Gabriel Furman

“ Thirdly, it implies, that the house have fixed the two points before mentioned, and then it will necessarily follow, that we have considered the rights of the Corporation, [9] as well as those of the people of Brooklyn; that we have not, I appeal to the house, who must allow, that no such right ever appeared to us, at least as a House, and for us to declare certain facts by a Bill, which has never been proved, will be doing, what I conceive, we ought not to do, if we make justice and equity the rule of our conduct. ”

“ The shores of Brooklyn, where they are not defended by wharves, are undergoing continual and rapid changes, in consequence of the velocity of the current in the East River. The tide rises here about 5 feet.
There is very little doubt, but that Governor’s Island was formerly connected with Red Hook point in this town. ”

“ It is not an uncommon thing for the inhabitants to live beyond the “three score years and ten.”
This town has at different periods been visited by the yellow fever. Between July 10th and September 10th, 1809, 28 persons died of that disease.—During the prevalence of the yellow fever in the city of New-York, in the summer of 1822, seven persons died of that disease in Brooklyn. In the summer of 1823, the yellow fever made its appearance in the village of Brooklyn, and nine persons fell victims to that dreadful pestilence, in the space of one month, during which time its ravages continued. ”

“ And that we hereunder subscribers of the township of Brookland, oblige ourselves, our heirs, executors and administrators to pay to the abovesaid Trustees, all cost that they are at in protecting of the profits of our patent, and that money shall be collected in by the constable of our town. And that the abovesaid Trustees do oblige themselves to render upon oath a true account of all such moneys they have expended in protecting or defending our patent, to any person or persons, as the hereunder subscribers shall appoint for that purpose. ”

“ As a sorrowfull accident and wilfull masacre has been committed by the Esopus Indians, who have with deliberate design under the insidious cover of friendship, determined to destroy Esopus, which they effected or the 7th instant, killing and wounding a number of the inhabitants, and taking many prisoners, burning the new town, and desolating the place. ”

“ This town with respect to legal matters was under the jurisdiction of the court of sessions held at Gravesend, for the West Riding of Yorkshire, upon Long-Island, [19] until the year 1683; when an act was passed by the first legislative assembly of this colony, dividing the province into counties, by which the ridings were abolished. The court however continued to be held at Gravesend until 1686, when it was removed to Flatbush, in conformity to an act of the colonial assembly, passed in the year 1685. ”

“ November 2d, 1717, an act was passed, which was revived in the year 1726, and again in 1727. October 14, 1732. Another act was passed for the same purpose. By this act it was provided, “That the ferryman for the time being, shall not impose, exact, demand, or receive any rates or ferriage for any goods or things whatsoever, transported by any of the inhabitants living alongst the River at or near the Ferry on Nassau-Island, in their own boats or canoes,” provided that the same be their own goods or commodities. ”

“ It is an established fact, that previous to the Revolutionary contest, cattle were driven from Red Hook to Governor’s Island, which places at that time were only separated by a very narrow channel, which is called Buttermilk channel, and is now wide and deep enough to admit{8} of the largest size of merchant vessels passing through.
The climate is very changeable, but cannot be called unhealthy. People in this town live to as great age, as in almost any other part of the United States ”

“ Lieutenant Anberry, in a letter from New-York, to a friend in England, dated October 30th, 1781, says, “on crossing the East River from New-York, you land at Brooklyn, which is a scattered village, consisting of a few houses. At this place is an excellent{55} Tavern, where parties are made to go and eat fish; the landlord of which has saved an immense fortune this war.” The public house referred to in the above advertisements, and letter, was the same house, which after the Revolution, and in the Compiler’s recollection, was called the “Corporation House.” ”

“ The charter of Dongan, notwithstanding all their pompous recitals, is the oldest they can produce, which in any manner affects the interests of this town.
[32] The corporation of New-York appear to have abandoned the right of regulating the rate of ferriage very early; for in 1717, nine years after the date of this charter, an act was passed by the colonial legislature for that purpose. ”

“ The three patents to Manje, Hudde, and Janse, from Naerder, were located near the Ferry in this town, and all subsequently were purchased by Derick Woortman, alias Dirck Janse Woertman, and were by him sold to Joras Remsen, on the 10th day of October, 1706, for the sum of £612 10s. current money of New-York.
There is great reason to believe that there was a General Patent of this town under the Dutch Government, which patent is now lost. What strengthens this idea is, that the first by Governor Nicolls under the English is confirmatory of some former grant. ”

