History of Suffolk county, New York, 1683, Part 99

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 99

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Roman Catholic Church .- This church, whose members are numerous, was established about 1840. The first Methodist church edifice was purchased, and was used till 1872, when a very elegant church building and par- sonage were built at the corner of Union and Division streets.

SCHOOLS OF SAG HARBOR.

The writer well remembers the time when, a short dis- tance south of the present Methodist church, stood a long, low, unpainted building, surmounted with a belfry of a magnitude entirely disproportioned to the building, and presenting a most grotesque appearance. This was for years the village school-house. In 1815 an academy was erected on Suffolk street, which was destroyed by fire in 1864. The want of suitable school buildings was seriously felt, and in 1870 the want was fully met by the purchase of a large brick building on the east side of Main street, which had been built for a hotel and known as the " Mansion House." It is a striking instance of the decline in the value of real estate which followed the decay of the whale fishery that this building, which originally cost $17,000, was purchased with the lot for $7,000. That this building was obtained is owing to the philanthropic benevolence of Dr. Frederick Crocker, who generously subscribed the larger part of the cost. After being thoroughly refitted it was formally opened as a union school, and at the present time employs eight teachers and has an average attendance of 375 scholars.

BUSINESS ENTERPRISES OF SAG HARBOR.

The building of vessels was begun here as early as 1780. A " Captain Prior " obtained the lease of a piece of land near the old wharf in 1795 for the purpose of ship building, and in 1806 it was voted by the trustees of the town that Captain Stephen Howell should have the privilege of building a ship " near the old wharf, not interfering with the road, for the sum of 16 shillings." About this time many vessels were built by Messrs. Howell, Huntting, and others, which made to their own- ers rich returns in prosperous whaling voyages.

To give a full account of the whale fishery as carried on from this port would require a volume in itself, and a meager sketch is all we can attempt. As has been be- fore stated the business began about 1760, when sloops were fitted out to cruise along the south side, and the blubber taken was brought back to be rendered into oil. The first vessel to undertake long voyages was the ship " Hope," owned by the Gardiners and commanded by Captain Ripley. The result was far from satisfactory, and the enterprise proved a loss. In 1785 Colonel Ben- jamin Huntting and Captain Stephen Howell sent out vessels which finally extended their voyages to the coast of Brazil. The average duration of a voyage was ten or eleven months, and the voyages were almost always suc- cessful. The war of 1812 caused a temporary suspen- sion of business, which soon recommenced with increased vigor. In 1807 there were four ships fitted out from this port. In 1845, when the business was at its highest point, there were 70 vessels engaged in whaling. The growth of the village was rapid and its streets resounded with the sounds of busy industry. A fire which occurred in 1817 had destroyed a large part of the business por- tion, but the loss had been fully repaired, and prosperity seemed assured, when on the evening of November 13th

THE TOWN OF SOUTHAMPTON.

1845 a fire occurred which swept away almost the whole of the western part of the village. The rapid decline of the whaling business completed the ruin, and from being one of the most prosperous villages in the State it seemed fair to reach the opposite extreme. The ships which had brought wealth came no more, and in 1862 the last vestige of what had been a great and extended enterprise disappeared by the sale of the brig " Myra," which was the last remnant of the once powerful whaling fleet.

It was fondly hoped that the lost prosperity of tlie vil- lage could be restored by starting a manufacturing enter- prise, and in 1849 steps were taken to raise funds to build a cotton-mill. A company was formed, of which Major John Hildreth was president and S. A. Seeley clerk, and the work of starting the new enterprise fairly begun. The farmers in the neighboring villages had their ideas elevated by the assurance that the returns would be large and the security ample, and the money which might have been much better employed on their homes and farms was freely contributed to this new speculation. The factory was finished in 1850, and proved an utter failure; the buildings were finally sold at a heavy loss, and pur- chased by a company of New England capitalists. On the night of October 21st 1879 the mill caught fire and was entirely consumed. The lot and ruins passed into the hands of Mr. Fahys, who resolved to transfer to this place his immense business of watch case manufacturing. and within a year the whole building, greatly enlarged, has risen from its ashes, and a business has sprung up for which the highest expectations are indulged, which we trust will be realized.

