THE TOWN 



OF 



North Salem is situated twenty-four miles north of the village of White 

 Plains, distant fifty-six miles from New York, and one hundred and 

 twenty-two frcm Albany, bounded North by Putnam County,' East by 

 the State of Connecticut, South by Lewisboro', and West by Somers. 

 Its extent east and west is about six miles, medial width four miles. 



Prior to the Revolution, the two towns of Upper and Lower Salem 

 constituted the old township of Salem proper within Cortlandt's manor. 

 The present township was erected on the 7th of March, 1790. 



Upon the 8th of August, A.D. 1699, Sachima Wicker, sachem of 

 Kightawonck and his associates sold to Stephanus Van Cortlandt, all 

 their rights as owners and proprietors in the " land lying and being with- 

 in Cortlandt's manor, beginning on the south side of Kightawonck creek, 

 and so along the said creek to a place called Kewighecock, and from 

 thence along a creek called Peppeneghek to the head thereof, and then 

 due east to the limits of Connecticut, and from thence northerly along the 

 limits of Connecticut aforesaid, to the river Mattegticos ten miles, and 

 from thence due west to the Hudson river, &c, &c." a 



A portion of the Salem lands, if not the whole, may have originally 

 belonged to the great sachem Catonah, whose territory extended from 

 the Sound as far north as Danbury in Connecticut. ; his possessions on 

 the west appear to have been bounded by the western line of Bedford. 



" In the year 1708, John Belden, Samuel Keeler, Matthew Seymour, 

 Matthias St. John, and other inhabitants of Norwalk, purchased a large 

 tract of land (the north-west corner of which was styled by the natives, 

 Mamanusquag) lying between that town and Danbury, bounded west on 

 the partition line between Connecticut and New York. This purchase 



a See Oortlandt. 



