EARLY HERKIMER COUNTY LAND PATENTS

Early settlers in the Mohawk Valley were granted sizeable tracts of land by the King or the State. Some of these grantees were forerunners of what we would now call real estate developers. Over the decades parcels were sold off or otherwise divided, becoming townships, villages and farms. The chart below comes from the Hamilton Child Gazetteer of Herkimer County. Some information was not printed and all of these citations should be checked further for correctness on the part of the compilers. I do not have maps or further information about these tracts and would welcome visitors sending in the names of books that discuss specific patents and land grants in more detail. The Benton book referred to is "History of Herkimer County" by Nathaniel S. Benton, Albany, N.Y.: J. Munsell, 1856.

According to the Gazetteer, "The greater part of the lands embraced in this County were granted by the King, previous to the Revolution. The north part remained in the possession of the State Government until conveyed to McComb and others; and small tracts in other parts of the County were also conveyed by the State after the Revolution. The following list of patents embraced wholly or in part in Herkimer County is taken from Benton's History":



From Gazetteer and Business Directory of Herkimer County, N.Y. 1869-70
published by Hamilton Child & Co., Syracuse, NY 1869

( This mark [*] denotes that the patents are partly situated in Herkimer, and partly in adjoining counties. )
Names of Patents or Tracts
Date
No. of Acres
Names of Original Patentees
Adgate's Tract*
1798
43907
Mathew Adgate
Bayard's Patent*
1771
50000
William Bayard, Alexander Ellis, and fifty-three others
Brown's (John) Tract*
1792
---
A part of 1,920,000 acres granted to Alexander Macomb
Burnetsfield Patent
1725
9400
Johan Joost Petrie, and ninety-three others
Colden's (C.) Patent
1738
3000
Cadwallader Colden the younger, and Coenradt Ryghtmeyer
Cosby's Manor*
1734
22000
Joseph Worrell, William Cosby and nine others
Colden's (A.) Patent
1761
4000
Alexander Colden, and three others
Frank (Conrad) & Co's Patent
1765
5000
Coenradt Frank, and five others
Fall-Hill Patent
1752
2324
Johan, Joost, and Hendrik Herchkeimer
Glen's Purchase
1739
25076
no information given
Hommedieu's (L.) Patent
1786
4000
Ezra L'Hommedieu and Nathaniel Platt
Henderson's Patent*
1739
6000
James Henderson, and two others
Hassenclever's Patent
1769
18000
Peter Hasenclever, and seventeen others
Johnson's (Guy) Patent
1765
2000
Guy Johnson. Forfeited by attainder G. J.
Jerseyfield Patent*
1770
94000
Henry Glen, Alexander Ellis, and ninety-two others
Kass's Patent
1724
1100
John Jugh Kass, and his children
Lindsay's Patent
1730
3000
John Lindsay, and Philip Livingston
Livingston's Patent*
1762
20000
Philip Livingston, and nineteen others
Lispenard's Patent*
1770
9200
Leonard Lispenard, and thirteen others
Lansing's Patent*
1753
6000
Jacob and Abraham Lansing, and Jacob Glen
McComb's Purchase*
1792
---
Alexander Macomb
McNeil's Patent
1761
4000
John McNeil, and three others
Matchin's Patent*
1786
1600
Thomas Matchin
Nobleborough Tract*
1787
40960
Arthur Noble
Moose River Tract*
---
---
Owned by the state, except 13,080 granted in 1847 to Anson Blake
Petrie's Purchase
1740
6000
John Jost Petrie, and two others
Royal Grant
---
---
Sir William Johnson
Remsenburgh Patent*
1787
48000
Henry Remsen, and three others
Snell and Timmerman's Patent
1755
3600
Jacob Timberman, and Johan Joost Schnell
Staley's 1st and 2d Tract
1755
43000
Rudolph Staley, Johan Jost Herchkeimer, Jr., Nicholas Herchkeimer, and fifteen others
Schuyler's Patent
1755
43000
Abraham Lynsen, and twenty-one others
Totten & Crossfield's Patent*
---
---
no info given
Vrooman's Patent*
1790
9760
Isaac Vrooman
Vrooman's Patent*
1786
4000
Isaac Vrooman
Vrooman's Patent*
1790
433
Isaac Vrooman
Van Driesen, Peter
1737
1000
Petrus Van Driessen
Van Driesen, John
1786
428
Johan Van Driessen
Van Horn's Patent*
1731
8000
Abraham Van Horne, and three others
Vaughn's Patent
1770
8000
John Vaughn and seven others
Watson's James Tract*
1792
---
A part of Macomb's purchase
Winne's Patent
1741
2000
Peter Winne
Walton's Patent
1768
12000
William Walton, Jr., and eleven others
Young's Patent*
1752
14000
Theobald Young, and ten others




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Last Updated: 8/27/97
Copyright ©1997 Martha S. Magill
All Rights Reserved.