ber 14, 1811, died April 22, 1887. Joseph, born July 8, 1753,
and his wife Catharine, born June 2, 1755, both died March 14,
1813, within one hour of each other. They had a daughter Pa-
tience, born May 30, 1790. There was another Joseph, also born
in 1753, and died May 24, 1843, in his 90th year. There was still
another Joseph, born in 1773, and died March 16, 1854. He
lived on the Manor road near the Four corners, Castleton. Wil-
liam and Mary Tysen, his wife, had the following sons: William,
born November 16, 1769; Bornt, born March 25, 1771, killed
October 27, 1815; Joseph, born May 12, 1777. Bornt had the
following sons: William. Joseph, Daniel and John, of whom
John was living in 1876 at Graniteville. Daniel and Margaret,
his wife, had a son Daniel, born May 12, 1777. Cornelius and
Susan Androvet were married April 6, 1794. Joseph and Eliza
Van Pelt were married January 20, 1798. Daniel and Margaret
Jackson were married June 5, 1802. Daniel Lake made his will
October 13, 1789, proved September 4, 1792, in which he men-



550 HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY.

tions his wife Sarah, his sons Daniel and Joseph, and his grand-
son Daniel, son of his son William, deceased.

LARZELERE, The earliest mention of this name occurs in the
county records, where Jacob bought land in 1686. Nicholas
bought land in 1693; he was at one time sheriff of the county.
There was another Jacob, probably a son of Nicholas, whose
wife's name was Alice; they had a son Daniel, born June 16,
1757, and a son Benjamin, born October 22, 1761. Nicholas,
probably a brother of Jacob, whose wife's name was Sarah,
had a daughter Johanna, born January 7, 1768. Jacob and
Elsy (or Alice, the same mentioned above) had a son Rich-
ard, born June 18, 1771. Benjamin (not the one mentioned
above) was born July 6, 1740, and died October 6, 1802; he
made his will June 17, 1802, in which he mentions his wife
Sarah, and his children Benjamin, Jacob and Catharine.

The family, once an important one in the county, is now
nearly, if not quite, extinct, and it is impossible to obtain a con-
nected genealogy. There was a Reverend Jacob, a minister of
the Reformed Dutch church, in North and South Hampton,
Penn., from 1797 to 1819, who was probably connected with the
Staten Island family.

LATOURETTE. The original Latourette was a French Hugue-
not, but when he came to America is unknown. The family is
not among the earliest settlers on Staten Island. The first men-
tion of the name we have found is as follows : Jean and Maria
Mersereau had the following children : David, baptized April
24, 1726, David Latourette, sponsor; Anthony, January 24, 1730;
and Henry, January 24, 1731. Pierre La Turrete and Mariamne
Mersereau x had a son Daniel, baptized March 3, 1728, and
twin sons David and Jaques, October 31, 1780. David and
Catharine Poillon, son Jaques, baptized March 19, 1732. James,
probably one of the Jaques mentioned above, and Elizabeth,
his wife, had sons, John, born December 11, 1764; Jonathan,
born Jannary 31, 1766; and Henry, born April 22, 1775. David
and Elizabeth, his wife, had a daughter Catharine, born No-
vember 9, 1766. John and Susannah, his wife, had a son John,
born September 30, 1764. James and Mary, his wife, had a son
David, born July 7, 1786. David and Phebe Cole married No-
vember 12, 1808. Henry, of Fresh kills, weaver, made his will
January 19, 1794, proved December 30, 1794, in which he speaks
of his wife Sarah, his brother Henry, deceased, his sons Henry,



HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY. 551

John and Peter, and liis daughters Susan, wife of Peter Cole,
and Ann, wife of William de Groot. Peter's wife was Elizabeth
Androvette.

