History of Queens County, New York : with illustrations, portraits, and sketches of prominent families and individuals., Part 89

Author:
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: New York : W.W. Munsell and Co.
Number of Pages: 703

USA > New York > Queens County > History of Queens County, New York : with illustrations, portraits, and sketches of prominent families and individuals. > Part 89

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On one occasion the whaleboat men found a vessel aground at Cold Spring. They attempted to get her off, but failed. Threats of burning caused the vessel to be ransomed. . The whaleboat men robbed the store of one Youngs at East Woods, and hid the plunder in the bushes near the shore, in order 'to remove it'at a more suitable time; but, the goods being discovered, they were prevented. Nicholas Wright's store was robbed. Justice Smith, of Hog Island, was robbed of silks, etc., and Wil- liam Ludlam, a tailor who lived with him, was robbed of a great many suits of clothes which he was making up for his customers. Sarah Wright, at Cove Neck, was robbed, among other things, of a silver milk pot, which was carried to Stamford. Seth Wood's store at East Woods was also robbed. The house of John Willets, at Cedar Swamps, was broken open, his hands were tied, every threat was used, and his house was even set on fire, to make him give up his money, but

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HISTORY OF QUEENS COUNTY.

OYSTERS AND CLAMS.

Oyster Bay, as its name implies, has long been famed for the quantity and excellence of its oysters. Long be- fore the advent of the first white settlers the Indians, as would be inferred from the mounds of clam and oyster shells still to be found, depended upon these two bivalves for a great part of their subsistence, and also to furnish material for making Indian money for themselves and the tribes round about. The oyster beds were natural to the harbor; and it was not until the commencement of the nineteenth century that the townspeople began to plant artificial beds; it is to these, with hard and soft clams, that the inhabitants of Oyster Bay village and its vicinity owe much of their financial prosperity. At first there were attempts made by the town to prevent the planters from claiming their beds as individual property. This the planters resisted; and, after several suits, estab- lished their rights to such beds as private property. No planter, however, can plant oysters either on natural beds or within wading distance of the shore.

The following, copied from the town records, shows that the beds were held as common town property:

"Whereas many people, not inhabitants of the town, have frequently come into the town and taken and car- ried away the oysters from off the oyster beds lying with- in the township, to the damage of the inhabitants thereof, at a special town meeting held at the house of Benjamin Cheshire, the 12th day of October 1784, called at the request of the respectable inhabitants of said town in order to prevent the taking and carrying away the oysters by strangers and to preserve them for the use of the in - habitants, it was ordered: Ist. That no person not an inhabitant of this town shall be allowed to take or carry away any of the oysters from off the oyster beds lying in the town, on penalty of five pounds, to be recovered by the persons hereafter named and to be paid to the over- seers of the poor, for the use of the poor of the said town, on conviction of the aforesaid offense. 2nd. That no person an inhabitant of this town shall be allowed to take and sell any of the oysters from off the oyster beds lying in this town, to any person not an inhabitant of this town, on the penalty of twenty shillings on being con. victed thereof, and to be applied as aforesaid. 3d. That Samuel Youngs, Esq., James Farley and Amaziah Wheel- er, or the majority of them, be authorized to prosecute any of the offenders of the aforesaid order, and, it req- uisite, to take counsel therein at the expense of the town."

These resolutions did not give satisfaction, for after the next town meeting, in 1785, appears the following: "It was voted that the town order of a special town meet- ing held in Oyster Bay Octr. 12th 1784, respecting the oysters, be no longer in force."

In 1801 we find the following:

"Voted that no oysters be caught in the harbor of Oyster Bay with rakes or tongs from the rst day of May next to the ist day of September following, under the penalty of five pounds for each and every offense, to be recovered by the supervisor, according to law; and that William Townsend, miller, Joshua Hammond and Thos. Smith be appointed to inspect in the aforesaid regulations, and report the transgressors to the super- visors, whose duty it shall be to proceed against the same."

The oyster beds appear to have been considered town property till 1807, when the first permission was granted to private individuals to plant oysters and own the beds as private property, as follows: "Robert Feeks to have liberty, and the town to grant him the space of ten square rods under water, in some convenient place in the Gutt, for the purpose of making an oyster bed where no valu- able bed has been known."

