The following article appeared in the Thousand Islands Vacationer, summer insert in the T. I. Sun, on August 9, 2000

Early ownership of the
Thousand Island traced

1000 Islands -- The ownership of and jurisdiction over the islands in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River was for a time a question of considerable doubt, although they were intended to be included in the patent from the state to Macomb. This uncertainty in part grew out of the fact that after the close of the Revolution the British still retained possession and maintained garrisons of soldiers on the United States side of the line, and the advance contingent of French pioneers were surprised to find an armed force in possession of lands which they believed were unquestionably their own.

The original Macomb contact (sic) was dated June 11, 1791, but when the patent was issued the islands were excluded from the instrument; and when the matter was finally settled they were patented to other parties. The Macomb rights passed to Daniel McCormick, who, on January 18, 1814, was recognized by the commissioners of the land office. The surveyor-general surveyed such of the islands as were clearly within the United States jurisdiction, and in case of error it was understood that the patentees of any found to be within British territory should be compensated for any loss suffered. However, McCormick, sold his interest to D. A. and T. L. Ogden, which sale the land office sanctioned Mary 14, 1817.

The commissioners appointed to establish the boundary line under the Treaty of Ghent comprised General Peter B. Porter and Samuel Hawkins, the latter acting in the capacity of agent for the United States, while John Oglivie represented his majesty. The work was begun in 1818 and was completed the next year. After this the islands were disposed of as follows:

A patent was issued February 15, 1823, to Elisha Camp, carrying title to all the islands “between a line drawn at right angles to the river from Morristown village, and a meridian line drawn through the western portion of Grindstone Island,” containing an aggregate of 15, 402.9 acres. The area of Grindstone Island was 5,291; Wells’s Island, 8,068 acres; Indian Hut Island, 360 acres. The patent also included several smaller islands without names. At the same date Elisha Camp was granted patents for Stony Island, 1,536 acres; Calf Island, 34.8 acres; Little Galloup Island, 48.8 acres; Willow Island, half an acre, and also 2,216.2 acres of the large Galloup Island.

The United States acquired title to about 35 acres (30.75 and 5 acres, says Hough), on Galloup Island by patent, or deed of concession, dated December 11, 1819, to be used for lighthouse purposes. At Tibbet’s Point, on the main land, the government was also ceded three acres, January 25, 1827; Horse Island, April 26, 1821, and a part of Carlton Island, June 21, 1853.

On November 3, 1823, Gull Island (6.5 acres) and Snake Island (l.4 acres) were patented to Melancton L. Woolsey. In the same manner, October 1, 1824, Hezekiah B. Pierrepont and others received a patent for Cherry Island in Chaumont Bay, 108.4 acres; Grenadier Island, 1,290 acres, and Fox Island, 257.5 acres. The owners were Pierrepont, Joshua Waddington and Thomas L. Ogden, who, on November 10, 1824, executed a partition deed by which the former acquired title to Grenadier and Cherry islands. On February 19, 1824, Pierrepont sold them to William and Gerardus Post of New York. The western part of Carlton Island, 500 acres in extent, was patented to Charles Smyth, October 2, 1828.