USA > New York > Suffolk County > Southampton > The early history of Southampton, L. I., New York, with genealogies, 2nd ed. > Part 8
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LYING.
"March 8, 1654. It is ordered that if any person above the age of fourteene shall be convicted of lying, by two sufficient witnesses such person soe offending shall pay 5s for every such default : and if hee have not to paye hee shall sit in the stox 5 houres."
DRUNKENNESS.
" March 8, 1654. It is ordered that for preventing of evill which is subject to fall out by reason of excessive drinking of strong drinke, that whosoever shall be convicted of drunkness shall for the first time pay 10s the second time 20s, the third time 30s."
* Warrants, Orders, Passes, pp. 100, 236.
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CIVIL LAWS.
LICENSE LAW.
" March 3, 1653. It is ordered that whereas Thos. Goldsmith is prevailed with by the towne to keep an ordinary in this towne - there is no person shall retaile any liquors or wines, or strong drink within the bounds of this plantation but hee the said Thomas Goldsmith vpon penalty of ten shillings per quart."
"Jan. 25, 1655. At a Generall Court Jan. 25, 1655. To pre- vent abuses by drinking liquor: It is ordered that noe liquor whatsoever that is distilled shall bee sould within the limitts of this towne by any but by onr neighbour John Cooper who shall have liberty to sell to the people. as necessity or occasion in his judgment requires, whom this court did intrust that the bounds of moderation and sobriety bee not exceeded by any in his pres- ence or at his house. And that hee will carefully observe the quantities hee doth sell to any out of his house tht soe hee may prevent this great disorder at present in respect of the Indians, theire having liquor and abusing themselves therewith, and that to his best skill or understanding hee may prevent any from buying liquor from him that will or may sell to the Indians. And as for himself he will willingly depose that directly or in- directly hee will not sell nor put to be sould any such said liquors unto any Indian or Indians. Alsoe it is ordered, that if any doe bring in such liquors within the bounds of this towne and sell them to any but unto him the said John Cooper, or put them ashore, excepting only case of necessity, such said liquors shall be forfeit one half to him that seizeth them and the other half to the towne. Alsoe it is concluded that hee the said John Cooper, shall not exceed the quantity of nine Ankers# by the yeare to sell to the Inhabitants of all the towne and the price thereof to be reasonable. And the North Sea men finding a man that shall ingage as the said Jolm Cooper doth, they shall have the allow- ance alsoe of three Ankers by the yeare and not to exceed. And if any defect be in this aforesaid order soe that it reach not the end, the Magistrates have power to supply any deficiency herein according to their discretion."
* Anker, a Dutch measure of 10 gallons.
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HISTORY OF SOUTHAMPTON.
This is the first restriction on the sale of liquor (known to the writer) within the bounds of this State.
VARIOUS ORDERS.
"1652. At a Towne Meeting Oct. 15, 1652, Isack Willman in a passionate manner said that some of them that voated for the raising of the Mill knew not more what belonged to the sea-poose than a dogg. A note appended says ' hee hath made satisfaction.'
"1653, March 3. At a generall Cort Edmund Shaw was een- sured for his excess in drinking to pay unto the towne the some of ten shillings the same to be exacted at the discretion of the Magistrates according to his future behavior.
"Same date. Thomas Saire and Joshua Barnes for speaking unseemly and unsavory words in the Cort or concerning the Cort were fined to pay 10s a peece.
"1648, Oet. 4. Thomas Sayre was alowed for his boyes Drumminge the some of 13s. & his yeare begineth the sayd daye.
"1648. The 14th daye of November, ordered that there shall hereby be provided a sufficient payre of Stokes, John White hauing undertaken to make them.
"1651. Sarah Veale, wife of Thomas Veale, was at the quar- ter Court held upon the 4th day of June, 1651 sentenced by the Magistrates for exorbitant words of imprecation to stand with her tongue in a cleft stick soe long as the offence committed by her is read and declared.
"1651. At a generall Court held the 13th day of August 1651 Yf any person or persons be found or it can be proved that by them any fruit be stolen or taken away uniustly off from any mans land or ground, yf the person or persons be under the age of sixteene years of age, the parents of the saide child or children shall then severely correct them by whipping of them, and that to be done before some sufficient spectator, yf the parent or parents of the said child or children doe refuse soe to doe, then the said person or persons to be corrected before the Magistrates and the parents for their neglect of the children to undergoe such penalty as the magistrates shall lay upon them, as alsoe the offend- ing persons shall pay for the fruites stolen, and by them, double
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CIVIL LAWS.
of the value of the fruits stolen shall be payd to the owners of the saide fruites, and one sufficient witness shall serve for conviction.
