Kayaderossera patent facts for kids
The Kayaderossera Patent was a huge piece of land given away by Queen Anne in 1701. A "patent" was like an official document that gave someone ownership of land. This particular patent covered about 406,000 acres. That's a really big area!
This land makes up most of what we now call Saratoga County. It also included parts of Montgomery, Schenectady, and Fulton Counties in New York.
Thirteen people were given this land. Some of the important people who received parts of the patent were Rip Van Dam and John Stephens.
It took a long time for the land to be properly measured and divided. This was because of talks with the Mohawk people and a big conflict called the French and Indian War. The land wasn't fully surveyed until 1771. When it was finally surveyed, the land was split into 25 large sections called allotments. Each allotment was then divided into 13 smaller lots. The people who received the land then "drew lots" to decide which specific parts they would own.
Earlier Land Grants
The Kayaderossera Patent was the biggest of many land grants given out during the 1600s and early 1700s. These grants helped to settle new areas.
For example, the Van Schaick Patent was given in 1687. It included all of the current town of Waterford and a large part of Half Moon.
Another grant, the Appel Patent, was given in 1708. This land was north of the Mohawk River. The Saratoga Patent gave land along the Hudson River to people like Colonel Peter Schuyler and Robert Livingston.
Buying the Land from Native Americans
Before the government could give away land, they usually needed proof that it had been bought from the native people who lived there. Samuel Broughton worked out a deal with the Mohawk people.
Three important Mohawk leaders, called sachems, were involved: Joseph, Hendrick, and Cornelius. They represented the three main Mohawk clans. However, when the official paper was signed in 1702, Cornelius was not there. Two other representatives signed instead.
This caused problems later on. The Mohawks argued in court that the patent was not legal because of this. The legal issues were finally sorted out in 1761. They reached an agreement through talks.
Historians have identified these Mohawk leaders. Hendrick is known as Tejonihokarawa and represented the Wolf Clan. Joseph was Dehanochrakhas of the Bear Clan. Cornelius, or Cornelis, was Tirogaren from the Turtle Clan.
The patent was officially signed by Governor Cornbury in 1708. At first, it was planned to be even larger, about 800,000 acres.
Surveying the Land
In 1762, three people were chosen to survey the Kayaderossera Patent. They were Christopher Yates, John Glen, and Thomas Palmer. The actual surveying work was done by Charles Webb.
The survey was finished and officially recorded on December 18, 1770. Even today, many property deeds in Saratoga County still mention the Kayaderossera Patent. For example, a deed might say something like: "part of Lot 3 in the subdiv of Lot One in the Eighteenth general allotment in the Patent of Kayadesessera." This shows how important this old land grant still is!
