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A NEW AND COMPLETE
VOLUME OF INFORMATION
With Original Pen and Inic Sketches
by EUGENE L. ARMBRUSTER
Eaale Cibrary
Itfo. 182
A VIEW OF THE HAIRDRESSING ESTABLISHMENT OF MRS. TYLER-MILLER AT 80-82 FLEET STREET, BROOKLYN.
MRS. TYLER-MILLER'S HAIRDRESSING ESTABLISHMENT
Mrs. Tyler-Miller conducts at 80 Fleet Street, one of the oldest and best known hair- dressing establishments in Brooklyn, having given satisfaction to her many patrons at that address for over twenty years. Last sea- son, on account of the large increase in her patronage, she added the building at 82 Fleet Street, thus doubling her space. Mrs. Tyler- Miller's establishment is fitted up in the most elegant manner and is equipped with every modem convenience needed in her business. Her patrons include many of the leading so- ciety women of Brooklyn and Long Island, as they find in the private rooms, which are a special feature of the establishment, the lux-
ury and privacy of their own boudoirs. Mrs. Tyler-Miller has a large force of helpers, who are experts in their respective lines, such as the making of hair goods, shampooing, scalp treatment, hairdressing, facial massage, and manicuring, but Mrs. Tyler-Miller gives her personal supervision and advice to each pat- ron and her personal attention to every detail of the business, and, as she is an expert in her line, the business is conducted on a first-class basis. Her prices are moderate and she of- fers special inducements to ladies living on Long Island. She is very glad to show visit- ors her establishment and they will find much to interest them there.
THE EAGLE LIBRARY
>;iiJ^-
LONG ISLAND
ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT
WITH
ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAPS
By EUGENE L. ARMBRUSTER
(Copy righH^ 1914, \>y E. L. Armbruster)
PUBLISHED BY THE BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE, BROOKLYN-NEW YORK
Entered at the Brooklyn-New York Post office as second-class matter. Vol. XXIX
No. 7, of the Eagle Library, Serial No. 182, June, 1914. Trademark
"Eagle Library," registered. Almanac Number $1.00. Yearly
subscription, $1.50, including Almanac.
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
The Queens County Trust
Company
Offices and Safe Deposit Vaults, 375 Fulton St., Jamaica, N. Y.
CAPITAL, $600,000.00
^-,F^^-:■^i;&^"
Queens County Trust Co., Jamaica, Queens Borough.
Conducts a General Banking Business.
BANKING DEPARTMENT
Deposits Subject lo Checks. Special Deposits not Subject to Check. Interest Allowed on Daily Balances.
Foreign Exchange, Travelers Cheques
TRUST DEPARTMENT
Executor Estates Managed Administrator Registrar Guardian Transfer Agent Trustee Legal Depository for
Receiver moneys paid into Court
SAFE DEPOSIT VAULTS
Boxes rented $5.00 per year and upward.
Robert B. Austin, Pres. Willis H. Young, V. Pres. Thomas Napier, V. Pres. W. E. Stecher, Sect'y. Leander B. Faber, Counsel.
BRANCH OFFICE
Queens Plaza North, Long Island City, N. Y.
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
DR. BERNARD LISSEY
One of Queens Borough's leading dentists is Dr. Bernard Lissey, witli offices at 339 Fulton street, Jamaica, and his dental operating room, a picture of which is shown above, has been declared the best equipped and the most elaborate and costly on Long Island.
As an artisan is judged by his tools and uis workmanship, so a dentist is judged by his appliances and his pleased or displeased patrons. The fact that Dr. Lissey has a large clientele and that his pa- tients invariably leave his office with pleased expressions on their faces, is sufficient proof of Dr. Lissey's worth.
Dr. Lissey desires to please his patrons by not only giving them the best possible workmanship and dental surgery under absolute aseptic conditions, but by giving surrounding cleanliness and comfort.
Upon arriving in New York, at the age of 17 years, Dr. Lissey Immediately proceeded to educate himself. He secured employment as a junior clerk in a drugstore and within a short time re- ceived his license as a graduate pharmacist. In 1903 he decided upon entering the College of Dental and Oral Surgery of New York. He had a very successful college career, graduating in 1906, receiving a silver medal. Shortly after his graduation. Dr. Lissey was married and in 1907 he established himself modestly at Jamaica, L. 1. By close application to his work and constant effort to please, Dr. Lissey soon made for himself an enviable reputation.
Despite the fact that he is a very busy dentist, Dr. Lissey still finds time to devote to civic, political, fraternal and charitable work. He is a member of the Jamaica Citizens Association, a member of the Board of Directors of the Iroquois Democratic Club, of the Hebrew Orphan Asylum, of Jamaica Council of the Royal Arcanum, of Jamaica Conclave, Independent Order of Heptasophs; of the Council of Im- migration of New York, of the Woodmen of the World, of the Foresters of America, of the Knights of Pythias, and of Ionic Lodge No. 486, F. and A. M., and of various dental societies.
Dr. Lissey is still a comparatively young man. He is thirty-three years old. He lives with his wife and two children — Jeanette Frances and Dorothy Marion Lissey — in a handsome home at 63 Shelton avenue, Jamaica.
Dr. Lissey is always pleased to receive members of his profession, medical doctors, as well as the public in general, and permit them to inspect his handsome dental offices at 339 Fulton street, Jamaica. Telephone 281-597 Jamaica.
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
1827
1 BROOKLYN SAVINGS BANK
CORNER PIERREPONT AND CLINTON STREETS
New Entrance 300 Fulton Street
BROOKLYN, N. Y.
Due Depositors Surplus (Par Value)
$51,400,000 $5,900,000
CROWELL HADDEN - - DANIEL J. CREEM - - RICHARD L. EDWARDS
CRO'^VELIi HADDEBT RICHARD L. EDWARDS EDW. H. LITCHFIELD FRANK LYMAN DAVID G. LEGGET WILLIS L. OGDEN JOHN F. HALSTED JONATHAN BULKLEY
OFFICERS : President LAURUS E. SUTTON Vice-Pres. ARTHUR C. HARE - Vice-Pres. CHARLES C. PUTNAM
Comptroller
Cashier
Ass't Comp'r
TRUSTEES:
FRANK L. BABBOTT HENRY P. NOYES SANFORD H. STEELE DANIEL J. CREEM CLINTON R. JAMES B. HERBERT SMITH FRANCIS L. NOBLE FREDERICK A. M. BURRELL -W^ILLIAM L. MOFFAT
HAROLD I. PRATT EDWIN P. MAYNARD CHARLES J. PEABODY MARTIN JOOST ALBERT L. MASON FRANK D. TUTTLE ■WILLIAM MASON CHARLES L. MORSE
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
OAK PARK NURSERIES
i^x-Mi^M^
s^msu^.'iS
On East Main street, Patchogue, is situated the Oak Park Nurseries, E. C. and S. V. Tiger, proprietors, comprising many acres. As the picture indicates, their specialty is evergreens. Established in 1888 the nursery has been spreading out year by year, until it now covers a large acreage of superbly stocked nursery specialties. Their reputation is such that it has gained for them customers who continually renew their orders, as they realize they can place their orders in perfect confidence and receive just exactly
what they buy.
Special attention is given to the culture of trees that will succeed best in this climate, and those grown here are already acclimated. Write for their beautiful cata- logue and when in need of anything in this line write the Oak Park Nurseries, which will exert an effort to please you and make you a satisfied and permanent customer.
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
Jamaica Park South Realty Corporation
120 West Thirty-second Street, New York Telephone 2914 Madison Square
236 Fulton Street, Jamaica, L. I. Telephone 878 Jamaica
The Best Moderate Priced Residential Section in Queensborough
19 Minutes From the Pennsylvania Station, 33d Street, New York. 30 Mmutes From Manhattan by the New Subway System.
LOTS FROM $250 TO $1,500
The City, State and National Governments have united to open what the "New York World" aptly calls "America's New Front Door." It will be at Jamaica Bay, adjacent to our property.
New York dock authorities declare at this hour that there are countless vessels which, upon arrival, have no prospect but delay, uncertainty and extortionate dock charges when they try to unload.
A READJUSTMENT OF THE COMMERCE OF THE WORLD IS NOW UNDER WAY AND JAMAICA BAY IS TO HANDLE IT.
We are showing you history in the making. Facts are here which your mind can build to- gether. It is a cold business proposition. The alert will grasp it to their certain profit. We can prove to you every assertion.
JAMAICA PARK SOUTH REALTY CORPORATION
120 West Thirty-second Street, New York Telephone 2914 Madbon Square
236 Fulton Street, Jamsuca, L. I. Telephone 878 Jamaica
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
Jamaica Park South Realty Corporation
120 West Thirty-second Street, New York Telephone 2914 Madison Square
236 Fulton Street, Jamaica, L. I. Telephone 87S Jamaica
EVERY DOLLAR IN THE PENNSYLVANIA TUNNELS AND TERMINALS,
EVERY DOLLAR IN THE CITY'S DUAL SUBWAY SYSTEM,
EVERY DOLLAR IN JAMAICA BAY'S GREAT HARBOR,
EVERY DOLLAR IN THE NEW ERIE BARGE CANAL,
EVERY DOLLAR IN HELL GATE BRIDGE,
Every dollar in each and all of these projects is a lever raising Jamaica Park South realty values to a higher level.
Our proposition is an open book. These big improvements are right there doing business — ready for your inspection. You take nothing on faith. The facts speak for themselves. When you see, you will say what every other man says — "IT IS BETTER THAN IT WAS REPRE- SENTED."
Any of these improvements will create enough big business to make an ordinary city.
Think what it means to build a harbor. Here will be miles of wharfage, steamship terminals, docks, etc. Jamaica Bay Harbor means the creation of a thousand new business centers — a city within a city. Shipping facilities bring manufacturers. The increase in Queens manufactures, 314% in 10 years, is a demonstration of that fact.
If the National Government were spending $70,000,000 in the construction of a new harbor on some barren shore, miles from any city, property there would be a good investment. But at Jamaica Bay the harbor is being built at the backdoor of the greatest commercial city in the world — a city with water or rail transit to all points on the globe.
Suppose even ONE of these improvements was being worked out in any community — you know it would be good business to buy property there and wait its completion. But suppose the entire five came together in that community — what then?
If some big business concern would spend $500,000 establishing a plant in a town, you would figure that property there was a good investment.
But here is an expenditure of eight hundred and twenty million dollars on the biggest enter- prises this country ever saw — all of them working together to make Jamaica Park South the greatest commercial center in the United States.
If real estate does not reach high values here, there is no place on earth that it will. If real estate is not a good investment here — there is no such thing as a good investment.
It is GOOD BUSINESS to investigate our proposition before you make any investment any- where.
LET US TAKE YOU OUT AND SHOW YOU THE PROPERTY.
JAMAICA PARK SOUTH REALTY CORPORATION
120 West Thirty-second Street, New York Telephone 2914 Madison Square
236 Fulton Street, Jamaica, L. L Telephone 878 Jamaica
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
r'
THE
^
Patchogue Bank
OF F»AXCHOGLJE, IM. Y.
Capital .... $75,000.00 Surplus and Profits Over $65,000.00
JOHN A. POTTER, Pr€sident
JESSE C. MILLS, Vice President
FRANK A. POTTER, Cashier
L
JOHN A. POTTER JESSE C. MILLS JOHN M. PRICE JOHN J. ROE ARCHIBALD S. HAVENS
DIRECTORS
FRANK OVERTON SMITH W. CONKLIN NATHANIEL 0. SWEZEY GEORGE H. FURMAN HOWARD S. CONKLIN
JOSEPH T. LOSEE JAMES H. MILLS JAMES H. SNEDECOR J. ROBERT BAILEY DANIEL R. DAVIS
FRED B. NEWINS
DAYTON HEDGES
J
215 MONTAGUE ST.
TELEPMOME 3613 I^.AIM.
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND: ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
FRED M. RULAND
Granite, Marble and Statuary. Artistic Granite Work a Specialty. Office and yards, corner of Lake
street and North Ocean avenue, Patchogue, L. I.
The monuments manufactured i Island are many examples of Ru- at the establishment of Fred M. land's superior work, admired and
Ruland are noted for their original design and artistic workmanship.
highly commended for their excel- lence of finish. An established
In the cemeteries of eastern Long i business of thirty years, that has
kept pace with the demands of the times for better cemetery work, assures all Ruland customers of prompt, courteous, efficient, honest service. The most modern elec- trical lettering devices, the highest grade of workmanship, elevating cranes and all up-to-date equip- ment are the best evidence to offer that Ruland can meet any and all requirements for monuments, headstones, statuary, etc. If you are looking for the genuine prod- ucts— no substitutes — of the fa- mous quarries of Barre, Vt.; Quincy, Mass., and Westerly, R. I., or the noted imports from Aber- deen, Scotland, or Italy, ask
FRED M. RULAND, North Ocean Av., Patchogue, L. L
IF YOU PLEASE-
will you send us a sample of that job of commercial printing which you soon will need and permit us to quote you a price upon it —
Remembering That Our Reputation for
producing printing which is technically and commercially correct gives you all reasonable assurance that, our price being right, you need have no hesitancy in entrusting your order to us?
THE AMITY PRINTING HOUSE
CHARLES F. DELANO, Proprietor AMITYVILLE, LONG ISLAND, N. Y.
Long Distance Telephone No. 77 Amityville. (All Hours)
10
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
UNIQUE THEATER
On South Ocean avenue, 500 feet from Main street, is located the "Unique Theater," a new and modern house, equipped with all improvements, including a gallery seating over 300. The latest capacity of theater nearly 1,000. Mr. Nathan Goldstein, proprietor and manager, caters to the elite of Patchogue, exhibiting all the latest films as soon as released. This beautiful theater was opened to the public last July and has, under Mr. Goldstein's able management, proven a great success.
WILLIAM L. MANTHA COMPANY, Inc.
Have been established nine years in Bayport and four Fully equipped with power to make any repairs that employed. Mr. Mantha makes a study of each new c with all types. The cut represents a Reo car for whi are also selling agents for the Mitchell automobile, and those seeking an automobile can make no mistake engaged here at reasonable rates. There is also am assured they will receive first-class service.
years in Sayville, operating a garage in each place, an automobile may require. Expert mechanics are ar as it appears upon the market, and is familiar ch this company are the local selling agents. They These two high-class cars have a splendid reputation,
in selecting either of them. Touring cars can be pie storage room for private owners, who can rest
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
11
THE BANK OF HUNTINGTON
HUNTINGTON, L. I.
Just about twenty-six years ago there was started in Huntington, N. Y., a bank. The exact date is July I, 1888. The institution sprang from the private bank of the late James M. Brush, Henry S. Brush and Douglas Conklin. These men virtually did business "over a soap box," and when it was announced that "The Bank of Huntington" was to be opened as a public enterprise, folks were inclined to laugh. Today the bank is the best known on rural Long Island, is the ninth strongest bank in the United States, is the second strong- est State bank in New York State, topped only by the famous Fifth Avenue Bank in New York City. It occupies a place well toward the top on the "roll of honor" of the national banking world.
The rise of a community into prominence is generally the rise of its business institutions. Huntington is a good example. The town is composed chiefly of agricultural and residential interests, and for a town of about 6,000 inhabitants it is practically unrivaled on Long Island for general prosperity. If the truth be told, the Bank of Huntington takes a very large percentage of the credit for putting the village on the map, and has much to do with the solidity of its present financial condition.
The Mercantile and Financial Times said recently:
" * * * when an institution operating or doing business in a small community can show on a capitalization of 530,000 a surplus and undivided profits account more than six times its capital, and total resources of almost one and three-quarter million dollars, it is indeed a most enviable condition and a decided testimonial to the abilities that have been and are directing its affairs. Such is the condition shown upon its completion of a quarter of a century of existence by the 'Bank of Huntington,' which institution now shows a surplus of $200,000, deposits of more than 81,400,000, and total resources of 81,700,000."
As an indication of the value of the capital stock of the Bank of Huntington, a short time ago two shares were sold at auction. One share went for $1,025 and the other for $1,020. Par value, 8100.
OFFICERS:
DOUGLASS CONKLIN. President. HENRY F. SAMMIS, Vice President.
ROSS W. DOWNS, Cashier.
ADDISON W. SAMMIS, Assistant Cashier.
WILLARD N. BAYLIS, HENRY S. BRUSH. CARLL S. BURR,
DIRECTORS:
GEORGE WOODHULL CONKLIN. DOUGLASS CONKLIN, AUGUST HECKSCHER.
JOSEPH IRV7IN, JOH.N T. ROBE, HENRY P. SAMMIS,
J. NEWELL SAMMIS, THOMAS YOUNG.
Statement of The Bank of Huntington, N. Y., May 2, 1914.
Resources. Bills discounted $919,755.61
Mortgages
Stocks and bonds
Real estate
Cash on hand
Due from reserve banks.
98,462.05
431,141.23
16,000.00
84,078.56
170,478.23
$1,719,915.68
Liabilities.
Capital stock $30,000.00
Surplus 130,000.00
Undivided profits 106,143.38
Due depositors 1,451,046.61
Due banks 2,725.69
$1,719,915.68
12 Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
The Eastern District OF Brooklyn
WITH FORTY-SIX
PEN AND INK SKETCHES
BY
Eugene L. Armbruster
SIZE 5x7. CLOTH BINDING. P. P. 205, WITH GENERAL INDEX
Price, ^2-^^ Postpaid
ORDER FROM
EUGENE L. ARMBRUSTER,
263 Eldert Street, Brooklyn, N. Y.
The Eagle Library
Contents
Page
Sohquompuo 15
The Indians 16
Dutch and English Claims 17
The English Towns 18
Political Division of the Island 18
Long Island's Population at Different Periods 18
The Borough of Brooklyn IS
Towns:
Brooklyn 20
New Utrecht 23
Gravesend 24
Flatbush (and New Lots) 25
Flatlands 26
Bushwlck (and WlUiamsburgh) 26
Newtown (and Long Island City) 27
Flushing 29
Jamaica 30
Paga Towns (Continued) :
Hempstead (and North Hempstead) 30
Oyster Bay 31
Huntington (and Babylon) 33
Smithtown 34
Islip 35
Brookhaven 36
Southold 37
Shelter Island 38
Riverhead 38
Southampton 39
Easthampton 40
Statistics 40
Long Island a Century Ago 41
Map of New York Harbor 41
Conclusion 43
General Index 44 to 48
Illustrations
Page
Map of Original Lake 15
Map of Indian Tribes 17
Map of Roads in Kings County 18
De Heere Gracht 19
Map of West Riding of Yorkshire 19
De Hart or Bergen House 21
Gowanus Stone House 21
Freeke's Mill and Yellow Mill 21
Second Breukelen Church 22
Long Island Ferry Landing, 1740 22
Fulton Ferry, 1840 23
Dutch Church and De Sille House, New Utrecht 24
First Dutch Church, Gravesend 24
Gravesend Town Hall 25
Original Long Island Church, Middelwoud 25
New Amersfoort Church, Erected 1663 26
Schenck Homestead, Canarsie 26
On Old Woodpoint Road, Bushwlck 26
Bushwlck Church and Town Hall 27
Old Bay Tavern on the Poor Bowery 28
Page
Jackson Tide Mill 29
Duryea House, Flushing 30
Stone Meeting House, Jamaica 30
Cedarmere 31
Monument at Near Rockaway 31
Youngs House, Oyster Bay 33
Lighthouse, Cold Spring Harbor 33
First Presbyterian Church, Huntington 34
Lefferts Homestead, Huntington 34
Paper Mill on Orlwie Lake 35
Fire Island Lighthouse 35
Old First Presbyterian Church, Southold 37
Horton House, Southold 37
Mill on Mattituck Creek 37
Champlain House, Orient 37
Mulford House, Orient 37
South View of Riverhead, 1840 38
Sayre House, Southampton 39
Payne's Childhood Home, Easthampton 40
Map of New York Harbor in the Dutch Times 42
The Eagle Library
Introduction
j-— n — SE^ STRUS STUYVESANT reported to his "^^J^JStClB' superiors in the Netherlands, on taking office as Director General of the colony of New Netherland in 1647, that "he found the colony so stripped of inhabi- tants, that, with the exception of the English villages of Hempstead, Flush- ing and Gravesend, fifty bouweries and plantations could not be enumerated, and there could not be made out in the whole province 250, or at the farthest 300, men capa- ble of bearing arms."
Thus the population of Long Island in 1647 may be estimated at 500 men, women and children. We have the figures of later times, viz: In 1700, about 9,000; in 1800, 42,391; in 1900, 1,452,611. In the next decade the increase was 645,849, or approximately 19 times the increase during the century from 1700 to 1800. At this rate Long Island will be transformed so rapidly that it may be well to picture the old towns, while it yet is possible, while we still have some of the old landmarks with us.
The first fact on record in the story of Long Island is the arrival of the Half Moon in the bay of New York. Thompson says: "The opinion has sometimes been ad- vanced that the bed of the Long Island Sound was at some remote period covered by the waters of a lake," etc.; but the geologists are silent on this subject. Thomp- son also says "that the language of the Montauk was very close to that of the Narragansett and other New England tribes"; and he quotes Heckewelder, saying, "that from the best accounts he could obtain, the Indians, who inhabited Long Island, were Delawares, and early known as Matou-sjakes, according to De Laet and Pro-
fessor Ebeling." Silas Wood tells us: "It appears that Long Island had been overrun by hostile tribes and many of the natives must have been destroyed by them."
