original GRANTS, AND FARMS
 

I47
 

Andros made a new lease to Siecken for thirty years. Feb. 22,
1687, Gox. Dongan wrote: "And as to the Farm ... his
Royal Highness, now his Majesty was pleased I should have
both the farm & the house during the term of my government
at this place."

May 6, 1697, Trinity Church received its first charter from
Gov. Fletcher.—/./■*«■ Patents, VII:   82.

Aug. 19, 1697, Fletcher leased the farm to the church for
seven years. May 1, 1700, Lord Cornbury leased it to the
church for the term that he should remain governour. Bello¬
mont had had the prior lease annulled. Aug. 6, 1702, Corn¬
bury renewed the lease during his term of office. Oct. 4, 1704,
he recommended to the Queen that the farm be granted to the
church. The patent was issued about a year later.

Edward, Viscount Cornbury, Cap tain-Gene rail, etc, to
Rector and Inhabitants. Patent, dated Nov. 23, 1705.—
Liber Patents, VU: 338 (new page, 285) (Albany).

Desc; "AJl those our Severall Closes, Peeces & Parcels of
Land, Meadows and Pastures formerly Called ye Duke's Farm
& ye King's Farme and now known by the Name of the
Queens Farme with AU & Singular ye fences, inclosures,
improvem*^ and Appurtenances whatsoever thereunto belong¬
ing as ye same are now in ye Occupacon of and Enjoyed by
George Ryerse of ye City of New York, Yeoman, or by any
former Pennant, situate, lying and being on ye Island Man¬
hattans in ye City of New York aforesaid and Bounded on the
East Parriy by the Broadway, Partly by the Common and
Partly by ye Swamp and on ye West by Hudsons River. And
also all that our Peece or Parcel of ground situate and being on
ye south side of ye Church yard of Trinity Church aforesaid
Commonly Called or known by the Name of ye Queens Garden
fronting to ye said Broadway on the East and extending to
Low water marke upon Hudsons River on the West All w^l^
said premises are now lett at the Yearly Rent of thirty
Pounds."

May 2g, 1917, this patent was recorded in Liber Deeds,
MMMXXIII:   129 (New York).

The facts recited in this brief history of a famous farm wiU
be found at greater length in the Chronology and in the
authorities there quoted. Stephen P. Nash, who was attorney
to the corporation of Trinity Church, prepared a history ofthe
farm for Dr. Morgan Dix. It Is called Anneke Jans Bogardus &
Trinity Church. A Critical Inquiry. Printed for the Church,
1896. There is an article in Harper's Mag., May, 1885, Vol.
LXX:  836, by James W. Gerard.

The statement in that article that Cornells Bogardus was
dead, at the rime the deed of 1671 was made, is not correct.
He died Oct. 13, 1707.

Cornelis Bogardus was not a party to the deed of March 9,
1671. This was the basis of the suit of Bogardus vs. Trinity
Church. The claim was made that the church took title under
that deed, and that his one-sixth interest had never been con¬
veyed. The Church denied that it claimed to own the farm
under that conveyance. It declared that its only title was
derived from the patent of Nov, 23, 1705,

This outstanding interest of Cornelis Bogardus has been a
source of great annoyance to the church. Alleged heirs of
Bogardus have brought suit to recover the property. In
December, 1847, Vice-Chaneellor Sandford decided the last
real litigation in favour of Trinity corporation. See Bogardus
vs. Trinity Church, printed in Sandford, Chancery Reports,
IV: 674, Alater suit was dismissed in 1859: decision affirmed
by the court of appeals In i860.

Unscrupulous attorneys have obtained money from associa¬
tions of heirs of Anneke Jans, from time to rime, but the ririe of
the church is Indisputable. It h.ts never been a matter of
common knowledge that the only shadow of a cl.-iim was a
 

sible
 

ixth ii
 

TRINITY'S UPPER FARM

Block Check List. 604-585-528-527-519-506-503-488-
490-477-578-579-594-604.

AU of the holdings of Trinity Church north of the Bouwery
of Anneke Jans. This upper farm is composed of four separate

A.  Old Jan's land.

B.   Symon Congo's land, originally part of Van Twiller's

Bouwery.

C.   Master Fiscock's land.

D.   Barent Dircksen's land.

A.  Old Jan's Land

In the Key to the Manatus Maps, Vol. II, p. igo, number 9
Isattributcd to Jan Pietersen Van Housem. In the light of later
investigation, it seems evident that John Ceies, usually known
as Old Jan, was the settler intended.

In Chronology, 1638, it is said that John Celes (Seals)
received a grant or lease. No authority Is quoted. See also
O'Callaghan, in Man. Com. Coun. (1870), 922.

John Seals, an Englishman, was in New Amsterdam as
eariy as 1638.—Ca/. Hist. MSS., Dutch, 65. He probably came
from New England,

Old Jan, as he was generally caUed, died soon after April 7,
1645, His daughter, Phoebe (Femmetje), born in England,
had married Teunis Nyssen, Feb. 11, 1640.—Marr. in Ref.
Dutch Ch., 10.

By his wUl, Old Jan devised his property equally between his
widow, Marritje Roberts, and his son-in-law, but the remainder
was to his grandchildren,

Willem Kieft, Director, etc, to Tonis Nyssen, Ground-
brief dated April 3, 1647.—Liber GG:   208 (Albany).

Conveys "A certain plantacion situated on the Island of
Manhattans, formerly occupied by the deceased Jan Celes,
extending on the south side of [to] the land and valley (marsh
or meadow) appertaining to Everhardus Bogardus, Predicant
[Preacher], and on the north side of [to] Cornells Maersens
and further along the Negroes' Plantation till to the Cripple
Bush of the said Bogardus extending in the breadth along the
Strand fifty rods; from the Strand along the Cripple Bush,
Southeast-by-east one hundred and fifty rods, along the
cripplebush till to the negroes' land, extending east-by-south
forty-five rods, along the negroes plantarion upwards along
north-north-west, sixty rods to the Strand downwards,
north-west-by-west, thirty-seven rods; along the cripplebush
of Cornelis Maersen, extending north-west-by-north twenty-
seven rods, till along the said cripplebush till to the strand
westerly, forty-one rods."

Tonis Nyssen to Augustyn Heermans. Deed dated June
17, 1651. Not found of record; recited in Liber Deeds, A: 19
(New York).

Augustyn Heermans to Rut Jacobsen, of Fort Orange.
Deed dated May 11, 165^.—Ibid., A;   19 (New York).

No deed has been found out of Rutger Jacobsen, nor into
Trinity Church.

Pare of Old Jan's Land was leased by the corporation of
Trinity Church to Abraham Mortier, May i, 1767.—Ibid.,
XXI:   224 (Albany).

The lease was for gg years; the rental was to be £3 per acre
for the first period of 33 years; for the next 33 years, £3 per
acre; for the last 33 year period, £4 per acre.

An excellent survey by Maerschalck, dated June 10, i767,of
this land under lease is in the possession of Francis W. Ford's

B. Symon Congo's Land
This parcel, about 8 acres In extent, originally formed part
of Van Twiller's Bouwery.