ORIGINAL GRANTS, AND FARMS
 

73
 

would not have been occupied to a depth of a mile, 450 Dutch
rods equal 5625 English feet.

The same document recites further;—" Farms No. 3, and
No. 8 shall be reserved for each succeeding pastor and under-
commissary, which two farms Crieckenbeeck and Fongers may
provisionally take up."—Van Rappard Document E.

Gerrit Fongersz, who came with Fredericksz, as under-
commissary, is never mentioned in later records.

In all probability he returned with Fredericksz; there is not
the slightest evidence that he ever took possession of this

In May, 1630, Bouwery No. 8 ot the Dutch West India Co.
was in possession of Jan Lampo or Cornelis van Voorst.—
Van Rensselaer Mss., in Van Winkel, Manhattan 1624-1639.
They are not found here later. The first known occupant of
the farm was Dr. Hans Kierstede, who came to New Amster¬
dam in 1638 with Kieft. There is nothing in the records to
show how soon after his arrival Kierstede settled here. The
house on the farm is not mentioned in Van der Gouw's report;
in all probabiUty it was built by order of Director-Gen. Kieft
for Kierstede who was the company's surgeon. The grant to
Jan the negro in 1647 (recited below) extended back from the
wagon road 325 paces "to the house of Mr. Hans." This dis¬
tance and location place the old house about on the site of the
later Bayard mansion.—L, M, R. K., Ill: 948,

Kierstede having removed to his house in town (see Vol.
II; 263), the company contracted to lease the bouwery to
Michiel Jansen, Aug, 16, 1646,

The contract was assigned the same day to Thomas HalL
The full text of this transaction will be found in the
Chronology; at the time of that compilation this farm had not
been identified,

Director-Gen. Kieft executed the lease to Hall, Dec. 14,
\6^6,~-Cal, Hisl, MSS., Dutch, 36.   It was for a term of five

During Hall's tenancy the farm was noted in the records in
various ways:—■

1650, June 27, "The Hon^lo Company's Farm at the end of
their Pasture, at present occupied by Thomas Hall,"—Laws £^
Ord., iiS.

"The Company's Bouwery at the end of the Heeren Wegh
[Broadway in the translation of Berthold Fernow; should be
the Bowery Road] now tenanted by Tomas Hall."—Rec. N.
Am., I:   16,

1650,  Nov, 29, "Thomas Hall dwells at present upon a
small bouwery belonging to the Honorable Company."—
Van Tienhoven's Answer, in Jameson, Narr. N. Nelh., 376.

Van Tienhoven's oifer to purchase the land was refused by
Gov. Stuyvesant in the spring of 1651.

1651,  April 26. The directors at Amsterdam send a letter
to Stuyvesant by Cornells van Tienhoven "who returns in his
former quality as Secretary." The letter states, among other
things, that Van Tienhoven has requested permission of the
directors "to purchase a bowery in New Netherland belonging
to the Company and containing about 14 to 16 morgens, to¬
gether with meadowLmd, a farmhouse, 50 feet long and 22 feet
deep, a haystack, two mares, a stallion and a negro, now used
by Thomas Hal, whose lease is said to expire the coming
summer." The directors defer to Stuyvesant to determine
whether such sale will be "to the prejudice or advantage ofthe
Company," and ask his full report on this point before they
consent.—TV. Y, Col. Docs., XIV:   138-39.

When his lease expired. Hall removed to the small bouwery
granted to him in November, 1652, the site of the later "Plow
and Harrow," but he still had the privilege of cutting hay on
the meadow belonging to this farm. As late as September,
1662, he declared that he srill held this contract with the
Company.—Rec. N. Am.,\W:  131-137.
 

This was the last farm on Manhattan Island retained
by the Dutch West India Co.

No deed from the Company has been found of record; it was
probably sold to Augustine Hermans, who received the confir-

March 19, 1663, Jacques Cortelyou was ordered to attend
the provincial council for the purpose of making certain sur¬
veys.—C«/. Hist. MSS., Dutch, 245.

The confirmation mentions "the surveyor's note." It may
be inferred that the deed was made about this time.

Richard Nicolls, Governour, etc., to Augustine Hermans.
Confirmation dated Aug. i, 1668.—Liber Patents, III: 76
(Albany).

Desc: "A certaine Piece of Land upon this Island Manhat¬
tans heretofore belonging to Hans Kiersteed lying 8: being on
the north side of the Waggon way beginning almost behynde
the High Hill in Thomas Sanders Land so passing betweene the
Negroes Land till it comes to Hendrick Thomsens Conteyning
as by the surveyors Note appears about six and thirty Acres or
Eighteen Maiden which said Piece of Land hath beene Pur¬
chased by Augustine Hermans & long since injoyed by him now
for a Confirmation etc."

The following small grant seems to have been revoked; prob¬
ably because it encroached upon land earlier leased to HaU.
It fronted on the Wagon way, from about Broome St, to a line
north of Spring St,, extending back to Lafayette St.

Willem Kieit, Director, etc., to Jan Negro, who has come
with the captain (the calendar reads, "Who came with the
privateer"). Ground-brief, dated March 26, 1647.—Liber
GG:   201.

Conveys "A certain piece of land on the Island of Man¬
hatans, its length along the public wagon road is 200 paces and
the breadth is 325 paces: it extends to the end of Mr. Hans's
house, that stands on his plantarion."

There were three negro grants south of Bouwery No. 7.

C. The Grant to Domingo Antony

Willem Kieft, Director, etc., to Domingo Antony, negro.
Ground-brief dated July 13, 1643.—Liber GG:   80 (Albany).

Conveys same as confirmation set forth below.

Nicolls to Augustine Hermans. Conf., dated Aug, i,
j66B.—Liber Patents, III: 74 (Albany).

"Whereas there was a Pattent or Groundbrief Graunted by
ye Dutch Gouvernour William Kieft unto Domingo Antonio,
Negroe, for a certain piece of land upon this Island Manhatans,
lying and being behynde ye Bowery No. 5 Stretching from ye
Waggon way about W. and by N. to yc ffresh Water or Swamp
neare to ye Land of Thomas Sanderts, N. it is 36 r. & N. & by
W,, 60 r.; [should read W. N. W.] then next to ye land of said
Thomas Sanders to ye Swamp, 20 r. Conteyning in all about
12 Acres or 5 Morgen, 505 r., w^*" pattent or Groundbreife soe
Graunted as aforesaid bearing date ye 13th day of July, 1643
togethrw*'' allye Right & Interest of ye said Domingo Antony,
deceased, was since purchased by Augustine Herman from Jan
de Frijes (De Vries) who had Power to dispose thereof."

Capt. Johan de Vries may have owned the negroes in this
settlement. He had a child by one of the women, for whom he
made ample provision, as the entry in Chronology, March 8,
i65i,sets forth.

Deed, dated July 8,1672.

"Augusrine Herman to Nicholas Bayard of a certaine piece
of Land Lying & being uppon the Island Manhatans over the
fresh water, beginning from ye corner of ye orchard of Mr.
Steenwyck & Olof Stevensen & Running northly along the
highway to the corner of the first orchard fence of the sd.
Hermans & from ye sd. corner allong ye sd. fence westerly
Right downe to ye Crippel bush of the fresh water along the
sd. swamp uppon a southeriy line to the land of Wolphert