A history of Long Island, from its earliest settlement to the present time, Part 110

Author: Ross, Peter. cn
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: New York ; Chicago : The Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1188

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How clearly this incident discloses the union of the tenderest sensibility with the man- liest courage. It prepares us to glance our eye at his modesty, which was equal to his merit in other qualities. In a letter containing his photograph, sent to his oldest sister three months since, one of the two letters from his pen which I have had opportunity to read, he wrote this: "Is Eddie much changed, do you think? When I look at him with my mind, and compare the untried boy, untaught in the world's rough school, who left his island home fifteen months ago to fight the battles of his

country's flag, and shield that flag from the foul stain traitors would put upon it, to the individual, half boy half man, who to-day ap- pears before me, I can see a great change in many respects. He has gained a glimpse of the many and various pages of the text-book set before him in this great school, and his opinions and feelings and whole mind have changed much. But when, at the hour of twi- light, he puts aside the present and outward world, gives imagination free scope, and thinks of the loved ones who at that moment are thinking and praying for the absent one, he is the same boy of fifteen months ago, not a whit changed, still cheerful, still hopeful that the end will soon come, and he be again united to that pleasant family circle which his imagina- tion correctly pictures."

This mention of the twilight hour is a beautiful intimation of his prayerfulness. It is the part of the day in which he devoted a half hour to prayer in concert with his mother. His frequent allusions to it in his letters, and his oft-repeated request that his mother would not fail to observe it, show most clearly how highly he prized it. He was mindful of the religious privileges and education which he had received from his parents: and it would seem that he made a deep impression of his Christian prin- ciple and rectitude upon the minds of his brother officers.

This shines forth in the letter of Lieutenant Smith, who wrote, with equal perspicuity and tenderness, the particular circumstances of our young lieutenant's death.

This letter is the most grateful evidence that even in the last moments of his life, Lieu- tenant Huntting maintained and disclosed, and even most fitly displayed some of those sterling virtues which have come into view in the course of this sketch.

Only four days after the battle, and while yet in bivouac, Lieutenant Smith obtained the address of Lieutenant Huntting's mother, and most generously and kindly wrote thus:

"MY DEAR MADAM-It is with feelings of deep sorrow that I communicate to you the news of the death of your son, my esteemed friend, Second Lieutenant E. F. Huntting. He fell while gallantly leading his company 'I,' in the battle of Olustee, on the afternoon of last Saturday, February 20th.

"A large number of the original members of Company 'I' had re-enlisted as veteran vol- unteers, and the captain and first lieutenant had

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accompanied them home on furlough. So great was the confidence reposed in Lieutenant Huntting by Col. Moore, that although he was only a junior officer, the colonel gave him the command of his company.

"Our mess on the march consisted of Lieu- tenants Evry, Scott, Huntting and myself. While conversing together over a cup of coffee, reference was, by chance, made to the proba- bilities of some of us going down in the battle that we knew was soon to take place. Your son's thoughts seemed to dwell particularly on home, and the sad effect that any thing serious or disastrous to him would cause in the family circle. He mentioned you particularly as likely to be seriously affected, should he be taken away. Alas for the uncertainty of human life ! The early moon that evening looked down se- renely on the lifeless forms of two out of that little group of four who were then so quietly talking over their future prospects.

"At a little after 8 A. M. we were on the march. My company was first in line, Lieut. Every's next, and Lieut. Huntting's third. We pushed on rapidly, and by 31/2 P. M. were sup- posed to be within a mile of the town of Olus- tee, a distance of twenty miles. A smart artil- lery fire, directly followed by the rattle of musketry, about half a mile in advance, led us to suppose that the enemy had thrown out a small picket force, which our cavalry were then engaged in driving in. Soon we were ordered to form brigade line, and shortly afterwards we came into line of battle, our regiment being on the left flank. Immediately the enemy commenced shelling us, with good range on his part, so that we at once moved forward to en- gage him. In a few moments we were hotly engaged. Your son-cool, calm, and deliber- ate in every movement-cautioned his men to fire low, and bravely stood up facing the death- storm that raged about him. In a little while a rebel regiment moved forward on the left and attempted to flank us. This drove back our left wing for a time, leaving us who were on the right exposed to an enfilading fire. Our men were falling rapidly, and the three right companies became somewhat massed together. Lieut. Huntting deliberately walked back to the colonel, not understanding what order had just been given, and inquired if he had any thing for him to do. 'Just tell me what you want, colonel,' said he, 'and I will do it.' The col- onel answered that he, the lieutenant, was do- ing very well, and he had no orders to com- municate. Upon this Edward walked over to where I was standing, and remarked that it