LAWRENCE. William Lawrence settled at Great St. Albans,
in Hertfordshire, England. He had three sons and one daugh-
ter : John, William. Thomas and Maria. All of these, except-
ing Thomas, embarked for America April 2, 1635, in company
with Governor Winthrop, and landed at Plymouth, Mass., in
the same year. The other brother, Thomas, came over a little
later. Not many years later they were all four living at New
Amsterdam or on Long Island. John, the oldest son, became
mayor of the city of New York in 1672, and held the same of-
fice again in 1691, and in 1692 became judge of the supreme
court, which office he held until his death in 1699. The third
son was Thomas Lawrence, born about 1624, emigrated from
England after his two brothers and sister, and. settled in Mil-
ford, Conn., in 1639. In 1655 he was living at Newtown, on
Long Island, and was town clerk of Newtown from 1659 to 1662,
and one of the patentees of Newtown of March 16, 1666, as were
three of his sons, Thomas, W 7 illiam and John, under the Dongan
patent of November 25, 1686. His wife's name was MaryTownly
and it is said she was the Mary Townly, the heiress of the
famous Townly estate in Lancashire, England. He died at New-
town in July, 1703, leaving his widow Mary and several children
surviving him. Their second son was William Lawrence, who
married, in 1676, Annetje, daughter of Sanmel Edsall, and was
a cornet of dragoons, one of the committee of safety, and one
of the council of Governor Leisler. In 1702 and until 1706 he
was one of the six who formed Lord Cornbury's council. Their
only son was William Lawrence, who resided at Newtown, on
Long Island. He married, May 26, 1727, Elizabeth, daughter
of Samuel Hallet. His will is dated December 3, 1731, and he
died December 11, 1731. Their youngest son, Dr. James Law-
i-fiice, was born March 1, 1732, married, November 29, 1753,
Anne, daughter of Charles Jaudine, a French Huguenot, lived
in New York and Staten Island, and died in New York January
9, 1804. His wife died November 15, 1807. They left no son,
but two daughters : Sarah Lawrence, born February 27, 1759,
married Joseph Ridgway, and died in February, 1823, leaving
Ann, Joseph, Mary, James and Elizabeth ; and Catharine Law-
rence, born January 18, 1763, married Jacob Winants, and died



552 HISTORY OF KICHMOND COUNTY.

January 12, 1820, leaving four children, Elizabeth, Peter,
Daniel Winant and Jacob. Jacob Winant's oldest son, Cap-
tain Peter, was born in 1784 and died at sea in 1823. He mar-
ried Miss Fannie Ellis, who was born in 1785, and died in her
82d year. They left six children, four daughters and two sons:
Mary, Catharine, Garret E., Laney, Sebastian and Sarah Ann.

LISK. This family was never very numerous on the island, and
we find little mention of it in any records. James, the earliest
mentioned, had a son John, baptized March 25, 1701. He is
also mentioned as having bought land in 1706; he had a son
Thomas, who married Catalyntje Van Pelt, and had daughters
baptized in 1729, 1731, 1739 and 1745; John, son of James, mar-
ried Rachel Haughwout, and had a son Jacob baptized Jan-
uary 2, 1728. Matthias and Anastasia had a son Moses born
December 7, 1766. John and Mary had a son Thomas born
September 19, 1756; he made his will August 24, 1793, in which
he mentions his children Thomas, Franky and Catharine.
There is an Alexander Lisk mentioned in the court records in
1724.

LOCKMAN. This is one of the oldest of the Dutch families in
the province. The lirst mention of the name is that of Govert
Lockermans (sometimes spelled Lookermans), who arrived in
America in 1633, in the carvel "St. Martyn." He was a minor
when he arrived, and came as an apprentice, bat was immedi-
ately taken into the service of the company. He soon contrived
to make himself conspicuous, especially in leading attacks on
the Indians on Staten Island and elsewhere.

The earliest mention of the name in the records occurs in 1680,
when Abraham Lakeman* is said to have owned a parcel of
woodland on the south of the Fresh kill. About this time there
were several of the name on the island Abraham, mentioned
above, whose name is found again on the records in 1684 and
1692; Lewis, who was defendant in a suit July 6, 1681; and
Peter, who sold land in 1684. These three probably were
brothers. There was an Isaac, perhaps a son of one of the
the above, of whom we only know that his wife was Catharine
Christopher, and that they had a son Lewis, baptized May 23,
1731.

