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^'^t'z^-^i'^^^^^^i.^^f^a^,  y^^  ^. 


A  HISTORY 


OK 


LONG     ISLAND 


From  Its  Earliest  Settlement  to  the  Present  Time 


BY 


F»EXE:R  ROSS,   LL.   D. 


VOL.  I 


THE  LEWIS  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

New  Vork  and  Chicago 

1905 


PETER  ROSS. 


PRBFACB. 


N  the  following  pages  an  effort  has  been  made  to  present  the  history  of  the 
whole  of  Long  Island  in  such  a  way  as  to  combine  all  the  salient  facts  of  the 
long  and  interesting  story  in  a  manner  that  might  be  acceptable  to  the  general 
reader  and  at  the  same  time  include  much  of  that  purely  antiquarian  lore  which  is 
to  many  the  most  delightful  feature  of  local  history.  Long  Island  has  played  a  most 
important  part  in  the  history  of  the  State  of  New  York  and,  through  New  York,  in 
the  annals  of  the  Nation.  It  was  one  of  the  first  places  in  the  Colonies  to  give 
formal  utterance  to  the  doctrine  that  taxation  without  representation  is  unjust  and 
should  not  be  borne  by  men  claiming  to  be  free — the  doctrine  that  gradually  went 
deep  into  the  hearts  and  consciences  of  men  and  led  to  discussion,  opposition  and 
war;  to  the  declaration  of  independence,  the  achievement  of  liberty  and  the  founding  of 
a  new  nation.  It  took  an  active  part  in  all  that  glorious  movement,  the  most  signifi- 
cant movement  in  modern  history,  and  though  handicapped  by  the  merciless  occupa- 
tion of  the  British  troops  after  the  disaster  of  August,  1776,  it  continued  to  do  what 
it  could  to  help  along  the  cause  to  which  so  many  of  its  citizens  had  devoted  their 
fortunes,   their  lives. 

On  Long  Island,  too,  the  old  theory  of  government  by  town  meeting  found  full 
scope,  even  in  those  sections  where  the  Dutch  rule  was  closest  and  the  story  of  these 
little  republics  with  their  laws  and  limitations  is  worthy  of  careful  study  at  the 
present  day.  They  present  us,  as  in  the  case  of  Southold,  with  specimens  of  pure 
theocracies  flourishing  and  progressing  in  spite  of  the  watchful  and  pre-eminent  rule 
of  the  local  church  directorate,  or  possibly  rather  as  a  consequence  of  it,  and  they 
also  present  us,  as  in  Jamaica,  with  townships  founded  on  somewhat  less  religious 
lines  but  in  which  the  edict  of  the  church  authorities  was  a  matter  that  commanded 
primal  respect.  But,  one  and  all,  these  communities  showed  that  the  view  of  the 
people  as  expressed  in  town  meeting  was  the  supreme  local  law,  the  origin  of  all 
local  power,  even  though  a  fussy  Director  General  now  and  again  made  his  authority 
and  dignity  known  by  interference,  or  a  Proprietary  or  Colonial  Governor  attempted 
to  tax  the  people  or  impose  a  minister  or  a  religious  system  without  other  warrant 
than  his  own  sweet  will  and  his  own  imperious  necessities,  or  the  wishes  of  his 
superiors — in  London. 


VIII  PREFACE. 

In  compiling  this  history  all  previous  works  relating  to  the  story  of  Long  Island 
have  been  laid  under  contribution,  notably  such  volumes  as  those  of  Wood,  Thomson, 
Onderdonk,  Furman  and  Spooner.  The  invaluable  labors  of  Dr.  Henry  R-  Stiles, 
whose  ' '  History  of  Brooklyn  '•'  and  other  works  are  storehouses  of  local  history,  have 
been  drawn  upon  freely,  for  no  story  of  Brooklyn  could  now  be  written  that  would 
not  be  under  the  deepest  obligation  to  the  patient  and  learned  writings  of  that 
most  painstaking  of  antiquarians  and  local  historians.  The  chapter  on  "Dentists  in 
Brooklyn"  was  written  for  this  volume  by  Dr.  William  Jarvie,  and  is  the  result 
of  many  years'  research.  The  chapter  on  medical  history  by  Dr.  William  Schroder 
froms    another   valuable    feature. 

Of  local  histories  nearly  all  those  accessible  have  been  consulted.  From  the 
published  writings  of  Mr.  William  S.  Pelletreau,  the  erudite  historian  of  Suffolk 
County,  and  the  author  of  several  valuable  works  illustrating  the  long,  eventful,  and 
highly  honorable  story  in  peace  and  war  of  that  grand  section  of  Long  Island,  many 
details  have  been  gathered.  From  the  writings  of  Dr.  W.  Wallace  Tooker.  of  Sag 
Harbor,  the  indefatigable  student  of  Indian  lore  on  Long  Island,  much  that  is  deeply 
interesting  concerning  the  red  man  and  his  remains  has  been  gleaned,  and  thanks  are 
due  both  these  gentlemen  for  their  freely  given  permission  to  make  their  studies  avail- 
able for  this  volume.  The  cordial  manner  in  which  the  Flatbush  Trust  Company 
permitted  the  use  of  several  illustrations  from  its  interesting  work  on  ' '  Flatbush, 
Past  and  Present,"  also  demands  an   expression  of  thanks. 

The  files  of  the  Brooklyn  Eagle  have  been  freely  consulted  and  proved  a  most 
invaluable  storehouse;  in  fact  almost  since  its  origin,  in  l^il,  the  Eagle  has  been,  as 
every  local  newspaper  should  be,  the  best  possible  historian  of  Brooklyn,  and  indeed 
of  Long  Island.  It  has  the  happy  art  in  these  modern  days  of  knowing  how  to 
combine  those  personal  details  which  we  look  for  in  a  local  paper  with  the  wide 
reaching  world-news  which  is  the  feature  of  a  metropolitan  daih'.  From  the  col- 
umns of  the  ' '  Standard-Union  ' '  and  the  ' '  The  Brooklyn  Times  ' '  much  has  also  been 
gathered. 

The    author   desires    also   to    thank    the    numerous    correspondents    to   whom   he 

is  much  indebted  for  details  of  considerable  interest  in  the  various  to\\nship  histories. 

In    following  the   windings    of    family   history,    to   which    considerable    space    has    been 

devoted,  much   curious   matter   would   have  been   overlooked   but  from   details  received 

as    the    result   of   correspondence    with   the    modern    representatives    of  many  of    these 

old   families.        Thanks    are    given    for    all    this    in    its    proper   place,    and   indeed    an 

effort  has    been   made    throughout    the   work    to    quote    every    authority    and    give    full 

credit    to  previous    writers    and    to    all   who    have    in    anyway,  directly    or    indirectly, 

rendered    assistance. 

PETER  ROSS. 


CONTENTS. 


Proem 1 

CHAPTER  I. 
Topography  of  the  Island — Natural    History — Botany — Geology 3 

CHAPTER  II. 
Indians  and  Their  Lands 17 

CHAPTER  HI. 
The  Decadence  of  the  Aborigines , 30 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Discovery — Early   White    Settlements   and   Political   and    Financial   Relations — The    Importance  of  the 

Wampum  Industry 43 

CHAPTER  V. 
The  Dutch — Some  Early  Governors — Peter  Stuyvesant Xi 

CHAPTER  VI. 
The  British  Government 03 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Some   Early    Families   and   Their   Descendants — Some   Pioneer   Settlers — The    Stirling    Ownership   and 
Colonizing   Schemes — Lion   Gardiner   and    His  Purchase — A  Long  Island    "Queen  of  the    White 
House'' — The  Blue  Smiths  and  Other  Smiths,   The  Tangier   Smiths  and    Other  Branches  of   the 
Smith  Family — The  Floyds 77 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Some  Old  Families  in  Queens  and  Kings — The  Lloyds — The   J.ones  Family — The   Record   of   a  Bit    of 
Brooklyn   Real   Estate — The   Rapalyes — The    Livingstons — The   Pierrepont,    Lefferts    and    Other 
Holdings 80 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Some  Primitive  Characteristics — Early  Laws — The  Administration  of  Justice 10."i 

CHAPTER  X. 
Slavery   on  Long   Island 110 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Early  Congregational  and  Presbyterian  Churches 134 


CHAPTER  XII. 
Religious  Progress  in  Kings  County 


14(i 


CHAPTER   XIII. 
Persecutions— Religious— The  Troubles  of   the  Early  Quakers— Trials  For  Witchcraft 105 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Captain  Kidd  and  Other  Navigators ^"^^ 

CHAPTER  XV. 
The  Ante-Revolution  Struggle .....  182 

CHAPTER    XVI. 
The  Battle  of  Brooklyn 199 

CHAPTER   XVII. 
The  Retreat  From  Long  Island — A  Strategic  Triumph 209 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
The  British  Occupation 214 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Some  Long   Island   Loyalists — Richard   Hewlett — John   Rapalye — Mayor   Mathews — Governor    Colden — 

Colonel  Axtell — Liadley  Murray  and  Others 22G 

CHAPTER  XX. 
A  Few  Revolutionary  Heroes — General  V/oodhuU—  Colonel  Tallraadge — General  Parsons — Colonel  Meigs^  2.37 

CHAPTER    XXI. 
The  War  of  1813— Naval  Operations  Around  Long  Island 2.")0 

CHAPTER   XXII. 

The  Chain  of  Forts — Military  Activity  in  Kings  County — The  Katydids  and  Other  Heroes — The  Popular 

Uprising ■>M) 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
The  Story  of  Educational  Progress 206 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
Internal   Communications — Roads  and  Railroads — The  Magnificent  Outlook  For  The  Future 279 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
Kings  County '. 3Q7 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 
Flatlands 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
Flatbush 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
New  Utrecht 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
Bushwick— -V\^illiamsburg— Greenpoint— The  Adventurous  Life  of  Neziah  Bliss 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

Gravesend-The  English   Town  of  Kings  County-Lady    Moody— Early  Settlers  and  Laws— A  Religious 
Community  with  a  Sad  Closing  Record 


310 


317 


329 


:i.->4 


CONTENTS  XI 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Coney  Island— Rise  of  the  Famous  Resort— The  Democratic  Watering  Place  o£  New  York— A  Revolution- 
ary Reminiscence — Piracy  and  Plunder ',y"i 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 
The  Story  of  Brooklyn  Village  to  The  Beginning  of  the  Revolutionary  Movement 381 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

Brooklyn — From  the  Close  of  the  Revolution  to  the  Incorporation  of  the  Village— Pre-Eminence  of  the 

Ferry — The  Beginning  of  the  Navy  Yard ,'!9.") 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
The  Village  of  Brooklyn '. 399 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

The  First  City — Mayors  Hall,  Trotter,  Johnson,  Smith,  Murphy   and   Others — Disastrous  Fires — Business 

Extension — The  Grand  City  Hall — Literature  and  the  Press 409 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

Church  Development — Loughlin— Dr.  Bethune — St.  Ann's— Holy  Trinity — Dr.  Storrs — Henry  Ward 
Beecher — Land  Operations — Greenwood  and  Other  Cemeteries — The  Ferries — Work  at  the  Navy 
Yard 426 

CHAPTER  XXXVn. 

The  Era  of  the  Civil  War — 1865-1870 — A  Succession  of  Capable  Executives  -The-  Metropolitan  Police — 
J.  S.  T.  Stranahan — Prospect  Park — Street  Railways — Libraries — Rapid  Extension  of  the  City — 
Cholera : 442 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

Intellectual   and  Spiritual  Life — Literature — Brooklyn    Public    Library — Rev.     Dr.     Cuyler— Rev.'    Dr. 

Talmage— Father  Malone 453 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

The  Civil  War — The  Troops  in' the  Field — The  Enthusiasm  in  Brooklyn — Brooklyn's  Contributions  to  the 

Navy 403 

CHAPTER  XL. 

The  Death  Grapple  of  the  Struggle— Brooklyn's  Meetings  and  Contributions — The  Sanitary  Fair — The 

War  Fund  Committee  —Repairing  the  Losses — The  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 470 

CHAPTER  XLI. 

The   Splendid  Closing  Record — Mayors  Low,   Whitney,   Chapin,     Boody,     Schieren    and  Wurster — The 

Bridge — Some  Interesting  Statistics 483 

CHAPTER  XLII. 

The  End  of  an  Auld  Sang —Literature  and  the  Drama — Higher  Education — National  Guard — The  Navy 

Yard— Architectural  Progress— Wallabout— Public  Statues— The  Passing  of  Brooklyn  City 498 

CHAPTER  XLIII 

Queens — Development    from    Rural  to   Urban    Life — The  Future   of   the   Borough — Horse    Racing — An 

Interesting  Story  of  the  Consolidation 521 


XII  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  XLIV. 

Flushing— The    Patentees    of    1645— Freeholders    in     1683— The    Lawrences— The     Churches— Modern 

Changes  and  Developments '^~'° 

CHAPTER  XLV. 

Newtown — The   Step-Child  of  the  Metropolitan  Area — Mespath  and  Mr.  Doughty — Middleburg— DeWitt 

Clinton — Middle  Village  and  Other  Settlements 538 

CHAPTER  XLVI. 

Jamaica— The  Little  Republic  of  Rusdorp— Ministerial  Troubles— Mr.  Foyer's  Trials— The  Revolution- 
Educational  and  Business  Progress 5-18 

CHAPTER  XLVn. 

Long  Island  City— A  Loose  Aggregation— Anneke  Jans— Captain  Praa— Long  Island  Railroad's  Terminus 

— Astoria  and  Its  Namesake — Grant  Thorburn  — Hell  Gate — A  Picturesque  Mayor 567 

CHAPTER  XLVin. 

Summer    Resorts — A  Cosmopolitan  Pleasure  Resort — Health,  Excitement,  Society  and  Solitude— Modern 

Baronial  Estates — Patchogue— Peconic  Bay — The  Land  Boomers  and  the  Railway 577 

CHAPTER  XLIX. 

The  Medical  Profession  on  Long  Island — Early  Medical  Legislation — A   Southampton    Doctor  and   His 

Fees — Noted  Physicians  of  the  Olden  Times — Brooklyn's  Pioneer  Doctors 585 

CHAPTER  L. 

The  Medical  Society  of  the  County  of  Kings — Brooklyn's  City  Hospital  and  Similar  Institutions —A  Long 

Roll'  of  Honorable  Professional  Names 594 

CHAPTER  LI. 
■Various  Medical  Societies — Brooklyn  Hospitals — Dispensaries 607 

CHAPTER  LH. 
Dentists  in  Brooklyn 617 

CHAPTER  LHI. 

The  Bench   and  Bar — The  Old  Courts  and  Judges — Alden  T.  Spooner,  Judge  Furman — The  Tilton-Beecher 

Case — Judge  Neilson,  Judge  Beach — A  Group  of  Modern  Judges  and  Jurists 634 

CHAPTER  LIV. 

Freemasonry  on  Long  Island— Social — Tiny  Beginnings  of  a  Great  Institution — Sketches  of  Representative 

Early  Lodges — Some  Distinguished  Long  Island  Craftsmen 647 

CHAPTER  LV. 

The  Social  World  of  Long  Island— A  Grand  Array  of  Associations  of  all  Sorts — Assessment  Insurance — 

Fashionable  Clubs — Sporting  and  Hunting  Organizatioiis 672 

CHAPTER  LVL 
Old  Country  Families  -  Family  History  and  Story — Pioneers,  Heroes,  Merchants  and  Their  Descendants.  696 

CHAPTER  LVn. 

Notes  and  Illustrations — The  Long  Island  Campaign — Dutch  Names  of  Places  and  Persons — Historical 

Gleanings  and  Documents — Early  Nineteenth  Century  Descriptions 73g 


INDEX. 


Abbott — Ex-Surrogate,  641. 

Abbott,  Dr.  Lyman.— 434. 

Academy  of  MusiCr  Brooklyn. — 460. 

Agriculture. — Indian,  25;  in  the  days  of  the  occupa- 
tion, 221  (see  also  under  various  towns  and  vil- 
lages); land  and  soil,  792;  fish  as  fertilizers,  793; 
small  versus  large  farms,  793. 

Ainslee,  James. — Justice  in  Williamsburg,  349. 

Alberti,  Caesar.  - 18. 

Albertson,  Albert  (Terhune)— Early  settlers  at  New- 
Utrecht,  329. 

Alexander,  Rev.  Dr.  S.  D.— quoted,  138. 

Allefonsce,  Jean  of  Saintonge,  sails  through  Long  Is- 
land Sound  in  1642. — 44. 

Alsop,  Rev.  B.  F.— 427. 

Alsop  family— 709. 

Amersfort,  or  Amersfoort  (Flatlands) — 311. 

Andrews,  Samuel. — 89. 

Andriese,  David  of  Bushwick. — 337. 

Andros,  Governor. — 68;  70;  83. 

Antonides,  Rev.  Vincentius. — 150. 

Apprentices'  Library,  Brooklyn. — 402;  505. 

Aquebogue — Prehistoric  remains  found  at,  34;  580. 

Architectural  features — Early,  107;  in  Gravesend,  364; 
in  modern  Brooklyn,  510;  680. 

Arden,  Dr.  Charles.— 196. 

Arts  and  Sciences — Institute  of,  505. 

Astor,  John  Jacob. — 569. 

Astoria— 538;  568;  sketch  of,  569. 

Athenaeum,  Brooklyn.- 422. 

Atlantic  Docks,  the.— 418. 

Aurora  Grata  Club. — 659. 

Axtel,  Colonel.— 196;  232;  323. 

Babylon.— In  War  of  1812,  252. 

Backer,  Jacobs — New  Utrecht,  330. 

Bacon,  Col.  A.  S.,  Brooklyn.— 371. 

Bader,  F.,  of  Gravesend.— 3?1. 

Baird,  Colonel  A.  D.-485. 

Baldwin,  David. -314. 

Baldwin,  Rev.  J.  A.— 313. 

Baldwin,  W.  H.,  Jr.— Pres.  Long  Island  Railroad,  303. 

Barburin,  Captain.  — 256. 

Barker,  John  G. — 668. 

Barren  Island. — Deed  surrendering,  27. 

Bartlett,  Justice  WiUard.— 643. 

Bartow,  Edgar  J.— Sketch  of,  427. 

Basset,  Rev.  [ohn.-260. 

Bath.— 328;  335. 

Baxter,  George  'of  Bushwick). — 337. 

Baxter,  George  (of  Gravesend).— 60;  61;  362. 

Baxter,  John.— teacher,  314. 

Bay  Ridge.— 328;  ferry  to  Staten  Island,  334;  335. 


Bayside.— 535. 

Beaifie,  Rev.  John.— 333. 

Beatty,  A.  Chester.— 83. 

Beatty,  Robert  C— 83. 

Beatty,  W.  Gedney.-83. 

Bedford. — Beginning  of  village  of,  390. 

Bedford  Corners.     School  at,  270. 

Beecher,  Henry  Ward.— 410;  sketch  of,  431;  trial  of 

case  of  Tilton  vs.  Beecher,  633. 
Beeckman,  Cornells.— New  Utrecht,  330. 
Beekman,  Cornells. — 62. 
Beekman,  (ierardus. — 73. 
Beekman,  Col.  Gerardus. — 151. 
Beekman,  William.— 60;  385. 
Bell,  James  A.  H.— 500. 
Bell,  Oliver  Bunce.— 424;  453. 
Bellomont,Governor. — 72 ;  relations  with  Captain  K idd, 

177. 
Bench  and  Bar.— 625. 
Bennett,  Arien  Willemsen. — 332. 
Bennett,  William  Adriaense.— 54;  381. 
Benson,  Judge  Egbert.—  626. 
Bensonhurst.— Village,  334;  335. 
Bentyn,  Jacques.     54;  58;  381. 
Bergen  Beach. — 316. 
Bergen,  Hans  Hansen. — 58;  280. 
Bergen,  Captain  J.  T.— 335. 
Bergen,  Teunis  G.— 54;  58;  266;  sketch,  727. 
Bergen,  Tunis  G. — 643. 

Berry,  Abraham  J.,  Mayor  of  Williamsburg. — 350. 
Berry,  Ed.     314. 

Bescher  (or  Beets),  Thomas. — 58. 
Bethune,  Rev.  Dr.— 426. 
Betts,  Captain  Richard  — 709. 
Billeting  of  British  troops.— 222;  223. 
Bishop,  Rev.  Alexander  H.— 572. 
Blackwell,  Captain  Jacob. — 570. 
Bliss,  Neziah.— Sketch  of,  352;  568. 
Blissville.— 568. 
Block,  Adriaen. — 45. 
Bliick  Island  discovered. — 43. 
Blue  Laws  of  Connecticut. — 115. 
Blues,  the  Dirty.— 340. 
Blythebourne.— 328. 
Boerum,  Willem  Jacobse  Van. — 321. 
Bogardus,  Rev.  Everardus. — 146;  568. 
Boody,  Mayor. — 485. 

Books,  Dutch. — Used  in  Divine  service,  149. 
Booth,  Edwin. — Last  appearance  on  any  stage,  508. 
Booth,  Samuel,  Mayor  of  Brooklyn. — 445. 
Boston  Tra  Party. -187.' 
Bostwick,  Arthur  E.— 455. 
Bout,  Jan  Evertsen,  founder  of  Brooklyn. — Sketch  of. 


XIV 


INDEX. 


383;  385;  Stuyvesant's  ultimatum,  390. 

Bout,  Jan  Eversen. — 59. 

Bownas,  Samuel,  Quaker  Missionary. — 172. 

Bredenblut,  William.— 62. 

Bresser,  Henry. — 58. 

Bridge,  The  Brooklyn.— 487. 

Brighton  Beach,  Coney  Island.— 374. 

Brighton  Beach  Racing  Association.— 369. 

BrockhoUes,  Lieutenant  Governor.— 69. 

Brookhaven  Artillery  Company  in  War  of  1812.-254. 

Brooklyn.— Battle  of,  199;  fortifications,  202;  landing 
of  the  British,  203;  the  leaders  of  the  Continent- 
als, 203;  Putnam  in  command,  204;  Grant 
plays  with  Stirling,  205;  capture  of  Flatbush, 
205;  Howe's  strategic  night  march,  206;  defeat 
all  along  the  line,  207;  the  gallant  Maryland- 
ers,  207;  Sullivan  and  Stirling  captured,  208; 
rush  for  the  inner  fortifications,  208. 

Notes  and  Illustrations.— Elias  Bayles,  746;  How- 
ard House,  746;  Thompson's  story  of  the  battle, 
747. 

Retreat. — Washington's  memorable  movement  a 

military  triumph,  209. 

Results  o'f  the  battle— 213. 

British  Occupation. — 214;  Silas  Wood  on,  221;  Long 

Island  famed  for  its  misfortunes,  221;  Onder- 
donk  quoted  on,  223;  billeting  the  troops,  223; 
Flatbush,  324;  New  Utrecht,  334;  Bushwick, 
339 

Fortifications  in  War  ot  1812,  257;  plan,  259;  work 

begun,  259;  peace  celebrations,  263. 

Origin   of   Brooklyn,  58^;   Carl   De  Bevoise,  first 

schoolmaster,  268;  population,  3;  slaves  and 
their  owners,  122;  church  squabbles  with  Flat- 
bush, 157;  first  church,  1.59;  early  preachers,  160. 

Early  history,  381;  the  annexation  fever  covers  its 

whole  story,  381;  original  districts,  381;  Gov- 
ernor Kieft's  proclamation,  382;  Harrington 
Putnam  on  "Origin  of  Breuckelen,"  383;  ap- 
pointment of  Schoutj  384;  first  preacher,  387; 
palisade  around  village,  384;  Governor  Nicolls' 
charter,  fac  simile,  386;  administration,  390; 
charter  from  Dongan,  390;  taxation  of  the  five 
Dutch  towns,  road  making,,  beginning  of  Ful- 
ton street,  391;  description  of  village  in  Moore's 
Gazetteer,  392;  the  ferry,  392. 

History  from  the  Revolution  to  incorporation,  395; 

recognized  as  a  town,  395;  fire  department  or- 
ganized, 395;  first  newspaper,  395;  other  jour- 
nalistic ventures,  395;  shipping  and  shipbuild- 
ing, 396;  trades  in  1796,  396;  yellow  fever,  396; 
the  medical  profession,  396;  shifting  center  of 
trade,  397;  navy  yard  established,  397;  results 
of  the  war  of  1812,  398;  the  territory  covered  by 
the  village  act  ot  incorporation,  398. 

Story  of  "the  Village,"   399;   first   trustees,   398; 

meetings,  401;  population  statistics,  399;  Board 
of  Health,  400;  a  prosperous  era,  400;  Long 
Island  Bank,  401;  almshouse,  401;  great  men 
who  visited  Brooklyn,  402;  Guy's  snow  scene, 
403;  schools,  404;  temperance  society,  404;  the 
Heights,  404;  real  estate  development,  405;  city 
charter,  nine  wards,  406. 

The  First    City. — Manifestations   of  civic   pride 

409;  first  board  of  aldermen,  408;  a  succession 
of  Mayors,  409;  City  Hall  project,  417;  Atlantic 
Docks,  418;  street  stages,  419;  water  supply, 
419;  the  great  fire  of  1848,419;  cholera  epidemic, 
420;  Know-Nothingism,  420;  police,  422;  statis- 
tics of  progress,  422;  city  of  homes,  423;  news- 
papers, 423;  Walt  Whitman,  426;  Gabriel  Fur- 


man  425;  church  development,  426;  the  city  of 
churches,  428;  annexation  of  Bushwirk  and 
Williamsburgh,  440;  Mayor  Hall's  report  of 
progress,  440. 

• The  Consolidated  City,  443;  Mayors  Hall,  Powell, 

Kalbfleisch  (the  "  War  Mayor  "),  Wood,  Booth, 
444  ;  The  Metropolitan  Police  act,  446;  Mr. 
Stranahan's  service,  447;  Prospect  Park,  447: 
growth  of  the  city,  450;  Erie  Basin,  451;  Gow- 
anus  Canal,  451;  Some  statistics,  452;  Gabriel 
Harrison,  453. 

-^-Public  Libraries,  454;  Rev.  Dr.  Cuyler,  455;  Rev 
Dr.  Talmage,  458;  Rev.  Father  Malone,  459 
The  Civil  War,  Patriotism  of  the  city,  464 
Splendid  service  of  Brooklyn  troops,  466;  Ship- 
building, 468  ;  Navy  Yard  Scare,  466  ;  The 
Death  grapple  of  the  Struggle,  471;  draft 
riots,  471;  generosity  of  the  citizens,  471;  help- 
ful organizations,  472;  the  Sanitary  fair,  472; 
United  States  Christian  Commission,  478;  war 
fund  committee,  479;  the  close  of  the  struggle, 
479;  honoring  the  heroes,  480. 

-■ — The  Splendid  Closing  Record,  483;  Mayor  Low, 
483;  Mayor  Whitney,  485;  Mayor  Chapin,  485; 
Mayor  Boody,  486;  Mayor  Schieren,  486;  Mayor 
Wurster,  487;  opening  of  the  Brooklyn  bridge, 
487;  elevated  roads  and  other  means  of  transit, 
488;  statistics  of  all  sorts,  489;  valuation,  490; 
mechanical  and  manufacturing  industries,  493; 
educational  matters,  603;  the  drama,  b&l;  archi- 
tectural development,  510;  Wallabout  market, 
511;  statues  and  memorials,  612;  honoring  Mr. 
Stranahan,  612;  annexation  of  Kings  county 
towns,  517;  consolidation  with  Manhattan,  617; 
the  end  of  an  auld  sang,  618. 

Early  school  regulations,  268;  School  at  Bedford 

corners,  270;  John  Clark's  school  at  Ferry,  270; 
Punderson  Ansten's  school  at  Ferry,  270  ;  first 
school  at  Wallabout,  270;  early  schools,  270; 
care  of  roads,  280. 

City  Hospital  and  similar  institutions,  595;  Patho- 
logical Society,  609  ;  Dispensaries,  612;  Dent- 
ists, 617. 

^Social  Clubs — Architectural  Features,  680;  Ham- 
ilton Club,  681  ;  Brooklyn  Club,  681  ;  Union 
League,  684;  Lincoln,  684;  Hanover,  685;  Mon- 
tauk,  686;  other  social  cIuIds,  686. 

The  Future  Of,  518. 

Brooklyn  Masonic  Veterans.— 659. 

Brotherton.— 36. 

Brouwer,  Jan. — 314. 

Brown,  Edward,  of  Gravesend. — 362. 

Bruce,  Hon.  Wallace.— 499. 

Brush,  Rev.  Alfred.— 333. 

Brush,  Conklin.— Mayor  of  Brooklyn,  411,  412. 

Buel,  Rev.  Samuel. -2171. 

Building  and  Loan  Associations,  Brooklyn. — 492. 

Bull,  Ralph.— 276. 

Bunce,  Joel.— First  postmaster,  610. 

Burnet,  Governor. — 74. 

Burns,  John. — 314. 

Burr,  Colonel  Aaron.— 627. 

Burroughs  Family.— 709. 

Burton,  Mary,  and  her  "confessions."— 120. 

Bushwick. — Case  of  sedition,  116;  women  assault  a  cap- 
tain of  militia,  116;  slaves,  121;  resolutions  in 
War  of  1812,  260;  first  school,  268;  general 
sketch,  387;  early  settlers,  337;  petition  for  a 
schoolmaster,  338;  trouble  with  Governor  Nic- 
olls over  minister,  338;  charter,  339;  Dongan's 
charter,   339;   Revolutionary  War,  339;. peace 


INDEX. 


XV 


rejoicings  and  toasts,  340;  modern  changes,  341. 
Buys,  Peter.— Early  settler  of  New  Utrecht,  329. 

Calvary  cemetery. — 7. 

Campbell,  Rev.  William  H.— 274. 

Canarsie.— 316,  317. 

Canarsie  Indians.— Deed  to  Flatbush  settlers,  318. 

Canoe  Place. — 31. 

Carleton,  Will.— 499. 

Carstensen,  Claes,  of  Bushwick. — 337. 

Catlin,  Gen.  J.  S.— 638. 

Cemeteries,  Various.— 438. 

Chain  of  forts. — 254. 

Chapin,  Mayor. — 485. 

Charitable  organizations. — 483. 

Charlick,  Oliver.— Sketch  of,  288. 

Chauncey,  Capt.  Isaac. — 397;  400. 

Cherry  Point  (Greenpoint).^341;  352. 

Cholera.— Visits  of,  420;  452. 

Christiaensen,  Hendrick. — 45. 

Church,  James  C. — 641. 

Churches,  early. — 134. 

Clapp,  Hawley  D.— Of  the  Hamilton  House,  328. 

Clark,  Rev.  F.  G.— 572. 

Clark,  John  "Philomath."— 270. 

Clarke,  George. — Lieutenant-Governor,  74. 

Clarkson,  David.— 322. 

Clinton,  DeWitt. — 257,  262;  statue  in  Greenwood  cem- 
etery, 435;  home  in  Maspeth. — 547. 

Clinton,  Gov.  George. — 74. 

Clocq,  Pilgrom. — 267. 

Clowes,  Rev.  Timothy. — 274. 

Cock,  William.— 648. 

Coe,  Robert.— 60;  540. 

Cohen,  B  ,  of  Gravesend.— 371. 

Colden,  Cadwallader,  Lieutenant  Governor. — Sketch 
of,  75;  family,  229. 

Colden,  Cadwallader,  IWayor. — 262.  • 

Cold  Sprmg  Harbor. — United  States  Fish  Hatchery,  9. 

Coles,  Jordan. — Distiller,  Williamsburgh,  344. 

Colgan,  Rev.  Thomas. — 531;  letters  from,  558. 

Colman,  John. — Killed  by  natives,  44. 

Colve,  Governor. — Regains  New  Netherlands  for  the 
Dutch,  68. 

Coney  Island. — 56,  Op  Dyck's  purchase,  365;  a  salt 
monopoly,  366;  instance  of  popular  power,  366; 
part  of  Gravesend  according  to  Lovelace's 
charter,  366;  the  Labadist  Fathers'  visit,  366; 
early  names,  373;  modern  history,  373;  pioneer 
hotels,  373:  description  as  a  popular  resort,  374; 
Jockey  Club,  369;  horseracing,  369;  stories  of 
piracy,  375;  Captain  Hevler,  patriot  or  pirate, 
376;  the   tragedy  of  the'  "Vineyard"  brig,  376. 

Coney  Island  House. — 372. 

Congress,  Provincial. — Long  Island  delegates,  189; 
190. 

Conselyea,  William,  Bushwick. — 340. 

Cooper,  James  B. — Quoted,  252. 

Cooper,  J.  Fenimore. — "Water  Witch,"  574. 

Cooper,  Joab,  273. 

Copeland,  Edward. — Mayor  of  Brooklyn,  411,  412. 

Copp,  John. — Teacher,  270. 

Corbin,  Austin. — sketch  of,  299. 

Corlear,  Jacob,  New  Utrecht. — 330. 

Cornbury,  Lord,  Governor. — 151;  161;  553. 

Cornelise,  Peter. — 267. 

Cornell  family.'- 699. 

Corona,  village.— 537. 

Corsa,  Isaac. — 232. 

Cortelyou,  Jacques. — Colonizing  scheme,  24;  329. 


Cortelyou,  Peter.— 280. 

County  Judges — list,  625. 

Court  of  Common  Pleas.— Judges,  624. 

Courts  reorganized  under  Dongan. — 70. 

Cowenhoven,  Nicholas— Uncertain  loyalty  of,  191;  323. 

Cowenhoven,  Peter. — 257. 

Craig,  Andrew.— 273. 

Creiger,  Martin. — 60. 

Crematory. — Fresh  Pond,  Queens,  438. 

Crimmin,  Rev.  Father. — Hunter's  Point,  567. 

Cripplebush  road. — 405. 

Cruikshank,  Rev.  William.— 313. 

Cuffee,  Paul,  Indian  preacher,  sketch  of,  37. 

Cuffee,  James,  41. 

Cuffee,  Nathan  J.,  41. 

Cullen,  Justice  E.  M.— 642. 

Currie,  Rev.  Robert  Ormiston.— 333. 

Cutchogue. — village  of,  581. 

Cutler,  Rev.  Ur.  B.  C— 427. 

Cutting,  R.  Fulton.— 427. 

Cutting,  William— 83;  Ferry  lessee,  407. 

Cuyler.— Rev.  Dr.  Theodore  L.— 457;  472. 

Cypress  Hills  Cemetery. — 437. 

Dankers  and  Sluyter  (Missionaries)  Description  of  In- 
dian home. — 24. 

Dartmouth  College. — Origin  of,  35. 

Davenport,  Rev.  James. — 137. 

Davenport,  W.  B.— 646. 

Davie,  Rev.  T.  M.— 314. 

De  Bevoise,  Carl. — Schoolmaster,  Brooklyn,  268. 

De  Bevoise,  Jacobus. — 99. 

De  Hart,  Mayor.— 193. 

De  Lanoy,  Abraham. — 314. 

Dentists  in  Brooklyn. — 617. 

Denton,  Daniel. — "Brief  Description"  quoted,  524. 

Denton's  Pond. — Lawsuit  over,  117. 

Denton,  Rev.  Richard. — 144. 

Denyse,  Captain  William. — 257. 

Denyse's  Ferry. — Landing  place  of  British,  334. 

De  Peyster,  Abraham. — 73. 

Dering  family. — 723. 

Derry,  Valentine.— 273. 

De  Sille,  Nicasius.— 821 ;  329;  sketch  of,  330. 

Dewey,  Rev.  H.  P.-421. 

De  Witt,  Peter  Janse.— 338. 

De  Witt,  William  C— 645. 

Dikeman,  Judge.— 628. 

Dirksen,  Cornells. — 96;  ferryman,  393. 

Ditmas  family. — 704. 

Ditmas,  Dan.— 276. 

Dominie's  Hook. — 568. 

Dongan,  Governor. — 69;  84;  patent  to  Flatbush,  319; 
Long  Island  Courts,  323. 

Donop,  Colonel— .Battle  of  Flatbush,  323. 

Dosoris.— 8;  9;  137. 

Doughty,  Rev.  Francis.— 529;  539. 

Drama  in  Brooklyn. — 454;  507. 

Du  Bois,  Rev.  Dr.  Anson.— 314. 

Duke's  Laws,  the. — 33;  66;  116. 

Dunbar — Early  postman,  281. 

Duncan,  John  D.— 480. 

Dunham,  David. — Merchant  and  land  speculator,  344. 

Du  Pre,  Nicholas.— New  Utrecht,  332. 

Dutch  church  in  Jamaica. — 561. 

Dutch  homes  and  social  customs. — 108. 

DuTch^kttlBr=*68r57«: 

Dyker  Meadow.-  village,  335. 

Eagle,  Brooklyn  Daily — 416;  record  of,  424;  455;  499. 


XVI 


INDEX. 


Early  families  and  their  descendants. — 76. 
East  Hampton — 31;  Sunday  laws,  116;  Clinton  Acad- 
emy,   <!71. 
East  Neck.— 10. 
East  New  York. — 514. 
Economic  Geology  of  Long  Island. — 15. 
Educational  Progress— story  of,  266. 
Eigenbrodt,  Dr.  L.  E.  A.— 275. 
Elbertson,  Elbert.— 60;  62;  267;  310. 
Eliot,  Rev.  John.— 143. 
Elmhurst  Village.— 536. 
Elwell,  Elijah.— 314. 
Emans,  Jacobus, — Gravesend,  368. 
Erasmus  Hall  Academy,— Flatbush,  272. 
Erie  Basin,  The.     451. 
Errenpeutch,  Rev.  William. — 276. 
Evans,  Joseph  D. — Sketch,  665. 
Evans,  Capt.  Samuel. — 397. 
Evergreens  Cemetery. — 437. 

Faithoute,  Rev.  George. — 275. 
Fanning,  Colonel  Edmund. — 219. 
Farret,  James — Agent  tor  Lord  Stirling,  79. 
Far  Rockaway — Railroad,  292. 
Feeks,  Tobias. — 60. 
Fenner,  James  H. — 276. 
Ferguson,  James. — 274. 

Ferry. — First    ferry,   Fulton    street    to    Peck     Slip, 
381;  Cornells  Dircksen  (Hoogland),  ferryman, 
392:  Van    Borsum  appointed,  392,  the  ferry  a 
New  York   municipal   asset,  393;  the   case  of 
Hendrick   Remsen,  393;  Samuel  Waldron  be- 
comes lessee,  393;  Catharine  ferry,  397;  manners 
and  customs  of  the   ferry   and   ferrymen,  407; 
steam  service,  407;   South  Ferry,  405;    a   horse 
boat,  408;  New  York  and  Brooklyn   Ferry  Com- 
pany, 408;    Hamilton   terry,  438;  Wall   Street 
ferry,  438;  Union   Ferry   Company   organized, 
438;  fares  reduced,  438;  new  company  formed, 
439. 
Field,  Thomas  W.— 499. 
Fielding,  Lemuel. — 41. 
First  settlers. — A  forgotten  race,  34. 
Fish  and  Fish  Culture. — 5;  see  Menhaden  and   local 

references. 
Fish  as  fertilizers. — 793. 

Fiske,  John. — on  Wampum,  49;  on  Quakers,  107. 
Flatbush. — Slaves  and  their  owners,  122;  first  church 
in  Kings  county,  146  ;  ministers  of,  154  ; 
166;  in  War  of  1812,  260;  general  sketch,  317; 
Friends'  school,  270;  John  Copp's  grammar 
school,  270;   passing  of  iis  legal  glory,  624. 

P'irst  patent  issued,  317;  name  changed,  317;  legal 

struggle  with  Flatlandsand  Newtown,  319;  Don- 
gan's  patent,  S19;  signatures  of  earlv  settlers, 
320. 

Rustenberg,  320;  quit  rent, 320;  squabble  with  Stuy- 

vesant,  321;  courts,  322;  delegates  to  Continental 
Congress,  322;  Revolutionary  record,  323;  bat- 
tle at,  323;  occupation,  324;  modern  develop- 
ment began,  325;  first  newspaper,  326;  churches, 
326;  town  hall,  326;  annexed,  328;  the  passing 
of  the  old  homesteads,  328. 
Flatlands. — Slave  population  and  owners,  123;  pio- 
neer land  owners,  810  ;  residents  in  1687, 
311;  census  of  1698,  312;  census  of  1738,  312; 
church,  312;  church  members,  1762;  ministers, 
313;  schoolhouse,  315. 
Fleet,  Samuel.— 276. 


Fletcher,  Governor. — 72. 

Floyd,  Richard. — Family  of,  86. 

Floyd,  Nicolls  —86. 

Floyd,  William.— signer  of  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence, 87;  family  of,  87;  271. 

Floyd.Judge  Richard. — 87. 

Floyd-Jones  family. — 88. 

Flushing.— Railroad  communication,  290;  295;  paten- 
tees of  1645,  528;  Rev.  Francis  Doughty,  529; 
Quakers,  530;  Denominational  troubles,  531: 
St.  George's  church,  532;  agriculture,  etc.,  532; 
Washington  visits,  532;  village  charter,  5-33; 
story  of  progress,  533. 

Folk,  J.   S.— Chief  of  police,  422. 

Forbus,  Jan, — of  Boshwick,  337. 

Ford,  Gordon,  Leicester. — 499. 

Ford,  W.  C— 500. 

Ford,  Paul  L.-  500. 

Fordham.  Rev.  Robert.— 141;  142. 

Forest  Park,  Brooklyn. — 449. 

Forrester,  Captain. — 47. 

Fort  Diamond. — 335. 

Fort  Greene  Park,  Brooklyn. — 449. 

Fort  Hamilton — 328;  335;  modern  works,  335;  fortifi- 
cations, 254. 

Fortitude  Masonic  Lodge,  Brooklyn. — 651. 

Fort  Neck.— battle  of,  21. 

Fort  Pond  Bay. — railroad  extended  to,  303. 

Fossils  found  on  Long  Island. — 13. 

Foster,  Howell.— 83. 

Fowler,  Col.  E.  B.— 465. 

Fowler,  David. — 35. 

Fowler,  Rev.  Andrew. — 934. 

Fox,  George. — 163;  arrives  at  Gravesend,  362;  visits- 
Flushing,  530. 

Franklin,  Benjamin. — Postmaster  General,  281. 

Franklinville  Village. — 581. 

Freedman,  Rev.  Bernard  us. — 150;  339. 

Freeman,  Rev.  James  B. — 139. 

Freemasons  in  War  of  1812,262;  History  of  on  Long' 
Island,  647;  pioneer  lodges,  648;  Suffolk  Lodge, 
story  of,  648;  Suffolk  Lodge,  No.  60, 650;  Morton 
Lodge,  650;  Fortitude  Lodge,  651;  Rev.  John 
Ireland, 653;  Rev  E.  M.  Johnson,  653;  the  craft 
in  Sag  Harbor,  654;  some  early  lodges,  657: 
lists  of  lodges,  657  ;  Masonic  Veterans,  659  ; 
Joseph  D.  Evans,  664;  John  G.  Barker,  668. 

French's  Gazetteer  quoted. — 569. 

Friends,  Society  of. — Beginnings  of  in  Long  Island, 
163;  persecutions,  165;  Stuyvesant's  bitterness, 
166;  list  of  Quakers  at  Flushing,  167;  Bownes' 
victory  over  Stuyvesant,  169;  the  case  of  John 
Tilton,  169;  Lady  Moody,  169;  362;  trial  and 
acquittal  of  Samuel  Bownas,  172. 

Fulton,  Robert. — steamboat  inventor,  407. 

Fulton  Ferry. — 58. 

Funeral  customs. — 112. 

Furgueson,  Cornelius. — politician,  336. 

Furman,  Gabriel. — sketch  of,  425;  list  of  ancient  place 
names,  759 

Furman,  Garret  andGrover  C,  Williamsburgh. — land 
speculators,  345. 

Furman,  William.— 628. 

Gallatin,  Albert. — Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  572. 

Gambling,  statute  against. — 115. 

Garden  City.— Beginning  of,  294;   railroad,   294-  295- 

582. 


INDEX. 


XVII 


Gardiner's  Bay .^t9;  251;  252. 

Gardiner's  Island. — 15. 
•Gardiner,  Elizabeth. — 80. 

Gardiner,  Lion. — 20;  27;  sketch  of,  28;  49;  acquires 
Gardiner's  Island,  80;   sketch  of,  80;  family,  80. 

Gaynor,  Judge  William  J.— 371;  638. 

Gelston,  Rev.  Maltby.— 275. 

Gelston,  Rev.  Samuel. — 142. 

George,  Henry. — 499. 

Gildersleeve,  Richard. — 540. 

Giles,  Colonel  Aquilla.— 234;  273. 

Gleason,  Mayor  Patrick  Jerome. — sketch  of,  575. 

Glen  Covb. — 8;  railroad  communication,  289. 

Godwin,  Colonel  Abraham, — 257. 

Goetschius,  Rev.  J.  H.— 561. 

Golfing  links  on  Long  Island. — 577. 

Gomez,  Estevan,  voyage  of  1525. — 43. 

Goodrich,  Justice, — 640. 

Goodyear,  Stephen. — 79. 

Gordon,  Rev.  Patrick.— 161;  531. 

Governor  Tompkins,  privateer. — 251. 

Gowanus. — 56;  382. 

Gowanus   canal. — 451. 

Graham,  Augustus,  Brooklyn. — Endows  City  Hospital, 
422;  505. 

Graham,  John  B.,  Brooklyn. — Endows  Old  Ladies' 
Home,  422. 

Graham,  John  L.,  Williamsburgh. — 847. 

Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.-^81;  677. 

Grant,  U.  S.— statute  of,  680. 

Gravesend.— 32;  59;  slaves,  124;  in  War  of  1812,261; 
General  history,  354;  origin  of  the  name,  354; 
discovery,  355;  early  land  patents,  355;  arrival 
of  Lady  Moody,  355;;  Kieft's  patent,  357;  lay- 
ing out  the  little  town,  359;  plan,  360;  trouble 
with  Indians,  361;  municipal  rulers  and  laws, 
362;  religious  tolerance,  362;  first  meeting  house, 
363;  Reformed  Church  ministers,  363;  gift  of  a 
burying  ground,  364;  early  dwellings  and  roads, 
364;  slow  and  peaceful  progress,  365;  The  Rev- 
olution, 366;  visit  of  General  Washington,  365; 
Modern  history,  366;  church  extension,  367; 
first  school  house,  367;  Ocean  parkway  and 
other  modern  roads,  368;  horse  racing,  369; 
annexation — the  sad  story  of  John  Y.  McKane 
and  his  associates,  370;  punishments  for  the 
"  crime  of  Gravesend,"  371. 

Green,  Zachariah. — 228. 

Greenfield  (Parkville)  village.— 326. 

Greenpoint. — 341;  modern  beginning,  352;  Neziah 
Bliss'  enterprise,  352;  first  house,  352;  Eckford 
Webb's  shipyard,  352;  ferry,  353;  annexation, 
353;  ship  and  monitor  building,  468. 

Greenwood  cemetery. — 54;  history  of,  435;  Prime's 
description,  436. 

Griffin,  Edward.— Buys  land  at  Midwout,  317. 

Grout,  Edward  M.— 642. 

Guisbert's  Island.— 373. 

Gulliams,  William. — 62. 

Gunnison,  Dr.,  Flatbush.— 275. 

Guy,  Francis,  artist.— Sketch  of,  402. 

Guysbertz,  Jan,  New  Utrecht. — 332. 

Hagaman,  Joseph. — 280. 

Hainelle,  Michil,  of  Brooklyn.— 321. 

Hall,  Rev.  Dr.  Charles  H.^28. 

Hall,  George.— First  mayor  of  Brooklyn;  sketch  of, 

410-  speech  on  beginning  second  term,  440. 
Hallet,  William.— 568. 
Hallet  Family.— 707. 


Hallet's  Cove.— 570. 

Halsey,  Stephen  A. — 569. 

Hammond,  Selah. — 276. 

Hand,  Colonel,  of  Pennsylvania  Rifles.— 323. 

Hanna,  John. — First  interment  in  Greenwood,  436. 

Hansen  (or  Jansen)  Hans. — 310. 

Hanson,  Rev.  M.  G.— 363. 

Harper  Family  (publishers).— 547. 

Harriman,  Rev.  John. — 141. 

Harrison,  Gabriel. — 453. 

Hart,  J.  M.— 502. 

Hart,  Rev.  Joshua. — 145. 

Hart,  Thomas.— 89. 

Hartford,  treaty  of.— 730. 

Hartt  family.— 724. 

Hasbrouck,  Jared. — 275. 

Hastings,  Hugh,  state  historian. — Quoted,  254. 

Hazard,  Thomas. — 540. 

Hazzard,  Rev.  Joseph. — 139. 

Hazzard,  Thomas. — 60. 

Heard,  Colonel  —192. 

Hegeman,  Adrien.— Schoolmaster,  Flatbush,  266,  267; 
letter  from,  268;  320,  321;  331;  338,  385. 

Hegeman,  Joseph. — 319. 

Hell  Gate. — Blown  up  by  United  States  authorities, 
574. 

Hempstead. — Meeting  of  delegates  at,  60;  slaves,  124; 
first  church,  142;  ministers  of,  145;  railroad  ex- 
tended to,  287;  Morton  lodge  of  Freemasons, 
650;  celebrates  its  centennial,  650;  list  of  com- 
mittees, 651. 

Hempstead  and  Rockaway  railroad. — 292. 

Hendrick's  Reef.— .335. 

Herbert,  Capt.  Joseph. — 256. 

Het  Dorp.— 341. 

Het  Kivis  Padt,  village.— 341. 

Het  Strand,  village.— 341. 

Hewlett,  Capt.  Richard.— 194,  196,  227. 

Heyeman,  Evert. — Builds  first  house  in  Bushwick,  338. 

Heyler  and  Marriner,  patriots  and  pirates. — 376. 

Hicks,  Elias.— 697. 

Hicks,  John. — 60. 

Hicks  Family.— 697. 

Hicksville. — Railroad  opened  to,  286. 

Hillis,  Rev.  N.  D.,  Plymouth  church.— 434. 

Hinchman,  Mrs.,  Jamaica. — 275. 

Historical  Geology  of  Long  Island. — 12. 

Hobart,  Rev.  Jeremiah. — 114. 

Hobart,  Rev.  Peter.— l.'J6. 

Holy  Trinity  church,  Brooklyn. — 427. 

Homewood,  New  Utrecht.— 328. 

Hoock  Huybert,  of  New  Utrecht.— 329. 

Hoogland,  Cornells  Dirckson. — 58. 

Horse-racing. — At  Gravesend,  369;  at  Hempstead,  524; 
at  Union  course,  525.  . 

Horton,  Rev.  Azariah. — Diary  and  labors,  742. 

Horton,  Rev.  Simeon. — 544. 

Houldsworth,  Jonas,  teacher,  Huntington. — 267. 

Howard,  Rev.  W.  W.— 275. 

Howe,  General. — 200. 

Hubbard,  Rev.  John.— 161. 

Hubbard,  James. — 60, 61;  elected  schout  of  Gravesend, 
362. 

Hudde  (or  Hudden),  Andries.— 54;  58;  310. 

Hudson,  Hendrick. — 18;  discovery  of  the  Hudson,  the 
voyage  of  the  "  Half  Moon,"  44. 

Hunt,  Adison  L.— 276. 

Hunter,  Captain  George. — 568. 

Hunter,  Governor. — 73;  foretells  the  Revolution,  73. 

Hunter's  Point.— 538. 


XVIII 


INDEX. 


Huntington  flatly  refuses  to  be  taxed  without  consent. — 

67;  slaves,  128;  excitement  in  war  of  1812,  253; 

Masonic  lodge  at,  648. 
Huntington,  Jonas  Houldsworth. — Agreement  with  to 

teach  school,  267;  Academy,  276. 
Huntting,  Lieut.  E.  F. — Rev.  Dr.  Whitaker's  sermon 

on  death  of,  716. 
Huntting,  Rev.  Joseph. — 139. 
Huntting  family. — 715. 

Indians  on  Long  Island. — 17;  list  of  tribes,  folklore, 
etc.,  18;  eloquence  of,  32;  drunkenness,  33;  laws 
against  sale  of  liquor  to,  33;  decadence,  33; 
names  of  places,  antiquities,  39;  modern  land 
claims,  41;  trails,  317;  deed  to  Flatbush,  318. 

Industries  of  Brooklyn. — Census  returns,  493. 

Ingoldsby,  Richard,  Governor. — 151. 

Institutions  of  learning,  arts  and  sciences. — 503. 

Ireland,  Rev.  John. — 653. 

Ironsides,  William.— 273. 

Irving,  Washington. — Bust  of,  448. 

Jackson,  General. — 263;  visits  Brooklyn,  402. 

Jacobs,  William. — 320. 

Jacobson,  Jan. — New  Utrecht,  330. 

Jans,  Aneke. — 568. 

Jamaica. — sketch  of,  548;  some  early  names,  548;  pio- 
neers, 549;  importance  of  town  meeting,  549 
ministers,  551;  denominational  wrangles,  552 
petition  to  Golden,  560;  Grace  church,  561 
Dutch  church,  561;  other  churches,  562;  early 
trades,  562;  first  school,  563;  Union  hall,  563- 
stone  church,  563;  revolution,  564;  newspapers 
564;  manufacturing,  565;  Governor  R  C.  Mc 
Cormick,  565;  583;  early  Masonic  lodge  at,  648. 

Resolution  against  taxation  and  of  sympathy  with 

New  England.— 183. 

Jameson,  A.  S. — Gravesend,  371. 

Janse,  Derrick. — 310. 

Jansen,  Anthony  (Salee).— 57;  329. 

Jenks,  Almet  F.— 640. 

Jenks,  Grenville  T. — 640. 

Jeunissen,  Guisbert. — 62. 

Jochemsen,  David. — 62. 

John,  Peter,  Indian  preacher. — 37. 

Johnson,  Rev.  Evan. — 428;  653. 

Johnson,  Rev.  E.  A. — 41. 

Johnson,  E.  S. — 314. 

Johnson,  Gen.  Jeremiah. — 263;  sketch  of  by  Dr.  Stiles, 
263;  purchases  land  in  Bushwick,  343;  Mayor  of 
Brooklyn,  411. 

Johnson,  Dr.  W.  H.— 41. 

Johnston,  Prof.  Alexander. — Quoted,  46. 

Johnston,  Rev.  John  Barent. — 160. 

Johnston,  Sir  William. — 34. 

Johnston. — A  group  of  families,  701. 

Jones,  Captain,  pirate. — 181. 

Jones,  David  W.— 95. 

Jones,  Israel  C. — 276. 

Jones,  Samuel,  comptroller  of  New  York. — 92. 

Jones,  Thomas. — 90;  family,  91. 

Jones,  Thomas,  Royal  Recorder  of  New  York. — 92. 

Jogues,  Rev.  Isaac,  Jesuit  Missionary. — Murdered,  22. 

Judah,  Moses. — Williamsburgh  steam  ferry,  344. 

June  meeting  and  religious  services. — 38. 

Kalbfleisch,  Martin. — Mayor  of  Brooklyn,  443;  sketch 
of,  444;  re-elected  mayor,  445. 

Keikout,  The.— 337. 

Keith.  Rev.  George.— 161;  sketch  of,  171. 

Kellis,  David. — Shinnecock,  41. 

Kellogg,  Jonathan,  273. 


Kelly,  J.  A.  F.— 547. 

Keteltas,  Rev.  Abraham.— 145;   185.  . 

Kidd,  Captain  William.— 176;  career,  ITS;  stories  of 
buried  treasure,  180;  Kidd's  Rock,  181. 

Kieft,  Governor.— 22;  47;  sketch  of,  54;  55;  146;  patent 
for  New  Utrecht  lands,  328;  patent  for  Grave- 
send,  355;  568. 

King,  Horatio  C— Quoted,  464;  sketch,  644. 

King,  John  Alsop,  700. 

King,  Rufus.— 561;  699. 

King  Family  of  Jamaica. — 699. 

Kings  County.— Slaves  and  their  owners,  122;  relig- 
ious progress,  146;  in  War  of  1812,  256;  military 
companies,  257;  general  history  and  descrip- 
tion, 308;  consolidation  commissioners,  327; 
Medical  Society,  594;  courts,  624;  Thompson's 
account  of,  767. 

Kinsella,  Thomas,  of  the  Eagle.— 424. 

Kirk,  Thomas.— Issues  first  Brooklyn  newspaper,  395. 
.Kissam,  Daniel  Whitehead,  Whig,  protests  against 
Sears's  methods. — 194. 

Kissam  Family  of  North  Hempstead. — 711. 

Kniphausen,  Col.— Regiment  quartered  at  Flatlands, 
316. 

Korten,  Mvndert,  New  Utrecht.— 332. 

Kupors,  Rev.  W.  P.— 145. 

Labadist  Fathers.— Visit  New  Utrecht,  109;  280. 

Labagh,  Rev.  Abram  I.— 363. 

Labagh,  Rev.  I.  P.— 363. 

Labagh,  Peter.— 314. 

Lafayette's  visit. — 402. 

Lambert,  Edward  A.,  mayor  of  Brooklyn. — 411,  412. 

Lambertson,  Adrian. — 318. 

Lambertson,  Cornelius. — 58. 

Land  boomers,  a  paradise  for. — 583. 

Lane,  John,  ferryman. — 384. 

Laws,  some  curious. — 116. 

Leake,  John  W.— 276. 

Lee,  Gen.  Charles. — 193. 

Lee,  Gen.  Robert  E.— 335. 

Lefferts  Family.— 102;  320. 

Lefferts,  John.— 322;  323. 

Lefferts,  Judge.— 103. 

Lefferts'  Park,  village.— 335. 

Lefferts,  Peter— 273;  320. 

Leisler,  Jacob. — 71;  Long  Island  towns  except  Hunt- 
ington, oppose  him,  71;  hanged  for  treason,  72. 

Lent  Family.— 709. 

Leverich,  Rev.  William.— Sketch  of,  34. 

Lewis,  Elias,  Jr. — Quoted,  8. 

Lewis,  Francis,  signer  of  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence.— 535. 

Lewis,  Rev.  Dr.  W.  H.-^27. 

Lewis,  Gov.  Morgan.— 277;  335;  535. 

Lewis,  Commodore. — 251. 

Libraries,  Brooklyn. — 455. 

Lincoln,  President. — Reception  of  news  of  assassina- 
tion of,  479. 

Literature.- 499;   543. 

Littlejohn,  Bishop.— 428, 429. 

Little  Neck.— 536. 

Livingston,  Rev.  Dr.  J.  H.— 160;  272. 

Livingston,  Philip. — 99. 

Livingston,  Robert.— recommends  Captain  Kidd,  177. 

Livingston,  Chancellor.— 648. 

Lloyd  Family,  The.— 89. 

Lloyd,  Rev.  W.  H.— 139. 

Locke,  Richard  A.— author  of  "The  Moon  Hoax," 
424. 


INDEX. 


XIX 


Long  Beach. — railroad  to,  302. 

Long  Inland  Historical  Society. — 455;  SOL 

Long  Island. — position  of  in  history  of  the  United 
States,!;  population,  3;  physical  features,  to- 
pography, 4;  game  and  game  laws,  5;  botany, 
arborculture,  6;  geology  and  natural  history,  7; 
discovery  and  early  white  settlement,  42;  and 
Connecticut,  46;  an  early  Dutch  description,  47; 
divided  between  Dutch  and  English,  61;  passes 
under  English  rule,  63;  becomes  part  of  York- 
shire, 63;  Dutch  place  names  changed,  63 ;  divided 
into  three  counties, 70;  some  primitive  character- 
istics, 104;  early  laws,  administration  of  justice, 
104;  the  Ante-Revolutionary  struggle,  18^ ; 
changes  under  Gov.  NicoUs,  322;  quick  succes- 
sion of  governments,  331;  troops  in  War  of  1812, 
253;  257 ;  public  school  system,  277  ;  roads,  279; 
Prime's  description,  282;  Furman's  description, 
284;  Long  Island  railroad;  history  of,  by  Judge 
Hinsdale,  285;  latest  development  plans,  303; 
567. 

Long  Island  City. — History  of,  567;  574;  court  house, 
575;  mayors,  575. 

Long  Island  College  Hospital. — 593;  615. 

Long  Island  Sporting  Clubs. — 688. 

Loot  (Lot)  Bartel  and  Peter,  early  Flatbush  settlers. — 
317;  320. 

Lott,  Abraham.— 327. 

Lott,  Johannes. — 322. 

Lott,  J.  A.— 327;  414;  628. 

Loughlin,  Bishop, — 427. 

Louise  [Block]  Island. — 43. 

Louisian  -School,  The. — 404. 

Lovelace,  Governor.— 66;  73;  151;  183;  318;  859;  390; 
525 

Low,  A.  A.— 472. 

Low,  Seth,— 480;  483. 

Lowe,  Rev.  Peter.— 153;  160;  273;  313. 

Loyalists  m  Kings  and  Queens  counties. — 191;  hunted 
down  under  orders  from  Lee;  Field  quoted 
concerning  cruelties,  195. 

Lubbertse,  (iarret. — 320. 

Lubbertsen,  Frederick.— 58;  60;  385. 

Lupardus,  Rev.  Casparus. — 148. 

Luqueer,  Abraham,  Bushwick. — 340. 

Macaulay,  Lord,  and  the  story  of  Captain  Kidd. — 177. 

Maclnnes,  Duncan. — Story  of  consolidation,  626;  679. 

Mack,  Rev.  E.  E.— 275. 

MacMonnies,  Frederick,  sculptor.— 480. 

Madison,  President. — 250. 

Makins,  Thomas,  teacher,  of  Flushing.— 270. 

Malone,  Rev.  Dr.  Sylvester. — 459. 

Manhasset. — 8 

Manhattan  Beach,  Coney  Island.— 374. 

Manhattan  Island. — Fortifications  in  war  of  1812,  258; 

influence  exerted  against  Brooklyn,  406. 
Manout,  Boudewyn,  schoolmaster  and  clerk. — 338. 
Mareckawieck.— 382. 
Marsh,  William  B.— 424. 
Martense,  Gerrit  L. — 325. 
Martense,  J.  V.  B.— 327. 
Martense,  Roelof.— 310. 

Marrying  among  the  early  Dutch  families. — 111. 
Mason,  Rev.  E. — 160. 
Maspeth.— 539;  546. 
Mather,  Rev.  Cotton.— Quoted,  144. 
Matthews,  A.  D.— Sketch  of,  510. 
Matthews,  David,  Mayor.— 196;  230;  823. 
Mattituck  Village.— 581. 


Maujer,  Daniel,  of  Williamsburgh. — 850. 

Maxwell,  James  H.,  Bushwick  speculator. — 342;  343. 

Mayo,  Samuel.— 89. 

McCloskev,  Henry,  of  The  Eagle. — 424. 

McConnel'l,  Rev.  S.  D.— 428. 

McCormick,  Governor  R.  C— 522;  565. 

McCue,  -Alexander.- 688. 

McGarron,  Hugh.— 814. 

McKane,  John  Y.— Sketch  of,  870;  death,  371. 

McKelway,  St.  Clair,  of  The  Eagle.— 424. 

McKibben,  John  S.— Williamsburgh,  347. 

McMaster,  Prof.  J.  B.— On  causes  of  War  of  1812,  250 
499. 

McNish,  Rev.  George.— 553. 

Medical  Profession,  The. — 585. 

Megapolensis,  Rev.  Johannes.— 147;  157;  317;  862. 

Meigs,  Return  Jonathan. — 248.  • 

Memorial  Arch,  Prospect  Park  Plaza.— 480. 

Menhaden  Fishery. — 5. 

Merrill,  F.  J.  H.,  on  Geology  of  Long  Island— 6  et. 
seq. 

Meserole,  Jean,  of  Bushwick. — 837. 

Meserole,  John  A.— 840;  341. 

Meserole,  Abraham.— 340;  secretary  of  village  of  Wil- 
liamsburgh, 345. 

Meserole,  Col.  J.  V. — 466. 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Brooklyn. — 162. 

Metropolitan  Police  Act.— 446. 

Mexican  War.— Veterans  of,  in  Brooklyn,  764. 

Mey,  Cornelissen. — 45. 

Michelius,  Dominie. — 146. 

Middleton,  Thomas. — 79. 

Middle  Village.— 547. 

Military  lorce  on  Long  Island  in  1776.-215. 

Miller,  Charles  Henry.- 502. 

Miller,  David,  of  Bushwick.— 840. 

Mills,  Rev.  Lawrence  H.— 427. 

Minister's  Salary— How  paid,  142. 

Minto,  Dr.  Walter.— 278. 

Minuit,  Peter.— 53. 

Moll,  Lambert,  of  Bushwick.— 337. 

Mongotucksee,  Indian  hero. — 31. 

Monroe,  President.— In  Brooklyn,  402. 

Montauk  Point.— 26;  Indians  of,  30;  583. 

Montgomery,  John,  Governor. — 74. 

Moody,  Lady  (Deborah).— 22;  arrives  at  Gravesend, 
355;  sketch  of,  856;  supposed  grave  of,  364. 

Moody,  Sir  Henry.  355;  Library  of,  357. 

Moors  Indian  charity  school.— 35. 

Moore,  Benjamin. — 710. 

Moore,  Sir  Henry,  Governor.— 74. 

Moore,  Judge  Henry  A. — 638. 

Moore,  John,  of  Newtown.— 709;  family,  710. 

Moore,  Rev.  John,  second  minister  of  Hempstead.— 
143. 

Morrell,  Thomas,  of  Newtown.— 343. 

Morris,  Judge  S.  D.— 638. 

Morton,  General  Jacob. — 262. 

Mowatt,  Mrs.— 234. 

Mulford,  Captain,  and  his  troubles.— An  early  patriot, 

730. 
Mulligan,  Rev.  John.— 273;  276. 
Municipalities.  — Forty-eight    merged    into    Greater 

New  York,  526. 
Murphy  Henry  C— 24;  Mayor  of  Brooklyn,  411;  sketch 

of,  413;  list  of  works,  416;  422. 
Murray  Lindley.— 234;  mother  entertains  Howe  while 

Putnam's  troops  retreat,  235;  Walter  Barrett's 

story  of  the  Murray  family,  235. 


XX 


INDEX. 


Nassau  Water  Company. — 443. 

National  Banks.— Brooklyn,  490. 

National  Guard. — See  War  of  1812;  early  Brooklyn 
companies,  422;  the  Fourteenth  and  Thirteenth 
Regiments,  422;  462;  other  regiments,  462;  first 
call  for  troops,  464;  the  gallant  Twenty-eighth, 
465;  the  Red-legged  Devils,  466;  enlistments 
from  Brooklyn,  467;  all  Brooklyn  regiments  at 
the  front  save  one,  471;  honoring  the  veterans, 
480;  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  481;  U.  S. 
Grant  Post,  481;  after  the  war,  508. 

Navy  Yard. — Established,  397;  in  operation,  400;  dry 
dock,  439;  list  of  ships,  439;  469;  508. 

Neilson,  Judge  Joseph. — 633;  on  Justice  Coke,  634. 

New  Lots.— 318;  513. 

Newspapers,  Brooklyn. — The  Courier  and  Long  Isl- 
and Advertiser,  395;  The  Long  Island  Weekly 
Intelligencer,  395;  The  Long  Island  Star,  395,- 
423;  The  Long  Island  Patriot,  423;  The  Brook- 
lyn Advocate,  423;  the  Brooklyn  Evening  Star, 
423;  a  group  of  short-lived  organs,  424;  another 
group,  455;  Standard,  Standard-Union,  499; 
Brooklyn  Citizen,  499;  other  newspapers,  499. 

Newton,  R.  V.  B.,  Gravesend.— 371. 

Newtown. — Slaves,  126;  the  step-child  of  the  metropol- 
itan era,  538;  cemeteries,  539;  first  settlers,  539; 
story  of  the  village,  540;  first  house  of  worship, 
540;  punishment  of  a  ne'er-do-well,  540;  local 
government,  541;  in  the  Revolution,  542;  Rev. 
Mr.  Leverich  and  other  ministers,  543;  means 
of  travel,  545. 

Newtown  creek.— 341;  538. 

New  Utrecht. — Slaves,  124;  general  history,  328;  first 
bathing  resort  on  Long  Island,  329;  land  boom- 
ers, 329;  land  grants  issued  by  Stuyvesant,  329; 
list  of  patentees,  330;  descendants  of  patentees, 
330;  visit  of  Capt.  Scott,  331;  Dongan's  patent, 
332;  church,  332;  ministers,  333;  old  grave- 
yard, 333;  Revolutionary  memories,  334;  de- 
fense in  War  of  1812,  335;  churches,  335;  an- 
nexed, 336. 

Nichols,  Charles.— 276. 

Nicholson,  Francis,  Lieutenant-Governor. — 70. 

Nicolls,  Matthias. — Sketch  of,  65;  author  of  The 
Duke's  Laws,  65;  appointed  speaker,  69. 

Nicolls,  Sir  Richard. — Captures  New  Amsterdam  and 
assumes  government  of  New  Netherland,  63; 
letter  to  Magistrates,  64;  treaty  of  capitulation, 
728;  address  of  deputies,  64;  patent  to  Flatbush, 
317;  321;  fac  simile  of  Brooklyn  charter,  386; 
524. 

Ninnecraft,  Sachem. — 26. 

Noka,  John. — 41. 

Noka,  Joshua. — 41. 

Nostrand  Family.— 703. 

Nott,  Dr.  Eliphalet.— 352. 

Nyack  {Fort  Hamilton).— 335. 

Oakdale,  a  baronial  estate. — 579. 
Oblenis,  Albert.— 273. 
Occom,  Rev.  Samson. — 23;  sketch  of,  36. 
Oceanic  Hotel,  Coney  Island. — 372. 
Olympia,  village  of. — Boomed,  98;  395. 
Onderdont,  Henry,  Jr.— Sketch  of,  276;  563. 
Orient  Point.— 14. 
Orient,  village.— 582. 
Overbaugh,  Voorhies. — 315. 

Oyster  Bay.— Slaves,  123;  academv,  277;  railroad  ex- 
tended to,  302;  early  Masonic  lodge  at,  648. 

Packer,  William  F.— 503. 


Packer  Institute  for  Girls.— 422. 

Paine,  Elijah  Freeman,  patriot  and  schoolmaster,  iW. 

Parker,  George.— 314. 

Parker,  Rev.  W.  H.— 39. 

Parsons,  Col.  S.  H.— 248. 

Parsons,  Samuel. — 533. 

Patchen,  Andrew.— 270. 

Patchogue  as  a  summer  resort.— 580. 

Patterson,  Charles  J.— 641. 

Payne,  John  Howard,  author  of  "  Home,  Sweet  Home  " 

-271-  bust  in  Prospect  park,  448;  sketch  of,  711. 
Payne,  William.— 271. 
Payne  family.— 712. 
Pearsall,  Thomas  E. — 639. 
Pticonic  Bay.— 580. 
Pelletreau  family. — 721. 
Penewit,  Thomas. — 60. 
Penny,  Rev.  Joseph.— 273,  274. 
Perry,  J.  A. — Comptroller  of  Greenwood. — 336. 
Pierrepont,  H.  B.— 99;  family,  100;  404. 
Pierson,  Rev.  Abraham,  of  Southampton. — 140. 
Pietersen,  Jacob,  New  Utrecht. — 330. 
Pitkin,  John  R.— 513. 
Plank  Road  Craze,  The.— 282. 
Piatt,  Isaac— 68. 
Piatt,  Epenetus.— 68. 
Polhamus,  Daniel  Mr.— 320. 

Polhemus,  Rev.  Mr.— Buys  a  slave,  119;  148,  157,  159. 
Polhemus,  Theodorus,  of  Bushwick. — 339. 
Poppenhausen,  Conrad.— 297. 
Port   Jefferson. — Railroad  communication,   291;   580; 

Suffolk  lodge  No.  60,  650. 
Port  Washington — 8;  railroad  to,  303. 
Potter,  Cornelis  de. — 96. 
Powell,  Samuel  S.,  Mayor  of  Brooklyn. — 443. 
Powers,  William  P. — Williamsburgh,  347. 
Poyer,  Rev.  Thomas. — 531;  letters  from,  553. 
Praa  (Pratt),  Peter.— 568. 
Pratt,  Calvin  E.— 638. 
Pratt,  Charles.— 505. 
Pratt  Institute.— 504. 
Prime,  Dr. — Account  of  Queens  and  Suffolk  counties, 

790. 
Prince,  William.— 532. 

Prison  ship  martyrs. — 450;  756;  story  of  survivors,  756. 
Privateers  in  War  of  1812.— 251;  252. 
Prospect  Park  laid  out. — 447. 

Provoost,  David  Schout,     in    Breuckelen. — 320;   386. 
Provost,  John. — patriot,  340. 
Prudden,  Rev.  John. — 561. 
Public  Parks,  Brooklyn. — 449;  driveways,  460. 
Putnam,  General. — Defense  of,  754. 
Putnam,  Harrington. — quoted,  383. 

Queen,  Montgomery. — city  stages,  419. 

Queens,  Borough  of. — population,  3;  521;  progress 
since  consolidation,  522 ;  a  place  for  home- 
building,  523;  Revolutionary  story,  526;  inner 
story  of  consolidation,  626. 

Queens  County. — Slaves,  126;  boundaries,  521;  Dr. 
Prime  on,  790. 

Queens. — village,  565. 

•'  Rain  Water  Doctor,"  396. 

Rapalye,  Jacob  Joris,  grant  of  land  at  Wallabout.— 46; 

65;  58;  family,  96;  381. 
Rapalye,  Jan.- 280. 
Rapalye,  John.— 103;  229. 
Rapalje,    Mrs. — Scheme  to    block   the  retreat   from 

Long  Island,  229, 


INDEX. 


XXI 


Ravenswood.— 538;  568;  charity  establishments  at, 
burned  by  mob,  569. 

Raymond,  Rossiter  W.— 499. 

Red  Hook. — value  of  real  estate  at,  405. 

Remsen,  Abraham.— pioneer  dry-goods  man,  397. 

Remsen,  Mrs.  Anthony. — reminiscences,  19. 

Remsen,  Derick. — 814. 

Remsen,  Joris. — 99. 

Remsen,  Henry, — 99. 

Remsen,  Peter.— 99. 

Remsen,  Philip. — 99. 

Revolution.— The  story  prior  to  1776,  182;  review  of 
events,  185. 

Richards,  Daniel. — 418. 

Richardson,  J.  L.  and  Lemuel,  Bushwick. — land  specu- 
lators, 345. 

Richbill,  John.— 89. 

Roads  and  Railroads. — 279. 

Roberts'  "  History  of  New  York."— quoted,  69. 

Rockaway  Beach.— blockhouse  on,  253;  railroad,  292- 
802. 

Rockaways,  Indian  tribe. — 318. 

Roeloffse,  Peter,  New  Utrecht.— 330. 

Rogers,  Major  Robert.— 220. 

Rogers,  John.— 276. 

Roman  Catholic  church  in  Kings  county. — 163. 

Ronkonkoma,  Lake. — 11;  83. 

Rose,  Judge  A.  T.— sketch  of  by  Judge  Hedges,  725. 

Ross,  Charley. — supposed  abductors  killed  at  Bay 
Ridge,  385. 

Ross,  Dr.  John  D.— 499. 

Rouse,  Thomas. — 79. 

Rowland,  A.  J.— shipbuilder.  469. 

Royal  arms  defaced  in  1697.-183. 

Ryan,  M.  P.,  of  Gravesend.— 371. 

St.  Alban's  Masonic  lodge,  Brooklyn.— 651. 

St.  Ann's  church.— 427. 

St.  John's  Episcopal  church. — 427. 

Sabbath,  laws  relating  to. — 115,  117. 

Sabring,  Cornelius,  tries  to  break  ferry  monopoly. — 

393 
Sackley,  R.  B.— 83. 
Sag  Harbor. — 31;   Col.  Meigs's  expedition,  249;   Col. 

Hardy's  expedition,  251;   in  war  of  1812,  254; 

railroad  communication,  291. 
Sands,  Col.  Benjamin. — 194. 
Sands,  Comfort.- 97,  273. 
Sands,  Joshua. — 97. 
Sands  Brothers.— 895. 
Sanford,  Louis,  treasurer  of   Williamsburgh  village. — 

345. 
Sanitary  fair,  the. — 472. 

Saunders,  Frederick,  "Salad  for  the  Social." — 458. 
Savings  Banks,  Brooklyn. — 493. 
Saxe,  John  G. — 453. 
Schenck,  Martin. — 314. 
Schenck,  Rev.  Dr.  Noah  H.— 427. 
Schieren,  Mayor,  486. 

School,  early  regulations  in  Brooklyn. — 268. 
Schoonmaker,  Rev.  Dr.  Jacob. — 262;  545. 
Schoonmaker,  Rev.  Martinus.— 158;  154;  273;  36.3. 
Schroeder,  William,  M.  D.— 5:^5. 


Settlement  of  Homes,  A. — 528. 
Shad,  enormous  catch  of,  in  1749. — 334. 
Sharp,  Thomas  R.— 298. 
Shearman,  Thomas  G. — 188. 
Sheepshead  Bay,  369. 
Shelter  Island,— Geology,  8;  11;  79. 
Shepard,  Edward  M.— 642. 

Ships  and  Shipbuilding. — Monitors  at  Greenpoint, 
469. 

Siggelon,  Johannes.— 314. 

Silliman,  Benjamin  D. — 635. 

Skinner,  Abraham,  Jamaica. — 275. 

Slavery  on  Long  Island. — 119;  laws  of  1683,  119;  negro 
plots,  120;  value  and  number  of,  121,  129;  manu- 
missions, list  of,  129;  last  auction  sale  in  Brook- 
lyn, 138. 

Sloughter,  Governor. — 32;  72. 

Slover,  Isaac. — 314. 

Smallpox  in  Brooklyn. — 891. 

Smith,  Claes  Claessen,  New  Utrecht. — 380. 

Smith,  Cyrus  P.,  mayor  of  Brooklyn. — 411. 

S'mith,  Rev.  Ralph.— 139. 

Smith,  Richard  (Bull).— 28;  82;  sketch  of,  83;  family 
of,  88. 

Smith,  .Samuel,  mayor  of  Brooklyn. — 411;  412. 

Smith,  William  (Tangier). — 83;  sketch  of,  84;  family 
of,  85^ 

Smith,  William  (2d),  of  Mastic— 85. 

Smith,  William  (3d),  member  of  First  Provincial  Con- 
gress.— 85. 

Smith. — Various  popular  family  designations. — 82, 

Smitbtown. — Slaves,  128;  railroad  opened,  291. 

Snedecor,  Jan.,  tavern  keeper  in  New  Amsterdam,  317. 

Snediker,  Jan.— 267;  702;  family,  702. 

Social  World  of  Long  Island. — 672;  Royal  Arcanum, 
678;  Odd  Fellows,  674;  Knights  of  Pythias,  676; 
P'oresters  of  America,  676;  smaller  bodies,  679. 

Solyns  (or  Selwyn),  Rev.  Henry — 148;  159. 

Sons  of  Liberty. — 188. 

Southampton. — First  purchase  of,  26;  59;  church  at, 
185;  140;  some  ministers  of,  142. 

Southold. — 59;  punishment  for  tattlers,  116;  church  at, 
184;  in  War  of  1812,254. 

Spanish  American  War. — 693. 

Spicer,  Captain  Elihu. — 503. 

Spicer,  Thomas. — 60. 

Spooner,  Alden  J. — Sketch,  630. 

Sprague,  Joseph,  mayor  of  Brooklyn. — 411. 

Stanton,  Henry,  Catharine  street  fetry — 344. 

State  Banks,  Brooklyn.— 491. 

Statues  in  Brooklyn. — 512. 

Stearns,  John  M.,  historian  of  Williamsburgh. — 342. 

Steers,  Henrv,  shipbuilder. — 469. 

Steinway  Village. — 569. 

Stelman,  Jan,  of  Bushwick. — S'AH. 

Stevens,  Gen.  Ebenezer. — •''i70;  671. 

Stevens  family. — W'hittemore's  record,  570. 

Stevensen,  Coert. — 62. 

Stewart,  Commodore. — 268. 

Stewart,  Rev.  W.  H.— 39. 

Stiles,  Dr.  Henry  R.— 499. 

StiUe,  Cornelius  Jacobse. — 337. 

Stillman  Jan  Hendricksen. — 96. 


XXII 


INDEX. 


Stockwell,  Rev.  A.  P.^Quoted,  369;  363. 

Storrs,  Rev,  John. — 139. 

Storrs,  Rev.  Dr.  R.  S.— 139;  sketch  of,  430;  477. 

Stranahan,  J.  S.  T. — 368;  defeated  for  mayor,  412;  some 
public  services,  447. 

Street,  Charles  R.— Quoted,  276. 

Strong,  George  U.,  Williamsburgh  speculator. — 347. 

Strong,  Rev.  T.  C— 545. 

Strong,  Rev.  Robert  G.— 275. 

Strong,  Dr.,  of  Flatbush.— 148;  266;  317. 

Strycker,  Jan.— 60;  62;  267. 

Stryker,  Captain  Burdett,  of  the  Katydids. — 256. 

Stryker,  Francis  B.,  mayor  of  Brooklyn. — 411;  412. 

Stuyvesant,  Governor.— 20;  47;  sketch  of,  59;  147;  157; 
163;  reprimanded  by  home  government,  170;  De 
Bevoise  a  protege  of,  268;  farm  at  Flatlands, 
310;  issues  patent  to  Midwout,  317;  to  New 
Utrecht,  331;  surveys  the  site  of  Boswijck  (Bush- 
wick),  328;  regard  for  Lady  Moody,  357;  angry 
with  Brooklyn  dwellers,  384;  385;  his  rule  on 
Long  Island,  390;  hfs  lien  on  the  ferry  earn- 
ings, 392. 

Sudam,  Yan.— 314. 

Sueberingh,  Jan. — 321. 

Suffolk  county.— Population,  8;  military  in  1776,  216; 
early  Masonic  lodge,  648;  in  war  of  1812,251; 
Dr.  Prime's  account  of,  790. 

Summer  resorts. — 577. 

Supreme  court  justices,  list  of. — 626. 

Sutherland,  Kenneth  F.,  Gravesend,  371. 

Sutphen,  Rev.  David  S. — 333. 

Suydam,  Capt.  Lambert. — 224. 

Swearing,  statute  against. — 115. 

Swedenborgians  on  Long  Island. — 164. 

Sylvester,  Constant. — 79. 

Sylvester,  Grizzel,  married  James  Floyd,  Boston. — 89. 

Sylvester,  Nathaniel.— 79;  89. 

Syosset.— 7;  railroad  to,  288. 

Talleyrand,  a  resident  of  Brooklyn. — 402. 

Tallmadge,  Col.  Benjamin. — 244;  his  brilliant  services 
in  the  Revolution,  245;  the  Tallmadge  family, 
247. 

Talmadge,  Thomas  G.,  mayor  of  Brooklyn. — 411. 

Talmage,  Rev.  T.  DeWitt.— 458. 

Tammany  Society  in  War  of  1812. — 262. 

Tanner,  Corporal  James. — 481;  678. 

Tariff  duties,  early. — 69. 

Taxation  without  representation  condemned  at  early 
town  meetings. — 67. 

Taylor,  Rev.  John — 141. 

Temperance  society  in  Brooklyn. — 404. 

Tenney,  Asa  W.— 638. 

Teunissen,  Guisbert,  of  Bushwick. — 388. 

Teunissen,  Jan. — 59;  320;  appointed  schout  of  Breuck- 
elen,  884, 

Thayre,  William.— 273. 

Theaters  in  Brooklyn. — 507. 

Thomas,  Rev.  John.— 144;  162. 

Thompson,   Col.    Benjamin   (Count   Rumford). — 222. 

Thompson,  B.  F. — Sketch  of  Kings  county,  767. 

Thompson  Richard  Whyte.— 273. 

Thorburn,  Grant. — 569;  sketch  of,  572. 

Thorn,  Lieut.  Jonathan. — 397. 

Throop,  Rev.  William.— 139. 

Tilje,  Jan,  of  Bushwick. — 338. 

Tilton,  John,  pioneer  settler  of  Gravesend. — 362;  be- 
queaths a  plot  for  burying  ground,  364. 

Tilton,  Theodore. — 455. 

Titus,  Charles,  Bushwick. — 342. 

Titus,  Francis  J. — estate,  342. 


Titus,  Major  Francis.— 257. 

Titus,  Samuel.— 68. 

Tompkins,  Gov.  Daniel  D.— 253;  ^bS. 

Tonneman,  Pieter,  Schout  in  Breuckelen— 386. 

Tooker,  Dr.  W.  Wallace. -39;  quoted;  Indian  place 
names  in  Brooklyn,  40;  on  Rev.  Robert  Ford- 
ham,  142. 

Tracy,  Gen.  Benjamin  F. — 682. 

Tredwell,  Daniel  M.— 500. 

Trotter,  Jonathan,  Mayor  of  Brooklyn.^11. 

Tryon,  Governor.— 190;  323. 

Tull,  Pieter.— 814. 

Turnpike,  Brooklyn  and  Jamaica.— 281. 

Tyler,  President,  married  to  Julia  Gardiner.— 80. 

Underjiill,  Capt.  John,  defeats  Indians  at  Fort   Neck, 

21;  Schout  of  Flushing,  529. 
Underbill,  J.  S.,  shipbuilder.— 469. 
Union  Hall,  Jamaica. — 275. 
Urquhart,  Rev.  W.— 161;  631;  663. 

Van  Anden,  Isaac,  of  the  Eagle. — 424. 

Van  Boerum,  William  Jacobse. — 267. 

Van  Borsum,  Egbert,  ferryman. — 392. 

Yaa  Brunt,  Major  Albert  C— 257. 

Van  Brunt,  Rutgert  Joosten. — 380. 

Van  Brunt  family.— 330. 

Van  Buskirk,  Rev.  P.  V.— 368. 

Van  Cleef,  Jan.— 62. 

Van  Corlaer,  Jacob. — 46, 

Van  Couwenhoven,  Wolfert  Gerritsen. — 54;  95;  811; 
814. 

VanderBoek,  Paulus.— 54;  60;  885. 

Vanderbilt,  Aries  Jansen. — 319. 

Vanderbilt,  Mrs.  Gertrude  L.— 146. 

Vanderbilt,  Jansen. — 819. 

Vanderbilt,  Hon.  John.— 164;  165;  278;  323. 

Vanderbilt,  John  J.— 273;  S27. 

Vanderveer,  Dr.  Adrian. — 326. 

Vanderveer,  Cornelius. — 320. 

Vandervoort,  John,  schoolmaster. — 270. 

Vandewater,  Benjamin. — 280. 

Vanderwyck,  Cornelius. — 3L9. 

Van  Duyn,  John.— 323. 

Van  Dycke,  Johann  Tomasse. — 330. 

Van  Eckelen,  Johannes,  schoolmaster. — 268 

Van  Giesen,  Reynier. — 267. 

Van  Hatten,  Arent.— 60. 

Van  Kleeck,  Rev.  Richard  D.— 274. 

Van  Nest,  Rev.  Reynier.— 275;  561. 

Van  Nostrand,  Jan  Hansen. — 883. 

Van  Pelt,  Magdalena.— 332. 

Van  Pelt,  Gysbert  T.,  New  Utrecht.— 382. 

Van  Pelt,  Manor.— 329. 

Van  Sickelen,  Ftrnandus. — 58. 

Van  Sinderen,  Dominie. — 152. 

Van  Tienhoven,  Cornelius. — 49. 

Van  Twiller,  Governor. — 46;  63;  119;  erects  first  church 
in  New  Netherland,  134;  secures  lands  at  Flat- 
lands,  311;  lands  at  Red  Hook,  382. 

Van  Wyck,  Abraham  H.— 518. 

Van  Zuren,  Rev.  Casparus. — 148;  332, 

Verazzano,  John,  voyage  of  1624. — 43. 

Von  Rossem,  Huyck  Aertsen. — 69. 

Voorhees,  Abram. — 314. 

Voorhees,  Adrian. — 322. 

Voorhees,  Isaac. — 314. 

Voorhees,  Luykas. — 314. 

Wading  River. — 7;  railroad  extended  to,  302. 


INDEX. 


XXIII 


Walker,  Rev.  Zachariah. — 550. 

Wall,  William,  last  mayor  of  Williamsburgh. — 351. 

Wallabout,  The.— 382;  397;  market,  511. 

Wampum.— 25,  49. 

Wantenaer,  Albert  Cornelis. — 62. 

Ward,  Richard,  chief  of  the  Poosepatucks. — 39. 

Waring.  Nathaniel  F. — 653. 

War  of  1812.-250;   defenses  at   New  Utrecht,  335. 

Warren,  Gen.  G.  K. — Statue  of,  448. 

Washburn,  William. — 60. 

Washington,  George. — Address  from  Provincial  Con- 
gress, 190;  arrives  in  New  York  and  assumes 
command  of  forces  there,  197;  Loyalist  plot,  196; 
address  from  Bushwick,  340;  visits  Flushing, 
582;  visits  Jamaica,  563.  See  also  local  refer- 
ences. 

Water  Supply,  Brooklyn. — 450. 

Waterbury,  Noah,  "Father  of  Williamsburgh." — 344; 
first  president  of  village,  345. 

Webb,  Capt.  Thomas.— 162. 

Webb,  W.  S.— 314. 

Wells,  John.— 626. 

Werckhoven,  Cornelius  Van. — 24;  329. 

West  Brooklyn,  New  Utrecht.— 328. 

West  End  Coney  Island. — 374. 

Westervelt,  Abram.— 315. 

West  India  Trading  Company.— 45. 

Whalefishing,  early. — 90. 

Whaley,  Alexander,  of  the  Boston  Tea  Party. — 340. 

Wheelock,  Rev.  F21eazar. — 35. 

White  (railroad)  Line.— 295. 

White,  Rev.  Sylvanus.— 142. 

Whitehead,  Daniel.— 89. 

Whitestone.— .=-34. 

Whiting,  Rev.  Joseph. — 142. 

Whitlock,  Thomas.— 314. 

Whitman,  Walt.^24;  sketch  of,  425. 

Whitney,  Mayor. — 485. 

Whittaker,  Rev.  Epher,  D.  D.— 139;  sketch  of,  140. 

Wicks,  Thomas. — 68. 

Wilkms,  William,  of  Gravesend.— 362. 

Williamsburgh.— 341;  Woodhull's  first  speculation,342; 
Morrell's  opposition,  343;  early  road  to  Brook- 
lyn, 342;  the  ferry,  342;-  first  church,  343;  the 
father  of  Williamsburgh,  344;  village  organiza- 
tion, 345;  rapid  progress,  346;  wild  land  specu- 
lation, 346;  the  crash,  347;  healthful  recoveiy, 
348;  churches,  newspapers,  literary  societies 
and  banks,  348;  a  city  charter,  348;  history  in 
street  names,  349;  the  first  mayor,  350;  the  curse 
of  politics,  350;  annexation,  351. 

Williamsburgh  and  Brooklyn.— Story  of  consolidation, 
440. 


Williamsburgh  Democrat,  The,  started. — 348. 

Wills. — Cornelis  Van  Catts,  114;  Benjamin  Conkling, 
114;  Pelletreau's  volume  of  "Abstracts"  re- 
ferred to,  114;  William  Ludlam,  of  Southamp- 
ton, 114;  John  Foster,  of  Rustdorp,  114;  John 
Hart,  of  Maspeth  Hills,  114;  Ralph  Hunt,  of 
Newtown,  114. 

Wilmot,  Rev.  Walter.— 553. 

Wilson,  Capt.  John.— 257. 

Wilson,  Dr.,  Flatbush.— 273. 

Windsor  Terrace,  village. — 326. 

Witchcraft.— Trial  of  Mary  Wright,  173;  trial  of  Ralph 
Hull  and  wife,  174;  trial  of  Goody  Garlicke,  174. 

Withers,  Reuben,  of  Houston  street  ferry. — 349. 

Woertman,  Dirch  Janssen. — 99. 

Wood,  Col.  Alfred  M.,  mayor  of  Brooklyn. — 444;  465. 

Wood,  Fernando,  niavor  of  New  York. — 445. 

Wood,  George  M.— 628. 

Wood,  Jonas.— 68. 

Wood,  Silas,  quoted. — 25. 

Wood,  William,  of  The  Eagle.— 424. 

WoodhuU,  Gen.  Nathaniel,  180;  sketch  of,  237;  vari- 
ous stories  of  details  of  capture,  240;  the  death 
of  a  patriot  and  a  Christian,  242;  thoughts  on 
his  career  and  services,  243;  the  long  talked  of 
monument  still  talked  of,  244;  the  De  Sille 
house,  where  he  died,  330. 

WoodhuU,  Richard  M.,  founder  of  Williamsburgh,342. 

Woodhull,  Rev.  Selah  S.— 160. 

Woodruff,  Horace.— 276. 

Woodruff,  Rev.  William.— 550. 

Woodworth,  H.  D.— 314. 

Woodworth,  Samuel,  poem  "The  Patriotic  Diggers.' 
—261. 

Woolsev,  Rev.  Benjamin. — 137;  145. 

Wright,'  Peter.— 89. 

Writers'  Club,  The.— 502. 

Wurster,  Mayor.— 487. 

Wyandanch— Tragedy  of,  20;  30;  31;  89. 

Wyckoff,  Peter,  Gov.  Stuyvesant's  farmer. — 311. 

Wykoff's  Hotel,  Coney  Island.— 372. 

Yellow  fever  epidemics. — 405;  452. 
York,  G.  D.— 276. 
Yorktown,  projected  town. — 343. 
Youngs,  Rev.  John,  of  Southold. — 134. 
Youngs,  Capt.  John. — 136. 
Youngs,  John,  sheriff. — 69. 

Zeeaw,  Jan  Cornelise,  of  Bushwick. — 338. 

Zeelen,  Johann,  early  settler  at  New  Utrecht. — 329. 


HISTORY  OF  LONG   ISLAND, 


PROEM. 


POSITION   OF  LONG  ISLAND   IN  THE   HISTORY  OF  THE  UNITED   STATES, 


s 


S  A  PART  of  the  state  of  New  York, 
Long  Island  can  hardly  be  said  to  have 
now  any  separate  political  interest  or 
to  have  at  any  time  in  the  past  done  any 
more  than  a  like  share  with  the  other  sections  of 
the  Empire  State  in  building  up  in  Congress, 
in  the  tented  field,  or  in  the  realms  of  liter- 
ature, science  or  art,  the  country  of  whose 
present  greatness,  of  whose  rank  among  the 
nations  of  the  earth  we  are  all  so  proud. 
The  island  has  fully  met  every  claim  made 
upon  her ;  in  the  Revolution  she  suffered  much 
and  deeply,  and  the  name  of  WoodhuU  and 
many  another  gallant  hero  ranks  high  on  the 
honored  roll  of  those  who  sacrificed  home  and 
property  and  life  that  political  and  religious 
freedom  might  live;  in  the  war  of  1812  she 
was  ready  to  meet  any  invading  force,  and 
her  ships  helped  to  win  the  victory  and  to 
wrest  from  Britain,  for  a  time,  at  least,  that 
country's  old  claim  to  invincibility  on  the  sea ; 
in  the  Civil  war  she  liberally  contributed  men 
and  treasure  to  preserve  intact  what  the  found- 
ers of  the  Republic  had  fought  for,  and  in 
the  war  with  Spain  she  freely  responded  to 
the  call  of    the  General    Government.     But, 


then,  other  sections  of  the  state  acted  equally 
as  nobly,  according  to  the  measure  of  their 
opportunities. 

Still,  Long  Island  did  exert,  indirectly,  it 
is  true,  but  none  the  less  clearly  traceable  and 
unmistakable,  a  degree  of  influence  upon  the 
general  history  of  the  country,  especially  in 
the  early  stages — the  stages  when  history  was 
being  made  and  precedents  established.  It  has 
always  been  obedient  to  established  authority, 
but  when  the  rights  of  the  individual  or  the 
community  were  assailed  or  trampled  on — be 
the  government  Dutch  or  English — it  has  led 
the  way  in  defending  those  rights,  and  even 
Peter  Stuyvesant  found  the  farmers  of  Long 
Island  more  troublesome  and  determined,  at 
times,  than  the  burghers  of  New  Amsterdam. 
The  keynote  of  liberty  resounded  over  the 
island  long  before  the  call  to  arms  was  made, 
and  one  of  her  sons  was  among  the  immortals 
who  signed  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
while  another  presided  over  the  discussions 
of  the  first  patriot  assembly  of  the  state  of 
New  York.  The  position  it  held  in  the  mo- 
mentous affairs  of  the  latter  half  of  1776,  when 
it  was  regarded  by  the  veteran  Generals  of 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


King  George  as  the  key  by  which  the  continent 
was   to  be   opened   up   again  to    British   au- 
thority, was  alone  sufficient  to  exalt  it  to  a 
position  among  the  shrines  of  the  nation,  one 
of  the  spots  on  which  the  struggle  for  liberty 
was    most    strenuously    waged,   and    where, 
though  defeated,  it  was  shown  that  in  military 
skill  and  finesse  the  Continentals    were    the 
equal  of    their    adversaries,  the    veterans  of 
many  wars.    It  was  there,  too,  that  Washing- 
ton first  earned  his  right  to  be  regarded  as  one 
of  the  greatest  captains  of  his  time,  of  an}'  time. 
But  besides  this  Long  Island  showed,  even 
before  the  Revolution,  that  the  people  were 
perfectly  fit  to  rule  themselves  and  the  various 
town  governments  were  models  of  local  au- 
thority for  the  rest  of  the  country.    Even  un- 
der the  Dutch  the  townships  enjoyed  a  gen- 
erous measure  of  local  rule,  and  what  was  not 
allowed  by  the  authorities  in  the  fort  on  Man- 
hattan they  took  themselves.    In  fact  th^  whole 
course  of  the  history  of  Long  Island  shows 
that  the  less  the  general  government  inter- 
fered with  loc^l  affairs  the  better  the  result 
all  round.     The  Dutch  paternal  rule  in  the 
western  section,  the  English  town  rule  in  the 
•eastern,  and  the  happy  way  in  which  in  Queens 


count)'  both  Dutch  and  English  could  pool 
their  issues,  could  respect  each  other's  religious 
views  and  notions  of  statecraft,  could  live  to- 
gether in  peace  and  harmony,  formed  three 
significant  conditions  which  were  not  lost  upon 
the  statesmen  who  were  engaged  in  the  work 
of  bridging  this  country  safely  across  the 
chasm  which  separated  the  disjointed  and 
jealous  colonies  into  a  strong  and  united 
nation. 

Long  Island  since  the  echoes  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary war  have  died  away  has  always  been 
found  ranged  on  the  side  of  liberty  and  tolera- 
tion, her  representatives  in  Congress  and  in 
the  assembly  have  been  men  who  by  their 
talents  commanded  respect  and  by  their  efforts 
added  largely  to  the  progress  the  nation  has 
made  in  all  the  arts  that  render  men  happy 
and  ensure  the  prosperity  of  the  country.  She 
has  been  to  a  certain  extent  a  community  in 
herself,  she  so  remains  in  a  great  measure  to 
the  passing  day,  and  presents,  in  fact,  in  her 
own  career  an  epitome  of  all  that  makes  the 
country  really  great,  thrift,  honesty  and  re- 
ligion leavening  the  whole,  while  progressive- 
ness,  energy  and  a  Vvratchfulness  for  oppor- 
tunities add  year  by  year  to  the  general  wealth. 


SILVER  TANKARD. 
Presented  to  Sarah  Jansen  De  Rapelje,  by  her  husband. 


CHAPTER   I. 


TOPOGRAPHY   OF  THE    ISLAND— NATURAL   HISTORY- 
BOTANY— GEOLOGY. 


ONG  ISLAND  lies  between  40  de- 
grees, 34  minutes,  and  41  degrees,  10 
minutes,  north  latitude,  and  between 
71  degrees,  51  minutes,  and  74  de- 
grees, 4  minutes,  west  longitude  from  Green- 
wich, England.  It  is  bounded  south  and  east 
by  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  on  the  north  by  Long 
Island  Sound  and  on  the  west  by  New  York 
Bay  and  the  East  River,  which  latter  divides  it 
from  Manhattan  Island.  Its  length  is  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles,  its  average 
width  about  fourteen  miles,  and  its  total  area 
927,900  acres.      It  is  divided  into  the  counties 

*The  population  according  to  wards  and  townships 
is  given  as  follows: 

BROOKLYN  BY  WARDS. 


Wds. 

Pop. 

Acres. 

Wds.         Pop. 

Acres. 

1  ... 

20,327 

233.00 

17. 

. .      57,. 309 

823.  .30 

2... 

8,565 

97.70 

18. 

..      25,133 

873.00 

3... 

17,949 

161.40 

19. 

. .       37,645 

413.84 

4... 

12,568 

111.30 

20. 

. .       25,446 

461.50 

5... 

18,862 

119.40 

21  . 

. .       .58,957 

483.20 

(i  .  .. 

42,485 

302.90 

22 

. .      66,575 

1,361.60 

7... 

40,471 

4.58.50 

23. 

..      61,813 

736.00 

8... 

.)2,414 

1,843,20 

24. 

. .      31,767 

1,198.50 

9... 

42,876 

623.60 

25  . 

.  .      48,328 

567.80 

10... 

;!9,ioo 

.318.70 

26. 

. .      66,086 

*5, 690.00 

11  ... 

22,608 

252.60 

27  . 

. .      43,691 

400.70 

12... 

30,3.54 

663.10 

28. 

. .      77,912 

884.40 

13... 

24,029 

2.30.30 

29. 

..      27,188 

3,800,00 

14... 

31,483 

282.60 

30. 

. .      24,700 

5,404.10 

15... 

30,269 

244.80 

31  . 

. .      14,609 

6,312.30 

16... 

.56,5.50 
3tal 

244.80 

32. 

8,243 
..1,166,.582 

14,082.00 

T 

49,680.14 

*Includes  swamp 

lands  and 

unattached  island 

s. 

QUEENS  E 

iY  WARDS. 

Wards. 

Population. 

'    Acres. 

1 

48,272 
40,903 
25,870 

4,6.50.00 

2 

14,700.00 

3 

22,000.00 

of  Kings,  Queens,  Nassau  and  Suffolk;  but 
all  of  Kings  and  part  of  Queens  are  now  under 
the  general  government  of  the  greater  New 
York,  although  still  retaining  their  countj'  or- 
ganization. The  population  of  these  divisions 
according  to  the  census  of  1900  was  as  follows: 


Kings  ....  1,166,582 
Nassau.  . .        55,448 


Queens 152,999 

Suffolk 55,5H2 


Being  a  total  for  Long  Island  of  1,452,611.* 
In  1880  the  total  was  743,957,  and  in  1890, 
1,029,097,  so  that  a  considerable  advance  has 
been  made.     The  advance  has  been  greatest 

Wards.  Population.         Acres. 

4 30,761        36,600.00 

5 7,193  4,9.33.00 

Total 152,999        82,883.00 

NASSAU  COUNTY  BY  TOWNSHIPS. 

Hempstead  Township 27,067 

North  Hempstead  Township 12,048 

Oyster  Bay  Township 16,333 

Total 55,448 

SUFFOLK  COUNTY  BY  TOWNSHIPS. 

Babylon  Township 7,112 

Brookhaven  Township 14,596 

Easthampton  Township 3,746 

Huntington  Township 9,488 

*Islip  Township 12,545 

Riverhead  Township 4,503 

Shelter  Island  Township 1,066 

tSmithtown  Township 5,863 

Southampton  Township 10, .371 

Southold  Township 8,301 

Total 77,582 

*Includes  1,349  people  on  the  premises  of  the  Manhattan 

State  Hospital  for  the  Insane, 
flncludes   3,177   people   on   the   premises  of  the    Long 

Island  State  Hospital. 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


in  Kings  county,  but  all  the  divisions  show 
substantial  increases. 

The  island  as  a  whole  is  flat  and  low-lying. 
Through  the  centre  is  a  range  of  small  hills 
from  New  Utrecht  northeasterly  to  Roslyn, 
and  from  there  extending  to  Montauk  Point, 
the  best  known  being  West,  Dix,  Comae,  Bald 
and  Shinnecock  Hills.  The  average  height  of 
this  chain  is  about  250  feet,  but  Harbor  Hill 
at  Roslyn  rises  to  a  height  of  384  feet,  Janes 
Hill  to  383  feet,  Reuland's  Hill  to  340  feet 
and  Wheatley  Hill  to  369  feet.  Along  the 
north  shore  from  Astoria  to  Orient  Point  a 
bluff  follows  the  outline  of  the  coast,  rising 
sometimes  to  a  height  of  200  feet.  From  the 
central  chain  of  hills  to  the  south  shore  the 
land  slopes  gently  down  to  the  sea,  and  much 
of  the  land,  being  pure  sand,  was  long  ni- 
capable  of  cultivation,  although  it  is  yielding 
to  modern  methods  and  appliances.  Between 
these  hills  and  the  bluff  which  overhangs  the 
north  shore  is  a  level  elevated  plain,  broken 
in  many  places  by  rocks  and  glacial  debris, 
but  on  the  whole  capable  of  being  brought  to- 
a  high  state  of  cultivation.  The  physica)l  ap- 
pearance of  the  entire  island  bears  witness  to 
the  foirce  of  the  movements  of  nature  in  the 
glacial  period,  and  nowhere  in  America  can 
that  wonderful  epoch  be  more  closely  or  un- 
derstandingly  studied.  In  a  general  way  it 
may  be  said  that  the  south  shore  is  level,  while 
the  north  is  full  of  bits  of  rugged  nature, 
rocks,  dells,  splendid  marine  and  land  views 
and  an  ever  changing  vista  of  hills,  forests, 
cultivated  fields  and  rich  pasture  lands. 

The  entire  coast  line  is  indented  with  bays 
and  inlets,  some  forming  even  in  their  rugged- 
ness  beautiful  landscapes,  and  many  of  them 
affording  splendid  harbors  and  anchorages. 
On  the  south  side  of  the  island  is  the  Great 
South  Bay  as  it  is  called  (although  local 
names  have  been  given  to  several  sections), 
nearly  one  hundred  miles  long  and  from  two 
to  five  miles  broad,  and  it  is  separated  from 
the  Atlantic  by  a  sandy  bar  from  a  fourth  of  a 
mile  to  a  mile  in  width,  changing  its  dimen- 
sions in  every  direction  with  every  winter's 


storm.  To  the  west  end  of  the  island  are 
Jamaica,  Hempstead,  Oyster  and  Huntington 
Bays,  and  at  the  east  end  Gardiner's,  Little 
Peconic  and  Great  Peconic  Bays ;  and  the  Pe- 
conic  River,  the  only  stream  of  water  of  any 
size  on  the  island,  ends  its  course  of  some 
fifteen  miles  at  Riverhead.  Gardiner's,  Fish- 
er's and  Plumb  Islands  are  politically  incor- 
porated with  Long  Island. 

There  are  scattered  throughout  the  island, 
especially  throughout  its  eastern  half,  many 
small  sheets  of  inland  water,  none  worthy  of 
mention  in  a  summary  such  as  this  except  one, 
the  largest  of  them  all — Lake  Ronkonkoma. 
This  beautiful  lake,  about  three  miles  in  cir- 
cumference, has  a  maximum  depth  of  eighty- 
three  feet ;  its  waters  are  ever  pmre  and  cool, 
and  it  has  no  visible  outlet  or  inlet.  The  lat- 
ter peculiarities  are  common  to  man}'  much 
smaller  lakes  on  the  island.  Ronkonkoma  lies 
in  the  midst  of  a  beautiful  landscape,  into 
which  it  fits  naturally,  becoming  the  centre  of 
one  of  the  most  delightful  bits  of  scenery  on 
Long  Island.  It  was  famous  for  its  beauty 
even  in  the  prehistoric  Indian  days,  when  the 
red  man  reigned  and  roamed  over  the  soil,  and 
many  quaint  and  pathetic  legends  are  yet  as- 
sociated with  it,  although  it  has  now  received 
the  tinsel  adornments  common  to  a  popular 
"resort." 

The  ocean  bottom  to  the  south  of  Long 
Island  has  a  slope  of  about  six  feet  to  the 
mile,  but  intersected  in  what  appears  to  have 
been  the  old  valley  of  the  Hudson  by  a  series 
of  deep  depressions.  In  that  distant  time  the 
shores  of  Long  Island  were  much  higher  than 
now.  It  is  impossible  to  tell  when  the  age  of 
retrogression  set  in,  but  it  seems  clear  that  the 
process  is  still  going  on,  although  so  slowly 
as  hardly  to  make  any  change  visible  to  the 
casual  eye  in  any  single  generation. 

The  animal  life  on  Long  Island  presented 
nothing  unusual.  We  have  plenty  of  evidence 
that  deer  once  had  the  freedom  of  the  whole 
island  and  were  hunted  by  the  red  nien  and 
the  earliar  settlers ;  but  they  have  long  been 
reduced  to  limited  numbers  in  spite  of  the  most 


TOPOGRAPHY   OF  THE    ISLAND. 


stringent  game  laws.    It  has  been  thought  that 
the  moose  and  elk  once  roamed  through  the 
forests,  and  in  1712  we  read  of  an  attempt 
being  made  to   ship   a   pair   of   moose   from 
Fisher's  Island  to  England  as  a  gift  to  Queen 
Anne,  but  this  pair  seems  to  have  been  the 
last  of  the  race.    Wolves  which  so  often  played 
havoc  with  the  lives  and  stock  of  the  pioneer 
settlers  have  long  since  disappeared.     Foxes, 
too,  which  were  plentiful  at  one  time,  are  now 
imported,  or  the  aniseed  trail  is  made  to  do 
duty  in  their  stead  for  hunting  purposes,  and 
the  old-time    presence   of  wild  cats,  beavers, 
bears,  opossum,  raCcoons  and  many  others  is 
forgotten.    It  may  be  said  that  all  the  animals 
common  to  New  York  and  Connecticut  were 
common  to  Long  Island,  and  are  so  still,  al- 
though the   increasing  march  of    population 
and  culture  renders  their  numbers  smaller  year 
after  year.      Bird   life  was   and   is   plentiful, 
and  grouse  in  the  earlier  days  especially  so. 
It  has  been  said  that  some  320  species  have 
been  found  on  the  island,  specimens  of  most  of 
them  being  in  the  museum  of  the  Long  Island 
Historical  Society.     The  island  was  a  resting 
place  for  many  migratory  species  of  birds  on 
their  semi-annual  journeys  north  and  south  or 
vice  versa,  and  at  such  seasons  it  was  a  verit- 
able   sportman's    paradise.      Indeed    hunting 
was  long,  with  agriculture,  one  of  the  arts  by 
which  the  pioneers   added  to   their   store   of 
wealth,  while  in  the  hands  of  an  Indian  a  skin 
was  a  facile  medium  of  exchange.    The  people, 
however,  were  early  aroused  to  a  consciousness 
that   indiscriminate    slaughter   of   animals   or 
birds  was  a  thing  to  be  guarded  against,  and 
as  early  as   1786  the  slaughter  of  deer  and 
grouse  was  prohibited  in  Brookhaven  except 
to   actual   citizens   of  the   town.     Since   then 
the  successive  restrictions  upon  hunting  have 
been  numerous  enough  to  form  a  theme  for 
separate  study,  but  stringent  as  they  are  Long 
Island  is  yearly  becoming  less  and  less  a  happy 
hunting  ground   for  the  man  who   goes  out 
with  a  gun  anxious  to  shoot  something. 

But  in  spite  of  the  restrictions,  the  man 


with  the  gun  keeps  steadily  in  evidence.     On 
Nov.  6,  1901,  when  the  season  for  killing  deer 
opened,  it  was  estimated  that  2,000  "hunters" 
armed  with  rifles  were  on  Long  Island,  ready 
for  the  "sport."     It  was  then  estimated  that 
about  2,000  deer  were  on  Long  Island,  the  bulk 
being,  roughly,  in  the  central  portion  extend- 
ing from  Islip  and  Setauket  to  Riverhead.  The 
center  of  the  hunting  area  is  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  South  Side  Sportsmen's  Club  at 
Oakdale  in  whose  preserves  the  deer  are  not 
permitted  to  be  killed,  even  by  its  own  mem- 
bers.   It  is  possible  that  it  is  to  this  organiza- 
tion, and  to  the  rigid  way  in  which  it  guards 
its  grounds  and  protects  the  game  from  slaugh- 
ter that  the  deer  on  Long  Island  have  not  been 
exterminated  long  ago.     It  is  one  of  the  dis- 
puted points  on  the  island  whether  or  not  the 
deer  really  should  be  preserved.    The  farmers 
would  vote  for  their  extermination,  while  the 
hotel-keepers  and  the  summer  visitors  would 
like  their  numbers  increased.     The  grovrth  of 
large  private  estates  within  recent  years  would 
indicate  a  careful  preservation  of  all  sorts  of 
game  and  a  consequent  increase  in  numbers, 
especially  of  deer — the  most  picturesque  of  all 
game  in  civilized  and  {xspulated  communities. 
As  early  as  1679  we  find  the  oyster  industry 
in  the  Great  South  Ba}'  a  marked  feature, — ■ 
so  marked  that  even  then  there  was  considered 
a   possibility   that  the  .supply   would   be   ex- 
hausted and  orders  were  issued  restricting  the 
annual  catch;  but  the  bay  from  then  to  now 
has  yearly  extended  its  output,  and  the  oyster 
industry  of  Long  Island  has   brought  to   it 
more  material  wealth  than  any  other.     The 
inexhaustible  supply  of  clams  has  also  proved 
a  profitable  industry  and  over  $1,000,000  of 
capital  is  employed  in  the  Menhaden  fishery 
alone.     The    factories  where   the    oil    is    ex- 
tracted from  these  fish  have  never  been  popu- 
lar in  Long  Island  for  various  reasons,  but 
they  still  give  employment  to  several  thousand 
workers  every  year  in  one  way  or  another, 
and  have  contributed  their  share  to  the  com- 


6 


HISTORY    OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


mercial  upbuilding  of  the  section.  Cod,  bass 
and  blue  fish  and  other  species — some  200 
in  all,  it  has  been  estimated — are  common  to 
the  shores  of  Long  Island,  and  generally  are 
to  be  found,  in  their  season,  in  immense  quan- 
tities. The  fisheries  form  quite  a  feature  of 
the  industrial  life  of  the  island,  but  the  finan- 
cial result,  great  as  it  is,  is  but  a  fraction  of 
what  it  should  be  were  the  wealth  of  the  sea 
worked  as  zealously  and  as  scientifically  as 
that  which  lies  beneath  the  soil.  However, 
Long  Island  has  long  been  a  delight  to  the 
amateur  angler,  and  the  many  successful  sport- 
ing clubs  of  which  it  now  can  boast  all  include 
angling,  either  with  the  seine  or  "with  an 
angle,"  after  the  gentle  manner  of  old  Izaak 
Walton. 

Although  from  a  botanical  point  of  view 
the  plant  life  of  Long  Island  is  not  as  varied 
or  interesting  as  might  be  expected,  still,  if 
we  accept  the  estimate  made  by  Elias  Lewis 
in  1883  that  there  were  then  eighty-three 
species  of  forest  trees  within  its  boundaries, 
there  is  not  much  cause  for  complaint.  The 
most  prolific  of  these  trees  was  the  locust, 
which  was  first  planted  at  Sand's  Point  about 
1700  by  Captain  John  Smith,  who  brought 
the  pioneer  specimens  from  Virginia.  It 
spread  with  great  rapidity  and  the  quality  of 
its  lumber  was  regarded  as  better  than  that 
in  the  trees  it  left  behind  in  its  parent  state. 
Nowhere  else  on  the  Atlantic  coast  does  the 
locust  flourish  as  on  Long  Island.  Oaks, 
chestnut  and  walnut  trees  are  to  be  found  all 
over  the  island  in  great  variety. 

"Long  Island,"  writes  Mr.  Elias  Lewis, 
"is  fairly  well  wooded.  Its  forests  are  of  oak, 
hickory,  chestnut,  locust,  with  many  other 
species  of  deciduous  trees.  The  evergreens 
indigenous  to  the  soil  are  almost  entirely  of 
the  yellow  or  pitch  pine,  Finns  rigida.  At  an 
early  period  of  its  history  the  forest  growth 
of  the  island  was  doubtless  heavier  than  now. 
There  were  oaks,  chestnuts,  tulip  trees,  and 
others  of  great  age  and  of  immense  size:  a 
few  of  these  survive.    The  fox  oaks  at  Flush- 


ing, no  longer  existing,  were  historic  trees 
and  justly  celebrated.  A  white  oak  at  Green- 
vale,  near  Glen  Cove,  is  twenty-one  feet  in 
girth,  and  is  probably  five  hundred  years  old ; 
another  nearly  as  old  is  at  Manhassett,  in  the 
Friends'  meeting-house  yard;  others  similar 
are  at  Smithtown  and  vicinity.  A  tulip  tree 
at  Lakeville,  on  the  elevated  grounds  of  S.  B. 
M.  Cornell,  impaired  by  age  and  storms,  is 
twenty-six  feet  in  girth  near  the  ground,  and 
was  a  landmark  from  the  ocean  more  than  a 
century  ago.  The  famous  black  walnut  at 
Roslyn,  on  grounds  of  the  late  W.  C.  Bryant, 
is  probably  the  largest  tree  on  Long  Island ;  it 
measures  twenty-nine  feet  in  girth  at  the 
ground,  and  twenty-one  feet  at  the  smallest 
part  of  the  trunk  below  the  spread  of  its  enor- 
mous branches.  Chestnut  trees  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Brookville  and  Norwich,  in  the 
town  of  Oystdr  Bay,  are  sixteen,  eighteen  and 
twenty-two  feet  in  girth. 

"The  growth  of  hard-wood  trees  on  Long 
Island  is  rapid.  A  few  large  trees  stand- 
ing indicate  what  they  may  have  been,  or  what 
they  might  be  if  undisturbed.  The  evergreens 
grow  with  equal  luxuriousness.  A  century 
and  a  half  ago  pitch  pines  were  abundant  from 
twenty  inches  to  thirty-six  inches  in  diam- 
eter." 

Of  the  physical  history  of  Long  Island, 
however,  the  most  interesting  feature  has  been 
its  geology,  and  this  has  been  so  thoroughly 
recognized  that  most  of  the  local  historians, 
including  Thompson  and  Prime,  have  devoted 
to  the  subject  considerable  space  in  their  re- 
spective works.  It  is  well  to  follow  their  ex- 
ample, but  in  this  case  an  improvement  will 
be  effected  by  presenting  the  subject  as  handled 
by  a  specialist, — for  no  one  but  a  devoted  and 
constant  student  of  geology  can  write  under- 
standingly  and  with  authority  upon  the  young- 
est and  most  exhaustive  of  all  the  sciences,  as 
some  one  has  called  it.  So  here  is  given  part 
of  a  paper  on  the  geology  of  Long  Island 
which  was  prepared  by  F.  J.  H.  Merrill,  the 
learned  and  studious  State  Geologist  of  New 


TOPOGRAPHY   OF  THE    ISLAND. 


York,  and  which  has  been  buried  in  the  trans- 
actions of  one  of  our  scientific  societies  for 
several  years: 

The  lithology  of  Long  Island  is  compara- 
tively simple,  the  crystalline  rocks  being  con- 
fined to  quite  a  limited  area.  The  greater  part 
of  the  region  consists  of  gravel,  sand  and 
clay,  overlaid  along  the  north  shore  and  for 
some  distance  southward  by  glacial  drift. 
This  material  forms  an  important  element  of 
the  surface  formation,  and  though  it  has  been 
already  described  by  Mather  and  Upham,  I 
shall  devote  a  short  space  ■  to  its  discussion. 
For  the  sake  of  clearness,  we  may  describe 
the  drift  as  of  two  kinds :  ist,  the  till  or  drift 
proper,  a  heterogeneous  mixture  of  gravel, 
sand  and  .clay,  with  boulders,  and  2d,  the 
gravel  drift,  a  deposit  of  coarse  yellow  gravel 
and  sand,  brought  to  its  present  place  by 
glacial  and  alluvial  action,  but  existing  near 
by  in  a  stratified  condition,  before  the  arrival 
of  the  glacier.  This  yellow  gravel  drift,  which 
in  a  comparatively  unaltered  condition  forms 
the  soil  of  the  pine  barrens  of  southern  and 
eastern  Long  Island,  and  is  exposed  in  section 
at  Grossman's  brickyard  in  Huntington,  is 
equivalent  to  and  indeed  identical  with  the 
yellow  drift  or  preglacial  drift  of  New  Jersey, 
a  formation  of  very  great  extent  in  that  state, 
and  of  which  the  origin  and  source  have  not 
yet  been  fully  explained,  though  it  is  always 
overlaid  by  the  glacial  drift  proper  where  these 
formations  occur  together. 

In  the  hills  near  Brooklyn  the  till  attains 
its  maximum  depth.  This  has  never  been 
definitdy  ascertained,  but  is  probably  between 
150  and  200  feet.  The  only  information  we 
have  on  the  subject  is  from  a  boring  in  Calvary 
Cemetery,  where  the  drift  was  139  feet  deep, 
and  this  point  is  nearly  five  miles  north  of 
Mount  Prospect,  which  is  194  feet  high  and 
probably  consists  for  the  most  part  of  till. 
The  occurrence  of  this  till  is  quite  local  and 
very  limited  along  the  north  shore  between 
Roslyu  and  Horton's  Point.  From  the  former 
locality  eastward  the  hills  are  mainly  composed 
of  stratified  gravel  and  sand,  probably  under- 
laid by  clay.  On  the  railroad  between  Syosset 
and  Setauket  is  an  abundance  of  coarse  gravel 
with  but  slight  stratification.  East  of  Setauket 
for  some  distance  the  drift  is  a  fine  yellowish 
sand,  which  washes  white  on  the  surface,  and 
at  Wading  River  the  drift  with  cobble-stones 
was  only  eighteen  inches  thick  where  exposed, 
being  underlaid  with  fine  yellow  sand.    Along 


the  remainder  of  the  north  shore  to  Orient 
Point,  six  feet  was  the  maximum  depth  of  drift 
observed.  Under  this  were  stratified  sands, 
gravels  and  clays,  usually  dipping  slightly 
from  the  shore.  On  Brown's  Hills,  north  of 
Orient,  the  drift  is  overlaid  by  three  feet  of 
fine  micaceous  sand,  which  has  probably  been 
carried  to  its  present  position  by  the  wind. 
The  drift  at  this  locality  is  a  clayey  till,  and 
its  surface  is  strewn  with  an  abundance  of 
boulders  of  coarse  red  gneiss.  On  Shelter 
Island  are  high  ridges  of  gravel  overlaid  by 
a  few  feet  of  till.  The  hills  from  Sag  Harbor 
eastward  are  also  composed  partially  of  un- 
modified drift,  but  the  most  extensive  deposit 
on  the  east  end  of  Long  Island  is  between 
Nepeague  Bay  and  Montauk  Point.  Here  the 
drift  is  disposed  in  rounded  hillocks  from  80 
to  200  ifeet  above  the  sea,  with  bowl  and 
trough-shaped  depressions  between.  The 
bluffs  along  the  south  shore,  which  are  rapidly 
yielding  to  the  action  of  the  waves,  consist 
for  the  most  part  of  boulder  clay  and  hard- 
pan  of  considerable  depth,  covered  by  a  shal- 
lower layer  of  till.  At  a  few  places,  however, 
on  the  south  shore,  west  of  the  point,  laminated 
blue  clay  streaked  with  limonite  occurs,  inter- 
calated with  the  till.  At  the  end  of  the  point 
a  similar  bed  of  clay  is  exposed,  overlaid  by 
stratified  sand.  From  the  extremely  limited 
character  of  the  exposures  I  am  unable  to  de- 
termine whether  the  clay  underlies  the  whole 
of  the  point  or  is  merely  local  in  its  occur- 
rence. In  character  and  position,  however,  it 
is  analogous  to  beds  occurring  on  Block  Island. 
The  boulders  of  Long  Island  attract  the  at- 
tention of  the  geologist  by  their  size  and 
variety.  They  represent  almost  every  geolog- 
ical age,  fossiliferous  rocks  of  the  Helderberg, 
Oriskany  and  Cauda  Galli,  Hamilton,  Che- 
mung and  Eocene  periods  having  been  found 
in  the  drift.  Examples  of  these  are  in  the  col- 
lection of  the  Long  Island  Historical  Society. 
There  are  also  various  members  of  the  Arch- 
aean series,  viz.,  gneiss,  granite,  syenite,  horn- 
blende, chlorite,  talcose  and  mica  schist,  lime- 
stone, dolomite,  and  serpentine;  and  the 
Palaeozoic  and  Mesozoic  ages  are  represented 
by  Potsdam  sandstone,  Hudson  River  slate, 
Oneida  conglomerate  or  SJiawangunk  grit, 
Catskill  sandstone,  and  Triassic  sandstone  and 
trap.  As  the  lithology  of  the  boulders  has 
been  described  in  detail  by  Mather  (Geol.  ist 
Dist.  N.  Y.,  pp.  165-177),  it  would  be  super- 
fluous for  me  to  undertake  a  similar  descrip- 
tion. 


8 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


In  addition  to  the  rocks  mentioned  above,  a 
ferruginous  sandstone  and  conglomerate  occur 
abundantly  in  fragments  along  the  east  shore 
of  Hempstead  Harbor,  and  in  the  drift  be- 
tween Glen  Cove  and  Oyster  Bay.  Many  of 
these  fragments  contain  vegetable  impres- 
sions, but  in  only  two  localities  have  any  leaf 
prints  been  found.  These  were  West  Island, 
Dosoris,  and  the  well  of  the  Williamsburg  Gas 
Co.  The  prints  are  supposed  to  belong  to 
Cretaceous  plants,  but  the  evidence  is  incom- 
plete. 

Many  of  the  erratic  blocks  are  of  immense 
size,  one  in  particular,  of  gneiss,  on  Shelter 
Island,  near  Jennings'  Point,  contained  as  a 
solid  mass  over  9,000  cubic  feet.  It  has  split 
in  three  pieces  since  it  was  deposited.  Mather 
(Geol.  1st  Dist.,  p.  174)  mentions  a  mass  of 
granite  near  Plandome,  which  was  estimated 
to  contain  8,000  cubic  yards  above  the  surface 
of  the  ground. 

Having  thus  briefly  reviewed  the  characters 
of  the  surface  drift,  we  will  now  consider  in 
detail  the  strata  which  underlie  it.  The  crys- 
talline rocks  outcrop  along  the  shore  at  Hell- 
gate  and  over  a  limited  area  in  the  vicinity  of 
Astoria.  They  consist  of  finely  laminated 
gneiss  and  schists,  tilted  at  a  high  angle,  and 
belong  to  the  same  formation  as  the  rocks  of 
Manhattan  Island.  I  am  informed  by  Mr. 
Elias  Lewis,  Jr.,  that  in  boring  an  artesian 
well  in  Calvary  Cemetery,  near  Brooklyn,  a 
bed  of  gneiss  was  encountered  at  a  depth  of 
182  feet.  Further  than  this  we  know  nothing 
of  the  extent  of  the  crystalline  rocks  on  Long 
Island.  The  section  obtained  in  the  boring 
mentioned  was  as  follows: 

FEET. 

Surface  loam  and  drift 139 

Greenish  earth    39 

White  clay  with  red  streaks 4 

Gneiss  . 400 

Total  582 

The  greenish  earth  referred  to  lost  its  color 
on  being  treated  with  hydrochloric  acid,  and 
the  white  residue  examined  under  the  micro- 
scope appeared  to  consist  of  minute  fragments 
of  kaolinized  feldspar,  with  occasional  grains 
of  quartz  sand.  The  acid  solution  gave  a 
strong  reaction  for  iron,  indicating  a  probable 
admixture  of  glauconite  with  the  material.  It 
is  stated  in  Cozzens'  Geological  History  of 
New  York  Island  that  a  shell  of  Exogyra 
costata,  with  green-sand  adhering,  was  found 


between  Brooklyn  and  Flatlands,  at  a  depth  o 
sixty  feet.  This  locality  is  about  five  mile 
south  of  the  well  just  mentioned,  and  wouL 
indicate  the  presence  of  Cretaceous  strata  nea 
Brooklyn. 

The  following  data,  also  furnished  by  Mr 
Lewis,  of  a  well  dug  by  the  Nassau  Gai 
Light  Co.,  in  Williamsburg,  will  give  an  idei 
of  the  formation  at  that  locality: 


INCHES 


FEET. 

Surface   loam    3 

Quick-sand  (so  called)    2 

Boulder  clay,  somewhat  sandy  70 

Blue  clay  with  pebbles   .:....  27 

Oyster  shells   

Total 102 


The    shell-bed    was    underlaid    by    quicksand 
bearing  water. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Manhasset,  on  the  road 
to  Port  Washington,  are  extensive  exposures 
of  stratified  sand,  more  or  less  inclined  from 
the  horizontal.  About  200  yards  south  of  the 
postoffice,  on  the  west  side  of  the  road,  is  a 
bank  about  40  feet  high,  composed  of  a  white, 
coarse,  laminated  sand,  streaked  with  hydrous 
peroxide  of  iron,  the  layers  dipping  S.  E.  13 
degrees.  A  little  northeast  of  the  postofifice, 
along  the  road,  there  are  banks  of  ired  sand 
cemented  together  in  places  by  sesquioxide 
of  iron  and  resembling  the  Cretaceous  red  sand 
bed  of  New  Jersey. 

On  the  shore  of  Manhasset  Bay,  near  Port 
Washington,  are  high  banks  of  coarse  yellow 
stratified  sand  and  gravel.  This  deposit  is 
very  irregular  in  its  stratification,  as  it  shows 
in  many  places  the  "flow  and  plunge"  structure 
described  by  Dana,  and  which  is  evidently  pro- 
duced by  swift  currents.  The  depth  of  this 
formation  cannot  be  determined ;  it  is  probably 
not  less  than  150  feet,  and  possibly  is  much 
greater.  These  beds  dip  about  15  degrees  W. ; 
the  strike  is  nearlv  due  north  and  south. 
Along  the  shore  of  Manhasset  Bay,  from  Port 
Washington  to  Barker's  Point,  are  extensive 
banks  of  stratified  sand  and  gravel,  much 
stained  with  iron  and  dipping  westward.  At 
Prospect  Point  and  Mott's  Point  the  banks  are 
composed  of  coarse  gravel  similar  to  that  at 
Port  Washington. 

Between  Roslyn  and  Glen  Cove  there  are 
high  bands  of  red  and  flesh-colored  sands, 
while  at  Carpenter's  clay  pits  a  most  interest- 
ing section  is  presented.     The  greatest  height 


TOPOGRAPHY   OF  THE    ISLAND. 


9 


of  this  section  is  seventy-three  feet,  the  strilte 
of  the  beds  being  N.  80  degrees  W.  and  the  dip 
about  37  degrees  northerly,  the  layers  here 
apparently  consisting  of  quartz,  but  susceptible 
of  being  easily  crushed  in  the  hand.  The  peb- 
bles are  traversed  by  innumerable  cracks,  and 
are  composed  of  coarse  white  gravel  and  sand, 
and  appear  to  have  been  subjected  to  the  action 
of  an  alkaline  solution.  Interstratified  with  the 
gravel  are  layers  of  fine  white  clay,  from  six 
inches  to  one  foot  in  thickness,  stained  pink  in 
some  places,  and  containing  occasional  frag- 
ments of  a  soft  hematite  or  red  ochre.  Besides 
these  beds  there  is  a  deposit  of  kaolin  farther 
south,  but  its  stratigraphical  relations  to  the 
layer  exposed  could  not  be  determined.  This 
kaolin  is  a  soft,  white,  granular,  clayey  sub- 
stance, consisting  chiefly  of  hydrous  silicate  of 
alumina  from  the  decomposition  of  feldspar. 
In  fact  the  whole  deposit  would  seem  to  be  the 
■decomposition  product  of  a  granulite  rock  such 
as  occurs  abundantly  in  Westchester  county. 
New  York,  and  in  southwestern  Connecticut. 
In  the  north  end  of  the  bank  is  an  unconform- 
ability,  the  gravel  beds,  which  dip  37  degrees, 
being  overlaid  by  stratified  sand  dipping  15 
■degrees  in  the  same  direction.  The  layers 
shown  in  this  section  form  the  north  slope  of 
an  anticlinal  flexure,  the  lowest  beds  being,  I 
am  informed  by  Mr.  Coles  Carpenter,  one  of 
the  proprietors,  almost  vertical.  An  excava- 
tion made  about  100  yards  W.  S.  W.  of  the 
main  pit,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  some 
leaf-prints,  expwsed  the  following  section : 

FEET.       INCHES. 

Gravelly  drift    6 

White  sand   18 

Coarse  sand 6 

Reddish  clay   2 

"Grey,  sandy  carbonaceous  clay 
with   leaf-prints    4 


14 


These  beds  dipped  about  15  degrees  S.  W., 
the  locality  being  on  the  south  slope  of  the 
anticlinal.  Owing  to  the  sandy  nature  of  the 
clay,  and  the  dryness  of  the  season,  no  satis- 
factory specimens  could  be  obtained.  The 
prints  retain  no  carbon,  but  simply  show  the 
venation  of  the  leaves. 

North  of  Sea  Clifif,  along  the  shore  of 
Hempstead  Harbor,  to  the  Glen  Cove  steam- 
boat landing,  is  a  series  of  clay  beds  outcrop- 
ping on  the  beach  and  dipping  N.  by  E.  about 


10  degrees;  these  beds  are  of  various  colors, 
blue,  yellow,  reddish,  white  and  black.  The 
reddish  clays  contain  fragments  of  a  soft 
hematite,  and  one  of  the  blue  layers  is  over- 
laid by  about  two  inches  of  lignite  in  small 
fragments.  Other  layers  contain  pyritized 
lignite  and  nodular  pyrites,  but  it  is  impossible 
to  determine  the  nature  and  order  of  these 
beds  accurately,  without  extensive  excavations. 
Dark  clays,  with  pyrites,  are  also  reported  to 
occur  in  Carpenter's  pits  at  a  considerable 
depth.  In  the  beds  of  decomposed  gravel  al- 
ready mentioned  are  many  geodes  of  sand  ce- 
mented together  by  hydrous  and  anhydrous 
sesquioxide  of  iron,  containing  a  dark  granular 
mass  which  analysis  shows  to  consist  chiefly 
of  decomposed  pyrites.  The  conclusion  is 
therefore  justifiable  that  the  nodules  of  mar- 
casite  which  once  existed  in  the  gravel  beds 
have  decomposed  by  oxidation,  and  the  result- 
ing ferric  oxide  has  cemented  the  sand  about 
them  into  a  hard  crust,  while  the  nodules  in 
the  clay  beds  which  were  protected  from  oxi- 
dation have  remained  unaltered. 

North  of  Glen  Cove  clays  of  various  kinds 
occur  at  East  and  West  Islands,  Dosoris'  and 
at  Matinnecock  Village.  At  the  East  WiUis- 
ton  brickyard,  near  Mineola,  there  is  a  local 
deposit  of  grey  micaceous  clay.  The  depth  of 
this,  where  excavated,  varies  from  seven  to 
eighteen  feet.  The  clay  overlies  white  lami- 
nated sands,  stained  with  limonite,  the  upper 
surface  of  the  sand  being  cemented  together 
for  the  depth  of  an  inch  by  the  yellow  oxide. 
Over  the  clay  is  about  six  inches  of  black 
alluvial  earth. 

At  the  brickyard  on  Centre  Island,  in  Oys- 
ter Bay,  there  is  a  deposit  of  brown  sandy 
clay  over  a  bed  of  more  homogeneous  and 
tougher  clay.  These  beds  undulate  in  an  east 
and  west  direction  or  away  from  the  shore, 
and  the  lower  stratum  contains  shaly  concre- 
tions or  claystones.  About  a  mile  north  of  the 
brickyard  it  is  said  that  a  bed  of  white  fire 
clay  has  been  found  at  a  depth  of  twenty-five 
feet  under  the  drift  and  sand.  A  little  west 
from  the  U.  S.  Fish  Hatchery,  at  the  head  of 
Cold  Spring  Harbor,  is  a  bank  of  stratified 
gravel  seventy  feet  high.  About  forty  feet  be- 
low the  top  of  this  bank  is  an  exposure  of 
laminated  sand  and  sandy  clay  stained  red, 
brown  and  yellow  with  oxide  of  iron,  and  a 
short  distance  below  a  chalybeate  spring  issues 
from  the  bank.  The  clay  deposit  at  Stewart's 
brickyard,  at  Bethpage,  is  about  sixty  feet  in 
depth.     The   surface   stratum   is   a  vellowish 


10 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


micaceous  clay,  the  lower  part  being  mottled 
blue  and  yellow.  It  probably  was  originally 
a  gray  or  blue  clay,  its  present  yellow  color  be- 
ing due  to  the  peroxidation  and  hydration  of 
the  iron  contained.  Of  this  stratum  there  is 
about  thirty-five  feet ;  below  is  about  five  feet 
of  reddish  sandy  clay,  and  beneath  this  a  blue- 
black  sandy  clay  containing  nodules  of  white 
pyrites.  This  stratum  is  about  twenty-five  feet 
deep  and  is  underlaid  by  white  sand.  The 
beds  are  somewhat  disturbed  and  folded,  the 
uppermost  being  slightly  undulating,  while  the 
two  lower  appear  to  be  raised  in  a  fold  trend- 
ing nearly  east  and  west. 

I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Lewis  for  the  follow- 
ing section  obtained  in  digging  a  well  at 
Jericho  in  1878,  on  the  premises  of  Mr.  Jules 
Kunz : 

FEET.       INCHES. 

Surface  loam    15 

Drift   36 

Yellow  gravel  81 

Sand .,    15 

Sandy  clay  with  a  carbonized 

branch   4 

Yellow  clay  3 

Blue  and  gray  sandy  clay  with 

pyrites   30 

Micaceous   sand    14  6 

Total 198  6 

From  the  same  authority  I  have  the  follow- 
ing section  of  a  well  on  Barnum's  Island: 

FEET. 

Sand  and  gravel,  stratified 70 

Clay  and  clayey  sand  with  lignite 56 

Gravel  and  fine  sand  with  clayey  sand.  .  44 
Blue  clay,  clayey  sand  and  silt,  with  lig- 
nite and  pyrites 168 

Total 338 

In  the  third  stratum,  at  a  depth  of  168 
feet,  a  fragment  of  the  stem  of  a  crinoid  was 
found,  which,  together  with  a  complete  set 
of  specimens  from  the  well,  is  in  the  collection 
of  the  Long  Island  Historical  Society.  The 
fossil  fragment  is  probably  from  some  Pal- 
aeozoic formation,  and  has  no  special  imjxirt- 
ance. 

At  Grossman's  brickyard  in  Huntington, 
on  the  east  shore  of  Gold  Spring  Harbor,  we 
have  an  intersected  section  trending  a  little 
east  of  north,  which  is  as  follows : 


FEET. 

Till  and  stratified  drift lO 

Quartz  gravel   45 

Red  and  blue  "loam"  or  sandy  clay 20 

Diatomaceous  earth   3 

Yellow  and  red  stratified  sand 20 

Red  plastic  clay 20 

Brown  plastic  clay 25 

Total 143 

The  bed  of  diatomaceous  earth  is  of  unde- 
termined extent,  and  appears  to  be  replaced  a 
little  to  the  east  by  a  blue  clay,  which,  how- 
ever, contains  some  diatoms.  It  is  undoubt- 
edly equivalent  to  the  bed  of  ochre  which  over- 
lies the  sand  throughout  the  remainder  of  the 
section.  At  Jones'  brickyard,  adjoining  Gross- 
man's, there  is  a  similar  fold  nearly  at  right 
angles  to  the  first,  but  the  upper  portion  has 
been  removed  by  ice  or  water  down  to  the 
sand.  This  stratum,  which  is  yellow  and 
brown  in  the  north  part  of  Grossman's  yard, 
is  dark  red  in  the  south  end  and  at  Jones'.  It 
appears  to  be  mixed  with  a  fine  red  clayey 
matter  which  separates  on  washing. 

The  formation  on  Lloyd's  Neck  is  similar 
to  that  at  Grossman's,  with  regard  to  the  com- 
position of  the  strata.  On  the  north  side  of 
East  Neck,  at  Eckerson's  brickyard,  is  a  de- 
posit of  reddish  clay  underlaid  by  brown  clay 
very  similar  to  that  at  Grossman's.  To  the 
west  of  this  is  a  bank  of  white  quartz  gravel, 
while  on  the  east  is  an  extensive  deposit  of 
fine,  white  quartz  sand,  laminated  with  red, 
yellow  and  brown  waved  streaks.  The  exact 
relations  of  these  strata  I  was  unable  to  de- 
termine, but  from  their  analogies  to  other  de- 
posits I  am  inclined  to  consider  the  laminated 
sand  as  the  more  recent. 

On  the  north  end  of  Little  Neck  there  is 
another  large  deposit  of  these  laminated  sands. 
At  this  point  they  dip  S.  E.  about  15  degrees. 
The  following  section  is  given  in  Mather's  Re- 
port Geol.  of  1st  Dist.,  p.  254: 

FEET. 

1 .  Loose  surface  sand i  ^ 

2.  Dark-colored  loamy  sand  and  clay.     3 

3.  Yellowish  and  reddish  sand,  waved 

laminae   4/4 

4.  White  sand  tinged  with  yellow 4 

5.  Sand  similar  but  dififering  in  color 

and  direction  of  laminae 4 

6.  Sand  red,  waVed  laminae 3° 

7.  White  clay   4 


TOPOGRAPHY   OF  THE    ISLAND. 


11 


FEET. 

8.  White   sand  ^tinged   with    red    or 

yellow    4 

9.  Clay,  white  like  No.  7 3 

10.  Sand,  white  like  No.  8 3 

11.  White  clay  like  No.  7 5 

12.  White  sand  like  No.  8 5 

Total  70 

South  of  this  deposit,  about  half  a  mile,  is 
a  clay-pit  which  is  worked  by  Captain  Sam- 
mis,  of  Northport.  Here  the  stiratification  is 
as  follows : 

FEET. 

Surface  loam  and  drift 3  or  4 

Sandy  kaolin  10 

Yellowish  clay 4 

Dark  blue  sandy  clay 15 

Dip,  5  degrees  W. 

The  lowest  stratum  is  separated  into  thin 
laminae  by  equally  thin  layers  of  sand,  in 
which  are  numerous  impressions  of  fragments 
of  vegetable  matter,  but  only  one  leaf-print 
has  been  found;  this  is  in  the  museum  of  the 
Long  Island  Historical  Society.  It  is  a  small, 
broadly  elliptical  leaf,  about  three-fourths  of  an 
inch  long.  In  this  same  bed  was  found  several 
years  ago  a  shark's  tooth  which  has  been 
identified  as  Carcharodon  angustidens  or 
megalodon.  It  is  difficult  to  determine  the  re- 
lation of  this  stratum  to  the  other  layers  in 
the  vicinity,  but  it  is  probably  of  the  same 
period  as  the  laminated  sands,  and  seems  to 
be  identical  with  a  bed  which  Mather  describes 
as  occurring  on  Eaton's  Neck.  (Geol.  ist 
Dist.,  p.  228.) 

At  the  brickyard  near  West  Deer  Park,  be- 
neath the  gravel  and  drift,  is  a  stratum  of 
flesh-colored  clay,  underlaid  by  dark  blue  clay 
containing  pyrites.  I  was  informed  by  the 
owner,  Mr.  Conklin,  that  in  the  centre  of  the 
hill  of  gravel  the  clay  rises  up  in  a  fold.  Be- 
tween Bethpage  and  West  Deer  Park  is  a  de- 
posit of  ferruginous  conglomerate  and  sand- 
stone formed  by  the  solidification  of  the  strati- 
fied gravel  and  sand  or  yellow  drift.  This  rock 
is  very  similar  in  composition  and  appearance 
to  one  which  occurs  in  fragments  in  the  glacial 
drift  and  contains  vegetaljle  impressions.  At 
Provost's  yard,  near  Fresh  Ponds,  are  quite 
extensive  beds  of  brown  sandy  clay,  reddish 
clay,  and  chocolate-brown  clay,  dipping  from 


the  shore.  The  red  and  chocolate  clays  are 
probably  identical  with  the  similar  beds  at 
Grossman's  in  Huntington. 

Lake  Ronkonkoma  is  in  a  basin  of  which 
the  bottom  is  about  210  feet  below  the  high 
ground  on  the  south.  Its  southern  bank  is 
composed  of  laminated  sand  streaked  with 
oxide  of  iron,  and  the  rest  of  the  shore  ap- 
pears to  be  formed  of  the  same  material.  At 
Crane  Neck  Point  are  bluffs,  60  feet  high, 
of  sand  and  gravel  containing  masses  of  fer- 
ruginous sandstone  of  recent  date.  At 
Herod's  Point  the  bluffs  consist  of  fine  yellow 
sand  and  gravel,  slightly  stratified,  and  dip- 
ping a  few  degrees  south.  Limonite  concre- 
tions are  here  abundant.  The  bluffs  at  Friar's 
Head  are  about  120  feet  high,  and  consist  of 
yellow  stratified  sand  with  pebbles.  Over  these 
is  a  dune  of  yellowish  drifted  sand  90  feet 
high,  making  the  total  height  of  the  peak  210 
feet.  On  the  west  side  of  Robbin's  Island  is 
an  exposure  of  blue  clay  overlaid  by  laminated 
ferruginous  sand.  The  depth  of  this  clay-bed 
has  not  been  determined,  but  it  is  similar  in 
appearance  and  quality  to  some  of  the  clays 
near  Huntington,  especially  at  Grossman's 
brick-yard.  A  chalybeate  spring  issues  from 
the  laminated  sand  on  the  shore,  a  little  to 
the  south  of  the  clay-pit.  The  clay  bed  ap- 
pears to  dip  southward  about  10  degrees 
throug'hout  the  whole  extent  of  the  island. 
Near  the  railroad  between  Southold  and 
Greenport  are  two  brickyards.  At  the  more 
easterly  of  the  two  there  are  various  deposits 
of  stratified  sand  and  clay  very  much  folded 
and  tilted.  At  this  place  the  section  exposed 
shows  two  parallel  folds,  the  axes  of  which 
trend  a  little  north  of  east.  The  upper  stratum 
of  brown  clay  contains  angular  fragments  of 
mica  schist.  At  the  other  yard  they  are  work- 
ing a  bed  precisely  similar  to  that  just  men- 
tioned and  also  containing  angular  fragments 
of  rock. 

On  Shelter  Island  are  high  hills  of  gravel 
with  a  thin  covering  of  till ;  the  highest  point 
is  about  180  feet  above  tide.  West  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Orient  is  a  narrow  isthmus  of  sand 
beach  and  salt  meadow,  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
long  and  not  more  than  ten  feet  above  tide. 
East  of  this,  on  the  north  side  of  the  peninsula, 
Brown's  Hills  extend  along  the  shore  for  a 
mile  and  a  half,  the  highest  point  being  128 
feet  above  Long  Island  Sound.  The  struc- 
ture of  these  hills  is  difficult  to  determine,  as 
extensive  land  slides  have  occurred,  and  the 


12 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


slopes  are  covered  with  grass  and  bushes.   One 
■exposure  gave  the  following  section: 

FEET. 

Drift   3 

Fine  yellow  sand ° 

Micaceous  clay   i 

Micaceous  sand ^5 

Total  37 

The  micaceous  sand  occurs  at  the  foot  of 
the  bluffs  along  the  shore  in  this  vicinity. 
It  may  also  be  seen  half  a  mile  west  of  Orient, 
in  a  bank  by  the  road-side. 

On  Gardiner's  Island  a  very  complete  sec- 
tion is  exposed  on  the  southeast  shore,  which 
•exhibits  the  strata  to  the  depth  of  about  250 
feet.  Here  stratified  sands  and  clays  of  va- 
rious .  kinds  and  colors  are  raised  up  in  two 
parallel  anticlinal  folds.  In  the  southerly  fold 
the  stratum  is  a  light  red,  fine,  plastic  clay, 
very  similar  to  that  at  Grossman's  in  Hunting- 
ton ;  it  is  here  exposed  to  a  depth  of  about  100 
feet  and  is  upheaved  at  a  high  angle,  its  outer 
slopes  dipping  about  45  degrees,  while  along 
the  axis  of  the  fold  the  laminae  are  vertical. 
The  northern  anticlinal  has  about  15  degrees 
dip  on  either  side,  and  in  its  north  slope  is  a 
stratum  of  yellowish  clayey  sand  containing  a 
bed  of  post-pliocene  shells,  at  an  average 
height  of  15  feet  above  the  sea.  The  formation 
which  is  here  brought  to  view  probably  un- 
derlies the  whole  of  the  island,  as  it  is  ex- 
posed at  various  other  points.  On  the  north 
and  southeast  shores  the  beds  are  very  much 
disturbed  and  folded,  and  the  surface  of  the 
island  is  raised  in  a  series  of  parallel  ridges 
■corresponding  in  position  to  the  folds  and  hav- 
ing a  general  trend  of  N.  65  degrees  E.  The 
highest  point  on  the  island  is  128  feet  above 
the  sea ;  the  bluffs  along  the  shore  being  from 
twenty-iive  to  seventy  feet  high.  The  fossil- 
iferous  stratum  is  about  20  feet  long  and  four 
feet  thick,  containing  an  abundance  of  shells, 
most  of  which  appear  to  have  been  crushed 
by  superincumbent  pressure.  The  locality  was 
visited  in  1863  by  Prof.  Sanderson  Smith,  who 
describes  the  bed  as   150  to  200  feet  long. 

i[i         yfi         ^         i^ 

Napeague  Beach,  east  of  Amagansett,  is 
three  miles  long  and  one-quarter  of  a  mile 
broad,  consisting  entirely  of  white  quartz  sand. 
Along  the  shore  on  the  north  and  south  are 
dunes  of  drifted  sand  20  or  30  feet  high,  but 
the  main- portion  of  the  beach  probably  aver- 
.ages  less  than   10  feet  above  the  sea.     East 


of  the  beach  the  country  for  twelve  miles  to 
the  end  of  Montauk  Point  is  chiefly  a  terminal 
moraine,  and  as  such  I  have  already  briefly 
described  it. 


HISTORICAL  GEOLOGY. 

Having  thus  reviewed  in  detail  the  various 
strata  underlying  the  drift,  we  come  now  to 
consider  their  age  and  history.  Without  at- 
tempting to  decide  the  geological  equivalence 
of  the  crystalline  rocks  at  Astoria,  we  will  dis- 
cuss the  unsolidified  deposits  which  have  just 
been  described. 

From  the  position  and  strike  of  the  Creta- 
ceous strata  in  New  Jersey  and  Staten  Island, 
it  has  been  surmised  by  geologists  that  they 
underlie  Long  Island  throughout  the  whole  or 
a  portion  of  its  extent.  The  locality  at  which 
the  strata  most  resemble  the  Gretaceous  beds 
of  New  Jersey  is  Glen  Gove,  where  the  clays 
already  described  are  probably  of  this  age.  If 
the  Gretaceous  formation  extends  under  the 
whole  of  Long  Island  it  must  occur  at  a  very 
great  depth,  since  deep  sections  at  points  east 
of  Glen  Gove  do  not  reveal  its  presence. 

In  regard  to  this  formation  and  the  follow- 
ing, it  should  be  understood  that  sufficient  data 
have  not  yet  been  obtained  to  warrant  an  at- 
tempt to  map  out  their  extent.  The  only  ex- 
posures are  in  vertical  sections  along  the  shore 
and  in  various  clay-pits  or  similar  excava- 
tions ;  and  there  being  an  immense  amount  of 
quaternary  material  overlying  them,  no  satis- 
factory degree  of  accuracy  can  be  as  yet  at- 
tained in  this  regard. 

The  Tertiary  strata  of  Long  Island  cannot 
as  yet  be  identified  with  much  more  certainty 
than  the  Gretaceous.  From  their  character  and 
position  we  may  surmise  that  the  brown  and 
red  plastic  clays  of  Huntington,  Gardiner's 
Island  and  elsewhere  belong  to  the  age  in  ques- 
tion, but  we  have  no  palseontological  evidence 
except  from  the  shark's  tooth  found  on  Little 
Neck,  which  would  identify  the  bed  in  wljich 
it  occurred  as  Eocene  or  Miocene.  The  strati- 
fied sands  and  gravels,  however,  which  overlie 
the  supposed  Cretaceous  and  Tertiary  beds, 
and  in  turn  are  overlaid  unconformably  by 
surface  drift  and  till,  we  may  accept  as  Post- 
pliocene,  from  the  analogy  of  their  composi- 
tion, structure  and  position  to  the  deposits  of 
Gardiner's  Island  and  Sankaty  Head,  of  which 
the  fossils  detei-mine  the  age  beyond  question ; 
unfortunately,  however,  there  is  no  unconform- 


.TOPOGRAPHY  OF  THE    ISLAND. 


m 


ability  to  show  where  the  Tertiary  ends  and 
the  Quaternary  begins. 

At  various  times  and  places  fossil  shells 
and  lignite  have  been  found  on  Long  Island. 
I  append  a  synopsis  of  a  list  of  these  compiled 
by  Elias  Lewis,  Jr.,  from  Mather's  Report  and 
from  other  sources : 


presumed  Cretaceous  and  Tertiary  beds  were 
deposited  we  know  nothing;  though  it  is  rea- 
sonable to  conclude  that  they  consist  of  the 
debris  of  New  York  and  New  England  rocks- 
carried  down  from  the  highlands  and  deposited 
along  the  coast  by  rivers  or  by  other  agencies 
of  transfMDrtation.     The  overlying  deposits  of 


Nature  of  Fossil 

Locality  and  Date 

Depth 

Authority 

1. 

Recent  shells. 

Fort  Lafayette. 

23-;53  feet. 

E.  Lewis,  Jr. 

2 

Pyrula,  clam,  oyster. 

New  Utrecht. 

43-67  feet. 

Thompson's  Hist,  of  L.  T. 

3. 

Clam  and  oyster  shells. 

Well  in  Prospect  Park. 

E.  Lewis,  Jr. 

4. 

Clam  and  oyster  shells. 

Well  at  Flatbush  Almshouse. 

40-50  feet. 

E.  Lewis,  Jr. 

.^. 

2  Petrified  clams. 

Flatbush. 

100  feet. 

j  W.  J.  Furnam,  Antiquities 
(      of  Long  Island. 

6. 

Oxogyra  Gostata,  with 
grain  sand. 

Bet.  Brooklyn  and  Flatlands. 

60  feet. 

i  Dr.  J.  C,  Jay,  Ann,  of  Lye. 
■j      Nat.  Hist.,  1842. 

7. 

Oyster  shells. 

High  grounds  in  Brooklyn. 

73  feet. 

Furman's  Antiquities. 

8. 

Clam  shells. 

Fort  Greene,  1814. 

70  feet. 

Furman's  Antiquities. 

9. 

AiKimiii  ephippium. 

Cor.  Jay  &  Front  St.,  Brooklyn 

15  feet. 

E.  Lewis,  Jr. 

10. 

Oyster  shells. 

Nassau  Gas  Light  Co.,  Wil- 
liamsburg. 

127  ft.  6  in. 

E.  Lewis,  Jr. 

11. 

Log  of  wood. 

Bush  wick. 

40  feet. 

Thompson's  History. 

12. 

Shells. 

Newtown. 

70  feet. 

Thompson's  History. 

13. 

Clam,  shells. 

East  New  York. 

80  feet. 

Thompson's  History. 

14. 

Wood. 

Three  miles  west  of  Jamaica. 

25  feet. 

Thompson's  History. 

1.5. 

Clam  and  oyster  shells. 

Lakeville. 

j  85  ft.  above  tide. 
{  140  to  160  feet. 

Henry  Onderdonk,  Jr. 

16. 

Clam,  oyster  and  scallop 
shells. 

Lakeville. 

J  200  ft.  above  tide. 
\  47  feet. 

J.  H.  L'Hommedieu. 

17. 

Wood. 

Great  Neck,  1813. 

50  feet. 

Thompson's  History. 

18. 

Oyster  shells. 

Manhasset,  1813. 

78  feet. 

Thompson's  History. 

19, 

Shells. 

Bet.  Manhasset  and  Roslyn. 

140  fefet. 

Thompson's  History. 

20. 

Stem  of  Crinoid. 

Barnum's  Island. 

168  feet. 

E.  Lewis,  Jr.                                 i 

51. 

Lignite. 

Barnum's  Island. 

100-383  feet. 

E.  Lewis,  Jr.                               ! 

22 

Wood. 

Near  Westbury. 

Great  depths. 

Thompson's  History. 

2.T 

Wood. 

Hempstead  Plains,  1804. 

100-108  feet. 

Dwight's  Travels. 

24. 

Carbonized  wood. 

Sea  Cliff,  18-4.5. 

94  feet. 

Isaac  Coles. 

2.') 

Lignite. 

Glen  Cove,  1864. 

40  feet. 

E.  Lewis,  Jr. 

26. 

Lignite. 

Jericho,  1878. 

96  feet. 

E.  Lewis,  Jr. 

27. 

Wood. 

Cold  Spring. 

110  feet. 

Thompson's  History. 

28, 

Carcharndon  angustidens 

Little  Neck. 

P.  B.  Sills. 

29. 

Log  of  wood. 

Strong's  Neck. 

40  feet. 

Thompson's  History. 

:iO. 

Clam  shells. 

Shelter  Island,  1898. 

57  feet. 

Thompson's  History. 

31. 

Shells. 

Wells  at  Amagansett. 

E.  Lewis,  Jr. 

32, 

Bones  of  mastodon. 

Jamaica  Pond,  1846. 

33. 

Vtnus  mercenariu . 

Yaphank. 

I  100  ft.  above  tide. 
}  20  feet. 

E.  Lewis,  Jr. 

.34, 

Oatrea  Virginiana. 

Sag  Harbor,  1804. 

180  ft.  above  tide 

Dr.  Cook. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  we  have  nowhere 
else  any  good  evidence  of  a  change  of  sea  level 
amounting  to  200  feet  in  the  vicinity  of  New 
York  during  the  Glacial  epoch,  we  can  only 
account  for  the  high  elevation  of  some  of  these 
fossils  by  supposing  that  they,  with  their  con- 
taining beds,  have  been  raised  to  their  present 
position  by  glacial  action  in  the  manner  I  shall 
describe. 

Of  the  physical  conditions  under  which  the 


stratified  gravel,  sand  and  clay,  part  of  which, 
as  before  stated,  are  equivalent  to  the  "yellow 
drift"  of  New  Jersey,  are  also  difficult  to  ac- 
count for.  They  consist  largely  of  transported 
material  from  older  beds,  and  by  their  struc- 
ture indicate  that  they  have  been^  formed  by 
swift  currents  which  carried  along  and  de- 
posited coarse  and  fine  material  mingled  to- 
gether. Their  fossils,  so  far  as  we  know,  ex- 
clude them  from  the  Tertiary,  and  they  under- 


14 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


lie  the  drift  unconformably,  although  by  defini- 
tion the  Glacial  period  begins  the  Quaternary 
age. 

If,  however,  we  assume  in  the  Quaternary 
a  succession  of  glacial  epochs,  or  alternate 
periods  of  advance  and  retreat  of  the  ice-sheet, 
as  suggested  by  Croll's  theory,  we  can  explain 
the  origin  of  the  beds  in  question  by  supposing 
that  during  the  epoch  of  glaciation  imme- 
diately preceding  their  deposition  the  ice- 
sheet  did  not  reach  so  far  south,  while  the 
floods  of  the  succeeding  warmer  epnach  modi- 
fied and  spread  over  the  sea-bottom  the  drift 
thus  formed. 

In  order  to  appreciate  more  exactly  the  re- 
lations of  these  Post-pliocene  beds  to  the 
glacial  drift,  it  will  be  necessary  to  consider 
some  very  interesting  phenomena.  Along  the 
north  shore  of  Long  Island  from  Flushing  to 
Orient  Point  are  exhibited  most  striking  evi- 
dences of  glacial  action.  We  find  the  stratified 
gravels,  sands  and  clays  upheaved  by  the  lat- 
eral pressure  of  the  ice-sheet  and  thrown  into 
a  series  of  marked  folds  at  right  angles  to  the 
line  of  glacial  advance,  which,  judging  from 
the  grooves  and  strise  on  the  rocks  of  New 
York  and  Connecticut,  was  about  S.  30  de- 
grees E.  The  glacier  having  thus  crumpled 
and  folded  the  underlying  strata,  it  evidently 
rode  over  them  and  continued  its  course  south- 
ward, pushing  before  it  an  immense  mass  of 
sand  and  gravel,  together  with  debris  from 
the  rocks  of  New  York  and  New  England. 

The  theory  that  Long  Island  Sound  was  a 
body  of  water  previous  to  the  arrival  of  the 
ice-sheet  would  seem  to  be  sustained  by  the 
character  of  the  detritus  deposited  by  the  ice 
on  Long  Island.  From  Brooklyn  to  White- 
stone,  where  the  sound  is  narrow,  the  till  or 
drift  proper  is  quite  conspicuous;  east  of  this 
it  becomes  less  noticeable,  and  beyond  Roslyn, 
as  before  stated,  it  does  not  again  occur  in 
abundance  until  we  reach  the  vicinity  of  Green- 
port,  where  the  Sound  again  grows  narrow. 
This  seems  to  be  due  to  the  fact  that  the  finer 
debris  of  the  northern  rocks  was  carried  along 
imbedded  in  the  lower  part  of  the  glacier. 
The  channel  of  the  East  River,  owing  to  its 
narrowness,  was  filled  up  and  passed  over,  the 
till  being  deposited  to  form  the  range  of  hills 
near  Brooklyn;  but  in  crossing  the  broader 
part  of  the  Sound  the  ice  probably  lost  the 
greater  portion  of  its  load  of  till,  and  only 
carried  over  the  boulders  which  were  on  the 
suface  or  in  the  upper  part  of  the  glacier.  On 
reaching  the  north  shore  of  the  island  the 


alluvial  gravel  and  sands  were  scooped  up  and 
pushed  forward  in  front  of  the  ice-sheet,  to 
form  the  "moraine,"  and  the  boulders,  when 
the  ice  melted,  were  deposited  on  the  surface. 
The  map  shows  that  the  principal  bays  on  the 
north  shore  penetrate  the  land  in  a  direction 
identical  with  that  of  the  advance  of  the 
glacier.  We  may  reasonably  infer  from  this 
fact  that  these  indentations  were  ploughed  out 
by  projecting  spurs  of  ice,  and  the  inference 
is  supported  by  the  fact  that  the  bays  are 
walled  in  by  high  ridges  which  have  been 
formed  largely  through  the  upheaval  of  the 
beds  by  lateral  thrust.  The  best  example  of 
this  displacement  in  the  formation  of  a  ba.y  is 
shown  in  the  section  at  Grossman's  clay-pit  in 
Huntington,  which  I  have  previously  de- 
scribed. Harbor  Hill,  which  stands  at  the  head 
of  Hempstead  Harbor,  is  384  feet  high  and 
chiefly  consists  of  gravel  and  sand  more  or  less 
stratified.  Jane's  Hill,  four  miles  S.  S.  E.  of 
the  head  of  Cold  Spring  Harbor,  is  383  feet 
high,  and  is  composed  of  the  same  materials. 
In  the  vicinity  of  each  of  these  hills,  moreover, 
there  are  other  ridges  and  elevations  averaging 
about  300  feet  in  height.  Southeasterly  from 
Huntington  Bay  we  have  the  Dix  Hills  and 
Comae  Hills  rising  about  250  feet.  Southeast 
of  Smithtown  Harbor,  we  have  Mt.  Pleasant, 
.-200  feet  in  height;  in  a  like  direction  from 
Stony  Brook  Harbor  are  the  Bald  Hills,  also 
200  feet  high.  Again  we  have  Reulands  Hill, 
which  is  340  feet  in  height,  and  has  the  same 
general  bearing  from  Port  Jefferson  Harbor. 
About  South  30  degrees  East  from  Wading 
River,  where  there  is  quite  a  deep  valley,  we 
find  Terry's  Hill,  175  feet  high.  South  of 
Great  Peconic  Bay  rise  the  Shinnecock  Hills, 
140  feet,  and  southeasterly  from  Little  Peconic 
Bay  are  the  Pine  Hills,  about  200  feet  high. 
From  these  instances  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
areas  of  high  elevation  bear  a  very  marked 
geographical  relation  to  the  deep  indentations 
of  the  coast.  That  this  relation  is  due  to 
glacial  action,  seems  more  than  probable,  as  it 
can  scarcely  be  an  accidental  coincidence  that 
the  highest  hills  on  the  island  should  be  in  a 
line  with  the  deepest  bays  on  the  northern 
coast,  and  that  the  course  of  these  bays  should 
coincide  with  that  of  the  glacier. 

At  every  point  along  the  north  shore  where 
a  section  of  the  strata  is  exposed,  the  flexed 
structure  of  the  beds  under  the  drift  may  be 
observed.  On  Gardiner's  Island  these  folds 
are  remarkably  prominent,  the  surface  of  the 
island  being  broken  with  numerous  parallel 


TOPOGRAPHY   OF  THE    ISLAND. 


15 


ridges  having  a  general  trend  N.  65  degrees  E. 
These  ridges  correspond  to  folds  in  the  strati- 
fied beds,  which  the  surface  drift  overlies  un- 
conformably,  and  as  they  are  at  right  angles 
to  the  line  of  glacial  advance  it  is  difficult  to 
conceive  any  agency  which  could  have  pro- 
duced them  except  the  lateral  thrust  of  the 
ice-sheet.  Unless  these  phenomena  can  be  re- 
ferred satisfactorily  to  some  other  cause,  and 
of  this  I  very  much  doubt  the  possibility,  we 
have  in  these  folds  a  strong  argument  against 
the  iceberg  theory,  as  it  seems  evident  that  a 
mere  drifting  berg  could  not  develop  sufficient 
progressive  force  to  do  the  work  here  shown. 
A  similar  origin  may  be  attributed  to  the 
ranges  of  hills  which  form  the  so-called  "back- 
bone" of  the  island,  as  their  structure  indicates 
that  they  have  been  formed  partly  of  gravel 
and  sand  transported  from  the  north  shore  and 
partly  through  the  upheaval  of  the  stratified 
beds  by  the  friction  of  the  moving  mass  of  ice. 
As  the  downward  pressure  of  the  glacier  was 
about  450  lbs.  per  square  inch  for  1,000 
feet  of  thickness,  and  its  progressive  force  was 
only  limited  by  the  resistance  of  the  ice,  it  is 
quite  reasonable  to  assume  it  capable  of  pro- 
ducing such  a  result.  At  one  locality.  West 
Deer  Park,  this  is  manifestly  the  case,  and  I 
have  no  doubt  that  in  time  it  will  be  found 
generally  true.  The  numerous  springs  that 
issue  from  the  hillsides  along  the  north  shore 
also  lead  one  to  infer  that  the  substratum  of 
clay  has  been  raised  up  in  the  center  of  the 
hills.  The  occurrence  of  the  springs  might  be 
accounted  for  hypothetically  by  supposing  that 
morainal  hills,  distributed  on  the  plain, 
eroded  horizontal  strata  of  sand  underlaid  by 
clay:  but  this  we  know  is  not  the  case. 

Air.  Upham,  in  his  discussion  of  the  mo- 
raines, attributes  all  the  stratified  deposits  to 
diluvial  and  alluvial  action  in  the  Champlain 
period,  to  which  the  Gardiner's  Island  deposit 
has  been  erroneously  referred.  He  also  con- 
cludes that  the  more  southern  drift  hills,  which 
are  from  200  to  250  feet  high,  were  formed 
in  ice-walled  river-channels  formed  upon  the 
surface  of  the  glacial  sheet  when  rapidly  melt- 
ing. That  this  process  has  taken  place  in  some 
cases  is  quite  probable,  as  there  are  undisputed 
kames  in  certain  places ;  but  from  the  analogy 
of  the  deposits  in  question  to  the  others  de- 
scribed, I  am  inclined  to  refer  them  generally 
to  the  same  causes. 

The  changes  which  have  occurred  on  Long 
Island  since  the  retreat  of  the  glacier  have 
been  mainly  topographical,  and  unquestionably 


very  extensive.  The  streams  of  the  Cham- 
plain  epoch  carried  down  the  drift  from  the 
morainal  hills  and  distributed  it  on  the  plain 
to  the  south,  forming  in  many  places  local  beds 
of  clay.  In  the  vicinity  of  Bethpage  and  else- 
where are  hillocks  of  stratified  sand  similar 
in  appearance  to  the  New  England  kames. 
The  valleys  mentioned  above,  which  have  been 
examined  by  Elias  Lewis,  Jr.,  are  unquestion- 
ably the  channels  of  streams  resulting  from 
the  melting  of  the  glacier. 

The  coast  line  of  the  island  is  rapidly 
changing  on  account  of  the  action  of  the  swift 
westerly  currents,  which  are  wearing  away  the 
east  end  and  depositing  the  sediment  along  the 
north  and  south  shores.  By  this  means  the 
bays  which  open  into  the  Sound  are  rapidly 
becoming  shallow.  The  Great  South  Beach  is 
also  an  evidence  of  the  action  of  the  waves  and 
currents  in  changing  the  outline  of  Long 
Island.  We  have,  moreover,  abundant  evi- 
dence that  the  south  shore  has  been  gradually 
sinking.  This  subsidence  probably  began  in 
the  later  Quaternary  and  may  be  still  contin- 
uing. 

ECONOMIC  GEOLOGY. 

Alagnetite  is  the  only  metallic  ore  found  on 
Long  Island,  and  occurs  almost  everywhere  on 
the  beaches  in  the  form  of  sand.  It  is  not, 
however,  sufficiently  abundant  in  any  one 
locality  to  render  its  collection  profitable.  A 
company  was  started  some  time  since  for  the 
purpose  of  separating  the  ore,  in  the  vicinity 
of  Quogue,  from  its  associated  quartz  and  gar- 
net sand  by  means  of  powerful  electro-mag- 
nets ;  but  the  enterprise  proved  unsuccessful. 
Iron  pj'rites  in  its  white  variety,  or  marcasite, 
is  common  in  the  lower  clay  beds,  but  does  not 
occur  in  sufficient  abundance  to  pay  for  utiliz- 
ing it.  Lignite  occurs  only  in  small  quantities 
and  usually  at  great  depths.  Peat  of  an  in- 
ferior kind,  composed  of  the  matted  roots  of 
grasses  and  other  plants,  occurs  at  the  heads 
of  most  of  the  bays  on  the  south  shore,  but  is 
not  used  to  any  extent. 

Although  not  productive  of  any  of  the  val- 
uable minerals.  Long  Island  may  be  considered 
peculiarly  rich,  .from  the  fact  that  almost  the 
whole  of  the  island  can  be  utilized  in  the  arts 
and  trades.  Its  sands  and  gravels  are  of  every 
kind  in  use,  and  its  clays  are  suited  for  the 
manufacture  of  fine  grades  of  brick  and  pot- 
ter}-.      The    former    materials    are    largely 


IG 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


The  most  extensive  deposit  of  fine  pottery 
clay  occurs  at  Glen  Cove,  on  the  premises  of 
the  Messrs.  Carpenter.  This  clay  is  very  plas- 
tic and  burns  a  light  cream  color.  The  friable 
quartz  pebbles  described  above  produce,  when 
shipped  from  Port  Washington  and  the  vicin- 
ity for  building  purposes. 
Aground,  the  finest  quality  of  white  sand  for 
glass  and  pottery.  The  deposit  of  kaolin  is 
also  unsurpassed.  In  addition  to  these  ma- 
terials, this  locality  furnishes  fire-sand  for  pot- 
tery, gray  and  blue  pottery  clays  and  an  ex- 
cellent fire-clay. 

The  next  locality  of  note  is  Huntington. 
In  this  town  is  an  immense  deposit  of  the  finest 
ba-ick  clay,  upheaved  to  such  an  elevation  that 
it  is  easily  accessible.  The  beds  are  worked  at 
Crossman's  and  Jones'  brick-yards,  and  ex- 
tend   throughout     Lloyds'     Neck.'      Between 


Huntington  and  Cold  Spring  a  large  deposit  of 
white  pottery-clay  has  been  worked  for  many 
years.  The  brick-clay  extends  east  over  ten 
miles,  and  is  worked  at  Eckerson's  yard  on 
East  Neck,  and  Provost's  at  Fresh  Ponds.  At 
Eckerson's  and  at  Sammis'  pits,  on  Little 
Neck,  are  immense  deposits  of  fire-sand,  which 
extend  over  Eaton's  and  Lloyd's  Necks. 

A  little  west  of  Greenport  are  two  brick- 
yards at  which  a  bed  of  glacial  clay  is  being 
worked.  Between  these  two  yards  is  a  bed  of 
mottled  blue  clay,  used  for  making  flower 
pots.  The  most  extensive  deposit  of  all,  how- 
ever, is  that  on  Gardiner's  Island.  This  clay 
is  unsurpassed  for  the  manufacture  of  bricks, 
and  from  the  abundant  supply  of  molding- 
sand  and  the  easy  accessibility  of  the  locality 
by  water,  must  in  time  prove  an  important 
source  of  revenue. 


CHAPTER   II. 


THE     INDIANS    AND    THEIR    LANDS. 


j|HE  story  of  the  red  man  on  Long 
Island  is  an  epitome  of  that  of  his 
race  all  over  the  American  conti- 
nent. When  we  first  meet  him  he 
is  rich  as  riches  went  among  Indians,  power- 
ful, living  in  regular  communities  under  a  rec- 
ognized head,  waging  war,  engaging  in  the 
chase,  his  daily  life  hallowed  by  traditions,  cir- 
cumscribed by  superstition,  and'  rounded  out 
by  a  blind  religion  which  taught  him  that  there 
was  a  hereafter,  but  a  hereafter  in  its  features 
very  much  like  those  he  regarded  as  brightest 
and  best  in  the  present.  Still,  it  was  a  relig- 
ion, and  if  it  did  not  elevate  him  sufficiently  to 
make  him  an  enthusiast,  it  at  least  made  him 
a  stoic.  Then,  when  the  time  came  for  him  to 
be  measured  with  the  white  man^  he  imitated 
the  latter's  vices,  not  his  virtues, — or  but  few 
of  them — and  gradually  but  surely  he  became 
beaten  in  the  struggle  for  existence,  cheated, 
wronged  and  cozened  at  every  turn,  sometimes 
under  the  guise  of  the  requirements  of  civili- 
zation, the  authority  of  religion,  or  the  inflex- 
ible demands  of  modern  progress.  Originally 
strong  and  numerous,  the  aborigines  steadily 
dwindled  under  the  influence  of  the  resources 
of  civilization  until  their  representatives  are 
now  but  a  handful,  and  these  are  facing  the 
inevitable  end,  of  total  annihilation,  not  very 
far  distant.  It  is  a  sad  story,  a  painful  story, 
that  of  the  undoing  of  an  ancient  race,  but  it 
must  be  told.  The  white  man  was  not  alto- 
gether to  blame,  for  he  was  but  the  factor  in 
the  carrying  out  of  an  inexorable  law — the 
survival  of  the  fittest.  One  comfort  is  that 
on  Long  Island  the  story  is  more  gentle,  less 

2 


accompanied  by  blood  and  rapine  and  tragedy, 
than  in  most  of  the  other  sections  of  the  coun- 
try where  the  Indians  were  at  all  powerful. 

As  is  the  case  with  all  efforts  at  solving 
early  Indian  history,  there  exists  much  doubt 
as  to  the  identity  of  those  occupying  Long 
Island  when  it  was  first  discovered  by  the 
white  adventurers,  and  the  effort  at  solution 
has  involved  considerable  controversy  and  still 
left  much  that  is  vague  and  obscure.  Into  that 
controversy  we  cannot  enter  here,  for  contro- 
versy is  not  history;  but  it  may  safely  be  said 
that  the-  consensus  of  opinion,  the  drift  of  all 
the  evidence  produced,  is  that  the  aborigines 
of  Long  Island  were  a  part  of  the  great  family 
of  Algonquins  and  belonged  to  the  group 
designated  by  the  Dutch  pioneers  as  the  Mo- 
hegan  nation.  The  language  spoken  over  the 
island  is  described  as  being  that  of  the  Algon- 
quins, the  same  which  prevailed  all  over  the 
seaboard  and  throughout  the  northeastern  part 
of  the  present  United  States,  but  doubtless  was 
diversified  by  as  many  dialects  as  there  were 
tribes  or  clans.  John  Eliot  used  it  in  his  trans- 
lation of  the  New  Testament  and  other  books, 
biblical  and  theological,  which  nowadays  formi 
the  best  record  of  a  language  which  has  for- 
ever passed  from  the  lips  of  living  men. 

The  tribes  or  clans  of  the  Mohegans  on 
Long  Island  were  as  follows  :* 


*The  proper  spelling  of  Indian  names  has  never 
been  reduced  to  an  exact  science,  but  throughout  this 
chapter  we  give  the  most  generally  accepted  form  first, 
followed,  where  need  be,  by  one  or  more  accepted 
variations. 


18 


HISTORY   OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


I.  Canarsies  (Canarsee,  Canarsie)  :  Oc- 
■cupied  Kings  county  and  part  of  the  old  county 
of  Queens  as  far  as  Jamaica. 

Subordinate  tribes :  ( i )  Marechawicks, 
Brooklyn.  (2)  Nyacks,  New  Utrecht;  seem 
to  have  settled  on  Long  Island  about  1646. 
(3)  Jamecos,  Jamaica. 

II.  Rockaways :  Occupied  Hempstead, 
Rockaway  and  parts  of  Jamaica  and  Newtown. 

III.  Matineco.cks :  Occupied  lands  from 
Flushing  to  Fresh  Pond,  Glen  Cove,  Cold 
Spring,  Huntington,  Cow  Harbor. 

IV.  Nesaquakes  (Missaquogue,  Nisse- 
^uah)  :  Occupied  lands  from  Fresh  Pond  to 
Stony  Brook. 

V.  Setaukets  (Setalcats)  :  From  Stony 
Brook  to  the  Wading  River,  including  Strong's 
Neck. 

VI.  Corchaugs :  Claimed  the  territory 
•east  of  the  Wading  River,  including  the  entire 
-townships  of  Riverhead  and  Southold  and  also 
JRobin's  Island. 

VII.  Merokes  (Morrick  Merikoke)  : 
Claimed  land  between  Near  Rockaway  and 
Oyster  Bay,  through  the  middle  of  the  island. 
Part  of  Hempstead  was  purchased  from  this 
tribe. 

VIII.  Marsapeagues  (Marsapequa)  : 
From  Fort  Neck  to  Islip  and  north  of  about 
the  center  of  Suffolk  county.  The  Merokes 
are  believed  to  have  been  a  branch  of  this  tribe. 
The  battle  of  1653,  at  which  Capt.  Underbill 
was  victorious,  was  mainly  fought  against  the 
Marsapeagues. 

IX.  Secatogues  (Secatague)  :  In  and 
around  Islip  township.  "The  farm  owned  by 
the  Wallets  family  at  Islip  is  called  Secatogue 
Neck,  and  was,  it  is  supposed,  the  chief  set- 
tlement and  residence  of  the  Sachem." — 
Thompson. 

X.  Patchogues :  Patchogue  to  Canoe 
Place.     A   Sag   Harbor    newspaper    in    1830 

-mentions  the  death  on  Jan.  5,  of  that  year,  at 
Patchogue,  of  "Elizabeth  Job,  relict  of  Ben 
Job  and  Queen  of  the  Indians  in  that  place, 
leaving  but  two  females  of  her  tribe,  both  well- 
stricken  in  years." 


XI.  Shinnecocks:  Ranged  from  Canoe 
Place  to  Easthampton,  including  Sag  Harbor 
and  Peconic  Bay.  At  Shinnecock  Neck  is  the 
reservation  of  about  400  acres  on  which  yet 
linger  the  survivors  of  this  once  flourishing 
tribe,  now  numbering  about  100.  They  have 
lost  their  ancient  tongue  and  most  of  their 
ancient  customs  and  ideas,  and  are  reported  to 
be  a  practical,  hard-working  and  fairly  pros- 
perous body,  a  body  which  has  adopted  the 
customs  and  ways  of  the  now  dominant  race, 
but  is  steadily  decreasing  decade  after  decade. 

XII.  Montauks:  The  Montauk  Penin- 
sula and  Gardiner's  Island.  "About  the  year 
1819,  Stephen,  the  King  or  Sachem  of  the 
j\Iontauk  Indians,  died,  and  was  buried  by  a 
contribution.  This  Indian  King  was  only  dis- 
tinguished from  others  of  his  tribe  by  wear- 
ing a  hat  with  a  yellow  ribbon  on  it." 

XIII.  Manhassets :  Shelter  Island  and 
Hog  Island.  Tradition  says  they  could  at  one 
time  place  500  warriors  on  the  warpath. 

There  are  legendary  traces  of  the  existence 
of  several  other  tribes  on  the  island,  but  all 
actual  record  of  them  has  passed  away. 

For  several  decades  following  1609,  when 
Hendrick  Hudson  anchored  in  Gravesend  Bay 
and  commenced  that  intercourse  of  white  men 
with  red  which  marked  the  beginning  of 
the  extermination  of  the  latter,  we  get  but  few 
glimpses  of  the  aborigines,  and  these  glimpses 
are  by  no  means  altogether  favorable  to  the 
whites.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  lat- 
ter were  intruders ;  that  their  main  object  was 
to  acquire  wealth;  that  they  did  not  under- 
stand, or  seek  to  understand,  the  natives,  and 
that  trouble  necessarily  arose  between  them 
from  the  first.  The  stories  of  the  primitive 
transactions  between  the  two  are  now,  in  a 
measure,  lost  to  us,  and  the  early  writings  we 
have,  of  course,  all  show  the  white  man's  idea 
of  his  American  burden ;  but  it  should  be  re- 
membered that  the  white  man  himself  was  a 
burden  upon  the  native  and  proved  in  the  end 
a  burden  that  crushed  him  back  into  the  earth 
from  whence  he  came. 

Writing  about  1832,  Gabriel  Furman,  the 


THE    INDIANS    AND    THEIR    LANDS. 


19 


most  eminent  and  painstaking  of  the  early  an- 
tiquaries of  Long  Island-,  said : 

The  old  Dutch  inhabitants  of  Kings  county 
have  a  tradition  that  the  Canarsie  tribe  were 
subject  to  the  Mohawks,  as  all  the  Iroquois 
were  formerly  called,  and  paid  them  an  annual 
tribute  of  dried  clams  and  wampum.  When 
the  Dutch  settled  in  this  country  they  per- 
suaded the  Canarsies  to  keep  back  the  tribute, 
in  consequence  of  which  a  party  of  the  Mo- 
hawks came  down  and  killed  their  tributaries 
whenever  they  met  them.  The  Canarsie  In- 
dians are  at  this  time  totally  extinct;  not  a 
single  member  of  that  ill-fated  race  is  now  in 
existence. 

We  have  still  preserved  in  the  records  of 
the  Dutch  government  of  this  colony  historical 
evidence  of  the  truth  of  this  tradition  and 
some  account  of  this  extraordinary  incursion 
of  the  Iroquois,  or  the  Five  Nations  of  In- 
dians, upon  Long  Island.  They  seem  to  have 
regarded  all  the  Indians  of  the  great  Mohegan 
family,  in  the  southern  part  of  this  colony, 
as  their  tributaries,  and  they  probably  were  so 
long  anterior  to  the  Dutch  settlement  of  this 
country.  After  the  Dutch  colonization  the 
Indians  on  Long  Island  appear  to  have  dis- 
continued the  payment  of  the  usual  tribute  to 
the  Iroquois,  or  to  the  Mohawks,  as  they  were 
generally  called,  that  being  the  Iroquois  tribe 
most  contiguous  to  the  European  settlements, 
being  located  then  a  little  south  of  Albany, 
upon  the  west  side  of  the  Hudson  River,  and 
thus  for  a  long  time  with  the  European  col- 
onists the  name  of  Mohawks  was  used  to 
designate  the  whole  Iroquois  Confederacy,  and 
the  Long  Island  Indians  did  this  probably  from 
the  belief  that  the  Iroquois  would  not  dare 
'come  down  and  Eltack  them  among  the  Euro- 
pean settlements.  But  in  this  they  were 
greatly  mistaken,  for  in  the  year  1655,  with 
the  view  of  chastising  all  their  former  tribu- 
taries in  the  southern  part  of  the  colony,  a 
large  body  of  these  northern  Indians  de- 
scended upon  the  Hudson  River  and  made  a 
landing  upon  Staten  Island,  where  they  mas- 
sacred sixty-seven  persons.  *  *  *  After  this 
the  Indian  army  crossed  to  Long  Island  and  in- 
vested the  town  of  Gravesend,  which  they 
threatened  to  destroy,  but  which  was  relieved 
by  a  detachment  of  Dutch  soldiers  sent  from 
New  Amsterdam.  Upon  their  abandoning  the 
siege  of  Gravesend  the  Dutch  records  give' no 
further  account  of  them  than  to  mention  that 
all  this  was  done  when  those  northern  Indians 


were  on  their  way  to  wage  war  against  the 
Indians  upon  the  east  end  of  Long  Island.  It 
was  undoubtedly  directly  after  leaving  Grave- 
send that  they  fell  upon  and  destroyed  the 
Canarsie  tribe  and  afterward  proceeded  down 
through  the  island  with  that  terrible  foray' of 
murder,  the  account  of  which  has  been  pre- 
served in  tradition  to  this  day,  and  to  prevent 
a  repetition  of  which  the  Consistory  of  the 
Dutch  Church  at  Albany  undertook  to  be  the 
agent  to  see  that  the  required  tribute  was 
yearly  paid  by  the  Long  Island  Indians  to  the 
Five  Nations.  So  great  was  the  dread  of  the 
Iroquois  among  the  Indians  of  this  island, 
arising  from  the  tradition  preserved  of  this 
terrible  incursion,  that  a  very  aged  lady,  who 
was  a  small  girl  of  eight  or  nine  years  before 
the  commencement  of  the  Revolutionary  war, 
tells  us  that  five  or  six  Indians  of  the  Iroquois 
nation  were  for  some  offence  brought  to  New 
York  and  sent  to  Jamaica  upon  Long  Island ; 
and  that,  although  they  were  prisoners,  not  one 
of  the  Long  Island  Indians  could  be  induced 
to  look,  with  person  exposed,  upon  any  of  these 
terrible  "Mohawks,"  as  they  called  them ;  but 
very  many  of  them  would  be  continually  peep- 
ing around  corners  and  from  behind  other  peo- 
ple to  get  a  sight  at  those  northern  Indians, 
and  at  the  same  time  expressing  the  utmost 
fear  and  dread  of  them. 

Mrs.  Remsen,  the  widow  of  Anthony  Rem- 
sen,  formerly  of  Brooklyn,  says  that  soon  after 
she  was  married  they  moved  to  Canarsie,  now 
[1832]  about  forty  years  since,  where  she 
made  the  shroud  in  which  to  bury  the  last  in- 
dividual of  the  remnant  of  the  Canarsie  tribe 
of  Indians.  This  last  iremnant  of  that  tribe 
also  told  her  of  the  tradition,  before  men- 
tioned, of  the  destruction  of  the  greater  por- 
tion of  the  Canarsie  tribe  by  the  Mohawks. '' 
This  Indian  told  her  that  three  or  four  fam- 
ilies of  them,  having  become  alarmed  by  the 
shrieks  and  groans  of  their  murdered  friends, 
lied  for  the  shore  of  the  bay,  got  into  their 
canoes  and  paddled  off  to  Barren  Island,  form- 
ing part  of  the  Great  South  Beach,  whither 
the  Mohawks  could  not,  or  did  not,  follow 
them.  They  returned  late  in  the  following 
day,  and  soon  ascertained  that  they,  consti- 
tuted the  only  living  representatives  of  their 
entire  tribe,  who  had  the  night  previous  lain 
down  to  rest  in  apparent  security ;  and  that  no 
trace  was  to  be  discovered  of  their  barbarous 
enemies.  It  was  some  days,  however,  before 
they  ventured  to  return  permanently  to  their 
old  residences,  and  not  before  they  became  en- 


20 


HISTORY    OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


tirely  satisfied  that  the  Mohawks  had  returned 
to  their  homes. 

This  Indian  incursion  caused  the  Dutch 
Government  to  feel  much  apprehension  on  the 
subject  of  Indian  attacks  upon  the  towns  of 
the  western  part  of  this  island  for  a  long  time 
subsequent.  The  inhabitants  of  Flatbush  were 
ordered  by  Gov.  Stuyvesant,  in  1656,  a  shoTt 
time  after  that  foray,  to  enclose  their  village 
with  palisades  to  protect  them  from  the  In- 
dians. 

And  again,  to  prevent  the  incursions  of 
Indians,  the  Governor,  in  1660,  ordered  the 
inhabitants  of  Brooklyn  to  put  their  town  in 
a  state  of  defense  and  also  commanded  the 
farmers  to  remove  within  the  fortifications  un- 
der the  penalty  of  forfeiting  their  estates. 

The  Dutch  colonists  appeared  to  have  lived 
in  almost  continued  apprehension  of  the  Iro- 
quois. On  the  26th  of  June,  1663,  Gov.  Stuy- 
vesant informed  the  church  of  Brooklyn  that 
the  Esopus  [Ulster  county]  Indians,  who  were 
then  in  league  with  the  Iroquois,  had  on  the 
7th  of  that  month  attacked  and  burnt  the 
town  of  Esopus  [Kingston],  killing  and 
wounding  a  number  of  the  inhabitants  and 
taking  many  prisoners,  burning  the  new  town 
and  desolating  the  place.  July  4,  1663,  was 
observed  as  a  day  of  thanksgiving  on  account 
of  a  treaty  of  peace  with  the  Indians,  the  re- 
lease of  prisoners  and  the  defeat  of  the  English 
attempt  to  take  the  whole  of  Long  Island. 

But  the  northern  Indians  were  not  the  only 
ones  who  rendered  life  miserable  to  the  abor- 
igines on  Long  Island.  Dr.  Prime,  in  his 
"History"  (1845),  gives  the  following  addi- 
tional details  of  events  which  happened  shortly 
after  the  ]V[ohawks'  raid,  in  which  the  Narra- 
gansett  (Rhode  Island)  Indians  played  havoc 
with  the  IMontauks,  against  whom  they  car- 
ried on  war  for  several  years : 

In  one  of  these  assaults,  led  on  by  Nini- 
craft,  the  chief  of  the  Narragansetts,  Wyan- 
danch  (Grand  Sachem)  was  surprised  in  the 
midst  of  a  marriage  feast  while  he,  with  his 
braves,  was  celebrating  the  nuptials  of  his  only 
daughter.  Their  wigwams  were  fired,  their 
granaries  rifled  or  destroyed,  their  principal 
warriors  slain,  and,  to  complete  the  triumph 
of  the  enemy  and  the  misery  of  the  unfortu- 
nate chief,  the  youthful  bride  was  carried  away 
captive,  leaving  the  bridegroom,  who  had  just 


plighted  his  troth,  weltering  in  his  own  blood. 
It  was  for  procuring  the  ransom  of  this  be- 
loved daughter  that  Wyandanch,  in  the  last 
year  of  his  life,  gave  to  Lion  Gardiner  a  con- 
veyance of  the  territory  now  constituting  the 
principal  part  of  Smithtown.  [The  deed  is 
now  in  the  possession  of  the  Long  Island  His- 
torical Society.] 

The  conduct  of  the  Long  Island  Indians 
towards  the  whites  is  without  a  parallel  in  the 
history  of  this  country.  It  was  to  be  ex- 
pected that  individual  acts  of  aggression 
should  occur  on  the  part  of  a  barbarous  people, 
for  real  or  supposed  injuries.  But  even  these 
were  rare,  and  the  Indians  always  showed 
themselves  willing  to  submit  to  an  impartial 
investigation  and  just  decision  of  alleged 
wrongs.  ~ 

One  of  the  first  occurrences  of  this  kind 
was  the  murder  of  a  woman  at  Southampton 
in  1649,  which  instantly  spread  fearful  appre- 
hension of  a  general  insurrection  against  the 
white  settlements.  The  magistrates  of  that 
town  immediately  sent  a  messenger  to  IVIon- 
tauk  and  summoned  Wyandanch  to  appear  be- 
fore them.  His  councillors,  fearing  that  he 
would  be  summarily  condemned  to  death  by 
way  of  retaliation,  advised  him  not  to  obey 
the  summons.  Before  he  expressed  his  own 
opinion  he  submitted  the  case  to  IVlr.  Gardi- 
ner, who  happened  to  be  lodging  in  his  wig- 
wam that  same  night.  By  his  advice  he  set 
out  immediately  for  Southampton,  IVEr.  Gardi- 
ner agreeing  to  remain  as  hostage  to  the  tribe 
for  the  safety  of  their  beloved  chief.  With 
amazing  celerity  he  not  only  accomplished  the 
journey  of  twenty-five  miles,  but  actually  ap- 
prehended on  his  way  and  delivered  to  the 
magistrates  the  murderers  of  the  woman,  who, 
instead  of  being  his  own  subjects,  proved  to 
be  two  Pequot  Indians  from  the  main  [Con- 
necticut], some  of  whom  were  generally  lurk- 
ing on  the  island  for  the  purpose  of  promoting 
disturbances  between  the  natives  and  the  new 
settlers.  These  men,  being  sent  to  Hartford, 
were  tried,  convicted  and  executed. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  which  should  be  re- 
corded to  the  eternal  honor  of  the  Long  Island 
Indians  that  they  never  formed  a  general  con- 
spiracy, even  of  a  single  tribe,  against  the 
whites.  The  only  apparent  exception. to  this 
remark,  it  being  the  only  instance  in  which  the 
natives  stood  upon  their  arms  against  their 
new  neighbors,  was  the  ever-to-be-lamented 
battle  of  Fort  Neck ;  and  although  the  origin 
of  this  unfortunate  rencounter  is  veiled  in  ob- 


THE    INDIANS    AND   THEIR    LANDS. 


21 


scurity,  there  were  circumstances  connected 
with  the  event  which  induce  the  belief  that 
if  the  whole  truth  could  be  developed,' instead 
of  implicating  the  poor  natives  in  the  guilt  of 
that  transaction  they  would  appear  entitled  to 
the  universal  respect  and  gratitude  of  the  set- 
tlers. It  was  generally  believed  at  the  time 
that  the  dissatisfaction  and  aggression  in 
which  this  affair  originated  were  instigated  by 
the  Dutch  Government  with  a  view  to  expel 
the  English  from  Long  Island  and  Connecti- 
cut. The  fact  is  on  record  that  some  of  the 
Long  Island  chiefs  sent  a  messenger  to  Con- 
necticut with  the  information  that  the  Dutch 
Fiscal  had  offered  them  arms  and  ammunition 
and  clothing  on  condition  of  their  joining  in 
the  destruction  of  the  English ;  and  it  is  added 
that  strong  efforts  were  made  to  induce  the 
western  tribes  to  renounce  their  allegiance  to 
the  Montauk  chief,  who  was  known  to  be  the 
stanch  friend  of  the  English  settlers.  These 
statements  were,  indeed,  indignantly  denied 
by  the  Dutch  Governor  and  an  examination 
invited,  for  which  commissioners  were  ap- 
pointed. But  they  broke  up  without  accom- 
plishing their  object  or  allaying  the  suspicions 
which  had  been  previously  excited. 

These  threatening  rumors  spread  fearful 
apprehension  to  the  extreme  end  of  the  island, 
and  every  town  adopted  measures  of  defense. 
An  application  was  made  to  the  commissioners 
of  the  United  Colonies  of  New  England  for 
aid,  and,  although  it  was  defeated  by  the  op- 
position of  Massachussetts,  the  Legislature  of 
Rhode  Island,  alone,  resolved  to  send  help  to 
their  brethren  in  this  emergency.  They  ac- 
cordingly commissioned  their  officers  to  pro- 
ceed to  Long  Island,  with  twenty  volunteers 
and  some  pieces  of  ordnance,  and  it  is  not  the 
least  deplorable  circumstance  in  this  expedi- 
tion that  the  chief  command  was  committed  to 
Capt.  John  Underbill,  of  Massachusetts  noto- 
riety, who,  to  say  nothing  of  his  moral  char- 
acter, had  learned  the  made  of  dealing  with 
Indians  in  New  England,  and  not  on  Long 
Island. 

When  matters  came  to  the  worst  it  appears 
that  only  a  part  of  the  Marsapeague  tribe, 
with  a  few  dissatisfied  individuals  from  other 
tribes,  whose  hostility  the  Dutch  had  aroused 
and  could  not  now  control,  assembled  in  hos- 
tile array.  They  entrenched  themselves  in  the 
town  of  Oyster  Bay,  on  the  south  side,  in  a 
redoubt  or  fort  in  extent  about  fifty  by  thirty 
yards,  the  remains  of  which  are  still  visible 
and  have  ever  since  borne  the  name  of  Fort 


Neck.  Here,  without  having  made  any  ag- 
gression on  the  surrounding  country,  they 
were  attacked  by  the  English,  who,  after  slay- 
ing a  considerable  number,  completely  dis- 
persed the  residue.  [Hubbard  says  that  Un- 
derbill, "having  120  men,  killed  150  Indians  on 
Long  Island  and  300  on  the  main  land."] 
This  action,  which  constitutes  the  first  and  the 
last  battle  between  the  Long  Island  Indians 
and  the  white  settlers,  took  place  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1653,  and  under  all  the  circumstances 
of  the  case  there  is  much  reason  to  question 
whether  there  was  any  real  necessity  for  the 
chastisement  inflicted. 

From  this  time  forward  the  Long  Island 
Indians  gave  the  whites  no  cause  for  alarm; 
and  though  in  1675  the  Governor  of  New 
York,  under  the  apprehension  that  they  might 
be  seduced  or  compelled  by  the  Narragansetts 
to  engage  with  them  in  King  Philip's  war, 
ordered  all  their  canoes  from  Hurlgate  f  Hell- 
gate]  to  Montauk  to  be  seized  and  guarded, 
they  tamely  submitted  without  the  smallest  act 
of  resistance  or  aggression. 

What  has  been  written  above  is  supple- 
mented by  the  following,  written  by  Samuel 
Jones,  of  Oyster  Bay,  a:nd  printed  in  Vol.  3  of 
the  collections  of  the  New  York  Historical 
Society : 

After  the  battle  of  Fort  Neck,  the  weather 
being  very  cold  and  the  wind  northwest,  Capt. 
Underbill  and  his  men  collected  the  bodies  of 
the  Indians  and  threw  them  in  a  heap  on  the 
brow  of  the  hill,  and  then  sat  down  on  the 
leeward  side  of  the  heap  to  eat  their  break- 
fast. When  this  part  of  the  county  came  to 
be  settled  the  highway  across  the  neck  passed 
directly  over  the  spot  where,  it  was  said,  the 
heap  of  Indians  lay,  and  the  earth  in  that  spot 
was  remarkably  different  from  the  ground 
about  it,  being  str  ngly  tinged  with  a  reddish 
cast,  which  the  old  people  said  was  occasioned 
by  the  blood  of  the  Indians. 

This  appearance  formerly  was  very  con- 
spicuous. Having  heard  the  story  above  sixty 
years  ago,  that  is,  before  the  year  1752,  I  fre- 
quently viewed  and  marked  the  spot  with 
astonishment.  But  by  digging  down  the  hill 
for  repairing  the  highway,  the  appearance  is 
now  entirely  gone. 

Notwithstanding  Dr.  Prime's  pacific  de- 
scription of  the  Indians,  there  is  little  differ- 


^9 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


ence  between  the  story  of  their  relations  with 
the  white  intruders  upon  Long  Island  and  the 
story  as  told  of  other  localities.  The  Dutch 
seem  to  have  regarded  them  with  contempt  as 
natural  enemies  from  the  very  first,  and  so 
brought  down  upon  themselves  their  hatred. 
The  English  met  the  Indian  question  with  more 
diplomacy.  The  story  of  their  treatment  of 
the  red  men  in  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut 
is  sickening,  even  revolting  in  its  details,  but 
on  the  English  settlements  on  Long  Island, 
west  of  Oyster  Bay,  they  used  more  diplomacy 
and  honesty,  probably  because  they  saw  that 
in  the  friendship  of  the  aborigines  lay  one  of 
their  best  protections  against  the  Dutch.  The 
Long  Island  Indians  took  up  arms  with  so 
many  thousands  of  their  race  against  Governor 
Kieft,  one  of  the  most  unprincipled  scoundrels 
who  ever  disgraced  a  colonial  outpost's  author- 
ity, but  they  soon  made  peace.  "In  1643,"  we 
read  in  Winthrop's  "History  of  New  Eng- 
land," "the  Indians  of  Long  Island  took  part 
with  their  neighbors  on  the  main,  and  as  the 
Dutch  took  away  their  corn,  so  they  took  to 
burning  the  Dutch  houses,  but  these,  by  the 
mediation  of  Mr.  [Roger]  Williams,  were  paci- 
fied and  peace  re-established  between  them  and 
the  Dutch;  at  length  they  came  to  an  accord 
with  the  rest  of  the  Indians.  These  Indians 
having  cleared  away  all  the  English  upon  the 
main  as  far  as  Stamford,  they  passed  on  to 
Long  Island  and  there  assaulted  the  Lady 
Moody  in  her  house  divers  times,  for  there 
were  forty  gathered  there  to  defend  it;  they 
also  set  upon  the  Dutch  with  implacable  fury 
and  killed  all  they  could  come  by ;  burnt  their 
houses  and  killed  their  cattle  without  restraint, 
so  as  the  Governor  (Kieft)  and  such  as 
escaped  betook  themselves  to  their  fort  at  Man- 
hattan, and  there  lived  and  eat  up  their  cattle." 
The  Rev.  Isaac  Jogues,  the  Jesuit  mission- 
ary who  was  treacherously  murdered  by  In- 
dians at  Caughnawaga  in  1646,  has  left  an  in- 
teresting document  describing  the  new  Neth- 
erlands in  1644,  which  is  printed  in  "Docu- 
mentary History  of  New  York,"  Vol.  IV,  and 
contains  many  interesting    data    drawn    from 


personal  observation  during  his  pilgrimage 
here.  In  the  course  of  it  he  mentions  a  cam- 
paign against  the  Indians  in  1644,  in  which  he 
says : 

Some  (Indian)  nations  near  the  sea  having 
murdered  some  Hollanders'  of  the  most  distant 
settlement,  the  Hollanders  killed  150  Indians, 
men,  women  and  children;  the  latter  having 
killed  at  divers  intervals  forty  Dutchmen, 
burnt  several  houses  and  committed  ravages 
estimated  at  the  time  I  was  there  at  200,000 
lives.  Troops  were  raised  in  New  England 
and  in  the  beginning  of  winter,  the  grass  being 
low  and  some  snow  on  the  ground,  they  pur- 
sued them  with  600  men,  keeping  200  always 
on  the  move  and  constantly  relieving  each 
pther,  so  that  the  Indians,  pent  up  in  a  large 
island  and  finding  it  impossible  to  escape  on 
account  of  the  women  and  children,  were  cut 
to  pieces  to  the  number  of  1,600,  women  and 
children  included.  This  obliged  the  rest  of 
the  Indians  to  make  peace,  which  still  con- 
tinues. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen,  as  has  already  been 
declared,  that  there  was  really  no  difference 
but  in  degree  in  the  relations  between  the  white 
man  and  the  red  man  on  Long  Island  and  the 
relations  which  existed  in  other  parts  of  the 
country.  At  the  east  end  of  the  island  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Gardiner  family  over  the  Mon- 
tauks  prevented  many  of  the  abuses  which  the 
English  settlers  in  New  England  perpetrated 
on  the  people  whose  lands  they  took,  and  as- 
sisted in  preserving  some  sort  of  decency  and 
order  in  the  relations  between  the  races.  In 
the  middle  and  western  sections,  however,  the 
Indian  was  regarded  as  little  better  than  a  nat- 
ural enemy  with  all  that  such  regard  implies. 

Nor  do  we  think  that  the  claim  put  forth 
by  Prime  and  others  that  the  Long  Island 
Indians  were  a  quiet  and  gentle  and  affection- 
ate people  has  been  made  good.  They  were 
in  fact  pretty  much  like  the  rest  of  their  race. 
The  Rev.  Samson  Occom,  one  of  the  earliest 
of  the  native  converts  and  preachers,  said  of 
them  (and  he  knew  them  intimately  by  long 
residence  among  them)  :  "They  believe  in  a 
plurality  of  gods   and  one  Great  and  Good 


THE    INDIANS    AND    THEIR    LANDS. 


sa 


Being  who  controls  all  the  rest.  They  like- 
wise believe  in  an  evil  spirit."  The  writer 
of  a  description  of  New  Netherland  published 
in  a  work  on  the  New  World  at  Amsterdam 
in  1 67 1,  and  which  is  translated  and  printed 
in,  "Documentary  History  of  New  York/' 
Vol.  IV,  says  on  the  same  subject: 

No  trace  of  divine  worship  can  hardly  be 
discovered  here.  Only  they  ascribe  great  in- 
fluence to  the  moon  over  the  crops.  The  sun, 
as  all-seeing,  is  taken  to  witness  as  often  as 
they  take  an  oath.  They  pay  great  reverence 
to  the  devil,  because  they  fear  great  trouble 
from  him  when  hunting  and  fishing;  where- 
fore the  fiirst  fruits  of  the  chase  are  burned 
in  his  honor,  so  that  they  may  not  receive 
injury.  They  fully  acknowledge  that  a  God 
dwells  beyond  the  stars,  who,  however,  gives 
Himself  no  concern  about  the  doings  of  devils 
on  earth  because  he  is  constantly  occupied 
with  a  beautiful  goddess  whose  origin  is  un- 
known. *  *  *  Regarding  the  souls  of 
the' dead,  they  believe  that  those  who  have 
done  good  enjoy  every  sort  of  pleasure  in 
a  temperate  country  to  the  south,  while  the 
bad  wander  about  in  misery.  They  believe 
the  loud  wailing  which  wild  animals  make  at 
nights  to  be  the  wailings  of  the  ghosts  of 
wicked  bodies. 

From  the  same  description  we  get  several 
other  points  of  information  anent  the  Indians 
in  New  Netherland  which  may  safely  be  re- 
garded as  applying  to  those  on  Long  Island. 
As  to  the  dwellings  of  the  Indians  we  are 
told : 

Their  houses  are  for  the  most  part  built 
after  one  plan ;  they  differ  only  in  the  greater 
or  smaher  length;  the  breadth  is  invariably 
twenty  feet.  The  following  is  the  mode  of 
construction :  They  set  various  hickory  poles 
in  the  ground  according  to  the  size  of  the 
building.  The  tops  are  bent  together  above 
in  the  form  of  a  gallery,  and  throughout  the 
length  of  these  bent  poles  laths  are  fastened. 
The  walls  and  roof  are  then  covered  with  the 
bark  of  ash,  elm  and  chestnut  trees.  The 
pieces  of  bark  are  lapped  over  each  other  as 
a  protection  against  a  change  of  weather,  and 
the  smooth  side  is  turned  inward.  The  houses 
lodge  fifteen  families,  more  or  less,  according 
to  the  dimensions. 


Their  forts  stand  mostly  on  steep  moun- 
tains beside  a  stream  of  water.  The  entrance 
is  only  on  one  side.  They  are  built  in  this, 
wise :  They  set  heavy  timbers  in  the  ground 
with  oak  palisades  on  both  sides  planted  cross- 
wise one  with  another.  They  join  timbers 
again  between  th^  cross-trees  to  strengthen 
the  work.  Within  the  enclosure  they  common- 
ly build  twenty  or  thirty  houses,  some  of  which 
are  180  feet  long,  some  less.  All  are  crammed 
full  of  people.  In  the  summer  they  set  up 
huts  along  the  river  in  order  to  pursue  fishing. 
In  the  winter  they  remove  into  the  woods  to 
be  convenient  to  the  hunting  and  to  a  supply 
of  firewood. 

Regarding  the  character  of  the  Indian  the 
same  writer  tells  us': 

Great  faults  as  well  as  virtues  are  remarked 
in  the  inhabitants,  for,  besides  being  slovenly 
and  slothful,  they  are  also  found  to  be  thiev- 
ish, headstrong,  greedy  and  vindictive.  In 
other  respects  they  are  grave,  chary  of  speech^ 
which  after  mature  consideration  is  slowly 
uttered  and  long,  remembered.  The  under- 
standing being  somewhat  sharpened  by  the 
Hollanders,  they  evince  sufficient  ability  to 
distinguish  carefully  good  from  evil.  They 
will  not  suffer  any  imposition.  Nowise  dis- 
posed to  gluttony,  they  are  able  patiently  to 
endure  cold,  heat,  hunger  and  thirst. 

So  much  for  Dutch  evidence.  From  a  New 
England  source,  Hubbard's  "General  History 
of  New  England,"  we  get  the  following : 

The  Indians  on  Long  Island  were  more 
fierce  and  barbarous,  for  our  Captain  Howe, 
about  this  time,  going  with  eight  or  ten  men 
to  a  wigwam  there  to  demand  an  Indian  that 
had  killed  one  Hammond,  an  Englishman,  the 
Indian  ran  violently  out  (with  knife  in  his 
hand  wherewith  he  wounded  one  of  the  com- 
pany), thinking  to  escape  from  them;  so  they 
were  forced  to  kill  him  upon  the  place,  which 
so  discouraged  the  rest  that  they  did  not  at- 
tempt any  revenge.  If  they  had  been  always 
so  handled  they  would  not  have  dared  to  have 
rebelled  as  they  did  afterward. 

There  are  many  such  citations  as  to  the 
treachery  of  the  Long  Island  Indian  in  Gov- 
ernor Winthrop's  (1637)  Journal,  but  there  is 
hardly  need  to  produce  the  details  here.   Some 


24 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


interesting  passages  regarding  the  Indians  is 
Danker's  and  Sluyter's  "Journal  of  a  Voyage 
to  New  York,"  etc.,  which  was  translated  and 
edited  for  the  memoirs  of  the  Long  Island 
Historical  Society  by  the  late  Henry  C.  Mur- 
phy in  1867.  Under  date  of  Saturday,  Sep- 
tember 30,  1679,  the  Journal  says: 

We  went  a  part  of  the  way  through  a 
woods  and  fine,  new-made  land,  and  so  along 
the  shore  to  the  west  end  of  the  island  called 
Najack  [Fort  Hamilton,  then  probably  sur- 
rounded by  water  and  marsh].  Continuing 
onward,  we  came  to  the  plantation  of  the  Na- 
jack Indians,  which  was  planted  with  maize, 
or  Turkish  wheat.  We  soon  heard  a  noise 
of  pounding,  like  threshing,  and  went  to  the 
place  whence  it  proceeded  and  found  there  an 
old  Indian  woman  busily  employed  beating 
Turkish  beans  out  of  the  pods  by  means  of  a 
shell,  which  she  did  with  astonishing  force 
and  dextrity.  Gerrit  inquired  of  her,  in 
the  Indian  language,  which  he  spoke  perfectly 
well,  how  old  she  was,  and  she  answered  eighty 
years ;  at  which  we  were  still  more  astonished 
that  so  old  a  woman  should  still  have  so  much 
strength  and  courage  to  work  as  she  did. 

We  then  went  from  thence  to  her  habita- 
tion, where  we  found  the  whole  troop  together, 
consisting  of  seven  or  eight  families  and  twen- 
ty or  twenty-two  persons,  I  should  think.  Their 
house  was  low  and  long,  about  sixty  feet  long 
and  fourteen  or  fifteen  feet  wide.  The  bottom 
was  earth,  the  sides  and  roof  were  made  of 
reeds  and  the  bark  of  chestnut  trees ;  the  posts 
or  columns  were  limbs  of  trees  stuck  in  the 
ground  and  all  fastened  together.  The  top, 
or  ridge,  of  the  roof  was  open  about  half  a 
foot  wide  from  one  end  to  the  other,  in  order 
to  let  the  smoke  escape  in  place  of  a  chimney. 
On  the  sides  or  walls  of  the  house  the  roof 
was  so  low  that  you  could  hardly  stand  under 
it.  The  entrances,  or  doors,  which  were  at 
both  ends,  were  so  small  and  low  that  they  had 
to  stoop  and  squeeze  themselves  to  get  through 
them.  The  doors  were  made  of  reed  or  flat 
bark.  In  the  whole  building  there  was  no 
lime-stone,  iron  or  lead.  They  build  their 
fire  in  the  middle  of  the  floor,  according  to 
the  number  of  families  which  live  in  it,  so 
that  from  one  end  to  the  other  each  of  them 
boils  its  own  pot.  and  eats  when  it  likes,  not 
only  the  families  by  themselves,  but  each  In- 
dian alone,  according  as  he  is  hungry,  at  all 
hours,  morning,  noon  and  night.     By  each 


fire  are  the  cooking  utensils,  consisting  of  a 
pot,  a  bowl  or  calabash,  and  a  spoon,  also 
made  of  a  calabash.  These  are  all  that  relate 
to  cooking. 

They  lie  upon  mats  with  their  feet  toward 
the  fire,  on  each  side  of  it.  They  do  not  sit 
much  upon  anything  raised  up,  but,  for  the 
most  part,  sit  on  the  ground  or  squat  upon 
their  ankles.  Their  other  household  articles 
consist  of  a  calabash  of  water  out  of  which 
they  drink,  a  small  basket  in  which  to  carry 
and  keep  their  maize  and  small  beans,  and  a 
knife.  Their  implements  are,  for  tillage  a 
small  sharp  stone  and  nothing  more ;  for  fish- 
ing, a  canoe  without  mast  or  sail  and  without 
a  nail  in  any  part  of  it,  though  it  is  some- 
times full  forty  feet  in  length ;  fish  hooks  and 
lines,  and  scoops  to  paddle  with  in  place  of 
oars.  I  do  not  know  whether  there  are  not 
some  others  of  a  trifling  nature. 

All  who  live  in  one  house  are  generally 
of  one  stock  or  descent,  as  father  and  mother, 
with  their  offspring.  Their  bread  is  maize, 
pounded  in  a  block  by  a  stone,  but  not  fine. 
This  is  mixed  with  water  and  made  into  .a 
cake,  which  they  bake  under  the  hot  ashes. 
*  *  *  These  Indians  live  on  the  land  of 
Jacques  Cortelyou,  brother-in-law  of  Gerrit, 
He  bought  the  land  from  them  in  the  first  in- 
stance and  then  let  them  have  a  small  corner 
for  which  they  pay  him  twenty  bushels  of 
maize  yearly,  that  is,  ten  bags.  Jacques  had 
first  bought  the  whole  of  Najack  from  these 
Indians,  who  were  the  lords  thereof,  and  lived 
upon  the  land  and  afterward  bought  it  again 
in  parcels.  He  was  unwilling  to  drive  the 
Indians  from  the  land,  and  has  therefore  left 
them  a  corner,  keeping  the  best  of  it  himself. 
We  arrived  there  upon  this  land,  which  is  all 
good  and  yields  large  crops  of  wheat  and 
other  grain. 

