message info ... BEGIN From: Robert.Protzman@akzo-nobel.com (Protzman, RL (Robert)) Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 14:20:15 -0500 I have the following line, from S. Gutche 11133. Anna/Anneke SCHAETS, b. Beest; d. > 1681, < Aug 1688; m. Mar 30, 1671, Thomas Davidse Kikebel/ Kikebul (d. < Aug 21, 1888 (p)), a Riverboat Capt, on the Hudson. She was vivacious, headstrong and very attractive to men. In 1663, prior to her marriage, she had an affair with Arendt Van Curler/Corlear/Corler/Corlaer (b. ca. 1612; d. ca. 1667), son of Hendrick (from Nykerk, Gelderland, to America, 1630, at age 18). Secretary of the Colony at Rensselaerswyck, and Assistant Director, a grand-nephew of the Patroon. Out of this affair, a child was born. As Arendt was already married (ca. 1643), to Antonia Slaghboom, wealthy widow of Jonas Bronck (of The Bronx), he never m Anna. Arendt Van Curler, son of Hendrick Van Curler, was a relative of the patroon, Van Rensselaer. He was the founder of Schenectady, in 1661. He drowned in a canoe accident on Lake Champlain, in 1667 (or 1669). She was banished from her father's church after this incident, but her father sued members of the congregation for slander and won the suit, but the magistrates banned her from Albany. In 1670, her father sent her to NYC, with her son, to start a new life. There she met and married David Kikebell. 11133.1. Benomi/Bennoni (child of sorrows) VAN CURLER, (or Arentsen), b. 1663; d. 1704; m. Jun 2, 1686, Alida Lysbeth/Elizabeth Vanderpoel, wid of Sybrant Van Schaick. L. most of his life in Albany. 4 children 11133.1x. Arendt VAN CURLER, bp. Apr 19, 1695/6, ADRC (sp. Antoni V. Schayk, Egbert Teunisz, Elisabeth Banker); d. Jan 11, 1795; m. Mary Lake. L Albany and White Creek, NY. 11133.1xx. Aaron VAN CURLER, b. < 1755; m. Sarah _____ (b. < 1755, d. 1806). American Revolution. L. Cambridge and Salem, NY. 11133.1xxx. Aaron VAN CURLER, b. 1775; m. < 1807, Lucy Cuyler (b. 1783, d. > 1860). L. Hebron and Salem, NY. 11133.1xxxx. Mary Ann VAN CURLER, b. ca. 1817; d. 1885; m. ca. 1836 as w2. Chauncey Lake Fowler (b. 1799, d. 1872). of Sodus, NY. Date: Sun, 18 Aug 2019 22:39:33 -0400 From: Craig Kanalley I believe it is possible that Sarah born <1755 who married Aaron Van Curler was a Cousins, and we do know that Rachel Cousins married Jacob Van Curler, Aaron's brother.  Further, Rachel Cousins' sister was Susannah Cousins who married Christopher Lake.  And Susannah and Christopher notably had a son Aaron and daughter Sarah.  These families were very intertwined in numerous ways. END Messages from Annette Truesdell ... BEGIN Date: Sun, 2 Feb 2020 22:23:29 -0800 From: "'Annette Truesdell' atrue@garlic.com Marshall and I were talking last week about the Loyalist Lake ancestors that left Hoosick and White Creek NY for Canada. In 2002, while homeschooling my children, I took them on a US History trip for a few months and detoured to White Creek to see the original trading post/cabin built in c1700 by Arendt Van Corlaer, husband of Mary Lake. The cabin went from Mary Lake by deed to her brother Henry, to his gr-grandchildren, to Garret Stryker Lake - nephew of Henry and son of Jacobus who remained in NJ.  I told Marshall I would send him my photos and inquire about the current status of the property.  Below is my email to Ted Rice: On Thursday, January 30, 2020 5:14 PM, Annette Truesdell wrote:   Ted, Was given your email by the clerk at White Creek who told me that you are the current town historian.  As a LAKE family researcher, I've been asked by others in our family group to find out if there is information about the current condition of the old wood home located near the intersection of Meetinghouse Road and Quaker House Road as well as the few graves next to the house.  I have attached copies of old correspondence about this property that I have received in the past as well as a photo that was taken in 2002.  Also, from notes I have:   Abstracted from 26 Oct 1950 Hoosick Falls Standard Press:  "Garret Stricker Lake was buried in a plot on his farm originally a part of the tract of land granted in 1761 to Arent Van Corlaer, Nicholas Lake, Thomas Lake, James Lake by King George III of England.  The farm is located on Quaker Hill Rd, White Creek, Washington Co., NY about 1/2 miles above the Quaker Cemetery.  Garret and Charity Lake were the parents of three children, James, Johanna and Maria".   Has the house ever been designated a historical property?  Are the graves of Garret and his wife still there? Would appreciate any information you might have.  Many thanks.   Annette F. Truesdell atrue@garlic.com (408) 602-0107 Date: Sun, 2 Feb 2020 22:23:38 -0800 From: "'Annette Truesdell' atrue@garlic.com [loyalist-lake-history]" Sadly, this was Ted's response:   From: Ted Rice Sent: Thursday, January 30, 2020 3:43 PM To: Annette Truesdell Subject: Re: VanCorlaer-Lake-Jones house   Hello, Annette, I am afraid the current condition of the building is "non-existent". Geoffrey Jones and some friend took down the old part, probably about the time your photos were taken, and stacked the timbers under blue tarps in the yard. They were going to rebuild it from the ground up, but it never happened. The old part was the Van Corlaer/Lake Trading Post, built in 1711 to trade for furs with the Algonquins. Arent Van Corlaer, who married into the Lake family, had settled in nearby Sancoick earlier. Apparently in 1761 he realized he had better get a land grant to give him clear title. He tried to claim all the way north to the Tightikillijagtikook or South Branch of the Battenkill (present day Murray Hollow Brook), to which he had an Indian deed, but that caused an uproar as much of it had already been granted to others.He ended up with an odd shaped parcel on which his trading post was in the narrowest part and which ran into what would become Vermont in 1777. By the 1760's both the Indians and beaver were largely gone and the Lakes used the Trading Post as a home. Arent died in 1795 and is buried at Sancoick. When I walked up there last in 2003 (It is about a mile and a half from my place) all that was standing was the newer small part and that was in bad shape. The tarps had rotted away and the wood was quickly following. When I was a boy and Velma Jones was still alive, the place was kept up nicely. She was a teacher and made the living for the family. After she died it slowly went to ruin. Paul Jones got paranoid that the State would take it away from him, so it was never designated as a historical building. He never had any money to keep it up, though. Paul died and Geoffrey, after giving up on the rebuild, eventually sold the place to Duane Robinson and moved to Tennessee. The cemetery is still there, but becoming overgrown. I'll attach some of my 2003 photos. Ted Date: Mon, 3 Feb 2020 13:05:02 -0800 From: "'Annette Truesdell' atrue@garlic.com Ted Rice email:  tedrice@protonmail.com END posted on ancestry.com by Annette Truedell, 16 Nov 2016 BEGIN Deed dated 3-20-1806, Liber 1, p. 403, Washington Co., NY. between Meriah, wid. of Aaron Van Curler; Aaron Van Curler and Sarah his wife; Henry Van Curler and Sarah, his wife; Jacob Van Curler and Rachel, his wife; Henry Barnhart and Elizabeth, his wife; and Joseph Barnhart and Polly, his wife, heirs and successors of Aaron Van Curler, late of Cambridge, Co. of Washington, NY. END translation/transcription of Records->Misc->110.32-p1.jpg and Records->Misc->110.32-p2.jpg from http://digitalcollections.archives.nysed.gov BEGIN Translation Power of attorney from Arent van Curler to Dirck van Schelluyne to collect the rent of a farm from Thomas Spicer Series: A0270 Scanned Document: NYSA_A0270-78_V3_119 This day, date underwritten, before me, Cornelis van Ruyven, appointed secretary in New Netherland in the service of the General Chartered West India Company, and before the hereinafter named witnesses appeared Monsr Arent van Corlaer, residing in the colony of Renselaers Wyck, who declared that he canceled and annulled a certain power of attorney granted to David Provoost under date of the 14th of June 1651, in his suit against Tomas Spicer, and declared further that he has appointed and empowered, as he hereby does appoint and empower, the worthy Dirck van Schelluyne, notary public residing in this city of New Amsterdam, specially in his, the principal's, name and behalf to demand and receive all such moneys and goods with the interest thereon as are due to him, the principal, from Mr. Tomas Spicer for rent of a certain farm,[1] and to give him a receipt therefor; in case of unwillingness to institute legal proceedings (either de novo, or to continue the proceedings which Davit Provoost has already instituted in the matter aforesaid),[2] to cause the obtained judgment to be put in execution and to prosecute the same to the end; from all judgments, whether definitive or interlocutory, to which he objects, to appeal or to seek mitigation and to prosecute the same; to substitute one or more attorneys ad lites only in his place (with power, also, to compromise, settle and agree as his good judgment shall dictate);[3] he, the principal, promising to hold and to cause to be held all that shall be done and performed in the matter aforesaid and what appertains thereto by the aforesaid his attorney or by his substitute ad lites of the same force and validity as if it were done by him, the principal, in person, under binding obligation as by law provided, on condition that the attorney, under like obligation, remain bound, at the demand of the principal, to render due account, proof and balance of his aforesaid transactions. All without fraud. Thus done in Fort Amsterdam, this 6th of October 1654. A: van Curler Johannes Magapolensis Carel van Brugge Cornelis van Tuyven Notes Meaning the farm of the late Jonas Bronck. See lease of the farm dated June 25, 1643, in New York Colonial MSS., 2:62a. The words in parentheses are inserted in the margin. The words in parentheses are inserted in the margin. References Translation: Scott, K., & Stryker-Rodda, K. (Ed.). New York Historical Manuscripts: Dutch, Vol. 3, Register of the Provincial Secretary, 1648-1660 (A. Van Laer, Trans.). Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc.: 1974.A complete copy of this publication is available on the New Netherland Institute website. END from http://threerivershms.com/arentvc.htm BEGIN Three Rivers Hudson~Mohawk~Schoharie History From America's Most Famous Valleys This is an interesting article. It has been passed down and copied many times. No idea of the origin. Donated by Louis Cuyler. Arent Van Corlaer settled in White Creek in 1709 at the age of 19. He was not the first to locate within the town, but he was the first of the settlers whom we can call by name or know much about. At the time of his coming, the place names so familiar to us today, Cambridge, White Creek, Hossick, etc. were unheard of and the community center which gave its name to the locality was Sancroick. Van Corlaer settled in that part of the Saincroick neighborhood which fell in the Town of White Creek, Washington county toward the year 1800, when town and county lines were established. Van Corlaer came to Sancroick to engage in the fur trade and brought with him Adam Vrooman, the experienced trader and son of Bartle Vrooman of Old Saratoga. In 1711 he built the trading post, standing today with little change, on a terrace just under the summit of Quaker Hill in White Creek and about two and one-half miles north of the Hoosick River. He was born April 19, 1688 to Benoni and Elizabeth (widow of Sybrant Van Schaik) Van Corlaer. On September 23, 1743, he married Mary Lake of Middlesex County, New Jersey and was joined in his fur trading enterprise by his four brothers-in-law, John, Thomas, James and Nicholas Lake. He and his associates subsequently took title through and Indian deed and King's Grant to five thousand acres of the surrounding land including that on which the trading post stands. The name of Van Corlaer is emblazoned upon the pages of the Colonial History of New Netherlands and New York. The grandfather of the White Creek settler was not only the founder of the city of Schenectady in 1661, but earlier (1630-42) was Commisary-General and Superintendent of the Colony of Rensselaerwyck as well as the agent for the Indian Affairs of that colony. He was the Indians' great friend and they were all his friends. The following quotation from Cadwallader Colden's History of the Five Nations merit reiteration here: "He (Van Corlaer) had a mighty influence over the Indians; and it is from him, and in remembrance of his merit, that all Governors of New York are called Corlaer by the Indians to this day, (1738) though he himself was never Governor." He rescued the Jesuit, Father Isaac Jogues, from the Mohawks on two separate occasions and he befriended a party of French under Courcelles; Governor General of Canada, who had set out to attack the Mohawks, but who, unused to snow shoes and severe cold, were nearly dead of cold and hunger when they appeared near Schenectady, so that had not VanCorlaer intervened and contrived their escape and supplied them with provisions they would have fallen victim to the Iroquois or perished from the elements. To quote Colden further: "The French Governor, in order to reward so signal a service, invited Corlaer to Canada; but as he went through the great lake which lies to the Northward of Albany, his Canoe was overset, and he was drowned; and from this Accident that Lake has ever since been called Corlaer's Lake, by the people of New York. There is a Rock in this lake, on which the Waves dash and fly up to a great Height; when the Wind blows hard, the Indians believe, that an old Indian lives under this Rock, who has the power of the Winds; and therefore, as they pass it in their voyages over, they always throw a Pipe, or some other small Present to this old Indian, and pray a favourable Wind. The English that pass with them sometimes laugh at them, but they are sure to be told of Corlaer's Death. Your great Countryman Corlaer (say they) as he passed by this Rock, jested at our Fathers making presents to this old Indian, and in Derision turned up his Backside, but this Affront cost him his life." The actual place of Corlaer's death in Lake Champlain was near Split Rock, now Perne Bay, Essex County, New York. The Lake was known by Corlaer's name until about the year 1760. Benoni, father of the White Creek settler, was the only child of record of the illustrious grandfather. His mother was Ameke Schaets, daughter of the Dominie at Beaverwyck. The circumstances of Benoni's birth are set forth in the council minutes of the period. Benoni took his father's name and became more or less prominent at Albany during the years between 1688 and 1694. From all this it should be clear to the reader that the Arent Van Corlaer who settled in White Creek was indeed the scion of a Colonial New York family of distinction. In his dealings with the Indians, his name alone won him spontaneous acceptance and brought him their confidence, trust and loyalty. The red men, be it remembered, were at this time calling the Colonial Governors "Brother Corlaer" out of respect to the memory of His illustrious grandfather. For a trader, located on the outermost fringe of a perilous frontier, such friendship was essential to survival. Van Corlaer's Trading Post was admirably situated along the trail to the Pompanac village of the Pequot, Mawwehu, and not far from the Schaghticoke Tioshoke village which lay along the Hoosick River a few miles to the south. There was a period of several years during which many of the fur traders, including VanCorlaer and his associates, were handicapped in their operations by government interference. Claude Nelson McMillan says in A History of my People and Yours that "The governor of the Colony of New York would grant only a limited number of hunting and trapping licenses. It is quite apparent that he expected a part of the income from this trapping and hunting so that all furs must be sold either at Albany or in New York. There developed, as by necessity, a plan for outwitting such measurer. So these trappers would load their canoes just below Albany, paddle down along the west bank of the Hudson River, passing New York quietly in the dark, and go on to Jersey...which thus became a market for furs and where the trappers could secure a fair price for their labor without any kick back to the New York Governor. By 1760 the colonial government had restricted the fur trade to only three licenses. The Lakes and Van Corlaer were not licensed, but they appear to have carried on trade in spite of this from their New Jersey headquarters, as did many others. The practice was to come up river by boat and anchor just below Albany where in the cover of darkness the boats were loaded by faithful Indian helpers who conveyed the pelts from the Hoosac (St. Croix) post." While Van Corlaer and his associates were busy lying their Indian trade the settlement of the Hoosick Patent to the south of them was proceeding apace. In the division of the lands of the Hoosick Grant, Cornelius Van Ness, his cousin Philip Van Ness and