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 81
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APPENDIX.
!
In 1691 it fell to Thomas Tourneur, and passed, in 1710, to John Dyck- man, who drew land upon it in 1712. This lot was untaxed from 1715 to 1720. Doubt hangs around the after-history of this and the remaining lots; but more anon.
No. 20 was sold by Pierre Cresson, May 23, 1677, to John Brevoort, from whom, prior to 1700, as would appear, Joost Oblinus got it, and bartered with Adolph Meyer for No. 14. Mrs. Meyer drew land on it in 1712.
No. 21 Cousseau sold to Tourneur, and he to Glaude Delamater, who, prior to 1676, exchanged with Captain Delavall for No. 12. But the last two persons being dead, Delamater's widow claimed this lot, and on January 4, 1690, sold it to her son-in-law, Arent Bussing, to whom Samuel Waldron, as successor to all the lands and rights of Glaude's eldest son, John Delamater, gave a quit-claim, January 3, 1711, and it is named in his patentee deed, 1715.
No. 22, drawn by Jean Le Roy, on the allotment gotten of Philip Presto, was sold to Arent Moesman, and by him to Captain Delavall, who upon it built his grist-mill in 1667. See pages 232-236.
Bussing's right to No. 21 was allowed, but it caused trouble among the lot-holders at this end, as there were more claimants than lots. To obviate the difficulty in part another lot, No. 23, was projected, for John Delavall, on the other side of his mill lot, which itself, on account of the mill, admitted of no substitution; and it seems indicated that the Dyck- man and Bussing heirs gave up or sold out their rights; various small parcels of land being distributed to Peter Bussing and others in 1720, when this vexatious matter was finally arranged. This adjusted the num- ber of lots existing to the number claimed. A "small strip of land lying west of the lot of Arent Bussing (No. 21) and east of the lots of John. Delavall," called three acres, a motion to sell which, in 1691, was negatived, was added to Jacques Tourneur's lots. The two Delavall lots were pur- chased, September 24, 25, 1747, by Benjamin Benson, from Simon John- son, assignee of Elias Pipon; and Benson, we believe, also succeeded to the Meyer lot, November 15, 1748. The Kortrights claimed two lots here. but under the numbers 14, 15, before held by Cornelis Jansen, and on which Metje Cornelis and Marcus Tiebaut drew land in 1712. See page 564. The heirs had divided one or both of these lots transversely into equal halves, but the whole came, in 1726, to widow Grietie Kortright, who sold them, in 1730, to Derick Benson, from whose son John, Ben- jamin Benson obtained them, half at a time, December 30, 1755, and May II, 1764 Thus the title to all the lots (we believe five in number) lying west of Jacques Tourneur, to whom Peter Bussing had succeeded, passed to Benjamin Benson, and came to form part of the Benson farm, the remainder being taken from the Mill Camp, whose title we notice briefly. By the disuse of the mill, some years after the death of John Delavall, the privilege of using this land for mill purposes became void. On October 23, 1738, the town granted a similar privilege to Samson Benson, owning the farm on the opposite side of the creek, who was authorized "to place a mill, with a dam, on the Mill Camp, wherever it may suit him best"; this right to revert to the town should the mill cease to run for two years. Benson built the mill on his said farm, but it was scarcely fin- ished when he died, in 1740. His son Benjamin succeeding to the farm and mill, and buying several of the lots before mentioned, obtained from the town, by an award of May 30, 1753, and for the sum of 1601., a deed for the Mill Camp, by the following description: "Beginning at the fence of the said Benjamin Benson, by the Mill Creek, and runs along his fence Northwardly to Harlem Road, about thirty-one chains, thence along said Road twenty-three chains and one-half,* which is three chains beyond a
* This course followed for a short distance the old road which bridged the little creek at IIIth street, then took that laid out later, which, branching from the former,
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HISTORY OF HARLEM.
large Oak Tree near Van Breemen's House, thence South, ten degrees East, to the said Mill Creek, thence along the. said Creek to the place where it began." Besides providing for a road to the mill, it enjoined "that no encroachments shall be made from the westernmost limits of this grant to Benjamin Benson, but that the small part of the Mill Camp which remains undisposed of, lying between his westernmost bounds and the Mill Creek, so far as the bridge, shall be and remain in common, free, and open for the benefit of all the freeholders and inhabitants, for their creatures feeding and going to salt."
