1Gt!(8 short history 
 
 of STATEN ISLAND 
 
 ^-c:. 
 
 Sj> CORNELIUS G. KOLFF 
 
Class _Ei_a-i 
 
 Book 
 
EARLY 
 
 HISTORY 
 
 OF 
 
 STATEN ISLAND 
 
 BY 
 
 CORNELIUS G. KOLFF 
 
 '^Obr^Wdi ^ 
 
 fe 
 

 -9 191! 
 
DEDICATION 
 
 It is with a feeling of pleasure and of gratitude 
 that I dedicate this modest volume to my old friend, 
 Ira K. Morris, whose history of Staten Island has en- 
 deared him to all those who love Staten Island and 
 whose indefatigable and painstakng historical re- 
 searches of many years have challenged the admira- 
 tion of those interested in the history of our Island. 
 
 CORNELIUS G. KOLFF. 
 Harbor View, 
 
 Rosebank, N. Y. 
 May, 1918. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 A feeling of gratitude for the many happy years 
 spent on Staten Island, and the desire to awaken in 
 the hearts of the growing generations of Staten Island- 
 ers an interest and a love for their native Island, have 
 induced the writer to present this short history. 
 
 Being neither a literary man nor an historian, the 
 writer asks the kind indulgence of the critical reader. 
 Much information has been obtained from histories 
 of Staten Island, written by men more intimately ac- 
 quainted with events. 
 
 If this modest volume serves to instruct the youth 
 of Staten Island, and to create a love for the place, 
 the writer's effort will be amply rewarded. 
 
 CORNELIUS G. KOLFF. 
 
Early History of Staten Island 
 
 At the time Christopher Columbus discovered 
 America, in the year 1492, Staten Island was inhabited 
 by Raritan Indians, a branch of the Delaware Nation. 
 
 With the exception of the sandy beaches and the 
 salt meadows, the Island was almost covered with 
 woods, and owing to this fact it was called by the In- 
 dians "Aquehonga Manadnock" — "The Island of 
 Woods." 
 
 In the forests were many wild animals, such as 
 bears, panthers, and deers, and also wild birds. In the 
 lakes, the creeks and waters surrounding the Island 
 were fish of all kinds, and in the waters along the 
 shores were oysters and clams. 
 
 The Indians spent their time hunting the wild 
 animals, fishing in the streams and sea, and some- 
 times in wars with neighboring tribes. 
 
 The Indian women cultivated the fields and grew 
 corn, which they ground with stones in wooden mor- 
 tars, and made into mash. They also raised some 
 tobacco, which the men smoked. Their food consisted 
 of corn, venison, fish, oysters and clams. Their cloth- 
 ing was made of skins of wild animals. 
 
 Their weapons were mainly arrows, with points 
 made of flint, and axes of stone, fastened to wooden 
 handles by leather strings. Their fish-hooks were 
 made of fish bones, and the claws of birds. They 
 lived in tents, called wigwams, made of the bark of 
 trees and the skin of animals. 
 
 The Indian money consisted of shells, with a hole 
 in the centre, through which a string was passed. 
 This money was called "wampum." Their religion 
 consisted of the worship of good and evil spirits. 
 
The Indian doctor was called the "Medicine Man." 
 They may have used some herbs in curing the sick; 
 but their principal "medicine" was the making of as 
 much noise as possible, by howling and groaning, in 
 order to drive the bad spirits out of the sick and the 
 dying. 
 
 The Indian chiefs usually had several wives, and 
 these were called "squaws." The children were called 
 "papooses." The Staten Island Indians did not chop 
 down trees, because they had no suitable tools; but 
 they built a fire around a tree, and when enough of the 
 trunk was charred or burnt, the tree fell. Their boats 
 v/ere made of tree trunks by burning out the middle of 
 the log. 
 
 In order to make a fire, they rubbed two pieces 
 of dry wood against each other until they finally ig- 
 nited. Whenever they wanted some good ground on 
 which to plant corn or tobacco, they "girdled" the 
 trees — that is, they cut away the bark with their 
 knives, made of flint or shell. The trees then died, and 
 later they burnt them and thus secured the ground. 
 
 They had clay pots in which they boiled their 
 water. Their meals were very simple, and they drank 
 nothing but the pure, clear water from the many fine 
 springs v/hich were found on the Island. 
 
 Just as we have weather prophets to-day, who tell 
 us in advance what kind of weather v/e are going to 
 have, so the Indians had a "v/eather priest," whom 
 they called "Kitzinake." He had the queer habit of 
 never eating any food prepared by married women. 
 
 Our New Year, as we all know, commences on the 
 first of January, but the Indian New Year commenced 
 in March, when the days and nights were of the same 
 length, and they celebrated the New Year with feasts. 
 
They smoked their tobacco in long pipes, made 
 of the same serpentine rock found to-day in the hills 
 between Tompkinsville and Richmond. 
 
