ORIGINAL GRANTS, AND FARMS
 

149
 

part ofthe lessees, the lessor shall bear the loss. -After the expi¬
ration of the aforesaid six years the lessees shall be bound to
surrender to the lessor the land, buildings and number of
cattle in the same condition as now received; it being well
understood, that if unfortunately the house should be burned
down by either hostile Indians or others and not by the
negligence of the lessees, the lessor shaU stand the risk of the
incendiary. Also, the land shall be properly planted and
cleared, all as before, and neither the lessor nor the lessees
shall be at liberty during the said six years to sell any of the
milch cows, neither young nor old, but they make [may] take
to themselves the steers and oxen every three years and if Jan
Cornelissen of Rotterdam should return here from the Father¬
land, the lessees shaU be bound to deliver to said Jan Corne¬
lissen according to his selection one of the cows then in the
stable with aheifer calf and in case the lessor needs ahorse and
wagon either to haul firewood for himself or for other purposes,
the lessees shall be obliged to let him have the same, provided
it be not to the prejudice of the cultivation of the farm. The
lessor shall be allowed to remain in his house until he has
found another suitable dwelling. In testimony and In token of
the truth these presents are signed by the parties respectively
and two copies of the same tenor have been made hereof."—
N. Y. Col. Docs., XIV: 7-8,

For some undiscovered reason this lease was surrendered
by Cornelis Jacobsen and his brother. Probably Barent Dirck¬
sen had, as yet, no other home and could not give possession,
A new lease was issued, which was retroactive to May 14,1638,
for the same six year term,

1639, May 18, Contract for lease between Barent Dircksen,
baker, and Gerrit Jansen, from Oldenborch and Volckert
Evertsen, "for the hire of the Bowery called Walesteyn," for
six years. The lease began May 14,1638, and was to end May
I4, 1644.—Records N, Neth, (O'Callaghan's trans.), 1; 118
(N, Y, State Library),

The same day. May 18, i63g, Dircksen sold the farm,

Barent Dircksen, baker, to Gerrit Jansen from Olden¬
burgh and Volckert Evertsen, Deed dated May 18, 1639.
—Ibid., I: 119 (N. Y. State Library); A^. Y, Col. Docs., XIV;
23,  Consid,, 1,182 guilders.

Conveys a tobacco plantation, bounded southerly by the
plantation of Mr, Fiscock and northerly by that of Mr. Lesley.

It appears from the recitals in the following lease that Barent
Dircksen still Uved on the farm In July, i63g, which confirms
the attribution on the Manatus Maps,

Volckert Evertsen and Gerrit Jansen from Olden¬
burgh to Willem (William) Willemsen (Williamson) and
Jan (John) Habsen (Hobson), Lease dated July 7, i63g,—
Records N. Nelh. (O'Callaghan's trans.), I: 124 (N. Y. State
Library).

Leases "the plantation situate between the plantation of
Jan Pietersen and Mr, Lasley on the North River of New
Netherland, heretofore cultivated by Jan van Rotterdam and
at present occupied by Barent Dircksen Swart." The lease of
these two Englishmen is for a term of four years, within which
time they covenant to erect on said plantation two houses, to
wit: one 18 ft, wide and 30 ft, long, and one 16 ft. wide and
20 ft, long, which are to revert to the lessees {sic) on the
expiration of the lease,

Evertsen must have purchased Gerrit Jansen's interest.

Volckert Evertsen to Cornelis Maesen. Deed dated
Oct, 24, 1646.—Ibid., II:   151 (N, Y, State Library).

Conveys "house and plantation ... at the North River
on which plantation adjoin [those of] Mr. Wouter van Twiller
and Thomas Hall."

Cornelis Maesen was of Rensselaerswyck. There Is an excel¬
lent biography of hijn in Van Rensselaer-Bowier MSS., S07.
He and his wife were buried the same day, early in 1648.
 

He is not found as a resident of New Amsterdam, although the
marsh north of Old Jan's Land was sometimes called Cornelis
Maesen's Cripplebush (see Liber GG:   208).

The land was regranted, in 1677, by Gov. Andros to Peter
Jansen of the Bowery (Pieter Jansen Slot). The grant isnot of
record. The usual preliminary survey, by Robert Ryder, made
Nov. 10, 1677, reads: "I have made a Survey . . . of land
neare the Bowery Lying to the westward of the land of Bastian
Else 42 rods: ranging nearest west by the land of Jacob Peeter-
sen the greate to Hudson's River, 56 rods. Being in breadth by
Hudson's River 40 rods [thence to land of] Bastiaen Else sixty
and six rods. Quantity /fifteen and three-quarter acres and
twelve rods. For Peter Jansen of the Bowery."—Land Pa¬
pers, I;   I4g (Albany).

Pieter Jansen Slot lived "beyond Fresh water," in 1686,
according to Selyn's list; evidently on part of the later Tiebout
farm. In earlier years he was a resident of Harlem.—Sec
Riker, Hisl, of Harlem, and the Sloat Genealogy.

No later history of this tract is found in the records.

Parcels A, C, and D were vested in the corporation of
Trinity Church by Cornbury's patent, Nov. 23, 1705.—
Chronology.

More than fifty years later. Trinity bought parcel B, Congo's
land. The easterly boundary of the farm was straightened by
agreement between Aaron Burr and the church. May I, 1797.
—Liber Deeds, CIV: 307 (New York). A diagram annexed to
the deed shows the old lines of the negro grants perfectly.

THE TUCKER FARM

Block Check List.   522-521-507-509-522.

This 8 acre farm fitted in at the south-east corner of Van
Twiller's grant at the ro.id. If the Company's Bouwery No. 9
was ever actually surveyed off, then this farm occupied the
road side front of the old bouwery.

The tract was regranted to two free negroes whose claims
were purchased by Jacob Stille between 1681 and 1696.

"The Indian trench or graft," of 1651, was the farm lane. It
was surveyed as "Prince's Street, 50 feet wide," by Goerck in
1790. It is now Prince St.

Petrus Stuyvesant, Director, etc., to Manuel de Span¬
gie, a free negro. Ground-brief dated Jan, iB, 1651, Not
found of record; recited in Liber Patents, II: 132 (Albany),

Conveys premises described In following confirmation.

Richard Nicolls, Governour, etc., to Manuel de Spangie,
a free negro. Confirmation dated Oct, 19, 1667.—Ibid., II:
132 (Albany).

Confirms a ground-brief bearing date Jan. 18,1651, for "a
piece of land to the east ofthe land of Hans Kiersted, beginning
at one end of Tosyn Briel's land and stretching to the other
negroes' land, containing as it lies, east-and-by-south to the
wagon-way, 83 rods where a great tree is marked with a notch;
from thence along the wagon-way towards the west till you
come to an Indian trench or graft, 32 rods and so on north-west
[by west] to a mark at the corner or hook of Tosyn Briel's land,
72 rods; the said piece of land lies triangular."

The great tree stood on the west side of the Bowery about
200 feet south of Houston St. The Indian trench or graft was
almost identical with Prince St.

Michael Manuelson, son and heir of Manuel de Spangie,
deceased, to Jacob Stille. Deed dated April 11, 1681. Not
found ofrecord; recited In Liber Deeds, XXI; I43 (New York).

Conveys same premises,

Jacob Stille and Mary, his wife, late widow of Henry
Bastionson, deed., and John Breevoort, tutor to the children
ofHENCYBASTioNsoN,decd., to Richard Ashfield, Deeddated
April 23, 1696.—/ij^., XXI:  143 (New York). Consid., £305.

" Conveys with other property land in Negroes' Plantarion,