54 HISTORY OF BROOKLYN.

conveyed by Wouter Van Pelt to Peter Bergen, who divided it between his sons Martenus, and Peter.

“The land in difference between Simon Axison1 (de Hart) and Ariaen Willemse Bennet,” continued in possession of the former, who, on the 2d of November, 1696, obtained from Governor Fletcher a confirmatory patent covering “the land in difference” and the plot noted on the map as “sold to Simon Arison,” which lands, a few years ago, comprised the farms of Simon Bergen and that of John S. Bergen, and are distinguished on Butts' map as lands of J. Morris, John S. Bergen, John F. Delaplaine aud others.2 They descended first to Simon, junior, a son of the first Simon; then to his son Simon, who, dying without issue, devised them to his sister Geertjo, who married Simon Bergen. Simon Bergen resided on the premises prior to and in the beginning of the American Revolution, when he was accidentally shot, in 1777, “by a musket he was buying of a sailor, and died from loss of blood.” The accident is said to have happened close to and in front of the old De Hart or Bergen house, described on page 52. After the death of Simon Bergen, the plantation was divided between his sons Simon, junior, and John S.; the former taking the portion (between Thirty-seventh and Fortieth streets) on which the old house is located, in which he resided for some years, until he finally built a more commodious one on the adjoining heights, after which the old one was used by tenants. After the death of Simon, junior, his daughter Leah, the wife of Jacob Morris, inherited the portion of the farm on which the old house is located, in which she resided until within a few years ago, when, in consequence of the increased value of the property, caused by the rapid strides made by the city, she was induced to dispose of it.

The lands designated on Graham’s map as “in possession of

1. Simon Aertsen (de HART) emigrated to America in 1664, and settled at Gowanos, where he bought, probably within a short time after his arrival, a portion of the Bennet and Bentyn farm. On the death of his first wife, Geertie (Gertrude) Cornelissen, lie married (June, 1691) Annatie, the widow of William Huycken of Gowanus. According to tradition, he wag the builder of the De Hart or Bergen house, described on page 52, of which we find mention made as early as 1679 (see Coll. L. 1. Hist. Soc., 1., 122), which descended, with the plantation, to his eldest son, Simon.

2. See note 1 on page 50, and note 1 on page 51.