USA > New York > Westchester County > Origin and History of Manors in the Province of New York and in the County. > Part 24
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The third clause, after devising all his real estate whatsoever and wheresoever to his eleven children above named their heirs and assigns respectively,
sent to the writers Grandfather John Peter de Lancey of Mamaroneck (the two gentlemen being second cousins) and now in the writers pos- session. It was printed by the writer in the Apl. No. , 1874, of the N. Y. Gen. & Biog Record.
I II. Smith's Hist. N. Y., 142, ed. of 1829.
2 Son of Matthias Nicolis the first English Secretary of the Province, who had married Mrs. Van Rensselaer, widow of this Patroon.
3 The writer has personally known instances of this custom, which in some families has come down to these days.
+ Lib. 2 of Wills, N. Y. Surr. Off., pp. 78-84.
131
THE ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE MANORS.
continues, "and it is my Desire and Appointment that the same houses, lands, and premises be Either 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 Guar- dians hereafter named shall judge and think most effectuall and proper for their best advantage, use, and benefit." The next clause directs " that upon a Division of my said houses, lands, mills, and other Real Estate, my Sons according to their priority of birth shall have the first choyce, alwayes allowing to the value of those parts they shall choose, that the respective partys and persons of my children may be made Equall in worth to one another."
The family was a very united one and deeply at- tached to the mother, who was a woman of a very af- fectionate, but strong, and decided, character. She never married again, but devoted herself to her chil- dren and their interests. Under these circumstances, very many of the children being minors at their father's death, and the above being the provisions of his will, it was determined, that the Manor should be kept in common and not divided. Ann, Mrs. de Lancey, and Margaret, Mrs. Bayard, were the only daughters married in their father's life-time, the for- mer only in the January, and the latter only in the April, of the same year, 1700, in November of which he died. This determination continued not only during Mrs. van Cortlandt's life, which terminated in 1723, but up to the year 1730, when it was agreed to divide that part of the Manor 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 ten- ants who desired to take up lands, The few people brought in, and improvements undertaken, by Steph- anus van Cortlandt between his first purchase and his death, were settled and made in the western portion of the Manor, along the river, and in its immediate neighbourhood. The progress was from west to east, not from east to west. The access to New York and from Albany was by water the landing places being at the ferry near the Manor House, and near the mouth of "John Peak's Creek " as well as at a spot south of the latter in Ryke's Patent. Johannes, or John, van Cortlandt the eldest son of Stephanus, had married Anna Sophia van Schaack of Albany, and had only one child a daughter who became the wife of Philip Verplanck son of Abraham Isaacsen Ver- planck the first of that name in America. To her was devised by her Father at his death, the Point, from her husband's name called " Verplanck's Point," and his one eleventh interest in the Manor.1 Oliver van Cortlandt, the second son of Stephanus,
1 Johannes has sometimes been called the "Second Lord of the Manor," but this is an error as the personal dignity was ended by the division made by Stephanus in his will.
died in 1708, at the age of 30 years, a bachelor, and devised by will dated the 3d December, 1706, his en- tire share of his father's estate equally among his surviving brothers and sisters and their heirs.
Philip Verplanck was a man of good education, good ability, and one of the best surveyors in the Colony. To him his relatives entrusted the survey- ing and division into parcels of the whole Manor. How well and thoroughly he performed the duty his survey and map remain to attest to us to-day. The original of the latter disappeared, at a comparatively late day, but in 1774, before the American Revolu- tion, a fac-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 papers in the possession of that family ; of which by their permission, a re- duced copy accompanies this essay. To it are made all the references of parcels, lots, and owners herein mentioned. It speaks for itself of the ability of Philip Verplanck, who was the same Philip Ver- planck mentioned above, who sat for the Manor of Cortlandt in the Assembly of the Province from 1734 to 1768, thirty-four years.