was a pretty hot place. I answered in the affirmative, at the same time showing him where the throat button of my overcoat had been shot away by a rifle-ball. He then called upon the men to 'stand steady, aim low, and fire deliberately.' The words were scarce out of his mouth, when he suddenly threw his right hand over the left breast, at the same time covering it with his left forearm, and turning his face towards me, remarked, 'I'm struck; don't leave me, Smith.' I made a motion to catch him in my arms, but he reeled towards the right, and fell immediately on his right side. Hastily calling two men to carry him to the rear, I knelt for a moment at his side, heard him mutter something incoherently about 'mother,' 'heaven,' and then the eyes closed, the limbs stiffened, and his pure unselfish spirit passed away to be at rest forever. God grant that when my hour for departure from earth and earthly joys and sorrows may come, I shall be found as well prepared as he was.

"My duties calling me to my company, I ordered the men to carry him to the rear, not thinking but that we should hold the ground, and be able to take care of our wounded and bury the dead. In a few moments a heavy force of the enemy was thrown forward to capture a battery, and we were forced to fall back some distance. We never recovered the ground, so that nothing of the personal effects on your son's body were saved except his sabre.

"I have written thus at length, under many difficulties, knowing you would take a mourn- ful interest in everything relating to your so much loved son. Believe me, my dear madanı, that it has been a mournful subject for me to dwell upon, for your dear boy was a cherished friend and companion of mine. Particularly since the opening of this campaign we have been together night and day; and his singular openness of heart, unselfish conduct, strict and unbending integrity, and thorough knowledge of all of his duties as a soldier and an officer, had endeared him not only to me, but to all his brother officers. By his men he was not only promptly obeyed, but greatly respected. You well know that in the field an officer's power over his inferiors extends even to life itself, but your son's men well knew that while they travelled in the path of duty, they would be protected, and always receive strict and im- partial justice. His every action seemed to. be dictated by a spirit of true Christian re- sponsibility.

"It would not become me to intrude upon

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your sorrows-me, who am so far behind your loved and lost one in preparation for eternity -but may I not suggest, that his whole life was so pure and guileless as to warrant us in saying that he is now rejoicing in the presence of his Saviour, where I trust you and I, and all of his and my friends may some day join him. For one, I shall try to benefit by the example of my lost friend, who, in a few months, took a place in my heart that will cause his memory to remain there for ever.

"Wishing you every blessing under this heart-rending bereavement, I remain, dear madam, your obedient servant,

"JOHN A. SMITH, First Lieut., Commanding Co. G. 47th Reg. N. Y. Vols."

Thus his comrade in arms and battle ten- derly tells us how nobly died our true, faith- ful, courageous young lieutenant. How could a soldier find a more appropriate death? We mourn his early fall, even though he died glo- riously. For it is our grief that our ears shall hear no more his sprightly footsteps and his cheerful voice; that our eyes shall no more behold his tall and vigorous form. His bril- liant eyes will no more flash responsive to our looks of love. His dark glossy hair feels the dampness of the grave, and the earth has hid those handsome, manly features from our sight till the morning of the resurrection.

He has finished his work on earth. He will toil no more for his kindred and his coun- try. He will die no more for us all-for us all. It remains for us to cherish his memory, to emulate his virtues, and to receive the in- spiration and the consolation which properly come from his noble, unselfish life and his gen- erous and courageous death.

His readiness for the most burdensome and dangerous labors and exploits should animate us to perform our respective duties with alac- rity and faithfulness, and to bear our heaviest burdens with fortitude and submission to God's holy will and providence.

The example of good men, whether old or young-whether in ancient times or in these days-should encourage us to walk in the footsteps of the one perfect Man, who was also God manifest in the flesh, and who died for us all, that we through him might have forgiveness of sins, and strong consolation in the deepest afflictions and sorrows.

The grace of God in Christ Jesus affords the best relief for the hearts that grieve over the bereavements of earth. The father of all

can make the severest anguish of his children work for their future and eternal joy. To these bereaved kindred he can make the death of their beloved one work a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory than all the fame and honors of the world.

Oh may this mournful event promote in then and in us all the proper preparation for deatlı, judgment, and heaven; so that when- ever may come the hour of our departure from these earthly scenes, we may each be ready to say unto God, "Here am I; send me."

