A history of Long Island, from its earliest settlement to the present time, Part 145

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

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Signed, sealed and delivered in ye presence of us-Tho. Townsend, Samuel Pell.

These mills appear to have done quite a large business, and indeed prosperity seems to have been the characteristic of life at Mosquito Cove until the crisis of 1776. Its people then were mainly found on the side of the Patriots, and quite a number of its youth-a company indeed-marched away to the scene of battle and gave up their lives under the leadership of the gallant Woodhull, whose own life was also sacrificed for the cause of liberty.

From the declaration of peace, Glen Cove seems to have been forgotten by the world, until about 1828, when a joint stock company was organized to run a steamer between it and New York and intermediate ports. A steamer, the Linneus, had for some time been run be- tween Glen Cove and New Rochelle by Capt. Peck. The stock company built a splendid new dock and the adventure proved quite a success. It is still continued, even although many thought that the railroad would force its cessation. Some of the most substantial boats that ever plied on Long Island Sound have been on this route, the "Flushing," "American Eagle," "Mayflower," "General Sedgwick," among them. Two of the boats, the "Glen

Cove" and the "Long Island," were sent South during the Civil War and were there burned. The saddest incident of the line's story was that of the burning of the "Seawanhake," on June 28, 1880. She had left her pier in New York on that date with some 300 passengers on board. When passing Ward's Island, the vessel seemed suddenly to become a mass of flames and the Captain hastily determined to run it on to a marsh known as the Sunken Meadows. By this action the lives of most of those on board were saved, but between deaths by burning and drowning the casualties reached 61.

It was the establishment of the Glen Cove Manufacturing Company-for the making of starch-in 1855 that has given to the village its position as a manufacturing place and made its name to be known almost all over the civil- ized world. The product was perfect from the start and speedily won its way, while the awards it received at the great London Exhi- bition of 1862 gave it a position which it has since maintained, that of making a starch which is not surpassed for purity by any in the world. The subsequent "world's exhibitions," Paris, Philadelphia, Chicago and others, have emphasized the praise bestowed on it by the London experts when it first entered into open competition with all other makes. Its first factory, erected in 1856, was destroyed by fire in February, 1858, but a new establishment was erected at once. Nowadays the company operates an immense establishment, and to it, more than to any other single agency, Glen Cove owes its eminence as the most richly pop- ulated village in Oyster Bay township, the lat- est returns placing it at 4,700.

It has been held that a Methodist congre- gation was formed in Glen Cove as early as 1785 under Jesse Coles as class leader. The services were held in private residences until 1827, when provision was made for them in the school building, and a Sabbath school or- ganized. In 1844 a church building was erec- ted, which gave way in 1861 to a much more

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commodious structure. St. Paul's Episcopal Church was founded here in 1833, and was at first closely associated with the church at Man- hassett, and a Presbyterian Church was organ- ized in 1868 with fifteen members.

Writing of Glen Cove, a recent guide-book says: "Adjacent to Glen Cove is the Pratt property, an estate of eight hundred acres, magnificently located, with a frontage on Long Island Sound. On the Pratt estate is the tomb of the late Charles Pratt, in his lifetime the most prominent personage identified with Glen Cove. He located his country home upon the estate above referred to, and established a model educational school building for the town, which he designed to stand as his most endur- ing monument. He died before the realization of his hopes, but his sons carried out as a sa- cred injunction the favorite design of his life- time, and the building was dedicated with due solemnity on May 24, 1893. The institution maintains an agricultural department which is operated upon a portion of the estate, and here the students are initiated into the best and lat- est researches of modern farming. Contiguous to the Pratt estate the veteran editor of the New York "Sun," recently deceased, laid out his magnificent possessions, known as "Dana Island." This beautiful property is known far and wide, and the late Charles A. Dana lav- ished upon it a constant and unremitting care. It is as celebrated in the records of horticulture as the famous Shaw's Garden of St. Louis, and contains trees, plants, and shrubs collected from every portion of the globe. Dull care and business were never allowed to enter this ideal spot. To Mr. Dana it was a happy Val- ley of Rasselas. His last hours were spent here, and the estate is to be maintained in its integrity and beauty with the same reverent care as was lavished upon it by its lamented owner."