After this date the inhabitants commenced to plant oyster beds and claim them as private property. The town attempted to dispute the ownership; but in a test suit the town was defeated, and since then any inhabitant exercises the right to plant oysters in any part of the harbor not previously planted. Among those first to plant were James Callwell, Ezra Miner, Isaac Smith and Alexander Sammis. The regulations for some years as to the disposal or sale of oysters, clams, eels, etc., were very stringent, as is seen from the following:

"Voted that no person whatever, during the present year, sell or convey out this town, to be carried out by boats employed for that purpose, any oysters, clams or eels, under the penalty of twelve dollars and fifty cents for every offense; to be recovered as the other forfei'- ures are recovered, the one equal half to the complainer and the other half to the overseer of the poor."

There seems not to have been any set time of the year appointed for taking oysters out of their beds till 1813, as the following shows: " Ordered that no person rake any oysters in the harbor of Oyster Bay from the 6th day of April to the first day of November, under the penalty of twelve dollars and fifty cents." The follow- ing extracts from the town records, from 1816 to 1880, show the resolutions passed for the regulation of the oyster production during those years:

1816: " Voted that no person not an inhabitant of the town of Oyster Bay shall be allowed to take, or employ another to take, oysters in the creeks or harbor of Oyster Bay, under the penalty of twelve dollars and fifty cents. 2nd. That no persons be allowed to rake oysters in the creeks or harbor of Oyster Bay but in the months of De- cember, January and February, under the penalty above mentioned."

These two resolutions were confirmed at a meeting held later in the year, and were again passed in 1819 and 1820; but, in addition, included the same penalty for car- rying away clams or selling them. In 1825, at a special town meeting, regulation oyster papers were issued, to allow only the freeholders and inhabitants of Oyster Bay to oyster on the east side of a straight line from Plum Point to Cooper's Bluff. This took in all Cold Spring Harbor.

1833: "Resolved, that no person from any other town shall be permitted to dig clams or take oysters out of the town."

1836: " Voted that no person be permitted to plant oysters in the waters of Oyster Bay Harbor. Voted that license for planting oysters be put at thirty dollars.

1839: "Voted that the people of the town shall enjoy the privilege of clamming, fishing and oystering below high water mark on all the shores and waters of the town,

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AGRICULTURE IN OYSTER BAY-THE OYSTER BUSINESS.

and defend the same." This is signed by John D. Feeks, William H. Jones and Thomas D. Montfort, justices, and A. Bogart, town clerk.

1843: " Resolved that we will defend the rights of the town to the exclusive ownership of the oysters in Oyster Bay."

1847: "That the oysters in the bay or waters of the town be free to all of the inhabitants of the said town the ensuing year." This order was bitterly opposed by those who had planted oyster beds. This opposition led to a lawsuit, in which the town was again defeated. From 1847 to 1870 the rules do not appear to have been changed. In the latter year it was "resolved that no person be allowed to plant or bed oysters in any of the waters of the town of Oyster Bay or any of the shores of said town where oysters and clams grow naturally, and where persons can wade in the water and clam and oys- ter at low tide, under a penalty of twelve dollars and fifty cents for each and every offense of twenty four hours so tresspassing." This resolution was again passed in 1880, excluding the waters of South Oyster Bay. The town at different times voted to permit dredging with sailboats in the waters of the bay, but these per mits have been withdrawn on several occasions. In 1875 the fol- lowing resolution was passed, and it was repeated each year thereafter: " Resolved that, for the purpose of killing the sea stars which infest and injure the oysters, all persons are allowed to dredge oysters with sailboats or otherwise; and that any resolution heretofore passed prohibiting the dredging of oysters under sail be and the same is hereby repealed."

Within late years the oyster trade has grown to large proportions, employing many sloops. A market is found principally in New York. Some of the oystermen, among them Daniel Smith, of Cove Neck, have as many as four or six sloops in the trade. Mr. Smith has ship- ped from $15,000 to $30,000 worth of oysters per year, and in 1880 planted 6,700 bushels of them. It is esti- mated that there could not have been far short of 200,000 bushels planted in the bay the same year. Most of the seed is obtained from the Connecticut shore. There is a growing shipping business to England; the buyers coming direct from there to the Bay to purchase, choosing the second class or smaller oysters for that purpose.

AGRICULTURE.

Prominent mention is made of apple trees and nurse- ries as early as 1669 and 1670. Several leases of land are found. The following, seventeen years after settle- ment, is perhaps the most suggestive:

"Oyster Bay, the first month, the 20th day, 1670.