 From time to time, they had great feasts, which 
 were usually celebrated at some point near the Sea- 
 shore. They evidently ate a great many fish, oysters 
 and clams, as indicated by the large heaps of shells 
 which can be seen to this day. At these feats they 
 sometimes amused themselves by torturing prisoners 
 taken in their warfare with neighboring tribes. They 
 usually tied their prisoners to stakes, and then shot 
 them with arrows which had sharp points made of 
 flint. 
 
 At one of the places where these feasts were cele- 
 brated, near Tottenville, the skeleton of a big Indian, 
 nearly seven feet tall, was found, with arrows still 
 sticking to his chest bone. He had evidently been tak- 
 en prisoner, had been tied to a tree or stake, and then 
 shot to death. 
 
 As both food and water were necessary, their vil- 
 lages were usually situated near the seashore, not far 
 distant from a good spring. We know that there were 
 Indian villages at Tottenville, near the Southern end 
 of the Island; at Holland's Hook, opposite Elizabeth- 
 port; at Green Ridge; at Giffords, and at West New 
 Brighton. At the latter point was the "Council Place," 
 where the Indians usually met the white men, to carry 
 on peace negotiations after a war. 
 
 When the Indians died, they were buried in a 
 sitting position on a log, and alongside of them was 
 placed a pot of food, a spoon with which to eat, and 
 some wampum, or money, so that they would be well 
 supplied with necessaries in the Spirit Land, or the 
 "Happy Hunting Grounds," into which they passed 
 at death. 
 
THE FIRST COMING OF THE WHITE MAN 
 
 Thirty-two years after Columbus discovered 
 America, on a summer afternoon in 1524, the Indians 
 Hving on the South Shore of the Island were greatly 
 astonished at seeing, far out at sea, what looked to 
 them to be a huge bird; but which, as it came nearer 
 and nearer, proved to be a ship in full sail. They had 
 never seen anything like it before, and as soon as the 
 news of this wonderful thing spread, the Indians 
 swarmed to the shore, where they hid behind trees 
 to watch the strange visitor. It was a French ship, 
 commanded by an Italian captain, called *'Verrazza- 
 no." The first discovery of Staten Island by white 
 men was thus made by an Italian. 
 
 The ship sailed up the Lower Bay, and anchored 
 in the Narrows. The Indians from their hidiijg places 
 saw queer men with white faces and beards, and heard 
 them talk a language which they did not understand. 
 
 As frequently happens now, on hot summer af- 
 ternoons, a sudden storm came up, and the captain, 
 fearing that his ship might be driven ashore by the 
 storm, hoisted his anchors, put om tf> sea, and disap- 
 peared as rapidly as he had come. 
 
 The Indians watched the ship until it faded away 
 in the distance, and scarcely knew whax to think or 
 say. You may well imagine that it was discussed by 
 them for years afterwards. They wondered whether 
 it would return, and watched for it ; but no ship came, 
 and the strange incident was related around the camp 
 fires of the rude natives, as we tell fairy tales to-day. 
 
SECOND COMING OF THE WHITE MAN OR 
 "SWANNAKIN" 
 
 Finally, on the third day of September, 1609, 
 eighty-five years after Verrazzano's discovery of Sta- 
 ten Island, and after all the Indians who had witnessed 
 the first coming of the white man had gone to the Hap- 
 py Hunting Grounds, another ship was seen for out at 
 sea, and word was rapidly passed along among the 
 Indians that the story told by their fathers and grand- 
 fathers must be true, for the strangers were returning ; 
 and again the Indians swarmed to the point of land 
 opposite The Narrows. This time it was a Dutch ship, 
 the "Half Moon," in charge of an English captain, 
 Henry Hudson. He anchored in the same place at 
 which Verrazzano had stopped, and the weather being 
 fair he launched a boat with a few men, who rov/ed 
 through The Narrows, and along the North Shore 
 of the Island, through what is now called the Kill van 
 KuU, as far as Holland's Hook, the Indians following 
 along the shore, and watching every movement 
 
 Thinking that these new comers must be enemies, 
 some of the Indians, more courageous than others, set 
 out in a large canoe. The white men turned back and 
 when they reached a point about where West New 
 Brighton is now located, the Indians in the canoe at- 
 tacked them with their bows and arrows John Cole- 
 man, who was in command, was shot in the throat 
 with an arrow, and died while the boat was returning 
 to the "Half Moon." 
 
 Finding, however, that the white men had evi- 
 dently not come to fight, the Indians tried to make 
 friends of them; and after some hesitation, they came 
 
on board the "Half Moon," and brought Indian com 
 and tobacco as tokens of friendship. Captain Henry 
 Hudson detained two Indians, treated them well and 
 gave them red coats to wear, which greatly pleased 
 them. When, after a few days, he weighed anchor and 
 sailed up the Bay and the great river (named after 
 him, "The Hudson River"), he took them with him. 
 On his sail up the river, Hudson had some fights with 
 hostile tribes of Indians, and the two from Staten Is- 
 land becoming frightened, jumped overboard, when 
 the ship was near what is now West Point, swam 
 ashore and traveled back to Staten Island, on foot, 
 alarming the Indians on the way and creating a feel- 
 ing of hostility against the white men. 
 
