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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 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39
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45
THE
EARLY HISTORY
OF
SOUTHAMPTON, L. I.,
NEW YORK,
WITH GENEALOGIES.
REVISED, CORRECTED AND ENLARGED.
By GEORGE ROGERS HOWELL, M. A. (Yale University),
MEMBER OF THE ALBANY INSTITUTE, CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF THE TROY SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION, NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY, NEW YORK GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY, NEW ENGLAND HISTORIC-GENEALOGICAL so-
CIETY, HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF PENN- SYLVANIA, AND STATE HISTOR- ICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN.
SECOND EDITION.
ALBANY: WEED, PARSONS AND COMPANY. , 1887.
DEC 2 4 1980-
GE
MRS JONE BRODE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHI, ERECTED 1707.
Dedicated to the
Memory of Our Pious Ancestors.
PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION.
THE object of the author of this work is not to give a complete history of the town, though the work is necessarily historical. It is rather to present, so far as possible, a picture of the life and struggles of our ancestors in subduing a wilderness and progress- ing in the arts of civilization. It is so far an episode in the early history of the colonies. Besides this, it has been deemed proper to record any salient facts or occurrences of later date of general interest. The importance of the genealogical portion of the work can scarcely be over estimated. The far greater part of this has been constructed with great care by the anthor from an almost infinite number of isolated records in wills, deeds, family Bibles, church and town records of all descriptions, tomb-stones, and from whatever source afforded with certainty a name and a date. Since the publication of the first edition in 1866, all this material has been reviewed, and the addition of much genealogical information has made it necessary in most cases to rewrite the whole. Wher- ever assistance was afforded in this it is duly accredited.
While the author has consulted Prime and Thompson, the his- torical portion has been derived almost wholly from original sources ; that is, from original MSS. documents in the town records and office of Secretary of State at Albany, and from the earliest. historians of the colonial period.
Great care has been taken to present perfect copies of the ancient instruments of writing relating to the history of the town ; but it is found by comparison that the orthography of the same docu- ment varies considerably, whenever it is more than once recorded.
vi
PREFACE.
Among the works consulted in preparation and revision of this history are the Colonial Records of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York ; Brodhead's History of New York ; Denton's New York; Drake's Founders of New England ; Essex Institute Publications ; Felt's Ecclesiastical History of New Eng- land; Gookin's Indians of New England ; Hatfield's History of Elizabeth ; Hinman's Puritans of Connecticut ; Hubbard's General History of New England ; Johnson's Wonder-working Providence ; Josselyn's Two Voyages ; Lechford's News from New England ; Lewis and Newhall's History of Lynn ; Mather's Magnalia and New England; New England Historical and Genealogical Register ; Savage's Genealogical Dictionary ; Trumbull's History of Connecti- cut, and Winthrop's History of New England.
ALBANY, N. Y., 1886.
INDEX OF CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I. PAGE.
Early Discoveries.
9
CHAPTER II.
Outline of the History of Long Island. - Accounts of the Early Set- tlers. - First Attempt at a Settlement at Manhasset, in North Hempstead. - Removal to the East End 14
CHAPTER III.
The Settlement of Southampton and the Settlers .- List of Inhabitants in 1649, 1657, 1683 and 1698
20
CHAPTER IV.
Character of the Settlers.
46
CHAPTER V.
Civil Relations .- Pure Democracy .- Union with Connecticut .- With New York .- Dutch Interregnum .- Again with New York. ... 50
CHAPTER VI.
During the Revolutionary War .- Occupation by the British .- Per- sonal Incidents .- Colonies .- Soldiers of the Slaveholders' Rebel- lion .- New York Annex 68
CHAPTER VII.
Civil Laws .- Courts .- Decrees of Courts 87
CHAPTER VIII.
The Church .- Ministers. - Church Edifices .- Schools 97
CHAPTER IX.
Various Localities .- Residences of Settlers .- Changes of Residence .- Residences in 1864 140
CHAPTER X.
Indians .- Friendly Relations with them .- Purchase of their Lands .- Lease of Shinnecock and the Hills .- Sale of Shinnecock Hills .... 164
viii
INDEX OF CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XI PAGE.
Early Customs .- Whaling .- Burying Grounds .- Miscellaneous . . 176
CHAPTER XII.
Births, Marriages and Deaths.
198
CHAPTER XIII.
Genealogies.
201
APPENDIX.
DOCUMENTS PERTAINING TO THE HISTORY OF THE TOWN.