Abraham, and Elizabeth his wife, had two daughters born-
Sarah in 1762, and Margaret in 1767, and a son Abraham, born
April 4, 1772. Isaac and his wife Martha had the following sons:



HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY. 553

David, born January 26. 1768; Jacob, born July 21, 1771, and
Joseph, born October 7, 1775. William and Mary, his wife, had
a daughter Sarah, born October 4, 1772. Isaac and Margaret,
his wife, had a son William, born November 24, 1772. There
was another Isaac, born 1758, and died May 1, 1814. Samuel
and Catharine Crowal were married March 16, 1790. Nathaniel
made his will December 12, 1795, proved May 24, 1803, in which
he mentions his wife Martha, his daughter Susanna, and his
sons Isaac and John. This family is also gradually dying-
out.

MANEE. Originally written Manez. This is a Westfield
family concerning which the notices, in either county or church
records, are exceedingly meager. We have found but few
shreds of its history. Peter and Mary Brooks, his wife, had a
daughter baptized August 8, 1725. Abraham and Anna Jansen,
his wife, had a son Abraham, baptized May 26, 1723. Abra-
ham and Sarah du Chesne had a daughter Sarah, baptized
March 30, 1740. Abraham had a son Isaac, baptized May 15,
1790. Peter and Mary Pryor were married January 4, 1804.
William and Elizabeth Prier were married April - , 1808.
Abraham and Mary Woglom were married October 8, 1808.
Isaac made his will May 14, 1794, proved July 18, 1794, in
which he speaks of his brothers Abraham and Peter, and
sister Hannah Prior. His will is dated on the day of his death,
at which time he was 46 years old.

JAMES M. MANEE. The progenitor of the Maiiee family on
Staten Island was Peter Manee, who, on his emigration, ob-
tained a patent for the land on which he settled on the island.
His son, Abram, was united in marriage to a Miss Johnson.
Their children were: Peter, Abram, William, Isaac, Jacob,
Deborah (who became Mrs. Edward Wier), and Ann, who never
married. William Manee, who was born in 1788 and died in
1828, married Elizabeth Prier, of Westh'eld township, and had
children: Lydia (Mrs. Louis Androuvatt), Susan (Mrs. Charles
Androuvatt), Elizabeth (Mrs. Abraham Latourett), Catherine
(Mrs. Israel La Forge), Lany (Mrs. James Totten), Mary (Mrs.
Cornelius Cole), Elsie (Mrs. John Latourett), and three sons:
William, married to Elizabeth Bedell, James M. and Abram,
whose wife was Emeline Latourett. James M. Manee was
born February 14, 1819, at Woodrow, Westfield township, and
removed with his parents to Pleasant Plains when but eight



554 HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY.

years of age. His attention having been early directed to farm-
ing, this employment was continued until 1844, when he em-
barked in oyster planting near his home at Prince's bay. Find-
ing this both a congenial and lucrative pursuit, his capital has
never been directed in other channels. Mr. Manee was on the
llth of December, 1839, married to Catherine, daughter of
Nicholas La Forge, of Staten Island. Their children are: Ellen
L., wife of David M. Ryder; James, deceased; William W.,
now a resident of Indiana; Mary Jane, wife of Francis A. Legget,
and Nicholas, deceased. Mr. Manee, as a whig and later as a
republican, was formerly active in the arena of politics. Aside
from the office of assessor of the township he has declined all
liroffers of official position. He is identified with the Bethel
Methodist Episcopal church in which he filled the office of
steward, and is still a zealous worker.

MARTLING. This name is not met with at a very early date;
when its connection with the island began is unknown; the
earliest mention of the family in our local records is in 1724,
when Isaac Martling and Anna Van Name, his wife, had a
daughter batized January 10; a son John, January 21, 1731, a
Barent Martling being present as a sponsor. He died in in-
fancy.

