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This day, the 14^th day of January Anno 1650, J[ an ] Dircksen van Breemen has leased and rented from Director Brant va[ n ] Slichtenhorst and the commissioners^[1] the old maize land situated at Katskil, to wit, the tract of land where the squaw who is the chief of Katskil resides, for the term of six years, on the conditions hereinafter written:

First, as regards the aforesaid term of six years, he shall for the first three years thereof be exempt from rent and tithes, except the toepachten of the honorable director, which for the term of six years are fixed at the sum or produce as here in the colony.

The fourth year he shall tithes without rent and thereafter as rent for the last two years three hundred guilders and in lieu of the tithes annually seventy-five guilders in money or merchantable goods at current prices.

Coming to the building of the dwelling house, hay-barrack and barn, the lessee agrees and promises to cut and draw all the timber, cut the reed and bring it to the spot, dig out and haul the stone, excavate the cellar, and furthermore to bear the cost of board of all the workmen, such as carpenters, mason, thatcher, and others, without charge to the patroon, except the wages of the carpenters, mason and thatchers and the cost of boards, nails, stone for the chimney, iron work for the house, such as hinges, straps, etc., which the patroon only shall defray; in which house a room with a fireplace shall be reserved for the director or his family or whoever may fill his honor's place.

At the termination of the lease Jan Dircksen must deliver up the buildings in good repair as to the roofs and sides and they shall remain the property of the patroon.

Four horses and four cows shall If possible be delivered to the lessee, on this special condition that half the increase shall belong to the lessee and further according to the old contracts of the colony And if it happened that the honorable patroon should lease lands, cattle, buildings and other property under a perpetual contract, then the former shall have the privilege of accepting such terms or not. Otherwise this contract shall remain in force.

The lessee has stipulated that Hans Vo[ s ] shall assist him for fourteen days to cut timber or in other ways to forward the aforesaid work at the expense of the patroon, provided [ the lessee ] supply him at his expense with food, in return for which he agrees to deliver the said timber at the appointed place in Katskil at his expense, on condition that he be assisted therein by Hans Vos, or some one else on the part of the patroon.

The lessee also agrees that on every Lord's day and on holy days he will read to his Christian helpers the holy Gospel or a sermon out of a book of homilies, if it can be procured, and also sing one or psalms before and after the Christian prayers, according to the custom of the Reformed Church.

Furthermore, he agrees that within the first two years he will cut down or kill at his expense all the trees that stand on the kil; also that he will live in peace with the Indians and his Christian neighbors and not venture to be the first cause of strife and disharmony, on pain of forfeiting his lease, and that he will fence in their burying ground at his expense. Further, the lessee subjects himself to the laws and ordiances and the jurisdiction of the honorable court of the colony of Rensselaerswyck.

In case it may happen that any special trading take place there, he may carry on the same free and unmolested, on condition that he pay as the ordinary freemen in the aforesaid colony do. If possible, the lessee shall be provided with a servant man.

The aforesaid lessee also promises to trade fifty schepels of maize for the honorable patroon or his agent annually, provided that he first be furnished with goods to trade with.

Finally, whereas the lessee hereby promises punctually and without any neglect to fulfil all that is hereinbefore written, in whole or in part, on pain of forfeiting all the property which he now has or may hereafter acquire, submitting himself and his aforesaid property to the honorable court of the above mentioned colony, he is hereby promised on behalf of the honorable patroon that he shall be protected against any sort of encroachment whereby he may be in any way obstructed in his undertaking.

1651
7
10 day

Notes

References

Translation: Scott, K., & Stryker-Rodda, K. (Ed.). New York Historical Manuscripts: Dutch, Vol. 3, Register of the Provincial Secretary, 1648-1660 (A. Van Laer, Trans.). Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc.: 1974.A complete copy of this publication is available on the New Netherland Institute website.