Broome, Latourette, and Mercereau Families of New York and Connecticut: 17Th to 19Th Centuries

By Barbara Broome Semans and Letitia Broom Schwartz

Broome, LaTourette, and Mercereau Families of New York and Connecticut If you have a connection to Staten Island, New York, you probably have a connection to these families. The LaTourette and Mercereau families came separately to Staten Island from France in the late 17th century. They were French Huguenots who left France for religious freedom and were among the small number of early settlers on Staten Island. There were a lot of intermarriages between the LaTourette and Mercereau families and with the other Staten Island families, such as Broome, Chadrayne, Corsen, Doucinet, Lake, Poillon, and Vanderbilt. Later generations went further afield, though not very far to Manhattan Island (New York City), Long Island, upstate New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to include Barnard, Chetwood, Fay, Gould, Jarvis, LaGrange, Phelps, Platt, and Smith. And still later, they included other families in other states.

This book tells the stories of these early American settlers and their descendants. Even if you dont know of a connection to Staten Island, you may find a connection to a later descendant. And you will learn about early difficulties and successes of these pioneers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 31, 2013
• ISBN: 9781479773022

Barbara Broome Semans

Letitia Broome Schwarz grew up in New Jersey and worked in New York City. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, in history. Her interest in history, particularly in the 18th century, has continued to the present time. Extensive traveling in the eastern coastal states from Maine to Virginia has enabled her to visit many historic sites multiple times. Her interest in family history started as a young adult and developed into years of research. Barbara Broome Semans enjoys problem-solving she has a B.S. degree in math. So it was only natural that her interest was aroused by her sisters research. Barbaras interest developed into many years of extensive family-history research and travel to most of the places discussed in this book.

Book preview

BROOME,

LATOURETTE,

AND MERCEREAU FAMILIES

OF NEW YORK AND CONNECTICUT

17TH TO 19TH CENTURIES

Barbara Broome Semans

and

Letitia Broome Schwarz

Copyright © 2013 by Barbara Broome Semans and Letitia Broome Schwarz.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2012924352

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-4797-7301-5

               Softcover         978-1-4797-7300-8

               Ebook              978-1-4797-7302-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Cover Photo Credits

Topmost photo: New Haven, CT

Samuel Broome’s house in New Haven

The Colonial Newsletter (1969), No. 50, J.C. Spilman, ed.

Middle photo: New York, NY

Tontine Coffee House, by Francis Guy, c. 1797

Oil on linen, 43 x 65 inches

Collection of The New-York Historical Society, 1907.32

Bottom photo: Staten Island, NY

Author

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Contents

Introduction

Family Tree Charts

Chapter 1 Generation No. 1

Chapter 2 Generation No. 2

Chapter 3 Generation No. 3

Chapter 4 Generation No. 4

Chapter 5 Generation No. 5

Chapter 6 Generation No. 6

Endnotes for Broome, LaTourette, and Mercereau Families

Bibliography of Sources

To our ancestors, early settlers of America, who created a better life for themselves, their families, and their descendants.

Introduction

This book gives information about some of the members of the Broome family, and some of the members of the French Huguenot LaTourette and Mercereau families, who settled in Staten Island, New York. There were many more members of these families who are not included in this book, because the focus has been on those members of these families who were either direct ancestors, or very close relatives, of John Broome, who was born in Staten Island and lived in Manhattan. He became a successful merchant; was an early Patriot, and served both the city and state of New York in several diverse capacities. This book is a companion book to John Broome and Rebecca Lloyd, Their Descendants and Related Families, 18th to 21st Centuries, by the same authors.

Superscript numbers have been used in this book in two ways. The non-italicized superscript numbers are used to show to which generation individuals belong, and/or to show the sequence of descent from the first generation. The italicized superscript numbers in the text are used to reference specific endnotes that describe the source of the information in the text. Though endnote numbers are sequential, sometimes endnote numbers were skipped because they were duplicates of other endnotes. No skipped endnote numbers are referenced in the text.

It is important to look at the endnotes to determine the reliability of the sources and the explanations given for choosing particular sources. As much as possible—as constraints on time and resources would permit—primary sources or sources contemporaneous to the events have been used. But some secondary sources have been used as well. In addition to the specific numbered sources in the endnotes, sources are frequently given within the text. For some of the sources in the endnotes and within the text, abbreviations have been used; please see the bibliography for the full reference information.