 Consequently, when Hudson returned to Staten 
 Island, which he named "Staaten Eylandt," in honor 
 of the States General of Holland, on October 4th, 1609, 
 he met with a hostile reception when he attempted to 
 land. As he was not looking for trouble, Hudson 
 weighed anchor, and sailed for Holland, to report the 
 results of his discovery. 
 
 The Indians, as their forefathers had done eighty- 
 five years before, stationed men on the high points of 
 the Island, where they watched day and night for the 
 return of the white men. 
 
 A year later another Dutch ship came, and on at- 
 tempting to land the Indians again atacked the white 
 men and forced them to leave. 
 
 After another year, in 161 1, a third ship came; and 
 two years later several ships passed through The 
 Narrows, on their way up the Hudson, where they 
 traded European goods or furs. 
 
FIRST SETTLEMENT OF STATEN ISLAND 
 
 Up to 1613 no white men had settled on Staten 
 Island; but about 1624 a number of immigrants from 
 what is now Belgium, arrived on Staten Island. They 
 were called Walloons, after the country from which 
 they came. 
 
 They did not remain long. During their stay here, 
 however, a very important event happened, namely, 
 the birth of the first white child on Staten Island. It 
 was a girl and her name was Sarah Ropye (or Rapel- 
 ja). Direct descendants of the family still reside here. 
 
 The Indians drove the Walloons off the Island, 
 and they moved to Manhattan, where there was quite 
 a large Dutch settlement. 
 
 The red men thought they had driven the white 
 men off the Island forever; but a great many Dutch- 
 men had arrived in New Amsterdam in the meantime. 
 All of them, in passing up the Narrows, had, of course, 
 seen Staten Island ; and, attracted by its natural beau- 
 ties, they decided to come over and settle here; and 
 when a Dutchman makes up his mind to do a thing, he 
 usually does it, thus originating the saying, "It is hard 
 to beat the Dutch." 
 
 So the Dutch came to Staten Island about 1637, 
 settled near what is now Fort Wadsworth, and called 
 their village "Het Dorp." (The village) From this 
 time on serious trouble from the Indians commenced. 
 The older natives were clever enough to understand 
 that the white men wanted their land, and would take 
 it from them by force ; for the Indians with their bows 
 and arrows were no match for the white men with 
 their firearms, which created "lightning and thunder." 
 
Consequently, the Indians offered to sell their 
 lands to the white men, and as the latter discovered 
 that they could buy the whole Island for a few trifles, 
 such as blankets, knives, hatchets, beads, and other 
 things of little value, they bought the land ; but as the 
 Indians could not read or write, there were constant 
 misunderstandings between the two races. Some- 
 times the Indians were to blame, and sometimes the 
 white men were ; but, whenever there was a misunder- 
 standing, there was fighting, and it usually commenc- 
 ed by the Indians surprising the settlers at night; 
 burning their homes, killing or stealing their cattle, 
 and murdering the men, women and children. The 
 Dutch would send soldiers from New Amsterdam, and 
 they in turn would burn the Indian villages, kill as 
 many Indians as possible, and force them to make 
 peace. This continued for nearly fifty years. 
 
 In the meantime more white men settled on Sta- 
 ten Island, and so many Indians had been killed that 
 those remaining wisely concluded to make peace for 
 good and forever; and a great council was held in 
 which the Indians finally sold their lands for the last 
 time, and to show that they intended to give up their 
 lands and their woods, they handed the white men a 
 piece of sod and a small twig of every kind of wood 
 growing on Staten Island, except the hickory and the 
 ash, which they reserved, presumably to make bows 
 and arrows. The Indians received in pay some 
 blankets, knives, axes and beads. 
 
 Among the many wars which were fought, three 
 deserve special mention. 
 
THE PEACH WAR 
 
 This war was caused by one Van Dyck, the At- 
 torney-General of the New Netherland, who lived on 
 Staten Island during the summer. Looking out of his 
 window one morning, and seeing an Indian woman 
 picking some peaches from a tree in his garden, he be- 
 came enraged, took a gun from the wall and shot the 
 woman dead. The Indians were very angry at this 
 murder. They went to New Amsterdam and de- 
 manded of the Governor that Van Dyck should be 
 delivered to them so he might be punished by them. 
 As this meant the death of Van Dyck, the Governor 
 refused to surrender him, and the Indians, now thor- 
 oughly aroused, came back to Staten Island and mur- 
 dered the Dutch settlers, burnt their houses and de- 
 stroyed their crops. There were about sixty families. 
 
THE PIG WAR 
 
 Another time, some pigs were the cause of a war 
 which caused much bloodshed. 
 
