USA > New York > Suffolk County > Southampton > Records of the town of Southhampton, with other ancient documents of historic value, Vol. I > Part 1
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15
F 129 .67565
LIBRAR
AR IBR
CONGRESS LIBRAR
THE 1 H
1
H1
ARY
Fø
R
YC R
1 1
THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 1 R 1 8 R
THE LIBRAR
AR
DRA
THE
CONGRESS H
LIBRAK
OF OF
1
R
LIBRAR
R
THE
AR CONGRESS THE LIBRAR
OF R
8 1
RF LIBRAR
AR
THE
.1111 1
THE
CONGRESS LIBRAK
OF BR
GR
LIBRARY
OF OF CONGRESS
CONGRESS
THE
B 1 1
URE
CONGRESS THE LIBRARY
I H ! CONGRESS THE LIBRAR R A
8
1
RF
THE
BK
1
CONGRESS
HO
H
OF OF
P LIBRARY OF CONGRE
OF CONGRESS THE
R CONGRESS LIBRARY
THE / 11 RY
LIBRARY RF
OF OF CONGRESS
/ 11 1
R
THE
1 RI
/ H 1 R
CONGRESS ARY R
oFac
HI
1
×
7
1
R 11. CONGRESS THE LIBRARY 2OFA( R B
THE 0 1 LIBRARY
1 RI
CONGRESS
OF OF
R { CONGRESS
17 q THE LIBRARY CONGRESS
THE R
. RF
CONGRESS
1 11 RF LIBRARY
7
1
THE
R
8
1
R
THE
B 1
THE
CONGRESS
LIBRARY
OF OF
R
...
H
R
LIBRAR
R
R
THE THE
CONGRESS
LIBRAN
OF OF
LE LIBRARY
ARY
A
LIBRARY
R }
1 M
R
THE THE
OF CONGRESS K CONGRESS LIBRARY
R
10
THE LIBRARY
R 1
K
THE
R
A
OF CONGRESS
R A CONGRESS LIBRARY R
OF OF
- K OF CONGRESS 1 THE LIBRARY CONGRESS R
LIBRARY
OF OF CONGRESS
THE R
.1111
0 N
OF OF
11,11
THE
CONGRESS LIBRARY
R F OF LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
0 ARY LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Rf
OF Is R CONGRESS THE LIBRARY ARY Z A P. R
0 R THE LIBRARY CONGRESS
OF CONGRESS
RF
THE
-
1
. R /
CONGRESS THE LIBRARY F
70
OF
1
IF LIBRARY
CONGRE
THE
U
THE
CONGRESS
OF CONGRESS
R
D
OF
R LIBRARY CONGRESS % 1
THE LIBRARY ARY . R
0 11 1 OF LIBRARY CONGRESS
AR CONGRESS THE LIBRARY ARYÉ k 8
RF
1
LIBRAR
IBRAR
THE
1
1>
R
OF
RF
RY
THE LIBRARY
2 0 AR CONGRESS THE LIBRARY
IE. LIBRAR KAR
R
OF CONGRESS THE
LIBRARY
0
7
THE LIBRARY
THE 1
CONGRESS
RY
OF OF
THE LIBRARY CONGRESS R
R I
1
OF OF
RF,
OF CONGRESS
OF LIBRARY CONGRESS R }
K
LIBRARY
OF CONGRESS
R
RF
GR
THE LIBRARY
K
V
k
THE
in
1
OF
OF CONGRESS
LIBRARY
RF
CONGRE
CONGRER
LIBRARY.
1GRESS
THE LIBRAR
CONGRESS 5 RF LIBRAR 7 A Y
OF
RF
LIBRARI
1 5
1
RF
LIBRARY
OF
M
B
OF
RY
A
R
CONGRESS
B (, RE
LIBRARY
OF
ARY
R
R
R
CONGRESS
1
0
1
AR >
H
B
OF
R
R
LIBRARY
OF
H THE !'RESS OF R ARY B R P
CONGRESS 4 7 LIBRARY R R
OF
1
1
OF
R
R
J
RF
OF
1
..
