USA > New York > Suffolk County > Southold > Griffin's journal : first settlers of Southold, the names of the heads of those families, being only thirteen at the time of their landing; first proprietors of Orient, biographical sketches > Part 10
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through a long life, the appellation of an honest man. He was brother to Jeremiah King, the father of the late Elisha W. King, Esq.
Mr. Thompson, in his History of Long Island, second edition, gives us Elisha's ancestors thus, viz :- Elisha's father was Jeremiah, who was the son of William, whose father was John, who came from Europe in 1654. Now Joseph, Jeremiah's oldest brother, was born in 1730. His father, William, might, though it is not proba- ble, be forty years older than his son Joseph; and John, William's father, forty years older than William. Now, Joseph, born in 1730, William in 1690, and John in 1650, would make him only four years old when he came to this country. If so, he must have been with his father. Probably his name was John, who was Elisha W. King's great-great-grandfather, the first of his family to this New World. Agreeable to Mr. Thompson's date, it must have been the first John's fa- ther who came here in 1654.
Abner King, a bachelor of much and respectful note, in Oysterponds, from 1740 to 1780, was brother to Jo- eph King's father ; notorious for his singularity, shrewd observations, and witty salutations to those whom he met in his daily walks. When over eighty years of age, in 1775, he was proverbial for his wit, in- teresting anecdotes, short and pithy tales, interspersed with peculiar gravity, and great good-nature, with a wink and shrug of the shoulder. He was, at the time, de- pendent and poor, almost continually on the road around the parish. In this place, all knew him and re- spected him, as a peaceable, worthy old gentleman. His death took place about 1780.
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Abner King was brother to Elisha W. King's grand- father, William. Elisha, who was a lawyer of emin- ence in New York, died in 1835, in his fifty-fifth year.
Captain Frederick King was born in 1771, and was the fourth son of Jeremiah and Deborah King, of Orient, New York. At the age of about twenty-four years, he commanded a vessel to the West Indies. After this voyage, he commanded, in the course of the next twenty years, at different times, a number of ships, with varied success.
He was a noble-looking man, and as to his athletic powers, few of his contemporaries could compare with him. From his twenty-fifth to his thirty-fifth year of age, it was often said in the convivial circles of ship- masters in New York, that he was the handsomest sea captain sailing from the city of New York. He died suddenly, June 16, 1824, aged fifty-three years. He was brother to the late Elisha W. King. Mrs. Cynthia King, the Captain's widow, died September 23, 1849, in her seventy-ninth year.
John King was the great-grandson of Ensign John King, particularly noticed before. John, when at school, even at six or seven years of age, was, from his openness of manner, energy, and willingness to perform every task assigned him, a favorite of his teacher, and all who admire promise of merit in children whose ready obedience warrants hope. He grew up, and con- tinued such through all the multiplicity of changes al- lotted him in his brief point of life. For more than thirty years, he resided in New York, where fortune favored him. In the year 1841, his health, which was
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always delicate, began visibly to decline, and a voyage to Europe was advised by his physician.
He, acceding to this advice, took his brother Foster with him. They sailed for London, where after a pleasant, and short voyage, they arrived safe.
After fifteen months travel, in the old world, he re- turned to the home of his fathers. The hopes of his friends, with those of his dear and devoted mother, a lonely widow, were now buoyant. But how frail is the tenure on which hangs man's strongest expectations -1844 came, and with its fleeting course perceptible and alarming symptoms to our friend. In the summer of this year he stopped here a short time; the place of his youth. However, growing daily more weak, he left soon for New York, where he again sailed and as it proved, the last time, for Europe. His decline was rapid. Among entire strangers, the most feeling atten- tion was accorded him by the American Consul and his compassionate wife-they attended his dying bed, and feelingly fulfilled his last request, respecting his mourn- ing mother, and friends in America. He died and was buried in Rome, where a handsome stone is placed to mark the place where his remains repose. He was the eldest son of the late Rufus, and Sally King. Rufus, was the son of John King Jr., who was the son of John King, Sr., (called Ensign) who was the son of Samuel King, who was the son of John King, 1st., who came to this place, from Plymouth, England.
Bethia Horton, who became the wife of Henry Tuthill Sr., as before noticed, was great-great-grand- mother to Mrs. Anna Harrison, the widow of the late President, William Henry Harrison.
