USA > New York > Rockland County > The history of Rockland County > Part 4
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On November 6, 1724, Peter Fauconier, John Barbarie & Co., sold to John Sobriseo 630 acres of land near the present Tallman's Station.
After several years' contest, part of the time in the courts, the " Proprietors " finally offered to compromise with bona fide purchasers for £20 per hundred acres. On February 4, 1744, Peter Fauconier conveyed all his remaining interest in the Ramapo tract to Theodore Valleau and David Stout, and on August 10, 1752, they conveyed the same to Magdalene Valleau, daughter of William Fauconier. The following year, March 29, 1753, the proprietors of East New Jersey granted 900 aeres to Magdalene Valleau on condition that she release her claim to the remain- der of the tract, and on May 23, 1753, she conveyed to Coenard Wanna- maker, 105 of the 900 acres, just granted her. In 1762, February 12th, David Ackerman, who in some unknown way had obtained the same from the proprietors of East New Jersey, sold a mill-right of about one acre to Jacobus Van Buskirk. When at length, in 1774, the line between New York and New Jersey was finally established, these three purchasers from New Jersey were confirmed in their title by the government of New York.
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Leaving these first divisions of the Ramapo vacant lands in the pres- ent town, divisions which for the sake of lucidity I have thought it wisest to follow in Mr. Cobb's order ; let us turn to the remainder of that vacant tract. On January 18, 1775, George III granted through Lieutenant Governor Cadwallader Colden, four patents to four reduced officers of the British Army.
The Provost patent, granted to James Marcus Provost, began in the division line between the Provinces of New York and New Jersey, as the same is run and marked by Commissioners as appointed by a law of this Province, 7 chains and 43 links castward from the ninth mile stone in the said line, and running thence along a line marked for the western bounds of a tract of land formerly granted-the Kakiat patent-north 25 degs. 40m., west 335 chains and 30 links to John Wood's tree, thence north 60 degs. 37m., west 198 chains ; thence south 45 degs., west 66 chains and 60 links ; thence north 54 degs. 10m., west 77 chains; thence south 35 degs. 50m., west 73 chains to the said line run and marked by the Com- missioners, and then along that line south 54 degs. 10m., east 579 chains to the place of beginning; excepting the tracts previously confirmed to John Sobrisco, Coenard Wannamaker and Jacobus Van Buskirk, contain- taining 5,000 acres of land.
The Harris patent was granted to " Robert Harris, late Mate of His Majesty's Hospital," and contained the land within the following lines : Beginning at John Wood's tree, and running thence along the western line of the Kakiat patent, north 40 degs., west 247 chains 60 links ; thence south 68 degs., west II chains; thence south 45 degs., west 205 chains to the north bounds of Provost's land; and thence along the same to the place of beginning, containing 2,000 acres.
The Muller patent, granted to Jacob Muller, began in the division line between the Provinces of New York and New Jersey, at the most west- erly corner of Provost's patent, and followed the line of that grant north 35 degs. 50m., east 73 chains, south 54 degs. 10m., east 23 chains; thence north 36 degs., east 160 chains; thence north 54 degs. 10m., west 142 chains and 40 links ; thence south 36 degs., west 233 chains to the divi- sion line aforesaid ; thence along the same south 54 degs. 10m., east 119 chains and 60 links to the place of beginning, containing 3,000 acres of land.
The Spence patent, began in the division line between the provinces at the most westerly corner of the Muller grant, and ran along the west- ern line of that tract to its northwest termination; from thence north 54 degs. 10m., west 59 chains 60 links; thence south 50 degs., west 185
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chains; thence south 12 degs., east 40 chains to Potake Pond; thence along the same pond south 35 degs., west 27 chains to the aforesaid division line; and thence along the line south 54 degs. 10m., east 74 chains 33 links to the place of beginning, containing 1,820 acres of land.
