John Jay Homestead State Historic Site

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Letter of Denization. John Jay's grandfather, Augustus Jay, was a French Huguenot who fled France to avoid religious persecution. He came to America and settled in New York in 1686. This document, signed by Thomas Dongan, the colonial governor of New York, on March 4, 1686, established Augustus Jay's right to live and conduct business in what was then a British colony.

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Letter of Denization. John Jay's grandfather, Augustus Jay, was a French Huguenot who fled France to avoid religious persecution. He came to America and settled in New York in 1686. This document, signed by Thomas Dongan, the colonial governor of New York, on March 4, 1686, established Augustus Jay's right to live and conduct business in what was then a British colony.