses' intentions, and hoping in consequence for God's blessing, preceded all the other stockholders by way of a good example, sav…

" So that on the 28th November, 1630, were read at the Assembly of the Directors, the deeds of conveyance of the lands and jurisdictions purchased from the Saccimaes, the Lords of the Country, executed for the behoof of the Patroons, their successors; and the new proprietors were accordingly thereupon congratulated. "On the 2d December, in the year aforesaid, the patents sent to the Patroons…

Very soon difficulties arose between the West India Company and the Patroons in relation chiefly to the trade in furs and the claims of the Patroons to embark in the same under the articles of the charter of Freedoms and Exemptions. The latter were more inclined to push the trade in peltries than the agricultural settlement of their lands, for the reason that the former was highly profitable, …

The Patroons on their side claimed that the Company not only had no right to restrict them, but had not fulfilled its own obligations as laid down in the articles of the Freedoms and Exemptions. These controversies led finally after much discussion, to a determination by both parties, concurred in by the States-General, to which both had appealed, that the charter of 1729 should be revised, …

It states, "That said river" ("the North River in New Netherland," so styled in the memorial which is believed to be the first time "it is so named in any official document) " and adjacent countries had been discovered in the year 1609, at the cost of the East India Company, before any Christians had ever been up said river, as Hudson testified, who was then in the service of said Company, …

" Further, that after these countries had passed into the hands of the incorporated West India Company, not only were the above-named forts renewed and enlarged, but said Company purchased from the Indians who were the indubitable owners thereof, the Island of the Manhattes, situate at the entrance of the said river, and there laid the foundation of a city. " As also, not only on that river…

In 1638, A " Report on the Condition of New Netherland was made to the States-General by a special Committee of eight members, of which Rutger Hu\ - gens was Chairman, in the form of eight brief questions and answers thereto, (The questions were propounded by the States-General, and the answers were made by the special committee of that body, after it had held a joint meeting with the Company'…

Whether it would not, therefore, be expedient to place the district of New Netherland at the disposal of the States-General? A. They have no intention so to do ; unless they derived profit by it. But they hope, now that they have taken some order about Brazil, that it will prove a source of profit in time. They propose to surrender the trade with the Indians, or something else. Nothing now …

they, therefore, with the approbation of their High Mightinesses, hereby make known to all and every the inhabitants of this Slate, or its allies and friends, who may be disposed to take up and cultivate lands there, and to make use for that purpose of the harbors of these countries, that they may henceforth convey thither in the company's ships, such cattle merchandise and property as they …

And if any one happen to commit an error, in the valuation of his goods, the Company shall be at liberty to take such goods, paying onesixth more than they are entered at ; but all concealed and smuggled goods, either in this country or that, which may be discovered to have been brought on board the Company's ships, by secret plans or other cunning contrivances, shall be immediately forfeite…

Failing therein, he shall incur, in addition to the loss of such land, such penalties and fines as shall be mutually agreed on at the time of the grant. To which penalties and fines his successors and assigns shall be also bound. And in order to obviate all confusion and losses, which have formerly arisen therefrom, and are hereafter to be expected in a still graver degree, no one shall henc…

All those who will be inclined to go thither, to inhabit the country or to trade, shall severally declare under their signatures, that they will voluntarily submit to these regulations, and to the orders of the Company, and shall allow all questions and differences there arising, to be decided by the ordinary courts of justice, which shall be established in that country, and freely suffer the…

The old disputes between the Company and the Patroons as to their respective rights, though modified, still continued. At last in January, 1G40, the matter was taken up by the States-General, the Assembly of the Nineteen, and the Patroons, with a determination to come to a final settlement of the whole subject. Debates, discussions, and negotiations, were actively continued till July of the …

own words, the new charter of 1640, so that there can be no misunderstanding of these most important instrumeats as to what they do, or do )iot, contain. It is entitled ; -- " Freedoms and Exemptions granted and accorded by the Directors of the General Incorporated West India Company at the Assembly of the XIX., with the approbation of the High and Mighty Lords States General of the free Un…

"All good inhabitants of the Netherlands and all others inclined to plant any Colonies in New Netherland shall be at liberty to send tjiree or four persons in the Company's ships going thither, to examine the circumstances there, on condition that they swear to the articles, as well as the officers and seamen, as far as they relate to them, and pay for board and passage out and home, to wit,…

" For Patroons and Feudatories of New Netherland, shall be acknowledged all such as shall ship hence, and plant there a Colonic of fifty souls, above fifteen years of age, withm the space of three years after having made a declaration and given notice thereof to some Chamber of the Company here or to the Governor there ; namely, one-third part within the year, and so forth, from year to year…

" And the Patroons, of theni.selves or by their agents, at the places where they will plant their Colonies, shall have the privilege to extend the latter one mile (consisting of, or estimated at, 1600 Rhineland perches) along the coast, bay, or a navigable river, and two contiguous miles landward in; it being well understood, that no two Patroonships shall be selected on both sides of a rive…

"The Patroons shall forever possess all the lands situate within their limits, together with the produce, superficies, minerals, rivers and fountains thereof, | uith high, low and middle jurisdiction, hunting, fishing, fowling and milling, the lands remaining allodial, but the jurisdiction as of a perpetual hereditary fief, devolvable by death as well to females as to males, and fealty and h…

" And should it happen that the dwelling places of private Colonists become so numerous as to be accounted towns, villages or cities, the Company shall give orders respecting the subaltern government, magistrates and ministers of justice, who shall be nominated by the said towns and villages in a triple number of the best qualified, from which a choice i and selection is to be made by the Go…

" But in case it should come to pass that the Company have no ships to dispatch, or that there be no room in the sailing vessels, in such a case the Patroons and Colonists can, upon previously communicating their determination to, and obtaining the consent of the Company in WTiting, send their own ships thither, provided, in going and returning, they shall not leave the ordinary track laid d…

" And, whereas, it is the Company's intention first to settle the Island of the Manhattes, it shall provisionally be the staple of all produce and wares accruing on the North river and the country thereabout, before they can be sent further, except those which by nature itself are useless there, or cannot be brought there except with great loss to the owners, in which case the latter shall be…

" First, that all goods which will be sent hence for sale there, whether freighted by the Company, or by Colonists, or the stockholders themselves, must be brought into the Company's stores for inspection and payment of the proper duties, to wit: ten per cent, i on the cash cost of the article here, besides convoyfreight and average, an agreement being made for the freights of what may be se…

"And on the other wares which will be sent thence hither, shall be paid here, over and above the convoy duty granted by the State to the Company, five per cent., according to the valuation to be made here, on such penalty as aforesaid ; but an agreement must be made with the Governor and Council there, for the freight of any of the goods that are being sent from there in the Company's ships…

" And in case said private ships, in going or coming, or in ranging along the coast from Florida to Newfoundland, happen to capture any prizes, they shall, in like manner be obliged to bring the same, or to cause the same to be brought, to the Governor and Council in New Netherland, or to the Chamber whence they respectively sailed, to be rewarded by them, and the third part thereof shall be…

" In like manner they shall not be at liberty to depart thence with their goods obtained in barter, without first returning to the said place, to enter their goods there and to obtain proper clearance, signed by the Governor and Council, and they shall be bound to return to this country, with their ships and yachts, to the place they sailed from, in order to discharge all their freight into t…

" The Company shall not take from the service of Patroons or Colonists, their man servants or maid servants, even though some person should solicit it; nor receive them, much less suffer them to go from their master's service to that of another, during the term of such years as they are bound for; and if any man servant or maid servant run away, or take his freedom contrary to contract, the…

" All Patroons, inhabitants or Colonists, are also allowed to send ships along the coast of New Netherland and the countries circumjacent thereunto, to fish for Cod, &c., and to proceed with the catch straight to Italy or other neutral countries, on condition of paying to the Company for duty, in such case, six guilders per last, and on coming here with their freight, it shall be allowable a…

"The Company shall take all Colonists,' whether free or bound to service, under their protection, defend them as far as lies in their power with the force which it has there, against all domestic and foreign wars and violence, on condition that the Patroons and Colonists shall, in such case, put themselves in a suitable state of defence for which purpose each male emigrant shall be obliged to…

" The particular Colonies which hai)pen to lie on the respective rivers, bays or islands shall have the privilege (to wit, each river or island for itself) of designating a deputy who shall give the Governor and Council of that country information respecting his Colonic, and f)romote its interests with the Council: one of which deputies shall be changed every two years, and all the Colonies …

" The Company shall, accordingly, appoint and keep there a Governor, competent Councillors, OflScers and other Ministers of Justice for the pn - tection of the good and the punishment of the wicked ; which Governor and Councillors, who are now, or may be hereafter, appointed by the Company, shall take cognizance, in the first instance, of matters appertaining to the freedom, supremacy, doma…

Van der Donck, Couwenhoveu and Bout, wlio were sent by the Commonalty to Holland, had explained the matters in question, enacted on the 24th of May 1(550, a third Charter of " Freedoms and Exemptions," which modified somewhat the clauses of that of 10-40 relating to trade, and the administration of justice in some minor points.' It did not however vary in the least the principles of the form…

All were transplanted to New Netherland, and there existed and flourished until its capture by the lingiish in 1(5(54. Nine years later when the Dutch re-conquered it, all were re-introduced, a Dutch Governor re-appointed, and New Netherland replaced in its original position, except as to the names of its three largest towns which were changed. New York, as the English had called it, was rc-…

From them it devolved upon the Dukes of Bavaria, the last representative of which house was dispossessed by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, who held the rest of the Netherlands under his rule. By the marriage of his daughter, Mary of Burgundy, with the Archduke Maximilian of Austria, the entire Netherlands passed from the House of Burgundy to the Imperial House of Austria. In 1496, Philip…

One of the strange results of this truce, was the voyage of Hudson in search of a western pas.sage to Cathay, and his momentous discovery of the Bay of New York and the magnificent river which has immortalized his name. Another remarkable result, was the establishment in the same year of the Bank of Amsterdam, which so long ruled the exchanges of Europe, and through which, the financial tran…

A Republic which not only established its own independent existence as one of the nations of Europe, but humbled forever the pride and power of Spain then one of the greatest of those nations. A Republic which founded in the New World a system of government, the principles of which to-day form 1 Maasilorp's Introduction to his translation of Grotius" treatise on I)iitcU Jurisprudence, p. iv.…

This Stadtholder was, originally, the representative of the Count, or the Sovereign, but at the period of which we are treating, he was elected by a body called the " States-Provincial" of each Province, which consisted of deputies elected by the Boards of Managers and Nobles of the Province. These " States Provincial" managed all the affairs of each Province for itself, the Provinces in thei…

Neither war nor peace could be made, nor troops nor money raised, without a unanimous vote of the whole seven Provinces by their envoys in the States-General. The title of this Supreme Council of Parliament of the Republic, was " The High and Mighty Lords the States -General." It received ambassadors, appointed its own to other nations, and conducted, wholly, the foreign relations of the rep…

So ancient and honorable is that system and doctrine of State right;', upon the continued preservation of which in their integrity depends the existence of the American Union. The source of power in the " States Provincial " of Holland was in the constituencies of the deputies to them who were the Municipal Councils of the towns and cities, and the College of Nobles, by which the deputies …

Only a year's previous residence was necessary for any foreigner to obtain it. The privileges it conferred were, freedom of trade, exemption from tolls, special privileges and preferences in the conduct of lawsuits, and an exclusive eligibility of election to municipal office. The |)rivileges of the two classes of burghers varied only in degree. The city and town governments consisted of a B…

It was also a strikingly conservative as well as effective form of government, and after the termination of the twelve years truce with Spain in l(j21,it enabled the Netherlands to carry on that brilliant series of hostilities against Spain which, in 1G48, resulted in her final acknowledgment of the United Provinces as an Independent Nation.' Subsequently to that event the Republic enlarged an…

The Dutch people of the United Provinces at the date of Hudson's discovery of New Netherland, and during the period of its settlement and possession by that Republic consisted, by their own law, of two classes, "Nobles" and "Commoners." The Commoners were subdivided into "Gentlemen by birth," and "Common people." Thus practically making three classes of Dutch citizens. They are thus describ…

It seems formerly that Gentlemen by birth were those who from generation to generation were descended from free and honorable persons. These, being favoured by different Counts [of Holland], and especially by Count Floris, who was disliked by the nobles (which gave rise to a conspiracy against him and ultimately to his death), had a right to wear arms publicly, as a token of descent, to ride…

The people dwelt in the towns and cities, and only the nobles on large estates in the country with great buildings, strongholds, and sometimes churches, to accommodate themselves and their numerous retainers whom they were bound to protect. In the single province of Holland alone, the largest of the seven provinces of the republic, there existed, and had existed for more than a century prio…

Count, King, or Emperor, the same rights and privileges as a body, which the nobles possessed individually. The Sovereign, as Lord Paramount, granted these as they were desired, for he was perfectly willing that the people of the towns should commute for specific annual sums the military and other feudal services to which he was entitled, just as the nobles did. The people, however, in the …

In the Council of State their deputy was the President, and in the States-General his was the first vote^ cast. "The Dutch Nobility" says the English author of the "Description of Holland" in 1743, seem to observe a medium between the loftiness of those of the same rank in some countries, and the meanness of others. The Italian Nobility do not scruple to trade: The French are nicer: yet the…

It was a system they had tried, and under which they had lived, for more than two centuries, which all classes approved, and with which they were fully satisfied and thoroughly familiar. Hence it was, that when tlie West India Company undertook to colonize New Netherland, they Aturally adopted for that new po.ssession the same system which they knew had always worked well in the old, which …

It is needful to consider only the most salient features of these instruments, for a simple reading of documents themselves, as above given in lull, will afford the best possible idea of the nature of the system of colonization, of w'hich they were the foundation, and upon which rests that civilization, which, increasing and improving in the course of years, and modified, not abrogated, by a …

Judged by the lights of the seventeenth century these charters of Dutch Colonization were extremely free and liberal, far more so than those of any other nation at that time. It must be remembered, too, that, they were the work of an armed commercial organization, of the nature of those then existing, intent upon its own interests, as well as those of the nation to which it belonged ; an or…

This was changed by that of 1640 which threw them open to, "All good inhabitants of the Netherlands and all others inclined to plant any colonies in New, Netherland." The former acknowledged, and granted the rights, powers, and privileges, of Patroons, as they then existed in the United Provinces of the Netherlands, to those who would plant a "colonie," (that is establish a plantation) of f…

This was restricted by the second charter, to one Dutch mile along a navagable river, or two miles landward. The latter also provided for a class of colonists, not Patroons, in these words "For Masters or Colonists, shall be acknowledged, those who will remove to New Netherland with five souls above fifteen years; to all such, our Governor there shall grant in property one hundred morgens,…

"The Patroons shall forever possess all the lands situate within their limits, together with the produce, superficies, minerals, rivers, and fountains thereof, with high, low, and middle jurisdiction, hunting, fishing, fowling, and milling, the lands remaining allodial, but the jurisdiction as of a perpetual hereditary fief, devolvable by death as well as to females as to males, and, fealty…

And should any Patroon, in course of time, happen to prosper in his colonie to such a degree as to be able to found one or more towns, he shall have authority to appoint officers and magistrates there, and make use of his Colonie, according to the pleasure and the quality of the persons, all saving the Company's regalia.^ And should it happen that the dwelling places ot private Colonists b…

Then follow the powers, rights, and privileges, the first of which was the high, middle, and low jurisdiction within the patroonship; a power necessarily appertaining to the ownership of the land, as requisite to the orderly government of the patroonship, the due protection of the tenants in their rights, and the determination of all controversies between themselves, or between themselves a…

This means, not the actual grinding, or manufacturing, but the right to erect, or control the erection of, all mills within the Patroonship. For every Patroon was to build a mill, or mills, for the use and benefit of the tenants or vassals, these terms being sinijilN' synonymous, of the Patroonship. These mills could, either be run by the Patroon or his agent, or rented by him to any one wh…

devolving again to the Company, and in caseitshouM devolve, to be redeemed and repossessed with twenty guilders per colonie to be paid to this Company, at the Chamber here {Holland), or to their commander there {New Netherland) within a year and six weeks after the same occurs, each at the Chamber where he originally sailed from." This continued without change till 1640, when the revised ch…

A feud, or fief, (these terms are synonymous) is thus defined in the Dutch law, "an hereditary indivisible use over the immoveable property of another, with a mutual obligation of protection on the one side, and a duty of homage and service on the other." ^ Such a fief, under the law, "was not divisible, except by charter and passed only per capita, or by stipulation in cases of intestacy, t…

These "old fiefs" were not transplanted to New Netherland by the charters of Freedoms and Exemptions, but the new fiefs created by virtue of those charters had merely the same rights of jurisdiction, hunting, fishing, fowling, and milling, as the old un- 1 This means "political and judicial," the original being badly transl.ited. See Art. X, in the charter of 1629, where the language, " is aa…

Annexed to this right, was the provision that upon each person succeeding to the inheritance of the Patroonship, fealty and homage were "to be rendered on each of such occasions to the Company with a pair of iron gauntlets, redeemable by twenty guilders within a year and six months, at the Assembly of the XIX. here [Amsterdam), or before the Governor there {New Amsterdam)." This was simply …

The seventh article of the charter of 1629 says, "There shall likewise be granted to all Patroons who shall desire the same, venia tcstandi, or liberty to dispose of their aforesaid heritage by testament." " All Patroons and feudatories {/undatories were the holders of any part of the fief) shall, on requesting it, be granted " Venia Testandi, or the power to dispose of, or bequeath his fi…

The system of tenure introduced into New York by the Dutch, was divested of all burdensome attributes -- the nova feuda, the new fiefs, by which all the land was there held were purely allodial, with full right in the Patroons to sell in fee in whole or in part, and to devise it in whole or in part by will, free of all charges and incumbrances, except the mere political acknowledgment of the…

And equally in all countries of civilization was the division of society into classes of diverse grades, and the existence of an aristocracy, the only one known, established, and existing; and every State and government then in being was based upon it. How futile then is the idea, that to these New Netherland charters of Freedoms and Exemptions is owing the introducing of all these institut…

This in the old fiefs, and under the feudal system, in Europe generally, was by an act of the lord upon receiving the oath of fealty and the homage of the tenant or vassal, at w^hich time the latter also presented the lord with a fine, that is, a gift of some small article or thing as a token of his fidelity. In the New Netherland fiefs by virtue of the charters this whole matter was change…

They were thus under the Dutch law nova feuda, new fiefs, as distinguished from the old fiefs described before; and the Company as the ultimate possessor of the land by its Governor's grant could, and did) make the new investiture that has been described. If a Patroon divided his patroonship, the same jurisdiction attached to each part, and the same kind of investiture, had to be made for eac…

The thirtieth article of that of 1629, provided " that the company will use their endeavours to supply the colonists with as many blacks as they conveniently can, on the conditions hereafter to be made ; in such manner, however, that they shall not be bound to do it for a longer time than they shall think proper." The charter of 1640, says, "The company shall exert itself to provide the patr…

The twenty-seveuth article of the charter of 1629 is in these words, -- " The Patroons and Colonists shall in particular and in the speediest manner, endeavour to find out ways and means whereby they may support a minister and school-master, that thus the service of God and Zeal for religion may not grow cool, and be neglected among them ; and that they do for the first, procure a comforter …

On this occasion the Dutch Governor, Colve, sent certain "articles " to Andros to which he required answers before surrendering, " for the satisfaction of the Dutch Government and for the greater tranquillity, of the good People of this Province." These related mainly to the settlement of debts, the validity of judgments during the Dutch administration, the maintenance of the titles of the ow…

But from that day to this, that great and venerable Church has continued in the enjoyment of its creed, privileges, and property, as fully and as freely 1 II Brod., 170. THE ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE MANORS. G5 as it did, while having the power of the Province Government at its back to enforce its support and prohibit all doctrines it did not approve. And how strong this i)Ower wiis, its d…

Adrianus Smoutius, dated August 11, 1628, which was discovered and first printed, only in 1858, in a periodical of Amsterdam by Mr. J. J. Bodel Nijenhuis of that city, and subsequently translated and sent to the late Dr. Edmund B. O'Callaghan then of Albany, the author of the " History of New Netherland," by the late Henry C. Murphy, then United States Minister at the Hague. The second vol…

Michaelius sailed from Holland, January 24th, 1628, and arrived at the "Island of Manhatas," as he calls it, on the 7th of the succeeding April, and wrote the letter the following August- In it he says, " In my opinion, it is very expedient that the Lords Managers of this place [the Amsterdam Chamber of the West Indian Company) should furnish plain and precise instructions to their Governors …

This letter also proves incidentally, that slavery existed in "the Manhatas" at its date, the year before the enactment of the charter of 1629 which provided for their being furnished by the Company to the Patroons, as stated above, and to which has been so often, and so wrongly ascribed their first introduction in New York. Speaking of his fiimily matters, for his wife had died since his ar…

There being no Synod in New Netherland, the care of the church there was entrusted to the Assembly or classis of Amsterdam, by whom the Dutch clergymen were approved and ordained, at the request, or with the assent, of the West India Company at Amsterdam. ' Except when as a matter of mere charity on their being driven from New England, the English settlers of the Congregational belief w'er…

The total number of land grants of all kinds, from a Patroonship, to a single lot in Manhattan Island, issued by the Dutch Provincial Government from 1 Laws of N. N., v. > See charter of Hempstead graated by Governor Kieft, in 1G44. Laws N.JJ., 42. » Ibid, 479. * On Marcli 17, 1064, Stuyvesant and hi» conncil passed an ordinance, tiiat aU ecliool-masters sliould appear witli their Kchool-o…

The territories and rights of the original Patroonships on both sides of the Hudson River, with but two exceptions, were subsequently on account of the difficulties of their owners, with the West India Company, and the obstacles they met with in settling their lands, subsequently bought back by the Company. Thus they became again part and parcel of the public domain, and as such were retrans…

It was granted as the sole property of one of the most noted and intelligent of the leading men of New Netherland. Public aftairs in which its Patroon was engaged almost immediately after it was granted, and his necessary absence in Holland, retarded its successful development. His death following shortly after his return, and its sale under the power he obtained to dispose of it by will, p…

This office, which, as shown before, combined the duties of a Sherifi' and an Attorney- General, was a most important one, and brought him into close connection with the other officers, and the tenants, of Rensselaerswyck ; the rights and interests of all parties being in many particulars subject to his official action. His first instructions from the Patroon were dated July 18, 1641, and h…

The term is simply a corruption of " Jonkheer," son of a gentleman.^ It is of interest, for, from this title so given to him who became in the succeeding year, 1646, the Patroon of Colen-Donck, is derived the name which that Patroonship, in common parlance, ever afterwards bore, and which is to-day perpetuated in the corporate name of the beautiful city which is embraced within its limits --…

Later it was styled, "Castle Island," because upon its southern end was built the first fortified trading house erected by Corstiaensen under the charter of "The United New Netherland Company," of 14th October, 1614, and called Fort Nassau, which three years later, in 1617, was destroyed by a freshet. Subsequently, and till this day, from its proprietors, it was, and still is, known as Rens…

This was a violation of the sixth and twenty-sixth articles of the charter of Freedoms and Exemptions of 1629, and the Patroon of Rensselaerswyck, on the 10th September, 1643, sent written orders to van Curler, to see that van der Donck desisted at once, being his "sworn officer," and if he did not, that he should " be degraded from his office and left on his bowerie to complete his contrac…

The matter was tinallv referred to the Patroon in Holland van der Donck left the island, and lived in a hut near Fort Orange, till spring, and then came down to New Amsterdam.' In the previous year, 164-5, he had been of great assistance to Director Kieft in advancing the requisite funds, and settling the terms of peace with the Indians, which closed the wicked war that Kieft had wantonly …

The Indian name for this region was Keskeskick, and the Indian title to it was extinguished by its sale to the West India Company by its Indian owners on the third of August, 1639, in these words, " This day, date as below, appeared before meCoruelis van Tienhoven, Secretary in New Netlierland, Tequeemet, Rechgawac, Pachamiens, owners of Keskeskick, who in presence of the undersigned witnesse…

This instrument is recorded in Book G, G, of Patents page 30, in the Secretary of State's Office in Albany.^ By it was vested in the West India Company the right of soil and possession of the Indians in the tract described. It will be noticed that it bears no marks of the Indians as signatories, but is only signed by the witnesses and the Secretary of the Province, differing in this respect …

"The Free people" [those not Patroon s, nor boera or farm laborers) " having by petition requested Patents of the Lands which they are at present cultivating, the prayer of the Petitioners is granted, on condition that at the expiration of Ten years after entering upon their Plantation, they shall pay yearly to the Company the Tenth of all crops which God the Lord shall grant to the field; a…

The " tenths " or titlies were simply a form of rental, the recompense to the Comi)an)' and the patroous for their outlay and expense in settling their lands. G8 HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY. may arise, shall be held valid by the Director and Council, unless tliey shall be written by the Secretary of this place. Let every one take warning and save himself from damage. This done and publis…

David Pietersen de Vries was the famous navigator, the author of the " Journal notes of several voyages in Europe, Africa, Asia and America," one of the earliest and most authentic writers on New Netherland, He was also a Patroon of Swanandael on the Delaware, of another Patroonship upon Staten Island, and in the words of Brodhead, was " frank, honest, religious, and a sincere advocate of the…

From this mill the stream derived its Dutch name of Saeg-Kill, or Saw- Kill, and the English one, by which it continues to be known, the " Saw-Mill River." For his own residence and home plantation, he selected the southern end of the beautiful peninsula, or tide island as it really was, and the meadows immediatelyabout it, which the Indians called Papirinemen, directly opposite the northern…

between the people of New Amsterdam and Governor Stuyvesant as the representative of the West India Company, he could not give his Patroonship the attention it needed. Three years after the grant to him of Colen-Donck by Governor Kieft, the troubles with Stuyvestant came to a head. The Commonalty of the " Province of New Netherland," drew up by a committee, a Petition to the States-General …

On the 12th of the succeeding August, von Dincklagen the Vice-Director under Stuyvesant, but not favored by him, sent a letter to the States- General, in which he says, " whereas the Condition of that most fertile New Netherland is seriously impaired by the war,^ and the Commonalty hath resolved on a delegation of three of the Nine Selectmen in order that your High Mightinesses may obtain fu…

On the 31st of January, 1650, the committee reported adversely to the Petitioners, answering their documents article by article, and using strong language.' The delegates replied by a further short petition on the 7th of February following, which was also referred to a special committee.* Other communications were subsequently received and referred. Finally their committee reported to the Stat…

On the 11th of March, 1650, he and the other delegates, concluded a contract " to charter a suitable fly boat of two hundred lasts, and therein to go to sea on the 1st of June next, and convey to New Netherland the number of two hundred passengers, of which one hundred are to be farmers and farm servants, and the remaining one hundred such as the Amsterdam Chamber is accustomed to send ove…

Stuyvesant declined to obey the " Provisional order," except in some minor matters, and opposed it by strong despatches to the company, while his Secretary van Tienhoven was already in Holland fighting van der Donck strenuously before the authorities there. On the 10th of February, 1652, nothing having been finally determined, still another rc])resentation of the contumacy of Stuyvesant, and…

With this paper van der Donck laid before the States-General a voluminous mass of extracts of letters and other documents received chiefly in the year 1051, by him from New Netherland, detailing the difliculties there.' After a reference of these papers to the different chambers of the West India Company and considering their various reports thereon, which occupied many months, the States-Ge…

He embarked his goods and everything in the way of supplies for his "Colonic," in a vessel then anchored in the Texel, aud on the 13th of May 1652 applied to the States-General for their formal permit to return home, which was requisite by a resolution of that body of the 14th of the preceding March. But he was doomed to disappointment. The Amsterdam chamber supported their officers, and we…

In this, he says, "that proposing to depart by your High Mightinesses consent, with his wife, mother, sister, brother, servants, maids, and in that design had packed and shipped all his implements and goods," but he understood "that the Hon.*"^ Directors at Amsterdam had forbidilen all skippers to receive him, or his, even though exhibiting your High Jlightinesses express orders and consent…

To this persecution aud vindictiveness of his opponents, however, we are indebted for the most valuable account of New Netherland written by any one who had then been a resident there. He seems to have begun this work immediately upon his return to the Hague and it was probably finished in the course of the ensuing winter. In May he applied for a copyright, which after an examination of the b…

Stuyvesant on his return refused him access to the records, and thus defeated his plan, and he then, in all probability, consented to the publication of what had already been printed in Holland. He died in 1G55, about two years after his return to America," and in the same year the first edition of his work that we now have, was issued in Amsterdam, with a view of New Amsterdam inserted.* …

that Country," &c., &c., with an account of the manners and customs of the Indians, and of the natural history of the Beaver." This and the "Vertoogh" or " Remonstrance" referred to before, published in 1650, which was a contemporaneous relation of events in New Netherland, historical, civil, and military, are the two most valuable and authentic accounts of New Netherland and its early histo…

This full sketch of the Patroon of Colen Donck and his career is given, because it shows, that it was owing to what may be called his public life, that he was unable to effect the better settlement of his Westchester Patroouship. His enforced absence for so long a period, was followed by his death two years only after his return to America, too short a time to enable him to carry out any pla…

Having stated publicly, at Cohassct, ''that Abraham's children should have been baptized," he was forthwith dragged out of the assembly and otherwise harshly used; and with one Richard Smith and some others who held like views of baptism, was forced to " escape from the insupportable government of New England ' to New Netherland.' He and his friends were granted in compassion for their suffe…

Nothing was paid by them for the land, and all that the grantees had to do, was "to acknowledge the said Lords Directors as their Masters and Patroons, to pay, after the lapse of ten years, the tenth part of the produce of the fields, whether cultivated with the plough, or hoe, or otherwise (orchards and gardens not exceeding one acre, Holland measure excepted)." ' Doughty afterwards remove…

" Richard Nicolls, Esq., Governor under his Royal Highness, ye Duke of York, of all bis tcrritoryes in America, to all to whom this present writingshallcome, sendeth greeting: Whereas there is a certain tract of land within this Government, upon the Main, Bounded to the northwards by a rivulet called by the Indians, Macakassin, so running southward to Nepperhaem, from thence to the Kill Shorak…

sion and authority, given unto me by his Royal Highness the Duke of York, I have thought fit to give, ratify, confirm, and grant, and by these presents do give, ratify, confirm, and grant, unto the said Hugh O'Neale and Mary his wife, their heirs and assigns, all the afore mentioned tract or parcel of lands called Nepperhaem, together with all woods, marshes, meadows, pastures, waters, lakes…

That, if at any time hereafter, his Royal Highness, his heirs, successors, or assigns, shall think fit to make use of any timber for shipping, or for erecting or repairing of forts within this government, liberty is reserved for such uses and purposes to cut any sort of timber upon any unplanted grounds, on the said tract of land, to make docks, harbours, wharfes, houses, or any other conve…

"This day came Hugh O'Neale and Mary his wife (who in right of her former husband laid claime to a cert" parcele of land upon the Maine not farre from Westchester, commonly called the Younckers land), who bro't severall Indyans before the gov" to acknowledge the purchase of said lands by van der Donck commonly called ye Youncker. The said Indyans declared y'^ bounds of the sd. lands to be …

From this patent it is clear that no part of the patroonship had been parted with since van der Donck's death in 1655. And from the fact that on the 30th of the same October in the same year in which this patent was granted, only twenty-two days afterward, the first conveyance under it was made by O'Xeale and his wife, it seems evident that it was obtained simply as a confirmation of the or…

The next month, on the 6th of July, 1668, Elias Doughty sold to George Tippitt and William Belts another piece of Colen-Donck, thus described : "A parcell of land& meadow to ye Patent to William Betts and George Tippett who are in jiossession of a part of the same land formerly owned by old Youncker van der Donck which runs west to Hudson's river & east to Broncks River, with all the uplan…

From this George Tippett, or Tippits, as the name is spelled in his inventory made the 29th of September, 1675,* the stream is called Tippetts brook, which forms the van Cortlandt Lake, and, thence flowing southerly in a sinuous course, falls intoSpyt-den Duyvel Creek just east of Kiugsbridge. Its Indian name is Mosholu. On the 1st of December, 1670, another part of the Patroonship, on its w…

Two years after, and on September 29th in the year 1672, Frederick Philipse, Thomas Delavall and Thomas Lewis, bought of Elias Doughty all the remainder of Colen-Donck, each taking a third interest, the whole amounting to seven thousand seven hundred and eight acres. Delavall devised his share ten years later, in 1682, to his son John, and he, together with Frederick Philipse and Mrs. Geesie …

He was a mere farmer and the inventory is but a list of farm stock and common house utensils. It, however, thus describes his farm, -- " Item, a tract of land and meadow purchased of Elias Doughty, with the dwelling-house, orchard and barne now standing on the said land, -- £100, 0, 0." It also mentions bis neighbor, "John Heddy, of Ycnkers, carpenter." ■ Book III. of Deeds, 139. 8 Book of De…

What became of van der Donck's children is not now known, nor their names, nor in fact how many of them, if any, reached maturity. We know that in 11)53 his mother, a brother, and the son of the latter, came out to New Netherland; that the name of the former was Agatha, that of his brother Daniel, and that of the son of the latter, Guisbert. But here all certainty ends. We may hope that the…

The continued encroachment and pressure of the English of Connecticut, and of the east end of Long Island -- then practically a part of Connecticut -- upon the Dutch in New Netherland, led the Burgomasters and Schepens of New Amsterdam and the delegates from the adjoining towns, in public meeting, on the 2d of November, 1G63, to send a Remonstrance to the Directors of the West India Company…

Which English Nation hath, as your Remonstrants learn, found out a way neglected by your Honors, to provide and arm itself with a coat of mail in the shape of an unlimited patent and commission which it lately obtained from his Majesty of England.' "So that this commission and patent being executed by them according to their interpretation ; for experience in State affairs teaches and abunda…

Whence it appears in consequence of the want of such commission and patent, the obtaining whereof from their High Mightinesses has been so long postponed, as if your Honors have been pleased to place the good inhabitants of this Province, as it were, upon glare ice, and have given them grounds and lands to which you have no real right.'- And in this way, too, the well intentioned English wh…

Wherefore the Remonstrants in these their troubles, afllictions, intricacies, and extreme necessity, are come, in all humilitv, to throw themselves on vonr Honors consideration, fervently and heartily praying you to be pleased to enable them exactly to apply the essential means, whereby, they, your Honor's most faithful servants, may be effectually sup])orted and maintained in the real poss…

The English of Hartford and New Haven, only obtained their Charter of Connecticut from Charles II., on the 23d of April, 1662. Not till after they got this document, did they seriously claim that the Dutch had no title by patent from' the States- General. The claim was baseless, and only made as a cover for encroachment. Ten days after the above Remonstrance was drawH up and, later, on the…

It was first attempted by the Director-General in person at the general meeting of the four Engli-ih Colonies at Boston ; and since on the advice of three of the Colonies,^ by our Commissioners, viz: Mr. Cornells van Ruyven, Secretary Oloff" Stevens Cortlandt, Burgomaster of this city, and John Laurens (Lawrence), burgher and merchant, made to the General Court, or Legislature, at Hartford.…

Again, the General Court at Hartford lay claim to, and demand, in virtue of the newly obtained patent [^that for Connecticut of 1662], all the country lying South of the aforesaid line of 42^ degrees, and westerly until it touches another Royal Patent, and therein include all of New III. Col. Hist., 478. 2 Maseachusetts declined to take part iu the Becond coaference. Netherland, south to the …

"Fifthly and lastly. 'Tis evident and clear from their repeated declaration, that were Westchester and the five English towns on Long Island,^ surrendered by us to the Colony of Hartford, and what we have justly possessed and settled on Long Island left to us, it would not satisfy them, because it would not be possible to bring them sufficiently to any further arrangement with us by commissio…

But the clear-headed and patriotic Director-General was greatly mistaken in "Ambassador Douwning," or rather in his expectation that that envoy would aid in bringing matters to a settlement. Sir George Downing was as inimical to the Dutch nation as Governor Winthrop or any other Connecticut Englishman. He had been long in Holland under Cromwell and dis- SGravesend, Hempstead, Flushing, Newto…

The Dutch West India Company in trading under their charter to the Guinea coast, interfered with the business of the Eoyal African Company of which he was the Governor. He complained of the Dutch on this account before the English Parliament, and, of his own authority as Lord High Admiral, sent a fleet to harass them on the coast of Africa. Therefore it was as a matter of revenge, as well as ho…

Borrowing four vessels of the English navy, of which he was Lord High Admiral, the Duke of York sent an expedition under the command of Colonel Richard Nicolls, with Sir Robert Carr, George Cartwright and Samuel Mavericke as co-commissioners with Matliias Nicolls, subsequently Secretary for New York, and a few other English officers, in command of .about -150 men, to visit the Plantations in…

This document after reciting the King's Patent to himself, and a brief description of the boundaries therein set forth, continues: -- "'And whereas I have conceived a good opinion of the integrity, prudence, ability, and fitness of Richard Nicolls, Esquire, to be employed as my Deputy there, I have thought fit to constitute and appoint, and I do hereby constitute and appoint him the said Rich…

Nicolls the commander-in-chief and Cartwright embarked in the Guinea, and Carr and Mavericke in the Martin. Their orders were to rendezvous in Gardiner's Bay, at the east end of Long Island. The voyage was long, the vessels got sejiarated, and the Martin, aud Nicholas and William, were obliged to run into Piscataway (Portsmouth) New Hampshire on the 20th of July, 1664, whence Mavericke the …

Hill with the Elyas on Sunday last. * * * * our stay here being only for a little water and our other shipps, which if they come not in time, we must go to our appointed port in Long Island." Three days later, on the 23d of July, the Guinea and Elias arrived at Boston. Nicolls wrote at once to Thomas Willet at Plymouth, and Gov. Winthrop at Hartford, and applied for assistance. On the 29th o…

He was also lulled into security by the receipt of a despatch from the Directors at Amsterdam tfhat no danger from England need be entertained as the King only wanted to reduce his own colonies to uniformity in church and State.' The truth was, that the Directors of the Company, intently engaged in the public affairs of Holland (it was the period of John de Witt's ascendancy and the efforts…

The negotiations took place, and the terms were finally agreed upon, on Saturday, September 6th, 1664, at Gov. Stuyvesant's house in the Bowery. This house, as L have been told by the Hon. Hamilton Fish, now the oldest living descendant of Stuyvesant, .stood on what is now the block between 12th and 13th Streets facing the Third Avenue, as that part of the Bowery road is now called, and on …

Nicolls's and Sir Robert Carr's companies one hundred and sixty-eight strong, formed into six columns of about thirty men each, next entered New Amsterdam ; whilst Sir George Cartwright occupied with his men the city gates and Town Hall." The volunteers from Connecticut and Long Island, were detained at the ferry at " Brenkelen," " as the citizens dreaded most being plundered by them." Final…

It would be foreign to our purpose to discuss these Articles of Capitulation, or as usually termed "Surrender," at length.* Those only which bear upon our subject will be mentioned, viz -- the third, eighth, eleventh, twelfth, sixteenth, and twenty-first. They are as follows : -- 3 II. O'Call., 536. < They are to be found in II. Col., Hist., 250 ; I. Brod., 762, and in many other historical…

All inferior civil officers and magistrates shall continue as now they are (if they please) till the customary time of new elections, and then new ones to be chosen by themselves, provided that such new chosen magistrates shall take the oath of allegiance to his majesty of England before they enter upon their office. "XXI. That the town of Manhattans shall choose Deputyes, and those Deputy…

The sixteenth article confirmed and continued in their offices all the civil magistrates and officers of every grade in the country, from the highest to the lowest, and provided for the election of their successors, under the existing Dutch laws, conditioned only that the new officers, .should take the oath of allegiance to their new English King. No such oath was wisely demanded ofthe old on…

The Eighth article, in connexion with the twelfth, preserved, maintained, and continued, to the Established Dutch Cliurch all its rights, })rivileges, and immunities of creed and worship, and guaranteed to it freedom of conscience and church discipline, as well as the continuance of its regulations, as to its own concerns, and to the poor and to orphans, in the same hands, and under the same …

In short the Dutch Church was acknowledged in its existence, confirmed in its creed, discipline, and worship, maintained in the possession of its property, and guaranteed in its rights in every respect and in every way. Nothing was altered, nothing abrogated, except its position as the Established Church of New Netherland. That was determined by the fall of the Dutch Province. Both were end…

The position of the Dutch Church as an Established Church, was the reason why it was so particularly guarded, and provided for, in the Articles of Capitulation of 1664, and again in the special articles of surrender formulated by Governor Colve, and carried into effect by the English Governor Andross, in 1674, no other church being mentioned or referred to in either. And to this circumstanc…

The prudence, skill and wisdom of Richard Nicolls, his Deputy Governor, after much objection and opposition, which he completely and gently overcame, effected this; and between the 20th and 25th of October, 1664, hardly five weeks after the surrender, all the former Dutch ofiicials, and nearly three hundred of the male inhabitants of New York, including Stuyvesant, van Cortlandt, van Ruyven…

In this Patent, perhaps the strongest, most sweeping, and most comprehensive in its terms, of any granted in America by an English Monarch, the King gave to the Duke the entire territory of New Netherland therein described, (though of course that name was not used) upon this tenure, namely; -- "To be holden of us our Heirs and Successors, as of our Manor of East Greenwich and our County of …

That all people therein, Indians excepted, were trespassers without legal right, that the territory was without lawful government, that the Sovereign of Great Britain, of his own right, therefore established therein such government as he saw fit. That he chose to give, and did give, in the exercise of such right, the entire territory, and his own powers and rights therein, and thereover, to hi…

This view was not at all satisfactory to the owners and holders of land under Connecticut titles in Suffolk County, Long Island, who were the very earliest to obtain new grants and patents from the Duke of York. The towns there took out patents from the Duke, with extreme reluctance, but they did it, nevertheless. Among these patents were that of Smithtown to Richard Smith of the 3d of March…

Under these instruments and principles the rule of England, and the Lord Proprietorship of the Duke of York had its beginning in the "Province of New York in America." That Proprietorship lasted twenty-one years, (excepting only the fifteen months of the Dutch reconquest), ending on the 6th of February, 1685, on which day, by the death of his brother, King Charles, the Duke became James the …

But as the Province was rest')red by the Dutch to England as a conquest under a treaty and a formal surrender of it pursuant to such treaty, the crown lawyers in England held that the Dutch I'econquest in 1673 terminated the Duke's Proprietorship; and that the renamed Province of New Netherland was vested anew in Charles the Second as King solely by the treaty of Westminster in 1674. Theref…

The new Patent of 1674, on its face was an original grant, but in fact it simply revested the Duke with all the rights, powers, jurisdiction and territory he possessed under the Patent of 1664. These facts are distinctly stated, because the validity of the confirmations of all Dutch groundbriefs, transports, and other grants, and all subsequent English grants during the Proprietorship of the …

In this respect it was the same ;is that under which, as has previously been shown, the Dutch West India Company held New Netherland under their charter, and the Patroons held their Patroonships under the different " Freedoms and Exemptions." But it was not to follow a good Dutch example, that this tenure was granted by the King and accepted by the Duke, but because the law of England had th…

Alter the clauses of abolition, the act continues, -- "And all tenures of any honours, manors, lands, tenements, or hereditaments, of any estate of inheritance at the common law, held either of the King, or of any other person, or persons, bodies politic or corporate, are hereby enacted to be turned into free and common socage, . . . any law, custom, or usage to the contrary hereof in any wa…

It is thus seen not only that there were no feudal rights nor privileges granted in New York to the Duke of York by his Patents, but that the King had no power whatever to grant any to him, or to anybody else. And none ever were granted by any British Sovereign, or British Governor, in that Province. The rights and privileges contained in the subsequent Manor grants in New York, were simply…

2 " Up to the passage of this act, every free land-owner was burdened with military service, whicli was not considered an incident of tennre, hut a duty to the State." Dighy"s Law of Kcal Property, 20. Hence, the sulistitution of taxation in lieu of military service by this act. is the foundation of governmental support by taxation, both in Kiigland and America, and of the existing systems of…

The Teutonic idea of property in land was based on its conquest by a body of men under a leader or chief, -- a successful barbaric invasion. The land so won was considered the common property of its captors, not of the leader alone. He, as chief, had the regulation of the distribution of the conquest among the conquerors, and of the cultivation of the land by the distributees who received it.…