Each of these patentees was to pay the yearly rental of 2s. 6d. for each and every acre of his patent. After this property had passed from the jurisdiction of the King of Great Britain to that of this State, the rent clause of the above patents was used as the basis of the quit- rents demanded from this property by the State ; these rents were finally commuted by the payment of fourteen shillings for every shilling of rent.
On February 20, 1685, George Lockhart obtained by patent from James II. 3,410 acres of land bounded on the west by the Tappan grant, and extending from Piermont to Closter, N. J. This tract lay between the present Sparkill and the Hudson.
Authorities referred to : - I have personally consulted the Jansen, Quaspeck, and Kakiat pat- ents-not copies, and have had the use of many of the first deeds for property in the County. Rev. Dr. A. S. Freeman's History of Haverstraw, Rev. E. Gay, Jr., History of Stony Point, Eager's History of Orange County, Doc. Relating to the Colonial Ilistory, S. N. Y., Doch- mentary History S. N. Y., and in regard to Ramapo have followed the Rev. E. B. Cobb so closely that I have thought quotation marks superfluous.
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CHAPTER III.
EARLY REAL ESTATE SPECULATION- TRANSFERS OF THE DE HART PATENT -SURVEY OF THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN THE DE IIART AND CHEESE- COCKS PATENT-SALES FROM THE QUASPECK PATENT-SETTLEMENT OF DIVISION LINE BETWEEN THE QUASPECK AND KAKIAT PATENTS- DIVISION OF THE KAKIAT PATENT-SALES FROM THE KAKIAT PAT- ENT-SETTLEMENT OF THE DIVISION LINE BETWEEN THE KAKIAT AND CHEESECOCKS PATENTS-SALES OF LAND FROM THE CHEESE- COCKS PATENT-SALES OF LAND FROM THE STONY POINT PATENTS- TRANSFERS OF LAND IN RAMAPO-THE SETTLEMENT OF THE OR- ANGETOWN PATENT-TIIE DIFFERENT SYSTEMS OF PATRONYMICS USED BY THE DUTCH AND THE ORIGIN OF DUTCH FAMILY NAMES.
With the exception of a few isolated grants throughout the County and the Orangetown patent, the early purchases of property were made by speculators, who entertained no thought of personal settlement. The period was auspicious for real estate speculation. Whatever doubt ex- isted prior to 1680, regarding the permanent success of the Colony, had passed away ; the rapid growth of New York as a commercial port, the safety from further Indian depredation of adjacent land, gave every induce- ment to the colonists to obtain grants, and, when the fortunate patentees could secure several thousand acres of soil for an annual quit rent of a few pelts, a modicum of grain, or a sum of money less than five dollars of our time, the loss to be incurred, even if sales did not take place, was not great.
Hence, many of the first purchasers were never associated with our County, and probably never in it, except perchance to look at their tem- porary possessions. As soon as possible they resold the land, and the new buyer resold, till the era of speculation ceased and permanent settlers arrived. We are now to briefly review these transfers till we reach the location within our boundaries of the progenitors of families still resi- dent.
Leaving the Orangetown patent for later consideration, the first transfers to note are those of the De Harte patent. This, as we have seen, was granted to Balthazar De Harte April 10, 1666. In 1685, December 19, it was confirmed to Jacobus De Harte, brother of the above. In 1694 Jacobus De Harte sold all, save ten acres, to Johannes Minne. The ten acres thus retained was woodland lying "between the creek commonly known by the name of Verdreitig Hook and the com- mon great kill and cuts himself off from the aforesaid land with a small kill
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or creek which runs into Hudson River." Johannes Minne sold one- quarter of the tract to Albert Minnie in 1694, and dying in 1710, left the remainder to his only child Reynie, who married Lodowick Post. They sold 250 acres to Cornelius Kuyper and Albert Minnie, and in 1714 the remainder, about 43 acres, to Thomas Husk. Husk and Eleanor, his wife, sold this property to Charles Mott in 1715. He sold it to James Osborn in 1719, and he in turn sold to John Allison May 14, 1729.