During the Revolution the old mill on the south side of the creek was burnt, and after the war Benjamin Benson built a new one on the Mill Camp farm, as also a substantial stone dwelling, which with the said farm and the creek itself he conveyed, April 2, 1791. to his son Peter. whose son Benjamin P. Benson, and daughter, Mrs. Dr. Peter Van Ars- dale, afterward shared it. In 1827, when the Harlem Canal was begun, the mill. a frame building three stories high, was taken down; but the dwelling stood till 1865. See page 421.
G. Page 191. MONTANYE'S FLAT.
This tract granted to Henry De Forest, in 1636, and subsequently patented to Hudde and La Montagne, has a remarkably interesting his- tory, for which reference must be had to the foregoing text, where both patents are recited (see pages 129, 150), as also the circumstances which constrained the government to resume possession of these lands in 1662, and distribute them among the Harlem settlers. The Flat embraced the lands intersected by Harlem Lane. from the late Nutter farm to the Cap- tain John Kortright farm, both inclusive (109th Street to 124th Street) : the whole bounded easterly by the creek, and westerly by the heights.
It is apparent that the Flat was originally laid out in lots of unequal quantity, to suit the requirements of those applying for land. See pages 185-191. Original descriptions of nine of the lots name them as on "Mon- tagne's Land," or "Montagne's Flat": six as running "from the hills east to the kill," and one "from the kill to the hills west." The Flat was not so much as fenced in till 1673 ( see page 289), and the first house, after De Forest's, was not built till some years later. See pages 355, 379. As in the other tracts, early exchanges among the owners broke up the order of the original numbers; and eventually there came to be ten lots, of nearly equal size, and rated as six morgen cach. The lots first built upon by Tourneur and Delamater began to be taxed in 1682, and all the rest in 1685, amounting to 54 morgen, Le Roy's lot, vacated, being excepted. . This was added in 1725, making 60 morgen ( 120 acres), being twelve acres per lot; and even down to the Revolution they were never rated higher in the tax lists, though usually sold for 20 acres. In further tracing these lots, we will refer to them as the Ist lot, 2d lot, etc., with regard to the actual order in which they lay. beginning at the south end of the Flat.
The Ist and 2d lots, described in De Meyer's patent of January 20, 1664, as 80 rods broad and containing 12 morgen 360 rods, were bought. September 25, 1669, by Cornelis and Laurens Jansen. Cornelis took them
crossed the creek at 109th street. This last road cut off a gore from Van Keulen's Hook, of about 4 acres, since known as the Lanaw Benson tract. It was sold by the town to Aaron Bussing, and confirmed to him by the award of May 30, 1753. The upper road being closed. joined it to Bussing's other land known as No. r. Ist Division; but it was sold separately by his executor. Adolph Meyer, to David Waldron. May 1, 1788, as 4 acres, 19 rods. Waldron sold it, June 6, 1793. to Lanaw Benson (colored woman), who conveyed it. all but " of an acre of woodland at the east point, to John Rankin, April 9, 1799.
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APPENDIX.
in a division of their lands, February 6, 1675, and on November 17, 1677, added Demarest's lot (the 3d lot, but originally No. 4) ; which is de- scribed in Demarest's patent of March 3, 1671, as 26 rods broad, 160 rods long, and containing about 13 acres, or 6 morgen 300 rods. These three lots, with drafts from the adjacent common land, descending to Lawrence Kortright, son of Cornelis Jansen, and to his son Lawrence, who on April 5, 1760, conveyed it to Mrs. Sarah Nutter, became the well-known Nutter farm. See pages 563, 565. Here was the "Half-Way House," established in 1684 by Cornelis Jansen, and kept after his death by his widow Metje Cornelis. See page 390. On October 13, 1694, she was allowed pay "for entertaining his Excellency the Governor, on his return from Connecti- cut." She or her family, at one time or another, owned all of Montanye's Flat. After the tavern here was discontinued, the "Black Horse," below McGown's Pass (see page 592), became the Half-Way House. It was kept during the Revolution by Richard Vandenburgh. The piece of the Nutter farm east of the lane (8 acres), sold by Valentine Nutter to Daniel Mc- Cormick, November 8, 1806, was a part of the 3d lot; the adjoining pieces occupied by Nutter's son-in-law, Henry G. Livingston, and James Beek- man, included parts of the Ist and 2d lots.
