Example of 1938 U.S. Commemorative Half Dollar that Honors Pelham History Sells at Auction for $3,600.00

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In April 1937, the Philadelphia Mint minted a small quantity of legal tender United States silver half dollar coins.  These coins, dated 1938, commemorated the 250th anniversary of Jacob Leisler's purchase from John Pell of the Manor of Pelham the lands that became New Rochelle and the subsequent settlement of those lands by Huguenot refugees, many fleeing persecution in La Rochelle, France.  Although Congress authorized the minting of 25,000 of the half dollar coins, only 15,266 were struck by the Philadelphia mint.  

The obverse of the coin depicts John Pell of the Manor of Pelham holding a rope tethered to the neck of the famed "fatt calfe" with which he is standing.  The image depicts Pell as he received the calf from Jacob Leisler in connection with the purchase of New Rochelle.  The September 20, 1689 contract of sale for those lands required Jacob Leisler, his heirs and assigns to deliver to John Pell, his heirs and assigns, every June 24 "forever (if demanded)" such a "fatt calfe.  Periodically, members of the Pell family make a ceremonial "demand" for delivery of such a fatt calfe from the City of New Rochelle in connection with family reunions and special celebrations.

The reverse of the coin depicts a conventional "fleur-de-lis," flower of France, that also appears on the coat-of-arms of old La Rochelle, in France, from which many of the early refugee settlers who settled New Rochelle fled.  It also appears on the seal of modern New Rochelle.  The sculptor who designed the coin was Gertrude K. Lathrop of Albany, New York who also designed the Albany Charter Half Dollar minted the same year.

I have written before about the 1938 commemorative silver half dollar that depicts John Pell of the Manor of Pelham receiving the famed "fatt calfe" from Jacob Leisler.  See:

Bell, Blake A., John Pell and the New Rochelle Commemorative Coin Dated 1938, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 7, Feb. 13, 2004, p. 10, col. 1.

Fri., Mar. 23, 2018:  United States Commemorative Half Dollar Minted in 1937 Honored Pelham History.

Today's Historic Pelham article reports on an interesting auction of a fine example of one of these 1938 commemorative silver half dollars.  

December 13-14, 2018, Heritage Auctions held its last coin auction of the year.  On the first day of that auction, it offered one of the top known graded examples of the 1938 New Rochelle commemorative coin.  The example was in a sealed case reflecting a grading of MS68 by the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation.  Minimal oxidation had created a lovely rainbow of colors on portions of the coin, an effect often referenced as "toning" -- an effect for which many collectors of such coins are willing to pay a premium when the light patina of rainbow colors is considered to add beauty to the item.

Heritage Auctions described the coin as follows:

"1938 New Rochelle Half Dollar, MS68 Lively Luster, Spectacular Color 

1938 50C New Rochelle MS68 NGC. The New Rochelle half dollars of 1938 were actually struck in 1937, championed by the Westchester County Coin Club of New Rochelle to celebrate the town's 250th anniversary. The coins were handled with care, but few can match the quality of this spectacular MS68 representative. Lavender-toned centers merge with accents of blue, gold, and russet around the border areas. Lively luster percolates through the layers of color. Essentially pristine. Census: 20 in 68 (1 in 68+, 4 in 68 ★ , 1 in 68+★ ), 0 finer (10/18).(Registry values: N2998) (NGC ID# BYDX, PCGS# 9335) 

Weight: 12.50 grams 

Metal: 90% Silver, 10% Copper"

Source:  Lot # 3995:  1938 50C New Rochelle MS68 NGC, Heritage Auctions (visited Feb. 22, 2019).  

Heritage Auctions Image of the MS68 1938 New Rochelle

Commemorative Half Dollar.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

The coin is one of only 20 graded by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation that has received the high grade of MS68 (although there is a small handful of such coins that NGC has graded slightly higher).  

On the first day of the two-day Heritage Auctions event (December 13, 2018), the coin sold for $3,600.00.  According to an article later released by Coin World:  "Most of the original mintage of 15,266 survivors remain in higher Mint State grades and even ones graded MS-66 or MS-67 are frequently seen. The population thins in MS-68, but Heritage Auctions offered one in this grade certified by Numismatic Guaranty Corp. — one of twenty like-graded coins at NGC — at a December auction."  See Roach, Steve, "1938 New Rochelle Half Dollar is of Infrequently Seen Quality" in Coin World (Feb. 21, 2019) (online version visited Feb. 22, 2019).  

Uncirculated versions of this coin today graded as high as MS66 or MS67 can sell for up to $450.

Obverse of the Half-Dollar Commemorative Coin Depicting John

Pell Receiving the "Fatt Calfe"  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Reverse of the Half-Dollar Commemorative Coin Depicting

Fleur De Lis Representing La Rochelle and New Rochelle

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

John Pell Who Is Depicted Receiving the Fatt Calfe on

the Obverse of the Commemorative Coin.  NOTE:

Click on Image to Enlarge.

