USA > New York > Suffolk County > Southampton > Records of the town of Southhampton, with other ancient documents of historic value, Vol. III > Part 1
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THE THIRD
Bonk of Records
OF THE
Town of Southampton
LONG ISLAND, N. Y.,
WITH OTHER
ANCIENT DOCUMENTS
OF HISTORIC VALUE,
Including the Records from 1717 to 1807 ; 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.
1878
F129 57565
49162 04
Copy of Resolutions
Passed at the annual meetings of the electors of the Town of Southampton, Suffolk County, State of New-York, as record- ed in the minutes of said meetings, on pages 56 and 64, of Liber D, Records of Town afore written.
APRIL 3d. 1S77.
"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 B, and onward, as thought best by the committee ; and that Edward H. Foster, Wm. S. Pelletreau and H. P. Hedges be and are hereby ap- pointed Publishing Committee."
APRIL 2d, 187S.
" It was voted that $125 be raised for the Record account, and that the Record Committee, viz: H. P. Hedges, Wm. S. Pelletreau and Edward H. Foster, be continued for another year."
TOWN CLERK'S OFFICE, SOUTHAMPTON, SS: SUFFOLK COUNTY, N. Y.
The above resolutions have been compared with those found on pages 56 and 64, Liber D, Town Records, in this office, and are correct copies of the same.
May 15th, 1878.
Edward Hb, Gostes,
Town Clerk.
PREFACE.
In preparing these Records for the press, the undersigned have carefully tried to make copies as correct and exact as possible, retaining the original capitals, spelling and punctua- tion. Abstracts of deeds of land recite the facts and omit the useless tautology of covenants, and the record of ear-marks recite all essential facts which the records specify, including date of record, name of party transferring and to whom trans- ferred. In all cases the residence of parties and witness was in this town, unless otherwise stated; and it is specially stated when they resided elsewhere. All abstracts are care- fully noted as such and omit nothing thought to shed light on the historic or genealogical facts recited in the originals.
Some documents in each volume are printed out of their chronological order, being selected from the files unrecorded in the Town Clerk's office, because of their historic value, and so printed because the extent of this work was, at its com- mencement, undetermined, rendering such selection uncertain and unchronological, in preference to their entire omission.
The undersigned in submitting to their fellow-Townsmen the results of their labors, cannot withold their tribute of grate- ful praise that the liberality of the Town has rendered it prac- tieable to print three volumes of its Records and thereby per- manently preserve them as history rescued from possible des- truction or oblivion. And they express the hope that this pio- neer example will be followed by like efforts in other Towns of this County whose records are coeval with the first English
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PREFACE.
settlements of the colony and State and abound in the richest and rarest authorities for the Antiquarian Genealogist and Historian.
May 1st, 1878.
H.P.Hedges.
Edward H, Gostes, William S. Telletreau
Committee
Explanation of Map.
The first settlement was at Old Town, and the houses were probably of a temporary nature. The present Town street, of which the plan is given, was laid out in 1648, and called the " Town Plot."
The dates given are the times when the owners came in possession.
A note of interrogation after a date, thus, (1760 ?), denotes that the person was in actual possession at that time, but who he obtained it of, and when, is unknown, and there is a miss- ing link which cannot be supplied from our present informa- tion.
The places marked A, B, C, are too small for insertion of names and are here described.
(A) This is part of the old Edward Howell lot. It was owned by Henry Herrick before 1782; from him went to Win. Herrick ; left by him to son Wm. P. Herrick, 1825. After his death it was bought by Capt. Philetus Peirson.
(B) Now home lot of Josiah Foster, originally part of Richard Post's home lot, (now Charles Howell). Richard Post sells to John Gould a piece in N. W. corner of lot, two rods wide, four rods long, 1686; by him sold to Walter Melvin, 1692; he sold to Samuel Butler, 1697 ; sold by him to Rob. Patton, 1700; sold by executors of Rob. Patton to Obadiah Smith, 1704, who in 1705 bought south part of what is now let of Benj. H. Foster; since then it has been part of Fos- ter's lot.