Sea Cliff, which might be called a suburb of Glen Cove, was founded in 1871 as a re- ligious settlement by a corporation having its headquarters in New York. It was to be a

place for the summer residence of Christian families of moderate means, where they might lease a small plot of ground, erect modest cot- tages and enjoy fresh air and rest with such spiritual enjoyments as camp meetings and other forms of public worship. The ground was at first intended to be leased, not sold, and an annual rent of ten dollars on each lot was to be devoted to paying the interest on the money invested and in improving the grounds, opening up and grading the streets, policing, etc. But the beauty of the place soon over- turned these primitive calculations, and after a while the early restrictions were abandoned, the streets were widened, the size of the lots increased, and palatial villas began to arise beside the modest cottages, The system of leasing gave way to selling outright, and Sea Cliff is now one of the most popular of Long Island's "summer" cities, and has a population estimated at 1,475. It has good hotels, splen- did bathing accommodations, and in many re- spects is a model settlement.

East Norwich was named after their fa- ther's birthplace in England by James and George Townsend, sons of John Townsend, of Oyster Bay. They secured a tract of land in 1680, about two miles south of Oyster Bay village, and around their farms a small village gradually sprang up. It was never very popu- lous, it now only claims 425, but at an early period in its history it became a centre of Methodism, and the light started there in 1784 is still burning. The history of East Nor- wich really centres round its little Methodist church, and as it is curious in many ways the following story of its career by Mr. H. H. Frost may not be without interest to the gen- eral reader :

"The Rev. Philip Cox, a Methodist minis- ter belonging to the Jamaica circuit, preached in this place in 1784. Services were held at private houses. From 1784 to 1822 traveling ministers of the Jamaica circuit officiated herc. In 1822 the Rev. Joshua Burch was located here, and held services at the residence of

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Thomas Cheshire. During the summer of 1833 a grove meeting was held at Muttontown, then called Christian Hill. This grove meet- ing was a memorable one ; out of it grew a well organized and efficient working Methodist so- ciety in this place, and the erection of a suit- able building. About forty persons were con- verted upon this occasion, and among them we find the name of James Vernon. The first thought of this good man after his conversion was to devise plans for a suitable place of wor- ship. He aroused enthusiasm among a few neighbors. They held a meeting in a barn now standing, drew up a paper stating their object, and Mr. Vernon started the list of subscribers with $40, a very large sum in those days. At- tached to this paper are seventy-four names, with the amount promised. George Peters, Thomas Cheshire, Henry Cheshire, John Nos- trand, Abraham Remsen, Catherine, Mary and Sally Peters and Andrew C. Hegeman gave $25 each ; Thomas Cheshire and William Dur- yea, $20 each ; John Van Cott, $15; Jackson Vernon, George Remsen, John Jackson, John Layton, John Cheshire, Charles Cheshire, Jo- seph White, C. & J. Stores, Samuel Mott, Gid- eon Wright and Townsend W. Burtis, $10 each ; and others from five dollars down to one as they were able. The members of the Soci- ety of Friends also contributed liberally.

"The church was built in 1834, and it has been of great use and benefit to the entire neighborhood. It is 31 by 37 feet, located just south of the village, and is worth, with the ground attached, about $2,500. The site was a gift from James Vernon. The parsonage, situated a short distance north of the village, is a two-story structure, built in 1866 or 1867, and, with the plot of ground, worth perhaps $1,500."

Bethpage is another community which for long was a religious center. Thomas Powell, a Quaker from Huntington, bought a large tract of land in 1695, and in 1698 a Friends meeting was established, which was main- tained until a year or two ago, when it seems to have died out. The population at present

is given as 150, and brickmaking is the only industry, excepting farming.

A much more important religious center was Jericho, a pleasant village near the center of the town. It was settled first about 1650, and the present population of 325 is mainly descended from the first settlers, such as Sea- mans, Willets, Underhill, Williams. In early times Jericho was known as "The Farms," or Springfield, and the Indians called it Lu- sum. Most of the early settlers were of the Society of Friends, and meetings for worship were held in the homes of the people with more or less frequency from 1676 to 1787, when a regular meeting house was built. In that tabernacle some wonderful reunions have been held, and Elias Hicks preached in it for several years. It is still a place of worship, but the old palmy days have gone, althoughi the sixty members on its roll make up a con- gregation as earnest and devoted as any that ever assembled in its walls.