RY
1 11
R
U
R
1
0)
RY
1
H
R
OF
1
OF H
7
R
R
H
1
R
CONGRESS
ARY
OR
RF
OF
OF
R
B
1
R
OF
1 0
0
1
7
THE
ARY
F
OF
C
F OF 1 R /H1 B B
LIBRARY
R
0 F
1 11
R
B
R
ARTROFA( NORE
CONGRESS
THE
ARY
1 11 1
H RF
LIBRARY
OF
1 ARY BR THE CONGRESS RF 0 F THE OF OF ARY C LIBRARY
THE LIBRARY
C
1
& R
H
F
RF
CONGRESS
AR)
1
OF
R
OF
1
Cr
70
( R )
OF
Co
0)
1 H GRE
J
CONGRESS
THE
-
THE
AR )
R
GRI
CONGRESS
THE
1
OF
R
B
LIBRARY
1
1 21
1 11
OF
THE
CONGRESS
THE LIBRARY
OF CONGRESS
LIBRARY
OF
0
CONGRESS
LIAN
R
B
10
THE
1
CONGRESS
THE
CON
OF
×
LIBRARY
RESS
THE LIBRARY
OF CONGRESS
THE LIBRARY
CONGRESS
THE LIBRARY
CONGRESS
7
AKI
R
LUJAN
GRESS
OF
4
8
RF
CONGRESS
THE
1
1
or
ARY
OF
1
0)
LIBRARY
CONGRESS
HONGRE
THE
R
OF
1
RESS
THE
THE
ARY
LIBRARY
OF CONGRESS
1
OF
R
LIBRARY
11
NGRE
OF
R
OF
LIBRARY
CONGRESS
THE
0
AR)
R
OF
A
CONGRE
HE
A
F
OF CONGRE
E LIBRARY
CONGRE
1
IF. LIBRARY
R )
THE LIBRARY
OF
¥ 0
RF
OF
CONGRESS
THE
RESS
THE LIBRARY
LIBRARY
RF CONGRESS THE LIBRARY A ARY 7
-
ARI
R
CONGRESS
LIBRARY
CONGRESS
THE LIBRARY
CONGRESS
"RESS
THE LIBRARY
THE LIBRARY
F
R
CONGRESS
1 11 1
HE LIBRARY
LIBRARY
THE LIBRARY
AR
KA
RF
AR)
1
GRESS
THE
1
THE
CONGRESS
LIBRARY
0 ₦
OF
ARY
LIBRARY
YCRESS
GRESS THE LIBRARY
CONGRESS THE LIBRARY RI 0 R 11
OF
N
F
H
THE LIBRARY
GRESS
THE LIBRARY
CONGRESS
THE LIBRARY
CONGRESS
THE
B
ARYS is
RESS
1 11 1
OF
P
u
CONGRESS THE LIBRARY 1 11 1 R
THE LIBRARY
C
THE LIBRARY
1
THE LIBRARY OF
LIBRARY
OF
AR
CONGRESS
OF
THE LIBRARY
THE LIBRARY
OF
1
CONGRESS
1
- RES
R
CONGRESS
THE
THE LIBRARY
THE
R
7 CONGRESS THE LIBRARY
ARY
LIBRARY
THE FIRST
Bạnk
OF THE
Town of Southampton
WITH OTHER
ANCIENT DOCUMENTS
CF HISTORIC VALUE - - .
Including all the writings in the Town Clerk's office from 1639 to 1660; transcribed with Notes and an Introduction by Wm. S Pelletreau, and compiled by the under- signed Committee, chosen at Town Meeting, April Ist, 1873, and published at the expense of the Town, by its authority.
HENRY P. HEDGES, WM. S. PELLETREAU, EDWARD H. FOSTER.
JOHN H. HUNT, Book and Job Printer, Sag-Harbor, N. Y.
1874
F129 .57565
4 2-
941
33
INDEX.
-()-
Arms selling to Indians,
Arms to meeting, 27, 34, 38, 46, 60
Agreement in town, 45
Absentees, 57
Administrators,
65
Agreement of first settlers, 2
Breade, Allen
2, 5,23
Bowyer, Stephen
15
Bostock, Arthur
17, 29,39
Barns, Indian
22
Barret, Richard
145, 84, 27.