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I have written before about the United States half-dollar commemorative coin minted to commemorate the 250th anniversary of New Rochelle celebrated in 1938.  I also have written extensively about the delivery of the "fatt calfe" to John Pell known as the "Fatt Calfe Ceremony."  For examples, see, e.g.:

Bell, Blake A., John Pell and the New Rochelle Commemorative Coin Dated 1938, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 7, Feb. 13, 2004, p. 10, col. 1.

Fri., Mar. 23, 2018:  United States Commemorative Half Dollar Minted in 1937 Honored Pelham History.

Bell, Blake A., Tradition of Demanding a New Rochelle "Fatt Calfe", The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 16, Apr. 16, 2004, p. 8, col. 2. 

Tue., May 16, 2017:  Who Today Has the "Right" to Receive the Famed Manor of Pelham Fatt Calfe from the City of New Rochelle?

Thu., Dec. 08, 2016:  Cancellation of 1909 Fatt Calfe Ceremony Due to "Sharp Lawyers" Prompted a Pell Family Feud.

Tue., Dec. 01, 2015:  Lean Roast Beef Is NOT a "Fatt Calfe" Though Pell Family Members Accepted it in 1956.

Thu., Sep. 10, 2009:  1909 Dispute Among Pell Family Members Over Who Would be the Rightful Recipient of the Fatt Calfe from New Rochelle. 

Fri., Mar. 04, 2005:  In 1909 Fear of "Sharp Lawyers" Prompted Cancellation of the Pell Family's "Fatt Calfe" Ceremony.

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United States Commemorative Half Dollar Minted in 1937 Honored Pelham History

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Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

John Pell, so-called "Second Lord of the Manor of Pelham," is believed by many to be the individual depicted on the front of a legal tender United States half dollar minted in small quantities at the Philadelphia Mint in April of 1937.  He is shown holding a rope tied to the famed “fatt calfe” that Jacob Leisler, his heirs and assigns are required to deliver to John Pell, his heirs and assigns, every June 24 “forever (if demanded)”. Periodically, members of the Pell family make a ceremonial “demand” for delivery of such a fatt calfe from the City of New Rochelle in connection with family reunions and special celebrations.

This “requirement” arises from a sale of lands by John Pell and his wife, Rachel, on September 20, 1689.  They sold to Jacob Leisler of New York City 6,000 acres from the lands originally purchased from local Native Americans by Thomas Pell.  At the same time they gifted to Leisler another 100 acres for use as church grounds.  Leisler reportedly was commissioned to acquire the land on behalf of French Huguenots seeking to relocate to North America, many of whom fled from La Rochelle in France.  The land became today’s New Rochelle, named in honor of La Rochelle from which many of the Huguenots fled religious persecution by the French Catholics.

A condition of the sale in 1689 was that Jacob Leisler, his heirs and assigns should deliver to “John Pell his heirs and assigns Lords of the said Manor of Pelham . . . as an Acknowledgment to the said Manor one fatt calfe on every fouer and twentieth day of June Yearly and Every Year forever (if demanded).”

The story behind the famed New Rochelle Half Dollar that commemorates this annual “Acknowledgment” is a fascinating one – nearly as interesting as the scene depicted on the front of the coin. The half dollar commemorates the 250th anniversary of the settlement of New Rochelle, celebrated in 1938.  That event, of course, was of local – not national – interest.  So, just how did it come about that a legal tender coin came to be minted for a local event?

The answer is:  the affluence and influence of the members of the Westchester County Coin Club of New Rochelle were responsible.  The members of that club reportedly exerted pressure on their Congressional Delegation.  Consequently, on May 5, 1936, Congress passed legislation calling for not more than 25,000 half dollars to be struck at a single mint.  The coins were specifically to be dated 1938 regardless of when they were struck since they were being struck in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the settlement of New Rochelle in 1688. 

The design process for the coin was painful – so painful that it is now legendary.  Sculptor Lorillard Wise was selected to design the coin.  His design for the front of the coin showed a Native American crouching at the shoreline watching an approaching European ship on the waters with a sunburst on the horizon.  His design for the reverse of the coin included the seal of the City of New Rochelle as well as various commemorative and other inscriptions. 

The Federal Commission on Fine Arts delayed approval of the design and considered criticisms offered by members of the public.  Still, it granted formal approval of the design on September 16, 1936. Barely a month later, the Federal Commission on Fine Arts reportedly had second thoughts and reversed itself.  Commission Chairman Charles Moore issued a letter dated October 28, 1936 saying:

“The Commission feel that this work should be placed in the hands of an artist who has had experience in producing designs for medals and coins.”