In using census data, we supply the data just as it appears in the census even though ages and dates for birth are frequently inaccurate, especially for adults. It is well to remember that census takers went to individual homes, and women often (and men not as often) would give their ages as younger. Sometimes the individual was not at home, and information had to be obtained from neighbors who did not know the correct information. Names also are not always correct because neighbors guessed at names or because the census taker spelled names incorrectly.

For those cases where the exact location of a wedding or baptism is not known, but where there is a church record from a particular church, or a newspaper report naming the presiding minister of a particular church, we list that particular church as the location of the event. However, in the 17th and 18th centuries, the event may have taken place at home rather than in a church building. If the exact location is known, it is so stated in the text for the individual.

In using this book and in looking for descendants, it is important to know and remember that the structure of the genealogical system used in this book only assigns a number to an individual if that person has a child or children specifically identified in the genealogical system. Only numbered individuals are placed in the correctly numbered generation. All other descendants are listed under their parents (either because they had no children or because their children were not genealogically identified but were just included in the descriptive text under one of their parents) and, therefore, are not listed in the generation to which they belong. The table of contents shows this genealogical structure. However, the table of contents does not list all individuals. The index should be used to find individuals who are not in the table of contents.

Family Tree Charts

The family tree charts are supplied to graphically show the line of descent from certain individuals. Unlike the body of the text in this book that has descendants grouped by generation depending upon the genealogical numbering of the children, the tree chart shows the descendants in the correct generation. However, the tree chart only shows the direct descendants of the individual named on the title of the chart. The tree charts do not show all generations. The supplied tree charts are as follows:

Chart No. 1: Descendants of Jean Mercereau—first through fourth generations

Chart No. 2: Descendants of Samuel Broome, Jr.—fourth through sixth generations

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Chapter 1

Generation No. 1

1. JEAN¹ MERCEREAU was born in 1638 in Moise, St. Onge, France,¹ and died before 1681 in France. He married ELIZABETH DUBOIS in France. She was born about 1642 or 1643 in France, probably in St. Onge,² and died in Staten Island, New York.

Notes for JEAN MERCEREAU:

Jean Mercereau (or Mersereau) was the great-grandfather of John Broome. (The French name Mercereau was spelled many different ways by those who kept English records in the late 17th century.) Jean Mercereau’s daughter Marie, who married Jean LaTourette, was the grandmother of John Broome.

Jean Mercereau was born in Moise, France, the son of Joshua Mercereau who was born in 1608 in France. Moise is on the northern side of the Geronne River about halfway between La Rochelle and Bordeaux. (Moise was in the Province of Saintonge, which was a very small province that later was incorporated into the newly established Department of Gironde during the French Revolution.)

Jean Mersereau was a young Protestant Frenchman, noted for his personal strength. He was captain of a military company and was allowed to go armed. One evening he met three men, habited as friars, whom he saluted with ‘Good evening, gentlemen.’ This they resented, as it proved him a Huguenot; for a good Catholic would have said ‘fathers.’ They drew sabers, which were concealed under their garb, and attacked him. He defended himself with success, killing one, wounding another and putting the third to flight. On his early decease, his widow and five children immigrated to America, designing to settle in Philadelphia; but, owing to stress of weather, they were landed at New York. They settled on Staten Island, where the mother died and was buried in the French churchyard at Westfield. The family claim descent from Josue Mersereau, generals de la Garde Royals, and Josue Mersereau, capilains, Rochefort. [Robinson’s Items of Ancestry by a Descendant IMR, page 58. This book contains the history and genealogy of the Robinson family of Massachusetts. Another source is Pelletreau’s Historic Homes and Institutions, Genealogical and Family History, Vol. II, page 377.]

A relative, while in Paris in the 1920s, obtained a copy of the Mercereau Coat of Arms. The Coat of Arms shows two yellow ducks facing each other, sitting in blue water. (It is not known whether or not Jean Mercereau was entitled to a Coat of Arms, but it seems unlikely, because he was not known to be an aristocrat.)

Notes for ELIZABETH DUBOIS:

The widowed Elizabeth DuBois Mercereau, a Huguenot Protestant, left France with her children for England about 1685 (the Edict of Nantes which had allowed religious freedom in France had just been revoked). Her unmarried children were Joshua, Jean, Daniel, Paul, Marie, and Martha. The group also included married daughter Elizabeth, her husband, Pierre Masse, their daughter Elie, and possibly a second child born in France. (Elizabeth Mercereau and Pierre Masse had married on April 29, 1681, in Moise, St. Onge, France. They later had additional children born in New York.) Fearing religious persecution in England because King James II of England was Catholic, the group, except for Paul, left England for America. (They may have been the first of John Broome’s ancestors to come to America.) They settled in Staten Island. By the 18th century there were many people named Mercereau or Mersereau living in Staten Island.