"Alsoe any person or persons that is above the age of sixteene yeares shall for any fruit stolen by them pay vnto the owners of the saide Goods forrefold as for other stolen goods.
"Sept. 22, 1658. It is ordered by this Court that Mary Cleare shall liue no longer wandering to and fro from house to house, but that shee, shall line a year in a place, Exept shee change her condition by marrage .- (Query : was she sentenced previously to a vagabond life for some indiscretion, and this the remission of the sentence ? )
"Ang. 13, 1651. At the saide Generall Court it is ordered that Mr. Howell shall have twentie & five shillings for the yeare ensueing for his sounds by the drum on the Sabath day, twice before the meetings on the sabath day, that is to say, half an hour or there abouts before both morning and evening exercise, as alsoe presently before the begining of the meeting, and that at every time of his first druming he goe from Thos. Sayres corner fence unto Mr. ffordhams dore, at the second druming he is only to drum at the meeting house or the door thereof.
" Jan. 5, 1665. (1665-6) James Herrick is agreed with to beat ye drum on ye Lords Daye according to custome and is to have 20 s per yeare for the same soe long as hee dischargeth yt office- the Towne paying for Drum Heads and Cordidg.
" Nov. 6, 1666. Ordered that each man shall set up a ladder by his chimney reaching to the top of his house." (The houses were usually two stories in front, always facing south, and one in rear - thus giving one short and one long roof -the ladder was placed on the long roof. So invariable was the custom of build- ing their houses with front to the south, that one of unusual antiquity demolished only a few years since, was so erected on the south side of an east and west street with the kitchen actually fronting the street.)
WITCHCRAFT.
About 1683 " Thomas Travally enters a complaint agst Edward Lacy for that the Defend. injuriously called the Complainant's
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HISTORY OF SOUTHAMPTON.
wife a witch and said that she set his corne on fire and sat upon his house in the night. A witch and that hee was hagriden 3 nights by her ; and hee was Confident she was an old witch.
the charges to somons 0 1 0
To entering and withdrawing the action to be paid by ye Deft 0 2 6"
It does not appear from the records or otherwise that this delu- sion so prevalent in New England, ever seriously troubled the peace of Southampton. The case above recorded stands alone- the only intimation on record, and in this matter tradition is equally silent.
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THE EARLY CHURCH.
CHAPTER VHI.
THE EARLY CHURCHI-PRESBYTERIAN MINISTERS - CHURCH EDIFICES - SCHOOLS.
THE common impression is that the early settlers of New Eng- land and the eastern portion of Long Island were all Congrega- tionalists. How contrary this is to the actual facts may be seen not only in the cotemporaneous histories of the emigration, but in the ecclesiastical histories of New England, like the Mag- nalia of Cotton Mather. Up to 1640 it is estimated that abont 21,200 emigrants had arrived in New England. Cotton Mather says that of this number 4,000 were Presbyterians. During the commonwealth, under Cromwell, the tide of emigration for about fifteen years, was much diminished as the Independents or Congregationalists were perfectly secure at home. After the restoration of Charles I., who violated all his pledges to the Pres- byterians, by the act of uniformity of 1662, 2,000 Presby- terian ministers were east out of their pastorates, a large number of whom betook themselves to New England. Emigration again increased and for twenty years a steady stream of English, Scotch and Irish Presbyterians as well as English Congregation- alists poured into this country. Both of these denominations for a hundred years were thoroughly Calvinistie - of this there never was a doubt. As to form of government there was some diver- sity. It arose from the peculiar circumstances of the people. Almost every church in the various towns, as they were succes- sively planted, was in its interior organization Presbyterian. Its officers were pastor, ruling elders and deacons. In some cases the church had a teacher as well as pastor, but this custom was not of long continuance because found to be unnecessary and finan- cially burdensome. The Cambridge platform adopted by all New England in 1648, and received as the basis of doctrine and church government for nearly a hundred years throughout this section of country, recognized the three officers above mentioned. It
13
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HISTORY OF SOUTHAMPTON.