The mention of the venerated name of Elias Hicks recalls to us the town named in his memory and which, although it seemed for a long time incapable of growth, now has a population of 1,300, a number of factories and industries, and appears destined to grow stead- ily in importance as a manufacturing center, even if it fails to become a resort. It was founded in 1836, when a number of members of the Society of Friends bought part of the land on which it is situated, and laid out a few streets on a map and gave it the name of Hicksville. But the population expected did not appear, and the place seemed dead. In 1842 the Long Island Railway reached it and built a station, an engine house and some storage places, and on the strength of all that the original projectors took heart and erected a hotel and a dozen cottages. But the venture even then seemed a failure. For some reason or other the Rev. Dr. Prime, the historian, was bitterly opposed to Hicksville, mainly be- cause he was opposed to the doctrines of Elias Hicks. He wrote in 1845:

"It [Hicksville] is a village of recent origin

Theodore Roosevelt-

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situated on the western line of the town about midway of the great plain. It originally con- sisted of a large depot and workshops, a hotel with its outhouses and five or six small private dwellings. The railroad having been ex- tended to Greenport in 1844, the depot being burned down about the same time, and no ad- ditions whatever being made to the private dwellings, the 'village' bids fair to remain in statu quo. Its business, however, is undi- minished, as it is a point at which several stages and private conveyances arrive daily with passengers from the adjoining villages, and after remaining an hour or two depart with their return cargoes. Of course, its prin- cipal trade consists of hay and oats for horses, and cakes and pies and coffee, or whisky, for men, all of which are articles of foreign pro- duction, as there is no land under cultiva- tion. Indeed, all the houses stand 'out of doors' without any enclosure except a small garden attached to the hotel. And although the whole territory is as level as a barn floor and building lots can be purchased far cheap- er than in New York, the public seems de- termined not to buy them. * * It does not seem likely to be selected as a place of residence of any man in his senses. East New York and Jamesport are privileged spots compared with Hicksville. The name may live, but the 'village' is a miserable abortion."

All of which is another instance proving that while Dr. Prime may have been a very good preacher, he was a mighty poor prophet. In 1849 Frederick Heyne purchased 1,000 acres of land and several others, Germans, like himself, also purchased land in the vicinity. In 1850 the idea was broached of making Hicksville a German settlement, and the idca was quickly put into practice. Streets were again surveyed and lots staked out, and in 1852 a school house was erected. The people, mostly Germans, began to buy up the lots and build, and long before Dr. Prime died, in 1856, he could have seen a thriving village rising on the spot concerning which he uttered his sar- casms and his lamentations.

Farmingdale is a thriving village of some 1,600 inhabitants, and with its church, educa- tional advantages, its School of Technology, its one or two factories, and its beautiful sit- uation, it is one of the pleasantest little towns to be met with even in Long Island. It lies at the foot of the Comac Hills and is really one of the healthiest places to be found within a wide circle of New York. In olden times it rejoiced in the name of Hardscrabble, but how or when such a cognomen was first ap- plied has not come down to us in any sat- isfactory shape.

Among the other villages in Oyster Bay township mention might be made of Glen Head, "a summer city," with a population of 500; Plainview, 230; South Oyster Bay, 475; Syosset, 368; Wheatly, 175; Laurelton, 125; Greenvale, 192; Central Park, 375; Bayville, 400; Glenwood Landing, 268; Mill Neck, 200; New Cassell, 225; Woodbury, 350; and Plain Edge, 137.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF PRESIDENT ROOSE- VELT.

The eyes of the nation have never been turned with more anxious questioning to one man than to Theodore Roosevelt; they now rest upon him with good will, confidence and trust. Under the administration of President Mckinley the country had enjoyed over four years of marked growth, advancement and progress. Through his kindly nature, his great diplomacy and powers of statescraft he had done more than any other individual to bring the whole country into harmony and unity, and had given it prestige among the great world powers. The marvelous hold which he had upon the affections of the peo- ple, east and west, north and south, was mani- fest in the universal grief which reached its culmination in the five minutes of absolute si- lence which prevailed throughout the land in every avenue of life as the hour for his burial arrived.

And the people turned to their new ruler anxiously and yet with faith in their hearts,

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HISTORY OF LONG ISLAND.

for he had proved his bravery on the San Juan hills, had manifested the purity and strength of his purpose in public office and in his earn- est and purposeful way had shown himself to- be the peer of some of the most gifted men of the nation. He is, however, the youngest chief executive that has presided over the destinies of the United States, but since he has handled the reins of government he has shown a won- derful insight into public affairs of every de- scription. The man of war has become the

QUI PLANTAVIT

CURABIT

Roosevelt.

man of peace; the man of action has become the man of thought ; his diplomacy has elicited the highest commendation ; and while his great strength of purpose has in no wise diminished, he has directed it in different channels, having marked influence upon the public good.