(C) Homestead of late Peter Fournier ; part of old Francis Sayre lot ; left by him to son Thomas Sayre, 1694; by him to nephew Thomas, and sold by him to Abraham Howell, 1720 ; left by him to wife Patience ; left by her to Elias Fos- ter, 1756 ; by him to son Elias, 17S5; sold to Elias Pelletreau about 1812 ; by him sold to Win. S. Pelletreau, 1822; by him to Henry Green, 1825 ; by him to Peter Fournier, 1830.
WM. S. PELLETREAU.
TO THE MEMORY OF CHRISTOPHER FOSTER, TOWN CLERK FROM 1717 TO 1742,
The faithful chronicler of a quarter of a century of eventful years. While the date of his death is uncertain, and we know not his place of burial, he has left upon the written page a monument more lasting than the sculptured stone.
ERRATA.
Page 4, fifth line from top, for beach, read east.
Page 39, for correction of note see page 407.
Page 71, note, Russell's house stood on site of Railroad depot.
Page 156, second note at bottom is an error and should be omitted.
Page 174, note at bottom, instead of lot of L. D. DeBost, should be north lot of Isaac P. Foster.
Page 239, Nos. 46 and 47 should be transposed; 46 is homestead of David Terry, 47 is farm late of John Porter. Jo. Sayre's lot is the homestead of Eli P. Fordham.
Page 267, note 2, Hugh Raynor's house was about 20 rods south of the house of Theodore N. White. Note 3, Nathan Jagger's lot is north lot of Isaac P. Foster. Note 4, Hallocks, house is now house of Tho. Nicoll White.
Page 369, second line from top, read one square rod of ground.
Page 40S, date of deed from Win. Johnes was 1767.
INTRODUCTION.
-0-
The Revolution of 1686 had been productive of untold good, not only to the people of England but to the scattered dwell- ers in her far off Colonies. At the time of the commencement of our volume, the town had remained for more than thirty years in the full and peaceable enjoyment of the privileges granted by the Patent of Gov. Dongan. Still continuing as it had ever been, a country within itself, the wars that shook Europe with the thundering tread of armies, were known only by reports that came as from a far off world. United by the artificial bonds of politics to the Province of New-York, but joined by all the ties of affection and sympathy to the Colony of Connecticut, it remained during the long years that pre- ceeded the Revolution, a fragment of New England dropped upon Long Island shores.
In May, 1702, Queen Anne of England, the Emperor of Germany and the States General, united in a declaration of war against France and Spain. This involved the Colonies of two mighty powers in a series of struggles that lasted for more than half a century. The slight interruptions in this mighty conflict were but preparation for a more deadly con- test, and might well be called, in the language of Tacitus, " cessations of war rather than a commencement of peace." For all the English settlements on the main land, this was a period of almost ceaseless terror, death lurked upon the frontier, and fearful is the list of villages burned and inhabitants massa- cred by a foe against which no vigilance could guard, and whose
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INTRODUCTION.
presence was felt when least expected; but terrible as was this state of things, it was the school in which the American Colonies were drilled and prepared for that greater struggle for their own independence. At length, sudden and unex- pected changes in European affairs turned the scale in favor of England, and a definitive treaty of peace in 1762 was the close of the bloody and eventful period known in our history as the " old French war."
But so far as the Long Island villages were concerned, the war was as if it had never been ; Southampton never knew a more peaceful period than the time that filled her sister Colo- nies with terror and alarm, and if this can be called an unin- teresting and uneventful era, it is only because the times that furnish the most stirring events for novelist, poet and histo- rian, are those in which human happiness is most endangered, and human life least secure, and it may be said of communi- ties as it has been said of nations, "the happiest are those that have no history."
The most important local event that occurred during that period, was the settling of the western part of the town. As has been stated in a former volume, that portion west of Ca- noe Place was purchased from its Aboriginal owners in 1666, and the controversy between the Town and Capt. Thomas Topping was decided by a reference to Richard Nicoll, Gov- ernor of the Province ; but so far as regarded an actual settle- ment, it remained in its wilderness state for more than fifty years. The first settlement was probably at Onuck, where Isaac Halsey had a house as early as 1730. In 1732, Heze- kiah Howell and Jonathan Raynor were living at Ketchapon- ack, and the various communities had grown to such. an ex- tent that parsonage land was laid out for the western parish in 1742, and a house of worship was probably erected as early as 1750. There was a mill at Beaverdam before 174S. Jona- than Jagger had fixed his residence at Tanner's Neck at the
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INTRODUCTION.
same date, and the familiar names of Bower, Rogers and Hal- sey appear as actual settlers in that neighborhood before the middle of the last century. Such was the beginning of those villages now so noted for thrift and prosperity, and long may the descendants of the Southampton families continue their ancestral names in the enjoyment of fertile fields which they rescued from the wilderness.
