USA > New York > New York County > Harlem > Revised History of Harlem (City of New York): Its Origin and Early Annals. : Prefaced by Home Scenes in the Fatherlands; Or Notices of Its Founders Before Emigration. Also, Sketches of Numerous Families, and the Recovered History of the Land-titles > Part 31
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On January 5th, 1671, the Town Court ordered a pound built, at the common charge, to be seven rails high, and imposed for each hog impounded a fine of 1 gl. 10 st., and for every horned beast 3 gl., the damage, if any had been done by the creature, to be made good.
The subject of the town debts also came up as follows :
Exhibited by Resolved Waldron, as payable by the Lands of the Town : To Mr. John Sharp
f. 92 .: 0
Daniel Tourneur
73 : 16
Johannes ,Vermilje
24 : 0
Resolved Waldron
41 : 4
Joost van Oblinus
6 : 15
Meyndert Maljaart'
3
:
0
Pierre Cresson
2
: IO
Glaude le Maistre.
6
I5
David des Mareset
2 :
O
Jean le Roy.
4 : IO
Nicolls, for Patent.
137
: 0
Paulus Richard, for the land at Spuyten Duyvel.
300 : o
Johannes Verveelen
87 : 13
Abraham la Noy 68 : 0
. * Meynard Journee, or, as now written, Journeay, is the person here intended. This metamorphose arose from the similar import of the Dutch word maaljen, and the French journee, as adopted by the Dutch. With these, the latter word, wrested from its usual meaning (a day of battle, or simply, a battle), had come to denote a coat of mail, which, in Dutch, was maaljen. The two terms being used synonymously by his Dutch neighbors, Journee was often called Malyar, as pronounced, but which Montagne wrote as in the text. The English records sometimes have it Malliar Journee-a tautological blunder. His given name. Meynard, became, in Dutch, Meyn- dert. Incidental notices of Journee, both before and after his emigration, will be found on other pages. On his arrival here, he settled with Bogert, in Brooklyn, where he united with the church, April 9, 1664, on certificate from Mannheim, and on June 2, ensuing, married Elizabeth du Mont, a young lady born at Middelburg. She was probably sister to Margaret du Mont, wife of Pierre Noue, who, as we have seen,
272
HISTORY OF HARLEM.
The last item involved a careful auditing of accounts for six - years past, in which those of the town, with Montagne as their collector, those of Verveelen as tapster,-mainly his indebted- ness to the excise, and his scores for liquors furnished the mag- istrates,-as also the particular transactions between Montagne and Verveelen, were much mixed up. Curious as these details are, we must exclude them. The balances being struck, the town found Montagne its debtor for 208 gl., and itself indebted to V'erveelen 87 gl. 13 st. Hereupon Montagne drew up the fol- lowing, which Verveelen signed:
On this date, 15th Feb'y, I, Johannes Verveelen, acknowledged to have settled with Montagne for his accounts, and for the accounts of the Town, so that there is due me from the Town. by balance of accounts, seven and eighty guilders, thirteen stivers. Dated as above.
JOHANNES VERVEELEN.
To discharge these several debts an assessment was author- ized to be made upon the lands and erven : on each erf, f. 10: 18:12; and on each morgen, f. 2:16:14.
O cruel Cupid! ever seizing the favored opportunity to scatter his fatal darts where met the young and unwary to cheerily while the social hour, to crack walnuts and rustic jokes, or yet seeking a prouder conquest among those not strangers to his shafts ; his triumphs the past winter are thus summed up :
Persons whose bans of matrimony are entered by consent of the Worshipful Mayor of this City, New York, and according to custom, published in the church.
Feb. 18th, 1671, William Waldron, born at Amsterdam, with Engeltie Stoutenburgh, of New York. Present, Resolved Waldron and Peter Stoutenburgh.
March 5th. Martin Hardewyn with Madeleine du Sauchoy, both living at Fordham. Present, the bride's mother, Elizabeth Nachtegaal, and Jacques Cousseau ; with a note from the bride's father, Marc du Sauchoy, that he beared consent to the same.
