Numbered
pages 160,380,381,382,162,165,161,163,164.
In
the margin: “P.S. Miss Emma Albertson came in our house
tonight and said that Miss Mary Ellen Albertson is much better again.”
Cousin
Henry you can just bring to mind where I am writing this letter this evening,
i.e., in the office where you saw me reading(?) at night
I send to you these items which if it will not make your notes too long it would be nice to have inserted in such words as you may wish to use. You see I am a great friend of giving old historical matter to the people. You see they read about those things and talk about them and become interested. You saw all these things, and I doubt not, but that all the others who read your notes will also appreciate them. Of course do as you think best about mentioning the above—I have most of them and have seen them all many times, they are not new to me.—
An
old parchment deed dated May 31st 1744 made by Wm. Allen and
Margaret his wife of Philadelphia, Penna., to Adrian Aten of Readings Town in
Hunterdon County in Ye province of West New Jersey Yeoman, conveying 300 acres of land in then Bucks- now
Northampton County Penna., which lands
were afterwards owned by Derick Aten, and whereon he lived and died, and on
which Aten’s ferry was established and on a corner of which is the old Aten
burying ground which deed was acknowledged before John Abraham Denoemandu one
of his Majisties Justices of Ye peace for ye County of Bucks in ye province of
Pennsylvania on ye 30th day of June
A.D. 1744.—
An old Parchment Patent
bearing date June 8th 1791 whereby 126 acres of land was granted by
the Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to Henry Atten on which to
found a town to be called “Attensburg.”
Copies of the old wills of Adrian and Jacobje Aten his
wife bearing date Dec. 8th 1757 and Nov. 13th
1775—containing much quaint and curious verbiage
Copy of the will of Derick Aten dated July 9th
1806.
The
following relics and old family treasures were exhibited at the family reunion
which were very interesting.
The
old family Bible of Derick Aten, printed at, Te Dordrecht in Holland, by
Jacob—en Hendrick Keur, A.D. 1741 in Low Dutch
[in left margin with mark
indicating that it should be inserted here]
The old family Bible of Nicholas Albertson printed in Edinburgh Scotland
in 1755.
A quaint China
bowl with a known age of 157 years, which was originally owned by Cathalinta
(Aten) Insley sister of Derick Aten, who accompanied her father Adrian Aten to
Philadelphia when she was seventeen years old, where he bought and presented the
bowl to her. She died in the early part
of the present century at an advanced age, and the bowl descended from one
generation to another, to the present owner Miss Ellen M. Cummins, who prizes
this old relic very highly.
An old trunk Shaped box covered with leather formerly
used as a receptacle for papers and documents, bearing the date on the inside
of May 11th 1752. Said to
have been the property of Adrian [Aten]
the
father of Derick. I hand you with this
a true copy of it. As to spelling, use
of capitals etc., I know it to be a true copy as I made it myself—I asked to
see the original and they brought out the old will and I had it in my hands,
and copied from it, and I saw the signature of our old ancestor in that
line—The name “Adrian Aten” is signed in the English—quite plainly, but bears
traces of the writer being quite old and trembling—The old will is in a good
state of preservation.
I also
send you a true copy of the appraisement of his estate, made by me from the
original attached to the old will.
I thought it might interest you as you saw, and made a copy of the final
settlement of his estate.
Copy
of the last will of Nicholas Albertson dated July 10th 1816.
The old Arm Chair used by Nicholas Albertson bought in
1798 still in a good state of preservation; and other old quaint writings and
books, all which were much examined and admired by the assembled company.
Dated July 1st 1764 between Peter Middaugh of Amwell township Hunterdon
County N.J. and Mary his wife to Adriaren Aten of the township of Mt. Bethel
in the County of Northampton Penna
Yeoman for a certain tract of land containing 300 acres in Northampton
County Pa in Mt. Bethel Twp. Etc.
Signed Pieter
Middagh
Marretje
Middagh
Recorded in Deed Book B.Vol 1. Page 93 etc. Recorder’s office in Easton
Penna.
[Recorder
of Deeds Office, Commonwealth of PA stationery]
I send
you this extract to show you some of the old names etc.—You will see that he Adrian
is named “Adriaren” in the deed, and I have thought it might have been that
the name Adrian or Aaron originated in that way in the old things. Also to show
the name Pieter—and Marretje (Mary) because you see they signed that way, and also that
they could write—This man Adrian was undoubtedly the son of Adrian the
ancestor.
also
I saw an old deed recorded from Derrick Aten
To
Henry
Aten as follows made the 20th day of June in
the fourth year of the reign of the Sovereign etc. and in the year
1760.—Between
Dirck
Aten
of Mt.
Bethel Township in the County of Northampton & province of Penna., farmer
and Blacksmith by trade, of the one part and Hendrick Atten of the same
place yeoman of the other part-
(Signed
) Dirck Aten
Consideration
300 Pounds etc. etc.
Recorded
May 20th 1764 in Vol H3 of Deeds page 125 etc.
(over)
I
send you this extract from an old deed recorded in Easton to show you how the
ancestor signed his name “Dirck” that is the dutch for Richard as all books
agree—also to show you something you possibly never had heard before that
Derrick was also a blacksmith as well as Adrian his father. It is a deed
conveying a lot of land in Mt. Bethel twp to his brother Henry—It is easy to
locate the land from the description.
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