Stiles, Henry R.
A History of the City of Brooklyn. Vol 2 Brooklyn: Private publication., 1867.
Link
The early settlers and patents of Bushwick
– 1641-1650: Earliest settlement of the territory. Swedes and Norwegians (Normans), together with a few Dutchmen
– 1661: Bushwick chartered by Peter Stuyvesant, the town named “Boswijk – the town of woods”.
Bushwick engaged in agricultural pursuits, the town remained loyal to the states-general.
– 1663-64: Conquest of New Netherland by the English.
– 1664: The citizens of Boswyck yielded a docile submission to English authority.
“It is probable that their supineness was due to the natural apathy of their race,
rather than to any particular satisfaction with their new masters.” (p.339)
– 1691-98: Insults and exactions by the civil officers and magistrates. Constant ferment of dissatisfaction in Buchwick.
– 1708: The town of Bushwick received a new patent from Gov. Cornbury, confirmatory of that previously granted by Gov. Nicolls.
Bushwick after the Revolutionary War
– At the close of the Revolution, three distinct settlements were in Bushwick.
Het Dorp was the center of town life. *Map attached
1. Het dorp (first laid out by Gov. Peter Stuyvesant in 1661) at the junction of North Second street and Bushwick avenue.
2. Het Kivis padt, at the junction of New Bushwick lane and the Kreupelbush1 and Maspeth
(crossing of the present Bushwick avenue and the Flushing)
3. Het strand, along the East river shore
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| Old Miller House (p.310): An example of a house at the time of the first settlement of the town (exact year unknown). A dilapidated structure standing on a projecting bluff, facing the East river, on the northerly side of South Fourth street. |
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| The Old Bushwick Church in 1828 (p.355). There is no evidence of the organization of a church, or the erection of a house of worship in Bushwick before 1700. |
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| Old Bushwick Graveyard (p.375) In the graveyard adjoining Bushwick Church are a large number of monuments including the following families; Covert, Bogert, Skillman, Titus, Lott, Miller, Schneck, Meserole, Duryea, Debevoise and Van Cott. Haumpie Van Cott (daughter of Francis Titus and first wife of David Van Cott) was the first individual buried in this yard. |
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| Map of Bushwick 1867 (p.372) |
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| The Boerum House on Flushing Av between Broadway and Ken Streets (p.377). One the two ancient style farm houses that survived in the late 19C. Long modern brick dwellings replaced most of the farm houses in the late 18C. |
