A history of Long Island, from its earliest settlement to the present time, Part 57

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

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In 1827 he returned to New York, and, be- coming acquainted with Dr. Eliphalet Nott, . he assisted that gentleman in several of his re- searches in steam navigation. The result of this was the establishment of the Novelty Works in New York, in 1831, which proposed to construct sea-going steamboats, and of that concern Mr. Bliss was the head. In the fol- lowing year commenced his connection with Greenpoint, by his purchase, along with Dr. Nott, of thirty acres of the farm owned by John A. Meserole. In 1833 he still further identified himself with the place by his mar- riage to Mary A., daughter of John A. Mes-

erole. He at once saw that the territory of- fered great chances for development, and, evolving a project looking to that end, he threw himself into it with characteristic energy and promptitude. He extended his holdings by the purchase, in 1833, of the Griffin farm, and during the following year had the entire territory surveyed and laid out in streets. In 1835 he still further increased his acreage by purchase, expecting that the United States Navy Yard would be transferred to Green- point from the Wallabout. But that project fell through, and thereby Mr. Bliss suffered severe pecuniary losses.

However, his fortunes were now fully thrown in with Greenpoint, and, undaunted by the slow progress and serious losses, he ap- plied himself zealously to the immediate de- velopment. of the place. In 1838 he built a foot-bridge across Bushwick Creek, and in the following years opened for traffic part of a turnpike road which was subsequently ex- tended to Williamsburgh. In 1839, too, he had the satisfaction of selling some lots to John Hillyer, a builder, who at once erected a house there, and this example was quickly followed by others, Mr. Bliss getting an aver- age at that time, it is said, of fifty dollars for each of his lots. By 1842 a boom in building in Greenpoint fairly set in, and by that time Mr. Bliss began to reap some benefit from the scheme he had so thoughtfully planned some ten years previously and which for a long time had seemed destined to prove utterly barren of results.

But he did not wish to make Greenpoint alone a city of homes; he desired to make it also the center of the trade which was to support the homes. Its unrivalled water front made it a natural center for the coal trade, and the first of a series of coal yards was opened in 1843, at the foot of F street, on a point stretching into the East River, locally called Green Point, and which gave its name to the whole district. In 1850 a ship yard was established by Eckford Webb, and this proved

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the beginning of a great establishment, for many years the greatest of all local industries. In 1850 Mr. Bliss secured from New York a lease of a ferry to ply between Greenpoint and that city, and it was opened for traffic in 1852. It finally became financially the most successful of all the ferries plying to New York. The Greenpoint Gas Works were in- corporated in 1853, largely through Mr. Bliss's influence and advice, and as by that time Greenpoint had thousands of homes, with Epis- copalian, Methodist, Baptist and Reformed churches,* with a good public school, and sev- eral social and literary clubs and societies, it may fairly be said to have progressed toward

full development in a most marked manner, and Mr. Bliss had already begun to enjoy the full fruition of his plans and was also vener- ated as the first citizen and founder of Green- point. But its full development was to come with annexation to Brooklyn. When that event took place it found Mr. Bliss still in the lead in the affairs of the ward, as he had been in those of the village, and he was chosen to represent it in the Board of Aldermen of the consolidated city. So the history of Green- point merged, January 1, 1855, into that of the city of Brooklyn, of which it then became: a component part.

Thus it will be seen that the early history- of Greenpoint is virtually a part of the life. story of Neziah Bliss. This thoroughly typical: American citizen died in 1876.

*The first Roman Catholic congregation was organ- ized in 1855, and a body of Universalists formed a church the same year.

CHAPTER XXX.

GRAVESEND.

THE ENGLISH TOWN OF KINGS COUNTY-LADY MOODY-EARLY SETTLERS AND LAWS- A RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY WITH A SAD CLOSING RECORD.

MONG the towns of what is now Kings county, Gravesend for many years, in one respect, stood alone. It was an English settlement, while the others were Dutch; it was not included in the aggregation known as the "Five Dutch Towns ;" its interests seemed always on a dif- ferent footing from theirs, and yet it was in- tensely loyal to the Dutch regime. As to the origin of the name archæologists have widely differed, and many a learned argument has been set forth in favor of some pet theory or other. Etymologists, more than any other class of students, have been guilty of weaving the most absurd theories,-so much so that a book on etymology ten years old is about as valuable, practically, as an ancient almanac ; but they differ from all other classes of the- orists by the remarkable good nature and equanimity with which they see their airy creations of words about words quietly thrown down. Considerable time, patience and inge- nuity have been spent to demonstrate that the name of this town was derived from 'S Grave- sende (The Count's beach), after a place in Holland, but an equal amount of time, pa- tience and ingenuity have been expended in endeavoring to prove that it was simply a transference of the name of the town of Gravesend in England. Which of the two. is right we will not attempt to discuss, for after all the question matters very little,-only we

cannot help remarking that a great amount of argument and antiquarian anxiety would have been spared had some one of the early chroniclers quietly jotted down his views on the subject.