These are the few hints we have regarding the history of the island, while occupied by the Indians exclusively. The writer has endeavored to find parts of the unwritten histoi-j' of the Indians in the names of localities on the island, and the story of Sohquompuo and the chapter on "the Indians" are the result of this undertaking. The Indian names of localities in the counties of Kings and Queens are of the Delaware dialect, and are more sig- nificant than is generally believed; the Dutch names in many cases and the English names in some cases are again translations of the Indian names of these locali- ties. The history of the Indians of Long Island prior to Hudson's coming has been a sealed book, and thus no authorities can be quoted; the absence of geological proofs relating to the formation of Long Island Sound makes it necessary to give the story of Sohquompuo simply as a narrative, although the writer has found it indirectly confirmed by the recorded history in a higher degree than many things which are generally accepted as true historical facts.
The spelling of names of towns, villages, rivers, Indian tribes, sachems, etc., is not uniform throughout the book. This is due to several causes. The old documents and records were written by men who had come to this coun- try from all parts of Europe. These men took down the names according to sounds. Names of towns, rivers, etc., in many cases were corruptions of Indian words, which were gradually transformed into names, more agreeable to the ears of the white men. Hence the great variety of spelling in names of the same localities at different periods.
The Eagle Library
LONG ISLAND
ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT
SOHQUOMPUO.
Captain C. was a native of Long Island; the farm on which he was reared was located on Manhasset Neck, and had been in the family for gener- ations. Here he lived the life of a farmer's boy, which fitted him for a future full of adventures and hard- ships. His only recreation was to spend an hour or two in the cool of the evening upon the waters of the Sound, after a day's hard toil in the fields. Rowing away from the shore he would let his boat drift along while he listened to the noise of the water and the chirping of the birds and thus became familiar with many secrets of nature. These evening hours had a great fascination for the boy. One night he was surprised by a storm; he had not noticed the change in the atmosphere and the storm was upon him without any warning. He tried his best to reach the shore but _the boat was hard to manage in the angrily splashing waters; it was driven down the Sound, and while passing a rock, against which the waves dashed furious- ly, he thought that he heard the sound of a human voice between the thunder crashes. He forgot his perilous situa- tion, all his senses were concentrated upon that black rock. The sky was of an inky color, but when now a flash of lightning tore the darkness, the figure of a human being seemed to stand on top of the rock; all disappeared in a
moment and the storm soon subsided. Rowing back, he tried to locate the rock, without success, and reached home, completely tired out, at mid- night. Many times afterward he went searching for the mysterious rock, but in vain.
When he had reached his twentieth year he left home and went West. After many adventures he crossed the line at the great lakes and lived for years among the Indians of Canada; here he became acquainted with the various dialects of the Algonquin tribes. He forget civilization, amass- ing a fortune in the fur trade. But one thing he could never fully forget — that black rock in the Sound. Many a night while lying awake in his wigwam in the wilds of the far-northern forests, he vainlv tried »" =olve the mystery. The years rolled by and his hair was now white. No matter how long a man may have been away from home some day the memory of that place will stand out so clearly that he is compelled to overcome all obstacles and return to it, to see once more the place where he has spent his childhood days. This happened to Captain C. and he obeyed willingly.
We meet him again on the paternal farm on Manhasset Neck. His parents had closed their eyes many years ago. His younger brother lived now in the old home; the captain decided to live with him and his fmni'-r This was the
only place in the world for him with which any pleasant recollections were connected; the snow-covered forests of the high north had lost much in his memory, he began to feel his age.
Just now he had returned from a ride on horseback; it had been a typi- cal August day and now, at evening, heavy clouds began to gather and a storm promised to bring relief by mid- night. He walked down Middle Neck Road, expecting to find the air cooler near the shore '^i-.o waters of the Sound had not lost their old power over him and he decided to row to Execution Rocks Lighthouse. On the way his mind was occupied by recol- lections, his boyhood and later life passed in review, and he did not notice a dense mist settling over the water. The rolling thimder made him look up and around and he realized that he had lost all direction. The night grew darker and the storm broke loose with full force; the boat drifted along with the water for some time. A flash of lighting enabled him to see an object ahead of him; he hoped that it might be the lighthouse; the next flash, how- ever, showed it to be a steep, bare rock, and the boat was alarmingly close up to it. The memory of that mysterious rock of long ago flashed through the captain's mind; a moment later the boat was thrown against the rock and capsized. Holding on to the upturned vessel, he managed to keep above
16
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT
water until the sky was lit up again. He noticed that the rock fell off grad- ually on one side and he pushed the boat in that direction. Leaving the boat in a fairly secure position in a split in the rock, he climbed up.
Exhausted, Captain C. stood still. Amidst the howling of the storm he imagined he heard the wailing of a human voice. Forgotten was his exhaus- tion, danger and storm. He ran into the dark until he stumbled; a flash, fol- lowed by a terrible crash revealed the figure of a man with outstretched arms. The mystery of the black rock was to be solved; the half century which had passed since that night was wiped away, he was ready to face any- thing in order to succeed. As sudden as the storm had set in it died out again and the moon broke through the black clouds, flooding the rock with silvery light. The captain walked toward the dark shape, it was the fig- ure of an Indian. His arms, before stretched out, had fallen down on his sides. The Indian broke the silence; his words sounded strange at first, but the captain, familiar with the dialects of the various Algonquin tribes, could grasp the meaning of most sentences. The stranger said:
"It was a night like this, when," pointing to the water all around, "the rocks were swept away; down the Sound they went, tearing away large pieces of land. Hundreds of men, women and children were killed. Hob- bamock had told me, while I was lying In my wigwam half asleep, to warn the women and children, but I had not the courage to go upon the water; the waves were angry, and I fled toward the middle of the island. Many died; all are dead — dead for a long, long time; *Shoquompuo alone is alive. Hobbamock says he cannot find rest until the rocks come back again. My people had a tradition that where we now stand was the shore of a lake, which extended eastward beyond Pau- manack, the Fishers' Hook. Many hundreds of years ago this lake was destroyed, and the water, rushing down toward the open sea, broke the land Into pieces all along on its way. It formed many islands, which the pale- faces have named Fishers, Gull, Plum, Manhattan, etc., islands; it also made a channel, or what you call the East River; a chain of rocks across the Sound was all that remained here of the shore of the lake. About the time when the first paleface came to this continent, way down in the South, far, far from here, Hobbamock was angry at my people, but he did not want to destroy the women and children. He sent the rocks down the Sound, the waters tore away pieces from our island, which fragments the palefaces now call Ward's, Blackwell's and Gov- ernor's Islands. Randall's Island also was torn from the main; Manhattan Island was flooded so that few could escape from it. Staten Island trem- bled all the time; the pieces of land were thrown against it, when they be- came piled up in the Narrows, and the waters, held up, ran over the island. When the Dutch came here they were told of this and they called the place Stooten Eylandt, which means the island which was tossed. The goose-band, living upon it fled over the pieces of land, which were pressed in the Narrows, to the westerly end of our island, and drove my people away. They made a village there, which was known as Maereckkaakwick; that is, the place of the gray goose-band. Staten Island was later occupied by men of the Manhattan tribe, who called it Aquehonga Monacknong; that is, the abandoned place of the goose- band. Westward from Staten Island, on the Jersey coast, lived one of the
•Sohquompuo — Fainthearted, coward.
wolf bands; they also fled over to our island and settled west of the goose- band. Their totem was the wolf; the Dutch called them bears or Canarsee. The Maereckkaak found themselves crowded and renewed their warfare upon my people; they drove them along the north shore; at Nesaquake there was a place of slaughter; at Se- tauket they dispersed them in consecu- tive attacks; at Unkechaug or Patchoag they were finally driven apart and fell in a snare; at Secatoag was the hid- ing place of the last who remained of their number.
"The Canarsee were less cruel to my people. They allowed them to remain among them. One band was called by them Mispat; that is, a separate peo- ple. They were not captives, but they were without the power of alienation. The Jamaica were of the same class. They had given up their land withou'. resistance. At Keshkechqueren, or the bay, and at Rechhouwhacky they had villages of their own tribe. The goose- band started a village near here, at the stones, which was called Sintsink or Matinecoc, and another at the great river. This was called Marospinck, or Matsepe. Later on the tribes on the Fishers' Hook took the last of my peo- ple under their protection. The east- ern tribes had come from the main across the Sound. They landed at Corchaug, the old place; afterward they spread over the pine lands, and be- came thus known as Sinnecox. When the whites bought their land they called the most eastern band Montauk, or those toward the east, or sunrise. An- other band, on Shelter Island, they knew as Manhanset; that is, on the island.
"Manhattan Island suffered terribly. The people fled from it, crying out Manetto — that is, god, for they knew not what had befallen them. It was supernatural; way beyond their com- prehension. The island still bears the name Manette, or Manhattan. When the palefaces came, the Indians had a few small places upon that island to give shelter during the hunting sea- son. At the time of the flood, they had fled to the northern limit of their territory, and that part of the band which stayed there became known as Wecquaeskeek. Those who came south again were known as Manhattan. They had a village at their original place, or what you call Yonkers. They were of the Wappinger tribe. The Wappinger and my people, the Ma- touwacs, were of the Mahican nation. The Maereckkaak and Canarsee were Delawares, or Leni Lenape. They were called Souwenos, because they came from the southwest, and the land which they had taken from my people was called *Sowanohke, or Suanhacky. In later times the Mae- reckkaak, or Maereck, removed from their first place on the most western end of this island and settled among their brethren, taking up their abode on the Great South Bay. There they became known as Merricoke, or 'Mer- ric' "
The Captain had listened to the old chief without interrupting him. Sud- denly the shrill whistle of a Sound steamer broke the charm. He looked in the direction from whence the noise came. When he turned his eyes back his bronze-colored friend had vanished. The first signs of the new day ap- peared.
He felt a chill run down his spine, his limbs were stiff and with difll- culty he reached the boat, and rowed back to Sands Point Light. The cap- tain spoke to his relatives about the adventure of that night. His wish was fulfilled, the mystery was solved. He never again tried to find the rock. Not many years later he closed his eyes
•Land of those from the Southwest.
in peace. His brother's family still lives on Manhasset Neck. The project recently mentioned in the papers, to construct a lake, which is to take the place of the Long Island Sound, has vividly brought back to their minds the adventure of their relative, for if it be carried out, it will give to his strange acquaintance, Sohquompuo, the rest which he has been longing for for ages.
THE INDIANS.
The Maereck or Maereckkaak; i. e., Goose band, a tribe of the Delaware family, on coming over from Staten Island, made a village on the extreme western end of Long Island, which was known as Maereckkaakwick or Mary- chkenkwickingh; i. e., the place of the Maereckkaak. They occupied the ter- ritory of the town of Brooklyn with the exception of Bedford and Binnega- conck (Wallabout village); and New Ltrecht and Midwout (the original town of Flatbush). The Maereckkaak also sold to the Dutch Ward's and Blackwell's Islands.
They were followed by another Dela- ware band, which had been located on the New Jersey shore, west of Staten Island. This band established a vil- lage on Jamaica Bay, which was called Keshkechqueren; i. e., at the bay. They occupied Gravesend, Flatlands, New Lets, Bushwick, Bedford, Rinnega- conck, Jamaica, Newtown and part of Hempstead. They also sold Governor's Island to the Dutch, which latter called them Bears or Canarsee. Barren Island and Coney Island together were prob- ably a secure place for the women of the tribe. Barren Island was called by the Dutch f beeren eylandt; i. e., the Island of the Bears, and the name Coney Island may come from Konooh, a bear.
The Canarsee made a new village at Rockaway Bay, called Rechouwacky; i. e., "place of their own people," dis- tinguishing it thus as a place where men of their own tribe resided, in op- position to Mispat and Jamaica, which places were occupied by men of con- quered tribes. The Dutch considered the Rechouwhacky or Rockaway band to be a separate tribe, but the Canar- see chief, Penawitz, i. e. "one of a different tongue or country," sold all the land of the entire tribe to the Dutch in 1640.
Tracts of land within the limits of the Canarsee were granted by Director General Kieft in 1642 to Tymen Jansen behind Dominie's Hoek, in 1643 to the Rev. Francis Doughty and others at Mispat, to Anthony Jansen from Salee at Gravesend, to Burger Jorlssen and Richard Brutnell at Dutch Kills, In 1644 to Gysbert Op Dyck at Coney Island, etc.
The Maereckkaak soon felt the need of a larger territory, being closed in at all sides by the water and the Canar- see; they renewed their warfare upon the tribe or tribes which had been driven back into Queens County. The names of the tribes, thereafter four In number and located in Suffolk, outside of the Sinnecox confederation, tell the story of the war. The Long Island tribes were driven along the north side of the island; at Nesaquake was a place of slaughter; at Setauket they were scattered; at Unkechaug or Patchoag they fell into a pit or snare; at Secatoag was the hiding place of those that remained of their number.
The Maereckkaak established in their new territory a village on the water- way now known as Massapeaque River. This place they called Marossepink, Matsepe or Massapeaque; another one near the rocks off Cow Neck they named Sintsink or Matinecoc. In 16S9, Mech- owodt, chief sachem of Marossepink, Sintsink and its dependencies, sold all the territory of the tribe in Queens County to the Dutch. The chiefs of
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
17
The dotted line on the map indicates the boundary between the Souwenos and Mattouwacks, which is identical with the Suffolk Count; line. However, the Matinecoc and Massapeague had, during the War of 1643, retreated into the lands of the Nesaquake and Secatoag and remained in possession of parts of these tracts. The Eastern tribes, on taking the four old Long Island tribes under their protection, would have sent the invaders back to their own territories, but were probably prevented by the English from doing so. For it would have established the title of the Dutch to the territory of the town of Oyster Bay beyond a doubt, as the Dutch had purchased all the lands belonging to the Matinecoc and Massapeague in 1639. But now these tribes occupied lands in Suffolk County, to which they held no other title save by squatter-right, and the English acquired these lands. On the strength of this purchase the English could lay claim to other lands held by the two tribes and on this base they constructed their claim to parts of the town of Oyster Bay.
Maereckkaakwick sold their land with- in the town of Brooklyn in the following year and the band removed to Najack, in the town of New Utrecht. In 1643 the war broke out, and after peace be- ing restored in 1645, Seysey and two ' other chiefs sold the land within the town of New Utrecht to the Dutch and ; removed to the land along the south side, in Queens County, and we find them recorded as Merric, or Merri- coke, with a village at Hicks Beach.
Director General Kieft granted a par- cel of land within the bounds of Mae- reckkaakwick as early as 1639 to Thom- as Bescher, near Saphorakan, at Go- wanus; this land, however, had been purchased some years prior, by indi- viduals, from the Indians. In 1640, land was granted to Frederick Lubbertsen i;ear the Indian village; in 1641, to Jan and Pieter Monfort next to Rinnega- conck; in 1642, to Cornelius Lambert- sen Cool, at Gowanus, and to Claes Cornelissen Schouw, near the ferry; in 1643, to Wouter Van Twiller, at Red Hook, and to Jacob Wolphertsen, near the Navy Yard, etc.
The Indians on the eastern end of the island and the conquered tribes called the Maereckkaak and Canarseo "Souwenos;" i. e., people from the scuthwest and the territory occupied by them, Sowanohke;" i. e., land of the Souwenos. The Dutch gave the name of sewan or zewand to all shell money, while the English used the word wam- pum. Thus the Dutch understood Sowanohke or Suanhacky (Delaware) to denote the land of shell money, i. e. Sewanhacky, and the latter name ap- pears on deeds for land in Kings County of 1636. These deeds were for three "flats" in the bay, called Caste- teuw, and for land at Gowanus. In 1637 Governor's Island, Blackwell's Island, Ward's Island and Rinnegaconck were purchased by individuals, and the first purchase of land by the Government; i. e.. the West Indian Company, was made in 1638 for the territory of the town of Bushwick.
The Canarsee and Maereckkaak sold their lands on the condition that they wore to be permitted to remain there- on, to plant corn, to fish and hunt. Certain parts were set aside for their use, and through continued occupancy tliey acquired a certain title to these regions— by squatter right. When the land became more settled and these sections were required for farm land, the best thing for the whites to do was to purchase these plots apain; this was done with Conorasset; 1. e., the planting land of the Bears on Ja- maica Bay, by the town of Jamaica, and with the greater portion of the town of Middelburgh or Newtown. The Canarsee also sold, after they had re- tired to Staten Island, Sintsink; i. e., Htllgate Neck (not to be confounded with the Sintsink of the Maereckkaak),
in 1664, and Bedford in 1670. New Utrecht was again sold in 1652 by the Maereckkaak, Hempstead in 1643, etc.
Kanapaukah was the waterland of the Bears, along the East River, in the tcwn of Newtown, the later "Water- tide'' or Ravenswood.
The Sinnecox confederation embraced the Montauk, Shinnecock, Corchaug and Manhasset tribes. Their first abode seems to have been the Corchaug ter- ritory; this name denotes "the old." When the plantation of Southold was established it was named South Old, to describe its location. The eastern tribes spread later out over the Pine region and became then known as Sin- necox. Their entire territory was later covered by "the three Plantations," viz.: Easthampton, Southampton and South Old, the last named including the later towns of Riverhead and Shelter Island.
The deed of the town of Easthamp- ton of 1648 was signed by the chiefs of these four tribes; the chiefs are said to have been brothers. In 1645 the Shin- necock chief appeared before the Dutch Governor, representing the four tribes and the neighboring weaker tribes, Setauket, Nesaquake, Unkechaug and Secatoag, which they had taken under their protection. Three years later, in the Easthampton deed, the Manhasset chief appears to be the leader, and after that Wyandance, the Montauk chief, takes this position, and he, re- spected by the Indians, the English and the Dutch alike, held this place as long as he lived.
Thus the whites found the Indians of the Island divided into three dis tinct parts. In Kings and Queens Counties were the Canarsee and Mae- reckkaak, collectively known as Sou- wenos and their territory as Sowan- ohke. The Canarsee were divided into Canarsee proper and Rockaway; living among them were the Mispat and Ja- maica bands. The Maereckkaak were known at first as Maereck or Maereck- kaak at Maereckkaakwick, in Kings County, and later as Merric or Merri- coke, and Matinecock and Massapeague in Queens County. In the western part of Suffolk County were the conquered tribes, known as Setauket, Nesaquake, Unkechaug and Secatoag. These and the Mispat and Jamaica bands wer. probablv the survivors of the Matou- wacs, who formerly had inhabited the entire island. In the eastern part of Suffolk County were the Montauk, Shinnecock, Corchaug and Manhasset, collectively called Sinnecox; their ter ritory was called Paumanack.
The Maereckkaak and the Canarsee sold their lands independent from each other; the deeds read: The Canarsee fhief sells, or else the chiefs of Mary- kPMwickingh sell; there was no com- munion among these two tribes. When I Wyandance of Montauk became the
leader of the Eastern tribes, about 1652, he being the most trusted among the chiefs on the island, had to append hi.5 mark to most deeds for land within the territory of the four protected tribes, as well as on other places on the is- land. When Tackapousha was chosen chief sachem of the Western tribes, in 1656, the Secatoag formally joined their union; the Canarsee were reduced by this time to a small number. In 1660 Takapousha is called by the Dutch the "Chief of the Savages on Long Is- land." In 1669 Governor Lovelace in- quires whether Takapousha, of Massa- peague, had a right to sell the lands of the Matinecoc, in 1643, and whether the Montauk chief, by conquest, had power to dispose of said lands. The Hemp- stead people replied later, in 1671, that Takapousha was intrusted by the Matinecoc to sell their land, and the sale was confirmed by the Great Sa- chem of Montauk. About 1677 Taka- pousha appeared before Governor An- dios for all the Indians, as far east as Unkechaug; i. e. all except the four En stern tribes.
The Indians applied the name Mat- touwac to the island, the Dutch Ge- broken Land or Broken Land, is a translation of it. By an act passed in 1693 the name of Long Island was changed to Nassau, but this name be- came soon obsolete.
DUTCH AND ENGLISH CLAIMS.
From the time of the earliest set- tlement on Long Island until the sur- render of the colony of New Nether- land to the English, the western end of the Island was within the jurisdic- tion of the Dutch, whose claim in- cluded the town of Oyster Bay, which claim, however, was disregarded by the English. . .
The Plvmouth Company issued, in 1635 by order of Charles I, letters patent to William, Earl of Sterling, for the entire Island. Sterling exe- cuted in the following year a power of attorney to James Farrett, to dispose of lands on Long Island. Four years later the Earl died. His grandson, who had succeeded him, survived him but a few months. Their heirs surrendered the grant for the Island to the Crown. The settlers on the eastern end were left to themselves, and regulated their affairs accordingly. Purchases of land were made by the towns and were in later years confirmed by the governors appointed by the Duke of York. Van der Donck savs: In 1640 a Scotchman claimed Long" T.sland. In 1647 Captain Andrew Forester of Dundee, Scotland, claimed Long Island for the Dowager of Sterling. In 1660 Charles II ascended the throne of England, and Winthrop, the Governor of the Colony of Connec-
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Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
ticut, was sent to England to obtain a charter. In 1662 he received a char- ter covering the territories of the colo- nies of Connecticut and New Haven, and now the colony which became later known as Connecticut Colony, laid claim to Long Island, as being one of the islands adjacent.
In 1664, in the month of January, Major John Scott came to Long Island with some royal authority, and formed a combination of );he English villages — Hempstead, Gravesend, Flushing, New- town, Jamaica and Oyster Bay — with himself as president. On March 12, 1664, Charles II granted, by letters patent, to his brother, James, the Duke of York, the country occupied by the Dutch, together with Long Island. The Duke appointed Colonel Richard Nic-
POLITICAL DIVISION OF THE ISLAND.