Interior%20Images-4.jpg

Present Day New York City

Showing relative size and location of Manhattan Island (New York County)

and Staten Island (Richmond County)

Elizabeth DuBois Mercereau was buried in the French churchyard on the Seaman farm in Westfield, Staten Island, New York.³ (Westfield, in the southwestern part of Staten Island, was the largest of the four early divisions of Staten Island.) Jean and his wife had several children, three of whom are listed below.

Children of JEAN MERCEREAU and ELIZABETH DUBOIS include:

2. i. JOSHUA² MERCEREAU, b. January 6, 1658, Moise, St. Onge, France; d. May 23, 1756, Staten Island, New York.

3. ii. DANIEL MERCEREAU, b. 1664, Moise, St. Onge, France.

4. iii. MARIE MERCEREAU I, b. November 6, 1670, Moise, St. Onge, France; d. 1733, Fresh Kills, Staten Island, New York.

Chapter 2

Generation No. 2

2. JOSHUA² MERCEREAU (Jean¹), son of JEAN MERCEREAU and ELIZABETH DUBOIS, was born on January 6, 1659, in Moise, St. Onge, France,⁴ and died on May 23, 1756, in Staten Island, New York.⁵ He married MARIE CHADRAYNE on July 16, 1693, in St. Esprit Church, New York, New York, Rev. Peiret officiated.⁶ She was born about 1658 in Yers, St. Onge, France.⁷

Notes for JOSHUA MERCEREAU:

A Jean (John), Joshua, Paulus, and Daniel Mercereau were all named, with a date of 1685, in a list of First Settlers of Staten Island. [Monnette’s First Settlers of Ye Plantations of Piscataway and Woodbridge Olde East New Jersey] Because these are the names of the sons of Elizabeth DuBois Mercereau who came from France, it is possible that they are from this family. However, it is also possible that Jean, Joshua, and Daniel, along with their sisters and widowed mother, first went to England and didn’t come to America until 1688.

Notes for MARIE CHADRAYNE:

The following is the will of the father of Marie (Mary) Chadrayne. (Even within this single will, the last name has various spellings—often in the 18th century, spelling was phonetic. The name Mary was often used instead of the French name of Marie.) Marie’s father, Jean Chadrayne was a shipmaster, who fled from Hiers in 1682, with his family, to Cork in Ireland, whence he made his way, after some years [spent some time in Narragansett, Rhode Island], to New York. His children settled on Staten Island and in New Rochelle. [Baird’s, The Huguenot Emigration to America, Vol. 2, p. 21-22.]

—JOHN CHADYNE, Sr. In the name of God, Amen. The 27 March 1708, I, John Chadyne, Sr., of the County of Richmond, ship carpenter. I leave to my wife Mary all of my estate, with full power to sell, during her widowhood. After her decease, to my children, John, Henry, Martha, and Elizabeth, except that John is to have £5 more than the rest. I leave to my daughter Mary, wife of Joshua Mersereau, £20. Signed Jean Cheadeayne.

Witnesses, Johanes van Eyselam, Barent Schlect, Abraham Cole. Proved, October 27, 1708.

[New York Abstracts of Wills, Vol. II, 1708-1728, page 17 (Liber 7, page 521)]

Marie (Chadrayne) Mercereau was buried in the French Huguenot Church cemetery in Staten Island.

Children of JOSHUA MERCEREAU and MARIE CHADRAYNE include:

5. i. MARIE³ MERCEREAU II, b. May 16, 1695, New York, New York; d. between 1771 and June 4, 1773, Mariner’s Harbor, Staten Island, New York.