President Roosevelt springs from one of the old and distinguished families of German orig- in. This family was one of considerable import- ance in Holland, as shown by the coat of armor, indicating the origin of the family. Arms, ar- gent on a mount vert, a rose bush with three roses ppr .; crest, three ostrich feathers per pale, gules and argent ; motto, Qui plantavit

curabit [the one who planted it will take care of it]. This is the same in substance as that borne on the arms of the State of Connecti- cut, viz., Qui transtulit sustinet [he who trans- planted sustains].

Claes Martinzen Van Roosevelt, meaning Nicholas the son of Martin, of the Rosefield, who emigrated to America from Holland in 1654, was the first of the name in this country. His descendants intermarried with the Schuy- lers, Bogaerts, Provosts, Van Schaicks, De- Peysters, Latrobes, Hoffmans, Barclays, Van Courtlandts, Lispenards, etc. The family early obtained an extensive tract of land in New York city, extending from Chatham street to the East river, lying between Pearl, Roosevelt and Catharine streets, or, as it was originally called, Ruger's old farm. Hence in this way and by its commercial enterprises it has become affluent. . The family has been represented in Colonial and State affairs through every gen- eration down to the present period, and owing to the achievements of the present representa- tive of the family the name is as familiar to every schoolboy throughout the country as is that of Washington or Grant.

The wife of Claes Martinzen Van Roose- velt was Jannetje Samuels or Thomas, prob- ably the latter.

Nicholas Roosevelt, fourth child of Claes and Jannetje Roosevelt, was baptized October 2, 1658, and married December 26, 1682, Hey- tje Jans, who was an Alderman of New York, 1698 to 1701. He removed to Esopus, and died July 30, 1742.

Johannes Roosevelt, eldest child of Nich- olas and Heytje (Jans) Roosevelt, was bap- tized February 27, 1689. He was assistant Alderman of New York from 1717 till 1727 and Alderman from 1730 until 1733. He married Heltje Sjverts. This name is also spelled Hyla Suerts in the Dutch records of New York. She was the daughter of Olphert Suerts, who married Margrieji Cloppers, born May 30, 1708, a daughter of Cornelius Jansen Cloppers.

Jacobus Roosevelt, fifth child of Johannes,

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was born August 14, 1724. He married An- netje Bogart, and his second wife was Ele- nora Thompson. The sixth of their seven children was Jacobus Roosevelt, who was born October 25, 1759, and died August 13, 1840. He was known as James I. Roosevelt, and was commissary during the war of the Revolution, giving his services gratuitously. "Getting supplies" for the Continental army became so impressed on his mind as to enter into his every-day transactions, and long after the war, whenever he went to market, as was the cus- tom of the head of the family in those days, taking a servant along to carry the basket, he always referred to it as going for "supplies." He married Mary Van Schaick.

Cornelius Van Schaick Roosevelt, youngest child of Jacobus (2), was born January 30, 1794. From his father and grandfather he in- herited a large fortune, and this he augmented by various successful financial ventures, be- coming one of the richest men in New York. For many years he was engaged in the impor- tation of hardware and plate glass. He was one of those who founded the Chemical Bank on the single principle of honesty, and that in- stitution has never failed to pay its obligations in gold, and during the Civil war redeemed its notes at one time at $280 in greenbacks. He introduced in business the principle of giving no notes. Mr. Roosevelt married Margaret Barnhill, of Pennsylvania and of Scotch-Irish ancestry. Her grandfather was Thomas Potts, a member of the Continental Congress. The issue of this marriage was: Weir, C. V. S., Jr., James A., Robert and Theodore ( Ist).

Theodore Roosevelt (I), youngest child of Cornelius Van Schaick Roosevelt and Mar- garet ( Barnhill) Roosevelt his wife, was born in New York city, September 29, 1831, and died there February 9, 1878. He joined the firm of Roosevelt & Company, glass importers, then located at No. 2 Maiden Lane, and continued in that business till 1876, when he established a banking house in partnership with his son at No. 32 Pine street. Mr. Roosevelt was among the pioneers in the development of

what was known as the up-town district of Manhattan island. He built an elegant resi- dence on West Fifty-seventh street, and there he passed the last hours of his life.

