ORIGINAL GRANTS, AND FARMS
 

75
 

of these parcels. As noted, only one small parcel was sold to
Bayard.

Later he obtained a confirmation of this part of the farm as
"The Smith's Hill."

Benjamin Fletcher, to Coll, Nicholas Bayard. Patent,
dated June 21, 1697.—Liber Patents, VII:   130 (Albany).

Desc: (Second Parcel) "Certaine farm Commonly called
Smiths Hill and now in his Seizin and Actuall Possession,
situate, lying and being to the Eastward of the ffresh Pond &
Swamp on our Island Manhattans within our Citty of New
Yorke, beginning by the Highway at the N. W. corner of the
orchard belonging to Mr. Hendricus Selyns; thence it Runns
W. 10° 30' N'ly 5 ch., 54 1.; thence S'ly 28 1. to the fence of
Wolfert Webber; thence by the said fence W. 27° N'ly 10 ch,
65 1. to the ffresh Water Pond; thence by the said Pond &
Swamp to the free Negroes Land; thence by their fence to the
land of Jacob Stillie; thence by his fence as it Runns to the
Highway; thence by the said Highway to the Place where
begunn Being Bounded to the S. by Wolfert Webber and Mr.
Henricus Selyns; to the W. by the Swamp; N. by the ffree
Negroes and Jacob Srillie and to the E. by the Highway
including the Swamp annexed the whole upland (besides the
Swamp) Containing the Quantity of 135 Acres, as by the
Return of the Survey Relation being thereunto had may more
fully and at large Appear."

Land North of Smith's Hill

The remainder of the Bayard farm was originally part of
Wouter van Twiller's large bouwery, the early history of which
is with the Warren farm. Van Twiller's land, south of Minnetta
water, was parcelled out to a number of negroes who had
worked for the West India Co. and were later manumitted.
Although their grants did not issue unril 1643 and the suc¬
ceeding years, it is evident that they were settled here by 1641.
An entry Jan., 1641, in Chronology, gives a brief story of a
tragic occurrence on this farm. The negroes who were involved
in the affair were Ciein Antonio, Paulo d' Angola, Gracia
d' Angola, Jan of Fort Orange, Manuel the giant, Anthony
Portuguese, Manuel Minuit, Simon Congo, and Manuel de
Groot (big Manuel). They murdered Jan de Primero. He is
the only one not mentioned in later ground-briefs here. He
may have been the early settler on the parcel later patented to
Touchyn Brlell, the only white man to whom land here was
granted,   Primero's widow married Jan of Fort Orange later.

This tract comprised:

A.   The grant to Pieter Santome.

B.   The grant to Gratia d' Angola.

C.  The Webber-Minthorne farm, called "the  farm at

the negroe's causey."
The negro's farm was composed of five smaller farms, viz;
Emanuel's   land;   Cleyn   Antonio's   land;    Cleyn   Manuel's
land; the land of Antony Portuguese, and the land of Manuel
De Ros, called "Swager's land."

A. The Grant TO Pieter Santome

Willem Kieft, Director, etc., to Pieter Santomee, a free
negro.* Ground-brief dated Dec, 15, 1644. Not f(Jund of
record; recited in confirmation set forth below.

Conveys land after confirmed.

Richard Nicolls, Governour, etc, to Lucas and Solomon,
sons of Pieter Santomee, free negro.

Confirmation dated Oct. 18, i66-j.—Liber Patents, II: 130
(Albany).

A piece of land next to Simon Congoes, stretching to the
swamp, somewhat westerly, it contains 48 rods; and east-
northeast a little more easteriy, it makes 56 rods, going on

•Manumitted, Feb. 25, 1644.—Law tf Ord. N. Nelh., 36.
 

dated Oct.
 

being  dead   his
s widow, who is since
 

both sides of the said swamp; then striking to the north
somewhat westerly, it is 47 rods; amounting in all to about
6 acres or 3 morgen and 84 rods.

These two negroes, Lucas and Solomon Peters, became well
known in the colony. Lucas was a physician. Solomon was
the first patentee of the well known John Horn farm.

William Smith, of Orange Co., yeoman, and Maria, his
wife, to Garrit Onckelbagg, silversmith.

Deed dated Oct. 2, i^ii.—Liber Deeds, XXXI: 155 (New
York).

Conveys (with other land) "One other parcell of Land
lying and being in a Certain place called the Negro's Caasey
[Causeway] in said [out] ward bounded by the West side by a
Run, by the South side of [by] the land belonging to Derek
Dey deceased and to the East and North side to the land of
Phillip Minthorne; heretofore belonging to and possessed
peaceable by their Grandfather Solomon free negro."

Note that the points of the compass are all wrong: west
should be north, 8;c.

It is not known how or when Nicholas Bayard acquired this
parcel which he owned in 1755. He may have purchased it
from Garrit Onckelbagg.

See recitals in Liber Deeds, XLI: 125 (New York).
B. The Grant to Gratia D'Angola

Willem Kieft, Director, etc., to Gratia Dangola, a free
negro. Ground-brief dated Dec. 15, 1644. Not found of
record:  recited in confirmation set forth below.

Richard Nicolls, Governour, etc., to Christoffel San¬
tomee and Maria Dangola.   Confirr
j66y.—Liber Patents, II:   131 (Albany).

Recites foregoing ground-brief; Gra
interest devolved to Maria Dangola his
married to Christoffel Santomee.

Conveys "A piece of land stretching from the land then
belonging to Cleyn Manuell to that of Marycke, east-and-east-
by-south; then further to the land of Pieter Tambeer, south,
somewhat more easterly, it contains 20 rods; on both sides
along by the land of Jan Francisco and Pieter Tambeer, 51
rods; also stretching [further] west and somewhat to the south
to a certain valley or piece of meadow ground, it makes 37
rods; then going along to [by] Old Jan's land north west
somewhat more northerly, 40 rods to the land of Cleyn Antony;
and alongst by the said Antony's east-and-bynorth somewhat
more northerly, 23 rods, and east-and-by-north and east-
north-east to the first descent, 65 rods; in all amounring to
about 10 acres or 5 morgen 590 rods,"

Christopher Santome to Sigismundus Luycas. Deed
dated                           ; not   found   of record;    recited   in

Liber Deeds, Vi:  154 (Albany).

Conveys same premises.

Sigismund Luycas ro Hendrick Bastiensen, Deed dated
Nov. 1,1679.—Liber Deeds, VI: 154 (Albany).

Conveys same premises.

Jacob Stille and Mary, his wife, late widow of Henry
Bastianson, deed., and John Brevoort, tutor of children of
Henry Bastianson, deed., to Richard Ashfield. Deed dated
April 23, 16^6.—Liber Deeds, XXI:   143 (New York).

Conveys same premises (with other prop.).

Richard Ashfield and wife to Jacob Stille. Deed dated
Jan. 11, 1697—Liber Deeds, XXI; 261 (New York).

Conveys same premises.

C. The Webber-Minthorne Farm

Composed of Emanuel's land
Cleyn Antonio's land
Cleyn Manuel's land
The land of Antony Portuguese
The land of Manuel Gerrit de Reus, alias Swager