Disposall of the Vessell and Agreement of the Settlers
447
Indian Deed of December 13, 1640 . 450
Indian Deed of Quogue Purchase, 1659 451
Deed for Quogue Purchase, 1653 452
Indian Deed for Topping's Purchase, 1662
453
Indian Deed for Topping's Purchase, 1666. .
454
Sale of Hog Neck. 1665.
454
Indian Deed for the Whole Town, 1703
454
Deed of James Farret. 1640. April
456
Second Deed of Farret, June 12, 1640
457
Confirmation of Same, 7 July, 1640
457
Lord Stirling's Confirmation, August, 1640 458
Patent of Governor Andros, 1676 .. 458
Patent of Governor Dongan. 1686. 460
Laws of Early Settlers. 464
CHAPTER I.
EARLY DISCOVERIES.
*JOHN VERAZZANO, a Florentine, sent out on a voyage of dis- covery in 1524, by Francis I. of France, first makes land probably on the coast of South Carolina. Thence sailing northward he explores the coast, but overlooks, apparently, the Chesapeake and Delaware bays. While off the coast of Virginia or Maryland, he says : " Haning our aboade three dayes in this cuntrey, riding on the coast for want of harboroughs, wee concluded to depart from thence, trending along the shore betweene the North and East, sayling onely in the day time and riding at ancker by night. In the space of 100 leagues sayling, wee founde a very pleasant place, situated amongst certaine little steepe hilles : from amiddest the which hilles there ran down into the sea a great streame of water, which within the mouth was very deep, and from ye sea to ye mouth of same, with the tyde, which wee found to rise 8 foot, any great vessell laden may passe up."
This, of course, was the mouth of the Hudson, called by all the early navigators the "Great river." He says they passed np the river about half a league and found the country well peopled and the inhabitants received the visitors with " great showtes of ad- miration." This was the extent of his exploration in New York harbor. Again : " We weied Ancker and sayled toward the East, for so the coast trended, and so alwaves for 50 leagues, being in the sight thereof, wee discovered an Ilande in the forme of a triangle, distant from the main lande 3 leagues, about the bignesse of the Ilande of the Rodes, it was full of hilles, conered with trees, well peopled, for we sawe fires all along the coaste. Wee gane the name of it of your Maiesties mother, [Claudia] not staying there by reason of the weather being contrarie."
* Hakluyt Soc. Pub. Reprint, 1850, of the Relation of Verazzano, pub, in 1582, pp. 62, 63.
2
10
HISTORY OF SOUTHAMPTON.
It would seem from this account that Verazzano sailed along the entire coast of Long Island, supposing it to be the main land (as it is nearly fifty leagues in length), and the island to which he gave the name of Claudia (the name of Francis' first wife - not of his mother) was afterward called Block Island, from its sub- sequent Dutch discoverer, Adrian Block. The astonishment of the Indians at the sight of Hudson's ship, the " Half Moon,"' eighty-five years after, and of himself in scarlet robes, showed that this visit had been forgotten. But then the witnesses of the first European visit were long dead and the archives of the In- dians made no revelations of these matters. Verazzano was, doubtless, the first European navigator who ever gazed upon the shores of this island, unless, perchance, the Northmen wandered so far to the south of their temporary occupation of the coasts of Newfoundland and New England.
During the interval of eighty-one years that succeeded, western Europe was too much occupied at home to project colonies abroad. The Low Countries, Germany, France, Italy and Spain were one great battle-ground. Charles V. of Spain and I. of Germany was fighting his rival, Francis I. of France, and, after him, his son, Henry II., both bent on territorial conquest and the destruction of each other, until the second treason of Maurice of Saxony sent Charles back to Spain completely routed, and this, and the gout and disappointed ambition brought him knocking at the gate of a convent to secure a retreat for the remainder of his life. The gold and silver from Mexico and Peru brought in the Spanish galleons that escaped the guns of Drako and Hawkins and Raleigh were poured into the coffers of Philip II., only to be spent in establishing the Inquisition in Holland and in building fleets and palaces in Spain. France was a camp of Huguenot and Protestant. England, at the beginning of the seventeenth cen- tury, had plantel a colony in Virginia, and began to feel the impetus of discovery and trade with the new world. In a desire to participate in the trade with America that was enrich- ing their cotemporaries, "Henry Wriothesly, Earl of South- . ampton, and Thomas, Lord Arundel, resolved to fit out a ship
* Pinkerton's Voyages, vol. XII, p. 228
11
EARLY DISCOVERIES.
for this expedition. "This vessel was called the . Archangel,' and was commanded by Captain George Weymouth, an experienced and skillful seaman, who sailed the last day of March, 1605, from Dartmouth. * * % After much expectation [of seeing land ] on the 16th of May they obtained sight of an island of no great consequence, [size] and very woody along the shore ; but by the fruits they found, it appeared no barren nor despicable spot, more especially as there were streams of fresh water running down the cliffs in great plenty, [off Montauk probably] vast numbers of fowls, and fish enough all along the shore. This island is now called Long Island, and it was upon the eastern part of it they fell to their great satisfaction." This was the second visit of a European vessel to this Island, and the story is not without inter- est. And what is of more interest to the general reader, he evi- dently entered the bay of New York and sailed up the Hudson river some forty or fifty miles.
