Utrecht, are hereby directed within six weeks from the date hereof, to prepare to plant and fence the same, also to seek and obtain of the Secretary of the Director General and Council proper Deeds, on penalty of forfeiture of the lots, which will be given to others who may desire them. Of this all are hereby warned. Done by order of the Right Honorable Director General and Council of New-Netherland, at Fort Amsterdam in New-Netherland this 30th January 1659. Witness C. V RUYVEN, Secretary. After the preceding there was another Proclamation applying to the Town of Utrecht, first published by the Director General and Council on the 9th of October 1655, republished and renewed on the 30th December 1658 at Fort Amsterdam, and again on the 7th of January 1659 proclaimed from the Stadt-house at Fort Amsterdam for the benefit of the farmers. Proclamation. The Director General and Council of New Netherland daily hear great complaints that the posts, rails, clapboards, and other fencing, made with great cost and trouble of the inhabitants, (for the preservation of the crops) around their sowed lands and gardens, are stolen during both night and day, the effect of which is that the cattle come in and destroy the crops, which discourages future planting and sowing, and we also fear that it will happen that in consequence of all the lands and gardens being bare of fencing during the coming winter, the sowed grain will not flourish, and that next season the crops will not be worth mowing: Therefore the Lord Director General and Council notify the Burgomasters and Schepens of their Towns not to allow and expressly to forbid injuries of this kind, and they also hereby notify all of what state or condition they may be, that they are hereby warned and expressly forbid from this time forth, not to make bare or strip any gardens, sowed, or planted places, of posts, rails, clapboards, or other fencing, on pain when found doing the same in part or in whole, for the first offence of being whipped and branded, and for the second offence of being hung with a cord till death follows, without favour to any person: and whoever after the date hereof shall give information of any person guilty of robbing the land of posts, rails, or clapboards, shall be rewarded therefor and his name concealed: every one is hereby warned. All done in the Assembly at Fort Amsterdam in New Netherlands on the 9th of October 1655. The inhabitants of the Town being diligent in the observance of the foregoing order or command, the Fiscal thereupon drew out of the Company's book the following copy concerning the meadow land, not knowing in whom it was lodged : PETRUS STUYVESANT Representative of the Noble High and Mighty the Lords States General of the United Netherlands, and the Lord Administrator of the Priviledged West India Company, Director General of New Netherland, Curaçoa, Bonayre, Aruba, and the appendages thereunto belonging, hath with the consent of the Council, on the petition and supplication made to us on the date underneath written, showing the need of the inhabitants of the new begun Town of Utrecht and of those who might hereafter dwell there, allowed unto them as to others a parcel of meadow land lying on Long Island by the easterly Hook of the Bay of the North River, over against Conyen Island, including the kills, creeks, ponds, reeds, drowned and sand lands within its bounds, Containing 130 morgen (260 acres) Bounded on the westerly side by land of Antony Jansen Van Sale, northeasterly by the kill on which Gravesend mill is situated, East south-easterly by the same kill, and south-westerly by the Bay of the North River. Hereunto witness my hand and seal (in red wax) in Amsterdam in New Netherland this 27 August 1657. Thereupon having assembled together in the Town of Utrecht in May A. D. 1659, for the purpose of drawing for the meadows, it being understood that the Director General and Council directed that the plantation of the Lord Werckhoven should draw two lots, and also Antony Jansen Van Sale two, and having divided the same into 24 lots, they were drawn as follows: 1. Jonker Jacob Curler, 2. Albert Albertse, 3. Jan Zelen, 4. Jacob Backker, 5. Willem Willemse, 13. Nicasius De Sille, Fiscal, 14. Pieter Roeloffe, In the meantime the inhabitants often disagreeing and disputing about their plantations, houses, and about the watch, the Director General, and Council ordained as follows: The Director General and Council notify the inhabitants of the Town of New Utrecht to keep good watch, and for the purpose of keeping better order they have appointed and set, as in other cases, the person Jan Tomassen to the office of Serjeant: they therefore order the inhabitants of the Town to obey and acknowledge as Serjeant, the above named Jan Tomassen. Done at Fort Amsterdam, the 2d of October AD. 1659. Hereupon did the Fiscal N. DeSille send a Halberd. Shortly thereafter the inhabitants of the Town complained, that they were badly provided