Holland Purchase
Encyclopedia
The Holland Purchase was a large tract of land in what is now the western portion of the U.S. state
of New York
. It consisted of about 3,250,000 acres (13,000 km²) of land from a line approximately 12 miles (19 km) to the west of the Genesee River
to the present western border and boundary of New York State.
The land bought by the Holland Land Company
was formed in 1796 by Wilheim Willink
and a group of fellow Dutch
bankers from Robert Morris
. The bankers initially had hired trustees in the United States
, because it was not legal at that time for them to directly own the property. Robert Morris, however, prevailed upon the New York Legislature to repeal that ordinance, which it did shortly thereafter. In recent years, the term Buffalo-Niagara has become popular (particularly north of the Cattaraugus Creek
), and has become the name given to the local airport
. The name Western New York
can refer to the region, but this term can also include the areas in the Phelps and Gorham Purchase
as well.
A sales office
for the Holland Land Company was opened in 1801 by surveyor and agent Joseph Ellicott
in Batavia
where land was sold until 1846 when the company was dissolved. Some plots of land were given to persons upon condition that they establish improvements, such as inns and taverns, to encourage growth. The office still exists and is a museum of the Holland Purchase, designated a National Historic Landmark
.
In 1802, the entire Holland Purchase, as well as the 500,000 acre (2,000 km²) Morris Reserve
immediately to the east, was split off from Ontario County
and reconstituted as Genesee County
. In the ensuing 40 years after it was formed, Genesee County was repeatedly split to form all or parts of the counties of Allegany
(1806), Niagara
(1808), Cattaraugus
(1808), Chautauqua
(1808), Erie
(1821), Monroe
(1821), Livingston
(1821), Orleans
(1824), and Wyoming
(1841).
Other related regions:
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. It consisted of about 3,250,000 acres (13,000 km²) of land from a line approximately 12 miles (19 km) to the west of the Genesee River
Genesee River
The Genesee River is a North American river flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides hydroelectric power for downtown Rochester....
to the present western border and boundary of New York State.
The land bought by the Holland Land Company
Holland Land Company
The Holland Land Company was a purchaser of the western two-thirds of the western New York land tract known as the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. This tract was known thereafter as The Holland Purchase...
was formed in 1796 by Wilheim Willink
Wilheim Willink
Wilhelm Willink was a wealthy Amsterdam merchant, and one of the investors in the Holland Land Company, and the Louisiana Purchase...
and a group of fellow Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
bankers from Robert Morris
Robert Morris (merchant)
Robert Morris, Jr. was a British-born American merchant, and signer of the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution...
. The bankers initially had hired trustees in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, because it was not legal at that time for them to directly own the property. Robert Morris, however, prevailed upon the New York Legislature to repeal that ordinance, which it did shortly thereafter. In recent years, the term Buffalo-Niagara has become popular (particularly north of the Cattaraugus Creek
Cattaraugus Creek
Cattaraugus Creek is a stream, approximately 68 miles long, in western New York in the United States. The creek drains a wooded rural portion of western New York southwest of Buffalo into Lake Erie. In its lower course it flows primarily through the Cattaraugus Reservation of the Seneca tribe...
), and has become the name given to the local airport
Buffalo Niagara International Airport
Buffalo Niagara International Airport is an airport located in Cheektowaga CDP, Town of Cheektowaga, in Erie County, New York, USA. It is named after the Buffalo – Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The airport serves Buffalo, New York as well as Southern Ontario, Canada...
. The name Western New York
Western New York
Western New York is the westernmost region of the state of New York. It includes the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Niagara Falls, the surrounding suburbs, as well as the outlying rural areas of the Great Lakes lowlands, the Genesee Valley, and the Southern Tier. Some historians, scholars and others...
can refer to the region, but this term can also include the areas in the Phelps and Gorham Purchase
Phelps and Gorham Purchase
The Phelps and Gorham Purchase was the purchase in 1788 of the pre-emptive right to some 6,000,000 acres of land in western New York State for $1,000,000 . This was all land in western New York west of Seneca Lake between Lake Ontario and the Pennsylvania border...
as well.
A sales office
Holland Land Office
The Holland Land Office building is located on West Main Street in downtown Batavia, New York, United States. It is a stone building designed by surveyor Joseph Ellicott and erected in the 1810s....
for the Holland Land Company was opened in 1801 by surveyor and agent Joseph Ellicott
Joseph Ellicott
Joseph Ellicott was an American surveyor, city planner, land office agent, lawyer and politician of the Quaker faith.-Life:He was the son of Joseph Ellicott ....
in Batavia
Batavia (city), New York
Batavia is a city in Genesee County, Western New York, USA, located near the middle of Genesee County, entirely within the Town of Batavia. Its population as of the 2000 census was 16,256...
where land was sold until 1846 when the company was dissolved. Some plots of land were given to persons upon condition that they establish improvements, such as inns and taverns, to encourage growth. The office still exists and is a museum of the Holland Purchase, designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
.