Daniel Tourneur, holding the 5th lot, by deed of February 1, 1667, from Derick Claessen, and described in Tourneur's patent of September I, 1669, as No. 6, 24 rods broad, and containing about 13 acres, or 6 morgen, 480 rods, also purchased the 6th lot, from Adolph Meyer, Janu- ary, 28, 1673, described in Hanel's patent (see page 598), as No. 7, 27 rods 41/2 feet broad, and containing 5 morgen 400 rods. This lot had come from Dominie Zyperus. Daniel Tourneur, taking these two lots in his patrimony, bought the 4th lot in the range, December 6, 1679, from Resolved Waldron (described as No. 5, and 30 rods broad), Waldron deriving title from Lubbert Gerritsen, to whom was originally allotted No. 3. In 1711, Tourneur's son Woodhull sold the three lots to Samson Benson, who sold them directly to Metje Cornelis. Their later history is to be traced through the Kortrights, Myers, and Bussings; see pages 485. 488, 563, 565, 603. In the division of this farm made by John Adolph, and Abraham Bussing, April 6, 1787, each had an equal share of 19 acres I q. 13 r., Adolph taking most of the 4th lot. The highway parted the other two shares ; that to the west fell to Abraham, and subsequently, after passing through several hands, was bought, March 8, 1815, by David Wood, who had already purchased part of the adjoining Van Bramer tract, from Abraham Van Bramer, May 2, 1812 .* These composed Mr. Wood's farm, which at his death, Mav 12, 1842, descended to his widow, and children, William G. Wood, M. D., etc.
The 7th lot was sold by De Ruine, March 13, 1666, to Arent Bussing and others (see page 545), as No. 8, being 16 rods broad, and containing 4 morgen 320 rods. Bussing, etc., sold, April 7 ensuing, to Captain Thomas Delavall, from whom it passed to his son-in-law, Carteret, who sold it, November 21, 1679, to Glaude Delamater. The latter exchanged it for another lot, with John Dyckman; Dyckman sold half to John Brevoort (which half passed to Zacharias Sickels), and later the other half to
* The Van Bramer family (originally Van Bremen) came from Albany. Jacob, . son of Abraham Van Bremen and Maria Van Nostrand, married, in 1711, Johanna, or Anna Wakefield, from Albany (see p. 410), and had sons, Abraham, of Harlem, and Thomas, of Peramus, N. J. (See p. 799.) Abraham, to whom, in 1733, his step- father, David Devoor, transferred an erf, which he soon sold to John Lewis, and was living some years after near the bridge crossing the Mill Creek (I believe the place later of John Rankin), was father of Hendrick and Abraham, of Harlem Lane, the first a wheelwright and bachelor. These brothers divided the land bought of the Bussings in 1784 (see p. 488). Hendrick, by his will of January 14, 1805, left his residence on Harlem Lane to his nephew, Henry Van Bramer, whose brother-in-law, Tyler, afterward owned it. Abraham married Abigail Brown, who survived him. She was a sister of Abraham Bussing's wife. Their children were, Henry, deceased, unmarried; James, mariner, lost at sea; Abraham, Hester, who married John Kimmel, and Susan, who married William Tyler.
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HISTORY OF HARLEM.