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Isaac Overton, was distinguished for his great physi- cal strength ; he was much known in this county, and through this then colony, from 1725 to 1744 at which last date, his great-grandson, Mr. Jonathan Overton, told me he died, aged near sixty years. As a man, he was mild, well disposed, and respected. Very many amusing stories of his feats of strength are told of him. The following was told me by Jared Griffin, who had it from his father, Samuel Griffin; who was a neighbor to Mr. Overton, and an eye witness to the fact.
The incident took place, at the house of Mr. Robert Griffin, who at the time, 1725, kept an Inn at Southold. At, or near the date noticed, an athletic bully or boxer, as he styled himself, came to Boston, from England. He gave out that he had never met his equal for strength; or one that he could not easily whip. Hear- ing of Overton's powers, he immediately repaired to Southold, to show Overton a "thing or two," as he said on arriving at Mr. Griffin's. After partaking of refresh- ments, he requested Mr. G. to send his boy after Mr. Overton; Mr. G. did so, but told the stranger that Overton was of retiring habits and rather bashful ; and would not notice nor pay any attention to testing his strength in wrestling, or other sports, which he viewed degrading. Not knowing for what intent he was sent for, Mr. Overton came with the boy. On being introduced to the stranger, and learning his errand, he utterly refused to have anything to do with him. Mr. Overton, the stranger soon learned, was fond of flip, a beverage in those days made of beer, spirits, and sugar. He was liberally supplied with this stimulus, yet not till a blow with the flat of the hand from the stranger
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could he be aroused to defend himself. Then, with the quickness of thought, he seized the bully by the seat of his trowsers, and the collar of his coat, with his arms at full length, he held him as high as his chin, then walked around the room, crying at the top of his voice, "Mr. Griffin, what shall I do with him? Mr. Griffin, what shall I do with him ?" And amidst the contortions, and writhings of the stranger, who was held as in a vice, and the roars of laughter of those present, let him fall heavily upon the floor. The stranger did not trouble Mr. Overton again. On another occasion, he lifted and put on a wheel of a loaded cart, which wheel had come off by reason of the loss of a linch pin. He also shouldered a cannon in New York, which four men ordinarily could not as easily handle. There is not any doubt, but Isaac Overton, was one of the most powerful men, as to the bodily strength, this country has ever known.
On the afternoon of the 24th December, 1811, the wind was light, from the west ; at 11 o'clock P. M. very moderate and cloudy ; gentle breeze of wind S. E. I was a passenger on board the sloop Roman, Jonathan Terry Jr., Master. We were bound to Oysterpond, having left New York on the 23d. About 5 P. M., we past Falkin's Island ; where we met two sloops on their course for New York. Their captains were Davis Conklin, of Amagansit; and - Wells, of Cutchogue, Southold. We arrived in Oysterpond harbour about 11 o'clock, P. M. and landed at 12, midnight. At the time nearly calm, with a little sprinkle of rain.
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In one hour after, it commenced, almost instantaneous- ly, blowing a gale, with snow and the most intense cold. A more violent and destructive storm has not been known for the last hundred years. And I doubt whether this country ever experienced one so fatal to man and beast. Many young cattle in this place froze to death in the field; one man lost seven. Those two vessels we met, the afternoon before, were cast away. Capt. Wells, with his entire crew, and passengers, and the vessel, were all lost. Capt. Conklin, himself and three passengers, perished. Two of his crew were saved. His vessel was new, and was saved but cast on shore. Messrs. Samuel Davids & Samuel Payne, store- keepers in Cutchogue, were lost. Jonas Wicks, of Southold, an active useful man, who was on board, left a family, as did Davids and Payne. David's body, was the only one ever found.
On the morning of the 26th, the Roman was found wrecked on Long Beach, and my entire freight of goods, which water would destroy, were lost; and the others much injured.
The friendship of some people, (may I not say many,) is like our shadows, plain and close to us when the sun shines clear ; but the moment we get into the shade it deserts us. So in the bright sun of Prosperity we are surrounded with friends, and inundated with civili- ties, but let a cloud of misfortune and adversity over- shadow us, and where are they !
On the day, previous to my father's miraculous escape, by jumping from a chamber window, three
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counterfeit deserters were despatched from the English- encampment, at Oysterpond Point, to the houses of James Griffin, Lester Beebe, and Stephen Vail. The first with much persuasion, moved Mr. Vail to take him in. The second, Capt. Beebe admitted into his barn. The third deceived his wicked superiors, and ranaway in earnest-this one was directed to go to my father's.