After the surrender of New Nether- land to the British, Long Island was incorporated with the Colony of New York. In 1665, Governor Nicolls called together delegates of the several towns to meet at Hempstead. At this assem- bly Long Island and Staten Island were created into a "shire" called Yorkshire, and the Duke's laws were formulated at this occasion. Yorkshire was di- vided into three ridings like its name- sake in England. These were divisions of territory for the convenience of the courts, implied in the Saxon word "try things," long since called ridings. The
oils governor, and to him New Nether- land was surrendered by the Dutch on August 27, 1664.
THE ENGLISH TOWNS.
Lyon Gardiner was the first settler on the eastern end of the Island, locat- ing on Gardiner's Island in 1639. South- old and Southampton were settled in 1640, Easthamptou in 164S, Shelter Island in 1652, Oyster Bay and Hun- tington in 1653, Brookhaven in 1655 and Smithtown in 1663. Each town was in the beginning a colony bj' itself, in- dependent of each other. After a few years they voluntarily placed them- selves under the protection of the New England colonies. Southampton ob- tained, in 1644, the protection of Con- necticut; Easthampton in 1657, Brook- haven in 1659 and Huntington in 1660. Southold united, in 164S, with the New Haven colony, together with Shelter Island. When the colonies of New Haven and Connecticut were united, in 1662, and a new clitirter was granted, including in the territory "the islands adjacent," Connecticut claimed Long Island as one of these islands. This claim had the support of the eastern towns. Oyster Bay also placed itself under the protection of Connecticut. The other English towns on the west- ern end, within the Dutch jurisdiction, were trying to join this union, and then the grant of 1664 to the Duke of York was made, and in the same year the Colony of New Netherland was sur- rendered to the English.
"shires" in England were also called counties, because they were governed ijy a count or earl. The word shire is derived from Anglo-Saxon "sciran" to cut or divide, and means "division." "York" is derived from "Ure" and "wic." L^re was the name of a part of the river later known as "Ouse." "Wic" means a village. In Anglo-Saxon the name was Eurewic; the old Roman was Eboracum.
The several towns had up to this time existed without having their bounda- ries properly fixed. The settlers of a district came together from time to time to regulate their local affairs, and these men, associated for the purpose of government, constituted the town. Now the towns were recognized and ; w^ere required to take out patents for ' the lands within their boundaries, which the towns themselves, or else the West India Company, had purchased from the Indians.
After the reconquest of the colony by the Dutch, in 1673, the Island came soon again into the possession of the Eng- lish by treaty, and the Duke of York obtained a new patent for the province I of New York in 1674.
The present Suffolk County had con- .'itituted the East Riding. Hempstead Flushing, Jamaica and Oyster Bay the North Riding, and the present King." County, Newtown and Staten Island the West Riding. In 1675 Staten Island w.-is sonarated from the West Ridins:.
In 16S3 the first General Assembly of the colony met and repealed some of the Duke's laws, the ridings, also, were abolished, and the Island was re- divided into three counties, viz., Kings, Queens and Suffolk. The town of New- town, formei'ly a part of the West Rid- ing, was now made a part of Queens
County. Kings and Queens Counties were named in compliment to King Charles and his wife. Staten Island was made a county by itself and named Richmond. Richmond was the title of a son of Charles.
In 17SS the towns were recognized by the laws of the newly established State of New York. The division of the Island into three counties, made in 16S3, remained in force until Greater New York City came into existence, which took in, of Long I.sland territory. Kings County and a large part of Queens County. In 1S99 Queens County was divided. The part included within the greater city retained the old name Queens County and the remainder was incorporated as the County of Nassau.
LONG ISLAND'S POPULATION AT DIFFERENT PERIODS.
|
Year. |
Kings. |
Queens. |
Suffolk. |
|
1698 |
2,013 |
3,565 |
2,679 |
|
1703 |
1,915 |
4,392 |
3,346 |
|
1723 |
2,218 |
7,191 |
6,241 |
|
1731 |
2,150 |
7,995 |
7,675 |
|
1737 |
2,.348 |
9,059 |
7,923 |
|
1746 |
2,331 |
9,640 |
9,254 |
|
1749 |
2,283 |
8,040 |
9,384 |
|
1756 |
2,707 |
10,786 |
10,290 |
|
1771 |
3,623 |
10,980 |
13,128 |
|
1786 |
3,986 |
13,084 |
13,793 |
|
1790 |
4,495 |
16,014 |
16.440 |
|
1800 |
5,740 |
16,916 |
19,735 |
|
1810 |
8,303 |
19,336 |
21,113 |
|
1814 |
7,655 |
19,269 |
21,368 |
|
1S20 |
11.187 |
21,519 |
24,272 |
|
1825 |
14,679 |
20,331 |
23,695 |
|
1830 |
20,.535 |
22,460 |
26,780 |
|
1835 |
32,057 |
25,130 |
28,274 |
|
1840 |
47.613 |
30,324 |
32,469 |
|
1845 |
78,691 |
31,849 |
34,579 |
|
1850 |
138,882 |
36.833 |
3^,922 |
|
1855 |
216,355 |
46,266 |
40,906 |
|
1860 |
279,122 |
57,391 |
43,275 |
|
1865 |
311.090 |
57,997 |
42,869 |
|
1870 |
419.921 |
73,803 |
46,924 |
|
1875 |
509,154 |
84,011 |
51,873 |
|
1880 |
599,495 |
90,574 |
53,888 |
|
1S90 |
838,547 |
128,059 |
62.491 |
|
Year |
Kings. Queens. Nassau. |
Suffolk. |
|
|
1900 |
1,166,582 |
152,999 55,448 |
77,582 |
|
1910 |
1,634,351 |
284,041 83,930 |
96,138 |
THE BOROUGH OF BROOKLYN.
The Borough of Brooklyn comprise.^ the territory of the County of Kings, one of the three original counties of Long Island. Until eighty years ago Kings County was the least among these, not only in area, but also in population, as may be noticed from the following list, containing the number of inhabitants at various times.
Kings. Queens. Suffolk.
169S 2,013 3,565 2,679
1749 2,283 8,040 9,384
1800 5,740 16,916 19,735
1830 20,535 22,460 26,780
3835 32,057 25,130 28,274
The population of Kings County was thus: in 1698, 2,013; in 1800, 5,740. and in 1840, 47.613. The increase was very slow outside the limits of the two later cities of Brooklyn and Williamsburgh. Of the 5,740 inhabitants in 1800, 3,298 resided in Brooklyn, and of the 47,613 in 1840. 36,233 resided in Brooklyn and 5,094 in Williamsburgh; and the number of people li\'lng outside of these two centers of population was in 1800, 2,442; and in 1840. 6,286.
A description of the other towns with- in the county in the year 1700 closely fits the state of things in 1800. In 1700 the land was nearly all under cultiva- tion; a century later some of the farms had been divided, and the number of inhabitants had correspondingly in- creased. During the first four decades of the nineteenth century, the popula- tion rose more rapidly, viz.: from 5,740 in 1800 to 47,613 in 1840, yet this In-
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
19
crease was mainly caused by the influx of people into Brooklyn and Williams- burgrh, where ropewalks and factories had been built; the other towns were still farming districts.
Indian footpaths connected the shores of the East River and Jamaica Bay. They followed the line of least resist- ance through the flats or level lands, which had been the cornfields of the Indians for many years, and these flats the white men were eager to possess. Along one trail settlements were estab- lished which were known as "het veer" or "The Ferry," Breukelen, Bedford, Middelwoud and Nieuw Anicr.sfoort, along another trail the Boswijck and "het kruispad" settlements carne into existence. In 1636 several settlers bought lands from the Indians in Flatlands, Flatbush and probably in Brooklyn. In 1638 the West India Company purchased the territory of the town of Bushwick and during the following two years the remainder of Kings and all of Queens County.
The Indians had been friendly toward the settlers, and persuaded by them to do .so, refused to pay any longer tribute to the Mohawks. They were attacked by the latter and were nearly extermi- nated. In the uprising against the Dutch in 1643 they sustained further losses, epidemics also reduced their numbers. When the second uprising of the In- dians in the colony occurred, in 1655, some of the settlers on the Long Island side of the East River wished to attack their red-skinned neighbors and to drive them from their planting lands. The remnant of the Canarsee tribe disposed of the lands which were in their pos- session, and which they claimed to own, and removed across the Narrows to .Staten Island, and after a few years to other parts. The last one of the Can- arsee tribe died aljout 1800.
Until 1636 the territory of the present Borough of Brooklyn had been a wilder- ness of marshes, hills and woods; a few "plains" with waterways on two sides were cultivated by the Indians. Such plains were situated between Gowanus Creek and the Walboght; Gowanus Creek and East River; Newtown Creek and Bushwick Creek; Bedford Creek and Gerretsen's Creek. They were traversed by the Indian trails from river to bay. There seem to have been a few white squatters located on the western end of the island then, but doc- umentary nroofs are lacking.
It has been the general belief that the towns founded xmder the Dutch on Long Island were named after towns in
the Netherlands, at the time when each settlement was begun, as Breukelen, .Vmersfoort, Gravesend, New Utrecht, Middelburgh, etc. When settlements were started by single settlers locating here, nobody thought of selecting names for the same — they were dots in an im- mense wilderness— but within a short time localities became known by spe- cific names. These names described the location of a settlement, generally noint- ing- out some peculiar feature of the ground, which served as a landmark. Thus the present Flatlands was called "bouwery," or district of Achtervelt, i.e., the bowery or plantation in the rear, meaning in the rear of the hills, from achtei-, behind, and feld. field.
One of the landmarks considered by the Dutch of greatest importance, was
j caused no doubt the application of the j name Grenewijck to this region, from grenen (fir) and wijck (quarter, district refuge, retreat). On Van der Donck's map of New Netherland, 1656, is a settlement marked Greewijck, on the site of the later New Utrecht. Several other localities received their names from this same word "grenen," as Greenpoint, from grenen punt or grenen hout-punt. Grenen Berghen, the hills forming the boundary line between the Towns of Newtown and New Lots, were anglicized into Green Hills or Cypress Hills; the cemeteries located upon them, viz.. Cypress Hills and the Cemetery of the Evergreens, are trans- lations of the original Dutch name, both having the same meaning. Bennett and Bentyn's reasons for selecting the
DE HEEBE GBACHT, OB, GRAFT, ABOUT 1645.
a forest of flr trees; it must be remem- bered that the Netherlands depend, even to this day, upon other countries for timber. The low lands do not produce strong and tall trees, and they have al- ways had a great need of such trees, suitable for masts and planks for their many ships, as well as for building ma- terial. Thousands of majestic flr trees, taken from the Black Forest, are an- nually floated down the Rhine to sup- ply the demands of the Netherlands.
The wooded ridges on the northern border of the Town of New Utrecht,
Gowanus region for a plantation may be found not only in the condition of the ground, but also in the nearness of the wooded ridges of New Utrecht; as the settlers needed building material to erect houses, palisades, fences, etc.
The Dutch settlements originated by individuals settling in a certain neigh- borhood, each one by himself, and as these settlers became more numerous the Director General appointed magis- trates, with more Or less power, as he judged proper in each case, without any uniformity as to their number or
20
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
title of office. Their dutj' was to see that the fields were fenced and the fences kept in repair, to open a com- mon road through the settlement, to erect a blockhouse or other public building, to attend to the division of the lands, which were held in com- mon, provide for the security of the settlement and decide all differences. Cases in which sums of fifty guilders or over were in dispute could be ap- pealed to the Director General and Council.
During the first Indian War the scat- tered farmers had been advised by Kleft to concentrate themselves, in 1644, and again in 1645. After the second outbreak of troubles Stuyvesant Issued an order on January 18, 1656, that vil- lages were to be formed in the spring to reduce the danger of Indian attacks. On February 9, 1660, the final order came to the farmers to remove their houses, goods and cattle before the last of March or at the latest by middle of April to the villages or settlements nearest or most convenient to them, or with the previous approval of the Di- rector General to a favorably situated and defensible spot in a new palisaded village, to be hereafter formed, where all those who shall apply shall be shown and granted suitable lots by the Director and Council, who would thus be better able to protect their good subjects in case of any difficulty with the cruel barbarians. The last clause of the order led to the forma- tion of Boswijck Village.
The planters brought the produce of their farms to "de heere gracht" on Manhattan Island, to which place also the Indians came with peltries, to ex- change these for things needed. The gracht or graft was an inlet of the East River, which extended, nearly paralleling Whitehall street and Broad- way, to Wall street along the line of present Broad street: its water rose and fell with the tides as far as Ex- change place. The canal was crossed near its mouth, at "De Brugh straat." and "Brouwer straat," now Bridge and Stone streets, by a large bridge, and farther up by smaller stone bridges. Near the river shore were the store- houses of the West India Company. Here, too. was the anchorage ground, where all vessels had to unload. The boats of the planters were drawn up the sides of the gracht and the farm produce was sold from the boats. The banks of the gracht formed the mar- ket place of the colony until 1656. and the bridge was the commercial center. De Kermis or "annual fair." lasting ten days, in the fall of the year, was inau- gurated in 1648. From the gracht ex- tended "de smit's vly," or "the smith's flat." along the shore to the Long Is- land Ferry, at Peck's Slip.
When the ridings were created. Oravn^end was made the shire town of the West Riding. This communitv had been founded by Englishmen, and was the only town in the later Kings County with which the English Gov- ernor could transact official business in his own language. In 16GS the several towns in the West Riding were as- sessed for a Sessions House, to be erected at Gravesend, as follows:
£ s. d.
Gravesend 16 4 5
Newtowne 26 2 3%
Bushwick 5 11 2%
Amersfoort 13 19 71^
Bruycklyn 15 3 n
Flat Bush 19 3 8
New Utrecht 7
Staten Island 6 14 10%
Total fllO
The other settlements carried on their legal affairs in the Dutch tongue. Breukelen, which was now named Brookland; Midwout, now called Flat- bush; Nieuw Amersfoort, now called
Flatlands: Boswijck and New Utrecht were, therefore, made a separate dis- trict, under the appellation of "The Five Dutch Towns." A register was com- }nissioned by the Governor for this dis- trict, to take the proofs of all docu- ments, which were required to be re- corded at the "Office of Records," in New York City, where certificates were issued with the seal of this office. This was continued until 1690. The Five Dutch Towns also formed an ecclesi- astical society, and joined in the sup- port of their ministers until the colle- giate system was abolished, about the end of the eighteenth century.
In 1840 the Town of Williamsburgh was separated from Bushwick, and on January 1, 1852, the City of Williams- burgh came into existence. In 1852 the Town of New Lots was separated from Flatbush. On January 1, 1855, the Cities of Brooklyn and Williamsburgh and the Town of Bushwick were con- solidated, and incorporated as the City of Brooklyn. In 1886 the Town of New Lots was annexed to this union, fol- lowed, in 1894, by the Towns of Flat- bush, Flatlands. New Utrecht and Gravesend. On January 1, 1898, Brook- lyn became a borough of the City of New York.
The taxable property of the Five Dutch Towns in 1675 was valued at £20,319, and taxed at 1 stuyver per pound. The tax amounted to 1.015 guil- ders and 19 stuyvers, or £84 13s. 2d. In 1676 the tax on £19,892.14, at Id per pound, amounted to £82 17s. 8Hd. The taxable property in Kings County In IMl was valued at $2,456,061.
The regiment of militia in Kings Countv consisted, in 1700. of 280 men. and in 1715 of 255 men, including a "troop of horse" of 52 men.
The population of Kings County was.
16M 2.013. including 296 blacks
1703 1,915
1712 1,925
IVS 2,218, including 444 blacks
1731 1 2.150. including 492 blacks
1737 2.348, including 574 blacks
1749 2.283, including 783 blacks
175S 2.707, Including 845 blacks
1771 3.623. including 1.162 blacks
1786 3.986
1790 4.495
1800 5.740
1810 8.303
1820 11.187
1825 14.079
1830 20.535
1835 32.057
1840 47.613
1845 78.691
1850 138.882
1855 216,355
1860 279,122
1865 311,090
1870 419,921
1f7S 509,154
1S80 599,495
1890 838,547
1900 1,166.582
1910 1.634.3B1 „ ^ ■ ,
\fter Williamsburgh and Bushwick had been consolidated with Brooklyn the population of Kings County m 185o
was as follows : . -r^ ^ 1,0-'-^
Brooklyn. First to Twelfth Wards.148. , /4 Brooklyn (Williamsburgh). Thir-
teenth to Sixteenth Wards 48.3b i
Brooklyn (Bushwick), Seven-
teenth to Eighteenth Wards .... 8.109
Flatbush
Flatlands
Gravesend
New LTtrecht
New Lots
3.280 1.578 1.256 2.730 2.261
Total -1*^'^°^
In the sketches of the several towns the population, number of houses, etc., of a century ago— census of 1810— are given for the sake of comparison with present day conditions: also, the num- ber of inhabitants in 1835 and 1840.
TOWN OF BROOKLYN.
More than fifty years ago the theory became generally accepted that the towns of Breukelen, Amersfoort and New Utrecht were named after towns in the Netherlands. The three names appear on the map of the Netherlands, in the neighborhood of Amsterdam, as well as on the map of New Netherland, near New Amsterdam. Believing that the first chapter of the story was lack- ing, the writer has tried to find the missing part. After the settlement be- tween Gowanus Cove and the Wal- boght had become known as Breukelen, the other places were later named, so as to have three towns near New Am- sterdam, corresponding to those near Amsterdam.
The first settlements In the colony of New Netherland had been made under "Patroons," and the Manors of Zwaan- endal, Pavonia and Renselaerwijck had been granted in 1630 and 1631. This feudal system was abolished in 1638 and the privilege to hold and cultivate land in allodial proprietorship was ex- tended to everj-body, Dutchmen and foreigners alike. Whosoever should con- vey besides himself five grown persons to New Netherland was to be recog- nized as a Colonist and could occupy 200 acres of land. If such settlements of colonists should Increase, municipal government was promised. Manhattan Island had been reserved to the West India Company. Staten Island and the Jersey coast formed the Manor of Pa- vonia. The latter territory was bought back from the Patroon by the West In- dia Company, but was reserved for tliat corporation's special purposes. The land on the Long Island side of the East River was now purchased from the Indians for the purpose of starting plantations of moderate size. These plantations were Inaugurated under conditions totally different from those under which the manors had come into being. Instead of paying a fee— farm rent to the patroons, the farmer received land as "a free loan;" I. e., they became the owners of the land, subject to a quit-rent, consisting of the tenth of the produce of their farms, payable "annually to the West India Company, after they had the plantations under cultivation for ten years.
While the patroons had procured as many planters for their lands as they possibly could, still the greatest part of their immense tracts lay waste, and would have remained in that state for a long time to come. Now, by granting smaller parcels to the settlers, the West India Company had reason to ex- pect better results, for each farmer was bound to cultivate his land or else for- feit it.
The Dutch word for manor or loan is "leen," and the one for tenant is "bruyker"; "bruykleen" means "a free loan, given to a tenant or user for a certain consideration." The name Bruykleen was given to this experi- mental colony, started under the new regulations, because the planters were to be the owners of the land, subject to the quit rent, which was to be paid to the West India Company. Bruyk- leen was the name of the original Dutch colony on Long Island, the name Breukelen was adopted in remembrance of the old Netherlands town, when a village was formed in 1645. At this time an order was Issued by the Col- lege of the XIX to the colonists, to establish themselves on some of the most suitable places in towns, hamlets and villages, "as the English are in the habit of doing." In Kieft's com- mission or brief of 1646 the name ap- pears as JBreuckelen, in the Nicolls charter of 1667 as Brueckelen. On va- rious other documents we find: Breucklyne, Brueckljm, Breucklyn,
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
21
Breuklen, Broockeland, Broockland, Brookland, Bruycklandt, Breuk Land, Bruckland, Breuklin, Bruckline,
Bruycklyn, etc.
The first purchase of land In the town of Brooklyn Is supposed to have been made at Gowanus, about 1636; the deed, however, has been lost. In 1639, Thomas Bescher sold to Cornells Lam- pertsen Cool a plantation formerly oc- cupied by Jan Van Rotterdam. Jan, being indebted to the West India Company at the time of his death, the land reverted to the company. The name of that locality was probably de- rived from Cowanes — briar. Genista tinctoria, a shrub used for dying pur- poses. The point of land on the south side of Gowanus Bay was called by the Dutch 't Gheele Hoek, the later Yel- low Hook, probably on account of the great abundance of yellow blossoms on these bushes, which may have attract- ed the attention of the man who named this piece of land, or else they trans- lated the name used by the Indians into their own language. 'T roode hoek, or Red Hook, may have received its name for similar reasons. Roode Hoog- ties, or Red Heights, was the name of an elevated ground on Red Hook. Rhode Island is supposed to have been named by Adriaen Block, "de roode eylandt," on account of the redness of
THE OLD DE HART OR BERGEN HOUSE, Near 36lh Street, Gowanus. View in 1863.
the foliage at the time of his visit to thi! neighborhood. Red Hook in Dutchess County is said to have been named Roode Hoek by the Dutch on account of a marsh near by being cov- ered with ripe cranberries, when first seen.
