This is a rare historic 1796 indenture and associated manuscript survey map documenting the transfer of certain lands in the Tribeca district of Manhattan from the Trinity Church Corporation to the City of New York.    The indenture agreement bears the signatures of several important New York figures including Thomas Cooper (a friend of Jefferson, Franklin and Washington), Richard Harrison (important official of Trinity Church), John Charlton, and Robert Benson.  Original paper and wax seal attached, though broken.  The interesting attached manuscript map, also on vellum, was drawn by the important New York surveyor Benjamin Taylor.  Taylor was a contemporary of Goerck and is responsible numerous important 18th century surveys of various parts of this city.  The map in question covers modern day Tribeca from Greenwich Street to Church Street (Chapel Street) and from Reade Street to Moore Street.  Names numerous early streets including Harrison, Jay, Thomas, Catherine, Barley, Provost and Duane Street.  Also notes the Location of Varick Street, which at the time has been built but not named.  Shows the locations of several early boundaries and land lots which are mentioned and exchanged in the associate indenture contract.   It would be difficult to come by an earlier or more important piece of original New York City survey work.  Both recto and verso of document are show above.
<div class="fn value">
<a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.geographicus.com/mm5/cartographers/taylor.txt">http://www.geographicus.com/mm5/cartographers/taylor.txt</a></div>
1796 (dated)
This file was provided to Wikimedia Commons by <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.geographicus.com/">Geographicus Rare Antique Maps</a>, a specialist dealer in rare maps and other cartography of the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, as part of a <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Geographicus" title="Commons:Geographicus">cooperation project</a>.