Description: Clinton George

George Clinton, as NY Gov., Confirms Coeymans Patent, 17th C. Land Transfer from Mohicans & Dutch Patroon

5pp handwritten document signed by 1st Governor of New York George Clinton (1739-1812) as "Geo. Clinton", with elaborately looping underline. Clinton's signature is found along the folded and sewn bottom edge of the document, just above a heavy embossed wax seal suspended by an olive green ribbon. The disc measuring 3.375" diameter and .375" thick depicts the New York State seal recto. The document reads from back to front, with subsequent pages leading up to the Governor's signature page. Docketed verso. Scattered foxing and minor holes or closed tears, some professionally repaired. Else in very good to near fine condition, measuring 14.875" x 9.625".

On October 20, 1784 in New York City, Governor of New York George Clinton confirmed the legality of an earlier August 1714 document regarding the so-called Coeymans Patent. Governor Clinton reviewed the patent terms from 70 years earlier and approved them again.

All excerpts feature unchanged spelling and grammar. In part:

"All which We have caused to be Exemplified by these Presents: In Testimony We have caused these our Letters to be made patent and the Great Seal of our said State of New York to be hereunto affixed: Witness our Trusty and Wellbeloved George Clinton Esquire, Governor of our said State, General and Commander in Chief of all the Militia and Admiral of the Navy of the same, at our City of New York, the twentieth day of October in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty four, and of our Independence the ninth…"

The Coeymans Patent corresponded to a "certain Tract and parcell of Land Tenements Gris and Saw Mills and other apurtenances" located on land found west of the Hudson River. The tract extended north to south from "Jan Ryerson's Island" (also known as Smack's Island, Sietpaghack Island, and today, Shad Island) about 30 miles downstream towards "Peter Broncks Creek or the Creek of Coxhacki" (today's Coxsackie Creek). This tract was about 17 miles south of Albany, New York.

Barent Pietersz Coeymans (born Utrecht, Netherlands, 1620 - ca. 1710), referred to in our document as "Barent Pieterse Coeymans", had originally purchased these lands from Mohican Indians on December 26, 1672. Barent Coeymans was a miller, and it is thought the land purchase would increase his business. The sale was authorized by colonial Governor Francis Lovelace. The Van Rensselaer family, extremely wealthy patroons of nearby Rensselaerswyck, contested the geographical boundaries of the Coeymans Patent for years before resolving that Coeymans heirs would pay them a nominal rent of 9 shillings a year for their part of the ownership of the "Mannor of Renselaarswyck".

Barent's eldest son Andries (born 1660), also mentioned in our document, inherited the Coeymans Patent upon the patriarch's death. Since Andries sold out to siblings and later moved to New Jersey, this document signed by Governor George Clinton impacted other Coeymans descendants. [Recommended reading: Clesson S. Bush's Episodes from a Hudson River Town: New Baltimore, New York (Albany, State University of New York Press, 2011).

New York state, along with the rest of the former 13 colonies, were almost a decade into their political self-reliance in 1784. Nevertheless, there were daily reminders of their colonial past. Vestiges included not only the reach of British monarchial authority into past legal affairs, but also the continued cultural, social, and economic influence of New York's first Dutch settlers. These were families like the Coeymans, and, to a greater extent because of their enormous wealth, the Van Rensselaers.

George Clinton served in a colonial militia during the French and Indian War, and later in the Continental Army while serving his first stint as 1st Governor of New York between 1777-1795. The New York trained lawyer later reprised the governorship between 1801-1804. He also served as Vice-President of the United States under both the Jefferson and Madison administrations.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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