Thomas Pell

From Freepedia

Dates may not be entirely accurate in this article due to disagreements between sources.

Thomas Pell (born ? - 1669) was a physician who was famous for buying the area known as Pelham, Westchester, New York, as well as land that now includes the eastern Bronx and southern Westchester County. He is recorded as travelling from Fairfield, England to North America to attempt to set up new colonies.

Records state that he bought this from Chief Wampage from the Siwanoy Indian Tribe that owned it on June 27, 1654. It has been indicated the alternative dates, November 11 or November 14 1654, are incorrect ^[1]. It has been said that Pell "named his acreage Pelham in honor of his tutor Pelham Burton" ^[2].

Pell was legally challenged by the Dutch courts who considered the "English were trespassing on Dutch territory" ^[3]. This dispute was finally resolved by Pell himself in September 1664 when the British Navy, supported by a militia invasion force led by Pell, entered the then New Amsterdam and forced the Dutch Governer of New Netherlands Peter Stuyvesant to surrender.