To block the eastward expansion of New Amsterdam, English settler Thomas Pell bought 9,160 acres from the Siwanoy Indians in 1654. His nephew, John Pell, received a royal patent to the land in 1687, which was then a manor reaching from just west of the Hutchinson River to Richbell’s holdings at Mamaroneck and eight miles to the north. This large manor’s name, Pelham, meant “home of Pell.”

Sales of some of the land occurred as Eastchester and New Rochelle developed, while other portions were annexed by New York City. There are only 1,568 acres of the original manor left in the Town of Pelham. It was one of the original towns established in 1788 and comprises two villages, Pelham and Pelham Manor; there is no unincorporated area.

These records are also associated with the Village of Pelham and the Village of Pelham Manor. For additional information on Pelham's history, visit The Office of the Town Historian.

Visit the Town of Pelham online

Tax Assessment Roll,
Town of Pelham, 1821

Map of the Town of Pelham,
ca. 1950