USA > New York > Suffolk County > Southampton > Records of the town of Southhampton, with other ancient documents of historic value, Vol. II > Part 1
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THE SECOND
Book of Records
Munic Town of Southampton
LONG ISLAND, N. Y.,
WITH OTHER
ANCIENT DOCUMENTS
OF HISTORIC VALUE,
Including the Records from 1660 to 1717; transcribed with notes and an In- troduction by Wm. S. Pelletreau, and compiled by the undersigned Commit- tee, appointed at Town Meeting, April 4th, 1876, and published at the expense of the Town, by its authority.
HENRY P. HEDGES, WM. S. PELLETREAU. EDWARD H. FOSTER.
SAG-HARBOR : JOHN H. HUNT, Printer. 1877.
F129 .57565 0
COPY OF RESOLUTIONS,
Passed at the annual meetings of the electors of the Town of Southampton, N. Y., as recorded in the minutes of said meet- ings, on pages 43 and 49, of Liber D, Records of the Town of Southampton, N. Y. :
April 6th, 1875. " RESOLVED-That a Committee be appoint - ed to print such parts of the Town Records, subsequent to those already printed, as they in cheir judgment may deem advisable ; and a sum, not to exceed two hundred and fifty dollars, be ap. propriated for that purpose. Wm. S. Pelletreau, Albert J. Post, and E. H. Foster were appointed as said committee."
April 4th, 1876. " RESOLVED-That a further appropriation of $250 be made by the present meeting for the publishing of the remaining Records of the Town, as contained in Liber A, No. 2, and onward, as thought best by the committee ; and E. H. Foster, Wm. S. Pelletrean, and II. P. Hedges were appoint- ed as such Publishing Committee under above resolution."
TOWN CLERK'S OFFICE, ) Southampton, SS : Suffolk County, N. Y.
The above Resolutions have been compared by me with the original Records of the same found on pages 43 and 49, Liber D, Town Records, on file in this office, and are correct copies.
December 30th, 1876.
EDWARD H. FOSTER,
Town Clerk.
TO THE MEMORY OF
MATTHEW HOWELL,
Justice, and Member of the Legislature of the Province of New York, who, as a Magistrate, was the faithful guardian of the laws, and as a Legislator, maintained with boldness, the canse of freedom, and, dying in the discharge of public duty has lett to posterity an example of one who was worthy to bear with- out reproach the grand old name of Gentleman.
--
PREFACE.
These Records have been prepared for the Press with great care, to make them correct copies and as exact as possible. The original capitals, spelling, and punctuation, as far as was legi- ble has been followed.
Abstracts have been made of conveyances of real estate, and ear marks recorded, reciting therein the facts and rejecting the useless tautology of covenants, &c.
The abstracts of conveyances, contain the date, names of grantor, grantee, witnesses, and consideration, with a descrip- tion of the premises conveyed. The names of witnesses, who were well known residents of the Town are sometimes omitted. In all cases the residence of parties, and witnesses, was in this Town, unless otherwise stated ; and it is specially stated when they resided elsewhere.
The abstracts of ear-marks, contain the date of record, name of party recording, and name of the party who transferred, as far as the Records specify.
All abstracts are carefully noted as such and nothing is omitted therein, which sheds light upon the Geneological or Historical facts recited in the originals.
H. P. HEDGES, E. H. FOSTER, W.M. S. PELLETREAU,
Committee.
ERRATA.
Page 12. for 1561 read 1661.
Page 17, sixth line from bottom, for save read late.
Page 43, for 1668 read 1658.
Page 60, third line from top, for Joseph Hire read Joseph More.
Page 71. note at bottom, for Alfred read Albert.
Page 93, first line, for Ionas read Joseph.
Page 110, line 18, for retain read repair.
Page 120, sixth line from bottom, for save read said.
Page 138, fourteenth line from bottom, for 1696 read 1669 ; fifteenth line read 1696.
Page 184, note at bottom, for land read pond.
Page 189, sixth line, for Iols read Iobs.
Page 192, fifth line, tor He read wee
Page 198, Lot 5, for lob Revs read John Reeves.