At midnight, two files of soldiers, were sent to re- take these pretended deserters, and the men, who had harbored them. One file of men went immediately to Vail's, and Beebe's, where they found their two com- rades, after which they bound Messrs. Vail and Beebe, by tying their hands behind them. When Mr. Vail, who was a mild, compassionate man, gave them a gentle rebuke, by reason of their unnecessary oaths and blas- phemous threats, one of them gave him a severe blow with a broad sword. After thus securing these two in- offensive men, they, in searching the chambers, found an infirm old gentleman in bed-aged and trembling, on the verge of seventy-five years. With heartless threats, they ordered him out. This man, was Stephen Vail, Sr., on a visit to his son, and was detained by the severe storm, then raging, from returning to his home. This old man, with the son, and Capt. Beebe, they drove like cattle, before them to the Point. Next day they were conveyed to Riverhead. A choice was then given them for thirty days imprisoment, and five-hun- dred lashes, or £70 in money and their liberty. Mr. Stephen Vail and Capt. Lester Beebe were men of middle age, with some property, and young families. They, with some assistance, soon raised the money for their freedom. But the elder Mr. Vail was poor, and
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had no means to pay the unjust demand ! Subsequently a few of his friends went through the town for aid, and the sum was raised, and the old man was rescued after several weeks imprisonment. Stephen Vail Jr., died in 1806.
This is but one of the many stratagems and hard- ships which was imposed upon the unoffending inhabi- tants of Southold. Of British cruelty, meaness, and rascality, a volume might be written. We have no doubt they were often persuaded to this wretched, cruel work, by the hardened, heartless Tories, who Cain- like, were seeking their innocent brother's blood.
About this same time, there was a Mr. Jonathan Howel, a peaceable farmer, residing in the neighbor- hood of Mattituck. He being a staunch friend to American liberty, had unguardedly spoken a word against the proceedings at Oysterpond. They heard of his just remarks-sent a guard of soldiers, took and bound him to a tree, and with the hearts of Demons, gave him between three and four hundred lashes on his naked back. He hardly survived this awful scourge. His friends offered three hundred dollars to save him from this calamity. Whatever and however may be our bed, that of our father's in 1778 was certainly not one of roses.
Lester Beebe, one of the subjects above noticed, was a man of strict moral deportment. He married Bethia, the youngest daughter of Benjamin Brown, Esq., of Oysterpond.
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After the war of the Revolution, Beebe went a number of voyages to foreign ports as Captain, with much credit to himself, and to his owners. When he retired from sea life he became a partner with Mr. Henry Ekford, in ship building. They were conspicu- ously known as the first in that art. Ekford, it is prob- able, had not his superior in this or any other country. After they dissolved partnership, Capt. Beebe bought a fine place at Flushing, where he lived some years. After this, he sold and purchased at Sag Harbor, from which place he had removed some twenty years before. By his excellent wife he had several children; all of whom, but one son, died before their parents. Mrs. Beebe died some years before his death, which took place at Sag Harbor.
Jonathan Youngs, Jr., heretofore noticed, was mar- ried to Miss Martha Booth in the summer of 1733. She resided at what was then called Sterling, now Green- port. The groom's and bride's parents, being pleased with the match, a large assemblage of both sexes were in attendance. On the following day, the father of the groom gave a sumptuous wedding supper, at which were invited, and attended, the friends of both. Those of the bride's family were twenty couple (some say thirty), mounted on horseback, the fashion of the day -wagons and gigs were then unknown in this region- made an interesting spectacle, as they rode the distance of about five miles to Oysterponds to the house of the groom's father. Each lady was seated on the same horse with her partner on a well-made pillion, proper-
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ly secured to the saddle, with one neat wood stirrup, which was necessary for one foot. The horses of that day were taught to pace, as trotting ones were ungen- teel, as well as unpleasant to the rider. After the nu- merous guests had partaken bountifully of the luxuries of the board-and, from accounts, there was enough, and to spare (dishes, in this New World were less costly than now, it is true, but their contents were not less useful, savory, or abundant ; the larder of modern days may be more replete with exotics, but never more truly rich than that of the rustic age of which we now write ; " a good liver " then would lose nothing in com- parison with " a good liver " now.) But to return ; as we said, after supper, being in a mood for social enjoy- ment, the violin (not the piano, nor band), but the violin, sounded for a dance. The largest room in the house of Mr. Youngs could not accommodate them, and it was unanimously voted that the lawn in front of the dwell- ing, which was richly carpeted by Nature's green, should be the scene of their amusement. Thither they repaired. 'Twas an enchanting season and spot ; the winds were hushed to a calm; the moon near its full, with thousands of stars, shone from a cloudless sky upon the happy company, and there, in festive merriment and ani- mated intercourse, they mingled and talked, laughed and made merry, more than forty couples of the women and men of other days. Guilderoy, Money Musk, Nancy Dawson, Hunt the Squirrel, and the Devil's Dream, were strains of impassioned sweetness to them, and these had not then given place to the formal, and perhaps more graceful, ballet and cotillion.
