History of Suffolk county, New York, 1683, Part 79

Author: W.W. Munsell & Co., pub; Bayles, Richard M. (Richard Mather); Cooper, James B. (James Brown), 1825-; Pelletreau, William S. (William Smith), 1840-1918; Street, Charles R. (Charles Rufus), 1825-1894; Smith, John Lawrence, 1816-1889
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: New York : W.W. Munsell & co.
Number of Pages: 677

USA > New York > Suffolk County > History of Suffolk county, New York, 1683 > Part 79

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

interested in the temperance work, and was connected from time to time with the different organizations, par- ticularly with the Sons of Temperance. In 1865 he was, quite unexpectedly to himself, called to the head of that order for eastern New York. Politically Mr. Foster is a thorough Republican.

Always desirous of seeing progress and improvement, he has ever been active in any movement that promised for the good of Riverhead. He has been a trustee of -the village cemetery association from its organization, freely giving thought, time and money for its success, working night and day to establish it in such shape that it might forever be a credit to the village. He was the originator of the Riverhead Savings Bank, and one of its trustees from the start.

As secretary of the Suffolk County Agricultural So- ciety he introduced several new, attractive and important features in its annual fairs, and, with the assistance of the county press, succeeded quite largely in arousing a new interest therein, not only in the county, but throughout the State.

CAPTAIN EDWARD HAWKINS. ,

Captain Edward Hawkins was born in Stony Brook, town of Brookhaven, January 21st 1829. His father, Daniel Shaler Hawkins, was for many years a resident of Suffolk, and an active and successful business man. For many years he was engaged in the coasting trade, being the builder and owner of a number of vessels. The later years of his life he spent at his residence at Stony Brook. He raised a large family and trained them to habits of industry and independence. Believing that success can be achieved by honest effort, he early taught them to make efforts for their own advancement in life. It is not surprising therefore that at the early age of 15 the subject of this sketch entered upon his chosen seafar- ing life, quitting the paternal roof to seek his fortune unaided except by the good advice and training secured at home. Mr. Hawkins was educated at the common schools, never having the advantages for higher educa- tion that our colleges and universities now afford. When he left home it was with the determination to be- come master of his profession, and we find him at the age of 21 in command of a vessel, and a few years later both a commander and an owner. Captain Hawkins has spent many years of his life on the sea, engaged in the coasting trade, principally in southern waters; and has at various times made voyages to the West Indies, Mexico and many southern ports. During the war of the Rebellion he was in government employ, using his vessel for transport service.

At the close of the Rebellion and at the age of 36 Mr. Hawkins retired from seafaring life, never having met with an accident during his experience on the water. Immediately after his retirement from the sea he pur- chased a farm in the town of Riverhead, which he is successfully cultivating and where he con-

THE TOWN OF RIVERHEAD.

Edición Hawkery

tinues to reside, making his home one of the most at- tractive in the county. In company with three brothers he engaged extensively in the manufacture of fish oil and fish guano, having extensive factories at Gardiner's Island and Barren Island employing 150 men and 5 steamers.

In politics Mr. Hawkins has always taken an active interest, and he is an earnest worker for the Democratic party. He has at various times been nominated to posi- tions of trust by his party, unsolicited, being named as a candidate for supervisor of his town and later for sheriff and county treasurer; but, his party being in the minority, he was not elected to the positions which his friends tendered him and which he is by their nomination judged well qualified to fill. He is a director of the Riverhead Savings Bank, and is interested in all meas- ures for the advancement of the public good.

Mr. Hawkins was married in 1855 to Miss Susan C. Smith, daughter of Israel Smith of Lake Grove, Suffolk county. They have had seven children, of whom five are now living,

Hr. Hawkins has always been an active and independ- ent business man and eminently successful. He takes decided views on all subjects, and is an independent and fearless advocate of what he believes to be right. Socially he is highly esteemed, and he is justly termed one of Suffolk county's representative successful citizens, among whom he takes high rank.

SIMEON S. HAWKINS.

