402 The Story of The Bronx 



the Indians and his house burned, because they said he had 

 not paid them for the land. However that may be, he must 

 have given satisfactory proof to the Dutch authorities that 

 he had purchased the land, for a grond brief was issued to him 

 in 1646 by Governor Kieft. To his grandson, William Willett, 

 the land was confirmed by patent of Colonel Nicolls, April 

 15, 1667. In this deed, the land is described as 



"a certaine Parcell of Land, contained within a neck, commonly 

 called and knowne by ye name of Cornell's Neck, lying and 

 being upon the Maine, toward the Sound or East River, being 

 bounded to the West by a certain Rivolett which runs to the 

 Black Rock and so into Bronckse Creeke or Kill. Then the 

 Neck stretching itselfe East South East into the Sound is 

 bounded to the East with another Rivolett which divides it 

 from the limits of West Chester and a line being run from the 

 head of each Rivolett wherewith a narrow slip, the said Neck 

 is joined to the Maine land, it closes up the Neck and makes 

 ihe North bounds thereof." 



The " Rivolett which runs to the Black Rock" is at present 

 known as Barrett's Creek, and where it joins the Bronx River 

 is a bluff of black gneiss at the southeastern part of the neck. 

 From the presence of this rock, the patent and neck, or farm, 

 were known as the "Black Rock" patent and farm. The 

 "Rivolett which divides it from the limits of West Chester" 

 is Wilkins's Creek, also known as Pugsley's Creek, from the 

 former owner of the farm lying adjacent to the neck on West- 

 chester Avenue; near-by the avenue used to cross the wet 

 meadows of Barrett's Creek on a causeway, also called "Pug- 

 sley's." Just beyond were the golf links of the Westchester 

 Golf Club until 1906. The line joining the heads of the two 

 creeks is a few yards south of Westchester Avenue, the road 

 to the neck formerly passing between them on a narrow cause- 