April 7th. Jean le Roy, living at New Haerlem, widower of Louise de Lancaster, with Marie Taine, widow of Philip Casier, living at New York.
came out in the same vessel with Journee, and it is quite as apparent that Margaret was sister to Wallerand du Mont, of Esopus. She who became Mrs. Journee was most likely the person that accompanied Noue and his wife in their voyage, and is called his "sister." Journee held honorable places in the town government at Harlem, resigning that of magistrate when he removed to Staten Island, toward the close of 1676, having sold his house and bouwery, March 7. preceding, to Jan Nagel and Jan Delamater. for 2700 guilders. His meadow, on Sherman's Creek, has till late years borne the name of Meyndert's Fly. On March 26. 1677. he bought 80 acres of land on Staten Island, from Francis Chartier. Journee had lived there but a year when he died, January 30. 1678. Some months after his widow married "Boswell de Lisle, alias Francois;" the Court of Sessions held at Gravesend June 19, 1678, appointing Paulus Richard, with Obadiah Holmes, of Staten Island, as trustees for the children, to "take care that the estate of said children be not embezzled." There were several daughters, but the only son, apparently, was John Journeay, who married, in 1703, Elizabeth Deyo. But we have made no effort to trace his descendants, who have be- come numerous, while some have been prominent on the island, to which, however, the name is by no means restricted.
.
273
HISTORY OF HARLEM.
April 29th. Adolph Meyer, young man, born at Ulsen, in Westphalia, with Maria Verveelen, born at Amsterdam .*
Johannes Pelszer sues Johannes Verveelen March 2d, 1671, for a claim of 24 gl., the balance of 90 gl. 12 st., his former indebtedness, of which Koopal (Archer) had paid him 66 gl. 12 st. He also complained that Verveelen had accused him of being "the cause that the defendant's house had come to be burnt." Verveelen answered that the plaintiff had said that he, defendant, kept two account books. He maintained that his arrest was unlawful, since he was a resident, and plaintiff could have levied on his goods ; he claimed 6 gl. for the ten days' arrest. The court having heard all they had to say, allowed Pelzer the 24 gl., and Verveelen to pay the costs. On the same date the old Indian interpreter, Claes Carstensen, a Norwegian, who had lived some thirty years in the country and several in this town, was granted a small house lot, to use during his lifetime, but without the right of succession. Carstensen had seen better days.
"Whereas the carriage road between this City and New Haerlem is impassable; and this Worshipful Court considering it necessary that a carriage road be maintained between this City and the above-named vil- lage: It is therefore ordered and directed by the W. Court that the magistrates of New Haerlem and the overseers of the highways beyond the Fresh Water shall lay out together the most suitable work, and that then, on the first day of the next coming month of May, the said road shall be made fit for use, by the inhabitants of the village of Haerlem, and the householders, both on this and the other side of the Fresh Water, each for his limits, and that on such penalty as shall be fixed by said magistrates and overseers."
The above order was passed by the Mayor's Court, April 18th, 1671, and Jan Jansen Langestraat, Dirck Siecken (alias Dey), and Jan Cornelisz De Ryck, were then appointed as over- seers "on this and the other side of the Fresh Water."
Cornelius and Laurens Jansen, having for a year worked the farm bought in partnership of Mr. De Meyer, agreed to part. Laurens was about to lease the farm of Lubbert Gerritsen ; the parties met for the purpose, October 24th, 1670, and the con-
* Maria Meyer, mother of a large and worthy progeny, identified as she was with Harlem, from her early childhood ior a period of eighty-five years, and, as daughter of the patentee, Johannes Verveelen, directly concerned in the principal distribution of the common land-she becomes a historic character. After a married life of forty years and thirty-seven of widowhood, and having survived all the Dongan patentees, except possibly Barent Waldron, death overtook her at the advanced age of 92 years, in 1748. It afforded the author an agreeable surprise, while engaged some thirty years ago in the preparation of a work kindred to the present one, to discover that he was a descendant of this locally noted woman, and also of the redoubtable Spuyten Duyvel ferrymaster; and subsequently to find that a lineal chain, of eight intervening links, allied him to good old Hans Verveelen and Catrina Oliviers, of Cologne. (See Annals of Newtown, pp. 277, 305, 317).