At the time of his death Mr. Roosevelt was one of the three state commissioners of public charities, a position for which he was admir- ably fitted by his experience and his peculiar devotion to philanthropic enterprises. He was vice-president of the Union League Club and a member of the Century, St. Nicholas and various kindred organizations. When Arthur was supposed to be on the point of giving up the position of collector of the port of New York, attention was turned upon Mr. Roose- velt as a gentleman conspicuously fitted for it, and one who, it was thought, would discharge its functions to the advantage of the com- munity and his own honor. At first an oppo- sition was made on account of his participa- tion in an importing business from which some believed he had not entirely alienated himself. He was tendered the position by President Hayes, but the senate, for the above named reasons, failed to confirm the appoint- ment.

Mr. Roosevelt's charitable enterprises were so numerous and varied in character that it is difficult to refer to them all, but perhaps no more useful institution owes to him a share of its paternity than the Orthopaedic Hospital in Fifty-ninth street, near Ninth avenue, New York. Knowing that prompt and skilled treatment would in many instances spare the victims of accident or disease from becoming deformed, he had lent his best exertions to establish an institution where such permanent treatment would be readily accessible. The Newsboys' Lodging House is also deeply in- debted to him for its success. From its in- ception he paid special attention to the de- velopment of its resources and the perfection of its management. The up-town branch of the establishment devolved entirely upon him for a support which was liberally accorded. He also greatly enlisted himself in the Young Men's Christian Association, and aided by his

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counsel and his purse in developing its use- fulness. In fact, during a business career which absorbed a great part of his time and thought for the amelioration of his fellow creatures' conditions, he was evolving plans for having charity more widely distributed and turned to the best advantage. When the scheme of uniting all benevolent organizations for the purpose of mutual assistance and gen- eral co-operation was proposed, Mr. Roose- velt warmly encouraged the movement. He took part in organizing the Bureau of United Charities, which he believed would subserve a great object, but was forced with his asso- ciates to give over his design by the disinclina- tion of some charitable institutions to make their methods and resources public.

He married Martha, daughter of James and Martha Oswald Bulloch, of Roswell, Georgia. Her maternal great-grandfather was Daniel Stewart, who joined the Revolu- tionary army when a boy and was captured by the British, but escaped from a prison ship and afterward served as captain under Sumter and Marion. Martha Bulloch's paternal grandfa- ther was James Bulloch, who was a captain of the Georgia troops in the Revolution and an original member of the Society of the Cin- cinnati. James Bulloch's father was Archi- bald Bulloch, first Revolutionary Governor of Georgia, who married Mary de Vaux, whose paternal grandfather, a Huguenot, fled from France after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Her maternal grandfather was Ed- ward Bellinger, one of the Carolina land- graves. Archibald Bulloch's father was James Bulloch, who came from Scotland about 1715 and settled in Georgia, was a member of the Provincial Congress, and held positions of honor and trust. He was a blood relative of the Douglasses, Bartons and other prominent families. Their children were Anna, wife of Captain W. S. Cowles, of the United States Navy: Theodore; Elliott; and Corinne, the wife of Douglas Robinson, Jr. Mrs. Roose- velt died February 15, 1884. She was a member of the Rev. Dr. Hall's church, and

took a deep interest in many charities, inclutd- ing the Orthopaedic Hospital, of which her husband was one of the founders.

Theodore Roosevelt, the leading subject of this sketch, was born in New York city, Oc- tober 27, 1858, and was graduated at Harvard with the class of 1880. Among the early New York families to establish a summer home at Oyster Bay, Long Island, was that of Corne- lius Van Schaick Roosevelt, the grandfather of the President. The place where he re- sided was known as Tranquillity, and to him it was all that the name implied-rest, peace and quietness. His son, Theodore Roosevelt, Sr., became very much attached to the place and spent the long summer and autumn months at this most delightful resort. Thus it hap- pened that the early childhood of young Theo- dore was spent amid these surroundings. It was said that "he was a mere wisp of a boy, pale and puny, without health or strength; but he had a will, and determined to over- come his lack of physical vigor." The boys in the neighborhood knew him as the wiry, earnest, determined little fellow, perfectly fearless and ready to encounter any difficulty or danger that would add to his bodily health and strength. He "rode and swam and climbed and jumped ;" his "yacht" was a row- boat in which he could exercise his muscles and toughen every limb, and this "toughen- ing" process was continued years after on his western ranch.

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A history of Long Island, from its earliest settlement to the present time, Part 145

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