The next explorer who touched upon the coast was Henry Hud- son, an Englishman, but on this particular voyage in the employ- ment of the Dutch West India Company. He sailed from Holland in March, 1609, in the ship " Half Moon," and the account of the voyage has been transmitted to us by #Robert Juet, a Nether- lander, who accompanied Hudson in an unknown capacity. The object of the expedition was, as usual, to find a shorter passage to the riches of the east, the Indies. He at first sought a north-east route, but meeting interminable ice fields near Nova Zembla, lie turned his prow to the south-west to find a western passage to the same point. Making land at Newfoundland, which had been previously discovered and named by Cabot, he skirted along the coast looking for a passage to the Pacific until he came to the English settlements in Virginia, having tonehed in his course at Cape Cod and explored the adjacent waters. Again turning northward (from Virginia) he discovered and explored for the first time, apparently by Europeans, Delaware bay. Passing on he came through the Narrows and entered the noble bay of New York, and subsequently he sailed up the magnificent river which
* IIakluyt Soc. Pub.
12
HISTORY OF SOUTHAMPTON.
now bears nis name, to the present site of Albany. On his home- ward passage from New York bay, Juet says he steered south-east by east, and was soon out of sight of land, and saw no more until they made the coast of England. So that Hudson could not have seen any more than the western end of Long Island. These ex- plorations of Cape Cod and Delaware bay were the basis of the Dutch claim to all territory lying between these two points and extending, inland, indefinitely to the Pacific.
These early explorations have been noticed rather on account of their general historical interest than from any immediate connec- tion with the settlement of the town in 1640. The question has been asked how happened the attention of the colonists to be turned in the direction of the east end of Long Island, then an nn- explored wilderness. Aside from the facts that they had resolved to go somewhere, and that they, as well as any others, might venture into a wilderness, the truth is, the friends of the colonists, and consequently, they themselves, had special knowledge of the advantages offered to them by this Isle of the sea. * In the sum- mer of 1633, Governor Winthrop had the bark " Blessing " built, and on October 2, 1633, she returns from a voyage of discovery to Mystie, and reports " having made a further discovery of that called Long Island." There they trafficked with the natives and "procured Wampampeag, both white and blue, it being made by the Indians there."
With these facts before ns, the solution of the question becomes very simple, that they came on the personal recommendation of Governor Winthrop and his representation of the fertility of the soil and the abundance of food in the forests and waters of the Island.
This was the heroic age of modern history, when the Old World was stirred up to people the new. Those who are old enough to remember the excitement of 1849 in " the States " over the newly-discovered gold fields of California, and the eagerness with which men flocked there for sudden fortunes, may have some idea of the same fever for emigration to America that prevailed at that time in London, with its county of Middlesex, and the ad-
* Hubbard's General History of N. E., Mass. Hist. Coll. 2 s. v. 5, p. 174.
13
EARLY DISCOVERIES.
jacent counties. After the home difficulties and troubles that so oppressed the middle classes of England nothing so occupied the popular mind as the immediate transfer of their homes to the New World. This fact is conspicuous in the writings of the English at home and especially in their letters to their friends in America.
14
HISTORY OF SOUTHAMPTON.
CHAPTER II.
OUTLINE OF HISTORY OF LONG ISLAND - ACCOUNTS OF EARLY SETTLERS -- FIRST ATTEMPT AT SETTLEMENT AT NORTH HEMP- STEAD - REMOVAL TO THE EAST END.
THE Dutch who had settled on Manhattan Island in the early part of the seventeenth century, soon began to build and occupy on the opposite shore of Long Island; and as their population increased, naturally pushed out their settlements to the eastward on the north and south shores of the Island. Thus it happened that the western part of the Island came under the jurisdiction of the Dutch Government at New Amsterdam until the sur- render of New York to the English in 1664.