6. ii. JOSHUA MERCEREAU, b. May 18, 1696, New York, New York; d. August 9, 1769, Staten Island, New York.

iii. PAUL MERCEREAU, b. about 1698; d. in 1777, Staten Island, New York.⁸

Notes for PAUL MERCEREAU:

His will from New York Abstracts of Wills, Vol. IX, 1777-1783, page 15 [Also, New York City Wills, Probate Liber 31, page 77]:

—In the name of God, Amen. I, PAUL MERSEREAU, of Staten Island, shipwright. I leave to my cousin [nephew], Daniel Mersereau, son of my sister Elizabeth, a bond of £55 which is due from him. I leave to my cousin, John La Tourette, £10. To my cousin [niece], Mary La Tourette, daughter of my sister Mary, deceased, £10. To my cousin [nephew], David Mersereau, son of my brother Daniel [should be brother David], £200 when 21; Also, my watch and silver bowl, and 1/2 dozen silver spoons for tea, and my gun and silver shoe buckles. To my cousin [nephew], Daniel Mersereau, son of my brother David, £100 when of age. To my brother, David Mersereau, whom I make executor, all the rest of my estate.

Dated June 4, 1773; witnesses, Henry La Tourette, John La Tourette. Proved, December 10, 1777.

iv. MARTHA MERCEREAU, b. about 1700, Staten Island, New York.

7. v. JOHN MERCEREAU, b. about 1705, Staten Island, New York, d. about 1735

8. vi. ELIZABETH MERCEREAU, b. about 1707, Staten Island, New York; d. about 1775

vii. DAVID MERCEREAU, b. about 1710, Staten Island, New York;⁹ d. between February 22 and April 1786, Staten Island, New York.¹⁰

Notes for DAVID MERCEREAU:

David Mercereau’s first marriage was to Ann Granger, for which he obtained a New York marriage license on November 4, 1737 [M.B. 1: 8]; they had two daughters, Mary and Martha. His second marriage was to Bathsheba Lewis (daughter of Jonathan Lewis and his wife Abigail Halstead). David and Bathsheba Mercereau had two daughters, Sarah and Anne (also called Nancy). Bathsheba died before her father wrote his will on May 7, 1764, in which he bequeathed to my two grandchildren, Sarah and Anne, daughters of my daughter, Bathsheba Mersereau, deceased, each £30. [New York Abstracts of Wills 1760-1766, page 377, from Liber 25, p. 49] David Mercereau’s third marriage was to Elizabeth Perrine for which he obtained a marriage license on September 26, 1768 [M.B. 13: 194] [O’Callaghan’s NY Marriage Licenses, page 261 for both licenses]. The marriage bond for David’s third marriage was signed by David and by Henry Perine (spelled that way) [Scott’s NY Marriage Bonds, page 279]. At the time of his third marriage, David was about 58 years old and his bride was almost 30 years younger. Elizabeth (Perrine) Mercereau was born on January 20, 1740, or 1742, and died on June 17, 1826; she was buried at [Dutch] Reformed Church on Staten Island Cemetery in Port Richmond.¹¹

When David died in 1786, all six of his children with his wife Elizabeth were under 18 years of age. David was buried in the French Huguenot Church cemetery, Staten Island.

His will from New York Abstracts of Wills, Vol. XIII, 1784-1786, page 346, New York Historical Society [Also, New York City Wills, Liber 39, page 62, of New York Surrogate archival records]:

—February 21, 1786. DAVID MERSEREAU, of Staten Island, Richmond County, New York. To my wife Elizabeth, use of profits of my whole estate, real and personal, for bringing up and schooling my children for so long as she shall remain my widow; my executors to give to my wife immediately after her remarriage the choice of two negro wenches, either old or young Sarah, with so much of my household furniture as she shall choose, and to pay her £100 out of my estate in lieu of dower; to my son David £200 when he shall arrive at the age of twenty-one years, with the silver bowl as specified in the will of my brother Paul, the other articles being stolen cannot be delivered; to my son Daniel £100, when he shall arrive at the age of twenty-one years given to him in like manner by my brother Paul; to my son Peter £100 out of my estate when he arrive at the age of twenty-one years; to my daughters, Elizabeth, Jude and Margaret, each to receive £50 in lieu of an outset when they shall arrive at the age of eighteen or marry; the remainder of my estate shall be equally divided among all my children, namely, Mary, Martha, Sarah, Nancy, David, Daniel, Peter, Elizabeth, Jude and Margaret; immediately after my daughter Margaret shall arrive at the age of eighteen years or marry which shall first happen; in case any of my sons, David, Daniel or Peter, die under age and without issue that such share or shares given to them so dying shall be equally divided amongst the survivors or given to the survivor of my sons, and in case either of my daughters, Elizabeth, Jude or Margaret shall die before they arrive at age of eighteen or marry, without lawful issue, such share or shares of either of them so dying to be equally divided among the survivors or survivor of them above expressed; be it remembered that my daughter Mary has received £40, which is to be accounted by her out of such share as may become due to her out of my estate. I appoint Gozen Ryersse, Daniel Mersereau, Sr. and John Mersereau, executors.