At this time, Gideon Youngs, Jr., had six sons, all
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men of noble stature, whose names were Gideon, Wal- ter, Silas, Reuben, Abimel, and Henry. These, at that time, young men, were cousins to the bridegroom, and we suppose they all attended this imposing wedding.
It was about this time, or near it, that four of these brothers left Oysterponds for Goshen, in Orange county, where they located for the remainder of their days. To this county, at that day, it was considered a journey of some length of time. Turnpikes, railroads and steamboats were then unknown and unthought of. These four brothers were Reuben, Silas, Abimel and Henry. The house in which this supper was given is still standing in what is now Orient, near the wharf; likewise that of the bride's father, in Greenport. These are "relics of times past," and admonish us to wisely husband the present, for the future is not ours ; and were it, it would come to us laden with inconstancy and change.
Henry Youngs, now a member of one of the Vestry of Trinity Church, New York, is a great-grandson of the Henry above-mentioned. This first Henry, who was one of the four brothers, died in 1767; Abimel," about the close of the Revolutionary War; Silas and Reuben, near 1800.
On the 23d September, 1815, was one of the severest easterly storms of rain and wind that has been known for the last fifty years or more. At about 11 o'clock, A. M., the wind blew so violently that houses were unroof- ed, barns blown down, and trees torn up by their roots. The tide rose in our (Orient) harbor to an alarming
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height. A family from one of the houses near the wharf, stepped into a boat and came up the road, and landed near my house, more than twenty rods beyond where the sea had ever been known to flow before.
It was assuredly a distressed, tremendous, as well as a destructive gale. Several vessels were lost and sunk in the Sound that night, and, in some instances, every soul on board perished !
In the summer of 1716, we had a frost in every one of the summer months; the one in June destroyed about all the corn in Orient.
The following persons were residents of or near Oys- terponds, where they or their parents were born and died. Those with a star, thus,* were the descendants of John Tuthill, one of the first settlers of Southold and Orient, New York. They were all ninety or more years of age at the time of their deaths :--
1. * John Tuthill, 3d, died in 1754, in his 97th year.
2. Jonathan Youngs, died in 1777, in his 93d year.
3. Hannah Baxter, died in 1811, in her 98th year.
4. Elizabeth Glover, died in 1803, in her 94th year.
5. Lydia King (daughter of Mrs. Glover), died in 1828, in her 95th year.
6. * Ruth Vail, died in 1836, aged 92 years.
7. Abigail King, died in 1847, in her 92d year.
8. Esther Taber, died in 1843, in her 94th year.
9. * Phœbe King, died in 1848, in her 93d year.
10. Genny Moore (colored), died in 1852, in her 97th year.
14*
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11. Mary Taber, died in 1800, in her 92d year.
12. * Rufus Tuthill, died in 1843, aged 97 years.
13. Nathaniel King, died in 1822, in his 92d year.
14. David Weldon, died in 1834, in his 96th year. 15. Noah Racket, died in 1849, aged 92 years.
16. * Elizabeth Howel, died in 1841, aged 90 years.
17. Isaiah Brown, died in 1814, aged 90 years.
18. Joseph Youngs, died in 1816, in his 96th year.
19. * Dorothy Watkins, died in 1851, in her 95th year.
20. * Anna Steward, died in 1853, in her 95th year.
21. * Ruth Coleman, died in March, 1854, aged 90 years. She was the grand-daughter of James Tuthill, who settled in Orange county, New York, in 1748 or '49. 22. * Hannah Howel, died in 1855, in her 93d year.
23. * Phœbe Glover, died in 1855, in her 91st year.
24. * Silas Beebe, died in 1854, in his 93d year.
In and near the village of Southold, of which they were all residents, the following persons died since about the year 1800 :
1. Alsop Paine, died in his 98th year.
2. John Drake, about 95 years old.
3. Mrs. Drake (his wife), over 90 years.
4. Lieut. Moses Case, in his 92d year ; died in 1814.
5. Gershom Case, over 90 years.
6. Mary Goldsmith Vail, died 1853, 90 years old.
7. Anna Booth, is now in her 91st year.
8. Josiah Woodhull, died over 90 years old.
9. * Deborah Tuthill Goldsmith, died in her 98th year.