says : " Of elders some attend chiefly to the ministry of the word as the pastors and teachers ; others attend especially unto rule, who are therefore called ruling elders." And again :- " The rul- ing elder's office is distinct from the office of pastor and teacher." His " work is to join with the pastor in those acts of spiritual rule which are distinct from the ministry of the word and sacra- ments. Among his specified duties are admission of members, convening the church, preparing matters in private for a more speedy dispatch, etc." It says the government of the church is thus an aristocracy. The histories are full of this evidence of the Presbyterian form of government prevailing in the separate churches. But had they presbyteries and synods ? Here the peculiarity of their condition brought about a diversity. Each church as it was established had a jealous regard for its own indi- vidual independence and wanted no metropolitan bishop or coun- cil to dictate to it laws or injunctions. And yet, as in all human affairs, cases would arise where it became necessary to appeal to outside churches to settle disputes between pastor and people or divided congregations. This necessity brought into existence the New England synods, or as they were later called, associations, to whom were often committed the same appellate powers as are exercised by the presbytery, and even the same powers of original jurisdiction.
That the Long Island churches sympathized more with the Presbyterian than Congregational order can readily be conjectured from the evidence afforded. In the Southampton town records, of date 1644, occurs the collocation "John Cooper the elder," refer- ring to the original settler of that name. That this is not a title of seniority is evident from the fact that never once on the records is it used elsewhere, but invariably, when this is to be indicated, it is by the addition of Senr. But there are two documents of quite early date that expressly show the minds of the people on this question. In the purchase deed of the site for the church erected in 1707, a copy of which I have in my possession, occurs the following language : " And whereas the last mentioned partys to these presents having pious intentions for the founding, raising and building a convenient house, structure and building to have
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THE EARLY CHURCH.
continuance forever for the worship of Almighty God by praises and prayer, preaching of God's word and administering of the sacraments according to the usage, practice, rites and discipline, and the forms used and approved by those churches or congrega- tions of Christian Protestants usually known and distinguish'd by the name or stile of Presbiterians, . and that the same lands and premises shall be appropriated to the only use of the church or congregation of Presbiterians in Southampton, aforesaid, and soe to be and remaine and have continuance for ever." (This church, by the way, is still standing, having been sold to the Methodists in 1846, and bids fair to stand, if not "forever," for a century to come.) The other evidence is the authoritative declaration of the town in 1712, assigning land to Bridgehampton "for the use of a Presbyterian ministry and noe other."
Abiel Holmes's MSS. history of New England, also says ex- plicitly, that the settlers at Southampton were Presbyterians.
But one inquiry remains, and that is as to the time and circum- stances of the churches of Long Island uniting formally with the Presbyterian church. The Jamaica church, as Dr. McDonald claims, had been professedly Presbyterian from the first, and united with the Presbytery of Philadelphia (organized in 1704 and then the only one in America), in 1712; - that of Newtown united with the same presbytery in 1715 ; and that of Southampton in 1716. They all joined the presbytery then ahnost as soon as there was a presbytery to join. Their belief, their discipline and sympathies had always been with this church, and as soon as op- portunity was afforded they enrolled themselves formally with their brethren.
1. ABRAHAM PIERSON.
The first minister was the Rev. Abraham Pierson, who was appointed, in October, 1640, at Boston, to be the pastor of this new church to be set up at Southampton : and subsequently in November, 1640, was ordained at Lynn as before narrated. Cot- ton Mather, in his Magnalia, says of him : "He was a Yorkshire inan, and coming over to New England, he became a member of
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HISTORY OF SOUTHAMPTON.
the church at Boston, but was afterwards employed towards the year 1640. . Proceeding in their plantation, they called Mr. Pierson to go thither with them, who with seven or eight more of their company regularly incorporated themselves into the church state before going, the whole company also enter- ing at the same time with the advice of the Governor of Mass. Bay Colony, into a civil combination for maintaining government among themselves. Thus was then settled a church at South- ampton under the paternal care of that worthy man, where he did with a laudable diligence undergo two of the three hard labors, teaching and governing, to make it become what Paradise was called, the Island of the Innocents. It was afterwards found necessary for this church to be divided -upon which occasion Mr. Pierson referring his case to council, his removal was directed into Branford over upon the main [Connectieut] and Mr. Fordham came to serve and feed that part of the flock which was left at Southampton - but wherever he came, [i. e. went] he shone. He left behind the character of a pious and prudent man and a true child of Abraham now lodged in Abraham's bosom."