Dated February 21, 1786. Witnesses, Cornelius Mersereau, David Edgar, John Van Pelt, all of Richmond County, ship carpenters. Proved, April 26, 1786.

3. DANIEL² MERCEREAU (Jean¹) was born about 1664, in Moise, St. Onge, France.¹² He married SUSANNE MARIE DOUCINET on August 6, 1693, in St. Esprit Church, New York, New York; Rev. Peiret officiated.¹⁴ She was born about 1670 in La Rochelle, France.¹⁵

Notes for DANIEL MERCEREAU:

Daniel was a tailor. He first settled on Manhattan Island in New York City where he attended the French church, St. Esprit. He moved to Staten Island where he attended the French Huguenot Church at Fresh Kills. Daniel’s mother, Elizabeth (DuBois) Mercereau, and Daniel and his wife, Susanne, were all buried at the French Huguenot Church cemetery in Staten Island.

Children of DANIEL MERCEREAU and SUSANNE DOUCINET include:

i. DANIEL MERCEREAU, b. August 10, 1695, in New York, New York; baptized August 18, 1695, at the French church, St. Esprit, New York, New York¹⁶

ii. SUSANNE MARIE MERCEREAU, b. July 8, 1697, in New York, New York; baptized July 18, 1697, at St. Esprit Church¹⁶

iii. MARIANNE MERCEREAU, b. October 31, 1699, in New York, New York; baptized November 5, 1699, at St. Esprit Church; married Pierre La Tourette¹⁶

9. iv. JOHN MERCEREAU, b. between 1702 and 1705, Staten Island, New York; d. 1774

v. ETIENNE [Stephen] MERCEREAU, b. 1704, Staten Island, New York. He married Anne [Mitchell] Michel.

4. MARIE

²

MERCEREAU I (Jean¹), daughter of JEAN MERCEREAU and ELIZABETH DUBOIS, was born on November 6, 1670, in Moise, St. Onge (now Gironde), France,¹⁷ and died in 1733 in Fresh Kills, Staten Island, New York.¹⁸ She married JEAN LATOURETTE I on July 16, 1693, in St. Esprit Church, New York, New York.¹⁹ He was born about 1651 in Osse en Bearn, France,²⁰ and died in July of 1725, or in 1726, in Fresh Kills, Staten Island, New York.²¹

Notes for MARIE MERCEREAU I:

Marie was christened on November 9, 1670, at Moise en St. Onge, France.²²

Marie was the mother of John Broome’s mother.

According to an account of Joshua Mercereau on page 51 of Sara Koehler’s Register of Ancestors, which the Huguenot Society of New Jersey published in 1956, Marie came to New York from France via England about 1688 with her widowed mother, brothers Joshua and Daniel, and sister Elizabeth and Elizabeth’s husband Pierre Masse and their infant child. Probably some more of the brothers and sisters of Marie also came to New York. According to Monnette’s First Settlers of Ye Plantations of Piscataway and Woodbridge Olde East New Jersey, the year they arrived in Staten Island was 1685, not 1688. The year 1685 was when the Edict of Nantes (issued in 1598) was revoked by the Catholic-dominated French government, and the practice of Protestant sects was no longer tolerated. This remained the situation until France issued the Edict of Toleration on November 28, 1787.

There is some conjecture that Marie met and married her husband, Jean LaTourette, in France. However, this does not fit with Marie coming to New York with her mother and siblings, so it seems likely that Marie and Jean met in New York. They married at the French church in New York City in July of 1693. Marie and her husband, Jean, lived most of their married life on a 67-acre property in the Fresh Kills area of Staten Island, which was purchased about 1697. Both Jean and Marie died there. After their oldest son Jean (John) inherited the property in 1734, he sold it to Samuel Broome, the husband of his sister Marie, the oldest child of Jean and Marie (Mercereau) LaTourette.

Marie Mercereau LaTourette was buried in Staten Island, New York.