Lands so given were granted by a written "book" as it was termed, which was a deed or charter, delivered to the grantee, and it was then said to be "booked '"to him, from which it was called "bocland," that is, booked land. This "book," or grant, stated that the grantee was to hold the land free from all burdens and from any services or money payment, except three, -- military aid in cas-eof …

"Nearly, if not quite coextensive with the conception of "bocland," says Digby, "was that of allodial land. The term 'alod,' allodial, did not, however, have any necessary reference to the mode in which the owuer.*liip of land had been conferred ; it simply meant, land held in absolute ownership, not in dejiendence upon any other body or person in whom the proprietary rights were supposed to r…

That system with its correlative rights of protection by the King or the lord, and of service as soldiers by the tenants or vassals, carried down through all classes of society from the highest to the lowest, termed the feudal system, thus introduced, became the basis of the English land system and land law. From William of Normandy to Charles the Second, gradually developed in the earliest …

To show how entirely different the "feudal system" was from the systems introduced into New- York by the Dutch and English ; and how erroneous have been, and are, the views that Lave been expressed by American, and New England, as well as New York, writers, respecting the latter, it will be well to recur to what "feudalism'" really was. Scrcely any subject of an historical nature has been mo…

As it existed in England, it was brought full grown from France at the Norman Conquest ; ' and "it may be described as a complete organization of society through the medium of land tenure, in which from the King down to the lowest land owner all are bound together by obligation of service and defence: the lord to protect his vassal, the vassal to do service to his lord ; the defence and serv…

The beneficium is partly of Roman and partly of German origin.^ In the Roman system the usufruct, the occupation of land belonging to another person, involved no diminution of the status (the condition) of the occupier ; in the Germanic system he who tilled land that was not his own was imperfectly free. Commendation on the other hand may have had a Gallic or Celtic origin, and an analogy only …

>I. Stubbs' Cons. Hist,, 252. 'The beneficia, or benefices, were " grants of Koman provincial land by the chieftains of the tribes which overran the Roman Empire ; such grants being conferred on their associates upon certain conditions, of which the commonest was military service." Maine's Village Communities, 132. The same writer al.io says, "that in the ineradicable tendencies of the Teuton…

And when a freeholder doth fealty to his lord he shall hold his right hand upon a booke (a Bible) and shall say thus: Know ye this my lord, that I shall be faithfull and true unto you, and faith to you shall beare forthe lands which I claime to hold of you, and that I shall lawfully doe to you the customs and services which I ought to doe, at the termes assigned, so help.nie God and his Sain…

The Hindoo communities gathered together by instinct, and new comers were introduced by fiction. The feudal obligation was created by contract. The feudal communities were, for this reason, more durable and varied in character than the ancient societies. Some would hold that the variety of Modern Civilizaiion is due to the exuberant and erratic genius of Germanic races. In opposition to this …

If we investigate feudalism in its social aspects, in the words of the late chief justice of Ceylon, " we shall find ample cause for the inextinguishable hatred with which, as Guizot truly states iu History of Civilization in Europe, it lias ever been regarded by the common people. But this ought not to make us blind to its brighter features. There was much in feudalism, especially as develo…

The former was a Propiietor only, as William Peun and Lord Baltimore were, in Pennsylvania and in Maryland. The latter was an owner in fee with no powers, rights or privileges, but those appurtenant to, and consistent with, the freest allodial tenure. Moreover, it not only never existed, but it could not possibly have existed in New York. For it was prohibited by the statute law wiihin the r…

It might be by ploughing lands for a fixed number of days at a time fixed, or it might be for a fixed annual rent, payable either in cattle, produce or in money, or it might be by homage, fealty, and a fixed money rent, in lieu of all manner of services, or by fealty only in lieu of every other service.* This inherent element of certainty was what gave this tenure its power, and has made it…

Both the sovereignty of the Chief and the ownership of land by the Family or Tribe were in most of Western Europe passed through the crucible of feudalism ; but the first re-appeared in some well-marked characteristics of military or Knightly tenures, and the last in the principle rules of non-noble holdings, and among them of Socage, the distinctive tenure of the free farmer." Its essentia…

Where these rustic services had not been commuted tbramoncy rent the tenure was called ' villein socage," as distingui-.hed from ' free and common socage.' * In Knightservice tenure, and iu the spiritual tenure of Francalmoigne or Free Alms, that is freedom from all earthly services [on which churches, abbeys, and cathedrals, in England held and still hold so many of their lands], and in all …

T A villein was an inhabitant of a villa, the ancient name of a farm, and in the earliest times was attached to it permanently. .\ud as many villas were included in a manor, it had often many villein's- These villeins gradually came to be allowed to hold parcels of land, on condition of manuring, or ploughing the lord's demesne lands, or on base or rustic services. Hence arose the tenure term…

One of the parts of England which, at the time of its conquest, first submitted peaceably to William of Normandy, was the Saxon Kingdom of Kent, afterward, and now, the County of Kent, the southeastern extremity of England. In consequence of this action the Norman king confirmed its inhabitants in all their ancient laws and liberties. " Kent was firmly attached to the Conqueror by the treaty,…

Much of its area originally gavelkind has been changed by special acts of parliament, or, as it was termed, ' disgaveled,' and thus made knight service land and .subject to the law of primogeniture.* The name is derived from the Saxon word ' gafol,' or 'gavel,' [_the pronunciation of the words being ninilar in aouiid'] \\\\\ch was the Saxon word for rent, " including in that term money, labor…

The fixed "service" or "rent" on which New York was held in socage by the Duke of York was the yearly payment of"' forty beaver skins when they shall be demanded or in ninety days after." When the Puke became King in 1685, this nominal rent ceased and he held the Province from that date as Sovereign of England. And under him and his successors, from that v'ear until the peace of 1783, by vir…

When William and Mary directed their Governor to call General Assemblies, with the advice and consent of the Council, .md the first Assembly held in New York, under those sovereigns, met in April, 1691, that Assembly, in the second act it passed, declaring the rights and privileges of their Majesties' subjects to their Province of New York, enacted "That all the Lands within the Province, s…

This was provided for in that very ablj' drawn, liberal, and just "Code of Laws," enacted and promulgated at the first meeting of delegates of the people of the Towns of the Province of New York under the English rule, held at Hempstead, in Queens Cuunty, on June 24th, 1665, nine months only after the Dutch surrender, known as " The Duke's Laws." This code, the earliest of the codes of New Yo…

They shall bring in their former Grants, and take out new Pattents for the same from the present Governoure in the behalf of his Royall Highness the Duke of Yorke ; " then after directing the making and filing of a survey and map within a year from the date of a purchase, the law continues, " Every Purchaser in acknowledgment of the propriety of such Lands belonging to bis Royal Highness Jam…

This law and this sum marked the beginning of the Quit-rents and their amount or rate paid ever after to the King, and subsequently to the American Revolution to the State, and which only terminated under the State Quit-rent statute of 1815, which commuted them all for gross sums of money, as will be fully explained hereafter. Governor Lovelace sent a report to the Duke of York on the state…

After quoting the order, it continues in these words: "Which said order did extend itself to Albany, Esopus, and all other places of the Governm', as well as this City and more particularly to all those who had beene under the Dutch, and are now reduced to his Majesties obedience.' These presents doe declare and make Knowne that the Inhabitants in and about Delaware being under this Govern…

In the proceedings of the Court in the Assize Book, under date of March 25, 1667, two years prior to the proclamation just cited, is Governor Nicolls' reply to this petition in the form of six specific entries. They are as follows, (the contractions in the original being plainly written out). "1. The reason for renewing all former groundbriefs was, and is, to abolish the express conditions…

Where the original groundbrief of several transports cannot be found each transport shall be confirmed for 3 guildere.' "5. If any man have 2, 3, or more ground briefs of small parcels of land they shall be comprised in one confirmation at the half price allowed by the Court. " G. The Mayor and Alderman to draw up a list of houses and lots belonging to persons now in Holland or else where n…

It was fortunate that that event was almost simultaneous with the greatest change in the law of England since the days of King John. That change really gave to New York the Ireehold, partible, and perfectly alienable, land system, which, with slight modifications, has existed from that day to this, and under which her population has increased from the 10,000 souls in the last year of Directo…

The statute of Edward, called" of Westminster," or" Quia emptores " from its] first two words, " in the year 1290 put an end forever to New Manors in England." '^ Those Manors were feudal Manors, of the kind already alluded to, those erected in New York, four hundred years later were freehold Manors. Their difference, and why Manors could be erected in New York, and not in England will be …

The two courses of historical development were for a long while strictly parallel, though they have ceased to be so now."^ It is not possible in the limits of this essay to describe, except in outline, the various steps and changes by which the barbarian Teutonic leader and his followers, developed into the family or tribal ruler and his kindred by blood or by tribe settled upon the land w…

Its master was supreme, and from this feature, continually preserved and maintained to this daj', comes the familiar principle of English and American law, that "every man's house is his castle." These groups of families, or societies, with their Leader, or Headman, were often involved in disputes, with neighboring societies and their families and Headmen. And to this fact of native Teutoni…

Another cause of the change from this Mark system to the manorial system, the German writers say, was the fact, that these Teutonic village societies, "though their organization can only be described as democratic, appear, nevertheless, to have < Hist. Inst. 77. 5 Von Slaurer cited by Jtaiue, Vill. Com. 10, with approval, ejlaine's Vill. Com. 143. HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY. generally h…

From the members of these families the leader for a military expedition would, as a rule, be chosen, and the power he would thus acquire " would be a combination of political, military, and judicial, power." This leader, " thus taken from the privileged fauiily would have the largest share of the lands appropriated from the conquered village societies; and there is ground for supposing that …

A view most tersely summed up by Sir Henry Maine, " our modern English conception of absolute property in land is really descended from the special proprietorship enjoyed by the Lord, and more anciently by the tribal chief, in his own Domain." "Manors," Sir William Blackstone, tells us "are in substance as ancient as the Saxon Constitution, though perhaps differing a little in some immateri…

The word ' iManor ' is an English corruption of the French word, ' Manoir,' a habitation, or mausi&n, in which the owner of land dwelt permanently ; and that is derived from the Latin verb ' Maneo,' to remain, to abide in a place, to dwell there. In Latin a Manor was termed ' Alanerium' vvhich signifies the same as the French ' Manoir.' It has, however, been stated to be a synonym of ' Manu…

In some cases manors were diminished or added to, and new ones created. Probably however there was no great addition after the Conque-st to the number ot Manors." * In the reigns of ihe later Saxon Kings, those subsequent to Allred, the English Commissioners on the Law of Real Property tell us, "that portions of the royal domains, with jurisdiction were granted, and afterwards jurisdiction w…

Saca, meant the privilege of administering justice locally ; soca, the territory or franchise in which the privilege was to be exercised ; theime,* the seignorial jurisdiction." "It will be obvious to every one's miud that this species of local and private jurisdiction is what we now call a Manor. The substance of a manor is therefore justly said by Mr. Ellis to be aa ancient as the Saxon c…

And this ought to be by long continuance of time, the contrary whereof man's memory cannot discern ; for at this day a Mannor cannot be made because a Court-Baron cannot be made, and a Mannor cannot be without a Court-Baron and Suitors and Freeholders, two at the least ; for if all the Freeholds except one escheat to the Lord, or if he purchase all | except one, there his Mannor is gone, fo…

It will be noticed that in this description the Court- Leet is not mentioned. This is because, though it existed in every Manor, it was not of its essence as the Court-Baron was. The Court-Leet was a Sheriff's court and had cognizance only of offences against the King, or the King's peace, below the degree of high treason. The Manors of New York, in consequence of their having been erected …

As to the latter, a curious error has obtained credence. We often, at this day, see them written of, and hear them spoken of, as Nobles. " Lord Philipse " and " Lord Pell " are familiar examples of this ridiculous blunder in Westchester County. No grant of a feudal manor in England at any time from their first introduction ever carried with it a title,' and much less did any grant of a New Yo…

The origin, nature, existence and continuance ot the Manors of New York, and the reason why they could be erected by the English Sovereigns here, when those Sovereigns could not do so in England since 1690, was so fully, thoroughly and learnedly set forth, more than thirty years ago, in an opinion by one of the greatest chief justices who ever graced the State of New York, that no apology i…

There is nothing in the patent which in terms empowers the patentees to grant lands to he holden of themselves, \_and all the manors were alike in this respect'], but it is argued that the erection of a manor and the authority to hold the courts mentioned, which, according to English law, are manor courts, necessarily implies the power to create suitors, who must of necessity be tenants, ho…

This statute, after reciting that the feudal tenants have sold their lauds to be holden in fee of themselves, instead of the chief lord of the fee, whereby those lords have lost their escheats and other feudal perquisites to their " manifest disinheritance," enacts that " forever hereafter it shall be lawful to every freeman to sell at his own pleasure his lands or tenements, or part thereof…

Ihe evil was that the chief lords were defrauded of the fruits of their tenures, and the remedy provided was, that every tenant, however remote, should remain the debtor of the chief lord instead of his immediate feoffor \_grantor] for the services incident to the tenure. But as one may generally waive an advantage secured to himself, so it was held that the chief lord might forego the benefit…

Therefore, if there are crown lands in England at this day which have never been granted to a subject, they may, without doubt, be erected into royal manors. And cannot the King grant to his immediate tenant the right to make grants to be held of himself, the tenant, since thus there would be the assent of all the lords, mediate and immediate. Tiie King's tenants in capite could not make such…

On the making of such grants the patentees became the mesne lords, holding ofthe King, and the grantees of the patentees were the tenants paravail ( so called because ihey have the avails or prnjits of the land), holding by license from the King as lord paramount, of their immediate lords the patentees. The statute would prevent any further subinfeudations, by the freeholders holding under the …

"The records of some ten or twelve patents exist in the office of the Secretary of State, issued respectively in the reigns of James II., William and Mary, Anne, and George I., and the earlier government of the Duke of York [among which are those of Scarsdale, Fhilipsburgh, Fordham, Pelham, Cortlandt, and Morrisania, in W-.s'chester County'], with powers respecting a manor and Manor Courts si…

The rouuirk was never applicable to the ungranted crown lands in the Colonies, upon which the statute, I think, never had any, or ouly a qualified, bearing.' I have considered this question as though the statute was in force, and controlled the tenures in this Colony (New York) in any case to which in England it might be applicable ; and I do not think it material to deny the proposition, th…

If the feudal system ever prevailed in the American Colonies, it had been shorn of its most severe features before either of the grants in question [or ani/ other of the Manor (/rants in New York'] was made, by the Statute 12 Charles II., ch. 24 {Anno 1660), which abolished the peculiar incidents of the military tenures, and changed them whether holden of the King or others, into free and …

These "privileges and franchises" are set forth at length in every Manor Grant, being such incidents of the Grant as the Crown chose to express in the instrument itself, and saw fit to bestow upon the grantee therein named. These privileges and franchises of " the Freehold Manors of New York " as Chief Justice Denio styles them, were, in his words," " free from the vexatious incidents of t…

No change was made or efi'ectedby the American Revolution, except that the Independent Sovereign State of New York succeeded to the position of the King as ultimately entitled to all the land within its borders. On the 20th of February 1787, before the United States had an existence, before the Convention of Independent States out of which this Union proceeded, had been chosen, and two yea…

That it shall forever hereafter be lawful for every Freeholder to give, sell; or alien the Lands and Tenements whereof he or she is, or at any time hereafter shall be seized in Fee Simple, or any Part thereof, at his or her Pleasure, so always that the Purchaser shall hold the Lands or Tenements, so given, sold or aliened, of the Chief Lord, if there be any, of the same Fee, by the Same Ser…

And if such Freeholder give, sell or alien only a Part of such Lands or Tenements to any, the Feoffee or Alienee shall immediately hold such Part of the Chief Lord, and shall be forthwith charged with the Services for .so much as pertaineth, or ought to pertain, to the said Chief Lord, for the same Parcel, according to the Quantity of Land or Tenement given, sold or aliened, for the Parcel of…

section enacts " That the Tenure upon all Gifts, Grants, and Conveyances heretofore made, or hereafter to be made, of any Manors, Lands, Tenements, or Hereditaments, of any Estate of Inheritance, by any Letters Patent under the Great Seal of this State, or in any other Manner, by the People of this State, or by the Commissioners of Forfeitures, shall be and remain Allodial, and not Feudal, a…

Lender this act the State law as to tenures remained without change from its enactment in 1787 to the year 1830, when the Revised Statutes went into effect which declare that all lands since that date are allodial and abolish all incidents of the socage tenure, and, the tenure itself, using the word ' feudal ' to exl>ress it, preserving, however, all rights under the same as they had previous…

The abolition of tenures shall not take away or discharge any rents or services certain, which at any time heretofore have been, or may hereafter be, created or reserved ; nor shall it be construed to afi'ect to change the powers or jurisdiction of any Court of Justice in this State.' From and after 1830, therefore, the land tenure of New York has been and continues to be purely allodial. T…

The erection of ' Manors ' by the English in New York, like the previous creation of ' Patroouships,' by the Dutch in the same Province, was simply the establishment and carrying out, of what they deemed the best method of promoting the growth and development of their new possession under their own laws and customs. To the same idea is due the granting therein of similar large tracts of land w…

The greatest difference between them lay in the peculiar public incidents, as they may be called, which constituted a Manor, incidents essential to its existence, and which related more to the government and good order of the territory of the Manor and the protection of the inhabitants, and their rights as Englishmen, than to the power and profit of the Lord. Tenants could, and did, take up lan…

The Great Patents were much more numerous, but together not so extensive in area. These latter and the Borough-Town of Westchester, with a few small original grants, formed the rest of the county as it was originally. The lower part of the Equivalent lands " or " The Oblong," received in settlement of a boundary dispute from the colony of Connecticut was not added to the county till the year …

As the people upon the manors were Iree of general jury duty the fact threw upon the rest of the county an increased burden. The ' Burgess ' (or Representative) of the "Borough of Westchester" in the Assembly in 17G9, was John de Lancey of Rosehill, Westfarms, of the second, or Westfarms, branch of that family, being the second son of Peter de Lancey of Rosehill, Westfarms, and his wife Eliz…

the next day ^Ir. de Lancey introduced the bill. 'The jury act referred to required all jurors to be possessed either in their own rights and names, or that of Trustees, or in that of their wives, of "a freehold in lands, messuages, or tenements, or rents, in fee, feetail, or for life, of the value of sixty pounds New York currency (S150) free of all incumbrances." In the City of New York alo…

The two members for the County had the tenants of Philipsburgh, and of the four smaller manors of Scarsdale, Pelham, Morrisania and Fordham among their constituents, and " The Manor of Cortlandt had its own representative. One of the county members was Frederick Pliilipse, the third, and the then, LordofPliilijiseburgh (the other being John Thomas of Harrison), and the member for the Manor o…

He introduced a bill relating to the Manor of Philipsburgh alone, entitled " a bill to enable and qualifS' tenants holding lands improved to the value of sixty pounds, either for years, or at will, within the Manor of Philipsburgh, in the County of Westchester, to serve as jurors in the justices courts held in said Manor, where the parties concerned in the cause to be tried, are tenants as …

For when the ancient kings of this realm, who had all England in demesne, did confer great quantities of lands upon some great personages with liberty to parcel the lands out to other inferior tenants, reserving such duties and services as they thought convenient ; and to keep courts where they might redress misdemeanors within their precincts, punish offences committed by their tenants, and …

These were of two kinds, first, the Manor- House and the land immediately about, or adjacent to, it, which the Lord himself cultivated for his own maintenance, or demised to others to be cultivated for that purpose, on terms of years, or for the life of the tenants ; and secondly, the uncultivated lands of the manor including those allowed as common lands for pasturage, &c., to the freehold…

The Lord, or his Steward always presided, no one else could hold it. The freehold tenants were the judges of fact, just as jurors are in ordinary Courts ; thus no 1 (.'iteii in Cruise on Dignities, 24. 2 Ibid. man could be tried except by bis peers. It was an absolute necessity that it should be held within the Manor limits, for if held outside, its proceedings were null and void. Hence it…

It was granted to lords of manors " in order that they might administer justice to their tenants at home." All the people in the district of the Court- Leet were bound to attend under penalty of a small fine. The Steward of the M.anor was the judge, and the people of the manor alone could be the jurors. " Anciently," said Lord Mansfield, " the Tourn and the Leet (derived out of it) were the …

They were simply favors extended by the crown to the grantees of lands whether manorial, or non-manorial, to increase the value and enjoyment of their properties. They varied much, some manors having more, some less. Most of these franchises were common to both manorial, and non-manorial, lands. Some, however, were only granted to Manors, and were held by their Lords in addition to those co…

there were often special franchises granted, growing out of the geographical situation of the laud itself, or other special circumstances of a local nature, such as franchises to establish ferries, bridges, fairs and markets ; and for the tenants to meet and choose assessors and other local officers, and elect representatives of the Manor in the General Assembly. The latter, a very high fran…

When the piety of some rich and prominent men, or great lords, induced them to build churches, near, or upon, their own estates, and endow them with land called a glebe, or to appropriate the rent or tithes from neighbouring lands of their own, to their support, the bishops, (non-episcopal church organizations did not then exist) desiring to encourage such pious undertakings, permitted thes…

' Presentation ' is the offering of a clergyman by the patron, or owner, of an advowson to the Bishop or ordinary, by a kind of letter in writing, requesting him to admit the clergyman named in it to the Church. When the Bishop, or Ordinary, alter due examination, certified in writing that the clergyman was a fit person to serve the church, the latter was said to be "admitted." The Bishop, or …

After the completion of the " Institution" the Bishop, or Ordinary, issued a "Mandate of Induction " in writing, directed to him who had the power to induct of common right, or, in case of there beiug no person possessing this power, to any other proper person whom he saw fit to name, to perform the office. The Actual Induction was made by the authorized person taking the clergyman and putting…

This course was followed in New York, and the other British-American colonies in which the church of England existed. But as there was no Bishop at that time in this country, the Ordinary was either the Governor, by virtue of his Commission, or the Bishop of London's Commissary, who was a clergyman appointed by the Bishop to perform certain administrative duties here, and one or the other act…

Ebenezer Punderson, as its incumbent in the year 1763, the whole being in English. The originals are in the possession of John C. Jay, M.D., of Rye. They are printed in Bolton's History of the Church in the County of Westchester, page 300, etc. Tlie headings do not appear in the originals. In this case the right of Patronage was vested in the Wardens and Vestry of the Parish itself, as was…

The Churchwardens and A'estrynien of the Parish of Eye, including the districts or precincts of Eye, Mamaroneck, and Bedford, in the County of Westchester, in the Province of New- York, the true and undoubted patrons of the said Parish, within your Honour's government, in all reverence and obedience to your Honour, due and suitable, send greeting, in our Lord God everla-^ting, and certifye tha…

In testimony whereof, we, the Churchwardens and vestrymen aforesaid, have to these presents put our hands and seals, this day of November, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and sixtythree. Ebenezer Kxiffen, "1 V CJiurchtcartJenSj AxiiKEW Mekrit. j and seven Vestrymen." LIEUTENANT GOVERNOUR COLDEN'S ADMISSION OF MR. PUNDERSON TO THE PARISH OF RYE. " I, Cadwall.^ber Coi.den,…

" I, Cauwallader Colden, Esquire, his Majesty's Lieutenant Governour and Commander in Chief of the Province of New-York, and the Territories depending thereon, in America, do institute you, Ebenezer Punderson, Clerk, Rector of the Parish Church, of Rye commonly called Grace Church, and of the Parish of Rye, including the several districts or precincts of Rye, Mamaroneck. and Bedford, in the Co…

To all and singular Rectors and Parish Ministers whatsoever, in the Province of New-York, or to Andrew Merrit and Ebenezer Kniffen, the present Churchwardens of the Parish of Rye, in the County of M'estchester, and to the Vestrymen of the said Parish, and to each and every of you, greeting : -- AVhereas, I have admitted our beloved in Christ, Ebenezer Punderson, Clerk, to the Rectory of the Pa…

To you therefore, jointly and severally, I do commit, and firmly injoining. do command each and every of you, that in due manner, him, the said Ebenezer Punderson, or his lawfull Proctor, in his name, and for him into the real actiial, and corporal possession of the Rectory of the said Parish Church and Parish, including the districts and precincts aforesaid, and all of their rights and appur…

" I, John Milner, Rector of the Parish of Westchester, in the County of Westchester and Province of New-Y'ork, do hereby certifye, that by virtue of a warrant hereunto annexed, from the Honourable Cadwallader Colden, Esquire, his SFajesty's Lieutenant Governour and Commander in Chief of the Province of New-York, aforesaid, and the Territories depending thereon, in America ; I have this day induc…

"I, Ebenezer Punderson, do here declare my unfeigned assent and consent to all and everything contained and prescribed in and by ye Book entitled the Book of Common Prayer, and administrations of ye sacraments ; and ye Rites and Ceremonies of ye Church, according to the use of the Church of England ; together with ye Psalter or Psalms of David, pointed as they are to be sung or sai<l in Church…

In early Saxon days, and at, and just after, the Norman Conquest, the estates of the chiefs and leaders were cultivated by the people attached to their different lands, the villeins, heretofore mentioned, who were practically slaves, and, in the very earliest times, passed with the estates on which they dwelt. In course of time the laud owners allowed them to occupy specific parts of {heir …

Rent charge ; when the rent was created by deed, no fealty was annexed and consequently there could be no distress in case of non-jjayment ; hence an express power of distress was inserted in the deed to cure the difficulty. I A rent so reserved was said to be charged with a distress, and hence called a rent charge. 3. Rent seek, or dry or barren rent ; this was simply a rent for the recove…

Sometimes the right to purchase the fee by the tenant upon terms was inserted in the leases. But it was the custom generally to sell the reversion of the fee to the tenant, whenever it was desired and the parties could agree upon the terms of the purchase. These leaseholds were devisable by will, and divisible, with the lord's assent, into parts in the lessee's lifetime. This made it easy fo…

When the lord accepted the rent in parts the apportionment was made by him, or his steward, with the tenants at the time such division into jiarts was agreed upon. In the IVIanor of Scarsdale, there were, within the personal knowledge of the writer, instances of tenants holding their|farms for four and five generations, and then purchasing the reversion of the fee from the lineal representati…

In the latter manor many farms were originally leased to tenants on ninety-nineyears leases, and in some instances they have remained in the families of the same lords and the same tenants during that entire term, and upon its expiration then sold in fee. One of these farms which descended to the writer, had been divided into four parcels by the original tenant in the manner above mentioned. …

payment of which the tenant is quieted, or quit, from all other service. They were at once the acknowledgment of the tenure, the holding, of the lands, from the Sovereign Authority, and the source of a part of its revenue. And this is the reason why the success of the American Revolution had no effect whatever upon quit-rents, and that they continued payable after it, just as they were before…

Manor of Cortlandt : -- "Yielding rendering and ])aying therefor yearly and every year unto us, our heirs and successors, at our City of New York, on the feast day of the Annunciation of our Blessed Virgin Mary, the yearly rent of forty shillings current money of our said Province, in lieu and stead of all other rents, services, dues, and demands whatsoever for the afore recited tracts and …

Manor of Pelharn : -- Like Scarsdale as far as the word "same" inclusive, and then, "twenty shillings, good and lawful money of this province, at the City of New Yorke, on the five and twentyeth day of the month of March, in lieu of all rents, services, and demands whatsoever." Manor of Morrisania : -- " Yielding rendering and paying therefor yearly and eveiy year, on the feast day of the …

Manor of Ph'ilipsborough : ^ " Yealding, rendering, and paying therefor, yearly, and every year, on the feast day of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at our fort at New York, unto us our heirs and successors, the annual rent of four pounds, twelve shillings current money of our said province, in lieu of all former rents, services, dues, duties, and demands for the said Lordship o…

As the Province grew the amount of quit-rents increased and came to be an important part of the public revenue. Several acts of the Legislature from time to time regulated the times and manner of their payment, when they had fallen into arrears, which was a common occurrence, the last of which was in 1762, which also carefully provided for the partition of large estates where they had come …

In the case of those payable in kind they were to be settled for in the method in the book of the Receiver- General of the former Colony, if this could be found, and if not found, then upon principles of equity and good conscience by the State Treasurer. This law was extended from time to time by various special acts. In 1791 one of these acts also changed the payments from the securities me…

In the account of the old English ilanors which has been given before, little or no mention has been made of the Copyhold lands. This was because, copyhold lands as such did not exist in the New York Manors. The Copyhold Tenure in England grew out of and was simply an enlargement by custom of the greater fi-ritij of the villein holdings of the manors, which, as has been shown, were originall…

From this custom such tenants were called "Tenants by copy of Court Roll," and in shorter terms " Copyholdere." As the tenure grew solely out of a custom of the Manors, it could only exist in Manors old enough to have a custom. But as the freehold Manors of New York, were, as above shown, all New Manors, no custom of a manor could possibly exist in the 31anors in that Province, and consequen…

The Lords, whether old or new ones are always ready in such cases to sell the fee of these Manor lands on ' Cli. of Lnws of KS13. 2 Cli. 209 of Laws of 18::>. satisfactory terms, which is termed Enfranchising the lands. It will be seen when a town or city has overgrown a Manor and the latter has been divided into lots how very valuable manors in such a condition become. The writer personall…

"manor of cheltexham. Enfrancliisement of Copyhold Property. The Purchase by Robert Sole Lingwood Esquire of the Manor of Cheltenham having been completed, we are requested by him, as Lord of the Manor, to signify' to the Copyholders that every facility will be afforded to those who desire to enfranchise their Copyhold Property, and that the terms on which such eufrancuisement may be effecte…

AVhilst very reasonable terms will now be accepted to induce the Copyholders to avail themselves of the present opportunity to effect enfranchisements, the Lord of the Manor directs us to inform the Copyholders that he requires all Leases and dealings by the Owners with their Copyhold Tenements to be made in strict conformity with the Act of Parliament regulating the Customs of the Manor ; an…

The expence of the perpetually recurringStewarda' fees payable on every occasion of dealing by Sale or Mortgage with the Copyhold property. -- 3. The like expence of Stewards' fees payable on the death of every Owner of Copyhold property, for the admittance of his heir or devisee. -- 4. The exjience and inconvenience, frequently oc- HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY. casioned, to the Wife of a…

One incident of a manor was the right to tithes which sometimes could be acquired by the lords by prescriptions. This incident, as the manors of New York were new, was of little value for no prescription could attach to a new manor. It is singular, however, that in the very first manor erected in Westchester County, that of Fordham, in 1671, provision was made for the payment of a parson when…

This right appears to have been fully admitted in England before the Norman Conquest, and acquired the name of tithe from a Saxon word signifying tenth. " Dismes or Tithes are an Ecclesiastical inheritance, collateral to the estate of the land, and of their proper nature due only to Ecclesiastical persons by the ecclesiastical law.- They were merely a right to the tenth part of the produce of …

The original parishes of Westchester County all had glebes ; and so, towards the close of the Colonial era, had the diff'erent churches and parishes erected and formed at different places, out of those parishes. Of course, all the original parishes as well as the later ones, were parishes and churches of the Church of England, as is shown by their very nomenclature. A nomenclature which the …

They were not, as Church wardens and Vestrymen now are, officers of a purely ecclesiastical organization, but the civil officers of the parishes or territorial organizations of the church of England, as established by law in the County of Westchester. They were elected by all the freeholders resident in their respective parishes, whatever their religious views might be. And before entering…

Occasionally some bitter opponent of the church of England would try to prevent the performance of their legal duties or the legal exercise of their powers, by word, and deed, sometimes with great heat and violence, just, as the dissenting clergy did in matters of the exercise of clerical functions. But their legal rights and duties as parish officers under the laws of the Province were nev…

Thereupon he and the other creditors laid the case before the Legislature which granted the relief sought by passing the following Act, thus showing the continued and acknowledged lawful action of the Parochial officers of the Parish of Rye, under the Ministry Act of 1(59.3, which created the Parish, up to its extinction by the Act of 1784, repealing that Act, and its subsequent transformati…

Whereas it hath been represented to the Legislature that a judgment of fourteen pounds damages hath been obtained by the executors of John Lawrence, deceased, against Joshua Purdy, as one of the late Church Wardens of the late Parish of Rye, in the County of Westchester, for monies in arrear to their late testator for keeping and supporting a pauper committed to his care by the said Joshua P…

them, and they are hereby required at their next annual meeting to examine into, and ascertain the amount of the monies so recovered as aforesaid, as also the costs of defending the said suit, and to ascertain also the amount of other monies so due from the late Parish of Rye as aforesaid, and to cause the said monies, and also such other sum or sums of money as they shall find to be so due,…

11. The Church of England Parochial organization in West Chester County in its relation to the JIanorx therein. In England the Boundaries of a Parish and a Manor were often coincident, and in the very earliest times this was generally the case. Later a Manor, often embraced more than one Parish. Sometimes a Parish contained within its limits two or more Manors or parts of Manors, and lands …

the County of Westchester." ^ The " Parish of Rye" included the Manor of Scar&dale, and the non-manorial lands of Rye and Bedford. Later Yonkers was taken from Westchester, and made a Parish by itself. It M'as the only Parish €ntirely embraced within the limits of a Manor, being wholly included within the boundaries of Philii^seburgh as they are described in the Manor-Grant of that Manor. Ne…

It has been owing mainly to the little attention bestowed on the subject, both by those who are now the successors in belief of the Church of England since the American Revolution, and those of the dissenting ecclesiastical organizations. The few writers who have referred to the subject at all, have taken for granted, and honestly believed, that no such establishment ever existed, and, of …

This was the exercise in New York of a power which was legally vested in the Sovereign of England by the law of England, and which by his coronation oath he was bound to exercise. Although so strictly commanded, the Governors were unable to carry out their Instructions in any other way than in the King's chapel in the Fort, as above stated, for twenty-nine years. This was owing to the fact …

Chief Justice Lewis Morris in a judicial opinion in 1701, speaks of him as "Colonel Fletcher (justly styled the great patron of the Church of England here)." ^ At his instance, pursuant to his Commission and Instructions, the Legislature, composed of the Governor, Council, and Assembly, answering to the present Governor, Senate and Assembly, passed on the 24th of March, 1693, seven months onl…

Under, or rather by, this Act of 1693, the Parishes of Westchester County were constituted. The reasons why this " Ministry Act," as it was commonly styled, was confined to the regions it names in establishing the Church of England have not been adverted to by any writer who has mentioned it. The Counties it designates were the only portions of the Province in which English-speaking people d…

All that it really lost by the change of dominion from Holland to England was the pecuniary support it derived from the Dutch West India Company under the ditl'erent charters of Freedoms and Exemptions, and the title of the ' Established Church.' Hence it was impossible to establish the English Church in those parts of the Province, where not only were there no English-speaking people, but …

As such, the " General Court," under the " Body of Laws of Connecticut, concluded and established in May, 1(350," ruled supreme in church and state on the east end of Long Island. What that rule so " established " was, is best stated in the very words of " The Laws of Connecticut Colony." " It is ordered by the Authority of this Court; That no persons within this Colony shall in any wise imb…

"This Court having seriously considered the great Divisions that arise amongst us about matters of Church Government, for the Honour of God, welfare of the Churches, and preservation of the publick peace 80 greatly hazarded. " Do Declare ; That whereas the Congregational Churches in these parts for the general ' of their Profession and practice have hitherto been approved ; We can do no les…

" It is further ordered ; That wheresoever the Ministry of the Word is established according to the order of the Gospel throughout this Colony, every person shall duely resort and attend thereunto respectively upon the Lord's day, and upon such publick Fast dayes and dayes of thanksgiving, as are to be generally kept by the appointment of Authority. And if any person within this Jurisdiction,…

To both it and the Colony, the final determination of the Joint-Commission appointed to settle the boundary question after the Dutch surrender, that the ea.stern part of Long Island was included in the Duke of York's Patent and was a part of New York, was a blow as severe as it was unwelcome, and the people of that region protested against it, but in vain. Although this decision severed the…

- Book of the General Laws, collected out of the Records of the GeneraL Court, pp. 21, 22. Brinley'a Beprint of 1865, of tlie ed. of lliT.'i. 3 Jlr. W. S. Pelletrcau. HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY. not truthfully be denied, why the English Governors of the Province of New York, in obedience to the "Instructions " of the English King, could take no steps to establish the Church of England, ex…

That principle was this, "that some form of religion, dissent from which in- j volved serious civil disabilities was established in nearly all the Colonies by virtue, of either the local or the imperial law." These are the words of Ex-Provost Stille of the University of Pennsylvania, in his "Religious Tests in Provincial Pennsylvania." ' Mr. 8tille has treated this subject so ably, and so we…

in some of the Colonies, especially New York, at times ' ineffectual murmuriugs ' against laws which forced people to pay taxes for the support of a ministry whose teachings were not in harmony with the religious sentiment of the great mass of the inhabitants,^ and in Pennsylvania there was a long, and at last a successful struggle to induce the Imperial Government to regard the affirmation o…

It was opposed not so much because it was thought to be the first step towards forming a Church Establishmentin this [whole] country, as because the Colonists had a peculiar abhorrence of the methods of enforcing the jurisdiction of the English Church as they were familiar with them in the old country. They may have forgotten many of the sufferings they had endured in England in consequence …

In New England, except in Rhode Island, religious intolerance was very bitter. It is true that in Massachusetts, under the charter of 1691, the power of committing those barbarous acts of persecution of which the theocracy of the old standing order had been guilty was taken away, and all Christiana, save Roman Catholics, were permitted to celebrate their worship, yet none but members of the …

dians to revolt against the government, and they established the English Church, so for as it could be done in a Province where the Episcopalians were very few in number by requiring each of the towns to raise money lor the support of the clergy of that church, by dividing the country into parishes, and by exercising the power of collating and inducting into these parishes such Episcopal Re…

In Carolina after the fanciful and impracticable Ccmstitution devised for it by the celebrated philosopher, John Locke, had been given up, by which the English Church had been established, and endowed in the Colony, the Church feeling was so strong, and the determination to secure its supremacy so unyielding, that an Act was passed in 1704 requiring all members of the Assembly to take the sac…

Throughout the Colonies, at the beginning of the eighteenth century, the man who did not conform to the established religion of the Colony, whether it was Congregationalism in New England, or the Episcopal form elsewhere, was not in the same position in regard to the enjoyment of either civil or religious rights as he who did conform. If he were a Roman Catholic ' .K\\ this was done luidor …

He could neither vote nor hold ofiice,^ and he was forced to contribute to the support of a religious ministry whose teachings he in his heart abhorred. And this condition of things, extraordinary as it seems to us now, had not been brought about by any conscious arbitrary despotism on the part of the rulers, but was the work of good but narrow-minded men who were simply following out the …

The "Instructions" were the Royal directions from the King for the governing of his Province, and could be altered, varied, or revoked at his pleasure. In point of fact they were never changed in the time of each Governor, except to meet some exigency not cOntempleted when they were issued. Upon the appointment of a new Governor, either new " Instructions " were given to him, or, if those of…

The Instructions of Charles II. to Sir Richard Nicolls the first English Governor of New York, dated the 28d of April, 16C4, five months prior to the capture of New York from the Dutch, directed him to avoid giving umbrage to the people of Massachusetts, where he was to stop on his way to New York, by being present at their devotions in their churches, but the document thus continues, " thou…

In the time of Thomas Dongan, afterward the Earl of Limerick, the third Governor of New York, Charles the Second died, the Duke of York succeeded as James the Second, and his Lord Proprietorship merging in the Crown, New York thenceforward became a Royal Province, governed directly by the King through his appointed Governor. Though a Roman Catholic himself, and his Governor, Dongan, was of …

You shale take especial care that God Almighty bee devoutly and duely served throughout yo' Government: the Book of Common Prayer as it is now established, read each Sunday and Holyday, and the Blessed Sacrament administred according to the Rites of the Church of England. You shall bee careful that the Churches already builtt here shall bee well and orderly kept and more built as y'' Colony …

Col. Hist. 49. - Ibia. 174. 34. And if any person preferred already to a Benefice shall appear to you to give scandal either by his Doctrine or Manners, you are to use the best means for y' removal of him ; and to supply the vacancy in such manner as we have directed. And alsoe our pleasure is, that, in the direction of all Church Aflairs, the Minister bee admitted into the respective vestry…

And y('U are to take especial care that Books of Homilys & Books of the 39 Articles of y'' Church of England bee disposed of to every of y'' .said churches, and that they bee only kept and used therein. " 38. And wee doe further direct that noe Schoolmaster bee henceforth permitted to come from England & to keep school within our Province of New York, without the license of the said Archbisho…

If the latter was a legal establishment under the laws or charter of Connecticut prior to the Dutch surrender in 1664 and the treaty of Breda in 1667, then the King of England was legally bound to maintain it as such. He did immediately after the first Dutch surrender, by his commissioners make a change in the civil condition of Suffolk County by deciding that Long Island, of which it was the…

G3, is in these words ; -- "You are to inquire whether there beany minister within yourGovernment who preaches and -administers the Sacrament in any orthodox church or chapel without being in due orders and to give an account thereof to the Bishop of London." The use of the word " Minis- ' ter" in these various Instructions is shown by the context of them, and markedly in this additional one …

King William, as King, formally apjtroved the Ministry Act of 1()!)8 passed by the Legislature of New York, and as by the law of England he could not acknowledge any other church as orthodox or any other Ministers, as Ministers, except those of the Church of England, it follows that the words and terms of that act referred to the Church of England and only to that church. That this is the s…

His action has been taken as the result of pure bigotry, and he termed a bigot, while he was merely carrying out the Instructions he had sworn to support and maintain. His "Instructions" arc therefore here given at length, taken from the original Instrument which with his Commission under the hand and seal of Queen .\nne, are now in the hands of a geutlemau in New York. 'In the 3d, 4th, 5th…

! ernmcnt, the Book of Common prayer, as by Law established, read each Sunday and Holy day, and the blessed Sacrament administered according to the rifes of the Church of England ; You shall be carefull that the Churches already built there be well and orderly kept, and that more be built as the Colony shall by God's blessing be improved, and that besides a Competent maintenance to be assigne…

You are not to present any Minister to any Ecclesiasticall Benefice in that Our Province without a certificate from the right reverend Father in God the Bishop of Loudon, of his being conformable to the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England, and of a good life and conversation, and if any person preferred already to a Benefice shall appear to you to give Scandall, either by his doc…

And to the end the Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction of the Said Bishop of London may take place in that province So farr as conveniently may be, Wee do think fitt, that you give all Countenance and encouragement to the exercise of the Same. Excepting only the Collating to Benefices, granting Lyceiises for Marriages and probate of Wills, which Wee have reserved to you Our Governour and to the Comma…

And you are also with the assistence of the Council and Assembly to find out the best means to facilitate and encourage the conversion of Negroes and Indians to the Christian Religion ; more especially you are to use your endeavours with the Assembly that they make provision for the maintenance of some Ministers to inhabit amongst the five Nations of Indians in order to instruct them, and als…

This fact has not been considered by American historians, or by English ones either, in treating of the civil and religious,-- especially the religious -- aspects and conditions of the Royal Provinces in America in general, and of New York in particular. What then was the Kingly authority in these respects? Whence came the monarch's legal right to govern his Royal Provinces by " Instructions …

" In such political capacity as King he is possessed of a share of legislation, is the head of the Church, generalissimo throughout his dominions, and is alone entitled to make war and peace.' But in countries which, though dependent on the British Crown, have different local laws, as for instance the Colonies the minor ))rerogatives and interests of the Crown must be regulated and governed …

law, prevails in every respect."* "When a country is obtained by conquest or treaty the King possesses an exclusive prerogative power over it, and may entirely change or new-model, the whole, or part, of its laws, and form of government, and may govern it in all respects by regulations framed by himself, subject only to the Articles or Treaty on which the country is surrendered or ceded, whi…

No (piestion was ever started before but that the King has a right to a legislative authority over a conquered country ; it was never denied in Westminster Hall ; it was never questioned in parliament."® This decision was made in the Court of King's Bench in 1774 -- a century after the practical a}>i)lication of, and action under, its principle, by Charles the Second, and .lames the Second…

