settled privately. This, the Newtown Patent, dated 1708, was given by Lord Cornbury to his personal friends, Ann Bridges & Co.*

Vacancies on Staten Island

"Granted 27 October 1708, to Lancaster Symes, P.F., A.D.P., E.W., GC. SG. This likewise, belongs to the family. It appears by Actual Survey, to be a Valuable Interest, but from the number of Antagonists, I am afraid it will be difficult to recover, tho' well deserving some pains and endeavoursӠ

"Then for Sam. Vanderbeck, the piece of Land given to the Church by Lancaster Symes, Peter Fauconnier, and the other owners of the vacant land on the Island, since sold to him, by the vestrymen of the said church: beginning at the N. W. Corner of the upper lot of Thomas Stilwell, deceased, on the hill, now belonging to Capt. Nicholas Britain S. 36° W 56 ch. to the N. E. Corner of the Lot formerly belonging to William Stilwel, deceased, now possessed by the said Sam. Vanderbeck, along the line of the land patented to John Palmer, in trust for Col. Dongan, thence along the easterly bounds of the said Stilwell's lot, S E. 20 ch. to the S. E. corner thereof, thence along the Southerly bounds of the said lot S. W. 30 ch., thence 29° W. &c."‡ The church mentioned in this Survey is still in existence; it is St. Andrew's Protestant Episcopal Church§ at Richmond. The interests of Peter Fauconnier, in New Jersey, are now to be considered:

"Besides the above Tracts, in the Government of New York, Mr. Fauconnier was concerned in two large Tracts, in the Province of New Jersey, the one called New Britain, and the other Romopohe, which he & Associates did purchase of Peter Sonmans & after which he had been at great expence in Surveying, Settling & Improving, the Title became disputed by the Proprietors, who alledged that Sonmans, had exceeded his Authority, in disposing of these Lands, and that they were conveyed Illegally, and to the Prejudice of their Right, upon which very expensive Lawsuits were commenced; first on behalf of Romopohe, which after being continued at a very great expence, a Verdict was obtained at Amboy in favour of Mr. Fauconnier and his party; but notwithstanding which, the Proprietors had means to renew their suits, & get Possession of most of their farms, till Mr. Fauconnier, [on whom the Labour was placed,] after having spent a great deal of Money, and for which, he was Obliged to sell his Valuable & Indisputed lands, in the Province of New York, and bending under the weight of a great old age, did consent to settle the matter, by an Agreement with the Proprietors, but died before it was Compleated-And which Mrs. Valleau as his heir, carried into Execution, and conveyed her whole right thereto, for sixteen hundred acres of Land, for herself, and two hundred, for her son Theodore-New Britain, is held under the same title, which share remains to the family, and there has been lately, some resolute resolves entered into, by the Persons holding under Sonmans, to recover their right—but the length of time it has been neglected, and the number of Settlers, and Antagonists, will make the recovery difficult-These two Tracts, together with Petersfield, are all I know Mr. Fauconnier was concerned in -Petersfield is disposed of out of the family and Quamache, depends upon the course of the line, between the Province of New York, and New Jersey, whether, it does or does not belong, to the Estate of Mr. Fauconnier- -I have seen a

* Compiled from "The Annals of Newtown," by James Riker. † Dr. Bard.

From an old Survey of the Tract loaned by Mr. E. A. Marschalk.

The Reverend Kingston Goddard, at one time Rector, is said to have written a history of this church,

but the book could not be found in any of the libraries.

Copy of a Conveyance of some Lands about Woodbridge, which it appears Mr. Fauconnier was concerned in, with Symes & others, where it appears by this Conveyance, he has disposed of it, the Particular Circumstances of which, I am unacquainted with-Over, and above the several Tracts of Land, in the two provinces above described--Mr. Fauconnier had two Mortgages, one from Cromline, which was settled by Assignees appointed by Mr. Cromline's Creditors, to audit, and Settle all the accounts against his Estates, and among others, they appropriated a Certain Sum for Mr. Fauconnier's Demand which was to be paid at different Periods, of which there has not Any been paid since Mrs. Valleau's Death. Wawayanda was divided, where Mr. Cromline had Lands, when he intended to advertise it for sale, for the satisfaction of the Creditors-The other was a Mortgage, from Benjamin Aske, which at the request of the Heirs was sold for the sum of six hundred Pounds, payable after a Prior Mortgage, to Willson & Symes should be satisfied, which sum was Intended, and is applyed by John Bard, [the only Surviving Executor to Mrs. Valleau's Estate,] towards the discharge of the Debts, the Estate did owe, consisting of a Legacy, Bonds, and Private Debts agreeable to an account of Particulars kept by the said John Bard, with the proper Vouchers thereof."*

Ramapo, or Romopohe Tract—

"April 25, 1710, Wm. Boyd, under a warrant of Peter Sonmans, returned a survey of 42,500 acres lying in that part of New Jersey, between the Ramapo and Saddle Rivers, in what is now, the greater portion of Hohokus and Franklin Townships, in Bergen Co., and part of Pompton Township, in Passaic Co.”

