Gerrit, son of Symon Volckertse, married in 1690 Tryntje, daughter of Helmer Otten.
They had eight children — four sons and four daughters, all of whom lived to maturity.
Through this marriage in addition to other property, be obtained possession of lots in the village on the north and west corners of Union and Church streets, which remained in the family several generations. (204-1) The lot on the west corner came to him by Otten's purchase from Van Woggelum; that on the north corner was purchased by Reyer Schermerhorn, of Ludovicus Cobes; — 100 feet on Union street and 223 feet on Church street. By his will he divided this lot into four smaller ones and gave to his sons Hendrikus and Symon the lot on the corner, 50 by 180 feet, to his daughter Catriena, the lot of the same size next west having a front on Union street of 50 feet; — to Cornelis a lot on Church street 40 by 100 feet 180 feet north of Union street and another 51 x 100 feet north of Cornelis' lot to Hendrikus and Symon. A large portion of these lots fronting on Church street belonged to the estate of the late Col. Stephen Yates.
December 9, 1718, the Dutch Church conveyed to him a lot on the south side of State street, "bounded north by the street, 52 feet, east by the lot Folkert Symonse [Veeder, his brother] 142 feet, west by the lot of Adam Smit 140 feet, and south by land belonging to the afore mentioned churcb 44 1/2 feet wood measure." (204-2) Subsequently this lot came into the possession of Thomas Brouwer Bancker, who built upon it the house now occupied by Mr. John Lake and a blacksmith shop next east, which portion now belongs to the estate of James Walker deceased.
Besides the above lots within the village, Gerrit Symonse owned sever parcels of land on the bouwland among which were the two farms numbered nine, patented to his father, four small gardens on the lowland between Mill creek and the canal and the mill privilege at "Veeder's mill" and the land adjacent.
He built a mill at this locality quite early. On the 19th Feb. 1717/8, he received title to the lands on both sides of the creek, (then called Sand kil) from Vrooman's mill-right (at the Brandywine mill) to and north of the gasworks on Centre street; this conveyance gave him 100 yards on each side of the creek, and that portion lying between the mill and the city along Centre street was called "Symon's meadow." (205-1)
In 1762 the Veeders obtained from Isaac Vrooman (the owner of the Brandywine mill lot) a conveyance of 600 yards of land and stream above "Veeders mill" and this remained in the family until 1812, when Judge Gerrit S. Veeder conveyed the mill right and land at the "cotton factory" so called, to the "Schenectady Manufacturing Company."
He made his will in which be was joined by his wife, Mar. 12, 1746/7, proved July 8, 1755 (205-2), — making the following disposition of his estate:
"To his eldest son Helmer the hindmost lot of lowland [No. 9], which he now has in possession, — 12 morgens more or less, — lying between the land of Harmanus Vedder and Sander Glen, except a morgen that lies on the Kings' highway [River road], — item two gardens lying next Cornelis Vielen's pasture, that part next Ephraim Smith's; — item those two gardens which lie next above the foregoing gardens, which came from his grandmother" [Otten] (205-3) to Henderikus his "corn mill and half part of the saw mill, with the house, barn, stables and all belonging thereto lying on the Zant kil, — the whole pasture as it lies in fence called the vley belonging to the right of the above written house and mills excepting six morgens of the above written vley beginning at the village and next the pasture of Jan Barentse Wempel;" — to his son Symon "the six morgens of the vley above mentioned," (205-4) — to sons Hendrikes and Seymon "four morgens of lowland lying in the Hoeck on the bouwland [part of foremost farm No. 9] next the path or Kings highway; also my house and part of the lot in the village of Schenectady next the new Dutch church, on the corner of the street [north corner of Union and Church streets] (206-1), being in breadth on the south side [on Union street] fifty feet and in length along the [Church] street on the east one hundred and thirty feet to the lot which I below give to our son Cornelis, and a lot on which my barn stands, being fifty feet broad along the [Church] street on the east side and one hundred feet long to the lot of Nicolas Groot, all Amsterdam measure; — to my four daughters Engeltie, Ariaantje, Annatie and Magdalena, all the rest and remainder of my land in the Hoeck which I have not above devised, being four morgens to each one equal morgen; — to son Cornelis, a lot lying in the aforesaid village near the new Church, lying to the south of the lot and barn that I gave above to my son Symon and Hendrikes, in breadth on the east side along the [Church] street forty feet and length from the street to the lot of Nicolas Groot one hundred feet; — to our sons Hendrikes and Seymon and Gerrit, son of our son Helmer I give all our land in the Jersey at a place called the Ganse Gat; — to Catharina Vedder, daughter of my daughter Engeltie, wife of Johannes Albertse Vedder a lot of ground lying between the house and lot of Nicolas Groot and the house and lot which I have herein above devised to our sons Hendrikes and Seymon being in breadth on the south side [on Union street] fifty feet and in length on both sides one hundred and thirty feet to the lot above devised to my son Cornelis, — a little pasture remaining from the pastures which we herein above have devised to our son Helmer as it lies in fence next to Cornelis Vielen's pasture and the church pasture and Jan Vrooman's in the corner where they go into the vley; also a morgen of woodland lying on the hill next the mill-right to the south of Jan Barentse [Wemps] woodland, which sometime ago was cleared, also a morgen of lowland lying on the road on the hindmost lot of lowland [No. 9] hereinabove devised to my son Helmer on condition that my son Helmer shall have a waggon way over this morgen of land from his bouwland; and our sons Hendrikes and Symon shall have the right to drive their waggons to the saw and corn mills through the little pasture as the path now runs through it; to Gerrit Van Antwerpen, four feet in breadth of ground lying by his house and lot on the south side thereof and one hundred feet long. (206-2)
Gerrit Symonse Feb. 9, 1733/4, conveyed half of his sawmill to his son Wilhelmus [Helmers?], who lived just south of the mill near the Veeder burying ground. (206-3)
Notes
(204-1) By the contract between Helmer Otten's widow and Jan Janse Bleecker and Hans Hendrickse, guardians for her daughter Catryna, made July 1, 1676, said widow, agreed to pay her daughter as soon as she was of age or married, "ye somme of 225 whole beaver skins for the payment of which said Ariaantje doth bind the farm [No. 4] at Schenectady," &c. The money in Holland was to be equally divided between mother and daughter, — a very comfortable estate for a young woman in those times — Veeder Papers.
(204-2) Church and Veeder Papers.
(205-1) Dutch Church and Veeder Papers.
(205-2) Will in Court of Appeals office.
(205-3) These four gardens lay between Mill creek and the canal.
(205-4) These six morgens of land commencing at or near the "Coehorn kil" on Centre street and extending southward, on the death of Symon without issue were the occasion of much doubt as to the interpretation of his father's will; they were in the end sold to James Willson, merchant.
(206-1) This house and lot on the death of Symon without issue came to Hendricus, who by will made 3 Mar., 1790, devised it to his daughter Catharina, wife of Jellis J. Fonda. — Veeder Papers.
(206-2) Gerrit Symonse's will.
(206-3) Deeds, VII.