The Pulteney Association facts for kids
The Pulteney Association was a group of British investors. In 1792, they bought a huge area of land in western New York. This land was part of a bigger area called the Phelps and Gorham Purchase.
The main people in the Pulteney Association were Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet, a lawyer from Scotland, William Hornby, who used to be a governor in India, and Patrick Colquhoun, a Scottish businessman. Their families owned parts of this land in New York for a long time, even until the 1920s. The very last piece of land owned by the Pulteney Association was sold in 1926.
Contents
History of the Pulteney Land Purchase
How the Land Was Bought
After the American Revolutionary War ended, the United States won its independence. In 1788, two men named Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gorham bought the right to a huge area of land in Western New York. This land was about 6 million acres (24,000 km2). It was known as the Phelps and Gorham Purchase.
Before this, the Iroquois Confederacy lived on these lands. The Iroquois had been allies with Great Britain during the war. After the war, the United States made them give up these lands. New York State then planned to sell the land to new settlers.
Phelps and Gorham agreed to pay $1,000,000 for the land. They had to pay in special Massachusetts money. They could only officially own the land once they had settled with the Native American groups living there.
Later in 1788, they were able to get the rights to the land east of the Genesee River. This area was about 2.25 million acres (9,100 km2). It also included a special piece of land called "The Mill Yard Tract."
Changes in Land Ownership
In 1790, the value of the Massachusetts money Phelps and Gorham were using went up a lot. They could no longer afford to make their payments. Because of this, the right to the land west of the Genesee River went back to Massachusetts.
Massachusetts then sold that right to Robert Morris. He was a very rich man who had helped fund the American Revolution. He also signed the United States Declaration of Independence.
Phelps and Gorham did get the official ownership for the land east of the Genesee River. But they sold all the parts they hadn't sold yet to Robert Morris.
The Pulteney Purchase Begins
In 1792, Robert Morris's agent in London, William Temple Franklin, sold a large part of the land to the Pulteney Associates. This land was 1.2 million acres (4,900 km2) east of the Genesee River.
This area became known as the Pulteney Purchase or the Genesee Tract. It included all of what are now Ontario, Steuben, and Yates counties. It also covered parts of Allegany, Livingston, Monroe, Schuyler, and Wayne counties.
After Sir William Pulteney died in 1805, this large land holding was called the Pulteney Estate.
Managing the Pulteney Estate
The Pulteney Estate was managed by different people over many years. These managers helped oversee the land and its sales.
Here are some of the people who managed the estate:
- Cpt. Charles Williamson (1792–1801)
- Robert Troup (1801–1832)
- He had sub-agents like John Johnstone, John Heslop, and Robert Scott until 1814.
- Joeseph Fellows (1832–1871)
- Edward A. Kingsland (1871–1894)
- Judge Mason and Mr. Rose (1894–1900), then Mr. Rose alone after that.