274
HISTORY OF HARLEM.
tract was partly drawn, when they failed to agree. Cornelis having taken the De Meyer farm, Laurens on May 5th ensuing (1671) gave him a lease of his part for four years, to date from September 25th, 1670, at the yearly rent of 400 gl. in grain. Their father, Jan Bastiaense, and Bastiaen Elyessen, the father- in-law of Cornelis, were present and subscribed this agreement. Laurens went to Esopus and married, and is not found at Harlem for several years.
On May 18th, 1671, Jan Louwe Van Schoonrewoerd, of Bedford, L. I., later known as Jan Louwe Bogert, bargained with Jan La Montagne for his "piece of land named in the Dutch language Montagne's Punt, or by the Indians Rechco- wanis," for the sum of 3,000 gl. He reserved "the crop of grain, the hop plants, apple and pear trees, and twelve cherry trees." Full possession was to be given on receipt of the first payment, due May Ist, 1672. Some account will be given of the numer- our and respectable family descendants of Bogert.
On Septemebr 6th Meynard Journee sold to Dirck Storm his property at Bedford, Brooklyn, consisting of houses, land, meadow, etc., for 1,400 gl. in wheat, peas, or rye, at the price of sewant. Jan Louwe Van Schoonrewoerd witnesses this deed .*
On the same day, said Jan Louwe and his wife, Cornelia Everts, residing at Bedford, aforesaid, made their will at Harlem, as they expected to remove here. They "give to the poor of New Harlem the sum of ten guilders as a memorial." Speak of children, but name none. Make Johannes Pietersen Verbrugge and Teunis Gysberts Bogert executors. The witnesses are Cor- nelis Jansen and Johan Daniels, late under sheriff at New Castle,
* Dirck Storm, as already noticed, arrived here in 1662, with his wife, Maria Pieters, and three young children. He had in all, at least, sons, Gregoris, Peter and David, and daughter, Maria, who married Caspar Springsteen. In 1669 he succeeded Carel de Beauvois, deceased, as secretary at Brooklyn; afterward served some years as town clerk at Flatbush, was made Clerk of the Sessions for Orange County, in 1691, and held that office till 1703. In 1697 he and family were living at Philips Manor, Westchester County, where his descendants became numerous and noted. His son, Gregoris Storm, married, at New Utrecht, Engeltie, daughter of Thomas Van Dyck, and had sons, Derick, born 1695; Thomas, born 1697, etc. After Gregoris, or Goris, as commonly called, died, his widow married Jacques Tourneur, of Harlem. Her son, Thomas Storm, becoming a widower, married the daughter of Adolph Meyer, of Har- lem, and widow of Johannes Sickels, Ist. Thomas remained on Philips Manor, hold- ing a farm under Col. Frederick Philips, but he made three several purchases of land in Rombout Precinct, Dutchess County, on which he settled his sons Gerrit, Goris, Abraham and John. His son Isaac took his place at Philips Manor. Other sons. Thomas, his eldest, and Jacob, were dead when he made his will, June, 28, 1763. It was proved January_15, 1770. Abraham Storm married, October 5, 1759, Catherine, daughter of Aaron Bussing, of Harlem. An active whig in the Revolution, he was "made prisoner by the British troops," and his family saw him no more. On March 22, 1784, his widow released to Gerrit, Goris and Isaac Storm the lands of said Abraham, in Rombout Precinct, and, returning to Harlem, obtained, by deed of August 18, 1784, from her father's executor, John Sickels, the farm of 31 acres on Van Keulen's Hook, which she sold, eleven years later, to James Roosevelt. She died August 16, 1803, leaving no children. The descendants of Dirck Storm take prominence for numbers and worth.
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1
275
HISTORY OF HARLEM.
