37° HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF 'WESTCHESTER. 



ccrning the Claim that John Harrison makes to our Lands, and to use what 

 methods he shall see good for securing the towne's interest. '« 



' At a lawful towne meeting held in Rye, February, 1702-3, the towne hath 

 by a major vote chosen Capt. Theale and George Lane, senior, and Isaac Den- 

 ham, to forwarne any person or persons that shall lay out any Lands within the 

 towne bounds without the towne's approbation or order : that is to say, within 

 the township of Rye.' & 



The purchase was owned in common by the five patentees, who soon 

 divided it up among themselves in equal shares. 



The following advertisement appeared in the New York Gazette and 

 Weekly Mercury, Monday, March 18, 177 1 : — 



' If any person has in his keeping the Partition Deed that was made between 

 the Patentees of Harrison's Purchase, in the County of Westchester, and will 

 notify where he may be applied to, by a Letter to the Printer hereof, he will 

 afford a great Pleasure to the Proprietors, and may expect a handsome Reward 

 for his Trouble. The Patentees were Harrison, Nicolls, Haight, Wilson, and 

 William Jamison. The deed must have been made about the Year 1700, and is 

 likely to be among some old Papers about Flushing, on Long Island.' 



The deed appears to have come to light hereupon with very little delay — an 

 early proof of the advantage of newspaper advertisement — for on the twenty- 

 eighth of June, 1771, the recovered document was admitted to be recorded ; and 

 we have it in full in the Records of the town of Rye, vol. D. pp. 280-283. It 

 sets forth that the tract of land in question was bought by John Harrison in 

 1695, with funds belonging to hi-s four associates equally with himself, and that 

 the purchase was made in their behalf also 'in a joint and equal riijht and in- 

 terest, and not otherwise,' to be held by the five purchasers ' as tenants in com- 

 mon, without any right, claim or demand of survivorship by reason of joint 

 tenancy upon the death of all or any of the said parties.' The Deed is dated 

 November 10, 1700, and is signed by W. Nicolls, Ebenezer Wilson, David Jami- 

 son, Samuel Haight, and John Harrison. The following statement is prefixed to 

 Harrison's signature : — 



1 This may satisfy whom it may concerne that I underwritten dcth assign over 

 all my right, title and interest of this deed to Major William Lawrence, his 

 heirs and assigns forever ; as witness my hand this twenty-third day of May, 

 1702. John Haerison.' c 



Little is left on record relative to the Harrison family, who have given 

 name to this township. John Harrison, of Boston, was a freeman of 

 that place in 1644; and had a son, John, born in 1652. In 1655, John 

 Harrison appears to have been a freeholder of Newtown, Long Island, 

 from whence he removed to Flushing. This individual was the father 

 of John Harrison, the above mentioned patentee, also of Samuel Harri- 

 son. The latter left two daughters, co-heiresses ; Hannah, the oldest, 

 married Joshua Cornell, father of the present John Cornell, of North 



a Town and Proprietors' Meeting Book, No. C. p. 20. 



b Ibid p 13. 



e Baud's History of Rye, 1GG0-18TO. 



