confusion occur among the inhabitants of said villages, because parcels of land, houses and lots, which have been sold, are not properly conveyed: for it often happens, that a piece of land, a house or a lot is sold four or five times without a deed for it having been given and a receipt for the purchase money taken, because the persons considered the trouble, loss of time and expenses, caused by coming to Fort Amsterdam to have the deed properly recorded in the Secretary's office. As it is an old custom in Holland, that all real estate is conveyed and transferred before the Schepens, in whose jurisdiction it lies, and in order to prevent the confusion and irregularities, likely to arise through the neglect of having it properly conveyed, Your petitioners turn to your Honors respectfully requesting, that you will favor your petitioners with the authority and allow them in their aforesaid quality and by their Secretary of the four villages, to have the conveyances of real estate, already sold or hereafter to be sold there, made before the Secretary in presence of two Schepens of the village, where the property is situated. Also, that henceforth the petitioners may take acknowledgements, before two Schepens of the respective village, of mortgages and bonds: the petitioners shall keep a separate record of the conveyances and mortgages in each village. Which doing etc. Your Honors' obedient servants The Courts of Midwout, Amesfoort, Breuckelen and New Utrecht. By order of the said Courts ORDINANCE FOR THE RECORDING OF DEEDS AND MORTGAGES IN BROOKLYN, FLATBUSH, FLATLANDS AND NEW UTRECHT, PASSED FEBRUARY 14th 1664. (See Laws of New Netherland, p. 459.) Worthy, Dear, Faithful. Our answer to your petition is contained in the enclosure. This serves only to recommend and direct you to take care, that no deed or mortgage of any piece of land, house or lot be passed, of which no proper patent can be produced, so that our good inhabitants may not be cheated and misled, for deeds and mortgages of property, for which no patent has issued, are null and void. In passing deeds, mortgages etc you will use the seal, sent herewith, until further orders. Wherewith etc. February 14th, 1664. To the Noble, Very Worshipful Director-General and Honorable Council of New Netherland. Noble, Very Worshipful Gentlemen. The present desolate condition of New Netherland, caused as well by the English as by the savages, has induced us to turn to your Honors with the humble request, that you will please to call a meeting of the delegates from the several Dutch villages on Long Island at an early day and favor it with your presence, for we desire to select two men, who have property on Long Island and have suffered under John Scotts summons, and persuade them to go to the Fatherland by the first ship and report to the Lords Directors and their High: Might: the Lords States General, what has happened to the village on Long Island: we have no doubt, that we will be supported. Which doing we remain Your Honors' obedient servants The Magistrates of Amesfoort, Midwout, Breuckelen and New Utrecht In their name, ADRIAN HEGEMAN, their Schout & Secretary. Received and read the foregoing request. It was answered: February 21st. The Director-General and Council find the request to be just and the petitioners have therefore permission, to meet in the village of Midwout on Thursday, the last day of this month. In the meantime they must inform the inhabitants of Boswyck, that they may come there either themselves or by delegates on the same day. The Director-General and Council or their representative will also be there then, to hear their propositions and consult with them concerning the welfare of said villages. Fort Amsterdam in N. N. Date as above. PATENTS FOR LAND ON LONG ISLAND. Petrus Stuyvesant &c &c have given and granted to Adrian Huybertsen a piece of land, situate in Mespath on Long Island, north of Charman, South of Borger Jorissen, beginning at the kil, where Borgers mill stands, so that the meadow as far as the kil is included; forty eight rods wide and three hundred rods long, containing twenty four morgens; with express condition &c &c Fort Amsterdam in N. N., the 26th of January 1664. P. STUYVESANT. Petrus Stuyvesant, Director-General &c &c, testify and declare, that to day, date under written, we have given and granted to Claes Claesen a parcel of land on Long Island, situate in the village of New Utrecht, N. W. of Jacob Swart, S. E. of Albert Albertsen, on both, the South and North East sides and Easterly six hundred rods long, twenty four rods wide, containing twenty four morgens; also a piece of meadowland, number 11, containing two morgens one hundred and sixty rods, and a lot for a house and garden on the N. W. side of Teunis Idense and on the S. E. side of Thomas Jansen, ten rods wide and thirty rods long; with