Another and more interesting argument among the local antiquaries has been caused by the effort to show that white men trod the soil of what afterward became Gravesend town long before a white face was seen on Manhattan Island or in Brooklyn, or even Flatlands. Indeed, we are told that Veraz- zano, the Florentine navigator, who came here to explore the coast and "see what he could see" on behalf of King Francis I, of France, in 1527, had anchored in Gravesend Bay ; but the evidence on this point is not very clear, and has been the subject of much protracted and learned dispute. Still it is not asserted that he effected a landing. He compared the harbor to a beautiful lake, and describes the boat-loads of red men which darted hither and thither on its surface. He did not inves- tigate further, but seems to have sailed away in a northerly direction. As he passed out he saw natives gathering wampum on Rocka- way Beach, and next discovered Block Island, which he called Louise, after the mother of King Francis. In 1542 we read of another visitor, Jean Allefonsee, who reached the har- bor after passing through Long Island Sound, and anchored off Coney Island; and we get

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glimpses of other navigators who seemed to thoroughly content with the beauties of New York's bay that they did not try to institute any acquaintance with the land itself.

In September, 1609, however, Hendrik Hudson arrived in New York Bay and landed a boat's crew on Coney Island or thereabout, and there had a tussle with the natives and lost one of his men. So runs local tradition. Across the bay, on the New Jersey shore, the local authorities have laid the scene of the trag- edy at Sandy Hook, and built up a pretty strong theoretical argument in support of their claim. There is no doubt that Hudson landed several parties while in this vicinity and that he did not use the natives either courteously or kindly ; and it is just as likely that a boat's crew from the "Half Moon" landed on the shores of Gravesend Bay as on any other place. The whole argument amounts to very little either way, and could the Gravesend theory be sustained, which it certainly cannot -neither can the Sandy Hook story, for that matter-its only result would be to give Gravesend in a sense a degree of superiority over her neighborhood as the scene where the white man made the initiatory steps toward taking up his burden of converting that part of America to his own use and profit. It may be well, however, to recall the name of the hero-perhaps he might be so called-who is recorded as having been the first white man to fall a victim to Indian valor, or treachery, in the waters surrounding New York. He was an English sailor, John Colman, and he was killed, so we are told, by an arrow pierc- ing his throat. His body was buried where it fell, the spot being long known as Colman's Point. But such legends are unsatisfactory, at the best, and we must come down to facts.

The earliest patent for land in Gravesend was issued to Anthony Jansen Van Salee, who has already been referred to at sufficient length in our notice of New Utrecht and else- where. This patent was dated May 27, 1643. On May 24, 1664, Gysbert Op Dyck, who emi-

grated from Wesel in 1635 and settled in New Amsterdam, where in 1642 he became Com- missary of Provisions for the colony, obtained a patent for Coney Island. From Bergen's "Early Settlers of Kings County" we learn that "the present Coney Island was, on the first settlement of this county, composed of three islands, divided from each other by in- lets or guts, now closed. The westernmost one was known as Coney Island, the middle one as Pine Island and the eastern one as Gisbert's Island, so named after Gisbert Op Dyck." Here we run up against another etymological puzzle. What is the meaning of the word Coney? Thompson, who, by the way, identifies Pine Island as the scene of the Colman tragedy, tells us that the Dutch called it Conynen Eylandt, "probably from the name of an individual who had once possessed it." Others assure us that Conynen Eylandt is simply Rabbit Island, and they are probably right. Op Dyck never occupied the land cov- ered by his patent, and seems to have held the property simply for a chance to sell it. This afterward led to pretty considerable trouble, in- volving the consideration and even the direct intervention of their High Mightinesses them- selves.