"This is an agreement made between me and Thomas Youngs jr. and Richard Youngs, his brother. First they are to have the free use of my team, cart and plow, with the iron chains, with all things thereto belonging; and they are to stub and break up and manure all the land now within fence that is fit for it; and they are to look well and carefully after all my creatures; and they are to have for their team and plow two thirds of the in-

crease of all the land manured that I own there. And they are to have two thirds of the fruit, and I reserve one or two barrels for John Youngs; and so every year following as they enjoy it. Then for the sheep: there are thirty, and they are to deliver thirty pounds of wool per year, that is one pound for one sheep; and there are nine lambs, and at the end of three years and a half they are to deliver me thirty sheep and nine lambs. Now for the cattle: we are to have half the milk and one third of the increase, and they two thirds, and they are to find or provide me a beast to ride on when I please; and they are to provide me wood to burn, what is needful. Four cows, one two-year-old heifer, one two-year-old bull, four year- lings. And the principals engage to me to make good at the term and time of three years and a half of all these creatures; they do also engage to sow so many acres of wheat and rye on the ground as there is now, at the end of three years and a half, and to leave all my goods and carts and plows, and them with all things else that they receive of me, as good as they are now (two broad chisels, two narrow chisels, one saw, two adze, compasses, one inch-and-a-half auger, three lesser augers and bung- borer, one pruner bit, one mattock, two forks, three pair of new traces and one old pair, two new collars, two old collars, one pair of cart traces with iron hooks, with a new collar, one cross-cut saw, one new file, a beetle, three wedges, one saw-set, two great clevises with the bolts, two lesser clevises with the bolts). And they are to tan my hides for one third. And they are to leave all my farm and tools in as good order and repair as they are now, with all things else, with six bushels of oats, two bushels and half peas, two bushels of barley, one bushel and half of flaxseed.

"As witness our hand and seal the manner as within. "THOMAS YOUNGS senior." The following from Gaine's Mercury throws light on the state of agriculture: "December 18th 1768 the New York Society for Promoting Arts adjudged a premium of Lio to Thomas Youngs, of Oyster Bay, for the largest nursery of apple trees. It contains twenty-seven thou- sand one hundred and twenty-three trees."

In tracing the agricultural history of Oyster Bay the important fact must be admitted that the virgin soil on which the pioneers by their crude endeavors first experi- mented was by no means rich, in comparison with cen- tral New York, or even the river counties, not to mention the rich western prairies which the present century has brought so prominently to the notice of the world. The newly cleared lands gave only a medium return. The natural accumulation of vegetable deposit, unsupple- mented by other necessary ingredients requisite to a rich soil, soon became exhausted by repeated cropping of po- tatoes, rye, wheat, flax, buckwheat and corn, the first staples grown for present food necessities and articles of barter for imported products.

The soil, a sandy loam with sand predominating, in- ducing quick and rapid growth, plant roots readily pen- etrating surface and sub-soil soon absorbed the store of plant-food. Thus manure was quickly brought into prominent notice. The natural growth of coarse, unnu- tritious grass on the woodless plain composing the center of the town and on the salt meadows of the South Bay furnished forage for the stock of the first settlers. After clearings were made, fields in proximity to the homestead were mulched and manured by cattle feeding in winter,

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HISTORY OF QUEENS COUNTY.

and made to produce a luxuriant growth of the short natural grasses-blue grass (not Kentucky), secretary. red-top and many others, which were mown for the winter supply of hay.

Cattle for beef and the yoke, horses, hogs, sheep, flax, rye, corn and wood were the main articles of trade and sale to near the end of the eighteenth century.

Orcharding received early attention. The apple prod- uct of cider and whiskey found a ready sale. A whiskey still owned by a pioneer settler of Oyster Bay remains intact, having been transmitted through six generations, though unused through five of them. In the article of refined cider the town now holds a deservedly high rep- utation.

As the nineteenth century dawned and progressed, hay, straw, wheat, corn and fruits of choice quality found near and ready markets and their production rapidly in- creased. These, sold off the land, at once rendered it imperative to replenish the exhausted soil, and the im- portation of manures was made obligatory. Long Island appropriates to its use a large portion of the manures collected in New York and Brooklyn, and Oyster Bay its proportionate quantity, insomuch that few sections vie with it in the yield per acre of corn, wheat, hay and veg- etables. The cost of fertilizers would buy the land at yet tried.

a hundred dollars an acre every seven years.

The

question is often asked, will this pay? Farmers as a rule keep no accounts. The result can answer. Farms have been divided and subdivided. The son is no poorer than his sire, and the net product of his portion fully equals-in many instances far exceeds-that of the for- mer undivided heritage. With a six-fold salable value he is rich if he wishes to realize in cash, where with wide- spread acres the sire was poor indeed.