An out-country governed by a De])uty or Lieutenant; and2dly,Tlie circuit of an Archbishop's jurisdiction. When the British settlements in America are spoken of in general, they arc called the Colonies or Plantations. If it is a Government on the Continent [in contradistinction to the West India Islands] where the King api)oints the Governor it is usually called a Province, as the Province of …

Sir William IJlackstone in speaking of the American Provinces, says, " In the Provincial Establishments (commonly called King's Governments) their constitution dei)ended on the respective commissions issued by the Crown to the Governors, and the Instructions which usually accompanied these commissions ; under the authority of which Provincial Assemblies were constituted with the power of nui…

Every (Jommission to every Governor from every Sovereign of New York, contained in it a clause, delegating to him the power of collation to church benefices, a power under the law of England which could be exercised only in the Church of England. It was in these words, " And we do by these j)resents authorize and impower you to collate any person or persons to any churches, chapels, or other…

' Constitutions ol' the British Colonics in Ainei ica, 2. - 1 Blackstone's, Comm. 108. •^Stokes's Cons, of the Am. Colonies, 158. And see the diftereut Comluissiou!) themselves in the volumes of the Colonial llistory. As there were no dioceses as such in the British American Colonies, the King delegated the power of collating to benefices here to his different Governors as his personal repre…

We can only state the popular idea of it, and then show what it really is. The popular idea of it in this country is, that the Sovereign of England was, and is, the head of the Church of England in spiritual as well as temporal matters, and is the superior of the Archbishops and Bishops in all that relates to their offices as such, and is governed by his or her own ideas of what is true and …

But it has no inherent spiritual power as such, nor ecclesiastical authority, whatsoever, the spirituality alone possessing the power of the Keys." * Lord Selborne the learned and eminent Lord High Chancellor in Mr. Gladstone's late Government says, " The Sovereign has not (as some suppose) a temporal supremacy in temj)oral things and a spiritual supremacy in spiritual things; it is one undi…

Gladstone himself writes, in his Letter on the R.oyal Supremacy ; -- I contend that the Crown did not claim by statute, either to be by right, or to become by convention, the source of that Kind of action which was committed by the Saviour to the Apostolic church, whether for the enactment of laws or for the administration of its discipline ; but the claim was that all the canons of the chu…

This full statement has been written to show, that in their Province on the Hudson, the Sovereigns of England in virtue of their political, ecclesiastical, and legislative, capacities, as Sovereigns under the laws of England, through their direct " Commissions " and " Instructions" under their own signs-manual, legally established and maintained in that Province, by precisely the same legal i…

the order of their erection, were ' Fordham ' in November 1671, ' Pelham ' in October 1687, ' Philipsborough ' in June 1693, ' Morrisania ' in May 1697, ' Cortlandt ' in June 1697, and ' Scarsdale' in March 170L As the 'Manor of Cortlandt' comprised the whole northern part of the County from the Hudson to the Connecticut line, and was ten miles in width, it will be described first, then follow…

The general nature and history of Manors in a legal point of view, the origin of the ancient manorial system of England, its tenures, and the modern manorial system of New York with its incidents, and tenure introduced by the English upon its capture from the Dutch, have been described. But before treating of each of the Manors separately, the general Province and County Jurisdiction as it af…

If the Lords preferred, or had no objection, to have any local duties, legal acts, or offices, exercised by justices of the peace, assessors, constables, and other minor officers, either chosen by their tenants alone, or by their tenants in connection with the inhabitants, freeholders of any adjoining non- Manorial lands, this could be done by an act of the Provincial Legislature. But no act…

The fees of the othce, which were vastly lighter in proportion, than those of elected Sheriffs now, went after being reported to, and scrutinized by the High Sheriff, to the Undersheriff and the one or two deputies, who were all that the business of the County required in the Colonial era. If any overcharge or oppression, was attempted, a complaint properly proven, to the High Sheriff himsel…

The third act passed by the first Assembly under William and Mary in 1691, provided for the annual election in each town of "a certain Freeholder" "to super vize and examine the Publick and Necessary Charge of each respective County, which persons so duely chosen shall elect and constitute a certain Treasurer for each respective County." It also provided for the election of two Freeholders i…

And also, that there shall be in each Town, Mannor, and Precinct, by the Freeholders and Inhabitants hereof, in every respective County annually two Assessors, and one Collector, which Supervizors, Assessors, and Collectors, shall be annually chose in every Town on the first Tuesday in April, or such days as is appointed bj' their Charters or Patents, which Supervizors so chosen shall annual…

And wliere the said Inhabitants shall omit to make such annual choice in any of the said Divisions, or in such Mannor or Mannors, where not above twenty Inhabitants do dwell or reside, the Owner or Owners of such Mannor or Mannors, or of such Division thereof as aforesaid, or their Stewards or De[)uties, shall be deemed and esteemed the Supervizors thereof respectively, and have the same Po…

Then another act was passed changing the annual meeting of the Supervisors " to the Court-House at Whiteplains on account of the increase of inhabjtants of the northerly part of said County," with a like liberty to adjourn to such time and place as they should please. ^ This building was the first Court-House in Whiteplains which was burned by the Americans a day or two after the battle of W…

At least no instance of its employment has been met with by the writer. The first law on the subject passed in 1()99 directed that the Sherifi' " shall hold his Court for the same Election at the 7nost publick and usual Place of Election within City or County where the same has most usually been made." This was usually at Westchester before it was chartered as a " Boroughtown " and after th…

" Whereas the County of Westchester is very extensive, and the extreme parts thereof to the Northward, have of late years become very populous ; and whereas the Elections for Representatives to serve in the General Assembly for the said County, have, from the first settlement of the said County, been held at the Southern Part of said County; it now becomes extremely inconvenient for the Freeho…

The reference here is to tlie elections held for the Assemblies for 1683 to 168.') inclusive under the Duke of York, the last of which was under James as King. 3 Ch. 1411 of I. Liv. & Smith, 453. sentatives to serve in this, or any future Assembly of this Colony, the Sheriff of the Said County for the time being, or his Deputy, shall- hold his Court of Election at or near the Presbyterian M…

That if any Sheriff of the said Counsy of Westchester, or Deputy of the said Sheriff, Shall after the Publication of this Act, in the Execution of any Writ or Writs for the electing " Representatives for the Said County, to serve in this or any future Assembly, act contrary to the Directions, and true Intent and Meaning of this Act; they shall respectively forfeit the Sum of One Hundred Pounds…

No other change was made during the Colonial era, and from 1751 to 1776, all the County " Courts of Election " were held at the Presbyterian Church in White plains. The Colonial elections were not held at fixed times as at present, but at whatever dates the " writs " of election were issued to the Sheriff by the Secretary of the Province, at the command of the Covernor and Council. Consecjue…

At the time and place fixed the Sherift' attended with his Deputies and presided at the "Court of Election." The electors met, the candidates being present, the Sheriff" announced the names of one side, when all of their supporters held up their hands ; then he announced the names on the other, and their supporters held up tljeir hands. He then announced who had the most. In case the electi…

At the end the Sheriff made a return of the votes cast in writing and announced the result. The return, which was a certified coi)y of "the poll " as taken by the Clerk " in his i)resence, the Sheriff returned to the Secretary of the Province, who produced it at the first meeting of the Assembly which was the judge of the validity of all elections of its members. Neither the Sherifl' nor h…

The reason probably was, that very early, in 1(594, before the time several of them were erected, a general "Act for the settling of Fairs and Markets in each respective City and County throughout the Province" was passed.' It directed that two Fairs be " kept " in the County of Westchester, the first at Westchester on the second Tuesday in May, the second to be " kept" at Rye on the second…

was charged with the preservation of order, and who could try all causes of Complaint of every Kind, and all disputes, arising at the Fairs, and could punish "by Attachments, Summons, Arrests, Issues, Fines, Redemptions, and Commodities, and otiier Rights whatsoever, to the same Courts of Py|)()wder any way appertaining," To these Fairs, i-ould be carried, lor sale, (for they were not E.\hi…

The "Toll-gatherer, was obliged the next, day after the Fair" to deliver the said book to the "Governour," who was to make a note therein of all the number of all the animals, so sold &c. at the Fair, and subscribe his name to it, for which entry of such sale Ac. he was "to take for Toll of the same the sum of Nine pence, the one half to be paid by the Buyer, the other half by the Seller."…

Under the Dutch there was no county organization, each of the settlements then in existence, and the Patroonship of Coleudonck, were simply mere parts of the Province of New Netherland entirely independent of each other. When the Dutch surrendered New Netherland in l(i()4, one of the first acts of the first English Governor Richard Nicolls was to re-name it and its parts in the English lang…

The region now Suffolk County formed the " East Riding ; " Staten Island, Kings County, and the town of Newtown in Queens County, formed the " West Riding;" theremainder of what is now Queens County, together with what is now We.^tchester County, being all the territory on the main, North of the Harlem River aud South of the Highlands, between the Sound and the Hudson, he called the " North …

The Countye of Westcheder to contain West and Eaxf Chester, Broii.v^ Land, (fordham, Anne Hooks Neck, Bich/il/ls, Minford'x Island and all the Land on the Maine to the Eastward of Ma?ihaftan's I.fland As farr as the Government Extends and the Yoncl-e7-s Land and Northwards along Hudsons River as farr as the High Lands." After describing all the "countyes" seriatim, the Act terminates with th…

After the Revolution the prefix was dropped, the duties remained the same, however, except the holding of "Courts of election " was taken from them, and these officers themselves were appointed by the State Governor. By the Constitution of 1821 they were made elective. A great mistake, for an officer clothed with a Sheriff"'s powers, of all others, should never be made eleciive. As its resul…

But to this hour it has never appeai'ed in any of the volumes of the Laws of New York. It was passed and signed by Governor Dongan on the 1st of November 1683, and is entitled "An Act to divide this Province into Shires and Countyes." It was the third act of the first session of the first Legislature which ever sat within the limits of this State.'' Eight years later the first Assembly under…

The first clause provides " That the said Province be divided into twelve Counties, as followeth ; " and the third clause is, "The County of Westchester , io contain East and Westchester, Brnnkes Land, Fordham, Mannor of Pel ham, Miniford Island* (now City Island) and Richbill's Neck, (now De Lancey's Neck) and all the land on the Main to the Eastward of Manhattans Island, as far as the Gover…

In the Governor's Council at the time of this first A.ssembly as Members by Royal appointment, and as such, members of the Upper House which passed this Act, were Stephanas Van Cortlandt and Frederick Philipse, who were also of the Council under James as Duke and as King. Thus among the framers of the original act which created the County, who, so to s])eak, were present at its birth, and …

Being an addition to a Crown Colony, it was a new ac(iuisition by the Crown, and iis such its status was legally determinable by the King. Hence an "Ordinance" by the Governor of New Y'ork in the name of the King was issued on the 2!)th of August 1733 extending Westchester and the other counties aflected up to the new line between New Y'ork and Connecticut established by the agreement of the …

Geoiuje the Second, by the Grace of (rod, of Great Uritain, France, and Ireland, KlX(i, Defender of the Faith, &c. To all Our loving subjects inhabiting or being in our Province of Xew York, and to all others whom it doth or may concern, Greeting, 'Anil John Pcll who was tho nicnihcr for the County in 1691, and vote*! for tho art of t!uit year, was of that old family which then JWB- •easeil…

And Wlierenx notwithstanding that the Counties lying on the West side of Hudson'!^ River, were by the said Acts intended to be parted and divided by a West Line to be drawn from IfiidKon's River, at the respective Stations and Places on the said River, mentioned in the said Acts, to the utmost extent of Our said Province on the West side of the said River ; and that the Counties lying on th…

And l^hereas, since the passing of the said Acts, the Chrhtian Settlements and Plantations, have been greatly extended into the Indian Counties, particularly in that part of the Province, which is called and esteemed the County of Albanij, from whence some Doubts have arose. Whether the Settlements made since the passing of the said Acts, are at present within the said County of Albany ? In…

Now We do hereby further Ordain and Direct, That the South Bounds of the County of Albany, do and shall begin at the Mouth of of a Creek or Brook called the Sawyer's Creek, on the West side of I/udson's River, and from thence Shall run West to the utmost extent of our Province of New- York. And that on the East side of the said River, the said County of Albany shall begin at the Mouth of a …

And we do hereby likewise Ordain and Direct, that the North Bounds of our County of Ulster shall begin at the Mouth of the said Sawyer's Creek or Brook, and extend from thence West to the utmost extent ol Our said Province. And We do hereby further Ordain and Direct, That the County of Dutchess do and shall contain All the Lands between Hudson's River and the Colony of Connecticut, from the…

Witness our Trusty and Well-beloved William Cosby, £stj., Captain General and Governour-in Chief of Our said Province of New York and the Territories depending/ thereon in America, Vice-Adniiral of the same, and Colonel in his Majesty's Army, &c. in and by and with the Consent and Advice of Our Council of Our said Province, at Fort George in Our City of New York, the Twenty nineth Day of Au…

to claim that his Manor of Livingston was by implied intendment extended to the new Colony line, and instituted an ejectment suit against tlie then owners of the part of the Oblong adjoining his manor, but he did not succeed. Some of the papers in this matter which the writer has examined show, however, that the "Oblong" owners were exceedingly alarmed at this claim. This Ordinance is also …

To settle all questions on ihis subject of every kind, whatsoever, on the 30th of December, 17(58, the very last day of that year, an Act was passed, "To ascertain Part of the Southern and Western Boundaries " of the County of Westchester, the Eastern Boundaries of Orange County, and Part of the Northern Bounds of Queens County." ' It settled the jurisdiction over, and also the title to, all…

Be it Enacted by his Krcellency the Governor, the Council, and the General Assembly, and it is hereby Enacted by the Authority of the same,' That by all the Islands lying and being in the Sound to the Eastward of Frog's Neck, and to the Northward of the Main Channel, and as far Eastward as Captain's Island, including the same, together with all that part of the Sound, included within these Bo…

^ Orange then inchuleJ wliol is now Rockland County. THE ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE MANORS. II. The second cliiuse enacts that " The Middle of the said (Hudson) River shall be, and is hereby dci-hired to bo, the Boundary Line between the said (bounties of (>ranc/r and Westchester," and tliat the western half "is declared to be included in, and annexed to the said County of Oranf^c, together wi…

New York was an independent Sovereign State, mistress of herself, and as such was one of the thirteen independent Sovereignties so acknowledged by the British Treaty of Peace in 1783. While in this condition her Legislature divided her territory into counties and townships, and made some changes in the former from what they had been under the Province of New York. This was done by two acts…

AVestchester is thus described : " The County of Westchester to contain all that part of this State, bounded southerly by the Sound, easterly by the State of Connecticut, Tiortherly by the North Bounds of the Manor of Cortlandt, and the same line continued east to the bounds of Connecticut, and west to the middle of Hudson's River, and westerly by a line running from thence down the middle…

By the latter act Westchester County was divided into the following towns named in the following order : Westchester, Morrisania, Yonkers, Greenburgli, Mount Pleasant, Eastehester, Pelham, New Rochelle, Scarsdale, Mamaroneck, White-Plains, Harrison, Rye, Northcastle, Bedford, Pound-Ridge, Salem, North Salem, Cortlandt, Yorktown, and Stephentown, twentyone in all, -- the bounds of eae,h being…

No less than fourteen of those twenty-one townships are described and bounded in part by naming special lines of the old Manors, or the Manors themselves as a whole. Eleven towns out of the twenty-one, were formed wholly out of the Manors. These were Morrisania, Yonkers, Greenburgh, Mount Pleasant, Pelham, Scarsdale, Mamaroneck, North Salem, Cortlandt, Yorktown, and Stephentown. Two, Salem (…

tract on the west side of the Hudson River opposite the promontory of Anthony's Nose, which he also purchased from the Indians, was, by King William the Third through his Governor, Benjamin Fletcher, on the 17th of June 1697, erected into " the Lordship and Manor of Cortlandt." The original Manor-Grant covering two skins of vellum beautifully written, and bearing the Great Seal of the Provi…

It has upon its obverse the Arms of England as borne by the Stuarts with the addition of a shield of pretence in the centre, charged with the lion rampant of the house of Nassau ; and, on its reverse, full length effigies of the King and Queen, the latter holding the orb and sceptre, and kneeling at their feet an Indian man and woman, the former offering a roll of wampum, and the latter a skin…

This description of the seal of William and Mary is given because it was that used in New York throughout their joint reign, the reign of William alone, and of Anne until the Gth of September 1705, on which day the new seal of that Queen was received, and this old one was defaced, and sent back to England to be broken, in accordance with the law. It authenticated every Manor-Grant and Patent…

This seal was decided to be the lawful seal of the Province until superseded by the first seal of Queen Anne, as above stated in September 1705. The ancient and important instrument just described, now nearly two centuries old, at present the property of Mr. James Stevenson van Cortlandt of Croton, the only surviving son of the late Colonel Pierre van Cortlandt, is the foundation of the title…

General and Governour in Cheifof our Said Province of New York &c. and territorys Depending thereon in America &c. prayed our Grant and Confirmation for a Certain tract and parcell of Land Situate Lyeing and being upon the East side of hudsons River Begining on the North Line of the Mannor of Philipsburge Now in the tenour and Occupation of Fredrick Phillipse Esq', one of the Members of our S…

Adolph Phillipse Including in the Said Northerly Line all the Meadows Marshes Coves Bays and necks of Land and pennensulaes that are adjoining or Extending into Hudsons River within the Bounds of the Said Line and from said red ceadar tree another Due Easterly Line Runing into the Woods Twenty English Miles and from thence Along the Partition Line between our Colony of Conecticut and this O…

Thomas Dongan Late Govr. of our Said province and Whereon our Said Loving Suljject hath ni.ade Considerable Improvements liaveing been at Great Cost Charge & Expence in the Purchasing the said Tract of Land and Meadows from the Native Indians, as well As in the Setling a Considerable Numbers of Famalics thereon, and being Willing To make Some further Improvements thereon doth by his Said Pet…

Members, Libertys, Priviledges, jurisdictions, prehemenences, Emoluments Royaltys, Profits, Benefits, Advantages, Heridittements, >& apurteiiauces, whatsoever, to the afore recite' Ceartain parcells or Tracts of Land and Meadows Within their Severall and Respective Limits and Bounds aforesaid belonging or In any wise Appertoaning, or Eccepted, Reputed, taken, known, or Ocupied, as part parcell o…

and Respective Limits and Bounds Aforesaid ; Together with all end Every of the mesuage Tennements Jiuildings barns houses out houses Stables Edefices Urechards Gardens Inclosures fences Pasture fields feedings Woods underwoods trees timber Swanij)s Meadows Marshes pooles ponds Lakes fountains Water Water Courses Rivers Revulets Rivulets Runs Streams brooks Creeks harbours Coves Inlets Outlet…

And Moreover Know yc tnat our further Especial Grace Certain Knowledge and mere Motion we have thought fitt according to the Request ol our tSaitl Loving Subject to Erect all the before Recited Ceartain Parcell and tracts of Land and Meadow Within the Limitts and Bounds aforesaid into a Lordship or Mannor, and therefore by these presents we do for us, our heirs, and Successors, Erect make An…

And it is our Royall will and pleasure that the said Lordshij) and Mannour Shall from henceforth be Called the Lordship and Mannour of Cortlandt; And further Know yee that wee Reposeing Especial trust and Confidence in the lioyalty wisdom Justice Prudence and Circumspection of our said Loving Subject do for us our heirs and Successors Give and (iraut unto our said Loving Subject Stephanus v…

theLimitts and bounds thereof And Alsoall And every of the Powers and Authoritys herein beforenietioned for the holdinj^ and Keeping of the said Court Leet j and Court Barron from time to time and to award Issue out the acCustomary writs to the Heirs and Assigns of the said Stephanus Van Corthindt for ever or their or any of their steward Deputed and apointed with full and ample power and Au…

And we do by these presents Constitute and Appoint our said Loving SubjectStephanus van Cortlandt and his heirs and Assinys to be our Sole and only Ranger of the Said Lordship and Mannour of Cortlandt and to have hold and Enjoy all the Benifits perqusites fees, rights priviledges Profits and Apurtenances that of Right doth belong unto a Ranger According to our Statutes and Customs of our Realm …

And further of our Especial grace Certain Knowledge and Mere Motion we do by these presents for us our heirs and Successors give and Grant unto our Said Loving Subject Stephanus van Cortlandt and to his heirs and assinys forever that he the said Stephanus van Cortlandt his heirs and assinys Shall and May From time to time and after the Expiration of twenty Years Next Ensueing the Date of the…

To have and to hold possess and Enjoy all and Singular the said Lord.ship and Mannour of Cortlandt and premisses with all their and every of their Royalty sand appurtunancys unto the said Stephanus van Cortlandt his heirs and assignes to the Sole and only projjcr use Benefitt :md Behoof of him thesaid Stephanus van Cortlandt his heirs and Assignee forever To Be holden of us our heirs and Succ…

Benjamin Fletcher our said Cap : Generall and Governor in Chief or our Province of New York and the Territorys Depending thereon in America and Vice Admiral of the same, our Lieu' and Commander in Chief of the Militia and of all the forses by Sea and by Land within ourCollony of Connecticut and of all the Forts and places of strength within the same, in Council at our fort in New York the Seve…

jacent parts, on the east side of Hudson's River, the which have not yet been purchased of the Indyan Proprieto". These presents are to authorize you, Co" Stopliiiniis van Oortlandt, Mayor of this City, if fitting opportunity sliall present, to treat with, and agree for, any part of the said Land for wh*"'' there may be present occasion of settlement, or for the whole, with the Indyan Sache…

"To all christian i)eople to whom this present writing shall come: Siecham, Pewimine, Oskewans, Tuihnm, Qucrawighint, Isighera, ami Prackises, all Indians, true and rightful owners and i)roprietors of the hinds, hereinafter mentioned, as for themselves and the rest of their relations send, greeting, know YE that for and in consideration of the sum of twelve pounds in wampum and several othe…

1 This pajxT is recorded in the Sec. of State's off., Albauy, Lib. 27, p. 238, uiid in West Co. Iteg. off., Lib. .\, 228. It is iilso in XIV. Col. Hist., 515. 2Thi8 wonl is so S|)e11ed in tlie orij^inul deeds and wills in wliicli it occurs. Tlie spelling " McHhagh " is simiily u copyist's, or printer's, cor ruption. tract of land, and from thence southerly along said Hudson River to the afor…

I) the said parcel or tract of land, and all and singular other the premises and every part and ])arcel thereof unto the said iStephanus Yan Cortlandt, his heirs and assignees to the sole and only ]>roi)er use, benefit and behoof ol' him, the said Steplianus his heirs and assignees forever, and they, the said Indians do for themselves their heirs and every of them consent, promise, and engag…

Anno Domini, 1(583. Signed sealed and de- ( (Here follow the seals, livered in presence of | and the marks, of Siecham Francis Rumbouts, j and the other six Indians Guelyne Verplancke. I named). Ap])ended is the " schedule " of " other merchandises" mentioned in the deed as part of the consideration ; 8 guns, 12 shirts, 9 blankets, 50 pounds powder, 5 coats, 30 bars of lead, 14 fathoms of…

" Whereas Cornelis Van Bursum of this City hath made Applicayon for Liberty and Lycense to purchase of the Indyan.s a Certain ])arcel or Tract of Land Lyeing on the East side of Hudson River Behither the High-Lands, to Settle A rt'arnie or Plantaqon or for the Improvem' of Husbandry, These are to certify that I have and Doe Hereby with Advise of the Counsell Grant Liberty and Lycense to the s…

Sarah was the wife of William Teller who long lived upon the Point, she having survived her husband several years- It is decribed in the Indian deed to Van Bursum as, " all that parcel], neck, or point of Land, with the Marsh, Meadow ground, or valley thereto Adjoining and Belonging, Situate lying and being on the east side of the North or Hudson's River, over against verdrietye's Hooke, c…

Dongan's deed from the Indians thus describes the tract, which from the Indian name of the Croton, was called Kichtawanck, or Kitchtawong; -- "all that Tract or parcell of Land situate Lying and being on the East side of Hudson's River, within the County of Westchester, beginning at Kichtawong Creek, and so running along Hudson's River northerly to the land of Ste])hanus van Corliaudt, from…

Previously to his purchase of the Dongan lands, and on the 13th of July, 1688, Stephanus Van Cortlandt bought from the Haverstraw Indians a tract on the West side of the Hudson River, directly opposite to the promontory of Anthony's Nose, and North of the Dunderbergh Mountain, forming the depression or valley,' througli the upper part of which, in the Revolutionary War, Sir Henry Clinton cam…

That for and in Consideraion of the Sume of Six Shillings Curr: Silver mouey to them the said Indians in hand payed before the Ensealing and Delivery here of the Receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged and for Diverse other Valuable Causes and Consideraions tliey the said Indians have Granted Bargained Sold Aliened Enfeoffed and Confirmed and by these Presents Doe Fully "XIII. Col. Hist., ->…

Cleerly and Absolutely Grant Bargain 8ell Alien Enfeoff and Confirm unto Steplianus Van Cortlandt of the Citty of New Yorke Merchant his lieircs and assignes for ever All that A Certaine Tract or Parcell of Land Situate Lyeing and being on the West side of Hudsons River within the High Lands over Against a greate Hill Commonly called Anthonys Nose beginning on the South side at a Creeke call…

And they the said Indians Doe for themselves and their heires and every of them Covenant Promise and engage that the said Sleph : Van Cortlandt his heires and assignes Shall and may from henceforth for Ever Lawfully Peaceably and Quiettly have hold Possesse and Enjoye the said Tract or Parcell of Land and all and singuler other the Premisses with their Appurtenences without any Lett Hindrance…

In Witnesse whereof the said Sakaghkeineik Sachem of Haverstraw Werekepes Saquoghharup Kakeros and Kaghtsikroos the Indians owners and Proprietors aforesaid have hereunto Sett their hands and 1 Now called Snakehole Creek. 2 The Creek South of Snakehole Creek. ' Now called loiia Island. Scales in New Yorke the 13th day of July in the thirty-fifth yeare of his Ma"" Reigne Anno Domin 1683. Sig…

The consideration mentioned is " a certain summ of good and lawfull money." And the premises conveyed are thus described-- "AH that certain tract of land situate, lying, and being up Hudson's River on the East side thereof, beginning at the East side of the land late belonging to Jacob De Key and Company at a Creek called Pohotasack and so along a creek called by the Indyaus Paquingtuk and b…

How extensive an area this description embraced cannot be stated its terms being too vague, but is was a very large tract lying east of the eighteen hundred acre tract called Sachus, or Sachoes, and known as " Rycke's Patent," which embraced the present village of Peeks Kill and its immediate neighbourhood, the fee of which was not owned by Stephanus van Cortlandt, although within the limits…

Adolph Phillipse' Including in the said Northerly Line all the Meadows, Marches, Coves, Bays, and Necks of Land and pennensulaes that are adjoining or Extending into Hudson's River within the Bounds of the said Lines, and from said red ceader tree another Due Easterly Line Runing into the Woods Twenty English Miles, and from thence along the Partition Line between our Colony of Conecticut an…

And also a Ceartain parcel of Meadow Lying and being situate upon the West side of Hudson's River Within the said High Lands over against the aforesaid Hill called Anthony's Nose, Beginning on the South side of a creek called by the Indians Sinkeepogh, and so along said Creeke to the head thereof and then Northerly along the high hills as the River Runeth to another Creeke Apinnapink, and fro…

and the wise, rule of the day in such matters, (the reason of which has been fully explained in the beginning of this essay in speaking of the Native owners of the County) * obtained from the Indian dwellers upon the lands of his grant as a whole, a special deed of confirmation. This Instrument is very important as it states specifically the lands in, and the bounds of, the region embraced …

" We, Sachima- Wicker, Sachem of Kightawonck," (and twenty two other Indians seven of whom were squaws) " all right, just, natural owners and proprietors of all the land hereinafter mentioned, lying and being within the bounds and limits of the Mannor of Cortlandt, &c., have sold, for a certain sum of money, all that tract and parcel of land, situate, lying, and being in the Mannor of Cortla…

The former was the tract known as "'Ryke's Patent." Its Indian name was "Sachus," or "Sackhoes," and it was purchased of the Indians on the 21st of April, 1685, under a license dated March 6, 1684, from Governor Dongan, by Richard Abrams, Jacob Abrams, TeunisDekey or De Kay, Seba, Jacob and John Harxse;* and on the 23rd of December, 1685, a patent was granted to these purchasers and one or …

R. west of the aforesaid creek which lies by Stcphanus van Cortiandt'a land, including all the meadows both fresh and salt within said bounds, containing in all 1800 acres or thereabouts." The tenure like that of the Manor was " in free and common soccage according to the tenure of East Greenwich in the County of Kent in his Majesties Kingdom of England." The quit rent was "ten bushels of g…

Hercules Lent devised the patent in several parcels among his children and grandchildren by will in 17G6.' The name of Lent is still very common in the neighborhood of Peekskill to this day, and some of the name still own portions of the original tract. The 300 acre tract, which was of little importance, fronted on the inner and upper part of Peekskill bay, and became prior to 1732 the prop…

Hence for convenience sake the Dutch traders sought the landing place of the Indians, in the sheltered North side of the Estuary of the Croton, then an open bay without the sedge flats which now nearly fill it. Here too was subsequently established the ancient ferry and ferry house, as the population, and the traffic, up and down the Hudson, began to grow and increase. The next point of sett…

" Before beginning to build " he says, " 'Twill above all things be necessary to select a well located spot, either on some river'or bay, suitable for the settlement of a village or hamlet. This is previously properly surveyed and divided into lots, with good streets according to the situation of the place. This hamlet can be fenced all round with high palisades, or long boards, and closed wi…

In this document, there are descriptions of a few regions in New Netherland which he mentions as well adapted for settlement and among them, that of the eastern and northern part of West Chester county comprising the subsequent Manors of Cortlandt, the upper part of Philipsburgh, and lands immediately adjacent to them and the Manors of Scarsdale and Pelham. The region is thus mentioned, " …

He undoubtedly did a good deal in bringing in inhabitants and stock, between 1683, the date of his first purchase, and 1G97, the date of his Manor-grant. Here it was that he erected the mills, mentioned (in the plural) in his will, dated three years later in 1700, the year of his death, which by both Dutch and English law the Patroons and the Lords of Manors were bound to provide for the bene…

The Rent Service on which the Manor was held, was " Forty shillings current money of our said Province " (five dollars), payable "at our city of New York on the feast day of the Annunciation of our blessed Virgin Mary." The peculiar franchises of the Manor of Cortlandt were two only, the Rangership of the Manor, and the right to be represented by its own member in the General Assembly after …

They were appointed, either, by a special royal grant, over a special district, which was the more usual, or else, as in this instance, the franchise was named among others in the grant of a Manor. The appointment by Governor Hunter on September 4th, 1710, of Major Thomas Jones, of Fort Neck, Queens County, the grandfather of Judge Thomas Jones the author of the " History of New York during …

This was a franchise of so high a character that it was granted to but two more out the many New York Manors, those of Rensselaerswyck in 1705 and Livingston in 1715, the former eight years, the latter eighteen years, after the grant to Cortlandt. The franchise in this case was not to be enjoyed till after the lapse of twenty years from the date of the Manor-Grant, June 17th 1697, that is u…

On the 10th of June 1734, says the Journal of the House, " Philip Verplanck, Esq., attending without, was called in, and produced to the House, an indenture that he was duly elected a Representative for the Manor of Cortlandt, in this present Assembly, as likewise the Letters Patent of the said Manor dated in the year 1697, whereby a Power and Privilege [was]granted to choose said Represent…

De Lancey " (Etienne or Stephen De Lancey, the first of that family in America, then the first named of the four members for the City of New York, a ^on-in-law and one of the heirs of Stephanus van Cortlandt) " according to leave presented to this House a bill entitled, An Act for regulating the choice of a Representative for the Manor of Cortlandt in the County of Westchester ; which was re…

Verplanck before the Governor, and see him take the oaths and subscribe the Declaration according to Law. This was done, and on their return Mr. Le Count reported that the duty had been performed, whereupon it was, Ordered, that the said Mr. Philip Verplanck take his place as a Member of this House accordingly." ^ It is easy to see from these proceedings that the Assembly was very jealous of…

Verplanck had been elected " pursue ant to a Writ lately issued to the Freeholders of and inthe said Manor," and it then gives the reason for enacting the law in these words; -- "But inasmuch as the Heirs of the said Stephanus van Cortlandt, by Reason of the said Manor's remaining undivided among them, and otherwise, had not, untill very lately, asserted and claimed their said Privilege; and t…

planck as aforesaid ; and thereupon for the regular admission of the said Philip, it was ordered that he should have leave to bring in a bill for that purpose; Wherefore and to the end such Representative may be more orderly and duly elected for the future." It was enacted ; -- first, that Verplanck's election should be confirmed ; second, that the Freeholders of the Manor should elect " a …

There was probably some jealousy, or political feeling at the bottom of the insertion of this provision, for three years later, in 1737 it was unconditionally repealed by an Act passed on the 16th of December in that year,* except as to the general County charges. This act also fixed the " Wages " of the Representative of the Manor at "Six shillings for every day he attends the Service of th…

Elected and admitted to his seat under this franchise in 1734, Philip Verplanck was constantly reelected to subsequent Assemblies and sat for the Manor of Cortlandt continuously up to the year 1768, the long period of thirty-four years. A continuous period of service without a parallel in Province of New York, and which has never occurred under the State of New York. The nearest approach to i…

Verplanck having died and Sir Henry Moore the Governor having dissolved the old Assembly on the 6th of February 1768, writs for a new election were issued on the 10th of February returnable on the 22d of March following, between which dates the new election was held, in the manner that has been before described, and " Pierre Van Cortlandt Esq." was duly elected representative for the Manor, …

"This Indenture made and concluded this first day of February in the Ninth year of the Reign of Our Sovereign Lord George the Third by the Grace of God of Great Brittain France and Ireland King, De" fender of ye Faith, etc., and In the year of Our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty-Nine -- With and Between Joshuah Traviss Constable of the one Part and Jeremiah Traviss, Charles Moore,…

Hustoii's service iu the Assembly, he sat for Rockland County directly across the Hudson. - Assembly Journals of 17G8, 3. 3 Assembly Journals of 17(59, p. 3, By a printer's error the Journals make the issue of the new Writs the "14th," instead of the "4th" of January, 176'J. Commander-in-Chief of the Province of New-York In General Assembly for Said Province, on the Fourteenth day of Februa…

The first of these " division " contained all the Manor West of the east bonds of North lot No. I. and South lot No. I., North of the Croton River, and West of the West bounds of lot No. 8 on the South of the Croton. The second division, lay east of the first, and West of the West bounds of North lot No. 8 and South lot No. 8, and West of the East bounds of lot No. 10 South of the Croton. T…

By 1770 the people in Ryke's Patent had so increased in number, that an act was passed on the 27th of January in that year, for their special benefit which provided " that for the better defraying the common and necessary charges of Ryke's Patent in the Manor of Cortlandt in Westchester County," the Freeholders thereof should elect on the first Tuesday in every April, one Supervisor, one Co…

A singular law in regard to the Manor, as it appears to us now, was one passed the 13th of December, 1703, which enacted that in case any person whatsoever " shall carry on the Practice of Inoculation for the Small-Pox in the Manor of Cortlandt within the Distance of Half a Mile of any Dwelling House he shall forfeit the sum of Twenty Founds ($50.) for every such oftience, upon proof before …

Van Cortlandt's home was in New York, and this first building was intended as a station for Indian traffic. Naturally it became his place of temporary residence when visiting his lands after his first purchase, either for business, pleasure, or the enjoyment of hunting and fishing. It is a tradition that Governor Dongan often visited this region for the latter purposes, as he was a sportsman…

The roof is a rather low pitched one, in the Dutch style with dormer windows. A piazza of modern construction, extends along the entire front above the high basement. It stands on the brow of a declivity sloping to, and overlooking, the wide estuary of the Croton River, and commands a magnificent view, to the southwest of the wide Tappan Sea of the Hudson, and its striking, beautiful, bold,…

To the death of Stephanus van Cortlandt so shortly after the erection of his lands into a Manor, is probably to be ascribed the fact, that there are no records to show whether he ever organized his Manorial Courts. The probability is, from the then sparseness of the inhabitants, that he did not. Nor before his death, was there sufficient time to have introduced very many new settlers. We kn…

The peninsula of Verplanck's Point was devised to his eldest son Johannes, and all the rest of his property of all kinds was divided equally among all his surviving children, eleven in number, including Johannes. The devise of Verplanck's Point was all that Johannes received in addition to the others in virtue of his being the eldest son.^ Had it not been for the terms of surrender and the t…

He married on the tenth of Sei)teniber, 1671, in his 28th year, Gertrude, daughter of Philip Pie- I II. V. S. Laws, Ch. 1459, p. 576. 'The win ia recorded in the N. Y. Surr. Off., Lib. 2 of Wills, p. 78. HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY. terse Schuyler, of Albany; and died, as has been stated ou the twenty-fifth day of November, 1700, at the comparatively early age of fifty-seven years, leavin…

He remained only a short time in the military service, having been appointed by Kieft in 1639 "Commissary of Cargoes,'' or customs officer, and in 1643, Keeper of the Public Stores, of the West India Company, a responsible position under the provisions of the Charters of Freedoms and Exemptions, being the Superintendent of the collection of the Company's Revenue in New Amsterdam, most of whi…

He was also engaged in several temporary public matters as a Councillor and Commissioner during the administration of Director Stuyvesant, notably in the Connecticut boundary matter in 1663, and the settlement of Capt. John Scotfs claim to Long Island in 1664. He acted in similar capacities under the first English Governors, Nicolls, Lovelace, and Dongan, and was chosen the Trustee of Lovela…

highest ofiices in the Colony," says O'Collughan, (vol. 2, p. 38, n.) died, worth 520,000 guilders, or $208,- 000 ; an immense sum when the period in which he lived is considered." Olofif Stevense van Cortlandt died on the 4th of April, 1684, and his wife followed him about a month afterwards.' They had seven children, the oldest of whom was Stephanus, and the youngest Jacobus, who respecti…

Except the Governorship itself, he filled at one time or another every prominent office in that Province. And when Lt. Gov. Nicholson went to England at the outbreak of Leisler's insurrection and actual usurpation, to report in person to King William, he committed the Government itself in his absence, to Stephanus van Cortlandt and Frederick Philipse. * A fact that caused Leisler, to seek th…

Brought up under the eye of his father, and educated by the Dutch clergymen of New Amsterdam, ' whose scliohirship was vastly higher than it has pleased luoderii writers to state, and which would compare favorably with that of the clergy of the nineteenth century, young van Cortlandt long before the death of his father in 1G84, showed how well he had i)r()tited by the e.\anii)le of the one, …

His name was continued in each ofthe Commissions of all the succeeding Governors down to and including Hellomont's in 1697, and he continued in the office till his death in 1700. Early in this latter year he was appointed Chief Justice, but he only filled the office till his death in November of the same year. He had many years before been appointed Judge of the Common Pleas in Kings County,…

His letters and despatches to Governor Andros, and to the different Boards and officers in England charged with the care of the Colonies and the management of their affairs, remain to show liis capacity, clear headedness and courage. - Equally esteeme<l and confided in by the governments of James as Duke and King, and by William and Mary in the troublous times in which he lived, and sustaine…

l()9o Anne Soi)hia vau Schaack and left one child Gertrude, who married I'liiliii \'^er[)lanck grandson of Abraham Isaacsen Verplanck the first of that family in America. 2. Margaret, born 12 Aug. 1674, married to Col. Samuel Bayard only son of Nicholas Bayard the youngest of the three nephews of Gov. Stuyvesant. 3. Ann, born 13 Feb. 1()76, married Etienue (in English Stephen ) de Lancey,…

These were ancestors of the ' van Cortlandt of Second River ' (the Passaic) New Jersey, now extinct in the males. 9. Gertrude, born 10 Oct. 1()88, married Col. Henry Beekman. No issue. 10. Gysbert, born 1689, died young. 11. Elizabeth, born 1691, died young. 12. Elizabeth, 2d, born 24 May 1694, married Rev. Wm. Skinner of Perth Amboy. 13. Catharine, born 24 .June 1696, married Andrew Joh…

Bcekman who had no issue, had large families, and those of the sons were also numerous. And when to these were added the children of Stephanus's younger brother Jacobus van Cortlandt of Yonkers, and their wives and husbands, it will be seen what an enormous family circle it was, and will explain why at this day all these families now so widely extended, are by the marriages and inter-marriag…

Speaking of the New York Assembly of 17r)2, and the influence of Chief Justice James de Laiiccy, Smith says, " It may gratify the curiosity of the reader to know, that of the Members of this Assembly Mr. Chief Justice De Lancey was nephew to Col. Beekinan, brother to Peter De Lancey, brotlier-in-law of John Watts, cousin to Philij) Verplanck and John Ba])tist Van Rensselaer; that Mr. Jones t…

acteristic decision of character, good sense, personal beauty, and warm affection for each other. When their mother died in 1723, the list of her descendants and family relatives i)resent, which is still preserved, is most sur[)rising for its numbers, length and prominent names. The funeral took place in New York and was one of the largest ever seen in that city up to that day. Space will no…

His wife Gertrude was made " sole Executrix," and with her as guardian of the minor children, of whom there were several, as well as of the others, he a|)pointed "my Brother Jacobus Van Cortlandt, my Brother [in law] Brant Schuyler, and my cousin William XicoUs,-' to be Guardians, Tutors, and Overseers over my said children." Tlie personal and mixed estate including " plate and jewels " wa…

There was a custom among the Dutch j»eople of New York, not to have the will of a deceased parent opened till after the expiration of a month from the day of the death, as a token of respect.' Then it was read in a family council, and immediately offered for probate. This custom was probably followed in this case. The Witnesses who proved the will were, Thomas Wenham, Rip Van Dam, John Abee…

continues, " and it is my Desire and Appointment that tlie same houses, lands, and premises be Eitlier Equally Divided amongst them my said children, or that they hold or enjoy the same in Common Amongst them, as my said children and Overseers and Guardians hereafter named shall judge and think most eflectuall and proper for their best advantage, use, and benefit." The next clause directs " …

This determination continued not only during i\Irs. van ('ortlandt's life, which terminated in 172.'!, but up to the year 1730, when it was agreed to divide that part of the ^^anor lying north of the Croton River. During this period the population gradually increased, the rents were applied, in part, to its development in building of mills, the making of roads, and aiding those tenants who …

Johannes, or John, van Cortlandt the eldest son of Stcjjhanus, had married Anna Sojihia van Schaack of Albany, and had only one child a daughter who became the wife of Pliilip Verplanck son of Abraham Isaacson Verplanck the first of that name in America. To her wa-s devised by her Father at his death, the Point, from her husband's name called " Verplanck's Point," and his one eleventh inter…

The original of the latter disappeared, at a comparatively late day, but in 1774, before the American Revolution, a lac-simile copy (the oldest in existence, and often wrongly called the original Manor Map) was made from it by the well known surveyor of the City of New York of that period, Evert Bancker, and is now among the Van Wyck paj)ers in the possession of that family ; of which by th…

It |)rovi(led for a division iiito ten e(|ual parts of the estates of Stephanus and his son Oliver, "and to that end all the said parties with an unanimous assent and consent did elect and choose Philip Ver planck, surveyor, to survey and lay out the same into thirty Lotts, by virtue of which nomination and appointment he the said Philip Verplanck did project and lay out the Greater part of t…

In 1733 under the same articles of agreement, the parties in interest made in the same way, another division "of the other find remaining part of the lands aforesaid," into ten lots, and duly executed to each other similar deeds of partition dated November 1st, 1733. These two divisions, however, were confined to lands north of the Croton river about which there was no dispute. There were so…

At length, to settle all questions absolutely, and to effect a final division of these undivided lands and those south of the Croton river, a special agreement was entered into by all of the heirs as they stood, in 17')8, in virtue of which a final disposition and distribution of the lands was effected, with some small exceptions. At the first two divisions, the ten heirs who made them were …

During the twenty years which elapsed between 1733, and the execution of the agreement for the division of 1753, changes by death had occurred, so that the heirs who joined in the latter were as follows : 1. Stephen Van Cortlandt (of Second River, N. J.). 2. John Miln, widower. 3. Henry Beekman and Gertrude his wife. 4. William Skinner and Elizabeth his wife. 5. Andrew Johnston, widower. …

