On this [ ]1 day of July 1681 appeared before me, Adriaen van Ilpendam, notary public (residing in New Albany), and before the underwritten witnesses, Jurriaen Teunisz2 of the one part and Jan Caspersz3 of the other part, who acknowledge that in all love and friendship they have contracted and agreed in form and manner following, to wit: Jurriaen Teunisz acknowledges that he has made over to Jan Caspersz a farm lying in the colony of Rensselaerswyck, with the house, barn and hayricks which he, Jurriaen Teunisz has hired of Madam Maria Rensselaer for three or six consecutive years and which he has occupied now above a year, so that Jurriaen Teunisz (upon the terms on which he hired the same) now makes over the said farm to Jan Caspersz for the period of the next five following years, beginning on the first of May of this year 1681 and ending on the first of May 1686; but in case Jan Caspersz does not care to stay on said farm any longer than the first two years, he shall be free to give up the lease, otherwise he may keep it for five consecutive years as hereinbefore written, on the express condition that he, Jan Caspersz, yearly pay to Madam Rensselaer the rent of the farm and likewise the butter for the cows, as Jurriaen Teunisz promised to do. And there have now been delivered on the farm to Jan Caspersz four milch cows and two calves about two months old, likewise four farm horses, to wit, a stallion and a gelding and two mares, and two colts about three months old, all upon the same conditions as Jurriaen Teunisz received them. Furthermore Jurriaen Teunisz has now sold and delivered over to Jan Caspersz all the seed that is now in the land, also all the fencing, provided that Jan Casparse shall pay therefor four hundred skipples of good wheat, to wit, two hundred skipples next winter, a hundred skipples the second winter and a hundred skipples in the third winter; but the wheat can be paid in any other good, merchantable grain; and Jan Casparse shall at the end of his lease own all the seed in ground and all the fencing. The lessee of said farm must pay yearly a rental of eighty-five skipples of wheat and for every milch cow six pounds of butter yearly. The aforesaid Jan Casparse acknowledges that he has received the aforesaid farm and all that is hereinbefore specified and promises to pay all according to conditions above written.
For the performance of these, said contracting parties have hereto bound their persons and estates, nothing excepted, subject to all lords, courts, tribunals and judges and have subscribed this with their own hands, without craft or guile (in presence of Hans Dreeper and Poulus Maertensz, called as witnesses hereto), in New Albany, dated as aforesaid.
JUREJAN TUNSEN,
This is the mark X mark of JAN
CASPARSZ, made, by himself
As witnesses:
Hans Dreper
Poulis Marten4
Quod attestor
ADRIAEN VAN ILPENDAM, Not. Pub.
1 Manuscript destroyed.
2 Juriaen Teunissen Tappen.
3 Jan Casparsen Halenbeck.
4 Poulus Martensen van Benthuysen.
Early Records of the City and County of Albany Colony of Rensselaerswyck. Volume 3 (Notarial Papers 1 and 2, 1660-1696) translated from the original Dutch by Jonathan Pearson. page 520-521.