In  a  note  on  this  passage  the  editor  of  the 
Long  Island  Historical  Society's  volume,  the 
late  Henry  C.  Murphy,  said: 

Jacques  Cortelyou  came  from  Utrecht  to 
this  country  in  1562  in  the  quality  of  tutor  to 
the  children  of  Cornelius  Van  Werckhoven, 
of  that  city  (who  that  year  also  came  to 
America),  first  patentee  direct  from  the  West 
India  Company,  of  Nyack,  or  Fort  Hamilton. 
He  married  Neeltje  Van  Duyne,  and  died 
about  1693.  The  Indians  received  six  coats, 
six  kettles,  six  axes,  six  chisels,  six  small 
looking-glasses,    twelve    knives    and    twelve 


THE    INDIANS   AND   THEIR   LANDS. 


25 


combs  from  the  West  India  Company  for  all 
the  land  extending  along  the  bay  from  Go- 
wanus  to  Coney  Island,  embracing  the  present 
town  of  New  Utrecht.  Van  Werckhoven 
went  to  Holland,  after  attempting  a  settle- 
ment at  Nyack,  but  with  the  intention  of  re- 
turning. He  died  there,  however,  in  1655, 
and  Cortelyou,  who  remained  in  possession  of 
Nyack  as  his  agent,  obtained  permission,  in 
1657,  from  the  Director  and  Council  to  lay  out 
on  the  tract  the  town  of  New  Utrecht,  so 
named  in  compliment  to  the  birthplace  of  Van 
Werckhoven. 

The  journalist  mistakes  in  supposing  the 
first  purchase  of  Nyack  from  the  Indians  to 
have  been  by  Cortelyou;  but  is  probably  cor- 
rect in  stating  a  second  purchase  by  him, 
which  might  have  been  made  for  the  purpose 
of  aiding  him  with  a  title  by  possession  against 
the  heirs  of  Van  Werckhoven,  who  actually 
did  subsequently  claim  this  inheritance. 

Long  Island  seems  to  have  afforded  the 
Indians  plenty  of  hunting,  and  its  waters 
abounded  with  fish,  so  that  the  red  man  had 
little  occasion  to  cultivate  the  soil  except  to 
scratch  its  surface  here  and  there  to  raise 
enough  grain  to  make  bread.  He  was  an  adept 
fisherman,  and  a  canoe  formed  a  striking  part 
of  his  individual  or  family  wealth. 

One  feature  of  the  resources  of  Long  Isl- 
and which,  while  it  made  it  popular  with  the 
aborigines,  invited  trouble  with  outside  tribes, 
and  caused  more  wars,  misery  and  havoc  than 
we  have  any  adequate  knowledge  of,  was  the 
abundance  of  the  shells  which  passed  current 
among  them  for  money.  To  this  subject  ref- 
•erence  is  made  at  length  in  another  chapter  of 
"this  history. 

One  of  the  most  curious  passages  in  the 
■early  European-Indian  history,  if  we  may  use 
such  an  expression  to  describe  events  which 
took  place  in  the  Indian  story  when  the  white 
men  first  began  to  make  their  homes  on  this 
side  of  the  sea,  is  the  manner  in  which  the 
land  passed  from  the  aborigines  to  the  in- 
truders. All  such  transactions  were  held  to 
te  strictly  regular,  to  have  been  carried  on  in 
accordance  with  the  exact  requirements  of 
law;  and  yet  to  us  it  seems  strange  to  read, 
as  in  the  passage  just  quoted,  of  the  Fort 


Hamilton  Indians  dispossessing  themselves  of 
their  lands  to  Cornelius  Van  Werckhoven  for 
a  few  tools  and  trinkets,  and  then  being  glad 
as  a  matter  of  charity  to  he  permitted  to  live 
on  and  cultivate  a  few  of  the  poorest  acres; 
for  the  passage  referred  to  informs  us  that 
Van  Werckhoven's  agent  retained  the  best  for 
himself,  and  informs  us  also  that  the  same 
agent  even  kept  the  whole  ultimately  for  his 
own  use  to  the  exclusion  of  the  heirs  of  his 
master,  the  first  European  "proprietor.'' 

The  keynote  of  the  common  talk  of  the 
just  and  equitable  treatment  of  the  Indians  is 
found  in  Silas  Wood's  "Sketch  of  First  Set- 
tlement of  Long  Island"    (1828): 

Both  the  English  and  Dutch  respected  the 
rights  of  the  Indians  and  no  land  was  taken 
up  by  the  several  towns,  or  by  individuals, 
until  it  had  been  fairly  purchased  of  the  chief 
of  the  tribe  who  claimed  it.  Thus  the  Dutch 
on  the  west  and  the  English  on  the  east  end 
maintained  a  constant  friendship  with  the  In- 
dian tribes  in  their  respective  neighborhood; 
and  while  they  were  friendly  with  each  other, 
the  Indians  from  one  end  of  the  island  to  the 
other  were  friendly  with  both.  It  may  have 
been  partly  in  consequence  of  the  destruction 
of  their  warriors  in  their  recent  wars  and  of 
their  military  spirit  being  broken  by  their  sub- 
mission to  successive  conquerors,  but  it  was 
principally  by  cultivating  the  friendship  of  the 
chiefs,  particularly  the  sachem  of  the  whole, 
by  uniform  justice  and  kindness,  by  preventing 
excitement  by  artificial  means,  and  by  render- 
ing success  hopeless  by  withholding  the  means 
necessary  to  insure  it,  that  the  whites  were  ex- 
empted from  any  hostile  combination  of  the 
Long  Island  Indians.  There  is  no  reason  to 
believe  that  this  exception  from  Indian  hos- 
tilities was  owing  to  a  better  disposition  or 
milder  character  of  the  natives  of  the  island. 

Commenting  sagely  on  this.  Dr.  Prime 
observed : 

If  the  rights  of  the  aborigines  in  every  part 
of  the  country  had  been  as  sacredly  respected 
and  the  same  means  had  been  used  to  secure 
and  preserve  their  friendship,  the  horrors  of 
Indian  aggressions  and  the  bloody  measures 
of  retaliation  which  disgrace  the  early  annals 
of  our  country  would  have  been  greatly  dimin- 
ished, if  not  entirely  prevented. 


26 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


With  this  Pecksniffian  testimony  as  to  the 
treatment  of  the  Indians  in  our  minds,  we  will 
examine  a  few  instances  of  the  rights  so  sa- 
credly respected,  keeping  in  view  the  fact  that 
the  land  and  the  sea  were  the  sources  whence 
the  Indians  derived  their  sustenance,  and  ob- 
tained it  thence  directly.  All  men,  of  course, 
derive  their  sustenance  from  the  land  or  sea, 
biit  the  farmer,  the  hunter  and  the  fisherman 
do  so  directly,  while  the  engineer,  the  carpen- 
ter, the  trader,  the  lawyer,  the  physician  and 
the  like  do  not. 

In  1649  what  is  now  the  town  of  East- 
hampton  was  settled  by  some  thirty  families 
from  Massachusetts,  under  the  direction,  it 
would  seem,  of  the  Connecticut  government, 
and  the  settlement  was  located  in  the  western 
part  of  what  is  now  the  township.  The  new- 
comers took  up  their  abode  and  entered  into 
possession  of  a  tract  of  30,000  acres  of  land 
as  a  result  of  a  bargain  effected  in  the  pre- 
vious year  with  the  Indian  owners.  The 
agreement  read  as  follows : 

April  the  29th,  1648.  This  present  wright- 
ing  testyfieth  an  agreement  betwixt  the  Wor- 
shipful Theophilus  Eaton,  Esq.,  Governor  of 
the  Colony  of  New  Haven,  the  Worshipful 
Edward  Hopkins,  Esq.,  Governor  of  the  Col- 
ony of  Connecticut,  their  associates  on  the  one 
parte;  Poygratasuck,  Sachem  of  Manhasset; 
Wyandanch,  Sachem  of  Mountacutt,  Momo- 
metou,  Sachem  of  Chorchake;  and  Nowedo- 
nah,  Sachem  of  Shinecock,  and  their  associ- 
ates, the  other  party. 

The  said  Sachems  having  sould  into  the 
aforesaid  Th.  Eaton  and  Ed.  Hopkins,  with 
their  associates  all  the  land  lying  within  the 
bounds  of  the  inhabitants  of  Southampton 
unto  the  east  side  of  Mountacutt  high  land, 
with  the  whole  breadth  from  sea  to  sea,  not 
intrenching  upon  any  in  length  or  breadth 
which  the  inhabitants  of  Southampton  have 
and  does  possess,  as  they  by  lawful  right  shall 
make  appeare  for  a  consideration  of 

Twenty  coates, 
twenty-four  hatchets, 
twenty-four  knives, 
twenty  looking-glasses, 
one  hundred  muxes, 


already  received  by  us,  the  aforesaid  sachems- 
for  ourselves  and  our  associates;  and  in  con- 
sideration thereof  we  give  upp  unto  the  said 
purchasers  all  our  right  and  interest  in  said 
land,  to  them  and  their  heirs,  whether  our 
or  other  nation  whatsoever  that  doe  or  may 
hereafter  challenge  interest  therein.  Alsoe  we, 
the  said  Sachems,  have  covenanted  to  have 
libertie  for  ourselves  to  ffish  in  any  or  all  of 
the  creeks  and  ponds,  and  hunting  upp  and 
downe  in  the  woods,  without  molestation;, 
they  giving  to  the  English  inhabytants  noe 
just  offence  or  injurie  to  their  goods  and  chat- 
tels. Alsoe,  they  are  to  have  the  ffynnes  and 
tayles  of  all  such  whales  as  shall  be  cast  upp, 
as  to  their  proper  right,  and  desire  they  may 
be  friendly  dealt  with  in  the  other  parte. 
Alsoe  they  reserve  libertie  to  ffish  in  conven- 
ient places  fifor  shells  to  make  wampum. 
Alsoe,  Indyans  hunting  any  deare  they  should 
chase  into  the  water,  and  the  English  should 
kill  them,  the  English  shall  have  the  body 
and  the  Sachems  the  skin.  And  in  testymony 
of  our  well  performance  hereof  we  have  set 
our  hands  the  day  and  year  above  written. 

Signed:  In  presence  of  Richard  Wood- 
hull,  Thomas  Stanton,  Robert  Bond,  and  Job 
Sayre.  Poygratasuck,  x. 

Wyandanch,  x. 

Momometou,  x. 

Nowedonah,  x. 

The  value  of  the  goods  given  the  Indians 
in  this  transaction  amounted  to  £30  4s.  8d.  It 
was  not  long  before  the  natives  were  so  har- 
assed by  the  incursions  of  the  Narragansetts 
that  they  were  obliged  to  move  from  the  lands- 
they  held  east  to  Montauk  Point  and  seek  the 
aid  and  protection  of  the  English  settlers.  As 
an  acknowledgment  of  this  assistance  they 
made  over  to  their  protectors  the  remaining 
lands  of  the  Montauk  territory,  saying  in  the 
conveyances,  drawn  up,  of  course,  by  the 
beneficiaries : 

Whereas  of  late  years  there  has  been  sore 
distresses  and  calamities  befallen  us  by  reason 
of  the  cruel  opposition  and  violence  of  our 
deadly  enemy  Ninnecraft,  Sachem  of  Narra- 
gansett,  whose  cruelty  hath  proceeded  so  far 
as  to  take  away  the  lives  of  many  of  our  dear 
friends  and  relations,  so  that  we  were  forced 
to  fly  from  Montaukett  for  shelter  to  our  be- 
loved friends  and  neighbors  of  Easthampton, 


THE    INDIANS    AND    THEIR    LANDS. 


2T 


whom  we  found  to  be  friendly  in  our  dis- 
tresses, and  whom  we  must  ever  own  and  ac- 
knowledge, under  God,  for  the  preservation  of 
our  lives,  and  the  lives  of  our  wives  and  chil- 
dren to  this  day,  and  of  the  lands  of  Montau- 
kett  from  the  hands  of  our  enemies ;  and  since 
our  coming  among  them  the  relieving  us  in 
our  extremities  from  time  to  time. 

For  all  this  the  Indians  in  the  rest  of  the 
document  make  over  to  the  white  men  their 
lands — their  entire  earthly  possessions  in  fact 
— reserving  only  the  right  of  using  such  por- 
tions of  the  soil  as  might  be  necessary  to  en- 
able them  to  live.  In  commenting  on  this 
transaction  Benjamin  F.  Thompson  said: 

In  the  preamble  to  this  conveyance,  allu- 
sion is  made  to  the  cruel  and  perfidious  mas- 
sacre of  the  Sachem  and  many  of  his  best  war- 
riors a  few  years  before  at  Block  Island,  for 
being  there  on  some  important  occasion  they 
were  surprised  in  the  night  by  a  party  of  the 
Narragansett  Indians ;,  but  were  promised  their 
lives  should  be  spared  upon  laying  down  their 
arms,  which  they  had  no  sooner  done  than 
they  were  set  upon  and  murdered  in  a  most 
barbarous  manner,  only  one  of  the  whole  num- 
ber escaping  to  relate  the  horrid  deed.  The 
Sachem  himself  was  reserved  for  further  cru- 
elty, and  being  conveyed  to  the  Narragansett 
country  was  there  tortured  to  death  by  being 
compelled  to  walk  naked  over  flat  rocks  heated 
to  the  utmost  by  fires  built  upon  them.  Nini- 
gret,  the  chief  of  that  powerful  tribe,  had  a 
violent  hatred  of  the  Montauks  for  not  only 
refusing  on  a  former  occasion  to  unite  with 
him  in  destroying  the  white  people,  but  for 
having  discovered  the  plot  to  the  English,  by 
which  his  design  was  frustrated  and  the  in- 
habitanti  saved  from  destruction.  The  words 
of  Captain  Gardiner  are:  "Wyandanch,  the 
Long  Island  Sachem,  told  me  that  as  all  the 
plots  of  the  Narragansetts  had  been  discov- 
ered, they  now  concluded  to  let  the  English 
alone  until  they  had  destroyed  Uncas,  the  Mo- 
hegan  chief,  and  himself;  then,  with  the  as- 
sistance of  the  Mohawks  and  Indians  beyond 
the  Dutch,  they  could  easily  destroy  us,  every 
man  and  mother's  son."  Indeed,  it  seems  sus- 
picions were  generally  entertained  that  the 
Dutch  not  only  countenanced  the  Indians  in 
their  hostility  to  the  English,  but  had  also  se- 
cretly supplied  them  with  arms.     Several  In- 


dian Sagamores  residing  near  the  Dutch  re- 
ported that  the  Dutch  Governor  had  urge4 
them  to  cut  off  the  English,  and  it  was  well 
known  that  Ninigret  had  spent  the  winter  of 
1652-3  among  the  Dutch.  In  consequence  a 
special  meeting  of  the  Commissioners  was  con- 
vened at  Boston  in  April,  1653,  but  several  In- 
dian Sachems,  who  were  examined,  denied  any 
agreement  with  the  Dutch  to  make  war  upon 
the  English.  Ninigret  declared  that  he  went 
to  New  Amsterdam  to  be  cured  of  some  dis- 
ease by  a  French  physician;  that  he  carried 
thirty  fathoms  of  wampum,  of  which  he  gave 
the  doctor  ten  and  the  governor  fifteen,  in  ex- 
change for  which  the  Governor  gave  him  some 
coats  with  sleeves,  but  not  one  gun.  On  the- 
first  day  of  August,  1660,  and  after  the  death 
of  Sachem  Wyandanch,  his  widow,  called  the 
Squa-Sachem,  and  her  son  united  in  a  deed 
of  confirmation  to  the  original  purchasers  for 
the  lands  of  Moptauk  and  described  by  them 
as  extending  from  sea  to  sea  and  from  the 
easternmost  parts  thereof  to  the  bounds  of 
Easthampton. 

Finally  a  patent  confirming  those  Indian 
grants  to  the  inhabitants  was  signed  by  Gov- 
ernor Nicolls  March  13,  1666. 

To  take  another  instance,  we  extract  an. 
Indian  deed  for  the  surrender  of  Barren  Island, 
in  1664  from  Stiles's  "History  of  Kings 
County :" 

Know  all  men,  etc.,  that  we,  Wawmatt 
Tappa  and  Kackawashke,  the  right  and  true 
proprietors  of  a  certain  island  called  by  the 
Indians  Equendito,  and  by  the  English  Broken 
Lands,  in  consideration  of  two  coats,  one  ket- 
tel,  one  gun,  one  new  trooper-coat,  ten  fath- 
oms of  wampum  prage,  three  shirts,  six  pounds 
of  powder,  six  barrs  of  lead  and  a  quantity 
of  Brandie  wine,  already  paid  unto  us  by  John 
Tilton,  sen.,  and  Samuel  Spicer,  of  Gravesend, 
L.  I.,  Do,  &c.,  sell,  &c.,  the  said  Island  called 
Equendito,  &c.,  with  all  our  right  *  *  * 
both  of  upland  and  marshes  any  way  belonging 
thereto,  as  the  Straun  Beach  or  IBeaches,  as 
namely  that  running  out  more  westerly,  with 
the  Island  adjoining,  and  is  at  the  same  time 
by  the  ocean  sea  wholly  inclosed,  called  Hoop- 
aninak  and  Shanscomacocke  and  macutteris,. 
as  also  all  the  harbors,  &c.,  to  the  said  John 
Tilton  and  Samuel  Spicer  *  =i=  *  except- 
ing only  to  ourselves  the  one-half  of  all  such 


28 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


whale-fish  that  shall  by  wind  and  storms  be 
cast  upon  the  said  Island.  In  witness  whereof 
we  have  set  our  hands  this  13  day  of  the  3 
month,  called  May,  Anno,  1664. 

A  much  better-known  instance,  and  one 
with  which  we  will  close  our  investigation  here 
into  this  branch  of  our  subject,  is  the  manner 
in  which  the  Gardiner  family  acquired  its  ex- 
tensive lands  on  Long  Island.  The  founder 
of  the  family  in  this  county.  Lion  Gardiner, 
was  a  native  of  England,  a  military  engineer 
by  profession.  He  crossed  the  Atlantic  in 
1635,  arriving  at  Boston  November  28  in  that 
year,  and  was  employed  by  a  land  company 
to  lay  out  a  tract  of  land  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Connecticut  River,  of  which  the  town  of  Say- 


ON    SHINNECOCK     HILLS. 

brook,  so  named  by  him,  is  still  a  pleasant 
reminder.  He  remained  in  the  service  of  the 
company  some  four  years,  and,  it  is  said,  at 
first  intended  to  return  to  England  when  his 
employment  ended.  Still  his  family  was  with 
him,  he  saw  many  brilliant  opportunities  await- 
ing him  in  the  New  Land,  and  he  seemed  to 
possess  from  the  beginning  the  happy  art  of 
winning  and  retaining  the  good  graces  of  the 
Indians,  so  that  he  probably  changed  his 
mind  about  returning  to  the  old  land  as  soon 
as  he  saw  enough  of  the  country  to  become 
aware  of  its  possibilities. 

While  at  Saybrook  a  son  was  born  to  him, 
April  29,  1636,  the  first  white  child  born  in 


Connecticut,  and  a  daughter,  Elizabeth,  after- 
ward born  at  what  is  now  known  as  Gardi- 
ner's Island,  is  said  to  have  been  the  first 
white  child  born  in  Sufifolk  county. 

In  1639  Gardiner  purchased  from  the  In- 
dians the  island  known  to  them  as  Mancho- 
nock,  or  Manchonat,  and  by  the  English  as 
the  Isle  of  Wight.  The  island  is  about  nine 
miles  long  and  a  mile  and  a  half  wide,  and 
contains  about  3,300  acres  of  land,  including 
the  beaches  and  fish-ponds.  The  soil  was  and 
is  generally  of  good  quality.  The  price  paid 
to  the  Indians  for  this  piece  of  property  was, 
we  are  told  by  tradition,  which  generally  ex- 
aggerates rather  than  underestimates,  a  large 
black  dog,  a  gun  with  some  ammunition,  a 
quantity  of  Tum,  and  several  Dutch  blankets. 
To  make  his  title  more  secure  Gardiner  re- 
ceived a  conveyance  of  the  island  from  James 
Farret,  agent  for  the  Earl  of  Stirling,  in  which 
he  agreed  to  pay  a  yearly  "acknowledgment" 
of  fs  "(if  demanded)  of  lawfull  money  of 
England  or  such  commoditys  as  shall  at  that 
time  pass  for  money  in  that  country,  the  first 
payment  to  begin  on  the  last  of  October,  1643, 
the  three  former  years  being  advanced  for  the 
use  of  said  James  Farret." 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  the 
gift  of  most  of  the  land  now  comprised  in  the 
town  of  Smithtown  to  Lion  Gardiner  by  Wy- 
andanch.  Sachem  of  the  Montauks,  in  grati- 
tude for  the  former's  regaining  the  Indian 
chief's  daughter  from  captivity  among  the 
Narragansetts  in  1659.  Gardiner,  to  make  his 
gift  the  more  secure,  had  his  deed  confirmed 
or  indorsed  in  1662  by  the  Nesaquake  tribe, 
who  occupied  the  lands  in  question  and  had 
the  whole  made  thoroughly  legal  and  binding 
from  a  white  man's  point  of  view,  obtaining 
a  patent  for  the  land  from  Governor  Nicolls. 
Having  thus  perfected  his  title  in  every  possi- 
ble way,  Gardiner  in  1663  sold  the  property 
in  question  to  Richard  Smith,  the  common  an- 
cestor of  the  Sufifolk  county  Smiths,  who  at 
once  added  to  it  by  a  further  purchase  of 
Indian  lands  and  the  procurance  of  a  fresh  pat- 
ent from  Governor  Nicolls  in  1663.    A  vague- 


THE    INDIANS   AND   THEIR   LANDS. 


2& 


ness  in  the  wording  of  this  patent  led  to  a 
legal  controversy  with  the  town  of  Hunting- 
ton, the  knotty  points  in  which  were  won  by 
Smith,  and  in  1675  his  ownership  was  con- 
firmed in  a  new  patent,  issued  by  Governor 
Andros,  the  "acknowledgment  or  quit  rent" 
being  "one  good  fatt  lamb  unto  such  office  or 
officers  as  shall  be  empowered  to  receive  the 
same." 

These  instances  of  the  manner  in  which  the 
Indians  parted  with  their  lands  must  suffice 
for  this  place.  Several  others  will  come  before 
us  in  recording  the  story  of  the  townships. 
The  transferences  we  have  recorded  were  all, 
in  the  eyes  of  writers  like  Prime  and  Thomp- 
son, honest,  generous  and  just,  yet  they  were, 
each  of  them,  simply  a  modern  version  of  the 
Biblical  story  of  Esau  and  the  mess  of  pottage. 
Of  course  in  all  these  cases  something  was 
paid,  or  given  in  exchange,  enough  appar- 
ently to  satisfy  the  rebukes  of  conscience. 
But,  judging  them  by  what  took  place  else- 
where, it  is  to  be  admitted  that  the  early  Long 
Island  settlers  deserve  credit  for  even  observ- 
ing to  the  extent  they  did  the  proprieties  of 
civilized  life  in  these  land-grabbing  transac- 
tions, for  most  of  such  transfers  from  the 
aborigines  were  made  in  keeping  with 


"The  good  old  rule, — the  simple  plan 
That  they  should  take  who  have  the  power. 
And  they  should  keep  who  can." 

The  most  objectionable  feature  to  readers 
nowadays  is  the  sanctimonious  manner  in 
which  the  transactions  were  sweetly  glossed 
over  by  the  historians  of  the  island  and  held 
up  for  our  admiration.  The  natives,  as  it 
were,  received  sugar-coated  pills,  and  we  are 
asked  to  consider  the  sugar  and  forget  the 
gall  and  wormwood,  the  acritude,  the  bitter- 
ness, of  the  stuff  within.  The  Indians,  being 
a  weaker  race,  had  to  go  when  the  white  man 
determined  to  settle  on  his  lands.  The  transi- 
tion, as  has  been  said,  was  in  accordance  with 
the  inexorable  doctrine  of  the  survival  of  the 
fittest,  and  in  fulfillment  of  its  cruel  but  nec- 
essary requirements  the  aborigine  had  to  be 
crushed;  but  why,  in  this  twentieth  century, 
continue  to  treat  the  matter  hypocritically, 
shed  crocodile  tears  over  the  various  incidents 
of  the  change,  and  assert  that  a  few  beads,  a 
gun  or  two,  some  cheap,  often  cast-off,  cloth- 
ing and  tools— to  say  nothing  of,  now  and 
then,  a  modicum  of  rum — sanctified  the  pro- 
ceedings attendant  upon  the  despoliation  of 
the  Indian?  , 


JOSEPH  BRANT. 


CHAPTER   III. 


THE    DECADENCE    OF   THE    ABORIGINES. 


F  THE  government,  manners  and  cus- 
toms of  the  Long  Island  Indians  we 
know  little  that  is  authentic,  although 
surmises  and  suppositions  have  been 
plentiful,  and  these  surmises  and  suppositions 
have  often  been  made  to  appear  as  veritable 
history.  Within  recent  years,  however,  the 
patient  industry  and  thoughtful  and  intelligent 
investigation  of  Dr.  W.  Wallace  Tooker,  of 
Sag  Harbor,  has  added  greatly  to  our  knowl- 
edge of  the  Long  Island  Indians  and  brought 
to  light  many  details  which  enable  us  to  gain 
some  knowledge  of  their  importance,  their 
ideas,  their  language  and  their  habits. 

The  Montauk  Indians  seem  to  have  been 
by  far  the  most  numerous,  and  next  to  them 
in  point  of  members  the  Shinnecocks  have 
been  placed.  But  the  strength  of  the  Mon- 
tauks  was  such  that  their  Sachem  was  gen- 
erally if  not  always  acknowledged  as  the 
Grand  Sachem  of  Paumanacke  (Long  Island). 
Prime  says  that  the  tribes  "under  their  re- 
spective Sagamores  or  chiefs,  as  if  an  em- 
blem of  the  future  government  of  the  whole 
country,  were  once  united  in  a  grand  con- 
federacy tinder  one  great  and  powerful  chief ;" 
but  so  far  as  we  have  been  able  to  learn  there 
is  no  exact  authority  for  this  statement.  Dr. 
Prime  also  tells  us: 

The  Manhasset  and  the  Montauk  tribes, 
though  occupying  the  smallest  and  most  re- 
mote territorial  limits,  were  the  depositories 
of  supreme  power.  Montauk  was,'  in  fact,  the 
royal  tribe,  and  Wyandanch,  its  .powerful 
<:hief,  was  the  Grand  Sachem  of  whom  the 


whites  purchased  their  lands  throughout  near- 
ly the  whole  extent  of  the  island.  While  his 
elder  brother,  Poggatacut,  the  Sachem  of 
Manhasset,  lived,  he  was  indeed  regarded  as 
the  supreme  chief,  but  probably  from  his  age 
and  not  from  any  superior  claim  of  the  tribe 
over  which  he  presided.  When  he  paid  the 
debt  of  nature  Wyandanch  was  regarded  as 
the  Grand  Sachem,  without  a  rival,  Nowe- 
dinah,  the  chief  of  the  Shinnecock  tribe,  was 
also  a  brother  of  Wyandanch. 

Besides,  Montauk  bore  evident  marks, 
many  of  which  are  not  yet  obliterated,  of  being 
the  seat  of  royal  authority  and  the  citadel  of 
power.  Here  were  the  largest  and  best  forti- 
fications, of  purely  Indian  construction,  that 
can  be  found  in  any  part  of  our  extended 
country.  The  fort  in  the  north  side  of  Fort 
Pond,  erected  on  what  is  now  called  Fort 
Hill,  was  about  one  hundred  feet  square,  and 
its  remains  are  still  visible. 

The  rampart  and  parapet  (say  the  "Chron- 
icles of  Easthampton")  were  of  earth  with  a 
ditch  at  the  foot  of  the  glacis  and  probably 
palisadoed  with  the  trunks  of  fallen  trees. 
At  each  angle  there  was  apparently  a  round 
tower  of  earth  and  stone,  and  the  whole 
would  probably  have  held  from  three  hundred 
to  five  hundred  men.  The  pond  on  the  south 
afforded  a  safe  and  convenient  harbor  for 
canoes,  under  the  immediate  protection  of  the 
fort.  Its  contiguity  to  the  pond  yielded  also 
an  abundant  supply  of  fresh  water,  on  a  side 
where  communication  was  easily  kept  up  by 
the  facility  of  protection.  The  location  was 
one  of  decided  advantage  for  protection  and 
defense,  and  must  have  been  sufficient  against 
any  attack  which  Indian  tactics  could  have 
brought  to  bear  upon  it. 

This  territory  [to  quote  again  from  Prime] 
,was  also  remarkable  as  the  depository  of  the 
dead.     Here  are  several  of  the  largest  bury- 


THE    DECADENCE    OF  THE   ABORIGINES. 


81 


ing  places  Iciown  on  the  island,  where  hun- 
dreds and  perhaps  thousands  of  these  poor  be- 
nighted pagans  were  committed  to  their 
mother  earth,  amid  the  lamentations  and  howl- 
ings  of  their  surviving  friends.  The  remains 
of  Poggatacut  were  brought  (1651)  from 
Shelter  Island,  the  great  part  of  the  way  on 
men's  shoulders,  to  be  deposited  with  the  royal 
family  at  the  citadel  of  the  empire. 

In  speaking  of  the  removal  of  the  body  of 
Poggatacut  the  "Chronicles  of  Easthampton" 
relates  a  curious  bit  of  information : 

In  removing  the  body  the  bearers  rested 
their  bier  by  the  side  of  the  road  leading  from 
Sag  Harbor  to  Easthampton  near  the  third 
(fourth)  milestone,  where  a  small  excavation 
was  made  to  designate  the  spot.  From  that 
time  to  the  present,  more  than  one  hundred 
and  ninety  years,  this  memorial  has  remained, 
as  fresh,  seemingly,  as  if  but  lately  made. 
Neither  leaf  nor  any  other  thing  has  been  suf- 
fered to  remain  in  it.  The  Montaukett  tribe, 
although  reduced  to  a  beggarly  number  of 
some  ten  or  fifteen  drunken  and  degraded 
beings,  have  retained  to  this  day  the  memory 
"of  the  events,  and  no  one  individual  of  them 
now  passes  the  spot  in  his  wanderings  without 
removing  -yvhatever  may  have  fallen  into  it. 
The  place  is  to  them  holy  ground,  and  the 
exhibition  of  this  pious  act  does  honor  to  the 
finest  feelings  of  the  human  heart.  The  ex- 
cavation is  about  twelve  inches  in  depth  and 
•eighteen  inches  in  diameter,  in  the  form  of  a 
mortar. 

To  this  Prime  adds  his  testimony,  saying: 

The  reader  may  be  assured  this  is  no 
humbug.  The  writer  has  been  acquainted 
with  the  fact  for  nearly  forty  years,  and  he 
has  examined  the  hole  within  the  present  year 
[1845]  and  found  it  in  its  original  form  and 
freshness,  as  above*described. 

Gabriel  Furman  tells  us  of  another  chief 
■  of  the  Montauks  : 

Canoe  Place  (Shinnecock  Bay)  on  the 
south  side  of  Ix)ng  Island  derives  its  name 
from  the  fact  that  more  than  two  centuries 

-ago  a  canal  was  made  there  by  the  Indians 
for  the  purpose  of  passing  their  canoes  from 
one  bay  to  the  other,  that  is,  across  the  island 

irom  Mecox  Bay  to  Peconic  Bay.     Although 


the  trench  has  been  in  a  great  measure  filled 
up,  yet  its  remains  are  still  visible  and  partly 
overflowed  at  high  water.  It  was  constructed 
by  Mongotucksee  (or  Long  Knife),  who  then 
reigned  over  the  nation  of  Montauk.  Al- 
though that  nation  has  now  (1827)  dwindled 
to  a  few  miserable  remnants  of  a  powerful 
race,  who  still  linger  on  the  lands  which  were 
once  the  seat  of  their  proud  dominion,  yet 
their  traditional  history  is  replete  with  all 
those  tragical  incidents  which  usually  accom- 
pany the  fall  of  power.  It  informs  us  that 
their  chief  was  of  gigantic  form,  proud  and 
despotic  in  peace,  and  terrible  in  war.  But 
though  a  tyrant  of  his  people,  yet  he  pro- 
tected them  from  their  enemies  and  com- 
manded their  respect  for  his  savage  virtues. 
The  praises  of  Mongotucksee  are  still  chanted 
in  aboriginal  verse  to  the  winds  that  howl 
around  the  eastern  extremity  of  this  island. 
The  Narragansetts  and  the  Mohawks  yielded 
to  his  prowess  and  the  ancestors  of  the  last 
of  the  Mohicans  trembled  at  the  expression 
of  his  anger.  He  sustained  his  power  not 
less  by  the  resources  of  his  mind  than  by  the 
vigor  of  his  arm.  An  ever  watchful  policy 
guided  his  counsels.  Prepared  for  every  ex- 
igency, not  even  aboriginal  sagacity  could  sur- 
prise his  caution.  To  facilitate  communication 
around  the  seat  of  his  dominion  for  the  pur- 
pose not  only  of  defense  but  of  annoyance,  he 
constructed  this  canal,  which  remains  a  monu- 
ment of  his  genius,  while  other  traces  of  his 
skill  and  prowess  are  lost  in  oblivion,  and 
even  the  nation  whose  valor  he  led  may  soon 
furnish  for  our  country  a  topic  in  contemplat- 
ing the  fallen  greatness  of  the  last  of  the 
Montauks.  After  his  death  the  Montauks 
were  subjugated  by  the  Iroquois  or  Five  Na- 
tions and  became  their '  tributaries,  as  did  all 
the  tribes  on  the  island. 

The  passages  quoted  relating  to  this  hero 
and  to  Wyandanch  may  give  us  an  idea  of  the 
importance  of  the  Montauk  tribe  in  pre- 
European  times,  and  leave  no  doubt  as  to  the 
truth  of  the  legend  that  their  Sachem  was, 
at  intervals  at  least,  when  a  worthy  and  war- 
like chief  appeared,  recognized  as  the  leader 
of  all  the  tribes  on  the  island,  and  that  the 
house  of  Montauk  was  indeed  in  a  sense  en- 
titled to  the  appellation  of  "royal,"  which  so 
many  writers  have  bestowed  upon  it.  What 
has  been  held  as  legal  confirmatory  evidence 


32 


HISTORY    OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


of  this  claim  to  supremacy  is  found  in  the 
fact  that  on  July  4,  1647,  when  a  deed  con- 
firming a  title  to  land  at  Hempstead  was  given 
by  the  Indians  to  the  white  settlers,  it  was 
mentioned  that  the  Montauk  Sachem  was  pres- 
ent. In  1658  another  Hempstead  deed,  after 
the  signature  of  the  local  chiefs,  was  also  sub- 
scribed by  Wacombound,  the  (1660)  Montauk 
Sachem. 

It  would  be  frivolous  and  unnecessary  to 
gather  up  in  this  place  all  the  legends  which 
have  come  down  to  us  concerning  Indian  his- 
tory prior  to  the  arrival  of  the  white  man  on 
Long  Island.  Enough  has  been  presented  to 
show  that  they  were,  as  Indian  economy  went, 
well  governed,  happy,  prosperous  and  numer- 
ous; that  they  were  of  a  higher  degree  of  in- 
telligence than  many  of  those  on  the  main 
land;  that  they  were  brave  and  wariike  and 
accepted  victory  or  defeat  with  the  sublime 
stoicism  of  their  race;  and  one  is  even  in- 
clined to  believe  they  would  have  lived  on 
amicable  terms  with  the  white  man  had  that 
been  possible.  Probably  this  desire  the  white 
pioneer  to  a  certain  extent  reciprocated,  al- 
though it  never  entered  his  brain  to  treat  the 
redskin  as  a  man  and  brother.  But  no  matter 
how  well  intentioned  both  races  were,  there 
could  be  no  deep  or  lasting  love  between 
them,  for  the  possession  of  the  land  was  the 
real,  the  ever  present  issue  between  them.  The 
white  man  wanted  the  land,  the  Indian  needed 
the  land,  and  in  the  struggle  for  possession 
one  or  the  other  had  to  be  crushed. 

From  the  very  beginning  almost  of  the 
white  man's  settlement,  then,  the  Indian  race 
began  to  fade  away.  The  following  passage, 
which  I  quote  from  Gabriel  Furman's  "An- 
tiquities," shows  that  the  Indians  themselves 
were  thoroughly  aware  of  this : 

The  Long  Island  Indians  possessed  all  that 
peculiar  eloquence  which  has  so  long  dis- 
tinguished the  aborigines  of  the  west;  and  it 
was  mainly  from  them  that  the  Europeans  first 
obtained  their  ideas  of  Indian  oratory  and  of 
the  story  and  bold  imagery  which  characterize 
the  Indian  speeches.     The  aborigines  of  this 


island  have  all  that  singular  tact  which  still 
marks  the  Indian  of  discovering  at  once,  in 
their  intercourse  with  white  men,  who  are 
really  the  men  of  power  and  who  are  not; 
and  to  the  former  they  pay  their  respects, 
taking  no  notice  of  the  others.  The  follow- 
ing official  report  of  an  interview  which  took 
place  at  Flatlands,  between  Grovemor  Slough- 
ter  and  a  Long  Island  Indian  Sachem  and  his 
sons,  will  afford  an  instance  of  their  eloquence 
and  their  sagacity.  They  saw  that  Leisler, 
however  powerful  he  might  have  been  a  few 
weeks  previous,  was  then  a  fallen  man,  with- 
out power  and  at  the  mercy  of  his  inveterate 
enemies.  This  extraordinary  interview  took 
place  on  the  2d  of  April,  1691,  between  the 
Governor  of  New  York  and  a  Sachem  of  Long 
Island,  attended  by  two  of  his  sons  and  twenty 
other  Indians. 

The  Sachem,  on  being  introduced,  con- 
gratulated Governor  Sloughter  in  an  eloquent 
manner  on  his  arrival,  and  solicited  his 
friendship  and  protection  for  himself  and  his 
people,  olDserving  that  he  had  in  his  own  mind 
fancied  his  Excellency  was  a  mighty  tall  tree, 
with  wide-spreading  branches,  and  therefore 
he  prayed  leave  to  stoop  under  the  shadow 
thereof.  Of  old,  said  he,  the  Indians  were 
a  great  and  mighty  people,  but  now  they  were 
reduced  to  a  mere  handful.  He  .concluded  his 
visit  by  presenting  the  Governor  with  thirty 
fathoms  of  wampum,  which  he  graciously  ac- 
cepted, and  desired  the  Sachem  to  visit  him 
again  in  the  afternoon.  On  taking  their  leave 
the  youngest  son  of  the  Sachem  handed  a 
bundle  of  brooms  to  the  officer  in  attendance, 
saying  at  the  same  time  that  "as  Leisler  and 
his  party  had  left  the  house  very  foul,  he 
brought  the  brooms  with  him  for  the  purpose 
of  making  it  clean  again."  In  the  afternoon 
the  Sachem  and  his  party  again  visited  the 
Governor,  who  made  a  speech  to  them,  and  on 
receiving  a   few   presents   they   departed. 

The  main  weapon  which  led  to  the  de- 
struction of  the  aborigines,  more  deadly,  more 
certain,  more  widespread  than  the  ruin  caused 
by  musket,  by  disease  or  by  persecution,  was 
rum.  In  1788,  long  after  the  power  of  the 
white  man  was  established,  an  Indian  chief 
at  Fort  Stanwix  put  the  whole  matter  in  a 
most  comprehensive  yet  succinct  form  when 
he  said:  "The  avidity  of  the  white  people 
for  land  and  the  thirst  of  the  Indians  for 


THE  DECADENCE  OF  THE  ABORIGINES. 


spirituous  liquors  were  equally  insatiable;  the 
white  men  had  seen  and  fixed  their  eyes  upon 
the  Indian's  good  land,  and  the  Indians  had 
seen  and  fixed  their  eyes  upon  the  white  men's 
keg  of  rum;  and  nothing  could  divert  either 
of  them  from  their  desired  object,  and  there- 
fore there  was  no  remedy;  but  the  white  man 
must  have  the  land  and  the  Indians  the  keg  of 
.  rum." 

So"  far  as  can  be  learned  the  Dutch  au- 
thorities did  nothing  to  curtail  the  appetite 
for  rum  or  to  inculcate  any  notion  of  tem- 
perance among  the  Indians.  The  very  op- 
posite seems  to  have  been  the  case,  for  the 
sturdy  Hollander  found  a  measure  of  rum 
one  of  the  most  convenient  and  most  promptly 
prized  objects  with  which  he  could  trade  with 
the  Indian  for  land  or  pelt.  Knowing  nothing 
of  the  havoc  of  drunkenness  himself,  he  had 
no  conception  of  visiting  any  wrong  upon  the 
red  men  by  placing  it  before  him.  He  only 
saw  a  means  to  an  end — the  means  and  the 
end  so  graphically  sketched  by  the  Fort  Stan- 
wix  Indian — and  he  made  full  use  of  it.  The 
English,  however,  even  in  that  early  day  were 
fully  aware,  by  their  own  natural  experience, 
of  the  evils  of  intemperance  and  attempted 
to  prevent  its  spread.  They  rightly  traced 
the  source  of  many  of  the  Indian  cruelties  and 
uprisings  and  treacheries  to  the  use  of  "fire- 
water," and  took  the  best  means  they  could, 
if  not  to  stop  its  traffic,  to  minimize  its  extent 
and  render  it  less  of  a  disturbing  factor.  In 
1656  the  inhabitants  of  Gravesend  passed  a 
,  law  dealing  with  this  matter,  as  follows : 

"Att  an  assemblie  of  ye  Inhabitants  uppon 
a  lawful  warning  being  given,  it  is  inacted,  or- 
dered and  agreed  that  hee,  she,  or  they  what- 
soever that  should  tapp,  draw  out,  sell  or  lett 
any  Indian  or  Indians  in  this  corporation  have 
any  brandie,  wine,  strong  liquor  or  strong 
drink  should,  if  so  detected,  pay  the  sum  of 
fifty  gilders,  and  for  the  next  default  the  sum 
of  one  hundred  gilders  according  to  the  law 
of  the  country." 

In  "The  Duke's  Laws"  (1665)  selling 
liquor  to  Indians  was  expressly  forbidden  un- 
3 


der  a  penalty  of  "forty  shillings  for  one  pint 
and  in  proportion  for  any  greater  or  lesser 
quality."  In  cases  of  "sudden  extremity," 
however,  it  was  declared  permissible  to  pre- 
scribe liquor,  but  even  in  the  worst  of  cases 
this  remedy  was  not  to  exceed  two  drams." 

Such  laws  against  selling  liquor  to  these 
hapless  tribes  were  adopted  directly  or  in- 
directly by  almost,  every  community  and  ef- 
fort apparently  was  made  to  honestly  enforce 
them.  But  the  craze  for  rum  was  strong,  and 
as  the  white  population  increased  it  became 
easy  for  the  laws  to  be  successfully  evaded, 
especially  in  Kings  and  Queens  counties, 
where  the  settlements  were  closest  and  where 
the  population,  in  Kings  especially,  was  of  a- 
more  mixed  character  than  in  the  eastern,  or 
Suffolk,  end  of  the  island;  and  there  seems 
little  doubt  that  the  Indian  who  wanted  fire- 
water was  able  to  supply  his  want  so  long  as- 
he  had  something — land,  pelts,  movable  prop- 
erty or  service — to  give  in  exchange. 

The  passing  of  the  Indian  was  rapid,  espe- 
cially after  he  gave  up  his  primeval  occupa- 
tion of  a  hunter  and  tried  to  settle  down  as  a. 
trader  or  to  follow  one  of  the  simple  trades  he- 
learned  from  the  white  man.  In  1761  there- 
were  left  only  one  hundred  and  ninety-two> 
souls  belonging  to  the  Montauks ;  in  1827  they 
had  dwindled  down  to  five  families,  possibly 
twenty  persons,  and  in  1843  the  number  was- 
reduced  to  three  families,  about  ten  individ- 
uals, and  even  these  it  was  asserted  were  not 
of  pure  Montauk  blood.  Now  all  are  gone 
and  the  royal  race  of  Wyandanch  is  but  a 
memory.  The  Indian  population  of  the  island 
at  the  present  day  is  estimated  at  something 
like  two  hundred,  and  of  even  these  few,  if 
any,  are  of  pure  blood.  They  are  at  best  but 
a  melancholy  survival,  although  they  have 
forsaken  jiearly  the  whole  of  their  ancestral 
ways,  adopted  the  white  man's  religion,  and 
most  of  his  manners  and  customs.  The  time 
is  not  far  distant  when  the  race  will  have  en- 
tirely disappeared. 

Some  writers  see  in  this  a  certain  historic 
fitness  and  completeness  inasmttch  as  the  In- 


34 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


dians  themselves  are  said  to  have  wiped  out 
a  still  earlier  race  who  owned  the  soil.  In  1879 
a  remarkable  archaeological  discovery  was 
made  at  Aquebogue.  Many  graves  were 
found  some  three  feet  below  the  soil,  and  in  a 
position,  judging  from  the  geological  changes, 
which  showed  that  the  bodies,  or  remains, 
there  resting,  had  been  deposited  thousands  of 
years  before.  The  remains  indicated  a  more 
powerful  race  than  the  Indians.  The  frag- 
ments of  a  temple — or  large  structure  of  some 
kind — were  also  discovered  near  the  bodies, 
and  proved  to  be  utterly  unlike  any  specimens 
of  Indian  construction  of  which  we  know. 
The  walls  were  of  clay  and  it  measured  about 
ten  feet  in  length,  with  a  dividing  wall  in  the 
centre,  making  two  narrow  chambers,  each 
about  four  and  one-half  feet. 

In  the  face  of  this  discovery  surmises  and 
fancy  must  halt.  Is  this  a  trace  of  another 
race,  or  of  a  lost  civilization?  The  evidence 
certainly  points  in  that  direction.  But  one 
thing  is  certain :  the  Indians  must  have  been 
in  possession  for  almost  countless  ages,  and 
who  can  now  tell  what  evolution  took  place 
■during  that  time  in  the  mind  and  brain  and 
product  and  civilization  of  that  wonderful 
people — wonderful  even  in  their  decay. 

But  important  a  factor  as  rum  was  in  the 
later  history  of  the  Indian  race  on  Long  Island 
as  elsewhere,  we  must  not  forget  that  outside 
of  it  the  most  notable  feature  of  their  story 
was  the  religious  element  which  controlled  it. 
The  Indian,  so  far  as  we  can  trace  his  mental 
development,  has  always  been  a  devout  man, 
believing  in  a  Supreme  Being,  a  Creator  of 
the  World,  a  Great  Spirit,  and  also  in  a  future 
life.  Whatever  he  worshipped,  he  worshipped 
with  all  his  heart.  Sometimes,  in  reading  the 
stories  of  his  domestic  life,  his  wars,  his 
■cruelties  and  his  superstitions,  we  are  apt  to 
think  that  his  idea  of  theological  relationship 
was  like  that  of  the  old  darkey  who  said,  "I 
have  been  wallowing  in  sin,  I  have  broken  all 
the  commandments;  but,  thank  God,  I  have 
not  lost  my  religion !" 

Between  the  years  1653  and  1658  the  Soci- 


ety for  Propagating  the  Gospel  in  New  Eng- 
land voted  small  sums  of  money  to  the  Rev. 
William  Leverich  for  his  service  among  the  In- 
dians, and  he  was  specially  desired  to  devote 
as  much  attention  as  possible  to  the  Montauks 
and  the  Corchaugs.  Of  the  nature  of  what  he 
accomplished  nothing  is  known  to  us;  but  as 
he  seems  to  have  been  a  zealous  minister  of 
the  Gospel  it  is  but  fair  to  assume  that  he  did 
his  full  duty  according  to  his  opportunities. 
He  was  a  native  of  England  and  settled  at 
Salem  in  1633,  and  for  many  years  was  en- 
gaged in  missionary  work  throughout  Massa- 
chusetts with  quite  a  recognized  measure  of 
success.  In  1653  he  purchased  some  land  at 
Oyster  Bay  and  there  a  year  or  two  later,  pos- 
sibly in  1656  or  1657,  he  erected  his  home. 
In  1658  he  was  installed  minister  of  Hunting- 
ton and  so  continued  until  1670,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Newtown,  of  which  he  was  the  first 
minister,  and  there  he  remained  until  his  death, 
in  or  about  1694.  From  1741  until  1752 
Azariah  Morton  was  employed  by  the  Pres- 
byterians of  New  York  as  a  missionary  among 
the  Long  Island  Indians.  He  was  a  native  of 
Southold  and  a  zealous  worker  for  the  min- 
istry. His  journals  show  how  incessantly  he 
labored  from  Montauk  to  Rockaway,  in  the 
fields,  in  the  huts,  and  by  the  wayside,  among 
the  four  hundred  souls  which  were  then  com- 
puted to  be  that  remained  of  the  once  owners 
of  the  soil.  In  1752  he  settled  down  as  pastor 
of  a  church  at  South  Hanover,  New  Jersey, 
in  a  settlement  formed  mainly  by  Long  Island 
people,  and  there  labored  until  his  death, 
March  27,  1777. 

One  of  the  earliest  and  most  influential  of 
the  real  friends  of  the  Indian  in  New  York 
was  Sir  William  Johnston,  who  in  1738  set- 
tled on  a  tract  of  land  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Mohawk  River.  He  won  the  confidence  of 
the  Indians  around  him  to  a  greater  extent, 
possibly,  than  any  man  of  his  day,  studied 
their  manners,  customs,  rites  and  beliefs,  be- 
came an  expert  in  their  language;  wore,  at 
times,  their  dress ;  was  chosen  a  Sachem  of  the 
Mohawks,  and  given  the  chief-like    title  of 


THE    DECADENCE    OF  THE   ABORIGINES. 


;i35 


•'Wariaghejaghe," — one  who  is  in  charge.  He 
took  a  deep  interest  in  the  educational  and 
intellectual  advancement  of  the  aborigines,  and 
perhaps  was  able  to  exert  a  greater  influence 
over  them  in  these  directions  because  he  was 
not  too  straight-laced  in  his  own  personal 
morals  or  made  any  pretentions  to  having 
deep  religious  convictions,  or  close  denomina- 
tional affiliations,  although  he  was  not  insensi- 
ble to  the  value  of  religious  influence  in  mak- 
ing the  Indians  amenable  to  law  and  order. 

Sir  William  took  a  warm  and  direct  in- 
terest in  the  life-long  labors,  on  behalf  of  the 
Indian,  of  the  Rev.  Eleazar  Wheelock,  one  of 
the  most  noteworthy  of  the  early  Protestant 
missionaries  who  engaged  in  such  work;  and 
the  correspondence  between  them  proves  how 
heartily  and  zealously  Sir  William  entered 
into  all  the  missionary's  plans  and  hopes. 
Eleazar  Wheelock  does  not  seem  to  have  ever 
visited  Long  Island,  yet  there  is  no  doubt  that 
Tie  exerted  a  great  influence  for  good  over 
its  latter  Indian  history,  and  his  self-denying 
labors  ought  to  keep  his  memory  green  among 
those  of  the  real  benefactors  of  the  old  king- 
dom of  the  Montauks.  He  was  born  at  Wind- 
ham, Connecticut,  April  22,  171 1,  the  grand- 
son of  a  nonconformist  minister  who  left  Eng- 
land in  1637  and  founded  a  church  in  Ded- 
ham,  Massachusetts.  Eleazar  studied  for  the 
ministry,  was  ordained  in  1735  as  pastor  of  a 
•church  at  New  Lebanon,  Connecticut,  and 
there  remained  some  thirty-five  years.  His 
salary  being  insufficient  for  his  support,  he 
augmented  it  by  receiving  pupils  in  his  house, 
and  this  gradually  developed  in  his  mind  the 
project  of  establishing  an  Indian  missionary 
school.  This  was  duly  founded,  under  the 
designation  of  Moor's  Indian  Charity  School, 
■a  farmer  named  Joshua  Moor  having  given  to 
it,  in  1754,  a  house  and  two  acres  of  land  in 
New  Lebanon.  In  1766  some  10,000  pounds 
was  obtained  in  Great  Britain  on  behalf  of  the 
school,  the  money  being  placed  in  the  hands 
of  a  board  of  trustees,  of  which  the  Earl  of 
Dartmouth  was  president.  Soon  after  it  was 
■determined  to  remove  the  institution  to  a  new 


location,  and  in  1770  Wheelock  secured  land 
at  what  is  now  Hanover,  New  Hampshire,  re- 
moved there,  and  established  the  institution 
which  has  since  become  famous  under  its  title 
of  Dartmouth  College,  of  which  institution  he 
was  the  first  president.  He  died  at  Hanover, 
April  24,  1779. 

In  one  way  or  another  we  learn  a  good  deal 
about  Wheelock's  pupils.  David  Fowler,  a 
Montauk  Indian  youth,  entered  the  school  at 
Lebanon  about  1759,  and  early  showed  an 
aptitude  for  agricultural  pursuits.  He  com- 
pleted his  studies  in  a  most  satisfactory  man- 
ner, and  in  March,  1765,  he  was  licensed  as 
an  Indian  teacher  and  was  assigned  to  the 
Oneida  Nation,  for  whose  territory  he  at  once 
set  out.  Early  in  June  of  the  same  year  he 
opened  a  school  and  on  the  isth  of  that  month 
he  wrote  his  old  teacher  from  Canajoharie  as 
follows : 

This  is  the  twelfth  day  since  I  begun  my 
school,  and  eight  of  my  scholars  are  now  in 
the  third  page  of  their  spelling  book.  I  never 
saw  children  exceed  these  in  learning.  The 
number  of  my  scholars  is  twenty-six,  but  it 
is  difficult  to  keep  them  together;  they  are 
often  roving  from  place  to  place  to  get  some- 
thing to  live  upon.  I  am  well  contented  to 
live  here  so  long  as  I  am  in  such  great  busi- 
ness. I  believe  I  shall  persuade  the  men  in 
this  castle,  at  least  the  most  of  them,  to  labour 
next  year.  They  begin  now  to  see  that  they 
could  live  better  if  they  cultivated  their  lands 
than  they  do  now  by  hunting,  and  fishing. 

I  print  this  letter  because  it  gives  the  key 
to  the  principle  underlying  Wheelock's  method 
— that  of  civilizing  the  Indians  by  religion  and 
work.  Fowler's  school  was  broken  up  in  about 
a  year  by  a  famine  in  western  New  York, 
which  drove  the  Indians  for  a  time  out  of  that 
quarter,  and  then  the  desolation  and  excite- 
ment of  war  probably  stopped  for  several 
years  any  further  effort.  Of  that,  however, 
nothing  is  known ;  but  Fowler  himself  proved 
a  living  example  of  the  benefit  of  education 
among  the  Indians;  and  in  181 1,  when  he  dis- 
appears from  our  view,  he  was  an  industrious 


86 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


and  prosperous  farmer  at  Oneida,  and  held  in 
esteem  as  a  useful  member  of  the  community. 

The  most  famous,  however,  of  all  Whee- 
lock's  Indian  pupils  was  the  first  he  received, 
— Samson  Occom.  He  was  born  at  Mohegan, 
Norwich,  Connecticut,  in  1723,  and  when  nine- 
teen years  of  age  was  received  under  Whee- 
lock's  tuition.  In  the  capacity  of  a  pupil  he 
remained  in  Wheelock's  house  for  four  years. 
In  1748  he  became  a  teacher  in  New  London. 
In  1755  he  went  to  Montauk,  where  he  opened 
a  school  among  the  Indians,  and  on  August 
29,  1759.  he  was  ordained  by  the  Suffolk 
Presbytery.  For  ten  years  he  continued  to 
teach  and  preach  among  the  Mohawks  and 
Shinnecocks,  and  then  he  went  on  a  mission 
to  the  Oneidas.  We  next  find  him  in  Great 
Britain,  engaged  in  raising  the  fund  which 
led  to  the  establishment  of  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege, and  he  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  In- 
dian preacher  who  ever  visited  England.  His 
services  there  were  invariably  crowded,  and 
there  is  no  doubt  he  was  the  most  important 
factor  in  bringing  about  the  ultimate  success 
of  the  mission.  On  his  return  he  remained  at 
his  native  place  in  Connecticut  for  a  time,  but 
in  17S6  he  went  to  Brotherton,  Oneida 
county,  where  he  died,  in  1792. 

Brotherton,  located  in  what  is  now  Mar- 
shall and  Kirkland  townships,  Oneida  coun- 
ty, was  a  purely  Indian  community,  formed 
before  the  Revolution;  Ltit  after  it  was  over 
many  returned  and  in  1783,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Occom,  founded  a  new  commonwealth. 
They  included  many  Montauks,  Pequots,  Nar- 
ragansetts  and  other  Indians,  numbering  in 
all  at  one  time,  it  is  said,  four  hundred  souls. 
Coming  from  many  different  tribes,  they  were 
compelled  to  learn  English  as  a  common  lan- 
guage, and  tried  to  adapt  themselves  to  a 
settled  mode  of  living.  For  a  time  they  re- 
ceived aid  from  the  state,  but  their  numbers 
steadily  detreased,  many  having  adopted  all 
the  vices  of  the  white  man  with  his  tongue. 
Not  a  few  developed  iiito  thrifty  farmers,  but 
it  would  seem  succeeded  only  for  a  time.  Bit 
by  bit  they  sold  their   Brotherton  lands  to 


white  settlers,  and  in  1850  the  last  of  them 
migrated  to  the  west  It  is  sad  to  think  that 
even  Occom  once  fell  a  victim,  for  a  time,  to 
the  Indian  passion  for  rum.  On  June  9,  1764, 
in  a  letter  to  the  Presbytery,  he  confessed  "to 
have  been  shamefully  overtaken  by  strong 
drink,  by  which  I  have  greatly  wounded  the 
cause  of  God,  blemished  the  pure  religion  of 
Jesus  Christ,  blackened  my  own  character  and 
hurt  my  own  soul."  Over  this  weakness  he 
finally  completely  triumphed,  and  was  prob- 
ably a  better  man  through  having  passed 
through  that  slough  of  despond. 

As  a  preacher  he  seemed  to  possess  many 
splendid  qualifications,  although  possibly  his 
eloquence  was  more  of  the  sort  to  enthuse  the 
Indian  heart  than  to  arouse  the  attention  of 
his  white  brother.  Dr.  Samuel  Buell  said  of 
him :  "As  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel  he  seems 
always  to  have  in  view  the  end  of  the  min- 
istry, the  glory  of  God  and  the  salvation  of 
men.  His  manner  of  expression  when  he 
preaches  to  the  Indians  is  vastly  more  natural, 
free,  clear  and  eloquent,  quick  and  powerful, 
than  when  he  preaches  to  others.  He  is  the 
glory  of  the  Indian  nation." 

Occom  wrote  considerable  verse,  some  of 
it  rather  crude  and  unpolished,  but  full  of 
graceful  fancies  and  quaint  conceits.  It  is 
mostly  of  a  religious  description  and  breathes 
throughout  a  simple,  earnest  piety,  a  profound 
belief  in  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God, 
but  at  the  same  time  a  keen  realization  of  the 
awful  punishment  prepared  for  those  whtf 
wander  from  His  footstool  or  who  refuse  to 
hearken  to  His  voice.  The  following  hymn, 
which  is  still  printed  in  some  of  the  church 
collections,  will  give  an  idea  not  alone  of  Oc- 
com's  ability  as  a  weaver  of  verse,  but  of  his 
entire  system  of  theology: 

Awaked  by  Sinai's  awful  sound, 
My  soul  in  bonds  of  guilt  I  found, 

And  knew  not  where  to  go ; 
One  solemn  truth  increased  my  pain, — 
"The  sinner  must  be  born  again" 

Or  sink  to  endless  woe. 


THE  DECADENCE  OF  THE  ABORIGINES. 


B7 


I  heard  the  law  its  thunders  roll, 
"While  guilt  lay  heavy  on  my  soul — 

A  vast  oppressive  load; 
All  creature's  aid  I  saw  was  vain: 
■"The  sinner  must  be  born  again" 

Or  drink  the  wrath  of  God. 

But  while  I  thus  in  anguish  lay 

The  bleeding  Saviour  passed  that  way, 

My  bondage  to  remove; 
The  sinner  once  by  Justice  slain, 
Now  by  his  grace  is  born  again, 

And  sings  redeeming  love. 

The  next  Indian  preacher  who  exerted 
much  influence  over  his  race  was  a  member  of 
the  Shinnecock  tribe,  whose  English  cogno- 
men was  Peter  John.  Prime  says  regarding 
him: 

He  was  born  at  the  Hay  Ground,  in  the 
Parish  of  Bridgehampton,  somewhere  about 
the  years  1712-15.  He  was  hopefully  con- 
verted in  the  great  awakening  of  1 741-4  un- 
der the  preaching  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Davenport.* 
By  what  ecclesiastical  authority  he  was  com- 
missioned is  not  known,  though  it  is  sup- 
posed be  was  ordained  by  the  Separatists  of 
Connecticut.  He  afterward  took  up  his  resi- 
dence at  St.  George's  Manor,  where  he  owned 
property,  on  which  one  of  his  descendants 
still  lives.  Though  not  learned  and  eloquent, 
yet  by  his  zeal,  piety  and  perseverance  he 
gathered  small  churches  at  Wading  River, 
Poosepatuck  and  Islip,  to  which,  with  that  of 
Canoe  Place,  he  ministered  until  after  his 
grandson  and  successor  was  brought  into  the 
ministry.  He  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-eight,  and  died  near  the  commence- 
ment of  the  present  century,  though  the  pre- 
cise date  has  not  been  ascertained.  His  re- 
mains lie  buried  at  Poosepatuck. 

The  grandson  referred  to  above,  Paul  Cuf- 
fee,  was  the  last,  and  in  many  respects  the 
greatest,   of  the  native  preachers.     He  was 

*The  Rev.  James  Davenport,  minister  of  Southold, 
■whom  Whitefield  described  as  "a  sweet,  pious  soul." 
Soon  after  his  installation  at  Southold  the  great  awaken- 
ing occured  which  is  memorable  in  the  religious  annals 
■of  New  England.  His  zeal  for  religion  seems  to  have 
unbalanced  his  mind  and  in  1742  his  pastoral  relations 
with  Southold  were  severed  by  the  Presbytery.  He  con- 
tinued active  in  the  ministry,  however,  until  his  death, 
at  Hopewell,  N.  J.,  in  1757.  In  1754  he  was  moderator 
of  the  Synod  of  New  York. 


born  in  Brookhaven  township,  March  4,  1747. 
His  mother,  a  daughter  of  Peter  John,  was  a 
woman  of  eminent  piety,  and  for  many  years 
was  one  of  the  most  active  workers  in  the 
little  church  at  Wading  River.  Her  son,  Paul, 
started  in  life  as  a  servant  on  the  farm  at 
'Wading  River  belonging  to  Major  Fred.  Hud- 
son, where  he  continued  until  he  was  twenty- 
one  years  of  age.  He  was  a  wild,  thoughtless 
youth,  fond  of  pleasure  and  revelry,  but  about 
the  time  he  attained  his  twenty-first  year  he 
became  converted  at  one  of  the  "seasons  of 
refreshing"  so  influential  and  frequent  in  the 
religious  story  of  Long  Island,  and  the  result 
was  that  after  a  time  of  wrestling  with  the 
Evil  One  to  throw  off  the  burden  of  his  own 
sins,  he  consecrated  his  own  life  to  showing 
those  of  his  own  race  the  way  of  salvation  and 
the  lightening  of  the  load.  After  a  brief 
period. of  preparation  he  seems  to^have  been 
licensed  as  a  preacher,  by  whi^^'authority  has 
never  been  discovered:  possibly  he  was  just 
sent  out  with  the  good  wishes  and  approba- 
tion of  the  people  at  Wading  River.  He  then 
went  to  Moriches,  where  he  labored  among 
his  own  race  for  two  years,  and  thence  to 
Poosepatuck,  where  he  was  formally  ordained 
by  a  delegation  of  ministers  from  the  Con- 
necticut Convention.  Two  years  later  he  be- 
came a  member  of  the  "Strict  Congregational 
Convention  on  Long  Island,"  a  development 
of  the  body  of  the  same  name  as  renowned  in 
Connecticut  religious  story.  In  1798  he  was 
employed  by  the  New  York  Missionary  So- 
ciety to  work  among  the  Indians,  and  in  that 
employment  he  faithfully  and  patiently  and 
fruitfully  continued  until  his  death,  March  7, 
1812.  He  worked  mainly  at  Montauk  and 
Canoe  Place,  but  visited  at  intervals  Poose- 
patuck, Islip  and  other  spots,  where  the  rem- 
nants of  his  people  still  lingered.  The  Rev. 
Dr.  Prime,  who  knew  him,  speaks  of  him  in 
the  following  kindly  manner  in  his  "History 
of  Long  Island:" 

Having  enjoyed  a  personal  acquaintance 
with  Paul  for  a  few  years,  and  had  the  priv- 


88 


HISTORY    OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


ilege,  in  two  or  three  instances,  of  hearing 
his  public  performances,  he  (Prime)  can  bear 
ivitness  that  he  was  an  interesting  and  affec- 
tionate preacher.  Though  he  aimed  at  no 
elegance  of  diction  and  frequently  committed 
grammatical  inaccuracies,  these  were  soon  lost 
sight  of  in  the  ardor  of  his  piety  and  the 
pathos  of  his  appeals.  But  the  most  amiable 
and  distinguishing  trait  of  Paul's  character 
both  in  the  pulpit  and  out  of  it  was  the  un- 
affected humility  of  his  heart.  Not  only  was 
his  spirit  imbued  with  it  but  he  appeared  at 
all  times  clothed  therewith,  as  with  a  gar- 
ment. Naturally  modest  and  graciously  lowly 
in  heart,  he  never  aspired  to  high  things,  but 
always  condescended  to  men  of  low  estate, 
contented,  nay  gratified,  to  be  the  humble  in- 
strument of  promoting  the  glory  of  God  and 
the  salvation  of  his  fellow  men.  He  died,  as 
he  lived,  under  the  smiles  of  his  Saviour. 
Gradually,  though  rapidly,  wasted  away  by 
consumption,  he  enjoyed  his  reason  and  the 
light  of  God's  countenance  to  the  end.  Hav- 
ing given  direction  about  the  manner  and  place 
of  his  interment,  he  selected  a  text  (II  Tim- 
othy, IV,  7,  8)  for  his  funeral  discourse,  and 
having  taken  a  fond  adieu  of  his  family  and 
friends,  exhorting  them  all  to  "make  Christ 
their  friend,"  he  calmly  fell  asleep. 

Cuffee  was  buried  in  a  little  God's-acre 
near  Canoe  Place,  where  an  Indian  church  still 
stands,  in  which  he  once  preached.  His  grave 
is  still  pointed  out  and  is  distinguished  by  a 
plain  stone  erected  by  the  society  whose  agent 
he  was  during  the  last  thirteen  years  of  his 
useful  life. 

When  Cuffee  passed  away  the  religious  re- 
generation of  the  Indians  seems  to  have  been 
left  to  the  local  preachers  of  Long  Island,  and 
doubtless  they  all  did  their  duty.  But  the  In- 
dian gradually  "weded"  away,  as  we  have  al- 
ready pointed  out.  Possibly  to-day  there  is 
not  a  full-blooded  Indian  to  be  found  on  Long 
Island,  even  those  who  pass  for  such  at  Shin- 
necock  having,  like  Paul  Cuffee  himself,  a 
dash  of  African  blood  in  their  veins.  Still, 
some  of  the  old  customs  are  kept  up  and  many 
of  the  people  display  on  occasion  the  inherent 
fervor  of  the  Indian  and  African  for  matters 
of  religion.  In  the  New  York  World  of  Mon- 
day, June   II,   1900,  appeared  the  following 


account  of  a  celebration  at  the  old  church  at 
Poosepatuck,  so  often  referred  to : 

The  annual  June  meeting  on  the  Poose- 
patuck Indian  Reservation  was  held  yesterday 
in  the  little  church  on  the  hill  overlookmg 
Ford's  River,  two  miles  from  Mastic,  Long 
Island.  It  was  in  commemoration  of  the  two 
hundredth  anniversary  of  the  deed  by  Colonel 
William  Tangier  Smith,  a  British  subject,  of 
the  reservation  to  the  survivors  of  Sachem 
Tobaguss,  of  the  Uncachogue  tribe.  This 
deed  was  given  on  July  2,  1700,  and  ever 
since  then  the  Indians  have  lived  on  the  land. 


For  many  years  the  June  meeting  has  been 
the  greatest  event  of  the  year  with  the  In- 
dians of  the  eastern  end  of  Long  Island.  The 
celebration  to-day  was  not  without  its  pathos, 
for  the  statement  was  made  that  during  the 
last  year  three  leaders  of  the  little  band  had 
crossed  over  to  the  "happy  hunting  grounds," 
leaving  but  one  full-blooded  Indian  in  the 
tribe. 

June  Meeting  Day,  like  the  annual  hunt- 
ers' and  trappers'  spring  garden  fetes,  is  pe- 
culiar to  the  east  end  of  Long  Island.  Nom- 
inally it  is  a  religious  gathering,  but  many  per- 
sons go  out  of  curiosity.  Services  lasting  all 
day  are  held  in  the  little  church,  which  seats 


THE  DECADENCE  OF  THE  ABORIGINES. 


39 


only  sixty  persons.  Sixty  more  can  stand  in 
the  narrow  aisles,  and  the  rest  of  the  crowd 
sit  in  wagons  and  buggies  near  the  doors  and 
windows,  where  they  can  hear  the  preaching 
and  join  in  the  singing  of  hymns  and  the  pe- 
culiar songs  or  worship  handed  down  through 
generations  from  the  Indians. 

Usually  some  neighboring  white  minister 
presides  over  the  June  meeting,,  and  yester- 
day the  Rev.  W.  H.  Stewart,  of  Middle  Island, 
was  in  attendance.  The  other  preachers  were 
the  Rev.  "Deacon"  Carl,  of  the  reservation ; 
the  Rev.  W.  H.  Parker,  of  Centre  Moriches, 
and  Richard  Ward,  chief  of  the  Poosepatuck 
tribe. 

The  morning  was  devoted  to  a  praise  serv- 
ice. This  consisted  of  prayers,  songs  and  the 
telling  of  rehgious  "experiences."  Occasion- 
ally some  of  the  half-breeds  became  so  en- 
thusiastic that  they  would  "shout"  like  old- 
time  Southern  darkies.  In  the  old  days  many 
Indian  families  became  linked  by  marriage 
with  negro  families  brought  over  from  Africa. 

The  "shouting"  which  remotely  suggested 
the  camp  dances  of  the  original  Indians,  was 
first  occasioned  by  the  singing  of  a  song,  part 
of  which  ran: 

Ole  Satan  went  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  well. 

(Don't  you  grieve  after  me  when  I'm  gone.) 
He  missed  his  mark  and  slipped  down  to  hell. 

(Don't  you' grieve  after  me  when  I'm  gone.) 

This  song  was  rendered  with  plenty  of 
foot  patting,  and  rocking  from  side  to  side. 

Mace  Bradley,  the  only  surviving  full- 
blooded  Poosepatuck  Indian  on  Long  Island, 
said  he  felt  that  the  days  of  the  Indians  on  the 
reservation  were  numbered.  The  old  Indian's 
frame  shook  with  emotion  as  he  went  on  to 
exhort  his  fellows  to  lead  pure  lives  and  "look 
upward."  Not  infrequently  the  women 
moaned  aloud,  and  the  men  shouted  "Amen !" 

Richard  Ward,  the  chief  of  the  reservation, 
led  in  singing: 

I've  got  my  breast-kit,  sword  and  shield : 

No  man  a-work-a  like  Him. 
I'm  marchin'  boldly  through  the  field — 

No  man  a-work-a  like  Him. 

Then  in  a  thundering  chorus  all  joined  in 
the  refrain,  those  sitting  in  vehicles  outside 
taking  up  the  air: 

He's  King  of  Kings  and  Lord  of  Lords, — 
Jesus  Christ,  the  first  and  last: 
No  man  a-work-a  like  Him. 


Suddenly  a  woman  half-breed,  shaking 
from  head  to  foot  with  fervor,  pointed  toward 
the  roof  and  sang: 

Jes  look  over  yonder  what  I  see: 

No  man  a-work-a  like  Him. 
See  two  angels  callin'  at  me : 

No .  man  a-work-a  like  Him. 

Verse  after  verse  of  this  hymn  was  sung 
by  volunteers. 

The  afternoon  and  night  services  were 
much  like  those  of  the  forenoon 

The  Indians  referred  to  in  this  article  are 
remnants  of  the  old  Patchogue  or  Setanket 
tribe. 

In  the  old  lands  of  Europe  it  is  common  to 
trace  departed  tribes  and  nations  by  the  names 
of  places,  which  names  have  proved  more  en- 
during monuments,  more  popularly  under- 
stood monuments,  than  could  any  structure 
in  stone  or  "enduring  brass.''  Thus  in  Scot- 
land the  language,  manners  and  customs  of 
the  ancient  Picts  have  vanished  into  the  un- 
known; but  the  evidences  of  their  existence, 
of  their  might  and  of  their  territorial  greatness 
is  retained  in  the  names  of  places  which  are 
still  in  popular  use.  Similar  examples  could 
be  culled  from  the  history  of  Germany,  of 
Italy  and  other  countries.  So,  too,  in  Long 
Island.  It  may  be  said  that  the  red  man  has 
forever  disappeared  from  the  places  which 
were  once  his  own,  but  all  over  its  extent  he 
has  left  behind  him  memorials  of  his  language 
and  his  occupancy  in  the  names  he  gave  to 
many  localities  and  which  still  cling  to  them. 

Gemeco,  or  Jameco,  is  still  remembered  by 
the  old  town  of  Jamaica,  although  William 
W.  Tooker,  the  greatest  of  all  authorities  on 
Long  Island  Indian  lore,  seems  to  think  it  de- 
rived from  Tamaqua,  the  beaver.  Arshamom- 
aque,  or  Hashamomuk,  near  Southold,  still  re- 
tains its  old  Indian  name,  meaning  "where 
wild  flax  grows;"  and  Quogue  (Quaquanan- 
tuck),  Setauket,  Sagg,  Peconic,  Potunk, 
Syosset,  Aquebogue,  Quantuck,  Tuckahoe, 
Nissaquag,  Watchogue,  Ponquogue,  Speonk, 
Seapoose,  Manhasset,  Rockaway,  Noyack,  Ne- 


40 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


guntapoque,  Montauk,  Commac  and  a  hundred 
other  places  still  represent  the  red  man's  as- 
cendancy and  story  throughout  the  island. 
Even  in  Brooklyn,  built  over  and  over  again 
and  changed  and  transformed  as  it  has  been 
since  the  red  man  had  his  village  of  Merech- 
kawikingh  (near  Red  Hook)  in  what  is  now 
the  twelfth  ward,  Indian  names  confront  us. 
Merechkawikingh,  it  is  true,  has  passed  away 
and  been  generally  forgotten  except  by  the 
Antiquaries,  but  we  sometimes  think  of  Black- 
well's  Island  by  its  Indian  name  of  Minna- 
hannock,  Gowanus  is  still  the  name  of  a  lo- 
cality, and  Ipetonga  survives  in  the  name  of 
a  fashionable  club. 

The  Navy  Yard,  writes,  Dr.  Tooker, 
where  the  Marine  Hospital  stands  and  there- 
about was  known  at  a  very  early  period  as 
Rinnegackonck.  According  to  traditions  it 
is  supposed  to  have  been  the  locality  where 
began  the  first  settlement  of  Long  Island; 
but  in  the  light  of  recent  investigation  it  must 
yield  that  honor  to  P^latlands.  The  Indian 
deed  is  dated  July  i6,  1637,  when  "Kakapot- 
eyno  and  Pewichaasf  as  owners  of  this  dis- 
trict by  special  order  of  the  rulers  and  with 
consent  of  the  community  *  *  *  con- 
veyed to  George  Rapalje  a  certain  piece  of 
land  called  Rinnegackonck,  situated  upon 
Long  Island,  south  of  the  island  of  Mana- 
hatasj  ¥  *  *  reaching  from  a  kill  to  the 
woods,  south  and  east  to  a  certain  copse  where 
the  water  runs  over  the  stones,  etc"  The  rec- 
ords give  us :  "The  plantation  of  George 
Rapalje  (called  Rinnegackonck),  i638;Rinne- 
gaconck,  1640;  Renegakonc,  Rinneakonc  and 
Rinnegconck,  1641 ;  Runnegackonck,  1647. 
Have  rented  a  certain  bowery  (farm)  *  *  * 
called  in  Indian  Rinnegackonck,"  1651.  Stiles' 
History  of  Kings  county  gives  it  as  Renne- 
gackonck,  with  the  statement  that  it  was  some- 
times spelt  with  an  i  or  u  in  the  first  syllable. 
It  will  be  notited  that  the  name  belonged  en- 
tirely to  the  plantation  of  George  Rapalje, 


*The  crow:  this  name  is  onomatopoetic. 

tPenawitz  =  "  the  stranger,"  Sachem  of  Massa- 
peague. 

jManahan-otan  ="  Island  town,"  or  "town  on  the 
Island;"  any  other  interpretation  for  this  name  is  inad- 
missible. 


and  not  to  a  creek  as  supposed  by  some.  It 
was  probably  bestowed  upon  that  fertile  and 
well  watered  farm  by  the  Indians  after  Rapalje 
had  entered  upon  the  land  and  improved  it, 
for  the  Indian  titles  were  almost  invariably 
obtained  after  the  land  had  been  taken  posses- 
sion of  by  the  settlers. 

The  name  gives  us  an  instance  occasionally 
occurring  where  the  r  is  used  in  place  of  w 
as  it  should  be,  according  to  the  English  nota- 
tion. Although  the  Dutch  w  has  not  the  same 
primary  sound  or  derivation  as  the  English, 
Heckewelder  wrote :  "There  are  in  the  Dela- 
ware language,  no  such  consonants  as  the  Ger- 
man w  or  the  English  v,  f,  r.  Where  the  w 
in  this  language  is  placed  before  a  vowel  it 
sounds  as  in  English;  before  a  consonant  it 
represents  a  whistled  sound."  Eliot  found 
the  same  difficulty  in  the  Natick  dialect,  for 
he  says  in  his  grammar,  we  call  w  wee,  be- 
cause our  name  giveth  no  power  of  its  sound. 
Many  Indian  names  in  the  townships  west  of 
Southampton,  Long  Island,  show  how  diffi- 
cult it  was  for  our  early  pioneers  to  catch  the 
true  sound  of  the  Indian  names  of  persons  and 
places ;  as  Heckewelder  has  said,  they  had  not 
acquired  an  Indian  ear.  For  instance,  we  find' 
Rioncom  for  Weoncombone,  Ratiocan  or 
Raseokan  for  Ashawoken,  Ra  or  Ronkon- 
kumake  for  Wonkonkooamang,  and  many 
others.  Besides  we  find  some  of  the  familiar 
Indian  n;mies  of  the  eastern  townships  so  ef- 
fectually disguised  under  the  softening  influ- 
ence of  the  Dutch  language  as  to  render  it  dif- 
ficult to  believe  they  are  the  same.  But  in" 
giving  them  the  Dutch  values  in  pronunciation 
we  discover  their  identity.  Again  in  the  short 
vocabulary  taken  down  by  Thomas  Jefferson 
in  1794  from  the  lips  of  an  old  squaw  at 
Pusspa'tok,  in  the  town  of  Brookhaven,  we 
find  the  r  appearing  in  many  words,  showing 
by  comparison  that  she  or  her  kindred,  by  mar- 
riage or  otherwise,  were  originally  from  the 
tribes  of  western  Connecticut.  All  of  which 
open  up  very  interesting  historical  questions 
regarding  Indian  migrations  that  we  at  pres- 
ent cannot  dwell  upon. 

But  the  study  of  Indian  names  belongs 
more  to  the  field  of  the  local  antiquary  than 
to  that  of  the  general  historian,  and  with  this 
reference  the  subject  must  here  rest.  But 
those  who  wish  to  pursue  the  study — and  a 
delightful  study  it  is — will  find  in  the  writings 
of  Dr.  Tooker,  now  collected  in  a  series  of 


THE  DECADENCE  OF  THE  ABORIGINES. 


41 


volumes,  an  able  introduction  and  a  most  sat- 
isfying and  thoroughgoing  guide.  He  has  de- 
voted his  life  to  the  subject  and  his  patient  and 
intelligent  labor  has  been  fruitful  of  endur- 
ing results. 

While  writing  the  closing  paragraphs  of 
this  chapter  a  curious  meeting  has  .been  held 
in  New  York,  which  shows  that  the  few  sur- 
vivors of  the  old  Montauks,  Shinnecocks  and 
other  tribes  are  not  without  some  hope  of 
wresting  from  the  white  squatters  the  land 
•owned  by  their  forefathers.  The  meeting  was 
held  by  members  of  the  United  States  Senate's 
•committee  on  Indian  affairs,  and  its  purpose 
was  to  listen  to  appeals  by  the  representatives 
of  the  old  tribes  for  legislation  which  would 
-enable  them  to  institute  court  proceedings  for 
the  recovery  of  their  lands.  At  the  meeting, 
which  was  held  on  September  22,  1900,  ten  In- 
■dians  represented  the  once  mighty  race.  They 
were  the  Rev.  E.  A.  Johnson,  Dr.  W.  H.  John- 
son, Nathan  J.  Cuffee  and  James  Cuffee,  of 
the  Montauk  Council,  John  Noka,  Joshua 
Noka  and  Donald  Seeter,  of  the  Narragansett 
Council,  David  KeUis,  of  the  Shinnecock 
•Council,  and  Lemuel  Fielding,  of  the  Mohegan 
Council.  From  a  newspaper  report  of  the 
-proceedings  the  following  is  culled  as  being 
-of  a  degree  of  interest  well  worthy  of  being 
preserved  as  a  part  of  the  Indian  story : 

The  Montauks  and  Shinnecocks  have  a 
joint  claim  to  11,000  acres  of  land  at  Mon- 
tauk Point.  The  Narragansetts  demand  a 
tract  of  land  eight  miles  square  half  a 
mile  back  from  Narragansett  Bay,  and  the 
Mohegans  claim  the  reservation  four  miles 
from  Montville,  near  Norwich,  Connecticut, 
and  including  about  sixteen  acres  in  Norwich. 

The  Montauk  Indians  many  years  ago  oc- 
-cupied  Montauk  Point.  About  twenty-five 
years  ago,  as  the  story  of  the  members  of  the  . 
tribe  ran,  the  Montauks  found  they  could  no 
longer  make  a  living  off  their  reservation.  So 
they  decided  to  rent  it  out  to  be  used  for  pas- 
turage by  a  syndicate  known  as  the  Proprie- 
tors' Company.  The  members  of  the  company 
all  took  grazing  allotments,  and  paid  the  tribe 
an  annuity.  About  twenty  years  ago  the  mem- 
bers of  the  company  disagreed,  some  wanting 


a  land  reapportionment,  and  litigation  fol- 
lowed. The  court,  it  is  asserted,  completely 
ignored  the  rights  of  the  Indians  and  ordered 
property  sold  at  public  auction,  and  the  pro- 
ceeds divided  equally  among  the  white  occu- 
pants of  the  land,  who,  the  Indians  claim,  were 
merely  lessees.  The  property  was  sold  to 
Arthur  W.  Benson,  of  Brooklyn,  who  bought 
in  the  11,000  acres  for  $151,000.  The  Indians 
did  not  receive  a  cent  of  this.  It  was  testified 
to  that  Mr.  Benson  afterward  sold  5,000  acres 
of  the  reservation  to  the  Long  Island  Railroad 
Company  for  $600,000. 

Some  of  the  Indians  were  still  on  the  reser- 
vation. Mr.  Benson  hired  Nathaniel  Dominey, 
of  Easthampton,  to  negotiate  for  their  re- 
moval to  Eastiiampton.  Mr.  Dominey  made 
a  good  bargain  for  Mr.  Benson.,  "The  old 
man — he  is  now  .nearly  eighty — ^was  at  the 
hearing  as  the  chosen  friend  of  the  Indians, 
and  he  gave  the  details  of  the  arrangements  he 
made  for  the  removal  of  the  remaining  mem- 
bers of  the  tribe  from  the  lands  of  their  fore- 
fathers. 

"How  many  members  of  the  tribe  were  on 
the  reservation  when  you  opened  negotiations 
with  them  for  their  removal?"  asked  one  of 
the  senators. 

"There  were  eight,  sir.  There  were  the 
Queen,  her  son,  Wyandank  Pharaoh,  who  is 
now  the  rightful  King  of  the  tribe ;  the  Queen's 
two  brothers  and  four  others." 

"What  arrangements  did  you  make  with 
them?" 

"I  agreed  with  the  Queen  that  she  should 
be  paid  $100  semi-annually,  and  that  she 
should  have  two  houses  to  live  in^  which  at 
her  death  were  to  revert  to  Mr.  Benson.  I 
agreed  to  give  her  brothers  $80  each." 

"And  how  about  Wyandank  Pharaoh,  who 
you  say  is  now  the  rightful  King;  what  ar- 
rangements did  you  make  with  him  to  forfeit 
his  rights?" 

"He  signed  them  away  for  $10." 

Among  the  Montauk  Indians  present  were 
the  Rev.  Eugene  A.  Johnson,  a  Presbyterian 
minister,  who  has  a  church  in  Harrisburg, 
Pennsylvania,  and  his  brother.  Dr.  William 
H.  Johnson,  of  103  West  Twenty-ninth  street, 
who  is  a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania. It  was  the  former  who  started  the 
movement  to  restore  their  rights  to  the  Mon- 
tauks. 

"There  are  about  three  hundred  members 
of  the  Montauk  tribe  living,"  said  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Johnson.     "They  are  scattered  through- 


42 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


out  the  United  States,  but  still  keep  up  their 
tribal  relations.  We  have  a  tribal  council,  of 
which  Nathan  J.  Cufifee  is  president,  and  we 
meet  annually.  We  have  tried  to  obtain  our 
rights  in  the  state  courts  and  before  the  state 
legislature,  but  have  been  denied  a  hearing  on 
the  strange  ground  that  we  are  not  'persons.' 
We  occupy  a  unique  position,  being  wards 
both  of  the  state  of  New  York  and  of  the 
United  States.  Being  wards,  we  could  not 
rightfully  dispose  of  our  property  without  the 
consent  of  the  state  and  the  General  Govern- 
ment. That  consent  was  never  secured.  On 
the  contrary,  our  property  was  taken  from  us 
by  shameful  bribery  and  fraud.  The  property 
we  now  claim  is  valued  at  about  $3,000,000." 
David  Kellis  told  the  committee  of  the 
claims  of  the  Shinnecocks.  The  town  of 
Southampton  is  situated  on  the  Shinnecock 
Hills.  The  trustees  for  the  Indians  went  be- 
fore the  legislature  in  1859  for  authority  to 
acquire  the  property.    The  petition  which  they 


presented  to  the  legislature,  he  said,  was  fraud- 
ulent, many  of  the  names  having  been  forged. 
Nevertheless  the  authority  was  granted,  and 
the  land  obtained  for  a  small  portion  of  what 
it  was  worth. 

James  Lewis  Cufifee,  who  is  a  representa- 
tive of  the  family  of  Paul  Cufifee,  the  Indian 
missionary,  gave  the  committee  a  history  of  the 
reservation  since  the  reign  of  Punkamchise, 
King  of  the  Shinnecocks,  in  1703.  He  told 
of  the  gradual  shoving  back  and  disposses- 
sion of  the  Indians  until  there  was  nothing 
left  to  them. 

One  who  watched  the  proceedings  closely 
said  that  the  committee  seemed  satisfied  that 
the  Indians  had  made  out  a  good  prima-facie 
case,  and  there  was  every  possibility  that  the 
subject  would  be  permitted  to  reach  the  courts. 
Such  at  least  would  simply  be  a  measure  of 
justice. 


CHAPTER   IV. 


DISCOVERY— EARLY   WHITE    SETTLEMENTS   AND    POLITICAL  AND 

FINANCIAL   RELATIONS— THE    IMPORTANCE    OF 

THE   WAMPUM   INDUSTRY. 


I 


N  1497  England  sent  out  an  expedition 
under  the  direction  of  the  Cabots  to  try 
and  discover  a  northwest  passage  to  the 
West  Indies.  As  we  all  know,  the  quest 
proved  a  failure;  but  the  expedition  sailed  along 
the  coast  of  the  North  American  continent  from 
Newfoundland  to  Florida.  Did  it  stay  for  a 
while  in  New  York  harbor?  That  is  a  ques- 
tion which  we  fear  can  never  be  answered. 
All  we  know  of  that  voyage  seems  to  indicate 
that  the  adventurers  simply  sailed  as  close  to 
the  coast  line  as  possible  and  seldom  sent 
landing  parties  on  shore.  The  meagre  details 
we  have  simply  represent  the  discovery  of  a 
coast  line,  although  that  was  enough,  it  would 
seem,  when  the  time  came,  to  give  England  a 
foundation  for  a  claim  to  the  whole  of  the 
continent  by  right  of  discovery !  Almost  as 
shadowy  is  the  story  of  John  Verazzano,  v/ho 
in  1524  sailed  along  the  American  coast  on  a 
voyage  of  discovery.  It  seems  more  than 
likely  that  he  spent  some  time  in  New  York 
harbor  and  landed  on  some  of  its  shores.  His 
description  is  well  worth  remembering,  for  it 
is  the  first  glimpse  we  get  of  a  scene  which 
was  soon  to  undergo  remarkable  changes. 

"After  proceeding  one  hundred  leagues  we 
found  a  very  pleasant  situation  among  some 
steep  hills,  through  which  a  large  river,  deep 
at  the  mouth,  forced  its  way  into  the  sea. 
From  the  sea  to  the  estuary  of  the  river  any 
ship  heavily  laden  might  pass  with  the  help 
of  the  tide,  which  rises  eight  feet.    But  as  we 


were  riding  at  anchor  in  a  good  berth  we 
would  not  venture  up  in  our  vessel  without 
a  knowledge  of  the  mouth.  Therefore  we  took 
the  boat  and  entering  the  river  we  found  the 
country  on  the  banks  well  peopled,  the  inhab- 
itants not  differing- much  from  the  others,  be- 
ing dressed  out  with  the  feathers  of  birds  of 
various  colors.  They  came  towards  us  with, 
evident  delight,  raising  loud  shouts  of  admira- 
tion and  showing  us  where  we  could  most 
securely  land  our  boat.  We  passed  up  this 
river  about  half  a  league,  where  we  found 
it  formed  a  most  beautiful  lake,  upon  which 
they  were  rowing  thirty  or  more  of  their  small 
boats  filled  with  multitudes  whb  came  to  see 
us."  He  did  not  stay  long  in  this  beautiful 
scene,  but  passed  northward.  He  saw  natives 
gathering  wampum  on  what  is  now  Rockaway 
Beach  as  he  passed  out,  and  on  his  way  to 
Nantucket  discovered  Block  Island,  to  which 
he  gave  the  name  of  Louise,  the  mother  of 
King  Francis  of  France. 

We  have  vague  and  shadowy  records  of 
other  voyageurs  who  looked  in  more  or  less 
through  the  Narrows  from  the  Lower  Bay, 
but  what  has  reached  us  about  their  move- 
ments and  their  discoveries  is  so  vague  and  un- 
satisfactory that  the  details  belong  rather  to 
the  antiquary  than  to  the  historian.  Estevan 
Gomez,  a  Spanish  adventurer,  began  a  voyage 
across  the  Atlantic  in  1525  and  looked  in  at 
the  Hudson,  so  it  is  claimed;  but  if  he  did 
that  much  he  did  no  more.-    About  1540  we- 


44 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


read  of  French  skippers  ascending  the  "River 
of  the  Steep  Hills"  as  far  as  what  is  now  Al- 
bany in  search  of  furs,  and  there  is  some  evi- 
dence of  their  having  there  built  a  fort  to  pro- 
tect themselves  and  their  possessions.  In  1542 
Jean  Allefonsce,  of  Saintonge,  passed  through 
Long  Island  Sound  and  so  reached  New  York 
Tiarbor,  being  the  first  it  is  supposed  to  have 
managed  that  bit  of  seamanship.  Up  to  that 
time  little  was  known  of  the  Hudson,  although 
if  we  agree  with  Mr.  A.  J.  Weise  ("The  Dis- 
coveries of  America")  that  it  is  the  Norambega 
River  laid  down  upon  some  early  maps,  it  was 
the  subject  of  much  conjecture  and  even  geo- 
graphical romance.  The  knowledge  of  Long 
Island  Sound  was  even  less  scanty, — and  too 
scanty,  in  fact,  even  for  romance  to  weave 
around  it  a  story;  and  some  seventy  years 
were  to  elapse  before  much  more  was  to  be 
learned. 

It  was  early  in  September,  1609,  that  the 
""Half  Moon" — sixty  tons'  burden — under  com- 
mand of  Hendrick,  or  rather  Henry,  Hudson, 
dropped  anchor  in  the  Lower  Bay,  somewhere 
between  Sandy  Hook  and  Coney  Island,  rest- 
ing there,  as  it  were,  in  the  course  of  a  voy- 
age of  discovery  up  the  coast  from  Chesapeake 
Bay.  He  was  sent  here  by  the  East  India 
Company  of  Amsterdam,  and  hoped,  with  the 
experience  gained  in  two  previous  voyages,  to 
discover  that  ignis  fatuus  of  seamanship  even 
tj  a  recent  day — a  northwest  passage  to  India. 
When  he  entered  the  river  which  now  bears  his 
name  he  fondly  imagined  that  he  had  at  last 
solved  the  great  problem.  He  spent  a  few 
days  exploring  the  shores  of  the  bay  and  ques- 
tioning the  natives  as  to  the  water  which  led 
inland.  Sad  to  say,  he  also  had  trouble  with 
these  seemingly  inoffensive  people,  and  they 
Icilled  one  of  his  men ;  but  whether  that  tragedy 
was  enacted  on  Coney  Island  or  on  Sandy 
Hook  is  a  point  on  which  the  antiquaries  have 
not  yet  made  up  their  minds.  They  all  agree, 
however,  that  the  man — ^John  Colman — was 
killed,  and  we  call  it  a  tragedy  because  it  was 
the  beginning  of  a  warfare  which,  whether 
carried  on  by  firearms,  steel,  rum  or  the  dis- 


eases of  civilization,  exterminated  in  time  the 
native  population  whose  gentle,  inoffensive 
qualities  Verazzano  so  clearly  describes.  Hav- 
ing learned  all  he  could,  he  passed  up  the  river 
almost  to  Albany,  and  then,  having  seen 
enough  to  show  him  that  he  had  not  yet  dis- 
covered the  long-sought  passage,  he  made  his 
way  back  to  the  open  sea. 

In   one    respect  the  story  of  his  journey 
along  the  river  which  has  preserved  his  name 
and  is  his  most    enduring    memorial  is  not 
pleasant  reading.     His  treatment  of  the  na- 
tives was  the  reverse  of  kindly,  and  it  has  been 
computed  that    two  hundred  were    killed  by 
Hudson  and  his  crew  during  the  trip  up  and 
down  the  river.    They  seem  to  have  been  gen- 
erally friendly  and  inoffensive,  over-curious  in 
many  respects,  and  off  Stony  Point  one  was 
caught,  so  it  is  said,  in  the  act  of  stealing  from 
the  ship.    To  this  malefactor  was  at  once  ap- 
plied the  law  of  the  white  man,  and  he  was  shot 
while  trying  to  escape  with  his  plunder.  This 
led  to  a  rupture  of  friendly  relations  in  that 
neighborhood,  and  when    the    upper  end  of 
Manhattan  Island  was  reached  there  was  a 
sort  of  naval  battle,  Indians,  canoes  and  arrows, 
on  the  one  side  and  the  "Half  Moon  and  fire- 
arms on  the  other,  and  the  "Half  Moon"  won. 
We  read  of  another  naval  battle  a  little  way, 
further  down,  but  with  the  same  result:   The, 
natives  could  not  withstand  gunpowder.     So 
Hudson  reached  the  open  sea  in  safety,  but  left 
behind  him  memories   which  in  after  years 
were  to  help,  with  later  stories  of  cruelty  and 
wrong,  to  make  the  red  man,  as  occasion  of- 
fered and  as  long  as  opportunities  remained, 
wreak  a  terrible  vengeance.    But  Hudson  did 
even  more  than   this;   wherever    he    lainded 
and  the  Indians  proved  friendly,  or  whenever 
a  party  of  them  on  kindly  service  bent  visited 
the  "Half  Moon,"  the  fire-water  was  produced 
to  bring  about  a  revel,  and  of  the  orgies  and 
excesses  which  followed  each  production  of 
that  agent  of  civilization  the  Indian    tradi- 
tions told  in  graphic  vividness  for  many  a 
year. 

His  report  to  his  employers  in  Amsterdam 


DISCOVERY— EARLY  WHITE    SETTLEMENTS. 


4& 


was  in  one  sense  a  disappointment.  It  did 
not  imveil  the  desired  northwest  passage,  and 
so  was  a  failure;  but  its  account  of  the  re- 
sources of  the  country  he  had  seen  and  its 
opportunities  for  trade  were  not  lost  in  a  com- 
munity whose  merchants  were  then  the  most 
far-reaching  and  enterprising  in  the  world.  He 
told  of  the  rich  trade  in  peltries  that  awaited 
a  gatherer,  and  it  was  not  long  before  some 
enterprising  merchants  chartered  a  ship  to 
cross  the  ocean  and  bring  back  a  load  of  furs. 
That  venture  proved  a  signal  success,  and  the 
trade  of  the  old  Netherlands  with  the  New 
Netherland  may  thus  be  said  to  have  com- 
menced. In  1612  Holland  merchants  syndi- 
cated and  sent  out  the  Fortune,  under  com- 
mand of  Hendrick  Christiaensen,  and  the 
Tiger,  under  command  of  Adriaen  Block,  and 
in  the  following  year  three  more  vessels  were 
despatched  to  the  Mauritius  River,  as  for  a 
time  the  Hudson  was  called. 

Of  these  expeditions  our  interest  here  cen- 
ters mainly  in  that  of  Block.  His  ship  per- 
formed her  mission  successfully  and  was  load- 
ed ready  for  the  return  journey  when  she  was 
destroyed  by  fire.  He  and  his  crew  at  once 
got  sufficient  timber  to  build  another  ship; 
'  but  as  it  was  too  small  to  attempt  to  cross  the 
ocean.  Block  determined  to  spend  the  time  until 
a  fresh  ship  could  come  from  Holland  in  ex- 
ploration. In  his  new  boat — the  Restless — ^^he 
explored  the  waters  of  Long  Island,  both  on 
the  sound  and  the  ocean  front,  discovered  it 
to  be  an  island,  and  then  passing  along  the 
mainland  he  explored  the  Connecticut  River, 
the  Narragansett,  rounded  Cape  Cod  and  en- 
tered Massachusetts  Bay.  Every  day  seemed 
to  bring  a  new  discovery,  and  his  imagination 
was  kept  on  the  stretch  inventing  names  for 
the  rivers,  points,  islands  and  bays  which  he 
passed.  His  own  name  survives  to  us  in  Block 
Island,  and  to  him  also  is  due  the  name  of 
Hellegat — now  Hellgate — simply  after  a 
branch  of  the  Scheld  in  his  native  land,  al- 
though the  name  has  long  been  a  theme  for 
wrangling  among  the  etymologists.  While  still 
exploring  he  met   in   with  his    old    cruising 


ship,  the  Fortune,  returning  with  a  second 
cargo  to  Holland,  and,  leaving  the  Restless  in 
charge  of  Cornelius  Hendricksen,  he  boarded 
the  Fortune  and  returned  to  Holland.  America 
saw  him  no  more,  and  he  passed  seemingly 
into  the  shadows,  for  nothing  appears  to  be 
known  of  his  after  life.  He  was  certainly  a 
faithful,  as  he  was  one  of  the  first  of  the  ser- 
vants of  the  East  India  Company  (which  was 
chartered  in  1614,  the  charter  of  the  West 
India  Company  dating  from  1621),  and  he  is 
also  entitled  to  remembrance  as  having  been 
the  first  ship-builder  in  America,  for  we  take 
it  that  the  watergoing  craft  of  the  Indians 
never  got  beyond  the  canoe  stage. 

Hendrick  Christiaensen,  who  in  1612  was 
sent  out  in  command  of  the  Fortune,  the  con- 
sort of  Block's  ill-fated  Tiger,  was  appointed 
agent  of  the  home  authorities  with  instruc- 
tions to  open  a  trading  station  on  Manhattan 
Island.  This  he  did  in  1661,  when  he  con- 
structed a  little  fort  and  four  log  houses  on 
the  site  now  occupied  by  39  Broadway.  This 
was  the  beginning  of  New  York — or  rather, 
to  put  it  more  cotrectly,  of  the  present  part 
of  New  York  known  as  the  Borough  of  Man- 
hattan. No  doubt  his  agents  soon  crossed  the 
East  River  and  established  business  relations 
'  with  the  Indians  there.  The  first  white  set- 
tlement on  Long  Island,  however,  was  not 
made  until  1636,  so  far  as  has  been  determined, 
and  that  story  is  told  in  another  chapter.  The 
credit  of  the  early  discovery  of  Long  Island 
must  be  given  to  Adriaen  Block,  for  although 
Verazzano  and  Hudson  both  saw  it  before  him 
and  John  Colman  very  possibly  yielded  up  his 
life  there  rather  unwillingly,  there  seems  no 
doubt  that  Block  first  determined  its  true  char- 
acter as  an  island  by  his  own  explorations, 
aided  by  those  of  Cornelissen  Mey,  another 
doughty  Dutch  sailor. 

The  Dutch  certainly  had  a  high  apprecia- 
tion of  the  value  of  Long  Island,  or  at  least 
of  the  little  portion  of  it  of  which  they  had 
practical  knowledge — for  even  in  the  most 
powerful  of  their  days  the  agents  of  the  West 
India  Trading  Company  never  exercised  any 


46 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


real  or  lasting  authority  over  any  part  east  of 
an  imaginary  straight  line  drawn  from  Oyster 
Bay  to  the  south  shore.  In  1640  a  Dutch  trav- 
eler spoke  of  Long  Island  as  "the  crown  of  the 
Netherlands,"  and  to  the  Dutch  must  be 
awarded  the  palm  of  premier  settlement.  In 
June,  1636,  one  of  Governor  Van  Twiller's  sub- 
ordinates, Jacob  Van  Corlaer,  bought  from  the 
Indians  a  piece  of  land  called  Castuteauw  on 
Seawan-hackey,  or  Long  Island,  between  the 
bay  of  the  North  River  and  the  East  River. 
He  was  an  enterprising  man,  held  the  office 
of  commissary  of  cargoes  and  taught  school ; 
but  he  probably  bought  this  premier  piece  of 
property  as  a  speculation.  He  obtained  after- 
ward patents  for  other  "parcels"  and  became 
magistrate  in  New  Utrecht,  but,  like  most 
speculators,  he  seems  to  have  over-reached 
himself,  for  in  1672  he  became  a  bankrupt. 
In  1636,  too,  several  other  purchases  of  Long 
Island  lands  were  made;  and  although  it  was 
not  long  after  that  much  of  the  land  was  made 
ready  for  agricultural  purposes,  yet  we  must 
confess  that  all  our  inquiries  lead  to  the  belief 
that  the  first  actual  settler  to  make  his  home 
on  Long  Island  was  Joris  Jansen  Rapalje,  who 
on  June  16,  1637,  obtained  a  grant  of  land  at 
Wallabout.  On  this  subject  reference  is  made 
at  greater  length  in  a  subsequent  chapter  of 
this  history. 

Lying  as  it  (did  between  the  Dutch  settle- 
ment of  New  Amsterdam  and  the  English 
colony  in  Connecticut,  both  made  up  of  in- 
trepid pioneers  eagerly  engaged  in  the  war  of 
wealth  and  hungry  for  jurisdiction  over  fresh 
soil  with  all  its  advantages,  the  facilities  of 
the  times  made  most  of  the  northern  shore  and 
all  of  the  eastern  end  of  Long  Island  much 
nearer  Connecticut  than  New  Amsterdam,  and 
a  struggle  for  possession  and  rule  became  im- 
minent soon  after  1639,  when  Lion  Gardiner 
acquired  the  island  which  now  bears  his  name. 
Not  many  months  afterward  Sbuthold  and 
Southampton  were  settled  by  English  colo- 
nists. The  enterprise  of  these  men  carried 
them  as  near  to  New  Amsterdam  as  Hemp- 
stead, but  that  was  too  much  for  the  Dutch, 


and  they  drove  the  unauthorized  intruders 
back  to  the  eastern  end.  Still  the  Dutch  were 
not  afraid  to  welcome  settlers  who  placed 
themselves  under  their  rule  and  protection  in 
orderly  fashion,  for  even  in  1640  they  per- 
mitted Gravesend  to  be  founded  by  Lady 
Moody  and  her  associates,  and  in  1643  they 
allowed  a  settlement  of  English  people  from 
New  England  to  be  founded  at  Hempstead. 
But  such  settlements  obtained  patents  from  the 
Dutch  Governors  and  were  amenable  to  the 
laws  imposed  by  "their  High  Mightinesses." 
In  the  eastern  end  the  communities  would  have 
none  of  this  and  looked  to  New  England  for 
protection  and  law.  New  England,  too,  claimed 
jurisdiction  over  the  entire  island  by  virtue  of 
the  terms  of  the  charter  of  1620  given  to  the 
Plymouth  Colony,  and  the  Earl  of  Stirling 
claimed  possession  by  virtue  of  the  grant  given 
to  him  in  1635.  We  will  have  more  to  say  of 
this  nobleman  and  his  claims  in  another  chap- 
ter, and  it  must  suffice  here  to  state  that  the 
rights  of  himself  and  his  heirs  were  fully  ac- 
knowledged in  the  earlier  land  transactions  in 
the  eastern  end  of  the  island  by  the  English 
settlers.  The  eastern  towns  each  formed  an  in- 
dependent community  in  itself  and  all  seem  to 
have  made  treaties  on  their  own  account  with 
the  authorities  at  New  Haven  or  of  Connecti- 
cut, before  and  after  September  15,  1650, 
when  the  dividing  line  between  the  Dutch  and 
English  sphere  of  influence  was  fixed  at  Oyster 
Bay  between  the  high  contracting  parties.  The 
English  system  was  illustrated  even  in  this 
little  transaction,  for  there  was  some  doubt 
as  to  whether  Oyster  Bay  itself  was  in  the 
Dutch  or  English  "sphere."  But  the  English 
claimed  it  and  the  result  of  a  long  and  windy 
exchange  of  missives  was  that  they  retained  it. 
In  Professor  Alexander  Johnston's  inter- 
esting monograph  on  the  History  of  Connecti- 
cut (in  "American  Commonwealths"  series) 
we  read  (page  138) : 

Long  Island  had  never  been  more  than 
nominally  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Dutch. 
They  had  planted  a  few  farms  at  its  western 
end,  but  the  rest  was  a  wilderness.    Among 


DISCOVERY— EARLY  WHITE    SETTLEMENTS. 


47 


the  multitude  of  conflicting  and  unintelligible 
grants  made  by  the  Council  of  Plymouth  was 
one  to  the  Earl  of  Stirling,  covering  Long 
Island.  The  grantee  seems  to  have  claimed 
ownership  only,  not  jurisdiction.  Practically, 
therefore,  when  his  agent  sold  a  piece  of  ter- 
ritory, the  new  owners  became  an  independent 
political  community,  with  some  claims  against 
them,  but  no  direct  control.  The  island  was 
thus  in  much  the  same  position  as  the  Con- 
necticut territory  before  the  first  irruption  of 
settlers,  and  offered  much  the  same  attractions 
as  a  place  of  refuge  for  persons  or  communi- 
ties who  had  found  the  connection  between 
church  and  state  grievous.  A  company  from 
Lynn,  Massachusetts,  bought  the  township  of 
Southampton  from  Stirling's  agent,  April  17, 
1640.  There  were  at  first  but  sixteen  persons 
in  the  company,  Abraham  Pierson  being  their 
minister.  This  was  the  church  which,  first  re- 
moving to  Branford  in  1644,  when  Southamp- 
ton became  a  Connecticut  town,  finally  settled 
at  Newark,  New  Jersey.  Easthampton  was 
settled  about  1648  by  another  Lynn  party,  and 
was  received  as  a  Connecticut  town  November 
7,  1649.  The  town  of  Huntington,  though  part 
of  it  was  bought  from  the  Indians  by  Governor 
Eaton,  of  New  Haven,  in  1646,  really  dates 
from  about  1653.  May  17,  1660,  it  was  re- 
ceived as  a  Connecticut  town.  There  were 
thus  three  Connecticut  towns  on  Long  Island, 
in  addition  to  Southold,  the  New  Haven  town- 
ship. Between  these  and  the  really  Dutch  set- 
tlements at  the  western  end  of  the  island  there 
were  English  settlements  at  Hempstead;  but- 
those  acknowledged  a  much  closer  dependence 
on  the  Dutch  authorities. 

To  all  these  claims  the  Dutch  were  fully 
cognizant.  In  a  "Description  of  New  Nether- 
land,"  written  in  1649,  and  which  was  trans- 
lated and  printed  by  the  New  -York  Histori- 
cal Society  in  1849,  we  read : 

Long  Island,  which  by  its  fine  situation, 
noble  bays  and  havens,  as  well  as  by  its  fine 
lands,  may  be  called  the  crown  of  the  prov- 
ince, is  also  entirely  invaded  by  them  [New 
England  settlers]  except  at  the  western  ex- 
tremity, where  are  two  Dutch  villages,  Breuk- 
elin  and  Amersfoort,  which  are  not  of  much 
consequence,  and  a  few  English  villages,  as 
Gravesant,  Greenwyck,  Mespat — where  dur- 
ing the  war  the  inhabitants  were  expelled  and 
since  confiscated  by  Director  Kieft.  But  the 
owners  having  appealed,  it  is  yet  in  statu  quo. 


There  are  not  many  inhabitants  now.  Also 
Vlissingen,  a  fine  viUage,  well  stocked  with  cat- 
tle; and  fourthly  and  last,  Heemsted,  better 
than  the  others  and  very  rich  in  cattle. 

But  as  we  are  now  on  Long  Island  we  will 
(as  it  seems  the  British  are  craving  this  in 
particular)  say  a  little  more  about  it.  From 
the  beginning  of  our  settling  here,  this  island 
has  been  inhabited  by  the  Dutch.  In  1640 
a  Scotchman  came  to  Director  Kieft,  having  an 
EngHsh  commission,  and  claimed  the  island, 
but  his  pretence  was  not  much  regarded  and 
he  departed  again  without  effecting  anything 
except  to  rouse  a  little  of  the  mob.  Afterward 
the  Director  Kieft  subdued  and  destroyed  the 
British  who  wished  to  trade  in  Oyster  Bay; 
and  thus  it  remained  for  some  time.  Another 
Scotchman  came  in  1647,  named  Captain  For- 
ester, and  claimed  this  island  in  the  name  of 
the  dowager  Van  Sterling,  whose  Governor 
he  pretended  to  be.  He  had  a  commission 
dated  the  i8th  year  of  King  James'  reign;  but 
it  was  not  signed  by  the  King  noT  by  any- 
body else.  His  commission  covered  the  whole 
of  Long  Island,  with  five  surrounding  islands, 
as  well  as  the  main  land.  He  also  had  a  power 
of  attorney  from  Maria,  dowager  Van  Ster- 
ling. Nevertheless  the  man  valued  these  pa- 
pers much,  and  said  on  his  arrival  he  would 
examine  the  commission  of  Governor  Stuyve- 
sant.  If  it  was  better  than  his,  he  would  give 
it  up;  if  not,  Stuyvesant  must.  In  short,  the 
Director  took  copies  of  these  papers  and  sent 
the  man  over  in  the  Valkemer ;  but  the  vessel 
touching  in  England  he  did  not  arrive  in  Hol- 
land. 

Under  the  terms  of  its  charter  Connecticut 
claimed  Long  Island  as  an  integral  part  of  its 
territory  and  was  exercising  full  territorial 
rights  over  it  when,  in  1664,  the  Dutch  colony 
suddenly  passed  under  English  rule.  Then 
Connecticut  fondly  imagined  it  had  come  into 
its  own,  but  the  influence  of  Manhattan  Island 
proved  too  strong,  and  although  the  negotia- 
tions on  the  point  were  long  drawn  out  and 
keenly  contested,  it  was  finally  .determined  that 
the  whole  of  the  island  was  to  be  a  part  of  the 
New  York  colony,  while  Connecticut  had  its 
jurisdiction  extended  along  the  opposite  shore 
of  the  sound.  Probably  it  was  the  best  arrange- 
ment which  could  have  been  made  for  Con- 
necticut, but  it  was  hardly  agreeable  to  the 


A  BIT  OF  PARDAEGAT  WOODS. 


DISCOVERY— EARLY   WHITE    SETTLEMENTS. 


49 


"English"  towns  on  the  island.  When  the 
Dutch  regained  possession  of  New  Amsterdam 
all  the  towns  on  Long  Island,  except  South- 
old,  Southampton  and  Easthampton,  submitted 
to  the  representatives  of  the  States  General. 
But  these  three  held  out,  asked  for  aid  from 
Connecticut,  and  a  war  between  that  colony 
and  New  York  was  imminent  when  the  news 
came  that  the  Dutch  regime  had  again  passed 
and  England  was  once  more  in  possession. 
Even  then  an  effort  was  made  to  have  the 
eastern  end  of  the  island  declared  under  the 
rule  of  Connecticut,  but  this  request  was  em- 
phatically denied  and  the  idea  was  abandoned. 
But  even  to  this  day  the  people  in  the  eastern 
part  of  Long  Island  look  upon  Connecticut 
folk  as  their  neighbors  rather  than  those  who 
dwell  west  of  the  old  historic  dividing  line. 
While  the  possession  of  the  land  for  specu- 
lative, agricultural  or  hunting  purposes  made 
Long  Island  seem  a  jewel  to  the  Dutch  and 
the  English,  settlers  gladly  availed  themselves 
of  it  as  an  extended  place  of  refuge  for  politi- 
cal and  religious  freedom.  There  is  no  doubt 
from  the  references,  sometimes  half  implied 
and  sometimes  openly  expressed  in  the  earlier 
documents  on  which  we  base  our  histories, 
that  Its  possession  was  desired  for  another 
cause.  It  was  in  wampum  that  the  red  man 
transacted  most  of  his  dealings  and  measured 
values,  and  wampum  was  the  real  treasure  of 
Long  Island,  as  gold  was  the  treasure  of  Cali- 
fornia in  the  eyes  of  the  'forty-niners.  Cor- 
nelius Van  Tienhoven,  Secretary  of  the  New 
Netherland,  wrote  on  this  point  very  clearly 
in  a  tractate  written  in  1650  and  containing 
"Information  relative  to  taking  up  land,"  in- 
tended for  the  guidance  of  intending  immi- 
grants from  the  Netherlands :  "I  begin  then," 
he  said,  "at  the  most  easterly  corner  of  Long 
Island,  being  a  point  situate  on  the  main  ocean, 
inclosing  within,  westward,  a  large  inland  sea 
(Gardiner's  Bay)  adorned  with  divers  fair  ha- 
vens and  bays  fit  for  all  sorts  of  craft;  this 
point  is  entirely  covered  with  trees  without 
any  flatts,  and  is  somewhat  hilly  and  stoney; 
very  convenient  for  cod-fishing,  which  is  most 


successfully  followed  by  the  natives  during  the 
season.  This  point  is  also  well  adapted  to  se- 
cure the  trade  of  the  natives  in  wampum  (the 
mine  of  New  Netherland),  since  in  and  about 
the  above  mentioned  sea  and  the  islands  therein 
situate  lie  the  cockles  whereof  wampum  is 
made,  from  which  great  profit  could  be  real- 
ized by  those  who  would  plant  a  colonic  or 
hamlet  on  the  aforesaid  hook  for  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  land,  for  raising  all  sorts  of  cattle,, 
for  fishing  and  the  wampum  trade."  A  docu- 
ment like  this  is  evidence  that  the  Dutch  au- 
thorities were  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the 
entire  resources  of  Long  Island ;  that  they  were 
anxious  to  invite  settlers  even  to  its  most  in- 
accessible parts  (from  New  Amsterdam),  and 
that  they  knew  and  appreciated  most  thorough- 
ly the  site  of  the  most  valuable  deposits  of 
the  most  popular  medium  of  exchange.  It 
shows  also  that  they  entirely  ignored  the  set- 
tlements from  New  England  and  ar;y  claim 
which  Connecticut  or  New  Haven  might  make 
to  the  island,  and  prompts  us  to  think  that. 
Lion  Gardiner  had  other  purposes  in  view  than 
merely  agricultural  when  he  obtained  by  pur- 
chase from  the  Indians  and  by  grant  from  the 
heirs  of  Lord  Stirling  the  island  which  has 
perpetuated  his  name  and  which  continues  to 
be  the  home  of  his  descendants. 

On  the  value  of  their  wampum  trade  pt 
Long  Island  a  modern  writer  (John  Fiske  in. 
his  "Quaker  and  Dutch  Colonies,"  Vol.  I,  page 
174)  graphically  summarized  the  subject  as 
follows : 

Those  shores  were  a  kind  of  primitive 
American  mint.  For  ages  untold  the  currency 
of  the  red  men  had  been  wampum  or  strings, 
of  beads  made  from  sea-shells.  There  were 
two  sorts,  the  white  beads  made  from  a  kind 
of  periwinkle  and  the  black  beads  made  from 
the  clam.  It  had  some  of  the  features  of  a. 
double  standard,  inasmuch  as  the  black  wam- 
pum was  worth  about  twice  as  much  as  the 
white;  but  as  no  legal-tender  act  obliged  any- 
body to  take  the  poorer  coin  for  more  than  its. 
intrinsic  value,  no  confusion  resulted.  It  was 
good  currency,  for  it  had  an  intrinsic  value 
that    was  well    understood    and    remarkably 


50 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


steady  as  long  as  Indians  continued  to  form 
an  important  portion  of  the  trading  world.  For 
any  material  to  be  fit  to  serve  as  a  currency 
three  conditions  are  indispensable:  i.  It  must 
be  an  object  of  desire  for  its  own  sake  apart 
from  its  use  as  currency.  2.  It  must  be  diffi- 
cult to  obtain.  3.  Its  value  must  not  be  sub- 
ject to  fluctuations.  Wampum  satisfied  these 
conditions.  It  was  used  for  a  number  of  pur- 
poses, and  in  particular  was  highly  prized  for 
personal  adornment.  In  order  to  find  it  one 
must  go  to  its  native  coasts  and  gather  the 
shells  and  prepare  them,  and  the  areas  in  which 
these  shells  occurred  were  limited.  Since  warh- 
pum  thus  cost  labor,  it  could  easily  serve  as  a 
measure  of  other  labor.  The  amount  of  labor 
involved  in  getting  a  beaver  skin  could  read- 
ily be  estimated  in  terms  of  the  effort  involved 
in  getting  a  fathom  of  beads.  *  *  *  j^-  j^^s 
been  well  said,  "Wampum  was  the  magnet 
that  drew  the  beaver  out  of  interior  forests," 
or  in  other  words,  it  was  for  th_  white  men 
a  currency  redeemable  in  those  peltries  which 
were  wanted  throughout  the  civilized  world.' 
Now  the  shores  of  Long  Island  abounded 
in  the  shells  of  which  wampum  is  made,  and 
the  Indians  upon  those  shores  were  the  chief 
manufacturers  of  wampum  on  the  whole  At- 
lantic coast. 


Wampum  seems  to  have  been  found  all 
along  the  coasts  of  Long  Island,  and  that  fact 
gave  to  the  place  one  of  its  earliest  European 
names,  Seawanhacky,  or  "Island  of  Seawan," 
seawan  being  the  Indian  name  for  the  money. 
Wampum,  or  white  money,  was  made  of  the 
stock  of  the  periwinkle,  suckauhock,  or  black 
money,  from  the  purple  inside  of  the  shell  of 
the  quahaug  or  clam,  a  shellfish  that  buried 
itself  in  the  sand  and  was  generally  found  in 
deep  water.  The  black  money  was  equal  in 
value  to  twice  that  of  the  wampum  or  white 
money.  The  crude  material  was  transformed 
into  cylinders,  highly  polished,  about  an  eighth 
of  an  inch  in  diameter  and  a  quarter  of  an 
inch  long  and  strung  upon  hempen  or  skin 
cords.  The  unit  of  value  was  a  "fathom," 
a  string  measuring  from  the  end  of  the  little 
finger  to  the  elbow  and  equivalent  to  five  shill- 
ings in  English  colonial  money  and  four  guil- 


ders in  Dutch.  It  used  to  be  averred  among 
the  Dutch  colonists  that  the  Indians  always 
sent  an  agent  with  a  very  long  forearm  or  a 
very  short  forearm  according  to  the  circum- 
stances in  which  the  measuring  was  to  be  done ! 

It  is  curious  that  as  even  as  early  as  1641 
there  was  talk  of  depreciated  currency  in  wam- 
pum transactions.  The  Indians  presented  oys- 
ter shells  which  had  no  intrinsic  value  among 
themselves,  but  were  accepted  implicitly  by 
the  unsophisticated  white  colonists ;  but  a  later 
generation  of  the  latter  got  even  with  the  red 
man  by  handing  him  wampum  made  in  French 
factories.  While  the  shells  which  produced  the 
white  and  black  currency  were  found  all  along 
the  coast  line  the  richest  deposits  were  those 
of  Gardiner's  Bay,  and  there  the  Montauks 
and  Manhassets  had  established  a  sort  of  prim- 
itive mint,  which  they  zealously  guarded  from 
outside  interference.  It  is  said  that  the  posses- 
sions of  this  wealth  made  the  Long  Island  In- 
dians more  amenable  to  the  influence  of  civili- 
zation than  their  brethren  inland,  which  means 
that,  having  the  wherewithal,  they  more  read- 
ily secured  the  white  man's  guns  and  rum. 
Certainly  they  offered,  on  the  whole,  a  less 
ferocious  opposition  to  the  white  settlers  than 
did  the  aborigines  in  New  England  and  north- 
ern and  western  New  York. 

But  the  possession  of  this  wealth  brought 
its  cares  and  anxieties  and  its  dangers.  A 
recent  writer,  summarizing  the  information 
presented  by  Weeden,  the  historian  of  wam- 
pum, says: 


Dutch  settlers  early  recognized  the  value  of 
a  monopoly  in  handling  this  wampum;  hence 
their  persistent  opposition  to  immigration  and 
the  settlement  of  Lord  Stirling's  colonists, — 
a  persistency  practiced  by  the  Indians  in  turn, 
when  Montauk's  Sachem  repelled  incursions 
upon  the  minting  ground  made  by  interior 
tribes  to  secure  both  wampum  and  shells  in 
primitive  form.  But  the  demand  for  wampum 
so  increased  that  more  powerful  tribes,  headed 
by  Narrigansetts,  Pequots  and  Mohawks, 
united  to  compel  annual  payment  from  the 


DISCOV©B.jy— EARLY   WHITE    SETTLEMENTS. 


51 


Great  South  and  Shinnecock  Bay  dans  of 
tribute  money,  expressed  in  wampum  for  a 
protection  and  service  never  rendered.  The 
demands  were  complied  with,  however,  from 
sheer  inability  to  resist,  and  so  constant  fear 
kept  the  clans  toiling  to  manufacture  and  pay 
tribute,  their  mint  thus  becoming  a  source  of 
untold  misery.  Governor  Kieft,  from  New 
York,  tried  a  similar  experiment,  but  met  with 
utter  failure.  He  levied  a  tax,  payable  in 
wampum,  for  the  rebuilding  of  Fort  Amster- 
dam. But  the  wily  red  man  sent  back  his  col- 
lector with  a  message  that  they  did  not  want 
the  fort.  It  was  no  protection  to  them,  ninety 
miles  away,  and  they  failed  to  see  any  reason 
for  giving  up  valuables  at  the  Governor's  re- 
quest when  they  were  to  receive  from  him 
nothing  in  return.  Stuyvesant,too,"the  valiant, 
weatherbeaten,  mettlesome,  obstinate,  leathern- 
sided,  lion-hearted,  generous-spirited  old  Gov- 
ernor," as  he  is  called  by  Father.  Knicker- 
bocker, had  his  eyes  turned  toward  the  Long- 
Island  minting  grounds,  but  never  seems  to 
have  realized  anything  therefrom. 

In  1628  the  Bradford  papers  record  "no 
inconsiderate  profit  in  the  trade  with  wampum 
peake,"  and  from  the  same  source  comes  this 
statement:  "The  Kennebec  colony  bought 
fifty  pounds  of  it.  At  first  it  stuck,  and  it  was 
two  years  before  they  could  put  of  this  small 
quantity,  till  ye  inland  people  knew  of  it,  and 
afterward  they  could  scarce  ever  gett  enough 
for  them,  for  many  years  together."  In  1629 
wampum  is  referred  to  as  being  in  a  manner 
the  currency  of  the  cquntry.  In  1642  good 
wampum  passed  at  four  and  loose  beads  at 
six  for  a  stiver.  It  is  a;lso  reported  that  same 
year  to  the  Lords  of  Trade  as  being  the  cur- 
rency used  in  the  Unitjed  Netherlands — eight 
white  and  four  black  ;  beads  passing  for  a 
stiver. 

Wampum  was  received  in  payment  of 
taxes,  judgments  and  all  court  fees,  and,  as 
Weeden  says,  was  the  magnet  which  drew 
beaver  out  of  interior  forests.  It  passed  cur- 
rent in  contribution  boxes  on  Sunday  and 
served  all  purposes  for  which  tobacco  was  legal 
tender  in  Virginia.  In  1683  the  Flatbush 
schoolmaster  received  his  salary  in  wheat  at 
wampum  value,  and  in  1693  the  ferriage  of 
each  passenger  iDetween  New  York  and  Brook- 
lyn was  eight  stivers  of  wampum.  Kieft,  after 
a  quarrel  with  the  Raritans,  offered  a  bounty 
of  ten  fathoms  of  wampum  to  every  one  who 
was  sixty  pence. 


For  purposes  of  personal  adornment  wam- 
pum seems  to  have  remained  an  object  of  value 
among  the  Long  Island  Indians  until  they  had 
fallen  so  low  that  all  ideas  of  personal  adorn- 
ment were  abandoned.  Belts  of  wampum, 
necklaces  of  wampum  and  ornaments  of  all 
sorts  were  the  most  undisputable  evidences  of 
personal  wealth.  A  wampum  belt  was  -among 
the  chiefs  an  emblem.  "A  belt,"  Says  Thomp- 
son, "was  sent  with  all  public  messages  and 
preserved  as  a  record  between  nations.  If  a 
message  was  sent  without  the  belt  it  was  con- 
sidered an  empty  word  unworthy  of  remem- 
brance. If  the  belt  was  returned,  it  was  a  re- 
jection of  the  offer  or  proffer  accompanying  it. 
If  accepted  it  was  a  confirmation  and  strength- 
ened friendships  or  effaced  injuries.  The  belt 
with  appropriate  emblems  worked  in  it  was 
also  the  record  of  domestic  transactions.  The 
confederation  of  the  Five  Nations  was  thus 
recorded.  The  cockle-shells  had  indeed  more 
virtue  among  Indians  than  pearls,  gold  and 
silver  had  among  Europeans.  Seawan  was  the 
seal  of  a  contract — the  oath  of  fidelity.  It 
satisfied  murders  and  all  other  injuries,  pur- 
chased peace  and  entered  into  the  religioue  as 
well  as  civil  ceremonies  of  the  natives.  A 
string  of  seawan  was  delivered  by  the  orator 
in  public  council  at  the  close  of  every  distinct 
proposition  to  others  as  a  ratification  of  the 
truth  and  sincerity  of  what  he  said;  and  the 
white  and  black  strings  of  seawan  were  tied 
by  the  pagan  priest  around  the  neck  of  the 
-white  dog,  suspended-to  a  pole  and  offered  as  a 
sacrifice  to  T'halonghyawaagon,  the  Upholder 
of  the  Skies,  the  God  of  the  Five  Nations." 

In  all  the  great  seals  of  the  province  of 
New  York  from  1691  to  the  Revolution  a  roll 
of  wampum  is  held  in  the  hands  of  one  of  the 
two  Indians  represented  as  offering  tribute  to 
the  British  sovereigns.  As  many  as  ten  thou- 
sand shells  were  often  woven  into  a  single  belt 
four  inches  wide.  Wampum  continued  to  be 
gathered  on  Long  Island  until  the  nineteenth 
century  was  pretty  well  advanced,  for  Gabriel 
Furman  in  his  notes  on  "Long  Island  An- 


52 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


tiquities,"  written  about  1834,  records  that 
even  then  "wampum  is  manufactured  on  this 
island  to  be  sent  to  the  Indians  in  the  Western 
States  and  Territories  for  the  purpose  both  of 
a  circulating  medium  and  of  conventions  and 
treaties.      In    the    summer    of    1831    several 


bushels  of  wampum  were  brought  from  Baby- 
lon, on  this  island,  and  the  person  who  had 
them  stated  that  he  had  procured  them  for 
an  Indian  trader,  and  that  he  was  in  the  habit 
of  supplying  them.  This  wampum  was  bored, 
but  not  strung." 


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CHAPTER   V. 


THE  DUTCH— SOME  EARLY  GOVERNORS— PETER  STUYVESANT. 


T  is  questionable  if  Adraien  Joris,  or 
Cornelius  Jacobzen  Mey  or  (May), 
or  William  Ver  Hulst,  who  were 
the  authorized  directors  of  the 
New  Netherland  colony  between  1623  and 
1626,  ever  saw  anything  of  Long  Island 
except  perhaps  the  stretch  of  sand  which  faced 
the  ocean  and  which  is  now  given  over  to 
pleasure  resorts,  or  the  smoke  from  the  wig- 
wams of  Merechkawikingh.  Peter  Minuit, 
who  took  the  reins  of  government  May  4,  1626, 
as  Director  General  of  New  Netherland  and 
found  in  his  dominion  a  population  of  two 
hundred  souls,  exclusive,  of  course,  of  the 
aborigines,  possibly  had  just  as  little  personal 
acquaintance  with  the  island,  although  he 
doubtless  often  looked  at  its  coast  line  as  he 
journeyed  around  his  citadel  in  the  fort  at  the 
Battery.  He  was  an  honest  man,  bought 
Manhattan  Island  from  the  Indians  for  some- 
thing like  $25  and  probably  would  have  given 
half  as  much  for  Long  Island  had  he  felt  he 
wanted  it,   and   could   he  have  managed  to 


find  a  Sachem  who  was  powerful  enough 
to  give  him  a  clear  title.  But  it  does  not 
appear  that  he  cast  longing  eyes  in  that  direc- 
tion. His  thoughts  and  hopes  were  more 
concentrated  on  the  rich  finds  in  pelts  which 
were  sent  to  him  from  Fort  Orange ;  and  then, 
too,  he)  had  enough  territory  on  hand  to 
defend,  for  the  English  Plymouth  settlers  were 
always  encroaching  on  his  territory  on  the 
"Conighticate"  River  and  the  Pequod  In- 
dians worried  him  a  good  deal. 

Nor  is  there  existing  any  evidence  of  the 
presence  of  Governor  Wouter  Van  Twiller 
on  the  island  during  his  eventful  tenure  of  the 
office  from  April,  1633,  until  March,  1638; 
but  in  his  time  the  existence  of  Long  Island 
began  to  assert  itself.  Van  Twiller  seems  to 
have  been  an  able  man,  and  like  many  a  mod- 
ern statesman  zealously  attempted  to  build 
up  his  own  fortunes  and  those  of  the  state 
at  the  same  time.  He  bought  for  his  own 
profit  large  tracts  of  land,  including  what  we 
now  call  Blackwell's  and  Governor's  Islands, 


54 


HISTORY    OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


until  he  became  one  of  the  richest  land  owners  east  was  bought  by  Van  Twiller.  In  all, 
in  the  colony.  Under  him  the  colony  "pros-  some  15,000  acres  were  thus  bought  and  at. 
pered,  although  the  English  to  the  east  cpn-  once  brought  into  cultivation  or  adapted  for 
tinued  troublesome,  and  the  fur  trade  reach|i,^^^tockraising ;  and  on  this  property  afterward 
greater  proportions  than  ever  before..  4iP''*''J'ose  the  village  of  New  Amersfort,  or,  as  it 
envious  people  regarded  his  growing  person^'     was  later  called,  Flatlands,  which  was  possibly 


w  ' 

wealth  with  jealousy  and  he  was  relieved  of 
his  power  by  their  "High  Mightinesses",  in 
Holland  who  sent  William  Kieft  to  rule  in.  his 
stead.  In  estimating  the  value  of  Van  Twill- 
er's  character  and  work  in  New  Netherland, 
modern  historians  invariably  color  their  v.iews, 
sometimes  unconsciously,  from  the,'f)ages  of 
Washington  Irving's  "Knickerbocker,"  wtiere 
the  doughty  Governor  is  handed  down  to  pos- 
terity in  a  full-length  picture,  as  it  were,  as 
"Walter  the  Doubter."  But  while  the  genius 
of  Irving  has  thus,  as  it  were,  forced  his  view 
of  Van  Twiller^  intended  only  as  a  caricature, 
into  the  pages  of  history,  it  should  not  be  ac- 
cepted above  its  historic  worth,  the  worth  of 
any  piece  of  caricature — written  or  pictorial. 
There  seems  no  doubt  that  Van  Twilier  was 
an  able  administrator,  a  man  of  considerable 
energy  and  firmness  and  that  his  administra- 
tion greatly  added  to  the  extent  and  value  of 
the  West  Indian  Company's  property  in  New 
Netherland,  while  his  own  investments,  how- 
ever brought  about,  showed  that  he  fully  be- 
lieved in  its  continued  prosperity.  It  was 
during  his  reign  that  Long  Island  may  be 
said  to  have  been  opened  up  for  settlement; 
and,  indeed,  after  his  own  authority  had 
passed,  he  appears  to  have  had  supreme  faith 
in  Long  Island,  for  Teunis  G.  Bergen  ("Early 
Settlers  of  Kings  County,"  page  363)  tells 
us  that  in  1643  he  obtained  a  patent  for  lands 
at  Red  Hook  and  a  patent  July  16,  1638,  for 
one  of  the  flats  (prairies)  in  Flatlands  loiown 
as  Kaskutensuhane.  In  June,  1636,  Jacob 
Van  Corlaer  purchased  from  tlie  Indians  a 
plat  of  ground  to  which  was  given  the  name 
"Castateauw,"  "between  the  bay  of  the  North 
River  and  the  East  River."  Some  lands  lying 
to  the  west  of  Corlaer's  purchase  were  brought 
the  same  day  by  Andries  Hudde  and  Wolfert 
Gerritsen  Van  Couwenhoven,  and  a  tract  to  the 


the  first  part  of  Ldng  Island  to  be  settled 
by  white  men.  In  the  course  of  the  same 
year  Jacques  Bentyn  and  William  Adriaense 
Bennet  bought  from  the  Indians,  or  from 
their  Sachem,  a  piece  of  ground  of 
about  930  acres,  extending  from  near  the 
present  Twenty-eighth  stteet,  along  Gowanus 
Cove  and  the  bay,  to  the  old  New  Utrecht 
line  and  including  what  is  known  as  Ocean 
.  Hill  in  Greenwood  Cemetfery.  Bennet  was  an 
Englishman  and  a  cooper  by  trade.  Bentyn 
was  also  an  Englishman,  and  when  he  bought 
the  land  with  Bennet  he  was  Schout  Fiscal 
of  New  Amsterdam,  the  leading  municipal 
legal  adviser  of  the  place — sheriff  and  cor- 
poration counsel  in  one.  He  soon  tired  of 
his  Long  Island  property,  for  in  1639  he  sold 
his  interest  in  it  to  Bennet  for  350  guilders. 
He  continued  to  be  an  influential  member 
of  the  New  Amsterdam  community  for  many 
years,  was  one  of  the  twelve  Representative^ 
in  1641  and  a  member  of  the  Council.  In 
1648  he'  left  the  country  and  went  to  Europe, 
probably  having  acquired  a  moderate  com- 
petence and  disappears  from  our  view.  Ben- 
net remained  on  the  land,  and  built  a  dwelling 
upon  it,  the  first  house  so  far  as  we  know 
ever  erected  in  Brooklyn.  He  had  married 
a  widow  just  prior  to  acquiring  the  Gowanus 
property  and  very  probably  it  was  she  who 
induced  him  to  build  a  house.  He  died  early 
in  the  year  1644  or  at  the  close  of  1643,  leaving 
her  with  four  children,  Adriaen,  William,  Sara 
and  Christian,  while  another,  Mary  or  Maria, 
was  born  in  May,  1644,  after  her  father's 
death. 

The  widow  lost  no  time  in  securing  a  new 
helpmeet,  and  on  Oct.  9,  of  the  same  year 
(1644),  married  Paulus  Vanderbeek,  and  by 
him  had  two  sons  and  three  daughters.  With 
her  third  husband  she  resided  in  New  Arri- 


THE  DUTCH— SOME  EARLY  GOVERNORS. 


55, 


sterdam,  but  afterward  returned  to  Long  Isl- 
and, of  which,  in  1661,  Vanderbeek  became 
farmer  of  the  excise,  and  in  1662  he  was 
ferry-master.  He  bought  a  plantation  in 
Gravesend  in  1673  and  figures  in  several 
other  real-estate  deals.  He  stands  out  in  local 
history  as  the  founder  of  the  Vanderbeek 
family,  his  wife  presenting  him  with  four 
sons  and  two  daughters.  Many  of  his  de- 
scendants are  now  to  be  found  in  New  Jer- 
sey. All  of  Bennet's  family  were  successful 
in  life.  His  eldest  son  engaged  in  farming 
and  had  a  property  of  150  acres  at  Bay 
Ridge,  which  in  1681  he  sold  to  the  ancestor 
of  the  Denyse  family.  Later  he  bought  from 
his  mother  a  farm  at  Gowanus,  paying  her 
12,000  guilders  for  it  in  produce,  and  was 
regarded  as  a  man  of  means.  He  died  at 
Gowanus  about  1700.  His  brother  William 
also  owned  a  farm  at  Gowanus,  and  like  all 
others  in  the  family  was  a  stanch  member 
of  the  Dutch  Church.  In  fact  the  family 
was  more  Dutch  than  English  and  the  found- 
er seems  to  have  accepted  the  situation  with 
phlegmatic  equanimity. 

It  was  under  Van  Twiller's  administration, 
too,  that  what  we  now  call  the  Wallabout  was 
settled.  On  June  16,  1637,  George  Rapalie 
(Joris  Jansen)  obtained  a  patent  for  some  325 
acres  which  he- had  purchased  of  the  Indians, 
now  occupied,  in  part,  by  the  United  States 
Marine  Hospital.  The  property,  as  we  have 
seen  in  the  chapter  devoted  to  the  Indians,  was 
called  Rinnegackonck,  and  it  was  afterward 
described  as  "lying  on  Long  Island  in  the  bend 
of  Marechkawieck,  as  the  Indians  once  called 
the  Wallabout.  It  does  not  seem,  however, 
that  Rapalie  took  up  his  residence  on  this  prop- 
erty until  1654,  when  he  set  up  his  house  there. 
From  1655  to  1660  he  was  one  of  the  Magis- 
trates of  Breuckelen  and  he  was  the  founder 
of  a  family  which  from  that  time  to  the  pres- 
ent day  has  been  prominent  in  the  City  of 
Churches  and  which  will  often  be  referred  to 
in  these  pages. 

Under  Van  Twiller's  successor,  William 
Kieft,  who  held  the  reins  of  government  from 


March  28,  1638,  until  May  11,  1647,  the  set- 
tlement of  the  western  section  of  Long  Island 
went  en  with  what  would  in  our  days  be  termed 
a  "rush."  Kieft  seems  to  have  been  an  irasci- 
ble, domineering  individual,  with  a  limited 
amount  of  brains  and  an  unlimited  allowance 
of  self-assurance  —  a  sort  of  pepper-box 
dressed  up  in  the  clothes  of  authority.  It  is, 
of  course,  possible  that  our  notions  of  his  per- 
sonality have  been  twisted  by  Washington 
Irving's  caricature;  but  a  study  of  Kieft's 
oificial  acts  prompts  the  belief  that  Irving  did 
not  depart  very  far  from  historic  truth  when 
he  wrote  in  his  veracious  history  the  following 
lines  regarding  this  product  of  the  Dutch 
Colonial  Service — ^"William  the  Testy:" 

He  was  a  brisk,  waspish,  little  old  gentle- 
man, who  had  dried  and  withered  away,  partly 
through  the  natural  process  of  years  and  partly 
from  being  parched  and  burnt  up  by  his  fiery 
soul,  which  blazed  like  a  vehement  rushlight 
in  his  bosom,  constantly  inciting  him  to  most 
valorous  broils,  altercations  and  misadventures. 
*  *  *  His  visage  was  broad  and  his  features 
sharp,  his  nose  turned  up  with  the  most  petu- 
lant curl ;  his  cheeks  were  scorched  into  a 
dusky  red' — doubtless  in  consequence  of  the 
neighborhood  of  two  fierce  little  gray  eyes, 
throug'h  which  his  torrid  soul  beamed  with 
tropical  fervor.  The  corners  of  his  mouth 
were  curiously  modeled  into  a  kind  of  fret- 
work, not  a  little  resembling  the  wrinkled  pro- 
boscis of  an  irritable  pug  dog;  in  a  word,  he 
was  one  of  the  most  positive,  restless,  ugly 
little  men  that  ever  put  himself  in  a  passion 
about  nothing. 

Such,  rightly  or  wrongly,  is  the  ideal 
of  William  Kieft,  which  we  are  forced  by 
the  genius  of  Diedrich  Knickerbocker,  backed 
up  by  all  the  veritable  history  and  evidence 
which  have  come  down  to  us,  to  accept 
as  a  true  presentment  of  the  successor  of 
"Walter  the  Doubter."  At  best,  what  we  do 
know  of  veritable  history  brings  before 
use  as  a  sort  of  opera-bouffe  hero  with 
a  touch  of  villainy  running  through  all  his 
actions.  Before  coming  to  America  his  career 
was  clouded  by  scoundrelism, — so    much    so 


§6 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


that  he  was  hanged  in  effigy  in  his  native  Hol- 
land. His  ill-fame  had  preceded  him  to  the 
New  Netherland,  and  when  he  landed  at  New 
Amsterdam  on  March  28,  1638,  after  his  voy- 
age across  the  Atlantic  on  board  "The  Her- 
ring," he  was  received,  with  marked  coldness. 
Possibly  that  did  not  worry  him'  very  much. 
His  purpose  was  to  make  a  fortune  rather  than 
to  make  friends.  He  was  a  believer  in  gov- 
■ernment  by  proclamation,  and  soon  after  his 
■arrival  had  the  trees  and  fences  in  and  around 
New  Amsterdam  covered  with  proclamation 
placards  ordaining  all  sorts  of  regulations,  even 
regulating  the  hour  when  people  should  go  to 
bed  and  when  they  should  arise  to  pursue  their 
usual  vocations.  However,  he  turned  his  au- 
thority to  some  use,  for  he  built  a  stone  church 
inside  the  fort,  laid  out  Pearl  street  for  sub- 
urban residences  of  a  high  class,  interested 
himself  in  the  cultivation  of  orchards  and  gar- 
dens, instituted  two  grand  county  fairs  and  by 
the  liberal  land  policy — not  only  offering  free 
passage  from  Holland  but  giving  an  emigrant 
practically  free  of  cost  a  patent  for  as  much 
land  as  he  and  his  family  could  cultivate,  and 
requiring  only  an  oath  of  fidelity  to  the  States 
General  to  enable  foreigners  to  hold  land  and 
acquire  the  status  of  citizenship — he  rapidly 
promoted  new  settlements,  singly  or  in  groups, 
in  his  domains.  Still,  his  first  thought  was  to 
make  money  for  himself.  He  established  a 
■distillery  or  brewery  on  Staten  Island ;  owned 
and  conducted,  by  deputy,  a  stone  tavern  on 
the  shore  of  the  East  River  at  the  corner  of 
Pearl  street  and  Coenties  Slip,  and  lost  no 
opportunity  of  adding  to  his  private  fortune. 
He  was  quite  a  fussy  tyrant,  too,  and  inter- 
fered in  all  sorts  of  ways  with  the  private 
affairs  and  arrangements  of  his  subjects.  His 
conduct  more  than  once  called  down  the  de- 
nunciation of  Dominie  Bogardus  in  the  pulpit, 
and  he  retaliated  by  causing  his  soldiers  to 
beat  their  drums  and  play  all  sorts  of  noisy 
pranks  outside  the  church,  so  that  the  good 
clergyman  had  to  confine  himself  to  moderate 
language  for  the  sake  of  being  permitted  to 
preach  in  peace.     In  fact,  for  a.  long  time  there 


was  open  warfare  between  the  Dominie  and 
the  Governor.  When  Kieft,  as  a  result  of  a 
petition  from  the  colonists  denouncing  his 
venality,  his  arrogance,  his  tyranny  and  his 
needless  Indian  wars,  was  summoned  to  re-- 
turn  to  Holland,  he  carried  with  him  on  the 
ship,  among  his  personal  property,  something 
like  $100,000,  the  practical  results  of  his  states- 
manship. The  vessel,  "The  Princess,"  was 
hailed  with  ironical  salutes  as  she  weighed 
anchor  and  started  on  her  voyage  with  this 
precious  personage  on  board,  and  the  people 
did  not  even  try  to  conceal  their  joy  over  his 
departure.  The  ship  was  wrecked  on  the 
English  coast,  however,  and  Kieft  and  his 
money  went  to  the  bottom!  Dominie  Bo- 
gardus, who  was  on  the  same  vessel,  was  also 
among  the  eighty  persons  who  perished  in  the 
disaster. 

While  there  is  no  clear  evidence  on  the 
point,  it  seems  likely  that  Kieft  visited  Long 
Island  several  times  and  had  something  of  a 
clear  idea  of  its  advantages  as  a  place  for  colo- 
nization. So  far  as  we  can  learn  he  never  per- 
sonally owned  any  of  its  acres:  probably  he 
believed  Staten  Island  a  more  eligible  field  for 
his  operations,  being  nearer  the  direct  way  by 
which  shipping  passed  in  and  more  in  line  with 
the  commerce  of  the  Hudson.  But  for  pur- 
poses of  settlement  he  bought  from  the  Indians, 
in  1639,  practically  all  the  land  comprised  in 
the  old  county  of  Queens,  and  in  the  following 
year,  by  purchase  from  Penhawitz,  the  chief  of 
the  Canarsies,  he  added  to  the  territory  at  the 
disposal  of  the  West  India  Company  all  the 
land  it  had  not  up  to  that  time  acquired  in 
what  afterward  became  the  county  of  Kings, 
with  the  exception  of  a  tract  between  Coney 
Island  and  Gowanus  (New  Utrecht),  which 
was  added  in  1645.  By  a  charter  promul- 
gated in  1640,  trade  and  commerce  restrictions 
were  removed  so  that  any  reputable  person 
could  so  engage.  What  is  equally  important 
in  Long  Island  history  was  that  liberal  pro- 
vision was  made  for  the  founding  of  towns  and 
villages,  and  the  magistrates  of  such  com- 
munities were  to  be  named  by  the  people,  sub- 


OLD    BUSHWICK. 


ject,  of  course,  to  the  approval  of  the  Gover- 
nor and  his  Council.  The  Governor  was  the 
court  of  last  resort  in  all  disputes,  even  the 
most  trifling;  religion,  was  restricted  to  that 
of  the  Reformed  Church,  and  while  the  com- 
pany bound  itself  to  maintain  preachers,  teach- 
ers and  spiritual  visitors,  as  well  as  to  protect 
the  secular  interest  of  the  colonists,  it  expected 
that  the  necessary  means  would  be  furnished 
out  of  the  revenues  of  the  Colony.  The  taxes 
were  exorbitant,  the  customs  tariff  was  onerous 
and  outside  trade  was  restricted  to  the  mother 
country  in  the  first  place — that  is,  all  goods 
exported  had  to  be  sent  first  to  Holland.  But 
the  latter  restriction  did  not  cause  much 
trouble,  and  in  spite  of  the  imposts  people  man- 
aged to  thrive. 

So  newcomers  poured  in  in  a  steady  stream, 
and  as  much  as  possible  Kieft  and  his  Council 
directed  their  attention  to  the  beautiful  shore 
lying  across  the  arm  of  the  sea  which  flowed 


to  the  east  of  New  Amsterdam.  In  August, 
1639,  Anthony  Jansen,  from  Salee,  secured  a 
patent  for  100  morgens  (200  acres)  of  land 
lying  within  the  territory  afterward  occupied 
by  the  towns  of  Gravesend  and  New  Utrecht, 
of  which  territory  he  was  the  pioneer.  He 
was  a  citizen  of  rather  dubious  character, 
seems  to  have  been  locally  known  as  "the 
Turk,"  and  very  probably  Kieft  awarded  him 
that  out-of-the-way  piece  of  property  to  satisfy 
any  claim  he  might  have  for  service  rendered, 
and,  in  short,  to  get  rid  of  him.  Anthony  re- 
sided in  New  Amsterdam  for  six  or  seven 
years  prior  to  1639,  and  there  owned  a  bouw- 
ery.  His  wife,  Grietje  Reiniers,  rejoiced  in 
a  character  and  temperament  and  reputation 
pretty  much  in  keeping  with  his  own,  and  in 
April,  1639,  both  were  ordered  banished  from 
New  Amsterdam  for  being  slanderous  and 
troublesome  persons.  They  at  once  moved  to 
their  Long  Island  possessions  and  there  "the 


58 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Turk"  built  himself  a  home  and  settled  down 
to  farming.  Of  this  house  the  remains  were 
long  afterward  found,  as  told  by  Teunis  G. 
Bergen  in  his  "Early  Settlers  of  Kings 
County"  (page  155) : 

In  1879,  in  leveling  the  sand  dunes  on  the 
I  upland  on  the  edge  of  the  (Gravesend)  Bay 
a  little  southeast  of  the  buildings  of  Mr.  Gun-, 
ther  at  Locust  Grove,  which  dunes  had^been 
blown  up  by  the  beach"  and;  which  had  been 
gradually  extending  back  with  the  abrasion  of 
the  shore  or  coast,  the  remains  of  two  separate 
pieces  of  stone  wall,  about  two  feet  high  and 
one  foot  wide,  made  mainly  of  unbroken  field 
stones  laid  in  clay  rriortar,  with  a  clear  floor 
between  them,  were  exhumed.  These  remains 
were  covered  with  from  four  to  ten  feet  of 
sand,  and  are  probably  those  of  the  barn  or 
other  farm  buildings  of  Anthony  Jansen,  it 
being  customary  in  the  early  settlement  of  this 
country  to  construct  their  threshing  floors  of 
clay,  of  which  specimens  existed  and  were  in 
use  in, the  younger  days  of  the  author,  then- 
roofs  being  made  of  thatched  straw  instead  of 
shingles,  as  at  present. 

In  1660  Anthony  sold  his  patent  to  Nich- 
olas Stillwell,  the  English  ancestor  of  the  noted 
Brooklyn  family,  and  in  1669,  on  the  death  of 
his  wife,  he  disposed  of  his  plantation  lot  in 
Gravesend  to  his  son-in-law,  Fernandus  Van 
Sickelen,  and  returned  to  New  Amsterdam. 
In  1670  he  married  again,  and  died  some  six 
years  l^ter. 

On  November  8,  1639,  Thomas  Bescher,  or 
Beets,  an  Englishman,  received  a  patent  for 
land  at  Gowanus,  on  which  he  intended  to-have 
a  tobacco  plantation ;  but  he  did  not  succeed  in 
following  out  his  intentions,  apparently,  and 
he  seems  to  have  sold  his  patent  without  de- 
lay to  Cornelius  Lambe'tson  (Cool),  who  set- 
tled on  the  land,  removing  there  from  New 
Amsterdam. 

Frederick  Lubbertsen  on  May  23,  1640,  ob- 
tained a  patent  for  a  large  tract  covering  most 
of  South  Brooklyn,  and  in  1645  added  to  the 
extent  of  his  lands  by  another  patent  also 
within  the  limits  of  modern  Brooklyn.  Cor- 
nelius Dirckson  Hoogland,  who  in  1642  kept 


an  inn  at  Peck  Slip,  eked  out  its  earnings  by 
running  a  boat  between  that  place  and  a  point 
on  the  Long  Island  shore  just  a  little  to  the 
south  of  the  present  Fulton  Ferry  house,  of  • 
which  this  service  was  the  beginning.  He  was 
not  appointed  ferry-master  until  1652.  His 
son  Dirck,  who  seemed  to  aid  him  in  his  ardu- 
ous labors,  secured  a  patent  Dec.  22,  1645,  for 

.twelve  rriorgens  of  land  in  Brooklyn,  and  on 
June  24,  1647,  be  received  another  patent  con-  ; 
veying  to  him  additional  seventeen  morgeus,.  ; 
besides  the  ferry.     These  two  were  the  first 
ferry-masters,  and  appeared  to  have  a  tavera  ' 
at  each  terminus  of  the  then  perilous  journey  ! 
across  the  East  River.     Andries  Hudden,  in 
1636,  when  a  member  of  Van  Twiller's  Coun-  ' 
cil,  bought  considerable  property  in  what  after-  • 
ward  formed  parts  of  Flatbush  and  Flatlands,.  , 
and  on  Sept.  12,  1645,  received  a  patent  for 
thirty-seven  morgens  next  to  the  property  of  I 
Lubbertsen.     In  quick  succession  land  patents-  ■ 
were  granted  to  Claes  Cornelisse  (Mentelaer)  i 

,  Van  Schlouw,  Henry  Bresser,  Jacob  Wolpher- 
sen  (Van  Couwenhoven),  Ed'ward  Fiskock,,  i 
William  Cornelisen,  Peter  and  Jan  Montfort, 
Hans  Hansen  Bergen  (Hans  the  Boore),  Jan 
Evertsen  Bout,  Huyck  Aertsen  Van  Rossem,. 
Joris  Jansen  Rapelie,  and  to  Caesar  Albertr 
(ancestor  of  the  Albertus  family),  until,  stand- 
ing on  the  east  shore  of  New  Amsterdam  and 
looking  across  the  river,  the  coast  of  Long 
Island  as  far  as  the  eye  could  see  was  dotted 
with  farms  when  Kieft's  administration  came- 
to  a  close.  These  settlers  do  not  seem  to  have 
been  cut  oflf  from  the  New  Amsterdam  com- 
munity: they  were  rather  regarded  as  part  of 
it  and  deemed  not  the  least  influential  of  its 
component  parts.  At  least,  so  we  judge  from 
the  fact  that  when,  in  answer  to  a  popular 
demand,  "twelve  select  men"  were  chosen  to- 
advise  with  Kieft  upon  his  foolish  Indian, 
policy,  three  of  them  were  more  or  less  identi- 
fied with  Long  Island — ^Jacques  Benton,  Fred- 
erick Lubbertsen  and  Joris  Jansen  Rapelie. 

One  of  the  last  of  Governor  Kieft's  officials 
acts  of  any  importance  was  the  formal  organi- 
zation of  the  town  of  Breuckelen.     The  tract 


^^^Km                                          ^^B       ><9^^  sM^B^ 

m 

ff            .^B    '"'"J^B 

■^B 

t  K^                                                      ^^^^^^K.                      •'■dHE^^^It 

1 

»  1^^   rS 

I 

^i 

^Bl^H^H 

PETER  STUYYESAHT. 


THE  DUTCH— SOME  EARLY  GOVERNORS. 


59' 


of  territory  called  by  the  Indians  Merech- 
kawikingh,  extending,  roughly,  from  the 
Wallabout  to  Gowanus,  contained  some  of  the 
most  fertile  lands  on  the  western  end  of  the 
island.  On  this  tract,  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
from  the  ferry,  just  about  what  is  now  the 
junction  of  Smith  and  Hoyt  streets  and  a  little 
southeast  from  where  the  City  Hall  and  Court 
House  now  stand,  and  on  either  side  of  the 
road  leading  to  the  ferry,  Bout  Van  Rossem 
and  other  patentees  had  built  their  dwellings 
so  as  to  be  close  together  for  mutual  protec- 
tion. They  took  advantage  of  the  opportunity 
afforded  by  the  charter  of  1640  and  asked  per- 
mission "to  found  a  town  at  their  own  ex- 
pense." Kieft  graciously  responded  and  is- 
sued a  formal  recognition  of  the  new  town,  to 
which  the  name  of  Breuckelen  (after  the  town 
in  Holland)  was  given,  in  June,  1646.  The 
people  had  elected,  on  May  21  that  year,  Jan 
Eversen  Bout  and  Huyck  Aertsen  Von  Ros- 
sem as  Schepens,  and  Kieft  confirmed  the  elec- 
tion. A  few  months  later  the  Governor  ap- 
pointed Jan  Teunissen  as  Schout,  or  constable, 
and  so  before  the  close  of  1646  the  municipal 
organization  of  the  young  town  was  complete. 

Teunissen  appears  to  have  been  a  carpen- 
ter as  well  as  a  constable,  for  in  1646  he  con- 
tracted to  build  a  house  at  the  ferry.  In  1647 
he  was  sued  for  debt,  so  that  his  varied  em- 
ployments did  not  turn  out  very  remunerative. 

During  Kieft's  term  there  were  other  towns 
besides  Breuckelen  established  on  Long  Island. 
Gravesend  was  the  subject  of  a  patent  issued 
Dec.  19,  1645.  Southold  and  Southampton 
were  also  founded  while  Kieft  held  office,  but 
they  never  acknowledged  his  authority,  and 
looked  for  protection  to  New  England.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  claim  which  Connecticut 
and  Massachusetts  made  over  Long  Island  the 
Dutch  Governors  never  fully  acknowledged, 
nor  did  they  regard  Lord  Stirling's  claim  as 
worthy  of  a  moment's  consideration. 

On  May  11,  1647,  Peter  (Petrus)  Stuy- 
vesant  landed  in  New  Amsterdam  and  assumed 
the  reins  of  Government  vice  Kieft,  then 
crossing  the  high  sea  with  his  boodle  and  dis- 


grace. Like  that  of  his  predecessor,  we  find 
it  difficult  to  estimate  this  man's  character  cor- 
rectly, for  at  the  very  mention  of  his  name 
there  arises  before  us  Irving's  masterpiece  of 
caricature — Peter  the  Headstrong.  Stuyve- 
sant's  notions  as  to  the  Divine  authority  of 
rulers',  his  contempt  for  the  people  generally, 
his  arrogance,  his  irascibility,  his  tyrannical 
spirit,  his  interfering,  contentious  disposition, 
his  narrow-mindedness  and  his  cocksuredness 
sioon  made  him  as  unpopular  as  ever  Kieft  had 
been ;  and  it  was  not  long  before  he  had  quar- 
rels of  all  sorts  on  his  hands,  both  with  the 
church  and  the  State,  v/ith  the  patroons  as  well 
as  with  the  citizens  who  dwelt  within  the  shad- 
ow of  the  Stadt  Huys;  He  was  even  sum- 
moned to  Holland  to  give  an  account  of  his 
policy,  but  he  declined  to  go.  In  1653  New 
Amsterdam  got  a  new  charter,  giving  it  a 
large  measure  of  self-government,  but  Stuy- 
vesant  would  have  none  of  it ;  and  although  it 
became  the  law,  it  remained  practically  in  abey- 
ance for  many  years.  By  and  by,  when  the 
people  began  to  understand  his  character 
rightly,  to  appreciate  his  honesty,  his  courage, 
his  solicitude  for  the  welfare  of  the  popula- 
tion, his  profound  respect  for  authority,  his- 
clear  judgment  and  s-.mplicity  of  heart,  they 
got  along  better  with  him,  and  fought  his 
peculiarities  without  in  the  least  forgetting  the 
respect  due  to  an  honest  gentleman  of  mediae- 
val notions,  who  meant  well  toward  them  all 
in  his  heart  of  hearts,  and  who,  in  spite  of  his 
notions  as  to  the  source  of  government,  was  in 
many  ways  a  stanch  supporter  of  liberty  and 
progress.  Under  him  New  Netherland  pros- 
pered exceedingly,  and  if  in  his  dealings  with 
the  English  he  threw  in  a  principality  in  a 
boundary  dispute,  he  fairly  preserved  peace, 
cultivated  as  carefully  as  he  could  and  as  cir- 
cumstances permitted  the  good  graces  of  the 
aborigines  and  the  British,  and  proved  a  strong 
and  fairly  progressive  executive. 

Long  Island  fully  shared  in  that  prosperity 
which  is  the  most  marked  feature  of  Stuyve- 
sant's  long  tenure  of  the  Governorship.  He 
was  much  better  acquainted  with  the  island 


■60 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


than  any  of  his  predecessors,  and  in  fact 
owned  a  bouwery  at  Flatlands,,  which  he 
leased  to.  a  countryman,  Jacobus  Van  Dalem. 
He  was,  one  would  think  from  his  grants 
of  land,  deeply  interested  in  its  progress; 
but  he  had  no  patience  with  the  attempt  of 
the  people  there  to  underrate  his  authority. 
It  was  during  his  administration  that  the 
town  system  of  Kings  and  Queens  may  be 
said  to  have  developed,  and  Flatbush,  Flat- 
lands,  Newtown,  Flushing,  and  Hempstead 
arose  under  his  signature,  but  he  would  not 
permit  them  to  exercise  self-government  or 
permit  their  Schepens  to  be  more  than  figure- 
heads. In  short,  while  the  law  permitted 
these  municipalities  to  be  formed,  he  made 
it  his  business  to  see  to  it  that  his  wishes 
and  views  were  paramount  to  those  of  Schep- 
•€ns  or  people.  This  the  Long  Island  com- 
munities fought  against,  and  on  December 
II.  1653,  delegates  from  each  of  the  towns 
met  and  drew  up  a  protest  against  Stuyve- 
sant's  methods  which  they  addressed  to  the 
Governor  and  Council  and  "to  the  Council 
of  the  High  and  Mighty  Lords  the  States 
•General  of  the  United  Provinces."  In  the 
course  of  it  they  said : 

We  acknowledge  a  paternal  government 
which  God  and  nature  has  established  in  the 
world  for  the  maintenance  and  preservation 
■of  peace  and  the  welfare  of  men,  not  only 
principally  in  conformity  to  the  laws  of  na- 
ture, but  according  to  the  law  and  precepts 
of  God,  to  which  we  consider  ourselves  ob- 
liged  by   word    and  therefore   submit   to   it. 
The   Lord   ouir    God   having   invested   their 
High  Mightinesses  the  States  General,  as  his 
■ministers,  with  the  power  to  promote  the  wel- 
fare of  their  subjects,  as  well  of  those  re- 
siding within  the  United  Provinces  as  those 
on  this  side  of  the  sea,  which  we  gratefully 
acknowledge ;  and  having  commissioned  in  the 
same  view    some    subaltern  magistrates  and 
■clothed  them  with  authority  to  promote  the 
same  end,  as  are  the  Lords  Directors  of  the 
privileged   West   India   Company,  whom  we 
acknowledged  as  Lords  and  patroons  of  this 
place,  next  to  your  Lordships,  as  being  their 
representatives. 


After  further  homage  of  this  sort  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  village  or  towns  then  set 
forth    their    complaints.     They   refer   to  the 
arbitrary  government  set  up  by  Stuyvesant, 
to  the  appointment  of  local  officers  without 
an  expression  of  the  will  of  the  people,  to  the 
putting  in   force  as   occasion  arose  obsolete 
laws,  so  that  good  citizens  hardly  knew  when 
they  were  not  violating  some  ordinance  or 
proclamation,  to  the  length  of  time  in  which 
honest  applications  for  land  patents  were  kept 
pending,  and  to  the  prompt  and  easy  manner 
in  which  large  tracts  of  valuable  land  were 
awarded  to  those  favored  individuals  who  had 
some  sort  of  a  "pull,"  as  modern  politicians 
would  call  it,  with  the  authorities.     Therefore, 
trusting  to  their  High  Mightinesses  to  "heal 
our  sickness  and  pain,",  the  delegates  signed 
the  document  as  follows : 

New  York:  Arent  Van  Hatten,  Martin 
Creiger,  P.  L.  Vander  Girst. 

Brooklyn:  Frederick  Lubberson,  Paulus 
Vander  Beek,  William  Beekman. 

Flushing :     John  Hicks,  Tobias  Peeks. 

Newtown :     Robert  Coe,  Thomas  Hazzard. 

Hempstead:  William  Washburn,  John 
Somers. 

Flatlands :  Peter  Wolverton,  Jan.  Stryck- 
er,  Thomas  Penewit. 

Flatbush:  Elbert  Elbertson,  Thomas 
Spicer. 

Gravesend:  George  Baxter,  James  Hub- 
bard. 

Peter  the  Headstrong  had  no  toleration  with 
such  documents,  would  hardly  manage  to  be 
civil  to  the  Deputies  who  presented  the  paper, 
and  denied  that  Brooklyn,  Flatbush  and  Flat- 
lands,  at  any  rate,  had  any  right  to  elect 
delegates  to  such  meetings.  He  believed  it 
was  an  evidence  of  incipient  rebellion  and 
treason,  and  blamed  the  English  residents 
as  the  cause  of  the  whole  trouble,  playing 
thus  the  last  card — race  jealousy — of  the  petty 
politician. 

Another  meeting  was  held  which  threaten- 
ed a  fresh  appeal  to  Holland,  and  this  resulted 


THE  DUTCH— SOME  EARLY  GOVERNORS. 


61 


in  Stuyvesant  ordering  the  delegates  to  dis- 
perse and  "not  to  assemble  again  on  such  a 
business."  Peter  piit  his  foot  down  emphat- 
ically and  the  citizens  meekly  obeyed.  He 
went  so  far  in  the  following  year  as  to  refuse' 
to  confirm  the  election  of  the  Gravesend  dele- 
gates, Baxter  and  Hubbard,  as  magistrates  of 
that  town,  and  went  there  in  person  to  allay 
the  excitement  which  that  arbitrary  proceeding 
occasioned.  In  this  stand,  however,  he  would 
have  been  unsuccessful  but  for  the  influence 
of  Lady  Moody. 

Stuyvesant's  greatest  trouble  in  his  later 
years  was  with  the  English,  who  were  then 
pressing  closely  and  incessantly  upon  the 
Dutch  preserve  of  New  Netherland.  Long 
Icland,  as  has  been  shown,  was  one  of  the 
disputed  sections  and  it  was  generally  held 
that  his  agreement  at  Hartford  in  1650  to 
divide  the  jurisdiction  of  the  island  by  the 
imaginary  line  at  Oyster  Bay  was  the  weak- 
est point  in  his  career  as  an  international 
statesman.  I't  was  thought,  and  rightly 
thought,  that  the  English  had  got  the  best 
of  that  arrangement.  But  could  Stuyvesant, 
in  view  of  all  the  circumstances,  have  done 
better?     That  can  hardly  be  conceded. 

So  half  of  Long  Island  passed  from  the 
control  of  the  States  General,  much  to  the 
disgust  of  the  enemies  of  Peter  the  Head- 
strong, and  they  were  very  numerous  about 
that  time;  but  for  the  people  on  the  island 
it  was  a  most  satisfactory  arrangement,  for 
from  then  on  until  1663  peace  was  the  rule 
on  Long  Island  so  far  as  the  Dutch  and 
English  were  concerned.  But  in  that  year 
Connecticut,  having  obtained  a  new  charter 
in  1662,  was  reaching  out  to  consolidate  her 
territory  and  much  to  Stuyvesant's  amaze- 
ment and  chagrin  claimed  jurisdiction  over 
the  whole  of  Long  Island  and  actually  sent 
commissioners  there  to  arrange  and  collect 
rates,  customs  and  taxes.  Commissioners 
were  appointed  March  10,  1863,  "to  go  to 
Long  Island  and  settle  the  government  on 
the  west  end,"  and  in  November  of  that  year 
we  find  that  the  people  of  Jamaica  held  a 


public   meeting  (to   protest   against    Stuyve- 
sant's   misgpvernment    and    oppression.     In. 
Long  Island  the  people  as   a  whole  would 
have  welcomed  any  relief  at  that  time  from' 
the  Governor  and  his  Council;  and  although 
Peter  foamed  and  waxed  indignant,  sent  re- 
monstrances   and   appeals    to   Holland,   and 
threatened  to  build  a  fort  at  Oyster  Bay  to- 
overcome  the  English,  he  did  nothing  very 
effective.     In   fact  to   his   sorrow  he   found 
he  was  receiving  no  adequate  support  from 
the  United  Provinces   or  even  much  in  the 
way   of   practical    aid    from   his    subjects   in 
New  Netherland.     Long  Island  had  virtually 
passed  from  his  grasp  and  into  that  of  Con- 
necticut, when  by  a  charter  on  March    12,. 
1663,  King  Charles  II  conveyed  to  his  brother,. 
the  Duke  of  York,   all  of  New  Netherland, 
and  the  question  of  the  possession  of  Long 
Island   assumed   a   new   phase.     The   charter 
gave  to  the  Duke  or  his  appointees  all  legis- 
lative and  judicial  power  over  the  vast  terri- 
tory,   subject   only  to   appeal   to   the   crown. 
When  the  grant  was  made  it  looked  on  the 
face  of  it  like  a  worthless   compliment;  but 
the    Duke    and   his    advisers    and    associates 
seemed  fully  to  understand  the  current  train 
of  events  and  to  appreciate  the  importance  of 
the  gift,  and  they  at  once  set  to  work  to  realize 
on  it  as  a  valuable  asset.     In  January,  1664, 
Captain  John  Scott  of  Gravesend,  who  had 
formerly  been  an  officer  under  Charles  I  but 
had   left   England   in   the    Cromwellian   time 
(banished,  some  said,  for  cutting  the  girths- 
of  several  of  the  Protector's    horses),    and 
who  probably  inspired  the  grant  by  speaking- 
of  its  probabilities,  returned  to  Long  Island 
from  a  visit  to  England.     He  had  evidently- 
been  intrusted  with  very  high  powers  by  the 
Duke  of  York  and  his  advisers,  but,  desiring 
to  fortify  himself  in  all  possible  ways  before 
proceeding  to  put  his  mission  into  effect,  he 
managed  somehow  to  secure  his  appointment  as 
a  Magistrate  over  Long  Island  from  Governor 
Winthrop  of  Connecticut.     Armed  with  this 
document,  Scott  crossed  the  Sound  to  Long- 
Island   and   with    150    followers   boldly    pro- 


■62 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


■claimed  Charles  II  as  King.  He  raised  the 
English  flag  in  Breuckelen,  and  thrashed  a 
boy  for  refusing  to  doff  his  hat  to  the  em- 
blem. That  was  on  Jan.  ii.  Then  he  passed 
in  quick  succession  through  Midwout  and 
Amersfort  and  New  Utrecht. 

By  that  time  Stuyvesant  had  recovered  from 
■his  astonishment  at  the  doings  in  Brooklyn 
and  sent  a  commission  to  interview  Scott 
and  learn  what  the  trouble  was.  On  Jan.  14 
they  met  at  Jamaica  and  Scott  plainly  told 
them  that  Stuyvesant  had  no  standing  in 
the  case;  that  the  entire  New  Netherland 
territory  belonged  to  the  Duke  of  York,  and 
he  meant  to  hold  it.  A  truce  was,  however, 
patched  up  and  on  March  3  Stuyvesant  unbent 
in  the  stress  of  circumstances  so  much  that 
he  proceeded  in  solemn  state  to  Jamaica  and 
there  in  a  personal  interview  discussed  the 
whole  matter  with  the  wild  and  victorious 
Scott.  It  was  arranged  that  the  English 
towns  were  to  remain  under  the  flag  unfolded 
by  Scott  without  any  interference  for  twelve 
months  until  the  respective  home  Govern- 
ments had  time  to  settle  the  destiny  of  the 
provinces.  Stuyvesant  could  really  force  no 
better  terms.  His  treasury  was  empty,  the 
Government  from  which  he  got  his  warrant 
paid  a  deaf  ear  to  his  remonstrances  and 
appeals  for  aid,  the  people  were  restless  and 
discontented,  and  even  the  Dutch  seemed  ready 
to  revolt,  while  the  English  settlers  openly 
defied  him,  and  defied  with  impunity.  In  his 
despair  Stuyvesant,  as  many  a  greater  tyrant 
"before  and  since  has  done,  bethought  of  ask- 
ing the  advice  and  counsel  of  the  people, 
a  proceeding  he  would  never  have  tolerated 
for  a  moment  earlier  in  his  career.  So  he 
■called  a  General  Assembly  of  delegates  from 
the  different  towns  to  consider  the  condition 
of  affairs,  and  it  met  on  April  10,  1664,  in  the 
City  Hall  of  New  Amsterdam.  The  Long 
Island  representatives  were : 


Brooklyn:     William    Bredenbent,    Albert 
'Cornells  Wantenaer. 


Flatlands:  Jan  Strycker,  William  Guil- 
liams. 

Flatlands:  Elbert  Elbertsen,  Coert  Stev- 
ensen. 

New  Utrecht :  David  Jochemsen,  Cornelis 
Beekman. 

Boswyck:  Jan  Van  Cleef,  Guisbert  Jeu- 
nisseii, 

This  diet  started  right  in  as  soon  as  it 
elected  Jermias  Van  Rensselaer  chairman,  by 
discussing  the  condition  of  affairs,  and  in  an 
underhanded  sort  of  way  by  finding  fault  with 
Stuyvesant  and  his  Government  for  the  state 
into  which  New  Netherland  had  fallen.  Stuy- 
vesant found  his  ancient  spirit  arise  within 
him  at  the  course  the  discussions  took  and 
coldly  informed  the  delegates  that  they  were 
to  consult,  and  their  main"business  was  to  find 
money  and  men  to  maintain  the  integrity  of 
the  territory.  Nothing  practical  came  of  the 
■meeting,  however. 

In  June  Stuyvesant  met  Governor  Win- 
throp,  of  Connecticut,  which  had  again  actively 
asserted  its  jurisdiction  over  Long  Island, 
but  was  bluntly  told  that  the  English  title 
was  to  be  maintained.  So  things  drifted 
along,  the  English  steadily  advancing  on  the 
Dutch  territory  not  only  on  Long  Island  but 
on  the  Hudson,  until  at  the  end  of  August, 
1664,  an  English  fleet  under  Col.  Richard 
Nicolls  passed  in  through  the  Narrows  and 
took  possession  of  the  harbor;  and  on  Sept. 
8  Stuyvesant  was  forced  to  sign  the  capitu- 
lation by  which  his  authority  passed  into  the 
hands  of  the  English,  and  Long  Island,  with 
the  rest  of  New  Netherland,  was  transferred 
into  the  possession  of  the  Duke  of  York.  In 
the  face  of  the  royal  warrant,  John  Winthrop, 
on  behalf  of  Connecticut,  withdrew  all  claim 
of  jurisdiction,  and  so  the  destiny  of  Long 
Island  was  irrevocably  associated  with  the 
province  and  State  of  New  York,  for  by  that 
name  New  Netherland  became  known  very 
soon  after  Sept.  8,  1664,  when  Peter  Stuyve- 
sant retired  to  his  bouwerie  and  the  rule 
of  the  Dutch  for  a  time  passed  away. 


THE    JOHN    J.    WEEKS    HOUSE. 
At  the  corner  of  Pipe  and  Rock  and  Oyster  Bay  Roads.     Said  to  be  the  oldest  house  standing  in  Long  Island 


CHAPTER  Vl. 


THE     BRITISH     GOVERNMENT. 


IR  Richard  Nicolls,  by  virtue  of  the 
authority  of  the  Duke  of  York,  be- 
came Deputy  Governor  of  the  New 
Netherland  and  was  one  of  the  rulers 
so  common  in  British  colonial  history,  who 
ruled  firmly  and  intelligently,  who  brought 
to  the  front  all  that  was  best  in  the 
colony,  caused  or  permitted  it  to  prosper, 
and  knew  how  to  conceal  the  iron  hand  be- 
neath the  velvet  glove.  Nicolls  did  not  reign 
long,  for  he  welcomed  his  own  successor 
Aug.  17,  1668;  but  in  that  brief  interval  of 
nearly  four  years  was  included  much  of  his- 
torical moment  to  the  province  in  general  and 
to  Long  Island  in  particular.  Nicolls  started 
in  by  changing  some  of  the  names  of  his 
vast  bailiwick.  The  old  name  of  New  Nether- 
land, as  has  been  stated,  was  changed  by 
him  to  New  York,  in  honor  of  one  title  of 
his   royal   patron,    and   Fort   Orange   became 


Albany  in  honor  of  another,  while,  to  still 
further  accentuate  the  Duke's  titles,  West- 
chester and  Long  Island  were  joined  legally 
under  the  name  of  Yorkshire.  About  the 
same  time  the  names  of  several  of  the  Long 
Island  towns  were  changed  so  that  Rustdorp 
became  Jamaica ;  Midwout,  Flatbush ;  Amer's- 
fort,  Flatlands;  Breuckland,  Brookland;  Mid- 
dleburg,  Newtown ;  and  VHssengen,  Flushing. 
Like  Yorkshire  in  England,  its  American 
namesake  was  divided  with  "ridings"  (an  old 
Anglo-Saxon  division  of  territory  into  three 
sections  from  the  Saxon  word  "trithing" — a 
third  part)  as  follows : 

West  Riding:  Kings  County,  Newtown, 
Staten  Island. 

North  Riding:  Remainder  of  Queens 
County,  Westchester. 

East  Riding :     Suffolk  County. 

When    he    had    established    himself   firmly 


64 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


enough  to  make  the  people  imagine  they  were 
to  have  a  full  share  in  the  government,  al- 
though his  rule  was  and  remained  arbitrary, 
Nicolls  called  a  meeting  of  delegates  from 
each  town  in  the  new  Yorkshire  to  assemble 
at  Hempstead  on  the  closing  day  of  February, 
1665.  In  calling  this  assembly.  Gov.  Nicolls 
said  to  "the  Ma£;istrates  of  the  several  towns 
upon  Long  Island,"  in  a  letter  dated  Feb- 
ruary 8 : 


In  discharge,  therefore,  of  my  trust  and 
duty,  to  settle  good  and  known  laws  within 
this  Government  for  the  future  and  receive 
your  best  adviCe  and  information  in  a  general 
meeting,  I  have  thought  it  best  to  publish 
unto  you  that  upon  the  last  day  of  this  present 
February,  at  Hempstead,  upon  Long  Island, 
shall  be  a  general  meeting  which  is  to  con- 
sist of  deputies  chosen  by  the  major  part  of 
the  freemen  only;  which  is  to  be  understood 
of  all  persons  rated  according  to  their  estates, 
whether  English  or  Dutch,  within  your  several 
towns  and  precincts,  whereof  you  are  to  make 
publication  to  the  inhabitants  four  days  before 
you  proceed  to  an  election,  appointing  a  cer- 
tain day  for  the  purpose. 

You  are  further  to  impart  to  the  inhabitants 
from  me  that  I  do  heartily  recommend  to 
them  the  choice  of  the  most  sober,  able  and 
discreet  persons,  without  partiality  or  faction, 
the  fruit  and  benefit  whereof  will  return  to 
themselves  in  a  full  and  perfect  composure 
of  all  controversies  and  the  propagation  of 
true  religion  amongst  us.  They  are  also  re- 
quired to'  bring  with  them  a  draught  of  each 
town  limits,  or  such  writings  as  are  necessary 
to  evidence  the  bounds  and  limits,  as  well  as 
the  right  by  which  they  challenge  such  bounds 
and  limits,  by  grants  or  purchase  or  both,  as 
also  to  give  notice  of  their  meeting  to  the 
Sachems  of  the  Indians  whose  presence  may 
in  some  cases  be  necessary. 

Lastly,  I  do  require  you  to  assemble  your 
inhabitants  and  read  this  letter  to  them,  and 
then  and  there  to  nominate  a  day  for  the 
election  of  two  deputies  from  your  town  who 
are  to  bring  a  certificate  of  their  election, 
with  full  power  to  conclude  any  cause  or 
matter  relating  to  their  several  towns,  to  me 
at  Hempstead  upon  the  last  day  of  February, 
when,  God  willing,  I  shall  expect  tbem. 


The  chosen  representatives  of  the  people 
were  so  pleased  with  their  new  dignity  that 
they  made  it  their  first  business  to  draw  up 
a  flattering  address  to  the  Duke  of  York  as 
follows : 


We,  the  Deputies  duly  elected  from  the 
several  towns  upon  Long  Island,  being  as- 
sembled at  Hempstead,  in  general  meeting  by 
authority  derived  from  your  Royal  Highness 
under  the  Honorable  Colonel  Nicolls  as 
Deputy  Governor,  do  most  humbly  and  thank- 
fully acknowledge  to  your  Royal  Highness 
the  great  honor  and  satisfaction  we  receive 
in  our  dependence  upon  your  Royal  Highness 
according  to  the  tenor  of  his  Sacred  Majesty's 
patent,  granted  the  12th  day  of  March,  1664; 
wherein  we  acknowledge  ourselves,  our  heirs 
and  successors  for  ever  to  be  comprised  to 
all  intents  and  purposes,  as  therein  is  more 
at  large  expressed. 

And  we  do  publicly  and  unanimously  de- 
clare our  cheerful  submission  to  all  such  laws, 
statutes  and  ordinances  which  are  or  shall  be 
made  by  virtue  of  authority  from  your  Royal 
Highness,  your  heirs  and  successors  for  ever. 

And  also  that  we  will  maintain,  uphold,  and 
defend  to  the  utmost  of  our  power,  and  peril 
to  us,  our  heirs  and  successors  for  ever,  all 
the  rights,  title,  and  interest  granted  by  his 
Sacred  ilajesty  to  your  Royal  Highness, 
against  all  pretensions  or  invasions,  foreign 
and  domestic ;  we  being  already  well  assumed 
that  in  so  doing  we  perform  our  dtibf^cif 
allegiance  to  his  Majesty  as  freeborn  shbje'cts 
of  the  Kingdom  of  England,  inhabiting  in 
these  his  Majesty's  dominions. 

We  do  farther  beseech  your  Royal  Highness 
to  accept  of  this  address  as  the  first  fruits 
in  this  general  meeting,  for  a  memorial  and 
record  against  us,  our  heirs  and  successors, 
when  we,  or  any  of  them,  shall  fail  in  our 
duties. 

Lastly,  we  beseech  your  Royal  Highness  to- 
take  our  poverties  and  necessities  in  this  wild- 
erness country  into  speedy  consideration;  that 
by  constant  supplies  of  trade,  and  your  Royal 
Highness's  more  particular  countenance  of 
grace  to  us,  and  protection  of  us^^  we  may 
daily  more  and  more  be  encouraged  to  bestow 
our  labors  to  the  improvement  of  these  his- 
Majesty's  western  dominions,  under  your 
Royal  Highness,  for  whose  health,  long  life 


THE    BRITISH    GOVERNMENT. 


65 


and  eternal  happiness  we  shall  ever  pray,  as  in 
duty  bound.     Signed.     For : 

New  Utrecht :    Jacques  Cortelyou,  Young- 
er Hope. 

Gravesend:     James  Hubbard,  John  Bowne. 
Flatlands :  Elbert  Elbertsen,  Roeloffe  Mar- 
tense. 

Flatbush:  John  Striker,  Hendrick  Guck- 
sen. 

Bushwick:     John  Stealman,  Gisbert  Tunis. 

Brooklyn :  Hendrick  Lubbertsen,  John 
Evertsen. 

Newtown :     Richard  Betts,  John  Coe. 

Flushing:  Elias  Doughty,  Richard  Corn- 
hill. 

Jamaica :    Daniel  Denton,  Thomas  Benedict. 

Hempstead :     John  Hicks,  Robt.  Jackson. 

Oyster  Bay:  John  Underbill,  Matthias 
Harvey. 

Huntington:     Jonas  Wood,  John  Ketcham. 

Brookhaven :     Daniel  Lane,  Roger  Barton. 

Southold :     William  Wells,  John  Youngs. 

Southampton,:  Thomas  Topping,  John 
Howell. 

Easthampton :  Thomas  Baker,  John  Strat- 
ton. 

Westchester:  Edward  Jessup,  John  Quin- 
by. 

Gabriel  Furman  ( "Notes  Relating  the  Town 
of  Brooklyn,"  1824),  referring  to  this  address, 
says : 

The  people  of  Long  Island  considered 
the  language  of  this  address  as  too  servile 
for  freemen  and  were  exasperated  against  the 
makers  of  it  to  such  a  degree  that  the  Court 
of  Assizes,  in  order  to  save  the  deputies  from 
abuse,  if  not  from  personal  violence,  thought 
it  expedient  at  their  meeting  in  October,  1666, 
to  declare  that  whosoever  hereafter  shall  any 
way  detract  ior  speak  against  any  of  the 
Deputies  signing  the  address  of  his  Royal 
Highness  at  the  General  Meeting  at  Hemp- 
stead, they  shall  be  presented  at  the  next 
Court  of  Sessions ;  and  if  the  Justices  shall  see 
cause,  they  shall  from  thence  be  bound  over 
to  the  Assizes,  there  to  answer  for  the  slander 
upon  plaint  or  information. 


The  deputies,  subsequently  to  the  address 
made  to  the  Duke  of  York,  made  one  to  the 
people,  in  which  they  set  forth  their  reasons 


for  agreeing  to  the  code  styled  "The  Duke's 
Laws." 

There  seems  no  doubt  that  the  real  author 
of  this  address  which,  fulsome  as  it  may  appear 
to  modern  readers,  was  not  so  extravagant  in 
that  respect  as  most  documents  of  the  time 
of  a  similar  nature,  was  the  Governor's  neph- 
ew, Matthias  Nicolls.  He  was  a  lawyer  by 
profession  and  received  the  appointment  of 
secretary  to  that  warrior- diplomat,  with  the 
military  rank  of  Captain,  when  the  expedition: 
was  organized  which  resulted  in  the  capture 
of  New  Netherland.  When  Nicolls  entered 
into  possession  Matthias  was  appointed  Sec- 
retary of  the  Province,  a  position,  it  would 
seem,  which  had  been  promised  him  before 
leaving  England :  indeed  he  had  his  commis-. 
sion  in  his  possession  when  he  first  saw  New 
Amsterdam.  By  virtue  of  his  secretaryship 
he  became  a  member  of  the  Governor's  Coun- 
cil. He  was  the  presiding  Judge  in  the  Court 
of  Assizes  on  its  establishment,  and  in  1672 
was  chosen  Mayor  of  New  York,  holding  that 
otfice  ior  one  year.  In  connection  with  the: 
Court  of  Common  Pleas  he  was  the  Presiding; 
Judge,  and  in  1683  became  one  of  the  Judges, 
of  the  Supreme  Court.  He  made,  in  later 
years  of  his  life,  extensive  purchases  of  land, 
on  Little  Neck  and  seems  to  have  spent  quite 
a  considerable  portion  of  his  time  on  that 
property.  He  died  at  Cow  Neck,  Dec.  22,, 
1687,  leaving  that  estate  to  his  son,  William,, 
and  so  may  be  regarded  as  the  founder  of  one 
of  the  most  famous  of  the  old  families  of 
Long  Island. 

There  is  no  question  that  Matthias  Nicolls. 
also  drew  up  the  code  popularly  styled  "The 
Duke's  Lavv^s,"  which  after  being  submitted  to- 
the  Duke  of  York  and  his  advisers  was 
accepted  by  them,  printed  and  ordered  en- 
forced. It  was  to  introduce  those  laws  with 
the  apparent  concurrence  of  the  people  most 
directly  interested  in  them  that  the  assembly 
at  Hemp,stead  was  called.  These  laws  are  a. 
remarkable  body  of  regulations  and  stamp, 
their  author  as  a  lawyer  of  no  ordinary  de- 
gree of  acumen,  and  possessing  not  only  a 


66 


HISTORY   OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


thorough  knowledge  of  the  world  and  of  hu- 
man nature,  but  a  broad  and  tolerant  spirit. 
They  stand  out  in  marked  relief  to  the  "blue 
laws"  which  prevailed  over  most  of  New  Eng- 
land. 

The  laws,  in  every  particular  except  one, 
were  just  and  equitable.  The  Indians  were 
protected  so  far  as  a  sale  of  their  lands  re- 
quired the  consent  of  the  Governor.  The  ut- 
most toleration  was  allowed  in  religious 
matters.  Its  legal  administration,  with  a  town 
court,  a  court  of  sessions  and  a  court  of 
assizes,  seemed  adequate  for  the  needs  of  the 
province.  There  was  a  sheriff  for  the  shire, 
and  a  deputy  sheriff  for  each  riding.  Each 
town  was  to  elect  a  Constable,  and  eight 
{afterward  reduced  to  four)  Overseers,  who 
were  entrusted  with  the  maintenance  of  good 
•order.  They  made  up  the  town  court,  which 
took  notice  of  all  cases  of  debt  or  trespass 
lunder  £5,  and  at  which  a  Justice  of  the  Peace 
{appointed  by  the  Governor)  was  to  preside 
■when  present.  The  Court  of  Sessions  was 
•composed  of  the  Justices  of  the  Peace  in  each 
itown  in  each  riding  and  had  jurisdiction  over 
all  criminal  cases  and  over  civil  cases  where 
the  amount  was  above  £5.  It  was  a  jury 
•court,  seven  jurymen  being  the  number  fixed 
for  all  cases  not  capital,  and  for  such  twelve 
were  required,  and  a  unanimous  verdict  was 
necessary  to  convict.  The  death  penalty  was 
the  fate  decreed  for  those  who  denied  God  or 
His  attributes,  who  were  found  guilty  of  treas- 
on, or  willful  murder,  or  taking  life  by  false 
testimony,  or  engaged  in  man-stealing  and 
-several  other  crimes.  Under  suits  for  less 
than  £20  the  judgment  of  the  court  was  to 
be  final,  over  that  sum  there  was  the  right 
■of  appeal  to  the  Court  of  Assizes. 

That  body  met  once  a  year  in  New  York 
and  was  composed  of  the  Governor  and  his 
•Council,  and  the  Magistrates  of  the  townships. 
It  was  a  court  of  equity  as  well  as  of  common 
law.  In  some  respects  it  seems  to  have  as- 
■sumed  legislative  functions,  and  even  made 
from  time  to  time  amendments  to  the  Duke's 
laws.     It  was,  however,  never  popular,  and 


the  number  of  those  who  attended  its  sessions 
in  the  capacity  of  Judges  made  it  become  a 
burden  on  the  people,  and  its  abolition  in  1684 
was  generally  welcomed.  The  exception  to 
the  acceptance  of  the  code  to  which  reference 
has  been  made  is  the  fact  that  it  placed  little 
or  no  authority  in  the  bands  of  the  people. 
The  Governor  had  all  the  prerogatives  of  an 
autocrat,  executive,  legislative  and  judicial. 
His  will  was  supreme  in  every  department. 
He  appointed  all  Judges  and  public  officials 
and  could  remove  them  at  pleasure.  He  could 
make  what  laws  he  pleased  and  could  repeal 
any  which  did  not  suit  his  views  or  his  pur- 
poses. It  is  true  he  wielded  his  authority  by 
and  with  the  advice  of  his  Council,  but  he  ap- 
pointed the  members  of  his  Council  himself  and 
could  relegate  any  of  them  to  private  life  who 
failed  to  register  his  wishes.  In  spite  of  all 
this,  however,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  Gov. 
Nicolls'  administration  of  bis  high  office  was 
fairly  satisfactory  to  the  people  generally  and 
a  genuine  feeling  of  regret  was  aroused  when 
it  became  known  that  his  resignation  was  in 
the  hands  of  the  Duke  of  York  and  that  he 
only  awaited  the  coming  of  his  successor  to 
return  to  England.  When  that  came  to  pass 
the  people  gave  him  a  public  dinner  and  es- 
corted him  down  New  York  Bay,  thereby 
setting  a  precedent  which  has  often  been  fol- 
lowed since  among  local  "statesmen."  It  may 
here  be  said  that  Nicolls  lost  his  life  in  the 
battle  at  Solebay,  May  28,  1672,  with  Admiral 
De  Ruyter. 

Under  Francis  Lovelace  the  personal  rule 
permissible  under  the  Duke's  laws  was  still 
further  emphasized,  for  he  was  a  politician 
rather  than  a  statesman.  He  followed  in 
many  ways  in  the  politic  footsteps  of  his  prede- 
cessor, and  he  had  the  wise  counsel  of  Mat- 
thias Nicolls  always  at  hand  to  aid  him  in 
any  intricate  point  which  might  arise.  He 
tried  hard  to  cultivate  the  most  amicable  asso- 
ciation with  the  Dutch,  assisted  the  Lutherans 
to  bring  a  minister  from  Holland,  fully  pro- 
tected the  Reformed  Church  and  gave  the 
Presbyterians  a  free  field,  so  that  even  they 


THE    BRITISH    GOVERNMENT. 


67 


might  secure  a  foothold  in- the  Province.  Re- 
ligious freedom  prevailed  all  around,  and  it  is 
one  of  the  conundrums  of  history  that  under 
the  rule  of  a  man  so  thoroughly  devoted  to  the 
Church  of  Rome,  as  perfect  an  example  of 
religious  toleration  should  be  found  in  a  terri- 
tory where  his  will  was  after  all  the  only  law. 
It  was  this  arbitrary  rule  which  led  to  the 
failure  of  Lovelace's  administration.  The 
omission  of  the  Duke's  code  of  laws  to  provide 
for  any  real  measures  of  self-government  on 
the  part  of  the  colonists  had,  ever  since  its 
promulgation,  been  the  subject  of  much  ad- 
verse criticism  and  complaint,  especially  on  the 
eastern  division  of  Long  Island  and  among 
the  English  towns  generally.  In  1667  some 
of  the  towns  petitioned  for  a  system  of  local 
government,  but  Nicolls,  then  retiring,  left 
the  question  as  a  legacy  to  his  successor. 
That  dignitary's  response  simply  advised  the 
petitioners  to  render  submission  and  obedience 
to  the  laws  then  existing  and  all  would  be 
well.  That  of  course  satisfied  nobody,  but 
things  drifted  along,  the  sentiment  for  local 
■self-government  naturally  becoming  stronger 
with  time.  On  October  9,  1669,  the  towns  of 
Gravesend,  Hempstead,  Jamaica,  Flushing, 
Newtown,  Oyster  Bay,  as  well  as  Westchester 
.and  East  Chester,  severally  presented  petitions 
to  the  Governor,  the  result  evidently  of  a  pre- 
concerted movement,  in  which  among  other 
things  they  asked  to  be  put  on  an  equal  foot- 
ing with  his  Majesty's  other  subjects  in  Amer- 
ica to  the  extent  of  being  permitted  to  par- 
ticipate in  making  the  laws  by  which  they 
"are  governed,  by  such  deputies  as  shall  yearly 
be  chosen  by  the  freeholders  of  every  town 
and  parish."  They  had  at  first  been  promised 
that  much  when  Nicolls  took  over  the  Gov- 
ernment ;  but  a  promise  it  still  remained.  No 
real  response  was  made  to  these  petitions,  and 
in  1670  the  Governor  gave  an  instance  of  his 
arbitrary  power  by  declaring  the  patents  to 
the  land  of  Southampton  invalid  unless  a  new 
•one  was  obtained  within  a  specified  time. 
'This  was  done  at  a  meeting  of  the  Court  of 


Assizes  and  in  a  manner  strictly  in  accordance 
with  the  existing  law. 

In  1665  it  was  decreed  that  all  towns  should 
take  out  new  patents,  so,  as  it  was  said,  to  in- 
troduce uniformity  in  these  documents  and 
bring  them  more  in  accordance  with  English 
law,  but  the  purpose,  in  reality,  was  to  bring 
money  to  the  gubernatorial  treasury.  South- 
ampton complied  finally  with  this  command, 
but  it  was  urged  that,  having  obtained  its  pat- 
ents from  an  English  source, — the  agents  of 
Lord  Stirling, — there  was  no  necessity  for  the 
expense  and  trouble  involved. 

In  1670  the  Governor,  who  had  the  legal 
right,  according  to  the  patent  of  his  appoint- 
ment, to  impose  customs  duties  and  other  in- 
direct taxes  agreeably  to  his  own  pleasure, 
ordered  a  direct  tax  to  be  levied  for  improve- 
ments on  the  fort  at  New  York.  When  the 
effort  to  enforce  this  impost  was  commenced 
the  freeholders  were  aroused  and  the  tax  was 
denounced  as  being  a  dangerous  precedent,  if 
allowed,  and  a  direct  contravention  of  the  un- 
disputed rights  of  British  subjects.  The  op- 
posdtion  was,  in  reality,  the  first  move  in  the 
struggle  against  taxation  without  representa- 
tion which  was  destined  to  go  on  far  a  cen- 
tury and  to  end  in  the  loss  of  the  Colonies 
to  Great  Britain.  Meetings  were  held  all  over 
Long  Island  to  consider  the  situation.  Ja- 
maica declared  that  any  law  which  compelled 
the  people  to  pay  money  without  their  con- 
sent was  a  direct  violation  of  the  British  con- 
stitution, forgetting,  however,  the  important 
fact  that  they  were  not  living  under  the  Brit- 
ish constitution  but  in  a  private  territory  which, 
by  the  Duke's  charter,  was  held  under  the  same 
laws  as  the  "manor  of  East  Greenwich  in  the 
County  of  Kent."  This  fine  point,  however, 
was  not  apparent  to  the  freeholders  of  Long 
Island,  although  it  was  not  forgotten  by  Love- 
lace and  his  immediate  circle  of  advisers.  The 
people  of  Huntington  flatly  refused  to  pay  be- 
cause they  were  "deprived  of  the  liberties  of 
Englishmen."  The  towns  of  Southold,  South- 
ampton and  Easthampton  held  a  joint  meeting 


68 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


and  decided  against  the  tax,  and  so  did  town 
meetings  at  Hempstead,  Flushing  and  others. 
Some  of  the  resolutions  adopted  at  the  town 
meetings  were  laid  before  the  Court  of  Ses- 
sions of  the  West  Riding,  at  Gravesend,  Dec. 
21,  1670,  when  Matthias  Nicolls,  who  presided, 
declared  them  "scandalous,  illegal  and  sedi- 
tious," and  in  his  turn,  fortified  by  this  legal 
opinion,  the  Governor  ordered  the  official  cop- 
ies of  the  resolutions  to  be  burned.  He  had  a 
peculiar  theory  that  the  best  way  to  keep  people 
from  grumbling  over  taxes  was  to  make  the 
amount  so  large  that  there  was  no  time  to  spare 
for  any  thought  but  how  to  pay  them. 

The  sudden  capture  of  the  Province  by  the 
Dutch  in  August,  1673,  summarily  ended  the 
authority  of  Lovelace,  suspended  "The  Duke's 
Laws"  and  introduced  practically  a  condition 
of  governmental  anarchy.  On  Long  Island, 
Governor  Colve  attempted  to  reform  every- 
thing on  a  Dutch  basis  exactly  as  in  the  time 
of  Stuyvesant.  The  eastern  towns  declined  to 
accept  the  new  Government,  declaring  they  had 
never  been  subject  to  the  Dutch,  and  when 
Colve's  commissioners  reached  Southold  they 
found  the  people  not  only  in  arms  but  decid- 
edly ready  to  use  them  against  any  attempt  to 
impose  Dutch  rule.  In  this  they  were  backed 
up  by  Connecticut,  which  renewed  its  old  claim 
of  jurisdiction  over  the  eastern  half  of  the 
island,  and  on  Nov.  26,  1673,  in  support  of  that 
claim,  it  boldly  declared  war  on  the  Dutch. 
It  seems  very  likely  the  island  would  have  had 
a  few  battle-fields  added  to  its  historic  treas- 
ures had  not  the  trend  of  affairs  in  Europe 
again  restored  New  Netherland  to  English 
rule. 

When  the  news  of  the  treaty  of  Feb.  19, 
1674,  reached  America,  the  people  of  the  En- 
glish towns  were  in  a  quandary.  They  did  not 
wish  a  return  of  the  Duke's  government,  and 
in  the  eastern  half  of  Long  Island  a  petition 
was  prepared  to  the  King,  asking  that  the  ter- 
ritory be  declared  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
Connecticut.  It  was  too  late,  however,  for 
any  such  change  being  made,  even  had  the 
home  authorities  so  desired,  which  is  doubtful. 


The  Duke  of  York,  on  June  27,  1674,  had  for- 
tified his  title  by  securing  a  fresh  patent  and 
had  appointed  Sir  Edmund  Andros  as  his  Dep- 
uty Governor.  Soon  after  he  arrived  in  New 
York,  Oct.  31,  1674,  Andros  re-established  the 
Duke's  laws  and  bluntly  ordered  the  eastern 
Long  Island  towns  to  return  to  the  rule  of  his 
Royal  Highness.  For  a  time  they  held  out. 
Southold,  on  Nov.  17,  by  the  vote  of  a  town 
meeting,  formally  declared  that  it  still  adhered 
to  Connecticut,  and  the  others  followed  suit; 
but  such  opposition,  as  might  be  expected, 
proved  without  avail,  and  before  the  year  was 
out  the  rule  of  the  Duke  was  again  supreme. 

Andros  continued  in  power  until  1683  and 
seemed  to  have  brought  the  iron  hand  into  con- 
stant operation  without  any  effort  at  assuming 
the  velvet  disguise.  He  enforced  the  laws 
zealously  and  arbitrarily,  suspended  of  his  own 
volition  meetings  of  courts  and  at  times  even 
caused  citizens  to  be  imprisoned  without  trial 
and  without  offense  being  charged.  Isaac 
Piatt,  Epenetus  Piatt,  Samuel  Titus,  Jonas 
Wood  and  Thomas  Wicks,  all  of  Huntington, 
were  among  those  thus  deprived  of  liberty, 
their  only  offence  being  attendance  at  a  meet- 
ing to  consider  how  to  obtain  redress  for  pub- 
lic grievances.  It  is  to  the  honor  of  Hunting- 
ton that  another  meeting  decreed  that  their 
law  costs  and  living  expenses  should  be  paid 
while  their  imprisonment  went  on.  These 
meetings  seem  to  have  been  very  numerous 
and  to  have  increased  in  intensity  and  in  the 
scope  of  their  demands;  but  the  records  of 
all  which  have  come  down  to  us  show  that  the 
main  grievance  was  the  question  of  taxation — 
taxation  of  the  people  without  their  consent. 

But  no  redress  could  be  obtained  from  An- 
dros, and  the  appointment  of  Thomas  Don- 
gan  as  his  successor  was  hailed  with  a  feeling 
of  relief.  That  official  was  neither  a  strong 
nor  a  capable  executive,  and  simply  kept  within 
easy  touch  of  the  leading  strings  which  con- 
nected him  with  the  home  authorities,  and  con- 
tinued Matthias  Nicolls  as  his  chief  local  ad- 
viser. Yet,  under  Dongan  the  colonists  were 
destined  to  make  more  definite  progress  on  the 


THE    BRITISH    GOVERNMENT. 


69 


way  to  self-government  than  they  had  hitherto 
been  permitted.  The  longer  the  "Duke's 
laws"  continued  to  be  enforced  with  tlie  op- 
portunities for  tyranny  and  favoritism  they 
afforded  such  men  as  Andros,  the  more  bitterly 
were  they  resented  by  the  colonists,  and  effort 
after  effort,  by  appeal  or  otherwise,  was  made 
for  a  new  code,  while  the  existing  laws  or  their 
results  were  more  or  less  roundly  denounced 
at  many  town  meetings.  The  murmurs  against 
Andros  had  led  to  a  commissioner  being  sent 
out  to  investigate,  and  although  the  result  was 
a  coat  of  official  whitewash  for  that  official, 
the  fact  that  such  an  enquiry  was  made,  was, 
in  the  circumstances,  a  gain  for  the  complain- 
ants. It  was  during  the  absence  of  Andros, 
and  while  Brockholles,  his  commander-in- 
chief,  was  in  executive  charge,  that  the  great- 
est advance  was  made.  Roberts,  in  his  "His- 
tory of  New  York,"  says : 

Trouble  befell  Brockholles  at  once  because 
the  customs  duties  had  expired  by  limitation 
i-nd  had  not  been  renewed.  The  merchants 
on  this  ground  refused  to  pay  any  duties  on 
imports.  The  Council  advised  Brockholles 
that  he  had  no  authority  to  collect  them  with- 
out orders  from  the  Duke.  Dyer,  collector  of 
the  port,  was  exercising  "regal  power  and  au- 
thority" because  he  tried  to  hold  goods  to  en- 
force payment.  He  appealed  to  the  courts  at 
home,  but  without  trial  finally  received  prac- 
tical approval  of  his  course  by  appointment  as 
Surveyor  General  of  Customs  in  America. 
The  jury,  on  the  other  hand,  declared  to  the 
Court  of  Assizes  that  a  Provincial  Assembly 
was  needed.  Sheriff  John  Youngs,  of  Long 
Island,  was  designated  to  draft  a  petition  to 
the  Duke  of  York  for  "an  assembly  to  be  duly 
elected  by  the  freeholders  as  is  usual  within 
the  realm  of  England  and  other  of  his  Maj- 
esty's plantations."  The  demand  was  urgent, 
because  the  inhabitants  "were  groaning  under 
inexpressible  burdens  of  an  arbitrary  and  ab- 
solute power"  by  which  "revenue  had  been 
exacted,  their  trade  crippled  and  their  liber- 
ties enthralled."  Disaffection  was  open  and 
pronounced,  especially  on  Long  Island.  Lieut. 
Gov.  Brockholles  laid  the  case  before  the  Duke 
and  was  censured  for  not  promptly  renewing 


the  order  for  the  duties  and  enforcing  their 
collection. 

The  pressure  for  money  led  the  Duke  to 
intimate  that  he  would  condescend  to  the  de- 
sires of  the  colony  in  granting  them  equal 
privileges  in  choosing  an  Assembly  and  so 
for.lh,  as  the  other  English  plantations  in 
America  have,  but  this  was  on  the  supposition 
that  the  inhabitants  will  agree  to  raise  money 
to  discharge  the  public  debts  and  to  settle  such 
a  fund  for  the  future  as  may  be  sufficient  for 
the  maintenance  of  the  garrison  and  govern- 
ment! James  had  previously  disapproved  of 
any  movement  for  an  Assembly  as  fraught 
with  dangerous  consequences,  while  he 
pointed  to  the  Court  of  Assizes  as  adequate 
to  hear  and  remedy  any  grievances.  Now  he 
declared,  March  28,  1682,  that  he  "sought  the 
common  good  and  protection  of  the  colony  and 
the  increase  of  its  trade"  before  any  advan- 
tages to  himself,  and  he  promised  that  what- 
ever revenues  the  people  would  provide  should 
be  applied  to  the  public  uses  suggested. 

But  he  was  in  no  hurry  over  the  gathering 
of  the  Assembly.  Brockholles  received  no  in- 
structions, and  although  Dongan,  who  arrived 
Aug.  27,  1683,  was  instructed  to  summon  the 
Assembly,  he  did  not  issue  the  proclamation 
until  Sept.  13,  and  it  was  almost  a  month  later, 
Oct.  17,  before  it  met  in  New  York,  in  the  old 
fort  in  the  Battery.  Matthias  Nicolls,  prob- 
ably at  the  instigation  of  the  Governor,  was 
appointed  Speaker.  The  acts  of  that  assembly 
were  of  the  utmost  importance.  By  the  char- 
ter of  liberties  it  was  declared  that  under  the 
King  and  the  Duke  the  supreme  legislative 
authority  shall  forever  be  and  reside  in  "the 
Governor,  Council,  and  the  people  met  in  a 
General  Assembly ;"  and  it  expressly  provided 
that  no  tax  should  be  imposed  without  the  con- 
sent of  the  Governor,  Council  and  Assembly. 
Many  of  the  details  of  the  Duke's  laws  were 
repealed.  Entire  freedom  in  religion  was  de- 
clared, and  free  elections  were  provided  for. 
Duties  were  regulated  as  follows  : 

Imports :  Rum,  brandy  and  distilled  liq- 
uor, 4d  a  gallon.  Sherry  and  all  sweet  wines, 
40s  a  pipe.  Lead,  6s  a  cwt.  Guns  or  gun  bar- 
rels, with  lock,  6s  each.     General  merchandise 


70 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


not  otherwise  stated,  2  per  cent,  ad  valorem. 
Merchandise  intended  for  India  trade,  10  per 
cent. 

Exports:  Beaver  skins,  gd  each.  All 
other  skins  exported  were  liable  to  duty. 

Excise :  Beer  and  cider  sold  in  less  quan- 
tities than  five  gallons,  6d  a  gallon.  All  other 
liquors,  I2d  a  gallon. 

The  courts  were  thoroughly  reorganized. 
For  every  town  a  court  was  designated  to  meet 
once  a  month  and  try  cases  of  debt  and  tres- 
pass under  forty  shillings  and  without  a  jury 
unless  one  was  demanded.  A  Court  of  Ses- 
sions was  to  be  held  yearly  in  each  county  to 
meet  for  three  days  and  try  all  sorts  of  causes 
with  a  jury  of  twelve  men.  A  court  of  gen- 
eral jurisdiction,  called  the  Court  of  Oyer  and 
Terminer  and  jail  delivery,  was  also  estab- 
lished, and  the  Governor  and  Council  were  ap- 
pointed a  Court  of  Chancery,  from  whose  de- 
cisions an  appeal  could  only  be  made  to  the 
sovereign.  By  act  of  a  later  session  (Oct., 
1684)  the  Court  of  Assizes  was  abolished. 
From  a  histo|i-ical  point  of  view,  this  assem- 
bly is  memorable  as  that  which  divided  the 
Province  of  Colony  into  counties  and  abol- 
ished the  old  ridings  with  the  first  mix-up  of 
Long  Island  with  Westchester  and  Staten 
Island.  The  act  was  passed  Nov.  29,  1683, 
and  apportioned  Long  Island  as  follows: 

Queens  County — to  conteyne  the  severall 
towns  of  Newtown,  Jamaica,  Flushing,  Hemp- 
stead and  Oyster  Bay,  with  the  severall  out- 
farms,  settlements  and  plantacons  adjacent. 

Kings  County — to  conteyne  the  severall 
towns  of  Boshwyck,  Bedford,  Brooklyn,  Flat- 
bush,  Flatlands,  New  Utrecht  and  Gravesend, 
with  the  severall  settlements  and  plantacons 
adjacent. 

Suffolk  County — to  conteyne  the  severall 
towns  of  Huntington,  Southfield,  Brookhaven, 
Southampton,  Southold,  Easthampton  to  Mon- 
tauk  Point,  Shelter  Island,  the  Isle  of  Wight, 
Fisher's  Island  and  Plum  Island,  with  the  sev- 
eral out- farms  and  plantacons  adjacent.    . 

Dongan  summoned  a  fresh  assembly  to 
meet  in  September,  1685,  but  it  accomplished 


little.  By  the  time  it  met  the  Duke  of  York 
had  become  James  II,  and  as  soon  as  possible 
thereafter  the  new  sovereign  withdrew  the  in- 
structions by  which  the  Royal  Governor  had 
called  the  Assemblies  and  determined  that  his 
appointees  should  alone  rule,  with  the  aid  of 
his  instructions  and  the  rules  of  his  Privy 
Council.  Amid  all  these  changes  the  discon- 
tent of  the  people  seemed  to  increase,  and 
after  James  became  King  and  the  Assembly 
had  become,  a  dead  letter  murmurs  reached  the 
royal  representative  from  every  side.  Tax- 
ation steadily  increased  all  round,  and  especi- 
ally in  Suffolk  County,  the  furthest  removed 
from  the  center  of  Government,  there  was- 
found  the  greatest  difficulty  in  the  collection 
of  the  revenue.  Indeed,  Dongan  on  one  oc- 
casion wrote  that  "the  people  of  Long  Island, 
especially  toward  the  east  end,  are  of  the  same 
stamp  with  those  of  New  England,  refractory 
and  very  loath  to  have  any  commerce  with 
this  place  (New  York),  to  the  great  detriment 
of  his  Majesty's  revenue  and  the  ruin  of  our 
merchants."  Smuggling  was  common  from 
Connecticut  and  New  England,  the  laws  were 
violated  in  many  ways,  and  though  the  Gov- 
ernment zealously  applied  itself  to  remedy  mat- 
ters, it  failed  of  accomplishment.  Indeed,  the 
only  result  of  the  rigid  attempts  to  enforce 
obnoxious  laws  was  the  stoppage  of  immigra- 
tion. The  Governor  indeed  admitted  that  for 
seven  years  not  over  twenty  families  from  Eng- 
land had  moved  into  the  Province  of  New 
York,  while  from  Long  Island  a  constant 
stream  of  good  people  was  moving  over  into 
Connecticut.  On  Aug.  11,  1688,  Andros  again 
became  Governor,  in  addition  to  his  charge  in 
New  England,  and  personally  held  the  execu- 
tive chair  until  Oct.  9  following,  when  he  ap- 
pointed Francis  Nicholson  his  Lieutenant 
Governor  and  returned  to  Boston.  Two 
months  later  King  James  himself  was  a 
fugitive,  bereft  of  throne  and  country,  and 
William  of  Orange  resigned  in  his  stead. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  accession  to 
power  of  King  William  was  hailed  with  joy  in 
New  Netherland.     The  Dutch  citizens  natur- 


THE    BRITISH    GOVERNMENT. 


l 


ally  regarded  him  as  one  of  themselves  and 
anticipated  much  from  what  they  considered 
would  be  but  a  natural  partiality,  while  the 
EngHsh,  heartily  tired  of  James  and  his  domi- 
neering and  greedy  representatives,  looked  for- 
ward to  a  promulgation  of  a  constitution  for 
the  territory,  worthy  of  freemen.  It  was  not 
until  the  middle  of  April,  1689,  that  the 
news  of  the  "Glorious  Revolution"  reached 
this  side  of  the  Atlantic  and  the  first  result 
was  the  capture  of  Fort  James  by  Jacob  Leis- 
ler.  This  man  was  a  native  of  Germany,  a 
Protestant,  and  had  acquired  considerable 
wealth  in  trading  with  the  Indians.  While  a 
resident  of  Albany  he  had  incurred  the  dis- 
pleasure of  Andros  by  his  opposition  to  the 
spread  of  Roman  Catholicism,  but  under  Don- 
gan  he  became  one  of  the  Commissioners  of 
the  Court  of  Admiralty  in  New  YoTk  and  soon 
acquired  a  large  measure  of  popularity  among 
the  citizens.  He  became  captain  of  one  of 
the  five  companies  of  militia  of  the  city.  When 
the  news  of  the  Revolution  reached  New  York 
it  was  understood  that  the  office-holders  of  the 
fallen  regime  would  be  summarily  turned  out, 
and  on  a  report  that  those  who  adhered  to  the 
deposed  monarch  were  preparing  to  establish 
themselves  in  the  fort  and  to  massacre  the 
Protestants,  a  popular  demand  arose  that  Leis- 
ler  and  his  troops  should  take  action  to  estab- 
lish the  authority  of  the  new  sovereign.  He 
took  possession  of  the  fort,  which  contained 
all  the  funds  and  archives  of  the  local  govern- 
ment, and  announced  his  intention  to  hold  it 
"for  the  present  Protestant  power  that  reigns 
in  England." 

