A history of Long Island, from its earliest settlement to the present time, Part 163

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

USA > New York > A history of Long Island, from its earliest settlement to the present time > Part 163

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"Against whose breast the everlasting surge Long traveling on and ominous of wrath Forever beats."

From Amagansett to Montauk Point is a region of desolation and gloom. Sand every- where, sand in all the shapes which nature can twist it, dunes and hills and wide rolling ex- panse. It is said that this territory was once fairly well wooded in spots, but we find no

signs of the forests now and the spots appear to have vanished. Sand, sand everywhere, and long stretches of solitude, the Montauk penin- sula looks as if it were intended by nature to be left alone by man. Yet the railroad runs through it now almost to the point, and it does not need much of prophetic power to say that within a quarter of a century this will rank among the favorite resorts along the Atlantic coast, and that it will be one gorgeous par- terre-for three months in each year at least. The western division of the township presents different characteristics. Facing Gardiner's Bay, its coast line is rocky, but except on the coast there is no elevation of the land, and it descends by an easy gradiant to the Atlantic which fringes it with a sandy bulwark. In the west and north are quite extensive ranges of forests. The farming lands, which extend to where the Montauk peninsula begins, are fairly productive, and though the holdings, as a gen- eral rule, are small, they support a thrifty and settled population.

The first section of the township to be actually settled by white men was Gardiner's Island, which, in 1639, as we have seen, be- came the property and the home of Lion Gar- diner. The settlement of East Hampton, in 1648, seems to have been simply a part of the extension movement of Connecticut, and from the first the colony recognized itself as an in- tegral part of that commonwealth. The gen- eral opinion of its early settlement is that ex- pressed by Professor Johnston in his mono- graph on "Connecticut," that it was a party of pioneers from Lynn for whom the land com- posing the township was originally secured, and in French's Gazetteer, a most valuable work which seems now forgotten, we read: "Settlement in the western part of the town was commenced in 1648 by a company of Eng- lish families from Lynn, Mass. The trust- ecs named in the patent were John Mulford, Thomas Baker, Thomas Chatfield, Jeremialı Concklyn, Stephen Hedges, Thomas Osborne, sen., and John Osborne." But Mr. Pelletreau

EAST HAMPTON.

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seems to incline to the opinion that it was really an overflow colony from Southampton. He says: "The first settlers of this town, the men for whom Governors Eaton and Hopkins purchased the territory, were John Hand, Thomas Talmadge, Daniel Howe, Thomas Thompson, John Stratton, Robert Bond, Rob- ert Rose, Joshua Barnes and John Mulford. Of the above all were originally settlers in Southampton," and their names appear in the

The truth of the early settlement of East Hampton appears to be that its foundation was a part of the colonizing policy of Connecticut, based, as Professor Johnston remarks, upon "a provident determination on the part of the peo- ple to give their commonwealth respectable limits and to turn to account every favoring circumstance in that direction." The reports from Southampton, probably made by its representatives in 1644, showed that there was

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CLINTON ACADEMY, EAST HAMPTON.

early records of that township. With the ex- ception of Daniel How, not one had any pre- vious residential connection with Lynn. The first name given to the settlement was Maid- stone, and this has given rise to a tradition that many of the early settlers were from that Kentish village, but this tradition has not been verified, and in reality seems to have no found- ation. Probably it was the name of a trading ship. At all events it was never formally adopt- ed, although long used in local documents.

room for another settlement on its eastern side, and a beginning was made to secure the terri- tory and hold it for future development. Many of the New England colonies were founded with the view of giving vent to religious ideas or to afford an escape from religious views, or to put in practice ideas regarding church and state which could best be carried to a practical conclusion by the working out of a distinct community, but this was not the case, so far as we can judge, with either of the Hamptons.

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HISTORY OF LONG ISLAND.

It was simply an early development of the principle of territorial acquisition, which has been a prime factor in American history from the earliest time until the present day.