Albert Minnie, by deeds bearing date May 15 and October 30, 1729, sold his quarter of the patent bought of Johannes Minnie and the lands bought of Lodowick Post, to John Allison for £270.
The ten acres of woodland reserved by Jacobus De Harte, was sold by his son, Balthazar, in 1719 to Cornelius Kuyper. Kuyper died in 1731 and left the property to his son Nicholas, who, dying about 1760, left it to his eight children, and they by 1767, had sold it to John De Noyelles.
In the boundaries of the Quaspeck patent, I find the northern line to read " by ye land of Johannes Meille." In a map of the patent made by Augustine Graham in 1700, the name is given as Johannes Melle, in deeds and papers that I have looked over, it is spelled Miller and Millie. I have followed Dr. Freeman and given it as Minnie.
The original patent of Balthazar De Harte covered, not only the land south of the Minisceongo, but also the low land to the north. He sold his interest in the tract north of the creek to Nicholas De Puy and Peter Marius. De Puy sold his half to Florus Williamse Crom in 1685, and the share of Marius having passed into the hands of Hendrick Van Bomell (or Hendrick V. Bomel), his widow, Rachel, sold it to Hendrick Ryker in 1685.
On December 13, 1685, Crom and Ryker obtained a patent from James II. through Governor Thomas Dongan for their land. Of the changes in ownership that took place between the date of the patent and to-day, I do not regard it necessary to speak in detail. For years one or more tracts of the patent remained in possession of some of the Crom family. The farm now owned by Adam Lilburn was the property, during the Revolution, of Captain James Lamb, of whom mention will later be made, and much of the Crom patent is now covered with brick yards.
Running through the centre of the Crom patent is a brook or creek called Florus Falls, after the Christian name of the patentee. In the grant of 1685, Hendrick Ryker, in his half, became the owner of the prop- erty north of the brook and between it and Stony Point. On June 15, 1716, Lewis Rynderson Van Ditmarson, Johannes Van Ditmarson and Grietie Van Ditmarson, spinster, who had in some way come in posses-
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sion of Ryker's patent, sold it to Thomas Husk, of New York, for £159. In the deed of this sale the land north of Florus Falls is called Ahequerenoy.
Ahequerenoy, after passing through various hands, at length, in April, 1751, was sold in portions. That next north of Florus Falls, containing 135 acres, was bought by Resolvert Waldron; and that next north of Waldron, was bought in 1790 by Samuel Brewster.
In June, 1790, the boundary line between the Crom and Cheesecocks patents, which had long been in dispute, was settled by a survey made by General James Clinton as follows: "Beginning at a large oak sapling and a small birch one marked with three notches on three sides near three chestnut saplings, standing on the bank of Minnesecongo creek, and runs thence north 16 degs., east along the side of said creek 12 chains to the top of a bank, at 15 chains 26 links the top of a high stone or rock " (this is still standing in the old burying ground by the calico factory with a fence on the original line crossing it) "from which place the northwest corner of the meeting house now building (1790), bears south 21, east 47 links distant ; at 16 chains, 80 links, the corner of Lots Nos. 8 and 9 Cheesecocks patent ; at 30 chains, 75 links, touched the southeast corner of William Smith's house ; at 38 chains crossed a large stone or rock ; at 39 crossed another in William Smith's field; at 50 chains the southeast corner of Thomas Smith's house (The Treason House) bears north 82 degs., west 2 chains, 94 links distant ; at 55 chains the main road ; at 65 chains, 20 links, the southwest corner of John Crom's house bears south 80, east 74 links distant ; at 81 chains the northwest corner of Robert Henry's house bears south 76, east 45 links distant; at 90 chains the main road again ; at 107 chains and 70 links allo vance for a steep bank, marked a small birch tree with three notches on four sides leaning over Florus Falls Creek, and trimmed some hemlocks near it; then south 54, east down said creek, 2 chains to a large buttonwood on the north side; at 4 chains, 80 links, to a stake by a fence on the north side of the road, I chain north of said creek and 1 chain west of a bridge, being the place of beginning of the second Haverstraw patent ; then north 3 degs., west at 7 chains. 45 links, a bunch of pear trees, on the west side of the line ; at 17 chains, 25 links, set a stake on the south side of a steep hill; at 22 chains the road to Jacob Waldron's house " (the road leading east from the village of Stony Point) ; "at 30 chains, 35 links, marked a black oak tree in the line with three notches on two sides; at 34 chains, 20 links crossed a spring brook."
