104 The Story of The Bronx 



N on- Importation agreement forced the colonists to make many 

 goods which they had previously bought in England. Besides, 

 the English laws forbade manufacturing in the colonies, in 

 order to give the British manufacturer a monopoly, which was 

 further secured to him by the obnoxious Navigation laws. 

 During the war, the American was thrown on his own resources 

 for many articles which he could not smuggle in from the 

 Dutch ports in the West Indies, and was forced into making 

 many articles of necessity. 



Grist-mills and saw-mills were located wherever there was 

 sufficient water power, as on Tippett's Brook, which was 

 dammed for the purpose, or on Eastchester Creek, where the 

 rise and fall of the tide gave power to turn the undershot wheel 

 of Reid's mill. It is probable that Jonas Bronk built a mill 

 about three miles from the mouth of the river which bears his 

 name. 



On August 1 6, 1680, the town of Westchester gave to Rich- 

 ardson and Jessup, the owners of the West Farms, the privi- 

 lege of locating a saw-mill and a grist-mill upon the Bronx 

 River. On April 2, 171 1, this privilege, together with one 

 saw-mill and three grist-mills, was conveyed by Tryntje 

 Byvanck, widow of Evert Byvanck, to William Provost, from 

 whom it passed to the original Etienne, or Stephen, De Lancey, 

 who, by will dated March 4, 1735, devised "unto my son Peter 

 and to his heirs, all my mills, mill-house, mill-boat, farm and 

 land, and all and every the appurtenances thereunto belonging, 

 situate and being in the county of Westchester, upon Bronck s 

 river, lately known as the mills of William Richardson." In 

 consequence of this inheritance, the heir became known as 

 "Peter of the Mills," and the locality as De Lancey's Mills, as 

 well as West Farms. 



Mill Brook, which divided the manor of Morrisania into 



