USA > New York > Kings County > Flatbush > The social history of Flatbush : and manners and customs of the Dutch settlers in Kings county > Part 12
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THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF FLATBUSH.
as members in full communion of the Reformed Dutch Church of Flatbush, then under the pastoral charge of the Rev. Cas- parus Van Zuren. In 1688 he hired for farming purposes from the church of Flatbush a tract of land situated on the south side of the road leading to New Lots, and north of the land of John Stryker, with the salt meadows thereto appertaining, for the term of seven years, at the yearly rent of two hundred and twenty-five guilders, payable in sewant, or in wheat, to be de- livered at Brooklyn Ferry at the current price. In 1709 he dis- posed of his house and two acres of land, and purchased from Daniel Polhemus and Neltje, his wife, the southerly one third part of the farm of the Rev. Johannes Theodorus Polhemus, the first minister of the Reformed Dutch churches in Kings County. In 1698 he was appointed high sheriff of the County of Kings by Richard, Earl of Bellamont, Governor of the Prov- ince of New York. He lived on his farm until the time of his death, which I am inclined to think occurred in the year 1728, at the age of seventy-four years. Engelbert Lott left two sons, Abraham and Johannes.
" Abraham was born in Flatbush, September, 1684. In the early part of his life he went several voyages on board of a trading vessel to the West Indies as supercargo, and probably part owner. In 1709 he was united in marriage to Catherina Hegeman, daughter of Elbert Hegeman, of New Lots, and from that time lived with and cultivated the farm of his father, En- gelbert Lott, in Flatbush. Catharina, his wife, was born No- vember 11, 1691, and died November 19, 1741.
"At his father's death he became the owner of his father's farm, which he had previously cultivated. This farm was by him afterward devised to his son, Jacobus Lott, who held it during his lifetime, and upon his death it was sold to Hendrick Suydam, and is now in possession of Sarah Suydam, the wife of John Ditmas. In May, 1730, Abraham Lott obtained by purchase from the widow and children of Daniel Polhemus, then deceased, the northerly two thirds parts of the Polhemus farm, and by this purchase, with the previous devise to him of his father's farm, he became possessed of all the land, wood-
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FARMS AND THEIR OWNERS.
land, and meadows originally patented by Governor Stuyvesant to the Rev. Johannes Theodorus Polhemus.
"In the year 1743 he was elected a representative from the County of Kings in the Colonial Legislature of New York, and served in that capacity one legislative term of seven years, and upon his reëlection commenced another term, but did not live to see its termination. He died July 29, 1754. He left three sons, Jacobus, Engelbert, and Abraham, and one daughter, named Cornelia, who was married to John Vanderveer, of Ken- ter's Hook.
"Jacobus Lott, his eldest son, married Teuntie De Harte, the daughter of Simon De Harte, and lived in Flatbush on the farm purchased by his grandfather, Engelbert Lott, of Daniel Polhe- mus, and died in possession of the same, leaving several sons and daughters.
"Engelbert Lott, his second son and my grandfather, mar- ried Maritje Ditmas, daughter of Johannes and Helena Ditmas, and lived on the farm purchased by his father, Abraham Lott, of the widow and children of Daniel Polhemus, deceased, leav- ing children as hereinafter mentioned.
" Abraham Lott, his youngest son, married Gertrude Coey- man, daughter of Andrew Coeyman, and commenced mercan- tile business in the city of New York, which he carried on for many years. He occasionally officiated as Clerk of the Colonial Assembly, and was subsequently appointed Treasurer of the Colony of New York, which office he held until the year 1776. He died in New York at an advanced age, leaving one son, named Andrew, and four daughters. Andrew married a daugh- ter of Peter Goelett; Catharine was married to Colonel Wil- liam Livingston, and Cornelia to Comfort Sands. The two other daughters died unmarried.
"Engelbert Lott, the son of Abraham Lott, my grand- father, was born in Flatbush, May 17, 1719, and lived with his father, who, when he purchased the northerly part of the Pol- hemus farm, removed with him thereon and continued to culti- vate it during his father's lifetime, and upon the death of his father he became the owner thereof. December 4, 1742, he
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THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF FLATBUSH.
