Lot: Charles Ward Apthorp Farm (Original Grants and Farms)

Lot
Charles Ward Apthorp Farm
Lot Group
Original Grants and Farms
Property Was Used in 1660 For:
Full Stokes Entry (See images below)
THE CHARLES WARD APTHORP FARM Block Check List. 1254-1851-1853-1111-1111-1254.

The Charles Ward Apthorp farm was part of the land originally patented to Isaac Bedlow.

That large patent included also the Striker's Bay farm, the Herman Le Roy farm, the John Clendening farm, and part of the Lawrence Kortwright farm now in Central Park.

Richard Nicolls, Governour, etc., to Isaac Bedlow. Patent dated Feb. 13, 166-;/%.— Liber Patents, II: 165 (Albany).

"Whereas there is a Certaine Tract or Parcell of Land upon this Island Manhatans lying & being on y= North side thereof the Westermost bounds beginning where the Easter most of the Land lately Graunted to Thomas Hall & Company do end so stretching Eastward upon the same lyne three hundred English Rods alongst y'' Ryver coirionly called or Knowne by the name of Hudson's Ryver it runs in breadth or depth from the Length aforemen?oned into y^ Woods two hundred twenty five Rod Conteyning in all by estimagon about — Acres or — Margen be it more or less which said Tract or Parcell of Land at pi'sent lyes unmanured & unplanted Now to the End some good Improvem' may be made thereupon and also for divers other Good reasons & Considerajons me thereunto especially moving Know ye that by Vertue of y^ Commission & Authority unto me given by his Royall Highness I have given & Graunted & by theise p^'sents doe give Ratify Confirme & Graunt unto Isaack Bedlow one of the Aldermen of this Citty. . . ."

For more than twenty years after 1668 the records are silent about the Bedlow patent.

Bedlow died intestate, in February, 1673. A commission was appointed on April 10, 1673, "to supervize. State, & Audit" his books and accounts and, on Aug. 9, 1675, his widow, Elizabeth, daughter of Cornells de Potter, having been sued by some of his creditors, was appointed administratrix. — Exec. Coun. Min. (ed. by V. H. Paltsits), I: 152. The date of the appointment of the administratrix is given in the Intestacy Book as Aug. 27, 1675. — Surrogate's office (New York).

*The author is aware that the quoted matter in the following pages cannot always be relied upon as being absolutely exact, and that sometimes quotation-marks have been omitted. Unfortunately time has not sufficed for a final comparison with the originals. It is believed, however, that the inaccuracies are of minor consequence, and not of such a nature as to mislead, so that it has been deemed wise to retain the quotation-marks and crave the reader's indulgence for such slight discrepancies as may be discovered.

Theunis Idens Van Huyse bought the Bedlow tract, probably about 1688, for in that year he sold his farm at Sapocanikan to Jacob Sammon; certainly before March 27, 1689, when his daughter Rebecca married Abraham de la Montagnie. — Marr. in Ref. Dutch Ch., 66. At that time the family lived at Bloomingdale. Whether Theunis bought from the widow and creditors of Isaac Bedlow or from some intermediate owner has not been discovered. Mr. Riker surmises that he "had come to own an immense tract," apparently "by buying up the title to several lesser grants." — Riker, Hist, of Harlem, 443. There were no smaller grants.

Theunis Idens, as his autograph is, but also called Theunis Eidesse van Huyse, was born in 1639, probably in Holland, a son of Iden van Huyse, by his wife Tryntie Jacobs, who afterwards married Jacob Helliker, alias Swart. — From an excellent biographical note in Riker, Hist, of Harlem, 522. Idens lived at Bloomingdale more than thirty years. His farm included the entire Bedlow patent and the most northerly lot (lot 10) of the Van Brugh-Hall patent. About 1720 he had it surveyed by Peter Berrian into eight equal lots running from the Hudson River to the hne of the Commons. They were numbered from south to north, each lot to be about 42 rods wide and to contain ^'j}4 acres, more or less.

Eight lots, each 42 rods wide, would have had a frontage along the river of 336 rods (5544 ft.). The Bedlow patent was laid out as 300 rods (4950 ft.). Some allowance must be made for the rough measurements of the patents, yet they agree closely with Berrian's later survey. Thus, lot i and yi of lot 2 on the Berrian Map, conveyed by Theunis and his wife to Marinus Roelofse van Vleckeren (married to their daughter Dinah), had a frontage of 56 rods. This parcel was sold by Marinus Roelofse to Stephen De Lancey. It was, without doubt, identical with lot 10 of the lower patent rated at 60 rods (see the Oliver De Lancey farm).

The farm of which Charles Ward Apthorp died seized, May 24, 1797, was composed of lots 3, 4, 5 and ^3 of lot 2 of the farm of Theunis Eides van Huyse, and of about 50 acres of woodland separated from the home farm. This woodland parcel, though part of the residuary estate of Apthorp, was earlier included in the De Lancey farm, where its history is set forth. See De Lancey — David WagstafF farm.

Theunis Idens and his wife, by deeds dated June 22-23 1720, conveyed lot 3 and ^ of lot 2 to Myndert Burger van Evera, married to their daughter Sarah; lots 4 and 5 to their son Eide van Huyse. — Riker, Hist, of Harlem, 522.

Theunis Idens and Jannetie his wife, to Myndert Burger Van Evera. Deed dated June 22/23, T-T^°- Not found of record.

