Map of Graves End (Gravesend) and Deed, 1694

Map of Graves End, 1694. Old Town records, NYC Municipal Archives.

*The spelling of place names reflects the original spelling used in the document

Transcription Text: Whereas it hath pleased the High and Mighty Lords the Estates Generall centrall [General central] of the united Belgicke Provinces, his Highnes, ffredericke Hendrick (by the grace of God) Prince of Orange etc: & the Right Honourable the Lords Bewinthebbers of the West India Company, by theyre seuerall [several] Comissions under theyre hands and seales, to giue [give] and graunt [grant] unto me William Kieft sufficient power & authoritie [authority]; for the qenerall rule and gouerment [government] of this prouince [province] Called the New-Netherlands, & likewise for the settling of townes Collonies [towns colonies], plantations, & disposing of the land within this Prouince [Province], as by the said Commissions more att large doth and may appeare [appear]; Now know yee whomsoever these presents may any way[es] Concerne: that I WiH [Willem]: Kieft Gouern^r [Governor] Gener^ll [General] of this Prouince [Province] by virtue [virtue] of the authoritie aboues^d : & with the aduice [advice] & Consent of the Councill of state hee[here] established haue [have] giuen [given] and grunted [granted], and by vertue [virtue] of these presents doe [do] giue [give], and graunt [grant], and Confirme unto the Honoured Lady Deborah Moody: Sir Henery Moody Barronett, Ensigne George Daxter: & Serieant James Hubbard theyre associates, heyres [heirs], executours, administratours, successours. assignes, or any they shall ioyne [join] in association with them, a Certaine quantitie or parcell [parcel] of land, together [together] with all the hauens [havens], harbours, riuers [rivers], Creekes, Woodland, marshes, and all other appurtenances thereunto belongeing [belonging], lyeing [lying] & being upon [and] aboute the Westermost part of Long Island, and beginning att the mouth of a Creeke [creek] adiacent [adjacent] to Coneye [Coney] Island, & being bounded on the weastward [westward] parte thereof with the land appertaining to Authony Johnson, & Robert Pennoyre, and soe to runne [run] as farre [far] as the wertermost [westermost] part of a Certaine [certain] pond in an ould [old] Indian field on the North side of the plantation of the s^d [said] Ro: Pennoyre, & from thence to runne [run] direct East as farre [far] as a valley beginning att the head of a ffiye or marsh sometimes belonging to the land of Hugh Garretson, & being bounded on the south side with the Maine Ocean, for them the Said pattentees, theyre associates, hrs [heirs] execut^rs [executors] administ^rs [administrators] succes^rs [successors] & assignes, actuallie reallie, & perpetually [perpetually] to injoy [enjoy] and possesse as theyre owne ffree land of inheritance,and it to improue [improve] & manure according to theire owne [own] discreations [discretions], with libertie [liberty] likewise for them the said pat^es [patentees] theyre assoc^ts [associates] hrs [heirs] & succ^rs [successors] & assigns [assigns] to put what Cattle they shall thinke [think] fitting to feed or grase [graze] upon the afore^sd [aforesaid] Conyne [Coney] Island, ffarther [further] giueing [giving] & graunting [granting], & by vertue [virtue] of these presents wee doe giue [give] and graunt [grant] unto the s^d [said] pattent^es [patentees] theyre assoc^ts [associates] hrs [heirs], & succ^rs [successors] full power and authoritie vppon [upon] the said land to build a towne, or townes, with such necessar[ie] fortifications as to them shall seem expedient & to haue [have] and inioye [enjoy] the ffree libertie [free liberty] of Conscience according to the Custom & manner of Holland, without molestation[n] or disturbance from any magistrate, or magistrates or any other eclesiasticall [ecclesiastical] minister that may pretend jusisdictio[n] ouer [over] them, with libertie [liberty] likewise for them the s^d [said] pattentees, theyres assoc^ts [associates] hrs [heirs], &c [etc.]; to erect a boddy pollitique [body politic] & Ciuill [Civil] Combination amongst themselues [themselves] as ffree [free] men of this prouince [province] & of the towne of GRAUESAND [ town of Gravesend] & to make such Ciuill [Civil] ordinances as the maior [major] part of the inhabit^ts ffree of the s^d [said] towne shall thinke fitting for theyre quiet and peaceable sub[sisting] & to [n]omi[nate] elect & choose thre [three] of the ablest, approved, honest [me]n, & them to present  annuallie [annually] to the Gouerno^r  [Governor] gener [general]: of this prouince [province] for the tyme [time] being for him the s^d  Gouern^r [said Governor] to establish & Confirme [Confirm] to the which s^d thre [said three] men soe [so] chosen & Cofirmed wee doe giue [confirmed we do give] & grant full power and authoritie absolutelie [absolutel authority] and definitiuelie [definitively] to determine (without appeale  to any superior Court) for debt or trespasse [trepass] not exceeding ffifty [fifty] hollands gilld^rs [guilders], for all such actions as shall happen whithin the jurisdiction of the aboues^d [above] limit; with power likewise for any one of the s^d [said] thre [there] to examine vppon  oathe [upon oath] all wittnesses, in Cases depending