THE TOWN OF BEDFORD. 27 



1699, says, "your Lordships have sent me no orders about the towns of 

 Rye and Bedford which revolted from this Province (to avoid paying 

 taxes) to the government of Connecticut: to which town said govern- 

 ment has noe colour or right (New York, Col. M.S.S., London, Doc. 

 vol. iv, p. 517.) 



In reply, May, 1698, the deputy governor and assistants express the 

 kindest and most friendly feelings towards his excellency, but cannot 

 answer concerning Rye and Bedford until Governor Winthrop's return. d 

 Upon the 29th of March, 1700, King William the third gave his ap- 

 probation and confirmation to the agreement and survey of 1683 and 

 1684, whereby Rye and Bedford were included in New York. 



"In November, 1699, the town received a great acquisition in Mr. 

 Copp, of Norwalk, a surveyor and quite a scholarly man for that time. 

 He was at once given a "home loot, twenty acres of out land, sixteen 

 of plow land and four acres of medow land." He was also to have 

 "the use of ye towne loot and ye towne land and medow in ye feild 

 this next yeare, without they want of it for a minestar." The next 

 month "the town by a maigor not chuse Mr. John Copp to put things 

 to vote in theyr town meetings if he is presant." 



They also bought of "ye said Copp" a "grindle stone" for which 

 they paid the modest price of "six acres of pastur land." For a while 

 he quite eclipsed Zachariah Roberts. The next week they elected him 

 town Treasurer, and put him on a " committy" to agree with the Indians 

 for the land westward of the town. This committee arranged with the 

 Indians for the "west purchase," included in the deed of Sept. 6, 1700, 

 and it may have been incident to the negotiations that we find this 

 entry on "Aprell 15, 1700. The town by a maigor vote doth agree 

 y* if they fortify, it shall be John Holmes senrs hous, and ye house 

 y* was Joshua Webb's desesed." It does not appear that it became 

 necessary to fortify. 



The west purchase was made and "every man y* hath land in ye 

 town hath liberty to put in a head," or share. — There were 36 of these 

 head rights, of which Col. Jacobus Van Cortlandt had 8, Zach. Roberts, 

 3, John Copp, 2, John Holmes, Jr., 2, and the rest one. The land was 

 then surveyed by Copp and laid out into 36 lots of 50 acres each (for 

 the small field plan seems to have become exploded) which were subse- 

 quently drawn for by lot. One of the town books consists of the 

 records of this "west purchase" or " new purchase," and is in the neat 

 handwriting of Copp — Proprietors Clerk. It shows how he first laid out 

 two highways ten rods wide from Broad Brook west to the Kisco Brook, 



d Bound, letters, No. 148. 