the heirs of Maria Van Rensselaer came into possession of that part of the patent contained in White Creek. The Van Nesses retained manorial rights and were called the Patroons of the lower Hoosick. Settlers came onto their lands as tenants, or sharecropper, after the Old World feudal fashion. Cornelius Van Ness's St. Croix Manor embraced the land along the Hoosick between the Owl Kill and the Little White Creek, while his cousin, Philip's Manor, known as Tioshoke followed the north bank of the river from the Owl Kill to Buskirk's and beyond. The patroons encouraged a mixed tentancy and in the years immediately following Van Corlaer's coming, a considerable settlement sprang up with immigrants pushing up from Albany, Schenectady, Lansingburg and elsewhere. Tioshoke village, now Buskirk's became a center for trade and had its sawmill, blacksmith's shop, grist mill and church. The Saincroick settlement flourished also during this time, and it is said that by 1724 a quaint Dutch village had spring up around the Van Ness Mansion which consisted of a number of dwellings, houses for tenants and slaves, a schoolhouse, ashery, store, blacksmith shop, wagon shop and tannery. The leases between the Patroon and his tenants revealed that the crossroads of the Saincroick Manor connected with the "Great Road", since known as the Cambridge Turnpike. A partial list of the tenants, by name, who located on the Tioshoke Manor during this time, some of who were within White Creek includes the following: Jonannes Quackenbush, Nicholas Grosbeck, Peter Viele, Johanes VanBuskirk, Walter VanVechten and Lewis Van Wirt. Those who located in the White Creek portion of the Sancroick Manor were families by the name of DeFonda, Fort, Bovie, Van Rensselaer, Vandenburg and Searles. The period between 1671 and 1744 was an interval of peace in the Hoosick Valley for white man and Indian alike. As a result, great progress had been made in settlement; the wilderness was tamed and the frontier extended. The vicious assault on Schenectady in February 1690, when a party of French and Indians slew the inhabitants and burned the town, kept the Hoosick Valley settlers mindful of the ever-present menace of the French Provinces to the north, but that raid was the only really alarming incident during these years. The English officials at Albany had employed a mixed band of Mohawk and Hoosac Indians to continually scout the war-trail leading to Canada. These scouts had taken it upon themselves to negotiate a pact with their kindred at St. Francis, under the Canadian Jesuits, not to molest each others' domains so that the scalping forays of the Canadian a during that time were directed toward the New England settlements in Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire. But now the storm clouds were gathering anew. In 1744 war broke out in Europe between England and France, and as we turn to our next chapter we shall see how this conflict involved America and those early White Creek and Hoosick Valley settlers. The Indians Sell Their Lands Along The Little White Creek; A village On The White Creek Flats; Border Wars, Turmoil and Strife (1713-1759). From an historical address by the Hon. G. W. Jermain of Albany and White Creek delivered at Cambridge on the 29th of August, 1873, the writer excerpts the following: "In the division of New York (when a British Province,) into counties, in 1683, Albany County was established, and extended north to Canada and included Vermont, then claimed to be within the jurisdiction of New York, and several counties west of this. At a very early day grants and patents of wild lands were sought by speculators from the British government, and in 1688 a patent was obtained for a tract along the Hoosick river, called the Hoosic Patent, a portion of which became included in the towns of White Creek and Cambridge. Soon afterward another patent, adjacent to it on the east, was procured, extending northerly and easterly about a mile in width, called the VanCorlaer and Lakes Patent." "In 1731 a purchase was made of the Indians of land contiguous to and east of the VanCorlaer patent, but as 'Lo, the poor Indian, was not supposed to have any rights which the white man was bound to respect,' a patent for this same land was afterwards, in 1739, procured from the British government by Stephen Van Renssealer and others, called the Walloomsac Patent, of about 12,000 acres, extending north and east along the Walloomsac river and to the Green Mountains, covering the White Creek valley." On the strength of their Indian deed to these lands, and without waiting for the King's confirmation by letters patent to VanRensselaer and his associates, a number of families of French Waloon extraction from the towns along the lower Hudson valley emigrated to the banks of the stream which they named Walloon's Creek, and soon other Walloon families pushed northward to the banks of the Little White Creek, where they subdued the wilderness and built new homes. During the decade 1730-40 a frontier village sprang up on the flats along the Little White Creek, mostly on what is now the Gordon and Harriet Byars farm (The Ebenezer Allen homestead). The settlement failed to survive the period of the French and Indian Wars that terminated with the English conquest of Canada in 1759, and although no contemporary records exist to show when it was destroyed, it was doubtless during the August 1746 invasion of General Rigaud and his Indian Allies from Canada. Col. Harold F. Andrews, who was in charge of the field work for the New York Sate Conservation Department through which the data was obtained for the preparation of the bronze relief map which Col. Andrews designed for the Bennington Battlefield Park Monument, told the writes that his field crews found positive evidence that the former village was on this site. From 1744 through 1759 the inhabitants of the then settled portions of the Hoosick Valley and White Creek were sorely tried. With the exception of the brief six year truce from 1748 to 1754 the border warfare raged continually. England and France were at war in Europe and in America were locked in a bitter struggle for supremacy on the continent. The Hoosac Valley was encompassed during this time by three of the most powerful strongholds of New York, New England and New France: Fort Frederick at Albany, Fort Massachusetts on the upper Hoosick and Fort St. Frederick at Crown Point on Lake Champlain. And a cordon of not less than forty stockaded forts were garrisoned from time to time within a range of seventy miles of the Hoosick Valley. The scalping forays of the French, headed by Mohawks and Algonquin praying warriors, (Indians baptized by Jesuits), followed the old Ticonderoga trail along the Owl Kill, thence along the Hoosick River to Northfield, Deerfield, and Colerain villages of the New England frontier. Lying in the path of these objectives were the White Creek settlements, and both Tioshoke and Little White Creek village met the torch as did also Sancroick. Many a settler's home was laid in ashes; many of them took to their flat bottom boats and sought the protection of the garrisoned towns along the Hudson. Those off the beaten path sometimes stood their ground and either were miraculously overlooked or perished at the hands of the Red Men or were led captive back to Quebec there to languish for months and perhaps to die in the squalor of prison pens. Throughout the Hoosick Valley probably not more than a dozen houses of the settlers of those days stand today. They include the Van Vechten house of Old Schaghticoke, rebuilt recently after a damaging fire near Stillwater, The Van Corlaer Trading Post at White Creek, The Center house in White Creek. Others are being discovered anew as historical interest grown and research proceeds. Certain frontier communities suffered more than others during these times. Knickerbocker's Schaghticoke settlement on the lower Hoosick was struck but once wile the Sancroick neighborhood, Dutch Hoosac and the Kreigger settlement near Pownal suffered repeatedly from these avenging forays by former friendly Indians who had been won to the side of the French. One French writer noted that within a certain period of short duration the French partisans led not less than twenty-seven detachments of St. Francis warriors against the settlements of the Dutch and English Protestants. The reader can picture what the frontier settler endured, his constant state of alarm. That they persevered through these harassing times is a tribute to the steadfast, unflinching character of these pioneers. In August of 1746 a detachment of more than nine hundred French and Indians passed through White Creek, following the old trail along the Owl Kill, thence along the Hoosick through Sancroick neighborhood, bent on the destruction of Fort Massachusetts, east of the present city of Williamstown. On the mission they not only destroyed the fort and took captive the garrison and their families, but put Sancroick and Tioshoke to the torch and inflicted great harm to the New England settlements. One of the captives was the Rev. John Norton, chaplain of Fort Massachusetts, in whose Journal of Captivity a detailed account of this unhappy incident has been preserved. Poorly coordinated military plans had resulted in the fort's being inadequately garrisoned, and this with a delay in arrival of reinforcements, left them an easy target. They were doubly afflicted with an epidemic of the bloody-flux. On the 15th of August, fresh moccasin tracks had been observed a few miles from the fort, and a scout was dispatched to Deerfield requesting help. Before the help came, however, the French struck. Of the garrison of twenty soldiers, ten were very ill. But Sergeant Hawks, the commandant, resisted a twenty-seven hour siege, in the hope that help would come and capitulated only when it was evident the fort would be burnt and they within it, if he did not. They were outnumbered one to one hundred in that equal contest. On the morning of the 19th, the resistance ended. The French burned Massachusetts and Chaplain Norton was permitted to leave a note on the old well to give a brief account of their plight to those who had been expected to relieve them. The captive band numbered thirty-one, including the wives and children of the garrison. The march to Quebec began on the morning of the 21st and that evening, while they were not far from the present village of Petersburg, John Smead's wife gave birth to a baby girl, who, considering the circumstances of her birth was named "Captivity." The following day, a White Creek settler, concealed in the hills along the Owl Kill, might have seen that pitiful band plodding wearily northward under the guard of the pained warriors. The chivalrous French, however, had made a litter for Mary Smead and Little "Captivity," and they were borne along thus until the mother's strength was recovered. Being so ordered by General Rigaud, several of the powerful warriors improvised seats for carrying the sick and ailing during a part of the journey. These incidents to show that the French did at times feel a degree of compassion for their victims. The Indians preserved a friendship for some of the settlers, and these were purposely passed by or given advance warning to take cover as the following letter from Perry's Origins of Williamstown proves. Among this number was undoubtedly Arent Van Corlaer, who was greatly respected out of the memory of his famous father, and his property went untouched throughout this dark and bloody period. Fort Massachusetts August 25, 1754 Sir, This day there came a man from the Dutch and informs me that four days past there came 5 Indians from Crownpoint and informs them that there is eight hundred Indians desine, in destroy Hosuck and care new town and this fort, and desine to be upon us this night. I sent a man right down to Hosuck and care new town and this fort, and desine to be upon us this night. I sent a man right down to Hosuck to hear farther about the affair, but the people was all moved off but two or 3 that was coming to the fort and they tell him the same account. The Indians that brought the account was sent in order to have some parsons move from Sencroick that they had regard for, but if they come I hope we are well fixt for them. In hast from Sr. Your's etc. Command, Elisha Chapin Copyright © 1998, -- 2003. Berry Enterprises. All rights reserved. All items on the site are copyrighted. While we welcome you to use the information provided on this web site by copying it, or downloading it; this information is copyrighted and not to be reproduced for distribution, sale, or profit. END from ancestry.com 6 Dec 2021 BEGIN Arendt Van Curler 1688 or 1696 Arendt Van Curler, birth: 4/19/1696, death: 3-1-1795, Mapleton, NY. (near Hoosick Falls). His headstone is still standing at St. Croix. Wife, Mary Lake is given in real estate transfer, 1-16-1775. Aaron & wife Mary to France Lucker, 96 acres east side of Hudson River. Ref. B. 11, page 435--County of Albany Clerk's Office. Aaron M. Mary Lake: daug. of Nicholas Lake 1743, New Brunswick NY 1743 Middlesex, Co.. Arendt was the son of Bennoni van Curler, he was the first born so he was named after Bennoni's father Arendt, that is why he is listed 3rd, all of Arendt's the 3rd as some people refer to him were illiterate. When he died the children said his name was Aaron, this of course was incorrect, but when you say Arendt incorrectly is sounds like Aaron, so the person who was the undertaker put it down as Aaron and the children didn't know any different, that is why it also says Aaron on his tombstone. He is the one who built the trading post in White Creek, along with his brothers in law, ( 4 of them ) by the name of Lake, and it still stands there today and was built in 1709 or 1711, there are two different versions of what the date actually was. His tombstone says he lived to be 107, this happened because he was actually born in 1688 but was not baptised until 1696, The Dutch many time only date a persons birth (rom what I've been told ) from their baptism date in the old days. April Karnas originally shared this to Karnas / Tazza Tree 11 years ago story aftruesdell added this to AFTruesdell-Findley/Giles 5 years ago END from Loyalist Lake Family History loyalist-lake-history@googlegroups.com BEGIN Wesley Johnston Aug 16, 2022, 3:35:35 PM The Battle of Bennington was not fought at Bennington, Vermont. It was not even fought in Vermont. It was fought on our Lake ancestors' land at White Creek, New York -- where our relative Nicholas Lake was killed. marshallelake Aug 31, 2022, 2:27 PM Wesley, I realize that The Battle of Bennington was not fought in Vermont, but what tells you that it was fought on our Lake ancestors' land at White Creek, New York? Wesley Johnston Aug 31, 2022, 2:51 PM (5 hours ago) I think Annette told me this. The monument that is on the actual battlefield (not the gigantic one in Vermont) is here: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Bennington+Battlefield+State+Historic+Site/@42.9475766,-73.3110939,14.5z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x89de426590746265:0x1000fb30fb9eedaf!8m2!3d42.9390234!4d-73.3046327 There is a website for it: https://parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/benningtonbattlefield/details.aspx ckanalley Aug 31, 2022, 3:00 PM My understanding is that it was on Lake land, at least partially. They lost a lot of their possessions and this was part of why they fled to Canada. This is supported by documents like loyalist petitions. When I visited the White Creek area and charted out where the battle was, I also saw that the battle would have impacted where they lived. END "Calendar of Historical Manuscripts, in the Office of the Secretary of State, Albany, N.Y.", E. B. O'Callaghan, Part II, 1866 BEGIN 1663. June 8. * Indian deed to commissary Van Curler, for the Dutch government, of the tract of land called Siekajoock (now Hartford), on the Connecticut river, page 2 [In N. Y. Col. Doc, II, 139.] 