This survey was made in the spring of 1732, and is dated the thirtieth day of May in that year. The Agreement of the children and grandchildren to make a division of the estate was dated November the 13th 1780. It provided for a division into ten equal parts of the estates of Stephanus and his son Oliver, "and to that end all the said parties with an unanimous as- sent 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 ap- pointment he the said Philip Verplanck did project and lay out the Greater part of the lands and meadow in the said Mannor into thirty Lotts, shares, and al- lotments," and made a map of the same, and the said parties "did further by the assistance of the said sur- veyor, and Daniel Purdy and Samuel Purdy, ap- praisers elected and chosen by all of them for that purpose, make a perfect dividend, separation, and di- vision of the said thirty Lotts, shares, and allot- ments,"" which several shares were conveyed to each in October 1732, by partition deeds executed by all the parties to each other respectively. This division comprised only "the greater part of the manor lands."
In 1733 under the same articles of agreement, the parties in interest made in the same way, another di- vision "of the other and 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 some lands of the manor
2 Recitals from one of the Deeds of partition to one of the heirs.
·
132
HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
·
which had been encroached upon, others that had been entered upon by "squatters " who retained pos- session in spite of the owners, and others again ad- joining adjacent tracts and patents, in which the boundary lines were contested. These had been omitted specifically from the first two Divisions on these accounts, and had continued to be held as un- divided lands of the Manor. Some of these questions had been settled and others not, while the lands were held in this manner. At length, to settle all questions absolutely, and to effect a final division of these un- divided lands and those south of the Croton river, a special agreement was entered into by all of the heirs as they stood, in 1753, in virtue of which a final dis- position and distribution of the lands was effected, with some small exceptions.
At the first two divisions, the ten heirs who made them were these persons :--
1. Philip Verplanck, in right of Gertrude his wife.
2. Samuel Bayard, in right of Margaret his wife.
3. Stephen de Lancey, in right of Ann his wife.
4. Philip Van Cortlandt, of the Manor.
5. Stephen Van Cortlandt, of Second River, N. J.
6. John Miln, M.D., in right of Mary, (widow of Kilian Van Rensselaer) his wife.
7. Henry Beekman, and Gertrude, his wife.
8. William Skinner, in right of Elizabeth his wife.
9. Andrew Johnston, in right of Catherine his wife.
10. John Schuyler, Jr., in right of Cornelia his wife.
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.
6. Cornelia Schuyler, widow.
7. Stephen Bayard, Nicholas Bayard, Samuel Bayard, sons, and Peter Kemble, son-in-law, James Van Horne, son-in-law, and Nicholas Van Dam and William Cockroft and Margaret his wife, grand children of Samuel and Margaret Van C. Bay- ard deceased.
8. The Honorable James de Lancey, of New York, Peter de Lancey, of Westchester, Oliver de Lan- cey of New York, Susannah Warren, widow of Sir Peter Warren, K.B., Admiral John Watts and Ann his wife, children of Stephen and Ann Van C. de Lancey deceased.
9. Stephen Van Cortlandt, Junr., and Pierre Van Cortlandt, of the Manor, children of Philip Van Cortlandt, decd.
10. Philip Verplanck and Gertrude his wife.
The method of the division of 1753 was a little dif- ferent from that of the former ones. All the persons
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 Cort- landt, in trust, to settle all disputes as to encroach- ments and trespasses on the lands, either by eject- ment, or arbitration, as they saw fit; and all as to boundaries in the same way, and when the lands were recovered to sell the same and divide the pro- ceeds among the heirs; and in case of all undis- puted lands to have the same surveyed and divided equally among all the parties.
These details of these partitions and divisions have been taken from recitals in original deeds in pos- session of the Van Cortlandt, Van Wyck, and Kem- ble, families, and papers and documents in the writers own possession. In the Secretary of State's office in Albany, and in the Westchester County Register's office, at White Plains many of the orig- inal deeds may be found on record. The original release of 1753, last mentioned, is among the Van Wyck papers in the possession of that family.
