36 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER. 



fers in your record?,,) and actually made a beginning of settling and cultivating 

 these lands without your Honors previous knowledge or consent, directly con- 

 trary to the limits and »£ 1650, concluded with the United Colonies of 

 New England at Eartford, against which usurpation your Attorney General, in 



his quality and in the name of the Lords his masters, had iu due form entered 

 his protest," &C. a 



Notwithstanding this and further protestations, made by the Dutch 

 authorities, followed by threats to drive him off his plantation, Thomas 

 Pell continued to keep watch and ward until the surrender of the Dutch 

 in 1664. Upon the 16th of June 1664 the inhabitants of West Chester 

 surrendered all their rights to Thomas Pell, as the just and rightful 

 owner of a tract of land called West Chester, which he had obtained by 

 an agreement made on the 14th of November, 1654," from "divers 

 persons." 



In 1675 the Indians must have been still residing on the neck in con- 

 siderable numbers for at a General Court of assize held the same year 

 in New York, it was resolved, ,; that the Indyans at Mr. Pell's or Anne 

 Hook's Neck, be ordered to remove to their usual winter quarters, with- 

 in Hell Gate, upon this island ; and further, that all canoes belonging 

 to Christians or Indyans on the north side of Long Island to the east of 

 Hell Gate shall be (within three days from the publication of this order) 

 brought to the next towns and delivered to the constables to be secured 

 near the Hook house ; any canoes found upon the sound after that time 

 to be destroyed." " This order is said to have been made to prevent 

 the Indians of Long Island joining King Philip against New England." 5 



Near the entrance of Pellam neck, is situated the favorite burying 

 ground of the Siwanoy's tribe, to which the Indians were in the habit of 

 bringing their dead over from Greenwich for interment. Numerous 

 mounds are still visible near the water's edge, on the Rapelyea estate. 

 Two of the largest mounds are pointed out as the sepulchres of the 

 Siwanoy's sachems. Ann-hook and Nimham ; both of whom are said to 

 have lived to advanced ages. f 



The former was opened some years since, and found to contain a 

 large sized skeleton, by the side of which lay the stone axe and flint spear 

 head of the tenant of the grave. We have carefully examined several 

 mounds near the waters edge; one of these held the remains of an 

 Indian boy about twelve years old, in a sitting position, together with a 

 beautiful specimen of native pottery formed by the hand alone, rudely 

 ornamented with zigzag lines, in which we discovered an arrow head of 



a Alb. Rec. \ >t Chester. 



b Dunlap"-! Ili-t. of N. Y., 70L 11.. appendix cxxiii. 



e Nimham, sachem of Miereckacky occurs in 160*J. 