But the proximity of the Island to Connecticut afforded some ground for the English Crown to set up a claim to it. Accord- ingly Charles I., April 22, 1636, requested the Corporation for New England, called the Plymouth Colony, to issue their patent to William Alexander, Earl of Stirling, for Long Island, and the islands adjacent. They did so, and on April 20, 1637, the Earl gave power of Attorney* to James Farret to dispose of said lands. This, however, took effect only on the east end of Long Island where the English subsequently resided.
Upon the death of Lord Stirling in 1640, his heir relinquished the grant above mentioned to the king, and thus it happened that on March 12, 1664, Charles II. granted, with other terri- tory, Long Island and the Islands adjacent, to his brother James, Duke of York and Albany. In the following Angust, Col. Richard Nicolls, at the head of a fleet, came and obtained a sur- render of New York to the crown of England. Now for the first time the eastern towns of the Island came under the juris- diction of New York, Southampton having sent deputies to the General Court of Connecticut regularly, from 1644 to 1664. In
* A copy of which is now in the town records of Southampton.
15
ACCOUNTS OF EARLY SETTLERS.
July, 1673, New York was recovered by the Dutch and the Island followed the fate of the larger colony. Both, however, were again surrendered by the Dutch to the English Govern- ment, November 10, 1674, and so remained English Colonies till the war of our Independence.
Few traces can be found of the original proprietors of the town prior to the settlement. They were all of English origin, and probably came from the counties of Bedford, Bucks and Lincoln. The tradition that they sailed from Southampton, Eng- land, and for this reason adopted the name for their settlement, is worthless, since there is no evidence that they did sail from that place, but on the contrary, so far as known, they sailed from other ports of England, and at different times. I offer it as a conjecture that the town was so named from Henry Wriothesly, Earl of Southampton, who was very active in colonizing the new world. He was director and treasurer of the Virginia Company, 1620 to 1624, and must have been well known to and by the leading men of the Southampton colonists.
The common statement derived from Cotton Mather (Magnalia) is, that between thirty and forty families in Lynn, Mass., finding themselves straitened for land, came over to Long Island and effected a settlement. In enumerating the settlements of New England, Ogilby, in his History of America, says: "About the year 1640, by a fresh supply of people, that settled in Long Island, was there erected the twenty-third town call'd Southamp- ton, by the Indians, Agawam."
There is truth in both of these statements though neither is absolutely correct. Some of the colonists had lived in Lynn for years and some doubtless were new arrivals.
Among the inhabitants of that place in 1630, were Edmund Farrington, Allen Breed, Daniel Howe, and John White. In 1637, were also Christopher Foster, John Pierson, Thomas Halsey, Josiah Stanborough, George Welbye, Richard Wells, William Partridge and Philip Kertland. John Cooper was made Free- man, ¿. e., admitted to privilege of voting, at Boston, December 6, 1636; Christopher Foster, the same, April 17, 1637; Edward Howell, the same, March 14, 1639 ;* Rev. Abraham Pierson
* 1639-40.
16
HISTORY OF SOUTHAMPTON.
arrived in America in 1639. With some more which are men- tioned elsewhere, these are all the traces that can be given of the founders of Southampton.
The original " undertakers," eight in number, purchased a sloop for the transportation of their families and their goods for £S0, of which Edward Howell and Daniel Howe, each contributed £15; Edmund Farrington, George Welbe, and Henry Walton each £10; and Josiah Stanborough, Job Sayre, Edmund Need- ham and Thomas Sayre, each £5. Before sailing, however, the other proprietors disposed of their interest in the vessel to Daniel Howe, in consideration of his making three trips annually for two years for transportation of goods from Lynn to their planta- tion. Artieles of agreement were drawn up and signed, in which were stated the plans and purposes of the company, and their several shares proportioned to the amount of money by each contributed. These artieles, as well as those for the " Disposall of the Vessell " were dated March 10, 1639. April 17, 1640+ (a month after the confirmation of Lyon Gardiner's purchase of Gardiner's Island), Farrett, in behalf of Lord Stirling, made an agreement with Lieutenant Howe, Edward Howell and others (as above) by which they were authorized; to occupy eight miles square of land in any part of Long Island. The amount that was to be paid to the Earl of Stirling, as a recognition of his title to the land, was to be estimated by the Hon. John Winthrop, Governor of Massachusetts Colony, who fixed the amount at four bushels of Indian corn, in consideration that the country was a wilderness, and that the natives pretended some claims to the land. This deed of Farrett was given also about a month after the dis- posal of the vessel and signing the articles of agreement since, as the reader will remember, at that time the year was reckoned to commence on the twenty-fifth of March.
