Back to Archives page Back to Hudson Valley SEEs home page
This indenture agreement, binding “John Sturney a poor child of the age of twelve years, eight months and twenty days” to nine years of labor in the service of John See of Mount Pleasant, Westchester County, New York, is dated 28 Mar 1808. The terms of the agreement commit John Sturney “to dwell [on the premises of John See] and to serve … until the said apprentice shall accomplish his full age of twenty one years … during which time the said apprentice his said master faithfully shall serve in all lawful business according to his power, wit and ability; honestly, orderly and obediently in all things demean and behave himself towards his master … . And the said John See doth, for himself, his electors and administrators, covenant and grant to and with the said overseers [of the poor of Westchester County] … that the said John See … the said apprentice in the mistery and art of weaves which he [John] now useth shall and will teach or cause to be taught and instructed in the best way and maner that he can *; and shall and will during all the term aforesaid find, provide and allow unto the said apprentice competent and sufficient meat, drink and apparel, lodging, washing and and all other things necessary and fit for an apprentice; also that shall and will cause the apprentice to be taught and instructed to read and write, and at the expiration of the said term shall and will give to the said apprentice one new bible, and further that he shall and will provide for the apprentice that he be not any way a charge to the town …” [punctuation added]
*The word order in this blue-hilit passage is confusing: "John See" is the subject, and this is followed by the indirect object ("the said apprentice"), then a long clause modifying the still-absent verb ("in the mystery" up to the word "useth"), then the verb ("shall and will teach", etc.). It is an elliptical way of saying: John See agrees to ensure that the apprentice learns how to weave.
There were a few John See’s who were living in Mount Pleasant in 1808. As for which one indentured Mr. Sturney, I think the most likely candidate is John S. See (1752-1828). He was the son of Isaac See and Eva Foseur, and one of the more prosperous of the Tarrytown Sees. His will left $200-$300 each to several of his children, and the eldest daughter Mary Lyon received the 12-acre farm. His wife had been Rachel Martling, son of Peter Martling and Catherine Storm.
A scanned photograph of this document was passed on to me by Albert Guevara of Long Island. It’s precise provenance is unknown, but, he writes: “I was given this document by the son of an elderly man whom has passed away … [his wife’s] name was Margaret Miller and her mothers name was Adelaide Dowling Miller (born NY. city, 3/12/1887), fathers name John Adam Miller (married 1912). John Adam Miller was a former trustee of the village of Tarrytown and with his brother the late Samuel E. Miller where the developers of Benedict Park, Tarrytowns first large real estate development. Adelaide Miller had a sister named Susan Dowling whom was a member of the office staff of supervisor Owen M. Quinn of Mount Pleasant.”
