Robert Harpur Autographed Signed Document
Manuscript Collection 428

Autographed document signed by Robert Harpur (b. 1731, d. 1825).
4pp. (2 leaves), 7½" x 12½", New York, NY, dated 1786 January 27.
Two page transcript of a 1693 legal description of land owned by William "Tangier" Smith, "Lord" of the Manor at St. George in Mastic; a one-page survey map of this same tract; and a statement testifying to the need for and veracity of this transcript.

Acquired from Main Street Fine Books & Manuscripts in April 2009.
Processed by Kristen J. Nyitray, Head of Special Collections and University Archives, May 2009.

Collection Description

Robert Harpur, a Revolutionary War patriot, was a librarian, professor mathematics and natural philosophy, and tutor at King's College (now Columbia University) from 1761 to 1775; from 1777 to 1784 he was a member of the New York Assembly; and from 1778 to 1795 was Deputy Secretary of State. He was born in Ballyba, County Monaghan, Ireland on January 25, 1731 and eventually settled in Binghamton, New York. The State University of New York at Binghamton was originally named Harpur College in his honor.

This collection consists of a two page transcript of a 1693 legal land description, a one page survey map of this same tract, and a statement testifying to the need for and veracity of this transcript signed by Harpur. The land tract in question concerns William "Tangier" Smith (1655-1705), an English-born mayor of Tangier, Morocco and an early Long Island settler and land speculator. Titled "Pursuant to his Excelly The Governours Warrant bearing Date ye. 19th of this Instant September 1693," these detailed two pages describe the perimeters of a large piece of land in what is now Brookhaven Town, a survey performed by the Surveyor-General of the Province, Augustus Graham. The history of this tract is as follows: On May 25, 1691 Smith purchased a large area of land from John Mayhew, the Sachem (chief) of the Setalcott People who had adopted an English name and leader of the Unkechaug Nation, between the Mastic River to the east, the Connecticut River to the west, the Bay to the south and "Country Road" (present-day "Middle Country Road" or "Route 25") to the north. On October 9, 1693 Governor Benjamin Fletcher granted Smith a patent for this land, which became the Manor of St. George. (Fletcher was later charged with bestowing excessive land grants.) This document is an 18th century copy of the original 17th century survey that Smith commissioned after receiving Fletcher's official land grant. The areas documented on the map include: "Country Road" (Middle Country Road); "Yaphank"; "Conneticutt River"; "East Conneticutt River"; "Seponack"; "Unquachock"; Floyds Neck; "Eburns" or "Snake Neck"; "Mastick"; "Mastick River"; "Hog Neck"; "Head of Mastick"; "Puncatawe Neck"; and "Snakes River."

The third page of the document reads:
"In page 1, the 12th line, there is a Blank left, and in the 30th line a smaller Blank denoting that the original at those two places, (and also in line 32 of same page where after mar is another small Blank) cannot be read owing to the decay of the paper -- Those three Blanks being thus noted I certify the aforegoing Return of Survey and Map to be true Copies of their respective Originals filed in the Secretarys Office of the State of New York Examined and Compared therewith...." Boldly signed "By me Rob. Harpur" (a large signature) and with the title ("D. Secry.").