The foremost living historian of Suffolk county and, indeed, the Nestor of its histori- cal students, is Mr. William S. Pelletreau. He has been and still is a diligent student of our old records and has the happy faculty of making even the dryest of them tell an inter- esting story. His recent work on Early New Yorks Wills, issued by the New York Histor- ical Society, and his volume on the Records of Southampton, are cases in point, and in both there is hardly a page from which some detail of general interest could not be gath- ered, and yet their local character is thor- oughly preserved. Both books received quite commendatory notices at the hands of the critics of the country, while the long extracts which appeared in the daily press showed the valute placed on their contents. Mr. Pelle- treau is still closely studying the story of Suf- folk county and every now and again hits upon a discovery which is at once given to the world: with the same honest enthusiasm which Sir Walter Scott-the prince of antiquaries-used' to announce the literary and historical results of one of his tours to the Borderland or the- Highlands.

The family to which Mr. Pelletreau by his life work and his many brilliant talents has added additional honor, has long been one of the most prominent in the county. He has sketched its history so briefly and pithily that we here reproduce his own record:

The ancestors of the Pelletreau family were Huguenots who upon the revocation of the edict of Nantes fled from France and sought safety and religious freedom in a for-

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HISTORY OF LONG ISLAND.

eign clime. The first of the family in Amer- ica were Jean Pelletreau and wife Magdalena, and their nephews Jean and Elie, the latter having two sons, Jean and Elie (these names were soon anglicised into John and Elias). These were direct descendants from an ances- tor who was physician to Admiral Coligny, and like his illustrious patron perished in the massacre of Saint Bartholomew, August 23, 1572. King Charles IX granted him a coat of arms July 17, 1571. The following is a translation of the description :

"Azure, upon a column in pale or, encir- cled with a serpent proper, and bordered on the dexter and sinister sides by a martlet, or; crest, a helmet."

Jean Ist was naturalized in New York Sep- tember 22, 1687, and died in 1700. His wife Magdalena died in 1702, without children. Jean 2nd died in 1703, childless. He and his brother Elie were naturalized July 10, 1696. The native place of this family was the village of Arces, in what is now the Department of Charente Inferieure. They were all members of the French church in New York, and in their wills left funds toward the support of its poor. Their names are found in connection with the troubles in that church, as in favor of Rev. Lewis Row (see Documentary History of New York, Vol. III).

Elie Pelletreau died in 1730, leaving sons Elias, Paul, Francis, John and Benjamin, and a daughter Magdalena. Elias died before his father, leaving a wife, Elizabeth. John also died before his father, and left daughters Mary and Elizabeth. Paul is supposed to have had a son Elias, who had children Elias, Samuel, Mary and John. From the first of these are descended the families now living in the city of Brooklyn. Benjamin was the youngest son and is not known to have left descendants.

Francis Pelletreau is said to have been au infant at the time when the family left France in 1686. He came to Southampton, L. I., in 1717. He married Jane, widow of Richard Osborn, September 26, 1721, and by this mar- riage had two children-Mary, born Novem- ber 30, 1723, and Elias, born May 31, 1726. His wife Jane died December 6, 1733, aged thirty-eight. His second wife was Mary King, widow of Joseph King, of Sonthold, and daughter of Judge Thomas Chatfield, of East Hampton. She was born September 12, 1707, and was married to Mr. King September 9,

1731. He died while on a visit to his father- in-law at East Hampton, November 6, 1732, aged twenty-five. Mrs. King married Francis Pelletreau September 4, 1734, and they had children Hugh and Hannah, born in 1735. Francis Pelletreau was a merchant. In 1728 he purchased the homestead of Samuel Wood- ruff in Southampton village, and this place re- mained in the hands of his descendants until 1866, and is now the residence of Josiah Fos- ter. The old house remained standing till 1881; it was the last house on Long Island that retained the old-fashioned rhomboidal panes of glass set in lead, and from these it was known as "the house with diamond win- dows." In 1737 Francis Pelletreatt went to London to undergo a surgical operation, and died from its effects September 26. His widow married Judge Hugh Gelston, February 23, 1737, and died September 1, 1775.

Mary, eldest child of Francis Pelletreau, died July 6, 1736. Hugh died when a child. Hannah married Edward, son of Rev. Silvanus White, in 1757, and died March 1, 1810.