An artist named Gertrude K. Lathrop was named to replace sculptor Lorillard Wise.  Lathrop was the sculptor of the Albany Charter Half Dollar minted that same year.  She quickly produced new designs for the front and back of the coin.  She chose a man dressed in an elegant period costume holding a rope tied to the famed “fatt calfe”.  Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the design on the front of the coin is the fact that no one knows the identity of the man with the “fatt calfe”.  Most presume it to be John Pell, but Lathrop apparently never said this to be the case.  As one author has written:

“Many people believe that the figure in the late 17th Century costume is meant for John Pell, but this is unconfirmed; the design can be read to mean either that the calf is being brought to Pell by one of Leisler’s people, or that Pell has just accepted the delivery.  Had Ms. Lathrop specifically meant the figure to represent Pell, she doubtless would have said so.”

Despite such a conclusion, there seems to be fairly strong evidence that the figure on the coin depicts John Pell.  Indeed, the sales pamphlet distributed by the “New Rochelle Commemorative Coin Committee” in connection with New Rochelle’s 250th anniversary celebration in 1938 states:

“The obverse of the coin shows Lord Pell receiving the protesting ‘fatt calfe,’ while the reverse bears a conventionalized fleur-de-lis, flower of France, which appears on the coat-of-arms of old La Rochelle and on the seal of modern New Rochelle.”

Similarly, an article that appeared in The Pelham Sun at the time noted that six local Pell family members had bought commemorative half dollars and affirmed that the coin depicted delivery of the "fatt calfe" to "their forebear."  The full article stated:

"Six Pells Buy Pell Coins

Six descendants of the Lord John Pell who deeded 6,000 acres to Jacob Leisler for French Huguenot settlers 249 years ago, have purchased commemorative half dollars depicting the delivery of a 'fat calfe' to their forebear, the 250th Anniversary Celebration Committee revealed last week.

The Pells are S. H. P. Pell, John Pell, and Howland Pell, of New York City; Herbert C. Pell, of Pellbridge, Hopewell, N.Y.; Clarence C. Pell, of Westbury, L.I., and Mrs. Walden Pell, of Cedarhurst, Long Island.

The delivery of the 'calfe' alludes to the reservation Lord Pell made in the deed, 'paying unto the said John Pell his heirs and assignes Lord of the said Manor of Pelham or to the assigns of him or them or their or either of them as an Acknowledgment to the Lord of the said Mannor one fate [sic] calfe on every fouer & twentyth day of June Yearly & Every Year forever (if demanded). . . ."

Source:  Six Pells Buy Pell Coins, The Pelham Sun, Jun. 3, 1938, p. 5, col. 1.  

Another local news article published at about the same time also indicated the coin depicts John Pell receiving the fat calf.  The article, quoted in full below, stated:  "The obverse of the coin shows Lord Penn [sic] receiving the protesting 'fatt calfe.'"  Numerous newspaper articles published throughout the country in 1937 and 1938 affirm that the image depicts John Pell receiving the calf, not a resident of New Rochelle delivering it.  See, e.g., THE COIN COLLECTOR, The New York Sun, Dec. 4, 1937, p. 19, cols. 1-2 (""Gertrude K. Lathrop, sculptor of Albany, is responsible for the design, to picture Lord Pell receiving the protesting 'fatt calfe,' on the obverse. . .").

The reverse of the commemorative coin depicts a stylized fleur de lis – a symbol found in the seal of the City of New Rochelle, borrowed from the seal of La Rochelle, France, after which the City of New Rochelle was named.  Lathrop’s designs were approved by the Commission of Fine Arts on February 25, 1937.

Despite some news reports at the time suggesting more coins were sold, reliable numismatic authorities indicate that 25,015 half dollars were minted.  However, 9,749 coins were never sold to collectors and were returned to the mint for melting, leaving a net mintage of 15,251 (15 of the original coins were reserved for assay). 

Uncirculated versions of this coin today are worth more than $450 to coin collectors.

Obverse of the Half-Dollar Commemorative Coin Depicting John

Pell Receiving the "Fatt Calfe"  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Reverse of the Half-Dollar Commemorative Coin Depicting

Fleur De Lis Representing La Rochelle and New Rochelle

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

John Pell Who Is Depicted Receiving the Fatt Calfe on

the Obverse of the Commemorative Coin.  NOTE:

Click on Image to Enlarge.

*          *          *           *          *

"Commemorative Coin Will Increase In Value After Close of Anniversary Fete

-----

Unsold U. S. Half-Dollars Issued to Commemorate 250th Anniversary of the Founding of New Rochelle Will be Melted Up.

-----

When the Commemorative half-dollar issued in conjunction with this city's 250th Anniversary celebration is withdrawn from sale, the number of residents of this county who will benefit from its almost certain increase in value will not be in proportion to the large number of its purchasers elsewhere in this country.

This condition was revealed by Pitt M. Skipton, chairman of the Commemorative Coin Committee here, in an announcement that 17,000 of the limited issue of 25,000 coins have been sold, and that the unsold copies will be melted when the sale closes after the Anniversary Celebration on the week of June 12 to 18.