The regular farm routine has varied but little since the first settlement, viz .: corn on the inverted sod, oats and potatoes next, followed by wheat and seeding to grass, mowing three or four years, with as many following in pasturage, when the rotation begins anew.

In some localities, notably between Oyster Bay and Glen Cove, asparagus, onions and rhubarb have been successfully cultivated, the former having a reputation not equaled elsewhere. An experiment about 1835 with half an acre of this esculent by the late Captain John Underhill, a descendant of the historic Captain John, and on his old homestead, followed by Isaac Townsend

in 1841, has induced the cultivation of five hundred acres in the immediate vicinity, and brought thousands of dol- lars to farmers who wisely followed the experiment. The value of the present annual product is $150,000.

As a consequence of increased feed the stock of cattle The forests form a peculiar feature of the town, as they do of all Long Island. On the north the rough gravelly and swine was increased, as through these, in the form of beef and pork, the only available market could be hillsides, not inviting to tillage, and the wet and sandy reached. For all purposes incident to clearing new land land on the south, were wisely left uncleared and have proved a continual source of income for fuel before the era of coal, and always for building material and fencing, for which latter, perhaps, no locality is so favored in cheapness and durability of timber as this region in the possession of the yellow locust and chestnut. As the de- mand for fuel has decreased the increasing necessity for railroad ties and the like more than compensates. horses were in demand, and an increase in the stock was early manifested, and has continued, a legitimate and lucrative business, intelligently pursued, as the present race of roadsters and track horses, descended from the famous sires "Messenger " and " Duroc," owned and stabled in this town, will abundantly prove. Horses for heavy draught were not required here. The easily worked soil required agility rather than muscular force, and in this stock it was well supplied.

Milk production for the city markets is a growing new business and is fairly remunerative. But few stock cattle are kept, and their produce, except choice or fancy varieties, is invariably sold to the butchers. The stock is mainly kept up by calves brought from the large dairy districts elsewhere; these are profitably grown to supply the demand for milch cows. Working oxen, once generally used for farm work, have become almost obso- lete.

Hay, vegetables, fruit and timber are the principal articles sold, and although this is a purely agricultural town it falls largely short of furnishing a home supply of grain. Much of this deficiency for stock is supplied by "corn feed" from the Messrs. Duryea's starch factory at Glen Cove-about the only manufacturing establishment in the town.

Bony fish, once a prolific source of manure, are now monopolized by oil factories, in which fishery Oyster Bay is little interested. Commercial manures are receiving much careful attention, but the old and well-tried stable product still has the preference as furnishing the requi- sites for plant growth in greater proportion than anything

CHARITIES.

By an act of the Legislature passed April 18th 1838 Andrew C. Hegeman, Ebenezer Seely and James C. Townsend, freeholders and inhabitants of the town of Oyster Bay, and Benjamin Albertson and Singleton Mitchell, freeholders and inhabitants of the town of North Hempstead, were appointed trustees of the Jones fund for the support of the poor in said towns, to hold their office two years from the first Tuesday in April 1838, and until their successors were appointed. The trustees of this fund were always to be three freeholders and inhab- itants of the town of Oyster Bay and two freeholders and inhabitants of North Hempstead, who were to be elected every second year thereafter, at their respective towns' annual meetings. The trustees and their succes- sors were granted all the rights and powers of a corpo- rate body, to take, hold, and manage the fund, or any part of it, as directed by the will of Samuel Jones, of the town of Oyster Bay, for the support of the poor in Oyster Bay and North Hempstead. The amount be-

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CHARITIES OF OYSTER BAY-TOWN OFFICERS-CEMETERIES.

queathed by Mr. Jones was $30,000. Some years subse- quently Walter R. Jones, of Cold Spring, bequeathed $5,000 to the fund, for the sole benefit of the town of Oyster Bay. The expenses of purchasing the farm, erect- ing buildings, etc., have been paid by the two towns, thus keeping the original bequest intact, using the in- come only.

"An institution.for the use and benefit of the poor among the black people" was established to help the needy colored people of the towns of North Hempstead and Oyster Bay and vicinities-especially in the educa- tion of their children. The membership of the society was limited to thirty persons, all of whom must be mem- bers of the Society of Friends. Nine members consti- tuted a quorum. Should the field for benevolence be increased the institution had the right to receive addi- tional members from the new field. The money was raised by subscriptions from such persons as were in- clined to give, and constituted a permanent fund, only the interest being used. By giving proper securities the subscriber might hold the principal, payable on demand, by paying 5 per cent. annual interest.