Elias Pelletreau married Sarah, daughter of Judge Hugh Gelston, December 29, 1748, and had five children, viz .: Jane, born May 13, 1750, married Judge Pliny Hillyer, of Simsbury, Conn., whose descendants are now living in Westfield, Mass .; Francis, born May 15, 1752, died September 29, 1765; Hugh born November 25, 1762, died July 30, 1771 ; John, born July 29, 1755, died August 26, 1822 ; Elias, born August 29, 1757, died Octo- ber 10, 1831.

The last named married Hannah, daughter of Colonel Josiah Smith, of Moriches, August 7, 1782, and had children: Francis, born May 16, 1784; Elias Smith, born May 18, 1789, died September 30, 1821 ; Maltby, born March 23, 1791.

Hannah Pelletreau, wife of Elias 2nd, died July 11, 1804, and he married Milicent Post, December 21 of the same year, and by her had one son, Paul, who died when a child.

Elias Smith Pelletreatt married Hannah, daughter of Oliver Smith, of Moriches, and had a son, Jesse Woodhull Pelletrean, who died in 1878, leaving children Mary (wife of Hon. John S. Havens of Moriches, Jessie and Legrand.

Maltby married Jane Joralemon, of New York, and left children William Upson, Malt- by and Francis.

Francis married Mary Conkling, of Islip,

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and left children Henry and Cornelia ; the lat- ter married Rev. Ralph Smith; the former died childless.

Elias 2nd married Sarah Conkling, daugh- ter of Zebulon Conkling, of East Hampton, June 28, 1786. They had no children. His wife Sarah died April 14, 1784, aged fifty- three.

The descendants of John Pelletreau, son of Elias Ist, were as follows :

John married Mary, daughter of Dr. Will- iam Smith, April 9, 1785, and had six chil- dren, viz .: William Smith, born June 8, 1786, died March 15, 1842 ; Nathaniel, born Septem- ber 18, 1787, died January 5, 1823; Sarah, born July 19, 1789, died April 15, 1839; Charles, born December 9, 1791, died Febru- ary 24, 1863; Edwin, born January II, 1795. died 1840; John, born February 15, 1804, died December 2, 1817. Mary, wife of John Pelle- treau, died December 2, 1817, aged fifty-eight.

William Smith, son of John Pelletreau, married Nancy Mackey, daughter of David Mackey, May 23, 1810, and had children : Al- bert died May 19, 1843, aged thirty-two; George died December 21, 1832, aged twenty; Jane married I man Lewis, of Westfield, Massachusetts; Gilbert died in 1864; Alex- ander, born March 4, 1829, now in California ; Mary Gelston, wife of William Green, Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin ; Frances, wife of William I. Mathews, Washington, Pennsylvania.

Nancy, wife of William S. Pelletreau, died April 22, 1832, aged 44, and he married Eliza- beth, daughter of Colonel Isaac Welles, of Westfield, Massachusetts, June 26, 1839, and had children : Helen, now president of Penn- sylvania Female College, Pittsburg, Pennsyl- vania; William Smith (the historian), and George, Virginia City, Nevada.

Nathaniel, son of John, married Harriet Crittenden, and had children: Walter; Mary, wife of Daniel Jagger; and Maria, wife of Albert Jagger.

The Dering family, which for so long was closely connected with the progress of Shelter Island, was descended from Henry Dering, a native of Dorsetshire, England, who came to America in 1660. He became a merchant in Boston, and at the time of his death, in 1717, was a member of the Governor's Council. His grandson, Thomas, settled on Shelter Island,

and as the husband of Mary Sylvester, heiress of Brinley Sylvester, he was practically lord of the manor. In the time of the Revolution he cast in his lot with the Continental Patriots, but after the result of the battle of Brooklyn became known, deemed it prudent to retire to Connecticut like so many Long Island Whigs too old to fight or not possessing fighting qual- ities. He died in 1785, leaving two sons, Syl- vester and Henry Packer, and a daughter. Sylvester made his home on Shelter Island and did much to beautify it. He was the first to introduce merino sheep into America and add- ed considerably to his wealth by the develop- ment of that stock. Having been appointed a brigadier-general of militia, he became quite an authority on military matters after his own notions like most of the old time "militia sol- diers," and, like them, he was proud of his title and liked to be addressed as "General" to the end of his life journey. He was super- visor of the town of Shelter Island for many years, and in 1804 was elected a member of Assembly. His death, on October 8, 1820, was the result of an accident. The younger brother of this warrior-stock raiser, Henry Packer Dering, was appointed collector of the port of Sag Harbor by President Washington, and was one of the most honored of the busi- ness men of that place. He died in 1822.