was united in marriage with Maritje Ditmas, daughter of Johannes and Helena Ditmas, who was born January 8, 1723, and died April 27, 1797. He was at one time the principal land surveyor in the County of Kings, and also held the office of one of the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas in the county. During his lifetime he conveyed to his son, Johannes E. Lott-my father-his farm in Flatlands, which he, with his father, had purchased of Aert Willemse, and by his last will and testament devised to my father the residue of his real estate. He died in Flatbush, November 17, 1779. He left three sons, Johannes, Abraham, and Engelbert. His son Johannes E. Lott, my father, upon his first marriage removed to the farm in Flat- lands purchased of his father, Engelbert Lott, leaving children as hereinafter mentioned. Abraham E. Lott and Engelbert Lott, his two remaining sons, were merchants in New York, and continued the mercantile business until the commencement of hostilities between this country and Great Britain in 1776, and returned to Flatbush a few months previous to the landing of the British army in that year. Upon the capture of Long Island by the British forces under General Howe, the greater part of the inhabitants of Flatbush left their homes and went into Queens County. In this flight Abraham E. Lott and En- gelbert Lott were pursued and overtaken in Flushing. Engel- bert was taken prisoner and brought back to Flatbush, then in possession of the British army, and confined in Flatbush church, but was soon set at liberty on his parole. He remained in Flat- bush and attended to the public business of the town and county, and was occasionally engaged in surveying and convey- ancing. While engaged on public business at the tavern of Dr. Hendrick Van Beuren, he was suddenly attacked with apoplexy, and died there, November 29, 1779, in the twenty- sixth year of his age, and only twelve days after the death of his father, Engelbert Lott.
" Abraham E. Lott, the remaining brother, escaped from his pursuers by secreting himself in a cornfield, and when they had abandoned their search he went to the shore and crossed Long Island Sound to the Westchester side. Thence he pro-
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FARMS AND THEIR OWNERS.
ceeded through the city of New York, and, on his journey meet- ing with the late Elkanah Watson, they both went south to Edenton, North Carolina. At that place he carried on the mercantile business under the firm of Lott & Payne. After the termination of the war he was about making preparations to leave Edenton for New York, but was suddenly cut off by death before his designs were accomplished. He died in Eden- ton, at the house of Mr. John Green, March 4, 1785, in the thirty-seventh year of his age.
"Johannes E. Lott, the eldest son of Engelbert Lott, my father, was born in Flatbush, September 1, 1746. During his minority he lived with his father and assisted in the cultivation of his farm, having previously received such education as the country schools at that time afforded. May 3, 1766, he was united in marriage with his first wife, Adriantje Voorhees, daughter of Adrian Voorhees, and moved on the farin in Flat- lands which he then purchased of his father. Adriantje Voor- hees was born September 4, 1746, and died October 21, 1773. By this first marriage he had one son, named Engelbert, and a daughter named Phebe. His son Engelbert on his marriage was settled on a farm in New Utrecht, near the Bath House, where he died, leaving a widow, four sons, and three daugh- ters. His daughter Phebe died unmarried. After the death of his first wife, Adriantje, he was again united in marriage, Janu- ary 12, 1775, to Catharine Vanderbilt, daughter of Jeremiah and Sarah Vanderbilt. Catharine was born February 13, 1757, and died October 23, 1840, aged eighty-three years.
"He lived in Flatlands, on his farm there, until the death of his father, Engelbert Lott, in 1779, when he removed to the farm of his father in Flatbush, which his father had devised to him by will. He was chosen one of the six delegates from the county of Kings to attend the Provincial Congress held in the city of New York in the year 1776. In the year 1784 he was chosen a member of Assembly from this county. He was ap- pointed the first Surrogate of the County of Kings under the Constitution of the State of New York, which he held with that of the office of one of the Judges of the Court of Common
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THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF FLATBUSH.
Pleas, until his appointment to the office of First Judge of tlie Court. He held the office of First Judge from the year 1793 until his resignation in 1801. From that time he attended to his domestic duties, and died August 13, 1811. By his wife Catharine he left three sons, Jeremiah, John, and Abraham, and two daughters, Maretje and Sarah. Jeremiah Lott and his wife and children are hereinafter mentioned.
"John Lott, the second son, after receiving his education at Erasmus Hall Academy, was brought up as a farmer, and, on his marriage with Elizabeth Garretson, the daughter of Samuel Garretson, of Gravesend, in 1799, settled on the farm in Flat- bush purchased by his father of the heirs of Philip Nagel, de- ceased, and of which he became fully possessed on his father's death. John Lott died in February, 1858, in the eightieth year of his age. He had two sons, John I. Lott and Samuel G. Lott. John I. Lott died previous to his father. The other son, Sam- uel G. Lott, is still living, and resides on his farm in Flatbush, purchased of Abraham Vanderveer.
"Abraham Lott, the third son, was also brought up and educated like his brother John, and on his first marriage, with Maria Lott, the daughter of Jeromus Lott, of Flatlands, in 1805, settled on the farm in Flatlands, of which he became the owner on his father's death.