Page 201, third line, for first read 2d : for hither read thither.
Page 212, seventh line from bottom, for last read east.
Page 324, first, abstract, for Inly 29, 1655 read fuly 19 1695.
Page 151, 5th lotment read 0503: fourth line from bottom read 050.
Page 158, Lot 18, Tosiah Halsey 2 1-5.
Page 165. Lot 3, Daniel Hedges 2, Benony Flint 1.
Page 166, Lot 46, John Wick 23, Daniel Shaw #.
Page 172. Lot 46, lames Hildreth.
Page 173, Lot 7, Tho Topping 1 fifty : Lot 18, Abm How- ell 13, G. Harris 1 ; Lot 20, lonah Howell; Lot 24, Josiah Howell 2 1-5; Lot 33 Thomas.
Page 192, second line from bottom insert that after highway.
Page 195, fourteenth line from top, for of read at : sixth line from bottom insert ou after No.
Page 198, Lot 2, David Howell { by son, for 150 read 200.
@goma
Autograph of Thomas Halsey. Henry Peirfon Ploark
' Autograph of Thomas Sayre.
Francis Delletreau 1732
Autograuh of Henry Pierson.
Autograph of Francis Pelletreau.
Christophen Gostion Edward Lowall The Cupping Autograph of Edward Howeil. 1713 Lown Eloi Job Sayra Autograph of Thomas Topping.
Autograh of Christopher Foster.
Sim
gangener
Autograph of Job Sayre. John Doyon Fanet hervort
Autograph of Lion Gardiner.
Autograph of John Cooper.
Autograph of James Herrick.
INTRODUCTION.
The era of the settlement had passed, and the period of oc- cupation had begun. Of the land the settlers had purchased from its savage owners, every part had been trodden by their feet, and was fast being redeemed from its wilderness state by the labors of their untiring hands. The population at first so small in its number, had increased to such an extent that they could bid defiance to their once dreaded foes. A generation was rising to whom the world beyond the sea was but a dim tradition of a country that their fathers had left without regret and with no desire to return, for they were of the class of sep- aratists who, fleeing from persecutions they could no longer endure, had bidden farewell to their native land, in terms that expressed their bitter hatred of all that was idolatrons in relig- ion, or tyranous in government. " Farewell Babylon, fare- well Rome."
Had this emigration taken place before the period of written history, nothing but the analogies of language would now re- main to show that we, the deseendants, were not sprung from what the Greeks were so fond of terming " All producing earth" and " Earth mother of all things."
The conclusion of the first period found onr town a part of the colony of Conneetient. This was a union that was a de- cided benefit, as it placed them under the protection of a power to which they could look for sympathy and assistance in time of danger, and place them in position to be helpful in return. Hlad the wishes of the people been consulted, this union wonld have still continned, and to-day our delegates to the Legislature would aseend the Connecticut river rather than the Hudson,
II
INTRODUCTION.
and we should receive our laws not from Albany but from Hartford. But the powers beyond the sea were influenced by other motives, than the wishes and preferences of colonies they ruled, and other plans were laid which they were only to obey.
The heirs of the Earl of Stirling had transferred their right to the ownership of Long Island, to the Crown of England, and in 1664, King Charles HI had granted to his brother James, Duke of York and Albany, a patent for a vast extent of terri- tory, of which Long Island formed a part ; after the conquest ot New Amsterdam, the Duke proceeded to organize his colony, and by his decree the Island was joined to New- York and was henceforth to be ruled according to the laws of His Royal llighness. The protest of the people of the eastern towns met with no favorable response, and they were informed by Gov. Winthrop that Connecticut had no longer a claim upon them, that they had done the best they could under the circumstances, but that henceforth they must consider themselves the loyal subjects of the Duke of York.
But it requires something more than the Patent of a King and the orders of a Governor to change the wishes, the thoughts and the disposition of a people, and from that day to the pres- ent, Southampton has continued to be an integral part of New England, to all intents and purposes, and in all modes of thought and action, as much as any portion of the land of steady habits.
