Map of Philipse Patent (showing the Oblong and Gore)

Adolphus Philipse (1665–1750) was a wealthy landowner of Dutch descent in the

Province of New York The Province of New York (1664–1776) was a British proprietary colony and later royal colony on the northeast coast of North America. As one of the Middle Colonies, New York achieved independence and worked with the others to found the ...

. In 1697 he purchased a large tract of land along the east bank of the

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 Ne ...

stretching all the way to the east to the Connecticut border. Then known as the "Highland Patent" it became in time referred to as the

Philipse Patent The Philipse Patent was a British royal patent for a large tract of land on the east bank of the Hudson River about 50 miles north of New York City. It was purchased in 1697 by Adolphus Philipse, a wealthy landowner of Dutch descent in the Prov ...

. After his death the Patent was inherited by his nephew,

Frederick Philipse II Frederick Philipse II ( – July 26, 1751), was a colonial American merchant, landowner, and politician. Philipse was the only son of Maria Sparkes, daughter of the Governor of Barbados, and Philip Philipse, eldest son of Frederick Philipse I, 1 ...

, his only heir-at-law, who became the second Lord of the Manor of Philipsborough in

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 ...

Early life

Adolphus Philipse was born in 1665, the second son of Frederick Philipse, the first Lord of the Manor of Philipsborough, a Dutch immigrant to North America of Bohemian heritage who had risen to become one of the greatest landholders in the

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 ...

Career

In 1697, Philipse purchased a tract of land which ran along the northern

border, which received Royal sanction as the "Highland Patent", later known as the

.''Historical and Genealogical Record Dutchess and Putnam Counties New York'', Press of the A. V. Haight Co., Poughkeepsie, New York, 1912; pp. 62-7

"Adolph Philipse having thus acquired the title from the original owners, proceeded at once to take the necessary steps for obtaining a patent for his lands, and presented a petition to Benjamin Fletcher, who was then governor of the Province of New York, which was granted June 17, 1697." Spanning from the

to the then

Connecticut Colony The ''Connecticut Colony'' or ''Colony of Connecticut'', originally known as the Connecticut River Colony or simply the River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636 as a settl ...

it encompassed some 250 square miles. Philipse' elder brother Philip, heir to the manor and title, died in 1699. Upon Frederick's death in 1702, Adolphus received all the Manor north of Dobb's Ferry, including the present town. He was also named proprietor of a tract of land on the west bank of the Hudson north of

Anthony's Nose Anthony's Nose is a peak in the Hudson Highlands along the east bank of the Hudson River in the hamlet of Cortlandt Manor, New York. It lies at the extreme northwest end of Westchester County, and serves as the east anchor of the Bear Mounta ...

and executor of Philip's estate. The balance of the Manor, the hereditary title, and family commercial holdings were bequeathed to his nephew,

. After the bachelor Adolphus' death in 1749 (Smith, others 1750), his Manor holdings and the Highland Patent passed to Frederick II, his only heir-at-law, who became the second Lord of the Manor at Philipsborough.Philipse family history: At the death of Frederick Philipse in 1751, the Highland Patent was inherited by his son, Philip Philipse, and three daughters, Susannah (wife of

Beverley Robinson Beverley Robinson (11 January 1721 – 9 April 1792), was a Virginia-born soldier who became a wealthy colonist of the Province of New York and is best known as a Loyalist during the American Revolutionary War. Robinson married Susanna Philipse ...

), Mary (late wife of Col. Roger Morris), and Margaret, who died intestate. Margaret's portion was, by terms of her father's will, equally divided among her brother and sisters, and in 1751, after a survey of the whole tract, it was geographically divided into nine Lots; three on the river; three in the interior; three on the eastern (Connecticut) border. Each of the three heirs inherited a lot in each division.Pelletreau, William, S, ''History of Putnam County, New York – With Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men'', W.W. Preston & Company, Philadelphia, 188

/ref> During the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolu ...

the Philipse Patent lands were confiscated by the Provisional New York government's Commissioners of Forfeiture. Sold afterwards, they became today's Putnam County.

Philipse Patent

Sugarloaf Hill Hudson Highlands from Bear Mountain Bridge

In 1697 Philipse purchased a tract of land from Dutch traders Lambert Dortlandt and Jan Sybrandt, who had bought it a few years before from several Wiccopee chiefs.Putnam County Historical Societ

Adolphus Philipse profile This became known as the Highland Patent, and extended approximately 13 miles along the east shore of the Hudson River, from Annsville Creek to the Fishkill Creek, Fish Kill, and eastward some 20 or so miles to the border of the

Colony of Connecticut The ''Connecticut Colony'' or ''Colony of Connecticut'', originally known as the Connecticut River Colony or simply the River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636 as a settl ...

, including Pollopel Island in the Hudson.Smith, Philip Henry, ''General History of Putnam County: From 1609 to 1876, inclusive'', published by the author, Pawling, NY, 1877, p. 44 Shortly after purchasing it, Philipse, whose residence was the Philipse Manor Hall near Tarrytown, and who maintained only a bachelor shooting lodge on Lake Mahopac in the Highland Patent, opened the tract to tenant settlers. Thus began a policy that lasted throughout his lifetime and his heirs' so long as they owned the land, to rent rather than sell, a practice which led to stunted growth for two and a half centuries to come. After Philipse's death in 1750 (Smith, 1749), the Highland Patent was inherited by his nephew,

, his only heir-at-law, who became the second Lord of the Manor at Philipsborough in

Family

Adolphus Philipse was the second son of Frederick Philipse, the first lord of Philipsburg Manor, and Margaret Hardenbroeck. He was a younger brother of

Philip Philipse Philip Philipse (1663–1699) was the eldest son and heir of Frederick Philipse, a Dutch-born merchant trader, slaver, land baron, and 1st Lord of Philipsburg Manor. However, he died before his father, and by Frederick's will Philip's legacy wa ...

.Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site website

Philip Philipse, oldest son of Frederick Philipse I, and his wife, Mary, both died in Barbados in 1689 (on September 14 and October 18, respectively). Their death notices, signed by the rector of nearby St. James Church, list cause of death as "belly ake", aka dysentery, a frequent cause of death during that time period on the island.

References

External links

Putnam's Past

Boundary Changes of Putnam County
{{DEFAULTSORT:Philipse, Frederick 1665 births 1750 deaths American members of the Dutch Reformed Church American people of Dutch descent American slave traders Interlopers (business) Members of the New York General Assembly People of the Province of New York

Adolphus Adolf (also spelt Adolph or Adolphe, Adolfo and when Latinised Adolphus) is a given name used in German-speaking countries, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Flanders, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Latin America and to a lesser extent in vari ...