Then,  in  answer  to  requests  from  Leisler, 
a  Committee  of  Safety  of  ten  citizens,  includ- 
ing one  representative  from  Kings  and  one 
from  Queens,  assumed  the  role  of  a  Provis- 
ional Government,  elected  Leisler  its  execu- 
tive chief  and  authorized  him  to  act  as  "Cap- 
tain of  the  fort."  Suffolk  County  declined  to 
take  any  share  in  the  committee,  basing  its 
hopes  upon  being  reunited  to  Connecticut. 
Fearing  for  his  own  safety,  Lieut.  Gov.  Nichol- 
son, when  the  trouble  began,  went  aboard  a 


ship  lying  in  the  harbor  and  set  out  for  Eng- 
land, and  most  of  his  prominent  adherents- 
then  retired  to  Albany,  leaving  Leisler  in  full 
control.  He  strengthened  the  fort  and  as- 
sumed entire  charge  of  local  affairs. 

In  December  a  letter  was  received  from 
the  new  authority  in  London  directed  to  "Fran- 
cis Nicholson,  or,  in  his  absence,  to  such  as  for 
the  time  being  take  care  for  preserving  the 
peace  and  administering  the  laws  in  their 
Majestie's  Province  of  New  York  in  Amer- 
ica," authorizing  him  to  take  chief  command 
and  to  appoint  to  the  various  offices  such  free- 
holders and  inhabitants  as  he  should  see  fit. 
Leisler,  in  the  absence  of  Nicholson,  consid- 
ered all  this  as  his  own  appointment  as  Lieu- 
tenant Governor.  So  he  summarily  dismissed 
the  Committee  of  Safety,  swore  in  a  new  Coun- 
cil and  assumed  all  the  prerogatives  of  the  high 
office  in  which  he  had  placed  himself.  He 
summoned  a  General  Assembly,  which  met  in 
New  York,  but  accomplished  nothing.  Long 
Island  was  not  represented  and,  indeed,  Hun- 
tington was  the  only  town  which  for  a  time 
seems  to  have  fully  recognized  his  authority 
and  aided  him  with  troops.  In  fact,  the  island, 
it  may  be  said,  was  in  a  condition  of  actual  re- 
bellion against  him,  and  on  Feb.  15,  1690,  he 
brought  about  the  arrest  of  ex-Gov.  Dongan 
and  ordered  Col.  Thomas  Willett,  Capt. 
Thomas  Hicks,  Daniel  Whitehead  and  Edward 
Antill  to  be  brought  before  his  Council.  A 
few  days  later  he  ordered  Dongan  and  others 
to  be  carried  as  prisoners  to  New  York.  The 
struggle  continued  all, through  the  island,  and 
in  October  Leisler  sent  hlis  son-in-law,  Major 
Millbourne,  to  suppress  the  disaffected  and 
suspended  the  meeting  of  the  Kings  County 
Court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer.  But  the  dis- 
affection continued  and  grew  daily  more  open 
and  pronounced,  so  much  so  that  on  Oct.  30 
he  formally  declared  Long  Island  in  a  state  of 
rebellion.  On  Nov.  7  the  freeholders  of 
Hempstead,  Jamaica,  Flushing  and  Newtown 
met  and  drew  up  a  paper,  which  was  sent  to 
the  Secretary  of  State  in  London,  in  which 
they  told  of  their  oppressed  condition  and  en- 


72 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


larged  at  length  and  in  minute  detail  on  Leis- 
ler's  tyrannical  and  cruel  acts. 

So  matters  passed  along,  the  whole  prov- 
ince drifting  in  a  perilous  condition  in  spite  of 
Leisler's  able  management  of  afifairs  gener- 
ally until,  in  January,  1691,  Major  Richard 
Ingoldsby  arrived  in  New  York  with  some 
troops,  announced  that  Henry  Sloughter  had 
been  appointed  Governor  and  himself  Lieu- 
tenant Governor,  and  demanded  in  the  name  of 
his  chief  possession  of  the  fort.  This  Leisler 
peremptorily  refused.  When  Sloughter  ar- 
rived, March  19,  1691,  Leisler  continued  to 
hold  out  until  Gov.  Sloughter  had  sworn  in 
his  Council,  when  he  accepted  the  inevitable, 
gave  up  the  stronghold  and  resigned  his  com- 
mands. Sloughter  at  once  placed  Leisler  and 
nine  of  his  adherents  under  arrest.  All  of 
these  were  soon  liberated  excepting  Leisler 
and  Millbourne,  who  were  tried  for  high  trea- 
son and  murder,  found  guilty,  and,  on  May  16, 
1 69 1,  both  were  hanged  near  what  is  now  the 
New  York  entrance  to  the  Brooklyn  Bridge. 

As  regards  the  merits  of  this  dispute,  or  the 
story  of  the  parties  of  Leislerites  and  Anti- 
Leislerites  in  which  New  Yolrk  long  revelled, 
we  do  not  propose  to  enter.  The  passing  of 
Leisler  on  the  gallows  virtually  ended  the 
trouble  so  far  as  Long  Island  was  concerned. 
We  are  rather  concerned  with  the  commission 
of  Henry  Sloughter,  for,  as  Thompson  says, 
"it  constituted  the  foundation  of  the  Colonial 
Government  after  the  Revolution  in  England, 
and  continued  as  it  was  then  settled,  with  few 
innovations,  until  the  American  Revolution.'' 
Practically  it  was  the  same  as  that  under  which 
Gov.  Dongan  acted,  with  the  difference  that  it 
was  honestly  enforced  and  the  Assembly  ac- 
quired a  full  measure  of  power  as  an  integral 
part  of  the  Government.  It  is  not  likely  that 
Sloughter's  administration  would  have  been 
marked  by  any  extraordinary  performance,  for 
he  was  one  of  the  weakest  of  all  the  royal  Gov- 
ernors, addicted  to  many  vices,  and  a  drunkard 
to  wit.  But  his  advent  in  New  York  was  a 
relief,  for  the  people  everywhere  in  the  prov- 
ince felt  that  he  represented  a  stable  govern- 


ment. He  died  suddenly  July  23,  1691,  and 
Major  Ingoldsby  filled  his  office  until  Aug. 
30,  1692,  when  Governor  Benjamin  Fletcher 
arrived  and  assumed  the  executive  chair,  being 
welcomed  with  a  "treat  costing  20  pounds." 

Fletcher  was  a  soldier,  a  stanch  supporter 
of  the  Established  Church  in  England  and  a 
brave  as  well  as  a  capable  man.  He  estab- 
lished annual  agricultural  fairs  in  the  three 
Long  Island  counties,  and  it  was  under  his 
regime  that  an  act  was  passed  by  the  Assembly, 
April  ID,  1693,  changing  the  name  of  the 
island  to  "Island  of  Nassau,"  which,  however, 
never  passed  into  current  use,  and  soon  be- 
came obsolete.  The  courts  were  again  re- 
organized, and  practically  two  new  tribunals 
were  instituted — the  Court  of  Common  Pleas 
and  the  Court  of  Sessions ;  an  act  for  settling  a 
ministry  and  raising  a  fund  for  the  main- 
tenance of  the  clergy  gave  rise  to  general  dis- 
satisfaction, especially  when  it  was  discovered 
that  its  main  object  was  the  setting  up  in  the 
Province  of  a  State  Church,  and  that  the 
Episcopalian,  which  had  then  very  few  ad- 
herents outside  of  New  York  City.  Still 
Fletcher  seems  to  have  determined  it  should 
be  enacted  and  become  effective,  with  the  re- 
sult of  raising  up  a  standing  grievance  in  the 
community  for  some  time  to  come.  He  had, 
in  fact,  as  it  was,  a  good  deal  of  trouble  with 
contumacious  and  unsympathetic  assemblies. 
In  spite  of  his  devotion  to  clerical  interests, 
Fletcher  was  obliged  to  retire  from  his  post  in 
April,  1698,  in  disgrace,  under  charges  of 
malfeasance  and  of  being  in  partnership  with 
pirates ;  but  such  charges  remained  unproved. 
It  was  to  put  down  the  pirates  who  infested 
the  seas  that  the  Earl  of  Bellomont  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  Governorship  in  succession  to 
Fletcher,  and  entered  upon  his  duties  April 
13,  1698.  In  another  chapter  we  will  refer 
more  particularly  to  his  work  in  that  line, 
and  practically  with  that  story  his  connection 
with  Long  Island  began  and  ended.  His 
successor  as  Governor,  the  notorious  Lord 
Cornbury,  was  equally  a  cipher  although  he 
contributed  a  disgraceful  chapter  to  the  clerical 


THE    BRITISH    GOVERNMENT. 


73 


history  of-  the  village  of  Jamaica.  He  was 
recalled  in  1708  and  Lord  Lovelace  became 
Governor  for  a  few  months.  During  the  in- 
terregnum caused  by  the  arrivals  and  de- 
parture of  these  nonentities  the  executive 
chair  was  often  filled  for  brief  intervals  by 
local  men,  such  as  Col.  William  Smith,  Col. 
Abraham  de  Peyster,  Gerardus  Beekman  and 
Peter  Schuyler. 

Gov.  Hunter,  a  scion  of  an  old  Scottish 
family,  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  Gov- 
ernorship June  14,  1710.  Like  all  of  his  pred- 
ecessors, he  had  accepted  the  office  with  a 
view  of  adding  to  his  private  fortune,  but  un- 
like most  of  them  he  had  a  conscience  that 
prevented  him  from  seeking  to  increase  his 
wealth  by  means  which  were  in  direct  variance 
to  the  welfare  of  the  community  over  which 
he  was  appointed  to  rule.  After  about  a  year's 
experience  in  the  Province  he  saw  that  the 
development  of  the  territory  could  only  be 
hastened  by  adding  to  its  population  through 
encouraging  and  facilitating  immigration,  and 
having  conceived  a  scheme  about  the  manu- 
facture of  naval  stores  by  which  he  might 
enrich  himself  and  afford  employment  to  many 
workers  he  proceeded  to  develop  the  re- 
sources of  the  country  and  increase  his  own 
wealth  by  the  introduction  of  some  3,000  Ger- 
man laborers  from  the  Palatinate.  These  peo- 
ple were  settled  in  five  villages  on  the  banks 
of  th-e  Hudson  River,  and  were  to  produce  tar 
and  turpentine.  Their  passage  money  was  to 
be  repaid  out  of  their  earnings  and  on  the 
same  terms  they  were  to  be  supplied  at  first 
with  the  necessaries  of  life.  As  might  be 
■expected  the  scheme  was  a  failure.  The  immi- 
_grants  were  virtually  contract  slaves  and  were 
soon  so  dissatisfied  with  their  lot  that  they 
refused  to  work ;  and  when  at  length  he  washed 
his  hands  of  the  whole  scheme  and  left  the 
immigrants  to  shift  for  themselves  "but  not 
outside  of  the  province,"  the  Governor  was 
very  seriously  crippled  financially.  His  great- 
est claim  to  remembrance  is  his  establishing 
of  a  complete  Court  of  Chancery  in  the  colony ; 
and  although  he  doubtless  saw  in  such  a  court 


a  rich  harvest  of  fees  and  opportunities  for 
patronage,  the  good  accomplished  by  a  tribunal 
of  that  description,  especially  in  a  developing 
colony  where  new  and  intricate  questions  were 
daily  demanding  decisions,  decisions,  which, 
were  for  all  time  to  rank  as  precedents,  should 
not  be  ignored.  In  many  ways  Governor 
Hunter  was  a  model  ruler.  In  questions  of 
religion  he  was  extremely  tolerant  and  he  be- 
lieved in  every  man  being  permitted  to  wor- 
ship as  he  thought  best.  He  indulged  in  no 
wild-cat  schemes  unless  his  importation  of 
workers  from  the  Palatinate  be  so  regarded, 
and  encouraged  no  extravagant  outlay  of  pub- 
lic money.  He  understood  the  art  of  manag- 
ing men,  and  was  on  equally  good  terms  with 
all  the  parties  in  the  colony.  Very  popular 
he  was  not  and  never  could  be,  for  he  repre- 
sented a  sovereign  power  in  the  person  of  the 
King,  while  all  around  him  in  New  York  was 
slowly  but  surely  developing  the  theory  that 
the  source  of  all  power,  even  the  power  to 
name  Governors  and  Judges,  should  be  the 
people  concerned ;  still  he  preserved  intact  the 
supremacy  of  his  royal  master  and  maintained 
peace  or  the  appearance  of  harmony  in  the 
province,  although  he  foresaw  very  clearly 
that  a  struggle  between  Britain  and  the  Amer- 
ican Colonies  was  certain  sooner  or  later. 
"The  Colonies  were  then  infants  at  their 
mother's  breast,"  he  wrote  in  171 1  to  Lord 
Bolingbroke,  then  British  Secretary  of  State 
for  Foreign  Affairs ;  "but  such  as  would  wean 
themselves  when  they  came  of  age." 

When  Robert  Hunter  retired  from  the  'Col- 
ony, in  1719,.  the  Assembly  gave  him  an  ad- 
dress in  which  they  lauded  his  administration 
of  affairs  and  expressed  the  opinion  that  he 
had  "governed  well  and  wisely,  like  a  prudent 
magistrate,  like  an  affectionate  parent."  This 
praise  seems  to  have  been  thoroughly  well 
deserved,  and  even  American  writers  acknowl- 
edge that  his  official  record  was  not  only  an 
able  but  a  clean  one.  He  was  possessed  of 
more  than  ordinary  talent,  was  a  warm  friend 
of  such  men  as  Addison,  St.  John,  Steele, 
Shaftesbury,   and   especially  of   Dean   Swift, 


74 


HISTORY    OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


who  appears  to  have  entertained  for  him  as 
undoubted  sentiments  of  respect  and  friend- 
ship as  he  entertained  for  any  man.  "Hunter," 
wrote  John  Forster  in  his  uncompleted  life 
of  the  Dean  of  St.  Patrick's,  "was  among  the 
most  scholarly  and  entertaining  of  his 
(Swift's)  correspondents;  some  of  Swift's 
own  best  letters  were  written  to  this  friend, 
and  the  judgment  he  had  formed  of  him  may 
be  taken  from  the  fact  that  when  all  the 
world  were  giving  to  himself  the  authorship 
of  Shaftesbury's  (anonymously  printed)  'Let- 
ter of  Enthusiasm,'  Swift  believed  Hunter  to 
have  written  it."  General  Hunter  died  at 
Jamaica  in  1734,  while  holding  the  office  of 
Governor  of  that  island. 

Governor  Hunter's  successor  in  New  York 
was  also  a  Scotchman — William  Burnet.  This 
amiable  man  was  the  son  of  the  famous  Bishop 
Burnet,  whose  "History  of  Our  Own  Times" 
is  one  of  the  classics  of  English  literature. 
William  Burnet  was  educated  at  Cambridge 
and  admitted  to  the  practice  of  the  law.  He 
appears  to  have  been  fairly  successful  in  that 
profession,  but  lost  all  his  means  in  the  South 
Sea  bubble,  and,  finding  himself  ruined,  looked 
around  so  that  he  might  use  his  great  family 
influence  to  secure  for  him  a  colonial  appoint- 
ment, a  most  natural  and  common  proceeding 
at  that  time.  His  success  was  quick  and 
brilliant,  and  in  September,  1720,  he  found 
himself  in  New  York  as  its  Governor.  His 
administration  was  as  able  and  as  honest  as 
that  of  his  predecessor,  and  he  made  himself 
immensely  popular  by  his  prohibition  of  trade 
between  the  Indians  of  the  colony  and  the 
merchants  in  Canada,  and  he  even  built  a  fort 
at  his  personal  expense  to  help  in  protecting 
the  trade  of  the  colony  over  which  he  ruled. 
The  home  government,  however,  refused  to  en- 
dorse Burnet's  course  in  this  instance,  but 
that  set-back  only  added  to  his  personal  popu- 
larity. He  lost  it  all,  however,  by  the  policy 
he  adopted  toward  the  Court  of  Chancery. 
Briefly  stated,  he  wanted  to  make  that  body 
independent   of  public   sentiment   and   above 


public  interference,  while  Colonial  opinion  wa.s 
that  all  judges  and  all  courts  should  be  subject 
to  the  control  of  the  people  directly  qr 
through  their  elected'  i-epresentatives.  Things 
reached  such  a  pass  that  the  Assembly  threat- 
ened to  declare  all  acts  and  decrees  of  the 
Court,  of  Chancery  as  null  and  void,  and  re- 
duced all  its  fees  as  a  preliminary  step  in  that 
direction.  The  crisis  between  the  Governor 
and  the  people  was  ended,  greatly  to  the 
former's  relief,  in-  1728,  when  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Governorship  of  Massachusetts. 
He  had  not  much  time  to  ma_ke  a  name  for 
himself  in  the  old  Bay  State,  for  he  died  at 
Boston  in  1729. 

John  Montgomery,  the  next  Governor,  was^ 
a  soldier  of  brilliant  parts  and  many  amiable 
qualities,  but  he  only  held  the  office  for  some 
three  months,  dying  July  i,  1731.  Rip  Van; 
Dam,  the  oldest  member  of  the  Council,  acted 
as  Governor  until  the  arrival  of  William  Cos- 
by on  Aug.  I,  1732.  This  rniserable  charlatan 
drew  his  salary,  quarrelled  with  the  Assembly, 
aired  his  self-conceit,  and  gabbled  about  pre- 
rogatives until  he  became  the  most  hated  man 
in  the  province.  He  died  in  office  March  7,. 
1736,  and  George  Clarke,  his  Lieutenant  Gov- 
ernor, administered  affairs  until  the  arrival  of 
Governor  George  Clinton,  Nov.  23,  1743.  It 
is  said  that  Clarke  during  his  American  career 
amassed  a  fortune  of  £100,000,  while  Clinton, 
when  he  retired  in  1753  took  back  with  him' 
to  England  £80,006,  all  gathered  in  during; 
his  ten  years'  tenure,  a  tenure  that  was  marked, 
by  constant  bickering  with  the  Assembly  and 
many  leading  Colonists;  for  the  trend  of  af- 
fairs was  even  then,  unconsciously  to  all,  most 
certainly  approaching  a  crisis.  It  became  con- 
scious, however,  to  a  great  many  in  1765,- 
when,  Sir  Henry  Moore  being  Governor,  an 
attempt  was  made  to  introduce  stamp  duties. 
But  from  Clinton  to  Tryon  the  Governors- 
were  either  mere  figure-heads,  or  at  all  events- 
passing  creatures  on  the  stage  who  accom- 
plished nothing  worth  even  the  recalling  of 
their  names  in  these  pages.     Tryon  was  the 


THE    BRITISH    GOVERNMENT. 


75 


ablest  of  the  lot,  but  his  story  belongs  to  the 
pages  of  our  history  which  recount  the  events 
of  the  Revolution. 

If,  however,  these  titular  rulers  are  un- 
worthy of  a  place  in  this  history  there  is  no 
doubt  that  the  actual  ruler  of  New  York  for 
fifteen  years  prior  to  the  advent  of  Tryon, 
Cadwallader  Colden,  deserves  more  than  pass- 
ing notice.  Colden  was  born  at  Dunse  (now 
unfortunately  called  Duns),  Scotland,  in  1688, 
the  year  of  the  "Glorious  Revolution"  which 
placed   William    and    Mary    on    the    British 


throne.  His  father  was  a  clergyman  and  Cad- 
wallader was  educated  at  Edinburgh  Univer- 
sity with  the  view  of  entering  the  ministry. 
His  own  inclination,  however,  led  him  to  study 
medicine  and  he  appears  to  have  practiced 
that  profession  in  London.  In  1710  he  crossed 
the  seas  to  Philadelphia.  His  stay  there  was 
comparatively  short,  for  we  find  him  in  171 5 
again  in  London,  where  he  moved  in  the  high- 
est intellectual  and  literary  circles.  In  1716 
he  returned  to  Scotland  and  married  a  country 
girl,  the  daughter  of  a  minister,  and  soon 
after  left  Ijis  native  land  again  for  America. 
After  practicing  medicine  for  a  time  in  Phila- 


delphia he  visited  New  York  and  won  the 
friendship  of  Governor  Hunter,  who  invited 
him  to  settle  in  the  territory  under  his  author- 
ity. This  he  agreed  to,  mainly  because 
Hunter  backed  up  his.  profession  of  friendship 
by  the  more  tangible  offer  of  the  position  of 
Surveyor  General  of  the  Colony.  Two  years 
later  Colden  had  so  fortified  his  position  with 
the  ruling  powers  that  he  obtained  a  grant  of 
2,000  acres  of  land  i  •  Orange  county,  and 
there  built  a  country  home  for  himself  and 
founded  a  village  to  which  he  gave  the  name 
of  Coldenham,  which  it  still  retains.  His  in- 
fluence was  increased  after  he  was  appointed, 
in  1722,  a  member  of  his  Majesty's  Provincial 
Council,  when  Governor  Burnet  had  com- 
menced his  rule,  and  he  became  that  person- 
age's most  trusted  counsellor.  After  Burnet 
went  to  Boston,  Colden  retired  to  Coldenham 
and  there  interested  himself  in  those  literary 
and  scientific  pursuits  which  gave  him  a  prom- 
inent position  in  contemporary  learned  circles^ 
He  had  a  wide  correspondence  with  scientists 
on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic,  and  to  a  sugges- 
tion in  one  of  his  letters  was  due  the  formation 
of  the  American  Philosophical  Society  of 
Philadelphia.  As  a  member  of  Council,  how- 
ever, Colden  still  continued  to  be  active  in 
the  politics  of  the  Province  and  as  usual  came 
in  for  a  full  share  of  popular  and  official 
criticism  and  abuse.  In  1760  a  second  time 
as  senior  member  of  Council,  he  was  called 
upon  to  administer  the  government  on  the 
sudden  death  of  Governor  De  Lancey,  and 
he  soon  after  was  commissioned  Lieutenant 
Governor.  Thereafter,  with  "few  interrup- 
tions," he  served  as  Lieutenant  Governor  until 
June  25,  177s,  when  the  progress  of  the  Revo- 
lution laid  him  on  the  shelf  by  wiping  out 
the  royal  office.  Had  Colden  thrown  in  his 
lot  with  the  Revolutionists  he  might  have 
attained  a  high  place  in  the  affection  of  the 
leaders  of  the  successful  side,  but  he  remained 
steadfast  in  his  loyalty  and  to  the  official 
oaths  he  had  taken  to  be  faithful  to  the  home 
Government,  and  while  his  sympathies  were 
always  with  the  people  and  his  views  were 


76 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


most  decided  against  unwarranted  State  inter- 
ference and  against  taxation  without  repre- 
sentation, he  was  too  old  to  change  his  flag. 
Besides,  he  was  of  the  opinion  that  all  the 
evils  which  led  to  the  Revolution  could  be 
amended  by  united  and  firm  representation  to 
the  sovereign  and  his  immediate  advisers,  and 
that  therefore  open  rebellion  was  needless. 
So,  when  the  crash  finally  came  and  his  pro- 
testations, tears,  promises,  explanations,  diplo- 
macy and  entreaties  proved  unavailing,  the 
old  Governor  retired  to  a  farm  near  Flushing, 
Long  Island,  and  died  of  a  broken  heart  a  few 
months  later,  in  September,  1776,  when  in  the 
eighty-eighth  year  of  his  age. 

After  the  bitterness  of  the  contemporary 
struggle  had  passed  away  the  public  services 
.and  brilliant  talents  of  this  most  accomplished 


of  all  New  York  royal  representatives  was 
more  apparent  than  at  the  time  when  he  was 
an  actor  in  the  drama  of  history,  and  his  loyal 
devotion  to  the  duties  of  his  high  office  was 
fully  acknowledged  on  all  sides.  "Posterity," 
wrote  Dr.  O'Callaghan  in  his  "Documentary 
History  of  the  State  of  New  York,"  "will  not 
fail  to  accord  justice  to  the  character  and  mem- 
ory of  a  man  to  whom  this  country  is  most 
deeply  indebted  for  much  of  its  science  and'for 
many  of  the  most  important  institutions,  and 
of  whom  the  State  of  New  York  may  well  be 
proud:"  and  G.  C.  Verplonck  said:  "For  the 
great  variety  and  extent  of  his  learning,  his 
unwearied  research,  his  talents,  and  the  public 
sphere  which  he  filled,  Cadwallader  Golden  ■ 
may  justly  be  placed  in  a  high  rank  among  the 
most  distinguished  men  of  his  time." 


CHAPTER  VII. 


SOME    EARLY    FAMILIES    AND    THEIR    DESCENDANTS. 

Some  Pioneer  Settlers — The  Stirling  Ownership  and  Colonizing  Schemes  — 
Lion  Gardiner  and  his  Purchase — A  Long  Island  "Queen  of  the  White 
House" — The  Blue  Smiths  and  other  Smiths,  the  Tangier  Smiths  and  other 
Branches   of  the   Smith  Family — The   Floyds. 


E'propose  in  this  chapter  to  select 
a  few  of  the  early  and  other  repre- 
sentative families  of  Long  Island, 
to  tell  how  they  acquired  a  settle- 
ment, what  they  did  in  the  way  of  developing 
its  resources,  trace,  when  possible,  and  at  more 
or  less  extent,  their  descendants  to  the  present 
day,  referring  briefly  to  the  doings  of  the 
most  prominent  in  each  generation  and  in  a 
general  way  try  to  show  the  influence  which 
each  family  selected  has  had  upon  the  fortunes 
of  the  island.  Scattered  throughout  the  course 
of  this  work  much  information  of  the  descrip- 
tion thus  indicated  will  be  found,  but  the  selec- 
tion here  made  will  group  together  representa- 
tive examples  of  the  various  classes  of  "found- 
ers" whose  names  are  to-day  as  familiar  in 
Long  Island  as  household  words,  and  will  en- 
able the  reader  readily  to  understand  the 
quality  of  hearts  and  hands  which  have  led 
the  way  in  the  building  up  of  the  local  his- 
tory. Long  Island  is  justly  proud  of  its  old 
families,  and  while  it  heartily  welcomes  new- 
comers to  its   soil   it  is  wont,  to   recall   with 


pleasure  the  names  of  the  pioneers  who  in. 
other  times  and  under  very  different  circum- 
stances from  those  which  prevail  to-day,, 
cleared  the  land  of  its  virgin  forests,  made 
fruitful  fields  take  the  place  of  hunting 
grounds,  introduced  civilization  and  com- 
merce, and  won  for  Long  Island  a  definite  and 
honored  position  in  the  annals  of  the  State  and 
the  Nation. 

Outside  of  corporations,  or  companies,  or 
sovereigns,  the  first  owner  of  Long  Island 
was  William  Alexander,  Earl  of  Stirling,  in 
many  ways  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  men 
of  his  time ;  a  man  who  was  restless  in  his 
activity,  who  won  fame  in  various  walks  of 
life,  who  was  one  of  the  most  extensive  land- 
owners of  which  the  world  has  any  knowledge, 
yet  who  died  poor — a  bankrupt,  in  fact.  Will- 
iam Alexander  was  born  at  Menstrie,  Stirling- 
shire, in  1567.  Through  the  influence  of  the 
Argyle  family  he  obtained  a  position  at  the 
Scottish  Court  and  became  tutor  to  Prince 
Henry,  eldest  son  of  James  VI.  He  soon  won. 
the  good  graces  of  the  sovereign   himself — 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


the  British  Solomon — by  his  learning,  his 
shrewdness,  and  his  poetical  ability,  and  when 
the  crowns  of  Scotland  and  England  were  uni- 
ted, in  1603,  Alexander  followed  King  James 
to  London.  That  Alexander  enjoyed  much 
popular  favor  and  high  reputation  as  a  poet 
during  his  lifetime  is  undoubted,  although  few 
except  students  of  literature  venture  to  read 
his  productions  now.  They  are  heavy,  dis- 
cursive, and,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  of 
his  sonnets  and  his  "Paraenesis  to  Prince 
Henry,"  rather  monotonous.  He  was  a  slave 
to  the  literary  mannerisms  and  affectations  of 
the  age,  but  a  knowledge  of  that  cannot  blind 
us  to  the  fact  that  he  was  really  possessed  of 
a  rich  share  of  poetic  ability.  With  his  poeti- 
cal writings  ot  his  merits  as  a  poet,  however, 
we  have  nothing  to  do  in  this  place;  nor  do 
we  need  discuss  the  question  as  to  whether 
or  not  he  wrote  King  James's  "Psalms,"  or 
even  discuss  the  nature  of  his  statesmanship 
^s  employed  in  his  official  relations  with  his 
native  country.  We  have  to  deal  with  him 
simply  as  a  colonizer,  one  of  the  first  to  colo- 
nize America.  His  career  at  Court  may  be 
summed  up  by  mentioning  that  he  was  knight- 
ed in  1609,  created  Lord  Alexander  of  Tulli- 
body and  Viscount  Stirling  in  1630,  Earl  of 
-Stirling  and  Viscount  Canada  in  1633,  and 
Earl  of  Dovan  in  1639.    ^  Y^^r  later  he  died. 

Lord  Stirling  found  that  the  English  were 
-Striving  to  establish  colonies  on  the  American 
seaboard  and  thought,  like  the  patriot  that  he 
undoubtedly  was,  that  his  countrymen  should 
have  a  share  in  the  rich  lands  across  the  sea. 
Early  in  1621  he  sent  a  petition  to  King  James 
for  a  grant  of  territory  in  America  on  which 
he  hoped  to  induce  Scotchmen  to  settle.  "A 
great  number  of  Scotch  families,"  he  told  his 
sovereign,  "had  lately  emigrated  to  Poland, 
Sweden  and  Russia,"  and  he  pointed  out  that 
"it  would  be  equally  beneficial  to  the  interests 
of  the  kingdom,  and  to  the  individuals  them- 
selves, if  they  were  permitted  to  settle  this 
valuable  and  fertile  portion  of  his  Majesty's 
•dominions." 

The  petition  was  granted  by  the  King — 


probably  that  was  satisfactorily  arranged  be- 
fore it  had  been  committed  to  paper — and  en- 
dorsed by  the  Privy  Council.  When  these 
formalities  had  been  gone  through  Lord  Stir- 
ling entered  on  formal  possession  of  what  is 
now  incorporated  in  Nova  Scotia,  New  Bruns- 
wick, Prince  Edward  Island,  a  goodly  portion 
of  the  State  of  Maine  and  of  the  Province  of 
Quebec.  This  territory  was  to  be  known  as 
New  Scotland, — Nova  Scotia,  the  charter  dig- 
nifiadly  called  it, — and  over  it  the  new  owner 
and  those  acting  for  him  in  it  were  supreme 
even  to  the  establishment  of  churches  and  of 
courts  of  law.  For  some  reason,  not  now  ex- 
actly known.  Lord  Stirling  at  once  handed  over 
a  part  of  his  new  dominion  to  Sir  Robert 
Gordon  of  Lochinvar.  That  part  is  known  as 
Cape  Breton,  but  it  was  then  given  the  more 
national  name  of  New  Galloway. 

Sir  William  Alexander,  to  give  Lord  Stir- 
ling the  name  by  which  he  is  probably  best 
remembered,  sent  out  his  first  expedition  to 
colonize  New  Scotland  in  March,  1622.  These 
pioneers,  with  the  exception  of  an  adventurous 
clergyman,  were  of  the  humblest  class  of  agri- 
cultural laborers,  and  only  a  single  artisan,  a 
blacksmith,  was  among  them.  The  voyage 
was  a  rough  one,  and,  after  sighting  the  coast 
of  Cape  Breton,  the  emigrants  were  glad  to 
shape  their  course  back  to  Newfoundland, 
where  they  spent  the  winter.  Next  spring  Sir 
William,  who  had  been  advised  of  the  failure 
of  the  first  expedition,  sent  out  another  ship 
with  colonists  and  provisions.  The  early  re- 
ports of  the  land  on  which  the  new  colony 
was  to  settle  were  communicated  to  him  by 
some  of  his  people  soon  after  they  managed 
to  get  landed,  which  they  did  in  the  guise  of 
an  exploring  party.  These  reports  were  sub- 
mitted by  him  to  the  world,  with  all  the  at- 
tractiveness of  a  modern  advertising  agent,  in 
his  work  entitled  an  "Encouragement  to  Colo- 
nies." The  explorers  described  the  country 
they  visited  (mainly  the  coast  of  Cape  Breton) 
as  "presenting  very  delecate  meadowes,  having 
roses  white  and  red  growing  therein,  with  a 
kind  of  wild  Lily,  which  hath  a  daintie  smell." 


SOME    EARLY   FAMILIES  AND   THEIR  DESCENDANTS. 


79 


The  ground  "was  without  wood,  and  very 
good,  fat  earth,  having  several  sort  of  berries 
growing  thereon,  as  gooseberries,  strawber- 
ries, hindbelrries,  raspberries  and  a  kind  of  wine 
berrie,  as  also  some  sorts  of  grain,  as  pease, 
some  eares  of  wheat,  barly  and  rie  growing 
there  wild.  *  *  *  They  likewise  found 
in  every  river  abundance  of  lobsters,  cockles, 
and  all  other  shell  fishes,  and  also,  not  only 
in  the  rivers,  but  all  the  coasts  alongst,  num- 
bers of  several  sorts  of  wilde  foule,  as  wild 
goose,  black  Ducke,  woodcock,  orane,  heron, 
pidgeon,  and  many  other  sorts  of  Foul  which 
they  knew  not.  They  did  kill  as  they  sayled 
alongst  the  coast,  great  shore  of  cod,  with 
several  other  sorts  of  great  fishes.  The  coun- 
try is  full  of  woods,  not  very  thick,  and  the 
most  part  Oake,  the  rest  Firre,  Spruce,  Birch 
and  some  Sicamores  and  Ashes  and  many 
other  sorts  of  Wood  which  they  had  not  seen 
before."  All  this  information,  so  cunningly 
and  attractively  set  forth  by  Sir  William  in  his 
book  of  "Encouragement,"  which  by  the  way 
had  a  map  of  the  territory  in  which  Scottish 
names  are  given  to  every  point  and  section 
and  river,  failed  to  attract  settlers  and  the  "pro- 
jector" found  himself  some  £6,000  out  of  pock- 
et by  his  patriotism.  To  reimburse  him,  and 
at  the  same  time  add  a  little  to  the  royal  treas- 
ury, the  order  of  Baronets  of  Nova  Scotia  was 
founded,  on  the  pattern  of  the  order  of  Ulster ; 
even  this  move  was  not  substantially  success- 
ful, although  the  terms  were  reasonable  and 
the  lands  accompanying  the  honor  were 
"three  myles  long  upon  the  coast  and  ten  miles 
into  the  country." 

We  need  not  follow  the  details  of  Sir  Will- 
iam's colonizing  schemes  any  further.  They 
belong  really  to  the  history  of  Canada.  Each 
failure  seemed  to  be  compensated  for  by  a 
fresh  grant  of  territory,  and,  if  we  may  be- 
lieve a  map  issued  long  after  by  one  of  the 
many  claimants  for  his  hereditary  titles  and 
"land  rights,"  the  Alexander  family  held  by 
right  of  charters,  the  sort  of  documents  which 
the  late  Duke  of  Argyle  believed  to  he  the 
most  sacred-on  earth,  not  only  about  the  whole 


of  Canada,  but  what  are  now  the  States  of 
Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Vermont,  New  York, 
Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island,  Connecticut, 
Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Maryland  and  an  unde- 
fined territory  two  or  three  times  as  large  as 
all  that  has  been  named  put  together. 

Sir  William  never  saw  his  possessions  on 
this  side  of  the  Atlantic.  He  appointed  as 
his  agent  and  administrator  on  Long  Island 
James  Farret,  and  by  way  of  recompense, 
or  partly  so,  for  his  services' the  latter  received 
as  a  starter  a  grant  from  his  knightly  employer 
of  twelve  thousand  acres  of  land  on  Long 
Island,  or  "the  islands  adjacent."  Farret  af- 
terward selected  Shelter  Island  and  Robin's 
Island  under  this  clause  in  the  agreement,  but 
in  1 641  he  conveyed  both  these  islands  to 
Stephen  Goodyear,  of  New  Haven.  That  in- 
dividual seems  never  to  have  made  any  use 
of  either  of  them,  probably  held  them  only  as 
a  speculation,  and  in  165 1  he  sold  both  to 
Thomas  Middleton,  Thomas  Rouse,  Constant 
Sylvester  and  Nathaniel  Sylvester,  for  16  cwt. 
of  raw  sugar.  These  buyers,  however,  took 
the  additional  precaution  of  getting  a  confirma- 
tion of  their  title  from  the  chief  of  the  Man- 
hansett  Indians.  By  1666  the  two  Sylvesters 
and  Thomas  Middleton  were  the  owners  of 
Shelter  Island  and  had  the  original  patent 
from  Lord  Stirling's  agent  confirmed  by  Gov- 
ernor Nicolls.  Governor  Colve,  when  the 
Dutch  regained  sovereignty  of  the  Province, 
confiscated  the  property  of  Middleton  and  Con- 
stant Sylvester  and  sold  their  holdings  on  the 
island  to  Nathaniel  for  £500.  He  had  a  good 
deal  of  trouble  in  collecting  the  amount  before 
the  regime  under  which  he  acted  came  to  an 
end  forever:  in  fact,  he  had  to  send  a  detach- 
ment of  fifty  soldiers  to  the  island  before  Na- 
thaniel would  part  with  the  money.  He  did 
part  with  it,  however,  and  remained  in  peace- 
ful possession  until  his  death,  when  he  willed 
the  property  in  equal  parts  to  his  five  sons. 
Its  further  story  will  be  traced  in  another 
section  of  this  work. 

On  March  10,  1639,  Farret,  on  behalf  of 
Lord  Stirling,  made    a    conveyance    to  Lion 


80 


HISTORY    OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


Gardiner  of  what  is  now  known  as  Gardiner's 
Island,  but  was  formerly  known  among  the 
Indians  as  Manchonat  and  among  the  En- 
glish as  the  Isle  qf  Wight.  The  details  of  this 
purchase,  both  of  the  Stirling  conveyance  and 
the  sale  by  the  Indians,  as  well  as  some  ac- 
count of  the  career  of  Lion  Gardiner,  have 
already  been  given  in  a  previous  chapter 
(Chapter  V).  But  reference  is  made  again 
to  the  purchase  and  the  family,  because  the 
island  has  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  Gar- 
diner family  until  the  present  day,  and  it  gives 
us,  as  has  been  said,  "the  only  illustration  of 
the  practical  working  of  the  law  of  primo- 
geniture in  this  country  covering  so  long  a 
period."  Lion  Gardiner  died  at  Easthampton 
in  1663,  in  or  about  the  sixty-fourth  year  of 
his  age.  He  had  taken  up  his  abode  at  East- 
hampton about  the  year  1649,  probably  with 
the  view  of  the  enjoyment  of  more  frequent 
social  intercourse  with  his  fellows  than  he 
could  command  on  his  little  island  kingdom, 
on  which  in  1641  one  of  his  daughters,  Eliza- 
beth, was  born.  At  Easthampton  he  seems  to 
have  lived  the  simple  life  of  a  cultured  coun- 
try gentleman,  and  was  held  in  the  highest 
esteem  by  the  people.  He  filled  the  office  of 
magistrate  and  in  all  respects  was  regarded 
as  the  representative  citizen  of  that  section  of 
the  island,  wielding  an  influence  that  was 
equally  potent  among  the  Indians  as  among 
those  of  his  own  race.  A  recumbent  statue 
placed  beside  his  grave  in  1886  is  testimony 
that  his  memory  is  still  cherished.  His  son 
David  came  into  possession  of  the  property 
when  the  pioneer  rested  from  his  labors.  He 
seemed  to  inherit  much  of  his  father's  talents, 
took  up  the  role  of  country  gentleman  and 
represented  Easthampton  and  the  other  east- 
ern towns  on  several  occasions  before  the 
General  Assembly  at  Hartford.  He  died  in 
the  last  named  town  July  lo^  i68g^  and  his 
tomb  set  forth  that  he  was  "well,  sick,  dead, 
in  one  hour's  time."  His  estate  was  divided 
between  his  sons,  John  getting  Gardiner's 
Island  and  Lion  the  lands  at  Easthampton. 
With  the  latter's  descendants  we  have  no  in- 


terest at  present,  although  for  several  genera- 
tions they  upheld  the  family  name.  Gardi- 
ner's Island  continued  in  the  possession  of 
John  Gardiner  until  he  died,  in  1764,  when 
it  passed  to  his  eldest  son,  David.  Another 
son  acquired  property  at  Eaton's  Neck  and 
founded  a  family.  David  soon  after  entering 
into  ownership  of  the  island  married  Jerusha, 
daughter  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Buell,  and  had 
two  sons, — ^John  Lion  and  David.  The  lat- 
ter settled  at  Flushing  and  left  a  family  there. 
John  Lion  married  the  daughter  of  the  Hon. 
Roger  Griswold,  and  at  his  death,  November 
22,  1816,  the  island  became  the  property  of 
his  son,  David  Johnston,  who  died  in  1829, 
and  was  the  last  to  hold  the  island  under  the 
original  deed  of  entail  which  extended  to  first 
heirs  male  only.  His  brother,  John  Griswold 
Gardiner,  succeeded  to  the  possession  of  the 
island,  but  died  unmarried  in  1861,  whei)  a 
third  brother,  Samuel  Buell  Gardiner,  pur- 
chased the  interest  of  a  sister  (Mrs.  Sarah 
Diodati  Thompson)  in  the  property  and  be- 
came sole  owner  of  the  ancestral  domain.  He 
died  in  1882,  leaving  it  to  his  eldest  son, 
David  Johnston.  It  is  at  present  held  by  the 
latter's  brother,  John  Lion,  the  12th  lord  of  the 
property,  and  with  a  clearer  and  more  direct 
descent  from  the  original  owner  than  that 
which  gives  title  to  many  a  lordly  manor  in 
the  old  land  from  which  the  family  sprung. 
By  the  marriage  of  one  of  the  ladies  of  the 
Gardiner  family  with  President  John  Tyler, 
GardSners  Island  gave  to  the  nation  one  of  the 
"Queens  of  the  White  House,"  as  the  wives 
of  the  Presidents  have  been  named.  The  facts 
in  the  case  have  recently  been  unearthed  by 
Mr.  Samuel  Barber,  and  his  interesting  story 
is  here  reproduced: 

That  Mrs.  John  Tyler,  widow  of  President 
Tyler,  was  once  a  resident  of  Brooklyn  makes 
it  interesting  to  give  a  number  of  historical 
extracts,  viz. :  In  Appleton's  Biography  we 
read,  "John  Tyler,  ■  tenth  President  of  the 
United  States,  'born  at  Greenway,  Charles 
City  County,  Virginia,  March  29,  1790,  died  at 
Richmond,  Va.,  January  18,  1862.    On  March 


SOME    EARLY   FAMILIES  AND   THEIR  DESCENDANTS. 


81 


29,  1812,  he  married  Letitia,  daughter  of 
Robert  Christian."  It  will  thus  be  seen  that 
his  first  marriage  took  place  on  his  twenty- 
third  birthday. 

"Letitia  Christian,  born  at  Cedar  Grove, 
New  Kent  County,  Va.,  Nov.  12,  1790,  and 
died  in  Washington,  D.  C,  Sept.  9,  1842,  was 
the  daughter  of  Robert  Christian,  a  planter 
in  New  Kent  County,  Va.  She  married  Mr. 
Tyler  March  29,  1813,  and  removed  with  him 
to  his  home  in  Charles  City  County.  When 
he  became  President  she  accompanied  him  to 
Washington,  but  her  health  was  delicate  and 
she  died  shortly  afterward.  Mrs.  Tyler  was 
unable  to  assume  any  social  cares,  and  the 
duties  of  mistress  of  the  White  House  de- 
volved upon  her  daughter-in-law,  Mrs.  Robert 
Tyler.  She  possessed  great  beauty  of  person 
and  of  character,  and  before  the  failure  of  her 
health  was  specially  fitted  for  a  social  life." 
Again  it  says :  "Their  son  Robert,  born  in 
New  Kent  County,  Va.,  in  1818,  and  died  in 
Montgomery,  Ala.,  December  3,  1877,  was 
educated  at  William  and  Mary  and  adopted 
the  profession  of  the  law.  He  married  Pris- 
cilla,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Apthorpe  Cooker, 
the  tragedian,  in  1839,"  of  whom  we  find  the 
following  account  in  Brown's  American  Stage, 
page  81,  viz.:  "Priscilla  E.  Cooker,  daughter 
of  T.  A.  Cooker,  made  her  debut  February 
14,  1834,  as  Virginia  at  the  Bowery  Theater, 
New  York.  First  appearance  in  Philadelphia 
Feb.  28,  1834,  at  the  Arch  Street  Theater  as 
Virginia." 

"Again,"  adds  Stapleton,  "when  his  father 
became  President  his  wife  assumed  the  duties 
of  mistress  of  the  White  House  till  after  Mrs. 
John  Tyler's  death,  when  they  devolved  upon 
her  daughter,  Mrs.  Letitia  Sample."  Of  Presi- 
dent Tyler's  second  marriage  we  copy  the  fol- 
lowing from  Appleton's  Biography,  T.,  p.  199: 
"President  Tyler's  second  wife,  Julia  Gardiner, 
born  on  Gardiner's  Island,  near  Easthampton, 
N.  Y.,  May  4,  1820;  died  in  Richmond,  Va., 
July  ID,  1889;  was  a  descendant  of  the  Gar- 
diners  of  Gardiner's  Island.  She  was  edu- 
cated zt  the  Chegary  Institute,  New  York  City, 
spent  several  months  in  Europe  and  in  the 
winter  of  1844  accompanied  her  father  to 
Washington,  D.  C.  A  few  weeks  afterward 
he  was  killed  by  the  explosion  of  a  gun  on 
the  war  steamer  Princeton,  which  occurred 
during  a  pleasure  excursion  in  which  he  and 
his  daughter  were  of  the  Presidential  party. 
His  body  was  taken  to  the  White  House  and 


Miss  Gardiner,  being  thrown  in  the  society 
of  the  President  under  these  peculiar  circum- 
stances, became  the  object  of  his  marked  at- 
tention, which  resulted  in  their  marriage  in 
New  York,  June  26,  1844." 

The  Brooklyn  Eagle  of  June  27,  1844, 
speaks  of  the  wedding  thus :  "Arrival  of  the 
President  at  New  York — Marriage — Fete — 
Departure.  Somehow  or  other,  but  most  un- 
accountably, we  forgot  to  mention  yesterday 
that  President  Tyler  arrived  at  New  York  for 
the  purpose  of  marriage  with  Miss  Julia  Gar- 
diner, daughter  of  the  late  David  Gardiner, 
who  came  to  his  death  aboard  the  Princeton, 
last  winter.  Such,  however,  was  the  fact. 
The  ceremony  took  place  at  the  Church  of  the 
Ascension,  on  Fifth  avenue,  and  the  treaty 
between  the  high  contracting  parties  was  rati- 
fied by  the  Right  Reverend  Bishop  Onderdonk. 
and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Bedell,  rector  of  the  church. - 
A  few  persons  only — such  as  the  relatives  and 
one  or  two  intimate  friends  of  the  parties — 
were  present.  In  the  afternoon  they  took  the 
steamlDoat  Essex  and  after  navigating  about 
the  harbor  and  receiving  salutes  from  the  dif- 
ferent vessels  lying  at  anchor,  proceeded  to 
Jersey  City,  where  they  took  the  cars  for  Phila- 
delphia. The  bride  is  said  to  be  accomplished, 
beautiful,  interesting,  an  heiress  and  22.  The 
President,  on  the  other  hand,  is  known  to  be 
as  homely  as  a  brush  fence  and  55  years  of 
age,  being  a  difference  of  thirty-three.  Some 
of  his  children,  therefore,  are  probably  many 
years  older  than  their  stepmother.  Taste  is, 
of  course,  supreme  in  matters  of  this  kind, 
but  if  we  had  an  accomplished  and  beautiful 
daughter  of  22  (as  we  have  not,  and  proba- 
bly never  shall  have),  and  if  an  amorous  youth 
of  55  with  gray  hair  and  wrinkled  face  were 
to  propose  for  her  we  should  request,  and,  if 
necessary,  assist  him  to  move  on;  but,  mercy 
on  us!  what  are  we  talking  about?" 

Again  continues  Appleton :  "For  the  suc- 
ceeding eight  months  she  presided  over  the 
White  House  with  dignity  and  grace,  her  resi- 
dence there  terminating  with  a  birthnight  ball 
on  February  22,  1845.  Mrs.  Tyler  retired  with 
her  husband  to  Sherwood  Forest,  in  Virginia, 
at  the  conclusion  of  his  term,  and  after  the 
Civil  War  resided  for  several  years  at  her 
mother's  residence,  on  Castleton  Hill,  S.  I., 
and  subsequently  at  Richmond,  Va.  She  was 
a  convert  to  Roman  Catholicism  and  devoted 
to  charities  of  that  church." 

Again,  it  says :  "Their  son,  Lyon  Gardiner, 


82 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


was  born  in  Charles  City  County,  Virginia,  in 
August,  1853,  was  graduated  at  the  University 
of  Virginia  in  1875,  and  then  studied  law." 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  President  Tyler 
had  one  child  by  each  wife.  "The  remainder 
of  his  days,"  we  read  in  "Abbott's  Lives  of 
the  Presidents,"  "Mr.  Tyler  passed  mainly  in 
retirement  at  his  beautiful  house,  "Sherwood 
Forest,"  Charles  City,  Va.,  a  polished  gentle- 
man in  manners,  richly  furnished  with  infor- 
mation from  books' and  experience  in  the  world 
and  possessing  brilliant  powers  of  conversa- 
tion. His  family  circle  was  the  scene  of  un- 
usual attractions. 

Mrs.  Tyler,  after  her  husband's  death,  was 
for  several  years  a  resident  of  Brooklyn.  She 
lived  in  a  three-story  brick  house,  still  stand- 
ing, on  Gold  street,  a  little  north  of  Wil- 
loughby,  on  the  west  side. 

A  much  more  numerous,  and  in  some  re- 
spects a  more  generally  influential  family  on 
Long  Island  was,  and  is,  that  of  Smith.  In 
most  sections  of  the  English-speaking  world 
the  name  is  generally  regarded  with  the  famil- 
iarity which  is  induced  by  its  commonness 
and  recalls  no  territorial  or  other  distinction. 
In  Long  Island  it  is  different;  and  to  trace 
descent  from  one  of  the  old  families  bearing 
that  name  is  held  as  equal  in  dignity  with  the 
blue  blood  of  Massachusetts  which  can  begin 
a  genealogical  tree  with  an  Endicott,  or  a 
Bradford,  or  a  Standish.  With  'reference  to 
this  family  we  find  the  following  interesting 
data  in  Gabriel  Furman's  "Antiquities  of  Long 
Island,"  written  about  the  year  1830:  "Upon 
this  island,  and  especially  in  the  central  por- 
tion of  it,  are  very  many  families  of  the  name 
of  Smith,  and  so  numerous  did  they  become 
at  an  early  period  of  the  settlement  that  it 
was  thought  necessary  to  distinguish  the  vari- 
ous original  families  by  some  peculiar  name. 
Thus  we  have  the  Rock  Smiths,  the  Blue 
Smiths,  the  Bull  Smiths,  the  Weight  Smiths 
and  the  Tangier  Smiths. 

Of  the  Rock  Smiths  there  are  two  dis- 
tinct families,  one  originally  settled  between 
Rockaway  and  Hempstead  some  ten  or  fifteen 
years  before  the  settlement  of  the  first  white 
inhabitants    in    Setauket,  who    derived    their 


name  from  their  contiguity  to  Rockaway ;  and 
the  other  located  in  Brookhaven,  and  obtained 
their  appellation  from  their  ancestor  erecting 
his  dwelling  against  a  large  rock  which  still 
remains  in  the  highway  of  that  town. 

The  Blue  Smiths  were  settled  in  Queens 
county  and  obtained  their  peculiar  designation 
from  a  blue  cloth  coat  worn  by  their  ancestor; 
whether  because  such  cloth  coat  was  then  an 
uncommon  thing  in  the  neighborhood,  or  that 


he  always  dressed  in  a  coat  of  that  color,  does 
not  appear. 

The  Bull  Smiths  of  Sufifolk  county  are  the 
most  numerous  of  all  the  families  of  the  name 
of  Smith  upon  this  island.  It  is  said  there 
are  now  at  least  one  thousand  males  of  that 
branch  on  this  island.  The  ancestors  of  this 
branch  of  the  Smith  family  was  Major  Rich- 
ard Smith,  who  came  from  England  to  New 
England  with  his  father,  Richard,  in  the  early 
part  of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  afterward 
came  to  this  island  and  became  the  patentee 
of  Smithtown.    The  sobriquet  of  this  class  of 


SOME    EARLY  FAMILIES   AND  THEIR   DESCENDANTS. 


83 


Smiths  is  said  to  have  arisen  from  the  circum- 
stance of  the  ancestor  having  trained  and  used 
a  bull  in  place  of  a  horse  for  riding. 

The  Weight  Smiths  derived  their  name 
from  being  possessed  of  the  only  set  of  scales 
and  weights  in  the  neighborhood  of  their  resi- 
dence, to  which  all  the  farmers  of  the  country 
around  repaired  for  the  purpose  of  weighing 
anything  they  wished  to  isell  or  buy;  at  least 
so  says  the  tradition. 

The  Tangier  Smiths  owe  their  origin  to 
Colonel  William  Smith,  who  had  been  the  En- 
glish Governor  of  Tangier  in  the  reign  of 
Charles  II,  and  emigrated  to  this  colony  in  the 
summer  of  1686,  where  he  settled  in  the  town 
of  Brookhaven,  on  the  neck  known  as  Little 
Neck,  and  afterward  as  Strong's  Neck,  which, 
together  with  his  many  other  purchases,  was 
erected  into  a  manor  by  the  name  of  Saint 
George's  Manor  by  a  patent  granted  him  in 
1693  by  Governor  Fletcher.  Most  of  the  Tan- 
gier Smiths  are  now  in  that  town,  scattered 
through  it  from  the  north  to  the  south  side 
of  the  island. 

These  different  appellations  became  as 
firmly  settled  as  if  they  were  regular  family 
names,  so  that  when  any  inquiry  was  made 
of  any  person  on  the  road,  man,  woman  or 
child,  for  any  particular  Smith  they  would  at 
once  ask  whether  he  was  of  the  Rock  breed, 
or  the  Bull  breed,  etc. ;  and  if  the  person  de- 
siring the  information  could  say  which  breed, 
he  was  at  once  told  of  his  residence." 

Richard  Smith,  the  first  of  the  name  to  hold 
land  in  Long  Island,  left  England  and  arrived 
in  1650  at  Boston,  where  he  remained  until 
1665,  when  he  became  one  of  a  colony  which 
moved  to  Long  Island  and  established  the  town 
of  Brookhaven.  His  home  was  near  the  pres- 
ent village  of  Setauket.  He  was  a  man  of 
means,  bought  as  much  land  in  the  vicinity  of 
his  home  as  he  could,  held  the  office  of  magis- 
trate, and  proved  himself  a  public-spirited 
citizen  generally.  In  1663  he  purchased  a  tract 
of  land  westward  from  Setauket  and  had  his 
title  strengthened  by  an  Indian  deed.  Not 
long  afterward   he   purchased   another   tract 


direct  from  the  Indians,  including  a  section  of 
the  shore  of  Lake  Ronkonkoma,  and  got  a 
new  English  patent  from  Governor  Nicolls  in 
1667.  Owing  to  some  trouble  with  the  people 
of  Huntington  over  the  western  boundary  of 
his  domain,  Smith  submitted  the  question  to 
the  courts  of  New  York  and  was  sustained  on 
all  points  for  which  he  contended.  By  this 
decision  he  extended  his  holdings  so  as  to  in- 
clude both  banks  of  the  Nesaquake  River,  and, 
to  make  assurance  doubly  sure,  got  a  new 
patent  from  Governor  Andros,  in  1677,  cover- 
ing all  the  territory  lately  in  dispute.  By  this 
patent  his  property  covered  ten  square  miles 
and  is  contained  in  the  present  town  in  Suffolk 
county  bearing  his  name.  Of  the  personal  his- 
tory of  this  noteworthy  Smith  little  has  come 
down  to  us  excepting  the  remains  of  local 
gossip,  such  as  that  which  makes  him  ride 
around  the  country  on  a  bull  instead  of  a  horse 
and  so  win  a  sobriquet  for  his  family.  It  is 
said  he  fought  in  the  Narragansett  War  under 
the  banner  of  Connecticut,  and  held  the  rank 
of  major,  but  the  details  we  have  of  his  cam- 
paigning are  very  brief.  He  died  about  the 
year  1700,  leaving  a  family  of  six  sons — Rich- 
.ard,  Jonathan,  Job,  Adam,  Samuel  and  Daniel 
— and  one  daughter — Deborah.  In  1707  the 
real  estate  of  the  pioneer  was  divided  among 
them. 

In  the  records  of  the  Society  of  Colonial 
Wars  the  following  find  a  place  among  the 
members  on  account  of  their  descent  from 
Richard  Smith  (Bull  Smith)  : 

A.  Chester  Beatty,  New  York. 

Robert  C.  Beatty,  New  York. 

W.  Gedney  Beatty,  New  York. 

Howell  Foster,  Brooklyn. 

Robert  Cutting,  Lawrence,  N.  Y. 

R.  B.  Sackley,  Rhinecliff. 

The  "Bull"  Smiths,  it  will  be  readily  under- 
stood, while  they  have  given  many  reputable 
citizens  to  the  island  and  taken  a  full  and 
active  part  in  its  development,  have  added  but 
little  to  its  history  or  to  its  prominence  in  the 
general  affairs  of  the  State.  They  have  been 
mostly  notable  for  the  qualities  which  made 


84 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


up  the  true  country  gentleman,  a  life  among 
their  ancestral  fields,  a  disregard  for  public 
office  outside  of  their  own  vicinity,  and  devot- 
ing themselves  closely  to  the  upbuilding  of  the 
sections  of  the  island  in  which  they  had  set  up 
their  homes.  Proud  of  their  descent,  they 
seemed  satisfied  with  the  eminence  it  afforded 
them  and  stood  aside,  as  it  were,  while  others 
pressed  forward  to  win  renown  by  work  and 
accomplishment. 

The  other  pioneer  family  of  Smiths,  the 
"Tangier  Smiths,"  on  the  other  hand,  for  sev- 
eral generations  bring  us  in  close  touch  with 
the  history  of  the  island  and  the  nation.  The 
founder  of  the  family  in  America,  Colonel 
William  Smith,  was  born  at  Newton,  near 
Higham  Ferrers,  Northamptonshire,  England, 
February  2,  1655.  In  1675  he  received  the 
appointment  from  Charles  II  of  Governor  of 
Tangier,  where  it  was  proposed  to  establish 
a  trading  colony,  and  he  married  Maria,  a 
daughter  of  Henry  Tunstall,  of  Putney,  No- 
vember 6,  167s,  and  set  out  for  his  domin- 
ion with  the  title  of  colonel.  Great  sums  of 
money  were  spent  on  this  then  new  posses- 
sion of  the  British  crown,  and  it  was  hoped 
that  it  would  soon  take  a  place  among  the 
most  important  trading  stations  of  the  world; 
but  the  expectations  were  not  realized,  and  in 
a  comparatively  short  time  the  station  was 
abandoned,  its  costly  fortifications  left  to  go 
to  ruin,  and  the.  little  army  there  stationed 
returned  to  England. 

Colonel  Smith  for  a  time  seems  to  have 
carried  on  business  as  a  general  merchant  in 
London.  In  1686  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  and 
engaged  in  trade  for  several  years.  He  was 
induced  to  throw  in  his  lot  with  the  New 
World  probably  on  account  of  his  friendship 
for  Governor  Dongan.  Soon  after  his  arrival 
he  "went  prospecting"  and  selected  some  land 
a.t  Little  Neck,  Brookhaven,  buying  up  the 
holdings  of  the  original  proprietors.  There 
seems  to  have  been  some  trouble  over  this 
p.urchase  with  some  of  the  holders,  but  the 
influence  of  Dongan  was  exerted  on  his 
friend's  behalf,  and  on  October  2,  1687,  Smith 


formally  completed  his  first  purchase  of  Long, 
Island  lands.  This  purchase  was  afterward 
added  to  until  the  property  won  recognition 
as  a  manor.  Smith  during  this  time  seems 
to  have  been  busily  engaged  in  mercantile  pur- 
suits, and  on  the  records  of  Brookhaven,  ac- 
cording to  Thompson,  is  an  entry  showing 
that  the  "merchant,"  as  Smith  is  described, 
held  a  bill  against  Governor  Dongan  for  goods 
to  the  amount  of  £993.  Probably  it  was 
rather  for  "services  rendered"  in  the  devious 
ways  known  in  those  days  and  probably  not 
altogether  unknown  in  these  passing  superior 
days  of  ours.  It  would  seem  that  almost  as 
soon  as  he  was  comfortably  settled  at  Little 
Neck,  Colonel  Smith  began  the  acquisition  of 
fresh  lands  and  had  them  erected  into  Saint 
George's  Manor  'by  patent  issued  by  Governor 
Fletcher  in  1693.  Soon  after  he  made  further 
great  accessions  pressing  toward  the  bound- 
aries of  Southampton,  and  these  were  included 
in  the  manorial  title  by  a  fresh  patent  issued 
in  1697.  This  manorial  holding  gave  Colonel 
Smith  many  privileges  and  made  his  influence 
paramount  over  the  extent  of  territory — larger 
than  many  a  European  principality — which  it 
described.  It  gave  him  a  right  to  hold  court, 
to  invite  immigrants,  to  demand  as  by  right 
a  recognized  share  in  their  labor,  and  to  a 
seat  in  the  General  Assembly  of  the  province. 
But  long  before  the  manorial  patent  was  issued 
Colonel  Smith  had  acquired  a  commanding 
position  in  the  affairs  of  the  province. 

In  1 69 1  Governor  Sloughter  appointed  him 
a  member  of  Council  and  one  of  the  Commis- 
sioners of  the  Court  of  Oyer  and  Terminer. 
When  the  Supreme  Court  was  inaugurated,  in 
that  same  year,  Smith  was  appointed  to  one 
of  the  Judgeships,  an  office  to  which  no  sal- 
ary was  attached.  This  arrangement  was  rec- 
tified, however,  a  year  later,  when  Governor 
Fletcher  (November  11,  1692)  appointed  him 
Chief  Justice  with  a  salary  of  £130.  He  proved 
an  upright,  dignified  and  impartial  judge,  al- 
though he  appears  to  have  been  outspoken  and 
determined  in  his  opposition  to  Leisler  in  the 
troubles  which    that    individual's    policy  and 


SOME    EARLY   FAMILIES   AND  THEIR  DESCENDANTS. 


85 


ambition  brought  upon  the  colony.  As  might 
be  expected,  when  Governor  BellomOnt,  on  his 
arrival  in  New  York  April  2,  1698,  announced 
himself  as  a  friend  of  the  Leisler  party  and 
an  avowed  enemy  of  all  who  had  shown 
themselves  opposed  thereto,  the  position  of 
Chief  Justice  Smith  became  a  most  unenviable 
one.  The  Leislerites  felt  that  their  hour  of 
triumph  had  come,  the  hour  when  the  hang- 
ing of  the  self-appointed  Governor  would  be 
legally  branded  as  a  crime,  and  restitution 
made  in  some  way  for  the  wrongs  and  indigni- 
ties which  had  been  heaped  uf>on  those  who 
had  championed  his  cause  and  honored  his 
memory.  They  felt  that  with  such  a  Chief 
Justice  as  Smith  on  the  bench  nothing  prac- 
tical could  be  accomplished,  and  with  the  ar- 
rival of  the  new  Governor  they  began  their 
schemes  looking  to  that  end.  Bellomont  or- 
ganized his  Council  so  as  to  make  it  more 
amenable  to  his  views  and  policy;  but  he  per- 
mitted Smith  to  retain  his  seat,  as  his  loyalty 
was  well  known  and  he  seems  to  have  had 
some  attached  friends  in  England  who  would 
have  resented  his  removal  from  a  position 
which  the  Governor  could  reduce,  and  had  re- 
duced, to  simply  one  of  honor.  But  the  Chief 
Justiceship  was  another  matter,  and  after  wait- 
ing a  decent  time  Bellomont  removed  him  from 
that  office,  October  30,  1700. 

When  Governor  Bellomont  died  Smith, 
then  senior  member  of  the  Council,  claimed 
and  exercised  the  functions  of  the  executive 
until  the  arrival  of  Lieutenant-Governor  Nan- 
fan,  who  was  hurriedly  summoned  from  Bar- 
bados. Smith's  claim  to  the  office  aroused 
party  feeling  to  the  utmost,  a  majority  of  the 
assembly  refused  to  recognize  his  title,  said 
majority  being  of  the  Leislerite  persuasion: 
and  it  is  hard  to  say  to  what  condition  the 
prevailing  confusion  and  bitterness  might  have 
developed  had  not  a  stop  to  the  tumult  been 
put  by  the  appearance  of  Nanfan  upon  the 
scene,  much  sooner  than  had  been  anticipated. 
Nanfan,  however,  ranged  himself  on  the  side 
of  the  Leislerites  and  they  ruled  things  with 
a  pretty  rough  hand,   almost  paralleling  the 


case  of  Nicholas  Bayard,  a  former  Mayor  of 
New  York,  the  crime  which  had  made  the  name 
of  Leisler  become  a  party  ci-y,  until  the  anrival, 
in  1702,  of  Lord  Cornbury.  He  at  once  took 
sides  with  the  Anti-Leislerites,  and  re-appoint- 
ed Smith  to  the  office  of  Chief  Justice,  and  by 
his  distribution  of  patronage,  mainly,  brought 
about  the  almost  complete  disappearance  of  the 
shibboleth  of  Leislerism  as  a  potent  factor  in 
local  politics.  Smith  retained  his  judicial  office 
until  April,  1703,  when  he  -resigned,  but  he 
continued  to  hold  his  seat  in  the  Council  until 
his  death,  at  Little  Neck,  February  18,  1705. 

Colonel  Smith  had  three  sons,  one  of 
whom,  the  youngest,  Charles  Jeffrey,  died 
when  a  youth.  Both  of  the  surviving  members 
of  the  family  inherited  many  of  the  sterling 
qualities  of  the  father.  The  eldest  son,  Henry, 
held  the  office  of  Clerk  of  Suffolk  County  from 
1710  to  1716  and  was  for  many  years  one  of 
the  county  judges. 

His  son.  Colonel  William  Smith,  was  Clerk 
of  Suffolk  County  from  1730  to  1750  and  a 
Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  for  sev- 
eral years  prior  to  the  Revolution.  He  mar- 
ried Margaret,  daughter  of  Henry  Lloyd,  of 
Lloyd  Neck,  and  had  a  family  of  several  chil- 
dren. 

His  only  daughter,  Anna,  became  the  wife 
of  Judge  Selah  Strong,  of  Setauket. 

The  family  of  Colonel  Smith's  second  son, 
William,  also  fully  sustained  the  honorable 
name  of  that  great  pioneer.  William  received 
as  part  of  his  share  of  Colonel  Smith's  estate 
some  lands  at  Mastic,  and  he  settled  down 
there,  rose  to  the  dignity  of  a  major  in  some 
local  militia  squad,  and  lived  the  life  of  a  quiet 
country  gentleman.  His  son  William  was  for 
many  years  a  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common 
Pleas,  and  was  a  member  of  the  first  Pro- 
vincial Congress.  In  1777  he  was  chosen  one 
of  the  State  Senators,  and  he  retained  that 
dignified  office  until  the  close  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary War.  His  son  John  was  possibly  the 
most  widely  known  member  of  the  family, 
after  its  founder.  We  refer  more  particularly 
to  his  career  in  our  notice  of  General  Wood- 


86 


HISTORY    OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


hull  (Chapter  XX),  whose  daughter  he  mar- 
ried. His  brother  William  settled  down  as  a 
farmer  in  Brookhaven,  and  died  at  Longwood, 
near  Manorville,  leaving  his  farm  to  his  son, 
William  Sidney  Smith. 

Probably  no  family  on  Long  Island  has 
contributed  such  a  succession  in  each  genera- 
tion of  men  eminent  in  the  community  as  that 
of  the  Floyds.  In  one  respect  they  stand 
ahead  of  all  the  others  in  numbering  among 
them  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence; but  even  without  this  member  of  a 
group  of  statesmen — whose  memory  is  being 
enshrined  in  the  national  heart  more  rever- 
ently as  the  years  pass  on — the  family  story 
contains  enough  to  inspire  pride  in  those  en- 
titled to  wear  the  name  and  warrant  the  re- 
spect in  which  it  is  held  all  over  Long  Island. 

The  name  of  the  founder  of  the  family, 
Richard  Floyd,  appeairs  on  the  list  of  those 
who  in  1655  bought  land  at  Setauket  from  the 
Indians  and  set  up  a  communiy  which  see.iis 
to  have  been  intended  to  be  governed  after 
Presbytorian  rules.  Floyd  was  born  at  Breck- 
nockshire, Wales,  about  1620,  and,  it  is 
thought  on  religious  grounds,  left  his  native 
land  for  New  England  in  the  fall  of  1653. 
He  landed  in  Boston  early  in  the  following 
year,  but  probably  did  not  find  that  true  tolera- 
tion among  the  Puritans  which  he  expected, 
and  so  was  induced  to  throw  in  his  lot  with 
a  new  colony  which  appears  to  have  been  or- 
ganized by  men  of  his  own  persuasion.  He 
seems  to  have  soon  become  recognized  as  one 
of  the  leaders  of  the  little  settlement,  bought 
up  lands  as  fast  as  he  could,  prospered  in  all 
his  worldly  affairs,  was  a  local  magistrate  and 
a  colonel  of  militia.  He  died  about  1690. 
His  wife  died  in  1706,  at  the  age  of  eighty 
years. 

His  eldest  son,  Richard,  closely  followed  in 
his  footsteps  when  the  family  honors  fell  to 
him.  Richard  was  born  at  Setauket  May  12, 
1661,  married  Margaret  Nicolls,  eldest  daugh- 
ter of  Matthias  Nicolls,  secretary  of  the  Duke 
of  York's  commissioner  who  captured  New 
York  from  the  Dutch  and  became  the  first 


Governor  of  the  English  Province  of  New 
York.  Richard  Floyd  was  one  of  the  Judges 
of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  and  held  the 
office  of  colonel  of  militia  until  his  death  in 

1737- 

We  must  here  leave  the  direct  line  of  prim- 
ogeniture and  speak  of  the  second  son  of  Rich- 
ard Floyd  and  Margaret  Nicolls.  He  received 
the  baptismal  name  of  Nicolls,  and  was  settled 
on  a  farm  at  Mastic.  He  did  not  grow  rich  in 
this  world's  goods,  but  raised  a  family  of  eight 
children — five  daughters  and  three  sons — Will- 
iam, Nicol  and  Charles.  William  is  the  only 
one  of  the  family  whose  career  we  propose 
to  follow  here.  He  was  born  at  Mastic  De- 
cember 17,  1734,  and  received  the  usual  edu- 
cation given  in  those  times  to  farmers'  sons; 
but  his  strong  common  sense,  natural  shrewd- 
ness and  close  observation  supplemented  his 
education  and  safely  carried  him  through  the 
many  important  roles  he  was  destined  to  play 
in  life's  journey,  while  at  the  beginning  of  his 
career  the  influence  of  his  family  name  gave 
him  of  itself  a  degree  of  standing  in  the  com- 
munity which  had  only  to  be  rightly  guided 
to  become  of  great  personal  advantage.  He 
early  developed  many  admirable  traits,  became 
an  adept  at  farming  and  a  prudent  man  in 
worldly  affairs.  Of  strong  religious  convic- 
tions, hs  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  spiritual 
welfare  of  the  people  among  whom  he  lived, 
and  he  implicitly  believed  that  the  practice  of 
the  Congregational  Church  formed  the  only 
true  model  upon  which  upright  and  honored 
civil  government  could  be  founded.  He  was 
a  close  student  of  public  affairs,  a  keen  and 
logical  observer  of  the  trend  of  the  events  of 
the  day,  and  was  outspoken  and  pronounced 
in  his  advocacy  of  the  people's  rights  when 
the  crisis  with  the  mother  country  was  ap- 
proaching. Early  in  life  he  was  chosen  as  an 
officer  in  the  Suffolk  county  mihtia;  he  was 
Colonel  of  the  First  Suflfolk  Regiment  in  1775, 
and  after  the  war  was  over  he  was  commis- 
sioned a  Major  General,  but  his,  mihtary  ca- 
reer, to  put  it  mildly,  was  a  most  evenly  un- 
interesting one,  its  most  startling  incident  be- 


WILLIAM  FLOYD. 

(SIGHER  OF  THE  DECLAHATIOK  OF  IHDEPENDENCE.) 


SOME    EARLY  FAMILIES   AND  THEIR  DESCENDANTS. 


87 


ing  a  hurried  call  to  prevent  a  small  boat  land- 
ing on  Long  Island  early  in  the  conflict  with 
Britain.  His  talents  were  better  fitted  for  the 
halls  of  legislation  than  for  the  tented  field. 
After  a  short  service  in  the  Provincial  Assem- 
bly he  was  sent  as  a  delegate,  in  1774,  to  the 
first  Continental  Congress,  and  was  one  of 
those  who  from  the  beginning  were  in  favor 
of  the  independence  of  the  colonies.  He  voted 
for  the  adoption  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence and  signed  that  document — his  great 
claim  to  immortality.  "He  continued,"  writes 
Edward  F.  De  Lancey,  "by  successive  re-ap- 
pointments a  member  of  every  Continental 
Congress  up  to  1782,  inclusive.  At  the  same 
time,  from  1777  till  1783,  he  was  State  Sena- 
tor under  the  first  Constitution  of  New  York, 
being  regularly  appointed  by  that  body  for  the 
Southern  District,  then  wholly  within  the  Brit- 
ish lines,  so  that  no  election  could  be  held. 
From  1784  till  1788  he  was  duly  elected  to  the 
same  office  from  the  same  district.  In  1787 
and  1789  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the 
Council  of  Appointment.  In  the  Presidential 
elections  of  1792,  1800  and  1804  he  was  cho- 
sen one  of  the  Presidental  Electors,  and  in 
1801  he  sat  for  Suflfolk  County  in  the  Consti- 
tutional Convention  of  that  year.  He  was  an 
early  and  warm  supporter  of  Jefferson.  His 
education  being  only  that  of  the  country 
schools  of  his  youth,  he  was  not  a  speaker,  nor 
orator,  nor  an  accomplished  writer ;  but  in  the 
work  of  the  different  bodies  in  which  he  served 
he  was  noted  for  his  assiduity,  sound  advice, 
unflagging  labor  and  thorough  knowledge  of 
the  business  before  them.  He  was  eminently 
a  practical  man,  and  his  firmness  and  resolu- 
tion were  very  great.  Although  somewhat 
unpolished  in  manner,  he  at  the  same  time  pos- 
sessed a  natural  gravity  and  dignity  which 
made  itself  felt." 

During  the  British  occupation  of  Long  Isl- 
and General  Floyd's  farm  was  seized  by  the 
British  and  his  family  sought  refuge  in  Con- 
necticut. The  property  was  stripped  by  sol- 
diers of  all  its  attractiveness,  fields  were  deso- 
lated, trees  uprooted  and  fences  burned,  and 


the  house  itself  plundered  and  rendered  un- 
inhabitable. He  was  absent  from  the  island 
for  some  six  years,  and  was  amazed,  on  his 
return,  at  the  havoc  which  was  wrought  and 
which  was  everywhere  apparent.  In  1784  he 
purchased  a  tract  of  land  at  Delta,  Western 
township,  Oneida  county,  where  he  removed 
with  his  family  in  1803,  and  he  continued  to 
reside  there  in  fairly  affluent  circumstances 
until  his  death,  August  4,  1821.  Floyd  town- 
ship in  Oneida  county  was  named  in  his 
honor. 

General  Floyd  was  twice  married.  By  his 
first  wife,  a  daughter  of  William  Jones,  of 
Southampton,  he  had  three  children,- — Nicol, 
Mary  and  Catharine.  The  son  took  possession 
of  the  property  at  Mastic,  became  active  in 
local  affairs  and  was  chosen  a  representative 
from  Suffolk  county  in  the  New  York  Assem- 
bly in  1779,  1800  and  1801 ;  Mary  married 
Colonel  Benjamin  Tallmadge,  one  of  tjie  he- 
roes of  the  Revolution ;  and  Catharine  became 
the  wife  of  Dr.  Samuel  Clarkson,  of  Phila- 
delphia. His  second  wife  was  a  daughter  of 
Benejah  Strong,  of  Setauket,  and  by  her  he 
had  two  daughters, — Anna  and  Eliza.  The 
first  named  married  George  Clinton,  a  son  of 
Vice  President  Clinton,  and  after  his  death 
became  the  wife  of  Abraham  Varick,  mer- 
chant, New  York;  Eliza  married  James  Piatt, 
of  U-tica. 

Having  thus  traced  the  career  of  the  most 
eminent  member  of  the  Floyd  family,  the  one 
who  secured  by  his  patriotism  an  undying 
place  in  the  general  history  of  the  country,  we 
may  now  revert  to  the  original  family  and 
trace  its  descent  to  our  own  times.  The  eldest 
son  of  the  second  Richard  also  bore  that  name. 
He  was  born  December  29,  1703,  and,  like  his 
father,  became  colonel  of  the  Suffolk  militia 
and  a  Judge  of  the  Common  Pleas.  He  mar- 
ried a  daughter  of  Colonel  Samuel  Hutchin- 
son, of  Southold.  On  his  death,  April  21, 
1771,  he  was  succeeded  in  his  estate  by  his  son 
Richard  (fourth  of  the  name),  who  was  born 
in  1736.  Richard  also  succeeded  to  the  colo- 
nelcy and  the  Judgeship  so  long  held  in  the 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


family,  and  soon  acquired  a  reputation  for 
his  lavish  hospitality,  while  his  kindly,  affable 
manner  and  many  fine  social  qualities  won  him 
devoted  friends  among  all  classes.  He  enter- 
tained Governor  Tryon  and  his  staff  as  if  they 
were  princes,  on  at  least  one  occasion;  his 
doors  were  always  open  to  the  red-coated  mili- 
tary, and  unfortunately  for  himself  he  threw  in 
his  lot  with  the  British  when  the  crisis  broke, 
without  any  attempt  to  hide  his  sentiments  or 
disguise  his  position.  He  was  too  honest  a 
man  to  do  either.  As  a  result  his  estate  was 
declared  confiscated  and  after  the  peace  of 
1783,  when  the  Continentals  could  enforce 
their  act  of  attainder,  he  was  compelled  to 
leave  the  country  and  removed  to  Canada.  He 
settled  at  Maujerville,  New  Brunswick,  and 
there  resided  until  his  death,  June  30,  1791. 
He  had  married  September  26,  1758,  Arabella, 
daughter  of  David  Jones,  of  Fort  Neck, 
Queens  county.  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  New  York  and  author  of  a  "History  of 
New  York  During  the  Revolutionary  War." 
By  her  he  had  a  family  of  two  daughters, — 
Elizabeth  and  Ann, — and  a  son, — David  Rich- 
ard. Judge  Jones  entailed  his  estate  at  Fort 
Neck  to  his  son,  and  failing  him  or  his  heirs 
to  the  heirs  of  his  daughter  Arabella,  Mrs. 
Floyd,  on  condition  that  the  latter  should  as- 
sume the  name  of  Jones.  In  due  time  David 
Richard  Floyd  succeeded  to  the  property;  In 
terms  of  the  succession  David  Richard  as- 
sumed the  surname  of  Floyd- Jones,  by  which 
the  descendants  of  the  senior  branch  of  the 
Floyd  family  have  since  been  known,  the  legis- 
lature having  confirmed  the  change  in  1788. 
David  Richard  married  Sarah,  daughter  of 
Henry  Onderdonck,  and  died  February  10, 
1826,  leaving  two  sons, — Thomas  Floyd- Jones 
and  Henry  Floyd-Jones.  Thomas  was  borA 
in  1788. 

He  died  in  1851.     His  eldest  son,  David 


Richard  Floyd-Jones,  born  in  1813,  was  a 
member  of  the  New  York  Assembly  in  1841, 
1842  and  1843,  ^"d  served  in  the  State  Senate 
from  1844  to  1847.  In  1861  he  was  elected 
Secretary  of  State,  and  Lieutenant-Governor 
in  1863-4.  He  was  in  every  way  an  estima- 
ble and  useful  citizen,  and  his  death,  January 
8,  1871,  called  forth  expressions  of  regret 
from  all  classes  in  the  community.  His  brother, 
William  Floyd- Jones,  was  born  at  Fort  Neck 
March  10,  1815.  Preferring  a  commercial  ca- 
reer, he  entered  the  establishment  of  Tredwell, 
Kissarn  &  Co.,  New  York,  in  which  he  became 
a  partner  in  1837.  In  185 1  he  retired  from 
business  life,  having  acquired  a  large  share 
of  the  property  held  by  his  father,  and  devoted 
himself  to  agriculture,  hunting  and  fishing. 
He  married  in  1847  Caroline  A.,  daughter  of 
Robert  Blackwell,  merchant,  New  York,  and 
granddaughter  of  James  Blackwell,  owner  of 
Blackwell's  Island.  By  her  he  had  a  family 
of  five  sons  and  three  daughters.  Another 
brother,  Elbert  Floyd-Jones,  represented 
Queens  for  several  years  in  the  State  Assem- 
bly. Henry  Floyd- Jones,  an  uncle  of  the  three 
last  named,  and  second  son  of  Thomas  Floyd- 
Jones,  was  born  in  1792,  and  served  in  the 
Assembly  in  1829.  He  was  a  State  Senator 
and  a  member  for  years  of  the  old  Court  of 
Errors.  He  was  also,  like  his  brother,  a  Brig- 
adier-General of  mihtia.  The  family  of  Rich- 
ard Floyd  is  found  all  over  Long  Island,  hon- 
ored, respected  and  beloved  by  all  the  people. 
These  three  names, — Gardiner,  Smith  and 
Floyd, — must  suffice  as  fairly  representative  of 
the  old  families  of  Suffolk  county,  and-  we 
may  now  seek  some  representative  in  the 
ancient  county  of  Queens,  Queens  before  it 
lost  so  much  of  its  identity  in  metropolitan 
greatness  or  divested  itself  of  much  of  its  ter- 
ritory in  the  creation  of  the  modern  county  of 
Nassau. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 


SOME    OLD    FAMILIES    IN    QUEENS    AND    KINGS. 

The  Lloyds — The  Jones  Family — The  Record  of  a  Bit  of  Brooklyn  Real  Estate 

— The  Rapalyes — The  Livingstons — Pierrepont,  Lefferts 

and  Other  Holdings. 


NOTHER  capital  illustration  of  the 
manner  in  which  lands  were  ac- 
quired in  the  earliest  days  of  Euro- 
pean settlements  is  presented  to  us 
in  the  history  of  the  Lloyd  family,  whose 
name  is  geographically  preserved  by  Lloyd's 
Neck  (called  by  the  Indians  Caumsett)  a 
point  of  land  projecting  into  the  Sound  be- 
tween Cold  Spring  and  Huntington.  The 
Neck,  comprising  about  3,000  acres,  was 
bought  September  20,  1654,  from  Ratiocan, 
then  Sagamore  of  Cow  Harbor,  by  Samuel  * 
Mayo,  Daniel  Whitehead  and  Peter  Wright, 
all  Oyster  Bay  settlers.  The  price  paid  was 
three  coats,  three  shirts,  two  cuttoes,  three 
hatchets,  three  hoes,  two  fathoms  of  wam- 
pum, six  knives,  two  pairs  of  stockings  and 
two  pairs  of  shoes,  worth  possibly  about  $50. 
In  1658  the  three  Oyster  Bay  speculators 
sold  the  land  to  Samuel  Andrews,  who  took 
the  precaution  of  getting  his  deed  endorsed  or 
confirmed  by  Wyandanch,  the  Chief  of  the 
Montauks.  Two  years  later  Andrews  died, 
and  the  property  was  sold  to  John  Richbill, 
who  in  turn  sold  it  for  £450,  October  16, 
1666,  to  Nathaniel  Sylvester,  Thomas  Hart 
and  Latimer  Sampson,  who  further  strength- 
ened their  title  by  getting  a  patent  from  Gov- 
ernor Nicolls  in  the  following  year.  In  1668 
Sylvester  gave  up  his  share  to  his  partners, 
although  why  or  for  what  consideration  is  not 
clear.    Sampson  bequeathed  his  share  to  Griz- 


zell  Sylvester,  who  married  James  Floyd,  of 
Boston.  In  1679  Floyd  bought  Hart's  share 
from  that  pioneer's  executors  and  so  acquired 
possession  of  the  entire  property.  He  retained 
it,  probably  •  for  purely  speculative  purposes, 
hoping  to  benefit  by  a  "rise,"  until  his  death, 
in  1693,  when  he  bequeathed  it  to  his  sons. 
One  of  these,  Henry,  took  up  his  residence  on 
the  property  in  171 1,  and  gradually  bought  up 
the  interest  of  his  co-heirs  until  the  whole 
estate  passed  into  his  hands,  and  he  may  be 
regarded  as  the  founder  of  the  family  in  Long 
Island.  In  1685  the  property  had  been  erected 
into  a  manor  and  given  the  name  of  Queens 
Village,  and  that  title  it  retained  until  1790, 
when  the  New  York  Legislature  wisely  re- 
fused to  continue  the  manorial  privilege,  or, 
for  very  evident  reasons,  to  sanction  its  mon- 
archical name.  Henry  Lloyd  was  born  at 
Boston  November  28,  1685,  and  died  March 
ID,  1763.  In  1708  he  married  Rebecca,  daugh- 
ter of  John  Nelson,  of  Boston,  by  whom  he 
had  a  family  of  ten  children.  He  bequeathed 
the  Lloyd's  Neck  property  to  his  four  surviv- 
ing sons, — Henry,  John,  James  and  Joseph. 
The  eldest,  Henry,  was  a  Tory  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary struggle,  and  his  share  in  the  property 
was  forfeited  by  the  act  of  attainder.  It  was 
afterward  purchased  from  the  Commissioners 
by  his  brother  John,  who  then  became  the  head 
of  the  Long  Island  family.  His  other  brother, 
James,  threw  in  his  lot  with  New  England, 


90 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


becoming  a  physician  in  Boston,  where  he  died 
in  1809,  leaving,  among  other  children,  a  son, 
James,  who  became  a  United  States  Senator 
from  Massachusetts.  The  youngest  son  of  the 
founder  of  the  family,  Joseph,  died  at  Hart- 
ford in  1780. 

John  Lloyd,  who  may  be  regarded  as  the 
successor  to  his  father  at  the  head  of  the  family 
having  bought  the  forfeited  share  of  his  elder 
brother,  was  born  February  19,  171 1,  and  mar- 
ried Sarah,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Benjamin 
Woolsey,  of  Dos  Oris.  They  had  three  daugh- 
ters and  two  sons.  Of  the  former,  Abigail  be- 
came the  wife  of  Dr.  James  Cogswell,  a  well 
known  New  York  physician  and  philanthro- 
pist, while  Sarah  married  the  Hon.  James  Hill- 
house,  United  States  Senator  from  Connecti- 
cut, and  became  the  mother  of  James  Hill- 
house,  whose  name  is  a  brilliant  one  in  the 
literary  history  of  the  Nutmeg  State  as  the 
author  of  "Percy's  Masque"  and  other  dramas 
and  poems.  Zachary  Macaulay,  the  father  of 
the  British  historian  and  essayist,  spoke  of  him 
as  "the  most  accomplished  young  man"  with 
whom  he  was  acquainted. 

John  Lloyd  threw  in  his  lot  with  the  Con- 
tinental forces  during  the  Revolution,  and  as 
a  result  his  property  was  sadly  molested  all 
through  the  occupation  of  Long  Island  by  the 
British.  They  erected  a  fort  on  it,  cut  down 
its  many  beautiful  trees,  destroyed  its  buildings 
and  carried  away  their  contents.  The  pres- 
ence of  the  fort  introduced  more  than  once 
into  the  erstwhile  prosperous  and  smiling 
acres  the  miseries  of  actual  war.  In  1781  an 
attempt  was  made  to  capture  it  by  a  small 
force  under  the  command  of  the  Baron  De 
Angley,  but  the  effort  failed  mainly  on  ac- 
count of  the  poorly  equipped  condition  of  the 
attacking  party.  It  was  also  constantly 
menaced  by  the  whale-boat  rovers.  Of  the 
sons  of  John  Lloyd  and  Sarah  Woolsey, 
Henry,  the  eldest,  died  unmarried.  John,  who 
succeeded  to  the  family  honors  and  estates, 
served  as  a  Commissariat  in  the  Patriot  army 
with  fidelity  and  distinction.  When  peace  was 
declared  he  settled  down  at  Lloyd's  Neck  and 


began  the  task  of  obliterating  the  damages  and 
savings  of  war,  to  which  he  successfully  de- 
voted the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  of- 
fered by  Governor  Jay  the  office  of  Judge  of 
Queens  County,  but  declined,  preferring  the 
freedom  and  privacy  of  his  fields.  He  mar- 
ried Amelia,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Ebenezer 
White,  of  Danbury,  Connecticut,  and  died  in 
1792,  at  the  early  age  of  forty-seven  years, 
leaving  one  son,  John  Nelson  Lloyd,  and  a 
daughter,  Angelina,  to  whom  he  bequeathed 
most  of  his  property.  John  continued  to  re- 
side on  the  Neck,  as  it  is  popularly  called  lo- 
cally, until  his  death  in  1849.  Angelina  mar- 
ried George  W.  Strong,  a  well  known  New 
York  lawyer. 

None  of  the  name  of  Lloyd  now  occupies 
the  Neck,  and  all  traces  of  its  manorial  great- 
ness has  disappeared  in  the  smaller  farms  into 
which  it  is  divided.  But  around  are  hundreds 
of  the  descendants  of  the  old  family,  and  many 
of  the  residents,  though  bearing  different 
names  on  account  of  their  descent  through 
some  "daughter  of  the  house,"  can  trace  their 
pedigree  right  back  to  the  original  of  the  fam- 
ily— Henry  Lloyd. 

So  far  as  mingling  in  public  affairs  was 
concerned  the  Jones  family,  of  Oyster  Bay, 
occupy  a  much  more  prominent  place  in  the 
story  of  Long  Island  than  their  one-time 
neighbors,  the  Lloyds. 

The  founder  of  the  family,  so  far  as  Long 
Island  is  concerned,  was  Thomas  Jones,  who 
is  generally  held  to  have  been  born  in  Stra- 
bane,  Ulster  county,  Ireland,  in  1665.  The 
name  is  a  purely  Welsh  one,  and  if  Thomas 
was  not  born  in  that  country  he  could  hardly 
have  been  more  than  one  degree  removed  from 
its  soil ;  so  the  family  ought  to  be  regarded  as 
a  Welsh,  rather  than  an  Irish  one,  as  is  com- 
monly the  way  in  which  it  is  described  by 
local  historians.  Thomas  Jones,  unlike  most 
Ulstermen,  ranged  himself  on  the  side  of 
the  Catholic  King,  James  II,  of  Great  Britain, 
fought  under  that  monarch's  flag  at  the  battle 
of  the  Boyne  in  1690,  at  the  desperate  battle 
at  Aghrim  in  1691,  and  took  part  in  the  de- 


SOME    OLD    FAMILIES    IN    QUEENS   AND    KINGS. 


91 


fence  of  Limerick  in  the  same  year  under  the 
heroic  Sarsfield.  Soon  after  Limerick  capit- 
ulated he  escaped  to  France,  and  seems  to 
have  become  a  seaman,  for  Edward  F.  De 
Lancy  tella  us  "he  embarked  early  in  1692  un- 
der one  of  the  numerous  letters  of  marque  to 
participate  in  the  Revolution,  and  was  present 
at  the  great  earthquake  of  Jamaica  July  7, 
1692,  and  in  that  year  came  to  Long  Island." 
Thompson  says :  "Coming  to  America,  he 
brought  with  him  a  commission  from  the  King 
to  cruise  against  Spanish  property,  the  two 
nations  being  then  at  war,  which  he  doubtless 
did  not  fail  to  apply  to  his  own  advantage  as 
opportunity  offered."  Thompson  is  hardly- to 
be  even  compared  with  De  Lancey  as  an  au- 
thority, but  it  will  be  seen  that  both  speak 
rather  vaguely,  neither  presenting  the  same 
closeness  of  statement  we  would  expect  in  a 
genealogical  reference.  The  truth  is,  the  whole 
story  of  Jones'  Irish  career  is  unreliable  and 
untrustworthy,  very  possibly  because  its  real 
details  were  purposely  hidden  from  us  by  him- 
self or  others. 

He  settled  first  in  Rhode  Island,  where  he 
married  Freelove,  daughter  of  Henry  Town- 
send,  and  received  with  her  as  a  marriage  gift 
from  her  father  a  tract  of  land  at  Fort  Neck, 
at  "the  confluence  of  the  Massapeaqua  River 
with  what  is  now  called  South  Oyster  Bay,  on 
the  south  side  of  Long  Island."  Thompson 
also  says :  "After  his  settlement  here  he  en- 
gaged largely  in  boat  whaling  along  shore, 
which  at  that  period  and  before  was  practiced 
extensively  upon  the  whole  south  coast  of  the 
island.  For  this  purpose  he  gave  employment 
to  a  great  number  of  natives,  whose  services 
were  procured  at  a  very  cheap  rate."  What- 
ever his  occupation,  he  certainly  prospered,  for 
he  steadily  increased  his  lands  by  purchase, 
from  the  natives  mainly,  until  he  held  some 
6,000  acres.  On  March  2,  1699,  he  was  ad- 
mitted one  of  the  freeholders  under  the  Oyster 
Bay  patent,  and  during  the  same  year  erected 
for  his  dwelling  the  first  brick  house  seen  in 
that  section.  Many  honors  came  to  him.  He 
was  appointed  High  Sheriff  of  Queens  County 


October  14,  1704,  and  received  a  commission- 
as  major  in  the  local  militia.  Governor  Hun- 
ter, in  1710,  gave  him  the  appointment  of 
"Ranger  General  of  Nassau  [Long]  Island," 
and  that  office  gave  him  a  practical  monopoly 
of  the  fishing  industry  of  the  shores  of  the 
island  except  the  water  front  of  the  county  of 
Kings,  and  also  to  the  use  of  all  land  within 
the  same  limits  which  had  not  then  been  sold 
or  deeded  away.  Such  a  man  was  indeed  a 
potentate,  but  his  sway  appears  to  have  been 
a  gentle  and  honorable  one,  and  he  certainly 
did  what  he  could  to  advance  the  interests  of 
the  great  territory  committed  to  his  care.  He 
died  at  Fort  Neck  December  13,  1713,  and  in 
accordance  with  his  often  expressed  wish  his 
remains  were  interred  amid  the  ruins  of  an 
old  Indian  fort  on  his  property.  He  left  three 
sons  and  four  daughters.  Of  the  latter,  Mar- 
garet married  Ezekiel  Smith,  Sarah  became- 
the  wife  of  Gerardus  Clowes,  Elizabeth  wed- 
ded John  Mitchell,  and  the  youngest.  Free- 
love,  married  Jacob  Smith.  Of  the  sons, 
David  succeeded  to  the  paternal  estate,  by 
virtue  of  an  entail,  which  settled  the  greater 
portion  on  heirs  male,  Thomas  died,  unmar- 
ried, and  of  William  we  will  speak  again. 

David  Jones  was  born  at  Little  Neck  Sep- 
tember 16,  1699,  and  was  educated  for  the 
legal  profession.  He  practiced  law  in  New 
York  City  for  some  years,  and  in  1734  was- 
appointed  Judge  for  Queens  County.  In  1737 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Colonial  As- 
sembly and  so  continued  until  1758,  having 
been  Speaker  of  that  body  for  thirteen  years. 
He  left  the  Assembly  when  he  was  appointed 
to  the  bench  of  the  Supreme  Court,  from 
which  he  retired  in  1773.  The  remainder  of 
his  quiet  but  useful  life  was  spent  at  Fort 
Neck,  and  he  died  there  October  11,  1775.  He 
was  a  man  of  considerable  force  of  character. 
"On  one  occasion,"  says  Thompson,  "he  had 
the  firmness  to  order  the  doors  of  the  Assembly 
closed  against  the  Governor  until  a  bill,  then 
under  disciission,  could  be  passed  and  wJiich 
his  Excellency  had  determined  to  prevent  by 
an  immediate  prorogation.     During  his  whole 


92 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


life,  and  in  every  situation,  Judge  David  Jones 
was  tlie  unyielding  advocate  of  the  rights  of 
the  people  against  every  species  of  royal  en- 
croachment, and  no  man  participated  more 
largely  of  the  public  confidence  and  respect." 
He  managed  to  change  the  entail  by  which  he 
held  the  estate  and  deeded  it  to  his  son, 
Thomas,  with  the  succession  to  his  daughter 
Arabella,  and  so  the  property  ultimately  passed 
to  her  eldest  son. 

Thomas  Jones  was  born  at  Fort  Neck, 
April  30,  1 73 1,  was  graduated  at  Yale  in  1750, 
studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in 
New  York  in  1755.  For  many  years  he  was 
attorney  for  King's  College.  He  married  Anna 
De  Lancey,  daughter  of  Chief  Justice  James 
De  Lancey,  Lieutenant  Governor  of  New 
York,  and  it.  was  probably  the  influences 
thrown  around  him  by  this  marriage  which  led 
to  his  becoming  so  openly  identified  with  Tory- 
ism in  the  Revolution!  In  1776  he  became 
Royal  Recorder  of  New  York,  and  continued 
to  hold  that  office  until  1773,  when  he  suc- 
ceeded to  the  seat  on  the  supreme  court  then 
resigned  by  his  father.  On  June  27,  1776, 
when  the  Patriots  were  in  control  of  New 
York,  Jones  was  arrested  under  a  warrant 
issued  by  Congress  and  was  liberated  on  pa- 
role, but  on  August  11  he  was  again  arrested 
and  taken_to  Connecticut.  He  was  again  pa- 
roled and  went  to  his  home  at  Fort  Neck.  On 
November  6,  1779,  a  party  of  Continentals 
made  a  dash  at  his  house  and  robbed  it  of 
much  of  its  contents,  carrying  him  off  as  a 
prisoner  to  Connecticut.  In  April,  the  follow- 
ing year,  he  was  exchanged  for  General  Silli- 
man.  He  then  sold  off  as  much  of  his  prop- 
erty as  he  could  and  went  to  England.  When 
peace  was  proclaimed  he  found  himself  under 
the  ban  of  the  Act  of  Attainder  and  so  he 
remained  in  England,  living  in  quiet  retire- 
ment at  Hoddesdon,  Hertfordshire,  until  his 
death,  July  25,  1792.  He  left  no  children, 
and  thus  ended  the  senior  branch  of  the  family 
of  the  founder. 

William,  the  third  son  of  founder  Thomas, 
was  born  April  25,  1708.    Although  destined 


for  the  legal  profession,  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing on  a  piece  of  property  bequeathed  him  by 
his  father,  and  passed  through  life  in  a  quiet 
and  unassuming  mann"'",  taking  no  part  in  the 
exciting  events  of  his  times  and  wrestling  suc- 
cessfully with  the  problem  of  winning  a  liv- 
ing for  himself  and  those  dependent  upon  him 
from  the  soil  until  his  death,  in  1779.  He 
married  Phoebe,  daughter  of  Captain  John 
Jackson,  of  an  old  Hempstead  family,  and  by 
her  had  a  family  of  sixteen  children,  fourteen 
of  whom — David,  Samuel,'  William,  Thomas, 
Gilbert,  John,  Walter,  Richard,  Hallet,  Free- 
love,  Elizabeth,  Margaret,  Phoebe  and  Sarah- 
grew  up,  married  and  had  families ;  so  that  to 
pursue  this  genealogy  in  detail  would  of  itself 
occupy  a  volume.  W^e  must  therefore  refer 
to  those  mainly  who  won  additional  honors  for 
the  family  name. 

First  among  these  was  Samuel,  son  of 
William,  who  was  born  July  26,  1734.  His 
first  purpose  in  life  was  to  become  a  sailor,  and 
he  made  several  voyages  to  Europe  in  mer- 
chant vessels.  But  he  became  tired  of  the 
drudgery,  and,  more  in  keeping  with  the  wish- 
es of  his  family,  was  educated  for  the  legal  pro- 
fession, studying  law  in  the  office  of  Chief  Jus- 
tice William  Smith,  the  historian,  who  after- 
ward went  to  Canada,  refusing  to  recognize 
the  new  order  of  things  after  the  Revolution, 
and  there  became  again  Chief  Justice.  Sam- 
uel Jones,  his  legal  pupil,  did  not,  fortunately, 
imbibe  any  of  his  political  views,  but  his  posi- 
tion compelled  him  to  walk  discreetly  during 
those  troublesome  times.  His  sympathies,  how- 
ever, were  all  on  the  side  of  the  Revolution, 
and  when  the  time  came  for  him  to  declare 
himself  he  showed  no  half-heartedness.  He 
threw  himself  into  the  politics  of  the  young 
Republic  and  became  an  ardent  Federalist.  He 
soon  built  up  a  lucrative  practice  and  his  of- 
fice developed  many  noteworthy  pupils.  His 
legal  reputation  continued  to  increase  as  the 
years  passed  on,  until  he  was  recognized  as  the 
leader  of  the  New  York  bar,  and  held  many 
positions  of  honor  in  the  community,  serving 
in  the  State  Assembly  several  times.    He  was 


SOME    OLD    FAMILIES    IN    QUEENS   AND    KINGS. 


9S 


a  member  of  the  Convention  at  Poughkeepsie 
which  in  1788  adopted  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States.  In  the  following  year  he  was 
appointed  Recorder  of  New  York,  and  held 
that  office  until  1797,  when  he  was  succeeded 
by  Chancellor  Kent.  In  1796  he  drew  up  the 
bill  creating  the  office  of  Comptroller  of  the 
city  of  New  York,  and  when  the  office  was 
created  he  was  appointed  to  it  and  so 
continued  for  three  years,  when  he  retired 
to  his  seat  at  West  Neck,  Long  Island, 
where  he  lived  a  life  of  pleasant  retire- 
ment, devoting  himself  mainly  to  his  library 
and  to  literary  pursuits.  He  died  there  No- 
vember 21,  1819. 

He  left  five  sons,  William,  Samuel,  Elbert, 
Thomas  and  David.  The  first  named  resided 
at  Cold  Springs  and  held  the  rank  of  major 
in  the  local  militia.  He  had  a  son,  Samuel 
William,  who  studied  law  in  the  office  of  his 
uncle  Samuel,  and  settled  in  Schenectady,  of 
which  city  he  was  mayor  for  many  years  be- 
fore his  death,  in  1855.  Samuel  Jones'  second 
son,  named  after  him,  fully  maintained  the 
family  honors  in  the  legal  profession  in  New 
York.  He  was  born  May  26,  1769,  and  after 
he  was  graduated  at  Columbia  College  entered 
the  law  office  of  his  father,  where  he  had  as  a 
fellow  student  De  Witt  Clinton.  As  soon  as 
he  was  admitted  to  practice  he  threw  himself 
into  the  political  arena,  and  this,  coupled  with 
his  own  brilliant  attainments  as  a  lawyer,  soon 
won  for  him  a  recognized  place  among  the 
leaders  of  the  local  bar.  In  1812,  1813  and 
1814  he  was  a  member  of  the  Assembly,  and 
in  1823  was  appointed  to  the  office  once  so 
worthily  held  by  his  father,  of  Recorder  of 
New  York  City.  In  1826  he  was  made  Chan- 
cellor of  the  State,  and  two  years  later  became 
Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  New 
York  City,  retaining  that  dignified  office  until 
1847,  when  he  occupied  a  seat  in  the  State 
Supreme  Court.  In  1849  he  retired  from  the 
bench  and  resumed  practice  at  the  bar,  and  so 
continued  until  within  a  few  weeks  of  his 
death  at  Cold  Spring,  August  9,  1853,  in  the 
eighty-fourth  year  of  his  age. 


His  younger  brother,  David,  born  at  West 
Neck,  November  3,  1777,  after  he  was  grad- 
uated at  Columbia  College,  also  entered  the 
legal  profession.  For  several  years  he  was 
secretary  to  Governor  Jay,  and  for  some  half 
a  century  was  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  and  . 
influential  members  of  the  New  York  bar.  He 
was  for  the  greater  part  of  his  professional  life 
one  of  the  trustees  and  the  legal  ■  adviser  of 
Columbia,  and  took  the  deepest  interest  in  the 
progress  of  that  seat  of  learning.  Like  most 
of  his  family,  he  was  a  devoted  adherent  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  church,  and  was  par- 
ticularly active  in  furthering  the  development 
of  its  General  Theological  Seminary.  He 
never  cared  about  holding  elective  office,  and 
although  often  solicited  to  enter  the  public 
service  he  declined,  except  in  orie  instance 
when,  more  on  account  of  family  sentiment 
than  anything  else,  he  accepted  the  Judgeship 
of  Queens  county.  A  capital  sketch  of  his 
career  was  written  (1849)  by  his  son,  Will- 
iam Alfred  Jones,  who  was  born  at  New  York 
June  26,  181 7.  Although  educated  for  the 
bar,  William  A.  Jones  never  entered  into 
practice  and  devoted  his  life  to  literature. 
From  1 85 1  until  1867  he  was  librarian  of  Co- 
lumbia College,  and  soon  after  retiring  from 
that  position  he  removed  to  Norwich,  Con- 
necticut. He  was  the  author  of  "Literary 
Studies,"  two  volumes  (1847),  "Essays  on 
Books  and  Authors"  (1849),  "Characters  and 
Criticisms,"  two  volumes  (1857),  and  several 
other  works.  In  1863  he  delivered  an  address 
on  "Long  Island"  before  the  Long  Island  His- 
torical Society. 

We  may  now  take  up  another  branch  of  the 
numerous  family  of  William  Jones  and  Phoebe 
Jackson,  that  of  their  sixth  son,  John.  He 
was  born  on  his  father's  farm  June  27,  1755. 
In  1779  he  married  Hannah,  daughter  of  John 
Hewlett,  of  Cold  Spring,  and  settled  on  a 
farm  which  he  bought  from  his  father-in- 
law.  There  he  prospered  and  had  a  family  of 
ten  children: 

Williarri  H.,  born  October  14,  1780,  mar- 
ried Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Isaac  Hewlett. 


94 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


Walter,  born  in  1783,  was  killed  accident- 
ally when  six  years  of  age. 

John  H.,  born  May  18,  1785,  married  Lor- 
retta,  daughter  of  Divine  Hewlett. 

Sarah,  born  July  22,  1787,  not  married. 

Mary  T.,  born  June  4,  1790,  not  married. 

Walter  Restored,  born  April  15,  1793,  not 
married. 

Phoebe  J.,  born  December  13,  1795,  married 
Charles  Hewlett. 

Elizabeth  H.,  born  December  9,  1798,  mar- 
ried Jacob  Hewlett. 

Joshua  T.,  born  July   10,   1801,  not  mar- 
ried. 

Charles  H.,  born  November  6,  1804,  mar- 
ried Eliza  G.  Gardiner. 

With  the  exception  of  young  Walter  these 
sons  contributed  largely  to  the  industrial  prog- 
ress of  Queens  county.  In  1816  John  H. 
Jones,  in  company  with  William  M.  Hewlett, 
built  a  woolen  factory  at  Cold  Spring;  and  in 
1820  John  H.  built  another  one,  this  time  in 
partnership  with  his  brothers,  William  H.  and 
Walter  R.,  at  a  cost  of  $12,500.  They  soon 
acquired  possession  of  the  first  and  managed 
both  with  marked  success.  Walter  R.  was  a 
man  of  superior  business  qualities.  He  en- 
gaged in  many  business  enterprises  and  was 
uniformly  successful  in  them  all.  His  greatest 
achievement,  possibly,  was  in  connection  with 
the  Atlantic  Mutual  Marine  Insurance  Com- 
pany, which  he  built  up  into  a  most  influential 
and  wealthy  corporation,  and  of  which  he  was 
president  for  many  years.  On  his  death,  April 
5,  1855,  he  was  succeeded  in  that  oiSce  by  his 
nephew,  John  Divine  Jones,  son  of  John  H. 
Jones,  and  who  was  born  at  Cold  Spring  Au- 
gust 15,  1814.  Mr.  John  D.  Jones  has  proved 
a  liberal  patron  of  many  of  New  York's  public 
institutions,  such  as  the  Historical  Society, 
while  to  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church  his 
gifts  have  been  generous  and  unostentatious. 
He  married,  June  9,  1852,  Josephine  Kath- 
arine Floyd- Jones,  daughter  of  General  Henry 
Floyd-Jones. 

Charles  H.  Jones,  the  youngest  of  the  fam- 


ily of  John  and  Hannah  Jones,  married  Eliza 
G.,  a  granddaughter  of  John  Gardiner  of 
Gardiner's  Island,  July  12,  1838.  He  made 
his  home  on  the  old  family  farm.  For  a  time 
he  had  the  management  of  considerable  brick- 
yard property,  in  which  his  brother,  Joshua  T., 
was  interested  at  the  time  of  his  death.  In 
all  his  business  relations  he  was  most  for- 
tunate, but  his  domestic  life  was  clouded  by  a 
succession  of  bereavements.  Of  his  four  chil- 
dren only  the  youngest,  Mary  Elizabeth,  sur- 
vived him.  She  married,  in  1873,  Dr.  Oliver 
Livingston  Jones,  son  of  Oliver  H.  Jones  and 
grandson  of  her  father's  eldest  brother,  Will- 
iam H.  Jones.  They  have  a  family  of  three 
children :  Louise  E.,  born  September  18,  1875 ; 
Charles  Herbert,  born  December  18,  1877;  and 
Oliver  Livingston,  Jr.,  bom  April  i,  1880. 
Dr.  Jones  in  1871  succeeded  to  his  father's 
property  at  Laurelton,  on  the  west  side  of  Cold 
Spring  Harbor,  and  quickly  developed  it  into 
a  prosperous  resort.  The  last  years  of  Charles 
H.  Jones'  life  were  spent  in  a  magnificent  man- 
sion, built  by  his  brother,  Walter  Restored. 
In  it  he  preserved  many  portraits  and  relics 
of  the  family  and  no  scion  of  Knighthood 
days  was  more  proud  of  his  ancient  pedigree 
and  its  associated  heirlooms.  He  died  Jan- 
uary 23,  1882. 

William,  the  second  son  of  William  Jones 
and  Phoebe  Jackson,  may  also  be  referred  to 
here  as  having  founded  a  family  which  is  still 
prominent  in  and  around  Oyster  Bay.  He 
was  born  October  4,  1771,  and  became  a  farmer 
at  Cold  Spring  Harbor.  By  his  wife,  Kezia, 
daughter  of  Captain  Daniel  Youngs,  of  Oyster 
Bay,  he  had  a  family  of  nine  children:  Sam- 
uel W.,  David  W.,  Cornelia  Haring,  Susan 
Maria,  Elbert  W.,  Eleanor,  Hannah,  Amelia 
and  Daniel.  All  of  these  except  Elbert  W., 
who  died  in  his  twenty-first  year,  married  and 
had  families.  From  the  rank  he  held  in  a 
local  militia  company  William  Jones  was 
known  generally  by  his  title  of  major.  In  1816 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  State  Legis- 
lature and  was  re-elected  with  one  exception 


SOME    OLD    FAMILIES    IN    QUEENS   AND    KINGS. 


95 


each  succeeding  term  until  1825,  when  he  de- 
clined further  service.     He  died  September  16, 

1853- 

His  second  son,  David  W.,  was  the  literary 
man  of  the  family.  He  succeeded  to  a  por- 
tion, of  his  father's  property  and  acquired .  a 
more  than  usual  measure  of  success  as  a 
farmer.  Under  the  nom  de  plume  of  "Long 
Island"  he  wrote  largely  for  the  "Spirit  of  the 
Times,"  once  the  leading  American  country 
newspaper,  and  he  contributed  to  Henry  W. 
Herbert's  (Frank  Forester's)  work  on  "The 
Horse  and  Horsemanship  in  the  United 
States,"  etc.  He  was  born  May  3,  1793,  mar- 
ried Dorothy  Adams,  a  native  of  England,  July 
4,  1822,  and  died  July  6,  1877,  in  his  eighty- 
seventh  year.  He  left  a  family  of  five  sons : 
Edmund  (unmarried),  Robert  (died  1868), 
Charles,  Elbert  and  David  The  latter 
married,  in  1870,  Julia  W.  Nelson,  a  grand- 
daughter of  General  Nathaniel  Coles,  and  re- 
sided at  the  homestead  erected  by  his  father. 

By  way  of  change  we  may  now  be  justi- 
fied, instead  of  following  the  fortunes  of  a 
family,  in  taking  up  the  story  of  a  piece  o£ 
land  and  tracing  the  fortunes  of  its  owners 
for  nearly  two  centuries,  by  this  method  not 
only  illustrating  the  fortunes  of/ a  number  of 
old  families  but  keeping  in  front  the  story  of 
the  land,  the  possession  of  which  in  the  main 
gave  these  same  families  the  power  in  the 
community  which  they  successively  wielded. 
We  begin  our  present  study  with  the  text,  so 
to  speak,  of  a  piece  of  land  lying  beside  Brook- 
lyn Ferry  and  extending  for  a  distance  toward 
the  Wallabout.  We  begin  at  the  time  when 
from  the  Manhattan  shore  all  that  was  seen 
on  the  Long  Island  shore  was  a  few  scattered 
farms,  while  behind  these  stretched  an  un- 
known wilderness  crowded  with  game,  and 
from  which  emerged  at  times  only  the  red 
men  bent  on  murder  or  trade,  to  barter  with 
the  farmer,  or-  complain  about  his  encroach- 
ments and  double  dealing. 

In  1630  Wolfert  Gerretse  ( Kouwenhbven, 
Couwenhoven,  or  Cowenhoven)  emigrated  to 
America  from  Amersfoort,  Utrecht  Province, 


Netherlands,  with  his  family,  and  seems  to 
have  at  once  entered  the  employment  of  the 
then  Patroon  of  Rensselaerswick  as  superin- 
tendent of  farihs.  He  afterward  worked  a 
farm  on  Manhattan  island,  and  in  1637  pur- 
chased a  tract  of  land  from  the  Indians  in  Flat- 
bush  and  Flatlands.  He  subsequently  con- 
siderably increased  his  holdings  and  was  evi- 
dently a  thrifty,  peaceable  citizen.  He  died 
about  1660,  leaving  three  sons, — Gerret  (the 
ancestor  of  the  Flatlands  Cowenhovens), 
Jacob  and  Peter.  The  latter  was  a  brewer  on 
High  [Pearl]  street.  New  York,  and  in  1665 
was  appointed  Surveyor  General  of  the  Col- 
ony. He  was  also  a  man  of  war,  and  in  1663 
as  a  lieutenant  took  part  in  the  Indian  cam- 
paign at  Esopus  [Kingston].  From  him  are 
descended  the  Cowenhovens  of  Gloucester 
county,  New  Jersey. 

We  are  more  interested  here  with  the  sec- 
ond son,  Jacob,  Jacob  Wolfertse,  as  he  was 
generally  called  in  the  old  Dutch  style,  who 
was  born  in  Holland  and  came  to  this  country 
with  his  father.  He.  was  in  business  in  New 
Amsterdam  as  a  brewer,  and  also  did  business 
as  a  trader  with  Albany,  owning  a  sloop  which 
plied  between  that  town  and  New  Amsterdam, 
but  does  not  seem  to  have  made  money,  for  on 
one  occasion  a  bouwerie  he  owned  in  Graves- 
end  was  ordered  sold  to  pay  his  debts.  Still 
he  appears  to  have  been  a  man  of  considerable 
public  spirit,  well  regarded  by  his  fellows,  and 
a  stanch  member  of  the  Dutch  church.  He 
died  in  1670.  On  July  6,  1643,  Jacob  re- 
ceived a  grant  from  Governor  Kieft  of  a  piece 
of  land  on  the  East  River  shore  of  Long 
Island.  It  was  described  as :  "Bounded  north 
by  west  by  Cornelius  Dircksen,  ferryman's 
land,  stretching  from  said  ferryman's  land  east 
by  south  along  the  river  56  rods,  and  along 
ditto  into  the  woods,  south  by  east,  132  rods; 
in  breadth  iij  rear  in  the  woods  40  rods,  and 
on  the  east  side,  north  by  east  till  to  the  river 
120  rods,  amounting  to  10  morgen  and  48 
rods." 

As  near  as  may  be  determined  for  prac- 
tical purposes,  this  property  commenced  at  the 


96 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


present  site  of  Fulton  Ferry  and  stretched 
along  between  the  present  Front  and  Water 
streets  (the  shore  line  in  the  olden  time)  and 
extended  up  the  Jamaica  Road  (Fulton  street) 
from  the  shore  until  the  present  junction  of 
Front  and  Fulton  streets.  The  ferry  at  that 
time  was  in  itself  a  little  settlement.  Cornelis 
Dircksen,  the  ferryman,  seems  to  have  had  a 
tavern  near  Peck  Slip  in  New  Amsterdam  and 
ran  the  ferry  as  an  adjunct  to  his  trade.  He 
received  in  1643  a  grant  of  a  triangular  piece 
of  land,  measuring  about  two  morgans,  from 
the  Director  General.  Dircksen  was  a  sort  of 
land  speculator  and  seems  to  have  bought  what 
land  he  could  get  near  the  ferry  and  subdi- 
vided it,  when  he  could  not  resell  in  a  lump, 
in  small  parcels  suitable  for  a  dwelling  and  a 
garden.  In  1643  he  bought  from  William 
Thomassen  a  farm  of  seventeen  morgens  at  the 
fsrry,  paying  therefor  2,300  guilders,  and  so 
secured  the  ferriage  rights,  such  as  they  then 
were.  In  1652  he  sold  two  morgens  and  sixty- 
seven  and  one-half  rods  to  Cornelis  de  Potter. 
In  1654  Egbert  Borsum  obtained  a  grant  of 
two  lots  at  the  ferry,  and  was  lessee  of  the 
river  transportation  business  in  the  same  year. 
We  will  return  to  this  subject  more  fully 
when  telling  the  story  of  the  ferry  system,  but 
enough  has  been  presented  here  to  show  how 
easily  and  frequently  larger  and  small  parcels 
of  land  changed  hands  even  in  those  primitive 
times.  The  home  seeking  population  was  then 
in  the  minority  on  the  west  end  of  the  island 
and  people  went  there  with  the  primal  inten- 
tion of  making  money,  not  of  founding  fam- 
ilies. Jacob  Wolfertse  did  not  long  retain  his 
valuable  piece  of  property, — it  seemed  the  most 
valuable  on  Long  Island  even  at  that  time, — 
for  in  1645  it  was  in  possession  of  Henry 
Breser,  who  seems  to  have  been  a  merchant 
and  land  speculator.  In  165 1  he  rented  the 
property  to  Jan  Hendrickson  Stillman  and 
Thomas  Stephense,  and  the  same  year  he  sold 
it  to  Cornelius  de  Potter,  for  1,125  guilders. 
De  Potter,  who  was  a  magistrate  at  Flatlands, 
died  about  1660,  and  left  the  property  in  ques- 
tion to  his  daughter,  Adriaentye,  who  married 


Jan  Aardz  Middagh,  by  which  time  it  had 
extended  to  some  two  hundred  acres  "lying 
east  of  Fulton  Ferry  and  Fulton  street."  Jan 
seems  to  have  remained  in  possession  until  his 
death,  about  1710.  From  that  time  until  the 
property  came  into  the  possession  of  John 
Rapalye  several  years  prior  to  the  Revolution, 
it  seems  impossible  to  trace  its  transmission. 
The  Rapalye  family  is  descended  from  Joris 
Jansen,  who  came  to  this  country  from  Hol- 
land in  1623.  He  resided  first  at  Albany,  with 
his  wife  Catalyntje.  There  was  born  their  first 
child,  Sarah,  on  June  9,  1623,  who  has  often 
been  described  as  the  first  white  child  born  in 
Brooklyn.  On  June  16,  1637,  he  obtained  a 
patent  for  167  morgens  of  land  at  the  Walla- 
bout  and  there  settled  and  became  a  man  of 
much  local  importance.  In  1641  he  was  one 
of  the  twelve  Select  Men  chosen  to  sit  in  Coun- 
cil with  Governor  Kieft,  and  restrained  for  a 
time  that  doughty  representative  of  their  High 
Mightinesses  from  proceeding  to  extremities 
with  the  Indians.  For  over  a  decade  he  was 
a  magistrate  of  Brooklyn  and  died  in  1665  full 
of  years  and  honor.    His  family  consisted  of: 

1.  Sarah,  married  (first)  Hans  Hansen 
Bergen,   (second)   Tunis  Gysbertse  Bogart. 

2.  Alarretje,  born  March  16,  1627,  mar- 
ried   Michael    Paulus    Vandervoort. 

3.  Jannetje,  born  August  18,  1629,  mar- 
ried Ren  Jansen  Vanderbeeck. 

4.  Judith,  born  July  5,  1635,  married 
Peter  Pietersen  Van  Nest. 

5.  Jan,  born  August  28,  1637,  died  Jan- 
uary 25,   1663. 

6.  Jacob,  born  May  28,  1639,  killed  by 
Indians. 

7.  Catelyntje,  born  March  28,  1641,  mar- 
ried Jeremias  Jansen  Van  Westerhout. 

8.  Jeronemus,  born  June  27,  1643,  mar- 
ried Anna,  daughter  of  Tunis  Nyssen  or 
Denyse,  succeeded  to  his  father's  property  at 
the  VVallabout  and  resided  there  until  his 
death,  about  1695.  He  bequeathed  his  estate 
to  his  son  Jeronimus,  who  in  turn  devised  it 
to  his  daughter,  Antie,  wife  of  Martin  M. 
Schenck,  of  Flatlands. 


SOME    OLD   FAMILIES    IN    QUEENS  AND    KINGS. 


97 


9.  Annetje,  bom  February  8,  1646,  mar- 
ried (first)  Martin  Ryerse,  (second)  Joost 
France, 

10.  Elizabeth,  born  March  26,  1648,  mar- 
ried ]Dick  Comelise  Hoogland. 

11.  Daniel,  born  December  29,  1650,  mar- 
ried Sarah,  daughter  of  Abraham  Klock,  and 
resided  in  Brooklyn  probably  on  farm  land 
set  off  from  the  paternal  estate.  He  was  an 
ensign  in  the  Brooklyn  militia  company  in 
1673  and  lieutenant  in  1700. 


of  this  family,  and  his  wealth  made  him  its 
most  noted  member  so  long  as  he  resided  in 
Brooklyn.  In  another  place  we  will  speak 
more  fully  of  the  personal  fortunes  of  John 
Rapalye,  and  it  may  here  suffice  to  say  briefly 
that  the  land  passed  from  his  hands  after  the 
Revolution,  and  by  the  operation  of  the  law 
of  attainder  became  vested  in  the  Commis- 
sioners duly  appointed  to  take  charge  of  such 
forfeiteed  estates  when  the  British  flag,  as  the' 
flag  of  an  enemy,  was  hauled  down  and  our 


THE    FERRY. 
(1)   The  Ferry  Tavern.      i2)   The  Rapalye  Homestaad.      (3)   Tho  old  Stone  Tavern. 


The  father  of  this  family,  which  by  its  in- 
ter-marriages finds  a  place  in  every  ancient 
genealogical  tree  in  Brooklyn,  was  not  an  ac- 
complished penman,  whatever  his  other  educa- 
tional qualifications  may  have  been.  He  signed 
his  mark  "R"  to  all  documents.  His  sons  were 
more  elaborate  in  the  presentation  of  the  fam- 
ily name,  signing  it  "Rapalje,"  "Rappalie"  and 
"Repreele." 

The  owner  of  the  tract  at  the  ferry  we 
have  taken  for  our  text  was  a  representative 
7 


beloved  Stars  and  Stripes  run  up  on  every 
stafl^  from  which  it  had  floated. 

The  property,  comprising  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  in  all,  was  bought  from  the  Com- 
missioners in  1784  by  Comfort  and  Joshua 
Sands,  and  thus  brought  to  the  front  in  Brook- 
lyn another  old  Long  Island  family — but  then 
new  in  that  community — whose  name  is  now 
held  in  peculiar  veneration. 

The  Sands  family  hailed  from  Cow  Neck 
or  Manhasset,  at  which  place  Sands'  Point  still 


HISTORY    OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


marks  the  location  of  the  pioneer  settler  of  the 
name — the  great-grandfather  of  the  brothers 
in  whose  fortunes  we  are  immediately  con- 
cerned. Both  were  born  on  the  ancestral  prop- 
erty,— Comfort  in  1748,  and  Joshua  in  1757. 
Comfort  entered  into  business  on  his  own  ac- 
count in  Peck  Slip,  New  York,  and  by  the 
time  the  Revolutionary  war  broke  out  had 
managed  to  save  a  considerable  amount  of 
money.  As  an  instance  of  values  in  those  days 
we  may  mention  that  Comfort  in  1781  rented 
a  house  at  307  Queen  (Pearl)  street,  for 
$32.50  a  year.  His  business  career  was  mainly 
confined  to  Manhattan.  In  1776  he  was  a 
member  of  the  New  York  Provincial  Congress 
and  held  the  office  of  Auditor  General  of  the 
State.  He  also  represented  the  city  several 
times  in  the  Assembly  and  acquired  for  those 
•days  considerable  wealth,  for  every  interest  he 
touched  seemed  to  flourish.  He  died  at  Ho- 
boken  September  22,  1834. 

Joshua  was  much  more  closely  connected 
with  Brooklyn  and  Long  Island.  In  1776  he 
secured  a  position,  through  the  influence  of 
■Governor  Trumbull,  of  Connecticut,  in  the 
-commissariat  department  of  the  army.  This 
position  he  held  for  a  short  time,  but  during 
it  he  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Brooklyn,  and 
-was  of  considerable  service  in  the  memorable 
retreat  of  Washington's  troops  from  Long 
Island.  In  1777,  in  -company  with  his  broth- 
ers. Comfort  and  Richardson,  he  formed  a 
company  for  supplying  clothing  and  provisions 
to  the  Continentals.  Their  proposals  were  ac- 
cepted and  they  set  about  supplying  the  goods, 
but  it  was  many  years  afterward  before  they 
received  payment,  for  the  condition  of  the  pub- 
lic treasury  long  after  peace  was  inaugurated 
was  the  reverse  of  prosperous,  and  Uncle 
Sam,  somehow,  even  when  his  treasury  was 
full,  has  never  been  a  very  prompt  paymaster. 
The  brothers,  however,  had  other  interests 
which  paid  them  better  and  their  partnership 
was  continued  after  the  war  was  over.  The 
Rapelye  property  seems  to  have  been  their  first 
large  speculation  after  peace  was  proclaimed, 


and  it  is  said  that  the  money  used  in  the  pur- 
chase represented  the  profit  on  their  dealings 
in  soldiers'  pay  certificates  which  they  had 
bought  up  at  a  steep  rate  of  discount.  How- 
ever that  may  be,  it  made  Joshua  become  a 
resident  of  Brooklyn,  for  he  at  once  built  a 
home  for  himself  on  the  estate,  on  Front  street, 
and  remained  identified  with  the  place  and  its 
interests  until  his  death.  He  established  in  it 
a  new  industry,  that  of  the  manufacture  of 
cordage  and  rigging,  and  laid  out  extensive 
rope-walks,  importing  the  necessary  machinery 
and  skilled  labor  from  England.  He  held 
many  public  offices,  was  a  State  Senator  from 
1792  to  1798,  Collector  of  Customs  at  the  Port 
of  New  York  between  1797  and  1801,  and  a 
member  of  Congress  in  1803-5,  and  again  in 
1825-7.  In  1824  he  was  chosen  president  of 
the  Village  of  Brooklyn  Trustees  and  seems 
to  have  been  a  most  active  man  in  the  social, 
political,  religious  and  industrial  affairs  of  the 
community.    He  died  in  1835. 

With  its  possession  by  the  Sands  brothers 
the  history  of  the  Rapalye  property  as  a  single 
factor  ceases.  While  Joshua  retained  enough 
of  the  land  for  a  house  and  an  extensive  gar- 
den, the  brothers  had  no  idea  of  holding  on  to 
an  estate  which  they  had  simply  bought  for 
speculative  purposes.  So,  in  1788,  it  was  sur- 
veyed, streets  laid  out,  and  in  conjunction  with 
the  adjoining  Remsen  property  of  Jolin  Jack- 
son, buyers  were  invited  for  lots  in  the  tract, 
which  was  boomed  as  a  new  village — the  "vil- 
lage of  Olympia."  It  was  pictured  as  a  village 
of  homes  with  city  and  country  advantages 
combined,  and  as  the  lots  were  cheap  they 
readily  sold.  Some  doubt  was  cast  upon  the 
legality  of  the  title  by  which  the  brothers  held 
the  property,  for  Rapalye  had  carried  off  all 
the  title  deeds ;  but  the  Sands  brothers  deemed 
the  voucher  of  Uncle  Sam  good  enough  for 
all  practical  purposes  and  most  of  those  with 
whom  they  had  dealings  fully  agreed  with 
them.  This  opening  up  of  Olympia  was  the 
beginning  of  the  distribution  of  many  an  old 
Kings   county  estate   into  building  lots — the 


SOME    OLD    FAMILIES    IN    Q.UEENS   AND    KINGS. 


99 


starting  point  of  a  series  of  "booms"  of  various 
sections  which  is  still  going  on  even  at  the 
present  day. 

When  the  Rapalye  property  was  subdivided 
by  the  Sands  brothers,  one  of  the  arguments 
used  to  support  the  theory  of  tlie  future  rise  in 
value  of  the  lots  was  that  Brooklyn  was  cer- 
tain to  extend  along  its  section  of  the  water 
front,  as  on  the  other  side  of  the  main  road 
from  the  ferry  was  a  series  of  inaccessible  hills 
which  rendered  the  ground  utterly  unsuitable 
for  building  purposes.  The  arguments  were 
specious  enough,  but  time  showed  how  utterly 
fallacious  they  were. 

In  1647  Dirck  Janssen  Woertman  settled  in 
Brooklyn  frorri  Amsterdam,  and  successively 
bought  up  several  patents  on  lands  south  of 
Brooklyn  Ferry,  covering,  roughly  speaking, 
that  section  now  known  as  the  Heights.  In 
1706  he  disposed  of  that  property  to  Joris 
Remsen,  who  had  married  his  daughter,  Fem- 
metje.  When  the  deed  was  completed  Joris 
'  removed  with  his  family  from  Flatbush,  where 
be  had  previously  resided.  With  the  death 
of  Joris,  about  1720,  commenced  the  subdi- 
vision of  the  property  into  smaller  holdings. 
He  had  previously  sold  fourteen  acres  to  his 
son-in-law.  Jacobus  De  Bevoise,  a  tract  long 
afterward  known  as  the  De  Bevoise  farm. 
Stiles  says :  "The  remainder  of  Joris  Rem- 
sen's  land  was  inherited  by  his  son  Rem,  who 
■died  in  or  about  1724  [the  only  authority  for 
this  is  that  his  will  was  dated  that  year], 
leaving  among  other  children  a  son,  George 
(or  Joris),  who  fell  heir  to  the  paternal  es- 
tate, married  Jane,  daughter  of  Philip  Nagle 
(Nagel),  and  died  between  1735  and  1743, 
leaving  issue  Rem,  Phillip  and  Aletta.  On 
the  19th  of  June,  1753  (Kings  County  Rec- 
ords, liber  6,  page  174),  Philip  Remsen,  de- 
scribed there  as  of  Bucks  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, together  'with  Philip  Mease,  Esq.,  of 
Flatbush,  only  surviving  executor  of  his  fa- 
ther's estate,'  conveyed  to  Henry  and  Peter 
Remsen,  merchants  of  New  York,  for  the  sum 
of  £1,060,  one-half  (estimated  at  fifty-seven 
.acres)   of  the  original  property  purchased  by 


his  great-grandfather,  Joris  Remsen,  from 
Woertman.  *  *  *  The  above  named 
brothers,  Henry  and  Peter  Remsen,  at  some 
time  prior  to  1764  sold  to  Philip  Livingston, 
Esq.,  of  New  York,  that  portion  of  the  es- 
tate lying  between  the  present  Joralemon  and 
Atlantic  streets  and  extending  from  the  East 
River  to  Red  Hook  Lane.  On  the  1st  of  Au- 
gust, 1768,  the  Remsen  brothers  divided  be- 
tween them  the  remainder  of  the  property, 
Henry  taking  the  northerly  half,  adjoining 
the  De  Bevoise  farm,  and  Peter  taking  the 
southerly  portion  next  to  the  Livingston  farm, 
from  which  it  was  separated  by  a  lane  since 
known  as  Joralemon  street." 

.  Part  of  the  Livingston  property,  with  a  dis- 
tillery erected  upon  it  and  which  had  been  in 
successful  operation  for  several  years,  was 
sold,  in  1802  to  Hezekiah  Beers  Pierrepont, 
afterward  owner  of  the  De  Bevoise  and  Ben- 
son's farms  of  the  Heights,  and  thus  was  in- 
trodiiced  into  Brooklyn  history  the  name  of  a 
family  which  has  done  more  for  its  sterling 
development  than  any  other  that  could  be 
named  outside  of  the  descendants  of  the  orig- 
inal settlers.  H.  B.  Pierrepont  was  the  grand- 
son of  the  Rev.  James  Pierrepont,  the  first 
minister  settled  in  New  Haven  and  one  of  the 
founders  of  Yale  College.  For  a  time  Heze- 
kiah was  a  clerk  in  the  New  York  custom- 
house, but  was  previously  thoroughly  trained 
for  a  business  career  by  his  uncle,  Isaac  Beers, 
of  New  Haven.  His  opportunity  in  life  came 
with  his  appointment  as  agent  for  Watson  & 
Greenleaf,  who  were  engaged  in  the  purchase 
of  the  national  debt,  and  he  was  fully  equal 
to  it,  acqu/iring  a  moderate  fortune.  He  then 
founded  the  firm  of  Leffingwell  &  Pierrepont 
and  engaged  in  shipping  provisions  to  Europe, 
residing  for  a  time  in  Paris  to  look  after  the 
interests  of  the  firm  there.  This  trade  was 
interrupted  by  the  course  of  the  war  between 
Great  Britain  and  France;  so  he  chartered  a 
vessel,  "The  Confederacy,"  and,  filling  it  up 
with  merchandise,  accompanied  it  to  China  in 
1795.  The  speculation  proved  a  profitable 
one,  but  in  1797,  while  on  the  voyage  home 


100 


HISTORY    OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


from  China,  "The  Confederacy"  was  seized 
by  a  French  privateer  and  sold,  in  defiance  of 
American  treaty  rights  and  stipulations.  In 
1800  Pierrepont  returned  to  New  York  and 
two  years  later  married  Anna,  daughter  of 
William  Constable,  a  merchant  of  New  York 
who  had  been  interested  with  Alexander 
Macomb  in  the  purchase,  in  1787,  of  over  a 
million  acres  of  land  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  State  of  New  York.  By  his  bride,  Pierre- 
pont came  into  possession  of  some  500,000 
acres  of  these  lands,  mainly  in  Jefferson, 
Lewis  and  St.  Lawrence  counties. 


WM.  A.  MUHLENBERG. 

In  prospecting  for  some  business  enter- 
prise in  which  to  engage  he  saw  a  prospect 
of  success  in  the  manufacture  of  gin,  and  it 
was  with  that  business,  in  view  that  he  bought, 
in  1802,  the  Livingston  distillery  at  the  foot 
of  Joralemon  street,  Brooklyn,  and  so  com- 
menced a  connection  with  the  future  "City  of 
Churches"  which  was  of  the  utmost  conse- 
quence to  both.  He  was  not  long  in  Brook- 
lyn before  he  fully  realized  the  bright  pros- 
pects of  its  future,  and  soon  made  up  his  mind 
that  in  aiding  in  its  development  lay  a  certain 
and  substaritial  return  for  his  own  means  and 


his  business  energy.  So  he  purchased  the  tract 
of  land  on  the  Heights  known  as  the  Remsen 
farm,  part  of  the  old  Remsen  property,  and 
gradually  extended  his  holdings  as  opportunity- 
offered,  his  last  great  purchase  being  the  De 
Bevois  farm,  for  which  in  1816  he  paid  $28,- 
000.  A  year  later  he  abandoned  the  distillery 
and  thereafter  devoted  himself  solely  to  the  de- 
velopment of  his  real  estate.  In  1815  he  had 
been  one  of  a  committee  which  succeeded  in 
getting  from  the  legislature  a  village  charter 
for  Brooklyn,  and  he  had  the  bulk  of  his  prop- 
erty graded,  and  laid  out  in  streets  and  squares' 
and  finally  placed  on  the  market.  He  be- 
lieved in  wide  streets  and  fully  sxemplified 
his  ideal  in  the  care  he  bestowed  on  Pierre- 
pont street,  which  was  laid  out  with  a  width, 
of  eighty  feet,  while  Montague  street  and 
Remsen  street  were  each  scheduled  at  seventy- 
five  feet. 

Stiles,  in  his  "History  of  Kings  County," 
page  130,  says : 

As  chairman  of  the  street  committee  ht 
exerted  himself  to  secure  an  open  promenade 
for  the  public,  on  the  Heights,  from  Fulton 
Ferry  to  Joralemon  street.  He  had  a  map  and 
plan  drawn  for  the  improvement  by  Mr.  Silas 
Ludlam,  and  procured  the  consent  of  the  pro- 
prietors for  a  cession  of  the  property,  except 
from  his  neighbor  and  friend.  Judge  Radcliff, 
who  opposed  the  scheme  so  violently  that  Mr. 
Pierrepont,  rather  than  have  a  contest  with  a 
friend,  withdrew  from  the  attempt,  and  him- 
self paid  the  expense  incurred  for  the  survey 
and  plan,  though  he  had  ordered  it  officially. 
He  lived  and  died  in  the  belief  and  desire  that 
the  Heights  would  some  day  be  made  a  puMic 
promenade,  on  some  similar  plan.  Before  his 
estate  was  divided  and  sold  his  executors  gave 
the  opportunity  to  the  city  to  take  the  prop- 
erty between  Love  Lane  and  Remsen  street  and 
Willow  street,  the  only  part  of  the  Heights 
that  remained  unoccupied,  for  such  a  public 
place,  and  a  petition  was  signed  by  a  few  pub- 
lic-spirited men  for  the  object.  But  it  was 
defeated  before  the  city  authorities  by  over- 
whelming remonstrances,  very  generally- 
signed  in  the  large  district  of  assessment  that 
was  proposed. 

It  appears  from  his  diary  that  as  early  as 


SOME    OLD    FAMILIES    IN    Q_UEENS   AND    KINGS. 


101 


the  year  1818  he  made  inquiry  as  to  the  cost 
of  stone  wharves.  He  reluctantly  improved 
his  water-front  with  timber,  only  when  he 
found,  from  the  depth  of  water,  the  cost  of 
stone  structures  was  too  great  to  be  war- 
ranted by  the  small  income  derived  by  wharf- 
owners  under  our  present  port  laws.  He  per- 
sistently declined  to  sell  his  lots,  except  where 
good  private  dwellings  of  brick  or  stone  were 
engaged  to  be  erected,  suited  to  the  future 
character  of  his  finely-situated  property.  Time 
has  now  proved  the  soundness  of  his  judg- 
ment. His  property  is  now  covered  by  elegant 
mansions,  besides  five  fine  churches,  the  City 
Hall,  Academy  of  Music,  Mercantile  Library, 
and  other  public  buildings,  while  the  front  on 
the  bay  is  occupied  by  extensive  wharves  and 
warehouses.  Mr.  Pierrepont  possessed  great 
energy  of  character  and  a  sound  judgment; 
was  domestic  in  his  habits  and  had  no  ambi- 
tion for  public  office,  or  relish  for  political  life. 
Yet  he  gave  his  services  freely  to  his  fellow 
citizens  in  aid  of  their  local  afifairs. 

His  property  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
State  occupied  his  attention  along  with  that  in 
BrookljTi,  and  for  years  he  and  his  sons,  Will- 
iam and  Henry,  paid  annual  visits  there  and 
steadily  effected  improvements  and  induced 
settlements.  But  it  was  slow  work,  although 
sufficient  to  demonstrate  that  with  time  it 
would  blossom  as  a  garden  as  much  of  it  since 
then  has  done. 

Mr.  Pierrepont  died  in  Brooklyn  in  1838, 
and  his  widow  survived  him  until  1859.  They 
had  a  family  of  two  sons  and  eight  daughters : 
William  Constable,  Henry  Evelyn,  Anna  Con- 
stable (deceased,  wife  of  Hubert  Van  Wag- 
enen),  Emily  Constable  (married  Joseph  A. 
Perry),  Frances  Matilda  (married  Rev.  Fred- 
erick S.  .Wiley),  Mary  Montague  (died  in 
1859,  unmarried),  Harriet  Constable  (mar- 
ried Edgar  J.  Bartow,  died  in  1855),  Maria 
Theresa  (married  Joseph  J.  Bicknell),  Julia 
Evelyn  (married  John  Constable,  of  Constable- 
ville),  and  Ellen  Isaphine  (married  Dr.  James 
M.  Minor). 

William  C,  the  eldest  son,  devoted  him- 
self mainly  to  the  State  properties  left  in  his 
charge  by  his  father's  will  and  made  his  home 
at  Pierrepont  Manor,  Jefferson  county.     He 


was  an  accomplished  scholar  and  a  profound 
mathematician,  and  carried  on  an  extensive 
correspondence  with  many  of  the  leading 
scientists  of  Europe.  He  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Legislature  in  1840,  but  only 
served  a  single  term.  Under  his  management 
the  estate  prospered  and  he  was  noted  for  his 
beneficence  as  well  as  many  other  grand  qual- 
ities of  mind  and  heart.  He  established 
scholarships  in  the  General  Theological  Sem- 
inary, New  York,  and  also  at  Hobart  College, 
from  which  institution  he  received  the  degree 
of  LL.  D.  At  Canaseraga,  New  York,  he  en- 
dowed a  church  as  a  memorial  to  a  deceased 
son,  and  several  other  schemes  of  practical 
good  were  stopped  by  his  death,  at  Pierre- 
pont Manor,  December  20,  1885.  His  brother, 
Henry  E.,  confined  his  life  work  to  Brooklyn. 
While  in  Europe  in  1833  that  village  was 
raised  to  the  dignity  of  a  city,  and  in  his  ab- 
sence he  was  named  one  of  the  Commissioners 
for  laying  out  public  grounds  and  streets.  On 
receiving  notification  of  his  appointment  he 
made  a  practical  study  of  most  of  the  large 
cities  in  Europe  and  drew  up  plans  which  were 
adopted,  in  a  large  measure,  by  the  legislature 
of  1835.  He  also  submitted  plans  for  laying 
out  a  large  plot  of  ground  among  the  Gowanus 
Hills  for  a  rural  cemetery,  and  in  1838  ob- 
tained a  charter  from  the  legislature  for  the 
formation  of  the  Green- Wood  Cemetery  cor- 
poration. With  that  enterprise  we  will  deal 
at  length  in  a  subsequent  chapter  of  this  his- 
tory. Under  his  father's  will  he  took  charge 
of  all  the  family  real  estate  in  Brooklyn  as 
well  as  the  State  lands  in  Franklin,  Lewis  and 
St.  Lawrence  counties.  In  Brooklyn  he  laid 
out  Furman  street,  and  by  the  erection  of  a 
new  bulkhead  on  the  water  front  added  five 
acres  of  wharf  property  to  the  estate.  In  the 
financial  and  social  life  of  the  city  he  was 
prominent  for  many  years,  and  was  justly  re- 
garded as  the  finest  type  of  a  high-spirited 
and  representative  citizen.  He  died  in  the  city 
in  which  he  was  born  and  passed  his  life  and 
which  he  loved  so  well,  March  28,  i 
the  eighty-sixth  year  of  his  age. 


m 


102 


HISTORY    OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


We  will  now  revert  to  a  genealogical  study, 
selecting  for  that  purpose  the  Lefferts  family 
so  well  known  in  Brooklyn.  So  far  as  can 
be  ascertained  its  American  ancestor  was 
Pieter  Janse,  who  seems  to  have  crossed  the 
Atlantic,  with  his  wife,  Femmentje  Hermans, 
in  1660.  There  is  some  doubt  as  to  his  sur- 
name ;  ■  Pieter  Janse  is  simply  Peter,  John's 
son,  and  Haughwout  or  Hauwert,  which  is 
sometimes  given  as  the  surname,  is  merely  the 
name  of  a  village  in  Holland,  whence  the  fam- 
ily emigrated.  Some  of  the  family,  however, 
used  Haughwout  with  several  variations  in 
spelling  as  a  surname.  Pieter,  whatever  his 
family  name  was,  did  not  long  survive  after 
coming  to  America,  for  by  October  15,  1662, 
we  find  that  Femmentje  was  again  married 
and  on  that  date  had  two  guardians  appointed 
at  Flatbush  for  her  children  by  -her  previous 
union, — Leffert  Pieterse  and  Pieter  Pieterse. 
What  became  of  the  last  named  seems  un- 
known. 

Leffert  Pieterse  was  probably  about  seven 
years  of  age  when  he  landed  in  the  N-ew 
World  with  his  parents.  He  was  brought  up 
in  Flatbush,  and  in  1775  settled  on  a  piece  of 
land  (seventeen  morgens)  in  that  place.  He 
married  the  same  year  Abigail,  a  daughter  of 
Anke  Janse  Van  Nuyse,  and  seems  to  have 
prospered  in  the  world,  for  in  1700  he  was 
able  to  buy  an  additional  farm,  at  Bedford, 
for  one  of  his  sons. 

He  died  July  19,  1748.    His  children  were: 

1.  Altien,  born  June  22,  1676,  died  single. 

2.  Anke,  born  April  4,  1678.  He  mairried 
Marytje  Ten  Eyck.  of  New  York,  and  prior 
to  1709  removed  to  Monmouth  county,  New 
Jersey.  His  descendants  still  reside  there  and 
generally  write  their  family  name  Leffertson. 

3.  Pieter,  born  May  18,  1680,  succeeded 
to  his  father's  farm,  and  was  a  supervisor  of 
Flatbush  in  1726  and  1727.  Signed  his  name 
Pieter  Leffertsz.  Married  Ida,  daughter  of 
Hendrick  Suydam,  of  Flatbush,  and  had  a  son 
Leffert,  who  founded  the  Pennsylvania  (Berks 
County)  branch  of  the  family;  two  sons,  John 


and  Jacob,  who  died  young;  and  five  daugh- 
ters. 

4.  Rachel,  born  January  17,  1682,  married 
Jan  Waldron. 

5.  Jan,  born  January,  1684,  who  grew  to 
manhood  and  married,  but  all  trace  of  whom 
has  been  lost. 

6.  Jacobus :  see  below. 

7.  Isaac,  born  June  15,  1688,  died  October 
18,  1746,  resided  all  his  life  in  Flatbush,  of 
which  town,  in  1726  and  1727,  he  was  Con- 
stable. One  of  his  sons,  Leffert,  resided  dur- 
ing his  life  in  Flatbush.  Two  others,  Hendrick 
and  Isaac,  removed  to  Jamaica.  His  only 
daughter,  Harmpje  (named  after  her  mother, 
whose  surname  is  not  on  record),  married 
Hendrick  Suydam,  of  Hallet's  Cove. 

8.  Abraham,  born  September  i,  1692. 
Married  Sarah  Hoogland.  Family  settled  in 
New  York  (where  he  engaged  in  business) 
except  one  daughter,  Catherine,  who  married 
Peter  Luysten,  of  Oyster  Bay. 

9.  Madalina,  born  August  20,  1694,  mar- 
ried Garret  Martense. 

10.  Ann,  born  March  i,  1696,  died  single. 

11.  Abagail,  born  August  14,  1698,  died 
young. 

12.  Leffert,  born  May  22,  1701,  married 
Catryntje  Borland  and  died  September  27, 
1774- 

13.  Benjamin,  born  May  2,  1704,  died 
November  17,  1707. 

Jacobus  (6),  born  June  9,  1686,  settled 
on  the  farm  which  his  father  had  bought  at 
Bedford  Corners.  He  married,  in  1716,  Fan- 
net  je,  daughter  of  Claes  (or  Nicholas) 
Barentse  Blom.  In  the  local  records  his  name 
is  given  sometimes  as  Isaac  Hagewoutt,  but  he 
signed  himself  Jacobus  Leffert.  He  seems  to 
have  prospered  fairly  well  in  life,  for  he  added 
pretty  extensively  to  the  size  of  his  farm  and 
appears  to  have  owned  and  rented  one  or  two 
small  farms  in  the  neighborhood.  He  died 
September  3,  1768.    His  family  consisted  of: 

I.  Abagail,  born  October  i,  1717,  married 
Lambert  Suydam,  who  was  captain  of  a  troop 


SOME   OLD   FAMILIES   IN   QUEENS  AND   KINGS. 


103. 


of  horse  in  1749  and  died  in  1767.  Abagail 
was  again  married,  to  Nicholas  Vechte,  in 
1772. 

2.  Nicholas,  born  April  6,  1719,  died 
1780,  leaving  two  daughters. 

3.  Elizabeth  or  Eliza,  born  March  8,  1721, 
married  Hendrick  Fine,  of  Bedford. 

4.  Neltye,  born  November  3,  1723,  mar- 
ried Jacobus  Vanderbilt. 

5.  Lefifert,  bom  March  14,  1727.  (See 
below.) 

6.  Jannetje,  born  June  25,  1729,  married 
Jeronemus  Rapalje. 

7.  Jacobus,  born  November  26,  1731,  be- 
came a  merchant  in  New  York,  and  died  July 
20,   1792,  leaving  several  children. 

8.  Barent,  born  November  2,  1736,  mar- 
ried Femmetje,  daughter  of  Rem  Remsen,  and 
lived  at  Bedford  Corners.  He  owned  before 
his  death,  June  21,  1819,  much  land  on  Jamaica 
and  Cripplebush  Roads. 

Lefifert,  through  whom  the  family  name 
was  handed  down  to  another  generation,  mar- 
ried, August  5,  1756,  Dorothy,  daughter  of 
John  Cowenhoven.  As  County  Clerk  he  had 
charge  of  the  county  and  the  town  records 
which  v/ere  afterward  taken  from  his  house 
by  his  assistant,  John  Rapalye,  and  the  house 
itself  was  tenanted  by  General  Gray  during 
the  British  occupation.  He  left  a  large  family, 
but  it  is  needless  to  follow  their  fortunes  with 
the  minuteness  given  to  the  earlier  branches. 
We  must  need  refer  to  two,  however.  Of  these 
Catryna,  born  in  1759,  was  killed  accidentally 
April  17,  1783,  in  a  curious  manner.  A  local 
paper  said  that  "having  observed  to  her  mother 
that  a  loaded  pistol  left  by  a  drover,  who  had 
been  watching  his  cattle  with  it  the  preceding 
night,  upon  a  chest  of  drawers,  was  rather 
dangerously  placed  and  that  some  of  the  chil- 
dren might  get  hurt  by  it,  proceeded  to  re- 
move and  put  it  in  a  holster  that  hung  close 
by;  but  in  the  operation  the  pistol  was  dis- 
charged, the  shot  went  through  her  body  and 
she  expired  immediately."  Having  told  the 
story,  thus  succinctly,  the  paper  then  prints 


an  elaborate  "Elegy,"  of  which  the  following, 
are  the  closing  lines: 

"Then  pray  descend,  fair  Catharina's  shade,- 
Into  my  dreams  and  visions  of  the  night; 
Put  rapturous  illusions  in  my  head 
That  sad  realties  may  have  respite. 

Too  much  an  angel  for  a  world  of  woe. 
Eternal  Wisdom  hath  conceived  it  best 

On  her  a  crown  of  glory  to  bestow. 

Among  the  saints  in  her  Redeemer's  rest." 

One  of  the  brothers  of  this  young  lady, 
Judge  Lefifert  Lefiferts,  deserves  more  than  a 
mere  passing  notice.  He  was  born  April  12, 
1774.  On  May  7,  1794,  he  was  graduated 
from  Columbia  College,  and  then  studied  law 
in  the  ofiSce  of  Judge  Egbert  Benson.  In  1798 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  in  the  following 
year  was  appointed  Clerk  of  Kings  County,  an 
appointment  which  had  been  held  by  his  father. 
On  February  10,  1823,  he  was  appointed  Judge 
of  Kings  County  in  succession  to  Judge  Will- 
iam Furman,  but  he  held  the  office  only  a 
short  time.  His  recognized  probity  and  busi- 
ness aptitude  had  opened  up  other  avenues  of 
usefulness.  In  1822,  recognizing  the  great 
need  in  Brooklyn  of  a  banking  institution,  in- 
stituted on  the  firmest  basis,  and  which  should 
be  directed  so  as  to  aid  very  materially  in  the 
development  of  the  place,  he  was  the  leader  in 
the  movement  which  resulted  in  a  charter  be- 
ing obtained  for  the  Long  Island  Bank  in 
1824,  and  he  was  elected  its  first  president. 
This  office  he  continued  to  hold  until  1846, 
when  the  infirmities  of  age  impelled  him  to  re- 
sign. The  success  of  the  bank  and  the  great 
influence  it  exerted  upon  the  prosperity  of 
Brooklyn  were  due  in  great  measure  to  his 
progressive  yet  conservative  methods,  while 
his  courtesy,  shrewd  common  sense  and  unerr- 
ing judgment  made  him  personally  popular 
with  all  those  f.ssociated  with  it  in  any  way. 
He  died  March  22,  1847.  On  April  21,  1823, 
he  had  married  Maria,  daughter  of  Robert 


104 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


Benson.  Their  only  child,  Elizabeth,  mar- 
ried J.  Carson  Brevort  (born  in  New  York 
City,  1818,  died  in  Brooklyn,  December  7, 
18S7),  afterward  superintendent  of  the  Astor 
Library,  New  York,  president  of  the  Long 
Island  Historical  Society,  and  a  Regent  of  the 
University  of  New  York. 

Another  scion  of  the  family,  one  whose 
fame  extended  far  beyond  the  confines  of  Long 
Island,  was  Marshall  Lefferts.  He  was  born 
at  Bedford  Corners  January  15,  1821,  and  after 
-various  experiences  as  a  civil  engineer  became 
a  partner  in  the  firm  of  Morewood  &  Co.,  im- 
porters. New  York.  In  1849  he  became  presi- 
dent of  the  New  York,  New  England,  and 
New  York  State  Telegraph  Companies,  and 
left  that  office  in  i860  to  perfect  some  tele- 
graphic improvements  which  were  afterward 
patented  and  put  into  successful  operation. 
His  electrical  researches  were,  however,  in- 
terrupted by  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war. 
In  1851  he  had  joined  the  Seventh  Regiment, 
National  Guard,  New  York,  as  a  private,  and 
hecame  its  lieutenant  colonel  the  following 
year  and  colonel  in  1859.  In  1861  the  regi- 
ment, under  his  corrimand,  left  for  the  front. 
It  volunteered  again  in  1862  and  1863.  In  the 
latter  year  it  was  stationed  in  Maryland,  and 
returned  to  New  York  for  duty  in  the  draft 
riots  of  July  in  that  year.  Lefferts  became 
connected  with  the  Western  Union  Telegraph 
Company,  which  had  purchased  most  of  his 
patents  and  put  them  in  full  operation.  In  1867 
he  organized  its  commercial  news  department, 
and  in  1869  became  president  of  the  Gold  and 
Stock  Telegraph  Company.  He  died  suddenly 
July  3,  1876,  on  a  railway  train  while  en  route 
with  the  veteran  corps  of  the  Seventh  Regi- 
ment, of  which  he  was  commander,  to  attend 
the  Centennial  Fourth  of  July  parade  in  Phil- 
adelphia. 

His  son.  Dr.  George  Morewood  Lefiferts, 
who  was  born  in  Brooklyn  February  24,  1846, 
was  educated  for  the  medical  profession,  grad- 


uating from  the  New  York  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons  in  1870,  and  thereafter 
studying  in  Vienna.  In  1873  he  settled  in 
practice  in  New  York,  making  a  specialty  of 
diseases  of  the  throat  and  chest.  He  became 
Professor  of  Laryngoscopy  in  the  New  York 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  and  in 
1875  president  of  the  New  York  Laryngolog- 
ical  Society.  In  his  own  branch  he  stands  at 
the  head  of  American  specialists,  while  his 
many  contributions  to  medical  literature  have 
won  for  him  a  widespread  recognition  in  med- 
ical circles  all  over  the  world. 

We  must  here  bring  these  notes  regarding 
the  old  families  of  Long  Island  to  a  close. 
They  could  easily  be  continued  almost  indef- 
ini'tely,  for  the  study  of  genealogy,  rightly  fol- 
lowed, is  a  most  interesting  one,  and  the  suc- 
cession of  such  families  as  those  bearing  the 
names  of  Hewlett,  Remsen,  Van  Brunt; 
Strycker,  Cowenhoven,  Ten  Eyck,  Sulphen, 
Polhemus,  Middaugh,  Lawrence,  Cortelyou, 
Hegeman,  Duryea,  De  Bevoise,  Denyse,  Sea- 
man, Halleth,  Riker,  Youngs,  Horton  and  a 
score  of  others  present  us,  with  many  and 
varied  features  of  interest  in  the  story  of 
Long  Island.  We  will  refer  to  many  of  these 
in  the  course  of  this  work,  to  all  in  fact  more 
or  less  particularly;  but  the  study  itself  is 
hardly  one  which  can  be  fully  carried  out  in  a 
general  history  such  as  this.  We  have,  how- 
ever, presented  sufficient  of  the  subject  to  dem- 
onstrate what  an  interesting  field  awaits  the 
genealogical  student  who  devotes  himself  to 
it.  Genealogy  as  a  general  rule,  except  in 
dealing  with  princely  families,  is  generally 
voted  an  uninteresting  study;  but  in  tracing 
the  descent  of  the  famous  names  of  Long 
Island  we  are  constantly  brought  to  the  con- 
sideration of  historical  details,  showing,  if  the 
study  shows  anything  clearly,  that  under  our 
republican  form  of  government  the  history  of 
the  township,  city  or  nation  is  made  by  the 
people. 


CHAPTER   IX. 


SOME    PRIMITIVE    CHARACTERISTICS  — EARLY    LAWS— THE 
ADMINISTRATION    OF    JUSTICE. 


HETHER  English  or  Dutch,  the 
early  sellers  on  Long  Island  car- 
ried there  with  them  the  manners 
and  customs  of  their  respective 
mother  lands,  and  in  their  daily  lives  and  in 
their  homes  endeavored  to  reproduce  what 
they  had  been  accustomed  to  before  crossing 
the  Atlantic.  The  line  of  separation  which 
for  long  politically  divided  the  island  kept 
the  two  pioneer  races  from  mingling  and 
adopting  each  other's  ways  and  habits  even 
to  the  extent  noticeable  on  Manhattan  Island; 
and  the  fact  that  Long  Island  was  so  thor- 
oughly cut  off  from  the  main  land  that  even 
a  trip  across  the  East  River  was  an  event  so 
full  of  delay  and  danger  that  men  often  put 
their  affairs  in  order  and  made  their  wills  be- 
fore attempting  it,  led  to  a  maintenance  of 
primitive  customs  and  the  primitive  order  of 
things  long  after  the  pioneers  had  passed  from 
the  cares  and  troubles  and  toils  of  life  and 
their  sons  and  grandsons  reigned  in  their 
stead. 

But,  unlike  as  they  were  in  most  things, 
and  different  as  were  their  habits  of  thought 
and  their  notions  of  domestic  comfort,  the 
pioneers,  both  Dutch  and  English,  were  alike 
in  at  least  one  respect — they  were  essentially 
religious  communities.  The  first  thing  done 
in  any  settlement,  whether  Southold  or  Flat- 
bush,  was  to  provide  for  a  place  of  worship — 
a  house  in  which  they  might  unite  in  the  praise 
of  God  and  meditate  on  His  goodness  and  His 
commands,  and  around  which  their  bones 
mig'ht  be  laid  while  waiting  for  the  resurrection 


and  the  final  judgment.  They  were  each  a  relig- 
ious people,  and  though  differing  very  widely, 
very  radically,  on  their  views  as  to  church 
government  and  on  many  non-essentials,  they 
imited  in  a  complete  acceptance  of  the  Bible 
as  the  sole  Book  of  the  Law,  as  the  guide  for 
this  life  and  the  only  sure  guide  to  the  life 
that  is  to  come.  They  interpreted  the  Bible 
and  its  promises  literally,  had  no  worriment 
over  doubt,  no  conception  of  the  perplexities 
of  the  higher  criticism.  The  Dutch  version 
was  an  inspired  Book  to  the  Dutch;  the  Eng- 
lish version  was  equally  regarded  as  inspired 
by  the  English.  Verbal  criticism  they  never 
paltered  over ;  translators'  errors,  if  they  could 
have  conceived  them,  they  would  have  deemed 
an  impossibility.  The  Bible  said  so,  and  so 
it  was;  and  this  implicit  faith,  this  firm  re- 
liance, this  complete  subservience  of  their  daily 
lives  and  inmost  thought  to  the  Book  of  the 
Law  made  them  even  in  their  own  day  stand 
out  in  bold  relief  as  honest,  God-fearing  men 
and  women, — people  whose  word  could  be  im- 
plicitly relied  upon,  people  who  would  have 
willingly  wironged  no  man;  and  while  they 
strove  hard  to  acquire  a  share,  perhaps  more 
than  a  share,  of  this  world's  goods,  while  they 
treated  the  Indians  as  irresponsible  children 
and  gave  them  sugar  plums  for  land,  they  at 
least  treated  them  in  accordance  with  the  spirit 
of  the  age.  Each  community  was  a  moral 
one ;  the  laws  were  implicitly  obeyed  and  as  a 
result  the  history  of  Long  Island  as  a  whole 
presents,  so  far  as  its  own  land-owning  settlers 
were  concerned,  a  much  more  peaceful  pic- 


106 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


ture  than  is  furnished  by  most  of  the  early 
settlements  of  Europeans  in  America. 

In  another  respect  both  the  Dutch  and 
English  settlers  were  alike — in  their  love  and 
reverence  for  their  home  land.  This  is  seen 
most  conclusively  in  the  names  they  gave  their 
settlements.  Thus,  in  the  section  over  which 
the  Dutch  predominated  there  was  Breukelen 


DUTCH    DOOR. 

From  "Flatbush.  Past  and  Present."     By  permission  of 

the  Flatbush  Trust  Company. 

and  Amersforte  and  Vlissingen  and  Midwout, 
after  places  bearing  the  same  name  in  Holland, 
and  New  Utrecht,  like  New  Amsterdam,  dif- 
fered only  in  the  prefix  from  the  original 
Dutch  towns.  On  the  eastern  division  there 
is  no  room  for  argument  as  to  the  originals 
of  Southampton,  or  Huntington,  or  "The 
Island  of  Patmos,"  or  Smithtown,  or  Oyster 
Bay.     But  in  one  important  respect  there  was 


a  wide  diflference  between  the  two  national- 
ities. While  the  Dutch  at  least  professed  the 
deepest  awe  at  the  power  and  influence  of  the 
States  General  and  revered  the  very  name  of 
"their  High  Mightinesses,"  permitting  the 
Governors  set  over  them  almost  unlimited  sway 
and  accepting, — although  not  without  grum- 
bling, — the  laws  made  and  provided  far  them, 
each  English  community  aspired  to  be  an  in- 
dependent government,  to  make  and  enact  its 
own  laws,  to  assess  and  collect  its  own  taxes, 
and  to  say  who  should  and  who  should  not  be 
accepted  into  citizenship.  Both  talked  of  re- 
ligious freedom,  but  the  religious  freedom  of 
the  Dutch  was  bounded  by  the  spectacles  of 
the  local  classis  and  in  matters  of  extraor- 
dinary difficulty  by  the  classis  of  New  Am- 
sterdam; and  Governor  Stuyvesant,  among 
his  other  prerogatives,  assumed  that  of  Defend- 
er of  the  Faith.  The  English  were  as  pro- 
nouncedly in  favor  of  freedom  and  toleration, 
but  they  judged  the  boundary  line  by  their 
own  views,  and  whatever  turned  up  that  did 
not  square  with  those  views  was  deemed 
unworthy  of  freedom  and  toleration.  But 
both  had,  to  a  certain  extent  at  least,  a  sym- 
pathy with  the  churches  each  set  up  and  both 
harassed  and  persecuted  the  Quakers  and  other 
malcontents  with  equal  zeal.  Still  there  is 
no  doubt  that  even  in  such  excesses  as  made 
martyrs  of  the  early  Quakeirs  and  Baptists, 
they  acted  conscientiously.  Different  as  they 
were  in  so  many  things  pertaining  to  religion, 
they  were  alike  in  the  rigidness  of  their  ac- 
ceptance of  Calvinism,  and  the  authority  of 
the  company  in  Holland  over  religious  as  well 
as  over  secular  matters  was  not  one  whit 
stronger  than  that  wielded  in  the  eastern 
settlements  by  the  local  church  authorities  and 
the  town  meeting.  They  both  hated  dissenters 
as  much  as  did  the  most  obdurate  high  church- 
man in  old  England,  had  an  equal  hatred  of 
unauthorized  religious  meetings  —  meetings 
which  they  contemptuously  called  "conven- 
ticles" ;  and  such  gatherings  were  ruthlessly 
broken  up  and  the  attendants  punished  by  fine 
and    imprisonment,    or    whipping    or    by   the 


SOME    PRIMITIVE    CHARACTERISTICS. 


107 


easier  process  of  ordering  their  instant  removal 
from  the  neighborhood.  As  an  instance,  take 
the  following  from  Fiske'si  "Quaker  and  Dutch 
Colonies"  (vol.  i,  page  232) : 

The  heavy  hand  of  the  law  was  also  laid 
upon  a  few  humble  Baptists  at  Flushing. 
William  Hallett,  the  sheriff,  had  the  audacity 
to  hold  conventicles  in  his  own  house  and 
there  "to  permit  one  William  Wickendam  to 
explain  and  comment  on  God's  Holy  Word, 
and  to  administer  sacraments  though  not 
called  thereto  by  any  civil  or  clerical  author- 
ity." For  this  heinous  offence  Hallet  was 
removed  from  office  and  fined  500  guilders, 
while  Wickendam,  "who  maintained  that  he 
was  commissioned  by  Christ  and  dipped  peo- 
ple in  the  river,"  was  fined  1,000  guilders 
and  ordered  to  quit  the  country.  On  inquiry 
it  appeared  that  he  was  "a  poor  cobbler  from 
*Rhode  Island,"  without  a  stiver  in  the  world ; 
so  the 'fine  was  perforce  remitted;  but  the 
Baptist  was  not  allowed  to  stay  in  New 
Netherland. 

* 

The  wealth  of  the  people  consisted  prin- 
cipally of  land  and  live  stock,  since  these  things 
naturally  were  the  most  convenient  and  im- 
portant to  a  pioneer  people.  To  be  a  land- 
holder was  of  course  a  great  attraction  and  in- 
centive to  the  average  citizen  of  the  old  coun- 
try, like  Holland  and  other  densely  populated 
portions  of  Europe,  where  no  hopes  of  being 
the  possessor  of  land  and  a  "landlord"  could 
be  entertained  by  the  masses ;  and  the  most  of 
them,  having  been  brought  up  to  agricultural 
and  horticultural  pursuits,  were  well  versed 
in  the  faithful  tilling  of  the  soil  and  also  in 
the  care  of  live  stock,  especially  cattle. 

The  residences  were  necessarily  simple 
and  the  furnishing  of  the  same  was  meager, 
since  it  was  altogether  too  expensive  to 
import  furniture  across  the  great  Atlantic 
in  sailing  vessels.  The  home  of  the  Dutch 
settler,  was  a  square,  biiilt  with  a  high,  slop- 
ing roof,  with  overhanging  eaves  that 
formed  a  shade  from  the  sun  and  a  shelter 
from  the  rain.  The  first  settlers  probably 
were  content  with  a  dug-out,  but  not  for 
long,    for   as    soon   as    timber    could  be    cut 


and  saplings  gathered  a  more  pretentious 
dwelling  would  arise  over  the  cellar,  a  dwelling 
w'hich  could  easily  be  added  to  as  the  family 
increased  in  numbers  or  wealth.  In  the  eastern 
end  of  Long  Island,  which  was  settled  prin- 
cipally by  people  from  New  England  and  old 
England,  the  dwelling-houses  were  simply 
huge  wooden  boxes,  so  to  speak,  divided  off 
into  rooms  at  regular  intervals  by  partitions 
or  windows  or,  both.  Many  of  them  were 
similar  to  the  primitive  structures  of  the  early 
English  settlers  in  Australia, — first  a  "shack" 
or  rough-board  shanty,  such  as  are  common  to 
camps  in  the  wilds,  and  afterward  something 
more  elaborate,  from  time  to  time,  as  the 
owner  .had  means  and  time  for  improve- 
ment and  expansion.  Whatever  architectural 
beauty  existed  was  at  first  bestowed  on  the 
church,  and  after  its  adornment  was  completed 
then  something  was  attempted  in  the  way  of 
adding  to  the  attractiveness  of  the  homes  of 
the'  people,  a  weathercock  being  a  mark  of 
gentility  in  Flatlands,  while  a  garden  was 
deemed  a  token  of  advancing  civilization  and 
comifort  in  Southampton.  A  stone  house, 
however,  was  the  height  of  perfection,  after 
which  most  of  the  well-to-do  strived;  and  as 
early  as  1690  we  read  of  dwellings  built  of 
brick,  but  by  that  time  people  had  begun  to 
wax  wealthy  and  the  importation  of  brick  was 
a  luxury.  Stone  was  more  easily  made  useful, 
as  the  pioneer  farmers  could  have  told  with  a 
sigh.  It  was  a  rare  thing  to  see  a  house 
more  than  a  single  story  high  in  the  Dutch 
settlements;  and  even  in  the  English  end  a 
story  and  a  half  or  two  stories,  though  more 
common,  was  at  first  regarded  as  wonderful 
work.  The  real  pioneers,  or  first  settlers  in  a 
country,  are  generally  so  well  behaved  as  to 
need  little  or  no  law ;  they  are  temperate,  hon- 
est, social,  neighborly,  and  such  a  period  of 
simplicity  generally  endures  until  burglars  and 
dishonest  people  begin  to  infest  the  country. 
Therefore,  east  or  west,  locks  were  unknown, 
until  after  civilization  had  considerably  ad- 
vanced, and  in  summer  the  Dutch  family  was 
sure  to  gather  outside  of  the  house,  beneath 


108 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


the  shade  of  the  eaves,  and  there  exchange 
greetmgs  or  discuss  the  events  of  the  day; 
while  the  Enghsh  settlers  vi^ere  wont  to  gather 
in  the  town  square  and  the  women  gossiped 
in  the  gardens  and  the  children  played  in  the 
little  bit  of  lawn,  a  feature  as  inseparable  from 
an  Englishrrian's  notion  of  dohiestic  comfort 
as  was  the  long  pipe  of  the  Dutchman. 

In  the  interior  of  the  house  the  general 
sitting-room  and  the  kitchen  were  the  im- 
portant features.  Bed-rooms  were  small,  and 
sleeping  bunks  W'cre  common  where  the  family 
was  large ;  but  improvements  in  this  respect 
came  with  the  extension  -  of  the  dwelling. 
Saniliary  arrangements  there'  were  none,  east 
or  west,  but  cleanliness  and:  good  order  were 
everyw'here  apparent.  The  Dutch  housewife 
scrubbed  everything  that  would  bear  scrubbing 
and  polished  her  treasures  of  pewter  or  brass 
with  unfailing  regularity.  Carpets  were  un- 
known, a  sanded  floor  was  deemed  the  per- 
fection of  cleanliness  and  comfort  and  the 
ashes  from  the  wood  fires  were  zealously  swept 
up  with  feather  brushes  and  carefully  gath- 
ered.' In  a  Dutch  farm-house  the  fireplace  in 
the  sitting-room  was  the  family  higb-  altar. 
■  It  was  almost  a  compartment  in  itself ;  and  its 
imported  tiles,  with  their  scriptural  or  his- 
torical pictures,  formed  a  basis  for  a  post- 
graduate educational  course  following  the  in- 
structions of  the  schoolmaster  and  were  re- 
garded as  works  of  art  of  the  highest  order. 

The  furniture  at  first  naturally  was  of  the 
most  primitive  kind;  and  as  each  house  was 
a  little  community  of  its  own,  making  its  own 
bread,  curing  its  own  meats,  preparing  its  own 
cloth  and  manufacturing  its  own  furnishings 
and  house'hold  utensils,  the  aim  was  strength 
and  usefulness  rather  than  beauty.  After  a 
while  this'  primitive  simplicity  gave  way  to 
more  ornate  effort.  Furniture  was  imported 
from  Holland  and  the  Dutch  artificers  in  New 
Amsterdam  found  a  ready  market  for  their 
wares  in  the  farm-houses  on  Long  Island. 
Very  possibly,  too,  the  pioneer  families 
brought  with  them  from  Holland  many  house- 
hold  articles   which   they   deemed   especially 


valuable  or  beautiful,  and  tbese  were  accorded 
a  place  of  honor  among  the  lares  et  penates 
of  the  new  home.  There  was  much  more  of 
old-world  furniture  to  be  found  among  the 
pioneer  homes  on  the  western  end  of  the  island 
than  among  those  of  the  eastern;  if  we  may 
judge  by  the  old  inventories  still  extant  and 
the  pieces  which  have  survived  to  his  day; 
but  then  we  must  remember  that  the  eastern 
settlements  were  not  people  directly  from 
old  England  but  from  New  England;  and 
that  two  or  three  removals  from  one  strange 
land  to  another  were  not  conducive  to  the 
life  of  "family  relics  or  even  of  articles  of  do- 
mestic usefulness  which  could  be  reproduced 
by  hammer,  saw  and  chisel. 

Such  of  these  old  structures  as  are  still 
remaining  serve  as  mementoes  of  a  simple  life, 
and  the  memories  of  the  time  become  more  and 
more  sacred  with  the  lapse  of  years.  Even 
poetry  of  an  inspiring^  kind  seems  to  gather 
around  the  scenes  and  experiences  of  that  pio- 
neer age,  while  only  "prose''  is  connected  with 
the  present-day  changes  and  customs.  Hence 
relics  of  that  pioneer  time,  including  even  the 
domiciles  themselves,  are  often  the  most  in- 
teresting exhibits  at  fairs  and  museums,  and 
still  serve  as  centers  of  eloquence  in  fervid 
composition. 

Even  in  1679,  after  several  years  of  pros- 
perity and  thrift,  the  Labadist  fathers  who 
visited  Long  Island  in  that  year  found  very 
little  in  the  way  of  interior  decoration  or 
domestic  elegance  in  the  homes  they  visited 
as  honored  guests.  Of  their  reception  at  the 
home  of  Simon  de  Hart,  which  stood  close 
to  the  present  ferry  house  of  the  Thirty- 
ninth  street  ferry  and  was  only  removed  a 
few  years  ago,  to  make  way  for  that  structure, 
they  wrote : 

We  proceeded  on  to  Gouanes,  a  place  so 
called,  where  we  arrived  in  the  evening  at  one 
of  the  best  friends  of  Gerret  named  Symon 
[de  Hart].  He  was  very  glad  to  see  us,  and  so 
was  his  wife.  They  took  us  into  the  house 
and    entertained    us    exceedingly    well.     We 


SOME    PRIMITIVE    CHARACTERISTICS. 


109 


found  a  good  fire,  half  way  up  the.  chimney, 
of  clean  oak  and  hickory,  of  which  they  made 
not  the  least  scruple  of  burning  profusely. 
We  let  it  penetrate  us  thoroughly.  There 
had  been  already  thrown  upon  it,  to  be  roasted, 
a  pail  full  of  Gowanus  oysters,  which  are  the 
best  in  the  country.  They  are  fully  as  good, 
as  those  of  England,  and  better  than  those  we 
eat  at  Falmouth.  I  had  to  try  some  of  them 
raw.  They  are  large  and  full,  some  of  them 
not   less   than   a    foot   long,   and   they    grow 


key,  which  was  also  fat  and  of  a  good  flavor, 
and  a  wild  goose,  but  that  was  rather  dry. 
Every  thing  we  had  was  the  natural  pro- 
duction of  the  country.  We  saw  here,  lying 
in  a  heap,  a  whole  hill  of  watermelons,  which 
were  as  large  as  pumpkins,  and  which  Simon 
was  going  to  take  to  the  city  to  sell.  They 
were  very  good,  though  there  is  a  difiference 
between  them  and  those  of  the  Carribby. 
isfands ;  but  this  may  be  due  to  lateness  in  the 
season :  these  were  the  last  pulling. 


THE    CORTELYOU    HOUSE,  1699,  FIFTH   AVENUE   AND   THIRD    STREET    BROOKLYN. 


sometimes  ten,  twelve  and  sixteen  together, 
and  are  then  like  a  piece  of  rock.  Others 
afe  young  and  small.  In  consequence  of  the 
great  quantities  of  them,  everybody  keeps  the 
shells  for  the  purpose  of  burning  them  into 
lime.  They  pickle  the  oysters  in  small  casks, 
and  send  them  to  Barbadoes  and  the  other 
islands.  W^e  had  for  supper  a  roasted  haunch 
of  venison,  which  he  had  bought  of  the  Indians 
for  three  guilders  and  a  half  of  "seewant," 
that  is,  fifteen  stivers  of  Dutch  money  (15 
cents),  and  which  weighed  thirty  pounds. 
The  meat  was  exceedingly  tender  and  good, 
and  also  quite  fat.  It  had  a  slight  aromatic 
flavor.     We  were  also  served  with  wild  tur- 


It  was  very  late  at  night  when  we  went  to 
rest  in  a  Kermis  bed,  as  it  is  called,  in  the 
corner  of  the  hearth,  alongside  of  a  good  fire. 

In  New  Utrecht  the  Labadists  met  with  an 
equally  hearty  reception  at  the  home  of 
Jacques  Cortelyou,  about  which  they  wrote : 

This  village  [New  Utrecht]  was  burned 
down  some  time  ago,  with  everything  about 
it,  including  the  house  of  this  man  [Jacques] , 
which  was  about  half  an  hour  distant  from 
it.  Many  persons  were  impoverished  by  the 
fire.  It  was  now  about  all  rebuilt  and  many 
good    stone    houses   were    erected    of    which 


110 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


Jacques's  was  one,  where  we  returned  by  an- 
other road  to  spend  the  night.  After  supper 
we  went  to  sleep  in  the  barn  upon  some 
straw  spread  with  sheepskins,  in  the  midst 
of  the  continuous  grunting  of  hogs,  squeaHng 
of  pigs,  bleating  and  coughing  of  sheep,  bark- 
ing of  dogs,  crowing  of  cocks,  cackhng  of 
hens,  and  especially  a  goodly  quantity  of  fleas 
and  vermin,  of  no  small  portion  of  which  we 
were  participants,  and  all  with  an  open  barn- 
door, through  which  a  fresh  north  wind  was 
blowing.  *  *  *  'vye  could  not  complain, 
since  we  had  the  same  quarters  and  kind  of 
bed  that  their  own  son  usually  had,  who  now, 
on  our  arrival,  crept  in  the  straw  behind  us. 

In  his  History  of  Brooklyn,  Dr.  Stiles  wrote 
so  fully  and  so  graphically  of  the  early  home 
of  the  Dutch  settlers  that  I  cannot  forbear 
making  use  of  his  words,  even  although  the 
quotation  is  a  lengthy  one: 

Before  the  English  conquest  of  the  Nether- 
lands, the  domestic  habits  and  customs  of 
the  Dutch  were  simple  and  democratic  in  their 
character.  All  had  come  hither  in  search  of 
fortune,  and  had  brought  little  with  them  in 
the  beginning.  Some,  indeed,  through  in- 
dustry or  peculiar  sagacity,  had  attained  posi- 
tions of  wealth,  and  of  increased  influence, 
yet  it  might  justly  be  said  of  the  Dutch,  that 
their  social  circles  were  open  to  all  of  good 
character,  without  regard  to  business  pur- 
suits, or  any  factitious  considerations.  Rich 
and  poor  mingled  together  with  a  freedom 
and  a  heartiness  o,f  enjoyment  which  can 
hardly  be  expected  to  exist,  except  in  the  form- 
ative stage  of  society.  The  advent  of  the 
English,  many  of  whom  had  high  social  con- 
nections at  home,  and  corresponding  habits, 
etc.,  brought  change  into  the  social  life  of  the 
colony,  and  necessarily  developed  an  aristo- 
cratic state  of  society  previously  unknown. 

In  the  "best  room"  of  every  house,  whether 
of  the  wealthy  or  humbler  class,  the  high- 
posted,  corded,  and  unwieldly  bedstead  SVas  a 
principal  object,  and,  with  its  furniture  and 
hangings,  formed  the  index  of  the  social 
standing  of  its  owner.  Upon  it,  according  to 
the  old  Dutch  fashion,  were  two  feather  beds — 
one  for  the  sleeper  to  lie  upon,  and  another, 
of  a  lighter  weight,  to  be  used  as  a  covering. 
The  pillow-cases  were  generally  of  check  pat-  ^ 
terns ;  and  the  curtains  and  valance  were  of  as 
expensive  materials  as  its  owner  could  afford ; 
while  in  front  of  the  bed  a  rug  was  laid,  for 
carpets  were  not  then  in  common  use.     Among 


the  Dutch,  the  only  article  of  that  sort,  even 
up  to  the  time  of  the  Revolution,  was  a 
drugget  cloth,  which  was  spread  under  the 
table  during  meal-time,  when,  upon  "extra 
occasions,"  the  table  was  set  in  the  parlor. 
But  even  these  were  unknown  among  the  in- 
habitants of  the  neighboring  Long  Island 
towns.  The  uniform  practice,  after  scrub- 
bing the  floor  well  on  certain  days,  was  to 
place  upon  the  damp  boards  the  fine  white 
beach  sand  (of  which  every  family  kept  a 
supply  on  hand,  renewing  it  by  trips  to  the 
seashore  twice  a  year),  arranged  in  small 
heaps,  which  the  members  of  the  family  were 
careful  not  to  disturb  by  treading  upon ;  and, 
on  the  following  day,  when  it  had  become  dry, 
it  was  swept,  by  the  light  and  skillful  touch 
of  the  housewive's  broom,  into  waves  or  other 
fanciful  figures.  Rag  carpets  were  unknown 
in  Kings  county  until  about  the  middle  of  the 
present  century. 

The  capacious  chest,  brought  from  Holland, 
occupied  a  prominent  place  in  the  house,  for 
several  generations;  as  was  also  the  trundle 
(or  "kermis")  bed  concealed  under  the  bed 
by  day,  to  be  drawn  out  for  the  children's 
couch  at  night.  Chairs,  straight  and  high 
backed,  were  mostly  of  wood,  sometimes  cov- 
ered with  leather  and  studded  with  brass 
nails,  but  more  frequently  seated  simply  with 
matted  rushes.  Tables,  except  for  kitchen 
use,  were  unknown  to  the  earlier  Dutch,  and 
for  many  years  to  their  successors.  In  the 
principal  room,  which  held  the  fine  bed,  and 
was,  also,  tea  and  dining  room  on  special 
occasions,  was  generally  a  round  tea-table, 
with  a  leaf  which  could  be  dtppped  perpen- 
dicularly when  not  in  use,  and  a  large  square 
table,  with  leaves,  for  use  at  tea-parties. 
Looking-glasses,  in  the  early  days,  were  gen- 
erally small,  with  narrow,  black  frames;  and 
window-curtains  were  of  the  simplest  and 
cheapest  description,  being  no  better  in  the 
best  apartments  than  a  strip  of  ordinary  cloth 
run  upon  a  string.  Clocks  were  rare,  and 
most  families  marked  their  time  by  the  hour- 
glass, the  great  eight-day  clock,  which  we 
sometimes  see  as  heir-looms  in  our  oldest 
families,  being  first  introduced  in  this  country 
about  1720.  Earthenware,  until  about  1700, 
was  but  little  used  in  ordinary  table  service, 
wooden  and  pewter  being  then  universally  in 
use  by  all  classes  and  preferred  because  it 
did  not  dull  the  knives.  The  few  articles  of 
china,  kept  by  some  for  display  upon  the  cup- 
board, were  rarely  used ;  and,  though  earthen- 
ware came  into  partial  use  about  1680,  pewter 


SOME    PRIMITIVE    CHARACTERISTICS. 


Ill 


was  still  the  most  common  up  to  the  period 
of  the  Revolution.  Among  the  wealthy,  blue 
and  white  china  and  porcelain,  curiously  orna- 
mented with  Chinese  pictures,  were  used  "for 
company."  The  teacups  were  very  diminutive 
in  size,  for  tea  was  then  an  article  of  the 
highest  luxury,  and  was  sipped  in  small  quan- 
tities, alternately  with  a  bite  from  the  lump 
of  loaf-sugar,  which  was  laid  beside  each 
guest's  plate.  Sometimes  china  plates  were 
used  as  wall-ornaments,  suspended  by  a  strong 
ribbon  passed  through  a  hole  drilled  in  their 
edges.  Silverware,  in  the  form  of  tankards, 
beakers,  porringers,  spoons,  snuffers,  candle- 
sticks, etc.,  was  a  favorite  form  of  display 
among  the  Dutch,  inasmuch  as  it  served  as 
an  index  of  the  owner's  wealth,  and  was  the 
safest  and  most  convenient  form  of  investment 
for  any  surplus  funds. 

Of  books  our  ancestors  had  but  few,  and 
these  were  mostly  Bibles,  Testaments  and 
psalm-books.  These  Bibles  were  quaint  speci- 
mens of  early  Du-tch  printing,  with  thick 
covers,  massive  brass  and  sometimes  silver 
corner-pieces  and  clasps.  The  psalm-books 
were  also  adorned  with  silver  edgings  and 
clasps,  and  on  Sabbaths,  hung  by  chains  of 
the  same  material  to  the  girdle  of  matrons 
and  maidens.  Merchants  who  kept  school- 
books,  psalm-books,  etc.,  as  a  part  of  their 
stock,  about  the  middle  of  the  last  century, 
were  provided  with  an  equal  number  of  books 
in  the  Dutch  and  English  language;  showing 
that,  even  at  that  late  period  after  the  ter- 
mination of  the  Dutch  power,  the  greater 
part  of  the  children  of  Dutch  descent  con- 
tinued to  be  educated  in  the  language  of  the 
Fatherland.  Spinning-wheels  were  to  be 
found  in  every  family,  many  having  four  or 
five — some  for  spinning  flax  and  others  for 
wool.  A  Dutch  matron,  indeed,  took  great 
pride  in  her  large  stock  of  household  linen 
(then  cheaper  than  cotton)  ;  and  it  was  the 
ambition  of  every  maiden  ,to  take  Ito  her 
husband's  house  a  full  and  complete  stock  of 
domestic  articles.  Light  was  furnished  only 
by  home-made  tallow  "dips." 

Marrying  and  giving  in  marriage  were  the 
■occasion  of  many  merry-makings  and  cere- 
monies and  seemed  to  engage  the  attention  of 
wide  circles  in  the  western  end,  although  prob- 
ably the  Puritan  influence  divested  such  occa- 
sions in  the  eastern  settlements  of  everything 
■except  their  religious  character.     In  the  west- 


ern section  all  the  marriages  were  first  sanc- 
tioned oir  licensed  by  the  Governor,  and  that 
department  of  the  government  was  managed 
by  an  official  styled  the  First  Commissary  of 
Marriage  Affairs.  Whether  the  marriage  was 
a  civil  or  a  religious  one  it  could  not  be  re- 
garded as  legal  without  this  formality,  and  in 
the  Calendar  of  Historical  Manuscripts  (Al- 
bany, 1865)  we  read  that  on  April  3,  1648, 
"William  Harck,  sheriff  of  Flushing,  was  fined 
600  Carolus  guilders  and  deprived  of  his  of- 
fice- for  solemnizing  the  marriage  of  Thomas 
Nuton,  widower,  and  Joan,  the  daughter  of 
Richard  Smith,  without  the  consent  of  the 
bride's  parents  and  contrary  to  the  law  of  the 
Province."  The  parties  thus  married  had  to 
go  through  a  legal  ceremonial  shortly  after. 
In  the  English  settlements  people  intending 
to  get  married  had  to  have  their  names  read 
in  public  on  three  successive  Sundays  in  the 
church  of  the  town  in  which  they  resided,  and 
so  secure  an  official  license  (which  in  these 
circumstances  cost  little  or  nothing),  and  then 
the  marriage  could  legally  be  performed  as  a 
civil  or  religious  service.  But  the  law  indeed 
seems  to  have  called  for  the  publication  of 
the  banns  three  times  all  over  the  island; 
but  in  the  western  section,  under  the  early 
Dutch  rule,  it  was  not  corns  idered  among  the 
fashionables  as  "correct  form,"  and  the  Gov- 
ernor's license  was  held  to  be  all  that  was 
necessary.  The  law  seems  to  have  provided 
for  this  and  doubtless  the  Governors  en- 
couraged it  as  it  swelled  their  revenues.  But 
in  'the  eastern  settlements,  such  marriages 
were  at  a  discount,  the  banns  were  cried,  and 
the  minister  was  the  necessary  official  at  the 
solemnization.  At  the  same  time  he  did  so 
under  heavy  penalties  should  he  fail  to  ob- 
serve the  law,  for  one  record  tells  in  that 
"any  minister  or  justice  who  married  any 
daughter,  maid,  or  servant  without  the  con- 
sent of  her  father,  master  or  dame,  or  without 
publishing  the  banns,  was  subject  to  a  penalty 
of  £20  and  a  forfeiture  of  his  office."  That 
this  was  borne  out  in  actual  life  and  no  mere 
ornament  on  the  statute  book,  is  abundantly 


112 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


borne  out  by  the  various  town  records.  Thus 
we  find  that  in  Huntington,  June.  19,  1690, 
a  court  was  held  to  listen  to  the  complaint  of 
her  father  that  Sarah  Ketcham  had  teen 
wooed  by  Joseph  Whitman  "contrary  to  her 
mother's  mind."  Evidence  was  led  in  the 
case,  and  Sarah  was  ordered  to  appear  and 
tell  her  story.  How  the  case  terminated  does 
not  appear:  very  likely  the  marriage  was  not 
permitted,  for  no  record  of  its  having  taken 
place  remains,  but  the  fact  that  such  an  action 
was  begun  and  carried  out  shows  that  the 
statute  was  enforced  and  held  .in  general 
esteem. 

We  are  in  the  habit  of  decrying  the  present 
age  as  too  entirely  a  practical  one,  too  ob- 
livious to  sentiment,  and  speak  of  money  as 
one  of  the  main  factors  in  matrimony.  But 
there  were  the  same  elements  of  dollars  and 
cents  in  the  matrimonial  market  even  in  the 
Arcadian  days  of  Long  Island.  Thus  on  June 
9,  1760,  the  following  ante-nuptial  contract 
was  fiTed  on  record  at  Huntington  : 

The  conditions  of  this  obligation  between 
me,  Rueben  Arter,  and  Sarah  Jarvis  is  such 
that  if  we  marry,  I,  Rueben  Arter,  do  quit 
her  estate  of  all  but  five  and  twenty  pounds; 
I,  Sarah  Jarvis,  do  allow  out  of  the  rent  of 
the  farme  for  the  child's  bringing  up,  and  if  I, 
Sarah  Jarvis,  don't  have  no  other  Darter, 
Ruth  Jarvis  shall  have  my  wearing  cloaths ; 
but  if  I  have  other  Darters  then  the  cloaths 
to  be  Divided  between  them — the  wearing 
cloaths,  and  I,  Rueben  Arter,  do  hereby  bind 
myself  in  the  sum  of  fifty  pounds  current 
money  to  stand  to  these  Articles  by  my  hand 
and  seal  before  these  witnesses  I  have  chosen. 

Reuben  Arthur. 
John  Bunce. 

In  some  cases  the  bride  had  an  inventory 
made  of  the  goods  she  brought  with  her  to 
her  new  home,  and  for  some  reason  it  was  at 
times  deemed  necessary,  or  in  keeping  with 
the  fitness  of  things,  to  have  such  inventory 
recorded.  Here  is  one  recorded  in  Kings 
County  in  1691,  which  is  printed  in  Gabriel 
Furman's  "Notes  on  the  Town  of  Brooklyn" : 


"A  half  worn  bed,  pillow,  2  cushions  of  tick- 
ing with  feathers,  one  rug,  4  sheets,  4  cushion 
covers,  2  iron  pots,  3  pewter  dishes,  i  pewter 
basin,  i  iron  roaster,  i  schuryn  spoon,  2 
cowes  about  5  years  old,  i  case  or  cupboard,  i 
table." 

Furman  also  notes  that  in  the  Dutch 
churches  the  fees  paid  the  officiating  clergy- 
man on  such  occasions  were  not  his  personal 
perquisites  but  had  to  be  handed  over  to  the 
classis ;  and  Mrs.  Vanderbilt,  in  her  "Social 
History  of  Flatbush,"  notes  that  in  1660  mar- 
riage fees  amounting  to  43  guilders  were  ap- 
plied to  the  building  fund  of  the  church.  In 
the  east,  such  fees  were  part  of  the  Dominie's 
wherewithal. 

Funerals,  however,  were  the  occasions  on 
which  the  Dutch  settlers  spread  themselves. 
It  was  made  an  occasion  for  solemn  rejoicing 
— so  to  speak — and  the  quantity  of  liquor 
consumed  on  the  occasion  of  the  funeral  of  a 
well  known  and  wealthy  farmer  was  extra- 
ordinary. Mrs.  Vanderbilt  preserves  in  print 
the  following  bill  of  expenses  at  the  funeral 
in  1789  of  a  citizen  of  Flatbush: 

20  gallons  good  wine. 

2  gallons  spirits. 

I  large  loaf  of  lump  sugar. 

1/2  doz.  nutmegs. 

J/   gross  long  pipes. 

4  lbs.  tobacco. 

1 14   dozen  black  silk  handkerchiefs. 

6  loaves  of  bread. 

Furman  tells  us  that  "formerly  the  funerals 
upon  this  island  were  of  a  very  expensive 
character,  and  it  was  a  custom  in  the  old 
families  to  lay  up  a  stock  of  superior  wine 
to  be  used  on  such  occasions;  and  frequently 
at  those  funerals  you  would  meet  with  wine 
so  choice  and  excellent  that  it  could  scarcely 
be  equalled  by  any  in  the  land,  although  our 
( ountry  has  always  been  celebrated  throughout 
the  world  for  its  excellent  Madeira  wine. 
Christopher  Smith  of  Jamaica,  on  this  island, 
who  died  about  half  a  century  since  [about 
1780],  had  stored  away  a  large  quantity  of 


SOME    PRIMITIVE    CHARACTERISTICS. 


113- 


the  most  superior  wines  in  the  country  which 
were  used  at  his  funeral."  The  funeral  ser- 
vices were  conducted  at  the  house,  not  in  the 
church,  and  the  body  was  generally  carried 
to  the  grave,  which  in  most  cases,  any  dis- 
tance from  the  church,  was  in  a  corner  of  the 
private  grounds  of  the  family.' 

The  Rev.  P.  Van  Pelt  thus  describes  a  Dutch 
funeral  conducted  in  the  olden  style  in  1819 
by  the  Rev.  W.  Schoonmaker,  then  in  his 
own  eighty-second  year: 


THE    CHURCH    ON    THE    HILL. 

It  was  in  1819  that  I  last  heard,  or  recollect 
to  have  seen,  the  venerable  old  dominie.  It 
was  at  the  funeral  of  one  of  his  old  friends 
and  associates.  A  custom  had  very  generally 
prevailed,  which,  though  then  very  rarely  ob- 
served, yet  in  this  instance  was  literally  ad- 
hered to.  The  deceased  had,  many  years  be- 
fore, provided  and  laid  away  the  materials 
for  his  own  coffin.  This  was  one  of  the  best 
seasoned  and  smoothest  boards,  and  beautifully 
grained.  Other  customs  and  ceremonies  then 
existed,  now  almost  forgotten.  As  I  entered 
the  room  I  observed  the  coffin  elevated  on 
a  table  in  one  corner.  The  dominie,  abstracted 
and  grave,  was  seated  at  the  upper  end;  and 

8 


around,  in  solemn  silence,  the  venerable  and 
hoary-headed  friends  of  the  deceased.  All 
was  still  and  serious.  A  simple  recognition 
or  a  half-audible  inquiry,  as  one  after  another 
arrived,  was  all  that  passed.  Directly,  the 
sexton,  followed  by  a  servant,  made  his  ap- 
pearance, with  glasses  and  decanters.  Wine 
was  handed  to  each.  Some  declined;  others 
drank  a  sohtary  glass.  This  ended,  and  again 
the  sexton  presented  himself  with  pipes  and 
tobacco.  The  dominie  smoked  his  pipe,  and 
a  few  followed  his  example.  The  custom  has 
become  obsolete,  and  it  is  well  that  it  has. 
When  the  whiffs  of  smoke  had  ceased  to  curl 
around  the  head  of  the  dominie,  he  arose  with 
evident  feeling,  and  in  a  quiet,  subdued  tone,, 
made  a  short  but  apparently  impressive  ad- 
dress. I  judged  solely  by  his  appearance  and 
manner ;  for,  although  boasting  a  Holland  de- 
scent, it  was  to  me  speaking  in  an  unknown 
tongue.  A  short  prayer  concluded  the  service ; 
and  then  the  sexton,  taking  the  lead,  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  dominie,  the  doctor,  and  the  pall- 
bearers, with  white  scarfs  and  black  gloves. 
The  corpse,  and  a  long  procession  of  friends 
and  neighbors,  proceeded  to  the  churchyard, 
where  all  that  was  mortal  was  committed  to 
the  earth  till  the  last  trump  shall  sound  and 
the  graves  shall  give  up  the  dead.  No  bustle, 
no  confusion,  no  noise  nor  indecent  haste,  at- 
tended that  funeral. 

The  Dutch  seemed  to  have  carefully  en- 
closed their  burial  grounds,  whether  public  or 
private,  and,  in  the  earlier  times  especially,  to 
have  raised  no  commemorative  stones,  the 
grave  being  often  simply  marked  by  an  unlet- 
tered headstone.  In  the  eastern  end,  however, 
whether  in  private  ground  or  in  the  God's- 
acre  surrounding  the  meeting  house,  a  stone 
was  invariably  set  up,  even  although  the  sacred 
grounds  were  unenclosed.  In  1640  and  again 
in  1684  the  Governor  and  Council  ordered  all 
interments  in  private  burial  grounds  to  cease ; 
but  the  orders  were  not  obeyed,  and  Furman 
mentions  that  private  burial  grounds  were  used 
even  in  his  own  day  "to  a  considerable  ex- 
tent." 

From  funerals  to  wills  is  an  easy  and  nat- 
ural transition,  and  by  studying  some  of  the 
old  "testaments"  left  by  the  early  dwellers  on 
Long  Island  we  get  many  a  glimpse  into  mat- 


114 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


ters  illustrative  of  their  characteristics  which 
could  not  otherwise  be  had. 

Thus  we  find  the  Dutch  were  no  believers 
in  widows  "throwing  off  their  caps"  and  en- 
tering upon  a  second  matrimonial  experiment, 
for  we  have  frequent  instances  in  the  wills 
still  extant  of  property  bequeathed  to  widows 
only  so  long  as  they  remain  in  that  condition. 
Thus  in  1726  Cornells  Van  Catts  left  the  bulk 
of  his  estate  to  his  wife;  "but  if  she  happen 
to  marry  then  I  geff  her  nothing  of  my  es- 
tate, neither  real  or  personal.  I  geff  to  my 
well  beloved  son,  Cornelius,  the  best  horse  that 
I  have,  or  else  £7  los.,  for  his  good  as  my 
eldest  son.  And  then  my  two  children,  Cor- 
nelius Catts  and  David  Catts,  all  heef  of  my 
whole  effects,  land  and  movables,  that  is  to 
say,  Cornelius  Catts  heef  of  all,  and  David 
Catts  heeff  of  all.  But  my  wife  can  be  master 
of  all,  for  bringing  up  to  good  learning  my 
two  children  (offetten)   school  to  learn." 

But  in  this  respect  the  English  residents 
were  equally  prohibitive,  for  in  the  will  of  Ben- 
jamin Conkling,  of  Huntington,  1758,  he  gave 
his  wife  "one  equal  half  of  all  my  household 
goods  and  ye  3d  third  of  my  estate  as  long 
as  she  remains  my  widow."  Perhaps  the  best 
authority  on  the  wills  made  by  Long  Islanders 
is  Mr.  William  S.  Pelletreau,  whose  "Abstract 
of  Wills  on  File  in  the  Surrogate's  Office,  City 
of  New  York,  1695,  1707,"  published  in  1901, 
is  a  mine  of  information  on  the  subject.  From 
that  invaluable  volume  we  glean  as  follows : 

The  first  will  printed  in  the  work  is  that  of 
William  Ludlam,  of  Southampton,  1665. 
Among  his  legacies  he  leaves  to  his  son  An- 
thony "all  my  housing  and  lands  at  'the  old 
ground,"  and  a  £50  right  of  communage  in  the 
town  of  Southampton.  In  a  note  appended  to 
this  will  Mr.  Pelletreau  writes  that  William 
Ludlam  came  from  Matlock,  in  Derbyshire, 
England,  and  was  in  Southampton  as  early  as 
1653.  All  through  the  volume,  notes  of  this 
■character  give  information  of  the  greatest  in- 
terest. The  use  of  the  word  "alias"  is  fre- 
quent, but  not  in  the  sense  of  to-day.  For  in- 
stance, Daniel  Denton  is  an  executor.    He  lives 


at  Rustdorp,  "alias  Jamaica,  Long  Island." 
Alice  Goodspeede  is  declared  to  be  the  next 
heir  of  John  Layton,  "late  of  Middleborough, 
alias  New  Towne,  upon  Long  Island."  David 
Carwith  (Corwith  to-day)  in  1665,  "being 
weake  in  body,  but  in  perfect  memory,"  leaves 
to  his  son  Caleb  "my  best  suit  of  clothes  and  a 
bed  blanket."  Mary,  his  daughter,  becomes 
possessed  of  a  scythe  and  a  Bible.  John  Mars- 
ton,  of  Flushing,  leaves  to  one  daughter  a 
gold  ring,  and  to  another  a  silver  thimble. 
Thomas  Sayre,  of  Southampton,  whose  will  is 
dated  September,  1669,  leaves  many  acres  of 
land,  and  besides  much  pewter.  His  son  is 
to  receive  "a  Pewter  flagon,  a  Pewter  bowl, 
and  a  Great  Pewter  Platter."  Here  is  a  curi- 
ous bequest  to  another  son:  £10  a  year,  "to 
begin  five  years  after  my  decease,  to  be  paid 
in  good  merchantable  shoes,  or  other  pay  that 
will  procure  hides  toward  his  setting  up  a 
Tannery." 

Mr.  Pelletreau  informs  the  reader  that  the 
Thomas  Sayres  house  is  still  standing  at 
Southampton,  "and  is  now  the  oldest  dwelling 
in  the  State." 

John  Foster,  of  Rustdorp,  L.  I.,  whose  will 
was  made  in  1663,  is  anxious  as  to  the  educa- 
tion of  his  children.  So  he  orders,  "My  Chil- 
dren .are  to  be  tought  to  read  English  well,  and 
my  son  to  write,  when  they  come  of  age." 

John  Hart,  of  Maspeth  Kills,  gives  one  of 
his  sons  a  shilling,  and  to  another  "one  Hog." 
John  Hart  discriminated,  for  to  his  other  two 
sons  he  left  his  plantation.  Thomas  Terry,  of 
Southold,  does  not  forget  his  wife.  She  is  to 
have  "15  bushels  of  corn  yearly  during  her 
hfe." 

Ralph  Hunt,  of  Newtown,  had  not  a  great 
deal  to  give.  To  his  daughter  Mary  he  leaves 
"two  cows,  six  sheep,  and  the  feather  bed  I 
now  lye  on."  To  Ann,  she  "now  having  my 
red  coat  in  her  possession,  she  is  to  have  it 
valued,  and  one-half  of  the  proceeds  in  money 
is  to  be  given  to  my  daughter  Mary."  Thomas 
Halsey,  of  Southampton,  whose  will  is  of  1677, 
is  possessed  of  a  fair  landed  property.  An  in- 
ventory shows  that  the  estate  was  worth  £672, 


SOME    PRIMITIVE    CHARACTERISTICS. 


115 


a  great  deal  of  money  in  those  days.  Among 
the  bequests  of  Thomas  Halsey  is  one  to  his 
wife  of  "one  woolen  wheele,  my  little  Iron 
Pott,  and  a  Yellow  Rugg,  and  one  Dutch 
blanket,  and  four  bushels  of  wheate  to  be  paid 
yarly,  as  long  as  she  liveth,  and  4  sheep."  In 
the  will  of  Balthazar  De  Hart  slaves  appear. 
De  Hart  leaves  "a  negro  woman  with  her  3 
children."  The  date  is  1672.  Mary  Jansen, 
in  a  codicil  to  her  will  (1677),  leaves  her  son 
Cornelius  a  negro  boy.  Among  Mary  Jansen's 
other  legacies  there  are  golden  earrings  and  a 
diamond  rose  ring,  "the  Great  Bible,"  a  silver 
spoon,  a  silver  bodkin,  and  a  silver  chain  with 
keys. 

Until  the  promulgation  of  "The  Duke's 
Laws,"  in  1665,  it  cannot  be  said  that  Long 
Island  was  governed  by  any  general  code  of 
regulations.  The  Dutch  system,  as  interpreted 
by  the  Director  or  Governor  and  his  generally 
complaisant  Council,  was  the  authority  west 
of  Oyster  Bay,  and  to  the  east  was  the  town 
/governments,  making  their  own  laws,  but  in  a 
general  way  basing  their  legislation  upon  the 
code  which  regulated  affairs  in  Connecticut. 
These  laws  are  worthy  of  a  little  study,  as^  they 
show  that  for  many  of  what  were  deemed  their 
extravagances,  the  Puritan  settlers  on  Long 
Island  had  full  legislative  authority  and  were 
simply  following  established'  and  confirmed 
precedent. 

In  a  now  rare  volume  printed  at  New  Lon- 
don in  1750  and  entitled  "Acts  and  Laws 
Passed  by  the  General  Court  or  Assembly  of 
His  Majesty's  English  Colony  of  Connecticut 
in  New  England  in  America,"  we  get  a  thor- 
ough knowledge  of  what  these  laws  were.  The 
statute  covering  the  Sabbath  is  entitled  "An  act 
for  the  due  observance  and  keeping  the  Sab- 
bath, the  Lord's  Day,  and  for  preventing  and 
punishing  disorders  and  prophaneness  on  the 
same." 

The  act  provides  that  all  persons  on 
the  Lord's  Day  must  apply  themselves  to  the 
duties  of  religion,  both  in  public  and  in  private, 
imposing  a  fine  of  3s.  on  any  one  who  neglects 
to  attend  public  worship.    Any  one  who  assem- 


bles in  a  meeting  house  and  has  a  meeting 
without  first  getting  leave  from  the  minister 
is  subject  to  a  fine  of  ids.  No  person  shall 
neglect  the  public  worship  of  God  in  some 
lawful  congregation  and  assemble  in  separate 
companies  in  private  houses  under  penalty  of 
a  fine  of  los.  Any  one  who  has  worked  or 
played  on  the  Sabbath  was  subject  to  a  fine  of 
IDS.,  and  the  penalty  for  rude  or  profane  con- 
duct was  40s.,  and  it  cost  20s.  to  travel  on  Sun- 
day. Drinking  was  not  allowed  on  Sunday, 
and  a  ship  could  not  sail  out  of  the  harbor, 
fines  being  the  penalty  for  violations.  In  the 
event  that  the  person  fined  refused  to  pay,  he 
was  to  be  "publickly  whipt,"  and  no  appeal 
was  allowed. 

Concerning  swearing,  which  was  prohib- 
ited every  day  in  the  week,  the  law  reads :  "Be 
it  enacted  by  the  Governor,  Council,  and  Rep- 
resentatives in  General  Court  assembled,  and 
by  the  authority  of  the  same,  that  if  any  per- 
son within  this  colony  shall  swear  rashly,  vain- 
ly, or  profanely,  either  by  the  Holy  Name  of 
God  or  any  other  oath,  or  shall  sinfully  and 
wickedly  curse  any  person,  or  persons,  such 
person  so  oflending,  shall  upon  conviction 
thereof,  before  any  one,  assistant,  or  Justice 
of  the  Peace,  forfeit  and  pay  for  every  such 
offense  the  sum  of  6s. 

"And  if  such  person,  or  persons  so  con- 
victed, shall  not  be  able  or  shall  refuse  to  pay 
the  aforesaid  fine,  he,  or  they,  shall  be  set  in 
the  stocks,  not  exceeding  three  hours,  and  not 
less  than  one  hour  for  one  offense  and  pay 
cost  of  prosecution." 

Gambling,  or  "gaming"  as  it  was  known 
then,  was  prohibited,  the  act  saying  that  no 
tavern  keeper,  ale-house  keeper,  or  victualler 
"shall  have,  or  keep  in,  or  about  their  houses, 
outhouses,  yards,  back  yards,  gardens,  or 
other  places  to  them  belonging,  any  dice,  cards, 
tables,  bowls,  shuffleboard,  billiard,  coytes, 
keils,  logets,  or  any  other  implements  used  in 
gaming,  nor  shall  suffer  any  person  to  exercise 
any  of  the  said  games  within  their  said  houses, 
on  pain  of  forfeiting  the  sum  of  40s.''  People 
convicted  of  playing  any  of  the  games  were  to 


116 


HISTORY    OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


be  fined  los.  The  head  of  a  family  who  per- 
mitted gaming  in  his  house  was  subject  to  a 
fine  of  20S. 

Concerninig  the  jails,  they  were  to  be 
kept  in  good  repair,  tlie  prisoners  were  to  bear 
their  own  charges  and  allowed  to  use  their  own 
bedding  and  send  for  their  own  food.  The 
keepers  who  injured  their  prisoners  were  to  be 
fined,  a  poor  prisoner  was  to  be  allowed  tO'  take 
the  oath  and  the  creditor  notified  and  required 
to  pay  for  his  weekly  maintenance  if  he  insisted 
on  keeping  the  prisoner  in  jail. 

The  offenses  against  society  were  liberally 
provided  for,  the  punishments  being  fines  and 
imprisonment,  and  there  were  all'  sorts  of  laws 
the  same  as  now,  some  being  more  stringent 
and  somewhat  peculiar,  viewed  from  the  stand- 
point of  the  present  century. 

It  is  not  our  purpose  here  to  review  the 
Dutch  laws  or  the  town  laws,  but  sim- 
ply to  present  a  few  specimens  of  the  working 
of  these  regulations  with  the  view  of  throwing 
some  additional  light  upon  the  manners  of  the 
people. 

In  Bushwick  there  seems  to  have  been  more 
of  a  fighting  disposition  among  the  people 
than  its  old  Dutch  name  should  have  war- 
ranted. Witness  the  following,  mentioned  by 
Dr.  Stiles: 

On  the  20th  of  August,  1693,  Jurian  Na- 
gell,  of  Bushwick,  together  with  two  others  of 
Brooklyn,  endeavored  to  stir  up  sedition  among 
the  crowd,  who  had  assembled  at  a  general 
training  of  the  Kings  County  militia,  on  Flat- 
land  plains.  Captain  James  Cortelyou  deposed 
before  the  Court  of  Sessions  that,  "being  in 
arms  at  the  head  of  his  company,"  he  heard ' 
Nagell  say  to  the  people  then  in  arms  on  said 
plains,  in  Dutch,  these  mutinous,  factious  and 
seditious  words,  following,  viz. :  "Slaen  wij- 
der  onder,  wij  seijn  drie  &  egen  een;"  in  Eng- 
lish :  "Let  us  knock  them  down,  we  are  three 
to  their  one."  Nagell  subsequently  confessed 
his  error,  and  was  released  with  a  fine. 

The  women,  also,  participated  in  the  disor- 
ders of  the  times,  for  on  the  8th  of  May,  1694, 
Rachel,  the  wife  of  John  Luquer,  and  the  wid- 
ow of  jonica  Schamp,  both  of  Bushwick,  were 
presented  before  the  Court  of  Sessions  for  hav- 


ing, on  the  24th  of  January  previous,  assaulted 
Captain  Peter  Praa,  and  "teare  him  by  the  hair 
as  he  stood  at  the  head  of  his  company,  at  Bos- 
wyck."  They,  too,  were  heavily  fined,  and  re- 
leased after  making  due  confession  of  their 
fault. 

In  1648  the  town  of  Southold  agreed  to- 
conform  faithfully  to  the  New  Haven  law  of 
1643  that  "none  shall  be  admitted  to  be  free 
burgesses  in  any  of  the  pltntations  within  thils 
jurisdiction  for  the  future,  but  such  planters 
as  are  members  of  some  or  other  of  the  ap- 
proved churches  in  New  England;  nor  shall 
any  but  such  free  burgesses  have  any  vote  in 
any  election.  *  *  *  JvJqj-  shall  any  power 
or  trust  in  the  ordering  of  any  Civil  Affayres 
be  att  any  time  put  into  the  hands  of  any  other 
than  such  church  members."  An  appropriate 
oath,  binding  the  subject  to  the  faithful  observ- 
ance of  all  regulations  made  under  this  rule 
was  required  of  everyone.  Southold  also  or- 
dained that  "it  was  moreover  then  also  or- 
dered, that  everie  such  person  as  inhabiteth 
amongst  us  as  shall  bee  found  to  bee  a  comon 
tale  carriere,  tatler  or  busie  bodie  in  idle  mat- 
ter, forger  or  coyner  of  reports,  untruths,  or 
leys,  or  frequently  provokeinge  rude  unsa- 
vorie  words,  tendeinge  to  disturbe  the  peace, 
shall  forfeite  and  pay  for  everie  default  los." 

The  town  of  Easthampton  in  1656  ordered 
that  "whoever  shall  raise  up  a  false  witness 
against  any  man,  to  testifythat  which  is  wrong- 
it  shall  be  done  unto  him  as  he  had  thought  to 
have  done  unto  his  neighbor,  whatever  it  be, 
even  unto  the  taking  away  of  life,  limb  or 
member.  And  whosoever  shall  slander  an- 
other, shall  be  liable  to  pay  a  fine  of  five 
pounds."  In  165 1  the  same  town  enacted  that 
"Noe  Indian  shall  travel  up  and  down,  or  carry 
any  burthen  in  or  through  our  town  on  the 
Sabbath  day,  and  whosoever  is  found  soe  do- 
ing shall  be  liable  to  corporal!  punishment." 
In  1656  a  woman  was  sentenced  to  pay  a  fine 
of  £3,  or  stand  one  hour  with  a  cleft  stick  upon 
her  tongue,  for  saying  that  her  husband  had 
brought  her  to  a  place  where  there  was  neither 
gospel  nor  magistracy." 