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 whe…

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 ca…

It is my will and appointment and Direction that upon a division of my s* houses, lands, and mills, and other Real Estate my sons according to their ])riority of birth shall have the first choyce, alwayes allowing to the value of those parts they shall choose that the respective parties and i)ersons of my children may be made Equall in worth one to another." Nothing is said as to how the da…

THE ORIGIN AND HISTOKY OF THE MANORS. To Stephen rleLancej', North lot No. ten, and Soutli h)t No 5, north of Croton, and Front lot No. six, on the Hudson. To Philip Van Cortlandt, north lot No. six and South lot No. one, north of Croton, and Front lot No. one on the Hudson. To Stephen Van Cortlandt, South lots Nos. six and seven. North of Croton, and Front lot No. 4 on the Hudson. To J…

It is easy to see, from the choice of the sons in this division and the extra value that must have been put upon the lots which fell to Andrew Johnston, to ecjualize, that, the lots on and nearest the Hudson were then deemed the most valuable and desirable. When Verplanck's Map was made the ten lots South of the Croton, shown in it were not included in the " thirty lots " divided in the fir…

After the first two divisions there was a little changing among the heirs of their lots, either by ex- ' This is ttie correct name. It lias been spelled Jleliii, anil Milin, in eome |iaper» »Dd nia|iH. He was a physieiun of Aliiany, N. V., and married Maria, or Mary, van t'., the widow of Kilian van Renselaer, the Patroon of liis day, and first Lord of Uensselaersburgli as a Mitwtr. ' F'lrlii…

Mr. de Lancey died in 1741, and under his will and the division of his Estate among his children, two of these lots became the property of his eldest son James, then the Chief Justice of the Province. In 1744 the latter conveyed them, as a gift, to his second son Stephen. Stephen a few years later began their settlement, and brought in many fanners, and some mechanics. The whole tract was lai…

Stephen de Lancey, the younger, the son of James, likewise about the year 1705 built a very large double frame house on the Titicus River and resided there many years. It is still standing, and, from just after the revolution was " The Academy of North Salem," having been sold for that i)urpose. It was One of the very first established in this State, and has only recently been discontinued…

Hudson, was from her Christian name, styled "Gertrudesborough," that of Philip van Cortlandt "Cortlandttown " (now with adjacent lands called "The town of Cortlandt," and that of Mr. dc Lancey, "De Lanceytown " now "The Town of North Salem." " Hanover " was also a name for part of the present " Somcrs " town. The number of acres in the shares of the respective heirs and their valuation, in t…

The first column shows the numbers and areas of the first or north range of Great Lots north of the Croton ; the second those of the south range of the Great Lots nortii of the Croton ; and the tliird those of the Front lots on the Hudson. North range of the Great Lots Nortli of tlu^ Croton. No. 1, contents 40<ir) acres. „ 2, 2784 3, „ 2904 „ 4, „ 2804 5, , 2811 G, „ 3168 7, „ 3f><JG…

„ !>, „ 1233 „ 10, „ 2764 14,333 Recapitulation. Great North lots 32,887 „ South lots 28,765 Front Lots on Hudson 14,333 Total in the Divisions of 1732 and 1733 75,985 Lots South of Croton 7,128 83,113 Lands in Pound ridge 3000 Parson's Point on the Hudson 100 Total east of the Hudson... 8(!,213 „ ' Tract on West side of the Hudson 1500 Total number of acres in the whole Manor 87,…

I This IB not in Verplanck'B survey, but is added as an estimate from the best information the writer could ol)tain. 2 From tlie MS. in tlie Van Wyck papers. 8 Tlio seiianite values of each of these three lots are oniiltiil in the original, though the total is given ; evidently an accidental error. THE ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE MANORS. N'imcs Acre's. Vttluu ill poui 238. 300. 31) IH) 4…

Hence the entire value in money of the 75,000 acres and upwards, in 1733, when the division among the heirs took place, was only $25.0(52, or about $2,500 per share ; and as the shares averaged 7000 acres each, it is seen at once how extremely low was the value of land j)er acre in New York and in Westchester County at that time. This valuation also is evidence of the good sense and sound …

So that five of the old townshijis and about a third of a sixth, were Ibrmcd out of the Manor of Cortlandt. The following tabular statements of the valuation of the land in these live and one-third townships, in 1829 and in 1875, the* former about a century and the latter about a century and a half, after the valuation of the Manor as a whole in 1732-33 above given, show in the most strikin…

It must be borne in mind, however in comparing these tables of 1829 and 1875, that the valuation of 1732-3 embraced only the divisions of those years • It is greatly to be regretted that a paiiy s(]ual)l)le about the political patronage in the taking of it, should have prevented the taking of any State Census in 1885, so that a comparison of values up to that year could have been here given.…

among the heirs, while the valuation of the Townshijis eniVjrate in addition the lands subsequently divided among the heirs in 1753, and a small portion of lands then leftundivided, as mentioned above ; and also that in North Salem and Lewisborough the " Oblong" lands are included in their respective valuations, which were never a i)art of the Manor. But allowing for these corrections, they…

As will be seen by the footing at the end, the gross number of acres somewhat exceeds the figures of the gross number by Verplaiick's survey as stated above. AVithout attem])tiiig to explain this discrepancy the statement is given as in the original, because it shows clearly which great lots of the old Manor were embraced in each Township, carved out of it, and the amount of the quit rent du…

5,(i44 iSomers Town. Acres. N. Lot No. 5 2,811 N. Lot No. 6 3,168 N. Lot No. 7 3,096 About a third of N. Lot No. 8 1,232 S. Lot No. 5 2,982 S. Lot No. 6 2,760 Half of S. Lot No. 7 1,330 17,979 North Salem. I of N. Lot No. 8 2,464 N. Lot No. 9 3,696 N. Lot No. 10 3,273 9.433 iSontli Salon. i of S. Lot No. 7 .1,330 S. Lot No. 9 3,696 S. Lot No. 10 3,273 9,433 f'oiiiif/riili/e, S…

He was a merchant in New Amsterdam, and like his father took an active i)art in public affairs. In June 1729 he was recommended to the King for appointment as a Councillor of the Province by Governor Montgonierie in place of Lewis Morris jr. The appointment was made the 3d of February 1730, he took his seat in April of the same year, and continued in the Council until his death on the 21st …

His wife was Catharine daughter of Abraham do Peyster to whom he was married in 1710. ' He left him surviving, six children, five sons and one daughter, Catharine, who was killed by the bursting of a cannon on the Battery while watching the firing of a salute in honor of the King's birth day June 4th 1738, in her 13th year. By the death of his elder brothers, Johannes who left only a daughter…

Philip the elder, the fourth head of the family born 10th November 1739, preferring a military life, entered the British Army, in which he served many years, dying on the 1st of May, 1814, in his 75th year. He is buried in Hailsham Church where a mural monument is erected to his memory. He maiTied on Aug 2d, 17G2, Catharine, daughter of Jacob Ogden of New Jersey. They had the large number o…

The daughters were, 1. Mary Ricketts, married John M. Anderson ; 2. Elizabeth, married William Taylor, Lord Chief Justice of Jamaica, and left oue sou, Colonel Pringle Taylor of Pennington ; 3. Catharine, twin with Mrs. Taylor, married Dr. William Gourlay of Kincraig Scotland ; 4. Margaret Hughes, married 0. Elliott-Elliott of Berkshire and died without issue ; 5. Gertrude married, Admiral S…

Pierre van Cortlandt, the youngest son of Philij) the third son of Stephanus, born the 10th of January 1721, and who died the 1st of May, 1814, in consequence of the deaths in early numhood of his brothers Abraham, Philip, and John, unmarried, and of the death in 1756, of his eldest brother Stephen, and the absence in the army of his nephew Philip, Stephen's eldest son, became early and clos…

Beekman, Anne wife of Philip S. van Rensselaer, so long the Mayor of Albany, at which city she died in 1855 at the age of 89 years, and Gertrude who died, a child in her eleventh year in December 1766. Of the four sons, two, Gilbert, and Ste{)lien, died in early life unmarried. The eldest was the celebrated Colonel Philip van Cortlandt of the Revolution, who at its close was made a Brigadier…

By his second wife he had one child, a son, the late Colonel Pierre van Cortlandt, who died only on the eleventh of July 1884, leaving him surviving, his widow, Catherine, eldest daughter of the late eminent Theodrick Romcyn Beck, M.D., of Albany, one son, Mr. James Stevenson van Cortlandt, and two daughters, Catharine, the wife of the Rev. John Rutherfurd Mathews, and Miss Anne Stevenson v…

In the cijsc of the Manor of Cortlandt the first payments of its (]uitrent, were receipted for by the King- Receiver-Cieneral and Collector, on the back of the Manor-Grant itself, which has been already described. This course was unusual and was owing probably to the early death of its first lord and the careful attention of his widow and executrix. The receipts for similar payments being gener…

In full of Quitrents for all the Lands Lying within the Man nor of Cortlandt, to the 25 of March 'Pait 10, of this essay, ante pp. 95, 96. Last Pursuant to the within Pattent as wittness my hand T. Byerley GoW. 3'' Endorsement. Received of Phillip Cortland Esq' for account of M'^ Geertruydt Van Cortland two pounds proc'. money in full for one years quitt rent to the 25 of March last for t…

both which Provinces he was of the Governor's Coun- j cil. He died in 1725, and was succeeded as Receiver- ' General in New York by Archibald Kennedy, who i signs the last of the above receipts, in 1726. j Subsequent to the divisions of 1732-33 among the ' heirs, the (]uit rents were paid j>roportionably by the different owners. During the Revolutionary war and after it nothing seems to hav…

l)aid, if not on what i)art of the Manor those now de- jl manded were due, and how the different propricstors 'm are to proceed in estinuiting their respective pro])or- il tions. As lam interested in a part of the Manor, I |H will thank you for any information you cau give me ■ on this subject. I hope you will excuse the trouble I |l give you, and believe me, Sir Respectfully Yours J. P. d…

" The Comptroller is requested as soon as convenient to make out what amount of Quit Rent is due from the Manor of Cortlandt Pattent, which includes in its bounds, the Pattents granted to Stephen V. Cortlandt for lands on both sides of the Hudson, Dated March 16, ICSo-- John Knight, dated March 24 l()8f)-- and Hugh McGregory dated the 2d of April l()i)0 -- wliich became the property of the sa…

"There is another small Patent granted to Tennis Dekey, Sybout Harchie and Jacobus Harchie which is also included in the Manor and is subject to pay Q. Reut. " Of this a part to be sold. "There is about eighty acres called Parson's Point, which was left by the Proprietors of the Manor undivided and now is in the possession of the Dutch Minister -- and if sold a title can be obtained, which …

After the Revolutionary War I obtained jxjssession tliereof and put the Dutch lieformed Congregation in possession. As they cannot obtain a comjilete title from the Heirs, I want it sold for the benefit of the said cliurch, or as much thereof as will pay the Quit Rent now due from the said Manor of Cortlandt. Ph. V. Cortlandt.'^ Parson's Point is bounded on the West and South by Hudson's R…

The Revolution checked this movement entirely for the time being, nor was it till 1787 or 8 that it began again. But from that time it progressed continually, so that by 1847, there were only about 2500 or 3000 acres of leased land," exclusive of the estate belonging to Gen. Pierre Van Cortlandt, left throughout the Manor. Of this about 1200 acres divided into five farms are, at this moment…

" days work with carriage and horses," meaning not " a carriage " in our sense of the word to-day, but a day's work with wagon and team. Tliis latter was Often spoken and written of as a " day's riding.'' These were all originally introduced as an easy way for the tenants in those times when there was very little mon ey in the country to pay a part of the rents reserved in the leases, which …

The northernmost branches of that River rising in Putnam County and the easternmost, in Connecticut, each receiving in its course many small affluents, meet near its centre, and form the main stream of the Croton, which falls into the Hudson on the south side of the striking peninsula of Teller's, or Croton, Point. Five or six small streams, the largest of which, is " John Peaks Creek," now…

So many are they that only a few of the larger are to be found upon the Maps. This region so remarkably wooded and watered, formerly abounded in beaver, all kinds of deer, and the ever present foes of the latter, wolves. Many are the provincial statutes offering bounties for the destruction of the latter. The beaver lived on the streams and in the forests of Corelandt till early in this centu…

From its summit looking west the eye ranges over the whole twenty miles in length of the Manor of Cortlandt, the view being only terminated by the Rockland Mountains across the Hudson. The depression in which the latter lies is distinctly seen. Immediately in front of the spectator spreads the rich and affluent valley of the Titicus, the "Mughtiticoos" of the Indians, the eastern branch of th…

The whole twenty miles of the Manor, hill, valley, river, and forest, glowing in the most brilliant radiance beneath the deep red tints of a gorgeous sky, and then as the great luminary, tinting their peaks with gold, sinks behind the blue Rockland Mountains, the whole suddenly blotted out in a deep purplish sombre gloom. Upon the lower slopes of the height stands the old home of the Keele…

Thus within the Manor are three distinct water-sheds, two carrying their waters into the Hudson, and one into the sound. The origin of the name of the river, the great natural feature of the Manor, the waters of which supply the great city of New York by means of a magnificent aqueduct without a rival in Ancient or Modern times, is not certainly known. Different theories have been and are h…

Vcrplanck lived many years prior to 1732 in the Manor, and knew every one interested in it, from shortly after the death of Stephanus Van Courtland to his own death a period of about seventy years, his opportunities of knowing the English name of the stream were certainly better than those of any one of whom we now have knowledge. He was also a surveyor, and hence obliged to be particular in…

TIte Manor of Scarsdale, Its Origin, Local History, Adjoining Patents and Manors, Its First Lord and his Faiaily, Division and Topography. Named by its Lord after that division of the beautiful county of Derby, nearly the geographical centre of England, in which the city of Chesterfield, crowning a lofty verdant height, sits like a queen upon her throne, the rivers Rother and Hii)per flowing …

By its terms the Manor-Grant included a tract embracing the i)resent towns of Mamaroneck, Scarsdale, a small i)art of Harrison, with White plains, and a portion of Northcastle. But as a dispute existed with "some of y'' inhabitants of y° town of Rye " as to White plains at the time of Colonel Ileathcote's'' purchase of the tract, the Manor-tJrant expressly provided that it should give no fur…

River to the head thereof, & thence on a north line untill eighteen miles from the said marked tree is compleated ; westerly, beginning at the marked tree or a great rock being the westermost part of the northern bounds of the aforesd. township, being about two miles from the country road, & thence to run northerly eighteen miles as the line on the eastermost side of the said land runcth, in…

Caleb Heathcote, & other parte has been purchased by yc sd. Caleb Heathcote of ye Native Indian Proprietors ; & whereas ye sd. Caleb Heathcote hath further petitioned our sd. Lt. Governor & Councill that ye sd. tract of land may be erected into a Mannour by ye name of ye Maniiour See tlie Manor map and bis "explanatioin " api>ciiilcd to it. -Tliis Dninc is projwrly pronoimccd aa if spelled "H…

All & every ye aforesd. tracts & ])arcells of land and meadow w"" in ye respective limits & bounds beforementioned & expressed, together w"" all & every ye messuages, tenem'"*, buildings, harnes, houses, out-houses, fences, orchards, gardens, pastures, meadows, marshes, swamjjs, ])ools, ponds, waters, water courses, woods, underwoods, trees, timbers, quarries, runs, rivers, rivoletts, brooks,…

White Plaines untill the same shall happen to belong to the sd. Caleb Heathcote, and moreover, Know yee that of our further speciall grace, certain knowledge, & meer motion, wee have thought fitt to erect all the aforerecited tracts & j)arcells of land & meadow, w"'"in the limitts & bounds aforesaid, into a Lordship and Mannour, except as before excepted, and therefore by these presents wee …

Court Leet & Court Baron to be holden within our said lordship or manor, to be sett, forfeited, or imposed, or payable, or happening, at any time to be l)ayable, by any of the inhabitants of, or w"'ii], the said Lordshipp or Manuour of Scarsdale or die Limitts & bounds thereof, & also all & every power & powers, authority & authorityes, for the holding & keeping, the sd. court leet, & court b…

Mannour, shall & may at all times hereafter meet together & choose assessors within the man."' aforesd. according to such rules, wayes, & methods, as are prescribed for cities towns & counties within our sd. j)rovince, by ye acts of Generall of Assembly for defraying the publick charge of each respective city, town, & county, aforesaid, & all such sumes of money so assessed & levyed, to col…

of uiiy town, township, or Maiiour, whatsoever, to be holden of us, our heires & successors, in free & comon soccaRe according to the tenure of our Mannour of East Greenwicli in the county of Kent, w"'in our Kingdonie of Enghmd, yielding rendering and p(iiji/i(j therefore, yearly, & every year, forever, at our city of New Yorke, unto us our heires & successours, or to such officer or office…

I do hereby certify the aforegoing to be a true coi)y of the original record word & 5th line page 229 being obliterated and or interlined in its stead as in said record. Compared therewith by me. Lewis A. Scott, Secretory. State of New York, Office of the Secretary of State. I hare compared the preceding copy of Letters Patent with the record thereof in this office, in Book Number Seven of…

Of this trade the central point in the West Indies was Barbadoes then, as now, a British Island. The voyages were from England to Barbadoes, thence to New York or Boston, and thence back to England. Hence the continual refeience in the accounts aiul letters of that day to the "news from home via Barbardoes." Precisely when John Kichbell left England is not known. He was a merchant in Charlestow…

These laws increased in extent, and vigorously enforced by Cromwell, bore harshly upon England's "Plantations in foreign parts" at thattime just beginning to exist. Then began that illicit contraband trade in America which continued and increased from that time during the whole colonial period. And which proved, in conse(iUcnce of the very stringent measures adopted by England late in the e…

They piously begin, and are in these words: -- "God sending you to arrive safely in New England, our advice is that you informe yourself fully by sober understanding men of that parte of [the] land which lyetli betwixt Connecticott and the Dutch Colloiiy, and of the seacoast belonging to the same, and the Islands that lye betwixt Long Island and the Maine, viz.: within what government it is…

That it be near .some navigable Ry ver, or at least some safe port or harbour, and that the waye to it be neither long nor difficult. II. That it be well watered by some running streame, or at least by some fresh ponds and springs, near adjoining. III. That it be well wooded, which I tliinke you can hardly mis.se of. That it be healthy, high, ground, not boggs or fens, for the hopes of all…

Tiien after cautioning him to obtain a good title, and directing him how to begin and carry on the actual settling and planting of the location, the instructions, with a sharj) eye to their main object, thus conclude; -- " La,stly, we desire you to advise us, or either of us, how affairs stand with you, what your wants are, and how they may be most advantageously employed by us, for the life…

Directly on the Sound, close to Connecticut and claimed by that Colony, yet within the Dutch jurisdiction, with a deeply indented harbour, and a fine ever running stream of fresh water falling over a reef directly into it, backed by high wooded hills, and skirted by the cleared planting fields of the Indians ; and within a day's sail of the" Manhadoes," Richbell could not have found on the w…

He purchased that beautiful peninsula, or a part of it, in Oyster Bay, afterwards, and still, known as Lloyd's Neck, on the 5th of September IGGO, which six years later he subsequently sold.^ He was a resident of Oyster Bay from IGGO to 1GG3 or 1GG4, and afterwards of Mamaroneck. A year later, in September 1G61, he made the first purchase of the Mamaroneck lands of the Indians, the deed fo…

Also the said Richbell or his Assignes may freely feed cattle, or cutt Tind)er Twenty miles Northward from the marked Trees of the Necks, fibr and in consideracion the said Richbell is to Give and Deliver unto the aforenamed Wajjpa- ([uewam the goods hereunder mentioned, the one hallo about a month after the date here of, and the other halfe the next Spring following, as the Interpreters ca…

When the change of rule came and the English were in power and the Dutch Transports, or patents, had been confirmed by English ones under the Duke of York, Richbell had recorded with his English Patent, in the Secretary's office of the Province, the numerous affidavits made in 1661 and 1662 and laid before the Dutch authorities, on which they condemned Revell's Indian deed and claim, and de…

Pells purchase, Now These are to certify to all and every one of whom it may concerne, That I Wampaquewam did for myselfe and in the behalfe of my aforesaid Brother Mahatahaii, firm firmly Bargain and Sell to Mr. John Richbell of Oyster Bay, to him and his Heires forever, the above mentioned three Necks of Land, together with all other Priviledges thereunto belonging, Six weeks before I so…

• As explained above in this eseay. s Liber 2 of Deods, 192-199, Sec. of state's off* Albany. < Liber Two of Deeds p. 128. lla In December, 1661, John Richbell made his application to the Dutch Governor and Council for the grond-bref above alluded to. His memorial, dated the day before Christmas, 1661, is in these 'words: John Richbells Petition to the Dutch Government for a Patent. Amster…

In the meantime he supplicates that your Honours may be pleased to grant him letters patent for the whole tract, which he is willing to enforce and instruct them of your Honours Government and will, in similar manner, on terms and conditions as are allowed to other villages. Hoping for your assent he remains, respectfully, John Richbell.' This memorial was read and considered by director St…

John Rissebel and his friends, that he be under the protection of the high and subordinate Authority of this Province, upon terms and conditions that other inhabitants doe enjoy, may take up and posssess a certain Neck and parcel of Land called Mammarinikes, j)rovided that the aforesaid Mr. John Rissebel, his associates, and every one that are now hereafter to come, in due and convenient time, …

It is recorded in vol. xx. of the State Records at Albany, 127. HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY. The Dutch " Transport " which was formerly in the writer's possession was unfortunately destroyed by accident at the same time with the original Groundbrief as stated above. It vested the lands in Richbell absolutely. The English Patent of Confirmation of the Transport to John Richbell was granted …

Having to the south, the sound, and running northward from the marked trees upon the said neck, twenty miles into the woods, which said parcel or tract of land hath been lawfully purchased of the Indian I)roprietors, by John Richbell of Mamaronock, gentleman, in whose possession now it is, and his title thereunto sufficiently proved, both at several courts of sessions, as also at the general…

But in matters of assessment and public rates, they are to be assessed by the officers of that town to wljich they do properly belong, being the nearest unto them, to have and to hold the said parcel and tract of land in the said three necks contained, and premises with all and singular the privileges and ai)purtenances to the said John Richbell, hia heirs and assigns, to the jJroper use and …

The "East Neck" extended from Mamaroneck River to a small stream called "Pij)ins Brook" which divided it from the Great Neck and is the same which now crosses the Boston Road just east of the house of the late Mr. George Vanderburgh ; the " Middle Neck " extended from the latter stream westward to a much larger brook called " Cedar or Gravelly Brook," which is the one that bounds the land no…

For some reason not now known, the survey and division was not actually effected till 1677, when it was made by Robert Ryder the Surveyor-General as follows ; -- " Whereas there hath been a difference between John Richbell and Mr. John Pell which by virtue of an order from the Right Honourable Major Edmund Andros Esqr. Governor Generall of New York, I have made a division of the within men…

which is in manner and form as is hereafter expressed viz.' That the said Richbell shall extend from Cedar Tree Brook or Gravelly Brook, .south westerly fifty degrees to a certain mark'd Tree, lying above the now comon Road thirty and four chains in length, marked on the east with R and on the west with P, thence extending south sixty three degrees East by certain marked Trees ptixed' ending…

In Richbell's Petition of the 24th of December 1631 to the Dutch Government for a ground-brief above given, he says the name of the " East Neck " is " Mamaranock Neck." A misreading by Mr. Bolton of the first of these two words in this document as recorded led to his stating in the first edition of his History of Westchester County issued in 1848, (vol. i. 282) that the "aboriginal name" of t…

distance above the present bridge between the towns of Mamaroneck and Rye where the river bends suddenly to the east and then takes a northerly course, a rocky reef originally crossed it nearly at right angles, causing the formation of " rapids." It was high enough to prevent the tide rising over it at highwater, so that the fresh water of the river always fell directly into the salt water of…

John Richbell for her dutiful observance towards me." * By way of making this provision for his wife more secure, John Richbell settled the same East Neck upon her as a jointure, by a deed in trust to John Ryder dated 23d of April, 1669, " in consideration of a marriage long since had and solemnized between the said John Richoell and Ann his present wife," and therein describes the Neck as f…

John Richbell died the 26th day of July 1684,* leaving his widow him surviving, in whom his entire real estate vested in fee absolutely under the above deeds and jointure, except what little he and his wife had together conveyed in liis lifetime. 3 Ancient copy of the deed in writer's possession. It is also Recorded in SecJ* office and in West. Co. * .\ncient copy of this original in the wr…

Caleb Heathcote, Mayor of the Borough of Westchester," his heirs and assigns forever in fee simple absolute, excepting only a small tract previously deeded as a gift to James Mott and his wife in 1684, and another small piece deeded as a gift to John Emerson on the 30th of Sept 1686, which latter was subsequently conveyed by Emerson to Mott by deed dated 25th of June 1690, the wives of bot…

The above reservation to Mott referred to a small piece of upland at the entrance to that portion of the East Neck, subsequently, and to this day, called "De Lancey's Neck," of about thirty acres deeded by Mrs. Riehbell to Mary and James Mott on the 8 August 1684, which from Mott's heirs finally became vested in the late Giles Seaman after whose death it passed by sale to the late Isaac Hal…

Nothing remains to show whether the trade of Modiford Sharpe and Riehbell was, or was not, profitable. If the latter, it could not have been 80 very long, for the English conquest of New Netherland in 1664, three years after Richbell's purchase of Mamaroneck, put an end to its advantages for a contraband business. After his controversy with Pell was terminated in 1671 as shown above, RichiTh…

John Bassett." It was bounded east by No. three, and west " with my own house lot named No. five." It reserved a rent of "one bushel of winter wheat payable annually on the 25th of March," and " one day's work each yearly harvest;" and prohibited any sale of the land "but by and with the consent and approbation of the said John Riehbell or Ann his wife." Of the other six " House Lotts" tho…

W.ly [line] 45 degrees to a certaine Rocky hill being upon the Southermost pt. of the greate plaine, one hundred twenty and two chaines : running thence by pt. of the edge of the plaine & threw the woods to Momorronacke River one hundred twenty & seaven chaines : ffrom thence running by the side of the River to the Going over of the said River: one hundred & sixty chaines. &in testimony her…

That line these Commissioners thus officially describe in their formal treaty between the two Colonies ; -- " We order and declare thai the creeke or river called Mamoroneck which is reputed to be about thirteen miles to the east of Westchester, and a line drawn from the east point or side where the fresh water falls into the Salt at Highwater-Mark North Northwest to the line of the Massachu…

What a perfect " Yankee trick " this claim was is shown by the fact that it describes the Whiteplains as being "within the town bounds of Rye," when six days after its date the then pending public negotiations fixed the boundary line at Byram River, and Rye ceased to be a part of Connecticut, as she claimed to be and from which she got her " town bounds." It was obtained in a hurry so as t…

Contained with a small River Commonly called Momoroneck River being also the East bounds or Limitts of this Governm' upon the maine, and the Westermost with the gravelly or Stony brooke, or river which makes the East limitts of the Land knowne by the name of W" Pell's Purchase haveing to the south the sound and runing northward from the marked Trees upon the said Neck's twenty miles into th…

And manureiug the same & to Settle thereon with themselves and familyes is wholly Obstructed and hind** by Ryemen haveing made a greate Disturbance amongst them and Pretends aright to the Same therefore Cannot dispose of any part or p'cell thereof till your bono'' will be pleased to grant an Order to Cleare the Same. Therefore humbly pray and beseech your bono"' and the bono"'" Councell tha…

He left his widow Ann and three daughters, Elizabeth, second wife ot Adam Mott, of Hempstead, Mary, the wife of Capt. James Mott and Anne, the wife of John Emerson, ot Maryland, his only children him surviving. The Rye claim however did not die, but remained a source of annoyance to his widow. In 1694 the matter came to a head. Mrs. Richbell served the following Protest upon the Rye people at…

Richbell Esq^, Deceased Am Credebly Informed that Humphry Underbill and severall other persons belongeing to the Towne of Rye have made a forcable Entry : and are further proceeding in the Like Manner Upon and into Severall parcells and Tracts of Land within the pattent Right of me the said Anne Richbell as may and dos Appeare by the Grand Pattent Granted under the hand and Seale of Coll Fr…

Ann Richbell It is believed to be the only Westchester County Court document of the kind of the seventeenth century which has come down regularly to a present representative in interest of one of the parties to the original action. Its form being somewhat different from that now used, and showing the names of the Judges, Jurors, and Counsel, and the summary of the evidence, gives it great an…

This lustrum' was Read at a publick Towne meeting at y"" Towne house of Rye the day and date above written, and their Answer was if they did not meddle or make with any Lands that belongs to M" Richbells Patent But at the same Time they was makeing a Generall Agreem' to Lay out and devide a parcell of Land the said Richbell Layeth Clame Too by virty of her said Pattent. Test Joseph Lee t" …

Underbill Reads an ord' about the Line betweene this Province and Canniddecott and Pleads the Land in question not within this Governm' but in Canniddecott. Mr. Peter Cock^ Pleads that Joseph Lee' might be swore to give what Report he cann about the Surveigh of the now Surveyo'' Generall, who upon oath, saith, that he begun his Survey at or about Momoronock Bridge : * and soe Runn up by th…

The Jury find that Momorronack River is the bounds of Richbells Pattent ^ here the ffresh water flals into the salt in said River, and from thence a northerly line into the woods : and if the Tenn' in Possession be on the West side of said Line then wee find for the plaintive, otherwise for the Defendant. Joseph Lee, CI." It would have been of more interest still at this ' Jointure. 2 So …

This decision finally established the east boundary of Richbclls Patent and settled the legal as well as actual direction of both the esist and the west boundarjlines of that Patent. In the next century two controversies arose regarding the location of the dividing line between the east and the Middle Necks of Richbell's Patent, one in 1731 and the other in 1768, both of which were decided in …

Nearly a year later, another deed was executed to Colonel Heathcote by three of the above named Indians, Pathuuke, Wapetuck, and Beopo, for that part of the land lying between the above tract and the Eastche.ster Patent line in which it is thus described, " butted and bounded as followeth Eastwardly by the marked trees or westermost bounds of a certain tract of Land sold by the said Beopo Pa…

Heathcott Desired said Henery Fowler, this Deponent, to show him said Coll. Heathcott the bounds of the Indian purchase, that the said Henery ffowler this Deponent had purchased of the Indians Ann Hook, Woupatopas, &c. for himself and others his neighbours • this Deponent further saith that Coll. Heathcott further said to him, I have purchased a tract of Land of the Heathen Joyning to your b…

John Ward, Justice.* In 1G96, the year before Colonel Heathcote purchased from her the Mamaroneck lands, he obtained from Mrs. Richbell her written consent to his getting the usual deeds of Confirmation* from the then Indians of the neighborhood for the lands formerly bought from Wappaquewam and other Indians by her husband John Richbell. The above deeds seem also to have been obtained to re…

Ann Richbell of the entire estate and rights in her Mamaroneck and Scarsdale lands, in 1697, Colonel Heathcole was residing at Westchester, which the year before, through his influence, had been created a Borough- Town, with all its municipal privileges of a Mayor and Aldermen and Assistants, and the additional one of a representative of its own in the Assembly of the Province,' its charter,…

Hence the title of " Colonel," by which he was ever afterwards known, and spoken of, notwithstanding the many higher and more distinguished positions and appointments he afterwards held, one of which was the judgeship of Common Pleas of the County, which he filled at the same time he was colonel of its militia. Succeeding to all the Richbell estate in the East Neck, including the proprietai…

Here he dwelt during the remainder of his life. The people then living at Mamaroneck were very few. One of the first movements of Colonel Heathcote was to obtain the confirmation deed from the then Indian chiefs for Richbell's two-mile township tract above referred to- This instrument, dated June 11th, 1701, not quite three months after he obtained his Manor-Graut of Scarsdale, gives us the …

Colonel Heathcote established a grist mill on the Mamaroneck River near the original bridge crossed by the "old Westchester Path," and a saw mill high up on that river, now the site of the present Mamaroneck Water Works, upon which site there continued to be a mill of some kind until it was bought two years ago to establish those works. He made leases at different points throughout the Mano…

Papers still in existence show that his Tenants were in the habit of coming to him for aid and counsel in their most private affairs, especially in the settlement of family disputes, and he was often called upon to draw their wills- But space will not permit mention of incidents and facts of only personal or local interest, or of details of his general management of the Manor, or his agricul…

Reproduced from the Engraving from the Original Painting in possession of the Rt. Rev. W. H. De Lancey, Bishop of Western New York. « THE ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE MANORS. Customs for the Eastern District of North America,* Judge of the Court of Admiralty for the Provinces of New York and New Jersey and Connecticut, one of His Majesty's Council for the Province of New York, and brother of …

Colonel Caleb Heathcote was the sixth son of Gilbert Heathcote, Mayor of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England, by his wife, Anne Chase Dickens. He was born in his Father's house in that city, still standing, in 1665. He was the sixth of seven sons who lived to maturity -- Gilbert, John, Samuel, Josiah, William, Caleb and George. Of these, who all became successful merchants in England and foreig…

Gilbert, the eldest, was Lord Mayor of London, Member of Parliament, one of the founders and the first Governor of the Bank of England, knighted by Queen Anne, and created a Baronet in 1732 by George XL His grandson of the same name was raised to the Peerage in 1856, as Baron Aveland, of Aveland, in the County of Lincoln, and his great grandson is the present Lord Great Chamberlain of Engla…

All stones were destroyed when the Firet Trinity was burned, Sept. 15, 1776. » Xfw York Gaietle, No. 564,of 23 Aug., 1736. Right Honorable Sir William Heathcote, Bart., of the Privy Council, late Member of Parliament for the University of Oxford, the pupil and warm friend of the poet Keble, whom he preferred to the Rectorship of Hursley, which will ever be as famous as that of George Herb…

Martha, the only other child of Colonel Caleb Heathcote, who came to maturity, married Lewis Johnston, of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, and left two sons -- John L. and Heathcote-- and two daughters -- Anne and Margaret. The line of Heathcote Johnston is now extinct, and that of John L., it is said, is now extinct in the males. Anne married William Burnet, son of Governor Burnet of New York, and gr…

He died in 1690 and lies in the burial place of the Heathcoteson the north side of the altar rails, in the ancient Parish Church of Chesterfield, the cruciform church 600 years old, with the central twisted spire 230 feet high and 14 feet out of the perpendicular, yet perfectly secure, which, like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, is a puzzle whether it was or was not so erected originally. Against…

Gilbert, John, Samuel, Elizabeth, Josiah, William Caleb, George, and Thomas ; of which Elizabeth and Thomas died in their infancy; but he had the particular blessing to see all the rest Merchants adventurers, either in England or in foreign parts. This was erected by his sons, as well to testify their gratitude, as to perpetuate the Memory of the best of fathers. Here also lieth interred …

Colonel Heatlicote singularly enough was Mayor of the City of New York in 1711 to 1714 at the same time that his elder brother Gilbert was Lord Mayor of London. He was one of the strongest and most active Churchmen of his day. To him was the Church of England in New York and in Westchester County indebted for its foundation and growth more than to any other one man. He formed an organization …

He also was the leading man in founding the parishes of Westchester East Chester, and Rye, in the County of Westchester to all of which he contributed his efforts and his means. His Manor of Scarsdale and Mamaroneck formed one of the precincts of the Parish of Rye,- 1 On the 2d of December, 1708, at the rerinest of Gilbert and his brothers, these arms were confirmed, with the change of the …

Johnston, his entire estate, real and personal, descended to those ladies in equal shares. By Indentures of lease and release dated the 1" and 4"' days of July 1738 Lewis Johnston and Martha his wife conveyed her undivided half part of her Father's estate to Andrew Johnston a relative of her husband. And he by deed dated July 7"" 1738 reconveyed it to Lewis Johnston and his heirs in fee. Thi…

The former were always given the first right to purchase their farms in fee, and no farm was ever sold to strangers except with the tenants' assent, notwithstanding the proprietors were not bound to do so. In 1773 Anne de Lancey and Lewis Johnston determined to have a partition of all the lands in the Manor that remained unsold, and proceedings to that end were begun under the act of the P…

A fter the proper advertisements had been published the proper time in Rivington's New York Gazetteer and Holt's New York Journal, two of the newspapers of the da}', the Commissioners met to organize " at the house of Thomas Beslj' in New Rochelle " on the oth of April 1774. Philip Pell, .Ir , was appointed clerk. The Commissioners and ch'rk were sworn in by Judge Tiiomas Jones of the Suprem…

He knew every one of note in the County, and was as thoroughly accpiainted with the Manor lands in general as he was with those he himself had in cultivation. Jacobus Bleecker was a prominent resident and land holder of New Rochelle, and the grandfather of the late Anthony J. Bleecker, the well known Real Estate Auctioneer of New York. Philip Pell was of the old manorial family of the Pells …

The Commissioners then appointed Charles Webb, at that time and for thirty years after, one of the best Surveyors of the Province and State, Surveyor to make the Survey under oath, which was duly administered to him, and also to Joseph Purdy and Gilbert Robinson as chain bearers and Doty Doughty as " flagg carrier," and then they adjourned to the next day, the 7"^. when the survey was begun…

The Survey and Map, a reduced copy of the latter of which is annexed, divided all the unsold lands then, in 1774, remaining in the possession of Colonel Heathcote's heirs, into three divisions, the North, the Middle, and the South Divisions, designated by the number of the respective lots in each. The balloting was thus effected, a boy blindfolded, one John Wallisby name, was appointed to dra…

It also shows the "Great Lotts" or the " Long Lotts " being those in the northern part of the township Tract which Colonel Heathcote and the other owners had so laid out in 1706, in the former's lifetime, and also the short lots at their southern end, all of which took up the whole of that tract northward and beyond the home lots, to the township line. The latter are not shown. Colonel Heat…

From the respective owners who recciveil their particular lots under this final partition of the Manor HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY. Lands of Scarsdale in fee, have those lands passed to the great number of parties now owning and occupying them, with, of course, all the rights and privileges of all lauds granted by the Crown of England prior to the 14th of October 1775, and guaranteed and co…

The country is well wooded and the " Saxton Forest," formerly 300 acres, though much reduced in size, is still one of the largest single forests in the county. The drives are exceedingly fine, abounding with great and varied beauty. The soil is fertile and yields abundantly. In closing this chapter the writer regrets that space will not permit specific local details of the other Manors in t…

Thomas Dongan, Captain General and Governorin-chief in and over the province of New Yorke, and the territories depending thereon in America, under his most sacred ]\Iajesty, James the Second, by tlie grace of Gad Kinge of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, defender of the faith, &c., -- to all to whom these presents shall come, sendeth greeting : Whereas, Richard Nicolls, Esq., late gove…

Amongst other things was settled unto Thomas Pell, of Onkway, alias Fairfield, in his Majestye's colony of Connecticut-- gentleman -- all that certaine tract of land upon the maine lying and being to the eastward of Westchester bounds, bounded to the Westward with a river called by the Indians Aquaconounck, commonly known to the English by the name of Hutchinson's River, which runneth into t…

River, which runneth into the bay lyeing betweene Throgmorton's Neck and Anne Hooke's Neck, cornonly caled Hutchingson's Bay, bounded on the east by a brooke called Cedar Tree Brooke, or Gravelly Brooke ; on the south by the Sound, which lyeth betweene Longe Island and the maine land, with all the islands in the Sound not before that time granted or disspossed of, lyeing before that tract of …

THE ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE MANORS. first day of May, if the same shall be demanded as by the said deede in writeing, and the eutrey thereof in the bookes of records in the secretarie's office for the province aforetiaid, may more fully and at large appeare. And whereas, John Pell, gentleman, nephew of the said Thomas Pell, to whom the lauds, islands and premises, with appurtenances, now b…

And whereas, John Pell, gentleman, nephew of the said Thomas Pell, to whom the lauds, islands and premises, with appurtenances, now by the last will and testament of him, the said Thomas Pell, given and bequeathed, now is in the actual, peaceable andquiett seazeing and possession of all and singular the premises, and hath made his humble request to mee, the said Thomas Dongan, that I would,…

to time, shall happen to be due and payable by and from any the inhabitants of or within the said lordshipp and manner of Pelham abovesaid ; and also all and every the powers and authorities herein before mentioned, for the holding and keepeing of the said court leete and court barron, firom time to time, and to award and issue forth the costomary writts to be issued and awarded out of the s…

In testimony whereof, I have signed these presents with my handwriting, caused the scale of the province to be thereunto affixed, and have ordained that the same be entered upon record in the Secretary's office, the five and twentyeth day of October, in the third yeare of the Kinge Majestye's reigne, and in the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred eighty and seven.' Thomas Dongax. ma…

Lewis Morris, of the Island of Barbadoes, a certain plantation or tract of land laying or being upon the maine over against the town of Haerlem, commonly called Bronckse's land, containing 250 margin or 800 acres of land, besides the meadow thereunto annexed or adjoining, butted and bounded as in the original Dutch ground brief and patent of confirmation is set forth ; which said tract of land…

Lewis Morris' house -- the additional land containing (according to the survey thereof) the quantity of fourteen hundred and twenty acres, to have and to hold the afore-recited tract of land before possessed by him, and the additional land within the limits and bounds aforesaid, together with the woods and meadows, both salt and fresh waters and creeks, belonging to the said lands, unto the s…

Lewis Morris, deceased, in his lifetime, and our said loving subject, his nephew and sole and only heir since bis decease, have been at great charge and expense in the purchasing, settling and improving of the said tracts and parcels of land, whereon considerable buildings have likewise been made; and our said loving subject, being willing still to make further improvements thereon -- which …

THE ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE MANORS. longing, adjoining, or in any appertaining or accepted, reputed, taken, known unto bini, tlic said Lewis Morris, his heirs and assinees, to the sole and only proper use benefit and behoof of him the said Lewis IMorris, his heirs and assinees forever, and moreover, that if our further special grace, certain knowledge, and mear motion, we have brought it …

longing, adjoining, or in any appertaining or accepted, reputed, taken, known unto bini, tlic said Lewis Morris, his heirs and assinees, to the sole and only proper use benefit and behoof of him the said Lewis IMorris, his heirs and assinees forever, and moreover, that if our further special grace, certain knowledge, and mear motion, we have brought it according to the reasonable request of…

Morrissania, and we do also give and grant unto the said Lewis Morris, his heirs and assinees, that all and each of the tenants of him the said Lewis Morris, within the said manor, may at all times hereafter, meet together and choose assesors, within the manor aforesaid, according to such rules, ways and methods, as are prescribed for cities, towns and counties within our province aforesaid…

Witnesse our trusty and well beloved Benjamin Fletcher, our capt. gen. and gov. in-chief of our province of New York, and the territories and tracts of land depending thereon, in America, and vice-admiral of the same, our lieutenant commander-in-chief of the militia and of all the forces by sea and land within our colony of Connecticut, and of all the forts and places of strength w'ithin the…

limits of the whole tract or parcel of land beginning at the high wood land that lyes due northwest over against the first point of the main land to the east of the island Pepirinhnan -- there where the hill Moskuta is -- and soe goes alongst the said kill, the said land striking from the high wood land before mentioned east soutlieast, till it comes to Bronk's, his kill ; soe westward up a…

jurisdiction either upon the main or Long Island, but shall, in all cases, things and matters, be deemed, reputed, taken and held as an absolute, entire, enfranchised township, manor and place of itself in this government, as aforesaid, and shall be ruled, ordered and directed, in all matters as to government, by ye governor and his council, and ye general court of assizes, only always provide…

Given under my hand, and. sealed with the seal of the province at Fort James,, in New York, on the island of Manhattan, this thirteenth day of November, in the twenty-third year of the reign of our sovereign lord, Charles the Seccond, by the grace of God, of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, and Anno Domini, 1671. Francis Lovelace, manor-grant of philipseb…

defenders of the faith, &c., to uU to whom these presents shall come, greeting: whereas, the Honorable Richard Nicolls, Esq., late governor of our Province of New York,.&c., by a certain deed or patent, sealed with the seal of our said Province, bearing date the 8th day of Oct., in the year of our Lord, 1GG6, pursuant to the authority in him residing, did give and grant unto Hugh O'Neale and …