In 1802, the entire Holland Purchase, as well as the 500,000 acre (2,000 km²) Morris Reserve
Morris Reserve
The Morris Reserve was a 500,000 acre tract of land owned by Robert Morris in western New York in the late 18th Century. It was originally part of the 6,000,000 acre purchase in April 1788 of the pre-emptive right to all of Massachusetts' lands in western New York by Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel...
immediately to the east, was split off from Ontario County
Ontario County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 100,224 people, 38,370 households, and 26,360 families residing in the county. The population density was 156 people per square mile . There were 42,647 housing units at an average density of 66 per square mile...
and reconstituted as Genesee County
Genesee County, New York
Genesee County is a county located in Western New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 60,079. Its name is from the Seneca Indian word Gen-nis'-hee-yo meaning "The Beautiful Valley." Its county seat is Batavia.- History :...
. In the ensuing 40 years after it was formed, Genesee County was repeatedly split to form all or parts of the counties of Allegany
Allegany County, New York
Allegany County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 48,946. Its name derives from a Delaware Indian word, applied by settlers of Western New York State to a trail that followed the Allegheny River. Its county seat is...
(1806), Niagara
Niagara County, New York
Niagara County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 216,469. The county seat is Lockport. The county name is from the Iroquois word Onguiaahra; meaning the strait or thunder of waters. It is the location of Niagara Falls and Fort Niagara, and...
(1808), Cattaraugus
Cattaraugus County, New York
Cattaraugus County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 80,317. The county seat is Little Valley.-History:...
(1808), Chautauqua
Chautauqua County, New York
-Major highways:* Interstate 86/New York State Route 17 * Interstate 90 * U.S. Route 20* U.S. Route 62* New York State Route 5* New York State Route 39* New York State Route 60* New York State Route 394...
(1808), Erie
Erie County, New York
Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 919,040. The county seat is Buffalo. The county's name comes from Lake Erie, which in turn comes from the Erie tribe of American Indians who lived south and east of the lake before 1654.Erie...
(1821), Monroe
Monroe County, New York
Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 744,344. It is named after James Monroe, fifth President of the United States of America. Its county seat is the city of Rochester....
(1821), Livingston
Livingston County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 64,328 people, 22,150 households, and 15,349 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile . There were 24,023 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...
(1821), Orleans
Orleans County, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 44,171 people, 15,363 households, and 10,846 families residing in the county. The population density was 113 people per square mile . There were 17,347 housing units at an average density of 44 per square mile...
(1824), and Wyoming
Wyoming County, New York
Wyoming County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. At the 2010 census, the population was 42,155. The county seat is Warsaw. The name is from a modified Delaware Indian word meaning "broad bottom lands"...
(1841).
See also
- List of New York counties
- The Morris Reserve
- Phelps and Gorham PurchasePhelps and Gorham PurchaseThe Phelps and Gorham Purchase was the purchase in 1788 of the pre-emptive right to some 6,000,000 acres of land in western New York State for $1,000,000 . This was all land in western New York west of Seneca Lake between Lake Ontario and the Pennsylvania border...
- Historic regions of the United StatesHistoric regions of the United StatesThis is a list of historic regions of the United States.-Colonial era :-The Thirteen Colonies:* Connecticut Colony* Delaware Colony* Province of Georgia* Province of Maryland...
Other related regions:
- Buffalo Niagara RegionBuffalo Niagara RegionThe Buffalo Niagara Region is a part of the Great Lakes region of North America, comprising most of Western New York in the United States and the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario, Canada...
- Western New YorkWestern New YorkWestern New York is the westernmost region of the state of New York. It includes the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Niagara Falls, the surrounding suburbs, as well as the outlying rural areas of the Great Lakes lowlands, the Genesee Valley, and the Southern Tier. Some historians, scholars and others...
- Finger LakesFinger LakesThe Finger Lakes are a pattern of lakes in the west-central section of Upstate New York in the United States. They are a popular tourist destination. The lakes are long and thin , each oriented roughly on a north-south axis. The two longest, Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake, are among the deepest in...
- Southern TierSouthern TierThe Southern Tier is a geographical term that refers to the counties of New York State west of the Catskill Mountains along the northern border of Pennsylvania. It is a loosely defined term that generally includes the counties that border Pennsylvania west of Delaware County inclusive...
- Central New YorkCentral New YorkCentral New York is a term used to broadly describe the central region of New York State, roughly including the following counties and cities:...