Simon & Hawkins

15 he entered upon a seafaring life, in which he made so rapid advancement that in 1847. at the age of 20, he be- came captain of the schooner " Charles D. Hallock," en- gaged in the coasting trade. Although the burden of this boat was only 200 tons, she was considered a large schooner at that time, and attracted a good many visitors when lying in New York harbor. The general verdict was that she ought to be called a ship and rigged accordingly. After this Captain Hawkins was master of various vessels, some of which were engaged in the southern trade. During his stay in southern ports he saw and heard things that led him into a train of serious thought. The nation was being agitated about this time by the " Free Soil " movement, and he repeatedly heard the declaration from the mouths of hot-blooded southerners that no Free Soiler could ever take his seat as president if elected. This he thought a flat denial of, and a rebellion against, the fundamental idea of dem- ocratic government, viz., a willing submission to the will of the majority. Up to this time he had been a Dem- ocrat, but the attitude of the south, which was the back- bone of the Democratic party, changed him, and he has ever since worked and voted with the Republican party. At Charleston, South Carolina, there was a public read- ing room, to which all captains while in port were nomi- nally invited. Captain Hawkins, supposing the invita- tion meant what it said, went to the reading room, but when it became known that he was a northern man he was unceremoniously ordered out. This was another eye-opener, a novel applications of the institutions of a free government. Ever since then he has had a new

Simeon S. Hawkins was born at Stony Brook, in the conception of the sacredness of the principle that, how- town of Brookhaven, March 30th 1827. At the age of | ever high party strife may run, the majority must be sov-

THE TOWN OF RIVERHEAD.

ereign at last. This he believes to be the theory and D. Price " and placed her in this service. In 1870, wish- principle of the Republican party. As a member of that ing to extend his operations, he formed a partnership party he has given special attention to the town primary meetings, believing that the real authority of the " gov- ernment of the people by the people " begins here. He feels that a reform in these meetings has been effected in his own town through the efforts of himself and a few friends who hold the same views. with three of his brothers in the mendaden fishery busi- ness. Theirs has become the largest concern engaged in this line of enterprise; owning five steamers and nine other vessels, some of which are double gang boats. The amount of capital invested is $175,000. Their works are on Barren Island. They were among the pioneers in utilizing the " scraps " that used to be thrown away as worthless.

Mr. Hawkins has served his town and county as an office-holder on several occasions. The first was in 1866, when he was elected county superintendent of the poor, which office he held three years. In 1870 he was elected supervisor of his town, his brother Edward being his competitor on the Democratic ticket. The contest was warm but perfectly friendly. He was a delegate to the State convention that nominated Reuben E. Fenton for governor. He was also a delegate to the great Republi- can convention at Chicago that nominated James A. Gar- field for the presidency. At that convention Mr. Haw- kins was one of the original bolters of the "unit rule," be lieving it to be a sacred principle that the voice of the people should be heard in the national as well as in the State convention. He was one of the immortal "19" who voted as they had been instructed by the authority which they represented-their constituents at home. He says Roscoe Conkling took them into a committee room and openly threatened every man of them with political annihilation if they bolted the " unit rule." They chose to obey the people rather than the machine.

When the war broke out Captain Hawkins was trad- ing at ports on the coasts of Georgia and Florida. In 1862 he was in command of the bark " Hannibal," an assistant to the naval store ships at Port Royal, S. C. After that he came home and began trading in coal and lumber at Jamesport. He bought the schooner " Anna

The Hawkins family is of English extraction, three brothers of that name having emigrated from the old country at one time and settled in the new. Edward Hawkins, grandfather to the subject of this sketch, was a direct descendant of one of the three brothers. He married Miss Olivia Shaler, a school teacher from the State of Connecticut, and settled at Stony Brook when that was the most important seaport and the liveliest village in the town of Brookhaven.

Daniel Shaler Hawkins, the father of our subject, was one of Edward's sons. His first wife was Sophia Smith, daughter of Simeon Smith. They raised five sons- George, Ebenezer, Simeon S., Edward and Jedediah; and three daughters, one of whom is dead. Simeon was the third son and the third child. He was married in . 1852 to a daughter of Albert Youngs, of Jamesport, by whom he has four children.

Mr. Hawkins is still a middle aged man, full of vigor and usefulness, having accomplished vastly more than the average of men 55 years old. He has a beautiful home in the village of Jamesport, and bids fair to fur- nish from the next twenty years' achievements material for another biographical sketch, in a second Illustrated History, that the growth of Suffolk county may demand within that period.

SHELTER ISLAND.

BY WILLIAM S. PELLETREAU.