The utmost care was taken in securing the land from the red men to prevent any trouble as to title, and so the first step of the represent- atives of the Connecticut Governors was to se- cure the joint assent of the Indian chiefs inter- ested to the deed of transfer, which deed reads as follows :

This present Writing testifieth an agree- ment between the Worshipful Theophilus Eaton. Esquire, Governor of the Colony of New Haven, And the Worshipful Edward Hopkins, Esquire, Governor of the Colony Connecticut, and their associates, on the one part, And Pogatacut, Sachem of Manhanset, Wyandanch, Sachem of Meantauket, Momo- woton, Sachem of Corchauk, Nowedonah, Sa- chem of Shinecock, and their assotyates, the other Part. The said Sachems having sould unto the foresayed Mr. Eaton and Mr. Hop- kins with their assotyates all the land lying from the bounds of the Inhabitants of South- ampton unto the East side of Napeak, next unto Meantacut highland, with the whole breadth from sea to sea, not intrenching upon any in length or breadth which the Inhabitants of Southampton have and do possess, as they by Lawfull right shall make appear; for and in Consideration of twentie coats, twenty-four looking glasses, twenty-four hoes, twenty-four hatchets, twenty-four knives, one hundred muxes, already received by us the forenamed Sachems, for ourselves and assotiates, and in consideration thereof wee doe give up unto the said Purchasers all our right and Interest in the said land to them and their heyres for ever.

Allsoe wee doe bind ourselves to secure their right from any claims of any others, whether Indians or other nations whatsoever, that doe or may hereafter challenge Interest therein. Allsoe wee the said Sachems have Covenanted to have Liberty to fish in any or all the creeks and ponds, and to hunt up and downe in the woods without Molestation, they giving the English Inhabitants noe just offence or Injurie to their goods or cattle. Lykewise they are to have the fyns and tayles of all such whales as shall be cast up, to their proper right, and desire they may be friendly dealt

with in ye other part. Allsoe they reserve lib- erty to fish in all convenient places for shells to make wampum. Allsoe if the Indyans hunt- ing of any deer they should chase them into ye water and the English should kill them, the English shall have the body and the Sachem the skin. And in Testimony of our well per- formance hereof we have sett to our hands the Day and yeare above written.

The mark of X POGGATACUT, Manhanset Sa- chem.

The mark of X WYANDANCH, Meantacut Sa- chen1.

The mark of X MOMOWETA, Corchake Sachem. The mark of X NOWEDONAH, Shinecock Sa- chem.

Witnesses to this : Richard Woodhull, Tho. Stanton, Robert Bond, Job Sayre, Chec- tanoe X his mark, their Interpreter.

Whereas, by direction from Theophilus Eaton, Esq., and Mr. Edward Hopkins, a pur- chase was made by Thomas Stanton and others of a part of the Eastern part of Long Island: of the Indian Sachems, the true proprietors thereof, in the name of Theophilus Eaton, Esq., aforesaid and myself with our associates, as by the said agreement dated the 29th of April 1648 may more fully appear, which said purchase was paid by me Edward Hopkins, and amounted to the sum of thirty pounds four shillings eight pence, as may appear by a note of particulars under the hand of Thomas Stan- ton, to whom the said sum was paid, now .de- livered to Robert Bond of East Hampton ; this writing witnesseth that I have received the fore-mentioned sum of thirty pounds four shil- lings eight pence, of the Inhabitants of East Hampton, and have delivered unto them the writings of the said purchase, and all the in- terest that thereby was purchased. In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed, the 16th of April 1651. I say received £30 4s &d per me, EDWARD HOPKINS.

This purchase only included the lands, roughly speaking, westward from Amagan- sett. From there to the Point was reserved by the Indians, and probably when the wide stretch of sand was seen by the first settlers it excited no desire in their hearts. But it was not for long. In 1660 a deed for the whole of the Montauk Peninsula was given by the In- dians, somewhat provisional in its nature and

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EAST HAMPTON.

evidently inspired by fear that their old ene- mies, the Narragansetts, would come over and claim the territory. In 1661 "Sunk Squaw, widow of Wyandanch," and her son, Wian- kombone, and others, transferred to Thomas Baker, Robert Bond, Thomas James, Lion Gardiner, John Mulford, John Hand, Benja- min Price, "together with their associates, the inhabitants of East Hampton," the lands on the peninsula. In 1670 another slice-between Fort Point and Great Pond-was given up, and in 1687 a final deed transferred the re- mainder of the peninsula-and thereafter the red man's connection with the lands of the royal race was simply one of sufferance. Thus the power of expansion ceased, but it was not until the middle of the nineteenth century that East Hampton really began to extend much beyond the clearance effected during the first fifty years after her settlement as a township.

