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fully to us -the last link with the old life now all gone, so sadly gone
X  X  X  Jas. Alexander [[junior?]] of New York has wig of type of the Jas Reede which Mr. Snow has.

X            Clutes "Staten Island"          X
                       Britton
     This family is of French descent and their name was originally written Breton, another example of the change of French names into English.  Earliest mention on the Island is that of Capt. sometimes called Col. Nicklos b 1679 & d. 1740.
     Wm was defendant in suit Oct 3 1680 Nath. plaintiff in suit 1681  These two were adults when Col. N. was infant  Another Wm son of Nick b. 1708   Jos. bro Wm had son James b. 1707 & d b 1708
    A Richard purchased land 1694
Nat made will 1683  Nat & Ester Belleville had a d. 1732
Nat & Mary had Jos. b 1760 Rich b 1716 Wm b 1768
Sam & Mary had Addra b 1771 Mary b 1773
Nat & Catherine had d Mary b 1775
    Present rep of family if JAH Britton of New Dirp[[guess]] whose father was Nat. whose place of interment is marked by marble mon. at SW. corner Church of Ascension  Nat b 1764
     Jacob Vanderbilt bought part of land of Nath Britton in 1719 part of 100 acres granted Nat B by Benj Fletcher Gov. of Province in 1696

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37

     Thursday JA Silos auction rooms today I stop to see how the old portrait goes.  Find Babcocks man Friday coming in.  Comes down to see me about a little Innes. Goes for a ladder to get it down.  Bob Macbeth comes in and I tell him about the old portrait att. to Ramsey.  He wants to see it but the workmen have it all piled away & can't get at it.  Friday hands the ladder over to the Inness & gets it down  I tell him if he could rub out the cows it might look like something.  Bob Macbeth says "It looked better before you took it down"  Friday collapsed.  The smooth faced collector Imela Rehns comes over & as Macbeth goes he asks me about the stuff.  I tell the collector about the portrait so he says he'd like to wait with me & see how it goes.  Tells me about his Hassam & his little Twachtman.  Says Gelatly wouldn't buy Hassams  once had one & sold it cheap & now our friend has it & Gelatly wants it.  Hassam ]]naglanded?]] him.  The auction starts  we sit down.  Stuff goes cheap  lower than cost of frames  Finally my friend says "here comes your portrait going to bid on it?" I say If it goes low enough I will."  Up it goes on the [[strikethrough]] [[?]] [[/strikethrough]] rack and my friend is impressed.  Even old Silo stopped his chattering from