Item #22189 Manuscript Indenture for land bought by John Brinckerhoff. John Brinckerhoff, Simon Bloom.

Manuscript Indenture for land bought by John Brinckerhoff.

December 8, 1766. A manuscript indenture from just before the Revolutionary War, for the purchase of 2 3/4 acres of land in Fishkill, NY for 10 shillings.

Brinckerhoff would shortly become a colonel in the war, and his home, built in 1738 (which still stands, at 18 Lomala Road, Hopewell Junction) would become the headquarters of General Washington in the fall of 1778. Fishkill became a critical location as a supply depot, one of three major encampments for the Continental Army along with Morristown and Valley Forge. The Fishkill encampment was built under orders from General Washington, and included barracks for thousands of soldiers, a guard house and palisade, a prison, hospital, storage buildings, armory, blacksmith shops, stables, parade grounds, artillery placements, and a powder magazine. Today, the Van Wyck Homestead is the only remaining structure of the Fishkill Supply Depot.

The indenture describes the land purchased in acres, roods and perches, and uses chains and links to describe distances. It is signed at the bottom left by 2 witnesses, John [Sharar] Snr, and John [Sharar, or Shearer] and at the lower right by Simon Bloom, with a red wax seal to the right of Bloom's signature.

On the verso, manuscript note signed by Henry D. Burgh, Judge, dated October 10, 1769 allowing the indenture to be recorded, and a second note recording the indenture in Lib H, fol 103:104 and 105 : the Twenty Seventh day of January anno 1785, signed F. Henry Livingston, Clerk.

Original folds, a few short splits at center fold repaired on verso with archival tape and a short closed tear top edge also repaired with archival tape. On watermarked laid paper. 13 x 16 1/2" Very good condition. Item #22189

Sold

See all items in NEW YORK, Revolutionary War
See all items by ,