 It appears that a ship on its way from New Am- 
 sterdam to the Delaware, where there was a large set- 
 tlement of Dutch, stopped at the "Watering Place," 
 about where Tompkinsville is located, in order to take 
 on board some fresh water from a spring which had 
 an excellent reputation. 
 
 The sailors, seeing some pigs near the place where 
 they went to get the water, stole them, took them on 
 board and sailed away. The owners of the pigs dis- 
 covering the loss, concluded the Indians must have 
 stolen them, and accused them of the theft. This, of 
 course, they denied; but the Dutch Governor at New 
 Amsterdam, sent some soldiers to Staten Island to 
 punish the Indians. The latter, when attacked, defend- 
 ed themselves, and after a number of them had been 
 killed, they in turn attacked the farmers, burnt their 
 dwellings and barns, ran off with their cattle, and 
 killed as many settlers as they could, until they were 
 compelled to make peace. 
 
THE WHISKEY WAR 
 
 Another time a war was caused by whiskey.. A 
 Dutch governor named Kieft had started a whiskey 
 distillery at what is now New Brighton (the first in 
 America). The Indians had learned to drink whiskey 
 from the white men, and the Dutch traders having 
 discovered, as many others have since, that they could 
 take advantage of men when they are drunk, proceed- 
 ed to get the Indians in that condition and then 
 swindled them in an outrageous manner. When the 
 Redskins became sober, they accused the Dutch trad- 
 ers of having robbed them of their furs, and when the 
 Dutch refused to make good the losses, the latter 
 went on the war path and again murdered nearly all 
 the Dutch farmers and burnt their homes to the 
 ground, continuing until the soldiers again subdued 
 them. 
 
 From this, it may be seen that to farm on Staten 
 Island, with Indians as neighbors, was to invite hard 
 times. 
 
THE LAST INDIANS 
 
 By these constant conflicts with the whites, and 
 possibly by wars with other Indians, the Aquehongas 
 dwindled in number until comparatively few were left. 
 
 The last pure-blooded Aquehonga Indians lived 
 at Green Ridge in 1826, and were known as Sam and 
 Hannah and their daughter, Nancy. They were buried 
 in the graveyard at Green Ridge and thus ends the 
 Indian history of Staten Island. Their silent resting 
 place is located a few yards from the large dairy barn 
 on the old Seaman estate, now the property of Mr. 
 George W. White. 
 
THE DUTCH PERIOD 
 
 After the discovery of America by Columbus, the 
 Spaniards took possession of nearly all of South 
 America, Central America and the West Indian Is- 
 lands, and even a part of North America. 
 
 They found great wealth of gold and silver in 
 Mexico and Peru. This attracted the attention of 
 every European Nation which soon had ships sailing 
 the seas in almost every direction, trying to discover 
 new lands which they might take possession of in the 
 hope of finding treasure. 
 
 The next door neighbors of the Spaniards, the 
 Portuguese, took possession of Brazil, in South 
 America; the French conquered Canada; the EngHsh 
 settled Virginia and New England. Even the Scotch 
 and Swedes made attempts to establish colonies in 
 America — the former in Central America and the lat- 
 ter on the Delaware. 
 
 The Dutch were a very powerful Nation at that 
 time, and they, Uke the rest of the nations, started out 
 on expeditions to discover new countries which they 
 might settle. 
 
 The main hope of all these nations was to find 
 gold and silver; but they soon learned that Spain had 
 already taken possession of the only countries where 
 the precious metals were to be found. Consequently, 
 the only advantage which they could immediately de- 
 rive from their discoveries, was from commerce with 
 the Indians ; and about the only thing the Indians had 
 to offer in exchange for the European goods, were the 
 furs of wild animals. Furs were then, as they are 
 now, very valuable, and the fur trade continued for a 
 long time to be the principal and most profitable arti- 
 cle of commerce. 
 
It has been told in the early part of this history 
 that Henry Hudson on his ship, the "Half Moon," dis- 
 covered Staten Island in 1609, and then sailed up the 
 Bay to Manhattan, and thence up the Hudson. In 
 exchange for the goods he brought along, he obtained 
 quite a large supply of valuable furs, but no gold and 
 silver. He took possession of the country in the name 
 of the Dutch Government and called it "New Nether- 
 lands.". When be returned to Holland and reported 
 his discovery, and told about the Indians, the Dutch 
 merchants in Amsterdam decided to fit out some more 
 ships to engage in the fur trade; and the Dutch Gov- 
 ernment decided to establish a settlement, or colony, 
 in the country discovered by Hudson. The next year 
 another ship was sent to New Netherlands, and a regu- 
 lar settlem.ent was established on Manhattan Island, 
 and in honor of the Capital of Holland, the location 
 was called New Amsterdam. 
 