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Sickels direct, who sold the lot, January 15, 1729, to Nicholas Kortright, from whom it passed in 1740 to his aunt Grietie Kortright, and from her sons to Benjamin Benson, who owned the next lot, afterward, of Ben- jamin Vandewater. See pages 565, 566.t
The 8th lot, in possession of John Le Roy as late as 1668, is pre- sumed to have been given up by him for his indebtedness to the town. See page 360. It is not included among his lands sold to Simeon Cornier, May 2, 1674, and is omitted from the tax lists down to 1724. Samson Benson then appears as the owner, and without doubt it descended to his son Benjamin aforesaid. From the latter the parts of the 7th and 8th lots, which lay to the west of Harlem Lane, passed, the first to Robert Hunter, the second to Benjamin Vandewater; the latter conveying his part, with his farm on the adjoining heights, to James W. De Peyster, October 16, 1785. The remnants east of the Lane were sold to Adolph Myer, who conveyed the part of the 7th lot to John Dykman, except an acre sold to Hendrick Van Bramer on which his house was built, described on page 355.
Two lots sold by Cousseau to Tourneur, and by him to Glaude Dela- mater, are described in Delamater's patent of June 25, 1668, as situated "to the north of John Le Roy, to the south of Daniel Tourneur, an east line being run from the hills to the kill; it's in breadth 48, and in length 100 rod, and makes in all about 16 acres or 8 morgen." By adding to this the adjoining Tourneur lot (which Tourneur had given to his son- in-law Dyckman, who exchanged with Delamater for the 7th lot), Dela- mater came to be rated at 12 morgen. This being divided into halves, by his sons John and Isaac, formed the 9th and 10th lots, of which John took the lower one, and Isaac the upper. John's share passed, in 1710, to Samuel Waldron, and thence to his son Peter. Isaac's lot passed, December 3, 1726, to his son John Delamater, who sold it to Aaron Kort- right, March 12, 1742. See its history continued, on page 567. The old Delamater homestead stood on the east side of the Lane. Captain John Kortright built the large mansion which stood at a centre point in the block between 119th and 120th Streets, and 8th and 9th Avenues.
H. Page 341. THE HOORN'S HOOK FARMS .*
I. SAW-KILL FARM.
George Elphinstone, the grantee of this tract, transferred his claim to Abraham Shotwell, to whom the patent was issued by Governor Andros,
t The Vandewaters and Hooglands, of Harlem, had this origin: Cornelis Dircksen Hoogland, born 1599, was living at Brooklyn in 1638, and for many years kept the ferry. By his wife, Aeltie Adraens, he had a son, Derick, born 1638, who married Lysbeth, daughter of Joris Jansen Rapelje. From this union came, with other chil- dren, Johannes, born 1666; Adrian, 1670, and Aeltie, 1681, who married Abraham Delamontanie. Johannes and Adrian removed to New York, where the latter, a re- spected merchant, was murdered by his own slave, Robin, in the negro outbreak, just after midnight, April 7, 1712; at which time Joris Marschalk, Henry Brazier, Augus- tus Grassett and Adrian Beekman were also killed. (See pp. 161, 220.) Johannes Hoogland married twice; in 1686, Anna Duyckinck, widow of Peter Vandewater, from Amsterdam; in 1706, Jenneke Peet; and by the latter was father of Adrian, born 1716, who lived on Bloomingdale Heights, owning half of the De Key Tract, purchased of Thomas De Key, in 1738, in company with Harman Vandewater. He died in 1772, and his executors, Benjamin and William Hoogland, sold his lands to Nicholas De Peyster, December 7. 1785. Peter Vandewater's son Benjamin, born 1677, was father, we believe, to said Harman (sce p. 501), whose son Benjamin, in 1751. suc- ceeded to his lands, which, with what he had acquired on Harlem Lane, he sold to James W. De Peyster, October 16, 1785. His wife was Mary, daughter of Adolph Meyer.
" The Dutch word hoeck, or hook, is rendered "a nook, a corner, or an angle," in Hexham's Groot Wordenboeck, Rotterdam: 1658. In common usage, a neck of
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APPENDIX.
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September 29, 1677. See pages 340-341. It grants a tract of land upon Manhattan Island, in breadth 51 rods, running from the East River north- west into the woods 120 rods, including the run of water formerly called the Saw Mill Creek, together with the pond; being bounded southwest by the land of John Bassett, and northeast by the land of Jacob Young, and containing 3814 acres.
