Inventory of John Jay’s Property, 8–9 November 1798
Inventory of John Jay’s Property
[Albany, 8—9 Nov. 1798]
- 1 a List respecting the House and Lot of Ground in the City of Albany, where he now resides
- 2 a List of Slaves owned by him
- 3 a List of Land owned by him in Tioga County—
- 4 a List of Land owned by him in Ontario County—
- 5 a List of Houses & Lots owned by him the City of NYork
- 6 a List of Land owned by him in Orange County—
- 7 a List of Land owned by him in WestChester County—
- 8 a List of Land owned by him in Otsego County
- 9 a List of land owned by him in the County of Sussex and State of New Jersey—
- 10 a List of Land owned by him in the County of Chittendon, and State of Vermont—
- 11 a List of Land purchased by him in New Hampshire
Recd. of John Jay nine Lists vizt.
Harms A Wendell
Albany Nov. 1798—
| 1 | List or account of the House and outhouses, & Lot of Ground, occupied by John Jay, in the city of Albany, and owned by James Caldwell of the Town of Water Vliet on the 1 Octr. 1798— |
The Lott is on the Southerly Side of State Street, and extends to Street— It’s width being various in different parts, its Dimensions cannot be so clearly described or understood as by dividing it into three parts.
The first part on State Street is 32 feet 6 Inches wide in front & Rear, and 86 feet in Length— The second part then begins, and is 61 feet wide, but after extending in Length 52 feet, becomes 68 feet wide— there the third part beings, and is 28 wide throughout, and 37 feet in Length.
The Dwelling House on this Lot fronts on State Street, and is 28 feet wide, and 49 feet 6 Inches in Length— it is built of Brick, and has three Stories. The Number & Size of the Windows is as follows
| Number | Height | Width | |||
| Feet – Inches | Feet – Inches | ||||
| Garret | 2 | 4 – 7 | 2 – 3 | ||
| 3d Story | 6 | 5 – 8 | 3 – 3 | ||
| 2d. Story |  |
Front | 3 | 3 – 6 | |
| Rear | 2 | 6 | 3 – 6 | ||
| 1st. Story | 4 | 6 – 6 | 3 – 6 | ||
| Cellar | |
Front | 1 | 2 – 6 | 1 – 6 |
| Rear | 1 | 4 – 4 | 3 – 6 |
In the Rear of the House there is a Piazza or Shed, a small part of it is enclosed, and in that part are two windows of the same size vizt. 5 feet by 3 Feet— On the Lot is a Carriage House & Stable built of Wood, under one Roof— it is 32 feet wide, & 34 feet deep. There is also on the Lot a Pidgeon and Fowl House of Brick 9 Feet by 11 Feet,— a necessary House of Brick, 8 feet by 8 feet 6 Inches, and a Tenement of Wood, one story high, and 16 feet square— in it are two Windows of the same size, vizt. 6 Feet by 3 feet 6 Inches— The neighbours next to this House are Abraham Ten Eyck on the East and Mrs. Cheeseburgh on the West—1
Albany 8 Novr 1798
| 2 | List of Slaves between the ages of twelve & fifty Years owned by John Jay—on the 1st. Octr. 1798— |
I have three male and three female Slaves— five of them are with me in this City; and one of them is in the City of New York. I purchase Slaves and manumit them at proper ages, and when their faithful Services shall have afforded a reasonable Retribution; but while the property remains vested in me, I consider them as being within the Intent of the Act of obedience to which this List is given—2
Albany 8 Novr 1798
| 3 | List and Description of Land owned by John Jay of the City of Albany in the County of Tioga on the 1 Octr. 1798— |
I am the owner of one undivided fourth part of a Tract of Land containing sixteen thousand acres, on the East side of Chenengo River, being part of a larger Tract purchased by the State, of the Oneida and Tuscarora Indians, and distinguished in a map thereof filed in the Secretary’s office, by being part of Township number three or Green Township—3
Albany 9 Novr. 1798—
| 4 | List and Description of Land owned by John Jay of the City of Albany, in the County of Ontario on the 1 Octr. 1798— |
I am the owner of one undivided fourth part of a Tract of Land of twenty two thousand five hundred and forty six acres and one fourth of an acre, in the said County of Ontario— Being part of a Tract granted by the State to George Scriba, and which in a map thereof deposited in the Secretary’s Office is distinguished as Lott No. 13—
Albany 9 Novr 1798