" At 44 chains, 25 links, the southwest corner of John Waldron's barn bears south 10, east 92 links distant; at 64 chains, 75 links, set a red
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cedar stake with a heap of stones around it on the east side of the main road " (this angle is where the house of Frederick Tomkins stands) ; " then north 35, east at 9 chains, 40 links, made a heap of stones, on a large flat stone or rock ; at 15 chains the said road west of a spring run- ning from under a rock ; at 21 chains the stump formerly marked for the said Brewster's corner bears south 69, east 19 links distant ; at 26 chains, 30 links, set a stake on an island formed by Rasende water brook, 4 chains east of Jacob Roosa's house; then south 62, east 31 chains to a crooked white oak stump, near a black oak stump where there stands two white oak saplings marked with three notches on four sides on a point of upland joining a marsh on the west bank of Hudson's River."
In general terms it may be said the Crom, and Riker's patents covered all the land in Haverstraw, bounded south by Minisceongo creek, west by the hills, east by the river, and extending north almost to Stony Point.
Turning to the Quaspeck patent we find, that but little over a year had passed from the issuance of the grant before Jarvis Marshall assigned his share in it to Thomas Burroughs, a merchant of New York. A year later, December 18, 1696, William Welch transferred his, the original remaining half, to John Hutchins, of New York. A few days before this, December 4, Hutchins had bought one-half of Burroughs' interest for £100, and the property was now owned, three-quarters by Hutchins, and the remaining quarter by Burroughs. Two years later Hutchins transferred to John Sands, of Queens County, one-quarter of his right in the whole patent, it being still undivided. By October 15, 1700, the property had been surveyed and divided, and Burroughs had sold his interest to Captain Whitehead and William Huddleston. The property as then apportioned stood : the northernmost part, lying on the south line of De Harte's patent, containing 1,400 acres, belonged to John Sands; next south, running from the present Hackensack to the west shore of Rockland Lake was William Huddleston's land, consisting of 550 acres; next south of that was Captain Whitehead's tract similar in limit and number of acres to Huddleston's ; and southernmost of all, bounded by Clausen's land on the top of Verdreitige Hoeck and Dowen's land west to the Hackensack, were Hutchins' 2,500 acres. At this time, 1700, the owners of the prop- erty agreed that a roadway should be laid out through the Clove to the Hudson River for the advantage of all resident on the property. This is the origin of the road to Rockland Lake landing. We have seen that Harmanus Dows, or Dows Harmanse, bought property extending from the Nyack hills to the Hackensack; Dows had a son named Tunis, and it was the property belonging to Tunis Dows that is mentioned in the
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boundaries of the Quaspeck patent as that of Tunis Dowen. This family name, as we shall see later, eventually became Tallman.
On February 7, 1716, John Sands, of Block Island in the Colony of Rhode Island, in the Providence Plantation, gave a quit claim deed of his Quaspeck land to his brother, Edward Sands, of Cow's Neck, in Queens County. March 5, 1729, Edward Sands, then residing in the County, sold his portion of the Quaspeck property, 1,300 acres, to Tunis Snedeker, of Hempstead, L. I., for £110. He had previously sold 30 acres to Nathaniel Youmans. From that period the transfers of the Snedeker farm were many up to 1840, when Hon. Abraham B. Conger became the possessor of almost all the original purchase.