 Later, another settlement was founded, far up the 
 Hudson River, where Albany now stands, called Fort 
 Orange, and gradually the whole country between the 
 Connecticut and Delaware Rivers, was taken posses- 
 sion of by the Dutch, and was called New Netherlands 
 and a large number of villages or settlements were 
 founded by them. Most of them were given Dutch 
 names, such as New Amsterdam, Hoboken, Weehaw- 
 ken, Staaten Eylandt, Fort Orange (now Albany) 
 Bruikelen (now Brooklyn), etc., and some of them re- 
 ceived Indian names, such as Poughkeepsie, Nyack, 
 etc. The Hudson River was called the North River, 
 and the Delaware, along their Southern boundary, 
 was called the South River. 
 
 Now, as the Dutch have been an important ele- 
 ment in the early history of Staten Island, it should be 
 remembered that Holland, at the time of the discovery 
 
of America and for a few hundred years afterward, 
 was a very powerful nation, which had reached a high 
 state of development in nearly all human occupations. 
 They were skilful, and the leading manufacturers of 
 Europe ; they had men of great learning ; they were 
 great painters; their merchants were powerful, and 
 they were the masters of the sea. Their fight for lib- 
 erty against Spain had made them the heroes of their 
 age. They were a most peaceful, but a most deter- 
 mined race of men, whose main charactertistic, ac- 
 cording to the famous Italian, De Amici, was "phleg- 
 matic energy." Their coming to North America and 
 the establishment of the New Netherlands had an im- 
 portant effect on the future development of our coun- 
 try. 
 
 Among the early settlers in New Amsterdam was 
 Michael Pauw, who on the promise to establish set- 
 tlements, obtained a grant from the Dutch Govern- 
 ment to land in New Jersey, where Jersey City now 
 stands, and also on Staten Island, with the understand- 
 ing, however, that he must pay the Indians for the 
 land. He carried out his bargain with the Govern- 
 ment. He established a settlement in New Jersey, 
 which he called "Commune de Pauw," or in English, 
 Village of Pauw. It still goes by the name of Com- 
 munepau. He never established a settlement on Sta- 
 ten Island, evidently because he did not think it was 
 worth the trouble and expense. He accordingly ab- 
 andoned his claim to it after paying the Indians. 
 
 The first real settler on Staten Island was Peter 
 de Vries, who bought it from the Government in 1636, 
 after Michael Pauw's abandonment. 
 
 De Vries established a village at what is now Ar- 
 rochar, and a number of farms were started. He had 
 
trouble with the Indians, his blockhouse and buildings 
 being destroyed, and his farms devastated by them. 
 
 In 1641 another Dutchman, Cornelius Melyn, ob- 
 tained a further grant of land, and he also had his 
 share of Indian warfare. His settlement was demol- 
 ished, the houses were burnt and the crops destroyed, 
 during one of the wars referred to in the "Indian per- 
 iod." 
 
 Not discouraged by their constant failures, a fur- 
 ther effort at settlement was made, and about 1658 
 they founded another village — this time at Stoney 
 Brook, on what is now known as the Amboy Road, 
 near New Dorp, and as there was more or less travel 
 between the old village, called Oude Dorp (old vil- 
 lage) near The Narrows, and the new one at "New 
 Dorp," the road between the two villages was called 
 the "Old Town Road," by which name it is still 
 known. 
 
 The founders of Stony Brook were mainly Wald- 
 ensians, a very religious people, who came from the 
 mountains along the French-Italian border in Europe. 
 They were a peaceful people, who understood better 
 than those who had gone before them how to secure 
 the good will and confidence of the Indians, and they 
 consequently had the good fortune to live in peace 
 with their Indian neighbors, with whom they did a 
 profitable trade in furs. 
 
 At about the same time a number of Huguenots, 
 or French Protestants, arrived and settled in the mid- 
 dle and southern parts of the Island, mainly in what 
 is now known as Westfield, and around Richmond, 
 New Springville, and Green Ridge. 
 
 At Stony Brook a church was built, where the 
 Waldensians and Huguenots worshipped. A store 
 was also built there, and also a court house and a 
 
jail. This was the first sign of an established gov- 
 ernment on Staten Island. The ruins of these build- 
 ings are still to be seen and the memories of the place 
 were revived by the Hudson-Fulton celebration in Sep- 
 tember, 1909. An association has been organized, 
 whose object is to erect a monument on the site of the 
 Waldensian Church in the near future. 
 
 With the establishment of Stony Brook, a more 
 peaceful development of Staten Island commenced. 
 Farms were established in different parts of the Island 
 by the Dutch and the Huguenots, and the Island 
 gradually improved. 
 
 In the meantime, however, matters of great im- 
 portance to the new settlements in New Netherlands 
 were transpiring. Holland, the great sea power of the 
 age, was at war with a growing maritime power — 
 England. 
 
 The wars between European powers were usually 
 transferred to their colonies in America, and sea-fights 
 to wrest from each other their colonies, were carried 
 on in American waters. 
 
 Thus in 1661, while Peter Stuyvesant was the 
 Dutch Governor in New Amsterdam, a British fleet 
 sailed through The Narrows, and demanded, at the 
 mouth of its cannons, the surrender of the Dutch 
 colony of the New Netherlands. 
 