SOME    PRIMITIVE    CHARACTERISTICS. 


117 


The  Sunday  laws  were  rigorously  enforced. 
Daniel  Baker  of  Easthampton  in  1682  lost  an 
ox,  found  it  on  a  Sabbath  morning  and  drove 
it  to  his  barn.  For  this  desecration  of  the  Sab- 
bath he  was  brought  before  the  Court  of  Ses- 
sions, which  was  held  at  Southold  in  June, 
and  by  that  tribunal  was  fined  forty  shillings 
and  costs  of  court,  which  all  amounted  to  nine 
pounds,  three  shillings  and  three  pence.  In  ad- 
dition to  this  he  was  obliged  to  give  bonds  in 
the  penal  sum  of  twenty  pounds  sterling,  for 
his  good  behaviour  until  the  following  March ! 

The  early  records  of  Flatbush  contain  the 
following  entry,  dated  1659:  Schout  vs.  Jan 
Klaesen,  in  Scheppens  Court.  Schout  com- 
plained against  the  defendant  for  carting  in 
buckwheat  with  his  wagon  and  oxen  on  Sun- 
day, contrary  to  the  placards.  Condemned  to 
pay  costs. 

The  town  of  Hempstead  in  1650  passed  an 
order  imposing  a  fine  upon  every  person  who, 
"without  just  and  necessary  cause,"  should 
neglect  to  attend  "public  meetings  on  the 
Lord's  Day,  and  public  days  of  fasting,  and 
thanksgiving,  both  forenoon  and  afternoon." 

In  1674  it  was  enacted  in  Brookhaven  "that 
Whereals,  there  have  been  mudh  abuse  pro- 
faning of  the  Lord's  Day  by  the  younger  sort 
of  people  in  discoursing  of  vain  things  and 
running  races ;  therefore  we  make  an  order  that 
whosoever  shall  do  the  like  again,  notice  shall 
be  taken  of  them  and  be  presented  to  the  next 
court,  there  to  answer  for  their  faults  and  to 
receive  such  punishment  as  they  deserve ; 
whereas,  it  have  been  too  common  in  this  town 
for  young  men  and  maids  to  be  out  of  their 
father's  and  mother's  house  at  unseasonable 
times  of  night;,  it  is  therefore  ordered  that 
whosoever  of  the  younger  sort  shall  be  out  of 
their  father's  or  mother's  house  past  nine  of 
the  clock  at  night  shall  be  summonsed  into  the 
next  court  and  there  to  pay  court  charges,  with 
what  punishment  the  court  shall  see  cause  to 
lay  upon  them  except  they  can  give  sufRcient 
reason  for  their  being  out  late." 

About  1699  the  town  of  Brooklyn  decreed 
"that  no  people  shall  pass  on  the  Sabbath  day. 


unless  it  be  to  or  from  church,  or  other  urgent 
and  lawful  occasions  according  to  act  of  assem- 
bly, upon  penalty  aforesaid  of  fine  and  impris- 
onment." In  the  town  of  Flatlands  the  civil 
magistrates  were  required  to  be  of  the  Re- 
formed religion,  and  officers  of  the  church  were 
ex  officio  officers  of  the  town. 

In  1654  at  Southampton,  according  to 
Prime,  it  was  ordered  that  "if  any  person  abov^ 
the  age  of  fourteen  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  cit  in  the 
stox  5  hours."  That  the  stocks  were  already 
provided  is  evidenced  by  an  entry  in  1648,  as 
follows:  "The  14th  daye  of  November,  or- 
dered that  there  shall  hereby  be  provided  a 
sufficient  payre  of  Stokes,  John  White  having 
undertaken  to  make  them."  In  165 1  a  woman 
in  that  town  was  "sentenced  by  the  magistrates 
for  exorbitant  words  of  imprecation  to  stand 
with  her  tongue  in  a  cleft  stick  so  long  as  the 
offense  committed  is  read  and  declared.  "In 
the  system  of  alarms  for  calling  the  militia  to- 
gether in  case  of  invasion  in  that  town,  it  was 
ordered  -in  1667,  that  "if  any  pson  soever  shall 
psume  to  make  any  flalse  alarum  shall  for  his 
or  there  Default  pay  twenty  shillings  or  be 
severely  whipt,  and  noe  person  pretend  ignor- 
ance." 

One  of  the  most  humorous  outcomes  of  the 
Dutch  laws  is  to  be  found  in  the  following  ex- 
tract from  Dr.  Stiles.  Denton's  pond,  it  may 
be  premised,  has  long  been  obliterated  in 
Brooklyn. 

Denton's  pond  was  the  subject  of  a  curi- 
ous contract  about  1709,  between  its  original 
proprietors,  Abram  and  Nicholas  Brower,  and 
Nicholas  Vechte,  the  builder  and  occupant  of 
the  old  1699,  or  Cortelyou,  house.  With  the 
strong  predilection  of  his  race  for  canals  and 
dikes  and  water-communications,  old  Vechte 
added  the  traits  of  eccentricity  and  independ- 
ence. His  house  stood  on  a  bank  a  few  feet 
above  the  salt-meadow,  at  a  distance  of  a  hun- 
dred yards  from  the  navigable  waters  of  the 
creek.  To  secure  access  to.  them,  from  his 
kitchen  door,  Vechte  dug  a  narrow,  canal  to  the 


118 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


creek,  but  the  ebb-tide  often  left  his  boat  firmly 
sunk  in  the  mud,  when  he  wished  to  reach  the 
city  market  with  the  produce  of  his  farm.  He 
therefore  contracted  with  the  Browers  to  sup- 
ply him  with  water  from  their  pond;  and  a 
channel  was  dug,  in  furtherance  of  his  scheme, 
to  a  water  gate,  through  which  his  canal  was 
to  be  flooded.  The  old  Dutch  farmer  was  ac- 
customed to  seat  himself  in  his  loaded  boat, 
while  it  was  resting  in  the  mud  of  the  empty 
channel,  and  hoist  his  paddle  as  a  signal  to  his 
negro  servant  to  raise  the  gate.  The  flood  soon 
floated  his  boat,  and  bore  him  out  to  the  creek, 
exulting  with  great  glee  over  his  neighbors, 
whose  stranded  boats  must  await  the  next 
flood.  The  contract  for  this  privilege,  as  well 
as  another,  by  which  Vechte  leased  the  right 
to  plant  the  ponds  with  oysters,  are  in  posses- 
sion of  Mr.  Arthur  Benson. 

In  1661  Easthampton  passed  a  curious  law 
that  "No  man  shall  sell  his  accommodation  to 
another  without  consent  of  the  town,  and  if 
any  purchase  he  made  Without  such  consent 
he  shall  not  enjoy  the  same."  This  seems  to 
have  been  intended  to  prevent  unwelcome 
strangers  from  getting  even  a  night's  lodging. 
On  this  question  of  the  settlement  of  strangers 
all  the  eastern  towns  were  decidedly  careful 
and  conservative.  In  1648  Southampton  de- 
creed that  "Thomas  Robinson  shall  be  ac- 
cepted as  an  inhabitant  and  have  a  £50  lot 


granted  unto  him;  provided  the  said  Thomas 
be  not  under  any  scandalous  crime,  which  may 
be  laid  to  his  change,  within  six  months,  and 
that  he  carry  himself  and  behave  as  becometh 
an  honest  man."  Again,  Samuel  Dayton  was 
given  similar  consideration  provided  "that  the 
said  Samuel  (being  a  stranger  to  us)  were  of 
good  approbation  in  the  colony  he  last  lived  in, 
and  do  demean  himself  well  here  for  the  time 
of  approbation,  namely,  six  months." 

But  these  wanderings  among  these  ancient 
by-paths  of  the  laws  of  the  island  must  cease. 
We  may  smile  at  some  of  them,  and  feel  in- 
clined to  ridicule  most  of  them ;  but  they  were 
all  the  honest  outcome  of  a  people's  desire  to 
so  frame  their  daily  lives  as  to  win  the  most 
exact  justice,  man  to  man,  and  to  bring  about 
peace,  order  and  the  greatest  amount  of  hap- 
piness and  prosperity  to  each  community. 
Early  Dutchmen  .and  pioneer  Englishmen 
were  alike  in  this,  that  they  believed  in  law 
and  order,  that  they  loved  God  and  kept  His 
commandments,  and  they  tried  to  shape  their 
legislation  by  the  Book  which  was  a  light  unto 
their  feet  and  a  guide  unto  their  path,  and 
which  was  a  much  more  potent  and  active  fac- 
tor in  the  daily  life  and  thought  and  purpose 
of  each  community  than  it  is  in  these  passing 
days  of  ours. 


CHAPTER  X. 


SLAVERY     ON     LONG     ISLAND. 


HE^ffl  is  no  doubt  that  the  "insti- 
Jtunon,"  as  they  used  to  call  it  in 
the  old  ante-bellum  days  of  negro 
slavery,  was  introduced  into  the 
New  Netherland  by  the  Dutch.  Among 
the  "freedoms  and  exemptions"  granted 
by  the  West  India  Company  in  1629 
to  whoever-  planted  colonies  in  New  Neth- 
erland was  a  clause  stipulating  that  "the 
company  will  use  their  endeavors  to  sup- 
ply the  colonists  with  as  many  blacks  as  they 
conveniently  can."  Negro  slaves  were  em- 
ployed on  the  construction  of  Fort  Amster- 
dam by  Wouter  Van  Twiller,  and  in  an  ap- 
praisal of  the  company's  property  in  1639  the 
value  of  a  negro  slave  was  placed  at  40  guild- 
ers, or  about  $16  in  modern  currency.  In 
1650  it  was  decreed  "that  the  inhabitants  of 
New  Netherland  shall  be  at  liberty  to  purchase 
negroes  wheresoever  they  may  think  necessary, 
except  on  the'  coast  of  Guinea,  and  bring  them 
to  work  on  their  bouweries,"  paying  a  small 
duty  on  each  importation.  In  1651  the  average 
value  of  a  negro  slave  was  about  $100,  and 
that  price  was  paid  at  public  auction  in  New 
Amsterdam.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Polhemus  paid 
$176  for  a  negro  slave  at  an  auction  in  1664. 
So  far  as  can  be  seen  the  slaves  held  by 
the  Dutch  were  humanely  treated,  although 
now  and  again  we  come  across  evidences  of 
the  existence  of  cruelty.  Even  as  early  as 
1644  we  read  of  laws  being  passed  for  the 
emancipation  of  negroes  who  by  long  service 
and  good  behavior  had  earned  some  mitigation 
of  their  terrible  lot. 


Under  the  English  domination  slavery  not 
only  flourished,  but  the  laws  against  the  ne- 
groes were  made  more  stringent  than  ever. 
In  1683  it  was  enacted  that  "No  servant  or 
slave,  either  Male  or  Female  shall  either  give, 
sell  or  trust  any  Commodity  whatsoever  dur- 
ing the  time  of  their  Service  under  the  pen- 
alty of  such  Corporal  Punishment  as  shall  be 
ordered  to  be  inflicted  by  warrant  under  the 
Hands  of  two  Justices  of  the  Peace  of  the 
County  where  the  said  Servant  or  Slave  doth 
reside.  And  if  any  Person  whatsoever  shall 
buy  of,  receive  from  or  trust  with  any  Ser- 
vant or  Slave  contrary  to  this  Law,  they  shall 
be  compelled  by  Warrant,  as  aforesaid,  to  re- 
store the  said  commodity  so  bought,  received 
or  trusted  for  to  the  Master  of  such  Servant 
or  Slave  and  forfeit  for  every  such  offence 
the  sum  of  £5.  And  if  any  Person  whatsoever 
shall  credit  or  trust  any  Servant  or  Slave  for 
Clothes,  Drink  or  any  other  Commodity  what- 
soever the  said  Person  shall  lose  his  Debt  & 
be  forever  debarred  from  maintaining  any 
writ  at  Law  against  the  said  Servant  or  Slave 
for  any  matter  or  thing  so  trusted  as  afore- 
said. If  any  Servant  or  Slave  shall  run  away 
from  their  Master  or  Dame,  every  Justice  of 
Peace  in  this  Province  is  hereby  authorized 
&  impowered  to  grant  Hue  &  Cry  after  the 
said  Servant  or  Slave,  the  Master  or  Dame 
having  first  given  in  Security  for  the  payment 
of  the  Charges  that  shall  thereby  attend.  And 
all  Constables  &  inferior  Officers  are  hereby 
strictly  required  &  commanded  authorized  and 
empowered  to  press  Men,  Horses,  Boats  or 


120 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


Pinnaces  to  pursue  such  persons  by  Sea  or 
Land,  and  to  make  diligent  Hue  and  Cry  as 
by  the  Law  required." 

In  1730  another  law  concerning  slavery 
was  passed,  which  made  the  lot  of  the  blacks 
peculiarly  hard,  their  punishment  for  trivial 
offenses  exceptionally  severe,  and  even  put 
•obstacles  in  the  way  of  their  emancipation  by 
kind-hearted  owners.  This  law  was  one  of  the 
results  of  the  so-called  plot  of  1712, — it  is 
not  certain  that  any  plot  really  existed, — which 
■developed  a  race  riot  wherein  several  whites 
were  killed  and  the  subsequent  trial  and  exe- 
cution of  nineteen  unfortunate  negroes. 

But  that  plot  was  as  nothing  compared  to 
that  of  1741,  which  has  been  classed  as  among 
the  most  noted  of  the  popular  delusions  of 
America.  On  the  14th  of  March  in  that  year 
some  goods  were  stolen  from  the  house  of 
a  merchant.  Mary  Burton,  a  girl  of  loose  char- 
acter, or  rather  of  no  character  at  all,  an  in- 
dentured servant  of  John  Hughson,  keeper 
of  a  tavern  of  poor  repuite  on  the  East  River 
opposite  Brooklyn,  told  some  one  confidentially 
that  the  stolen  goods  were  hidden  in  her  em- 
ployer's house.  The  news  was  soon  carried 
to  the  authorities,  and  Mary  was  at  once  ar- 
rested and  offered  her  complete  liberty  if  she 
would  confess  all.  She  certainly  confessed, 
and  the  prospect  of  liberty  inspired  her  poor 
imagination  to  great  efforts.  Some  at  least 
of  the  stolen  property  was  recovered,  and 
Hughson  and  several  others,  black  and  white, 
were  fully  charged  with  the  robbery.  So  far 
Mary's  confessions  did  good  service  to  the 
community.  On  March  i8th,  however,  the 
Governor's  house  was  found  to  be  on  fire,  and 
then  followed  a  series  of  conflagrations,  each 
petty  in  itself,  but  with  such  steady  recur- 
rence that  the  fears  of  a  negro  plot,  slumber- 
ing since  1712,  became  again  aroused,  and  as 
usual  vague  and  wild  rumors  soon  fanned  fear 
into  desperation,  and  once  this  gained  posses- 
sion of  the  people  all  sense  of  justice  was 
thrown  to  the  winds.  So  it  always  has  been 
in  the  history  of  the  world.  Mary  Burton 
became  a  prime  agent  in  the  persecution  of  the 


negroes  which  at  once  set  in,  and  her  out- 
rageous stories  were  blindly  accepted  as  evi- 
dence. The  wild  confessions  of  some  of  the 
white  refuse  of  New  York,  and  of  negroes 
crazed  by  fear,  added  strength  to  her  stories, 
and  with  the  aid  of  the  law  a  blind  and  cruel 
race  war  set  in  the  details  of  which  form  one 
of  the  most  revolting  passages  in  the  history 
of  New  York.  Fortunately  the  story  belongs 
to  the  annals  of  that  borough  and  need  no1! 
be  gone  into  here.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  while 
the  delusion  lasted,  from  May  to  the  end  of 
August,  154  negroes  were  sent  to  prison,  and 
of  these  14  were  burned,  18  hanged  and  71 
transported.  In  the  same  period  24  white 
people  were  arrested,  four  of  whom  were  exe- 
cuted. For  all  this  Mary  received  her  free- 
dom and  £100  and  was  sent  adrift  on  the 
world,  so  disappearing  from  our  ken;  and  the 
good  citizens,  when  they  considered  the  work 
done,  set  apart  the  24th  of  September  as  a 
day  of  thanksgiving  for  their  escape  from  de- 
struction. The  result  of  all  this  was  that  the 
laws  anent  slavery  were  more  rigorously  en- 
forced than  ever  and  severe  measures  were 
adopted  restraining  still  further  the  personal 
liberty  of  those  unfortunate  victims  of  col- 
ored skin  and  ignorant  credulity. 

Writing  on  the  subject  of  "Slavery  in  New 
York,"  in  the  American  Magazine  of  History, 
Mr.  F.  G.  Martin  said: 

As  colonists  the  English  did  not  to  any 
great  extent  follow  in  the  lead  of  Sir  John 
Hawkins,  the  great  negro  importer  of  the  six- 
teenth century.  Still  we  find  many  allusions 
to  the  traffic  in  the  manuscript  records  of  the 
Province  of  New  York.  Complaint  was  made 
by  the  Royal  African  Company,  in  1687,  that 
their  charter  had  been  infringed  upon  by  the 
importing  of  negroes  and  elephants'  teeth  from 
Africa.  It  was  announced,  in  1720,  that  Cap- 
tain Van  Burgh  had  arrived  from  Barbadoes 
with  four  negroes;  but  that  "Simon  the  Jew 
don't  expect  his  ship  from  Guinea  before  late 
in  the  fall."  "Negroes  are  scarce,"  says  an- 
other informant,  "but  Captain  Hopkins  will 
sell  one  for  £50,  cash."  Between  1701  and 
1725  an  annual  average  of  less  than  100  ne- 
groes was  imported.     The  total  number  was 


SLAVERY    ON    LONG    ISLAND. 


121 


2,395,  of  which  1,573  were  from  the  West 
Indies  and  822  from  the  coast  of  Africa.  In 
1712  the  list  for  Kings  county  showed  1,699 
"Christians"  and  298  slaves;  Orange  county, 
439  whites  and  4I  salves ;  Albany,  2,879  whites 
and  450  slaves;  New  York,  4,846  whites  and 
970  slaves.  In  1723  here  were  6,171  slaves  in 
the  Province  in  a  total  population  of  40,564; 
in  1746,  slaves  9,717,  total  61,589;  in  1774, 
slaves  21,149,  total  182,247.  Virginia,  at  this 
time,  had  about  250,000  slaves,  or  forty, per 
cent,  of  the  whole  number  in  the  colonies. 

During  the  Revolutionary  conflict  slavery 
as  an  institution  gave  rise  to  considerable 
trouble  on  both  sides.  Both  recognized  the 
""institution,"  but  the  negroes  seemed  to  see 
in  the  condition  of  affairs  a  chance  for  a 
■change  of  masters,  if  not  for  entire  freedom. 
As  a  result  the  newspapers  of  the  time  pre- 
sent us  with  many  advertisements  concerning 
runaway  negroes  both  from  the  service  of 
British  officers  and  from  civilians,  and  a  num- 
ber of  these  will  be  found  in  Onderdonk's 
"Revolutionary  Incidents."  Almost  as  soon  as 
independence  was  accomplished  a  movement 
for  abolition  set  in,  and  it  was  with  reluctance 
that  New  York  agreed  to  the  continuance  of 
the  slave  traffic  until  1808.  In  1794  the  abo- 
lition societies  of  many  of  the  States  sent  dele- 
gates to  a  convention  in  Philadelphia,  and  one 
of  its  results  was  the  passage  of  an  act  in  1799 
by  the  New  York  Legislature  for  the  gradual 
abolition  of  the  "black  curse."  It  provided 
that  any  child  born  in  the  State  after  July  4 
■of  that  year  should  be  free;  but,  if  a  boy, 
should  remain  in  the  service  of  his  mother's 
owner  until  he  was  twenty-eight  years  old;  if 
a  girl,  she  was  to  remain  in  servitude  until 
she  was  twenty-five.  If  the  mother's  owner 
did  not  care  for  this  arrangement  the  child 
could  be  handed  over  to  the  Overseer  of  the 
Poor  and  treated  by  them  in  the  same  way  as 
pauper  children.  It  was  also  declared  "law- 
ful for  the  owner  of  any  slaves  immediately 
after  the  passing  of  this  act  to  manumit  such 
slave  by  a  certificate  to  that  purpose  under  his 
hand  and  seal."  This  was  the  beginning  of 
the  end,  and  by  slow  stages  and  various  en- 


actments the  institution  was  steadily  legislated 
against  in  New  York  until  in  1827  it  had  no 
legal  standing  in  the  Empire  State  at  all,  and 
within  her  boundaries  negro  slavery  was  wiped 
out. 

So  far  as  Long  Island  is  concerned,  it  is  im 
possible  to  discover  accurately  the  extent  to 
which,  in  its  beginning,  the  institution  pre- 
vailed. On  broad  lines  it  may  be  asserted  that 
each  owner  of  the  soil,  as  soon  as  he  was 
wealthy  enough,  in  early  times  bought  at  least 
one  slave  to  aid  in  its  cultivation,  and  that  as 
wealth  increased  it  became  quite  fashionable 
to  have  one  or  more  negroes  as  domestic  ser- 
vants as  well  as  farm  hands.  But  we  read  at 
no  time  of  entire  dependence  being  placed, 
either  for  domestic  or  farm  services,  on  slave 
labor ;  nor  do  we  meet  with  the  slightest  signs 
of  the  existence  of  any  of  the  great  aggrega- 
tions of  slaves  on  the  lands  of  individual  land- 
owners which  marked  the  institution  further 
to  the  south.  An  idea  of  this  is  given  in  the 
following  list  of  slaves  in  Long  Island,  from 
a  census  of  the  State,  which  was  taken  in 
1775: 

BUSHWICK. 

A  list  taken  by  Captain  Francis  Titus,  of 
Bushwyck  in  Kings  County,  of  the  Slaves  be- 
longing to  the  Inhabitants  of  his  District,  viz. : 

Males.  Females. 
1 


Owners'  Names. 

John  Misroll 

John  Liequare   

George  Durje 

Abraham  Liequare  

Folkert  Folkertsen 

William  Bramebosch 

John  Rcs5veldt 

Jacob  Misroll  

Nicholas  Lefferts 

Catherine  Lefferts 

Abraham  Miller 

Marritje  Woertman 

David  Van  Cots 

Theodorus  Polhemus 

Daniel  Burdett 

Jacob  Durye 

Peter  Lot 

Abraham  Schenck 

Evert  Van  Ge'der 

Neclos  Folkertsen 

Andris  Stu6holm 

Peter  Conselye 

Capt.  Francis  Titus 


22 


Capt  Frans  Titus. 


122 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


BROOKLYN. 


A  list  taken  from  the  Negro's  belonging  to 
the  Inhabitance,  under  the  Command  of  Saml 
Hopson  Captn  of  the  West  Company  of  Brook- 
land  in  Kings  County : 


Negroes'  Names. 
One  Negro  Man  cald  Francis  . .  . 
Do  Sambo. . .  . 

One  Do  Wench  Judy 

One  Negro  Man  Cald  Roger  .... 
Do  Harry .... 

Do  Peter 

Do  Josey   .... 

Do  Esquire  . . 

One  Negro  Wench  cald  Mary  . . . 

Do  pegg 

One  Negro  Man   cald  Will 

Do     Cezer 

One  Negro  Man  cald  prince 

One  Negro  Man  cald  Ceser 

One  Negro  Man  cald  Dick 

Do  Prince 

One  Do  Wench  Dine 

One  Negro  Man  cald  Robin 

One  Negro  Man  cald  Tight 

One  Do  Wench  Dine 

One  Negro  Man  cald  Thorn 

Do  Jack 

Do     Wench  Bett 

One  Negro  Man  cald  Toney 

Do     Wench  cald  Mary. . . 

Do                            Tracey.. 
One  Negro  Man  cald  Tobey 

Do     Wench  cald  Flora . . . 
One  Negro  Man  cald  Ceaser  .... 

Do     Wench  Jane 

One  Negro  Man  cald  James 

Do     Wench  Bett 

One  Negro  Man  cald  Sam 

Do  Thom 

Do     Wench  Jane 

One  Negro  Man  cald  Clos 

One  Negro  Man  cald  Chalsey. . . 
One  Negro  Man  cald  Thom 

Do     Wench  Jane 

One  Negro  Man  cald  Harry 

Do     Wench  Libe 

One  Negro  Man  cald  Frank 

Do  Thom 

Do     Wench  Anne 

One  Negro  Man  cald  Harry 

Do     Wench  Phillis 

One  Negro  Man  cald  Coffe 

Do     Wench  Judy 

One  Negro  Man  cald  Tight 

One  Negro  Man  cald  Willing. . . . 
One  Negro  Man  cald  France. . . . 

Do     Wench  Elizabeth  . . . 
One  Negro  Man  cald  Sam 

Do     Wench      Dine 

Do  Deyon  .  . .  . 

One  Negro  Man  cald  Prime 

One  Negro  Man  cald  Ceaser. .  . . 

Do     Wench       Lil 

One  Negro  Man  cald  Isaac 


To  whom  Belonging 


Isaac  Sebring 


John  Bargay 


Derk  Bargay 

Simon  Booram 
Cornel  Sebring 

Saml  Hopson 

Peter  Van  Pelt 
Micael  Bargan 

Chrispr  Seehar 

John  Carpenter 

j-  Whitead  Cornwell 
John  Middagh 
John  Vandike 

1-  Clos  Vanvaughty 

John  Griggs 

Israel  Hosfield  Junr 

,-  Peter  Stots 

r  Sam:  De  Bevoice 

r  Mr  Van  Donne 

r  Jacob  Sebring 

[  Abrm  Brewer 

Israel  Hosfield 
Jacob  De  Bevoice 

c  Jacob  Bennett 

r  Jery  Bruer 

George  De  Bevoice 
C  Jury  Bloue 
Winant  Bennet 


Negroes  Names.  To  Whom  Belonging. 

One  Negro  Man  cald  Jo }   ^^^  Vandike 

Do     Wench      Jane ) 

One  Negro  Wench  cald  Jane Earsh  Middagh 

One  Negro  Man  cald  Harry 1 

Do  Nease | 

Do  Dick j-  Jacob  Bruington 

Do  Charles  ...    | 

Do     Wench       Peg J 

43  Negro  Men 
24     Do      Women 

Total,         66 
The  above  is  a  just  account  of  Neg:ro3s  to  the  Best  of 
my  knowledge  belonging  to  the  Inhabitants  of  the  West 
Company  of  Brookland  Saml  Hopson. 


The  list  of  the  Negroes  both  male  and  fe- 
male Who  Reside  In  the  District  of  Capt. 
John  Lott  In  Kings  County  in  brucklen  To- 
Every  Person  belonging  by  name  as  foloingt 

Christopher  Codwise 2  male. ...     2  female 

John  Cowenhoven 4  male. ...      1  female 

Martin  Reyerse 1  male 

Jeremias  Remse 2  male. ...     2  female 

Lammert  Sudam 1  male ....     1  female 

John  Lott 2  female 

Jacobus  Degraew 1  male. ...     1  feriiale 

Barent  Jansen 1  male ....     1  female 

Jan  Ryerse 1  male 

Rem  Remsen 1  male 

Hendrik  Sudam 1  female 

Abram  Remsen 1  male .... 

Tuenes  Bogaert 1  male 

DW  Sara  Rapelie 1  male 

Benjamin  Waldron 1  male 

Joost  Debavois 1  male. ...     1  female 

Jakes  Durje 2  male ....     2  female 

Jan  Noorstrant 1  male 

Gerritt  Noorstrant 1  male. ...     1  female 

Jeronemus  Rapelie 2  male. ...     1  female 

Jacobus  Lefferse 1  male.  ...     2  female 

Jacob  bergen 1  male ....     1  female 

Pieter  V  D  Voort 1  female- 

Karel  Debavois 1  male ....     2  female 

Johanis  Debavois 1  female 

Jacobus  Debavois 1  male. ...     1  female 

Cornelis  V  D  hoef 2  male 

Arsus  Remsen 1  male. ...     2  female 

Adriaen  Hegeman 1  male 

DW  Dina  Rapalje 1  male 1  female 

John  Rapalje 3  male ....     2  female 

A  true  Leist  of  the  negroes  male  and  female  by  me 
17.").^  April  11.  Capt  John  Lott. 

FLATBUSH. 

A  true  List  of  all  the  Slaves  Both  male- 
and  female  of  fourteen  years  old  and  above  in 
the  township  of  flatbush  in  Kings  County  on 
Nassaw  Island  in  the  Province  of  Kew  Yorke 
this  Eighteenth  Day  of  April,  anog  Dom  1755- 


SLAVERY    ON    LONG    ISLAND. 


123- 


Owners  Names  Males 

Dominie  Van  Sindere — 

Peter  Stryker 1 

John  Stryker 2 

Johannes  V:  Sickelen 1 

John  Waldron — 

Doctor  V :  beuren — 

Barent  V:  Defenter 3 

Barent  Andriese — 

Widdow  Clarkson 3 

hendrick  Suydam — ■ 

David  Sprong — 

henry  Cruger 3 

Engelbart  Lett 2 

Jacobus  Lett ^         2 

Cornelis  Van  D :  Veer 1 

Johannes  Ditmarss 2 

Laurens  Ditmars 1 

Adriaen  Voorhees — 

Rem  Martense 2 

Phillip  Nagel 1 

Phillip  Nagel  Junr 1 

Seytje  V:  D  Bilt 1 

Leffert  Martense 1 

Rem  Hegeman 3 

Evert  hegeman 1 

Peter  Lefferts 1 

John  Lefferts 1 

Jeremyes  V :  D ;  bilt 1 

Adrian  Martense 2 

Antje  Ver  Kerck 3 

Cornelis  V;  Duyn — 

John  V:  Der  Veer ' 1 

Gerret  Cozyn 1 

Jeromus  V :  D ;  Veer — 

Steven  Williamse 1 

Johannes  Lott  Junr 1 

Isaac  Snediker — 

Jacob  Snediker 1 

Gerret  boerem 1 

Cornelis  Wykhoff 1 

Abraham  Bloom 1 

Jan  boerem 1 

Karel  boerem — 

Maurits  Lott 1 

Douwe  Ditmarss 1 

Johannes  Elderts — 

thomas  Batts 1 

hendrick  Lott 1 

Joseph  hou  ward — 

harmpje  Lefferts 1 

Rem  V:  D;  bilt 1 


their  names  females  their  names 

1  Isabel 

Tack '       1  Syne 

Minck  &  torn • 1  Dyne 

Sambo — 

1  Lies 

1  Roos 

Jack:  hence  &  Ben 1  Saar 

•  •. 1  Graes 

Jafta  Jacob  &  herry 2  Bass,  and  Saar 

1  Isabel 

1  Mary 

Isack:  John  &  hammell 1  Calleen 

Jan  and  Batt 2  Syne  &  Bett 

Sam  &  Jafta  . . . . ' 1  Wyne 

Roos 2  fiUis  &  Saar 

frank  and  f rans 1  Syne 

Claes ■. . . .  3  Eva:  Bett  &  Wyntje 

1  Dyane 

Sam  &  herry 2  Eihme  &  Susan 

Doll — 

Libb 1  Bett 

Sam 1  Bett 

Sam 1  Pagg 

Dick  &  herry 1  Syne 

Sesor — 

Ben 2  Dyne  &  Isabel 

herry — 

Minck 1  Kea 

Nienus  &  Lans 1  Isabel 

Adam:  Jack  &  Jafta 4  Jane:   Kouba;  Mare  &  Diane- 

1  Bett 

herry 1  Isabel 

herry — 

1  Jude 

1  Sale 

Andrew   1  Bett 

1  Mary 

toon — 

Coramenie 1  Lybe 

Sesor 1  Dyane 

Claes 1  Bett 

Will — 

1  Susan 

Minck 1  Bett 

Primus 1  Dyne 

1  fiUes 

Yorke 2  Moryn  &  Lill 

tom 1  Eva 

1  Isabel 

Prins 1  Rachel 

Julus 1  Jane 


53 

the  total  number  108 


FLATLANDS. 

A  true  list  of  all  the  Slaves  both  male  and 
female  from  fourteen  Years  and  upwards  ac- 
cording to  an  act  of  assembly : 

Male.  Female. 

John  Schenck  Captain  of  the  said  town. ...     1  1 

John  V.  Der  Bilt 1  1 

Wilhelmus  Stoothof  Jur 1  1 

harmanis  hooglant 1  0 

Roelif  Van  Voorhees  Esqr 0  1 

Wilhelmus  Stoothof   0  1 

Abraham  Vcorhees 1  1 

Cornelius  Voorhees 1  1 


Peter  Stryker  Captn  of  flatbush. 


Male.  Female.. 

Steve  Schenck 1  0 

John  Ditmars 0  1 

Willem  Kouwenhoven  Esqr 1  1 

Gerrit  Kouwenhoven 0  1 

John  Amerman 2  1 

Gerrit  Wykof 1  1 

Marten  M.  Schenck 0  1 

Johannis  Lott 2  2 

Derrick  Remsen 1  0 

Johannis  W.  Wykof 2  1 

Pieter  Wykof 1  1 

Joost  Vannuis _0  1 

17  18 

Jan  Schenck,  Capt., 


124 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


GRAVESEND. 

A  List  of  the  Negroes  In  the  township 
•of  Gravesend  Male  and  Female  from  the  age 
•of  fourteen  years  and  upward  May  i,  1755 : 

Males.  Females. 

Richard  Stillwell 2  2 

John  Grigg 2  1 

Joha  Voahears 2  1 

Nicholas  Stillwell 1  2 

Roeliff  terhunen 1  1 

Isaac  Denyce 1  2 

;Samuel  Garritson 1  0 

Neeltye  Voorhears 1  0 

Farnandus  Van  Sicklen 1  1 

Nicholas  Williamsen 1  1 

James  Hubbard 0  1 

Daniel  Lake 2  1 

Cornelious  Stryker   0  1 

-Fernandus  van  Sicklen 1  0 

William  Johnson 0  1 

Peter  Williamson 0  1 

Bengaman  Steimets 0  1 

'Cort  Johnson 1  0 

I  1  t 

The  totle  Number  of  Males  Seuenteen 
The  totle  Number  of  Females  Seuenteen 

NEW  UTRECHT. 

A  true  list  of  all  the  Slaves  of  the  Town- 
■ship  of  Newuytreght  in  Kings  County: 


The  No.  Fe- 

of  each  Male  male 

Names  of  Masters.  Man.  Sex.  Sex. 

Petrus  Van  Pelt -3  2  1 

Jacobus  Van  Nuys 2  1  1 

Hendrick  Johnsen 1  1  0 

Heart  Van  foerhees 3  2  1 

Jaques  Cortelyou 2  1  1 

Jaques  Cortelyou  Junior 2  1  1 

Pieter  Cortelyou -t  2  2 

Deneys  Deneys 8  4  4 

Saartje  Barkeloo 2  1  1 

Thomas  Van  Dyck 1  0  1 

JohnLaan 110 

Casper  Crapster 2  1  1 

Gerrit  Kounover^ 2  1  1 

Gerrit  Van  Duyn 2  1  1 

Willem  Van  Nuys -3  2  1 

Willem  Van  Nuys  Junr 1  0  1 

Rutgert  Van  Brunt  Junior 10  6  4 

Evert  Suydam 1  0  1 

John  Johnson 1  1  0 

Rutgert  Van  Brunt .3  1  2 

Andries  Emans 2  1  1 

Wilhelmis  Van  Brunt 1  1  0 

Thomas  Pollock 3  2  1 

Roelof  Van  Brunt 1  1  0 

Joris  Lot    4  2  2 

Neeltye  Pietersen. .  .  ." 1  '  1  0 

Rebecca  Emans 1  0  2 

67  37  30 
the  whole 
number 

Petrus  Van  Pelt  Captn. 


HEMPSTEAD. 

Hempsted  in  Queens  County  on  Nissaw  Island  and  in  the  province  of  New  Yorck;  accompt  of  the  slaves  brought  in 
to  George  Everit  Capt.  within  his  Districts.  April  ye  28 — anno.  1755. 


•Georg  Rierson 

Cornelius  Rierson 

Beniamin   Dvsenbere 

William  Cornell 

Hendrick  Hendricksen 

Thomas  hendricksen 

John  ffoster 

John  :   Montonye 

Jacob  Vollintine 

Beniaman  Downing 

William   Lines 

Thomas  Seamons 

Jonathan  Vollintine 

Sanvel  Searing'.  '. 

Daniel  Searing 

Jacob  Searing 

Jeams  Smith 

Timothy  Smith 

Ellixander  Davorsbn 

John  Cornell ^ 

David  AUgoe 

Sarah    Seamons 

Robbard  Marvil 

John  Smith 

peter  titvs 

John   Combs 

beniamin  Smith  Jeams        } 
Smith  and  Richard  Smith  f 

JRichard  Titvs 

Vriah  plat 


3  mals  Seasor  adorn,  Jack 1 

— 1 

1   male — mike 2 

3  mals  been,  Charls,  Sam 1 

1  male  savl 1 

— 1 


1  male  Jack. 


famale,  Diannah 
famale — bet 
famals,  bess,  pen 
famale — nan 
famale — Gin 
famale — Jvde 
famale — Gin 

famale  Greech 
famale  EUy 
famale  peg 

famale  Sarah 
famale  Cate 


1 

— 1 

3  mals  Dick,  prince  Eliiah 1 

1  male — Jack 

— 1 

1  male  f ranck 1 

1  male  tie 

2  males — Stephen — Lew 

1  male  Yorck 

1  male  Robbin 1 

2  mals — torn — robbin 

1  male  Lew 2 

3  mals,  David,  pero  Jack _. .  2 

2  mals  Jack — peter 2 

3  mals  Ciah  lonnon,  hithro 1 

— 1 

3  mals  will  Jefroy — bob 2 

— 1 

3  males  Corso  oxfprd  John 1  famale  pendor 

1  male  Jeffre 1  famale— bet 

1  male  waterf ord 1  famale  Gin 


famale — nan 

famals,    hannah,    Diannah 
famals  J  anna  nanot 
famals — Dinah  post 
famale  Dosh 
famale  mander 
famals  sib  pendor 
famale — nan 


SLAVERY  ON  LONG  ISLAND. 


125- 


John  Townsand ; 2 

Richard  townsand 1 

phebe  mot 1 

John  Petors • 1 

Epenetos  plat 1 

Ambros  fish 2 

Samvel   willis 2 

Richard  Williams 1 

John  Williams 1 

William  Titvs 1 

mary  titvs 1 

Stephen  titvs 1 

Josiah  Martin 3 

George  hvlit 1 

John  Smith , 2 

John  Searing — 

Samvel  Rowland 1 

John  hicks 1 

Jacob   Smith 3 

Isaac  Smith 1 

Ephraim  Vollingtine 1 

Elisabath   titvs 1 

Charls   petors 2 


mals  Jack  ned 1  famale  Gin 

male  Lew 

male  Ciah 1  famale  pendor 

male   York 

male  Lve 

mals   Jack — bendo 1  famale — ame 

male  tie 1  famale — hagor 

male  sam 1  famale 

male  savl 

male  Jeams 1  famale — f rancis 

male    Cato 1  famale  Nancy 

male — ben 1  famale  Gin 

mals — papav    Jack    sackoe    above    60  3  famals  present,  Jemina  and 

years  old  nab 

male  Jacob 1  famale  Jvdc 

mals   Dick — Stephen 1  famale — hannah 

- • 1  famale  Chat 

male  harre 

male  Charls . . . : 1  famale — Gin 

males — will — tom 2  famals,  biblor — bet 

male  seasor 1  famale — peg 

male  petor 

male   Gem 1  famale — Sarah 

mals  petor — tie 1  famale — rose 


A  List  of  the  Negro  Indian  and  Mullatta 
Slaves  within  the  District  whereof  Benjamin 
Smith  is  Captain  at  Hempstead  in  Queens 
County  taken  the  first  Day  of  April  1755 : 

Male."  Female. 

Jacob  Hicks  Esqr 1  2 

Jacob  Hicks  Junr 1  1 

Thomas  Hicks .' —  1 

Phebe  Hicks ~  I 

James  Mott —  1 

Daniel  Hewlet  Junr 1  1 

John   Cornell 2  2 

Joseph  Scidmore —  1 

Thos  Cornell  Esqr 1  2 

Capt  Brown 6  1 

Richard  Cornell 1  1 

Benja  Lewes —  1 

Henry  Mott 1  — 

Vail :  Hewlet  peters 1  1 

Elias  Durlum 1  1 

Eldard  Lucas 1  1 

Jacobus   Lawrence —  1 

Elias  Durlum  ye  8d —  1 

Abraham  Bond —  1 

17         21 
P  :  Benjamin  Smith  Capt 


A  List  of  the  Slaves  Male  and  Female 
above  14  years  of  Age  An  Account  of  which 
has  been  brol  in  to  Capt.  John  Birdsall,  for 
his  District  in  the  Township  of  Hempstead 
in  Queens  County,  according  to  the  late  Act 
of  Assembly: 

Owners  Names.  Males.  Females. 

The  Revd  Mr  Seabury 1  1 

Benjn  Lester 2  0 

Jerm  Bedell 1  1 


Owners  Names.  Males. 

Benjn   Hewlett 1 

Josh  :  Birdsall 1 

Solu  Seaman 2 

James  Pine 1 

Benjn  Smith ". 3 

Leffurt   Haugewout.  .  '. 1 

Wid  ;   Lininton 1 

Elias  Durland  Junr 1 

Richard  Jackson 3 

Joseph  Petit  Junr 1 

Thos   Tredwell 2 

Jno  Carman 1 

Saml  Jackson 3 

John  Rowland 1 

Thos   Seaman 0 

Thos  Seaman  Junr 0 

James  Smith 1 

Jacob  Seaman  Esqr 2 

Cornell  Smith 1 

Patrick  Mott 1 

Danl   Hewlett 0 

Thos   Carman ' 2 

Jno  Jackson .'....,....  1 

James  Seaman 1 

Jno  Hall 1 

James  Smith  Junr 1 

Danl  Smith 1 

Daniel  Smith , 1 

John   Grissman 1 

Anthony  Semans 1 

Daniel  Pine 1 

Benj  :  Carmon 0 

Richard  Suthard 1 

Males 43 

Females 36 


Females. 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
0' 

a. 

0 
3, 
1 
1 
1 
2 

0^ 
1 
1 

1 

2 

a 

0 

1 
1 
1 
1 

0 

1 

0 
0 
0 
0 
0 

1 
1 


May  it  please  yr  Hour 

This  is  a  true  account  of  what  has  been  brout.  in 
to  me 

Sr  yr  most  humble  &  obedient  Servt 

Hempstead       |  John  Birdsall. 

April  .5th  17.5.5  i 


126 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


NEWTOWN. 

Newtown,  May  ist,  1755. 
A  List  of  Negroes  Male  and  Female  Ac- 
>cording  to  the  Act  of  Assembly  of  the  Prov- 
ince of  New  York  taken  by  me 

Jeromes  Rapelye. 

Males.  Females. 

Jeromes  Rapelye 0  1 

■Cornelius  Rapelye  Esqr 1  1 

Jacobus  Lent 1  1 

John  Rapelye 1  1 

John  De  Bevoyce 1  3 

Jacob  Rapelye 1  1 

Daniel  Rapelye  Senr 1  1 

Joseph  Moore  Esqr 0  1 

Bernardis  Bloom 1  0 

Daniel  Rapelye  Junr 1  1 

Nathaniel  Fish 2  1 

John  Levirich 1  0 

William  Furman 1  1 

Samuel  Waldron 1  1 

Philip  Edsal 2  3 

Elizabeth  Pumroy 2  1 

Robert  Coo 1  1 

Robert  Field  Senr 0  1 

Abraham  Brinkerhoff 2  1 

Hendrick  Brinkerhoff 1  0 

Samuel  Fish  Junr  2  1 

Dow  Sidam 0  1 

Joseph  Morrel 1  0 

Edward  Titus 0  1 

Nathaniel  Baily 0  1 

Abraham  Rapelye 1  2 

Samuel  Fish  Senr 2  4 

Abraham  Polhemus 0  1 

Gabriel  Furman 1  0 

Revd  Simon  Horton 2  1 

John  White 2  1 

Widow  Titus 1  0 

William  Sackett  Esqr 1  1 

Joseph  Woodard 2  0 

Samuel  Moore  Esqr 1  1 

Samuel  Moore  Lieut 1  0 

John  Moore 1  0 

Samuel  Moore  son  of  Joseph  Moore  Esqr. .  1  0 

Benjamin  Waters 1  2 

Sarah  Burrows 1  1 

Cornelius  Berrian  Esqr 0  2 

Jeromes  Ramsen 1  1 

Rem  Ramsen 1  1 

Total 44  43 

Males  44  Total 
Females  43  — 


26th  May  1755. 
List  of  Negroes  in  Queens  County  sent  by 
Jacob  Blackwell. 

Jacob  Blackwell 2  Male  1  female 

Joseph  Sacket 3  Det  2  Det 

Samwell  Hallett 2  Det  1  Det 

George  Vannolst 1  Deto  

Nathon  More 1  Det  

Samwell  More 1  Det  1  Det 

Richard  Hallett 1  Det  


Richard  Hallett  Jen 1  Det        

Jacob  Hallett 1  Det  1  Det 

Robort  Hallett 1  Det       

Necolos  parsel 3  Det  1  Det 

John  parsel 1  Det 

Samwell  Hallett  Jen 1  Det       

Tunus  Brinkkerhouf 1  Det       

Georg  Brinkkerhouf 1  Det 

Samwell  Hallett  minor 1  Det       

Peter  Borgow 1  Det 

Isack  Borgow 1  Det  3  Det 

Isack  Borgow  jen 2  Det  1  Det 

Richard  Alsup 3  Det  3  Det 

Beniamin  Skillman 1  Det       

Abraham  Skillman 1  Det       

Isack  Lott 1  Det  1  Det 

Samwell  AUburtes 1  Det        

Samwell  Goslen 1  Det       

Dannel  Bets 1  Det        

Richard  penfold 2  Det       

Jacob  Bennet 1  Det 

Samwell  Sender 1  Det       

Johnnathon  Hont 1  Det  1  Det 

Whillem  Bets 1  Det  1  Det 

Samwell  Way 1  Det  2  Det 

Tunus  Skank 1  Det  2  Det 

Richard  Bets 2  Det  3  Det 

Jeams  Way 2  Det  1  Det 

Joseph  Bets 2  Det       

Andros  Reiker 2  Det  1  Dt 


OYSTER  BAY. 

A  List  of  ye  Slaves  Delivered  unto  me,  of 
the  Eastern  District  of  Oisterbay,  Pursuant  to 
the'Direction  of  an  act  of  his  Honour  the  Lieu- 
tenant Governour  the  Council  and  General 
Assembly  of  the  Colony  of  New  York. 
Oisterbay  April  24th,  1755. 

Jacob  Townsend. 


Masters  &  Mistresses  Names  Nom 

males 

George  Townsend 1 

Obediah  Seaman — 

Thomas  Seaman 1 

John  Powell 1 

James  Tillott 1 

Melanthon  Taylor  Woolsey 1 

Benjamin  Birdsall 1 

Metice  Lane 1 

George  Weekes 1 

Samuel  MacCoune 1 

William  Hawxhurst — 

Simon  Cooper 2 

Henry  Whitson 1 

John  Cock — 

Cornelius  Hogland 1 

Daniel  Duryea — 

Joseph  Cooper 3 

George  Youngs 1 

John  Woatman — 

Thomas  Smith 3 

Sarah  Ludlam 1 

Ezekel  Shadbolt — 

John  Townsend 1 

Samuel  Townsend 1 

Silas  Carman 1 


Nom 
females 

1 
1 


SLAVERY    ON    LONG    ISLAND. 


127 


Masters  &  Mistresses  Names  _  °-i^ 

males 

Thomas  Youngs 3 

Daniel  Birdsall 1 

John  Schank — 

William  Jones 2 

Isaac  Powell 1 

Isaac  Doty — 

Nathaniel  Townsend  Estate 1 

Richard  Willits — 

Samuel  Waters — 

Samuel  Willis 2 

Minard  Vansyckley 1 

Wright  Coles 1 

Charles  Ludlam — 

Richard  Alsop 1 

Zuroiah  Wright 1 

William  Moyles 2 

Henry  Townsend 1 

Sarah  Wright 1 

John  Robbins 1 

David  Jones  Esqr 6 

Henry  Lloyd  Esqr  of  Queens  Village 5 

Total 53 


Nom 

females 

1 

1 

2 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 

1 
1 
1 


4 
3 

44 


Capt.   Wright   Frost's   List   of    Slaves   in 
Oyster  Bay: 


Wright  Frost    1  male    1 

Micajah  Townsend 2  males  3 

Amos  Underhill 1 

Henry  Cock 1  Male    1 

Thomas  Rushmore 1  Male    2 

Daniel  Underhill 2  males  1 

James  Sands 3  Males  1 

Thomas  Bound 1  Male 

Jacob  Bound 1 

Thoms  Kirbe 1  male 

George  Townsend 1  Male 

Silvenus  Townsend 1  Male 

Hezekias  Cock 1  male 

Adrian  Hagaman 1  Male   1 

Willm  Frost / 1  Male  1 

Meribah  Townsend 1  Male  1 

John  Semicon 1 

Willm  Larence 1  Male 

Benjamin  Wolsey 3  Males  2 

Daniel  Cock 2  males 

Jacob' Frost 2  males  1 

Joseph  Frost 1  Male  1 

Deborah  Cock 1  Male  1 

Derick  Alderson 1  male 

John  Striker 1  Male 

Joseph  Hagaman 1  Male  1 

Joseph  Coles 1 

Joseph  Lattin 1  male 

Willm  Walton 5  Males  3 

Peter  Hagaman '. .  1  Male 

Abraham  Underhill 1  male  1 

Samll  Underhill 1  male.  1 

Thoms  Underhill 1  male  1 

Henry  Dickenson  1  male  1 

Townsend  Dickensen 1  male  1 

Jacob  Volingtine 1  male  1 

Thoms  Parsall 2  Malesl 

Joseph  Wood 1  Male 

Benjamin  Wolsey  Junr 3  Males  1 

Jein  Caverly 1  male 


Female 

Females 

Female 

Female 

Females 

Female 

Female 

Female 


1  Female 


Female 
Female 
Female 
Female 

Females 


Female 
Female 
Female 


Female 
Female 

Females 


Female 
Female 
Female 
Female 
Female 
Female 
Female 

Female 


William  Kerby 1  Female 

Daniel  Coles 1  Male       

John  Anderson 1  Female 

Timothy  Townsend 2  Males  1  Female 

Hannah  Frost 1  Male        

may  it  please  your  Honnourin  Compliance  with  an 
act  of  the  Generall  Assembly  &  in  obedience  to  your 
Honnours  Command  I  transmit  an  accompt  of  ye  ne- 
groes in  that  part  of  ye  Town  that  is  Aderest  to  me  I 
wait  your  Honnours  further  Commands  and  shall  with 
the  utmost  pleasure  obey  &  I  remain  your  Honnours 
most  Humble  and  obedient  servant 

Wright  Frost 

Oysterbay  April  29 
1775 


A  List  of  the  Slaves  Delivered  in  unto  me 
by  Virtue  of  An  Act  of  ye  Legislature  of  the 
Province  of  New  York  By  the  persons  here- 
after named   (viz. :) 

Fe- 
Male.  male. 
David  Seaman  at  Jericho  within  ye  Township 

of  Oyster  bay : .  —       2 

Obediah  Vallentine  at  ye  North  Side'  In  ye 

Township  of  Hempsted 2  — 

Samuel  Seaman  at  Westbury  in  Oyster  Bay.  —       1 

William  Crooker  at  Wheatly  in  Oyster  bay. .  1  — 

William  Willis  at  Cederswamp  In  Oyster  Bay  2  — 

Jonathan  Seaman  at  Jericho  in  Oyster  Bay. .  —       1 

Sarah  Titus  at  Wheatly  in  Oyster  Bay 1  — 

Phebe  Townsend  at  Jericho  in  Oyster  Bay. . .  —       1 

James  Townsend  at  Jericho  in  Oyster  bay. . .  2  — 

Jacob  Titus  at  Wheatly  in  Oyster  Bay 1       1 

Silas  Rushmore  near  Jericho  in  Oyster  Bay.  .  1  — 

Daniel  Youngs  near  Oysterbay 1  — 

Thomas  Vallentine  Junr  at  ye  East  Woods  In 

Oyster  Bay —       1 

Robert  Seaman  at  Jericho  In  Oyster  bay. ...  1  1 
Zebulun  Seaman  at  Jericho  in  Oyster  bay. . .  1  1 
William  Seaman  at  Jericho  in  Oyster  bay. . .  1  1 
Thomas  Jackson  at  Jericho  in  Oyster  Bay. . .  1  — 
John  Hagewout  at  Jericho  in  Oyster  Bay. ...  1  — 
Jown  Hewlet  at  ye  East  Woods  in  Oysterbay  —  1 
John  Hewlet  Jur  at  ye  East  Woods  in  Oyster- 
bay   —       1 

Robert  Crooker  at  Wheatly  in  Oysterbay. ...  —       1 

Jericho  in  Oysterbay  April  ye  25th  1755. 

To  the  Honorable  James  Delancee  Esqr  his  Majesties 
Lievtenant  Governour  and  Commander  in  Chief  In 
and  Over  ye  province  of  New  York  and  Teritorys 
Thereon  Depending  In  America  &c: 

May  it  please  Your  Honor 

Whereas  there  is  Sundry  free  Negroes  Melattoes  and 
Mustees  Residing  within  ye  Township  of  Oysterbay  that 
may  probably  Be  Likely  In  case  of  Insurrections  To  be 
as  Mischievous  as  ye  Slaves,  Therefore  I  Thought  it  my 
Duty  to  Acquaint  Your  Honor  Therewith;  The  following 
is  a  List  of  them  Resideing  in  and  about  ye  Village  of 
Jericho,  and  I  Do  Expect  that  ye  Other  Captains  in  Oys- 
terbay will  acquaint  your  Honour  of  Those  Resideing  in 
ye  Other  parts  of  ye  Township;  from  Your  Very  Hum- 
ble Servant 

Zebulun  Seaman. 
April  ye  25th  1755. 


128 


HISTORY   OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


A  List  of  ye  Free  Negroes  Mustees  &c: 
Residing  at  ye  Severall  places  hereafter  Dis- 
cribed  (viz.:) 

Males.  Females. 

David  Seaman  at  Jericho  In  Oyster  Bay. . .      1  — 
Obediah  Vallentine  at  ye  North  Side  in 

Hempsted 1  1 

John  Willis  Junr  at  Westbury  in  Hempsted.      1  — 

Elizabeth  Titus  at  Westbury  in  Hempsted.     1  — 

John  Williams  at  North  Side  in  Hempsted.   —  1 

Richard  Willets  at  Jericho  in  Oyster  bay. .      1  — 

Jeremiah  Robbins  at  Jericho  in  Oyster  bay.      1  — 

Total G  3 


HUNTINGTON. 

April!  the  12th  1755  Negroes  Belonging 
to  Huntington  male  &  Female: 

Capt  Isaac  Piatt one  female 

Capt  Piatt  Conklin one  male  and  one  female 

Doctor  Zopher  Piatt four  males  and  two  females 

Mr  Ebenezer  Prime two  males  and  one  female 

Justice  Eliphilet  Wickes. . .      two  males  and  two  females 
Just  Jonas  Williams. .;.... 

Lievt  thomas  Jervis one  female 

Nathan  Volentine one  female 

Solomon  Ketcham one  male 

Thomas  Brush one  male  and  one  female 

David  Rogers one  male 

Widow  hanah  Wood one  female 

Nathaniel  Ketcham one  male 

Philip  Ketcham one  male 

Samuel  Brush one  male 

Joseph  Ridgeway. one  male  and  one  female 

Denis  Right one  male  and  two  females 

Benijah  Jervis one  male  and  one  female 

Doctor  Gilbert  Potter one  male 

Nathll  Williams one  male  and  one  female 

azariah  Wickes one  male  and  one  female 

thomas  Bunce one  male 

Joseph  Freland one  male 

Benjamin  Right one  male 

Philip  Vdle one  male 

Josiah  Smith one  female 

Just  Moses  Scudder one  female 

John  Samis one  female 

Israel  Wood one  female 

Robert  Brush one  male 

Epenetus  Conklin one  male  and  one  female 

John  Wood  Levth one  male 

Capt  Alexander  Br one  male 

Epeneius  Piatt one  female 

Timothy  Scudder one  male  and  one  female 

Joseph  Smith one  male  and  one  female 

Isaac  Ketcham one  male 

James  Smith two  males 

Philip  Wickes one  male  and  one  female 

Alexander  Smith one  male 

timothy  Carl  Jr one  female 

Daniel  Blackly one  male 

Jesse  Carl two  males  and  one  female 

thomas  Rogers one  male  and  one  female 

Bridget  Scudder one  male 

Timothy  Carle  Sen one   male    &    one  female 

Zopher  Rogers one  male 

Augustin  Bryan one  male 


Macy  Lewis one  female 

Mary  Piatt two  females 

Simon  fleet one  male 

William  Hawxhurst one  male  one  female 

Cap  John  Davis one  male 

Livt  Joseph  Luis one  male  one  female 

Thomas  Denis one  female 

A  True  List  &c.  Isaac  Platt 

Platt  Concklin 
Alexr  Bryant. 


SMITH  TOWN   AND  ISLIP. 

A  List  of  Slaves  Within  the  District  of 
Captain  Job  Smith  or  In  the  Townships  of 
Smith  Town  and  Islip: 

Males.  Females. 

George  Norton one     1  0 

John  Mobrey one     0  1 

Charles  Floyd : five     4  1 

Obadiah  Smith  Junr one     1  0 

Edmund  Smith six     4  2 

Richard  Smith seven     4 

Obadiah  Smith  sener three 

Lemuel  Smith one 

Richard  Smith  Stonebrook one 

Otheniel  Smith one 

Isaac  Mills one 

Jonas  Platt one 


Zephaniah  Platt four 

Jonas  Mills one 

William  Sexton one 

Sofomon  Smith five 

Floyd  Smith three 

Mary  Tredwell six 

Robert  Arter one 

Richard- Blidenburge two 

Stephen  Smith one 

George  Phillips ,  .... 

Job  Smith six 

Joseph  Vondel two 

Andrew  Tid ,  ■  ■  ■  •  one 

Thomas  Smith three 

Anna  Willis two 

Rebeckah  Willis two 

Richard  Willis two 

Obadiah  Smith two 

Daniel  Smith  Juner one 

Daniel  Smith four 

Epenetus  Smith one 

David  Bruester one 

Wiliam  Nicols six 

Elnathan  Wicks one 

Caleb  Smith one 

Jonathan  Mills two 


3 
1 
0 
0 
0 
0 
0 
3 
0 
1 


The  aboue  Account  Is  a  true  List  of  all  the  Slaves  as 
Came  to  my  knowledge. 

Job  Smith  Captain. 


In  1698,  according  to  returns  then  made^ 
there  were  113  negro  slaves  in  Flushing,  83. 
in  Southampton  and  41  in  Southold;  in  1723. 
there  were  444  slaves  in  Kings  county,  1,123 
in  Queens  and  975  in  Suffolk.     In  1727  the- 


SLAVERY    ON    LONG    ISLAND. 


129 


numbers  were:  Kings,  563;  Queens,  1,311; 
Suffolk,  1,090.  In  1771  a  return  issued  by 
Governor  Tryon  shows  the  following:  Kings, 
1,162  blacks;  Queens,  2,236;  Suffolk,  1,452. 
These  figures  are  very  likely  only  approxi- 
mately correct,  and  are  more  likely  to  be  under 
rather  than  over  estimates.  They  are  near 
enough  to  absolute  correctness  to  enable  us  to 
see  that  the  "institution"  was  steadily  increas- 
ing in  number ;  but  the  proportion  to  the  white 
population  remained  about  the  same  all 
through. 

It  would  appear  that  from  the  passage  of. 
the  act  of  1799  the  manumission  of  slaves  on 
Long  Island  became  a  matter  of  comparatively 
common  occurrence.  The  following  is  copied 
from  the  Corporation  Manual  of  1864: 

From  the  manner  in  which  manumission 
was  effected,  it  would  seem  that  precautions 
were  taken  by  the  local  authorities  against  the 
slaves  liberated  under  the  act  from  becoming 
paupers  and  chargeable  upon  the  public,  be- 
yond any  prescribed  in  the  act  itself.  Thus 
the  manumission  of  any  slave  must  be  ap- 
proved by  the  Overseers  of  the  Poor,  who 
specified  in  their  certificate  that  the  slave  was 
under  fifty  years  of  age,  and  was  likely  to  be 
self-supporting.  It  is  to  be  inferred,  therefore, 
that  the  manumission  of  slaves  over  that  age, 
or  such  as  were  .decrepid  or  incapable  of  pro- 
viding for  themselves,  wals  not  permitted.  The 
following  instrument,  whereby  the  well-known 
brothers  John  and  Jacob  Hicks  (after  whom 
Hicks  street  has  been  designated),  manumit 
a  female  negro,  is  nearly  identical  in  form 
with  all  the  deeds  of  manumission  which  were 
executed  by  the  citizens  of  Brooklyn,  and  the 
originals  of  which  are  still  on  file  in  the  offi- 
cial archives  of  the  City  Hall: — 

Be  it  remembered,  this  twentieth  day  of 
May,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eleveii, 
I,  Jacob  M.  Hicks,  of  Brooklyn,  in  Kings 
County  and  State  of  New  York,  owner  of  a 
female  slave  named  Gin  or  Jane,  do  in  con- 
formity to  the  benevolent  act  of  the  Legisla- 
ture of  this  State,  passed  the  twenty-ninth 
day  of  March,  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
ninety-nine,  manumit  and  set  free  the  said 
female  slave  named  Gin  or  Jane,  and  do  hereby 
relinquish  all  right,  title,  claim  and  demand 
to  her  person  and  her  services.  In  witness 
g 


whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and 
seal  the  day  and  date  first  written. 

Jacob  M.  Hicks,  [L.  S.] 
John  M.  Hicks,  [L.  S.J 

In  the  presence  of 
John  Cole, 
VyiLLiAM  Foster. 

We,  the  subscribers,  overseers  of  the  poor 
for  the  town  of  Brooklyn,  in  the  County  of 
Kings,  have  examined  the  said  Jane  or  Gin, 
and  find  her  under  fifty  years  of  age  and  of 
sufficient  ability  to  gain  a  livelihood,  and  we 
do  approve  of  said  manumission,  and  do  allow 
the  same  to  be  recorded. 

Brooklyn,  28  May,  1811. 

Andrew  Mercein, 
William  Henry. 


Subjoined  is  a  list  of  some  of  the  persons 
who  liberated  slaves  owned  by  them,  in  com- 
pliance with  the  law  above  quoted,  with  the 
date  and  the  witnesses  who  attested  the  act. 
It  by  no  means  includes  all  who  had  been 
held  and  who  then  manumitted  slaves,  but  it 
will  be  found  to  contain  very  many  representa- 
tives of  the  leading  families  of  the  city,  and 
some  of  the  signers  of  these  grants  of  Eman- 
cipation are  yet  living  among  us.  Under  the 
provisions  of  the  act,  as  carried  out  without 
any  apparent  reluctance  on  the  part  of  the 
citizens  interested,  the  institution  gradually 
and  almost  imperceptibly  disappeared.  The 
following  is  the  list: 

On  the  4th  of  September,  1820,  Anna  Van- 
derbilt  manumits  and  sets  free  her  female  slave 
named  Margaret,  aged  about  16  years.  Wit- 
nesses, John  Spader,  John  Sutphine. 

On  the  24th  of  March,  1821,  John  Ryerson, 
Jun'r.,  Tunis  Johnson  and  Isaac  Cornell,  Jun'r, 
Ex'rs.  of  Leffert  Ryerson,  deceased,  manumits 
and  sets  free  a  colored  male  slave  of  the  late 
Leffert  Ryerson  named  Samuel,  aged  about 
25  years. 

On  the  loth  of  May,  1821,  Agnes  Rap- 
pelyea  manumits  and  sets  free  her  colored  male 
slave  named  Anthony,  aged  about  30  years. 
Witness,  Chas.  F.  Rappelyea. 

On  the  28th  of  May,  1821,  Leffert  Lefferts 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  colored  male  slave 
Henry,  aged  33  years.  Witness,  Marie 
Lefferts. 

On  the  7th  of  July,  1821,  Adriance  Van 
Brunt  manumits  and  sets  free  his  female  slave 


130 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


named    Sude,    aged    about    35    years.     Wit- 
nesses, Teunis  S.  Barkelow,  Gabriel  Leverich. 

On  the  7th  of  July,  182 1,  Adriance  Van 
Brunt  also  manumits  and  sets  free  his  male 
slave  named  Jack,  aged  about  44  years.  Wit- 
nesses, Teunis  S.  Barkeloo,  Gabriel  Leverich. 

On  the  i2th  of  September,  1821,  Jacob 
Ryerson  manumits  and  sets  free  his  male  slave 
named  William,  aged  about  33  years.  Wit- 
nesses, James  Degraw,  Teunis  S.  Barkeloo. 

On  the  22d  of  March,  1820,  John  Ryerson, 
Jun'r.,  manumits  and  sets  free  his  slave  Fran- 
cis Thompson,  aged  under  fifty  years.  Wit- 
ness, Clarence  Sackett. 

On  the  30th  of  June,  1820,  Jeremiah  Rem- 
sen  manumits  and  sets  free  his  female  slave 
named  Nancy,  aged  about  31  years.  Wit- 
nesses, Wm.  R.  Dean,  Fulkert  Bennet. 

On  the  1st  of  August,  1820,  Selah  S. 
Woodhull  manumits  and  sets  free  his  female 
slave  named  Fanny,  aged  about  28  years.  Wit- 
nesses, Sarah  Maria  Van  Brunt,  Mary  Herry. 

On  the  29th  of  August,  1820,  Garreta  Pol- 
hemus,  single  woman,  manumits  and  sets  free 
her  female  slave  named  Betsey,  aged  about  24 
years.    Witnesses,  Joseph  Dean,  Henry  Dean. 

On  the  9th  of  August,  182U,  Theodorus 
Polhemus  manumits  and  sets  free  his  female 
slave  named  Hannah,  aged  about  40  years. 
Witnesses,  William  R.  Dean,  Henry  Dean. 

On  the  14th  of  May,  1820,  Jacob  M.  Hicks 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  female  slave  named 
Hannah,  aged  about  23  years.  Witnesses, 
Henrietta  Hicks,  John  Dean. 

On  the  30th  day  of  June,  1820,  Jeremiah 
Remsen  manumits  and  sets  free  his  colored 
female  slave  named  Nancy,  aged  about  31 
years.  Witnesses,  Wm.  R.  Dean,  Fulkert 
Bennet. 

On  the  1st  of  May,  1818,  Jeremiah  A. 
Remsen  manumits  and  sets  free  his  slave 
named  Susan  Dean,  agd  about  24  years.  Wit- 
nesses, Clarence  D.  Sacket,  Grenville  A. 
Sacket. 

On  the  13th  of  April,  1819,  Richard  Berry 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  slave  named  Peter 
Cornelison,  under  forty-five  years  of  age.  Wit- 
ness, Clarence  D.  Sacket. 

On  the  30th  of  April,  1819,  Margaretta 
DufSeld  manumits  and  sets  free  a  slave  named 
Hamilton  Smith,  aged  under  40  years.  Wit- 
ness, William  Wager. 

On  the  2d  of  July,  18 19,  Thorne  Carpen-. 
ter  manumits  and  sets  free  his  slave  Phillis 
Shnmons,  aged  under  45  years.  Witness,  F.  C. 
Tucker. 


On  the  i6tli  of  May,  1820,  Cornelia  Cornell 
manumits  and  sets  free  her  slave  named  Harry, 
aged  about  36  years.  Witnesses,  Catherin  A. 
Cluser,  Samuel  P.  Dunbar. 

On  the  i6th  of  Msiy,  1820,  John  C.  Freeke 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  slave  named  Titus, 
aged  about  21  years.  Witnesses,  William  R. 
Dean,  John  Dean. 

On  the  2ist  of  May,  1819,  George  Towers 
Junior  manumits  and  sets  free  his  female  slave 
named  Abigail  Porter,  aged  under  45  years. 
Witnesses,  John  Lawrence,  Grenvilld  A. 
Sacket. 

On  the  22d  of  September,  1817,  Jacob  Cow- 
enhoven  manumits  and  sets  free  his  female 
slave  Elizabeth  Anderson,  aged  abcut  28  years. 
Witnesses,  Clarence  D.  Sacket,  Grenville  A. 
Sacket. 

On  the  20th  of  December,  181 7,  Leffert 
Lefferts  manumits  and  sets  free  his  female 
slave  named  Mary  McDennis,  aged  under  45 
years.    Witnesses,  James  Foster,  Jacob  Smith. 

On  the  13th  of  January,  1818,  Hezekiah  B. 
Pierpont  manumits  and  sets  free  his  slave 
named  John  Lubin,  aged  about  21  years.  Wit- 
ness, Richard  Lyon. 

On  the  i6th  of  April,  1818,  Jacob  M.  Hicks 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  slave  named  Harry, 
aged  21  years.    Witness,  Alexd'r.  Birkbeck. 

On  the  i8th  of  April,  1818,  John  Doughty 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  slave  named  James, 
aged  about  25  years.  Witness,  Thomas  J. 
Bartow. 

On  the  1st  of  May,  1818,  Selah  Strong 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  slave  named  Su- 
sannah, aged  about  31  years,  and  her  daugh- 
ters Susan,  about  4  years  old,  and  Louisa,  one 
and  one-half  years  old.  Witness,  James 
Strong. 

On  the  1st  of  February,  1817,  John  Bedell 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  negro  man  slave 
named  Harry,  aged  about  21  years.  Witness, 
Wm.  W.  Barre. 

On  the  24th  of  March,  1817,  Nicholas  Lu- 
queer  manumits  and  sets  free  his  female  slave 
named  Mary,  aged  about  22  years.  Witness, 
Wm.  W.  Barre. 

On  the  9th  of  April,  1817,  Christopher 
Codwise  manumits  and  sets  free  his  negro  man 
named  John  Moore,  aged  about  38  years.  Wit- 
nesses, James  B.  Clarke,  Aimi  J.  Barbarin. 

On  the  6th  of  May,  1817,  William  Berry 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  negro  man  named 
Anthony,  aged  about  23  years.  Witness,  Clar- 
ence D.  Sackett. 

On  the  17th  of  July,  1817,  John  Cowen- 


SLAVERY    ON    LONG    ISLAND. 


131 


hoven  manumits  and  sets  free  his  male  slave 
Fortune,  aged  about  25  years.  Witness,  Clar- 
ence D.  Sackett. 

On  the  15th  of  July,  1817,  Teunis  J.  John- 
son manumits  and  sets  free  his  negro  slave 
named  Andrew  Hicks,  aged  about  34  years. 
Witness,  Clarence  D.  Sackett. 

On  the  9th  of  September,  1817,  Phebe  Fox 
manumits  and  sets  free  her  female  slave  named 
Betsey  Phillips,  about  18  years  old.  Witnesses, 
Stephen  S.  Voris  and  Erastus  Washington. 

On  the  20th  of  May,  1814,  James  Thomp- 
son manumits  and  sets  free  his  slave  named 
Betsey,  about  35  years  old.  Witness,  P.  H. 
Dickenson. 

On  the  2d  day  of  July,  1814,  Phebe  Fox 
manumits  and  sets  free  her  slave  George  Ben- 
son, aged  about  20  years. 

On  the  15th. of  December,  1815,  Theod's. 
Polhemus,  Ex'r.,  manumits  and  sets  free  a 
black  slave  of  John  B.  Johnson,  deceased, 
about  40  years  of  age,  named  Harry.  Witness, 
Charles  J.  Doughty. 

On  the  3d  of  September,  1816,  John  M. 
Hicks  manumits  and  sets  free  his  black  slave 
named  Phillis,  aged  about  26  years.  Witness, 
John  Duer. 

On  the  1st  of  February,  1817,  Nich's.  Lu- 
queer  manumits  and  sets  free  his  black  slave 
named  Samuel,  aged  about  30  years.  Wit- 
ness, J.  Harmer. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1817,  Garret  Bergen 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  black  man  named 
Briss,  aged  about  40  years.  Witness,  William 
R.  Dean. 

On  the  loth  of  February,  181 7,  Jacob 
Hicks  manumits  and  sets  free  his  male  slave 
named  Benjamin  Mott,  aged  about  27  years. 
Witness,  William  R.  Dean. 

On  the  loth  of  September,  1813,  Gideon 
Kemberly  manumits  and  sets  free  his  slave 
named  Hannah  Davis,  aged  about  25  years. 
Witness,  John  Garrison. 

On  the  20th  of  October,  1813,  Phoebe  Fox 
manumits  and  sets  fre?  her  slave  named  Abra- 
ham Benson,  aged  about  21  years.  Witnesses, 
Itheill  Imrad,  James  B.  V.  Winkle. 

On  the  2d  of  April,  1814,  Nehemiah  Den- 
ton manumits  and  sets  free  his  male  slave 
named  Townsend  Cornelison,  aged  about  26 
years.    Witness,  Elizabeth  H.  Sackett. 

On  the  13th  of  April,  1814,  Teunis  Tiebout 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  slave  named  Han- 
ah  Bristoll,  aged  about  44  years.  Witnesses, 
Teunis  T.  Johnson,  Maria  Cowenhoven. 

On  the  23d  of  April,  1814,  Elizabeth  Field 


manumits  and  sets  free  her  slave  named  Simon 
Hicks,  aged  29  years.  Witness,  Ann  Osborn. 
On  the  25th  of  April,  1814,  John  Jackson 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  slave  named  Joseph 
Smith,  aged  about  34  years.  Witness,  James 
B.  Clarke. 

On  the  27th  of  April,  1814,  John  Jackson 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  slave  named  Sarah 
Miller,  aged  about  30  years.  Witness,  James 
B.  Clarke. 

On  the  25th  of  May,  1812,  Jacob  Cowen- 
hoven manumits  and  sets  free  his  slave  named 
Hager  Hendrickson.  Witness,  Peter  Coven- 
hoven. 

On  the  6th  of  June,  1812,  Nicholas  Luqueer 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  slave  named  Han- 
nah Titus.  Witnesses,  R.  Barber,  G.  A. 
Cheeseman. 

On  the  loth  of  May,  1812,  Margaret  Els- 
worth  manumits  and  sets  free  her  slave  named 
Betsey,  aged  24  years.  Witness,  John 
Doughty. 

On  the  6th  of  August,  1812,  Henry  Hew- 
lett manumits  and  sets  free  his  slave  named 
Jarvis  Jackson,  aged  about  24  years.  Wit- 
ness, John  Doughty. 

On  the  nth  of  July,  1812,  Joseph  Fox 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  slave  named  Phittis 
Benson,  aged  about  39  years.  Witness,  Ste- 
phen S.  Voris. 

On  the  I2th  of  April,  1813,  Nich's.  Boerum 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  slave  named  Diann"* 
Orange,  aged  about  40  years.  Witness,  Will- 
iam Furman. 

On  the  13th  of  April,  1813,  Andrew  Mer- 
cier  m.anumits  and  sets  free  his  slave  named 
Cornelia  Brown,  aged  about  30  years.  Wit- 
ness, John  Cole. 

On  the  30th  of  June,  1806,  Benj'n.  Bird- 
sail  also  liberates  and  sets  free  his  female 
slaves  named  Cornelia  and  Jane.  Witness, 
Robert  Rhoads. 

On  the  14th  of  April,  1807,  John  Middagh 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  male  slave  named 
Harry.    Witness,  John  Doughty. 

On  the  29th  of  .October, ,  James  B. 

Clarke  manumits   and    sets    free  his    female 
slave  named  Bett.     Witness,  Daniel  Rhoads. 

On  the  27th  of  January,  1810,  Nicholas  R. 
Cowenhoven  manumits  and  sets  free  his  negro 
man  named  Nero,  his  negro  woman  named 
Susannah,  his  negro  boys  Harry  and  James, 
and  his  negro  girl  named  Sarah.  Witness, 
Mathew  Wendell. 

On  the  9th  of  October,  1809,  Peter  Clarke 
manumits  and  sets    free    his  servant  woman 


132 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


named  Hannah,  ten  years  thereafter,  on  con- 
dition of  her  faithful  services  to  himself  and 
family  during  that  time. 

On  the  20th  of  May,  1811,  Jacob  M.  Hicks 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  female  slave  named 
Gin  or  Jane.  Witnesses,  John  Cole,  William 
Foster. 

On  the  20th  of  July,  1802,  Joseph  Fox 
manumits  -and  sets  free  his  negro  man  named 
Jack.    Witnesses,  John  Harmer,  John  Hicks. 

On  the  20th  of  March,  1806,  John  Wilson 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  negro  girl  Hannah, 
aged  12  years,  at  the  expiration  of  14  years 
from  the  ist  of  May  next.  Witness,  John 
Doughty. 

On  the  22d  of  July,  1805,  Samuel  Bouton 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  slave  named  Sam- 
uel Estell.    Witness,  John  Doughty. 

On  the  27th  of  July,  1805,  George  Bennett 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  slave  named  Jacob 
Lucas.    Witness,  John  Doughty. 

On  the  3d  of  May,  1806,  Cornelius  Van- 
brunt  manumits  and  sets  free  his  slave  named 
Henry  Hendrickson.  Witnesses,  Nichl's  Lu- 
queer,  Wm.  Cornwell. 

On  the  13th  of  June,  1806,  Benj'n  Birdsall 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  female  slave  named 
Sarah.  Witnesses,  Adrian  Van  Brunt,  John 
Doughty. 

On  the  1st  of  August,  1799,  Charles 
Doughty  manumits  and  sets  free  his  man  slave 
named  Nicholas  Doughty.  Witness,  John 
Doughty,  Clerk. 

On  the  same  day  Charles  Doughty  also 
liberates  and  sets  free  his  female  slave  named 
Lucrecia  Doughty.  Witness,  John  Doughty, 
Clerk. 

On  the  i8th  of  April,  1808,  Joshua  Sands 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  servant  girl  called 
Bet,  aged  18  years. 

On  the  28th  of  September,  1808,  Benjamin 
Carpenter  manumits  and  sets  free  his  negro 
woman  named  Isabella  Dimand.  Witness, 
John  Doughty. 

On  the  20th  of  October,  1808,  John  Lef- 
ferts  manumits  and  sets  free  his  negro  man 
EsoD.     Witness,  John  Doughty,  Clerk. 

On  the  5th  of  December,  1808,  Levsris 
Sands  manumits  and  sets  free  his  negro  man 
named  Ceasar.     Witness,  John  Doughty. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1802,  Gilbert  Van 
Mater  manumits  and  sets  free  his  negro  wo- 
man named  Dinah.  Witness,  John  Van  D. 
Water. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1797,  John  Doughty 


mpntimits,and  sets  fr^e-his  colored  slave  named 
Ceasar  Foster,  aged  about  23  years. 

On  the  9th  of  January,  1798,  Robert  Hodge 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  negro  boy  named 
Robert  Hodge,  aged  about  16  years. 

On  the  3d  of  March,  1798,  Jacob  Hicks 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  negro  man  named 
William,  aged  about  37  years. 

On  the  28th  of  February,  1799,  Major  John 
Cowenhoven  manumits  and  sets  free  his  negro 
man  named  Jacob,  aged  about  40  years. 

On  the  loth  of  April,  1799,  John  Van  Nos- 
trand  manumits  his  negro  woman  named  Syl- 
via, aged  about  27  years. 

On  the  30th  of  September,  1799,  John 
Jackson  manumits  and  sets  free  forever  his 
slave  Titus. 

On  the  same  day  John  Jackson  also  lib- 
erates and  sets  free  forever  his  slave  Rachell. 

On  the  27th  of  July,  1882,  Jacob  W.  Ben- 
net  manumits  and  sets  free  his  colored  male 
slave  named  Sharpe  Miller,  aged  about  44 
years.  Witnesses,  George  Carpenter  and 
David  Carpenter. 

On  the  26th  dav  of  April,  1822,  Ann  Smith 
Robert  Groman,  aged  38  years.  Witnesses, 
John  J.  Albirt,  Teunis  Barkeloo. 

On  the  2 1st  of  September,  1822,  Jeremiah 
Johnson  manumits  and  sets  free  his  colored 
female  slave  Betty,  aged  26  years.  Witnesses, 
Peter  Stockholm,  Teunis  Barkeloo. 

On  the  nth  of  April,  1822,  Peter  Wyckoff 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  colored  man  named 
Henry  Hendrickson,  aged  about  28  years.  Wit- 
nesses, Burdet  Stryker,  Teunis  Barkeloo. 

On  the  1st  of  February,  1817,  John  Bedell 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  negro  man  named 
Harry,  now  aged  about  21  years.  Witness, 
William  W.  Barre. 

On  the  4th  day  of  September,  1823,  Martin 
Schenck,  Jr.,  manumits  and  sets  free  his  col- 
ored man  Amos  Thompson,  who  was  thirty- 
one  years  of  age.  The  witnesses  to  the  inden- 
ture of  manumission  are  John  Garrison  and 
George  Smith,  Jun'r. 

On  the  15th  of  May,  1824,  Henry  Pope 
manumits  and  sets  free  his  colored  female  slave 
Isabella  Dennis,  aged  about  30  years.  Wit- 
ness, Richard  Cornwell. 

On  the  19th  of  September,  1823,  Samuel 
Ellis  manumits  and  sets  free  his  colored  male 
slave  Peter  Franklin,  aged  about  30  years. 
Witnesses,  A.  B.  Sclover,  Mary  Brower. 

On  the  31st  of  August,  1822,  Richard  V. 
W.  Thorne  manumits  and  sets  free  his  colored 


SLAVERY    ON    LONG    ISLAND. 


133 


female  slave  Hannah,  aged  about  34  years. 
Witnesses,  John  Van  Dyke,  Teunis  Barkeloo. 

On  the  28th  day  of  December,  182 1,  John 
Ryerson,  Jr.,  manumits  and  sets  free  his  col- 
ored female  slave  named  Bet,  aged  about  33 
years.  Witnesses,  Teunis  Barkeloo,  Peter 
Stockholm. 

On  the  I2th  of  September,  1821,  Jacob 
Ryerson  also  manumits  and  sets  free  his  male 
slave  named  Thomas,  aged  about  36  years. 
Witnesses,  James  DeGraw,  Teunis  S.  Bar- 
keloo. 

On  the  22d  of  September,  182 1,  Jacobus 
Lott  manumits  and  sets  free  his  male  slave 
named  Sam  Johnson,  aged  about  32  years. 
Witnesses,  Stephen  S.  Vooris,  Teunis  S.  Bar- 
keloo. 

On  the  28th  of  July,  1821,  Jacob  Cowen- 
hoven  manumits  and  sets  free  his  female  slave 
Mary  Hendricksen,  aged  about  29  years.  Wit- 
nesses, Peter  Conover,  W.  W.  Jackson. 

On  the  28th  of  December,  1821,  John  Ryer- 
son manumits  and  sets  free  his  female  slave 
named  Bet,  aged  about  33  years.  Witnesses, 
Teunis  Barkeloo,  Peter  Stockholm. 

On  the  30th  of  January,  1822,  Abraham 
D.  Bevois  manumits  and  sets  free  his  colored 
female  slave  named  Nell,  aged  about  30  years. 
Witnesses,  Jeromus  R.  Cropey,  Joshua  Tal- 
ford. 

The  foregoing  manumissions — and  there 
were  no  doubt  many  others,  the  records  of 
which  are  lost — removed  the  last  traces  of  the 
institution  from  the  City  of  Brooklyn. 

While  there  is  no  doubt  that  slaves  were 
bought  and  sold  in  the  open  market  in  Brook- 
lyn in  the  early  times,  in  the  eighteenth  cen- 


tury the  traffic  in  human  chattels  was  so  gen- 
erally transacted  in  private  that  public  sales, 
and  especially  sales  at  auction,  became  of  such 
seldom  occurrence  as  to  be  matters  of  com- 
ment. The  last  of  these  auction  sales,  so  far 
as  known,  was  that  of  four  negroes  belong- 
ing to  the  estate  of  the  widow  Haltje"  Rap- 
pel  je  of  the  Wallabout.  The  first  of  the  re- 
corded manumissions,  before  the  paissage  of 
the  act  of  1799,  was  that  of  Caesar  Foster,  a 
slave  belonging  to  John  Doughty.  The  deed 
was  signed  March  4,  1797,  when  Caesar  was 
twenty-eight  years  of  age.  Doughty  was  a 
member  of  the  Society  of  Friends  and  in  early 
life  was  associated  with  his  father  as  a  butcher 
in  the  Fly  Market.  In  1785  he  helped  to  or- 
ganize a  fire  company  in  Brooklyn  and  through 
that,  like  so  many  local  "statesmen"  after- 
ward, seems  to  have  made  his  entree  into 
local  politics.  In  1790  he  was  one  of  the  as- 
sessors of  the  town  and  six  years  later  be- 
came town  clerk,  retaining  that  position  for 
thirty-four  years.  In  1816,  when  the  village 
of  Brooklyn  was  incorporated.  Doughty  was 
named  one  of  the  trustees,  and  he  continued  to 
hold  public  office  of  one  sort  or  another  up  to 
his  death,  May  16,  1832.  He  was  a  faithful 
and  honest  public  servant,  and  it  is  said  that 
while  he  was  town  clerk  he  recorded  more 
manumissions  than  any  other  official.  He 
lived  to  see  the  nefarious  institution  become 
completely  a  thing  of  the  past  in  his  home 
city. 


^^   ^y*    ^JyT4    ^^ 


CHAPTER   XI. 


EARLY    CONGREGATIONAL   AND    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCHES. 


HE  early  Dutch  colonists  may  be  said 
to  have  brought  their  church  with 
them  when  they  settled  in  New  Neth- 
erland.  To  these  good,  pious  wan- 
derers a  place  of  worship  was  as  necessary  as 
a  house;  and  we  never  find  any  settlement 
without  also  discovering  some  arrangemeiit 
there  for  divine  services,  either  the  setting 
aside  of  a  sufficient  amount  for  a  clergyman's 
ministrations  or  for  the  employment  of  a  teach- 
er and  reader,  or  at  least  for  securing  the 
services  of  an  authorized  visitor  to  the  sick, 
whose  duty  it  also  was  to  read  the  Scriptures 
to  the  people  on  Sundays. 

The  first  church  in  the  New  Netherland 
was  built  in  the  fort  at  New  Amsterdam  by 
Governor  Van  Twiller  in  1633.  The  credit  of 
building  the  first  church  and  also  the  second 
church  on  Long  Island,  however,  belongs  not 
to  the  Dutch  but  to  the  English  settlers:  not 
to  the  west  end  but  to  the  east. 

It  is  difficult  with  the  evidence  before  us 
to  determine  beyond  question  whether  the 
honor  of  building  the  first  structure  on  the 
island  for  the  worship  of  God  belongs  to 
Southold  or  Southampton.  In  a  measure  both 
these  congregations  were  actually  formed  be- 
fore their  members  left  New  England,  and  in 
their  migration  they  simply  brought  with  them 
their  church  organization  and  set  it  up,  with 
their  homes,  as  soon  as  they  found  an  abiding 
place.  Both  towns  were  settled  in  1640,  both 
had  a  clergyman  as  a  leader,  both  church 
buildings  were  authorized  to  be  built  in  the 
same  year.  Southampton  seems  to  have  had 
its  edifice  completed  first.     But  the  organiza- 


tion of  the  congregation  at  Southold  can  be 
dated  a  little  further  back  and  was  apparently 
maintained  intact  during  the  migration.  As 
the  late  Dr.  John  Hall,  of  New  York,  used  to 
declare,  a  Presbyterian  (or  Congregational) 
church  could  meet  equally  in  a  garret  as  in  a 
cathedral,  could  conduct  its  services  with  equal 
solemnity  at  the  roadside  or  in  a  kitchen  as 
in  the  grandest  house  made  with  human  hand. 
This  being  true,  the  credit  of  primacy  might 
be  given  to  Southold.  But  it  is  a  delicate 
question  at  the  best,  one  which  has  exhausted 
the  research,  acumen  and  ingenuity  of  the 
local  antiquaries  and  historians;  and  we  may 
be  pardoned  from  indicating  any  decided  pref- 
erence in  this  place.  The  subject  will  again 
be  referred  to  in  more  detail  in  treating  of  the 
local  story  of  these  two  ancient  settlements. 
The  ventilation  of  such  knotty  points  in  a 
general  history  is  never  conclusive,  or  satis- 
fying, or  profitable,  and  had  best  always  be 
left  as  a  pleasant  theme  for  local  discussion. 
On  October  21,  1640,  the  Rev.  John 
Youngs  organized  a  congregation  at  New 
Haven  and  at  once  with  his  flock  passed  over 
to  Long  Island,  settling  in  Southold.  Very 
likely  Mr.  Youngs  had  previously  visited  Long 
Island  and  made  a  selection  of  the  territory 
on  which  his  little  colony  was  to  locate.  It 
was  to  be  a  patriarchial  community,  a  little 
State  ruled  by  the  Church,  for  the  voice  of 
the  Church  was  to  be  pre-eminent  in  all  things 
and  the  Bible  was  to  rule  over  civil  as  over 
spiritual  affairs.  No  one  was  to  be  admitted 
to  full  citizenship,  if  admitted  even  to  resi- 
dential privileges,  who  was  not  a  member  "of 


EARLY   CONGREGATIONAL  AND    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCHES.        135 


some  one  or  other  of  the  approved  churches 
in  New  England."  It  was  also  thus  decided 
at  a  General  Court  in  1643:  "Nor  shall  any 
power  or  trust  in  the  ordering  of  any  civil 
affairs  be  at  any  time  put  into  the  hands  of 
any  other  than  such  church  members,  though 
as  free  planters  all  have  right  to  their  in- 
heritance and  to  commerce  according  to  such 
grants,  orders  and  laws  as  shall  be  made  con- 
cerning same." 

The  first  church  was  built  upon  a  corner 
of  an  acre  lot  in  the  north  end  of  the  present 
Southold  cemetery.  We  have  no  description 
of  it,  and  doubtless  it  was  a  plain  frame  struc- 
ture, with  seats  on  either  side  of  a  central 
aisle  for  men  and  women,  with  cross  seats  at 
the  rear  for  those  who  might  wander  that  way, 
for  those,  in  short,  who  had  not  attained  the 
dignity  of  membership.  The  floor  would  be 
the  natural  soil,  and  the  pulpit  a  box-like  ar- 
rangement placed  at  the  further  end  in  the 
centre.  The  clerk  or  precentor  had  his  seat 
at  the  bottom  of  the  pulpit  structure  and  in 
front  was  a  long  table  around  which  sat  the 
elders  and  from  which  the  communion  was 
dispensed.  The  building  was  not  heated,  even 
in  the  dead  of  winter, — at  first,  at  all  events; 
and  from  the  nature  of  the  town's  constitution 
it  was  at  once  a  town  hall,  and  possibly  a 
school-house,  as  well  as  sanctuary.  There 
was  apparently  nothing  fanciful  or  pretty 
about  the  architecture,  or  the  internal  ar- 
rangements, nothing  in  the  way  of  interior  or 
exterior  decoration ;  but  everything  about  it 
was  substantial  and  honest  as  befitted  its  pur- 
pose, and  the  settlers  put  into  it  the  very  best 
material  they  had.  We  read  that  its  four 
windows  were  made  of  cedar,  an  expensive 
and  highly  prized  wood  in  those  days,  and 
which,  when  in  course  of  time  they  were  to 
be  removed,  were  sold  for  no  less  than  £3. 
In  1684  the  primitive  meeting-house  was  aban- 
doned and  a  structure  erected  close  by.  The 
old  church  was  not  torn  down,  but  at  an  ap- 
praised valuation  of  £30  (minus  the  cedar- 
wood  windows)  was  turned  over  to  the  town 
and  altered  to   the   extent  of  having  a  sub- 


terranean cell  dug  out  in  its  centre.  Very 
likely  the  entire  internal  fittings  of  the  old 
meeting-house  were  transferred  to  the  new. 
In  1699  the  population  of  the  town  had  so 
increased  that  it  was  necessary  to  furnish  more 
seating  capacity  in  the  church,  and  the  internal 
arrangements  were  altered  somewhat  so  as  to 
permit  the  erection  of  a  gallery  which  would 
be  devoted  mainly  to  the  occupancy  of  hired 
help,  negro  servants  and  children.  The  erec- 
tion of  this  gallery  cost  the  good  people  £17 
IDS  9d.  As  an  evidence  of  the  method  and 
economy  of  those  days  it  may  be  stated  that 
when  the  work  was  completed  the  church  au- 
thorities received  from  Samuel  Clark,  the  con- 
tractor, four  shillings  for  nails  and  lumber 
provided  for  him  and  which  he  had  not  found 
it  necessary  to  use ! 

The  second  church  was  pulled  down  in 
1761,  and  a  larger  and  more  commodious 
structure  was  erected  on  its  site  and  fitted  up 
in  such  a  way  internally  that  the  various  social, 
distinctions  of  wealth  and  official  position 
might  be  fully  preserved  in  the  arrangement 
of  its  pews, — rather  a  queer  proceeding  ac- 
cording to  our  modern  notions  for  a  church 
organization  founded  on  Christian  and  demo- 
cratic lines,  but  perfectly  in  keeping  with  the 
practice  of  all  churches  at  the  time,  not  only 
in  old  communities,  but  in  those  which  had 
survived  the  first  struggle  with  the  wilderness 
and  were  introducing  into  their  dwellings  and 
their  surroundings  some  of  the  features  of 
"modern  civilization."  The  fourth  church  was 
erected  in  1803. 

The  Rev.  John  Youngs,  the  founder  of  this 
religious  community,  and  during  the  last  thirty 
years  of  his  life  its  real  head  and  most  influ- 
ential member,  was  a  native  of  England.  He 
was  born  about  1602  and  is  believed  to  have 
been  a  native  of  Norfolkshire  and  to  have  been 
engaged  as  a  preacher  in  Hingham,  in  that 
county,  where  he  married  and  six  of  his  eight 
children  were  born.  Being  a  noncomformist, 
he  felt  the  effects  of  the  religious  intolerance 
of  his  time  and  made  up  his  mind  to  emigrate 
to  the  shores  of  New  England,  then  the  hope 


136 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


of  the  English  Puritan.  According  to  a  pas- 
sage in  Drake's  "Founders  of  New  England," 
Youngs,  with  "Joan,  his  wife,_  aged  thirty- 
four  years,  with  six  children, — John,  Thomas, 
Anne,  Rachel,  Mary  and  Joseph," — applied  to 
the  proper  ecclesiastical  authorities  for  per- 
mission to  proceed  to  Salem  "to  inhabitt." 
The  request  was  refused.  This  was  in  May, 
1637 ;  but  about  a  year  later  we  find  him  safely 
located  with  wife  and  children  at  New  Haven 
and  engaged  in  "preaching  the  Word." 

Of  the  personal  history  of  Youngs  little 
has  come  down  to  us.  He  seems  to  have  com- 
bined in  his  make-up  many  of  the  qualities  of 
the  statesman  with  those  of  a  minister.  He 
was  a  Calvinist  of  the  strictest  school,  and  had 
no  toleration  for  the  doctrine  that  the  church 
should  be  separated  from  the  state;  nay,  he 
believed  that  the  church  was  the  state,  that 
the  two  could  not  be  separated  without  the 
church  failing  in  its  mission  and  the  state  be- 
coming a  Godless  and  an  unwholesome  thing. 
He  believed  in  the  acquisition  of  wealth,  be 
bought  as  largely  as  he  could  of  real  estate 
in  the  township,  and  in  all  his  policy  and  con- 
duct he  was  in  every  way  a  pattern  to  his 
neighbors,  an  exemplary  friend,  a  loyal  mem- 
ber of  a  compact  commonwealth,  and  a  zealous 
and  hard-working  clergyman.  He  was  a  man 
of  considerable  learning  and  possessed  a  fair 
working  library  (valued  after  his  death  at  £5), 
only  one  of  the  treasures  of  which  is  now 
extant, — "the  Writings  of  William  Perkins, 
of  Cambridge,"  the  leading  English  exponent 
of  Calvinism  of  his  time — which  is  now  pre- 
served in  the  stores  of  the  New  Haven  Colony 
Historical  Society.  He  continued  in  the  pas- 
torate of  the  Southold  church  until  his  death, 
in  1672,  and  on  the  stone  over  his  grave  was 
engraved  the  following: 

"Here  lies  the  man  whose  doctrine  life  well 

knowen 
Did  show  he  sought  Christ's  honour,  not  his 

owen ; 
In  weakness  sown,  in  power  raised  shall  be 
By  Christ  from  death  to  life  eternally." 


Mr.  Youngs'  descendants  continue  to  the 
present  day  to  loom  up  prominently  in  Suf- 
folk county  history. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Youngs  occurred  in  the 
depth  of  winter  (February  24)  and  it  was  im- 
possible to  begin  in  that  season  a  hunt  for  a 
suitable  successor.  On  the  succeeding  April 
I,  however,  the  people  held  a  meeting  at  which 
it  was  "agreed  that  the  inhabitants  would 
provide  themselves  of  an  honest,  godly  man  to 
perform  the  office  of  minister  amongst  them, 
and  that  they  would  allow  and  pay  to  the  said 
minister  sixty  pounds  sterling  by  the  year." 

Captain  John  Youngs,  son  of  the  deceased 
minister,  was  intrusted  with  the  task  of  cross- 
ing over  to  New  England  "and  use  his  best 
endeavor  for  the  obtaining  of  such  a  man 
above  mentioned  to  live  amongst  us,"  and  for 
his  trouble  was  to  receive  £5.  His  journey 
was  not  immediately  successful,  but  in  the  fol- 
lowing year  he  brought  to  Southold  the  Rev. 
Joshua  Hobart,  son  of  the  Rev.  Peter  Hobart, 
of  Hingham,  Massachusetts,  the  first  minister 
of  that  town  and  by  whom  it  was  named  in 
honor  of  the  Norfolk  town  from  whence  he 
came.  Very  likely  the  Youngs  and  Hobart  fam 
ilies  were  neighbors  in  the  old  land.  Joshua 
Hobart  was  born  in  England  in  1629  and  came 
to  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  with  his  parents  in 
1635.  He  was  graduated  at  Harvard  in  1650. 
After  several  years  in  Barbadoes  he  settled  in 
London,  England,  until  1669,  when  he  re- 
turned to  America.  At  first  he  seems  to  have 
simply  acted  as  "supply,"  possibly  with  the 
conscientious  desire  of  making  sure  that  his 
ministrations  would  be  acceptable  to  the  peo- 
ple before  finally  casting  his  lot  in  their  midst. 
Changes  of  ministers  were  not  then  made  as 
easily  or  as  heartlessly  and  heedlessly  as  now, 
and  an  aged  pastor  was  not  expected  to  bow 
gracefully  to  the  inevitable  and  make  way  for 
a  younger  man.  In  October,  1674,  however, 
the  period  of  trial  was  over,  and  Mr.  Hobart 
was  ordained  to  the  charge.  His  salary  was 
fixed  at  £80  a  year,  and  four  years  later  it 
was  advanced  to  £100,  and  in  addition  he  re- 


EARLY  CONGREGATIONAL  AND   PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCHES.       137 


ceived  a  gift  of  thirty  acres  of  land  "toward 
the  North  Sea"  and  some  other  pieces  of  real 
estate.  He  was  also  lodged  in  a  dwelling 
which  cost  £ioo,  so  that  altogether  the  good 
man's  lot  must  be  regarded  as  having  fallen  in 
pleasant  places.  So  far  as  we  may  judge  he 
took  up  most  of  the  work  and  wielded  much 
of  the  political  influence  of  Mr.  Youngs,  but 
not  by  any  means  to  the  same  extent,  for  he 
was  not  the  pioneer  patriarch,  the  father  of 
the  colony.  His  ministry  was  a  successful 
one,  however,  and  continued  until  the  end  of 
his  life-long  journey,  February  28,  1716,  and 
then  his  people  summed  up  his  virtues  on  his 
tombstone  by  saying  "He  was  a  faithful  min- 
ister, a  skillful  physician,  a  general  scholar,  a 
courageous  patriot,  and,  to  crown  all,  an  emi- 
nent Christian." 

It  was  not  until  1720  that  the  pastorate 
was  again  filled,  when  the  Rev.  Benjamin 
Woolsey  was  installed.  He  was  a  native  of 
Jamaica,  Long  Island,  and  a  graduate  of  Yale. 
For  sixteen  years  he  continued  to  hold  forth 
at  Southold  and  then  he  resigned  and  took 
up  his  abode  on  an  estate  which  had  been  be- 
queathed to  his  wife  by  her  father,  John  Tay- 
lor, at  Glen  Cove  in  Queens  county.  Woolsey 
renamed  the  property  Dos-Oris  (Dos  Uxoris, 
a  wife's  gift),  and  Dosoris  it  has  been  called 
•ever  since.  Notwithstanding  his  wealth,  he 
•did  not  abandon  entirely  his  work  as  a  min- 
ister, but  continued  to  officiate  in  vacant  pul-  • 
pits  as  general  pulpit  supply  wherever  his 
services  were  needed  until  the  end.  He  seems 
to  have  been  a  most  lovable  man,  and  his 
■death,  in  1756,  was  deeply  regretted  over  a 
"wide  section  of  Long  Island.  Mr.  Woolsey 
left  Southold  in  1736  and  it  was  nearly  two 
years  later  ere  his  successor,  the  Rev.  John 
Davenport,  was  installed.  The  story  of  this 
man,  which  has  been  held  to  "form  an  im- 
portant element  in  the  history  of  the  Long 
Island  Churches,"  may  be  briefly  summed  up 
by  saying  that  he  was  born  at  Stamford  in 
1710,  was  graduated  from  Yale  in  1732,  or- 
dained minister  of  Southold  in  1738,  dismissed 


in  1746,  and  afterward  settled  at  Hopewell, 
New  Jersey,  where  he  died  in  i7S5- 

Regarding  his  ministry  and  the  features 
that  made  it  famous,  we  cannot  do  better  than 
copy  the  details  which  are  given  in  Prime's 
"History  of  Long  Island:" 

About  two  years  after  his  settlement  at 
Southold,  Davenport  became  satisfied  that  God 
had  revealed  to  him  that  his  kingdom  was  com' 
ing  with  great  power,  and  that  he  had  an  ex- 
traordinary call  to  labor  for  its  advancement. 
He  assembled  his  people  on  one  occasion  and 
addressed  them  continuously  for  nearly  twen- 
ty-four hours,  until  he  became  quite  wild. 

After  continuing  for  some  time  in  exerting 
labors  in  his  own  neighborhood,  he  passed 
over  into  Connecticut,  where  the  same  spirit 
has  been  developed  and  was  producing  dis- 
astrous results  in  many  of  the  churches.  "He 
soon  became  animated  by  a  famous  zeal,"  says 
Dr.  Miller,  in  his  Hfe  of  Edwards,  "and  im- 
agining that  he  was  called  to  take  a  special 
lead  in  the  work,  he  began  to  set  at  naught 
all  the  rules  of  Christian  prudence  and  order, 
and  to  give  the  most  unrestrained  liberty  to 
his  fanatical  feelings.  He  raised  his  voice  to 
the  highest  pitch  in  public  services,  and  ac- 
coiiipanied  his  unnatural  vehemence  and  can- 
tatory  bawling  with  the  most  vehement  agita- 
tions of  body.  He  encouraged  his  hearers  to 
give  vent,  without  restraint,  both  to  their  dis- 
tress and  their  joy,  by  violent  outcries  in  the 
midst  of  public  assemblies.  When  these  things 
prevailed  among  the  people,  accompanied  with 
bodily  agitations,  he  pronounced  them  tokens 
of  the  presence  of  God.  Those  who  passed 
immediately  from  great  distress  to  great  joy, 
he  declared,  after  asking  them  a  few  questions, 
to  be  converts;  though  numbers  of  such  con- 
verts, in  a  short  time,  returned  to  their  old 
ways  of  living,  and  were  as  carnal,  wicked  and 
void  of  experience  as  ever  they  were.  He 
openly  encouraged  his  new  converts  to  speak 
in  public,  and  brought  forward  many  ignorant 
and  unqualified  persons,  young  and  old,  to 
address  large  assemblies  in  his  own  vehement 
and  magisterial  manner.  He  led  his  followers 
through  the  streets  singing  psalms  and  hymns. 
He  was  a  great  favorite  of  visions,  trances, 
imaginations  and  powerful  impressions,  and 
made  such  impulses  and  inward  feelings  the 
rule  of  duty  for  himself  and  others.  He 
claimed  a  kind  of  prescriptive  right  to  sit  in 


188 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


judgment  on  the  characters  of  ministers,  and, 
after  examining  them  as  to  their  spiritual 
right  in  private,  would  often  pronounce  them 
in  his  public  prayers  to  be  unconverted.  Those 
who  refused  to  be  examined  were  sure  to 
suffer  the  same  fate.  He  made  his  prayers  the 
medium  of  harsh  and  often  indecent  attacks 
on  ministers  and  others,  whom  he  felt  dis- 
posed, on  any  account,  to  censure;  and  in  his 
harangues  he  would  inform  the  people  that 
their  ministers  were  unconverted,  and  tell  them 
that  they  had  as  good  eat  ratsbane  as  hear  an 
unconverted  minister.  On  more  than  one  oc- 
casion he  publicly  refused  to  receive  the  sacra- 
mental symbols,  because  he  doubted  the  piety 
of  the  pastors.  Congregations  were  exhorted 
to  eject  their  ministers,  and  dissatisfied  mi- 
norities were  encouraged  to  break  off  and  form 
new  churches,  and  in  this  a  number  of  con- 
gregations were  greatly  weakened  and  others 
nearly  destroyed.'' 

It  is  stated  on  good  authority  that  he  de- 
claimed much  against  pride  of  dress,  which 
he  styled  idolatry ;  and  on  one  occasion,  at  New 
London,  he  kindled  a  large  fire  at  a  place  pre- 
viously designated,  and  calling  upon  his  fol- 
lowers to  come  forward  and.  destroy  their 
idols,  and  not  only  many  useless  ornaments 
but  numerous  garments  and  other  valuable 
articles  were  committed  to  the  flames !  In  a 
like  manner,  under  the  guise  of  rooting  out 
heresy,  many  books,  and  some  of  them  of 
sterling  excellence,  such  as  Beveridge's  and 
Flavel's  works,  were  cast  into  the  hre.  Of 
his  manner  of  preaching  and  the  extravagant 
measures  he  pursued  the  following  description 
is  given  by  Dr.  Bacon : 

"He  would  work  upon  the  fancy  until  they 
saw,  as  with  their  eyes,  and  heard,  as  with 
their  ears,  the  groans  of  Calvary,  and  felt  as 
the  Popish  enthusiast  feels  when,  under  the 
spell  of  music,  he  looks  upon  the  canvas 
alive  with  the  agony  of  Jesus.  He  would  so 
describe  the  surprise,  consternation  and  despair 
of  the  damned,  with  looks  and  screams  of  hor- 
ror, that  those  who  were  capable  of  being 
moved  by  such  representations  seemed  to  see 
the  gates  of  hell  set  open  and  felt  as  it  were 
the  hot  and  stifling  breath,  and  the  hell-flames 
flashing  in  their  faces.  And  if  by  such  means 
he  would  cause  any  to  scream  out  he  consid- 
ered that  as  a  sign  of  the  special  presence  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  and  redoubled  his  own  exer- 
tion till  shriek  after  shriek,  bursting  from  one 
quarter  and  another  in  hideous  discord,  swelled 
the  horrors  of  the  scene." 


"Although  this  deluded  man,"  adds  Prime, 
"did  not  enact  his  wildest  extravagances  in  the 
churches  on  this  (Long)  island,  yet  even  here 
his  labors  were  productive  of  many  unhappy 
results.  Dissensions  and  divisions  were  pro- 
duced in.  many  congregations,  the  effects  of 
which  are  visible  at  the  present  day  (1845), 
and  although  much  good  was  done  and  souls 
were  hopefully  converted,  yet  many  prejudices 
against  the  work  of  grace  were  exerted  and 
the  enemies  of  the  cross  emboldened  to  blas- 
pheme. It  is  due  to  the  memory  of  Mr. 
Davenport  to  add  that,  after  pursuing  this 
disorderly  course  for  a  few  years,  he  became 
deeply  sensible  of  the  error  of  his  ways  and 
published  to  the  world  an  ingenuous  confes- 
sion in  which  he  acknowledges  that  he  'had 
been  influenced  by  a  false  spirit  in  judging 
ministers,  in  exhorting  their  people  to  forsake 
their  ministry;  in  making  impulses  a  rule  of 
conduct ;  in  encouraging  lay  exhorters,  and  in 
disorderly  singing  in  the  streets.'  " 

It  is  not  likely  that  in  the  present  day  the 
conduct  of  Mr.  Davenport  would  be  regarded 
as  being  so  fully  liable  to  the  censure  whick 
Dr.  Prime  and  others  have  passed  upon  it.. 
The  Rev.  Dr.  S.  D.  Alexander,  of  New  York, 
in  a  recent  work  describes  him  as  "the  bril- 
liant and  eccentric  pastor  of  Long  Island." 
While  guilty  of  a  few  extravagances,  due  to- 
the  time  and  circumstances,  his  course  was 
hardly  different  from  that  of  many  of  our 
modern  evangelists;  and  it  is  easy  to  recall 
conduct  very  similar  to  his  which  has  been  ap- 
plauded in  these  modern  days,  and  by  110 
class  more  heartily  than  by  the  clergy — the 
modern  clergy — ^themselves.  It  is  no  longer 
the  fashion  to  sneer  at  lay  exhorters ;  and  while 
we  seldom  hear  of  ministers  sitting  in  judg- 
ment on  their  fellows  the  records  of  almost 
each  presbytery  furnish  evidence  that  the  prac- 
tice has  not  altogether  fallen  into  disuse.  At 
the  same  time,  in  a  settled  community,  in  a 
deeply  religious  community  like  Southold,  a 
community  anchored  to  the  cool  and  merciless 
logic  of  Calvinism,  we  are  not  surprised  to 
find  that  Davenport's  sensational  methods  were- 


EARLY    CONGREGATIONAL  AND    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCHES. 


139' 


not  congenial,  and  to  find  that  most  of  his 
wild  work  was  done  elsewhere.  But  even  in 
Southold  his  performances  caused  trouble,  and 
we  learn  that  its  effects  hampered  the  useful- 
ness and  disturbed  the  equanimity  of  his  suc- 
cessor, the  Rev.  William  Throop,  who  was 
installed  September  21,  1748,  and  ministered 
in  Southold  until  his  death,  September  29, 
1756.  A  still  shorter  career  was  that  of 
Smith  Stratton,  who  took  up  the  work  which 
Mr.  Throop  laid  down.  He  was  ordained  to 
preach  in  1755  and  died  March  10,  1758.  He 
acted  as  pulpit  supply,  probably  the  state  of 
his  health  preventing  his  assuming  the  full 
duties  of  the  pastorate.  It  was  while  he  oc- 
cupied the  pulpit  that  a  case  of  church  dis- 
cipline arose  which  occasioned  considerable 
comment  then  and  after.  In  the  records  of 
the  Suffolk  County  Presbytery  it  is  stated  as 
follows : 


A  member  of  this  church  married  the  sister 
of  his  deceased  wife,  who  was  likewise  a  mem- 
ber of  said  church,  which  affair  occasioned  an 
uneasiness  and  grievance  in  the  church.  The 
deacons  of  the  church  did  (in  behalf  of  the 
church)  relate  the  case  to  this  Presbytery,  and 
desire  the  opinion  of  the  Presbytery  relating 
to  the  case,  both  as  to  their  present  duty  and 
to  the  lawfulness  of  the  marriage.  The  Pres- 
bytery, after  considering  and  conversing  upon 
the  case,  gave  it  as  their  opinion  and  judg- 
ment that  the  aforementioned  marriage  is  un- 
lawful and  sinful;  and  that  consequently  the 
married  couple  should  be  set  aside  from  the 
sacrament,  when  it  is  administered,  till  satis- 
faction be  made. 


In  the  line  of  pastorates  the  sixth  occupant 
of  the  office  was  the  Rev.  John  Storrs,  who 
when  he  was  inducted  August  15, 1763,  was  the 
first  to  introduce  into  the  ecclesiastical  history 
of  Long  Island  a  name  that  has  since  been 
held  with  peculiar  reverence  by  the  people  of 
every  class  and  creed.  He  was  born  at  Mans- 
field, Connecticut,  December  i,  1735,  and  de- 
scended from  the  old  Nottinghamshire  family 
of  Storrs  of  Sutton.  He  was  graduated  from 
Yale  in  1756.    He  had  married,  soon  after  his 


graduation,  Eunice  Conant,  widow  of  Dr> 
Howe,  of  Mansfield.  She  died  on  March  27,. 
1767,  and  was  buried  in  the  churchyard  at 
Southold,  and  in  December  of  the  same  year 
Mr.  Storrs  married  one  of  his  parishioners,. 
Hannah  Moore.  In  1776  the  British  troops 
compelled  him  to  leave  his  church  and  Long 
Island,  as  his  sympathies  with  the  Patriot 
cause  were  too  outspoken  to  be  ignored; "but 
he  continued  his  clerical  work  as  a  chaplain 
in  the  Continental  army.  He  was  gazetted  to 
that  office  in  the  Second  Battalion  of  Wads- 
worth's  Connecticut  brigade  in  1776,  and  in 
1781  was  attached  to  Colonel  Waterbury's 
Connecticut  brigade.  On  the  close  of  hos- 
tilities he  returned  to  Southold  and  took  up^ 
his  old  work  there,  and  so  continued  until 
1787,  when  he  was  dismissed  at  his  own  re- 
quest. He  then  removed  to  Mansfield,  where 
he  died,  October  9,  1799. 

One  of  his  sons,  Richard  Salter  Storrs, 
was  for  a  time  a  teacher  at  Clinton  Academy,. 
Easthampton.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  by 
the  Presbytery  of  Suffolk  and  took  charge  of 
the  parishes  of  Islip  and  Smithtown,  but  after- 
ward became  minister  of  the  Congregational 
church  at  Braintree,  Massachusetts.  He  died 
there,  August  11,  1873.  His  son,  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Richard  S.  Storrs,  was  the  famous  pastor 
of  the  Church  of  the  Pilgrims  in  Brooklyn, 
whose  death  in  1900  was  regarded  as  a  loss 
not  only  to  the  ecclesiastical  life  of  Long 
Island  but  to  all  its  best  interests. 

Since  the  resignation  of  the  Rev.  John 
Storrs  the  pulpit  of  the  old  church  at  Southold 
has  been  filled  by  the  following: 

Rev.  Joseph  Hazzard  from  June  7,  1797, 
to  April,  1806;  Rev.  Joseph  Huntting,  from 
June,  1806,  to  August,  1828;  Rev.  Ralph 
Smith,  from  July  15,  1836,  to  December,  1840; 
Rev.  H.  F.  Wiswall,  June  18,  1845,  to  No- 
vember 12,  1850;  Rev.  Epher  Whittaker,  D. 
D.,  from  1856  to  1892,  since  which  time  he 
has  been  pastor  emeritus,  the  active  work  of 
the  pastorate  having  been  since  carried  on  by 
the  Rev.  James  B.  Freeman  and  by  the  present 
pastor,  the  Rev.  W.  H.  Lloyd. 


140 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


In  addition  to  these,  many  brilliant  men 
served  the  church  from  time  to  time  as  pulpit 
supply,  and  their  memories  are  yet  precious 
inheritances  in  a  community  which  still  ad- 
heres to  many  of  the  lovable  characteristics 
and  to  much  of  the  devout  and  practical  faith 
of  the  fathers.  Some  of  those  ministers  and 
supplies  will  be  found  spoken  of  at  length  in 
other  parts  of  this  work. 

The  pastor  emeritus  of  the  church,  Dr. 
Whitaker,  was  born  at  Fairfield,  New  Jersey, 
March  27,  1820.  He  was  educated  with  a 
view  to  the  ministry  and  after  his  graduation 
from  Delaware  College,  in  1847,  he  continued 
his  studies  in  the  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
New  York,  taking  the  full  theological  course. 
On  leaving  there  he  was  licensed  to  preach 
by  the  Presbytery  of  New  York,  April  9,  185 1. 
He  was  ordained  the  eleventh  minister  of 
Southold  September  10,  in  the  same  year,  and 
now  after  almost  half  a  century  of  work  con- 
tinues the  duties  of  his  sacred  office  as  zeal- 
ously as  ever.  Far  beyond  the  confines  of 
Southold,  however,  the  name  of  Dr.  Whitaker 
has  been  known  as  a  writer,  historian  and 
antiquary.  In  1865  he  published  "New  Fruits 
from  an  Old  Field,"  a  volume  of  essays  and 
discourses;  and  his  later  work,  "History  of 
Southold:  Its  First  Century,  1640  to  1740," 
is  pre-eminently  the  local  authority  on  facts, 
dates  and  family  history.  It  was  published  in 
1 88 1,  and  in  the  following  year  he  issued  a 
work  of  much  interest  to  the  local  student, 
"Old  Town  Records."  He  has  been  a  con- 
tributor to  magazine  literature  for  over  half 
a  century  and  his  work  is  invariably  char- 
acterized by  clearness  and  force.  He  never 
writes  without  having  a  story  to  tell  or  a 
point  to  illustrate  or  drive  home,  and  he  pre- 
sents it  to  his  readers  in  plain,  nervous  Eng- 
lish and  in  simple  yet  captivating  and  con- 
vincing fashion.  Some  of  his  pulpit  dis- 
couirses  are  models  of  tlieir  kind.  In  1877  he 
received  the  degree  of  D.  D.  from  Delaware 
College. 

The  first  settlers  of  Southampton  also  had 
a  clergyman  as  their  leader,  a  good  man,  a 


man,  so  far  as  we  can  learn,  of  many  brilliant 
parts,  but  not  so  gifted  by  any  means  as  was 
the  pioneer  statesman-preacher,  John  Youngs, 
of  Southold.  The  Rev.  Abraham  Pierson  was 
a  native  of  England,  a  graduate  of  CambridgCj 
and  is  said  to  have  preached  the  Word  in  his 
home  land  before  he  cast  in  his  lot  with  Amer- 
ica. He  was  ordained  in  Lynn,  Massachusetts, 
in  1640,  as  minister  of  the  church  colony  then 
about  to  proceed  to  Long  Island  and  so  became 
the  first  pastor  of  Southampton.  He  was  one 
of  those  who  witnessed  the  Indian  deed  in 
December,  1640.  It  is  supposed  that  the 
church  structure  was  by  that  time  erected  and 


SOUTHAMPTON. 


in  use,  and  of  course  could  this  be  proved  be- 
yond question  the  honor  in  that  matter  would 
rest  with  Southampton  and  the  claims  of 
Southold  be  completely  shut  out ;  yet  we  fear 
the  matter  will  ever  remain  one  of  the  mooted 
points  of  local  history,  one  of  those  little  co- 
nundrums which  are  so  useful  in  the  way  of 
developing  an  interest  in  historical  and  anti- 
quarian study.  At  best,  however,  the  church 
edifice  at  Southampton,  standing  in  1640,  was 
a  flimsy  afifair,  probably  only  a  structure  of 
logs,  hurriedly  put  together.  We  judge  so 
from  the  fact  that  in  March,  1651,  a  new  meet- 
ing-house was  erected,  and  the  contracts  called 
for  a  structure  thirty  feet  long  and  twenty- four 
feet  wide,  the  laborers  receiving  two  shillings 
in  wampum  for  each  day's  work.     The  con- 


EPLBR  WHITAKER. 


EARLY   CONGREGATIONAL  AND    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCHES.        141 


tractors  were  "Ellis  Cook  and  Richard  Post. 
The  fate  of  the  pioneer  building  seems  strange. 
At  a  town  meeting  held  in  April,  1651,  it  was 
agreed  "that  Richard  Mills  shall  have  the  old 
meeting-house  with  the  appurtenances  to  help 
to  enlarge  his  house,  for  which  gift  the  said 
Richard  Mills  doth  engage  himself  to  keep  an 
'ordinary'  for  strangers  for  diet  and  lodging. 
Long  before  this  new  sanctuary  had  been  erect- 
ed, or  probably  before  it  was  even  thought  of, 
Abraham  Pierson  had  resigned  the  pastorate, 
having  a  difficulty  with  the  people  on  a  ques- 
tion of  church  prerogative  in  local  affairs,  and, 
with  a  number  of  his  congregation,  removed 
to  Branford,  Connecticut,  in  1647.  Mr.  Pier- 
son  moved  to  Newark,  New  Jersey,  in  1662, 
or  soon  after  that  year,  and  there  set  up  an- 
other tabernacle,  the  supremacy  of  the  church 
over  all  secular  affairs  being  to  him  a  burning 
question;  and  the  progress  of  events  in  Con- 
necticut made  such  a  claim  no  longer  possible 
there.  He  continued  his  ministry  at  Newark 
until  his  death,  in  1678.  It  is  said  that  when 
be  quitted  Branford  he  left  the  town  without 
an  inhabitant,  all  the  people  going  with  him 
to  New  Jersey,  and  he  carried  away  all  the 
local  church  records  and  papers.  For  some 
twenty-three  years  he  exerted  a  great  amount 
of  political  influence  in  Connecticut.  Gover- 
nor Winthrop,  one  of  his  warmest  friends, 
spoke  of  him  as  "a  godly  man"  and  he  won 
the  approval  of  the  Rev.  Cotton  Mather.  In 
the  question  of  the  evangelization  of  the  red 
men  he  took  a  deep  interest.  He  studied  their 
language  and  prepared  (1660)  a  catechism  for 
their  use.  In  the  campaign  against  the  Dutch 
in  1654  he  served  as  chaplain  to  the  forces. 
Mr.  Pierson  was  succeeded  in  the  charge 
of  Southampton  by  the  Rev.  Robert  Fordham, 
minister  at  Hempstead,  who  took  up  the  bur- 
den in  1648,  at  a  salary  of  £60  for  the  first 
year  and  £80  a  year  thereafter.  Mr.  Fordham 
continued  to  hold  the  pastorate  until  his  death, 
in  1674.  Of  his  personal  career  more  par- 
ticular mention  will  be  made  later  on  in  this 
chapter.  Some  time  before  his  decease  he  was 
incapacitated  from  active  work  by  bodily  in- 


firmity, and  in  1674  the  Rev.  John  Harriman, 
was  installed  as  his  colleague  and  successor, 
As  salary,  it  was  arranged  Mr.  Harriman 
should  receive  from  Mr.  Fordham  £40  a  year 
— ore-half  the  regular  salary — and  £20  from 
the  people,  besides  the  use  of  thirty  acres  of 
land  and  of  "a  good  house  of  two  stories  with 
a  brick  chimnie  and  two  chamber  chimnies.'' 
A  provision  was  also  made  that  if  Mr.  Ford- 
ham could  take  no  part  in  the  work  the  salary 
of  his  young  colleague  was  to  be  made  up  to 
£80. 

Mr.  Harriman  seems  to  have  been  a  gentle- 
man with  an  eye  constantly  open  to  improving 
his  own  worldly  prospects  and  appears  to  have 
been  absent  from  Southampton  very  frequent- 
ly, turning  up  as  a  candidate  in  vacant 
churches  where  the  stipend  was  more  liberal 
and  the  prospects  brighter  than  in  South- 
ampton. As  a  result  the  honest  folks  there 
were  not  over-particular  in  seeing  to  it  that 
his  salary  was  promptly  forthcoming.  This 
apparently  led  to  squabbles,  and  when  he 
iinally  resigned,  in  1679,  he  claimed  that  half 
a  year's  stipend  was  due.  This  the  people, 
after  due  consideration,  finally  and  peremptor- 
ily refused  to  pay. 

Harriman  was  succeeded,  in  1680,  by  the 
Rev.  John  Taylor,  a  graduate  of  Harvard  and 
a  preacher  at  New  Haven.  In  way  of  re- 
muneration he  was  most  liberally  dealt  with,, 
probably  to  remove  any  ill  reputation  which 
may  have  come  to  the  place  through  the  bick- 
erings with  the  departed  Harriman.  The 
people  promised  him  "a  salary  of  £100  and 
the  sole  use  of  the  house  and  land  formerly 
built  and  laid  out  for  the  ministry,  together 
with  another  end  to  be  built  to  the  said  house, 
and  100  acres  of  commonage."  In  addition 
they  gave  "to  him  and  his  heirs  forever  100 
acres  in  the  woods  or  commons,"  and  another 
small  parcel  of  four  acres.  It  was  further 
stipulated  that  the  salary  of  £100  should  be 
paid  in  this  manner: 

In  winter  wheat  at  5s  the  bushel. 
In  summer  wheat  at  4s  6d  bushel. 


142 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


In  Indian  corn  at  2s  6d  bushel.  ' 

In  beef  at  40s  per  cwt. 
In  pork  at  ids  per  cwt. 
In  tallow  at  3d  per  lb. 
In  green  hides  at  3d  per  lb. 
In  dry  hides  at  6d  per  lb. 
In  whalebones  at  8d  per  lb. 
In  oil  at  30s  per  bbl. 
All  good  and  merchantable.     To  be  col- 
lected by  the  Constable. 

Mr.  Taylor  did  not  live  long  to  enjoy  his 
worldly  prosperity,  for  he  passed  away  in  1682. 
It  was  during  the  ministry  of  his  successor, 
the  Rev.  Joseph  Whiting,  who  seems  to  have 
entered  upon  the  charge  in  1683,  that  the  sec- 
ond church  was  abandoned,  in  1707,  for  a 
new  edifice,  which  was  completed  in  1709,  :it 
a  cost  of  £55  7s  5d.  It  was  furbished  up  and 
a  steeple  added  in  175 1 ;  improved,  almost  re- 
built, in  1820,  and  continued  to  serve  the  con- 
gregation until  1845,  when  the  now  existing 
church  was  erected.  It  is  singular  that  each 
of  these  four  churches  occupied  a  different 
site,  thus  departing  from  the  general  usage. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Whiting  continued  as  pastor 
of  the  old  church  until  his  death,  in  1723, 
when  he  had  attained  the  patriarchial  age  of 
eighty-two  years.  His  successor,  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Gelston,  was  associated  with  him  as 
colleague  from  171 7  and  remained  in  charge 
of  the  congregation  until  1727,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Pennsylvania,  where  his  career  was 
by  no  means  a  creditable  one.  On  Gelston's 
retirement  the  Rev.  Sylvanus  White  became 
pastor  and  so  continued  until  his  death,  in 
1782,  a  period  of  service  of  fifty-five  years. 
His  successors  have  been  Revs.  Joshua  Will- 
iam, Herman  Daggett,  David  S.  Bogart,  John 
M.  Babbitt,  Peter  H.  Shaw,  Daniel  Beers, 
Hugh  N.  Wilson,  John  A.  Morgan,  Frederick 
Shearer,  Andrew  Shiland,  Walton  Condict 
and  R.  S.  Campbell. 

The  oldest  congregation  in  Queens  county 
is  that  now  known  as  "Christ's  First  Church" 
in  Hempstead.  It  was  organized,  it  is  claimed, 
in  1643,  the  same  year  in  which  the  town  had 
been  settled  by  a  colony  from  Stamford,  Con- 


necticut, made  up  mainly  of  people  who  had 
emigrated  from  England  a  few  years  before. 
The  leader  of  this  colony  was  the  Rev.  Robert 
Fordham.  It  has  been  the  custom  to  give  the 
honor  of  founding  this  colony  to  Richard 
Denton,  but  a  saries  of  patient  investigations 
undertaken  by  Dr.  William  Wallace  Tooker, 
of  Sag  Harbor,  seems  to  prove  that  that 
preacher  was  the  third  and  not  the  first  re- 
ligious leader  of  the  Hempstead  colony.  From 
a  manuscript  essay  by  Dr.  Tooker  the  fol- 
lowing facts  are  gleaned : 

Robert  Fordham  was  the  son  of  Phillip 
Fordham,  of  Sacombe,  Hertfordshire,  Eng- 
land. He  came  to  America  with  his  wife 
Elizabeth  and  family  in  the  year  1640.  After 
his  arrival  in  America  he  spent  brief  periods 
at  Cambridge  and  Sudbury,  Massachusetts. 
From  Sudbury  he  probably  went  to  Stamford, 
Connecticut,  and  organized  the  migration  to 
the  Hempstead  Plains  in  1643. 

The  Journal  of  New  Netherland  [says  Dr. 
Tooker],  written  previous  to  1646,  translated 
from  Holland  documents  (Documentary  His- 
tory of  New  York,  Vol.  4,  page  15),  declares 
that  there  was  an  English  colony  at  Hempstead 
dependent  on  the  Dutch  before  the  hostilities 
of  1643-4.  Underbill's  attack  upon  the  Mas- 
sapeag  Indians  did  not  take  place  in  1653,  as 
some  of  our  historians  have  placed  the  date, 
but  it  was  actually  in  the  winter  of  1643-4. 
The  question  now  arises.  Was  there  an  Eng- 
lish colony  there  previous  to  that  winter  as 
claimed  by  the  Dutch  ?  According  to  circum- 
stantial evidence  there  certainly  was  one. 
*  *  *  The  Indian  deed  to  Hempstead  is 
dated  November  13,  1643,  ^"d  conveys  to 
"Robert  Fordham  and  John  Carman,  on  Long 
Island,  Inglishmen,  the  halfe  moiety  or  equal 
part  of  the  great  plain  lying  toward  the  south 
side  of  Long  Island,"  etc.  This  deed  surely 
locates  Fordham  and  Carman  there  in  the  fall 
of  1643,  a  date  previous  to  the  hostilities 
against  the  Long  Island  Indians,  and  being 
named  first  proves  that  Fordham  was  the  lead- 
er in  the  enterprise  as  well  as  in  the  purchase, 
whatever  else  he  might  have  been. 

In  the  Dutch  work  called  "Breeden  Raedt," 
printed  at  Antwerp  in  1649,  't  is  stated  that 


EARLY   CONGREGATIONAL  AND    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCHES.       143 


"in  April  of  the  year  1644  seven  savages  wrere 
arrested  at  Hempstead,  where  an  EngHsh 
clergyman,  Mr.  Fordham,  was  Governor. 
*  *  *"  This  proves  that  in  April,  1644, 
Robert  Fordham,  an  English  clergyman,  was 
the  head  of  the  Hempstead  colony,  and  the 
record  would  surely  indicate  he  had  been  there 
some  time.  After  quoting  several  other  au- 
thorities which  show  conclusively  that  Ford- 
ham was  the  head  of  the  Hempstead  colony. 
Dr.  Tooker  proceeds  to  prove  that  he  was  the 
first  minister  of  the  colony  just  as  Mr.  Youngs 
was  at  Southold.  •  He  says,  "Edward  Johnson, 
a  New  England  contemporary  and  historian, 
in  his  'Wonder- Working  Providence'  (Mass. 
His.  Col.,  Vol.  7,  page  22),  says,  'Chap. 
XVIj,  of  the  Planting  of  Long  Island:' 
'This  people  [Southampton]  gathered  into  a 
church  and  called  to  office  Mr.  Pierson,  who 
continued  with  them  seven  or  eight  years,  and 
then  with  the  greatest  number  of  his  people 
removed  farther  into  the  island ;  the  other  part 
that  remained  invited  Mr.  Fordham  and  a  peo- 
ple that  were  with  him  to  come  and  joyne 
with  them,  who  accordingly  did,  being  wan- 
dered as  far  as  the  Dutch  plantation  and 
there  unsettled,  although  he  came  into  the 
country  before  them.'  There  are  some  errors 
in  this  story,  but  the  lines  relating  to  Mr. 
Fordham  are  to  all  intents  true,  for  many  of 
his  people  did  follow  him  to  Southampton  and 
became  citizens  of  that  town,  which  even  at 
that  early  day  possessed  many  advantages  over 
Hempstead.  The  lines  also  demonstrate  that 
he  had  been  up  to  that  time  the  minister  of 
Hempstead  and  the  people  coming  with  him 
were  his  parishioners." 
Dr.  Tooker  also  says : 

We  have  still  another  witness  whose  testi- 
mony cannot  be  questioned,  and  although  it 
lias  been  printed  for  nearly  fifty  years  we  can- 
not understand  why  it  has  been  ignored  or 
overlooked.  This  testimony  is  by  none  other 
that  Peter  Stuyvesant,  who  writes  in  his  own 
hand  to  the  people  of  Hempstead  under  date 
of  July  17,  1657,  nine  years  after  Fordham 
and  his  people  had  abandoned  the  Hempstead 


plantation  and  Dutch  rule :  "You  all  do  know 
that  Mr.  Robert  fordim  sum  tyme.s  minister  of 
the  town  off  Hempstead,  du  leave  that  pleic 
and  alsoo  the  exercise,  of  the  ministery  without 
our  wish  or  knuwledge  and  for  no  or  littel  rea- 
sons, therefore  we  ken  not  ad  mitt  him  in  such 
a  mennor  of  comminge  againe."  This  Stuy- 
vesant letter  is  a  harmonizing  sequence  to  the 
earlier  Dutch  record  as  before  quoted  and 
taken  altogether  they  form  a'  connecting  nar- 
rative authentic  and  undisputable,  confirming 
as  they  do  beyond  question  the  historical  fact 
that  the  Rev.  Robert  Fordham's  ministry  ante- 
dated that  of  the  Rev.  Richard  Denton  some 
years,  and  from  Stuyvesant's  remarks  it  is  evi- 
dent that  at  the  time  of  his  visit  to  Hempstead 
some  of  the  people  had  expressed  a  desire  for 
Mr.  Fordham's  return,  a  desire  perhaps  un- 
known to,  and  not  approved,  by  Mr.  Fordham 
himself,  who  was  then  firmly  established  and 
prosperous  at  Southampton,  as  the  records  of 
that  period  bear  witness.  Mr.  Fordham  and 
his  followers  undoubtedly  had  good  and  suf- 
ficient reasons  for  leaving  Hempstead,  and 
with  it  the  rigorous  government  of  the  Dutch, 
which  was  oppressive  in  his  day  and  later. 

Rev.  John  Eliot,  the  well  known  apostle  to 
the  Indians,  in  a  letter  of  May,  1650,  describ- 
ing New  England  and  speaking  of  Long  Is- 
land, says :  "50  myles  to  the  southwest  end  is 
Hempstead,  wHere  Mr.  Moore  preacheth." 
This  is  confirmed  in  a  complaint  against  the 
Indians  dated  September  25,  1651,  by  the  in- 
habitants of  Hempstead  to  the  Directors  at 
Amsterdam,  which  is  attested  as  a  true  copy 
by  "John  Moore,  the  minister  of  the  church  of 
Hempstead."  With  the  Hempstead  people, 
among  whom  were  Robert  Coe  and  Richard 
Gildersleeve,  he  migrated  to  Middleburg 
(Newtown)  in  1652  and  became  pastor  there." 

In  view  of  this  there  seems  no  doubt  that 
the  first  minister  of  Hempstead  was  Mr.  Ford- 
ham, who  labored  from  1643  to  1649,  that  the 
second  was  Mr.  Moore,  who  held  the  office  un- 
til 1652,  and  that  the  third  minister  was  the 
Rev.  Richard  Denton,  who  became  minister 
in  that  year,  probably  by  appointment  of  Gov- 
ernor Stuyvesant.  If  we  accept  Woodbridge's 
statement  that  a  church  building  was  erected 
at  Hempstead  in  1648,  it  would  seem  that  the 
honor  of  being  its  builder  should  be  given  to 
Mr.  Fordham,  which  would  deprive  its  present 
day  representative  of  its  claims  to  be  "the  first 
Presbyterian  church  in  America,"  for  Mr. 
Fordham  and  Mr.   Moore    would    assuredly 


144 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


rank  as  Congregationalists  rather  than  Pres- 
byterians. 

Richard  Denton  was  a  native  of  Yorkshire, 
England.  He  was  graduated  at  Cambridge  '.n 
1602  and  for  sortie  years  was  minister  of 
Coley  Chapel,  Halifax,  England.  In  1630  the 
famous  Act  of  Uniformity  forced  him  to  re- 
linquish his  church  and  in  search  of  religious 
liberty  he  crossed  the  Atlantic,  settling  first 
at  Watertown,  Massachusetts.  In  1650  he  was 
engaged  in  preaching  in  New  Amsterdam  to 
the  English  people  and  seems  to  have  won  the 
good  will  and  friendship  of  Stuyvesant.  The 
Rev.  Cotton  Mather,  who  apparently  knew 
Denton  well,  gives  him  the  character  of  being 
an  excellent  man  and  an  able  preacher  and 
mentions  that  he  wrote  a  voluminous  work,  a 
system  of  divinity,  under  the  title  of  "Sol- 
iloquia  Sacra;"  but  all  trace  of  it  has  appar- 
ently been  lost.*  It  may  be  said  in  passing  that 
a  son  of  this  clergyman,  Daniel^  Denton,  wrote 
a  work  entitled  "A  Brief  Description  of  New 
York,  with  the  Customs  of  the  Indians,"  in 
1670  (London),  which  is  said  to  have  been 
the  first  description  in  print  of  New  York  and 
New  Jersey.  An  edition  of  this  work  (100 
copies)  was  printed  in  1845  by  Gabriel  Fur- 
man,  with  some  valuable  notes. 

It  has  been  doubted  whe'ther  even  Denton 
was  a  Presbyterian,  and  the  matter  has  fre- 


*Cotton  Mather' s  reference  was  as  follows :  ' '  Among 
these  clouds  (meaning  the  ministers  who  early  came  to 
New  England)  was  one  pious  and  learned  Mr.  Richard 
Denton,  a  Yorkshire  man,  who,  having  watered  Halifax, 
in  England,  where,  first  at  Weathersfield,  and  then  at 
Stamford,  his  doctrine  dropped  as  the  rain,  his  speech 
distilled  as  the  dew,  as  the  small  rain  upon  the  tender 
herb,  and  as  the  showers  upon  the  grass.  Though  he 
were  a  little  man,  yet  he  had  a  great  soul;  his  well  accom- 
plished mind,  in  his  lesser  body,  was  an  Iliad  in  a  nut 
shell.  I  think  he  was  blind  of  an  eye,  yet  he  was  not 
the  least  among  the  Seers  of  Israel;  he  saw  a  very  con- 
siderable portion  of  those  things  which  eye  hath  not  seen. 
He  was  far  from  cloudy  in  his  conceptions  and  principles 
of  divinity,  whereof  he  wrote  a  system  entitled  '  Soliliquia 
Sacra,'  so  accurately,  considering' the  four-fold  state  of 
man,  in  his  created  purity,  contracted  deformity,  restored 
beauty,  and  celestial  glory,  that  judicious  persons,  who 
have  seen  it,  very  much  lament  the  churches  being  so 
much  deprived  of  it.  At  length  he  got  into  heaven 
beyond  the  clouds,  and  so  beyond  storms,  waiting  the 
return  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  clouds  of  heaven, 
when  he  will  have  his  reward  among  the  saints." 


quently  been  argued  at  considerable  length, 
many  holding  that  he  was  simply  an  English 
"nonconformist"  and  what  would  be  termed 
nowadays  a  Congregational  minister.  Still  the 
Rev.  Sylvester  Woodbridge,  who  was  pastor 
of  the  Hempstead  church  from  1838  to  1848, 
and  wrote  its  history,  claims  Denton  to  have 
been  a  Presbyterian ;  and  as  he  is  as  good  an 
authority  as  any  other  we  may  be  content  to 
take  our  stand  on  that  matter  with  him;  for 
if  Denton  be  deposed  from  the  honor  of  be- 
ing the  first  minister  of  Hempstead  the  de- 
nominational point  at  issue  is  lost.  Wood- 
bridge  is  also  our  authority  for  much  of  what 
follows  concerning  the  story  of  the  church. 
"It  was  not  until  1648,"  he  tells  us,  "that  the 
congregation  was  able  to  move  into  its  own 
meetinj^-house.  It  stood  near  the  pond,  in  the 
northwest  part  of  the  village  (northwest  cor- 
ner of  Fulton  and  Franklin  streets),  and  was 
surrounded  by,  or  at  least  connected  with,  a 
fort  or  stockade.  It  may  be  proper  to  observe 
that  at  this  time  the  most  intimate  connection 
existed  between  church  and  state  in  all  Chris- 
tian countries.  In  towns  which,  like  Hemp- 
stead, were  Presbyterian  (that  is,  which  choie 
their  own  officers)  this  was  particularly  the 
case.  The  same  persons  constituted  'the 
church'  and  'the  town'  and  elected  the  two 
boards  of  magistrates  and  elders  who  were 
often  the  same  individuals." 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Denton  continued  to  officiate 
as  minister,  evidently  after  rather  a  stormy 
pastorate,  until  1659,  when  he  returned  to 
England.  He  died  at  Essex  in  1662.  In  1660 
the  Rev.  Jonas  Fordham  became  the  pastor, 
but  how  long  he  remained  is  not  clear ;  but  we 
do  know  that  the  Rev.  Jeremiah  Hobart  was 
installed  to  the  pastorate  in  1683  and  remained  . 
until  1696,  although  he  seems  to  have  had 
some  trouble  in  receiving  his  salary  with  due 
punctuality.  The  .authorities  to  whom  he  ap- 
pealed ordered  a  tax  to  be  levied  to  meet  the 
amount,  and  this  naturally  rendered  him  very 
unpopular.  The  next  minister  was  the  Rev. 
John  Thomas,  who  died  in  1724,  and  after 
him  came  a  period  of  struggle  during  which 


EARLY  CONGREGATIONAL  AND   PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCHES.       14& 


the  congregation  dwindled  down  to  a  few  fam- 
ilies, lost  their  church  property  to  the  Episco- 
palians and  became  "a  remnant,"  meeting  in 
each  other's  houses.  Their  devotion,  however, 
ultimately  found  its  reward,  and  in  1762  they 
again  worshipped  in  a  church,  a  small  build- 
ing which  they  erected  near  the  site  of  the 
congregation's  present  meeting  place. 

The  Rev.  Benjamin  Woolsey  and  the  Rev. 
Abraham  Keteltas  acted  as  pulpit  supply,  if 
not  as  regular  pastoHs,  and  kept  the  people  to- 
gether. The  Rev.  Joshua  Hart  was  minister 
during  the  continuance  of  the  Revolutionary 
War,  but  his  labors  were  sadly  interferred  with 
by  the  military  operations.  The  church  build- 
ing was  used  by  the  British  as  a  stable  and 
received  pretty  rough  usage.  The  congrega- 
tion again  dwindled  down  to  a  remnant  of 
some  fifteen  or  twenty  members,  and  it  seemed 
as  though  it  would  soon  become  extinct.  Still 
the  brethren  held  together. 

On  June  5,  1805,  the  Rev.  William  P- 
Xupors  was  installed.  The  roll  of  communi- 
10 


cants  showed  but  twenty-three  names  when  he 
retired  in  1811.  For  some  four  years  the  pas- 
torate was  filled  by  the  Rev.  Samuel  Robert- 
son as  a  "side  issue"  in  connection  with  his 
own  church  at  Huntington,  but  he  did  little 
more  than  keep  the  people  together.  With 
the  installation  of  the  Rev.  Charles  Webster  in 
1818  a  better  state  of  things  began  to  set  in. 
A  new  house  of  worship  was  erected  and  the 
members  began  slowly,  but  steadily,  to  in- 
crease. He  remained  in  charge  until  1837, 
and  when  he  retired  he  had  the  satisfaction  of; 
announcing  that  the  congregation  numbered! 
one  hundred  and  twenty-fiye.  His  successor 
was  the  Rev.  Sylvester  Woodbridge,  Jr.,  who> 
remained  with  the  people  until  1849,  Then^ 
followed  in  succession  Revs.  Charles  W.. 
Shields,  1849-50;  N.  C.  Locke,  1851-60;  J.  I.. 
A.  Morgan,  1860-7;  James  B.  Finch,  1867-75;. 
Franklin  Noble,  1875-80;  F.  E.  Hopkins^. 
1881-4;  Charles  E.  Dunn,  1884-8;  John  A.. 
Davis,  1890-3;  and  from  1894  the  present  pas- 
tor, the  Rev.  F.  M.  Kerr. 


W        yht        W 


CHAPTER  XII. 


RELIGIOUS    PROGRESS    IN    KINGS    COUNTY. 


HE  first  church  in  Kings  county,  the 
Reformed  Church,  Flatbush,  has  a 
most  complete  and  interesting  history 
from  its  inception  in  1654  to  the  pres- 
ent day.  Its  annals  have  been  fully  and  ably 
detailed  in  a  most  interesting  little  brochure 
written  by  Mrs.  Gertrude  Lefferts  Vanderbilt, 
so  well  known  as  an  entertaining  and  pains- 
taking writer  on  old  and  new  Flatbush,  and 
we  herein  reproduce  her  study  of  the  history 
of  the  old  church,  with  but  trifling  changes, 
feeling  that  so  interesting  a  contribution  to 
local  history  should  be  preserved  in  a  more 
permanent  form  than  that  in  which  it  orig- 
inally appeared: 

The  West  India  Company,  then  the  ruling 
power  in  the  New  Netherland,  recognized  the 
authority  of  the  Church  of  Holland  over  their 
colonial  possessions,  and  the  care  of  the  trans- 
atlantic churches  here  was  extended  by  the 
Synod  of  Holland  to  the  Classis  of  Amster- 
dam. The  first  provision  made  for  the  spirit- 
ual comfort  and  edification  of  the  colonists 
was  the  sending  of  pious  men  whose  duty  it 
was  to  officiate  at  religious  meetings,  to  read 
a  sermon  on  the  Sabbath  day  and  to  lead  the 
devotions  of  the  people.  These  were  not  or- 
dained ministers ;  from  their  particular  duties 
they  were  called  "Krank-besoeckers"  or 
"Zeikentroasters" — comforters  of  the  sick.  In 
1626  two  of  these  godly  men  were  sent  over 
with  Governor  Minuit.  They  conducted  re- 
ligious service  in  the  colony  of  New  York  un- 
til 1628,  when  Domine  Michaelius  was  sent  by 
the  North  Synod  of  Holland.  He  formed  the 
first  regular  church  organization  in  the  colony, 
and  had  about  fifty  communicants  at  the  first 
communion  administered  there. 


In  1633  he  was  succeeded  by  Domine 
Everardus  Bogardus.  In  that  year  the  first 
church  used  exclusively  as  a  place  of  public 
worship  was  erected ;  previously  they  had  wor- 
shipped in  the  upper  story  of  a  mill.  This 
church  was  a  plain  wooden  structure,  standing 
near  the  East  river,  on  what  is  now  Pearl 
street. 

The  increase  in  number,  as  well  as  the  wish 
of  the  people  to  have  a  more  imposing  and 
commodious  structure,  led  them,  in  1642,  to 
build  a  church  of  stone,  seventy-two  feet  long 
and  fifty-two  feet  broad,  at  a  cost  of  $1,000. 
The  worshippers  seem  to  have  taken  pride  in 
their  new  edifice,  for  they  placed  a  marble  slab 
on  the  front  of  it  with  this  inscription :  "Anno 
1642:  William  Kieft  Directeur  General;  Heeft 
de  Gemente  Desen  Temple  doen  bouwen." 
This  church  was  erected  by  the  people  in  1642, 
William  Kieft  being  Directeur  General. 

It  is  probable  that  at  this  period  the  people 
from  all  the  surrounding  Dutch  towns  and  the 
small  scattered  settlements  gathered  from  time 
to  time  to  worship  in  this  church.  We  must 
admit  that  this  could  not  be  done  without  en- 
countering many  obstacles,  for,  pleasant  as  it 
may  have  been  to  join  in  worship  with  their 
old  friends,  yet  the  journey  to  the  Fort  at  that 
day  was  not  an  easy  one.  In  a  report  upon  the 
state  of  religion  in  the  Province,  written  to 
the  Classis  of  Amsterdam  in  1657,  we  read 
that  the  "people  living  in  the  three  villages  of 
Breukelen,  Medwout  and  Amersfort  [Brook- 
lyn, Flatbush  and  Flatlands]  come  with  great 
difficulty  to  the  preaching  here"  [New  Yorkl. 
Again  we  read,  "It  was  some  three  hours'  work 
for  some  of  them  ere  they  could  reach  here.'' 
The  ferry  established  about  this  time  had  no 
better  accommodations  than  could  be  offered 
by  a  small  boat  rowed  by  a  farmer  who  came 
at  the  blowing  of  a  horn  hung  upon  a  neigh- 
boring tree.    Somewhere  about  1697  there  was 


RELIGIOUS    PROGRESS   IN   KINGS   COUNTY. 


147 


a  ferry  from  what  is  now  the  foot  of  Joralemon 
street,  Brooklyn,  to  the  Breede  Graft,  now 
Broad  street.  New  York;  through  the  centre 
of  this  street  ran  a  creek  which  the  boats 
could  ascend  to  the  ferry  house  there.  As  it 
was  not  until  1704  that  the  main  road  to  the 
ferry,  known  as  the  King's  Highway,  was 
opened,  we  do  not  wonder  that  the  journey 
from  the  various  settlements  in. Kings  county 
was  a  toilsome  one,  and  that  the  people  resi- 
dent there  began  to  petition  for  a  more  ac- 
cessible place  of  worship.  To  the  real  ob- 
stacles there  may  have  been  added  those  which, 
in  the  absence  of  reliable  information,  were 
supplied  by  fancy ;  for  in  a  letter  written  from 
Amsterdam  in  1671  an  imaginative  traveller 
describes  some  remarkable  animals  supjxDsed 
to  roam  through  the  woodlands.  They  are 
unknown  to  the  naturalists  of  the  present  day 
and  are  of  a  type  chiefly  found  among  the 
unicorns  and  griffins  of  heraldic  devices. 

Under  these  circumstances  we  do  not  won- 
der that  the  attendance  upon  public  worship 
in  the  sanctuary,  erected  by  the  "gemente"  of 
New  York  in  1642,  was  not  so  constant  as 
might  be  desired,  and  that  Governor  Stuy- 
vesant  recognized  the  necessity  of  having  a 
church  on  Long  Island.  It  seems  to  have  been 
genarally  conceded  that  Midwout,  now  the 
little  town  of  Flatbush,  was  most  central  as 
to  position  and  most  accessible.  This  spot 
was,  therefore,  honored  in  being  selected  for 
the  site  of  the  first  church  in  Kings  county. 
Here,  in  1654,  was  erected  a  place  of  worship 
upon  a  spot  where  for  nearly  two  and  a  half 
centuries  those  who  have  held  to  the  doctrines 
of  the  Church  of  Holland  have  assembled  Sun- 
day after  Sunday  for  worship. 

It  appears  upon  the  records  that  the  first 
church  in  Kings  county  cost  $1,800;  as  a  con- 
scientious historian  I  am  bound  to  admit  that 
the  whole  of  this  sum  was  not  raised  in  this 
county.  It  seems  to  have  been  collected 
throughout  the  whole  colony.  Governor  Stuy- 
vesant  himself  contributing  toward  the  liqui- 
dation of  the  debt  left  upon  the  building. 

In  after  years,  however,  this  indebtedness 
was  returned  in  kind,  for  there  is  a  petition 
still  to  be  found  among  the  church  records 
bearing  date  January  19,  1784,  in  which  New 
York  appeals  to  the  country  churches  for  help. 
In  response  to  it  the  sum  of  £20  6s  8d  was 
raised,  and  is  acknowledged  as  coming  from 
Kings  county.  But  an  examination  of  the 
names  on  this  paper  will  show  that  all  the 
contributors  were  residents  of  Flatbush  ex- 


cept two,  and  from  these  two  the  amount  col- 
lected was  very  small. 

The  farms  in  the  village  of  Flatbush  were 
originally  laid  out  in  long,  narrow  tracts  on 
each  side  of  the  Indian  path  which  at  the 
present  time  forms  the  main  street.  Central 
among  these  was  a  long  strip  of  land  set 
aside  for  the  church.  It  was  not  a  poor,  bar- 
ren tract,  but  as  fertile  and  as  pleasantly  sit- 
uated as  the  land  reserved  for  their  own  farms. 
They  gave  of  the  best  they  had  for  the  service 
of  the  Lord's  house.  They  made  ample  pro- 
vision for  the  continuance  and  maintenance 
of  the  ordinances  of  the  sanctuary  for  gen- 
erations to  come.  They  planned  wisely  and 
well,  and  the  church  to  this  day  holds  a  large 
portion  of  this  goodly  tract. 

The  first  church  was  in  the  form  of  a  cross. 
It  was  sixty-five  feet  long,  twenty-eight  feet 
broad,  and  about  twelve  or  fourteen  feet  high. 
The  rear  was  reserved  for  the  minister's 
dwelling. 

Like  a  mote  in  the  otherwise  pure  amber, 
the  dignified  ecclesiastical  records  of  this 
period  have  preserved  an  incident  which  in- 
dicates that  readiness  to  find  fault  which  some- 
times accompanies  our  best  works.  We  are 
told  that  the  people  of  Flatbush  sent  a  com- 
plaint to  Governor  Stuyvesant,  to  the  effect 
that,  while  they  did  all  the  work  in  building 
the  church,  the  other  towns  stood  idly  looking 
on.  The  Governor  came  to  the  rescue  with 
an  order  to  the  other  towns  to  "assist  in 
cutting  and  hauling  wood;"  The  other  towns 
determined  to  draw  a  line  somewhere,  and  did 
so  at  the  minister's  house.  They  agreed  to 
help  build  the  house  of  the  Lord,  but  as  for 
the  house  of  the  minister  they  replied  that 
the  "Medwoud  folks  were  able  to  do  it  them- 
selves." As  in  1656  the  minister  complained 
that  his  house  was  not  yet  completed,  the 
"Medwoud  folks"  do  not  seem  to  have  been 
as  prompt  in  fulfilling  their  share  of  the  con- 
tract as  they  should  have  been. 

The  clergymen,  sent  to  the  colony  were  men 
of  thorough  theological  training;  "for,"  says 
Brodhead,  "the  people,  who  at  Leyden  pre- 
ferred a  University  to  a  Fair,  insisted  upon 
an  educated  ministry." 

In  New  York  Rev.  Everardus  Bogardus 
was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Johannes  Megapolen- 
sis ;  his  singular  name  was  in  its  original  form 
of  a  family  name,  Jan  Van  Mecklenburg.  He 
seems  to  have  been  a  man  of  liberal  views  and 
kindly  feelings.  He  saved  the  life  of  a  Jesuit 
missionary,  Father  Jogues,  who  was  captured 


148 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


by  the  Mohawks  and  kept  for  torture.  After 
this  he  showed  a  similar  kindness  to  another 
priest.  Father  Poncet.  In  1658  a  friendship 
grew  up  between  himself  and  Father  Le 
Moyne,  a  priest  who  spent  that  winter  in  New 
Netherland.  He  was  settled  over  the  church 
in  New  York,  but  seems  to  have  had  the  over- 
sight of  the  congregations  in  Kings  county, 
and  was  expected  to  see  that  their  spiritual 
wants  were  supplied,  although  not  to  officiate 
regularly  as  the  pastor  of  the  church  at  Flat- 
bush. 

Rev.  Johannes  Theodoras  Polhemus  was 
the  first  regular  ordained  minister  in  the  coun- 
ty towns  worshipping  here.  He  had  for  a 
time  joint  charge  of  the  churches  of  Breuck- 
elen,  Midwout  and  Amersfort.  He  was  quite 
an  aged  man  and  required  an  assistant. 

The  first  church  at  Amersfort  (Flatlands) 
was  erected  in  1662 ;  the  first  church  in  Brook- 
lyn in  1666.  The  morning  service  for  Brook- 
lyn, Flatbush  and  Flatlands  was  held  at  Flat- 
bush;  the  afternoon  service  alternately  at 
Brooklyn  and  Flatlands. 

The  Rev.  Henry  Solyns,  or  Selwyn,  was 
called  from  Holland  in  1660,  and  the  Rev. 
Casparus  Van  Zuren  in  1677.  After  Domine 
Selwyn  was  installed  in  Brooklyn  Domine  Pol- 
hemus confined  his  services  to  Flatbush  and 
Flatlands;  when  Selwyn  returned  to  Holland 
in  16^64,  then  the  associated  towns  were  again 
in  care  of  Domine  Polhemus.  Carel  De  Beau- 
voise,  the  schoolmaster,  was  directed  to  read 
prayers  and  some  sermon  from  an  approved 
author  every  Sunday  until  another  minister 
was  called. 

it  is  probable  that  about  'this  time  the 
church  at  New  Utrecht  was  organized  and 
added  to  the  pastoral  care  of  the  minister 
preaching  in  the  churches  already  established, 
for  Rev.  Mr.  Van  Zuren  in  1677  states  that 
two  elders  and  two  deacons  were  chosen  for 
the  church  in  New  Utrecht. 

In  1681  the  consistory  of  the  church  at 
Flatbush  was  enlarged  by  the  addition  of  one 
elder  and  one  deacon  chosen  from  among  the 
members  living  in  New  Lots.  For  many  years 
after  this  none  of  the  churches  on  Long  Island 
had  more  than  two  elders  and  two  deacons, 
with  the  exception  of  the  Flatbush  church. 

Rev.  Casparus  Van  Zuren  'returned  to  Hol- 
land in  1685,  and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Ru- 
dolphus  Varick. 

The  last  minister  who  officiated  in  this  sec- 
end  church  edifice  was  Rev.   W.   Lupardus. 


He  preached  here  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1 701. 

Arrangements  were  made  in  1698  to  build 
a  new  church.  It  seems  probable  that  the  old 
building  was  too  small  to  accommodate  all  who 
by  this  time  assembled  together  for  worship, 
as  the  inhabitants  of  Brooklyn,  Flatbush,  Flat- 
lands,  Gravesend,  New  Utrecht  and  Bush- 
wick  all  united  in  the  service.  Brooklyn,  Flat- 
bush and  Bushwick  communed  together,  and 
P'latlands,  Gravesend  and  New  Utrecht. 

These  people  gladly  contributed  to  the 
erection  of  a  larger  house  of  worship,  rejoic- 
ing that  such  was  needed.  They  may  have 
talked  over  the  matter  as  did  their  fathers  in 
1642,  when  they  built  the  church  in  New  York. 
"It  is  a  shame,"  said  they  at  that  time,  "that 
the  English  should  see  when  they  pass  nothing 
but  a  mean  barn  in  which  public  worship  is 
performed.  The  first  thing  they  did  in  New 
England  when  they  raised  some  dwellings  was 
to  build  a  fine  church;  we  ought  to.40  the 
same." 

As,  according  to  the  old  proverb,  actions 
speak  louder  than  words,  we  may  certainly 
credit  them  with  an  alacrity  in  collecting  funds 
for  the  new  church,  which  speaks  well  for 
their  interest  in  the  matter.  A  subscription 
was  taken  up,  amounting  to  what  would  be  in 
our  money  about  $6,291.20.  This  is  certainly 
a  large  sum  in  view  of  the  few  from  whom 
it  was  collected,  for  there  is  no  record  this 
time  of  calling  for  outside  help  to  liquidate 
the  debts  left  upon  the  church,  and  there  is  no 
appeal  made  to  other  settlements  for  assist- 
ance. The  people  who  worshipped  there  built 
the  church  and  paid  for  it. 

We  copy  from  Rev.  Dr.  Strong's  History 
the  following  description  of  this  building: 
"It  was  located  on  the  spot  on  which  the  first 
church  stood.  It  was  a  stone  edifice,  fronting 
the  east,  with  a  large  arched  double  door  in 
the  centre.  It  had  a  steep,  four-sided  roof, 
coming  nearly  together  at  the  top,  on  which 
was  erected  a  small  steeple.  The  building  was 
wider  in  front  than  in  depth,  being  about  sixty- 
five  feet  north  and  south  and  about  fifty  feet 
east  and  west.  The  roof  rested  on  the  walls 
and  was  partly  supported  by  them  and  partly 
by  two  large  oak  columns  standing  in  a  line 
within  the  building  in  a  northerly  and  souther- 
ly direction.  The  two  columns  supported  a 
plate  in  the  centre  of  a  lofty  arched,  planked 
ceiling,  the  north  and  south  ends  of  which 
rested  on  the  wall.   In  consequence  of  this,  the 


RELIGIOUS    PROGRESS   IN    KINGS   COUNTY. 


149 


north  and  south  walls  of  the  building  were  con- 
siderably higher  than  those  of  the  east  and 
west.  There  were  two  large  and  broad  braces 
extending  from  each  column  to  the  plate.  The 
roof  appeared  to  be  badly  constructed,  for  its 
pressure  on  the  walls  wais  so  great  that  in 
process  of  time  the  upper  part  of  the  northerly 
wall  was  pressed  out  more  than  a  foot  over 
the  foundation,  and  the  four  braces  attached 
to  the  columns  within  the  building  were  con- 
siderably bent  from  the  weight  and  pressure 
above.  The  pulpit  was  placed  in  the  center  of 
the  west  side  of  the  building,  having  the  elders' 
bench  on  the  right  and  the  deacons'  bench 
on  the  left.  The  male  part  of  the  congregation 
were  seated  in  a  continuous  pew,  all  along  the 
wall,  which  was  divided  into  twenty  compart- 
ments with  a  sufficient  number  of  doors  for  en- 
trance ;  each  family  ha.d  one  or  more  seats  here. 
The  rest  of  the  interior  of  the  building  was  for 
the  accommodation  of  the  females  of  the  con- 
gregation, who  were  seated  on  chairs;  these 
were  arranged  in  seven  .different  rows  or 
blocks,  and  each  family  had  one  or  more  chairs 
in  some  one  of  these  blocks.  Each  chair  was 
marked  on  the  back  by  a  number,  or  by  the 
name  of  the  person  or  the  family  to  whom  it 
belonged.  The  windows  of  this  church  were 
formed  of  small  panes  of  glass  ;  those  on  either 
side  of  the  pulpit  were  painted  or  ornamented 
and  set  in  lead." 

As  the  minister's  family  had  previously 
lived  in  the  extension  of  the  first  church,  it  is 
probable  that,  when  it  was  pulled  down,  a  par- 
sonage was  built  south  of  and  adjoining  the 
new  church,  upon  the  property  on  which  the 
present  parsonage  stands. 

There  is  no  record  of  changes  made  in  this 
building  from  1698  until  1775.  Then  the  seats 
were  remodeled  and  pews  were  substituted  for 
chairs.  With  the  consent  of  the  congregation 
sixty-four  pews,  to  hold  six  persons  each,  were 
placed  in  the  church.  Two  short  galleries  di- 
vided by  the  door  were  built  on  the  easterly 
side ;  one  was  occupied,  probably,  by  those  who 
were  too  poor  to  pay  for  seats  in  the  body  of 
the  church ;  the  other  was  given  for  the  uge  of 
the  colored  people,  there  being  at  this  time  a 
large  colored  populatioti  in  this  town.  There 
were  two  seats  more  conspicuous  than  the  rest, 
the  one  for  the  minister's  wife  and  family,  the 
other  for  any  notable  person  who  happened  to 
be  present.  (The  wife  of  the  minister  was  al- 
ways called  the  Yeffrouw;  the  minister  was 
known  as  the  Dominie.) 


A  board,  on  which  were  placed  the  num- 
bers of  the  Psalms  to  be  sung  during  service, 
was  hung  in  a  conspicuous  position,  for  all  the 
members  of  the  congregation  were  expected  to 
take  part  in  the  singing.  These  curious  old 
Psalm  books  had  silver  corners  and  clasps. 
There  were  also  small  silver  rings  on  them; 
through  these  were  cords  or  long  silver  chains, 
by  means  of  which  they  were  hung  on  the 
backs  of  the  chairs  when  chairs  were  used  in- 
stead of  pews.  We  look  with  interest  at  the 
quaint,  four-sided  notes  printed  on  the  bars, 
for  each  Psalm  was  set  to  music,  and  we  won- 
der how  they  sang  in  those  days;  slowly,  of 
course,  for  there  are  no  short  notes.  The  New 
Testament  and  Psalms  were  bound  together, 
and  these  were  carried  to  church  every  Sun- 
day. 

It  is  probable  that  all  the  Dutch  families 
own  one  or  more  of  these  books  still.  Some 
of  them  were  published  at  Dordrecht,  1758, 
others  in  Amsterdam,  1728  ;  there  may  be  oth- 
ers of  a  still  earlier  date.  The  title  page  is^as 
follows : 

Hat  NiEUWE  Testament 

ofte  alle  Boeken 

Des  Nieuwen  Verbondts 

ouzes  Heeren  Jesu  Christi 

door  last 

van  de  H.  M.  Heeren 

Staten  General 

der  Vereenigde  Nederlangen 

en  volgens  het  besluit  von  de 

Sinode  Nationale  gehoudin  in 

de  Jaren  1618  en  de  1619  tot 

Dordrecht  1758. 


Below  the  date  of  the  copy  from  which  the 
above  was  taken  there  is  a  lion  holding  a 
sword,  encircled  with  the  motto  "Een  dracht 
maakt  macht."  A  picture  of  a  city  facing  the 
North  Sea  finishes  the  page.  Most  of  the 
books  which  have  been  preserved  in  the  fam- 
ilies of  the  Dutch  are  of  a  religious  character, 
and  we  cannot  but  feel  that  they  were  a  relig- 
ious people.  Although  the  Psalms  only  were 
sung  in  the  churches,  they  were  fond  of  sacred 
poetry.  In  a  time-stained  book  entitled  "Find- 
ing the  Way  to  Heaven,"  published  at  Nyme- 
gen,  1752,  which  seems  to  have  kept  its  place 
beside  the  Dutch  Bible,  we  find  an  old  hymn 
to  which  the  well-worn  volume  opens  at  once, 
as  if  to  some  favorite  page : 


150 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Den  Hemel  zelf, 
Dat  schoon  gewelf, 
Daar  't  dag  is  zonder'nachten : 
Is  't  hoog  vertrek  daar  't  Engelen  choor, 
Al  zingend  ous  verwachten. 
O  zalig !  zalig  Zinken ! 
O  zalig  te  verdrinken ! 
In  't  eenwig  zalig  ligt. 


We  infer  from  this  that  the  Dutch  people 
were  not  lacking  in  that  religious  fervor  which 
finds  expression  in  hymns  of  love  and  faith. 

The  church,  erected  in  1698,  was  still  stand- 
ing at  the  time  of  the  American  Revolution. 
As  the  steeple  rose  from  the  centre  of  the  build- 
ing, the  bell  rope,  by  which  the  bell  in  the 
tower  was  tolled,  was  easy  of  access  as  it  hung 
to  the  floor  in  the  middle  of  the  church.  For 
that  reason  it  was  used  to  give  alarm  in  case  of 
attack.  When  the  British  landed,  while  they 
were  yet  some  distance  from  the  village,  this 
bell  gave  the  first  warning  note  of  their  ap- 
proach. Long  and  loud  the  bell  resounded 
over  the  quiet  village.  It  did  not  this  time 
ring  out  a  call  to  assemble  and  hear  the  mes- 
sage of  peace  on  earth,  good  will  to  men.  It 
was  now  an  alarm,  the  clangor  of  war  and  the 
announcement  of  carnage  and  bloodshed  soon 
to  come. 

After  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  the  wound- 
ed soldiers  were  carried  into  this  church,  and 
it  was  temporarily  used  as  a  hospital.  After- 
ward, when  other  provision  was  made  for  the 
sick  and  wounded,  it  was  taken  possession  of 
by  the  British  troops,  who  thoroughly  ran- 
sacked it;  some  artillery  men  even  stabled 
their  horses  in  the  pews  and  fed  them  there. 
It  outlasted  this  desecration,  however,  and  was 
in  use  as  a  place  of  worship  until  near  the 
close  of  the  century. 

At  this  period  the  school  and  the  Dutch 
church  were  united  in  one  common  interest. 
The  doctrines  which  were  taught  in  the  church 
were  also  taught  in  the  village  school.  The 
Town  Clerk  was  both  schoolmaster  during 
the  week  and  the  minister's  assistant  on  Sun- 
day. He  stood  up  in  front  of  the  pulpit  and 
read  the  Commandments  before  the  morning 
service  and  the  Apostles'  Creed  in  the  ?fter- 
noon.  Until  1790  this  was  in  the  Dutch  lan- 
guage. He  also  led  the  congregation  in  sing- 
ing. To  these  duties  he  added  the  work  of  sex- 
ton, for  he  rang  the  bell  and  kept  the  church 
in  order.  He  had  not  the  care  of  heating  the 
church,  like  the  sexton  of  the  present  day,  for 


tliat  was  not  required.  We  can  only  wonder 
how  they  could  sit  all  through  a  freezing  win- 
ter's morning  in  a  stone  church  and  not  take 
cold! 

After  the  death  of  the  Rev.  Wilhelmus  Lu- 
pardus  in  1701,  the  Rev.  Bernardus  Freeman 
was  called  to  succeed  him,  and  was  installed 
in  the  Church  of  New  Utrecht  in  1705.  This 
was  the  beginning  of  a  long  and  serious  dis- 
turbance in  the  churches  of  the  colony.  Those 
who  were  opposed  to  Domine  Freeman  made 
appHcation  to  the  Classis  of  Amsterdam,  and 
in  response  the  Rev.  Vincentius  Antonides  was 
sent  from  the  Fatherland  and  was  installed 
in  the  Church  of  Flatbush.  A  long  and  bitter 
controversy  followed,  which  continued  to  agi- 
tate the  church  until  17 14. 

Two  parties  sprung  up,  one  of  which  seems 
to  have  held  the  opinion  that  the  English  Gov- 
ernor of  the  Provinces  should  be  consulted  in 
the  matter ;  the  other  party  asserted  that  they 
had  the  right  within  themselves  to  choose  their 
own  pastor.  To  use  their  own  words,  they  "do- 
reject  this  Position  That  all  the  Ecclesiasticall 
Jurisdiccon  of  the  Dutch  Churches  in  this 
Province  is  wholly  in  the  Power  of  the  Gov- 
ernor according  to  his  will  &  pleasure."  The 
Dutch  love  of  law  and  order  seems,  however, 
to  assert  itself;  "that  yet  nevertheless  all 
parties  do  firmly  own  that  the  Dutch  churches 
in  this  Province  are  accountable  to  the  Gov't 
for  their  peaceable  &  good  behaviour  in  their 
Doctrin,  Disciplin  and  Church  Government.'' 
Once  more  the  independent  spirit  of  these  old 
fathers  shows  that  willing  as  they  are  to  sub- 
mit to  law,  it  must  be  consistent  with  their 
religious  rights,  for  these  were  descendants- 
of  the  old  Hollanders  who  drove  out  the  Duke 
of  Alva  and  worshipped  God  according  to 
their  own  faith  even  in  sight  of  the  Inquisition. 
Thus  they  continue :  "that  is  to  say  as  f arr  as 
it  does  consist  with  the  Rules  and  Constitucons 
of  their  own  national  Church  always  enjoyed 
at  New  York,  as  well  as  they  have  the  right 
and  privilege  to  be  protected  by  the  Civill 
Gov't  in  the  free  exercise  of  their  rehgion- 
according  to  their  own  Constitution." 

The  first  party  alluded  to  favored  calling 
the  Rev.  Bernardus  Freeman,  of  Schenectady; 
the  latter  desired  to  send  to  Holland  for  the 
Rev.  Vincentius  Antonides.  The  congrega- 
tion at  Schenectady  seem  a  little  vexed  at  this 
interference  with  their  minister,  but  they  re- 
gard it  rather  as  a  matter  of  pecuniary  loss- 
than  of  personal  regret,  for  they  say  in  a 
petition  on  the  subject  to  her  Majesty's  Gov- 


RELIGIOUS   PROGRESS   IN   KINGS   COUNTY, 


151 


eriior,  that  for  the  expenses  of  his  passage 
and  other  charges  they  have  disbursed  the 
"valiable  summe  of  near  upon  eighty  pounds." 
On  account  of  this  "valiable  summe,"  they 
seem  unwilling  to  part  with  Mr.  Freeman,  who 
does  not,  however,  seem  equally  unwilling  to 
part  with  them.  As  we  know  that  no  Dutch- 
man can  consistently  give  up  what  he  con- 
siders to  be  his  rights,  so  in  this  case  neither 
party  being  disposed  to  yield,  both  ministers 
were  called,  and  the  consequent  disturbance 
agitated  the  whole  country. 

His  Excellency,  Viscount  Cornbury,  Cap- 
tain General  and  Governor  in  Chief  of  Her 
Majesty's  Provinces  of  New  York  and  New 
Jersey,  and  Vice  Admiral  of  the  same,  was 
not  silent  for  want  of  information  on  the  sub- 
ject, for  each  party  besieged  him  alternately 
with  petitions.  We  are  sorry  to  say,  for  the 
literary  credit  of  Domine  Freeman's  party, 
that  their  first  petition  was  returned  to  them 
by  Col.  Beekman,  who,  they  say,  "writt  us  a 
letter  that  said  petition  was  not  well  penned, 
and  that  there  was  some  ffaults  therein."  The 
Viscount  finally  issues  a  warrant  appointing 
Bernardus  Freeman  as  minister,  ordering  Mr. 
Antonides,  the  "pretended  minister,"  as  he 
calls  him,  with  his  "pretended"  elders  and 
deacons,  to  give  up  all  possession  of  house, 
land^  stock  and  books  in  their  possession  or 
answer  the  contrary  at  their  peril. 

On  January  21st,  1709,  the  friends  of  Mr. 
Antonides  petition  his  excellency.  Lord  Love- 
lace, Baron  of  Hurley,  the  next  Governor  in 
chief.  The  Baron  of  Hurley  calls  a  meeting 
to  inquire  into  the  difficulties  of  "ye  Dutch 
Reformed  Protestant  churches  of  ye  Towns 
of  fflatbush,  fflatlands,  Brookland,  New 
Utrecht  and  Bushwick."  Of  course  Domine 
Freeman's  friends  again  send  in  another  peti- 
tion, in  which  they  again  express  themselves 
to  the  effect  that  they  are  "humbly  of  oppinion 
that  all  Ecclesiastical  affairs  And  the  Deter- 
mination of  all  things  relating  thereto  in 
this  Province  lie  solely  before  your  Lord- 
ship." The  result  was  that  in  order  to  put  an 
end  to  "ye  dispute,"  these  ministers  were  ap- 
pointed to  act  in  concert,  alternately  preaching 
in  the  churches,  each  one  to  choose  his  own 
consistory.  But  "ye  dispute"  cannot  be  easily 
settled:  we  are  a  people  who  cling  to  our 
opinions  with  wonderful  tenacity,  particularly 
upon  church  matters.  The  friends  of  Domine 
Antonides  would  not  look  with  complacency 
upon  the  admirers  of  Domine  Freeman,  and 
vice  versa, — and  no  fiat  of  a  Baron  of  Hurley 


could  remove  the  difficulty.  There  are  more 
meetings  and  petitions,  and  minority  reports, 
and  majority  reports,  and  petitions  again. 
We  can  imagine  the  hum  it  occasioned  through 
the  towns,  the  discussions  in  front  of  the 
church  at  the  gathering  of  the  congregation 
and  the  excitement  of  the  younger  people. 
Yet  we  must  feel  that  this  bit  of  human  nature 
brings  us  nearer  to  these  old  worthies  who 
seem  more  real  to  us  than  when  their  names 
only  appear  in  old  deeds  and  wills  and  dry 
records. 

Next  the  Hon.  Richard  Ingoldsby,  Gov- 
ernor and'  Commander-in-Chief  of  her  Maj- 
esty's Province,  is  vigorously  petitioned  by 
both  sides;  and  he  finally  orders  that  Mr. 
Freeman  and  Mr.  Antonides  shall  "preach  at 
all  ye  sd  churches  in  Kings  Co.,  alternately, 
and  divide  all  ye  profits  equally,  share 
and  share  alike,  and  to  avoid  all  farther  dis- 
puets  between  the  said  ministers,  Mr.  ffree- 
man  shall  preach  ye  next  Sunday  at  fflatbush, 
&  ye  Sunday  following  Mr.  Antonides  shall 
preach  at  fflatbush;  if  either  of  them  refuses 
to  comply  with  this  order,  to  be  dismissed." 

Domine  Antonides,  notwithstanding  the 
threat,  refuses  to  comply  with  the  order,  and 
again  resorts  to  a  petition,  but  Lord  Lovelace 
has  had  enough  of  petitioning,  and  curtly  says 
that  he  "has  already  determined  the  matter; 
he  will  hear  nothing  further  thereon." 

On  one  occasion.  Col.  Girardus  Beekman, 
President  of  her  Majesty's  Council  in  "ye 
City  of  New  York,"  met  one  of  the  elders  of 
the  church  at  the  ferryboat.  Crossing  the 
river  was  probably  in  those  days  a  work  of 
time,  and  on  landing  they  went  into  the  ferry 
house  together.  Of  course,  during  all  this 
time,  they  had  been  discussing  the  engrossing 
subject  as  to  who  was  the  rightful  minister, 
and  the  good  elder  so  far  forgot  himself  as  to 
get  angry  in  the  dispute,  and  as  he  owns,  he 
told  Col.  Beekman  he  had  a  good'  mind  to 
knock  him  off  his  horse,  both  at  that  time 
getting  upon  their  horses  to  go  home.  But 
like  a  warm  hearted  man,  quick  to  speak,  he 
is  equally  quick  to  admit  his  error,  for  he 
says :  "1  could  wish  that  these  last  words  had 
been  kept  in." 

We  cited  this  as  showing  how  generally 
this  matter  interested  the  whole  communty  and 
was  the  subject  of  discussion  among  those 
who  met  even  on  ordinary  business.  The 
trouble  was  finally  settled  in  1714,  by  having 
both  ministers  preach  alternately  in  the  dif- 
ferent   Dutch    towns.      They    certainly    had 


152 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


ample  space  to  discharge  their  several  duties 
without  interfering  with  each  other.  Both  of 
these  ministers  resided  in  Flatbush.  In  re- 
gard to  the  communion,  it  was  arranged  that 
Bushwick,  Brooklyn  and  Flatbush  should  com- 
mune together,  and  that  Flatlands,  Gravesend 
and  New  Utrecht  should  join  together  in  the 
■same  service.  A  new  church  which  had  at 
this  time  been  formed  at  Jamaica,  had  separate 
communion. 

The  rotation  in  preaching  was  as  follows: 
one  minister  preached  on  one  Sabbath  in 
Bushwick,  and  the  other  at  New  Utrecht;  on 
the  next  Sabbath,  one  in  Brooklyn  and  the 
other  in  Flatlands;  on  the  third  Sabbath,  one 
in  Flatbush  and  the  other  in  Jamaica. 

Domine  Freeman  died  soon  after  1741.  He 
was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  J.  Arondeus,  who 
until  the  death  of  Domine  Antonides  in  1744 
remained  his  colleague;  but  he  was  subse- 
quently deposed.  Rev.  Ulpianus  Von  Sinder- 
en  was  called  to  take  the  place  made  vacant 
and  he  entered  upon  his  duties  in  1746. 

The  Classis  of  Amsterdam  speak  of  Rev. 
Vincentius  Antonides  as  "a  man  of  great 
learning  and  fine  talents,"  and  the  Rev.  Bern- 
ardus  Freeman  was  said  to  be  "a  very  learned 
divine." 

Levity  of  any  kind  was  very  rare  in  the 
pulpit  of  the  Dutch  church.  The  ministers 
were  men  of  learning,  ability  and  dignity  of 
manner. 

However,  while  Domine  Van  Sinderen  was 
a  very  learned  and  excellent  man,  he  was 
also  very  eccentric ;  this  was  a  drawback  to 
his  usefulness.  It  is  said  that  he  would  in- 
troduce the  occurrences  of  the  week  in '  his 
discourse  on  the  Sabbath,  which  was  some- 
thing more  unusual  then  than  it  is  now.  On 
one  occasion,  upon  being  checked  by  one  of 
his  consistory  for  this,  he  became  indignant, 
and  invited  the  elder  who  had  interfered  to 
come  up  in  the  pulpit  and  try  if  he  could 
preach  any  better!  On  another  occasion  he 
attempted  to  draw  the  outlines  of  the  Ark,  in 
order  to  illustrate  a  sermon  on  the  subject; 
it  is  needless  to  say  that  this  did  not  meet 
the  approval  of  his  consistory.  The  old  people 
used  to  say  that  he  did  not  hesitate  to  call 
the  attention  of  the  whole  congregation  to 
a!ny  member  who,  being  dilatory,  entered  after 
the  service  had  been  opened. 

In  a  letter  on  the  state  of  religion  from 
Domine  Megapolensis  to  the  Classis  of  Am- 
sterdam dated  August  5,  1657,  he  reflects  very 
severely  upon  a  "parson,"  fortunately  not  a 


minister  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  church,  of 
whom  he  says :  "He  is  a  man  of  godless  and 
scandalous  life,  a  rolling,  rollicking  unseemly 
carl,  who  is  more  inclined  to  look  in  the 
wine-can  than  to  pore  over  the  Bible  and 
would  rather  drink  a  can  of  brandy  for  two 
hours  than  preach  one,  and  when  the  sap  is 
in  the  wood  then  his  hands  itch  and  he  be- 
comes excessively  inclined  to  fight  whomso- 
ever he  meets,"  which  shows  us  that  even 
from  the  earliest  days  of  the  settlement  when 
a  rude  state  of  things  prevailed  the  Dutch 
were  very  quick  to  observe  and  condemn  any- 
thing in  the  behavior  of  the  minister  which 
might  bring  reproach  to  the  church. 

Upon  the  deposition  from  office  of  Mr. 
Arondeus,  the  Rev.  Antonius  Curtenius  was 
called  to  be  the  colleague  of  Mr.  Van  Sinderen, 
but  he  died  within  the  year. 

Rev.  Johannes  Casparus  Rubel  was  ap- 
pointed to  fill  this  place,  and  these  two  min- 
isters officiated  during  the  war  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. Rubel  had  not  only  strong  Tory  pro- 
clivities, but  his  character  and  actions  were 
inconsistent  with  the  office  he  held  and  he  was 
deposed. 

Domine  Van  Sinderen  and  Domine  Rubel 
were  the  last  ministers  called  from  Holland. 

The  writer  has  in  possession  an  English 
translation  of  Domine  Rubel's  call.  The 
coarse  yellow  paper  upon  which  it  is  written 
and  the  antiquated  penmanship  attests  its  gen- 
uineness, had  proof  been  needed,  but  the  value 
of  the  papers  among  which  it  was  found,  like 
the  company  which  a  man  keeps,  is  a  testi- 
monial to  its  accuracy.  It  was  addressed  to 
the  Reverend  and  Pious  Do.  Job's  Caparus 
Rubel  at  present  High  Dutch  Minister  in  the 
Church  of  J.  C.  in  the  Camp  and  Rhinebeck, 
from  the  Elders  and  Deputies  of  the  five  united 
townships  of  Kings  Co.,  on  Long  Island,  viz. : 
Flatbush,  Brooklyn,  Bushwick,  Flatlands  and 
New  Utrecht  for  a  second  Low  Dutch  Min- 
ister with  Do.  Ulpianus  Van  Sinderen,  at  their 
meeting  held  in  the  church  at  Flatbush,  the 
20th  of  June,  1759. 

As  it  is  God  who  out  of  the  riches  of  his 
all-sufficiency  fulfills  the  wants  of  his  Crea- 
tures, So  he  does  such  in  a  particular  manner 
to  his  pieople  and  chosen  ones,  'whom  he 
blesses  above  all  earthly  blessing  with  the 
Revelation  of  his  precious  Will,  by  the  means 
of  which  to  assemble  his  Elect,  to  confirm  and 
to  strengthen  them,  and  that  by  the  services 
of  them  who  bear  the  Riches  of  God's  Secrets 


RELIGIOUS   PROGRESS   IN   KINGS    COUNTY. 


153 


in  their  Earthly  Vessels,  to  the  Glory  of  God 
and  to  the  Salvation  of  his  Elect.  In  full  con- 
fidence of  which,  we  have  thro'  the  Grace  of 
God  been  enabled  to  bring  matters  so  far  as 
to  have  fallen  upon  ways  and  means,  by  the 
union  of  Love  again  to  join  and  thus  be  in  a 
condition  to  make  up  a  sufficient  Support  for 
two  Ministers.  Our  choice  is  then  fallen  upon 
you,  Reverend  Sir,  as  on  one  of  whose  good 
report  in  the  services  of  the  Gospel,  both  in 
your  present  and  former  congregations,  there 
is  full  evidence ;,  So  are  we  in  expectation  that 
thro'  the  grace  and  goodness  of  God  your 
services  amongst  us  we  must  have.  That 
which  we  shall  expect  from  you  generally  is 
that  you  should  do  and  perform  all  the  Duties 
incumbent  on  a  faithful  Servant  of  the  Gospel 
and  worthy  of  God's  approbation  in  the  pro- 
mulgation of  the  Gospel  doctrines,  the  Ad- 
ministration of  the  Sacraments;  making  use 
of  the  Discipline  of  the  Church,  together  with 
the  other  Church  officers  according  to  the 
Word  of  God  and  the  Constitution  of  the 
Church  of  Netherland,  established  in  the 
Synod  of  Dort  in  the  years  1618  and  1619; 
in  particular,  that  you  shall  preach  twice  on 
each  Lord's  Day,  as  also  on  each  Fast  or 
Thanksgiving  Day;  on  the  usual  holidays  of 
Christmas,  Easter,  and  Whitsuntide ;  a  sermon 
shall  be  preached  on  the  second  day,  as  also 
on  New  Year's  and  Ascension  days ;  as  also 
■3.  proof  of  Preparation  sermon  at  the  place 
where  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  is 
to  be  administered,  which  shall  be  celebrated 
four  times  a  year,  with  necessary  visitation 
of  the  Communicants ;  the  taking  on  of  mem- 
bers, and  Instructing  the  Congregation  by 
Catechising  in  the  foundation  of  the  pure  re- 
formed Religion. 

On  our  parts.  Reverend  Sir,  we  promise  to 
pay  you  for  your  yearly  salary  the  sum  of 
•One  hundred  and  Seven  pounds,  New  York 
money.  N.  B. — The  sum  of  107  pounds  is 
thus  to  be  divided: 

Flatbush  shall  give . .  £29 

Brooklyn    29 

Flatlands 16.10.0 

New  Utrecht 16 .  10. o 

Bushwick  16.10.0 

1st.  Each  half  year  punctually  to  pay  the 
Just  one  half  part  thereof. 

2d.  A  free  and  proper  dwelling  in  the 
Town  of  Flatbush,  with  an  orchard,  some  pas- 


ture land  with  pasturage  for  one  cow  and  horse 
and  other  conveniences  thereto  annexed. 

3d.  Free  Firewood  is  to  be  delivered  at 
the  Dwelling  House  of  the  Minister. 

4th.  It  has  been  the  custom  when  the  Min- 
ister preached  out  of  Flatbush  that  he  was 
fetched  and  brought  back  and  at  such  place 
was  provided  with  Victuals,  Drink  and  Lodg- 
ing, which  having  proved  very  inconvenient 
both  for  the  Minister  and  the  Congregation, 
it  is  therefore  determined  upon,  as  you  keep 
your  own  horse  and  carriage,  to  pay  you  yearly 
for  making  use  of  your  own  carriage.  But  you 
are  to  be  provided  with  house  room  and  vic- 
tuals and  drink  gratis. 

We,  underwritten,  the  Deputies  of  our 
Congregations,  Sign  this  Call  as  our  own  act 
in  order  faithfully  to  fulfill  all  that  is  herein 
expressed  and  mentioned;  and  so  shall  our 
Successors  who  may  from  time  to  time  be 
chosen  in  our  stead  also  do. 

Gerret  Van  Duyn,  Jan  Couenhoven,  Jac. 
Sebring,  Willem  Van  Nuys,  Rutgert  Van 
Brunt,  Jan  Lott,  Roulof  Voorhees,  Jan  Van 
der  Bilt,  Laurenz  Ditmars,  Abraham  Bloom, 
Barent  Andriese,  Jeremias  Van  der  Bilt,  Cor- 
neli's  Coerte,  Stephen  Schenk,  Johannes  Lott, 
Joost  de  Bevois,  Jeremias  Remsen,  Andreas 
Stockholm,  Daniel  Bodet,  Jacobus  Coljer,  Fol- 
kert  Folkertson,  Abrm.  Schenk. 

Thus  done  and  concluded  in  our  presence 

on  the  20th  and  2Sth  of  June,  1759. 

Johannes  Ritzema  V.  D.  M. 

in  New  York. 

Ulpianus  Van  Sinderin.  V.  D.  M. 

in  K.  County. 

The  congregation  of  Gravesend  was  form- 
ally added  to  the  combination  of  Kings  County 
churches  in  1785.  In  that  year  a  call  had  been 
made  upon  the  Rev.  Martinus  Schoonmaker, 
and  in  .1787  Rev.  Peter  Lowe  was  ordained 
as  his  colleague.  These  two  niinisters  preach- 
ed alternately  in  the  church  at  Flatbush  until 
the  second  building  was  taken  down  in  1794. 

About  the  year  1750  the  church  was  great- 
ly agitated  in  reference  to  certain  difficulties 
in  the  church  between  two  parties  known  as 
the  Coetus  and  Conferentie.  The  difference 
between  these  lay  chiefly  in  the  exercise  of 
church  authority  and  the  right  of  ordination. 

The  Coetus  party  contended  that  there 
should  be  regular  organization  of  the  churches 
into  Classes  and  Synods,  and  that  these  should 
have  all  the  rights  and  privileges  belonging 


154 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


to.  such  ecclesiastical  bodies  in  Holland.  The 
Conferentie  party  maintained  that  all  minis- 
ters should  be  ordained  in  Holland  and  sent 
to  the  churches  here  by  the  Classis  of  Am- 
sterdam. This  controversy  caused  trouble  in 
the  church  until  1772. 

The  landed  estate  and  general  financial  in- 
terests of  the  Flatbush  church  had  from  the 
time  of  its  organization  been  entrusted  to  the 
management  of  church  masters  according  to 
the  usage  of  the  Reformed  churches  in  Hol- 
land. An  annual  statement  of  the  receipts 
and  expenditures  was  certified  on  the  church 
books.  For  a  period  of  one  'hundred  and 
seventy  years  the  church  property  was  pru- 
dently and  judiciously  managed  by  these 
church  masters;  then  the  church  became  in- 
corporated under  an  Act  passed  by  the  Legis- 
lature in  1784,  authorizing  the  incorporation 
of  religious  societies ;  some  years  after  this  a 
special  Act  provided  for  the  incorporation  of 
the  Reformed  Dutch  churches  by  which  the 
ministers,  elders  and  deacons  become  the  Trus- 
tees. This  is  the  oldest  religious  corporation 
in  this  country. 

The  church  erected  in  1698  was  pulled 
down  in  1793,  and  the  church  at  present 
standing  was  finished  in  1796.  It  is,  there- 
fore, the  third  upon  the  same  spot  and  is  still 
in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation,  as  it  was 
substantially  built  and  has  always  been  kept 
in  good  repair.  The  stones  of  the  former 
churches  were  all  placed  in  the  foundation  of 
this,  the  foundation  wall  being  six  feet  broad. 

The  small  Dutch  bricks  around  the  doors 
and  windows  were  brought  from  Holland  as 
ballast  in  one  of  the  ships  belonging  to  the 
Hon.  John  Vanderbilt.  The  stones  for  the 
wall  were  quarried  at  Hurlgate,  N.  Y.,  and 
the  brown  stone  used  in  the  construction  of 
the  courses  above  the  foundation  were  broken 
from  the  rocky  ridge  of  hills  dividing  Flat- 
bush  from  Brooklyn.  The  cost  of  this  church 
was  £4873,  7,  7,  a  sum  equal  to  $12,183.44. 
This  is  exclusive  of  a  great  amount  of  labor 
and  cartage  gratuitously  given  by  the  mem- 
bers of  the  congregation;  in  that  age  the 
people  were  not  ashamed  to  do  their  share  of 
the  manual  labor.  We  were  told  years  ago 
by  an  aged  person  who  was  living  at  the  time 
this  church  was  built  that  it  was  esteemed 
a  privilege  to  assist  in  building  the  house 
of  the  Lord. 

The  consecration  sermon  of  this  church,  in 
Januan^,  1797,  was  in  the  Dutch  language,' by 
Dominie  Schoonmaker.    That  being  almost  ex- 


clusively the  language  of  the  family,  it  was 
taught  in  the  schools  and  used  in  the  church 
services  entirely  until  1792.  After  that  date 
the  English  came  gradually  into  use.  The 
regular  and  public  preaching  in  the  Dutch 
language  ceased  altogether  upon  the  death  of 
old  Domine  Schoonmaker,  which  occurred  in 
1824.  Until  1818  sermons  were  preached  in 
the  towns  of  Flatbush,  New  Utrecht,  Graves- 
end  and  Bushwick  by  Domine  Schoonmaker 
in  Dutch  and  by  Domine  Lowe  in  English. 
Domine  Schoonmaker  preached  until  he  was 
nearly  ninety  years  of  age.  He  was  the  last 
connecting  link  of  the  chain  which  had  bound 
the  churches  together  from  1654.  The  six 
collegiate  congregations  of  Kings  County  were 
those  of  Brooklyn,  Bushwick,  Flatbush,  New 
Utrecht,  Flatlands  and  Gravesend.  In  1805 
Rev.  Selah  S.  Woodhull  was  called  as  pastor 
of  the  church  of  Brooklyn.  In  181 1  Dr.  Bas- 
sett  was  called  to  Bushwick.  In  1809  Dr. 
Beattie  was  called  to  New  Utrecht.  Dr.  Bas- 
sett  supplied  also  the  church  at  Gravesend 
when  Domine  Schoonmaker  preached  in  Dutch 
at  Bushwick.  Flatlands  and  Flatbush  were 
the  last  churches  to  separate.  In  1818  they 
extended  a  pastoral  call  to  Rev.  Walter  Mon- 
tieth.  He  resigned  from  these  churches  in 
1820.  In  1822  Rev.  Dr.  Thomas  M.  Strong 
was  installed  as  pastor  of  the  church  at  Flat- 
bush. He  was  the  first  minister  who  had  sole 
charge  of  this  church. 

All  the  ministers  who  died  after  1701  were 
interred  under  the  church.  This  practice  was 
continued  until  1794.  All  persons  belonging 
to  the  church  who  could  afford  it  were  also- 
allowed  this  privilege.  This  accounts  for  the 
fact  that  there  are  not  more  old  tombstones 
in  the  burying  ground  attached  to  the  church. 
In  that  portion  of  this  graveyard  which  has 
apparently  no  graves  in  it,  the  bodies  of  those 
who  died  in  the  battle  of  Flatbush  are  buried. 
They  were  gathered  from  the  woods  and  hills 
in  the  route  of  the  invading  army.  As  they 
were  hastily  interred,  without  coffin  or  tomb- 
stone, that  part  of  this  old  graveyard  was 
not  used  afterwards. 

At  this  present  time,  in  order  to  have  room 
for  church  extension,  a  small  portion  of  the 
ground  immediately  adjoining  the  church  has 
been  disturbed,  but  very  few  bones  have  been 
found;  they  have  nearly  all  mingled  with  the 
dust  during  the  century  and  more  that  they 
have  lain  there. 

For  some  twenty  years  interment  in  this 
graveyard  has  been  forbidden.     A  plot  was 


RELIGIOUS   PROGRESS   IN   KINGS   COUNTY, 


155- 


purchased  in  Greenwood  for  the  church  in 
1873,  so  that  the  ministers  preaching  here 
should,  at  their  death,  be  interred  there,  and 
not  in  the  old  churchyard. 

There  is  a  significance  in  this,  as  being 
part  of  the  constant  change  which  the  old 
church  has  undergone.  There  are  no  more 
burials  here;  no  more  Dutch  tombstones; 
Dutch  speaking  and  Dutch  preaching  are  no 
more  to  be  heard.  The  binding  link  of  the  six 
collegiate  congregations  was  long  ago  broken. 
We  approach  so  close  to  other  churches  that 
everything  distinctively  Dutch  is  lost. 

Since  its  completion  in  1796,  the  Flatbush 
church  has  been  several  times  changed  as 
to  its  interior  arrangements.  Until  1836  the 
back  and  front  of  the  pews  were  very  high, 
having  resemblance  to  pens.  The  wood  was 
grained;  there  were  no  blinds  on  the  windows 
and  the  walls  were  white.  A  mahogany  pulpit 
was  some  five  or  six  feet  above  the  floor, 
supported  on  columns  and  reached  by  means 
of  spiral  stairs.  The  pews  were  lowered  in 
1836,  and  blinds  were  placed  in  the  windows 
to  soften  the  light.  Two  cast-iron  stoves, 
known  as  Dr.  Nott's  patent,  supplied  the  heat. 
The  woodwork  was  painted  white,  and  for  the 
first  time  the  aisles  and  the  pulpit  were  car- 
peted. 

In  1862  the  church  was  again  renovated. 
The  high  mahogany  pulpit  was  removed,  and 
a  reading  desk  on  a  broader  platform  took  its 
place.  Two  large  heaters  made  the  church 
more  comfortable  than  the  cast-iron  stoves 
had  done.  An  organ  was  built  in  the  east 
gallery  of  the  church,  and  a  clock  was  placed 
in  the  steeple.  The  clock  strikes  upon  the  old 
bell  which  was  presented  to  the  church  in 
1796  by  Hon,  John  Vanderbilt,  who  imported 
it  for  this  purpose  from  Holland  in  one  of 
his  merchant  ships.  It  is  said  that  this  bell 
was  injured  by  being  captured  by  the  British 
and  carried  into  Halifax  in  the  belief  that 
it  was  the  property  of  a  Holland  merchant. 
It  was  released  and  returned  when  the  fact 
was  proved  that  the  owner  of  the  bell  was  a 
citizen  of  the  United  States.  Since  that  first 
strife  over  its  possession  it  has  not  been  called 
to  give  the  alarm  of  war,  as  did  its  predecessor 
in  the  little  bell  tower  in  1776.  Only  the  call 
to  worship  or  the  solemn  announcement  of  a 
funeral  has  awakened  its  voice.  It  formerly 
gave  warning  of  fires,  but  of  later  years  even 
that  duty  has  not  been  required,  and  now  we 
hear  its  sound  only  for  church  services. 

In  1887  the  building  was  once  mdre  remod- 


eled. An  entrance  for  the  minister  in  the  rear 
of  the  church  and  a  robing-room  added  accom- 
modations which  had  been  much  needed,  for 
the  example  of  the  Holland  clergy  and  long, 
custom  in  this  country  favors  the  black  Geneva- 
gown  in  the  pulpits  of  the  Reformed  Church. 
The  interior  of  the  building  was  stencilled  in 
quiet  colors.  With  the  new  upholstering  and 
dark  carpets  a  subdued  effect  was  produced, 
and  the  pervading  tone  is  rich  and  unob- 
trusive. A  steam  heater  adds  to  the  comfort 
of  the  church,  and  by, the  contrast  suggests 
the  accounts  given  of  days  when  the  church 
was  not  warmed  even  in  midwinter.  Some- 
of  us  may  recall  the  two  tall  stoves  in  the  rear 
of  the  church,  which  heated  it  so  unequally 
that  it  was  necessary  for  comfort  to  supply 
small  foot  stoves  for  every  pew;  these  were 
carried  into  the  church  by  the  colored  ser- 
vants before  the  opening  of  the  morning  ser- 
vice. 

The  addition  built  in  the  rear  of  the  pulpit 
at  the  west  end  of  the  church,  however,  was- 
chiefly  for  the  new  organ  which  was  placed 
there  at  this  time  (1887)  and  for  the  conven- 
ience of  the  choir.  The  organ  is  a  large  one 
and  of  good  tone,  and  the  choir  has  been  in- 
creased in  numbers.  The  music  forms  an  im- 
portant part  of  the  worship,  and  great  pains 
has  been  taken  by  those  who  love  church  music 
to  interest  the  young  people  in  the  service 
of  song. 

In  the  more  primitive  days  the  "voorzang- 
er,"  or  precentor,  stood' in  front  of  the  pulpit 
to  lead  in  the  singing  of  the  hymns.  The 
next  step  was  to  have  the  young  people  of 
the  congregation  serve  as  a  choir  in  the  gallery 
opposite  the  pulpit.  The  first  organ  was  pur- 
chased in  i860.  This  latest  arrangement  of 
a  larger  organ  and  the  choir  facing  the  con- 
gregation has  been  made  in  accordance  with 
the  requirements  of  the  age  in  regard  tO' 
church  music,  and  in  the  desire  on  the  part 
of  the  consistory  that  nothing  should  be  left 
undone  which  should  tend  to  a  devotional 
spirit  in  the  church  worship. 

The  latest  change  made  in  the  interior  of 
the  church  has  been  in  regard  to  the  windows. 
The  light  was  found  to  be  at  times  too  strong 
without  blinds  ;  the  church  too  dark  with  closed 
blinds.  In  the  winter  of  the  present  year 
(1890)  the  advisability  of  inserting  stained 
glass  windows  was  suggested.  After  some 
consideration,  the  consistory  agreed  to  give 
those  desiring  it  an  opportunity  to  replace  with 
memorial   windows   the   coarse    glass   in   the 


156 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


sashes.  Most  of  these  memorial  windows 
have  been  made  for  families  rather  than  for 
individuals.  By  adding  dates,  something  of 
an  historical  character  is  included  in  this 
change,  for  it  tends  to  perpetuate  the  names 
•of  families  who  have  supplied  its  membership 
through  the  two  hundred  years  and  more  cf 
its  organization,  who  have  upheld  its  ordin- 
ances, and  have  worshipped  here  on  this  spot 
through  successive  generations. 

The  following  are  the  ministers  who  have 
had  charge  over  the  church  since  its  organiza- 
tion in  1654: 

1.  Johannes  Megapolensis,  born  1603. 
Sent  to  America  by  the  Classis  of  Amsterdam 
in  1842.  He  was  settled  in  New  York  with 
oversight  over  the  congregations  worshipping 
■on  Long  Island.    Died  about  1668. 

2.  Johannes  Theodorus  Polhemus.  First 
pastor  of  the  collegiate  churches  on  Long 
Island.    Born  in  Holland  1598.    Died  in  1676. 

3.  Henricus  Selwyn  or  Selyns,  born  in 
Holland  in  1636;  had  charge  chiefly  of  church 
in  Brooklyn,  although  he  preached  occasion- 
ally in  the  church  at  Flatbush.  Died  about 
1701. 

4.  Casparus  Von  Zuren.  Returned  to  Hol- 
land 1685. 

5.  Rudolphus  Varick.  Preached  in  the 
Long   Island  collegiate  churches  until    1694. 

6.  Wilhelmus  Lupardus.  Preached  1695. 
Died  about  1702. 

7.  Bernardus  Freeman  came  to  America 
in  1700.  Entered  upon  his  ministry  here  in 
1705.     Emeritus   1791.     Died  soon  after. 

8.  Vincentius  Antonides.  Born  1670. 
Preached  in  the  Long  Island  churches.  Died 
1744. 

9.  Johannes  Arondeus  came  from  Hol- 
land 1742;  preached  in  the  Long  Island 
churches.  He  was  suspended  in  1751,  and 
died  about  1754. 

ID.  Antonius  Curtenius.  Born  in  Hol- 
land 1698;  came  from  Holland  1730.  Preached 
in  Hackensack  and  Schraalenburgh  first,  after- 
wards preached  in  the  Long  Island  churches. 
Died  in  1756. 

11.  Ulpianus  Von  Sinderen.  Preached  in 
the  Long  Island  churches.  He  was  declared 
■emeritus  in  1784.     He  died  July  23,  1796. 

12.  Johannes  Casparus  Rubel.  De- 
posed. 

13.  Martinus  Schoonmaker.  Born  in 
Ulster  Co.,  New  York,  1737.  He  was  the  last 
minister  who  preached  in  the  Dutch  language 
in  this  county.     He  died  in  1824. 


14.  Peter  Lowe,  born  at  Kingston  1764. 
Died  1818. 

15.  Walter  Monteith  accepted  a  call  in 
Schenectady  in  1820.     Died  1834. 

16.  Thomas  M.  Strong,  born  at  Coopers- 
town,  N.  Y.,  1797.  Preached  in  Flatbush 
from  1822  to  1861,  at  which  time  he  died. 

17.  Cornelius  L.  Wells,  present  pastor, 
born  at  New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  1833.  Called 
to  the  ministry  of  this  church  1863. 

With  the  exception  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Strong 
and  Rev.  Dr.  Wells,  all  these  were  collegiate 
ministers  preaching  in  the  churches  and  pre- 
siding over  the  six  congregations  in  this 
county. 

In  the  early  days  of  settlement  the  various 
ministers  do  not  seem  to  have  remained  long 
in  charge  over  the  churches,  but  this  century 
shows  the  reverse  and  presents  a  remarkable 
record  in  this  respect. 

Rev.  Dr.  Strong  remained  for  nearly  forty 
years  in  charge  of  the  church  at  Flatbush.  He 
was  removed  by  death  in  1861.  He  was  great- 
ly beloved  by  his  people ;  the  younger  members 
of  his  congregation  looked  up  to  him  as  a  fa- 
ther. He  was  a  man  of  great  learning,  with 
great  fluency  as  a  speaker  and  ease  of  manner 
in  the  pulpit.  He  was  genial  and  affable  in 
social  life,  and  by  his  daily  conduct  exempli- 
fied the  beauty  of  the  precepts  he  held  up  to 
his  people. 

Dr.  Strong  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Dr.  C. 
L.  Wells,  who  was  called  to  the  ministry  of 
this  church  in  1863.  The  twenty-fifth  anni- 
versary of  this  call  was  the  occasion  of  a  very 
pleasant  celebration  given  to  Dr.  Wells  by  his 
people,  in  recognition  of  their  love  and  esteem 
for  him  as  their  pastor  and  personal  friend. 
His  pastorate  has  been  a  very  successful  one. 
The  church  has  flourished  under  his  care  and 
the  utmost  good  feeling  prevails.  The  mem- 
bership has  increased,  and  that,  to  a  great  ex- 
tent, from  among  the  young  people.  Surely 
nothing  can  be  more  gratifying  to  the  heart 
of  a  faithful  pastor  than  this.  May  he  be  long 
continued  in  his  place,  with  the  same  encour- 
aging results  that  have  blest  his  labors  in  past 
years. 

This  church  was  formerly  known  as  the 
Reformed  Dutch  Church.  In  1867  the  word 
Dutch  was  dropped  and  the  distinctive  title 
became  "The  Reformed  Church  in  America." 

In  this  country  the  "patrial  adjectives" 
have  been  retained  in  many  of  the  Reformed 
churches  to  indicate  their  origin. 

The  name  with  us  had  lost  much  of  its 


RELIGIOUS   PROGRESS   IN   KINGS   COUNTY. 


15T 


significance  owing  to  the  various  nationalities 
in  church  membership ;  because  a  false  impres- 
sion was  created  as  to  the  language  used  in 
the  church  service,  the  change  was  thought  by 
many  to  be  desirable,  and  it  was  accordingly 
made. 

We  do  not,  however,  wish  to  have  the  fact 
lost  to  history  that  the  churches  of  this  de- 
nomination were  those  established  by  the  Hol- 
land settlers  in  America.  The  doctrines  taught 
are  the  articles  of  faith  formulated  by  the 
reformers  in  the  Netherlands.  They  had  gone 
through  the  most  terrible  struggle  recorded  on 
the  pages  of  history,  maintaining  for  some 
.forty  years  a  most  unequal  combat  against  big- 
otry and  despotism  of  Spain,  at  that  time  the 
most  formidable  power  in  Europe. 

The  church  at  Flatbush  was  designed,  as 
we  have  seen  in  the  preceding  extract,  to  sup- 
ply the  needs  in  the  way  of  public  worship  of 
the  people  in  Flatbush,  in  Flatlands  and  in 
Breuckelen.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Polhemus,  how- 
ever, seems  never  to  have  been  able  to  win 
the  favor  of  the  people  of  the  last  named  place. 
He  was  a  man  pretty  well  advanced  in  years 
when  he  took  hold  of  his  charge  at  Flatbush, 
and  while  no  complaints  were  ever  made  as 
to  his  neglecting  his  sacred  work,  yet  from 
the  first  the  Brooklyn  settlers  and  he  did  not 
get  along  well  together.  They  were  quite 
willing  to  help  the  Midwout  (Flatbush)  folks 
to  build  their  church  as  by  the  Governor's  or- 
der, but  they  strenuously  objected  to  help  in 
the  work  of  building  a  house  for  the  dominie, 
and  it  required  some  of  the  usual  Stuy- 
vesant  persuasion,  a  big  oath,  or  a  violent 
stamp  of  the  silver-mounted  wooden  leg,  to 
make  them  bear  a  helping  hand.  It  was  quite 
a  distance  from  Breuckelen  to  the  church  at 
Flatbush  and  possibly  it  was  more  fashionable 
for  the  former  people  now  and  again,  when 
the  weather  was  fine  and  the  water  smooth, 
to  cross  over  into  Manhattan  Island  and  listen 
to  the  words  of  the  Rev.  Johannes  Megapo- 
lensis,  one  of  the  most  gifted  preachers  of  his 
time,  in  the  handsome  stone  church  in  the 
fort.  At  all  events  they  gave  Polhemus  the 
cold  shoulder.  In  1656  the  people  of  Flatbush 
(Midwout)  and  Flatlands  (Amersfort)  asked 


their  brethren  in  Breuckelen  to  help  in  paying: 
the  salary  of  Brother  Polhemus,  but  this  met 
with  polite  refusal,  as  they  replied  they  did  not 
feel  disposed  to  pay  for  the  upkeep  of  a  min- 
ister who  was  of  no  use  to  them.  They  sug- 
gested that  if  Polhemus  would  agree  to  preach 
in  their  midst  on  alternate  Sundays  they  would 
be  willing  to  aid  in  his  support.  Possibly  they 
thought  this  beyond  the  dominie's  physical 
ability.  Stuyvesant  and  his  Council  settled 
the  matter  by  declaring  that  Polhemus  should 
preach  in  Breuckelen  when  the  weather  per- 
mitted. The  dominie  at  first  apparently  did 
his  best  to  visit  Brooklyn  on  alternate  Sun- 
days, and  while  the  Flatbush  folk  were  satis- 
fied with  this  the  people  of  Flatlands  and  the 
other  towns  began  to  complain.  So  to  end 
the  matter  Stuyvesant  decreed  that  the  dominie 
was  to  preach  each  Sunday  forenoon  in  the 
church  at  Flatbush  and  on  alternate  Sunday 
afternoons  at  Brooklyn  and  Flatlands.  The 
two  towns  last  named  were  assessed  each 
300  guilders  and  Flatbush  400  guilders  on  be- 
half of  the  dominie's  annual  salary. 

But  the  Brooklyn  people  were  even  then 
by  no  means  satisfied.  They  did  not  care  for 
Mr.  Polhemus,  did  not  want  him  for  a  pastor,, 
and  it  looks  as  though  all  their  agreements 
were  but  subterfuges,  hoping  that  the  other 
communities  woitld  not  live  up  to  them  and 
that  thereby  the  ire  of  the  peppery  old  Gov- 
ernor would  be  directed  against  the  other 
parties  to  the  agreements  rather  than  against 
themselves.  But  in  1657  they  could  bear  it 
no  longer  and  co  came  out  openly  in  an  appeal 
to  Stuyvesant  and  the  Council  to  be  forever 
rid  of  the  good  man.  Through  their  chosen, 
town  officials  they  said,  under  date  January 
I,  1657: 

The  Magistrates  of  Breuckelen  find  them- 
selves obliged  to  communicate  to  your  Hon- 
ors that  to  them  it  seems  impossible  that  they 
should  be  able  to  collect  annually  300  guilders 
from  such  a  poor  congregation,  as  there  are 
many  among  them  who  suffered  immense 
losses  during  the  late  wars;  and  principally 
at  the  invasion  of  the  savages,  by  which  they 
have  been  disabled,  so -that  many,  who  would 


158 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


-otherwise  be  willing,  have  not  the  power  to 
contribute  their  share.  We  must  be  further 
permitted  to  say  that  we  never  gave  a  call  to 
the  aforesaid  Reverend  Polhemus,  and  never 
accepted  him  as  our  minister;  but  he  intruded 
himself  upon  us  against  our  will,  and  volun- 
tarily preached  in  the  open  street,  under  the 
blue  sky ;  when,  to  avoid  offense,  the  house  of 
Joris  Dircksen  was  temporarily  offered  him 
here  in  Breuckelen.  It  is  the  general  opinion 
and  saying  of  the  citizens  and  inhabitants  of 
Breuckelen  generally,  with  those  living  in  their 
neighborhood,  that  they  could  not  resolve,  even 
when  it  was  in  their  power  to  collect  the 
money,  to  contribute  anything  for  such  a  poor 
and  meagre  service  as  that  with  which  they 
.have  thus  far  been  regaled.  Every  fortnight, 
on  Sundays,  he  comes  here  only  in  the  after- 
noon for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  when  he  only 
gives  us  a  prayer  in  lieu  of  a  sermon,  by 
which  we  can  receive  very  little  instruction ; 
while  often,  while  one  supposes  the  prayer  or 
sermon  (which  ever  name  might  be  preferred 
for  it)  is  beginning,  then  it  is  actually  at  an 
end,  by  which  he  contributes  very  little  to  the 
edification  of  his  congregation.  This  we  ex- 
perienj^ed  on  the  Sunday  preceding  Christmas, 
on  the  24th  of  Decemher  last,  when  we,  ex- 
pecting a  sermon,  heard  nothing  but  a  prayer, 
and  that  so  short  that  it  was  finished  before 
we  expected.  Now,  it  is  true,  it  was  nearly 
evening  before  Polhemus  arrived,  so  that  he 
had  not  much  time  to  spare,  and  was  com- 
pelled to  march  off  and  finish  so  much  sooner, 
to  reach  his  home.  This  is  all  the  satisfac- 
tion— little  enough,  indeed — which  we  had 
during  Christmas ;  wherefore,  it  is  our  opinion 
"that  we  shall  enjoy  as  much  and  more  edifica- 
tion by  appointing  one  among  ourselves,  who 
may  read  to  us  on  Sundays  a  sermon  from  the 
"Apostille  Book,"  as  we  ever  have  until  now, 
from  any  of  the  prayers  or  sermons  of  the 
Reverend  Polhemus.  We  do  not,  however, 
intend  to  offend  the  Reverend  Polhemus,  or 
assert  anything  to  bring  him  into  bad  repute. 
We  mean  only  to  say  that  his  greatly  ad- 
vanced age  occasions  all  this,  and  that  his 
talents  do  not  accompany  him  as  steadily  as  in 
the  days  of  yore ;  yea,  we  discover  it  clearly, 
that  it  is  not  the  want  of  good-will  in  Polhe- 
mus ;  but  as  we  never  did  give  him  a  call,  we 
■cannot  resolve  to  contribute  to  his  mainten- 
ance. 