So long as the population of the town was almost entirely confined to the village of Southampton, all goods and stores from abroad were landed at North Sea, as the most convenient port, but when in process of time the population of Sagapon- ack and Meacox had become quite numerous, it was necessary to find some nearer port of landing, and thus save much of the time and labor in transporting their goods. This was the origin of Sag-Harbor, which was called for many years " Sag- aponack harbor," and in bills of lading as late as 1760, was called "the Harbor of Sagg." The exact time at which a permanent settlement was made at this place is unknown. The first intimation of it is in 1745, when a Mr. Russell* is mentioned as having a house on what is now the site of the Railroad depot. A store-house and tan-yard were established by John Foster in 1756. Nathan Fordham seems to have been a dweller there as early as 1755, and this may be con- sidered as the period of the settlement; up to that time the only land at Sag-Harbor that was of any value were the salt grass meadows which lined the shore of the bay. In 1768 the village had increased to such an extent that a meeting house was erected, and then, with the whale fishery and trade with the West Indies, began a long series of years of prosper- ity, interrupted only by the troubles of the Revolution.
In the religious history of the Town, during the period em- braced in our volume, the most remarkable events are the
* Probably Samuel Russell, to whom the town granted land near his mead- ow, in 1739. See page 65.
IV
INTRODUCTION.
change in form of Church government, from Congregational- ism to Presbyterianism, and the rise, progress and decline of the "New light movement." The former seems to have been the result of a call to Rev. Samuel Gelston to become the suc- cessor of Rev. Joseph Whiting, who, after a pastorate of more than thirty years, died in 1716. It is quite probable that the call to Mr. Gelston was to some extent owing to the influence of his brother Hugh, who had been for some years a resident of the place, and seems to have held a high social position from the first, and afterwards held the office of County Judge, and other places of honor and trust. In the call to Mr. Gels- ton, the people of Southampton agree to " subject themselves to the Presbytery in the Lord." The Church at Bridge- Hampton appears to have adopted the same relation at nearly the same time, and the new form of Church government then established has continued unchanged till the present day.
In the year 1740 a most wonderful revival of religion oc- curred in New England, and from its wide extent and over- whelming power, has been justly distinguished by the name of the " Great Awakening. This out-burst of religious inter- est extended to the Churches on Long Island. As the relig- ious persecutions which brought our fathers to these shores, had long since been a thing of the past, and was known to the succeeding generations only as a dim tradition, so also the deep religious spirit brought with them had ceased to be the great moving power of the community, and there is too much evidence that the deep and vital sentiment had degenerated into a tame formality, and religion, which to the fathers had been the breath of life, to the sons was but a lifeless thing. To breathe the breath of life into these dry bones came the preaching of Whitefield. If we can judge anything from the testimony of those who listened to his glowing words, his elo- quence must have exceeded anything since the days of the Apostles; and although far removed from the scenes of his
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INTRODUCTION.
greatest labors, yet still his influence was felt even to these distant villages, as the stone cast into a lake creates a ripple that reaches to its farthest shore. But into the revival as manifested in the Church at Bridge-Hampton, there was in- troduced a new and extraordinary element. Rev. James Da- venport, who was settled as pastor in Southold, 1738, accord- ing to his biographer, "became satisfied that God had revealed to him that His kingdom was coming with great power, and that he had an extraordinary call to labor for its advancement." Acting upon this belief he proceeded to the wildest acts of en- thusiasm, and soon produced in himself and his followers a sta e of things that might well be called half religion and half insanity. Such was the origin and the nature of the "New Light movement." In the opinion of these enthusiasts the religious progress of their brethren in the Church was too slow for them. The aged pastor, Rev. Ebenezer White, who was soon to retire from a faithful and laborious service of fifty years, was denounced as a "hindrance on the road to glory." A schism was soon made, a separate church formed, and a small house of worship erected in 1748. The evil effects of this movement lasted till 1800, although many of the new congregation returned to the old fold, yet enough still remained to keep up a separate organization under the ministry of Rev. Elisha Paine, who died in 1775, but the early enthusiasm had died out and their numbers decreased as time went on, until the few that remained returned to the Church they had left, in the early part of the present century.