HE aboriginal name of this island is said to have been " Manhansack ahaquashu wor- nock," which has been translated " an island sheltered by islands." From the first part of this name undoubtedly has been derived the name "Manhansett," which has usually been given to the tribe of Indians that had here their habitation, and which (like the names of the other tribes upon Long Island) was not the name of the tribe as such, but of the place where they lived. At the earliest period of which we have any knowledge the sachem of this tribe was Poggatacut, who is said to have been the elder brother of Wyandanch, the Montauk ruler. This tribe claimed to be the owners of Hog Neck, a part of the town of Southampton, as may appear by the following entry:

" Oct. 3 1665 :- The Shelter Island Indians have this day confirmed the purchase of Hog neck to Southamp- ton for ever, reserving liberty of huntting and fishing & fouling upon the same, and have receaved six indian coats upon the confirmation hereof In full satisfaction of all their claims to Southampton men.

"before me in Fort James " RICHARD NICOLLS."

Tradition states that the point still known as Sachem's Neck was the dwelling place of the great sachem whose influence was felt and acknowledged by all the neighbor- ing tribes. Relics of their villages are still visible in the shape of numerous shell heaps, which from their in- destructible nature have outlasted almost every other relic of aboriginal life. As to the numbers of the natives we can have no certain knowledge, but the statement that they numbered 500 wariors is doubtless far beyond the truth. Like all the tribes on Long Island they rapidly decreased before the face of the white man, and the last member of this once powerful tribe, an aged woman, died about 1835.

TITLE TO THE SOIL.

and Robins Island, and afterward disposed of the same to Stephen Goodyear of New Haven. By a conveyance dated June 9th 1651 the island was sold by Goodyear to Thomas Middleton, Thomas Rouse, Constant Sylvester and Nathaniel Sylvester, the consideration being "1,600 pounds of good merchantable Muscovado sugar." These men as partners at the same time procured a confirma- tion from Youghco and other chiefs of the tribe of In- dians, who agreed to put away all their dogs, or to make satisfaction for any damage that might be done by them. The following is the confirmatory paper:

" Wee whose names are here under neath subscribed doe hereby testify and declare that Yokee, formerly Sachem of Manhansick Ahaquatuwamock, now called Shelter Island, did on the three and twentieth of March 1652 give full Possession unto Capt. Nathaniel Silvester and Ensigne John Booth of the aforesaid Island of Aha- quatuwamock, with all that was belonging to the same. And hee the said Yokee delivered unto the aforesaid Captaine Nathaniel Silvester and Ensigne John Booth one turfe and twige in their hands, according to the usual custome of England; after which delivery and full possession given, the said Yokee with all his Indians that were formerly belonging to said island of Ahaquatuwo- mock did freely and willingly depart the aforesaid island, leavinge the afore said Captaine Nathaniel Silvester and Ensigne John Booth in full possession of the same: Unto which wee Witness our hands the date as above being the 23 of March 1652.

" JOHN HERBERT " ROBERT SEELEY " DANIEL LANE " GILES SILVESTER."

Mr. Goodyear, the first owner after Farrett, was a mer- chant, and his high standing may be learned from his holding the office of deputy governor of New Haven. Among other powers granted to Farrett in his commission from the Earl of Stirling was the power to mortgage the said territory or any part of it; and in accordance with this power a mortgage was given to Goodyear and other parties July 20th 1641, and it is supposed that by the pur- chase of these islands his claim was satisfied. May 8th 1656 Thomas Rouse sold his part to John Booth, who was one of the early settlers of Southold and died there in 1708. He in turn transferred his right (one-quarter) to Nathaniel Sylvester, who conveyed a portion of it to

In 1637 William Earl of Stirling, the owner of Long Island, executed a power of attorney to his agent James Farrett, authorizing him to dispose of lands on the island and to take up for his own use 12,000 acres in what part he pleased. He accordingly appropriated Shelter Island his brother Constant, September 12th 1662. At the

THE TOWN OF SHELTER ISLAND.

time of the conquest of . New Netherland in 1664 the island came under the jurisdiction of the Duke of York, and the two brothers, now owners of the island, negotia- ted with the governor for a commutation of taxes, and received from him the following release, the commuta- tion it is said having been paid part in beef and part in pork:

" Richard Nicoll, Esq., Governor under his Royoll Highness James Duke of Yorke and Albany &c. of all his teritoryes in America, to all to whom these presents shall come. Whereas Nathaniel Sylvester of Shelter Island, Merchant, ffor and on the behalfe of himselfe and of his brother Constant Sylvester of Barbadoes, Esq., hath, of his own voluntary free will and good affec- tion to this government, advanced and paid toward ye support and maintainance thereof the sum of £150, the receipt whereof I doe hereby acknowledge, Now know yee that, by virtue of commission and authority given unto me by his Royoll Highness James Duke of York, I, for and in consideration of the afore said sum of £150 and for other good causes and considerations me there- unto moving, doe hereby grant unto ye said Nathaniel and Constant Sylvester, and to their heirs and assigns forever, That ye said Island called Shelter Island is and forever hereafter shall bee by these presents discharged, exonerated and acquitted from all taxes and rates either civill or military, and from all traynings, setting forth and keeping any souldiers, horses, arms, troops or other warlike provisions, other than what they shall voluntarily do for the defence of their said island and this govern- ment in case of a foreigne invasion, or disturbance by the natives. Given under my hand and seal in ffort James ye 25 day of May in ye yeare Anno Dom. 1666.

"RICHARD NICOLLS."

Within a short time a patent or confirmation of their rights to the island was granted by Governor Nicolls to the two brothers Sylvester, conveying the following:

" A tract of Land lying and being in a certain bite, bay or arm of the sea, which runneth between the lands of East Hampton, Southampton and Southold, in the East Riding of Yorkshire upon Long Island, heretofore purchased from the Indians by James ffaret, agent to William Earl of Sterling, and which hath since came by several deeds, conveyances and grants to the said Con- stant Sylvester of the Island of Barbadoes, Esq., and Nathaniel Sylvester, then inhabiting and residing in Shelter Island aforesaid, merchant; and which said island shall be held, reputed, taken, and be an entire in- franchised town ship, manor and place of itself, and forever have, hold and enjoy like and equal privileges and immunities with any other town, infranchised place or manor within this government; but not to extend to the protecting any traitor, malefactor, fugitive or debtor flying into the said island, to the damage of any person or the obstruction of the laws. The same to be held as of his Majesty the King of England, in free and common soccage and by fealty only, yielding and paying yearly one lamb upon the first day of May, if the same shall be demanded.

" RICHARD NICOLLS.

"Dated June Ist 1666."

That the channel between this island and Hog Neck was once much narrower seems plain from the following writing, still in existence:

" This 6th of April 1678 Capt. Nathaniel Sylvester, for peace and good neighborhood's sake with the town" of Southampton, desireth to bee here entered upon record

as followeth: That whereas hee hath given serious inti- mation or notice of divers strange horses come over to his island, that are exceedingly troublesome and to his great spoyle and damage, especially to his meadows and mowing land; And yet people take noe care to look after them, and rid him of the daily vexation & damage hee sustaines by them; And. hee, being very desirous to still continue the good correspondence with this said town of Southampton, and very loth to offer vio- lence to any neighbors' horses or horse kind that may at any time (unknown to them) make escape to his island, thought good to record this and procure the same to bee published, That in regard of the present busie time of sowing and planting hee yet gives liberty to the neighbors of Southampton or any others concerned, until the last day of the third month (called may) next ensueing, to fetch off their horses from his said Island. But if they shall still neglect, hee the said Sylvester must and shall bee enforced to deliver and rid himself of the said cumber and damage by reason of said horses and horse kind by destroying them, the which he doth declare he is exceedingly loth to doe, if possible by any other means he could prevent it."

It seems incredible that horses could voluntarily have crossed from Hog Neck to this island if the channel had not then been much narrower. We may remark here in passing that the allusion to the " busie time of sowing and planting " would seem to indicate that there had been no great change in the seasons, contrary to a very common notion. .