Their  pathetic  appeal,  however,  had  no  ef- 
fect on  the  Governor.     He  held  that  the  ar- 


rangement in  force  should  continue,  and  then 
the  Brooklyn  folk  neglected  to  pay  their  share 
of  the  dominie's  salary,  to  the  temporal  con- 
.  fusion  and  discomfort  of  the  poor  old  man. 
The  others,  too,  seemed  to  become  laggard  in 
their  payments.  Stuyvesant,  however,  was 
equal  to  the  emergency  and  on  July  6,  1658, 
ordered  that  no  grain  should  be  removed  from 
the  fields  until  all  arrearages  in  the  minister's 
salary  had  been  paid — and  paid  they  at  once 
were.  So  the  dominie  was  supreme  for  a  year 
or  so  longer,  encountering  roads  the  poorer 
and  weather  the  more  wretched  as  his  age 
and  infirmities  increased. 

Then  the  people  of  Brooklyn  adopted  fresh 
tactics  to  get  rid  of  his  ministrations,  by  ask- 
ing permission  to  call  a  minister  to  dwell 
among  themselves  and  so  relieve  Polhemus  of 
his  tiresome  journey.  This  was  agreed  to. 
The  Classis  in  Amsterdam  was  communicated 
with,  and  in  September,  1660,  the  Rev.  Hcn- 
ricus  Selyns,  sometimes  described  as  Henry 
Solinus  and  Henricus  Selwyn,  wate  installed 
as  minister  of  Brooklyn,  the  first  of  a  long 
line  of  gifted  men  who  have  made  the  name 
of  the  old  town  famous  over  the  Christian 
world. 

Selyns  was  born  in  Amsterdam  in  1636, 
and  was  descended  from  a  family  which  for 
a  century  previous  had  furnished  a  succession 
of  Protestant  ministers  to  the  Church  in  Hol- 
land, and  his  own  ability  as  a  preacher  had 
won  him  high  commendation  in  his  native 
town.  He  was  installed  into  his  pastorate  with 
considerable  pomp,  the  Governor  being  rep- 
resented by  two  of  his  officials.  Stuyvesant 
seems  to  have  taken  kindly  to  the  young  min- 
ister from  the  first,  and  to  help  him  to  earn  an 
increased  salary  he  engaged  him  to  spend  his 
Sunday  afternoons  on  his  country  residence 
in  New  York,  his  famous  Bouwerie,  and  there 
preach  and  teach  the  servants  and  poor  neigh- 
bors, black  and  white.  For  this  Stuyvesant 
agreed  to  pay  250  guilders  each  year,  thus 
bringing  up  the  minister's  salary  to  600  guil- 
ders. Selyns  was  a  man  c'  many  accomplish- 
ments, a  poet,  lisping  in  sacred  numbers,  and 


0 

o 
o 

w 
o 

Hi 

0 

M 
o 

a 
M 


RELIGIOUS    PROGRESS   IN   KINGS   COUNTY. 


159 


now  and  again  in  Latin,  and  he  possessed  con- 
siderable historical  acumen  and  diligence,  for 
he  transcribed  all  the  records  of  the  Dutch 
Church  in  New  YoTk  down  to  his  own  time, 
and  his  transcription,  still  preserved,  has  kept 
alive  much  of  the  history  of  that  body  which 
but  for  his  patient  labor  would  long  ago  have 
been  lost.  Cotton  Mather  valued  him  highly 
and  said  that  "he  had  so  nimble  a  fancy  for 
putting  his  devout  thoughts  into  verses  that 
upon  this,  as  well  as  upon  greater  accounts, 
he  was  a  David  unto  the  flocks  in  the  wil- 
derness." 

Although  ushered  into  his  charge  with  be- 
coming ceremony,  Selyns  had  neither  a  church 
nor  a  congregation.  So  far  as  church  mem- 
bership went  his  flock  was  enrolled  on  the 
books  of  the  Flatbush  organization,  but  in 
answer  to  a  letter  the  Rev.  Mr.  Polhemus  sent 
him  a  list  of  those  on  his  roll  who  resided  in 
Brooklyn  (at  the  Ferry,  the  Wallabout  and 
Gowanus)  including  one  elder,  two  deacons 
and  twenty-four  others.  This  epistle  probably 
acted  as  a  letter  of  dismissal  and  doubtless  the 
good  old  dominie  was  heartily  glad  to  be  rid 
of  a  people  that  had  proved  so  rebellious  and 
contumacious.  A  church  building  seems  to 
have  been  erected  under  Selyns'  ministry,  or 
else  the  services  were  held  in  some  building 
set  aside  for  his  use,  for  we  find  that  the  peo- 
ple in  1661  petitioned  the  home  authorities 
for  a  bell  which  would  not  only  call  the  people 
to  worship  but  would  be  of  service  in  all  time 
of  danger.  If  a  church  was  there  built  all 
trace  of  it  even  on  paper  has  disappeared.  It 
seems  that  the  people  after  a  time  were  not 
quite  satisfied  with  Selyns'  ministrations,  their 
main  grievance  being  that  he  did  not  make  his 
home  among  them,  but  preferred  to  reside  on 
Manhattan  Island.  The  congregation  had 
strengthened  slowly:  in  1661  it  had  over  fifty 
communicants,  but  latterly  he  had  some  dif- 
ficulty in  collecting  his  salary,  and,  probably 
feeling  that  the  field  was  not  a  promising  one 
and  experiencing  some  of  the  plain  speaking 
which  had  been  used  to  Polhemus,  he  tendered 
his  resignation  in  1664,  giving  as  his  reason 


a  desire  to  comply  with  the  request  of  his 
aged  father  that  he  return  to  Holland.  There 
he  went,  returning  to  America  in  1682  to  be- 
come pastor  of  the  Dutch  Church  in  New 
Amsterdam,  in  which  service  he  continued  un- 
til his  death,  in  1701. 

The  spiritual  welfare  of  Brooklyn  was  thus 
again  placed  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Dom- 
inie Polhemus,  Schoolmaster  Debevoise  ap- 
parently doing  the  active  work  and  reading  a 
discourse  from  an  "approved  author"  each 
Sabbath.  Apparently  the  people  desired  a 
pastor  as  soon  as  possible,  and  probably  in  the 
hope  of  being  the  better  able  to  induce  a  de- 
sirable one  to  settle  in  their  midst  they  de- 
cided to  erect  a  substantial  church  and  have 
it  ready  for  his  ministrations  when  he  did 
come.  Accordingly  they  erected  in  1666  on 
what  is  now  Fulton  street,  near  Lawrence 
street,  about  a  mile  from  the  Ferry,  on  the 
site  of  a  fort,  some  of  the  stones  of  which 
were  used  in  its  walls,  what  is  generally  held 
to  be  the  first  church  in  Brooklyn.  It  re- 
mained in  active  use  for  exactly  a  century, 
when  it  was  pulled  down  and  a  new  edifice 
erected  on  its  site.  Stiles  describes  this,  the 
structure  of  1766,  as  "a  large,  square  edifice, 
with  solid  and  very  thick  walls,  plastered  and 
whitewashed  on  every  side  up  to  the  eaves ; 
the  roof  as  usual  ascending  to  a  peak  in  the 
centre,  capped  with  an  open  belfry  in  which 
hung  a  small,  sharp-toned  bell  brought  from 
Holland  shortly  after  its  erection,  and  after- 
ward (1840)  hung  in  the  belfry  of  the  dis- 
trict school-house  in  Middagh  street.  The 
interior  was  plain,  dark  and  very  gloomy,  so 
that  in  summer  one  could  not  see  to  read  in 
it  after  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  by  rea- 
son of  its  small  windows.  They  were  six  or 
eight  feet  above  the  floor  and  filled  with 
stained-glass  lights  from  Holland,  represent- 
ing vines  loaded  with  flowers.  The  old  town 
of  Breuckelen,  it  will  be  remembered,  com- 
prised at  this  time  several  divisions  or  settle- 
ments, each  possessing  local  names — squares 
and  avenues  of  the  new  city — Gowanus,  Red 
Hook,  Bedford,  Cripplegate,  Wallabout — and 


160 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


for  all  these  the  old  church  occupied  a  very 
central  position."  It  was  pulled  down  in  1810 
and  a  new  building  for  the  congregation 
erected  on  what  is  now  Joralemon  street. 

Although  the  Rev.  Mr.  Selyns  was  un- 
doubtedly the  first  minister  called  to  Brook- 
lyn, he  seems  to  have  been  regarded  as  a  part 
of  the  establishment  of  the  church  at  Flat- 
bush,  a  collegiate  pastor,  and  as  such  appears 
to  have  frequently  filled  its  pulpit.  For  many 
years  after  he  left  the  pastors  of  the  senior 
Brooklyn  church  were  identical  with  those  of 
Flatbush.  This  arrangement  fell  through — 
how,  it  is  not  exactly  clear,  probably  by  a 
process  of  evolution — about  the  beginning  of 
the  century,  for  in  1802,  when  the  Rev.  John 
Barent  Johnson  was  called  to  the  pastorate 
of  the  Brooklyn  church,  his  ministrations 
were  to  be  confined  to  it.  His  death  took 
place  August  29,  1803,  about  eleven  months 
after  his  installation.  The  congregation  re- 
rnained  without  a  pastor,  Flatbush  filling  the 
pulpit  as  regularly  as  possible,  until  1806, 
when  the  Rev.  Selah  Strong  Woodhull  was 
installed  to  the  charge.  It  was  under  him 
that  the  erection  of  what  is  known  as  the 
third  church  was  brought  about.  The  cor- 
ner-stone was  laid  May  15,  1807,  by  the  Rev. 
Peter  Lowe,  then  one  of  the  ministers  of  the 
parent  church  at  Flatbush.  It  was  completed 
at  a  cost  of  $13,745-53,  and  dedicated  on 
December  23  of  the  same  year,  when  the 
sermon  was  preached  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  John 
H.  Livingston. 

Mr.  Woodhull  in  1825  resigned  the  pastor- 
ship on  becoming  Professor  of  Ecclesiastical 
History,  etc.,  in  Rutgers  College,  and  the ' 
Rev.  Ebenezer  Mason,  son  of  the  famous  Dr. 
John  Mason,  of  New  York,  became  pastor. 
Two  years  later  another  change  was  made, 
and  the  Rev.  Peter  J.  Rouse  was  installed, 
October  13,  1828.  He  was  succeeded  in  1833 
by  the  Rev.  M.  W.  Dwight,  and  within  a 
month  the  congregation  began  taking-  steps 
to  erect  their  present  building — the  fourth — 
which  was  completed  and  dedicated  in  May, 
1835.     The    succeeding    pastors    have    been 


Revs.  A.  P.  Low  Giesen,  1855-59 ;  A.  A.  Wil- 
lets,  1860-5;  Joseph  Kimball,  1865-74;  H. 
Dickson,  1875-1877;  Dr.  D.  N.  Vanderveer, 
1878-1896;  and  J.  M.  Farrar,  1896—. 

This  survey  practically  completes  the  story 
of  the  pioneer  churches  on  the  island  in  its 
different  divisions,  and  the  history  of  the 
others  calling  for  particular  mention  on  ac- 
count of  their  historical  or  other  interest  will 
be  found  treated  in  the  local  sections  of  this 
work.  We  have  taken  up  these  churches  in 
their  order,  just  as  their  respective  histories 
told  us  they  were  formed  without  any  heed 
to  their  denominational  affiliations,  and  we 
may  now  enter  on  a  somewhat  wider  field 
of  survey  by  speaking  of  the  introduction,  on 
the  island,  of  the  various  great  divisions  of  the 
Christian  fold. 

The  churches  at  Southold  and  Southamp- 
ton were,  properly  speaking.  Congregational^ 
and  as  such  their  story  might  be  held  to  marjc 
the  date  of  the  advent  of  that  body,  while  if 
we  could  accept  the  church  at  Hempstead,  of 
which  we  have  spoken  as  Presbyterian,  then 
the  advent  of  that  body  is  also  determined. 
Such  affiliations,  however,  would  be  strenu- 
ously objected  to.  The  institution  of  the 
church  at  Flatbush  in  1654  gives  that  date 
beyond  question  as  that  on  which  the  Re- 
formed Dutch  church  began  its  labors.  For 
a  time  the  island  was  given  over  to  these 
two  bodies  (if  we  may  be  permitted  to  class 
the  early  Congregationalists  or  Presbyterians 
as  one  body,  which  they  practically  were),  in 
which  the  Dutch  church  showed  the  union 
of  Church  and  State,  with  the  authority  of 
the  latter  paramount,  while  the  other  was 
purely  democratic — church  and  state  com- 
bined, with  the  church  as  the  ruling  influ- 
ence. 

But  they  were  not  permitted  very  long  to 
retain  their  undisputed  sway  over  the  spiritual 
destinies  of  Long  Island,  for  in  1702  we  find, 
that  the  Episcopalian  body  began  with  the^ 
advent  to  the  island  of  the  Rev.  George  Keith,, 
whom  we  have  already  met  in  a  previous- 
chapter.     He  was  accompanied  by  the  Rev.- 


RELIGIOUS   PROGRESS   IN   KINGS   COUNTY. 


161 


Peter  (or  Patrick,  the  names  there  being  in- 
terchangeable) Gordon,  who,  it  seems,  had 
been  sent  out  to  America  as  a  missionary  by 
the  English  "Society  for  the  Propagation  of 
the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts."  His  work  on 
Long  Island  was  assigned  for  him  before  his 
departure,  and  so  was  his  title  of  "Rector  of 
Queens  County."  His  acquaintance  with  his 
rectorial  field  was,  however,  very  brief.  He 
was  suffering  from  fever  when  he  reached 
Jamaica,  which  was  to  be  his  headquarters, 
and  about  a  week  later,  July  25,  1702,  he  was 
dead.  He  was  buried  beneath  the  stone 
church  or  meeting-house  which  had  been 
erected  about  1700  by  the  trustees  of  Jamaica 
by  means  of  a  tax  levied  on  the  inhabitants, 
after  a  plan  of  voluntary  subscription  had 
fallen  through.  On  that  fact  was  based  one 
of  the  most  noted  conflicts  between  Church 
and  State  which  the  history  of  the  island 
records. 

When  the  church  and  its  adjoining  min- 
ister's house  were  completed  they  were  given 
over  to  the  Presbyterian  minister  by  vote  of 
a  town  meeting,  although  there  was  some  un- 
derstanding that  other  Protestant  denomina- 
tions were  to  be  permitted  to  use  the  church 
for  their  services  when  occasion  required.  In 
this  way  Keith  seems  to  have  preached  from 
its  pulpit.  When  Lord  Cornbury  became 
Governor  in  1702  he  ordered  the  English  law 
of  uniformity  in  religion  to  be  enforced 
throughout  the  province  and  ordained  that  all 
meeting-houses  and  parsonages  erected  out 
of  public  moneys,  by  tax  or  otherwise,  should 
belong  to  the  Episcopal  body,  which  he  de- 
clared to  be  the  established  church.  The  mis- 
sionaries of  that  body,  thanks  to  this  viceregal 
patronage,  were  then  very  active,  and  the  ad- 
herents to  the  Church  of  England  in  Jamaica 
were  console^  by  frequent  visits  from  them. 
Emboldened  by  Lord  Coriibury's  order,  they 
not  only  held  services  in  the  stone  church, 
but  claimed  its  possession  as  a  right.  The 
crisis  came  on  July  25,  1703,  when  the  Rev. 
John  Bartow  visited  Jamaica.  On  the  day 
before  he  announced  that  he  would  hold  serv- 
11 


ice  in  the  stone  church,  but  the  Presbyterian 
minister  got  into  the  building  on  the  follow- 
ing morning'  ahead  of  him  and  so  held  the 
fort.  Bartow  walked  into  the  sacred  edifice 
and  ordered  John  Hubbard,  the  Presbyterian 
divine,  to  stop  his  service.  This  the  latter  re- 
fused. In  the  afternoon  the  tables  were 
turned,  for  the  Episcopalian  got  into  the  build- 
ing before  the  Presbyterian  arrived.  The 
latter  announced  that  he  would  preach  under 
a  tree  and  so  drew  away  the  bulk  of  Mr.. 
Bartow's  auditors.  Not  only  that :  those  who 
went  out  carried  with  them  benches  and  re- 
turned for  more,  so  as  to  make  Mr.  Hub- 
bard's hearers  comfortable,  and  the  noise  and 
confusion  that  ensued  forced  the  "estab- 
lished" divine  to  stop  for  a  time.  He  finished, 
however,  locked  the  door  of  the  church,  and 
handed  the  key  to  the  sheriff  as  the  repre- 
sentative of  law  and  order.  The  iDther  body 
soon  afterward  broke  a  window  in  the  church 
wall,  helped  a  boy  through  the  aperture,  and, 
on  his  opening  the  door  from  the  inside,  en- 
tered the  church  and  put  back  the  benches. 
They,  however,  took  away  the  pulpit  cushion, 
which  they  would  not  permit  any  to  use  but 
the  Presbyterian  minister. 

Cornbury,  when  the  matter  was  reported 
to  him,  summoned  Mr.  Hubbard  and  the 
heads  of  his  congregation  before  him,  laid 
down  the  law  and  threatened  them  with  its 
penalties.  He  also. defined  the  statute  as  to 
the  church  building  itself  and  forbade  Mr. 
Hubbard  from  preaching  in  it.  As  it  was 
either  submission  or  prosecution,  they  sub- 
mitted, and  the  stone  church  passed  from  their 
hands.  But  their  humiliation  was  not  yet 
ended. 

In  1704  the  Rev.  William  Urquhart  was 
appointed  "Rector  of  Queens  County,"  and 
when  he  arrived  at  Jamaica  and  viewed  his 
domain  over  he  claimed  the  house  and  lands 
on  which  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hubbard  dwelt  as  a 
parsonage,  they  having  been  set  aside  for  the 
use  of  the  preacher  in  the  stone  church  by 
the  same  process  of  taxation.  This  view  was 
indorsed  by  Cornbury,  and  on  July  4,  1704, 


162 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


the  sheriff  ordered  Hubbard  to  vacate,  which 
he  did,  and  the  triumph  of  the  EpiscopaHan 
church  in  Jamaica  was  complete.  The  further 
history  of  the  stone  church  Htigation  really 
belongs  to  the  local  story  of  Jamaica. 

There  is  a  good  deal  of  similarity  between 
the  early  histoiry  of  the  Episcopalian  Church 
in  Hempstead  and  in  Jamaica  except  in  the 
way  of  disturbance  and  legal  conflict.  In 
the  former  place  work  was  begun  about  1701, 
by  the  Rev.  John  Thomas,  who  was  sent  out 
from  England  as  a  missionary  and  given 
charge  of  Hempstead  by  Lord  Cornbury.  He 
also  took  possession  of  the  old  Presbyterian 
church  building  and  minisiter's  house,  but  the 
Presbyterians  at  the  time  had  no  minister  and 
had  dwindled  down  in  numbers,  so  that  Mr. 
Thomas,  who  appears  -to  have  been  a  soft- 
mannered  and  agreeable  sort  of  man,  a  verit- 
able peacemaker,  not  only  induced  them  to 
acquiesce  in  the  charge  without  much  grum- 
bling, but  persuaded  many  of  the  weak-kneed 
brethren  among  them  to  become  regular  at- 
tendants at  his  service.  So  the  "established 
church"  continued  slowly  to  spread,  backed 
by  the  Gubernatorial  authority,  and  in  isome 
instances  stiffened  by  royal  gifts ;  for  we  read 
that  in  1706  Queen  Anne  "was  pleased  to 
allow  the  churches  of  Hempstead,  Jamaica, 
Westchester,  Rye  and  Staten  Island  each  a 
large  Bible,  Common  Prayer  Book,  Book  of 
Homilies,  a  cloth  for  the  pulpit,  a  communion 
table,  a  silver  chalice  and  paten."  Churches 
were  established  at  Newtown  in  1734  (the 
charge  of  the  rector  at  Jamaica  extended  over 
Newtown  and  Flushing),  at  Flushing  in  1746, 
at  Huntington  in  1750  and  at  Brookhaven  in 
1752;  but  it  was  not  until  1766  that  one  was 
established  in  Brooklyn.  This  date  seems  to 
have  been  fixed  by  tradition,  for  there  is 
really  no  evidence  to  substantiate  it. 

In  1774  a  lottery  was  proposed  for  the 
erection  of  a  church  conformable  to  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Church  of  England,  but  the  mat- 
ter either  was  unsuccessful  or  was  allowed 
to  be  dropped  owing  to  the  political  exigencies 
of  the  times.     During  the  British  occupation 


there  is  no  doubt  Episcopalian  services  were 
regularly  held  and    some  of    the  discourses 
then  preached  by  the    Rev.  James  Sayre  are 
still  preserved.     It  was  not  until  1784,  after 
the  cloud  of  battle  had  passed  away,  that  those 
who  adhered  to  the  Episcopalian  Church  set 
up  a  tabernacle  of  their  own.     Says  Furman: 
"It  scarcely  took  the  form  of  a  church:  there 
were    few,  very  few  Episcopalians    in    this 
town  or  country  at  that  period,^ — so  few  that 
they  were  not  able  to  settle  a  minister  among 
them  and  were  supplied  with  occasional  serv- 
ices from  the  clergymen  of  the  city  of  New 
York,  for  which  purpose  they  assembled  in  a 
room  of    the  old    one-and-a-half-story  brick 
house  known  as  No.  40  Fulton  street,  Brook- 
lyn, then  called  the  Old  Ferry  Road,  owned 
by  Abiel  Titus,  Esq.     There  is  no  reason  to 
believe  that  this  little  congregation  was  ever 
incorporated  as^  a  church  or  had  any  regular 
officers.    The  first  regularly  established  Epis- 
copal church  in  this  town  or  county  was  that 
formed  in  the  year  1786.     The  congregation 
was  at  first  very  small,  not  having  in  it  more 
than  fifteen  or  sixteeen  families,  and  they  were 
not  able  to  go  to  much  expense  about  erect- 
ing a  church.     They  therefore  hired  the  old 
and  long  one-story  house  owned  by  Marvin 
Richardson   on   the   northwesterly   corner  of 
Fulton    and    Middagh    streets."      The   Rev. 
George  Wright  was  chosen  as  the  pastor  of 
this  little  flock,  and  from  this  humble  begin- 
ning sprang  the  now  famous  Church  of  St. 
Ann's. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  church  appar- 
ently antedated  the  Established  Church  of 
England  on  Long  Island.  The  pioneer  preach- 
er vvas  Captain  Thomas  Webb,,  of  the  British 
army,  who  held  services  in  a  house  he  rented 
in  New  York,  and  in  1766  frequently  crossed 
over  to  Brooklyn  and  held  forth  there.  He 
had  some  relatives  in  Jamaica  and  preached 
in  that  village  regularly,  building  up.  Dr. 
Prime  tells  us,  a  society  of  about  twenty-four 
persons, — half  of  them  negroes.  The  prog- 
ress made,  however,  was  slow.  In  1785  a 
congregation  was  formed  in  Sands  street,  in 


RELIGIOUS   PROGRESS   IN    KINGS   COUNTY, 


163 


a  cooper's  shop,  by  Wollman  Hickson,  and 
from  that  beginning  developed  the  once 
famous  Methodist  church  in  Sands  street,  now 
only  a  memory,  although  its  name  is  still  re- 
tained in  another  structure.  In  1793  Joseph 
Totten  and  George  Strebeck  were  appointed 
to  take  charge  of  the  entire  island,  laboring 
alternately  one  month  in  Brooklyn  and  a 
month  elsewhere.  In  1794  the  Brooklyn 
church  was  incorporated  and  in  1795  its  peo- 
ple had  completed  the  purchase  of  a  site  and 
erected  a  place  of  worship  on  Sands  street, 
the  site  now  being  part  of  the  territory  oc- 
cupied by  the  big  bridge.  In  1795  its  mem- 
bership was  given  as  twenty-three  whites  and 
twelve  negroes.  In  1820  a  church  was  estab- 
lished at  Southold,  and  another  ten  years  later 
at  Riverhead. 

Although  we  read  of  the  appearance  of 
Baptists  in  America  as  early  as  1662,  it  was 
not  till  long  afterward  that  the  denomina- 
tion really  won  a  foothold  on  Long  Island. 
A  congregation  was  formed  at  Oyster  Bay  in 
1700,  one  at  Brookhaven  in  1747,  and  one  at 
Newtown  in  1809;  but  it  was  not  until  1823 
that  a  church  was  organized  at  Brooklyn, — 
with  ten  members. 

In  another  chapter  we  tell  of  the  early  ex- 
periences of  the  Quakers  in  this  country  and 
their  reception  at  the  hands  of  the  Dutch  au- 
thorities and  Governor  Stuyvesant,  and  so 
need  only  remark  that  the  earliest  trace  of  a 
meeting-house  is  found  in  the  story  of  Oyster 
Bay,  where  we  are  told  one  was  set  up  in 
1659.  The  visit  of  George  Fox  to  America 
in  1672  did  much  to  strengthen  the  Friends, 
and  we  know  that  he  made  several  visits  to 
Gravesend  where  the  doctrines  of  his  people 
had  been  known  and  welcomed  to  a  more  or 
less  extent  since  1657.  It  was  at  Jericho,  a 
few  miles  from  Oyster  Bay,  that  the  first 
Long  Island  meeting-house  of  the  society,  of 
which  we  have  record,  was  erected,  in  1689, 
and  in  1694  another  was  erected  at  Flushing. 
About  the  last  named  year  small  houses  of 
worship  were  also  erected  by  the  Friends  at 
Bethpage  and  Matinicock.     A  meeting-house 


was  maintained  at  Brooklyn  before  1730,  and 
slow  progress  was  made  until  in  1845  'th^Y  had 
twelve  meeting-houses  in  Kings  and  Queens 
counties  and  two  in  Suffolk.  It  can  hardly 
be  said  that  their  numbers  have  much  in- 
creased, compared,  at  least,  with  other  re 
ligious  bodies. 

Oyster  Bay  township  was  for  many  years 
the  centre  of  Quaker  activity  on  Long  Island, 
owing  to  the  zeal  and  work  of  Elias  Hicks,  a 
most  remarkable  man,  of  whose  labors  and 
life  an  account  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work. 

The  Roman  Catholic  Church  had  a  late 
beginning.  There  were  few  of  that  faith  on 
Long  in  early  times,  and  it  was  not  until 
after  the  Revolutionary  War  that  we  find 
traces  of  the  visits  of  missionary  priests  to  the 
island ;  but  the  results  of  their  labor  appears  to 
have  amounted  practically  to  nothing.  Early 
in  the  present  century  quite  a  number  of  mem- 
bers of  that  church  were  domiciled  in  Brook- 
lyn, but  they  crossed  the  ferry  and  worshipped 
in  old  St.  Peter's  Church  in  Barclay  street, 
New  York.  The  late  Cardinal  McCloskey,  in 
1868,  when  laying  the  corner-stone  of  the  still 
unfinished  cathedral  on  Lafayette  avenue,  re- 
ferred to  this  when  he  said : 

There  are  many  here  who  hardly  hoped 
to  see  this  day.  Of  that  number  I  can  men- 
tion one,  and  it  is  he  who  now  addresses  you. 
He  well  remembers  the  day  when  there  was 
neither  Catholic  church,  nor  chapel,  nor 
priest,  nor  altar,  in  all  these  surroundings. 
He  remembers  when,  as  a  youth,  when  Sun- 
day morning  came,  he,  as  one  of  a  happy 
group,  wended  his  way  along  the  shore  to 
what  was  then  called  Hick's  Ferry  to  cross 
the  river,  not  in  elegant  and  graceful  steamers 
as  now,  but  in  an  old  and  dingy  horse-boat; 
going,  led  by  the  hand  of  tender  and  loving 
parents,  to  assist  at  the  sacrifice  of  mass  in  the 
old  brick  church  of  St.  Peter's  in  Barclay 
street. 

In  fact  it  seems  that  the  rectors  of  St. 
Peter's  looked  upon  Long  Island  as  part  of 
their  parish,  and  for  many  years  were  in  the 
habit  of  sending  priests  across  the  ferry  to 
hold  services  and  perform  the  various  offices 


164 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


of  the  church.  Mass  was  celebrated  at  times 
in  private  houses,  and  while  smaller  bodies 
would  have  rushed  in  and  built  a  church  un- 
der the  circumstances,  the  Catholics  were  hin- 
dered from  doing  so  by  the  scarcity  of  priests, 
their  own  poverty  and  the  desire  of  the  church 
authorities  not  to  be  burdened  in  their  spirit- 
ual work  by  hopeless  accumulations  of  debt. 
In  the  beginning  of  the  second  decade  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  however,  the  then  exist- 
ing condition  of  things  was  really  regarded 
as  against  the  interests  of  Roman  Catholicism, 
and  on  January  7,  1822,  a  meeting  was 
held  to  consider  the  advisability  of  undertak- 
ing the  erection  of  a  church  building.  It 
was  then  found  that  only  seventy  of  the  pro- 
posed parishioners  were  able  to  contribute  in 
money  or  in  labor  to  the  project,  but  it  was 
finally  determined  to  proceed.  Cornelius 
Henry  offered  as  a  gift  a  piece  of  property 
at  Court  and  Congress  streets  (afterward, 
1836,  used  as  a  site  for  St.  Paul's  church)  ; 
but  it  was  thought  that  the  eight  lots  at  Jay 
and  Chapel  streets  would  be  much  more  con- 
venient and  these  were  secured.  The  price 
paid  was  $700.  The  erection  of  the  building 
was  at  once  proceeded  with,  and  on  August 
28,  1823,  St.  James'  church  started  in  its 
history.  From  St.  James'  the  church  spread 
out  all  over  the  island.  In  1835  a  chapel 
was  built  in  Flushing,  in  1838  another  at 
Jamaica.  A  preaching  station  was  established 
at  Islip  in  1840,  at  Smithtown,  at  Sag  Har- 
bor and  so  on.  In  1845  there  were  ten  Roman 
Catholic  churches  on  Long  Island :  now  there 
the  eighty-eight  in  the  borough  of  Brooklyn 
alone,  and  twenty-five  in  the  borough  of 
Queens. 


Of  the  other  religious  bodies  we  need  give 
little  more  than  the  dates  of  their  first  being 
represented  by  actual  church  buildings  erected 
by  them.  The  Hebrews  in  Brooklyn  in  1856, 
having  previously  crossed  over  to  New  York 
to  worship,  hired  a  room  which  they  fitted  up 
as  a  synagogue,  and  it  was  retained  until  the 
Synagogue  Beth  Israel  was  built  and  opened 
for  service  in  1862.  The  Unitarians  date  from 
1833,  the  Universalists  from  1841,  and  the 
Lutherans  from  1847. 

A  curious  feature  of  the  story  of  religion 
on  Long  Island  is  the  long  and  patient  strug- 
gle of  the  Swedenborgians.  Dr.  Prime  in  his 
history  spoke  of  their  first  church  as  follows: 
"In  1813  or  1814  a  member  of  the  Congre- 
gational church  at  Baiting  Hollow  by  the 
name  of  Horton  imbibed  the  doctrines  of 
Emanuel  Swedenborg  and  in  1815  set  up  a 
separate  place  of  worship.  In  1831  a  New 
Jerusalem  church  was  organized,  consisting 
of  thirteen  members.  In  1839  a  house  of 
worship  twenty-four  by  thirty-six  feet  was 
erected,  but  until  recently  Mr.  Horton  has 
been  the  principal  conductor  of  their  services. 
Since  November,  1844,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Carll  has 
been  employed  here  a  part  of  the  time.  From 
fifteen  to  twenty  families  attend.  The  present 
(1845)  number  of  members  is  twenty-four." 

In  1839  one  of  the  members  of  that  church, 
Elijah  Terry,  organized  a  society  in  River- 
head,  with  ten  members.  They  built  a  church 
and  school-house  combined  and  engaged  part 
of  the  labors  of  Rev.  Mr.  Carll,  but  made  no 
further  progress  in  numerical  strength.  It  was 
not  until  1856  that  a  Swedenborgian  church 
was  organized  in  Brooklyn,  and  it  now  has 
three,  with  a  united  membership  of  249. 


CHAPTER   XIII, 


PERSECUTIONS— RELIGIOUS— THE  TROUBLES    OF  THE    EARLY 
QUAKERS— TRIALS    FOR  WITCHCRAFT. 


mm 


T  is  often  stated  by  newspaper  and 
other  writers — sometimes  even  by 
reputable  historical  writers — that  Long 
Island  has  been  free  from  those  per- 
secutions which  form  a  blot  on  the  history 
of  some  of  the  other  sections  of  this  continent. 
Certainly,  they  tell  us,  there  were  persecu- 
tions on  Long  Island' — there  is  no  use  deny- 
ing it — but  they  were  not  such  as  came  from 
the  malignant  passions  of  the  people,  passions 
aroused  by  ignorance,  or  hysterical  enthu- 
siasm, or  prejudice,  or  popular  caprice.  Even 
those  who  admit  the  existence  of  such  a  blot 
assure  us  that  what  persecutions  there  were 
were  official  rather  than  popular.  "It  is  true," 
says  Dr.  Prime  (History,  page  57),  "that  at 
an  early  period  the  Dutch  Government  of  the 
New  Netherland  enacted  severe  laws  against 
the  Quakers  and  other  sects  whom  they  re- 
garded as  heretics ;  and  in  numerous  other  in- 
stances these  laws  were  enforced  with  a  de- 
gree of  cruelty  that  was  shocking  to  every  feel- 
ing of  humanity.  But  the  people  had  no  hand 
in  the  enactment  of  these  laws  and  but  few  oi 
them  could  be  induced  to  take  any  part  in 
their  execution."  But  we  must  remember  that 
these  were  persecutions,  and  also  that  these 
persecutions  were  rendered  possible  in  spite 
of  (he  arbitrary  and  paternal  rule  of  the  Dutch 
Governors  only  by  the  fact  that  the  people 
either  acquiesced  in  them  or  were  indifferent 
to  them.  Obnoxious  laws — that  is,  laws 
which  were  really  obnoxious  to  the  hearts 
and    consciences    of    the    people — could    not 


easily  be  enforced  in  New  Netherland  even 
in  the  days  of  the  Dutch  regime,  and  a  peo- 
ple who  could  defy  Governor  Stuyvesant  and 
bring  him  to  terms  were  not  likely  to  be 
coerced  into  actively  supporting  any  law  of 
which  they  did  not  more  or  less  heartily  ap- 
prove. The  Director  was  a  powerful  poten- 
tate in  the  days  when  old  Governor  Pietrus 
stumped  about,  but  he  needed  the  help  of  the 
people  when  action  was  necessary. 

There  certainly  were  times  of  persecution 
on  Long  Island,  as  elsewhere;  but  they  were 
never  carried  to  the  same  extent  as  in  many 
parts  of  New  England;  and  indeed  it  seems 
to  us  that  so  long  as  a  man  behaved  himself 
even  in  the  western  end  of  the  island  where 
the  Dutch  influence  was  most  secure,  his  re- 
ligious or  other  sentiments  were  seldom,  if 
ever,  interfered  with.  When  we  went  around 
proclaiming  his  differences  with  the  ruling 
regime,  or  with  the  views  held  by  the  mass 
of  the  people,  then  trouble  began.  In  the 
eastern  end,  where  Puritan  ideas  held  sway, 
each  community  passed  judgment  on  each 
new-comer,  and  if  he  did  not  prove  acceptable 
he  was  told  to  pass  on.  If  he  obeyed  quietly, 
that  was  the  end  of  the  matter.  But  even 
among  the  Long  Island  Puritans  a  Quaker 
or  other  heretic  was  never  persecuted  for 
the  sake  of  his  belief  unless  he  persisted  in 
proclaiming  that  belief  "from  the  housetops." 

That  was  the  trouble  with  the  Quakers  at 
the  beginning  of  their  story  in  New  Nether- 
land, and  that  really  led  to  all  that  was  done 


166 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


against  them  in  the  way  of  persecution  on 
Long  Island.  The  Friends  at  that  time  were 
an  aggiessive  body;  and  in  the  New  World, 
where  they  expected  that  freedom  of  con- 
science would  prevail,  they  never  lost  an  op- 
portunity of  preaching  the  Word  and  pro- 
claiming their  doctrines.  This  aggressiveness 
led  to  their  persecution  in  New  England  and 
to  the  severe  penal  laws  there  enacted  against 
them.'  But  penal  laws  have  never  yet  been 
able  to  kill  religious  sentiment.  Even  the 
scaffold  did  not  crush  out  Quakerism  in  Bos- 
ton, and  public  whippings  and  banishments 
and  confiscations  only  served  to  show  that 
these  people  were  perfectly  willing  to  suffer 
and  even  to  die  for  the  sake  of  the  dictates 
of  their  conscience.  They  aimed  to  bring 
about  a  universal  religion,  they  had  no  respect 
for  mere  forms,  and  believed  the  spirit  could 
and  did  find  utterance  even  through  the  most 
ignorant  voice,  and  they  put  women,  as  public 
exhorterij  and  in  religious  and  all  other  mat- 
ters, on  an  equality  with  men.  They  scowled 
at  form,  at  "isms,"  at  lavishness  in  dress,  and 
at  mere  human  authority,  whether  manifested 
on  a  throne  or  in  a  pulpit.  To  them  the 
theocratic  notions  of  New  England  were  as 
utterly  unworthy  of  regard  as  the  claims  of 
the  Church  of  Rome  or  that  of  England.  It 
was  a  theocracy  founded  on  work ;  their 
theocracy  was  founded  of  the  Spirit;  it  was  a 
theocracy  founded  on  worldly  principles,  on 
arms,  on  oaths,  preserving  social  distinctions 
and  upholding  the  authority  of  the  civil  mag- 
istrate, the  representative  of  royalty,  a  com- 
bination at  once  of  the  cross  and  the  sword; 
their  theocracy  was  measured  only  by  love. 
Their  ideas  of  religious  toleration  were  com- 
plete and  thoroughgoing,  the  ideas  of  the  Pu- 
ritans on  that  question  were  bounded  by  their 
meeting  places  and  their  church  edicts.  Cer- 
tainly these  eairly  Quakers  were  extravagant 
in  many  ways,  even  at  times  extravagant 
enough  to  shock  all  sense  of  decency  and  pro- 
priety; but  they  were  terribly  in  earnest  and 
openly  and  vigorously  proceeded,  as  they  de- 
clared the  Spirit  impelled  them,  to  denounce 


what  they  regarded  as  the  shortcomings  of  the 
Puritan  system  as  practiced  in  New  England 
as  soon  as  they  reached  that  favored  land  and 
surveyed  its  fleshpdts  and  extravagances.  To 
the  Puritan,  regarding  himself  as  the  most 
perfect  product  of  the  religious  spirit  of  the 
time,  the  representative  of  the  chosen  prophets 
of  old,  the  highest  development  of  religious 
thought  and'  toleration,  the  extravagances  of 
the  Quakers,  and  in  particular  the  extrava- 
graces  of  the  Quaker  women,  were  all  wrong 
and  needed  to  be  repressed  with  a  strong 
harid;  and  the  strong  hand  at  once  put  forth 
all  its  strength. 

In  August,  1675,  a  boat  arrived  in  New 
York  Bay  from  New  England,  having  on 
board  eleven  Quakers  who  had  been  expelled 
from  that  colony.  Two  of  them,  women,  as 
soon  as  they  landed  in  New  Amsterdam,  began 
preaching  on  the  streets  to  the  astonishment 
and  disgust  of  old  Peter  Stuyvesant,  a 
straight-laced,  single-minded  supporter  of  the 
Dutch  church.  He  did  not  understand  the 
Quakers'  theology,  and  as  they  seemed  to  him 
to  mix  questions  of  public  policy  along  with 
their  religion  he  soon  pronounced  their  senti- 
ments and  ongoings  seditious,  heretical  and 
abominable.  That  settled  the  Quaker  ques- 
tion and  peace  of  mind  in  New  Amsterdam 
foT  the  time  being. 

The  Quaker  visitors  soon  scattered  in  pur- 
suance of  their  mission  to  disseminate  their 
doctrines,  but  at  least  one  of  them,  Robert 
Hodgson,  went  to  Long  Island  and  as  he  jour- 
neyed held  conventicles  by  the  way.  He  was 
arrested  for  this  at  Hempstead  and  promptly 
lodged  in  jail,  along  with  two  women  who 
had  entertained  him  in  their  home.  Stuy- 
vesant at  once  ordered  the  three  prisoners  to 
be  sent  to  New  Amsterdam,  where  he  seems 
to  have  released  the  women  after  giving  them 
the  supreme  benefit  of  a  piece  of  his  mind. 
Hodgson,  however,  was  to  feel  the  full  force 
of  the  ire  of  the  doughty  Governor.  He  was 
sentenced  to  two  years'  imprisonment  at  hard 
labor  or  pay  a  fine  of  600  guilders.  Such  a 
fine  was  beyond  his  power  to  liquidate  and  he 


PERSECUTIONS—  RELIGIOUS. 


167 


was  quickly  put  to  the  alternative.  Chained  to 
a  wheelbarrov/,  he  was  ordered  to  work,  but 
refused,  and  was  thereupon  lashed  by  a  negro 
until  he  fainted.  He  remained  in  prison  for 
some  months,  sdourged  at  frequent  intervals 
until  insensibility  rendered  the  infliction  of 
further  pain  unnecessary,  and  was  humiliated 
in  many  ways.  The  cruelty  practiced  toward 
him  was  brutal  in  the  extreme  and  its  effects 
were  threatening  even  his  life.  Then  from 
sheer  pity  at  his  awful  condition  the  Gover- 
nor's sister  interposed  on  his  behalf  and  he 
was  released,  under  a  new  sentence  of  banish- 
ment from  the  province. 

The  Governor  seems  never  to  have  lost  his 
enmity  to  the  Quakers ;  but  it  is  p>ossible  that 
his  venom  was  aroused  by  his  political  notions 
and  by  reasons  other  than  religious.  He  cer- 
tainly did  not  love  their  religious  views,  yet 
had  they  entertained  these  quietly  it  is  pos- 
sible he  would  not  have  bothered  his  head 
about  them.  But  he  hated  to  see  women 
preaching  in  public,  and  especially  in  the  public 
streets,  and  he  was  opposed  to  conventicles 
or  unauthorized  religious  meetings,  because 
such  gatherings,  especially  among  people  of 
English  birth  or  New  England  associations, 
might  be  used  to  hatch  conspiracies  against 
the  State  or  colony.  So  he  determined  to 
stamp  out  conventicles  whenever  he  found 
them,  paying  particular  attention  to  Long 
Island,  which  was  peculiarly  subject  to  infec- 
tion from  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island. 
Prosecutions  were  accordingly  directed  from 
time  to  time  against  William  and  John  Bowne, 
Henry  Townsend,  John  Townsend,  Samuel 
Spicer,  John  Tilton,  William  Noble,  Edward 
Hart  and  Edward  Feake,  all  of  whom  openly 
confessed  their  adherence  to  the  doctrines  of 
the  Quakers.  Most  of  these  (including 
Spicer,  Tilton  and  the  Bowne  family)  were 
residents  of  Gravesend,  and  several,  it  is  said, 
had  accompanied  Lady  Moody  from  New 
England.  In  fact  her  ladyship's  home  was 
the  headquarters  of  Quakerism,  although  she 
did  not  seem  to  have  embraced  all  its  teach- 
ings until  a  later  period  in  her  career. 


The  Townsends  belonged  to  Flushing  and 
the  story  of  their  persecution  was  different 
from  that  of  the  others,  inasmuch  as  it  evoked 
a  spirited  protest  from  their  fellow  citizens. 
On  September  15,  1657,  Henry  Townsend 
was  adjudged  guilty  of  calling  conventicles 
and  fined  eight  pounds  (Flanders),  with  the 
alternative  of  leaving  the  province.  On  the 
news  of  this  becoming  public  the  people  of 
Flushing  and  Jamaica  held  a  public  meeting 
and  drew  up  a  remonstrance  to  the  Governor 
in  which  they  admonished  him  that  Scriptur- 
ally  he  was  wrong  in  his  policy  of  suppression, 
and  that  he  was  also  acting  in  disregard  of  the 
laws  of  the  Province,  and  against  the  tenor 
and  the  purport  of  the  patent  under  which 
these  two  communities  were  prospering.  This 
document  was  signed  by  Edward  Hart,  the 
clerk  of  the  meeting,  Tobias  Feaks,  the  local 
Sheriff,  and  by  William  Noble,  Nicholas  Par- 
sell,  William  Thorne,  Sr.,  Michael  Milner, 
William  Thorne,  Jr.,  Henry  Townsend,  Nich- 
olas Blackford,  George  Wright,  Edward  Terk, 
John  Foard,  Mirabel  Free,  Henry  Bamtell, 
John  Stoar,  N.  Cole,  Benjamin  Hubbard,  Ed- 
ward Hart,  John  Maidon,  John  Townsend,  Ed- 
ward Farrington,  Philip  Ed,  William  Pidgion, 
George  Blee,  Elias  Doughtre,  Antonie  Field, 
Richard  Horton,  Nathaniel  Coe,  Robert  Field, 
Sr.,  and  Robert  Field,  Jr. 

As  will  be  seen  by  these  names  the  Dutch 
population  seemingly  took  no  interest  in  this 
affair  and  it  was  left  for  those  of  British 
stock  to  take  the  initiative  in  this  skirmish 
for  religious  liberty.  Very  likely  all  of  those 
who  signed  the  document  were  themselves 
Quakers,  or  had  pronounced  leanings  toward 
Quakerism ;  but  be  that  as  it  may  there  is  no 
reason  to  doubt  that  so  far  as  the  Dutch  were 
concerned  they  were  heartily  in  accord  with 
the  position  assumed  by  Stuyvesant.  Sheriff 
Feaks  presented  the  remonstrance  to  the  Gov- 
ernor and  was  promptly  arrested.  Farring- 
ton and  Noble,  two  of  the  signers  who  held 
office  as  Magistrates,  were  arrested  as  soon 
as  possible  after  the  redoubtable  Governor 
Peter  had  deciphered  their  names  in  the  re- 


168 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND, 


monstrance,  or  Nicasius  De  Sille,  his  Attorney 
General,  had  deciphered  them  for  him.  Clerk 
Hart  was  also  called  in  question,  admitted 
drawing  up  the  remonstrance  and  was  there- 
upon promptly  arrested.  Townsend  was  again 
fined.  On  January  8,  1658,  the  Magistrates 
of  Jamaica  (Rustdorp)  turned  informers  and 
conveyed  word  to  the  irate  Governor  that 
Henry  Townsend  was  still  having  conventicles 
in  his  house.  So  he  was  cited  to  appear  be- 
fore Stuyvesant.  His  brother  John  was  also 
cited,  but  as  his  connection  with  the  whole 
matter  was  not  clear  he  was  held  under  only 
£12  bail  to  ensure  his  appearance  when  de- 
sired by  the  authorities. 

The  position  of  Henry  was  more  grave, 
and  we  quote  from- Thompson: 

On  the  15th  of  January  Henry  Townsend 
attended  and  was  told  by  the  Attorney  General 
that  as  he  had  treated  the  placards  of  the  Di- 
rector General  and  Council  with  contempt  and 
persisted  in  lodging  Quakers,  he  should  be 
condemned  in  an  amende  of  f  100  (Flanders) 
to  be  an  example  for  other  transgressors  and 
contumelious  offenders  of  the  good  order  and 
placards  of  the  Director  General  and  Council 
in  New  Netherland,  and  so  to  remain  ar- 
rested till  the  said  amende  be  paid,  besides 
the  costs  and  mises  of  Justice. 

On  the  28th  Sheriff  Peaks  was  brought 
from  prison,  and  "though,"  says  the  record, 
"he  confessed  he  had  received  an  order  of  the 
Director  General  not  to  admit  into  the  afore- 
said village  (Jamaica)  any  of  that  heretical 
and  abominable  sect  called  Quakers,  or  pro- 
cure them  lodgings,  yet  did  so  in  the  face  of 
the  placards,  and,  what  was  worse,  was  a 
leader  in  composing  a  seditious  and  detestable 
chartabel,  delivered  by  him  and  signed  by  him, 
and  his  accomplices,  wherein  they  justify  the 
abominable  sect  of  the  Quakers,  who  treat  with 
contempt  all  political  and  ecclesiastical  author- 
ity and  undermine  the  foundations  of  all  gov- 
ernment and  religion."  He  was  therefore  de- 
graded from  his  office  and  sentenced  to  be 
banished  or  pay  an  amende  of  200  guilders. 

On  the  26th  of  March,  1658,  the  Gover- 


nor, in  order  to  prevent  as  much  as  possible 
the  consequences  of  Quaker  influence  among 
the  people,  resolved  to  change  the  municipal 
government  of  the  town  of  Flushing,  and 
therefore,  after  formally  pardoning  the  town 
for  its  mutinous  orders  and  resolutions,  an- 
nounced that  "in  future  I  shall  appoint  a 
sheriff,  acquainted  not  only  with  the  Dutch 
language  but  with  Dutch  practical  law,  and 
that  in  future  there  shall  be  chosen  seven  of 
the  most  reasonable  and  respectable  of  the  in- 
habitants to  be  called  tribunes  or  townsmen, 
and  whom  the  sheriff  and  magistrates  shall 
consult  in  ■  all  cases ;  and  a  tax  of  twelve 
stivers  per  morgan  is  laid  on  ithe  inhabitants 
for  the  support  of  an  orthodox  minister,  and 
such  as  do  not  sign  a  written  submission  to 
the  same  in  six  weeks  may  dispose  of  their 
property  at  their  pleasure  and  leave  the  soil 
of  this  government." 

On  the  council  records  of  January  8,  r66i 
(says  Thompson),  it  is  stated  that  the  Gov- 
ernor addressed  the  people  of  Jamaica,  in- 
forming them  that  he  had  received  their  peti- 
tion for  a  minister  to  baptize  some  of  their 
children,  and  their  information  that  the  Qua- 
kers and  other  sects  held  private  conventicles. 
He  tells  them  that  he  had  dispatched  his 
deputy  sheriff,  Resolve  Waldron,  and  one  of 
his  clerks,  Nicholas  Bayard,  to  take  notice 
thereof,  and  requiring  the  inhabitants  to  give 
exact  information  where  and  in  what  house 
such  unlawful  conventicles  were  kept,  what 
men  or  women  had  been  present  who  called 
the  meeting,  and  of  all  the  circumstances  ap- 
pertaining thereto.  In  consequence  of  this 
inquisitorial  espionage  of  the  Governor's  dep- 
uty, Henry  Townsend  was  a  third  time 
dragged  to  the  city  and  again  incarcerated  in 
the  dungeons  at  Fort  Amsterdam.  On  the 
day  following  he  and  Samuel  Spicer,  who  had 
also  given  entertainment  to  a  Quaker  at  his 
mother's  house  in  Gravesend,  were  brought 
from  their  loathsome  prison.  It  was  proved 
by.  witnesses  procured  for  the  occasion  that 
Townsend  had  given  lodging  to  a  Quaker, 
and  besides  notifying  his  neighbors  had  even 
allowed  him  to  preach  at  his  house  and  in  his 
presence,  also  that  Spicer  was  present  both  at 
the  meeting  at  Jamaica  and  Gravesend  and 
procured    lodging    for    the    Quaker    at    his 


PERSECUTIONS  — RELIGIOUS. 


169 


mother's  house.  They  were  accordingly  con- 
demned in  an  amende  of  600  guilders  each, 
in  conformity  to  the  placard  respecting  con- 
venticles, and  to  be  imprisoned  until  such 
amende  be  paid.  And  further,  that  Henry 
Townsend  be  banished  out  of  the  province,  for 
an  example  to  others.  The  widov^r  Spicer, 
mother  of  Samuel,  was  also  arrested,  accused 
and  condemned  to  an  amende  of  £15  (Flan- 
ders). 


The  case  of  John  Tilton  and  his  wife, 
Mary,  is  also  interesting.  Tilton  settled  in 
Gravesend  at  the  same  time  as  Lady  Moody 
and  probably  accompanied  her  from  New  Eng- 
land, where  doubtless  he  got  his  first  impres- 
sions of  the  doctrines  of  the  Friends,  the 
"abominable  sect,"  according  to  Stuyvesant, 
"who  vilify  both  the  political  magistrates  and 
the  ministers  of  God's  holy  Word."  Tilton 
and  his  wife  were  arrested  October  5,  1662, 
and  lodged  in  the  prison  at  Fort  Amsterdam. 
They  remained  in  durance  vile  for  a  few  days, 
when  they  were  brought  before  the  Council, 
found  guilty  of  entertaining  Quakers  and  at- 
tending conventicles  and  ordered  to  leave  the 
province  before  the  20th  of  November  fol- 
lowing, under  the  alternative  penalty  of  being 
publicly  whipped.  Their  sentences  seem  to 
have  been  remitted,  however,  probably  through 
the  influence  of  Lady  Moody,  for  Mary  Tilton 
•continued  to  reside  at  Gravesend  until  her 
■death.  May  23,  1683,  and  John  Tilton  also 
maintained  his  home  there  until  he,  too,  passed 
away,  in  1688.  He  was,  we  take  it,  a  man 
of  deep  religious  sentiment  and  so  continued 
to  the  end,  most  probably  becoming  more  and 
more  devoted  to  Quakerism  as  the  time  went 
on,  for  by  his  will,  which  he  had  drawn  up 
about  a  year  before  his  death,  he  bequeathed 
a  piece  of  land  as  a  burial  ground  "for  all 
persons  in  ye  everlasting  truthe  of  the  Gos- 
pel." 

In  many  ways  the  most  notable  of  all 
Stuyvesant's  experiences  with  Quakers  lay 
around  the  case  of  John  Bowne,  of  Flushing, 
not  only  because  the  extreme  measure  which 
he  adopted  showed  the  malignancy  of  his  feel- 


ings toward  these  people,  but  because  it 
brought  down  upon  him,  what  he  probably 
ielt  more  keenly  than  he  could  any  other  form 
of  misfortune,  a  clear-cut  rebuke  from  his 
home  Government  and  the  nullification  of  the 
sentence  he  imposed. 

On  September  i,  1662,  Bowne  was  ar- 
rested, and  on  the  14th  of  that  month  the 
Governor  and  his  Council  considered  his  case 
and  imposed  a  fine  of  £25  on  his  being  found 
guilty  of  lodging  Quakers  and  permitting 
conventicles  to  be  held  in  his  house.  Being 
a  man  of  substance,  he  was  permitted  at  once 
to  go  at  large ;  but  as  he  showed  no  intention 
of  paying  his  fine  he  was  again  arrested.  On 
Bowne  peremptorily  refusing  to  pay,  the  Gov- 
ernor determined  to  make  a  terrible  example 
of  him  and  ordered  him  to  be  deported  to 
Holland  and  there  be  punished  by  the  highest 
authorities  and  in  a  manner  in  keeping  with 
the  enormity  of  the  case.  Accompanying 
Bowne  was  a  formal  letter  on  his  offense, 
drawn  up  by  the  Governor  and  Council  and 
addressed  to  the  Directors  of  the  West  India 
Company,  "honorable,  right  respectable  gentle- 
men," Stuyvesant  called  them. 

In  the  communication  the  authorities  were 
told  how  the  Governor's  "placards"  against 
Quakerism  were  treated  with  contempt,  how 
the  local  authorities  complained  about  the 
"unsufferable  obstinacy"  of  these  people^  and 
so  forth.  "Among  others  as  one  of  their 
principal  leaders,  named  John  Bowne,  who  for 
his  transgressions  was,  in  conformity  to  the 
placards,  condemned  in  an  amende  of  150 
guilders  in  seawant,  who  has  been  placed  un- 
der arrest  more  than  three'  months  for  his 
unwillingness  to  pay,  obstinately  persisting 
in  his  refusal,  in  which  he  still  continues,  so 
that  we  at  last  resolved,  or  rather  were  com- 
pelled, to  transport  him  in  ship  from  this 
province  in  the  hope  that  others  might,  by  it, 
be  discouraged.  If,  nevertheless,  by  these 
means  no  more  salutary  impression  is'  made 
upon  others,  we  shall,  though  against  our  in- 
clinations, be  compelled  to  prosecute  such 
persons  in  a  more  severe  manner,  on  which 


170 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


we  previously  solicit  to  be  favored  with  your 
honors'  wise  and  far-seeing  judgment." 

Bowne's  case  was  patiently  investigated 
by  the  West  India  Company  at  Amsterdam, 
and  he  was  finally  set  at  liberty  and  declared 
free  to  return  to  his  home  across  the  sea 
whenever  he  so  listed.  Besides,  the  company 
sent  the  Governor  a  letter,  dated  Amster- 
dam, April  6,  1663,  conveying  a  most  severe 
and  pointed  rebuke  for  his  entire  policy 
against  the  Quakers,  saying,  "Although  i't  is 
our  anxious  desire  that  similar  and  other  sec- 
tarians (Quakers,  etc.)  may  not  be  found 
among  us,  yet  we  doubt  extremely  the  policy 
of  adopting  rigorous  measures  against  them. 
In  the  youth  of  your  existence  you  ought 
rather  to  encourage  than  check  the  popula- 
tion of  the  colony.  The  consciences  of  men 
ought  to  be  free  and  unshackeled  as  long 
as  they  continue  moderate,  peaceable,  inof- 
fensive and  not  hostile  to  the  Government. 
Such  have  been  the  maxims  of  prudence  and 
toleration  by  which  the  Magistrates  of  this 
city  have  been  governed,  and  the  consequences 
have  been  that  the  oppressed  and  persecuted 
of  every  country  have  found  among  us  an 
asylum  from  distress.  Follow  in  the  same 
steps  and  you  will  be  blessed." 

The  blood  in  Peter  Stuyvesant's  veins 
doubtless  bounded  with  such  vigor  when  he 
read  this  stinging  but  polite  rebuke  that  he 
must  have  felt  it  circulate  even  in  the  silver 
ferrule  of  his  wooden  leg!  We  can  imagine 
how  he  swore;  but  it  was  the  beginning  of 
the  end;  his  reign  was  virtually  over  and  his 
whims  and  prejudices  and  opinions  were  be- 
ginning to  lose  their  authority.  Unknown  to 
him  then,  the  enemy  was  almost  at  his  gates, 
and  by  the  time  John  Bowne  reached  New 
Amsterdam  on  his  return  from  Europe  the 
Province  was  in  the  hands  of  the  British  and 
Stuyvesant  had  retired  to  his  Bouwerie,  to 
nurse  his  wrath  and  moralize  over  his  fallen 
greatness  as  best  he  could.  It  is  said  that  he 
afterward  acquired  a  measure  of  respect  for 
Bowne  and  was  impelled  to  regard  him  as  a 
good,  honest  citizen.     That  we  doubt.     But 


the  Governor  was  himself  an  honest  man,  a 
man  of  undoubted  courage,  and  he  probably 
could  not  help  entertaining  a  feeling  of  ad- 
miration for  the  man  who  had  worsted  him 
in  the  height  of  his  power  and  had  drawn 
down  upon  him  the  frowns  of  those  whom  he 
duteously  regarded  as  "the  salt  of  the  earth." 
But  Governor  Stuyvesant  was  not  the  only 
persecutor  of  the  Quakers  in  Long  Island. 
The  same  prejudice  existed  in  the  eastern  di- 
vision of  the  island  against  these  people  that 
existed  in  the  west  where  the  Dutch  ruled, 
possibly  because  the  people  in  the  east  were 
in  touch  with  the  dwellers  in  New  England, 
and  the  stories  of  the  doings  of,  and  against, 
these  religious  enthusiasts  aroused  the  same 
sentiment  of  animosity  east  of  Oyster  Bay 
that  existed  in  Boston  and  Rhode  Island.  We 
find  a  notable  instance  of  this  in  the  history 
of  Southold.  One  of  the  most  outspoken  and 
troublesome  of  the  New  England  Quakers, 
Humphrey  Norton,  made  a  name  for  himself 
there  by  the  force  of  his  denunciations  against 
the  Puritan  preachers  and  by  the  assiduity 
with  which  he  wrote  insulting  letters  to  the 
Magistrates  wherever  he  sojourned.  He  had 
no  sooner  reached  Southold  on  his  travels  than 
he  went  to  its  church,  interrupted  good  old 
Dominie  Youngs  in  his  discourse,  denounced 
the  local  authorities,  and  raised  a  disturbance 
all  around.  This  was  more  than  Southold 
could  endure:  so  Norton  was  at  once  placed 
in  confinement  and  as  soon  as  possible  sent 
to  Connecticut  for  trial.  That  event  took  place 
in  March,  1658,  when  he  was  duly  convicted, 
after  conducting  himself  in  "an  insolent  and 
boisterous"  way  in  the  presence  of  the  judges. 
After  careful  consideration  these  Solons  de- 
clared that  "the  least  they  could  do  and  dis- 
charge good  conscience  towards  God"  was  to- 
order  Norton  to  pay  a  fine  of  £20,  to  be 
severely  whipped,  to  be  branded  with  the  letter 
H  upon  his  hand,  and  then  to  be  banished 
from  the  jurisdiction  of  the  court.  This  was 
a  pretty  cumulative  array  of  punishments; 
but  certainly  Norton's  manner  and  methods 
were  not  such  as  to  inspire  much  sympathy 


PERSECUTIONS— RELIGIOUS. 


171 


for  his  religious  views;  and  in  his  case,  at  all 
events,  he  was  probably  punished  as  much  for 
being  a  general  disturber  of  the  peace,  and 
for  his  outspoken  contempt  for  the  lawful 
rulers  of  the  people,  as  for  his  theological 
tenets.  In  the  eastern  end  of  the  island  the 
Quakers  were  regarded  as  malefactors  and 
as  people  to  be  shuned,  but  this  seems  to 
have  been  the  only  instance  when  the  law  was 
invoked  against .  one  of  them  and  pushed  to 
its  limit.  But  it  was  not  for  nearly  a  century 
later  that  the  animus  against  the  Friends  sub- 
sided, and  by  that  time  these  people  had  them- 
selves thrown  off  much  of  the  vehemence  and 
angularities  which  had  for  a  long  time  raised 
up  enemies  against  them  wherever  they  went. 

Under  the  British  Government  they  found 
no  more  scope  for  their  antics  than  they  had 
experienced  under  doughty  old  Peter.  In  the 
opening  of  the  eighteenth  century  we  read  of 
a  case  which  created  a  great  deal  of  interest 
in  its  day,  and  with  a  recapitulation  of  its  in- 
cidents we  may  fittingly  close  this  section  of 
the  present  chapter. 

One  of  the  strangest  and  most  erratic  of 
the  early  preachers  in  America  was  George 
Keith,  who  was  born  at  Aberdeen,  Scotland,  in 
1645.  tie  Vv^as  educated  at  Mareschal  College, 
with  the  view  of  becoming  a  Presbyterian 
clergyman.  Soon  after  he  was  graduated, 
Keith  renounced  Presbyterianism  and  joined 
the  Society  of  Friends.  He  was  then  induced 
by  the  leading  Quakers  in  his  native  city  to 
emigrate  to  America,  with  the  view  not  only 
of  improving  his  own  temporal  position  but 
also  of  helping  to  spread  their  doctrines  in 
the  New  World.  He  arrived  at  New  York 
in  1684,  and  for  four  years  was  Surveyor  of 
New  Jersey.  In  1689  he  removed  to  Phila- 
delphia, where  he  conducted  a  Friends'  school, 
but  that  occupation  was  too  quiet  and  monot- 
onous to  suit  his  notions,  and  he  soon  gave  it 
up.  We  next  find  him  traveling  through  the 
country  like  a  Quaker  Don  Quixote  trying  to 
win  people  over  to  the  views  of  the  Society. 
In  New  England  he  engaged  in  heated  con- 
troversies    with     Increase     Mather,     Cotton 


Mather  and  others,  and  he  made  considerable 
commotion,  but,  so  far"  as  can  be  made  out, 
few  converts.  On  his  return  to  Philadelphia, 
being  in  a  belligerent  mood,  he  quarreled  with 
the  Quakers  there,  the  quarrel  being  undoubt- 
edly caused  by  his  own  infirm  temper,  his  own 
sense  of  the  failure  of  his  mission,  and  to 
some  peculiar  innovations  he  advocated  and 
which  none  of  the  brethren  seemed  disposed 
to  listen  to.  Then  he  went  to  England  and 
laid  his  whole  case  before  William  Penn ;  but 
that  leader  denounced  him  as  an  apostate  and 
Keith  was  excommunicated  from  the  Society, 
as  completely  as  the  gentle  Quakers  could 
excommunicate  anybody. 

Then  Keith  founded  a  religious  denomina- 
tion of  his  own,  which  he  called  the  Christian 
or  Baptist  Quakers  (properly  called  the 
Keithians),  and  in  which  he  had  a  chance  for 
ventilating  some  original  views  he  held  on 
the  millennium  and  concerning  the  transmi- 
gration of  souls.  The  Keithians,  however,  did 
not  hold  long  together,  and  in  1701  its  founder 
was  a  full-fledged  and  enthusiastic  minister 
of  the  Church  of  England!  Here,  probably, 
because  years  had  softened  the  natural  con- 
tentiousness of  his  disposition,  or  the  church 
itself  allowed  more  latitude  for  individual 
views  on  various  doctrinal  matters,  he  found 
a  secure  foothold.  Nay,  more,  he  found  an 
opportunity  for  repaying  the  Society  of 
Friends  for  its  rather  summary  treatment  of 
him.  He  was  sent  as  a  missionary  to  Penn- 
sylvania and  New  Jersey,  with  the  view  of 
converting,  or  perverting,  as  many  Quakers 
as  possible,  and  he  afterward  was  wont  to 
boast  that  in  that  expedition  some  700  Friends 
were  by  his  instrumentality  received  into  com- 
munion with  the  English  Church. .  It  was  then 
that  he  visited  Long  Island.  Soon  after  his 
return  to  England  he  was  appointed  vicar  of 
Edburton,  in  Essex,  and  in  that  beautiful 
parish  his  declining  years  were  spent  in  tran- 
quillity. 

Keith  was  a  man  of  a  decidedly  superior 
cast  of  intellect,  an  eloquent  and  attractive 
speaker  and  preacher,  an  able  and  ready  con- 


172 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


troversialist,  and,  but  for  his  choleric  disposi- 
tion, would  have  livfed  a  life  of  more  than 
■ordinary  usefulness  and  might  even  have  at- 
tained to  real  power  and  eminence.  He  was 
a  voluminous  writer,  and  in  the  fifty  or  more 
volumes,  some  in  bulky  quarto,  or  pamphlets 
which  we  know  to  have  come  from  his  pen, 
we  can  trace  the  current  of  his  religious  views 
through  all  their  changes.  He  appears  in 
them  all  to  have  been  singularly  honest,  made 
no  attempt  to  conceal  or  belittle  his  own  de- 
nominational changes  and  even  published  re- 
tractions of  his  own  published  writings.  His 
later  works  were  mainly  taken  up  with  what 
he  regarded  as  the  fallaciousness  of  Quaker- 
ism, and  he  attacked  the  Society  of  Friends 
from  every  point  of  view  and  with  the  utmost 
savagery ! 

On  March  24,  1702,  Samuel  Bownas  left 
England,  as  a  missionary  from  the  Society  of 
Friends,  and  landed  at  Baltimore.  From  there 
after  a  while  he  started  out  on  a  preaching  ex- 
pedition, but  wherever  he  went  he  was  fol- 
lowed by  Keith,  who  by  that  time  had  fairly 
entered  upon  his  campaign  agamst  his  former 
■co-religionists,  and  the  two  passed  through 
Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey  to  Long  Island, 
the  one  preaching  the  Gospel  of  love,  the  other 
virtually  the  "gospel"  of  hate.  At  Hempstead, 
on  November  21,  1702,  Bownas  preached  in 
the  home  of  Thomas  Pearsall.  Then  know- 
ing the  despicable  attitude  of  the  reigning 
Governor,  Lord  Cornbury,  toward  all  shades 
of  sectarianism,  Keith,  finding  he  could  silence 
Bownas  in  no  other  way,  manipulated  matters 
so  that  information  of  the  meeting  should  be, 
laid  before  the  magistracy.  As  a  result  Bow- 
nas was  arrested  on  November  29,  while  en- 
gaged in  a  "conventicle"  in  a  house  at  Flush- 
ing. He  was  taken  to  Jama'ica  and  given  an 
examination  before  Justices  Joseph  Smith, 
Edward  Burroughs,  John  Smith  and  Jonathan 
Whitehead;  but  the  result  of  the  hearing  was 
never  in  doubt,  although  it  is  said  that  White- 
head not  only  sympathized  with  the  prisoner 
but  would  have  set  him  at  liberty.  He  was 
ordered  to  give  bail  in  £2,000  to  answer,  but 


he  replied  that  he  would  give  no  bail,  not  even 
were  it  reduced  to  three-half  pence.  Justice 
Whitehead  expressed  his  willingness  to  pro- 
vide the  bail,  but  the  prisoner  remained  ob- 
durate and  was  sent  to  prison  for  three 
months.  He  passed  the  days  of  his  incarcera- 
tion in  learning  how  to  make  shoes,  in  which 
he  ultimately  became  so  proficient  that  he  was 
able  to  earn  fifteen  shillings  a  week  and  so 
support  himself  wherever  he  went. 

In  February,  1703,  Bownas  was  duly 
brought  to  trial  at  a  special  Oyer  and  Ter- 
miner Court  held  in  Jamaica,  with  Chief  Jus- 
tice Bridges  and  Justices  Robert  Miller, 
Thomas  Willet,  John  Jackson  and  Edward 
Burroughs  as  associates.  A  grand  jury  was 
impanelled,  consisting  of  Richard  Cornell, 
Ephraim  Goulding,  John  Clayer,  Isaac  Hicks, 
Robert  Hubbs,  Reginald  Mott,  Richard  Val- 
entine, Nathaniel  Coles,  Joseph  Dickerson, 
Isaac  Douglity,  Samuel  Emery,  John  Smith, 
John  Sering,  John  Oakley,  Samuel  Hallet, 
Richard  Alsop,  John  Hunt,  James  Clement  and 
William  Bloodgood,  men  whose  memory 
should  ever  he  held  in  honor  by  all  who  value 
the  blessings  of  religious  liberty  and  tolera- 
tion. An  indictment  against  Bownas  was  pre- 
scribed to  this  Grand  Jury  for  consideration 
and  approval,  but  it  was  returned  to  the 
bench  indorsed  "Ignoramus,"  the  legal  term 
formerly  used  on  a  bill  of  indictment  when 
there  was  not  deemed  sufficient  evidence  to 
convict  or  sufficient  ground  to  form  an  of- 
fense. The  Judges  appear  to  have  stormed 
and  threatened,  but  the  members  of  the  Grand 
Jury  not  only  remained  unmoved  but  even 
threatened  the  Judges  in  their  turn.  Bownas 
was  re-committed  to  prison.  Judge  Bridges 
ordering  him  to  be  confined  more  closely  than 
ever  and  threatening  even  to  send  him  to  Eng- 
land in  chains.  The  little  crisis  created  quite 
a  commotion  and  Keith  made  it  the  excuse 
for  issuing  a  pamphlet  on  the  case  full  of  the 
vituperation  of  which  he  was  such  a  master 
and  which  so  vilified  Bownas  that  it  defeated 
its  purpose  and  added  to  the  number  of  the 
Quaker's  friends.     One  of  the  Grand  Jurors, 


PERSECUTIONS— RELIGIOUS. 


17a- 


Thomas  Hicks,  visited  Bownas  in  prison  and 
comforted  him  to  the  best  of  his  abihty,  assur- 
ing him  that  the  threat  to  send  him  to  England 
could  not  be  carried  out,  as  it  was  in  direct 
opposition  to  the  laws  of  the  province.  De- 
spite his  many  friends,  however,  Bownas  re- 
mained in  close  confinement  until  October, 
when  he  again  faced  a  grand  jury.  It  also 
considered  his  case,  indorsed  the  word  "Ignor- 
amus" across  the  indictment  and  he  was  ac- 
cordingly discharged  from  custody  and  legal 
persecution. 

The  movement  against  witchcraft  which  is 
such  a  foul  disgrace  in  the  history  of  New 
England  as  well  as  of  old  England,  may  well 
be — as  it  often  is — put  down  among  the  list  of 
religious  persecutions  which,  together  or  sin- 
gly, darken  the  story  of  the  Christian  religion. 
In  the  case  of  witchcraft  there  was  added  not 
only  the  horror  of  an  alleged  association  with 
the  Prince  of  Darkness  and  his  cohorts,  and 
the  implied  upsetting  of  all  goodness  and 
piety,  but  also  a  sense  of  personal  danger  which 
brought  the  resultant  malignant  horrors  of 
witchcraft  into  the  homes  even  of  the  humblest 
people,  and  so  imposed  on  all  the  duty  of 
suppressing  it  not  alone  by  the  meshes  of  the 
law  but  also  by  any  means  which  might  safely 
bring  it  about.  The  witch,  unlike  the  Quaker, 
was  not  alone  the  enemy  of  the  magistrate 
and  the  minister,  but  of  all  classes  of  the  peo- 
ple, for  the  spells  and  cantrips  of  all  those 
who  had  sold  themselves  to  the  Evil  One  were 
directed  as  freely  against  the  babe  in  the 
cradle,  the  woman  engaged  in  her  household 
duties,  the  farmer  in  the  field,  against  the  live 
stock,  the  growing  crop,  the  ship  at  sea,  as 
against  those  who  held  high  places,  those  who 
made  and  enacted  the  laws ;  against  the  man- 
sion, the  cottage.  Therefore  we  can  understand 
how,  when  the  delusion  against  witchcraft 
once  seized  the  popular  mind,  it  aroused  pas- 
sions and  instigated  cruelties  to  an  extent  at 
which  in  the  present  day  we  wonder  and 
shudder. 

To  the  credit  of  Long  Island  be  it  said 


that  while  the  people  there  seemed  to  fully 
realize  all  the  imputations  against  witchcraft,, 
to  believe  in  them,  and  to  possess  a  fair  share 
of  the  element  of  superstition  which  seems  tO' 
enter  into  the  human  mental  make-up  in  spite 
of  education,  of  experience,  of  the  dictates  of 
science  and  common  sense,  they  did  not  pro- 
ceed to  any  of  the  outrageous  excesses  which 
disfigure  the  annals,  for  instance,  of  Boston. 
We  do  not  read  of  torturings  and  persecutions 
and  indignities  and  wanton  insults  which 
throw  such  a  hideous  haze  over  the  story  of 
New  England's  greatness.  Still  the  craze 
found  root  in  what  we  now  call  the  Empire 
State  and  its  most  noted  local  instances  form^ 
part  of  the  record  of  Long  Island.  The  most 
curious  of  these  took  place  in  1660,  when 
Mary  Wright  was  arrested  in  Oyster  Bay 
charged  with  having  sold  herself  to  Satan 
and  with  practicing  witchcraft.  We  know 
nothing  of  the  details  of  her  alleged  crimes- 
and  misdemeanors,  but  local  gossip  and  in- 
herent fear  doubtless  called  aloud  for  her  con- 
viction. She  was  old,  and  poor,  and  ignorant, 
and  apparently  without  any  friends.  The  local 
Dogberrys  sat  in  judgment  on  her  case,  but,, 
after  due  cogitation,  concluded  it  was  too  in- 
volved to  be  understood  by  them  or  too  dia- 
bolical in  its  nature  for  them  to  inflict  a  severe 
enough  punishment.  Possibly,  too,  they  want- 
ed to  get  rid  of  a  case  which  seemed  to  be 
full  of  trouble  all  around  and  in  which  any 
punishment  they  should  inflict  might  by  some- 
unseen  agency  result  in  their  own  spiritual 
and  natural  undoing.  So  they  resolved  to 
steer  clear  of  it  altogether  and  sent  the  poor 
woman  for  trial  to  the  General  Court  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, where  all  the  most  absolute  and  up- 
to-date  methods  of  detecting  witchcraft  were 
employed  with  the  most  perfect  results.  There 
she  was  conducted  and  in  due  time  tried ;  but 
as  no  evidence  could  be  found  she  was  ac- 
quitted. Her  evil  fate,  however,  still  pursued 
her,  for  she  was  no  sooner  cleared  of  the 
charge  of  being  a  witch  than  she  was  accused 
of  being  a  Quaker,  and  on  that  grave  indict- 


174 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


ment  she  was  tried,  found  guilty,  sentenced 
to  banishment,  and  so  passes  from  our  view. 
Somewhat  similar  in  several  of  its  details 
was  the  case  of  Goody  Garlicke  of  Easthamp- 
ton,  who,  in  1657,  was  arrested  and  hailed 
before  the  magistrates  of  that  town  charged 
with  practicing  witchcraft.  The  evidence 
■  against  her  was  held  to  be  remarkably  clear 
and  involved  among  other  details  the  death 
of  a  child.  Goody,  before  her  marriage  to 
John  Garlicke,  had  been  employed  as  a  do- 
mestic in  the  house  of  Lion  Gardiner.  One  of 
the  other  women  servants  employed  about  the 
place  had  taken  an  Indian  child  to  nurse  for 
the  sake  of  some  small  remuneration  therefor, 
and  in  doing  so  had  starved  her  own  child 
who  pined  away  and  died.  To  shield  herself 
from  the  consequences  of  her  own  cruelty  and 
neglect  she  ascribed  the  death  of  her  child  to 
witchcraft  and  in  due  time  openly  accused 
Goody  of  being  the  witch.  From  this,  how- 
ever, she  was  ultimately  cleared  by  the  evi- 
dence of  Lion  Gardiner,  who  openly  accused 
the  mother  of  being  a  murderess.  The  mag- 
istrates of  Easthampton,  however,  with  the 
evidence  before  them,  entertain  no  doubt  of 
Goody's  guilt,  but,  owing  to  the  heinousness 
of  the  crime,  ordered  the  case  sent  to  the  Gen- 
eral Court  at  Hartford  for  final  adjudication. 
There  the  matter  seemed  to  have  somehow 
ended.  It  is  indeed  doubtful  if  Goody  was 
really  deported  to  Hartford,  and  probably  the 
influence  of  Gardiner  saved  her  from  further 
legal  persecution,  if  it  did  not  restore  her  to  the 
good  opinion  and  confidence  of  her  neighbors 
and  gossips. 

Brookhaven  furnishes  us  with  a  case  which 
gives  us  a  much  clearer  view  than  do  either 
of  the  above  of  the  manner  in  which  such 
prosecutions  were  carried  on.  In  1665  Ralph 
Hall  and  his  wife  were  suspected  by  their 
neighbors  at  Setauket  with  practicing  witch- 
craft, and  probably  Dominie  Brewster,  a  de- 
scendant of  one  of  the  Pilgrims  and  a  Puritan 
of  the  strictest  school,  believed  in  their  guilt 
or  otherwise  the  case  would  never  have  reach- 
ed the  stage  of  public  trial.     As  in  the  other 


cases  the  local  authorities  declined  the  final 
adjudication  of  the  matter  and  after  a  hearing 
the  prisoners  were  sent  to  New  York.  There 
the  trial  came  off  Oct.  2,  1665,  before  a  jury 
composed,  as  will  be  seen,  of  six  men  belong- 
ing to  Long  Island  and  six  from  the  city  of 
New  York.  We  copy  the  account  of  the  trial 
which  appears  in  O'Callaghan's  "Documentary 
History,"  vol.  4,  page  133: 

At  ye  Court  of  Assizes  held  in  New  Yorke 
ye  2d  day  of  October  1665  &c. 

The  Tryall  of  Ralph  Hall  and  Mary  his 
wife,  upon  suspicion  of  Witchcraft. 

The  names  of  the  Persons  who  served  on 
the  Grand  Jury :  Thomas  Baker,  fiforeman  of 
ye  Jury,  of  East  Hampton;  Capt.  John  Sy- 
monds  of  Hempsteed;  Mr.  Hallet,  Anthony 
Waters,  Jamaica ;  Thomas  Wandall  of  Marsh- 
path  Kills ;  Mr.  Nicolls  of  Stamford ;  Balthazer 
de  Haart,  John  Garland,  Jacob  Leisler,  An- 
thonio  de  Mill,  Alexander  Munro,  Thomas 
Searle,  of  New  Yorke. 

The  Prisoners  being  brought  to  the  Barr 
by  Allard  Anthony,  Sheriffe  of  New  Yorke, 
This  following  Indict  was  read,  first  against 
Ralph  Hall  and  then  agst  Mary  his  wife,  vizt. 

The  Constable  and  Overseers  of  the  Towne 
of  Seatallcott,  in  the  East  Riding  of  York- 
shire upon  Long  Island,  Do  Present  for  our 
soveraigne  Lord  the  King,  That  Ralph  Hall 
of  Seatallcott  aforesaid,  upon  ye  25th  day  of 
December;  being  Christmas  day  last,  was 
Twelve  Monthes,  in  the  15th  yeare  of  the 
Raigne  of  our  Soveraigne  Lord,  Charles  ye 
Second,  by  the  Grace  of  God,  King  of  Eng- 
land, Scotland,  ffrance  and  Ireland,  Defender 
of  the  ffaith  &c,  and  severall  other  dayes  and 
times  since  that  day,  by  some  detestable  and 
wicked  Arts,  commonly  called  Witchcraft  and 
Sorcery,  did  (as  is  suspected)  maliciously  and 
feloniously,  practice  and  Exercise  at  the  said 
Towne  of  Seatalcott  in  the  East  Riding  of 
Yorkshire  on  Long  Island  aforesaid,  on  the 
Person  of  George  Wood,  late  of  the  same 
place  by  which  wicked  and  detestable  Arts,  the 
said  George  Wood  (as  is  suspected)  most 
dangerously  and  mortally  sickned  and  lan- 
guished. And  not  long  after  by  the  aforesaid 
wicked  and  detestable  Arts,  the  said  George 
Wood  (as  is  likewise  suspected)  dyed. 

Moreover,  The  Constable  and  overseers  of 
the  said  Towne  of  Seatalcott,  in  the  East  Rid- 
ing of  Yorkshire  upon  Long  Island  aforesaid, 
do  further  Present  for  our  Soveraigne  Lord 


PERSECUTIONS— RELIGIOUS. 


175 


the  King,  That  some  while  after  the  death  of 
the  aforesaid  George  Wood,  The  said  Ralph 
Hall  did  (as  is  suspected)  divers  times  by  ye 
like  wicked  and  detestable  Arts,  commonly 
called  Witchcraft  and  Sorcery,  Maliciously 
and  feloniously  practise  and  Exercise  at  the 
said  Towne  of  Seatalcott,  in  the  East  Riding 
of  Yorkshire  upon  Long  Island  aforesaid,  on 
the  Person  of  an  Infant  Childe  of  Ann  Rogers, 
widdow  of  ye  aforesaid  George  Wood  deceas- 
ed, by  wh  wicked  and  detestable  Arts,  the  said 
Infant  Childe  (as  is  suspected)  most  danger- 
ously &  mortally  sickned  and  languished,  and 
not  long  after  by  the  said  Wicked  and  de- 
testable Arts  (as  is  likewise  suspected)  dyed, 
And  so  ye  said  Constable  and  Overseers  do 
Present,  That  the  said  George  Wood,  and  the 
sd  Infante  sd  Childe  by  the  wayes  and 
meanes  aforesaid,  most  wickedly  maliciously 
and  feloniously  were  (as  is  suspected)  mur- 
dered by  the  said  Ralph  Hall  at  the  times 
and  place  aforesaid,  agst  ye  Peace  of  Our 
Soveraigne  Lord  ye  King  and  against  the 
Laws  of  this  Government  in  such  Cases  Pro- 
vided. 

The  like  Indictmt  was  read,  against  Mary 
the  wife  of  Ralph  Hall. 

There  upon,  severall  Depositions,  accusing 
ye  Prisonrs  of  ye  fact  for  which  they  were 
endicted  were  read,  but  no  witnesse  appeared 
to  give  Testimony  in  Court  vive  voce. 

Then  the  Clarke  calling  upon  Ralph  Hall, 
bad  him  hold  up  his  hand,  and  read  as  follows : 

Ralph  Hall  thou  standest  here  indicted, 
for  that  having  not  ye  feare  of  God  before 
thine  eyes.  Thou  did'st  upon  the  25th  day  of 
December,  being  Christmas  day  last  was  12 
moneths,  and  at  seu'all  other  times  since,  as 
is  suspected,  by  some  wicked  and  detestable 
Arts,  commonly  called  witchcraft  and  Sorcery, 
maliciously  and  feloniously  practice  and  Exer- 
cise, upon  the  Bodyes  of  George  Wood,  an 
Infant  Childe  of  Ann  Rogers,  by  which  said 
Arts,  the  said  George  Wood  and  the  Infant 
Childe  (as  is  suspected)  most  dangerously 
and  mortally  fell  sick,  and  languisht  unto 
death.  Ralph  Hall,  what  dost  thou  say  for 
thyself e,  art  thou  guilty,  or  not  guilty? 

Mary  the  wife  of  Ralph  Hall  was  called 
upon  in  like  manner. 

They  both  Pleaded  not  guilty  and  threw 
themselves  to  bee  Tried  by  God  and  the  Coun- 
try. 

Whereupon,  their  case  was  referr'd  to  ye 
Jury,  who  brought  in  to  the  Court,  the  follow- 
ing verdict  vizt : 

Wee  having  seriously  considered  the  Case 


committed  to  our  Charge,  against  ye  Prisoners 
at  the  Barr,  and  having  well  weighed  ye  Evi- 
dence, of  what  the  woman  is  Charged  with, 
but  nothing  considerable  of  value  to  take  away 
her  life.  But  in  reference  to  the  man  wee 
finde  nothing  considerable  to  charge  him  with. 
The  Court  there  upon  gave  this  sentence. 
That  the  man  should  hee  bound  Body  and 
Goods  for  his  wive's  Appearance,  at  the  next 
Sessions,  and  so  on  from  Sessions  to  Sessions 
as  long  as  they  stay  within  this  Government, 
In  the  meanwhile  to  bee  of  ye  good  Behavior. 
So  they  were  return'd  into  the  Sheriffs  Cus- 
tody and  upon  Entring  into  a  Recognizance, 
according  to  the  Sentence  of  the  Court,  they 
were  released. 

The  end  of  the  case  was  reached  some 
three  years  later,  when  Governor  Nicolls  per- 
emptorily removed  it  from  further  legal  con- 
sideration by  issuing  the  following  order: 

A  Release  to  Ralph  Hall  &  Mary  his  wife 
from  ye  Recognizance  they  entered  into  at  the 
Assizes. 

These  Are  to  Certify  all  whom  it  may 
Concerne  That  Ralph  Hall  &  Mary  his  wife 
(at  present  living  upon  Great  Minifords  Isl- 
and) are  hereby  released  acquitted  from  any 
&  all  Recognizances,  bonds  of  appearance  or 
other  obligations — entred  into  by  them  or 
either  of  them  for  the  peace  or  good  behavior 
upon  account  of  any  accusation  or  Indictment 
upon  suspition  of  Witch  Craft  brought  into 
the  Cort  of  Assizes  against  them  in  the  year 
1665.  There  haueving  beene  no  direct  proofes 
nor  furthr  prosecucon  of  them  or  either  of_ 
them  since — Giuen  undr  my  hand  at  Fort 
James  in  New  Yorke  this  21st  day  of  Aug- 
ust, 1668.  R.  NICOLLS. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  influence  of  the 
Dutch  preachers  as  well  as  the  presence  among 
the  population  of  so  much  Dutch  practical 
common  sense  not  only  prevented  the  spread 
of  the  witchcraft  craze  to  the  western  end 
of  the  island  but  exerted  a  material  influence 
in  averting  its  wild  development  in  the  eastern 
section.  Indeed  the  Dutch  influence  was 
everywhere  sturdily  set  against  it  and  it  is 
to  this  factor  more  than  to  anything  else  that 
the  State  of  New  York  is  free  from  a  re- 
proach which  darkens  the  bright  pages  of  the 
record  of  so  many  other  places  in  the  Old 
World  and  the  New. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 


CAPTAIN    KIDD    AND    OTHER    NAVIGATORS. 


MONG  the  curiosities  which  the  his- 
tory of  Long  Island  brings  before- 
us,  none  is  more  interesting  than  the 
story  of  the  noted  pirate,  Captain 
Kidd,  whose  name  was  and  is  more  or  less 
closely  associated  with  every  wild  and  dan- 
gerous-looking nook  and  eddy  of  its  ex- 
tensive coast  line  north  and  south.  The 
historians  have  not  dealt  kindly  with  the  mem- 
ory of  Capt.  Kidd,  and  so  far  as  our  reading 
goes  not  one  of  them  has  found  a  single  re- 
deeming feature  in  his  character  on  which 
to  base  a  word  of  praise  or  a  sentiment  of 
regret  at  the  outcome  of  his  strange  career. 
He  was  a  pirate,  pure  and  simple,  with  all 
the  usual  attributes  of  his  class,  was  captured 
and  hanged  and  by  his  ignominious  death  sat- 
isfied the  ends  of  justice:  such  is  the  popular 
.  and  historical  summing  up.  The  many  vague 
stories  afloat  concerning  him,  most  of  which 
gives  a  human  touch  to  his  character,  are 
cavalierly  dismissed  without  a  thought  of  in- 
vestigation, by  a  wave  of  the  hand,  as  it  were, 
while  every  attributed  crime  is  rehearsed  as 
solemn  and  unqualified  truth. 

In  his  "History  of  the  United  States," 
Bancroft  dismisses  the  case  of  Capt.  Kidd  in 
this  wise :  "In  the  attempt  to  suppress  piracy, 
the  prospect  of  infinite  booty  to  be  recovered 
from  pirates  or  to  be  won  from  the 
enemies  of  England,  gained  from  the  King 
and  Admiralty  a  commission  for  William 
Kidd  and  had  deluded  Bellomont  into  a  part- 
nership in  a  private  expedition.  Failing  in 
his  hopes  of  obtaining  opulence,  Kidd  found 


his  way,  as  a  pirate,  to  the  gallows.  In  the 
House  of  Commons  the  transaction  provoked 
inquiry  and  hardly  escaped  censure." 

Divested  of  all  prejudice  and  unsubstan- 
tiated data,  the  actual  life  story  of  this  man 
may  be  outlined  as  follows : 

William  Kidd  was  born  about  1650,  it  is 
thought,  at  Greenock,  Scotland,  at  which  place 
his  father,  was,  it  is  said,  a  clergyman.  The 
father  was  a  man  distinguished  not  only  for 
his  piety,  but  for  his  steadfast  adherence  to 
principle,  for  he  "suffered,"  to  use  a  favorite 
word  of  the  old  Scottisih  Covenanters,  for  his 
views  of  Church  and  State  Government.  He 
was  tortured,  we  are  told,  by  "the  boot,"  a 
hideous  instrument,  but  remained  stanch  to  his 
principles  until  his  death,  August  14,  1679. 
There  is  no  evidence  to  support  all  this,  but 
the  literary  effect  is  excellent.  At  air  early 
age  William  was  sent  to  sea  and  seems  to 
have  risen  rapidly  until  he  was  given  command 
of  a  merchant  vessel.  He  won  a  reputation 
not  only  as  a  skillful  mariner,  but  as  one 
who  was  ready  as  well  as  able  to  defend  his 
ship  against  all  sorts  of  marauders.  He  had 
sailed  a  vessel  between  New  York  and-  Lou- 
don for  several  years  and  was  well  known 
in  the  former  city  not  only  as  a  daring  and 
able  seaman  but  as  a  man  of  culture. 

According  to  Mrs.  Lamb  ("History  of 
New  York,"  vol.  i,  p.  425),  he  had  "a  com- 
fortable and  pleasant  home  in  Liberty  street,. 
New  York,  and  a  wife  beautiful,  accomplished 
and  of  the  highest  respectability.  She  was 
Sarah  Oort,  the  widow  of  one  of  his  fellow- 


CAPTAIN   KIDD    AND    OTHER   NAVIGATORS. 


177 


officers.  They  were  married  in  1691,  and  at 
the  time  of  his  departure  for  the  Eastern 
Ocean  they  had  one  charming  Httle  daughter." 
He  seems  by  that  time  to  have,  to  a  great 
extent,  retired  from  the  sea,  and  to  have  won 
not  only  a  modest  fortune,  but  a  most  en- 
viable reputation.  He  was  personally  ac- 
quainted with  the  leading  men  in  the  colony 
and  held  by  all  in  the  highest  esteem,  as  an 
honest,  law-abiding,  respectable  citizen,  and 
one  who  had  done  the  colony  much  service. 
The  first  mention  of  him  in  authentic  Col- 
onial history  occurs  in  1 69 1,  in  which  year 
the  Journal  of  the  New  York  Colonial  Assem- 
bly tells  us  that  on  the  i8th  day  of  April 
much  credit  was  allowed  to  be  due  to  him 
"for  the  many  and  good  services  done  for  the 
Province,  in  attending  with  his  vessels."  But 
in  what  capacity  or  for  what  object  he  thus 
"attended  with  his  vessels"  does  not  appear. 
It  was  also  declared  that  he  ought  to  be 
suitably  rewarded.  Accordingly,  on  the  14th 
day  of  May  following,  it  was  ordered  by  the 
same  Assembly  "that  the  sum  of  £150  be  paid 
to  Capt.  Kidd"  as  a  "suitable  acknowledgment 
for  the  important  benefits  which  the  colonies 
had  received  from  his  hands."  The  presump- 
tion is  that  these  services  were  in  some  way 
connected  with  the  protection  of  the  Colonial 
merchant  marine  from  the  attacks  of  the 
pirates  at  that  time  hovering  along  the  coasts 
of  the  northern  colonies.  Indeed  the  harbor 
of  New  York  was  no  stranger  to  such  piratical 
vessels,  and  the  commerce  between  the  out- 
laws and  "the  people  of  figure"  in  that  city 
was  not  inconsiderable.  In  fact,  it  was  no 
great  secret  that  the  coast  pirates  were  fre- 
quently operating  in  the  Sound,  and  were 
freely  supplied  with  provisions  by  the  inhab- 
itants of  Long  Island.  Still  further,  it  was 
well  known  in  the  year  1695  that  the  English 
freebooters  had  fitted  out  vessels  in  the  very 
harbor  of  New  York  itself.  On  the  arrival  in 
New  York  harbor  of  the  pirate  vessels  from 
their  cruises  their  'goods  were  openly  sold  in 
the  city,  and  the  conduct  of  the  Colonial 
Government  was  such  that  collusion,  if  not 
12 


direct  partnerships,  between  the  pirates  and 
the  public  authorities  was  not  doubted. 

In  1695  the  Earl  of  Bellomont  was  ap- 
pointed Governor  of  New  York  and  one  of 
the  most  imperative  of  the  instructions  given 
him  was  to  put  down  the  piracy  which  was 
then  so  flauntingly  carried  on  in  the  New 
World  with  New  York  as  one  of,  its  centres,  a 
centre  where  much  of  the  booty  obtained  by  the 
sea  robbers  was  easily  disposed  of,  and  where 
many  of  the  pirate  captains  were  living  in 
opulent  retirement.  Macaulay  tells  us  that  be- 
fore Bellomont  sailed  for  his  post  King  Will- 
iam spoke  to  him  sternly  about  the  freebooting: 
which  was  the  disgrace  of  the  colonies.  "I 
send  you,  my  Lord,  to  New  York,"  he  said,, 
"because  an  honest  and  intrepid  man  is  wanted! 
to  put  these  abuses  down  and  because  I  be- 
lieve you  to  be  just  such  a  man."  As  soon 
as  Bellomont  landed  in  New  York  he  made 
known  his  purpose  among  such  of  the  col- 
onists whose  official  or  commercial  position 
might  render  their  advice  and  co-operation 
valuable.  Robert  Livingston  (the  founder  of 
the  famous  New  York  family)  entered  heart- 
ily into  the  views  of  the  new  Governor  and 
suggested  that  the  task  of  exterminating  the 
pirates  should  be  given  to  Captain  Kidd. 
Lord  Macaulay,  who  has  become  the  authority 
from  whom  most  of  the  recent  biographies 
of  Kidd  derive  their  data,  says  ("History  of 
England,  Chap.  25) : 

Kidd  had  passed  most  of  his  life  on  the 
waves,  had  distinguished  himself  by  his  sea- 
manship, had  had  opportunities  of  showing 
his  valor  in  action  with  the  French  and  bad- 
retired  on  a  competence.  No  man  knew  the 
eastern  seas  better.  He  was  perfectly  ac- 
quainted with  all  the  haunts  of  the  pirates  who 
prowled  between  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and 
the  Straits  of  Malacca  and  he  would  under- 
take, if  he  were  entrusted  with  a  single  ship, 
of  thirty  or  forty  guns,  to  clear  the  Indian 
Ocean  of  the  entire  race.  The  brigantines  of 
the  rovers  were  numerous,  no  doubt,  but  none 
of  them  was  large ;  one  man-of-war  which  in 
the  Royal  Navy  would  hardly  rank  as  a  fourth 
rate,  would  easily  deal  with  them  all  in  suc- 
cession and  the  lawful  spoils  of  the  enemies- 


178 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


of  mankind  would  much  more  than  defray  the 
expenses  of  the  expedition. 

Bellomont  was  charmed  with  this  plan  and 
recommended  it  to  the  King.  The  King  re- 
ferred it  to  the  Admiralty.  The 'Admiralty 
raised  difficulties,  such  as  are  perpetually 
raised  when  any  deviation,  whether  for  the 
better  or  for  the  worse,  from  the  established 
order  of  proceeding  is  proposed.  It  then  oc- 
curred to  Bellomont  that  his  favorite  scheme 
might  be  carried  into  effect  without  any  cost 
to  the  State.  A  few  public-spirited  men  might 
easily  fit  out  a  privateer  that  would  soon 
make  the  Arabian  Gulf  and  the  Bay  of  Bengal 
secure  highways  for  trade.  He  wrote  to  his 
friends  in  England  imploring,  remonstrating, 
complaining  of  their  want  of  public  spirit. 
Six  thousand  pounds  would  be  enough.  That 
sum  would  be  repaid,  and  repaid  with  large 
interest  from  the  sale  of  prizes,  and  an  es- 
timable benefit  would  be  conferred  on  the 
Kingdom  and  the  world.  His  urgency  suc- 
ceeded. (Lord)  Shrewsbury  and  (Lord) 
Romney  contributed.  Orford,  though,  as  First 
Lord  of  the  Admiralty  he  had  been  unwilling 
to  send  Kidd  to  the  Indian  Ocean  with  a 
King's  ship,  consented  to  subscribe  a  thou- 
sand pounds.  Somers  (Keeper  of  the  Great 
Seal)  subscribed  another  thousand.  A  ship 
•called  the  Adventure  Galley  was  equipped  in 
the  Port  of  London  and  Kidd  took  the  com- 
mand. He  carried  with  him,  besides  the  or- 
dinary letters  of  marque,  a  commission  under 
the  Great  Seal  empowering  him  to  seize  pirates 
and  take  them  to  some  place  where  they  could 
be  dealt  with  according  to  law.  Whatever 
right  the  King  might  have,  to  the  goods  found 
in  the  possession  of  these-  malefactors  he 
granted,  by  letters  patent,  to  the  persons  who 
had  been  at  the  expense  of  fitting  out  the  ex- 
pedition, reserving  to  himself  only  one-tenth 
-part  of  the  gains  of  the  adventure,  which  were 
•to  be  paid  into  the  treasury.  With  the  claim 
of  merchants  to  have  back  the  property  of 
which  they  had  been  robbed,  his  Majesty,  of 
course,  did  not  interfere.  He  granted  away, 
and  could  grant  away,  no  rights  but  his  own. 

The  press  for  sailors  to  man  the  Royal 
Navy  was  at  that  time  so  hot  that  Kidd  could 
not  obtain  his  full  complement  of  hands  on 
the  Thames.  He  crossed  the  Atlantic,  visited 
New  York  and  there  found  volunteers  in 
-abundance.  At  length  in  February,  1697,  he 
sailed'  from  the  Hudson  with  a  crew  of  more 
-than  a  hundred  arid  fifty  men  and  in  July 
reached  the  coast  of  Madagascar. 


Robert  Livingston  was  one  of  the  share- 
holders in  this  syndicate  and  Kidd  himself 
seems  to  have  invested  some  hard  cash  in  it. 
On  his  way  to  New  York  he  captured  a  French 
ship,  which  he  carried  to  the  Hudson  with 
him.  The  date  for  the  sailing  of  the  expedi- 
tion is  erroneously  given  by  Macaulay  and 
should  have  been  September  6,  1696,  for  in 
January,  1697,  Kidd  was  at  work  among  the 
followers  of  the  black  flag  off  Madagascar;- 
During  the  interval  between  his  arriving  in 
the  Hudson  and  finatly  leaving  it  on  his  mem- 
orable expedition,  he  seems  to  have  cleared 
the  vicinity,  and  especially  the  shores  of  Long 
Island,  from  the  horde  of  pirates  who  infested 
it.  All  writers  seem  to  agree  that  when  Kidd 
started  out  on  the  voyage  which  was  to  place 
his  name  on  a  pedestal  of  infamy  along  with 
that  of  Henry  Morgan  he  had  no  idea  of 
turning  pirate  on  his  own  account.  Macaulay 
sums  up  the  general  opinion  by  saying: 

It  is  possible  that  Kidd  may  at  first  have 
meant  to  act  in  accordance  with  his  instruc- 
tions. But  on  the  subject  of  piracy  he  held 
the  notions  which  were  then  common  in  the 
North  American  Colonies,  and  most  of  his 
crew  were  of  the  same  mind.  He  found  him- 
self in  a  sea  which  was  constantly  traversed 
by  rich  and  defenseless  merchant  ships,  and 
he  had  to  determine  whether  he  would  plun- 
der those  ships  or  protect  them.  The  rewards 
of  protecting  the  lawful  trade  was  likely  to  be 
comparatively  small.  Such  as  they  were  they 
would  be  got  only  by  first  fighting  with  des- 
perate ruffians  who  would  rather  be  killed 
than  taken,  and  by  then  instituting  a  proceed- 
ing and  obtaining  a  judgment  in  a  Court  of 
Admiralty.  The  risk  of  being  called  to  a 
severe  reckoning  might  not  unnaturally  seem 
small  to  one  who  had  seen  many  old  bucca- 
neers living  in  comfort  and  credit  at  New 
York  and  Boston. 

Whatever  was  the  process  of  reasoning 
or  evolution,  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  Ad- 
venture soon  became  a  terror  to  all  trading 
vessels  in  the  Indian  seas  and  that  on  Novem- 
ber 23,  1698,  an  order  was  sent  to  all  the  Gov- 
ernors of  British  colonies  ordering  the  cap- 
ture of  the  ship  and  the  arrest  of  Kidd  and 


CAPTAIN    KIDD    AND    OTHER   NAVIGATORS. 


179 


his  crew.  In  the  course  of  his  "business"  the 
Adventure  was  abandoned  for  another  ship 
which  he  had  captured,  the  San  Antonio,  and 
in  that  vessel  he  returned  to  America,  anchor- 
ing  in  Gardiner's  Bay ;  but  according  to  local 
report  only  for  a  short  time,  as  he  seems  to 
have  kept  constantly  on  the  move  and  entered 
every  safe  harbor  on  the  shore  of  Long  Island. 
During  the  time  those  movements  were  being 
executed  he  was  negotiating  for  his  personal 
safety  with  his  employer.  Lord  Bellomont, 
the  emissary  being  a  Boston  lawyer  named 
James  Emett.  The  matter  might  have  been 
satisfactorily  arranged  to  all  concerned  had 
not  Kidd's  notoriety  made  even  his  name  a 
by-word  of  reproach  and  infamy  on  both  sides 
of  the  Atlantic.  Bellomont  declined  to  com- 
mit himself  to  any  terms,  but  his  demeanor 
to  the  emissary  was  such  that  Kidd  deter- 
mined to  trust  himself  in  Boston  and  to  per- 
sonally interview  his  noble  employer.  There 
he  was  ordered  to  appear  before  the  Council 
and  his  arrest  followed.  He  was  vaguely 
charged  with  piracy,  massacre,  wanton  de- 
struction of  property,  brutality  to  his  men  and 
to  all  who  fell  into  his  clutches.  The  result 
was  he  was  sent  to  England  and  was  there 
tried  for  piracy  and  for  the  murder  of  Will- 
iam Moore,  one  of  his  crew,  found  guilty 
and,  with  nine  of  his  sailors,  was  hanged  May 
24,  1701. 

In  reviewing  all  the  evidence  thus  placed 
before  us  it  seems  impossible  to  arrive  at  any 
other  conclusion  than  that  Kidd  made  two 
grave  mistakes, — the  first  in  touching  British 
ships,  and  the  second  in  being  found  out.  If 
ever  a  licensed  pirate  was  sent  adrift  that 
pirate  was  William  Kidd.  Even  the  lines  we 
have  quoted  from  Macaulay  show  that  he  was 
sent  forth  with  a  commission  under  the  Great 
Seal  of  England  in  his  pocket  to  prey  upon 
the  high  seas  and  to  return  as  large  a  dividend 
as  possible  to  those  who  invested  in  the  en- 
terprise. It  was  a  joint  stock  speculation, 
nothing  more,  and  Kidd  was  induced  by  tht 
necessity,  to  use  a  modern  phrase,  "of  making 
money  for  his  stockholders,"  to  capture  any 


fat  prize  which  came  in  his  way.  Money 
could  not  be  made  fighting  pirates,  as  Ma- 
caulay admits,  and  it  had  to  be  made  some- 
how. Financially  Kidd  was  a  success.  He 
brought  home  on  the  San  Antonio  alone 
£14,000,  more  than  enougti  to  recoup  his 
stockholders,  principal  and  interest,  and  there 
were  besides  vague  stories  of  other  treasure, 
fabulous  in  amount,  which  lay  in  the  hold  of 
the  vessel  when  she  first  anchored  in  Gardi- 
ner's Bay.  But  the  hue  and  cry  had  gone 
forth,  Kidd  had  certainly  passed  over  the 
boundary  between  right  and  wrong  which  his 
patrons  had  vaguely  laid  down,  and  the  honest 
shipping  interests  of  the  world  arose  against 
him.  Being  the  executive  head  of  the  en- 
terprise, he  was  made  to  furnish  an  example, 
with  several  of  his  sea  companions  accom- 
panying him  as  ballast. 

The  matter  was  made  the  occasion  of  a 
memorable  debate  in  Parliament  in  which 
Somers  and  the  rest  of  the  syndicate  were 
held  up  as  partners  of  the  piratical  Adventure, 
who  gave  the  protection  of  the  Great  Seal  to 
their  own  nefarious  business  enterprise,  men 
who  invested  a  thousand  pounds  each  and 
expected  to  get  back  tens  of  thousands  when 
the  expedition  should  return  "laden  with  the 
spoils  of  ruined  merchants."  It  was  made  a 
question  of  the  life  or  death  of  the  Ministry 
of  the  day,  but  the  friends  of  the  syndicate 
prevailed,  and  the  owners  of  the  Adventure 
were  indorsed  by  a  vote  of  189  votes  in  the 
House  of  Commons  against  an  opposition  of 
133.  And  so  ended  the  Parliamentary  story  of 
the  Adventure.  When  the  vote  was  cast  Kidd 
ceased  forever  to  be  a  factor  in  politics  and 
his  memory  is  now  popularly  enrolled  only 
in  the  long  gallery  of  notorious  enemies  of 
society.  His  name  became  a  synonym  for  mur- 
der and  rapine,  was  used  by  mothers  to 
frighten  their  children,  and  all  sorts  of  evil 
deeds  and  wanton  cruelties  were  fixed  upon 
him  by  the  ballad-mongers,  who  found  in  the 
legends  of  his  career  a  rare  field  for  their 
crude  imaginations. 

Long  Island  is  full  of  stories  of  Captain 


180 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Kidd,  very  few  of  which  contain  much  more 
than  a  bare  modicum  of  truth.  Mr.  W.  D. 
Stone,  of  the  New  York  Commercial  Adver- 
tiser, once  wrote  an  article  on  the  pirate,  in 
which  he  told  about  all  of  the  Long  Island 
traditions  which  could  readily  be  substan- 
tiated.   He  said : 

It  is  beyond  doubt  true  that  Long  Island 
contairied  several  of  his  hiding  places.  "Kidd's 
Rock"  is  well  known  at  Manhasset,  up  on 
Long  Island,  to  this  day.  Here  Kidd  is  sup- 
posed to  have  buried  some  of  his  treasures, 
and  many  have  been  the  attempts  of  the  cred- 
ulous in  that  section  to  find  the  hidden  gold. 
There  is  also  no  doubt  that  he  was  wont  to 
hide  himself  and  his  vessel  among  those 
curious  rocks  in  Sachem's  Head  Harbor,  called 
the  "Thimble  Islands."  In  addition  to  the 
"Pirates'  Cavern,"  in  this  vicinity,  there  is 
upon  one  of  these  rocks,  sheltered  from  the 
view  of  the  Sound,  a  beautiful  artificial  exca- 
vation in  an  oval  form  holding,  perhaps,  the 
measure  of  a  barrel  still  called  "Kidd's  Punch 
Bowl."  It  was  here,  according  to  the  tra- 
ditions of  the  neighborhood,  that  he  used  to 
carouse  with  his  crew.  It  is  also  a  fact  beyond 
controversy  that  he  was  accustomed  to  anchor 
his  vessel  in  Gardiner's  Bay.  Upon  one  occa- 
sion in  the  night  he  landed  upon  Gardiner's 
island  and  requested  Mrs.  Gardiner  to  pro- 
vide a  supper  for  himself  and  his  attendants. 
Knowing  his  desperate  character,  she  dared 
not  refuse,  and  fearing  his  displeasure  she 
took  great  pains,  especially  in  roasting  a  pig. 
The  pirate  chief  was  so  pleased  with  her  cook- 
ing that  on  goin£-  away  he  presented  her  with 
a  cradle  blanket  of  gold  cloth.  It  was  of 
velvet  inwrought  with  gold  and  very  rich.  A 
piece  of  it  yet  remains  in  the  possession  of 
the  Gardiner  family,  and  a  still  smaller  piece 
is  in  my  possession,  it  having  been  given  to 
my  father,  the  late  Col.  William  L.  Stone,  by 
one  of  the  descendants  of  that  family. 

On  another  occasion,  when  he  landed  upon 
the  island,  Kidd  buried  a  small  casket  of  gold 
containing  articles  of  silver  and  precious 
stones  in  the  presence  of  Mr.  Gardiner,  but 
under  the  most  solemn  injunction  of  secrecy. 
*  *  *  He  appears-  to  have  disclosed  the 
fact  of  having  buried  treasure  on  Gardiner's 
island,  for  it  was  demanded  by  the  Earl  of 
Bellomont  and  surrendered  by  Mr.  Gardiner. 
I  have  seen  the  original  receipts  for  the 
amount,   with  the  different  items  of  the  de- 


posits. They  were  by  no  means  large,  and 
afford  no  evidence  of  such  mighty  "sweep- 
ings of  the  sea,"  as  has  been  told  of  by  tra- 
dition. Of  gold,  in  coins,  gold  dust  and  bars, 
there  was  750  ounces ;  of  'Silver,  506  ounces,, 
and  of  precious  stones,  16  ounces. 

The  account  mentioned  by  Mr.  Stone  as 
describing  the  jewels  found  in  Captain  Kidd's- 
treasure  box  buried  on  Gardiner's  island  reads 
as  follows : 

A  true  account  of  all  such  gold,  silver,, 
jewels  and  merchandise  late  in  the  possession 
of  Captain  William  Kidd  which  have  been 
seized  and  secured  by  us  pursuant  to  an  or- 
der from  his  Excellency,  Richard,  Earl  of 
Bellomont,  bearing  date  July  7,  1699: 

Received  the  17th  inst.  of  Mr.  John  Gardi- 
ner, viz. : 


OUNCES.. 


No.  I 
No.   2 

No.  3, 
No.    4 

No.  5 
No.    6 

No.    7, 

No.  8, 
No.  9, 
No.  10 
No.  II 
No.  12 


One  bag  of  gold  dust 

One  bag  of  coined  gold 

And   one    in    silver 

One   bag  gold   dust 

One  bag  of  silver  rings  and 

sundry  precious  stones. . . . 
One  bag  of  unpolished  stones . 
One   piece   of   crystal,    rings, 

two  agates,  two  amethysts 
One   bag   silver   buttons   and 

lamps   

One  bag  of  broken  silver .... 

One  bag  of  gold  bars 

One  bag  of  gold  bars 

One  bag  gold  dust 

One  bag  silver  bars 


63M 
II 

124 

24% 

A% 
1214- 


173/^ 
353^ 
238/2- 

59/2 
309 


Samuel  Sewall, 
Nathaniel  Byfield, 
Jeremiah  Dummer, 
Andrew  Belcher, 

Commissioners. 

H.  G.  Onderdonk,  of  Manhasset,  speaking 
of  Kidd's  Rock,  mentioned  in  the  passage 
quoted  from  Mr.  Stone,  says: 

The  celebrated  "Kidd's  Rock"  just  east  of 
Sands'  Point  stands  upon  the  shore  of  a  small 
island  at  the  northeasterly  extremity  of  Cow 
Neck.  This  is  a  very  large  stone,  equivalent 
to  a  cube  of  about  2,000  feet,  and  under  it  tra- 
dition says  the  notorious  Captain  Kidd  con- 
cealed vast  amounts  of  the  treasures  accunui- 


CAPTAIN    KIDD    AND    OTHER   NAVIGATORS. 


181 


lated  by  his  numerous  piracies.  The  immense 
rock  has  been  on  all  sides  dug  around,  under- 
mined, excavated,  blasted  and  wrought  with 
various  charms  and  incantations  by  super- 
stitious or  visionary  persons  who  havfe  here 
repeatedly  searched  for  Kidd's  treasures,  but 
all  in  vain.  There  is  a  similar  large  boulder, 
called  Millstone  Rock,  at  Manhasset,  a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile  southeasterly  from  the  Friends' 
meeting-house,  which  contains  24,000  cubic 
■  feet,  as  measured  by  Dr.  Mitchell  and  Cap- 
tain Patridge,  and  there  formerly  was  another 
of  similar  size,  on  the  Haydock  property  near 
the  head  of  Cow  Bay.  But  this  latter  has 
disappeared,  having  been  blasted  and  broken 
up  into  fencing  stone.  Boulders  of  so  great 
a  size  are  an  anomaly  on  Long  Island. 

East  of  these,  other  boulders  seem  to  have 
popularly  rejoiced  at  one  time  or  another  uti- 
der  the  name  of  "Kidd's  Rock,"  and  the  one 
last  referred  to  was  recognized  by  B.  F. 
Thompson,  the  historian  of  Long  Island,  as 
the  one  in  his  day  best  entitled  to  the  desig- 
nation. But  then,  as  we  have  said,  almost 
every  likely  spot  on  Long  Island,  as  well  as 
on  Gardiner's  Island,  Block  Island  and  even 
the  coast  of  New  Jersey,  has  been  reputed  as 
the  hiding  place  of  Captain  Kidd's  mighty 
treasure.  To  recover  them  many  a  diligent 
search  has  been  made,  many  an  expedition  or- 
ganized, many  a  divining  rod  manipulated  ;  but 
all  to  no  purpose.  If  any  treasure  was  hid- 
den it  has  been  forever  lost ;  but  the  more 
likely  solution  of  the  matter  is  that  none  was 
hidden,  and  that  all  the  wealth  at  Kidd's  com- 
mand wasi  actually  recovered  by  Bellmont's 
agents. 

Gabriel  Furman  gives  us  a  vague  account 


of  another  redoubtable  pirate  whose  home  was 
near  Fort  Neck  and  whom  he  called  Captain 
Jones.  Nothing  is  known  apparently  as  to  the 
career  or  the  deeds  of  this  marauder,  but  pop- 
ular tradition  gave  him  a  rather  doubtful 
character  and  told  how  when  he  was  dying 
a  large  black  crow,  a  sure  emissary  of  Satan, 
settled  above  his  bed  and  watched  until  the 
vital  spark  fled,  when  it  made  its  escape 
through  a  hole  in  the  west  end  of  the  house 
and  departed  to  realms  unknown.  The  hole 
through  which  the  bird  passed  could  never  af- 
ter be  stopped  up,  according  to  popular  tradi- 
tion, although  Furman,  who  saw  the  house  in 
1827,  did  not  vouch  for  the  truth  of  this  by 
personal  investigation.  The  building  was  then 
uninhabited  and  hastening  to  ruin,  so  the  ex- 
periment would  have  annoyed  nobody  and  its 
result  would  have  been  satisfactory  to  future 
historians  whichever  way  it  went.  But  prob- 
ably Furman  was  too  good  an  antiquary  to 
attempt  to  disturb  an  old  legend,  so  he  simply 
contented  himself  with  "passing  it  on."  How- 
ever, he  visited  the  burial  place  of  the  pirate, 
a  grave  "about  half  a  mile  south  of  the  house 
in  a  small  piece  of  ground  surrounded  by  an 
earth  wall.  The  tombstone  is  of  red  free- 
stone. The  ground  also  contains  the  graves 
of  his  wife,  his  son,  and  his  son's  wife.  There 
are  no  other  persons  buried  there  but  these 
four.     It  is  quite  a  solitary  spot." 

Surely  pirate  was  never  more  honored! 
To  die  quietly  in  bed!  An  emissary  of  a 
prince  to  watch  his  passage,  a  grave  among 
his  own  kin,  and  a  red  freestone  tomb !  An 
honest  mariner  could  hardly  expect  more! 


CHAPTER   XV. 


THE    ANTE-REVOLUTION    STRUGGLE. 


N  a  rough  and  ready  way  the  position 
of  Long  Island  regarding  the  senti- 
ment which  culminated  in  1776  in 
separation  may  be  stated  by  saying 
that  Suffolk  county  was  Whig  in  its  sympa- 
thies, while  Queens  and  Kings  were  the  op- 
posite. In  other  words,  one  might  draw  the 
old  line  on  the  map  of  the  island  from  Oyster 
Bay  to  Great  Island  and  find  that  to  the  east 
of  that  line  the  people  were  in  favor  of  in- 
dependence, while  to  the  west  the  loyalist 
spirit  reigned.  Of  course,  there  were  many 
exceptions.  Kings  and  Queens  held  their 
Whig  citizens,  plenty  of  them,  and  Suffolk 
might  have  produced  a  small  army  of  Tories ; 
but  in  a  general"  fashion  the  boundaries  thus 
given  hold  good  for  the  time,  say  about  1765, 
when  the  troubles  with  the  home  Govern- 
ment began  to  reach  the  acute  point.  In  mak- 
ing this  distinction  I  do  not  desire  to  intimate 
that  the  loyalists  were  blind  to  the  faults  of 
the  system  to  which  they  were  attached.  That 
there  were  faults,  and  grievous  faults,  even 
the  most  devoted  loyalist  of  the  disinterested 
variety  would  confess ;  and  up  to  a  certain 
point  in  the  struggle  they  were  as  outspoken 
and  imperative  in  their  demands  for  redress 
as  the  most  violent  Whig  could  suggest.  They 
only  stopped  short  at  separation,  and  although 
the  hard  logic  of  events  has  demonstrated  that 
they  were  wrong  and  proved  conclusively  that 
separation  was  the  only  cure  for  the  evils 
which  then  threatened  the  people  in  Britain 
as  well  as  those  in  the  colonies,  it  seems  un- 
necessary to  tax  them  with  all  the  sins  in  the 
calendar  of  crime  on  that  account. 


In  fact  Long  Island,  east  and  west,  main- 
tained a  constant  struggle  for  political  liberty 
long  before.  Several  instances  of  this  spirit 
will  be  found  recorded  elsewhere  in  this  work, 
but  one  or  two  may  be  mentioned  most  fitting- 
ly here  to  demonstrate  more  clearly  the  views 
entertained  by  the  people  and  the  spirit  which 
animated  them.  In  1669  the  towns  of  Hemp- 
stead, Jamaica,  Oyster  Bay,  Flushing,  New- 
town, Gravesend,  each  presented  petitions  to 
Governor  Lovelace  when  that  dignitary  sought 
by  virtue  of  his  own  power  to  levy  a  special 
tax.  In  their  petition  the  people  deplored 
their  exclusion  from  any  share  in  legislation 
and  asked  to  be  permitted  a  voice  in  the  mak- 
ing of  the  laws  by  which  they  were  to  be  gov- 
erned, "by  such  deputies  as  shall  be  yearly 
chosen  by  the  freeholders  of  each  town  and 
parish."  The  petitions  practically  produced 
nothing,  but  the  fact  that  they  were  made, 
and  gravely  considered,  are  significant  when 
we  remember  how  summarily  old  Peter  Stuy- 
vesant  a  few  years  previously  had  broken  up 
a  meeting  of  the  lieges  and  told  them  not  to 
let  him  hear  any  more  of  such  business.  Dr. 
Prime  says  ("History,"  page  78)  :  "The  first 
assembly  of  deputies  that  the  representation 
of  royal  power  condescended  to  convoke  for 
consultation,  the  year  after  the  surrender  of 
the  province  to  British  arms,  was  held  at 
Hempstead  March  i,  1665,  and  (with  the  ex- 
ception of  two)  was  composed  entirely  of  rep- 
resentatives from  the  several  towns  of  the 
island.  The  first  legislative  assembly,  con- 
vened in  1683,  was  not  only  procured  through 
the    remonstrances    and    demands    of    Long 


THE    ANTE-REVOLUTION    STRUGGLE. 


ISS 


Island,  more  than  any  other  part  of  the  col- 
ony, but  was  in  a  great  measure  made  up  of 
its  representatives.  The  first  speaker  of  that 
body  was  either  then,  or  afterward,  a  resident 
of  the  island,  and  the  same  office  was  after- 
ward held  by  one  of  its  representatives  six- 
teen out  of  twenty-one  years." 

A  significant  hint  of  the  reverence  of  the 
people  for  royal  authority  in  the  abstract  :s 
found  in  the  following  extract  from  Bergen's 
"Early  Settlers  of  Kings  County:" 

Joores  Van  Nestus  (may  be  intended  for 
Joris  Van  Ness),  with  John  Rapalie,  Joris 
Danielse  Rapalie,  Isaac  Remsen,  Jacob 
Reyerse,  Aert  Aersen  (Middagh),  Theunis 
Buys,  Gerrit  Cowenhoven,  Gabriel  Sprong, 
Urian  Andriese,  Jan  Willemse  Bennet,  Jacob 
Bennet  and  John  Messerole,  Junr.,  were  fined 
ten  shillings  each  for  defacing  the  King's 
arms  in  the  County  Court  House  on  the 
evening  of  September  14,  1697,  as  per  court 
record.  From  this  it  may  be  inferred  that 
these  residents  of  Brooklyn  failed  to  have  that 
respect  for  their  "Dreade  sovereign"  which 
loyal  subjects  were  expected  to  entertain. 

It  is  curious  to  read  some  of  these  names 
in  the  light  of  after  events  in  connection  with 
such  a  contemptuous  disregard  for  the  sacred- 
ness  of  royal  insignia. 

It  is  generally  agreed  that  the  first  direct 
move,  although  not  then  so  intended,  against 
the  royal  authority  was  made  in  the  same 
tavern  at  Brushville,  near  Jamaica,  where  af- 
terward General  Woodhull,  the  hero  of  Long 
Island,  received  the  wounds  which  resulted  in 
his  death.  It  was  kept  by  Increase  Carpenter, 
who  afterward  figured  prominently  in  the 
Tory  ranks.  The  meeting  held  in  his  place 
seems  to  have  been  quite  an  informal  gather- 
ing when  the  news  was  received  of  the  action 
of  the  British  Parliament  in  declaring  the 
port  of  Boston  closed  in  retaliation  for  the 
doings  of  the  Boston  Tea  Party.  The  de- 
liberations in  the  tavern,  however,  resulted 
in  the  issuance  of  a  notice  to  the  freeholders 
of  Jamaica  urging  them  to  meet  in  the  old 
court-house  in  that  village  and  consider  the 


condition  of  affairs.  That  meeting  was  held' 
on  December  7,  1774,  and  passed  a  series  of 
resolutions  as   follows : 

I.  To  maintain  the  just  dependence  of  the 
colonies  upon  the  Crown  of  Great  Britain,  and 
to  render  true  allegiance  to  King  George. 

II.  That  it  is  our  right  to  be  taxed  only 
by  our  own  consent,  and  that  taxes  imposed 
on  us  by  Parliament  are  an  infringement  of 
our  rights. 

III.  We  glory  to  have  been  bom  subject 
to  the  Crown  and  excellent  Constitution  of 
Great  Britain;  we  are  one  people  with  our 
mother  country,  and  lament  the  late  unhappy 
disputes. 

IV.  We  sympathize  with  our  brethren  of 
Boston  under  their  sufferings. 

V.  We  approve  the  measures  of  the  late 
General  Congress  at  Philadelphia. 

VI.  We  appoint  for  our  committee  of 
correspondence  and  observation  Rev.  Abra- 
ham Keteltas,  Waters  Smith,  Captain  Ephraim 
Baylis,  Captain  Joseph  French,  William  Lud- 
1am,  Captain  Richard  Betts,  Dr.  John  Innes, 
Joseph  Robinson,  Elias  Bailis. 

This  was  a  most  significant  document, 
breathing  profound  loyalty  to  the  mother  cojm- 
try  yet  not  yielding  one  iota  of  what  the  meet- 
ing regarded  as  among  inalienable  rights,  and 
it  failed  not  to  go  on  record  as  in  hearty  sym- 
pathy with  those  of  the  colonists  who,  for 
upholding  these  rights,  had  fallen  under  the 
ban  of  the  British  authorities.  Had  the  British 
Government  weighed  such  expressions  even 
then  the  crisis  of  1776  might  have  been  averted 
or  at  least  postponed,  although  in  reviewing 
the  history  of  the  world  since  then  we  can- 
not escape  the  conviction  that  it  was  well  for 
the  sake  of  popular  liberty  that  pig-headed- 
ness  rather  than  statesmanship  ruled  Great 
Britain  for  the  moment. 

The  men  who  organized  and  attended  the 
meeting  seem  to  have  formed  part  of  a  colony 
of  New  England  people,  by  birth  or  descent, 
who  had  settled  in  Jamaica.  Those  named  in 
the  Committee  on  Correspondence  were  after- 
ward more  or  less  prominent  in  the  move- 
ment for  independence.     Ephraim  Bailey,  in 


184 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


fact,  became  notorious  as  one  of  the  most  bit- 
ter and  cruel  of  the  persecutors  of  the  local 
Tories.  French  was  afterward  elected  to  the 
Provincial  Congress,  btit  declined  to  serve,  be- 
cause he  was  convinced  that  the  majority  of 
the  freeholders  of  Jamaica  did  not  want  to 
be  represented  in  that  body.  Perhaps  the 
most  remarkable  member  of  the  committee  was 
the  Rev.  Abraham  Keteltas,  of  whom  Dr. 
Prime  writes:  "He  was  born  in  New  York, 
December  26,  1732,  and  graduated  at  Yale  in 
1752.  He  was  first  settled  at  Elizabethtown, 
New  Jersey,  September  14,  1757,  and  dis- 
missed in  1759.  He  removed  to  Jamaica, 
where  he  occupied  a  farm  and  spent  much  of 


OLD   LIBERTY  POLE  AT  VAN  PELT   MANOR. 

his  time  in  preaching  to  the  vacant  congre- 
gations on  the  islarjd  and  elsewhere.  He  was 
a  man  of  strong  mind  and  extensive  and 
varied  learning.  He  often  preached  in  three 
different  languages — Dutch,  French  and  Eng- 
lish. He  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  con- 
vention of  1777  that  formed  the  first  Con- 
stitution of  the  State  of  New  York.  Being 
a  zealous  and  devoted  patriot,  he  was  pe- 
culiarly obnoxious  to  British  rage  and  was 
therefore  obliged  to  leave  the  island  during 
the  war.  His  property  was  taken  possession 
of,  his  mansion  defaced,  his  timber  destroyed 
and  his  slaves  taken  and  enlisted  as  soldiers 
of  the  King.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  feel- 
ings and  independent  spirit.    From  some  dis- 


satisfaction, in  1764  or  '1765  he  withdrew 
from  the  presbytery  of  New  York  and  de- 
clined the  jurisdiction  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  He  continued,  however,  to  bestow 
his  services  where  needed  until  the  close  of 
life,  and  he  is  still  remembered  (1845)  by  the 
surviving  few  in  many  of  the  churches  of 
the  island.  He  died  September  30,  1798,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-five  years." 

Before  following  the  progress  of  the  move- 
ment for  freedom  on  Long  Island,  it  may  not 
be  out  of  place  to  review,  briefly,  the  progress 
of  events  in  the  country  generally,  which  led 
to  many  meetings  such  as  that  we  have  just 
chronicled  and  finally  ended  in  the  complete 
independence  of  the  Colonies.  In  1763  the 
long  war  which  had  been  waged  between 
Britain  and  France  for  the  possession  of  the 
North  American  Continent  was  settled  by  a 
formal  treaty  of  peace  in  which  France  ceded 
all  its  territory  north  of  the  St.  Lawrence  to 
its  "ancient  enemy."  It  retained  the  peninsula 
of  Florida,  but  soon  after  transferred  it  to 
Spain  and  the  French  empire  in  the  New 
World  came  forever  to  an  end.  The  colonists 
as  we  have  seen  took  a  loyal  part  against 
France  in  this  memorable  contest,  and  it  is 
a  pity  that  the  patriotism  aroused  by  sacrifice 
and  blood  did  not  meet  with  a  better  reward 
at  the  hands  of  those  in  authority  in  London 
than  inspiring  the  notion  that  such  devotion 
could  be  made  a  source  of  revenue.  The 
withdrawal  of  the  French  from  the  scene  left 
the  colonists  free  to  work  out  their  own  des- 
tiny, and  it  was  not  long  before  their  mettle 
was  put  acutely  to  the  test. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  Colonial  sys- 
tem in  America  the  home  Government  had 
imposed  taxation  on  the  people,  as  was  right 
and  proper.  They  had  to  be  defended  against 
Indians  and  Spaniards  and  Frenchmen.  At 
first  there  was  nothing  to  tax  except  the 
products  of  the  soil,  but  as  the  country  ad- 
vanced in  population  and  these  products  in- 
creased in  value  the  navigation  acts  were 
steadily  extended  until  they  became  oppres- 
sive.    Almost   from  the  time  a  colony  was 


THE    ANTE-REVOLUTION    STRUGGLE. 


185 


numerically  strong  enough  to  form  a  local  leg- 
islature it  appealed  against  the  right  of  the 
Parliament   in   England   to    impose    Colonial 
taxes  without  the  Colonists'  consent,  against 
taxes    levied    by    royal    representatives     for 
purposes  in  which  they  had  no  concern,  and 
out  of  which  it  was  impossible  for  them  to 
get  any  benefit;  and  the  long  list  of  dissolute 
and  incapable  nonentities  sent  over  to  repre- 
sent the  King's  Sacred  Majesty  contains  but 
few   names   of  men   who   were   likely   either 
willing  or  fit  to  govern  for  the  sake  of  the 
governed,  or  for  any  other  purposes  than  their 
own    personal    profit    and     aggrandizement. 
Rulers    like  Bellomont    and    Cornbury  were 
alone  sufficient  to  incite  and  justify  rebellion. 
But  the  question  of  taxation  without  rep- 
resentation, or  ratlier  of  taxation  without  con- 
sent, was  the  question  which  vmderlay  the  en- 
tire struggle  in  America.     Bit  by  bit  as  the 
country  advanced  the  navigation  laws  became 
more  and  more  oppressive.     "The  open  door" 
was  unheard  of.    No  goods  could  be  imported 
except  in  English  vessels  manned  by  English 
sailors ;  all  exports  must  go  to  England  or  to 
some  port  belonging  to  the  Crown;  tobacco, 
cotton,  sugar,  for  instance,  intended  for  France 
had  to  be  sent  to  England  and  then  reshipped ; 
free  trade  between  the  colonies  was  prohibited ; 
every  advantage  was  given  the  British  manu- 
facturer   at    the    expense    of    his    American 
cousin ;  the  American  producer,  at  the  mercy 
of  the  English  merchant,  could  only  receive 
what  the  latter  was  willing  to  pay ;  the  English 
claimed  and  exercised  a  full  and  crushing  mo- 
nopoly over  American  commerce,  and  any  ef- 
fort looking  to  its  extension  was  met  by  new 
levy,  a  vexatious  addition  to  the  existing  laws. 
Such  were  some  of  the  restrictions  imposed 
upon  the  colonies,  and  they  were  submitted 
to   for   several   reasons.      Great    Britain    was 
simply  carrying  out  the  recognized  Colonial 
poHcy  of  the  time ;  the  Colonies  were  too  much 
scattered  to  resist,  the  imposts  and  annoyances 
were  not  felt  by  the  majority  of  the  Colonists 
directly,  only  one  class  felt  the  full  force  of 
the  imposition ;  and  although  the  entire  pop- 


ulation had  to  contribute  to  the  taxation  thus 
imposed,  the  contribution  was  made  in  an  in- 
direct and  therefore  unnoticed  way.  Indirect 
taxation  has  ever  been  the  favorite  system  for 
the  levying  of  imposts,  especially  those  likely 
to  arouse  discontent.  It  still  prevails  in  Amer- 
ica, and  is  the  cause  of  most  of  the  municipal 
maladministration  which  is  so  pronounced  a 
blot   upon   our   system   of   local   government. 

But  the  abuse  got  in  time  out  of  the  stage 
of  indirect  taxation.  In  1763  Lord  Grenyille 
introduced  in  Parliament,  and  had  passed,  as 
an  amendment  to  a  sugar  bill,  a  resolution  that 
"It  be  proper  to  charge  stamp  duties  on  the 
colonies  and  plantations."  Franklin,  who  was 
then  agent  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsyl- 
vania in  London,  appealed  against  this  new 
imposition,  but  the  best  that  resulted  from  a 
series  of  conferences  was  that  the  Colonies 
must  bear  an  increased  share  of  the  taxes,  but 
were  given  a  year  in  which  to  devise  some 
way  less  obnoxious  than  the  proposed  stamp 
duties  by  which  the  increased  revenue  might 
be  raised.  In  America  the  proposal  at  once 
excited  hostile  comment  and  protests  were  sent 
to  London  from  the  various  Colonial  assem- 
blies. But  they  proposed  nothing  to  take  the 
place  and  yield  the  expected  revenue  of  the 
proposed  stamps,  and  Grenville  adhered  to 
his  determination.  In  1765  he  introduced  the 
Stamp  Act  and  it  was  passed  by  Parliament. 
It  was  deemed  an  equitable  measure  all  round, 
and,  with  their  clearer  eyesight  dimmed  by  the 
general  sentiments  of  approbation  they  heard 
around,  even  the  American  agents,  even 
FrankHn,  did  not  seem  to  understand  that 
their  constituents  across  the  sea  would  do 
aught  but  grumble  and  submit.  So  Great 
Britain  prepared  the  stamps  and  appointed  the 
stamp  collectors,  who  were  to  begin  business 
in  October,  1765. 

The  news  raised  a  howl  of  disapproval 
throughout  the  Colonies,  and  nine  Colonial 
assemblies  sent  delegates  to  New  York  to  meet 
in  a  Continental  Congress  in  the  old  City  Hall 
in  Wall  street,  to  consider  the  situation.  That 
Congress    passed    some  clear-cut  resolutions 


186 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


which  fully  expressed  the  views  of  the  people. 
These  held  such  doctrines  as,  "No  taxes  have 
been  or  can  be  constitutionally  imposed  upon 
the  people  of  these  Colonies  but  by  their  re- 
spective legislatures;"  and,  "All  supplies  to 
the  Crown  being  free  of  the  people  it  is  un- 
reasonable and  unconsistent  with  the  spirit  of 
the  British  Constitution  for  the  people  of 
Great  Britain  to  grant  to  his  Majesty  the  prop- 
erty of  the  Colonists." 

But  the  people  did  more  than  pass  resolu- 
tions :  they  acted.  In  New  York  the  Sons 
of  Liberty  inaugurated  an  active  movement 
against  the  stamps,  the  citizens  declined  to  use 
the  stamped  paper  when  it  arrived,  forced  the 
agent  to  resign,  hanged  in  efSgy  the  aged 
Lieutenant  Governor,  and  determined  to  im- 
port no  goods  from  Britain.  In  Boston  they 
smashed  the  windows  of  the  stamp  agent's 
house  and  sacked  the  mansion  of  Governor 
Hutchinson.  In  Baltimore  they  burned  the 
agent  in  effigy  and  forced  him  to  fly  to  New 
York,  where  he  was  only  permitted  to  reside 
on  condition  that  he  resign  his  hated  office. 
So  the  story  ran  over  the  Colonies.  The 
people  seemed  unanimous  in  their  opposition 
to  the  impost,  the  sale  of  the  stamps  became 
an  impossibility,  and  indeed  it  seems  certain 
that  not  a  single  stamp  of  that  issue  was  used 
in  the  colonies. 

The  doings  in  America  created  a  tumult  in 
Parliament,  "and  never,"  says  May,  "was 
there  a  Parliament  more  indifferent  to  Con- 
stitutional principles  and  popular  rights."  An 
inquiry  was  appointed.  Franklin,  who  was 
examined  by  the  committee,  frankly  declared 
that  the  stamp  duties  could  only  be  enforced 
by  arms.  The  sentiment  of  the  sheep-headed 
ministry  was  that  arms  should  be  used,  but 
the  sentiment  expressed  by  Pitt  and  a  few 
others  in  favor  of  the  attitude  of  the  Col- 
onists called  a  halt  in  that  direction,  and,  as 
a  result,  after  the  usual  winding  and  unwind- 
ing of  red  tape  and  a  display  of  what  has  been 
called  circumlocutionary  extravagances,  the 
stamp  act  was  repealed.  The  news  of  this 
result  was  received  with  wild  enthusiasm  in 


the  Colonies  and  the  expressions  of  devotion 
and  loyalty  to  the  mother  land  and  the  Crown 
were  marvelous  for  their  intensity,  and,  we 
believe,  for  their  honesty.  New  York  ordered 
statues  of  George  III  and  of  Pitt.  Virginia 
voted  to  erect  a  statue  of  the  Sovereign,  and 
Conway,  Barre,  Wilkes,  Pitt  and  others  be- 
came popular  Colonial  idols. 

But  this  state  of  things  did  not  long  con- 
tinue. The  stamp  tax  was  repealed,  yet  the 
Colonists  soon  learned  that  the  act  repealing 
it  contained  a  rider  which  declared  that  Parlia- 
ment had  full  power  over  the  government  of 
all  the  Colonies.  The  sugar  tax,  a  tax  for 
revenue  pure  and  simple,  was  not  repealed. 
The  Mutiny  act  was  made  more  stringent  than 
ever,  and  the  provisions  for  the  billeting  of 
royal  troops  more  and  more  oppressive.  Sol- 
diers began  to  be  sent  out  to  America  in 
greater  numbers  than  before  and  this  alone, 
especially  in  Massachtisetts,  carried  a  profound 
feeling  of  distrust.  The  navigation  acts  were 
yearly  becoming  more  obnoxious.  The  climax 
of  this  sort  of  "baiting  the  tiger"  was  reached 
in  1767,  when  Charles  Townsend  brought  for- 
ward in  Parliament  his  scheme  for  the  pacifi- 
cation of  the  Colonies  and  the  profit  of  the 
mother  country.  "Our  right  of  taxation,"  he 
said,  "is  indubitable;  yet  to  prevent  mischief 
I  was  myself  in  favor  of  repealing  the  Stamp 
Act.  But  there  can  be  no  objection  to  port 
duties  on  wine,  oil  and  fruits,  if  allowed  to 
be  carried  to  America  directly  from  Spain  and 
Portugal,  on  glass,  paper,  lead  and  colors  and 
especially  on  tea.  Owing  to  the  high  charges 
in  England,  America  has  supplied  herself  with 
tea  by  smuggling  it  from  the  Dutch  posses- 
sions ;  to  remedy  this  duties  hitherto  levied 
upon  it  in  England  are  to  be  given  up  and  a 
specific  duty  collected  in  America  itself." 

We  need  not  follow  up  the  details  of  these 
proposals.  They  were  adopted  by  a  large  ma- 
jority vote  and  the  trouble  with  the  Colonies 
at  once  reached  an  acute  stage.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  even  the  most  prominent  American 
loyalist,  outside  of  those  in  the  direct  service 
of  the  crown,  felt  that  the  Colonists  were  be- 


THE    ANTE-REVOLUTION    STRUGGLE. 


187 


ing  wronged ;  but  outside  of  the  faint  whisper- 
ings of  a  few  zealots  no  voice  had  even  then 
been  raised  for  separation.  But  the-crisis  was 
approaching  and  events  were  hurrying  to  it 
fast.  The  taxes,  of  course,  were  the  feature 
that  strengthened  the  undercurrent  of  anti- 
British  sentiment,  and  taxation  without  the 
consent  of  the  taxpayers,  or  in  other  words, 
taxation  without 'representation,  the  exaction 
of  an  income  which  was  not  to  be  expended 
for  local  matters,  were  repudiated  on  every 
side. 

But  the  determining  factor  which  devel- 
oped the  Revolution  was  the  presence  in  the 
country  of  the  British  soldiers.  On  March  5, 
1770,  in  a  scrimmage  with  the  populace,  five 
citizens  were  killed  and  six  wounded  by  a 
squad  of  soldiers  at  the  Boston  Custom  House. 
In  answer  to  the  demands  of  the  citizens  the 
soldiers  were  then  removed  from  the  city  to 
Castle  William  in  Boston  Harbor.  On  the 
previous  January  there  was  armed  resistance 
to  the  British  soldiery  by  a  party  of  the  Sons 
of  Liberty  in  which  a  sailor  was  killed  on 
the  popular  side  and  at  least  one  soldier  was 
wounded.  This  shedding  of  blood  magnified 
what  was  really  only  a  petty  skirmish  into  a 
battle,  and  the  historians  of  New  York  are 
proud  to  claim  in  the  fight  at  Golden  Hill  the 
first  battle  of  the  Revolution.  But  the  Revo- 
lution was  even  then  some  years  off.  Even 
on  December  16,  1773,  when  the  Boston  Tea 
Party  threw  overboard  the  tea  in  the  harbor 
and  thus  refused  to  honor  the  only  remain- 
ing port  tax,  it  was  still  in  the  distance. 

Such  momentous  events  culminate  very 
slowly, — much  more  slowly  than  most  people 
imagine ;  and  the  Revolution  which  gave  the 
United  States  a  place  among  the  nations  at- 
tained its  headway  frorn  many  contributing 
causes  and  sources.  Each  colony  had  from 
the  time  it  was  freely  settled  its  own  legis- 
lature, with  varying  degrees  of  atithority,  and 
it  was  really  -in  these  rather  than  in  unpre- 
meditated outbursts  on  the  part  of  scattered 
portions  of  the  people  that  the  spirit  of  opposi- 
tion, which  led  in  time  to  the  spirit  of  '^6, 


was  really  fomented  and  fostered  and  brought 
to  fruition.  We  have  not  space  here  to  refer 
to  the  magnificent  service  rendered  to  the 
cause  of  human  liberty  by  the  legislatures  of 
such  Colonies  as  Massachusetts  or  Virginia, 
and  must  confine  our  study  to  a  brief  review 
of  what  was  done  in  New  York.  But  that 
alone  will  be  sufficient  to  enable  a  reader  to 
follow  the  trend  .of  public  sentiment  until  the 
sword  was  unsheathed  and  an  appeal  for  jus- 
tice gave  away  to  a  stern  demand  for  inde- 
pendence. 

From  the  beginning,  almost,  of  the  his- 
tory of  its  legislature,  that  of  New  York,  as 
we  have  already  seen,  was  a  series  of  constant 
struggle  against  the  incroachmenits,  in  one 
form  or  another,  of  the  representative  of  the 
royal  powers.  Besides  financial  matters,  a 
struggle  between  Episcopalians  and  Presby- 
terians, the  right  of  free  speech  and  a  free 
printing  press,  one  standing  bone  of  conten- 
tion, was  that  of  the  independence  of  the 
judiciary.  In  1761,  fresh  from  the  people,  the 
Assembly  tried  to  compel  the  appointment  of 
Supreme  Court  Judges,  with  no  limitation 
except  as  to  good  behavior,  practically  with 
life  appointments;  but  Cadwallader  Colden 
vetoed  the  measure  and  insisted  that  all  judges 
should  hold  during  the  pleasure  only  of  the 
appointing  power.  In  this  he  was  fully  sus- 
tained by  the  home  authorities ;  but  the  senti- 
ments of  the  bar  and  the  people  can  be  un- 
derstood from  the  fact  that  when  a  Chief 
Justice  had  to  be  appointed  it  was  necessary 
to  seek  in  Boston  an  appointee  who  was  will- 
ing to  hold  "during  his  Majesty's  pleasure." 
The  Assembly  refused  to  vote  the  salaries  of 
such  judges.  On  December  11,  1762,  the  As- 
sembly memorialized  the  home  Government 
asking  for  a  royal  hearing  on  the  subject  of 
the  independence  of  the  courts.  But  no  at- 
tention was  paid,  and  there  followed  a  series 
of  similar  memorials,  which  if  the  British  au- 
thorities had  not  been  a  squad  of  addlepates 
might  have  shown  them  in  spite  of  fervent  pro- 
testations of  loyalty  the  direction  in  which 
the  popular  will  was  tending.    The  demands. 


188 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


■of  the  petitioners  seemed  to  grow  in  boldness 
and  clearness  as  they  proceeded,  and  even 
Colden  was  fully  persuaded  of  the  justice  of 
most  of  the  demands.  But  he  asked  the  peo- 
ple to  trust  the  King  and  continued  so  to 
ask  until  it  was  only  too  evident  that  the 
King,  or  whoever  from  time  to  time  controlled 
him,  had  not  the  slightest  idea  of  granting, 
except  in  the  way  of  a  temporary  subterfuge, 
any  of  the  demands  thus  loyally  and  dutifully 
made. 

On  July  9,  1771,  William  Tryon  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Governorship  of  New  York  from 
that  of  North  Carolina.  Notwithstanding  the 
somewhat  ignoble  role  which  he  afterward 
played,  when  his  chair  of  state  was  on  the 
quarterdeck  of  the  frigate  "Asia,"  there  is  no 
■doubt  that  he  was  a  man  of  rare  executive 
•qualities  and  seemingly  influenced  at  first  by  a 
desire  to  do  some  good  to  the  colony  over  which 
he  was  sent  to  rule.  He  devoted  the  most 
marked  attention  to  local  affairs  and  effected 
many  improvements.  But  the  ghost  of  taxation 
continually  hovered  over  the  land  and  seemed 
to  upset  every  good  work  suggested  or  begun. 
The  tax  on  tea  was  persisted  in  by  the  British 
Government,  and  in  the  hope  of  breaking 
through  the  determination  of  the  people  not 
to  use  the  taxed  tea,  cargoes  were  sent  to 
Boston,  Philadelphia,  Charleston  and  New 
York.  That  movement  proved  a  flat  failure 
in  each  of  the  seaports  named.  In  New  York 
the  Sons  of  Liberty,  or  "Mohawks''  as  some 
•of  them  called  thernselves,  watched  the  ar- 
rival of  the  "Nancy,"  containing  the  offend- 
ing cargo,  and  forbade  any  pilot  guiding  such 
vessel  past  Sandy  Hook,  and  means  were  put 
in  readiness  to  throw  the  cargo  overboard,  as 
was  done  in  Boston,  should  the  ship  sur- 
mount all  obstacles  and  tie  up  at  a  dock.  But 
the  ship,  expected  late  in  Nftvember,  did  not 
make  its  appearance,  being  driven  out  of  its 
■course  by  a  storm.  Governor  Tryon  deter- 
mined that  the  tea  when  it  arrived  should  be 
delivered  to  the  ■  consignees,  "even,"  as  he 
said,  "if  it  was  sprinkled  with  blood;"  but  the 
people  held  a  public  meeting,  discussed  the 


situation,  and  grimly  adjourned  "till  the  ar- 
rival of  the  tea  ship."  On  April  7,  1774, 
Tryon  sailed  for  England  for  consultation 
with  the  home  Government,  and  before  his 
departure  was  entertained  at  dinner,  at  a  ball 
and  at  receptions,  and  received  any  number 
of  loyal  addresses,  complimentary  to  himself 
and  his  administration,  and '  full  of  expres- 
sions of  devotion  to  the  King.  He  reported 
to  the  home  authorities  that  New  York  was 
at  all  events  a  loyal  colony.  For  this  we  can- 
not blame  him.  There  were  no  Atlantic  cables 
in  those  days.  But  before  he  had  reached 
England  the  Nancy  had  arrived  (April  18) 
in  New  York  harbor  and  lay  in  the  lower  bay. 
The  Sons  of  Liberty  went  on  board  and  ex- 
plained the  situation  so  forcibly  to  the  captain 
that  he  agreed  to  approach  no  nearer  and 
turned  his  helm  around  en  route  for  the 
mother  land.  On  the  following  day  another 
ship,  the  London,  arrived  with  eighteen  chests 
of  tea,  being  a  private  venture  .of  its  captain, 
on  board.  It  was  confiscated  by  the  local 
"Mohawks"  and  the  eighteen  chests  were 
dumped  into  the  river. 

Tryon  had  not  long  returned  to  the  Colony 
when  a  meeting  was  held  in  the  Fields  (New 
York  City  Hall  Park)  to  protest  against  the 
act  of  Parliament  which  closed  the  port  of 
Boston  and  a  call  for  a  Continental  Congress 
was  indorsed.  That  Congress  met  in  Phila- 
delphia September  5,  1774,  and  from  it  ema- 
nated that  declaration  of  rights  which  threw 
aside  the  gossamer  veil  of  loyalty  that  had 
up  till  then  covered  the  proceedings  of  the 
Colonial  leaders.  To  the  people  of  Great 
Britain  it  said: 

"If  you  are  determined  that  your  ministers 
shall  wantonly  sport  with  the  rights  of  man- 
kind; if  neither  the  voice  of  Justice,  the  dic- 
tates of  Law,  the  principles  of  the  Constitu- 
tion, nor  the  suggestions  of  Humanity  can 
restrain  your  hands  from  shedding  human 
blood  in  such  an  impious  cause,  we  must 
then  tell  you  that  we  will  never  submit  to 
be  hewers  of  wood  or  drawers  of  water  for 
any  ministry  or  nation  in  the  world." 


THE    ANTE-REVOLUTION    STRUGGLE. 


189' 


There  was  no  mistaking  these  words;  but 
when  they  reached  Britain  the  answer  was 
principally  an  increase  in  the  military  forces 
and  preparations  for  augmenting  the  military 
strength.  The  home  Government  seemed  to 
hold  to  the  belief  that  the  storm  centre  was 
New  England — Boston  mainly — and  that  if 
any  signs  of  rebellion  were  there  crushed  the 
submission  of  the  other  colonies  would  be 
easy.  But,  although  neither  side  seemed  to 
be  fully  aware  of  it,  the  die  had  been  cast 
and  the  Colonies  were  arrayed  against  the 
old  land.  The  Congress  was  weak,  its  rep- 
resentative quality  was  by  no  means  of  the 
best,  its  authority  had  no  legal  foundation,  its 
edicts  could  not  be  sustained  by  force;  but, 
weak  and  irresponsible  as  it  was,  it  came  from 
the  people  and  it  proved  strong  enough  to 
carry  the  new  cause— the  now  freely  hailed 
cause  of  liberty  and  independence — over  the 
initiatory  stages  of  the  struggle. 

In  New  York,  as  elsewhere,  it  was  now 
felt  that  the  die  was  fairly  cast  and  the  peo- 
ple ranged  themselves  into  Patriots  or  Tories 
according  to  their  bent.  On  Manhattan  Island 
and  throughout  the  State  the  former  vastly 
outnumbered  the  latter.  As  usual  the  Tories 
found  their  supjjorters  among  the  wealthier 
classes,  the  landed  gentry  in  the  country  and 
the  prosperous  merchants  in  the  towns.  This 
was  evident  particularly  in  the  New  York 
Assembly,  where,  by  a  majority  of  one,  it  was 
decided  not  to  consider  the  proceedings  of 
Congress,  and  even  so  ordinary  a  piece  of 
politeness  as  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  provin- 
cial delegate,  proposed  by  General  Woodhull, 
was  voted  down.  That  Assembly  adjourned 
on  April  3,  1775,  for  a  month,  but  it  never 
met  again.  Events  rushed  on  with  irresistible 
force  and  the  lines  became  more  and  more 
sharply  drawn.  After  the  skirmish  of  Lex- 
ington became  known  a  Committee  of  Safety 
was  organized  at  Albany  and  it  sanctioned  the 
formation  of  four  companies  of  militia.  In 
New  York  a  Committee  of  One  Hundred  is- 
sued a  call  for  a  Provincial  Congress  and 
April  19  was  afterward  declared  as  the  day 


on  which  Royal  authority  had  ceased  in  the- 
Commonwealth  of  New  York.  That  Pro- 
vincial Congress,  which  assembled  May  22,. 
1775,  assumed  all  the  powers  of  a  governing 
body,  the  old  Tory  Assembly  was  buried 
ignominiously  by  the  sheer  force  of  public 
sentiment,  and  under  the  presidency  of  Gen- 
eral Woodhull  essayed  the  task  of  direct- 
ing the  energies  of  the  Patriots  so  as  to  win 
success  for  the  new  movement  not  only  itr 
New  York  but  over  all  the  land. 

That  Provincial  Congress,  in  spite  of  the 
popular  enthusiasm,  ■  had  a  most  difficult  part 
to  play.  Its  powers  rested  on  no  foundation- 
but  the  will  of  the  people,  expressed  in  what 
in  ordinary  times  would  be  regarded  as  a. 
loose  and  illegal  fashion.  It  apportioned  its 
representatives  over  the  commonwealth  as  it 
thought  just,  ordered  the  election  or  selection, 
of  delegates  in  places  not  represented  and 
filled  vacancies  as  best  it  could  for  districts,, 
notably  many  on  Long  Island,  where  the 
majority  of  Tories  was  so  great  that  no 
selection  could  be  made  in  any  fashion  that 
might  be  called  popular,  or  where  the 
delegates  selected  actually  refused  to  serve 
either  because  their  convictions  were  not  in- 
sympathy  with  those  of  the  patriots,  or  be- 
cause they  honestly  believed  they  did  not  rep- 
resent the  views  of  those  supposed  to  be  their 
constituents. 

The  representatives  of  Long  Island  in  the 
Provincial  Congress  were  as  follows : 

Suffolk  county  —  Nathaniel  Woodhull,. 
John  Sloss  Hobart,  Thomas  Treadwell,  Johm 
Foster,  Ezra  L'Hommedieu,  Thomas  Wick- 
ham,  Selah  Strong. 

Kings  county — Henry  Williams,  Nicholas- 
Cowenhoven. 

Queens  county — Jacob  Blackwell,  Jonathan' 
Lawrence,  Samuel  Townsend,  Joseph  Rob- 
inson. 

The  Provincial  Congress  at  once  plunged 
into  warlike  measures.  On  May  29  a  letter 
was  received  from  John  Hancock,  president 
of  the  Continental  Congress,  at  Philadelphia,, 
directing  it  to  take  all  steps  necessary  to  de- 


190 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


fend  the  "City  and  Plrovince,"  and  on  the  fol- 
lowing day  it  indorsed  the  views  submitted  in 
the  resolution  of  Congress  which  accompanied 
Hancock's  letter  and  "resolved  that  it  be  rec- 
ommended to  the  inhabitants  of  this  Colony 
in  general  immediately  to  furnish  themselves 
with  necessary  arms  and  ammunition,  to  use 
all  diligence  to  perfect  themselves  in  the  mil- 
itary art,  and  if  necessary  to  form  themselves 
into  companies  for  that  purpose."  From  that 
time  on  until  the  close  of  hostilities  the  Pro- 
vincial Congress  was  in  more  or  less  complete 
control  of  the  popular  government  of  New 
York. 

George  Washington  received  an  address 
from  the  Provincial  body  on  June  25,  1775, 
as  he  passed  through  New  York  to  take  com- 
mand of  the  Continental  force  in  Massachu- 
setts, but  the  same  body,  at  the  time  it  agreed 
to  honor  Washington,  learned  that  Governor 
Tryon  was  at  the  Sandy  Hook  and  showed  an 
equal  readiness  to  honor  him ;  so  that  the  door 
of  peace  was  not  altogether  fast.  But  events 
were  hurrying  to  their  logical  conclusion  with 
a  rush  which  no  signs  of  halting  on  the  part 
of  any  body  of  men  could  stop  for  an  instant. 

On  June  30  Tryon  again  assumed  the 
duties  of  the  Governorship  and  old  Governor 
Golden  retired  forever  from  official  life,  al- 
though his  services  to  his  King,  such  as  they 
were,  continued  to  the  end  of  his  career.  In 
spite  of  the  presence  of  the  representative  of 
royalty  the  Colony  raised  its  quota  of  3,000 
men,  as  called  for  by  the  Continental  Con- 
gress, and  had  received  as  its  share  of  mil- 
itary leaders  four  major  generals  and  eight 
brigadier  generals.  On  August  22  Captain 
Isaac  Sears  was  ordered  to  take  the  guns  from 
the  Battery,  but  a  broadside  from  the  frigate 
"Asia"  killed  three  of  his  men  and  for  the  time 
being  put  a  stop  to  that  proceeding.  When 
the  Provincial  Congress  adjourned,  a  Com- 
mittee of  Safety  carried  on  the  Government, 
and  the  preparations  for  the  approaching 
struggle  were  carried  on  with  such  force  and 
made  such  headway  that  on  October  19,  1775, 
Governor  Tryon,  for  his  personal  safety,  took 


refuge  on  the  sloop  of  war  "Halifax,"  and 
from  then  until  after  the  battle  of  Long 
Island  the  gubernatorial  headquarters  contin- 
ued on  the  quarter  deck  of  the  "Duchess  of 
Gordon,"  the  "Asia"  or  some  other  of  his 
Britannic  Majesty's  vessels  in  the  harbor  of 
New  York.  To  give  Tryon  his  due  he  had 
even  then  seen  the  futility  of  the  struggle  on 
the  lines  determined  by  Britain,  and  as  early 
as  July  4,  1775,  wrote  to  Lord  Dartmouth 
that  "oceans  of  blood  may  be  spilled,  but  in 
my  opinion  America  will  never  receive  Parlia- 
mentary taxation."  The  second  Provincial 
Congress  met  December  6,  of  that  year. 

The  full  list  of  delegates  designated  for 
the  first  Provincial  Congress  from  each  of  the 
three  counties  of  Long  Island  was  as  follows : 

Suffolk  county — Nathaniel  Woodhull,  John 
Sloss  Hobart,  Ezra  L'Hommedieu,  William 
Smith,  Thomas  Wickham,  Thomas  Tredwell, 
David  Gelston,  John  Foster,  James  Havens, 
Selah  Strong,  Thomas  Deering. 

Queens  county — Jacob  Blackwell,  Captain 
Jonathan  Lawrence,  Daniel  Rapalje,  Zebulon 
Williams,  Joseph  French,  Joseph  Robinson, 
Nathaniel  Tom,  Thomas  Hicks,  Richard 
Thorn. 

Kings  county — Johannis  E.  Lott,  Henry 
Williams,  J.  Remsen,  Richard  Stillwell,  Theo- 
dorus  Polhemus,  John  Lefferts,  Nicholas  Cow- 
enhoven,  John  Vanderbilt. 

As  will  be  seen  from  a  comparison  of  these 
names  with  those  given  in  the  records  of  the 
Provincial  Congress,  only  a  few  attended  of 
those  here  presented.  In  fact,  in  spite  of  the 
undoubted  influence  of  General  Woodhull, 
Long  Island  continued  to  be  a  thorn  in  the 
side  of  the  Provincial  assembly.  Several  of 
those  delegates  named  above  absolutely  re- 
fused to  serve.  Thomas  Hicks,  of  Little  Neck, 
a  Quaker,  declined  to  share  in  Congress,  on 
the  advice  of  "several  leading  men"  who  as- 
sured him  that  Hempstead  wished  to  remain 
at  peace  with  all  men.  Thomas  French,  the 
delegate  from  Jamaica,  based  his  refusal  on 
the  ground  of  his  conviction  that  the  people 
in  his  bailiwick  were  opposed  to  the  Congress 


THE    ANTE-REVOLUTION    STRUGGLE. 


191 


and  to  being  represented  in  it.  Nicholas  Cow- 
enhoven,  who  was,  if  anything,  lukewarm  in 
his  devotion  to  the  Patriot  cause,  publicly  de- 
clared at  the  beginning  that  his  constituency 
of  Flatbusli  desired  to  take  no  part  in  the 
Congress,  and  afterward  narrowly  escaped  ex- 
ecution by  order  of  Washington  as  a  spy.  He 
was  one  of  the  most  pronounced  "'trimmers" 
of  his  time.  Theodorus  Polhemus  did  not  ap- 
pear at  the  Congress  until  three  months  after 
his  election,   and   then   was  permitted   to   sit 


The  Tory  sympathies  of  the  majority  of 
the  people  in  Kings  and  Queens  and  of  a 
respectable  minority  in  Suffolk  had  long 
caused  uneasiness  in  the  Patriot  ranks,  and 
the  Continental  Congress,  the  Provincial  Con- 
gress, as  well  as  the  various  Whig  Commit- 
tees of  Safety,  dealt  more  or  less  hastily  with 
it  from  time  to  time.  General  Lee  attempted 
extreme  measures,  and  even  Washington  at 
one  time  entertained  the  belief  that  it  was  nec- 
essary for  .the  success  of  his  cause  that  the 


REDOUBT    IN    VALLEY    GROVE,   1776. 


because  no  one  else  from  Kings  was  on  hand, 
and  his  sphere  and  powers  as  a  delegate  were 
circumscribed.  Briefly,  it  may  be  said  that 
Queens  and  Kings  coilnties  were  at  the  best 
only  slimly  represented  in 'the  Patriot  councils, 
while  Suffolk  county  was,  for  a  time  at  least, 
as  prominent  by  the  number  and  influence  of 
its  delegates  as  any  of  the  political  divisions 
of  the  Commonwealth.  To  the  second  Pro- 
vincial Congress  Queens  did  not  even  name  a 
delegate ;  but  neither  for  that  matter  did  Rich- 
mond, although  the  reason  for  the  latter's  com' 
plete  abandoniment  of  the  Loyalists  is  evident 
to  every  reader  of  the  history  of  the  period. 


Long  Island  Loyalists  should  be  exterminated 
by  forcible  removal  from  their  homes.  The 
Whigs,  even  in  places  in  Kings  and  Queens 
where  they  were  in  a  very  decided  minority, 
made  up  their  lack  of  numbers  by  their  ag- 
gressiveness and  boldness,  by  the  outspoken 
manner  in  which  they  upheld  their  principles 
and  by  the  reckless  use  of  derogatory  ad- 
jectives and  uproarious  nouns  in  their  de- 
scriptions of  those  whose  views  did  not  coin- 
cide with  their  own.  Arrests  began  to  be 
made  by  order  of  Congress  more  with  the  view 
of  showing  the  Loyalists  the  power  of  that 
body  than  with  any  idea  at  first  of  inflicting 


192 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


serious  punishment;  but  it  was  soon  evident 
that  harsher  measures  were  required. 

On  September  i6,  1775,  Congress  passed 
a  disarmament  resolution,  directing  that  "all 
arms  as  are  fit  for  the  use  of  troops  in  this 
Colony  which  shall  be  in  the  hands  of  any 
person  who  has  not  signed  the  General  Asso- 
ciation," should  be  seized.  Although  general 
in  its  terms,  it  was  in  reality  directed  against 
the  Loyalists  of  Long  Island,  who  were 
known  as  having  been  recently  well  stocked 
with  arms,  and  no  time  was  lost  in  putting 
the  resolution  into  effect.  For  several  days 
the  confiscators  carried  out  their  mission  with- 
out encountering  much  opposition,  but  at  the 
same  time  without  accomplishing  much  in  the 
way  of  results;  then  the  opposition  grew  so 
strong  that  to  persevere  would  have  precipi- 
tated an  actual  conflict,  and  that,  just  at  that 
juncture,  the  Patriots  were  anxious  to  avoid, 
as  an  open  quarrel  in  the  ranks  of  the  Col- 
onists would  have  only  added  to  the  perplexi- 
ties of  the  Continental  leaders,  and  might 
even  have  proved  fatal  to  the  cause  they  had 
at  heart.  So  the  disarming  party  was  allowed 
to  dissipate  itself  into  a  state  of  desuetude. 

Before  the  close  of  the  year,  however,  the 
Provincial  Congress  formally  declared  Kings 
and  Queens  counties  in  a  state  of  insurrection 
and  asked  the  advice  of  the  Continental  Con- 
gress as  to  what  measures  should  be  taken  in 
the  premises.  The  sending  of  troops  to  the 
island  was  urged,  and  it  is  significant  that  the 
suggestion  was  made  that  if  troops  were  em- 
ployed they  should  be  selected  from  outside 
the  State.  Congress  at  once  took  up  the  mat- 
ter and  ordered  Colonel  Heard  with  600 
militia  from  New  Jersey  and  two  companies 
from  Lord  Stirling's  regulars  under  Major 
De  Hart  to  proceed  to  Long  Island  and  sub- 
due or  pacify  the  Tories  there.  The  orders 
of  Congress  were  imperative.  Everyone  was 
to  be  disarmed  who  had  shown  any  opposi- 
tion to  Whig  rule,  and  whoever  objected  was 
to  be  arrested.  Queens  county  was  singled 
out  as  the  scene  of  his  operations,  for  it 
wa:;  thought  that,  with  it  in  line  or  quiescent, 


the  patriotism  of  Suffolk  would  be  strength- 
ened v.'hile  that  of  Kings  would  have  oppor- 
tunity to  assert  itself.  Accordingly  Colonel 
Heard  was  given  a  list  of  twenty-six  citizens 
of  Queens  who  were  to  be  arrested  anyhow, 
and  a  list  of  788  citizens  who  had  voted 
against  sending  deputies  to  the  Provincial 
Congress  was  ordered  to  be  published,  so  that 
they  might  be  known  as  traitors.  Says  Field: 
"All  who  in  the  exercise  of  the  natural  and 
legal  right  of  voting  according  to  their  own 
judgment  and  conscience  had  given  their 
names  against  the  -election  of  deputies  were 
placed  under  the  ban  of  the  Revolutionary 
Government  and  deprived  of  every  right  and 
privilege  which  the  laws  could  give  them. 
Nearly  800  freeholders  of  Queens  were  thus 
put  out  of  protection  of  the  law.  All  per- 
sons were  forbidden  to  trade  or  hold  inter- 
course with  them ;  they  were  subject  to  ar- 
rest and  imprisonment  the  moment  they 
crossed  the  boundary  of  the  county;  no  law- 
yer was  to  defend  them  when  accused,  or 
prosecute  any  claim  for  debt,  or  suit  for  pro- 
tection from  outrage  or  robbery." 

According  to  Congress  the  troops  in  dis- 
arming and  the  population  were  to  act  with 
"dispatch,  secrecy,  order  and  humanity,"  and 
in  no  respect  were  these  instructions  obeyed. 
Indeed  it  is  difficult  to  understand  how  they 
could  be,  considering  the  other  instructions  to 
the  troops  and  the  entire,  purpose  of  the  ex- 
pedition. On  January  18,  1776,  Colonel  Heard 
with  his  militia  left  New  York  with  Major 
De  Hart's  regulars  and  a  gang  of  volunteers 
associated  with  the  latter,  made  up  it  seems  to 
us  mainly  of  jail-birds,  robbers  and  rascals. 
Colonel  Heard  was  a  man  of  prudence,  for- 
bearance and  excellent  judgment.  If  Major 
William  De  Hart  possessed  any  of  those  qual- 
ities, which  we  doubt,  his  volunteer  associates 
gave  him  no  opportunity  to  display  them,  and 
so  this  "eminent  lawyer"  of  Morristown  really 
comes  before  us  as  the  associate  and  friend  of 
a  lot  of  blacklegs  of  whose  conduct  he  after- 
ward confessed  he  was  ashamed.  The  expedi- 
tion crossed  the  East  River  near  Hellgate  and 


THE    ANTE-REVOLUTION    STRUGGLE. 


193 


marched  to  Jamaica,  disarming  the  farmers 
en  route,  ransacking  their  houses  and  robbing 
right  and  left,  and  even  worse  crimes  were 
committed,  the  blame  of  which  was  laid  on 
De  Hart's  volunteers.  Jamaica  was  for  a  few 
days  the  headquarters  of  the  raiders  and  there 
large  numbers  of  prisoners  were  taken,  the  re- 
quired oath  administered  and  the  examination 
of  Tories  conducted ;  then  Hempstead  became 
the  scene  of  operations,  where  the  same  for- 
malities, or  whatever  we  may  call  them,  were 
gone  through,  but  there  De  Hart's  volunteers 
became  so  thoroughly  intolerable  even  to  their 
allies  that  they  were  summarily  ordered  back 
to  New  York.  Colonel  Heard  then  sent  out 
scouting  parties  in  various  directions, — Flush- 
ing, Oyster  Bay  and  the  like.  His  expedi- 
tion, although  it  elicited  a  formal  vote  of 
thanks  from  Congress,  was  not  a  complete 
success.  He  had  gathered  i,qoo  arms,  most 
of  which  were  old  and  worthless,  he  had  made 
many  arrests,  he  had  reduced  the  material 
wealth  of  many  of  the  Tories,  but  the  spirit 
of  disaffection  was  as  strong  as  ever,  nay, 
was  even  more  rampant,  as  hate  in  many 
breasts  now  took  the  place  of  apathy.  Even 
the  prisoners  were  soon  released,  so  that  no 
practical  result  really  came  of  Heard's  expedi- 
tion, unless  we  consider  that  the  thieves 
profited  any  who  accompanied  it  and  revelled 
in  their  spoils. 

As  soon  as  it  became  apparent  that  this 
raid  had  been  a  failure,  another  was  proposed 
and  an  effort  was  made  to  force  all  the  able- 
bodied  Whigs  which  the  island  possessed  into 
the  four  regiments  of  militia  which  had  been 
designated  as  the  military  contribution  of 
Long  Island  to  the  Continental  forces.  But 
the  effort  did  not  produce  results  as  generous 
as  had  been  hoped.  The  situation  had  really 
become  a  serious  one.  Washington  had  fore- 
seen that  New  York  was  likely  to  become 
the  centre  of  the  war  after  he  had  completed 
the  mission  at  Boston  on  which  he  was  en- 
gaged, and  no  one  knew  better  than  he  that 
New  York  City  was  not  by  any  means  a  unit 

13 


for  the  Patriot  cause.  He  anticipated,  too, 
that  Long  Island  might  form  a  convenient 
passage  for  the  royal  troops  to  Manhattan 
Island  and  he  wrote  quite  a  number  of  let- 
ters on  the  subject  to  Congress  and  to  in- 
dividuals. Congress  seemed  indisposed  even 
then  to  proceed  to  extreme  measures,  and  we 
find  him  writing  January  23,  1776,  to  Gen- 
eral Charles  Lee,  who  had  been  appointed 
military  Governor  of  New  York  and  Long 
Island:  "1  *  *  *  am  exceedingly  sorry 
to  hear  that  Congress  countermanded  the  em- 
barkation of  the  two  regiments  intended 
against  the  Tories  of  Long  Island.  They,  I 
doubt  not,  had  their  reasons ;  but  to  me  it  ap- 
pears that  the  period  is  arrived  when  nothing 
less  than  the  most  decisive  measures  should 
be  pursued."  General  Lee  from  the  beginning 
treated  Long  Island  as  though  it  was  indeed 
a  part  of  "the  enemy's  country."  He  planned 
the  famous  line  of  fortifications  from  Gowanus 
to  Wallabout,  and  he  made  many  a  raid  on 
the  Long  Island  farmers  for  supplies  while 
his  troops  were  so  engaged.  Congress  agreed 
to  pay  for  such  military  necessities,  but  the 
agreement  for  patent  reasons  was  not  hon- 
ored except  in  a  few  cases.  He  strung  a  line 
of  sentinels  along  the  shore  to  prevent  any 
communication  with  the  British  ships  in  the 
harbor  and  forbade  any  trading  with  them. 
He  rode  pretty  rough-handed  over  the  peo- 
ple, treated  the  orders  of  Congress  with  con- 
tempt and  on  the  whole  seems  to  have  been 
animated  by  pretty  much  the  same  spirit 
which  in  modern  days  we  associate  with  the 
last  traces  of  Spanish  rule  in  America.  Un- 
der Lee  commenced  that  grand  hunt  after 
Tories  which  withm  a  few  months  was  to  be 
repaid  by  the  latter  with  terrible  interest.  He 
ordered  several  well  known  Tories  to  be  ar- 
rested and  removed  from  the  island,  not  only 
without  the  sanction  of  Congress  but  even 
against  its  expressed  wishes.  For  this  he 
justified  himself  in  the  following  impertinent 
letter  to  Congress — the  letter  of  a  braggadocio,, 
not  of  a  hero: 


194 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


I  agree,  sir,  entirely  with  you  that  the  ap- 
prehension, trial  and  punishment  of  citizens 
is  not  my  province,  but  that  of  the  Provincial 
Congress.  But,  irregular  as  it  was,  I  had 
the  assurance  of  many  respectable  men  that 
he  (Gale,  whose  arrest  had  been  made  the 
basis  of  a  specific  complaint)  was  a  most 
dangerous  man  and  ought  not  to  be  suffered 
to  remain  in  Long  Island,  where  an  enemy 
is  perhaps  more  dangerous  than  in  any  part 
of  America.  However,  their  assurance  and 
my  opinion  form  no  excuse,  and  I  heartily  re- 
pent that  I  did  not  refer  him  to  you,  his  proper 
judges.  I  must  inform  you  now.  Sir,  that  in 
consequence  of  the  last  instructions  from  the 
Continental  Congress  to  put  this  city  (New 
York)  and  its  environs  in  a  state  of  defense, 
I  have  ordered  Col.  Ward  as  a  previous 
measure  to  secure  the  whole  body  of  professed 
Tories  on  Long  Island.  With  the  enemy  at 
our  door,  forms  must  be  dispensed  with.  My 
duty  to  you,  to  the  Continental  Congress,  and 
to  my  own  conscience  have  dictated  the  neces- 
sity of  this  measure. 

Then  began  the  round-up,  but  the  Tories 
had  taken  warning,  and  the  leaders  most 
-wanted,  such  as  Capt.  Hewlett,  could  not  be 
iound.  Isaac  Sears,  "Lieut.  Col.  and  Deputy 
Adjutant  General,"  was  a  most  effective, 
iussy,  and  disagreeable  factor  in  carrying  out 
Lee's  views,  but  even  he  captured  few  Loyal- 
ists and  conducted  his  operations  so  that 
wherever  he  went  he  made  friends  for  King 
-George.  Even  the  Whig  leaders  murmured 
against  him  and  his  ways,  and  one,  Daniel 
Whitehead  Kissam,  of  the  Great  Neck  Com- 
mittee of  Safety,  formally  lodged  a  com- 
plaint with  the  Provincial  Congress.  By  that 
time,  however,  all  civil  rule  in  New  York  had 
been  reduced  'to  a  shadow.  Congress  felt  pow- 
erless to  assert  itself  against  the  military  arm 
and  Lee  determined  to  answer  the  complaints 
by  redoubling  his  efforts  to  crush  out  the 
Tories.     So  he  wrote  Sears : 

As  I  have  received  information  from  the 
'Commander  in  Chief  that  there  is  reason  soon 
to  expect  a  very  considerable  army  of  the  en- 
>emy,  I  should  be  in  the  highest  degree  culpable, 
I  should  be  responsible  to  God,  to  my  own 
conscience,  and  the  Continental  Congress  of 


America,  in  suffering,  at  so  dangerous  a  crisis' 
a  knot  of  professed  foes  to  American  liberty 
to  remain  any  longer  within  our  own  bosom, 
either  to  turn  openly  against  us  in  arms,  in 
conjunction  with  the  enemy,  or  covertly  to 
furnish  them  with  information,  to  carry  on  a 
correspondence  to  the  ruin  of  their  country. 
I  most  desire  you  will  offer  a  copy  of  this 
test  enclosed  to  the  people  of  whom  I  send  you 
a  list.  Their  refusal  will  be  considered  an 
avowal  of  their  hostile  intentions.  You  are 
therefore  to  secure  their  persons  and  send 
them  up,  without  loss  of  time,  as  irreclaimable 
enemies  to  their  country,  in  close  custody  to 
Connecticut.  Richard  Hewlett  is  to  have  no 
conditions  offered  to  him,  but  to  be  secured 
without  ceremony. 

This  letter  was  written  on  March  5,  1776. 
On  the  following  day  Lee  was  superseded  in 
his  command  and  Lord  Stirling  appointed  in 
his  place.  It  was  hoped  that  gentler  measures 
might  now  prevail,  but  Lee,  Ward  and  Sears 
and  the  like  had  fanned  the  discontent  into 
almost  open  revolt,  certainly  into  unconcealed 
repugnance  to  the.  Continental  Congress,  and 
while  much  of  the  capricious  cruelty  which 
had  characterized  Lee's  methods  was  aban- 
doned the  isolation  of  Long  Island  from  Brit- 
ish influence  was  more  stringently  attempted 
than  ever.  Col.  Ward  sent  an  expedition 
against  a  notorious  pirate  named  James, 
which  sunk  that  hero's  boat  and  captured  four 
painted  wooden  guns,  the  sight  of  which  were 
wont  to  inspire  terror.  The  beach  opposite 
Staten  Island  and  from  there  to  Rockaway 
was  closely  patrolled,  the  chain  of  forts  was 
steadily  strengthened,  and  Captains  Bird- 
sail  and  Nostrand  secured  186  bay  boats  which 
had  been  suspected  of  carrying  produce  to  the 
hated  fleet.  This  wholesale  capture  did  not 
inspire  any  feelings  of  satisfaction  with  the 
Continental  force  and  the  fussy,  Tory-baiting 
propensities  of  such  hair-brained  creatures  as 
Colonel  Benjamin  Sands,  intoxicated  with  the 
possession  of  a  degree  of  power  which  threw 
them  far  beyond  their  mental  bearings,  helped 
to  drive  many  a  waverer  into  the  ranks 
of  the  avowed  Tories.  The  various  Commit- 
tees of  Safety  again  determined  to  do  what 


THE    ANTE-REVOLUTION    STRUGGLE. 


195 


Had  hitherto  been  found  impossible — disarm 
the  LoyaUsts — and  ordered  all  the  men  in 
the  three  counties  capable  of  bearing  arms 
to  enroll  in  the  militia.  This  was  a  most 
disastrous  move,  as  events  proved  from  the 
moment  the  British  arrived.  However,  it 
served  to  show  who  were  what  were  then 
called  "Black  Tories."  The  goods  of  those 
who  refused  to  enroll,  or  neglected  to  enroll, 
or  to  attend  the  prescribed  drills,  were  seized 
and  heavy  fines  were  inflicted,  in  addition  to 


who  enlisted  from  these  counties  were  worse 
than  useless  when  the  crisis  came. 

"The  most  stringent  effor^ts,"  says  Field, 
"were  not  put  forth  to  force  every  man,  Loy- 
alist and  Whig  alike,  into  the  hands  of  the 
militia.  The  iron  despotism  of  militairy  dis- 
cipline, it  was  believed,  would  soon  surround 
them  all  with  its  invisible  yet  impassable  walls. 
Notwithstanding  the  sleepless  vigilance  of  the 
Whig  committee  and  of  the  partisan  bands 
which  patrolled  the  island,  by  far  the  largest 


THE    BRITISH    FLEET    IN    THE    LOWER    BAY. 


the  inevitable  arrest  as  the  last  resource.  The 
island  was  now  aroused  into  a  sort  of  hell, 
with  hate  as  the  distinguishing  characteristic 
of  both  parties  to  each  other.  It  was  an  awful 
time.  Families  were  separated  forever,  broth- 
ers became  avowed  enemies,  fathers  cursed 
sons,  and  friends  were  friends  no  longer. 
The  impotency  of  all  that  had  been  done  was 
clearly  seen  in  the  returns  which  came  to  Con- 
gress of  the  enrollment  into  the  militia  it  had 
ordered  on  May  i,  1776.  Suffolk  was  thor- 
oughly in  line,  but  Kings  and  Queens  were 
hopelessly    delinquent.     Half    even    of    those 


part  of  the  inhabitants  of  Kings  and  Queens 
counties  sturdily  refused  to  appear  in  arms 
against  the  royal  cause.  Squads  of  armed 
Whigs,  constantly  in  active  pursuit,  arrested 
the  disaffected  and  thrust  them  with  entire 
indifference  into  the  ranks  or  the  common 
jail.  The  severities  with  which  the  Loyalists 
were  now  pursued  afforded  a  fatal  precedent 
for  the  British ;  and  the  subsequent  sufferings 
of  Whig  prisoners  in  the  provost,  the  sugar 
houses  and  the  prison  ships,  are  attributable 
in  some  degree  to  the  rigors  inflicted  by  their 
own  partisans  at  this  time.    The  jails  through- 


196 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


out  the  northern  Colonies  were  soon  crowded 
with  the  New  York  Loyalists,  a  large  propor- 
tion of  whom  were  from  Long  Island." 

There  is  no  doubt  that  it  was  on  Long 
Island  that  the  plot  was  hatched  which  was 
to  abduct  Washington  and  so  cause  such  con- 
fusion in  the  ranks  of  the  Continentals  as  to 
end  the  war.  Around  the  story  of  this  plot 
much  secrecy  was  thrown  at  the  time  and  im- 
mediately after  it  was  exposed, — why,  we  can 
only  conjecture.  We  can  also  only  guess  at 
its  extent,  but  it  really  seems  to  have  been 
widespread  over  the  Colony  of  New  York  at 
least,  and  to  have  had  in  view  risings  of  the 
Tories  at  several  points  as  soon  as  the  ab- 
duction of  Washington  was  accomplished,  by 
means  of  which  the  Loyalists  were  to  seize 
the  reins  of  government.  Of  the  lOO  persons 
afterward  alleged  to  have  been  engaged  in  it 
fifty-six  were  residents  of  Kings  and  Queens 
counties,  and  Richard  Hewlett  was  distin- 
guished as  the  leader  of  them  all.  Mayor 
Matthews,  Col.  Axtel,  Dr.  Samuel  Martin  of 
Hempstead,  Dr.  Charles  Arden  of  Jamaica, 
Capt.  Archibald  Hamilton  of  Flushing,  and 
John  Rapalye  of  Brooklyn  were  prominent 
among  those  for  whom  warrants  were  after- 
wards issued  and  there  was  also  the  usual 
modicum  of  the  scum  of  civilization,  such  as 
Michael  Lynch  and  Thomas  Hickey,  jail- 
birds and  counterfeiters— Gilbert  Forbes,  a 
spy,  and  Mary  Gibbons,  a  female  in  the  "con- 
fidence" of  Washington,  whatever  that  may 
imply.  Hickey  and  Lynch  and  Mary  were  to 
be  the  actual  abductors  of  the  Chief,  Mary 
seemingly  being  designed  to  act  the  part  of  a 
modern  Delilah.  The  best  contemporary  ac- 
count of  the  plot  which  we  have  seen  is  con- 
tained in  a  letter  written  by  Surgeon  William 
Eustis  to  a  friend  in  Boston  and  which  is 
printed  in  volume  III  of  the  "Memoirs  of  the 
Long  Island  Historical  Society."  The  letter 
is  dated  at  New  York,  June  28,  1776,  and 
while  extravagant  in  its  language,  and  it  seems 
to  me  ridiculous  in  its  fears,  is  nevertheless 
an  undoubtedly  honest  account  of  the  aflfair,  as 
it  seemed  to  the  writer  and  as  doubtless  it 


seemed  to  most  of  those  actively  engaged  with 
the  Continental  army. 

Perhaps  I  may  give  you  a  better  idea  of  it 
(the  plot)  than  as  yet  you  have  obtained. 
The  Mayor  of  New  York,  with  a  number  of 
villains  who  were  possessed  of  fortunes  and 
who  formerly  ranked  with  Gentlemen,  had  im- 
piously dared  an  undertaking  big  with  fatal 
consequence  to  the  virtuous  army  in  York  and 
which  in  all  probability  would  have  given  the 
enemy  possession  of  the  city  with  little  loss. 
Their  design  was,  tipon  the  first  engagement 
which  took  place,  to  have  murdered  (with 
trembling  I  say  it)  the  best  man  on  earth. 
Gen.  Washington  was  to  have  been  the  first 
subject  of  their  unheard-of  sacricide;  our 
magazines  which,  as  you  know,  are  very 
capacious,  were  to  have  been  blown  up ;  every 
general  officer  and  every  other  who  was  ac- 
tive in  serving  his  country  in  the  field  was 
to  have  been  assassinated ;  our  cannon  were 
to  have  been  spiked  up;  and  in  short  every 
the  most  accursed  scheme  was  laid  to  give  us 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy  and  to  ruin  us. 
They  had  plenty  of  money  and  gave  large 
bounties  and  larger  promises  to  those  who 
were  engaged  to  serve  their  hellish  purposes. 
In  order  to  execute  their  design  upon  our 
General  they  had  enlisted  into  their  service 
one  or  two  from  his  Excellency's  Life  Guard 
who  were  to  have  assassinated  him;  knowing 
that  no  person  could  be  admitted  into  the 
magazines  or  among  the  cannon  but  those 
who  were  of  the  artillery,  they  have  found 
several  in  our  regiment  vile  enough  to  be  con- 
cerned in  their  diabolical  designs :  these  were 
to  have  blown  up  the  magazines  and  spiked 
the  cannon. 

Their  design  was  deep,  long  concerted 
and  wicked  to  a  great  degree.  But,  happily 
for  us,  it  has  pleased  God  to  discover  it  to  us 
in  season,  and  I  think  we  are  making  a  right 
improvement  (as  the  good  folks  say).  We 
are  hanging  them  as  fast  as  we  find  them 
out.  I  have  just  now  returned  from  the  ex- 
ecution of  one  of  the  General's  Guard 
(Thomas  Hickey).  He  was  the  first  that  has 
been  tried ;  yesterday  at  1 1  o'clock  he  received 
sentence ;  to-day  at  1 1  he  was  hung  in  presence 
of  the  whole  army.  *  *  *  The  trial  will  go- 
on and  I  imagine  they  will  be  hung,  gentle 
and  simple,  as  fast  as  the  fact  is  proved 
against  them.  That  any  set  of  men  could  be 
so  lost  to  every  virtuous  principle,  and  so 
dead  to  the  feelings  of  humanity  as  to  con- 


THE    ANTE-REVOLUTION    STRUGGLE. 


197 


spire  against  the  person  of  so  great  and  good 
a  man  as  Gen.  Washington,  is  surprising ;  few 
of  our  countrymen  (as  you  may  well  imagine) 
are  concerned.  They  are  in  general  foreign- 
ers ;  upward  of  thirty  were  concerned ;  and  it 
is  said  Gov.  Tryon  is  at  the  bottom. 

Of  course  the  data  contained  in  this  letter 
are  made  up,  much  of  it,  most  of  it,  indeed,  of 
rumor  with  its  usual  exaggerations ;  but  there 
is  no  doubt  of  the  existence  of  a  plot  and  of 
some  of  the  consequences  of  its  discovery, 
such  as  the  execution  of  the  unfortunate  Hick- 
ey;  but  the  men  who  were  supposed  to  be  in- 
stigators, the  leaders,  aiders  and  abettors,  the 
concocters,  all  seem  to  have  escaped.  Hewlett 
was  already  in  hiding  and  so  prepared  for 
any  such  unpleasant  consequences  as  arrest; 
Mayor  Matthews  was  arrested  and  his  home 
searched,  but  no  incriminating  evidence 
against  him  could  be  found. 

Washington  arrived  in  New  York  from 
New  England  April  14  and  took  personal 
charge  of  the  work  of  fortification  and  de- 
fense. On  May  21  he  went  to  Philadelphia  to 
consult  with  the  leaders  of  Congress  and  on 
June  14  he  was  again  on  the  Hudson  and  in- 
specting the  defense  at  King's  Bridge.  It 
seems  to  have  been  during  his  absence  in 
Philadelphia  that  the  plot  was  matured  and  its 
design,  whatever  it  was,  was  to  go  into  opera- 
tion on  his  return. 

He  seems  to  have  been  at  once  informed  of 
the  conspiracy,  and  on  June  20  its  existence 
was  known  throughout  the  Continental  army 
in  and  around  New  York.  A  waiter  in  a 
tavern  is  given  as  the  informer,  and  it  was 
alleged  that  on  his  statements  the  warrants 
were  issued.  The  fact  that  Hickey  and  Lynch 
had  by  that  time  been  arrested  for  issuing 
counterfeit  notes  and  were  in  jail  and  anxious 
to  save  their  own  lives  by  turning  informers, 
had  possibly  more  to  do  with  the  "discovery" 
than  "anything  else.  The  legal  and  military 
proceedings  taken  against  many  of  the  accused 
certainly  showed  that  the  Continental  army 
was  full  of  spies ;  that  plans  of  the  fortifica- 
tions  and   the   like    had   been   placed   in   the 


hands  of  the  British  commander  on  Staten 
Island;  and  that  there  were  traitors  in  the 
American  army;  but  so  far  as  the  abduction 
of  Washington  was  concerned  it  dwindled 
down  to  the  work  of  vengeance  of  a  discarded 
mistress  and  two  unprincipled  scoundrels ;  and 
was  frustrated  unconsciously  so  far  as  the 
Continental  authorities  were  concerned  by  the 
imprisonment  of  the  latter.  Mary  Gibbons 
disappeared  forever .  from  the  scene  on  the 
moment  of  discovery. 

The  discovery  of  this  plot  and  its  accom- 
panying wild  rumors  did  not  improve  matters 
on  Long  Island :  on  the  contrary  it  served  to 
make  it  be  regarded  more  than  ever  as  part 
of  "the  enemy's  country."  Capt.  Marinus 
Willett  was  at  once  dispatched  to  Jamaica, 
wheire  a  party  of  those  alleged  to  have  been 
engaged  in  the  conspiracy  were  reported  to  be 
in  hiding,  and  after  what  seems  to  have  been 
a  regular  old-fashioned  Indian  sort  of  fight, 
in  which  one  of  the  Loyalists  was  killed  and 
several  wounded,  made  the  party  prisoners, 
but  was  not  fortunate  enough  to  capture  any 
of  those  for  whom  the  Continental  authorities 
were  most  anxious.  The  coast  was  so  thor- 
oughly patrolled  by  Continental  troops  that 
comimunication  with  the  British  vessels  be- 
came almost  impossible  except  to  pirates  like 
James  and  dare-devils  like  Hewlett,  and  the 
iron  hand  of  the  dominant  power  was  felt 
in  all  directions  in  the  two  disaffected  counties. 
But  even  threats  and  all  sorts  of  coercive 
measures  failed  to  make  the  delegates  to  the 
Provincial  Congress  attend  its  sessions  and 
the  incessant  fussy  and  sometimes  cruel  pres- 
sure of  the  Whig  Committees  of  Safety  not 
only  failed  to  stay  the  spirit  of  the  spirit  of 
Toryism  but  rather  caused  it  to  increase,  re- 
solved, as  it  were,  the  spirit  of  loyalty  from 
being  merely  a  sentiment  into  a  dogma.  The 
fast  gathering  strength  of  the  British  force  in 
the  bay  and  on  Staten  Island  could  not  be 
hidden  from  the  Loyalists,  and  not  only  served 
to  embolden  them  to  defy  the  Continental 
powers,  but  the  evident  certainty  of  the  island 
being  soon   again  under   British  domination, 


198 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


a  certainty  that  was  zealously  promulgated 
by  their  leaders,  turned  many  a  half-hearted 
Loyalist  into  a  Tory  of  the  Tories,  ready  even 
to  make  sacrifice  for  his  cause,  because  he 
believed  such  sacrifice  would  only  be  tempor- 
ary. 

But  the  Revolutionary  authorities  were 
vigilant  to  the  last,  because  as  developments 
unfolded  themselves  it  became  evident  that 
Long  Island  was  likely  to  become  the  key  to 
the  military  situation.  The  forts  were 
strengthenca  in  men  and  in  resources,  the  line 
of  defenses  was  duly  made  more  formidable 
and  the  patrolling  parties  along  the  shore 
more  numerous  and  vigilant. 

But  the  people  in  Kings  and  Queens  re- 
mained callous  to  the  slogan  of  Liberty.  An 
election  for  delegates  to  the  Provincial  Con- 
gress was  held  on  the  19th  of  August,  but 
the  delegates  never  had  a  chance  to  serve. 
Three  days  later  Gravesend  was  in  the  hands 
of  .the  British  and  the  campaign  was  on  which 
ended  in  Long  Island  being  for  seven  years 
in  the  hands  of  the  British,  and  the  Tories 
had  a  chance  to  repay  their  persecutors  for 
the  indignities  and  cruelties  and  wrongs  which 
had  been  perpetrated  upon  them  in  the  name 
of  Liberty.  They  availed  themselves  of  the 
opportunity  and  added  interest  in  the  way  of 
new  cruelties  and  prison  horrors  that  robs 
the  story  of  their  loyalty  of  all  sense  of  noble- 
ness, and  has  served  to  add  only  a  new  and 
sickening  page  to  the  historv  of  human  op- 
pression and  deviltry  and  persecution. 

It  is  difficult  at  this  stage  in  the  world's 
history  to  put  ourselves  into  the  places  of 
the  leaders  of  public  opinion,  the  men  of  ac- 
tion, in  this  country,  in  1776,  and  to  know 
all  their  information,  the  rumors  which  reach- 
ed them,  the  various  now  generally  hidden  and 
forgotten  data  on  which  thev  based  the  details 
of  their  policy;  and  so  it  is  difficult  to  clearly 
and  fully  give  judgment  on  their  doings.  At 
the  same  time,  the  passage  of  the  years  has 
made  things  clear  to  us  which  were  not  so  to 
them,  and  we  can  weigh  their  policy  in  the 
light  of  its  results  more  truly  and  unerringly 


than  was  possible  to  them.  All  we  can  read 
of  the  policy  of  the  Continental  leaders  re- 
garding Long  Island  impels  us  to  believe  that 
their  policy  was  wrong,  that  it  only  drove  into 
practical  rebellion  a  part  of  Long  Island  which 
otherwise  would  have  remained  neutral  in  its 
loyalty,  which  really  did  not  care  whether 
King  or  Congress  reigneid,  so  long  as  it  was 
left  to  pursue  its  way  in  peace.  When  the 
conflict  opened,  of  course.  Kings  and  Queens 
had  their  rabid  Tories ;  so  also  they  had  their 
violent  Whigs ;  but  the  bulk  of  the  population 
really  felt  like  saying  "a  plague  on  both  your 
houses.''  As  soon  as  they  felt  themselves  sup- 
ported by  Congress  the  Whigs  by  their  vio- 
lence started  in  to  make  their  own  cause  an 
instrument  of  oppression,  and  such  measures 
as  the  enforcement  of  militia  service  and  dis- 
armament were  not  only  liable  to  turn  the  en- 
tire population  against  those  who  thus  deemed 
coercion  necessary  to  liberty,  but  created  a 
feeling  of  false  strength  in  their  own  ranks 
which  had  most  inglorious  results  when  the 
time  for  action  came.  The  Provincial  Con- 
gress, it  is  fair  to  say,  seems  to  have  had 
some  sense  of  the  unstatesrnanlike  nature  of 
the  policy  of  force  in  this  instance,  but  the 
hotheadedness  of  such  fire-eaters  as  Charles 
Lee  and  the  antics  of  such  fanfarons  as  Col. 
John  Sands,  the  men  of  action  when  the  mili- 
tary crisis  came,  crushed  out  whatever  states- 
manship then  struggled  in  the  brains  of  the 
delegates  to  Congress.  Even  Washington, 
usually  so  clear-headed  and  sagacious,  fell  in 
line  with  the  reports  of  his  military  subordin- 
ates and  treated  the  people  of  Kings  and 
Queens  as  enemies  to  the  cause  to  which  he 
had  with  rare  single-heartedness  devoted  his 
life,  his  all.  But  the  effects  of  all  this  are 
clearly  evident  to  us  as  we  review  the  events 
of  1775  and  1776,  and  see  how  easily  the 
British  effected  a  landing  and  found  hosts  of 
friends  in  a  spot  which  ought  to  have  been 
one  of  the  natural  defenses  of  the  country 
and  on  an  island  on  which,  had  the  people 
been  loyal  to  the  Whigs,  even  Howe's  army 
could  not  have  landed  in  triiu-nph. 


1.  Scabrin^s  Alill. 
2lJrou'\vcr's  Mill. 
aVanDyck's  ^AtH. 
4.Bro  oldvn  Church. 
5.3^6(1  Lion  TavTEiTi 


MAP  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  BROOKLYH,  AUGUST  2  7,  1776. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 


THE     BATTLE     OF    BROOKLYN. 


HE  Battle  of  Brooklyn,  or  of  Long 
Island,  as  it  is  often  called,  was  a 
marked  disaster  to  the  forces  of 
the  Revolution.  It  showed  that  in 
'point  of  strategy  the  Continental  Generals, 
outside  of  their  chief,  were,  hardly  fitted 
to  cope  with  the  trained  warriors  of  Britain. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  the  battle  was  lost 
mainly  through  a  tactical  blunder  on  the  part 
of  Gen.  Putnam,  or  rather  through  the  want 
of  tactical  knowledge  on  his  part  and  a 
strange  carelessness  on  the  part  of  Gen.  Sul- 
livan. A  review  of  the  battle,  however,  would 
almost  seem  to  force  the  conviction  that  the 
American,  army  would  have  been  defeated  at 
any  rate  when  an  issue  was  made  on  that 
ground,  for  certainly  it  was  a  foregone  con- 
clusion that  from  the  time  the  British  were 
permitted  to  land  in  force  (some  20,000  vet- 
eran troops),  with  a  fleet  at  their  service,  they 
were  bound  to  become  masters  of  the  situation 
when  opposed  only  by  some  6,000  half  trained 
militia. 

At  the  same  time  the  heroic  resistance  of- 
fered by  the  Continentals,  their  behavior  un- 
der the  most  dispiriting  circumstances,  their 
stubborn  defense,  their  willingness  under  a 
misconception  of  orders  to  resume  the  fray, 
and  the  masterly  retreat  from  their  position, 
not  only  saved  the  military  reputation  of  the 
Patriot  forces  but  proved  that  the  men  had 
in  them  that  stuff  of  which  heroes — victorious 
heroes — are  made.  The  courage  of  Small- 
wood  and  the  dash  of  Stirling  were  in  them- 
selves lessons  to  the  militia  forces ;  the  stolid 


resistance  of  Sullivan  was  worthy  of  all  praise, 
even  although  his  inactivity  at  a  critical  mo- 
ment was  among  the  primal  causes  of  the  de- 
feat; and  up  to  a  certain  point  the  disposition 
of  his  forces  by  Putnam  was  masterly,  while 
the  tactical  pre-eminence  of  Washington,  aided 
by  fog  and  the  elements,  turned  the  edge  of 
what  might  have  been  an  irrecoverable  blow 
into  merely  a  military  mishap. 

Certainly  the  generalship  of  the  British 
commander  in  putting  his  finger  upon  the 
weak  point  in  the  American  line  of  defense 
and  taking  full  advsfntage  of  it  was  a  personal 
triumph  which,  at  this  day,  need  not  be  with- 
held from  him.  But  he  lost  the  fruits  of  his 
victory  by  his  remarkable  inactivity,  an  inac- 
tivity which  it  is  said  to  his  credit  was 
prompted  by  a  hope  that  his  victory  might 
lead  to  a  cessation  of  hostilities  and  a  stoppage 
of  the  shedding  of  blood.  But  the  time  for 
that  had  not  yet  come  on  either  side,  and 
Washington  took  advantage  of  the  halt  in 
affairs  and  of  a  generous  fog  to  concentrate 
the  Continental  forces  of  the  northern  part 
of  Manhattan  Island.  The  principal  result 
"of  the  battle  to  the  British  was  that  it  gave 
them  -the  control  of  Long  Island  and  Man- 
hattan Island,  both  of  which  they  continued 
to  hold  until  peace  was  declared  and  the  new 
nation  was  formally  recognized  on  every 
hand. 

With  the  triumphant  ending  of  the  cam- 
paign at  Boston  and  its  occupation  by  Wash- 
ington, one  chapter  in  the  story  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary struggle  was  closed,  and  closed  in 


200 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


a  manner  that  inspired  the  Patriots  with 
high  hopes  for  the  ultimate  success  of  their 
arms.  It  was  felt  that  now  they  were  in  a 
better  position,  with  the  prestige  of  success 
behind  them,  and  the  experience  gained  in 
actual  conflict,  to  meet  the  further  onslaughts 
of  the  enemy.  The  result  of  the  evacuation 
of  Boston  in  fact  left  the  country  in  the  en- 
tire possession,  in  a  military  sense,  of  the 
Patriot  force,  and  great  naturally  were  the 
rejoicings. 

But  Washington  and  the  leaders  of  the 
Revolution  well  knew  that  only  a  chapter  had 
been  closed  and  that  another  would  soon 
open.  In  fact,  across  the  St.-  Lawrence  an- 
other chapter  had  even  then  been  worked  out, 
with  disastrous  results.  Montgomery  was 
killed  at  Quebec  and  that  fortress  with  its 
rich  stores  of  munitions  of  war  defied  the 
efforts  of  the  American  army.  Montreal  and 
other  places  were  still  in  their  hands,  but 
sickness  as  well  as  the  fortunes  of  war  was 
decimating  their  ranks,  and  step  by  step  the 
Patriots  were  forced  to  recross  the  St.  Law- 
rence. That  territory,  therefore,  was  then 
more  than  a  menace  to  the  fortunes  of  the 
movement  of  Freedom:  it  was  a  storehouse 
for  the  common  enemy,  and  its  port  of  Hali- 
fax was  a  convenient  gathering  place,  for  fu- 
ture operations. 

Then  General  Howe  had  practically  left 
Boston  with  his  forces  intact,  with  the  honors 
of  war,  carrying  with  him  his  arms  and  his 
supplies,  and  his  baggage;  and  although  his 
destination  was  unknown  for  some  time  the 
existence  of  that  force  was  a  menace.  Wash- 
ington naturally  thought  that  New  York,  with 
its  magnificent  opportunities  for  naval  and" 
military  manoeuvres,  would  be  the  scene  of 
its  operations,  and  accordingly  orders  were 
issued  for  the  immediate  defence  of  that  port. 
General  Lee  was  at  once  dispatched  to  hurry 
on  and  superintend  this  work ;  and  the  army, 
as  rapidly  as  possible,  was  transferred  to  Man- 
hattan Island  and  its  vicinity.  It  was  felt, 
indeed,  by  many  that  the  Continental  army 
could  not  hold  the  island  against  a  combined 


attack  of  the  military  and  naval  forces  of  the 
enemy,  but  the  strategical  importance  of  the 
place,  its  immense  value  to  the  British  as  an 
entreport,  and  its  pre-eminence  as  an  indus- 
trial centre^which  it  had  even  then  assumed — 
made  its  retention  in  the  hands  of  the  Patriots 
a  matter  of  prime  importance.  If  it  could 
not  be  held,  it  could  at  least  be  made  de- 
batable ground,  and  unless  a  signal  victory 
was  gained  by  them  at  the  outset  this  was 
the  most  that  could  be  hoped  for.  All  prep- 
arations were  therefore  made  for  defense, 
when  it  was  learned  that  Howe  had  sailed  to 
Halifax,  determining  to  wait  there  for  rein- 
forcements before  entering  upon  a  new  cam- 
paign. 

When  he  returned  a  significant  change  was 
taking  place  and  the  separate  Colonies  were 
formally  united  into  one  defensive  govern- 
ment by  the  signing  of  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence at  Philadelphia  July  4,  1776,  by 
the  irepresentatives  of  the  thirteen  original 
States. 

With  the  defenses  of  Manhattan  Island, 
except  in  a  general  way,  this  history  has 
nothing  to  do;  but  it  may  be  said  that  quite 
an  extensive  chain  of  forts  was  constructed 
in  what  was  then  the  city  with  a  grand  battery 
of  twenty-three  guns  at  the  most  southern 
point.  Beside  it  was  Fort  George,  and  near 
Trinity  church  was  another,  and  two  more 
further  along  the  water-front  were  intended 
to  command  the  approach  to  the  Hudson. 
The  other  .side  of  Manhattan  Island,  opposite 
the  Long  Island  shore,  was  protected  by  an 
even  more  formidable  chain,  Coentie's  battery 
of  five  guns,  Waterbury's  battery  of  seven 
guns,  Badlam's  battery  of  eight  guns,  on  Rut- 
gers Hill  near  the  old  Jewish  burying-ground ; 
Thompson's  battery  of  nine  guns  at  Hoorne's 
Hook,  and  a  battery  at  what  is  now  the 
junction  of  Grand  and  Centre  streets.  There 
were  also  breastworks  covering  other  points, 
and  sunken  ships  and  chain  lines  were  added 
to  the  means  by  which  it  was  hoped  to  pre- 
vent the  passage  up  either  the  North  or  East 
rivers  and  hamper  the  efforts  of  a  fleet  to 


THE    BATTLE    OF    BROOKLYN. 


201 


aid  any  landing  party.  The  main  reliance  of 
Washington,  however,  was  the  elaborate 
scheme  of  defense  at  Kingsbridge  and  the 
upper  extremity  of  the  island,  knowing  that 
so  long  as  they  remained  in  his  hands  the 
island  itself  would  be  practically  useless  to 
the  invader,  for  by  that  term  the  British 
forces  could  then  justly  be  called. 

Second    in    importance    only    to    Harlem 
Heights  in  that  it   did  not  hold  the  key  to 


close  attention.  The  fort  on  Red  Hook  was 
strengthened,  and,  as  Fort  Defiance,  was  ex- 
pected to  challenge  any  ship  or  landing  party 
before  the  guns  on  the  Grand  Battery  be- 
came available.  Gen.  Nathanael  Greene  took 
charge  of  the  defense  of  the  island  and  lost  no 
time  in  completing  his  work.  Brooklyn  at 
that  time  lay  between  the  Wallabout  and  Red 
Hook  and  was  encircled  by  a  chain  of  small 
hills,  some  of  which  are  still  to  be  seen  in 


THE    BATTLE    PASS.      (Sketched  by  G.  L.  Burdette  in  1792.) 


"the  continent  but  of  equal  importance  to  the 
defense  of  Manhattan  Island  itself,  was  the 
retention  of  Long  Island  to  the  Patriot  forces. 
With  that  in  the  hands  of  the  British  Man- 
hattan Island  was  at  their  mercy  practically, 
and  so  the  campaign  of  the  midsummer  of 
1776  resolved  itself  into  this:  the  defense  of 
Long  Island  for  the  protection  of  New  York 
City  proper  and  the  defense  of  the  Heights 
around  the  Harlem  and  the  southern  part  of 
Westchester  county  for  the  protection  of  the 
Hudson  River  and  the  northern  States. 

Long  Island  was  therefore  the  subject  of 


Prospect  Park  and  Greenwood  Cemetery, 
although  the  landscape  has  been  sadly  changed 
by  the  march  of  modern  improvement.  Be- 
tween this  stretch  of  hills  and  the  water-front 
facing  Staten  island  and  Sandy  Hook  was  a 
stretch  of  flat  ground  dotted  with  such  villages 
as  Gravesend,  Flatlands  and  New  Utrecht,  an 
admirable  landing  ground  for  an  offensive 
force.  But  the  screen  of  hills  formed  a 
natural  line  of  defense,  and  so  long  as  these 
could  be  held  New  York  was  safe  from  that 
side.  Gen.  Greene  took  full  advantage  of  this 
natural  breastwork  and  covered  the  passes  be- 


202 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


tween  the  hills  through  which  an  enemy  must 
pass. 

Behind  these  hills  a  series  of  forts  ex- 
tended from  theWallabout  to  the  Red  Hook. 

Fort  Stirling  commanded  the  water-front 
at  what  is  now  the  junction  of  Hicks  and 
Pierrepoint  streets. 

Fort  Putnam  (now  Fort  Greene) . 

Fort  Greene,  near  the  present  intersection 
of  Nevins  and  Dean  streets. 

Forts  Putnam  and  Greene  were  connected 
by  an  oblong  redoubt. 

Cork  Screw  Fort  was  on  the  space  now 
lying  between  Atlantic,  Pacific,  Court  and 
Clinton  Streets. 

There  was  also  a  small  redoubt  eastward 
of  Fort  Putnam,  near  the  Jamaica  road. 

Fort  Box,  a  redoubt  (four  guns)  on  the 
slope  of  Bergen  Hill  west  of  Smith  street, 
not  far  from  Hoyt  and  Carroll  streets. 

No  one  can  look  at  a  map  of  early  Brooklyn 
without  seeing  that  these  defenses  were  skill- 
fully planned  so  far  as  their  situation  goes  to 
protect  the  town  behind  them ;  but  as  has  been 
said,  the  main  purpose  of  Greene  was  to  pre- 
vent any  passage  across  the  chain  of  hills 
which  nature  had  placed  ready  to  his  hand  for 
purposes  of  defense.  Of  course,  could  the 
landing  of  any  force  have  been  contested,  an 
even  better  defense  might  have  been  insured; 
but  his  force  was  too  small  to  guard  an  ex- 
tensive stretch  of  territory ;  there  was  no  way 
of  telling  which  the  enemy,  if  he  did  land 
at  all,  might  select;  and  it  was  not  an  age 
when  the  telegraph  could  instantly  give  warn- 
ing of  an  approach,  and  when  the  means 
were  at  hand  for  quickly  massing  large  forces 
of  men  at  any  given  point.  Besides,  his 
troops  were  not  numerous  enough  to  do  more 
than  guard  the  defenses,  and  so  he  wisely 
determined  to  concentrate  his  attention  on 
them  and  leave  the  landing  to  fate. 

Meanwhile  General  William  Howe  was  not 
idle.  He  left  Boston  on  March  17,  landed 
with  his  forces  at  Halifax  some  ten  days  later 
and  remained  there  until  the  middle  of  June. 
By  that  time  communication  had  been  entered 


into  with  the  home  Government,  reinforce- 
ments promised  and  new  plans  for  the  sub- 
jugation or  submission  of  the  Colonies,  war- 
like and  pacific,  duly  considered  and  agreed 
to.  In  accordance  with  these  General  HoAve 
gathered  up  his  army  and  again  set  sail,  ar- 
riving on  Staten  Island  on  June  29.  A  land- 
ing was  soon  effected  and  the  British  troops 
went  into  camp.  New  York  was  naturally 
greatly  excited  by  the  appearance  of  the  vis- 
itors, and  the  excitement  deepened  as  time 
went  on  and  no  hostile  demonstrations  of  any 
account  were  made,  showing  that  re-inforce- 
ments  were  expected.  The  whole  of  Staten 
Island  was  at  once  under  the  control  of  Howe, 
even  the  local  militia  organization  renewing 
its  allegiance  to  the  king,  and,  until  the  close 
of  the  conflict,  it  so  remained.  The  posses- 
sion of  the  island  naturally  gave  the  British 
a  commanding  position  in  front  of  New  York. 
By  it  they  controlled  a  wide  section  of  the 
water-front :  they  commanded,  indeed,  the  en- 
trance to  New  York  harbor,  while  it  afforded 
many  landing  places  for  their  troops  safe 
from  all  interference  or  obstruction  except  in 
the  remote  and  unlikely  event  of  an  attack 
from  the.  Jersey  side,  across  the  Kill  von  Kull. 
Reinforcements  continued  to  arrive,  but  it  was 
not  until  July  14  that,  with  the  arrival  of 
Admiral  Lord  Howe  and  his  fleet,  the  Brit- 
ish felt  strong  enough  to  begin  their  plans 
for  bringing  about  peace  either  by  persuasion 
or  compulsion.  Into  the  story  of  the  first  of 
these  we  need  not  here  enter :  they  belong  to 
the  general  history  of  the  country.  It  was 
perfectly  understood,  however,  in  the  Contin- 
ental camps  that  there  was  no  hope  of  peace 
as  long  as  surrender  was  the  basis  of  the 
British  proposals,  and  so  the  work  of  defense 
wa-s  carried  forward  with  incessant  zeal. 

The  defense  of  Long  Island  was  pushed 
on  with  especial  haste,  and  as  the  position  of 
the  British  indicated  whence  an  attack  on  New 
York  might  possibly  come  the  hills  that  en- 
circled Brooklyn  were  thoroughly  covered  by 
the  Continental  leader.  He  also,  it  is  said, 
prepared  for  the  eventuality  that  the  enemy 


THE    BATTLE    OF    BROOKLYN. 


20g 


might  land  on  Long  Island,  pass  his  chain  of 
defenses  and  by  making  a  detour  endeavor  to 
gain  the  narrow  passages  towards  Hell  Gate 
and  so  gain  possession  of  the  upper  part  of 
Manhattan  Island.  Much  discussion  had  been 
created  as  to  the  military  value  of  Greene's 
arrangements,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that 
his  plan  was  fully  approved  by  Washington, 
who  visited  the  works  several  times  while  in 
course  of  formation,  and,  also,  that  before  his 
arrangements  were  fully  completed  he  was 
seized  with  fever  and  compelled  to  take  to  his 
bed,  unable  even  to  discuss  his  plans  with 
peneral  Sullivan,  who  was  appointed  tempor- 
arily to  the  military  command  of  the  island. 
We  know  the  adage  about  the  impropriety  of 
swapping  horses  while  crossing  a  stream,  but 
the  "swap"  had  to  be  made  in  this  instance 
pud  with  the  usual  results. 

Sullivan  was  a  brave  man,  but  had  the  repu- 
tation of  being  careless  at  times,  knew  little  of 
jStrategy,  was  a  magnificent  leader  of  an  on- 
slaught, and  ignorant  of  mathematical  calcula- 
tions, which  enter  so  largely  into  warfare.  Ru- 
mors began  to  thicken  that  the  descent  on  Long 
Island  was  about  to  be  made,  and  reinforce- 
ments were  sent  over  from  the  main  army  on 
Manhattan;  and  then,  on  Aug.  22,  it  was 
definitely  learned  that  the  British  had  actually 
crossed  and  had  effected  a  landing  at  what  is 
now  the  village  of  Bath  between  New  Utrecht 
and  Gravesend.  As  it  was  also  known  that 
they  had  only  three  days'  provisions  with  them, 
there  seemed  no  longer  any  doubt  that  they 
meant  to  attempt  the  capture  of  New  York 
by  the  most  direct  land  route  possible,  across 
the  Gowanus  range  to  Brooklyn.  Still,  al- 
though everything  so  indicated,  so  far  as  in- 
formation among  the  Patriots  went,  this  move- 
ment might  only  be  undertaken  by  one  part 
of  the  army  to  detract  attention  from  another 
movement,  directed  against  King's  Bridge,  so 
that  virtually  the  entire  force  at  the  command 
of  Washington  was  called  into  requisition  to 
guard  quite  a  great  extent  of  country  against 
a  foe  which  might  throw  an  overwhelming 
force  at  a  moment  against  whatever  part  was 


weakest.  It  should  be  remembered  that  a 
system  of  spies  was  carefully  maintained  by 
both  sides.  Every  movement  on  Staten  Island 
appeared  to  be  known  at  once  to  Washington 
and  doubtless  the  same  espionage  brought  to 
a  knowledge  of  the  Howes  the  weak  points 
in  the  long  and  tortuous  line  of  defense. 

