In the year 1703, a survey was made of “Broocklands improveable lands and meadows within fence,” and the same was found to amount to 5177 acres. At that period the greatest holder of that description of land was Simon Aersen, who owned 200 acres. In 1706, all the real and personal estates of the town of Brooklyn were assessed at £3122 12s. 0d. The tax on which was £41 3s. 7½d and the whole tax of the county £201 16s 1½d. In 1707, the real and personal estates of this town assessed at £3091 11s 0d, The government tax on which, was for the same year £116 7s 3d, payable in two payments; and the whole tax of the county £448 3s 7d. The present year, the real estate in this town was assessed at $2,111,390. And the personal estate at $488,690; being considerably more than one half of the whole value of the county. The State, county and town tax on which amounts to $6,497 71. At this period there are in the village 1149 taxable persons, and the village tax amounts to $2625 76, averaging about $2 29, each taxable person. This village tax includes $450 raised to meet the expenses of the Board of Health, and is exclusive of all local assessments for opening and improving streets, &c.
The receipts of the overseers of the poor of this town for the year 1823, amounted to $3108 77, and their expenditures to $3469 49, leaving a balance of $360 72 against the town.
On the 22d of March, 1823, there were 54 persons in the Alms-house; 51 persons were admitted during the year ending March 30, 1824. During the same period, 34 were discharged, and 10 died. March 30, 1824, there were in the Alms-house 40 persons, viz. 11 men, 16 women, 5 girls, and 8 boys. In the winter of 1823-4, 93 loads of wood were distributed from this institution among the poor of the town.[25]
April 21, 1701, a piece of land about 100 feet square, lying within the present bounds of the village of Brooklyn, was sold for £75, “current money of the Province of New-York.” 1720 a dwelling-house and lot of ground containing 62 feet front, 61 feet rear, and 111 feet deep, near the ferry, on the north-east side of what is now called Fulton-street, sold for £260, “current money of New-York. In the year 1784, all the property owned by the Corporation of the City of New-York in this town was assessed at £365, New-York currency; which property is now worth $50,000 at the lowest calculation.
August 30, 1701. John Bybon sold to Cornelius Vanderhove, for £37 10s, the one equal half part of a brewhouse, situate at Bedford, in the town of Brookland, fronting the highway leading from Bedford to Cripplebush; together with one equal half part of all the brewing vessels, &c.
In 1685, a Windmill was erected in this town by John Vannise and Peter Hendricks, for Michael Hainell. There is great reason to believe that this was the first mill erected in this town. August 19, 1689, an agreement was entered into between Cornelius Seberingh of Brookland, and John Marsh of East Jersey, relative to building a water mill on Graver’s kill in this town. At present there are in this town seven water mills and two wind mills.—From February 16, 1823, to February 15, 1824, 5825 barrels of superfine flour, 260 barrels of fine flour, and 124 hogsheads of corn meal were inspected in this county. The most, if not all of which flour and meal was manufactured at the mills in this place.
SCHOOLS, NEWS-PAPERS, AND MORAL CHARACTER.
May 1661, Charles Debevoice was recommended by Gov. Stuyvesant as a suitable person for schoolmaster of this town, and also for clerk and sexton of the church, who was employed and received a good salary.
Immediately previous to the revolutionary war, that part of the town of Brooklyn which is now comprised in the bounds of the village, and for some distance without those bounds, supported but one school, of 19 scholars, five of whom were out of the family of Mr. Andrew Patchen. The school-house was situated on the hill, on property which was then owned by Israel Horsfield, but now belongs to the heirs of Carey Ludlow, deceased.—The teacher was Benjamin Brown, a staunch whig from Connecticut.
District School, No. 1. This school was organized at a public meeting, held Jan. 2, 1816, at which meeting Andrew Mercein, John Seaman, and Robert Snow were elected trustees, and John Doughty clerk of the school. The trustees were appointed a committee to ascertain a proper site for building a school-house, and report the probable expense thereof. At a meeting held January 12, 1816, the trustees reported that they could purchase four lots of ground on Concord street, of Mr. Noah Waterbury, for $550. The meeting thereupon resolved, that “the sum of $2000 should be raised by tax on the inhabitants of the said district, to purchase said lots and to build a school-house thereon;” and that in the mean time the “Loisian school be the common school of the said district;” and that “the trustees of the district be authorized to exonerate from the payment of teacher’s wages all such poor and indigent persons as they shall think proper, pursuant to the act of the legislature;” and that “it be recommended by this meeting, that the common school to be taught in this district, be on the Lancastrian plan of instruction.”