MARTINO. Gaston Martineau, a surgeon of Dieppe, settled
in England in 1685, and was a French refugee. He had several
sons, whose descendants still reside in England, and many of
them are distinguished. The family in America is a collateral
branch, and were in this country and on the island before Gas-
ton left France. We tind the name of Francis in our county
records as defendant in a suit with Jaques Jeyoung in 1681,
and as selling land in 1691. Francisco Martino received a pat-
ent from Governor Dongan for land in Richmond county in
1686.

Stephen was born in 1727, and died May 9, 1801; he owned and
resided on the property known now as the Poor House farm.
He was one of the corporators of the Moravian church. Ben-
jamin, brother of Stephen, w T as born in 1742, and died May 17,
1724. Benjamin, son of above, was born April 4, 1766, and died
November 20, 1814. He was father of Gabriel Martino, of
Four Corners.

Stephen was father of Gabriel Martino, of Bull's Head.



HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY. 555

MERRILL. This family have descended from Richard Merrill
and Sarah Wells, his wife, natives of Warwickshire, England,
who emigrated to America about the year 1675 and settled on
Staten Island. As their family was the only one of the name
on the island, they had among their children the following sons:
William, Richard, Thomas, Philip and perhaps John, for we
find in the Albany records the name of William as owning land
on Staten Island in 1083; Philip bought land of Richard
(father or brother ?) in 1711.

Richard married Elsie Dorian t, and had the following chil-
dren: Richard, baptized September 22, 1709, who died young;
Elsie, baptized April 1, 1708, by Dominie Freeman; Richard,
baptized 1715; Lambert, baptized January 1. 1721, and Susanna,
baptized September 13, 1724. Philip and Elizabeth Bakker
(Baker), his wife, had the following children: Catherine and
Susanna, twins, baptized July 4, 1725; Philip, baptized Febru-
ary 24, 1727; Nicholas, baptized November 24, 1728; Elisabet,
baptized Aprils, 1733, and Neeltje (Cornelia) baptized March 9,
1735. Thomas and Jenne Gewan had a son Richard no date of
baptism. John and Gertrude Simonson had a daughter, bap-
tized September 18, 1726. Of the descendants of William we
have no account.

The above are the children and grandchildren of the original
pair, so far as the church records throw any light upon the mat-
ter. Richard, son of Thomas, had the following children:
Margaretta, baptized January 1, 1738, and Annatje (Anna\ bap-
tized April 19, 1743; no others mentioned. Jan and Aeltje
(Alida) Bennet had a son Simon, and a daughter baptized on
the same day, May 6, 1745. Thomas and Eva Jones had a
daughter baptized October 31, 1756. This Thomas made his will
December 31, 1791, proved April 30, 1803, in which he mentions
his wife Eva and his sons John, Thomas and Matthew. John,
son of Thomas and Eva (known in the family as Honnis), was
born in 1742, and died December 19, 1826. His wife's name was
Charity. Thomas (known as "Sawmill Thomas"), son of John
and Eva, had a son John, baptized August 17, 1788.

There was a John, Jr., who had a daughter, baptized No-
vember 7, 1790, and John Y., who was bora in 1770, and died
June 6, 1858, but they are probably distinct persons; John,
Jr., niore probably was the son of Joseph and Martha, and was
born April 4, 1765. Joseph also had a daughter Mary, born



556 HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY.

January 16, 1763. John and Ann his wife had a daughter bap-
tized November 7, 1753. Lambert (son of Richard and Elsie)
and Tabitha, had a son Richard, born July 9, 1765; a son Jon-
athan, born May 24, 1774; a daughter Tabitha, born February
18, 1770, who married Capt. John W. Blake, and died January
12, 1861, aged nearly 91 years; also a daughter Elsie, born 1768,
married John Hillyer 1785, and was the mother of Hon. Law-
rence Hillyer and Hon. John B. Hillyer.

William and Ann Merrill were married in August, 1776;
Abraham and Ann Merrill were married October 3, 1790; Mary,
widow of - - Merrill, made her will January 10, 1789, proved
November 30, 1789; reference has been made to this will before,
and the bequest made to her daughter Mary, the wife of Na-
thaniel Robins.