An experienced numismatist and a director of the Westchester Coin Club, Mr. Skipton asserted that the limited issue, the fact that the coin bears only the date 1938, that it has but one mint, and that unsold copies will not be released to dealers, practically insure an early rise in the value of the half-dollar.  Now being sold through local banks at $2.00 each, Mr. Skipton cited the value increase of other limited issues of commemorative coins as an example of what may be expected for the New Rochelle half-dollar.

'A half-dollar issued in 1935 for the 150th anniversary of the City of Hudson, N. Y. now sells for between seven and eight dollars,' he pointed out.  'The Hawaiian half-dollar issued in 1928 to commemorate the sesqui-centennial of discovery of the island by Captain James Cook now sells for between ten and twelve dollars a copy.'

Authorized by Congress in 1936, the New Rochelle coin was designed by Gertrude K. Lathrop, member of the National Academy of Design and of the National Sculpture Society.  The obverse of the coin shows Lord Penn [sic] receiving the protesting 'fatt calfe,' while the reverse bears a conventionalized fleur-de-lis, flower of France, which appears on the coat-of-arms of old La Rochelle and on the seal of New Rochelle."

Source:  Commemorative Coin Will Increase In Value After Close of Anniversary Fete -- Unsold U. S. Half-Dollars Issued to Commemorate 250th Anniversary of the Founding of New Rochelle Will be Melted Up, The Pelham Sun, Jun. 10, 1938, p. 11, cols. 2-3.

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I have written before about the United States half-dollar commemorative coin minted to commemorate the 250th anniversary of New Rochelle celebrated in 1938.  See Bell, Blake A., John Pell and the New Rochelle Commemorative Coin Dated 1938, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 7, Feb. 13, 2004, p. 10, col. 1.  I also have written extensively about the delivery of the "fatt calfe" to John Pell known as the "Fatt Calfe Ceremony."  See, e.g.:

Bell, Blake A., Tradition of Demanding a New Rochelle "Fatt Calfe", The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 16, Apr. 16, 2004, p. 8, col. 2. 

Tue., May 16, 2017:  Who Today Has the "Right" to Receive the Famed Manor of Pelham Fatt Calfe from the City of New Rochelle?

Thu., Dec. 08, 2016:  Cancellation of 1909 Fatt Calfe Ceremony Due to "Sharp Lawyers" Prompted a Pell Family Feud.

Tue., Dec. 01, 2015:  Lean Roast Beef Is NOT a "Fatt Calfe" Though Pell Family Members Accepted it in 1956.

Thu., Sep. 10, 2009:  1909 Dispute Among Pell Family Members Over Who Would be the Rightful Recipient of the Fatt Calfe from New Rochelle. 

Fri., Mar. 04, 2005:  In 1909 Fear of "Sharp Lawyers" Prompted Cancellation of the Pell Family's "Fatt Calfe" Ceremony.

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.
Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.
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Who Today Has the "Right" to Receive the Famed Manor of Pelham Fatt Calfe from the City of New Rochelle?

Archive of the Historic Pelham Web Site.

Home Page of the Historic Pelham Blog.

Order a Copy of "Thomas Pell and the Legend of the Pell Treaty Oak."

The expectant crowd anxiously awaited on and along Fifth Avenue in front of Town Hall in the Village of North Pelham at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, August 29, 1946.  Representatives of television broadcaster Columbia Broadcasting System were present with television cameras to record the event.  (Commercial television broadcasting, which had declined dramatically during World War II, was beginning to ramp up again.)  A gaggle of photographers from newspapers and news organizations throughout the region were waiting expectantly.  There was a large crowd of spectators despite threatening skies.  Everyone was excited.

That day and night, the Village of North Pelham was in the midst of its Golden Jubilee celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of its founding in 1896.  One of the many events that formed an important part of that celebration was so special that it was recorded by Columbia Broadcasting System (with an announcer) for a later nationwide broadcast on Sunday, September 1, 1946 from 8:15 to 8:30 p.m. on WCGW.  Moreover, CBS was not the only broadcaster present at the event.  A portion of the ceremony also was broadcast by radio station WFAS, 1230 on the am dial.  The special event that attracted so much attention was the presentation of a "fatt calfe" by the City of New Rochelle to the little Village of North Pelham.

I have written repeatedly not only of various fatt calfe ceremonies in Pelham's history, but also of the grand Golden Jubilee fiftieth anniversary celebration hosted by the Village of North Pelham on August 29, 1946.  See, e.g.:

Bell, Blake A., Tradition of Demanding a New Rochelle "Fatt Calfe", The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 16, Apr. 16, 2004, p. 8, col. 2. 

Thu., Dec. 08, 2016:  Cancellation of 1909 Fatt Calfe Ceremony Due to "Sharp Lawyers" Prompted a Pell Family Feud.

Tue., Dec. 01, 2015:  Lean Roast Beef Is NOT a "Fatt Calfe" Though Pell Family Members Accepted it in 1956.

