TitleAdolph Philipse estate records
NamesReade, Joseph, 1694-1771 (Creator)
Dates / OriginDate Created: 1749 - 1767
Library locationsManuscripts and Archives DivisionShelf locator: MssCol 2412
TopicsPhilipse, Adolph -- EstateExecutors and administratorsLandownersMerchantsPoliticiansInventories of decedents' estates -- New York (State)Personal property -- New York (State)Slavery -- New York (State)New York (State) -- History -- Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775Sleepy Hollow (N.Y.) -- History
Genresaccount booksRecords (Documents)
NotesBiographical/historical: Adolph Philipse (1665-1750) was a wealthy New York City merchant and politician with extensive landholdings in the lower Hudson River Valley. Baptised Adolphus, he was the second son of New York City merchant Frederick Philipse, first Lord of the Manor of Philipsborough in Westchester County, known as Philipsburg Manor.The manor extended from Spuyten Duyvil up to the Croton River, along the east bank of the Hudson River. Upon his father's death, Adolph Philipse inherited the upper portion of the manor, northwards from Dobbs Ferry, while his nephew Frederick Philipse inherited the lower portion. The "Upper Mills," located at present-day Sleepy Hollow, was an important hub of farming and mercantile activity. Philipse also held a large tract of land to the north called the Highland Patent, then part of Dutchess County. In addition to managing his business affairs and land holdings, Adolph Philipse held important positions in the provincial government, serving as a member of the Governor's Council and as Speaker of the General Assembly. He died intestate on January 20, 1749 (1750 New Style). Joseph Reade (1694-1771), the estate's administrator, was a merchant, a member of the Governor’s Council, and the husband of Adolph Philipse's niece Anna French.Content: The Adolph Philipse estate records, dated 1749 to 1767, consist of a bound notebook maintained by Joseph Reade as administrator of the estate of Adolph Philipse, from January 24, 1749 (1750 New Style) to August 19, 1763, comprising a detailed inventory of his personal estate at properties in Manhattan and at Philipsburg Manor in Westchester County, with related accounts. The inventory lists cash and other valuables, outstanding debts, household belongings, and other property. Individual slaves at both locations are identified. Reade attested the records in 1767.
The inventory of the goods, rights, chattel and credits of the estate begins at New York, dated January 24, 1749 (1750 New Style). It lists cash and other valuables, outstanding debts, slaves, and household belongings and other goods pertaining to a house, its yard, and a storehouse in New Street. The inventory continues February 12, 1749 "on the manour of Philipsburgh." A list of slaves and livestock is followed by the belongings and goods in each room of a working residence, the mill, and other buildings at the Upper Mills. The inventory was signed by Joseph Reade at New York two months later, on April 24, 1750. The accounts identify expenditures and receipts from January 25, 1749 (1750 New Style) to settlement of the accounts on April 19, 1763. Items include estate expenses, debt payments, transactions with tenants, and the sale of many of the items listed in the inventory. These include silverware, furnishings, cloth and clothing, working equipment, farm produce and livestock, and wampum, reflecting Philipse's mercantile and farming endeavors, and associated wealth. The sale of slaves and expenses for their livelihood are also recorded. Enslaved persons at both locations are listed by name, gender and sometimes age.Funding: Digitization was made possible by a lead gift from The Polonsky Foundation.Content: In the store house in New Street folio 16: The page includes the list of enslaved at the upper mills site including men, women, boys, a girl, men unfit to work.
Physical DescriptionExtent: .2 linear feet (1 volume)
DescriptionAdolph Philipse (1665-1750) was a wealthy New York City merchant and politician with extensive landholdings in the lower Hudson River Valley. Baptised Adolphus, he was the second son of New York City merchant Frederick Philipse, first Lord of the Manor of Philipsborough in Westchester County, known as Philipsburg Manor. Adolph Philipse held important positions in the provincial government, serving as a member of the Governor's Council and as Speaker of the General Assembly. He died intestate on January 20, 1749 (1750 New Style). Joseph Reade (1694-1771), the estate's administrator, was a merchant, a member of the Governor's Council, and the husband of Adolph Philipse's niece Anna French. The Adolph Philipse estate records, dated 1749 to 1767, consist of a bound notebook maintained by Joseph Reade as administrator of the estate of Adolph Philipse, from January 24, 1749 (1750 New Style) to August 19, 1763, comprising a detailed inventory of the estate at properties in Manhattan and at Philipsburg Manor, with related accounts. The inventory lists cash and other valuables, outstanding debts, household belongings, and other property. Individual slaves at both locations are identified. Reade attested the records in 1767.
Type of ResourceText
LanguagesEnglish
IdentifiersNYPL catalog ID (B-number): b19552512MSS Unit ID: 2412Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 46ebd720-24e4-0133-9501-58d385a7b928
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