76 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER. 



Benjamin Palmer, Joseph Palmer, and Samuel Le Roux prayed for 

 letters patent to be granted for the land under water, six-hundred feet 

 from common high water mark, surrounding Minefors or Minneford's 

 Island in the Sound, being part of the manor of Pelham in the 

 County of Westchester, &c." rt A second petition occurs on the 27th of 

 November, 1762, from David Hunt and fourteen other persons named 

 in behalf of themselves and associates to the number of one-hundred 

 proprietors of Minneford's Island, praying letters patent for four-hundred 

 feet of the soil under water, from common high water mark into the 

 Sound, beginning at that part of the island, which in a due east line is 

 opposite the house of Samuel Rodman, and holding the same distance 

 westward into the Sound, in every part round the island, and so running 

 along the east end of said island with that part thereof which is opposite 

 to the most southerly point of an island in said Sound, commonly called 

 High Island, the property of Capt. John Wooley."* 



The prayer of the petition, however, was not granted until the 27th 

 of May, 1763, when letters patent were issued by Cadwallader Colden, 

 Captain General and Governor of the Province, to Benjamin Palmer, 

 for four hundred feet of land under water from high water mark round 

 Mineford's Island, which patent recognizes the plan of the island and 

 that it was made by the surveyor general." 



Upon the 3d of October, 1763, a deed of Covenant and Division for 

 the water lands was made between the proprietors of the Island. d 



In a letter addressed to His Excellency, General Maunsell, by Benja- 

 min Palmer, dated New York, June 1st, 1790, the letter says that: — 



"In the year 1761, 1 bought an island in the Minor of Pelham, in the County 

 Westchester and the Province of New York in North America, commonly called 

 Mineford's Island, for £2,730 and divided it into thirty equal parts ; sold twenty- 

 six parts to one gentleman in order to make a trading town of it, because it lay 

 very advantageous for Foreign Trade. Four-thirtieth parts I preserved to myself, 

 which were six hundred house lots, twenty-five feet front and rear and one hun- 

 dred feet in length, except some of the lots against the Market place (and some 

 of the slips were shortened to make room for the Market place and for vessels) as 

 by a map of said island will appear. The whole number of house lots on said 

 island, forty-five hundred besides two squares of thirty lots each reserved for pub- 

 lic use for building of churches, meeting-house, &c. I have sold and otherwise 

 disposed of one hundred and eighty-seven of my lots, so that I had still remaining 



a Land papers, Albany, vol. xvi, p. 313; also pp. 115, 11G and 119. 



b Land Pap srs, Albany, vol.xvi. p. 316, p. 13G of original. 



c Copi id from MSS. in the Mount collection in possession of N. Y. Hist Sic, entitled " A 

 Case," in the Supreme Court, Beuj. Palmer vs. Geo. Berrian, supposed to be iu Aaron Burr'a 

 hand writing. 



d Ditto. 