The lands north of the Croton River were divided into two ranges called north and south "Great Lots" of the same Arabic numbers, from 1 to 10. Those north of the Croton but fronting on the Hud- son 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 called "Lots South of Croton."
The fourth clause of the Will of Stephanus Van Cortlandt directed that when a division was decided upon it should be as follows : " ITEM. It is my will and appointment and Direction that upon a division of my sª houses, lands, and mills, and other Real Es- tate my sons according to their priority of birth shall have the first choyce, alwayes allowing to the value of those parts they shall choose that the respective parties and persons of my children may be made Equall in worth one to another." Nothing is said as to how the daughters' shares should be chosen, which presumably was to be in the ordinary way, that is by lot. It is believed that when the first two divisions were made the sons first chose their parcels in the order of their births, and that the daughters drew lots for the remainder. But in whatever way these two divisions were made, the result was, that the following lots fell to the following named child- ren-
To Philip Verplanck, Nos. two, and three of the South lots north of Croton, and No. two of the "Front Lots" on the Hudson.
To Samuel and Margaret Bayard, North lot No. three and South lot no. nine, North of Croton, and No. seven of the Front lots on the Hud- son.
133
THE ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE MANORS.
To Stephen deLancey, North lot No. ten, and South lot No 5, north of Croton, and Front lot No. six, on the Hud- son.
To Philip Van Cortlandt, north Jot 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 John Miln,' North lots Nos. two and eight North of Croton and Front lot No. five on the Hudson.
To Gertrude Beekman, wife of Henry Beekman, North lot No. three, and South lot No. eight, North of Croton, and Front lot No. 10 on the Hudson.
To William Skinner, South lots Nos. four and ten north of Croton and Front lot No. three on the Hudson.
To Andrew Johnston, North lot Number one and Front lot Number nine on the Hudson.
To John Schuyler jr, North lots Nos. four and nine north of Croton, and Front lot No. nine on the Hudson. .
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 equalize, 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 first two divisions of 1732 and 1783. Consequently no names of owners appear on them. They were however subsequently divided, later among the heirs by the same method, and they fell to the following persons :
To Philip van Cortlandt, No. one South of Croton
" Andrew Johnston, two
" Stephen Bayard?
three "
" Stephen van Cortlandt,“ four
" Philip Verplanck, "
five
" Philip Schuyler' "
six
" William Skinner, seven
" Henry Beekman, ¥ eight
" Stephen de Lancey,
nine 66
" John Miln,
ten
After the first two divisions there was a little changing among the heirs of their lots, either by ex-
change, or by purchase. Exactly what their arrange- ments were in all cases it is now difficult to say. One change, which will illustrate this matter, was made between Mr. de Lancey and Mr. Schuyler, and Mr. Miln, by which the latter two transferred to the former, North lot No. Nine North of Croton adjoining North lot No. ten and about two thirds of North lot No. 8 ad- joining No. 9, to the West which fell to Mr. de Lancey. These two and two-third lots, together, comprise about nine-tenths of the present township of North Salem and extended from the old Colony line to the main Croton River, embracing the beautiful valley of Titicus, the easternmost branch of the Croton. 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 lat- ter conveyed them, as a gift, to his second son Steph- en. Stephen a few years later began their settlement, and brought in many farmers, and some mechanics. The whole tract was laid out into farms rectangular in shape of two hundred acres each, as a rule. These were leased for long terms of years, at low rents, the highest not being more than ten pounds, and the lowest about two or three pounds. The rent rolls and map showed the farms, which were all numbered, the tenants names, and the rents payable by each, but are omitted for lack of space. It was always understood, that the tenants might buy "the soil right," as the fee was termed, at any time the parties could agree upon a price. In practice however the tenants did not begin to apply for the fee till about the time of the Revolution, and then but rarely. After that event, more were sold to appli- cants, but many farms continued in the families of the tenants till late in this century. The last, which had descended to himself and the widow of a de- ceased brother, the writer sold in 1875, after the expiration of a lease for ninety-nine years. Stephen de Lancey, the younger, the son of James, likewise about the year 1765 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 purpose. It was One of the very first established in this State, and has only recently been discontinued, under the present School policy of the State, which has put an end to the numerous "Academies" which formerly existed all over New York. Until late in this century it was the largest building upon the whole Manor. These facts are mentioned because, the same system of leasing out their lots in farms was carried out by all the other owners of the Manor Lands. Some sold the fee of their lands at an early day to relatives who thus increased their holdings. Others retained them. The result of this was, that some portions of the Man- ors acquired in common parlance distinctive names, which long continued. Mrs. Beekman's estate on the
1 This is the correct name. It has been spelled Melin, and Milin, in some papers and maps. He was a physician of Albany, N. Y., and mar- ried Maria, or Mary, van C., the widow of Kilian van Renselaer, the Patroon of his day, and first Lord of Rensselaeraburgh as a Manor.