The Sag Harbor Savings Bank was chartered April 12th 1860 and began business June 7th. The first offi- cers were: J. Madison Huntting, of East Hampton, presi- dent; William A. Woodbridge, treasurer; William H. Gleason, secretary. At the regular meeting October Ist of the same year the amount of deposits was reported to be $9,620.25. Mr. Huntting, the president, died in 1868, and Josiah Douglass was chosen in his place, who held the position until removed by death in February 1869. Hon. Henry P. Hedges was then elected, and he still continues in office. The office of treasurer was held after 1864 by Captain Wickham S. Havens, whose integrity and business capacity inspired confidence and commanded respect. He died, much lamented, in the spring of 1881, and Captain William Lowen was elected to the office ..

In 1880 an association was formed under the name of the East Long Island Pottery Company, and to it the aid of the community was freely given. A lot was pro- cured near the railroad depot, kilns and the necessary buildings were erected, and work was expected to begin at an early day. But on the night of August 15th 1881 the building was set on fire, and all that was combustible was quickly consumed. On July 28th previous a fire de- stroyed a large number of buildings on the west side of Main street, and the general aspect of things was desolate indeed.

February 18th 1879 the village was aroused by a con-

flagration which was the most extensive since the great fire of 1845. This commenced in a small building near the wharf owned by Matthew Gregory, and communicat- ing to the adjoining buildings the whole were wrapped in flames. The principal buildings destroyed were the hotel known as the Nassau House and the Huntting block, which had always been considered fireproof. The steam flouring mill near by was also consumed.

SAG HARBOR IN THE WAR OF 1812.

The few incidents connected with this war as regards this town belong to the village of Sag Harbor, which was exposed to attack by the enemy's fleet. A list of the company stationed here will be found in the history of East Hampton. A brick building was built for an arse- nal, on the north side of the old burying ground, and well supplied with military stores. In June 1813 an attack was made upon the place by a party from the British squadron under Commodore Hardy. A landing was made upon the wharf, but the alarm was soon given, fire was opened by a fort which stood on a hill on the East Hampton side of the village, and the enemy retreated without success.

The wreck of the British sloop of war " Sylph," which occurred on the night of the 25th of January 1815, was one of the most fatal shipwrecks that ever occurred on our shores. She was first discovered in the morning by Captain Nathan White, and a large party soon assembled on the beach. The weather was intensely cold and a furious snow storm began. The vessel was light, built of cedar, and toward night broke up, and out of 116 only five escaped destruction. The wreck occurred nearly opposite Shinecock Point. The proceeds of the wreck were by an act of the Legislature divided among the religious societies of the town, after paying certain damages done by the vessel to parties in Southold. Some of the timbers of this vessel are still in existence, owing to the durable nature of the wood.

THE PRESS OF SAG HARBOR.

The first newspaper printed on Long Island was com- menced here May 10th 1791, by David Frothingham, and called the Long Island Herald. In 1802 it was sold to Sellick Osborn and the name changed to Suffolk County .Herald. In 1804 it was transferred to Alden. Spooner, and the name again changed to Suffolk Gazette. It was published till 1811, when it was suspended. The Suffolk County Recorder was started October 19th 1816, by Samuel A. Seabury. The Republican Watchman was first issued September 16th 1826, edited by Samuel Phillips. In 1844 it was moved to Greenport.

The Corrector was established in 1822 by Henry W. Hunt, and was continued after his decease by his sons. It passed into the hands of Brinley D. Sleight, its present editor, in 1859.

The Corrector is now the oldest living newspaper in the county, and under the able management of Hon. B. D. Sleight still continues a power in the political field. -

THE TOWN OF SOUTHAMPTON.

The Sag Harbor Express first appeared July 14th 1859, edited by John H. Hunt, and it still continues to tions, and carry the mails without delay; but it was not appear as the exponent of Republican principles. so "nominated in the bond," and advantage was taken of it by Oliver Charlick. Under threats of building the SOCIETIES. depots at out-of-the-way places, the town was forced by private subscriptions to erect the depot buildings at all the stations. The whole amount of money paid by the town for building the railroad was $115,000, exclusive of interest on bonds.

The first Odd Fellows' lodge in Suffolk county was es- tablished at Sag Harbor in 1843, and consisted of five members. It now numbers more than Ioo, and is in a flourishing condition. An encampment was started in 1859. It was suspended after working about ten years, but was revived in May 1871, and now numbers about 25 members.

SAG HARBOR BRANCH RAILROAD.

