History

The origins of the Coeymans Patent trace back to Barent Pieterse Coeymans also known as Koijemans or De Molenaer, the miller who arrived in New Netherlands in 1639. Like many early settlers along the upper Hudson, Coeymans established himself through trade, milling, and relationships with the Mahikan people who occupied the region. His initial purchase of land from the Katskil Mahikans likely occurred in the mid1600s, though the original deed has not survived. What does survive is the formal confirmation: a patent issued on 7 April 1673 by Governor Francis Lovelace.

The 1673 Lovelace Patent granted Coeymans a substantial tract on the west bank of the Hudson River, north of the place the Mahikans called Haxhaexks and extending inland "as far as the Indian Sachems' right goes." The patent referenced a landmark known as Sietkatm, the place where Jacob Flodder "used to roll down his timber," and required Coeymans to erect a sawmill a condition reflecting the colony's need for processed lumber. The grant conveyed the land to Coeymans and his heirs in perpetuity, subject only to a nominal annual quitrent.

Yet the paten's broad and imprecise boundaries soon collided with earlier claims. The northern portion overlapped with the 1631 Van Rensselaer Manor purchase, whose patroon, Killian van Rensselaer, asserted longstanding Mahikan deeds. Coeymans petitioned for confirmation in 1703 and 1704, prompting a counter‑petition from the patroon. Remarkably, the dispute ended not in litigation but in concession: in 1706, Van Rensselaer agreed to lease nearly all of the overlapping lands to Barent and his eldest son, Andries Barentse Coeymans, for a token rent of nine shillings per year. It was an extraordinary outcome one of the few instances in which the Van Rensselaers effectively yielded territory to a private settler family.

A second conflict emerged to the south. A 1665 deed from Catskill natives to Jan Clute, Jan Hendrickse Bruyn, and Juriaen Teunise later confirmed by patents in 1667 and 1687 covered ground that overlapped the southern portion of the Coeymans tract. This dispute lingered for more than a century, complicated by vague descriptions, shifting landmarks, and the absence of reliable maps.

After Barent's death, his son Andries sought to resolve the ambiguities once and for all. His petition of 3 August 1714 resulted in a revised patent issued by Governor Robert Hunter on 16 August 1714, nominally confirmed by Queen Anne. This new patent replaced the earlier descriptive boundaries with precise measurements: 

- North boundary:12 miles inland from a point opposite Jan Ryersen's Island 

- South boundary: 12 miles inland from the mouth of Peter Bronck's (Coxsackie) Creek 

- West boundary: A straight line connecting the inland endpoints 

- East boundary: The Hudson River 

This revision incorporated the 1706 settlement with the Van Rensselaers and provided the first clear definition of the patent's inland extent.

An 18th century map likely drawn after the 1783 arbitration depicts the patent, the Flodder timber track, and the label Coeymans Confirmation. Though not to scale, the map reflects the region's evolving understanding of land boundaries and the need to reconcile colonial‑era descriptions with later surveys.

The final major dispute, with the Coxsackie Patent heirs, culminated in 1783. Under a bond of 10,000 pounds, both sides agreed to binding arbitration by John R. Bleeker, Robert Yates, and Gerardus Banker. Their decision established the Coeymans Confirmation Line, awarding most of the contested land to the Coeymans heirs. The ruling strongly suggests that Barent's original purchase predated the 1665 Clute deed an important recognition of the famil's early presence and longstanding claims.

Across nearly 150 years, the Coeymans Patent evolved from an informal Mahikan purchase into a legally defined estate shaped by negotiation, conflict, and the shifting landscape of colonial authority. Its history forms the territorial foundation upon which the later hamlet and landing developed, anchoring the Coeymans family's enduring place along the Hudson.

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