This change of government produced many changes in the local affairs of the town. At a convention held at Hempstead in March, 1665, a code known as the " Duke's laws " was pro- mulgated, and copies sent to the various towns. By these the office of " townsmen " ceased to exist, and a new tribunal was established called the "Court of the Constable and Overseers." The former office, which at that time conferred some honor on its occupant, was inereased in power and dignity, while, to fill the latter position, eight men were chosen the first year, and four in cach succeeding year, who were to be men of " good fame and life." It was their duty to hold Town Courts for the
III
INTRODUCTION.
trial of canses under £5. On the death of any person they were to repair to the house of the deceased and to inquire after the manner of his death, and of his will and testament. They were to make all assessments, they had power to regulate the bounds of the town, and fences within its limits, to record ear- marks, to appoint a Town Clerk, to offer premiums for the destruction of wolves, and last, not least, they were to admon- ish the people " to instruct their children and servants in mat- ters of religion, and the laws of the country." In 1683 the " Overseers " were changed to "Commissioners" and their powers still further increased.
The delegates appointed to attend the convention at Hemp- stead were men worthy of all confidence and esteem. Capt. Thomas Topping was one fitted by nature to counsel and com- mand. And at a time when our fathers could expect no help, save from their own strength of arm and courage of soul, the history of our town boasts of no wiser head, or braver heart, than Maj. John Howell. But the acts of the convention, and especially the address of the deputies to the Duke of York, were considered too servile for freemen, and met with much opposition from the people. The delegates in person were as- sailed with unmerited abuse to such an extent as to require the protection of law, and we find John Laughton, whose auto- graph, with its complicated flourish, stands so prominent in our Records. found guilty and punished for slander, in asserting, that "John Howell was a traytor to ve country and he would prove him soe."
All the evils anticipated by the people were to be fully re- alized. All complaints were met in the manner that might be expected from those, who considered that they were commis- sioned by Heaven to rule, and that the people were born to obey. Gov. Nicolls was succeeded by Gov. Lovelace, whose character as a ruler may be learned from his remark, that "the only way to keep the people quiet was to lay such taxes upon them as should leave no time for thinking of anything else than how to pay them." His power continued till 1673, when
IV
INTRODUCTION.
New-York was recaptured by the Dutch, and the whole of Long Island passed nominally into the hands of the conquering power. Sonthampton, with the other eastern towns, refused to be governed by the new power, and made a final effort to unite with New England. But the Dutch rule was brief, by the treaty of peace between the contending nations, New- York was surrendered to the English. the people were commanded again to yield allegiance to the Duke of York, their petitions were unheeded, and thus ended the last attempt at a union with Connecticut.
Then came Edmond Andross. Of this man it may be said that he was fitted by nature to be the willing tool of a tyrant : one of those men who arrive at fame and fortune by treading under foot, not the acts that condemn, or the vices that dis- grace, but the deeds that adorn, and the virtues that exalt hu- manity. The Duke's laws were re-established, and the Court, of the Constable and Overseers again controlled onr affairs.
Then came the question of the Patent. The people of the town held their land by virtue of purchase from the Earl of Stirling, and also from the Indian tribes, but now they were called upon to recognize the new proprietor of Long Island, and to yield to his requirement to procure from his representa- tive a Patent for their lands. their reasons for declining are fully given in the Jetter published in the appendix of this vol- nme, and the thoughts of freemen are uttered in the language of freedom, but the decree had gone forth, they were to yield under the penalty of being declared rebels, and this year, the anniversary of our freedom as a nation, is also the anniversary of our subjugation as a colony. And the broad sheet of parch- ment in the Town Clerk's office, with the seal of the Province of New- York, and the signature " E. Andross " tells to all who may attempt to decipher its time-worn lines, that the repro- sentative of his Royal Highness claimed the right to sell to the people of Southampton, what they had held by an indisputable right, for a sufficient length of time to establish their title in any of the Courts of England.
INTRODUCTION.