Col. Thomas Dougan, late gov. of our said province &c., and as by a certain deed or patent, sealed with the seal of our said province, &c., and bearing date the 19th of Feb., in the year of our Lord, 1684-5, pursuant to the authority in him then residing, for the consideration therein expressed, did further grant, ratify and con- 11b firm, unto the said Thomas Deleval, Frederick Philips, Ge…

Bettsand George Tippets, and tl>en by a certain lyne of marked trees due west 30 chains to the marked tree or southeast corner of the purchase of John Heddy, then due N. 34 chains, from thence due west by their purchase, 90 chains to the north-west corner of the 300 acres, then due south 16 chains to the north-west corner of the 20 acres purchased of John Heddy, thence and by the said land …

Betts, George Tippets and Thomas Heddy, to the west by Hudson's river, containing in all, 7,708 acres, together with all and singular the messuages, tenements, buildings, barns, stables, orchards, gardens, pastures, meadows, mills, mill-dams, runs, streams, ponds, rivers, brooks, woods, under-woods, trees, timber, fencing, fishing, fowling, hunting, hawking, liberties, privileges, hereditame…

sell, all that one full third part of all and singular the said tract of land, afore recited, described and bounded within the limits aforesaid unto him the said Frederick Philips one of the parties aforesaid, together with all that one full and equal third part of all and singular the houses, out-houses, barns, stables, mills, milldams, buildings, fences and edifices thereon erected and built…

Sir Edmund Audross, late governor of our said province of New York, &c., by a certain writing or patent, sealed with the seal of our said province, bearing date the first day of April, in the year of our Lord, 1680, pursuant to the authority in him then residing, did give and grant unto the said Frederick Philips, a certain tract or parcel of land, beginning at a creek or river called by th…

satisfaction of him the said Frederick Philips for the said land adjoining, to each syde of the creek or river aforesaid, which said land is situate, lying and being on each side of the said creek or river, north and south 1600 treads or steps which at 12 ft to the rod, makes 400 rod and runs up into the country so far as the said creek or river goeth, with this proviso or restriction that i…

112 June, 1693. THE ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE MANORS. 160c pear, as likewise another tract or parcel of land on the east side of Hudson's river that was by said Frederick Phiii|)s purchased of the Indians Goharius, Cobus, and Tognuanduck, on the 23d day of April, in the year of our Lord, IfiSl, whi«h tract or parcel of land being situate on the east side of the North or Hudson's river, begin…

pear, as likewise another tract or parcel of land on the east side of Hudson's river that was by said Frederick Phiii|)s purchased of the Indians Goharius, Cobus, and Tognuanduck, on the 23d day of April, in the year of our Lord, IfiSl, whi«h tract or parcel of land being situate on the east side of the North or Hudson's river, beginning at the south side of a creek called Bissigktick, and so …

of the head of a creek called by the Indians Wegquiskeek, being the utmost bounds of the said Frederick Philips's land, formerly bought of the Indians, and from thence westwardly along the said creek Wegqueskeek to Hudson's river aforesaid, as by the said Indian deed, relation being thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear, and also another tract or parcel of land that was by the sai…

HISTORY OF WE8TCHESTEE COUNTY. said moiety or equal half part of the said meadows and premises with the appertinences unto the said Frederick Philips, his heirs and assigns forever, as by the said grant or patent, sealed with the seal of our said province and registered in our secretary's office aforesaid, bearing date the said 27th day of June, in the year of our Lord, 1687, and as by the …

said moiety or equal half part of the said meadows and premises with the appertinences unto the said Frederick Philips, his heirs and assigns forever, as by the said grant or patent, sealed with the seal of our said province and registered in our secretary's office aforesaid, bearing date the said 27th day of June, in the year of our Lord, 1687, and as by the said deed of conveyance, under …

royalties, profits, commodities, hereditaments and api)urtenances whatsoever to the said tract or parcel of land within the bounds and limits aforesaid, belonging or in any ways appertaining, to have and to hold the said tract or parcel of land and all and singular other the premises with their and every of their appurtenances, unto the said Philip Philips, his ' heirs and assigns forever, a…

{ relation being thereunto had more fully and at large appear; and whereas the aforesaid Thomas Dongan, late Gov. of our said province, by virtue of the said power and authority in him residing hath, by another grant or patent sealed with the seal of our said province and registered in our secretary's office aforesaid, bearing date the 27th day of June, in the year of our Lord, ]t)87, given,…

THE ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE MANORS. 160e meadow said to belong to Cornelius Claaler, on the east by Hudson's river on the south and west by the said creek, containing in all six acres three roods and eight perches, as by the return of the survey, bearing date the 19th day of April, in the said fourth year of our reign, and in the year of our Lord, lf)!>2, relation being thereunto had may…

meadow said to belong to Cornelius Claaler, on the east by Hudson's river on the south and west by the said creek, containing in all six acres three roods and eight perches, as by the return of the survey, bearing date the 19th day of April, in the said fourth year of our reign, and in the year of our Lord, lf)!>2, relation being thereunto had may more fully and at large appear, all which se…

And whereas our loving subject the said Fre<lerick Phili[)s, one of the members of our council of our said provinc^ of New Y'ork, and the territories depending thereon in America, hath by his petition presented to Benjamin Fletcher, our captain-general and governor-in-chief of our said province of New York, &c., prayed our grant and confirmation of all and every the tracts and parcels of la…

Know yr, that of our special grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, we have given, granted, ratified, and confirmed, and by these presents do, for us, our heirs and succes.sors, give, grant, ratify, and confirm unto said Frederick Philips, his heirs and assigns, all and every the aforerecited tracts and parcels of land and meadow ground within the limits and bounds before mentioned and e…

160/ HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY. and mere motion, we have thought fit, according to the request of our said loving subject, to erect all the aforesaid recited tracts and parcels of lands and meadows with the limits and bounds aforesaid, into a lordship or manor, and, therefore, by these presents we do erect, make, and constitute all the aforesaid recited tracts and parcels of land and m…

And knoif ye, that we, reposing special trust and confidence in the loyalty, wisd<(m, justice, prudence, and circumspection of our loving subject, do, for us, our heirs and successors, give and grant unto the said Frederick Philips, and to the heirs and assignees of him the said Frederick Philips, full power and authority at all times forever hereafter in the said lordship or manor, one cour…

the church or churches erected or to be erected or estab - lished or hereafter to be erected or established within the said manor of Philipsborough ; and we do also further give and grant unto the said Frederick Philips, his heirs and assignees, that all and singular the tenants of the said Frederick Philips, within the said manor .shall and may at all times hereafter meet together and choos…

In testimony whereof we have caused the seal of our province of New York to be hereunto affixed. Witne-is Benjamin Fletcher our captain-general and governor-in-chief of our province of New York aforesaid, province of Pennsylvania and countj' of New Castle, and the territory and tracts of land depending thereon in America, at Fort William Heary, the 12th day of June, in the fifth year of our…

Dongan arrived in August, and, in less than a month, summoned the people to elect representatives to the first Assembly, which he ordered to meet on the 17th of October, in the city of New York. Westchester County, being one of the three Ridings of Long Island, returned two members to this body, whose names, unfortunately, are not known, the acts of the old New York Assembly being, " for the…

In the latter part of November, after an intimation from the Governor, that, unless there was an abatement of her claims, he would proceed to extremities, a delegation from Connecticut was sent to New York to settle the boundary line between the two provinces. In the previous determination, in 1664, the understanding drawn up in formal manner was, that the dividing Hue should runabout twenty m…

The mouth of the Byram River was settled as the boundary point, and, as not less than five towns (always regarded in Connecticut) would be thrown out of it by following this line, an equivalent tract, quantity for quantity (ever since called the "Oblong "), was, in consideration, assigned in lieu of the towns, to New York.' These lines, partitions, limits and bounds, it was resolved, should…

The result of this dissatisfaction was an open rupture on the occasion of the election of a member of the General Assembly, in 1697, in which the sherift''s authority was disputed and an armed force from Connecticut interposed to prevent tiie accomplishment of the election. The course of these towns and the government of Connecticut received a practical rebuke when, in 1700, King William conf…

'"Bonndarics of tlie State of New York." Keport of the Regents of the Vnivcrsity, pp. iBaird's Kye, p. 118. Public Records of Connecticut, vol. iv. p. :i,35. HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY. whom no returns having been made, Santen was compelled to be satisfied with two bonds, payable in the succeeding March. These Governor Dongan looked upon to be of no value and all the revenue of that coun…

In a letter of theirs to the Board of Trade they join with Lieutenant-Governor Nicholson and Mr. W. Bayard in saying " how fatall it hath been to this city and the Province of New York for to be annexed to that of Boston, which, if it had continued, would have occasioned the totall ruin of the Inhabitants of .?aid Province." ' It must easily appear that these changes, with the consi'ijuent t…

But, strange to s:iy, instead of a united congratulation, the anxiety on the part of the populace for the change, and dread lest it should miscarry, combining with the untoward situation of things, the absence of any accredited representative of the higher power and of any otficial information of the accession of William (which would have been followed by a public proclamation of it), caused …

Bayard and of the other citizens who, as members of the Council, had been associated widi Dongan and Andros in the adminstration of affairs, and who now, with Nicholson, having indeed no orders, were delaying the proclamation of William and Mary, that the captains of the train-bands, induced by Jacob Leisler, one of their number, took possession of the Fort, and declared their determination t…

" Hliereae, our inteiitioQ tended only but to the preservatiou of tbe [irolestant religion ami tlie fort of tliis city, to the end tliat we may avoid and prevent the rash judgment of the world in so just a design, we have thought tit to let every body know by these public proclamatione that till the safe arryval of the .ships that we expect every day from his royal highness, the prince of Ora…

When it is remembered that it was at this very time that the French settlers of New Rochelle obtained through Leisler their lands in that town from John Pell, and when also the rumors industriously circulated are presented, which pictured the French as having, among other designs in taking New York, one to seize their countrymen, the Huguenots, and torture them or ship them back to France,^ …

When Leisler took possession of the fort at New York, Lieutenant-Governor Nicholson without dehij' set sail for England, leaving the government in charge of the Council, the membeis of which were, Philii)se, Van Cortland and Bayard. Of course, the public confidence was still more diminished. Leisler, taking advantage of this state of things, invited from each of the counties a delegation of…

In a suit tried at Westchester in 1693, Williams, then sixty-two years of age, deposed that " the first reason of this difficulty was a big look violently from me. Caj)tain Panton commanded him (Leggett, the plaintiff) to hold his peace, but he still continued abusing the defendant, and said, ' here comes the father of rogues' and many scurrilous words, upon which I got a warrant against hi…

The first Assembly of the province, which the new Governor summoned, met on the 9th of April, 1691, and the member from Westchester County was John Pell. The position taken by this Assembly was that the acts passed in 1683, not having received the approbation of Charles the Second nor the Duke of York were null and void, and it proceeded to enact some of the laws supposed by the people to be…

After much delay and hesitation, and under circumstances not too strongly to be reprehended, the execution of Leisler and his son-in-law and confederate, Jacob Milborne, was ordered and took jjlace on the 16th of May, 1691. The punishment of Williams and his associates was deferred. But little more than two months passed when Sloughter himself, after an illness of only two days, died under ci…

From the report of Governor Fletcher to the home government, in April of this year, we extract the following from his list of those employed in civil ofiice in the province of New York: The justices in Westchester County were Col. Caleb Heathcote, Judge of Common Pleas, J(jseph Theale, Win. Barnes, Daniel Strange, James Mott, John Hunt, Wm. Chadderton, Thomas Pinkney, Esqrs.; Benjamin Col…

It required that there should be two ministers in the county of Westchester, one of whom should have care of Westchester, East Chester, Yonkers and the Manor of Pelham, and the other of Rye, Mamaroneck and Bedford, and that fifty pounds should be raised for each of the incumbents ; and also whatever sum might be necessary for the maintenance of the poor, which amounts were to be levied by th…

Sundays were only times set apart by them for all manner of vain sports and lewd diversion, and they were grown to such a degree of rudeness that it was intolerable. I liaving then command of the militia, sent an order to all the captains . . . that in case they would not in every town agree among themselves to appoint readers and to pass the Sabbath in the best manner they could . . . that t…

In 1695 the Assemblymen from Westchester County were Joseph Purdy, of Rye, and Humphrey Underbill; but in April, 1697, Underbill, for non-attendance, was expelled, and Joseph Theale returned in his stead. In 1698 the Earl of Bellamont succeeded Fletcher in the Governorship, and in the new Assembly Joseph Purdy, and John Drake of East Chester, appear for Westchester County. A complaint of undue…

The matter having been referred to a committee on the petition of Fowler, David Provoost, from this committee, reported that it had sent for several persons and papers and had found that Henry Fowler was elected a member of the House. The report was ai)proved, and the clerk of the crown was ordered before the House to amend the returns by putting out the name of Joseph Purdy and putting in …

Another election was ordered for the next spring, but the Assembly was itself dissolved on the 3d of May. On the 30th of September, 1701, as signers of a petition to King William from the Protestants of New York, evidently anti-Leislerians, appear the names of Caleb Heathcote, John Horton, Joseph Purdee, John Drake, William Willett and William Barnes, who * New York Col. Mss., vol. iv. pp. …

Is it not probable that John Drake, -- Lieutenant of the militia company in East Chester, which went down to aid Leisler, took the gauge of this ambitious and arrogant man from dealings with him at the Fort, and hence easily fell into line with those who made common cause with the friends of law and order, rather to resist the aspirations of the new man, when his claims for consideration ab…

In 172G, Frederick Philipse accepted the i)osition, which he held until his death, in 1751, and which his son, of the same name, held after him until the Revolution. From 178!) to 1748, Daniel Purdy, of Rye, and from 1743 to the Revolution, Judge John Thomas, of the same town, was the other member from the county. The courtesy of Mr. Willett and the election of Lewis Morris in 1738 will he …

" Our representatives," says Smith, "agreeable to the general sense of their constituents, are tenacious in their opinions that the inhabitants of this colony are entitled to all the privileges of Englishmen ; that they have a right to participate in the legislative power, and that the session of Assemblies here is wisely substituted, instead of a representation in Parliament.'" And yet this …

Colonel William Cosby, formerly Governor of ilinorca, was commissioned for New York, but remained in England nearly a year before embarking for his position, under the declared motive of preventing the [)assage of a bill, called the Sugar Bill, which was disastrous to the interests of the New York colony. Very early after his arrival a pecuniary disagreement sprang up between the Governor an…

To the vacant ofiice the Governor appointed the First Associate Judge, James De Lancey, who, with Judge Adolph Philipse, had not justified the course of Morris. The excitement in this matter extended to Westchester County. To allow of the election of Chief Justice Morris to the Assembly, William Willett, his friend and townsman, resigned his seat in that body. The person named to oppose the…

Xicholas Cooper, Esq., high slieriff of the said county, having, by papers affixed to the church of East Cliester and otlier public places, ^iven notice of the day and place of election without mentioning any time of the day when it was to be done, which made the electors on the side of the late jiulge very suspicious that some fraud was intended-- to prevent which abo>it fifty of them kept wat…

They were joined on the hill at the east end of the town bj about seventy hoi-se of the electors of the lower part of the county, and then proceeded towards the place of election in the following order, viz. : Fii'st rode two trumpeters and three violins ; next, fo\ir of the principal freeholders, one of which carried a banner, on one side of which was atlixed, in gold capitals, ' King George…

About 11 o'clock appeared the candidate of the other side William Forster, Esq., schoolmaster, appointed by the Society for Propagation of the Gospel, and lately made, by commission from his Excellency (the present Governor), Clerk of the Peace and Conmion Pleas in that county, which commission, it is said, he purchased for the valuable consideration of one hundred pistoles, given the Governor…

They entered the green on the east side, and, riding twice round it, their word was 'No Land Tax !' As they pivssed, the second judge very civilly saluted the late chief justice by taking oft' his hat, which the late judge returned in the same manner, some of the late judge's party crying out ' No Excise ! ' and one of them was heard to say(tliough not by the judge) ' No Pretender ! ' upon whi…

Upon this Forster and the two Fowlers Moses and William, chosen by him to be inspectors, questioned his having an estate and required of the sheriff to tender him the book to swear in due form of law, which he refused to do, but offered to take his solemn affirmation, which, both by the laws of England and the laws of this province, was indulged to the people called Quakers, and had always been …

William Willet (a person of good estate and known integrity, who was at that time present and ready to make oath to the truth of what was said), that true it was, he had taken oaths to his JIajesty King George and enjoyed a place in the Government under him which gave him bread ; yet, notwithstanding, that should James coine into England he should think himself obliged to go there and fight …

In this vindication of these gentlemen, the Council, with much spirit, joined. In course of time provision was made by special enactment,' by which, where the usual form of oath could not conscientiously be taken, affirmation should be allowed. Thus future misunderstanding was prevented. The excitement that characterized this special election did not, it would seem, attend that of the next yea…

When, for example, the capitulation of Fort William Henry, in August, 1757, was reported (seven officers and fift}' men of the garrison, all New Yorkers, thereby becoming prisoners of war), a deep thrill of indignation stirred every breast/ but the feeling was more intense when the word came that "the French General Montcalm, under his own eyes and in the face of about three thousand of his…

The people made a loud huzza, which the late chief judge blamed very much, as what he thought not right. Forster reiilieil, he took no notice of what the common people did, since Sir. Morris did not jiut them upon the doing of it. Tlie indentures being sealed, the whole body of electors waited on their new representative to his lodgings, with trumpets sounding and violins playing, anil in a l…

2 X. Y. Col. MSS., vol. Tii, p. 274. ;AL period. 167 1763, that the joy was almost immoderate may well be imagined. The various muster-rolls of companies raised in Westchester County for this war, to which allusion has been made, offer a suggestion or two worthy of notice. The existence of a well-organized militia force at this period is established by the designation of the captains of the…

So large is the proportion of such that it would appear that the County during this period was receiving large accessions to its population from other nations and other colonies. Ireland, " Old Englanil " and Connecticut are frequently indicated as the place of nativity. We find also that more thanhalf of these soldiers were under twenty-five years of age. A result of these military experienc…

And the consequence, as was to be expected, was deei) and universal discontent. And when this is said, it is but just to remember that in those years the most thoroughly loyal were exasperated with the course pursued by the home government, and deemed it neither wise nor fair. Some of these were pronounced enough; others there were who took perhaps too much account of the excitable elements …

What must have been tlie consternation in the lower towns as, in May, 1765, five hundred men -- country levelers they are called -- at first reported to be two thousand strong, marched down to Kingsbridge, and sent into town the threat to Mr. Van Cort- ' land, that unless he would give them a grant forever of h\< lands, they would enter the city and pull down his house, and also one belongin…

Clinton (afterward Governor George Clinton), the Assembly having before it for approval the words, " AV^e, in many instances, disapprove of the conduct of that province (Massachusetts)," moved to substitute in place of them the following strong assertion: "The ill-policied schenie of colonial administration pursued by your Majesty's ministers since the close of the late war has been producti…

1 .Juurual of Captain John Jlontressor, N.Y. Hist. Soc. Col., 1881, p. 3G3. ' " this House doth Concur witli and adopt tlie resolutions of the House of Burgesses of the Dominion of Virginia.'" -- K. Y. Assembly Journal, May 16, 17G9. 3 Of course in not suggesting before this, the able political pamphlets under the name of A. Tl'. Furmet; written by Mr. Wilkins, the member of the General Asse…

A petition from Joseph Rodman and one hundred and twenty-six others, ft'eeholders and inhabitants of the Manor of Pelham, East and Westchester and New Roclielle, in the County of Westchester, having been presented to the House and read, praying that Joshua Pell, Jr., may have leave to bring in a bill to enable him to erect a bridge across the old creek, so-called, that runs between the said …

In them are found the leaders of thought and action in religion, in the State and in society. The judicial, executive and legislative functions ot government were being exercised by members of these families during the colonial period. How largely the production of its ])rosperity is to be attributed to the thoughtfulness and energy of the original Patentees of Westchester County may readily…

He married" Rachel Pinckney" and died about the year 1700, leaving a number of children and grandchilintention to ignore his determined opjioBition to all efforts beyond those of remonstrance ; and yet we read those papers amiss, and his speeches, and his vote, with all his earnestness of diction, if we are not juslified in saying that, beneath, is all the wounded spirit of one who feels the …

Prevost ; James, who married Martha Pugsley, and who lived on Prospect Hill, in the house which General Howe took possession of, October 18, 1776, as his headquarters; Philip, in the war Judge-Advocate of the American army, who lived on the old Boston Post Road, above Pell's Bridge; David I. his brother, who lived near the same bridge, but on the road sometimes called Pelham Lane, where Mr. …

This second Frederick was for many years one of the council of the Governor. He was a merchant in the city much respected. His grandson, Frederick, represented Westchester for a quarter of a century in the Assembly, as did also a Fifth Frederick, wliose estates were confiscated after the Revolution. This family was connected by marriage with the Van Cortlaudt and Morris families. The estates o…

Governor Caldwallader Colden, and Oliver, another brother, held many positions of trust, among which were Receiver-General and member of the Governor's Council. He was also an officer in the French War, rising afterwards, in the Revolution, to the rank in the British service of Brigadier-General- This family, so marked for its political influence, became connected by marriage with the Alien…

His property went to his brother Lewis by reason of an agreement made between them, but at the decease of Lewis passed to his nephew of the same name, who afterwards became Chief Justice of New York, as also, in 1733, under circumstances of excitement and selfdefence already narrated, the Representative of Westchester County. The different limbs and branches of this ancestral tree are very n…

The early settler entered upon his work of raising the supply for his family and neighbors with the knowledge of a sure and easy disi)osal of the sur])lus of his crop. There is no doubt that in a coasting trade much was sent both north and south, to Rhode Island and Boston and the Carolinas, direct from the villages of the County, but the vast bulk of what it had to sell went through New Y…

Clinton, seeing the stupidity of this proceeding, in a letter to the home government, asks, " May not a Colony ... of Freemen who consume a vast quantity of the Manufectures of Great Britain, tho' this Colony raise no staple which can be imported directly into Great Britain, be more useful to her than a Colony which raises a considerable staple imported into Great Britain, and this Staple is …

Mails. -- There seems not to be any indication of a postal communication between New York and any point in this county earlier than 1672. Of course, letters were passing by private conveyance from the very first of the settlements. Expressions showing this occur again and again in the public documents. But in the year mentioned Governor Lovelace authorized a messenger or post to set forth fro…

In the " Instructions for the Postman " are the following : " You are to comport yourself with all sobriety and civility to those that shall intrust, and not exact on them for the prices, both of Letters and Pacquets ; " "you are likewise to advise where the most commodious place will be to leave the Letters out of your road, which, when having it once well fixt, you are not only to leave the…

Sir John Werden, on the 27th of August, 1684, writes " As for setting up Post Houses along the coast from Carolina to Nova Scotia, it seems a very reasonable thing, and you may offer the privilege thereof to any undertakers for ye space of 3 or 5 yeares, by way of farme, reserving w' part of ye profitt you thinke fitt to the Duke (not less y° onetenth)." * The next February he fully determin…

The following are noticeable indications of the existence of this mail : On the ItUh of January, 16S9. the mail having just left the house of Colonel Lewis Morris, in this county, was seized by Leisler's order and returned to New- York and examined.' The Earl of Bellaraont, writing May 25, 1(598, from New York, says : " the sure way of conveying letters to me is by the way of Boston, wh…

In 1704 we have from jMadam Knight's journal an account of her trip from Boston to New York herself, and the postman on horseback.* In 1703 Lord Cornbury, sending home for approval several bills passed by the Assembly, speaks of one as " An Act of absolute necessity, for without it the Post to Boston and Philadelphia will be lost."* 1 X. Y. Col. MSS., vol. iii. p. r,S2. 3 N. Y. Col. JISS., …

With little-variation this through mail arrangement, from which doubtless the inhabitants of Westchester County derived the same advantages a.s others on the route, continued on for twenty years longer,, when, Benjamin Franklin having^ been made Post-, master-General for the colonies, entered upon office with determination to increase the ])ostal facilities.* The weekly mail was so…

He died of a Fever in the sixty -second year of his age."* The second was Ebenezer Hurd, who was forty-seven years, at least Post-rider and was in the i^osition at the commencement of the Revolution. ' Newspapers. -- Although not one newspaper seems to have been published in Westchester County in ante-Revolutionary times, the city press found here its firmest patrons. The weekly mail broug…

It appears that the unfortunate old gentleman and his more unfortunate old lady had, upon some necessary occasion the evening before, agreed to lay separate ; and the doctor, taking his leave, went to bed, leaving his wife sitting before the fire, where, it is imagined, the poor old gentlewoman must either have been seized with a fit, or, in rising from her chair had fallen into the fire, a…

3 This occurred in the house of Pr. Standard, opposite the church. brown horse, about fifteen hands high, has a small star on his Forehead and goes narrow with his Hams behind, he is branded in several Places, but not vei^ plain, on his Foreshoulder with I H, and on his Left Thigh with I R. Whosoever takes up the said Horse and brings him to his said owner shall have Five Pounds reward and all…

Of course, ip a region devoted to agriculture the facilities of travel were in each family, and neighborly exchanges of opportunities were equal to the demand. So also the rivers on both sides of the county ofltred large advantages from the very first for trade and other interests. But the first known public conveyance, outside of j^ostal arrangements, through this county was established in …

The price to Passengers will be 4 d New York or 3 d lawful Money per Mile and Baggage at a reasonable lute. " Gentlemen and Ladies who choose to encourage this useful, new and expensive LTndertaking, may depend upon good Usage, and that the Coach will always put up at Houses on the Road where the best Entertainment is provided. . . . If ou Trial the Subscribers find Encouragement they will pe…

However, very soon two and three trijjs were made every week between the two cities.' And next a stage for Westchester County, going as far as Rye, was started, with, however, the very strange selection of six o'clock in the evening for the return trip on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. « Weekly Pott Boy, March 23, 1747. 5 Weekly Post Boy, January 19, 1747. <• Frank's New York Directoiy,…

4J gon, fcts out on Mondays from his Houfe, at the Sign of the Death of the Fox, in Strawberry ally, and drives the fame day to Trenton Fcrrj-, when Francis Holman meets him and proceeds on TuefJay to Brunfwick, and the paffengers and goods being /hilted into the waggon of Ifaac Ficzrandolph he takes them to the New Blazing Star to ]acob Fitz'randolph's the fame day, uhere Rubin Fitzranciolph…

Again, in 1755, a public ferry between Ann Hook's Xeck, or Rodman's Neck, and Cedar-Tree Brook, in Hampstead Harbor, was in operation, Samuel Rodman and John Wooley being the patentees.' On a map of the road from Federal Hall to New Rochelle, passing over the Harlem River at Kingsbridge, and over the Bronx at Williams' Bridge and through East Chester, there is laid down a side-road in that …

It took the people of East Chester thirty years before they were determined to build, although they had asked permission twenty years before, and after this resolve near seven years elapsed before the Meeting-house was ready for use. Bedford, which was settled about 1680, and which that very year expressed its determination to build, had a place of worship within a few years. The following …

1766. 1770. . , Westcliester Imlepeiidents. . i Westcliester Friends. I Bedford I'resliyterians. iXew liochelle Hugueuots. .Mount I'leasant Keformed Dutch. East Chester Independents. Westcliester Independents. Fordham Reformed Dutcli. Rye Church of England. Xew Rochelle Church of England. Xew Rochelle ReforniedProtestant. White Plains I*resbyterian8. Rye Presbyterians. Cortlandt Ref…

While it is fully allowed that the clashing claims diminished much then, as it does now, the result of professional elforts, it is yet apparent enough how, in the setting forth of the moral code, in the urgent use of ordinances and customs, in encouraging calls to individual reform, in the exhibition of the results of good and evil, in the discountenancing-- sometimes denunciation -- ofbadmen…

But the gratifying fact is the more conspicuous, as, amid much to discourage them, the standard under the care and efforts of godly men is again and again restored. No doubt a great source of their strength was the establishment of the Christian dogma by law. The assistance, too, of the Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts could not but bear witness in the minds of thoughtful pe…

Art not thou he, O Lord, our God ; therefore we will wait upon thee, for thou hast made all these things." Taking up the words of his text, evidently upon the last expression, he comments as follows : " Xow, by waiting upon God, in the Prophet's phrase is undoubtedly meant, The making our humble addresses daj' by day unto ye most wise and perfect being, who is endowed with Infinite power and …

Johnson, President of King's College, in a sermon at East Chester, in 1755, from Heb, xiii. 1-1: "For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come " urges, " Let us not be so foolish as to raise any great expectations from this fleeting uncertain world for we shall be wretchedly frustrated and the greatness of the misery of our disappointment will be proportioned to the greatness…

I mean our missionaries may intermarry with the daughters of the Sachems, and other considerable Indians, and their progeny will forever be a certain cement between us and the Indians." Contempt for such insolencell' But as from the fireside of a Bartow, a Wetmore, a Smith, a Sackett, a Mead, a White, a Thomas, a Monroe went forth son or daughter, to be joined unto godly wife or husband, t…

He was the friend of all that were striving for the public good, and it is not too much to say that the dissenting preacher as well as the Church of England priest had a kind and a wise word Irom him. Throughout this county the odor of his good work was spread, to the discomfort at the time of none, but the benefit of all. The attempt to change the color of a life, which has been preserved…

The former seem to have been selected from among the laity with great caution and care. . . Some of these were men of liberal education. . . . Intellectual was not then, to the extent that it is now, separated from religious improvement, but both went hand in hand throughout the iceel:."^ What the wise Rector of Trinity says of the schoolmasters of his parish was equally true of those whos…

The presence of these educated men in the community as levers of usefulness was not a little aided by the circulation among the people of books of sterling merit on theology and practical religion and smaller essays treating on subjects of passing interest.' Some of these treatises were controversial, which characteristic in those days was not at all incongenial; many of them would be regarde…

Relations of the County to the Colony.-- It will be quite evident from what has been presented that the county of Westchester occupied no passive position in the progress of the colony of New York, but largely assisted in the development of the city and the regions upon which it was continually advancing. What must be said of the influence of the towns upon each other is true also of their b…

A more correct statement of what was taking place is that the difl'erent portions of the province were all contributing to the making up of its general character and fortune, and this county was among the most potential. 3 Vule UeDdersou Walker Letter to Ld. Bp. LoDdoD, Prot. Episc. Hist. Soc. Coll., vol, 1851, p. 182. I <Thl9 book was widely disseniiuated, and I have under my eye a very I f…

Moreover, the salubrity of the climate and the natural charms of the favorite city of the continent rendered it even then the preferred choice of British officials. The markets then, as now, abounded in the choicest provisions, native and tropical, and there was an elegance and luxury in life which was not only entirelj' unknown in some of the other colonies, but was a source of surpris…

When the differences with the mother country began, New York being the most English in sentiment of all the colonies, was naturally selected for the place of meeting of a Congress, the declared purpose of which was a loyal demand for redress of grievances. The "Stamp Act Congress" met on the 7th o October, 17(55. There were present delegates from nine colonies. John Cruger, one of the oldest …

The war period was one of abnormal and unnatural excitement in all kinds of trade, which, ceasing all at once with the peace, was followed by the usual depression. In their distress and discontent, the people, as much from necessity as from choice, began to look about them and to study how they could supply themselves from their own resources, independent of Great Britain. This was the begin…

In September we find it annoiuiced that women's shoes were made cheaper and better than in England, and that there was a good assortment on hand ; wove thread stockings were made in sundry places ; the making of linen, woolen and cotton stuff'swas fast increasing ; gloves, hats, carriages, harness and cabinet-work were j^lenty. The people were now self-dependent; cards now appeared recommend…

The news of the repeal reached New York on May 20th, simultaneously by expresses from Boston and Philadelphia, and diffused great joy among all classes of the people. On the anniversary of the King's birthday, June 4, 17GG, there were outbursts of popular rejoicing throughout the province, and loyal toasts were drunk. The gratitude of the people to Pitt was everywhere displayed, and New Yor…

John Bartow wrote to the Venerable Society, from Westchester, which WHS, tlieii, the County-seat and principal Village: "The " Inhabitants of our Parish live scattered and disiiereed up and down in "the Woods, so that many cannot repair constantly to the Church, by " reason of their great distance froniit." -- Quotedbij Mr. Bultoii, History of Westche-ster County, SeconJ cchVioH, i., .'!4i). T…

James Wetmore to lite Venerable S(KV'ty, "Rye, "March 25, 1743;" The Parish of Rye to the same, "Province of New "York, Bedford, March li, 1744 ;" Rer. Joseph Lumpson to the savit, '■ NoRTHCASTLE, i.v THE PARISH OF IlYE, February 10, 1746^7;" Rev. Ebene:er bibble to the same, "Stamford, in Connecticut, in New Eno- "I.ANI), March 2.'), 17GI ; " Rev. Ilamj Monro to the same, " PuiLLiPS- " BUROH…

It is set, however, with a number of good houses "and e.xcellent farms." -- Ibid, iii., 487.-- Of the County, as a wliole, he wrote thus : " It is universally settled, so far as the nature of tlie ground " will admit ; and is almost merely a collection of Farms."-- /fctii, iii., 4*9. We have resorted, also, to our own recollections of Westchester-oounty, which extend far beyond that day when …

.\lthough the Manors of Livingston and Rensselaerwyck and the Scott and Blenheim and Duanesbnrg and Clark and Kortright and Uanleiiburg and Desbro&.ses and Livingston and Montgomery and .Vrmstrong and Banyar and Hunter andOvering and Lewis and Verplanck and other Patents were not in Westchester-connty, the relations of landlord and tenant were the same, unless in the rentals, in all ; and they…

During the entire period extending from the first settlement which was made by Europeans, within that portion of New Netherland which, subsequent to the first of November, 1683, was known as the "County "of Westchester," in New York, until within the memory of living men, the inhabitants of that portion of the country, with rare exceptions, were either cultivators of its soil or employed in …

Dawson's consent, to omit from his chapter a few details which, we think, belong more properly to the history of the City and State of New York than to the County of Westchester. As it is, the reader will find that the entire subject is clearly unfolded before bim in a new and original manner from the store-house of history at the command of this able writer. -- Editor. 3 " The Inhabitants i…

The Blacksmiths and the Wheelwrights, the Masons and the Carpenters, the Tailors and the Shoemakers, the Storekeepers on the roadside and the Tavernkeepers on the corners, all of them reasonably regarded as peculiarly necessary portions of every rural community, were, very often, in this, also farmers on a smaller scale.' The Market-sloops which, then, made their periodical trips between th…

tors of certain Leasehold Estates and their Tenants, presented to the Assembly of New York, in 1846, and reproduced, withan introductory Note, in The Writings and Speeches of Samuel J. Tilden, edited by Jolin Bigelow i., 186. 1 The notorious Captain Cornelius Steenrod was the proprietor of more than one Fulling-mill, in Cortlandt Manor, at the opening of the War of the Revolution. - The old …

* The personal recollections of members of our own family, extending further back than our own, afford ample authority for this statement. 6 " Even in Towns everyone has a plott of at least ten acres, which short, as was said in the beginning, there were few, among the residents of that portion of the country, during the later Colonial period, who were not either actual cultivators of the so…

With a more than usually productive Soil, not yet exhausted by a vicious system of cultivation ; with a temperate Climate, which was not only conducive to healthfulness, in the inhabitants, but promotive of the best interests of the farmers, in the ripening and harvesting of their crops; with moderate Rentals for the properties held by those of them who were not Freeholders ; and with Taxes w…

With rare exceptions, these Westchester-county farmers were intelligent men, sufficiently educated for all the purposes of their business and of their recreation-- even among the earli.er of the several Towns, those farmers included, in their AVestchcster-county homes, men and women of culture, whose names, and characters, and abilities, as scholars and statesmen, in several instances, are m…

There Avere very few among them, during the latter days of the Colony, who were not temperate, industrious, and prudent in the management of their farms and their business affairs; they were commonly very mindful of their duties to their families and of those to their neighbors ; and they were generally diligent in the discharge of at least their outward duties to God. During the period las…

noted for their open-handed hospitality ; but, among the older and more wealthy families, whose fields, and barnyards, and granaries, and storerooms were generally teeming with all the comforts and many of the luxuries of life, the sturdy farmer and his tidy wife, his healthful children and his faithful negroes, vied in their efforts to secure to the acceptable guests of the family, a heart…

There was not, therefore, nor could there have been, any central coterie or clique, with lofty pretentions and extended ambition, to prompt the County, in what should be said or done by its inhabitants, in support of or in opposition to any proposition, whether moral, or ecclesiastical, or political ; nor was there any influence, in any one or in any number, sufficient to associate and orga…

' A personal exaniiuatioii of the Records of the County, preserved iu the office of the Clerk of the County, at tlie While Plains, has revealed, to us, the significant fact that, although the Records of Ciiil Actions iu the Court of Conmiou Pleas, the Records of Roads, and other similar Records, from a very early period, have been carefully made in books provided for the purpose (in one insta…

If the rough Minutes of flie Courts, in Cciniinn? .\ctions, prior to 17S7, were preserved, at all, they have all disai)peared ; and we feel justified in saying, as we have said, in the text, that where Pauperism and Intemperance were as uncommon as they were in Westchestei'-county, during the later Colonial period, there was, in consequence, a minimum of Crime. - It is understood that there wa…

There is not, indeed, any known evidence of the existence, at any time, within the County, of any material excitement, among the great body of those farmers, on any subject;* and, consequently, there is very little, if any, evidence that the excitement of the earlier opposition to the Home Government, which had so seriously disturbed the peace of the neighboring City, as well as that of other…

" Except wherein our authorities for particular statements have been already given, we have depended, for what we have stated, in this and in the two other jtaragraphs which immediately i)recede this, on the knowledge which wo have acquired, concerning Westchestercoimty, its inhabitants, and its history, from the nnnierous books and manuscripts and newspapers, bearing on those subjects, wliich…

It possessed no political significance whatever -- it was grimly said of it, by a contemporary, "Sons of Liberty great opposers to these Rioters as they are cif opinion " no one is entitled to Riot but themselves "--and it was prcmiptly suppressed, without loss of either juoperty or life. Those who are curious to know more of this outbreak of early ".\ntircntei-s," are referred to the JournuU …

Indeed, there had been no good reason for those farm, ers, comfortably situated on their inland homesteads, to take any particular interest in those struggles which, from an early period, the Boston, the Salem, the New York, or any other Ship masters and Merchants had been waging, for the ))rotection of that long-continued and profitable " illicit trade," from which no benefit had ever accru…

Now and then, it is true, those of these farmers who were Freeholders, had been engaged, among themselves, in a political contest between the friends of the De Lanceys and those of the Morrises, or between the supporters of the Van Cortlandts and those of the Philipses, all of them Westchester-county Landlords, for seats in the General Assembly of the Colony ^ or for some local abject ; but, …

1 Doctor Sparlcs, in his Life of Gouvemeur Morris, i., 20, told lis of an " important cause in which that gentlemen was engaged," before the Courts, during the Colonial era -- " that of a contested Election, in West- " chester-county, where he had 5Ir. Jay for an opponent." We are not told who tlie contending parties, in that action, were ; but it is said, "it involved principles of evidence,…

2 It is proper for us to say that that opposition to the Colonial policy of the Home Government, as it was developed within the City of Xew York, overpowered every difference of family or of sect or of party which had been previously known ; and that the De Lanceys and the Livingstons, the Churchman and the Dissenter, the Jacobin ami the Georgian, for the purposes of that opposition and of wh…

By the Act of May 8, 1099, it was provided that Representatives to the General Assembly "shall be chosen in every City, and County, and "Manor of this Province, who have Right to chuse, by People dwelling "anil resident in the same Cities, Counties, and Manors; whereof, "every one of them shall have Land or Tenements improved to the "valne of Fortij Pounds in Free-hold, free from all Incumbra…

By the Charter of the City of Xew-York, granted by Governor Dongan, in 1686, the Mayor and three or more of the Aldermen were authorized to make Freemen of the City from among certain specified classes, on the payment, in each instance, of Five Pounds, not an insignificant sum, at that early period.* Xo person could do busine,^« of any kind, within the City, unless he were a Freeman of the City …

In Westchester-county, the heirs and assigns of Stephanus Van Cortlandt having failed to exercise the privilege which had been given to the latter, as the Lord of the Manor of Cortlandt, of electing a Representative for that Manor in the General Assembly, that privilege was transferred, by the Act of June 22, 1734, to the body of the Freeholders resi- * A complete lift of those who were admitted…

New-York : 1774, 183, 184.) It will be seen, therefore, that none, except those who were Freeliolders holding improved and nnencun>bered Keal Estate worth Forty Pounds, agreeably to the Act of Jlay 8, 1G99, could vote, in Colonial Westchester-connty ; but, on the other hand, the Freeliolders on the Cortlandt Manor possessed and, undoubtedly, exercised the Right to vote twice, at every such El…

Freeholders, were cast. -- (The oritjinal Itelitrns of the Iiixpertors, in manuscript, owned by us.) In the Election for Representatives for the City of New-York, held on the seventh, eighth, and ninth of March, 17G8, when an intense excitement prevailed and all known means for increasing its strength were resorted to, by each of the antagonistic parties, nineteen hundred and twenty-seven votes…

We have found only one Return of an Election in Westchesterconnty, during the period of which we write ; but that very completely illustrates our subject. In the Election for the first Governor of the new-formed State, in 1777, the aggregate of the votes cast in .Vlbany, Cumberland, Tryon, Duchess, I'lster, and Westchcster-counties, including those of the Freemen of the City of Albany, was only…

♦Rivingtou said the aggregate vote was a thousand and seventy-two. were required to respect) constituting, also, another and entirely independent factor in the political elements of that period, in each of the several Colonies, which, in its very important relations with the politics and the politicians of its day, must, also, be generally disregarded, in this place, because it, and its aspira…

To other hands, therefore, must be left the labor of describing, in detail, the bold and persistent opposition of the Merchants "and Tradere" to those long-established Navigation and Revenue Laws, which, by reason of a more honest administration of them, by those whom the commercial classes had not succeeded in corrupting with their accustomed bribes, had so seriously interfered with the very…

' "Tlie dispute In-'tween Great Britain and America commenced in the "year 1764, with an attempt to jirevent smuggling in America." -- A Collection of Inlrresling, Aulhentic Papers relative to the Dispute between Great Britain and America. 17G4 to 1775. London: 1777 -- commonly known as Alnion"s Prior Documents -- 3. See, also, the following official announcement, which was published in Park…

That this has been the Case, and is like to be the Case "again, is notoriously known ; and all for the Sitke of enriching a few "Smugglers; which together with that of supplying our Enemies with "Provisions,* will be an eternal Reproach to our Countrj-. No gixxi " Slaii therefore, nor good Citizen, it is to be hoped, w ill hesitate in "giving all the Discouragement in his Power, to such ignom…

ployed it, to resist the execution of the Stamp-Act, to prevent the lauding of the East India Company's Tea, and to make other demonstrations of seeming popular approval or disapproval, on other subjects of public polity or of governmental policy, whenever the political or the pecuniary interests of those "Gentlemen in Trade" who had employed it, seemed to warrant the outlay of the means wh…

The urgent appeals with which the newspapers had been filled, year by year, and the inflammatory handbills which had been posted throughout the City, whenever the purposes of " the Merchants and " Tradei-s " of the City of New York had required their powerful, but, sometimes, questionable, co operation in opposing the Colonial policy of the Home Government, had gradually taught " the Inhabita…

Little by little, therefore, under the leadership of, probably, not more than half a dozen shrewd and able and ambitious men, generally of higher social and political standing than themselves, these " In- " habitants " began to grow uneasy and insubordinate, if not radically revolutionary ; and the confederated " Merchants and Traders " and the more aristocratic portion of the citizens who w…

At the same time, it was clearly seen by those careful observers of the signs of the times, that any attempt to abridge the existing power of the unfranchised " Inhabitants" of the City, and, especially, that of those who were less scrupulous in the selection of their means, by open and direct measures, would, probably, induce the latter to employ, in their own behalf, that system of violen…

An evident danger silenced those who, under other circumstances, would, probably, have favored the employment of other and more direct means: wise counsels prevailed among those who were thus considering in what manner the evidently rising power and audacity of the unfranchised and revolutionary masses could be controlled, without disturbing the peace of the City and the Colony: and it was d…

