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.—

 Yours respectfully            Nicholas Harris

 

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.

 

Copy & Extract

I also find that a deed is recorded from
      Peter Middagh and wife   To   Adrian Aten

    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.   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~