"By this marriage he had one son, John A. Lott, who, after receiving a collegiate education, was bred to the law, and which profession he diligently followed until he was elected one of the Justices of the Supreme Court.
"Upon the death of his first wife, Maria, Abraham Lott married a second time, Jane Voorhees, the widow of Lawrence Voorhees, deceased, and daughter of Samuel Garretson, and then purchased the farm on which she lived of Van Brunt Magaw and Adriana Voorhees, his wife, and on which he then moved.
" Upon the death of his second wife he was again married to Lavinia Betts. He died November, 1840.
" Maretje (oldest daughter of Johannes E. Lott) was born October 10, 1781, and was married to Jacob Van Pelt, of New
ТТОЛ А ИНОГДАОН
HON. JOHN A. LOTT. Born February 11, 1806. Died July 20, 1878.
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FARMS AND THEIR OWNERS.
Utrecht, August 19, 1802. She died in 1852, leaving one son, John L. Van Pelt, and a daughter, Gertrude Van Pelt.
"Sarah (youngest daughter of Johannes E. Lott) was born October 10, 1795. She was married February 10, 1817, to John Vanderbilt, and lived on the place in Flatbush where her mother, Catharine Lott, was born. Her husband, John Van- derbilt, died in 1842, leaving her a widow with three sons and two daughters : John, Jeremiah Lott, Abraham L., Catharine, and Sarah.
"Jeremiah Lott, eldest son of Johannes E. Lott by his sec- ond marriage, was born October 14, 1776. At the age of twenty years he commenced the business of land surveying and conveyancing, which he followed for about thirty-five years, and was at one time the only county surveyor. In 1801 he was appointed Clerk of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Kings, and held that appointment uninterruptedly for a period of forty-two years. In the year 1814 he was the member of Assembly representing this county in the State Legislature. In the years 1821, 1822, and 1839 he served in the same capacity. He held the office of surrogate, to which he was appointed in the year 1814, successively for the period of nineteen years. In the War of 1812 with Great Britain, he held a captain's commis- sion in the Flatbush company of militia. In September, 1814, he was called with his company into the United States service under Brigadier-General Johnson, and stationed at Fort Greene, in Brooklyn. During this time he lived on and cultivated the farm in Flatbush on which he now lives, and which was de- vised to him by his father, Johannes E. Lott, and which is the same farm which his great-grandfather, Abraham Lott, obtained by purchase from the widow and children of Daniel Polhemus in 1730, having been owned and occupied by four successive generations in direct lineal descent.
"January 17, 1805, he was united in marriage with Lydia Lloyd, the daughter of Bateman Lloyd, formerly of Woodstown, Salem County, West New Jersey.
" His eldest daughter, Catharine L. Lott, was born October 17, 1807, and was married February 16, 1829, to her cousin
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THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF FLATBUSH.
John A. Lott, the son of Abraham Lott, deceased. Their chil- dren are Abraham, John Z., Jeremiah, Abby, and Maria.
" Abby Lefferts Lott, the second daughter, was born April 12, 1811, and was married October 13, 1830, to John B. Za- briskie, son of the late Rev. John L. Zabriskie, of Millstone, New Jersey. Her husband, Dr. John B. Zabriskie, died Febru- ary 8, 1848, leaving her a widow with five children, John Lloyd Zabriskie, Jeremiah L., Nicholas Lansing, Harriet Lydia, and Sarah Berriea.
" JEREMIAH LOTT.
" FLATBUSH, June 1, 185S."
Mr. Lott lived to be eighty-five years of age, and to the time of his death he was active and vigorous.
On the east side of the road, north of the road lead- ing to Canarsie, is the house in which Mr. Cornelius Duryee lived at the time Mr. Strong's history was pub- lished. Mr. Duryee was in the New York Custom- house for many years, and so punctual was he in his movements that, as his gig was seen driving leisurely homeward in the afternoon, it was considered as surely the signal for the hour of four as if the clock had struck. This house is said to have been at one time the residence of Lord Stirling ; portions of it are very old, but the additions of after-years have taken from its exterior appearance the characteristics of an old Dutch house.
The house of Mr. Jacob Duryee was next to that of his brother Mr. Cornelius Duryee, toward the north. It was sold for division of property, and passed into possession of the Brooklyn City Railroad Company. The car stables of the Flatbush Avenue line are built here at the terminus of the road. This house is very old, and fast falling to decay. It was the old homestead
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FARMS AND THEIR OWNERS.
of the Van Beuren family, none of whom are left to represent the name in this town.
