The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-03-04
OLD TRINITY'S PROPERTY.
4 RICH PiRISH, mr. NOT NEARLY so
men .iS ms BEEN SUPPOSED.


tor. aud CntrchIs,s-rhc nnys that Tried
stem. Snui.-pnrson IuuIi,-TrinIty. Chap
Of. aud CharItirs-No Money Hoardcd.
This is the prelude 10 the story Of the
,,,a, property " Trinity Church: In lG3G.
r,,lof jansen who had been assistant super
btrdrut ~ farms ut Rcnnselaerwick. obtained
fr,u the Dutch Director General and Cover
rcr Wauicr Van Twillcr. II grant of thirty-ono
,cor..nd or siNly.two ucrrs. OF land on Man
haitian Island little to the north Of Fort Am
s,er!ln. On the city map to-day the grant
would cover section beginning south Of War
rem street extending on Broadway to Duane,
md thence northwestcrly a mile and a half
toChris,opher street. forming an unequal triHn-
rcwith it's base on North River Soon after the
grant Jansen. or Jams. died leaving wife and
lourchildren. In 1898. tho widow Anctie Jams
married Dominic Evernrdus Bogardus. and
her farm became the "Dominie's Bouwerie."
Iyssibly. II Van Twier could have ioreseen
this transfer lie would not have made tho grant
20 Jans. The now Governor and the new doml-
rle wore fellow passengers to Manhattan in
1888 in the snip Soutberg but nftrr their arrival
they did not harmonic. Tho Governor re-
scented the domnics interference in public
afTlirs. Dogardus in his pulpit called Van
Twilcr n child Of Satan" which so incensed
him that he never again darkcned the dominios
OQOf. III lbtf DDEAIANN hullcu lOE nOnlt Will WIZ
liam Keit who had been Governor since 1893.
and now was superseded by Peter Stuyvesant.
The ship was wrecked on the coast OF Wales
and Bogardus. Kieft and seventy eight other
passengers were lost. In 1864 by the English
occupation. New Amsterdam became New York
and Col. Richard Nicolls was Governor. The
JAMS grant had been confirmed to his heirs
soon after the death OF BoGardus but in 1871
the heirs sold the property to Col. Francis Love-
lace who succeeded Nicolls "a Governor in 1868.
AT this sale OF the heirs failed to be present.
but Lovelace considered his title good enough.
and he bought the Bouwerie for his private prop
erty. not for the Crown. On July 90 1878. while
Lovelace was away on a pleasure tour. five
Dutch ships sailed up the bay. anchored OF the
Battery and cannonaded the city. Capt.
Colye. with six hundred men. landed.
and the fort soon surrendered When Lovelace
returned. he was permitted to sail for England.
whore he was severely reprimanded for cow
ardce and treachery. The peace between Eng
land and the States General. 1874. restored New
York. and one Of the frst acts Of the new Gov
ernor. Sir Edmund Andres. was to conhscate
the estate of Lovelace to the Duke OF York. The
Jans-Bogardus Bouwerie was thus incorpor-
ated into what was called the Dukes farm. the
Kings farm when the Duke Of York became
James H.. ana also under William and Mary
reign it was transferred to Trinity Church.
THE JAMS HEIRS.
Thus the Jams claim was wiped out: indeed
Il hardly ever was heard OF till about thirty
years ago and Dr. Berrnn in his " Historical
Sketch Of Trinity Church" published in ls47
does not even mention IT, But since then. un-
easy heirs. or supposed heirs. the descendants
OF the daughters Of Anetje JAMS Bogardus. the
Kiersteds and all their kin the Van Bruehs
and the sisters and the cousins and the aunts
and thousands more. are periodically stirred
up by lawyers here and there throughout the
country from Maine TO Texas. Now and then q
suit is suggested with the representation that
there are millions in ii; but no scheme OF Null
berry Sellers is more Utopian or hopeless. The
State courts repeatedly have reaffrmed the
valid. subsisting. and absolute little OF Trinity
Church TO all its property and the claims OF the
Jams heirs are disposed Of in Sanford's Chan.