There were doubtless settlers prior to 1643 in parts of what was afterward included in Gravesend township, but if so their names have not come down to us. That year, however, was a memorable one in the annals of Grave- send, for then Lady Moody and her associates first settled there. They were, however, driven by the Indians from off the lands on which they settled by virtue of a patent issued that year, and went to Flatlands, where they re- mained until the redskins became more peace- able and amenable to reason. When her Lady- ship and her friends returned Governor Kieft, on December 19, 1645, issued to them a second patent for the town of Gravesend, the first probably being lost in the turmoil of the times, and the patentees named included the Lady Deborah Moody, Sir Henry Moody, Bart., En-

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sign George Baxter and Sergeant James Hub- bard. This is the real beginning of the En- glish town of Kings county, and Lady Moody ought to be regarded as its founder. She liad a most interesting career, being a wan- derer in search of civil and religious liberty at a time when aristocratic women were not much given to asserting themselves on such matters outside their own immediate households.

Deborah Moody was the daughter of Wal- ter Dunch, a member of Parliament in the days of "Good Queen Bess." She married Sir Henry Moody, Bart., of Garsden, Wilt- shire, who died in 1632, leaving her with one son, who succeeded to the baronetcy. After Sir Henry's death her troubles began. In 1635, probably to hear the Word preached more in accordance with her own interpretation than she possibly could in Wiltshire, and being a stanch nonconformist in religious matters, as well as a believer in the utmost civil liberty, she went to London and stayed there so long that she violated a statute which directed that no one should reside more than a specified time from his or her home. She was ordered to return to her mansion in the country, and it seems likely did so, for the Star Chamber had already taken action in her case and brooked no trifling with its mandates. Proba- bly she became a marked woman, and the watchful eye of the law was kept on her move- ments so steadily that, to secure liberty of wor- ship and movement, she decided to. emigrate. She arrived with her son at Lynn in 1640, and on April 5, that year, united with the church at Salem. On the 13th of May follow- ing she was granted 400 acres of land, and a year later she paid £1,100 for a farm. From all this there is every reason to believe that she intended making her home in Massachu- setts. But she soon found out that true re- ligicus liberty, as she understood it, was not to be found in Puritan New England. A steadfast enquirer into religious doctrine, she became impressed with the views of Roger Williams soon after settling in Massachusetts,

and his utterances concerning the invalidity of infant baptism appear to have in particular won her adhesion. Being a woman who freely spoke her mind, she made no secret of the views she held, and her sentiments attracted much attention and drew upon her the con- sideration of the Quarterly Court. As Roger Williams had been thrust out of Massachu- setts because of his views and his ideas on religious tolerance, Lady Moody's position could not be overlooked, and so, after being seriously admonished and it was apparent that she persisted in holding to her convic- tions, she was duly excommunicated. Possi- bly in her case this might have ended the trouble, for she appears to have won and re- tained the personal respect of all her neigh- bors; but, being a high-spirited woman, she seems to have determined to seek still further to find the freedom for which she longed, and, to the surprise of all, removed with her son and a few chosen and fast friends to New Amsterdam. Here she was warmly received by the authorities. She met several English- men in the fort, among them being Nicholas Stillwell, who had, in 1639, a tobacco plant- ation on Manhattan Island, which he was compelled to abandon temporarily on account of the Indian troubles. He was quickly at- tracted by the idea of helping to found an English settlement where his fellow country- men could not only mingle in social inter- course, but could unite to defend themselves whenever any need arose. He is said also to have been a believer in religious toleration and to have suffered persecution on that ac- count in England; but the additional state- ment so often made to the effect that he had been forced to leave New England for the same cause is not borne out by facts. He never saw New England. Lady Moody, who had ample means (she retained her property in Massachusetts intact in spite of her re- moval), was regarded, singular to say, by Governor Kieft as a welcome addition to his colony, and he gladly gave her and her asso-

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ciates a patent for the unoccupied lands she, or some one for her, suggested, on which to form a settlement such as they desired.

At Gravesend Lady Moody was the Grand Dame, the real ruler. She enjoyed the confi- dence of Kieft and of Peter Stuyvesant to a marked degree, and although the latter was not over-fond of seeking the advice of women in affairs of state, he did not scruple to consult her on more than one occasion. He was enter- tained along with his wife at her house, and Mrs. Martha Lamb tells us that the Gov- ernor's wife was "charmed with the noble En- glish lady." It has been claimed that Lady Moody assumed the principles of the Society of Friends when that body first sought shelter on Long Island, but the evidence tends to show that she simply befriended and sheltered some of the primitive Quakers in accordance with her ideas of perfect religious freedom. She seems to have remained at Gravesend until the end of her life's journey, in 1659, the stories of her visiting Virginia, or Mon- mouth City, New Jersey, or other places, be- ing without authentication. She found in Gravesend that degree of liberty in search of which she had crossed the sea, and was content to pass her days in its congenial atmosphere. Of her son, Sir Henry, little is known. He left Gravesend in 1661 and went to Virginia, where he died.

