In 1660, fifteen-year old Leffert Pieterse (1645-1704) arrived in New Amsterdam with his parents and three younger siblings. Within two years, his father and two of his siblings had died and his mother had remarried. No historical record remains describing how Leffert dealt with this personal hardship. But within a decade, he had married and started a family, acquired significant land and property, and emerged as one of the most prominent citizens of the small town of Flatbush.
By 1675, Leffert owned significant livestock, two horses, and 17 of land. In 1687, he purchased fifty-eight acres of land in Flatbush, upon which the would be built. By 1692, he was constable of Flatbush. At the time of his death in 1704, Leffert Pieterse was one of the largest landowners in Kings County.