In 1637, Kakapoteyno, "the Crow," and Penhawis, as owners of the dis- trict, sold to Joris Jansen de Rapalle, a piece of land at the Walboght, called Rinnegaconk, from woonkag-onck — "at the crooked place;" i. e., at tho bend. In 1640, Director General Kieft granted to Frederick Lubbertsen the land at Werpos, between Red Hook and The Ferry. The Cripplebush Patent was granted in 1654 to settlers located at the Walboght; at Bedford a settle- ment was started In 1663; some of the Canarsee chiefs, who had removed to Staten Island, laid claim to the land, and the town of Brooklyn purchased it from them. Bedford is probably angli- cized from Bestevaar; i. e., i^randsire or old man ('s place), named thus after some patriarch who was tilling the ground here, before the land was ac- quired by the town, in 1663; Marcus du Susoy had a plantation near this re- gion, in the Cripplebush. Iiipetong:a; 1. e., high sandy bank, was, according to Schoolcraft, the Indian name of Brooklyn Heights.
During the Indian uprising of 1643, most of the plantations on Long Island were destroyed, the houses burned down and many people were slain. The home government urged the Director General and Council to do all in their power to Induce the colonists to "establish them- selves on some of the most suitable places, with a certain number of in- habitants, in the manner of towns,
ha.alets and villages, as the English are in the habit of doing."
After peace was restored, in August, 1645, a number of small farms came Into existence on both sides of the old Indian trail. To this distinct settle- ment the name Breukelen was now applied. and in June, 1646, the Director General and Council issued
THE GOWANUS STONE HOUSE. VIEW IN 1848.
a proclamation, wherein they said, that "whereas on May 21st, Jan Evert- sen Bout and Huyck Aertsen from Ros- sum, were unanimously chosen by those interested in Breukelen, situate on Long Island, as schepens to decide all questions which may arise, as they sl-all deem proper, according to the Ex- emptions of New Netherlands, granted 10 particular colonies, which election is subscribed by them, with express stip- ulation that if anyone refuse to submit in the premises aforesaid to the above- mentioned Jan Evertsen and Huyck Aertsen, he shall forfeit the right he claims to land in the allotment of Breukelen, and in order that e">9iry thing may be done with more author ity, we, the Director and Council afore- said, have therefore authorized and ap- pointed and do hereby authorize the said Jan Evertsen and Huyck Aertsen to be schepens of Breukelen, and in case Jan Evertsen and Huyck Aertsen di. hereafter find the labor too onerous, they shall be at liberty to select two more from among the inhabitants of Breukelen to adjoin them to them- .selves. We charge and command every
nelis Van Tienhoven, on March 11, 1647, for a piecj of land which had loen surveyed by the Surveyor, Adrian Hudde for Jan Aertsen, and the latter had failed to improve the land, the location is described as follov/s: "Situ- ate in the allotment of Breukelen, for- merly called Marechkawick."
About 1657 the lots in the settlement were reduced from small farms to house and garden lots and a more compact village was established. Thompson remarks in his History of Long Island that there are on record many references to a general town patent granted to Breukelen by Stuy- vesant in 1657.
On February 9, 1660, an ordinance was passed in relation to the establish- ment of villages, and it became now compulsory for the farmers to remove to the villages. Stuyvesant's order says: "We have war with the In- dians, who have slain several of our Netherland people." An order of Feb- ruary 23, 1660, reads as follows: "Whereas it is highly necessary that the lately formed villages of Breuke- len and Utrecht be surveyed, enclosed with palisades, and put in a good state of defense as quickly as possible, therefore the Director General and Council have hereby specially commis- sioned and authorized the Honorable Nicasius de Sille, Councillor and Fiscal of New Netherland, to have this nec- essary work quickly done, using all possible means and making such ar- rangements thereto as he shall think 1 est for the public good and the inhab- itants especially."
The motto in the corporation seal of Brooklyn, "Eendraght maakt maght," is a free translation of the Latin motto in the seal of the Republic of the Seven I'nited Provinces of Holland: "Con- cordia res parvae crescunt," which lit- erally means "By unity little things ii. crease." The motto in its Dutch form I', found as early as 1556 In the coat of arms of William the Silent, Prince of Cirange. Wlien the Repul^IIc of the Seven United Provinces of Holland was formed, in 1579, William of Orange was invited to become its leader.
The Dutch mctto in the seal of Brooklyn proves that the seal came into use during the Dutch administra- tion, as Its adoption in later years would have brousht the displeasure of
FREEKE'S MILL, WITH YELLOW MILL IN DISTANCE.
inhabitant of Breukelen to acknowl edge and respect the above-mentioned Jan Evertsen and Huyck Aertsen as their schepens, and if anyone shall be found to exhibit contumaciousness to- wards them he shall forfeit his share as above stated. On December 1st of the same year Jan Teunlssen was ap- pointed Schout of Breukelen, and thus the town was established, in 1646. In the patent granted to Secretary Cor-
any one of the English Governors upon the town. Thus the seal must have been created by Stuyvesant, for under his rule a voluntary adoption of it was out of question; all matters of this kind were regulated by the authori- ties on Manhattan Island. The be- stowal of the motto in the seal of the Fatherland upon the settlement shows that the founding of the Bruykleen colony was looked upon by the Gov-
22
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
ernor as the beginning- of a new era in the colonization of New Netherland. In the absence of positive proof, cir- cumstantial evidence is admissible, and thus it must be remembered that Stuy- \esant in 1660 issued an order directing all Colonists to remove from their ex- posed farms and to concentrate them- selves within the neighboring towns. He then laid out Bushwick, naming it "Eoswijck." This name signifies a col- lection of small things, packed close together (bos) and refuge (wijck). I'latbush, also settled under Stuyve- sant, but prior to Bushwick, was known as 't Vlakkebos, and also as Middelwoud or Midwout. The first name means a collection of small things packed close together on the plain, and the second name means surrounded by forest. The two words seem to have formed a compound name in the earliest days. The motto in
New Amsterdam, made in 1653, that the city should have a seal, wrote to Sluy- vesant: "We have decreed that a seal for the City of New Amsterdam shall be prepared and forwarded." The seal v/as sent across the sea, and in De- cember of the same year the Director General delivered to the presiding Bur- gomaster, Mart. Crigier, the painted coat of arms with the seal of New Am- sterdam and the Silver Signet, which was sent by the Directors. This inci- dent may have caused Stuyvesant to create also a seal for the Bruykleen Colony.
In response to a letter of Adrian liegeman. Secretary of the Courts of Midwout, Amersfoort, Breukelen and Now Utrecht, Stuyvesant issued an or der on February 14, 1664, "to take care that no deed or mortgage of any piece of land, house or lot be passed, of
SECOND BKEUKELEN CHURCH EDIFICE, ERECTED 1706.
the seal "Eendraght maakt maght" is[ usually translated Unity makes strength. Still, we have seen that the motto is a free translation of the Latin motto, which literally translated means "By unity little things increase." The man who selected the phrase for the seal's motto would also coin the names of Boswijck and Midwout. The phrase- ology is very similar.
In 1654 the Directors of the West India Company at Amsterdam, refer- ling to a request of the burghers ofj
which no proper patent can be pro- duced, so that our good inhabitants may not be cheated and misled, for deeds and mortgages of property for which no patent has been issued are null and void. In passing deeds, mort- gages, etc., you will use the seal sent herewith until further orders." This probably was the seal later known as the seal of the City of Brooklyn, but originally used for all the territory of the Bruykleen colony. In the month of April of the same
year, Breukelen, Amersfoort and Mld- j wout obtained full municipal govern- ment. Breukelen had now four schep- ens instead of two, Midwout had three, Amersfoort two, and there was a Su- perior District Court, composed of delegates from each town court, to- gether with the sohout.
The face of the country in the town of Brooklyn was broken and uneven, the soil of various qualities, along the New York Bay considerably stony, but favorable for agriculture, and the gen- eral character of the soil rather light, though productive. Breukelen, the name of the town in the Netherlands, denotes "marshy land," and is also ap- propriate for the site of the original long Island village. The name Brook- ItLUd was applied by the English to thr town, it being a free translation of thp Dutch name. The tow.i of Breuke- len was organized in 1646, Brooklyn vil- lage was incorporated as a fire dis- trict In 1801, and as a village in 1816, and the City of Brooldyn in 1834. Be- sides Breukelen there were other set- tlements within the town limits, known as Gowanis or Gowanus, Bedford, Kreupelbosch or Cripplebush, Het Veer or the Ferry, VA'alboght or Wallabout, Roode Hoek or Red Hook, Gheele Hoek or Yellow Hook, and in later times there were sections known as South Brooklyn, North Brooklyn, East Brook- lyn, West Brooklyn and New Brook- lyn.
The Dutch church was organized in 1060, when the population consisted of 134 persons, in thirty-one families. The congregation used a barn for a placo of worship until 1666, when a church edifice was erected in the middle of the tcwn road. A new structure was built on the same site in 1706, a third one on Joralemon street in 1810, which was replaced by a fourth one on the same site; this, too, has been removed and ihn church has been transplanted to another section.
.\s early as 1642 a rowboat ferry was operated by Cornells Dircksen between JN anhattan Island and Long Island, with landing places on both shores on ground owned by this farmer. In 1G54 the municipal government of New Am- sterdam took over the control of the ferry, and in 1699 a new ferry house was erected by the corporation at the Long Island shore. The illustration shows the little ferry house and the new stone building, the barn and the cattle pen. In 1707 new landing places were established on the New York side. On Mondays and Thursdays the boats landed at Countess Key (Maiden lane), on Tuesdays and Fridays at Burgher's path (Hanover square), and on
FERRY LANDING, LONG ISLAND, 1740.
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
23
*-^>j-WJ!SJlesdays and Saturdays at Coenties Slip. In 1717 two ferries were estab- lished, running from the original Long { Island landing, the present Fulton i street, the one v.as called the Nassau Ferry, which carried passengers as well as goods and cattle to the three slips mentioned; the other, called the New 1 ork Ferry, conveyed only passengers and goods to the slip at Burgher's path and to "the great dock" at Broad street,, the former "heeregracht." The Long Island Ferryhouse, erected in I'iPD, was burned down, supposedly by incendiaries .about 1747, and a new stone building was erected in 1749 by the corporation of New York. It was used as a tavern and was known as "the Corporation house"; this building was destroyed bv fire in 1812. The New York ferry established in 1717, was later discontinued and only one ferry line was running for many years. In 1774, three ferries were established, one to Coenties Slip, another to Fly Slip (Maiden lane), and a third to Peck Slip, the original site of the ferry. On the Long Island side were now for some years two landing-places, one at "The bid Ferry" and another at present At- lantic avenue, at Philip Livingstone's Wharf. "The New Ferry" from Main street, Brooklyn, to Catherine street. New York, was opened in 1795.
William A.'irianse Bennett, one of the first settlers, erected his house on Gow- anus Cove; it was destroyed during the Indian War of 1S43; on its foundations was later the Schermerhorn Mansion erected. The De Hart or Bergen house, in the same neighborhood, was bqilt some thirty years after the destruc- tion of the Bennett house. The Vechte Cortelyou or Gowanus stone house, was built in 1693. The Debevoise mansion, standing near the church, and later known as the Duflield house, was de- stroyed by fire in 1857; in the rear of the house was the burial place of the Diiffield family. The "old Gowanus Mill" and the Yellow Hook Mill were burned in 1776 by the British. The Gowanus Mill was the oldest mill structure in the town, others were the P.ed Hook, Cols's, Luqueer's and Rem- sen mills. The last mentioned stood at or near the site of the tide mill, built at an early period at the head of Wal- labout Bav. The Rapalje Mansion, near the ferry, built of stone, was taken down in :S16. The old Rem Lef- ferts house, at Bedford, was torn down in 1340, the Leffert Lefferts house, near by, in 1877 and the Nicholas Bloom house, which stood near these two Lef- ferts houses and had come into the possession of Leffert Lefferts in 1791, was demolished in 1909. The land oc- cupied bv the Navy Yard -was ceded by the State of New York to the i ed- oral Government in 1807.
In 1810, Brooklyn had a population cf 4,402, and there were 400 houses, 50 to CO ships (brigs and schooners) docked annuallv at its wharves, and there were then 6 grain or tide mills, 3 maga- zines for storage of gunpowder, sev- eral distilleries, 3 ropewalks, 1 Epis- ronal stone church, 1 Reformed Dutch stone church, 1 Methodist church, l poor house, 2 market houses, construct- ed of wood, and situated on the open spaces near the old and new ferries. I'he one at the old ferry was estab- lished in 1675, and both were aboli-shed in 1814 The postoffice of Kings County n-as in this town, and was a principal point of concentration for all the stage and other roads on the island. There was one weekly newspaper. A draw- bridge was at this time contemplated to connect Brooklyn with New York. There wore sixty-one freeholders -with- in this town in 1706. and m 1802 their number had increased to eipty-s's:- The population of the town of Brook- Ivn was in
170G at £3,112, and the tax amounted to i'-ll; the valuation in 1810 was $1,175,- 5:^.9 ; in 1824 it was $2,600,000, and the tax amounted to $7,000; in 1834 the valua- tion was $7,257,473.
TOWN OF NEW UTRECHT.
Cornells Van Werckhoven, a director of the West India Company, purchased on November 22, 1652, from Seiseu and Mattano, chiefs and owners, the terri- tory of the later town of New Utrecht, "as the same has previously been bought on behalf of the Honorable Company, and for which payment was to be made yet." On December 1 of the same year he secured from Mat- tano, Mattaveno and Cossikan, on be- half of themselves and as attorneys for all other inhabitants and supposed owners of the land now come into the
ISOO 3,298|1sr<E
25,31:
1810 4,402
1820 7.175
1830 15,292
1840 36,233
1345 59,574
1850 96.838
FULTON FERRY, 1840.
The taxable property was valued in
possession of Van 'Werckhoven by the foregoing act, their promise "to remove immediately from the land now occu- pied by them, called Naieck." After starting a settlement at Nayack, which is called "Greewyck" on Van der Donck's map. Van Werckhoven went to Holland, with the intention of re- turning. He died, however, there in 1655.
Jacques Corteleau, the tutor of Van Werckhoven's son, asked the Director General and Council on January 16, 1657, as the agent of the heirs of Cor- nells Van Werckhoven, for permission "to establish a village on Long Island, on the bay of the North River." His request being granted, he laid out and surveyed the place, dividing it into twenty lots of twenty-five morgen each. The village was named New Utrecht, in honor of Van Werckhoven's birth- place Nicasius de aille, the Fiscal or Attorney General of New Netherland, was among the settlers; he built his house here in 1657, which stood for two ctntuiies: in this building General WoodhuU expired from his wounds in
1776. . ^ „„
Stuyvesant granted on August -(,
1657 to the newly begun village of New Utrecht, one hundred and thirty mor- gen of meadowland "on the east hook of the bay of the North River, oppo- site Coney Island." On August 13,
1658 Anthony Jansen from Salee proved to the Director General that he had bought the aforesaid meadow from the Indians on September 26, 1651, and as he had no other meadow for mak- ing hay, part of the meadow nearest to his house was given to him.
It appears that Jacques Corteleau was the owner of the neck of land called Nayack, the site of the present Fort Hamilton. He also was a lot- holder in the village of New Utrecht, and resided there, no doubt, during the last years of Stuyvesant's admin- istration." On his land, on the neck, he .allowed the "Nayack Indians; ' i. e., Manhattan Indians, who had removed to this place from Staten Island, to remain for many years, where they planted their corn.
In 1659 Stuyvesant appointed Jan To- massen to the ottice of Sergeant, to keep order in the village, and Jacob Van Corlear was soon after made the Secretary of New Utrecht. In the fall of 1659, when a renewal of troubles with the Indians was e.xpected, the Fis- cal gave order to fortify his house, whicli was the only one within the town having a tUeu rout. The iiouse, forty- two feet long, together with the garden, was now surrounded with high palisades, set close together, as a place of refuge for the townspeople. On February 6, 1660, Stuyvesant visited the village in company of the Fiscal; the latter had given to the town a flag of the Prince of Orange, which was now hoisted on a pole in the center of the village. The mottoes in the Prince's coat-of-arms and in the seal of the Bruyckleen Colony being iden- tical, the hoisting of the flag repre- sented the salute of the Long Island Colony to the Director General.
On February 23, the Fiscal was au- thorized to have the lately formed vil- lages of Breukelen and New Utrecht surveyed, enclosed with palisades, and put in a good state of defense. Per- suaded by some of their fellowmen, the people of New Utrecht tried to delay the work, and the Fiscal asked the Director General to send over, as promised, some of the company's ne- groes, to do the work. This was grant- ed two days later, and the palisades were cut and set up. A blockhouse was now ordered to be erected in the center of the village, and a public well dug, also a pound to be construct- ed for the cattle which may have committed damage to any person. To the end that the village might be quicker settled and built up, it was or- dered that whosoever be first ready to build, should have a preference of choice, even notwithstanding such per- son's chance may have fallen to a dif- ferent lot. Such plantations in the town which were not as yet fenced, as well as village lots, were to be fenced. In the same year a horse-mill which had been in Use in New Amster- dam was purchased and set up near the blockhouse. On December 22, 1661, the town received a village charter, .^.drian Hegeman, the successor of Schout Tonneman, toolc charge of New Utrecht, together with Breukelen. Mid- wout and Amersfoort, and Jan Tomas- sen, Rutger Josten and Jacob Hella- kers were appointed Commissaries. Van Corlear was directed to hand over to the Schout all documents relating to New Utrecht. On August 24, 1662, the Commissaries asked that the meadow land be divided between the village and Nayack.
In a letter dated April 2S, 1664, and addressed to the Directors of the West India Company, at Amsterdam, Stuy- vesant states: "Concerning the set- tling and securing of both Long and Staten Islands, near the Narrows, the orders have been carried out some time ago, by forming hamlets on both is- lands. The village of New Utrecht was laid out on Long Island, about a quar- ter of an hour's travel inland from the Narrows, there being no convenient place nearer for the location of a vil- lage; it is settled by about twenty-two to twenty-four families of the Dutch or Netherland nation. A hamlet not yet named was begun on Staten Island about two years ago, and has now about twelve to fourteen families of Dutch and French from the Palatinate; it lies about half an hour's walk from the Narrows, there being no more con- venient place for a village nearer the water. Both these places were provid- ed with commodious blockhouses for a defense against the attacks of the sav- ages last summer; the blockhouses are built by putting beam upon beam and for their better defense are each pro- vided with two or three light pieces
24
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
of ordnance, of which one or two arf pedereroes; the hamlet on Staten Is- land, being the weakest, and too far to be relieved in time, is garrisoned with ten soldiers for its greater safety." The Dutch Church was organized In 1677. A stone edifice of octagonal shape was erected in 1700, surrounded by the graveyard, on the Kings High- way, and what is now Sixteenth ave- nue; it was demolished in 1828. A new structure was built on the present site. Eighteenth avenue, between Eighty-
Church edifice, the taxable property was valued at $275,765; the population was then 907; in 1835, 1,027; in 1840, 1,283. Neighborhoods in this town were Bay Ridge, Fort Hamilton, near the United States grounds, and Bath on Gravesend Bay. The latter was a fa- vorite place for sea bathing, hunting and fishing. The fortress known as Fort Hamilton was constructed during the years 1824-1832. Fort Lafayette was built upon Hendrick's Bluff, 200 yards from shore, in 1812, and was orig-
iliSiMHSi!
=54fe^i^,-;
^-f'wtf . -^ — ~ — *■
DUTCH CHURCH AND DE SILLE HOUSE, NEW UTRECHT.
third and Eighty-fourth streets, and dedicated in 1829. The old church edi- fice had been used by the British dur- ing the Revolutionary War at various times for a hospital and riding school. The Simon Cortelyou house was built long before that struggle, on the Shore road; in its rear was the burial ground of the Cortelyou family. This house was the headquarters of Lord Howe after his landing in Gravesend Bay in August, 1776, for about a month. After Simon's death it came into the possession of one Napier, who transformed it into a tavern. After Napier's death, Simon Cortelyou's son, Simon, became the owner and later on the Stillwell family owned the house. In 1892 the Federal Government pur- chased it, and finally it was destroyed by fire in 1901. The Van Pelt Manor house was built about the latter part of the seventeenth century, and is still standing on Eighteenth avenue and Eighty-first street: nearby is one of the two remaining milestones in the coun- ty, which were erected by the King's order, to mark the postroad from Bos- ton to Philadelphia. The road was known as the King's Highway; it cut through New Utrecht and Gowanus to Denyse's Ferry, where the connection with Staten Island was made by boat. At every turning point in the road a stone was set up. At Denyse's Ferry the British landed their first troops in 1776; near the shores of this town, too, the squadron of Colonel Richard Nic- olls, the first English Governor of New Tork. had anchored in 1664. and his letter to Director General Stuyve- sant bears date on board the Guyney, riding before Nayack, on the 20th day of August.
Along the Narrows the land is hilly and stony, and on the northern town line were some considerable hills. These wooded ridges formed the extreme western end of the backbone of Long Island, which extends all along the northern side of the "Great Plains," as far as Southold, on the eastern end of the island. The interior part of the town is level, and the soil consists of light loam and sand.
In 1810 the village contained forty houses and the Reformed Dutch
inally known as Fort Diamond. A few feet below the surface, at the Narrows, was found, in 1837, more than a wag- on-load of Indian arrow-heads.
TOWN OF GRAVESEND.
A tract of 100 morgen of land oppo- site Coney Island was given to An- thony Jansen from Salee in 1639, and a patent for it was issued in 1644. Thii
commissary at "the Hope." At least he laid claim to all three in later years, though on account of the clanger of at- tacks by the Indians, in an extremely exposed position, he had never taken po.ssession of the property. The patent describes it as "situate on the east side of the bay, running into the North River."
