USA > New York > New York City > History of the city of New York > Part 7
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Simon Barenzen.
Jan Schouten.
Isaac Greveraat, a merchant, came to this city at an early period, and married Elizabeth, a daughter of Skipper Jurien Andriezen. Mr. Greveraat was a Schepen of this city in 1644, and in the year 1671 was appointed Schout of Esopus. He died, leaving three children, Andrew, Henry and Elizabeth.
Jan Everzen Bout resided on premises adjoining Mr. Greveraat. He arrived in this country in the year 1634, having formerly been in the employment of the West India Company, in Holland, whence he was sent by Mr. Pauw, patroon of Pavonia, to superintend his colony on the west side of Hudson river, opposite this city. He was the first settler (1638) of the present town of Bergen, New Jersey, where he resided for several years. In the time of the Indian wars, he was driven thence to this city. In the year 1658, he sold his plantation at "Gamoenepa"
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RESIDENTS NEAR THE BATTERY.
(Communipaw) to Michael Jansen, for three thousand two hundred dollars. He passed the close of his life on a farm granted to him, at Gowanus, where he died in the year 1670.
Pieter de Rymer resided on the east side of Whitehall street, north of Bridge street.
Jan Dircksen Meyer.
Lodowick Post, a trader, resided on the present White- hall street, near the fort.
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CHAPTER IX.
CONDITION OF THE CITY AT THE TIME OF THE CAPITULATION TO THE ENGLISH IN 1664, CONTINUED.
WE have now come to the part of the town anciently called " T'Marckvelt," or the Marketfield, so called from the circumstance of the line of buildings facing the open space now in part occupied by the Bowling Green. It was then, however, an uninclosed space lying in front of the fort, and occupied at stated intervals for a fair or market, to which the country people brought their cattle for sale. The buildings forming the street called the " Marketfield," commenced on the east side of the present Whitehall street, above Stone street, and extended as far as the present Beaver street; and on the opposite side they occupied the west side of the present Broadway, running toward Morris street. The number of buildings fronting on the " Marketfield" at that period, being ten or eleven.
Metje Greveraat, a widow, occupied a small house on the east side of Whitehall street, north of Stone street.
Jonas Barteltzen, a store-keeper, occupied premises on the east side of Whitehall street, between Stone and Mar- ketfield streets. Mr. Barteltzen, became afterward a man of considerable property. Amongst other real estate owned by him was a house, barn and plot of ground on
97
T'MARCKVELT.
the east side of Broadway, north of Wall street, contain- ing two hundred and twenty-nine feet in front, and about one hundred and fifty feet in depth.
Lysbet Ackermans occupied a small house adjoining Mr. Barteltzen.
Frerick Arenzen occupied the south-west corner of the present Whitehall and Marketfield streets. Mr. Arenzen was a turner by trade, and came here about the year 1656, when, finding little employment at his trade, he engaged himself in service to a drayman, but soon left his employer and married. He afterward, in his trade, became a pros- perous citizen, and owner of a valuable real estate.
Allard Anthony, a merchant, occupied premises on the north-east corner of the present Whitehall and Marketfield streets. He was one of the most active and conspicuous citizens of his day in the civil walks of life. No citizen exercised greater influence in the community, yet none was more unpopular with the majority of the people. Mr. Anthony's mercantile transactions were, at one period, tolerably extensive. He was the consignee of a large firm in Holland, and carried on a considerable domestic trade; but it seemed to be his fortune to fall out with those with whom he was most intimately connected. Amongst oth- ers, he had a high dispute with Abraham Verplanck, whose son Gulian had been in Anthony's service as clerk. The elder Verplanck went so far, at one period of the diffi- culty, as to commit a personal assault upon Anthony. He also maintained a long law-suit with the heirs of a mer- chant named Vandewater, of whom he had been the agent, and to whom he refused to render any account. In the latter years of his life he held the office of Sheriff, in the execution of the duties of which he was exacting and
7
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T'MARCKVELT.
severe, so that he was commonly called, among the lower classes, " the hangman."
Mr. Anthony, soon after the period now referred to, removed his store to the " Old Church," on the present line of Pearl street, north side, between Broad and Whitehall streets. He died in the year 1685, leaving his wife, Hen- rietta, surviving, and one son, Nicholas, who, having pre- viously proved disobedient to his father in his marriage, was cut off with a shilling. This son died ten years after, having been sheriff of Ulster county. Many of the family are to be found at the present day.