Conveys lot 3 and }i of lot 2 on map by Peter Berrian.

Sarah Van Evera, widow of Mvndert Van Evera, deed., and other heirs of Myndert van Evera, blacksmith, to Charles Ward Apthorp. Deed dated May 5, 1762. Consideration £1,300. — Liber Deeds, \yi\: 241 (New York).

Conveys "Tract of land in the Outward of the City of New York . . . being the whole lott number Three and two equal third Parts of the Lott number Two, as the same was formerly Laid out by Peter Berrian. Having on the North West Hudson River, and running from the said River to the Common Land of the Corp. of New York. On the Southwest the Land formerly of Marinus Roeloffse, now of Oliver De Lancey Esq. On the North East the Land formerly of Eide Van Huyse now of Dennis Hicks."

Recites death of Myndert Van Evera.

Will dated Aug. 15, 1755 {Liber Wills, XXII: 477, New York).

Theunis Ides & Jannetie, his wife, to Eyde Van Huvsen, their son, deed dated June 23, 1720. Not found of record; recited in Liber Deeds, LVII: 236 (New York).

Conveys one quarter equal part of the farm of Theunis Ides being lots 4 and 5 on the map by Peter Berrian. 115 acres or thereabouts.

Eidese Van Huysen to Theunis Eidese Van Huysen. Release dated June 23, 1720.

Releases all interest in every other part of the estate of his father except the part conveyed to him by the foregoing deed. — Liber Deeds, XXX: 139.

Anna Van Huysen, widow of Eyde Van Huysen, to Dennis Hicks. Deed dated Feb. 5, 1746. — Liber Deeds, LVII: 232 (New York).

Conveys "All that Certain piece or parcel of Land situate lying and being in the Outward of the said City of New York being one Equall fourth part of that farm Plantation or tract of Land on which the said Teunis Eidisse Van Huysen then did Live and being that part of the said Land on which at that time the Dwelling House, Barns and Orchard then stood, and in which he the said Teunis Eidesse Van Huysen then Lived being the Lotts Number four and Number five as they were before that time lately Laid out by Peter Berrien surveyor Containing in breadth Eighty four Rodds or thereabouts and being One Hundred and fitteen Acres or thereabouts and Runing from Hudson River southeasterly to the Land belonging to the Corporation of New York having on the southwest the Land of Myndert Burger and to the North East the Land of George Dljkman."

Jan. 16, 1755, Dennis Hicks, yeoman, offered to reimburse the city for any land on which he had encroached. He describes his farm as being "a Little to the Northward of Blomendall." — M. C.C, VI: 3.

Dennis Hicks to Charles Ward Apthorp. Deed dated March 5, 1763. — Liber Deeds, LVII: 236 (New York).

Conveys "All that certain Messuage and piece or parcel of land," at Bloomingdale in the Out Ward of the city of New York. Lots 4 and 5 by the same description as the earlier deed, and with the same recitals.

The "Messuage" or dwelling house was, in all probability, the old house erected by Theunis Idens. The site was the site of the later Striker's Bay Mansion House.

In May, 1764, Apthorp's new mansion was in course of erection. — L. M. R. K., Ill: 948.

Feb. 7, 1780, Mr. .'\pthorp offered the estate for sale:

"To be sold. The estate of Charles Ward Apthorp, Esq; at Bloomingdale, consisting of about 300 acres of choice rich land, chiefly meadow, in good order, on which are two very fine orchards of the best truit, one of them in its prime, and the other beginning to bear plentifully. An exceeding good house, elegantly finished, commanding beautiful prospects of the East and North-Rivers, on the latter of which the estate is bounded.

"Also, a two story brick house, for an overseer and servants, a wash house, cyder house and mill, corn crib, a pidgeon house, well stocked, a very large barn, and hovels for cattle, large stables and coach houses, and every other convenience.

"About the dwelling house is a very handsome pleasure garden, in the English taste, with good kitchen gardens well furnished with excellent fruit trees, of most kinds; in short, nothing is wanting to make it a most agreeable and profitable estate for a gentleman, having a good landing and wharf on the river, where may be advantageously built, a distillery or brewery, as a sufficient supply of water runs to it. The whole of the buildings are almost new, and in good repair. — For terms, apply to John Kelly, No. 843, Hanover Square, NewYork." — A'^. Y. Merc, F 7, 14, 21 et seq., 1780. The estate was not sold at this time.

The following article seems to apply to the Apthorp farm, the only estate of 300 acres that had not been divided up in 1795: "A gentleman in New York who owned a farm of 300 acres of land adjoining the Bowery-road, was offered for the same £800,000 in York currency, which he refused to accept. The offer was upwards of £2666 pr. acre." — A^. J. Slate Gaz.,

Je 9. 1795-

Charles Ward Apthorp's family bible was owned by William 'W. Astor, who was a descendant. The following extract is taken from an affidavit made by Mr. Astor, in 1881: "Charles Ward Apthorp was married to Mary Mc Evers at New York, the 27th. of February, 1755, by the Rev'd Mr. Barclay." Then follows the record of the births of thirteen children. Charles and John, the two eldest, were born in Boston. John Apthorp died in New York, in January, 1759. From that time, the entries are all at New York.

Apthorp died at his home in Bloomingdale, May 24, 1797, intestate. He left no widow, but was survived by ten children. Letters ol administration were issued to Robert Troup, June 12, 1797. — Letters of Administration, V: 159 (New York).