 Unable to defend himself against an attack of 
 the British men-of-war, Peter Stuyvesant was com- 
 pelled to surrender the Dutch colonies in North 
 America to the English, and Staten Island, together 
 with the rest of New Netherlands, fell into the hands 
 of the English, and became a part of the British col- 
 ony, the name of which was then changed to "New 
 York," in honor of the Duke of York, who became the 
 master of the new English colony. 
 
Nine years after this event, a Dutch fleet put in 
 an appearance and took possession of the colony 
 again, and the Dutch were once more masters of the 
 New Netherlands; but when peace was declared be- 
 tween England and Holland, a few years later, the 
 Dutch colonies were again surrendered to England by 
 treaty; and thus ends the Dutch period of the New 
 Netherlands, and also the Dutch period for Staten 
 Island. 
 
 The Dutch and Huguenot settlers were fortun- 
 ately treated with every consideration by their new 
 masters; their customs, languages, and religious wor- 
 ship were not interfered with, and they were gradual- 
 ly absorbed after generations, by the Anglo-Saxon in- 
 fluence. 
 
 Our Dutch and Huguenot ancestors have plainly 
 left the impression of their character upon the minds 
 of those who have studied the history of our Island. 
 The name of the Island remains the same ; the names 
 of many places, such as Great Kills, Fresh Kills, 
 Huguenot, Achter Kill (corrupted into Arthur Kill), 
 Kill Van Kull, Robbens Reff (seal rock, corrupted into 
 Bobbin's Reef) and so on, remind us of them, and a 
 long list of Dutch and Huguenot names, still numer- 
 ously represented by families living here, are evidence 
 of their descent from those noble ancestors. 
 
ENGLISH COLONIAL PERIOD 
 
 One of the first acts performed by the new Eng- 
 lish Governor, Richard Nicoll, in the name of the 
 Crown of England, was to take formal possession of 
 Staten Island. This was done, near the present Fort 
 Wadsworth, overlooking The Narrows. He made a 
 number of grants of land on Staten Island to settlers ; 
 and from these, called "Colonial Grants," most of the 
 land titles took their origin. 
 
 Governor Nicoll's successor was Governor Love- 
 lace, and one of the important acts performed by him, 
 connected with local history, was the last purchase of 
 the Island from the Indians. 
 
 Staten Island, as has been shown in the previous 
 pages, was purchased repeatedly from the Indians by 
 the Dutch, in accordance with the requirements of the 
 Dutch Government at home ; but as there were always 
 some Indians who claimed not to have joined in the 
 sales, Governor Lovelace decided once and forever to 
 settle the native claims, and in making his purchase 
 he made every Indian — men and women and even boys 
 and girls of 12 to 15 years of age, sign the deed. 
 
 In payment, the Indians received wampum, 30 
 shirts, 30 kettles, 20 guns, some lead, powder, knives 
 and axes. By this sale the Indians forever parted with 
 their claim to Staten Island. 
 
 The English, on taking possession of the Island, 
 established a regular form of Government, and Sta- 
 ten Island became the County of Richmond, in the Col- 
 ony of New York, and Stony Brook, near New Dorp, 
 was the County Seat. 
 
 The Colony of New York embraced all of New 
 Netherlands, extending from the Delaware River, 
 which was called the "South River," to Connecticut, 
 
and up the Hudson River, called by the Dutch the 
 "North River." 
 
 About 1668, Lord Berkeley received a grant from 
 the crown to all lands west of the Hudson River, 
 which he called Nova Caesarea, or New Jersey, and at 
 first Staten Island was considered as a part of New 
 Jersey and paid taxes to that colony; but a dispute 
 arising between the Duke of York and Lord Berkeley 
 as to the ownership of Staten Island, and other is- 
 lands in the mouth of the Hudson River, it was decid- 
 ed that all islands which could be circumnavigated in 
 twenty-four hours should belong to New York, all 
 others to New Jersey. 
 
 The task of sailing around Staten Island was as- 
 signed to Christopher Billopp, who, in his sloop, the 
 "Bentley," circumnavigated the Island in a few min- 
 utes less than 24 hours, and thus saved the Island for 
 the Duke of York. Christopher Billopp was rewarded 
 by a grant of about 1163 acres of land at the extreme 
 south end of the Island, and he there built a house 
 which is still standing, and which is called the "Bent- 
 ly Manor," in honor of the ship owned by Billopp. 
 
 After Governor Lovelace came Governor Andros, 
 and after him Governor Dongan, an Irishman, after- 
 wards the Earl of Limmerick. Governor Dongan was 
 very fond of Staten Island, and lived in his castle over- 
 looking the Kill Van Kull, at what is now known as 
 West New Brighton, near the present Dongan street. 
 He had a shooting lodge, near Castleton Corners, and 
 the road which led from there to the Castle or Manor 
 of Governor Dongan was and is still called "Manor 
 Road." 
 