In 1643 English settlers from Massa- chusetts came here; in 1645 they re- ceived a general town patent, issued December 19, to Lady Deborah Moody and associates. The origin of this town differs from that of the Dutch towns. Gravesend was intended to be- come a commercial port. Ten acres of land were laid out and surrounded by palisades. When, however, it became evident that there was not sufficient depth for vessels of a larger class, the original plan was abandoned. The English settlers held religious services in the town and Stuyvesant stated that the Inhabitants of Gravesend had more privileges than the exemptions gave to any Hollander. In 1655 the settlement was saved from destruction at the hands of the River Indians by a guard sent over from New Amsterdam. In the following year the inhabitants ob- tained three small cannon from the fort for their protection. In 1659 a mill was erected.
Of the 7,000 acres of land in the town 3,500 were farm land, 500 woodland and the balance salt meadows and a ridge of sand hills near the seashore. It has been suggested that the town was named after the former home of some of the original settlers, viz., Gravesend in England; another suggestion is that it was originally called "s'Graven- sande," i.e., "the count's beach." Di- rectly opposite Gravesend, on the other side of Lower New York Bay, are the Navesink Highlands; along these high- lands and the Navesink River the sand Is of a reddish color, hence the name "Red Bank" in this neighborhood. On the Long Island shore the sand is of a grayish color, and this fact may have
4^'/^%'»i "^■■^' '
,^ ^- "-^'^'^^
EIRST DUTCH CHURCH EDIEICE AT GRAVESEND. Sketched After Old Description.
land, described as situated "near the bay," became later known as "the old bouwery." Adjoining Anthony Jan- sen's patent a tract of 90 morgen, lying partly in Gravesend and partly in New Utrecht, was granted in 1645 to Robert Pennoyer.
The present Coney Island consisted originally of three parts, viz., Conijne Eylandt, Conijne Hoek or the later Pine Island, and Gysbert's Eylandt, or the later Johnson's Land. Apparently these three parts were granted on May 24, 1644, to Gysbert op Dyck, the former
led the settlers to name this shore "Graauwezande," or Grauesand, as the name is often written in old documents, i.e., "Grayishsand."
The Dutch Church was organized in 1763 and a church edifice was erected, which was replaced by a second one in 1833 and this one again by a third one in 1894. Shortly after the conquest of 1664 the town was made the seat of justice, a court house was erected in 1668 and the Courts of Sessions of the West Riding were held here, also the Courts of Kings County until 1686,
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
25
when the County Court at Flatbush was opened.
The Strycker house, on Gravesend avenue, near present Avenue U, was destroyed by fire about 1894. The Still- well house was formerly known as the Van Siclen house. The Johnson house was buiJt upon "the bouwerij of ye Lady Moody." The Wyckoff homestead, on present East Nineteenth street, near Avenue Q, was erected about the latter part of the eighteenth century and was torn down during- the first years of the present century. A block awav is standing- the still older Bennett farm house. The Wyckoff house, on Kings Highway, near Fourteenth street, was built about forty years ago.
In 1649 Coney Island is called Manna- hanning, i.e., island place. A locality at the mouth of Gerrettsen's Creek was called Moeung. This probably was the place called by the Dutch fvlaeck, i.e., a stain or blot, a black or muddy place. Another locality in this neighborhood, the upland, was called Makeopaca. An Indian burying ground was found in 1897 on Avenue U, near Ryder's Pond. Deep beds of oyster shells, the outer sides of the shells uppermost, were found, also pottery and more than a dozen of skeletons.
In 1810 Gra-vesend village contained twenty houses, the Reformed Dutch Church edifice and a schoolhouse. A lighthouse was desigrned to be erected at Coney Island, on the west end of Schryer's Hook. There were two tide mills. The taxable property was val- ued at $178,477; the population was 520, mcreasing to 695 in 1835 and 810 in 1840.
The settlement on Sheepshead Bay was originally known as "The Cove," and later as Sheepshead Bay. Other neighborhoods were Unionville and Guntherville on Gravesend Bav, South Greenfield on the Kings Highway and on the head of Gerrettsen's Creek, ex- tending over the Flatlands line.
TOWN OF FLATBUSH.
(Including the Later Town of New Lots.)
Flatbush was originally known as Midwout and was settled in 1651, though single settlers had been on the ground earlier. It is named in old documents variously 't Vlakke Bos, Midwout and Middelwout. 'T Vlakke Bos means small things packed close together, i. e., "a bunch" on the plain; Midwout and Middelwout means "in the midst of the fcre.-^t "or surrounded by forest." In 1653 Stuyvesant wrote, in answer to a remonstrance presented to him: "It is not true that general town-patents had been promised to the inhabitants of Middelburgh and Mid- wout. The contrary can be proved by living witnesses and by the written conditions, now deposited in the secre- tarv's office, under which lands were allotted and taken possession of in the said villages. If they have not their Individual deeds, they may come and call for them; they will not be carried home to everybody." Cornelius Van Ruyven, the secretary of the colony, and son-in-law of Domine Megapolen- sis, bought in 1654 a farm of twenty- five morgen in this town for the sum of 525 guilders. On October 16, 16.55, a plan was approved for concentrating the village of Midwout. Five or six lots were to be reserved for public buildings, such as for the schout, the minister, the .secretary, the school- master, village tavern and public courthouse. On February 22, 1656, a plan was ready to lay out the village, set up palisades, and erect a block- house. On May 26, 1656, the Schout and "the magistrates of Midwout and Amersfoort" issued orders that those in- habitants who had not as yet set up their
share of palisades must do so within eight days or pay a fine of 25 guilders for each lot. On February 26, 1660, the magistrates of Midwout and Amers- foort were ordered to have the pali- sades surrounding the villages repaired and kept in good order by assigning to each inhabitant a certain portion, for which he was to be held responsible. On March 31, 1661, separate inferior courts were erected in each of these villages. Part of the town, known as Oostwout, or the New Lotts of Flat-
GRAVESEND TOWN HALL.
bush, was settled in 1654, and was separated in 1852 from the town of Flatbush and organized as the town of New Lots. A horsemill was erected here in 1660.
A low, broad range of hills extended along the town border; the remainder of the territory was level, the soil being light loam. Prospect Hill was elevated 300 feet above the plain, overlooking the neighboring townships. In Oost- wout, the southern half of the terri- tory consisted of salt meadows; the soil of the remainder was light loam.
The first Dutch church edifice on Long Island was begun here in Mid- wout, in 1654, when the church was or- ganized. There were 100 morgen of
fire in 1832, the courts were transferred to Brooklyn. Erasmus Hall was in- corporated in 1787. The Vanderveer homestead, on Flatbush avenue, oppo- site Dorchester road, took, in 1787, the place of an earlier structure on land granted in 1660. It was demolished in 1911. The Bergen House, said to have been built in 1735, was torn down about 1840; the Strycker House, which also has been removed, had been erected in 1696, of brickstones. Nearly opposite stood the Zabriskie homestead, another brickstone building, and as old as its neighbor, until 1877. The original Lef- ferts homestead, built in the latter part of the seventeenth century on the junction of Flatbush and Wash- ington avenues and Lincoln road, and the Martense house, opposite, were both burned down by the British in 1776; the Lefferts house was rebuilt on its old lines. The Suydam-Ditmas Man- sion, near the junction of Ditmas ave- nue, was erected about 1700 and stood until 1911. The old farmhouse on Church lane, near Story street, and known as the Story homestead, was formerly occupied by the Martense family. Melrose Hall, built in 1749 by John Lane, near Flatbush avenue and Clarkson street, was torn down at the beginning of the present century. Judge Isaac Terhune erected a house about a halt-mile distant from the Kings Highway station of the Brighton Beach Railroad, in 1812, which was later purchased by Benjamin Hitchings.
In 1810 Flatbush was known as the "Capital of the County." The village contained about 100 houses, standing on the town road and covering a stretch of one and a half miles in length; the stone building of the Reformed Dutch Church, the courthouse and jail, Eras- mus Hall Academy and two common schools, also two tide mills and one windmill, were within the town limits. The taxable property was valued at $.169,118; the population was 1,159, and in 1835, 1,537; in 1840, 2,099. The poorhouse of the county Is located in this town. The farm of sixty acres was purchased for $3,000. Neighborhoods in the town were: Greenfield, ParkviUe, Oaklands and Windsor Terrace.
The region known as Keuters' Hook, received its name from the fact that
ORIGINAL LONG ISLAND CHURCH, ERECTED AT MIDDELWOUT.
land set aside for the church, the little structure on the Indian trail was In- closed with a strong palisade, and in time of danger the settlers, after till- ing their farm land all day, retired at nightfall within the protecting stock- ade, until they were able to erect more substantial houses upon their farms. A second structure was built in 1699, which was altered in 1775, and the present building was erected in 1795 on the original site.
The courthouse of the County of Kings was erected in Flatbush village in 1685, and in the following year the courts were removed from Gravesend to this place. The courthouse was re- built in 1793. After its destruction by
this tract was given over in the earlier days to the mechanics of the town, who could only take care of small par- cels of land. The name is derived from the word Keutel-boer, used in opposi- tion to boer. The word boer was ap- plied to farmers on large farms in the older part of the town.
In the later town of New Lots, the farmhouse built in 1715 by William Howard, near the present junction of Broadway and Fulton street, was known as the Rising Sun Tavern, or Howard's Halfway House, of Revolu- tionary War fame. The Howard es- tate was sold in 1867, and soon there- after turned into building lots, and the old tavern was torn down. Among the
26
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
landmarks are the Schenck homestead, on Jamaica avenue, and the Eldert homestead, on New Lots road, between Lincoln and Sheridan avenues, on land granted to Johannes Eldert in 1667. | JJaniel Rapelje built a stone house on j what is now Sheffield avenue, before i the Revolution, which has been taken i down. His son, Simon, built the house j now known as the McGee house; Wil- I liam Rapelje built the present Rapelje j house, on the north side of New Lots road, between Sheffield and Georgia , avenues, in 1820. The Wyckoff house i is standing on New Lots road, between Miller avenue and Bradford street, and the Van Siclen, near Hendrix street. The Reformed Dutch Church of New Lots was organized in 1824, and an edifice erected on New Lots road in the center of the settlement. The former town hall of New Lots, stand- ing on Jamaica Bay, at present Stan- ley and Atkins avenues, was destroyed by fire in 1912.
TOWN OF FLATLANDS.
The principal village of the Canarsee was in this town and known as Kes- kaechqueren, i. e., at the bay. The name Flatlands is derived from het vlakke land, i. e., the flat country. The soil is light sand or sandy loam. The town
tervelt. In January, 1651, a village was established, which was named Nieuw Amersfoort. Twenty-eight lots were di- vided by lot. Stuyvesant owned a farm here in 1655; in the same year a mili- tarj' guard was stationed in the town on account of the Indian troubles; the village was inclosed by a stockade.
Van Twiller's and Corlear's flats, con- taining 1,600 to 2,000 morgen of land, were used as a common pasturage by the people of Amersfoort and Midwout.
The Dutch church in the town was founded in 1654; a first edifice was
^^
NEW AMERSFORT CHURCH. ERECTED 1663
was settled in 1636. One of the first grants for lands wa* for Barren Is- land, which was then considerably larger and called Equendito. The Dutch called it 't Beeren Eylandt, i. e.. Bears Island. Upon Barren Island the pirate Charles Gibbs had secreted a portion of the wealth which he had plundered upon the high seas. Part of it was recovered after the pirate and his companions had been executed upon Gibbet Island in New York Harbor in 1830. The islands and meadows ad- joining Barren Island were called by the Indians Hoopaninak, Shanscoma- cocke and Macutteris. There are im- mense shellheaps at Canarsie and Ber- gen Island.
Achtervelt was a plantation in this town, comprising a tract of land of about 1,800 morgen, of which only a small part was cultivated; a patent for the same was granted in 1638. The patents for the Castateuw purchases of 1636 from the Indians were annulled in 1652. They consisted of the two smaller flats, claimed by Wouter Van Twiller and the great flat, also called "at the bay" or Amersfoort flat, claimed by Wolphert Gerretsen and Andries Hudde. At the same time patents for other large tracts were an- nulled, as the maize land, flatland and valley of Canarisse, conveyed by gift to Jacob Wolphertsen to the serious dam- age of the new village of Midwout, further the islands in the Hellgate, Nooten Eylandt ,Red Hook, the land at Sloops Bay and Oyster Bay, called Matinnecough.
The territory of the town is later called the Bouwery or District of Ach-
erected in 1663; it was enlarged in 1762; a second one was built in 1794 and a third one in 1848. The graveyard was established upon an old Indian burial hill, and the Indian graves were in- cluded in the graveyard.
The house on Flatlands Neck was built in 1664 by Pietbr Claes Wyckoff, who had purchased the land from the Canarsee at an early date. There is a tradition that the name Wyckoff was given to him on account of his settling in this isolated neighborhood; its mean- ing being "to depart" (wijken) and "beyond" (over), i. e., to depart to a distant place. The homestead was re- paired in 1819. The little schoolhouse on the neck was built in 1786.
The mill on Gerrettsen's Creek, the former Stroomkil, occupies the founda- tions of the original gristmill. The Jan Martense Schenck house was built about 1656 near a creek, on which later a mill was erected. Mentelaer Island, called by the Indians Wimbaccoe, is now known as Bergen Island. Mus- kytte Hool was the name of a locality on Flatlands Neck.
In 1810 Flatlands Village contained twenty houses. There was the Re- formed Dutch Church edifice and one tidemill in this town. The taxable property was valued at $14,039; the pop- ulation was 517, increasing to 684 in 1835 and 810 in 1840. Canarsie village was a settlement upon the road lead- ing to the bay.
TOWN OF BUSHWICK.
(Including the later Williamsburgh.)
The name Bushwick has been said by some writers to signify "Town in the Woods," while others have trans- lated it "Heavy Woods." In the town records we read under date of April 5, 1663, that some of the inhabitants pe- titioned the Director General and Council to allow them to inclose their lands near the village with a common fence, "in view of the great expense of individually fencing their land, said expense being greatly increased by the scarcity of wood in their neighborhood, etc." This was three years after the settlement had been_ started, and It Is inconceivable that a'region, which hai been remarkable for its wealth of tim- ber, in such a degree as to cause the Governor to name the town for this very pecularity of the region "Town in the Woods," to be so stripped of timber within a short time, as the pe- tition shows. To the writer it seems more likely that the village was named for the compact form in which it was
laid out by Stuyvesant. The latter had ordered in February, 1660, that all settlers should remove to villages; a few days later a party of men peti- tioned him to select a site for them, suitable for a settlement, and he took them to the plain between the New- town Creek and Bushwick Creek, where he laid out a village of twenty-two lots.
A year later he again visited the new settlement, and, requested by the in- habitants to give a name to the place, he named it Boswijck. As noted above, the Director-General would no longer permit the planters to occupy their scattered farmhouses, and with this point in view, he had established this place of concentration on the plain. The name Boswijck, coined by Stuy- vesant on this occasion, expressed per- fectly what the Governor's order was intended to enforce, i.e., to take the ex- posed homes of the several settlers and bring them together at a central point for the sake of their own safe- ty. The word is composed of "bos," meaning a "collection of small things packed close together" and of "wijk," i. e., a retreat, refuge, guard, defend from danger. The site selected was suitable for a settlement, as it was lev- el land or "a flat," bounded by creeks; that part of the town known in later times and to this day as Greenpoint was in the olden days known as Gren- en Hout Punt, or Hout Punt. It was the neck of land from «'hich the set- tlers of Boswijck secured the timber for palisades and building material; Hout Punt means "timber place." The name was later anglicized into Wood- point, and the remnant of the town road, which led to the place, is still known as "Old Woodpoint road." Grenen Hout Punt indicates that the woods consisted of fir trees.
The territory of the town was pur- chased by Governor Kieft from the Ca- narsee in 1638; settlers which had lo- cated here prior to that date were con- firmed in their possessions, and pat- ents to new settlers were granted in rapid succession. The soil was princi-
ON OLD WOODPOINT ROAD, BUSHWICK.
pally a light loam and the surface con- siderably hilly, in some parts stony, though productive.
On March 31, 1661, an Inferior Court was established and thus the town was organized. Adriaen Hegeman, the Schout of Breukelen, Amersfoort and Midwout, had now also jurisdiction over New Utrecht and Boswijck. In 1662, the village, which was inclosed with palisades, contained twenty-five houses; according to Brodhead, two blockhouses were erected within this town in 1663; this no doubt refers to the blockhouse upon the Kijkuit near the Strand and another one in the village. A Dutch church was erected about 1720 and a second edifice was built in 1829 on the original site (de- molished last January); in the same year a chapel was opened in Williams- burgh. In 1810, the town contained the Reformed Dutch Church edifice in the village, a Methodist meeting house in the Williamsburgh region, two tida
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
27
mills, two schoolhouses and two tav- erns. The taxable property was valued at $263,025; the population was 798; in 1835, 3,341, and in 1840, 6,389, including Williamsburgh. In 1827, the village of W'illlamsburgh was incorporated; this community was separated from Bush- wick in 1840 and incorporated as a town. The City of Williamsburg'h came into existence in 1852.
Of the old farmhouses, the oldest still standing is the Duryea house on Meeker avenue, near Newtown Creek; the Conselyea in Bushwick village, erected prior to 1700, has been taken down. Other old buildings were the Skillman house, the two Devoe houses on the Woodpoint road, where also stood the Mansion House, built by Theodorus Polhemus, and the Debe- voise house, both erected before the Revolution. At the Crossroads settle- ment, the former Kruis-pad, was the Whaley house and Rapalye's Tavern. In Williamsburgh, the Miller house stood on the site of the blockhouse up- on the Kijkuit; it was taken down in 1860; the Fountain Inn was situated near Grand Street Ferry; near Union avenue was the house of Jan de Swede, who lived here before the land was
avenue and Woodbine street; it was taken down about 1901.
The original cemetery on the Wood- point road was abandoned in 1879; a churchyard, surrounding the Dutch church had been established in 1814; there were family burial places on many of the farms.
The Bushwick Ferry was started by James Hazard in 1797, a rowboat being operated between Hazard's farm on Corlear's Hook and the Fountain Inn on the Long Island side. WoodhuU's Ferry was started a few years later; Morrell's Ferry in 1812. The Will- iamsburgh Ferry was incorporated in 1824: the Peck Slip Ferry was establish- ed in 1836; tlie Hou.ston Street Ferry in 1840; the Greenpoint Ferry to Tenth street, Manhattan, in 1853. The ferry which had been operated for some years from Calvary Cemetery to Twen- ty-third street was also transferred to Greenpoint avenue in 1857; the James Slip Ferry, running from .South Tenth street, was established in 1857. In 1860, the Roosevelt Street Ferry began to run a boat to Williamsburgh. The Broadway Ferry to Twenty-third street was opened in 1885, and some
The water flowing into this reservoir comes from a chain of lakes and creeka scattered over the towns of Hempstead and Jamaica. Near the eastern ex- tremity of this chain was a railroad station of the old South Side Railroad, called Ridgewood, twenty-seven miles distant from Brooklyn and close to the Oyster Bay town line. From the fact that the Aqueduct and canal, as they were laid out, when the great enter- prise was commenced, started in the Ridgewood tract, the reservoir con- structed upon the Cypress Hills be- came known as the Ridgewood Reser- voir and the thinly settled neighbor- hood in its rear as Ridgewood. Thus the reservoir received its name not from being located near the Ridge- wood settlement, but the settlement received its name from being located near the reservoir. A few years before the latter was built, another settlement had been started near the northern entrance of the Cemetery of the Ever- greens, which was named South Will- iamsburgh. This being the most com- pact neighborhood, the name Ridge- wood was gradually applied to it and when a large area was later embraced
BUSHWICK CHURCH AND TOWN HOUSE A CENTUKY AGO. The View of the Church Is Taken From Long Island Miscellanies and the View of the Town House From the Brooklyn Manual of 1868.
bought from the Indians. In Green- point Dirck Volkertse, the Noorman had built a stone house on the shore of Bushwick Creek, which later was named after him "Noorman's Kil"; Dirck was also one of the early set- tlers. The Provoost house was de- .'troyed by Are about 1832. Abraham Jansen erected a mill in 1664 on New- town Creek, near Bushwick village, and on its site was "Masters' Mill," standing until a half century ago; Schenck's Mill was nearby. The Schenck family burial ground is near the site of the mill, on the former Wyekoff farm. The Wyckoff house is located on Flushing avenue, near Cypress avenue; there are several other old houses on this farm. The Suydam house, built about 1700 and formerly owned by Leffert Lefferts, was situated on the Old Bushwick road on the corner now known as Evergreen
years later boats were run to For- ty-second street.
The Ridgewood section in Queens Borough is the territory over which a legal flght was carried on for more than a century between the towns of Bushwick and Newtown. By granting the New Lotts of Bushwick to the town, Stuyvesant had made the present Ridgewood section apparently a part of Bushwick; still when in 1769 the dis- pute was settled, the tract was decided to be a part of the town of Newtown. However, today the section is most intimately connected with the upper part of the former town of Bushwick, and in considering the Ridgewood sec- tion the territory situated in Kings and Queens Counties must be taken as a unit. The name came into use here when a small settlement sprang up in Queens County near the Ridgewood Reservoir, about a halt century ago.
under the designation Ridgewood, this part became known as Evergreen, as most of its denizens were in some way connected with the Cemetery of the Evergreens, as florists, laborers, etc. The name Ridgewood was now identi- fied with a large tract in Queens Coun- ty and with a considerable part of the Eastern District of Brooklyn and the old South Side Railroad station became known as Wantagh, its name having been changed in 1891, at the request of its inhabitants.