the express condition &c & c Fort Amsterdam in N. N., the 29th of January 1664. By order of the Director-General and Council C. Van Ruy en, Secretary. P. STUYVESANT. Petrus Stuyvesant &c &c have given and granted to Gerrit Snediger a parcel of land, situate in Midwout on Long Island, West of the road, North of the Churchland, South of Cornelis Jansen, twenty seven rods four feet wide and six hundred rods long in a direction S. by W., containing twenty seven morgens forty rods; two pieces of meadowland in common with Jan Snedicker, the first, No. 4, seven rods five feet wide, containing two morgens, the other, No. 8, twelve rods wide, containing three morgens and stretching Southwards from the woods to the sea; a parcel in the flat No. 29, thirteen rods wide, containing two and one half of a morgen, stretching Southwards from the road to the woods; with express condition &c Fort Amsterdam in N. N. the 29th of January 1664. P. STUYVESANT. Petrus Stuyvesant &c &c have given and granted to Cornelis van Ruyven, Secretary and Receiver-General of New Netherland, a parcel of land in Midwout on Long Island, North of Cornelis Jansens orchard stretching S. S. W., in width on the rear or East side fifty rods, on the Westside along the path eighty-four rods along the hill two hundred and seventy-eight rods and along Cornelis Jansens orchard three hundred rods, containing twenty-five morgens; also a piece in the first meadow, number sixteen, seven rods wide and containing two morgens; a piece in the farthest, No. 7, twelve rods wide and containing three morgens, stretching Southwards from the woods to the sea; a piece of flat land, No. 11, fifteen rods wide and containing two morgens three hundred rods with express condition &c &c Fort Amsterdam in N. N. the 26th of February 1664. By order: W. Bogardus, Clerk. P. STUYVESANT. AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE DUTCH COMMISSIONERS AND JOHN SCOTT. That whereas January y ffourth 1663-4 After a full debate between John Scott esquire president off the english of ye towns off Gravesend, Folstone,* Hastings,** Crafford Newwark++ & Hemstead in ye Audience & by the free Consent off ye greater part of ye sayd inhabitants who declared yt it was ye minds of All theire neighbours that the sayd John Scott should agitate & treate wth ye Governor Stuyvesant or his Councell in y° premised capacity which being accordingly effected Articles off agreement were drawn between y° sayd John Scott in publike Capacity & Captain John Young who averred yt it was the desire of Coneticut to accomadate such a settlement as was agreed vpon between yo english off y° Towns Abovesayd in relation to y° Royalties off y King off England & the Maintenance off his sayd Majesties late disposal to his Royall Highnesse James Duke of Yorke & Albany, Earl of Ulster Lord High Admirall of England, & the sayd Lord Stuyvesant & Councell having mett John Scott aforesayd according to agreement notwith, standing some petty iregalities transacted in y° same towns it is determined between John Scott esquire according to the premised agreement in y° name off y King of England Charles y Second our dread soveraighn & off his Royall Highness y Duke off York as ffar as his highnesse is therein Concern'd & ffor the preservation off ye good people off ye towns Aforesayd his Maiesties good Subiects & ye maintenance off ye Articles betwixt England & Holland & ffor the prevention off ye effesusion of blood yt the english off Ilemstead Newwark Crafford Hastings + Jamaica. * Oyster Bay. ** Newtown. tt Flushing. folestone & Gravesend & any other english on the sayd Long Island shall bee & remain according to their sayd settlement vnder the King off England without Lett or molestation from the Governor Stuyvesant & Councell in y° Name off our Lords the States-Generall & the BewintHebbers for the space off twelve Months and longer (viz) vntill his Maiestie of England & the States-Generall doe fully determine the whole difference about y° sayd Island & the places adiacent & that tell then the sayd people his Maiesties good Subiects & his Royalties bee not invaded but have free egresse & regresse to y° Manhatans (Alias) New Amsterdam & all other places wholly possessed by the Dutch according to the fformer Articles off January y° 4th 1663 & that the Dutch shall have free egresse & regresse in all or any off y° said towns either in negotiation or administration off justice according to the Laws off England without respect to persons or nations & that ye Dutch towns or bouweries shall remaine vnder y States- Generall the afforesayd term his Maiesties Royallties excepted and that y° sayd John Scott nor any one by him shall molest in his Maties name y sayd Dutch towns directly nor indirectly: to the performance off y* premises in publike Capacity the parties to these presents have enterchangeably set to