1676. Dec. 5. * Judgment of the court at Albany against Mrs. Curler, at the suit of Gerrit van Slechtenherst, for debt, page 256 1677. March 15. * Minute of the court of Albany, referring to the governor all matters relating to the estate of Mrs. Curler, dec'd, page 35 END from http://genealogytrails.com/ny/schenectady/bios_a.html BEGIN Arent Van Curler ADULT FREEHOLDERS. ARENT VAN CURLER was the leader of the colony at Schenectady in 1662. He came over in 1630, and in 1643 married Antonia Slaaghboom, widow of Jonas Bronck. No man of his time had so fully won the confidence and esteem of the Indians, and to honor his memory they ever addressed the Governor of the Province by his name. He was drowned on Lake Champlain in July, 1669. Van Curler's home lot in the village was a portion of the block bounded by Union, Church, Front and Washington streets. The Rev. WM. ELLIOT GRIFFIN, D. D., says that "Arent Van Curler was a scholar and a gentleman, fluent with his pen, possessing a gift by no means to be despised-the mastery of language. He was a man of systematic mind, so faithful to his trust and vow as to recall a Roman of classic days; and so kind of heart, so full of deep conviction of conscience, along with the power of rising above the narrowness of sect or nationality, as to suggest a Christian. Brave as a lion, fearless neither of conspirators, scheming lawyers, who made use of their profession mainly to molest honest men, or of crafty savages, or perfidious French; further, he had the eye of an engineer and strategist, with the foresight of a statesman." [Source: History of the county of Schenectady, N. Y., from 1662 to 1886, George Rogers Howell, John H. Munsell, 1886] tr. by mkk END from An Adirondack Chronology The Adirondack Research Library 2011 BEGIN Arendt van Curler visits the future site of Schenectady on the Mohawk R. 1642 Arendt Van Corlaer et al. assist Isaac Jogues' escape from Haudenosaunee for return to France 1643 Arendt Van Curler and fellow Dutchmen est. Schenectady 1661 Arendt van Curler drowns in Lake Champlain 1667 END from CALENDAR OF N. Y. COLONIAL MANUSCRIPTS Indorsed Land Papers; in the Office of the Secretary of State of New York 1643-1803 1864 BEGIN 1761. May 20. Indian deed to Arent Corlaer and Nich's. Lake, of a certain tract of land lying on the east side of Hudson's river, in the county of Albany, on both sides of a brook or rivulet called by the Indians Tightillijaghtikook, and by the people the south branch of Batten kill, bounded on the south by the patent of Wallomsack; on the west by Sawyer's and Lansing's purchase, on the north by Batten kill, and on the east by the high mountains, (White Creek, Washington county,) 49 1761. June 15. Petition of Arent Van Corlaer, Nich's Lake and 3 others, praying letters patent for 5,000 acres of land lying on the east side of Hudson's river, in the county of Albany, on both sides of a brook or rivulet called by the Indians Tightikillijagtikook, by the white people the south branch of Batten kill, bounded on the south by the patent of Wallumschack, on the west by Sawyer's and Lansingh's purchase, on the north by Batten kill, and on the east by the high mountains, (White Creek, Washington county,) (see page 49,) 57 END Arendt van Curler (1884) by William Elliot Griffis ARENDT VAN CURLER, FIRST SUPERINTENDENT OF RENSSELAERWICK, FOUNDER OF SCHENECTADY AND OF THE DUTCH POLICY OF PEACE WITH THE IRIQUOIS. By WM. Elliot Griffis, D.D.[1], Domine of the Reformed [Dutch] Church, Schenectady, N. Y., from June 1, 1877, to April 5, 1886. [Read before the Albany Institute November 18, 1884.] BEGIN In the report of the Special Committee on Archaeology of the Albany Institute on the proposed erection of local historical monuments presented April 26, 1881, and printed in volume X, the following paragraph occurs: "Our respected neighbor, the city of Schenectady, has a university whose success is gratifying to us - has an historical scholar in whose honor we speak, but it is sadly faithless to its most interesting history. It has no monuments of the great raid of 1690, whose narrative was the theme of interest across the great sea - it has no memorial of Corlaer, who, going out of Albany to find the still more remote frontier settlements, by his sagacity and estimable qualities so won the hearts of the savages that thereafter they gave his name as the equivalent of Governor, and who died while en route to Montreal, where his excellence had won him an invitation from the French ruler." (Transactions of the Albany Institute, vol. X, p. 143.) If not with "the stern joy that warriors feel," it is with a patriot's grateful appreciation that we pick up with our pen, the gauntlet thus thrown down, and hand it back on our nib, with a determination to wipe out the reproach of Dorp. The "University" - "old Union" [College] - fathered by Domine Dirck Romeyn, endowed by the Dutchmen, of the Schenectady Church, made national by Dr. Nott, having nobly reared her sons in the past, will I doubt not, despite a season of reverses, regain vitality in head as well as body, and yet send forth many sons to fame and honor. Our historical scholar, Professor Jonathan Pearson, still hale and wise in sunny old age, has spoken for himself in goodly volumes of priceless lore. These are realities. The monument to the martyrs of 1690 is yet in the loins of the future, and the pockets of subscribers; but its local habitation is selected, and the spirit is willing. In due time, I doubt not, will appear a child of art and memory, which shall perpetuate the virtues alike of the founder and the forefathers of the village in the pine woods, once spoken of as in "the far West," and made the theme of grave debate between London and Versailles. To add a further memorial of a man who was great in goodness, as well as renowned in statecraft, is the purpose of this paper. It usually happens in history that the thunders of battle, the noise of the drum, and the shoutings of great captains drown the still small voice of truth. Through the dust and smoke of war, the more substantial victories of peace are discerned not at first, but later. Of the eccentric, the belligerent, and testy in church and state, the military on horseback, and the patroon on his manor, we have heard much; and epauletted and cloaked statues are beginning to be numerous. On history's sober page, or in Irving's classic jest, many names are famous or notorious; but, we maintain that of the Holland pioneers who laid the foundations of this commonwealth, and made it the Empire State, there is too little known. There is room for more monuments, as the true perspective of history retires some names to shadow, and brings others into the foreground. Of these, in my modestly submitted opinion and in the estimation of historical critics who note the effect while apparent1y shortsighted as to the cause, none more deserves honor in some enduring token, than the yeoman, Arendt Van Curler, the first superintendent of the Colony of Rensselaerwyck, and the founder of Schenectady. Yet no letters on a sculptured monument or in written essay can equal the noble expression of admiration from the uncivilized Indian. The first treaty of peace made between the Iriquois and the Hollanders at Norman's kill near Albany - classic ground by a historic stream, yet to be sung in epic verse - was and is called by them "the Covenant of Corlaer." For over two centuries the red men between the Hudson and the Niagara addressed the governors of New Amsterdam and New York as "Corlaer." When leaving their native hunting-grounds to follow their religious teachers to Canada, the Mohawks of Caughnawaga, though changing their faith, their allegiance, their habitation and their climate, yet carried with them as a potent talisman the cognomen of their benefactor. The name of Curler is now honoured and fragrant in one American tongue, and in three European languages and civilizations. Two years ago, on the publication in Montreal of a Lexique de la Langue Iriquoise, by Father J. A. Cuoq, one of the missionary priests of Saint Sulphice, I sent for a copy. Among other nuggets of linguistic lore, I met with a word embalming his memory in the daily speech of the Indians of Caughnawaga. This fragment of the Mohawk tribe has been domiciled in Canada since 1670, when they left their ancestral seats on the Mohawk. Tourists down the St. Lawrence, past the Lachine rapids, will remember their pretty village on the river bank, with its church enriched by the gifts of many a sovereign of France from Louis XIV to Eugenié. Those who read the sporting items in the newspapers will recall that last spring those same Caughnawaga Indians, born almost with a racket on their feet, and a lacrosse web in their hands, beat with ease, at New York, the champion American team just returned from their victories in Europe. Again some of those red men came into notice when Sir Garnet Wolseley, transporting them beyond Egypt, availed himself of their skill in moving his boats through the cataracts and rapids of the Nile. Cuoq's Iriquois Lexicon, under the word Kora, says: "Monsieur, the abbe Ferland (in his history of Canada) points out the true origin of this word, in making it come from the name of the celebrated Arendt Van Corlaer. But it should be added further that from the Dutch governors of Orange and New Amsterdam the title of kora passed from them to the English governors of Albany and New York, and thence in course to all the governors of New England. As a matter of fact, the governor-general of Canada finds himself invested with this title of honor, and for Her Majesty, the queen of Great Britain, they are accustomed to exalt more highly her glory by adding the epithet kowa, that is, 'the great.'" When the Canadian Indian of to-day would express in his own tongue the divinity that doth hedge about Victoria Regina, he says kora-kowa, "the great Corlaer."[2] The splendor of the empress of India shines among her red subjects by borrowed light. Fair as the moon and terrible to the red man as an army with banners, as is her imperial majesty, the sun that supplies the glory of her prestige is the name of Van Curler - the original Mohawk Dutchman. Herein is fulfilled the wise man's prophecy, "Seest thou a man who is diligent in his business, he shall stand before kings." While on this subject of titles, let us note further the term "Onontio" used by the Iriquois before the time of Van Curler, and down to the conquest of Canada by Wolfe, and familiar to all readers of Colonial documents or Indian eloquence. On this word Cuoq remarks: "This name [Onontio] was given for the first time to the successor of Champlain to the government of Canada, Charles Hault, De Montmagny, Chevalier de Malte. We have seen the origin of the title of Kora given to the kings and queens of England, and to the English governors of Canada. This title is, if we may so speak, of purely Iriquoise creation, since it is no other than that of the Hollandish governor Corlaer, pronounced by a savage. But it is otherwise with the title Onontio, first conferred upon the chevalier of Montmagny. They translated his name, and to this the missionaries must have lent their assistance, without which the savages could not even have suspected the meaning of Montmagny, the great mountain. It is noteworthy that in rendering the name of the French governor by Onontio, they have given only a free translation - the Iriquois word meaning literally `the beautiful mountain,' and not the great mountain. From the chevalier of Montmagny the title of Onontio passed to his successors until the title of the conquest (1760). For the kings of France they add the adjective kowa [the great]." I have been particular thus in summoning testimony to the worth of Van Curler citing from the aborigines, the first historic occupiers of the soil, because they stood between the rival nations contesting for the possession of this continent, and largely by their attitude decided its occupancy. And the one man who, more than any other, secured and maintained for the Dutch and the English the friendship of the Five Nations of the Iriquois, the most nearly civilized Indians, and who were advanced above all others in political knowledge, against the French and the Algonquin Indians, north of the St. Lawrence, was Arendt Van Curler. Bancroft, Parkman, Higginson, Hildreth, O'Callaghan, Shea, Stevens, Brodhead, and, neither last nor least, our own historical scholar Pearson - name ever honorable to our city - agree in this one thing, viz.: That "the most momentous and far-reaching question ever brought to issue on this continent" - namely, that of its possession by a Germanic or a Latin race - hung largely upon another question, which side should win and hold the friendship of that powerful confederation of red men, who overawed or held in tribute the Indians from the Mississippi to the Atlantic, and from Lake Champlain to the Chespeake. This was the question unanswered for a century and a half. In the first place, this mighty confederacy of tribes held, as their "long house," that wonderful portion of this continent which seems by nature created for empire, whether in the stone or the iron age, the Empire State it was then, the Empire State it is now. It holds the keys to the water-ways between the fresh and the salt seas, for its rivers run to the Atlantic, the St. Lawrence, the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico. Its land routes, fitted for trail, pike, plank, iron or steel roadways, are smoothed ready for foot or wheel, moccasin or tire by nature. Nowhere along the mountain-ribbed Atlantic coast is there such another long, level, natural roadway as that of the Iriquois trail between the cataracts of Cohoes and Niagara, now banded by the steel rails of two mighty corporations. From Champlain to Montcalm, the French by diplomacy, religion, threats, flattery, and all the resources of Gallic wit, force, and address endeavored to gain over the Iriquois to their king and cause; but ever loyal to "the Covenant of Corlaer," they adhered to the Prince of Orange and the Sovereign of Great Britain. They acted as a stonewall, a breakwater, against the storm and tide of French aggression, while the English colonies nourished their strength, and won this fair land, first from the Gaul, from Latin ideas and civilization, and then from King George and monarchy. What began that struggle which from a backwoods raid became a clashing of empires? What part did Van Curler bear? Was he "a Dutch clodhopper," or a far-seeing statesman? Let us go back twenty-one years before his arrival on this continent: In 1609, Champlain, in company with a war party of Hurons and Algonquins, proceeding against the Mohawks unwarrantably interfered in their tribal quarrels, and decided the scale of victory. The Mohawks were defeated by the power of gunpowder and invisible missiles. Again, in 1615, this Frenchman in glittering armor with five belching weapons went along with the Algonquins to the Mohawk country to besiege their castle. These proceedings aroused a spirit of hatred against the French, and to counterpoise the odds against them, the Iriquois sought alliance with the Dutch. Powder and ball were their first desires. Their motives were utterly selfish, when in 1617, two years after Champlain's second filibustering interference, they came to Fort Orange, and made a formal treaty with the Dutch. A compact made between two alien races on the basis of their mutual hatred to a third party is not likely to last, when the once enemy turns friend, or the old friend falls on adversity. Why was it, that the cruel, selfish savage kept inviolate for over a century this covenant sealed only with the sacrament of wampum belts, amid all temptations to rupture? Why did Dutch and British alike keep with even more faithfulness their word with the weakening savages, even when they had exhausted the benefit of their service? Why, amid all vicissitudes was their treaty negotiated with less fuss, ceremony and spectacular display than Wm. Penn's with the Lenni Lenapis - observed with better faith, too, than was the Philadelphia compact. In the painting of Benjamin West, by fascinating but uncertain legend, and by the praise of Voltaire, who, to sneer at religion, wrote a lying epigram, the Quaker's treaty has been given world-wide fame. The witty Frenchman said of it "never sworn to, and never broken." History, however, demonstrates, that while Penn and the Friends kept their word, the people of Pennsylvania did not. In New York, the promises on either side were kept, until America and British themselves came to blows, a calamity which fell heavily upon the Iriquois, and from which they never recovered. If it be objected that the raid and burning of Schenectady in 1690, and the five years Indian war under Kieft appear to militate against our statement, we have only to mention that the Schenectady massacre was by the French and proselyted savages from Canada, not of New York, while the five years war under Kieft was waged by Indians not Iriquois. This war, by the way, was healed nominally by Stuyvesant, but actually by Van Curler in 1660. I am glad that a distinguished gentleman of the legal profession asked me "Who was the founder of Schenectady? Was he any more than a Dutch clodhopper?" I can safely answer that he was a scholar and a gentleman, fluent with his pen, possessing a gift by no means to be despised - the mastery of languages. He was a man of systematic mind, and so faithful to his trust and vow, as to recall a Roman of classic days. Withal, he was so kind of heart, so full of deep conviction of conscience along with a power of rising above the narrowness of sect and nationality, as to suggest a Christian indeed. Brave as a lion, he feared neither round-robin conspirators, nor the scheming lawyer who used his profession mainly to molest honest men, nor crafty savages, nor perfidious French. Further, he had the eye of an engineer and strategist, with the foresight of a statesman. Arendt Van Curler was the first cousin of Kilian Van Rensselaer, and came to this country in 1630. Of the original company of ten members, or "co-patroons," all on the same footing to plant colonies in America, Kilian Van Rensselaer seems to have been the most successful, and we shall see why. Others formed