65, 39, 153
Bond, Robert 29,30
Burnet, Thomas
30, 65, 84
Barnes, William 32, 130
Budd, Jobn
80, 33, 35, 6S
Bishop, Joseph 86
Bancroft, Widow 34
Barnes, Joshua 40, 63, 82, 86
Brown, William 47, 48, 64, 67,68
Burying Ground 59, 153
Baker, Thomas 122, 148
Bridge,
123
Bower, Jonas (et passım) 123
Briggs, Elizabeth, Clem, 83
148
Beswick, John 151
Courts, general voting at 30, 107, 37, 49
Courts, non appearance fined 23, 88
Clerk fees 26
Courts, appointed
Courts, power of
22 | Courts, contempt of, fined 101, 123
Clerk of Band 66
Court, purchased
112, 82
Code of Laws
18
Cob's Pond
86
Cooper, John Jr 81, 112
Canoe Place 94
Clark, Samuel
117, 106, 115
Cooke, Ellis
54, 105, 89
Crese, Arthur
155
Corwithy, Caleb
148
Cooper, John Sen. (autograph) 102
Cooper, John 60, 34, 127
Captain's Neck
131, 133
Cooper's Neck 156
Connecticut, union with 31,
136
Cooper, Thomas 48, 143
Court Book
107
Contempt of Magistrates 113
Cattle at large 115, 108, 118, 59, 46, 30
Colts mark 118
Cow keeper 28
Cory, Johu 33
Cole, Mr.
33
Dayton, Samuel 93, 50, 64, 61, 122
Davis, John Samuel 155
Davis, John 149
Davis, Benjamin 155
Dominy, Nathaniel 155
24 Drum 153, 155
25 Dayton, Robert 122
II
INDEX.
Dayton, Ralph 123, 141 | Griffin, 108
Diament, Thomas 123, 124, Goats,
46
125
Drunkenness, 112, 96, 97, 125
Dickerson, Phileman.
115
Division of land
57
Hand, John 14S
Highways,
31, 103
Hopkins & Haynes,
45
Halsey's Neck, 61, 134, 135
Hedges, Tristan 60, 134, 135 How, John 53
Howell, Joseph
118
Howell, Edward (et passim,) 1, 41, 47
Howell, Ellinor
108, 109
How, Joseph
14
Houldsworth, Jonas 115, 148
Haines, Benjamin 155
Herrick, James, 153, 151, 92, 149
Foster, Christopher 145, 10S, 72, 80, 81
Hand, Stephen 129
Foster, Nathaniel 159
Howell, Richard
118, 119
Franklin, Joseph 153
Harcre's lot 135
Foreigners excluded, 113
Hampton, James 130, 92, 112
Fordham, Robert 83,106
Home lots,
71, 73, 150
Field, Alex
SS, 92, 93
Howell, John 72, 43
Farrington's neck, 97, 99, 134
Howell, Edward Jr. 73
Farrington, Edmond 1
Hubbard, Joseph SO
Farret, James, patent 9
Herd keeper, 78, S4
Gates, leaving open
2S
Hogs trespassing 77, 90, 145
Griffiths, Joshua 14
Halsey, Thomas Jr. 95
Guard, sleeping on 27
Hartford court,
105, 85
Gunpowder, 94
Hubby, John
S4
Gosier, John 30, 94, 153 136
Hog Neck, 26
Goldsmith, John 95
Halsey, Isaac
150
1
Ginfence, 9S
Indians, 28, 57, 153, 113, 26,
Garlick, Joseph 104
77, 91, 118, 103, 97, $9, 90
Griffin, Hugh 83
Indian Deed,
12, 14, 15
Gosmer, Richard 65
Georgica, 114
Hildreth, Tho's 30, 128, 83, 106 Halsey, Thomas, 39, 43, 44, 153, 27, 2
Doxy, Thomas
70
Drumming paid 75,52
Disposal of vessel 1
Declaration of Company, 6
Davis, ffulk
27, 148
Davis Neck,
98
Eason, Henry
36,103
East-Hampton,
11S, 115
East-Hampton deed,
51
Farrington, John
28, 5
Fencing, 29, 36, SS, 42, 117,
128, 129, 73, 26, 90, 78, 101
Freemen,
49, 55, 66, 18
Goldsmith, Thomas, loss by fire, 82, 87, 90, 95
How, Daniel
Harker, William 1
Jones, Edward 44, 53, 44,
113, 35
III
INDEX
Jagger, John 120, S1 | Miller, toll, 59
Jessup, John 93, 92, 95, 108 Mulford, John 55, 33, 29
Jury, Grand 25
Miller, John 107
Jury trials,
60
North Sea,
48, 118, 118, 93
Kelly, John
79, 138, 61, 47
Kellum, Robert 155
Kirtland, Nathaniel 1, 5, 25, 146
Ludlam, Anthony 15!