The first meeting of this association was held June 7th 1794, when the following officers were elected: Thomas Willis, clerk; Samuel Seaman, treasurer; Samuel Willis, Edmund Willis and Adam Mott, trustees. The original members were Elias Hicks, Fry Willis, Joseph Cooper, Thomas Willis, James Carhartt, Isaac Shernan, Royal Aldrich, Jacob Smith, John Carle, Jacob Willetts, John Whitehouse, William Willis Wheatley, Jacob Wil- letts jr., Israel Pearsall, Gideon Seaman, Joshua Powell, Edmund Willis, Refined Weeks, William Jones, Jacob Seaman, Samuel Willis, Adam Mott, Richard Townsend, Solomon Underhill, Stephen Mott, Samuel W. Mott, Richard Powell, Adonijah Underhill, David Seaman and Silas Titus. The institution continued to fulfill its pur- pose of ameliorating the condition of that oppressed race for many years; but as the fund is not now required for the education of the colored children here, in conse- quence of the excellent system of free education, it is now employed for the education of the children of the freedmen in the south.

SUPERVISORS AND CLERKS-STATISTICS.

The following are lists of the supervisors and clerks of the town, so far as the record shows them: -

Supervisors .- John Townsend, 1707, 1708; Thomas Jones. 1712, 1713; Samuel Dickinson, 1714-25; Benja- min Carpenter, 1726.29; David Jones, 1730-35; Thomas Jones, 1736-41; David Seaman, 1742-46; Benjamin Woolsey, 1747; Micijah Townsend, 1750-59; Thomas Smith, 1760.66, 1777-82; Benjamin Townsend, 1767; William Townsend, 1868-75; James Townsend, 1776; George Townsend, 1783; George Townsend and James Townsend, 1784 (James must have been appointed to succeed George); Dr. James Townsend, 1785-89; Isaac Smith, 1790-97; Coles Wortman, 1798, 1804; Hewlett Townsend, 1799; Isaac Smith, 1800-3, 1810-13; William Townsend, 1805-9; Samuel Youngs, 1814-17: Ebenezer Seely, 1818-22; William H. Jones, 1823-28; Andrew C. Hegeman, 1829-36; Samuel Youngs jr., 1837-42, 1847,

1848; William Harrold sen., 1843, 1844; Peter H. Layton, 1845; James Luyster, 1846, 1855, 1856; David R. Floyd- Jones, 1857, 1858; George S. Downing, 1859-66; Town- send D. Cock, 1867-71; Walter Franklin, 1872-74; George S. Downing, 1875-80; Scudder V. Whitney, 1881.

Town Clerks .- John Townsend, 1707, 1708; George Townsend, ' 1712-22; Samuel Underhill, 1723-47; Penn Townsend, 1750-55: Jacob Townsend, 1756, 1757; Samuel Townsend, 1758-76, 1783-89; John Cock, 1777-82; Samuel Youngs, 1790, 1793; Jacobus Monfoort, 1794.1823; John Monfoort, 1824-29; Charles H. Peters, 1830-32; Andrew Bogart, 1833-41; Albert G. Carll, 1842-45; James M. Monfoort, 1846; Andris Bogart, 1847; George S. Down- ing, 1848-52; John Vernon, 1853; Jonah S. Hegeman, 1854, 1855; John N. Remsen, 1856-81.

The valuation of Oyster Bay in 1823 was $1,575,550, the largest town valuation in the county.

The steady and rapid increase of the population of the town during the present generation may be traced in the following census returns: 1845, 6,361; 1850, 6,900; 1855, 8,047; 1860, 9,168; 1865, 9,417; 1870, 10,595; 1875, 11,461; 1880, 11,923.

BURIAL PLACES.

The Woolsey family has two burial places in Dosoris, each containing a quarter of an acre of land, where many of the family and near relatives are buried. These plots were reserved forever for burial places in the deeds conveying the two Woolsey estates to John Butler and Nathaniel Coles respectively.

The Frost family burial ground is situated on the farm now owned by Valentine Frost, and originally purchased by William Frost, who was buried here in 1718, this be- ing the first interment.

The Weeks burial ground, on the farm of John Weeks at Matinecock, has many slabs which cannot be read. The earliest date legible is 1761.

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History of Queens County, New York : with illustrations, portraits, and sketches of prominent families and individuals., Part 89

Author: Publication date: 1882 Publisher: New York : W.W. Munsell and Co. Number of Pages: 703

Author:
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: New York : W.W. Munsell and Co.
Number of Pages: 703