Delaware, under Beeckman, and who had before "held this posi- tion under Mr. Montagne." The testator signs Jan Lu Van Sooderwoer.
Mayor Delavall held this court at Harlem on September 8th, 1671, at which were considered:
I. Complaint of David Demarest against John Archer, for mawing grass in his meadow at Spuyten Duyvel, being No. I on .the Westchester side.
2. Complaint of Martin Hardewyn, of Fordham, against Archer, for breaking down his fences.
3. Complaint of Marcus Du Sauchoy, of Fordham, against Archer, for throwing his furniture out of doors.
4. Complaint of Johannes Verveelen against Archer.
The first case was referred to the magistrates of Harlem and Fordham, the others to the arbitration of Daniel Tourneur and Jan La Montagne.
The "Inhabitants of the Town of Fordham" also preferred a charge against Archer, "that the defendant, several times, hath been the occasion of great troubles betwixt the inhabitants of the said Town, he taking upon himself to rule and govern over them by rigor and force; and do humbly desire relief and the protection of this Court."
"Upon the hearing of both parties, the court ordered the defendant, John Archer, to behave himself, for the future, civilly and quietly against the inhabitants of the said Town, as he will answer to the contrary at his peril."
"And it is further ordered, that all small differences, which for the future shall happen to fall out at Fordham aforesaid, shall be decided at Harlem by the magistrates of Fordham, with the assistance of two of the magistrates of Harlem aforesaid, except those of Fordham will be at the charge to satisfy the magis- trates of Harlem for coming up to their Town of Fordham."
On October 11th, 1671, John Archer executed at Harlem sundry new leases for farms at Fordham, viz. : to Hendrick Kier- sen, Aert Pietersen Buys, and Cornelis Viervant; making the rent payable to Cornelis Steenwyck, of New York, to whom Archer, on September 10th, 1669, had given a mortgage on his lands for 1,100 gl. in wampum. Another mortgage to Steen- wyck in 1676, for 2,400 gl. sewant, ultimately gave him the full title and possession of the Manor of Fordham, which passed under his will and by certain deeds to the Dutch Church at New York .*
* In getting possession, the church met with great opposition from the town of
ยท
276
HISTORY OF HARLEM.
On October 23d the voorleser's salary, 400 gl., became due, and to pay it a tax was authorized, "calculated 2-3 on the lands, and 1-3 on the Erven ; amounting for each morgen to f. 1 :12:6, and for each erf, f. 6:7." But, notes Montagne in the margin, "It came to nothing." The reason is found in the strong aver- sion of the people to being taxed for religious purposes, especially the French and Walloons, who, cruelly tithed and amerced in their native lands to support the old church, had a mortal dread of this compulsory giving. Then, again, the present tax for exceeded any former call for this object. Montagne's allowance as voorleser was not over 150 gl. per annum, one third of which. derived from the Company, failed after the first year. But what- ever he got from the people was by voluntary gift. Hence the present opposition to an assessment, and this proving effectual, led to a return to the former method of free-will offerings,-a plan continued for several years, though, unfortunately, the earlier lists of contributors are missing.
Two days later, a meeting was held at Cornelis Jansen's to adjust certain fines which had also caused no little excitement. It happened, July 7th preceding, that .two of Jansen's horses were found upon the bouwland without a herder and driven to the pound, with one owned by "Mr. Aldrich," one of Waldon's, and one of Adolph Meyer's. The next day another of Waldron's horses, and one of Meyer's, and the next day still, being Sunday, a pair of oxen of David Demarest's, one of Delavall's hogs, and two of Pieter Roelofsen's. Again on the 24th were put in pound three hogs belonging to Waldron and Nagel, besides a yoke of oxen owned by Jean Le Roy, and found cropping the herbage "in the garden."