Dr. Strong in his history tells us that north of the house of Mr. Jacob Duryee once stood a public brew- ery. This brewery was divided into shares which were apportioned to the several farms, and gave the possessor the right of brewing in the establishment.
Upon the southerly corner of Vernon Avenue and Flatbush Avenue stands the Willink House, a hotel built by two ladies, Mrs. Willink and her sister Miss Ludlow. They proposed to make this an agreeable summer residence, but it was never an attractive place ; pecuniarily and in every way it proved a failure.
Retracing our steps to the "little lane " on the west side of the road, we find upon this corner a house for- merly occupied by Mr. Teunis Bergen ; at his death it was purchased by Mr. Jeremiah Lott.
Next northward is the comfortable, old-fashioned dwelling-house of the late Mr. Jacobus Schoonmaker, who died in 1877 at an advanced age ; his widow sur- vived him but two years. Their three sons still occupy the old homestead in happy demonstration that the old adage which says that "no house is large enough for two families " is not always true. This is a pleasant, home-like Dutch house, with the gable-end to the road. Dr. Strong says that the timber with which this house was built was that taken from the court-house which was pulled down in 1792. The house was moved a short distance southward in 1879 to allow for the opening of a street north of it.
The Schoonmaker family on Long Island are descend- ants of Rev. Martinus Schoonmaker, who was in 1785 placed over the united congregations of Kings County.
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THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF FLATBUSH.
Joachim Schoonmaker and Antje Hussey, his wife, of Kingston, New York, were the parents of Joachim, fa- ther of Martinus Schoonmaker, who was born March 1, 1737. He married Mary Basset, 1761, and died in Flatbush at an advanced age.
Next northward is the property at present owned by Mr. William Matthews ; the house is rented and occu- pied by Dr. T. Ingraham. This was formerly the farm of Mr. Samuel G. Lott. Mrs. Lott was the daughter of Mr. Theodorus Bergen ; she died of yellow fever, caught while unselfishly devoting herself to the care of her brothers and sisters at Gowanus during the preva- lence of that fearful epidemic in the autumn of 1856. Mr. Lott died some few years after. An old stone house stood upon this spot in earlier times; it was pulled down to give place to the modern house at present standing, which was built for Mr. Lott ; the stone house and farm belonged to Mr. Abraham Van- derveer, and extended southward toward the little lane leading to New Utrecht, the southern portion of the farm being the share of the sister of Abraham Vander- veer, Charity, wife of Stephen, and mother of the late Jacobus Schoonmaker.
Mr. Theodore Lott, son of Mr. Samuel G. Lott, re- sides in the pleasant dwelling-house south of what was formerly his father's place. The extreme neatness of the house and grounds makes this a cheerful and at- tractive spot.
Waverly Avenue runs westward from this point, sep- arating the land which once formed the farms of Mr. Samuel G. Lott and Dr. A. Vanderveer.
The house indicated on the map as belonging to Dr. Vanderveer was an old-style, cozy-looking house, and
•
ИМ ЯЗАУЯЧНИАУ МАЛЯТА
ADRIAN VANDERVEER, M. D. Born December 21, 1796. Died July 5, 1857.
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FARMS AND THEIR OWNERS.
stood so close upon the road that the front door yard formed an ellipse upon the sidewalk.
This house was standing during the Revolutionary War, and was one of the oldest in the village. It was formerly the property of Dr. Schoonmaker, a son of old Domine Schoonmaker, from whom the house, with about five acres of land, was purchased for Dr. Vander- veer by his father.
Rev. Dr. Livingston, at some period previous to 1794, either owned or rented the house, and lived here for many years.
Dr. Adrian Vanderveer, one of the sons of Mr. John C. Vanderveer, before alluded to, sold this property on the west side of the Flatbush road to Mr. Henry Lyles, and built for himself a large house on Vernon Avenue, with greenhouses and graperies attached. Being very fond of arboriculture and horticulture, he devoted much time to the cultivation of his grounds. He planted a great variety of trees, and the shrubbery about the house was selected with great care.
Two of the sons of the Doctor, Mr. John and Mr. Adrian Vanderveer, have erected neat and tasteful houses upon Vernon Avenue, which they at present oc- cupy.
Near the site of the old house last occupied by Dr. Vanderveer, Mr. Henry Lyles, Jr., built a large and comfortable house. After this the old landmark, which had antedated Revolutionary times, was pulled down.
The well-kept lawn in front of Mr. Lyles's house has been planted with fine trees, and it presents a pleas- ant appearance.
Mrs. M. C. Lyles was the only daughter of Mr. Sam- uel G. Lott. Mr. Lyles recently held the responsible
13
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THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF FLATBUSH.
position of president of one of the largest savings banks in New York.