Mon., Jan. 05, 2015:  The Village of North Pelham Celebrated the Golden Jubilee of its Incorporation During Festivities in 1946.

Thu., Sep. 10, 2009:  1909 Dispute Among Pell Family Members Over Who Would be the Rightful Recipient of the Fatt Calfe from New Rochelle. 

Fri., Mar. 04, 2005:  In 1909 Fear of "Sharp Lawyers" Prompted Cancellation of the Pell Family's "Fatt Calfe" Ceremony.

1938 New Rochelle U.S. Commemorative Silver Half Dollar (Obverse)

Depicting John Pell Receiving the "Fatt Calfe" in 1689. Photograph by

the Author.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

The "fatt calfe" ceremony that attracted so much attention on August 29, 1946 was an homage to a promise made by Jacob Leisler in 1689, as a representative of French Huguenots of New Rochelle, to John and Rachel Pell of the Manor of Pelham to deliver one such "calfe" annually "if demanded."  On September 20, 1689, John Pell, and his wife, Rachel, sold to Jacob Leisler of New York City 6,000 acres of Manor of Pelham land.  At the same time they gifted to Leisler another 100 acres for use as church grounds.  Leisler reportedly had been commissioned to acquire the land on behalf of French Huguenots seeking to relocate to North America, many of whom fled from La Rochelle in France.  The land became today’s New Rochelle, named in honor of La Rochelle from which many of the Huguenots fled religious persecution by the French Catholics. 

A condition of the sale in 1689 was that Jacob Leisler and his "heirs & Assigns" should deliver to “John Pell his heirs and assigns Lords of the said Manor of Pelham . . . as an Acknowledgment to the said Manor one fatt calfe on every fouer and twentieth day of June Yearly and Every Year forever (if demanded)” (spelling and punctuation as in original deed).  The June 24th date was not chosen randomly.  June 24 is the annual date of The Feast of St. John the Baptist when a "fatt calfe" would have been particularly welcome for the sort of feast and celebration that was so common on that date in those years.

Every few generations, it seems, there is a "rediscovery" of that ancient "fatt calfe" provision in the deed by which John and Rachel Pell transferred lands to Jacob Leisler.  With each such "rediscovery," members of the Pell family typically approach the City of New Rochelle and "demand" delivery of a "fatt calfe" to one or more members of the family as part of an important historic anniversary or a large family reunion celebration.  Rarely however, has such a "demand" been made by any of the Villages in Pelham or the Town of Pelham.  The North Pelham celebration in 1946 was an exception.

Though it may come as disappointing news to the many members of the Pell Family descended from John and Rachel Pell who are scattered throughout the nation, it would seem (at least from Pelham's perspective) that a meaningful argument can be made that the right to demand and receive the "fatt calfe" (to whatever unlikely extent it may still be labeled a "right") has devolved to the Town of Pelham and not to members of the Pell family or to today's Villages of Pelham and Pelham Manor.  

Under the original deed, the "right" to receive the "fatt calfe" belonged to John Pell and "his heirs and assigns Lords of the said Manor of Pelham."  The deed did NOT say the right belonged to the descendants of John Pell, only John Pell and his "heirs and assigns."

John Pell, of course, no longer is with us, having died in the first few years of the 18th century.  Thus, we are left to determine the meaning of "his heirs and assigns," a legal term of art in the real estate field.  We then must determine who meets this definition of "his heirs and assigns."

The phrase typically appears in a so-called habendum clause in a deed -- the clause that describes the estate that is being granted.  John Pell's "heirs" would have been those to whom his real estate was bequeathed or who otherwise inherited it.  His "assigns" would have included those who came into possession of his property through purchase, gift or some form of transfer from him, his heirs or anyone who inherited the property from him or any of his heirs.  

This suggests, of course, that an argument can be made that all who now own any of the lands that comprised the Manor of Pelham immediately after the sale to Leisler in 1689 (including those who live in today's Town of Pelham and on City Island) are among John Pell's "assigns" as referenced in the 1689 deed.  If such a theory is correct, there would now be tens of thousands of Lords of the Manor of Pelham -- those who own property that was owned by John and Rachel Pell in the Manor of Pelham immediately after the sale to Jacob Leisler on September 20, 1689.  

Now things get even a little more interesting.  The clause of the deed requiring delivery of a fatt calfe if demanded may arguably be deemed ambiguous.  It requires Jacob Leisler, his heirs and assigns to deliver to “John Pell his heirs and assigns Lords of the said Manor of Pelham . . . as an Acknowledgment to the said Manor one fatt calfe on every fouer and twentieth day of June Yearly and Every Year forever (if demanded).”  Does that mean Jacob Leisler and, subsequently all his heirs and assigns (arguably all landowners in today's City of New Rochelle) must each deliver one "fatt calfe" to each of the "heirs and assigns" of John Pell (arguably at least all the landowners in the Town of Pelham and on City Island) if demanded?  Alternatively, is the delivery of only one "fatt calfe" required to be delivered to all "heirs and assigns" of John Pell?