Lots, home 50, 51, 31
Ludlam, William 101, 133,
129, 95
Long Tongue 131
Lots, 10 acre 132
Leaming, Christopher 155
Loughton, Joseph 155, 150
Loome, John
80, 81, 74
Lupton, Christopher 106
Lying punished, 96,71
Lamson, Richard 65
Magistrates, 25, SS, 93, 105, 108, 81, 75
Marshal, 23, 24, 29, 39
Moore, John 17, 23, 27
Mills, Richard 16, 66, 70, 75, 64, 75, 73
Marshal, Benjamin 15
Meacox, 82,38
Mill, 86, 97, 102, 71, 77, 40, 94, 53, 133
Meeting House, 90, 72, 37, 74
Mason, Capt. 87,119
Milner, George 97
Mulford, Joseph 148
Mechem, Jer. 148
Raynor, Joseph 112
Rose, Robert 53
Russell, William 154
Rogers, William 36, 89
Rainer, Joseph 95
Sticklin, Mr. 47
Meggs, Avis 145 Sayre, Thomas (et passim) 48 1
Mill, Wind 32 Sa chem's house, 48
Odell, Richard 79, 63, 52, 37, 15
Osburne, Thomas 63
Officers chosen,
61
Old town,
97
Plot, town
50
Post, Richard .53, 29, 41, 93
Plain, little 28, 22, 34, 72, 73, 90, 141, 135
Pierson, Henry 38, 39, 42, 30, 35, 145, 108, 132, 105
Prison built,
37
Plain, great 35, 36, 43, 147, 139
Phillips, Zerubbabel
149
Pope, Thomas 80, 72, 85, 82 Payne, William 95
Pierson, Abraham 14, 23, 45
Quaganantuck,
79, 151, 85
Quarter Court,
40
Mill Stone Brook, 151
Marvine, Robert 129, 50
Montauk, 144
Meggs, Mark 120, 52, 108
Meggs, Vincent 115
Northampton,
115, 82, 71
Negro, John 155
Newell, Thomas
5
Needham, Edwin 15
Ogden, John
82, 48
Ordinary, 90, 96, 128, 129, 120
Ox pasture, 95, 98, 143, 140
Oldfield, John
81, 132
IV
INDEX.
Swinfield, Raphiell
53 | Town meeting,
81
Symonds, Mr. 53| Train band, 24, 67, 47, 58
Stanton, Thomas
5S
Talmage, Thomas
26, 34
Stocks,
53, 96
Topping, Thomas 47, 48, 137
Thompson, Thomas 27
Topping, John 121
Stratton, John
34
Townesmen, S6
Smyth, Mr. 30
Tority, Arthur
15
Salier, Wm. 155
Toylsome,
157
Strong, Christopher
155
Taylor, Thomas 155
Stephens, Thomas
15
Vale, Thomas 67,108
Vonch, C.
155
Sayre, Francis
112
Scott, John
147, 118, 117
Smith, Bartho.
