Claas Andriese De Graaf : Prof. Jonathan Pearson A History of the Schenectady Patent in the Dutch and English Times Adult Freeholders

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Schenectady, Albany, New York Colony
Surname/tag: De Graaf

A History of the Schenectady Patent in the Dutch and English Times

7: Adult Freeholders - Claas Andriese De Graaf

Prof. Jonathan Pearson

Adult Freeholders | Cromwell | ahead to: De la Warde This information is from p. 107 of A History of the Schenectady Patent in the Dutch and English Times; being contributions toward a history of the lower Mohawk Valley by Jonathan Pearson, A. M. and others, edited by J. W. MacMurray, A. M., U. S. A. (Albany, NY: J. Munsell's Sons, Printers, 1883). It is in SCPL's Schenectady Collection at Schdy R 974.744 P36, and copies are also available for borrowing.]

Andries De Graaf was a citizen of New Amsterdam in 1661. His son Jan Andriese, brickmaker, was a resident of Albany in 1655; in 1658 he with two others, was fined 500 guilders for selling liquor to the Indians. In 1660 he went to New Amsterdam with one Roseboom and commenced the making of bricks. (107-1)

Claas Andriese De Graaf, another son of Andries De Graaf, was born about the year 1628 (107-2), and became one of the first settlers of Schenectady, taking up land at the Hoek, (107-3) in Scotia, where for several generations the family resided."

(107-1) Valentine's Man., 1861, p. 521; Albany Co. Rec., 59, 221.

(107-2) Deeds, II, 88; Albany Co. Rec., 224.

(107-3) Called Claas Craven's hoek; another Claas Graven's hoek is mentioned in the old records - a portion of what subsequently became Cuyler's Patent at Crane's Village below Amsterdam.

Flint House Archaeological Report, 2002 — 2003:
Tales from the Glenville Woods: pp. 9-15 of Flint House Archaeological Report, 2002 — 2003: Tales from the Glenville Woods by Stephen D. Jones, Ph.D., RPA

As with many other old places, the history of the Flint House has been largely anecdotal up until now. At least some of the anecdotes originated in the research done by Ms. Flint herself. She passed on her findings orally to, among others, the house's current curator, Michele Norris. This word-of-mouth is virtually all the remains of her work, since her materials were discarded by her relatives.

Ms. Norris has assembled a chronology based on the findings of Ms. Flint and other sources.

It starts with the site being part of the Hook Farm, named after "Claus Graven's Hook," the peninsula jutting south into the Mohawk River; the owner was a Claas Andriese DeGraff.

"In 1735 a Guysbert Marselis is said to build the present Flint House as the homestead for his farm on "Guise" (Guysbert) Island, the largest adjacent island in the Mohawk River. The next noted purchase is in 1820, when Fredrick Rees owned this property, the neighboring Hook Farm, and 250 acres on two neighboring islands. By 1856, the Reeses owned nearly all of the buildings in Reeseville. After the deaths of Fredrick Rees (in 1833) and his son David (1867), and financial problems of David's son Frederick , the properties here and on the Hook were purchased by Philip Becker (1871). In 1887 David Reynolds acquired the properties at a foreclosure sale; this included Big Island, for a total of over 200 acres. Mr. Reynolds was murdered in 1901 in a large barn behind the house. (The crime was never solved.) From 1902 J. T. Schoolcroft took over care of the properties for the court; around 1915 Clarence Van Slyck and Lizzie Garnsey bought the properties (along with much of the area); in 1916 John C. Ulrich and Lizzie I. Ulrich took possession; and finally Lillian Flint bought the property around the house from the Ulriches in 1952. In 1994 Ms. Flint died and left the house and 4 acres to the Village of Scotia."

It would seem either that DeGraff was already in possession of this area, or that the map-makers thought so; "Gruen" is just one of the creative variants of "de Graaf." Reid (1979:54) lists "Claus Andrise DeGraff" as one of the "original owners" of the lands along the Mohawk, specifically of "Claus Graven Hoek" , but the earliest documents place Big Island in the possession of Jan de Lawarde before 1690 (Deed IV,140,264-266; cf. Pearson 1883:107).