It would seem that it would be most reasonable to interpret the provision to require delivery of only "one fatt calfe" regardless of the number of "heirs and assigns" who may exist today.  But, who should deliver the fatt calfe?  Who should properly receive the fatt calfe?

Over the last century, members of the Pell Family seem implicitly to have recognized that the reference to John Pell's "heirs and assigns" in the deed does not include his descendants (i.e., members of the Pell Family).  Thus, they do not seem ever to have demanded that the descendants of Jacob Leisler deliver a fatt calfe to them.  This omission implicitly affirms that provision placed the obligation not on Leisler's descendants but on his "heirs & Assigns."  Of course, essentially the same phrase (i.e., "heirs and assigns") is used on the opposite side of the equation providing that John Pell and his "heirs and assigns" are entitled to receive the fatt calfe.  

In short the Pell family does not demand the "fatt calfe" from Leisler's descendants but, instead, from a municipal representative of his "heirs and assigns" -- the City of New Rochelle as the representative of all those within the City who own lands once owned by Jacob Leisler (Leisler's "Assigns").  Paradoxically, however, at the same time members of the Pell Family demand that the calf be delivered to them (or one of their own) as descendants of John Pell and NOT to a municipal representative of Pell's "heirs and assigns."  

Thus, one could argue, there are only two who today would have the joint authority, as the municipal representatives of John Pell's true "heirs and assigns" (i.e., the tens of thousands who now own land that was part of the Manor of Pelham immediately after the sale of land to Jacob Leisler on September 20, 1689) to demand delivery of the fatt calfe on June 24.  Those two would be the Town of Pelham (as landowner and representative of those who own land in Pelham) and the City of New York (as landowner and representative of those who own land on City Island and in Pelham Bay Park).

This author now has the temerity to assert that all previous deliveries of a "fatt calfe" to members of the Pell Family and to the Village of North Pelham are null and void and of no force and effect since those deliveries were not demanded by John Pell or any of his "heirs and assigns" -- only his descendants.  Since neither the Town of Pelham nor the City of New York demanded delivery of the fatt calfe in those instances, no such delivery was required.  The City of New Rochelle should be deemed simply to have gifted the fatt calfe on each such occasion rather than meeting any obligation under the deed issued to Jacob Leisler.  

What say you Pell Family members?  What say you landowners in New Rochelle?  What say you landowners on City Island?  And, indeed, since New York City owns today's Pelham Bay Park which was part of the Manor of Pelham on September 20, 1689, what say you New York City?

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Below is a transcription of an article describing New Rochelle's delivery of the "fatt calfe" demanded by the Village of North Pelham in 1946.  Although, arguably, the Village was a representative of John Pell's "heirs and assigns" who lived within its boundaries, it was not the most appropriate representative to make such a demand.  At least the ceremony was performed in front of the Town Hall of the Town of Pelham. . . . . . 

"Presentation Of 'Ye Fatte Calf' [sic] Recalls Olden Tribute To John Pell, Lord of Manor

NORTH PELHAM -- One of the most colorful events of the Village's celebration yesterday on the 50th anniversary of its founding was the historic reenactment of the delivery of a fatted calf by Mayor Stanley W. Church of New Rochelle to Mayor Dominic Amato of North Pelham at 4:15 P. M.

The picturesque ceremony, which took place in front of Town Hall, was recorded by a battery of photographers as well as by the Columbia Broadcasting System television, when it will be shown over a nationwide broadcast Sunday over WCGW from 8:15 to 8:30 P. M.

George Usbeck, announcer, opened the ceremony:

'The year is 1689; on the shores of Long Island Sound a little band of French Huguenots had selected a site for their settlement.  That site was part of the landed properties of the Lord of the Manor of Pell.  And when the purchase contract was signed, it contained a provision in which the Huguenots agreed to 'forever yielding and paying unto John Pell, his heirs and assigns, one fatte calf [sic] on every four and twentieth day of June yearly and every year forever, if demanded * * *

'Two hundred and fifty-seven years have passed down the corridors of history since that agreement was signed, but today New Rochelle again delivers to its neighboring village, North Pelham, 'ye fatte calf.'

Neil Gibbons, who played the part of a mounted courier in Colonial costume, rode up Fifth Avenue from the Railroad Station to Town Hall, where he dismounted, handed the reins of his horse to a policeman, and unrolling a scroll, read greetings.

Mayor Church, holding the calf by the tethers, and assisted on each side by Miss Denise Velon and Miss Arline Gyllenhammer, dressed in colonial costumes, came down Fifth Avenue grinning broadly, and the calf tugged so hard he pulled the little procession along.  Miss Velon, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henri Velon of 454 Fourth Avenue, was dressed in blue and rose, and Miss Gyllenhammer, daughter of Mrs. Harriet Gyllenhammer of 125 Second Avenue, wore a white flower-sprigged costume.