colonies along the Hudson in New Netherlands. Others disagreeing, or thinking more profitable ventures could be made in the East Indies, gave up America and tried the Spice Islands, Formosa and Japan. Vries became the famed navigator who left his name on the large island near the bay of Yedo. Hendrick Hamel went out as supercargo to Nagasaki, and was wrecked in Corea, kept a prisoner, and escaping, got home to Holland, to find his old friends Kilian Van Rensselaer, dead, and Van Curler, drowned, in far off America; but Rensselaerwyck had prospered, Why? The patroon never visited the colony, but confided all to his agent, Van Curler, the first superintendent. Hear what L. P. Brockett says: "The administration of justice, and the management of its financial affairs, he committed to a commissary-general. Fortunate in the selection * * * his colony prospered much more than that at New Amsterdam, and it was to the good offices of Van Curler, or Corlaer, the first commissary that the colonists at New Amsterdam were indebted more than once, for their preservation from destruction at the hands of the savages" [during Kieft's mal-administration]. This excellent man cultivated the most friendly relations with the Indians, and so strong was their affection for him, that ever after they applied the name Corlaer to the governors of New York, as the highest title of respect. "So too, from the date of the settlement of Albany, the county was never invaded by these sons of the forest. The Schuyler family, for several generations carrying out the policy inaugurated by Van Curler, exerted a powerful influence over the Indians. Unfortunately, Van Curler left no descendants to keep alive the memory of his services. Van Curler's jurisdiction, as superintendent and justice of the colony, extended from Beeren Island in the Hudson to the mouth of the Mohawk, and he was also colonial secretary until 1642. He provided food and sustenance for the immigrants, promptly bringing them up from Manhattan Island, enrolling them, arranging for their houses and assigning their farms, while guarding against famine, disorder, and the foes of the forest and from Canada. He took every right means to increase honest trade. His devotion to his master brought him into collision with the traders "in the bush." A protest against him was fomented by Van der Donck; and his enemies put their names to the paper in a circle, so that it should not be known who had first signed it, or in other words, who was the ring leader. Their activity brought him into such temporary unpopularity that some were for driving him out of the colony as a rogue. Others wished to assassinate him. Evidently life in a frontier settlement in the woods was then very much what it is now, and the characters much the same. The firmness, courage, fair play, and unwavering good nature and honesty of Van Curler carried him safely through the crisis. By degrees, the popularity of the superintendent returned, and Van der Donck left the settlement. Van Curler's prayer, if it were identical with Job's, was answered, for his rival did "write a book" in 1655, which is still valuable as a literary photograph of colonial New York, the Netherlands in America. Van Curler, according to orders, had "concentrated" the immigrants into a Kerck burte, a parish or church, neighborhood, near the Beaver's creek or Greenbush ferry. He built a church and parsonage. This was the first protestant church edifice built as such and so consecrated on the continent of America. The domine[3] Megapolensis began his work among the people, morals improved, home life began to be more stable and retired, and prosperity was laid on a sure foundation. Van Curler and the parson were always good friends, the layman ever taking counsel with his clerical brother, and receiving his advice with respect. Thus the unseemly war between bench and pulpit, which disgraced Manhattan island, was unknown in Rensselaerwyck. Through all the stormy administration of Governor Kieft, and the five years' war which wiped out so many Dutch settlements on the Hudson, and nearly annihilated Manhattan, Van Curler's firm hand in the colony and unbounded influence over all the Indians, kept the advancing prosperity of the colony of Rensselaerwyck in the safe path. It was in the midst of danger of infectious lawlessness and savage irritation, that he made his first journey into the Mohawk country. Of this wonderful valley he was not the original explorer, though he was probably the first white visitor who described and fully appreciated it. Humanity prompted him to this westward errand. News came to his ears that two French priests were in the hands of the Mohawks near Caughnawaga, now Fonda. Like tigers with their prey, the savages intended to enjoy the torture of their victims before burning or tomahawking them. Van Curler was a Dutch patriot and a Protestant of Orange dye, but he was more - a Christian and a man. "Why risk life among the bloodthirsty savages, and intermeddle to save a papist and a Frenchman," some doubtless may have said. Van Curler, without argument or reservation, quickly collected ransom to the value of 600 guilders equal to $250 then, or perhaps $500 now. He rode up the valley, in September, 1642. It was then dressed in the gorgeous livery of autumn, and bright with many an acre of ripening maize. He called it "the fairest land that the eyes of man ever rested upon," but the moral beauty of his own act exceeded even that of nature. He did not succeed in ransoming or rescuing the priest, Father Jogues; but he secured a promise from the savages not to kill or further torture him. Afterwards, Van Curler assisted Jogues to escape from Albany to France, where at the imperial court at Versailles the scars of his fingers which the savages, like wild beasts, had chewed and from which they had torn out his nails, were kissed by proud lords and lovely ladies as of those of a saint. Again this devoted missionary returned to America, and was again captured by the insatiate Mohawks. This first Roman Catholic missionary on the soil of our state, and the discover of the Lake of the Holy Sacrament, now ignobly named George, finally suffered martyrdom at Ossuerenon, near Auriesville. On the hills overlooking the station of the West Shore railway, he yielded up his life. In his honor, a shrine to the Virgin, "Our Lady of Martyrs," is now erected. Yet with nearly equal propriety, is the name of Van Curler the exemplar of noble humanity linked to the spot. This was but one of the many visits which Van Curler made to the Indians at their homes and council-fires. Having mastered their vernacular, he was able to hear from their own lips, their side of every question. Hence, he had never to trust to interpreters, or to rely upon hearsay or uncertain information. When in 1646 Stuyvesant arrived, and began his administration by settling the Indian difficulties which had afflicted the lower settlements, he sent first of all to Van Curler, for advice and direction. Later at a great convention of chiefs of all the non Iriquois nations, held at Esopus in 1660, an agreement of peace was made. In this work, Stuyvesant was the figure-head, and Van Curler the real diplomatist and peace-maker. One of the many journeys made in carrying out the policy of justice and peace with the Indians brought him to the house of Jonas Bronck, who has given his name to one of the rivers and villages - Bronx and Bronxville - of Westchester county. Here, after punishment inflicted on the actual murderers, peace was made with the Wickwaskect tribe, at the house of the burgher whose widow Antonia afterwards became Van Curler's wife. They were married in the autumn of 1646, and settled down in one of the best houses of the settlement of Rensselaerwyck, for she was deserving of it, being as her husband states, "a good housekeeper." Having now the prospect of domestic happiness, desirous also of possessing a farm, the affairs of the colony withal being settled, Van Curler leaving his bride behind him, visited Patria (Holland) to report to his lord the patroon, and get a lease for his "bowerie" which was near Cohoes. The patroon Kilian Van Rensselaer died in 1646, leaving the colony in the hands of his son Johannes. Van Curler returning to America went to live on his farm, and there enjoyed the pleasures of unofficial life. Yet his days were far from inactive. He seized every opportunity to educate and benefit the Indians, rescue Christian captives, and cement the bonds of friendship with the red men. Van Curler owned a brewery in Rensselaerwyck and believed that beer was good for Christian and savage; but the use of brandy, rum, whiskey, and the various concoctions of "fire-water" he condemned. He attempted, in vain, however, to influence the Indians against drunkenness, and to prevent the traders from selling strong liquors. At one time, when, on account of troubles largely occasioned by liquor, the relations of the settlers and the Mohawks were strained, we find Van Curler leading twenty-five of the chief men of the settlement and proceeding to Caughnawaga. There on the 17th of September, 1659, after the calumet had been smoked with the sachems Van Curler made a forcible speech, pointing out firewater as the potent cause of their troubles. His arguments and eloquence were satisfactory and successful, and the links of the covenant chain were forged anew. Now came the time for another of the great achievements of our hero's life. Largely through his acts and character, the way was paved for the peaceful settlement of the Mohawk valley by the whites. Food had become scarce near Fort Orange, farmers wanted homes, but were not willing to settle at Rensselaerwyck under semi-feudal restrictions. Having left Patria, they wished to hold their land in fee simple, and when dying to bequeath the fruits of their toil to their children. This, under the patroon, they could not do. Van Curler sympathized with them, and himself longed to possess land not as a fief, but as a holding forever. Accordingly he applied, June 18th, 1661, to Gov. Stuyvesant for permission to purchase "the great flat" of the lower Mohawk valley from the Indians, called by them Schonowe, including the site of one of their villages, Schenectady. Owing to influences emanating from Rensselaerwyck, the privilege of trade was not granted until 1672, and at first the little frontier settlement was wholly agricultural. Van Curler for years vainly protested against this churlish and illiberal spirit which savored of the dog in the manger, and so long hindered the growth of a true commonwealth. Van Curler's plea was for unshackled commerce, free trade and farmer's rights, as against monopoly, semi-feudalism and whiskey. Here note the liberal principles on which Van Curler founded his settlement; they were justice, temperence, and liberty. Wm. Penn has been lauded for buying the land of the Indians. Van Curler did the same. He fought the whiskey-sellers whose fiery liquid destroyed the red men as did small pox, and turned reasoning men into murderous brutes. He pleaded for the rights of trade to actual settlers on wild lands as against monopoly, and for the privilege of holding land in fee simple, and bequeathing it to children. Here, having taken the subject of my sketch beyond the boundaries of Renssalaerwyck, it is proper for me to postpone the continuance of my story. In a further and more elaborate study, I hope to present the life and works of Van Curler in befitting dress. Suffice it to say that in 1664, on the conquest of New Netherlands by the English, one of the first acts of Colonel Nicholls was to send for Van Curler to consult as to his policy with the Indians. Two years later, the French expedition of Courcelles was saved from starvation and probable annihilation by Van Curler. Hastening from Schenectady with provisions he succored his famishing fellow Christians who had fallen into ambuscade, while also warning them off English ground. Had the founder of the settlement lived, the frightful massacre of 1690 would, doubtless, never have been consummated. In 1667, while on a visit to Canada, by invitation of the French Governor Tracy, Van Curler was drowned during a squall in Lake Champlain. "In the middle of the Lake where Corlaer was drowned," reads the old chronicle, but the exact spot we do not know. For a half century or more this sheet of water was named and known to the English only as "Corlaer's Lake," while "Corlaer's Bay" is still on the maps. Craving pardon of my hearers, and of this honorable Albany Institute for presenting so fragmentary a paper, pleading shortness of notice, and press of imperative duties as my excuse, I beg leave to state that life and leisure being given, I hope to do fuller justice to a name most noble among those who laid the foundations of the greatness of the Empire State. Endnotes 1. Pastor of Shawmut Congregational Church, Boston, Mass. 2. When, at the bi-centennial celebration of the city of Albany, in July, 1886, a delegation of these Indians from Canada stood in Pearl street awaiting the start of the great parade, I asked one of the young braves how they spoke of Victoria, the queen of England. He answered at once, "Kora." An older Indian corrected him merely to add, "Kowa." The first one inquired of, assenting, rejoined, "Kora, Kowa." 3. There is no other way of spelling the title of a pastor of a Reformed [Dutch] church in Holland, America, South Africa, or the East Indies, but that in which it is invariably spelled in the Dutch records. It is always domine and not "dominie." The Dutch title is the unaltered Latin. "Dominie," in English and Scotch may mean a parson of some kind; it does mean a teacher or schoolmaster. This orthography of domine is the usage in Corwin's "Manual of the Reformed church in America," in Pearson's "Schenectady First Church Memorial," in The Christian Intelligencer, and in the writing of all critical and careful writers (except where printers tamper with their MSS), who write concerning ministers of the Reformed churches in the Netherlands, or their offspring. Further, to join a Scotch term savoring of cant or slang to a Latinized form of a Hollander's name is to do something which scholarly Hollanders would never approve of. END "List of Patents of Lands, &c. to be Sold in January, 1822 for Arrears of Quit Rent" E. E. Brownell 4 Nov 1937 BEGIN Patentees' Names, Date of Grant. Acres. County in which Co. in which Description of Property, Popular Name, &c. situated where now situated granted. Arent Van Corlaer, Nicholas Lake, 21 Nov. 1761 5000 Albany Washington In the town of Whitecreek, bounded south by Wal- jun. James Lake, Thomas Lake, lomsack, west by Cambridge, &c. and John Lake, END Date: Mon, 21 Apr 2025 08:39:18 +0000 (UTC) From: 'Wesley Johnston' via Loyalist Lake Family History BEGIN I asked the new ChatGPT version o4-mini-high who was Arendt van Corlaer, and the basic search option gave this response (I added the bold highlight): Thought for 15 seconds Arent van Curler (later spelled van Corlaer) (1619/20-1667) was the grand‑nephew of patroon Kiliaen van Rensselaer and, in 1637, was commissioned as secretary and accountant of the Rensselaerswyck colony in New Netherland [en.wikipedia.org]. In 1643 he married Antonia Slaaghboom (widow of Jonas Bronck) and settled at Beverwijck near Fort Orange [en.wikipedia.org]. Celebrated for his fair dealings with the Mohawk, he negotiated disputes, aided in ransoming missionaries, and-in 1662-founded the settlement of Schenectady on land he purchased from the Mohawks; subsequent New York governors were honored by the Iroquois with the title "Corlaer" after him [en.wikipedia.org]. On a diplomatic mission to Quebec in 1667, his boat overturned in a storm on Lake Champlain and he drowned [en.wikipedia.org]. Then I tried the "Deep Research" option and asked the same question. It took 12 minutes. Here is what it wrote. Arendt van Corlaer: Dutch Colonial Leader and Founder of Schenectady EARLY LIFE AND BACKGROUND Arendt van Corlaer (born Arent van Curler) was born in Nijkerk, Holland, and baptized on February 6, 1620 [www.schenectadyhistory.org]. He was a relative (often described as a grandnephew or cousin) of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the powerful Dutch patroon of Rensselaerswyck [en.wikipedia.org]. In 1637, as a young man in his late teens, Van Curler emigrated to the colony of New Netherland to serve in his great-uncle's manor. Rensselaer appointed him secretary and bookkeeper of the patroonship of Rensselaerswyck (the vast semi-feudal estate surrounding Fort Orange, present-day Albany) [en.wikipedia.org]. This family connection gave Van Curler an early position of trust in the colony. RENSSELAERSWYCK COLONY ADMINISTRATOR Van Curler quickly became a key figure in the administration of Rensselaerswyck. By 1641 he held the title of commis (commissary), giving him full authority in the colony's government and trade operations [www.schenectadyhistory.org]. In effect, he acted as the superintendent of the patroonship, managing day-to-day affairs on behalf of the absent patroon. He also served as the colony's secretary and was responsible for