In Huntington Jonas Wood became one of the first settlers and the ancestor of a long line of men and women who were highly honored in that township and wherever the changes of life carried them. The best known of them all, Silas Wood, has been called the first historian of Long Island. He was born at West Hills, Huntington, September 14, 1769, and was edu- cated at Princeton, where he was graduated in 1793. He seems to have then studied law. Two years later he was elected to the Assem- bly, and when his service at Albany was over he practiced as a lawyer in Huntington. In 1817 he was elected a member of Congress and served in that capacity for five terms in suc- cession. In 1828 he was defeated of re-elec-

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tion and retired to private life. He died in 1847. His most noted work was his "Sketch of the First Settlement of the Several Towns on Long Island," and a brief sketch of the his- tory of Huntington. It is said that during his last years he engaged in a series of extended theological studies and wrote quite volumi- nously upon religious matters. But as the end drew near he began to feel dissatisfied with some of the opinions he had expressed and burned every line he had written.

Several of the descendants of the Rev. Joshua Hartt are still to be found in Hunting- ton, and as he may be regarded as the founder of the family and certainly as the most not- able of the name, we may here present a sketch of his extraordinary career, written by Mr. Charles R. Street, the learned and painstaking annalist of Huntington :

Joshua Hartt was born at Dix Hills, near Huntington, September 17, 1738. He gradu- ated from Princeton College, New Jersey, in 1770, and was ordained and installed pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Smithtown, Long Island, April 29, 1774. He married Abi- gail Howell, of Moriches, by whom he had ten children. After the Revolution he went to Fresh Ponds, where he preached many years. During the Revolutionary War his bold and uncompromising advocacy of the cause of his country caused him to be arrested a number of times by the adherents of the king. Once he was brought before the court martial held at Lloyd's Neck, but he was admonished and dis- charged. He was soon after arrested, tried and committed to the jail in New York City, where he remained from May 27, 1777, until October 25 of the same year. During this imprisonment he came near dying from want and disease brought on through cruel treat- ment by his jailer, the notorious Provost Mar- shal Cunningham. Among his fellow prison- ers was the celebrated Colonel Ethan Allen, with whom he was on terms of intimate friend- ship, although their views of spiritual matters were totally at variance, Allen being at the

time an infidel. While Mr. Hartt lay sick of a fever and his life was in danger Allen was active in his attention to the wants of the sick man, and by his lively manner and cheerful conversation did much to make his sickness and confinement endurable. It was during Mr. Hartt's illness that Allen one day knelt down by his bedside and made a most fervent prayer for his restoration to health. (See Onder- donk's Annals.) Soon after this Mr. Hartt, probably by the influence of some Tory friend, was released from prison upon parole, and when he was about leaving Allen took him by the hand and said: "Good bye, Mr. Hartt; when you go home tell your wife that while you were sick and nigh unto death, Ethan Al- len, a servant of the Most High God, prayed over you, and you recovered."

Although released from prison, he was not free from persecution. On one occasion while- he was preaching in the church at Smithtown Branch a bullet was fired at him, lodging in the wall just above his head, where the mark remained for many years. For some time after the return of peace in 1783 Mr. Hartt was engaged with others in making surveys of the state lands in the neighborhood of Whitestown, Oneida county, New York. In 1790 he and Rev. Nathan Kerr were appointed® missionaries by the Presbyterian General As- sembly. They visited Whitestown, Cherry Valley and the Indian tribes of that vicinity. Their route was then regarded as in the far west.

During the war between this country and England in 1812 Mr. Hartt took strong ground in favor of sustaining the government in its efforts to punish Great Britain for her insolent treatment of our rights upon the seas. He preached several sermons in which he vin- dicated the acts of the government in declar- ing war, and in which he set forth the neces- sity of a hearty support of the government while prosecuting the same. These sermons- were printed in pamphlet form, and were ex- tensively circulated, several copies being still. preserved.

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A history of Long Island, from its earliest settlement to the present time, Part 110

Author: Ross, Peter. cn Publication date: 1902 Publisher: New York ; Chicago : The Lewis Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1188

Author: Ross, Peter. cn
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: New York ; Chicago : The Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1188