This enforcement of the law made some squirming, as the fines were put at 6 gl. for each horse, ox, etc., amounting in all to f. 74:8. But the matter was finally ararnged, over sundry pots of Tapster Jansen's beer, for which his bill against the town was as follows:
Westchester. This led, in 1688, to a forcible entry by the officers and friends of the former. Elijah Barton, dwelling "near Harlem River, within the bounds of West- chester, at the house that formerly Aert Pietersen lived in," was, with his father Roger Barton, engaged "to keep possession for and in behalf of the town of West- chester," when, on July 16, in the afternoon, "there came a great company of men with Nicholas Bayard of New York," demanding admittance. This being refused, Reyer Michiels and Teunis De Key, at Bayard's word, broke open the door. and the Bartons were ousted and roughly handled. With Bayard were also Nicholas Stuyvesant, Johan- nes Kipp, Isaac Van Vleeck, Michiel Bastiaens, his wife, and sons Bastiaen and Reyer Michiels, Hendrick Kiersen and Jacques Tourneur, Also "in the exploit" was Hannah (or Anna) Odell, wife of John Odell. Hendrick Verveelen and Jacob Valentine were there, too. The Westchester authorities issued a warrant July 20, to "take the bodies of the said Reyer Michiels, with the said complycetors." But the church maintained its hold, and the lands were ultimately sold off in parcels between the years 1755 and 1760.
277
HISTORY OF HARLEM.
CORNELIS JANSEN, Credit.
Drank at the settlement of the fines, the 25th Oct. 1671, at two
bouts .f. 34 : 0
Also for Mr. Arent, engaged at writing, 2 vans beer* 1 : 12 Further, after the settlement was conducted, also drank 5 vans beer and I muts rumt. 4 : 10
f. 40 : 2
John Archer, to escape the interference of the Harlem magis- trates, obtained from Governor Lovelace, November 13th, 1671, an ample patent for his domain, upon which "the new dorp or village is erected known by the name of Fordham." It was to enjoy "equal privileges and immunities with any town, enfran- chised township, or manor within this government." Released from all dependence upon, or subjection to the rule, order, or direction of any other riding, township, place, or jurisdiction; thereafter it was to "be ruled, ordered, and directed, in all matters as to government, by the Governor and his Council, and the General Court of Assizes only." It now took the style of the "Manor of Fordham." But not long after, "upon complaint of some disorders which were made at the town of Fordham, in the Corporation of this City, by reason they lie too far distant from any constable or overseers," his Honor the Mayor, on February 13th, 1672, appointed Johannes Verveelen as constable and clerk, and Jan Pieters Buys and John Heddy as overseers of the said town, to serve during his mayoralty.
Valentine Claessen, founder of the Valentine family at Valentine's Hall, having sold his property in Harlem to Mr. Delavall, resolved upon a sea-voyage, and on December 11th, 1671, procured the governor's pass "to transport himself hence in the ketch Zebulon, whereof John Follett is commander, for the Isle of Providence, Curacao, and Jamaica, in the West Indies ; and to return again as his occasions should present, etc." **
* Arent Evertsen Keteltas, here referred to, was, like his father, "Mr. Evert Pietersen Keteltas," a voorleser and schoolmaster. (See note on page 96). In 1664 Arent is called molenaar, that is miller. He was here before Vander Vin was engaged as voorleser, maybe serving temporarily in that office. But he soon left, and on Octo- ber 6, 1670, Tourneur took his place as curator of Kier Wolters' estate. Arent's wife. Susannah de Boog, was sister to Mrs. Wilhelmus Beeckman. They were daughters of Hendrick de Boog, of Amsterdam, whose wife was a sister of Mrs. Jonas Bronck. The Keteltas family descend from Evert Pietersen Keteltas.
+ A vaan was two quarts, and a mutsje one gill.
** The Valentine family, of Westchester, from which most of this name in New York City have sprung, has been quite misapprehended, as regards its common ancestor, who was not "Benjamin Valentine, a dragoon in the French military service, Canada," as per Bolton, ii, 544; but Valentine Claessen aforesaid, who, as a soldier, gained his laurels under Stuyvesant, not in Canada, but in an expedition to Esopus, in 1660. His sons took and retained the patronymic Valentine. He was from Saxenlant, in Transylvania; married, in 1662, Marritie Jacobs, from Beest, and before settling in Westchester county, lived some years in Harlem, where his vrouw found people from her native place, the Kortrights and Buys brothers. Valentine Claessen is named as late as 1688. His children, Jacob, born 1663, living 1690; Matthys, born 1665; John,
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1
278
HISTORY OF HARLEM.