Anthony De Milt, occupied premises on the present south-east corner of Whitehall and Beaver streets. He carried on the business of a baker, at this place for many years. In 1673 he was appointed sheriff, which office he held for one year. Mr. De Milt died in 1689, leaving five children, Isaac, Maria, Anna, Pieter and Sarah. His wife, Elizabeth Van Der Liphorst, had previously deceased. From this person the numerous families of that name now among us are descended.
This was the extent of the east side of the " Market- field." On the opposite side, beginning at the corner of Broadway and Battery place, we have
Annetje Kocks, a widow, who occupied the premises on the corner of Battery place-a large and fine house.
Martin Crigier, a notable citizen of that period, occupied the premises next above Mrs. Kocks. He was one of the earliest emigrants to this city, and the original grantee of this property, which was patented to him in 1643, but had not been built upon until 1659, after which he resided on
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T'MARCKVELT.
this spot, having previously lived on the "graft" at Broad street. Mr. Crigier, it is understood, was originally in the service of the West India Company; after his separa- tion from which, he engaged in the business of a trader and sloop captain on the North river, between this city and the settlements at Esopus (Kingston) and Albany. He was an efficient officer in the several Dutch wars; in 1659 he commanded an expedition against the Swedes on the Delaware river, and also commanded in the expedition against the Esopus Indians, in the year 1663.
Mr. Crigier had several children. His son, Francis, a merchant at the Delaware Bay settlement, died in 1665 ; one of his daughters married Laurens de Sille, a merchant of this city. The name of Mr. Crigier is perpetuated, through his descendants, to the present day.
Francois Boon, a merchant of French birth, occupied, at this period, the premises next north of Mr. Crigier; the lot being thirty-two feet front, bounded on the east by the street, on the north by the property of Cornelius Van Ruy- ven, on the west by the North river, and on the south by the premises of Martin Crigier. This property he pur- chased, a short time previous, of Mr. de Hart, and in the year following that of which we now write (1666,) he sold it to Gerrit Van Tright, who established himself in busi- ness there. Mr. Boon was formerly a resident at Fort Orange, or Albany. He married there, against her parents' wishes, Lysbet, a daughter of Cornelis Segers Van Voor- hout, who resided on one of the islands in the Hudson river, called Castle Island. After the surrender of the city to the English, Mr. Boon removed from this country, and became a resident of the island of St. Christopher,
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THE FIRST CHURCH-YARD.
being connected with merchants here in the shipping busi- ness between this city and that island.
Cornelius Van Ruyven came to this city with Governor Stuyvesant, as his secretary, in the year 1647, being then a, young bachelor. He soon after married a daughter of Domine Megapolenis, and set up trade in the dry goods and general store business.
We have now come to the street, at that period, called the "Heere straat," or principal street, now Broadway; beginning at a point nearly opposite the north side of the Bowling Green, and extending to the " land gate," at Wall street.
We may here remark that the first church-yard of this city, and the spot where the ashes of most of the inhabit- ants of New Amsterdam now lie, was situated on the west side of Broadway, on the rise of ground above the Bowling Green, and not far north of the present Morris street. This ancient church-yard had become, at this period, very full; as ten years previously (1656) Governor Stuyvesant pro- posed to abandon it as a place of burial, the fence having fallen, and the whole become dilapidated through age; and as a substitute, he proposed tearing down several old houses which then stood south of the fort, and to make a burial- place there. This, however, did not meet the views of the citizens, who suggested the establishment of the burial- place on the hill west of the fort, near the windmill, (part of present Battery,) which they represented as "a good hill, clear of timber." Between the conflicting proposi- tions, no action in the matter was then taken; but about
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THE HEERE STRAAT, OR BROADWAY.
the period of which we now write (1665,) a new fence was set up around the old grave-yard, which had, for some time previous, laid quite open to the encroachment of ani- mals along the street. About ten years subsequently (1676,) the old church-yard was divided up into four lots, twenty-five feet front by a hundred feet in depth, and sold at auction, a new burial-place being established near the present Trinity Church.
Lucas Andriezen, on the west side of Broadway, was a sloop captain on the North river. He had long been estab- lished in this country, and afterward became a man of con- siderable property.
Dirck Wiggerzen, a carpenter, occupied the next adjoin- ing premises, on the north.