It  did  not  take  long  for  the  mystery  of 
the  moment  to  clear  away  and  the  plan  of 
campaign  via  Long  Island  to  unfold  itself,, 
although  even  after  it  was  seen  that  the  Brit- 
ish were  landed  in  force  at  Bath  the  watchful- 
vigilance  all  along  the  shores  of  Manhattan 
and  the  approaches  of.  the  Hudson.  In  fact 
one  of  the  spies  employed  by  Gen.  William- 


DENYSE  S    FERRY — THE    BRITISH 
LANDING    PLACE. 


Livingston  of  New  Jersey  brought  in  to  that 
patriot  such  information  that  he  wrote  to 
Washington  on  the  21st  that  20,000  men  had 
already  embarked  to  occupy  Long  Island  and 
the  entrance  to  the  Hudson  simultaneously 
while  15,000  were  in  readiness  for  other  ser- 
vice touching  New  Jersey  itself.  Washington 
at  once  saw  that  Long  Island  was  the  crucial 
point  in  the  new  campaign  and  as  soon  as  the 
news  of  the  landing  reached  him  dispatched 
six  battalions  of  his  troops  to  reinforce  the 
defensive  struggle.  Five  battalions  more  in 
New  York  were  held  in  immediate  readiness 
to  cross  the  East  River  should  their  services 
be  needed,  but  the  defense  of  Manhattan  Isl- 
and demanded  their  retention  there  except  in 
case  of  a  great  emergency.     The  stories   of 


204 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


the  spies  could  not  always  be  depended  on. 
Washington  afterward  (Sept.  9)  wrote  to 
Congress :  "Before  the  landing  of  the  enemy 
on  Long  Island 'the  point  of  attack  could  not 
be  known,  nor  any  satisfactory  judgment 
formed  of  their  intention.  It  might  be  on 
Long  Island,  on  Bergen,  or  directed  on  the 
city." 

The  landing  of  the  British  was  conducted 
in  a  masterly  manner  and  proceeded  without 
much  incident.  The  movement  began  in  the 
early  morning;  by  nine  o'clock  9,000  troops 
had  been  landed  and  before  noon  the  entire 
attacking  force  of  15,000  men  with  their  arms 
and  baggage,  stood  on  Long  Island.  The 
movement  was  clearly  seen  from  the  Amer- 
ican line,  but  no  serious  attempt  was  made 
to  interrupt  it.  Col.  Reed,  in  a  letter  dated 
August  23,  indeed  wrote:  "As  there  are  so 
many  landing  places  and  the  people  of  the 
island  generally  so  treacherous,  we  never  ex- 
pected to  prevent  the  landing."  For  military 
purposes  under  all  the  existing  circumstances 
no  better  landing  point  could  have  been 
selected.  As  soon  as  it  was  known  that  the 
British  had  landed,  an  alarm  seized  New  York 
which  the  Patriots  could  hardly  allay.  On 
the  24th,  Washington  at  once  crossed  to  Long 
Island  and  gave  personal  instruction  as  to  the 
■defense.  He  judged  that,  in  accordance  with 
news  which  had  reached  him,  the  first  purpose 
•of  the  invaders  was  to  win  the  lines  held  by 
Gen.  Sullivan,  either  by  a  surprise  after  a 
forced  march  or  an  attack  in  force,  and  he 
strengthened  that  comimander's  position  with 
six  regiments.  Certainly  Washington's  judg- 
ment in  this  instance  was  in  full  accord  with 
the  dictates  of  military  science,  and  had  Sulli- 
van understood  that  science  as  well,  or  had 
he  exhibited  the  watchfulness  his  position  de- 
manded, he  might  have  forced  the  fighting 
at  his  lines  and  so  changed  the  entire  aspect 
of  the  campaign. 

After  issuing  a  stirring  address  to  his 
troops  Washington  returned  to  New  York 
and  at  once  sent  General  Putnam  to  take 
•chief  command  on  Long  Island.     Washington 


was  not  entirely  confident  of  Sullivan's  judg- 
ment, and  it  is  said  that  the  latter  justified 
his  commander's  doubt  by  "sulking  at  being 
verbally  superseded  in  the  direction  of  affairs 
by  the  veteran."  Putnam,  we  are  told,  had  a 
fair  knowledge  of  the  campaigning  ground 
and  had  the  entire  confidence  of  his  chief. 
He  at  once  began  to  strengthen  the  defense 
wherever  he  perceived  the  opportunity  or 
necessity,  but  the  time  of  his  disposal  was  too 
limited  to  enable  him  to  grasp  the  whole 
scheme  of  defense  as  laid  down  by  Greene, 
and  the  absence  of  that  skillful  soldier  was 
regretted  more  keenly  by  none  more  than  the 
brave  soldier  who  was  thus  suddenly  called 
to  assume  his  part.  At  the  same  time  it  should 
be  remembered  that  the  real  commander  in 
chief  was  Washington,  and  be  it  also  said  that 
he  never  shirked  the  responsibility  of  that  po- 
sition. On  the  morning  of  the  26th  he  again 
crossed  to  Brooklyn,  rode  over  in  company 
with  Putnam,  Sullivan,  and  other  ofificers 
much  of  the  line  of  defense,  visited  and  en- 
couraged the  outposts  and  carefully  exam- 
ined the  position  of  the  British  forces,  some 
of  whom  by  that  time  were  near  Flatbush. 
The  entire  line  of  defense  seemed  a  strong 
one,  every  avenue  of  approach,  it  appeared 
to  the  hurried  investigators,  was  fully  cov- 
ered, and  such  as  under  experienced  troops 
would  have  formed  an  impassable  barrier. 
Possibly  Gen.  Greene  alone  could  have  told  its 
weak  points,  but  his  usefulness  for  this  cam- 
paign was  a  thing  of  the  past. 

On  the  night  of  the  26th  Washington,  with 
a  heavy  heart  but  not  without  strong  hope, 
returned  to  New  York,  and  it  has  been  calcu- 
lated that  while  he  was  crossing  the  river 
the  British  forces  began  their  forward  move- 
ment. 

From  the  moment  of  landing  on  the  22d 
the  British  troops  had  not  been  idle,  but  were 
engaged  in  a  series  of  movements  the  precise 
nature  of  which  was  difficult  to  judge,  al- 
though the  Patriots  adhered  to  the  view  that 
one  of  the  passes,  most  likely  that  held  by 
Sullivan,  was  to  be  the  object  of  a  concen- 


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THE    BATTLE    OF    BROOKLYN. 


£05. 


trated    attack.     The  army   was   steadily  ex- 
tending itself  over  the  level  country  between 
the  sea  and  the  hills,  gradually  forcing  the 
American   outposts   back  to   the   latter   and 
seizing  the  various  roads.     Many  skirmishes 
took  place  between  the  outposts,  but  the  pre- 
cise design  of  the  enemy  was  cleverly  con- 
cealed, and  until  the  26th  the  main  purpose 
of  the  British  was  to  wear  out.  the  raw  con- 
tinental levies  by  keeping  them  continually  on 
|;he  alert.     On  the  26th  the   Hessian  troops 
under   De   Heister   took   possession   of  Flat- 
lush,  while  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  the  real  com- 
mander of  the  forces,  occupied  Flatlands,  and 
General    Grant    carried    his    column    within 
light  of  General  Stirling's  division.     Still  the 
)recise  purpose  of  all  these  movements  was 
■oncealed,  or  rather  nothing  offered  a  better 
ixplanation  than  that   one   of   the   defensive 
)Osts  was  to  be  carried   by   force.     General 
lowe's  spies  were  better  informed  than  those 
bf  the  Continentals  and  he  knew  and  seized 
Upon  the  weakest  spot  in  the  whole  line  of 
defense.     The    Battle    of    Brooklyn    was    a 
battle   of   strategy   and   it   is   no  disgrace   to 
say    that    on    that    point    the    Patriots    were 
worsted.     Their  strategist  was  lying  hovering 
between  life  and  death.     He  alone  knew  the 
full  scope  of  the  plan  he  had  conceived  and 
put  into  effect. 

Washington  had  not  time  to  review  the 
ground  thoroughly,  neither  had  Putnam, 
neither  for  that  matter  had  Sullivan,  the  next 
in  command,  but  he  might  have  saved  the  day, 
or  changed  its  entire  aspect,  had  he  been 
more  watchful  at  the  moment  when  watch- 
fulness was  most  needed. 

In  the  early  hours  of  the  morning  of  Au- 
gust 27th  word  was  brought  in  by  pickets'  that 
a  column  of  the  enemy  under  General  Grant 
had  moved  against  the  lines  held  by  Stirling. 
The  latter,  in  accordance  with  orders  received 
from  Putnam,  advanced  towaird  Gowanus 
creek  with  Hazlet's  Delaware  regiment  and 
Smallwood's  Maryland  regiment.  At  the 
creek  they  were  joined  by  Col.  Atlee's  Penn- 
sylvania regiment,  which  had  been  stationed 


around  there  as  an  advanced  outpost.  The 
advance  of  the  British  was  soon  heard  and 
Stirling  ordered  the  Pennsylvanians  to  await 
the  foe  in  an  orchard  on  the  left  of  the  road, 
while  he  with  his  Delaware  and  Maryland 
men  took  possession  of  a  ridge  which  over- 
looked the  route  the  enemy  must  pass.  Word 
was  at  once  sent  back  to  the  main  body 
urging  reitiforcements,  as  it  seemed  that  the 
expected  battle  was  to  open  at  that  point. 
When  the  light  began  to  dawn  the  approach 
of  the  enemy  was  clearly  perceived  and  their 
strength  in  the  wavering  light  was  at  once 
overestiniated.  The  Pennsylvanians  fired  sev- 
eral volleys  at  the  approaching  column  and 
then  retired  to  a  position  on  the  left  of  the 
ridge  held  by  Stirling's  troops.  That  force 
had  already  been  strengthened  by  Kichline's 
regiment  of  riflemen  which  was  scattered 
around  the  base  of  the  ridge  and  well  under 
shelter  so  as  to  retard  any  advance  which 
might  be  made  to  storm  the  position  by  an 
attack  in  force.  Xhat  seemed  likely  when 
sOme  of  Grant's  troops  in  advance  of  the  col- 
umn took  possession  of  an  orchard  about  150' 
yards  away  and  commenced  firing  into  the 
ranks  of  the  Patriots.  For  two  hours  there- 
after, until  long  after  the  darkness  had  dis- 
appeared, a  battle  of  musketry  was  kept  up 
between  the  two  forces,  with  the  view  of 
"drawing  each  other,"  or  in  other  words  in 
the  hope  of  each  gaining  a  clearer  under- 
standing of  the  movements  of  the  opposing 
side.  On  the  part  of  the  British  Stirling's 
purpose  was  divined  as  to  keep  them  in  check 
until  his  forces  were  strengthened  so  that  he 
could  give  them  battle.  Grant's  purpose  was 
to  keep  Stirling  so  employed  until  a  certain 
crisis  in  the  engagement  was  reached.  Two 
field  pieces  were  hurried  to  Stirling's  aid  and 
placed  in  position  to  sweep  the  roadway  along 
which  the  British  would  advance,  and  Grant 
brought  up  some  artillery  and  after  much  de- 
ploying took  up  a  position  about  600  yards 
from  the  Americans,  occupying  also  a  series 
of  ridges.  Thereafter  there  was  a  continuous 
firing    by    the    artillery    of    the    armies,    but 


■206 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


neither  was  inclined  to  attempt  a  general  en- 
gagement. Grant  was  carrying  out  his  part 
of  the  British  leader's  scheme  by  keeping 
Stirling  in  front,  while  Stirling,  unaware  of 
the  strength  of  the  enemy,  could  only  with 
safety  hold  the  invader  in  check  until  his 
request  for  reinforcements  should  be  complied 
with  or  until  General  Putnam  should  appear 
to  take  command  at  the  point  with  a  strong 
force. 

Meanwhile  another  part  of  the  British  plan 
was  put  in  operation  and  failed.  It  was  to 
land  a  force  on  Manhattan  Island,  but  con- 
trary winds  defeated  that  purpose.  The  ships 
with  the  troops  could  not  get  through  the  Nar- 
rows and  after  several  efforts  landed  their 
men  at  Bath,  and  one  of  the  ships,  the  Roef- 
buck,  bombarded  Fort  Defense  on  Red  Hook 
and  in  that  way  added  to  the  uncertainty  of 
the  Patriot  leaders  as  to  the  exact  nature  of 
the  entire  movement.  The  four  eighteen- 
pounders  in  the  fort  made  a  gallant  response 
to  the  Roebuck's  five  and  prevented  any  salient 
damage  at  that  point,  although  it  must  be  ad- 
mitted that  the  noise  of  these  cannons  aided 
the  success  of  the  British  plans. 

Meanwhile  another  part  of  the  British 
strategical  movement  was  being  played  with 
marked  success.  De  Heister's  Hessians  at 
Flatbush  commenced  an  artillery  attack  on 
the  fort  held  in  the  hills  in  front  by  Col. 
Hand  of  General  Sullivan's  division.  Sulli- 
van himself  at  once  repaired  to  the  spot  and 
was  apparently  convinced  that  the  attack  in 
force  was  to  be  made  against  his  lines.  But 
the  British  made  no  advance  and  contented 
themselves  with  a  brisk  fire,  which  was  an- 
swered as  briskly  from  the  hills. 

On  the  part  of  the  British  all  these  move- 
ments were  merely  feints  to  engage  the  at- 
tention of  the  Continentals  while  the  main 
movement  was  in  progress.  All  through  the 
night  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  with  a  force  of  some 
of  the  best  and  most  experienced  of  the  Brit- 
ish troops,  had  been  marching  by  a  most  cir- 
cuitous route  past  the  chain  of  defenses  with 


the  view  of  seizing  what  was  reported  to  them 
as  being  a  slimly  guarded  pass  through  the 
Bedford  Hills,  and  so  turn  the  flank  of  tli|e 
whole  line  of  defense.  Until  Grant  and  the 
other  commanders  heard  the  guns  announcing 
that  the  movement  had  been  successfully  car- 
ried out  and  that  the  Continentals  were  be- 
tween two  fires,  they  simply  held  their  oppo- 
nents in  check.  The  British  sped  on  from  Flat- 
lands  on  their  journey  without  noise 'and,  with 
a  British  sympathizer  belonging  to  the  local- 
ity as  a  guide,  came  within  a  mile  of  their  ob- 
jective point  before  daybreak.  Then  their  ad- 
vance troops  surrounded  an  American  Patriot 
and  discovered  that  the  Bedford  Pass,  for 
which  they  were  making,  was  practically  un- 
guarded, and  that  no  troops  were  around  that 
important  point  except  a  few  patrolling  squads 
who  had  to  guard  quite  an  extensive  section 
of  that  front.  Clinton  at  once  pushed  forward 
sufficient  light  infantry  to  take  possession  of 
the  pass  and  to  hold  it.  This  was  easily  done 
and  the  prime  strategic  move  of  the  fight  had 
been  accomplished  without  even  attracting  the 
attention  of  the  enemy.  By  daybreak  the 
British  army  was  in  full  possession  of  the  pass 
and  its  surrounding  heights,  and  the  soldiers 
halted  for  breakfast  and  to  enjoy  a  brief  period 
of  rest  before  entering  upon  the  second  stage 
of  the  movement. 

The  army  pursued  its  journey  to  Bedford 
village,  on  what  was  known  as  the  Jamaica! 
ro'ad,  and  it  was  not  until  it  had  reached  that 
spot  that  Col.  Miles,  the  officer  who  seems 
to  have  been  responsible  for  the  patrolling 
of  that  section  of  the  defensive  works,  was 
aware  of  the  presence  of  the  foe  within  the 
lines,  and  he  arrived  near  enough  to  see  them 
only  to  find  that  most  of  the  force  had  passed 
him  and  he  was  virtually  cut  off  from  his  own 
support.  But  firing  was  at  once  begun  and 
the  disjointed  commands  of  Col.  Wyllys,  Col. 
Miles  and  Col.  Brodhead  did  their  best  to 
oppose  the  advance.  But  that  at  best  was  of 
very  small  account:  its  main  result  as  the 
noise  of  the  guns  reached  the  different  points 


THE    BATTLE    OF    BROOKLYN. 


207 


along  the  line  of  defense  was  to  announce  to 
the  defending  forces  that  they  had  actually 
been  caught  in  a  trap. 

The  British  movement  was  then  directed 
against  General  Sullivan's  position,  and  that 
soldier  soon  found  himself  between  two  fires, 
for  the  Hessians,  hearing  the  guns,  knew  that 
Clinton  had  accomplished  his  purpose  and  was 
on  the  other  side  of  that  natural  fortification. 
Count   Donop's   Hessian   regiment   made   an 
ittack  on  the  redoubt,  with  De  Heister's  en- 
ire  remaining  force  supporting  the  advance 
,t  short  distance.     Sullivan,  seeing  how  hope- 
;ss  was  his  position,  gave  orders  for  a  re- 
reat  to   the   main   American   lines,   and   the 
lessians  were  soon  in  full  possession  of  the 
)ass.     But    Sullivan's    order   was    given   too 
ate,  and  his  battalions  were  met  by  Clinton's 
nfantry  and  cavalry  and  the  retreat  turned 
nto  a  rout.     The   British   in   front   and  the 
lessians  in  the  rear  attacked  the  dispirited 
ind  disheartened  Continentals  with  the  utmost 
leverity,  and  it  is  said  the  Hessians  showed 
10  quarter.     Commands  were  quickly  broken 
Lip   in   this  terrible  ordeal,   and   all   trace   of 
discipline   was   lost.     Some   managed   to   cut 
itheir  way  through  weak  spots  in  the  advancing 
column  to  the  American  lines,  while  others 
contrived  to  escape  from  the  scene  of  carnage 
by  accident  or  luck,  whatever  it  may  be  called. 
^It   is    difficult    to    harmonize    all    the    details 
which  have  come  to  us  of  that  scene  of  cam- 
age  or  to  clearly  understand  why  the  retreat 
should  have  turned  out  so  disastrously  that 
the  pursuit  was  kept  up  even  to  within  rifle- 
shot of  the  inner  chain  of  forts,  such  as  Greene 
jand  Putnam.     The  Americans,  wherever  they 
had  a  chance,  exhibited  marked  courage  and 
made  a  gallant  fight,^ — a  fight  in  every  way 
worthy  of  the  splendid  cause  with  which  their 
lives  were  bound  up;  but  individual  or  even 
battalion  feats  of  heroism  could  not  accom- 
[plish  much  when  all  around  was  confusion, 
all  around  was  despair,  and  escape  seemed  cut 
off  on  every  side.     Sullivan,  whose  shortcom- 
ings  as   a   commander    brought    about    the 
rout,    distinguished    himself    by    his    bravery 


while  there  was  any  hope  and  then  tried  to 
escape  from  the  field.  For  a  time  he  man- 
aged to  conceal  himself,  but  he  was  finally 
captured  by  three  Hessian  troopers  and  con- 
ducted within  the  British  lines. 

In  the  meantime  Stirling  was  rendering  a 
a  much  more  gallant  and  soldierly  account  of 
himself  than  Sullivan.  He,  too,  found  him- 
self caught  between  two  fires.  The  sound 
of  the  guns  on  Sullivan's  front  gave  him  no- 
tice of  the  movement  and  it  is  said  that  Sul- 
livan sent  him  an  order  to  retreat  within  the 
inner  lines  as  sobn  as  he  realized  how  the 
outer  defenses  had  been  turned.  But  that 
order  never  reached  its  destination.  The 
sound  of  the  approaching  guns  was  heard  by 
Grant  quite  as  soon  as  Stirling,  but  the  British 
general  at  once  knew  their  full  significance 
and  prepared  to  carry  out  the  remainder  of 
the  task  allotted  to  him.  His  previous  inac- 
tivity had  been  mistaken  by  some  of  the  raw 
Continental  troops  for  temerity;  but  that 
notion  was  soon  dissipated.  When  the  proper 
moment  came,  Grant's  troops  advanced  and 
cut  off  the  commands  of  Col.  Atlee  and  Col. 
Parsons  from  the  main  body,  and  this  sudden 
display  of  aggressiveness  with  the  nearer  and 
nearer  noise  of  the  guns  in  his  rear  warned 
Stirling  that  retreat  had  become  a  necessity. 
Leaving  a  part  of  his  force  to  impede,  at  least, 
the  British  advance,  he  hoped  to  reach  the 
inner  line  of  fortification  without  interruption 
by  leaving  the  beaten  way,  crossing  a  creek 
fordable  at  low  water,  and  that  plan  he  put 
into  execution.  He  had  not  advanced  far, 
however,  when  he  was  confronted  by  a  force 
under  Cornwallis.  Nothing  remained  but 
fight  or  capitulation,  and  the  Americans  ac- 
cepted the  former.  It  was  a  splendid  con- 
flict, carried  on  on  both  sides  with  indomitable 
courage  and  infinite  resource.  The  Maryland 
troops  especially  distinguished  themselves,  and 
for  a  brief  interval  it  seemed  as  if  Cornwallis 
would  be  compelled  to  withdraw  his  forces, 
leaving  the  Americans'  passage  clear;  but  re- 
inforcements, coming  up,  nearly  surrounded 
the  Patriots  and  they  were  in  much  the  same 


208 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


sort  of  a  trap  which  had  enmeshed  SulHvan's 
troops  earlier  in  the  day.  Retreat  was  or- 
dered all  along  the  line,  but  the  enemy  con- 
stantly increased  in  numbers.  Some  of  Stir- 
ling's force  managed  to  enter  the  American 
lines  in  form,  early  in  the  engagement,  but  lat- 
terly those  who  thus  reached  safety  did  so 
ii^  disjointed  numbers.  Sltirling  himself 
fought  throughout  the  conflict  with  the 
most  devoted  heroism,  cheered  and  encouraged 
his  men  at  all  'points,  and  it  was  only  when 
further  resistance  teemed  absolutely  useless, 
when  there  was  no  doubt  of  the  issue  of  the 
day,  that  he  surrendered  himself  as  a  prisoner. 
With  the  collapse  of  Stirling's  brigade 
the  battle  was  past.  Early  in  the  afternoon 
Washington  crossed  over  to  Brooklyn  and 
witnessed  the  defeat,  unable,  with  the  raw 
militia  remaining  in  the  forts^  to  offer  any 
resistance.  He  quickly  made  up  his  mind,  as 
soon  as  he  learned  of  the  success  of  Clinton's 
movement,  that  the  day  was  lost,  and  devoted 
himself  to  staying  the  victors  at  the  lines 
guarded  by  the  chain  of  forts.  The  battle  of 
Stirling's  troops  was  watched  by  him  with 
particular  solicitude,  as  it  seemed  impossible 
that  any  of  that  brave  body  of  men  could  ever 
return  to  his  lines.  That  so  many  did  was 
the  only  relieving  feature  in  a  day  that  was 
undoubtedly  one  of  disaster.  General  Wash- 
ington passed  an  anxious  day  and  night,  ex- 
pecting every  moment  that  the  enemy,  flushed 
with  success,  would  at  once  turn  against  the 
chain    of    forts,    and   he    fully   realized   their 


weakness.  This  the  British  did  not  do,  their 
commanders  evidently  thinking  enough  had 
been  gained  for  one  day;  but  in  spite  of  this 
inaction  no  one  knew  better  than  Washing- 
ton that  the  main  defense  of  Brooklyn  had 
been  wiped  out,  that  Long  Island  was  virtu- 
ally completely  in  the  hands  of  the  British 
and  that  the  army  of  the  defenders  was  in  a 
most  critical  position. 

It  is  difficult  to  estimate  the  losses  sus- 
tained by  both  armies  during  the  day,  not 
alone  on  account  of  the  inaccuracy  with  which 
such  details  were  then  kept  and  the  consequent 
unreliable  nature  of  even  official  reports,  but 
on  account  of  the  widely  varying  estimates 
made  by  those  engaged  in  the  fight  and  the  re- 
markable figures  deduced  by  many  of  the  later 
historians  of  the  battle.  The  British  com- 
mander in  chief  estimated  his  loss  in  killed 
and  wounded  at  367.  The  Americans'  loss 
has  been  placed  at  under  200,  while  some  800^ 
were  held  as  prisoners.  These  figures  of 
casualties  bear  out  to  a  degree  Washington's 
assertion  that  the  British  "suffered  a  loss  in 
killed  and  wounded  equal  to  that  inflicted  upon 
the  Americans."  But  it  is  difficult  to  accept 
Washington's  statement  as  being  anything 
more  than  an  off-hand  calculation,  made  with- 
out being  in  full  possession  of  the  ■  facts  or 
figures.  Field  in  his  sketch  of  the  battle  esti- 
mates that  the  American  loss  in  killed  and 
wounded  and  prisoners  was  not  far  from 
2,000,  and  probably  that  is  as  correct  an  esti- 
mate as  can  now  be  made. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 


THE    RETREAT  FROM    LONG    ISLAND— A   STRATEGIC   TRIUMPH.. 


i 


F  in  point  of  strategy  the  British  proved 
themselves  in  the  battle  of  August 
27th  as  the  superiors  of  their  op- 
ponents, the  retreat  of  the  American 
forces  from  Long  Island  on  the  night  of  the 
29th  and  morning  of  the  30th  amply  demon- 
strated the  fact  that  there  was  certainly  one 
man  at  the  head  of  the  Continentals  who  was 
at  least  their  equal  in  that  regard.  While  the 
battle  of  Brooklyn  was  a  defeat,  a  disastrous 
defeat,  the  retreat  was  a  masterly  movement 
and  a  moral  triumph.  Of  course,  in  its  suc- 
cess General  Washington  vras  aided  by  nature, 
inasmuch  as  a  dense  fog  concealed  his  move- 
ments ;  but  many  noted  commanders  meet  us 
in  the  procession  of  history  who  did  not  un- 
derstand or  appreciate  the  value  of  such  aid 
when  offered  them. 

In  all  the  story  of  the  Revolutionary  strug- 
gle there  was  not  a  more  disheartening  time 
than  the  twenty-four  hours  which  followed 
the  night  of  August  27th.  Had  the  Briti^'.i 
plans  been  fully  carried  into  effect  the  Con- 
tinental leaders  would  have  been  left  without 
an  army  and  the  entire  story  of  the  struggle 
for  liberty  been  more  prolonged  than  it  was, 
even  supposing  that  it  could  then  have  sur- 
vived such  a  blow  as  the  loss  of  the  9,000  or 
more  troops '  which  on  the  morning  of  the 
28th  made  up  the  inner  line  of  defense  around 
Brooklyn.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  capture 
of  these  patriots  was  the  final  point  in  the 
British  movement,  and  had  the  latter  pressed 
their  advantage  without  cessation,  as  the 
troops  themselves  desired,  there  seems  little 

14 


doubt  that  the  result  would  have  been  at- 
tained; but  the  fatuity  which  so  often  dis- 
tinguished the  British  Generals  throughout 
the  Revolutionary  War  in  this  instance  aided 
the  Patriots  just  as  much  as  did  the  weather. 
Washington,  who  was  now  in  direct  com- 
mand and  expected  every  moment  an  attack 
upon  his  lines,  seems  to  have  spent  most  of 
the  night  following  the  battle  in  passing  over 
the  works  and  personally  inspecting  every 
point.  A  call  was  sent  out  for  reinforcements 
and  in  the  early  hours  some  of  the  troops 
which  had  been  assigned  to  guard  King's 
Bridge  and  the  upper  part  of  Manhattan  ar- 
rived with  General  Mifflin,  some  800  men  in 
all.  Then  1,300  Massachusetts  soldiers,  main- 
ly fishermen,  arrived  under  Colonel  Glover, 
and  their  appearance  seems  to  have  infused  a 
new  spirit  of  hope  in  the  hearts  of  the 
Patriots.  Troops  in  New  Jersey  under  Gen- 
eral Mercer  were  ordered  with  all  haste  to 
march  to  New  York,  and  there  virtually  to 
await  further  orders — orders  which  could 
only  be  formulated  as  events  unfolded  them- 
selves. Even  with  the  reinforcements  Wash- 
ington's position  was  a  most  critical  one.l 
True,  his  lines  were  strong  and  well  chosen, 
but  in  front  of  him  lay  a  well  disciplined,  welli 
fed  and  well  officered  army  of  regular  troops;, 
flushed  with  success,  while  the  majority  of. 
his  force  of  9,000  (or  9,500  as  the  highest! 
estimate  gives  it)  was  an  untrained  mass, 
poorly  armed,  officered  by  men  of  little  ex- 
perience and  disheartened  by  defeat.  The 
weather  on  the  28th  was  wet  and  disagreeable 


210 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


and  so  it  continued  to  be  on  the  29th,  and 
the  dull,  cheerless  sky  seemed  to  add  to  the 
■depression  of  the  troops  and  to  emphasize  the 
gloom  of  their  position. 

Possibly  the  weather  and  an  idea  that  the 
Continental  position  could  be  captured  at  any 
time  led  the  British  commanders  .to  delay  the 
final  part  of  their  work.  All  through  the 
28th  there  were  skirmishes  along  the  entire 
line.  In  the  afternoon  the  British  began  dig- 
ging trenches  and  raising  earthworks  within 


a  dense  fog,  and  this  continued  all  through 
the  day.  As  a  result,  inactivity  again  pre- 
vailed in  the  British  camp,  while  in  the  Amer- 
ican lines  the  vigilance  was  not  withdrawn 
for  a  moment.  That  vigilance  saved  the  army. 
In  the  forenoon  General  Mifflin,  in  company 
with  General  Reed,  Adjutant  General,  visited 
the  redoubt  on  Red  Hook.  While  there  the  fog 
lifted  a  little  over  the  harbor  and  the  Amer- 
ican officers  saw  the  British  fleet  at  anchor, 
but  noticed  that  an  unusual  degree  of  com- 


THE    RETREAT   FROM    LONG    ISLAND,   AUGUST   29,   1776. 


500  yards  of  the  American  position,  evidently 
with  a  view  of  bringing  up  their  entire  force 
there  and  making  a  decisive  attack  on  the  de- 
fences. Nothing  shows  the  weakness  of 
Washington's  forces  clearer  than  the  fact  that 
he  permitted  this  proceeding  to  go  on  un- 
molested, and  when  night  fell  the  contending 
armies  were  thus  brought  close  together  with 
the  apparent  certainty  that  the  next  day  would 
•develop  important  events. 

But  the  morning  of  the  29th  found  the 
island,  or  at  least  that  portion  of  it  which 
formed  the  scene  of  operations,  covered  with 


munication  was  passing  between  the  vessels 
and  the  shore.  It  seemed  as  though  some 
important  movement  was  about  to  commence 
and  they  concluded  it  to  be  a  descent  upon 
New  York  by  the  East  River,  which  could 
easily  be  accomplished  as  soon  as  the  fog  was 
dissipated,  if  the  wind  continued  to  hold  as 
it  then  did. 

This  was  the  movement  regarding  which 
Washington  was  most  concerned  from  the 
beginning.  Could  the  British  vessels  silence 
the  paltry  battery  at  Red  Hook  and,  passing 
the   fort  at  the   Battery,   sail   into   the  East 


THE    RETREAT    FROM    LONG    ISLAND. 


211 


River  and  lie  off  the  shore  of  Long  Island, 
his  entire  force  would  be  caught  in  a  trap 
from  which  there  seemed  no  possible  hope  of 
escape.  In  the  afternoon  the  rain  descended 
incessantly,  and  in  places  the  Patriots  had 
to  "stand  up  to  their  middles  in  water."  Cook- 
ing was  out  of , the  question  and  the  men  were 
compelled  to  take  up  with  the  unaccustomed 
fare  of  hard  biscuits  and  raw  pork.  "We 
had  no  tents  to  screen  us  from  the  pitiless  pelt- 
ing, nor  if  we  had  them  would  it  have  com- 
ported with  the  incessant  vigilance  required 
to  have  availed  ourselves  of  them." 

These  extracts  from  letters  vyritten  by  par- 
ticipants in  the  fight  in  the  American  lines 
show  how  illy  prepared  the  latter  would  have 
been  had  the  British  engaged  them  in  any  de- 
termined assault.  Indeed,  although  in  many 
of  the  skirmishes  the  enemy  were  beaten  back, 
it  was  quite  plain  to  Washington  that  on  the 
whole  the  British  were  steadily  strengthening 
their  position  all  along  the  line.  Indeed,  on  the 
morning  of  the  29th  they  held,  after  hard 
fighting  and  several  repulses,  a  breastwork 
only  about  150  rods  from  Fort  Putnam. 

This  test  of  strength  had  forced  Washing- 
ton to  the  conclusion  that  the  line,  even  under 
the  most  favorable  conditions  possible,  could 
not  be  held,  and  the  news  brought  by  General 
Mifflin  showed  him  the  immediate  danger  of 
the  British  fleet  getting  between  him  and  his 
only  avenue  of  escape,  that  by  way  of  New 
York.  At  first  it  seems  that  Washington 
really  thought  he  might  hold  the  lines,  but 
events  had  carried  him  to  a  different  con- 
clusion and  he  hoped  to  use  the  fog  as  a 
means  of  aiding  in  the  scheme  he  had  now 
thought  out  of  carrying  his  entire  force  away 
to  a  position  whence  they  could  carry  on  the 
war  with  greater  chances  of  success.  Hastily 
summoning  a  council  of  war  to  meet  at  the 
residence  of  Philip  Livingston  on  Hicks  street, 
near  Joralamon  street,  he  laid  his  plan  before 
the  assembled  officers.  These  included  Major 
Generals  Putnam  and  Spencer,  and  Brigadier 
Generals  Mififlin,  McDougall,  Parsons,  Scott, 
Wadsworth  and  Fellows.    The  proposition  to 


retreat  was  presented  to  the  auditors  by  Gen- 
eral Mifflin,  with  the  following  array  of  rea- 
sons; 

1.  The  defeat  on  the  27th. 

2.  The  loss  in  officers  and  men  on  that 
occasion  had  discouraged  the  troops. 

3.  The  rain  had  injured  the  arms  and 
ammunition  and  the  men  were  so  worn  out 
by  privation  that  they  could  not  do  effective 
work  on  the  defenses. 

4.  The  enemy  were  endeavoring  to  get 
control  of  the  East  River. 

5.  ■  There  were  no  obstructions  sunk  be- 
tween Long  and  Governor's  Islands  to  pre- 
vent the  passage  of  ships. 

6.  The  actual  weakness  of  the  lines.  The 
redoubts  were  strong,  but  the  general  works 
were  weak,  being  abattised  with  brush  in  most 
places. 

7.  The  divided  state  of  the  army  made 
a  defense  precarious. 

8.  Several  British  men  of  war  had  made 
their  way  iato  Flushing  Bay  from  the  Sound 
and  with  their  assistance  the  enemy  could  land 
a  force  in  Westchester  county  and  gain  the 
American  rear  near  King's  Bridge. 

After  a  long  discussion,  in  which  the  idea 
of  retreat  was  at  first  apparently  scouted  by 
many  of  the  Generals,  the  reasons  above 
briefly  stated  were'  fully  considered,  with  the 
result  that  the  decision  was  finally  unanimous 
in  favor  of  evacuating  Long  Island. 

The  fact,  however,  seems  to  be  that  from 
the  time  he  received  General  Mifflin's  report 
of  the  seeming  movement  of  the  British  fleet, 
Washington  determined  upon  effecting  a  re- 
treat, deeming  that  the  movement  had  became 
imperative.     Even  while  the  council  was  in 


*There  is  some  uncertainty  as  to  where  this  council 
was  held.  The  authority  for  its  taking  place  in  the  Liv- 
ingston house  is  a  letter  written  by  General  John  Morin 
Scott,  who  was  present,  to  John  Jay,  dated  Sept.  6,  1776. 
Some  antiquaries  have  indicated  the  old  Dutch  Church 
as  the  scene  of  the  meeting  while  others  have  asserted 
that  the  old  Pierrepont  mansion,  which  stood  on  what  is 
now  the  line  of  Montague  street.  General  Scott's  evi- 
dence, however,  seems  to  settle  the  question. 


212 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


session  preparations  for  the  movement  had 
begun.  Every  boat  possible  was  ordered  to 
the  lower  portion  of  the  East  River  and  As- 
sistant Quartermaster  Hughes  at  New  York 
was  instructed  to  "impress  every  kind  of  water 
craft  from  Hell  Gate  on  the  Sound  to  Spuyten 
Duyvil  creek  that  could  be  kept  afloat  and 
that  had  either  sails  or  oars,  and  have  them 
all  in  the  east  harbor  of  the  citv  by  dark." 
These  orders  were  so  well  carried  out  that  by 
nightfall  quite  a  flotilla  lay  off  the  Brooklyn 
shore  in  readiness  to  approach  it.  An  order 
was  given  about  6  o'clock  for  the  troops  to 
get  in  readiness  for  a  night  attack,  as  it  was 
not  deemed  prudent  to  trust  to  anything  that 
might  cause  word  of  the  evacuation  to  reach 
the  enemy,  for  there  were,  it  was  feared,  many 
spies  within  the  lines.  The  weary  and  be- 
draggled troopers  were  astonished,  even  dis- 
mayed, at  the  order,  but  all  responded  with 
a  readiness  that  was  worthy  of  veterans.  This 
device  enabled  the  commander  to  enjoin  ab- 
solute silence  on  the  part  of  the  troops  and 
to  make  it  easy  to  transfer  portions  from  one 
post  seemingly  to  another,  without  question. 
Another  ruse  was  that  reinforcements  were 
expected  from  New  Jersey  and  that  an  equal 
number  of  those  who  had  been  fighting  since 
Ihe  landing  of  the  British  would  be  trans- 
ferred to  New  Jersey  in  their  place.  By  7 
o'clock  all  the  troops  were  ordered  to  parade 
with  arms  and  accoutrements  in  front  of  their 
encampments,  leaving  on  active  duty  only 
those  who  were  manning  the  forts  and  guard- 
ing the  lines.  When  darkness  fell  the  move- 
ment commenced,  and  as  the  night  was  par- 
ticularly gloomy  everything  favored  the 
scheme  and  a  splendid  beginning  was  made. 
The  militia  and  raw  troops  were  the  first 
to  cross  at  what  is  now  Fulton  Ferry,  and 
General  McDougall  superintended  the  de- 
parture. About  9  o'clock  the  rain  fell  in  tor- 
rents and  the  wind  changed,  making  it  im- 
possible to  use  sails,  and  only  row-boats  could 
be  utilized.  At  this  rate  it  was  only  a  mat- 
ter of  calculation  to    know  that    the  troops 


could  not  get  away  before  daylight.  Mc- 
Dougall dispatched  an  aide  to  find  Washing- 
ton and  inform  him  of  the  trouble,  but  was 
unable  to  locate  him  and  returned  without  the 
chief.  About  1 1  o'clock  the  wind  took  another 
change,  a  most  fortunate  one,  and  permitted 
every  sort  of  craft  to  be  pushed  into  the 
service.  No  time  was  now  to  be  lost  and 
some  of  the  smaller  boats  were  loaded  down  to 
within  three  inches  of  the  water.  But  no 
accident  occurred  and  each  vessel  delivered  its 
human  cargo  safe  in  Manhattan. 

The  most  awkward  blunder  occurred  on 
the  forts.  General  Mifflin,  at  his  own  request, 
had  been  assigned  to  cover  the  retreat,  and 
the  troops  in  his  division  were  accordingly 
to  remain  on  the  lines  to  the  last.  About  2 
o'clock  in  the  morning  one  of  Washington's 
aides  mistakenly  carried  a  message  to  Mifflin 
to  withdraw,  and,  gathering  his  troops  to- 
gether, that  hero  left  the  lines  and  marched 
his  men  down  the  main  road  to  the  ferry. 
On  their  way  they  were  met  by  Washing- 
ton, who  expressed  the  utmost  dismay  and 
declared  unless  the  division  marched  back  and 
remained  on  the  lines  the  entire  movement 
would  fail.  Without  even  a  murmur  of  dis- 
sent the  troops  returned  to  their  posts  and 
awaited  the  call  calmly,  although  they  ex- 
pected that  it  would  be  daylight  before  their 
turn  should  come,  and  they  well  knew  that  as- 
soon  as  the  enemy  discovered  the  condition 
of  things  their  position  would  be  a  most 
perilous  one.  The  order  for  their  retreat  was- 
not  given  until  the  sound  of  shovel  and  pick- 
axe showed  that  the  British  were  already  at 
work  on  their  entrenchments.  Fortunately 
the  fog  was  particularly  dense  at  that  time 
and  enveloped  the  whole  of  the  scene  of  op- 
erations, and  so  the  gallant  reserves  silently 
left  the  lines  and  got  down  to  the  ferry  in 
safety.  Then  they  were  joined  by  Washing- 
ton and  one  of  the  last  boats  carried  across  to- 
New  York  that  intrepid  hero,  the  Father  of 
the  Nation. 

One  of  the  British  patrols  discovered  the- 


THE    RETREAT    FROM    LONG    ISLAND. 


213 


empty  lines  not  very  long  after  Mifflin's 
troops  had  left,  but  the  report  was  hardly 
credited  at  first,  and  by  the  time  it  was  con- 
firmed most  of  the  American  force,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  four  stragglers  who  were  captured, 
as  they  deserved  to  be,  was  safe  on  Manhattan 
with  the  open  country  behind.  Every  detail 
was  carried  on  in  the  most  masterly  manner 
and  even  many  of  the  American  troops  on 
landing  were  unaware  that  they  had  taken 
part  in  a  wholesale  evacuation  and  imagined 
they  were  only  part  of  a  command  that  had 
been  relieved.  But  all  knew  the  danger  of 
their  position  in  Brooklyn  and  were  glad  to  es- 
cape from  its  shores. 

Throughout  the  country  itself  this  most 
successful  and  difficult  movement  did  not 
•arouse  the  confidence  in  the  courage  of  the 
troops  and  the  ability  of  its  officers  which  it 
deserved.  It  was  simply  regarded  as  the  nat- 
ural conclusion  to  the  defeat  of  the  27th,  but 
military  critics  from  then  have  been  most 
unstinted  in  its  praise,  and  now  that  we  can 
review  the  situation  calmly  and  correctly  it  is 
everywhere  conceded  to  have  been  one  of  the 
noblest  military  achievements  of  him  whose 
genius  in  the  field  made  the  Declaration  of 


Independence  a  real,  enduring  and  valid  in- 
strument. 

With  the  passage  of  the  Continental  troops 
across  the  East  River  the  story  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary 'campaign  on  Long  Island  neces- 
sarily closes.  It  is  not  in  keeping  with  the 
scope  of  this  work  to  follow  the  progress  of 
the  Continental  troops,  to  describe  the  suc- 
ceeding battles  around  New  York  City,  by  the 
result  of  which  Washington  was  compelled  to 
abandon  Manhattan  Island,  and  finally,  after 
fighting  an  indecisive  battle  at  White  Plains, 
to  abandon  Fort  George  and  Harlem  Heights 
and  leave  New  York  completely  in  the  hands 
of  the  British.  All  that  belongs  to  the  gen- 
eral history  of  the  Empire  State,  or  rather  of 
the  country  at  large. 

The  result  of  the  battle  of  Brooklyn,  so  far 
as  our  history  is  concerned,  was  to  leave  the 
British  in  full  control  of  Long  Island,  and  so  it 
remained  along  with  Manhattan  Island  until 
the  conclusion  of  hostilities  in  1783,  when  the 
British  army,  by  tarms  of  the  treaty  of  peace, 
sailed  out  of  New  York  harbor  and  the  Stars 
and  Stripes  were  hoisted  on  the  historic  Bat- 
tery, the  scene  of  so  many  stirring  and  mem- 
orable events. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 


THE     BRITISH     OCCUPATION. 


S  soon  as  the  British  realized  that  the 
Hnes  had  been  evacuated  no  time  was 
lost  in  taking  possession,  and  but  for 
a  coolness,  or  lack  of  coherence, 
rather,  between  the  different  commanders,  it 
is  hard  to  say  what  damage  might  not  have 
been  done  to  the  American  troops,  a  few  of 
whom  even  then  were  at  the  ferry  and  many 
on  the  water.  As  it  was,  some  of  the  guns 
left  unspiked  on  Fort  Stirling  were  turned 
against  the  fugitives  in  the  boats,  but  happily 
with  no  eiifect  other  than  in  some  instances  to 
add  to  the  confusion  always  ready  to  spring 
up  on  such  occasions. 

The  British  could  not  pursue.  They  had 
not  the  means  momentarily  at  hand,  and  at 
that  junction  the  question  was  one  of  minutes 
rather  than  hours.  Then  the  movement  was 
so  complete  that  it  was  difficult  for  some  time 
fully  to  recognize  its  extent.  Fort  Stirling 
was  regarded  in  both  armies  as  the  key  to 
the  position,  as  from  it  the  then  city  of  New 
York  could  be  cannonaded,  and  that  movement 
was  expected  to  take  place  as  soon  as  guns 
could  be  brought  into  position.  But  the  Brit- 
ish had  no  desire  to  destroy  New  York. 
They  wished  its  possession,  regarded  it  as 
the  main  point  in  the  then  campaign,  and  its 
retention  as  the  best  possible  basis  for  all 
future  operations.  Bi;sides,  there  was  even 
yet  the  chance  of  capturing  the  Continental 
army  in  a  fresh  trap  equal  to  that  from  which 
such  a  miraculous  escape  had  been  made  in 
Brooklyn.  So  the  British  contented  them- 
selves with  stretching  their  forces  along  the 


shore  overlooking  Manhattan  and  the  Harlem, 
threatening  every  point  at  which  a  landing 
could  be  made  or  a  defense  officered.  For 
several  days  General  Washington  was  in  a 
constant  state  of  anxiety ;  many  of  his  raw 
troops  had  become  disheartened  and  hun- 
dreds deserted,  even  entire  companies  return- 
ing to  their  homes.  But  his  main  trouble  was 
the  absence  of  information  from  the  British 
lines.  For  once  the  prevalent  spy  system  ut- 
terly failed,  the  strip  of  water  could  be  so 
effectually  guarded,  and  while  counselling  his 
Adjutant  General  of  the  necessity  for  keeping 
a  close  look  all  along  the  shore  for  any  un- 
common movements,  said:  "I  should  much 
approve  of  small  harassing  parties  stealing, 
as  it  were,  over  in  the  night,  as  they  might 
keep  the  enemy  alarmed,  and  more  than  prob- 
ably bring  off  a  prisoner  from  whom  some 
valuable   information  may  be  obtained." 

Washington  claimed  that  he  could  hold 
New  York  against  any- attack  which  might 
be  made  upon  it  provided  "the  men  would  do 
their  duty;"  but  this  he  finally  admitted  was 
doubtful,  and  he  decided  to  acquiesce  in  the 
desire  of  his  associates  and  abandon  the  city. 
Many  of  the  leaders  were  in  favor  of  not 
only  evacuation  but  destruction,  and  for  this 
Nathanael  Greene  (who  by  this  time  had  re- 
covered from  his  illness)  and  John  Jay  were 
particularly  outspoken.  Washington  was  op- 
posed to  destruction,  but  referred  the  entire 
question  to  Congress,  and  that  body  decided 
against  such  a  measure  as  "they  had  no  doubt 
of  being  able  to  recover  it  even  though  the 


THE    BRITISH    OCCUPATION. 


215 


enemy  should  obtain  possession  of  it  for  a 
time."  On  September  12th  evacuation  was 
finally  decided  upon,  the  stores  and  sick  were 
at  once  moved  to  the  Heights,  across  the 
Harlem  River,  and  on  the  evening  of  the  14th 
Washington  established  his  headquarters  at 
the  Morris  Mansion,  at  what  is  now  One 
Hundred  and  Sixty-first  street  on  the  main- 
land across  the  Harlem  River.  On  the  isth 
the  British  were  in  full  possession  of  old  New 
York  City  and  in  control  of  the  whole  of 
Manhattan  Island,  but  not  without  meeting 
with  a  sturdy  opposition,  although  many  of 
the  Continental  levies  retired  in  wild  con- 
fusion. But  the  details  of  what  happened  in 
New  York  on  that  eventful  day  need  not  be 
recounted  here.  Our  main  concern  is  with 
the  fact  that  on  it  the  main  force  of  the 
British  army  left  Long  Island,  which  was 
then  turned  over  to  the  military  rule  of  a  de- 
tachment of  some  5,000  men. 

We  may  now  pause  here  for  a  while,  in 
the  course  of  this  chapter,  and  attempt  to 
estimate  the  active  support  which  the  Con- 
inental  army  had,  up  to  this  time,  received 
from  Long  Island.  As  has  doubtless  already 
been  gleaned  from  what  has  been  written  in 
these  pages,  both  Kings  and  Queens  counties 
were  regarded  by  the  leaders  of  the  Conti- 
nentals as  disaffected,  as  being  mainly  in- 
habited by  Tories,  while  Suffolk  county  was 
deemed  much  more  loyal,  although  its  situa- 
tion interfered  with  the  full  development  of 
its  loyalty.  At  the  same  time  the  three  coun- 
ties were  represented  all  through  the  struggle 
on  the  forces  which  fought  for  the  new  na- 
tion. The  Continental  Congress  made  three 
calls  upon  New  York  for  military  assistance, 
the  first  in  1775,  the  second  early  in  1776, 
and  the  third  in  the  summer  of  that  memor- 
able year.  Beyond  the  names  of  most  of  the 
officers  little  has  been  preserved  of  the  ex- 
tent to  which  the  first  two  calls  were  any- 
where answered,  and  on  Long  Island  espe- 
cially the  returns  are  exceedingly  meagre. 
But  enough  remains  to  show  that  the  spirit 
of  liberty  dwelt  among  the  people,  and  that 


it  found  expression,  even  in  Kings  and  Queens 
counties,  by  sending  substantial  additions  tO' 
the  fighting  forces  in  answer  to  the  Congres- 
sional calls.  Suffolk  was  patriotic  clear 
through,  although  the  Tories  there  were  nu- 
merous and  demonstrative.  In  estimating  the 
strength  of  the  representation  of  Long 
Island  in  the  Continental  armies,  its  peculiar 
situation  should  be  remembered,  and  espe- 
cially the  fact  that  from  the  summer  of  1776 
until  the  close  of  hostilities  it  was  practically 
a  British  fortress. 

The  officers  of  a  regiment  of  Long  Island 

militia  were  commissioned   in   Kings   county 

March  11,  1776,  presumably  in  answer  to  the 

-  second  call.     They  were  at  first  as  follows : 

Colonel,  Richard  Van  Brunt. 

Lieutenant  Colonel,  Nicholas  Covenhoven. 

First  Major,  Johannes  Titus. 

Second  Major,  John  Van  Der  Bilt. 

Adjutant,  George  Carpenter. 

Quartermaster,  Nicholas  Covenhoven. 

Companies : 

Light  Horse — Captain,  Adolph  Waldron ; 
Lieutenants,  William  Boerum,  Thomas  Ev- 
erett ;  Ensign,  Jacob  Sebring,  Jr. ;  Quarter- 
master, Isaac  Sebring. 

Troop  of  Horse — Captain,  Lambert  Suy- 
dam;  Lieutenants,  Daniel  Raplye  and  Jacob 
Bloom ;  Ensign,  Peter  Van  Der  Voort ;  Quar- 
termaster, Peter  Wykoff. 

Flatlands — Captain,  Jeremiah  Van  Der 
Bilt;  Lieutenants,  Albert  Stothoff  and  Thom- 
as Ellsworth;  Ensign,   Peter  Van   Der   Bilt. 

Gravesend — Captain,  Rem.  Williamson ; 
Lieutenants,  Samuel  Hubbard  and  Garret 
Williamson;  Ensign,  John  Lane. 

Brooklyn — Captain,  Barent  Johnson ;  Lieu- 
tenants, Barent  Leffarts  and  Joost  De  Be- 
voise:    Ensign,  Martin   Schenck. 

Brooklyn — Captain,  F,  Suydam ;  Lieu- 
tenants, Simon  Bergen  and  William  Brower; 
Ensign,  Jacob  Stillenwert. 

Flatbush — Captain,  Cornelius  Van  Der 
Veer;  Lieutenants,  Peter  Lefferts  and  John 
Van  Duyn ;  Ensign,  John  Bennem. 

Bushwick — Captain,  John  Titus ;  Lieu- 
tenants, Abraham  Van  Ranst  and  Peter  Col- 
yer;  Ensign,  John  Skillman. 

New  Utrecht — Captain,  Abraham  Van 
Brunt ;  Lieutentots,  Ad'n  Hegeman  and  Har- 
manus  Barkulo;  Ensign,  William  Barre. 


216 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


No  roster  exists  as  to  the  names  of  the 
non-commissioned  officers  and  privates  in  this 
regiment;  all  such  details  seem  to  have  been 
lost  except  that  of  the  two  cavalry  troops. 
The  record  of  thisi  regiment,  the  infantry 
section  of  it  at  all  events,  does  not  seem  to 
have  been  a  very  creditable  one.  Most  of  the 
men  were  really  forced  into  the  service  and 
they  seem  to  have  left  it  as  soon  as  possible. 
Its  strength  does  not  appear  to  have  exceeded 
250  men,  and  even  before  the  landing  of  the 
British  some  fifty  of  these  had  deserted. 
Henry  P.  Johnston  estimates  that  the  regiment, 
then  under  command  of  Colonel  Jeronimus 
Remsen,  paraded  200  strong  on  the  morning 
of  the  battle  of  Brooklyn. 

They  were  mainly  employed  in  fatigue 
duty  after  a  brief  experience  in  sterner  de- 
tails, and  on  August  24  General  Sullivan  held 
them  up  to  ridicule  in  an  order  then  issued, 
in  which  he  said,  "The  General  is  sorry  to 
find  that  regiment  flying  from  their  posts, 
when  timid  women  would  have  blushed  to  have 
betrayed  any  sign  of  fear  at  anything  this  regi- 
ment discovered  at  the  time  of  their  flight." 

After  the  battle  of  Long  Island  the  total 
strength  was  still  further  reduced,  mainly  by 
desertion,  to  about  150.  These  took  part  in 
the  evacuation  of  the  city  and  crossed  to  Man- 
hattan under  Captain  (then  Major)  Barent 
Johnson  of  the  Brooklyn  Company,  but  soon 
after  reaching  Harlem  most  of  them  deserted 
and  returned  to  Long  Island.  Major  John- 
son, however,  proved  a  gallant  officer  and 
took  part  in  the  battles  of  Harlem  and  White 
Plains.  He  remained  with  the  Continental 
army  until  his  health  gave  way,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Binooklyn. 

Of  the  Queens  county  troops  still  less  is 
known,  and  the  following  list  of  officers  of 
companies  is  all  we  have  been  able  to  trace. 
It  is  doubtful  if  these  companies  were  ever, 
even  temporarily,  united  into  a  regiment: 

Great  Neck  and  Cow  Neck  Company — 
Captain,  John  Sands  (appointed  October  12, 
1775)  ;   First  Lieutenant,  Henry  Allen    (de- 


clined) ;  Second  Lieutenant,  Thomas  Mitchell 
(promoted  First  Lieutenant  March  8,  1776, 
vice  Allen) ;  Ensign,  Aspinwall  Cornwell 
(Cornell)  (promoted  Second  Lieutenant,  vice 
Mitchell) ;  Andrew  Onderdonk,  appointed 
April  15,  1776. 

New  Town  District,  Southermost  Beat 
—Captain,  Abraham  Remsen;  First  Lieuten- 
ant, Benjamin  Coe  (Captain  June  17,  1776); 
Second  Lieutenant,  Robert  Furman  (First 
Lieutenant  June  17,  1776) ;  Ensign,  Benjamin 
North  (Second  Lieutenant  June  17,  1776); 
Jonah  Hallett  (June  18,  1776). 

New  Town  District,  North  Beat — Cap- 
tain, Jon'n  Lawrence  (promoted  Brigadier 
Major) ;  First  Lieutenant,  William  Hackett; 
Second  Lieutenant,  William  Lawrence  (pro- 
moted Captain  August  14,  1776) ;  Ensign, 
Jesse  Warner. 

Light  Horse  Company — Captain,  Richard 
Lawrence  (resigned  on  account  of  ill  health) ; 
First  Lieutenant,  Daniel  Lawrence  (promoted 
Captain)  ;  Second  Lieutenant,  Samuel  Riker 
(promoted  First  Lieutenant) ;  Cornet,  Jon'n 
Coe '  ( superseded  by  Jon'n  Lawrence) ;  Quar- 
termaster, Peter  Rapalje.  Original  commis- 
sions issued  May  10,  1776. 

Flushing  Company — Captain,  Nathaniel 
Tom;  First  Lieutenant,  Matthias  Van  Dyck; 
Second  Lieutenant,  Jeffry  Hicks;  Ensign, 
Nich's  Van  Dyck.  All  commissioned  June  8, 
1776. 

Jamaica  Company  —  Captain,  Ephraim 
Baylies;  First  Lieutenant,  Increase  Carpen- 
ter ;  Second  Lieutenant,  Abraham  Vanausdale ; 
Ensign,  Othniel  Smith.  All  commissioned 
March  27,  1776. 

While  some  of  these  companies  were  rep- 
resented in  the  battle  of  Long  Island  and  the 
movements  preparatory  thereto,  there  is  no 
trace  remaining  as  to  what  they  did.  It  has 
been  claimed  that  some  of  them  did  outpost 
duty  at  the  passes,  but  the  fair  inference  un- 
der all  the  circumstances  is  that  they  were  by 
that  time  practically  broken  up  and  that 
Queens  county  was  represented  by  only  a  few 
of  the  officers  named,  among  them  being  Cap- 
tain Jonathan  Lawrence,  who  was  appointed 
Major  of  General  Woodhull's  (Long  Island) 
brigade. 

Suffolk  county  showed  a  much  better  and 
certainly  a  much  more    agreeable  and  com- 


THE    BRITISH    OCCUPATION. 


21( 


mendable  record,  though  even  in  that  section 
of  the  island  there  was  a  strong  pro-British 
sentiment  which  rendered  recruiting  or  con- 
scription difficult.  The  roster  from  this  coun- 
ty, taken,  as  were  the  preceding  lists,  from 
"New  York  in  the  Revolution"  by  Berthold 
Fernow,  is  as  follows : 

FIRST  REGIMENT. 

Colonel — William  Floyd  of  St.  George's 
Manor,  vice  Piatt  Conkling  (who  declined). 

Lieutenant  Colonel — Dr.  Gilbert  Potter,  of 
Huntington. 
I        First  Major — Nathan  Woodhull,  of  Brook- 
■  haven. 

Second  Major — Edmund  Smith,  Jr.,  of 
Smithtown. 

Adjutant — Philipp  Roe,  of  Brookhaven. 

Quartermaster — James  Roe,  of  Brook- 
haven. 

Huntington  and  Smithtown  Companies. — 
Captain  John  Wickes;  First  Lieutenant, 
Epenetus  Conckling;  Second  Lieutenant, 
Jonah  Wood ;  Ensign,  Ebenezer  Prime  Wood. 

Captain,  Jesse  Brush;  First  Lieutenant, 
Jon'n  Titus;  Second  Lieutenant,  Phillipp 
Conckling;  Ensign,  Joseph  Titus. 

Captain,  Timothy  Carll;  First  Lieutenant, 
Gilbert  Fleet;  Second  Lieutenant,  Joel  Scud- 
der;  Ensign,  Nath'l  Buffet,  Jr. 

First  Brookhaven  —  Captain,  Samuel 
Thompson;  First  Lieutenant,  Ab'm  Wood- 
hull  ;  Second  Lieutenant,  Isaac  Davis ;  Ensign, 
David  Satterly.    Commissioned  September  13, 

1775- 

Second  Brookhaven — Captain,  Eben'r  Mil- 
ler; First  Lieutenant,  Caleb  Woodhull;  Sec- 
ond Lieutenant,  James  Davis ;  Ensign,  Davis 
Davis.    Commissioned  September  13,  1775. 

Third  Brookhaven  —  Captain,  William 
Brewster ;  First  Lieutenant,  Isaac  Davis ;  Sec- 
ond Lieutenant,  Uriah  Smith;  Ensign,  Benj'm 
Woodhull.  Commissioned  September  13, 
1775- 

Smithtown  — ■  Captain,  Philetus  Smith ; 
First  Lieutenant,  Ednund  Smith,  Jr. ;  Second 
Lieutenant,  Daniel  Tillotson ;  Ensign,  Richard 
Smith.     Commissioned  September   13,    1775. 

Islip  (formed  from  east  part  of  Smith- 
town  and  west  part  of  Southampton) — Cap- 
tain, Benijah  Strong;  First  Lieutenant,  Jere- 
miah Terry ;  Second  Lieutenant,  Samuel  Oak- 


ley ;  Ensign,  Annen  Mowbrey.  Commissioned 
February  13,  1776. 

Southold — Captain,  Nathan  Rose;  First 
Lieutenant,  Hugh  Smith;  Second  Lieutenant, 
David  Fanning;  Ensign,  John  Smith.  Com- 
missioned September   13,   1775. 

Changes  in  the  regiment: 

December  12,  1775,  Jon'n  Titus,  Captain 
of  the  Second  Company,  vice  Jesse  Brush,  pro- 
moted Major;  Joshua  Rogers,  First  Lieuten- 
ant, and  Thomas  Brush,  Second  Lieutenant. 

February  7  and  8,  1776,  Piatt  Neil  (Vail), 
Captain  Cow  Harbour  or  Fifth  Huntington 
Company:  Michael  Hart,  First  Lieutenant; 
Isaac  Dennis,  Second  Lieutenant;  Jacob 
Concklin,  Ensign ;  John  Buffet,  Captain. 
South  or  Fourth  Huntington  Company:  Isaac 
Thompson,  First  Lieutenant;  Zebulon  Ketch- 
um.  Second  Lieutenant ;  Joseph  Ketchum,  En- 
sign. 

A  return  of  this  regiment,  dated  April  5, 
1776,  gives  the  following  changes: 

Majors  Jesse  Brush  and  Jeffry  Smith; 
Quartermaster  John  Roe;  Captain  Samuel 
Tomson ;  Capt.  Eben'r  Miller ;  Capa.  Nathan 
Rose,  Capt.  Wm.  Brewster,  Capt.  Philetus 
Smith,  Capt.  Joshua  Rogers,  Capt.  Epenetus 
Conckling,  Capt.  Joel  Scudder,  Capt.  John 
Buffet,  Capt.  Piatt  Vail,  Capt.  Gilbert  Carle, 
Capt.  Benijah  Strong. 

SECOND   REGIMENT. 

This  regiment  was  authorized  to  be  raised 
early  in  1776,  and  there  seems  to  have  been  no 
difficulty  in  filling  up  its  ranks.  The  official 
record  gives  the  following  details : 

Colonel,  David  Mulford. 

Lieutenant  Colonel,  Jon'n  Hedges. 

First  Major,  Urial  Rogers. 

Second  Major,  George  Herrick. 

Adjutant,  John  Gelston. 

Quartermaster,  Phinias  Howell. 

Sergt.  Major,  Lemuel  Peirson. 

Drum  Major,  Elias  Mathews. 

These  officers  were  so  returned  February 
10,  1776, 

A  return  of  the  names  of  the  persons  for 
the  officers  of  the  Second  Battalion  in  Suffolk 
county  taken  according  to  the  directions  of 
the  Provincial  Congress  by  the  Committee  of 
Easthampton  and  Southampton: 


218 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


First  Company — Captain,  David  Howell; 
First  Lieutenant,  Jeremiah  Post ;  Second  Lieu- 
tenant, Paul  Jones;  Ensign,  Zaphaniah  Rog- 
ers. 

Second  Company — Captain,  John  Dayton; 
First  Lieutenant,  Isaac  Mulford  Hunting; 
Second  Lieutenant,  John  Miller,  Jr. ;  Ensign, 
Wm.  Heges. 

Third  Company — Captain,  David  Pierson ; 
First  Lieutenant,  Daniel  Heges ;  Second  Lieu- 
tenant, David  Sayre;  Ensign,  Theophilus 
Peirson. 

Fourth  Company — Captain,  David  Fithen ; 
First  Lieutenant,  Samuel  Conckling;  Second 
Lieutenant,  Thomas  Baker;  Ensign,  Daniel 
Conckling. 

Fifth  Company — Captain  Stephen  Howell ; 
First  Lieutenant,  John  White,  Jr. ;  Second 
Lieutenant,  Lemuel  Wick;  Ensign,  Isaiah 
Hallsey. 

Sixth  Company — Captain,  Wm.  Rogers; 
First  Lieutenant,  Jesse  Halsey :  Second  Lieu- 
tenant, Henry  Halsey ;  Ensign,  Nath'l  Rogers. 

Seventh  Company — Captain,  Josiah  How- 
ell ;  First  Lieutenant,  Nathaniel  Howell ;  Sec- 
ond Lieutenant,  Mathew  Howell;  Ensign, 
Wm.   Stephens. 

Eighth  Company — Captain,  Samuel  L'- 
Hommedieu;  First  Lieutenant,  Silas  Jessup; 
Second  Lieutenant,  Edward  Conckling;  En- 
sign, Daniel  Fordham. 

Ninth  Company — Captain,  John  Sandford ; 
First  Lieutenant,  Edward  Topping;  Second 
Lieutenant,  Phillipp  Howell ;  Ensign,  John 
Hildreth.  Commissions  issued  September  13, 
1775- 

THIRD    REGIMENT. 

A  third  regiment  of  Suffolk  county  is  men- 
tioned and  commissions  were  issued  to  of- 
ficers of  the  same,  but  no  record  of  its  roster 
has  been  found  except  the  following: 

Captain,  Israel  Scudder;  First  Lieutenant, 
Nath'l  Buffet;  Second  Lieutenant,  Epenetus 
Smith ;  Ensign,  John  Hart.  Commissioned 
December  12,  1775,  for  Third  Company,  Third 
Regiment. 

First  Lieutenant,  Ednund  Howell;  Second 
Lieutenant,  Selah  Reeve;  Ensign,  James 
Wells.  Commissioned  June  29,  1776,  for  Sec- 
ond Company,  Third  Regiment. 

REGIMENT   OF   MINUTE   MEN. 

Colonel,  Josiah  Smith ;  Lieutenant  Colonel' 
John  Hulbert;  First  Major,  Isaac  Reeve;  Sec- 


ond Major,  Jon'n  Baker;  Adjutant,  Ephraim 
Marvin  (April  4,  1776,  vice  Isaac  Overton, 
declined)  ;  Quartermaster,  Eben'r  Dayton. 

Easthampton  Company — Captain,  Ezekiel 
Mulford;  First  Lieutenant,  John  Miller;  Sec- 
ond Lieutenant,  Nath'l  Hand ;  Ensign, . 

Commissioned  February  23,  1776. 

First  Southampton  Company — Captain 
Zephaniah  Rogers;  First  Lieutenant,  Nath'l 
Howell,  Jr.;  Second  Lieutenant,  Mathew 
Sayer;  Ensign,  .  Commissioned  Feb- 
ruary 23,  1776. 

Second  Southampton  Company — Captain, 
David  Pierson ;  First  Lieutenant,  John  Foster, 
Jr.;  Second  Lieutenant,  Abraham  Rose;  En- 
sign, Edward  Topping.  Commissioned  Feb- 
ruary 23,  1776. 

First  Southold  Company — Captain,  John 
Bayley;  First  Lieutenant,  Joshua  Youngs; 
Second  Lieutenant,  John  Tuthill;  Ensign, 
James  Reeves.     Commissioned  May  3,  1776. 

Second  Southold  Company — Captain,  Paul 
Reeves ;  First  Lieutenant,  John  Corwin ;  Sec- 
ond Lieutenant,  David  Horton ;  Ensign, 
Nath'l  Hodson.     Commissioned  May  3,  1776. 

Brooli  haven,  Smithtown,  Manor  of  St. 
George  and  Moriches  Company — Captain, 
Selah  Strong;  First  Lieutenant,  Wm.  Clark; 
Second  Lieutenant,  Caleb  Brewster;  Ensign, 
Nath'l  Brewster.  Commissioned  April  4, 
1776. 

Artillery  Company — Captain,  Wm.  Rog- 
ers; Captain-Lieutenant,  John  Franks;  First 
Lieutenant,  Jeremiah  Rogers ;  Second  Lieu- 
tenant, Thos.  Baker;  Lieutenant  Fireworker, 
John  Tuthill.  Commissioned  February  20, 
1776. 

The  return  of  this  regiment  of  May  30, 
1776,  gives: 

Isaac  Overton,  Second  Major,  vice  Baker, 
and  Captains  Nath'l  Piatt  and  Thos.  Wicks, 
in  addition  to  above. 

Benjamin  Coe,  Captain,  mentioned  Octo- 
ber 9,  1776. 

Capt.  Wm.  Ludlum  and  Second  Lieuten- 
ant Ephraim  Marston,  mentioned  December  2, 
1776. 

None  of  the  Suffolk  county  troops  took 
part  in  the  battle  of  Brooklyn  with  the  ex- 
ception of  Colonel  Josiah  Smith's  regiment, 
which,  to  an  estimated  strength  of  250  men, 
was  massed  in  General  Woodhull's  brigade 
with  Remsen's  regiment.  But  there  is  plenty 
of  evidence  that  many  of  them  were  employed 


THE    BRITISH    OCCUPATION. 


219' 


on  outpost  or  picket  duty.  One  writer  tells  us, 
for  instance,  that  Colonel  Floyd's  "military 
services  were  confined  to  heading  a  detach- 
ment of  militia  that  was  suddenly  called  to 
repel  a  boat  invasion  from  a  British  ship  at 
the  outset  of  the  war;"  but  the  Suffolk 
Patriots  were  ready  to  do  their  duty  when 
called  upon  and  gave  many  evidences  of  that. 
In  "New  York  in  the  Revolution,"  by 
Comptroller  James  A.  Roberts,  Albany,  1898, 
the  roster  of  another  Suffolk  county  regiment 
of  minutemen  (there  called  the  Third)  is 
given  as  follows: 

Colonel,  Thomas  Terry ;  Captain,  Jonathan 
Bailey;  Lieutenants,  John  Tuthill,  Joshua 
Young;  Ensign,  James  Reeves. 

ENLISTED    MEN. 


Beebe,  Lester 
Booth,  Prosper 
Brown,  Daniel 
Brown,  James 
Conkling,  Nathaniel 
Demmon,  Jonathan 
Dickerson,  Nathaniel 
Drake,  Richard 
Gardaner,  James 
Glover,  Ezekiel 
Goldsmith,  John 
Griffing,  Peter 
Havens,  John 
Hemsted,  Thomas 
Horton,  Benjamin 
Horton,  Calvin 
Horton,  David 
Horton,  James 
King,  Benjamin 
King,  Jeremiah 
King,  John 
King,  Jonathan 
Newbury,  Samuel 
Overton,  Aaron 
Pain,  Benjamin 
Prince,  Thomas 


Racket,  Absalom  K. 
Racket,  Noah 
Rogers,  William 
Roghers,  William 
Salmon,  Joshua 
Salmon,  Jonathan 
Tabor,  Ammon 
Tabor,  Frederick 
Terry,  David 
Terry,  Elijah,  Jr 
Terry,  Thomas 
Truman,  David 
Truman,  Jonathan 
Tuthill,  Christopher 
Tuthill,  David 
Tuthill,  James,  Jr. 
Vail,  Benjamin,  Jr. 
Vail,  Daniel 
Vail,  Elisha 
Vail,  Jonathan 
Vail,  Thomas 
Wells,  Jonathan 
Wiggins,  David 
Wiggins,  William 
Youngs,  John 
Youngs,  Joseph 


This,  of  course,  can  hardly  be  called  a 
regiment  and  seems  merely  to  have  been, 
judging  from  the  names  of  the  officers,  the 
First  Southold  Company  in  Colonel  Josiah 
Smith's  regiment.  Why  such  a  company 
should  possess  a  colonel  is  hard  to  say.  The 
records   of  the  Revolutionary   forces   in   this 


State  even  after  the  reverent  care  bestowed 
upon  them  during  the  past  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury are  still  very  imperfect. 

Before  leaving  the  subject  of  the  personnel' 
of  the  troops  furnished  by  Long  -Island  to  the 
war,  we  may  here  refer  to  a  regiment  which 
was  raised  for  operation  on  the  British  side. 
While  the  Tories  in  Kings  and  Queens  coun- 
ties were  numerous  enough  to  leaven  the 
whole,  it  is  questionable  if  any  of  the  mass 
of  the  people  would  have  cared  to  fight  on- 
either  side.  There  is  ample  evidence  that 
this  was  so  with  those  who  trailed  a  musket  or 
bumped  in  a  saddle  on  behalf  of  the  Con- 
gress, and  the  evidence  is  equally  strong  as 
to  the  unwillingness  of  those  of  them  who  were 
enrolled  on  the  other  side  to  display  even 
the  rudiments  of  heroism. 

The  active  military  leader  on  the  side  of" 
the  Tories  vras  the  infamous  Edmund  Fan- 
ning, who  for  a  time  was  Private  Secretary 
to  Governor  Tryon,  his  father-in-law.  He 
was  born  at  Smithtown,  Long  Island,  April 
24,  1739,  his  father  being  James  Fanning, 
a  Captain  in  the  British  service,  and  his 
mother,  Mary,  daughter  of  Colonel  William 
Smith,  of  Smithtown.  He  was  educated  at 
Yale,  and  admitted  to  the  bar  in  North  Caro- 
lina in  1769.  In  that  colony  he  had  a  some- 
what remarkable  career,  becoming  one  of  the- 
Judges  of  its  Supreme  Court,  and  was  dis- 
tinguished for  the  energetic  measures  he  took 
against  every  movement  tending  toward  pop- 
ular government.  In  New  York  his  course 
was  marked  by  crime,  cruelty  and  bloodshed 
in  the  earlier  stages  of  the  Revolution,  but 
it  was  not  until  he  raised  the  corps  which  he- 
called  "the  Associated  Refugees"  or  "King's 
American  Regiment"  that  he  found  full  scope 
for  the  innate  fiendishness  of  his  disposition. 
Many  instances  of  this  will  be  found  scattered 
throughout  these  pages,  and  it  is  not  neces- 
sary to  refer  to  it  here  beyond  this  general' 
mention.  At  the  same  time  it  can  be  said  with 
truth  that  he  was  a  brave  man  and  that  after- 
ward, especially  during  the  nineteen  years  he 
served  as  Governor  of  Prince  Edward  Island^ 


■220 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


he  won  the  admiration  of  the  people  over 
•whom  he  ruled,  for  his  splendid  executive 
ability,  his  sense  of  exact  justice,  and  the 
possession  of  all  the  very  qualities  which  we 
associate  with  the  make-up  of  a  wise,  in- 
dulgent and  beneficent  ruler.  He  died  at 
London,  England,  February  28,  18 18,  with 
.the  full  rank  of  General  in  the  army,  and  his 
last  years  were  passed  in  the  enjoyment  of  a 
generous  measure  of  official  and  public  es- 
teem and  a  liberal  pension. 

Another  active  militia  organizer  on  behalf 
of  the  Tories  was  Major  Robert  Rogers,  who, 
in  spite  of  the  almost  demonstrated  theory 
that  he  attempted  to  play  the  part  of  a  British 
spy,  led  a  most  stirring  life  and  one  that  was 
full  of  all  the  elements  of  bravery,  adventure, 
and  zeal  which  made  up  the  lives  of  all  his- 
toric figures  in  our  annals.  So  far  as  can 
be.  judged  from  the  facts  before  us,  this  man 
was  to  a  certain  extent  a  soldier  of  fortune 
and  was  not  really  very  much  concerned,  so 
far  as  his  personal  sentiments  went,  as  to 
which  side  he  should  cast  in  his  lot.  He 
chose  that  of  King  George,  probably  because 
he  thought  it  was  certain  to  win,  a:nd  thereby 
made  the  great  strategical  mistake  of  his  life, 
for  had  fortune  landed  him  among  the  Con- 
tinentals he  would  have  achieved  fame  and 
honor,  if  not  more  substantial  rewards,  and 
his  memory  would  have  been  held  in  venera- 
tion, as  his  many  fine  qualities  would  have 
■  amply  justified. 

He  was  born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1727, 
and,  early  embracing  a  military  career,  took 
part  in  the  French  War  of  1754-63  and  as 
the  head  of  "Rogers'  Rangers"  performed 
many  heroic  exploits  and  won  considerable 
fame.  When  that  war  was  over  he  visited 
England,  but  his  career  there  was  an  unhappy 
one.  In  1765  he  was  appointed  Governor  of 
Mackinaw,  Michigan,  but  was  accused,  ap- 
parently on  good  grounds,  of  a  design  to 
surrender  it  to  the  French,  and  was  sent,  a 
prisoner  in  irons,  to  Montreal.  How  he  got 
out  of  this  disgraceful  charge  is  not  very 
clear.     When  the  Revolutionary  War  broke 


out  he  tried  to  ingratiate  himself  with  Wash- 
ington, but  was  suspected  by  that  leader  of 
being  one  of  the  spies  then  so  plentiful,  and 
was  ordered  sent  under  arrest  to  New  Hamp- 
shire, to  be  dealt  with  by  the  authorities  in  his 
native  State.  While  on  parole  he  accepted  a 
commission  as  Colonel  in  the  British  service 
and  raised  a  corps  called  the  Queen's  Rangers. 
A  large  number  of  the  members  of  this  com- 
mand were  recruited  among  the  Loyalists  of 
Long  Island  immediately  after  the  battle  of 
the  27th  of  August. 

When  the  Revolutionary  War  was  over 
Rogers  went  to  England  and  died  there  in 
obscurity,  so  much  so  that  the  date  of  his 
passing  away  is  not  known.  He  was  a  man 
of  considerable  literary  ability,  wrote  at  least 
one  tragedy  which  is  known  to  bibliographers, 
and  his  other  works  contain  many  brilliant 
descriptive  passages.  Altogether  he  deserved 
a  better  fate;  and  possibly,  had  he  only  dis- 
played some  stability  of  moral  character,  that 
fate  might  have  been  his.  The  "Queen's 
Rangers"  served  little,  if  at  all,  on  Long 
Island,  and  it  is  even  doubtful  whether  Long 
Island  was  much  represented  in  its  ranks  after 
the  campaign  around  Harlem;  but  his  leader- 
ship carried  the  command  through  many  a 
daring  exploit  until  the  termination  of  hos- 
tilities. 

We  read  of  several  other  Tory  commands 
being  raised  on  Long  Island, — notably  a  corps 
of  guides,  or  more  properly  spies,  gathered 
together  and  officered  by  Colonel  Macpher- 
son ;  and,  according  to  Field,  "a  company  of 
more  abandoned  wretches,  it  is  probable,  was 
not  created  by  the  disorders  of  a  period  so 
prolific  of  inhuman  and  bloodthirsty  men." 
Such  commands  always  crop  up  along  the 
edge  as  it  were  of  regular  armies  and  find 
their  uses,  ignoble  though  they  be.  They  can 
hardly  be  regarded  as  combatants,  however, 
and  ought  to  be  considered  as  land  pirates, 
being  quite  as  ready  for  the  sake  of  plunder 
to  turn  against  those  along  with  whom  they 
march  as  against  the  enemy  in  front  or  in 
rear.     In  a  place  like  America,  then  ^  refuge 


THE    BRITISH    OCCUPATION. 


221 


place  for  men  who  had  failed  in  their  own 
native  land,  or  who  had  fled  from  the  majesty 
of  their  native  laws,  there  were  thousands  on 
either  side  of  the  conflict  whose  purpose  was 
simply  personal  adventure  or  opportunities 
for  plunder  or  the  chance  of  getting  food 
and  raiment,  which  necessities  their  own  mis- 
fortune or  misdoings  denied  their  procuring 
in  any  other  way.  That  is  the  story  of  everv 
war, — the  scum  which  the  reign  of  the  sword 
brings  to  the  front  when  the  reign  of  jus- 
tice is  interrupted. 

Having  thus  discussed  in  a  general  way 
the  military  array  on  both  sides  which  the 
[  island  furnished  the  combatants  in  that  mem- 
orable conflict, — a  conflict  in  which  Wash- 
ington and  his  confreres  were  fighting  for 
the  cause  of  popular  liberty  in  Great  Britain 
just  as  much  as  in  the  United  States, — we 
may  now  turn  to  see  how  the  triumph  of 
the  British  arms  and  the  stay  of  British  troops 
affected  the  residents  of  the  island.  To  sum 
it  up  briefly,  it  might  be  said  that  the  pre- 
vailing sentiment,  outside  of  the  enthusiastic 
on  both  sides,  was  that  of  "a  plague  on  both 
your  houses."  In  Suffolk  county  there  was 
continued  sullen  opposition  to  British  rule,  in 
Queens  and  Kings  the  change  was  more  vo- 
ciferously welcomed,  but  the  entire  island 
was  under  military  rule,  military  law,  and  all 
classes  felt  the  restraint  and  the  irksomeness. 
Even  those  loyal,  or  disposed  to  be  loyal,  to 
the  Crown  had  to  submit  to  the  officiousness, 
the  bumptiousness,  the  dogmatism,  the  licen- 
tiousness, the  oaths,  the  drinking,  the  total 
contempt,  often,  of  all  regard  to  public  decency 
which  so  frequently  disgraced  the  royal  of- 
ficers, while  the  soldiers  under  these  officers 
not  only  copied  the  vices  of  their  superiors, 
but,  as  opportunity  offered,  plundered  friend 
and  foe  with  equal  equanimity.  Such  con- 
duct was  at  times  sternly  repressed  when  the 
perpetrators  were  caught,  and  the  officer  in 
command  was  of  finer  clay  than  his  fellows, 
but  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  complaints 
such  exhibitions  of  military  justice  were  few 
and  far  between. 


But  outside  of  the  village  of  Brooklyn^ 
Long  Island  was  the  home  of  farmers,  en- 
gaged in  raising  produce  of  some  sort  or 
other,  and  the  presence  of  armed  men  on 
either  side,  the  constant  condition  of  excite- 
ment, the  surprise  parties  which  performed 
their  daring  feats  for  the  Continentals,  the 
constant  surveillance  of  the  military  forces- 
of  the  Crown,  all  gradually  became  more  irk- 
some as  the  years  of  the  occupation  passed 
on  and  the  mihtary  necessities  of  the  situa- 
tion caused  the  grip,  as  it  were,  of  the  Crown 
on  the  island  to  remain  unrelaxed,  if  not  to 
become  tighter  as  the  prospects  of  Continental 
success  became  clearer  and  more  pronounced. 
Even  supposing  that  the  majority  of  the 
islanders  were  enthusiastic  Tories,  which  they 
certainly  were  not,  they  could  hardly  have 
been  more  severely  used  had  they  been  pro- 
nounced Whigs.  They  were  in  fact  neither 
regraded  as  King's  men  or  Continentals. ;  with- 
out the  need  of  careful  watching  by  the  party 
in  power.  Their  loyalty  to  Britain  was 
praised  in  dispatches  to  London,  but  a  sharp, 
watch  was  kept  by  the  military  leaders  on 
all  their  doings.  Possibly  a  sigh  of  relief 
went  up  when  the  war  was  declared  over  and 
the  farmers  were  permitted  to  till  their  fields. 
in  peace,  although,  in  view  of  their  losses  and 
fn  spite  of  the  active  part  which  so  many  of 
their  best  sons  took  in  the  conflict  in  the 
right  side,  it  seemed  like  adding  to  the  gen- 
eral misery  for  the  Legislature  of  New  York 
on  May  6,  1784,  after  the  British  had  re- 
tired forever,  to  impose  a  fine  of  £37,000  on 
Long  Island  "as  a  compensation  to  the  other 
parts  of  the  State  for  not  having  been  in 
condition  to  take  an  active  part  in  the  war 
against  the  enemy." 

In  describing  the  British  occupation  the 
Hon.  Silas  Wood  wrote:  "From  1776  to  1783 
the  island  was  occupied  by  British  troops. 
They  traversed  it  from  one  end  to  the  other 
and  were  stationed  at  different  places  during 
the  war.  The  whole  country  within  the  Brit- 
ish lines  was  subject  to  martial  law,  the  ad- 
ministration of    justice  was    suspended,  the 


'222 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


army  was'  a  sanctuary  for  crime  and  robbery, 
and  the  grossest  offences  were  atoned  by  en- 
listment. =■•  *  *  Those  who  remained  at 
home  were  harassed  and  plundered  of  their 
property,  and  the  inhabitants  generally  were 
subject  to  the  orders,  and  their  property  to 
the  disposal,  of  British  officers.  They  com- 
pelled them  to  do  all  kinds  of  personal  serv- 
ices, to  work  at  their  forts,  to  go  with  their 
teams  in  foraging  parties  and  to  transport 
their  cannon,  ammunition,  provisions  and 
baggage  from  place  to  place  as  they  changed 
their  quarters ;  and  to  go  and  come  on  the 
order  of  every  petty  officer  who  had  the 
charge  of  the  most  trifling  business. 

"During  the  whole  war  the  inhabitants  of 
the  island,  especially  those  of  Suffolk  county, 
were  perpetually  exposed  to  the  grossest  in- 
sult and  abuse.  They  had  no  property  of  a 
movable  kind  that  they  could,  properly  speak- 
ing, call  their  own;  they  were  oftentimes  de- 
prived of  the  stock  necessary  to  the  manage- 
ment of  their  farms ;  and  were  deterred  from 
producing  more  than  a  bare  subsistence  by  the 
apprehension  that  a  surplus  would  be  wrested 
from  them  either  by  the  military  authority 
of  the  purveyor  or  the  ruffian  hand  of  the 
plunderer.  The  officers  seized  and  occupied 
the  best  rooms  in  the  houses  of  the  inhab- 
itants; they  compelled  them  to  furnish  blan- 
kets and  fuel  for  the  soldiers  and  hay  and 
grain'  for  their  horses ;  they  took  away  their 
cattle,  sheep,  hogs  and  poultry,  and  seized, 
without  ceremony  and  without  any  compen- 
sation, whatever  they  desired  to  gratify  their 
wants  or  wishes." 

After  detailing  some  of  the  pecuniary 
losses  suffered,  the  writer  continues:  "Be- 
sides these  violations  of  the  rights  of  person 
and  property  the  British  officers  did  many 
acts  of  barbarity  for  which  there  could  be  no 
apology.  They  made  garrisons,  storehouses 
or  stables  of  places  of  public  worship  in  sev- 
eral towns,  and  particularly  of  such  as  be- 
longed to  the  Presbyterians.  *  *  *  in 
the  fall  of  1782,  about  the  time  that  the  pro- 
visional articles  of  the  treaty  of  peace  were 


signed  in  Europe,  Colonel  Thompson  (since 
Count  Rumford),  who  commanded  the  troops 
then  stationed  at  Huntington,  without  any 
assignable  cause  except  that  of  filling  his 
own  pockets  by  furnishing  him  with  a  pre- 
tended claim  on  the  British  treasury,  caused 
a  fort  to  be  erected;  and,  without  any  pos- 
sible motive  except  to  gratify  a  malignant  dis- 
position by  vexing  the  people,  he  placed  it  in 
the  centre  of  the  public  burying  ground,  in 
defiance  of  a  remonstrance  of  the  trustees  of 
the  town  against  the  sacrilege  of  disturbing 
the  ashes  and  destroying  the  monuments  of 
the  dead." 

Colonel  Benjamin  Thompson,  so  unpleas- 
antly pilloried  in  the  above  extract,  was  com- 
missioned Lieutenant  Colonel  of  the  King's 
Dragoons,  which  body  of  troops  he  raised 
February  24,  1782;  and  so  far  as  actually 
known  his  warlike  operations  were  confined 
to  Long  Island,  with  Huntington  as  his  head- 
quarters. He  was  born  in  Woburn,  Massachu- 
setts, March  26,  1753,  and  but  for  silly  jeal- 
ousy on  the  part  of  some  officers  of  the  New 
Hampshire  militia  when  he  received  his  ap- 
pointment as  Major,  would  have  become  one 
of  the  leaders  of  the  Continental  forces.  That 
same  opposition  prevented  Washington  from 
giving  him  a  commission,  and,  tired  of  in- 
activity and  of  being  regarded  with  sus- 
picion as  a  Tory,  he  left  the  country.  Re- 
turning in  1 78 1,  he  actively  engaged  in  the 
military  life  of  the  time,  and  received  his  Brit- 
ish conmiission.  Before  hostilities  closed 
he  returned  to  England  and  henceforth  his 
life  was  passed  away  from  his  native  land. 
He  died  in  France  in  1814,  with  a  deserved 
world-wide  reputation  as  a  scientist  and  phil- 
anthropist. It  is  one  of  the  regrettable  fea- 
tures of  the  Revolution  that  such  men  should 
by  the  necessity  of  things  be  forced  into 
exile. 

The  greatest  evil,  morally  as  well  as  in 
all  other  respects,  was  that  of  billeting,  al- 
though in  that  matter  the  Long  Isanders  were 
not  one  whit  worse  off  than  were  people  in 
any  country  where,  even  in  time  of  peace, 


J 


THE    BRITISH    OCCUPATION. 


223 


billeting  was  part  of  the  military  system. 
Even  in  England,  in  the  days  when  the  peo- 
ple— the  masses — were  regarded  as  mere 
hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of  water,  much 
more  than  they  were  even  in  1776,  the  billet- 
ing of  soldiers  was  an  evil  which  elicited  con- 
stant grumbling  and  sometimes  even  incited 
a  riot.  In  Long  Island,  among  the  Tory  sec- 
tion of  the  population,  the  practice  was  thor- 
oughly disliked,  and  where  possible  every 
effort  was  made  to  get  rid  of  that  special 
development  of  the  fruits  of  victory  excepting 
in  the  case  of  a  few  ultra  Tories,  who  re- 
garded it  with  a  feeling  of  awe  and  venera- 
tion, believing  the  troops  were  in  their  midst 
representing  the  highest  of  all  earthly  au- 
thority. But  if  the  practice  caused  much  dis- 
content among  the  ordinary  classes  of  Tories 
it  was  received  with  detestation  by  the  avowed 
Whigs,  and  with  sullenness  by  that  seemingly 
large  part  of  the  population  which  was 
neither  Whig  nor  Tory,  and  only  desired  to 
be  permitted  to  make  their  way  through  the 
world  in  peace.  In  connection  with  this 
phase  of  the  occupation,  Henry  Ondendonk, 
Jr.,  wrote: 

During  the  summer  British  troops  were 
off  the  island  on  active  service ;  or,  if  a  few 
remained  here,  they  abode  under  tents ;  but  in 
winter  they  were  hutted  on  the  sunny  side 
of  a  hill,  or  else  distributed  in  farmers' 
houses.  A  British  officer,  accompanied  by  a 
justice  of  the  peace  or  some  prominent  Loyal- 
ist, as  a  guide,  rode  around  the  country,  and 
from  actual  inspection  decided  how  many  sol- 
diers each  house  could  receive,  and  this  num- 
ber was  chalked  on  the  door.  The  only  noti- 
fication was:  "Madam,  we  have  come  to 
take  a  billet  on  your  house."  If  a  house  had 
but  one  fireplace  it  was  passed  by,  as  the 
soldiers  were  not  intended  to  form  part  of  a 
family.  A  double  house  for  the  officers,  or 
single  house  with  a  kitchen  for  privates,  was 
just  the  thing.  The  soldiers  were  quartered 
in  the  kitchen,  and  the  inner  door  nailed  up 
so  that  the  soldiers  could  not  intrude  on  the 
household.  They,  however,  often  became  in- 
timate with  the  family  and  sometimes  inter- 
married.    The  Hessians  were  more  sociable 


than  the  English  soldiers,  and  often  made 
little  baskets  and  other  toys  for  the  children, 
taught  them  German  and  amused  them  in 
various  ways ;  sometimes  corrupting  them  by 
their  vile  language  and  manners.  Any  mis- 
conduct of  the  soldiers  might  be  reported  to 
their  commanding  officers,  who  usually  did 
justice;  but  some  offenses  could  not  be 
proven,  such  as  night-stealing  or  damage 
done  the  house  or  to  other  property.  As  the 
soldiers  received  their  pay  in  coin  they  were 
flush,  and  paid  liberally  for  what  they  bought, 
such  as  vegetables,  milk,  or  what  they  could 
not  draw  with  their  rations.  These  soldiers 
were  a  safeguard  against  robbers  and  whale- 
boat  men.  Spme  had  their  wives  with  them, 
who  acted  as  washerwomen,  and  sometimes 
in  meaner  capacities. 

From  a.  perusal  of  the  orderly  book  of 
General  Delancey,  it  appears  that  he  used 
every  means  to  protect  the  persons  and  prop- 
erty of  the  inhabitants  of  Long  Island  from 
the  outrages  of  British  soldiers.  They  were 
not  allowed  to  go  more  than  half  a  mile  from 
camp  at  daytime  (and  for  this  purpose  roll 
was  called  several  times  during  the  day),  nor 
leave  it  under  any  pretex  after  sundown  with- 
out a  pass ;  but  now  and  then  they  would  slip 
out  and  rob.  On  the  nth  of  June,  1788,  Mr. 
John  Willett,  of  Flushing,  was  assaulted  at 
his  own  house,  at  li  o'clock  at  night,  by  per- 
sons unknown  but  supposed  to  be  soldiers 
from  having  bayonets  and  red  clothes,  who 
threatened  his  life  and  to  bum  his  house. 
The  general  offered  a  reward  of  $10  to  the 
person  who  should  first  make  the  discovery 
to  Major  Waller;  and  a  like  reward  for  the 
discovery  of  the  person  who  robbed  Mr.  Wil- 
lett on  the  9th  of  June  of  two  sheep,  a  calf 
and  some  poultry,  as  he  was  determined  to 
inflict  exemplary  punishment  and  put  a  stop 
to  practices  so  dishonorable  to  the  King's 
service.  Again,  March  9,  1778,  Mrs.  Hazard, 
of  Newtown,  having  complained  that  the  sol- 
diers of  the  guard  pulled  down  and  burnt  up 
her  fence,  that  was  near  the  guardhouse,  the 
general  at  once  issued  an  order  to  the  of- 
ficer that  he  should  hold  him  answerable  there- 
after for  any  damage  done  the  fences.  So, 
too,  if  a  soldier  milked  the  farmers'  cows, 
he  should  be  punished  without  mercy;  nor 
should  he  go  in  the  hayfield  and  gather  up 
new  mown  grass  to  make  his  bed  of.  Gen- 
erally the  farmers  were  honestly  paid  for 
whatever  they  sold.     For  instance,  April  23, 


224 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


1778,  they  were  notified  to  call  on  Mr.  Ochil- 
tree, deputy  commissary  of  forage  at  Flush- 
ing, with  proper  certificates  and  get  payment 
for  their  hay. 

To  adduce  one  notable  case.  When  Cap- 
tain Lambert  Suydam  was  in  hiding  from  the 
British,  some  time  after  the  battle  of  Brook- 
lyn, and,  having  lost  his  troop,  was  seemingly 
employed  as  one  of  the  Continental  spies, 
he    frequently   visited,   by    stealth,   his    own 


mitted  to  return  to  his  home  on  parole.  Says 
T.  W.  Field,  who  evidently  regarded  Suy- 
dam as  a  sort  of  opera-bouffe  hero: 

The  dangers  he  had  undergone  had  not, 
however,  tamed  his  valiant  spirit  to  that  de- 
gree which  permitted  him  to  suffer  without 
resentment  the  indignities  and  outrages  daily 
perpetrated  by  British  soldiers  on  his  neigh- 
bors. One  morning  an  unwonted  clamor  in 
his  barnyard  aroused  the  Captain  from  his 
slumbers,  and,  creeping  to  the  window  of  his 


BEDFORD    CORNERS    IN    1776, 


home  at  Bedford.  A  squad  of  soldiers  was 
billeted  in  the  house  during  that  period  and 
such  visits  were  naturally  enough  attended 
by  great  danger.  Indeed  the  redoubtable 
Captain  had  many  narrow  escapes  from  cap- 
ture, and,  of  course,  an  ignominoiis  death; 
and  on  one  notable  occasion,  but  for  the  ap- 
peals of  Mrs.  Suydam  and  the  tender-heart- 
edness of  the  Sergeant  in  command  of  the 
troops,  his  career  would  have  had  a  tragic 
and  a  summary  end.  After  a  year  of  this 
sort  of  life  Suydam  made  his  peace  with  the 
British,  took  the  required  oath  and  was  per- 


bedroom,  he  became  assin-ed  in  a  short  time 
that  the  marauders  were  at  some  nefarious 
work  among  his  cattle.  The  dim  light  of 
early  morning  was  rendered  still  more  ob- 
scure by  a  fog,  which,  however,  did  not  pre- 
vent him  from  observing  unusual  objects  mov- 
ing in  the  cattle  yard.  The  irate  trooper  was 
not  deterred  from  the  protection  of  his  prop- 
erty by  the  hazard  of  his  own  delicate  po- 
sition as  a  prisoner  on  parole,  for  there  was 
little  disposition  in  his  reckless  soul  to  sub- 
mit to  outrages  upon  his  person  or  his  goods. 
Reckless  of  the  consequences,  he  seized  hi!> 
musket,  already  loaded  with  a  heavy  charge 
of  buckshot,  and  fired  it  in  the  direction  of 


THE    BRITISH    OCCUPATION. 


225 


the  sound  which  attracted  his  attention.  The 
groans  and  screams  of  agony  which  ensued 
sufficiently  indicated  the  effect  of  the  shot; 
and  when,  a  few  minutes  subsequently,  the 
morning  lig'ht  broke  through  the  mist,  it  was 
discovered  that  three  British  soldiers,  who 
had  slaughtered  one  of  the  Captain's  cows 
and  were  then  engaged  in  removing  the  skin, 
had  all  been  wounded  by  the  shot!  As  soon 
as  information  of  the  occurrence  reached  the 
adjacent  camp  a  squad  of  soldiers  was  sent 
to  carry  away  the  wounded  men,  one  of  whom 
soon  after  died.  No  notice  of  the  affair  was 
ever  taken  by  the  British  authorities,  nor  was 
Captain  Suydam  ever  molested.  There  was 
always  underlying  in  the  character  of  most 
of  the  British  officers,  when  its  influence  was 
not  deadened  by  the  paralyzing  effect  of  what 
they  deemed  duty  to  the  King,  a  great  liking 
for  fair  play,  which  kept  them  silent  to  severe 
measures  taken  by  the  Whigs  for  the  protec- 
tion of  their  property. 


In  spite,  however,  of  the  hardships  of 
billeting,  the  nefarious  doings  of  marauders 
under  the  guise  of  Whigs  or  Tories,  the 
necessary  incidents  inseparable  from  a  state 
of  war,  the  loose  morals  of  the  soldiery  and 
the  evils  always  and  everywhere  attendant 
upon  military  occupation,  it  must  be  said  that 
Long  Island  in  reality  prospered  in  many  ma- 
terial ways  during  the  occupation.  It  was 
not  the  policy  of  the  British  authorities  to 
stifle  whatever  loyal  sentiments  prevailed,  and 
whenever  a  "rebel"  wished  to  make  his  peace 
the  matter  was  easily  accomplished.  Then 
it  was  from  Long  Island  and  Staten  Island 

15 


that  the  army  calculated  to  draw  their  sup- 
plies, and  as  a  natural  result  agriculture  was 
sedulously  protected  in  all  cases  except  those 
where  an  ultra  Whig  farmer  was  concerned. 
The  transit  of  produce  from  the  island  was 
placed  under  strict  regulations,  although  it 
seems  to  us  not  more  strict  than  was  neces- 
sary under  the  circumstances.  It  may  be  said 
that  the  British  strove  to  promote  the  wide- 
spread sentiment  in  favor  of  the  Crown 
which  certainly  existed,  and  they  succeededl 
to  a  marked  degree  in  Kings  and  Queens, 
counties.  Suffolk  county,  on  the  other  hand, 
continued  to  be  mainly  Continental,  although 
the  farmers  seemed  to  be  as  willing  to  raise 
corn  for  King  George  as  for  George  Wash- 
ington. Even  Suffolk  county,  had  the  occu- 
pation lasted  long  enough  and  had  victory 
rewarded  the  invaiding  forces,  would  have 
gradually  settled  down  to  view  the  situa- 
tion with  equanimity.  But  the  spirit  of  lib- 
erty was  abroad.  Its  influence  was  win- 
ning its  way  even  among  the  Tories  of  Long 
Island,  and  by  the  time  the  conflict  was  over 
they  quietly  accepted  the  changes,  and  it  was 
not  long  after  the  close  of  hostilities  before 
the  entire  island  welcomed  the  results  of  the 
Revolution  and  took  place  with  the  rest  of 
the  State  in  the  forward  march  of  the  new 
nation,  recognizing,  as  has  since  been  recog- 
nized by  British  historical  writers  and  think- 
ers, that  the  ''ragged  Continentals"  were  not 
alone  fighting  for  liberty  in  America  but  also 
for  its  progress  throughout  the  world. 


mm 


CHAPTER   XIX. 


-SOME  LONG   ISLAND   LOYALISTS— RICHARD  HEWLETT— JOHN   RAPALYE 

—MAYOR   MATHEWS— GOVERNOR    GOLDEN— COLONEL 

AXTELL— LINDLEY   MURRAY   AND    OTHERS. 


OW  that  the  passage  of  over  a  cen- 
tury has  softened  many  of  the  sen- 
timents inspired  by  the  Revolution- 
ary 'Struggles   and   has   put   in   the 
background   the  errors,   mistakes,   hairdships, 
■cruelties,     sufferings,     aanenities,     estrange- 
ments,   hates,    lies,    exaggerations    and    ex- 
travagances    of    thought,    word,     deed    and 
-action   which   characterized  the   struggle,   we 
see  more   clearly   than   aught  else  the   sacri- 
fices made  on  both  sides  and  the  magnitude  of 
the   result  attained — a  grand  star  of  liberty, 
:  illuminating  morning  and  evening,  day  after 
■day,  the  horizon  of  all  the  nations.    The  grass 
has  long  waved  over  the  graves  of  those  who 
took  part  in  the  contest  on  either  side,  and 
their  children  have  followed  them;  the  per- 
-sonal  element  in  the  struggle  has  long  since 
disappeared  and  we  can  review  the  events  of 
1776  and  the  years  which  followed  until  peace 
was  proclaimed  with  the  calmness  and  impar- 
tiality due  to  the  consideration  of  an  histori- 
cal epoch.     The  age  of  polemics,  of  person- 
.ality,  of  sophism,  of  simple  assertion,  has  gone, 
and  we  must  guide  our  study  by  the  hard  logic 
of  facts;  and  that  logic  impels  us  to  say  that 
the  Loyalists  on  Long  Island  were  just  as  sin- 
cere in  their  convictions,  as  devoted  in  their 
loyalty,   as   willing  to  suffer   for  their   senti- 
ments, as  honest  in  their  views,  as  were  those 
who  espoused  the  cause  of  the  young  nation. 
That  they  were  wrong,  that  they  were  virtually 
trying  to  break  a  spoke  in  the  wheel  of  human 


progress,  does  not  militate  against  their  loyalty, 
their  honesty,  their  patriotism  even.  They  took 
an  erroneous  view  and  suffered;  went  down 
with  the  wreck  of  that  ship  of  state  to  whose 
stanchness  they  trusted  their  all;  but  we  have 
no  reason  in  this  year  of  grace  to  think  un- 
kindly of  them,  and,  solely  because  of  their 
views,  to  stigmatize  them  as  "reptiles''  and 
■'thieves"  and  "traitors"  and  all  manner  of  evil 
names  such  as  were  commonly  applied  to  Tor- 
ies a  century  ago  or  so. 

Even  British  historians  have  come  to  look 
upon  our  glorious  Revolution  with  different 
eyes  than  formerly.  Bryce  has  said  somewhere 
words  to  the  effect  that  George  Washington 
was  in  reality  fighting  the  cause  of  liberty  in 
Great  Britain  as  much  as  in  America ;  and  one 
has  only  to  read  the  chapter  in  Green's  "His- 
tory of  the  English  People"  (chapter  II,  vol. 
4),  to  see  how  that  grand  historic  student  re- 
joiced in  the  significances  of  the  movement  for 
liberty  under  Washington  and  understood  the 
healthful  influence  its  success  exerted  over  the 
British  Empire.  In  these  circumstances  it  is 
but  honest  for  us  to  devote  a  chapter  in  this 
work  to  recalling  the  lives  and  deeds  of  a  few 
of  those  who  were  conspicuous  in  their  oppo- 
sition on  Long  Island  to  the  success  of  the  new 
condition  of  things. 

In  all  such  lists  a  prominent  position  must 
be  given  to  Captain  Richard  Hewlett,  one  of 
the  most  singular  characters  which  the  story 
of  the  Revolution  brings  under  our  notice. 


SOME    LONG    ISLAND    LOYALISTS. 


227 


He  was  recognized  as  a  Tory  of  the  Tories, 
and  while  the  struggle  lasted  was  probably 
more  hated  by  the  local  Continentals,  the 
Whigs,  than  any  other  one  of  their  opponents. 
Certainly  he  gave  them  abundant  cause  for 
this,  and  as  we  read  the  story  of  his  career  from 
177s  until  1783  we  can  fully  understand  the 
reasons  for  the  order,  once  issued  by  General 
Chas.  Lee,  that  Hewlett  "should  have  no  terms 
offered  to  him,  but  must  be  secured  without 
ceremony."  Richard  Hewlett  was  born  at 
Hempstead  in  1712.  He  took  part  in  the 
French  War  of  1757-9,  ^^d  was  at  the  capture 
of  Fort  Frontenac  in  command  of  a  company. 
To  that  campaign  Queens  county  had  fur- 
nished 290  men,  and  in  the  war  Hewlett  had 
famong  his  comrades  such  men  as  General 
Woodhull,  and  many  other  well-known  Long 
Island  men.  But  most  of  the  veteran's  of  that 
"brave  army  remained  loyal  to  Britain  when  the 
time  came  to  make  a  declaration,  and  .they 
formed  the  main  strength  of  the  force  which 
Hewlett  gathered  together  to  fight  for  King 
■George.  He  was  an  indefatigable  plotter  and 
as  outspoken  in  his  denunciation  of  the  Whigs 
as  the  Whigs  were  of  him.  Like  most  of  the 
Tories  in  the  early  days  of  the  movement  for 
independence,  he  affected  to  despise  the  pa- 
triots; probably  he  honestly  did  despise  them, 
and  when,  before  the  battle  of  Brooklyn,  the 
Provincial  Congress  tried  to  whip  Long  Isl- 
and into  line  for  the  new  cause,  he  suffered 
many  indignities  at  the  hands  of  those  on 
"whom  he  would  have  heaped  indignity  had  cir- 
•cumstances  been  reversed.  When  the  island 
was  practically  undeir  martial  law  he  defied  the 
f)owers  that  inflicted  it  and  stood  out  in  open 
rebellion.  He  gathered  arms  and  supplies,  se- 
creting them  in  safe  places  for  the  conflict 
which  he  saw  was  surely  approaching,  and 
trained  his  men  unceasingly.  There  was  no 
hiding  of  sentiment  on  his  part,  and  when  he 
told  his  old  comrade,  Major  Williams,  who 
had  espoused  the  Continental  cause  and  had 
command  of  a  battalion  in  the  work  of  sup- 
pressing the  local  Tories,  that  had  he  met 
Ihat  body  "we    should    have    warmed    their 


sides,"  Williams  believed  it,  and  so  far  as  we 
can  see  was  devoutly  thankful  that  the  meet- 
ing did  not  take  place. 

Into  the  details  of  these  repressive  meas- 
ures we  need  not  here  enter,  having  dwelt  upon 
them  in  another  chapter ;  but  from  the  Patriot 
standpoint  they  were  amply  justified  by  the 
attitude  of  the  Long  Island  Loyalists,,  and  the 
dread  of  a  conspiracy  which  existed,  and  which 
was  seen  to  be  well  founded  when  the  facts  be- 
came known  of  a  deep-laid  plot  among  them 
to  destroy  the  young  nation  by  a  grand  coup. 
Into' this  conspiracy,  which  had  for  its  main 
object  the  capture  of  General  Washington, 
Hewlett  was  a  prime  mover.  He  was  in  fact 
the  leading  medium  of  communication  between 
the  quarter  deck  of  the  frigate  Asia,  on  which 
Governor  Tryon  often  held  his  court,  and  the- 
Long  Island  Loyalists,  and  he  was  almost  con- 
stantly passing  between  that  vessel  and  the 
island.  We  have  been  unable  to  discover  what 
part,  if  any,  Hewlett  took  iri  the  battle  of  Long 
Island;  but  we  may  be  sure  he  was  not  far 
away  from  its  scene,  at  any  rate ;  and  when  the 
sun  went  down  on  that  eventful  day  in  August 
he  found  himself  in  the  changed  position  he 
had  for  so  many  months  desired,  so  far  as  his 
Whig  neighbors  were  concerned.  He  became 
the  hunter,  they  the  hunted;  behind  him  was 
power,  behind  them  was  the  grim  shadow  of 
defeat,  a  cause  that  appeared  hopeless,  seem- 
ingly ruined  lives  and  abandoned  homesteads. 
Probably  no  one  was  more  astounded  than 
Hewlett  at  the  pertinacity  with  which,  even  in 
the  face  of  repeated  defeat,  the"  Continentals 
carried  on  the  struggle. 

He  received  a  commission  as  lieutenant- 
colonel  in  De  Lancey's  corps  of  Loyalists.  In 
August  he  was  in  command  of  a  detachment 
and  had  turned  the  village  church  of  which 
the  Rev.  Benjamin  Tallmadge,  father  of  Major 
Tallmadge,  of  Revolutionary  fame,  was  then 
the  pastor,  into  a  fort  and  barracks,  while  the 
surrounding  country  was  overrun  by  the  usual 
gangs  of  ruthless  marauders  which  generally 
accompanied  such  inferior  commands  of  the 
Royalists.     Hearing  of  this,  General  Parsons 


228 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


determihed  to  try  and  dispossess  the  enemy 
and  sailed  from  Black  Rock  Harbor,  Connecti- 
cut, with  a  considerable  force  and  a  six- 
pounder  cannon,  his  flotilla  including  a  sloop 
and  six  whaleboats.  Landing  at  Crane  Neck, 
he  marched  to  Setauket,  surrounded  the  church 
and  demanded  its  surrender.  The  proposition 
was  submitted  by  Hewlett  to  his  men,  but  they 
were  unanimous  in  their  desire  to  fight  it  out. 
Then  Hewlett  said,  in  his  usual  impetuous 
way,  "I  will  stick  to  you  as  long  as  there  is  a 
man  left."  Soon  the  assault  was  begun  and 
continued  for  some  three  hours,  much  gallant- 
ry being  displayed  on  both  sides  and  the  church 
steadily  holding  fast  in  spite  of  the  musket 
shots  and  the  balls  from  the  brass  six-pounder. 
Then  word  was  brought  to  Parsons  that  some 
British  ships  were  in  the  neighborhood,  and 
fearing  his  retreat  might  be  cut  off,  he  re- 
treated to  his  boats,  carrying  away  a  few  of 
Hewlett's  horses,  and  reached  Black  Rock  in 
safety.  Hewlett  was  highly  praised  in  the 
British  reports  for  his  share  in  the  affray.  It 
is  noted  by  all  who  chronicle  this  fight  that 
Zachariah  Green,  one  of  Parsons's  soldiers, 
afterward,  in  1797,  became  pastor  @f  the  very 
church  he  had  on  this  occasion  so  zealously 
tried  to  storm  and  destroy. 

Green  was  burn  at  Stanford,  Conn.,  in 
1760,  and  appears  to  have  been  a  regular  dare- 
devil. He  entered  the  Continental  service  at 
the  outbreak  of  hostilities,  was  engaged  on 
the  fortifications  of  Dorchester  Heights,  fought 
at  White  Plains  and  in  several  other  engage- 
ments. At  White  Marsh  he  was  severely 
wounded  in  the  shoulder.  "This,"  quaintly 
observes  the  good  Dr.  Prime,  "was  probably 
the  cause  of  his  changing  his  ccurse  of  life." 
He  studied  at  Dartmouth,  was  licensed  to 
preach  in  1785,  and  became  minister  of  Setau- 
ket September  27,  1797. 

During  the  continuance  of  the  British  oc- 
cupation Hewlett  seems  to  have  been  kept 
busy  on  Long  Island  in  military  work,  and 
his  treatrnent  of  the  Whigs  was  often  marked 
'by  gross  cruelty,  while  he  certainly  permitted 
his  command  at  times,  as  in  the  raid  on  South- 


old  in  1778,  to  degenerate  into  little  better 
than  an  organized  band  of  robbers.  When 
the  evacuation  took  place  he  was  rewarded  with 
a  pension,  and,  settling  in  St.  John,  New 
Brunswick,  began  there  a  new  and  very  dif- 
ferent career,  becoming  Mayor  of  that  city. 
His  son  Thomas',  as  pronounced  a  Tory  as 
himself,  was  killed  in  1780  at  Hanging  Rock, 
North  Carolina,  by  some  Patriot  skirmishers. 
Thomas  was  at  that  time  a  captain  in  the  New 
York  Loyal  Volunteers. 

In  John  Rapalye  we  meet  a  Loyalist  of  an- 
other stamp,  equally  determined  and  outspoken, 
but  less  headstrong,  a  man  of  peace,  but  with 
all  the  courage  of  a  hero.  The  name  is  the  old- 
est in  Brooklyn,  and  tradition  long  presented 
the  name  of  Sarah  de  Rapalje  as  that  of  the 
first  white  child  born  on  Long  Island.  The 
date  given  for  that  event  was  June  9,  1625, 
in  which  year  her  parents,  Joris  Jansen  de 
Rapalye  and  Catalyntje  Trico,  resided  in  Al- 
bany, and  there  seems  no  doubt  that  her  birth 
took  place  there.  So  the  tradition  has  long 
been  abandoned  by  the  Brooklyn  antiquaries. 

Joris  Jansen  de  Rapalje  came  to  America 
from  Rochelle,  in  France,  in  1623.  He  was  a 
Huguenot,  and  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  com- 
pany with  maniy  other  Rochelle  Protestants  to 
escape  religious  persecution,  or  rather  to  es- 
cape from  its  continuance.  From  him  descend- 
ed all  of  that  name  on  Long  Island,  a  name 
that  is  virtually  a  part  of  the  history  of  Brook- 
lyn. John  Rapalje,  the  great-great-grandson  of 
this  pioneer,  owned,  when  the  Revolutionary 
War  broke  out,  a  valuable  tract  of  land  of 
some  160'  acres.  This  property  extended  along 
the  shore  north  from  the  ferry  and  some  dis- 
tance up  what  is  now  Fulton  street,  his  house 
being  at  the  junction  of  the  present  lines  of 
Fulton  and  Front  streets  with  a  garden  run- 
ning back  to  the  river.  He  was  long  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  most  influential  men  in 
the  place,  a,nd  was  chosen  to  a  seat  in  the 
Provincial  Assembly.  He  was  a  man  of  wide, 
liberal  views,  of  unblemished  character,  and 
possessed  of  many  grand  qualities.  All  this  is 
gathered  from  the  wi'itings  of  the  Whigs,  to 


SOME    LONG    ISLAND    LOYALISTS. 


229 


whom  the  name  of  Tory  was  a  synonym  for 
all  that  men  generally  hold  unworthy.  He 
adhered  to  the  Loyalist  cause  steadfastly  and 
outspokenly,  and  his  influence  was  so  dreaded 
by  the  Patriots  that,  in  one  of  the  raids  made 
with  a  view  of  wheeling  the  British  sympa- 
thizers into  line  with  the  Continental  ideas, 
he  was  arrested  and  sent  into  exile  in  New 
Jersey. 

It  was  while  he  was  in  this  enforced  seclu- 
sion, and  because  of  it,  that  his  wife  nearly 
succeeded  in  bringing  to  an  unhappy  conclu- 
sion the  cause  of  the  struggling  republic. 
:  She  had  suffered  much  indignity  and  in- 
sult at  the  hands  of  the  Whigs,  and  it 
is  said  that  some  of  the  soldiers  in  the 
'  line  of  defenses,  while  practicing  with  artil- 
lery, aimed  a  cannon  at  her  home  and  sent 
a  bullet  into  its  walls.  Such  things  did  not 
tend  to  improve  her  natural  disposition,  how- 
ever sweet  and  Christian-like  it  may  have  been, 
although  as  long  as  she  could  not  help  herself 
she  was  contented  with  nourishing  a  spirit  of 
revenge.  Finally  her  opportunity  came,  and 
she  fully  arose  to  it.  After  the  battle  of 
Brooklyn,  her  home  being  within  the  Conti- 
nental Hues,  her  property  was  in  more  jeopardy 
than  ever,  and  so  she  continued  to  lie  quiet 
and  wait.  From  her  windows,  on  the  after- 
noon of  the  retreat,  she  could  see  by  the  hun- 
dreds of  boats  gathering  around  the  ferry  from 
all  quarters  that  some  important  movement  was 
on  foot;  but  it  was  not  until  8  o'clock,  when 
the  first  detachment  of  the  retreating  forces 
marched  past  her  house  to  the  shore,  that  she 
grasped  the  situation  and  realized  its  full  im- 
port. Now  came  her  opportunity.  Knowing 
the  importance  of  the  British  being  at  once 
apprised  of  the  retreat,  and  aware  that  she 
would  be  detected  and  arrested  if  seen  out  of 
doors,  she  told  the  circumstances  to  a  negro 
slave  and  sent  him  out  to,  reach  the  British 
camp  and  impart  the  information  to  the  first 
British  officer  he  should  meet.  The  negro 
made  his  way  in  safety  out  of  the  American 
lines;  but,  as  fortune  would  have  it,  he  entered 
the  British  lines  at  a  point  held  by  Hessian 


troops.  These  worthies,  of  course,  could  not 
understand  his  talk,  and,-  thinking  him  merely 
a  petty  thief,  retained  him  all  night  under 
guard  instead  of  haling  him  before  some  one 
who  could  understand  his  jargon.  In  the  morn- 
ing, when  matters  were  cleared  up,  it  was  too 
late  for  his  information  to  be  of  any  use.  The 
retreat  had  passed  into  history.  On  what  a 
slight  thread  do  the  histories  and  fortunes  of 
nations  often  hang! 

During  the  British  occupation  of  Long 
Island  Rapalye  returned  to  Brooklyn,  and 
probably  heard  with  equanimity  that  on  Octo- 
ber 2y,  1779,  a  decree  of  attainder  and  con- 
fiscation was  passed  against  him  by  Congress. 
In  October,  1783,  when  the  end  of  the  conflict 
iwas  in  sight,  knowing  that  there  was  little 
use  in  his  trying,  Ijke  so  many  others,  to  make 
an  arrangement  with  the  victors,  he  went  to 
England  and  settled  in  the  old  town  of  Nor- 
wich. The  British  government  seems  to  have 
recompensed  him,  to  a  certain  extent,  for  the 
loss  he  sustained  by  his  loyalty,  and  he  died 
at  Kensington,  London,  January  12,  1802. 
When  he  left  Long  Island  he  carried  with  him 
the  deeds  of  his  estate  and  a  large  number  of 
public  papers,  including,  it  is  said,  the  early 
town  records  of  Brooklyn.  In  course  of  time 
these  papers  came  into  possession  of  his  grand- 
daughter, Mrs.  Weldon,  of  Norwich.  In  1810, 
accompanied  by  her  husband,  that  lady  came  to 
this  country,  bringing  with  her  the  old  papers 
with  the  view  of  instituting  proceedings  for 
the  recovery  of  her  grandfather's  property, 
which,  on  July  13,  1784,  had  been  sold  by  the 
Commissioners  of  Forfeited  Estates  to  Com- 
fort and  Joshua  Sands  for  $12,430  in  state 
scrip.  Mrs.  Weldon  placed  her  case  in  the 
hands  of  Aaron  Burr  and  B.  D.  Ogd'en,  but 
after  a  thorough  inquiry  they  advised  her 
against  pressing  the  matter,  as  the  Act  of  At- 
tainder barred  all  chance  of  success.  So  she 
gathered  up  her  papers  and  departed,  and  the 
Brooklyn  records  once  more  passed  over  the 
sea.  Many  eminent  lawyers  have  regretted 
that  a  writ  of  replevin  had  not  been  secured, 
by  which  the  municipality  could  have  claimed 


230 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


and  won  possession  of  documents  belonging 
to  if  which  should  never  have  become  private 
property,  but  around  1810  people  were  not  so 
thoroughly  appreciative  of  the  value  of  such 
records. 

David  Mathews,  Mayor  of  New  York  City 
during  the  troublesome  years  between  1776 
and  1784,  was  a  noted  and  prominent  figure 
in  the  ranks  of  the  confirmed  Tories.  He 
was  the  grandson  of  Colonel  Peter  Mathews, 
who  came  to  America  ii;  the  suite  of  Governor 
Fletcher  in  1692.  This  pioneer  had  a  son 
Vincent,  who  married  Catalina,  daughter  of 
Mayor  Abeel,  of  Albany,  and  their  children 
were  David  (the  Mayor)  Fletcher,  James  and 
a  daughter.  All  the  family  except  the  Mayor 
were  Whigs,  or  at  least  were  indifferent  as  to 
the  outcome  of  the  great  events  then  passing. 
Mathews  was  appointed  Mayor  on  the  resig- 
nation of  Whitehead  Hicks,  of  Flushing,  in 
February,  1776,  and  the  appointment  was  con- 
firmed by  Governor  Tryon  on  board  the  Duch- 
ess of  Gordon,  a  frigate  in  New  York  harbor. 
Most  of  his  time  for  a  while  from  that  on 
seems  to  have  been  spent  at  his  country  home 
at  Flatbush,  and  the  deck  of  the  vessel  on 
which  the  then  nominal  Governor  of  New 
York  kept  up  his  dignity  as  the  representative 
of  King  George.  Probably  Mathews  could 
be  more  fittingly  described  as  a  plotter  than 
a  Mayor,  and  it  seems  reasonably  certain  that 
every  scheme  evolved  between  in  the  early  part 
of  1776  to  undermine  the  strength  of  the  Con- 
tinental, forces  was  either  planned  in  his  coun- 
try home,  or  if  conceived  elsewhere  was  there 
studied  out  and  prepared  for  being  put  in  ope- 
ration. Chief  of  these  was  what'  ii  called  the 
Hickey  plot  to  capture  General  Washington. 
Says  Field: 

"The  plot  undoubtedly  had  its  inception  on 
board  of  the  Asia,  was  matured' -at  Flatbush, 
the  residence  of  Mayor  Matthews,  and  relied 
for  its  principal  sustainers  and  adherents  upon 
the  Loyalists  of  Long  Island.  The  nightly 
return  of  Matthews  to  his  residence,  not  more 
than  four  or  five  miles  from  the  landing  place 
of  boats  from  the  Asia,  and  his  daily  return  to 


the  city,  made  him  the  fittest  organ  of  com- 
munication between  the  Governor  and  the  Loy- 
alists. The  conspiracy  failed  to  accomplish 
anything  except  to  increase  the  rigors  of  the 
surveillance  over  the  Long  Island  Loyalists, 
who  felt  its  influence  for  many  months  subse- 
quently." 

Mathews  was  arrested  and  held  in  close 
custody  in  Connecticut  for  some  time.  There 
was  really  no  evidence  discovered  against  him 
in  connection  with  the  plot,  although  suspi- 
cious circumstances  were  plentiful.  He  was 
subsequently  released  and  resumed  his  office 
of  Mayor,  an  office  which  was  merely  a  nom- 
inal one  even  during  the  British  occupation. 
In  1782  Mathews  was  appointed  Registrar 
of  the  Court  of  Admiralty.  On  the  conclusion 
of  the  war  he  retired  to  Canada,  where  he  be- 
came President  of  Council  of  the  island  of 
Cape  Breton,  and  so  passes  out  of  our  history. 

A  much  more  important,  more  honorable 
and  lovable  figure  among  the  Loyalists  was  the 
sturdy  old  Lieutenant  Governor,  Cadwallader 
Colden,  whose  home,  Springhill,  Flushing, 
was  for  many  years  the  real  gubernatorial 
mansion  of  the  colony;  in  fact,  for  the  fifteen 
years  which  preceded  the  Revolution  he  was 
regarded  as  the  most  conspicuous  representa- 
tive of  the  royal  authority.  His  career  has 
been  sketched  in  a  previous  chapter,  but  the 
story  of  his  family  may  here  be  referred  to, 
showing,  as  it  does,  that  while  most  of  them 
continued  to  hold  Loyalist  views,  others  were 
really  indifferent  about  the  matter;  but  the 
third  generation  developed  into  devoted  Amer- 
ican citizens.  This  was  generally  the  case  all 
around,  so  far  as  the  writer's  research  has  dis- 
covered, except  in  the  case  of  a  few  ultra  To- 
ries, whose  descendants  even  at  the  present  day 
have  a  sentimental  loyalty  for  the  British 
throne,  just  as  the  British  Jacobites  have,  or 
pretend  to  have,  for  the  living  descendants  of 
"the  auld  Stuarts." 

Regarding  Colden's  family,  Thompson,  in 
his  "History  of  Long  Island,"  gives  the  fol- 
lowing details:  "He  had  five  sons  and  five 
daughters,  a  part  of  whom  only  survived  him. 


SOME    LONG    ISLAND    LOYALISTS. 


231 


His  daughter  Elizabeth  married  Peter  de  Lan- 
cey ;  Jane  married  Dr.  William  Farquhar ;  and 
Alice  married  Colonel  William  Willett.  Three 
of  Governor  Colden's  sons,  Alexander,  Cad- 
wallader  and  David,  were  successively  Sur- 
veyor Generals  and  prominent  men  in  the  col- 
ony. His  son  David,  to  whom  he  bequeathed 
the  farm  at  Springhill,  becoming  a  warm  and 
active  Loyalist  in  the  Revolution,  lost- his  estate 
by  forfeiture  and  retired  to  England  in  1784, 
where  he  died  July  10  of  the  same  year.  He 
was  bred  to  the  profession  of  physic,  which, 
however,  he  never  practiced.  He  was  fond 
of  retirement,  was  much  devoted  to  scientific 
pursuits,  and  his  correspondence  with  learned 
men  in  Europe  and  America  is  to  be  found  in 
the  publications  of  the  time.  His  wife  was 
Ann,  daughter  of  John  Willett,  of  Flushing. 
She  died  at  Coldenham,  Orange  county,  in 
August,  1785.  They  had  one  son  and  three 
daughters.  Their  daughter  Mary  married 
the  late  Jonah  Ogden  Hoffman,  Esq. ;  Eliza- 
beth married  Edward  W.  Laight;  and  Cath- 
erine mairried  the  late  Thomas  Cooper." 

Alexander  Colden  seems  to  have  made  his 
peace  with  the  Federal  Government.  He  ap- 
pears to  have  resided  at  Coldenham  and  in 
1742  opened  the  first  store  in  that  village,  and 
in  1752  was  one  of  the  company  who  received 
a  renewal  of  the  Newburgh  patent  from  Gov- 
ernor Clinton. 

Cadwallader  D.  Colden,  only  son  of  David 
Colden  and  grandson  of  the  Lieutenant  Gov- 
ernor, was  the  next  man  of  the  family  to  be- 
come really  prominent  in  public  affairs.  He 
was  born  at  Springhill  April  4,  1769,  and  .was 
educated  at  Jamaica.  In  1784  he  accompanied 
his  father  to  England,  but  returned  to  New 
York  in  about  a  year.  He  then  engaged  in  the 
study  of  law,  was  admited  to  the  bar  and  en- 
tered upon  practice  in  Poughkeepsie  in  1791. 
In  1793  he  married  Maria,  daughter  of  Bishop 
Provost,  of  New  York,  and  three  years  later 
settled  in  New  York  City,  of  which  he  became 
district  attorney.  He  rapidly  rose. at  the  bar 
until  he  held  the  most  prominent  position  in 


the  profession  in  the  city,  especially  in  connec- 
tion with  commercial  matters. 

But  his  ambition  lay  in  another  direction! 
than  his  profession,  and  the  highest  aspirations 
of  his  life  were  for  a  political  career.  He 
early  won  the  friendship  of  De  Witt  Clinton, 
and  through  the  influence  of  that  great  states- 
man speedily  found  an  honored  place  in  public 
affairs.  At  the  same  time  he  lost  no  opportu- 
nity in  personally  exerting  himself  to  add  to 
his  popularity  among  the  people,  and  this  led 
him,  among  other  exploits,  to  raise  a  regiment 
of  volunteers  in  the  War  of  1812  and  to  be 
active  in  the  work  of  preparing  the  city  to 
meet  the  expected  invasion  of  the'  British  at 
that  time,  although  probably  he  cared  as  little 
for  military  matters  as  he  cared  for  astronomy. 
In  1818  he  was  elected  by  CHnton's  influence 
a  member  of  Assembly,  and  that  same  influ- 
ence, in  the  same  year,  landed  him  in  the  chair 
of  the  Mayor  of  New  York,  which  he  con- 
tinued to  occupy  until  1821.  It  was,  however, 
only  a  step  toward  the  goal  of  his  ambition, 
the  Governor's  seat  at  Albany;  and  another 
step  thitherward  was  taken  in  1824,  when  he 
was  chosen  a  State  Senator.  He  supported 
Clinton  in  all  public  measures  and  projects, 
and  was  particularly  outspoken  in  advocacy  of 
the  latter's  canal  policy.  In  1827  he  retired 
from  the  Senate,  and  seemed  somehow  to  lose 
his  grip  on  the  situation.  So,  much  against 
his  own  desire,  he  retired  to  private  life,  a 
sadly  disappointed  man. 

In  1829  he  publicly  renounced  Freema- 
sonry, in  which,  as  in  politics,  he  had  been  a 
prominent  figure  for  many  years,  and  in  which, 
as  in  politics,  he  missed  the  goal  of  his  ambi- 
tion, the  Grand  Mastership  of  the  State,  when 
it  seemed  within  his  grasp.  In  1829  the  fa- 
mous anti-Masonic  movement  over  the  disap- 
pearance of  William  Morgan  was  just  reaching 
its  height,  and  he  probably  hoped  to  win  a  new 
lease  of  political  influence  by  casting  in  his 
lot  with  the  "anti-Masons,"  even  then  showing 
signs  of  becoming  a  prodigious  power  in  State 
and  also  in  national  politics.   Certainly  he  was 


282 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


welcomed  into  his  new  fold,  and  his  skillfully 
written  letter  of  renunciation  was  circulated 
by  thousands,  reaching  every  hamlet  in  the 
State.  But  even  this  produced  no  lasting 
effect  on  his  fortunes,  and  he  fell  back  into 
obscurity,  in  which  he  remained  until  his  death 
at  Jersey  City,  in  1834. 

He  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  abil- 
ity, endowed  with  much  of  the  literary  taste 
of  his  grandfather,  was  a  reputable  citizen  in 
all  respects  and  fulfilled  every  duty  imposed 
up>on  him  with  marked  fidelity  and  usefulness. 
He  never  could  be  described  as  brilliant,  nor 
could  he  be  called  a  mere  figurehead.  He 
won  many  powerful  friends  and  he  exerted  for 
a  series  of  years  a  potent  degree  of  influence 
in  the  councils  of  his  political  party ;  but  there 
was  an  air  of  insincerity  about  everything  he 
did  which  prevented  his  friends  or  the  people 
becoming  enthusiastic  in  his  behalf  at  any 
point,  and  so  in  the  merciless  kaleidoscope  of 
political  life  he  went  down  into  obscurity,  un- 
wept, unhonored  and  unsung.  He  was  the  last 
of  his  race  to  acquire  any  prominence  in  local 
or  State  affairs. 

We  may  now  turn  again  from  civil  to  mili- 
tary life  and  recall  the  once  well-known  name 
of  Isaac  Corsa,  for  many  years  a  prominent 
merchant  in  New  York  City.  His  firm,  Corsa 
&  Bull,  was  so  long  prominent  that  the  estab- 
lishment it  occupied  near  Peck  Slip  became  a 
landmark.  John  Austin  Stevens,  in  his  volume 
on  "Colonial  Records  of  the  New  York  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,"  writes:  "He  (Corsa)  was 
a  distinguished  officer  in  the  old  French  War. 
He  received  his  commission  as  captain  on  the 
25th  of  September,  1775.  He  led  a  detach- 
ment of  Queens  county  men  as  colonel  at  the 
capture  of  Fort  Frontenac  (Kingston),  Au- 
gust, 1758,  and  on  the  night  of  the  25th  of 
August  volunteered  to  erect  a  battery  under 
the  enemy's  fire.  Here  he  was  slightly  wound- 
ed. The  next  day  the"  fort  surrendered,  under 
the  fire.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolu- 
tion he  clung  to  the  crown,  and  on  the  12th 
of  August,  1776,  was  arrested  by  order  of 
General  Washington  and  sent  prisoner  to  Nor- 


wich and  Middletown.  He  was  released  on 
his  parole  and  promised  to  return  when  sent 
for  the  following  December.  He  married 
Sarah  Franklin  in  April,  1758.  She  was  the 
sister  of  Walter  Franklin,  a  wealthy  New  York 
merchant,  who  resided  at  Maspeth.  After  his 
death  Colonel  Corsa  occupied  the  mansion. 
Colonel  Corsa  died  at  Flushing,  3d  May,  1807, 
in  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age.  He  is  said 
to  have  been  small  in  stature  and  juvenile  in 
appearance,  though  an  intrepid  officer.  His 
only  child,  Maria  Franklin,  was  married  to 
John  L  Staples." 

One  of  the  most  violent  and  unscrupulous, 
and  in  many  respects  most  depraved,  of  the 
Long  Island  Tories  was  Colonel  William  Ax- 
tell,  of  Melrose  Hall,  Flatbush.  He  claimed 
descent  from  an  officer  in  Cromwell's  army 
who  was  beheaded  by  Charles  II ;  but  if  so 
his  descendants  must  have  entertained  very  dif- 
ferent notions  respecting  the  monarchical  insti- 
tution, for  William  Axtell  saw,  or  pretended 
to  see,  no  blot  on  the  royal  escutcheon. 

He  was  born  on  the  island  of  Jamaica,  a 
member  of  a  family  possessing  extensive  land- 
ed interests;  but  he  seems  to  have  sold  all  his 
property  in  that  island  before  settling  in  New 
York  in  1759.  He  appears  to  have  been  re- 
ceived with  open  arms  by  the  local  gentry  in 
New  York  City,  married  into  the  De  Peyster 
family,  and  became  a  member  of  the  King's 
Council.  In  1763  he  purchased  Melrose  Hall, 
which  continued  to  be  his  home  until  it  was 
wrested  from  his  possession  by  an  act  of  for- 
feiture, which  took  effect  as  soon  as  the  Brit- 
ish evacuated  New  York  and  the  American 
flag  was  run  up  at  the  Battery. 

The  house,  even  in  pre-Revolutionary  days, 
was  a  notable  one.  It  was  built  about  1749, 
in  the  style  of  an  old  English  country  man- 
sion, by  a  gentleman  named  Lane,  and  its  sur- 
rounding grounds  and  flower  gardens  and  am- 
ple lawn  were  alone  sufficient  to  give  it  promi- 
nence in  a  neighborhood  where  such  adorn- 
ments were  neglected,  and  a  kitchen  garden 
was  regarded  as  the  embodiment  of  horticul- 
tural skill.     But  the  interior  was  even  more 


SOME    LONG    ISLAND    LOYALISTS. 


233 


wonderful.  Its  large  chambers  and  gilded 
halls,  its  luxurious  furniture,  and,  above  all, 
its  abundance  of  secret  chambers,  dismal  and 
roomy  vaults  and  skillfully  contrived  hiding 
places,  invested  it  with  a  degree  of  mystery 
in  the  minds  of  the  simple  people  around  it 
and  gave  rise  to  the  usual  routine  of  ghost 
stories  so  familiar  a  part  of  the  history  of  most 
old  English  country  mansions.  Its  first  owner 
used  it — probably  built  it — as  a  means  of  min- 
istering to  his  low  and  debauched  tastes,  and 
its  walls  often  witnessed  bacchanalian  excesses 
and  sensual  orgies,  while  the  air  rang  with 


MELROSE    HALL, 


From  "Flatbush,  Past  and  Present."     By  permission 
of  the  Flatbush  Trust  Company. 


laughter  and  the  wild  shrieks  of  maudlin,  dis- 
sipated, degraded  pleasure-seekers.  In  Ax- 
tell's  hands  the  morals  of  the  place  became 
more  pure,  but  it  remained  a  center  of  intrigue, 
a  splendid  place  for  secret  meetings,  and  the 
ghost  stories  grew  more  vehement,  and,  ac- 
cording to  the  popular  mind,  more  easily  con- 
firmed. In  its  vaults  many  an  ardent  Patriot, 
it  was  averred,  was  confined  until  his  spirit 
was  broken  and  his  life  cast  out;  many  cruel- 
ties were  inflicted  upon  those  who  were  be- 
guiled into  its  mysterious  chambers ;  and  the 
spirit  of  a  young  woman  who  had  met  her 
fate  in  one  of  its  apartments  was  seen  to  wan- 


der around  at  intervals  and  bemoan  her  un- 
timely end.  So  the  stories  used  to  run,  and 
the  Flatbush  folks  grew  to  believe  in  the  ghost 
and  to  revel  in  the  notion  of  having  a  haunted 
house  in  their  midst. 

In  the  measures  adopted  against  the  Whigs 
prior  to  the  battle  of  .Brooklyn,  Colonel  Axtell 
felt  the  heavy  hand  of  successful  rebellion  and 
had  to  submit  to  many  humiliations.  But  these 
he  afterward  repaid  with  a  more  than  usually 
liberal  measure  of  interest  and  continued  to 
pay  with  equal  liberality  until  the  curtain  was 
rung  down  upon  British  dominion  over  what 
by  that  time  was  the  United  States.  But  while 
the  Whigs  were  supreme  he  was  made  to  feel 
that  he  was  on  the  losing  side,  and  the  last  act 
undertaken  against  an  individual  by  the  Conti- 
nental forces  on  Long  Island  prior  to  the  de- 
feat was  directed  against  him.  A  day  or  two 
before  the  battle  of  Brooklyn,  when  Flatbush 
was  in  the  hands  of  the  British,  Axtell  was 
jubilant  and  had  gathered  around  him  at  din- 
ner a  large  party  of  red-coated  officers.  In 
the  midst  of  the  hilarity  of  the  occasion  a  well- 
directed  shell  from  one  of  the  Continental  bat- 
teries on  a  neighboring  height  plunged  into  the 
house.  It  created  considerable  consternation, 
naturally  enough,  but  did  no  real  damage,  al- 
though it  effectively  reminded  Axtell  that  he 
was  not  yet  entirely  rid  of  his  persecutors, 
even  although  surrounded  by  one  of  the  most 
magnificent  armies  which  up  to  that  time  Great 
Britain  had  sent  across  a  wide  stretch  of  sea. 

In  1778  Axtell  raised  a  regiment  of  Colo- 
nial infantry,  of  which  he  was  commissioned 
colonel.  During  the  entire  length  of  the  Brit- 
ish occupation  Axtell  rode,  it  may  be  said, 
"rough-shod"  over  his  former  oppressors,  and 
became  more  overbearing  and  cruel  than  ever 
irumor  had  imputed  even  to  the  most  rampant 
of  the  Whigs.  He  showed  the  power  of  an  iron 
hand  without  even  the  slightest  pretext  at  cov- 
ering it  with  a  silken  glove.  So  obnoxious  did 
he  become  that  Captain  Marriner,  the  Whig 
freebooter,  once  made  a  special  descent  on 
Flatbush  with  the  avowed  intention  of  cap- 
turing him  and  Mayor  Mathews,  as  well  as 


234 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


one  or  two  others  of  like  stamp.  The  descent 
might  have  been  successful  had  it  not  been  for 
the  fact  that  Axtell  and  Mathews  happened 
to  be  away  from  their  homes  on  the  night  it 
was  planned.  However,  Stiles,  in  his  "His- 
tory of  Kings  County,"  very  pertinently  says 
that  "even  if  Colonel  Axtell  had  been  at  home 
his  capture  would  have  been  no  easy  task,  for 
the  house  abounds  in  secret  closets  and  out-of- 
the-way  nooks  where  one  could  easily  hide." 

When  peace  was  concluded  the  Axtell  home 
at  Flatbush  was  sold  by  the  Commissioners  of 
Forfeited  Estates  to  Colonel  Aquilla  Giles,  an 
American  officer  who  had  married  Miss  Ship- 
ton,  a  niece  of  Mrs.  Axtell.  In  1809  Colonel 
Giles  transferred  the  property  to  another  sol- 
dier of  the  Revolution.  In  1836  it  became  the 
home  of  James  Mowatt  (husband  of  the  once 
famous  actress,  Mrs.  Mowatt,  afterward  Mrs. 
Ritchie),  and  so  contined  until  1841.  In  1880 
the  march  of  "modern  improvements"  necessi- 
tated the  removal  of  the  old  structure,  and  part 
of  it — the  central  portion — was  removed  to 
Bedford  avenue,  near  Winthrop  street,  where 
it  still  stands,  shorn  of  its  fine  proportions, 
its  historic  fitness  and  its  usefulness  even  as  a 
"relic." 

We  may  now  mention  another  Tory,  or 
rather  a  reputed  Tory,  who  won  renown  much 
more  widespread  and  lasting  than  the  measure 
accorded  to  any  treated  in  this  chapter,  but  in 
an  entirely  different  direction.  This  was  Lind- 
ley  Murray,  whose  name  as  a  grammarian  was 
for  years  a  familiar  one  on  the  lips  of  children 
wherever  the  English  language  was  taught, 
and  even  to-day,  although  his  grammar  has 
long  since  met  the  usual  fate  of  school-books 
and  been  relegated  to  the  catalogue  of  educa- 
tional curiosities,  his  uame  is  still  regarded  as 
a  synonym  expressive  of  the  study  itself.  I 
have  designated  Murray  as  a  reputed  Tory,  for 
although  up  to  a  certain  point  in  the  contro- 
versy with  the  mother  country  he  was  in  full 
accord  with  the  Patriots,  was  even  elected,  in 
May,  177s,  a  member  of  the  Committee  of  One 
Hundred,  still  when  the  war  broke  out  his 
religious  sentiments  did  not  permit  him  to  take 


part  in  any  bloodshed ;  and,,  to  be  away  from 
■the  armed  strife  and  also  to  recrujt  his  weak 
strength,  he  removed  to  Islip,  where  he  spent 
some  four  years  mainly  engaged  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  country  pleasures,  boating,  fishing, 
etc.  It  was  while  in  retirement  that  he  earned 
the  title  of  Tory,  the  result  of  his  kind  and  gen- 
erous heart.  Speaking  of  this  in  connection 
with  the  measures  adopted  against  the  Tories 
prior  to  the  defeat  of  August  27,  1776,  Mr. 
Field,  the  historian  of  the  battle  of  Long 
Island,  says : 

"There  was  at  this  time  residing  at  Islip 
a  Quaker  gentleman  of  some  estate  in  whom 
the  troubles  of  the  times  developed  a  perspi- 
cuity of  reason  and  an  acuteness  of  expres- 
sion which  have  left  their  mark  upon  our  lan- 
guage. Lindley  Murray,  whose  name  is  almost 
as  devoutly  hallowed  for  his  high  virtues  as 
it  is  famous  for  his  eminence  in  learning,  had 
retired  to  this  remote  and  quiet  spot  to. 'escape 
the  angry  turbulence  of  the  city ;  but-  his  be- 
nevolence would  not  permit  him  to  reniain  in 
idleness  while  so  many  of  his  countrymen 
were  suffering  for  want  of  the  common  neces- 
saries of  life.  The  strict  blockade  of  the  port 
by  the  British  cruisers  had  so  obstructed  the 
transactions  of  commerce  that  salt  was  sold  at 
a  price  that  made  it  almost  unattainable  by  the 
poor.  To  supply  this  want  Mr.  Mtirray  estab- 
lished salt  works  at  Islip  and  devoted  himself 
to  its  manufacture.  The  kindly  Quaker  was 
but  little  molested  in  person  by  his  Whig 
neighbors,  but  he  retired  from  the  country  to 
the  city  when  he  saw  the  rancor  which  was 
kindling  between  the  factions  and  the  severity 
with  which  some  of  his  Loyalist  friends  were 
treated." 

Such  was  the  man  whose  innate  kindness 
caused  him  to  be  dubbed  a  Tory  at  a  time  when 
every  evil  attribute  possible  to  mankind  was 
held  to  be  included  in  such  a  title !  It  is  very 
possible  that  Murray  was  a  Loyalist  in  heart; 
indeed,  his  career  seems  clearly  to  prove  that; 
but  he  was  a  non-combatant  and  unconnect- 
ed with  intrigue,  while  his  known  philan- 
thropy and  blameless  life  might  have  spared 


SOME    LONG    ISLAND    LOYALISTS. 


235 


him  the  obloquy  which  was  thrown  upon  him 
during  those  years  of  trial  and  long  afterward. 

Lindley  Murray  was  born  at  Swataca, 
Pennsylvania,  April  22,  1745.  His  father, 
Robert  Murray,  soon  after  Lindley's  birth, 
removed  to  New  York,  where  he  became  one 
of  the  greatest  merchants  of  his  time.  His 
firm,  Murray,  Sansom  &  Company,  occupied  a 
large  building  on  Queen  (Pearl)  street,  be- 
tween Beekman  street  and  Burling  slip,  and 
Murray  became  so  wealthy  that  he  was  one  of 
the  five  men  in  New  York  who  owned  a  pri- 
vate carriage.  Being  a  Quaker  and  not  given 
to  boasting,  however,  he  never  spoke  of  "my 
carriage,"  but  always  of  "my  leather  conven- 
iency."  The  great  merchant  was  a  loyal  Amer- 
ican and  steadfastly  kept  abreast  of  the  move- 
ment for  reform  which  finally  developed  into 
a  struggle  for  independence.  His  wife  was 
even  more  pronounced  in  her  patriotism,  and 
it  is  said  that  her  womanly  wit  had  much  to 
do  with  the  successful  retreat  of  the  American 
army  to  King's  Bridge  in  September,  1776. 
Walter  Barrett,  in  his  "Merchants  of  New 
York,"  says: 

"Old  Robert  Murray  had  a  farm  out  on  the 
East  River  in  the  neighborhood  of  old  Dr. 
Gerardus  Beekman's  place  at  the  head  of 
King's  Road.  There  Mrs.  Murray  entertained 
General  Howe  and  his  staff  with  refreshments 
after  their  landing  at  Kipp's  Bay  on  purpose 
to  afford  time  to  General  Putnam  to  lead  off 
his  troops  in  retreat  from  the  city,  which  he 
effected." 

Mrs.  Lamb,  in  her  "History  of  New  York," 
tells  the  story  in  much  similar  style.  "Mrs. 
Murray,  the  mother  of  Lindley  Murray,  the 
grammarian,  was  personally  known  to  Trypn; 
he  introduced  the  British  Generals,  who, 
charmed  with  the  beauty  of  her  cool  parlors  and 
the  tempting  wine  with  which  she  bountifully 
supplied  them,  loitered  in  gay  and  trivial  occu- 
pation. For  Mr.  Thatcher,  relating  this  inci- 
dent in  his  journal,  says :  'It  has  since  become 
almost  a  common  saying  among  our  officers 
that  Mrs.  Murray  saved  this  part  of  the  Ameri- 
can army.'  " 


Lindley  was  intended  by  his  father  to  be 
his  associate  in  business,  but  the  young  man 
seems  to  have  had  little  taste  for  trade  and 
ran  away  from  home  to  escape  from  it.  His 
escapade  did  not  last  long,  but  when  he  re- 
turned he  was  sent,  in  accordance  with  his 
own  wishes,  to  study  law,  and  in  1765  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar.  His  legal  business  never 
amounted  to  anything,  but  his  health  was  weak 
and  he  was  unable  to  maintain  the  routine  and 
study  necessary  to  success  in  that  most  jealous 
of  the  learned  professions. 

I  again  quote  Walter  Barrett:  "When  the 
war  broke  out  Lindley's  law  business  was  used 
up.  So  he  retired  to  Islip  and  determined  to 
stay  there  until  the  war  storm  had  passed 
away.  He  kept  quiet  four  years  and  then  went 
to  New  York  to  try  commerce  instead  of  law. 
His  father  gave  him  a  large  credit  to  import 
goods  from  London.  The  goods  arrived.  He 
sold  them  at  great  profits  and  kept  on  doing 
so  until  the  war  closed.  Every  year  added 
largely  to  his  capital,  and  when  independence 
was  established  he  was  well  off  and  able  to 
retire  from  business.  He  did  so  and  purchased 
a  country  seat  three  miles  from  New  York, 
at  Bellevue.  Alas !  after  a  few  months  his 
health  failed  in  this  paradise  and  he  removed 
to  Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania.  Finding  his 
health  feeble,  he  consulted  one  of  the  first  phy- 
sicians of  New  York.  He  advised  a  perma- 
nent change  of  climate,  where  the  summers 
were  more  temperate  and  less  relaxing  and 
where  he  would  hot  lose  in  warm  weather  the, 
bracing  effects  produced  by  the  rigor  of  win- 
'  ter.  The  advice  was  accepted.  Yorkshire,  in 
England,  was  thought  a  proper  place.  The 
voyage  was  made  in  1784.  He  selected  and 
bought  a  place  at  Holdgate,  near  York,  and 
that  became  his  habitation  for  many  years  of 
his  life.  There  he  wrote  the  books  which  have 
immortalized  his  name.  His  affairs  in  America 
were  managed  by  his  father  until  he  died,  in 
1786,  then  his  brother  John  managed  them 
until  Lindley  died,  in  1826." 

Murray's  first  work,  "The  Power  of  Re- 
ligion on  the  Mind,"  was  published  in  1787, 


236 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


and  enjoyed  a  remarkable  degree  of  success, 
although  in  that  respect  it  was  far  surpassed 
by  his  "English  Grammar,"  written  for  the 
use  of  a  female  seminary  near  York  and  pub- 
lished in  1795.  His  other  writings  were  main- 
ly of  religious  character  and  have  long  been 
forgotten,  even  his  once  famous  grammar,  as 
we  have  said,  being  little  more  nowadays  than 
a  name.  Chambers's  Encyclopedia  contemptu- 
ously dismisses  it  with  the  remark:  "There 
can  be  no  stronger  indication  how  entirely 
the  systematic  study  of  the  English  language 
was  until  recent  years  neglected  than  the  fact 
that  Murray's  Grammar  was  for  half  a  century 
the  standard  text-book  throughout  Britain  and 
America." 

In    concluding    several    notices    regarding 
the   Muilray   family,   Walter   Barrett,   in   the 


delightful   work   from   which   I   have  quoted, 
saysi : 

"Lindley  earned  an  immense  sum  by-  his 
various  works,  but  the  profits  he  invariably 
devoted  to  benevolent  purposes.  When  he 
died  he  left  by  will  several  bequests  to  chari- 
ties in  England.  After  his  wife  deceased  the 
residue  of  his  property  was  to  be  transferred 
to  New  York  City  and  vested  in  trustees  so 
as  to  form  a  permanent  fund,  the  yearly  in- 
come in  produce  of  which  was  to  be  appropri- 
ated in  the  following  manner:  In  liberating 
black  people  who  may  be  held  in  slavery,  as- 
sisting them  when  free  and  giving  their  de- 
scendants or  the  descendants  of  other  black 
people  suitable  education.  What  became  of  the 
money  to  do  this  is  a  question  of  curiosity  that 
arises  to  one's  mind  when  he  reads  this." 


^ 

.iif^ilJtel., 

'      ■                   ■                                                  .^.^.^^.mtm^m^^^^ltt^^k 

CHAPTER   XX. 


A  FEW    REVOLUTIONARY    HEROES— GENERAL    WOODHULL— COLONEL 
TALLMADGE— GENERAL   PARSONS  — COLONEL   MEIGS. 


T  WILL  not  be  out  of  keeping  with  the 
plan  and  scope  of  this  work  to  pause 
before  leaving  the  period  of  the  Revo- 
lution and  devote  a  chapter  to  briefly 
recording  the  life  stories  of  several  of  those 
heroes  belonging  to  the  island  who  were 
foremost  in  the  fight  for  liberty  and  in- 
dependence. Such  a  study  will  serve  two 
ends;  it  will  enable  us  to  dwell  more 
particularly  upon  the  personal  careers  of 
these  men  than  could  well  be  done  in  the 
course  of  the  general  story,  and  it  will  afford 
room  for  the  narration  of  several  interesting 
details  which  throw  instructive  side  lights 
upon  the  progress  of  that  grand  struggle 
which  developed  the  American  Colonies  into 
a  nation. 

In  many  respects  the  greatest  of  the  Long 
Island  Revolutionary  heroes  was  General  Na- 
thaniel WoodhuU,  a  man  of  most  lovable  char- 
acter, a  stanch  patriot,  a  sincere  Christian,  a 
statesman,  and  a  soldier  who  had  won  a  repu- 
tation for  personal  courage  and  military  skill 
long  before  the  time  came  for  him  to  give  up 
his  life  in  the  service  of  his  native  land. 

Nathaniel  Woodhull  was  born  at  Mastic, 
Brookhaven  township,  December  30,  1722.  He 
was  the  son  of  Nathaniel  Woodhull  of  Brook- 
haven,  who  was  descended  from  Richard 
Woodhull,  a  native  of  Thetford,  Northamp- 
ton, who  had  to  leave  England  in  1648  on  ac- 
count of  some  political  trouble  shortly  before 
the  restoration  of  Charles  II  to  the  throne. 
He   was   one   of  the  original   settlers   of  Ja- 


maica, his  name  being  recorded  in  the  original 
deed  as  one  of  the  "proprietors;"  but  he 
seems  to  have  soon  (1655)  removed  to  Brook- 
haven,  where  he  settled  on  an  extensive  tract 
of  land.  Thompson,  in  his  sketch  of  Wood- 
hull,  says:  "An  original  paper  of  Lord  Crew 
to  him  (Richard)  dated  in  1687,  in  answer  to- 
one  of  his,  is  among  the  papers  of  the  late 
Abraham  Woodhull,  Esq.,  of  Brookhaven,  in 
which  he  styles  him  as  cousin  and  speaks  of 
his  relations,  among  whom  he  enumerates  a 
bishop  [of  Durham]  and  a  number  of  families 
of  the  first  rank  in  society." 

The  accuracy  of  all  this  is  rendered  some- 
what dubious  by  the  fact  that  in  1687  there 
was  no  personage  as  "Lord  Crew"  or  Crewe,, 
that  title  in  the  baronage  having  only  been 
created  in  1806,  and  that  the  head  of  the 
Crewe  family  and  holder  of  the  estate  in  1687 
was  a  young  woman.  However  all  that  may 
be,  there  is  no  doubt  that  Richard  Woodhull, 
when  he  arrived  in  New  York,  was  a  man  of 
considerable  means,  and  the  possessor  also  of 
much  personal  influence.  He  received  two 
patents  for  his  property,  one  from  Governor 
Richard  Nicolls  in  1666  and  one  from  Gov- 
ernor Dongan  in  1686.  He  soon  acquired  a 
measure  of  importance  in  his  Long  Island 
home,  for  we  flnd  that  in  1663  he  represented 
Brookhaven  in  a  General  Court  convened  at 
Hartford,  Connecticut.  This  importance  fol- 
lowed him  throughout  his  career,  whethef 
British  or  Dutch  held  sway.  The  former  ap- 
pointed him  in   1666  a  Justice  of  the  Court 


238 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


of  Assizes,  and  the  latter  in  1673  commissioned 
him  a  Magistrate  for  Brookhaven.  He  died 
in  1690,  at  the  home  he  had  founded. 

General  Nathaniel  WoodhuU  was  third  in 
descent  from  this  pioneer,  and  being  the  eldest 
son  was  educated  according  to  old  English 
ideas,  with  the  view  of  his  being  called  upon, 
in  time,  to  the  duty  of  administering  the  family 
estate.  His  many  excellent  qualities  and  iemi- 
nent  ability  soon  marked  him  for  public  serv- 
ice, and  he  seems  to  have  early  entered  upon 
a  military  career.  There  is  some  doubt  as  to 
when  he  entered  the  military  service,  but  in 
1758  he  served  as  Major  under  General  Aber- 
crombie  in  the  campaign  against  Crown  Point 
and  Ticonderoga,  and  distinguished  himself  by 
his  gallantry  at  Fort  Frontenac  (Kingston). 
In  1760  he  took  part,  as  colonel  of  the  Third 
Regiment,  New  York  Provincials,  in  the  cam- 
paign under  General  Amherst,  which  resulted 
in  the  conquest  of  Canada,  and  at  the  close  of 
the  campaign  he  returned  to  his  home  on 
Long  Island  with  the  view  of  enjoying  a  life 
of  pleasant  retirement.  In  1761  he  married 
Ruth,  daughter  of  NicoU  Floyd,  of  Brookha- 
ven, and  sister  of  General  William  Floyd,  one 
of  the  Signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence representing  New  York. 

In  1768  the  New  York  Assembly  passed  a 
resolution  to  the  effect  that  no  tax  could  or 
should  be  imposed  upon  the  people  of  New 
York  without  the  consent  of  the  people 
through  their  Representatives  in  the  Assembly, 
and  that  they  had  a  right  to  consult  with  other 
Colonies  on  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  lib- 
erties of  the  people.  As  a  result  Governor 
Moore,  having  no  use  for  men  who  held  such 
sentiments,  dissolved  that  Assembly.  In  the 
election  which  followed  in  the  spring  of  1769 
the  people  of  Suffolk  county  by  their  votes 
upheld  the  position  of  the  Assembly,  and  to 
represent  their  views  elected  William  Nicoll 
(a  member  of  the  former  Assembly)  and  Na- 
thaniel WoodhuU.  For  the  six  years  which 
followed  of  peaceful  struggle  to  preserve  the 
freedom  of  the  people,  the  two  representatives 
from  Suffolk  gave  many  evidences  of  their 


sincere  and  disinterested  patriotism.  As  a  re- 
sult, when  the  crisis  approached,  WoodhuU 
was  the  chosen  Representative  of  his  county  in 
the  convention  which  met  in  New  York  City 
April  ID,  1775,  to  elect  delegates  to  the  Con- 
tinental Congress.  On  May  22,  1775,  he  rep- 
resented Suffolk  in  the  Provincial  Congress, 
which  then  met  in  New  York,  and  which  body 
at  once  assumed  complete  sovereign  control 
over  the  affairs  of  the  Colony.  This  Congress, 
as  one  of  its  first  steps,  reorganized  the  militia 
service,  dividing  it  into  brigades,  and  in  this 
arrangement  the  forces  of  Suffolk  and  Queens 
counties  were  united  with  Colonel  WoodhuU 
as  Brigadier  General,  and  Jonathan  Law- 
rence, Representative  of  Queens  in  the  Provin- 
cial Congress,  as  Brigade  Major,  or,  as  it 
would  now  be  called.  Adjutant.  In  August, 
1775,  General  WoodhuU  was  elected  Presi- 
dent of  the  Provincial  Congress,  and  was  re- 
elected to  that  office  in  the  still  more  pro- 
nounced anti-British  Congress  which  was 
elected  in  1776  and  which  on  July  9  of  that 
year,  as  soon  as  it  met  for  the  first  time,  at 
White  Plains,  adopted  the  immortal  Declara- 
tion of  Independence,  which  had  been  signed 
at  Philadelphia  on  the  Fourth,  a  few  days 
preceding. 

On  July  loth  the  New  York  Provincial 
Congress  threw  royalty  aside  without  cere- 
mony. While  busy  with  his  legislative  duties 
General  WoodhuU  was  unceasing  in  his  efforts 
to  wheel  Long  Island  into  line  on  the  side  of 
the  Continentals,  and  although  his  work  was 
by  no  means  successful  in  Kings  or  Queens 
it  was  amply  so  in  Suffolk.  He  certainly, 
however,  reduced  the  Tory  resistance  to  its 
narrowest  dimensions  in  the  •  two  first-named 
counties,  and  as  certainly  prevented  many  wa- 
verers  from  going  over  openly  to  the  enemy. 
If,  sometimes,  we  cannot  justify  all  that  was 
done  in  his  name  as  President  of  Congress 
against  the  Loyalists,  we  must  remember  that 
a  state  of  war  prevailed,  and  such  a  state  is 
never  conducive  to  the  exemplification  of  the 
Christian  beatitudes,  even  though,  at  times. 
Psalm-singing  and  prayer  may  accompany  it. 


A    FEW   REVOLUTIONARY    HEROES. 


239 


Meanwhile  the  British   force  had  landed  on 
Staten  Island. 

On  August  10,  General  WoodhuU  obtained 
leave  of  absence  from  Congress  to  attend  to 
some  private  affairs  at  Mastic,  and  he  was 
there  when  word  was  received  that  the  enemy 
had  landed  troops  near  Bath  and  seemed  to  be 
thTCateninig  New  York  from  Brooklyn.  It 
should  be  remembered  that  even  then  the  pre- 
cise British  plan  of  operations  for  the  capture 
of  New  York  had  not  become  fully  evident. 
Orders  were  at  once  sent  to  him  to  call  out 
the  entire  militia  of  Queens  county  and  part 
of  the  forces  of  Suffolk  county  arui  remove, 
or  when  that  was  not  practicable,  destroy, 
stock  and  such  other  supplies  as  might  be  use- 
ful to  the  invaders  on  the  island,  or  on  such 
parts  of  it  as  were  likely  to  be  reached  by 
their  scouting  and  foraging  parties.  Accord- 
ingly he  at  once  proceeded  to  Jamaica  to  carry 
out  his  orders,  but  found  that  the  whole  force 
consisted  of  about  loo  men,  led  by  Colonel 
Potter,  of  Suffolk,  and  fifty  horsemen,  repra 
senting  Kings  and  Queens.  The  other  forces 
ordered  to  support  him  did  not,  for  many  rea- 
sons, do  so,  and  the  Queens  county  militia, 
by  its  unwillingness  to  serve  or  open  desertion, 
had  dwindled  down  to  a  mere  skeleton  organi- 
zation. Despite  the  weakness  of  his  force, 
General  Woodhull  at  once  proceeded  to  carry 
his  instructions  into  effect  as  well  as  he  could, 
and  he  succeeded  in  capturing  a  considerable 
quantity  of  cattle  and  other  live  stock,  which 
he  sent  out  of  the  immediate  reach  of  the  foe. 
In  the  course  of  these  operations  his  little 
army  steadily  dwindled  until  it  numbered  less 
than  ICG.  The  result  of  the  battle  of  Brooklyn 
on  August  27th  completely  cut  off  Woodhull's 
little  force  from  the  rest  of  the  army,  and  he 
retired  to  Jamaica  with  the  view  of  awaiting 
developments  or  new  orders.  He  had  sent  Ma- 
jor Lawrence  to  the  Provincial  Congress  and 
to  General  Washington  asking  instructions  and 
reinforcements.  Congress  sent  messages  to 
Connecticut  asking  the  aid  of  the  towns  on 
the  Sound  in  removing  the  stock  from  Long 
Island    and    forwarded    a    letter    to    General 


Washington  requesting  that  the  two  Long 
Island  regiments,  or  what  was  left  of  them,  be 
snet  to  Jamaica.  It  also  sent  two  of  its  mem- 
bers with  instructions  and  advice  to  Woodhull, 
who,  it  was  hoped,  was  able  to  maintain  his 
headquarters  at  Jamaica. 

These  'representatives  never  reached  Ja- 
maica. Washington,  for  sufficient  military 
reasons,  refused  to  send  him  the  two  regi- 
ments, or  1,000  men,  as  one  communication 
put  it.  All  this  dickering  and  letter-writing 
occupied  time,  and  the  delay  somehow  in- 
spired Woodhull  with  the  belief  that  the  rein- 
forcements so  much  needed  would  be  sent. 
Therefore  he  decided  upon  remaining  at  Ja- 
maica until  these  arrived  or  until  orders  to 
retreat  had  been  received,  although  instant  re- 
treat across  the  Sound  or  to  the  east  end  of  the 
island  would  have  been  amply  justified.  But 
he  believed  a  soldier  should  obey  orders,  and 
having  received  no  fresh  orders,  he  felt  that 
he  could  not  honorably  leave  the  post  to  which 
he  had  originally  been  assigned.  Early  on 
August  28th  he  ordered  his  handful  of  men  to 
take  up  a  position  four  miles  east  of  Jamaica; 
but  he  lingered  in  that  village  himself  until 
the  afternoon  in  the  hope  of  receiving  some 
message  from  Congress  or  from  General 
Washington.  But  none  came  and  he  then  re- 
luctantly and  with  a  sorrowful  heart  proceeded 
to  join  his  troops.  Two  miles  east  of  Jamaica 
be  was  surrounded  by  a  detachment  of  the  Sev- 
enteenth Dragoons. 

Thompson,  in  his  "History  of  Long 
Island,"  gives  the  following  account  of  the 
capture  of  Woodhull: 

"The  General,  immediately  on  being  dis- 
covered, gave  up  his  sword  in  token  of  sur- 
render. The  ruffian  who  first  approached  him 
(said  to  be  a  Major  Baird  of  the  Seventy- 
first),  as  reported,  ordered  him  to  say  'God 
save  the  King !'  the  General  replied,  'God  save 
us  all !'  on  which  he  most  cowardly  and  cruelly 
assaulted  the  defenseless  General  with  his 
broadsword,  and  would  have  killed  him  on 
the  spot  if  he  had  not  been  prevented  by  the  in- 
terference of  an  officer  of  mere  honor  and  hu- 


240 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


manity  (said  to  be  Major  Delancey  of  the  Dra- 
goons), who  arrested  his  savage  violence." 

This  story,  which  seems  to  be  based  mainly 
on  the  details  given  us  by  Silas  Wood  in  his 
"Sketch  of  Long  Island,"  is  apocryphal — one 
of  the  wonder  tales  with  which  the  details  of 
the  incidents  of  every  war  are  embellished  by 
the  ignorant  narrators  who,  in  the  spirit  of  na- 
tural poetry  which  is  part  and  parcel  of  every 
intelligent  peasantry,  seek  to  bring  such  details 
into  prominent  relief  by  the  introduction  of 
matter  which  lightens  the  glory  of  the  success- 
ful party.  It  is  this  spirit  of  natural  poetry  to 
which  England  and  Scotland  owe  their  un- 
rivalled stores  of  ballad  minstrelsy.  Of  such 
minstrel  tales  this  is  a  fitting  example,  and  the 
entire  story  seems  strangely  familiar.  There 
was  no  "Major  Baird  of  the  Seventy-first"  at 
that  time,  or  indeed  at  any  time.  In  the  affi- 
davit of  Colonel  Robert  Troup  to  the  Conven- 
tion, sworn  to  January  17,  1777,  before  Gou- 
verneur  Morris,  the  affiant  states  that  when 
Woodhull  was  carried  on  the  transport  "Snow 
Mentor,"  where  he  was  for  a  time  confined, 
"deponent  asked  the  General  the  particulars 
of  his  capture  and  was  told  by  the  said  Gen- 
eral that  he  had  been  taken  bv  a  party  of  light- 
horse  under  the  command  of  Captain  Oliver 
Delancey ;  that  he  was  asked  by  the  said  Cap- 
tain if  he  would  surrender;  that  he  answered 
in  the  affirmative,  provided  he  would  treat  him 
like  a  gentleman — which  Captain  Delancey  as- 
sured him  he  would,  whereupon  the  General 
delivered  his  sword,  and  that  immediately  after 
the  said  Oliver  Delancey,  JunV.,  struck  him, 
and  others  of  the  party,  imitating  his  example, 
did  cruelly  cut  and  hack  him  in  the  manner  he 
then  was." 

Edward  F.  De  Lancey,  in  Appleton's 
Cyclopaedia  of  American  Biograplhy  (Vol.  2, 
page  133),  tells  a  different  story.     He  says: 

"On  the  evening  of  the  28th  of  the  same 
month  (August)  Sir  William  Erskine,  with 
the  Seventeenth  Light  Dragoons  and  the  Sev- 
enty-first Foot,  about  700  men  in  all,  sur- 
prised and  seized  at  Carpenter's  House, 
Jamaica,  General  Woodhull  and  many  of  his 


men.  The  General,  who  tried  to  escape  un- 
der cover  of  the  night,  being  discovered  by 
the  sentries  getting  over  a  board  fence,  was 
cut  down,  severely  wounded  in  the  head  and 
arm,  and  only  saved  from  instant  death  by 
the  interference  of  Captain  De  Lancey." 

The  affidavit  made  by  William  Warne  be- 
fore the   New  York   Committee  of  Safety  a 
■  few  days  after  the  capture,  says  that : 

"One  of  the  light-horsemen  told  him 
(Warne)  that  he  had  taken  General  Wood- 
hull  in  the  dark  in  a  barn  and  that  before 
he  would  answer,  when  he  spoke  to  the  Gen- 
eral, he  had  cut  him  on  the  head  and  arms.' 

Of  the  truthfulness  of  the  two  affidavits 
(Troup's  and  Warne's)  that  of  Troup  is  the 
only  one  worth  considering;  but  in  the  con- 
dition in  which  he  met  his  former  chief  (he 
had  been  aide  to  Woodhull),  wounded,  fever 
stricken  and  despondent,  it  might  be  regarded 
as  the  ravings  of  a  man  unconscious  of  his 
utterances  owing  to  his  physical  pains.  It 
certainly  seems  unlikely  that  De  Lancey 
would  so  treat  one  who  was  his  kinsman. 
Then,  too,  in  another  important  factor  all -the 
stories  fall  short,  for  it  was  not  in  keeping 
with  the  character  of  General  Woodhull,  as 
described  by  those  who  could  correctly  esti- 
mate it,  to  tamely  deliver  up  his  sword ;  nor  is 
it  in  keeping  with  the  probabilities  for  solitary 
captives  when  surrounded  by  an  enemy's 
force  to  dictate  or  attempt  to  dictate  terms 
to  their  captors.  The  true  story  seems  to  be 
that  Woodhull  was  captured  sword  in  hand 
and  that  he  was  struck  down  by  one  or  more 
of  the  dragoons  when  trying  to  effect  his 
escape. 

Another  traditional  story  given  by  Thomp- 
son may  be  repeated  here: 

"It  is  said  that  one  of  the  battalions  em- 
ployed in  this  inglorious  warfare  against  an 
unresisting  individual  was  commanded  by  a 
Major  Crew,  a  distant  kinsman  of  the  Gen- 
eral, and  that,  when  he  came  to  be  apprised 
of  that  fact  and  of  the  circumstances  of  the 
case,  he  was  so  disgusted  that  he  either  re- 
signed his  commission  and.  quit  the  service. 


A   FEW   REVOLUTIONARY    HEROES. 


241 


or  obtained  permission  to  leave  the  army  and 
return  to  England." 

This  is  simply  a  historical  embellishment, 
having  no  foundation  in  truth.  There  was 
no  "Major  Crew"  near  General  Woodhull 
when  he  was  captured,  or  even  in  this  coun- 
try during  the  Revolution.  So  he  has  to 
figure  in  the  same  shadowy  gallery  along  with 
"a  Major  Baird."     Historic  statements  whose 


his  wounds  bleeding  he  was  mounted  behind 
one  of  the  troopers  and  taken  to  Jamaica. 
It  is  thought  that  the  soldiers  were  suspicious 
of  being  surrounded  by  the  troops  which 
Woodhull  had  in  the  vicinity,  not  being  aware 
as  to  their  strength,  and  on  that  account  hur- 
ried along  with  their  charge  more  rapidly 
than  humanity  should  have  dictated. 

On  reaching  Jamaica  Woodhull   was  as- 


RESIDENCE    OF  NICASIUS   DE    SILLE.  NEW  UTRECHT,  L.  I.,  1657,  WHERE   GENERAL  WOODHULL  DIED. 

Demolished  in  ISJiO. 


sole  foundation  are  the  words  "it  is  said" 
ought  even  to  be  regarded  with  suspicion,  in 
fact,  may  safely  be  put  down  as  untrue,  and 
therefore  as  not  in  keeping  with  history 
at  all. 

However  all  this  may  be,  there  is  no  doubt 
that  as  a  result  of  the  circumstances  of  his 
capture  Woodhull  was  seriously  wounded  in 
the  head  and  his  arm  slashed  in  several  places. 
No  attention  was  paid  to  his  wounds  when 
the  affray  of  the  capture  was  over,  and  with 

16 


signed  to  quarters  in  Mrs.  Hinchman's  tavern,, 
where  his  wounds  were  dressed  by  a  British 
army  surgeon.  It  was  then  found  that  his 
injuries  were  more  serious  than  had  been 
imagined,  there  being  several  deep  gashes  on 
his  head,  while  one  arm  was  almost  severed 
from  the  body.  After  resting  that  night  he 
was  removed  on  the  following  morning  to  the 
stone  church  and  confined  there  with  several 
other  captives.  On  the  29th  of  August 
Woodhull  and  the  other  prisoners  in  Jamaica 


242 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


were  removed  to  the  old  church  at  New 
Utrecht,  which  was  being  used  for  the  time 
as  a  mihtary  prison.  He  is  presumed — for 
the  matter  is  not  very  clear — to  have  been 
detained  here  for  several  days  and  afterward 
removed  to  the  prison  ship  Pacific,  where  he 
endured  the  misery  and  dirt  and  experienced 
all  the  physical  and  mental  torture  which  the 
evidence  of  most  witnesses  testifies,  came  to 
all  who  were  confined  in  those  hulks.  On 
Sept.  2,  he.  was  transferred,  as  a  "measure  of 
humanity,"  to  another  hulk,  the  Snow  Mentor, 
and  there  it  became  only  too  evident  that  the 
lack  of  medical  attention  and  the  foul  air  of 
the  transports  had  do"ne  their  work,  and  that 
the  General  was  dying.  On  Sept.  6  he  was 
sent  to  the  house  beside  the  church-jail  at 
New  Utrecht,  used  as  a  hospital,  for  treat- 
ment, and  there,  after  suffering  the  amputa- 
tion of  his  wounded  arm,  he  died  on  Sept. 
20,  his  last  thoughts  being  for  the  alleviation 
of  the  sufferings  of  those  about  him. 

Gen.  Woodhull's  only  child  was  his 
daughter,  Elizabeth,  who  married  Henry 
Nicoll,  a  member  of  a  family  which  had  been 
settled  in  New  York  State  for  many  years. 
After  his  death  she  married  Gen.  John  Smith, 
■one  of  the  Tangier  Smiths,  a  native  of  Mastic 
who,  after  serving  in  Congress  for  several 
years  (1779-1804)  succeeded  to  the  seat,  in 
the  United  States  Senate,  of  DeWitt  Clinton, 
and  held  it  until  1813.  He  was  a  Major  Gen- 
eral of  Volunteers  and  United  States  Marshal 
for  the  Southern  District  of  New  York  and 
held  these  two  appointments  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  Aug.  12,  1816.  His  widow  resided 
on  her  father's  estate  at  Mastic  until  her 
death.  By  her  first  marriage  she  had  several 
sons,  and  by  her  second  marriage  a  daughter 
who  married  John  K.  Lawrence.  From  these 
two  marriages  the  present  living  descendants 
of  Gen.  Woodhull  may  be  enumerated  as  fol- 
lows :  James  Woodhull  Walsh,  New  York ; 
Henry  Nicoll  Wayne,  New  Britain,  Conn. ; 
Alvan  Riker  Lawrence,  Justice  of  Supreme 
Court  of  New  York;  Rev.  Alexander  Hamil- 
ton, and  John  R.  Suydam. 


In  many  ways  the  figure  of  Gen.  Woodhull 
is  one  of  the  most  notable,  most  beautiful, 
which  the  entire  story  of  the  Revolution 
brings  under  our  notice.  In  his  case  love  of 
country  was  the  predominating  feature  in  his 
whole  career.  He  acquired,  while  a  soldier  in 
the  armies  owing  allegiance  to  King  George, 
a  high  reputation  for  personal  courage  and 
for  military  ability,  and  when  the  time  came 
for  him  to  believe  that  in  the  interests  of  his 
country  that  allegiance  should  be  thrown  off, 
there  was  no  half-heartedness,  no  shrinking, 
no  thought  of  self  in  his  course,  but  a  clear, 
emphatic  and  determined  stand  on  behalf  of 
liberty  in  which  life  and  property  were  both 
placed  at  stake.  As  a  statesman  he  exhibited, 
while  a  member  of  the  Provincial  Congress, 
many  splendid  qualities,  and  as  the  presiding 
officer  of  that  body,  while  he  steadfastly  and 
honestly  carried  out  its  orders  as  its  executive 
head,  he  strove  to  mingle  pity  and  mercy  even 
when  dealing  with  pronounced  Tories. 

It  is  one  of  the  mysteries  of  the  war  how 
it  came  about  that  a  man  who  by  the  training 
of  long  service  and  study  was  every  inch  a 
soldier  should,  when  the  crisis  came,  be 
found  in  an  obscure  position,  mainly  that  of 
a  driver  of  cattle  in  face  of  the  enemy,  while 
men  like  Putnam  and  Sullivan  and  Greene, 
who  had  no  real  knowledge  of  warfare,  or 
whose  knowledge  was  mainly  confined  to 
skirmishes  with  Indians,  were  invested  with 
high  commands.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  had 
he  been  in  military  command  of  the  island 
on  August  27th  the  British  would  not  have 
found  at  Bedford  so  easy  a  flanking  point  and 
that  he  would  have  met  them  with  something 
at  least  of  their  own  tactics ;  but  instead,  he 
found  himself,  when  the  crisis  came,  away 
from  the  scene  of  action,  but  obeying  orders 
like  a  true  soldier,  and  doing  the  best  service 
he  could  with  less  than  100  men  under  his 
command.  It  is  pitiful  to  read  his  letters  ac 
that  critical  junction,  knowing  as  we  do  the 
opportunities  which  were  being  lost  to  the 
struggling  nation  by  the  trifling  employment 
which  had  been  given  him,  and  how  tenacious- 


A    FEW    REVOLUTIONARY    HEROES. 


i:43 


ly  he  held  on  to  the  humble  duty  to  which  he 
had  been  assigned  without  any  thought  of  re- 
treat except  under  pressure  of  the  circum- 
stances of  war  or  of  direct  orders  from  those 
in  authority.  On  the  27th  he  wrote:  "I 
have  got  all  of  the  cattle  southward  of  the 
hills  in  Kings  county,  to  the  eastward  of  the 
cross  road  between  the  two  counties,  and 
have  placed  guards  and  sentinels  from  the 
northward  to  the  south  side  of  the  island  to 
prevent  the  cattle's  going  back  and  to  prevent 
the  communication  of  the  Tories  with  the 
enemy." 

On  August  28th  he  wrote  the  Convention : 
"I  have  about  seventy  of  the  men  and  about 
twenty  of  the  troops,  which  is  all  the  force 
I  have  or  can  expect,  and  I  am  daily  growing 
less  in  number.  The  people  are  so  alarmed 
in  Suffolk  that  they  will  not  any  more  of 
them  march ;  and  as  to  Cols.  Smith  and  Rem- 
sen  they  cannot  join  me,  for  the  communi- 
cation is  cut  off  between  us.  1  have  sent  about 
1,100  cattle  to  the  great  fields  on  the  plains 
yesterday.  About  300  more  have  gone  off 
this  morning  to  the  same  place." 

Thus  the  only  trained  General  on  Long 
Island,  except  the  immortal  Chief,  was.  herd- 
ing cattle,  while  Generals  Putnam,  Sullivan 
and  Stirling,  mere  soldiers  by  accident,  with 
all  the  shortcomings  such  a  designation  im- 
plies, were  participants  in  a  great  battle  in 
which  American  Patriots  were  being  mowed 
down  like  grass,  simply  for  the  want  of  proper 
and  trained  leadership !  It  is,  as  we  have 
said,  one  of  the  mysteries  of  the  time  how 
such  a  disposition  o'f  leadership  became  pos- 
sible. Justice  Marshall  afterward  (1834),  in 
correcting  an  error  in  his  life  of  Washington 
in  which  he  expressed  the  idea  that  Wood- 
hull's  district  was  assigned  to  him  that  he 
might  guard  among  others-  the  very  pass 
through  which  the  British  made  their  flanking 
movement,  finally  said  of  Woodull's  position: 
"It  is  an  additional  example  of  the  many  in- 
conveniences arising  in  the  early  part  of  the 
war  from  the  disposition  of  the  civil  author- 
ities to  manage  affairs  belonging  to  the  mili- 


tary department."  In  other  words.  Gen. 
WoodhuU  was  the  victim  of  politics, — ^that 
politics  which  has  given  rise  to  so  much  scan- 
dal at  the  opening  of  every  American  war, 
down  even  to  the  opening  of  the  recent  glo- 
rious war  with  Spain. 

It  seems  to  us  there  is  something  more 
than  ordinary  heroic  in  the  manner  in  which 
Woodhull  held  on  to  the  duty  and  the  spot 
assigned  to  him,  even  with  his  small  command 
steadily  diminishing,  and  a  great  and  finally 
victorious  host  lying  between  him  and  the 
forces  of  the  Continental  army.  As  we  read 
the  story  we  are  impelled  to  cry,  "It  is  mag- 
nificent, but  it  is  not  war!"  Prudence  would 
have  impelled  him  at  once,  on  the  night  of 
the  27th,  to  have  crossed  the  Sound  to  Con- 
necticut ;  but  he  had  received  no  orders  to 
retreat  and  retreat  he  would  not. 

But  noble  as  was  his  entire  career,  disin- 
terested as  were  his  services  to  his  country, 
and  pure  and  noble  as  was  his  personal  life, 
lighted  up  as  his  pathway  was  with  all  the 
glow  of  Christianity — love,  faith,  charity — 
and  with  unwavering  fidelity  to  whatever  he 
believed  to  be  right  and  just,  it  seems  to  us 
that  his  true  nobility  of  character  and  dis- 
position reached  its  highest  development  when 
life  was  closing  for  him  in  darkness  and  horror 
and  he  suffered  all  the  ignominy,  and  torture, 
and  cruelty  of  captivity,  whether  in  a  tem- 
porary prison  on  land  or  a  vile  transport  in  a 
harbor.  Cruelly  wounded  as  he  was,  without 
proper  medical  attendance,  breathing  impure 
air,  placed  among  scenes  at  which  even  the 
slightest  sense  of  delicacy  might  be  shocked, 
often  with  no  bed  but  a  plank,  with  food  al- 
most unfit  to  eat,  and  only  putrid  water  at 
times  to  drink,  he  never  seems  to  have  made 
audible  complaint.  His  record  he  knew  was 
clear,  his  course  through  life  had  been  con- 
sistent and  just,  and  he  had  a  humble  yet  thor- 
ough confidence  in  an  Almighty  Power  who 
ever  rules  and  ordains  all  things  well.  So 
he  met  his  fate  calmly  and  bravely,  faced  the 
inevitable  end  of  his  sufferings  with  true 
Christian  fortitude,  and  passed  through  the 


244 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


veil  with  words  on  his  lips  invoking  mercy 
and  charity  and  help  for  those  who  were  his 
companions  in  misfortune  and  whose  time  of 
release  had  not  yet  come. 

It  seems  a  pity  that  the  memory  of  such  a 
hero — the  hero  of  Long.  Island — should  not 
be  perpetuated  by  some  public  monument  in 
its  most  populous  quarter,  or  at  least  in 
Jamaica,  where  in  reality  he  surrendered  his 
life  to  the  cause  of  national  liberty.  It  is  said 
often  that  such  memories  as  his  never  die, 
that  they  are  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  their 
countrymen,  and  so  on ;  but  we  should  not 
enshrine  too  closely,  and  it  is  well  to  give 
public  expression  to  our  sentiments.  Children 
seeing  such  a  monument  would  ask  about  his 
life  story  and  gain  thereby  a  sense  of  what 
true  patriotism  ireally  is ;  strangers  would 
know  what  sort  of  men  are  .the  heroes  we 
delight  to  honor;  and  the  fact  of  such  public 
honor  being  paid  a  hero  might  nerve  others 
to  study  his  life,  his  motives  and  his  exploits 
and  be  nerved  to  imitate  all  these  should  dark 
days  ever  again  fall  on  this  blessed  and  glo- 
riousi  country.  An  effort,  indeed,  has  once  or 
twice  been  made  to  erect  a  memorial  statue, 
but  each  failed  to  win  material  support;  and 
so  Woodhull,  like  many  another  gallant 
Patriot,  has  his  memory  perpetuated  only  on 
history's  page :  there  only  are  his  services 
acknowledged,  and  his  virtues  recalled. 

Perhaps  no  soldier  more  seriously  and  per- 
sistently annoyed  the  British  and  their  Loyal- 
ist supporters  on  Long  Island  during  its  occu- 
pation than  Lieut.  Col.  Benjamin  Tallmadge, 
a  man  who  not  alone  for  his  intrepid  bravery, 
dauntless  resolution,  unceasing  energy  and 
successful  accomplishments  has  won  a  place 
among  :hc  heroes  of  the  Revolution,  but  one 
who  acquired  a  degree  of  importance  in  the 
history  of  the  nation  as  the  custodian  of 
Major  Andre  from  the  time  that  unfortunate 
victim  of  war  was  captured  until  his  execution, 
on  October  2,  1780.  Tallmadge  walked  with 
that  ill-fated  officer  to  the  place  of  execution, 
and,  while  he  sternly  aided  in  carrying  out 
the  sentence  of  the  court-martial,  could  not 


help  a  feeling  of  commiseration  for  the  un- 
fortunate victim  of  the  just  laws  of  warfare. 

The  Tallmadge  family  in  America  'traces 
its  descent  from  Robert  Tallmadge,  an  Eng- 
lishman who  came  here  prior  to  1640  and 
was  one  of  the  founders,  in  1643,  of  the  New 
Haven  Colony.  The  great-grandson  of  this 
pioneer  was  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Tallmadge, 
who  was  the  first  of  the  family  to  become 
identified  with  Long  Island.  In  1753  he  was 
called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Congregational 
Church  at  Setauket,  and  continued  to  minister 
to  that  body  until  1785,  when  he  retired.  He 
died  on  Feb.  5th  in  the  following  year.  Dr. 
Prime  in  his  "History  of  Long  Island"  char- 
acterized him  as  "a  fine  scholar  and  an  able 
divine."  He  married  Susannah,  daughter  of 
the  Rev.  John  Smith,  and  by  her  had  a  large 
family.  She  died  in  1768  and  some  two  years 
later  he  married  Zipporah  Strong  of  Brook- 
haven,  but  of  that  marriage  there  was  no 
issue. 

The  eldest  son  of  this  clergyman,  William 
Tallmadge,  born  July  9,  1752,  took  an  active 
part  in  the  movement  for  freedom,  and  was 
captured  by  the  British  at  the  battle  of  Long 
Island.  He  died  during  his  captivity,  from  ill 
tratment  and  starvation,  it  is  believed. 

Benjamin  Tallmadge,  the  second  son,  was 
born  in  the  little  parsonage  at  Setauket  Feb. 
25.  1754-  Under  the  tuition  of  his  father  he 
made  such  rapid  progress  in  his  education, 
and  particularly  in  the  classics,  that  he  was 
pronounced,  when  only  twelve  years  of  age, 
as  being  fitted  for  entering  Yale  by  the  Rev. 
Napthali  Daggett,  sometime  minister  at 
Smithtown,  L.  I.,  and  from  1766  to  1777 
President  pro  tem.  of  Yale  University,  in 
which  he  held  the  chair  of  theology. 

Dr.  Daggett  is,  we  fear,  now  one  of  the 
many  forgotten  heroes  of  the  Revolution,  who 
showed  that  he  considered  his  sacred  voca- 
tion no  bar  to  his  assuming  the  active  duties 
of  patriotism.  In  1779  he  shouldered  a  mus- 
ket and  aided  in  the  defense  of  New  Haven 
agamst  the  British.  He  was  taken  prisoner, 
however,   and   compelled  to  act  as  a  guide. 


A    FEW    REVOLUTIONARY    HEROES. 


245 


his  natural  repulsion  to  such  an  office  being 
overcome  by  bayonet  thrusts  made  on  the 
slightest  sign  of  hesitancy  or  halting.  He  re- 
ceived many  such  wounds  and  never  recovered 
his  health,  dying  from  -the  effects  of  his 
butcher-like  treatment  Nov.  25,  1780. 

In  time  Tallmadge  entered  Yale  and  was 
graduated  in  1773.  He  then  became  Master 
of  the  High  School  at  Wethersfield,  Conn., 
and  so  continued  until  the  outbreak  of  the 
war,  when  he  received  a  commission  as  Lieu- 
tenant in  Colonel  Chester's  regiment  of  Con- 
necticut militia,  .remaining  in  active  service 
until  the  conflict  was  over  and  the  United 
States  took  a  place  among  the  independent 
powers  of  the  world.  He  took  part  in  the 
Battle  of  Brooklyn  and  was  one  of  the  detail 
which  held  the  lines  of  intrenchments  until 
the  last,  stood  on  guard  until  the  retreat  was 
completed  and  had  become  one  of  the  won- 
ders of  military  story.  On  Dec.  15,  1776,  he 
was  commissioned  by  the  Continental  author- 
ities as  Captain  of  the  Second  Light 
Dragoons,  on  April  27,  1777,  he  received 
the  rank  of  Major,  and  in  1783  the  brevet 
rank  of  Lieutenant  Colonel.  All  his  promo- 
tions were  honestly  won  and  gallantly  earned. 
He  participated  in  the  battles  at  White  Plains, 
Short  Hills,  Brandvwine,  Monmouth,  Ger- 
mantown  and  White  Marsh. 

Tallmadge  enjoyed  the  implicit  con- 
fidence of  General  Washington  and  was 
frequently  invested  by  that  hero  with  a  sep- 
arate command-  for  the  purpose  of  carrying 
out  some  difficult,  or  dangerous,  or  delicate 
piece  of  work,  or,  as  generally  \happened, 
somthing  which  involved  all  three.  Thus  it 
was  while  in  New  Castle  township,  in  com- 
mand of  a  detachment  appointed  to  do  scout- 
ing duty  among  the  passes  by  which  the 
enemy  in  New  York  and  the  Tories  in  West- 
chester county  carried  on  their  machinations, 
that  Andre  was  captured  and  conducted  to 
Tallmadge's  headquarters. 

It  was,  however,  on  Long  Island  that 
Major  Tallmadge's  military  talents  were  most 
brilliantly    employed.     Two    noted    instances 


are  on  record,  but  his  services  were  pretty 
continuous,  and,  besides  an  active  correspond- 
ence with  the  Patriots  on  the  island,  he  used 
all  sorts  of  means  for  keeping  himself  thor- 
ouhgly  informed  of  the  doings  of  the  enemy. 
This  knowledge  he  invariably  put  to  some 
effective  use,  but  it  is  noticeable  that  he  con- 
sulted his  great  chief  regarding  every  im- 
portant move. 

In  1777  the  British  had  a  strong  post  on 
Lloyd's  Neck  between  Huntington  and  Oy- 
quickly  and  decisively  were  the  details  of  the 
a  gang  of  outcasts  and  pirates  carried  on  a 
regular  system  of  plunder,  their  victims  being 
alike  those  living  along  the  shore  and  the 
seamen  in  the  small  vessels  trading  in  the 
Sound.  Tallmadge  determined  to  break  up 
this  band  of  cut-throats  and  at  nightfall  on 
Sept.  5,  1777,  he  left  Shippen  Point,  Conn., 
with  130  men  and  crossed  the  Sound.  So 
quickly  and  decisively  were  the  details  of  the 
expedition  carried  out  that  on  the  following 
morning  he  was  back  in  Connecticut  with 
almost  the  entire  band  of  desperadoes  as  his 
prisoners. 

In  1780,  after  a  considerable  absence  from 
Long  Island,  and  possibly  with  a  view  to  re- 
move the  Andre  impression  from  his  mind, 
he  again  turned  his  thoughts  thither.  He 
proposed  to  General  Washington  to  secure  or 
destroy  a  large  quantity  of  supplies  which 
the  British  had  collected  and  stored  at  Coram, 
Brookhaven,  and,  incidentally  to  see  what 
could  be  done  with  the  subjection  of  a  fort 
near  Mastic  known  as  Fort  St.  George. 
Washington,  ever  regardful  of  the  lives  of 
his  men  and  ready  to  frown  on  any  expedi- 
tion which  seemed  recklessly  hazardous,  was 
inclined  to  demur  and  advised  Tallmadge  to 
abandon  the  scheme.  The  latter,  however, 
disregarding  all  personal  danger,  stealthily 
crossed  to  the  island  and  inspected  the  pro- 
posed scene  of  operations,  and  then,  armed 
with  this  personal  observation,  ventured 
again  to  communicate  his  views  at  full  length 
to  his  chief.  The  latter  finally  authorized 
the  movement  in  the  following  letter,  dated 


246 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


"Headquarters,  Nov.  nth,  1780,"  which  we 
print  in  full  as  showing  the  confidence  which 
Washington  reposed  in  this  brave  soldier: 

Sir :  I  have  received  yours  of  the  7th 
inst.  The  destruction  of  the  forage  collected 
for  the  use  of  the  British  army  at  Coram, 
on  Long  Island,  is  of  so  much  consequence 
that  I  should  advise  the  attempt  to  be  made. 
I  have  written  to  Col.  Shelden  to  furnish  you 
a  detachment  of  dismounted  dragbons  and 
will  commit  the  execution  to  you.  If  the 
seizure  of  the  party  at  Smith's  house  can 
be  attempted  without  frustrating  the  other 
design,  or  running  too  great  a  hazard,  I  have 
no  objection.  But  you  must  remember '  that 
this  is  only  a  secondary  object,  and  in  all 
cases  you  will  take  the  most  prudent  means 
to  secure  a  retreat. 

Confiding  entirely  in  your  prudence  as 
well  as  enterprise  I  wish  you  success. 

G.  Washington. 

Gathering  together  a  force  of  eighty  men, 
Tallmadge  left  Fairfield,  on  the  Connecticut 
side  of  the  Sound,  on  the  afternoon  of 
November  21,  1780.  The  party  occupied 
eight  boats  and  landed  at  Old  Man's.  Harbor 
about  9  o'clock,  at  what  was  afterward  known 
as  Mount  Sinai.  After  marching  inland  for 
a  few  miles  the  soldiers  had  to  return  to  their 
boats,  a  heavy  rain  not  only  rendering  the 
roads  or  tracks  soft  and  muddy,  but  making 
it  impossible  to  attain  the  rapid  progress 
necessary  to  the  successful  accomplishment 
of  the  scheme.  They  took  shelter  in  their 
boats  or  in  the  bush  that  night,  and,  the 
storm  continuing,  throughout  the  following 
day.  Then,  when  night  again  came  on,  the 
elements  becoming  more  favorable,  they  once 
more  started  out.  Dividing  his  party  into 
three,  Tallmadge  ordered  that  the  attack  on 
the  fort  should  be  made  simultaneously  by 
each  division.  His  plans  were  so  well  made 
that  the  fort  was  carried  within  ten  minutes 
after  the  onslaught  was  begun.  Several  Brit- 
ish vessels  laden  with  stores  attempted  to  es- 
cape, but  the .  guns  of  the  fort  were  turned 
on  them  and  they  were  burned,  as  were  the 
fort  and  its  outworks  and  approaches.    Fifty- 


seven    prisoners    were    captured,    and,   after 
sending  them  under  an  escort  to  his  boats, 
Tallmadge,  with  the  remainder  of  his  little 
army,  proceeded    by    a    rapid    movement   to 
Coram,  where  they  destroyed  some  300  tons 
of  hay  which  had  been  collected  by  the  Brit- 
ish.    This  done,  he  at  once  pushed  on  for  his 
boats  and  arrived  at  Mount  Sinai  just  as  the 
party  with  the  prisoners  reached  there.     No 
time  was  lost   in   embarking,   and  by  eleven 
o'clock  the  expedition  was  back  in  Fairfield, 
triumphant,  with  all  their  prisoners,  and  with- 
out one  of  their  own  men  missing.     It  was 
a   glorious   deed,   well   planned   and   bravely 
carried  out,  and  richly  deserved  the  compli- 
mentary    resolution     in     which      Congress 
acknowledged  the  services  of  all  concerned. 
Much  as  he  undoubtedly  valued  this  acknowl- 
edgment     however,       Tallmadge      probably 
valued  still  rtjore  the   following  letter  from 
his    leader,    dated   at    Morristown,    Nov.    28, 
1780: 

I  iiave  received  with  much  pleasure  the 
report  of  your  successful  enterprise  upon 
Fort  George  and  the  vessels  with  stores 
in  the  bay  and  was  particularly  well 
pleased  with  the  destruction  of  the  hay 
at  Coram,  which  must,  I  conceive,  be 
severely  felt  by  the  enemy  at  this  time.  T 
beg  you  to  accept  my  thanks  for  your  judi- 
cious planning  and  spirited  execution  of  this 
business,  and  that  you  will  offer  them  to  the 
officers  and  men  who  shared  the  honors  of  the 
enterprise  with  you.  The  gallant  behavior  of 
Mr.  Muirson  gives  him  a  fair  claim  to  an 
appointment  in  the  Second  Regiment  of 
Dragoons  when  there  is  a  vacancy,  and  I  have 
no  doubt  of  his  meeting  with  it  accordingly, 
if  you  make  known  his  merit,  with  these  senti- 
ments in  his  favor.  You  have  my  free  consent 
to  reward  your  little  party  with  the  little  booty 
they  were  able  to  bring  from  the  enemy's- 
works. 

Yours,  etc.,  G.  Washington. 

Heathcote  Muirson,  so  flatteringly  men- 
tioned in  the  above  epistle,  did  not  get  his 
commission  but  continued  as  opportunity  of- 
fered to  serve  his  county  as  a  volunteer.  His 
career  soon  ended,  however,  in  1781,  for  he 


A    FEW   REVOLUTIONARY    HEROES. 


247 


fell  mortally  wounded,  in  an  attack  on  Fort 
Slongo,near  Smithtown,  and  some  eight  miles 
from  Floyd's  Neck.  Major  Tallmadge  was 
also  conspicuous  in  this  affair,  but  it  failed  to 
effect  its  purpose,  the  strength  of  the  place 
having  been  underestimated.  During  the  re- 
mainder of  the  war  Tallmadge  was  stationed 
mainly  m  \A'"estclj ester  county,  watching  the 
notorious  ''cowboys  and  skinners"  and  keep- 
ing an  eye  on  Long  Island,  now  and  again 
making  a  descent  upon  its  shores  and  always 
inflicting  considerable  damage  to  the  enemy's 
stores  and  shipping.  When  peace  was  re- 
stored, he  retired  from  the  army  with  the 
rank  of  Colonel;  but  as  treasurer,  and  after- 
ward New  York  State  President  of  the  So- 
ciety of  the  Cincinnati,  he  kept  himself  fully 
in  touch  with  those  associated  with  him  dur- 
ing the  greatest  struggle  for  liberty  in  modern 
history. 

Major  Tallmadge  married,  March  i6, 
1784,  Mary,  eldest  daughter  of  General  Will- 
iam Floyd,  of  Mastic,  Long  Island,  one  of 
the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence. She  died  June  3,  1805,  and  on  May 
3,  1808,  he  married  Maria,  daughter  of 
Joseph  Hallet  of  New  York  City,  who  sur- 
vived him.  By  his  first  marriage  he  had  four 
sons  and  two  daughters — William  Smith, 
Henry  Floyd  (married  Maria  Canfield, 
daughter  of  Andrew  Adams  of  Littlefield, 
Conn.),  Frederick  Augustus,  Benjamin  (who 
became  an  officer  in  the  United  States  Navy 
and  died  at  Gibraltar,  unmarried,)  George 
Washington  (married  Pacera  M.,  daughter  of 
Hon.  Calvin  Pease  of  Warren,  Ohio),  Maria 
Jones  (married  the  Hon.  P.  Cushman  of 
Troy,  N.  Y.,  Circuit  Judge),  and  Harriet 
Wardsworth  (married  John  Delafield  of  New 
York  City). 

The  Tallmadge  family  may  be  considered 
as  represented  in  the  next  generation  by  Major 
Tallmadge's  third  son,  Frederick  Augustus 
Tallmadge,  who  was  born  at  Litchfield,  Con- 
necticut, August  29,  1792.  He  was  educated 
at  Yale,  whence  he  was  graduated  in  181 1, 
and,  after  a  course  of  special  study  at  the 


Litchfield  Law  School,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar.  During  the  War  of  1812  he  engaged  in 
a  brief  military  experience  as  Captain  of  a 
troop  of  cavalry  on  Long  Island,  but  soon  set- 
tled down  to  practice  his  profession  in  New 
York  City.  In  1834  he  served  in  the  local 
Aldermen  and  Council  boards,  and  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Senate  from  1837  to  1840, 
serving  part  of  the  time  as  President  of  that 
body.  From  1841  to  1846  he  held  the  high 
office  of  Recorder  of  New  York  City  and  was 
again  elected  to  it  in  1848,  serving  until  1851. 
He  was  elected  to  Congress  as  a  Whig,  and 
served  from  December  6,  1847,  till  March  3, 
1849.  From  1857  to  1862  he  was  General  Su- 
perintendent of  the  Metropolitan  Board  of  Po- 
lice, and  in  1862-5  he  was  Chief  Clerk  of  the 
Court  of  Appeals.  He  afterward  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  law  in  New  York  City.  Dur- 
ing the  time  he  was  Recorder  of  the  city  the 
Astor  Place  riot  occurred,  and  he  was  highly 
commended  for  the  firm  and  determined  stand 
he  took  in  suppressing  that  tumult  and  in  the 
trial  of  the  ringleaders. 

Mr.  Tallmadge  married  Eliza,  daughter  of 
Hon.  Judson  Canfield,  of  Sharon,  Connecticut, 
a  descendant  of  Thomas  Canfield,  of  Milford, 
Connecticut,  1646.  The  issue  of  this  marriage 
was  Eliza,  married  John  T.  White  of  Phila- 
delphia ;  Julia,  married  William  Curtis  Noyes, 
of  New  York ;  William  Floyd  died  unmarried ; 
Frederick  Samuel;  and  Mary  Floyd,  married 
Hon.  Edward  W.  Seymour,  Judge  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  the  State  of  Connecticut. 

The  present  reoresentative  of  the  family  is 
Frederick  Samuel  Tallmadge,  fourth  child  of 
Frederick  Augustus  and  Eliza  (Canfield) 
Tallmadge,  and  grandson  of  Major  Benjamin 
Tallmadge,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  Jan- 
uary 24,.  1.824.  He  was  graduated  at  Colum- 
bia College  and  studied  law  in  the  office  of 
William  Curtis  Noyes,  Esq.,  with  whom  he 
subsequently  formed  a  copartnership.  He  has 
enjoyed  for  many  years  a  successful  practice 
and  is  ranked  among  the  leading  men  in  his 
profession  in  New  York.  Mr.  Tallmadge  was 
one  o'f  the  founders  of  the  Society  of  the  Soils 


248 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


of  the  Revolution,  and  from  the  date  of  its  ot- 
ganization  has  been  steadfast  and  earnest  in 
his  efforts  to  build  up  and  enlarge  its  sphere 
of  influence.  He  was  elected  President  in 
1884,  soon  after  the  Society  was  incorporated, 
and  still  holds  that  position.  He  is  an  honor- 
ary member  of  the  Connecticut  State  Society 
of  the  Cincinnati ;  member  of  the  Military  So- 
ciety of  the  War  of  1812,  constituting  the  Vet- 
eran Corps  of  Artillery,  and  of  other  organ- 
izations. Mr.  Tallmadge  married,  in  1857, 
Julia  Louisa,  daughter  of  George  Belden,  of 
New  York  City.  Mrs.  Tallmadge  died  in 
1894,  leaving  no  issue. 

Major  Tallmadge's  memory  deserves  to  be 
held  in  more  vivid  remembrance  by  the  Ameri- 
can people  at  large  than  we  fear  it  is  at  the 
present  day.  He  was  by  no  means  a  man  of 
commanding  genius  and  he  seems  to  have 
lacked  many  of  the  qualities  which  might  have 
proclaimed  him  a  statesman ;  but  he  was  a  man 
of  courage,  resource  and  nerve;  and  all  he 
possessed  he  freely  gave  to  the  cause  of  his 
native  land,  the  cause  by  which  he  abided  with 
unfaltering  zeal  during  the  darkest  hours  of 
the  conflict.  Whatever  was  given  to  him  to 
do  he  mvariably  did  well,  and  he  enjoyed  the 
entire  confidence  of  those  over  him  in  author- 
ity as  well  as  of  those  he  commanded.  As 
a  member  of  Congress  during  eight  successive 
terms,  he  was  conspicuous  for  his  useful  rather 
than  his  brilliant  services,  but  he  performed 
his  duties  with  the  same  closeness  and  unfail- 
ing sagacity  which  he  showed  while  watching 
the  Tory  emissaries  in  Westchester  county.  In 
many  respects  he  proved  a  model  member  of 
Congress  and  the  Legislature,  and  his  con- 
stituency both  joined  in  regret  when,  at  the 
end  of  sixteen  years  of  service,  he  declined  re- 
election. 

In  private  life  Major  Tallmadge  enjoyed 
the  personal  friendship  of  many  of  the  most 
eminent  men  of  his  age,  while  his  thoughtful 
benevolence  and  kindly  charity,  as  well  as  his 
Services  to  the  county,  endeared  him  to  the 
community  in  which  he  lived.  He  was  a  splen- 
did type  of  the  patriot  citizen  of  his  time,  a 


man  with  no  ambition  but  for  his  country, 
with  no  need  of  rendering  any  service  but  to 
the  people,  who  willingly,  cheerfully  respond- 
ed to  every  call,  and  whose  entire  record  was 
clean,  pure  and  above  reproach.  The  memory 
of  'such  men  should  be  regarded  as  a  priceless 
heritage  in  a  country  where  the  people  rule  and 
make  and  enforce  the  laws. 

Although  neither  Gen.  Parsons  nor  Col. 
Meigs  belonged  to  Long  Island  by  ties  of  birth, 
yet  their  names  are  so  interwoven  with  its 
Revolutionary  history  that  some  notice  of  these 
two  heroes  may  not  be  inappropriate  here. 

Samuel  Holden  Parsons  was  born  at  Lynn, 
Conn.,  May  14,  1737,  and  was  the  son  of  the 
Rev.  Jonathan  Parsons  and  Phoebe,  sister  of 
Gov.  Matthew  Griswold.  Parsons  studied 
law  and  after  eighteen  years  at  the  bar  became 
a  member  of  the  local  Assembly.  When  the 
war  broke  out  he  took  part  under  Ethan  Allen 
in  the  capture  of  Ticonderoga,  and  was  in  part 
the  instigator  of  that  bold  deed.  He  was  pres- 
ent at  the  battle  of  Brooklyn  and  was  one 
of  the  court-martial  which  tried  Major  Andre. 
Parsons  performed  many  brilliant  services 
while  the  war  lasted  and  retired  at  the  close 
of  hostilities  with  the  rank  of  Major  General. 
Resuming  the  practice  of  law  in  Midd'letown, 
Conn.,  he  so  continued  until  1788,  when  he 
was  appointed  by  Washington  as  first  Judge 
of  the  Northwest  Territory  and  settled  in 
Marietta,  Ohio.  He  was  accidentally  drowned 
in  Big  Beaver  River,  Nov.  17,  1789. 

Return  Jonathan  Meigs  was  born  at  Mid- 
dletown,  Conn.,  Dec.  17,  1734,  and  died  in 
Georgia,  Jan.  28,  1823.  His  services  in  the 
war  began  immediately  after  the  skirmish  at 
Lexington,  when  he  marched  to  Boston  with  a 
company  of  his  neighbors  and  was  given  the 
rank  of  Major  under  Col.  Benedict  Arnold. 
At  the  attack  on  Quebec  he  was  taken  prisoner 
but  was  exchanged  after  a  few  months.  In 
1777  he  raised  a  regiment  and  was  commis- 
sioned its  Colonel,  serving  with  that  rank  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  In  1788  he  went  to  Ohio 
and  resided  in  that  then  wilderness  until  1801, 
when  he  was  appointed  Indian  agent  among 


A    FEW   REVOLUTIONARY    HEROES. 


249 


the  Cherokees  and  resided  in  Georgia  until 
his  death.  His  son  was  Governor  of  Ohio, 
1810-14,  and  was  Postmaster  General  in  the 
Cabinet  of  President  Madison,  and  continued 
to  hold  the  office  under  President  Monroe  until 
1823,  when  he  retired  to  private  life  and  died 
at  Marietta,  Ohio,  March  29,  1825. 

The  deed  which  has  forever  woven  the 
name  of  Col.  Meigs  into  the  history  of  Long 
Island  occurred  in  1777.  The  plan  of  the  in- 
cident and  its  general  outline  were  conceived 
by  Gen.  Parsons,  but  he  confided  its  execu- 
tion to  Col.  Meigs  and  as  the  outcome  proved 
his  confidence  was  not  mistaken.  I  quote  the 
following  account  of  the  incident  from 
Prime's  "History  of  Long  Island"  mainly  be- 
cause that  reverend  historian  compiled  it  in 
great  measure  from  statements  made  to  him 
by  Deacon  John  White  of  Sag  Harbor,  who 
was  one  of  Meigs's  party  and  whom  the  author 
described  as  "a  man  of  observation  and  sterling 
integrity :" 


Every  reader  of  American  history  recol- 
lects the  rapid  and  successful  expedition  of 
Lieut.  Col.  Meigs  in  1771  to  Sag  Harbor  for 
the  purpose  of  destroying  a  quantity  of  provi- 
sions which  the  British  forces  had  collected 
here.  Embarking  at  New  Haven  on  the  21st 
of  May,  in  whale-boats,  he  was  compelled  by 
the  roughness  of  the  Sound  to  hold  the  Con- 
necticut shore  until  the  23d.  In  the  afternoon 
of  that  day  he  left  Guilford  with  170  men  in 
whale-boats  under  the  convoy  of  two  armed 
sloops  and  arrived  at  Southold  about  sunset. 
Taking  130  men  and  transporting  their  boats 


across  the  northern  branch  of  the  Island,  he 
embarked  on  the  bay  for  Sag  Harbor,  where 
he  arrived  after  midnight  and  landed  at  the 
foot  of  the  beach  about  two  miles  above  the 
village.  There  concealing  his  boats  in  the 
bushes,  and  leaving  a  few  men  for  a  guard,  he 
proceeded  toward  the  harbor.  At  the  house 
now  (1845)  occupied  by  Mr.  Silas  Edwards, 
which  was  used  as  a  hospital,  he  seized  two 
men  who  were  taking  care  of  the  sick,  whom 
he  used  as  guides,  and  whom  he  threatened 
with  instant  death  for  the  least  failure  in  ex- 
ecuting his  requirements.  Under  their  direc- 
tion he  was  led  to  the  quarters  of  the  com- 
manding officer  whom  he  arrested  and  secured 
while  lying  in  his  bed.  At  this  juncture  an 
alarm  was  given,  and  a  single  shot  was  fired 
from  an  armed  vessel,  which,  however,  was 
not  repeated,  from  the  inability  to  determine 
the  cause  of  the  alarm.  An  outpost  was  im- 
mediately carried  with  fixed  bayonets  and  the 
land  forces  secured.  He  then  proceeded  to  the 
shipping  at  the  wharf,  where,  after  being  ex- 
posed to  the  fire  of  an  armed  schooner  of 
twelve  guns  and  seventy  men  for  nearly  an 
hour,  he  completelv  effected  the  object  of  the 
expedition.  In  a  short  time  twelve  brigs  and 
sloops,  one  of  which  carried  twelve  guns,  were 
enveloped  in  flames,  and  with  them  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  tons  of  hay,  ten  hogsheads  of 
rum  and  a  large  quantity  of  grain  and  mer- 
chandise were  completely  destroyed.  Of  the 
enemy  six  were  killed  and  ninety  taken  pris- 
oners. The  same  day  Col.  Meigs  embarked 
for  Guilford,  where  he  arrived  after  an  ab- 
sence of  only  twenty-five  hours,  during  which 
he  had  transported  his  troops  alternately  by 
land  and  water  a  distance  of  ninety  miles  with- 
out the  loss  of  a  man.  A  more  successful  and 
brilliant  affair  does  not  grace  the  annals  of  the 
Revolution. 


^<^^'^        '■^^^^'        '■^^^^' 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


THE   WAR    OF   1812— NAVAL   OPERATIONS   AROUND   LONG   ISLAND. 


OR  some  years  before  the  crisis  actual- 
ly came  it  was  evident  to  all  thought- 
ful observers  that  the  country  was 
slowly  but  surely  drifting  into  war 
with  Great  Britain.  The  causes  for  that  be- 
long to  the  general  history  of  the  coun- 
try, but  they  were  admirably  summarized 
by  President  Madison  in  his  famous  war 
message  to  Congress  on  June  i,  1812,  and  in- 
cluded the  violation  of  the  United  States  flag 
on  the  high  seas  and  seizing  persons  sailing 
under  it,  wantonly  shedding  the  blood  of 
American  citizens,  plundering  American  com- 
merce, and  the  introduction  of  an  iniquitous 
system  of  blockades.  The  President  with  his 
message  left  the  matter  in  the  hands  of  Con- 
gress as  the  war-declaring  power,  and  it  was 
not  slow  to  act.  On  June  3d  the  Committee 
on  Foreign  Relations  reported  in  favor  of  war 
and  the  next  day  the  bill  authorizing  the  ap- 
peal to  arms  reached  the  Senate. 

Professor  McMaster  (History  of  the  Peo- 
ple of  the  United  States,  vol.  Ill,  page  457) 
says: 

When  the  vote  cast  in  the  House  on  that 
memorable  day  is  examined  it  appears  that  not 
a  Representative  from  Ohio,  Kentucky,  Ten- 
nessee, South  Carolina  or  Georgia  voted  for 
peace,  and  that  not  a  Representative  ifrom 
Rhode  Island,  Connecticut  or  Delaware  voted 
for  war ;  that  in  Massachusetts,  New  York  and 
New  Jersey  the  majority  was  for  peace;  that 
in  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina  the  majority  was  for  war; 
that,  in  short,  the  Eastern  and  Middle  States, 
with  two  exceptions,  were  against  war,  and  the 


Southern  and  Western  States  were  for  it.  The 
deliberations  of  the  Senate  consumed  two 
weeks,  so  that  it  was  not  until  June  18  that 
the  act  was  passed  and  approved  by  Madison. 
On  June  19  the  proclamation  wao  issued.  As 
the  riders  hurried  from  Washington  to  spread 
the  news  throughout  the  land,  Madison  vis- 
ited the  Department  of  War  and  of  the  Navy, 
"stimulating  everything,"  said  one  who  saw 
him,  "in  a  manner  worthy  of  a  little  command- 
er-in-chief with  his  little  round  hat  and  huge 
cockade." 

It  could  hardly  be  said  that  at  the  begin- 
ning the  war  was  popular,  and  the  vote  in  the 
House  of  Representatives  at  Washington  fully 
bears  this  out,  showing  particularly  the  position 
of  the  States  on  the  northeastern  seaboard.  The 
total  vote  showed  79  for  war,  49  against.  New 
York  cast  11  votes  for  peace  and  3  for  war, 
three  of  her  Representatives  being  absent. 
New  Jersey  cast  4  votes  for  peace  and  2  for 
war ;  Massachusetts  cast  8  votes  for  peace  and 
6  for  war,  three  of  her  Representatives  being 
absent ;  New  Hampshire  voted  2  for  peace  and 
3  for  war ;  Vermont,  i  for  peace  and  3  for  war. 
In  this  matter  the  lower  house  of  Congress 
may  be  said  to  have  fairly  reflected  the  senti- 
ment of  the  country  generally  as  well  as  of  the 
States.  All  over  New  England  town  meetings 
were  held  in  opposition  to  the  war  policy,  and 
in  some  places  bells  were  tolled  and  flags  were 
placed  at  half  mast.  New  York  was  equally 
divided  although  not  so  demonstrative,  but 
from  the  moment  the  plunge  actually  was  made 
she  arrayed  herself  loyally  on  the  side  of  the 
Government  and  so  continued  while  the  con- 


THE    WAR    OF    1812. 