Gerry Reports" vol. w.. ,. 633. as follows:
The law on these claims is well settled and 1t must b,
sustained H. Sn1. Of lG-i' S m a. MN 4
after Possession such as pa. been proved ~ ihs cas-
Mhs S"' ,S S I'' of ins,ee ,be sueee..1
eainaut. one being men 4ull age and the court
War Of The rcVouuoni the ue to lands were to be iii
sG % qs@ e Fs% Ta s IN nA Tue OSs%
wog be seeur nnlc, such an administration Of ne law
ton 'ou Injustice, ami legal rapine Jar worse in tlei
consequence upon tt IfAet EisHA "Ilfi anu HaIpNee
OF society than external war or domestic Instruction
As for the story. some time current. that Trim
ity corporation was willing 10 compromise sucl
claims. II never mas offered and never vii
offer. one dollar for that purpose.
THE BEoINSINd OF THE PARISH.
This prelude explains and disposes Of tn
Aneue JAMS claims in connection with IN
property of the corporntion; aud now properl
begins the history Of Trinity Church. especial
In respect % is wealth, how its means were &C
CURED and how they have been and are dis
lensed. Immediately after the Dutch surren
der q the colony, the English Church seryic
was frat celebrated in this city, Sept. IA 1864
by tho chaplain OF the English forces the Dutc
permitting the use OF their church after thei
own morning service and for some years tn
was IL tho tort near the Battery. In l6!s-Se
he hgy. Charles WSo9dIey' ,e gT@duaSe
lain TO the Engl, sh garrison. and journal q
Y" time says: " We went at noon to hear III
after the Dutch church was out There wer
not aboy- twenty-five or thirty people In III
the rntire pouulaton Of the city was then onl
2 jOO. In 1867. church was built wher
Trinity now stands, and in 1897. the itth yea
otthe reign Of William and Mary, by an act 9
the Assembly. approved and ratified by IN
Governor OF the province, royal grant wa
made II certain church and steeple latel
built in the city If New York. together with
piece or parcel OF ground adjoining thereuntt
being in or near ~ a street without the mort
cute II The city. commonly called and know
by the name OF the Broad Way" Tn
mat ' c6 sa Was the the sh saGe ii Sesrs orig
day, The Parish OF Trinity Church." tn
Mardeus aud Vestrymen Appointed undo
this charter included Col. Caleb Heathcote. a
ancestor OF the late Bishop Deancey, ana sue
ugnes as Morris. Clarke. Read. Burrough
Wilson. and Ludlow. familiar in this city nov
The rdf,e WAS built by assessments and sui
scripuons. mostly small, from 81 TO- IS; Co
Fletcher gave G25; Chidlay Brook. Ed f3l
aud Col. Peter schuyler subscribed 60, to
paid ia boards" In a subsequent separate sul
scriptnn 10 nuild the steeple. in n total sum
H3l8 IS rs 81 was - contribution from III
jews IN 1904 Sarah Knight OF Boston kept
!QurnHi Of her vsll mere, and She says OF Ne
York people: " They uro generally Of III
Church Of England and have New Englan
gentleman Tor their minister and very flu
church. set out with all customaT
REQUISITES" THIS Now England GentemA
WIS the Rev William Nrsey. for whom Nese
street was named. He WIS educated al Hal
Nrd. and was a dissenting preacher, but Wi
appointed rector provided he should be &C
mlttel to HOLY orders and ne went 10 Euglan
md w,s Ordained. His first service in Trinii
WIS March -. 1893. und he WIS rector near
nity years I'M his death on July IL. TAG.
first his salary WIS ElOO. with f26 allowance f.
house rent. and aiterward the Easter Con
munion offerings and 24s. from the weekly 90
leclons were allowed him. The clerk All
sexton were paid from fees tor christening
marriages. funerals and beil-ringings.