Lady Moody's library was famous and it is through her son's departure for Virginia so soon after her death that we are enabled to judge, to a considerable extent, of its con- tents. To the notarial "Register" of Solomon Lachaire, of New Amsterdam, we are indebted for the following list under date of 1661. As it is not likely that the baronet carried any of the books with him on his travels, it is safe to assume that the list of Lady Moody's liter- ary treasures is here given complete :

Cathologus contining the names of such books as Sir. Henry Moedie had left in security in handts of Daniel Litscho wen hy went for Virginia :

A latyn Bible in folio.

A written book in folio contining privatt matters of State.

A writteneth book in folio contining pri- vate matters of the King.

Seventeen several books of devinite matters. A dictionarius Latin and English.

Sixteen several latin and Italian bookx of divers matters.

A book in folio contining the voage of Fer- dinant Mendoz, &c.

A book in folio kalleth Sylva Sylvarum.

A book in quarto calleth bartas' six days worck of the lord and translat in English by Josuah Sylvester.

A book in quarto kalleth the Summe and Substans of the Conference which it pleased this Excellent Majsti to have with the lords bishops &c. at Hampton Court contracteth by William Barlow.

A book in quarto kalleth Ecclesiastica In- terpretatio, or the Expositions upon the diffi- cult and doubtful passage of the Seven Epis- tles callet Catholique and the Revalation col- lecteth by John Mayer.

Elleven several bookx moore of divers substants.

The Verification of his fathers Knights order given by King James .- Notarial Reg. of Soloman Lachaire N. P. of New Amster- dam, Anno 1661.

In many respects the patent issued by Governor Kieft to Lady Moody was peculiar. It was the only one extant in which the pat- entees were headed by a woman, and it con- tained such full powers for self-government and for the enjoyment of freedom of religion as to be unique among the patents signed by Kieft or his successor, Stuyvesant. For these reasons the patent is here presented in full as printed in the "Documentary History of New York," vol. I, page 629:

Whereas it hath pleased the High &Mighty Lords the Estates Genl of the United Belgick Provces-His Highness Fredrick Hendrick by ye grace of God Prince of Orange, &c. and the Rt Honourable ye Lords Bewint Hebbers of the W. I. Company by theyr sev- eral Commissions under theyr hands and seales to give and grant unto me Wm Kieft sufficient power and authorities for the general rule &

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HISTORY OF LONG ISLAND.

gouvernment of this Prouince called the New Netherlands, & likewise for ye settling of townes, collonies, plantations, disposing of ye . land within this prouince, as by ye said Com- missions more att large doth and maye appeare, Now Know yee whomsoever these Presents may any ways concerne that I, William Kieft, Gouvernor Generall of this Prouince by vertue of ye authoritie abovesaid & with ye aduice & consent of ye Councell of State heere estab- lished have given and graunted & by virtue of these presents doe give grant & confirme unto ye Honoured Lady Deborah Moody, Sr Hennry Moody Barronett, Ensign George Baxter & Sergeant James Hubbard theyr asso- ciates, heyres, executors, administrators, suc- cessours, assignes, or any they shall join in association with them, a certaine, quantitie or p'cel of Land, together with all ye hauens, har- bours, rivers, creeks, woodland, marshes, and all other appurtenances thereunto belonging, lyeing & being uppon & about ye Westernmost parte of Longe Island & beginning at the mouth of a Creeke adjacent to Coneyne Island & being bounded one ye westwards parte there- of with ye land appertaining to Anthony John- son & Robt Penoyer & soe to run as farre as the westernmost part of a certain pond in an ould Indian field on the North side of ye plantation of ye said Robbert Pennoyer & from thence to runne direct East as farre as a valley begin- ning att ye head of a flye or Marshe some- times belonging to ye land of Hughe Garrett- son & being bounded one the said side with the Maine Ocean, for them the sd pattentees, theyr associates heyres, executors, adminisrs, successours, assigns, actuallie reallie & perpet- uallie to injoye & processe as theyr owne free land of inheritance and to improve and manure according to their owne discretions, with lib- ertie likewise for them the sd pattentees, theyr associates, heyres, and successours and as- signes to put what cattle they shall think fitting to feed or graze upon the aforesd Conyne Island, forther giving granting & by vertue of these presents Wee doe give & graunt unto the sd Patentees theeir associates heyrs & suc- cessours full power & authoritie uppon the said land to build a towne or townes with such necessarie fortifications as to them shall seem expedient & to haue and injoye the free lib- ertie of conscience according to the costome and manner of Holland, without molestation or disturbance from any Madgistrate or Madg- istrates or any other Ecclesiasticall Minister