But that fate which the New England Primer tells us waits tor Xerxes the Great, also waits for lesser Kings. Charles II dies and is succeeded by his brother, and now the proprietor of Long Island appears with another title, he is no longer the Duke of York and Albany, but " His Majesty, James II, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britian, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith." But the change of title has hot changed his tyrant nature, but augmented his power and in- creased his opportunities. The acts of oppression were still continued, and nothing remained for the people but hope for relief in the future, from the tyrany of the present ; a sense of right weighed in the ballance against relentless power. In 1686 a new Patent was granted by Gov. Dogan in which the boundaries of the lands were more fully described,* and the town was established as a body corporate.
The revolution of 1686 brought a glorious change, not only for the people of England, but also for the colonies beyond the sea. After long and weary waiting the people were at last permitted to have a voice in framing the laws of the land, and the Colonial system of Government begun under the rule of Gov. Sloughter, in 1691, was a dawning of better days ; under it, the town, as a town, had no reason to complain ; peace and prosperity were within its borders, and the new order of things so happily begun, continued till the glorious day that brought liberty to the world by giving it to America.
Of the local affairs of the town during the period under con- sideration, none was of greater importance than the purchase of the tract of country lying west of Canoe Place. This had re- mained unelaimed by any town, and was not purchased from the Indians till 1662; at that time Capt. Thomas Topping pur- chased the tract in question, obtaining a deed from certain In- dians claiming the right to make sale. This transter was looked upon with a jealous eye by the town at large, and after much controversy, the chiets of the Shinneesek tribe, including the
* This Patent was printed by order of the town some time in 1818, and therefore not printed in this volume.
VI
INTRODUCTION.
son and daughter of the great Sachem Mandush, who ruled the tribe at the time of the settlement, after asserting that the deed to Capt. Topping was of no avail as given by Indians who had no right to make such transfer, by a deed bearing date Sept. 17. 1666, sell to their " ancient and loving friends the towns- men of Southampton," all the tract of land lying between Nia- mong, or Canoe Place, and Seatuck. The conflicting claims thus arising were finally decided by refference to Gov. Nicolls who gave his decision in favor of the town. The acquisition was of the greatest importance to the town at large, but so far as any permanent settlement was concerned, it remained for more than fifty years as utterly uninhabited as in the years be- fore white man set his foot upon these shores ; and it was not till about 1735 that the first settler made his home in the wil- derness where now are found flourishing villages and fertile fields .*
Another enterprise, small in its beginning, but destined to be of the greatest importance, merits more than a passing no- tice. The dead whales cast upon the shore furnished an im- portant part of the revenues of the town, and coming as they did without their care or labor, were naturally looked upon as the direct gift of all-bountiful Providence. Soon we find that the enterprising spirit of our fore-fathers promted them to avail themselves in a more direct manner, of the blessing thus placed within their reach, and the same strong arms that felled the primeval forests, and tilled the virgin soil, could launch the whale boat ou the bonnding waves and attack the monster in his native element. As early as 1660 a small vessel, owned by a company, of which John Ogden was the leader, carried on the business of the whale fishery along the shores, and upon the waters of the bays upon terms agreed upon between them and the inhabitants at large.
This was the beginning of the enterprise that in after years, Long Island whalemen carried to the farthest extent of the
* All the papers connected with this purchase are printed in the appendix to Vol. 1, Town Records.
VII
INTRODUCTION.
known world ; and there is not a shore upon the habitable earth that has not felt the tread of their adventurous feet, and not an island in the mighty ocean but has welcomed the coming ot their spreading sails.
As was seen in our first volume of Records, many of the set- tlers remained but a short time. The hardships of the new colony may have discouraged some, and some may have been attracted to other parts by more advantageous prospects. Soon we find the familiar family names in other towns upon Long Island, and many more found in New Jersy an abiding home. Of the first settlers of East Hampton, nearly all had been pre- viously dwelling in this town, and their places were soon sup- plied by others, and the population of the town was more than donbled within five years. From the best information at our command, the number of the first settlers, including women and children, could not have exceeded an hundred souls, but in 1660 that number was increased more than four fold. As the town itself was but a colony sent out from a place of older date, so the time soon eame when it was to send out colonies in re- turn ; the first regularly organized attempt was about 1688, when six or seven families, under the leadership of Humphry Hughs and Christopher Leaming, founded a settlement at Cape May. Their principal object in removing to that remote spot was for the purpose of whaling in Delaware Bay. At this day, families are living there who are descended from the ad- venturous spirits that nearly two centuries ago found there a second home.