 The Island was divided into four towns. That 
 surrounding the castle or manor of Governor Dongan, 
 was called Castletowne, embracing what was the vil- 
 
lage of New Brighton (now the first ward), Northfield 
 (now the third ward), Southfield (now the 4th ward) 
 and Westfield (now the fifth ward). (The town of 
 Middletown, now the second ward, was not organized 
 until 1866. It is composed of parts of Castleton and 
 Southfield.) 
 
 In 1683 the inhabitants were counted, and it was 
 shown that there were about 200 farmers and 2,000 
 Indians. The latter gradually died off, partly due to 
 wars among themselves and partly due to disease. 
 
 In 1729 the County Seat was removed from Stony 
 Brook to what was then called Cuckoldstown, which 
 was later and now is called Richmond, in the centre of 
 the Island, the main reason being that it could easily 
 be reached from all parts, and because "there was a 
 bell at St. Andrew's Church, which was thought to add 
 dignity to the place." 
 
 In the meantime the Island continued to develop 
 peacefully. The inhabitants were mostly farmers and 
 numbered about 3,000. 
 
 Nothing of especial interest transpired on Staten 
 Island, except such historical events as occurred in 
 the Colony of New York; as for instance the wars 
 with France, which from its possessions in Canada 
 was more or less constantly trying to gain possession 
 of the Colony of New York. 
 
REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD 
 
 About the middle of the eighteenth century, a 
 general feeling of unrest commenced to make itself 
 felt in all parts of the American Colonies, owing to the 
 oppression of the English Government. 
 
 Taxes of all kinds were imposed upon the Ameri- 
 cans, and laws were inaugurated in England, which 
 were not to the tastes of the Colonies, and when their 
 protests received no attention nor consideration, a gen- 
 eral spirit of rebellion against the mother country be- 
 came more and more pronounced, until finally in 1774, 
 a congress of the American Colonies assembled in 
 Philadelphia, to determine what steps should be taken. 
 
 The King of England expected to crush the op- 
 position by sending an army to America, and as was 
 expected, the colonists prepared for armed resistance. 
 
 At Lexington, in the State of Massachusetts, the 
 first blood was shed, and the battle of Bunker Hill, 
 near Boston, where the Americans covered themselves 
 with glory, was fought. 
 
 George Washington, of Virginia, was made com- 
 mander of the American forces, by the Congress of 
 the American Colonies, and a large army was sent 
 to America from England to subdue the revolting col- 
 onies. 
 
 In 1776 over 100 English ships anchored in the 
 Bay, and a large army of English and Hessian soldiers, 
 under General William Howe, took possession of Sta- 
 ten Island and fortified all the important points, such 
 as Fort Hill, Richmond, Holland's Hook, Blazing 
 Star (now Rossville), Bently Manor (now Totten- 
 ville), and a number of other places, to protect them- 
 selves against the Americans, who assembled in large 
 numbers on the New Jersey shore. For the purpose 
 
of making a last effort to bring about peace, General 
 Howe met Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Ed- 
 ward Rutledge, representatives of the American 
 Congress, in the Billopp house, Tottenville; but noth- 
 ing came of it and the war continued in earnest. On 
 July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was 
 signed in Philadelphia, and was read by General Howe 
 a few days later at his headquarters in the Rose and 
 Crown farm house in New Dorp, where the British 
 forces were encamped. He remarked that "That doc- 
 ument has been signed by very determined men." 
 
 The Americans made frequent attacks on Staten 
 Island, but owing to the large British force located 
 here, they were unable to accomplish much, but com- 
 mitted acts of great bravery such as for instance 
 battles in Richmond and the storming of old St. An- 
 drews Church, in the fall of 1776, and again in August, 
 1777, the Enghsh soldiers having fortified themselves 
 in the church on both occasions. 
 
 Another determined attack was made by the 
 American General, Sullivan, who came over from New 
 Jersey with his command and fought gallantly; also 
 by Lord Stirlmg, who engaged the Loyalists at Pel- 
 ton's Cove, West New Brighton, and other points 
 and then both returned to New Jersey, after having 
 inflicted serious injury on the English. 
 
 Among other interesting episodes of the war, was 
 the capture of Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Billopp, 
 a Loyalist officer, who was taken prisoner in his own 
 house at the Manor of Bently by the Americans who 
 had watched his house for days from the steeple of a 
 church in Perth Amboy, across the Staten Island 
 Sound (still standing). 
 
 In the meantime, within sight of Staten Island, 
 the battle of Long Island was fought, in which the 
 
Americans were defeated and New York was taken 
 possession of by the English. The courage and de- 
 termination of General Washington and the American 
 Army, in the end, won victory over the English. The 
 great battles of Saratoga, and Yorktown, in which the 
 English were defeated, finally won the liberty of the 
 American colonies, and on November 25, 1783, the 
 British army and navy passed through The Narrows 
 on its way to England. In passing Staten Island, a 
 last parting cannon shot was fired at the Americans, 
 who had assembled on the Heights overlooking the 
 Narrows at Fort Wadsworth, to see the English de- 
 part for good, and who in their demonstration of joy 
 and happiness probably provoked a feeling of resent- 
 ment on the part of the departing Englishman. 
 
