The Huyck Bain Crandell Collection, Document BH077
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1771 & 1772 Memorandum, Crop Yields and Corn Milled
Image: BH077 obv.jpg
Image: BH077 rev.jpg
Transcription
Obverse
1771 Memorandum van t Coorn & welk ik Van {cut off} Jaar Sais de Craal. 2 Schepel . . . . . . 2 t Groote Stuck Behalve t mais Lant 30 Schep . . 30 Over de kil 4 d 2 Do . . . . . . . . . 6 t Nieuwe Lant 19 . . . . . . . . . . 19 t mais Lant 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 ————— 65 d Rog 6 Schepel
1772 9 Schepel Orte 2 Sche Garst 7 Sche Haver
@ 11 Sche° Garst Uy t gedorst 31 Schepel Orte 10 Do 22 Schepel haver 31 Do 41 Do (struck through)
Ben Buys 7 dago Orte & haver Gemait 10 dago Coorn
Reverse
1772 Auge Memorandum hoe veel Coorn ik Laet malen @ 6 Schepel 3¼ Do 6 Do 2 Do 6 Do 7 & 5 Do — 35¼ @ 5½ Do 6 Do 6 Do 3 Do 1½ Do 1½ Do — 23½ @ 3 Do 2 Do 10 Do 18½ Do — 33½ ————— 92¼ (running total)
Column of figures:
6, 3¼, 6, 2, 6, 7, 5, 35½, 5½, 6, 6, 3, 1½ 1½, 23½, 3, 2, 10, 18½ ————— 151 (total) {crossed out}
Michiel Dr. @ 8 Schepel Coorn
Translation
Obverse
1771 Memorandum of the corn/grain which I [harvested] from {cut off} Year’s [?] the Kraal — 2 schepels . . . . . . 2 The great field excluding the maize land — 30 schepels . . 30 Over the stream — 4 & 2 same . . . . . . . . . 6 The new land — 19 . . . . . . . . . 19 The maize land — 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 —————————— Total: 65 schepels Rye: 6 schepels
1772 9 schepels oats 2 schepels barley 7 schepels oats
11 schepels barley threshed 31 schepels oats; 10 same 22 schepels oats; 31 same; 41 same [struck through]
Ben[jamin] Buys — 7 days oats & hay made 10 days corn [harvest]
Reverse
1772 August Memorandum of how much corn I have had milled 6 schepels; 3¼ same; 6 same; 2 same; 6 same; 7 & 5 same — 35¼ 5½ same; 6 same; 6 same; 3 same; 1½ same; 1½ same — 23½ 3 same; 2 same; 10 same; 18½ — running total 92¼
Column of figures:
6, 3¼, 6, 2, 6, 7, 5, 35½, 5½, 6, 6, 3, 1½ 1½, 23½, 3, 2, 10, 18½ ————— 151 (total) {crossed out}
Michiel [Goes?] Debtor — 8 schepels corn
— Transcribed and translated by Claude.ai on 2026-05-04 - jhc
Commentary
Notes to the Obverse:
- A crop yield record — recording exactly how much grain was harvested from each named field on the farm. This is the most detailed agricultural document in the entire archive, giving us both the field names and their relative productivity.
- Named fields:
- “de Craal” — the Kraal, a small enclosure field yielding only 2 schepels
- “t Groote Stuck” — the Great Field, by far the most productive at 30 schepels, excluding the maize land
- “Over de kil” — Over the stream, a smaller field yielding 6 schepels
- “t Nieuwe Lant” — the New Land, 19 schepels — suggesting relatively recently cleared or cultivated ground
- “t mais Lant” — the Maize Land, 8 schepels of corn plus presumably the maize separately accounted
- Total grain harvest: 65 schepels — roughly 49 bushels of mixed grain, a modest but workable yield for a farm of this size in 1771.
- Rye: 6 schepels — a separate accounting of rye, consistent with its use throughout both account books as a distinct commodity.
- 1772 grain stocks — 9 schepels oats, 2 schepels barley, 7 schepels oats — possibly carried-over stocks from the previous year being inventoried alongside the new harvest.
- Benjamin Buys — confirming his role as a farm laborer, here recording 9 days harvesting oats and hay plus 16 days harvesting corn — 25 days of harvest labor in total, consistent with a significant farm operation.
- “de Craal” — the Dutch word kraal originally referred to a livestock enclosure, suggesting this small 2-schepel field was formerly or still partly used for animals.
- “t Nieuwe Lant” — new land at 19 schepels suggests active farm expansion, possibly land recently cleared from the timber lots on the patent.
This document is invaluable for the finding aid — it gives us the actual field names of the Huyck farm at Pomponick in 1773, the only such record in the archive.
Notes to the Reverse:
- A milling record — tracking every batch of corn sent to the mill, in quantities ranging from 1½ to 18½ schepels at a time. The frequency and variety of quantities suggests regular trips to the mill throughout the season rather than a single annual grinding.
- 92¼ schepels milled — a substantial total, significantly more than the 65 schepels harvested recorded on the obverse. The discrepancy suggests either:
- Grain was being purchased from neighbors and milled on their behalf
- Carried-over stock from previous years was being processed
- The 65 schepels was only part of the total harvest
- 151 in the centre column — a larger running total, possibly including all grain processed across multiple seasons or including grain milled for neighbors.
- The milling operation ties together several threads from both account books — the “trip to the mill” charged to Frans Pruyn’s account, the large grain purchases by Peter Vosburgh suggesting a mill connection, and Elizabeth’s role as a commercial hub in the community.
- The combination of obverse and reverse gives us a complete picture of the grain economy at the Huyck farm in 1771-72:
- Specific named fields producing known quantities
- Regular milling trips with precise batch sizes
- Hired labor for harvest tracked by name and days
This is the most economically informative pair of pages in the entire archive.
— Notes by Claude.ai 4.6 2026-05-04 - jhc
Metadata
Document: BH077
Date: 1771 & 1772
Language: Dutch
Type: Memorandum
Subject: Agriculture, Commerce
Principals: Elizabeth Huyck, Benjamin Buys
Other Persons Mentioned: Michiel Goes?
Places Mentioned: None
— page revised 2026-06-10 - jhc
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Huyck Bain Crandell Collection © 2026 by John H. Coxon is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
