Colen Donck (in English "Donck's Colony") was a 24,000 acre (97 km²)

patroon In the United States, a patroon (; from Dutch '' patroon'' ) was a landholder with manorial rights to large tracts of land in the 17th century Dutch colony of New Netherland on the east coast of North America. Through the Charter of Freedoms ...

ship in

New Netherland New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva P ...

along the southern

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

in today's

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

and

Yonkers Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York (state), New York, after New York City and Buffalo, New York, Buffalo. The popul ...

established by Dutch-American lawyer and land developer

Adriaen van der Donck Adriaen Cornelissen van der Donck (16181655) was a lawyer and landowner in New Netherland after whose honorific ''Jonkheer'' the city of Yonkers, New York, is named. Although he was not, as sometimes claimed, the first lawyer in the Dutch colo ...

History

The land was granted van der Donck by controversial Director General of

New Netherlands New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva P ...

Willem Kieft Willem Kieft (September 1597 – September 27, 1647) was a Dutch merchant and the Director of New Netherland (of which New Amsterdam was the capital) from 1638 to 1647. Life and career Willem Kieft was appointed to the rank of director ...

in 1646 in return for van der Donck's role as an interpreter and peacemaker in conflicts between Dutch colonists and Native Americans. The West India Company had purchased the land (then called "Kiskiskeck") from its Native American holders in 1639.De Lancey, Edward Floyd. ''Origin and History of Manors in the Province of New York and in the County of Westchester'', 1886, p. 67
/ref> Van der Donck's parcel began on the mainland directly to the north of the island (

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

), continued along the river for twelve miles, and carried eastward as far as the Bronx River, becoming much of what is today the Bronx and southwestern

Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...

. He named his estate Colen Donck (or "Colendonck"; spellings vary, the latter being more consistent with Dutch construction) and built his house between current-day Van Cortlandt Lake and Broadway. He also built a saw mill on the Neperan River where it flows into the Hudson. He then built a grist mill to process the corn grown on what had been the old Indian corn grounds. Van der Donck paid the Indian chief Tacharew, whose tribe used to live on the land, as a gesture of friendship. This area later became part of

Van Cortlandt Park Van Cortlandt Park is a park located in the borough of the Bronx in New York City. Owned by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, it is managed with assistance from the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance. The park, the city's third-lar ...

. The estate was so large that locals referred to him as the Jonkheer ("young gentleman" or "squire"), the source of today's name "

". His political activities and trip to Holland, precluded his giving the patroonship the attention it needed. Records show Van der Donck to have been alive in August 1655. He is described as having died on Manhattan island in 1655 by ''Who's Who in America''. Records of the following January indicate there was a dispute between his relations over two bibles taken by Indians in the sacking of his home in the raids known as the

Peach Tree War The Peach Tree War, also known as the Peach War, was a large-scale attack on September 15, 1655 by the Susquehannock Indians and allied tribes on several New Netherland settlements along the North River (Hudson River). The attack was motivated ...

, leaving the cause of his death unknown. His widow remarried and moved to Maryland. Obtaining confirmation of title from Governor Richard Nicolls, she sold the land to her brother, Elias Doughty, who then began to sell off parcels. A portion later became part of the Manor of Fordham. Northern section became the Manor of Philipsburg.Maika, Dennis J. (2005). "Philipsburg Manor". ''Encyclopedia of the State of New York'', First ed. (Peter Eisenstadt, ed.). Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press. p. 1199.

History

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Further reading