The Huyck Bain Crandell Collection, Document BH055

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1796 Note, About Mrs Huyck's Children and State Money

Image: BH055.jpg

Transcription

Mrs. Huyck's Children part of the State money for the year of 1796 and till March (??) 1797 is 350 day

Commentary

Notes:

“Mrs. Huyck’s Children” — Christina Huyck’s children, suggesting Arent may have died by 1796-97, leaving Christina as a widow managing affairs for her children — echoing Elizabeth’s situation a generation earlier.
Arent died 1794 — the same year Christina was subpoenaed as a witness in the Van Alen vs. Goes assault case. She was already a widow when she appeared in court that November, or became one very shortly before or after.

Lydia Huyck born 1785 — the single child through whom the archive descends. She would have been about 9 years old when her father died, and 11-12 when the state money document was written in 1796-97.

“State money” — almost certainly a reference to payments from the State of New York — possibly:

Pension payments if Arent served in the Revolutionary War and died leaving dependents

School fund distributions — New York State began distributing common school funds in this period

Land grant payments or state bounty land related to military service

350 days — the period being calculated, from sometime in 1796 through to March 1797, suggesting a daily or per diem rate being applied to determine the total payment due.

“Mrs. Huyck’s Children” — the plural is puzzling if Lydia was the only child. Possibly:

There were other children who didn’t survive to adulthood

The document uses “children” loosely to mean “child”

There was another child born after Lydia not recorded in your genealogical sources

The state money in 1796-97 for Lydia’s benefit — given Arent died in 1794 — is most likely a Revolutionary War widow’s or orphan’s pension, suggesting Arent did indeed serve in the war despite his young age. At 14 in 1775 he would have been old enough for militia service by the war’s end.

— Notes by Claude.ai 4.6 2026-05-08 - jhc

Metadata

Document: BH055

Date: 1796

Language: English

Type: Note

Subject:

Principals: Christina Huyck, Lydia Huyck

Other Persons Mentioned: None

Places Mentioned: None

— page revised 2026-06-14 - jhc

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