As usual, the town meeting managed every- thing excepting grave cases-and these were few, the queer case of Goody "Garlick" being the gravest as well as the most noted of any. The "court of three men" tried all other cases, and the edicts of the courts, of the town meet- ing and-after a while-of the commonwealth across the Sound, were carried into effect by the constable. That official was quite a per- sonage in all the townships. "In the little town republics," writes Prof. Johnson, "the ancient and honorable office of constable was the con- necting link between the commonwealth and town. The constable published the common- wealth laws of his town, kept the 'publike peace' of the town and commonwealth, levied the town's share of the commonwealth taxa- tion, and went 'from howse to howse' to notify the freemen of meetings of the General Court, and of the time and place of elections of depu- ties thereto. 'The parisli,' says [John] Selden, 'makes the constable, and when the constable is made he governs the parish.'" But in the case of East Hampton the constable was not left entirely to his own devices. He was the actual representative and embodiment of the

law, its executive, but he does not seem to have had the power to "govern the parish at any time, even between the dates of the town meeting. The local court was always in ses- sion, or ready to be called in session, and it, under the town meeting, was the real "ruler of the parish," rather than the constable, whose doings and dictums could be overruled by it on short notice, should occasion arise. But it is fair to say that the records of East Hampton do not show that any such "clash of author- ity" ever developed in its early history.

On entering upon his office the constable took an oath to carry on his work "without respect of persons * * * according to God, according to the trust committed to you." In 1650.we read "there were chosen 4 men with the constable for ye orderinge of ye affairs of ye town, and it is ordered that any two of them shall have power to grant a warrant for ye bringing of any delinquent before them in any case ; also ye said 5 men shall have power to try any case under ye sum of 40 shillings ; but if any case or action be to be tryed that is above, then it is to be tryed by a jury of seven men." Thus the constable had not full power to make arrests, the warrant had to be signed by two, but it would seem that he could even sit in judgment in the "cases" which by his office he was the means of bringing to the bar of justice. But this court was not omnipotent, for we find an entry in 1652 that "if any mian be aggrieved by anything that is done by the men in authority he shall have libertie to make his appeal to the next General Court, or when the men are assembled together on public oc- casions." But, although its powers were thus subject to review, the dignity of the court was carefully upheld. In 1655 one William Si- mons was fined 5s., "which is to be disposed of to make a paire of stocks," "for his provoking speeches to the three men in authoritie being a disturbance to them in their proceedings." Then the men in authoritie had ample means of making their court a "terror to evil doers." As early as 1650 a house was set aside as a

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HISTORY OF LONG ISLAND

lock-up, and, by way of emphasis, it was not long thereafter until the village stocks stood outside as a visible exponent of the terrors of the law and the righteousness and certainty of judgment.

From the beginning of the settlement relig- ious services were maintained, at first in the house of Thomas Baker, which seems to have been the village inn, and for which accommo- dation he received 18d. each week. In 1652 a meeting house was erected, on the east side of the burying ground. It was a small structure, 36 feet long and 20 feet wide, and it was en- larged in 1673 and again in 1698. In 1717 it was abandoned and a second church erected on another site in 1717. This edifice continued in use until 1864, when the existing structure was erected.

The first pastor was the Rev. Thomas James. He was the son of a minister in Lin- colnshire, England, and came to America in 1632, settling for a time at Charleston and at New Haven. It is not clear whether he was one of the very earliest settlers at East Hamp- ton, but his coming was not long delayed, for on April 22, 1651, an entry in the town records shows that he was then owner of a town lot. The lot, according to Mr. Pelletreau's map, was opposite the site assigned even then evi- dently for the church, and was in his posses- sion since 1650, which was probably the date of his arrival. It seems likely, too, that he re- received a gift of the lot, so that he may be said to have virtually ministered to the people from the beginning. So he continued until the end of his long career, June 16, 1696, when he was laid to rest in the little churchyard, and at his particular request, with his face to the east, as "he wished to arise in the morning of the Resurrection with his face to the people." He seems to have been a man of singular piety, and possessed of many characteristics which those associated with him deemed singulari- ties, but he was a zealous, active and thorough- going minister, eminently fitted to be the spir- itual leader and guide and comforter of the