The family was once numerous, and have largely intermarried
with other families of the island. The property belonging to
them in Northh'eld was extensive, and a part of it is still in the
possession of some of them. The public road known as Lam-
bert's lane, leading to Watchogne, was named from Lambert
Merrill, mentioned above.

MERSEREATT. John Mersereau was a native of France, and a
Protestant. In his youth he was possessed of extraordinary
physical strength. He studied law, but disliking the confine-
ment of study, he learned the trade of a saddler, which he sub-
sequently carried on extensively. He died young, and left
three sons Joshua, Paul and Daniel and two daughters,
Mary and Martha. These children, with their mother, fled
from France to England in 1685, immediately after the Revoca-
tion, and subsequently all except Paul continued their flight
to America. They had intended to settle at Philadelphia, but
they were driven to New York by stress of weather. They
settled on Staten Island, where their mother died, and was
buried in the French church yard (on the Seaman farm, West-
field).

Daniel was a tailor; Joshua married a Latourette, and died
May 23, 1756, aged over 93 years. They had a son Joshua,
who was born May 18, 1696, and died July 9, 1769; his wife was
Maria Corsen (sometimes written Mary), daughter of Jacob
Corsen; she was born October 24, 1704, and died July 3, 1763.
Their children were : Joshua, born September 26, 1728, died
June 10, 1804; Jacob, born April 23, 1730, died September 7,



HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY. 557

1804; John, born March 2, 1732, died ; Elizabeth, born Jan-
uary 4, 1734, died in infancy; David, born November 10, 1735,

died July 19, 1763; Mary, born January 14, 1738, died ;

Cornelius, born July 27, 1739, died July 27, 1814; Paul, born
February 23, 1741, died January 26, 1823; Elizabeth, born No-
vember 26, 1742, died - ; Rachel, born February 27, 1746,
died July, 1769.

Jacob made his will July 16, 1804, proved September 18,
1804, in which he speaks of his wife Charity, and his children
John, and Mary, wife of Thomas Cnbberly; Elizabeth, wife of
Daniel De Hart; Sophia, wife of John Crocheron; Jacob, David,
and Peter. He was the Col. Jacob Mersereau whose escape
from the British during the revolution, is alluded to elsewhere.
His son Jacob was the father of John T. and Alfred Merserean,
of Graniteville. His son Peter, born in 1788, was member of
assembly in 1845. Col. Jacob had also a son John by his first
marriage, who married a Cruser, and lived in an old stone house,
on the turn of the road west of the Snug Harbor, and was
father-in-law to the late Judge Abraham Crocheron.

Paul, son of Joshua and Maria Corsen, married Elizabeth
Barnes, born April 21, 1751, died May 26, 1833. Their children
were : Joshua, born February 7, 1773, died March 7, 1847;
Nancy, born April 4, 1775, died November 30, 1851; Mary,
born February 2, 1777, died June 6, 1858; Elizabeth, born June
20, 1779, died May 8, 1855; Rachel, born June 30, 1781, died
February 23, 1863; Paul, born March 14, 1784, died July 21,
1856; Margaret, born March 27, 1787; Gertrude, born November
30, 1789.

Joshua, son of Paul and Elizabeth, married Deborah Britfon,
January 7, 1801. She was born August 4, 1782, and died
March 26, 1840. Their children were : Nathaniel, born October
18, 1802, died in infancy; Paul, born September 20, 1804;
Mary, born January 29, 1807; - - twins, born January 19,
1810; Cornelius, born May 12, 1811; Joshua, born January 28,
1814; Elsey, born August 30, 1817, deceased; Elizabeth, born
May 5, 1820, deceased; Debora, born April 7, 1823; John, born
May 28, 1826, died in infancy, and Margaret.

Thus far we have traced but one branch of the family; what
notices we have found in the public records, of other branches,
we give indiscriminately.