“ Whereas several of the inhabitants on the ferry, on the Island of Nassau, by their petition preferred to the General Assembly, by setting forth, that they have been molested prosecutions, occasioned by the contrivance and instigations of ill and disaffected persons to the neighbourhood, who would encroach upon the buildings and fences that have been made many years, alledging the road was not wide enough, to the great damage of several of the old inhabitants, on the said ferry ”

“ In the month of February, 1778, on a Sunday afternoon, another British prison ship was burnt in the Wallaboght. The hull of this vessel lies in the mud in that Bay. 1778, the Jersey ship of the line, having arrived at New-York, was condemned as unfit for the service, and converted into a prison ship. As such she anchored in the Wallaboght during the month of April, in the same year, together with the Falmouth and Hope, for Hospital ships; where they remained till the close of the Revolutionary war. ”

“ They, together with the Constable made all assessments. If any Overseer died during his term, the rest of the Overseers by a major vote, made choice of another in his place; and if the person so chosen refused to serve, he forfeited the sum of £10, towards defraying the town charges. They were to settle the bounds of the town, within twelve months after the bounds were granted. They had the power of regulating fences. They were authorised together with the Constable to make choice of two out of the eight overseers of Church affairs. ”

“ The ministers under the Dutch government were not permitted to marry any persons without making the marriage proclamation on three succeeding Sabbaths in their churches. The same practice was{77} observed after the Colony came under the British government. The last mentioned government however sold marriage licenses, which were granted by the Governor’s Secretary in New-York, for the sum of eight dollars each. The inhabitants generally preferred purchasing a marriage license, and thus contributed to the revenue of the Governor and Secretary. ”

“ John Rapalje and Hans Bergen of the fferry, desires of the grand jury that the Commissioners now being should be presented for not doing their duty in laying out the king’s highway according to ye law, being the King’s highway is too narrow from the ferry to one Nicalus Cowenhoven, living at Brooklyn and if all our neighbours will make ye road according to{38} law, then ye said John Rapelje and Hans Bergen, is willing to do the same as aforesaid, being they are not willing to suffer more than their neighbours. ”

“ The first Church established in Kings County was, October 13, 1654, when the Rev. Joannes Theodorus Polhemus, a minister of the Dutch Reformed Church, was permitted by Governor Stuyvesant, to preach at Midwout, (Flatbush) and Amersfort, (Flatlands) . [21] The congregation was gathered at this time; but the order of Governor Stuyvesant for building the Church is dated December 15, 1654. February 9, 1655, the Governor ordered the inhabitants of Brooklyn and Amersfort, which at that period, together with Gravesend, were one congregation, to cut timber for the erection of the Church at Midwout ”

“ And we do publickly and unanimously declare our cheerful submission to all such laws, statutes and ordinances, which are or shall be made by virtue of authority from your royal highness, your heirs and successors forever: As also, that we will maintain, uphold, and defend, to the utmost of our power, and peril of us, our heirs and successors forever, all the rights, title, and interest, granted by his sacred majesty to your royal highness, against all pretensions or invasions, foreign or domestic ”

“ The Patentees and freeholders of this town sold unto Stephanus Van Cortlandt, the neck of land called Red Hook, containing by estimation 50 acres; which they state in their deed “was formerly given and granted to the town of Broocklyn, in the year 1657, by Governor Stuyvesant, the Dutch Governor then at that time, and since confirmed by the English Governors, Governor Nicolls, and Governor Dongan.” ”

“ To have and to hold, all and singular the said ferry, vacant land and premises, herein before granted and confirmed, or meant, mentioned, or intended to be hereby granted and confirmed (except as is herein before excepted) and all and singular the rents, issues, profits, rights, members and appurtenances, to the same belonging, or in any wise of right appertaining, unto the said mayor, aldermen and commonalty of the city of New-York, and their successors and assigns forever ”

“ The salary of the Clerk of the Church in this town was formerly raised by a tax on the whole town. At a town meeting, held February 1, 1568, It was resolved, that the sum of £20 10s. should be raised, and paid into the hands of the “church masters” for “the widow of Hendrick Sleght, ffor 1 year and 8 months salary, and being Clarke off the churche.” ”