":Big Island (alias "Joris Aertse his Island," "Guises Island," "Isle of the Onondagas," et al.) was clearly sold by Jan de Lawarde to Joris Aertse Van der Baast by 1690 (Deed IV,140). Baast was killed in the Schenectady Massacre of 1690 but the estate wasn't settled until 1698/9, when the island was acquired by Guysbert Marselis for farming (Deed IV,264-266)."

" Pearson (1883:80) claims "Nicholas De Graff who owned the neighboring mainland purchased this island of Gysbert Marselis", and a map "About 1750" (Map 4) shows a "Mr Degrave" living on or owning what seems to be Marselis's Hook Farm (see below); however, he may have been leasing it (see Mortgage XII,95). In the 1790s a Henry Marselis was mortgaging and transferring land in this area (Mortgage IX,89-90; Deed H,446-447); These heirs sold their various parcels to Fredrick Rees then David Reese during the 1830s and '40s (Deed K,574-580; Deed M,270-271; Deed Q,578-579; Deed T,446-449). In 1871 Big Island (minus 82 and 34/100ths acres) was sold by Frederick Reese (David's son, not father) to Philip Becker (Deed 57,177), whereupon it entered into more identifiable history.

Hook Island. This land may be called "mainland" in some of the deeds. It is connected to the peninsula, "Claas Graven's Hoek," it is referred to as "Hook Island so called" in Deed K,576 (in 1834) and as "Hook Island" in Deed 60,341-342 (in 1909), and it was apparently cut off from the Hook by Reese Creek (Norris pers. com.). It may be part of the 16 morgens of "Woodland (formerly so called)" conveyed from Henry Marselis to Simon Schermerhorn in 1796 (Deed H,446-447); it may be the island owned by John S. Schuyler in 1826 (Deed G,217-219). Deed H,446-447, says that Sheriff John Scuyler [sic?], acting against "Guysbert Merselis" in 1801, transferred some "piece of land" to Simon Schermerhorn; the deed does not claim that Sc[h]uyler owned the property. In 1830 "that certain parcel of Woodland" was conveyed from Schermerhorn's heirs to Fredrick Rees (Deed H,446-447). Fredrick Rees's widow passed along his holdings to son David in 1834 (Deed K,574-580), these included "Hook Island so called", and at the end of the Reese tenure, in 1873 it was sold by Reese descendants to Annie Collins, in lieu of mortgage (Deed 60,341-342). Collins sold this to John Ulrich (for ) in 1909 (Deed 60,341)."

Hook Farm. This is usually identified as the "Hook" or "Hoek" in Deed IV,264 of 1698/9 In brief, DeGraff was the first European to acquire it. Although Van Epps (1998:435) claims that Claas Andriese DeGraff came to Schenectady in 1688, some time during or before 1690 DeGraff sold part of the Hook to Baast (in a transaction yet to be located) and retained the rest; around 1700 Baast's holding was conveyed to Marselis, while the DeGraffs retained the rest (Deed IV,140,264; see Pearson 1883:80). In the later 1700s the DeGraffs sold their part to a Schuyler (per E. Z. Carpenter's notes on the Flint House - no deed found), while the Marselises sold their part to Schermerhorn (Deed H,446-7).

"Some time later Schuyler sold his part to Seaman Carpenter (again per E. Z. Carpenter papers, no deed found at County Records) while Schermerhorn retained his part. Between 1826 and the 1840s Carpenter and Schermerhorn's heirs sold their holdings to the Reeses (Deed G,217-219 for Carpenter; Deed H,446-447, Deed M,270-271, Deed Q,578-579, Deed T,446-447 for some heirs' transfers).

After 1871 mortgages and foreclosures all of the Reeses' holdings were sold to David Reynolds by the court in 1887 (per Mortgage 43,1 —

no document found, it is referenced in Deed 132,185-187). After Reynolds's death, his property went to Clarence Van Slyck and Lizzie Garnsey (Deed 132,185-187). No documentation of sale to John Ulrich found, but the 1901 Saturday Globe article on Reynolds's murder refers to "Mr. Ulrich, who lives between the Hook farm [the Globe's name for the Flint House] and the Mohawk [presumably the river not the avenue]"; also Deed 241,335 (dated 1915) notes the sale of the Flint property it refers to a southeast boundary "along the lands of John Ulrich", seemingly the Hook Farm. In 1976 the property was in the hands of an Ulrich (Karis 1976).