" For himself and the other children of his mother Margaret Bayard. " For himself and the other children of his mother Cornella Schuyler.
" From & MSS. statement in the Van Wyck papers.
.
134
HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
Hudson, was from her Christian name, styled "Ger- trudesborough," that of Philip van Cortlandt "Cort- landttown " (now with adjacent lands called "The town of Cortlandt," and that of Mr. de Lancey, "De Lanceytown" now "The Town of North Salem." "Hanover" was also a name for part of the present "Somers" town.
The number of acres in the shares of the respective heirs and their valuation, in the division of 1732 and 1733 are of much interest, when the present enor- mous value of the present townships formed out of the Manor is considered.
The contrast is almost incredible notwithstanding the century and a half which have elapsed since the valuations were made.
The following statement showing the numbers and contents in acres of each of the lots is from Ver- planck's survey of May 30 1732. 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 north of the Croton ; and the third those of the Front lots on the Hudson.
North range of the Great Lots North of the Croton.
No.
1, contents
4095
acres.
2,
"
3,
"
4,
"
5,
"
6,
7,
3696
"
2904
413.
6831
£973.
Margaret Bayard.
1027
wife of Samuel Bayard.
.2811
3560
7398
£948,3
Stephen De Lancey
1172. .234.
3273
210.
2932
555.
7377
£999.
Philip Van Cortlandt.
.1255
.300.
2225
195.
3168
.480
6648
£975.
Stephen Van Cortlandt,
1474.
214.
2760
383.
2660.
375.
6894
£972.
2,
932
"
3,
"
1447
"
"
1220
1720
"
No. 7, contents 1027
acres.
"
8,
"
1233
"
"
"
14,333
"
Recapitulation.
Great North lots. 32,887
acres.
" 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 Poundridge
3000
Parson's Point on the Hudson 100
Total east of the Hudson ...
86,213
"
1 Tract on West side of the
Hudson 1500
=
Total number of acres in the whole Manor. 87,713
"
The areas and valuations of the shares of each of the heirs named above in the divisions of 1732-3 are thus stated in an " Estimate of the Value in the Manor of Cortlandt, 1733." 2
Names.
Acres.
Value in pounds.
P. Verplanck.
932
215.
2995.
.345.
8,
3696
9,
3696
"
10,
"
"
32,887
South range of Great Lots north of the Croton.
No. 1, contents
2225
acres.
"
2.
2994
"
"
3,
"
2904
"
"
"
5,
"
2982
"
=
7,
"
2660
"
"
8,
"
2394
"
9.
"
3568
"
"
10,
2565
"
28,765
Front lots on the Hudson.
No.
1, contents 1255
acres.
"
4,
5,
6,
..
2784
2904
2864
2811
3168
"
4,
3712
"
6,
"
2760
"
808
"
9.
"
2764
10,
1886
1 This is not in Verplanck's survey, but is added as an estimate from the best information the writer could obtain. "From the MS. in the Van Wyck papers. " The separate values of each of these three lots are omitted in the original, though the total is given ; evidently an accidental error.
i
"
3273
135
THE ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE MANORS.
