The past couple of weeks have reminded me of trying to follow about 5 different conversations at the same time. (:>) During our discussion of 75-Richard Sackett and his family I had an exchange of messages with John Wolcott who mentioned an incident involving Richard's son, John Sackett and a disagreement with Lt. Thomas Wolcott over some property in Dutchess County: "... Lt. Thomas Wolcott, b. 1702 Windsor CT, d. Taghanic NY. ... moved to Dutchess Co. New York, leased land from Cadwallader Colden in "The Oblong"; in 1749 he engaged in legal dispute over ownership of this land with John Sackett ..." When I asked John Wolcott about the dispute he responded with "...the land dispute, it was actually between John Sackett and Cadwallader Colden (not the governor but another of the same name). Thomas Wolcott was Colden's tenant and John Sackett came to his house with an ax and started chopping down his house. ... I don't remember the source for this." This got me involved in researching the history of Dutchess County and the Nine Little Partners land claim. General History of Dutchess County, From 1609 to 1876, Inclusive. by Philip H. Smith; Pawling, NY; 1877; p. 110-111 "... Armenia Village, The City, Wassaic, Amenia Union, South Amenia, Leedsville, and Sharon Station are post villages. Richard Sackett was here several years before any other setlement was made, probably about the year 1711. He located at the "Steel Works," about one mile south to the village of Wassaic, so called because a furnace and foundar were established there during the Revolution, to manufacture steel for the use of the army. The site of the works is still covered by coal dust and cinders. Mr. Sackett was connected with the Livingstons in the settlement of the Palatinates at German or East Camp, now Germantown, Columbia County. In the Colonial Records we read: "March 11, 1703, Richard Sackett petitioned government for license to purchase (of the Indians) a tract of land in Dutchess County, east of Hudson's River, called Washiack." "Oct. 20, 1703, license granted." "Nov. 2, 1704, patent granted to Richard Sackett & Co., for Page 111 said land, containing about 7,500 acres, or thereabouts." Mr. Sackett was one of the company known as the Little Nine Partners. He died in 1746, and was buried on the hill, in a little cemetery not far from his residence. At the time that he established his family in Amenia, there was not another white family nearer than Paughkeepsie, or Woodbury and New Mil- ford, in Connecticut. Uldrick Winegar and his son, Capt. Garrett Winegar, were the next settlers. they were of the Palatinates at East Camp, and located at Amenia Union about the year 1724, where they entered upon land without any title, except from the Indians. Afterward, when the Oblong was confirmed to New York, and surveyed, he received a title from the proprietors of that tract. It is worthy of note that no mention was made of any block- house, or any defense against the Indians, put up by these early settlers, though isolated for many years from any other white settlements; while in Litchfield, between 1720 and 1730, there were five houses sur- rounded by palisades, and soldiers were stationed there to guard the inhab- itants while at work, and at worship on the Sabbath. ..." Page 112 "The first highway from - Salisbury was from Weatague through Lakevill, Ore Hill, Sharon Balley and Sackett's Farm in Dover, showing the intercourse of these Dutch families. The first important immigration to this town was not until the year 1740, and it appears that ten years afterward the popula- tion was sufficient to encourage the people to institute public worship in three places. ..." Among the interesting things in the above account are the statement that some of the settlers located on the land without title and the relative peace between the Indians and the white settlers. Information at; http://www.rootsweb.com/~nylnphs/V0/index.htm Little Nine Partners Historical Society (NY) Gives an explaination for this; "Until the land was surveyed, actual title could not be given. The Little Nine Partners Patent, encompassing the present Town of Pine Plains, had been granted in 1706 but was not surveyed until 1743, at which time it was divided into sixty-three lots. The deed of partition is dated October 19, 1744. By this time, many of the original patentees had died, so the rightful heir or other person or persons so designated had then to be determined. In the meantime, settlers, many from the Palatine in Germany had begun to enter the region and squat on these lands." It appears that the Little Nine Partners did not all move onto the patent and there was no concern about title until others began to settle on the land. "Although title could not be given until the land was surveyed, patentees could, and in many cases did, reassign their shares or portions thereof. In 