ItS^i, Kew-Yobk, Thursday, April 21, and Xo. 1G34, Xew-Youk, Thui-sday, April 28, ITTl; Gaine's Neiv-Ynrk Gazette mid Mercury, No. 1174, NEW-YoitK, Monday, April 25, 1774 ; Lieuteimnt-ffovfnior CoUlen to the Earl of iHtrtmouth, *'New York, 4th '* May, 1774," and the eitdomre therein ; the same to Governor Tnjon, "New " Y'oRK, 4th May, 1774 ; " Dunlap's Historij of the Seio Netherlands, Provin…

Notwithstanding the greater significance of the cpposition of Xew York to tlio Tea-tax, wjiich was seen in the resolute refusal to allow the storm-shattered .Vmicj to enter the harbor; in the examination of the cargo of the London, and the open destruction of her concealed Tea, in the light of day, by known men who saw no reason for disguising themselves ; and in the return of the Xancy, to En…

Thus, Mercy AVarren {Hinlonj of American lievohilion ;) "Paul Allen" {Hittory of American Rerohdion ;) Thacher {MilUarij Journal ;) Morse (AnnnU of the American RetoMion ;) Pitkin (Hitlonj of the United Stales ;) Frothingham (Rise of the Republic;) Lodge (Short Hitlnrij of English Colonies ;) and a multitude of othei's, make no mention whatever of the subject of the opposition in Xew York ; an…

Strange to say, Lossing, a Xew York writer, with all the original material within his reach and perfectly accessible, in his Seventeen hundred and sfcenlij sif (jiage 111,1 stated that the .Vniic;/ was returned to Europe, only "because no one could be found that would venture to receive the "tea," without an allusion to her having been stopped at Sandy-hook, and returned, thence, to Europe ; a…

' On the fifth of March, 1770, while the motion of Lord Xorth for " leave to bring in a Bill to repeal the Tax Act, as far as related to the "tax on Paper, Glass, and Painters" Colours," was under consideration, before the House of Commons, Governor Pownall, than whom noono was, then, better informed on every subject connected with .Vmerica and the Americans, replied to the Minister, and move…

But "this is not material to the point ; for it does not operate as a bounty, "at all, because whatever duty the East India Coniiiany pays, originally, "at the Custom-house, on the importing of Teas from Asia, that sum is "added to the price of their Tea, in their sales ; so that, although the "exporter to .\merica may be allowed a drawback, yet he draws back " that sum only which he hath al…

the confederated party of the Opposition -- the Government and those who favored it having no part in that matter of division among those who were opposing its policy -- were evidently seniil)le, however, as has been .said, that that unseemly confederation of radically antagonistic elements, entirely for the promotion of the interests of one of those elements without securing a corresponding a…

Just at thut critical period, in May, 1774, advices were received from Europe,' of the Government's proposal to close the Port of Boston, with a possibility that that of Xew York would shortly share the same fate ; and it was also said that the Home Government also intended to remove the principal offenders against Ihe Laws, within the Colonies, that they might be tried and punished in Engla…

For the purposes of the promoters of the proposed change in the leadership of the politicians of the City, to which reference has been made, " an Advertisement" was posted at the Cotfee-house, in Wall-street, a noted place of resort for Shipmasters and ^Merchants, reciting " the late extraordinary and very alarming advices " from England ; " and " inviting the Merchants to " meet at the hous…

Francis's Long-room ; - and that the published purpose was only "to consult on measures proper to " be pursued on the present critical and important "occasion," in neither of which features of the " Ad- " vertisement," prima facie, can it be reasonably said that any stretch of authority had been attempted by those who had called the proposed Caucus -- surely, it will not be said there might…

^ Minutesof the Netv York Committee of Correspondence. IMonday, 5Iay 19, 1774 ; Lieutenant-governor Colden to Gorernor Tryon, " Sprino Hill, "31st May, 1774 ; " the same lo the Earl of Dartmouth, " New York, 1st "June, 1774;" Gonveni'-vr Morris to Mr. Penn, " New York, May 20, " 1774;" Joneses Histori/ of Xew York dtirimj the lierolutionart/ War, i., 34 ; etc. - "Sam. Francis," at that time …

" Francis's Long-room," in which this Caucus was held, subsequently became more famous than it had previously beeTi, Ijecause it was the room iu which the Officers of the Army of the Revolution assembled, on Thursday, the fourth of December, 1783, after the enemy had evacuated the City and the Peace had been entirely established, to take their final leave of their illustrious Chief ; and from…

There was no appearance of deception in the "Advertisement" through which the Caucus had been invited, in the instance under consideration ; and, subsequently, when the Caucus assembled, no attempt appears to have been made to do anything more than the "Advertisement'' had authorized, notwithstanding those who had been specifically invited and were present, so largely outnumbered those uninvi…

But those who had hitherto assumed to be the leaders of the unfranchised masses -- the leaders, in fact, however, of only the radically revolutionary portions of those masses, -- saw, or assumed to have seen, in that proposed Caucus, a movement which promised to break the hold on the unfranchised element which, since the era of the Stamp Act, they had unceasingly claimed to have maintained …

The consequences of that proposed intrusion and the ill success of that scheme to oust those who had invited the Caucus and to turn into other channels than those which the latter had proposed, the action and influence of the Caucus itself, will be seen in the published narrative of the proceedings of that notable assemblage -- meanwhile, it will be evident to every careful observer, that tha…

])olitical conglomerate in which had been combined, for ])urely selfish purposes, the fragmentarj' opposition, in tlie Colony of New York, to the Home Government wliich was then in authority (each of those antagonistic elements being, in pretension, if not in fact, equally zealous in its loyalty to their common Sovereign) was produced by less of respect for righteousness in politics and of a…

Francis's Tavern,-' was crowded with anxious and determined men, evidently not entirely of one mind, and not indisposed, in some instances, at least, to enforce whatever differences of opinion and purpose might arise, with something more tangible than words, should such an enforcement, in their opinion, become necessary. Those whom the " Advertisement " had invited were present, in large numb…

Samuel Francis;" in none of the contemporary descriptions of the Caucus which we have seen, was it said or intimated that the assemblage left the Tavern, for any purpose, before the formal adjournment of the Caucus ; and in the second " ^<(- " lerdneiiifiif," published on the day after the Caucus, by its officers and under its authority, inviting the body of the inhabitants of the City to me…

With these as our authorities, we prefer to differ from those who have preceded us; and to insist, as we do insist, that the Caucus was held, without interruption or removal, in Sam. Francis's Long-room. For the reasons stated, we prefer to differ, also, from our friend, Edward F. de Lancey, who lia-s stated, in his carefully prepared S'olet to Jones's Hislonj of .Vfic York during the lierolut…

As the matter in dispute, between the two antagonistic factions, related only to the designation of those who should control the local politics of the day and what should be realized from those politics, it is not probable that any material opposition was made to the first and second of the three Resolutions which were adopted by the Caucus -- none has been mentioned by any contemporary write…

* \ small broadside, containing a list of twenty-five names of persons who were " nominated by a N umber of respectable merchants and the " Body of Mechanics of this City, to be a Committee of Correspondence "for it, with the Xeighboring Colonies," may be seen in the Library of the New York Historical Society. It was evidently the result of a consultation of those who assumed to have been the …

Sir. Low, subseiiuently, became a Loyalist ; was stripped of his property, by confiscation ; was attainted ; and retired to England, where he died in 1791. -- (Sabine's Biographical Sketches of Loyal isls of the American lievotuli .n, original edition, 430 ;-- (Ac »(i»ie, second edition, ii., 32, 33.) I'roceedinrit of the Caucus, printed on a broadside, for general circulation, a copy of which …

maintained its own ground and voted down every attempt to oust it, which was made by the latter; and in making the nomination of the fifty whom it proposed for the Committee of Correspondence, it did no more than to drop the names of three of those whom the minority had already selected, as its proposed Committee of Twenty-five, and to slip into the list of the twenty-two who were retained, w…

It appears to have been a part of the plan of those who had called and controlled the Caucus, to submit the result of its deliberations to the body of the inhabitants of the City, for its consideration and approval ; and nothing had occurred, within the Caucus, to make any change in that plan necessary. Accordingly, on the day after the meeting of the Caucus [Tuesda;/, May 17] they published a …

See, also, the same Advertisement and an editorial note thereon, in Holt's Setc-York Journal, No. Ifi37, New-York, Thursday, May 19, 1774 ; and HiiiiniloHs New-York Gazetteer, Xo. 57, New-York, Thursday, May 19, 1774; Gaine's Sew York Gazette and i1J«rr«ry, No. 1178, New- York, Monday, May 23, 1774 ; Lieulenaul-gorernor Cohten to Governor Tryon, " Si'RiX(i-HiLi., 31st May, 1774 ; " llie same …

3 ]\Tin%ttes of the Committee of Correspondence ; Holt's New-York Journal, No. 1G38, New- York, Thursday, May 26, 1774; Gaine's .Veir - I'ort Gazette and Merain/, No. 1178, New-Y''ork, Jlonday, May 23. 1774 ; Lietitenant governor Colden to Governor Tryon, " Spri.ng-Hili., 31st May " 1774 ; " the same to the Ear! of Dartmouth, '' New-York, 1st June 1774 ; " History of the H'ar iii America, (Dub…

Francis's; and made no allusion to the Meeting at the Coffee-house, where it " was chosen." Doctor Gordon, ( KiA(o/-y o/ American Revohttion, London : 178S, i., 3C1, 362,) said the Caucus was called by Sears, McDougal, and others of the popularparty, so called ; that " the Tories," or governmental party, opposed them, in the Caucus ; that Sears secured the appointment of a fifty-second member o…

"Paul .Mien," {History of the American Revolution, i., 186) said, " At New York, there was a considerable struggle between the friends " of .\dministration and the friends of Liberty ; but the latter at length " prevailed, by the influence and management of two individuals, who "had, on several occasions, manifested great activity and zeal, in their " opposition to the obnoxious measures of t…

Hildreth {Histoni of the Vnited States, Fii-st Series, iii., .35) said that the old Committee of the " Sons of Liberty " "was dissolved and a new one elected," withcuit alluding to either the Caucus or the Meeting at the Coffee-house ; although, in fact, the Committee of Correspondence of an early date had ceased to exist when the Stamp-Act was repealed ; and neither that nor any other Committ…

By the direct action of the body of the inhabitants of the City, thus duly called, and assembled at the Coffee-house, for that specific purjiose, all the discordant elements of the party of the Opposition to the Home Government, in New York, were seemingly consolidated and placed under the leadership of the Committee of Fifty-one, which was, then and there, appointed for that ostensible purp…

Ho said, also, " tlie Motion prevailed to supersede the " old Committee of Corrcppondence by a new one of fifty ;" although neither of the three Resolutions of the Caucus contained the slightest allusion to any such supersedure, nor to any other Comnu'ttee or body or person whatever than to the proposed Committee of fifty, which it nominated. lie said of the Meeting at the CofTee-honse, "and …

Doctor Sparks, {Life of Gouvenietir itorrit, i., 22,) merged the doings of the Caucus and the Meeting at the Coffee-house, into one mass ; made Isaac Scars the master spirit of all that was done ; and said " the Committee consisted of "a nearly equal number of both parties, but with a preponderance on " the liberal side ; " although the truth wa.s, the friends the Home Government took no part…

Indeed, as Judge .lones, whose opportunities for ascertaining the exact truth and whose integrity and fearlessness in uttering it no one will seriously question, ,has emphatically stated, "all parties, denominations, and religions, apprehended, at that time, " that the Colonies laboured under grievances which wanted redressing ;" and no one, tlicrefore, opposed any reasonable movement which t…

With a complete knowledge of the small number of those who had ])reviously assumed to represent the masses of the unfranchised inhabitants, and with as complete a knowledge of the general harmlessness of those masses, in the absence of their self-constituted leaders, the high-toned promoters of the uni)ublished scheme of abridging the political power of the great body of the people had disar…

Of the fifty-one members of the Committee, a very great majority were of the aristocratic, conservative, anti revolutionary portions of the inhabitants. On the fourth of July, when a test question was before it, thirtyeight niemliei-s being present, only thirteen votes were cast by those who assumed to represent the unfranchised inhabitants ; and in the greater contest, three days afterwards, o…

It may also be stated, in this place, that, notwithstanding none of th& fifty-one, at that time, were of the Governmental party, but, on the contrary, that every one was earnestly opposed to the Colonial policy of the Home Government, twenty-one of the number, at a subsequent period, became acknowledged Loyalists ; that a considerable number took no active part in the proceedings of the Commit…

- For the purptxse of providing an additional authority, concerning much that has been stated, in this work, concerning the relations which existed between the confederated " Men-bants anil Trailers " and other high-toned citi/.ens, and the more numerous, but unfranchised, " Inhabi- " tauts of the City and County ; " concerning the desire of the former to abridge the influence which had been …

The Committee which was thus created by the aristocratic, anti-revolutionary portion of those who, at that time, were opposing the Colonial policy of the Home Government, was largely intended, as we have shown, to serve as a check on the rising power, in political affairs, of the unfranchised Mechanics and Workingmen of the City of New York, especially of the revolutionary faction of those W…

"You have heard, and you will hear, a E;reat doiil about politics ; ■" and in the heap of ChafT you may find some grains of good sense. Be- " lieve me. Sir, Freedoui and Rfligion are only watchwords. We have "appointed a Ciimmittee, or, rather, we have nominated one. Let me " give you the histoi'y of it. "It is needless to premise, that the lower orders of Mankind are more " easily led by sp…

The Bellwethers jingled merrily, and roared " out, ' Liberty,' and 'Property," and 'Religion,' and a multitude of " cant terms, which every one thought he understood, and was egregi- " onsly mistaken ; for you must know the Shepherdskept the Dictionary "of the Day ; and, like the Mysteries of the ancient Mythology, it was " not for profane eyes and ears. This answered many purposes: the "sim…

"While they correspond with the other Colonies, call and dismiss "popular ,\ssemblies, make Resolves to bind the Conscit-nces of the rest "of Mankind, bully poor Printers, and exert with full force all their "other tribunitial powers, it is impossible to cnrb them. But .\rt some- " times goes farther than Force ; and, therefore, to trick them hand- "soniely, a Committee of Patricians was to b…

a people, at such a time, and under such circumstances as then existed, and which would probably continue to exist, might, also, sensibly or insensibly, weaken if where existed, that such an organization, among such it should not destroy all those bonds of recognized dependence, and loyalty, and love, which, hitherto, had so firmly bound the Colony to the Mother Country. But, notwithstanding…

"The remains of it, however, will give the wealthy people a superiority, "this time ; but, would they secure it, they must banish all Scboolnias- " tere and confine all Knowledge to themselves. This cannot be. The "Mob begin to think and to reason. Poor Reptiles ! it is, with them, a " vernal Morning ; they are struggling to cast off their Winter's Slotigh ; "they bask in the Sunshine; and, e…

" It is the interest of all men, therefore, to seek for re-union with the "parent .State. A safe Compact seems, in my poor opinion, to be now "tendered. Internal taxation to he left with ourselves. The right of "regulating Trade to be vested in Britain, where alone is found the "power of protecting it. 1 trust you will agree with me, that this is " the only possible mode of union. * « * « "I…

The power over our crowd is no "longer in the hands of Sears, Ijamb, and such unimportant persons, " who have for six yeai's past, been the demagogues of a very turbulent "faction in this City; but their power and mischievous capacity ex- " piled in.^tantly uison the election of the Committee of Fifty-one, in "which there is a majority of inflexibly honest, loyal, and prudent "citizens." -- …

In opposition to the purposes and the demands of the small revolutionary element, in New York -- in opposition, also, to the leaders and the revolutionary populace, in Boston, with whom the revolutionary leaders in New York were in constant corres})ondence and in entire harmony -- the Committee which the conservative, anti-revolutionary aristocracy of New York had thus created for the prote…

Such a notable instance of the thing which had been created for a specific purpose, having been turned, in the progress of events, by the tact of a small proportion of its members, without violence and by some of those who had favored and assisted in the construction of it, against the greater number of those who had created it and for the overthrow of their purposes in having done so, as w…

While the consolidated Opposition, in the City of New York, was thus actively employed in making preparations for a vigorous opposition to the latest measures of the Home Government and, in order to make that opposition more effective, in transferring the leadership of the confederated party of the Opposition from the few who had previously a.ssumed to lead the revolutionary portion of the u…

On the following day, Wednesday, the eleventh of May, the Committees of Correspondence from eight of the adjacent Towns were invited to meet the Boston Committee, for consultation;'^ and on Thursday, the twelfth of May, those Committees assembled at Faneuil Hall, with Samuel Adams in the Chair and Joseph Warren acting as the leader, on the floor, and determined to send " Circular Letters " …

1 The MassuchmelUi GtizeUe of Thursday, May 12, 1774, printed the text of the ISostoii Port-bill, in full, with the following heading : " Tues- " day arrived here Captain Shayler, in a Brig from London, who brought "the most interesting and important Advices that ever was received at "the Port of Boston."' See, also, Bancroft's Hiftory of the I'niled Stales, original edition, vii., 34 ; the …

It will be seen, in these faithful statements of the •doings of the leaders of the revolutionary party and of the doings of the revolutionary party, itself, in Boston, in May, 177-1, that Massachusetts-men, there and at that time, recognized the existence of no orievance whatever, in any of the Colonies, except that which had been inflicted on Boston, in the passage of the Boston Port-Bill ;…

See, also, Letter from Thomas Young to John Lamb, " Boston, May 13, " 1774 ;" Holt's Sew-York Journal, Xo. 1037, New-York, Tliursday, May 19, 1774 ; Itirimjlon's New-York Gazetteer, No. 57, New-Yokk, Thursday, May 1!), 1774; G&ine's Xcic- York Gazette and Mercury, No. 1178, New- York, Monday, May 23, 1774 ; Lieutenanl-gooernor Colden to Governor I^ j^on, " SrRi.NO Hill 31st May, 1774 ; " the …

New York: 122; Lo-ising's Field-book of the lievolulion. New Y'ork : 1851, i., 51)7; Bancroft's History of the United States, original edition, Boston : 1858, vii., 37 ; the same, centi-nary edition, Boston : 1870, iv., 323 ; Frothingham's Rise of the Republic, Boston : 1872, 321, 322 ; Lodge's History of the English Colonies, New York : 1881, 489; etc. Lendrum, (History of the United States ;…

Happiness, and Freedom.' In short, the principles and " patriotic " impulses of those men of Boston began and ended in the proposed promotion of nothing else than their own individual and local interests, at the expense of the entire prostration of business, internal as well as external, except that of Smuggling, from one extremity to the other of the Atlantic seaboard -- the warp, the woof…

'^It will not be out of place, in this connection, to state the fact that Boston could have averted all the evils ascribed to the Boston Port-Bill, by paying for what some of her lawless inhabitants had destroyed-- as property destroyed by mobs, in o»r day, must be paid for by the County in which it is destroj'ed, as .\lleghany-county, Pennsylvania, sorrowfully knows, as one of the several re…

deprived of their usual means of support, were diverted from the particuhir purposes for which they had been contributed, and employed, instead, for the particular benefit of Boston's tax-payers, in relieving them from the neces-ity of levying an unusual Poortax for the relief of the more than usually large number of those who were willing to live on charity ; and in " cleaning Docks, making…

One of "the '' chief concerns of the principal inhabitants " was for those Tradesmen, whose small funds, though " sufficient for the small purjioses of life, yet would "soon be exhausted, if their resources were cutoff"" -- in other words, for the payment of debts, due by those Tradesmen to those " principal Inhabitants," which, otherwise, would have been worthless -- and Nails, and Ropes,…

' .\ paper, dated " Hoston Augu»t 20, 1774," responsive to "a report "industriously propagated in New York" -- but witliout any indication by whom written or wliere published -- wliicli was printed in Force's Anierimn Archiiet, Fourth Series, i., 743, 744. See, also, a Letter from Willinm Cnopi-r -- the well-known Town-Clerk of Boston -- U> a Geiillenian in Kew Yurk, dated " Boston : Seiilemb…

On Tuesday evening, the seventeenth of May, Paul Revere, bearing letters from the Committee of Correspondence, in Boston, in which were inclosed copies of the Vote of that Town, to which reference has been made, arrived in the City of New York* -- there was, also, in his saddlebags, a very interesting letter from one of the master spirits in that Town, to his correspondent in New York, reciti…

^Alexander McDougal and all those of the former revolutionary leaders who were included in that Committee, as will be seen in the course of this narrative, on the twenty-third of May, by a formal vote, concurred with their aristocratic, anti-revolutionary associates in condemning the proposition of the Town of Boston and in offering another, in its stead ; it remained only for .lohn Lamb and t…

**The Minult'sof the Committeeof Con-esjiondence, " Nkw York, Monday, " Maij 23, 1774," contain a record of the reading ot " Lettei-s from the ** Committee of Correspondence of Boston, with a Vote of the Town of " Boston, of the 13th instant, and a Letter from the Connnittee of Phil- "adelpliia ; " and, in the absence of any allusion to any other letter whatever, there is no reaiion for suppos…

" Revere was at Philadeli)hia, on the twentieth of May, when the inhabitants of that City appointed its Committee of Corresiwndence ; and, on the following day, he left that City, on his return, carrying with him, to New York and Boston, if not to other Towns and Cities on his route, copies of a Circular Letter, probably from the pen of John Dickinson, containing the response of I'hila<lelphia…

Those who had been appointed to membership in the proposed Committee of Correspondence of the City of New York-- in the "Committee of Fifty- " one," as it was popularly called -- were duly assembled, at the Coffee-House, on Monday, the twenty-third of May, 1774, forty-three of the fifty-one being present; and the Committee was duly organized by the appointment of Isaac Low, as its permanent …

Immediately after the organization of the Committee had been completed, a letter was received from " the body of the Mechanics, signed by Jonathan "Blake, their Chairman," informingtheCommittee of the concurrence of the Mechanics with the other inhabitants of the City, in their nomination of it ; which clearly indicated the entire good faith of the great body of the unfranchised masses, in th…

Commillee -- both re-printed in Force's American Archives, Fourth Series, i., 340-342.) 1 The Committee of Correspondence of Philadelphia to the Committee of Correspondence to Boston, " Piiilapelpiiia, May 2\ft, 1774," copies of which " were transmitted to New-Toik and most of the Southern Colo- "nies." 2 Minutes of the Commillee, " Xkw-Tork, Mondor/, Mnij 23(/, 1774." 3 Minutes of the Comm…

The letter from Philadelphia being only a reflex of what had been written to that Committee by those who had subsequently been confirmed as members of this, it received no official attention, at that time ; but those from Boston, which included the Vote of the Town of which mention has been made, were referred to a Sub-committee, composed of Alexander McDougal, Isaac Low, James Duane, and John…

The correspondence of Lieutenant-governor Golden with Governor Tryon and with the Earl of Dartmouth very clearly indicates that that remarkable old man was not deceived by the doings, in politics, of the " -Merchants and Traders" and Gentry of Now York ; that their social and commercial and professional standing did not warrant what he regarded, very reasonably, their tendency toward rebellion…

Besides these, tlie chief purpose of the Committee was to relegate the unfranchised masses of the City of New Y'ork, of all classes, to the obscurity and dependence of vassals ; and to place itself at the head of all the political elements of the Colony, as the autocratic, anti-revolutionary ruler of both the Colonists aud the Government -- in all of which, unquestionably, James Duane's and J…

At eight o'clock, in the evening, the Committee assembled in an adjourned Meeting, thirty-eight of the fifty-one members being present; and the Sub-committee, which had been appointed at the forenoon session, reported the following draft of a letter, as suitable for a response to the letters received from Boston : "New-Yoek, May 23, 1774. " Gextlemex : " The alarming Measures of the British…

" While we think you justly entitled to the Thanks "of your sister Colonies, for asking their Advice on " a Case of such extensive Consequences, we lament " our Inability to relieve your Anxiety, by a decisive "Opinion. The Cnuse is general, and concerns a " whole Continent, who are equally interested with " you and us ; and we foresee that no Remedy can " be of avail, unless it proceeds fr…

Such being our " Sentiments, it must be premature to pronounce any 1.3 " Judgment on the Expedient which you have sug- "gested. We beg, however, that you will do us the " Justice to believe that we shall continue to Act " with a firm and becoming Regard to American " Freedom, and to co-operate with our sister Colonies, " in every Measure which shall be thought salutary " and conducive to …

It will be seen that the Committee regarded the dispute with the Home Government as something more than a merely local matter, in which the Town of Bo-ton was the only sufferer ; and that it was not inclined, therefore, to confine its action, as the Vote of that Town had sought to confine it, to the particular subject of the Boston Port-Bill, nor to direct all its efforts, as that Vote had s…

- Because it was so entirely antagonistic to the known principles of the Boston-men with whom the minority of the Committee, in their individual relations, had been previously so entirely in acconl, this answer to the letters from Boston, approved by the unanimous vote of the Committee, affords additional evidence of the entire good faith of the great boily of the unfranchised inhabitants of th…

It was the first, or among the first, to disregard the peculiar selfishness of the popular leaders in Boston, by whom the grievances of that particular Town had been thrust into an undue prominence, for the relief of which, especially, they insisted, the entire efforts of the entire Continent must be directed and it was the first to propose and to insist on the convention of a Congress of De…

2 We are not insensible of the fact that the origin of tlie Congress of the Continent, which was assembled at I'hiladeliihia, in 17T4, has been variously stated, by many of those who have precedeil us : and we are equally sensible of the other fact, that imlividiuils, in different Colonies, without any connection with each other, had suggested, tlieufetirall!/, that Buch a Congress would be u…

The Town of Providence, in Town-meeting, May IT, 1774, was, probably, the first organized body which recommended a ' ongress of the several Colonies, for general purposes: but it only requested the Deputies of the Town, in the approaching General Assembly, to " use their influ- "ence," in that body, nni ijet iissi-uiUhil, "for promoting a Congi ess, as soon "as may be, of the Representatives of…

Because the General Assemblies of the greater number of the Colonies, at that time, could not have elected Deputies to the proposed Congress, even if they had been willing to have done so -- the Governor having, in each case, the power of jiroroguiug or dissolving the Assembly, which, in the greater number of instances, he would have certainly done-- the action of the Town of Providence, alth…

The Committee of Correspondence of the Colony of Connecticut concurred in the recommendation which the Committee in New York had made, on the fourth of June, {The Comuiitlee of Correspondence of the General Assembly of Xew York to the Committer of Cnirespondence of the Colon:/ of Connecticut, " New Yokk, June 24, 1774 ; ") the General Assembly of Rhode Island did so, on the fifteenth of June, (…

It has suited the purposes of some to bring forward the doings of eighty-nine members of the dissolved House of Burgesses of Yirginia, assembled at the Raleigh Tavern, at Williamsburg, on the twenty seventh of May, as a contestant for the honors of New York, in this matter; but that Meeting was held four days after the proposition had been made in New York ; and what it did Wiis only to " reco…

Without making the slightest allusion to what was done in New York, Burke's Annnal Register for 1775, G; Histori/ of the Il'nr m /fiiicricu, Dublin : 1779, i., 21; Andrews's Hitloi-y o f the War tcith .4»i(eric«, ^London : 1785,1., 135; Soule's /fwioire des Troubles deVAmeriijne Anglaise, Paris: 1787, i., 48; Chez et Lebrun's Hiit'dre pidHinue et philosophiqne de'la Rci olution, Vnris : au 9, 1…

Frothingham's Rise of the Republic, 322, ■323, ostentatiously presented what was done in Massachusetts and "the "other New England Colonies," and then siiid with questionable integrity, as he was acquainted with the facts, " the sentiment and determination " of the patriots south of New England were represented in thepro- " ceedings of the Virginia meeting, " which he described, at considerab…

respondenee in New York ; but, without tlio eliglitest sliadow of liutli, it stated tliat tlie Cumuiittee was coiitiDlIed by Isaac Sears, who was one of the minority of that body ; and tliat it was opposed hy "the To- "rics," not one of which party was then a member of the Committee. Ramsay's IlUtory of the United State', London : 1791, i., 114, correctly assigned the origination of the Congre…

Bancroft's Jlistory of the United i<tat€s, original edition, vii., 40, correctly yii-Mf the honor of having originated the Congres-s, to New Y'ork ; but, unaccountably, it assigns it, in New Y'ork, sometimes to an imaginary " old committee," whicli had ceased to exist when the Stanip-,\ct, which had called it into existence and to which its operations had been limited, Wiis repealed, eight ye…

Leake, not only made no such claim, in their behalf, but expressly and in unmistakable words, gave that honor to the Committee of Corresiwndence w liich had been appointed by the body of the inhabitants, at the Coffee-house. (Meinoir of the Life and Times of General John Lamb, Albany: 1857, 88.) In the same author's centenary edition of that History of the United iitates, Boston: 1876, iv., 3…

Such are some of the evidences of the entire untrustworthiness of the greater number of those who, Siitisfied w ith that " discipline " to which the Classics have subjected them and without having otherwise qualified themselves for the proper discharge of their honorable duties as historians of their own Country, have contented themselves, instead, by repeating what othei-s, also fettered by s…

The Committee of Correspondence, in New York, as it was known to the world, at that time, was created only as a local organization, for only special purposes, and with only a very limited and a very clearly defined authority.^ But it very soon became evident that some, at least, of those who had promoted the organization of that Committee, only for limited and welldefined purposes, and who ha…

For the purpose of extending its authority and of increasing its power, in whatever might arise, in its evident intent to control not only the great body of the unfranchised masses of every class, in the City of New York,^ but the Colonial and the Home Governcal writers, who has inclined to tell the exact truth, on tliis subject ; and what he said of it occupied less than two lines of an octa…

^ In all the political o]>erationsof that period, the several Counties of the Colonies were regarded as entirely independent bodies, each controlling itself to the extent, even, of semling independent Delegates to the Continental Congress -- the centralization of authority, indeed, was the fundamental grievance against which all the Colonies were, then, raising their remonstrances and their opp…

Lewis was ordered to cause three hundred copies of that Circular Letter to be printed ; and it was also ordered that those printed copies of the letter should be transmitted, with all convenient speed, to the Treasurers of the several Counties, with a " line " to each Treasurer, signed by the Chairman of the Committee, requesting his care in the proper transmission of the several letters to …

Of those Circular Letters, inviting a correspondence with the Committee, in New York, it is recorded that thirty copies were sent to the Treasurer of Westchester-county, with a note from the Chairman of the Committee, requesting him "to direct and forward " them to the Supervisors of the several Districts," ^ the first attempt, which was made, by any one, to draw the farmers of that County i…

circumvent and secure the control of the entire Colony, under a mask of '■patriotism," as it had already circumvented and secured the control, in political affairs, of the County of Xew York. 1 3/iH«(es of the Committee, " NEW-TonK, May 30, 1774;" Lietiienanlgovernor Colden to Governor Tryon, "New York, June 2, 1774." ^Minutes of the Committee, Special Meeting, "New-Yoek, May 31, "1774;" Lieu…

Indeed, the Massachusettsmen did not appear to pay the slightest attention to the proposition which those of New York had made, to call a Congress of Deputies from all the Colonies, for the consideration of all the grievances, real or imaginary, of which all the Colonies were, then, respectively complaining, preferring, instead, and firmly insisting on, their own proposition to remove the pa…

The People in the Counties are noways disposed to become ac- " five or bear any part in what is proposed by the citizens. I am told " all the Counties but one have decliued an Invitation sent them from " Xew York to appoint Committees of Correspondence. This Province " is everywhere, except in the City of New York, perfectly quiet and in " good order ; and in Xew York a much greater freedom o…

In a Despatch written to the Earl of Dartmouth, dated "New York, " 2nd .\ugust, 1774," the veneralilc Lieutenant-governor stated, '■ Great Pains has been taken in the several Counties of this Province to induce "the People to enter into Kesolves, and to send Committees to join tho "Committee in the city ; but they have only prevailed in Suffolk County, " in the Eiist End of Long Island which …

That, and " every other Kesolution, we have thought it most pru- " dent to leave for the discussion of the proposed gene- " ral Congress." It continued, in these very emphatic words : " Adhering, therefore, to that measure, as " most conducive to promote the grand system of " politics we all have in view, we have the pleasure " to acquaint you, that we shall be ready, on our part, " to mee…

Your letters to the south- " ward of us, we will forward, with great pleasure."^ Those of the revolutionary leaders, in Boston, who had assumed the role of a Committee of Correspondence, in that Town, could not long conceal from the world the reckless falsity of what they had written to the Committee in New York, when they stated to the latter that, " certainly all that can be depended upon …

- The Resolution of the Committee in New York, on whicli that reply was based, is in these words: "Orderei>, That the Committee of Boston " he re>|uested to give this Committee the Names of the Persons who " constitute the Committee of Correspondence at Boston ; that they have " made a mistake in answering this Committee's letter, which mentioned " not a word of a Suspension of Trade, which t…

Massachusetts * and to the Committees of Correspondence in the several Colonies, since the rece|)tion ot the Boston Port-Bill, were not, as is now well known, really as unanimous, in favor of a " Suspension ot "Trade," as the Committee had unblushingly pretended-- indeed, with a few unimportant exceptions, the proi)osal to make Boston the only subject of consideration, tliroughout the Continen…

^The Committees who had been sent to Salem and Marblehead, " to communicate the Sentiments of this Metropolis to the Gentlemen, "there; to consult with them; and to report at the adjournment," (Mmutfs of the Toirn-Meetiug, of Boston, Mmj 13, 1774,) did, indeed, go to those Towns, and report the results of their visits, to the Town, at its Adjoiirned Meeting, five days subsequently ; but those…

The substance of the Reports from the Committees sent to the seaport Towns of the Province, all mention of which was thus suppressed by the Town-Clerk, was saved to the world, however, in a Detpatch from Gov ei nor Gat/e lolhe Enrl of Durtmoiith, dated " Boston : May 19, 1774," and laid before the Parliament, on the nineteenth of January, 177o, in which it was said the Town-Meeting "appointed…

''The first resi>onses from other Colonies which the Committee received were those, carried by Paul Revere, from Philadelphia and New York, which were anytliing else than "encouraging" to such as composed th.1t Committee ; and there can l>e very little doubt, in the light of what was done, very soon afterwards, in Connecticut and Rhode Island, that Revere carried Imck, from Hartford and Provi…

Samuel Adams was the Chairman and master-spirit of the Committee of Correspondence in Boston : he was the Chairman of the Caucus of the nine Town- Committees, assembled in Faneuil-Hall, which had confirmed the line of action, concerning the Boston Port-Bill, which he and the men of Boston, had already contrived : he was the Moderator of the Town- Meeting, at Faneuil-Hall, continued through t…

Besides all these, he was the Chairman and the master sjiirit of that Committee, in Boston, which, as lately as the eighth of June, sent Circular Letters from that Town to every Town in the Commonwealth, in which it was stated that " there is " but one way that we can conceive of, to. prevent " what is to be deprecated by all good men, and ought, " by all possible means, to be prevented, vi…

" sive hand " ' -- which the Committee proposed to do by means of an Association providing "that, hence- " forth, we will suspend all commercial intercourse " with the said Island of Great Britain, until the said " Act for blocking up the said Harbour" [0/ Boston} " be repealed, and a full restoration of our Charter " Rights be obtained."^ But we are told by that generally trustworthy histor…

If this statement is well-founded, and the name ot its author affords a reasonable guaranty that it is so, the world of historical literature will be taught by it, how much the personal character of Samuel Adams has been unduly eulogized ; and every careful reader will also be taught by that new revelation, how much the Clerk of the House of Representatives, in Colonial Massachusetts, while …

The letters of disapproval and discouragement, 1 Address sent by the Boston Committee to every Town in the Province, dated "'Boston, June 8, 1774," re-printed in Force's American Archives, Fourtli Series, i., 397. - Funn of a C'wcnani, sent to every Town in j\[iissachusettt, by the Committee ill Boston, with tlie above-mentioned Address, Section let. 3 Richard Frothingham of Cliarlestown, in …

Accordingly, on the seventeenth of June, the ilouse of Representatives, assembled at Salem, more or less under the guidance of its Clerk, adopted a Resolution declaring that "a Meeting of " Committees from the several Colonies on this Con- " tinent is highly expedient and necessary, to con- "sult upon the ])resent State of the Colonies and " the Miseries to which they are and must he reduce…

At the same time that the House of Representatives, at Salem, was thus adding the weight of its official judgment against the line of action proposed and solicited by the Town of Boston and in support of that proposed and insisted on by the Committee in New York, the former, also, in a duly assembled Town-Meeting, John Adams occupying the Chair, in seeming forgetfulness of its Vote, on the th…

the preceding month, willingly or unwillingly, formally wheeled into the line of the general opposition to the Home Government, under the guidance of that foreign Committee ; and, without making the slightest allusion to her ill-conceived and injudicious action, in her adoption of that Vote, the Town " en- " joined " the Committee of Correspondence, " forth- " with, to write to all the other C…

The Committee of Correspondence in New York having, meanwhile, received assurances of their apjjroval of its proposition to invite a meeting of Deputies from the several Colonies, in a Continental Congress, from the Committee of Corresiwndence of Connecticut * aud. from that in Philadelphia^ -- with the knowledge, also, that the "Standing Committee ot "Correspondence," which the General Assembl…

"That Committee of the Assembly «a.s composed of John Cruger Frederick Philipse, Isaac Wilkins, Benjamin Seaman, James .Jauncey James De Lanccy, Jacob Walton, Simeon Boerum, John Dp Xoyelles, (ieorge Clinton, Daniel Kissam, Zebulon Williams, and John Rapalje, the names of ten of whom, including that of Frederick Philipse of AVestchester-county, are appended to a letter, aildressed to the Comm…

In submitting that Resolution, which had not received the imprimatur of those who represented the majority of the Committee, and, for that reason, was not received with any favor by that majority, it is evident that Alexander McDougal acted in behalf of the minority of that bod\' -- of those of its members who had been selected from the revolutionary faction of the Tradesmen, Mechanics, and…

The struggle between the two factions, within the Committee, was continued to an Adjourned Meeting of that body, on the evening of the twenty-ninth of June, when Alexander Mc- Dougal moved " that this Committee proceed, im- " mediately, to nominate five Deputies for the City "and County of New York, to represent them in a "Convention of this Colony,^ or in the general Con- "gress, to be he…

It is clear, as we understand the record, that Alexander McDougal offered it, for consideration, only at the Meeting on the twentyseventh of June. 2 This portion of the Resolution evidently looked for the establishment of a Provincial Congress or Convention, in which should be vested supreme and arbitrary power, without limitation, over the persons and properties and actions and thoughts and co…

Immediately afterwards, without a division, on the motion of Theophilact Bache, seconded by John De Lancey, the Committee resolved "to nominate five persons, to " meet in a general Congress, at the time and place " which shall be agreed on by the other Colonies ; and " that the Freeholders and Freemen of the City and " County of New York be summoned to appear at a " convenient place, to ap…

* It is proper to remind the reader, in this place, of two well-known facts, each of which had an important bearing on the political events of the period now under consideration. The first of these facts is, the ' friends of the Government " took no part whatever, in the formation of the Committee of Correspondence nor in its doings. That body was denounced by the Colonial Government, from th…

Such a Measure would involve us in " Troubles which it is thought much more prudent to avoid ; and to shun " all E.vtreams while it is yet possible Things may take a favourable " tmu."--{The srime to the same, " New YoiiK, Gth July, 1774.") The party of the Government -- subsequently called "Tories" -- included only the members of the Colonial Government, in its various departments, and its de…

The second of the facts referred to is, at the time under consideration and during the succeeding half century, as we have already stated {vide pages i, 5, ante,) those who were not Freeholders or Freemen of a Municipality, were not vested with the right of suffrage, in any of the Colonies ; and it need not be a matter of surprise that, at that early day, the great body of the Freeholder and …

The subject was subsequently disposed of, as it then appeared, by a Resolution, offered by John De Lancey and seconded by Benjamin Booth, providing for the nomination of the Delegates by the body of the Committee, of which the conservative aristocrats held the entire control, which resulted in the nomination of Philip Livingston, John Alsop, Isaac Low, James Duane, and John Jay, of whom Jo…

The minority of the Committee and those with whom it sympathized and acted, in political affairs -- the " Bellwethers " and the " Sheep " of Gouverneur Morris's metaphor -- were not inclined, however, to submit, tamely, to the arbitrary dictation of their " Shepherds," composing the majority of that body ; and they promptly determined to carry the contest into a new field, and with heavy re…

tee's Meeting, calling a Meeting of "the good People " of this Metropolis,'- to be held in the Fields,' on the following day, [ Wednesd<ty, July 6 ] at six o'clock, " when Matters of the utmost Importance to their " Reputation and Securitj', as Freemen, will be com- " municated." At the appointed hour, it is said, " a " numerous meeting '' was collected, with Alexander McDougal in the Chair…

One of the Resolutions adopted by that notable assemblage of the inhabitants of the City of New York, was almost identical, in words and sentiments, with that voted by the Town of Boston, on the thirteenth of May, of which mention has been made herein ; another " instructed, empowered, and directed " the Dei)uties from New York, in the jiroposed Congress, " to engage with a majority of the pr…

3 What were then called, sometmies, "The Fields," and, at other times, "The Common," on which has occurred so much of public interest, in later as well as in earlier days, have been called, during more than half a century past, "The Park;" and by that name it is still known, notwithstanding the greater attractions which, for some years l^ajst, have been jiresented to merely pleasure seekers, i…

But that, if the " Counties shall conceive this mode impracticable or " inexpedient, they be requested to give their appro- " bation to the Deputies who shall be chosen for this " City and County, to represent the Colony in Con- " gress ;" and it " instructed " " the City Committee of "Correspondence" "to use their utmost Endeavours " to carry these Resolutions into execution." After order…

Inspired by the strength and the spirit of the Meeting in the Fields, and led in their o])position to the majority of the Committee, by all the old-time experienced popular leaders, the " Inhabitants of the City "and County," of every class, met, agreeably to the published request of the Committee of Correspondence, at the City Hall, at noon, on the day after those Inhabitants had assembled in …

IGU, Nf.w-Yokk, Thursdaj', July 7, 1774; Gaino's Kciv-Yoi-I; GnMc mid Mcrnin/, No. 1185, New- York, Monilay, .luly 11, 1774 ; Riiiiigli'HS Xetv-Yoik Gfl;p«w, No. 6.5, New-Youk, Thursclay, July 14, 1774 ; Liruteiuiut-fjoffninr Coldett to Governor Tryoii, "Spring Hill, 2n(l .\ugu6t, 1774;" Hamilton's Life of Alexander UmniUon, i , 21-23 ; Dawson's Park and Us Vicinitu, 34-.'i7 ; Dunlap's Ui»lor…

which was terminated, on the last-mentioned day, only after Philip Livingston, Isaac Low, John Alsop, and John Jay, four of the nominees of the aristocratic and conservative Committee of Correspondence, had inconsistently and venally declared, in direct contradiction of the constantly declared policy of that Committee, previously concurred in by themselves, that " a general Non-Importation A…

It will l)e seen that James Duane did not disgrace himself or his name by placing the latter, with those of his four aristocratic associates on the ticket for Delegates to the proposed Congress, on the letter through which those four bartered the little of political and personal integrity and the modicum of unselfish ]>rinciples which they respectively possessed, for a small mess of very thin…

^ Philip Livingston, John Ahop, Isaac Lore, and John Jay to Abrahitm Brasher, Theophilus Anthony, Fraucia Van Di/rk, Jeremiah Piatt, and Christopher Luyrkinch, " New York, July 26, 1774." 5 Proceedings of a Meeting of a nund/er of Citizens convened at the " House of Jl/r. Marriner," at which the nominations by the Committee of Correspondence were acquiesced in, by those who assumed to represe…

Indeed, in the latter connection, it is known that, subsequently to his election as a Delegate to the Congress, and before he left New York, to take his seat in that body, as the trusted Envoy of all the inhabitants of that City, nominally charged with the great and honorable duty of seeking, in their behalf, a redress of the political grievances which had been imposed upon them by the Home …