Names.
Acres.
Value in pounds.
John Miln
1234
.238.
2784
300.
3696.
.450.
7714
£988.
Gertrude Beekman.
2764
210.
2904.
596.
2394
106.
8062
£912.
William Skinner
1886
120.
3712
675.
2565
.156.
--
8163
£951.
Andrew Johnston.
4095.
339.
1233
240.
3695.
310.
9023
£889.
John Schuyler, jr.
808
218.
2860
.. 575.
3696.
225.
7364
£1018.
Recapitulation.
Amounts in N. Y.
Names.
Acres.
Currency.
Philip Verplanck
.6831
£ 973.
Margaret Bayard.
7398
.£ 948.
Stephen De Lancy .7377 £ 999.
Philip Van Cortlandt 6648. £ 975.
Stephen Van Cortlandt. 6894. .£ 972.
John Miln. 7714. .. £ 988.
Gertrude Beekman
8062 £ 912.
William Skinner. 8163
£ 951.
Andrew Johnston 9023.
£ 889.
John Schuyler, jr. .7364. £1018.
754741
£9625.
The above values are in New York currency in in which the pound was equal to two dollars and a half of' United States Currency. 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 $25.062, 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 per acre in New York and in Westchester County at that time.
This valuation also is evidence of the good sense and sound judgment of Mrs. Stepharus van Cortlandt, the sole executrix of her husband's will, and of Wil-
This amount is 511 acres lees than the total acreage of the same lots !(75,985 acres) in Verplanck's survey, printed above. As the MS. from which this last statement is taken is a rough one and unsigned, it is probable that its author made this error, and that the survey is correct.
liam Nicolls, Jacobus van Cortlandt, and Brandt Schuyler, his relatives and her advisers under the same, in deciding to hold, and not divide up, the Manor, soon after Mr. van Cortlandt's death. . It likewise proves conclusively the little actual value, the enormous New York Manors and Great Patents really had at the period they were erected and granted.
When the Manor was divided into townships by the Act of 1788, there were carved out of it four entire Townships, 'Cortlandt,'' Yorktown,' ' Stephen- town,' (now changed to 'Somers'), 'Salem,' and about one-third of a fifth, 'Poundridge.' 'Salem was sub- sequently in 1790 divided, into 'North Salem' and 'South Salem,' the name of the latter being changed in 1840 to Lewisborough. So that five of the old townships and about a third of a sixth, were formed out of the Manor of Cortlandt. The following tab- ular statements of the valuation of the land in these five 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 1782-33 above given, show in the most striking manner the tremendous increase in value of the Manor between the time of its division among the ten heirs of Stephanus van Cortlandt and the present day .*
Valuation of 1829.3
Township of Cortlandt,. $505,801
of Yorktown,.
499,404
¥
of Somers, 450.945
of North Salem,
244,665
of South Salem, 292,574
of Poundridge, }. 55,440
$2,048,829
Valuation of 1875. '
Township of Cortlandt, $4,316,150
" Yorktown,. 1,258,641
" Somers
1,402,108
" North Salem 1,123,500
" Lewisborough, 5 952,435
' Poundridge, 114,202
$9,167,037
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 party squabble 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. It is, perhaps, fair to say, that, taking one town with another, an addition of ten per cent. to the figures of the census of 1875 would be about the actual value in 1885.
3 From the Table appended to Westchester County, in the great Atlas of the Counties of New York, compiled by the celebrated Bimeon De Witt, under an Act of the Legislature, in 1829 and published at Ithaca, N. Y., by David H. Burr. This is the most authentic Atlas of New York that exists, and is now rare.
+ From the State Census of 1875, Table no. 68.
5 Formerly South Salem.
-
136
HISTORY OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
among the heirs, while the valuation of the Townships embrace 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 part of the Manor. But allowing, for these corrections, they are sufficient to show the great increase of value in a century, and a century and a half, of the lands forming the Manor of Cort- landt.
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