Paulus Leenderzen Vandiegrist had a fine house and gar- den, being the next habitation north of the church-yard, and about midway between Morris and Rector streets, on the west side of Broadway; his property extending, in the rear, to the river shore. Mr. Vandiegrist was one of the early pioneers; we find his name among property-holders in 1644, and in 1646 he commanded one of the four ships composing the fleet of Governor Stuyvesant, at his arrival here. He was a prominent trader, and a man of wealth; he was likewise an efficient military commander, being cap- tain of one of the city companies, and doing service in several military and naval expeditions; he filled prominent stations also in the councils of the city and province. His place of business was on Pearl street, near Broad. After the capitulation of the city to the English, Captain Van- diegrist commenced preparations for removing to Holland. In 1671 his agents here sold the property on Broadway to Francis Rombouts, an eminent merchant, who became
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THE HEERE STRAAT, OR BROADWAY.
mayor of the city in after years. It was then described as a house, garden and orchard on the west side of Broadway, between John Hawkings and Hendrick Van Dyck. (The house of Mr. Hawkings, which had then been recently built, was erected on a lot sixteen feet front, part of which had been within the old church-yard. It was afterward owned and occupied by Mr. West, the city clerk.) The widow of Mayor Rombouts resided on the Vandiegrist place more than thirty years subsequent to the purchase by her husband. Mr. Vandiegrist had a brother in this city, who continued his residence here, and left descendants.
Henry Van Dyck occupied premises next adjoining Mr. Vandiegrist, on the north; the house being considerably inferior to that of Mr. Vandiegrist, but having a large garden attached, upon which he afterward erected two or three houses. Mr. Van Dyck came to this city at a very early period, in the service of the West India Company, in which business he acquired a considerable property. After Stuyvesant's arrival, Van Dyck officiated, for a period, as attorney-general, or public prosecutor; but on account of some differences between himself and the gov- ernor, he soon after resigned, and retired from public life. He died in the year 1688, leaving his wife, whose maiden name was Duvertie Cornelisen, and several children living. One of his daughters married Nicholas de Myer, a mer- chant, who was subsequently mayor of the city; another married John Cooley, a merchant.
The property north of Mrs. Van Dyck was vacant. Governor Stuyvesant, soon after his arrival, granted to his son, Nicholas William Stuyvesant, a plot next north of Van Dyck, containing ninety-three feet front and about two hundred and forty-eight feet depth, to the North river,
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THE HEERE STRAAT, OR BROADWAY.
and a lot next beyond, of the same size, to his son, Baltha- zar Stuyvesant. The north bound of the latter was ad- joining what was then the garden of the West India Company, which was in the vicinity of the present Trinity Church-yard.
Commencing on the east side of Broadway, at Wall street, we shall follow the street to its lower extremity.
Jacob Swart occupied a small house nearest to Wall street.
Thomas Major occupied a small house; the lot contained about twenty-five feet front and sixty-five feet depth.
Abraham Pieterzen, molenaar, (or the miller,) occupied the adjoining premises.
Gerrit Fullwever, a butcher.
Pieter Simkam, a tailor.
Jan Fries.
Jan Gillisen, called " Koeck," the town bell-ringer.
Jan Hendricks Van Gunst, a butcher.
Peter Ebel, a temporary resident.
Paulus Turck, a tailor.
Albert Jansen, a carpenter.
Martin Hoffman, a trader.
Altje Unstaples, a widow.
Jan Joosten, a trader and boatman on the North river.
Adam Onclebagh, a tailor.
Pieter Jansen.
Adrian Andriezen.
The part of Broadway above described, it will be ob- served, applies to that section lying below Wall street, or " within" the city, as it was termed. At the head of the
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BEYOND THE GATE ON BROADWAY.
present Wall street, in Broadway, then stood one of the two city gates; the other being at the foot of Wall street, on the present Pearl street. The one on Broadway was called the "land gate," as contradistinguished from the other, which was commonly known as the "water gate." These gates were of wood, and were nightly closed, iv times of trouble, by the city watch. Beyond the " land gate" lay the farm originally granted to Jan Jansen Da- men, in the year 1644, by Governor Kieft. This farm extended, with some slight variations, from Wall street to Maiden lane, from the North to the East river. In very early times, Damen became a trader in this city, and was one of the most active and prominent citizens of his time; he acquired a considerable estate. Having procured the grant of this farm-which was a rolling piece of land, forming a sort of ridge, falling off toward Wall street on the south and Maiden lane on the north-he erected a sub- stantial house, and fixed his residence there. Mr. Damen had previously married the widow of Guleyn Vinje (Van- geé,) whose maiden name was Adriana Cuvilje; she had then several children, the issue of her first marriage. Mr. Damen left no direct issue; and upon his death, which hap- pened soon after his settlement on this farm, his widow succeeded to the property, and survived him several years. Her four children coming into the inheritance of the prop- erty, a division was made among them in 1659. Her son, John Vinjé, has been mentioned on a preceding page; her daughters married neighbors-Maria having become the wife of Abraham Verplank; Rachel married Cornelis Van Tienhoven, and Christina married Dirck Volkertson.