He was graduated at the University of Cambridge in the year 1632, and having been ordained episcopally, as it is supposed,* he preached for some years in England. He arrived in New England in 1639. The cause of his removal to Branford is thus given in Dr. Spragne's Annals of the American Pulpit.
"Mr. Pierson agreed with John Davenport in wishing to rest all civil as well as ecclesiastical power in the church, and to allow none but church members to act in the choice of the officers of government, or to be eligible as such. Accordingly he was anx- ious that the little colony at Southampton should become con- nected with New Haven, as Sonthold had been, and was dissatis- fied with the the agreement in 1644, to come under the jurisdic- tion of Connectient. He therefore removed in 1647 with a small part of his congregation to Branford, Conn., and there uniting with others from Wethersfield, organized a new church, of which he was pastor about twenty-three years."
* Thus Dr. Sprague, but the ordination according to Felt in Hist. and Gen. Register, was in 1640 at Lynn. V. 5, p. 233.
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THE EARLY CHURCH.
While he was in Branford he learned the language of the New England Indians so that he preached to them in their native tongue.
He afterward removed to Newark, and was the first pastor of what is now the First Presbyterian Church of that city.
He died on the ninth of August, 1678. His son, Rev. Abra- ham Pierson, was the first President of Yale College.
2. ROBERT FORDHAM.
The second pastor over this church was the Rev. Robert Ford- ham, concerning whom the earliest record of April, 1649, is as follows :
"The agreement between the towne of Southampton and the reverned and well beloved servant of the Lord Mr. Fordham con- cerning his anuall mayntainance for his labour in the worke of the Lord amongst us.
" Imps wee the present inhabitants do ingage ourselves to pay in current euntrie pay as it passeth at a common rate threescore pounds for this present year to beginne the first day of this present Aprill 1649, and to make our payments halfe yearly by equall portions, ffurthermore for the yeares to come & for all & euery yeare God shall be pleased to continue Mr. Fordham amongst us after Aprill 1650 from the daye of the revolution of first yeare above men- coned, it is ffully agreed and hearby confirmed that the sayd yearly mayntainance shall be fourscore pounds per annum to be levied upon euery man according to their severall possessions of land in our plantation of Southampton and the bounds thereof.
" Lastly if fforty lotts shall not be ffilled, that then proportion- able abatement of the sd fourscore pounds is to be made according to the number that is deficient, in consideration whereof Mr. Fordham's owne Accommodations are not to be liable to pay any part of his yearly mayntainance nor yet any of his estate if the towne shall see eause to alter the waye of payment as concerning the Ministry. This agreement was consented to by all the inhabi- tants, and by them appoynted to be recorded in the towne book to be established in the behalfe of the whole towne."
Farmer thinks he came to this country from England before 1641. Lechford in his "Plaine Dealing" or, "News from New England," published in 1642 says he was then at Sudbury, Mass., out of employment. He may have accompanied Mr. Denton to Hempstead in 1644 as he is the first person named in Kieft's
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HISTORY OF SOUTHAMPTON.
Patent to that town .* He had wife Elizabeth and children Hannah w. of Samuel Clark, Mary w. of Edward Howell, both of Southampton ; also sons Joseph, Robert, Jonah and John. The descendants of these children are given in the genealogies in another chapter. He came here in the latter part of the year 1648 or early in 1649 and here labored in the ministry until his death in September, 1674. Traditions concerning him" show that he pos- sessed an amiable disposition, a character unexceptionable, and in the discharge of his pastoral duties gave general satisfaction. In the inventory of his estate his house and lands were appraised at £1164, and his personal property at $83, 78. 6d, of which his library was valued at £53. 78. 6d, plainly indicating that he was a liberal patron of learning.
His son Rev. Jonah Fordham was born in 1633, was graduated at Harvard 1658 and having been ordained served in the ministry as pastor of the church at Hempstead from 1660 to 1680. About this time 1680 he probably came to live in Southampton from whence in September 1687 he was invited to minister to a church in Brookhaven .. Declining* this, in 1691 he received a second call from the same church which he accepted and remained there for several years. Returning to Southampton he there died July 17, 1696, aged 63. His daughter Temperance married the second Richard Woodhull of Setauket. He left a son Josiah who also entered the ministry and was some time the pastor of the Setauket church. His wife Martha died in Southampton October 4, 1688.