before them, and in Case any shall refuse to stand to the award of what the major part of the s^d thre [said there] shall agree unto, in such Cases we doe [do] hereby giue [give] and graunt [grant] full power and authoritie [authority] to any two, of the s^d thre [said there]; to attach and ceise [seize] vppon [upon] the lands, goods, Cattles & Chattles, of the parties Condemned by theyre sentence, & Fowrtene [Fourteen] dayes after the said Ceisure [Seizure] (if the partie soe [party so] Condemned agrees not ni [in] the interim & submits himselfe [himself] to the sentence of the said thre [three] men) the s^d [said] two or thre [three] appointed men as afores^d [aforesaid]: to take or ioyne [join] to them selves two most of theyre [their] neighbours Discrete honest man, & with the advice of them to apprise the lands, goods, Cattles ot [or] Chattles, within the above sd [said] jurisdiction & belonging to the partie [party] Condemned as affores^d [afforesaid], to the full vallew [value]: and then to sell them to any that will buye [buy], that satisfaction & paiement [payment] may may be made, according to the sentence of the s^d [said] appointed men, Likewise qiueing [giving] & graunt [grant] and by vertue [virtue] hereof wee do giue [we do give]  & graunt [grant] unto the s^d [said] unto the s^d  by verture [said by virtue] etanol tae dui quie [that do give] & guaunt [grant] into the si si patt & sheynafsoci Ars, Encosto di full ponerand Vict & patt^es theyre assoc^ts [associates] hrs [heirs], success^rs [successors] &c: full power and authoritie [authority] to elect nd [and] nominate a Certaine [certain] officer amongst themselues [themselves], to execute the place of a scoute [scout], & him likewise annuallie [annually] to present to the Goue^r  gener [Governor general]: of this prouince [province] to bee established [province to be established] & Confirmed, to which s^d [said] officer soe chosen & Confirmed. we doe hereby giue [give] and graunt as large and simple power as is vsuallie [usually] giuen to the scoutes of any village in Holland, for the suppression or preuention [preventon] of any disorders that may there arise, or or to arrest & appechend the boddy of any Criminall, malifactour, or of any that shall by word or act disturb the publicque tranquillitie [tranquility] of this prouince [province], or Ciuill [Civil] peace of the inhabitants within the aboues^d: jurisdiction & him them, or her soe arrested or apprehended, to bring or Cause to bee brought before the Gouer^r gener [Governor general]: of this prouince [province], & theyre by way of processe [process] declare against the partie [party] soe offending ffarther wee doe qiue [we do give] & graunt [grant] unto the s^d patt^es theyre assoc^ts hrs [said parties, their associates heirs] etc: free libertie [liberty] of hawking, hunting, fishing, fowling within the aboues^d: limitts, & to vse [use] & exercise all manner of trade & Comerce, according as the inhabittants of this prouince may or Can, by vertue of any priuiledge [priviledge], or graunt [grant] made unto them, induing all & singular the s^d patt^es [said parts] theyre assoc^ts hrs [their associate heirs] etc: all and singular the immunities & priuilidges [priviledges], already graunted [granted] to the inhabit^ts [inhabitants] of this prouince [province], or hereafter to be graunted [granted], as if they were natives of the united Belgicke prouinces [Belqicke provinces] , Allwayes prouided the s^d patt^es theyre assoc^ts hrs &c: shall faithfullie acknowledge & reuenerentlie [reverently] respect the abouenamed High & Mightie lords etc: for theyre superiour [superior] for lords & patrons, & in all loyaltie [loyalty] and fidelite [fidelity] demeane themselues [themselves] towards them & theyre success^rs, according as the inhabit^ts [inhabitants] of this prouince [province] in duty are bound, soe long as they shall within this iurisdiction [jurisdiction] , and att [at] the expiration: of ten yeare [year], to beginne [begin] from the day of the date hereof, to pay or cause to be paid to an officer thereunto deputed by the Gouernour gener [Governor general]: of this prouince [province] for the tyme [time] being, the tenth part of the reuennew [revenue] that shall arise by the ground manured by the plough or how, in case it be demanded, to be p^d [paid] to the s^d officer in the field before it be howsed [housed], gardens or orchards not exceeding one hollands acre being excepted; & in case any of the s patt^ts theyre assoc^ts hrs etc [parts their associate heirs etc]: shall only improue [improve] theyre stocks in graseing [grazing] or breeding of Cattle, then the partie soe doeing [party so doing] shall att [at] the end of ten years affores^d [aforesaid] pay, or Cause to be paid to an officer deputed as affores^d [aforesaid] such reasonable satisfaction in butter and cheese, as other inhabitts [inhabitants] of other townes [towns] shall do in like Cases. Likewise injoying [enjoying] the said patt^es [parts] theyre assoc^ts hrs [their associate heirs] etc: in the dating of all publique [public] instruments to use the new stile, with the weights & measures of this place: given under the hand and seale [seal] of this prouince [province] this [19]^th of December in the ffort [fort] Amsterdam in New Netherlands 1645 

Willem Kieft