“ The Apprentices’ Library Association, which has been formed but a short time, promises to be of great benefit to the apprentices of the place, by introducing among them, habits of reading and reflection, which, if properly attended to, will enable them to support the honourable character of good citizens. ”

“ And in defending our patent so that verdict shall come in our favour, where income of money or other profits should arise concerning the premises, all such profits or income should be kept towards defraying of all the necessary cost and charge of our township of Brookland, till such time as it is altered by the majority. ”

“ There is no salary attached to this office: the supervisor receives a compensation of two dollars per day, for attending the general meeting of the supervisors of the different towns in the county, and a trifling amount for granting licenses. The present supervisor is William Furman, esq.{69}
A Town Clerk, also elected by the people. The duties of this officer are to call special town meetings on the request of twelve freeholders, record the proceedings of town meetings, and preserve the records of the town. In 1698, Jacob Vandewater, town clerk of this town, received the sum of £6 5s. ”

“ And lastly, our will and pleasure is, and we do hereby declare and grant, that these our letters patent, or the record thereof, in the secretary’s office of our said province of New-York, shall be good and effectual in the law, to all intents and purposes whatsoever, notwithstanding the not true and well reciting or mentioning of the premises, or any part thereof, or the limits and bounds thereof, or of any former or other letters patents, or grants whatsoever, made or granted ”

“ January 29, 1652, Pieter Linde, having married the widow of Jan Manje, transported or sold the{10} above tract of land to Barent Janse. August 23, 1674, before Nicasius de Sille, admitted Secretary of the Dutch towns appeared Jan Barentse, [1] and Auke Janse, with Simon Hausen as Guardian of the other children of Barent Janse, deceased, “procured by his wife Styntie Pieterse deceased, all living within the town of Midwout Fflackbush,” and declared that they transported the above tract of land to Dirck Janse Woertman. ”

“ This part of the Island, as far as Jamaica was inhabited by the Canarsee tribe of Indians. The old Dutch inhabitants in this county have a tradition, that the Canarsee Indians were subject to the Mohawks, as all the Iroquois were called ”

“ This minister was naturalized in the Court of Sessions for Kings County, November 8, 1715.
[23] This office was held by George S. Wise, Jun, Esq. until his death in November, 1824.
[24] Governor Nicolls in a letter to the Duke of York, November, 1665, informed him “that such is the mean condition of this town, (New-York) that not one soldier to this day has lain in sheets, or upon any other bed than canvass and straw.
1678, New-York contained 343 houses, and 3430 inhabitants; and there were owned in the City, three ships, eight sloops and seven boats. ”

“ Present, Machiel Hanssen, Cornelis Sebringh, and Hendrick Vechten, Esquires, Justices.—Resolved, by the major part of the freeholders of the said towne of Brookland, that every man that has now a right, lott, or lotts laid out in the quondam Common and undivided lands of Brookland aforesaid, shall forever free liberty have for egress and regress to his said lotts for fetching off wood or otherwise, over all or any of the said lott or lotts of the said freeholders in the lands aforesaid. ”

“ At a towne meeting held this twentieth day of Aprill, 1697, at Bedford within the jurisdiction of Broockland, in Kings County, upon the Island of Nassau, Resolved by all the ffreeholders of the towne of Broockland aforesaid, that all their common land not yet laid out or divided, belonging to their whole patent shall be equally divided and laid{116} out to each ffreeholders of said towne, his just proporcon in all the common lands abovesaid, except those that have but an house and a home lott, which are only to have but half share of the lands aforesaid. ”

“ The first number of the “Long Island Weekly Intelligencer,” published by Mess’rs. Robinson and Little.
June 1, 1809. The first number of the “Long Island Star,” published by Thomas Kirk, Esq.
March 7, 1821. The first number of the “Long Island Patriot,” published by Geo. L. Birch, Esq.
In the month of November, 1810, proposals were issued by Benjamin F. Cowdrey, & Co. for establishing in Brooklyn a weekly newspaper, to be entitled “The Long-Island Journal, and American Freeman.” For some reason unknown to the compiler this paper was not published. ”