History of the Jay Estate

Stewards of the Jay Estate - Timeline

Explore the history of this land – including and beyond its owners – to recognize the imprint of Indigenous and enslaved people, servants and land stewards, visitors, neighbors and friends.

Follow this page as we fill it with the stories of many people- not only John Jay and his family – but also First Peoples who shaped the land, fished on the Sound, hunted and farmed this expansive, fertile place. You will learn about the Budds of Rye who first purchased the property in 1661 before leasing and then selling 450 acres to the Jay family in 1745. What was their imprint?

Meet Hannah, Mary and Clarinda, James F. Brown, Caesar Valentine and the Valentine Family, Giles and Elizabeth Green, John Foshay, Thomas Haviland, James Fenimore Cooper, Timothy Dwight, William P. Chapman, James Talcott, Warner van Norden and Grace Talcott, John E. Parsons, Daisy Lopez, Junius Spencer Morgan, Edith Parsons Morgan, Henry Ives Cobb, John Connor, Harvey E. Thomas, Zilph and Walter Devereux and many more.

(Photo of Striving for Freedom with actors Christa Victoria and Joy Kelly as they retell the story of enslaved sisters Mary and Clarinda)

Timeline