overseeing tenant farmers, trade with the Native Americans, and the growing fur export business [www.schenectadyhistory.org]. During this period, Van Curler established a large farm known as the Flatts on the west side of the Hudson River near Fort Orange (circa 1642), expanding the agricultural footprint of the colony [en.wikipedia.org]. In 1643 he married Antonia Slaaghboom (the widow of Jonas Bronck, for whom the Bronx is named), further cementing his ties in New Netherland [en.wikipedia.org]. Van Curler's capable administration and enterprising spirit greatly benefited Rensselaerswyck - one contemporary later remarked that "no man who had ever been in the colony... had done it as good service as he" [www.newnetherlandinstitute.org]. FOUNDING OF SCHENECTADY By the 1650s, many settlers in Rensselaerswyck had grown dissatisfied with the patroon's feudal-style control and longed for land of their own [www.schenectadyhistory.org]. Van Curler emerged as a leader for those seeking greater independence. In 1661, he and fourteen other colonists from Rensselaerswyck petitioned Governor Peter Stuyvesant for permission to establish a new farming village on the Great Flats of the Mohawk River [www.schenectadyhistory.org]. Stuyvesant granted Van Curler and his associates the right to purchase a tract of Mohawk land called Schonowe (meaning "big flat") [www.schenectadyhistory.org]. Van Curler negotiated the land purchase directly with the Mohawk people, ensuring it was acquired fairly and amicably. By early 1662 the new settlement was founded; it would soon be known by its Mohawk name Schenectady [www.schenectadyhistory.org]. Van Curler became the acknowledged leader of this young frontier town. (Initially, the traders of Fort Orange jealously pressured Stuyvesant to forbid Schenectady's residents from fur trading, to protect the patroon's monopoly [www.schenectadyhistory.org]. Nonetheless, the community took root and grew.) Van Curler's role as founder of Schenectady earned him a prominent place in New York's colonial history, as the town became an important gateway to the West. RELATIONS WITH NATIVE AMERICAN NATIONS Throughout his career, Arendt van Corlaer was known for maintaining unusually friendly and fair relations with the Native American nations, especially the Mohawk of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy. He treated Indigenous people with consistent respect, justice, and honesty [www.schenectadyhistory.org]. Van Curler often acted as a mediator and peacemaker between the Dutch colonists and the Mohawks. Notably, in 1642-1643 he intervened when a French Jesuit missionary, Isaac Jogues, was held captive by the Mohawks. Van Curler traveled to the Mohawk village (the "First Castle") and attempted to ransom Father Jogues; although he could not secure an immediate release, he later helped the priest escape and secretly sheltered him until Jogues could be safely sent back to New Amsterdam [en.wikipedia.org]. The following year, when another Jesuit (François-Joseph Bressani) was captured, the Mohawks chose to ransom him peacefully - a change in policy partly attributed to Van Curler's influence in advocating humane treatment of captives [en.wikipedia.org]. Van Curler's diplomacy extended beyond individual incidents. He cultivated friendship with Mohawk leaders, negotiated disputes, and often served as an ambassador to the Indians, helping to preserve peace on the frontier for many years [www.schenectadyhistory.org]. A contemporary memorial noted that he "rescued many Christians from the hands of the Mohawks," underscoring his reputation for mercy and bridge-building between cultures. Thanks in large part to Van Curler's efforts, the Dutch (and later English) enjoyed a strong alliance with the Mohawk Nation; indeed, no man of his time had so fully earned the confidence and esteem of the Iroquois as he did [www.schenectadyhistory.org]. This goodwill would have lasting effects long after his lifetime. FINAL YEARS AND DEATH In 1664, New Netherland fell to English control, but Van Curler's standing remained high. The new English governor, Richard Nicolls, often consulted Van Curler for advice on managing the Dutch colony and dealing with the Iroquois. Van Curler's reputation also extended to New France (Canada). In the winter of 1666, the French governor Pierre de Courcelle led a punitive expedition against the Mohawks which went awry - his troops became lost in the snow and faced starvation in Mohawk territory. Van Curler generously aided the stranded Frenchmen, providing them with food and supplies to avert disaster [www.schenectadyhistory.org]. His act of humanitarian assistance to a recent enemy impressed the French leadership. The next year, Van Curler accepted an invitation from the governor of New France, Marquis de Tracy, to visit him in Quebec [www.schenectadyhistory.org]. Tragically, this goodwill visit proved fatal. In July 1667, while Van Curler was traveling north by canoe across Lake Champlain toward Canada, a sudden storm overtook his boat. The canoe capsized in the choppy waters of Perou Bay, and Arendt van Corlaer drowned before help could reach him [www.schenectadyhistory.org]. He was about 47 years old. Van Curler's unexpected death was mourned by colonists and Mohawk allies alike. A French contemporary report noted the sad irony that "Corlaer, a popular New York official," lost his life in the very lake that linked the two colonies [www.gengateway.com]. (Indeed, French maps for a time labeled a section of Lake Champlain as "Lac Corlaer" in his memory [www.schenectadyhistory.org].) Van Curler's remains were never recovered - his bones sank with the canoe - but his fame only grew after his death [www.newnetherlandinstitute.org]. LEGACY AND IROQUOIS REVERENCE https://www.schenectadyhistory.org/people/ohof/vancurler.html A commemorative plaque honoring Arent Van Curler (Arendt van Corlaer) as the "Leader in the Settlement of Schenectady." His pivotal role in founding Schenectady and maintaining peace with the Iroquois has been memorialized in New York's history. Van Curler's legacy endured long past the 17th century. Perhaps the most remarkable testament to his influence was the name "Corlaer" itself. So great was the Mohawks' respect for Arendt van Corlaer that in the decades after his death they used his name as a title for the colonial leaders who succeeded him [www.schenectadyhistory.org]. For over two hundred years, Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) diplomats addressed the governors of New York as "Corlaer," treating Van Curler's name as synonymous with the trusted voice of the New York colony [en.wikisource.org]. This practice began with the English governors in the late 17th century - for example, Sir Edmund Andros was referred to as the "new Corlaer" - and it cemented Van Curler's posthumous reputation as a wise and benevolent figure of authority [www.americanantiquarian.org]. The very first treaty between the Iroquois and the Dutch was remembered by the Iroquois as the "Covenant of Corlaer," a tribute to the foundation of friendship he laid [en.wikisource.org]. In addition to this honorific in Native diplomacy, Van Curler's name lives on in the geography and institutions of New York. The Mohawk town that he founded, Schenectady, was sometimes called "Corlaer's village" by both Native Americans and early French writers in his honor [www.schenectadyhistory.org]. In later years, local landmarks were named after him: for instance, Schenectady's grand Hotel Van Curler (opened 1925) and an elementary school in the city both bear his name [en.wikipedia.org]. In Van Curler's Dutch hometown of Nijkerk, multiple neighborhoods and schools have also been named after "Corlaer" as a mark of pride [en.wikipedia.org]. Arendt van Corlaer is remembered today as a pioneering colonist and peacemaker. As one historical tribute eloquently noted, he was "an adventurous, enterprising leader" who with "wisdom, justice and humanity administered the affairs of an important colony, and as ambassador to the Indians cemented relations of friendship". His ability to found new settlements, manage colonial enterprises, and foster goodwill with the Iroquois left an indelible imprint on the early history of New York. It is for these reasons that the Iroquois honored him by elevating his name, Corlaer, to signify all the governors who followed - ensuring that the spirit of Van Curler's fair and humane leadership would not be forgotten [www.schenectadyhistory.org] [en.wikisource.org]. Sources: Historical accounts and archives (including the Schenectady County Historical Society and New Netherland Institute) have been used to compile this overview of Arendt van Corlaer's life and legacy [www.schenectadyhistory.org] [en.wikisource.org]. The enduring respect he earned among both colonists and the Iroquois is well-documented in colonial records, giving us a portrait of a man who stood out as a bridge between cultures in 17th-century America. END from https://www.schenectadyhistory.org/resources/patent/06.html BEGIN A History of the Schenectady Patent in the Dutch and English Times 6: Division of Lands Prof. Jonathan Pearson Go back to: Introduction | ahead to: Adult Freeholders [This information is from pp. 58-81 of A History of the Schenectady Patent in the Dutch and English Times; being contributions toward a history of the lower Mohawk Valley by Jonathan Pearson, A. M. and others, edited by J. W. MacMurray, A. M., U. S. A. (Albany, NY: J. Munsell's Sons, Printers, 1883). It is in the Schenectady Collection of the Schenectady County Public Library at Schdy R 974.744 P36, and copies are also available for borrowing.] [The original version uses assorted typographical symbols to represent footnotes. To improve legibility, the online version uses the form (page number - note number.)] How the Lands Purchased by Van Curler from the Mohawks in 1661, Were Divided Among the First Proprietors Four different allotments were made to each of the first settlers; first, a house lot in the village; second, a farm on the Great Flat or islands; third, a pasture ground east of the village, and fourth, a garden lot in the lowland (laeghte) west of Mill creek and near the Binne kill. First. - House lots. The village plat originally embracing mainly the land lying west of Ferry street, was divided into four blocks, or squares, which were again subdivided into ample house lots. For protection this plat was early surrounded by stockades. As the population outgrew these narrow limits, house lots were assigned on the "Albany path" [now State street], so that before 1690 it was sparsely built up as far east as Lange gang [Centre street] and until about 1700, only the north side was occupied by houses. Front, Green and Union streets east of Ferry street, used for cow paths to the pastures and woodlands, were not then built upon. The little church and graveyard stood at the junction of State, Church and Water streets and the Dominie's house upon the site of the present church. Many of the original village lots were about 200 feet square - four to a block or square, but were early subdivided to meet the demands for residences within the stockades. [Bouwlands of Schenectady 1664: Map constructed from actual survey and the ancient deed.] Second. The bouwland. The great tract of flat or bottom land bounded northerly by the river and State street, southerly by the sand bluff, easterly by Centre street extended south, and westerly by the hills west of the hills west of the first lock on the canal, embracing several hundred acres of arable land, was anciently called the Groote Vlaachte. It was mainly cleared land when the white man first occupied it in 1662, and had been the Mohawks' maize land perhaps for centuries. This and other parcels of like soil along the Mohawk, formed the main inducement for the Hollanders to settle here; in them they recognized the Polders of fatherland. (59-1) The bouwland was originally divided into twenty-three separate parcels and assigned to fifteen individuals, no one, with one exception, holding more than fifty acres, - all being served alike, quantity and quality [and convenience] considered. The farm nearest the village embracing twenty-four acres was Van Velsen's, bounded by State street, Coehorn and Mill creeks as far west as, or near to Church street. This, together with the water privilege was granted in consideration of his building a grist mill on Mill Lane. (60-1) The second parcel consisting of about forty acres of bottom land, anciently called "Gerrit Symonse's meadow," commenced at or near the Coehorn kil at the south bounds of Van Velsen's land and extended southerly to and including "Veeder's Mills." This parcel has been preserved nearly entire and is mostly in the ownership and occupation of the Veeder family at the present time. (60-2) The third the largest and most valuable farm, embracing 114 acres, was Arent Van Curler's, called the first piece of land and after his death, Juffrow's landt. (60-3) This was bounded northerly by the Binnè kil, easterly by Van Velsen's farm (excepting a few gardens on the south side of Water street), southerly by "Gerrit Symonse's meadow," and by the sand bluff, or hills, as far as the Schermerhorn Mills, and westerly by farms Nos. 1 and 4, owned by Arent Bradt and Pieter Van Woggelum. The New York Central Railroad runs through the southerly end of this valuable tract, and the canal nearly through the middle of it. (60-4) Van Curler fairly earned this distinction above his partners in this land grant, by reason of his great exertions and influence in procuring the extinguishment of the Indian title in the first place, and by his subsequent labors in acquiring patents for these lands from the Governor and Council. The fourth large parcel of the bouwland called the second or foremost piece of land to distinguish it from Van Curler's which was called the first piece, lay next west. The east line of this tract ran along the west fence of the Schenectady car works yard, and so northerly to and around the east side of lot No. 1, belonging to Arent Bratt, following the small brook emptying into the Binnè kil, a little east of the farm buildings of the late John Myers. The westerly line of this parcel was the Poenties Kil and lot No. 10 belonging to Teunis Cornelise Swart. This second piece was divided into ten farms including De Winter's or Elias' Plantasie, by north-east and south-west lines from the river to the sand bluff, and by easterly and westerly lines nearly coinciding with the river road and canal. The fifth parcel of bouwlands called the hindermost piece of land, commenced at the Poenties kil and extended west to the hills near the first lock, and was divided into ten farms by north-easterly and south-westerly lines from the river to the hills, and by easterly and westerly lines nearly coinciding with the canal and river road. According to the measurements of that day the entire Bouwland consisted of Van Velsen's farm, 24 acres Gerrit Symonse's meadow, 40 acres Van Curler's farm or first piece, 114 acres The second or foremost piece of land, say 245 acres The hindermost piece, say 261 acres The gardens along the south side of Water street, say 10 acres 694 acres It is quite evident that this measurement was much too small. Probably only the good, clear, arable land was taken into account in the above allotments, creupelbos and dovegats being excluded. Since that early day these have been cleared and filled, thereby much enlarging the area of arable land. The second and hindmost great lots of the bouwlands including Elias' Plantasie were subdivided each into ten parcels of about twenty-five acres, numbered from 1 to 10, beginning at the easterly and westerly extremities of these two parcels, and proceeding towards the Poenties Kil (61-1), on the west side of which lay the two farms numbered 10, united into one. So that persons to whom were allotted numbers 1, 2, 3, &c., of the second near the village, drew also numbers 1, 2, 3, &c., of the hindmost parcel at the western extremity of the bouwland, and only one person had all of his land in one place, to wit, Teunis Cornelise Swart, the fortunate holder of the double farm numbered ten. This ingenious plan of allotment was contrived to prevent any one person obtaining an undue advantage over his associates by selecting all his land near the village. Two other parcels of arable land separated from the Great Flat by the river were also assigned at an early day, viz., Marten's or Van Slyck's island comprising about 82 acres, patented to Jacques Cornelise Van Slyck and Jan Barentse Wemp: - and the flat lying west and south of the lake in Scotia, granted to Sander Leendertse Glen, estimated at 50 acres. (62-1) Finally, on the eastern side of the village, between Front street and the river, was a strip of land called the Calver Wey, which was allotted to the first settlers in parcels of 2 1/2 morgens, the easternmost lot being that of Jellis Fonda. Adjoining Fonda's lot easterly, was Hans Janse Eenkluys' bouwery of 18 morgens, which, on his death, became the property of the Dutch Church, - a legacy for the benefit of the poor of Schenectady. (62-2) All lands lying outside of the palisades easterly of Ferry street, save the house lots on the north side of State street as far as Centre street, were originally allotted to individuals in parcels of a few acres as woodland or pasture ground. Original Owners of the Twenty Farms Into Which That Portion of the Great Flat Lying Westerly of Arent Van Curler's Bouwery Was Divided (62-3) Farms No. 1 Both farms numbered one were patented to Catelyn De Vos, widow of Arent Bratt the norman, June 2, 1668. Patents, 590. June 15, 1668, a new patent was granted to Barent Janse [Van Ditmars] and Catelyn [De Vos] his wife. Patents, 593. Feb. 27, 1690, on occasion of her third marriage with Claas Janse Van Boekhoven, Catelyn De Vos secured her childrens' share in their father's [Bratt's] property by a mortgage upon these two farms. Deeds, IV, 296. Oct. 13, 1713, On her death an appraisal of these two farms was made when the foremost farm was valued at £393.15, and the hindmost farm at £354.7-6. (Schermerhorn Papers) Jan. 1698/9. The will of Catalyntje De Vos speaks of the first lot as containing thirty-six acres and the aftermost lot thirty acres. Wills, I, 74. 