1741, Richard Sackett, one of the original patentees, went so far as to have a parcel of three hundred acres of his choice surveyed in order to sell to settler Johan Tise (also Hontise) Smith, apparently with the sanction of the other patentees. This was not a customary practice, however, and it is not surprising that it did not hold. Lot twelve in the patent, which included the land conveyed by Sackett to Smith, was assigned to Robert Lurting when the patent was partitioned in 1744, and Smith ultimately settled on other land in the vicinity. " So the Little Nine Partners title claims began to be questioned and as a result Richard Sackett's holdings were called into question. At the same time it appears that Richard had a good relationship with the Indians and others in the region. But it appears that his son, John Sackett, was not so agreeable: "In the Little Nine Partners Patent, Richard Sackett had promised the Shekomeko Indians that their land would remain undisturbed by white settlement, and indeed, in the document conveying the three hundred acres of land to Johan Tise Smith, the existence of a wigwam is mentioned and thus the claim of the Indians is respected. Maybe the settlers became resentful of the prospect that they would lose their rights to the lands they had been squatting upon, but the Indians would be allowed to stay, or maybe they feared the Indians laying claim to the same land they claimed, and this aggravated an already uneasy situation. Finally, there was the matter of the French and Indian War, and John Sackett, Richard's son. John Sackett was not as magnanimous as his father when it came to the Indians of Shekomeko. When the land of the patent was being surveyed, John, representing his father, began spreading rumors that the Shekomeko Indians were dangerous and that the patent could not be safely surveyed because of them. Did he really believe this? Regardless of his motives for this attack, the settlers apparently believed it. " This might help to explain something about the man who attacked another man's house with an ax. Regards, Thurmon

GREAT SITE they work very hard to get records online.. Jill ABSTRACT of PROBATE RECORDS OF THE DISTRICT OF STAMFORD, COUNTY OF FAIRFIELD, AND STATE OF CONNECTICUT, 1729-1802 by SPENCER P. MEAD, L.L.B., of the New York Bar. MEMBER OF THE SONS OF THE REVOLUTION, AND SOCIETY OF COLONIAL WARS. AUTHOR OF YE HISTORIE OF GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT, PUBLISHED IN 1911, AND THE HISTORY AND GENEALOGY OF THE MEAD FAMILY, PUBLISHED IN 1901. 1919 http://www.rootsweb.com/~ctfairfi/pages/probate/ctfairfi_stamprob004.htm Sackett, Elizabeth, Mrs., [Elizabeth Kirkland, widow of Richard Sackett] late of Greenwich, inventory taken Sept. 13, 1739, by Thomas Marshall, Daniel Smith, and Israel Knapp, and filed Jan. 4, 1740, by Nathaniel Sackett and Gershom Lockwood, Jr., administrators, page 301. Oct. 2, 1739, Nathaniel Sackett, made choice of Jabez Mead to be his guardian, page 101. Sackett, Nathaniel, and his wife Elizabeth Sackett, both deceased, late of Greenwich, Apr. 24, 1769, William Bush the guardian of the minor children William, Elizabeth, Charity, and Ann, asked the court to appoint commissioners for the purpose of partitioning said estate, page 329. Sackett, Nathaniel, late of Greenwich, Dec. 6, 1760, bond of Henry Bush of Greenwich, guardian of Richard, Henry, John and Ann, children of decedent. Dec. 6, 1760, bond of William Bush of Greenwich, guardian of William, Elizabeth, Charity and Justus, other children of decedent. Sackett, Nathaniel, late of Greenwich, inventory taken Jan. 20, 1761, by Jabez Mead and Nathan Reynolds, and filed May 5, 1761, by Joseph Sackett, page 285. Sackett, Nathaniel, late of Greenwich, Jan. 12, 1761, letters of administration on his estate granted to Joseph Sackett, page 215. Sackett, Solomon, late of Greenwich, Dec. 2, 1794, letters of administration on his estate granted to Nathaniel Sackett, who was ordered to advertise for claims, page 268. Sackett, Solomon, late of Greenwich, inventory taken by Oliver Ferris and William Knapp and filed Jan. 29, 1795 by Nathaniel Sackett, administrator, page 112. Sackett, William, late of Greenwich, Dec. 26, 1783, letters of administration on his estate granted to Justus Sackett, page 337. Sackett, William, late of Greenwich, Mar. 1, 1788, inventory taken by Nathaniel Mead and John Knapp, and filed Jan. 23, 1789, by Justus Sackett, executor, page 162. Jan. 23, 1789, report of commissioners to adjust claims filed, page 168. Sackett, William, late of Greenwich, will dated July 9, 1776, probated Apr. 6, 1784, mentions his brothers Richard, John, Justus, sisters Elizabeth, Charity, and Ann. Executor brother Justus Sackett. Witnesses Nathaniel Palmer, John Lockwood, and John Mead, page 456. Sept. 12, 1786, commissioners appointed to adjust claims of creditors, page 825. Jill