Notes for JEAN LATOURETTE I:

Jean LaTourette was the son of David Latourrette (the last name was spelled this way in the early days). Jean was born in Osse in the Province of Bearn [now Osse-en-Aspe], France, which is in the Aspe River valley of the Pyrenees Mountains. Osse is south of the city of Pau. Jean LaTourette left France with Pierre Peiret (who was a Huguenot minister in France and later became pastor of the French church in New York City) about 1685 and they came to New York about two years later (about 1687, probably on the ship Robert).

Jean’s birth is estimated at about 1651 because the Staten Island census of 1706 gives his age as 55. Early evidence of his being in New York City was found in the records of the French church, St. Esprit, showing that he was the godfather of Pierre Masse, son of Pierre and Elizabeth (Mercereau) Masse, baptized June 25, 1693, by Pastor Pierre Peiret. Less than one month later Pastor Peiret witnessed the marriage of Jean to Marie Mercereau (sister of Elizabeth) on July 16, 1693, and the baptism of their daughter, Marie, on December 6, 1693—Peiret’s record gives the daughter’s birth date as September 23, 1693. In addition to Marie, Jean and his wife had the following children: Jean (or John), Pierre (born in 1697), David, Susanna, Esther (or Hester), Henry, and James. Jean was an Elder of the French church. In 1694 Jean was paid for services as a carpenter from New York City. (According to page 45 of Ledger #1 Chamberlain’s Office, New York 1691-1700, found on GenealogyLibrary.com, a Jon Lataurrett was paid 10 Pounds 16 shillings cash on May 12, 1694, for work done on fortifications.) In 1695 Jean LaTourette and his brother-in-law, took out letters of denization on the same day to become naturalized citizens [a reference was given to New York Colonial MSS, 1695, 1696, Vol. XL, p. 74]. In his application for denization, Jean’s occupation was given as a joiner. Also, in 1695 Jean LaTourette paid a tax of 10 shillings on a house in the South Ward of New York City, and in 1699 he paid a 15-shillings tax on a house in the West Ward of the city. On May 22, 1698, Jean and four other representatives of the French Huguenot congregation were given a deed by John and Hester Belvealle for the French church site on Staten Island (about a one acre site).

In March of 1688 the County of Richmond (Staten Island) had been divided into four large areas—Castletown, Southfield, Westfield, and Northfield. Castletown was bounded on the north by the Kill Van Kull, on the east by the water called the Narrows between Staten Island and Brooklyn, on the south by a road from Van Duerson’s Ferry at the Narrows southerly to the settlement at Richmond-town, and on the west by a line following some of the earlier grants, primarily that of the Manor of Castletown. Southfield consisted of the land south of the road from the ferry to Richmond-town and the Fresh Kill, and continuing westerly from the Fresh Kill following some existing roads south, then west past some occupied property and south again to Lower New York Bay. (See map showing the four divisions.). Westfield was bounded on the north by the Fresh Kill, on the east by Southfield, on the south by Lower New York Bay (this southern part is now called Raritan Bay), and on the west by the Arthur Kill (also called Staten Island Sound). Northfield consisted of all of the remaining part of Staten Island. In 1698 there were 727 inhabitants in Staten Island, consisting of 328 men, 208 women, 118 children, and 73 blacks. [Morris’s Memorial History of Staten Island, pages 114-115; Bayles’ History of Richmond County, page 155]

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The Four Divisions of Staten Island

Established in 1688

About 1697 or 1698 Jean LaTourette had purchased some land in Westfield, which had been granted by patent from Governor Andros in 1680 to Francis Lee, consisting of 67 acres, plus eight acres of meadow, on the south side of Fresh Kills in Staten Island and extending 4950 feet back from the water with the land of Lakeman on the west side. (The word kill in Dutch meant a small stream or passage of water.) This land became Jean LaTourette’s home site, where he erected a stone house in 1699. The house faced the waters of the Fresh Kills. Some magazine articles have been written which claim to describe this house, but most likely are describing another LaTourette house built later near a mill on the Fresh Kill. In 1892, a LaTourette house was described in an article written by Flavel Scott Mines, entitled A Bit of Quaint Old Staten Island. The article was published in Harper’s Weekly (a New York magazine) in August 1892, and later used in a publication of The Staten Island Historian, January—March, 1944. The description of the house is given here because, though not the original house built before 1700, it was a very early 18th century stone house and, as such, its description is indicative of the type of stone house built in that period. "Between St. Andrew’s Church and Mt. Izzard stands a stone house that antedates the Revolution by many years. There are four rooms in the house, all on the ground floor. The walls are two feet in thickness, and above the rafters are several inches of stone and