| 5 | A List and Description of Houses and Lots owned by John Jay of the city of Albany, in the City & County of New York-on the 1 Octr. 1798— |
One vacant Lot of twenty five feet by one hundred, on the Easterly Side of the Broadway, and fronting the same, and adjacent to the northerly Side of the House and Lot lately occupied by Moses Pengree— Also about Eight acres (for I have not with me the papers necessary to ascertain the exact Quantity) of vacant Land, of which the greater part is swamp, situate on the Easterly Side of the Broadway, between the Vacant Lot abovementioned, and the Lot of the Corporation on which water works were formerly commenced— of this parcel of Land there have been laid out six Lots of twenty five feet by one hundred feet— one of them is the Lot on which I built the small house lately occupied as aforesaid by Moses Pengree— I do not know the name of the Person to whom it has been rented for this Year— the other five Lots are occupied under Leases from me for long Terms. Also a Lot at the corner of Stone Street and broad Street, of which the great part is occupied for storing of coal, by a Mr. Arnet— therein on it a little work shop and a small Tenement, whose exact Dimensions I do not know. Also the House and Lott of Ground in the Broadway which is occupied by John B. Church Esqr., and the House and Lot of Ground in Stone Street occupied by Mr Ludlow—4
Albany 8 Novr. 1798—
| 6 | List and Description of Land owned by John Jay of the city of Albany in the County of Orange on the 1 Octr. 1798— |
I am the owner of certain Lots in the patent of Cheescocks, but whether & how far they are affected by the Line between Orange and Rockland I am uncertain vizt. Lot no.× 2 part of the great mountain Lot No. 7, containing fourteen hundred & ninety six acres, which by the Commissioners who divided it in 1789 was valued at two shillings per acre. No.5× part of Great Mountain Lot No. 10 containing four hundred and Eighty acres, valued at the same Sum and Lot No. 9 part of great mountain Lot No. 10 containing three hundred and fifty acres, valued at one Shilling per acre— Also Lot No. 41 containing one hundred and fifty acres, valued at ten Shillings per acre— it was occupied some Years ago by Israel Lummereaux, of whom I have not heard for several Years. When this Division was made I supposed it comprehended all the Lands in that patent devised to me and the other Devices, but I have been informed that there is a small Residue still in common. I have also an undivided Interest in common with Robert Morris Esqr. Judge of New Jersey District, and others, in a Tract adjoining to Cheescocks, but have not in my possession any Papers respecting it— I believe a very little of this Tract remains unsold— but Mr Morris who has always managed this Business can and will give satisfactory Information on the Subject—5
Albany 9 Nov. 1798
| 7 | List and Description of Land owned by John Jay of the City of Albany, in the County of West Chester on the 1 Octr. 1798— |
I am the owner of one undivided half part of a Lot of Land containing by Estimation Seventy acres, in the Township of Rye adjacent to the farm of Peter Jay and occupied by him—
I also own a Tract in the Township of Bedford, which ought to contain not less than seven hundred and fifty acres, but on which I have Reason to believe that considerable Encroachment has been made— Between fifty and Sixty acres of this Tract are occupied by John Nicolls— about one hundred more together with a Grist and Saw mill thereon by John Lyons; and the Residue is occupied and managed by Majr. Saml. Lyons—6
Albany 8 Novr. 1798—
| 8 | List and Description of a ^a Lot of^ Land owned by John Jay of the City of Albany in the County of Otsego on the 1 Octr. 1798 |
I am the owner of Lot No. thirty five in the patent of Whiteborough, which I believe is in the County of Otsego, containing nine hundred and fifty seven acres, confirmed to me by an act passed the 18 Feby 1789—7
Albany 9 Novr 1798—
| 9 | List or Description of Land owned by John Jay of the City of Albany, in Sussex County in the State of New Jersey— on 1 Octr. 1798— |