people among whom his lot was cast, and he aspired apparently to be nothing more. What- ever the nature of his eccentricities they were harmless, and they did not abate the respect his people evidently had for him, or weakened his reputation as a shrewd, sound business man. Of the respect of the people there is no doubt, for they voted him many privileges, such as giving his corn precedence at the mill, presenting him with another town lot and half of the dead whales that drifted on shore. He was keenly interested in the religious welfare of the Montauk Indians; studied their lan- guage, compiled a catechism for their use in their own tongue, and was the first paid in- structor of the Long Island Indians, receiving an allowance for that service for several years from the Society for Propagating the Gospel in New England. The good minister seems to have gathered considerable property and to have passed through life quietly and peaceably, except in one memorable crisis which will be told later. He disposed of all his real estate in 1695 to Mr. John Gardiner, "Lord of the Isle of Wight," for £500, one-half in cash and one- half to be paid to his assigns within 30 days after his death, but during his lifetime Mr. Jamies was not to be disturbed in the actual possession of the property thus disposed of. He was then feeling the approach of the end, and, apparently, putting his house in order. It was not until June 5, 1696, however, eleven days before his death, that he completed his arrangements by signing his will, a document which Mr. Pelletreau prints as follows :

The last will and Testament of me Thomas James, Preacher of ye Gospel & minister of East Hampton, in ye County of Suffolk, upon ye Isle of Nassau alias Long Island, within ye Province of New York, as followeth: * * To my eldest daghter, Sarah, wife of Pere- grine Stanborough (having already given her more than any of the rest of my children), * * * four score pounds, in cash current of this Province, also an equal part with my other children of my personal goods, * * * also ye small part I have in ye ship called ye "Speed-

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EAST HAMPTON.

well" (being half a quarter), also ye feather bed I lye upon & ye green rug with it. To my second daghter, Mary, wife of John Stratton, an hundred pounds in cash. * * * To my daughter Hannah, wife of James Diament, one hundred pounds. I, having very lately deliv- ered to my son-in-law Thomas Harris in be- half of his wife, my 4th daghter, Ruth, one hundred pounds upon some conditions, doe confirm it absolutely to her ; I also give her my feather bed in ye large chamber, with ye furni- ture to it. * I give to my grandchildren Mary Stanborough and Mary Stratton £50 a piece, and a feather bed and two pairs of sheets, * * * also to each of them a cow and six sheep, and an iron pot of ye bigger sort, two pewter platters, a silver spoon. To my daughter Anne Howell, now wife of Mr. Abraham Howell of Southampton, £20, provided she bring in noe after reckoning on account of her first husband, my son Na- thaniel, deceased. To my eldest grand- son, John Stanborough, fio. To my two daughters-in-law [step daughters ?] Mary, wife of Mr. John Mulford, and Elisebeth, wife of Joseph Osborn, fIo. I appoint Pere- grine Stanborough, John Stratton and James Diament executors. As for what debts is ow- ing to me from this Towne of East Hampton, either former arrears or for last year, amount- ing to above four score pounds, I give to all my grandchildren excepting those mentioned in this will. Only this-that if ye Towne free- ly and readily will take ve best and speediest way they can for ye discharge of ve debts afore said, then I give to ye town £20 towards ye maintaining of a good school-master in this towne; otherwise not. * * I give to my son-in-law John Stratton what time I have in my man Charles Jones, my executors to make good his indenture and allow him 40s. in pay more. * * : To my son-in-law James Dia- ment my share in ye horse mill. * * Dated June 5 1696. THOMAS JAMES.

Mr. James was succeeded by the Rev. Na- thaniel Huntting, a graduate of Harvard, who was the progenitor of the numerous families of that name in Suffolk county. He ministered for half a century-until his death Sept. 21, 1753. His successor, the Rev. Samuel Buell, is locally celebrated as the founder of Clinton Academy. Under him the church formally

united with the Suffolk Presbytery and he con- tinued in the pastorate for nearly 52 years- dying in harness July 19, 1798. "The day he was 80 years old," writes Dr. Prime, "he rode 14 miles, preached, and returned home at even- ing." Although a zealous Christian, an elo- quent preacher and a man of considerable edu- cation, Dr. Prime tells us that Dr. Buell had his weaknesses and as one of them quotes the fact that when in his seventieth year he mar- ried ( for the third time) a girl of seventeen. The Rev. Lyman Beecher, father of the fam- ous Brooklyn preacher, succeeded Dr. Buell. He labored among them until 1810, when he removed to Litchfield, Conn., making the change simply and frankly because his stipend, eked out as it was by his wife's earnings as a teacher, were not sufficient to supply his wants and keep him out of debt. With his dismis- sal came the first vacancy in the pastorate of the church, except by the death of the pastor. Four pastors covering 160 years is a rare rec- ord. Although it is commonly spoken of as a Christian community, and such it undoubted- ly was, the need of special revival occasions, those "seasons of refreshment" as they were called, which form such a prominent feature in the early religious history of East Hamp- ton, would seem to have been unnecessary, yet all agree as to their importance and to the amount of good they accomplished.