Abraham Shotwell, with consent of his son John, sold the farm and improvements November 6, 1679, to John Robinson, who, on January I, 1680, conveyed one half to John Lewin and Robert Wolley, of London, for £60; and on February 12, 1684, the other half to William Cox, for £160. See pages 360, 364, 381.
Mr. Cox was drowned in July, 1689, in returning from Amboy, whither he had been sent by Leisler to proclaim the accession of William and Mary. On July 15, before taking his last fatal journey, he made his will, amply providing for his wife Sarah, and devising his share of the Saw-kill farm to her brother, Henry Bradley. The latter, named in his brother Samuel Bradley's will, July 5, 1693, died soon after, without issue, his estate falling to his said brother Samuel and sister Sarah, late Mrs. Cox, who being left "a good rich widow," had meanwhile married John Oort, merchant, and now had her third husband, the noted Captain William Kidd. She married Captain Kidd by license of May 16, 1691. On June 1, 1695, Kidd and his brother-in-law Samuel Bradley (soon to sail for England, to pre- pare for that nefarious voyage in the Adventure Galley, from which Bradley returned only to be landed sick and dying on the island of St. Thomas, and Kidd to be arrested, sent to London, and executed for piracy), joined in conveying their half of the farm, etc., to Mrs. Kidd's father, Captain Samuel Bradley, for the term of his life. The reversion of the half farm falling to Mrs. Kidd by the death of her husband and brother Samuel, she obtained administration on the will of the latter, April 13, 1703, and on September 14 following, quit-claimed all her right and interest in the farm to her father, Captain Bradley. Before the year closed she married Christopher Rousby. On January 7, 1704, Bradley conveyed the said half farm to Rousby. But Rousby and wife doubting the suf- ficiency in the law of the patents to Shotwell and Cox, for the half farm and other their property, to assure them the legal possession (such at least was their plea), petitioned Governor Cornbury, March 23, 1704, to accept a deed of sale for their said property to her Majesty Queen Anne, and then to re-grant the same to them and their heirs forever. Obviously the true reason for this lay in the fact, as stated in a warrant of August 4. 1701, for the seizure of Kidd's effects, that he had "been executed in England for piracy, whereby all his estate, both real and personal, is for- feited to his Majesty." With this request the governor complied; the deed to the Queen is dated March 31, 1704, and Cornbury's patent to the petitioners, May 2, 1704 The Harlem freeholders, April 15, 1703, had voted "Wolley and partner" a release of what part of their land lay within the town patent; and on February 1, 1705, Rousby obtained from Charles Wolley, of New York, merchant, son and successor of "Robert Wolley, citizen and cloth-worker, of London," a deed for the other half of the Saw-kill farm.
From Rousby the farm passed to John Gurney; of New York, baker. Under Gurney's will, dated September 23, 1708, his widow, Mary (Van Hosen), sold the farm, May 24, 1709, to Thomas Hook, Jr., of New York, gentleman, for £400. The parties to this sale were married July 10, ensuing. Mr. Hook made his will March 13, 1713, as he "designed to take a voy- age for London." He was deceased May 29, 1723, the date his will was proved, but the farm stood in his name till 1730, and was then sold to
land bounded on three sides by streams or meadows; or where these limits were roads, or even surveyor's lines, was called a hook (see examples, pp. 561, 697), Hoorn's Hook, originally, was regarded as being bounded south by Marston's Creek, which emptied into the river near Soth street.
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HISTORY OF HARLEM.