that may p'tend jurisdiction over them, with libertie likewise for them, the sd pattentees, theyr associates heyres &c to erect a bodye pollitique and ciuill combination amongst themselves, as free men of this Province & of the Towne of Grauesend & to make such civill ordinances as the Maior part of ye In- habitants ffree of the Towne shall thinke fit- ting for theyr quiett & peaceable subsisting & to Nominate elect & choose three of ye Ablest approued honest men & them to pre- sent annuallie to ye Governor Generall of this Prouince for the tyme being, for him ye said Gouernr to establish and confirme to wch sd three men soe chosen & confirmed, wee doe hereby give & graunt full power & authoritie, absolutelie & definitiuely to determine (wth- out appeal to any superior Court) for debt or trespasse not exceeding ffiftie Holland Guild- ers ffor all such actns as shall happen wthin ye iurisdictn of the above said limitt with power likewise for any one of the said three to examine uppon oath all witnesses in cases depending before them & in case any shall refuse to stand to the award of what the Maior part of the sd three shall agree unto, in such cases wee doe hereby give and graunt full power and authoritie to any two of ye sd three, to attache & ceise uppon ye lands goods, cattles and chattles of ye parties condemned by their said sentence & fourteen days after the sd ceizure (if ye partie soe condemned agree not in the interim & submitte himself unto ye sentence of the sd three men) the said three or three appointed men as afford to take or ioyen to themselves two more of theyre neighbours, discreete honest men, and wthi the advice of them to apprise the lands, goods, cattles & chattles wthin the above sd juris- dictn & belongs to the partie condemned as aforesd to ye full valleu & then to sell them to any that will paye, that sattisfaction & paie- ment may be made according to the sentence of ye appointed men; Likewise giuing & graunting & by virtue hereof wee doe give & graunt unto ye said Pattentees, theyre associ- ates heyres, successours &c full power & auth- oritie to Elect & nominate a certaine officer amongst themselves to execute the place of a Scoute & him likewise to present annuallie to the Gouernor Generall of this Province to bee established and conprmed, to wch sd officer soe chosene confirmed, Wee doe hereby give & graunt as large & ample power as is usuallie given to ye Scoutes of any Village in Holland

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for the suppression or prevention of any disor- ders that maye theyr arise, or to arrest and ap- p'hend the body of any Criminall, Malefactouer or of anye that shall by worde or act disturbe the publick tranquilletie of this Province or civill peace of the inhabitants wthin the above sd jurisdictn & him, them & her so arrested or apprehended to bring or case to be brought before the Gouernor Genll of this Province & theyre by way of Processe declare against the P'tie soe offending ; farther Wee doe give & graunt unto the P'tentees theyr associates heyres &c free libertie of hawking, hunting, fishing, fowling within the above sd limitts ; & to use or exercise all manner of trade & com- merce according as the Inhabitants of this Province may or can by Virtue of any Priv- iledge or graunt made unto them, indueing all and singular ye sd pattees theyr associates, heyres &c with all & singular the immunities & priueledges allready grannted to ye Inhabit- ants of this Provce or hereafter to be graunted, as if they were natives of the United Belgick Provinces, allways prouided the sd pattentes yr associates heyres &c shall faithfully ac- knowledge & reverently respect the above named High Mightie Lords &c for theyr Superiour Lords & patrons & in all loialtie & fidellitie demeane themselves towards them & theyr successours accord'g as the Inhabitants of this prouince in dutye are bound, soe long as they shall [be] within this iurisdictn & att the experatn of ten yeares to beginne from the daye of the date hereof to paye or cause to bee paid to an officer thereunto deputed by the Gouernr Genl of this Provce for the time be- ing, the tenth parte of the reueneew that shall arise by the ground manured by the plow or howe, in case it bee demanded to bee paid to the sd officer in the ffield before it bee housed, gardens or orchards not exceeding one Hol- lands acre being excepted, and in case anye of the sd pattentees theyr associats heyres &c shall only improue theyr stocks in grasing or breeding of cattle, then the partie soe doing shall att the end of the ten yeares afforesaid paye or cause to be paid to an officer deputed as aforesd such reasonable sattisfactn in butter and cheese as other Inhabbats of other townes shall doe in like cases : Likewise injoyning the said pattentees thyre associates heyres &c in the dating of all public instruments to use the New Style wth the wts & measure of this place. Given under my hand & Seale of this

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A history of Long Island, from its earliest settlement to the present time, Part 57

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