John Pell

Sir John Pell IV, 2nd Lord of Pelham Manor (February 3, 1643 – c. 1712)[a] was a British-born American landowner who owned Pelham, New York, as well as land that now includes the eastern Bronx and southern Westchester County, New York.

Pell was born in London, England on February 3, 1643. He was the only son born to Ithamaria (née Reginald)[b] Pell, who died in 1661, and the Rt. Rev. John Pell, D.D., a mathematician and political agent who graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1629.[3]

His paternal grandparents were Mary (née Holland) Pell and the Rev. John Pell. His father's only brother was Thomas Pell, a physician who was Gentleman of the Bedchamber to Charles I.[3]

Young John was educated under his father and served as a Sewer in Ordinary, a page who passes meat to the King, to Charles II.[3]

In 1635, King Charles I sent Capt. John Mason, his uncle Thomas, a surgeon general in his army, and Lion Gardiner, an engineer (and later Lord of the Manor on Gardiners Island), to Boston to construct a garrison, later known as Fort Saybrook, at the mouth of the Connecticut River.[4] In 1654,[5] Pell's uncle Thomas signed a treaty with Chief Wampage, and other Siwanoy Indian tribal members, that granted him 50,000 acres (20,000 ha) of tribal land, including all or part of the Bronx and land to the west along Long Island Sound in what is now Westchester County, extending west to the Hutchinson River and north to Mamaroneck. Thomas founded the town of Westchester at the head of navigation on Westchester Creek.[3]

On October 6, 1666, Richard Nicolls, governor of the Province of New York under the Duke of York, "gave, granted and confirmed to Thomas Pell, Gentleman, all the land purchased from the Indian proprietors and created the same into an entire enfranchised township and manor."[3]