"Dec. 10, 1709, Peter Sonmans, Sole Agent, Superintendent and General Attorney, and Receiver General of the rest of the Proprietors, effectually representing the whole twenty-four Proprietors &c. conveyed the same Tract to John Auboineau, E. Boudinot, Peter Fauconnier, L. Kiersted, John Barbarie, Thomas Barjaux, Andrew Fresneau, and Peter Bard."

Peter Fauconnier held of this Patent, which he subsequently increased, by purchase from one of the others, to 8

"In 1742, the Proprietors made an agreement with Magdalen Valleau, to buy out her interest in said Tract. The terms of the contract, were to be kept secret, and she was to receive 900 acres of land, and each of her children 300, or 3000 acres in all.”

"It is not clear, why this agreement was not complied with at the time. March 29, 1753, John and William Burnet, and Catharine Skinner, being authorized by a warrant from the Proprietors, conveyed to her the said 900 acres. On the same day, March 29, 1753, she released to the Proprietors, all her claims in said large tract."

"Feb. 4, 1744, Peter Fauconnier conveyed all his estate, right, title, and interest in said Tract to Theodore Valleau and David Stout, and on the 10th. of August 1752, they conveyed the same to Magdalen Valleau."

Various troubles kept the Ramapo Patent from being divided, and it was not till after eighty years of dissension that the Board obtained peaceable possession. A division was effected on September 1, 1790.†

["May 23, 1753. Magdalene Valleau conveyed to Coenard Wannemaker,

*The original of this Document was prepared by Dr. Bard, after 1761, and belongs to Mr. E. A. Marschalk. †Quotations and compilations here given are from "Early Days and Early Surveys of East Jersey," by Wm. Roome.

105, of the 900 acres just granted her. This is the origin of the Wannemaker tract.-Hist. of Rockland Co., N. Y., by Rev. David Cole, D.D."]

Peter Fauconnier was one of the twenty-four Proprietors of East Jersey, as was also Peter Bard, the father of Dr. John Bard. The Agent of this Board, Peter Sonmans, had granted to him, June 11, 1707, by the Governor [Cornbury] and the Council of the Province, a General License to purchase vacant and unappropriated lands in the Counties of Essex, Middlesex, Monmouth, and Somerset, from the native Indians. In pursuance of this, much land was bought for himself and the rest of the Proprietors, among these purchases being such Patents as Ramapo, Essex County, Elizabethtown, Hackensack Plantation, etc. The Essex County Patent, in which Peter Fauconnier had an interest, was situated about thirty miles, more or less, to the northward of Newark, and £195 was paid for it. He was also owner of three eight-twentieths of a Tract of Land called "Markseter Colunge," the Elizabethtown Patent, which began at a white oak tree about 33 miles N. W. of this town, and was purchased for £500. In 1709, Peter Fauconnier bought of William Davis, 2424 acres of land, on the east bank of the Hackensack River. These Patents are described in the same vague and uncertain terms as those in New York, so that nothing further has been inserted regarding them the names being considered sufficient for present purposes. There remains one other Patent to refer to; the Plantation* purchased by Peter Fauconnier, in 1708, on the West Branch of the Hackensack River in Bergen County, and upon which he later lived and died. It received its name from Hackensack, the chief town of the County, and the section in which it was situated was called by the Indians, "Kinderkarnack." The following extract relating to it, is taken from the Archives of New Jersey, I. S., Vol. XX, p. 209:

"To be Sold

A Plantation

of about 200 Acres of Land, lying on the West Side of the Hackensack River, being Part of the Farm formerly belonging to Peter Fauconnier deceased, in Bergen County [New Jersey] whereon is a large Brick House, of about 56 Feet front, with two Rooms on a Floor, a large Garret, and Cellar under the whole House, also a new Barn; there is on said Plantation, a fine bearing Orchard containing 200 Apple Trees of the best Fruit, a fine parcel of Pairs, Plumbs, &c. The Land is extraordinary for Pasture [it having a sufficiency of Meadow] or Grain, and very well timbered and watered, about half a quarter of a Mile from a Grist Mill, and about two Miles from a Publick Landing, whose Boats of seven or eight Cords frequently come up for Wood and other Produce. And also another Lot of Land, lying by or near the Old Bridge, opposite to the Half-Moon Tavern, containing two Acres of Up-Land and three Acres of Meadow, whereon is a new Stone House 42 Feet front, two rooms and a large Cellar, about 40 bearing Apple Trees; the Situation is very convenient It has been said that it was a portion of the Ramapo Patent.