The main road, or as part of it is now called, Fulton-street, in the village of Brooklyn, was laid out March 28th, 1704, by Joseph Hageman, Peter Cortelyou, and Benjamin Vandewater, Commissioners, appointed by an act of the General Assembly of the colony of New-York, for the laying out, regulating, clearing and preserving of public highways in the colony. The record of this road is as follows:--“One publique, common and general highway, to begin ffrom _low water marke_ at the ferry in the township of Broockland, in Kings county, and ffrom thence to run ffour rod wide up between the houses and lands of John Aerson, John Coe, and George Jacobs, and soe all along to Broockland towne aforesaid, through the lane that now is, and ffrom thence straight along a certaine lane to the Southward corner of John Van Couwenhoven’s land, and ffrom thence straight to Bedfford as it is now staked out, to the lane where the house of Benjamin Vandewater stands, and ffrom thence straight along through Bedfford towne to Bedfford lane, running between the lands of John Garretse, Dorlant and Claes Barnse, to the rear of the lands of the said Cloyse, and ffrom thence southerly to the old path now in use, and soe all along said path to Philip Volkertses land, taking in a little slip of said Philip’s land on the south corner, soe all along said road by Isaack Greg’s house to the Fflackbush new lotts ffence, and soe all along said ffence to the eastward, to the north-east corner of Eldert Lucas’s land, lying within the New lotts, of Fflattbush aforesaid, being ffour rod wide all along, to be and continue forever.” This road or “king’s highway,” as it was then called, leading from the ferry to the old Dutch Church, or Brooklyn parish, was the cause of much contention. At the April term of the General Sessions of the Peace for Kings County, in 1721, indictments were found for encroaching on the “common high way of the King, leading from the ferry to the Church at Brookland,” against John Rapalje, Hans Bergen and James Harding, and others.--By which indictments it appears that the road should have been four rods wide. These indictments appear to have been predicated as well on the following application of John Rapalje and Hans Bergen, as on complaints from several of the inhabitants: “Fflatbush, April 19, 1721. John Rapalje and Hans Bergen of the fferry, desires of the grand jury that the Commissioners now being should be presented for not doing their duty in laying out the king’s highway according to ye law, being the King’s highway is too narrow from the ferry to one Nicalus Cowenhoven, living at Brooklyn and if all our neighbours will make ye road according to law, then ye said John Rapelje and Hans Bergen, is willing to do the same as aforesaid, being they are not willing to suffer more than their neighbours. As witness our hands the day and year first above written. JAN RAPELJE, HANS BERGEN.”