No single event since the settlement has been of so great importance in the past and so promising of advan- tages in the future, as the building of the branch rail- road. This project had been started long before, and about 1854 a survey was made for a branch to connect with the main line at Riverhead. This, however, result- ed in nothing, and the subject was laid to rest until the latter part of 1867, when the building of the South Side road caused the president and officers of the Central road to consider the propriety and advantage of "head- ing off " their rival by building a line through the south branch of the island. Public opinion was highly ex- cited, and for a long time "railroad " was the only sub- ject of conversation. At length a special town meeting was held, February 28th 1868, at which it was voted that the supervisor be authorized to issue bonds to aid in ex- tending the South Side Railroad through the town, to the amount of $4,000 a mile and a right of way. In case this company should refuse the proposition the same offer was to be made to "any other company." A com- mittee consisting of William H. Gleason, Stephen B. French, Orlando Hand, Henry E. Huntting, Benjamin H. Foster, Isaac C. Halsey and Daniel B. Cook was ap- pointed to manage the affair. The South Side Railroad not accepting the offer, a bargain was finally made with Oliver Charlick, the president of the Long Island Rail- road Company, to the effect that the town should pay $3,000 a mile and pay for the right of way, and if the road should run to Riverhead it should be from a point as far west as Quantuck. It had been expected that the branch would join the main line at Riverhead, but the people of that place, thinking it would come there as a matter of course, refused to contribute anything toward the building. The result was that Mr. Charlick resolved to run the line to Manor Station. Benjamin H. Foster, William Buck and Orlando Hand were commissioners to appraise the land for the right of way, and performed their delicate duties to almost universal satisfaction. The contract for building the road was taken by James Mullry and Samuel R. Smith, of New York, and the work rapidly progressed. The first locomotive, at- tached to a construction train, crossed the main street of Southampton February 26th 1870, and passenger trains commenced running from Bridgehampton April 23d of the same year. It was distinctly understood by all | the history of the place.

concerned that the railroad company was to build sta-

PROMINENT FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS.

THE HUNTTING FAMILY.

The well-known Huntting family, whose name is so closely connected with the whaling interest in its begin- ning and in its glory, are the descendants of Samuel Huntting, who came to this town from East Hampton in 1739. He settled in the village of Southampton, and it was not till after the Revolution that the family's place of business was removed to Sag Harbor. Colonel Ben- jamin Huntting, who was born in 1754 and died August 17th 1807, was one of the first to equip whale ships for distant voyages, and also carried on quite an extensive trade with the West Indies. After his death the business was conducted on a still more extensive scale by his sons Samuel and Benjamin, and a large part of the whaling fleet was owned by them.

CAPTAIN STEPHEN HOWELL.

An elegant monument standing in the Oakland Cemetery perpetuates the memory of Captain Stephen Howell, who was born in Southampton October 23d 1744 and died January 18th 1828. He was probably one of the very first who erected storehouses in this village, and his name is inseparable from the history of its rise and success. He was an ardent patriot, and was one of the company who took an active part in the battle of Long Island. He engaged in the whale fishery in 1785, and he and his sons Lewis and Silas were among the most successful in that enterprise. The first manufac- turing business in Sag Harbor was a sperm candle fac- tory erected by Captain Howell, which stood on the site of the present gas works.

THE LATHAM FAMILY.

Hubbard Latham, a native of Noank, Connecticut, came to this place in 1760, and was for many years one of its most prominent citizens. He was born January 4th 1746, and died November roth 1813. He was an exten- sive landowner and active in mechanical and maritime enterprises. Of his family of 12 children none are liv- ing. Eleazer Latham, son of Eden S. Latham, is now the sole representative of his grandchildren in this vil- lage; and the writer takes this opportunity of expressing thanks to him for much valuable information concerning

THE TOWN OF SOUTHAMPTON.

EBENEZER SAGE.

Dr. Ebenezer Sage was born at Portland, Connect- icut, in 1755. He studied medicine, and removed in 1780 to East Hampton, L. I., where he practiced thirteen years. He married Ruth, daughter of Dr. William Smith of Southampton, in 1790; returned to his native village, where he remained five years, and came to Sag Harbor in 1801. He was elected to Congress in 1809, and served three terms. He was a member of the convention that formed the State constitution in 1821, and also held the office of master in chancery. He died January 20th 1834, and his wife Ruth died in May 1831; their grave- stones may be seen in Oakland Cemetery. Although he wrote with great facility he had not the gift of oratory; and it was said of him that in Congress and the State convention he was never absent from his seat, never failed to vote on every question, and never made a speech. He lived in the old gambrel-roofed house east of the Episcopal church and on the north side of Sage street, which was named in his honor.