From that time to the present, this sending forth has never ceased, and the sons of Southampton are as widely scattered as the four quarters of the world ; wherever there are dangers to be met, or toil to be borne, you will find them there ; and their nanies are heard through the length and breadth of our mighty land : alike where the mountains of New England raise their granite summits to the clouds, and where Californian rivers roll over their sands of gold.
Our ancestors found indeed a land where spiritual liberty, so
VIII
INTRODUCTION.
long sought for, could be enjoyed, and one that was blessed with propitions skies and a fertile soil ; but they found not a land where nature yields her gifts to onght but tireless indus- try ; nor did they find a country where men do not die. One by one, as years advanced, the first settlers passed away. Ed- ward Howell, to whom the settlement owed its origin, was the first called by death to leave the town he had founded. The oft repeated names of Thomas Halsey, Thomas Sayre, JJohn Cooper, and Josiah Stanborough, cease to appear upon our Records, otherwise than as transmitted to sons who inherited thair lands and imitated their virtues. Bat long after the rest of the founders had gone from the earth, one name still cou- tinned, the connecting link between the old and the new, and in 1694, at an age exceeding the Psalmist's limit of human lite, died Job Sayre, the last of the first settlers, he being eighty- two years old.
Amid the dry technicalities of court proceedings, laying ont of land, and other matters, the mind meets with a feeling of reliet, items and allusions throwing light upon one of the most interesting of subjects : the daily life and manners of our ances- tors. Until the interest now telt in all that pertains to an- tiquity has passed away, and the curiosity to explore what the darkness of ages has hidden ceases to influence the minds of men, the little that remains of the period we describe, must in - crease in value with advancing years.
At first we find the houses of the settlers confined to the main street of the village. In 1648 a few families had settled at North Sea : next followed the settlement at Sagg, not be- gun before 1654, and Meacox evidently had a small number of inhabitants previous to 1670. Persons owning land near the Water Mill built there about the same date, and, with the ex- ception of the small number dwelling at Cobb and Wicka- pogne, these localities embraced the whole ot the settled por- tion of the town up to the period at which our volume closes. Communication with the outside world was of comparatively rare occurrence, and the town was emphatically as self-sustain- ing as if it had been a nation by itself.
.
IX
INTRODUCTION.
The inventories of estates which are recorded in our pages, furnish a source of information worthy of careful study, as they specity with minute care minor articles, which, under similar circumstances in modern times would either be entirely omitted or alluded to under the comprehensive title of " sundries." We may rely upon them as being the carefully prepared list of everything then connected with a house and family. And how meager is the display, how true a picture do they present, of the poverty of our fathers, and of the strict economy needed to procure what would now be deemed the necessary comforts of life. As might reasonably be supposed, the chief wealth of the community would consist of horses and cattle. These at first scarce, increased rapidly in numbers, and, as will appear by reference to the inventories of the estates of Josiah Stanborough and John White, the live stock equals er exceeds all other things mentioned, not only in actual but in relative value.
The small amount of house furniture next calls our atten- tion. That an object so purely one of luxury as a looking glass should only be mentioned once,* might not excite much sur- prise, but even chairs seem to have been scarcely used, so ex- tensive an estate as that of Lyon Gardiner only mentions four. In the inventory of the goods of William Browne, 1654, (pub- lished in Vol. 1,) we find the only mention of carpets, and at that time instead of being used for the purpose for which they are now employed, they were only used as a covering for ta- bles.t Knives were in use at table, but not forks, which were not introduced into England till about 1680. The compara- tively rich had pewter plates, while their poorer neighbors must content themselves with wooden tronchers. Articles not of home manufacture were difficult to be procured, and we find two hats mentioned as equal in value to a yearling.
The Indian tribe from whom the land had been purchased, had ceased to be a source of fear, and there is no better illus- tration of the fact that man is made what he is by the circun-
* In account of estate of Thomas Sayre, 1716, found among private papers.
+ See Popular Antiquities of England, Vol. II.
INTRODUCTION.
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