A Tenant In Claverack

 Alexander Hamilton was embroiled in land dispute cases in early New York history.  So was Edward Richmond.  Was it my Edward Richmond?

From The Law Practice Of Alexander Hamilton....:

"[Legal] Actions were brought against Edward Richmond and Charles Truesdale, Coenradt Ring, and Jacob Gaul for lands at Claverack*.  All were entered in January vacation 1793 and were filed on April 11, 1793.  File numbers for the counts in the writs of right** are:  Richmond, V-273; Truesdale, V-279; Gaul, V-280; Ring, V-282; all in Pleadings 1754-1837 (Ms. HR)."

"Actions by writ of right were entered in January term...against four tenants."  "....all appeared by their attorney, John Bay."  "Attorney for the demandants was Elihu Chauncey Goodrich, ... Richard Harison was [probably] masterminding the litigation."

"...Edward Livingston appeared on behalf of John Bay and at his prayer an appearance for both tenants [Richmond and Truesdale] was entered."  ...A return of the petit capes [was] on January 31, 1795.

*Edward Richmond was on a 1767 Tax List of Claverack, Columbia Co., New York.

**"The writ of right procedure was an intolerably dilatory action...."  The writ of right may have been first used in New York in the Nicholas DeRiemer case by Alexander Hamilton.

In a similar case, "the Van Rensselaer devisees were having no more happy experience with the ejectment actions filed on October 20, 1792, against Caleb Clark and three other tenants."  [Alexander Hamilton was one of the Van Rensselaer devisees].   Coenradt Ring and Jacob Gaul were defendant tenants in the Van Rensselaer devisees case as well.