SAMUEL L'HOMMEDIEU.

Samuel L'Hommedieu was born in the town of Southold, in 1744. He resided in Sag Harbor previous to the Revolution, and held a commission as lieutenant in the militia, granted by Governor Tryon. With many prominent Whigs he fled to Connecticut, and settled in New London, where he sustained much loss of property by the burning of the place by Arnold. After the war he returned to Sag Harbor, and commenced the manu- facture of ropes and cordage. He held the office of jus- tice of the peace, and was a member of Assembly, and in both positions his services were prominent and satisfac- tory. He lived on the west side of Main street, south of the present residence of the heirs of Oliver Wade. He married Sarah, daughter of Ebenezer White, November 26th 1776, and had children Sylvester, Charity, Phebe, Samuel, Elizabeth, Sarah, Mary and Ezra. None of the name are now found in the village. His daughter Mary married Rev. J. L. Gardiner, father of Samuel L. Gardi- ner. Mr. L'Hommedieu died in 1833, and rests in Oak- land Cemetery.

COLONEL JOHN HURLBURT.

Colonel John Hurlburt was a native of Middle- town, Conn., and came to this town previous to the Revo- lution. He first settled in Bridgehampton, and kept a tavern on the east corner of the Country road and the Sag Harbor turnpike. In 1776 he was in command of a company appointed to guard the stock on Montauk. After this he joined General Schuyler's army, and served with distinction. After the war he moved to Sag Har- bor and built a house on the south side of Union street a few rods east of Main street. He was a prominent citizen, and foremost in public enterprises. He after-

ward went to the western part of the State and engaged in business; but, owing to misfortune, he was called upon to endure in his old age not only the cares of poverty, but-far worse-the ingratitude of children. He died at the house of his friend Dr. Silas Halsey, at the village of Lodi, about 1831.

JOSIAH DOUGLAS.

Josiah Douglas, of Sag Harbor, was a son of Jona- than Douglas, of Shelter Island. The family came from Connecticut. He was engaged during nearly the whole of his life in mercantile pursuits in Sag Harbor, and was esteemed as a man of strict integrity and keen business capacity. He. resided for many years on the corner of Union and Sage streets, where his son and two daughters" still live. The house was the former residence of Henry P. Dering. Mr. Douglas was president of the Sag Harbor Savings Bank and held other positions of finan- cial trust.

JUDGE A. T. ROSE .*

Abraham T. Rose, son of Dr. Samuel H. Rose, was born in Bridgehampton, in 1792, and died April 29th 1857. He graduated at Yale College in 1814, and be- came a successful practicing lawyer, residing through life in his native village. He was county judge and sur- rogate of Suffolk county from July 1847 to January 1852, and from January 1856 until his resignation, in the month wherein he died. In 1848 he was an elector to choose a president of the United States.

He was a man of varied and almost universal genius, of generous and kindly impulse, poetic temperament and magnetic eloquence; where others by slow and laborious effort achieved the mastery he by intuition looked through the complications of mechanics, science, litera- ture, music and the practical arts. Hosts of ardent friends admired, loved and served him; crowds thronged the place where and when he was expected to speak. Fluent in expression, graceful and commanding in ges- ture and action, fertile in fancy and invention, versed in all the springs of human nature, winning and persuasive in manner, his presence was a poem and his speech was music. Almost at will he carried courts, jurors, witnesses and crowds to his own conclusions, and in his own in- imitable way. One of his contemporaries remarked that industrious application would make a good lawyer, but only genius like his would make a man an advocate. Unquestionably as an advocate and orator he was of the highest rank in his time.

When the dark shadow of the inevitable hour gathered around him, professing his undoubting faith in Jesus Christ, and regret and repentance for errors past, he was received on the Sabbath in the church at his resi- dence, and partook of the sacramental elements at the

* This sketch and those following were written by others than Mr. Pelletreau, the author of the foregoing history of Southampton.