They stopped in front of Mayor Amato, and the battery of photographers had a field day as the two mayors shook hands and held the pose for a few minutes.

'It gives me great pleasure,' Mayor Church said, 'to present to your fine village today a token of our friendship in the form of the ancient fee for the site of New Rochelle.  I bring you the fatted calf to help make your day's celebration complete and, from the residents of New Rochelle, greetings as your reach your 50th birthday.  I want to congratulate you on the ceremony that will take place tonight when you burn the bonds to signify that at the ripe young age of 50, North Pelham is debt free.'

Mayor Amato receiving the calf for the residents of his village, thanked the New Rochelle Mayor and residents.

'The friendly relations, both business and social, between New Rochelle and the Pelhams are worth cherishing,' he said, 'and have their roots in the ceremony that we reenacted today, which began so many years ago.  I hope there will be many other occasions like this when our communities may get together for the mutual advancement of our section of Westchester.'

At the close of the exercises, a barbecued calf was carved into sandwiches and sold."

Source:  Presentation Of 'Ye Fatte Calf' Recalls Olden Tribute To John Pell, Lord of Manor, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, NY], Aug. 30, 1946, p. 10, cols. 3-7.  

"HISTORIC CUSTOM reenacted at North Pelham's celebration of its

50th anniversary yesterday.  Mayor Stanley Church of New Rochelle

(center) presents a 'fatte calf' [sic] to Mayor Dominic Amato, according

to the terms of an old deed.  Looking on are (second from left) Miss

Denise Velon of 545 Fourth Avenue, North Pelham, and Miss Arline

Gyllenhammer, of 125 Second Avenue, North Pelham, in Colonial

costumes."  Source:  Presentation Of 'Ye Fatte Calf' Recalls Olden

Tribute To John Pell, Lord of Manor, The Daily Argus [Mount Vernon, 

NY], Aug. 30, 1946, p. 10, cols. 3-7.  NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

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Cancellation of 1909 Fatt Calfe Ceremony Due to "Sharp Lawyers" Prompted a Pell Family Feud

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On September 20, 1689, John Pell, and his wife, Rachel, sold to Jacob Leisler of New York City 6,000 acres of Manor of Pelham land.  At the same time they gifted to Leisler another 100 acres for use as church grounds.  Leisler reportedly had been commissioned to acquire the land on behalf of French Huguenots seeking to relocate to North America, many of whom fled from La Rochelle in France.  The land became today’s New Rochelle, named in honor of La Rochelle from which many of the Huguenots fled religious persecution by the French Catholics. 

A condition of the sale in 1689 was that Jacob Leisler, his heirs and assigns should deliver to “John Pell his heirs and assigns Lords of the said Manor of Pelham . . . as an Acknowledgment to the said Manor one fatt calfe on every fouer and twentieth day of June Yearly and Every Year forever (if demanded).”  

Why was there a provision in the deed requiring delivery of a "fatt calfe" to Pell and his "heirs and assigns" on June 24 each year thereafter?  In addition to being an acknowledgment of Pell's largesse in providing the land in the first place, it was, in part, a symbol of good will between the Manor of Pelham and the new French Huguenot settlement of New Rochelle to encourage an annual celebration and feast among Pelhamites and the Huguenots.  June 24 is the Feast of St. John the Baptist celebrating the Nativity of St. John.  The celebration is considered one of the oldest festivals of the Christian Church listed as early as 506 C.E. by the Council of Agde as one of the principal festivals typically celebrated as a day of rest in preparation for the upcoming Christmas season.  A "fatt calfe," if demanded, provided a perfect opportunity for a celebratory feast and likely would have been "demanded" only after prior consultation and preparation for such an event.

1938 New Rochelle U.S. Commemorative Silver

Half Dollar (Obverse) Depicting John Pell Receiving

the "Fatt Calfe" in 1689. Photograph by the Author.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

Portrait of John Pell Who Sold Portion of

the Manor of Pelham to Jacob Leisler on

September 20, 1689.  NOTE:  Click on 

Image to Enlarge.

Every few generations, it seems, there is a "rediscovery" of that ancient provision in the deed by which John Pell transferred the lands to Jacob Leisler.  With each such "rediscovery," members of the Pell family approach the City of New Rochelle and "demand" delivery of a "fatt calfe" -- typically as part of an anniversary or family reunion celebration.  

In 1909, George H. Pell joined the long line of Pell family members who "rediscovered" the provision contained in the ancient deed.  He demanded delivery of the "fatt calfe."  New Rochelle officials agreed to participate.  In perhaps one of the oddest instances in the history of the famed "fatt calfe" ceremony, however, the ceremony was canceled at the last minute after more than 500 invitations had been issued due to a fear of "sharp lawyers."

What did New Rochelle fear?  It feared that lawyers would seize on the fact that New Rochelle agreed to pay the "Acknowledgment" after failing to pay for many previous years to argue that there were defects in the titles of all properties in New Rochelle.  Under such a "sharp" theory, sharp lawyers might argue that title to the thousands of properties would revert to members of the Pell family.  