Flint House. In 1698-9 Baast's attorney conveys 3 morgens or 6 acres "upon the main on the other side of the River [from Big Island] abutting on the East Side of the Land Caled Claes Gravens Land … for a hoffstede or place to Build house Barn upon orchard gardin" (Deed IV, 264). Either on Hook Island (although not "upon the main[land]") or on the Hook, specifically an eastern portion, leaving the western portion for the DeGraff ("Graven") family. The 1750 map (Map 4) puts Mr. Degrave in possession of three buildings on the bank of the Mohawk River in roughly this position; the map and deed appear to place Marselis's farmhouse where the original Hook farmstead was. Alternatively, Marselis's farmstead may been demolished by 1750, and the buildings on the map could be in the DeGraff's western portion.

Deed G,217-219 does say that in 1826 Seaman Carpenter sells Fredrick Rees a property with boundaries resembling the Hook Farm, which could put the first Reese house here. The E. Z. Carpenter papers (citing as a source the diary of one Abe Veeder) say that the Hook farmhouse was "torn down" around this time; certainly, it is not indicated on the mid-1800s maps (Maps 6 and 7). It seems that the Reese family moved from this old farmhouse to a new one — on the Flint property — and knocked down the other.

Flint Property. No deed or mortgage found with mention of any parcel that clearly related to the parcel(s) that the Flint House currently occupies, prior to the time period of the Reeses, and the pre-1800 maps (Maps 3 and 4) show nothing out here except what seems to be the Hook Farm.

There are references to land that might include the Flint property. The earliest possible reference is the 3 morgens or 6 acres on the mainland across from Big Island (or "Joris Aertse [van Der Baast] his Island"), "abutting on the East Side of the Land Caled Claes Gravens Land", sold to Marselis in 1698-9 for his "hoffstede" (Deed IV,264). Tradition makes this homestead "Flint House", but Flint House is not across from Big Island, and is more north than east from DeGraff's Hook. A probable reference is the 1750 map (Map 4) with Mr. Degrave's buildings on the bank of the Mohawk, which would not fit the Flint House; nor the Hook Farm, except that its current building is near a bank leading down to mud flats that might have been flooded and irrelevant at the time the map was made.

In 1791 Henry Marselis mortgaged "upland lying between the lands of said Class DeGraaf and John Sanders" (Mortgage IX,89-90)."

Was DeGraff's land was either all or part of the Hook? Perhaps the property of the Sanders family was to the east of the Flint House. This mortgage may have included the Flint property. The land is said to be about 16 morgens in size — similar size of Big Island; it could include the Hook Farm and Hook Island, assuming that Hook Farm (and/or Hook Island) was the aforementioned DeGraff land (and not part of the 16 morgens), it would likely include Flint property. It is unclear. if this was the land sold by Marselis to Schermerhorn; that property was also 16 morgens, but was said to lie on the Mohawk River (Deed H,446-447). If the sale did not include the Hook, it may have involved Hook Island (which does border the Mohawk) with mainland properties including the Flint property. Those 16 morgens were conveyed to Fredrick Rees in 1830 (Deed H,446-447). Note that Deed G,217-9 of 1826 says Fredrick Rees's farm (just farm land?)was on the other side of a creek (from the presumed Hook Island).

": The property distributed by Fredrick's widow in 1834 was delimited as follows: southern boundary on the Mohawk River; northern and eastern boundaries at land of Robert, John, and J. G. Sanders; western boundary at Charles Toll's land (Deed K,574-575). An undated plan of Sanders properties (Map 5) shows land labeled "Mrs. Reese" south and west of Sanders properties, and comparison of roads (current locations) puts property around the Flint property; only the northern and eastern boundaries of Mrs. Reese's land are indicated. Ownership by a "Mrs. Reese" (three separate time periods): 1830s before Fredrick's widow, Susan, transfered lands to son David; late 1860s, before David's widow transferred to son Frederick; late 1870s, after Frederick had died. The Fagan and Beers maps of the 1850s and '60s place one house in the area, labeled "D.F.Rees" and "D.F.R.", and in the Mohawk "spot" and the Hook to be Flint House. The historic architect dates the house to this time (or before), so Flint House emerges from the archival chaos.