§ The next we hear of them, the Lynn emigrants arrived in the following month of May at Manhasset at the head of Cow Bay (or Schout's Bay, as the Dutch called it). Here they found the arms of the Prince of Orange erected upon a tree, and Lieutenant Howe, the leader of the expedition, pulled them down. This
* 1639-40. + Town Records. # See appendix
§N. Y. Col. Hist.
17
ACCOUNTS OF EARLY SETTLERS.
was on the 10th of May, 1640 .* But the Sachem Penhawitz who had just before ceded all his rights to the Dutch, promptly informed Governor Kieft that some " foreign strollers " had arrived at Schout's Bay, where they were felling trees and building houses, " and "had even hewn down the arms of their High Mightinesses." Commissary Van Curler (Corlear) was sent to ascertain the facts, and the Sachem's story was found to be true. The arms of the State had been torn down, and in their place had been drawn an " unhandsome face," " all which aforesaid appeared strange to us, being a criminal offense against his Majesty, and tending to the disparagement of their High Mightinesses."
May 13th, the Council of New Amsterdam order Cornelius Van Tienhoven to arrest and bring before them the " strollers and vagabonds " of Schout's Bay who had so insulted their Dutch dignities. On the next day, with two officers and twenty men, he started on his mission of ejectment, and arrived at the clearing May 15th, finding one small house built and another unfinished. " They were first asked, what they were doing there ; by what power or by whose authority they presumed to settle on our pur- chased soil, and told that they must show their commission. Eight men, one woman and a little child, made answer that they intended to plant there, and were authorized thereunto by a Scotchman who had gone with their commission to Red ILill.
Secondly they were asked, for what reason did they throw down their High Mightinesses' Arms and set up a fool's face in the stead. To which some answered, the escutcheon was cut down by a person who is not present ; another answered, such was done in their presence by order of a Scotchman, James Farrett ; and he and Lieutenant Howe were then at Red Hill.+ Here- upon six men were brought to Fort Amsterdam, leaving two men, and one woman and a child on the ground, to take care of their goods ; they arrived on the 15th of May."
At the subsequent examination, the following facts appeared. They went to Long Island to settle, from Lynn, Mass., and others
* Col. Hist. of N. Y.
t Roodeberg or Roodenberg or Red Hill, the name given to New Haven by the Dutch, probably from the appearance of East and West Rocks from the harbor.
3
18
HISTORY OF SOUTHAMPTON.
were to follow. They came under authority of James Farrett with consent of Governor Winthrop of Massachusetts Bay Colony. It was intended to bring twenty families, and "many more would come if the land was good." They should have lived free under their own laws, and would have been obedient to whomsoever was lord of the land. Job Sayre on examination, said, he was born in Bretfordshire (probably Bedfordshire-he was examined through a Dutch interpreter), was twenty-eight years old, and had resided in Lynn, Mass. George Welbye said, he was born in Northamp- tonshire, was twenty-five years old, and resided in Lynn. John Farrington said, he was born in Bockinghamshire (Buckingham- shire), was twenty-four years old, and lived in Lynn. Philip Cartelyn (Kertland) twenty-six years old, and Nathaniel Cartelyn (Kertland) twenty-two years old, birthplace and residence the same as Farrington's. William Harker said, he was born in Cin- censhire (Lincolnshire ?) and was twenty-four years of age. On May 19th, they were discharged as not guilty of tearing down the arms of the Lords States, and set at liberty on "condition that they do promise to depart forthwith from our territory, and never to return to it without the Directors' express consent." Thus ended the first attempt at a settlement ; the "strollers and vaga- bonds " departed, and low Dutch alone was spoken in that land .*
Now in all this, there is no intention to cast a slur upon the Dutch of New York, who as a nation by their bravery, fortitude and perseverance in long and bloody wars with Spain, when in the zenith of her power, for their independence and for the cause of protestantism, and when protestant England too stood by an idle spectator of the struggle, deserved and won the respect of all mankind. But it was nevertheless a shabby treatment of these New England colonists, the equals of their best in wealth, cul- ture and social position, who, like themselves, were seeking homes in the new world. If Hudson's third voyage, previously spoken of, gave to the Netherlands a claim to this territory, Cabot's pre-
* Subsequently (Sept. 19, 1650) when the English settlements had increased and strengthened on the eastern part of the island among other questions submitted to four arbitrators for settlement was the boundary line between the Dutch and English in Long Island This was then declared to be a " line run from the westernmost part of Oyster Bay, and so a straight and direct line to the sea," the Dutch west and the English east.
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