At this distant period we can form no true opinion as to the real motives or the true character of the founders of the new church, but whoever at this time attempts to recount this episode of our religious history must not forget that the picture of the "New Light movement " has been painted by its enemies. Their greatest mistake was in yielding to the delusions of enthusiasm, and their gravest error was in believ-
VI
INTRODUCTION.
ing that they could not be as holy and as pure in the church as out of it.
When the congregation ceased to exist the church building was sold and converted into a dwelling, and when we saw it last, children were playing at the door, where once sincere men and women had entered with the faith deep rooted in their hearts, that what they had done was in accordance with the command of God, "Come forth from the world and be ye separate."
Rev. Ebenezer White and Rev. James Brown, under whose ministry the above events had transpired, had passed away from earth, leaving precious memories behind .*
Next comes the Revolution. As the general history of that mighty struggle is familiar to all, it only remains for us to re- count the local events of minor interest. At the beginning of the strife the town of Southampton was not behind her sister towns in patriotic ardor, and in preparation for the war. A committee of safety was appointed whose first labor was to make a complete census of the town.+ Militia companies were formed in the villages of South and Bridge-Hampton. The 1st Company of the Regiment, commanded by Col. Oliver Smith, was formed in the town, another with Capt. John Hulbert at its head, was on the march to join the regiment, when the whole command was met by the news of the disas- trous result of the battle of Long Island. The Regiment and Companies were at once disbanded. Men who had been most prominent in advocating the cause of independence fearing for
* The tomb stone of Rev. Ebenezer White may still be seen in the Sagg burying ground. The remains of Rev. James Brown rest in the sadly neg- lected burying ground at Scuttle Hole, and as his tomb stone there is exposed to many chances of destruction, we copy here its inscription.
In memory of the | Revd. James Brown | Pastor of the | Church of Christ, in Bridge Hampton [ who died April 22 1788 | in the 68th year | of his age.
t This census which is in manuscript in the office of the Secretary of State, Albany; is printed in the appendix, for the copy we are indebted to the cour- tesy of Rev. Geo. R. Howell, of State Library.
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INTRODUCTION.
the result, took instant measures for removing their families to Connecticut. Permits were granted for this purpose by the Committee of Safety. The wharf at Sag-Harbor was crowded with emigrants. British troops were quartered in the different villages. Sir Wm. Erskine, the British General, had his headquarters in Southampton. Houses left vacant by the refugees were immediately appropriated to the use of the soldiery, and during the remainder of the war the inhabitants were cut off from affording any open aid to the cause of free- dom ; yet still a clandestine communication was kept with the people and places on the main land, and a part of the un- written history of the Revolution, a part to which we hope some future historian will do justice, is the romantic events connected with what has been called "the whale boat war- fare." These light craft, easily transported for short distances on land, and capable, when urged by vigerous arms, of mak- ing rapid speed over the waters, were frequently manned by crews perfectly familiar with their use, and well acquainted with every nook and corner of the Long Island coast, and procceding from the Connecticut shore, across the sound, and making a portage across the northern branch of the Island to Peconic bay, and another at the narrow isthmus of Canoe Place, they would proceed for miles up the bays on the south side, and the first intimation of their presence would be some British out-post suddenly attacked when thoughtless of dan- ger near, or some prominent Tory surprised in his house, or a vessel boarded while lying at anchor in fancied security ; and having acco.nplished their errand they would depart the way that they come, with a secresy that eluded discovery, and a swiftness that defied all pursuit.