The Reese deeds do not specify the house, they note sleighs, wagons, and numerous livestock that remain at Susan's house (Deed K,578-579). It isn't specified in documents relating to the money problems of Frederick Reese the Younger, although it is almost unquestionably part of what they discuss. E. Z. Carpenter's notes claim that Frederick ("and another") obtained a mortgage on both the Hook Farm and the "Reynolds-Ulrich [Flint] property" in 1871, but the deed to which he refers (Deed 82,345-347) is not specific. Presumably it's part of the Reese estate sold to David Reynolds in 1887 (per same deed), he subsequently moves into the house.

The unmarried Reynolds murdered in 1901 (Saturday Globe 1901). At this time the property "consists of a large old-fashioned farmhouse delightfully located on a bank … and commanding a fine view of this city … surrounded by magnificent old elms and a well-kept orchard covering four acres and the great barns and out buildings, covering an area of nearly an acre and a half". (The Globe calls this the "Hook Farm," perhaps the Hook Farm didn't have a house at the time; it definitely refers to Flint House.) The article also notes that there were "fields between Scotia and the Reynolds barns." Deed 132,185-187 shows Reynolds's property transferred in 1902 to Clarence Van Slyck and Lizzie Garnsey (they bought up much of Reeseville). Years 1915 and 1916; Deed 241,335 shows Van Slyck and Garnsey selling John C. Ulrich the Flint property, yet Deed 247,253-254 shows the duo selling it to Harriett N. Borden, and receiving it back. Ulrich ended up with it (by bidding more), he lived in it much of the first half of the 20th century. His widow sold it to Lillian Flint at the end of 1952 (38-51 parcel 11, Glenville book 674, p. 219). Upon her death in 1994 Ms. Lillian Flint passed it on to the Village of Scotia, and in 2002 the Village allowed access to a couple of archaeologists who proceeded to confuse the traditional chronology.

Flint House history: the period between the Fredericks. David F. Reese built his father's holdings into one of the most prosperous broomcorn industries in an area that made much of the brooms of the state (Howell and Munsell 1886:147), and he was sufficiently prosperous to buy up much of this part of Glenville. This massive landholding may have been the reason that the area became known as "Reeseville," even though Reese's neighbor to the west, Charles Toll, was said to be "one of the largest cultivators and consumers of broom corn in the world" (Howell and Munsell 1886:191; cf. E. Z. Carpenter papers). Howell and Munsell notably ignore the Reeses, perhaps the latter did not subscribe to the printing of the book (Haefner pers. com.); their only reference that I could find is: "Reeseville was a suburb of Scotia of seven hundred and twenty-eight houses, and was named after a wealthy gentleman by the name of Reese who moved into that neighborhood" (Howell and Munsell 1886:187). Since Howell and Munsell's tome is the principal history of Glenville, the prosperity of David Reese and family is anecdotal, like much of this history. It is not known where his production facilities were, making archaeology on the Flint property vital."

": Howell and Munsell (1886:192) note that the broomcorn industry had declined in Glenville by 1877 due to "competition of western lands", so Frederick Reese may not have been alone in his financial problems. The next major owner of the Flint House, David Reynolds, apparently made his living as the town garbage collector, he either retained or built a number of farm buildings (Saturday Globe 1901; Photo 4). His successor, John Ulrich, farmed both the Flint and Hook properties, apparently during his tenure that all but one of the farm outbuildings were torn down (and the one that is standing may not date back to Reynolds's time, per A. Wolfe pers. com.). An aerial photograph (Map 10) and local reminiscences indicate that part of the property held an orchard.

Ms. Flint permitted the Ulrichs to continue to farm the land south of the house, and the Hook Farm continues as a vegetable farm to this day."