DIRECTOR KIEFTS PATENT TO THE TOWN OF GRAVESEND. ANNO 1645.

[ Gravesend Records. ]

Whereas it hath pleased the High & Mighty Lords the Estates Genl of the United Belgick ProvcesHis highness Fredrick Hendrick by ye grace of God Prince of Orange, &c. and the Rt Honourable ye Lords Bewint Hebbers of the W. I. Company by theyr several Commissions under theyr hands and seales to give and grant unto me Wm Kieft sufficient power and authorities for the general rule & gouvernment of this Prouince called the New Netherlands, & likewise for ye settling of townes, collonies, plantations, disposing of ye land within this prouince, as by ye said Commissions more att large doth and maye appeare, Now Know yee whomsoever these Presents may any ways concerne that I, William Kieft, Gouvernor Generall of this Prouince by vertue of ye authoritie abovesaid & with ye aduice & consent of ye Councell of State heere established have given and graunted & by virtue of these presents doe give grant & confirme unto ye Honoured Lady Deborah Moody, Sr Hennry Moody Barronett, Ensign George Baxter & Sergeant James Hubbard theyr associates, heyres, executors, administrators, successours, assignes, or any they shall join in association with them, a certaine, quantitie or p'cel of Land, together with all ye hauens, harbours, rivers, creeks, woodland, marshes, and all other appurtenances thereunto belonging, lyeing & being uppon & about ye Westernmost parte of Longe Island & beginning at the mouth of a Creeke adjacent to Coneyne Island & being bounded one ye westwards parte thereof with ye land appertaining to Anthony Johnson & Robt Penoyer & soe to run as farre as the westernmost part of a certain pond in an ould Indian field on the North side of ye plantation of ye said Robbert Pennoyer & from thence to runne direct East as farre as a valley begginning att ye head of a flye or Marshe sometimes belonging to ye land of Hughe Garrettson & being bounded one the said side with the Maine Ocean, for them the sa pattentees, theyr associates heyres, executors, adminis's, successours, assigns, actuallie reallie & perpetuallie to injoye & pocesse as theyr owne free land of inheritance and it to improve & manure according to their owne discretions, with libertie likewise for them the sd pattentees, theyr associates, heyres, and successours and assignes to put what cattle they shall think fitting to feed or graze upon the afores Conyne Island, forther giving granting & by vertue of these presents Wee doe give & graunt unto the sd Patentees theeir associates heyrs & successours full power & authoritie uppon the said land to build a towne or townes with such necessarie fortifications as to them shall seem expedient & to haue and injoye the free libertie of conscience according to the costome and manner of Holland, without molestation or disturbance from any Madgistrate or Madgistrates or any other Ecclesiasticall Minister that may p'tend iurisdiction over them, with libertie likewise for them, the sd pattentees, theyr associates heyres &c to erect a bodye pollitique and ciuill combination amongst themselves, as free men of this Province & of the Towne of Grauesend & to make such civil ordinances as the Maior part of ye Inhabitants ffree of the Towne shall thinke fitting for theyr quiett and peaceable subsisting & to Nominate elect & choose three of ye Ablest approued honest men & them to present annuallie to ye Gouernor Generall of this Prouince for the tyme being, for him ye said Gouern" to establish and confirme to wch sd three men soe chosen & con

firmed, wee doe hereby give & graunt full power & authoritie, absolutelie & definitiuely to determine (wthout appeal to any superior Court) for debt or trespasse not exceeding ffiftie Holland Guilders ffor all such acts as shall happen wthin ye iurisdict" of the above said limitt with power likewise for any one of the said three to examine uppon oath all witnesses in cases depending before them & in case any shall refuse to stand to the award of what the Maior part of the sd three shall agree unto, in such cases wee doe hereby give and graunt full power and authoritie to any two of ye sd three, to attache & ceise uppon ye lands goods, cattles & chattles of ye parties condemned by their said sentence & fourteen days after the sd ceizure (if ye partie soe condemned agree not in the interim & submitte himself unto ye sentence of the sd three men) the said three or three appointed men as afforsd to take or ioyen to themselves two more of theyre neighbours discreete honest men, and wth the advice of them to apprise the lands, goods cattles & chattles wthin the above sa jurisdict" & belongs to the partie condemned as aforesd to ye full valleu & then to sell them to any that will paye, that sattisfaction & paiement may be made according to the sentence of ye appointed men; Likewise giuing & graunting & by virtue hereof wee doe give & graunt unto ye said Pattentees, theyre associates heyres, successours &c full power & authoritie to Elect & nominate a certaine officer amongst themselves to execute the place of a Scoute & him likewise to present annuallie to the Gouernor Generall of this Province to bee established and confirmed to wch sd officer soe chosene confirmed, Wee doe hereby give & graunt as large & ample power as is usuallie given to ye Scoutes of any Village in Holland for the suppression or prevention of any disorders that maye theyr arise, or to arrest and app'hend the body of any Criminall, Malefactouer or of any that shall by worde or act disturbe the publick tranquilletie of this Province or civill peace of the inhabitants whin the above sa jurisdictn & him, them and her so arrested or apprehended to bring or case to be brought before the Gouernor Gen11 of this Province & theyre by way of Processe declare against the P'tie soe offending; farther Wee doe give & graunt unto the P'tentees theyr associates heyres &c free libertie of hawking, hunting, fishing, fowling within the above sa limitts; & to use or exercise all manner of trade & commerce according as the Inhabitants of this Province may or can by Virtue of any Priviledge or graunt made unto them, indueing all and singular ye sd pattees theyr associates, heyres &c with all & singular the immunities & priueledges allready graunted to ye Inhabitants of this Provee or hereafter to be graunted, as if they were natives of the United Belgick Provinces, allways prouided the sd patentes yr associates heyres &c shall faithfully acknowledge & reverently respect the above named High Mightie Lords &c. for theyr Superiour Lords & patrons & in all loialtie & fidellitie demeane themselves towards them & theyr successours accord❜g as the Inhabitants of this prouince in dutye are bound, soe long as they shall [be] within this iurisdict" & att the experat" of ten yeares to beginne from the daye of the date hereof to paye or cause to bee paid to an officer thereunto deputed by the Gouernr Gen' of this Provce for the time being, the tenth parte of the reueneew that shall arise by the ground manured by the plough or howe, in case it bee demanded to be paid to the sd officer in the ffield before it bee housed, gardens or orchards not exceeding one Hollands acre being excepted, and in case anye of the sd pattentees theyr associates heyres &c shall only improue theyr stocks in grasing or breeding of cattle, then the partie soe doing shall at the end of the ten yeares afforesaid paye or cause to be paid to an officer deputed as aforesd such reasonable sattisfacts in butter and cheese as other Inhabbats of other townes shall doe in the like cases: Likewise injoyning the said pattentees theyre associates heyres &c in the dating of all public instruments to use the New Style wth the wis & measure of this place. Given under my hand & Seale of this Prouince this 19th of December in the fort Amsterdam in New Netherland. 1645.

Endorsed,-Ter ordonnantie van de Hr Direct Generael & Raden van Nieuw Nederlandt. CORNELIS VAN TIENHOUEN, Secrety.