The years that succeeded the Revolution found the Town, as regards prosperity, at its lowest ebb. The refugees who returned found their property destroyed, the land had lost much of its original fertility, and the improved methods of ag-
VIII
INTRODUCTION.
riculture of modern times were not known ; the whale fishery which afterwards was such a source of wealth was in its in- fancy ; many of the most energetic citizens went to found new settlements in other parts of the State, and in 1804, Dr. Dwight, President of Yale College, in his tour through the Island, thus records the impressions he derived from what he saw : "Southampton is said to have been formerly a flourish- ing settlement. At present it bears the aspect of decline. Some of the houses are better than any in East Hampton, but the general appearance is less agreeable and prosperous, the town is less compactly built," and he adds, unkindest cut of all, "the inhabitants are said to be less industrious." But could the venerable Doctor re-visit the places of which he formned so unfavorable an opinion, we venture to think his opinion would be changed, and a more flattering verdict ren- dered.
Arrived at the conclusion of our task, we cannot but be grateful to our fellow citizens for the liberality with which they have begun, and carried on the work. And we return our sincere thanks to all who have aided us in its completion, by word or deed ; and we lay down our pen, thankful that it has been our privilege to add our mite to the sum of the world's knowledge, glad that we have been able to rescue from oblivion the memorials of a noble race, and the records of a time that has long since passed away.
William S. Pelletreau
May 1, 1878.
RECORDS OF Town of Southampton, L. I., VOLUME 3d, CALLED LIBER B.
[The word " page " with number attached, denotes the page of original book in Town Clerk's office. w. S. P.]
PAGE 1. Southampton Iune ye 23 1731. Wee Jeckomiah Scott and Iohn Howell were chosen by ye proprietors of north sea as layers out to lay out all ye undevided land within their line, according to our discretion, and wee having layd ye said lands accordingly do make our return as followeth, We first first began in Jeffryes neck or little neck at ye north east cor- ner of Iohn Hanes close Running from said corner northward upon a Direct line to ye corner of Thomas Luptons close at little pond with liberty to fence down to ye pond through Capt Scotts meadow to ye said lot which is about fourteenc acres of land, and there shall be a good sufficient gate be Cept and maintained at ye said Iohn Haneses corner, for people to pass and Repas throw ye said lott to their lands and medows as formerly they have don, and ye chardge of ye gates is to be to ye owners or improvers of ye said lotts or all of them.
2 Ye parcell of land being on ye east side of ye said neck eastward of ye path which Runs down to homeses hill, ye south end of ye said lott beginning at ye southwest corner of
2
RECORDS: TOWN OF SOUTHAMPTON.
concense pinte* lott and extending northward on ye east side of ye Road that leads to homes hill to ye fish cove a little on this side, ye hamaek of upland being to ye southward of said homeses hill, [two words illegible | is granted to Iohn Hanes for his Right of meadow in seder pinte lott ye said seder pinte lott including all seder pinte and all ye medow on ye east side east ward to the water east ward and northward to the east- ward and northward of said Homes hill road (and all the med- ow granted to Tho. Halsey by Iohn Hanes by ye hammock a fore said,) in Seder pinte lott, but with this Incumbrance al- lowing George Harris Samuel Cooper and Samnel Bishop to fetch theire sedge off as formerly, shutting up bars as they go in and out them and theires here after for ever, and ye lott contains fourteen acres more or less of land beach meadows and sedges.
No 3 lyeth at homeses hill on ye west side of ye path bc- tween William Iennings medow at ye cove and ye north part of homeses hill and cleft, so running westward and adjoining to number four, allways provided yt ye owner or improver of said lots do upon his own cost and charge kepe and maintain gates or bars for all people to pass or repass through ye said lot round ye said cove as they have formerly don and ye said lot is eighteen acres more or less.
No 4 lying westward of No 3 and adjoining to ye same be- tween No 5 and the top of ye cleft running westward to Ief- frys erick Road leeving four poles wide of upland at ye west end of ye above said lot for a high way to ye harbor, and to
* Conscience Point is on the west side of North Sea Creek, and little north of Mr. Jeremiah Reeves' landing. If the old story is true, this may be called the Plymouth Rock of Southampton. Tradition states that the first settlers landed on this point, and that one of the women, as she stepped on shore, exclaimed, " For conscience sake, I'm on dry land once more!" This tradi- tion, whether true or false, is of considerable antiquity to our knowledge, hence the name Conscience Point. W. S. P.
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RECORDS: TOWN OF SOUTHAMPTON.
land and lay things on as occasion shall searve and ye above said lot is by estimation twenty five acres more or less.
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