Land Lots of Land
Within the Ogden family papers rests an indenture dated December 1827 between Charles leRoux Ogden of Montreal and his mother Elizabeth Ogden (wife of Charles Ludlow Ogden) and Abraham Ogden who was Charles Ludlow Ogden's brother. It basically states that young Charles LeRoux's interest in his share of lands and interest in his father's estate (one twentieth) "..should stand and remain pledged to the said Abraham Ogden for whatever advances or responsibilities he was then subjected to or might thereafter make or frame for him the said Charles LeRoux Ogden etc etc." The size of these lands is staggering.
"... are those several tracts or parcels of land called Indian Reservation situate within the state of New York, the said tracts being severally designated on the map made for the Holland Land Company by G & B Elliott and being otherwise generally known ... containing the Buffalo Creek Reservation, situate in the County of Erie containing 83,557 acres, the Catterauges Reservation situate partly in the County of Chataqua, 26,880 acres the reservation in Cattaraugue containing 30,400 acres, the Caneadea Reservation situate in the County of Allegany containing 8,800 acres, the Tonnewanta reservation containing 46,209 acres, the Seneca reservation in the county of Niagra containing 1,920 acres and 2,314 acres of land on the shore of Lake Erie between the shore of Lake Erie and the Buffalo Creek indian rservation.." In all, just over 200,000 acres.
These were the lands given to indemnify previous Ogdens for losses suffered during the American Revolution by the British Government.