their hands & seals this twentie ffourth off ffebr: Anno 1663(-4): In the sixteenth year off his Maiesties raighn King &c Witnesse John Underhill O. Stevensen Cortlandt John Lawrence J. Scott, (Seal) CERTIFICATE OF THE REMOVAL OF SOME ENGLISHMEN FROM SCHOUTS BAY IN 1640. March 10th 1664. The Director-General and Council of New Netherland certify and declare herewith at the request of John Cooper, a resident of Southampton on Long Island, that the six or seven Englishmen, who attempted to settle at Schouts bay on Long Island in the year 1640, were brought away from there by order of the Director General and Council, then in office, as shown in the annexed extract. It was about the middle of May 1640, after they had broken down the arms of their High: Might:, erected there long before, and, as they acknowledged, put up in place of it a fool's head. Eight years before, that is in the year 1632, subjects of their High: Might had begun to settle on and occupied this western part of Long Island, eight or nine years before any other nation had settled on any part of Long Island. COUNCIL MINUTE. APPOINTMENT OF MAGISTRATES FOR LONG ISLAND TOWNS. March 20th 1664. The Director-General and Council received and read the nominations, made and submitted by the Schout and Schepens of the village of Breuckelen on Long Island and continued William Bredenbent and Albert Cornelissen, while they selected and confirmed from the nominated persons, William van Couwenhoven and Frederick Lubbertsen. From the nominees by the Schout and Schepens of Midwout Jan Strycker, William Guilliamsen were selected and confirmed as Schepens there and from the nominees for Amesfoort Peter Cornelissen and Coert Stevensen. Fort Amsterdam in N. N. Date as above. EXTRACT FROM A LETTER OF STUYVESANt to the DIRECTORS: FORTIFICATIONS ON LONG AND STATEN ISLAND; JOHN SCOTT, AND THE ENGLESH ON LONG ISLAND. (APRIL 26th, 1664.) * * * * * The first point in your letter, requiring an explanation, is the wish, expressed by you, concerning the settling and securing of both Long and Staten Islands near the Narrows. Your Honors' servants are and have been taking care of this and carried it out some time ago by forming hamlets on both islands, according to the circumstances and the convenience of the places and soil as near to the Narrows, as the accommodation of settlers would permit. First the village of New Utrecht was formed and laid out on Long Island, about a quarter of an hour's travel inland from the Narrows, there being no convenient place nearer for the location of a village; it is settled by about 22 to 24 families of the Dutch or Netherland nation. A hamlet, not yet named, was begun on Staten Island about two years ago and has now about 12 to 14 families of Dutch and French from the Palatinate; it lies about half an hours walk from the Narrows, there being no more convenient place for a village nearer the water. Both these places were provided with commodious. blockhouses as a defense against the attacks of the savages last summer; the blockhouses are built by putting beam upon beain and for their better defence are each provided with two or three light pieces of ordnance, of which one or two are pedereroes: the hamlet on Staten Island, being the weakest and too far to be relieved in time, is garrisoned with ten soldiers for its greater safety. We trust, that these arrangements satisfy your wishes in this direction. * * * * * As to the third and principal point, namely the unlawful, not to say decidedly hostile proceedings of the English, we do not desire to bother you with a repetition of our former report, but refer you to our last letters by the "St. Jacob" and "Vergulde Steere," duplicates of which go herewith. If you will once more read them and then take into consideration the proceedings of one John Scott, fully reported in a remonstrance from the Dutch villages of Long Island, which still remain under your government, (God knows, for how long,) and verified by attestations of the remonstrants, here enclosed; you will agree with us, that they prove sufficient that the malevolent English, John Scott, as well as the people of Hartford, have received further order, intelligence or encouragement from England, either from the King, the Duke of York or some other great men than their new patent; even though your opinion differs and you inform us, that they would receive no support from that side. Their hostile attempts and daily increasing threats and affronts, better known to us and the good inhabitants, than can be expressed in writing, are a sufficient proof, that they expect something else, unless your vigilance and the representations by their High: Mights: to his Majesty of England prevent it by the determination of the boundaries. If this cannot be accomplished speedily and before the summer, then we must fear as an inevitable |