The house on the north side of Vernon Avenue and on the east of the Flatbush road is the property of Mr. Edwin Garvin. This house, which was built by Mr. David Johnson, has been greatly enlarged and improved, so much so that it could scarcely be recognized as the same building. Like the march of improvement in oth- er directions, the old has given place to the new, with comforts, conveniences, and appliances which were un- known in earlier days.
Before Vernon Avenue was opened this was a Van- deventer farm. It ran back eastward a long distance to the farms of Mr. Michael Stryker and Mr. Suydam.
The old house of Mr. Jacobus Vandeventer stood close upon the roadside. South of it was a large pond. There were formerly many of the name of Vandeven- ter in Flatbush, but it has now entirely died out.
North of and next to Mr. Garvin's place is the old house marked "R. Crommelin " on the map of Dr. Strong. This house is now rapidly going to decay. It was owned by Mr. John Hess through his wife, who was a Miss Van Beuren.
It was purchased for a parsonage in 1711, and used for that purpose when there were two ministers, Rev. Mr. Freeman and Rev. Mr. Antonides, preaching in the Dutch towns on Long Island. For a long time it was in possession of Domine Lowe. This house was built on a portion of the front of the Vandeventer farm.
The late Mr. Teunis J. Bergen erected a large house on his property, adjoining that in which his family had formerly lived for many years. That house he then sold
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FARMS AND THEIR OWNERS.
to Dr. H. L. Bartlett. Afterward it passed into the possession of Mr. Joseph Gray, who is still its owner.
This land, formerly owned by Mr. Tunis Bergen, also that on which the new house still owned by his heirs now stands, was at an early period the prop- erty of Mr. Adrian Hegeman, for many years school- master in Flatbush, and afterward County Clerk in Brooklyn.
Grant Street is a new street, opened 1876, leading easterly to that portion of the village called the "Eng- lish Neighborhood." This locality was thus named be- cause the land was purchased and cut up into lots by some English mechanics, who built small houses and settled there with their families.
On the westerly side of the road next adjoining the grounds of Mr. Lyles is the old house marked "J. C. Bergen " on Dr. Strong's map. There is every rea- son to believe that this house was built by Domine Freeman.
Stiles, in his " History of Brooklyn," says : "In 1735 he (Domine Freeman) purchased seven acres of land in Flatbush, and built a house which is still standing, al- though altered. . . His only child, Anna Margaretta, married her cousin David Clarkson."
The Clarkson family, during and before the War of 1776, lived in this house, and it is probable that it came into their possession through their mother, the daugh- ter of Rev. Mr. Freeman.
This house is referred to on page 144 of Dr. Strong's history. It was here that during the War of the Revo- lution the British soldiers found the costly wine which had been stored under the eaves by Mr. Clarkson.
This, which is one of the oldest houses in Flatbush,
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THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF FLATBUSH.
has the low ceilings and the heavy cross-beams charac- teristic of the houses built by the early settlers, and probably few have been left so entirely free from mod- ern improvement.
The heirs of Mr. J. C. Bergen have had the good taste to leave the house as it was built, without attempt- ing to modernize it.
Although this was the homestead of the Clarkson family, the name was subsequently transferred to the land north of the church, on which they (the heirs of the Clarkson family) at present reside, by the marriage of one of the sons to the daughter of Hon. John Van- derbilt, so frequently mentioned in Dr. Strong's his- tory.
The ancestor of the Bergen family on Long Island was Hans Hansen Bergen. He was a native of Bergen, in Norway ; he went to Holland, and from thence to America in 1633.
The ancestor of this family was Cornelius, born 1761 ; married April, 1785, Gertrude, daughter of Hen- drick Suydam of Flatbush, and resided on the farm his wife inherited from her father.
The handsome new house next adjoining this old time-honored place was built by the heirs of Mr. John C. Bergen ; it is at present occupied by his son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. William Story.
The house marked on the map "D. Wiggins " was at that time a public-house. At the death of Duryee Wig- gins, the property was purchased by the late Hon. John A. Lott, and the house was remodeled for his eldest son, Mr. Abraham Lott, to whom it at present belongs. Mr. Abraham Lott married the second daughter of Mr. Bergen, whose land adjoined his own.
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FARMS AND THEIR OWNERS.
This property was formerly known as "the court- house lot." Here stood the county court-house and jail, which was burned down in November, 1832.
In November, 1692, the Court of Sessions for Kings County ordered that each town in the county should have "a good pair of stocks and a good pound," and that "the clerk of the court should issue a warrant to the constable of every town, requiring them to see this order complied with at their peril."
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