15 Aug. 1705. Former deeds being lost in 1690, Ryer Schermerhorn only surviving trustee, gave a new deed to Arent Bratt, grandson and heir of Arent Andriese Bratt, for the first lot thirty-six acres and aftermost lot thirty acres. Deeds, V, 168. In 1707, a contract was made that Margaret, widow of Andries Bratt deceased and wife of Harmanus Vedder, should have the use of farm No. 1, during her life. 27 Aug. 1713, Reyer Schermerhorn and Dirk Bratt conveyed to Samuel Bratt the hindermost farm No. 1, containing fifteen morgens and 467 rods. Deeds, V, 284-5. Farms No. 2 They were first owned by Philip Hendrickse Brouwer. April, 29, 1664, his administrators sold them to Cornelis Van Ness for Jan Dirkse Van Eps son of Maritie Damen his wife, for the sum of 1287 guilders. Deeds, II, 469. April 29, 1667, the above sale was confirmed by the Governor's patent. Patents, 392. May 1, 1681. Douwe Aukes claimed to have purchased at vendue half the hindmost farm which he afterwards sold to Davidt Christoffelse. Deeds, IV, 181. Feb. 4, 1713/4, Johannes Baptist Van Eps eldest son and heir of Jan Dirkse Van Eps deceased, conveyed to Arent Bratt the hindmost farm No. 2, comprising twelve morgens. Deeds, V, 217. See also Deeds, V, 310, 311 - will of Reyer Schmerhorn 5 April, 1717, and Will of Myndert Van Gyseling April 2, 1771, among H. Yates' Papers. Farms No. 3 These farms were first granted to Sander Leendertse Glen, by Patent of date June 16, 1664. On 6 April, 1704, Johannes eldest son and heir of Jacob Glen, eldest son and heir of Sander Leendertse Glen both deceased, conveyed to Claas Van Petten the foremost farm No. 3 containing ten morgens 130 rods together with two morgens of hindmost farm No. 3. Deeds, IV, 324. Johannes Glen by will devised the remainder of hindmost farm, 26 Sept. 1706, to his younger brother Sander, comprising about twenty acres. Will in Court of Appeals office. On the 4th June, 1711, Claas Van Patten conveyed to his son Andries the foremost lot. Deeds, V, 340, 353. Feb. 24, and Aug. 11, 1714. To rectify a disputed line, R. Schermerhorn and Andries Van Petten make a final settlement. Deeds, V, 222, 341. Farms No. 4 Farms No. 4 were granted to Pieter Adrianse Soegemakelyk, alias Van Woggelum, June 5, 1667, the first containing fourteen morgens, and the second twelve morgens. Patents, 478. Van Woggelum conveyed both to Helmer Otten, Aug. 13, 1670. Deeds, II, 769. Ap. 6, 1681, Van Woggelum reconveyed the same to Reyer Schermerhorn who had married Otten's widow. Deeds, III, 108. June 18, 1695, Jan, eldest son of Pieter Adriaense Van Woggelum, quit claimed the same to Schermerhorn. Schermerhorn Papers. Feb. 24 and Aug. 11, 1714, Schermerhorn and Claas Van Petten settle the disputed line between foremost farms No. 3 and 4. Deeds, V, 222, 341. Feb. 27, 1702/3. Catherine Otten, wife of Gerrit Symonse Veeder, exchanged eight morgens of the hoek [foremost farm, No. 9] with R. Schermerhorn for eight morgens of hindmost farm No. 4. Deeds, V, 287. The patent for R. Schermerhorn's mill privilege on the Schuylenbergh Kil [at Schermerhorn's mills], was given and recorded in the Secretary of State's office, in Boston, Mass., Sept. 29, 1688. Farms No. 5 June 29, 1667, Governor Nicolls confirmed to Willem Teller the two farms, No. 5, which were first patented to him by Governor Stuyvesant, June 16, 1664. Patents, 491. June 20, 1700, his son Johannes "being much reduced in property, in 1690 at Schenectady, by the French," received a conveyance of these two farms from his father. Deeds, IV, 209. 9 Ap., 1752, Willem Teller, son of Johannes, devised the foremost farm on the Poenties Kil to his son Willem, and the second or hindmost farm to his eldest son Johannes. Farms No. 6 Gerrit Bancker, of Albany, received the patent for these farms June 16, 1664, which patent was confirmed Ap. 27, 1667 by Governor Nicolls. (65-1) Patents, 382. Evert, son and heir of Gerrit Bancker, sold the foremost lot to Isaac Swits, July 7, 1702, for £183 12s; - it contained 22 acres. Deeds, V, 154. Isaac Swits made his will Ap. 1, 1701, - proved Oct. 4, 1707, - and devised a portion of the first farm to his eldest son Cornelis. Will, Court of Appeals office. The hindmost farm belonging to Harmen Vedder; he conveyed the southeasterly half to his son Albert, Mar. 12, 1700/1, for the sum of £91 16s. This moiety then contained ten acres. Deeds, V, 107. Sept. 19, 1748, Albert Vedder was "now or late" the owner of the west half also. Deeds, VII, 212 Feb. 8, 1751/2, Albert Vedder, "synde out van daghen," made his will which was proved Feb. 13, 1753/4, and devised four and one-half morgens of this hindmost farm, No. 6, to his son Harme. Will, Court of Appeals office. Farms No. 7 Pieter Jacobse Bosboom [Borsboom?] de Steenbakker received a patent of these farms June 16, 1664, - confirmed May 9, 1668. Patents, 552. 17 Sept., 1669, Bosboom conveyed the foremost farm to Jan Labitie, 11 morgens, 263 rods. Deeds, II, 759. In 1702 this foremost lot belonged to Gysbert Gerritse Van Brakel, Deeds, V, 154. Jan Labitie sold 12 morgens out of this farm to Johannes Van Eps. The hindmost lot was partitioned among Bosboom's four daughters, to wit, Maritie, wife of Hendrick Brouwer, Fytie, wife of Marte Van Benthuysen, Tryntje, wife of John Oliver and Anna, wife of Jan Mebie. Deeds, VI, 185. Farms No. 8 Marten Cornelise Van Isselsteyn received a patent for these farms June 16, 1664, - confirmed by Governor Nicolls, April 13, 1668. Patents, 527. Oct. 23, 1668, he sold both farms to Claas Frederickse Van Petten and Cornelis Cornelise Vielè, comprising 22 acres. Deeds, II, 741. The former sold his moiety, - the foremost farm to Jan Dirkse Van Eps, for which Jan Baptist Van Eps, his son and heir received a confirmatory deed from the trustees of Schenectady, Feb., 1701/2. Deeds, IV, 332. Vielè sold his moiety, - the hindmost farm - to Jurriaen Teunise Tappen of Albany, the 25th Aug., 1670, and next day received from Tappen the conveyance of a house and lot in Albany, probably in exchange. Deeds, II, 777. Tappen disposed of this farm to Dirk Hesselingh, who conveyed the same Feb. 1, 1671/2, to Harmen Vedder. Not. Pap., II; Deeds, VII, 185. On the 15th Dec., 1672, Tappen confirmed the above sale by quit-claim to Vedder. Deeds, II, 866. Farms No. 9 These farms were first conveyed to Simon Volckertse Veeder, de bakker, by patent of date June 16th, 1664, - confirmed Jan. 15, 1667, by patent from Governor Nicolls. Patents, 310. Veeder made his will Jan. 8, 1696/7, bequeathing the hindmost farm to son Volckert. Wills, Court of Appeals office. Volckert Veeder made his will Aug. 4, 1733, and left the hindmost lot to his four sons. H. Yates' Papers. Nov. 2, 1682, Simon Volckertse Veeder exchanged the foremost farm called the hoek with Jacob Casparse Hallenbeck for land on the Normanskill. Not. Pap., II. And June 8, 1687, Jacob Casparse and wife conveyed the hoek to Jan Jansen Bleecker for "two hundred and fifty good merchantable beaver skins." Schermerhorn Papers. 17 March, 1696/7, Reyer Schermerhorn agreed to convey to Gerrit Symonse Veeder 8 morgens of land out of the hoeck to be cut of with an east and west line from the south end. Deeds, IV, 106. 23d Feb., 1702/3, Jan Janse Bleecker conveyed the hoek to Reyer Schermerhorn. 5th March, 1705/6, Schermerhorn agreed to sell to Gillis Fonda four morgens out of the hoeck. Schermerhorn Papers. When Gerrit Symonse Veeder made his will 12 March, 1746/7, he devised eight morgens out of the hoek to his children. - H. Yates' Papers. Farm No. 10 The double bouwery No. 10, was first patented to Teunis Cornelise Swart, June 16, 1664, and confirmed Jan. 16, 1667. Patents, 309. Elizabeth, widow of Teunis Swart, then wife of Jacob Meese Vrooman, of Albany, Feb. 20, 1685/6, conveyed to her son Jesaias Swart, eight acres of land out of this farm to be taken from the extreme south end. Deeds, III, 310. 26th April, 1692. Wouter Uythoff (third husband of Elizabeth), and said Elizabeth his wife, for 540 beavers conveyed the whole bouwery No. 10, to Claas Laurense Van Purmerend (alias Van der Volgen). Deeds, IV, 35. Jan. 4, 1692/3. Claas Laurense Van Purmerend sold to Claas Janse Van Boekhoven for 147 pounds the half of farm No. 10 lying between the highway and the river, - eleven morgens. Deeds, IV, 34. And Jan. 5, 1692/3. Claas Janse conveyed to Dirk Arentse Bratt, his stepson for 73 1/2 pounds, five and one-half morgens of the above purchase, being the easterly half of that portion lying north of the highway. Deeds, IV, 38. On the same day, to wit, Jan. 5, 1692/3, in consideration of a sum of money paid him by Catharine Glen, sometime widow of Cornelis Barentse Van Ditmars, eldest son of Barent Janse Van Ditmars, Claas Janse Van Boekhoven conveyed to said Catharine Glen (and as her dower), now wife of Gerrit Lansing, Jr., a piece of land out of farm No. 10, being the westerly half of that portion lying between the highway and the river - consisting of five and one-half morgens. Deeds, IV, 37. The land in the immediate vicinity of the village, - the Great Flat and island, - were all taken up in 1662, by the fifteen first proprietors. Other persons followed the next and succeeding years and finding no lands unoccupied, either bought up the rights of the earlier owners or pushed further into the wilderness, on both sides of the Mohawk river. The south side was considered the safest from Indian attacks and for that reason the Governor and Council at first discouraged settlements on the north side; this was but a temporary check however. Before the year 1700 all the arable land on both sides of the river to and even beyond the western bounds of the town was taken up and sparsely settled. (68-1) These lands had a rich alluvial soil formed by the annual overflow of the river, and were mainly found in the bends and eddys; excepting the Great Flat they were generally small, comprising but a few acres. Flats or Plains on the South Side of the River Poversen (68-2) Going west this is the first arable land lying on the south side of the river above the Great Flat. It commenced at the road running west from the first lock (68-3) and extended up the river to the "stone kil," a dry creek next above the second lock. It was first purchased from the natives by Benjamin Roberts, who sold the same to Henderick Lambertse Bont. The latter sold the easterly portion to Barent Janse Van Ditmars and the westerly portion to Douwe Aukes, who conveyed the same to his [adopted] son Cornelis Vielè. In 1713 Vielè was then residing on this land between the two locks. (68-4) First Flat This flat or plain consisting of about 80 acres of lowlands is described in Jacques Cornelise Van Slyck's patent, granted in 1684, as "situated between two creeks, one called Stone creek to the eastward, the other 'Platte creek' to the westward, come to him in right of his mother who was a Mohawk woman." (69-1) It has remained in the family to this day, passing from father to son by inheritance. The easterly part of this flat called "Hazlenut flat" was owned by Manasseh Sixberry, in 1709; he then made his will, leaving his property to his four children. (69-2) Second Flat This farm beginning at a little above "Reghel brugse kil" (69-3) was first taken up by Jacobus Peek and Isaac Du Trieux about 1670, and patented to them in 1677. It contained twenty-two and one-half morgens or forty-five acres and twenty acres of woodland. In 1706, Maria widow of Isaac Du Trieux had permission from the trustees of Schenectady to sell to Jacobus Peek eight morgens of land on this flat. Johannes and Jacobus, sons of Jacobus Peek, became the owners of the whole tract. It is now owned by John McCue on the west end, Abraham A. Bratt on the east end. (69-4) Third Flat This flat lies about eight miles above Schenectady, and consisted anciently of about 127 acres of lowland; in 1864, it was computed at thirty morgens or say sixty-three acres and was then occupied, - the upper or westerly part by Simon and Nicholas Mebie and Abraham N. Bratt, the lower or easterly portion by the Bratts. It was taken up by Daniel Janse Van Antwerpen in 1670, and patented to him in 1680. In 1706, he sold to Jan Pieterse Mebie, the west half of the same consisting of sixty-three acres and seventy-nine rods. Mebie at first lived on the westerly end of this flat near the river but subsequently moved to the lower end of the same, where his house is still standing and in the occupation of one of his descendants. The old Van Antwerp house was standing to the west of the Mebie house, until a few years ago. (70-1) Fourth Flat The Fourth Flat lying next west of the third was granted in 1715, by the trustees of Schenectady to Pieter Vrooman, who in 1742, conveyed the same or at least the western portion of it, to Jan Wemple and Arent Bratt. Johannes Veeder married a daughter of Pieter Vrooman and inherited the easterly portion, now in possession of Myndert, grandson of said Johannes Veeder. Jan Wemple's land extended to the Zandig kil. De Willegen, or Willow Flat This flat commmenced at Stone creek below Port Jackson and ran down the river thirty-four rods [4188 ft.] and contained thirty-three morgens or sixty-six acres, 390 rods, - also 200 acres of woodland. It was first granted to Pieter Van Olinda and Claas Willemse Van Coppernol. Van Olinda holding the easterly half and Van Coppernol the westerly half, which he conveyed to Philip Philipse in 1689 in exchange for the 6th Flat on the north side of the river. (70-2) Flats or Plains on the North Side of the River Claas Graven's Hoek The first land settled upon west of Scotia was the Hoek. This farm was taken up by Claas Andriese De Graaf, the first settler. After his death, which took place before 1697, his widow, Elizabeth Brouwer, leased it to Jonathan Stevens and Daniel Mascraft. (70-3) In 1714, Gysbert Marcelis received a patent for six acres of land on the Hoek for a hofstede, he being then the owner of the neighboring island called Gyse's island. (71-1) Maalwyck Next west of the Hoek, lies a tract called from the earliest times, Maalwyck, - a name of obscure origin and signification. Benjamin, or Bent Roberts first purchased this farm of the natives, with the approbation of the magistrates of Albany, - 36 acres of land, together with 40 acres of woodland, which was confirmed to him July 1, 1669. This bouwery lay opposite to Arent [Bratt], the norman's hindmost lot of land. (71-2) After Roberts' death his land passed to his two stepsons, Joseph and Pieter Clement, who disposed of it, together with Benten island, to Carel Hansen Toll and Cornelis Vielè, Nov. 24, 1735, Toll taking the easterly half of the land, and westerly half of the island and Vielè, the remainder. The farm is still in the possession and occupation of a descendant of Carel Hansen. (71-3) Second Flat This flat extends from Rector's easterly, and in 1864 was owned by Gerrit Barhydt, 17 acres. Frank Potter, 40 acres. D. D. Campbell, 30 acres. Total with upland, 87 acres. The Second Flat proper, was originally taken up about 1678, - the eastern half by Pieter Cornelise Vielè, and the westerly half by Jan Janse Joncker, alias Rotterdam. Vielè died early and his wife, Jacquemina Swart, married Benonny Arentse Van Hoeck, who was killed at Schenectady, in 1690. Afterwards she married Cornelis Vynhout, of Ulster county, and in 1699 they conveyed her share of this flat to her son, Lewis Vielè, - 19 morgens, 82 rods. Lewis, about 1709, conveyed the same to Ryer Schermerhorn for "ye behoofe of said town" of Schenectady, - 18 morgens, and in 1718, the patentees of Schenectady conveyed the "easternmost end of said flat to Reyer Schermerhorn, bounded south, by the river, west, by heirs of Jan Janse Joncker, north, by woodland, in all, 17 morgens Rynland measure - together with 17 morgens woodland on the north side of the Second Flat." Reyer Schermerhorn, by will made 1717, devised this land to his son Arent; and Reyer Schermerhorn, grandson of Reyer Schermerhorn the first, in 1773, released said land to Abraham Schermerhorn. After Joncker's death his share of this