3. JOHN HARRIMAN.
The next in succession was the Rev. John Harriman, the son of John who was at New Haven 1646, and soon after married Elizabeth, and had two children ; John, the subject of this sketch, baptized January 24, 1647-8 and Elizabeth baptized July 23, 1648.+ Showing taste for letters early in life he was prepared for college in New Haven and at the age of fifteen entered the one at Cambridge, Mass., when he was graduated in 1667. Then
* Thompson.
+ Hatfield's Hist. of Elizabeth, N. J.
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THE EARLY CHURCH.
returning to New Haven he taught the Hopkins grammar school several years and prepared himself for the ministry. He preached occasionally before 1674 in New Haven. A covenant or agree- ment of Mr. Harriman with the church at Southampton, written in crabbed short hand and deciphered in 1870 by J. Hammond Trumbull of Hartford, Ct., corrects some errors in his biography as generally written, and also in the history of that church. The covenant is as follows :
"Whereas at a town meeting in Southampton held May the 29th 1674 a Committee was chosen to make a finale [convention] [conclusion ?] with Mr. John Herriman, the town having at the said meeting consented to some [further.] terms than formerly was agreed upon ; as [may appear] by a record then made : know all men by these presents that We the said committee for and in behalf of the said town, of the one party : and the said John Herri- man CH[erk] of the other party, do covenant and agree as follow- eth ... first that during the said John Herriman his life and offici- ating in the work of the ministry in the said town, he shall have the use of the thirty acres of land with the house lot purchased of John Cooper : and [presented] by the town for the use of the ministry for ever ... and the four acres in the ox pasture [together] with the forty acres in the [common] formerly [presented] to him the said Mr. Herriman, shall be and remain to him his heirs and executors, administrators and assigns forever: secondly the town shall and will pay unto him the said Mr. Herriman or his assigns twenty pounds per annum and the half of Mr. Fordham his stipend [that he] he voluntarily [conceded] for that use being forty pounds in like manner .. and if providence so disposes of Mr. Fordham that he deceases or be totally taken off from the work of the ministry so that Mr. Herriman performs the work wholly himself, then the whole sum usually allowed to Mr. Ford- nam, that is, eighty pounds per annum shall be well and [tru]ly paid unto him the said Mr Herriman or his assigns in current pay at price current with the merchant here.
Thirdly the town do donate unto him the said Mr. John Herri- man one hundred and fifty pounds [commonage] for the future and do promise to him to inclose with a five rail fence all the land laid out for him and for his use in the ox pasture.
Fourthly the town is with all [possible convenience] and ex- pedition to build upon the said three acres of land procured of John Cooper, a good house of two stories high, for the ministry, with a brick chimney and two chamber chimneys, the same to be to the use of Mr. Herriman, as the land for the ministry ... And the town is to give unto the administrator or administratrix of
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HISTORY OF SOUTHAMPTON.
him the said Mr. Herriman [after] his decease, one hundred pounds in current pay at price current with the merchant, at that time the said land and house for the ministry is to return unto the said town's disposal ...
Fiftly that the said Mr. Herriman upon the [premises] doth promise and ingage unto the said town of Southampton to cohabit with them and to officiate in the work of the ministry among them and not to remove or dwell [from thence] [unless] a council of judicious men mutually chosen by him and the town do find and adjudge that it is not only law[ful] but of necessity that he and the town [should part] neither shall the town dis[miss] him but upon the same terms and conditions of the judgment of a council as foresaid.
Sixthly [Whatever] additions of building shall be made by him the said Mr. Herriman unto the said house to be built for his use on the said home lot or upon the said lot, at his decease shall be prized by indifferent men equally chosen by the town and the relict or administrator of the said Mr. Herriman [who are] to re- ceive of the town the value of such said additions of building shall be prized at.
In witness whereof the said committee in behalf of the town as aforesaid and the said Mr. John Herriman have hereunto mut- ually set their hands this [fifth] day of June anno 1674.
JOHN HARRIMAN
JOHN HOWELL HENRY PEIRSON EDWARD HOWELL JOHN [JAGGER] OBADIAH ROGERS.
In presence of us THO COOPER AN HALSEY.
This is a true copy of me John Howell only that [recorded] or the [value] is [and] in the original.
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