251 


flict  lasted.  On  Long  Island  the  news  of  the 
war  was  received  calnily  at  first,  and  outside 
of  Kings  county  it  can  hardly  be  said  to  have 
aroused  excitement  at  any  time.  The  effect 
felt  was  more  of  inconvenience  than  of  danger, 
and,  while  so  far  as  the  islgjnd  itself  was  con- 
cerned the  struggle  was  a  bloodless  one,  yet 
the  blockade  of  the  coast  wasi  an  annoyance 
and  a  source  of  hardship.  Business  was  pros- 
trated and  the  farmers  tilled  their  fields  with 
the  feeling  hanging  over  them  thatai  descent 
might  be  made  at  any  time  which  would  rob 
them  of  their  labors  by  the  wanton  destruction 
of  their  crops  or  the  looting  of  their  barns  and 
their  homes.  In  fact,  even  as  it  was,  descents 
from  armed  vessels  for  the  purpose  of  robbing 
the  farmers  were  of  frequent  occurrence  while 
hostilities  lasted.  Mr.  Richard  M.  Bayles 
says: 

The  war  of  1812  gave  Suffolk  county  com- 
paratively little  trquble.  In  1813  a  British 
fleet  occupied  Gardiner's  Bay  and  from  their 
headquarters  there  made  attacks  upon  the 
shipping  at  various  points.  A  draft  was  made 
upon  the  militia  for  a  three  months'  service  at 
Sag  Harbor,  where  the  danger  of  an  attack 
seemed  greatest.  Several  frigates  cruised  the 
Sound  and  harassed  the  trading  ships  plying 
between  the  ports  along  the  north  shore  of 
the  country  and  New  York.  The  cruising 
frigates  were  on  the  alert  and  their  diligence 
was  every  now  and  then  rewarded  by  a  p  rize. 
Some  of  the  vessels  thus  captured  were  held 
for  a  ransom,  on  receipt  of  which  they  were 
returned  to  their  owners,  and  others  were 
burned. 

At  Sag  Harbor,  as  soon  as  the  news  of  the 
declaration  of  war  had  been  sufficiently  di- 
gested, an  arsenal  was  built  of  brick  on  the  site 
of  an  old  burial  ground,  and  there  munitions 
of  war  of  all  sorts  were  stored  to  await  events. 
Information  of  thii  reached  the  British  ships 
and  an  armed  force  under  Commodore  Hardy 
was  sent  to  capture  the  stores.  A  landing  was 
effected  but  the  invaders  met  with  a  reception 
that  compelled  them  to  beat  a  speedy  retreat  to 
their  boats,  the  only  damage  done  being  the 
destruction  of  a  small  sloop  by  fire.    This  was 


offset  by  the  large  quantity  of  arms  and  am- 
munition which  in  their  hurry  to  get  away 
the  invaders  unceremoniously  left  behind  and 
which  helped  to  swell  the  stock  in  the  little 
arsenal. 

On  March  20,  1813,  the  entire  coast  line  of 
the  United  States  was  practically  blockaded 
with  the  exception  of  Rhode  Island,  Massa- 
chusetts! and  New  Hamoshire.  A  month  later 
it  was  reported  that  a  British  frigate  was  cruis- 
ing about  Long  Island  Sound,  along  with  sev- 
eral privateers,  and  that  quite  a  number  of 
coasting  vessels  had  been  captured  by  them  and 
destroyed.  Much  complaint  was  made  that  no- 
effort  to  stop  such  ravages  was  attempted  al- 
though two  American  war  vessels  were  in  the 
Brooklyn  navy  yard  undergoing  repairs,  whicb 
might  have  been  completed,  it  was  declared, 
within  one  week.  What  the  government  failed 
to  do  was  in  a  measure  accomplished  by  pri- 
vate enterprise,  and  in  June  the  American  pri- 
vateer "Governor  Tompkins,"  one  of  the  most 
noted  of  the  many  vessels  of  its  order  sent  out 
during  the  war  by  New  York  merchants, 
passed  boldly  through  the  Sound,  and  al- 
though hotly  chased  by  the  British  cruisers- 
made  her  escape  into  the  open  sea,  where  she 
gave  a  good  account  of  herself  as  a  commerce 
destroyer.  Her  last  known  engagement  re- 
sulted in  a  victory  and  she  sent  her  prize,  a 
valuable  merchant  ship,  to  New  York  in 
charge  of  her  Lieutenant,  Edward  Dodd,  who- 
afterward  resided  at  Babylon  for  many  years 
and  died  July  17,  1843.  He  brought  his  charge 
safe  to  port,  but  the  "Governor  Tompkins" 
was  never  heard  from  afterward;  and  as  no 
record  of  any  engagement  in  which  she  might 
have  taken  part  exists,  it  is  supposed  she 
foundered  in  a  gale  which  it  was  known 
sprung  up  shortly  after  Lieut.  Dodd  and  his 
prize  crew  left  her  side. 

In  September,  1813,  Commodore  Lewis  of 
Boston  with  a  fleet  of  thirty  gunboats  passed 
through  the  Sound  from  Hellgate  to  Cow's 
Neck  in  search  of  some  of  the  enemy's  vessels 
that  were  playing  havoc  with  the  coasting 
trade.    The  result  was  the  exchange  of  a  few 


252 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


shots,  but  that  was  all,  although  the  British 
saw  enough  of  the  determination  of  the  Yan- 
kee sailors  and  their  preparedness  for  a  fight 
to  be  exceedingly  wary  in  that  vicinity  for 
some  time  to  come.  On  November  i6  Ad- 
miral Warren,  commanding  the  British  fleet, 
issued  a  formal  proclamation  in  which  he  de- 
clared as  under  blockade  "all  that  part  of  Long 
Island  Sound  being  the  seacoast  lying  within 
Montauk  Point,  or  the  eastern  point  of  Long 
Island  and  the  point  of  land  opposite  thereto, 
•commonly  called  Plack  Point,  situated  on  the 
sea-coast  of  the  main  land,  together  with  all 
the  ports,  harbors,  creeks  and  entrances  of 
.the  East  and  North  Rivers  of  New  York,  as 
well  as  all  the  other  ports,  creeks  and  bays 
along  the  coast  of  Long  Island  and  the  State 
of  New  York,"  etc. 

As  a  result  of  this  the  coast  of  Long  Island 
was  more  closely  watched  by  the  people  than 
ever  and  reports  were  in  frequent  circulation 
■oi  intended  landings  in  force  of  the  British. 
Such  landings  as  were  made,  however,  seemed 
intended  only  to  secure  fresh  provisions  for 
the  ships, — foraging  parties  rather  than  any- 
thing else.  But  the  shipping  felt  the  watchful- 
ness of  the  blockades  severely.  "The  Fair 
Trader"  of  Babylon  was  captured  near  the 
New  Inlet,  one  of  the  entrances  to  the  Great 
South  Bay.  With  her  rich  cargo  she  was  sent 
to  Nova  Scotia  and  there  sold,  her  stanch  tim- 
bers enabling  her  to  remain  in  service  for  many 
years.  "The  Amazon"  of  Huntington  (Capt. 
Conkling),  "The  Sally"  of  Cow  Harbor  (Capt. 
Arkerly)  and  "The  Juno"  of  Brookhaven 
(Capt.  Jones)  were  among  the  other  Long 
Island  vessels  captured  in  1813. 

In  1814  the  cordon  was  drawn  more  closely 
than  ever.  The  fleet  in  Gardiner's  Bay  sent 
■out  cruising  parties  in  all  directions,  and  these 
parties  ravaged  and  destroyed  property  with- 
out scruple,  as  much  from  wantonness  as  from 
any  necessity.  A  schooner  was  set  on  fire  at 
Rockaway,  where  she  had  been  beached  to  pre- 
■vent  capture;  and  the  British  warships  "Po- 
mona" and  "Dispatch"  entered  the  harbor  of 
•Setauket  and  captured  "The  Herald,"  "The 


Hope,"  "The  Mercantile"  and  "The  Two 
Friends"  and  burned  "The  Oneida''  in 
Drowned  Meadow  (Port  Jefferson)  Bay.  Ja- 
maica Bay  was  a  favorite  cruising  place  for 
the  barge  crews  of  the  blockading  fleet,  and 
though  the  inhabitants  there,  rendered  desper- 
ate by  the  frequent  landings  and  confiscations, 
erected  a  blockhouse  to  keep  the  marauders  off, 
it  proved  of  little  practical  avail  and  the  depre- 
dations continued  to  the  end  of  the  war. 

Mr.  James  B.  Cooper,  Babylon,  for  many 
years  clerk  of  Suffolk  county,  relates  the  fol- 
lowing incident : 

In  the  month  of  July,  1814,  the  village  of 
Babylon  and  its  vicinity  were  thrown  into  a 
state  of  high  excitement  by  the  appearance  in 
Sumpawam's  creek  of  a  whale-boat  loaded 
with  armed  men  in  uniform.  It  proved  to  be 
Captain  David  Porter  and  ten  of  his  sailors 
who  had  survived  the  hard-fought  and  san- 
guinary engagement  of  Valparaiso  (March 
28,  1814).  *  *  *  After  a  voyage  of  sev- 
enty-three days  they  arrived  on  the  south  coast 
of  Long  Island  and  on  the  morning  of  July  5, 
1814,  fell  in  with  H.  B.  M.  ship  Saturn,  Cap- 
tain Nash,  who  examined  the  papers  of  the 
"Essex,  Jr.,"  treated  Captain  Porter  with  great 
civility,  furnished  him  with  late  newspapers, 
sent  him  a  basket  of  fruit  and  made  him  an 
offer  of  kindly  services.  The  boarding  officer 
indorsed  the  papers  and  permitted  the  ship  to 
proceed.  But  in  a  couple  of  hours  the  "Essex, 
Jr.,"  was  again  brought  to,  the  papers  re-ex- 
amined and  the  ship  searched.  Capt.  Porter, 
regarding  this  treatment  as  a  violation  of  all 
honorable  rules  of  warfare,  and  finding  that 
he  was  about  to  be  made  a  prisoner,  deter- 
mined to  escape  from  his  base  captor.  The 
next  morning  about  7  a  boat  was  lowered, 
manned,  armed  and  provisioned.  In  this  boat 
Capt.  Porter,  with  about  ten  men,  pulled  off; 
but  he  was  soon  discovered  and  pursued  by 
"the  Saturn,"  which  was  favored  by  a  fresh 
breeze  that  sprung  up  about  the  same  time. 
Fortunately  for  th6  Americans  a  fog  then  set 
in,  concealing  them,  and,  changing  the  course 
of  their  little  craft,  they  were  soon  out  of 
danger  from  their  pursuers. 

After  rowing  and  sailing  about  sixty  miles, 
Capt.  Porter  with  much  difficulty  succeeded  in 
entering  Fire  Island  Inlet.  Here  he  was  found 
by  James  Mountfort,  who  piloted  him  up 
Sumpawam's  creek.     When  he  stepped  from 


THE    WAR  ■  OF    1812. 


253 


the  boat  Stephen  B.  Nichols  told  him  he  doubt- 
ed his  being  an  American  naval  officer  and  in- 
timated that  he  might  be  from  the  other  side. 
"Then,  my  good  friend,"  said  the  Captain,  "I 
will  surrender  to  you,"  at  the  same  time  hand- 
ing Nichols  an  iron  cutlass.  When  they 
reached  the  center  of  the  village  a  large  and 
excited  crowd  gathered.  The  story  of  Capt. 
Porter  was  so  extraordinary  that  few  believed 
it.  Of  course  nothing  had  been  heard  of  the 
battle  at  Valparaiso,  no  vessel  having  reached 
the  United  States  with  an  account  of  the  same. 
Mr.  Rushmore,  a  local  storekeeper,  informed 
Captain  Porter  that  his  neighbors  still  be- 
lieved him  to  be  a  British  officer  in  disguise. 
Upon  this  he  pulled  out  his  commission,  which 
he  fortunately  had  with  him.  Then  all  doubts 
were  dispersed  and  he  was  treated  by  the  vil- 
lagers with  the  greatest  hospitality.  The  best 
carriage  and  horse  that  could  be  had  were 
soon  ready  and  at  his  disposal.  The  whale- 
boat  was  hoisted  upon  a  farm  wagon  and  into 
the  boat  sprang  the  brave  tars.  In  this  man- 
ner the  party  was  conveyed  to  the  Brooklyn 
Navy  Yard.  Capt.  Nash,  finding  that  the 
commander  of  the  "Essex,  Jr.,"  had  escaped, 
permitted  the  latter  vessel  to  go  in  peace. 

As  illustrating  how  the  people  on  shore 
were  prepared  to  defend  their  hoiiiL-s  in  case 
of  attack,  it  may  be  said  that  on  one  occasion 
a  corps  of  200  militiamen  marched  from  Hunt- 
ington to  Lloyd's  Neck  on  the  circulation  of  a 
report  that  the  British  were  there  effecting  a 
landing  in  force.  The  following  excerpt  from 
Huntington's  town  records  is  also  in  evidence 
on  this  point : 

At  a  special  town  meeting  held  in  the 
Town  of  Huntington,  held  at  the  house  of 
Ebenezer  Gould,  on  Saturday,  the  5th  day 
of  November,  1814,  it  was  voted  that  the  sum 
of  $207.86  be  paid  by  the  town,  being  the 
amount  of  two  bills  paid  for  6  casks  of  pow- 
der, 400  lbs.  of  musket  balls,  and  a  quantity 
of  buck  shot  by  the  trustees  of  said  town, 
for  the  militia  to  defend  the  said  town  with 
ill  case  of  invasion. 

Also  voted,  that  i  cask  of  the  powder,  and 
the  sixth  part  of  the  ball  and  shot  be  de- 
posited with  Captain  Samuel  Muncey  at 
South. 

Also  voted  that  i  cask  of  the  powder  and 
the  sixth   part  of  the   ball   and   shot  be   de- 


posited with  Matthew  Gardiner,  Crab  Mead- 
o.w  or  Fresh  Pond. 

Also  voted  that  ly^  casks  of  the  powder 
and  the  sixth  part  of  the  ball  and  shot  be 
deposited  with  Epenetus  Smith,  Cow  Harbor. 

Also  voted  that  ly^  casks  of  the  powder 
and  the  equal  proportion  of  the  ball  and  shot 
be  deposited  with  Capt.  Abel  Cockling. 

Also  voted  that  ly^  casks  of  powder  and 
the  equal  proportion  of  the  ball  and  shot  be 
deposited  with  Capt.  John  Robers. 

Hitherto,  in  this  chapter,  we  have  been 
treating  of  naval  matters ;  and  we  will  now 
turn  to  the  military  side  of  the  story.  Gov. 
Daniel  D.  Tompkins,  soon  after  he  was  in- 
augurated, in  1807,  foresaw  that  war  between 
America  and  Britain  was  among  the  prob- 
abilities of  the  near  future  and  beset  himself 
to  put  the  military  establishment  of  the  State 
on  a  sure  footing.  That  purpose  he  fairly 
accomplished,  but  the  general  Government 
seemed  strangely  careless  about  the  defences 
around  New  York,  although  the  fact  was 
only  too  apparent  that  in  case  of  war  with 
a  naval  power  its  approaches  practically  of- 
fered no  obstacle  to  any  demonstration  which 
might  be  made.  This  was  often  pointed  out, 
but  without  avail.  From  1808  to  1816  the 
State  of  New  York  appropriated  $272,000 
upon  the  fortifications  for  the  defence  of  its 
harbor,  so  that  the  condition  of  things  prior 
to  the  outbreak  of  the  war  was  not  charge- 
able to  any  neglect  on  the  part  of  its  author- 
ities or  any  lack  of  public  spirit  on  the  part 
of  its  citizens.  What  defence  there  was 
seems  to  have  been  a  continuation  of  the 
theory  which  prevailed  in  1776  that  there  was 
no  need  of  fortifying  Long  Island.  The 
Narrows,  Buttermilk  Channel  and  the  shores 
of  Staten  Island  and  ^Manhattan  Island  were 
equipped  in  more  or  less  degree,  but  Long 
Island  lay  practically  at  the  mercy  of  any 
invader  who  might  happen  along;  and  this 
in  spite  of  the  terrible  lesson  of  August  28, 
1776!  There  was  a  block-house,  mounting  a 
twenty-four  pounder  at  the  west  end  of  Rock- 
away  Beach,  placed  there  with  a  view  of  re- 


254 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


pelling  boat  parties,  and  that  was  all,  unless 
we  include  twO'  trumpery  forts  at  Hell  Gate 
.and  an  earthwork  on  the  site  of  the  present 
Fort  Hamilton,  hastily  thrown  up  after  the 
war  was  fairly  started  and  to  which  was 
given  the  name  of  Fort  Lewis.*' 

Gov.  Tompkins  strove  to  improve  the  de- 
fences of  the  coast  as  rapidly  and  as  thor- 
oughly as  time  and  circumstances  permitted. 
On  Aug.  26,  1812,  three  companies  of  forty 
men  each,  belonging  to  the  Thirty-third 
Brigade,  New  York,  were  ordered  to  pro- 
ceed to  Suffolk  county,  and  one  of  these 
was  to  be  stationed  at  Sag  Harbor.  Spe- 
cial attention  was  paid  to  that  point.  "In 
1813,"  says  the  State  Historian,  Mr.  Hugh 
Hastings,  "Sag  Harbor  was  one  of  the  most 
enterprising  trading  towns  on  Long  Island. 
The  town  itself  consisted  of  but  eighty  or 
eighty-five  houses,  but  it  was  a  port  of  entry 
and  was  thriving  and  growing.  Throughout 
the  war  Gov.  Tompkins  maintained  a  detach- 
ment of  New  York  militia  at  Sag  Harbor." 
It  was  the  military  headquarters  of  Suffolk 
■county  during  the  war,  and  its  importance 
may  be  gathered  from  the  following  order, 
issued  May  i,  1813: 

The  superintendent  of  the  arsenal  at  Sag 
Harbor  is  authorized  to  deposit  in  the  several 
■exposed  towns  of  Suffolk,  not  already  sup- 
plied, upon  the  request  of  the  inhabitants 
thereof,  and  upon  taking  a  bond  to  the  peo- 
ple of  this    State   with   good  and   sufficient 


*  "  On  the  Long  Island  shore  of  the  Narrows  a  block- 
house was  erected  on  the  site  of  the  present  Fort  Hamil- 
ton by  the  first  inhabitants,  who  settled  there  in  1654. 
The  work  was  as  much  of  a  protection  against  pirates 
.and  buccaneers  as  invaders.  The  English  authorities  for 
years  discussed  the  feasibility  of  building  a  strong  and 
permanent  work  at  this  point,  but  nothing  ever  came  of 
it.  During  the  war  of  1812  the  Americons  constructed 
a  small  earthwork  which  they  called  Fort  Lewis  *  *  * 
Work  on  the  present  Fort  Hamilton  on  the  Long  Island 
side  of  the  Narrow  was  not  begun  in  earnest  until  after 
the  close  of  the  second  war  with  Great  Britian." — Hugh 
Hastings,  State  Historian,  "Life  of  Gov.  Tompkins" 
v(Mihtary  Papers),  Vol.  1,  page  73. 


surety  for  the  safe  return  thereof,  arms,  am- 
munition and  military  stores  belonging  to  the 
State,  provided  General  Rose  (in  military 
command  of  Suffolk  County)  shall  deem  and 
certify  the  same  to  be  proper.  In  case  of 
invasion  or  other  emergency  the  exempts  of 
Southampton  and  other  towns  may  be  sup- 
plied with  arms  and  equipments  from  the 
arsenal,  but  for  all  articles  delivered  under 
this  order  to  companies  of  exempts  the  like 
security  above  mentioned  must  be  taken. 


On  Jan.  8,  1814,  "in  consequence  of  the 
imminent  danger  of  the  invasion  of  Sag 
Harbor  and  the  adjoining  coast,"  the  garri- 
son there  was  considerably  augmented  and 
volunteers  were  called  for  with  the  view  of 
organizing  another  corps  of  artillery. 

The  Company  of  Exempts  (from  military 
duty)  at  Sag  Harbor  referred  to  above  was 
organized  in  September,  1812,  "for  the  pro- 
tection of  Sag  Harbor  against  invasion."  It 
was  officered  as  follows.  Captain,  John  Ger- 
main; Lieutenants,  Elisha  Prior,  Cornelius 
Sleight  and  Thos.  Beebee. 

In  November,  1812,  Southold  contributed 
to  the  defence  of  the  county  a  company  of 
exempts  of  which  Gilbert  Horton  was  made 
Captain ;  Jonathan  Horton,  Lieutenant ;  and 
Benjamin  Hallock,  Ensign.  Probably  there 
were  other  corps  of  the  same  character  raised 
in  nearly  all  the  townships  in  Queens  as  well 
as  in  Suffolk.  In  most  of  the  military  ar- 
rangements of  the  war  these  counties  were 
freely  assessed  and  seemed  to  have  won  the 
approbation  of  the  Governor  for  the  alacrity 
with  which  they  responded  to  each  call  for 
troops.  They  supplied  their  full  quota  to  the 
infantry  and  several  well  equipped  cavalry 
troops,  but  their  main  strength  was  in  the 
artillery. 

In  181 1  we  find  that  an  artillery  company 
was  organized  at  Brookhaven,  with  John  S. 
Mount  as  captain,  Henry  H.  Howell  and 
Samuel  Davis  as  Lieutenants,  and  other  towns 
followed  suit.  By  order  issued  Dec.  7,  1813, 
the  artillery  of  the  Three  Long  Island  coun- 


THE    WAR    OF    1812. 


255 


ties  were  organized  into  the  Second  Battalion 
of  tlie  Thirteenth  Regiment  under  the  com- 
mand of  Major  Barbarin,  and  on  Feb.  28, 
1814,  the  cavalry  of  Queens,  Suffolk  and 
Westchester  were  changed  into  heavy  artil- 
lery and  became  the  Second  Regiment,  with 
Lieut.  Col.  Williams  Jones  as  its  commander. 


All  this  showed  that  among  the  people  the 
ancient  spirit  was  not  dead,  and  that  had  the 
stern  occasion  demanded  the  Long  Islanders 
of  1812  would  have  presented  a  more  united 
front  to  the  enemy  than  had  their  predecessors 
in  the  days  when  independence  was  the  ques- 
tion of  the  hour. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


THE    CHAIN    OF   FORTS— MILITARY    ACTIVITY    IN    KINGS    COUNTY— THE 
KATYDIDS   AND    OTHER  HEROES— THE    POPULAR  UPRISING. 


find  any  evidence 
prevailing  love  of 
so  many  Suffolk 
fice    all    for    home 


N  the  counties  of  Queens  and  Suffolk, 
however,  the  war  was  more  a  dream 
than  a  stern  reality,  more  read  and 
talked  about  than  anything  else.  The 
trifling  descents  made  on  their  coasts  did  little 
damage  and  resulted'  in  no  loss  of  life,  and 
while  the  people  were  prepared  for  the  worst 
the  worst  never  came,  and  at  no  period 
during  the  whole  of  the  conflict  do'  we 
of  the  deep  and  all 
country  which  impelled 
county  men  to  sacri- 
and  freedom,  for  prin- 
ciple and  loyalty  in  the  War  of  the  Revo- 
lution. 

With  Kings  county  it  was  altogether  dif- 
ferent; and  while,  happily,  the  tide  of  war 
rolled  in  a  different  direction,  the  war  fever 
set  in  there  with  a  bound  as  soon  as  the 
formal  declaration  was  made  known  and 
gathered  impetus,  and  the  days  sped  on  and 
news  of  the  progress  of  the  struggle  began 
to  come  in.  While,  as  in  many  other  places, 
some  of  the  Kings  county  people  regarded 
the  war  as  a  mistake,  a  war  which  was  simply 
the  result  of  a  failure  to  agree  on  the  part 
of  the  politicians,  news  was  no  sooner  re- 
ceived of  American  blood  having  been  spilled 
than  all  whys  and  wherefores  were  forgotten 
and  the  war  spirit  rose  to  fever  heat.  By 
1814  the  spirit  of  '76  had  again  descended 
on  all  of  Kings  county  and  suffused  itself 
over  all  classes  of  the  people,  harmonizing 
and  blending  for  the  time  all  shades  of  po- 


litical opinion.  Differences  were  forgotten, 
the  Tories  were  dead  and  Toryism  was  a 
past  and  gone  issue ;  the  prejudice  against 
the  Loyalists  had  developed  into  a  sentiment, 
and  those  who  were  their  descendants  were 
as  enthusiastic  for  the  Stars  and  Stripes  as 
were  those  who  had  the  blood  of  Revolu- 
tionary heroes  flowing  in  their  veins.  For  a 
time  the  military  spirit  predominated  over  all 
else.  It  was  natural  that  with  the  announce- 
ment of  the  declaration  of  war  the  people  of 
Kings  county  should  have  regarded  it  as  pos- 
sible that  their  territory  would  become  onit 
of  the  scenes  of  the  conflict.  The  memory 
of  the  Battle  of  Brooklyn  had  not  been  wiped 
out,  although  its  lessons  seemed  to  have  been 
forgotten  by  those  to  whom  the  destiny  rii 
the  nation  had  been  consigned. 

Several  military  companies  were  in  exist- 
ence, or  were  formed,  in  1812,  immediately 
after  the  declaration  of  war.  The  Fusiliers 
under  Capt.  Joseph  Herbert,  though  small  m 
numbers,  made  a  gallant  appearance  on 
parade  with  their  green  coats  and  leather 
caps,  while  the  "Katydids,"  as  the  company 
of  rifles  commanded  by  Capt.  Burdett  Stryker 
were  called,  on  account  of  their  uniform,— 
green  coats  trimmed  with  yellow, — was 
among  the  most  popular  of  the  old-time  in- 
dependent military  bodies  ever  seen  in  Brook- 
lyn. Captain.  Barbarin's  artillery  was  one  of 
the  most  effective  in  the  service,  and  we  are 
told  that  on  one  occasion  (Aug.  5,  1812), 
when  they  took  a  trip  to  the  Narrows  to  en- 


THE    CHAIN    OF    FORTS. 


257 


gage  in  target  practice,  they  hit  the  ten-foot 
target  twenty  times  at  a  distance  of  450  yards, 
out  of  forty  shots  fired,  which  was  wonderful 
marksmanship  for  those  days.  A  troop  of 
horse  artillery  was  organized  by  John  Wilson, 
who  became  its  Captain,  and  in  addition  to 
such  commands  the  county  contributed  its 
full  quota  to  the  militia  of  the  State.  On 
June  27  Gov.  Tompkins  called  out  the  militia 
of  New  York,  Westchester,  Kings  and  Rich- 
mond counties  and  they  remained  in  active 
service  until  the  close  of  the  war.  The  Sixty- 
fourth  Regiment  was  furnished  by  Kings 
county  to  the  military  establishment  of  the 
commonwealth  with  the  following  officers : 
Major,  Francis  Titus;  Major,  Albert  C.  Van 
Brunt;  Adjutant,  Daniel  Barre;  Quartermas- 
ter, Albert  Van  Brunt;  Captains,  William 
Denyse  (New  Utrecht  Company),  Joseph 
Dean  (Brooklyn  Company),  Francis  Skill- 
man  ( Wallabout-  Company) , Van  Cott 

(Bushwick  Company),  Peter  Cowenhoven 
(Gowanus  Company),  Jeremiah  Lott 
(Gravesend  and  Flatbush  Company). 

It  was  not,  as  we  have  said,  until  1814 
that  Kings  county  became  fully  aroused,  for 
early  in  that  summer  a  report  was  spread  that 
there  was  more  than  a  chance  that  a  British 
army  might  again  use  it  as  a  field  of  opera- 
tions against  Manhattan  Island.  Informa- 
tion had  been  received  from  Bermuda  that  a 
strong  British  fleet  was  concentrating  there 
for  the  purpose  of  striking  a  blow  on  some 
part  of  the  American  coast,  and  the  current 
idea  there  was  that  New  York  was  the  point 
at  which  the  .fleet  would  aim.  As  soon  as 
this  news  reached  the  city  vigorous  measures 
for  defence  were  at  once  adopted.  It  had 
been  fondly  hoped  that  the  negotiations  then 
in  progress  would  have  led  to  a  complete  ces- 
sation of  hostilities  and  the  public  tension 
had  been  somewhat  relaxed.  But  now  the 
community  was  brought  face  to  face  with 
a  grave  danger. 

DeWitt  Clinton,  then  Mayor  of  New  York, 
at   once   proceeded   to   put   that    city    into   a 

17 


state  of  preparation  and  the  fortifications  on 
the  Battery  and  other  points  were  strength- 
ened, while  a  Committee  of  Defense  was  ap- 
pointed. It  was  felt,  however,  that  the  fate 
of  the  city  would  be  decided  by  a  battle  if 
battle  there  was  to  be,  outside  of  its  limits, 
and  numerous  points  lay  invitingly  open  to  an 
enemy,  points  which  were  practically  unde- 
fended. A  landing  might  be  made  not  far 
from  where  Howe  landed  in  1776,  or  a  fleet 
might  sail  through  Long  Island  Sound  and 
command  the  city  from  some  point  in  West- 
chester or  the  Long  Island  shore,  for  the 
passage  through  Hell  Gate  was  open  to  friend 
or  foe.  The  Committee  of  Defense  at  once 
took  prompt  measures.  It  recommended  the 
immediate  removal  of  the  ships  in  the  harbor, 
the  enrollment  of  vohmteers,  asked  the  Gov- 
ernor to  increase  the  quantity  of  arms  and 
ammunition  at  the  disposal  of  the  local  au- 
thorities, to  put  the  field  artillery,  etc.,  in- 
thorough  order,  to  call  out  a  competent  num- 
ber of  militia,  while  the  general  Government 
was  petitioned  among  other  things  to  finish 
the  incomplete  fortifications  surrounding  the 
city,-  to  construct  such  new  ones  as  were 
necessary,  and  to  augment  the  regular  forces 
serving  around  New  York.  The  committee 
offered  to  defray  liberally  a  share  in  the  cost 
of  all  this,  and  it  proposed  the  construction, 
at  its  own  cost  and  mainly  by  the  work  of 
the  militia  and  of  volunteer  laborers,  of  two 
fortified  camps, — one  on  Harlem  Heights  and 
the  other  at  Brooklyn.  It  is  with  the  latter 
of   these  we   have   here   to   deal   in   detail. 

The  fortifications  were  deemed  a  prime 
necessity,  and  even  before  the  plans  were 
ready  voluntary  offers  of  labor  on  the  sites, 
either  in  the  way  of  grading  or  levelling — 
labor  that  was  ready  to  be  of  service  in  any 
way  it  could  be  utilized — begun  to  pour  in 
on  ihe  Com.mittee  as  soon  as  their  purposes 
were  known.  The  construction  of  these  forti- 
fications was  the  feature  by  means  of  which 
the  people  testified  to  their  determination  to 
do  what  they  could,  to  make  what  sacrifice  of 


258 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


time  they  could,  to  aid  in  the  country's  de- 
fense, seeing  that  all  could  not  become  sol- 
diers and  carry  a  musket. 

So.  great  were  the  number  of  proffers  that 
it  was  soon  seen  a  selection  of  the  workers 
would  have  to  be  made.  Trades,  professions, 
societies,  and  associated  bodies  of  all  sorts 
applied  for  the  honor  of  being  permitted  to 
labor  as  organizations.  Men  of  wealth  and 
day  laborers  were  equally  zealous  of  doing 
some  work  on  the  camps,  old  men  were  as 
desirous  of  serving  as  the  young,  and  hun- 
dreds who  for  physical  reasons  were  unable 
to  do  effective  manual  work  asked  to  be  al- 
lowed to  pay  a  substitute  for  one  day  or  more 
so  that  they,  too,  might  have  a  direct  share 
in  helping  along  the  defensive  plans.  The  col- 
ored people  were  as  ready  to  contribute  their 
labor  as  were  their  white  brethren,  while 
firms,  banks  and  corporations  sent  sums  of 
money  to  the  Committee  to  hire  laborers  in 
their  name,  each  $1.25  paid  being  regarded 
as  equal  to  a  day's  work.  Even  the  publi- 
cation of  the  local  newspapers  was  suspended 
one  day  to  give  the  printers  a  chance  to  work 
with  pick  and  shovel.  It  was,  more  appar- 
ently than  ever,  the  old  Revolutionary  spirit 
alive  again !  The  defenses  which  were  the 
subject  of  such  a  popular  outburst  were  de- 
signed by  General  J.  W.  Swift,  one  of  the 
best  military  engineers  of  his  time,  who  in 
1830  constructed  the  railway  from  New  Or- 
leans to  Lake  Pontchartrain,  a  wonderful  feat 
in  engineering,  and,  in  1839,  was  chief  engi- 
neer of  the  Harlem  Railroad.  His  plan  was 
in  the  main  a  reproduction  of  the  line  of 
defense  of  1776.  From  Gowanus  to  the 
Wallabout,  on  the  hills  which  then  encircled 
Brooklyn,  but  are  now  in  its  very  centre, 
was  to  be  a  line  of  forts  connected  by  bastions. 
On  Manhattan  Island  a  line  of  forts  and 
block-houses  was  to  run  from  the  Hudson  10 
McGowan's  Pass  and  across  the  Harlem 
Heights  to  the  Sound,  there  to  connect  with 
the  Long  Island  shore  by  means  of  a  small 
fort  on  Mill  Rock  and  a  larger  one  on  the 
high  ground  on  the  island  coast.     Other  forts 


were  to  be  erected  so  as  to  form  a  complete 
chain  of  defense.  The  line-  around  Brooklyn 
was  not  so  long  drawn  out  as  in  1776,  but 
it  was  felt  as  being  self-evident  that  -if  a 
landing  on  Long  Island  was  effected  at  all 
the  place  to  meet  it  was  behind  the  forts  and 
not  in  the  open  field,  while  the  defenses  in  the 
harbor  were  relied  upon  to  prevent  a  fleet 
from  operating  with  an  invading  army.  The 
tactical  blunder  which  gave  to  the  British 
the  Battle  of  Brooklyn,  the  weakness  of  any 
one  link  in  the  chain  of  defense,  was  not  to 
be  repeated.  It  was  known  that  any  effort 
made  on  Long  Island  was  in  reality  directed 
against  its  neighbor,  Manhattan,  and  the  de- 
fense of  the  nation's  commercial  capital  was 
the  object  kept  steadily  in  view,  and  so  the 
attack,  if  it  should  come,  was  in  the  first  in- 
stance to  be  met  not  in  the  open  field,  but  with 
the  assistance  of  forts  and  bastions  and  re- 
doubts, and  behind  carefully  watched  and 
strongly  fortified  lines. 

As  soon  as  the  plans  were  ready  work 
commenced  with  a  rush.  It  would  almost 
seem  that  at  first  a  "tour  of  work"  on  the 
fortifications  was  regarded  in  the  light  of  a 
fad,  of  a  good-natured  holiday,  and  the 
"patriotic  toil,"  as  one  of  the  orators  of  the 
time  called  it,  proceeded  the  more  eagerly  on 
account  of  the  novelty  and  fun,  until  the 
news  was  received  that  the  British  forces  had 
captured  Washington,  burned  the  White 
House  and  other  public  buildings,  and  were 
in  force  before  Baltiinore.  Then  the  holiday 
notion  passed  away  and  the  people  almost 
immediately  realized  that  the  labor  they  were 
engaged  upon  was  of  the  most  serious  import, 
and  that  at  any  moment  the  utility  and 
strength  of  the  fortifications  might  be  tested 
in  the  most  grim  and  cruel  fashion.  Then 
all  feeling  passed  except  that  of  sturdy  deter- 
mination to  complete  the  chain  of  defenses 
and  give  the  invaders  a  warm  reception. 
Work  was  even  carried  on  by  moonlight,  and 
as  the  City  Treasury  was  practically  empty 
and  iiothing  could  be  got  from  the  general 
Government  to  aid  the  means  of  defence,  New 


THE    CHAIN    OF    FORTS. 


259 


York  City  asked  its  people  for  a  loan  of 
$1,000,000,  and  got  it,  although  some  argu- 
mentative citizens  claimed  that  the  authorities 
had  no  legal  right  to  negotiate  a  loan  for 
any  such  purpose.  Such  citizens  always  turn 
up  with  their   arguments   and   objections   it 


Federal  six-pounders  and  a  heavy  outburst  of 
cheering  commenced  work  with  pick  and 
shovel  on  the  site  of  the  old  Fort  Putnam  of 
1776,  which  was  now  to  be  known  as  Fort 
Greene.  On  the  following  day  the  work  was 
continued   by   some   artillery    companies    and 


every  stage  of  the  nation's  progress  and  are 
especially  busy  at  every  historical  crisis. 

The  work  on  the  fortifications  was  begun 
on  the  Brooklyn  scheme  first,  on  the  morning 
of  Aug.  9,  1814,  when  a  company  of  artillery 
and  a  body  of  volunteers  from  New  York 
crossed  and  under  a  salute  from  one  of  the 


by  bodies  of  tanners,  curriers  and  plumbers 
and  several  hundred  military  exempts.  On 
the  I2th  the  medical  students,  wire  workers, 
foundry  workers,  the  members  of  the  Hamil- 
ton Society  and  a  number  of  artillerymen 
were  at  work,  and  on  the  13th  the  New  York 
cabinet-makers    had    an    inning.     The    iSth, 


250 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND 


being  a  Sunday,  was  observed  as  a  day  of 
rest.  On  the  Monday  following  Brooklyn 
itself  had  a  chance,  for  then  Captain  Lau- 
rence Brewer's  Company  of  Artillery,  raised 
in  that  place  and  attached  to  the  Thirteenth 
Regiment  of  Artillery,  went  over  to  the  heights 
from  Castle  Garden,  where  they  were  sta- 
tioned, and  broke  ground  on  the  site  of  the 
old  Cobble  Hill  Fort  for  a  new  stronghold 
which  was  at  first  proposed  to  be  given  the 
name  of  Fort  Pitt;  but  that  was  changed 
when  work  was  fairly  began  to  Fort  Swift, 
in  honor  of  the  designer  of  the  defenses. 
Brooklyn  also  came  to  the  front  on  August 
i6th,  when  the  work  was  done  by  local  mili- 
tary companies  under  the  command  of  Cap- 
tains Stryker,  Cowenhoven  and  Herbert,  by 
the  exempts  of  Bedford  and  the  Wallabout 
and  a  fire  company.  On  the  17th  the  people 
of  Bushwick  contributed  their  share.  A  con- 
temporary newspaper  said  :  '  The  operations 
were  commenced  by  a  prayer  from  that  vener- 
able patriot,  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  Basset,  and 
an  exhortation  of  zeal  and  unanimity  in  their 
country's  cause,  in  defense  of  which  they 
were  then  to  be  employed  on  the  works  which 
he  had  nearly  forty  years  ago  assisted  in 
erecting.  He  continued  encouraging  them, 
and  distributing  refreshments  throughout  the 
day,  and  at  evening  returned  with  his  flock 
satisfied  with  having  set  an  example,  im- 
pressive,   admirable    and    commanding,    the 

'  plaudits  of  an  approving  conscience  and  a 
grateful-  country." 

The  scene  of  their  work  was  Fort  Swift. 

'  During  the  course  of  the  day  they  held  a 
meeting  over  which  Dr.  Basset  presided, 
while  Tunis  Wortman  acted  as  secretary,  at 
which  resolutions  were  passed,  some  of 
which,  as  they  serve  to  show  the  spirit  of 
the  people,  may  be  reproduced  here : 

Next  to  the  duties  which  we  owe  to  Heav- 
en, those  which  belong  to  our  country  demand 
our  chief  attention.  As  a  people  we  are  pre- 
eminently blessed.  Divine  Providence  has  fa- 
vored us  with  a  free  and  excellent  Constitu- 
tion,  and  commands   us  to  preserve  it.     In 


defense  of  our  liberties,  property  and  lives, 
for  the  protection  of  our  native  land  or  the 
land  of  our  choice,  we  this  day  solemnly 
step  forward  to  take  up  arms  for  general 
preservation,  and  will  not  lay  them  down 
while  danger  exists. 

In  a  crisis  like  the  present  no  good  citi- 
zen should  consider  himself  exempt.  The 
spirit  of  party  should  be  lost  in  the  generous 
ardor  of  universal  patriotism.  All  who  feel 
that  they  possess  a  country  to  defend  and 
love,  should  step  forward  with  a  degree  of 
zeal  and  alacrity,  which  shall  teach  the  en- 
emy and  convince  the  world  that  America 
is  a  virtuous,  great  and  united  nation. 

Resolved,  That  the  citizens  and  inhabit- 
ants of  the  town  of  Bushwick,  exempt  from' 
ordinary  military  duties,  embody  themselves- 
into  a  volunteer  Company  for  the  protection' 
and  defense  of  Nassau  (Long)  and  Man- 
hattan Islands,  under  such  officers  as  they 
shall  select. 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  eleven- 
citizens  be  appointed  to  request  the  assist- 
ance and  co-operation  of  our  fellow  citizens- 
of  Long  Island  and  to  prepare  and  publish 
a  suitable  address  for  that  purpose. 

Resolved,  That  such  committee  be  author- 
ized and  instructed  to  enter  into  such  ^ar- 
rangements  and  to  form  such  correspondence 
as  may  be  necessary  and  proper  to  carry  the 
objects  of  their  meeting  into  effect,  and  that 
the  committees  consist  of  Major  Francis 
Titus,  Dr.  Cornelius  Lowe,  John  Skillman, ' 
Sen.,  Alexander  WhaJey,  Sen.,  Peter  Wyckoff,, 
William  Conselyea,  Sen.,  Peter  Meserole, 
Gysberte  Bogert,  Abraham  Meserole,  John 
Van  Alst  and  Tunis  Wortman. 

On  the  1 8th  Flatbush  contributed  the  la- 
borers, on  the  19th  Flatlands  was  represented,, 
and  on  the  20th  Gravesend  had  its  turn.  On- 
the  same  day  a  corps  of  some  seventy  volun- 
teers from  Paterson,  N.  J.,  under  Col.  Abra- 
ham Godwin,  a  Revolutionary  hero  whose 
son  was  then  at  the  front,  did  a  full  "turn" 
of  work  on  Fort  Greene.  In  fact  by  this 
time  the  great  importance  not  only  to  New 
York  but  to  the  nation  at  large  of  the  defense 
of  Manhattan  Island  was  thoroughly  under- 
stood and  parties  were  daily  sent  from  the 
valley  of  the  Hudson  and  the  interior  of  New 
Jersey  to  help  along  the  good  work. 


THE    CHAIN    OF    FORTS. 


261 


On  the  20tli  part  of  the  fortifications  re; 
ceived  the  first  quota  of  troops  in  several 
companies  of  mihtia  from  the  interior  of  the 
state  who  had  been  ordered  into  camp  at 
Fort  Greene.  As  they  landed  in  Brooklyn 
in  the  evening  they  were  met  by  a  contingent 
of  1,200  of  the  Patriotic  Sons  of  Erin,  who 
had  just  completed  a  day's  work.  The  good- 
natured  Irishmen  gave  them  a  grand  wel- 
come, for  they  opened  ranks  and  caused 
them  to  pass  between,  while  we  are  told  two 
bands  of  music  discoursed  martial  airs  and 
there  was  a  general  outburst  of  cheeiring 
while  the  militia  and  their  baggage  remained 
in  sight.  In  fact  nothing  strikes  the  student 
of  this  episode  in  local  history  more  than  the 
enthusiasm  and  good  nature  which  prevailed 
all  through  it.  We  do  not  read  of  a  single 
quarrel  or  hear  the  echo  of  a  single  angry 
word  in  all  its  details, — apart,  of  course,  from 
the  epistles  of  the  argumentative  citizens  al- 
ready referred  to.  Party  spirit  for  the  mo- 
ment may  be  said  to  have  fled,  political 
animosities  to  have  been  buried  and  race 
and  other  prejudices  to  have  been  oblit- 
erated while  the  people  turned,  as  with  one 
heart,  one  thought,  to  meet  the  advance  of 
the  common  foe.  All  this  found  expression 
in  many  popular  songs,  one  of  which,  by 
Samuel  Woodworth,  author  of  the  "Old  Oak- 
en Bucket,''  was  sold  for  six  cents  and  en- 
joyed a  widespread  popularity.  It  was  en- 
titled "The  Patriotic  Diggers,"  and  some  o.f 
its  verses  ran : 

Johnny  Bull,  beware ! 

Keep  at  pr6per  distance. 
Else  we'll  make  you  stare 

At  our  firm  resistance. 
Let  alone  the  lads 

Who  are  freedom  tasting; 
Recollect  our  dads 

Gave  you  once  a  basting. 

Pick-axe,  shovel,  spade. 
Crowbar,  hoe  and  barrow: 

Better  not  invade: 

Yankees  have  the  morrow. 


To  protect  our  rights 

'Gainst  your  flints  and  triggers, 
See   on   Brooklyn   Heights 

Our    patriotic    diggers. 
Man  of  every  age. 

Color,  rank,  profession, 
Ardently  engage 

Labor  in  succession. 

Here  the  mason  builds 

Freedom's  shrine  of  glory. 
While  the  painter  gilds 

The  immortal  story. 
Blacksmiths  catch  the  flame. 

Grocers  feel  the  spirit, 
Printers  share  the  fame 

And  record  their  merit. 

Scholars  leave  their  schools 

With  their  patriot  teachers ; 
Farmers  seize  their  tools. 

Headed  by  their  preachers. 
How  they  break  the  soil, — 

Brewers,  butchers,  bakers ! 
Here  the  doctors  toil, 

There  the  undertakers. 

Plumbers,  founders,  dyers. 

Tinmen,  turners,  shavers. 
Sweepers,  clerks  and  criers. 

Jewelers,  engravers. 
Clothiers,  drapers,  players, 

Cartmen,  hatters,  tailors. 
Gangers,  sealers,  weighers, 

Carpenters  and  sailors. 

On  August  24  the  free  colored  people  of 
Brooklyn  and  vicinity  worked  on  the  defenses, 
and  on  that  date  the  people  of  that  town  and 
its  vicinity  took  a  more  active  part  than  ever 
in  the  work.  The  local  committee  of  defense 
issued  a  call  for  the  citizens  to  volunteer  to 
perform  a  second  tour  of  duty  on  the  line  of 
forts,  and  this  met  with  a  most  hearty  re- 
sponse. The  25th  and  26th  were  what  might 
now  be  called  Brooklyn  military  days,  and  on 
the  27th  Bushwick  contributed  its  second  tour. 
On  the  29th  the  scene  was  enlivened  by  the 
arrival  of  three  military  companies  from  up 
the  state — the  Albany  Riflemen,  the  TTojan 
Greens  and  the  Montgomery  Rangers — who 
took  up  their  quarters  in  Fort  Greene,  where 


262 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


the  Flatbush  people  were  contributing  their 
second  tour.  On  the  30th  the  people  of  Flat- 
lands  and  Gravesend  were  both  represented. 
Meanwhile  every  day  bodies  of  workers  con- 
tinued to  pass  over  the  ferry  from  New  York, 
and  while  a  prodigrious  amount  of  work  was 
done  the  news  constantly  arriving  as  to  the 
progress  of  the  war  indicated  that  there  was 
no  time  to  lose  and  appeals  were  steadily 
made  for  laborers  not  only  on  the  Brooklyn 
works  but  also  on  those  at  Harlem.  A  new 
trouble  also  confronted  the  committee, — that 
of  adequately  provisioning  the  soldiers  in  the 
camp  and  an  appeal  for  fresh  food,  especially 
vegetables,  was  made.  An  appeal  for  fas- 
cines brought  among  other  contributions  120 
loads  from  Jamaica  as  a  gift  from  the  citizens 
of  that  town.  The  spokesman  of  the  deputa- 
tion which,  carried  the  welcome  gift-  was  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Jacob  Schoonmaker,  who  for  nearly 
half  a  century  was  the  minister  of  the  Dutch 
Reformed  church  in  Jamaica  and  in  Newtown. 
August  closed  with  the  appearance  of  a  large 
number  of  ladies  who  worked  for  a  few  hours 
on  the  lines,  but  the  feature  of  that  day  was 
the  appearance  of  the  Tammany  delegation, 
1,150  strong,  who  crossed  the  ferry  and 
marched  to  the  works  with  banners  flying  and 
bands  playing.  G.  R.  Horton,  in  his  "History 
of  the  Tammany  Society,"  tells  us  that  the 
Tammany  Society  made  a  similar  patriotic 
journey  to  Brooklyn  several  times  while  the 
works  were  being  constructed. 

On  the  1st  of  September  a  new  feature  was 
introduced  into  the  already  strange  story  of 
the  rise  of  these  fortifications  when  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  for  the 
first,  and  so  far  as  time  has  developed  the  last, 
time,  turned  out  to  engage,  "in  the  character 
of  Masons,"  in  what  was  practically  a  warlike 
enterprise.  DeWitt  Clinton,  then  Mayor  of 
New  York,  was  at  that  time  Grand  Master, 
Cadwallader  Golden,  the  head  of  the  local  mili- 
tia, was  Grand  Warden;  Governor  Tompkins 
was  destined  to  be  Grand  Master,  and  General 
Jacob  Morton  had  preceded  Clinton  as  holder 
of  that  honor.    Doubtless  it  was  the  influence 


of  these  men  that  caused  the  twenty-one  lodges 
in  New  York  City  on  the  morning  of  Septem- 
ber I,  to  assemble,  clothed  in  regalia  and  with 
flags  and  staves  to  meet  in  the  City  Hall  Park 
and  escort  the  officers  of  the  Grand  Lodge  to 
Brooklyn,  where,  having  been  joined  by  the 
local  lodges,  they  all  threw  off  their  aprons 
and  jewels  and  exchanged  them  for  picks  and 
shovels.  After  having  diligently  labored 
throughout  the  day  the  Freemasons  returned 
at  evening  to  the  New  York  City  Hall,  where 
they  were  dismissed.  On  reaching  Brooklyn 
they  were  joined  by  two  lodges:  Fortitude, 
still  existing  and  now  the  oldest  lodge  of 
Masons  in  the  borough ;  and  Newtown  Centre 
Lodge,  a  body  which  was  founded  in  1808  and 
was  crushed  out  of  existence  in  the  Morgan 
persecution  which  so  nearly  wiped  out  the 
fraternity  in  the  State.  The  visit  of  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity  aroused'  much  local  pride,  and 
they  had  worked  so  well  that  the  place  upon 
which  they  had  labored,  a  part  of  the  old 
Revolutionary  Fort  Greene,  was  at  once  given 
the  name  of  Fort  Masonic.  It  is  difficult  to 
estimate  the  number  who  took  part  in  the 
unique  Masonic  experience,  but  probably  it 
was  in  the  neighborhood  of  500.  The  recep- 
tion their  labors  met  with  so  pleased  the  "Sons 
of  Light"  that  at  a  meeting  of  the  Grand 
Lodge,  on  September  7,  the  giving  of  another 
day's  labor  to  Fort  Masonic  was  resolved  upon 
and  this  was  faithfully  performed  on  the  19th. 
On  September  3d  "the  Columbian"  re- 
ported: "Nearly  800  citizens  of  Newark 
transported  in  a  line  of  wagons  nearly  cov- 
ering the  causeway  on 'the  road  reached  Pau- 
lus  Hook  Ferry,  crossed  the  North  River  and 
passed  through  the  city  to  Brooklyn  Ferry 
before  i  o'clock  this  morning.  They  had  sev- 
eral bands  of  wind  and  military  music,  with 
flags  and  a  label  on  each  hat  reading  "Don't 
give  up  the  soil,"  and  proceeded  to  work  on 
the  fortification  at  Brooklyn  with  an  alacrity 
truly  admirable  and  commendable.  Such  an 
instance  of  patriotic  enthusiasm  in  the  inhab- 
itants of  a  neighboring  State,  from  a  distance 
of  seven  miles,  cannot  be  too  highly  appre- 


DBWITT  CLIHTOU. 


THE    CHAIN    OF    FORTS. 


263 


ciated  or  recorded  in  terms  too  honorable  to 
the  zeal  and  disinterestedness  of  our  fellow 
citizens  of  New  Jersey." 

All  through  the  building  of  the  fortifica- 
tions nothing  was  moire  gratifying  to  those 
concerned  than  the  aid  received  from  the 
churches.  Almost  every  day  work  was  com- 
menced in  some  part  of  the  long  line,  at  least, 
with  a  prayer,  and  clergymen  wielded  a  pick 
or  trundled  a  barrow  with  as  much  zeal,  if 
not  with  as  much  effectiveness,  as  an  ordinary 
outdoor  laborer.  On  one  day  the  members  of 
the  Mulberry  Street  Baptist  Church,  of  which 
the  Rev.  Archibald  Maclay,  a  sturdy  Scotch 
Highlander  and  a  stanch  lover  of  liberty,  both 
civil  and  religious,  was  then  and  long  after- 
ward minister,  did  a  most  gratifying  amount 
of  work,  and  their  clerical  leader  did  not  the 
least.  It  was  not  until  November  that  the 
preparations  were  regarded  on  the  Brooklyn 
side  as  being  practically  completed, — com- 
pleted, that  is,  so  far  as  the  necessity  for  vol- 
unteer labor  was  concerned,  and  the  continu- 
ance of  work  on  the  fortifications  was  left 
to  the  caJre  of  the  constituted  authorities  and 
the  military  forces;  but  while  the  trouble 
lasted,  until  the  news  came  that  peace  had 
been  signed,  those  who  still  toiled  knew  that 
behind  them  stood  ready  a  determined  and 
dauntless  people  prepared  at  a  moment's  notice 
to  fill  up  any  breach  or  perform  whatever  serv- 
ice might  be  demanded  of  them  in  defense  of 
their  rights  and  their  homes. 

As  each  section  of  the  Brooklyn  foTtifica- 
tions  was  completed  Governor  Tompkins  be- 
gan sending  on  what  troops  he  could  to  take 
possession ;  but  it  was  not  until  September  had 
advanced  a  week  or  ten  days  that  troops  were 
present  in  strength  at  all  equal  to  what  the  long 
Ime  of  fortifications  actually  required  for  its 
adequate  defense,  or  the  artillery  was  armed 
in  proper  shape  to  ofifer  effective  defiance  to 
an  invader.  As  might  be  expected,  the  Long 
Island  militia  were  present  in  force,  brigaded 
under  General  Johnson,  of  Brooklyn. 

But  the  fortifications,  happily,  were  des- 
tined never  to  be  tested.     They  were  hardly 


completed  when  it  began  to  be  seen  that  the 
peace  negotiations  were  most  likely  to  be  suc- 
cessful, and  all  military  movements  on  land, 
in  the  northern  section  of  the  country  at  any 
rate,  ceased,  and  only  the  cruisers  at  sea  con- 
tinued peppering  at  each  other  wherever  they 
met.  Peace  was  formally  brought  about  by 
treaty  at  Ghent,  on  December  24,  1814,  but 
it  was  not  until  February  i8th  that  it  was 
ratified.  In  those  days,  of  course,  news  trav- 
eled slowly,  and  to  that  is  due  the  opportunity 
which  gave  General  Jackson  his  title  to  the 
"Hero  of  New  Orleans"  when  he  defended 
that  city  from  a  determined  attack  on  January 
8,  1815.  Even  after  the  treaty  was  ratified 
the  war  was  still  carried  on  at  sea  and  the 
"Constitution"  added  to  the  list  of  victims  and 
her  roll  of  prizes,  and  "The  Hornet"  closed 
a  chapter  in  naval  warfare  full  of  glorious 
incidents  for  its  history  in  connection  with 
the  story  of  the  United  States  by  capturing 
the  "Penguin." 

Still  these  were  but  incidents,  and  with 
the  proclamation  of  peace  came  jubilation 
throughout  the  land,  and  in  no  section  was  that 
jubilation' more  heartfelt  and  sincere  than  in 
the  district  of  which  Manhattan  Island  was 
the  center  and  which  had  so  lately  been  ser- 
iously threatened-  A  day  of  thanksgiving  was 
proclaimed.  The  bells  which  had  been  in  read- 
iness to  rouse  the  citizens  now  united  in  a  mer- 
ry peal,  the  death-dealing  snap  of  the  musket 
was  replaced  by  the  jollier  rattle  of  the  fire- 
cracker and  the  ping  of  the  blank  cartridge; 
the  cannon  which  frowned  on  Brooklyn 
Heights  and  the  heights  of  Harlem,  and  from 
fort  and  block-house  on  the,  water  front,  now 
boomed  in  recognition  of  peace ;  and  on  the 
hills  of  Gowanus  bonfires  blazed  and  towns 
and  villages  were  illuminated.  The  citizen 
soldiery,  America's  strength  and  pride,  began 
returning  to  their  places  in  the  industrial  walks 
of  life,  and  by  the  following  June,  when  Com- 
modore Stewart  in  the  gallant  "Constitution" 
sailed  into  the  New  York  Harbor  after  a 
cruise  which  added  much  to  the  well-earned 
honors  of  the  American  navy,  he  was  received 


264 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


with  the  plaudits  and  praises  he  so  richly  de- 
served ;  but  the  plaudits  were  those  of  a  people 
who  had  already  unbent  from  all  thought  of 
war  and  were  at  peace  with  the  world. 

The  Long  Island  hero  of  the  war  of  1812 
was  undoubtedly  Brigadier  General  Jeremiah 
Johnson,  and  although  his  later  active  labors 
in  Brooklyn  would  walrrant  him  a  place  among 
the  memories  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  that 
borough,  he  deserves  to  be  remembered  here 
in  connection  with  the  great  service  he  rendered 
his  country  at  a  most  critical  period  in  her 
affairs.  He  was  descended  from  Jan  Barentse 
Van  Driest,  a  carpenter  by  trade,  who  in  1658 
emigrated  from  Sutphen,  in  Gelderland.  We 
know  nothing  of  his  movements  until  1672, 
when  he  turns  up  as  a  resident  of  Flatbush. 
He  evidently  prospered,  for  in  1666  he  bought 
some  land  at  Gravesend,  and  in  1674  extended 
his  holdings  by  buying  the  plantation  lot  and 
building  which  belonged  to  Daniel  Morgan. 
In  1679  he  married  the  daughter,  Janet,  of 
William  Jansen  Van  Barkeloo,  and  died  some 
time  prior  to  1697.  One  of  his  sons,  Barent 
Janse,  lived  in  Gravesend  and  carried  on  farm- 
ing, while  another  was  a  merchant  in  New 
York,  and  it  seems  to  have  been  from  this 
Barent  that  the  name  of  Johnson  was  adopted 
as  the  family  cognomen.  The  family  gradu- 
ally spread  over  Gravesend  and  Brooklyn,  and 
appear  to  have  always  stood  well  in  the  com- 
munity, although  the  records  show  that  at  least 
one  was  unfortunate  as  a  merchant  and  had  to 
depend  in  the  end  upon  the  assistance  of  his 
relatives.  Business,  like  war,  has  its  ups  and 
downs,  its  varying  fortunes.  General  Jere- 
miah Johnson  was  fourth  in  descent  from  Jan 
Barentsen  Van  Driest,  and  we  deem  it  a  priv- 
ilege to  reproduce  here  the  sketch  of  his  life, 
written  by  Dr.  Henry  R.  Stiles  and  published 
in  that  author's  "History  of  Brooklyn:" 

His  father,  Barent  Johnson,  born  in  1740, 
was  distinguished  as  an  active  patriot  during 
the  Revolutionary  struggle.  He  was  encamped, 
in  command  of  a  portion  of  the  Kings  county 
militia,  at  Harlem  in  1776,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing year  was  captured  by  the  British,  and  only 
obtained    his    parole   (from  General    Howe) 


through  the  kind  interposition  of  a  Masonic 
brother.  In  order  to  help  on  the  cause  to  which 
he  was  devoted  he  shrank  not  from  personal 
and  pecuniary  risks,  but  suggested  loans  from 
friends  in  his  county  to  the  American  govern- 
ment; and  himself  set  the  example  by  loaning, 
first  $3,500,  and  afterward  sums  amounting  to 
$5,000,  all  the  security  for  which  was  a  simple 
private  receipt,  given,  too,  in  time  of  exceeding 
peril  and  discouragement — a  noble  and  mem- 
orable deed.  Jeremiah,  his  son,  was  born  Jan- 
uary 23,  1766;  was,  at  the  time  of  the  breaking 
out  of  the  war,  in  his  eleventh  year,  and  old 
enough  to  understand  the  full  meaning  of 
passing  events.  That  these  stirring  scenes 
made  an  indelible  impression  upon  his  mind 
and  character  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  his 
reminiscences,  descriptions,  maps,  etc.,  have 
since  formed  the  largest  and  certainly  the  most 
valuable  portion  of  the  Revolutionary  lore  of 
Kings  county  handed  down  to  our  day,  and 
has  been  largely  drawn  upon  by  every  local 
and  general  historian  of  Long  Island. 

His  father  dying  before  the  peace,  young 
Johnson  was  thrown  the  more  upon  himself; 
and,  though  the  times  were  very  unfavorable 
to  regular  education,  he  improved  his  oppor- 
tunities as  he  was  able ;  attended  night  schools ; 
taught  himself,  and  gradually  disciplined  and 
developed  the  elements  of  a  manly,  self-made 
and  self-reliant  character.  Then,  as  a  good, 
quiet  citizen,  he  lived  upon  his  farm  in  faith- 
ful industry;  married  (i)  Abigail,  daughter  of 
Rem.  Remsen,  in  1787,  who  died  in  1788;  (2), 
Sarah,  daughter  of  Teunis  Rapalye,  in  1791, 
who  died  in  1825.  He  had  ten  children  (two 
sons  Barnet  and  Jeromus ;  and  two  daughters, 
Sarah  Anne,  married  to  Nicholas  Wyckoff, 
and  Susanna,  married  to  Lambert  Wyckoff), 
all  of  whom  well  sustain  the  parental  reputa- 
tion of  benevolence  and  usefulness,  patronizing 
every  worthy  cause.  The  old  homestead  was 
taken  down  and  the  fine  substantial  mansion, 
now  occupied  by  the  family,  was  erected  near 
the  same  spot,  in  1801.  In  1796  he  became  a 
trustee  of  the  town  of  Brooklyn,  an  office 
which  he  held  for  twenty  years.  Naturally  of 
a  social  turn,  of  benevolent  impulses,  and  pub- 
lic spirited  withal,  and  from  his  very  charac- 
ter, position  and  associations,  he  became  early 
connected  with  public  affairs.  From  1800 
until  about  1840  he  was  a  supervisor  of  the 
town,  during  a  large  portion  of  which  time  he 
was  chairman  of  the  board.  In  1808  and  in 
1809  he  represented  Kings  county  in  the  State 
Assembly.     He  took  an  active  part,  also,  in 


THE    CHAIN    OF    FORTS. 


265 


militan'  matters.  During  the  war  with  Great 
Britain,  from  1812  to  181 5,  he  was  at  first 
only  a  junior  captain ;  but,  when  one  was  solic- 
ited to  go  out  in  command  on  the  frontier, 
others  declining,  he  volunteered  for  a  danger- 
ous duty,  and  so  took  precedence  by  consent, 
and  early  became  colonel.  ^Meanwhile  he  was 
very  active  in  military  affairs,  and  held  him- 
self ready  at  call.  He  was  then  honored  with 
a  brigadier-general's  commission,  and  was  in 
the  command  (of  the  22d  Brigade  of  Infantry, 
numbering  1,750  men)  at  Fort  Greene,  in 
Brooklyn,  for  three  months.  M^hilst  there  he 
was  conspicuous  for  his  soldier-like  abihty ; 
proved  himself  an  excellent  disciplinarian ;  and 
was  a  great  favorite  with  officers  and  privates. 
He  was  fortunate,  as  well,  for,  in  that  three 
months'  time,  no  one  of  his  soldiers  dietd. 
After  the  peace  he  was  promoted  to  be  a  ma- 
jor-general, an  office  which  he  held  during  his 
life,  though  not  in  actual  command  of  a  di- 
vision. ' 

When  (in  1816)  Brooklyn  became  a  village 
his  residence  was  left  outside  of  the  village 
bounds,  and,  of  course,  he  could  not  (except 
by  his  own  influence  in  a  private  capacity, 
which  he  ever  largely  exercised)  participate 
in  its  public  affairs ;  but,  in  1835,  the  city  char- 
ter was  obtained,  and  the  bounds  included  the 
8th  and  9th  wards,  which  brought  his  home 
again  within  the  lines.  In  1837  he  was  elected 
mayor  of  the  city  of  Brooklyn,  and  re-elected 
in  1838  and  1839.  As  a  public  officer  he  was 
faithful,  prompt  and  indefatigable,  while  his 
punctuality  was  proverbial.  In  1840,  and  again 
in  1841,  he  was  elected  again  a  member  of 
the  State  Legislature.  At  one  time,  also,  he 
was;  judge  of  the  Common  Pleas.  In  1848 
he  was  chosen  the  first  president  of  the  St. 
Nicholas  Society  of  Nassau  Island,  an  office 
which  he  held  until  his  death.  In  1849  he  was 
unanimously  elected  an  honorary  member  of 
the  American  Institute  (having  been  a  mem- 
ber since  1836),  and  at  the  time  of  his  death 
was  chairman  of  its  board  of  agriculture.  As 
chairman  of  this  corhmittee  he  was  quite  active 
in  urging  to  its  final  passage  the  act  for  the 
encouragement  of  agriculture  in  the  State  of 
New  York. 

Besides  all  these  there  was  hardly  an  oc- 
casional or  incidental  duty  in  the  business  of 
agriculture,  of  education,  of  improvements,  of 
reference,  of  management,  to  which  he  was 
not_  summoned,  by  reason  of  his  business  ca- 
pacity and  experience,  as  well  as  the  reputa- 
tion and  high  confidence  he  maintained  amidst 
the  community.  He  made  no  pretense  to  litera- 


ture, and  seldom  wrote  anything  for  the  public 
eye;  he  nevertheless  wielded  an  efficient  pen, 
when  his  feelings  were  aroused,  or  his  sense 
of  justice  and  propriety  were  violated  by  offi- 
cial malpractices  or  the  wrong-doing  of  others. 
He  was  fond  of  putting  down  memoranda  and 
scraps  of  history,  and  interesting  facts  which 
his  observation  and  experience  had  gathered; 
though  in  an  incidental  way,  rather  as  mate- 
rials for  a  more  labored  attempt.  Well  ac- 
quainted with  the  language  of  Holland,  he 
was  fond  of  making  translations  from  its  writ- 
ers; as,  for  example,  his  excellent  translation 
of  Von  der  Donk's  "History  of  New  Nether- 
land."  Indeed,  there  has  not  been  an  author 
meditating  a  work  upon  Long  Island,  or  pub- 
lishing one,  who  has  not  conferred  with  Gen- 
eral Jeremiah  Johnson,  or  who  has  not  bor- 
rowed and  used  his  communications  and  his 
notes,  and  made  grateful  mention  of  him  and 
his  assistance.  He  was  a  modest,  consistent, 
obedient,  habitual,  conforming  Christian.  He 
belonged  to  the  old  Dutch  Reformed  congre- 
gation in  Brooklyn.  In  that  congregation  for 
fifty  years  he  was  a  communicant ;  and  a  stand- 
ing member  of  the  consistory,  in  and  out,  alter- 
nating, according  to  the  parish  method,  con- 
tinually; and  the  clerk  of  its  consistory  for 
forty  years,  until  his  resignation  in  1843. 
General  Johnson  was  remarkably  active, 
prompt,  decided;  never  idle;  of  indefatigable 
industry;  kindly  to  all,  warm-hearted  and  af- 
fectionate ;  generous  in  all  his  instincts,  sym- 
pathizing with  the  young.  He  was  of  a  social, 
genial  mood ;  was  fond  of  his  pipe,  even  to  the 
last,  and  handled  it  from  his  seventeenth  year 
to  within  a  quarter  of  an  hour  of  his  death. 
He  was  fond  of  his  gun,  of  walking,  and  of 
manly  exercise ;  from  youth  up  an  early  riser, 
and  early  to  bed.  His  free,  easy,  unreserved 
manners  made  him  ever  a  welcome  and  de- 
lightful guest.  He  could  give  information 
upon  the  gravest  and  most  important  themes ; 
he  could  sympathize  with  the  most  common. 
If  there  was  an  ancient  tree,  or  stump,  con- 
nected with  some  memorial  of  the  past,  he 
knew  of  it,  and  he  was  the  one  to  mark  it  by 
a  monumental  stone.  His  perception  was 
quick  and  clear,  and  his  tact  admirable;  and 
well  nigh  to  the  last  his  eye  was  not  dim,  nor 
his  natural  force  abated,  and  his  voice  con- 
tinued full  and  strong.  His  death,  which  oc- 
curred on  the  20th  of  October,  1852,  was  in 
harmony  with  his  life — calm,  trustful  and 
serene — and  caused  a  widespread  and  pro- 
found sensation  of  sorrow  throughout  the  city 
of  Brooklyn. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 


THE    STORY    OF    EDUCATIONAL    PROGRESS. 


HE  people  of  Long  Island  have  ever 
been  proud  of  the  educational  priv- 
ileges they  have  placed  before  the 
children  in  their  midst.  The  Dutch 
were  stanch  believers  in  the  benefits  of  careful 
religious  and  moral  training  to  the  young, 
and  the  schoolmaster  was  as  essential  in  their 
communities  at  home  and  abroad  as  the  minis- 
ter. Wherever  a  Dutch  church  was  erected  a 
school-house  was  not  far  away,  and  in 
small  communities,  where  the  voice  of 
the  ordained  preacher  could  only  be  heard 
at  intervals,  the  schoolmaster  was  supposed 
to  call  the  people  together  for  public 
worship,  or  at  least  to  hear  a  portion  of  the 
Sacred  Book  read  and  a  word  of  prayer  spo- 
ken. The  early  English  authorities,  while  not 
so  thoroughgoing  in  their  educational  ideas  as 
the  Dutch,  did  not  neglect  the  school.  As  the 
island  advanced  in  population  and  wealth  so 
did  the  facilities  for  education  increase.  Acad- 
emies were  founded  which  in  other  parts  of  the 
country  would  have  been  dubbed  colleges,  and 
which  conferred  educational  privileges  which 
are  generally  associated  with  the  highest  in- 
stitutions of  learning,  and  the  fame  of  these 
academies  spread  over  the  entire  country. 
When  at  length  the  whole  question  of  educa- 
tion was  removed  from  private  hands  and  be- 
came the  subject  of  municipal  or  township 
care,  when  pedagogy  itself  became  a  study  and 
a  feature  of  professional  life,  we  find  a  con- 
stant striving  all  over  the  island  to  introduce 
into  every  school  the  newest  and  most  ap- 
proved methods,  and  attain  the  highest  possi- 


ble results.  The  position  of  the  teacher  was 
steadily  advanced  under  all  these  changes 
until,  instead  of  being  virtually  a  servant  to 
the  minister,  a  sort  of  generally  handy  man, 
he  became  a  recognized  member  of  the  pro- 
fessional class. 

Long  Island  has  never  possessed  a  univer- 
sity, although  the  desirability  of  such  an  insti- 
tution has  several  times  been  discussed;  but 
her  system  of  elementary  and  academic  edu- 
cation has  just  stopped  short  of  what  are  re- 
garded in  modern  times  as  university  require- 
ments, and  the  public-school  system  of  Brook- 
lyn has  long  been  regarded  as  the  highest  de- 
velopment of  American  pedagogics. 

Much  doubt  seems  to  prevail  as  to  who 
was  the  first  schoolmaster  on  Long  Island. 
The  honor  of  being  the  scene  of  his  operations 
seems  to  belong  to  Flatbush;  that  much,  ap- 
parently, has  been  happily  settled.  Two  an- 
tiquaries of  such  local  fame  as  Dr.  Strong 
and  Teunis  G.  Bergen,  writing  over  a  genera- 
tion apart,  differed  as  to  the  personality  of  the 
earliest  preceptor.  Strong  (History  of  Flat- 
bush,  page  109)  awarded  the  honor  to  Adrian 
Hegeman,  and  the  dates  of  his  occupancy  of 
the  office  as  1659  to  1671.  Later  research 
has  shown  these  dates  to  be  wrong,  and  Dr. 
Stiles  suggests  ir  their  stead  1653  or  1654  to 
1660,  which,  were  they  anything  but  mere  sug- 
gestion, would  give  the  honor  unquestionably 
to  Flatbush.  Hegeman,  the  common  ancestor 
of  that  now  numerous  family,  came  here  from 
Amsterdam  about  1650  and  took  up  his  resi- 
dence at  first  in  New  Amsterdam.     In  1654' 


THE  STORY  OF  EDUCATIONAL  PROGRESS. 


267 


he  was  a  magistrate  of  Flatbush,  and  in  1661 
schout  fisqal  of  the  five  Dutch  towns ;  and  he 
held  other  public  offices,  besides  being  de- 
scribed as  an  auctioneer.  He  died  in  1672, 
leaving  a  family  of  eight  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter, Elizabeth,  who  married  in  1684  Tobias 
Ten  Eyck. 

Hegeman  appears  to  have  been  a  man  of 
wealth,  and  it  is  impossible  to  conceive  of  his 
performing  the   full   duties   of   schoolmaster, 
which,  as  we  shall   see,   included  much  that 
were  rather  servile  in  their  nature.     Besides, 
the  records  nowhere  speak  of  him  as  holding 
minute  as  to  the  offices  held  by  him.     It  is 
possible,  therefore,  that  he  simply  performed  a 
part  of  the  duties  which  fell  to  the  lot  of  a 
schoolmaster  until  a  iregular  and  full  appoint- 
ment was  made.     This  was  in   1660,  when 
Reynier  Van   Giesen  was  installed.     Bergen 
(Genealogy  of  Kings  County)    says:    "Rey- 
nier Bastiaensen  Van  Giessen  (probably  from 
Giesen,  a  village  in  North  Braband)  married 
Dirkje  Cornelis,  and  entered  into  an  agree- 
ment, June  6,   1660,  with  the  Magistrate  of 
Flatbush  and  the  Consistory  of  the  Reformed 
Dutch  Church  of  said  place,  to  teach  school, 
perform  the  duties  of  court  messenger,  to  ring 
the  bell,  perform  the  duties  of  precentor,  at- 
tend to  the  burial  of  the  dead  and  all  that 
was  necessary  and  proper  in  the  premises,  for 
an  annual  salary  of  200  florins,  exclusive  of 
perquisites.     This  agreement  was   signed  by 
Adrian  Hegeman,  William  Jacobse  Van  Boe-  ■ 
rum,    Elbert    Elbertson,    Jan    Snediker,    Jan 
Strycker    and    Peter    Cornelise,  probably  as 
the  local  Magistrates,  and  by  Johannes  Theo- 
dorus  Polhemus,  Jan  Snediker,  Jan  Strycker 
and  William  Jacobse  Van  Boerum  as  the  Con- 
sistory of  the  Church.    Dr.  Strong  omits  Van 
Giesen  from  his  record,  but  the  above  agree- 
ment shows  this  to  be  an  error,  and  that  Van 
Giesen  was  probably  the  first  schoolmaster." 
There  seems  no  doubt  that  Mr.  Bergen's  con- 
clusion was  correct.     Van   Giesen   held   the 
office  until  1663,  when  he  removed  to  Bergen 
county.  New  Jersey,  and  Pilgrom  Clocq  was 
appointed  schoolmaster  in  his  stead,  continu- 


ing as  such  until  1671.  From  the  agreement 
made  with  the  latter  we  find  that  the  Consis- 
tory agreed  to  pay  one-quarter  of  his  annual 
salary  of  200  guilders,  and  that  his  perqui- 
sites included  2  guilders  for  teaching  the  al- 
phabet, 2  guilders,  10  stivers,  for  teaching 
spelling,  3  guilders  for  teaching  reading,  and 
5  guilders  for  teaching  writing,  payable  by 
each  scholar. 

Whatever  reliance  may  be  placed  on  the 
claims  of  Flatbush,  there  seems  no  doubt  that 
Huntington  was  a  close  second  to  it,  if  not 
actually  first,  in  the  appointment  of  a  school- 
master.   It  appears  from  the  town  records  that 
in  1657  an  agreement  was  made  "at  a  corte 
or  town  meeting  betwixt  the  inhabitants  of 
the  Towne  of  Huntington,  of  the  one  partie, 
and  Jonas  Houldsworth,  of  the  other  partie," 
by  which  Jonas  was  "to  schoole  such  persons 
or  children  as  shall  be  put  to  him  for  that  end 
by  ye  said  inhabitants"   for  a  term  of  four 
years.     For  this  service  the  "inhabitants  doth 
likewise   engage  themselves   to  pay   unto  ye 
said  Jonas  Houldsworth    twenty-five    pounds 
(English  accompt)  and  his  diet  the  first  year, 
and  also  to  allow  him  what  more  may  come 
in  by  ye  schooling  of  any  that   come   from 
other  parts.     The  said  twenty-five  pounds  is 
to  be  paid  ye  said  Jonas  as  f olloweth :    Three 
pounds  twelve  shillings  in  butter  at  six  pence 
ye  pound,  and  seven  pounds  two  shillings  in 
good  well-sized  merchantable  wampum,  that 
is  well  strung  or  strand,  or  .in  such  commodi- 
ties that  will  suit  him  for  clothing.    These  to 
be  paid  him  by  the  first  of  October,  and  three 
pounds  twelve  shillings  in  corne,  one-half  in 
wheat  and  )'e  other  in  Indian  at  three  and 
five  shillings  ye  bushel   (provided  it  be  good 
and  merchantable)   to  be  paid  by  ye  first  of 
March.     Also  ten  pounds   fourteen   shillings 
in  well  thriving  young  cattle  that  shall  then 
be  betwixt  two  and  four  years  old,  one-half 
being  in  the  steare  kind — these  to  be  delivered 
him  when  the  yeare  is  expired."    For  the  sec- 
ond and  third  year  his  pay  was  to  be  ^35,  and 
for  the  fourth  ^40,  the  amounts  being  paya- 
ble after  the  fashion  of  the  first  year.     In 


■268 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


•addition  to  his  pay,  the  inhabitants  were  to 
provide  him  with  a  suitable  house,  and  in  the 
proper  season  the  children  were  to  bring  with 
them  to  school  the  necessary  fire-wood.  All 
these  agreements  seem  to  have  been  faithfully 
kept,  the  house  was  provided,  and  the  entire 
outfit  and  the  salary  were  defrayed  by  a  tax 
laid  upon  the  "inhabitants."  It  was  a  free 
school  in  the  fullest  acceptance  of  the  phrase. 
In  1 66 1  Brooklyn  received  its  first  teacher 
in  Carl  de  Bevoise,  who,  Bergen  says,  emi- 
grated from  Leyden  in  1659,  and  after  a  short 
stay  in  New  Amsterdam  removed  to  Breuck- 
elen,  where  in  1687  he  took  the  oath  of  alle- 
giance. He  was  the  common  ancestor  of  the 
now  widespread  and  influential  De  Bevoise 
family.  His  duties  as  schoolmaster  were  much 
the  same  as  those  of  his  confrere  at  Flatbush, 
as  is  evident  from  the  following  petition, 
dated  July  4,  1661,  in  which  the  B>rooklyn  folks 
.asked  help  from  the  Provincial  authorities  in 
the  way  of  paying  him  a  proper  salary : 

To  the  Right  Honorable  Director  G.eneral  and 

Council  of  Nezu  Netherland: 

The  Schout  and  Schepens  of  the  Court  of 
Breuckelen  respectfully  represent  that  they 
found  it  necessary  that  a  Court  Messenger 
was  required  for  the  Schepens'  Chamber,  to  be 
•occasionally  employed  in  the  village  of  Breuck- 
elen and  all  around  where  he  may  be  needed, 
as  well  to  serve  summons  as  also  to  conduct 
the  service  of  the  church  and  to  sing  on  Sun- 
days ;  to  take  charge  of  the  school,  dig  graves, 
■etc.,  ring  the  bell  and  perform  whatever  else 
may  be  required.  Therefore  the  petitioners, 
with  your  Honor's  approbation,  have  thought 
proper  to  accept  for  so  highly  necessary  an 
office  a  suitable  person  who  is  now  come  be- 
fore them,  one  Carel  Van  Bevois,  to  whom 
■they  have  hereby  appropriated  a  sum  of  150 
guilders,  besides  a  free  dwelling;  and  where- 
as the  petitioners  are  apprehensive  that  the 
aforesaid  C.  Bevois  would  not  and  cannot  do 
the  work  for  the  sum  aforesaid,  and  the  peti- 
tioners are  not  able  to  promise  him  any  more, 
therefore- the  petitioners,  with  all  humble  and 
proper  reverence,  request  your  Honors  to  be 
pleased  to  lend  them  a  helping  hand,  in  order 
thus  to  receive  the  needful  assistance. 

Herewith  awaiting  your  Honors'  kind  and 
favorable  answer,  and  commending  ourselves. 


Honorable,  wise,  prudent,  and  most  discreet 
Gentlemen,  to  your  favor,  we  pray  for  your 
Honors  God's  protection,  together  with  a  hap- 
py and  prosperous  administration  unto  salva- 
tion.   Your  honors'  servants  and  subjects. 

The  Schouts  and  Schepens  of  the  village 
aforesaid,  by  order  of  the  same, 

Adrian  Hegeman, 

Secretary. 

In  answer  to  the  above  the  "Honorable, 
wise,  prudent  and  most  discreet  gentlemen" 
agreed  to  pay  the  teacher,  grave-digger,  etc., 
fifty  guilders  a  year  in  wampum;  and  as  he 
was  afterward  appointed  reader  "and  Secre- 
tary to  the  Town  Clerk,"  his  remuneration  in 
time  became  fairly  respectable.  De.  Bevoise 
appears  to  have  been  a  personal  protege  of 
Governor  Stuyvesant,  and  this  probably  ac- 
counts for  his  success  both  with  the  local  and 
the  Provincial  authorities.  Flrom  the  agree- 
ment made  in  1682  with  Johannes  Van  Eckelen 
who  was  then  appointed  schoolmaster  of  Flat- 
bush,  we  learn  more  of  the  duties  of  these  early 
preceptors.  Eckelen,  it  may  be  said,  resided  at 
Albany  before  settling  on  Long  Island,  and 
continued  to  act  as  schoolmaster  until  1706, 
probably  the  date  of  his  death.  In  1698  he 
was  appointed  clerk  of  the  county. 

The  agreement  referred  to  reads : 

I.  The  school  shall  begin  at  8  o'clock  in 
the  morning  and  go  out  at  11  o'clock.  It 
shall  begin  again  at  i  o'clock  and  end  at  4 
o'clock.  The  bell  shall  be  rung  before  the 
school  begins. 

II.  When  the  school  opens,  one  of  the 
children  shall  read  the  morning  prayer,  as  it 
stands  in  the  catechism,  and  close  with  the 
prayer  before  dinner.  In  the  afternoon  it  shall 
begin  with  the  prayer  after  dinner  and  close 
with  the  evening  prayer.  The  evening  school 
shall  begin  with  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and  close 
by  singing  a  Psalm. 

III.  He  shall  instruct  the  children  in  the 
common  prayers  and  the  questions  and  an- 
swers of  the  catechism  on  Wednesdays  and 
Saturdays,  to  enable  them  to  say  their  cate- 
chism on  Sunday  afternoons  in  the  church 
before  the  afternoon  service,  otherwise  on  the 
Monday  following,  at  which  the  schoolmaster 
shall  be  present.     He  shall  demean  himself 


THE  STORY  OF  EDUCATIONAL  PROGRESS. 


269' 


patiently  and  friendly  toward  the  children  in 
their  instruction,  and  be  active  and  attentive 
to  their  improvement. 

IV.  He  shall  be  bound  to  keep  his  school 
nine  months  in  succession,  from  September  to 
June,  one  year  with  another,  or  the  like  period 
of  time  for  a  year,  according  to  the  agreement 
with  his  predecessor;  he  shall,  however,  keep 
the  school  nine  months,  and  always  be  pres- 
ent himself. 

He  shall  be  chorister  of  the  church,  ring 
the  bell  three  times  before  service,  and  read 
a  chapter  of  the  Bible  in  the  church  between 
the  second  and  third  ringing  of  the  bell ;  after 
the  third  ringing  he  shall  read  the  Ten  Com- 
mandments and  the  twelve  Articles  of  Faith, 
and  then  set  the  Psalm.  In  the  afternoon, 
after  the  third  ringing  of  the  bell,  he  shall 
read  a  short  chapter,  or  one  of  the  Psalms 
of  David,  as  the  congregation  are  assembling. 
Afterward  he  shall  again  set  the  Psalm. 

When  the  minister  shall  preach  at  Brook- 
lyn or  New  Utrecht  he  shall  be  bound  to  read 
twice  before  the  congregation  a  sermon  from 
the  book  used  for  the  purpose.  The  afternoon 
sermon  will  be  on  the  catechism  of  Dr.  Van- 
der  Hagen,  and  thus  he  will  follow  the  turns 
of  the  minister.  He  shall  hear  the  children 
recite  the  questions  and  answers  of  the  cate- 
chism on  that  Sunday,  and  he  shall  instruct 
them.  When  the  minister  preaches  at  Flat- 
lands  he  shall  perform  a  like  service. 

He  shall  provide  a  basin  of  water  for  the 
baptism,  for  which  he  shall  receive  twelve 
stuyvers  in  wampum  for  every  baptism  from 
the  parents  or  sponsors.  He  shall  furnish  the 
minister,  in  writing,  the  names  and  ages  of  the 
children  to  be  baptized,  together  with  the 
names  of  the  parents  and  sponsors ;  he  shall 
also  serve  as  a  messenger  from  the  consis- 
tories. 

He  shall  give  the  funeral  invitations  and 
toll  the  bells,  for  which  services  he  shall  re- 
ceive, for  persons  of  fifteen  years  of  age  and 
upward,  twelve  guilders ;  and  for  persons  un- 
der fifteen,  eight  guilders.  If  he  shall  invite 
out  of  the  town  he  shall  receive  three  addi- 
tional guilders  for  every  town.  If  he  shall 
cross  the  river  to  New  York  he  shall  have 
four  guilders  more. 

He  shall  receive  for  a  speller  or  reader 
in  the  day  school  three  guilders  for  a  quarter, 
and  for  a  writer  four.  In  the  evening  school 
he  shall  receive  for  a  speller  or  reader  four 
guilders,  and  five  guilders  for  a  writer  per 
quarter. 


The  residue  of  his  salary  shall  be  four 
hundred  guilders  in  wheat,  of  wampum  value,- 
deliverable  at  Brooklyn  ferry,  and  for  his  serv- 
ice from  October  to  j\lay  234  guilders  in 
wheat,  at  the  same  place,  with  the  dwelling,, 
pasturages  and  meadow  appertaining  to  the 
school. 

These  Tegulations  were  those  which  prac- 
tically, with  the  trifling  local  variations,  pre- 
vailed in  the  early  schools  all  over  Long  Isl- 
and. The  great  differences  between  them 
and  their  modern  successors  was  that  in  them 
moral  and  religious  training  were  the  most 
important  features,  while  in  our  day  secular 
education  in  the  public  schools  takes  prece- 
dence of  all  else. 

The  schoolmaster  was  little  better  than  zn 
inferior  assistant  to  the  minister,  "the  minis- 
ter's man,"  as  the  kaleyard  novelists  and  the 
Scotch  story  tellers  call  him;  and  while,  as- 
in  Brooklyn,  he  gradually  emerged  from  the 
status  of  being  a  grave-digger  and  local  handy 
man,  he  continued  until  long  after  the  Revo- 
lution was  over  to  eke  out  his  salary  as  teacher 
by  assuming  various  humble  duties. 

It  is  impossible  to  estimate  very  clearly 
the  value  of  these  schools  in  the  way  of  secu- 
lar training.  That  they  were  the  means  of 
instilling  into  the  minds  and  hearts  of  several 
generations  of  Long  Islanders  a  knowledge  of 
God  and  His  Commandments,  a  reverence  for 
the  Scriptures  and  all  things  sacred,  and  won 
for  the  people  of  the  island  most  deservedly 
a  reputation  for  being  a  God-fearing,  honest,, 
moral  and  reliable  race,  is  certain ;  but  they 
certainly  failed  to  make  the  mass  educated, 
which  in  modern  times  we  would  interpret  as 
what  was  most  to  be  desired  in  any  system 
of  education.  The  letters  and  manviscripts  of 
the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries 
which  have  come  down  to  us  show  equally 
a  sovereign  contempt  for  spelling  and  capitali- 
zation; grammar  was  an  unknown  quantity, 
and  punctuation  a  mystery  beyond  human  ken. 
We  question  if,  say  in  1750,  a  boy  on  Long 
Island  could  be  found  who  would  be  able  to 
define  the  boundaries  of  the  province  in  which 


270 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


he  lived,  or  who  could  repeat  the  names  of 
a  dozen  men  outside  of  his  own  circle  of  ac- 
quaintances or  tell  the  whereabouts  of  a  dozen 
places  in  the  country  apart  from  the  section 
in  which  his  own  days  were  spent.  Of  history 
he  knew  nothing  beyond  a  few  bare  facts  con- 
cerning Holland  or  England,  which  came  to 
him  more  in  the  form  of  traditions  than  as 
actual  incidents.  He  took  his  notions  of  civil 
government  from  his  church,  and  the  minis- 
.ter  was  his  guide,  philosopher  and  friend,  at 
once  his  spiritual  and  his  secular  director,  his 
prayer-book  and  his  encyclopedia.  As  he  ad- 
vanced in  life  his  leading  idea  about  govern- 
ment was  that  it  was  good  when  it  interfered 
the  least  with  his  movements  and  cost  the 
smallest  possible  amount  in  taxes.  Whatever 
else  their  "High  Mightinesses"  or  the  "Lord 
I'rotector"  might  do,  all  would  go  well  when 
-such  conditions  prevailed.  They  could  read 
Kieft's  proclamations  or  bear  the  fussiness  of 
Stuyvesant  with  equanimity;  but  the  increase 
of  taxes  under  a  Dutch  or  an  English  ruler 
caused  trouble,  and  a  rumor  that  the  old 
church  was  to  be  sacrificed  to  that  of  England 
gave  the  first  start  to  the  idea  of  political 
freedom. 

The  educational  records  prior  to  the  Revo- 
lution, apart  from  such  church  schools,  as  they 
may  be  called,  of  which  we  have  been  writing, 
.are  very  meager.  A  school  was  established  in 
Bushwick  as  early  as  1661,  and  it  continued  in 
■existence  until  replaced  in  almost  modern 
times  by  another  similar  institution  on  its  site. 

In  1703  the  Society  of  Friends  decided  to 
build  a  school  in  Flushing,  and  at  once  set 
about  erecting  a  suitable  building  "about  Rich- 
ard Griffin's  lot,  which  is  near  the  center  of 
the  town,"  and  Thomas  Makins  was  appoint- 
ed teacher.  In  1721  there  was  a  school  at  Bed- 
ford Corners,  which  for  some  sixty  years  was 
taught  by  John  Vandervoort,  who  was  impris- 
oned during  the  Revolution.  It  lasted  until 
-about  1812.  In  1749  a  school  was  kept  at  the 
Ferry  by  John  Clark,  who  described  himself 
very  aptly  as  a  "philomath,"  and  at  whose 
•establishment  "reading,   writing,   vulgar   and 


decimal  arithmetic,  the  extraction  of  the 
square  and  cube  root,  navigation  and  survey- 
ing" were  taught — a  thoroughly  practical  and 
satisfactory  selection  of  studies,  it  seems  to  us, 
for  the  time. 

In  1763  it  was  advertised  that  several  of  the 
land  owners,  including  John  Rapalye,  who  af- 
terward lost  his  estate  on  account  of  his  Tory 
principles,  Jacob  Sebring  and  Aris  Remsen 
had  hired  Punderson  Ansten,  A.  B.,  of  Yale 
College,  to  teach  Greek  and  Latin  at  the 
Ferry;  but  whether  in  the  same  establishment 
then  or  formerly  presided  over  by  Philomath 
Clark  is  not  stated.  In  1773  an  advertisement 
tells  us  that  Latin  and  Greek  were  taught  at 
the  Flatbush  Grammar  School,  of  which  John 
Copp  was  then  master.  About  1770  a  school 
was  established  on  the  old  Gowanus  road,  near 
Forty-fourth  street,  which  remained  in  active 
existence  for  many  years.  In  1775  a  school 
was  opened  in  the  Wallabout  district,  but  the 
teacher,  Elipah  Freeman  Paine,  was  too  much 
of  a  patriot  to  wield  a  ferrule  when  he  might 
shoulder  a  musket,  so  he  soon  left  the  school 
and  joined  the  Continental  army  at  Boston. 
In  1778  an  effort  to  revive  the  school  was  made 
when  a  teacher  was  advertised  for  to  teach 
reading,  writing  and  arithmetic.  "Immediately 
prior  to  the  Revolutionary  War,"  says  Gabriel 
Furman  in  his  "Notes"  (1824),  "that  part  of 
the  town  of  Brooklyn  which  is  now  comprised 
in  the  bounds  of  the  village  and  for  some  dis- 
tance without  those  bounds,  supported  but  one 
school,  of  nineteen  scholars,  five  of  wjiom 
were  of  the  family  of  Mr.  Andrew  Patchen. 
The  school  was  situated  on  the  hill,  on  property 
that  was  then  owned  by  Isaac  Horsfield  (be- 
tween Doughty  and  Willow,  Hicks  and  Co- 
lumbia streets),  but  now  belongs  to  the  heirs 
of  Gary  Ludlow,  deceased.  The  teacher  was 
Benjamin  Brown,  a  stanch  Whig  from  Con- 
necticut." 

Even  when  the  Revolutionary  struggle  was 
fought  and  won  it  is  impossible  to  say  that 
education,  secular  education,  had  advanced 
much  beyond  the  1750  stage  on  Long  Island. 
The  children  at  school  still  plodded  on  much 


THE  STORY  OF  EDUCATIONAL  PROGRESS. 


271 


as  before,  wrestling  with  moral  and  religious 
questions,  but  the  political  upheaval  had  taught 
the  people  much  more.  The  agitation  and  dis- 
cussion prior  to  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  had 
brought  to  their  knowledge  ancient  and  mod- 
ern history,  an  understanding  of  the  princi- 
ples of  government  and  a  full  Tealization  of 
the  drift  of  human  progress.  It  brought  them 
face  to  face  with  the  rest  of  the  world,  and 


)'ear  to  Erasmus  Hall,  at  Flatbush,  although 
it  did  not  actually  begin  its  work  until  some 
two  years  later.  General  William  Floyd,  one 
of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence, presided  at  the  meeting  at  which  Clin- 
ton Academy  was  called  into  being;  but  its 
real  founder,  the  prime  figure  in  the  movement 
for  its  establishment,  was  the  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel 
Buel,  a  native  of  Coventry,  Connecticut,  and 


■::A^:^  /.ii?4iS' ;^.c.  ..,1.  it.  .;-i' 

THE    HOWARD    PAYNE    COTTAGE,    AT  EASTHAMPTON,    L.  I. 


showed  what  had  to  be  accomplished,  so  that 
they  might  hold  their  own  in  the"  national 
struggle  for  existence  which  set  in  as  soon  as 
peace  was  declared  and  liberty  was  acknowl- 
edged, in  1784. 

The  change  for  the  better  came  in,  how- 
ever, not  long  after  the  sword  was  sheathed. 
In  1784  Clinton  Academy  at  Easthampton,  the 
first  institution  incorporated  by  the  Regents 
of  the  State  of  New  York,  was  built  and  or- 
ganized, and  in  1787  it  received  its  charter. 
A  similar  document  was  issued  in  the  same 


a  graduate  of  Yale,  who  was  the  minister  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Easthampton  from 
September  16,  1746,  until  his  death,  July  19, 
1798, — a  period  of  near  fifty- two  years.  The 
academy  was  divided  into  two  departments, — 
classics  and  English  and  writing, — and  the 
first  master  of  the  latter  department  was  Will- 
iam Payne,  the  father  of  John  Howard  Payne, 
the  author  of  the  "world-song"  of  "Home, 
Sweet  Home,"  who  spent  several  years  of  his 
early  life  in  Easthampton.  Thompson  gives 
Payne  the  highest  praise  for  his  ability  as  a 


272 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


teacher,  and  credits  him  with  having  started 
the  practical  work  of  the  institution  on  the 
high  plane  which  led  to  its  prosperity  and 
fame.  For  a  long  time  it  held  the  leading  po- 
sition among  Long  Island's  seminaries,  and  it 
received  pupils  from  widely  distant  parts  of 
the  country.  Toward  the  middle  of  the  cen- 
tury just  passed,  however,  its  attendance  be- 
gan to  fall  off,  other  institutions  equal  in  edu- 
cational merit  and  with  more  modern  notions 
and  appliances  gradually  forced  it  to  become 
merely  a  local  institution  and  slowly  but  surely 
to  lose  its  hold  even  in  its  humble  capacity 
as  a  village  school,  until  it  became  more  valua- 
ble as  a  relic  of  the  past  than  as  a  developer 
of  the  knowledge  and  thought  and  manners 
and  aspirations  of  youth.  Yet  in  its  time  it 
performed  a  grand  service,  many  men  of  more 
than  local  celebrity  received  part,  at  least,  of 
their  educational  training  within  its  walls, 
and  its  influence  on  the  moral  and  intellectual 
progress  of  Suffolk  county  was  great  beyond 
measure. 

The  credit  of  founding  Erasmus  Hall  at 
Flatbush  mainly  belongs  to  another  zealous 
minister  of  the  Gospel,  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  H. 
Livingston.  As  this  institution  approached 
more  nearly  to  Collegiate  rank  than  any  other 
on  Long  Island,  and  holds  a  much  higher  place 
to-day  as  a  place  of  learning  than  many  more- 
talked-about  western  colleges  and  universities, 
we  may  be  permitted  to  examine  its  early  his- 
tory at  some  length. 

Dr.  Livingston  was  a  descendant  of  the  old 
patroon  and  a  member  of  a  family  which  gives 
to  New  York  many  of  its  brightest  names. 
He  was  born  at  Pcughkeepsie  in  1746,  was 
graduated  at  Yale  in  1762,  and  afterward 
studied  for  the  ministry  at  Utrecht.  Through- 
cut  his  career  he  was  a  stanch  and  uncompro- 
mising advocate  of  American  independence  in 
all  things,  and  this  he  showed  even  as  early 
in  life  as  when  in  Holland  studying  for  his 
life  work ;  for  he  is  credited  with  securing  the 
independence  of  the  Reformed  Church  in 
America  from  the  Classis  at  Amsterdam. 

Returning  to  New  York  in  1770,  he  took 


up  the  pastorate  of  the  North  Dutch  .Church 
on  William  street,  near  Fulton  street.  His 
ministry  was  interrupted  by  the  British  occu- 
pation of  New  York,  but  he  spent  the  interval 
in  preaching  in  various  parts  of  the  State.  In 
1784  he  was  appointed  professor  of  theology, 
and  it  was  this  appointment  which  led  to  the 
establishment  of  Erasmus  Hall.  It  was  not 
until  1786,  however,  that  a  building  was  erect- 
ed in  which  the  proposed  work  could  be  carried 
on.  The  sum  of  ^915  had  been  raised  for  the 
purpose,  mainly  by  citizens  of  Flatbush,  and 


REV.    DR.    JOHN    H.    LIVINGSTON. 

a  structure  of  one  hundred  feet  front  and 
thirty-six  feet  in  depth  was  erected.  The  local 
church  lent  its  aid,  and,  besides  securing  to 
the  institution,  practically  free  of  cost,  the  land 
on  which  it  stood,  awarded  it  other  practical 
aid.  But  the  movement  was  not  regarded  by 
the  entire  population  of  Flatbush  with  placid 
approval ;  many  indeed  of  the  oldest  and  most 
influential  of  the  residents  were  really  and 
emphatically  opposed  to  its  location  in  their 
midst ;  and  it  is  curious  that  while  their  argu- 
ments seem  crude  and  silly  their  conclusions 
were  in  many  ways  amply  sustained.     How- 


THE  STORY  OF  EDUCATIONAL  PROGRESS. 


273 


ever,  the  friends  of  the  institution  persevered 
and  were  rewarded  by  receiving  from  the 
Regents  of  the  State  University  on  November 
20,  1787,  a  deed  of  incorporation.  The  incor- 
•  porators  named  were  John  Vanderbilt,  Walter 
Minto,  Peter  Lefferts,  Johannes  E.  Lot, 
Aquilla  Giles,  Cornelius  Vanderveer,  George 
Martense,  Jacob  Leiferts,  W.  B.  Gifford, 
Hendrick  Suydam,  John  J.  Vanderbilt,  Rev. 
Martinus  Schoonmaker,  Philip  Nagel,  Peter 
Corneh,  Rev.  John  H.  Livingston,  D.  D., 
James  Wilson,  Sam.  Provost,  John  Mason  and 
Comfort  Sands. 

The  first  principal  was  Dr.  Walter  Minto, 
a  native  of  Scotland,  who  was  Jjorn  at  Col- 
denham  December  6,  1753,  and  for  a  time  was 
a  tutor  in  the  family  of  George  Johnson, 
M.  P.,  one  of  the  Commissioners  who  came 
here  in  the  interests  of  peace  in  1778.  Minto 
settled  in  the  United  States  in  1786.  He  did. 
not  hold  his  connection  with  the  Hall  very 
long,  for  at  the  close  of  1787  he  was  called 
to  the  chair  of  mathematics  at  Princeton  Col- 
lege and  continued  in  that  position  until  his 
death,  in  1796.  He  was  the  author  of  several 
erudite  scientific  works,  now  practically  for- 
gotten. The  opening  exhibition  of  the  school 
was  held  on  September  27,  1787,  and  was  at- 
tended by  Governor  Clinton  and  many  men 
prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the  State. 

From  the  first  it  was  aimed  that  the 
institution  should  take  a  high  position  as  a 
seat  of  learning,  and  this  was  emphasized  in 
its  being  named  after  Desiderius  Erasmus,  the 
greatest  exponent  of  literature  and  learning 
which  the  old  Netherlands  had  produced. 
When  Dr.  Livingston  was  chosen  as  principal 
a  corps  of  able  teachers  was  engaged,  while 
the  course  of  study  as  laid  out  was  far  in  ad- 
vance of  any  other  then  to  be  found  in  such 
institutions.  Dr.  Livingston  hoped  to  make 
Erasmus  HaJl  one  of  the  recognized  educa- 
tional centers  of  the  then  young  republic,  and 
this  hope  seemed  about  to  be  fully  realized  in 
I794>  when  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  re- 
solved to  establish  its  Theological  Seminary 
in  Erasmus  Hall,  and  in  connection  with  it, 

18 


and  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Livingston. 
But  this  arrangement  lasted  only  for  a  few 
years,  and  then  the  Theological  Seminary  was 
removed  to  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey, 
where  it  still  remains.  The  following  story 
of  the  fortunes  of  the  Hall  after  that  is  from 
the  pen  of  Dr.  Stiles : 

Rev.  Djr.  Livingston  resigned  in  1792,. 
and  Dr.  Wilson  was  chosen  in  his  place.  He 
held  the  position  of  Principal,  though  em- 
ployed also  as  Classical  Professor  at  Colum- 
bia College,  until  1804.  This  he  was  enabled 
to  do  by  employing  experienced  men  as  his 
teachers.  Rev.  Peter  Lowe  was  appointed  to 
succeed  Dr.  Wilson  as  Principal,  and  re- 
mained until  his  death  in  1818.  Dr.  Strong 
states  that  in  1797,  and  again  in  1809,  the 
trustees  sought,  but  did  not  obtain,  from  the 
legislature,  the  privilege  of  raising  £1,200  by 
lottery,  in  order  to  liquidate  the  debt.  The 
plan  adopted  by  the  trustees  in  former  days 
was  to  employ  some  prominent  man  as  prin- 
cipal, and  then  engage  experienced  teachers 
who  should  serve  under  him.  The  principal 
exerted  merely  a  governing  power,  and  par- 
ticipated only  to  a  very  limited  degree  in  the 
work  of  teaching.  In  later  years  the  principal 
has  acted  also  as  the  first  teacher,  and  em- 
ploys experienced  assistants.  Mr.  Albert 
Oblenis  was  employed  while  Rev.  Mr.  Lowe 
was  principal,  as  first  teacher.  Next  we  find 
the  name  of  Joab  Cooper,  in  1806,  the  author 
of  Cooper's  Virgil,  so  well  known  as  a  text 
book  in  the  schools  and  colleges,  for  so  many 
years.  He  remained  for  two  years  and  was 
succeeded  by  Mr.-  Valentine  Derry,  upon 
whose  resignation,  in  1809,  Mr.  Richard 
Whyte  Thompson  was  appointed  first  teacher. 
He  resigned  in  1814,  and  was  followed  by 
William  Thayre,  appointed  in  December, 
1814.  '  He  remained,  however,  only  a  part 
of  a  year,  when  the  trustees  called  Air.  Will- 
iam Ironsides.  ]n  1816  Mr.  Joab  Cooper  was 
again  appointed,  but  resigned  at  the  end  of 
the  year.  The  position  was  held  for  the  next 
two  years  by  Mr.  Andrew  Craig.  Upon  the 
death  of  the  Principal,  Rev.  Peter  Lowe,  and 
the  resignation  of  Mr.  Craig,  due  to  failing 
health,  the  trustees  appointed,  in  August, 
1818,  the  Rev.  Joseph  Penney,  as  Principal. 
He  was  the  first  Principal  who  resided  at  the 
Hall  and  had  charge  of  the  classes.  He  em- 
ployed as  assistant  Rev.  John  Mulligan. 
They  held  the  position  until  182 1,  when  Rev. 


■274 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Timothy  Clowes,  D.  D.,  accepted  the  office. 
In  1823  Mr.  Jonathan  Kellogg  became  Prin- 
cipal. Under  his  administration  the  academy 
flourished  greatly;  he  made  many  changes  in 
methods  of  teaching,  and  in  the  arrangements 
about  the  school-rooms.  The  trustees  in 
1826-27  built  a  large  wing,  50  by  25  feet,  for 
additional  school-rooms,  on  the  northeast  cor- 
ner of  the  building,  at  a  cost  of  $1,500.  Mr. 
Kellogg  also  made  great  improvements  upon 
the  exterior  of  the  academy,  and  in  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  grounds.  Nearly  all  of  the 
beautiful  trees  which  now  adorn  the  grounds 


of  the  Albany  Academy,  Professor  in  the 
Theological  Seminary  at  New  Brunswick, 
and  President  of  Rutgers  College.  During 
the  time  Dr.  Campbell  was  Principal  the 
Regents,  in  1835,  determined  to  establish  a 
department  for  the  instruction  of  common-' 
school  teachers  in  each  of  the  eight  senatorial 
districts.  Erasmus  Hall  was  chosen  for  the 
Southern  District.  High  price  of  board,  and 
other  agencies,  hindered  the  success  of  the 
plan  in  relation  to  Erasmus  Hall,  and  only 
two  applications  were  received.  Consequent- 
ly, in  1836,  the  trustees  resigned  the  trust,  and 


ERASMUS    HALL   IN   1845. 


were  planted  by  him.  Matters  did  not,  how- 
ever, proceed  satisfactorily  after  a  few  years ; 
and,  because  of  intemperance,  he  was  called 
upon,  in  1834,  to  resign  the  position.  In  May, 
1834,  the  trustees  appointed  Rev.  William  PI. 
Campbell,  who  had  for  some  time  taught  a 
select  school  in  the  village,  as  Principal. 
"Through  his  superior  qualifications  as  teach- 
er he  not  only  gave  the  highest  satisfaction, 
hut  also  infused  in  the  hearts  of  the  inhab- 
itants an  earnest  desire  for  a  liberal  educa- 
tion to  a  degree  which  had  never  before  ex- 
isted." Dr.  Campbell  remained  until  1839, 
when  ill  health  forced  him  to  resign;  and  he 
afterward  occupied  the  position  of  Principal 


the  Salem  Academy,  in  Washington  county, 
was  chosen  by  the  Regents. 

In  May,  1839,  Rev.  Dr.  Penney,  who, 
since  his  resignation  in  1821,  had  held  the 
position  of  President  of  Hamilton  College, 
returned  to  Flatbush  and  succeeded  Dr. 
Campbell  as  Principal,  which  position  he  held 
until  November  i,  1841,  when  Mr.  James 
Ferguson,  A.  M.,  was  chosen.  In  June,  1843, 
he  resigned  the  position,  and  the  trustees  ap- 
pointed Rev.  Richard  D.  Van  Kleeck  as  Prin- 
cipal. Mr.  Van  Kleeck  was  a  most  thorough 
and  efficient  teacher,  and  under  his  care  the 
institution  was  greatly  prospered.  A  large 
number  of  scholars  came  from  other  States, 


THE    STORY   OF   EDUCATIONAL   PROGRESS. 


275 


and,  for  many  years,  a  number  of  Mexican 
and  Cuban  students  boarded  at  the  academy. 
Mr.  Van  Kleeck's  health  having  failed,  he 
resigned  on  February  22,  i860,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Rev.  William  W.  Howar^.  On 
April  19,  1863,  Mr.  Howard,  having  received 
a  call  to  the  Presbyterian  church,  at  Aurora, 
Cayuga  county.  New  York,  resigned  as  Prin- 
cipal. The  trustees  then  chose  the  Rev.  E. 
F.  Mack  as  Principal.  Mr.  Mack  held  the 
position  for  eleven  years,  and,  in  September, 
1874,  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Jareid  Hasbrouck. 
Upon  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Hasbrouck  the 
trustees  appointed,  as  Principal,  in  February, 
1879,  Rev.  Robert  G.  Strong,  a  former  grad- 
uate of  the  academy,  who  for  several  years 
had  conducted  a  large  and  prosperous  select 
■school  in  the  village.  Mr.  Strong  accepted 
the  position  and  in  September,  1879,  moved 
his  school  into  the  academy. 

In  1878  Flatbush  appropriated  $19,000 
for  the  erection  of  a  new  school  building, 
which  was  occupied  in  the  following  year. 
When  consolidation  with  Brooklyn  became 
effected  Erasmus  Hall  fell  into  line  as  one  of 
the  schools  in  the  general  system,  but  in 
1896,  when  the  high-school  system  was  in- 
troduced, Erasmus  Hall,  under  the  able  direc- 
tion of  Dr.  Gunnison,  started  on  a  new  lease 
■of  usefulness  and  has  every  year  advanced 
until  it  now  ranks  as  one  of  the  institutions 
which  may  be  called  the  pride  of  America's 
■system  of  education. 

Union  Hall,  Jamaica,  was  erected  in  1791 
and  received  its  charter  March  9,  1792,  being 
the  sixth  establishment  of  its  kind  authorized 
by  the  Regents  of  the  New  York  University. 
It  received  its  name,  it  has  been  said,  because 
its  estabhshment  was  the  result  of  a  united 
effort  on  the  part  of  the  people  of  Jamaica, 
Flushing,  Newtown  and  New  York.  The 
initiatory  step  was  taken  at  a  meeting  held 
March  i,  1791,  in  the  house  of  Mrs.  Johanna 
Hinchman  in  Jamaica,  at  which  the  Rev. 
Rynier  Van  Nest  presided.  A  committee  was 
there  appointed  to  collect  subscriptions  for 
the  establishment  of  an  academy,  and  £800 
.set  as  the  limit  needed.     When  the  amount 


was  fully  raised  the  building  of  the  institu- 
tion was  begun.  It  was  opened  for  the  re- 
ception of  students  May  i,  1792,  amid  much 
ceremony,  a  procession,  an  oration  (by  Abra- 
ham Skinner),  the  singing  of  psalms  and  the 
chanting  of  an  ode  which  had  been  written 
for  the  occasion  by  the  Rev.  George  Faitoute. 
The  festivities  concluded  with  a  dinner  and 
on  the  viands  being  disposed  of  there  was 
an  outpouring  of  oratory  in  connection  with 
toasts  and  sentiments.  The  first  principal 
was  the  Rev.  Maltby  Gelston,  and  it  was 
probably  according  to  his  ideas  that  the  school 
curriculum  was  laid  out.  The  Bible  was  the 
subject  of  daily  reading.  In  Latin  the  text- 
books used  included  Ruddiman's  "Rudi- 
ments" or  Holmes'  or  Ross'  Grammar,  "Col- 
loquia  Corderii,"  Nepos,  Aesop,  Caesar,  Virgil, 
one  of  Cicero's  Orations,  and  Horace,  while 
the  Greek  students  toiled  through  Moore's 
Grammar,  the  New  Testament,  Lucien's 
"Dialogues,"  "Longinus"  and  selections  from 
Homer's  "Iliad."  Blair's  "Belles  Lettres" 
was  the  text-book  in  the  rhetoric  class,  and 
the  other  text-books  included  Stone's  "Eu- 
clid," Martin's  "Trigonometry,"  Warden's 
"Mathematics"  and  Guthrie's  or  Salmon's 
"Geography."  These  books  will  give  an  idea 
of  the  scope  of  the  academy  and  the  high 
plane  at  which  it  aimed  much  better  than  any 
amount  of  description.  The  institution  does 
not  seem  to  have  become  the  success  its 
friends  had  anticipated :  possibly  the  aim  was 
too  high  and  the  cost  too  great  for  the  times. 
At  all  events  it  was  not  until  L.  E.  A.  Eigen- 
brodt,  LL.  D.,  a  man  of  many  rare  accom- 
plishments, became  principal  in  1797,  that  the 
institution  began  to  attract  students  from  far 
and  near  and  that  the  influence  of  the  acad- 
emy became  commensurate  with  its  original 
purpose.  Eigenbrodt  continued  in  the  prin- 
cipalship  until  his  death,  in  1828,  and  during 
that  period  of  over  thirty  years  its  record  is 
a  most  brilliant  one.  Encouraged  by  this  suc- 
cess, the  trustees  in  1817  established  a  female 
branch  of  the  academy  and  engaged  as  teach- 


276 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


ers  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Bartlette  and  Miss  Laura 
Barnum,  "by  whom  the  young  ladies  will  be 
instructed  in  all  the  branches  of  a  polite  and 
well  finished  education." 

The  fame  of  Dr.  Eigenbrodt,  or  rather  the 
high  reputation  his  genius  as  a  teacher  had 
won  for  the  academy,  carried  it  safely  during 
the  principalship  of  his  successors,  Michael 
Tracy,  the  Rev.  William  Errenpeutch  and  the 
Rev.  John  Mulligan;  but  a  new  impetus  was 
given  to  its  fame  by  Henry  Onderdonk,  Jr., 
who  became  principal  in  1832.  This  grace- 
ful and  painstaking  student  of  history  and  en- 
lightened antiquary  was  born  at  Manhasset 
June  II,  1804,  and  belonged  to  an  old  and 
prominent  Long  Island  family,  he  being  fifth 
in  descent  from  Adrian  Andriese  Onderdonk, 
who  settled  in  Flatbush  from  Holland  before 
1675.  One  of  his  uncles  was  the  fourth 
Protestant  Episcopal  Bishop  of  New  York, 
and  another,  Bishop  of  Pennsylvania.  Henry 
was  graduated  from  Columbia  College  in  1827 
■"and  received  his  bachelor's  degree  from  Har- 
vard in  1828.  He  was  a  most  accomplished 
classical  scholar  and  a  steady  and  zealous  ad- 
vocate of  temperance,  on  which  he  often  spoke 
in  public,  and  the  subject  of  local  history  was 
also  a  theme  with  which  he  delighted  many 
audiences.  He  retired  from  his  connection 
with  Union  Academy  in  1865,  and  thereafter 
busied  himself  with  literary  pursuits,  espe- 
cially historical  and  antiquarian  researches, 
until  his  death,  on  June  22,  1886.  Mr.  Onder- 
donk was  the  author  of  quite  a  number  of 
works,  which  are  of  value  to  the  historical 
students  of  Long  Island  and  more  particularly 
of  Kings  and  Queens  counties,  among  them 
being  "Revolutionary  Incidents  of  Kings, 
Queens  and  Suffolk  Counties,"  "Battle  of 
Long  Island  and  British  Prisons  and  Prison 
Ships,"  and  "Queens  County  in  Olden 
Times." 

With  the  retirement  of  Onderdonk  from 
the  principalship.  Union  Academy  began 
gradually  to  decline,  the  extension  and  eleva- 
tion of  the  public-school  system  having  prob- 


ably as  much  to  do  with  its  lack  of  success 
as  any  other  cause.  At  all  events,  after  an 
existence  of  eighty-three  years  the  institution 
was  abandoned,  in  1873,  and  the  buildings 
were  then  sold  for  $5,250  and  converted  by 
their  purchaser,  Alexander  Hagner,  into 
dwellings. 

Another  eighteenth-century  academic  in- 
stitution, and  the  only  other  one,  was  that 
at  Huntington,  in  Suffolk  county ;  but  there 
was  this  difference  between  it  and  the  three 
already  named,  that  while  they  were  under  the 
Regents  and  to  a  certain  degree  under  State 
control  and  supervision,  Huntington  Acad- 
emy, from  the  time  it  opened  its  doors  until 
it  was  abandoned,  remained  a  private  institu- 
tion. Regarding  this  academy  Mr.  Charles  R. 
Street,  the  historian  of  Huntington  township,, 
writes : 

Many  will  remember  the  old  Huntington 
Academy  standing  on  the  hill  near  the  centre 
of  the  village.  It  was  in  its  day  a  ihonument 
of  the  enterprise  and  liberality  of  the  genera- 
tion who  endured  the  trials  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  for  it  was  built  about  1793  by 
an  association  of  fifty  of  the  leading  citizens- 
of  Huntington.  It  was  a  two-story  building; 
with  a  belfry,  and  was  quite  an  imposing  edi- 
fice for  the  period  in  which  it  was  built.  It 
was  outside  of  the  common-school  system  and 
was  intended  to,  and  generally  did,  furnish 
the  means  for  a  more  liberal  education  than 
was.  provided  by  the  surrounding  common 
schools.  It  stood  for  more  thaii  nfty  years,, 
and  many  of  tht  best  educators  of  the  period 
taught  generation  after  generation  of  Hunt- 
ington youths  within  its  walls.  It  prepared 
for  college  the  sons  of  those  who  were  am- 
bitious to  give  their  sons  a  liberal  education. 
A  complete  list  of  the  teachers  employed  in 
the  earliest  years  as  principals  of  the  academy 
cannot  now  be  obtained.  Among  those  of 
later  years  may  be  mentioned  Dan  Ditmas, 
John  Rogers,  Charles  Nichols,  Selah  Ham- 
mond, Samuel  Fleet,  Mr.  Rose,  Mr.  Branch, 
Ralph  Bull,  Adison  L.  Hunt,  D.  G.  York. 
James  H.  Fenner,  Horace  Woodruff,  Charles 
R.  Street,  John  W.  Leake  and  Israel  C.  Jones. 

The  academy  was  torn  down  about  1857 
to  make  way  for  the  present  Union  school! 


THE  STORY  OF  EDUCATIONAL  PROGRESS. 


277 


building.  The  bell  from  its  tower,  which  rang 
out  its  tones  over  hill  and  vale  for  fifty  years, 
calling  together  the  boys  and  girls  of  Hunt- 
ington, is  now  in  the  engine  house  of  the 
Huntington  Fire  Company. 

In  1800  Oyster  Bay  was  able  to  boast  its 
academy,  another  private  enterprise,  and  the 
spread  of  such  institutions  slowly  but  surely 
over  almost  the  entire  island  testified  to  the 
steady  awakening  of    the    people    of    Long 
Island  to  a    full   realization   of    the  benefits 
which  flow  to  the  commonwealth  from  full  and 
ample  educational   privileges.     The   common 
school  is  a  duty,  the  establishment  of  such  in- 
stitutions was  deemed  a  matter  of  prime  ne- 
cessity by  the  Dutch  and  the  New  England 
settlers  on  Long_Island,  but  it  took  time  to 
instil  into  people's  mind  a  true  conception  of 
what  is  really  included  in  the  term  education. 
As  early  in  the  history  of  the  Commonwealth 
of  New  York  as  1789,  two  lots  in  each  town- 
ship were   set   aside   by   the   Legislature   for 
school  uses,  and  in   179S  $50,000  was  voted 
to  be  paid   annually   for   five   years    for  the 
maintenance  of  school's.     Even  lotteries  were 
authorized  by  the  Legislature  in  aid  of  educa- 
tion.   In  1805,  as  a  result  of  a  message  from 
Governor  Lewis,  500,000  acres  of  the  public 
lands  in  the  State  were  ordered  to  be  placed 
on  the  market,  the  proceeds  to  be  laid  aside 
as  a  school  fund,  the  interest  of  which  was  to 
be  divided  among  the  common  schools  when 
it  amounted  to  $50,000  a  year.     It  was  not, 
however,  until  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth 
century  that  steps   were  really  taken  to  lift 
education — primary,    high-school     and     aca- 
demic— out  of  the  hands  of  individuals  and 
make  it  a  part  of  the  work  of  the  State,  a  cen- 
tral bureau  working  in  harmony  with  local 
authorities  in  each  section.    "In  1848,"  writes 
EHis  H.   Roberts   in    his   "History   of    New 
York,"   "Nathaniel   S.   Benton   reported  that 
many  cities  and  villages  by  voting  to  remit 
tuition  had  made  their  schools  free,  and  he 
urged  that  the  State  should  render  the  sys- 
tem   uniform.      His    successor,    Christopher 


Morgan,  argued  the  imperative  duty  of  the 
State  to  educate  all  its  children  as  a  preventive 
of  crime  and  pauperism ;  and  March  26,  1849, 
an  act  was  passed  submitting  to  the  people 
at  the  ensuiiig  election  a  proposition  for  free 
schools,  supported  by  the  existing  funds  and 
by  taxation,  to  be  kept  for  at  least  four  months 
in  each  year,  for  all  children  between  the 
ages  of  five  and  twenty-one.  Every  county 
except  Tompkins,  Chenango,  Cortland  and 
Otsego  gave  'for  the  policy  majorities  aggre- 


GOV.   MORGAN    LEWIS. 

gating  158,000.  Difficulties  in  the  administra- 
tion of  the  law  caused  a  demand  for  its  re- 
peal, and  seventeen  counties  voted  for  sus- 
taining free  schools,  and  showed  a  majority 
in  their  favor  of  about  25,000.  Under  pledge 
made  during  the  canvass  the  details  of  the  law 
were  modified  by  the  Legislature,  especially 
those  which  related  to  the  raising  and  distri- 
bution of  school  moneys  and  to  the  retaining 
of  rate  bills  ;  but  legislation  soon  followed  pro- 
viding for  free  and  union  schools  in  the  cities 
and  villages  and  chief  towns,  and  in  1867  all 


=^ 


278 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


the  common  and  normal  schools,  and  the  de- 
partments in  academies  for  the  instruction 
of  common  school  teachers,  were  declared  ab- 
solutely free." 

Progressive  legislation  of  this  character 
proved  the  death-knell  of  such  institutions  as 
Union  Academy  and    Huntington  Academy 


and  other  locally  managed  schools.  Since 
then  the  educational  system  of  Long  Island 
has  fully  kept  pace  with  modern  requirements, 
and  in  many  respects  has  proved  itself  a  lead- 
er in  the  most  approved  methods  of  scholastic 
training  in  primary  as  well  as  advanced 
schools. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


INTERNAL    COMMUNICATIONS— ROADS    AND    RAILROADS— THE 
MAGNIFICENT    OUTLOOK    FOR    THE    FUTURE. 


O  far  as  we  can  learn  the  road  system 
of  Long  Island,  apart  from  the  In- 
dian trails,  commenced  with  the 
wagon  clearing  which  started  from 
what  is  now  Fulton  Ferry  and  led  up  the  hill- 
side to  the  plateau  on  which  the  city  hall  of 
Brooklyn  is  the  present  most  pronounced 
architectural  feature.  In  modern  times  it 
would  hardly  be  deemed  worthy  of  being 
called  a  road,  and  probably  it  was  simply  a 
development  of  an  Indian  trail  widened 
enough  to  permit  a  wagon  to  pass,  and  leveled 
where  it  was  absolutely  necessary  that  leveling 
should  be  done  to  prevent  a  horse  or  an  ox 
from  breaking  its  neck.  We  have  no  actual 
description  of  that  primitive  road :  possibly  it 
differed  in  no  respect  from  the  other  roads 
which  then  served  as  the  means  for  internal 
communication  in  the  country.  The  fact  that 
it  elicited  no  comment,  that  it  was  neither  bet- 
ter nor  worse  than  its  neighbors,  however,  en- 
ables us  to  form  an  idea  of  what  it  was  like 
from  the  description  we  have  of  others.  It 
was  not  straight.  If  a  clump  of  trees  stood 
in  what  ought  to  have  been  its  course,  it  was 
easier  to  direct  the  road  around  the  obstruc- 
tion than  to  cut  the  trees  down.  No  part  of 
the  road  was  hardened,  and  where  a  gully 
crossed  it  the  hole  was  filled  in  by  a  tree  or  by 
a  number  of  branches  being  thrown  into  it  and 
loose  earth  piled  on  top.  In  summer  the 
growth  of  weed  and  fern  which  spread  over 
It  from  the  luxuriant  hand  of  nature  prevented 
It  from  becoming  a  bed  of  sand.    In  other  sea- 


sons it  was  a  bed  of  mud,  especially  in  the 
spring-time,  when  the  snows  were  melting  and 
the  rivulets  and  creeks  were  bursting  with  the 
waters  rushing  from  their  sources  in  the  high 
ground  nearer  the  centre  of  the  island,  and 
when  nature  was  throwing  off  the  passiveness 
of  winter  and  preparing  to  adorn  hill  and 
dale,  field  and  meadow,  in  her  own  beautiful 
and  unaided  way.  Should  a  loaded  wain  once 
get  stuck,  it  had  to  remain  fast  until  a  dozen 
men  could  be  gathered  to  give  it  a  fresh  start ; 
and  sometimes  that  operation  itself  lasted  an 
hour  or  two.  No  stage  coach  in  the  earlier 
days  ever  ran  over  such  a  road;  none  was 
needed.  The  stolid  passenger,  unencumbered 
by  baggage,  passed  along  as  well  as  he  could 
regardless  of  mud,  or  flower,  or  creeping 
thing,  with  rifle  ready  to  unsling  at  a  mo- 
ment's notice  should  a  wild  animal  cross  his 
path,  or  the  savage  glare  of  an  angry  Indian 
dart  on  him  from  some  near-by  thicket.  If 
he  had  to  use  a  wagon,  the  solid  sturdy  Dutch 
wain,  innocent  of  springs  and  an  adept  in  the 
art  of  jolting,  was  the  only  thing  at  com- 
mand. The  road  really  belonged  to  everybody 
and  so,  of  course,  belonged  to  nobody.  When 
an  accident  happened  through  a  fissure  caused 
by  rain,  or  the  action  of  frost  and  ice,  or  if 
a  tree  fell  across  the  track,  those  who  essayed 
to  .repair  the  effects  of  the  accident  tried  to 
remedy  the  trouble  while  on  the  spot;  other- 
wise nothing  was  done.  It  was,  part  of  the 
way,  a  steep  and  toilsome  ascent  for  man  and 
beast,  and  the  descent,  in  places,  for  horses 


280 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    IS-LAND. 


or  wagons  was  even  more  dangerous.  A  sim- 
ilar path  stretched  from  the  Wallabout  to  the 
ferry  and  these  two  were  the  pioneer  roads 
of  an  island  which  now  holds  up  its  system  of 
highways  to  the  admiration  of  the  world. 

As  the  population  increased  the  roads  nat- 
urally continued  to  lengthen  and  to  become 
more  numerous,  following  possibly  in  all  cases 
the  old  Indian  trails.  We  soon  read  of  a  road 
from  the  old  village  of  Breuckelen  to  Go- 
wanus,  and  one  which  passed  onward  until 
Coney  Island  was  reached,  and  that  road  was 
good  enough  to  arouse  no  invidious  remarks 
when  the  Labadist  fathers  passed  over  it  in 
1670.  That  the  early  roads  were  narrow, 
crooked  and  irregular,  that  they  crossed  each 
other  in  reckless  fashion,  that  they  often  ended 
in  a  farmhouse  gate,  and  a  new  road  had  to 
be  discovered  or  pointed  out  for  further  prog- 
ress, did  not  seem  to  detract  from  their  value 
in  the  eyes  of  the  traveler  or  awaken,  appar- 
ently, a  desire  for  improvement  on  the  part  of 
the  residents.  The  cow-paths,  as  they  called 
most  of  them,  were  convenient,  cost  nothing 
or  next  to  nothing  for  maintenance  and  repair, 
and  in  a  settled  community  were  as  good  as 
could  then  be  contrived,  pr  even  apparently 
desired. 

Brooklyn,  however,  early  showed  an  inter- 
est in  improving  or  at  all  events  in  maintain- 
ing the  roads  which  gave  it  access  to  the  outer 
world,  and  Gabriel  Furman  tells  us  that  "there 
are  many  instances  in  record  previous  to  1683 
of  the  Constable  of  Brooklyn  being  ordered 
to  repair  the  roads  and  in  case  of  neglect  im- 
pose a  fine."  It  was  not,  however,  until  1704 
that  a  real  effort  was  made  to  improve  the 
roads,  not  only  around  Brooklyn  but  through- 
out the  entire  State.  In  that  year  the  Legis- 
lature passed  a  law  by  which  three  commis- 
sioners were  appointed  in  each  of  the  counties 
on  the  island  to  lay  out  a  highway  from 
Brooklyn  Ferry  to  Easthampton.  The  Kings 
county  Commissioners,  Joseph  Hagaman, 
Peter  Cortelyou  and  Benjamin  Vandewater, 
lost  no  time  in  attending  to  their  part  of  the 
project,  and  straightway  proceeded  to  lay  out 


what  is  now  part  of  Fulton  street,  beginning 
at  "low  water  marke  at  the  ferry,"  following 
the  line  of  the  old  path  as  much  as  possible, 
and  extending  it  to  Xew  Lots,  Flatbush.  The 
road  was  of  a  uniform  width  of  four  rods, 
and  it  was  "to  be  and  continue  forever."  The 
entire  road  was  in  due  time  finished  to  East- 
hampton and  as  "the  King's  Highway"  be- 
came the  first  of  the  famous  highways  of 
Long  Island.  Part  of  it  retains  that  name 
even  to  the  present  day.  For  many  years  it 
was  the  standard  road  of  the  island  and  a 
landmark  which  was  regarded  as  so  inefface- 
able that  boundaries  of  real  estate  were  reg- 
ulated by  it,  and  cross  roads  were  from  time 
to  time  laid  out  so  as  to  strike  it  at  different 
points.  At  the  Brooklyn  end  especially  the 
amenity  and  proportions  of  the  road  appear 
to  have  been  zealously  guarded,  and  prosecu- 
tions in  connection  with  it  were  not  unfre- 
quent.  It  would  seem  that  abutting  property 
owners  were  ever  ready  to  encroach  upon  it 
bit  by  bit,  especially  near  the  ferry,  and  it  was 
frequently  discovered  that  its  width  was  seri- 
ously diminished  in  other  places.  Thus  in 
1 72 1  complaint  in  individual  cases  of  en- 
croachments were  made  to  the  General  Ses- 
sions against  various  trespassers,  and  the 
serious  condition  of  things  may  be  estimated 
from  the  reply  of  Jan  Rapalje  and  Hans  Ber- 
gen to  one  complaint.  They  did  not  deny  the 
trespass  or  confiscation  on  the  public  prop- 
erty, but  averred  that  in  so  doing  they  were 
no  worse  than  others.  "If  all  our  neighbors 
will  make  the  road  according  to  law,"  they 
said,  they  were  "willing  to  do  the  same,  but 
they  are  not  willing  to  suffer  more  than  their 
neighbors."  However,  they  were  indicted, 
and  steps  taken  to  restore  the  road  to  its 
legal  width  of  four  rods.  The  subsidiary 
roads  were  as  a  general  rule  two  rods  in 
width  and  in  most  cases  a  fence  or  hanging 
gate  separated  them  from  the  highways  or 
from  the  farm  paths,  and  it  was  a  part  of  the 
common  law  that  such  gates  should  be  always 
shut  or  put  to  by  persons  that  pass  in  or  out. 
By  1733  three  fairly  good  high  roads  trav- 


INTERNAL    COMMUNICATIONS. 


281 


ersed  the  island  from  east  to  west,  one  on  the 
north  shore,  one  on  the  south  and  one  through 
the  centre.  In  places  these  thoroughfares 
were  left  just  as  nature  had  made  them  with 
little  done  by  the  hand  of  man  except  to  mark 
out  their  boundaries.  In  modern  times  they 
would  not  be  regarded  as  roads  at  all,  but  they 
fully  served  their  purpose  and  probably  were 
about  as  good  as  the  soil  permitted  or  as  the 
sparse  population  could  provide.  They  were 
mainly  used  at  first  for  the  transportation  of 
produce  and  farming  supplies,  and,  supple- 
mented pretty  freely,  as  it  seems  to  us,  by 
cross  roads,  they  served  every  practical  pur- 
pose. 

By  the  year  1735  probably  every  village  on 
Long  Island  was  connected,  if  not  on  the  high- 
way, by  a  road  which  led  directly  to  it  and  so 
those  at  the  west  end  could  readily  do  busi- 
ness with  Brooklyn,  while  at  the  east  end  the 
ports  which  opened  up  to  the  settlers  the 
Sound  and  the  Connecticut  shore  towns  were 
easily  available.  In  1764  the  main  roads,  those 
on  the  shore  lines  especially,  acquired  an  ad- 
ditional importance  as  the  route  over  which 
the  mail  was  transported  and  the  bi-monthly 
passage  of  the  mail-carrier  on  horseback  was 
not  only  an  event  but  served  to  arouse,  slowly 
indeed,  it  must  be  admitted,  an  interest  in  the 
great  thoroughfares.  That  was  indeed  the 
weakness  of  the  prevaiHng  road  system.  The 
farmer  struggled  with  the  roads  probably 
twice  a  year  and  then  thought  no  more  about 
them.  The  dweller  at  Southampton  did  not 
see  he  had  any  business  with  the  condition 
of  the  roadway  at  Islip ;  those  who  were  sup- 
posed by  law  to  look  after  the  roads  had  no 
money  to  effect  improvements,  and  the  peo- 
ple, say  of  Bridgehampton,  or  Gravesend, 
would  certainly  have  rebelled  had  they  been 
assessed  for  road  improvements  two  miles  be- 
yond their  limits, — improvements  which  it  was 
quite  probable  they  might  never  see,  for  peo- 
ple did  not  travel  much  in  those  days.  The 
mtroduction  of, the  mail-carrier  service  was 
the  first  cause  which  made  the  question  of  the 
public  roads  became  equal  to  general  inter- 


est with  the  poll  tax.     It  was  a  beginning  in 
that   direction.      That   was   all,    for   the   post 
route  then  established,  one  of  those  laid  out 
by  Franklin  when  he  was  Postmaster  General, 
did   not  flourish  and   the  service   appears  to 
have  been  withdrawn,  at  all  events  in  its  en- 
tirety, long  before  the  Revolution.    Of  course, 
in  winter  time  it  could  not  be  maintained  with 
anything  like  regularity,  and  the  service  was 
not  much  missed,  for  the  early  Long  Island 
settlers  were  not  at  all  given  to  the  use  of 
the  pen.    Furman  tells  us  that  while  the  Rev- 
olutionary struggle  was  in  progress,  and  for 
some  years  after  it  was  over,  "a  respectable 
old  Scotchman  named  Dunbar  was  in  the  habit 
of  riding  a  voluntary  post  between  the  city 
of  New  York,  along  the  south  road,  to  Baby- 
lon and  from  thence  a  few  miles  to  the  east, 
and  then  across   the   island    to   Brookhaven. 
He  thus  brought  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  cen- 
tral portions   of  the   island  their  letters  and 
newspapers  about  once  a  week  or  once  a  fort- 
night, depending  upon  the  state  of  the  weath- 
er."   Up  almost  to  the  beginning  of  the  nine- 
teenth  century  there   was  not  a   single  post 
office  on  Long  Island.     Those  living^  on  the 
west  end  got  their  mail  in  one  way  or  another 
from  the  postofilice  at  New  York,  and  those  on 
the  east  end  and  along  the  Sound  generally 
had  their  mail  matter  addressed  to  some  of- 
fice in  Connecticut  whence  it  was  carried  as 
near  to  them  as  possible  in  some  trading  vessel. 
It  was  not  until  the  introduction  of  turn- 
pike roads  that  much  progress  in  real  road- 
making  was  seen.    About  1810  turnpike  road 
building  first  began  to  obtain  a  foothold  in  the 
country,  and  although  it  was  considered  un- 
American  to  have  public  roads  which  could 
not  be  used  by  all  and  sundry  free  of -cost,  a 
brief  experience  developed  the  fact  that  the 
small  fees  paid  at  each  turnpike  amply  repaid 
those  assessed.     On  Long  Island  the  first  of 
these  roads  was  laid  out  by  the  Brooklyn  and 
Jamaica   Turnpike    Company,    and     in    quite 
a  short  time  it  demonstrated  itself  to  be  such 
a   public   convenience    that    it   was    extended 
to  Hempstead  and  to  Jericho,  and  from  the 


282 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


latter  an  extension  was  built  to  Smithtown. 
Jamaica  soon  became  the  centre  of  other  roads 
until  it  was  possible  to  drive  along  a  turn- 
pike from  there  to  Oyster  Bay,  on  the  north, 
and  to  Babylon  on  the  south  shore,  while  a 
short  stretch  of  four  and  a  half  miles  from 
Sag  Harbor  to  Bridgehampton  showed  the 
people  of  the  eastern  end  what  could  be  ac- 
complished by  taking  advantage  of  the  Turn- 
pike Companies'  acts.  Toll  bridges  were  also 
introduced  in  connection  with  the  turnpike 
system  and  quite  a  number  of  these  were 
erected,  such  as  those  at  Flushing,  Williams- 
burg, Gowanus,  Sag  Harbor  and  Coney 
Island. 

About  the  middle  of  the  century  a  new  de- 
velopment in  road  building  was  inaugurated 
by  the  introduction  of  the  plank-road  system. 
It  seemed  for  a  time  as  if  the  people  at  the 
eastern  end  of  Long  Island  had  fully  awak- 
ened to  the  need  of  good  roads,  and  as  the 
plank  system  s.eemed  to  fill  the  want  by  afford- 
ing a  quick,  cheap  and  satisfactory  solution 
the  craze  for  that  form  of  road-building 
reached  such  a  point  that  it  was  described  as 
a  mania.  Probably  the  most  noted  of  these 
roads  was  the  one  owned  by  the  Myrtle  Ave- 
nue &  Jamaica  Plank  Road  Company  (incor- 
porated with  a  capital  of  $55,000),  which  built 
a  stretch  of  road  five  and  a  half  miles  long, 
extending  from  the  end  of  Myrtle  avenue  to 
a  point  about  a  mile  west  of  Jamaica,  where 
it  joined  another  similar  structure,  known  as 
the  Jamaica  &  Brooklyn  Plank  Road.  After 
a  while  it  was  found  that  the  maintenance  of 
such  roads  was  pretty  costly,  owing  to  the 
need  of  constant  watchfulness  and  incessant 
repair,  and  they  were  gradually  abandoned. 
Still  the  public  convenience  and  profit  arising 
from  the  possession  of  good  roads  was  not 
lost  upon  the  people,  and  the  roads  through- 
out the  island  steadily  improved  year  after 
year.  The  introduction  of  the  bicycle  and  the 
cry  raised  in  its  palmy  days  by  the  League  of 
American  Wheelmen  led,  in  1890  or  there- 
about, to  a  revived  interest  in  the  question  of 
good  roads  all  through  the   State.     In  that 


movement  Long  Island  was  particularly  active 
and  her  systems  of  roads  soon  became  recog- 
nized as  among  the  best  in  the  metropolitan 
district,  much  better  in  the  aggregate  than 
those  of  Westchester  county  and  those  of  New 
Jersey  outside  of  a  limited  area.  The  ques- 
tion of  by-paths  was  not  taken  up  by  the  local 
authorities  as  quickly  as  the  cycling  en- 
thusiasts demanded  and-  much  grumbling  re- 
sulted, but  that  problem  has  been  happily  set- 
tled, for  the  steadily  extending  mileage  of 
what  are  called  cycle  paths  is  opening  up  al- 
most every  corner  of  the  island  to  the  pedes- 
trian as  well  as  to  the  cyclist,  and  also  bring- 
ing slowly  but  surely  a  good  road  to  every 
little  village,  no  matter  how  remote  it  may 
be  from  the  great  arteries  of  travel,  and  even 
to  every  farm  homestead. 

A  capital  sketch  of  the  condition  of  the 
Long  Island  roads  in  1845  is  given  in  Prime's 
"History,"  and  as  that  reverend  historian 
wrote  on  the  subject  from  personal  observa- 
tion his  remarks  have  more  than  passing  value' 
and  are  worth  being  quoted  here.     He  said: 


The  roads  of  Long  Island  are  exceedingly 
numerous  and  difficult  for  strangers.  There 
are  three  principal  avenues  running  nearly 
through  the  whole  length  of  the  island,  which 
are  distinguished  as  the  North,  Middle  and 
South  Roads.  These  are  not  only  intersected 
by  others  leading  from  one  town  and  neigh- 
borhood to  another,  but  in  the  most  uninhab- 
ited parts  there  are  numerous  wood-paths  well 
worn  by  constant  carting  which  vary  so  little 
from  the  course  of  the  main  road,  and  not  in- 
frequently appear  the  most  direct  and  most 
used,  that  the  stranger  is  constantly  liable  to 
go  astray;  and  that,  too,  where  he  might  re- 
main a  whole  day  without  meeting  a  person 
to  set  him  right.  Some  of  these  turnouts  have 
been  guarded  by  guide-boards,  but  in  general 
the  inhabitants  have  been  too  inattentive  to 
this  important  provision. 

_  A  large  portion  of  the  South  and  the 
Middle  Roads,  after  you  enter  the  county  of 
Suffolk,  leads  through  large  sandy  plains  and 
forests,  and  to  one  who  has  never  traveled 
such  a  region  of  country  it  is  impossible  to 
convey  an  adequate  idea  of  the  inconvenience 
and  obstruction  to  locomotion  which  are  here 


INTERNAL    COMMUNICATIONS. 


283. 


presented.  After  a  heavy  rain,  if  only  a  single 
carriage  has  preceded  you  to  open  the  ruts, 
you  may  get  along  with  tolerable  speed,  pro- 
vided your  wheels  fit  the  track.  But  in  a  time 
of  drought  the  sand  in  many  places  is  so  fine, 
deep  and  fluid  that  you  may  travel  for  miles 
with  the  lower  felloe  of  your  wheels  con- 
stantly buried  out  of  sight. 

But  while  the  people  of  Long  Island  are 
not  to  blame  for  the  natural  condition  of  their 


pact  and  by  the  gradual  admixture  with  the 
sand  improves  for  many  years,  though  like  all 
human  works  it  does  not  become  everlasting,, 
but  its  advantage  is  seen  for  a  long  period. 
The  entire  "counties  of  Kings  and  Queens 
both  in  the  public  roads  and  numerous  turn- 
pikes present  as  pleasant  journeying  for  man 
and  as  comfortable  traveling  for  beast  in  every 
direction,  and  at  all  seasons  of  the  year,  as  any 
other  equal  district  in. the  State;  and  the  north 


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^r* 

A   PICTURESQUE    BIT   OF   ROAD.' 

roads,  for,  unlike  in  many  other  parts  of  the 
country,  they  have  not  selected  the  best  lands 
for  themselves  and  devoted  the  hills  and  hol- 
lows and  slough-holes  to  the  roads,  but  have 
given  as  good  as  they  had,  they  are  entitled 
to  great  credit  in  many  places  for  the  efforts 
which  have  been  made,  with  vast  toil  and  ex- 
pense, to  improve  upon  nature.  Where  a  bed 
of  loam  has  been  discovered  they  have  dug 
out  and  hauled  thousands  and  thousands  of 
loads  covering  the  whole  path  from  six  to 
twelve  inches  deep  for  miles  in  succession. 
By  this  process  the  road  soon  becomes  com- 


side  of  the  island  throughout  furnishes  a  com- 
pact substratum  and  excellent  material  for 
roads,  though  there  is  too  much  reason  to 
complain  of  negligence  in  their  improvement. 
The  most  of  the  labor  done  in  cutting  down 
hills  and  filling  up  valleys  is  performed  by 
the  direct  agency  of  water  during  copious 
rains.  The  work  thus  executed,  without  the 
direction  of  human  intelligence  receives  a  few 
finishing  strokes  from  the  hand  of  man,  when 
the  necessity  is  imposed  by  some  frightful' 
gully  formed  or  some  huge  rock  dislodged 
by  the  powerful  but  senseless  agent. 


284 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Next  to  the  post  roads,  the  exigencies  of 
travel  by  stage  was  the  next  factor  in  forc- 
ing attention  to  the  necessity  of  having  good 
roads  and  Iceeping  them  in  more  or  less  thor- 
■ough  repair.  Even  before  the  Revolution  was 
inaugurated  and  while  order  prevailed 
throughout  Long  Island,  we  read  of  stage 
coaches  running  into  and  out  of  Brooklyn. 
On  March  5,  1772,  for  instance,  it  was  ad- 
vertised that  "a  stage  will  run  from  Brook- 
lyn to  Sag  Harbor  once  a  week  as  follows : 
From  Brooklyn  Ferry  to  Samuel  Nicholl's  on 
Hempstead  Plains,  where  passengers  will  stay 
all  night :  fare,  four  shillings.  To  Epenetus 
Smith's  at  Smithtown,  four  shillings.  To 
Benjamin  Haven's  in  St.  George's  Manor, 
four  shillings  and  stay  all  night.  To  Nathan 
Fordham's,  Sag  Harbor,  six  shillings."  Prob- 
ably few  stages  ran  with  any  degree  of  reg- 
ularity during  the  British  occupation.  Soon 
after  the  Easthampton  road  was  completed  a 
stage  seems  to  have  been  put  on  the  route,  but 
the  service  was  miserable,  the  patronage  poor 
and  the  modern  methods  of  building  up  traffic 
such  as  promptness  in  starting  and  in  arriv- 
ing, were  neglected,  while  none  of  the  schenjes 
to  promote  the  comfort  of  passengers,  so 
well  understood  in  our  day,  were  ever 
dreamed  of.  One  great  drawback  to  the  pop- 
ularity of  the  stage-coach  system  was  that  the 
people,  living  mainly  in  the  early  times  on  the 
coast  or  near  it,  did  most  of  their  business 
with  the  outer  world  by  boat.  Thus  all  along 
the  Sound  were  vessels  ready  to  convey  pas- 
sengers and  goods  to  points  in  Connecticut, 
while  even  for  parts  of  the  south  shore  that 
was  the  quickest  way  of  reaching  markets  and 
for  having  business  of  any  kind  transacted. 
Besides,  in  the  east  end  the  people  preferred 
to  deal  with  New  England.  The  stage  coach, 
under  even  the  best  weather  and  road  con- 
ditions, was  decidedly  slow.  In  1830,  or 
thereabout,  Prime  tells  us,  the  journey  from 
Easthampton  or  Oysterponds  to  Brooklyn  oc- 
cupied three  days.  In  1840  a  stage  left 
Gravesend  for  Brooklyn  in  the  morning  and 
returned  some  time  at  night,  the  exact  time 


depending  on  a  wide  variety  of  causes, — no 
two  exactly  alike. 

A  capital  sketch  of  a  journey  about  1835 
from  Brooklyn  to  Easthampton  is  given  in 
Gabriel  Furman's  "Antiquities  of  Long 
Island ;"  and  as  that  work  is  now  rather  scarce 
it  may  be  fitting  to  reprint  the  passage  here: 

The  practice  was  to  leave  Brooklyn  about 
nine  o'clock  in  the  morning, — they  were  not, 
however,  particular  to  half  an  hour, — travel 
on  to  Hempstead,  where  they  dined ;  and  after 
that  jog  on  to  Babylon,  where  they  put  up 
for  the  night.  A  most  delightful  way  this  was 
to  take  a  jaunt;  there  was  no  hurry,  no  fuss 
and  bustle  about  it:  no  one  was  in  a  hurry 
to  get  to  his  journey's  end,  and  if  he  was  and 
intended  going  the  whole  route  he  soon  be- 
came effectually  cured  of  it.  Everything  went 
on  soberly  and  judiciously  and  you  could  see 
what  was  to  be  seen  and  hear  all  that  was  to 
be  heard,  and  have  time  enough  to  do  it  all 
in ;  no  mode  of  traveling  ever  suited  our  taste 
better;  it  was  the  very  acme  of  enjoyment. 
The  next  morning  you  left  Babylon  just  after 
daylight,  which  in  the  summer  was  itself 
worth  living  for,  journeyed  on  to  Patchogue, 
where  you  got  your  breakfast  between  nine 
and  ten  o'clock,  with  a  good  appetite  for  it,  we 
warrant  you.  You  would  get  no  dinner  thi.^ 
day,  nor  would  you  feel  the  want  of  it  after 
your  late  and  hearty  breakfast ;  but  travel 
along  slowly  and  pleasantly  until  you  reached 
the  rural  post-office  at  Fire  Place,  standing 
on  the  edge  of  a  wood.  Here,  if  you  had 
a  taste  for  the  beautiful  in  nature,  you  would 
well  walk  down  the  garden  to  look  at  the 
trout  stream  filled  with  the  speckled  beauties. 
Here  you  need  give  yourself  no  uneasiness 
about  being  left  by  the  stage,  as  is  the  case 
in  some  of  the  go-ahead  parts  of  our  coun- 
try. In  this  particular  region  the  middle  of 
the  road  is  sandy  and  the  driver,  like  a  con- 
siderate man,  gives  his  horses  an  opportunity 
to  rest,  so  that  they  may  the  better  travel 
through  this  piece  of  heavy  road.  You  might, 
therefore,  after  enjoying  yourself  at  this  spot, 
walk  on  leisurely  ahead  of  the  stage,  with  a 
friend  and  some  one  who  is  conversant  with 
the  country  and  its  legends,  and  this  walk 
would  prove  by  no  means  the  least  pleasant 
part  of  your  excursion,  for  many  are  the 
tales  you  would  hear  of  awful  shipwrecks,  of 
pirates  and  their  buried  wealth,  of  treasures 
cast  up  by  the  sea,  of  all  those  horrors  and 


INTERNAL    COMMUNICATIONS. 


285- 


wonders  of  which  the  ocean  is  the  prolific 
parent.  After  walking  for  some  two  or  three 
miles  upon  the  green  sward  at  the  edge  of 
the  road,  gathering  and  eating  the  berries  as 
you  strolled  along  until  you  were  tired,  you 
would  find  the  stage  a  short  distance  behind 
you,  the  driver  ever  complaisant,  for  you  have 
eased  his  horses  in  their  journey  through  the 
heavy  sand,  and  the  passengers  are  pleased 
to  see  you  back  in  your  seat  again,  that  is,  if 
you  have  done  as  every  traveller  ought  to  do, 
studied  the  comfort  and  convenience  of  your 
fellow  passengers  as  well  as  your  own. 

Shortly  after  sunset  you  would  stop  for 
the  night,  the  second  of  your  journey,  at  a 
place  called  Quagg  or  Quogue.  The  follow- 
ing morning  you  would  breakfast  at  South- 
ampton, after  passing  through  a  pine  forest 
in  a  portion  of  which  from  the  early  hour 
and  blindness  of  the  road  you  would  prob- 
ably require  a  guide  to  go  ahead  of  the  horses 
with  a  lighted  lantern.  You  would  also  this 
morning,  before  arriving  at  Southampton, 
cross  the  remains  of  the  first  canal  constructed 
in  what  is  now  the  United  States  by  Mongo- 
tucksee,  the  chief  of  the  Montauk  Indians, 
long  before  the  white  settlement  of  the  coun- 
try, and  also  traverse  a  region  of  hills  known 
as  the  Shinecoc  Hills,  on  which  not  a  tree 
has  grown  since  they  were  known  to  man, — 
certainly  not  since  the  European  settlement  of 
this  island.  Sag  Harbor  would  be  reached  in 
time  for  dinner,  after  which  the  mail  stage 
would  travel  on  to  its  final  destination  at  East- 
hampton,  arriving  there  just  before  sunset  on 
Saturday  afternoon,  thus  occupying  nearly 
three  days  to  traverse  a  distance  of  no  miles. 

In  the  internal  development  of  the  re- 
sources of  the  island  the  most  important  part 
has  been  done  by  the  railroads.  In  1832  the 
first  railroad  company  of  Long  Island — the 
Brooklyn  &  Jamaica  Railroad — was  chartered, 
but  the  road  itself,  over  a  distance  of  twelve 
miles  from  South  Ferry  to  Jamaica,  was  not 
put  in  operation  until  April  18,  1833.  It 
proved  financially  a  failure  from  the  start. 
In  1834  the  Long  Island  Railroad  was  char- 
tered. The  history  of  this  road  is  one  of  the ' 
most  remarkable  in  the  record  of  railroad 
achievement  in  the  United  States.  It  has  had 
a  more  than  ordinary  share  of  difficulties  to 
contend  with,  and  in  some  instances  the  story 


of  its  progress  reads  rather  like  passages  from 
a  romance  than  details  of  actual  fact,  in  which 
common  sense  and  judicious  use  of  capital 
alone  accomplish  results  which  seem  wonder- 
ful even  to  the  casual  observer.  In  order  t'> 
present  the  story  of  this  great  Long  Island 
institution  and  benefactor  to  the  reader  with 
the  utmost  correctness,  even  to  the  most 
minute  details,  we  here  present  a  sketch, 
printed  in  1898  by  Judge  E.  B.  Hinsdale,  of 
New  York,  who  for  many  years  was  general 
counsel  of  the  system,  and  possibly  better  ac- 
quainted with  the  actual  facts  of  its  history 
than  any  living  man : 

HISTORY  OF  THE  LONG  ISLAND  RAILROAD. 

The  history  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad 
presents  features  of  considerable  interest  to- 
those  who  have  studied  the  growth  and  de- 
velopment of  railroads  in  this  country. 

Its  position  is  unique  in  this — that  it  does- 
not  form  any  part  of  the  great  trunk  lines, 
nor  does  it  feed  one  of  them.  It  is  exclusively 
a  local  road,  serving  a  population  on  an  island 
adjacent  to  the  great  city  of  New  York.  The 
Long  Island  Railroad  of  to-day  is  the  devel- 
opment and  outgrowth  of  many  fiercely  con- 
flicting interests,  and  a  study  of  them  will 
explain  many  things  that  to  the  observer  of 
to-day  seem  inexplicable. 

The  first  railroad  chartered  on  Long 
Island  was  the  Brookln  &  Jamaica  Railroad, 
This  road  started  from  the  then  village  of 
Brooklyn,  running  to  Jamaica,  a  distance  of 
about  ten  miles.  Its  charter  is  dated  1832. 
The  projectors  of  that  railroad  started  at  once 
to  construct  the  same,  and  seem  to  have 
pushed  its  construction  with  commendable 
vigor.  Short  as  it  is,  this  road  played  an  im- 
portant part  in  the  system  of  railroads  on- 
Long  Island,  some  of  the  time  dominating 
the  Long  Island  Railroad,  and  finally  at  one 
time  being  reduced  to  the  position  of  a  mere 
spur  or  branch,  and  later  on  in  its  history  be- 
coming  again   a  very   important   factor. 

The  Long  Island  Railroad  proper  was 
chartered  in  1834,  by  a  special  act  of  the  Leg- 
islature. At  that  early  day  there  was  no  gen- 
eral railroad  law,  so-called.  The  Long  Island 
Railroad  Company  is  the  only  railroad  cor- 
poration existing  in  the  State  of  New  York 


286 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


that  has  preserved  its  name  and  corporate 
franchises  from  its  original  charter  intact.  It 
is  perhaps  without  a  peer  in  the  United  States 
in  length  of  life  and  preservation  of  name 
and  charter.  Its  act  of  incorporation  pro- 
vided for  a  railroad  to  be  built  from  a  point 
in  or  near  the  village  of  Greenport,  in  the 
county  of  Suffolk,  and  extending  from  this 
along  the  most  practicable  route  through  or 
near  the  middle  of  Long  Island  to  a  point  on 
the  water's  edge  in  the  village  of  Brooklyn, 
county  of  Kings,  and  to  a  point  on  Lhe  water's 
edge  in  the  village  of  Williamsburg,  in  the 
last  named  county.  Its  charter  provided  a 
scheme  for  absorbing  the  Brooklyn  &  Jamaica 
Railroad,  which  had  been  chartered  only  two 
years  before.  The  dominant  idea  of  the  incoi'- 
porators  seems  to  have  been  to  adopt  the 
Brooklyn  &  Jamaica  Railroad  either  by  pur- 
chase, or  in  some  other  way,  as  a  part  of  its 
line  of  railroad,  running  the  entire  length  of 
Long  Island.  One  of  the  first  acts  of  the 
Long  Island  Railroad  Company  was  to  lease 
the  Brooklyn  &  Jamaica  Railroad  m  1835,  at 
a  rental  of  $33,000  per  annum  for  forty-five 
years,  being  ten  per  cent,  on  the  cost  of  the 
Brooklyn  &  Jamaica  Railroad.  In  1836  they 
adopted  the  location  of  a  line  from  Jamaica 
eastward  as  far  as  what  was  then  called  a 
point  on  the  Jericho  road,  now  Hicksville,  and 
at  the  same  time  adopted  a  map  of  location 
from  Bedford  to  Williamsburg,  on  the  water's 
edge. 

The  company  proceeded  at  once,  with  such 
vigor  as  they  could  command,  to  construct  the 
road  from  Jamaica  to  Hicksville,  but  owing 
to  the  hard  times  that  were  then  reaching  the 
culmination  in  the  great  disaster  of  1837,  the 
progress  of  the  work  was  slow,  and  they 
found  great  difficulty  in  collecting  their  as- 
sessments and  raising  the  means  to  pay  the 
necessary  expenses.  They  also  found  the 
burthen  of  the  lease  of  the  Brooklyn  &  Ja- 
maica Railroad  to  be  very  great,  and  that  it 
was  sapping  their  resources  in  ready  cash  to 
their  very  serious  embarrassment.  There 
soon  broke  out  a  controversy  between  the 
Long  Island  Railroad  Company  and  the 
Brooklyn  &  Jamaica  Railroad  Company, 
touching  the  onerous  terms  of  this  lease,  the 
Long  Island  Railroad  Company  sometimes 
pleading  with  the  directors  of  the  Brooklyn 
&  Jamaica  Railroad,  and  sometimes  threaten- 
ing. They  were  often  behind  in  paying  their 
rent,  until  finally  there  was  a  substantial  modi- 
fication of  the  same,  and  no  abandonment  of 


the  leased  line  by  the  Long  Island  Railroad 
Company  ever  occurred. 

A  few  words  with  reference  to  the  loca- 
tion from  Bedford  to  Williamsburg  will  dis- 
pose of  that  contemplated  line.  It  seems  that 
a  little  work  was  done  on  the  line,  and  ac- 
cording to  the  minutes  of  the  Company,  it  was 
occasionally  referred  to  by  the  directory,  but 
it  was  never  completed,  and  whatever  was 
done  on  it  seems  to  have  disappeared  from  the 
history  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad,  and  the 
whole  scheme  was  abandoned. 

The  Long  Island  Railroad  Company  was 
engaged  in  a  struggle  to  build  the  line  from 
Jamaica  to  Greenport.  By  March,  1837,  they 
had  succeeded  in  constructing  a  single  track 
from  Jamaica  to  Hicksville,  a  distance  of 
about  fifteen  miles.  This  work  was  completed 
in  the  very  crisis  of  the  financial  embarrass- 
ments of  that  time,  and  on  April  5th  of  that 
year  all  work  was  suspended  on  the  line  east 
of  Hicksville,  and  also  on  the  Williamsburg 
branch. 

The  following  time  table  appears  in  the 
minutes  of  the  railroad,  and  the  same,  in  this 
exact  form,  was  issued  on  a  card: 


LEi 

WE 

LEAVE 

LEAVE 

IICK 

SV] 

[LLE. 

JAMAICA. 

BROOKLYN. 

8M 

A. 

M. 

9         A.  M. 

IQl^    A.  M. 

I 

P. 

M. 

l}i    P.  M. 

3y2  P.  M. 

This  time  table  is  recorded  here  as  a 
curiosity,  illustrating  the  crude  ideas  of  rail- 
roading and  railroad  time  tables  that  pre- 
vailed at  that  time.  It  will  be  observed  that 
the  time  of  the  trains  is  given  at  only  one  in- 
termediate station  between  the  terminals.  The 
fair  presumption  is  that  whoever  wished  to 
board  a  train  at  any  other  station  could  drive 
there  and  guess  at  the  time  when  the  train 
should  arrive,  guided  only  by  the  time  of  de- 
parting and  arriving  at  the  terminals. 

According  to  the  engineer's  report  at  this 
time,  there  were  only  three  engines  on  the 
road,  named,  respectively,  Ariel,  Postboy  and 
Hicksville.  The  first  collision  referred  to  on 
the  island  was  between  ths  Ariel  and  Post- 
boy, which  the  engineer  reports  as  a  case 
where  they  "came  in  contact"  and  were  con- 
siderably damaged.  He  recommended  that 
another  engine  be  purchased.  If,  however,  an- 
other engine  should  not  be  purchased,  he  then 
recommended  that  the  number  of  passages  per 
diem  be  reduced.  In  1838  the  subject  was 
taken  up  by  the  board,  and  a  committee  was 


INTERNAL    COMMUNICATIONS. 


287 


appointed  to  report  on  the  purchase  of  a  new 
engine.  The  company  seems  then  to  have 
been  in  the  very  depths  of  its  financial  troub- 
les. In  May,  1838,  the  committee  on  purchas- 
ing an  engine  reported  against  making  the 
purchase,  but  stated  that  they  could  "borrow 
a  crank  axle  and  wheel  for  temporary  use" 
until  new  ones  could  be  made  for  one  of  the 
disabled  engines.  If  this  record  of  the  ex- 
pedients of  that  date  provokes  a  smile,  we 
can  only  say  that  it  marks  the  great  advance 
that  has  been  made  in  railroad  methods  and 
railroad  ideas  up  to  the  present  day. 

At  this  time  the  position  of  the  company 
was  exceedingly  unsatisfactory.  It  was  em- 
barrassed by  constantly  accumulating  rents 
of  the  Brooklyn  &  Jamaica  Railroad,  and  its 
line  was  not  completed  so  that  the  company 
could  avail  itself  of  the  supposed  advantages 
of  its  charter  to  run  to  Greenport,  as  a  part 
of  a  through  line  to  Boston.  The  men  of  those 
days  set  to  v/ork  earnestly  to  find  the  ways 
and  means  to  complete  the  road.  There  were 
fierce  contests  between  the  stockholders  at 
elections  for  directors,  and  on  two  occasions 
elections  were  set  aside  by  the  courts  for  ir- 
regularities. At  almost  every  meeting  of  the 
board  resolutions  were  passed  forfeiting  the 
stock  of  stockholders  for  non-payment  of  as- 
sessments ;  but  through  all  this  turmoil  the 
corporation  lived  on,  and  finally  fell  into  the 
hands  of  a  class  of  men  of  more  financial 
ability,  who  succeeded  ultimately  in  complet- 
ing the  road. 

In  1838  they  began  an  agitation  to  secure 
a  loan  on  the  credit  of  the  State  to  assist  the 
company,  and  in  1840  the  State  did  loan  its 
credit  for  $100,000  of  State  stocks.  In  1838 
the  company  also  succeeded  in  getting  a  re- 
duction of  the  rent  of  the  Brooklyn  &  Jamaica 
Railroad  fromi  a  ten  per  cent,  basis  to  a  six 
per  cent,  basis.  It  is  curious  to  note  in  pass- 
ing that  prior  to  the  State  loan  the  Morris 
Canal  &  Banking  Company,  of  New  Jersey, 
had  recovered  a  judgment  of  about  $60,000 
against  the  corporation;  on  account  of  loans 
it  had  made.  This  judgment  was  assigned  to 
the  commissioner  of  certain  funds  of  the  State 
of  Indiana,  supposed  to  be  school  funds,  so 
that  at  this  early  date  the  State  of  Indiana 
was  a  creditor  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad 
Company  for  the  large  sum  of  $60,000.  After 
the  State  loan  was  obtained,  this  judgment 
was  liquidated  about  the  year  1840. 

In  1836  the  Legislature  authorized  the 
Long  Island  Railroad    Company  to    build  a 


branch  from  some  convenient  point  on  its 
main  line  of  railroad  to  some  proper  place 
or  point  in  the  village  of  Hempstead.  In 
1838  they  surveyed  a  branch  line  in  pursu- 
ance of  this  act  of  the  Legislature,  which  was 
subsequently  built,  and  known  as  the  Hemp- 
stead branch,  running  from  what  is  now 
Mineola  to  the  village  of  Hempstead,  a  part 
of  which  track  is  still  in  use,  as  will  be  here- 
after more  fully  explained. 

In  the  year  1840  the  resumption  of  the 
work  of  construction  was  commenced  from 
Hicksville  to  Greenport,  and  after  various 
struggles  and  disappointments  the  road  was 
finally  completed  and  opened  to  Greenport  on 
the  27th  day  of  July,  1844.  It  is  plain  that 
there  was  new  life  and  greater  financial  ability 
infused  into  the  direction  of  the  road,  as  new 
members  appeared  in  the  board  of  directors.) 
Among  the  directors  who  were  then  or  have! 
since  become  famous  in  the  affairs  of  the 
country  were  the  names  of  Jacob  Little, 
George  Law  and  Cornelius  Vanderbilt. 

When  the  road  was  completed  to  Green- 
port a  line  of  steamers  was  run  from  Green- 
port to  the  coast  of  New  England,  connecting 
chiefly  with  the  Old  Colony  Railroad,  and  by 
that  connection  making  a  through  line  from 
New  York  to  Boston.  At  that  time  the  con- 
nections between  New  York  and  Boston 
through  the  New  England  States  were  mainly 
by  steamboat  or  stage  lines.  There  was  no 
such  thing  known  as  a  through  railroad  from 
New  York  to  Boston,  or  any  other  method 
of  transportation  at  all  comparable  with  the 
line  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad,  via  steam- 
boat line  and  the  Old  Colony  Railroad.  This 
line,  for  a  short  time,  was  the  principal  pas- 
senger and  mail  route  between  New  York  and 
Boston,  but  very  soon  the  opening  of  direct 
railroad  communication  by  land  from  New 
York  to  Boston  seems  to  have,  so  far,  cut  into 
the  profits  of  the  business  done  by  the  Long 
Island  Railroad  as  to  again  put  the  corpora- 
tion in  great  financial  straits,  and  on  March 
4,  -1850,  a  receiver  was  appointed.  So  far  las 
the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company  was  in- 
terested in  the  steamboats,  they  were  sold  and 
the  Boston  connection  practically  given  up. 
The  railroad  now  became,  for  all  practical 
purposes,  a  local  road  on  Long  Island. 

The  svibject  of  building  branches  and  ex- 
tending its  facilities  on  the  island  seems  to 
have  now  engaged  the  attention  of  the  man- 
agement. They  were  also  greatly  aided  in 
this  by  the  citizens  in  communities  who  were 


288 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


not,  as  they  conceived,  sufficiently  served  by 
the  line  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad,  as  then 
located  and  constructed.  One  of  the  first  ef- 
forts in  this  direction  was  the  Hicksville  & 
Cold  Spring  Railroad.  This  corporation  was 
organized  for  building  a  rai  road  from  Hicks- 
ville in  a  northeasterly  direction  to  Cold 
Spring.  An  enabling  act  was  pas^sed  on  June 
28,  1 85 1,  authorizing  the  formation  of  a  rail- 
road corporation  under  the  general  railroad  act 
but  with  relief  from  some  of  the  provisions 
of  that  act.  Subsequently  the  corporation  was 
organized  and  the  construction  of  the  railroad 
entered  upon.  It  seems  to  have  progressed 
very  slowly.  At  some  time  before  1859,  the 
date  of  which  does  not  appear  in  the  minutes 
of  the  company,  the  road  was  constructed  and 
put  under  operation  as  far  as  Syosset.  In 
1859  an  act  was  passed  extending,  among 
other  things,  the  time  for  completing  this 
road.  It  is  well  known  that  a  considerable 
part  of  the  right-of-way  from  Syosset  to  Cold 
Spring  was  purchased  and  graded  and  made 
nearly  ready  for  laying  the  track  before  1862, 
but  no  rails  were  ever  laid  on  this  portion  of 
the  line,  and  it  now  belongs  to  one  of  the 
numerous  abandoned  lines.  The  portion  of 
the  road  between  Hicksville  and  Syosset  now 
forms  an  important  part  of  the  present  Long 
Island  Railroad.  For  many  years  Syosset 
was  an  important  terminal  station.  The  in- 
habitants from  the  surrounding  country  on 
the  north  side  of  Long  Island  would  drive 
there  by  private  conveyance  or  stage  to  take 
the  trains. 

A  new  difficulty  began  to  confront  the 
Long  Island  Railroad  Company  between  1850 
and  i860  in  another  direction.  Notwithstand- 
ing they  had  secured  a  reduction  of  the  rent 
of  the  Brooklyn  &  Jamaica  Railroad,  the  city 
of  Brooklyn  had  grown  to  such  an  extent 
that  it  was  believed  by  the  citizens  that  the 
operation  of  a  steam  railroad  through  the 
city  down  to  the  water's  edge  was  a  detriment 
to  the  city  and  a  menace  to  the  lives  of  its 
citizens,  and  they  commenced  an  agitation  to 
have  steam  power  removed  from  within  the 
city  limits.  At  this  time  the  pressure  was  ver\- 
hard  upon  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company 
to  compel  it  to  surrender  the  franchise  to  use 
steam  power  in  the  city  of  Brooklyn,  and,  on 
the  other  hand,  it  would  be  a  practical  ruin 
to  the  company  not  to  have  a  terminus  at.  the 
water's  edge.  When  originally  built  the 
Brooklyn  &  Jamaica  Railroad  raii  in  Atlantic 
avenue  from  South  Ferry  to  Flatbush  avenue. 


and  at  Flatbush  avenue  its  right-of-way  had 
been  secured  through  farming  lands  without 
any  regard  to  city  streets,  and  ran  pretty  gen- 
erally north   of  the   present  Atlantic  avenue 
from  Flatbush  avenue  to  East  New  York,  so- 
called  at  that  time.     In  laying  out  the  streets 
of  the  city,  the  corporations  interested  were 
induced  to  surrender  their  right-of-way  that 
they  had  secured  north  of  Atlantic  avenue, 
and  to  have  the  rails  placed  in  the  present 
Atlantic  avenue  as  laid  out  by  the  city  author- 
ities.   Another  object  of  this  scheme  also  was 
to  have  the  use  of  steam  power  on  the  Brook- 
lyn &  Jamaica  Railroad  surrendered  within 
the  city  limits,  but,  before  these  rights  were 
surrendered  the  interests  of  the  Long  Island 
Railroad  Company  were  safeguarded  by  pro- 
visions  for  opening  a  new  line  to  the  East 
River  from  Jamaica  to  what  was  then  called 
Hunter's  Point,  now  Long  Island  City.    To 
effect  this  purpose  the  New  York  &  Jamaica 
Railroad  Company  was  organized  about  1857, 
and  constructed  a  railroad  from  the  terminus 
of  the  Long  Island  Railroad  in  Jamaica  to  the 
water's   edge   at    Hunter's   Point,   and   when 
ready   for   opening  the  trains  of    the    Long 
Island  Railroad,  instead  of  running  over  the 
Brooklyn   &  Jamaica   Railroad  into  the  city 
of  Brooklyn,  turned  off  at  Jamaica  and  were 
brought  to  Hunter's  Point.    This  diverted  the 
main  line  of  travel  on  Long  Island  from  the 
city  of  Brooklyn  to  the  new  terminus.     This 
new   line   was    opened   in    i860.     About  the 
same  time  its  property,  corporate  rights  and 
tranchises  were  acquired  by  the  Long  Island 
Railroad    Company.       From    that    time    the 
Brooklyn  &  Jamaica  Railroad  was  run  as  a 
branch  road  between  Jamaica  and  East  New 
York.    The  effect  of  this  readjustment  was  to 
take  the  Brooklyn  &  Jamaica  Railroad  out  of 
the  main   line  of  travel,  and  reduce  it  to  a 
road  of  very  insignificant  importance,  so  far 
as  its  steam  traffic  was  concerned.    The  Long 
Island   Railroad    Company   continued   to  op- 
erate this  road  as  a  branch  until  it  was  again 
made  to  assume  an  importance  which  will  be 
hereafter  noted. 

On  April  14,  1863,  there  was  another 
change  in  the  management  of  the  Long  Island 
Railroad.    Oliver  Charlick*  and  his  associates 


*01iver  Charlick,  for  many  years  a  most  potent  figure 
in  the  stormy  sea  of  New  York  City's  politics,  was  born 
near  Hempstead  in  1813.  He  received  his  business 
training  in  the  establishment  of  Gardiner  &  Howell, 
wholesale  grocers,  New  York,  and  when  that  firm  failed 
he  went  into  business  on  his  own  account.     The  great 


INTERNAL    COMMUNICATIONS. 


289 


were  elected  directors.  They  were  a  new  set 
of  directors,  with  new  ideas  and  new  pohc}'. 
Their  policy  was  characterized  with  consider- 
able vigor,  but  they  seemed  to  be  actuated 
solely  by  the  desire  to  make  money,  rather 
than  to  conserve  the  convenience  of  the  citi- 
zens of  the  island,  or  to  promote  their  inter- 
ests. This  policy  nearly  ruined  the  Long- 
Island  Railroad  Company.  In  a  very  short 
time  there  sprang  up  between  the  railroad  cor- 
poration and  the  citizens  antagonistic  feel- 
ings, which  resulted  in  great  changes  in  the 
railroad  map  of  Long  Island. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  at  this  time  to  take 
an  account  of  stock,  and  for  those  who  are 
interested,  to  look  at  the  map  of  Long  Island 
and  see  the  exact  position  of  the  railroads 
at  that  date.  The  Long  Island  Railroad  Com- 
pany had  a  main  line  running  from  Greenport 
to  Hunter's  Point  on  the  East  River.  It  also 
had  a  branch  from  Mineola  to  Hempstead, 
and  a  branch  from  Hicksville  to  Syosset.  It 
was  also  operating  that  part  of  the  old  Brook- 
lyn &  Jamaica  Railroad  between  Jamaica  and 
East  New  York  by  steam  power.  This  was 
the  entire  mileage  of  the  Long  Island  Rail- 
road in  1863. 

Prior  to   1863.  the   scheme   of  building  a 


fire  of  183.5  wiped  out  his  store,  but  he  soon  re-established 
himself,  and  as  a  grocer  and  shipchandler  built  up  a 
large  and  profitable  business. 

In  1843  he  made  his  first  prominent  entry  into  poli- 
tics, when  he  was  nominated  and  elected  Assistant  Alder- 
man of  New  York's  First  Ward,  on  an  independent 
ticket,  and  he  afterward  become  Alderman.  As  presi- 
dent of  the  board  during  the  latter  part  of  his  term  he 
frequently  acted  as  Mayor  of  the  city,  during  the  absence 
of  Mayor  Havemeyer.  In  184!)  he  went  to  California 
and  engaged  in  business  there  for  some  eighteen  months. 

Returning  to  New  York  he  entered  upon  the  work  of 
constructing  the  Eighth  Avenue  street-car  line  and  ran 
it  successfully  for  seven  years,  recouping  the  stockholders 
their  original  capital  and  paying  regularly  a  dividend  of 
twelve  per  cent.  In  1860  he  gave  up  his  street  car 
interests  and  devoted  himself  to  steam  railroading  and 
and  became  active  in  the  mangement  of  several  lines  in 
and  around  New  York.  It  is  with  the  management  of 
the  Long  Isand  Railroad,  however,  that  he  is  best 
remembered,  in  this  connection.  In  later  life  Mr.  Char- 
lick  again  became  prominent  in  New  York  City's  politics, 
and  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Police  Commissioners 
his  name  was  actively  bandied  about  at  a  time  when 
deals  and  dickers  formed  the  professional  politician's 
stock  in  trade  in  New  York.  He  had  hosts  of  enemies  and 
troops  of  friends;  by  the  former  he  was  denounced  for 
having  committed  practically  every  crime  in  the  calendar; 
by  the  latter  he  was  credited  with  brains,  smartness  and 
inflexible  honesty. 

However,   all   that   may   be,   it    is   certain  that  his 
career  as  a  politician  did  not  add  to  his  personal   reputa- 
tion, nor  has  it  won  for  his  memory  the  regard  which  is 
paid  even  to  that  of  a  respectable  mechanic. 
19 


railroad  from  Mineola  to  Locust  Valley  seems 
to  have  been  agitated  by  the  citizens  along  that 
line  and  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company, 
and  to  have  culminated  in  a  paper  railroad, 
which  was  never  built.  After  Oliver  Char- 
lick  was  elected  president  of  the  Long  Island 
Railroad  Company,  and  in  May,  1863,  the 
board  brushed  aside  this  paper  organization 
and  voted  that  it  was  expedient  to  build  a  road 
from  Mineola  to  Glen  Cove.  Soon  thereafter 
the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company  took 
measures  to  construct  the  road,  and  on  Sep- 
tember 17,  1863,  executed  a  mortgage  on  that 
branch  for  the  purpose  of  providing  the- 
means  for  its  construction  and  completion. 
The  date  when  this  branch  was  finished  and', 
opened  does  not  appear  in  the  minutes  of  the 
company,  but  it  was  probably  about  the  year- 
1864  or  1865.  The  road  as  origmally  con- 
structed still  remains  in  active  operation. 

For  several  years  after  1863.  there  was. 
nothing  done  in  the  way  of  railroad  con- 
struction On  Long  Island  that  was  antagon- 
istic to  the  interests  of  the  Long  Island  Rail- 
road Company.  There  did  grow  up,  how- 
ever, a  feeling  of  great  tension  between  citi- 
zens and  property  owners  on  the  island  and 
the  railroad  company  by  reason  of  the  non- 
progressive management  of  the  corporation. 
On  can  hardly  resist  speculation  as  to  what 
would  have  been  the  systems  of  railroads 
upon  the  Island  or  what  would  liave  been  the 
effect  upon  the  Long  Island  Railroad  prop- 
erty, had  there  been  a  liberal  and  progressive 
administration  of  the  railroad's  affairs  at  that 
time. 

For  several  years  after  1863  the  people 
traveling  from  the  south  side  of  Long  Island, 
and  from  many  parts  of  the  north  side,  would 
drive  to  the  middle  of  the  island  to  meet 
trains.  In  those  days  there  was  a  very  con- 
siderable activity  around  all  of  the  stations 
on  the  main  line  between  Farmingdale  and 
Riverhead,  where  now  it  seems  so  dull  and 
lifeless.  The  attractions  of  the  shores  of 
Long  Island  were  such  that,  notwithstanding 
the  inconvenience  of  access,  population  in- 
creased, so  rapidly  that  a  time  finally  came 
when,  despairing  of  having  their  reasonable 
wants  met  by  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Com-  • 
pany,  a  series  of  railroad  constructions  began 
that  were  antagonistic  to  the  Long  Island 
Railroad  Company,  and  which  continued  for 
several  years,  with  the  result  of  almost  de- 
stroying all  railroad  property  on  the  Island, 
the  new  with  the  old.     The  history  of  this 


290 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


contest  will  explain  very  much  that  is  hard  to 
understand  in  the  tangled  web  of  corpora- 
tions, railroad  tracks  and  abandoned  tracks 
on  Long  Island. 

It  is  necessary  now  to  retrace  our  steps  and 
dates  a  little  for  the  purpose  of  recording  the 
history  of  a  railroad  that  has  been  a  very  con- 
siderable factor  in  the  railroad  contests  on 
Long  Island.  The  Flushing  Railroad  Com- 
pany was  organized  in  1852,  to  build  a  road 
from  Hunter's  Point  to  the  village  of  Flushing. 
This  road  was  soon  thereafter  constructed,  and 
was  an  outlying  piece  of  road,  serving  only 
the  wants  of  a  local  community,  and  appar- 
ently in  no  way  related  to  the  Long  Island 
Railroad.  Its  location  was  from  Main  street, 
in  the  village  of  Flushing,  to  Newtown  Creek, 
and  thence  along  the  northerly  side  of  that 
creek  to  the  East  River.  The  location  of  its 
terminus  on  East  River  was  in  about  the  mid- 
dle of  the  large  lumber  yard  south  of  the  pres- 
ent Long  Island  Railroad  depot.  That  land 
was  under  water  and  had  not  then  been  filkd 
in,  and  there  was  a  pile  dock  out  for  a  con- 
siderable distance  to  get  sufficient  depth  of 
water  for  the  landing  of  a  small  steamboat. 
The  passengers  were  brought  down  by  rail 
to  this  dock,  and  there  they  embarked  on  board 
.  a  small  steamer  that  landed  them  at  Fulton 
-Ferry.  This  method  of  transportation  contin- 
ued for  a  number  of  years.  When  the  branch 
of  the  Long  Island  Railroad  was  built  from 
Jamaica  to  Hunter's  Point  it  crossed  this  old 
Flushing  road  at  Winfield  at  nearly  right 
angles  to  that  line.  The  Flushing  Railroad 
was  not  successful  financially,  and  about  1858 
a  first  mortgage  on  its  property  and  corporate 
franchises  was  foreclosed,  which  resulted  in 
the  title  passing  to  a  new  corporation,  called 
the  New  York  and  Flushing  Railroad  Com- 
pany, organized  in  1859.  The  new  corporation 
continued  to  operate  this  road  about  the  same 
as  the  old  one  had  done,  but  its  management 
was  about  as  bad  as  any  management  could 
be,  and  the  service  was  totally  inadequate  to 
the  wants  of  so  large  a  community  as  that 
residing  at  Flushing  and  in  the  adjacent  coun- 
try. The  line  of  this  road  having  been  crossed 
by  the  main  line  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad 
at  Winfield  made  the  road  a  propert}- .desired  by 
the  management  of  the  Long  Island  Raillroad. 
It  was  well  understood  that  they  had  nego- 
tiated with  the  owners  of  the  New  York  and 
Flushing  Railroad  and  tried  to  acquire  the 
property,  but_  were  unsuccessful  for  many 
years.    The  citizens  of  Flushing  and  vicinity, 


chafing  under  the  bad  service  of  the  New  York 
and  Flushing  Railroad,  were  stimulated  to  se- 
cure an  outlet  in  some  other  direction.     The 
management  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad  en- 
couraged this  sentiment  with  promises  of  aid 
over  another  line,  and  it  resulted  in  the  organi- 
zation of  a  corporation  known  as  the  Flushing 
and  Woodside  Railroad  Company.     The  line 
of  this   road   was   located    from   the   Bridge 
street  station,  in  the  village  of  Flushing,  to 
Woodside,  on  the  line  of  the  Long  Island  Rail- 
road, the  intention  being  to  have  a  through  line 
from   Hunter's   Point  to   Flushing  over  this 
Toute.     Work  was  actively  commenced  build- 
ing the  division  between  Woodside  and  Flush- 
ing, and  the  same  was  about  half  completed 
when  the  owners  of  the  New  York  &  Flush- 
ing Railroad,  discovering  that  there  was  to  be 
an  active  competitor  in  the  field,  sold  their 
stock  to  the  management  of  the  Long  Island 
Railroad,  who  at  once  suspended  work  on  the 
Woodside  line,  and  it  was  not  completed  for^ 
many    years  thereafter.     Prior    to    this  pur- 
chase by  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company 
the   East  River  terminus  of  the  New  York 
&  Flushing  Railroad  had  been  changed  from 
the  small  dock  referred  to,  and  a  lease  had 
been  executed  between  the  Long  Island  Rail- 
road Company  and  the  New  York  &  Flushing 
Railroad  Company,  giving  the  latter  road  ter- 
minal facilities  for  ten  years  in  the  Long  Island 
Railroad  station  at  tlimter's  Point.     The  re- 
sulting position  'was,  at  the  time  we  are  spealc- 
ing  of,  that  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Com- 
pany had  acquired  the  New  York  &  Flushing 
Railroad,  and  was  operating  it  as  a  branch  of 
their  road.     The  Flushing  &  Woodside  Rail- 
road Company,  by  special  act  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, had  acquired  the  right  to  build  a  draw- 
bridge over  Flushing  Creek,  and  the  only  cor- 
porate rights  of  that  railroad  that  has  now  any 
value  to  the  Long  Island  system  is  the  right 
to  cross  this  drawbridge,  the  same  having  been 
acquired,  as  will  be   subsequently  explained, 
from  the  Woodside    corporation    by  another 
railroad  organization. 

About  the  time  the  Flushing  &  Woodside 
Railroad  was  being  built,  another  railroad 
company  was  organized  to  build  a  road  from 
Flushing  eastward,  known  as  the  North  Shore 
Railroad  Company.  This  railroad  was  never 
completed.  It  was,  however,  actually  con- 
structed from  Flushing  to  Great  Neck,  and 
was  operated  for  a  number  of  5'ears  under  a 
contract  with  the  New  York  &  Flushing  Rail- 
road Company. 


INTERNAL    COMMUNICATIONS. 


291 


The  Long  Island  Railroad  Company  did 
something  in  the  way  of  extending  its  mileage 
between  1863  and  1870.  One  of  the  first  moves 
in  this  direction  was  in  April,  1863,  when  the 
corporation  elected  to  purchase  the  stock  of 
the  branch  which  has  been  spoken'  of  before 
as  having  been  built  from  Syosset  to  Hicks- 
ville  as  a  part  of  the  Hicksville  &  Cold  Spring- 
Railroad.  The  Legislature  had  theretofore 
conferred  upon  the  Long  Island  Railroad 
Company  the  power  to  build  branches  on  Long 
Island  at  any  point  east  of  the  village  df 
Jamaica,  or  to  purchase  the  stock  of  such  con- 
necting railroads.  In  1867  the  Long  Island 
Railroad  Company  filed  a  map  of  a  route,  and 
entered  vigorously  upon  the  construction  of 
a  branch  from  Syosset  to  Northport.  This 
branch  was  built  under  the  corporate  powers 
of  the  Long  Island  Railr.oad  Company.  The 
movement  met  with  the  vigorous  opposition 
of  those  interested  in  having  the  railroad  ex- 
tended to  Cold  Spring;  but  the  opponents  of 
the  location  were  divided,  and  it  resulted  in 
the  abandonment  of  the  right  of  way,  and  work 
between  Syosset  and  Cold  Spring,  and  the 
opening  of  a  new  line  to  Northport,  the  ter- 
minus of  this  line  being  in  the  village  of' 
Northport  and  not  at  the  junction  of  the 
Stnithtown  &  Port  Jefferson  Railroad,  to  be 
hereafter  referred  to.  The  result  of  these 
operations  was  to  take  in  the  piece  of  road 
built  from  Hicksville  to  Syosset,  with  the  ex- 
tension from  Syosset  to  Northport,  making 
one  continuous  branch  from  Hicksville  to 
Northport. 

In  1869  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company 
projected  another  important  work,  which  was 
conducted  under  its  own  corporate  p>owers.  It 
entered  upon  the  construction  of  a  line  from 
Manor  to  Sag  Harbor.  The  eflfect  of  this  was 
to  grant  railroad  facilities  to  the  citizens  on 
the  south  side  of  Long  Island,  at  the  east  end 
thereof.  This  branch  became  an  important 
feeder  to  the  main  line  of  the  Long  Island 
Railroad,  and  contributed  greatly  to  the  devel- 
opment of  that  part  of  the  south  side  of  Long 
Island. 

Another  important  extension  was  stimu- 
lated by  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company, 
although  not  built  by  them.  In  June,  1870, 
the  Smithtown  &  Port  Jefferson  Railroad 
Company  was  organized  for  the  purpose  of 
building  a  road  from  Northport  to  Port  Jef- 
ferson. This  was  practically  an  extension  of 
the  branch  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad  then 
in  operation  from  Hicksville  to  Northport,  the 


details  of  which  have  been  above  stated.  This 
road  was  about  sixteen  miles  in  length,  and 
was  constructed  in  its  entirety.  At  the  point 
of  junction  with  the  branch  near  Northport, 
the  departure  was  made  on  the  high  lands 
out  of  the  village  of  Northport  rather  than 
by  extending  from  the  terminus  of  the  branch 
road,  the  effect  of  which  was  to  have  two 
stations  in  Northport,  one  of  them  on  the  hill, 
at  which  the  through  trains  stopped,  and  an- 
other a  short  distance  from  the  point  of  junc- 
tion down  in  the  village  of  Northport.* 

The  most  serious  menace  to  the  business 
of  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company  ap- 
peared in  1866,  when  the  long-talked-of  pro- 
ject of  building  the  South  Side  Railroad  was 
entered  upon.  So  much  had  the  population 
increased  along  the  south  side  that  the  inhab- 
itants and  property  owners  along  that  section 
of  country  determined  at  all  hazards  to  have  a 
railroad  that  would  let  them  out  with  greater 
facility  than  they  could  possibly  get  by  driv- 
ing to  the  center  of  the  island  to  the  main 
line  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad.  Numerous 
negotiations  and  schemes  were  projected  for 
building  branches  toward  the  south,  but  for 
some  reason  Oliver  Charlick  and  his  associates 
failed  to  comprehend  the  growing  importance 
of  that  section  of  the  island,  nor  did  they  be- 
lieve it  possible  for  it  to  escape  from  their 
control.  The  South  Side  Railroad  was  con- 
structed and  opened  between  Jamaica  and 
Brooklyn  in  the  fall  of  1867.  At  that  time 
the  South  Side  Railroad  Company  had  not  suc- 
ceeded in  acquiring  their  right-of-way  and  fa- 
cilities for  transporting  passengers  to  the 
river's  edge  in  the  city  of  Brooklyn.     They 


*"The  people  of  Smithtown  made  many  efforts  tobrin 
the  railroad  here  *  *  These  negotiations  resulted  iS 
a  proposition  by  Oliver  Charlick,  representing  the  Lon° 
Island  Railway,  by  which  the  people  of  this  town  [SmithS 
town]  should  organize  an  independent  corporation  (it- 
never  possessed  the  first  elements  of  independence), 
should  raise  $80,000  in  cash,  lease  its  franchise  to  the 
Long  Island  Railway  in  advance,  expend  the  money  as 
far  as  it  would  go  in  constructing  the  road  and  raise  the 
balance  of  the  money  necessary  to  complete  it  by  issuing 
bonds,  the  principal  and  interest  of  which  should  be 
guaranteed  by  the  Long  Island  Railroad,  That  plan, 
after  much  negotiation,  was  finally  adopted.  The  town 
of  Smithtown  agreed  to  raise  $50,000  of  the  $80,000 
required  by  bonding  the  town  and  taking  that  amount  of 
stock  at  par,  the  bonds  to  run  thirty  years,  at  seven  per 
cent,  interest.  The  people  of  the  town  have  accepted 
and  enjoyed  the  benefits  of  the  railroad  but  now  com- 
plain of  the  heavy  interest." — J.  Lawrence  Smith. 

[The  road  from  Hicksville  to  Syosset  in  1854,  and 
extended  to  Northport  in  1868,  and  from  there,  passing 
through  Smithtown  to  Port  Jefferson  in  1872.] 


292 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


were  straitened  for  means,  and  had  not  entirely- 
given  up  hope  that  at  Jamaica  they  might  enter 
into  some  arrangement  with  the  Long  Island 
Railroad  Company  by  which  their  cars  and 
passengers  could  be  transported  to  Hunter's 
Point.  The  writer  was  present  at  a  long  inter- 
view between  representatives  of  the  South 
Side  Railroad  Company  and  Mr.  Charlick,  in 
which  every  consideration  was  urged  upon  the 
Long  Island  Railroad  Company  to  enter  into 
such  an  arrangement,  but  Mr.  Charlick  was 
obdurate.  His  motive  was  not  easy  to  define, 
except  that  it  is  highly  probable  he  anticipated 
that  at  some  future  time  this  road  would  be- 
come more  embarrassed  and  better  terms  could 
be  made  with  it  by  the  Long  Island  Railroad 
Company.  All  hope  of  reaching  -Hunter's 
Point  over  the  Long  Island  Railroad  having 
disappeared,  the  South  Side  Railroad  corpor- 
ation proceeded  vigorously  to  build  their  line 
between  Jamaica  and  Bushwick,  which  was  as 
far  as  they  were  permitted  to  go  with  their 
locomotives  into  the  city  of  Brooklyn.  The 
location  of  this  line  was  south  of  the  present 
line  from  Jamaica  to  Springfield,  and  the  sta- 
tion in  Jamaica  was  at  a  point  a  little  south  of 
the  present  Long  Island  Railroad  station  in 
Jamaica.  The  line  then  passed  westward  for 
about  two  miles,  and  crossed  the  line  of  the 
Brooklyn  &  Jamaica  Railroad,  passing  thence 
to  Glendale,  Presh  Pond  and  Bushwick.  From 
Bushwick  to  the  ferry  on  the  East  River  the 
cars  were  hauled  by  dummy  engines  through 
the  streets  of  the  city  of  Brooklyn.  About  the 
time  this  line  was  completed  to  the  East 
River,  it  was  also  opened  as  far  east  as  Patch- 
ogue.  Thereafter  for  a  number  of  years,  the 
main  line  of  travel  for  the  South  Side  Rail- 
road was  from  Patchogue  to  the  East  River 
via  Bushwick.  It  drew  travel  very  heavily 
from  the  Long  Island  Railroad  at  all  points 
on  the  south  side  west  of  Patchogue,  and  was 
also  a  sharp  competitor  in  the  village  of  Ja- 
maica. 

In  1868  the  parties  interested  in  the  South 
Side  Railroad  Company  organized  the  Far 
Rockaway  B^ranch  Railroad  Company  for  the, 
purpose  of  building  a  railroad  between  Valley 
Stream  and  Far  Rockaway.  This  road  was 
promptly  constructed  and  put  into  operation. 
It  proved  to  be  a  valuable  feeder  to  the  South 
Side  Railroad.  At  that  time,  the  terminus  of 
the  road  was  near  the  beach,  at  a  point  just 
west  of  the  village  of  Far  Rockaway.  After  a 
year  or  two  of  operation  at  this  point,  one 
winter  there  came  a  remarkable  change  in  the 


shore  line  off  Far  Rockaway.  In  a  single  win- 
ter the  coast  in  front  of  this  South  Side  station, 
fell  off  one-c[uarter  to  one-half  of  a  mile  out  to 
sea,  and  a  new  shore  line  was  formed  and  a 
beach  thrown  up  along  the  front  of  the  village 
of  Far  Rockaway,  leaving  a  considerable  sheet 
of  water  between  the  village  and  the  sand 
beach.  The  South  Side  Railroad  Company, 
finding  that  the  attraction  of  being  near  the 
beach  had  been  so  suddenly  and  summarily 
terminated  by  the  action  of  Nature,  instead  of 
extending  their  road  directly  out  to  the  new 
line  of  beach,  changed  their  plans-,  and  in 
1 87 1  organized  another  railroad  corporation, 
called  the  Rockaway  Railroad  Company,  and 
located  the  line  westerly  along  ^nd  parallel  to 
the  beach  and  not  a  great  distance  therefrom. 
This  road  was  built  through  the  sand  hills  of 
the  beach  for  a  distance  of  about  four  miles,, 
and  was  the  beginning  of  the  Jarge  railroad 
business  since  transacted  on  Rockaway  Beach. 
But  little  of  the  line  of  this  road  now  enters- 
into  the  trackage  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad. 

In  1869  the  Hempstead  and  Rockaway 
Railroad  was  organized  for  the  purpose  of 
building  a  road  from  Valley  Stream  to 
the  village  of  Hempstead.  While  this  road 
was  built  in  connection  with  the  South  Side 
Railroad  and  was  operated  by  it  after  its  con- 
struction, it  foirmed  no  part  of  the  corporate 
property  of  the  South  Side  Railroad  Com- 
pany. Their  station  was  conveniently  located' 
on  the  southerly  side  of  the  village  of  Hemp- 
stead, and  it  drew  off  for  many  years  the  major 
part  of  the  travel  from  the  Long  Island  Rail- 
road in  the  village  of  Hempstead,  diverting  it 
to  the  South  Side  Railroad. 

While  the  business  to  Far  Rockaway  and 
Rockaway  Beach  was  being  developed  by  the 
South  Side  system,  the  Long  Island  Railroad 
Company  determined  to  enter  this  field,  and  in- 
1870  the  managers  organized  the  New  York  & 
Rockaway  Railroad  Company,  to  construct  a 
railroad  from  Jamaica  to  Far  Rockaway.  This 
road  was  located  from  wha,t  is  now  known  as 
Rockaway  Junction,  about  one  mile  east  of  the- 
village  of  Jamaica,  running  southerly  and  in  a 
pretty  direct  line  crossing  the  main  line  of  the 
South  Side  Railroad  at  Springfield,  now 
Springfield  Junction,  continuing  its  course  to 
the  village  of  Far  Rockaway,  and  crossing  the 
Valley  Stream  branch  of  the  South  Side  Rail- 
road at  a  point  a  short  distance  north  of  Far 
Rockaway,  and  entered  the  village  of  Fas 
Rockaway  at  a  point  much  more  convenient  for- 
public  travel  than  that  located  by  the  Valley 


INTERNAL    COMMUNICATIONS. 


293 


Stream  branch  of  the  South  Side  Raih'oad. 
This  corporation  was  organized  apparently  for 
the  purpose  of  having  the  corporate  rights  and 
franchises  vested  in  a  corporation  distinct 
from  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company.  It 
was  mortgaged  and  built  upon  the  proceeds  of 
the  bonds  sold.  The  line  was  leased  to  the 
Long  Island  Railroad  Company  for  the  term 
of  thirty  years,  at  a  fixed  rental  sufficient  to 
pay  the  interest  on  the  bonds,  and  has  been 
operated  to  this  day  by  the  Long  Island  Rail- 
road Company  under  this  lease.  The  corpor- 
ate organization  of  this  railroad  has  not  been 
kept  alive,  and  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Com- 
oany's  authority  and  control  over  the  prop- 
erty is  based  upon  the  provisions  of  the  lease. 
Upon  the  completion  of  this  line,  there  sprang 
up  a  sharp  competition  between  the  South  Side 
Railroad  Company  and  the  Long  Island  Rail- 
road Company  for  the  business  accessible  to 
both  roads  on  the  two  lines. 

We  will  now  turn  our  attention  to  opera- 
tiorfs  that  were  inaugurated  on  the  north  side 
of  the  Island,  which  resulted  in  an  entire  revo- 
lution and  change  of  railroad  affairs  in  that 
direction,  and  which  preceded  the  final  com- 
bination of  all  the  railroad  interests.  We  have 
before  stated  that  the  New  York  &  Flushing 
Railroad)  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  Long 
Island  Railroad  Company,  and  that  after  the 
accomplishment  of  that  purpose  there  was  an 
abandonment  in  the  construction  of  the  Flush- 
ing &  Woodside  Railroad,  by  reason  of  the 
purpose  having  been  accomplisihed  that 
seemed  to  actuate  the  directors  of  the  Long 
Island  Railroad  in  entering  upon  the  building 
of  the  Flushing  &  Woodside  Railroad.  The 
citizens  of  Flushing  and  vicinity,  smarting 
under  what  they  conceived  to  be  a  trick  to  in- 
duce them  to  enter  upon  the  construction  of 
the  Flushing  &  Woodside  Railroad,  only  for 
the  purpose  of  using  it  as  a  club  to  scare  the 
management  of  the  New  York  &  Flushing 
Railroad  by  the  Long  I'sland  management,  de- 
termined to  revive  that  enterprise  and  push  it 
to  completion,  as  a  rival  of  the  New  York  & 
Flushing  Railroad.  To  accomplish  this  ob- 
ject, they  secured  the  co-operation  of  some 
wealthy  citizens  in  the  villages  of  College; 
Point  and  Whitestone,  who  in  1868  proceeded 
tooreanize  a  new  railroad  companv,  called  the 
Flushing  &  North  Side  Railroad  Company. 
The  articles  of  association  were  filed  for  con- 
structing and  maintaining  a  railroad  from 
Hunter'is  Point  to  the  village  of  Roslyn,  with 
a  branch  at  a  point  in  the  main  line  in  or  near 


the  village  of  Flushing  to  run  to  the  villages  of 
College  Point  and  Whitestone.  The  Flushing 
interests  having  secured  a  rnajority  of  the  old 
Woodside  Company's  stock,  and  thereby  se- 
cured control  of  the  franchise  to  cross  Flush- 
ing Creek  with  a  drawbridge,  the  new  com- 
pany located  its  line  from  a  point  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Ealst  River,  as  follows :  Starting 
at  Hunter's  Point  and  running  thence  imme- 
diately adjacent  to  and  parallel  with  the  Long- 
Island  Railroad  as  far  as  Woodside ;  then  con- 
tinuing their  location  over  the  line  of  the 
Flushing  &  Woodside  Railroad  to  Bridge 
street,  in  the  village  of  Flushing;  continuing 
from  there  to  the  villages  of  College  Point  and 
Whitestone.  This  part  of  the  line  from  Flush- 
ing to  Whitestone  was  the  branch  contemplat- 
ed in  the  articles  of  association. 

In  the  sequel  of  the  history  of  the  road,  no 
attempt  was  made  to  build  the  main  line  to 
Roslyn,  and  that  part  of  the  organization  of 
this  company  need  not  be  further  considered. 
Work  was  pressed  vigorously  in  the  construc- 
tion of  this  line,  and  finally,  in  the  autumn  of 
1868,  it  was  completed  and  opened  for  public 
travel.  This  road  was  new  and  well  equipped, 
and  very  popular.  The  result  was  that  it  drew 
almost  the  entire  travel  off  from  the  old  line  of 
the  New  York  &  Flushing  Railroad.  Soon 
thereafter  negotiations  were  opened  between 
the  Long  Island  Railroad  management  and  the 
management  of  this  new  enterprise  to  sell  out 
to  the  Flushing  &  North  Side  Railroad  Com- 
pany the  New  York  &  Flushing  Railroad. 
Competition  had  so  far  reduced  the  value  of 
the  New  York  &  Flushing  Railroad  that  the 
Long  Island  Railroad  management  were  will- 
ing to  get  rid  of  it,  and  the  management  of 
the  Flushing  &  North  Side  Railroad  deemed 
it  advisable  to  get  rid  of  the  competition  of 
that  line,  and  the  transfer  of  the  entire  stock 
of  the  New  York  &  Flushing  Railroad  to  par- 
ties interested  in  the  Flushing  Sc  North  Side 
Railroad  was  the  result.  Thereafter,  in 
April,  1869,  the  Legislature  passed  an  enabling 
act,  authorizing  the  Flushing  &  North  Side 
Railroad  Company  to  purchase  the  stock  of 
the  Flushing  &  Woodside  Railroad,  and  to 
purchase  a  part  of  the  New  York  &  Flushing 
Railroad,  and  to  consolidate  them  into  one 
corporation.  In  pursuance  of  this  act,  the 
stock  of  the  Flushing  &  Woodside  Railroad 
was  merged  into  that  of  the  Flushing  &  North 
Side  Railroad,  and  a  deed  was  executed  by 
the  New  York  &  Flushing  Railroad  Company, 
transferring  the  real  estate  and  franchises  of 


294 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


that  part  of  its  road  lying  between  Winfield 
and  Main  street,  Flushing,  to  the  Flushing  & 
North  Side  Railroad  Company.  Thus  termin- 
ated the  property  and  franchises  of  the  New 
York  &  Flushing  Railroad  Company  to  oper- 
ate a  railroad  between  Winfield  and  Flushing, 
but  the  New  Yoirk  &  Flushing  Railroad  Com- 
pany remained  intact  as  a  corporation  with  a 
railroad  from  Winfield  to  Long  Island  City, 
with  its  property  rights  unimpaired,  and  with 
its  terminal  facilities,  such  as  they  were,  lying 
south  of  the  depot  and  yards  of  the  Long 
Island  Railroad. 

As  the  question  of  communication  wiith 
New  York  waB  the  all-important  factor  in  all 
these  railroad  lines,  the  position  of  the  New 
York  &  Flushing  Railroad  at  Long  Island 
City  was  unfortunate,  in  that  it  was  cut  off 
from  access  to  the  ferry  by  the  depot  and 
yard's  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad,  and  that  it 
was  impracticable  to  maintain  a  separate  line 
of  boats  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  its  pas- 
sengers to  New  York.  It  was  this  reason  that 
moved  the  owners  of  this  property  to  sever  it 
as  they  did,  taking  the  eastern  end  into  the  new 
organization,  and  leaving  the  western  end  to 
be  disposed  of  as  time  and  subsequent  events 
might  point  a  way.  The  problem  that  now 
presented  itself  to  the  Flushing  &  North  Side 
Railroad  Company  was  to  utilize  its  property 
and;  make  it  available  in  Serving  the  public. 
To  effect  this  object,  the  Flushing  &  North 
Side  Railroad  Company  filed  a  new  map  of 
location,  extending  its  lines  from  Woodside 
to  Winfield,  where  it  formed  a  junction  with 
the  old  main  line  of  the  New  York  &  Flush- 
ing Railroad,  continuing  along  the  line  of  that 
road  to  a  point  a  short  distance  west  of  Flush- 
ing Creek,  on  the  Meadows,  near  Flushing, 
and  'running  thence  along  the  creek,  on  the 
westerly  side  thereof,  to  a  junction  with  what 
was  the  former  Woodside  line,  crossing  the 
creek  on  the  drawbridge  of  that  line,  and  so 
making  a  continuous  line  to  College  Point  and 
Whitestone.  These  changes  were  effected  soon 
after  the  purchase  was  made,  and  have  contin- 
ued in  operation  to  this  day,  forming  the  line 
as  now  operated  between  Long  Island  City  and 
College  Point.  The  line  between  Woodside 
and  the  drawbridge  was  abandoned. 

Railroad  matters  on  Long  Island  remained 
substantially  unchanged  until  1872.  Prior 
to  that  date  the  late  A.  T.  Stewart  had  pur- 
chased a  larg-e  tract  of  land  known  as  the 
Hempstead    Plains,    lying    in    the    town    of 


Hempstead,  and  proposed  to  develop  the  same 
by  building  houses  and  locating  improve- 
ments on  the  lands.  There  was  no  railroad 
through  this  tract  of  land,  except  the  short 
cross  road  from  Hempstead  to  Mineola,  be- 
fore referred  to.  He  began  active  negotia- 
tions, first  with  the  Long  Island  Railroad 
Company,  and  a'fterwards  with  the  Flushing 
&  North  Side  Railroad  Company,  to  form  a 
connection  with  either  road  as  he  could  nego- 
tiate the  best  terms  with.  It  resulted  in  a 
contract  to  form  a  connection  with  a  pro- 
posed road,  that  Stewart  was  to  build,  with 
the  Flushing  &  North  Side  Railroad,  and  in 
1871  the  Central  Railroad  Company  of  Long 
Island  was  organized.  The  proposed  line 
was  to  run  from  a  point  on  the  line  of  the 
Flushing  &  North  Side  Railroad  east  of  the 
Flushing  Creek  drawbridge,  running  thence 
easterly  to  the  westerly  boundary  of  the  land 
of  A.  T.  Stewart,  and  thence  easterly  through 
said  lands  to  a  point  near  Farmingdale,  and 
thence  to  Bethpage,  with  a  branch  from  the 
main  line  to  the  village  of  Hempstead.  This 
road  was  constructed  in  all  its  parts,  and 
proved  a  most  disastrous  enterprise  to  the 
Flushing  &  North  Side  Railroad  Company, 
who  were  under  contract  to  operate  the  road. 
In  building  that  part  of  the  line  between 
Flushing  and  the  westerly  boundary  of  the 
land  of  A.  T.  Stewart,  the  road  passed 
through  the  high  lands  forming  the  center 
of  Long  Island,  and  in  making  the  cut  on  that 
portion  of  the  line  there  was  executed  the 
largest  and  most  expensive  piece  of  earth- 
work on  Long  Island.  This  road  was  opened 
on  January  i,  1873.  The  branch  line  from 
Garden  City  to  Hempstead  is  the  same  line 
that  is  now  operated  to  that  village.  It  ran 
a  short  distance  easterly  from  the  old  branch 
of  the  Long  Island  Railroad,  and  is  now  the 
only  line  that  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Com- 
pany operates  into  the  village  of  Hempstead 
on  the  north  side.  That  part  of  the  old 
Mineola  &  Hempstead  branch,  built  in  the 
early  days  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad,  lying 
south  of  the  Stewart  line  and  between  that 
line  and  the  village  of  Hempstead,  was  aban- 
doned about  1878,  and  has  never  been  opened 
or  operated  since. 

The  traffic  on  this  central  railroad  of 
Long  Island,  otherwise  known  as  the  Stewart 
line,  between  Farmingdale  and  Flushing,  in- 
cluding that  from  the  village  of  Hempstead, 
proved  entirely  unremunerative,  and  the  man- 
agement of  the  Flushing  &  North  Side  Rail- 


INTERNAL    COMMUNICATIONS. 


295 


road,  determining  to  try  and  secure  further 
traffic  for  this  line,  entered  upon  the  scheme 
of  extending  the  line  to  the  south  side  of 
Long  Island,  and  organized  the  Central  Rail- 
road Extension  Company.  The  articles  of 
association  for  this  new  company  were  filed 
in  April,  1873.  The  location  of  the  line  was 
from  a  point  near  Farmingdale,  running 
southeasterly,  crossing  the  South  Side  Rail- 
road about  one  mile  west  of  Babylon,  and  run- 
ning to  the  Fire  Island  steamboat  dock.  The 
road  was  constructed  and  put  in  operation 
to  the  highway  leading  to  the  dock,  thus 
forming  a  through  line  from  Babylon,  through 
Garden  City,  Flushing,  i^eaching  Hunter's 
Point,  and  landing  its  passengers  on  the  north 
side  of  the  ferry.  Considerable  traffic  was 
thus  drawn  to  the  road,  but,  while  operated 
from  Babylon  in  competition  with  the  South 
Side  Railroad,  the  rates  were  low  and  the 
effect  was  damaging  upon  the  South  Side 
Road.  It  should  be  noted,  in  passing,  that 
the  opening  of  the  branch  road  from  Garden 
City  to  Hempstead  practically  destroyed  the 
business  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad  to  that 
village. 

There  now  developed  a  distinctive  system 
of  railroads  on  Long  Island,  connected  with 
the  North  Side  roads,  and  it  was  deemed  de- 
sirable to  combine  them  into  one  system. 
The  management  contemplated  further  exten- 
sions, and  organized  the  North  Shore  &  Port 
Washington  Railroad  Company,  and  the  Ros- 
lyn  &  Huntington  Railroad  Company.  They 
then  proceeded  to  consolidate  these  corpora- 
tions, called  the  Flushing,  North  Shore  & 
Central  Railroad  Company.  This  was  ef- 
fected by  agreement  of  consolidation  made 
the  19th  day  of  June,  1874.  The  position 
of  this  corporation  at  that  date  was  as  fol- 
lows: It  owned  a  continuous  line  from 
Whitestone  to  Hunter's  Point,  with  a  pas- 
senger and  freight  depot  on  the  north  side 
of  the  ferries.  It  also  had  a  branch  from 
Great  Neck  to  the  junction  of  the  main  line 
in  the  village  of  Flushing.  It  had  a  line  from 
Babylon  to  Flushing,  where  it  united  with 
the  main  line.  It  also  had  a  branch  from 
Hempstead  to  Garden  City.  It  should  be 
stated,  however,  that  at  this  time  it  held  the 
real  estsitie  of  the  Stewart  line,  from  the 
westerly  end  of  the  Stewart  purchase  to  Beth- 
page,  and  also .  the  branch  into  Hempstead, 
under  a  contract  of  lease  with  A.  T.  Stewart, 
and  had  not  at  that  time  acquired  the  title 
to  the  lands  over  which  ite  ran.      It  should 


also  be  noted  that  the  Port  Washington  Rail- 
road and  the  Roslyn  &  Huntington  Railroad 
were  contemplated  extensions  easterly  from 
Great  Neck;  but  as  they  were  never  con- 
structed, they  need  not  be  again  referred  tO' 
in  this  history.  The  Whitestone  &  West- 
chester Railroad  was  a  short  line  extending 
from  the  main  station  in  the  village  of  White- 
stone down  to  the  water's  edge.  This  road" 
was  actually  constructed  about  1883,  and  is 
now  owned  and  operated  by  the  Long  Island 
Railroad  Company. 

Immediately  upon  the  commencement  of 
operations  to  construct  the  Central  Railroad 
from  the  junction  in  Flushing  to  Garden  City 
and  Hempstead,  and  thence  eastward  on  the 
Stewart  property,  the  Long  Island  Railroad 
Company  determined  to  deliver  a  counter- 
blow to  that  system  of  roads,  and  promoted 
the  construction  of  the  Newtown  &  Flushing 
Railroad,  which  corporation  was  organized  in 
1871.  This  line  ran  from  a  point  of  junction 
on  the  main  line  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad 
at  Winfield  to  the  village  of  Flushing,  a  dis- 
tance of  about  four  rniles.  It  thus  formed, 
in  connection  with  the  main  line  of  the  Long 
Island  Railroad,  a  rival  line  from  Flushing 
to  Long  Island  City,  and  tapped  the  most 
important  railroad  station  of  the  North  Side 
system.  Immediately  upon  its  opening  the 
rates  were  reduced  about  one-half.  It  be- 
came a  formidable  rival  to  the  North  Side 
system  at  its  most  vital  point,  reducing  the 
revenues  of  that  road  to  a  very  material  ex- 
tent. The  cars  run  on  this  road  were  painted 
white,  and  it  was  familiarly  called  by  the  pub- 
lic the  "White  Line." 