with powder and lead, and also that some of them had no guns, they desired that the Fiscal would provide them at their own cost with the same, they having recourse to him inasmuch as they had heard the Director General and Council had appointed him Scout (Sheriff) over the Town of Utrecht. The Lord General on the 6th of October 1659, with many soldiers who were volunteers, a company of Citizens with the Orange banner, and a company of English wellwishers, went to Esopus to fight the Indians. Thereupon having charge of the Town on behalf of the company, I sent out of my own armoury as follows: 10 light muskets, 25 lb balls, 10 cartridge boxes, 25 lb powder, 2 bunches gun matches. The Town therefore is charged at the following rate :-1 lb powder, one guilder in bevers, or 30 stuyvers in wampum, or 25 stuyvers in wheat; 1 lb lead, 6 stuyvers; 1 musket and cartridge box, 8 guilders in wampum and a match in proportion; also with one hour glass and a writing book. Thereafter it happened that the inhabitants disputed, quarreled, and disagreed among one and another, in consequence of which Albert Albertese, Harmen Courten, Jan Sely, Jan Van Cleef, Teunis Ydessen, Cornelis Beeckman, Claes Claessen Smit, Jacob Hellekerse Swart, Huibert Jansen Hook, Willem Willemse, Pieter Hesselse, and Jacob Van Curlaer, on the 11th of October 1659 united in a petition to the Director General and Council for relief, which they handed to the Fiscaal for safe keeping, not being able to send it in consequence of the season and the Indians. The Fiskal then gave orders to fortify and surround his house, which alone had a tile roof, with palisades for the safety of the inhabitants and as a place of refuge, which immediately was done and finished. In consequence of many persons neglecting properly fencing their lots, keeping them in proper order, or keeping watch either personally or by deputy, dissatisfaction arose, so that Jan Tomasse, Huybert Janson Hoock, Cornelis Beeckman, Willem Williamse, . and J Van Curlaer, again on the 26th of January 1660, wrote to the Fiscal complaining of the damage daily done by the hogs, in consequence of the insufficiency of the fences, so that they also had a mind to be neglectful if nothing was done to abate the evil. The above and similar difficulties and disturbances caused the Fiscal much running about and made him weary, so that he did not know what immediately to do, and doubted whether or not to accept the office of Sheriff of the Town of Utrecht; he did as much as he could do to make peace, so that the building and ploughing might go on, there being at that time but few houses;. these were numbered on the 6th February 1660, as follows: On the 21st of January 1660 the Fiscal demanded of the Surveyor Jaques Cortleyou his certificate of the survey of his house plot farm and meadows, which is as follows: A lot on the plain lying South East of the shore or strand way, and North-West of the land of Ruth Joosten, in width 12 rods, and in length 25 rods: the land known as lot No. 9 being in width 26 rods, and lying Northeast against the land of Jacobus Backer, South-west by the village of New-Utrecht, stretching South-east and containig 25 Morgens (50 acres); also a piece in the meadows numbered 13, containing 3 morgens. Now I shall insert in full the Fiscal's Patent, so that all persons may understand when they become liable to pay the tenth of the produce of their lands to the government, to which provision all are liable from the date of the first patent whether they take them up or not. Patent. PETRUS STUYVESANT on the behalf of the Noble' High and Mighty Lords the States General of the United Netherlands, and Noble Lord and Director of the Priviledged West India Company of the Chamber at Amsterdam, Director General of New Netherland, Curaçoa, Bonayre, Aruba, with their appendages, with the consent of the Noble Lords of the Council witness and declare, that We on the date hereunto underwritten, have given & granted to Nicasius de Sille, a parcel of land lying on Long Island in the Town of New Utrecht, known as number nine, in width 26 rods, bounded on the north-east by land of Jacob Backer, on the South-west by the village, and stretching Southeast to the woods, containing 25 morgens (50 acres); also a piece of meadow land known as number 13 containing 3 morgens; also a building plot on the plain South-east of the shore or strand way, lying North-west of Ruth Joosten, in breadth 12 rods, and in length 25 rods; on the express condition and terms that the said Nicasius de Sille, or those who hereafter may obtain the same, acknowledge for his Lord and Patron, the Noble Lord Director above mentioned under the Sovereignty of the Noble, High and Mighty Lords of the States General, and in all things as a good inhabitant obey the Director General and Council, subject at the expiration of ten years after date, when required by the Lord Patrons, to the payment of the tenth, also to the other charges |