536 History of Staten Island. 
HISTORY OF STATEN ISLAND. 
Staten Island was purchased from the Indians by Wouter Van 
Twiller, as agent for Michael Paauw, one of the directors of the 
Dutch West India Company, together with a large tract in Ber- 
gen county, New Jersey, by deed dated August 15th, 1630; and 
the whole tract received the name of Pavonia, which signifies the 
land of peacocks — probably from the number of wild turkeys 
with which the place abounded, and which were regarded by the 
first settlers as a species of that bird. Paauw soon relinquished 
his claim to the company. In the beginning of 1639, David 
Pieterszein De Vries, one of the leaders in the settlement on the 
Delaware, planted a colony on the island, which, during his ab- 
sence, was cut off by the Indians, whose revengeful disposition 
had been roused by the policy pursued in relation to them by 
Gov. Keift. This island seems to have been a favorite spot with 
the primitive Dutch settlers; and the Indians, w^ho seem never to 
have considered themselves to have lost possession by sale, and 
who were always willing to convey for a consideration, again 
sold the Island to Heer Melyne, who, under an alleged grant from 
the West India Company, and with the sanction of Gov. Keift, 
claimed it, and commenced a settlement, which shortly after was 
dispersed by the Indians. The Indians sold it again in 1651, to 
Augustin Herman, and in 1657 to the Baron Van Capellan, who 
founded a colony, w^hich was broken up by the Indians. 
During Gov. Stuyvesant's invasion of the Swedish settlements 
on the Delaware, in 1655, the Indians of the Raritan made a de- 
scent upon the island, and murdered sixty-seven of the colonists, 
which must have included nearly the whole white population. In 
1658, Melyne obtained the exclusive title to the island, claimed 
to be independent of " Niew Amsterdam,*' and thereby gave Gov. 
Stuyvesant considerable trouble. In 1659 he conveyed his rights 
to the company. In 1664 the colony fell into the hands of the 
English. The first court of justice was established here in 1667. 
In 1670 it was once more purchased of the Indians by Gov. Love- 
lace. The island is divided into four towns, all of which were 
organized in 1688. Soon after this time it received an accession 
of inhabitants from the Huguenots, who fled from France on ac- 
count of religious persecution. 
On the 4th of July, 1776, the island was seized by Sir William 
Howe, who from thence issued his proclamations to the inhabi- 
tants of Long Island. The island was held by the British during 
the whole revolutionary struggle. On the 21st of August, 1777, 
Gen. Sullivan undertook an expedition against the British forces 
on Staten Island. He captured 150 prisoners, but from the terror 