In liarmony, also, with tliat evident connection of James Duane with the Colonial Government,-- in support, also, of the suspicion that particular lines of action, in the interest of the Crown, to be taken in the Congress, were considered and determined on, in advance of the meeting of the Congress, by that particular Delegate and the venerable Lieutenant-governor of the Colony -- reference nee…

I "know such were the sentiments of Farmers and Country People in "general who make a great Majority of the Inhabitants. I hafl a con- "fldcntial conference w ith one of the Delegates sent from this city to the "Congress now met at Philadelphia who I thought had us much intiu- "enccas any from this place, and ho gave me assurances of his disposition "being similar." -- I Lienlenunt-ijoremor …

made only to that other patent fact, that the Congress had no sooner closed its sessions, at Philadelphia, than he hastened to his master, in New York, and reported to that anxious listener, for the use of the Ministry, in England, not only the doings of particular Delegations, in the Congress, and those of the Congress itself, but his own general dissent from the proceedings, his request that…

The Colonial Government was decidedly and j)eculiarly opposed to the adoption of any measure, either by the people or the Congress, which would possibly disturb the Trade and Commerce of Great Britain ; and James Duane, a dependent on that Government, was not at liberty to sign such a letter, approving the establishment of a Non-Importation Agreement, as that which his four associates on the …

* The Iiefpalch of Lii-iilcnanl-gnrernor Colden to the F.url of liiirlmouth dated, " Xf.w York, December 7th, 1774," in which the Home Government was informed of these dishonorable revelations of the action of the Congress, is too extended to be copied into this Note. The reader is consequently referred to it. ^ \ carefully prepared f>ic-simile of the last sheet of that AMoeiolion, which cont…

James Duane was not among those who were suddenly converted, in order to ensure their success at the Polls; but, nevertheless, on the day after the disgraceful political somersault of Philip Livingston, Isaac Low, John Alsop, and John Jay had been declared satisfactory hj their jilebeian and revolutionary auditor}', that eminent adherent to the original policy of the Committee of Correspond…

those staid, well-to-do, and contented farmers who occupied that County, and to draw any portion of them from the quiet of their rural homes into the .'seething vortex of partisan excitement, concerning measures of the Home Government which did not affect them nor their interests, in the slightest degree -- a departure from the ways of their fathers, which, before many months had elapsed, tr…

^ Letter of the Committee of Corregpoudeitce of Xen- York to the Cotituiittee in Charleston, " New York, July 26th, 1774," Postscript, dated " July " 28th ;" the same to the Committee in Philadelphia, "New York, July iSth, " 1774 ; " the same to Matthew Tilghman, Chairman of the Mnrylaml Committee, " New Y'oek, July 2Sth, 1774; " Lieutenant-goremor Colden to the Earl of Dartmouth, " New York 2 …

York; the purposes, published or withheld, of the Committee itself; and the purposes, generally wellconcealed, of some of those who wielded the influence of that Committee, sometimes for the promotion of their individual and not always righteous interests and sometimes for the suppression of the aspirations of others which were quite as praiseworthy as their own, are, therefore, subjects whic…

These have been consequently presented, as briefly, however, as was consistent with persjiicuity ; and a more complete, and precise, and accurate understanding of the details of the revolution of sentiments within Westchestercounty, as portions of that more extended revolution, throughout the Colony and the Continent, "in the " minds and hearts of the people," it is believed, willi therefro…

2 "An History of Military Operations, from April 19, 1775, to Septem- " ber 3, 1783, is not an History of the American Revolution, any more "than the Marquis of Quincy's Mililanj History of Louijs XIV, though "much esteemed, is a History of the Keign of that Monarch. The " Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the pi-oplp, and in the " Union of the Colonies, both of which were substantial…

In order, however, that the representa- "tionofthe different Counties may be quite com- " plete, it is absolutely necessary that your County " appoint, with all possible speed, one or more Dele- " gates to join and go with ours to the Congress, or, if " you choose to repose your confidence in our Dele- " gates, that you signify such your determination, in " the most clear and explicit terms…

To this Circular Letter which was thus sent to the several rural Counties throughout the Colony, only six of those Counties are known to have paid the slightest attention, those of Westchester, Duchess, and Albany having respectively authorized the Delegates whom the City of New York had elected, to represent them, also, in the Congress ; - while those of Kings, ' Suffolk,* and Orange,* res…

1 Draft of the Circular Lttler sent to the Commiltee or Trcaiurtr of the different Counliet, " New 'YiiRK, July 20, 1774," appcuded to the ilimitetof the Commiltee, "New York, July 28, 1774." See, also, Lieutenant-governor Colden to Goveruor Tryon, " Spbinu " Hill 2 August 1774." • CyedentiaU of those Delegates -- Journal of the Oongress, " Mondjiy, " September 5, 1774." ^ Credenlitil of Si…

Be that as it may, for some reason, if more than four Towns in Westchester-county took any action whatever, in response to the Circular Letter of the Committee, concerning the political questions of that period, or for the appointment of Deputies to represent the County in the proposed Congress, or for any other purpose, the record of that action has escaped the notice of working historical st…

On the tenth of August, responsive to the Circular Letter Irom the Committee in New York, the Freeholders and Inhabitants of Rye, who sympathized with that Committee in its proposal that Westchestercounty should appoint Delegates to represent it in the proposed Congress, met and appointed John Thomas, Junior, Esq., James Horton, Junior, Esq., Robert Bloomer, Zeno Carpenter, and Ebenezer Havil…

" This Meeting being greatly alarmed at the late " Proceedings of the British Parliament, in order to " raise a Revenue in America; and considering their late "most cruel, unjust, and unwarrantable Act for block- " ing up the Port of Boston, having a direct tendency to " deprive a free People of their most valuable Rights "and Privileges, an introduction to subjugate the In- " habitants of …

" Secoxd, That we conceive it a fundamental part " of the British Constitution, that no Man shall be " taxed but by his own Consent, or that of his Eepre- " sentative, in Parliament ; and as we are by no means " represented, we consider all Acts of Parliament " imposing Taxes on the Colonies, an undue ex- " ertion of Power, and subversive of one of the most " valuable Privileges of the Engl…

These Resolutions were duly submitted to the Meeting ; and, as the official record says, they " were " unanimously ajjproved of ; " when the assemblage quietly dispersed.' Those who are acquainted with the questionable practices of ambitious, and, not unfrequently, unscrupulous politicians, will be prejiared, without warning, for the reception of any modification of the recorded features of …

The masterspirit of the assembled farmers, whether many or few in number, was John Thomas, Junior, one of a family of officeholders under the Home and the Colonial Governments,^ and, himself, an anxious office-seeker. 1 Ollicial report of the proceedings of the Meeting-- Holt's \ew-York Journal, Xo. 1G50, New-Yokk, Thursday, August 18, 1774. See, also, Gaiue's Xew-York Gazette, and the WeeMi…

While the politicians, in Rye, were discussing, with more or less satisfaction, the result of their doings, to which reference has been made, those in the Borfroni his Ordination, iu 1704, until his death, in 1727, was a Missionary in the employ of the Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts, in London. The father of John Thomas, Junior, was Uon. John Thomas, who, from 1743 until …

Thomas, who is one of the Representa- "tives in this County, and who, in Governour De Lancey's time, being " favoured with all the Administration of all Offices in the Country, civil "and military, by the help of which he has procured himself a large in- "terest in the County, especially in the distant and new Settlements, " which abound with a Set of People governed more by venality than "a…

This man is not only one of our Vestry (though very " little esteemed by the true friends of the Church), but has procured "that the Majority of the Vestry are Men that will be governed by " him ; several of the Vestry are not of the Church : and not one of "them a communicant in the Church; accordingly, the Church are "not at all consulted with regard to a successor," to the former Rector, …

3 John Thomas, Junior, by this early movement in behalf of the revolutionary element, placed himself in the front rank of successful politicians in AVestchester-county-- he was a member of the Committee of the County, and its Chairman ; a Member of the Provincial Convention representing Westchester-county, in 177.5; a Member of the Fii-st and Second Provincial (Congresses, representing Westches…

For that jiurpose, on Saturday, the twentieth of August, also in response to the Circular Letter received from the Committee of Correspondence in the City of New York, those of " the Freeholders " and Inhabitants " of that Borough Town who sympathized with that Committee in its request that Westchester-county should apj)oint Delegates to represent it in the proposed Congress, met, and appointe…

Like the similar Meeting, at Rye, this Meeting also waited, apparently without adjourning, until its Committee was formally organized, by the ai)i)ointnient of James Ferris, Esq., as its Chairman, and while that Committee considered the various political questions of the period -- ''the very alarming Situa- " tion of their sufi'ering Brethren, at Boston, occa- "siouedby the late unconstituti…

"Second, That we coincide in opinion with our " friends of New York and of every other Colony, " that all Acts of the British Parliament, imposing '• Taxes on the Colonies, without their Consent, or by " their Representative, are arbitrary and oppressive, " and should meet the abhorrence and detesta- " tion of all good men ; That they are replete with " the purpose of creating Animosities a…

I " preserve their Rights and Liberties from the Inva- " sion that is threatened, we do most heartily recom- " mend a Steadiness and Unanimity in their Meas- I " ures, as they will have the happy Effects of averting "the Calamity that the late tyrannical Acts of the "British Parliament would otherwise most assuredly " involve us in. " Fifth, That to obtain a Redress of our Grievi " ances, it…

But, [ like the Meeting at Rye, of which mention has been made, that at Westchester was evidently controlled by a single master-spirit ; and, like the former, the ! latter was, also, unquestionably convened and conducted, not as much for the clear expression of the uncontrolled and intelligent opinions of " the Free- ; " holders and Inhabitants" of the Town, on the grave j questions which w…

County, if any such Towns, really or apparently, re- ! sponded to the invitation of the Committee of Cor- I resjjondence in New Y'ork, either contented themselves, like those of Bedford and Mamaroneck, with only the elections of Delegates to the proposed Convention of the County, without any further expression of their sentiments, or, if they expressed such sentiments or any others, that, i…

facts that, on Monday, the twenty-second of August, 1774, a Convention of Delegates from the several Towns and Distiicts of Westchester-county, or from a number of them, was assembled in the Court-house, at the White Plains ; that Colonel Frederic Philipse, Lord of the Manor of Philipseborough and a Member of the General Assembly of the Province, representing the County of Westchester in tha…

1 " Card III the Puhlic,^' reprinted in Force's Ameriooi Jrcliirea, Fourtli Series, i., 118S, 1189. 2 Oredciitiah of the Deleijatvn from Xew-York, Journal of the Comjres»^ "Monday, September 5, 1"74." 3 The subseciuently published disclaimer of inhabitiints of Rye and other circumstances oftlie same tendency, incline us to the belief of what Lieutenant-governor ('olden informed the Earl of Da…

In the same connection, Joseph Galloway, when he was examined before the House of Conmions, testified, that "I don't think that one-fifth "part have, from principle and choice, supported the present Rebellion.' * * * " The last Delegation to Congress, made by the Province of " Pennsylvania, and the appointment of all the Olflcers of that State, was "made by less than two hundred Votci's, altho…

" In a foot-note to tliis portion of that testimony, Galloway added : " The people of Kings County so much disap- " proved of the sending any Members to the Congress, that, although " due notice was given of the time and place of Election, only two of "them met: Mr. Simon Boerum appointed his friend Clerk, and the "Clerk appointed Mr. Boerum a Delegate in Congress, who was the only "Represent…

There is reason, also, for supposing that there were many such cautious or timid conservatives, in each of the Towns, if, indeed, the great body of the inhabitants of each was not thus disposed to maintain the conservatism of the past; that they were not confined to any particular class of the inhabitants of those Towns ; and that they included holders of freehold properties and of the righ…

" We, the Subscribers, Freeholders and Inhabitants " of the Town of Rye, in the County of Westchester, "being much concerned with the unhappy Situation "of public Affairs, think it our Duty to our King and "Country, to Declare that we have not been con- " cerned in any Resolutions entered into or Measures " taken, with regard to the Disputes at present sub- "sisting with the Mother Country;…

" Joshua Purdy, " James Wetmore, " William Brown, " Joseph Purdy, "Jonathan Budd, " Ebenezer Brown, Jun., " Henry Slater, "Andrew Kniffen, "Thomas Wilson, Roger Purdy, Gilbert Brundige, Joseph Clark, James Gedney, James Purdy, John Adee, Nathaniel Purdy, Joseph Wilson, Benjamin Willson, James Hart, Silemon Halsted, James Budd, Thomas Kniffen, Gilbert Merrit, Esq. John Carhart…

Those w^jo are acquainted with the methods which are very often employed by audacious partisans or by tho.se more insidious supporters of a questionable proposition, for the instruction of an opponent in what way to do or to say what, if left to himself, he would not think of either saying or doing, in any manner, will be very likely to concur in the suspicion which prevails, that the follo…

'between the ilother Country and her Colonies, are, ' therefore, sorry that we ever had any concern in ' said Paper ; and we do by these Presents utterly 'disclaim every part thereof, except our expressions 'of Loyalty to the King and Obedience to the con- ' stitutional Laws of the Realm. ' Abraham Miller, 'Adam Seaman, ' Andrew Carehart, ' John Carehart, ' Gilbert Brundige, 'John Willi…

" It is ray Opinion that the Parliament have no " Right to Tax America, tho' they have a Right to " regulate the Trade of the Empire. I ani further of " Opinion that several Acts of Parliament are Griev- " ances ; and that the execution of thera ought to be " Opposed, in such Manner as may be Consistent with " the Duty of a Subject to our Sovereign ; tho' I can- " not help expressing my Dis…

It will not be impro|)er, however, to notice, in this connection, the fact that two, if no more, of the Delegates who represented the revolutionary portion of the inhabitants of Westchester-county, in that Congress, were actively associated with Joseph Galloway, whom history has regarded as a " volunteer spy for the " British Government," ' in a measure, proposed in the 1 Iliringlon't Xew-T…

interest of the Crown, which the Congress not only rejected, with contempt, but would not permit to be laid on its table nor to be recorded on its jjublished Journal ; ' that one of those two Delegates was subsequently discovered to have been quite as deeply implicated in a perfidious communication of the secret proceedings of the Congress, with quite as earnest a sympathy for the King and th…

It has been usual to screen the latter of the two Delegates 1 " With a heart full of loyalty to my Sovereign, I went into Congress -- 'and from that loyalty I never deviated, in the least. I proposed a Plan "of Acriimmodation in theCongress, agreeable to niy iKSlructioim ; -- Bonie " of the best men, and men of the best fortunes, espoused the Pluii, and "drew with nie." -- {ExaiiiiimtiuH of …

"Galloway urged it in an elaborate speech; and it was supported by " Duane, .Jay, and Edward Kutledge. It was not only rejected, however, " but the menbers came at last to view it with so much odium that the " Motions in relation to it were ordered to be expunged from the Juur- " nuh. This result was an end to the loyalist intluence iu Congress." -- (Erothingham's llise of the R-imhUr, Boston…

The aristocratic Kichard Henry Lee was in harmony « ith hini ; but the democratic elem,ent of the Congress was widely opposed to him, in all his fundamental propositions. 4 Vide the extracts from Galluway".'- Eyoiiiiiiiitivu, Bancroft's Histunj of the Vidted Htules, and Frothingliani's Uise of the llepnblk; in Note 1, page 34, above. from the censures of history and to regard him as peculia…

Indeed, no intelligent person can arise from a careful and dispassionate examination of the unquestionable authorities which have come down to us, concerning the origin of that Congress, the expressed purposes for which it was called, its organization, the extent of authority which was delegated to the several Delegations of which it was composed, and the action of those Delegations, within …

6 Although this is not likely to be disputed, by auy one, it may be proper to state that it was not claimed to have been so, by those whc promoted the call for it -- " it is allowed by the most Intelligent among " them, that these assemblies of the People are illegal and may be danger- "ous, but they deny that they are unconstitutional when a national " grievance cannot otherwise be removed."…

The purposes of this work afford no warrant for a more extended narrative than we have given of the really varied designs of those, in other Colonies than in that of New York, who promoted the assembling of a Congress of the Colonies ; nor of the intrigues of those who, some for one purpose and some for another, desired to become members of that body ; nor of the objects for which it was sp…

All these must be left for elucidation by other hands, in other works ; but we may be permitted to say, here, in brief, that, since what were regarded as grievances, of which complaints had been made and which were sought to be redressed, were peculiarly of a commercial or mercantile character, the disaffection of the Colonists, in New York, because of those alleged grievances, was confined…

Each of these two classes of Colonists, in New York, the commercial and mercantile classes, within the two Cities, and the agricultural and dependent classes, throughout the country -- the former assuming to have been aggrieved by the Home Government and originating means for the redress of those alleged grievances, on the one hand ; the latter wholly indifferent to the complaints of the metr…

The Congress of the Colonies, as the reader will remember and as we have stated, was one of those means which were resorted to, by the aristocratic, anti-revolutionary commercial and mercantile classes, within the City of New York and by those Traders whose seat was at Albany, for the purpose, it was alleged, of securing a peaceful redress of what those ilerchants and Traders were pleased t…

spired and directed by controlling members of those commercial and mercantile classes,for which property the local authorities had neglected or declined to compensate the owners -- and, besides the inditt'erence of the farmers, who constituted a vastly great majority of the adult males who were permanent residents of the Colony, which we have described, it encountered, from its inception, the…

Notwithstanding the direct opposition of the little clique of fire-eating revolutionists and that of the larger and more influential circle of the Colonial Government and its adherents -- "friends of Govern- " ment," as they called themselves -- and the chilly indifference of the great body of the farmers, constituting the vast majority of the inhabitants of the Colony, that Congress of the …

The Colonial Government and its adherents were, of course, none the less antagonistic to it, because they were powerless to suppress the growing revolt or to protect the Colonists from the effects of the revolutionary action of the Congress. The farmers throughout the Colony continued their agricultural labors in continued indifference, unmindful of that approaching catastrophe which was, so …

had originated and by whom it had been fostered, very many disapproved the violence of its declared policy -- of that policy which had closed the doors to all hopes for Reconciliation and Peace, and which had opened the doors, invitingly, to Revolution and Rebellion, to War and Ruin -- and drew back from those who continued to sustain the Congress and who, then, were preparing to enforce it…

The glamour of success may have made all these transactions, before the Congress was convened and while it was in session and after its dissolution, appear to have been possessed of different characters from those which they really possessed ; the diligence of personal descendants, whose best claim to distinction among men rests only on the apocryphal fame of their ancestors, actors in those…

Among the conservative farmers of Westchestercounty, generally, it is believed that the result of the Congress was not satisfactory -- as will be seen, hereafter, some of the most influential of them, who had heartily approved the popular movement for the redress of the Colony's grievances, and who had earnestly united with their countrymen in calling the Congress, were forced to the seeming in…

No. 95, New-Yokk, Tlmrstlav, February 9, 177.5, reprinteil in Force's .iinericaii Archiees, Fourth Series, i., 1177, 1778 ; E.rtrnct of a tetter from lioston to a Gentlemtiii ill Xeic-York, January 20, 1775, reprinted in the same work, i., 1178; Piiifeediiigs of llie Tom, in legal Town-Meeting, 20th February, 1773, reprinted in the same work, i., 1249 ; I'rotest of sljtii four of the Inhotiili…

PriMfi-'lings of the Toirii, in Town-Meeting, "Newtown, Connecti- '* CUT, February G, 1775," published in 2{ivingtoii'» Xew-York Gazetteer, Kg. 97, New- York, Thui-sday, February 23, 1775, re-printed in Force's Amei iaiH Archives, Fourth Series, i., 1215; Hnid' s Histori/ of Fairfieldcomttij, 465. * Hurd's Hittorii of F<iirfield-i oiiiitii, 'S, 79, and the Petition for Harbor Guard, dated Jan…

1" Huntington's History of Stamford, 205 ; Hurd's History of Fairfieldcounty, 7(i6. Protest of one htmdred and tirenty Freeholders and Inhabitants of the Toun o/.Yeic Milford, February 27, 1775, reprinted in Force's American Archinx, Fourth Scries, i., 1270; History of Litchjield-county, Connecticut, Phila. : 1881, 4.51. I- Dwight's Trareh, ii., 369. 1' History of LUchfield-county, 495, 496.…

February 13, 1775, published in Holt's Neir-York Journal, No. 1676, New -York, Thursday, February 16, 1775 ; and those of the Committee fur Observation fur the Township of Woodbridge, New Jersey, " WooDBRincE, February 20, 1775," published in Force's American /IrcAi'ie*, Fourth Series, i., r249, each providing for ■" boycotting " the Staten Islaudeis. Liexttenant-govenior Colden to the Eurl o…

While the more conservative portions of the Colonists, in opposition to the Home Government, were earnestly laboring to maintain themselves in the leadershij) of the political elements of the Colony, and, at the same time, to secure a redress of the grievances to which the Colony had been subjected and to effect an honorable reconciliation between the Colonies and the Mother Country, the revo…

On the seventh of November, James Duane, who had already distinguished himself, in connection with John Jay and Joseph Galloway, as everything else than an honest promoter of anything which was revolutionary in its tendencies, pandered to the revolutionary spirit which pervaded the revolutionary portion of the unfranchised inhabitants of the Citj', through whose influence he had once been elev…

Ihe same to Governor Tryon, "New York, Dec. 7, 1774;" Governor fitije to </ic s<ini«, " Boston, December 15, 1774;" Joseph Reed to Josiah QuiHcy, Junior, " I'hil.voelpiih, November 6, 1774 ; " Proceedings of a Meeting of IWeholders of Middlesex-county, Xnr Jersey, " accortliug to a "Notice," .Fauuary 3, 1775, reprinted in Force's .Imericaii Archives, Fourth Series, i., 1083 ; Proceedings of T…

mittee should condemn, for having violated that Association, in order " that, thenceforth, the parties to the " said Association should respectively break off all deal- " ings with him or her" -- in more modern phraseology, in order that the alleged offender, whether guilty or innocent of any violation of law, on the mere condemnation of a local Committee, on whom individual animosity or loca…

" Some difficulties having arisen relative to the Ad- " vertisement published by the Committee, for choos- " ing a Committee of Inspection "--in other words, the handful of professional politicians who assumed to represent the unfranchised Mechanics and Working-men of the City, having repudiated the limitations imposed by the Congress, and insisted that the votes of the great body of the in…

The eleventh Resolution of the Congress, referred to in tlie text, provided "that a Committee he chosen in every County, (^ity, and " Town, by those who are (nullified to vote for Representatives in the " Legislature, wliose business it sliaU be attentively to observe the con- ** duct of all persons, touching this Anmcintion^^ [of Non-ImporUUion, Soii-t 'omiumjitiaii, and Koit'Krjiortati'nt,]…

The reader will judge how ill-adapted such a "smelling Committee" as was thus ordered, in every Town, must have been, to promote harmony among the Colonists, or to give support to those who were seeking a redress of the grievances of the Colonies and a restoration of harmony between the Colonies and the Mother Country. -3liiintes of the Committee of Correspondence, "New York, November " 14, 1…

Francis's, six months previously, and which had been subsequently organized, with so much ostentation, at the Coffee-house, nominally, for the promotion of" the common cause " of the Colonies, in their reasonable dispute with the Home Government; but, more surely, for the protection of the conservative and aristocratic elements of the City's pojDulation from the already unwelcome and yet more…

If the reader will closely watch the successive events, in that connection, and notice the final result, he will see, also, how well the consolidation of aristocracy and democracy, into one mass of political conglomerate, for the advancement in authority of particular men, accomplished that purpose, the interests of the Colonies and those of political honesty, in the meanwhile, having been ent…

They acted as "a legal body, legally chosen, and fined, imjirisoned, robbecl, and ban- " ished His Ma.jesty's loyal subjects with .1 vengeance." As will be seen, hereafter, the Judge was in error, when he supposed and stated that the second Committee, that of '• Inspection," was not elected, and was created secretly, without notice to the Citizens. On the contrary, the two factions of the Op…

It had, indeed, asserted and successfully maintained those conservative political principles, directly antagonistic to the more revolutionary political principles which the men of Boston had as-^erted and insisted on, which it believed to have been better adapted for the promotion of "the "common cause" and for that of the best interests of the Colonies; and, for the further promotion of" th…

There was a fitness, therefore, that those of the Committee who had honestly and unselfishly opposed the aggressions of the Home Government, should cease to allow their names and whatever influence those names might possess, to be used by those who had betrayed the confidence which had been reposed in them, directly, for the advancement of their own i)ersonal ends, and, indirectly, for the p…

The result of the interview which the Committee of Correspondence had thus invited -- one of the high contracting parties rapidly approaching its own dissolution, with only twenty-three of its fifty-one members present, and with eight of the twenty-three predestinated by their associates to an early retirement: the other of the two parties to the conference flushed with that most recent and mo…

There is abundant evidence concerning the peculiar zeal of that new-formed Committee of Inspection -- sometimes styled " The CoiniiTTEE of Sixty," and at others, " The Committee of Observation " -- in the discharge of its self-imposed duties f but, generally, the purposes to which this work is specially devoted do not require a more extended notice of them, in this place. Those purposes rec…

"The first Thing done by the People of this place in consequence of "the Resolutions of the Congress, was the Pissolntion of the Committee "of 51, in order to choose a new Committee of Inspection, to carry the " Jleasnres of the Congress into elTect. \ Day wius apjiointed by Adver- " tisement fur choosing sixty Persons to form this Committee. About 30 "or 4(1 Citizens only appeared at the Ele…

enlisiing her farmers in the support and execution of the Association or of any other of the measures or recommendations of the recent Congress, may have been or may have proposed, they were evidently entirely disregarded ; and that, at least as recently as the early Winter of 1774-75, there was not sufficient interest, friendly to the revolutionary movements •which were so deeply exciting t…

Fanner," which had made so much excitement, throughout the Colonies. It was written by a Weaver and published in Holt's New- York Journal, No. 1668, Xew-Yokk, Thursday, December 22, 1774. The Editor assured his readers that it was actually written by a working Weaver, who lived in Harrison's Purchase ; * and it was in these words : " To the city and country inhabitants, of the 2)rovince of Ne…

Kivington, entitled the Country Fanner, which " seems to be calculated to tln-ow all into confusion, " & to no other end ; and artfully to gain his point, " as a Fanner, he addresses himself to the Farmers, " and their wives ; he tells the latter, they cannot " treat a neighbour with a dish of tea ; and that will " be a dreailful thing indeed ; to tlie former, hesaith, " their jiroduce will…

If so, then my first answer to our " Farmer is, that we Weavers, and I believe I may " say most of other trades too, cannot live without " meat, bread and clothing, all which I shall gladly " take in exchange for my labour ; and If I could " earn more at the year's end, than a supply for my " family, I would be content, (at this troublesome " period, which our Farmer sets up for such a terr…

But 0 ! the consequence ! and so like- " wise, a deceiver now says to you what! are you de- " fiied the pleasure of drinking tea f But I beg of you " not to be now deceived, nor prevailed on to bring " ruin and slavery on your country and posterity, by " tasting of that detestable herb, which hath already " been the cause of so much confusion. But if you " will not be entreated, but will "p…

Besides their un- " spotted cluiracters, are they not men of extensive " interests in America? have they estate in any other " country? No, what then should induce them to " betray America, .'•eeing that if America falls, they " must fall with it? This consideration alone, is suf- " ficient to clear them from our Fanner's aspersion. " But in my opinion, a siill stronger security for their "…

And on the " whole, I think that it would be well for us farmers, " and mechanicks to consider whether it is not likely " that each colony took as much care in choosing " their delegates, as we did. That is, to send men of " knowledge, men of interest, and men of honour. If so, we must look on our farmer to be a man wholly given to ridicule, misrepresentation, and malevo- " lence ; for he …

" I would now recommend to the notice of every " reader of Rivington's Farmer, that it is the usual '' practice of evil minded persons, when they would " disturb the quiet of any man, or body of men, " against whom they can find no just cause of com- " plaint, to raise against them, without any evidence, " tlie highest clamours, suggest the most criminal designs, and if possible, represent e…

I would not even desire to ■ turn them upon his own head, and cause him, like Hainan, to be hanged on his own gallows -- I only '' desire that, unjust and unreasonable as they arc, '■ they may have no weight with the reader, or raise any prejudice in his mind against the cause of truth iS: his country, or against Any man or body of men, especially those worthy men who have nobly stood " fo…

We may assure " ourselves that a steady and firm opposition to the " late acts of Parliament, will cause our sovereign to " examine into the state of the case with great atten- " tion ; and when he finds he has been led into un- " warrantable acts by diabolical counsellors, he will " dismiss them from their offices, by w'hich they have " wickedly devised to throw the nation all into con- "…

If it should seem " grievous for the present, we have this for our con- " solation, that as good men as you and I, have been " afflicted : The devil was permitted to afflict Job " worse than wicked Ministers, or Counsellors of " state can you and me ; and let us take pateru by " his stability, when liis friends came and clamoured " against him, as bad as our Farmer doth in this day, " agai…

That the illustrious house of Hanover may " continue to be the defenders of true religion and " virtue, the faithful guardians of our freedom and " i)roperty ! That our sovereign, George the third, " may discover every wicked design, that any of his " Ministers, or others, have conceived against him, or " any of his people! That he may be endowed with " wisdom ami virtue to oeconie a blessi…

About the same time that this letter appeared, there was a movement, in the vicinity of the White Plains, to obtain a nominal approval, if no more, of the action, the revolutionary action, of the Committee of the City of New York ; but if what was said of the result of the effort by those who were opposed to the movement, without contradiction, may be believed, only " three or four persons …

We " are rather induced to do this, because we under- " stand, that three or four persons in the White "Plains, have taken \\\im\ them to declare to the "Committee at New-York, the consent of the "inhabitants of the White Plains to the resolutions " entered into, in New-York, and their acquiescence " with the measures taken there ; when the major " part of the few people who attended the m…

It was in these words : " Westchester County, White Plains. "TTTHEREAS, there was a petition published in YV "Rivington's paper, some time past, that "forty five of the freeholders and inhabitants, be- " sides Miles Oakley, did sign a petition -- I did sign " a petition, something like it, by being misled ; and " afterwards being informed into the right state of "the matter, I got the petit…

1 On tlie Sth of3Iay, 1775, 3Iiles Oakley was appointed a member of the County Committee, (mi'c ;«(</(■ -- ,pi>sl;)man afterwards, he received a Warrant for Second Lieutenant in Captain Mills's Company ; (i i<lr piajK -- , and he served in that office, under Colonel Holmes, in the bloodless Campaign of 177.'> ; leaving the service, when the Campaign closed.-- (J/i.>V«W<ri/ MiiiiiisrriplK, etc…

2 Illustrative of the statement made in the text, is the following, taken from tho' L'pi'"ll Clippinris. iv.,2!)7, in the Library of the New York Historical Society: "It is said that at least tliiee-fourths of the people "in Cortlandt's Manor, New York, have declared their unwillingness to "enter into the Congressional measures : that a great number of the " people in general in Westchester C…

There were some w ho were smarting under the outrages which had been inflicted on them or on their friends, by local and other despots, of high or low degree ; and these were, sometimes, compelled to find refuge and protection w ithin the lines of the lioyal Army : and there was a float ing, vicious class, within the County, which the lawlessness of the revolutionary faction and the succeeding…

That very interesting and very important ^rf(^?rss and the Association which accompanied it, -- the latter, generally known, among those who favored the revolutionary faction^ as " Thr Loya/ist's Test" -- because they form very important specimens of tlie literature of revolutionary Westchester-county, and because of their importance as reliable authorities for the guidance of the student o…

" TTTE the subscribers being desirous to convince mankind that ' " we are firmly attached to our most hajipy constitution, "and are disposed to support and maintain peace and good order under I " his Majesty's government, do therefore declare, that our sovereign lord •'king George the third, is tlie only sovereign to whom llritish Ameiica " may, can, or ought to owe and bear true and faithful…

That wc will upon all occasions stand by and assist each other "in the defence of his life, liberty and property, when ever the same " shall be attacked or endangered by any bodies of men riototisly assem- " bled, tipon any pretence or any authority whatsoever, not warrantetl " by the laws of the land, ** .SecoM*/, That wc will upon all occasions mutually support each "other in the free exer…

"stranger, an inhabitant of Cort- '■ landt's manor; I have nothing to dread or fear "from the resentment of any person or persons, as " I mean to give no offence to any individual ; "only wishing, that reason and common prudence "may take place of present bickerings, and the "detestable poison of party faction, ft is a matter no "longer to be hid under a cloud, whether we are in " reality,…

I presume it Avill " not be improper to see what part of this advantage "providence has allotted us; the question may be "easily solved ; we are placed in a fertile land, teein- "ing forth, in abundance, the necessaries of life for " ourselves, and a superfluity, which brings the wealth " of other nations to our own coffers. -- Every individ- "ual enjoys his share according to his industry …

I think I have accounted " for your inattention to political matters, as not being "within the sphere of your occupations, but confined "to the laudable ])ursuit of your own business; and, "I sincerely wish it to continue without interruption ; " to effect which, there is only one method left. -- I " have already observed, that our good intentions, "kept in silence, are not sufficient to di…

given me opportunity to form ideas of your behav- " iour and sentiments, I believe you, in a general "sense, firmly attached to loyalty and our admirable "constitution ; that you wish to live and die subjects " only to the British empire ; but how is this to be "manifested, and that it should be declared, there is ' an absolute necessity, without delay, for the follow- "ing reasons: That th…

not enough for a man to say, that I am a b.yal sub- "ject, no more than to say I am a jiious and true "christian; it must he his work, his dependance on, " his energy, his indefatigable effort; to promote honor "and glory to the true system of his preservation. As " chanty, my friends, is a characteristic of a good man " and a christian, I wish by no means it should be im- " paired, in this…

"happy and flourishing Continent: At this most "interesting period, it is the duty of every indi- " vidual, for the good of himself and posterity, to " pursue that course which conscience dictates to be " right. No one, if impartial, can be at a loss for the " clue of direction, the object is plain to every honest, "tho' ever so illiterate capacity: The loyalty we owe " to the best of Kings…

And if prejudice, popular declamations, "and the hateful current of party faction, are not too " strong for truth and matters of fact ; we must allow " that the grand pitch of commerce we have arrived "at, the progress we have made in arts and sciences; "the amazing repadity in extending, settling and im- " proving our land estates ; the magnificent appear- " ance and flourishing condition …

Let "us reflect on those direful calamities; Let us be " grateful tt) the power which preserved us, which sent "forth her Ixvixcible Veterans, vanquished our " enemies, and finally reinstated us in quiet posses- "sion of our own. -- If we have a right to complain of "the British acts of parliament, we have a Governor, " Council and Assembly, to rejircsent our grievances "to the King, Lords…

"common sense, are led to declare our firm and indis- " soluble attachment to our most gracious Sovereign "George the Third, his crown and dignity; and with grateful hearts to acknowledge, that we are in- " debted to his paternal care, for the preservation of "our lives and fortunes: And as we have ever been a " happy and free people, subject only to the laws and "government of ttreat-Brita…

Rivington's paper of Feb- " ruary 16, has certainly all the subtilty of the ser- "pent; and has as dexterously wormed himself " round your estates, with as much address, and will " probably have the same success, as the first serpent " had, when he attacked our old grandmother. -- And " you, my friends, resemble the simple dove, for you " seem to be innocent and secure, although the de- " …

" ways returns to the same hole to make her nest, " notwithstanding the experience she has had, of its " being utter destruction to her family. -- Just so it is " with you, ye people of Cortlandt, ije have e;/es, but " see not, and ears, but hear not. The Spectator, in " some of his beautiful lucubrations, mentions a young " Eastern Prince, who being severely reprimanded for " some unguarde…

" This soul has animated every kingdom on the face " of the earth, till by their own crimes and their own " folly, they have voluntarily banished it " their soil : This is the soul that has .sup- " ported the British state through various rcvolu- " tions, and will maintain its empire, either in that, " or some other part of the globe, till Heaven, in its " vengeance, shall extirpate the hum…

Yet these mens souls, " dare attempt with their Syren songs, to lull even " virtue itself to sleej), in the hopes that she may yet " split on the rocks. -- One day we are charmed with " peace, clemency, and pardon ; riches and plenty " are to be powered into our dwellings ; tyrants and " heroes are to drop their crowns and their laurels at " our feet, that we may partake of the banquet, if …

this is the scene, on which you could feast your " eyes with rapture, provided the rocks and the " mountains might cover you. -- But now let me tell " you, that were all this possible, there are fifteen out " of twenty, throughout this vast continent, all Free- " dom's sons, whose blood is neither contaminated " with paltry bribe, or coward fear ; who would face " all this terror, rather th…

Like the cruel ostrich, she has forsaken " her young ones ; with the fierceness of a tyger, she " lays waste our own fair inheritence, and dashes " her sons against the stones ! -- Shakspeare makes " Hamlet express himself thus ; ' But, I am pigeon " ' livered, and lack gall to make oppression bitter.' " Whether it is the lack of gall, or the lack of sensi- " bility, that makes you callous …

'• B. E." No further attempt to answer this Address nor to counteract the effects of the Association appears to have been made until late in the Spring, a long time after the farmers throughout the Manor had com- ,menced their work of ploughing and sowing and planting, when the following letter, signed by "An "Inhabitant," was published in Gaine's New-York Gazette: or the Weekly Mercuri/, …

" In a day when American pulse beats high for " Liberty ; when it is the subject of almost every " public [laper, as well as topic of discourse, it might "justly have been expected that no American would " be so hardy as to violate the rights of his fellow- " subjects ; and if any such monster should ai)pear " in this land of Liberty, that there would not be " wanting advocates for so glori…

" I have waited with great impatience, exjiecting " that some able hand would have undertaken the " benevolent task to warn you to beware of the con- " duct of some of the basest villains that ever dis- " graced any society, and draw the attention of the " inhabitants to its danger ; but finding that although "now some months are elapsed since the commence- "ment of the measures of these tr…

" They, anxious to secure to themselves and their "posterity power and authority, and to engross some " (jlfices or pensions from or under the Crown, have " made a sacrifice of all public virtue on the altar of "self-interest. This desperate spirit it was that in- " duced these traitors or mercenary hirelings to exert " tlieir influence to bring about the detestable meas- " urcs proposed by…

If Charles the " i'irst deserved the axe, and James the Second the " loss of his Kingdom, for changing the Constitution, " and thereby trampling on the rights of their sub- "jects, 1 leave you, my Countrymen, to judge what " punishment would be adequate to the crimes of " these loyalists and their tools, who are aiming at " the same by a sacrifice of all public virtue and the " liberty of …

During the greater portion of the period in which had occurred the various transactions of which mention has been made, herein, the General Assembly of the Colony of New York had not been permitted, by the Colonial Government, to meet for the consideration of the public affairs and for the transaction of the public business of the Colony ; but a large proportion, if uot a majority, of the Mem…

It was a matter of deep concern, therefore, both in the Colonial Government and among the Colonists, generally, when, on the tenth of January, 1775, that body was permitted to assemble, in an Adjourned Session ; - and, iu the absence of more exciting occurrences and in view of many anxious hopes that that Assembly, which had not been concerned iu any of the extraordinary occurrences of the p…

Livingston, asserting its continued loyalty to the Sovereign, its desire to eflect a redress of the grievances under which the Colonies were laboring, and its hope that a reconciliation between the Colonies and the Mother Country might be secured, nevertheless, fell back on the Congress and on the line of action on which the Congress had determined, notwithstanding the wellknown tendency to…

ciliation between the Colonies and the Mother Country might be effected ; but it also maintained, in opposition to the minority of the House and more consistently with the uniform profession of loyalty to the Sovereign and of respect for the fundamental principles of the Constitution, in both of which all, the minority as well as the majority, professed to be in harmony, that a removal of the …

The fii-st-named portion of the members, was, evidently, determined to force the Assembly into the line of the radical portion of the party of the Opposition, for no ofher purpose, however, than that of increasing the moral weight of that particular faction of the party, in its desperate struggle for the possession of the controlling power, in political affairs, within the Colony ; and this, …

The last-named portion of the members, not less determined than the other, resolutely maintained that the Assembly should remain entirely independent from all those popular Committees and Congresses which had been moving and laboring, during the preceding year, in lines of action which they had respectively approved, each for itself, for the common purposes ; 1 " The Ministry alledged that …

and, with equal resolution and consistency, it evidently determined, also, that the Assembly should take no official action on any of the occurrences of the preceding year, except such as should be brought before it, officially, or such as might have arisen from some prior action of the Assembly itself ; and, more important than all else, it determined that, with all the weight of its legiti…

The County of Westchester was ably represented on the floor of the Assembly, in the persons of Colonel Frederic Philipse and Judge John Thomas, who represented the body of the County ; Pierre Van Cortlandt, who represented the Manor of Cortlandt; and Isaac Wilkius, who represented the Borough of Westchester. Of these, Thomas and Van Cortlandt were of the minority of the Assembly, of which m…

Notwithstanding the Despatches of Lieutenant-governor Colden to the Home Government, which are (and have been, since 1775) accessible to everybody, abundantly prove that the Colonial Government possessed no more influence, which it could exercise over the .\ssembly, than was possessed by any other political opponent. -- that, in fact, that b(«ly was not in harmony w ith the Government, and act…

were of the majority of that body, which has been already described ; and because of the prominent jiarts which those Representatives of that County respectively took, in the debates concerning the momentous questions which were considered and determined in that Assembly, and because of the ills which befell three of those Representatives, because of what they had respectively said and done…

Although the Assembly had been prorogued to meet on the tenth of January, 1775, the members from the distant Counties were not present on that day, nor on several succeeding days; and, on the twentieth of that month, a "Call of the House" was ordered to be made on the seventh of February ensuing ; and the Clerk of the House was ordered to write to the absent Members, to require their punctua…

3 " It was some Days before a sufficient numtier of Members got to Town to make u House, and there nre still twelve of their number absent, " which has occasiuued the House to put off tlie farther consideration of " their IniiH^i taut Husiness to the 7th of next Mouth, at w hich Time **they have ordered all their Members to attend." -- (LieuttMumt-gurerttor tWifen li> Hie Riih,/ Diirliiiuiilh…

In the Lieutenant-governor's Ues(>at<'h to the Eiirl of Dartmouth, dated on the first of February, 1775, it is stated that the Call of the House referred to was made on a Motion offered by the minority of the House, for what was supposed would be beneficial to its purposes ; and when it is remembered that the majority already pos»i'SS«'d the cimtrol of whatever was brought forward, it will be …

Under any circumstances and in any assemblage, there would be aroused an earnest, if not an angry, opposition to any movement which was covered with as much of bad faith and dishonor as was seen, surrounding the Resolution which Colonel Ten Broeck had thus submitted in violation of the honorable understanding, between the two fiictions, which had been entered into when the "Call of the House…

Very reasonably, although the welcome act wsis done by those who were not of the " friends of the "Government," the result of that early struggle in the General Assembly of the Colony, on such a momentous question, was very acceptable to the Colonial Government* as well as to the Ministry, at London and, from that date until thi.-*, .separated from the motives of the majority of the Assembly …

< The venerable Lieutenant-governor of the Province was evidently in excellent spirits, from that result, when he w rote the Di^sjiatches to General G ige and the Karl of Dartmouth, which were referred to in the last preceding Xote. 5 " When the question to adopt the Sleasures recommended by the Con- " gress was negatived by a Majority of one only, in this Assembly nf "twenty-six Individuals,…

1 Gordon (HMnryof Americnn RerohitMii, i., 471) led off, in the work of detraction, by saying " The Massacluisetts Congress were displeased with "the proceedings of tlie General Assemlily of New York," for this Vote, among others, as if the approval of any merely insurrectionary body were necessary to ensure th^ respectability, in history, of any General Assembly, legally elected, legally con…

Bancroft, also, as far as his fragmentary paragraphs may be regarded as history (HUtory of the Vnited States^ original edition, iv., 207-21U ; the same, centenary edition, iv., 454-4.511) insinuated what he.would have been glad to have asserted, had he possessed even a shadow of evidence to support him, that it was the influence of the Government and that of the Established Church, the venality…

No one, unacquainted with tbe facts and depending on any of the above-named historians for information, can jiossibly learn, from them, that the Vote refeixed to was taken in the interest of the common cause, as a prelude to what the Assembly intended to do, in its own manner, in support of that cause ; that there was not a " friend of the Government," or " Tory," or member of the " party of …