I am the owner of one undivided third part of a Tract of one thousand and fifty five acres, commonly called the great Bog Meadow, situate in the Town of Newtown, and part of which may be seen from the Court House in that Town— adjoining to this meadow I have Land in severalty, which having been surveyed by, and being under the Superintendence and Care of Martin Ryerson Esqr., who lives within a few miles of the Court House, will doubtless be more accurately described by him than it is at present in my power to do.—8
Albany 8 Novr. 1798—
| 10— | A List and Description of Land owned by John Jay of the City of Albany, in the County of Chittenden in the State of Vermont on the 1 Octr. 1798 |
I am the owner of seven undivided sixteenth parts of a Tract of Land granted by the State of Vermont on the 28 Decr. 1792 to me and John Cozine in different proportions— this Tract is situate in the County of Chittenden, in the Town of Jay, in the said State of Vermont, and contains sixteen thousand acres straight measure to the same more or less—9
Albany 8 Novr. 1798
| List or description of Land purchased by John Jay of the City of Albany in the Township of Fairfield in the State of New Hampshire— |
In the Year 1774 I purchased of Nathaniel Cushman of Lebanon in Connecticut, and he did by Deed dated the 12 April 1774 convey to me five Rights or Shares in the Township of Fairfield in New Hampshire, as granted by the then Governor of New Hampshire by patent or Charter dated the 17 December 1771. For the property I have since paid Taxes— Since the Revolution I have been informed that the state of New Hampshire has regranted this Land— and my public Duties leaving me very little Leisure to attend to my private Concerns, I am at a Loss to determine whether I shall ever recieve any Benefit from this purchase. I nevertheless think it my Duty to state these Facts—
Albany 9 Novr 1798
AD, NNC (EJ: 09216). Endorsed: “Lists on acct. of the Real Estate / of John Jay— made according to / the Act of Congress imposing a / direct Tax—”.
On 14 July 1798 the federal government imposed the first direct tax on the owners of houses, land, and slaves. The tax was intended to finance defense expenditures during the Quasi-War with France. Each state was assigned a quota of the two million dollar tax. See , 1: 597–604. The 1798 Federal Tax lists developed for implementing the law provided ownership, rental, and descriptive information for every house then existing, but few records are still extant for most states, including New York. See Judith Green Watson, “A Discovery: 1798 Direct Tax Records for Connecticut,” Prologue 39 (Spring, 2007): 6–15. Harmanus A. Wendell of Albany, the recipient of JJ’s lists, was appointed one of the assistant assessors for the Albany District assigned to assess the value of property and to collect the taxes thereon as required by the law. See Albany Gazette, 2 Nov. 1798.
1. For more on JJ’s property in Albany, see the editorial note “The Capital Moves to Albany,” above.
2. Five of the six enslaved persons belonging to JJ can be identified with a degree of certainty: the three enslaved women were probably Clarinda, Dinah, and Phillis, the last of whom was living in New York City. Two of three enslaved men were probably Jack and Peter. For more on the lives of those enslaved members within John Jay’s household, see Jan Horton, Listening for Clarinda (Bedford, 2000).
3. For more on JJ’s property in the Chenango Tract, see John Rutherfurd to JJ, 24 June 1795, ALS, NNC (EJ: 07083), and JJ to Rutherfurd, 27 June 1795, C, NNC (EJ: 08943).
4. For more on JJ’s property in New York City, see the editorial note “A Man of Property,” , 4: 6–9.
5. For more on JJ’s property in the Cheesecock Patent, see PAJ to JJ, 13 May 1798, above.
6. For more on JJ’s farmstead in Bedford, see Circuit Court Diary [11 Oct.–16 Dec. 1791], and [15 Apr.–1 June 1792], , 5: 339, 389; PAJ to JJ, 29 Dec. 1798, below; and 16 Mar. 1799, ALS, NNC (EJ: 06077); JJ to PAJ, 12 Apr. 1799, ALS, NyKaJJH (EJ: 09982).
8. For more on JJ’s property in Sussex County, see Circuit Court Diary [27 July–7 Aug. 1791], , 5: 327 and 328n6; PAJ to JJ, 27 Nov. 1800, ALS, NNC (EJ: 06098); 23 Dec. 1800, Dft, NNC (EJ: 11452).