There was a John mentioned in the county records in 1730;



558 HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY.

lie was probably the same with Jean, whose wife's name was
Craage; they had a son Joshua baptized February, 1731, and
subsequently a son Daniel. This Daniel married Cornelia A T an-
derbilt, and had a son John, baptized March 4, 1859. Etienne
(Stephen) and Ann Mitchell had a son Daniel baptized, no date;
a daughter January 1, 1735, and a son named Richard, May, 1740.
There was a Joshua who had a son Harmanus baptized June
8, 1788. There was a Paul here as early as 1728, sponsor at a
baptism. Peter and Rebecca his wife had the following children:
Sarah, born March 23, 1769; Daniel, born August 27, 1771, died
July 16, 1855, and John, baptized November, 1775. Peter died
June 16, 1803, born 1734. There was a John born December,
1737, died July 30, 1811. John and Charity had a son John
born April 13, 1757; son Lawrence March 28, 1761. Paul and
Frances had a son John born May 2, 1759. Stephen and Lydia
had the following children: Sarah, born September 8, 1766;
Daniel, born December 6, 1768, and Stephen, bom February
14, 1774. Joshua and Mary had: Stephen, born May 5, 1770;
and Joshua, baptized September 6, 1772. Daniel and Susan had
a daughter Ann baptized July 6, 1789. Daniel and Ann had a
daughter Cornelia baptized June 26, 1791. Henry and Eliza La-
forge were married September 6, 1790. Jacob and Mary Croch-
eron were married Septembers, 1798. Daniel and Alida Lake
were married October 6, 1798. Daniel and Eliza Winant were
married February 8, 1800. Stephen and Lanah (Helen) Winant
were married November 21, 1802. John and Ann Parlee were
married December 31, 1803. Joshna and Susannah Story were
married December 10, 1805. Peter Mersereau made his will
May 6, 1800 (proved July 25, 1803) in which he alludes to his
wife without naming her, and mentions his children Elizabeth,
Rebecca, Catharine, Ann, Sarah, Daniel and William.

Among the prominent citizens of Staten Island of the past,
may be mentioned the late David Mersereau, Esq. He was born
about the year 1769, and died in April, 1835, aged sixty-six
years. His remains lie in the burial ground of the Reformed
church at Port Richmond Early in life he married Cornelia,
the daughter of Abraham Rolf, who owned property in New
Brighton, through the middle of which the public road called
Burger avenue now runs. Shortly after his marriage he re-
moved to Currituck, Virginia, where he opened a store, which,
under the management of his wife, proved a success, Mr. Mer-



HISTORY OF RICHMOND COUNTY. 559

sereau himself being occupied with other pursuits. He re-
mained at the South several years. On his return north, he and
his family embarked on a small schooner, encountered a violent
storm, which capsized the vessel, and all except Mr. Mersereau
were drowned. For forty-eight hours he clung to his precarious
support on the keel of the capsized vessel, until a passing
Philadelphia vessel rescued him.

In November, 1779, he purchased of his father-in-law Rolf
the property above mentioned, containing one hundred and
forty acres. The farm house, built by the father of Mr. Rolf,
stood near the site of the present mansion house of Mrs. Be-
ment, and after the fashion of the day was constructed of stone,
long and lo\v.

On this farm Mr. Mersereau built a tannery, which he placed
under the superintendeucy of Stephen Wood. The tanner's
house stood on, or very near the site of the residence of A. \V.
Sexton, and the remains of the vats were visible until recently.
Mr. Mersereau' s second wife was Maria Bennett of Long Island,
a sister of the wife of the late Rev. P. I. Van Pelt, D. D. By
her he had but one child, a daughter, who married Henry P.
Heberton, Esq., of Philadelphia, and they were the parents of
Mrs. C. J. Good and her sister, Mrs. Curry, of Port Rich-
mond.

Besides the farm already mentioned, Mr. Mersereau was the
owner of several large and valuable parcels of real estate. At
one time he owned all those lots lying between*the Mill road
and the pond, and extending from the Shore road to the Post
farm. He also owned the mill afterward known as Bodine's
mill, and the property adjacent; he built another mill at the
termination of the Old Place road; the two brick houses on the
Shore road, Port Richmond, were built by In'd Ryers for his
two daughters and subsequently bought by Mr. Mersereau, who
lived and died in one and sold the other to Dr. Van Pelt. They
are now owned by Owen and Edward McSorley, who occupy