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10. * Mary Horton, died in her 97th year.
11. Peg Cory (colored), died in about her 97th year.
12. James Hallock, Esq., died in his 93d year.
13. Daniel Hallock, died in his 91st year.
14. John Hallock, a native of Southold, died in Or- ange county, in his 94th year.
15. John Clark, died in 1855, in his 93d year.
16. Mrs. Case (wife of Gershom Case), over 90 years.
Here we have the names of thirty-seven persons, na- tives of Southold, who lived to the age of ninety years -many of them over. Of this number, thirteen were of the family of the first John Tuthill.
Henry Tuthill, the third child of John Tuthill Jr., had a son, Henry, and who died in the year 1775, aged about eighty-five years. He was twice married-first, to a daughter of Samuel Beebe, of Plumb Island. By her he had one son, Henry, who settled at Acquebogue, where he died, not far from-1795 or 96. This last Henry was grandfather to Mrs. Anna Harrison, widow of the late William Henry Harrison, who died Presi- dent of these United States. His second wife was, we believe, a Miss Landon, by whom, as before observed, he had four sons and three daughters, viz : 1st, Azariah, who became a Deacon of the church in Oysterponds, for many years. He died in 1806, over eighty years old ; 2d, Barnabas, a Major in the war of the Revolution, who died about 1781 ; 3d, Nathaniel, who was drowned ; 4th, Christopher, died in 1798, seventy-three years old ; 5th, Zipporah, who died 1799, sixty-seven years of age ; 6th, Phebe, who died the wife of Major Isaac Reeve ; 7th, Bethia, who married Micah Horton.
Neither from tradition or otherwise have we been
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able to ascertain the particular place in England where John Tuthill Sr., was born, or where he emigrated from, or the branch of the Tuthills from which he descended. In England there are several different branches of the family ; one in Devonshire, one in Buchinghamshire, and another in Norfolkshire, and in each the coat-of- arms and crest vary somewhat. The Hon. Judge Wm. H. Tuthill, of Tipton, Cedar county, Iowa, is of the opinion that he was from the last named. The Judge has the pedigree and coat-of-arms of that particular branch from the college of Heralds, in London. Some of the decendants of the Norfolk family, came to that city in the 17th century and altered the spelling of the name to Tothill. One of them, William Tothill, Esq., was a Judge of the Court of King's Bench, and was a man of much repute ; and Sir George Tuthill of Lon- don, in the early part of the present century, stated to Cornelius Tuthill of New Burgh, that he was a decen- dant of that family.
William H. Tuthill above mentioned, is the son of James Tuthill, who is the son of Daniel Tuthill, late of Jamaica, Queens county, who was the son of Daniel Tuthill, Sr., of that town, who was the son of Joshua Tuthill, Jr., who was the son of Joshua Tuthill, Sr., who was the second son of the said John Tuthill, Sr.
On Friday, 14th October, 1842, at twenty-five minutes past seven o'clock in the morning, our oldest daughter, Harriet Lucretia, the wife of Abner Wells, departed this life, after a distressing illness of three weeks.
The following lines we found in her diary ; written a
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few days before her last sickness. They show her mind ; although they may not be of her composition.
Fly swift ye moments, fly, O fly ! I thirst, I pant, I long to try Angelic joys to prove- Soon I shall quit this House of clay ;
Spread my glad wings and soar away, And shout Redeeming love.
It will ever be found a difficult task to write or speak judiciously of the living. In life, we know, man tar- nishes his name and brightens it again. The worship- ed of to-day, is the dishonored of to-morrow. There are many ways by which humanity may discover its imperfections and show its utter unworthiness, and perhaps it were always well to cease entirely from the praise of man, " whose breath is in his nostrils." Now whether there be wisdom or folly in these reflections, or whether their truth applies more to the conduct or character of the immortal mind, yet I feel constrained, from a sense of duty, to let not the occasion pass in this manner, as it is the last I shall ever have, without offering my feeble tribute of respect and esteem, to the rare genius and talents of my fellow townsman, John O. Terry. I acknowledge myself of those who ad- mire genius where ever found-tempered with virtue, I believe it is of the Deity, incarnate. Mr. Terry is the seventh generation from Richard Terry, who with his family, made one of the original thirteen families, and is the oldest child of the late Joseph Terry, Esq., who for many years held the offices of Justice of the Peace, and Postmaster, in this village. Joseph, in life was much and justly respected, and in his death
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