John Devoor, who occupied it half a century. By will dated June 26, 1778, proved October 2, 1780, Devoor gave 14 acres off the upper side of the farm to his son John, and the other 2414 acres to his daughter Aefie, wife of John Courtright. Courtright and wife sold their part, May 20, 22, 1786, to Isaac Gouverneur, and he on September 9, 1791, to John Leary, Jr., whence it passed to David Dickson and Andrew Stockholm. These, loaning £3,000 from the State Treasurer, Gerard Banker, on a mortgage, July 30, 1793, put up near the river extensive cotton mills; employing workmen from Manchester, England. But this enterprise failed, and on December 26, 1799, Dickson and Stockholm, for £4,800, conveyed the property, now called 28 acres, to Isaac Gouverneur. The latter died intes- tate, the State foreclosed, and under a decree of December 14, 1805, the premises were publicly sold March 6, 1806, and bought by John Lawrence for $30,000, the deed to him being executed the same day by Pierre C. Van Wyck, master in chancery. Richard Riker and John Tom being partners in this purchase (the three were brothers-in-law), Lawrence, by deeds of March 20, 1807, assigned portions of the premises to his said copartners. On July 21, 1807, Mr. Tom's executors reconveyed his share to Lawrence, who with Mr. Riker made a formal division June 21, 1811, the first having made his residence upon the upper, the other upon the lower part. For this purpose Mr. Lawrence had repaired the old house on his tract, while Mr. Riker built upon his part, now named Arch-Brook, a fine stone dwelling, occupied by him till his death in 1841. His heirs divided the property into city lots.
John Devoor, Jr., mortgaged his 14 acres of this farm to Mangle Min- thorne, March 17, 1783; he assigned the mortgage to Anthony L. White, November 25, 1786, and he, the same day, to Mary Ellis, "formerly of the Out Ward, now of the State of New Jersey, singlewoman." See next title.
II. THE BAKER FARM.
The patent to Jacob Young, dated May 1, 1677, grants a piece of land on Manhattan Island, in breadth by the riverside 43 rods, ranging thence northwest into the woods 120 rods; being bounded northeast by the Com- mons, or a certain run of water, and southwest by the land of George Elphinstone, and containing 3214 acres. On September 27, 1683, Young conveyed this land to William Holmes. See page 376. The latter, born in 1644, was a son of George Holmes, of Turtle Bay, and married, in 1675. Elizabeth, daughter of Claes Wyp, of Albany. On April 15, 1703, the town voted him a similar release as that to Wolley and partner. Holmes. by will made September 18, 1705, gave his wife Elizabeth, the use of his farm, which at her death was to be shared half by his son George. and half by his daughters Bregie, Jannetie, Judith, and Priscilla. Of these Jannetie married, 1712. Cornelius Mesurolle, and Judith married, 1718, Martin Van Iveren; the other daughters died unmarried and intestate. George Holmes, born 1678 (see his marriage, page 418), came in posses- sion of his patrimony prior to 1710, and by the death of his unmarried sisters, and the purchase. December 29, 1746, of Jannetie's interest, acquired seven-eighths of the farm. Under his will, dated September 13, 1743, his widow Janneke took the estate in fee, and after her death Peter Ander- son, with his wife Cornelia, only child and heiress of George and Janneke Holmes, conveyed the farm, March 30, 1756, to Abraham Lefferts, for £410. Lefferts devised it to his son Derick, and daughter Elizabeth, wife of Peter Clopper, and Clopper and wife sold their half to Derick, May 16. 1769, for £1.400. Lefferts resided here till after the Revolution, and on June 25, 1788, conveyed the farm, 28 acres, to Mary Ellis, for £3,900, "in Spanish Milled Dollars."
Before Abraham Lefferts made his purchase, the remaining one-eighth of the farm, being a four acre strip on its southerly side. held by Martin and Judith Van Iveren, had come to be owned by John Devoor, Jr., from
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APPENDIX.
whom it passed, by deed and mortgage of February 15, 16, 1774, to David Provoost, and subsequently was purchased by Mary Ellis. On May I, 1791, said Mary Ellis conveyed to John Baker, her farm called Sans Souci, 46 acres, which included the 28 acres, 4, and 14 acre tracts. The mort- gages on the lesser pieces were assigned to Dr. Baker, who thus got title to this valuable property, which after his death, in 1796, and the expira- tion and surrender of certain life interests, enjoyed by the Delafields under the will of Dr. Baker, passed to the trustees of the New York Protestant Episcopal Public School.
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