At the period to which we now refer (1665,) the resi- dents above Wall street were as follows :
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BEYOND THE GATE ON BROADWAY.
Cornelis Aertzen, a farmer, was tenant of a large farm, house and garden, east from Broadway, a short distance above the city gate, on the old Damen farm. Mr. Aertsen had previously been the tenant of Governor Stuyvesant's farm, on the Bowery, and had long supplied the families of the city with country produce. He died two or three years subsequent to this period.
Peter Stoutenburgh, at this period, was tenant of a small house on the same property. This property had been thrown into one of the shares of the heirs of Mrs. Cuvilje; the orchard was about one hundred and fifty feet distance from the street, and was approached by a lane on the present line of Cedar street. The property ran north and south about four hundred feet, and east and west about one hundred and thirty feet; it was subsequently purchased by Mr. Stoutenburgh. He left, at his death, several children -Tobias and Isaac; Wyntie, who married Evart Byvank; Jannetie, who married Albert Ringo; Engeltie, who mar- ried William Waldron.
Gerrit Jansen Roos occupied the premises next above Mr. Stoutenburgh. He was a relative of the Vinje family, by marriage. He was a carpenter by trade, and died, at an advanced age, in 1698, leaving a considerable property.
Dirck Siecken, a husbandman, occupied premises on Broadway, a short distance from Wall street.
The only other house on Broadway, besides those enu- merated, was a small dwelling inhabited by a Frenchman, whose name is unknown.
Continuing our course around the city, we shall follow the present line of Wall street, the southerly side of which
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THE " CINGLE," OR CITY WALL.
was occupied by several dwellings, generally of a small size. The northerly side of the street was the line of the city wall, above which lay the fields belonging to the heirs of the Damen estate.
On the south side of Wall street, in 1665, we find
Jan Jansen Van Langendyke, who occupied small premi- ses. He died in 1691.
Jan Teunizen occupied a small house; he was a miller. The wind mill of Mr. Teunizen was situated at some dis- tance from the limits of the city, on the public road; the precise spot being near the present north-west corner of Chatham and Duane streets. The land attached to the mill was about two hundred and fifty feet square. This ancient wind mill was standing sixty years afterward. Mr. Teunizen removed to Long Island the year following that to which we now refer, and sold his wind mill to William Aertsen, of this city.
Jan Videt, a French tailor, occupied a small house.
Abraham Kermer.
Greetje, chimney-sweep.
Jacob Jansen.
Dirck, a wool-spinner.
Barent Egbertzen, a tailor, occupied a small house, the lot being twenty-one feet front and seventy-seven feet deep, which he sold, in 1608, to Jacob Leisler.
Pieter Jansen.
Dirck Van Clyff. This gentleman was, at this period, a merchant of considerable property. The Van Clyff farm, adjacent to the present Cliff street, afterward belonged to him, and was the place of his residence at the time of his death. It was pleasantly situated upon an elevated hill, overlooking the East river, near the present John
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THE " CINGLE," OR CITY WALL.
street. Dirck Van Clyff died in 1694, leaving his widow, Geesie Hendricks, and several children surviving.
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Having thus far been engaged in tracing the circuit of the town, we shall turn our attention to several streets in the interior.
CHAPTER X.
THE CONDITION OF THE CITY AT THE TIME OF THE CAPITULATION TO THE ENGLISH IN 1664, CONTINUED.
THE Heere Graft, was that part of the present Broad street, between Beaver street and the river, which then ran along Pearl street. The centre of this street was originally a brook, forming the natural outlet of a marshy section occupying a considerable space above Beaver street. Lots had been granted at an early period along the sides of this outlet, which, from time to time, was deepened and somewhat improved. Its condition being, however, a serious detriment to the street, it was determined, in the year 1657, to side the banks of the drain with plank, at the expense of the owners on the street. This proposition met with great opposition from those who were to be assessed, they alleging that it was a public improvement, in the expense of which the whole city should bear a part. The work, however, was proceeded with, and finished in the year 1659, at an expense of two thousand seven hun- dred and ninety-two florins, or about one thousand dollars. The collection of the assessment was enforced by the imprisonment of several of the delinquents.