I have written about this interesting incident before.  See Fri., Mar. 04, 2005:  In 1909 Fear of "Sharp Lawyers" Prompted Cancellation of the Pell Family's "Fatt Calfe" Ceremony.  

A fascinating dispute arose among two members of the Pell family after the event was canceled.  H. W. Pell of Rome, New York came forward and claimed that he was the rightful claimant entitled to receive the famed fatt calfe, not George H. Pell.  The dispute erupted into a series of newspaper articles about which I also have written before.  See Thu., Sep. 10, 2009:  1909 Dispute Among Pell Family Members Over Who Would be the Rightful Recipient of the Fatt Calfe from New Rochelle.  

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes a different article published in 1909 regarding the Pell family dispute that arose over who would be the rightful recipient of the fatt calfe.  The article is fascinating because it discloses a portion of H. W. Pell's letter that claimed that since the time of John Pell, nephew and principal legatee of Peham founder Thomas Pell, a punch bowl that belonged to John Pell was passed from each purported "Lord" of the Manor of Pelham to the rightful successor entitled to receive the fatt calfe.

According to that letter, John Pell's punch bowl was made of lignum vitae, a trade wood from trees of the genus Guaiacum that are indigenous to the Caribbean and the northern coast of South America.  The wood was an important export to Europe since the beginning of the 16th century.  According to H. W. Pell, the wooden punch bowl was bound with silver hoops.  He claims to have played with the punch bowl as a child, but the silver hoops separated from the wood and "the bowl was broken and lost."  

H. W. Pell provided in his letter a detailed genealogy that, he claimed, demonstrated that he and not George H. Pell was entitled to receive the fatt calfe.  The dispute, it appears, was never resolved.

*           *          *          *           *

I have written about the requirement that the "heirs and assigns" of Jacob Leisler, as purchaser and recipient of the 6,100 acres that became today's City of New Rochelle, deliver a "fatt calfe" to Pell heirs each year "if demanded."  For examples, see:

Bell, Blake A., Tradition of Demanding a New Rochelle "Fatt Calfe", The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 16, Apr. 16, 2004, p. 8, col. 2.

John Pell and the New Rochelle Commemorative Coin Dated 1938, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 7, Feb. 13, 2004, p. 10, col. 1.

Tue., Dec. 01, 2015:  Lean Roast Beef Is NOT a "Fatt Calfe" Though Pell Family Members Accepted it in 1956.

Thu., Sep. 10, 2009:  1909 Dispute Among Pell Family Members Over Who Would be the Rightful Recipient of the Fatt Calfe from New Rochelle.

Fri., Mar. 04, 2005:  In 1909 Fear of "Sharp Lawyers" Prompted Cancellation of the Pell Family's "Fatt Calfe" Ceremony.

*          *          *          *          *

"ANOTHER LORD OF THE MANOR
-----

Had Mayor Raymond presented the fatted calf and three peppercorns to George H. Pell, as seventh lord of the Manor of Pelham, as had been arranged recently, he would have hurt the feelings of another claimant to that title, H. W. Pell of Rome, N. Y.

In a letter of detailed explanation H. W. Pell states that he has read about the proposed presentation of the fatted calf and of the subsequent refusal on the part of Mayor Raymond to carry out the ceremony, also noting the statement that George H. Pell claims to be a true descendant of the lords of Pelham Manor.  

'There must be some mistake in that,' goes on the letter.  'My family records give the geneology [sic] of our family as follows:  Henry W. Pell, born June 23, 1835 (which is the writer of this); Thomas Pell, M.D., his father, born April 15, 1806, deed November 1, 1869; Thomas Pell, his father, born at Manor Pelham March 1, 1775; Thomas Pell, his father, owner of Pelham Manor, born 1774 [??].  He had but three children, Thomas, Helena and Margaret; Joseph Pell, lord of Pelham Manor, born 1701, his father; Thomas Pell, his father, second lord of Pelham Manor, born 1675; Sir John Pell, his father, born in London, 1643.  He came to America in 1671 [sic], and in 1685 was appointed by James II a Justice of the Peace for the county of Westchester, N. Y., and Judge in 1688.  1687, he was created lord of the Manor of Pelham, N. Y., by letters patent from the Crown.  He married Rachel Pinckney and was succeeded by his son.

'This is far enough to assure you that I a the only living and true descendant of Lord John Pell, of Pelham Manor.  I have the geneology [sic] back to the origin of the name.

'Lord Pell transmitted his punch bowl to his successor.  It came to my father and was of lignum vitae, bound with silver.  The hoops came off, after which the bowl was broken and lost.  I have played with it time and again, therefore I remember it perfectly.'"

Source:  ANOTHER LORD OF THE MANOR, The Bronxville Review, Jul. 23, 1909, p. 3, col. 2.  

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