Saturday, October 22, 2016

The Wileman Patent and Peter DuBois

An earlier post discussed the 1760 Farm of Samuel Campbell (Joel Campbell's father) that was situated on the southern border of the Wileman Patent.

The Wileman Patent was a rectangular parcel of 3,000 acres that was located in what is now the northeast corner of the current Town of Montgomery, Orange County, New York. At the time Samuel located to this property, it was in Wallkill Precinct, Ulster County, New York.

The parcel was named after Henry Wileman who acquired the "patent" in 1712. By the time Samuel Campbell was farming this land in 1765, the ownership had transferred to Henry Wileman's step-grandson, Peter DuBois.

No deed has been found that contains any transaction between Samuel Campbell and Peter DuBois. It appears Samuel did own the property (versus tenant farming) as he bequeathed it to his son, Daniel, in his will of 1773. However, by 1794, the heirs of Peter DuBois are again in possession of the property and a deed was recorded of the sale of the property to Robert Beattie. There is more on this transaction in the recent book on Joel Campbell.

Peter DuBois fled from Ulster County in 1776 when the War for Independence broke out. He would never return to his home on the Wallkill River. His life was an interesting one and is described in a recent article (by yours truly) in the Orange County Historical Society Journal.

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