119
Shinecock,
114, 22
White, John 92, 35, 94
Whaling squadron, 92
Watch, 89, 154
Shaw, Edmund 112, 123, 101
Wheeler, Joseph 149, 155, 15
Scolding punished, 80
Whales,
91, 71, 126
Searing, Simon 81
Wells, William 53, 27
Symonds, Mr. 53
Wood, George 32, 35, 17
Seaponack, 86, 91, 93, 101
Wheat, price of 31
Shinecock Bay,
87, SS
Winthrop, Mr. 33
Scott, Robert SS
Wells & Gibbins, (order) 42 44
Sachem, 90
98
Wainscott, 114
Soldiers' order,
103
Woodruff, John 123
Wendall, John 123
Stephenson, Edward
14
Walton, Henry
1
Sepoose, west,
132
Winthrop, Jo.
12
Sayre, Daniel 63, 131
Whitehone, Thomas 14
Street to be cleared,
24
Wooley, Joseph 121
Symonds, Henry
23
Wood, Elisebeth 89
Smith, Bartholomew
79, 81
Stealing fruit,
74
Till, James
93
Welbe, George 1, 5, 13
Taxes,
34, 39, 44
Weequapaug, 149, 151
Terry, Thomas
5
Wolves, 31, 85, 81, 165
Terry, Robert,
14, 53
Weeks, Thomas 106
Wood, Jonas 47, 105, 75, 71, 114
Smith, Richard (banished) 95, 112, 92, 147
Sylvester, Capt. 109
Woolley, Robert 150
Sagaponack, 82,91
Willman, Isaac 54, 36
Saggaponach division,
Sayre, Job
1
Wood, Jonas (Oram) 112, 98, 88
Stanborough, Josiah 39, 115,1 Sepoose, 38, 94, 68
Stanborough, Peregrine
159
THIE OLD SAYRE HOUSE.
INTRODUCTION.
The period at which this town was settled is famous in the History of England. The Revolution had already begun that was destined to shake the throne of a thousand years, and by overthrowing the superstitious veneratior. that ascribed to roy- alty a divine right to rule, prepared the way for a higher de- grec of constitutional liberty ; the storm was gathering that was soon to burst upon the head of the monarch who had labored to destroy the rights of his people, and although his execution was a shock to the prejudices of the age and in the end proved a blow to the cause of freedom, yet from that day to the present the liberties of England have been based upon surer guarantees and supported by firmer pledges, than her rulers ever gave when their power was weak and broke when their hands were strong.
Yet it is admitted that the Revolution of 1640 was not caused by any physical sufferings endured by the people ; the general condition of the laboring classes in England at that time was far superior to that of the same class in other lands ; the question of right for which Hampden fought and fell was one that affected only the moral sense of the nation, and was so little connected with physical evils that one of the greatest of English statesmen has not hesitated to declare that the whole cause of the war was that the " imagination of the natiou rose against the government." Philosophers of this class will see little excuse for the heroic struggles of Puritan and Huguenot ; a little sacrifice of conscience, a little yielding to the powers that be, would have enabled them to live a quiet life and die a peaceful death; but he has studied the
II
INTRODUCTION.
records of the past to little purpose, who has not seen that the noblest pages of human history tell the story of men who died when they might have lived, and suffered when they might have rejoiced.
The troubled condition of the old country was the principal cause of the settlement of the new world. Safe in their home in the wilderness, the war that swept the length and breadth of their native land, was known to the self-exiled band only by rumors that were few and far between; it was to them what the roar of the wintry wind is to one seated by a happy fireside, and the overthrow of one government and the setting up of another no more disturbed their quiet repose, than the storm that rages on the ocean without can destroy the tran- quility of the sheltered harbor.
We will not attempt to recount the story of the founding of our native town ; the work has been done by abler hands than ours ; but it is our task in transcribing these records of the past, to rescue from destruction the little that remains of what is fast becoming an age of fable. That nations whose begin- ing is lost in the mist of ages should ascribe to their founders a supernatural origin and superhnman powers, cannot excite our surprise, when we find the descendants of our first settlers firm in the belief that their ancestors were endued with great -. er powers of body, a higher degree of health, and longer lives, than are granted to men of the present day. A careful perusal of these records will expose the fallacy of that blind worship of the past, so ably rebuked in Sacred Writ by the wisest of men, and show clearly that many an admirer of the good old times, if they should return, would find himself much the worse off for their coming.