East Hampton has long been noted for its splendid educational facilities. The fame of Clinton Academy had, of course, much to do with this, but even when few in numbers and engaged in their first struggle with the soil, the pioneers were mindful of the needs of the children and a school was established as soon as the church. Mr. Pelletreau writes on this point :

"A school was established within a year after the settlement, and the first schoolmaster was Charles Barnes, a son of William Barnes, one of the original founders. He received at first £30 a year, and to insure a regular atten- dance a small part only of the amount was

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HISTORY OF LONG ISLAND.

charged upon the scholars and the rest raised by tax. Jonas Holdsworth succeeded him in 1673, and after him the rod of correction was wielded by Peter Benson, whose pay was £50 a year. In 1682 the school consisted of 29 scholars. About all required of a teacher in those days was that he should be a good pen- man, and have a fair knowledge of arithmetic. If 'Solomon's rule' was lus guide and practice it was considered an additional merit. Gram- mar, geography, and other branches now thought essential were not taught at all. It was not considered necessary for girls to know much except reading, and hence we find in old deeds a large proportion of women signing their names with a 'mark ;' and to most of the boy pupils the 'rule of three' was the bound- ary of mathematical knowledge. Still the gen- eral desire for learning was much greater in this than in the neighboring town, a fact which we can hardly account for unless by suppos- ing that the early ministers, who were all- powerful in their social influence, must have taken a deep interest in the cause. It was the zealous efforts of Rev. Samuel Buell that builded Clinton Academy.

"The salary of the schoolmaster and min- ister in early times was partly paid in produc- tions of sea and land, and to fix a uniform price of these things it was ordered in 1656, by 'the three men,' that for the payment of town rates wheat should be 4s. 6d. a bushel, and Indian corn 3s. 6d. It was ordered at a subsequent meeting that dry merchantable hides should be 6d. a pound, and whalebone three feet long 8d. a pound. At the time Jonas Holdsworth was schoolmaster it was agreed that one-half his salary should 'bee payd in beef or oyle, and the other half in oyle, pork. hides, or tallow, or whalebone.' Holdsworth had previous to this been teacher in South- ampton and Huntington."

Much against their wishes the people of East Hampton had to acquiesce in the change introduced by the advent of Gov. Nicolls in 1664, and receive a patent from his hands. Gov. Dongan, who assumed control of things

after Gov. Andros had wiped out the effects of the Dutch interregnum under Colve, forced another charter on the township in 1686. The movement which culminated in the latter char- ter brought not only East Hampton but its venerable minister into open conflict with Don- gan and his Council, and led to the preacher's arrest. The official papers tell the story, but the underlying cause of the trouble was the disinclination to be mulcted on the part of the people to the extent of the new charter, with its loopholes for litigation and its renewed sur- render to a Provincial government with which they had no sympathy. The papers follow :

COMPLAINT AGAINST THE TOWN OF EASTHAMP- TON.

Att a Council held att Ffort James in New York July the 29tl1, 1686

Present. The Governor &c.

Robert Cady, John Parsons, Jacob Dayton, John ffields, Samuell Sherry, Oliver Norris William Hamilton, Daniell Kieff, Simon Hill- ver, John Richardson makeing their complaints that the town of Easthampton will lay them out no land, as they were ordered in Council to doe; & it appearing that the said Inhabit- ants have for more yn the space of fouer yeares payed all dutyes in the aforesaid towne, and are become Associates in the same, Or- dered that Capt Josiah Hobart high Sherriffe of the County of Suffolk see that a Surveyor lay out for each person of the aforemenconed Inhabitants thirty acres of Arable land within the bounds of Easthampton, that is not yet fenced or entered and appropriated by any per- son, they paying the charges wch the sd Sher- riffe & Surveyor shall be at in the performance of the same ; & giveing security not to dispose or sell any of the said land vntill it shall be im- proued by them.

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A history of Long Island, from its earliest settlement to the present time, Part 163

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