Long before the first Dutch and English settlers arrived, the region that would become Mount Pleasant, New York, was a vibrant homeland to the Weckquaeskeck, a branch of the Wappinger Confederacy within the Algonquin nation. These Indigenous people lived along the Saw Mill River, relying on its fish-rich waters, fertile floodplains, and connecting trails for sustenance and trade. The river and its surroundings—particularly what we now call Buttermilk Hill—were likely used for both seasonal camps and more permanent settlements. Native trails such as the Succabonk Trail (now Bedford Road) and Otter Trail (Stevens Avenue) demonstrate the deeply established geography of Indigenous life long before Europeans set foot on the land.

The Land Sale and the Founding of Philipsburg Manor

In 1684, the landscape began to shift when Frederick Philipse, a wealthy Dutch merchant, acquired large tracts of land from Weckquaeskeck leaders through barter. In exchange for goods such as wampum, guns, iron pots, blankets, rum, and tobacco, Philipse gained control over thousands of acres stretching from the Hudson River to the Bronx River, including the entire Saw Mill River Valley. The English Crown formalized his holdings in 1693, granting him a manorial charter and creating the Manor of Philipsburgh.

This marked the beginning of a tenant farming system. Families were allowed to live on and farm the land in exchange for rent but were not permitted to own it outright. It was into this socio-political and agricultural framework that the Jurckse(later Yerks) family would arrive and make their mark on central Westchester.

The Jurckse Family: From Esopus to Today’s Westchester

Johannes Pauluszen Jurckse was born around 1658 in Esopus (present-day Kingston, NY), a Dutch settlement on the Hudson River. He married Jannetje de Raedt Derret in 1681, and by the early 1680s had moved south with their growing family to the area that would later become Rockland County. Their children included:

• Paulus (b. 1682)

• Margrietje (b. 1684)

• Johannes (b. 1686)

• Jurck (b. 1687)

• Willem/William (b. 1690)

• Harmen (b. 1692)

• Maritje (b. 1693)

It was Harmen Jurckse, born in Wysquaqua (now Dobbs Ferry) in 1692, who would carry the family name and legacy into Mount Pleasant. The area at that time was still underdeveloped, likely still populated by Indigenous peoples and only sparsely settled by European tenants. Harmen eventually relocated north to Tarrytown, where he became one of the original members of the Dutch Church at Philipsburgh, founded in 1697. He appears in its early records as a communicant through at least 1715.

Settling Mount Pleasant and Building the Family Legacy

In 1714, Harmen married Maritie Storm of Gowanus, Brooklyn. They had a large family that included:

• Jannetje (b. 1715)

• Engeltje (b. 1717)

• Margaret (b. 1720)

• Johannes (b. 1722)

• William (b. 1725)

• Elizabeth (b. 1727)

• Maritie (b. 1729)

• Hector (b. 1732)

• Catrina (b. 1734)

• Henry (b. 1740)

• Aeltje

By the early 1700s, Harmen had moved into the upper part of the Philipsburgh Manor, in the area we now call Mount Pleasant, near Buttermilk Hill. His holdings as a tenant included woodlands, meadows, and productive farmland.

Tenant farming for Harmen likely meant hard labor with minimal legal protection. He would have cleared land, built his home and barns with his own hands, and lived under the ongoing burden of paying yearly rent to the manor owner, Frederick Philipse III. Still, farming was a means of independence for many colonists—offering food, stability, and the possibility of generational continuity, even without formal ownership.

During this period, it is very likely that the Jurckse family lived in proximity to Indigenous communities, particularly as many Native families remained in the region well into the mid-1700s. While forced displacement increased after the land grants, interactions—both cooperative and contentious—likely occurred, especially in trade, land boundaries, and shared natural resources like the Saw Mill River.

1755: A Trace of Enslavement

A 1755 census of Philipsburgh lists Harmon Yurcksea (a variant spelling of Jurckse/Yerks) as one of the few enslavers in the northern part of the manor. He is recorded as enslaving Jonathan Sharp, one of only twenty enslaved individuals documented in that part of Westchester County. Jonathan likely lived and labored on the Jurckse farm, performing agricultural work common to tenant holdings.

However, by the time Harmen wrote his will in May 1768, Jonathan is no longer mentioned—neither as property nor as a manumitted person. His fate is unclear. He may have died, been sold, or possibly freed during Harmen’s lifetime. The omission from the will and the relatively modest size of the estate suggest Jonathan had likely left the household before probate. This single record remains a rare and invaluable trace of a man otherwise excluded from history.

The Next Generation: William Jurckse Yerks and the Roots of Unionville

William Jurckse Yerks, born before April 10, 1725 in Tarrytown, eventually moved into the heart of what would become Unionville (now Hawthorne). He married twice: first to Gertrtje Syffer, with whom he had two sons, and later in 1754 to Catrina See, with whom he had ten more children—five boys and five girls.

William became a prominent tenant farmer, holding over 260 acres along the Saw Mill River and up into Buttermilk Hill. His tenancy, like his father’s, meant working the land he did not own—growing crops, raising animals, and fulfilling rent obligations. His success as a tenant, however, also positioned him as a respected figure in the community.

During the Revolutionary War, William served in the local Westchester Militia, while his farm provided supplies to the Continental Army, including over 500 fence rails, according to postwar documentation.

His service, and the family’s sacrifice, were later recognized by the newly formed State of New York, which awarded his widow, Catherine (Catrina), the family’s farm and additional acreage following the war. This marked a generational transformation: from tenant farmers under a Loyalist landlord to landowners in a republic they helped secure.

Conclusion: A Legacy of Tenacity and Transformation

The story of the Jurckse/Yerks family is one of perseverance, quiet endurance, and ultimately, transformation. From the forests of Esopus to the farmlands of Mount Pleasant, they weathered the constraints of tenant farming, the uncertainties of a colonial society, the proximity to both Native tribes and enslaved persons, and the chaos of a revolution.

Living as tenant farmers meant long days of back-breaking labor, uncertainty about the future, and little control over the land they called home. Yet Harmen and William worked the soil with the hope that their children would one day inherit not just a farm, but a future. They endured economic dependency, shifting alliances, and the moral compromises of their age.

Their lives intersected with Native displacement, enslaved labor, and the foundational struggles of a young nation. Despite the odds, their descendants would emerge from the shadows of the manorial system to hold deeds in their own names—transforming from tenants into landowners, and from subjects into citizens.

It was never easy. It was survival, not comfort. And yet, in the harshness of the colonial frontier, the Yerks family planted something more than crops: they planted a legacy.