When the first settlers arrived they found the island inhab- ited by a race whose origin is wrapped in utter obscurity. From the little that is found in these records concerning them, it appears that the whole extent of what is now the town of Southampton was owned by the Shinnecock tribe of Indians, who were divided into many small bands, and were living in
III
INTRODUCTION.
villages that were without exception situated near the different creeks or branches of the bays, forming so important a part of the geography of the town. Their nature and habits render- ed it impossible for them to live in large communities, and al- though their traditions speak of their once being as numerous as the leaves of the forest, yet it is exceedingly doubtful if the tribe in its best days ever numbered two hundred fighting men. Their hardihood, bravery, and powers of endurance, in short, all the good qualities that they possessed, have been magnified to the utmost extent by the writers of romance, and it is a popular belief that they were free from most of the physical ills that shorten the life and embitter the existence of civilized men. Yet a little thought will at once dispel this illusion. Utter ignorance of medical knowledge, homes that at the best were but a poor protection from the elements, food of an inferior quality, badly cooked, often in insufficient quan- tities, and too frequently a total deprivation of it, these must have had the same effect then that they would have now. That they were hardy none can deny, for none but robust constitu- tions could endure their manner of life, but that they possessed any natural superiority of mind or body, or enjoyed any im- munity from disease, may be believed by the novelist, but is not to be credited by the philosopher or historian.
Although the land was honorably purchased of its aborigi- nal owners, yet the settlers never saw a moment's rest for fear of their dreaded neighbors. In the field a guard was kept; at night none knew at what hour the alarm would sound; to meeting on the Lord's day they went as men prepared for instant war; every male from sixteen years of age to sixty was a soldier enrolled in the ranks; and in proportion to its population the town could boast of a larger standing army, armed and equipped, than any nation on the surface of the globe.
Those who believe that the settlement was formed entirely of God fearing and virtuous men, will find in these pages much that will fail to support their views. When we see
·
IV
INTRODUCTION.
that it was found necessary to build a prison at a very early date; when the stocks and whipping post occupied a promi- nent position in our village, and, to judge from the records, neither suffered from want of use ; when petty law suits were far more frequent than at present; when we find stringent laws passed against lying, drunkeness and kindred crimes, the question naturally arises: when was this age of purity that people boast of? The truth is that while there was here one class that may have been sufferers for conscience sake, and men of whom the world was not worthy, there were also among them those who came to this country simply to better their condition, and others still who evidently belonged to those who "leave their country for their country's good." But we think no unprejudiced mind can read these records without being convinced that the bone and sinew of the new settlement were men who, from their sound judgment and constant appreciation of the duties they owed to God and man, are worthy of all the respect and admiration that pos- terity can bestow.
At the very first stage of the enterprise our fathers saw the need of established law. Magistrates were elected (generally three in number) who were looked upon with a degree of ven- eration that the modern occupants of the office can se ircely hope to obtain. The entry on page 24 will show the origin of the various courts whose actions form so large a part of the present volume. The Justices held their ordinary courts very much as they are held at the present time, but all affairs of any consequence to the town in general were decided at the Quarter Courts, and in almost every case where the Ger- eral Court is referred to, the Quarter Courts are meant. These were composed of the freemen of the towu, and all of them were duly notified to attend ; the Magistrates presided, wit- nesses were examined, the case fully discussed, and the ques- tion decided by a plurality of voices ; those who failed to at- tend were fined, and all present were required to vote.
And in connection with this, one peculiarity of our ances-
INTRODUCTION.
tors may deserve a passing notice; the high value they placed on office and its honors. If a man was so fortunate as to become a Justice of the Peace or a Captain in the Militia Company, he was sure to make use of the title upon all possible occasions while living, and it would be placed with pious care upon his tomb-stone after he was done with this world and its glories. It would seem like one of the strange inconsistencies of human nature, that a class of men who are supposed to be dead to worldly fame and careless of earthly greatness, should be al- most infatuated after such little titles as Mr., Captain, and Esquire.