On December 18th, certain Indians, some of them appar- ently the same that signed Montagne's deed for Rechawanes, conveyed to Daniel Tourneur, of New Harlem, all their lands "lying upon the Main, next to the land of John Archer, beginning at the Bay on the south side of Crab Island, and so running alongst the Creek parting the Main and Manhattan Island, to Bronxland, and thence extending east and west so far as the land of the said John Archer." This was the same land as that granted Tourneur June 15th, 1668, but which the Indians after- ward claimed, and therefore this purchase was authoried by the Governor, who added "a small tract behind it towards Broncks his river, the which doth properly belong to no person," and confirmed the whole to Tourneur, March 8th, 1672. Governor Dongan, as we shall see, afterward entrenched this grant, other- wise disposing of that part since known as De Voe's Point.
On December 29th, 1671, Daniel Tourneur, ruling magis- trate, and his wife, Jacqueline Parisis, both in health, made their will, and give 10 gl. each for the poor of New Harlem. The sur- vivor to manage and use the estate till death or remarriage; then the children to share it equally. Witnesses, David Demarest and Glaude Delamater.
On January 7th, 1672, Pieter Van Oblinus, a boy of 9 or 10 years, driving through the village with his fathers' horse and sleigh, ran over David Demarest's child, Daniel, 5 or 6 years old, who was playing with other children, about the door of Cornelis Jansen's tavern. He died the next morning, and the magistrates then assembled to inquire into the circumstances. It was shown, by the statements of Cornelis Jansen, Arent Harmans Bussing, and Conrad Hendricks Boch, to have been accidental. Joost Van Oblinus declared "that he did not know of the accident till informed of it by others, and that he was heartily sorry."
On February Ist, David Demarest, ruling magistrate, and his wife, Marie Sohier, in health, but "reflecting on the frailty of human life," made their will, giving, "each of them, 25 gl. to the poor of New Harlem, as a remembrance." The survivor to enjoy the estate until remarriage, and then "even though the laws of the land provide that one child shall inherit more than the other," their will is that "all their lawful children, mutually
born 1671; Mary, born 1674, are all of which we find notice. Matthys, living 1710, probably died before May 3, 1724, when a division of land was made by John and Mat- thias Valentine, of Lower Yonkers, his sons, if we are not much mistaken. John was born in 1691. Matthias was born in 1693-not '98, as his children's ages show-and died in 1781, being the "first proprietor of Valentine's Hill, Yonkers," as says Mr. Bolton; in whose work upon Westchester County, but more fully in the later History of the Valentine Family, may be found the several branches of the family tree, of which we have given the trunk.
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279
HISTORY OF HARLEM.
begotten, shall inherit equal legatary portions." Witnesses, Dan- iel Tourneur and Glaude Delamater.
On February 8th, the Town leased two parcels of meadow ; the first, not located, being taken by Lubbert Gerritsen, Jan Nagel, and Johannes Vermelje, for six years from May Ist, 1671, at 31 gl. a year. The other, "a piece of meadow at the North River" (called a little later Moertje Davids' Fly), was taken for the same term by David Demarest, at the yearly rent of 24 gl.
The same day, Jan La Montagne secured the signatures of the magistrates to the following deed for his Point, written in October preceding, but its execution for some cause delayed. It included also the meadows granted him some years before, in exchange for some others at Sherman's Creek. The effect of this deed was to release whatever claim the town might have acquired from Governor Nicolls' Patent, and to place the property on a common footing with the other improved lands, so that from this date it became taxable for town charges, and at the same time invested with the right to a share of the common lands held by the freeholders in joint tenancy, whenever a division of said lands should be made. Hence the value of this deed to Montagne, and to Bogert, who was to succeed him in that estate.
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