TOWN OF NEWTOWN.
(Including the later Long Island City). Part of this town was set off in 1870 and incorporated a city under the name of Long Island City. The Indians called the territory of the greater part of the town, i. e.: the eastern portion, "Wan-
28
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
dewenock," meaning "the fine land be tween the long streams," viz., Flushing and Newtown creeks. The Mispat band had their village on the head of Mispat Kil, or Newtown Creek. When the Rockaways sold the land to the settlers of Middelburgh in 1656, they reserved "a tract of upland, lying under the hills, southward from the town place, now seated," as hunting ground. The west branch of Mispat KlI was called Quandoequareus, 1. e., "at the further- most branch of the long tidal stream." In 1640 the Rev. Francis Doughty was granted the so-called Mispat pat- ent, including nearly all the territory of the town; he and his associates found on their arrival two or three squatters on the ground. In the Indian War of 1643 the Mispat settlement, hav- ing then more than eighty inhabitants, was wiped out. At this time, lands were taken up at the junction of Newtown Creek and the Dutch Kills Creek, at Kanapaukab; i. e., "the Bears' water- land." On the east side of Kanapaukah Kil, or Dutch Kills Creek, was Rich- ard Brutnell's •plantation, deeded to him in 1643; it came later in the posses- sion of William Herrick. Herrlck's widow married Thomas Wandell, who was living on the Bushwick shore of Newtown Creek as far back as 1648. Wandell enlarged the property by pur- chase and it became later known as the Alsop farm. The Alsop house, erected by Wandell In 1665, was destroyed In 1879. On the west side of the Kana- paukah, lands were granted to Tymen Jansen and Burger Jorissen in 1643, and to .Jan Jansen in 1647. Dominie's Hook received its name from its owner, Dominie Everardus Bogardus of the Church in the Fort on Manhattan Island, the son-in-law of Tymen Jansen, as early as 1643. This tract, known as "The Old Farm," consisted of 212 acres; it was purchased in 1697 by Captain Peter Pra, who lived then on the Bush- wick shore of Newtown Creek. The captain's granddaughter married Cap- tain George Hunter, and from him the "point" received the name "Hunter's Point." Hunter's wife died in 1833, and two years later the farm was sold and the old homestead disappeared. Brou- card Burgon, or Bragaw, a French Huguenot, who emigrated from Mann- heim, in the Palatinate on the Rhine, in 1675, settled at Sunnyside in 1688, after having sold his farm in Bushwick and after a short residence on Staten Island. He erected a gristmill; in 1757 the farm came into the possession of Isaac Bragaw, who erected the house on Jackson and Skillman avenues, near the present Queensboro Bridge Plaza; it was taken down in 1912. After sev- eral changes the land came into the Payntar family in 1831. The Debevolse house on Hill street, near Anable street, was destroyed bv fire about 1909; among the other old houses are the Van Pelt, Stevens, Gosman, Dur- yea and Washington houses.
At Ravenswood, formerly called the waterside. John Delafield erected in 1792 the mansion known as "Sunswick"; the Blackwell homestead on Webster avenue, near the river, was built in 1664. About 1834 the corporation of the City of New York erected buildings for a poorfarm at Ravenswood, which were sold in 1847, when the institutions were transplanted to the islands in the river; the owner leased the buildings to the Commission of Emigration for a ship-fever-hospital, etc. After many in- effective protests, the citizens de- stroyed the buildings. Ravenswood was connected with New York City a half century ago by stages running via As- toria and Eighty-sixth street, or Hell Gate Ferry, to Chatham Square.
William Hallett, born in Dorsetshire, England about 1616. received a grant for 160 acres at Hellgate in 1652, for- merly In possession of Jacques Bentyn,
the site of the later Astoria village. In 1655 his house and outbuildings were destroyed during the Indian uprismg, and he removed to Flushing; later he settled again in this section. A small shell heap was at Sandford's Point, op- posite the north end of Blackwell's Island, showing that the Indians had a village there. There were early, as well as later, relics. A blockhouse was built at Hellgate during the Revolu- tion, and a water battery, "Fort Ste- vens," during the War of 1812. The Woolsey mansion, opposite East Nine- ty-sixth street, Manhattan, was erected about 1726; other old houses are the Barclay mansion, on the Shore Road, and the Rapelje mansion. Patents for five small plantations of about 50 acres each and extending from the river to the great swamp, or Lubberts' swamp, were granted about 1653; they were later purchased by Homer Lawrence, who also obtained a patent for the ad- Joining "Round Island." in 1665. Round Island is now known as Berrian's Island, and contains 12 acres. The Greenhook, later known as the G. M. Woolsey farm, was granted to Jean Gerardse in 1653, and in the same year
THE OLD BAY TAVERN ON THE POOR-BOWERY.
the later Dr. Ditmars farm, to PhlllE Gerardse, and the later Polhemus es- tate, to Tenen Craye. In 1654 Anneke Jans, the widow of Dominie Bogardus, obtained an additional patent on Pot Cove.
Abraham Rycken, or de Rycke, had received in 1638 a large grant of land In Bushwick. He obtained another grant in 1654 at the "Poor Bowery," which had originally been granted to the Dutch Church on Manhattan Island for an "armen bouwery" — that is, a poor farm. Abraham Rycken died in 1689; his son Abraham enlarged the property; the family burial place Is on Bowery Bay, near the site of the house erected by the younger Rycken. Hen- drick Rycken, a grandson of the orig- inal settler, removed to Hallett's Cove prior to the Revolution, and bought the sawmill on Sunswick Creek. The foundation of the gristmill at the mouth of the Sackhigneyah stream was laid by Cornelius Luyster in 1668. Thomas B. Jackson bought the mill property on "Fishpoint" in 1835, and erected a gristmill on the old founda- tions. Sack-ig-naiag means a "point of land near the mouth of a stream." Riker's Island, containing 50 acres, and formerly known as Hewlett's Island, from its being the residence of George Hewlett, was conferred to Guysbert Rycken in 1667. The Rev. Francis Doughty, the leader in the original Mispat settlement, conferred his bouw- ery on Flushing Bay, at Stevens Point, on his daughter Mary at her marriage in 1645 to Dr. Adrian Van der Donck, who obtained a patent for it in 1648. About three years later, Thomas Ste- venson, an Englishman, living at Flushing, removed to this farm as tenant for Van der Donck, and after the departure of the latter to Holland, where he died, Stevenson obtained a patent from Stuyvesant, conferring these premises to himself. To this farm
belonged original y, a wooded eminence of twelve acres, lymg on the Fi"shin| Meadows; this was named \onkers Island, after Van der Donck who was called "de Jonker." or "Joni^^-^^^^^J^ place was also known as St. R?°a-n 3 Well," and In later years, when it was a favorite place for picnic excursions, It was called "Snake Hill."
After the Mispat settlement had been destroyed by the Indians, a new set- tlement was commenced by some Eng- lishmen from New England; the old Mispat or English Kills settlement was located where Maspeth Is today; the new place was midway between the old site and Flushing, along a meadow from which creeks flowed into Newtown Creek and Flushing Creek. Here they settled in 1651, and named the place Mid- delburgh, the "village midway be- tween"; in 1662 the name was changed to Hastings, and later to Newtown.
Another settlement was made in 1655 on Smith's Island, the later Mas- peth Island, or Furman's Island, in Newtown Creek. This settlement, named New Arnheim, was broken up by the Dutch Governor, as being detri- mental to Boswijck village, laid out by Stuyvesant near by. Major Daniei Whitehead testified in court in li04 that at the time of the coming of Gov- ernor Nicolls, his father and he, then living at "Mespatt Kills," which then did not belong to Newtown, chose dep- uties to the Assembly at Hempstead in 1665, as other towns did. When Yorkshire was created at this Assem- bly, the former Middelburgh, then called "Hastings," was Included In the West Riding under the name of "the new towne," being enlarged by the out- plantations, comprising the Poor Bow- ery, Hellgate Neck, the English Kills, the Dutch Kills, etc.
In 1670 a town house was erected on the site now occupied by the Fish House, on Grand Street and Hoffman Boulevard. In this building the serv- ices of the Presbyterian Church were held, the church having been organ- ized in 1651, until a church edifice was erected in 1717. This was used as a guardhouse and hospital by the British while they occupied Newtown, from 1776 to 1783, and was finally demolished. On the same site a new edifice was erected in 1787, which was enlarged In 1836; it is now used for Sunday school purposes. Opposite this old frame structure a stone church was opened for service, in 1895. The Dutch church was organized in 1704, and an edifice was erected in 1732; this building was used by the British for a powder maga- zine; it was taken down in 1832, and a new one erected. The Protestant Epls- ' copal Church was organized in 1731. Jonathan Fish joined the Middel- burgh settlement In 1659; his grandson, Jonathan Fish, built, about 1700, the Fishhouse, on the site of the first town- house. Samuel Fish, the son of the younger Jonathan, kept it as an Inn; he also purchased the farm at "Fish Point," on Flushing Bay, a part of the Luyster farm, or Poor Bowery farm. The Palmer, Riker, Luyster, Kowen- towen and Jacob Rapalje houses are located on this farm. John Moore, who died in 1657, was the first minister of the town; several "Moorehouses," built by his descendants, are to be noted. One, a Colonial mansion, Tvas erected on the shell road, more than a century anterior to the Revolution; another, later owned by the Penfold family, and a third one, on the Bowery Bay road, with the Moore family burial place near by. The last-named house was the headquarters of Sir Henry Clinton after the Battle of Long Island. Cap- tain Richard Betts was one of the first settlers on the disputed lands along the Bushwick boundary. He built his house on the old Newtown road, be- tween Calvary Cemetery and Maurice avenue. The old house on the Bur-
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
29
rough farm was built long before the Revolution by John Burrough, who died here in 1750. The Furman house, later owned by Jonathan Howard, and standing on the road to Flushing, was erected at an early date. Willem Van Duyn settled in Hempstead Swamp, in this town, in 1719; the homestead on this farm was later known as the Van- derveer farmhouse; Abraham Remsen also settled at Hempstead Swamp; his son Jeromus bought the farm in 1735; the Remsen family burial place is on "Van Duyn Hill. Abraham Brinckerhoff settled on a large farm on Flushing Meadows; the family burial place is on Flushing Bay. The Jackson homestead, on Jackson avenue, was built a century ago. Some months ago an article ap- peared in the papers, stating that the old house was to be taken down and to be re-erected at Sea Bright, N. J. At Corona, the Leverich homestead, facing the meadow, which is situated between Newtown and Flushing, was built by Caleb Leverich, who died here in 1717. It became later known as the Elliott House; its oldest part is said to date back as far as 1664; in the de- velopment of Elliott Manor, one street runs directly through the site of the old house. Here, too, the old stone house on the Old Mill road, built by the Coe family, dates back to the sev- enteenth century; its front, facing the creek, is built of Holland brick.
Gideon Hallett, a descendant of William Hallett of Hellgate, settled at Maspeth; on his farm stood the Quaker Meeting House, surrounded by the burying ground, iit the Newtown Turn- pike and Fresh Pond road. A general meeting of Friends in 1724, held at Newtown, Is recorded. Indian corn grinders, axes and arrowheads were often plowed up at the Maspeth hills. Governor DeWitt Clinton's house is still standing on Flushing and Mas- peth avenues, at Maspeth. It was the
home of Judge Joseph Sackett, who died about 1756; then Walter Franklin, a New York merchant, occupied it un- til his death in 1780. After him his brother-in-law. Colonel Isaac Corsa, re- sided here. DeWitt Clinton's wife was the daughter of Franklin and a niece it Colonel Corsa.
Middle Village was the site of the first Methodist church on Long Island; it was built in 1785. Prime mentions it in 1845 as still standing, though con- verted into a dwelling. The Williams- burgh and Jamaica Turnpike was built about 1813, and a toUgate was erected at what is now East Williamsburg. John Culver lived here in 1790. Francis Titus had a farmhouse before the Revolution, on the site of the later Schumacher's Hotel; the White farm existed as a farm since about 1700; John Cozine was one of the earliest settlers in this neighborhood. The cemeteries of the Evergreens and Cypress Hills are situated upon the elevation known as Green Hills, or Cypress Hills, partly in Kings County and partly in Queens County. The general act referring to cemeteries for- bids these establishments to hold more than 250 acres of land in one county, and hence these two cemeteries vyere laid out in two counties. A special act allows Cypress Hills to hold 100 acres more in Queens County. The town had a population of 2,437 in 1810.
TOWN OF FLUSHING.
The Matinecoc had a village at the place where some Englishmen settled in 1644; these men had formerly re- sided at Vlissingen in the Netherlands, and bestowed upon the new settlement the name of their old home, which name was in later times Anglicized into Flushing. The settlers erected a block house near the pond, at a point
later known as Union street and Broadway; it was a long, low building; in it wei-e kept the town records; also arms and ammunition were there in readiness in case of an attack by In- dians or other enemies. The "guard house" was further used occasionally as a place of public worship by differ- ent denominations; also as jail in later years.
A general town patent was granted to the settlers on October 10, 1645; Flushing is called Newwark in an Eng- lish document of 1663-4. The Garrett- sen house on Main street was erected about 1659; it was used as a hospital for soldiers during the Hessian occu- pancy, while St. George's Church, across the way, served as a stable for the horses of the troops quartered in the vicinity. The Bowne house was built in 1661 and the Friends Meeting- house in 1695. In 17S9 the house of the town clerk, John Vanderbilt, was de- stroyed and with it the town records. In the olden days communication with Manhattan Island was had by a large canoe, which a man, living near the shore, had bovight from the Indians at Bayside. In ISOl a stage commenced to run daily from Flushing through Ja- maica and Bedford to Brooklyn Ferry, a distance of twenty miles; then a bridge was built over Flushing Creek and a road and causeway by way of Yonkers Island over the salt meadows on Flushing Bay; the stages eventually ran to Williamsburgh Ferry, a distance of eight miles.
The Duryea house on Fresh Meadow was built in 1662, a stone building with a low and wide window between the ceiling and the roof. Out of this win- dow, it is said, a cannon pointed, while the house was the headquarters of Hes- sian officers during the time the main army of the British was lying from Whitestone to Jamaica; the house was taken down in 1906. The Mitchell
JACKSON TIDE MILL.
30
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
homestead was erected long bpfore the Revolutionary War; it was the head- quarters of Colonel Hamilton, who was in command of the Hessians encamped in Flushing during the winter of 1779. At a ball given by the commander on Christmas Eve, the house caught fire and burned to the ground: it was re- built in the following year and came in 1S04 in the possession of Henry Mit- chell, whose descendants still own it. Cadwallader Colden, while being Lieutenant Governor, built a mansion upon the Spring Hill farm; here trie statesman died in 1776, and was buried on the farm. His son, David, became an active loyalist and the prop- erty was confiscated and sold; it was purchased by Walter Burling, who kept
/
^■^^n.
DURYEA HOUSE, FLUSHING.
a store on the site of the later Flush- ing Hotel. A century ago the village consisted of 40 or 50 scattered houses; near the Friends Meetingliouse was the village pond. The whipping post stood nearly opposite the Flushing Hotel; it was abolished in ISIO. In 18-13 a little village hall was erected, containing ono room and four cells beneath it. San- ford Hall, on Jamaica avenue, was erected by Chancellor Nathan Sanford in 1S36 at an expense of $130,000; shortly after it was completed the owner died and the house stood vacant until 1S45, when it was purchased by Dr. McDonald and his brother, who re- moved their sanitariimi from Murra, Hill, in New York City, to this place. In the Linnaean gardens eleven skele- tons of Indians were uncovered in 1841; all the skulls were to the east. In ISSO an Indian burying ground was opened on Thomas P. Duryea's farm, a mile from the village; stone relics were found here.
College Point, formerly called Strat- tonport, is the northwestern portion of a tract of land which was known as Lawrence's Neck or Tew's Neck. The neck was named after William Law- rence, who resided thereon. John, Will- iam and Thomas Lawrence, three brothers, were living at Flushing and were among the earliest English settlers on Long- Island. Thomas, the young- est, purchased from the settlers the whole of Hellgate Neck and removed to that place. John, the eldest, took up his residence in New Amsterdam, where he died in 1699, aged more than 80 5'ears. William continued to reside in the town of Flushing; his house stood on Lawrence's Neck; he died in 1680. Eliphalet Stratton purchased in 1790 three hundred and twenty acres of land on the neck for £500. About 1S50 his daughter disposed of one hun- dred and forty acres, the site of the later village, for the sum of $30,000, re- taining the balance of the land in the family. Here was located since 1S35 St. Paul's College, an institution for the education of young men for the ministry in the Episcopal Church un- der the direction of Dr. Muhlenburgh. The college was discontinued, but the name College Point is still in use.
Whitestone was settled nearly as early as Flushing village; it was first named Cookie Hill a.nd later White- stone, for a large white rock that lies at the point, where the tides of the Sound and East River meet; in a docu-
ment of 1654 this rock is called "de witte klip." Here was the house of Francis Lewis, the only signer of the Declaration of Independence who re- sided in Queens County. During the popularity of DeWitt Clinton the place was known as Clintonville. A century ago there were within the circumfer- ence of one mile only twelve houses in the village. About this time a ferry was in existence, running from this point to Throgg's Neck in Westchester County, mostly used for the convey- ance of cattle, a sailboat being em- ployed for the purpose.
Bayside, three miles north of Flush- ing village, on the west side of Little Neck Bay, was settled soon after Flushing. Dr. Rodman settled here; he died in 1731.
The land at Douglass Point was owned by Thomas Hicks long before the Revolution. He had taken the land from the Indians; the latter retired to the south side of the island and lo- cated in the vicinity of Springfield After several changes the property passed into the hands of George Doug- lass. Prior to 1821 the only road be- tween Little Neck and Flu.shing Vil- lage was through what was later known as "the alley," winding its way round about and over hills and increas- ing the distance more than two miles before reaching its terminus at "the lonely barn." In 1824 the road from Little Neck Hotel was donated, a causeway constructed and a bridge bviilt at Wynandt Van Zandt's expense, who owned the land just prior to Doug- lass. In 1834 the road was turnpiked to Roslyn and three years later to Oyster Ray; it was known as Flushing and North Hempstead Turnpike Road and later as Broadway. At the time of the arrival of the first settlers in this sec- tion an Indian trail existed where now the road is; in widening the road to one Inundred feet part of the Indian bury- ing ground at Little Neck will have to be cut off. For two centuries the re- mains of Indians have been resting here in this litt'e burial place. There were many relics and shellbanks about Little Neck. Douglass Point was the most interesting spot among them.
In 1.810 the population of the tcwn was 2,730.
TOWN OF JAMAICA.
The Jamaica band of Indians dwelt upon the shores of Rockaway Inlet; the territory around Jamaica Bay was called Conorasset, i e., the planting land of the bears (or Canarsee tribe). The first purchase of land was made of the Canarsee; part of the town's territory was again purchased from the Rockaway, who laid claim to the eastern portion. Jamaica is the name of the original Indian village, corrupted from Cha-makou, or in the' Delaware dialect, Cha-raeken. In 1656 some Eng- lishmen who had formerly lived in the New England Colonies, and others from Hempstead made a settlement on land "beyond the hills by the Zout Zee" (i. e.. Salt Sea). Stuyvesant, wishing to impress upon these men that their "U'andering ought to cease Jiow, and that this place was to re- main their permanent home, named the village "Rustdorp," i. e., place of rest. Near the village was a large and deep pond, where beavers were plentiful, hence its name "Beaver Pond." In Co- lonial times a race track was laid around its border; in later times the pond was drained. The "beaver-path" led from the Indian village to the pond. Jamaica is called Crafford in an Eng- lish document of 1663-4.
The Presbyterian meeting house, at the head of Meetin.ghouse lane, the later Union Hall street, was built of stone, forty feet square, in the middle
as a prison by the British in August, 1776; in 1813 it was taken down. The first edifice of the Dutch Church was erected in 1715; on its side stood an old-fashioned haj'stack; this building was torn down in 1833.
When Queens County was created, the courts were transferred from Hempstead to Jamaica village and a County Court was erected in 1684 ; when the building became too small for its purposes, and the stone meeting house had been erected, the courts were held for some years in that edifice. In 1709 a new courthouse was built and used until the seat of justice was removed in 1788 to North Hempstead. The first building of Union Hall Academy was erected in 1791. Increase Carpenter's Tavern, in recent vears known as Goetze's Hotel, was used as a tavern since 1710. The inn was the scene of General WoodhuU's capture. The prop- erty purchased by Rufus King, in 1805, consisted of a roomy house and about ninety acres of land, situated a little west of the village, on the main road. The house fronted .south. At that time it stood on a bare field alxiut one hun- dred yards back from the road, along which ran a white-painted picket fence. Rufus King died in New York City in
STONE MEETING HOUSE, JAMAICA.
1827, and he was buried by the side of his wife, who had died eight years prior, in the Jamaica village church- yard within sight of his old home. The house is still standing and is known as King's Manor.
The town has been at several times the seat of Colonial Legislatures. Queens was known until 1857 as Brush- ville. The remains of a mastodon were found in excavating at Baisley's Pond in this town in 185t<; they consisted of six molar teeth and some small frag- ments of bones, blackened, but not mineralized. In 1810 the population of the town was 2,110.
TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD.
(Now Hempstead and North Hemp- stead.) In 1784 the town of Hempstead was divided into North Hempstead and South Hempstead. The latter name was afterward altered into Hempstead. The Rockaway tribe lived about Rock- way and Hempstead, scattered over the plains, and extending northwest through Newtown. Their principal village was Rechouwhacky, at "Near Rockaway," besides which they had another village on Hog's Island in Rockaway Bay. At Hempstead pur- chases of land from the Rockaway tribe were made in 1643 by a company of Englishmen. The name of the town is supposed by some to have been de- rived from Heemstede; i. e., home-
of the main road, in 1699; it was used stead. Broadhead says it is named
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
31
after a village on the Island of Schou- wen in Zeeland.
As early as 1640 there was a farm- house standing on Cow Harbor, and from this fact the bay itself seems to have been named Heemsteed Harbor before the village of Hempstead was established. The name is derived from heem (house), farm and steedc (stead), place, spot, town. The name of the village appears in 1647 as Heemsteede.
In Hempstead village, near the "Burly Pond," the Presbyterian Church edifice was erected in 1648, 20 feet square. Governor NicoUs convened a meeting in this town of delegates from the several towns on the Island and from Staten Island, in 1665. On this occasion the "Duke's Law" was made the law of the colony, and It was in force until the first Colonial Legislature met, in 168.3.
The mansion of George Duncan Lud- low, at Hempstead Plain, later called Hyde Pai'k, was one of the largest and best houses on the Island. It was destroyed by fire in 1773. The loss was estimated at £3,000. With it was con- sumed a library worth £1,200, which must have been a large and valuable collection of books in those days. The house was immediately rebuilt on the old site. Ludlow was one of the judges of the Supreme Court of the colony. His estate was after a wnlle confiscated in consequence of his ad- herence to the cause of the British during the Revolution. The famous English Radical, William Cobbet, re- sided here in 1817, when the house was again destroyed by fire.
South of Hyde Park, upon the open grounds, known as Salisbury Plains. Governor Nicolls established a race course in 1665. It was called the New Market, and continued to be devoted to the sport of the turf for more than a century. Between Hyde Park and Success Pond 618 acres of land were given by the towns of Hempstead and Flushing to Governor Dongan, who had a country residence here. The Dutch Church of the original town of Hemp- stead was erected at Success in the midst of a settlement of Dutch fami- lies in 1732. The place received its name from Success Pond. It was changed in 18.35 to Lakeville, N. H. This edifice never had any heating ap- paratus of any kind within its walls except the foot-stoves which the farm- ers brought along and prepared them at the Cornell house, across the road, before service. In warm weather, be- tween services, they would gather un- der an old white oak tree, to eat their basket dinner. In 1813 the northern part of the congregation withdrew and organized a separate church at Man- hasset, N. H., where an edifice was erected three years later.
Success Pond, N. H., about 500 rods in circumference, and with an average depth of 40 feet, was called by the Indians "Saccut." Warlike imple- ments of the Indians have been found here. The pond was stocked by Dr. Mitchell, in 1700, with yellow perch from Ronkonkoma Pond. The site of an old Indian village and a single grave were discovered in 188.1, at Port Washington, N. H., on Manhasset Neck. The name of the neck was for- merly Cow Neck. Its Indian name was Sint Rink. Manhasset village was formerly called Head of Cow Harbor. At the most northern part of the neck is Sands Point, named after an early owner. The Federal Government erect- ed a lighthouse here in 1809, built of stone, and 80 feet high. It was named Mitchell's Lighthouse, in honor of Dr. S.-unnel I>. Mitchtll. whose country seat. "Plandome." was at Cow Bay. Near the lighthouse was formerly a rock of immense size, called Kidd'a Rock. It was the general belief that
Captain Kidd had hidden under it some of his treasures.
Roslyn, N. H., was formely known as Hempstead Harbor. The old Skill- man house is standing upon a little hill overlooking the crossroads in the vil- lage center. Across the dam is the still older Bogart house. This was the home of Henry Onderdonck in 1769, who established the paper mill here on the second of the three ponds whicli ex- tend back front Hempstead Harbor. Washington visited the mill on his journey over the Island and took ireakfast at the Bogart house on that occasion. He traveled in a quaint barouche, drawn by four white horses. Not many years ago there was still a
group of old houses on the slope oppo- site the Bogart house. The last one to be removed was prominent in the village history as "the inn," and in later times was known as the Miller House. Around the corner, with its back door facing the mill pond, is the old Thompson house. Part of Roslyn was, in 1842, laid out and mapped as Montrose village. In this section was included the William CuUen Bryant property, and other lands on the east- ern shore of the harbor. The Bryant house, known as "Cedarmere," was built by Richard Kirk some twenty-five years before the Revolution, and is situated on the east bank road, near the steamboat landing. It was pur- chased by William Cullen Bryant about the middle of the last century and was partly destroyed by fire about 1901 or 1902. The old Valr-ntine house near the stone bridge, at the depot, was built before the Revolution. The Losee house was erected in 1757. The flour mill was erected about the close of the eighteenth century.
At Westbury, N. H., a Quaker meet- ing house was erected at an early date. Another one was built at Man- hasset in 1720, which was rebuilt in 1810.
The courts of this part of the colony were originally, for the most part, held at Hempstead, where the Governor on several occasions ordered meetings of the different towns. The A.ssemblv of 1683 transferred the courts to the vil- lage of .lamaica. In 17SS a courthouse was built upon the north side of Hemp- stead Plains and the courts were re- moved thereto.
St. George's, the Episcopal Church at Hempstead village, received a royal charter in 1735. Its first building was erected a year prior; the present one in 1822. The rectory was built in 1793 The silver communion service, given to the church by Queen Anne, is still In use. Sammis' Hotel, on Front street, in Hempstead village, H.. is an inter- esting old structure, said to be two centuries old. There is a tradition that Washington slept under its roof one night.
Foster Meadow, H., three or fo\ir miles south of Hempstead village, was settled at an early period. Shortly before the Revolution a Presbyterian church was erected, which was tal<en down bv the British and removed to I
Jamaica for the construction of bar- racks, where it was later destroyed. Clinktown, named after an Indian chief, who resided here a mile or two farther south, on Parsonage Creek, was later called Near Rockaway. In the graveyard of the old Methodist Church are laid at rest the 200 victims of the wrecks of the Bristol and Mexico of 1S36 and 1837. At Far Rockaway the Marine Pavilion was erected in 1834, seventy rods from the ocean. About 1730 Governor Martin of the Province of Antigua removed to New York and built a large mansion on an estate of 600 acres at Rockaway Beach. It is known now as Rock Hall, and came, in 1824, into the possession of the Hewlett family. The Merric tribe had a village on Hicks Neck. Freeport, H.. was formerly known as Raynorstown, named after Edward Raynor, the first settler. New Bridge, H., was formerly called Little Neck. At Meadow Brook, H., the old homestead on the Dan. Smith farm, built in the early part of the nineteenth century, was of the old Dutch type. It was destroyed ,by fire in 1910. Harbor Hill, N. H., the high- est point of the backbone of Long Island, is 405 feet above the level of the tides.
In 1810 the population of Hempstead was 5,804, and of North Hempstead 2,750.
TOWN OF OYSTER BAY.
The town of Oyster Bay was the bone of contention between the Dutch and the English, and although the bound- ary lines were arranged by the treaty of Hartford, the last of Dutch Gover- nors never relinquished his claim of
MONUMENT AT "NEAR ROCKAWAY,"
To the Memory of the Victims of the Wrecks of the Bristol and Mexico, 1836-37.
jurisdiction over the town or any part of it until the colony was taken by the British. The territory of the town was inhabited by the Matinecoc and Massa peaque tribes; the Matinecocs occupied the north shore. Before the arrival of the whites tills tribe had been greatly reduced, probably through wars with the Mohawks, to whom they paid trib-
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Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
ute; in 1650 Secretary Van Tienhoven reported but fifty families left of the once important tribe. The Massa- peaques lived on the south shore, with tneir main village Marossepinck at Fort Neck.
The Dutch claimed that they had begun the settlement of the western end of the island as early as 1632 and that the territory of the town was a part of the western end; the English claimed that the Earl of Sterling was made the proprietor of the island by an order of Charles I, and that he gave power to his agent James Farrett to dispose of lands upon it. Then in 1639 b'arrett granted two necks of land on both sides of Oyster Bay to one Mattiiew Sinderman or Sunderland, a sailor, for the consideration of ten shillings, in lawful money of England, per annum. In the following year Far- rett authorized Daniel How and others to purchase land around Oyster Bay Harbor of the Indians, but the Dutch Governor on being informed of this, sent some soldiers there to break up the settlement. They found six men, a woman and an infant on the ground; one house had been erected and an- other was in course of construction. The settlers were brought to the fort on Manhattan Island, and, after hav- ing signed an agreement to leave the place, they were dismissed. Another attempt, two years later, had a similar fate. The treaty of Hartford made the westernmost part of the harbor the boundary, the line running straight to the ocean, then the West India Com- pany ordered the Dutch Governor to erect a fort or blockhouse on the East bay in order to more effectually resist the encroachment of the English. How- ever, the conquest of the colony by the latter ended the dispute and although the Dutch came once more into pos- session for a short time, Peter Stuy- vesant had retired to his bouwery on Manhattan Island and the fighting spirit had departed with him.
About 1650, when the Hartford treaty had given this section of the town to the Dutch, they started a settlement, m accordance with the order of the West India Company to the Governor, at a place at Shoobrook, above Beaver Swamp, to guard their eastern border. The Indians called the spot "Susco's wigwam," it being the residence of Sachem Susconamon of the Matinecoc; the Dutch named the settlement Wol- ver Hollow, it is now known as Brook- ville. This settlement was claimed by Hempstead as part of that town, it is located four miles southwest of Oyster Bay village.
Early in the eighteenth century, Dutch farmers from Kings and Queens Counties removed to this neighborhood settling at Wolver Hollow, the present Brookville, others at Cedar Swamp, the present GlenheajJ, some at Norwich, the present East Norwich, some at Eastwoods, the present Syosset. In the beginning the settlers attended services at the Dutch Church in Jamaica, six- teen miles distant; in 1732 a church was organized, and in the same year the rrpsent site of the church at Wol- ver Hollow was purchased from Ed- mund Wright for the sum of $30; sub- scriptions were taken up for the build- ing- and when the sum of $800 had been raised, the edifice was started. The present structure was erected in 1832. nnd It was remodeled in 1875: it is a frame building, standing in the valley of Brookville on a small knoU at the jtmction of the crossroads leading to Jericho. In back of the edifice are the sheds for the horses a^^d wagons, some were built in the earliest days, each one being- the nronerty of the family who huilt it. In 1734 the church was associated -with the churches of Ne-w- to-wn, Taniaica and Manhawset. it was tho ntilv Reformed Church in the town until 1871, when the church at L/Ocust
Valley was organized. The church edi- hce, csiimateu lo ue of a value ol ^lo,- OUO, will be sold and a chapel will be erected at Glenhead, this being a more central point just now.
Oester tiaai; i. e.. Oyster Bay was named on account of the fine oysters found in this bay; the town is called Folstone in an English document of 1663-64. There were large shellheaps near the shores of Oyster Bay; Indian cornfields had been abandoned there in 1650. In 1653 the Kev. William Levericn and others, in all ten families, pur- chased about twenty thousand acres of land in the town from the Indians for the consideration of six Indian coats, six kettles, six fathoms of wampum, six hoes, six hatchets, three pair of stock- ings, thirty awl blades or muxes, twenty knives, three shirts and peaque to the value of £4. When the vessel arrived, which brought these settlers from Rhode Island, it sailed into Hempstead Harbor, which was within the Dutch jurisdiction and landed the cattle and goods there, because there was no house erected on Oyster Bay, in which the goods could have been received. At that time war prevailed between the Dutch and the English in Europe and Rhode Island took part with the mother country. One George Baxter, who was cruising against Dutch commerce under a commission from Rhode Island, captured the vessel while within the Dutch limits and the United Colonies had to interfere to procure its restoration.
Glen Cove, known as such since 1834, was originally called Mosquetah, later Musketo Cove, and at one time Pem- broke, but this last name was never formally adopted. In 1661 Thomas Terry and Samuel Dearing asked for permission to settle seven families at Hempstead and ten at Matinecock; when the last named settlement was made, a dispute arose between Hemp- stead and the new settlement. Hemp- stead claimed the territory as far east as "Musceata Coufe," while the line laid down by the Sachem Takapousha was the western shore of Hempstead Harbor. So when .loseph Carpenter asked for, and received a grant for land on both sides of the river at Mus- ceata Coufe to settle there two or three plantations and a saw and full- ing mill, the constable and overseer of Hempstead refused to assist him in laving out his gi'ounds, etc. The Court of Assizes decided: "That the governor has given his grant that Joseph Car- penter shall have leave to sit down nt 'Musketo Coufe' on the east side of Hempstead Harbor, whether belonging to Hempstead or not." In 1668 Carpen- ter and four others purchased the land from Susconamon and Werah. chiefs of the Matinecocs. The sawmill erected by Carpenter was carried away by a freshet in 1699, but his dwelling house was standing until about fifty years ago. The "Five Proprietors" erected their houses on the north side of the creek and called the settlement "The Place" which name has clung to the oldest pajt of the village. At the time of the Revolutionary War there were but twelve houses at Musketo Cove.
Dosoris is situated on the Sound, two miles north of Glen Cove; the original purchase of about one thousand acre.= of land was made by Robert Williams in the same year when Carpe^iter bought his land. Dosoris includes West Island and East Island. Williams sold the property to Lewis Morris, who ogain sold it to Daniel WTiitehead and the latter to his son-in-law. John Tay- lor. Taylor was in possession in 16''3. his daughter married the Rev. Benja- min Woolsey. who named the place Dosoris, i. e., "dos uxoris," the wife's dower. Between Lattingtown and the road leading to the Islands are the two burial places of the Woolsey family. Woolsey used to hold services
in the Episcopal church at Hempstead, riding thither on horseback over Do- soris l>aue. The old Woolsey house is still standing, the right-hand doorway of the wide long hall is the spot, where in the time of the Revolutionary War the whale boatmen made an unsuc- cessful attempt to bang General Na- thaniel Coles, rhese marauders infested the Long Island Sound, making raids on both shores in whaleboats. In 1760 Captain John Butler purchased East Island, he built the first flouring mill of Dosoris on the dam between East Island and the mainland, his son-in- law, Nathaniel Coles, added by pur- chase the remainder of the Woolsey estate and his four sons erected two more mills on the dam between the two islands. The first mill was taken down and the two others were ae- stroyed by fire.
Bayville was formerly called Oak Neck on account of the many large oaks here. At Francis Cove, on the east side of the neck, the Indians had a camping place. At Matinecock land ■ivas granted, in 1663, to Captain Joun Underbill, famous as the Indian killer; John Feexe and William I'rost. Three years later. Underbill, in a letter to Gov- ernor Nicolls, begs to be excused from military duty on account of his ad- vanced age. He says: "Myself and seven other families have farms at Matinecock, and are on good terms with the Indians there." In 1643 he had been the leader of an expedition of three yachts which landed at Oyster Bay harbor, sent out against the In- dians in the later Queens County. One hundred and twenty Indians were killed and three hundred he had destroyed north of the Sound. In 1653 he had at- tacked the Massapeaque at I'ort Neck, and had killed a number of them. Prime says: "The Indians had erected this fort on Fort Neck in 1649; it meas- ured thirty by fifty yards." Under- bill kept possession of the fort to pre- vent a reunion of the Indians. In 1667 the Matinecoc gave Underbill one hun- dred and twenty acres of land, which he named Killingworth; he died in 1672 and was buried on his farm. At Ma- tinecock is an old Friends academy, and directly across the way the meet- ing house had been erected in 1725. Just beyond the present Locust Valley- is Mill Hill, where fortifications were built by the British during the Revo- lution. At Buckram was the old Cocks farm of 250 acres, part of it is the pres- ent Piping Rock farm, comprising 100 acres, with the Cocks homestead upon it.
In Oyster Bay village the Summers House on South street Is one of the oldest houses, built long before the Revolution. The Townsend House on Main street, erected in 1740, was the quarters of the British officers, Col- onel Simcoe and others, during the Revolution. On Fort Hill are the re- mains of the old fort, then occupied by the Hessian soldiers. Part of the Youngs House on the Main road is said to have been built in 1655 by Thomas Youngs. Washington was the guest of the house on his journey over the island. Near by is the family burial place, one of the tombstones bearing date of 1720. The first Baptist church in the village was erected in 1724. about twenty feet square, with a quadrangu- lar pointed roof; it was later con- verted into a stable. In 1801 a new edi- fice was erected near Fort Hill.
Center Island was sometimes called Hog Island, and was in the original deed reserved by the Indians, but it was soon after purchased by the whites and transferred to the town in 1655. East Norwich was formerly kno-^vn a- Norwich, and was settled in 1680 by .Tames and George Thompson. The name was altpre-^ ''t the suggestion of the postal authorities to distinguifih it from another Norwich in this State
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
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At Cold Spring Harbor the Indian name of the land on the west side of the creek was \\ awepex, and Nauha- uuatuck on the east side. The latter name appears in 1666 as a Matinecoc village near the present Cold Spring Harbor. The old settlement, East Woods, became, later, Woodbury and Syosset. Daniel Whitney, who was born at Stamford, Conn., in 1758, came after the Kexoimiunary War to Long Island and settled near Eastwoods; his sou Daniel was burn here in the old homestead in 1781. The house is to be removed from its old site to make it possible to straighten the tracks of the Long Island Railroad. The Indian name of Jericho was Lusam. It was also known at one time as Springfield, and at auutner time as The J? anus. The Friends meeting house was first erected in 1689, at which time several families of Friends took up their residence here and soon after in the neighboring lauds about Westbury, in the town of Hemp- stead, now North Hempstead.
The Bethpage tract was purchased from the Indians Ijy Thomas Powell.i an active Friend from Huntington, in' 1695, and an additional purchase was made by him four years later, A. meet- ing house was built in 1742, and a new one in 1816. Hardscrabble, now Farm- ingdale, was included in this tract. Manetto Hill, north of Bethpage. re- ceived its name, according to Furman, from an Indian tradition concerning a spring of water which, having been found during a severe drought, was considered a "godsend."
Fort Neck was bought from the Mas- .sepeaque in 1693 for £15, by Thomas Town.send. who gave the tract to his son-in-law. Major Thomas .Tones. The Indians had a fort here, a square earthwork, surrounded by a ditch. An- other place of defense consisted of pal- lisadoes .set in the meadow. The tide has worn away the meadow and the pl.Tce is now covered with water. Be-
TOWN OF HUNTINGTON.
(Now Hmitington and Babylon.) The four original Long Island tribes were distributed as follows: The Nesa- quake occupied the northern half of the original town of Huntington and also Smith town; the Setauket the northern
half of Brookhaven; the Secatoag oc- cupied the southern half of Hunting- ton and also Islip, and the Unkechaug the southern half of Brookhaven Some of the tribes were in a weakene'i condition, and this fact explains many of the recorded irregularities.
The Matinecoc removed in 1643 tem- porarily to the territory of their neigh-
tween the beach and the meadow are the Squaw Islands. To these the squaws and children were sent in time" of battle. The Jones homestead on the Massepequa stream, and known as the old brick house, was erected in 1696. It was taken down in 1837. The Fort Neck House was built in 1770. The population of the town of Oyster Bay in 1810 was 4,725.
bors, the Nesaquake, and later they even sold part of that territory to the white settlers. Two years after the Matinecoc had invaded the Nesaquake land the eastern tribes took the four tribes under their protection. In 1659 Wyandance, the Montauk chief, gave part of their territory to Lion Gardiner and the Nesaquake chiefs gave after- ward a release for the land to flar- diner.
If the Matinecoc, Massepeague and Merric would have had any claim to the territory of the town of Hunting- ton, this tract would have been in- cluded in the sale to the Dutch made by Mechowodt, in 1639, yet the Dutch never tried to lay claim to any part of this town.
Babylon was taken in 1872 from the Town of Huntington, and was incor- porated a distinct township. The ter- ritory of the original Town of Himting- ton was claimed by the Matinecoc, Massapeaque and Secatoa.g: The earliest deed for land in this town was issued to Governor Eaton of the Colony of New Haven, in 1646. The actual set- tlement of the town was commenced in 1653, when a purchase of land was made by some men from Massachusetts. The name of the town originated from the fact that in this first purchase a neck of land was reserved by the In- dians for the purpose of hunting. In the following extracts from a court pro- ceeding, the witnesses state that the Indians reserved the neck of land for their hunting. Hence the name Hunt- higton, i c, the l-.unting-town. or the town around the hunting-grounds, was applied to the original town, which comprised six square miles, i, e., the land between Cold Spring and East Cow Harbor, and extended from the Sound to the country road. Of this territory, Caumsett, or Horse Neck, the later Lloyd's Neck, was excluded, and was in 1654 sold by the Indians to three men living in Oyster Bay.