In July 1673, by the recapture of New York, the Dutch regained possession of this lost territory. It was at this time that the Dutch government sent an armed vessel to the east end of Long Island to bring the differ- ent towns to their allegiance. According to one account Constant Sylvester was reported to have made a will leaving his half of Shelter Island to his sons. This will he had left at home and was absent at the time of the visit of the Dutch force. Under the supposition that he was dead the Dutch officers undertook to confiscate the interest of his heirs, and his portion was sold for £500 to Nathaniel Sylvester, who thus became the sole owner of the island. He had five sons-Giles, Nathaniel, Con- stant, Peter and Benjamin, and left his island to them in equal parts. Three of these sons died without issue. Their parts reverting to Giles he became the owner of four- fifths of the island, and Brinley Sylvester (son of Nathaniel last mentioned) owned the remaining fifth. In 1695 Giles Sylvester sold to William Nicoll, the pat- entee of the town of Islip, one-quarter of the island, which included the part still known as Sachem's Neck, for the sum of £500. Nathaniel, father of Brinley Syl- vester, had previous to his death (which occurred in 1695) sold 1,000 acres of his part to George Havens. Giles Sylvester died in 1706 without issue, and left one-quarter of the island to William Nicoll, who thus became the owner of half of the whole. The remainder, excepting the 1,000 acres in the middle of the island which be- longed to George Havens, still remained in the hands of Brinley, the son of Nathaniel. He had been living in Rhode Island, where his father had resided at the time of his decease, but at this time he returned to this island. The portion of it which he now owned was all that part

THE TOWN OF SHELTER ISLAND).

north of a line drawn from the head of Dering Creek to Cockle's Harbor. In 1737 he built a stately mansion, which is now standing, a most interesting relic of a long- past age. The residence of the first Nathaniel had stood very near the spot where the new house was reared. The doors and many other portions had been brought from England, and were of a make and material impossible to procure in the infant days of the new world. These were made a part of the new building, and are now ex- isting after a lapse of two centuries.

Upon the decease of Brinley Sylvester his estate was left to his daughter Mary, who married Thomas Dering March 9th 1756. After his death, in 1785, it descended to his two sons Sylvester and Henry. After the death of Sylvester (better known as General Dering) his estate was bought by Ezra L'Hommedieu, whose grandfather Benjamin had married Mary the daughter of the original Nathaniel Sylvester. It passed at his death into the hands of his daughter Mary, who married Samuel S. Gar- diner, and for a long time it was widely known as the "Gardiner Estate." The offspring of this marriage was three daughters, one of whom married Professor Lane of Cambridge, Mass .; the other two were successively the wives of Professor Horsford of the same place. At the settlement of the estate it finally passed into the hands of the latter gentleman, whose children are the lineal descendants of the first Sylvester.

As we have before shown, William Nicoll the patentee of Islip was in 1706 the owner of half the island. At his death it was left to his son William, who was member of the colonial Assembly from 1739 to 1768 and was uni- versally known as "Speaker Nicoll." He died without children in 1768, and the estate then went to his nephew been county clerk from 1750 to 1775, was commonly called "Clerk Nicoll." By will made in 1778 he left it to his son Samuel Benjamin Nicoll during his life, entail- ing it to his oldest son Richard F., who by the act abolishing entails became the owner in fee. He sold it to his brother Samuel B. Nicoll, and from him it descended to its present owners in 1865; the estate has been in the possession of the family 187 years. The portion of the Sylvester estate that was owned by Henry Dering was sold to Lawrence V. B. Woodruff, and por- tions of the Nicoll and Havens estates were sold to vari- ous parties.

So long as the island continued to be in the hands of a few land owners there was little chance for the increase of population, but the portion bought by George Havens and parts of the estates of the Sylvesters and the Nicolls became subdivided, and many families settled here, whose descendants still remain. Among them may be mentioned the Cartwright, Congdon, Case, Chase, Tut- hill, Bowdich, Prince, Manwaring, Dickerson, Crook, Smith, Sherman, Conkling, Parker, Preston, Payne and many other families.

TOWN ORGANIZATION AND OFFICERS.

town meetings. It became an independent town in fact as well as in name in 1730; the first town meeting was held April 7th of that year, and the following is a record of its proceedings.

"Precinct of Shelter Island, April 7th 1730 .- At a town meeting held this day William Nicoll was chosen supervisor, John Havens and Samuel Hudson assessors, Edward Havens collector, and Edward Gilman clerk."

At the time of holding this town meeting the male in- habitants of full age were William, Nicoll, John Havens, Samuel Hudson, George Havens, Elisha Page, Joel Bowdich, Abraham Parker, Edward Havens, Samuel Vail, Thomas Conkling, Edward Gilman, Brinley Syl- vester, John Bowdich, Jonathan Havens, Joseph Havens, Noah Tuthill, Sylvester L'Hommedieu, Henry Havens, Samuel Hopkins, Daniel Brown Im. 20.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.