TAX LIST, 1744

KINDERHOOK,

COLUMBIA COUNTY,

NEW YORK

   ^{The following list of tax payers in Kinderhook was taken from the book "A History of Old Kinderhook" by Edward A. Collier on page 109.  The preceding paragraph is as follows: "Great was our joy when our State Archivist placed in our hands the now perished Kinderhook Tax List for the years 1744-5.  It is illuminating, not only in its revelation of resident landowners and the relative amount of their holdings, but also to some extent of the relative location of their homes.  At many points we can see the Assessors, Cornelius Van Schaack and Jacobus Van Alen with their attendant scribe, going from house to house in regular order.  It is to be remembered that the New York pound was about one-half the value of the English pound.}    

    ^{The original loose paper perished in the lamentable Library fire.}

    ^{With the map (1756) of the Division of the great Kinderhook Patent (1686) before us we can make many additions to foregoing lists of freeholders and early settlers: and, assuming the accuracy of the survey and the correctness of the scale, can locate the homes of many with considerable precision.} 

    ^{The whole territory, known in later years as the Kinderhook District of Albany County, had a river-front of about eleven miles, from Stockport creek on the south to Rensselaerswyck.  Thence the line ran east ten miles,--that is, two miles or more beyond Knickerbocker lake.  Striking a little west of south it reached a point eight miles east of the starting-point, to which it returned.  An accurate map of the County will show that Kinderhook thus included, as before stated, North Chatham and Chatham Centre in the east, land south of Ghent village, the northern part of Stockport, the whole of Stuyvesant, and three islands in the river.}

    ^{Starting from Stockport creek and following the river near its bank, we find about two miles from the creek the home of Isaac Staats.  About a mile beyond lived Andries Witbeck.  Houses without name were on both Great and Little Nutten Hook.  At intervals of about one-half mile were the homes of Jacob Valkenburgh, Gerrit Van Hoesen, and Abraham Wyngart.  Yet nearer together were the houses of Gysbert Claw, --Sharpe, Peter Van Buren, Peter Vosburgh and Lawrence Goes.  Two and one-half miles from the last-named (Poelsburg) and with intervals of about a half-mile between, were the dwellings of Jacobus Vanderpoel, Barent Vanderpoel, John Vanderpoel, and Leonard Conyn, the last-named about one mile south of Rensselaerswyck.  This Conyn had a private dock.}

    ^{Returning to Stockport and following the course of Kinderhook creek, we find near Rossmans the home of a free negro: one-half mile north of this the house of Tom Dun; at Stuyvesant Falls the mill of Gerrit Van Schaack with his dwelling nearly a mile north.  The homes of Marte and Isaac Van Alstyne were near the present dwellings of Edward Van Alstyne and J. S. Hosford, and about a half-mile beyond was that of Jan Burgart.  Thence to and including the village the map shows sixteen houses without name and the first church.  Broad Street and Albany Avenue were not yet laid out.  The old road, clinging closely to the creek in its whole course, swept from near W. B. Van Alstyne's present residence quite to the east of Broad Street, to the old village, thence through William Street, and thence about as now to Paghaquak (Valatie).  This side of the present bridge at Valatie we find the residence of Lucas Goes, Hans Goes, and Robert Van Dusen.  Beyond the bridge, and along the course of the creek, we note the home of Samuel Wheeler, near Mr. Chas. Wild's late residence, and then in succession the dwelling of William Claw, and the mill and residence of D. [Derick] Goes.  Next came the homes of Andries Huyck, Richard Huyck, and Stephen Van Alen, near the hill Penekoes.  Beyond and toward Chatham Centre were the homes of Peter Vosburgh, Abraham Van Alstyne, and Jan. Van Alstyne.  A little to the south and west of the junction of the Kinderhook creek and the Kleine Kill we note the name Tobias Van Slyck, and then along the Kill, at varying intervals of from one-half mile a mile to two miles, we observe the homes of Jacob Gardenier, Arie Gardenier, Peter Van Slyck, Dirk Gardenier, Dirk Vosburgh, Barent Van Buren, and, near the Claverack boundary, the dwelling of Widow Livingston.  Returning and fording the Kinderhook creek a little below the present bridges and following substantially the existing road toward Stuyvesant Falls, we find the homes of Isaac Goes, John Goes, Lawrence Van Alen, Evert Van Alen, Gerrit Dingman, and Thomas Van Alstine; the last-named about one-half mile southeast of the home of Marte Van Alstyne on the other side of the creek.  The map strikingly illustrates how closely the Hollanders clung to the water-courses.}