Transfers of land with Indigenous people were recorded in this volume titled “A Booke of Enterys for Queens County on Long Island, N.Y.” Indigenous leaders’ signatures were written as symbols, circa 1696. Old Town Records, NYC Municipal Archives.
- Page 1: Photograph showing a worn parchment cover of an old volume with faded handwriting that reads ‘A Booke of Entrys for Queens County on Long Island NY. There are scuff marks and the edges of book are slightly frayed.
- Page 2: Handwritten page from a seventeenth century volume written in cursive. The page contains two distinct entries of land transfers the first ending with the signature “By Andrew Gibb” and the number 1020 written in ink. There are additional markings text written in pencil includes paragraph number 442. There are name marks of Native Americans.
Transcription Note: The text below was transcribed using Handwriting OCR software and edited by staff from the NYC Department of Records & Information Services. Corrections and clarifications have been added in brackets.
Transcribed Text:
[signature by mark] Sowwamees his marke [signature by mark] William Chopy his marke Sowruckeung his marke [signature by mark] Wamussum his marke [signature by mark] Signed sealed & delivered in the presense [presence] of us Benjamin Seaman Solomon Townsend [signature by mark] Sasconemon his marke Ruam pafs [signature by mark] his marke
January the 9th 1696 Sowwas an Indian & Saruck Cuny an Indian appeared before me & Owned this Deed to be their act & deed as witness my hand John Jackson one of his May [majesty’s] success of the peace for Queens County. Entered the second day of June one thousand six hundred ninty & eights
By Andrew Gibb
(marking symbol) 1028
This indenture made of 2nd July in year of o [our] lor [lord] 1688 being in the fourth year of his may [majesty’s] reign belweene [between] WM [Wiliam] Hallett of Newtowne [Newtown] in Queens on Long Island in America of in part of same Hallett the younger son of said WM [William] Hallett some witnesseth that who their [was attend as grantee up here] as granted by Peter Stuyvesant unto WM [William] Hallett fo [for] a [certain?] plot of land in or place before lying and being near Hellgate and beginning as of great Rock in both near meadow of vally [valley] going upwards southeast by end of Elden Swamp two hundred and ten rods from there on northeast two hundred and thirty rods in breath on the west and two hundred and thirty rods on the north two going over a creek or kill two hundred and ten rods in all amount one hundred rows by one acre or eighty morgan and three hundred rods which laid pattent on ground brief so granted as foresaid baring [bearing] date first day of Decemb-[December] 1952 and whereas WM [William] Hallett same did make purchase of a greater quantity of land from the Indian people also near and adjourned to the former as by Indian deeds so named upon record dated first day of August 1664 as doth may appear now for a confirmation unto him WM [William] Hallett sons in his [posession?] and enjoyment and of it [illegible] both of which was granted by the dutch Governor and also of Indian purchase aforementioned.