Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-12-30
OLD RECORDS
Curious Document Brought Ont in a Suit
About an Oyster Claim.

ABOUT an oyster Claim
The trial of the suit of Peter Snt4ar
against Samuel +. Vanderveer to recover
$4,000, was, says The Brooklyn Citizen.
closed yesterday in the supreme court
Suffer, who resides in East New York
planted oysters in Jamaica bay. Wander
veer, who resides in Queens county dup
them up. The suit followed. A host ~
oystermen and residents on the bav an
peared in court wrapped in big rough
oyercoats and with vast comforters around
their necks. Old records from the ar
chiyes of Queens county were produced
in the careful custody of the town clerk of
Jamaica. Some of them We're SO old and
bethumbed as to be almost illepibIe
Some records were in fantastic Dutch
ealigraphy and some in English. One
deed was made by Governor Richard
Nichols, of the province of New York.
| under the duke of York. One was made
by Lieut.. Gov. and Vice Admiral Dongan.
of New York, under James H., and bears
date May z, 1866. II gave to William
Denton, Robert Coe, Capt. Began New
ton, William Hallott Andrew Messenger.
and Halton Denton, all of Jamaica, the
land on which the town stood and the
land under the water. There was also
grant from Peter Stuyyesant. The most
interesting document was deed made
by Waumitumpak, saehem of Rockaway.
granting and to the inhabitants of the
town of Jamaica. 1t was dated 1863, and
the consideration of the deed was a cask
of rum, keg of powder, and some guns,
belts and blankets. AS Sachem Waumi-
tumpak and his tribe had to pay tribute
10 The Narragansett tribes of Rhode Is
land a part of this consideration had to
60 to them. A deed made in 1864, com
prislng Waumitumpak's grant, was the
only one entirely legible. 1t was as fol-
lows:
JAMAICA, APRIL We 10Th, ammo 16sl,-
These presents may certify any one
whom it may any ways concern that,
whereas there was certain tract off land
sould unto We inhabitants off Jamaica by
Waumitumpac, the predecessor and
brother to Munguaup, the lyme Running
from great swamp or River which is the
West bounds Of Rockaway Neck, which
makes Rockaway neck on the West side
and so to land hetwixt ye great playne,
and ye little playnes to ye hills as the
trees was marked by Waumitumpak afore
said, as will appear by an agreement
made We 18th day off March. 1868.
buu 1t lIGHS HldLkeu by hduIlll-
tumpac, Rocause and Hannawat. wee,
whose names are here underwritten,
doe by these presents own aud acknowl-
edge that wee, Mauguaup and his brother
Pahmamond and his son Hascawee, Haun-
owat, or Jack Pupding, Skangeykewhgn-
ing and Amecbas or Neshseiger, did with
Samuel Smith, Thomas Oakley, Samuel
Denton and john Eyerit, with some others
&c i,,h oI Of To, "a, -
of April, 1851, run ye line aforesaid &C
cOrdiug as it was run formerly by Waum-
itumpak; for which doeing wee doe here
by owne that wee have reserved full salts
faction, and doe also by These presents
fully confirm all the land mentioned
III These several deeds from us
and our heirs TO We inhabitants
off Jamaica and their heirs forever,
and doe also by theese presents fully and
freely acquit the inhabitants of Jamaica
off all dues and demands for all and every
parcel Of land they have bought SO that
from this time wee doe engage that neith-
or wee nor any.for US or by our order
shall ever make any more demands of
eny body for any or all the particular
Purchases off land they have bought, but
freely and peaceably enjoye the same for
ever. In confirmation off all the premis-
wee doe this day and date above written
set to our hands.
One thing TO be remembered that noe
person is 60 cut down any trees wherein
Eagles doe make their nests.
MANGUAUP, his % mark.
PARsIAMoND, his mark.
NAsoANwE, lis mark,
HAUNAwAT. his mark.
Witness:
In the presence of
SAMUEL SMITH, DANIEL WRITER'S.
Scriptum per me,
NATHAN DENTON,
Clerk
Judge Pratt reserved the question of
law as to whether a resident outside of
Queens county could stake an oyster
claim in Jamaica bay. Suffer proved
that his claim was staked ON the north
side of the bay next to Kings county, and
maintained that he had right to the
claim as a resident of that county. Van
derYeer claimed that a non president of
the county could not and that he took
the oysters uDder a permit grGntsd by
the town board OF Jamaica, according TO
law The question of thevalue of she
oysters removed went to the jury, WHO
gave the plaintiff $4,000.