Henry Townsend Oyster Bay land deed
Call Number
Date
Creator
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Language of Materials
Abstract
Original land deed, dated 1661, granting land in Oyster Bay, Long Island to Henry Townsend, signed by 18 Oyster Bay inhabitants.
Biographical / Historical
Originally from Norwich, England, Henry Townsend (d. 1695) immigrated with his brothers, John and Richard, to the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam (later New York) during the mid-17th century. After settling in the town of Flushing on Long Island, the Townsend brothers relocated to Warwick, R.I. after political and religious altercations with New Amsterdam governor Peter Stuyvesant. They returned to Long Island in 1656, settling in the town of Jamaica. In 1657, Henry Townsend was arrested and imprisoned for harboring Quakers in his home. This incident prompted him and his brothers to relocate to the Long Island town of Oyster Bay, which was out of the jurisdiction of the Dutch government of New Amsterdam. Henry Townsend resided in Oyster Bay until his death.
Sources:
- Hughes, Thomas Patrick, and Frank Munsell. American Ancestry: Giving the Name and Descent, in the Male Line, of Americans Whose Ancestors Settled in the United States Previous to the Declaration of Independence, A.D. 1776. Albany, N.Y.: Joe Munsell's Sons, 1887.
Scope and Contents
Original land deed, dated 1661, granting land in Oyster Bay, Long Island to Henry Townsend, signed by 18 Oyster Bay inhabitants. The deed grants land on the Mill River to Townsend for the building and maintaining of a mill. An undated copy of the deed is also included.
Subjects
Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Henry Townsend Oyster Bay land deed, 1974.050, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Source and date of acquisition unknown. The collection was formally accessioned in 1974.
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