James R Hunting

THE TOWN OF SOUTHAMPTON.

hands of the elders. When his malady obstructed his wonderful and attractive utterances he commended to us the 116th Psalm as expressing his experience and un- dying hope. The tramping feet of the living thousands may move on unconscious of the memory of the other thousands gone before; yet age after age the remem- brance of this gifted man, of his wonderful eloquence and his generous heart, will live in the traditions of gen- erations to come, transmitted by those who have gone as he has gone.

H. P. HEDGES.

Bridgehampton, February 16th 1882.

HUGH HALSEY.

Hugh Halsey, son of Dr. Stephen Halsey, was born in Bridgehampton, June 26th 1794, and died May 29th 1858. The earlier years of his life were spent in his native village, where he prepared for Yale College. This institution he entered as a sophomore student when 17 years of age. He graduated in 1814, and, having chos- en the law for his profession, he entered the office of the Hon. Franklin Veely, Waterford, N. Y. After complet- ing his professional studies he was admitted to the bar of Saratoga county, where he remained about one year. He then returned to his home and connected himself with the bar of Suffolk county, and until within a short time previous to his death was one of its most active members.

In 1822, when 27 years of age, he was elected to the Assembly, to which he was returned in" 1824. From 1827 to 1840 he held the office of surrogate of Suffolk county, and he was its presiding judge from 1833 to 1847. In 1844 he was a presidential elector and secre- tary of the board. From February 1845 to January 1848 he was surveyor general of the State, and a senator in 1854 and 1855. Besides the above positions he filled several offices in the town.

Thorough life he was a firm believer in the principles of the Democratic party, and was elected by that party to the several offices mentioned. His political duties were discharged with such broadness of view and un- swerving justice that he won and beld the confidence of both parties. In all his professional work he displayed the strictest regard for truth and right. Clear in mind, sound in judgment, liberal in his views, a faithful student, well versed in law, he was respected by all who knew him, and an honor to both community and State.

He was always zealous in the cause of temperance, and during his term in the Senate, to which he was elected principally by the temperance people, was active in ad- vocating temperance principles and helped to frame the law on that subject enacted at that session. He was a member of the Presbyterian church, and for fifteen years a ruling elder. The influence of his Christian character and genial disposition was widely felt, and it left an im- press upon the community which time will not soon efface.

JAMES R. HUNTTING,

Captain James R. Huntting was born at Southampton, January 2rst 1825, and died in Bridgehampton, February 13th 1882. Residing with his father, Elder Edward Huntting, on the farm there until 16 years of age, he then sailed with Captain William H. Payne in the bark " Portland," of Sag Harbor, before the mast, on a whal- ing voyage. After his return from a successful voyage he sailed in the same vessel three successive voyages as boat-steerer, second, and lastly first officer.

September 5th 1848 he sailed on a whaling voyage as master of the bark " Nimrod," of the same port, and re- turned with a full cargo Semptember 3d 1850. In the following November he sailed on a similar voyage as master of the ship " Jefferson," of the same port, and re- turned with a large cargo, valued at $150,000, March 23d 1853. He made a second successful voyage in the same ship. Thereafter for some years he followed agricul- tural pursuits, but in 1860 he made a successful voyage in the bark "General Scott," of New Bedford, Mass., and thereafter another remunerating voyage in the bark "Fanny " of the same port.

On his return in 1869 he left the sea finally, and soon after engaged in mercantile business with the late N. N. Tiffany in Bridgehampton, under the copartnership name of Tiffany & Huntting, and he was so engaged at his death.

Captain Huntting was six feet six inches in height, of massive and almost colossal proportions and impressive personal presence. In a crowd his towering form and build always attracted attention and wonder, and marked him as one of nature's chieftains. The writer has heard him relate an account of his horse starting to run away. The lines broke, but, bracing his feet against the dashboard of the carriage, he caught the hind wheels by the spokes and by main strength stopped the motion of the wheels and stopped the horse. He was so modest, diffident and retiring that his conspicuous form caused him embarrassment rather than pleasure. He was gener- ous, thoughtful, tenderhearted as a child, full of sym- pathy for his fellow men, considerate and kind to the unfortunate, inclined to judge himself more severely than others, strong in his convictions, strict in his sense of justice, steadfast in integrity, sparing of words, a man of both thought and action; universally esteemed, trusted and loved; the favorite of children and young men; a tower of defense to the helpless and unprotected; as much at home in the chamber of the sick as on the quar- ter deck, for he could use his immense physical strength soothingly and tenderly to the lame and helpless, and with an intuitive knowledge that seemed marvelous.

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