flat, being the westerly half, was divided among his five daughters. (72-1) Fourth Flat This flat extends westerly from Rector's to "Arent Mebie's kil," and was owned in 1864 by William Rector, 40 acres Smith B. Walton, 3 acres Adam Swart, 7 acres Nicholas Swart, 7 acres John Walton, 5 1/2 acres Total with upland, 62 1/2 acres In 1678 Sander Glen petitioned the Governor to grant the fourth flat to Lewis Cobes and his son-in-law Johannes Kleyn. In 1683 the Mohawk Sakemakers conveyed this flat to Arnout Cornelise Vielè, - 16 or 17 morgens - for services rendered as interpreter, - lying over against the [second] flat occupied by Jacobus Peek, - and by the Mohawks called Wachkeerhoha. In 1684 the patentees of Schenectady conveyed it to Ludovicus Cobes and Johannes Kleyn with a lapie (72-2) by it, on the other [north] side of the river, containing 17 morgens, 164 rods of land. After Cobes' death, his widow Alida Pieterse married Dirk Ofmulder and occupied Cobes' portion. Maria, only daughter and heir of Cobes after her husband [Johannes Kleyn's] death in 1687, married Tam Smit "Van Nieu Englandt." In 1698 Ofmulder and wife leased their share for life to Smith, save that on the death of Ofmulder's wife, her granddaughter Clara Kleyn was to have three morgens or the value of it. By Kleyn's will his widow Maria Cobes had the half of this flat for life, by the above lease her husband Smith had the use of the other half for life. In 1714 Willem Marinus, who had married Baefie, youngest daughter of said Kleyn united with his wife and conveyed her third share of three morgens to Pieter Clement and Anna his wife, - sister of said Baefie, and in 1716 said Pieter Clement conveyed to the trustees of Schenectady six morgens of land at the west end of said flat. In 1725 Col. Stephanus Groesbeck owned the westerly portion of this flat, which "hindmost half" was the portion owned by Kleyn and contained nine morgens. (73-1) Fifth or Wolf Flat This flat extending from "Arent Mebie's kil" west, is now in the possession and occupation of John Barhydt and consists of about 85 acres of land. In 1678 "the comissaries of Schanechtade made application to ye Go: that the fifth Plaine or Flatland on the other [north] side of the Maquaes river may be disposed of for a minister, reader, &c. - And also that the rest of the Plains or Flatts may be at the disposall of the Cort." It is presumed this application was successful, for in 1698, the trustees of Schenectady rented the westerly half for seven years to Arent Vedder, Jan Danielse [Van Antwerpen] and Dirk Groot for 24 pieces of eight and two quarties. (73-2) Jasaias Swart succeeded them as lessee, probably for another term of seven years and in 1713 his lease was renewed for twenty years at a rent of £6-19-6, and the trustees the same day conveyed to him thirty acres of woodland, "northward of the Wolf, that is the Fifth Flat, and runs up on both sides of a kil commonly called the Fifth Flat kil." (74-1) In 1716 the trustees of Schenectady sold the easterly half of this flat to Jan Mebie for 300 pounds and a reserved rent of fifteen skipples of wheat, - commencing at the north-west end of the fourth flat by a [Mebie's] creek, containing fifteen morgens Rynland measure. This rent was commuted by D. D. Campbell, Nov. 1, 1854. In 1739 Lourens Claase Vander Volgen by will devised to his son Claas Lowrense his "lot of arable land, the hindmost [westerly] part of the five plains [Fifth flat] containing twelve morgens more or less, situate in the Woestyne on the north side of the Mohawk river come to me by the trustees of Schonegteday" - valued at 200 pounds. In 1725, John Mabie by will devised to his eldest son Pieter "my lands… on the north side of the Mohawk between the lands of Lawrence Van Der Volgen and lands of Col. Stephanus Groesbeck;" the latter owned the westerly half of the fourth flat at this time. In 1750, Claas Van Der Volgen sold to Pieter Mebie his twelve morgens and ninety-seven rods of land on the west end of this flat. In 1768, Pieter Mebie by will devised his land being the whole of the fifth flat, to Jan Mebie his son, who in 1789, devised the same to his widow and two sons, Pieter and Simon, and they in 1799, conveyed the same to David Lawyer, Jr. The latter sold the same to John S. Barhydt from whom it passed by inheritance to his son John, the present owner. (74-2) Sixth Flat This flat begins just east of the seventh flat from which it is separated by the Droybergh, Verf or color kil, alias Tequatsera. (74-3) It was owned in 1864, by Aaron Swart. It was first occupied by Philip Philipse De Moer as a tenant of the trustees of Schenectady. In 1689 he exchanged his ownership in the same with Claas Willemse Van Coppernol for a portion of the Willegen Vlachte and in 1708, Sander his son, leased it for twelve years at a rent of £2.8s. It then consisted of five morgens with an additional three morgens of woodland. On the 2d Sept., 1714, on a petition of Jacobus Van Dyck in the name of the consistory, Reyer Schermerhorn conveyed this flat containing about seven morgens or fourteen acres, - also ten morgens, or twenty acres of woodland lying behind it, - to the Dutch church. In 1770, Esaias Swart was in possession of this plain which then was computed to contain seven morgens. (75-1) Seventh Flat This flat lies near Hoffman's ferry between the Droybergh kil on the east and Van Eps' kil on the west. In 1684 the trustees of Schenectady conveyed the westerly half to Carel Hansen Toll reserving a rent of one skipple of wheat. Reyer Schermerhorn owned the easterly half. The whole flat contained 40 morgens. In 1721, Carel Hanse conveyed his half to his son-in-law Johannes Van Eps and Neeltie his wife. In 1742, Pieter Cornu, another son-in-law of Carel Hanse, who "sometime then past" had had conveyance of the same from Johannes Van Eps, leased it to said Van Eps save what he had leased to Claas Van Petten, and immediately thereafter quit claims it to Johannes Van Eps. In 1705, Reyer Schermerborn conveyed the easterly half of this plat to his son Jan; and by his will made 1717, devised the same to the children of his daughter Catalyntje, wife of John Wemp. In 1719 Jan, eldest son of Reyer Schermerhorn, confirmed by deed the bequest made in his father's will to Catalyntje's children. In 1733 the Wemps transferred their interest to Johannes Van Eps, owner of the other half. (75-2) Cambefort's Patent In 1694 Gerardus Cambefort contracted to sell his patent to Carel Hansen Toll, land he had previously received of the Indians. In 1703 Lord Cornbury granted Cambefort a patent for 20 acres of land, "beginning from a place called Kanquaragoone [now Towereune] the westerly bounds of the Patent granted to Schenectady, running up westward to limits of land formerly conveyed to Henry Cuyler, deceased." Immediately thereafter Cambefort conveyed the same to Toll. This land extends along the river westward from Towereune to Lewis' creek. (76-1) Claes Graven's Hoek - Cuyler's Vlachte or Adriucha. This Claes Graven's Hoek is not to be confounded with that heretofore spoken of, situated near Scotia. (76-2) In 1686, "To Philip Wells, surveyor general; - the humble petition of Hendrick Kyler for a certain piece of land called Claes Graven hook, - about thirty acres of lowland and fifty of upland, being read was granted, provided the said land be not already appropriated or disposed of." (76-3) Governor Dongan issued to Cuyler a patent for this and other lands in 1687. After his death Ann Cuyler, his widow and John his eldest son sold the same in 1699 to Carel Hansen Toll for 180 pounds. Philip Groot of Schenectady early settled on this land and after his death in 1716 was succeeded by his son Ludovicus (Lewis), who gave name to the creek forming the easterly bounds of this patent. Adriucha is still in possession of the Groot family at what is now called Crane's Village. (76-4) Islands Great Island in Niskayuna This is one of the largest islands in the river, containing about 80 acres. It was conveyed to Hilletie Cornelise, sister of Jacques Cornelise Van Slyck, by the Mohawks June 1, 1667, and confirmed by Governor Nicolls May 8, 1668. On the 4th March, 1669, and again Feb. 6, 1705/6, Hilletie and her husband, Pieter Van Olinda, conveyed it to Johannes Clute (77-1), which sale was confirmed by the Governor and Council Aug. 2, 1671. (77-2) On 20 June, 1707, Johannes Clute and Bata his wife, conveyed it to his son Jacob, and sons-in-law of mature age, and to Robert Livingston, in trust, for his infant children. (77-3) Again, on June 25, 1707, Clute and his wife transferred the same to Robert Livingston for 420 pounds (77-4), - and lastly to said Livingston, Aug. 9, 1707, for 706 pounds, together with 20 acres on the mainland between the two creeks, - to free himself from embarrassments. (77-5) Five Small Islands at Niskayuna At a conference with the Five Nations at Albany, 19 July, 1701, they say "Brother Corlaer: - Wee have a small right in the Maquase river att Canastagiowne, to wit, five small Islands containing about five or six acres between Rosendael and Cornelis Tymes's, which wee give to Jan Baptist Van Eps and Lawrence Claese [Vander Volgen], the two Interpreters to be equally divided between them, - John Baptist to have the uppermost halfe and Lawrence the lowermost, - and that in consideration, because they take much pains in interpreting." (77-6) Marten's, Van Slyck's or Wemp's Island This large island lying west of the city, and separated therefrom by the Binnè Kil was early granted by the Mohawks to Marten Cornelise (77-7) Van Slyck alias Marten Maurits, a half breed, who dying in 1662, Governor Stuyvesant gave a patent for the same, Nov. 12, 1662, to his brother and heir Jacques Cornelise Van Slyck and Jan Barentse Wemp. (77-8) Stuyvesant's patent was confirmed by Governor Nicolls Ap. 13, 1667; it then contained, including another small island separated by a creek, 82 acres. (77-9) Sept. 13, 1694, another confirmatory patent was granted to the heirs of Sweer Teunise (who married Wemp's widow) for three morgens or six acres, more than the half of this island, and the small one to the rear of it, separated by a small kil, "containing in the whole of both islands, 22 morgens, or 44 acres." The entire contents of the island were, therefore, 41 morgens or 82 acres. A portion of the west end of the island was anciently called, "Jan Pappen Leghten." (78-1) Kruysbessen (Gooseberry) Island This island lies northerly of Van Slyck's island from which it is separated by a rapid called "Knock 'em stiff." Jan. 2, 1698/9, the justice of the peace (Johannes Sanderse Glen), and gemeen-mannen of Schenectady, conveyed to Gysbert Gerritse [Van Brakel] an island on the north side of the river called Kruysbessen (Gooseberry) island lying west of Spuyten duyvel [island] consideration 32 beavers at six guilders per beaver to be paid within three years. (78-2) On the 10th April, 1702, Reyer Schermerhorn by virtue of the Dongan Patent conveyed the same to Jellis Fonda, containing one morgen more or less. Again the 22d Sept., 1706, Gillis Fonda conveyed the same to Hendrick Vrooman and Arent Danielse [Van Antwerpen], - two morgens more or less. Hend. Vrooman and Arent Danielse conveyed this island to Barent Vrooman, on the 11 March, 1708/9. June 6, 1750, Isaac Swits and wife Maria, by virtue of Barent Vrooman's will made Sept. 6, 1748, conveyed this island to Jacob Glen from whom it passed to the Sanders family in whose possession it has since remained. (78-3) Spuyten Duyvel Johannes Sanderse Glen bought this island of the trustees of Schenectady together with a parcel of "boslandt" in 1705/6 for £16-10. (78-4) It lies just opposite the old Glen [now Sanders] House in Scotia and formerly contained several acres, but is now reduced to the fraction of an acre and quite valueless for tillage. Varkens or Hog Island This island lies at the north end of Van Slyck's island and is separated from it by an arm of the Mohawk river, which at the ordinary low water is a mere sluggish bayou. It originally contained about three morgens or six acres. The eastern end next the Binnè kil is called the platt, a low muddy islet of triangular shape and at ordinary times scarcely separated from it. In early times this island was claimed by the owners of Van Slyck's island. In 1694 Rodè, a Mohawk Sachem, declared "that about thirty years ago when Schenectady began to be settled he and other Mohawks granted to Marten Cornelise [Van Slyck] the island known as Varken's island on the north side of Akus' island." (79-1) On the 9th Nov., 1670, Pieter Jacobse Bosboom [Borsboom?] received a patent "to confirm to him a small island belonging to him, which hath heretofore been given to him by the Indians, lying in the river there next to the island of Sweer Teunise and Akes Cornelise [Van Slyck] containing about six acres or three morgens." (79-2) Van Eps Island This small island lies north of Varken's island from which it is separated by a bayou nearly filled up. A portion of this island was devised in 1800 by John Baptist Van Eps to his son John, after his wife's decease; another portion - an undivided sixth part - was conveyed in 1808 by Tobias H. Ten Eyck to Cornelis Vrooman. (79-3) De La Warde's, Joris Aertse's, or Guise's Island This island lies on the north-westerly side of Van Slyck's island, and contained originally fifteen or sixteen morgens of land. It was first owned by Jan De La Warde who sold it to Joris Aertse Van der Baast. (80-1) The latter was killed at the destruction of the village in 1690, and on the 27 Feb. 1698/9 his attorney Pieter Bogardus of Albany with the trustees of Schenectady, conveyed it to Gysbert Marselis of Albany. (80-2) This conveyance was confirmed by patent of date 23d June, 1714. (80-3) The hofstede of this farm was on the mainland opposite, adjoining the land of Claas De Graff and consisted of 6 acres. Nicholas De Graff who owned the neighboring mainland purchased this island of Gysbert Marselis. (80-4) Fonda's Island The situation of this island is best described in the patent to Simon Simonse Groot, of date Aug. 9, 1694, "to confirm to him a small island in the Mohawk river within the town of Schenectady possessed by him for twenty-seven years, to wit, a certain small island in the Mohawk river lying to the north of the Hoek, (80-5) or point of Reyer Jacobsen's [Schermerhorn], and the southward of the island belonging to Joris Aertsen [now Guise's] and to the westward of the island lately belonging to Sweer Teunise deceased, - containing five morgens or ten acres." (80-6) Philip Livingston of Albany, afterwards became its owner and sold it to Jellis Fonda by whose will made Sept. 8, 1737, it was divided among his three sons, Pieter, Abraham and Jacob. (80-7) Sassian's or Claas Viele's Island The next island above Guise's island is Sassian's or Claas Vielè's island containing between seven and nine morgens. It lay opposite the "hindmost lot No. 1," of Arent Bratt, and belonged originally, to Hendrick Lambertse Bont alias Sassian, by whom it was sold to Douw Aukes and then to his adopted son Cornelis Vielè. The Vieles long possessed and gave their name to it. (80-8) Benten, or Bent's Island This is the large island next above Sassian's island, lying on the north side of the river and originally contained about ten morgens. It was first possessed by Bent Roberts, from whom it passed by his will to his two stepsons Joseph and Pieter Clement. They sold the upper half to Carel Hansen Toll and the lower half to Cornelis Vielè. (81-1) Notes (59-1) [Smith in his History of New York published in 1756, says, "the lands in the vale of Schenectady are so fertile that they are commonly sold at 45 pounds [$112.50] per acre. Through the farmers use no kind of manure, they till the fields every year and they always produce full crops of wheat or peas." "I went with [Robert] Sanders to one Adam [Vrooman] and to examine the flats which are exceedingly rich land." "This Schoonechtendeel is situated as we have said twenty-four miles west of Fort Albany, toward the country of the Mohawks, upon a good flat, high enough to be free from the overflowing of the water of the river, which sometimes overflow their cultivated lands, which lie much lower. Their cultivated lands are not what they call in that country Valleyen, but large flats between the hills on the margin, or along the side of the rivers, brooks or creeks, very flat and level without a single tree or bush upon them, of a black sandy soil, which is four and sometimes five or six feet deep, but sometimes less, which can hardly be exhausted. They cultivate it year after year without manure for. many years. It yields large crops of wheat but not so good as that raised in the woodland around the city of New York and elsewhere, nor so productively, but it makes white flour. The wheat which comes from this place, the Hysopus [Esopus] and some other places is a little blue." "The village proper of Schenectady is a square set off by palisades. There may be about thirty houses, which are situated on the side of Mohawk river." - Danker & Sluyter's Journal [i.e., Jasper Danker and Peter Sluyter, Journal of a Voyage to New York], 168 [1680?], 301, 