The record-union., 1897-12-29
IN CAPTAIN KIDD'S DAY.
BRIEF SKETCH OF NEW YORK
IN 1858.
The Home of the Pirate-Early
Transactions in Real Estate,
When the City Was Not Built
Up Above Wall Street.-The
Changes Of Time.

Want of knowledge concerning the
great men of the past in our city ana
State seems to be one Of the failures OF
mlsfortunes of the present generation.
When General John Watts De Peyster
was erecting the elegant monument IN
Trinity Church yard to the memory OF
his honored ancestor, we asked nVe
young men who were gazing on the
scene who John Watts was. They were
all we'll dressed and apparently OF at
least average intelligence and educa-
ton. One replied that he believed he
was the man who wrote hymns, evil
IDENTIFY confounding him with Rev Isaac
Watts Another doubted the truth or
this statement, and assured US he vas
the man who invented the steam en-
gine," mistaking him for James Watt
The other three each answered, you've
got me-"
If, however, we had asked these
young men, Who was Captain kidd?"
every one of them would have recog-
nized the name at once, and could tell
something as to what he was and what
he did 1t is an astonishing fact that,
of all the men who lived in this city
in the seventeenth century, there is not
one who has left so strong an impress
sion upon the public mind as this same
Captain William Kidd. To give any
accounts of his life and adventures
would be a superf1uous addition to the
extensive amount of literature on that
subject 1t is sufficient to tell where
he lived and who his neighbors were.
MANY OLD BUILDINGS.
In the year 1858 there were as many
buildings on the south side of Wall
street as there are now, for every lot
seems to have had a house on it. But
on the north side there was not one.
On the south side of the line of pail
sades that constituted the city wall was
narrow street called the "CinSel,
which, after being widened, is the pres
ent Wall street. All the land on the
north had been recently purchased by
Governor Thomas Dongan from the
heirs of Ian Jansen Damen.
On May 19, 16SS he gave to George
Brown, ''naalster,' a lot described as
being on ye northeast side of ye city,
on ye northeast side of ye street called
We Wall street" 1t was % feet wide
and 112 feet in length on the west side,
and III on the east. This was per-
petual lease, the annual rent being "one
peper corne" upon lawful demand. Sup
pose the heirs of Governor Dongan to
appear before the present owner and
demand the arrears of remit
George Brown, the malster, built on
this lot the first dwelling house on the
north side of Wall street. He did not
keep it long. but on March 13 1859,
he sold it to VIM. Cox. merchant, for
the sum of f60. VIM. Cox was one Of
the prosperous and wealthy citizens OF
his day. He married Sarah, daughter
Of Samuel Bradley. April Il, 1863. In
August, 1859, he was drowned near
Staten Island, leaving a large estate,
both real and personal He left LOU
to his mother, Alice Cox, and to his
dear and loving wife, Sarah Cox,
I which house she chooseth to have" and
to his brother-in-law, Samuel Bradley,
Jr.. my other house, which l bought
of John Robinson" if his wife did not
choose it, and all the rest of his estate
TO his wife and brother-in-law. He
was then living in the house on Wall
street, and this the widow chose for
her own.
She soon after married John Oort,
who was evidently a man of slender
means. Her married life with him was
short, for on May 16, 1851, she mar
ried William Kidd.
PRAISE FOR CAPTAIN KIDD.
On July :. 1893, Samuel Bradley, Jr.,
Captain Kidds brother-in-law. made
his will and here occurs the only in
stance of a man who spoke well of
CAPTAIN Kidd: Whereas, my loving
brother -in-law, Captain William Kidd,
hath been very careful of me, and hath
likewise for my encourage now in
my minority at my desire and request,
advanced and paid unto me ye summe
of f140 current money of New York,
which ! now employ in trade and mer-
chandIse For and in consideration Of
his so great love unto me, as we'll as
in racompense and in full satisfaction
Of We said summe of money advanced,
l doe give and bequeathe unto my said
loving brother-in-law, Captain VIM.
Kidd. all my one-ha.lf of a certain lot
called No. 6 in ye street called ye Dock
street" and also his half of all the
other estate left by William Cox. He
outlived his brother-in-law, for whom
he manifested so much regard, and died
in April, 1903
Captain Kidd and his wife sold the
house in Wall street to John Watson,
butcher, January 81, 1894. Wall street
property was even then looking up"
for they obtained the sum Of t13o.
John Watson had two daughters, one
of wnom married Thomas Sutton, the
other Thomas .Sturges. They sold the
house to Daniel Provost Jr., March II,
1908 The price had then advanced
10 f140 Before this time the house
and lot began to have neighbors. On
May -. 1859 Governor Dongan sold to
Major Anthony BrockholSt for "a COM