Pitkin (HMory of the Vnited States, i.. .324, 32.5,) and Hildreth (History of the Vnited Stales, First Series, iii., 56,) notwithstanding they were New Englanders, did not permit the truth to be suppressed ; but they gave to the Assembly of New York, at least a portion of what was due to it, in honestly written history. the minority of the Assembly, appears to have been well-studied b}' those…

Livingston, of the Manor of Livingston, one of the leaders of the minority, offered a Resolution "that a day "maybe appointed to take the state of this Colony ''into consideration ; to enter such Resolutions as the "House may agree to, on their Journals; and, in " consequence of such Resolutions, to prepare a hum- " ble, firm, dutiful, and loyal Petition to our most gra- " cious Sovereign."…

i and the head of that powerful family, moved "that a Memorial to the Lords, and a Representation 1 " and Remonstrance to the Commons of Great Brit- I " ain may be prepared, together with the Petition "to his Majesty;"^ and, like the Resolution which -Jouninl of the Hmise, " Die Martis, 10 ho., A.M., the 31st January, '1775." 3 The peculiar force, if not the peculiar assertion of the pohtic…

In the same debate, it was said, also, by another Peer, that " the title " given to the paper was suspicious : a * Petition ' from the same Assem- "bly had been presented (o the King, the Colonies not denying the "supreme Rights of His Majesty ; a ' Hemonstrance' to the Commons; " and, now, a ' Memorial ' to the Lords. They dropped the usual word " ' Petition,' lest, from that, it should be i…

Continuing the commendable work in which it had thus commenced the proceedings of the day, and apparently without any dissent from any one, the House then ordered that James De Laiicey, and Benjamin ; Kissani, of the City of Now York, Colonel Philip Schuyler, of Albany-county, George Clinton, of Ulster-county, Dirk Brinkerhoof, of Duchess-county, Samuel Gale, of Orange-county, Isaac Wilkins, …

No reasonable reason which would be honorable to the minority of the Assembly, therefore, can be given for the eagerness which it displayed, on the sixteenth of February, to disturb the harmony of that body, in j which all of both factions appeared to have been i united in both purpose and action ; but, on that day, | Colonel Philip Schuyler, of Albany-county, in behalf j of that minority, …

It has suited those who have prefeiTed to traduce New York and her General .\ssembly, however, to regard both the (ieueral Assembly and its paiiers as only favorable to the Home GoTemment and | antagonistic to the common causi". 1 Jouruat of the " Die Martis, 10 ho., .\.M., the 31st January, " 177.5." - In the language of that pericxi. the word •' State," as it was used in this and similar …

On the following day, [February 17], Colonel Nathaniel Woodhull, of Suffolk-county, akso a prominent member of the minority, continued the factional strife, by offering a Resolution of Thanks to those gentlemen who had represented this Colony in the recent Congress, " for their faithful and judicious dis- " charge of the trust reposed in them, by the good " people of this Colony ; " and, of c…

Speaker signify the " same to the President of the Chamber of Commerce " in this City, at their next Meeting, and order a copy " of the same to be published in the public Prints." Like the other Res)lutions of the series, which had preceded it, this peculiarly inappropriate Resolution, before such a deliberative body, after it had been amply discussed, was promptly rejected by a vote of te…

HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY. in the negative, among whom were Colonel Philipse and Isaac Wilkins.^ On the twenty third of February, Crean Brush, of Cumberland-county, from the Committee which had been appointed to prepare a State of the Grievances of this Colony, presented a Report from that Committee; which was " referred to the consideration of a Com- " mittee of the Whole House, and b…

Judge John Thomas, one of the Representatives of Westchestercounty, and a leading member of the minority, offered a Resolution providing that " the sense of this House "be taken on the necessity of appointing Delegates "for this Colony, to meet the Delegates for the other " Colonies on this Continent, in General Congress, " on the tenth day of May next." The introduction of that resolution …

The well-considered and, under the circumstances, the judicious determination of the majority of the General Assembly, to unite in the general opposition to the Colonial policy of the Home Government, in the general demand for a redress of the a.ssumed grievances of the Colonies, and in the generally expressed desire to restore the harmony between the Colonies and the Mother Country, which t…

'Speeches, made by Brush and Wilkins, on that occasion, may be seen in Force's American Archires, Fourth Series, i., 1290-1207, the former re-printed from Rivington'it New-York Gazetteer, No. 9H, New-York, Thursday, March 2, 1775 ; the latter from tlie Siime paper, No. 103, New- York, Thursday, April 6, 1775. Students of the history of the Eevolution in the Colonies will be well paid for the t…

But it was clearly shown that " the common cause," which was so loudly talked of, was only a secondary matter ; that per.sonal and factional interests were, in fact, regarded as superior i to the interests of the country ; that it was the purpose of the minority and of those with whom it affiliated, for the especial advancement of their individual and factional interests, to obtain the entire…

Having fully accomplished its preliminary purpose, in securing from the legally constituted Legislature of the Colony a rejection of the several revolutionary Resolutions which it had submitted, and in, thereby. Till': AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 1774-1783. affording a pretext to those of its confederates, not of the General Assembly, for the assumption, by them, of authority, nominally in the nam…

On the appointed day, [March 1, 1775] the Assembly, in Committee of the Whole House, Colonel Benjamin Seaman, of Richmond-county, occupying the Cliair, commenced, the consideration of the State of the Colony's Grievances, which had been reported by the Special Committee which had prepared it ; ' and after having spent the entire day thereon, as well as the whole of the following day'^ and the…

In the Committee which had been appointed for the preparation of the Suie, in which every member brought forward whatever he regarded as a Grievance, and not in the body of the Assenibly, aa is meanly insinu- I ated. Colonel Schnyler introduced the .\ct of 4th George III., Chapter XV., a.s such a Grievance, which was approved and accepted by the Committee, with only two dissenting votes, notw…

The State of Grievances which was thus adopted by the General Assembly of New York included not only all thbse Acts of the Parliament of Great Britain, relating to or affecting the Colony of New York, for which Colony only the Assembly presumed to legislate, which the Congress of the Continent had included in the Bill of Rights and C/vevances which that body had adopted and published, but it …

Chapter LXXXIII., "so " far as it may be construed to establish the Roman " Catholic Religion in the Province of Quebec," and " so far as it imposes Duties upon certain Ar- " tides of Merchandise imported into that Province," '■■ which by another Statute of the same year, Chajiter " LXXXVIII., is so extended as to comprehend all the " Indian (Country, from Hudson's Bay to the Mouth " of th…

if npt in words, as that, on the same subject, which the Congress of the Continent had recently adopted -- and he glorified his grandfather, because of that gentleman's labors in opposing it, and iu endeavoring to qualify the Assembly's recognition of that Right, through an .\mendment, which the Committee had rejected ; without, however, alluding to that other fact that, in all that his grandf…

Philip Schuyler needed no such lictitious praise, even from his grandson ; anil, although he was willing to promote the interests of his faction, he does not appear to have been thus employed, in what he did as a member of that Committee for preparing a State of the iirierance» of thin (Jolonij, nor in any proceedings thereon, either in Counuittee of the Whole House or in the .Vssembly. ^ ■'…

action of the Continental Congress, moved by James Duane and supported by John Adams, and nearly in its words, ^ recognizing the Right of the Parliament " to regulate the Trade of the Colonies, and to lay " Duties on articles that are imported, directly, into " this Colony, from any foreign Country or Planta- " tation, which may interfere with the Products or " Manufactures of Great Britain…

On the seventh of Mare'li, James De Lancey, and Benjamin Kissam, of New York City, and George Clinton, of Ulster-county, were appointed a Committee to prepare the series of Resolutions required as a basis for the Petition to the King, which had been ordered by the House, on the thirty-first of January preceding ;' and, on the following day, Benjamin Kissam reported, from that Committee, a seri…

April 6, 1775," the student of the history of the Revolution, in New Y'ork, may find much, relating to the opinions of the revolutionary elenu'ntsin tliat Colony, concerning this State, as well iis cuiioe ning other kindred subjects. »Joiirw(l of the lions,; "Die Martis, 10 ho., A.Jl., the 7th March, " 1776." in the Chair ; and proceeded to consider the Report which had thus been presented; …

Judge's " Certificate to indemnify the Prosecutor from Dam- " ages he would otherwise be liable to, giving them a " concurrent Jurisdiction of Causes heretofore cog- " nizable only in the Courts of Common Law, and by " that means depriving the American Subject of his " Trjal by a Jury, are destructive to Freedom, and " subversive of the Rigiits and liiberties of the Colo- "nies." The fifth…

But there were two amendments, proposed by Colonel Nathaniel WoodhuII and George Clinton respectively, which were rejected, although the the motions for amemlment were supported, in each instance, by several members of the ma^iority, as well as by the full force of the minority ; but because the principle involved in each of the proposed Amendments was distinctly declared in another of the Re…

Livingston and Nathaniel Woodhull, by George Clinton and Philip Schuyler, in the instance under consideration, when they voted against the Resolutions which have been fully described and, consequently, against the great political principles which were asserted and maintained therein, for no other reason which is now discoverable than the peculiar fact that those Resolutions had proceeded from…

Whatever may have influenced those who had assumed to be the peculiarly disinterested and sincere supporters of the common cause, in their united vote to reject the Resolutions which are, now, under consideration, those who are of the Westchester-county of the present day will continue to be interested- in the fact that, on that very critical occasion, when the eyes of all sober-minded men, i…

and quite as boldly sustained the Home Government, in what it bad done, as any open and avowed " friend of the Government " could have done, had one been present, -- a lesson of the highest importance to those who shall incline to ascertain the exact truth, concerning the origin ofthe American Revolution and the purposes of those who promoted it, within the Colony of New York, may be seen in …

During the same day, Crean Brush, from Cumberland-county, Colonel Benjamin Seaman, of Richmond-county, and Samuel Gale, of Orange-county, were appointed a Committee " to prepare the Draft of a Memorial to the Lords ;" and Daniel Kissam, of Queens-county, and James De Lancey and Jacob Walton, of the City of New York, were appointed a Committee " to prepare the " Draft of a Representation and…

It will be seen that on neither of these Committees was there a single member of the minority of the House, notwithstanding the Resolution on which the first-named of those Committees was ap])ointcd originated with a leading member of that faction, and notwithstanding, also, both the Resolutions pursuant to which all the Committees were appointed, had been adopted in the Assembly by an unani…

On the sixteenth of March, Isaac Wilkins, from the Committee appointed to prepare it, reported " the " Draft of a Petition to the King ; " and, immediately afterwards, Crean Brush, from the Committee appointed to prepare it, reiwrted " a Draft of a Alemor- "ial to the Lords." During the same day, James De Lancey, from the Committee appointed to prepare it, reported " the Draft of a Represent…

Another Amendment, concerning the Judiciary of the Colony, and entirely cancelling the jjaragraph, on that subject, which the Committee had reported, was submitted by George Clinton, of Ulster-county, and agreed to, by an unanimous A'ote of the House; and another Amendment, submitted by Colonel Frederic Philipse, by striking the words " seem to," from one of the paragraphs, and, by doing so…

On the same day, \_March l-^tli], the Meynorial to the House of Lords and the Representation and Remonstrance to the House of Commons, after several Amendments, none of them possessing any importance whatever and only three of them having called for a division of the House, had been negatived in the Committee of the Whole House, were successively reported to the House ; and, in the respective …

In each instance, also, the Speaker was ordered to sign the document, in behalf of the House; and, after having ordered the Speaker to transmit these three several petitions to the King, the Lords, and the Commons, " with all convenient speed, to Edmund " Burke, Esquire, Agent of this Colony at the Court " of Great Britain ; and that a Letter be prepared, to " be approved by this House, to…

5 The original Jmtnmta nf tlie Axsemtili/ which included the proceedings oftlie entire Session wliicli is now under consideration, were lost during tlie trouljlesome times of tliat period ; and the only known copy of the original printeil edition of those Jourtiah wanted four pages, in this portion of it. Tliose niissing pages contained the closing portion of the proceedings of the House, on …

yjonrnol if the Hniisr, "Die Sabbati, i ho., P.M., the 25th March, " 1775." 11 Ihiil. THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 1774-1783. the rise of this House as conveniently may be, copies of the State of the Grievances, of the Resolutions of the House, of the Petition to the King, of the Memorial to the Lords, and of the Representation and Remonstrance to the Commons, requesting those several Speakers …

On the following day, [^April Ist.'] the Assembly appointed " a Standing Committee of Correspondence," composed of the Speaker, [John Oriiger,'] James De Lancey, James Jauncey, Benjamin Kissam, and Jacob Walton, all of them from the City of New York, Benjamin Seaman, of Richmond-county, Isaac Wilkins, of the Borough of Westchester, Frederic Philipse, of Westchester-county, Zebulon Seaman, of …

They have been the themes, sometimes, of ignorant and unscrupulous bigots and, sometimes, of intelligent and unscrupulous tricksters; sometimes a personal and sometimes a local end has been served by either a falsification or a concealment of the truth, concerning them; and, sometimes, fragments of useless and glittering rhetoric, strung together, as farmers string fragments of useless and g…

Individual members of that Assembly, men of honor aiKl unimpeachable integrity, have been stigmatized as " wretches," and as " the veriest reptiles on earth" and charged with '' corruption " and every kindred vice -- some of them were driven from their families and their homes ; others of them were lawlessly seized and carried from their families and their homes, exiled, and held in lawless …

Measures which were sincerely intended for the promotion of the common cause of the Colonies, in their struggle with the Home Government, -- measures which presented nothing else than political principles or recitals of facts which no one, of any sect or fiiction, pretended to dispute -- were opposed, vehemently and without measure, within as well as without the Assembly, only because they …

A candid and carefully-made comparison of the terms of those several State of Grievances, and declaratory Resolutions, and Pttition, and Memorial, and Representation and Remonstrance, which were prepared, and agreed to, and presented, and published by that uuicli-abused General Assembly of Colonial New York, with the several Resolutions, and Declaration of Rights, and Association, and Address…

It will be seen, also, by every careful and candid reader of the published proceedings of that Congress to which reference has been made, that, notwithstanding the gravamen of the declared Grievances of the constituent Colonies, of that notable body, consisted of sundry Acts of Parliament, all of which were considered as oppressive, it had made no attempt whatever, either by Petition or otherw…

On the other hand, the General Assembly of Colonial New York, the legitimacy of whose organization and the entire legality of whose action, in behalf of the common cause, no one has ever presumed to question; without compromising its dignity, as a General Assembly ; with that common sense which, in Europe as well as in America, was, then, so pe- 1 OredentUth of the Delegation from Vinjiuia^ …

culiarly uncommon ; without entangling itself with any questionable alliance; and without belittling its legitimate influence by expressing its ofiicial sympathy with any other body, even in relation to those measures which were similar, in character and purpose, to those of its own enactment -- that General Assembly, quite as clearly and quite as energetically as the Congress had done, in be…

Without the loss of any of that dignity which legitimately belonged to it, and without sacrificing any of that respect for its constituents which its duty recjuired it to maintain, it recognized the sovereignty of the King, as the Congress had also done; and, consistently with that dignity and that respect, but with a boldness which was peculiarly its own, at the same time, it also asserted …

Notwithstanding all that has bi^en said in depreciation of that particular Colonial General Assembly, it did not consider it necessary, nor even expedient, to override the minority of its members without even recognizing their existence on its Journal, under cover of the subsequently notorious "unit-rule," in recording the votes of its members, nor in any other manner; nor did it conceal its…

Law ; not by unanimous Votes, actual or fictitious, but by a majority of its members, duly and courteously exercising the authority with which that majority was duly and legally vested. It was not done by the action of the minority of that Assembly, which represented the revolutionary element of the Inhabitants of the City of New York more completely and with greaterzeal than itrepresented …

Colonists, in New York, including every class, and sect, and political party -- and it possessed no authority to represent any other, and made no pretension to do so -- than either the Congress of the Continent or the fragmentary revolutionary faction within the Colony had done or possibly could do; and there is very great reason for the belief that its orderly, and dignified, and more pract…

A few words only are required to complete the record of the results of that much-slandered General Assembly; and the space which they will occupy cannot be better occupied. The Petition which was officially sent to the Agent of the Colony, the celebrated Edmund Burke, for presentation to the King, was duly laid before the Sovereign ; ' but, iinismuch as the General Assembly had, also, addr…

1 " Mr Biirke having delivered to me tlie Petition to tlie King, I ha<l " the honour to present it to His Majesty, wlio wan pleased to receive " it with the most gracious expressions of reganl and attention to tlie " hunililo request of his faithful subjects in New- York, who have, on "this occasion, manifested a duty to His Mi\jesty and a regard for the "authority of the Parent State, which,…

He commenced by asking the Clerk to read the official record of the proceedings of the House, in December, 1768, on a Petition of the General Assembly of Pennsylvania, and what was known as the Z'fc/ara/ory Act; and he continued by saying that he was " greatly in favour of " New York ; aud that he would gladly do everything " in lus power to shew his regard to the good behaviour " of that …

Burke's Motion " for leave to bring up," making it read thus : " That " the said Representation and Remonstrance (in which " the said Assembly claim to themselves Rights derog- "atory to, and inconsistent with, the legislative " authority of Parliament, as declared hj the Declara- " tory Act) be brought up." By a vote of one hundred and eighty-six to sixty-seven, the Amendment was adopted …

The only objection raised against the reading of the Memorial was the bare suspicion that " it contained " matter derogatory to the supreme legislative power " of Great Britain ;" and on that suspicion, alone, the Memorial not having been even described, the House sustained the Minister, and declined to allow the Memorial to be read, by a vote of twenty-five to fortyfive, sending it, of cou…

It is a reasonable ease, in such instances as those cited and in those of the earlier historians of the American Revolution who lived and wrote in Europe, that no more than the rejection, hy the Parliament, of the two papers which were sent to that legislature hy the General Assembly of New York, was mentioned in the writings of those gentlemen ; but there is no valid excuse for those, in Ame…

Bancroft, after having consolidated the Itemomlrance aud the Meniorial, making them one paper, obliged liurke to offer both, on the same day, and in the same House, all of which were described in the narrow compass of four lines, without even a hint how such an Assembly as he had previously described, could have prttduced such a paper -- his silence serving to screen his unfaithfulness, as a h…

Lossing, {Fielil Hoolc of the Iterolntion ;) Frothingham, (Bisc- of lite IteiiuhVu- ;) Ridi)ath, {Hklorij of the Vniteil ^tatef ;) Lodge, (Histonj of the EnijILth O'lonies in America ;) Morse, (Annah of the American Iterulutiou ;) Warren, l Uistoyij of the American Jterointiou ;) and others, although abounding in facts and fictions concerning Massachusetts, have not spared a line for the reco…

Except those matters to which we have already referred, nothing which requires especial notice in this narrative, occurred until, in February, 1775, the General Assembly of the Colony rejected the Resolution, submitted by Judge Thomas, of Wcstchester-county, which provided for the election, by that General Assembly, of Delegates to the proposed Congress of the Continent, to be held at Philadel…

1 See page .')2, ante. i I'rocf-diiigt nf thi- C"mmitti-e nf ObtmalUm for llf City <iud O'Uiilij of Kew York, at its .\4journed Meeting, February 27, 177.5. ' Prucri-diiiija of the Commill- i- of Obarrrolion for llir Cilij aud Omiily of yew York, at its Adjourned Meeting, 1st March, 1775. * Holt's Acto- Tort Journal, No. 1678, New- YoBK, Thnrsday, March 2, 1775. purpose of joining issue wit…

The conservative faction, strengthened by " some Officers of the Army ' "and Navy, several of His Majesty's Council, and "those Members of the House of Representatives " who had refused taking into consideration the Pro- " ceedings of the Congress, together with the Officers "of the Customs and other Dependents of the Court, " &c.'' -- the Governmental Party, a-s far as there was one, havi…

5 That organization was effected at a public Meeting of the Inhabitants who disapproved the ' rcqueNt " of the Committee, which was hel.l at the Widow De ha. Slontagnie's, in Broadway, opposite tlie Fields, on Friday evening, JIarch 3, .John Tlmrber presiding.-- (.-1 Itrondf 'ule, tigard bij John Tlmrber, in the Library of tlie New York Historical Society.) '■The Committee of Observation calle…

posed the following question : " Whether a certain "Number of persons shall be appointed and author- ^'ized to meet such Deputies as the Counties may "elect, and join with them for the mle object of appointing out of their body on tbe 20th of April next, "Delegates to the next Congress?" Those who were opposed to the question, the conservative faction and its governmental allies, promptly de…

The second question which was proposed : " Whether " this Meeting will authorize the Committee to nomi- " nate Eleven Deputies for their Approbation ? " being of secondary importance to those who had opposed the first, a Poll of the Voters was not demanded thereon; and, of course, like the preceding question, it was adopted "by a very great Majority of the Peo- " pie," promiscuous in its qua…

1 Holt's Nfw-York Jimrmil, No. 1G79, New-York, Thursday, March 9, 1775 ; Itiviiigttiii's Ni-u'-Ywk Gazr-tteer, No. 99, New-Yiikk, Thursday, March U, 1775 ; Vnia-edbigs nf the Omwiiltee nf ObncmiUnn for thr Cily luid Gmiilij iif Nrir Yin-k, lith March, 1775, into which the record of the proceedings of the Meeting at the Excliauge, in tlie Morning, was officially copied ; Jones's HMiiry of New Y…

Having thus disposed of the main question, apparently to its entire satisfaction, the Committee then proceeded to nominate, by ballot, eleven persons, "for the Approbation of the Freemen " and Freeholders, for the City and County of New " York, to serve as Deputies to meet such other Dep- "uties as may be appointed by the remaining " Counties in this Province, for the sole Purpose of " ele…

It will be seen that, in this last performance, the Committee of Inspection, (or of Oliservation, as it was pleased to call itself,) notwithstanding the peculiarly aristocratic elements which entered into its composition, had accepted, if it had not resorted to, that questionable element which had been so frequently employed, on former occasions, for the performance of acts, which neither the …

- Proceedings of the Cummillre of Olisenuilinn for the Cily mid Omnty of New Ynk, at its Jleeting, " Jlonday Evening, Gth Slarch, 1775." ^Card, signed by Mr. Low and addressed to "The Respectable Pub- " Lie," dated "New York, March 9, 1775." * Gouvernenr 3Iorris to 3lr. Penn, "New-Yurk, May 20, 1774," pages 11, 12, onte. THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 1774-1783. evidently regarded as an undoubted…

It seems, however, that, notwithstanding all that apparent success, at the Exchange, the machinery oi' selfishness did not move witliout a jar, within itself, as the very decided testimony and dissent of Isaac Low, the Chairman of the Committee as well as that of the Meeting, against whom some underhanded antagonism had been detected, have clearly shown ; ' and it is eiiually susceptibleof p…

It is a notable fact, however, that, notwithstanding the Committee repudiated the first Resolution which the miscellaneous crowd, at the Hxchange, was said to have adopted, it rigidly maintained the equally questionable validity of the second Resolution, nominally authorizing the Committee to nominate eleven persons 1 Card, signed by Mr. Low and addressed to " The Resi'Eitable Pi b- " Lie."…

as candidates for the places of Delegates to the proposed Provincial Convention -- the opportunity to obtain place and authority, no matter how ill-founded that opportunity might be, was an object so vastly more important to those aristocratic place-seekers, than all others, that, whether promising or unjjromising of success, those who controlled that Committee could not possibly abandon it …

s ProceeiUngs of the Comniillee of Obsentttion for the Citij and Coimtij of Xew York, at an Af\jonrned Meeting, 8th March, 1775. 4 Holt'.' yeK-York .lourual, Xo. 1080, New-York, Thursday, March 16, 1775; Hiciiiijloit's Xtir-Ynrk Guzellcer, No. 100, New-Yohk, Thursday, March 16, 1775;* Gaine's Seir-Yurk Gazette : atid the Weekli/ Jffrciiry, No. 12'23, New-York, Monday, March 20, 1775. 0 l*roc…

* Holt and Gaine stated the vote to have been eight liundred and tw(>nty-five in favor of the appointment of Deputies, and one hundred and sixty-three in opposition : Kivington stated the vote was nine hundred and twenty-nine, in favor, and one hundred and forty-three in opiwsition. Tiiey all agree that numy voters declined to vote -- Holt and Gaine said, because their votes were seen to have…

There is an abundance of evidence, of unquestionable truthfulness, showing that what has been represented to have been a conflict of rival parties, patriotically representing antagonistic political principles, on the occasion referred to, was, in fact, like all the political contests which had preceded it, during the preceding twelvemonth, only personal, factional, and local, in its origin and…

It was conceded, by contemporaneous writers of both factions, that there was, really, no difference of opinion, among the various classes and sects and factions of which the City was composed, concerning the existing necessity for the redress of what were said to have been the Colonial Grievances, and that, if the Parliament should not interpose and indicate a willingness to afford the reli…

That it might become expedient and proper to assemble the proposed Congress, if the Parliament should not, meanwhile, have indicated an inclination to redress the alleged Grievances of the Colonies, was not only conceded but freely acknowledged, even by those more earnest conservatives who had assembled at the Widow De La Montagnie's, on the preceding Friday evening ; but they, in common wi…

in the proposed Meeting, which was designed for the inauguration of a movement for the election of Delegates to that proposed Congress, until the twentieth of April, which would have afforded time for the receipt fi'om London of intelligence concerning the inclination and action of the Parliament, without depriving the Colony of the opportunity to elect its Delegation to the Congress, in due…

j has been noticed, aud need not be repeated ; but, notwithstanding it was subsequently disregarded by the Committee which had previously hastened to receive and accept it, it served to draw the lines of faction with more distinctness and to array neighbor against neighbor, in greater animosity and bitterness than I had previously been witnessed. On the sixteenth of March, 1775, in conformit…

OF New York,"' vcry forcibly urging a postponement of the questions, was published in Gaine's Seu-York Ga-Me and Weekhj Meratrtf, No. 1221, Monday, March 6, 1775; a more elaborate appeal and argtunent, to the same effect, addressed " To the respectable " Inhabitakts of the City of New Y'ork," signed "A Citizen of New "York,'' and published in the same issue of that newspaper ; an elaborate rep…

" Be pleased to communicate this Letter to the " Inhabitants of your County; and should they con- ",cur with us in Sentiment, we beg they will consider, " whether it would not be best to choose their Depu- " ties so soon as tiiat they may be down here by the " 20th of April next ; which Day we take the Liberty " of proposing to you as 2>roper for the Meeting of " the Convention. " We forbe…

It is a very significant fact that, when the Committee's Circuhir Letter was written and made ready for transmission to Westchester-county, there was no appearance whatever, within tiiat County, of the slightest organized opposition to either the Home or the Colonial Government; and that, among the debris of what had been conveniently regarded as a Convention of the County, assembled, in the…

usual indoor and outdoor recreations, during the preceding Winter ; and to return to the labors of the season, on their farms or elsewhere, during the earlier weeks of the Spring, as they had done, before, year after year and generation after generation, knowing little and caring less concerning that bitter struggle for commercial gain, no matter how lawlessly conducted, or concerning that equ…

It is not now evident, if it ever was, that these honest, hard-working, contented men, in any portion of that unceasing and undisguised indifference to the clamor and the unblushing immorality and the audacious lawlessness of politicians, of high or of low degree, beyond the borders of the County, which they had steadily and consistently presented, were really offenders against any law, hum…

They were not political in their aims or inclinations ; they had very clearly manifested, over and over again, their disinclination to be associated, in any degree, with those who were inclined to become, if they had not already become, politicians; and, as will be seen, in their action, during the Winter, and in their subsequent actions, under similar circumstances, they were not inclined t…

fare of those farmers or for that of the Colony, dissevered from all other considerations, in the Committee of Inspection, alias the Committee of Observation, for the City and County of New York -- a merely local organization, vested with no more than the barest local authority, and that confined, exclusively, to an entirely different service -- when it thrust itself, unasked and undesired, int…

It is not, now, known, beyond a peradventure, just what means were thus employed; but the copies of that insidious Circular Letter which were intended for residents of Westchester-county were evidently sent to a leading Westchester-county politician ; and, by him, whomsoever he may have been, they were so manipulated that they reached only those residents of the County who would most surely …

Not one of the number was from Towns lying northward from the White Plains ; not one had come from all the country lying westward from the Bronx-river ; there was not present either a Van Cortlandt or a Thomas, already w^^U-known popular loaders, either of whom would have been formidable, as a rival, against any new aspirant for the leadership of the movement and the spoils of office to which …

On the twenty-eighth of March, Theodosius Bartow, Esq., James Willis, and Abraham Guiou, Esq., all of New Rochelle ; William Sutton, Esq., of Mamaroneck'-'; Colonel Lewis Morris, Thomas Hunt, and Abraham Leggett, of Westchester ; Captain Joseph Drake, Benjamin Drake, Moses Drake, and Stephen Ward, of East Chester; and James Horton, Junior, Esq., of Rye,^ all of them, it said, "having received…

Neither Yonkers, nor Greenburgh, nor any of the Towns to the northward of tliem and of the White Plains, were in the slightest degree represented in that important assemblage; and every one who had previou.sly appeared as a leader of the farmers of the County, in their very unfrequent political doings, regardless of party associations, appears to have been, also, very carefully excluded, not…

In all that had previously been said or done, in behalf of the Colony, in its dispute with the Home Government, not a Morris had been heard, except in that instance when one of them described the unfranchised masses of the Colonists as " poor reptiles" {vide Page 188, ante); but the fragrance of the distant emoluments and influences of office, more fully developed than ever before, had passed…

"A number of gentlemen from different districts in " the county of Westchester having this day met at " the White Plains to Consider of the most proper " method of taking the Sense of the Freeholders, of " the Said County, upon the Expediency of choosing " Dei)uties to meet the Deputies of the other Coun- " ties, for the purpose of Electing delegates to repre- " sent this Colony in the Gene…

There can be no good reason for supposing that that Caucus failed to employ the best means which it could control, to secure the attendance, at the appointed place, on the appointed day, and at the designated hour, of all those of the farmers of the County of Westchester, whom it supj)osed to have been friendly to the Morris family, and who were willing or who could be induced to accept the he…

the Manor of Morrisania, were aroused ; and, especially in the Borough Town of Westchester, within which the ancestral home of the Morrises was situated, the ambitious purjjoscs of that geutleman and of his family were empathically snubbed, by a Meeting of his townsmen, duly summoned to take into consideration " whether or not they should choose Deputies " to represent them at a Provincial Con…

" Whether you are determined to abide by the " loyal and judicious measures already taken by your " own worthy representatives in the general assembly " of this province, for a redress of American grievances? "The conse(]uences that may arise from your ne- "glecting to attend at the White Plains, on Tuesday "next, to declare your sentiments relative to the ap- "pointment of deputies to meet…

That, on Monday the 3d of March, "the Inhabitants of the Borough of Westchester met, in Consequence of " a Summons, to give their Sentiments upon a Qiiesti ^n, whether or not "they would choose Deputies to represent them at a Provincial Conveu- " tiou in this City ; when they declared themselves already very ably "and efleotually repre>iented in the General Assembly of this Province, "by Isa…

It is reasonable to suppose that many of the farmers of Westuhester-county, whatever their political opinions may have been, were nlore than usually excited by these extraordinary appeals and by others which have not been preserved, addressed to them by those whom they had hitherto regarded as leaders in political affairs ; but it is equally clear that not even those extraordinary means, thus…

They went, as farmers were wont to go and as they continue to go, on such occasions, on horseback or on foot, over Westchester-county's Spring-time muddy roads or " across lots," as best suited their individual convenience; and the little Village, what there was of it, scattered along the wide spread Post-road, was undoubtedly, the scene of many a discussion, friendly or unfriendly, as frien…

1 Protest of the Tuhabitavts and Freeholders of Westchesfer-countij, Xeir- Torh, "CorNTY or Westchesteb, April 13, 1775," published in liivington' s New-York Gazetteer, No. 105, New York, Thursday, April 20, 1775; and in Gaine's New-Y'/rk Gazette : and the Weekly Mercury, No. 1227, New York, Monday, .^pril 17, 1775. We have been favored by our unwearied friends, Hon. Lewis C. Piatt and Hon. …

It is evident that neither of the two factions was very punctual in its attendance, at the appointed hour -- a practice which is continued to this day, in Westchester-county, on similar occasions -- and, for a reason which was perfectly obvious, the promoters of the proposed Meeting, very evidently, were not in a hurry to assume the great responsibility of carrying forward the schemes of th…

Notwithstanding the hour of ten had been named in the Notification through which the assembled farmers had thus met, it was nearly noon before any attempt to organize a Meeting was made -- probably, some whose presence was desired and expected, had not arrived; probably, those leaders of the movement who were present were, meanwhile, " comparing notes," and arranging plans of action, and e…

It was done quietly, if it was not done secretly : it was done quietly, without inviting any others than those of their own faction, to assemble with them : it was done quietly and in a manner which clearly indicated that something else than an untrammeled and unbiased expression of the will of all those who were present -- carrying with it, also, the assumed acquiescence of all those who we…

those who had originated aiul promoted it, secretly and rapidly, without alarming those who were assembled at Captain Hatfield's, and before they could be brought to the Courthouse, to defeat those purposes and to relegate the Morrises to that political obscurity iu which, very ungraciously, they had so long and so ingloriously rested. It was, in short, nothing else than a political coup-de-m…

Intelligence of the movement of their opponents very soon reached those who were assembled at Captain Hatfield's Tavern ; and. we are told that, undoubtedly with very little delay, they, also, " walked " down to the Courthouse, although not half of their " friends who were expected had yet appeared." At that time, when the full force of all who thus presumed to act, in so vital a question, in …

' From the fact that the Meeting had been organized and "had already "entered upon tlic business uf tlie day," before it waa known to those who were at Hatfield's Tavern, that any movement toward sucli an organization had been made-- a fact w liich was openly stated in the IVuU fl of tlie one faction witliout having been controverted in the elaborate reply of the Chairman of the Meeting --the s…

I'hilii)se at their head, then appeared." In the I'rolesI of llie Iiilmhilinitu and Fncholdi rs, subsequently published, it is stated, specifically, that when those from Captain llatfleld's Tavern entered the Courthouse, ".the numbers on each side seemed tube nearly " equal ; and both together might amount to two hundred or, at most, "two hundrod and fifty." Nearly a month after the publicatio…

not of his supporters, by saying there were among them " many tenants who were not entitled to vote," etc., -- they were recognized as respectable farmers, even by that particular Morris who aimed to belittle them; but, in the presence of such as he, with nothing but what he had inherited, to ensure to him even a nominal respectability, they were evidently expected to be no more than dumb do…

They then fur- " ther declared their determined resolution to continue "steadfast in their allegiance to their gracious and " merciful Sovereign, King George the Third ; tosub- " mit to lawful authority ; and to abide by and sup- "l)ort the only true representatives of the People of "this Colony, the General Assembly." They then gave three cheers, and returned to Captain Hatfield's Tavern,…

After the protestants bad thus peacefully left the Courthouse, the Meeting returned to the business for the transaction of which it had been convened and organized ; and the question was submitted, by the Chairman, " Whether they would appoint Depu- " ties for this County, to meet the D(!])uties of the " other Counties, at the City of New York, on the "twentieth of April instant, for the pu…

Colonel Lewis Morris and Doctor Robert Graham -- the latter a kinsman of the former -- both of Westchester ; Stephen Ward, of Eastchester ; Colonel James Holmes and Jonathan Piatt, of Bedford; John Thomas, Junior, of Rye; and Samuel Drake and Philip Van Cortlandt, both of the Maner of Cortlandt ; a majority of whom was authorized to represent the County, and to cast the Vote of the County,…

" Resolved : That the thanks of this country is " due to the Delegates who composed the late Con- " gress, for the essential services they have rendered " to America, in general; and that this Resolve be " forthwith published." We are told, also, by the Chairman of the Meeting, that, "after the business of the day was thus con- " eluded, the people gave three huzzas for our gra- " cious So…

-The practice of all, at that period and subsequently, on all such occasions as that referred to in the text, will sufficiently indicate to the reader, that the enthusiasm for the King which was displayed, as mnch by one faction as by the other, at the White Plains, on that eventful April day, was clue quite as much to what had been drunk at the two Taverns, before eithi-r of those factions ha…

Only culprits c<mfess " a wrong-doing ; and with this '* confession " of one of tlie principal offenders, on the occasion referre(i to, the reader will be enabled to understand how small an amount of genuine ^)o/r;o(- >'«m there was, in such a crowd, no matter for whom it hurrahed ; and liow small tlie price was with w-hich that crowd had been purchased, to further the purposes of either "the…

Although no action, on that subject, appears to have been taken by the Meeting, its master-spirit and Chairman, in his official capacity, appears to have continued the work for which the Meeting had been convened, completing it before he left the White Plains, by preparing an official narrative of the origin of the Meeting ; of the Caucus which had " recom- " mended " it; of its Proceedings,…

"On the 28th day of March last, the following " Gentlemen having received letters from the Chair- " man of the Committee of the City and County of " New-York relative to the appointment of Deputies " for this County, met at this place for the purpose of " devising means for taking the Sense of this County " upon the Subject, viz : " Col. Lewis Morris, Theodosiiis Barlow, Esq., * " Thomas H…

" ' Sir. a number of gentlemen from different dis- " ' tricts in the county of Westchester having this " ' day met at the White Plains to Consider of the " ' most proper method of taking the Sense of the " ' Freeholders, of the said County, upon the Expedi- '' ' ency of choosing Deputies to meet the Deputies of " ' the other Counties, for the purpose of Electing has ever been engaged, was c…

*.\lthough the name was thus written, in the original manuscript, there can be no doiibt that reference was made to Theo<losius Bartow, second son of the Eev. John Bartow, the fiist Rector of the Parish of Westchester. Mr. Bartow snbseq\iently held the comfortable and profitable jdace of a "Commissary at Xew Rocbelle ; " and his son, (subsequently Rector of St. Matthew's Church, at Bedford) hel…

" ' As this County is very Extensive we takethelib- " ' erty of recommending the meeting to be held at " ' the White Plains on Tuesday the 11th day of April " ' next at ten o'clock in the forenoon at the Court " ' House, and therefore do desire you, to give notice " ' of the Same to all the freeholders in your district, " ' without exception, as those who do not appear and " ' vote on that …

Philipse at their " head, then appeared, and Mr. Wilkins in their be- " half as he said, declared that they would not join " in the business of the day or have anything to " do with Deputies or congresses, but that they came " there, for the sole purpose of protesting against "such illegal and unconstitutional proceedings, after " which they departed. " The following Question was then put …

"Resolved, that the thanks of this Body be given to ' " the virtuous minority of the general Assembly of "this Province, and particularly to John Thomas and "Pierre Van Cortlandt, Esqrs., two of ourrepresenta- " tives for their firm attachment to and zeal, on a late "occasion for the preservation of the Union of the " Colonies and the rigiits and liberties of America ; " and that this Resol…

In the proceedings of the revolutionary faction, after its Meeting was organized, probably because of a consciousness of its own relative weakness within the County, there was an evident attempt to ajipear, at least, to be fair and honest in whatever was said or done -- no personalities or harsh words, of any kind, appear to have been used against those who entered its Meeting, and respectfu…

While the Meeting at the Courthouse was thus quietly engaged in the continued disciiarge of " the " business of the day," those who had protested, before it, against the call for the Meeting as well as against its proposed proceedings, returned to Captain Hatfield's Tavern, where they were joined, during the afternoon, by " many of their friends ;" and "they • In some of tlio re-prints of tl…

" proceeded to draw up and sign a Declaration, which " they seemed to do," it is said, " with as much pat- "riotic zeal as ever warmed the hearts of true and " faithful Subjects; and, afterwards, they dispersed to "their different habitations.' " A narrative of the events was subsequently written, probably by Isaac Wilkins, and, with the Declaration affixed, it was printed in the newspapers…

About 12 o'clock word was brought to "the gentlemen at Captain Hatfield's that the oppo- " site party had already entered ujton the business of "tlie day. Upon which they immediately walked "down to the Courthouse, although not half of their " friends who were expected, had yet appeared ; where " they found the other company collected in a body. " The numbers on each side seemed to be nearly…

They then declared their determined "resolution to continue stedfast in their allegiance to "their gracious and merciful sovereign King George " the Third -- to submit to lawful authority, and to " abide by and support the only true representatives " of the people of this colony, the General Assembly. "Then giving three huzzas, they returned to Captain "HatfieWs, singing as they went, with l…

" ' God save great George our King, "'Long live our noble King, &c.' " At their return, finding that many of their friends 'had arrived during their absence, and that many ' still kept coming in, they proceeded to draw up, and ' sign the following declaration, which they seemed to ' do with as much patriotic zeal, as ever warmed the 'hearts of true and faithful subjects, and afterwards ' d…

'' Isaac AVilkins, Joseph Gidney, ' ' Samuel Seabury, James Baxter, ' ' Luke Babcock, John Hart, ' ' Jonathan Fowler, Judge, Cornelius Losee, ' ' Caleb Fowler, Judge, Jesse Park, ' 'Jonathan P. Horton, Esq ; Roger Purdy, jun. ' ' William Sutton, Esq. ; ' ' Daniel Oakly, Esq. ; ' ' Benjamin Fowler, Esq. ; ' ' William Davids, Esq. ; ' ' William Anderson, Esq. ; ' ' William Barker, Esq. ; …

' ' Gilbert Hains, ' ' John Hains, Gilbert Pugsley, Abraham Leadeau, Benjamin Brown, Isaac Keed, Aaron Buis, Moses Weymen, Israel Underhill, John Baisley, David Oakley, jun. Isaac Smith, John Hyatt, Hezekiah Cudney, Abraham Odell, Thomas Lawrence, John Seyson, Jeremiah Travis, GrifFen Corey, Isaa Forsheu, Gabriel Requeaw, Samuel Webb, Benjamin Downing. Gabriel Archer, Elias S…

• ' .John Bates, • ' Joseph Haviland, ' ' Eleazer Hart. ' 'Timothy Whetmore, ' • James Hunt. ' ' Joseph Parker, ' ' Joshna Barns, ' ' Joseph Purdy, " ' John Paik. " ' Samuel Purdy, " ' Gilbert Purdy, " 'James Chatterton, " ' John Dusenburgh, '• ' Thomas Cromwell, "'Solomon Horton, " ' Peter Busing, " ' Peter Busing, jun. " ' James Kniffen, " ' Nathaniel Underbill, jun. " ' Philip F…

Isaac Gidney, ' Nehemiah Tomkins, ' Henry Leforge, ' Evert Brown, ' Benjamin Beyea, ' Bartholomew Gidney, ' Josiah Brown, ' Scth Purdy, 'Peter Huggeford, ' Jacob Gidney, ' John Loce, ' Elnathan Appleby, ' John Baker, ' Jonathan Underbill, ' James M 'Chain , ' Benjamin Seacord, 'Joshua Hunt, ' Betts Chatterdon, ' William Landrine, ' Enoch Hunt, ' Peter Corne, ' Dennis Kennedy, …

Gideon Arden, AVilliam Field, Joseph Purdy, George Storm, Jacob Vermiller, Samuel Heusted, Bartow Underbill, Lieut. John Warner, Nathaifiel Purdy, Isaac Rennet, Samuel Baker, John Cornwell, John Storm, Andrew Fowler, Joshua Secord, George French, John Underbill, Caleb Gidney, William Underbill, jun. James Hill, William Watkins, John Rustin, Richard Baker, William .\scough. Bi…

" In what manner those Gentlemen who chose the Committee at the Plains proceeded, we cannot positively say : But this we can declare with truth, that we do not believe they can produce to the public the names of an hundred and fifty persons who voted for a Committee that day, and we are verily persuaded that they did their utmost to make their party as numerous as possible. How then can they…

" It is well-known here, that two-thirds at least of the inhabitants of this county, are friends to order and government, and opposed to Committees and all unlawful combinations ' ; and it will be made apparent to the world, that they are so, as soon as certain resolves now signing freely by the people, shall be ready for publication. -- And one principal reason why the friends to government…

"The Committee that was chosen, may, with some kind of propriety, be said to represent those particular persons who chose them : But how they can be denominated the representatives of the County of Westchester, who in general abhor Committees and Committee-men ; and are determined to take no steps that may have the least tendency to lead them into Rebellion, we cannot conceive. Certainly th…