A little thought, however, will perhaps explain the discrep- ancy. Love of power may be considered one of the inherent qualities of human nature, and, in their own country, the men whose labors are here recorded, were of a class who could never expect to be known to fame, or attain to dignity. Stars and orders were not for them, the insignia of nobility were far beyond their reach, and men can easily affect to des- pise what they can never hope to possess. But in the land of his adoption, a change awaited him. The man who in his native land was looked upon as a schismatic by the church and a revolutionist by the state, suddenly found himself trans- formed into a peer of a new realm, one of the inhabitants of a social world so small that his presence or absence was a thing of the utmost importance to the rest of the body politic; the highest offices of the little Commonwealth were within his reach. To be a magistrate of the infant colony was relative- ly as high as the loftiest judicial .position in the gift of the English crown ; and the Captaincy of its little band of sol- diers, was a post as important as a Major Generalship in the British army.
As the town was founded by men who had suffered from religious persecution, it may readily be supposed that the for- mation of a church would be one of the first things to which they would turn. To erect a house for worship seems to have been one of the first public labors undertaken by the
VI
INTRODUCTION.
community. The peculiarities of Puritan belief and practice have furnished an inexhaustible theme for the pen of the essayist and historian, and certainly no class of men ever lived whose thoughts and acts were more influenced by considera- tions connected with the eternal world. In such a state of society the preacher of the Gospel would naturally hold a very important position, bat his social influence was based upon the fact that he was the only educated person in the commun- ity. In a place where only one man can read and write, that man is an oracle, but where all can boast of these accomplish- ments no one can claim any precedence from the possession of them. Any boy who now attends an Academy with any de- sire to learn, can obtain without leaving his native town, an education that the graduates of Cambridge or Yale could not gain at the time those institutions were founded. The worst enemies of Puritanism cannot deny that the ministers of the new Colonies were men of blameless life and good ability, and though in some cases their minds were clouded by the prejudices and bigotry of the age, they strove by every action " to point to brighter worlds and lead the way." It is pleas- ant to be able to record the fact, that while the history of many towns on Long Island show instances of religious per- secution, especially in the case of the Quakers, the records of this town are nowhere stained with blood. The curious code of laws found on page 18 of this book were never enforced to their full extent. The original is supposed to be in the hand writing of Abraham Pierson, the first minister, and bears in- ternal evidence of having been written at the earliest period of the settlement, but the settlers of the new world soon found it necessary to enact laws more adapted to the circumstances of the community, and thus originated the sarcasm so fre- quently heard that the Puritans agreed to be " governed by the laws of God until they had time to make better."
The town at an early date resolved that none should be permitted to settle here who were not acceptable to a major- ity of the inhabitants. This doubtless prevented many from
VIE
INTRODUCTION.
becoming residents, who, had they settled here, would have been liable to persecution for their religious views. To sup- pose that the founders of this town were at all in advance of their age, and too enlightened to entertain the thought of con- trolling the religious views of their neighbors, may be believed by their descendants but is not supported by facts. Civil and religious liberty has been a thing of slow growth, and we ought not to be surprised that a darker age, and a more igno- rant community, should have thought the jail and the whip- ping post were the proper place for Quakers, and that the best way to stop a heretic's tongue was to put a hole through it witha hot iron.
The history of the world shows that extremes both of thought and action follow each other, thought and speech are now untrammelled, and sentiments can be freely expressed, that would once have insured a violent death to the one who uttered them.
The belief of our ancestors was the strictest Calvinism, and this creed is still the faith of most of their descendants. That all things that are were fore-ordained from the begining of the world, and that every act of man was a link in an endless chain planned by Eternal Wisdom, was something that to them admitted of no doubt. Their belief in the divinity of our Lord was not to be shaken. To them Christ was some- thing more than " the best of all good men," something more than a teacher sent from God, something more than an im- poster who betrayed the confidence and worked upon the credulity of his followers. He was to them the Son of God, born in the likeness of his Father's glory, and we may readily suppose that they would have no sympathy or charity for the modern so-called "Liberal Christianity " that considers Paul and Plato, Christ and Socrates, Peter and Andrew Jack- son Davis, equally divine and equally entitled to reverence.
But in one respect there has been such a remarkable change in the manner of presenting Bible doctrines, that we cannot forbear to notice it at length. No one who is at all acquaint_
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.