Dispute arose between the owners of the Quaspeck and Kakiat patents regarding the division line, and before 1767 John De Noyelles, under the claim of the latter, and Garret Snedeker, on the part of the former, became involved in litigation. For years the question of this boundary was before the courts. At length a party line was agreed to, but before the necessary papers were signed, John De Noyelles died and the subject was left unsettled. Not long after, Garret Snedeker fol- lowed De Noyelles to the grave, leaving the question so long at issue between them for their heirs to agree upon. The subject continued one of vexation between the families till 1795, when a division line was at last agreed to by John Robert, John and Peter De Noyelles on the part of the Kakiat land, and Abraham Thew, Garret and Theodorus Snedeker on the part of the Quaspeck grant.
This line began "at the southwest corner of De Harte's patent, near the head of the Short Clove, in Haverstraw, in Orange County, and State of New York; and from thence runs south 7 degs. west, or thereabouts, to the Buttonwood tree (now a stump) standing by a small run of water on the northwest side of the road near the house of the late Richard Springsteel, deceased, and from the stump of the said Buttonwood tree southeasterly along the said run of water to a certain swamp called 'Old Woman's Hole ;' thence along the easterly side of the upland to a small brook, then up the said brook to the before mentioned road, then southerly and west- erly along the road to the bridge below the late Roelof Van Houten's mill a small distance west of the north bounds of Welches Island patent."
Of the transfers of the land of William Huddleston I can learn noth- ing. In 1737 it was owned wholly or in part by Jacob Polhemus. Hud- dleston was County Clerk of Orange County in 1702.
Whitehead seems to have resold his tract to Thomas Burroughs, for he, by will bearing date August 18, 1703, left it to his youngest son Joel
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and his daughter Mary Sylvester. A line from Quaspeck Pond to De Maries Kill divided this property into two sections, of which Joel took the northern. November 6, 1728, he sold this section to George Remsen.
On December 23, 1701, John Hutchins sold 825 acres of his half of the Quaspeck patent to William Smith of New York for £270. This lay next south of Whitehead's tract, and extended from Quaspeck Pond to the present Hackensack River. On May 22, 1711, Hutchins sold 200 acres east of Rockland lake to John Slaughter of Long Island. Slaughter had disposed of this property before Sand's deed to Snedeker in 1729. Later a company of German settlers bought a part or all of the remainder of Hutchins' tract. Among these was Peter Geslar, who sold to John Ryder June 8, 1753, " all that tract of land near the pond, in that (tract) the Germans have bought there of some gentlemen. This is a lot that did fall to the share of Peter Geslar, and is bounded by the lands of Will- iam Felta, Abrm. Paulding, Hendrick Snyder, John Ryder, and Yoris Remsen, containing 225 acres; but if there shall be more than 225 acres, then John Ryder must pay 40s. an acre." Valley Cottage Station on the West Shore Railroad stands on this tract, and a portion is still in pos- session of the Ryder family.
A tract on the east side of the Quaspeck Pond, extending to the river, was bought by John Earl and Stephen Bourdet. This is described as ex- tending " from the south bounds of Tunis Snedeker to a straight line run- ning along the northwest bounds of Hermanus Hoffman." It was divided between the purchasers in 1746 by a line " from the east side of the pond eight rods north of the corner tree of Hermanus Hoffman, and to run to the point of rocks called Stony Point, and to continue in a straight line to Hudson's River." It was agreed that " the place on the river under the mountain, called Kalk Hook, shall remain in common." Kalk Hook is now called Calico Hook.
The outlet of Rockland Lake was named Kill von Beast on the map made by Augustine Graham in 1700. This, on its way to the Hacken- sack, ran through the lands of George Remsen, who had a mill on it as early as 1750. George Remsen left his property to be divided among his children, and one of these, Artie, marrying an Onderdonk, part of the Remsen tract came into the possession of that family.
