6. Kings County Wasn’t Too Patriotic During the Revolutionary War

Photograph by Michelle Young

Kings County wasn’t exactly a hotbed of revolutionary fervor. In 1776, the whole borough was either undeveloped forest or farmland, mostly under the control of the same Dutch families who moved there during the Dutch West India Company era. These Dutch descendants had little interest in the conflict between the British Empire and their quasi-British subjects. If anything, wealthy farmers saw no need to jeopardize their financial holdings by picking a fight with the empire.
There were exceptions, of course. Bushwick sent a delegation to various revolutionary conventions, led by John Titus, whose family farm would later serve as the foundation of the first Williamsburg development. Captain Titus formed a Bushwick Militia, which included young men from several prominent local families. In general, however, the area was home to minimal rebel activity during the subsequent British occupation of New York and Kings County, which lasted for the entire Revolutionary War.