A similar improvement was made in that part of the present Broad street, above Beaver street, which became known as the "Prince Graft .. "
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THE " HEERE GRAFT."
In 1671, an ordinance was passed to improve the graft in the following manner: From the shore of the river upward to the bridge at Stone street, to be repaired, of the same width and in the same manner as before; from the bridge upward to the corner of Beaver street, to be im- proved in a manner which had been tried by Mr. De Peyster, and found of service; from Beaver street up to the house of Mr. Kip, (near Exchange place) in the same manner as before.
In the year 1676, the inhabitants of the Heere Graft, were ordered forthwith to fill it up level with the street.
The inhabitants on the " Heere Graft," (or the present Broad street, between Beaver and Pearl streets,) in 1665, were as follows:
On the east side, the property between the present Pearl and Stone streets, was owned by Cornelis Melyn, who had a few years previously returned to Holland. That between the present Stone and South William streets was owned by Jacob Wolferzen Van Couwenhoven, referred to among the residents on Hoogh straat.
Thomas Davidson, was an Englishman who, coming hither to seek his fortune, purchased a schooner in the year 1661, and with a negro slave to assist him in naviga- tion, commenced his trips on the Hudson river, to the settlements of Esopus and Albany. He purchased of Adrian Vincent a lot on the north-east corner of Broad and South streets, about twenty-five feet front upon which, having built a dwelling-house, he resided at the time now spoken of. Mr. Davidson died in the year 1688.
Adrian Vincent was an early emigrant from Holland, but of French descent. He was employed, for a consider- able period, in the public service. The property on the
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HEERE GRAFT.
east side of Broad street, between the present South William street, (then a mere lane) and the present Beaver street, (then a road) was originally granted to two persons, one of whom was Adrian Vincent, and the other Abraham Rycken. They were intended as garden plots. That of Rycken extended from Beaver street south about one hun- dred and twenty feet front on the ditch, forty feet on Beaver street, and fifty-six feet on the south adjoining Vincent. The grant to the latter extended from Rycken's' land to the present South William street, having about eighty-five feet front on the ditch. The former of these grants was made as early as 1646. The latter somewhat earlier. Mr. Vincent had, at the time of which we now write, (1665) sold part of this property and now occupied a narrow front. Next to Vincent's property, on the north side of the present South William street, was a horse-mill, which had long stood there. Mr. Vincent's descendants are numerous at the present day.
Simon Felle, was a Frenchman, who is found to have been here in the year 1654, having then some concern or interest in a barque trading with this place. He married Annekin, a daughter of Adrian Vincent, and built a house upon part of the property which had been originally granted to his father-in-law.
Albert Reuninck occupied the adjoining premises.
Jacobus Backer was a merchant, in good standing. He occupied about fifty-one feet front on the east side of Broad street, part of the lot originally granted to Rycken, near · Beaver street. His warehouse adjoined his residence. Mr. Backer was Schepen of the city for several years, and held other prominent places of trust in the community. In 1660 Mr. Backer left this city to reside in Holland, his
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HEERE GRAFT.
business being still carried on here by his wife, Marga- ret. The new arrangement would not seem to have pros- pered, as his property, which had been mortgaged before his departure, for eight thousand pounds tobacco, was foreclosed by the creditors in 1670, to whom his wife was unable to make payment. The property was sold out at private sale in 1671, to Balthazar De Hart; but Madam Backer continued her residence there for many years subsequently.
Jochem Beekman, a shoemaker, occupied the next ad- joining premises, which were on the south-east corner of Broad and Beaver streets. His front on Broad street was about thirty-six feet, on Beaver street about forty feet. Mr. Beekman was not among the earlier emigrants of his name, with whom he does not seem to be a family connec- tion. He was, however, made a citizen as early as the year 1657.
Nicholas Dupuy occupied the premises on the west side of Broad street, between Beaver and Marketfield streets, about forty-four feet on Broad street. He died in 1691.
Pieter Van Naarden was situated on the south-west corner of Broad and Marketfield streets, his premises con- taining about twenty-two feet front. He died a short time subsequent to this period, but his widow remained there for a number of years.
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