315. See Miller's map, 1695, which shows 28 houses. M'M.] (60-1) See Van Velsen. (60-2) See Gerrit Symonse Veeder. (60-3) Madam's [Van Curler's] land. (60-4) See Van Curler. (61-1) The Poenties Kil is the brook (dry a large part of the year now), forming the western boundary of the Van Eps farm on the river road, about a mile west of the city. The Kil next east of the Poenties Kil crossed by a stone bridge was anciently called Willem Teller's Killetje, because it formed the eastern boundary of his land. Many years since the Poenties Kil was connected with Willem Teller's Killetje by an artificial canal dug along the foot of the sand hill beginning near Col. Campbell's residence, and both streams now flow to the river in one channel. (62-1) See Van Slyck, Wemp and Glen. (62-2) See Eenkluys. (62-3) The west line of Van Curler's farm is marked by the west fence of the Schenectady Car Works Yard. (65-1) Although granted to Gerrit Bancker, Harman Albertse Vedder had a half interest in these farms from the beginning. In the final division Bancker took the foremost lot and Vedder the hindmost, it being nearly opposite to lot No. 8, which he purchased of Hesselingh. See Groot, Not. Pap., 1. (68-1) It should be remembered that no land was considered arable, except the river bottoms and islands. There was not enough of this to meet the demand; hence it was parcelled out sparingly and in small allotments, with much larger quantities of upland for wood and pasture. (68-2) This is the ancient name of this farm, the meaning of which is now lost. It is never overflowed by the river and can hardly be called a flat as the term was commonly used. (68-3) [Erie Canal.] (68-4) See Roberts, Bont, Van Ditmars, Aukes and C. Viele; Patents, 1038; Alb. Com. Coun. Min., III, 75; Schermerhorn Papers; Deeds, V, 198. (69-1) Council Min., V, 11, 12; Patents, 1,200; Deeds in Sec. State's office, III. (69-2) Toll papers; Patents, V, B. 10; Joh. Van Slyck's will, Court of Appeals office. (69-3) Rail bridge creek. (69-4) See Van der Baast's survey, Land Papers, II, 59; Dutch church and Toll Papers; Deeds, IV. (70-1) Deeds, V, 79; Land Papers II, 59; Albany Records, xx, 333, 334; Deeds, VI, 215, John Mebie's will in Court of Appeal's office. (70-2) Deeds, V, 354, 358, IV, 234, 236. (70-3) See De Graaf. (71-1) Patents, 1673; Toll papers. (71-2) Opposite the first lock above the city. (71-3) See Roberts, Clement, Toll and Vielè; Patent, 981; Deeds, V, 108, 140, 141, 142. (72-1) Gen. Entries, 12; Deeds, IV, 215, 216; VI, 464; Papers in Sec. State's Office, Mass. Book 129, p. 197; Toll papers; Reyer Schermerhorn's will. (72-2) Lapie = remnant - a gore. - M'M.] (73-1) Toll, Schermerhorn and Dutch Church Papers. Deeds, III, 119, 199; V, 196, 355. Col. MSS., XXVII. Col. Doc., IX, 251. Deeds, XIII, 514. Jan Mebie's will. (73-2) Toll Papers. (74-1) Dutch Church Papers. (74-2) Col. Mss., XXVII, XXVIII, 18; Toll and Dutch Church Papers; Council Min., 1678; L. C. Van der Volgen's Will and John Mebie's will; Deeds, XVII, 312. (74-3) Sometimes written Togeutchero, and Togqutchero. (75-1) Toll and Dutch Church papers; Deeds, IV, 234, 236; Mort. III, 58. (75-2) Deeds, V, 69, 70, 494; VI, 145; Toll and Dutch Church Papers; Wills of Reyer Schermerhorn and Volkert Symonse Veeder among H. Yates' Papers. (76-1) Patents, 1577; Deeds, V, 71; Toll Papers. (76-2) Perhaps Claes De Graff first acquired the Indian title to this flat, which he transferred to Cuylers. (76-3) Coun. Minutes, V, 171. (76-4) Patents, 1370; Deeds, V, 70, 357, 358; Deeds, VI, 9; Toll Papers. (77-1) Deeds, 711. (77-2) Gen. Entries, iv, 283. (77-3) Deeds, V, 55. (77-4) Deeds, V, 54. (77-5) Deeds, V, 192. (77-6) Col. Doc., IV. 906. (77-7) Col. MSS., XXXIX. 216. (77-8) See original in Union Coll. Library. (77-9) Patents, 357, 1469, 1474. (78-1) Deeds, VII, 248. One Jean Poppe lived at Flatbush, in 1679. See Danker and Sluyter's Journal [i.e., Jasper Danker and Peter Sluyter, Journal of a Voyage to New York], 131. (78-2) Toll Papers; John Sanders Will. (78-3) Sanders Papers; Deeds, V, 97. (78-4) Groote Schuldt-boek; Toll Papers. (79-1) Col. MSS., XXXIX, 216. (79-2) See Patents, 651 (79-3) Deeds, XX, 25. (80-1) Deeds, IV, 140. (80-2) Deeds, IV, 264. (80-3) Patents, 1673. (80-4) Mortgages IX, 89; XII, 95. (80-5) De bakker's hoek on the south side of the river, being foremost farm numbered 9 owned by Volckertse Symonse Veeder de bakker. (80-6) Patents, 1466. (80-7) Will of Jellis Fonda among Bratt papers. (80-8) Patents III, 64; Deeds, V, 198; see also Douwe Aukes, Bont and Vielè. (81-1) Deeds, IV, 13; V, 108, 140, 141; Groote Schuldt-boek; see also Toll, Roberts, Clement; Dutch Church papers. END https://www.schenectadyhistory.org/resources/patent/vancurler.html BEGIN A History of the Schenectady Patent in the Dutch and English Times 7: Adult Freeholders - Arent Van Curler Prof. Jonathan Pearson [This information is from pp. 168-171 of A History of the Schenectady Patent in the Dutch and English Times; being contributions toward a history of the lower Mohawk Valley by Jonathan Pearson, A. M. and others, edited by J. W. MacMurray, A. M., U. S. A. (Albany, NY: J. Munsell's Sons, Printers, 1883). It is in the Schenectady Collection of the Schenectady County Public Library at Schdy R 974.744 P36, and copies are also available for borrowing.] [The original version uses assorted typographical symbols to represent footnotes. To improve legibility, the online version uses the form (page number - note number.)] The acknowledged leader of the little colony at Schenectady in 1662, was Arent Van Curler. He came over in 1630 as superintendent of Colonie Rensselaerswyck, and continued in office until 1646, besides acting as colonial secretary. In 1643 he married Antonia Slaaghboom, widow of Jonas Bronck (168-2) and soon after settled on the "Flatts," above Fort Orange. Here he remained until the spring of 1662, when he took up his residence at Schenectady and where he remained directing and furthering the interest of the settlers until his unfortunate death. Having accepted an invitation from De Tracy, the Governor of Canada to visit Quebec, on his journey he embarked in a canoe on Lake Champlain and being overtaken by a storm was drowned in July, 1669. (168-3) No man of his time had so fully won the confidence and esteem of the red men as Van Curler, and to honor his memory they ever after addressed the Governor of the Province by his name. His character for kindness and humanity was known even to the French in Canada, many of whom he had rescued from the hands of the cruel Mohawks; (168-4) to perpetuate his memory they gave the name of Corlaer to Schenectady. Juffrouw Van Curler continued to reside in Schenectady until her death about the beginning of the year of 1676. On the 27th Jan., 1672/3, in consideration of the loss of her husband in public service, and of her house, barns and corn by fire, Governor Lovelace licensed her to trade with the Indians, it being thought also that her license would stop the quarrels of the other two tapsters, Cornelis Cornelise Vielè and Acques Cornelise Gautsh [Van Slyck], the Indian. (168-5) The Governor's order on her application is as follows: Upon ye Request of Antonio Van Curler of Schanechtide presented to His Honor ye Governor, that having not long since received a very great Losse by ffire, there may for her Reliefe bee so farr indulged as to have licence to sell some Rumm to ye Indyans, as also some quantity of Powder and Lead; the Premises being taken into serious consideration, It is ordered that in regard to the very great Losse and Damage sustayned by the said Antonia Van Curler in having her House, Barnes and Corne destroyed as by her is set forth, as also the Losse of her Husband, Arent Van Curler while hee was employed in his Majties Publick Service, Shee, the said Antonia his widdow shall have free Lyberty and Licence for ye space and term of one whole yeare and two Months after the date hereof, That is to say, from the first day of Aprill next untill the 29th day of May wh. shall bee in the yeare of Or Lord 1674, to sell and dispose of to the Indyans or others in and about Schanechtide in Rumme one hundred Anckers and in Lead to the value of two hundred Beavers or 1,000 weight; But for Powder in this conjuncture of time during the Warr, Its thought inconvenient any Extraordinary Liberty should be granted therein." By order, &c. "The matter of difference between ye two Tappers [C. C. Vielè, and A. C. Van Slyck] at Schanechtide, not thought fitt any order shall be made therein further, this Liberty to the Widdow probably being a mean to defeat both their Expectations." Her will was admitted to probate in New York city and letters of administration were issued to Willem Beeckman, Jan. 15, 1676. (169-1) On the 5th of April, 1681, he reported the proceeds of her estate to be fl. 10,805-17 in beavers [$4,322.34]; - debts, fl. 21,171-7 [$8,468.54]; - preferred debts, fl. 4,600-6 [$1,840.12], leaving fl. 6,205-11 [$2,482.22] for other creditors. The curateurs of Arent Van Curler's estate, were Dr. Cornelis Van Dyck and Johannes Provoost of Albany. (169-2) Van Curler's home lot in the village was a portion (probably the whole of the easterly half) of the block bounded by Union, Church, Front and Washington streets. After the death of himself and his widow, without issue, this lot was divided into four smaller portions and sold; the occupants of these parcels were as follows: The lot on the corner of Union and Church streets, 100 by 264 ft., was occupied by Ludovicus Cobes, in 1684; from him it passed to Catrina Otten, wife of Gerrit Symonse Veeder, and remained in his family or connections until after the beginning of this century. Before the year 1684 Maria, widow of Jan Peeck, lived on the lot immediately north of this, being the west corner of Front and Church streets. Adam Vrooman early came into possession of this parcel. It was here that he so bravely defended his house against the attack of the French and Indians in 1690. In 1718, he conveyed it to Pieter Quackenbos. The lot next west of the Veeder lot, 50 feet front on Union street and extending through the block 400 feet to Front street was owned by Symon Groot, the first settler, in 1669, and was still in the family in 1790. The lot next west of Groot's and of the same dimensions, was owned by Benjamin Roberts as early as 1669; from him it passed to Reinier Schaets, who was killed here in 1690; in 1701 Gideon, the son of Reinier, sold it to Albert Vedder, son of Harmen Albertse, the first settler. (170-1) Owing to Van Curler's great services in extinguishing the Indian title and in procuring a survey and the patents for the lands, he received more than a double share of the choicest land on the Great flat [and village]. The confirmatory patent for this farm was issued to his widow on the 4th of May, 1668, the description being as follows: "A certain parcel of land at Schenectady lying to the south-east of the Great creek or kil [Binnè kil] to the north of the woodlands, to the South west of a certain small creek [Sand kil, now Mill creek], containing 114 acres or 57 morgens and thirty rods, as granted Aug. 19, 1664, by Governor Stuyvesant to said Arent in his lifetime." (170-2) This land was bounded according to this description, north-east and south by the Great creek, now the Binnè kil, by "a certain small creek," subsequently called the "Sand kil," now Mill creek and by the woods on the sandy bluff; on the west side it was bounded by Pieter Andriaense Van Woggelum's and Catalyntje De Vos' [Bratt's] farms numbered respectively four and one. The Schenectady car works stand on the extreme western boundary of Van Curler's farm, the west fence of the yard being a portion of the dividing line. After Van Curler's death in 1667, this farm passed to his widow, who continued to reside here until her death in 1677. The estate being insolvent was sold by the administrators, Cornelis Van Dyck and Johannes Provoost, in 1681, to pay the debts. It was divided into at least five parcels. The westernmost parcel, on a part of which stand the Schenectady car works, was sold to Sweer Teunise Van Velsen, the town miller. After his death in 1690 it fell to his stepson Barent Wemp. The second parcel next east of the lane leading past the car works, was bought by Gerrit Gysbertse Van Brakel, and later in 1741 was divided by east and west lines into three lesser parcels owned by Johannes Abrahamse Truax, Robert Yates and Jacobus Vedder. The third parcel was owned wholly or in part by Isaac Cornelise Swits; the fourth by Barent Wemp and later by his son Jan; and the fifth and largest parcel comprising 20 morgens was purchased by Adam Vrooman and his brother Jan, the former the easterly half next the village and the latter the westerly half. Notes (168-2) Jonas Bronck in 1639 became proprietor of 500 acres of land in what is now Morrisania, Westchester Co. - Bolton's Westchester Co., II, 395. [i.e., Robert Bolton, A History of the County of Westchester, from its first settlement to the present time] (168-3) O'Callaghan's Hist. N. N. (168-4) Col. MSS., III, 395. (168-5) Orders in Council, p. 127; Eng. MSS., XXIII, 149; Col. Doc., II, 652. (169-1) Bolton's Westchester Co., II, 283. (169-2) Proceedings of Justices Court Albany, I, 20, 51; Deeds, III, 104. (170-1) Patents, 647; see also Roberts, Schaets and Vedder. (170-2) Patents, 535. END "Calendar of Historical Manuscripts in the Office of the Secretary of State, Albany, N. Y." E. B. O'Callaghan 1865 BEGIN 1639 March 20. Certificate of commissaries van Curler and Lupold that David Pietersen de Vries, shipped a box of beavers, on board the Love in 1639 1639 Oct. 13. Order. To commissaries Van Elsland, Petersen and Van Curler, to have their accounts ready within a month under penalty of 100 guilders 1642 Nov. 13. Affidavits of Arent van Curler, secretary of Renselaerswyck, and others, as to offensive language alleged to have been used by Hendrick Jansen, tailor, in regard to director Kieft 1643 June 25. Lease. Arent van Curler, secretary of Rensselaerswyck, to Thomas Spicer, of a bouwery with house, barn, tobacco house, &c, (with) Inventory of what Mr. Van Curler delivered to Mr. Spicer 1643 Oct. 9. Indenture. Robert Cooke by his guardian, Abraham Newman to serve Arent van Curler for one year 1644 Oct. 19. Draft. Arent van Curler on the owners of the ship The Arms of Renselaerswyck, in favor of Jan Jansen Damen, for the sum of 159 guilders 1644 Oct. 27. Court proceedings. Fiscal vs. Peter Wyncoop, supercargo of the ship The Arms of Kenselaerswyck, smuggling; on petition of Arent van Curler, case referred to the directors of the W. I. Co. in Amsterdam, as the vessel is old and leaky 1644 Nov. 4. Power of attorney. Michiel Jansen of Renselaerswyck to Arent van Curler to settle all his accounts with the patroon of that colonie 1654 Oct. 6. Same [Power of Attorney]. Arent van Curler to Dirck van Schelluyne, N. P., to collect rent of a farm from Thomas Spicer 1654 Oct. 15. Bond. Johannes van Tiwilier, of Beverwyck, merchant, for any judgment that may be obtained by Thomas Spicer against Arent van Curler 1654 Oct. 15. Bond. Thomas Hall, for any judgment that may be obtained by Arent van Curler against Thomas Spicer 1654 Oct. 20. Motion. To postpone the case of Van Curler vs. Spicer; granted 1656 Dec. 5. Actions of debt. Slander suit, Andries Herbertsen agst. Hcndrick the baker's wife. Arent van Curler agst. Marcellis Jansen, late farmer of the excise, for recovery of an anker of brandy 1659 April 23. Patent. Arent van Curler; piece of land near Fort Orange along the Binne wech (Albany) New Amsterdam 1659 July 23. Letter. Stuyvesant to the directors at Amsterdam; currency; Curacao; A richs; Beeckman; New England treaty at Hart- ford; Oyster bay; Huntington; Staten island; Swedes; public accounts; Van Dincklage; Renselaerswyck; Van Slechtenhorst succeeded by Jan Baptist van Renselaer; Aug. Heermans; arrival of Alexander Carolus Curtius; Van Iluyven; copper mine at Newesingh; rev. Polhemius; Aren't van Curler; repairs of fort New Amsterdam; return of councillor De Decker and family to Holland 1659 Sept. 24. Propositions made in the first Mohawk castle, called Kaghnuwage, in the presence of all the chiefs of the three Mohawk castles, by Jeremias Van Renselaer, Arent Van Curler, the magistrates of Fort Orange, with 17 others, renewing the old covenant chain, etc. [In O'Callaghan's Hist. New Netherland, II, 578.] Renselaerswyck 1660 July 27. Answer. Jeremias van Renselaer and Arent van Curler to the above notification, requesting thai the matter be referred to the principals in Holland Renselaerswyck 1661 June 18. Letter. Arent van Curler to director Stuyvesant, requesting autho- rity to purchase and settle a great flatt back of Fort Orange (Schenectady) Fort Orange 1662 Jan. 12. Letter. Magistrates to director Stuyvesant; wish him a Happy New Year; Van Curler obtains the great flat between Fort Orange and the Mohawk country (Schenectady); desire a visit from the director-general 1662 April 6. Petition. Arent van Curler, for a survey of the great flatt behind Fort Orange (Schenectady), purchased by him (see vol. 9, G03, GG4), with order thereupon END