Michael Hawdon, one of the two patentees of the Kakiat grant, died about 1712, and John Johnston, Johannes Jansen, John Cook, and Nath- aniel Marston, who were the executors of his estate, sold his half of the patent to Captain Cornelius Kuyper, Charles Mott, Timothy Halstead, Sr., Timothy Halstead, Jr., Johnathan Seaman, Thomas Barker, Caleb Hal-
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stead, James Searing, Jonah Halstead, Isaac Seaman, Abraham Denton, William Osborn, Nathaniel Osborne, John Searing, Thomas Williams, John Wood, and Samuel Denton. With the exception of Kuyper, all of these came from Long Island, and most of them from Hempstead township.
Before proceeding further in the sales from this patent, we must stop and look at its division. On November 5, 1713, Albert Minnie, John Pew, and Abraham Hearing, who were appointed to divide the property, began this work. They first laid out a tract of 1,000 acres to be sold to defray the expense of the survey. This tract, beginning "at Naranshaw Creek, at a black oak marked, thence ran north 80 degs., west 96 chains ; thence to a beech tree marked, standing on Naranshaw Creek 98 chains ; thence north 80 degs., east to a black oak tree by a small brook, 93 chains ; then by said brook and David Demarest's Creek to Naranshaw Brook, and by the brook to the place of beginning."
On March 6, 1713-14, O. S., this tract was sold to Cornelius Kuyper and Johnathan Seaman for £104 4s., Kuyper owning two-thirds and Sea- man one-third. Johnathan Seaman sold his share of the tract, except the third of the expense lot, to his son Joseph, May 1, 1715.
Having laid out the expense lot, the commissioners then proceeded to divide the property into two lots by a line, running from a white oak tree marked W on the W. S. W. side of the Wesegrorap Plain to a certain beech tree standing on the south end of Welch's Island. These divisions were called the north and south moieties. The north moiety becom- ing the property of Kuyper, Mott & Co., and the south falling to Daniel Honan.
The north moiety was surveyed and divided into lots in 1724 by Cor- nelius Low. If a full description of these was possible with our present knowledge, I much question whether it is necessary. Most of these lots are the property of descendants of early purchasers. For the purpose of location, it may be said, that two tiers of lots were formed, one called the East and the other the West Division, the line between the townships of Clarke's and Ramapo being the line of demarkation. For each of the original purchasers of Hawdon's half of the Kakiat grant, who owned a full share, a homestead of 400 acres was laid out. The "English Church" is on lot 4 of the west tier of the 400 acre lots, and the Court House, at New City, is at the east end of lot No. 5 in the East Division. On the west line of the patent was a tier of 14 lots called the " West Range." Lot 14, the last of this "Range," is just south of the Methodist Church at Ladentown.
On March 12, 1716, Daniel Honan sold his half of the Kakiat patent
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to John McEvers, a merchant of New York city, and the next year, 1717, McEvers sold half of his purchase to Lancaster Symes of New York. In 1728, McEvers, and Symes' heirs-his widow, Catharine, and his son, John Hendrick-sold their interest in the Kakiat land to a party of five men : Daniel De Clarke, Peter Hearing, Cosyn Hearing, Johannes Blau- velt, Sr., and Lambert Smet, the first three of whom had previously belonged to the party who purchased the Orangetown grant. Under their management the south moiety was surveyed and divided into lots.
Of the transfers that took place in the 1,000 acre or expense lot, I can learn but little. On December 3, 1716, Cornelius Kuyper conveyed to Hendrick Kuyper, of Bergen County, Province of New Jersey, " all that equal full third part of one thousand acres of land bounded as follows : Beginning at Narranshaw creek at a certain black oak tree marked on both branches on all four sides; thence running north So degs., west 96 chains; thence to a beach tree marked on all four sides standing on Narranshaw ereck 98 chains; thence north So degs., east to a black oak tree standing by a small brook 93 chains; thence by said brook and David Maries Kill to Narranshaw brook aforesaid; and thence by the said brook to the place where it began," for £34, 15s.
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