At the General Court of Assizes, held at New York City in September, 1665, Mr. Leveredge, the attorney for the de- fendant in the case, viz.: the Town of Huntington, produced an assignment from the inhabitants of Oyster Bay of all their rights to the land at Hunt- ington, etc., bearing date of April 2, 1653; wherein, he said. Horse Neck is included (though not by name men- tioned), as not being excepted. Daniel Whitehead, one of the first purchasers of land at Oyster Bay and Huntington, declared that Horse Neck did never be- long to either of the towns, it being reserved by the Indians at their first sales "for hunting," and yet Mr. Lever- edge, being told by a chief sachem, he wrote to the said Daniel Whitehead, to buy it, otherwise, he should not come to live at Huntington. Robert Will- iams, also one of the first purchasers, declared that Horse Neck was excepted by the Indians in the first sale, as re- served for their hunting, so Oyster Bay could not resign, what they had not. He said, moreover, that they being sensible of their want of title to the said neck, he struck a bargain with an Indian for it and delivered him a coat in part payment, but the Indian coming no more, he could not get through with his bargain, which after- wards Daniel Whitehead did perform.
Ketanomocke was the name of an Inilian village at or near the site of Huntington Village, derived from Keht anome ohke (principal inside pl;ice: i. ■>.. in b;ick of the bay).
In 1660 the town put herself under the jurisdiction of Connecticut, this connection was dissolved in 1664, on the conquest of New Netherland. A town patent was issued in 1666.
The first church in Huntington Vil- lage was organized in 1658. These earliest churches on Long Island, out- side of the jurisdiction of the Dutch. were variously called Presbyterian. Independent, Congregational, Puritan, etc. The church edifice was erected in 1663, a little west of the present site, and was enlarged in 1685. In 1715 a new building was started, but after a beginning had been made, it was taken down again and removed to the present location, on the corner of Main and Spring streets: it was furnished with a
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Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
bell. In 1777 the British converted the church into a military depot, the bell was taken away, and though it wa.=) afterwards restored, it had been so in- jured as to be useless. In 1782 Count Rumford, who was then in command o£ the troops, had the building torn down and the timber was used to erect bar- racks for the troops in the center of the cemetery; the graves were leveled and the tombstones used for building the fireplaces and ovens for baking pur- poses. The remains of the Britisn fortifications, made then, are still to be seen. Some of the tombstones in the cemetery date back to the seventeenth century. A new church edifice was constructed in 1784; the manse was built nearly a century ago. The first building of St. John's Episcopal Church was erected in 1750, the Silas Wood House is said to be over two centuries old; the Lefferts homestead, too, is a very old structure; the Chichester homestead gave shelter to Nathan Hale. ■■^*
Lloyd's Neck, formerly called Horse Neck, contains 2,849 acres of land, and is situated between Cold Spring and Huntington harbors; wigwams and shellbanks were frequent along the west shore. The neck, called by the Indians "Caumsett," was purchased in 1654 from Eatiocan, the Sagamore of Cow Har- bor; twenty- four years later James Lloyd of Boston became the owner, and from him the neck received its present name. Under the name of "Queens Village," the neck was made an inde- pendent plantation or manor (English fashion) in 1685, but in 1790 a renewal of this privilege of the estate was de-
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. HUNTINGTON.
nied by the Legislature of the newly- established State. The British built Fort Franklin, named in honor of the Tory Governor of New Jersey, during the Revolutionary War here. Lloyd's Point Lighthouse marks the entrance to the harbor. Lloyd's Neck was made part of the Town of Oyster Bay in 17SS, but has in later times been incorporated with Huntington.
Eaton's Neck was known as Eaton's Manor, and as Gardiner's Neck; it was annexed in 17S8, when the town was recognized by the law of the State. Eaton's Neck Lighthouse was erected in 1798; the steamer Lexington was destroyed by fire near the neck in 1840. The Northport region was formerly
Great Cow Harbor, and Centerport wan Cow Harbor; there is an old mill at Northport. The Walt Whitman home- stead is located at West Hills. Mel- ville was formerly Sweet Hollow, its Indian name was Sunsquams. Vernon Valley was formerly known as Red Hook.
Babylon Village, B., was originally known as Sampawam's Village, and existed as a settlement on Sampa- wam's Neck long before the Revolution.
^M;^
LEFFERTS HOMESTEAD. HUNTINGTON.
An Indian deed for the neck was ob- tained in 1689 from several Indians, who called themselves "the chiefheads of the Secatoag." In 1730 a small church edifice was erected, it was taken down by the British and its timber was used for military purposes; in 1784 a new building was erected. The oldest part of the Conklin homestead at West Deer Park, B., is said to have been built in the earliest days of the settle- ment of old Huntington Town. Castle Conklin is situated on Cap Tree Island, B.; Havemeyer's Point Inn is on tlw Great South Bay, B.; Amityville, B., was formerly West Neck; Powell's Creek at this place was called "Nar- rasketuck." In 1810 the population of the Town of Huntington was 4,424, in- cluding 53 slaves; the taxable prop- erty was valued at $736,350.
TOWN OF SMITHTOWN.
Richard Smith, jr., came with his father, Richard Smith, sr., from Glou- cestershire, England, to Boston in 1630, where he married. He settled with his father at Taunton, in 1641; he purchas- ed a large tract on Narragansett Bay and built a trading house at Wickford. At various times up to 1659 he acquired other large parcels of land.
In 1654 the war broke out between Ninigret and the eastern Long Island tribes; in one of his attacks Ninigret captured the daughter of Wyandance of Montauk. Lion Gardiner restored the daughter to the Montauk chief, who then gave him in 1659 the Nesa- quake lands on the north shore of Long Island, for which he received a release from the Nesaquake chief three years later.
In 1663, Gardiner sold the Nesaquake lands to Richard Smith, jr., who hav- ing had differences with his neighbors in Rhode Island removed to here and purchased in 1665 the remaining part of the later town, west of the Nisso- quogue River, from the Indians.
On March 27, 1666, Secretary Matthi- as Nicolls sent a letter to the Con- stable and Overseers of Seatalcott, in which he said: "That upon consider- ation of an agreement heretofore made between the Coramissioners of His Ma- jesty's Colony of Connecticut and Mr. Smith of Nesaquake, Governor Nicolls has been pleased to confirm the same and to grant to Mr. Smith a patent for his lands, with the privilege that it shall be free from all rates and taxes
from the first settlement until a cer- tain term of years shall be expired, as in the patent is expressed. Now his honor's meaning therein is that from the time of Mr. Smith's arrival here, until such a time, the land shall be free, so that if your late seizure of any beasts for a rate or tax be for any such thing, before the time of the Gov- ernor's coming, they are not cleared by this patent; but if it be for any rate since, you are to make return of the beasts, or any other goods you have seized, and also to forbear doing the like in the future."
On April 3, 1666, Matthias Nicolls .sent a letter to Richard Smith, in which he states: That since the letter was sent by him to the constable and over- seers of Seatalcott, the Governor was informed that Mr. Smith had not only been notified of the tax, levied on his property, but that he had also given a bond to the officer of the town for the payment thereof and he has de- creed: "That the time of your lands at Nesaquake being freed from rates, shall begin only from the day of the date of your patent and what you have been assessed at before for those lands, is to be paid to the oflficers, empowered by the law, to receive it; and if you go on with your bargain with Mr. Delavall, about the two horses, you were treating about, and draw a bill upon him for so much as your rate amounts to, he will allow it; and upon the delivery thereof to Mr. Lane, there will be orders taken for the return of your oxen. I am, moreover, to put you in mind of your former engagement before his honor, to contribute to the allowance of the Minister of Seatalcott until you shall otherwise be provided what will be expected from you."
On April 5, 1666, Francis Mancy, constable, and Daniel Lane, one of the overseers of Seatalcott, and Richard Smith, being called before the Gov- ernor, agreed: "That the said Richard Smith, notwithstanding- any clause or circumstance in the patent, lately granted by his honor, unto him or any former agreement with the commis- sioners of His Majesty's colony of Hartford, is and shall be lyable to pay all rates and levyes according to the proportion of his estate at Nesa- quake until the day and date of the said patent, and likewise that he pay towards the maintenance of the minis- ter at Seatalcott during the term in }'e said patent mentioned, or until he shall be otherwise provided, and that nothing in the said patent expressed shall hinder the said Richard Smith from trying his title at Jaw to any land, that now is. or hereafter may be in question between him and the town of Seatalcott or any others."
In the following March an agreement was made between Richard Smith and the town of "Brookhaven," by which he was to convey to the said town all the right, title and interest, which he has or claims in and to a certain parcel of land, lying within the west line of the said town. The town prom- ised to reimburse him for all expenses and all money laid out by him for the town's use. Also for the next year, his land shall not be rated or taxed, nor any levy be made thereupon toward the maintenance of the minister, but he shall be wholly excused for the said year, the town making good the same.
It appears from the foregoing para- graphs that Richard Smith, on the strength of the patent granted to him by the Commissioners of Connecticut, refused to pay part of the rate of the town of Seatalcott. His patent guaran- teed exemption from taxation for a certain number of years, but Seatal- cott apportioned a part of the town
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EARLY DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
35
rate upon a section of his land, which they claimed was within their town limits, and on his refusal to pay the tax, the constable seized some of his oxen.
Probably on the occasion of his meet- ing with the town ofiicers of Seatal- cott, in the presence of the Governor, he coined the word "Bull rider." "Bull" denotes a diploma, a decree, given by some high authority; "rider" Is an ad- ditional clause to a document, in- serted after its completion; it Is de- rived from the Anglo-Saxon "ridan," to oppress, to burden, to lie heavily upon. The patent issued by Governor Nicols stated that the plantation was to be free from taxation for a certain number of years from the date of Mr. Smith's arrival. Afterward the Gov- ernor decreed that the time of freedom from the taxation was to begin with the date of the patent, granted by him. This last clause is what Richard Smith termed the "buUrider," and to this day his descendants are called Bull- Smiths.
The Matinecoc had retired during the war of 1G43 to the territory of the Nesaquake tribe. Here the first set- tlement was made in 1668 at Nisse- quogue on the harbor on the north shore; near the point were shellheaps. The name of the plantation appears m the patent as "Smithfield or Smith- town." Smithtown village was also known as "Head of the Harbor."
Richard Smith was buried at Nisse- quogue, near his residence. The Pres- byterian Church of Smithtown was organized about 1698 and the first edifice was erected at Nissequogue; in 1750 the church was removed of Smithtown Branch and here, about six feet in the rear of the present edifice, the first structure on the new site was erected. It was a mere shell covered with boards, the shingles and rafters were exposed and no plaster was on the walls. In 1827 this build- ing was removed and was for years used as a woolen factory at New Mills; the present building is standing about 100 feet back from the road, the churchvard being in front of the edi- fice; it was dedicated in 1827, the church was regularly organized in 17oj. In 1911 the old building located west of the church and built about the same time, when the first church was erected, was removed to another site on the Hauppauge roafl. Epenetus Smith, who was born in 1724, erected the house and occupied it as a tavern from about 1750 until his death in 1803; it was then used as a dwelling for about sixty years. In the early sixties it was again" opened as a tavern by Israel Whitman, who sub.sequently purchased the building; in the early days the tavern was the stopping place for the second night on the stage trip from New York Citv to Sag Harbor; the fare from New York City to Smithtown was 8 shillings. Special terms of court were held in a large room in the sec- ond story of the tavern. Hauppauge or Hoppogue, formerly called "Wheel- er's," after an early settler, is an old settlement; on the Nissequogue South Farm is an old mill. Indian burial places were discovered near Fort Sa- longa. This fort, also called Fort Slongo, was constructed by the Brit- ish during the Revolutionary War at Tread well's bank; it was captured by a party of Americans in 1781, who de- stroyed the fortifications and two cannon, took twenty-one prisoner?, one brass piece, the British colors and a quantity of small arras; also ammuni- tion, returning without the loss of a man.
In 1810 the population of the town was 1592. including seventy-four slaves; the taxable valuation amounted to $374,209.
TOWN OF ISLIP
On September 29, 1650, Nasseconsack, "Sachem of Long Island" sold to Ed- mond Wood, Jonas Wood, Jeremy Wood, Timothy Wood, Daniel White- head and Stephen Hudson a tract of land, from the Nesaquake River east- ward to a river called Memanusack, lying on the north side of Long Island; and on the south from Connecticut four necks westward.
Jonas Wood, Jeremy Wood and Daniel Whitehead went to view the four necks of meadow, lying westward from Conecticutt River, and there lived and old Homes (homos=Narrag.ansett,
PAPER MILL ON ORIWIE UKE, ISLIP, ERECTED 1820.
an old man) and his son, whose name was Wanequaheag, who owned these necks, and the purchasers of the land told them that Nasseconseke had un- dertaken to sell to them these four necks and "they seemed very willing."
The deed covers the land on the north side from the east side of Nesaquake River to Stony Brook and extending across the island, embraced the four necks west of Connetquot or NieoUs River. Thus a great part of the later towns of Smithtown and Islip were sold in 1650 to these men, whose names ap- pear among the purchasers of Indian lands in various towns of Long Island, but it seems that they never applied for a patent for this tract.
Nasseconsack was, no doubt, a Nesa- quake chief and Wanequaheag a .■^ecatoag chief. In 1683 Winnequaneag, Indian Sachem of Connetquot (Wane- quaheag mentioned in 1650) sold to Wil-
line. In 1701 he established his perma- nent residence at Great Neck. He was twice married; in 1693 he married Anna Van Rensellaer, daughter of Jeremiah Van Rensellaer, and widow of Killian Van Rensellaer, one of the heirs of the original proprietor of the Manor of Rensellaerwyck. In 1704 William Nicolls became the proprietor of a tract of land on Shelter Island, embracing a great part of that island, by the will of Giles Sylvester.
The name Islip was, no doubt, origin- ally applied to the Nicolls estate ex- clusively, but in course of time to the entire town. In a manner similar to the one of the Van Rensellaer family, the Islip estate was always devised to the eldest son, and the Shelter Island property to a younger son; and the Islip estate remained undivided for more than a century.
William Nicolls died in 1723, his wife having died eight years prior. The town began to be settled In 16GG, and was organized in 1710.
The Patchoag tribe occupied the land east of the Connetquot Brook or Nic- olls River, the Secatoag, nearly ex- tinct, when the island was first settled by the whites, were on the west side of the waterway, extending along the south coast as far west as Oyster Bay Town; their principal village was about a mile southwest of the present Islip Village, near Olympic. From this point are shell heaps westward to the county line.
The neck of land adjoining Skook- wams Neck on the east, then known as George's Neck, with Port Neck, called by the Indians Sequatogue Neck, and Oak Neck, alias Oquenock, were purchased from the aborigines by Thomas and Richard Willett in 1692. East of these necks, Sagthekoos, or Appletree Neck, was patented to Stephen Van Cortlandt, in 1697; east of this neck was the land granted to John Mowbray, in 1708, extending to the Oriwie Creek. Mowbray acquired this tract of land from the Van Cort- landt brothers, who had bought it from the Secatoag five years prior, viz, in 1703. The land farther east extending to Winganhauppauge Creek, or Cham- plain's Creek, was granted to Andrew Gibb; the tract extending east from this point as far as Blue Point, was granted to William Nicolls in parts, viz., in 1684, 1686 and 1697, also the Seal Islands, or Fire Islands, in 1688.
In 1769 a small church edifice was erected by a descendant of Nicolls near
FIRE ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE.
liam Nicolls the neck of land between the Connetquot and Cantasquntha Rivers.
William Nicolls was the son of Matthias Nieolls, who was descended from an old family at Islip, Northamp- tonshire, England, and he probably ap- plied the name of the family's old home to his estate here. William Nicolls received a patent from Gov- ernor Fletcher in 1697, by which his several purchases of land in this town were confirmed to him, extending from Champlain's Creek to the eastern town
the middle of the town, the later
St. John's; it was occasionally used by the Episcopal Church, though it re- mained unblessed by the bishop until 1843. The paper mill on Oriwie Lake was built in 1820; the Fire Island Light- house, situated on Fire Island Beach, was built in 1858.
Lake Ronkonkoma is located In the northeastern corner of Islip, portions of it are within the limits of Brook- haven and Smithtown. The lake is in the midst of an extensive forest, pear-shaped, three miles In clrcumfer-
36
Eagle Library— LONG ISLAND; ITS EAE^Y DAYS AND DEVELOPMENT.
ence, and covers a surface of 460 acres. Its greatest depth Is 63 feet; great quantities of white quartz arrowheads have been found on the east side of the lalie, they are common eastward.
In 1810 the population of the town of Islip was 885, including 13 slaves, the taxable property was valued at $211,200.
TOWN OF BROOKHAVEN.
The territory of this town on the south side was purchased from the Patchoag and that on the north side from the .Setauket tribe. The last named tribe, which occupied the north shore from Stony Brook to Wading River, sold their last remaming lands in 1675. The first settlement in this town was made by men from Boston in 1655, at a point where the Setau- ket had their principal village and it was named for that reason Setauket. The town was known at first as Setau- ket and was organized in 1658. In the list of delegates of the several towns to the meeting at Hempstead in 1665, this town is called Seatalcott, in a docu- ment of 1668, Seatalcott alias Brook- haven, in another of 1672, Seatalcott alias Brook Haven, in 1680 we find a record of Seatalcutt South.
In 1631, the Earl of Warwick, Presi- dent of the Council of New England, had granted to Lord Say and Seal and Lord Brook and several others land on the main, extending from Narragansett River westward 120 miles along the Sound. In 1635 the younger John Winthrop brought a number of men to Kievifs Hoeck at the mouth of Connecti- cut River, and changed the nam« of the place to Point Say-Brook in honor of the patentees. The settlers tore down the Dutch arms, which were found fast- ened to a tree. Lion Gardiner, ,vho was with them, erected a fort at Say Brook and acted as its commander until he purchased, in 1639, Manchonock, or the Isle of Wight, i. e., Gardiner'."? Island, and removed to it.
On the same patent was another set- tlement made in 1638 by men from Boston under the leadership of Eaton and Davenport. The place, called by the Indians Quinnipiack, and by Adri- an Block Rodenbergh, i. e.. Red Moun- tain, was named New Haven.
In 1643, the New England Colonies formed a confederacy and John Win- throp became the presiding commis- sioner. The right of Connecticut to set- tle colonies on Long Island, which was denied by the Dutch, was recognized. Say- Brook became a part of Connecti- cut in 1644 and in the same year the independent plantation of Southamp- ton or Southton, on Long Island, was taken into the jurisdiction of Connec- ticut. Seatalcott, or Setauket, placed itself under the protection of Connec- ticut in 1659, and became a part of that colony in 1662.
On March 12, 1664, Charles II., by let- ters patent, granted the land occupied by the Dutch, together with Long Is- land, to his brother James, the Duke of York. Governor Winthrop, on seeing the letters patent, informed the Eng- lish on Long Island that Connecticut had no longer any claim on the island. Silas Wood says: "It seems, however, that the colony of Connecticut was still desirous of retaining Long Is- land under her jurisdiction and the several towns on the island, which had been connected with that colony, were as anxious that this connection .should be continued."
In 1666, John Winthrop purchased a tract of land on the south side ex- tending from the western limit of the town to Carman's River. On occasion of a hearing on Indian affairs on No- vember 5, 1677, a Patchoag Indian ap- peared before Governor Andros and
said that "Governor Winthrop came over upon the island and the speaker's people gave him a piece of meadow, he being a very good man, but he is now dead, and did not buy any upland, and the meadow was given to him; and yet one Dayton and those of Sea- talcott claim both upland and meadow and Dayton has built a house upon the upland. There is no record that Governor Winthrop had ever improved the land, still it may be assumed that he acquired the land on the south side of Long Island for a definite purpose.
It will be remembered that Winthrop had founded Saybrook on the mouth of the Connecticut River, in 1635. The Narragan.sett River being the eastern line of the tract patented to Lord Say and Seal and Lord Brook et al. The nearest river on the east, outside of this tract, was the Mystic River.
It would seem that Governor Win- throp purchased the tract from the Patchoag Indians in 1666 for the pur- pose of duplicating his enterprise of 1635, by starting a colony on the south side of Long Island, in a neighborhood which resembled the site of his New England -settlement. To make the re- semblance still more real he called the waterway Connecticut or Connttquot, and the settlement itself Brook Haven. The tract of land he named Sayfield on the west and Brookfleld on the east. The sandbar across the Great South Bay "Seal Island," and the creek on the east, outside of his tract he called Mystic River.
Brook Haven and Brookfleld remind of Lord Brook. Sayfield and Seal Island of Lord Say and Seal. The latter had in 1660 become a leading member of the Committee on Colonies, which was cre- ated for the purpose of receiving, hear- ing, examining and deliberating upon any petition, memorial or other papers presented by any persons, respecting the plantations in America, and to re- port these proceedings to the council from time to time.
There is a village of the name of Sayville, just outside the western town limit, now within the town of Islip. We are told that the village was named after Sevilla, a city in .Spain, and that the name Sayville came into use through an error of the secretary of the meeting, at which the name was adopted. There is a probability, how- ever, that Sayville is the modern form of Sayfield, now applied to a distinct settlement. Seal Island, we are told, was the name given by the Indians to Fire Island Beach on account of seals having selected the spot for their fa- vorite place. The Mystic River we know as Mastic or Forge River, in course of time the name altered into Mastic, may have been applied to the neck on which the L^nkechaug had a village. The Brook Haven settlement was near the mouth of the Connecticut River, about the present South Haven. The house erected by Davton stood on Dayton's Neck, about present Brook- haven village and was occupied by men engaged in the making of tar.
Setauket Village, the Sichteyhackv Indian village of the Dutch records, is situated on both sides of the harbor, on the cliffs, overlooking Port Jef- ferson, in the hollow. The old ceme- tery divides it into East and West Se- tauket. In the early days a