THE MODERN PERIOD 
 
 After the English had left, the American colonies 
 — now free and independent — set to work to organize 
 the New Government. It was probably the most crit- 
 ical period in American History, owing to the many 
 differences of opinion as to the form of Government 
 which should be adopted. The American nation was 
 brought to the brink of disaster, but in the end the 
 good, common sense of the people prevailed, and the 
 plan of Government, which has safely guided our 
 destiny so far, was adopted. 
 
 Staten Island, known as the County of Richmond, 
 organized its local government and continued to pros- 
 per as the most southerly county of the great state of 
 New York. 
 
 The inhabitants of Staten Island were mainly 
 farmers and fishermen, but about 1837, the many beau- 
 ties of nature began to attract the attention of rich 
 merchants of New York, and they bought land here 
 for summer residences. 
 
 Thomas Davis purchased a large tract of land be- 
 tween the old Quarantine at Tompkinsville and Sail- 
 ors' Snug Harbor, on the North Shore. He construct- 
 ed a fine highway, called Richmond Terrace, erected a 
 number of fine dwellings, mostly in the Colonial style 
 of architecture, and built a large residence which, in 
 later years became known as "The Pavilion." He 
 named the new settlement "New Brighton," after 
 Brighton, the famous seaside resort in England. Sta- 
 ten Island soon became the fashionable center for rich 
 New Yorkers and Southerners during the summer, and 
 many beautiful and expensive homes were built. With 
 the development of steam navigation, ferries were es- 
 tablished between New York and different points on 
 
Staten Island and the population grew rapidly in 
 numbers. 
 
 In 1858 an event took place which caused much 
 excitement. It was the burning of the old Quarantine 
 hospital at Tompkinsville by citizens of the county, 
 who, after having protested in vain against the pres- 
 ence of a yellow fever hospital in their midst, took 
 the law into their own hands and applied the torch. 
 The State of New York thereupon built two artificial 
 islands in the lower bay — called Hoffman and Swin- 
 burne Islands — and transferred the hospitals to these 
 islands — charging the expense to the County of Rich- 
 mond. 
 
 In i860. Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, a na- 
 tive of Staten Island and the owner of the ferries be- 
 tween New York and the East Shore, built a railroad 
 from Clifton to Tottenville. 
 
 During the Civil War Staten Island furnished its 
 share of soldiers, many of whom laid down their lives 
 for the preservation of the Union. 
 
 About 1880, Erastus Wiman came to Staten Is- 
 land, and believing in its commercial advantages, se- 
 cured control of the railroad between Clifton and Tot- 
 tenville. He then built the Rapid Transit Railroad 
 along the shore from South Beach to Holland's Hook, 
 and in place of the many ferries, established one be- 
 tween St. George and New York. A large railroad 
 bridge which spans the Sound, was erected through 
 Mr. Wiman's influence, giving Staten Island direct 
 rail connection with the railroad system on the Main- 
 land. 
 
 In 1895, the present system of electric street cars 
 was introduced. 
 
 In 1898 Staten Island became a part of the City of 
 New York, under the name of the Borough of Rich- 
 mond. 
 
In igoo, the Municipal ferry between St. George 
 and Manhattan was started, and later another ferry 
 between Manhattan and Stapleton, but this was finally 
 abandoned. 
 
 There were many other important events on Sta- 
 ten Island which cannot be mentioned through lack of 
 space. 
 
 Among the many prominent men who lived on 
 Staten Island were Aaron Burr, Vice-President of the 
 United States; Daniel D. Tompkins, Vice-President 
 of the United States ; Commodore Cornelius Vander- 
 bilt, the founder of the Vanderbilt family; Garibaldi, 
 the Italian Liberator; Santa Anna, a former Presi- 
 dent of Mexico; Ralph Waldo Emerson, the great 
 American philosopher ; Nathaniel Hawthorn ; George 
 V^illiam Curtis, Erastus Brooks, and other literary 
 men, Bill Nye, the great humorist; Erastus Wiman, 
 commercial and industrial promotor ; William Winter, 
 the famous critic and others prominent in the history 
 of our Country. 
 
CONCLUSION 
 
 In conclusion let it be said that Staten Islanders 
 may well be proud of their little island. 
 
 Where in the American continent is there a place 
 more favored by nature than Staten Island? Its 
 beautiful hills, commanding views of the ocean, its 
 picturesque valleys, its magnificent forests, its pretty 
 lakes, its sea shores, its climate, tempered by the 
 proximity of the ocean, all combine to make it an ideal 
 place for human habitation. 
 
 Those who live here love it, and the thoughts of 
 those who have left it often turn with an affectionate 
 memory to the happy days spent among its hills and 
 forests. 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
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