Colen Donck (in English "Donck's Colony") was a

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 Free ...

ship in

New Netherland New Netherland () was a colony of the Dutch Republic located on the East Coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva Peninsula to Cape Cod. Settlements were established in what became the states ...

along the southern

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

in today's

Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

and

Yonkers Yonkers () is the List of municipalities in New York, third-most populous city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the most-populous City (New York), city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County. A centrally locate ...

established by Dutch-American lawyer and land developer Adriaen van der Donck.

History

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

Willem Kieft Willem Kieft, also ''Wilhelm 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 ...

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 ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

), 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 a county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York, bordering the Long Island Sound and the Byram River to its east and the Hudson River on its west. The county is the seventh most populous cou ...

. 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 urban park, park located in the borough (New York City), 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 Al ...

. 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 War, 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

References

Further reading