User:Nadalex/Saratoga patent

I am just learning how to edit Wikipedia pages--I noticed that pages for Saratoga County do not include reference to the Saratoga Patent, which originally converted the land into American private property.

"WARRANT FOR SARATOGA PATENT."

"By his Excellency, Edward, Viscount Cornbury, Captain-General and Governor-in-Chief of the Provinces of New York and New Jersey, and territories depending on them in America, and Vice-Admiral of the same, etc., in council this 25th day of October, 1708.

"To Major Berkley, Esq., Attorney-General of the Province of New York:

"You are hereby required and directed to prepare a draft of a patent of confirmation for Colonel Peter Schuyler, Robert Livingston, Esq., Dirck Wessels, Esq., Jan Jan Bleecker, Esq., Johannes Schuyler, Esq., and to Cornelius Van Dyck, the grandchild and heir-at-law of Cornelius Van Dyck, deceased, for a certain tract of land situate and being to the northward of the city of Albany, on both sides of the Hudson river, formerly granted onto some of them and others, under and from whom the rest do at present hold and enjoy by patent from Colonel Tomas Dongan, sometime Governor-in-Chief of the province of Now York, the limits and boundaries of which land are to be ascertained in the manner, that is to say: Beginning at the south side of the mouth of a certain creek on the west side of Hudson's river, commonly called by the Indians Tionoondehowa, and by the Christians Anthony's Kill, which is the uppermost bounds of the land formerly purchased by Goosie Gerritson and Philip Peterson Schuyler, and from thence descending westerly into the woods by the said creek, on the south side thereof, as it runs six English miles; and if the said creek do not stretch so far into the wood, then from the end thereof east by a straight line until it shall be six miles distant from Hudson's river, upon a measured straight line; and from thence northerly by a line parallel to the course of Hudson's river, until it come opposite to and bear east from the south side from another creek's mouth on the east side of Hudson's river, culled Tionoondehows, which upon Hudson's river is computed to be distant from the mouth of Tionoondehows aforesaid about twenty-two English miles, be it more or less, and from the left termination by a straight line to be drawn east to the north side of the mouth of the said creek, Tionoondehows; and from thence continued east six miles into the woods on the east side of Hudson's river, and from thence by a line southerly parallel to the course of the said Hudson's river, and six miles distant from the same, so far southerly until it come opposite to and bear east six miles distant from the north side of the mouth of Schardhook Kill, which is the boundary of Schardhook patent, late belonging to Henry Van Rensselaer, to hold it thence, in manner following: that is to say, for so much thereof as by the former patents had been divided for arable land to Peter Schuyler, lot No. 1, and one half the lot No. 6, to and for the use of the said Peter Schuyler, and of his heirs and assigns forever, to Robert Livingston; his lot, No. 5, and one half the lot No. 5, to and for the sole use to Dirck Wessels; his lot, No. 3, to and for the sole use to Jan Jan Bleecker; his lot, No. 2, to and for the sole use to Johannes; his lot, No. 4, to and for the sole use also to Caroline Van Dyck, the grandchild and heir-at-law of the said Caroline Van Dyck, deceased; the lot No. 7 in trust, nevertheless, to and for the use or uses for which the farm is devised by the last will and testament of his said grandfather, deceased; failing which use or uses, to the use of himself, and his heirs and assigns forever, and for so much as remains undivided according to the heir's use of, positively, that is to say: to Peter Schuyler and Robert Livingston, to each of them three-fourteenth parts; and to each of the others two fourteenth parts of the whole undivided land contained in the said patent, the farm being divided in fourteen equal parts, at and under the yearly quitrent of twenty bushels of winter wheat; and for your so doing this shall be your sufficient warrant.

CORNBURY,"

Dated as above. {Land Paper v. 4, p. 165.}

(Quote above from HISTORY OF SARATOGA COUNTY, NEW YORK by NATHANIEL BARTLETT SYLVESTER, 1878)