Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-07-28
THE LAST OF THE PATRONS.
Sale of Manorial Property Formerly
Owned by Stephen Van Rensselaer,.

Sale of Manorial Property Formerly
Owned by Stephen Van Rensselaer,.
The recent closing up in Albanr.
New York, of the estate of the late
Walter s. Church and the selling of
the vast amount of land by his heirs,
brings to an end immortal control and
closes the history of the famous pa.
troons. Walter s. Church was an i'm
menSe land owner. An inventory of
his property, taken after his death,
shows that he owned 40 farms, with
buildings thereon, i'll Albany and
Rensselaer, counties, which had no
membranes; $3.50 lnanorial leases,
not mortgaged, the titles to which are
in the hands of Henrietta Church. us
eNecutriX, and 26 such leases which
had been mortgaged. Very little was
realized during the testator's lifetime,
and lawsuits were of frequent occur
renee.
The history of these lands is an eX-
ceedlngly interesting one. dating back
to the ownership of New York state
by the Dutch. In 1929 Il charter of
privileges and exemptions was passed
for the encouragement of PATRONS to
settle colonies. In the following wear
, several wealthy and influential direct
ors of the Dutch West India company
FASTENED to avail themselves of its ad-
vanlages, and having learned that Il
tract OF land called Sannahagoe. lying
on the west side of the North river,
extending from Beeren island. by the
| Indians called Passapenock, up to the
Smack islands, and in breadth two
| days journey, was for sale, purchased
| the same from the native proprietoIS
| for I<iliaen Van Rensselaer,. Il pearl
merchant in Amsterdam, and one of
the directors of the West India com
pany.
| Three months afterward ellis HOos-
EFT purchased the lands lying south
and north of Fort Orange, and extend
ing to within short distance of Moen-
| mines castle. then situated on what is
ROW called Haver island, at the mouth
of the Mohawk, and from one of the
chiefs called Semesseeck, stretching
on the east side of the river from OBJ
posite Castle island to Il point facing
| Fort Oramge, and thence from Poet
anOck, the Mill creek north of NegOg-
Gus. These convcyances We're suhSe-
quently ratified by the respective
parties in the presence of the director
general and council of New Netherland,
who signed the Instrument to that
effect, sealed with the seal of New
| Netherland in red wax" on the same
day that the charter of 1920 was pro
claimed at Fort Amsterdam. Nearly
seven years Rfterward-on the 18th
day of April, 1637-all the intclven-
| ing district, called papSickenkaas, Or
PapSekanea, as the name is now pro
nomced, lying on the east shore of
the river, and extending from opposite
Castle island south to the point OPP
| poSiqe Smack island, and including
the adjacent islands and all the lands
back into the interior belonging to
the Indian owners, was purchased for
certain quantities of duffels, axes,
knives and wampum,' also for MI.
Van Rensselaer,, who thus became pro-
prietOr of a tract of land n miles long
and As miles broad, which now com
poses the counties of Albany, Rens-
selaer and part of Columbia county.
Farms were laid out and were stock
ed with cows horses, oxen, and occi~
lSiOnally sheep, and furnished with
plCws and other necessary implements,
all expenses being betrayed by the pro
| prietOr, so that the farmer entered on
! 4, IF
| the farms were then valued and an an
| n1al rent was fixed. equivalent, in
! some sort to the interest on the amount
of capital expended Oh their improve
l.ment, and payable Scmi-annually in
| grain beavers and WamDum. Other
! farms We're let out for One-hllf or enc
third of their produce. The PATRON
was entitled at the same time, to half
the increase from the stock; rcScrving
also to himself One-tenth Of the pro-
duce of each farm, and in various in
stances STIMULATING for a yearly
Acknowledgements Of Il few pounds Of
| butter. The tenant WAS privileged
j however, TO compound by the payment
! OF Il fixed sum annually for the tcnthS
! Of the farms, or his halves or thirds
j lie was bound at the same time to
keep the fences, buildings ana farming
implements i'll r"pair, and to deliver
them UP in the same good order jim
which he had received them, subject,
in al cases, to ordinary wear and tear.
But the PATRONS bore all risk Of de-
/ struction to their buildings. cattle AMI
other property which might accrue
from war or misunderstanding with
the Indians.
When PATRON Van Rensselaer, died
this immense property descended to
his heirs. In 1882 Stephen Van Rons-
selaer was so harassed i'll his endeayOr
to collect the rents, the parties refus-
ing to pay on the ground that their
long possession had made them masters
and owners Of the property occupied,
that he sold the land to Church for Il
mere trifie. Church then began to pro-
secute the tenants and finally became
a wealthy man. This is the property
which the surrogate has granted the
heirs permission to sell in parcels.