Again  returning  to  the  South  Side  Rail- 
road, to  bring  up  the  history  of  that  division 
and  record  its  progress  in  the  contest  for 
business  on  Long  Island,  it  is  proper  to  note 
that  that  corporation  had  no  facilities  on  the 
waters  of  the  East  River  for  the  transporta- 
tion of  freight  over  its  line,  nor  were  they 
satisfied  with  their  terminal  facilities  for  the 
transportation  of  passengers  through  Brook- 
lyn from  Bushwick  to  the  East  River  by 
dummy  engines.  In  looking  for  an  outlet  in 
another  direction  to  relieve  them  from  these 
two  embarassments,  thev  organized  the  Hunt- 
er's Point  and  South  Side  Railroad  Company 
in  1870.  The  articles  of  association  proposed 
to  build  a  road  from  a  point  on  the  South 
Side  Railroad  Company's  line  at  Fresh  Pond, 
running  thence  to  the  East  River  at  a  point 
between  the  Hunter's   Point  ferry    and  Ra- 


'296 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


venswood,  that  being  the  name  of  the  village 
next  north  of  Hunter's  Point,  opposite  Black- 
well's  Island.  Had  this  line  been  construct- 
ed in  its  entirety  it  would  have  crossed  first 
the  old  line  of  the  New  York  &  Flushing 
Railroad  between  Winfield  and  Hunter's 
Point;  secondly,  the  main  line  of  the  Long 
Island  Railroad,  and  thirdly,  the  main  line 
of  the  Flushing,  North  Shore  &  Central 
Railroad.  Whatever  may  have  been  the 
ideas  of  its  management  as  to  the  feasibility 
of  the  line  contemplated,  they  never  under- 
took to  construct  it  in  its  entirety,  but  did 
construct  their  line  from  the  point  of  junc- 
tion at  Fresh  Pond  to  the  contemplated  cross- 
ing of  the  New  York  &  Flushing  Railroad, 
which  was  then  a  branch  lying  idle  and  not 
operated.  Having  reached  this  point  of  junc- 
tion, and  having  already  negotiated  the  pur- 
chase of  the  stock  of  the  New  York  &  Flush- 
ing Railroad,  the  Hunters'  Point  &  South 
Side  Railroad  formed  a  connection  with  the 
New  York  &  Flushing  Railroad,  and  by  this 
means  secured  an  outlet  on  the  property  of 
the  latter  company  to  navigable  waters  on 
Newtown  Creek,  with  such  rights  as  that 
company  had  south  of  the  Long  Island  Rail- 
road station.  They  proceeded  at  once  to  put 
as  much  of  this  road  as  was  necessary  in  or- 
der, so  as  to  reach  a  freight  dock  which  they 
constructed  on  Newtown  Creek,  and  were 
thus  in  the  field  as  competitors  with  the  Long 
Island  Railroad  and  the  Flushing,  North 
Shore  and  Central  Railroad  for  the  trans- 
portation of  freight  from  all  competitive 
points.  They  did  not,  however,  change  their 
terminal  for  passenger  traffic.  That  con- 
tinued as  above  stated.  By  an  enabling  act, 
the  South  Side  Railroad  Company  was  au- 
thorized to.  purchase  the  stock  of  the  New 
York  &  Flushing  Railroad,  the  Far  Rock- 
away  Branch  Railroad  and  the  Rockaway 
Railroad,  of  Queens  County,  and  the  Hunt- 
er's Point  &  South  Side  Railroad. 

In  September,  1872,  by  the  authority  of  this 
act,  the  Far  Rockaway  Railroad  Company  was 
consolidated  into  the  South  Side  Railroad 
Company,  and  a  proper  certificate  filed  in  the 
office  of  the  Secretary  of  State  on  September, 
1872.  On  the  same  day  a  similar  certificate 
was  filed  in  the  same  manner,  consolidating 
the  Rockaway  Railway  Company  and  the 
Hunter's  Point  and  South  Side  Railroad  Com- 
pany with  the  South  Side  Railroad  Company. 
By  these  three  acts  the  South  Side  Railroad 
Company  became  vested  with  the  title  of  the 


branch  from  Valley  Stream  to  the  western 
terminus  on  Rockaway  Beach,  and  also  to  the 
branch  from  Fresh  Pond  to  the  junction  of  the 
New  York  &  Flushing  Railroad.  For  some 
reason,  not  apparent  at  this  day,  the  manage- 
ment of  the  South  Side  Railroad  saw  fit  not  to 
avail  themselves  of  the  provisions  of  the  act 
of  the  Legislature  and  complete  the  consoli- 
dation of  the  New  York  &  Flushing  Railroad 
with  the  South  Side  Railroad  Company,  and 
so  that  corporation  continued  outside  of  the 
corporate  life  of  the  South  Side  Railroad  Com- 
pany until  the  same  was  absorbed  at  a  later 
date. 

The  detail's  of  construction  of  all  the  steam 
roads  on  Long  Island  up  to  1874  that  have 
since  fallen  into  the  Long  Island  Railroad  cor- 
poration have  now  been  stated.  A  summary  of 
the  position  of  these  ipoads  in  1874  will  be 
profitable  to  an  understanding  of  subsequent 
events,  for  it  was  at  about  this  time  that  the 
contest  was  most  bitter  and  severe  between  the 
three  systems  that  we  can  now  properly  desig- 
nate as  the  North  Side  system,  the  Main  Line 
or  Central  system  and  the  South  Side  system. 
To  recapitulate  and  state  the  lines  that  were  in 
active  operation  at  this  date,  the  North  Side 
system  had  a  line  running  fnom  the  north  side 
of  the  East  River  ferry  at  Hunter's  Point, 
running  thence  through  Flushing  and  College 
Point  to  Whitestdne ;  an  extension  from  Main 
street,  in  Flushing,  to  Great  Neck;  a  branch 
from  Flushing  through  Rocky  Hill  an'd  Gar- 
den Citv  to  Babylon,  and  a  branch  from  Gar- 
den City  to  Hempstead.  The  Long  Island 
Railroad  proper  controlled  what  we  have 
designated  the  Main  Line  or  Central  system, 
which  consi'sted  of  a  road  from^  Hunter's  Point 
to  Greenport,  with  a  branch  from  Mineola  to 
Hempstead,  a  branch  from  Manor  to  Sag  Har- 
bor, a  branch  from  Jamaica  to  Far  Rockaway, 
a  branch  from  Hicksville  to  Poirt  Jefferson,  a 
branch  from  Mineola  to  Locust  Valley,  a 
branch  from  Winfield  to  Flushing,  and  a 
branch  from  Jamaica  to  East  New  York. 

The  South  Side  system  consisted  of  a  main 
line  from  Grand  street,  in  the  city  of  Brooklyn, 
through  Bushwick,  Jamaica,  Springfield  and 
Babylon  to  Patchogue,  a  branch  from  Valley 
Stream  to  Hempstead,  a  branch  from  Valley 
Stream  to  Rockaway  Beach,  and  a  branch 
from  Fresh  Pond  to  a  point  on  Newtown 
Creek,  in  Long  Island  City.  This  summary 
gives  a  statement  of  all  the  lines  of  railroad  in 
actual  operation  at  the  date  spoken  of,  but  does 
not  include  uncompleted  parts  of  roads,  nor 


INTERNAL    COMMUNICATIONS. 


297 


projected  schemes  that  had  not  to  that  date 
•been  constructed.  A  person  who  will  take  a 
map  of  Long  Island  and  look  at  the  lines  as 
stated  cannot  fail  to  observe  that  the  three 
systems  of  railroads  cross  and  intersect  each 
other  at  numerous  points,  and  competed  on 
the  same  ground  for  travel  and  business  that 
one  railroad  could  easily  handle.  The  effect 
of  this  situation  was  to  have  the  sharpest  kind 
of  competition  to  secure  the  business,  with  the 
result  that  wherever  competition  could  reach 
it  was  done  at  ruinous  rates. 

The  first  of  these  railroad  systems  to  suc- 
cumb to  the  ruinous  effects  of  this  competition 
was  the  South  Side  system.  It  defaulted  in  the 
payment  of  interest  upon  its  bonds,  in  1874, 
and  was  unable  to  pay  a  large  floating  debt  that 
had  accumulated.  Foreclosure  proceedings 
were  instituted  upon  a  series  of  second  mort- 
gage bonds  to  the  amount  of  $1,000,000,  and 
such  proceedings  were  had  that  the  road,  its 
property  and  franchises  were  sold  and  bid  in 
by  parties  representing  the  North  Side  system 
of  railroads.  The  North  Side  system  had  been 
promoted  and  carried  forward  chiefly  by  Con- 
rad Poppenhusen,  a  gentleman  of  very  large 
means,  of  the  highest  character  and  of  a  san- 
guine temperament.  He  had  very  limited  ex- 
perience in  railroad  matters,  and  for  a  few 
years  was  a  very  important  factor  in  railroad 
affairs  on  Long  Island  until  he  came  to  finan- 
cial grief. 

Upon  the  purchase  of  the  South  Side  prop- 
erty upon  this  foreclosure,  a  new  corporation 
was  organized,  called  the  Southern  Railroad 
Company.  Its  articles  of  association  were  filed 
in  September,  1874.  This  new  corporation 
succeeded  to  all  the  property  and  franchises  of 
the  old  South  Side  Railroad,  except  a  branch 
from  Valley  Stream  to  Hempstead,  which  had 
never  been  consolidated  with  the  South  Side 
Railroad.  At  this  time  it  will  be  noted  that 
the  North  Sidte  system  was  now  in  harmony 
with  the  South  Side  system ;  that,  while  there 
was  no  actual  consolidation,  the  same  parties 
were  owners  of  both  systems  of  railroads. 
Considerable  modification  resulted  from  this 
uniformity  of  .interests  in  the  administration  of 
the  business  of  the  two  systems  of  railroads  on 
the  island.  Very  soon  after  the  new  corpora- 
tion was  organized,  it  abandoned  the  branch 
from  A^alley  Stream  to  Hempstead.  There  was 
a  first  mortgage  upon  that  branch,  which  was 
subsequently  foreclosed  and  the  property  sold. 
No  attempt  has  ever  been  made  to  open  that 
line  of  road  since  that  date,  and  it  is  among 
the  abandoned  roads  on  the  island.     Another 


change  that  was  effected  took  place  near  Baby- 
lon. It  will  be  remembered  that  when  the  Cen- 
tral Extension  Railroad  was  constructed,  it 
cros'seid  the  line  of  the  South  Side  Railroad, 
continuing  its  way  towards  the  Fire  Island 
Dock.  That  part  of  it  lying  south  of  the  South 
Side  Railroad  was  abandoned,  the  track  was 
taken  up,  and  a  curve  put  in  at  the  junction,  so 
as  to  make  a  connection  with  the  South  Side 
Railroad.  No  other  material  changes  were 
made  in  this  road  until  a  subsequent  event  of 
great  importance.  For  two  years  the  fastest 
passenger  trains  were  run  from  Patchogue  to 
Babylon,  thence  over  the  Flushing,  North 
Shore  &  Central  Railroad,  via  Garden  City 
and  Flushing,  to  Hunter's  Point. 

Practically  the  railroad  fight  was  now  on 
against  the  Long  Island  Railroad  by  the  com- 
bined roads  on  the  north  and  south,  although 
legally  the  two  corporations,  the  north  and  the 
south,  were  still  distinct  properties.  A  war 
of  rates  continued  with  unisatisfactory  results 
to  the  railroads.  In  1875  the  earnings  of  the 
Long  Island  Railroad  were  only  $798,000 ;  the 
Flushing,  North  Shore  &  Central,  $429,691, 
and  the  Southern  Road  $340,000,  making  a 
total  of  $1,567,691.  In  1876  a  great  change 
came,  which  was  the  precursor  of  the  present 
Long  Island  Railroad  system.  Mr.  Conrad 
Poppenhusen  and  a  few  of  his  associates 
bought  out  a  majority  of  the  stock  of  the  Long 
Island  Railroad,  and  thus  for  the  first  time 
were  all  the  railroad  properties  on  Long  Island 
brought  under  one  harmonious  control. 

Immediately  upon  the  control  of  all  the 
railroads  being  substantially  under  one  man- 
agement, changes  were  inaugurated  to  facili- 
tate business  and  combine  the  corporation 
under  one  management.  To  effect  this  object, 
a  tripartite  agreement  or  lease  was  executed 
between  the  three  systems,  by  which  the  Long 
Island  Railroad  Company  wa's  the  lessee  of  the 
North  Side  and  South  Side  systems.  This  lease 
was  dated  in  1876.  It  is  not  out  of  place  to 
state  here  that  if  these  leases  had  been  judi- 
cious and  fair  to  all  the  corporations,  at  this 
point  would  have  been  established  the  perma- 
nent co-operation  and  the  ultimate  consolida- 
tion of  all  these  roads.  At  the  time  the  leases 
were  executed,  there  were  very  sharp  and  con- 
flicting differences  of  opinion  as  to  the  basis  of 
the  leases.  On  one  side  was  a  conservative 
element  who  contended  for  rates  very  different 
from  those  that  were  established  by  the  con- 
tract. On  the  other  hand',  there  was  a  sanguine 
element  in  the  board  who  believed  that  if  the 
whole  system  were  relieved  from  the  effects 


298 


HISTORY    OF    LONO    ISLAND. 


of  competition  the  Long  Island  Railroad  would 
be  able  justly  and  properly  to  assume  the  fixed 
charges  established  by  the  terms  of  the  lease. 
The  sequel  showed  that  the  conservative  ele- 
ment was  in  the  right,  and  that  the  sanguine 
element  was  doomed  to  a  bitter  disappoint- 
ment. The  whole  structure  thus  brought  to- 
gether was  doomed  to  fall  apart,  to  be  again 
reconstructed  into  the  system  now  prevailing. 
The  one  weak  point  was  the  excess  of  fixed 
charges  over  and  above  that  which  the  lessee 
road  could,  by  any  poissibility,  pay.  It  was  the 
same  rock  upon  which  so  many  railroad 
schemes  have  been  wrecked. 

We  will  now  turn  our  attention  to  changes 
that  quickly  followed  the  making  of  the  lease, 
or  tripartite  agreement  of  1876,  many  of  which 
changes  have  remained  to  this  day  in  the  oper- 
ation of  the  road.  The  first  change  was  to  im- 
mediately stop  the  running  of  cars  over  the 
White  Line,  so-called,  running  from  Newtown 
to  Flushing.  This  line  was  soon  thereafter 
entirely  abandoned,  and  no  attempt  has  ever 
been  made  to  open  it  for' public  travel.  The 
next  most  important  change  was  to  extend  the 
western  freight  line  of  the  southern  system 
from  the  freight  dock  on  Newtown  Creek  into 
the  passenger  station  of  the  Long  Island  Rail- 
road, thus  making  it  possible  for  the  trains 
destined  for  the  South  Side  system  to  depart 
from  Long  Island  City  and  proceed  via  Fresh 
Pond  to  Jamaica,  and  from  thence  along  the 
South  Side  Railroad.  After  this  change  was 
made,  the  continuance  of  transportation  of 
passengers  by  dummy  engines  through  the  city 
of  Brooklyn,  from  Bushwick  to  the  East  River, 
was  discontinued,  but  the  line  from  Fresh 
Pond  to  Bushwick  was  continued  as  a  branch 
line  or  spur  of  the  main  line,  a  condition  of 
things  that  still  remains  unchanged.  Import- 
ant changes  were  also  effected  at  Hunter's 
Point,  which  was  then  known  as  Long  Island 
City,_by  connecting  the  line  of  the  North  Side 
division  with  the  main  line  of  the  Long  Island 
Railroad,  and  thus  carrying  the  passenger 
trains  of  that  division  also  into  the  Long 
Island  Railroad  depot  on  the  south  side  of  the 
ferry.  A  connection  was  also  made  between 
the  tracks  of  the  North  Side  division  that  ran 
to' the  north  side  of  the  ferry  and  the  main  line 
of  the  Long  Island  Railroad,  and  the  property 
of  the  North  Side  division  on  the  north  side  of 
the  ferry  became  the  principal  depot  fo.r  the 
receipt  of  freight  for  the  united  svstems,  and 
still  continues  the  freight  yard  for  New  York 
freight.    Another  change  of  lesser  importance. 


but  of  great  practical  convenience,  was  effect- 
ed, by  putting  in  a  curve  at  Springfield  Junc- 
tion, uniting  the  Rockaway  branch  of  the  Long 
Island  Railroad  with  the  main  line  of  the 
Southern  division,  and  transferring  the 
through  passenger  business  from  the  short  line, 
cutting  off  from  Jamaica  to  Springfield  onto 
the  Long  Island  main  line  as  far  as  Rockaway 
Junction,  and  thence  to  Springfield  on  the  New 
York  and  Rockaway  Road,  and  from  Spring- 
field eastward  on  the  main  line  of  the  southern 
division.  The  effect  of  this  was  to  get  rid  of 
one  of  two  stations  in  the  village  of  Jamaica, 
with  its  attendant  expenses.  Another  change 
of  minor  importance  was  effected  by  abandon.- 
ing  entirely  the  operation  of  the  old  line  from 
Garden  City  to  Hempstead.  By  these  various 
minor  changes  two  stations  were  gotten  rid  of 
in  the  village  of  Hempstead,  one  station  in  the 
village  of  Jamaica,  and  one  station  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Flushing. 

The  roads  were  operated  in  this  manner 
by  the  new  management  for  about  eighteen 
months,  but  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Com- 
pany became  so  embarrassed  by  the  fixed 
charges  and  a  rapidly  accumulating  floating 
debt  that  in  the  fall  of  1877  it  passed  into  the 
hands  of  a  receiver,  Mr.  Thomas  R.  Sharp 
being  appointed  to  that  position.  Then  was 
entered  upon  a  series  of  movements  by  bond- 
holders that  would  have  dissipated  and  di- 
vided the  scheme  of  union  of  the  three  sys- 
tems, except  that  the  bondholders  were  un- 
able to  see  how  it  was  possible  to  operate 
the  separate  divisions  with  any  better  suc- 
cess than  had  been  found  in  the  former  ex- 
perience ;  and  while  they  knew  it  was  neces- 
sary to  readjust  matters,  the  general  senti- 
ment on  all  sides  seemed  to  be  that  there 
was  no  prosperity  for  the  roads  on  Long  Isl- 
and except  by  united  management.  The  de- 
tails of  the  processes,  by  which  the  new  ad- 
justments were  made  would  be  tedious,  and 
could  only  be  fully  stated  bv  reciting  the  pro- 
ceedings in  full.  The  results  only  will  be 
stated  here.  A  mortgage  on  the  Southern 
Railroad  was  foreclosed,  thus  cutting  out  the 
lease-hold  right  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad 
Company  in  that  road,  and  temporarily  sever- 
ing it  from  the  Long  island  Railroad  system. 
The  purchasers  under  the  morteage  foreclos- 
ure of  the  Southern  Railroad  of  Long  Island 
organized  a  new  railroad  corporation  under 
date  of  November,  1870,  under  the  name  of 
the  Brooklyn  &  Montauk  Railroad  Company, 
and  took  title  to  all  of  the  South  Side  Rail- 


INTERNAL    COMMUNICATIONS. 


299' 


road  system,  except  the  line  from  Valley 
Stream  to  Hempstead,  and  also  the  line  from 
Valley  Stream  to  Far  Rockaway,  and  thence 
along  the  Rockaway  Beach,  these  properties 
not .  being  covered  by  the  mortgage  fore- 
closed. The  property  covered  by  the  mort- 
gage was  the  line  from  Brooklyn  to  Pat- 
chogue,  and  the  branch  from  Fresh  Pond  to 
the  junction  with  the  New  York  &  Flushing 
Raifroad.  The  road  from  Valley  Stream  to 
Hempstead  was  mortgaged,  and  the  bond- 
holders foreclosed  that  mortgage,  but  were 
never  able  to  dispose  of  the  line  of  road  be- 
tween Valley  Stream  and  Hempstead,  and  it 
has  been  abandoned  to  the  present  date.  A 
mortgage  upon  the  road  from  Valley  Stream 
to  Far  Rockaway  was  foreclosed,  and  title 
to  the  same  was  taken  by  Henry  Graves  on 
such  foreclosure.  Thus  Henry  Graves  be- 
came the  purchaser  of  the  line  from  Valley 
Stream  to  Far  Rockaway.  On  the  19th  day 
of  December,  1882,  Henry  Graves  conveyed 
this  property  from  Valley  Stream  to  Far 
Rockaway  to  the  Brooklyn  &  Montauk  Rail- 
road Company,  and  thus  this  branch  railroad 
again  became  attached  to  the  South  Side  sys- 
tem. The  title  to  that  piece  of  road  from 
Far  Rockaway  westward  along  the  beach 
passed  to  the  Brooklyn  &  Montauk  Railroad 
Company  through  the  two  foreclosures  of  the 
mortgage  on  the  South  Side  Railroad  and  the 
mortgage  on  the  Southern  Railroad. 

We  will  now  turn  our  attention  to  the 
changes  that  were  effected  on  the  north  side 
many  of  which  were  more  radical  than  those 
effected  on  the  south  side.  During  the  re- 
ceivership of  Thomas  R.  Sharp,  and  about 
the  year  1878,  he  determined  to  abandon  the 
part  of  the  Hne  of  the  Central  Railroad  be- 
tween Flushing  and  the  western  line  of  the 
Stewart  property,  and  effected  a  connection 
between  the  western  end  of  the  road  on  the 
Stewart  property  and  the  main  line  of  the 
Long  Island  Railroad,  thus  bringing  the  pas- 
sengers who  had  formerly  passed  from  Baby- 
lon westward  to  Long  Island  City,  via  Flush- 
ing, down  on  the  main  Hne  to  Long  Island 
City.  A  foreclosure  of  the  mortgage  of  the 
Central  Railroad  was  effected  in  1879,  by 
which  the  title  to  that  road  passed  to  Egisto 
P.  Fabbri.  The  policy  having  been  entered 
upoii  of  abandoning  that  line  and  yet  pre- 
serving at  each  end  of  it  a  piece  that  might 
be  of  advantage  to  the  contemplated  system, 
Mr.  Fabbri,  in  October,  1879,  conveyed  to 
the  Long  Island  Railroad   Company  a  por- 


tion of  the  eastern  end  of  the  old  Central. 
Railroad  between  Creedmoor  and  the  cross- 
ing of  the  main  line  of  the  Long  Island  Rail- 
road. A  curve  was  put  in  between  the  main 
line  and  this  piece  of  road,  and  thus  the  Long 
Island  Railroad  Company  became  entitled  to 
the  spur  from  Floral  Park  to  Creedmoor. 
A  piece  of  this  road  in  the  village  of  Flush- 
ing was  at  a  later  date  conveyed  to  the  Long 
Island  City  and  Flushing  Railroad  Company. 
On  the  30th  day  of  December,  1880,  an- 
other great  change  in  the  affairs  of  the  rail- 
roads on  Long  Island  was  consummated.  On 
that  day.  Receiver  Sharp  was  discharged, 
and  Austin  Corbin  was  substituted  as  re- 
ceiver in  place  of  Mr.  Sharp.  This  change- 
was  the  result  of  a  piirchase  by  Austin  Cor- 
bin and  his  associates  of  a  large  majority 
of  the  stock  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad, 
and  other  securities  connected  with  the 
railroad   system.     Mr.  Corbin*   ran   the    road 

*Austin  Corbin,  whose  best  and  and  most  enduring 
memorial  in  the  Long  Island  Railroad,  was  one  of  the 
most  noted  capitalists  of  his  time,  and  his  career  was 
from  first  to  last  truly  an  American  one, — one  that  could 
not  be  paralleled  in  any  other  country  in  the  world.  This 
was  conspicuous  especially  in  his  later  years,  when  he 
strove  to  utilize  his  means  and  brains  and  influence  to 
promote  wTiat  was  really  a  magnificent  series  of  projects 
for  the  public  benefit.  In  most  other  countries  a 
man  who  had  successfully  engaged  in  the  battle  of  life 
would  have  retired  to  enjoy  himself  ' '  under  his  own  vine 
and  fig  tree;"  but  almost  until  the  close  of  his  career 
Mr.  Corbin  was  interested  in  improving  matters  around 
him,  in  using  his  resources  in  benefiting  the  public,  and 
while  he  never  posed  as  a  philanthropist,  expected  a  fair 
return  for  all  the  capital  he  employed,  and  engaged  in 
business  on  business  principles,  all  he  did  was  with  a 
view  of  placing  some  benefit  within  reach,  and  at  the 
service,  of  the  people.  Even  his  management  of  his 
private  property,  his  summer  home,  had  this  end  in  view. 

Mr.  Corbin  was  born  at  Newport,  N.  H.,  July  11, 
1827.  He  studied  law  at  Harvard  and  when  he  was 
graduated,  in  1849,  returned  to  his  native  town  and 
began  to  practice.  He  soon  found  it  too  slow,  however, 
and  he  determined  to  try  his  fortune  in  the  west.  In 
1852  he  settled  in  Davenport,  Iowa,  where  he  organized 
what  is  now  the  First  National  Bank,  and  remained 
there  until  1866,  when  he  came  to  New  York  and  fully 
entered  upon  that  career  as  a  banker  and  financier  which 
long  before  he  passed  away  made  his  name  famous 
throughout  the  country,  and  indeed  throughout  the  whole 
financial  world.  He  established  the  Corbin  Banking 
Company  in  1873  and  entered  upon  his  remarkable  series 
of  exploits  as  a  railroad  financier  by  the  reorganization 
of  the  Indiana,  Bloomington  &  Western  Railroad.  His 
connection  with  the  Long  Island  Railroad  is  fully  told 
in  the  body  of  this  work  and  need  not  be  repeated  here. 
He  was  also  at  one  time  receiver  of  the  Philadelphia  & 
Reading  Railroad  and  became  its  president,  and  he  was 
president  of  the  New  York  and  New  England  Railroad 
Company,  and  of  the  Elmira,  Cortland  &  Northern 
Railroad  Company,  and  a  director  in  a  host  of  financial 
institutions  of  every  description. 

He  died,  the  result  of  an  accident,  June  4,  189G. 


300 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


as  receiver  until  the  isth  day  of  October, 
1 88 1,  when  he  was  directed  by  an  order 
of  the  Supreme  Court  to  restore  the  property 
of  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company  to  the 
control  of  its  directors.  Mr.  Corbin  infused 
into  the  management  of  tne  Long  Island 
Railroad  a  new  spirit  of  energy.  He  inaug- 
urated many  and  great  reforms,  that  placed 
the  system  of  railroads  on  the  island  on  a 
much  higher  plane  of  efficiency  than  they 
had  ever  before  enjoyed.  The  most  import- 
ant enterprise  entered  upon  in  Mr.  Corbin's 
administration  was  undertaken  the  first  sum- 
mer after  he  had  been  appointed  receiver, 
and  had  also  been  elected  President  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  of  the  Long  Island  Rail- 
road Corporation.  By  the  co-operation  of 
the  Brooklyn  &  Montauk  Railroad  Company, 
that  corporation,  under  its  corporate  powers, 
•extended  the  road  from  Patchogue  to  East- 
port  on  the  Sag  Harbor  Branch  of  the  Long 
Island  Railroad,  forming  a  junction  there 
with  that  branch  line,  and  thus  was  inaug- 
urated a  through  line  of  railroad  from  Sag 
Harbor  along  the  south  side  of  the  island  as 
far  as  Springfield,  running  thence  to  Jamaica, 
■and  uniting  with  the  main  line  of  the  Long 
Island  Railroad  that  point.  This  was  the 
only  piece  of  railroad  construction  inaugur- 
ated by  Mr.  Corbin  for  several  years,  but 
the  general  characteristics  of  the  road  and  its 
rolling  stock  were  radically  changed  under 
his  vigorous  administration. 

In  1 88 1  the  mortgage  on  the  Central  Ex- 
tension Railroad  was  foreclosed.  This  was 
the  road  built  from  Farmingdale  to  Babylon, 
tefore  referred  to.  On  this  foreclosure  the 
title  was  taken  in  the  name  of  Benjamin  S. 
Henning,  who  subsequently  on  the  Qth  day 
of  February,  1882,  conveyed  the  same  to  the 
Long  Island  Railroad  Company.  Thus  the 
Long  Island  Railroad  Company  became  en- 
titled to  that  branch  of  railroad. 

In  1880  a  foreclosure  had  been  consum- 
mated of  a  mortgage  on  the  Flushing  & 
North  Side  Railroad,  and  on  the  sale  title  to 
that  property  was  taken  by  Egisto  P.  Fabbri 
and  Charles  Knoblauch.  In  March,  1881, 
Fabbri  and  Knoblauch  filed  a  certificate  or- 
ganizing the  Long  Island  City  &  Flushing 
Railroad  Company,  and  on  the  first  day  of 
April,  1881,  Fabbri  and  Knoblauch  conveyed 
to  that  corporation  the  property  they  had 
acquired  on  the  foreclosure  proceedings.  By 
this  conveyance  the  Long  Island  City  & 
Flushing  Railroad  Company  became  entitled 


to  a  line  of  railroad  from  Long  Island  City 
to  Main  street,  in  the  village  of  Flushing, 
and  also  the  line  of  road  from  the  junction 
near  the  drawbridge  over  Flushing  Creek, 
running  thence  to  Whitestone.  By  this  deed, 
and  by  virtue  of  the  former  consolidation  of 
the  Flushing  &  Woodside  Railroad,  the  new 
corporation  became  vested  of  all  there  was 
remaining  of  value  in  the  Flushing  &  Wood- 
side  Railroad.  It  consisted  chiefly  of  the 
franchise  to  cross  Flushing  Creek  near  the 
Bridge  street  station  in  the  village  of  Flush- 
ing. The  road  heretofore  spoken  of  as  the 
North  Shore  Railroad,  extending  from  Main 
street,  in  the  village  of  Flushing,  was  thus 
severed  from  any  legal  connection  with  any 
corporation,  but  in  fact  was  an  outlying 
branch,  which  was  subsequently  acquired,  as 
will  be  jiow  explained.  In  1882  a  mortgage 
upon  this  North  Shore  Railroad,  running 
frtom  Flushing  to  Great  Neck,  was  fore- 
closed, and  on  the  sale  title  was  taken  in  the 
name  of  Austin  Corbin  and  J.  Rogers  Max- 
well. On  the  2d  day  of  October,  1884,  Cor- 
bin and  Maxwell  conveyed  this  piece  of  road 
to  the  Long  Island  City  &  Flushing  Railroad 
Company,  and  thus  for  the  first  time  the  fee 
of  this  road  became  vested  in  the  corpora- 
tion that  owned  the  title  to  the  line  from 
Flushing  to  Long  Island  City. 

During  the  year  1886  a  mortgage  on  the 
Whitestone  &  Westchester  Road  was  fore- 
closed, and  the  property  sold  to  John  R. 
Maxwell  and  Henry  Graves.  On  the  28th 
day  of  April,  1887,  Maxwell  and  Graves  con- 
veyed this  property  to  the  Long  Island  City 
&  Flushing  Railroad  Company,  and  thus  the 
latter  company  became  entitled  to  the  railroad 
to  the  water's  edge  in  the  village  of  White- 
stone. 

No  attempt  was  made  by  the  owners  of 
the  North  Side  system  of  railroads,  that  had 
become  legally  severed  from  the  control  of 
the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company,  nor  by 
the  owners  of  the  South  Side  system  of  rail- 
roads, that  had  also  become  severed  from  the 
Long  Island  Railroad  Company,  to  operate 
them  as  independent  properties,  but  they  were 
operated  for  a  few  years  under  leases  made 
with  each  of  the  new  organizations  by  the 
Long  Island  Railroad  Company. 

On  the  30th  day  of  September,  1889,  a 
certificate  was  filed  in  the  office  of  the  Sec- 
retary of  State  of  New  York,  that  the  whole 
capital  stock  of  the  Brooklyn  &  Montauk  Rail- 
road Company  had  been  surrendered  or  trans- 


INTERNAL    COMMUNICATIONS. 


301 


ferred  to  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company. 
By  this  certificate  of  surrender  under  the 
statute  the  property  and  franchises  of  the 
Brooklyn  &  Montauk  Railroad  Company  be- 
came merged  in  and  consolidated  with  the 
Long  Island  Railroad  Company,  and  thus 
the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company  acquired 
title  to  all  those  roads  that  had  been  merged 
into  the  Brooklyn  &  Montauk  Railroad  Com- 
pany. On  the  2d  of  April,  1889,  a  certificate 
was  filed  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of 
State,  certifying  that  the  entire  capital  stock 
of  the  Long  Island  City  &  Flushing  Railroad 
Company  had  been  surrendered  or  transferred 
to  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company.  The 
eifect  of  this  was  to  merge  and  consolidate 
the  line  of  road  from  Long  Island  City  to 
Great  Neck,  via  Flushing,  together  with  the 
branch  from  College  Point  to  Whitestone,  in 
the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company. 

In  April,  1891,  a  certificate  was  filed  in 
the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State,  that  the 
entire  capital  stock  of  the  New  York  &  Flush- 
ing Railroad  Company  had  been  surrendered 
and  transferred  to  the  Long  Island  Railroad 
Company,  thus  effecting  a  legal  union  be- 
tween the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company 
and  the  remnant  of  the  old  New  York  & 
Flushing  Railroad,  which  was  being  utilized 
in  the  system.  That  part  of  the  New  York 
&  Flushing  Railroad  lying  between  Winfield, 
and  the  junction  of  the  South  Side  Railroad 
had  been  abandoned  for  many  years,  and  still 
remains  an  abandoned  line. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Stewart 
line,  so-called,  running  across  Hempstead 
Plains,  had  never  been  acquired  in  fee,  but  np 
to  1892  had  been  run  as  a  leased  line.  On 
June  I,  1892,  the  heirs  of  A.  T.  Stewart  con- 
veyed the  fee  of  that  line  to  the  Long  Island 
Railroad  Company.  The  line  conveyed  by 
this  deed  extended  from  the  junction  of  that 
road  with  the  main  line  at  Floral  Park  east- 
wardly  ito  Farmingdale  and  Bethpage,  to- 
gether with  the  branch  from  Garden  Cfty  to 
Hempstead.  By  the  operation  of  this  deed, 
the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company  became 
vested  with  the  title  and  property  of  this  piece 
of  railroad. 

The  history  of  all  of  the  railroad  property 
owned  by  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Com- 
pany in  its  own  right  is  now  complete.  There 
are  other  railroads  on  Long  Island  operated 
by  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company  that 
\yill  need  further  consideration  and  explana- 
tion, but  at  this  stage  it  will  facilitate  an  un- 


derstanding if  we  stop  and  look  at  the  prop- 
erty of  the  Long  Island  Railroad  corporation 
standing  in  its  own  name,  regardless  of  the 
attached  leased  lines.  We  will  now  recapitulate 
the  lines  owned  by  this  company,  disregarding 
all  old  names  and  treating  the  present  prop- 
erty as  a  unit  as  it  is  in  fact : 

A  line  from  Long  Island  City  via  Win- 
field,  Jamaica  and  Farmingdale,  to  Green- 
port. 

A  branch  from  Mineola  to  Locust  Valley. 

A  branch  from  Hicksville  to  Northport. 

A  branch  from  Manorville  to  Eastport. 

A  branch  from  Mineola  to  Hempstead. 

A  branch  from  Floral  Park  to  Creed- 
moor. 

A  branch  from  Floral  Park,  via  Garden 
City,  to  Babylon. 

A  branch  from  Bethpage  Junction  tO' 
Bethpage. 

A  line  from  Long  Island  City,  via  Fresh 
Pond,  Jamaica  and  Babylon,  to  Sag  Harbor. 

A  branch  from  Fresh  Pond  to  Bushwick. 

A  branch  from  Valley  Stream  to  Rock- 
away  Beach. 

A  line  from  Long  Island  City  to  Great 
Neck. 

A  branch  from  Flushing  to  Whitestone 
Landing. 

Such  are  the  lines  and  branches  owned 
by  the  present  Long  Island  Railroad  Com- 
pany. That  part  of  the  Southern  division 
owned  by  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Com- 
pany is  the  old  line  from  Jamaica  to  Spring- 
field, not  now  much  used.  The  principal 
trains  pass  eastward  to  Rockaway  Junction, 
and  thence  to  Springfield  Junction.  This 
piece  of  road  of  the  New  York  &  Rockaway 
Railroad  between  the  two  junctions  is  oper- 
ated under  lease  from  the  New  York  and 
Rockaway  Railroad  Company.  The  balance 
of  the  New  York  and  Rockaway  Railroad 
from  Springfield  Junction  to  Far  Rockaway 
was  abandoned  many  years   ago. 

There  are  a  number  of  leased  lines  now 
operated  by  the  parent  company  of  more  or 
less  importance.  By  far  the  most  important 
one  is  the  line  from  Jamaica  to  Flatbush  ave- 
nue in  the  city  of  Brooklyn.  We  have  not  un- 
dertaken to  give  the  history  of  the  old  Brook- 
lyn &  Jamaica  Railroad.  For  the  purposes  of 
this  history  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  through 
foreclosures  'and  reorganizations  the  property 
of  that  corporation  finally  vested  in  the  Atlan- 
tic Avenue  Railroad  Company.  A  part  of  the 
road  between  East  New  York  and  the  ferry 


302 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


was  for  many  years  run  as  a  street  railroad, 
and  the  part  between  Jamaica  and  East. New 
York  was  run  for  about  ten  years  as  a  leased 
line  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company.  In 
1876  the  Legislature,  in  response  to  the  then 
urgent  demands  of  the  authorities  and  citizens 
of  Brooklyn,'  passed  an  act  restoring  the  use  of 
S'team  power  in  Atlantic  avenue,  in  the  city  of 
Brooklyn,  from  Flatbush  avenue  to  the  city 
line.  In  pursuance  of  this  authority,  a  new 
lease  was  effected  in  1877  between  the  Long 
Island  Railroad  Company  and  the  Atlantic 
Avenue  Railroad  Company,  by  which  the 
former  leased  the  line  from  Jamaica  to  Flat- 
bush  avenue  for  ninety-nine  years,  upon  a 
basis  of  a  per  cent,  of  the  earnings  being  paid 
as  rent.  This  percentage  basis  was  on  the  30th 
day  of  April,  1895,  changed  to  a  fixed  rental. 
When  the  Brooklyn  &  Jamaica  Railroad  was 
first  constructed,  that  corporation  acquired  a 
considerable  tract  of  land  in  the  village  of  Ja- 
maica, and  erected  a  station  and  other  terminal 
facilities  there.  The  use  of  this  land  passed 
under  the  various  leases  to  the  Long  Island 
Railroad  Company,  and  in  the  construction  of 
depots,  side-tracks,  yard  facilities  and  other 
structures  appurtenant  to  so  large  and  import- 
ant a  station  and  junction,  the  lands  of  the  two 
corporations  have  been  used  in  common,  dis- 
regarding the  property  lines  between  the  two 
corporations,  so  that  at  this  day,  without  an 
actual  survey,  no  one  could  determine  in  the 
tangle  of  tracks  and  structures  at  Jamaica  on 
which  company's  land  they  are  built.  This  is 
probably  not  a  very  material  matter  at  this 
time,  but  it  is  a  fact  worth  noting  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company. 
Under  the  new  lease,  the  track  between  Ja- 
maica and  Flatbush  avenue  was  relaid  in  the 
early  summer  of  1877,  and  on  the  first  day  of 
July  in  that  year  locomotives  and  cars  began 
running  between  Flatbush  avenue  and  Ja- 
maica. While  this  road  is  only  a  leased  line 
of  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company,  it  is  a 
very  important  factor  to  that  corporation. 

Another  leased  line  of  importance  tO'  the 
Long  Island  Railroad  Company  is  that  of  the 
New  York  &  Rockaway  Railroad.  This  line 
was  leased  to  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Com- 
pany in  1871  for  a  period  of  thirty  years,  and 
the  lease  on  the  same  will  expire  in  1901. 

In  1886  a  railroad  was  organized  under  the 
name  of  the  Oyster  Bay  Extension  Railroad 
Company.  The  purpose  of  this  organization 
was  to  extend  the  line  of  the  Glen  Cove 
branch,  so-called,  from  Locust  Valley  to  Oys- 


ter Bay.  This  road  was  constructed  by  the 
Long  Island  Railroad  Company,  the  latter  cor- 
poration- having  subscribed  for  or  secured  the 
entire  capital  stock  under  the  provisions  of  its 
charter,  allowing  it  to  subscribe  for  or  pur- 
chase the  stock  of  any  connecting  road  on 
Long. Island.  The  Long  Island  Railroad  Com- 
pany guaranteed  the  bonds  issued  in  the  con- 
struction of  that  railroad,  and  has  operated  it 
since  its  construction  as  a  leased  line,  without 
having  executed  any  written  lease,  but  have 
paid  by  the  way  of  rental  the  interest  on  the 
bonds  issued  for  its  construction. 

In  1870  another  railroad  was  organized,  en- 
titled the  New  York  &  Long  Beach  Railroad 
Company.  This  road  was  constructed  from 
what  was  then  known  as  Pearsall's  Corners, 
now  Lynbrook,  to  Long  Beach,  where  a  sum- 
mer hotel  and  numerous  cottages  were  erected. 
In  February,  1880,  it  was  leased  to  the  Long 
Island  Railroad  Company,  under  an  agreement 
by  which  a  per  cent,  of  its  earnings  should  be 
paid  to  the  corporation.  In  the  sequel  it  was 
found  that  this  per  cent,  was  not  sufficient  to 
meet  the  interest  on  the  bonds  issued  for  the 
construction  of  the  road,  and  a  mortgage  to 
secure  the  bonds  was  subsequently  foreclosed, 
which  terminated  the  lease,  and  a  new  corpor- 
ation was  organized.  Since  the  reorganization 
of  this  road,  it  has  sometimes  been  operated  by 
the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company  as  a  leased 
line,  but  much  of  the  time  it  has  been  idle. 

In  July,  1892,  the  Long  Island  Railroad 
Company,  North  Shore  Branch,  was  organized. 
The  purpose  of  this  branch  was  to  extend  the 
Smithtown  &  Port  Jefferson  Railroad  east- 
ward to  Wading  River.  In  September,  1892, 
the  corporate  rights  and  franchises  of  this  cor- 
poration were  merged  and  consolidated  with 
the  Smithtown  &  Port  Jefferson  Railroad 
Company,  and  the  name  adopted  by  this  new 
organization  was  the  Long  Island  Railroad 
Company,  North  Shore  Branch.  By  this  oper- 
ation the  name  of  the  Smithtown  &  Port  Jef- 
ferson Railroad  disappears  from  the  mao  of 
Long  Island,  and  the  entire  branch  from 
Northport  to  Wading  River  is  now  the  Long 
Island  Railroad  Company,  North  Shore 
Branch,  and  is  now  operated  as  a  branch  of 
the  Long  Island  Railroad. 

In  1892  a  corporation  was  organized  under 
the  name  and  title  of  the  New  York  Bav  Ex- 
tension Railroad  Company.  The  line  of  this 
road  was  to  be  from  Garden  City,  in  the  town 
of  Hempstead,  to  a  point  in  the  city  of  Brook- 
lyn (formerly  the  town  of  New  Lots)  in  the 


INTERNAL    COMMUNICATIONS. 


303 


county  of  Kings,  at  or  near  the  intersection  of 
the  New  Lots  road  with  the  tracks  and  right- 
of-way  of  the  New  York,  Brooklyn  &  Man- 
hattan Beach  Railway  Coinpany.  This  line, 
if  constructed  in  its  entirety,  would  crass  the 
line  of  the  Southern  division  at  Valley  Stream. 
It  has  been  constructed  from  Garden.  City  to 
Valley  Stream,  and  is  now  operated  as  a  leased 
Hne. 

In  1893  the  Montauk  Extension  Railroad 
Company  was  organized.  The  purpose  of  this 
organization  was  to  build  a  road  from  Bridge- 
hampton  to  Fort  Pond  Bay,  on  Montauk 
Point.  The  road  was  subsequently  constructed 
and  is  now  operated  by  the  Long  Island  Rail- 
road Company  as  a  leased  line. 

In  1896  there  was  organized  a  railroad  cor- 
poration called  the  Great  Neck  &  Port  Wash- 
ington Railroad  Company,  to  construct  an  ex- 
tension of  the  North  Shore  division  from  Great 
Neck  to  Port  Washington.  This  railroad  is 
now  in  process  of  construction,  and  when  com- 
pleted will  undoubtedly  prove  a  valuable  feed- 
er to  the  Long  Island  Railroad  system. 

We  have  now  given  all  of  the  lines  on  Long 
Island  that  attach  themselves  in  any  way  to  the 
m'ain  line  ea;st  of  the  city  of  Brooklyn,  but 
which  have  not  been  incorporated  into  the 
Long  Island  Railroad  Company.  There  is  an- 
other railroad,  however,  that  holds  an  anomal- 
ous position  connected  with  the  Long  Island 
Railroad  Company,  and  yet  not  one  of  its 
leased  lines.  A  short  history  of  this  enterprise 
will  explain  the  position  of  that  corporation. 
In  1879  the  New  York,  Woodhaven  &  Rock- 
away  Railroad  Company  was  organized  fori  the 
purpose  of  building  a  railroad  from  Hunter's 
Point  (Long  Island  City)  to  Rockaway  Beach, 
crossing  the  Brooklyn  &  Jamaica  Railroad  at 
Woodhaven,  and  thence  across  the  Meadows 
to  the  beach.  The  project  originally  contem- 
plated an  independent  line  to  the  East  River, 
but  the  projectors  of  the  scheme,  encountering 
what  to  them  were-insurmountable  obstacles  in 
getting  through  Long  Island  City,  entered  into 
a  contract  with  Thomas  R.  Sharp,  as  receiver 
for  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company,  by 
which  they  commenced  building  at  Glendale, 
and  completed  their  road  to  Rockaway  Beach. 
Their  contract  with  the  Long  Island  Railroad 
Company  gave  them  track  privileges  and  ter- 
minal facilities  in  the  Long  Island  Railroad 
depot  in  Long  Island  City.  This  road  furnished 
its  own  equipment  and  operated  its  own  trains 
under  this  contract,  but,  coming  to  financial 
embarrassment,    its    corporate    property    and 


franchises  were  foreclosed  and  sold  to  Austin 
Corbin  and  others,  who,  on  the  20th  day  of 
August,  1887,  conveyed  the  property  to  a  new 
corporation,  called  the  New  York  &  Rockaway 
Beach  Railroad  Company.  By  agreement  be- 
tween the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company  and 
this  corporation,  track  privileges  and  terminal 
facilities  were  given  it  in  the  Long  Island 
Railroad  station  in  Long  Island  City,  and  also 
a  sort  of  joint  occupation  and  a  readjustment 
of  that  part  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad  tracks 
between  Far  Rockaway  and  the  western  ter- 
minus of  its  property  on  Rockaway  Beach  was 
made  between  the  two  corporations.  The 
business  of  this  corporation,  while  apparently 
a  branch  line,  has  been  conducted  under  these 
agreements  separate  and  distinct  from  the 
Long  Island  Railroad  Company. 

There  are  other  lines  leased  or  controlled 
by  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company,  run- 
ning to  Coney  Island,  of  which  no  attempt  is 
made  here  to  trace  their  history  or  status.  The 
name  of  one  is  the  New  York,  Brooklyn  & 
Manliattan  Beach  Railway  Company,  and  the 
other  is  the  Prospect  Park  &  Coney  Island 
Railroad  Company.  These  lines  are  operated 
chiefly  for  summer  traffic  to  Coney  Island,  and 
form  properly  no  part  of  the  Long  Island  Rail- 
road system  as  such. 

Soon  after  the  death  of  Austin  Corbin  the 
Long  Island  Railroad  Company  .was  re-or- 
ganized and  Mr.  W.  H.  Baldwin,  Jr.,  became 
President.  Under  him  the  road  was  worked 
to  its  fullest  capacity;  its  mileage  was  ex- 
tended until  it  controlled  415  miles  and  the 
entire  road  was  put  in  splendid  physical  con- 
dition, with  new  rails,  rolling  stock  and  the 
like.  The  patronage  of  the  road,  under  a 
liberal  construction  as  to  rates,  steadily  in- 
creased, the  summer  business  at  an  especially 
gratifying  rate;  bult  the  isolated  condition 
of  the  system  prevented  a  full  measure  of 
success  being  attained.  For  four  months  in 
each  year  the  road  had  all  the  business  it 
could  attend  to;  for  the  remainder  it  had 
barely  enough  to  pay  expenses,  although  the 
winter  schedule  of  trains  compared  with  that 
of  the  summer  was  a  sadly  abbreviated  one 
and  running  expenses  were  cut  down  to  a 
minimum.  It  has  become  conceded  in  rail- 
road  circles   that   only   trunk   lines,   or   lines 


304 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


having  trunk  connections  can  be  made  to 
pay;  but  the  Long  Island  road  seemed  so 
completely  isolated  that  there  appeared  no 
possibility  of  effecting  an  improvement  in 
that  regard.  Austin  Corbin  had  tried  the  ex- 
periment of  running  a  line  to  Boston,  with 
the  aid  of  ferryboats,  and  so  bringing  the 
Long  Island  road  into  touch  with  the  rail- 
road system  of  the  country;  but  the  effort 
was  a  flat  and  pronounced  failure.  The  pub- 
lic would  not  use  the  route  and  that  settled 
it.  A  scheme  was  subsequently  broached  of 
having  European  steamers  land  passengers  at 
Montauk  Point,  but  that  project  never  got 
beyond  the  stage  of  discussion.  In  fact  all 
such  schemes  of  expansion  seemed  doomed 
to  disappointment  until  the  announcement  was 
made  that  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Com- 
pany had  acquired  a  controlling  interest  in 
the  road  and  the  exclusion  bogey  of  over  half 
a  century  disappeared  as  if  by  magic. 

This  move  on  the  part  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania system  was  not  made  without  thorough 
calculation,  but  it  was  not  until  the  summer 
of  1901  that  the  schemes  made  possible  by 
the  acquisition  of  the  road  had  sufficiently  ad- 
vanced to  be  made  public.  Briefly  put,  these 
plans  are  based  on  the  possession  or  control, 
first,  of  the  present  lines -of  the  Long  Island 
Railroad;  second,  on  connections  across  the 
island  at  its  western  end  with  the  New  York 
Connecting  Railroad,  giving  an  outlet  by 
means  of  three  bridges  across  the  East  River 
over  Ward's  and  Randall's  Islands  to  the 
mainland,  where  connection  will  be  made  with 
the  New  York  &  New  Haven  Road  and  with 
the  Harlem;  third,  on  the  tunnel  from  Hunt- 
er's Point  to  Manhattan  at  the  neighbarhood 
of  Long  Acre  Square,  and,  finally,  on  the 
tunnel  from  the  Battery  in  Manhattan  to  the 
present  terminus  of  the  Long  Island  Rail- 
road,  at   Flatbush   and   Atlantic   avenues,    in 


Brooklyn.  The  plans  have  two  general  ob- 
jectives. One  is  the  development  of  freight 
and  passenger  traffic  with  the  old  city  of  New 
York  and  the  extensive  region  on  Long  Isl- 
and, including  the  old  city  of  Brooklyn  and 
the  Borough  of  Queens.  The  other  relates 
to  comparatively  close  connection  between 
the  Pennsylvania  main  lines  from  the  West 
and  the  whole  of  New  England.  It  is  pro- 
posed to  build  a  great  central  station  for  the 
entire  system  at  East  New  York,  and  when 
the  improvements  are  completed  Brooklyn 
will  be  a  station  on  a  through  trunk  line 
having  connections   with  the   entire  country. 

The  improvements  thus  outlined  are  to 
cost  in  round  figures  $18,000,000.  A  begin- 
ning is  to  be  made  at  once, — in  fact  the  plans 
for  the  tunnel  from  Hunter's  Point  (Long 
Island  City)  to  Long  Acre  Square  were 
filed  on  June  22  in  the  office  of  the  County- 
Clerk  of  Queens.  On  Long  Acre  Square, 
Manhattan,  the  Long  Island  Railway  is  to 
have  a  Union  depot,  and  as  the  Pennsylvania 
Companv  at  the  present  time  is  organizing  a 
corporation  to  build  a  bridge  across  the  Hud- 
son, a  bridge  that  will  connect  with  the  sta- 
tion thus  proposed,  it  is  easy  to  see  that 
changes  are  about  to  begin  which  will  amount 
to  a  revolution. 

Whatever  the  other  results  of  that  revolu- 
tion may  be.  Long  Island  is  certain  to  be 
benefited.  When  the  details  thus  outlined  are 
completed  the  Long  Island  Railroad  will  be  a 
link  in  a  transcontinental  route,  and  the 
project  is  so  thorough  that  no  part  of  the 
island  will  be  left  outside  the  benefits  of  the 
general  scheme.  It  means  an  addition  of 
thousands  to  the  regular  home-makers  of  the 
island,  a  vast  increase  in  its  trade,  its  manu- 
factures and  its  commerce  generally  and  a 
thorough  development  of  its  magnificent  sum- 
mer resorts. 


KINGS  COUNTY 


CHAPTER   XXV. 


KINGS    COUNTY. 


INGS  COUNTY  in  its  beginning  was 
essentially  a  Dutch  community.. 
Gravesend,  of  course,  was  English, 
but  its  existence  does  not  change 
the  fact  of  Dutch  pre-eminence,  for  it  was 
permitted  to  be  established  by  the  authority 
of  a  Dutch  Governor,  and  was  at  first 
as  completely  under  Dutch  laws  and  Dutch 
protection  as  was  any  other  settlement 
on  the  island.  When  Col.  Nicolls  made 
his  memorable  descent  upon  New  Netherland 
and  forced  the  surrender  of  New  Amster- 
dam and  the  abdication  of  the  lion-hearted 
Peter,  and  wiped  out  the  authority  of  "Their 
High  Mightinesses,"  he  formed  the  towns  in 
what  is  now  Kings  county,  with  Newtown, 
Staten  Island  and  part  of  Westchester  into 
one  of  the  Ridings — the  West  Jliding — of  his 
then  newly  created  Yorkshire.  That  was  in 
1664.  The  reconquest  by  the  Dutch  under 
Governor  Colve  was  too  brief  an  interlude  to 
permit  much  of  a  change  in  geographical 
nomenclature,  or  such  frivolous  things  as  ter- 
ritorial divisions,  and  so  the  West  Riding  of 
Yorkshire  may  be  said  to  hold  good  for  the 
west  end  of  the  island  until  1683,  when  the 
present  county  of  Kings  was  formed  along 
with  those  of  Queens  and  Suffolk.  It  had 
an  area  of  some  70,000  square  miles,  and  was 
divided  into  six  towns, — Brooklyn,  Bush- 
wick,  Flatbush,  Flatlands,  New  Utrecht  and 
Gravesend.  These  towns,  with  the  exception 
of  Gravesend,  "just  grew,"— that  is,  they 
were  not  definitely  settled  at  first  with  the 


idea  of  becoming  towns  and  rose  into  that 
pre-eminence  simply  because  local  conditions 
attracted  settlers  to  given  points,  and  also 
because  it  was  necessary  that  the  settlers 
should  have  rallying  places  for  defense. 
Gravesend  on  the  other  hand  was  settled  at 
first  as  a  town  colony.  Over  the  territory  in- 
cluded in  these  townships,  and  indeed  over 
all  the  territory  west  of  Oyster  Bay,  the 
authority  of  the  Dutch  rulers  of  the  New 
Netherland  was  nominally  supreme  until  Capt. 
Nicolls'  upheaval  sent  Stuyvesant  into  re- 
tirement to  his  "Bouwerie,"  and  not  even 
the  claimls  of  Connecticut  acting  under  Sts 
charter  of  1662,  which  awarded  it  territorial 
jurisdiction  over  the  whole  of  Long  Island, 
could  change  the  allegiance  of  the  sturdy 
Dutch  farmers,  there  was  nqthing  to  gain 
by  the  change,  and  they  understood  their 
rules,  although  the  paternal  rule  of  such  men 
as  Kieft  and  Stuyvesant  was  sometimes  felt 
irksome.  Of  Long  Island  outside  of  the 
towns  in  Kings  County  it  can  hardly  be  said 
that  the  rule  of  the  West  India  Company  was 
ever  secure  with  the  exception  of  Hemp- 
stead, Jamaica  and  Newtown;  but  these 
towns,  like  Gravesend,  were  permitted  to 
choose  their  own  officers  and  to  manage  their 
own  affairs  subject  to  review  and  approval 
by  the  Governor,  a  right  that  was  rarely  exer- 
cised. Oyster  Bay,  too,  the  boundary  town, 
was  another  English  settlement  over  which 
the  Dutch  claimed  sway,  but  it  finally  was' 
yielded    up    to    Connecticut.     In    the    Dutch 


808 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


towns  of  Kings  county  (to  use  the  best  known 
name  for  the  territory)  the  rule  of  the  Gov- 
ernor in  New  Amsterdam  was  supreme.  It 
used  to  be  the  boast  of  the  old  chroniclers 
that  the  Dutch  honestly  bought  from  the 
aborigines— and  honestly  paid  the  stipulated 
price— all  the  land  in  what  afterward  became 
Kings  and  Queens  counties.  In  this  claim 
they  are  perfectly  justified  by  the  record,  al- 
though it  seems  to  us  that  they  drove  a  pretty 
hard  bargain  on  their  part,  while,  so  far  as  the 
Indians  went,  it  was  a  question  of  either  sell 
or  fight,  for  the  white  man  had  come  to  stay 
and  the  time  had  come  for  the  native  to  go 
west  in  search  of  new  lands,  or  remain  and 
accept  the  virtues  or  the  vices  of  the  new 
order  of  things.  Most  of  them  remained; 
most  of  them,  nay  all  of  them,  it  might  be 
said,  the  exceptions  were  so  few,  accepted 
the  vices  of  the  white  man ;  and  gradually, 
but  surely,  disappeared  from  the  face  of  the 
earth.  The  Dutch  Governors,  as  we  have 
seen,  were  autocrats;  but  autocracy  is  insep- 
arable from  a  system  of  paternal  government. 
They  were  loyal,  except  perhaps  Minuit,  to 
their  task  of  building  up  the  province  over 
which  they  ruled,  or  making  the  people  happy 
and  contented  and  as  comfortable  in  sur- 
roundings and  wealth  as  possible, — always, 
however,  remembering  the  paramount  claims 
of  their  High  Mightinesses  and  the  success  of 
the  West  India  Company's  venture.  Every  ef- 
fort was  made  to  build  up  Long  Island — or 
what  they  could  see  of  it  from  the  New 
Amsterdam  shore  of  the  East  River  or  could 
discover  of  it  in  a  day's  journey.  By  order 
of  the  company  a  settler  could  easily  get  a 
patent  for  a  piece  of  meadowland,  more  in- 
deed than  he  could  cultivate,  on  a  scale  of 
payment  little  more  than  nominal  and  which 
would  have  made  the  modern  phrase  of  "easy 
terms"  to  seem  extortionate.  To  some  farm- 
ers, indeed,  free  passages  from  Holland  were 
given,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  company 
did  its  best  to  people  the  territory.  Large  es- 
tates were  even  given  to  enterprising  capital- 


ists who  promised  to  induce  settlers,  and  pat- 
ents for  land  were  freely  given  at  times  to 
all  who  had  interest  with  the  Governor  and 
Council  or  could  show  a  probability  of  their 
turning  them  to  some  use.  A  few  of  these 
people  held  the  land  simply  for  speculative 
purposes,  much  as  property  is  similarly  held 
in  our  day.  But  the  bulk  of  those  who  cross- 
ed the  East  River  with  a  patent  went  there 
to  stay.  In  this  way  was  the  territory  of 
Kings  County  first  built  up,  but  the  process 
was  naturally  a  slow  one,  and  its  early  dif- 
ficulties and  dangers  were  many  and  serious. 

The  leading  event  in  the  history  of  Kings 
county  is  the  Battle  of  Brooklyn  (or  Battle 
of  Long  Island,  as  it  is  generally  and  incor- 
rectly called) ;  but  as  that  is  fully  narrated 
in  one  chapter,  and  the  story  of  the  British 
occupation  told  in  another,  there  is  no  need  of 
recurring  to  it  here  beyond  this  scanty  mem- 
tion.  The  part  which  Long  Island  played  in 
the  war  of  1812  is  also  told — and  these  prac- 
tically exhaust  its  story — with  the  moment- 
ous change  which  took  place  on  Jan.  i,  1897, 
when,  as  the  result  of  the  vote  of  a  majority 
of  its  inhabitants,  it  became  part  and  parcel 
of  the  Greater  New  York,  although  still  re- 
taining its  standing  as  a  district  county.  A 
forecast  of  this  great  amalgamation  was  seen 
in  1857,  when  an  act  of  the  Legislature  turned 
the  counties  of  New  York,  Kings,  Westches- 
ter and  Richmond  into  a  single  police  district, 
under  the  designation  of  the  Metropolitan 
district,  under  the  direct  control  of  the  State. 
This  innovation  did  not  last  long,  nor  can  it 
be  said  to  have  been  in  any  way  a  success, 
although  it  seems  to  have  proved  beneficial 
to  the  police  administration  in  Brooklyn. 

Kings  County  and  the  Borough  of  Brook- 
lyn are  coterminous  in  their  boundaries;  but 
for  administrative  purposes  the  county  ad- 
ministration is  maintained, — that  is,  there  is 
a  distinct  set  of  county  officials  in  Kings, — 
sheriff,  county  clerk,  public  administrator, 
district  attorney,  etc., — the  county  administra- 
tions of  the  component  parts  of  Greater  New 


KINGS    COUNTY. 


809 


York  not  having  been  altered  in  that  respect 
by  consohdation.  The  County  Courts  are 
also  maintained,  and  the  general  Government 
appears  in  its  arrangements  to  have  ignored 
the  great  fact  of  consolidation  altogether. 
Kings  County  may  be  described  as  occupying 
the  entire  southwestern  end  of  Long  Island 
and  to  be  bounded  on  the  north  and  west  by 
the  county  of  New  York :  on  the  west  by  New 


York  Bay;  on  the  south  by  Gravesend  Bay, 
the  Atlantic  Ocean  and  by  Jamaica  Bay,  and 
on  the  east  and  north  by  the  county  of  Queens, 
including  all  wharves,  piers,  docks  and  basins 
lying  southerly  and  easterly  of  the  centre  line 
of  the  East  River. 

The  history  of  Kings  County  is  simply  a 
history  of  its  townships  and  that  history  we 
will  now  proceed  to  relate. 


CHAPTER  XXVI, 


FLATLANDS. 


Y  a  narrow  margin  of  a  few  months 
the  old  town  of  Flatlands  could 
claim,  in  fact  did  claim,  when  the 
claim  was  worth  anything,  priority 
over  Breuckelen  and  the  other  towns  of  Kings 
county.  The  first  recorded  purchase  of  land 
in  the  old  town  was  dated  June  i6, 
1637,  when  Andres  Hudden  and  Wolfert 
Geriretse  Van  Couwenhoven  bought  from 
the  Canarsie  Indians  "the  westernmost  of  the 
three  flats  (prairies),  called  by  the  sellers  Kas- 
kutenu."  On  July  i6th  in  the  same  year  Gov. 
Van  Twiller  secured  by  patent  another  oi  the 
flats;  and  Jacobus  Van  Curler  (or  Gorlear), 
who  in  1638  was  a  teacher  in  New  Amster- 
dam, secured  a  patent  for  the  third  flat. 
The  two  latter  transactions  seem  to  have  been 
in  the  nature  of  land  speculations,  but  Hudden 
and  Van  Couwenhoven  bought  a  place  on 
which  they  might  settle  and  earn  their  living. 
Their  holding  they  called  Aohtervelt.  In  1639 
Hudden  gave  up,  or  sold,  his  interest  in  the 
plantation  to  Van  Couwenhoven,  although  they 
appear  to  have  continued  for  some  time  in 
partnership  as  regards  other  lands  which  they 
held  in  the  neighborhood,  and  removed  to  New 
Amsterdam.  Hudden  seems  to  have  been  a 
politician,  an  almost  continuous  ofiice-holder. 
Such  was  the  beginning  of  Flatlands.  In  an 
inventory  taken  in  1638  it  seems  the  owners  of 
Achtervelt  "had  a  house  set  around  with  long, 
round  palisades,  the  bouse  being  twenty-six 
feet  long,  twenty-two  feet  wide,  forty  feet 
deep,  with  the  roof  covered  above  and  around 
with  plank ;  two  lofts,  one  above  another,  and 


a  .small  chamber  at  their  side;  one  barn  forty 
feet  long,  eighteen  feet  wide,  and  twenty-four 
feet  deep ;  and  one  bergh  with  five  posts,  forty 
feet  long.  The  plantation  was  'stocked  with 
six  cows,  old  and  young,  three  oxen  and  five 
horses." 

It  was  not  long  before  the  plantation  be- 
came the  centre  of  a  settlement.  Peter  Stuy- 
vesant  had  a  Bouvverie  there  which  was  farmed 
for  him  by  Peter  Wyckoff,  who  worked  it, 
apparently  in  connection  with  sixty  acres  he 
had  bought  from  Van  Couwenhoven.  Hans 
Hansen  or  Jansen,  the  ancestor  of  the  Van 
Nostrands,  also  bought  a  tract  of  land,  as  did 
Elbert  Elbertse,  the  ancestor  of  the  Stoothoffs. 
Elbert  appears  to  have  had  the  land  fever 
quite  strong,  for  he  not  only  kept  steadily  add- 
ing to  his  purchases  on  shore  but  became  the 
possessor  of  Bergen's  Island  and  Barren 
Island.  In  1673  Governor  Colve  appointed 
him  Captain  of  a  company  of  militia,  with 
Roelof  Martense  as  his  lieutenant  and  Derrick 
Janse  as  his  ensign.  He  became  the  possessor 
of  Achtervelt  by  marriage  with  the  widow  of 
the  pioneer  Couwenhoven's  son  and  assumed 
the  care  of  her  young  family.  This  Elbert 
faithfully  performed,  for  he  appears  to  have 
been  a  most  honorable  and  upright  man.  By 
the  time  he  thus  came  into  prominence,  Flat- 
lands  had  become  quite  a  settlement,  and  the 
Strykers,  Van  Sigelens,  Romeyns,  Ammer- 
mans  and  a  dozen  other  families  were  located 
around  the  palisadoed  mansion  of  the  original 
settler,  a  mansion  that  was  so  arranged  as  to 
be  a  stronghold  to  which  the  people  might 


FLATLANDS. 


311 


readily  fly  for  refuge  should  Indian  or  other 
dangers  arise. 

But  while  first  as  regards  settlement — if  it 
was  first,  for  the  old  reconds  are  a  little  con- 
fusing— Flatlands  was  much  slower  than  some 
of  its  neighbors  in  acquiring  municipal  rights. 
Gravesend  and  Flatbush  secured  such  privi- 
leges ahead  of  it.  The  people  were  to  a  great 
extent  more  isolated  than  those  in  the  other 
settlements  and  probably  attracted  little  atten- 
tion in  New  Amsterdam.  It  really  needed 
little  attention  from  the  ruling  powers.  It  was 
essentially  a  religious  community,  and  in  its 
earlier  days  the  dictum  of  the  Dominie  and 
Elders  at  Flatbush  was  sufficient  to  settle  all 
the  little  disputes  which  might  arise.  To  a 
certain  extent,  too,  when  it  required  some  de- 
cision at  law,  it  had  to  arrange  with  the  Magis- 
trates at  Flatbush  to  hold  the  scales  of  exact 
justice,  and  that  was  too  troublesome  a  pro- 
cedure to  be  invoked  except  on  very  grave  oc- 
casions. In  1661  it  assumed  the  dignity  of 
possessing  a  local  government,  for  it  then  was 
empowered  to  elect  three  Magistrates  of  its 
own,  and  the  people  chose  Elbert  Elbertsen, 
Pieter  Cornelissen  and  Simon  Jansen  as  the 
holders  of  this  dignity — the  old  dignity  of 
Schepen ;  and  their  successors  were  to  be  elec- 
ted annually.  It  was  not  until  the  arrival  of 
Col.  Nicolls  and  the  overturn  of  the  Stuyves- 
ant  regime  that  the  town  was  called  into  being 
with  the  full  dignity  of  a  charter ;  and  in  that 
document,  which  was  dated  Oct.  4,  1667,  it  is 
called  "Amersfoort,  alias  Flatlands."  The 
boundaries  of  the  town  were  laid  down  so  in- 
definitely in  this  charter  that  an  amended  one 
was  issued  February  3,  1668,  by  Gov.  Love- 
lace, and  yet  another  by  Gov.  Dongan  March 
II,  1685,  but  none  of  these  proved  clear  enough 
to  prevent  litigations  more  or  less  bitter  and 
acrimonious  and  tedious  between  Flatlands 
and  Flatbush.  In  fact  a  local  historian  tells 
us  that  Flatlands  in  June,  1679,  got  a  judg- 
ment against  Flatbush  for  £10,  and  that  the 
amount  with  interest  is  still  due!  In  1788 
Flatlands  was  officially  recognized  as  a  town  ■ 


by  the  State  Government  of  New  York,  and 
it  continued  its  independtent  existence  until 
Jan.  I,  1896,  when  the  town  was  wiped  out  and 
its  territory  became  the  Thirty-second  ward  of 
the  then  Greater  Brooklyn. 

A  list  taken  in  1687  gives  the  following  as 
the  names  of  those  who  took  the  oath  of  alle- 
giance to  the  British  authorities  in  accordance 
with  the  orders  of  Gov.  Nicolls,  and  as  the  list 
is  a  valuable  one  for  genealogical  purposes  we 
here  give  it  in  full : 

Pieter  Claes  Wyckoff,  1636;  Gerret  Pie- 
terse  Wyckofif,  Claes  Pieterse  Wyckofif,  Hen- 
drick  Pieterse  Wyckofif,  Jan  Pieterse  Wyckoff, 
natives;  Elbert  Elbertse  (Stoothoff),  1637; 
Gerret  Elbertse  (Stoothoff),  Hans  Janse  (Van 
Nostrandt),  1640;  Roelof  Martense  Schenck, 
1650 ;  Jan  Martense  Schenck,  1650 ;  Jan  Roelof 
Schenck,  Martin  Roelof  Schenck,  Derick  Janse 
Ammerman,  1650;  Jacob  Stryker,  1651; 
Fferdinandes  Van  Sickelin,  1652;  Christoffle 
Janse  Romeyne,  1653;  Ruth  (or  Rut)  bruyn- 
sen,  1653 ;  William  Davies,  1653 ;  Jan  theunis 
Van  duyckbuys,  1653;  Simon  Janse  Van  Arts 
Daelen,  1653 ;  Cornelius  Simonen  Vanarsda- 
len,  Pieter  Cornelius  Luyster,  1656;  Thys  Pie- 
ter Luyster,  1656;  Pieter  Pieterse  Tull,  1657; 
Jan  Birouwer,  1657;  Dirck  Brouwer,  hendrick 
Brouwer,  Dirk  Stofflese,  1657;  Stoffle  Dirckse 
(Langstraet),  Adriaen  Kume,  1660;  Court 
Stephense  Van  Voorhees,  1660;  Albert  Court- 
en  Van  Voorhees,  Luycas  Stephense  (Van 
Voorhees),  1660;  Jan  Stephense  (Van  Voor- 
hees), 1660;  Abram  WilHamse,  1662 ;  Johannis 
Williamse,  1662;  Evert  Janse  Van  Wickelen, 
1664;  theunis  Janse  Van  Amach,  1673;  Gerret 
hansen  (Van  Nostrandt),  Gerret  hendrickse 
bresse,  Wellim  Gerretse  Van  Couwenhoven, 
Gerret  Williamse  Van  Couwenhoven,  Anthony 
Warnshaer,  William  Williamse  borcklo,  Jan 
Albertse  Terhune,  Pieter  Nevins,  Pieter  Man- 
foort. 

The  date  appended  to  some  of  these  names 
indicate  those  in  which  were  of  foreign  birth 
and  show  when  they  settled  in  the  country.  Of 
course  such  a  list  is  not  a  complete  census.  The 


'312 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Rev.  Dr.  Du  Bois  prepared  the  following  list 
from  church  and  other  records  of  those  who 
resided  in  the  town  in  1687  and  previously: 

Gerret  Seerjersy,  Hendlrick  Freemensen 
(here  in  1670)  ;  Gerret  Gerretsen,  Abram 
Joeresy  (Brinkerhoff),  Jan  Cornehs,  Jan  Bar- 
rentsen  (Van  Driest),  Albeirt  Albertse  (Ter- 
hune),  died  1672,  and  Vaereyck  Flieksen,  all 
here  in  1672;  William  lobbertse,  Wm.  Will- 
iamse  (Wyckoff),  Gerrit  Remers,  Barent 
Jureyaensy,  Thunis  Helebrantsy,  here  in  1673 ; 
Klaes  Kornelesen,  Barent  the  Tailor,  Sawaern 
Jans,  Hans  Janse  (Van  Nostrandt),  Hend'rick 
Hermanze,  Widow  of  Frederick  Ebbcott,  here 
in  1674;  Widow  of  Gerraen  Keest,  Willem 
Gansen  Van  Barkelo,  Klaes  Smit,  Widow  of 
Geromus  Boeck,  Willem  Kuyken,  Jan  Snede- 
ghyer,  here  in  1675  ;  Abraham  Jorissen  (Brink- 
erhoff),  Fookie  Hansen,  1679;  Cornelius  Bar- 
entsen,  Simon  Jansen  (Romeyne),  Simon  Jdr- 
isen,  1680;  Albert  Terhune,  Jr.,  Lawrence 
Koeck,  Hendrick  Aswerus,  1682 ;  Jan  Hansen 
(Van  Nostrandt),  Johannis  Machgilssen,  Jan 
Manfordt,  Vis  Homes,  Jammes  Wilier,  Will- 
iam the  Shoemaker,  De  Fris  the  tanner,  Jacob 
Fardon,  Jan  Albert  Terhune,  1685 ;  Rut  Joos- 
ten  (Van  Brunt),  Cornells  Simonsen  Van  Ars- 
dalen,  Joost  Rutjen  (Van  Brunt),  Johannis 
Holsa,  Jan  Kilement  a  mason.  Master  Toon, 
the  Doctor,  here  in  1687;  also  1677-1685  ;  Bru- 
no Hendrickse,  Rutgert  Brunoos,  Tjelletje 
Reimers  ( Wizzelpfinnig) ,  Pieter  Tull,  Jan 
Poppe,  William  Stryker,  Gerret  Remmerts, 
Jan  Kieirsen,  Dirckye  Roelffsen,  Pieter  Hen- 
dricksen,  Albert  Steven  (Voorhees),  Steven 
Coerten  (Voorhees),  Martin  Pieterse  (Wyck- 
off), Luykas  (Voorhees),  Teunis  Jansen, 
Swaen  Jansen,  Adam  Michilse,  Dierckie  Will- 
iamse,  Lourens  Cornelise,  William  Hulett. 

A  census  taken  in  1698  showed  a  total  of 
40  men,  39  women,  130  children  and  40  negro 
slaves.  The  name  of  the  heads  of  families 
are  given  as  follows,  the  first  figure  after  the 
name  (when  two  are  given)  being  the  num- 
ber in  the  family  and  the  second  the  num- 
ber of  slaves: 

Gerret  Elbert  Stoothoff,  7,  4;  Jan  Teunis 


Dykhuys,  5,  5;  Roelif  Martense  (Schenck), 
6,  4 ;  Coert  Stevense,  5,  2 ;  Gerret  Wyckoff,  5, 
2;  Hendk  Wykof,  2,  2;  Dirk  Jans  Amer- 
man,  9 ;  Adriaen  Kenne,  8 ;  Dirck  Langstraet, 
5;  Jans  Kiersen,  2,  i ;  Alexander  SimsoUj  10; 
Jan  Hansen,  5 ;  Pieter  Nevins,  9,  i ;  Jacob 
Tysse  Lane,  6 ;  Helena  Aertsen,  5 ;  Simon 
Jantz  Van  Aersdaelen,  5,  i ;  Cornells  Simontz 
Aersdaelen,  8,  i ;  Willem  Gerrittz  Van  Cou- 
wenhoven,  8;  Aernont  Viele,  2,  2;  Jan  Al- 
bertz  ter  hennen,  8,  2 ;  Jan  Brouwer,  8,  i ; 
Thunis  Jantz  Amack,  7 ;  fferdinando  Van  Sig- 
elen,  7,  4 ;  Claes  Wykof,  8 ;  Jan  Wykof,  4,  i ; 
Willem  Bruynen,  7,  4;  Adriaen  Langstraet, 
I ;  Lucan  Stevense,  12,  4 ;  Pieter  Pieterse 
Wyckoff,  I ;  Hendrick  Brouwer,  i ;  Albert 
Amerman,  i ;  Pieter  Van  Couwenhoven,  4 ; 
Martin  Schenck,  5,  2;  Jan  Stevense  (Voor- 
hees), 12,  i;  Pieter  Monfoor,  8,  i;  Steven 
Caerten  (Voorhees),  5;  Rutgers  Bruyn,  9. 

According  to  a  census  taken  in  1738  the 
population  consisted  of  195  whites  and  42 
negroes,  so  that  there  was  evidently  no  land 
boom  or  other  excitement  to  disturb  the  even 
tenor  of  the  place  during  these  pre-Revolu- 
tionary  years.  In  fact,  outside  of  a  scrap  or 
two  with  Flatbush  the  annals  of  Flatlands 
were  of  the  quietest  description  possible  and 
centered  round  the  story  of  the  local  church. 
The  good  people  claimed  that  their  religious 
history  began  with  1654,  as  they  had  an  equal 
interest  with  Flatbush  in  the  church  then 
built  there,  and  whose  history  had  been  al- 
ready told  in  an  earlier  chapter.  Certainly 
the  structure  at  Flatbush  was  legally  their 
religious  home.  The  Governor  said  so. 
They  contributed  $48  toward  the  cost  of  its 
erection;  and  Dominie  Polhemus,  they  held 
was  their  pastor  as  much  as  he  was  the  spir- 
itual director  of  their  neighbors  in  Flatbush 
and  Brooklyn.  Indeed  he  was  pretty  regular- 
ly in  Flatlands,  preaching  in  barns  and  pri- 
vate houses  until  1663,  when  they  finished 
the  construction  of  a  church  building  in  their 
midst. 

It  was  a  quaint  little  structure,  according 
to  our  ideas,  but  doubtless  Dominie  and  the 


FLATLANDS. 


313 


•people  were  equally  proud  of  it,  standing  as  it 
did  on  quite  a  commanding  site  on  a  piece  of 
already  sacred  ground, — ground  which  had 
been  consecrated  by  the  Indians  as  a  burial 
spot  from  remote  ages.  In  appearance  the 
building  was  similar  to  the  other  temples  of 
worship  in  the  Dutch  towns.  Like  them,  it 
was  octagonal  in  form,  with  a  high-pitched 
Toof,  surmounted  with  an  open  cupola,  over 
which  a  weather-cock  showed  the  citizens  the 
direction  of  the  wind  and  assisted  the  local 
weather  prophets  in  their  prognostications. 
The  cupola,  of  course,  was  to  contain  a  bell, 
but  by  the  time  the  building  was  finished  the 
Tesources  of  the  brethren  for  church  decora- 
tion were  exhausted  and  so  the  people  were 
called  to  public  worship  by  the  beating  of  a 
■drum  until  1686,  when  a  subscription  netted 
556  guilders  and  a  bell  was  imported  from 
Holland.  The  building  was  fitted  up  in  the 
interior  in  quite  elaborate  style.  The  pulpit 
was  a  lofty  structure,  but  rather  a  slender 
arrangement,  surmounted  with  a  sounding 
board  that  looked  heavier  than  the  pulpit  it 
covered.  The  worshippers  were  seated  on 
Tvooden  benches  except  that  a  chair  was  re- 
served for  the  minister's  wife  and  another  for 
the  magistrate.  The  accommodation  was  for 
130  and  the  Dominie  could  see  every  corner 
of  the  building  when  he  was  conducting  the 
sermon:  perhaps  even  when  sitting  on  the 
hard  bench  provided  for  him  in  the  pulpit  he 
could  mentally  note  the  absentees  and  prepare 
to  admonish  the  late-comers.  The  little  edifice 
stood  in  its  original  form  until  1762.  At  that 
time  the  members  were  Cornelius  Voorhees, 
5  sittings;  Steve  Schenck,  4;  Johannes  Lott, 
7 ;  Hermann  Hooglandt,  5  ;  William  Kouwen- 
hoven,  5;  Roelof  Voorhees,  4;  Fammetie  Dit- 
mars,  3;  Roelof  Van  Voorhees,  4;  John  Van 
Der  Bilt,  5 ;  Jeremiah  Van  Derbilt,  i ;  Abra- 
ham Voorhees,  5;  Folkert  Sprong,  2;  Abra- 
ham Dorye,  4 ;  Coustyn  Golneck,  i ;  Peter 
Wykof,  3;  Johannes  Lott,  Jr.,  3;  William 
Van  Gelder,  3;  Derrick  Remsen,  4;  Henrick 
Lott,  4;  Jan  Schenck,  5;  Wilhelmus  Stoot- 
ihoof,  7 ;_  Jan  Ouke,  i ;  Marte  Ouke,  i ;  Samuel 


Garreson,  i ;  Bernardus  Ryder,  3 ;  Albert  Ter- 
hune,  4;  James  Holbert,  2;  Fernandus  Van 
Segelen,  i ;  Barent  Vanderventer,  i ;  Abra- 
ham Schenck,  i ;  Callyntje  Janse,  i ;  Garrett 
Wykoff,  3;  Getore  Heyn,  2;  Jan  Amerman, 
6;  Annatie  Wykof,  5;  Petrus  Amerman,  3; 
Jacob  Ouke,  i ;  Helena  Ouke,  i ;  Eisack  Sel- 
over,  I. 

The  church  at  that  date  was  enlarged  by 
having  the  three  front  octagons  of  the  walls 
built  out. in  a  straight  line  so  as  to  make  a 
square  side  and  in  that  way  twenty-eight  new 
sittings  were  added.  The  sittings  in  the  church 
were  allotted  to  the  farms — not  to  individuals 
— and  were  part  and  parcel  of  the  property  of 
each  holding  and  subject  to  transference  with 
it,  and  the  dues  to  the  church  seemed  to  have 
been  regarded  down  even  to  the  year  1876  as 
a  lien  on  certain  pieces  of  property  in  exchange 
for  the  right  to  sittings.  In  1794  the  old 
weather-beaten  building  began  so  plainly  to 
show  the  effects  of  time  that  an  entire  new 
structure  was  demanded.  So  the  octagon 
building  was  torn  dbwn  and  a  new  church  was 
erected  which  was  opened  for  public  worship 
December  26,  that  year,  with  a  sermon  by  the 
Rev.  Peter  Lowe,  one  of  the  ministers  of  the 
home  church  in  Flatbush.  This  structure 
lasted  until  1848,  when  the  present  church 
building  was  erected.  This  has  since  been 
improved  several  times,  and  its  usefulness  was 
increased  in  1853  by  the  erection  beside  it  of 
a  building  for  school  and  lecture  purpO'Ses. 
The  connection  between  the  chutrches  in  Flat- 
bush  and  Flatlands  terminated  in  1820,  and  in 
1824  Flatlands  and  New  Lots  were  united 
ecclesiastically  and  the  Rev.  William  Cruik- 
shank  accepted  the  joint  pastorate.  During 
his  term  the  church  at  Flatlands  underwent  one 
great  change,  inasmuch  as  it  was,  for  the  first 
time  in  its  history,  heated  in  winter  by  the 
introduction  of  a  wood-burning  stove.  In 
1827  a  new  pulpit  was  introduced  and  the 
ladies  of  the  congregation  subscribed  a  suffi- 
cient sum  to  have  it  appropriately  dressed. 

Mr.  Cruikshank  resigned  in  1834,  and  was 
followed  in  1836  by  the  Rev.  J.  Abeel  Bald- 


314 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


win,  who  served  until  1852,  when  the  associa- 
tion with  New  Lots  came  to  an  end,  and  the 
Rev.  T.  M.  Davie  became  minister  of  Flat- 
lands.  Since  then  the  church  has  prospered 
under  a  succession  of  pastors,  on  the  work  of 
one  of  whom,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Anson  Du  Bois, 
much  of  this  sketch  has  been  founded.  Before 
leaving  the  church  history  of  Flatlands  we  may 
here  state  that  the  Methodist  Church  at  Canar- 
sie  was  organized  in  1840,  wi'th  twelve  mem- 
bers, and  that  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
at  Flatlands  had  its  beginning  in  185 1.  The 
other  churches  are  of  recent  date. 

In  every  old  Dutch'  community  school  and 
church  generally  went  hand  in  hand  and 
formed  part  of  the  same  organization.  We 
have  already  seen  this  exemplified 'in  the  chap- 
ter wherein  the  story  of  the  church  at  Flat- 
bush  is  told.  Such  was  undoubtedly  the  case 
at 'Flatlands,  arthough  the  earliest  recoVds  have 
been  lost.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Du  Bois  in  his  his- 
torical sketch  tells  the  early  story  of  educa- 
tion in  this  town  so  completely  that  we 
quote  it : 

We  have  found  no  records  touching  it  (the 
school)  earlier  than  1675,  when  it  was  evi- 
dently in  a  mature  and  vigorous  career  under 
the  care  of  the  church  elders.  It  was  called 
"The  School  of  the  Town."  The  first  notice 
we  have  oi  it  is  in  iregard  to  a  supply  of  books 
by  the  deacons ;  and  entries  and  bills,  of  ele- 
mentary and  religious  books  paid  for,  appear 
in  their  accounts  from  1675  for  a  long  period 
of  years,  along  with  every  variety  and  order 
of  expenses. 

According  to  the  tra:dition  in  our  town, 
and  the  well-known  usages  of  other  Dutch  set- 
tlements, the  schoolmaster  was,  by  viirtue  of 
his  office.  Reader  in  church.  Chorister,  and 
commonly  Sexton  also.  If  this  be  true,  we  are 
able  to  name  some  of  the  honored  leaders  of 
mental  progress  in  Flatlands  from  very  early 
times. 

The  first  who  claims  this  honor  is  Willim 
Gerretse  (Van  Couwenhoven),  1675;  the  next 
Jan  Brouwer,  1688;  the  third  Pieter  Tull, 
1 69 1,  though  the  fact  that  he  afterward  be- 
came a  pauper  does  not  argtie  liberality  of 
salary.  Various  items  were  paid  "to  the  school- 
master,"  for  salary  and  other  services,  until 


1704,  when  the  incumbent  was  Martin. 
Schenck,  who  was  also  a  deacon  of  the  church- 
Isaac  Slover  was.  teacher  in  1712;  Yan  Sudam 
in  1715  and  apparently  to  1729;  when  Yohan- 
nes  Van  Siggelon  succeeded  him.  In  1733. 
Abraham  de  Lanoy  occupied  the  place.  His 
name  would  indicate  that  he  was  French, 
while  his  receipts  for  his  salary  of  £6  a  year 
are  written  in  a  bold  and  elegant  English 
hand.  He  was  doubtless  able  to  teach  in  En- 
glish. Isaac  Voorheesi  held  the  place  in  1742;- 
Johannes  Nevius  in  1743 ;  Abram  Voorhees, 
1744-47;  Luykas  Voorhees,  from  1748  to- 
1752,  when  Derick  Remsen  served  part  of  a 
year,  and  Luykas  Voorhees  again,  1755-1757. 
As  no  new  name  occurs,  it  is  fair  to  infer  that 
Voorhees  continued  to  receive  the  annual  sal- 
ary of  £4  from  the  deacons  as  chorister,  and 
probably  an  additional  sum  from  the  elders 
as  schoolmaster,  until  1768,  when  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Abraham  Voorhees,  the  same  proba- 
bly who  had  served  in  1744-47,  and  who  now 
held  the  position  until  1792.  This  teacher  first 
introduced  a  stove  mto  the  school-house  in 
June,  1789,  costing  .£12  15s.  6d.  We  judge  the- 
previous  winter  must  have  been  uncommonly 
cold  and  they  would  no  longer  trust  to  an 
open  fire  even  though  they  had  to  bring  in  the 
stove  in  the  first  month  of  summer. 

We  have  assumed  that  the  chorister  was- 
also  the  school  teacher  as  was  the  universal 
custom  of  the  Dutch.  But  the  practice  was 
now  falling  into  disuse.  It  seems  that  Thomas 
Whdtlock  was  employed  during  the  latter  years- 
accredited  to  Abram  Voorhees  and  that  John 
Baxter,  whose  journal  of  daily  events  con- 
tined  by  his  son  Garret  extends  from  1790  to 
1840,  taught  the  school  about  1790.  We  have 
also  the  following  as  teachers :  Peter  Labagh, 
1792;  Geo.  Parker,  1795;  Jas.  Smith,  1798;. 
Elijali  Elwell,  1801 ;  Patrick  Noon  and  Hugh 
McGarron,  1802 ;  John  Burns  and  Alex.  John- 
son, 1804;  Cuthbert,  1805;  Cas- 

sidy,  1810;  Hugh  McGarron  again,  1811-16; 
Tibbetts  and  Blundel  taught  a  short  time;- 
James  Bolton  some  years ;  Esterbrook,  Bled- 
soe, Kingsley,  Topping,  and  Leach;  Slauson 
to  1827,  when  Chas.  Leach  resumed  and  taught 
to  1830;  Ed.  Berry,  1830,  when  David  Bald- 
win (whose  conversion  is  recorded  by  his 
pastor  in  a  tract  of  the  American  Tract  So- 
ciety) assumed  charge,  but  retired  from  ill 
health;  Albert  Smith,  1831 ;  Willis,  and  the 
same  year  H.  D.  Woodworth,  now  principal 
of  a  public  school  in  Brookh-n ;  W.  S.  Webb, 
1833 ;  and  after  him  E.  S.  Johnson  and  Stephen. 


FLATLANDS. 


315 


Voorhees;  since  whom  Messrs.  Sutton,  Wade, 
Blake  and  Sowles  have  taught. 

Principal  Voorhees  Overbaugh  took  charge 
of  this  school  in  1845.  He  was  then  expected 
to  teach  from  8  o'clock  A.  M.  to  4  o'clock 
P.  M.,  with  a  noon  recess,  five  days  each  week, 
without  a  vacation  of  any  kind  dliring  the 
whole  year.  He  did  not  receive  a  stipulated 
salary,  but  a  fee  per  capita  on  the  scholars, 
and  collected  his  own  bills. 

The  original  school-house  of  District  No. 
I  probably  stood  on  Hubbard's  Lane,  opposite 
John  L.  Williamson's.  On  February  3d,- 1696- 
7,  the  heirs  of  Elbert  Elbertse,  viz.,  Garrett 


the  same  parties,  "Elders  of  the  Dutch  Church 
of  fflatlands,"  the  church-lot  and  burying- 
ground,  and  describe  the  latter  as  "Bounded 
north  by  Tunis  Janse's  fence,  south  by  the 
pound,  west  by  the  highway,"  with  the  church- 
lot  at  the  east.  Thus  the  whole  of  the  present 
school-lot  and  burial-ground  is  included,  with- 
out any  mention  of  the  school-house  being  then 
upon  it,  and  excluding  the  Van  Syckelen  lands 
from  contiguity.  The  evidence  seems  conclu- 
sive that  the  original  school-house  stood  east 
from  the  residence  of  John  B.  Hendrickson. 
A  new  school-house  seems  to  have  been 
built    about    this    time.     Between  September, 


IN    FLATLANDS— A    BIT    OF    THE    BOROUGH    OF    BROOKLYN. 


Stoothoof,  Thos.  Willes  and  Jan  Van  Duyck- 
huisen,. deeded  to  Coert  Stevense,  Derick  Am- 
ertman  and  Claes  Peterse,  for  themselves  and 
others,  freeholders,  etc.,  premises  described  as 
follows:  "All  that  house  and  garden  spot,  as 
it  is  now  in  fence,  lying  *  *  *  {^^  the  town 
of  fflatlands,  adjoining  to  the  house  and  land 
of  fjferdinanno  vasycklyn,  and  now  used  and 
occupied  for  a  school-house  for  said  town." 
Van  Sickelin  lived  at  the  southeast  corner  of 
the  church-lot,  where  his  son  Johannes  lived 
m  1747. 

Confirmatory  of  this  view  is  the  fact  that 
on  the  next  day,  viz.,  February  4th,  1697,  the 
Stoothoff  heirs,  who  seem  to  have  been  en- 
gaged in  settling  up  the  estate  conveyed  to 


1694,  and  August,  1697,  the  Deacons  paid  "for 
the  school-house"  in  various  items  of  material 
and  work  no  less  a  sum  than  $654.40,  which 
could  not  have  been  for  repairs.  Probably, 
at  this  time,  the  new  school-house  was  placed 
on  an  unused  part  of  the  burial-ground.  The 
lot  described  in  1696  as  the  school-house  lot 
must,  soon  after  this,,  have  fallen  into  private 
hands,  for,  in  1729,  it  is  deeded  by  Abram 
Westervelt,  and  Margaret,  his  wife,  to  the 
Town,  together  with  an  acre  where  the  house 
of  B.  Stafford  now  stands.  We  know  that  the 
school-house  was  near  its  present  location  in 
1733,  for  in  that  year  Pieter  Wyckoff  conveys 
"a  certain  piece  of  land  adjoining  the  school- 
lot,  being  in  breadth  two  rods  and  in  length 


816 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


as  far  as  the  school-lot  runs,  bounded  south- 
erly b}^  said  school-lot,  northerly  by  ground  of 
said  pieter  Wyckof ,  westerly  by  the  highway, 
and  easterly  by  the  land  belonging  ,to  ,the 
church."  The  school-house  first  placed  within 
the  original  lines  of  the  grave-yard,  in  1699, 
was  extensively  repaired  about  1765,  the  work 
having  been  begun  in  1762,  simultaneously 
with  the  extensive  improvements  and  enlarge- 
ment of  the  church.  At  this  time  the  sum  of 
$356  was  paid  for  materials  and  work  "for  the 
school-house."  In  1771  "a  well  for  the  school- 
house"  cost  £1,  IIS.  3d. 

In  April,  1816,  the  town  ordered  a  new 
school  building.  It  was  completed  and  occu- 
pied two  years  later,  and  th6  old  house  sold 
;to  Nicholas  Schenck  for  $20.  This  new  build- 
ing continued  to  be  used  by  the  school  until 
1861,  when  it  was  sold  to  John  L.  Ryder  for 
a  carriage-house.  The  school-lot  was  fenced 
in  by  the  trustees,  as  such,  in  1861,  by  ad- 
vice of  counsel.  The  building  of  1861  was  en- 
larged to  more  than  twice  its  former  capacity 
in  1876. 

A  school  was  early  established  in  Flat- 
lands  Neck,  the  section  of  the  town  that  lies. 
•Tjetween  Jamaica  Bay,  New  Lots  and  Flat- 
bush.  A  new  school-house  was  built  there  in 
183  s  and  another  at  Carnarsie  in  1844.  The 
modern  'story  of  education  in  Flatlands,  how- 
ever, is  associated  with  that  of  Brooklyn. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  annals  of  Flatlands 
are  uneventful  and  uninteresting,  yet  at  the 
same  time  the  story  of  the  battle  of  Brooklyn 
might  be  woven  into  its  history.  There  was, 
of  course,  rare  excitement  in  the  township 
when  the  British  troops  landed,  and  the  excite- 
ment deepened  during  the  strategical  opera- 
tions that  followed.  But  after  the  battle  was 
over  things  resumed  their  usual  quiet  sway. 
One  regiment.  Colonel  Kniphausen's  horse, 
was  quartered  for  some  time  on  a  farm  in  Flat- 
lands,  but  this  is  only  a  tradition  and  it  does 
not  seem  likely  that  they  were  there  beyond 
a  few  days.  A  few  guards  were  placed  on 
duty  in  residences  at  Canarsie  Point  and  Flat- 
lands  Neck,  but  they  seemed  not  to  have  been 
very  offensive  and  made  themselves  humbly 
■comfortable  in  the  kitchens  of  the  houses  to 
which  they  were  assigned.     The  British,  of 


course,  took  possession  of  the  grain,  the  prod- 
uce and  much  of  the  live  stock, — that  was 
part  of  the  incidents  of  any, war,  and  nothing 
else  could  be  expected.  But  the  best  evidence 
that  Flatlands  wais  not  seriously  molested  lies 
in  the  fact  that  services  in  the  church  were 
regularly  conducted  all  through  the  British 
occupation,  although  there  was  a  strong  patri- 
otic sentiment  in  the  town,  and  the  Dominie 
expressed  him'self  very  freely  on  all  occasions 
against  the  invaders,  and  nowhere  on  Long 
Island  was  the  triumphant  close  of  the  war 
celebrated  with  more  enthusiasm  than  in  this 
old  stronghold  of  the  Dutch  sentiment.  With 
the  return  of  peace  Flatlands  retained  her  quiet 
mode  of  living,  advancedi  slowly  but  surely, 
and  the  years  passed  on  so  uninterestingly 
that  the  historian  finds  little  to  narrate  in  the 
routine  of  its  calm,  domestic,  home-living  cur- 
rent. It  was  the  last  of  the  suburbs  of  Brook- 
lyn to  feel  the  quickening  influence  of  that 
city,  but  when  the  influence  was  felt  the  dwell- 
ers in  the  community  met  it  with  avidity. 
The  old  farms  were  placed  on  the  market,  the 
land-boomers  got  in  their  work,  and  "lots" 
instead  of  acres  began  to  dominate  in  the  real- 
estate  transactions.  With  the  introduction  of 
the  trolley  the  old  seclusion  of  Flatlands  began 
to  vanish,  and  since  it  has  itself  disappeared 
and  become  simply  a  city  ward  it  has  been 
wholly  cut  up  into  streets  and  avenues,  and 
everywhere  the  march  of  improvement  repre- 
sented by  the  modern  builders  is  apparent.  It 
has  many  new  features,  but  Barren  Island  is 
still  devoted  to  the  manufacture  of  fertilizers 
and  its  smells  are  as  fragrant  as  ever;  Canar- 
sie is  still  a  haven  for  fishermen  and  those  who 
enjoy  rowing  or  yachting,  and  Jamaica  Bay 
yet  yields  a  harvest  of  pleasure  or  profit;  but 
Bergen's  Island  has  become,  under  the  name 
of  Bergen  Beach,  a  resort  of  the  nature  of  Co- 
ney Island,  and  on  each  Sunday  in  the  season 
more  people  pass  through  Flatlands  in  trolley 
cars  than  has  been  seen  in  it  since  that  event- 
ful day  in  August,  1776,  when  an  old  lady 
said  that  "the  red  coats  were  so  thick  in  Flat- 
lands  you  could  walk  on  their  heads." 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


FLATBUSH. 


NE  local  writer  has  given  1630  as 
the  date  of  the  first  settlement  at 
't  Vlavke  Bros.,  Middle-Wout,  or 
Midwout,  the  earliest  names  by 
which  Flatbush  was  designated.  There  is, 
however,  no  definite  proof  as  to  this.  It  would 
seem  that  the  patents  given  for  lands  in  Flat- 
lands  to  Hudden  and  Van  Couwenhoven  and 
Van  Twiller  included  ground  which  over- 
lapped into  what  was  afterward  across  the  bor- 
der of  that  township  and  into  the  township  of 
Midwout,  but  even  that  would  hardly  give  us 
the  right  to  claim  the  date  of  these  patents 
as  the  beginning  of  the  story  of  this,  in  many 
ways  the  most  interesting  of  the  five  Dutch 
towns.  From  Flatlands  an  Indian  trail  led  to 
Brooklyn,  and  while  using  this  trail  the  rich 
and  fertile  fields,  now  the  streets  of  Flatbush, 
lay  invitingly  open  and  the  overflow  of  popu- 
lation, so  to  speak,  from  Flatlands  took  them 
up.  These  early  Dutch  fanners  were  mighty 
particular  as  to  places  of  settlement.  They 
were  strong  believers  in  meadow  land,  and 
those  who  can  recall  Flatbush  before  the  rush 
of  the  trolley  and  the  march  of  modern  im- 
provements changed  things  all  around  could 
easily  imagine  it,  in  its  still  more  primitive 
stage,  as  lying  ready  and  prepared  for  adapta- 
tion into  farm,  garden  and  grazing  ground 
with  but  little  labor.  By  1651  the  place  had  a 
sufficient  population  to  warrant  the  issuance  to 
it  of  a  town  patent,,  and  Governor  Stuyvesant 
incorporated  in  the  document  the  names  of 
Jan  Snedecor,  who  had  prospered  as  a  tavern- 
keeper  in  New  Amsterdam;  Arent  Van  Hat- 


ten,  burgomaster  of  the  same  city;  and  one 
of  its  ministers,  Johannes  Megapolensis.  The 
lands  of  Midwout  also  began  very  early  to  have 
a  speculative  value,  for  in  1653  we  find  that 
Edward  Griffin  bought  fifty  acres  of  land 
"on  the  west  side  of  the  road  near  the 
Flatbush"  in  February,  and  he  sold  the  same 
in  July  to  Bartel  Loot  and  Peter  Loot  (Lott). 
When  the  paterit  was  issued.  Dr.  Strong  says,, 
"farms  were  laid  out  into  forty-eight  lots,  or 
tracts  of  land,  extending  600  Dutch  rods  east 
and  west  on  each  side  of  the  Indian  path  and 
having  generally  an  average,  width  of  twenty- 
seven  rods.''  Before  the  farms  were  drawn 
for,  102  lots  were  laid  aside  for  the  use  of  the 
church,  which  it  was  even  then  determined 
should  be  built,  while  the  unappropriated  lands, 
mainly  stretches  of  woodland  on  the  outskirts 
of  the  town,  were  left  for  the  common  use 
and  so  continued  for  many  years. 

It  seems  that  there  was  not  enough  meadow 
land  to  satisfy  the  wants  or  ambitions  of  the 
Dutch  farmers  in  Flatbush,  and  they  squatted 
on  some  of  the  rich  meadows  of  Canarsie, 
which  the  Flatlands  people  claimed  as  their 
own.  This  led  to  trouble  between  them ;  and 
to  end  it,  and  also  with  the  view  of  substituting 
an  English  charter  for  the  Dutch  one,  Gov- 
ernor Nicolls  caused  a  fresh  survey  to  be 
made,  and  then  issued  a  new  patent  which 
bore  the  date  of  October  11,  1667.  It  was 
then  that  Flatbush;,  the  English  rendering  of 
't  Vlacke  Bosche,  came  into  legal  use.  But 
the  good  farmers,  no  sooner  had  this  trouble 
adjudicated  than  a  new  and  even  more  serious 


318 


HISTORY  OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


one  arose.  The  land  comprising  their  town 
had  originally  been  bought  from  the  Canarsie 
Indians,  but  in  1670  another  tribe,  the  Rocka- 
ways,  claimed  the  soil,  denying  the  right  of  the 
Canarsies  to  ownership,  and  demanding  pay- 
ment. The  probability  is  that  the  Canarsies 
were  honest  in  their  intentions,  but  they  sold 
more  than  they  ought  to  have  done,  and  un- 
wittingly disposed  of  some  territory  to  which 
the  Rockaways  had  some  claim.  Lands  were 
not  very  closely  surveyed  in  those  days.  Of 
course  the  Flatbush  title  was  clear,  so  far  as 
the  settlers  were  concerned.  They  had  com- 
plied with  all  the  forms  of  the  law,  Dutch  as 
well  as  English,  and  could  have  defended  their 
holdings  in  any  court  of  law  successfully.  But 
the  Indians  had  ways  of  enforcing  their  de- 
mands which  were  much  more  unpleasant  than 
those  of  the  courts,  and  an  angry  dispute  with 
them  meant  much  loss  of  life  and  destruction 
of  property — all  the  horrors,  in  fact,  of  Indian 
warfare.  So  the  settlers  made  the  best  of  the 
situation  and  secured  a  fresh  deed  from  the 
wily  claimants.     It  reads  as  follows: 

To  all  Christian  people  to  whom  this  pres- 
ent writing  shall  come :  Eskemoppas,  Sachem 
of  Rockaway,  upon  Long  Island,  Kinnarimas 
and  Ahawaham  his  brothers,  send  greeting: 
Whereas  they,  the  said  Sachem  Eskemoppas, 
and  his  two  brothers  aforementioned,  do  lay 
claim  to  the  land  now  in  the  tenure  and  occu- 
pation of  the  inhabitants  of  Midwout,  alias 
Flatbush,  as  well  as  other  lands  adjacent  there- 
to as  the  right  born  Indian  owners  and  pro- 
prietors thereof:  Know  ye  that  in  considera- 
tion of  certain  sums  of  seewant,  a  certain  sum 
of  wampum  and  divers  other  good's  (herein- 
after specified)  unto  the  said  Sachem  and  his 
brothers  in  hand  paid,  and  received,  from  Adri- 
an Hegeman,  Jacob  Stryker,  Hendrick  Jorise 
and  Jan  Hansen,  for  and  on  behalf  of  them- 
selves and  the  rest  of  the  inhabitants  of  Mid- 
wout alias  Flatbush,  the  receipt  whereof  they 
do  hereby  acknowledge,  and  themselves  tO'  be 
fully  satisfied  and  paid:  Have  given  granted 
contracted  and  sold  *  *  *  All  that  said 
parcel  of  land  where  the  'said  town  of  Midwout 
stands,  together  with  all  the  lands  lying  there- 
in, stretching  on  the  "east  side  to  the  limits  of 
Newtown  and  Jamaica,  on  the  south  side  to 


the  meadow  ground,  and  limits  of  Amersfort; 
on  the  west  side  to  the  bounds  of  Gravesend 
and  New  Utrecht,  and  on  the  north  side  along 
the  Hills;  that  is  to  say,  all  those  lands  within 
the  limits  above  mentioned  &c.  *  *  *  In 
witness  whereof,  the  parties  to  these  presents 
have  hereunto  set  their  hands  and  seals  this 
20th  day  of  April,  in  the  22id  year  of  his  Majes- 
ty's reign,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1670. 

Eskemoppas  £  Mark,  (seal.) 
Kinnarimas  &  Mark,  (seal.) 
Ahawaham    /    Mark    (seal.) 

Signed  and  delivered  in  the  presence  of 
Thomas  Lovelace. 
Cornelius  Van  Ruyven. 

Recorded  the  day  and  year  within  written, 
per  Mathias  Nichols,  Secretary. 

The  oonsideration  agreed  upon  in  the  pur- 
chase herein  mentioned  was  as  follows  viz.: 
10  Fathoms  of  black  seewant;  10  Fathoms  of 
white  seewant;  5  Match  coats  of  Duffells;  4 
Blankets;  2  Gunners  sight  Guns;  2  Pistols; 
5  Double  handfulls  of  Powder  [Gispen  bunches 
of  Powider] ;  5  Bars  of  Lead ;  10  Knives ;  2 
Secret  Aprons  of  Duffell  [Cuppas  of  Duflfelll ; 
I  Half  vat  or  half  barrell  of  Strong  Beer; 
3  Cans  of  Brandy ;  6  Shirts.  All  the  above  par- 
ticulars were  received  by  the  Sachem  and  his 
two  brothers,  in  the  presence  of  the  persons 
under  written,  as  witnesses  hereof. 

John  Manning.  Jacob  Van  Cortlandt. 

Syle'ster  Salisbury.  Teunis  Jacob  Hay. 

John  Hough.  Edward  Carlisle. 

Acknowledged  before  me,  the  Sachem  and 
his  two  brothers,  and  the  goods  delivered  in 
my  oresence,  the  day  and  year  within  written. 
Francis  Lovelace. 

In  drawing  up  this  deed  the  Flatbush  peo- 
ple took  good  care  to  have  their  old  boun- 
daries' clearly  fixed,  and  it  would  seem  that  the 
territory  known  as  Oositwoud  was  thrown  in 
by  the  Rockaways  in  their  joy  at  the  prospects 
of  the.  possession  of  the  powder  and  beer  and 
brandy  and  other  commodities  stipulated  by 
their  head  men.  This  territory,  afterward 
known  as  New  Lots,  claims  1670  as  the  be- 
ginning of  .its  history,  although  it  was  not 
until  1677  that  Adrian  Lambertsen  and  thirty- 
four  others  secured  a  patent  .for  ownership  in 
it.  For  many  years,  in  fact  until  1721,  the 
most  notable  feature  of  the  history  of  Flat- 


FLATBUSH. 


319 


"bush  was  its  constant  defense  of  its  territory 
.against  claims  made  by  Flatlands,  Newtown 
.and  even  by  private  individuals;  but  as  the 
course  of  events  has  long  since  rendered  the 
story  of  such  disputes  of  no  practical  value, 
of  no  responsible  bearing  on  the  real  history 
of  the  town,  there  is  little  use  of  recounting 
them  here.  There  seems  no  doubt  that  the 
Flatbush  settlers  were  in  some  of  these  dis- 
putes the  real  aggressors, — the  courts  so  more 
than  once  decided';  but  the  probability  is  that 
in  most  cases  the  trouble  arose  from  want  of 
exact  knowledge  as  to  boundaries,  or,  as  is 
-equally  likely,  indifference  on  the  part  of  the 
settlers  to  political  divisions.  It  was  proba- 
"bly  with  the  view  of  settling  all  this  on  an  en- 
during basis  that  the  inhabitants  in  1685  ap- 
plied to  Governor  Dongan  for  a  new  patent 
which  should  confirm  to  them  all  that  had  been 
granted  at  various  times  and  for  which  various 
patents  had  been  issued.  That  application  was 
granted,  and  the  document,  one  of  the  most 
important  in  the  early  local  history,  reads  as 
fdlows: 

Thomas  Dongan,  Lieutenant-Governor  and 
Vice-Admiral  of  New  York,  &c.,  under  his  Ma- 
jesty James  the  Second,  by  the  Grace  of  God, 
King  of  England,  Scotland,  France  and  Ireland 
Defender  of  the  Faith,  &c..  Supreme  Lord  and 
Proprietor  of  the  Colony  and  Prince  of  New 
York  and  its  dependencies  in  America.  To 
all  to  whom  these  presents  shall  come,  sendeth 
Greeting :  Whereas,  there  is  a  certain  town  in 
Kings  County,  upon  Long  Island,  called  and 
known  by  the  name  of  Midwout,  alias  Flat- 
bush,  the  bounds  whereof  begin  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Fresh- Kill,  and  so  along  by  a  certain 
ditch  which  lies  betwixt  Amersfoot  and  Flat- 
bush  Meadows,  and  so  running  along  the  ditch 
and  fence  to  a  certain  white-oak  marked  tree, 
and  from  thence  upon  a  straight  line  to  the 
westernmost  point  of  a  small  island  of  wood- 
land lying  before  John  Stryker's  bridge;  and 
from  thence  with  a  straight  line  to  the  north- 
west hook  or  corner  of  the  ditch  of  John 
•Oakie's  meadow,  and  from  thence  along  the 
said  ditch  and  fence  to  the  swamp  of  the 
Fresh-Kill,  and  so  along  the  swamp  and  hollow 
of  the  aforesaid  Kill  to  the  land  of  Keuter's 
Hook;  thence  along  the  same  to  a  white-oak 
tree;  from  thence  with  a  straight  line  to  a 


black-oak  marked  tree  standing  upon  the 
northeast  'side  of  Twiller's  Flats,  having  a 
small  snip  of  flats  upon  the  southeast  side  of 
the  line;  and  so  from  thence  to  a  white-oak 
tree  standing  on  the  west  side  of  Moschito 
Hole  to  a  small  island,  leaving  a  snip  of  flats 
in  the  Flatlandsi  bounds;  and  from  thence  to 
a  certain  marked  tree  or  stump  standing  upon 
the  highway  which  goes  to  Flatlands,  upon  the 
Little  Flats,  about  twenty  rods  from  Flatbush 
Lots,  and  so  along  the  fence  six  hundred 
Dutch  rods  to  the  corner  of  Flatbush  fence, 
and  so  along  the  rear  of  the  lots  to  a  sassa- 
fras-stump standing  on  Cornelius  Jansen  Ber- 
rian's  lot  of  land;  and  from  thence  with  a 
straight  line  to  a  certain  marked  tree,  or 
stump,  standing  by  the  Rush  Pond  under  the 
hills,  and  so  along  'the  south  side  of  the  hill  till 
it  comes  to  the  west  end  of  Long  Hill,  and  so 
along  the  south  side  of  the  said  hill  till  it  comes 
to  the  east  end  of  the  Long  Hill;  and  then 
with  a  straight  line  from  the  east  end  of  said 
Long  Hill  to  a  marked  white-oak  tree  stand- 
ing to  the  west  side  of  the  road,  near  the  place 
called  the  gate  or  port  of  the  hills,  and  so  from 
the  east  side  of  the  port  or  gate  aforesaid, 
upon  the  south  side  of  the  main  hills,  as  far 
as  Brooklyn  Patent  doth  extend,  and  so  along 
the  said  hills  to  the  bounds  of  the  Jamaica 
Patent ;  and  from  thence  with  a  southerly  line 
to  the  kill  or  creek  by  the  east  of  Plunder's 
Neck,  and  so  along  the  said  kill  to  the  sea, 
as  according  to  the  several  deeds  or  purchases 
from  the  Indian  owners,  the  patent  from  Gov- 
ernor Nicolls,  and  the  award  between  Brook- 
lyn and  the  town  of  Flatbush,  relation  there- 
unto being  had,  doth  more  fully  and  at  large 
appear:  And,  whereas,  an  application  to  me 
hath  been  made  for  a  confirmation  of  the 
aforesaid  tracts  and  parcels  of  land  and  prem- 
ises: Now,  Know  ye,  that  by  virtue  of  the 
commission  and  authority  unto  me  given  by  his 
Majesty,  James  the  Second,  by  the  Grace  of 
God  of  England,  Scotland,  France  and  Ireland, 
King,  Defender  of  the  Faith,  Supreme  Lord 
and  Proprietor  of  the  Province  of  New  York, 
in  consideration  of  the  premises  and  the  quit- 
rent  hereinafter  reserved,  I  have  given,  grant- 
ed, ratified  and  confirmed,  and  by  these  pres- 
ents do  give,  grant,  ratify  and  confirm  unto 
Cornelius  Vanderwyck,  John  Okie,  Joseph 
Hegeman,  Aries  Jansen  Vanderbilt,  Lafiford 
Pieterson,  William  Guilliamsen,  Hendrick 
Williamse,  Arien  Ryers,  Peter  Stryker,  John 
Stryker,  John  Remsen,  Jacob  Hendricks,  Der- 
ick  Vandervleet,  Hendrick  Ryck,  Okie  John- 


320 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


son,  Daniel  Polhamus,  Peter  Lott,  Cornelius 
Vanderveer,  Derick  Johnson  Hooglandt,  Den- 
ise  Teunis,  John  Johnson,  Ditimus  Lewis  Jan- 
sen,  William  Jacobs,  Hendrick  Hegeman  and 
Garret  Lubbertse,  for  and  on  behalf  of  them- 
selves and  their  associates,  all  the  freeholders 
of  the  said  town  of  Flatbush,  and  to  their 
heirs  and  assigns  forever,  all  the  before  recited 
tract  and  tracts,  parcel  and  parcels,  of  land  and 
islands  within  the  said  bounds  and  limits,  to- 
gether with  all  and  singular,  the  woods,  under- 
woods, plains,  hills,  meadows,  pastures,  quar- 
ries, marshes,  waters,  lakes,  causeways,  rivers, 
beaches,  houses,  buildings,  fishing,  hawking, 
hunting  and  fowling,  with  all  liberties,  privi- 
leges, hereditaments  and  appurtenances  to  the 
said  tract  of  land  and  premises  belonging,  or 
in  any  wise  appertaining ;  To  have  and  to  hold, 
&c.  *  *  *  To  be  holden  of  his  Majesty  in 
free  and  common  soccage  according  to  the  ten- 
ure of  East  Greenwich,  in  the  county  of  Kent, 
in  his  Majesty's  Kingdom  of  England.  Yield- 
ing, rendering  and  paying  therefor,  yearly,  and 
every  year,  at  the  City  of  New  York,  to  his 
Majesty,  his  heirs  or  successors,  or  to  his  or 
their  officer  or  officers,  as  by  him  or  them 
shall  be  appointed  to  receive  the  same,  eighteen 
bushels  of  good  merchantable  wheat,  on  or  be- 
fore the  five  and  twentieth  day  of  March,  year- 
ly, and  every  year.  In  Testimony  whereof,  I 
have  caused  these  presents  to  be  entered  upon 
record,  in  the  Secretary's  office  in  the  said 
Province,  and  the  seal  thereof,  have  hereunto 
affixed,  and  signed  with  my  hand  the  twelfth 
day  of  November,  in  the  first  year  of  his 
Majesty's  reign.  Anno  Domini,  1685. 

Thomas  Dongan. 

Governor  Dongan  willingly  granted  such 
charters  not  only  because  their  issuance  added 
to  the  income  of  his  office  and  settled  many 
vexed  questions  as  to  boundaries,  but  they 
provided  an  income  from  the  townships  in  the 
shape  of  a  tax  which  was  termed  "quit  rent" 
and  which  in  the  case  of  Flatbush  was  placed 
at  "eighteen  bushels  of  good,  merchantable 
wheat."  No  objection  'seems  to  have  been 
raised  anywhere  to  this  certainly  very  moder- 
ate impost.  It  was  some  years  later  changed 
to  a  regular  cash  payment,  and  continued  in 
force  until  1786,  when  future  payment  was 
commuted  on  payment  of  a  lump  sum,  accord- 
ing to  an  act  passed  by  the  Legislature  April 


I  of  that  year.  It  seems  that  Flatbush  fell  in 
arrears  from  1765  until  1786  and  was  required 
to  pay  up  the  amount  which  then  accrued  with 
a  rebate  of  eight  years'  payments,  covering  the 
period  of  the  Revolutionary  struggle. 


f^^  V^^ 


CoKNzLis  Jaksse  Vajcdeb  Vxeb,  tbo  uicestor  of  the  VanderTMr  FmmUy  of  Klagt  Countr- 


C^^5^' 


i^-'f^^'- 


Jar  Strtckxb,  iha  ancestor  or  tba  SlrrkArPuDHrof  KlDstCountr. 

LKrreitT  PtrrSRSEH.  <mi  HBuabirout,  North  BoUuid,  Ua^)  tbe  oowdoik 
ancwtar  of  the  l.c&etu  Amur  In  Klogi  County. 

Autographs  of  some  of  the  Patentees  of  Flatbush,  1685. 

The  early  story  of  Flatbush  centers  around 
the  story  of  the  church,  and  it,  with  the 
school-house  and  later  the  court-house,  made 
up  the  dorp  or  town, — the  rallying  point  of 
the  life  of  the  village.  As  in  most  of  the  Dutch 
settlements,  the  homes  of  the  farmers  were  lo- 
cated as  close  to  the  dorp  as  possible  and 
spread  into  what  used  to  be  called  Rustenberg,. 
a  trace  of  rich  sandy  loam  to  the  south  of  it,, 
which  was  within  easy  reach.  In  the  dorp  the 
Schou't  posted  his  notices  and  the  Schepens 
held  their  meetings.  These  functionaries  were 
the  representatives  of  the  Governor,  of  law  and 
order.  Jan  Teunissen,  Schout  in  1646  of 
Brooklyn,  held  that  office  for  Middlewout  and 
Amersfoot,  and  seems  to  have  been  succeeded 
in  1654  by  David  Provoost,  although  there  is 
some  dubiety  about  the  latter's  appointment,. 
'SO  far  as  his  jurisdiction  over  the  territory 
outside  of  Brooklyn  is  concerned.  The  first 
local  man  appointed  to  this  office  was  Adriaeti 
Hegeman,  who  was  thus  honored  in  1661,  his 
authority  extending  over  Brooklyn  and  Flat- 


FLATBUSH. 


321 


lands.  Adriaen  was  the  ancestor  of  the  family 
bearing  his  name  and  appears  to  have  been  a 
prominent  and  popular  citizen.  He  came  here 
from  Holland  in  1650  and  was  one  of  the 
Schepens  of  Flatbush  from  1654  until  his  ap- 
pointment as  Schout.  Afterward  he  became 
again  a  Schepen  and  secretary  of  the  five  Dutch 
towns,  and  rounded  off  his  appointments  by 
acting  as  auctioneer.  He  owned  two  valuable 
lots  of  land  in  Flatbush  and  prospered  gen- 
erally. His  death  took  place  previous  to  1688. 
The  Schout  was  the  direct  representative  of 
the  Governor  and  Council,  and  was  appointed 
by  them,  but  the  Schepen®,  or  local  magis- 
trates, were  appointed  on  the  nomination  of 
the  people.  Midwout  enjoyed  three  of  these 
dignitaries. 

At  first  the  nominations  for  these  repre- 
sentatives of  the  people  seem  to  have  been  prac- 
tically dictated  by  the  Governor.  But  the  Mid- 
wout flocks  were  not  remiss  in  asserting  what 
they  considered  their  just  rights  even  at  this 
early  period  in  their  history,  and  we  find  them 
represented'  at  the  conventions  held  in  1652, 
which  demanded  that  the  laws  by  which  they 
were  governed  should  resemble  those  of  the  old 
land  from  which  they  had  emigrated.  The 
story  of  this  primitive  constitutional  struggle 
has  already  been  fully  told,  and  may  be  dis- 
missed here  by  saying  that  Governor  Stuy- 
vesant  fully  asserted  his  authority,  and  the 
towns  lost  some  of  their  privileges.  They  did 
not  long  remain  under  the  Governor's  displeas- 
ure, however.  The  shores  of  Long  Island,  and 
even  of  Manhattan  Island,  were  at  that  time 
infested  with  river  thieves  and  desperadoes, 
who  often  made  a  successful  descent  upon  a 
village  or  farm-house  and  easily  escaped  with 
their  plunder.  It  was  held  that  most  of  these 
thieves  were  English,  or  that  at  all  events  they 
made  Gravesend  their  headquarters  and  had 
the  sympathy  of  the  people  there,  whose  prop- 
erty it  seems  was  unmolested.  To  protect 
themselves  the  three  Dutch  towns  of  Breuck- 
elen,  Flatlands  and  Midwout  in  1854  organ- 
ized a  company  of  militia,  with  a  sergeant  for 
each  town  and  a  regularly  organized  patrol. 
'21 


This  movement,  undertaken  by  the  people 
themselves  without  apparently  any  urging  on 
the  part  of  the  authorities,  appealed  to  Stuy- 
vesant's  military  sympathies,  and  he  granted  to 
the  Dutch  towns,  of  his  own  volition,  all  the 
privileges  they  had  formerly  asked  and  which 
he  had  so  stubbornly  refused.  Midwout  be- 
came entitled  to  send  a  list  of  six  names  to 
the  Governor  as  the  choice  of  the  people  for 
their  Schepens,  and  from  this  list  the  ruler 
selected  three  to  whom  the  usual  commissions 
were  issued'.  It  is  believed  that  the  first  three 
so  appointed  were  Adriaen  Hegeman,  Willem 
Jacobse  Van  Boerum  and  Jan  Sueberingh.  A 
district  court  was  also  instituted,  composed  of 
delegates  from  each  town  along  with  the 
Schout,  and  this  court  had  charge  of  all  local 
matters,  such  as  the  laying  out  and  mainten- 
ance of  roads,  establishment  of  schools  ■  and 
the  like.  This  condition  of  things  continued 
until  1661,  when  New  Utrecht  and  Bushwick 
were  added  to  the  combination  and  the  whole 
formed  into  a  district  called  the  Five  Dutch 
Towns.  Over  these  a  Schout  Fiscal  was  placed 
as  the  head  of  the  legal  and  municipal  authori- 
ties, while  a  secretary  or  clerk  was  appointed 
to  perform  much  of  the  duties  of  the  modern 
town  clerk  and  notary, — acknowledge  deeds, 
wills  and  other  legal  papers,  and  probably  to 
act  as  the  legal  adviser  of  the  Schout  Fiscal. 
The  first  tO'  hold  the  latter  office  (1661)  was 
Adriaen  Hegeman,  of  Midwout,  quite  a  stand- 
ing officeholder,  his  successor  being  Nicasius 
de  Sille,  of  New  Utrecht.  Michil  Hainelle,  of 
Brooklyn,  was  the  town  clerk  from  1674  to 
1680.  The  fact  of  his  holding  this  office  so 
long  after  the  Dutch  regime  had  passed  away 
shows  that  the  changes  introduced  by  Gov- 
ernor Nicolls  as  to  the  Five  Dutch  Towns 
did  not  affect  them  greatly.  The  changes,  in 
fact,  were  more  in  name  than  anything  else; 
and  although  the  New  Netherland  passed  un- 
der a  "proprietor,"  the  changes  which  were 
effected  were  in  reality  in  the  direction  of  a 
broadening  of  the  liberties  of  the  people. 

Under  Nicolls,  as  we  have  seen.  Long 
Island  became  the  main  portion  of  the  new 


822 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


county  of  Yorkshire,  the  Dutch  towns  became 
part  of  the  West  Riding,  Midwout  became  Flat- 
bush,  the  Schcuts  and  Schepens  became  mem- 
ories, and  law  was  administered  by  a  deputy 
sheriff  and  a  selected  array  of  justices.  The 
local  government  in  the  towns  was  under  the 
care  of  overseers, — "men  of  good  fame  and 
life  chosen  by  plurality  of  voice's  of  the  free- 
holders,"— and  a  constable  was  to  be  chosen 
from  among  the  ex-overseers,  and  seems  to 
have  been  the  executive  ofificer  of  the  latter. 
The  overseers  assessed  the  local  tax  rate,  kept 
the  church  and  roads  in  repair,  looked  after 
the  poor,  saw  to  it  that  the  minister's  salary 
was  forthcoming,  regulated  bounds  and  fences 
and  held  court  in  all  cases  in  which  less  than 
£5  was  involved.  When  an  overseer  or  con- 
stable was  elected  and  refused  to  serve,  a  fine 
was  imposed — f  10  for  an  everseer  and  £5  for 
a  constable.  The  overseers  continued  to  ad- 
minister affairs  under  that  name  until  1684, 
when  the  first  Colonial  Legislature,  under  Gov. 
Dongan,  changed  their  title  to  supervisors, 
and  so  they  remained  until  the  end  of  the  his- 
tory of  Flatbush.  That  same  Legislature  did 
away  with  the  nonsensical  arrangement  of 
Yorkshire  and  the  West  Riding  became  Kings 
•county.  One  particularly  beneficial  result  of 
Governor  Dongan's  legislation  to  Flatbush 
was  the  settlement  of  the  courts  within  its 
bounds.  In  1668,  by  the  desire  of  the  Hemp- 
stead Convention,  the  courts  were  transferred 
from  Flatbush  to  Gravesend.  By  an  act  passed 
November  7,  1685,  Flatbush  was  again  made 
the  center  of  the  legal  world  of  what  was 
■then  Kings  county,  and,  as  if  to  perpetuate  this 
distinction,  a  court-house  was  at  once  erected. 
In  1758  this  building  was  superseded  by  an- 
other, which  served  until  1793,  when  a  larger 
edifice  was  constructed.  In  1832  that  building 
was  burned  and  with  the  flames  passed  the 
legal  glory  of  Flatbush,  for  Brooklyn  then  be- 
came the  county  town.  In  1695,  beside  the 
first  court-house,  a  whipping-post  and  a  pair 
■of  stocks  were  erected  as  terrors  to  evil-doers 
■  as  well  as  for  use,  while  the  village  pound 
was  not  far  away. 


The  progress  of  the  }-ears  passed  slowly 
and  uneventfully  in  Flatbush  until  the  out- 
break of  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  that 
memorable  struggle  found  the  inhabitants  sad- 
ly divided  in  their  allegiance;  but  it  would 
seem  as  if  the  majority  was  in  favor  of  taking 
no  part  in  the  contest.  Possibly  the  older 
residents,  not  from  any  love  for  King  George 
and  British  rule,  but  from  a  dislike  to  radical 
changes,  desired  matters  to  remain  as  they 
were.  They  admitted  that  wrongs  existed, 
but  hoped  for  their  abatement  by  peaceful  agi- 
tation. The  younger  element,  however,  seemed 
to  throw  their  hearts  into  the  cause  of  the 
Patriots,  and  were  anxious  to  demand  their 
rights  and  a  removal  of  all  obstacles  to  the 
liberty  of  the  people;  but  their  ardor  appears 
to  have  been  restrained  by  the  counsels  of 
their  elders.  Still  Flatbush  was  desirous  in 
bringing  about  reforms  in  the  government  re- 
lations, it  hated  the  stamp  duties  as  much  as 
did  New  York  or  Boston,  and  it  was  repre- 
sented in  the  convention  that  met  in  New 
York  City  April  10,  1775,  to  choose  delegates 
to  the  First  Continental  Congress,  by  David 
Clarkson,  Adrian  Voorhees,  Jacobs  Vande- 
venter  and  John  Vaniderbilt.  These  were  elect- 
ed at  a  meeting  held  in  Flatbush  five  days  pre- 
viously, and  the  convention  elected  three  citi- 
zen's of  Flatbush  to  the  congress, — ^Johannes 
Lott,  John  Lefferts  and  John  Vanderbilt. 

These  three  men  deserve  more  than  a  pass- 
ing notice,  for  they  were  foremost  among  the 
upbuilders-  of  Flatbush.  Johannes  Lott  was 
the  great-grandson  of  Peter  Lott  (or  Lodt), 
who  emigrated  from  Holland  in  1652.  In 
1662  he  secured  a  patent  for  twenty- four  mor- 
gens  of  land  in  Flatbush,  which  he  sold  in  1674 
to  Jan  (Cornelise)  Boomgaert.  He  held  other 
tracts  of  land  in  the  town,  and  his  name  ap- 
pears in  Governor  Dongan's  patent  to  Flat- 
bush in  1656,  and  he  took  the  oath  of  alle- 
giance there  in  1687.  For  a  time  he  was  one  of 
the  local  magistrates.  His  son,  Engelbert,  also 
took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  Britain,  in  1687, 
and  in  1698  was  High  Sheriff  of  Kings  county. 
John  Lott,the  eldest  son  of  this  latter  dignitary, 


FLATBUSH. 


323 


was  born  in  Brooklyn  July  21,  1701,  and  died 
prior  to  1733,  leaving  among  other  children  a 
son,  Johannes,  born  September  2, 1730, who  was 
the  Patriot  already  named  as  being  returned 
to  the  Continental  Congress.  Mention  has  al- 
ready been  made  of  John  Vanderbilt  in  con- 
nection with  the  history  of  Fla'tbush  Church. 
"The  Senator,"  as  he  was  familiarly  called, 
afterward  rendered  considerable  aid  in  the 
Provincial  Legislature.  John  Lefferts  was  a 
prominent  member  of  a  family  whose  story 
is  elsewhere  told  in  these  volumes. 

But  while  the  good  folks  of  Flatbush  were 
as  loud,  if  not  as  strenuous,  in  their  complaints 
as  others  against  the  wrongs  inflicted  on  the 
colonies  by  the  British  Parliament  prior  to  the 
outbreak  of  hostilities,  they  were,  as  a  whole, 
of  a  rather  halting  turn  of  mind  when  the  time 
came  to  choose  at  the  parting  of  the  ways.  At 
a  meeting  of  delegates  held  in  Flatbush  on  May 
22,  1775,  at  which  all  the  towns  in  Kings  coun- 
ty except  Flatlands  were  represented,  the  Flat- 
bush representatives,  Nicholas  Cowenhoven 
and  Johannes  E.  Lott,  reported  that  their  con- 
stituents desired  to  remain  neutral  in  any  con- 
flict which  might  arise.  "Prudence,"  as  one 
writer  said,  "had  taken  the  place  of  valor." 
Ihe  fact  is  that  the  proximity  of  Flatbush  to 
New  York  and  Brooklyn,  both  of  which  were 
Tory  in  their  sympathies,  had  overawed  the 
local  patriotic  sentiment,  and,  besides,  the  Tor- 
ies who  resided  in  the  township  itself  were 
active,  powerful  and  influential.  Flatbush  an- 
swered to  the  call  of  the  Provincial  Congress 
for  troops  so  far  as  to  provide  a  company  for 
the  Long  Island  regiment  of  militia,  but  there 
is  no  evidence  that  it  ever  furnished  its  full 
quota.  Cornelius  Van  der  Veer  was  captain ; 
and  Peter  Lefferts  and  John  Van  Duyn  lieu- 
tenants, and  John  Bennem,  ensign,  were  the 
other  officers,  but  it  is  doubtful  whether  the 
company  ever  fired  a  shot  for  independence, 
although  it  is  vaguely  hinted  that  they  actu- 
ally did  outpost  duty  prior  to  the  landing  of 
the  British.  Mayor  Mathews,  of  New  York, 
had  his  county  seat  at  Flatbush,  and,  as  has 
already  been  chronicled,  kept  up  an  active  in- 


tercourse from  there  with  Governor  Tryon, 
while  the  latter  maintained  his  gubernatorial 
chair  and  dignity  on  the  quarter-deck  of  the 
Asia  or  one  of  the  other  British  ships  in  the 
harbor  while  the  city  of  New  York  was  in  the 
hands  of  the  Patriots.  His  neighbor.  Colonel 
William  Axtell,  was  equally  pronounced  in  his 
devotion  to  Toryism,  and  there  seems  no  doubt 
that  it  was  in  Axtell's  mansion,  Melrose  Hall, 
that  the  plot  for  the  abduction  of  Washington 
was  hatched.  Until  the  British  landed,  August 
22,  1776,  Flatbush,  indeed,  appears  to  have 
been  the  center  of  Tory  plots  and  projects  and 
schemes  of  all  sorts.  That  landing  and  the 
story  of  the  seven  or  eight  days  which  fol- 
lowed until  Washington  had  carried  his  troops 
from  Long  Island  to  New  York  is  Flatbush's 
real  •  contribution  to  the  history  of  the  nation. 
The  story  of  that  brief  and  interesting  cam- 
paign has  already  been  told  in  this  work,  and 
we  need  only  refer  here  to  a  few  local  inci- 
dents related  in  Field's  elaborate  monograph 
on  the  history  of  the  battle,  by  which  it  would 
seem  that  most  of  the  few  honors  gained  by 
the  American  troops  in  the  short  campaign 
were  won  in  Flatbush  on  its  western  boun- 
dary. The  vanguard  of  the  British  forces 
under  Colonel  Donop  got  to  Flatbush  late  on 
the  evening  of  August  22.    S'ays  Fi.eld : 

Three  hundred  American  riflemen,  who 
had  occupied  the  village,  abandoned  it  as  soon 
as  the  Hessian  battery  of  six  guns  had  taken 
position  and  opened  fire.  The  possession  of 
this  slumberous  little  Dutch  village  by  the 
Hessians  was  not,  however,  destined  to  be 
maintained  without  a  struggle.  The  awe  in- 
spired by  the  imposing  array  of  the  German 
troops  had  worn  away  in  the  cool  night,  and 
early  on  the  morning  of  the  23d  the  slumbers 
of  the  heavy-eyed  Hessians  were  broken  by  a 
dash  upon  their  right  wing,  resting  near  the 
west  end  of  the  village.  On  the  thickly  wood- 
ed hills  near  Flatbush,  Colonel  Hand  was  in 
command  of  the  whole  Pennsylvania  battalion 
of  riflemen,  consisting  of  553  officers  and 
privates.  Believing  that  the  familiarity  ac- 
quired by  combat  with  the  formidable  stran- 
gers would  dissipate  the  increasing  dread  with 
which  they  were  regarded.  Colonel  Hand  or- 


324 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


dered  an  assault  upon  their  lines.  The  attack 
was  spirited,  though  feebly  maintained,  as  the 
Americans  retired  to  the  woods  as  soon  as  a 
field-piece  was  brought  to  bear  upon  them. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  the  Con- 
tinentals again  tried  to  drive  Donop  out  of 
Flatbush.  So  impetuous  and  fierce  was  the 
assault  that  that  portion  of  the  Hessian  corps 
was  driven  back  upon  the  main  body,  then 
lying  south  of  the  Dutch  church,  and  the 
whole  detachment  was  held  at  bay  for  more 
than   one   hour.      The   fire   of   the   American 


to  the  horrors  which  war  had  brought  upon 
this  quiet  village.  Although  it  has  been  a  pop- 
ular habit  to  charge  this  incendiarism  upon 
the  Hessian  invaders,  it  is  yet  certain  that 
these  dwellings  were  fired  by  the  Americans 
to  prevent  their  occupation  as  defensive  po- 
sitions by  the  enemy. 

On  the  25th  the  Americans  determined 
to  meet  the  Hessian  artillery  with  the  same 
arms ;  and,  accordingly,  a  strong  body  of  rifle- 
men, accompanied  by  several  guns,  pushed 
forward  beyond  the  edge  of  the  woods,  and 


THE    LEFFERTS    HOMESTEAD. 
From  "Flatbush,  Past  and  Presant."     By  psrmission  oE  ths  Flatbush  .Trust  Co. 


riflemen  was  so  galling  that  the  Hessians 
were  compelled  to  improvise  redoubts,  from 
the  houses  of  Adrian  Hegeman  and  Lefferts 
Martense,  for  the  purpose  of  repelling  their 
attack.  In  these  buildings  they  cut  holes, 
wherever  these  afforded  them  position  for  fir- 
ing upon  the  American  sharp-shooters.  At 
length  the  cannon,  from  which  the  Hessian 
gunners  had  doubtless  been  driven  by  our 
riflemen,  were  brought  into  position,  and 
opened  their  fire  upon  the  assaulting  party. 
At  this  time  the  houses  of  Jeremiah  Vander- 
bilt,  Leffert  Lefferts  and  Evert  Hegeman  were 
in  flames,  and  added,  by  their  conflagration. 


opened  fire  with  round  and  grapeshot  upon 
the  devoted  village,  behind  whose  walls  the 
enemy  sought  shelter  from  the  rebel  sharp- 
shooters. The  attack  was  well  maintained  for 
a  time,  but  was  at  length  repulsed  by  the 
greater  weight  and  steadiness  of  the  Hessian 
artillery. 

We  read  of  several  other  annoying  attacks 
upon  the  Hessians  by  the  daring  American 
militia,  the  latter  even  arousing  their  enemies 
to  fight  at  two  o'clock  one  morning,  an  hour 
which  was  against  all  well  regulated  notions 


FLATBUSH. 


325 


of  warfare,  but  the  defeat  on  the  27th  prac- 
tically ended  the  fighting  on  Long  Island  and 
the  crisis  was  settled  elsewhere.  During  the 
British  occupation  Flatbush  seems  to  have 
been  prosperous  enough  except  that  signal 
vengeance  was  wreaked,  immediately  after 
the  battle  of  Brooklyn,  on  those  whose  sym- 
pathies were  known  to  have  been  with  the 
Patriots.  Most  of  the  farmers  lost  their  cat- 
tle and  horses  and  growing  crops  were  de- 
stroyed. Many  houses  were  burned  and  the 
vast  number  of  unburied  dead  infected  the 
air  and  fever  became  epidemic.  Those  who 
could  left  the  town,  and  business  for  a  time 
was  at  a  standstill.  Soldiers  were  quartered 
in  dwellings  without  regard  to  the  wishes  of 
the  owners  and  without  any  compensation, 
while  on  the  least  sign  of  grumbling  or  dis- 
content all  sorts  of  rude  pranks  were  played 
and  property  was  wantonly  destroyed.  We  read 
of  feather  beds  being  emptied  into  wells,  of 
woodwork  and  furniture  being  slashed  and 
destroyed,  of  fences  and  tables  and  chairs  be- 
ing torn  up  for  firewood ;  and  not  only  prop- 
erty but  life  was  in  constant  danger.  Thugs 
and  thieves  crowded  the  streets  and  even  took 
possession  of  the  court-house  and  held  their 
orgies  in  it,  as  well  as  made  it  the  receptacle 
of  much  of  their  plunder.  After  a  while  mat- 
ters quieted  down  considerably  and  law  and 
order  resumed  sway, — ^as  much  as  was  pos- 
sible under  martial  law.  The  township  be- 
gan to  prosper  even  under  British  rule,  but 
the  Long  Island  campaign,  brief  as  it  was, 
had  left  a  trail  of  havoc  and  disaster  behind 
and  the  people  learned  a  grim  lesson  of  the 
uselessness  of  being  neutral  when  the  dogs 
of  war  have  been  unchained  and  are  snifif- 
ing  at  their  gates. 

With  the  passing  away  of  the  British  oc- 
cupation Flatbush  fell  into  Ime  as  an  Amer- 
ican township,  and  as  the  angry  passions  be- 
tween Patriot  and  Tory  died  out  it  resumed 
its  quiet,  dreamy  existence  with  hardly  a  rip- 
ple, except  in  connection  with  church  af- 
fairs or  around  election  time,  to  disturb  the 
sweetness  of  its  repose.    As  *he  legal  centre 


of  Kings  county  it  attracted  many  visitors  at 
intervals  from  the  outside  world,  was  the 
scene  of  some  general  business  and  loomed 
up  'considerably  in  the  afifairs  of  the  county. 
It  had  even  progressed  a  little  on  modern 
lines,  its  sidewalks  were  kept  in  good  order 
and  well  graded,  and  in  1830  a  daily  line  of 
stages  was  introduced  by  Smith  Birdsall  to 
run  between  Flatbush  and  Brooklyn,  replac- 
ing the  farm  wagons  which  had  previously 
been  in  use.  But  the  progress  of  Flatbush 
was  ruthlessly  arrested  by  the  fire  which  in 
1832  destroyed  the  court-house  and  so  led  to 
the  transference  of  the  courts  to  Brooklyn, 
which  became  the  county  seat.  Flatbush  then 
quietly  sank  into  the  status  of  a  mere  coun- 
try village;  its  glory  had  apparently  depart- 
ed; even  its  kerche  only  shed  its  light  within 
its  own  territory  and  was  no  longer  a  lamp 
that  sent  its  spiritual  rays  over  almost  an  en- 
tire county.  But  the  citizens  made  the  best 
of  the  situation,  and  with  wealth  and  energy 
on  their  side  seemed  determined  that  Flat- 
bush should  not  be  altogether  forgotten. 
Its  beauties  as  a  residential  neighborhood 
were  soon  exploited  and  every  effort  was 
made  to  induce  new  settlers..  For  a  time 
these  efforts  seemed  to  bring  very  slow  re- 
sults, for  the  town  was  removed  from  any 
centre  of  population;  it  had  no  manufactures 
and  transit  was  slow,  uncertain,  and  in  win- 
ter time  decidedly  unpleasant.  However,  a 
beginning  was  made  in  1834  when  Gerrit  L. 
Martense  (a  descendant  of  "Martin  the 
Boor,"  who  settled  in  Flatbush  prior  to 
1687),  laid  out  a  tract  of  land  into  lots  and 
opened  two  streets, — Johnson  and  Erasmus. 
Some  six  or  eight  cheap  houses  were  built 
on  this  property,  but  the  scheme  was  not  a 
financial  success. 

In  the  following  year  Dr.  Adrian  Vander- 
veer  had  his  farm  surveyed  and  mapped  out 
in  city  lots,  opened  Vernon  avenue,  and  laid 
out  Bedford  avenue  and  Lott,  Prospect,  Law- 
rence, Franklin  and  Clinton  streets.  This  en- 
terprise likewise  failed  for  the  time,  and  the 
survey  lay  practically  dormant  for  some  thirty 


326 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


years,  when  its  provisions  began  to  be  put  in 
operation.  In  fact  it  was  not  until  1866  that 
Flatbush  began  to  grow  in  the  modern  sense, 
and  since  then  there  has  gone  on  within  it  a 
steady  stream  of  street-opening  and  home- 
building.  Land  booms  of  all  sorts  have  flour- 
ished and  faded  within  its  boundaries,  but, 
in  spite  of  the  misfortunes  which  always  at- 
tended such  schemes,  its  beautiful  situation, 
superior  surroundings  and  healthful  climate 
have  carried  it  safely  through  many  a  forced 
march  and  enabled  it  to  grow  prosperous, 
while  other  boomed  localities  have  disap- 
peared from  the  map  and  returned  to  wild-, 
wood.  Two  notable  results  of  judicious 
booming  were  the  establishment,  in  1852,  of 
two  villages  in  the  township,^Greenfield 
(afterward  Parkville)  and  Windsor  Terrace. 
They  flourished  for  a  while  and  brought  to 
their  sites  quite  a  number  of  particularly  de- 
sirable settlers,  most  of  whom  erected  beauti- 
ful homes  and  spent  money  in  embellishing 
their  neighborhood ;  but  neither  village  ever 
commanded  a  large  population  and  both  are 
now  simply  sections  in  Brooklyn's  Twenty- 
ninth  Ward. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  upward  move- 
ment in  1866  was  brought  about  by  the  intro- 
duction of  street  cars  in  i860,  following .  the 
opening  up  of  Flatbush  avenue  from  Fulton 
avenue,  Brooldyn.  At  first  there  were  grave 
doubts  as  to  the  success  of  the  venture,  but 
when  these  were  removed  and  the  village 
could  be  reached  by  a  reliable,  and,  what  was 
then  considered  an  expeditious,  mode  of  tran- 
sit, its  upward  progress  was  assured.  In 
1864  gas  was  introduced  and  in  the  same 
year  the  fire  department  (which  had  existed 
since  1821,  when  it  was  called  the  "Flatbush 
Engine  Company")  was  equipped  with  a 
modern  engine  and  equipment,  at  a  cost  of 
over  $6,000;  and  in  1872  the  town  reached  the 
dignity  of  having  a  newspaper,  when  the 
"Kings  County  Rural  Gazette"  was  issued. 
The  old  Dutch  Reformed  church  long  ere 
1866  had  several  neighbors, — the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  organized  in  1844,  ^ud  St. 


Paul's  Protestant  Episcopal  church,  organized 
in  1836,  being  among  the  earliest,  while,  as 
might  be  expected  in  such  a  community, 
schools  were  abundant  and '  all  the  resources 
of  social  and  religious  life  and  culture  found 
ample  scope.  The  town  had  had  a  board  of 
health  since  1832,  and  could  point  to  its  use- 
fulness with  justifiable  pride.  Saloons  in- 
creased naturally  with  the  population ;  but  the 
establishment  in  1874  of  an  excise  commis- 
sion served  to  curtail  the  number  of  these 
places,  while  a  Law  and  Order  Association, 
organized  in  1880  under  the  presidency  of  the 
Rev.  Dr.  C.  L.  Wells,  closed  many  objection- 
able resorts  which  had  crept  into  the  town- 
overflowed  into  it  from  its  big  neighbor,  in 
spite  of  the  organization  in  1878  of  a  small 
police  force  and  Police  Board.  The  estab- 
lishment of  a  Board  of  Improvement  in  1871, 
just  when  the  upward  movement  'was  begin- 
ning to  gain  headway,  did  much  not  only  to 
preserve  the  amenity  of  the  place  but  pro- 
ceeded to  open  up  streets  and  avenues  only 
when  the  public  welfare  so  demanded,  and 
with  the  most  scrupulous  care  that  the  in- 
terests of  the  property-owners  and  the  public 
should  be  equally  safe-guarded.  To  this  body 
of  seven  residents,  serving  without  compen- 
sation, modern  Flatbush  owes  much.  Not  the 
least  of  their  good  works  was  the  building 
of  the  much  desired  Town  Hall.  On  this 
subject  the  Rev.  R.  G.  Strong  wrote: 

"The  subject  of  a  town  hall  was  repeatedly 
agitated  in  the  local  village  paper.  After  the 
destruction  of  the  county  court-house  at  Flat- 
bush, great  difficulty  was  experienced  in  find- 
ing a  suitable  place  to  hold  the  village  courts, 
the  town  elections  and  other  public  meetings'. 
For  many  years  the  elections  were  held  at  the 
hotels  of  the  village ;  and  the  justices  held 
their  courts  either  at  their  own  houses,  or  in 
the  parlor  of  one  of  the  numerous  hotels  of 
the  village.  There  being  no  place  in  which  to 
confine  prisoners,  or  persons  awaiting  trial, 
constables '  were  compelled  to  take  such  per- 
sons to  the  jail  in  Brooklyn,  and  then  return 
them  for  trial  to  the  village.    After  the  erec- 


FLATBUSH. 


327 


tion  of  the  public  school-house,  in  1842,  the 
elections  and  justice  courts  were  held,  for 
nearly  twenty  years,  in  its  upper  story.  About 
the  year  1861  it  became  necessary  to  use  this 
room  for  school  purposes.  During  this  year 
Schoonmaker's  Hall,  on  Flatbush  avenue,  was 
completed,  and  was  used  for  ten  years  as  a 
place  for  all  public  gatherings,  church  fairs, 
sessions  of  court  and  for  election  purposes. 
The  discussion  of  this  subject  in  the  local 
paper  brought  the  matter  prominently  before 
the  public. 

"A  call  for  a  public  meeting  to  consider 
the  subject  of  a  town  hall  appeared  in  the 
Rural  Gazette  of  February  14,  1874.  Pur- 
suant to  this  call  a  large  and  enthusiastic 
meeting  of  prominent  citizens  was  held  at 
Schoonmaker's  Hall  on  Thursday,  February 
19,  1874,  Supervisor  J.  V.  B.  Martense  being 
Chairman,  and  Abraham  Lott,  Secretary;  at 
which,  after  various  motions  and  considerable 
discussion,  the  matter  was  referred  to  the 
Board  of  Improvement,  with  power,  the  ex- 
pense for  land  and  building  being  limited  by 
resolution  to  $40,000.  At  this  meeting  the 
town  authorities  were  directed  to  issue  thirty- 
year  bonds,  and  provision  was  made  for  pay- 
ment of  interest  and  principal  by  taxation. 
The  Board  of  Improvement  immediately  en- 
tered upon  the  accomplishment  of  the  task  as- 
signed to  them.  A  building  committee,  con- 
sisting of  John  Lefjferts,  John  J.  Vanderbilt 
and  John  L.  Zabriskie,  M.  D.,  was  appointed. 
Architect  John  Y.  Cuyler  was  engaged  to 
diraft  plans  for  the  building.  On  May  18, 
1874,  the  Board  procured  the  enactment  of  a 
law  authorizing  them  to  proceed  legally  in 
their  work  (Chap.  456  of  the  Laws  of  1874 
of  the  State  of  New  York).  A  section  of 
land  (100  feet  front  and  200  feet  deep)  was 
■purchased  on  Grant  street  (then  Union  Place) 
200  feet  east  of  Flatbush  avenue,  at  a  cost 
of  $5,800.  The  contract  was  let  to  William 
Vanse  for  $29,000,  the  building  to  be  com- 
pleted September  i,  1875.  Though  not  com- 
pleted, the  building  was  nevertheless  used  on 
November  2,   1875,  for  the  annual  fall  elec- 


tion. On  February  7,  1876,  the  new  town 
hall  was  formerly  transferred  by  the  Board  of 
Improvement  to  the  town  authorities.  On 
this  occasion  a  large  and  enthusiastic  meeting 
was  held.  The  formal  transfer  was  made  by 
Hon.  J.  A.  Lott  in  an  able  address,  a  portion 
of  which,  in  these  days  of  robbery  in  high 
places,  is  worthy  of  historical  record,  and  is 
as  follows:  'It  was  found,  on  adjustment 
and  settling  of  the  interest  realized  on  the 
money  deposited  in  the  bank,  and  in  making 
up  the  final  account,  that  the  said  expenditure 
exceeded  the  sum  of  forty  thousand  dollars 
borrowed,  and  the  interest  realized  thereon,  by 
the  amount  of  ninety-eight  dollars.  That  ex- 
cess was  paid  by  the  seven  members  of  the 
Board  out  of  their  own  pocketSj  in  equal 
sums,  to  the  treasurer,  who  was  thus  enabled 
to  defray  and  pay  the  entire  expenditure  in- 
curred without  leaving  any  outstanding  in- 
debtedness therefor,  beyond  the  amount  au- 
thorized by  law  under  which  the  Board 
acted.' " 

While  Flatbush  had  been  enlarging  her 
population  and  increasing  the  extent  of  her 
streets  and  the  number  of  her  homes,  Brook- 
lyn had  been  advancing  with  mighty  strides. 
In  1855  the  latter  had  gathered  in  to  itself 
one  of  the  five  Dutch  towns, — Bushwick  (in- 
cluding Williamsburg  and  Greenpoint)  ;  and 
it  had  no  sooner  got  settled  down  with  that 
increase  than  it  began  to  cry  out  for  more, 
to  bring  into  its  bounds  the  three  remaining 
Dutch  towns — Flatbush,  Flatlands  and  New 
Utrecht — and  the  old  English  town  of  Graves- 
end.  The  question  naturally  created  a  great 
deal  of  earnest  discussion,  but  it  reached  the 
stage  of  action  on  June  28,  1873, — seven  days 
after  the  first  telegraphic  message  was  sent 
from  Flatbush  to  the  outside  world, — when 
a  bill  was  passed  in  the  Legislature  directing 
the  local  Supervisors  to  meet  and  appoint  five 
commissioners  who,  with  six  to  be  appointed 
by  the  Mayor  of  Brooklyn,  were  to  draft  a 
plan  for  consolidation.  The  commissioners 
were  duly  named  as  follows:  Brooklyn — J. 
N.  Wyckoif,  Jr.,  E.  J.  Lowber,  A.  G.  Bay- 


B28 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


liss,  Edmund  Briggs,  George  C.  Bennett  and 
'George  L.  Fox ;  Flatbush,  Hon.  John  A.  Lott ; 
New  Lots,  C.  Warren  Hamilton;  Flatlands, 
Peter  Lott ;  Gravesend,  William  Bennett ;  and 
New  Utrecht,  Teunis  G.  Bergen. 

There  were  many  difficulties  in  the  way  of 
the  proposed  consolidation,  not  only  in  the 
matter  of  local  taxation,  but  from  the  fact  that 
the  city  would  occupy  all  of  Kings  county, 
and  unless  some  arrangement  was  made  there 
would  be  two  sets  of  officials  to  be  paid  with 
any  amount  of  future  trouble  in  the  way  of 
conflicts  over  jurisdiction.  The  credit  for 
grappling  with  the  numerous  intricate  ques- 
tions which  arose  has  been  awarded  to  John 
A.  Lott,  president  of  the  commission,  and 
the  plan  outlined  by  him  was  adopted  by  the 
entire  body.  The  scheme  was  submitted  to 
the  electors  at  the  election  of  November, 
1873,  and  repudiated.  Brooklyn  was  in  favor 
of  the  annexation  by  a  majority  of  some 
20,000,  but  the  other  towns  decided  against 
it  by  a  majority  of  21,568.  Even  in  face  of 
that  the  question  of  annexation  was  not  per- 
mitted to  rest  and  the  agitation  in  its  favor 
was  kept  up  until  in  January,  1894,  separate 
bills  for  the  annexation  of  each  town  were  in- 
troduced in  the  Legislature  and  all  were  passed. 
That  for  the  annexation  of  Flatbush  came 
before  Governor  Morton  for  his  signature 
April  28,  1894,  and  as  he  laid  down  his  pen 
the  separate  history  of  old  Midwout  came  to 
an  end  and  it  became  simply  Brooklyn's 
Twenty-ninth  Ward. 

Since  consolidation,  the  progress  of  Flat- 


bush has  been  little  short  of  wonderful.  Al- 
most every  month  has  seen  improvements, — 
streets  and  avenues  opened  up  and  homes  of 
all  sorts,  friom  the  princely  villa  to  the  me- 
chanic's cottage,  erected.  Even  the  tenement 
house  is  finding  sites  in  some  of  its  streets. 
Much  of  the  old  has  disappeared,  few  of  the 
ancient  landmarks  remain.  Melrose  Hall  has 
been  torn  from  its  site,  lost  its  glory,  and 
what  remains  of  it  re-erected  at  Winthrop 
and  Robinson  streets,  and  is  but,  as  it  were, 
the  shadow  of  the  old  structure.  The  Dutch 
church  still  stands  in  its  hallowed  God's-acre. 
The  Bergen  house,  erected  in  1735,  is  still 
extant  in  all  its  old-time  usefulness,  and  so 
are  the  Lefferts'  homestead,  the  Vanderbilt 
homestead,  the  old  home  of  the  Vanderveers,. 
and  that  of  the  Birdsalls,  the  Martenses  and 
several  others.  But  time  is  against  them  and 
it  seems  only  a  question  of  a  few  years  when 
Flatbush  will  have  little  in  the  way  of  antiq- 
uity to  show  the  stranger  within  its  gates. 
Flardiy  a  building  season  passes  without  at 
least  one  of  these  survivors  being  torn  down 
to  make  room  for  a  modern  structure  or  per- 
mit a  street  to  be  laid  out.  Even  during  the 
past  year  (1901)  the  old  home  of  Dominie 
Freeman  was  torn  down.  It  was  erected  in 
1707,  was  badly  shattered  during  the  battle 
of  Brooklyn  and  roughly  used  afterward  by 
the  British  troops ;  but  it  survived  until  the  de- 
mand of  modern  progress  finally  secured  its 
demolition.  It  is  a  pity  that  we  could  not 
make  certain  the  retention  of  some  at  least  of 
such  local  historical  landmarks. 


<^\ 


t^^ 


>t& 


CHAPTER   XXVlll. 


NEW    UTRECHT. 


NE  of  the  prettiest  and  the  most  popu- 
lar of  the  old  stownships  in  Kings 
county,  New  Utrecht,  has  less  of  a 
really  interesting  history  than  any  of 
them.  It  .somehow  had,  until  the  arrival  of  the 
ubiquitous  trolley,  always  lived  practically 
within  itself.  It  covered  an  area  of  eight  square 
miles — rather  more — andiboastedof  its  villages 
of  Xew  Utrecht,  Bath,  Fort  Hamilton  and  Bay 
Ridge.  The  New  Utrecht  water  front  as  a  place 
for  summer  residence  has  been  popular  since 
early  in  the  past  century.  For  many  years  the 
Hamilton  House,  kept  by  Hawley  D.  Clapp, 
was  a  favorite  resort  for  summer  boarders. 
Curiously  enough,  a  point  on  the  New  Utrecht 
shore  was  selected  by  Drs.  Bailey,  Bard,  Rog- 
ers, Tillary  and  others  as  the  site  for  the  first 
bathing  establishment  erected  on  Long  Island. 
This  institution  flourished,  and  when  burned, 
in  1802,  was  rebuilt  and  long  continued  to 
be  a  favorite  resort  of  New  Yorkers.  As  time 
went  on  hotels  and  boarding  houses  increased 
in  number  and  popularity.  Of  late  years, 
however,  many  attractive  all-the-year-round 
settlements  have  been  added  to  it,  of  which 
Bensonhurst  may  be  regarded  as  the  chief. 
The  land  boomer  has  been  particularly  busy 
in  New  Utrecht  and  to  his  efforts  we  owe 
such  communities  as  West  Brooklyn,  Van 
Pelt  Manor,  Homewood,  Blythebourne  and, 
as  the  auctioneers  say,  "a  host  of  others." 
It  is  now  all  surveyed,  a  mass  really  of  streets, 
driven  with  mathematical-like  regularity  in 
straight  lines  and  at  equal  distances  in  spite 
of  all  natural  obstacles,  historical  association 


or  family  sentiment,  and  while  only  a  few 
of  these  streets,  comparatively,  have  been 
thoroughly  opened  and  built  up,  still  every 
year  is  adding  to  the  number  and  the  time 
is  not  far  distant  when  New  Utrecht  will  be 
but  a  memory  and  it  will  recognize  as  grace- 
fully as  possible  its  new  position  as  Brook- 
lyn's Thirtieth  Ward.  It  was  the  last  of  the 
five  Dutch  towns  to  come  into  existence,  and 
it  was  the  last  which  really  threw  off  the  old 
condition  of  things  and  accepted  emphatically 
the  new, — those  which  now  prevail. 

The  first  patent  issued  for  lands  in  what 
afterward  became  the  township  was  granted 
in  1643  by  Governor  Kieft  to  Anthony  Jan- 
sen,  who  came  here  from  Holland  at  an  early 
age.  He  did  not  seem  to  succeed  on  his  200 
acres  and  sold  them  in  1660.  In  the  meanwhile 
Cornelius  Van  Werckhoven  essayed  to  start 
a  colony  in  the  territory,  but  the  unfortunate 
result  for  that  colonizer  has  already  been  told 
in  these  pages.  Jacques  Cortelyou,  who  suc- 
ceeded to  his  interests,  established  a  isettle- 
ment  in  1657  and  named  it  in  honor  of  the 
ancient  city  of  Utrecht.  Twenty-one  grants, 
each  of  fifty  acres,  and  a  house  lot  were  that 
year  issued  by  Governor  Stuyvesant.  Nine- 
teen of  these  were  given  to  the  settlers  and  the 
remaining  two  were  reserved  for  the  poor. 
Those  to  whom  the  patents  were  issued  were : 
Jacques  Cortelyou,  Nicasius  de  Sille,  Peter 
Buys,  Joliann  Zeelen,  Albert  Albertson  (Ter- 
hune),  William  Willemse  (Van  Engen),  Ja- 
cob Hillickers   (alias  Swart),  Pieter  Jansen, 


330 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Huybert  Hoock,  Jan  Jacobson,  Yunker  (or 
Squire)  Jacob  Corlear,  Johann  Tomasse  (Van 
Dycke),  Jacobs  Backer,  Rutgert  Joosten  (Van 
Brunt),  Jacob  Pietersen,  Peter  Roeloffse, 
Claes  Claessen  (Smith),  Cornelis  Beeckman 
and  Teunis  Joosten. 

The  most  noted  of  these  pioneers  was  De- 
Sille.  He  emigrated  from  Gelderland  in  1653 
and  settled  at  New  Amsterdam,  where  he  be- 
came a  close  friend  of  Governor  Stuyvesant, 
who  at  once  appointed  him  to  the  high  office 
of  First  Councillor.  De  Sille  was  a  widower 
when  he  came  here,  and  in  1655  he  married  a 
Dutch  lass;  but  the  marriage  proved  an  un- 
happy one  and  the  couple  separated  on  ac- 
count of  incompatibility  of  temper;  but  which 
of  the  two  was  to  blame  in  the  matter  the 
records  fail  to  state.  The  lady  survived  him, 
however,  and  the  law  records  show  that  she 
had  something  to  say  in  the  disposal  of  his 
property;  so  that  very  likely  it  was  the  hus- 
band's temper  that  was  out  of  joint.  Stuy- 
vesant, however,  did  not  lose  faith  in  De 
Sille  on  account  of  his  matrimonial  misfor- 
tune, and  in  1656  he  appointed  him  Schout 
Fiscal  of  New  Amsterdam.  On  receiving  his 
patent  in  New  Utrecht  De  Sille  appears  to 
have  at  once  removed  there  and  built  a  house, 
where  he  resided  until  his  death,  some  time 
prior  to  1674.  "This  house  (which  was  de- 
molished in  1850)  was,"  says  Van  Bergen,  "a 
fine  relic  of  colonial  life.  Substantially  built 
after  the  manner  of  the  Dutch  architects  of 
the  time,  with  its  thick  stone  walls,  its  ca- 
pacious fireplaces,  its  prominent  chimney,  its 
long,  rambling  sort  of  roof  of  red  tiles  brought 
from  Holland,  its  heavy  beams  and  long  raf- 
ters, and  its  odd  windows  with  their  little 
panes  of  glass, — this  ancient  colonial  house 
was  for  nearly  200  years  an  evidence  of  the 
care,  stability  and  comfort  of  the  early  set- 
tlers of  New  Utrecht.  Into  this  house  Gen- 
eral Nathaniel  Woodhull,  the  Long  Island 
hero  in  the  Revolution,  was  taken  to 
die,  and  before  the  old  fireplace  which  had 
warmed  the  colonists  for  more  than  a  century 


the  brave  patriot  enjoyed  some  comfort  be- 
fore his  death. 

"De  Sille  was  a  man  of  many  accomplish- 
ments, well  versed  in  the  law,  not  unacquaint- 
ed with  military  affairs,  of  fine  character,  a 
poet  and  a  historian."  For  the  last  named 
quality  we  still  have  evidence  in  his  "History 
of  the  First  Beginning  of  the  Town  of  New 
Utrecht,"  which  was  translated  by  the  late 
Teunis  G.  Bergen.  De  Sille's  only  son  re- 
turned to  Holland  in  1662  and  died  there. 
Of  his  two  daughters,  Gerdientje  married 
Gerretse  Van  Couvenhoven,  of  Brooklyn 
Ferry,  and  Anna  married  Hendrick  Kip,  Jr. 
It  is  curious  to  note  as  an  instance  of  how 
things  were  done  in  those  days  that  when 
Anna's  son,  Nicasius,  was  fourteen  years  of 
age  "she  bound  him  to  Jan  Montange  (Flat- 
bush)  to  learn  the  cooper's  trade.  Montange 
was  to  board  the  apprentice,  find  his  wash- 
ing and  mending,  give  him  eight  stivers  every 
Sunday  for  spending  money,  send  him  to 
evening  school  and  at  the  end  of  his  term  give 
him  a  Sunday  and  every-day  suit  of  clothes." 

Bergen  tells  us — and  no  man  was  a  better 
authority — ^that  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  New 
Utrecht  named  above  Joosten  Van  Brunt  is 
alone  represented  by  male  descendants  in  the 
town  to  this  day,  although  COrtelyou,  De  Sille, 
Van  Dyck  and  Terhune  are  represented 
through  female  descendants,  while  Jansen 
Van  Salee,  the  first  patentee,  is  represented  by 
the  Sicklen  and  Emmanis  famihes.  Joosten 
Van  Brunt  was  quite  a  prominent  man  in  his 
day  and  a  useful  and  prosperous  citizen.  He 
came  here  from  the  Netherlands  in  1653,  and 
was  a  Magistrate  of  New  Utrecht  for  several 
years,  extending  his  landed  property  consid- 
erably beyond  the  limits  of  his  original  patent 
by  judicious  purchases  as  well  as  by  securing 
additional  patents.  In  1674  he  bought  De 
Sille's  house,  when  it  was  put  up  at  auction 
by  the  latter's  administrators  and  it  contin- 
ued in  the  possession  of  his  descendants  until 
its  demolition,  in  1850.  Some  of  his  descend- 
ants still  reside  on  property  which  he  pur- 


NEW   UTRECHT. 


331 


chased  or  secured.  He  had  three  sons, — ■ 
Nicholas,  Cornelius  and  Joost.  Nicholas,  who 
was  a  farmer  on  some  one  of  the  parental 
holdings,  married  Helena,  daughter  of  Jac- 
ques Cortelyou,  and  died  in  1684,  leaving  a 
son,  also  named  Nicholas,  who  was  born  in 
the  same  year.  The  latter,  on  the  death  of 
his  grandfather  prior  to  1713,  became  heir  to 
most  of  his  property,  but  did  not  long  sur- 
vive, for  his  own  will  was  probated  in  17 14. 
He  was  married,  but  his  children  appear  to 
have  died  in  infancy  and  the  bulk  of  the  orig- 
inal owner's  estate  reverted  to  his  second  son, 
Cornelis,  w'ho  had  long  before  that  time 
won  wealth  as  well  as  prominence  in  the  af- 
fairs of  the  colony.  He  was  assessed  in  1706 
on  144  acres  of  land  in  New  Utrecht.  From 
1698  to  1717  he  was  a  member  of  the  Co- 
lonial Assembly.  1718  he  bought  the  Pen- 
noyer  patent  in  Gravesend  for  .-£365,  rather  a 
large  transaction  for  those  days.  Coirnelis 
died  in  1748,  leaving  a  family  of  four  sons 
and  five  daughters.  His  younger  brother, 
Joost,  was  of  a  military  turn,  and  was  in  suc- 
cession Ensign,  Captain,  Lieutenant  Colonel 
and  Colonel  of  militia.  For  over  forty  years 
he  held  the  office  of  Supervisor.  He  died  in 
1746,  leaving  a  son,  Rutgert,  who  in  1744  suc- 
ceeded him  in  his  office  of  Supervisor  and  was 
a  Captain  in  the  local  militia.  Rutgert  ac- 
quired considerable  wealth, — so  much  that  he 
was  known  as  "Ryke  Bood"  or  rich  brother, 
and  he  became  the  .owner  of  considerable  real 
estate.  In  1752,  six  years  before  his  death, 
he  transferred,  for  £2,200,  a  tract  of  246  acres 
in  New  Utrecht  to  his  son-in-law,  Joris  Lott, 
husband  of  his  daughter  Maria.  Such  were 
the  pioneers  of  a  family  which  has  continued 
to  be  connected  with  New  Utrecht  to  the  pres- 
ent day. 

Governor  Stuyvesant  gave  New  Utrecht 
a  patent  in  1662,  when  Jan  (Tomassen)  Van 
Dyke,  Rutger  (Joosten)  Van  Brunt  and  Ja- 
cob Hellakers  were  chosen  as  Magistrates 
and  the  dominion  of  Adriaen  Hegeman  as 
Schout  was  extended  over  the  new  township. 
Soon  after  the  patent  was  issued  Stuyvesant 


made  a  visit  to  New  Utrecht  in  solemn  state, 
hoisted  the  flag  of  the  Netherlands,  and 
wound  up  by  partaking  at  a  feast  in  the  home 
of  the  pioneer,  Van  Brunt.  This  may  be 
said  to  be  the  first  excitement  in  the  history 
of  New  Utrecht.  The  second  occurred  In 
1663,  when  the  adventurer  John  Scott  rode 
into  the  village  with  his  gang  of  bragga- 
docios, took  possession  of  the  unguarded 
blockhouse,  fired  one  of  its  guns,  and  pro- 
claimed Charles  H  the  sovereign  ruler  of  New 
Netherland.  Scott  tried  to  make  Jacob  Hel- 
lakers and  others  swear  allegiance  to  the  Eng- 
lish sovereign,  threatened  several  women  with 
the  sword  and  then  clattered  away  to  win 
fresh  victories.  Little  over  a  year  later  there 
was  a  still  more  serious  excitement,  for  on 
December  8,  1664,  a  fleet  of  English  vessels 
appeared  in  Nyack  Bay  and  it  was  not  long 
before  Colonel  Nicolls'  coup  changed  New 
Netherland  into  an  English  colony,  sent  Peter 
Stuyvesant,  indignant  and  bellicose  to  the 
last,  into  retirement  and  brought  New  Utrecht 
as  well  as  the  other  Dutch  and  English  towns 
on  Long  Island  under  the  British  flag.  New 
Utrecht  seems  to  have  submitted  to  the  change 
with  placid  submission  and  was  represented 
by  two  delegates  at  the  convention  which 
Governor  Nicolls  called  in  1665  after  he  had 
secured  a  firm  grip  of  the  reins  of  govern- 
ment. In  the  following  year  it  accepted  a  new 
patent  from  his  hands,  found  itself  one  of  the 
towns  of  the  West  Riding  of  Yorkshire,  and 
the  "Duke's  Laws"  became  the  supreme  legal 
code  of  the  town.  The  English  rule  lasted 
for  nine  years  and  then  disappeared  as  sud- 
denly as  it  came,  for  on  July  29,  1673,  a  fleet 
of  vessels  with  the  flag  of  Holland  at  each  of 
their  mastheads  was  seen  in  Nyack  Bay  and 
were  heartily  welcomed  and  soon  New  Neth- 
erland was  Dutch  once  more.  Governor 
Colve's  rule  was  especially  welcomed  in  the 
Dutch  towns  on  Long  Island,  and  on  August 
29  every  male  inhabitant  of  New  Utrecht  of 
suitable  age  took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to 
the  Fatherland  and  swore  to  it  undying  fidel- 
ity.    They   also   accepted   a   new   charter   or 


:332 


HISTORY    OF    LOiNG    ISLAND. 


patent  for  the  town  from  the  astute  Colve, 
for  that  enterprising  potentate  had  found  out, 
like  Nicolls  and  Stuyvesant  and  all  the  rest, 
that  there  was  money  in  such  things. 

Matters  were  just  beginning  to  settle  down 
mto  their  accustomed  dreary  routine  when  a 
fresh  change  occurred.  On  August  27,  1674, 
another  fleet  was  discovered  lying  in  Nyack 
Bay,  and  before  tbe  burghers  fully  realized 
the  nationality  or  purpose  of  the  strange  craft 
the  sailors  were  in  possession  of  New  Utrecht, 
helped  themselves  to  beef  and  other  good 
things  and  took  possession  of  all  the  cattle, 
grain  and  vegetables  in  the  place.    That  night 


DUTCH    REFORMED    CHURCH 
Of   New   Utrecht,  at  Van   Pelt   Manor. 

New  Utrecht  was  once  more  annexed  to  the 
British  crown  and  it  was  not  long  afterward 
that  the  Dutch  rule  in  New  Netherland  be- 
came forever  a  thing  of  the  past.  English 
laws  and  government  were  planted  again,  to 
stay  this  time  until  revoked  by  the  people 
themselves.  In  1686  Governor  Dongan  is- 
sued another  patent  to  the  town,  and  in  it  the 
quit  rent  was  fixed  at  six  bushels  of  winter 
wheat,  payable  in  the  city  of  New  York  March 
25,  in  each  year. 

Beyond  what  has  been  related  above,  the 
story  of  New  Utrecht  is  practically  destitute 
of  interest  until  the  time  of  the  Revolution. 
It  made  progress  but  slowly.  In  1647  it  had 
a.  population  of  some  35,  in  1698  it  had  259, 


of  which  48  were  slaves.  Perhaps  the  only 
matter  which  aroused  general  interest  was  the 
local  congregation,  and  even  that  had  but  little 
incident  to  record  excepting  the  same  quiet 
progress  which  characterized  the  civil  history 
of  the  town.  Ecclesiastically  New  Utrecht 
was  the  ward  of  Flatbush.  Church  services 
were  at  first  held  in  the  schoolhouse  when  the 
weather  was  unpropitious,  but  those  who  were 
able  were  expected  to  walk  to  the  sanctuary 
at  Flatbush.  Provision  was  made  in  the 
schoolhouse,  however,  for  the  spiritual  edifi- 
cation of  those  who  were  unable  for  one  rea- 
son or  another  in  any  weather  to  undertake 
such  a  journey.  In  1677  the  people  formed 
themselves  into  a  congregation  and  the  dedi- 
catory services  were  conducted  by  the  Rev. 
Casparus  Van  Zuren.  Bergen  tells  us  that 
"the  names  of  the  first  elders  were:  Jan 
Guysbertz  and  Myndert  Korten;  the  first 
deacons  were  Arian  Willemsen  (Bennett)  and 
Jan  Hansen  (Van  Nostrand).  More  than  26 
families  formed  the  congregation,  and  27  per- 
sons were  communicants  at  the  beginning  of 
the  church  organization.  The  following  is  the 
list  of  the  original  members:  Jan  Hansen 
(Van  Nostrand)  and  wife;  Myndert  Korten 
and  wife;  Daniel  Vorveelen  and  wife;  Jaa 
Gysbertz;  Willemtje;  Neeltje;  Adrian  Wil- 
lemsen Bennett  and  wife;  Jan  Pietersen  Van 
Deventer  and  wife;  Nyntie  Van  Dyck;  Gys- 
bert  Tysz  Van  Pelt  and  wife;  Adriaantje; 
Joost  Du  Wien  and  wife ;  Pieter  Veritie ;  Jean 
du  Pre ;  Nicholas  du  Pre ;  Lourens  Jansen  and 
wife;  the  mother  of  Joost  du  Wien;  Annetje 
Bocquet;  Magdalena  Van  Pelt." 

It  was  not  until  1700  that  the  first  church 
building  was  erected,  an  octagonal  stone 
structure  something  like  that  of  Flatlands 
with  a  large  rooster  perched  on  the  top  of  an 
iron  cross  over  the  belfry. 

Like  so  many  other  Long  Island  towns,  the 
control  of  New  Utrecht's  civil  government 
was  vested  for  many  years  in  the  same  hands 
by  which  the  aflairs  of  the  church  were  man- 
aged.   On  this  point  a  recent  writer  says: 


NEW    UTRECHT. 


338-. 


The  first  church  officers  chosen  performed 
the  duties  of  overseers  of  the  poor.  The  con- 
trol of  town  and  church  affairs  by  the  sarne 
individuals  thus  early  begun  was  continued 
throughout  the  eighteenth  and  into  the  pres- 
ent century.  Here  as  elsewhere  in  the  county 
the  past  died  hard  and  the  town  records  were 
kept  in  the  Dutch  language  until  1763.  Oddly 
enough  church  officers  were  elected  at  town 
meetings,  the  same  as  other  functionaries,  and 
were  ex  officio  poor  overseers.  It  was  also 
common  to  confer  the  offices  of  constable,  col- 
lector and  poundmaster  on  the  same  indi- 
vidual,-fcir  the  plausible  reason  that  neither 
alone  was  of  much  value  and  might  be  con- 
sidered a  burden  rather  than  a  favor  to  the 
incumbent.  So  unwelcome  was  the  post  of 
constable  that  it  was  necessary  to  assign  it 
to  the  married  men  of  the  community  in  ro- 
tation, and  in  case  the  receiver  of  the  honor 
was  unable  to  serve  he  had'  the  right  to  name 
a  substitute,  whose  fidelity  he  was  willing  to 
vouch  for.  At  first  five  and  afterward  ten 
pounds  was  the  compensation  allowed  to  the 
collector.  In  1799  the  elders  of  the  church 
were  chosen  commissioners  and  the  deacons 
trustees  of  common  schools,  which  regulation 
continued  till  1812,  when  the  present  state 
common-school  system  was  adopted.  Polit- 
ical distinctions  were  not  recognized  in  town 
affairs. 

Apropos  to  the  long  continued  church  gov- 
ernment it  is  interesting  to  recall  a  case  of 
a  dominie  who  performed  his  own  marriage 
ceremony  in  1663,  while  another  wife  was 
still  living.  The  defendant  alleged  that  the 
first  wife  had  eloped  and  he  therefore  pre- 
sumed that  he  might  perform  the  ceremony 
for  himself  as  well  as  for  any  one  else.  This 
plea  was  set  aside,  the  marriage  annulled  and 
the  defendant  fined  in  two  hundred  guilders 
and  forty  beaver  skins,  besides  forty  guil- 
ders more  for  his  insolence  and  impertinence 
to  the  court. 

At  first  the  ministers  were  those  of  Flat- 
bush,  but  when  the  collegiate  compact,  as  it 
was  called,  was  dissolved,  the  Rev.  Dr.  John 
Beattie  became  sole  minister  of  New  Utrecht. 
His  pastorate  lasted  from  1809  to  1834,  and 
he  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  Robert  Ormis- 
ton  Currie,  who  continued  until  1866,  when 
the  Rev.  David  S.  Sutphen  became  pastor. 
He  held  the  pulpit  until  1880,  when  he  was 


succeeded  by  the  Rev.  Alfred  H.  Brush.  The 
old  graveyard  of  New  Utrecht,  which  still  is- 
preserved  amid  all  the  modern  changes  at  what 
is  now  Sixteenth  avenue  and  King's  High- 
way, may  be  said  to  mark  also  the  site  of 
the  first  church.  In  his  sketch  of  New 
Utrecht,  of  which  much  use  has  been  made  in- 
preparing  this  sketch,  Teunis  G.  Bergen 
wrote : 

The  old  graveyard  of  the  village,  near 
where  the  first  church  edifice  stood,  still  pre- 
serves the  old  lines  and  shows  the  grassy 
mounds  over  the  graves  of  the  early  dead  of 
pioneer  times,  as  well  as  over  the  remains  of 
those  who  died  but  a  short  time  ago.  The 
graceful  monument  erected  to  the  memory  of 
Drs.  DuBois  and  Crane  commemorates  deeds 
of  noble  sacrifice.  In  the  year  1856  some 
shipping  in  the  quarantine,  then  opposite 
Staten  Island,  communicated  the  fatal  seeds- 
of  yellow  fever  to  the  inhabitants  of  Bay 
Ridge  and  Fort  Hamilton.  Family  after  fam- 
ily was  broken  up  or  sadly  ruined  by  the  ter- 
rible scourge.  In  the  endeavor  to  stay  the 
ravages  of  the  disease  and  help  the  affiicted, 
these  two  physicians  bravely  did  their  utmost 
until  they,  too,  fell  victims  to  the  pest  and 
were  interred  in  the  ancient  church-yard. 
Since  then  the  quarantine  hospitals  have  been 
established  lower  down  in  the  bay,  near  Sandy 
Hook ;  and  nothing  has  occurred  to  detract 
from  the  salubrity  of  the  air  of  New  Utrecht 
throughout  its  whole  area. 

Of  late  yeara,  however,  this  old  burying 
ground  has  been  sadly  neglected,  and  a  recent 
visitor  described  it  as  "uncouth  and  unkempt,' 
the  weeds  luxuriant,  the  stones  decaying, 
broken  or  fallen,  the  inscriptions  fast  becom- 
ing unreadable,  and  the  whole  place,  with  the 
exception  of  a  few  plots,  left  "to  hang  as  it 
will  grow."  This  reproach  to  New  Utrecht, 
this  slur  upon  the  memories  of  the  village 
fathers  who  there  rest,  should  not  be  per- 
mitted to  continue.  The  people  should  strive 
to  preserve  as  long  as  possible  the  amenity 
and  sacredness  of  the  little  enclosure.  It  is 
a  part  of  the  history  of  the  old  town. 


334 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


For  a  month  or  two  prior  to  the  landing 
•of  the  British  forces  on  August  22,  1776,  New 
Utrecht  was  the  scene  of  constant  excite- 
ment. In  1740  or  thereabout*  a  ferry  was  es- 
tablished between  Bay  Ridge  and  Staten 
Island  and  the  landing  on  the  Long  Island 
■end  was  beside  the  bluff  now  occupied  by  Fort 
Hamilton  and  was  locally  known  as  Denyse'.s 
ferry.  A  small  battery  was  placed  there  early 
in  August,  1776,  by  the  Americans  with  the 
view  of  stopping  the  traffic  between  the  shore 
and  the  British  ships  then  in  the  harbor.  The 
good  folks  of  New  Utrecht  were  not  above 
turning  an  honest  penny  by  supplying  the  en- 
emy with  fresh  meats  and  farm  and  garden 
produce,  and  the  ferry  to  Staten  Island  not 
only  carried  over  to  the  enemy  an  abundance 
in  the  way  of  provender  but  was  the  means 
of  much  information  being  conveyed  con- 
cerning the  doings  of  the  patriot  forces  which 
should  have  been  zealously  withheld  from  the 
British  troops  then  on  Staten  Island  or  from 
the  British  sailors  in  the  bay.  From  its  very 
nature  the  water  front  of  New  Utrecht  pre- 
sented many  convenient  places  for  sending  to 
the  enemy  on  the  waters  or  on  the  land  across 
-  the  bay  the  persons  or  the  communications  of 
spies  and  informers  of  all  sorts,  and  it  also 
gave  the  British  a  stretch  of  coast  line  which 
from  its  extent  and  unguardedness  almost  in- 


*The  following  data  bearing  on  this  are  taken  from 
an  article  in  the  story  of  New  Utrecht  from  a  recent 
issue  of  the  "Brooklyn  Eagle;" 

' '  In  1749  the  seines  of  Justice  Cortelyou  secured  the 
enormous  catch  of  9,000  shad.  The  farmers  and  shore 
dwellers  were  in  such  constant  communication  with 
Staten  Island  that  in  1738  a  regular  ferry  was  established 
between  Yellow  Hook,  near  Bay  Ridge,  to  an  opposite 
point  across  the  Narrows.  This  service  was  conducted 
by  John  Lane.  The  latest  instance  of  large  game  is 
recorded  in  1759,  when  a  full-sized  bear  attempted  to 
swim  across  to  New  Utrecht  from  Red  Hook  and  was 
shot  by  Sebring  of  Brooklyn.  From  1776  to  the  end  of 
the  British  occupation,  sympathizers  with  the  Patriot 
cause  were  forced  to  make  nightly  trips  across  the 
Narrows  in  fishing  boats  to  Staten  Island  and  New 
Jersey.  At  this  period  the  bluff  on  which  Fort  Hamilton 
-was  afterward  built  was  occupied  by  the  houses  of 
Denyse  Denyse,  Abraham  Bennett  and  Simon  Cortelyou. 
In  the  bombardment  from  the  ships,  on  August  23,  177G, 
the  Bennett  and  Denyse  dwellings  were  struck  by  shots 
from  the  English  guns. ' ' 


vited  a  descent.  The  little  battery  of  two  or 
three  twelve-pounders  gave  a  good  account  of 
itself  while  it  had  the  opportunity.  It  put  a 
stop,  to  a  great  extent,  to  the  illicit  and  un- 
patriotic traffic  in  its  vicinity  and  it  opened 
fire  on  the  frigate  Asia  when  that  famous 
ship  came  within  its  range.  The  Asia  re- 
sponded, and  while  the  battery  escaped  harm 
the  houses  in  the  neighborhood  suffered  se- 
verely. Bergen  says  that  this  battery  op- 
posed the  landing  of  the  British  on  August  2a, 
but  there  seems  no  clear  warrant  for  this.  The 
invaders  in  the  disposition  of  their  fleet  on 
that  eventful  morning  certainly  placed  a  ves- 
sel— the  Rainbow — to  cover  the  place  where 
the  little  fort  was  supposed  to  be.  All  the 
historical  evidence  shows  that  the  British 
landing  was  practically  unopposed,  and  indeed 
General  Parsons  in  his  minute  report  of  the 
matter  to  John  Adams  mentions  nothing  of 
such  a  defense.  Probably,  therefore,  the  arm- 
ament had  been  moved  to  some  of  the  forts 
in  the  established  line  of  defenses  where  it 
might  be  enabled  to  do  more  effective  service 
than  in  an  outpost  to  which  was  opposed  an 
entire  fleet  and  a  veteran  army. 

It  is  generally  held  that  the  landing  from 
the  British  army  was  effected  at  Denyse's 
ferry,  but  probably  the  coast  from  there  to 
what  is  now  Bensonhurst  was  soon  alive  with 
the  red-coated  troops  and  the  European  mer- 
cenaries. For  two  or  three  days  New  Utrecht 
swarmed  with  the  invaders,  and  roar  of  can- 
non and  the  din  of  musketry  deadened  all 
other  sounds,  while  fields  of  grain  were  ruth- 
lessly trampled  down  and  farm  houses  and 
cottages  despoiled  of  their  provender,  battered 
by  shot,  or  doomed  to  flame  by  the  exigencies 
of  the  short  campaign  or  the  brutal  mahce  of 
the  soldiery.  It  was  a  terrible  episode  in  the 
story  of  the  quiet  township,  a  whole  epoch  as 
it  were  crowded  into  a  few  days ;  but  after  it 
passed  matters  resumed  their  wonted  quiet 
and  the  people  were  given  a  chance  to  repair 
the  damage  and  prepare  their  fields  for  fresh 
crops.  During  the  British  occupation  the 
town  felt  the  iron  hand  of  the  invader  more 


NEW    UTRECHT. 


335 


heavily  than  those  of  any  other  of  the  old 
Dutch  towns,  for  they  had  lived  even  more 
among"  themselves  than  had  the  others,  and 
their  Dutch  doggedness,  and  determination 
and  loyalty,  were  more  marked ;  but  when  the 
occupation,  with  all  its  bitterness,  became  a 
thing  of  the  past  New  Utrecht  gradually  re- 
sumed its  old  ways  and  contentedly  sowed  and 
reaped,  laughed  and  dozed,  as  the  seasons 
came  and  went  and  the  years  slipped  on. 

It  got  another  awakening  when  the  war 
of  1812  broke  out,  for  then  a  rock  lying  of? 
the  then  famous  Denyse's  ferry  and  locally 
known  as  Hendrick's  Reef  was  selected  as  the 
site  of  one  of  the  forts  forming  the  defenses 
of  the  harbor.  This  fort  was  originally  called 
Fort  Diamond,  on  account  of  the  shape  of  its 
little  island  site,  but  the  name  was  afterward 
changed  to  that  which  it  now  bears, — Fort 
Lafayette.  In  the  other  defenses  of  Long 
Island,  when  the  war  of  1812  seemed  to 
threaten  them  with'  another  British  invasion, 
the  people  of  New  Utrecht  took  an  equal  in- 
terest with  their  neighbors.  On  August  22 
they  worked  on  the  Brooklyn  fortifications 
and  the  New  Utrecht  company  in  the  Long 
Island  (Sixty-fourth)  Regiment  was  main- 
tained easily  at  its  full  strength.  It  was  of- 
ficered by  Captain  William  Denyse,  Lieuten- 
ants Barcalo  and  Van  Hise,  and  Ensign  Suy- 
dam.  There  was  also  another  military  com- 
pany formed  under  Captain  J.  T.  Bergen, 
while  in  New  Utrecht  was  an  armed  camp  for 
drill  and  instruction  which  bore  the  name  of 
General  Morgan  Lewis. 

In  1824  Fort  Hamilton  (the  locality 
known  to  the  Indians  as  Nyack)  was  com- 
menced and  was  pronounced  as  completed  in 
1832.  But-  military  evolution  is  a  constant 
evolution  and  even  to  the  present  day  it  is 
still  undergoing  enlargement  and  improve- 
ment. It  now  occupies  a  reservation  of  155 
acres  and  ranks  as  one  of  the  most  complete 
fortifications  on  the  North  Atlantic  coast.  At 
the  time  of  this  writing  an  army  board  is 
considering  several  very  extensive  improve- 
ments, to  cost  in  the  neighborhood  of  $1,000,- 


000.  The  barracks  are  to  be  rebuilt,  and 
the  parade  ground  will  be  graded  and  en- 
larged and  also  beautified  by  extensive  tree 
planting.  The  government  reservation  is  to 
be  transformed  into  a  fine  park  through 
which  will  pass  a  driveway  connecting  Bay 
Ridge  with  Bath  Beach,  Bensonhurst  and 
Coney  Island.  Fine  macadamized  stireets 
are  to  take  the  place  of  the  old  dirt  roads. 
The  redoubt  at  the  southeastern  corner  of  the 
grounds  will  be  leveled,  as  it  is  in  the  way. 
The  stables,  store-room,  hospital  and  the 
quarters  of  the  non-commissioned  officers  are 
to  be  left  standing.  The  improvements  in- 
clude a  new  sewer  system.  In  fact  little  of 
the  old  barracks  will  be  left  when  the  improve- 
ments nov/  under  consideration  are  completed. 
Most  of  the  officers'  quarters,  however,  will 
remain,  and  it  is  hoped  that  the  old  Cortelyou 
mansion  at  the  southeastern  corner  of  the 
grounds  will  be  spared.  It  is  a  historic  land- 
mark, having  been  General  Howe's  headquar- 
ters when  he  eflfected  his  landing  on  Long 
Island  in  August,  1776. 

The  modern  history  of  New  Utrecht  is  one 
simply  of  peaceful  progress.  Its  villages — 
Bay  Ridge,  Fort  Hamilton,  Bath,  Lefferts 
Park,  Dycker  Meadow,  Bensonhurst — are,  as 
we  see  them,  mainly  new  developments,  whose 
existence  in  these  later  days  are  due  to  the 
general  desire  for  suburban  homes  and  the 
wiles  and  ways  of  the  land  boomer.  None 
of  them  has  any  history  in  the  strict  sense 
of  the  word, — any  interest  beyond  their  own 
borders, — although  Bay  Ridge  came  into  un- 
kind prominence  in  1873,  when  one  of  the 
supposed  abductors  of  Charley  Ross,  of  Phil- 
adelphia, was  shot  while  engaged  in  an  at- 
tempt to  rob  the  old  Van  Brunt  mansion  which 
then  stood  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the 
Crescent  Athletic  Club. 

In  1 83 1  the  Methodists  first  organized  a 
church  in  Bay  Ridge,  and  in  1834  St.  John's 
Episcopal  church  was  organized  at  Fort  Ham- 
ilton. It  was  founded  mainly  by  people  con- 
nected with  the  military  reservation,  and  the 
late  Robert  E.  Lee,  the  Confederate  General, 


336 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


\yas  one  of  its  vestrymen  in  1842,  at  which 
time  he  was  a  Captain  in  the  United  States 
army.  In  1852  another  Episcopalian  body 
was  founded, — Christ  Church,  Bay  Ridge, — 
mainly  through  the  efforts  of  the  late  J.  A. 
Perry,  the  first  Comptroller  of  Greenwood 
Cemetery,  who  died  August  26,  1881.  The 
advent  of  the  street  car,  the  laying  of  a  line 
of  railroad  right  through  its  farms  to  the  sea- 
side, and,  more  potent  than  all,  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  trolley,  have  opened  its  every  nook 
and  corner  to  the  outside  world.  Streets  now 
cross  each  other  on  the  map  with  mathemat- 
iral  nicety,  all  over  its  old-time  territory,  farms 
have  been  cut  up  into  city  lots  and  every  sea- 
son new  communities  are  being  brought  to- 
gether. The  time  of  the  change  from  urban  to 
suburban  conditions  was  marked  by  many 
curious  cantrips,  none  more  curious  than  those 
of   Cornelius   Furgueson,   who   among    other 


things,  had  the  township  nightly  lighted  up 
with  3,900  gas  lamps  at  a  time  when  there  was 
neither  house  nor  barn  to  benefit, — one  gas 
lamp  it  was  said  for  every  three  persons  in 
the  township,  or  ten  for  each  house!  The 
company  which  supplied  the  gas  received  $28 
for  each  one  every  year  and  paid  a  handsome 
commission  on  the  contract.  There  were 
stories  afloat  of  other  jobs  and  it  was  just 
such  stories,  backed  up  by  strong  evidence, 
that  hastened  the  end  of  New  Utrecht's  sep- 
arate existence.  Governor  Morton  signed  the 
bill  for  its  annexation  to  Brooklyn  May  3, 
1894,  and  the  measure  went  into  effect  on  July 
I  following.  Since  then  New  Utrecht  has 
been  reduced  to  the  official  position  of  a  city 
ward,  but  its  progress  as  such  has  been  much 
more  rapid  than  it  ever  experienced  as  a  town- 
ship, while  its  future  is  of  the  brightest  pos- 
sible description. 


r¥Br«5=?;' 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


BUSHWICK. 


Williamsburg,  Greenpoint — The  Adventurous   Life   of  Neziah   Bliss. 


NLIKE  the  other  Dutch  towns  on 
Long  Island,  Bushwick  does  not 
seem  to  have  sprung  into  exist- 
ence as  a  town  duly  backed  up 
by  a  patent,  and  must  rather  be  consid- 
ered as  a  place  which  simply  grew  until  it 
had  township  honors  conferred  upon  it  by  the 
progress  which  its  own  people  made  in, num- 
bers and  importance.  Lying  in  a  fertile  belt  of 
land,  some  5,000  acres  of  extent,  it  seemed 
from  the  beginning  an  agricultural  paradise, 
while  it  was  so  adapted  by  nature  that  almost 
any  portion  of  it  was  easily  accessible.  Ex- 
tending, roughly  speaking,  from  the  Wallabout 
to  Newtown  Creek,  it  had  a  splendid  stretch  df 
water  front  on  the  river  facing  New  Amster- 
dam, while  in  its  rear  Newtown  Creek  and  its 
tributaries  formed  another  highway  by  which 
a  farmer  might  send  his  produce  to  market. 
It  seemed  a  stretch  of  land  designed  by  nature 
for  farming  operations,  and  so  far  as  we  may 
judge  its  advantages  were  very  early  perceived 
by  the  pioneer  prospectors  of  the  West  India 
Company.  In  1638  riiost  of  the  territory  after- 
ward incorporated  into  it  was  bought  from  the 
Indian  proprietors,  and  some  of  it  even  then  is 
said  to  have  been  occupied  by  enterprising 
pioneers  who  saw  that  the  land  was  good  and 
had  pre-empted  as  much  as  they  could  and 
then  waited  the  advent  of  law  and  order  to 
award  them  titles  and  make  peace  with  the  red 
man.  By  1650  it  boasted  a  mixed  population 
of  Swedes,  Dutch  and  Norwegians.    As  early 

22 


as  1641  we  learn  of  one  of  these  settlers,  Cor- 
nelius (Jacobse)  Stille,  having  sold  his  fairm 
in  Bushwick,  so  that  the  territory  by  that  time 
had  so  far  advanced  from  its  primeval  condi- 
tion that  its  land  had  become  the  object  of 
barter  and  sale.  We  do  not  propose  to  follow 
here  the  story  of  the  early  patents  to  such  set- 
tlers as  Jean  Meserole,  or  Lambert  Moll,  or 
Claes  Carstensen,  or  George  Baxter,  or  Jan  the 
Swede,  or  David  Andriese,  or  Jan  Forbus,  or 
Pieter  Jans  the  Norman,  and  merely  present 
their  names  to  show  that  Bushwick  was  pri- 
marily settled  by  as  cosmopolitan  a  population 
as  was  New  Amsterdam  itself. 

It  was  not  until  1660  that  the  settlers  began 
to  draw  together  and  the  object  then  was  sim- 
ply that  of  self-protection.  The  Indians  were 
at  that  time  ugly  and  troublesome,  and  a  block- 
house was  erected  on  a  bluff  beside  the  river 
near  the  foot  of  the  present  South  Fourth 
street,  which  was  given  the  name  of  the  Keike, 
or  Keikout  (look-out),  which  became  the  pop- 
ular designation  of  a  stretch  of  contiguous  ter- 
ritory. That  fortification  protected  the  settlers, 
or  at  least  inspired  confidence  in  their  hearts, 
especially  of  those  near  the  Wallabout ;  but  the 
farms  seem  to  have  rapidly — rapidly,  for  the 
time — spread  over  a  wide  stretch  of  territory. 
On  Feb.  16,  1660,  fourteen  Frenchmen,  re- 
cently arrived,  along  with  a  Dutch  interpreter, 
waited  on  Gov.  Stuyvesant  and  asked  him  to- 
lay  aside  a  section  of  the  territory  as  a  town 
plot  and  a  few  days  later  the  redoubtable  Peter,. 


338 


HISTORY    OF    LOi\G    ISLAND. 


with  his  officials,  crossed  over  to  Long  Island 
and  designated,  or  more  likely  approved,  a  site 
between  Mespat  Kill  (Newtown  Creek)  and 
Norman's  Kill  (Bushwick  Creek),  on  which  he 
ordered  twenty-two  house  lots  to  be  laid  out 
and  building  was  at  once  begun,  the  first  house 
being  that  of  Evert  Hedeman.  A  year  later 
Stuyvesant  revisited  the  place,  saw  that  every- 
thing was  really  prospering,  and,  in  answer  to 
the  request  of  the  inhabitants  that  he  should 
give  the  village  a  name,  dubbed  it  Boswijck, 
the  "town  in  the  woods."  But  he  was  greeted 
with  another  request,  a  petition  signed  by 
twenty-three  male  inhabitants — all  there  was 
undbubtedly, — asking  for  the  usual  town  priv- 
ileges, such  as  being  ruled  by  local  magistrates ; 
and  Peter  the  Impetuous,  being  in  a  better 
liumor  than  usual,  seems  to  have  at  once  as- 
sented. They  submitted  six  names  and  from 
the  list  he  selected  three, — Peter  (Janse)  de 
Witt,  Jan  (Cornelise)'  Zeeaw,  and  Jan  Tilje, — 
who  thereupon  became  the  first  magistrates. 
The  Schout,  however,  was  Adriaen  Hegeman, 
who  held  that  office  over  the  other  Dutch 
towns,  for  Bushwick  took  itsi  place  at  once 
among  these  in  spite  of  the  cosmopolitan  com- 
■plexion  of  its  population.  Stuyvesant  also  ad- 
vised the  surrounding  settlers  to  build  their 
'houses  so  as  to  be  in,  or  within  easy  reach  of, 
the  new  settlement,  and  so  they  might  help  each 
other  in  case  of  danger.  This  suggestion  was 
so  evidently  useful  and  practical  that  it  was 
•carried  into  effect  with  such  zeal  that  within 
a  few  months  the  magistrates  had  to  apply  to 
the  Governor  and  Council  for  an  increase  in 
the  number  of  town  lots,  a  request  that  was  at 
once  granted.  It  does  not  appear  that  Stuy- 
vesant, in  spite  of  his  evident  partiality  for 
"the  "town  in  the  woods,"  ever  conferred  on  it 
a  town  patent;  at  least  none  has  been  discov- 
ered. 

The  early  history  of  Bushwick  is  one  of 
steady  prosperity.  On  Dec.  26,  1662,  say  the 
Dutch  records:  "The  magistrates  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Bosswyck,  appeared  before  the  coun- 
cil, representing  that  they  in  their  village  were 


in  great  need  of  a  person  who  would  act  as 
clerk  and  schoolmaster  to  instruct  the  youth; 
and  that  as  one  had  been  proposed  to  them, 
viz,  Boudewyn  Manout,  from  Crimpen  op  de 
Lecq  (a  villiage  in  Holland),  they  had  agreed 
with  him  that  he  should  officiate  as  voorleeser 
or  clerk,  and  keep  school  for  the  instruction  of 
the  youth.  For  his  [services]  as  clerk  he  was 
to  receive  400  guilders  in  [wampum]  annually; 
and,  as  schoolmaster,  free  house  rent  and  fiire- 
wood.  They  therefore  solicited  that  their  ac- 
tion in  the  matter  might  meet  the  approval  bi 
the  Director  General  and  Council  in  Nieuw 
Netherland,  and  that  the  Council  would  also 
contribute  something  annually  to  facilitate  the 
payment  of  said  salary."  From  this  beginning 
we  can  trace  the  progress  of  primary  educa- 
tion in  Bushwick,  the  story  of  which  has  al- 
ready been  outlined. 

Except  a  record  of  slow  progress  after  the 
first  exciting  start,  there  is  little  to  relate  of 
the  early  Dutch  history  of  Bushwick,  but  with 
the  advent  of  Gov.  Nicolls  in  1664  there  came 
quite  a  ripple  of  excitement.  The  town  ac- 
cepted the  change  of  government  quietly 
enough,  though  perhaps  not  loyally,'  and  was 
represented  in  the  Hempstead  Convention  of 
Marrh  i,  1665,  by  Jan  Stelman  and  Guisbert 
Teunissen.  It  was  in  the  latter's  house  that 
the  excitement  commenced,  for  there  a  minis- 
ter, a  preacher  from  New  Amsterdam,  deliv- 
ered a  sermon  by  order  of  the  Governor.  The 
name  of  this  clergyman  is  unknown,  and  only 
a  few  of  the  inhabitants  went  to  listen  to  him. 
In  the  first  place  he  was  a  minister  of  the 
Church  of  England,  a  body  of  which  few,  if 
indeed  any,  of  the  people  knew  anything  ex- 
cept from  hearsay;  in  the  second  place,  like 
most  Protestants,  they  did  not  care  to  have  a 
minister  thrust  upon  them;  and  in  the  third 
place  they  had  learned  that  they  were  to  be 
taxed  for  the  support  of  the  new  religious 
teacher.  The  amount  was  first  fixed  at  17S 
guilders,  but  when  the  extent  of  the  opposition 
to  the  move  became  apparent,  Gov.  Nicolls  re- 
duced the  impost   100  guilders."    This    there 


BUSHVVICK 


389 


was  no  evading,  grumble  as  they  might,  and 
the  amount  was  paid  yearly  until  Gov.  Colve 
took  the  reins  of  government,  in  1673.  But 
the  people,  while  forced  to  pay,  could  not  be 
compelled  to  listen,  and  most  of  them  pre- 
ferred to  stay  away  from  the  services  thus 
thrust  upon  them  and  adhered  in  their  alle- 
giance to  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church,  travel- 
ing generally  to  the  little  tabernacle  in  Brook- 
lyn. Gov.  Nicolls,  however,  in  spite  of  all  this, 
willingly  acceded  to  the  request  of  the  people 
for  a  municipal  charter,  and  issued  one  on  Oct. 
25,  1667,  in  which  the  boundaries  of  the  town 
are  set  forth,  but  in  language  which  would  be 
unintelHgible  to  the  general  reader.  Of  course 
such  a  charter  meant  a  fee  and  that  was  prob- 
ably the  main  reason  for  the  prompt  response 
which  the  request  met  with.  Another  patent 
was  issued  in  1687  by  Gov.  Dongan.  When 
the  brief  rule  of  Colve  came  to  an  end  and 
British  supremacy  was  re-established,  no  at- 
tempt seems  to  have  been  made  to  thrust  a 
minister  once  more  on  the  people,  and  it  was 
not  until  the  time  of  the  British  occupation, 
after  the  Battle  of  Brooklyn,  that  the  Episco- 
pal Church  again  asserted  itself.  Considering 
themselves  under  the  spiritual  guidance  of  the 
Collegiate  Church,  the  people,  except  possibly 
the  French  who  did  not  understand  the  lan- 
guage and  very  likely  degenerated  in  religious 
observances,  contributed  to  the  support  of  that 
body;  and  there  is  still  in  existence  a  receipt 
given  by  Dominie  Freeman  for  the  Bushwick 
contribution  to  his  salary,  dated  1709.  It  was 
probably  a  year  before,  1708,  that  the  first 
church  was  built,  the  usual  octagonal  structure 
with  steep  roof  and  open  belfry,  surmounted 
by  an  eagle  or  a  .dove,  or  some  other  emblem- 
atic design  in  gilt.  A  part  of  the  first  com- 
munion service,  still  extant,  bears  the  date 
1708,  and  there  is  also  a  receipt  for  a  church 
bell  dated  171 1,  so  that  the  former  year  may 
be  accepted  as  the  date  of  erection ;  and  as  the 
queer-looking  little  box,  with  trifling  altera- 
tions and  improvements,  lasted  until  1829, 
when  it  was  demolished,  it  must  have  been  a 
good  honest  piece  of  construction. 


Notwithstanding  its  magnificent  situation, 
Bushwick  did  not  prosper  or  increase  in  pop- 
ulation in  the  same  proportion  as  the  other 
Dutch  towns.  It  .remained  a  farming  com- 
munity mainly,  and  seemed  to  live  in  a  measure 
within  itself,  attending  to  its  own  business,  its 
people  settling  their  troublesi  by  arbitration 
among  themselves,  steadily  keeping  alive  their 
ancestral  traditions,  jealous  of  any  interference 
with  their  local  affairs,  supporting  their  own 
poor  without  the  necessity  of  any  legal  edict, 
paying  their  quit-rent  tax  with  the  usual  mild 
grumbling  and  finally  becoming  outspoken  in 
their  denunciation  of  the  imposts  and  the  laws 
of  their  English  rulers.  But  they  could  do 
little  more  than  grumble,  for  they  were  a 
mere  handful.  Probably  in  1776  the  whole 
population  did  not  number  over  250. 

Bushwick,  despite  the  disparity  of  its  num- 
bers, was  more  pronouncedly  patriotic  and 
outspoken  than  any  of  the  other  King's  County 
towns  in  the  crisis  which  preceded  the  out- 
break of  the  Revolutionary  War.  It  was  repre- 
sented in  the  Provincial  Congress  at  New  York 
in  1775  and  1776  by  Theodoras  Polhemus. 
The  town  seems  to  have  fully  complied  with 
the  calls  of  the  Congress  for  militia  and  Capt. 
Titus's  company  is  claimed  to  have  done  its 
full  share  of  duty  in  the  Battle  of  Brooklyn. 
The  result  of  that  battle,  however,  effectually 
silenced  the  Revolutionary  spirit  in  Bushwick, 
and  many  of  its  most  ardent  Patriots  moved 
away,  while  not  a  few  entered  the  military 
service  of  the  struggling  republic.  The  town 
seems  to  have  suffered  many  hardships  all  dur- 
ing the  years  of  the  British  occupation,  the 
trees  and  fences  were  made  to  furnish  firewood 
for  the  camps  or  taken  for  use  in  such  defenses 
as  were  thrown  up,  while  farm  and  garden 
produce  was  transferred  from  raiser  to  con- 
sumer by  the  easy  methods  of  martial  law ;  and 
to  that  rude  code  in  fact  the  civilization  and 
property  of  the  entire  township  had  to  give 
way.  The  most  obnoxious  feature  of  the  occu- 
pation was  perhaps  the  billeting  of  the  soldiers 
on  the  people.  A  Hessian  regiment,  for  in- 
stance, was  quartered  in  Bushwick  in  the  win- 


340 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


ter  of  Ijy6-y.  Many  of  them  were  sheltered 
in  barracks  which  they  constructed  on  the  farm 
of  Abraham  Luqueer,  using  whatever  wood, 
growing  or  otherwise,  came  handiest.  A  great 
number,  however,  were  quartered  in  private 
residences  and  defiled  and  destroyed  the  prop- 
erty which  they  occupied  with  reckless  wanton- 
ness. So  filthy  were  they  in  their  habits  that 
they  received  the  name  of  "the  Dirty  Blues," 
and  one  of  the  results  of  their  stay  in  Bushwick 
was  a  malignant  fever  which  made  a  vacant 
chair  in  many  a  household.  Gangs  of  toughs 
and  thieves — human  scum — later  on  in  the  oc- 
cupation crossed  over  from  New  York  or 
marched  from  Brooklyn  and  infested  the  whole 
territory,  while  from  1778  until  1783  McPher- 
son's  Guides,  although  nominally  under  British 
discipline,  proved  little  better  than  a  squad  of 
thugs  and  freebooters.  No  wonder  that  Bush- 
wick rejoiced  when  the  victory  was  won  and 
the  occupation  became  a  thins;-  of  the  past.  Its 
citizens  joined  in  an  address  to  Gen.  Washing- 
ton, to  which  he  sent  a  most  dignified  reply. 
On  Dec.  2,  1783,  they  had  a  grand  festival  at 
which  they  joined  in  thirteen  regular  toasts, 
beginning  with  "The  United  States  of  Amer- 
ica" and  "His  Most  Christian  Majesty  (of 
France),"  and  "the  States  of  Holland."  Then 
they  pledged  New  York,  Clinton,  Washington, 
the  Council  and  Assembly,  and  closed  with 
sentiments,  the  last  of  which  was,  "As  the  roar- 
ing of  a  lion  is  to  animals,  so  may  the  frowns 
of  America  be  to  Princes."  The  chronicles 
tell  us  that  "the  day  was  spent  in  greatest  goad 
humor,  decency  and  decorum.  Every  coun- 
tenance displayed  in  the  most  lively  manner  the 
joy  and  gratitude  of  their  hearts  upon  this  most 
happy  and  important  event.'' 

"Among  the  patriots  of  Bushwick,"  says 
Stiles,  "we  may  here  record  the  names  of  John 
Provost  (grandfather  of  Hon.  A.  J.  Provost), 
who  escaped  the  pursuit  of  a  detachment  of 
British  soldiers  on  Greenpoint  and  was  obliged 
to  secrete  himself  for  three  days  in  Cripplegate 
swamp,  during  which  time  he  sustained  life  by 
milking  the  cows  which  pastured   there;   of 


John  A.  Meserole,  who  was  taken  and  confined 
in  the  Provost  jail  at  New  York;  of  John  I. 
Meserole,    who   was  mistaken   for  John  A. 
while  out  gunning  in  a  skiff,  and  arrested  as  a 
spy,  but  subsequently  released;  and  of  Abra- 
ham Meserole,  another  member  of  the  same 
family  who  was  in  the  American  army.  Jacob 
Van  Cott  and  David  Miller  were  also  in  the 
service,  and  taken  prisoners.    William  Consel- 
yea  was  taken  during  the  war,  and  hung  over 
a  well  and  threatened  in  order  to  make  him 
confess  where  his  money  was ;  Nicholas  Wyck- 
ofif  was  engaged  in  vidette  duty  with  a  troop  of 
horse ;  and.  Alexander  Whaley  was  one  of  those 
decided  characters  of  whom  we  should  be  glad 
to  learn  more  than  we  have  been  able  to  ascer- 
tain, in  spite  of  much  inquiry  and  research. 
He  was  a  blacksmith,  residing  at  the  Bushwick 
Cross  Roads,  on  land  forming  a  part  of  Abra- 
ham Rapalye's  forfeited  estates,  and  which  he 
purchased  at  the  commissioners'  sale,  March 
21,  1785.  (Liber  VI,  Convey.,  Kings  Co.,  345). 
The  building  which  Mr.  Whaley  occupied  was 
erected  by  himself,  on  the  south  side  of  the 
present  Flushing  avenue,  his  liberty-sign  pole 
rising  from  a  little  knoll  some  twenty  feet  west 
of  the  house.    His  blacksmith  shop  was  on  the 
site  of  the  present  house,  east  of  the  old  Wha- 
ley house.    He  died  at  Bushwick,  in  February,. 
1833,  in  the  eighty-eighth  year  of  his  age. 
Bold,  faithful,  and  patriotic,  and  odd  withal, 
he  made  his  mark  upon  the  day  and  generatioa 
in  which  he  lived.    His  obituary  notice  (all  too 
brief)  says  that  "he  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
American  liberty ;  being  one  of  those  who  as- 
sisted in  throwing  the  tea  overboard  in  Boston 
harbor.     He   was  the  confidential   friend  of 
Washington,  and  in  all  the  relations  of  life  he 
always  did  his  duty." 

"Several  estates  were  confiscated,  among 
which  were  those  of  William  Rapalje  and 
others ;  the  owners  finding  it  convenient  to  gO' 
to  Nova  Scotia. 

"Although  opposite  political  opinions  were 
frequently  entertained  by  different  members  of 
the  same  families,  it  is  worthy  of  remark  that 


BUSHWICK. 


341 


they  always  acted  honestly  towards  one  an- 
other. Though  a  great  number  of  the  inhab- 
itants of  Bushwick  were  Whigs,  the  Royalists 
even  were  men  of  peaceable  character  and  in- 
tegrity. This  fact,  as  recorded  by  a  venerable 
eye  witness  of  the  Revolution,  speaks  volumes 
in' favor  of  the  ancestry  of  Bushwick." 

With  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  strug- 
gle Bushwick  resumed  the  quiet  tenor  of  its 
ways  and  did  not  manifest  to  any  extent  the 
progress  made  by  the  other  Dutch  towns. 
Probably  its  people  were  averse  to  change, — 
to  receiving  and  fraternizing  with  new-comers. 
They  tilled  the  soil  season  after  season,  ate  the 
produce  of  their  fields,  sold  what  they  could,  or 
what  they  did  not  want,  and  were  happy.  The 
centre  of  their  little  world  was  Het  Dorp, 
where  was  located  their  church,  their  town 
house,  their  school-house  and  the  little  God's- 
acre  where  after  life's  little  battle  they  were 
gathered  to  their  fathers.  This  was  the  spot 
on  which  Situyvesant  stood  when  he  named  the 
place  Boswijck  and  probably  the  visitor  who 
nowadays  passes  along  Humboldt  avenue,  be- 
tween North  Second  and  Skillman  streets,  may 
tread  in  the  footsteps  of  the  valorous  Peter 
when  he  viewed  the  landscape  and  graciously 
assented,  in  the  passing  fullness  of  his  heart, 
to  all  the  people  asked  of  him.  Now  its  glory 
has  departed  and  rows  of  houses  stand  on  once 
fruitful  fields.  Even  the  old  burying-ground 
has  disappeared.  It  became  practically  unused 
and  an  eyesore,  and  in  1879  the  graves  were 
opened,  the  remains  reverently  gathered  to- 
gether in  boxes  and  deposited  under  the  mod- 
ern Bushwick  church.  There  was  quite  a  set- 
tlement around  Het  Dorp,  for  it  was  the  rally- 
ing place  of  the  inhabitants,  and  the  court- 
house and  church  and  school  caused  it  to  be 
frequented  by  strangers  at  intervals ;  but  even 
in  spite  of  these  things  it  was  a  sleepy  village, 
even  in  its  busiest  days.  There  was  also  a  little 
settlement  at  the  junction  of  what  is  now 
Flushing  avenue  and  Bushwick  avenue,  which 
rejoiced  in  the  name  of  Het  Kivis  Padt,  or  The 
Cross  Roads,  and  another,  Het  Strand,  stood 


on  the  shore  of  the  East  River.  But  they  were 
inconsiderable  hamlets  and  looked  to  Het  Dorp 
as  the  centre  of  their  social  sphere,  their  busi- 
ness world. 

There  was  still  another  section  which,  al- 
though it3  distinct  existence  was  not  recog> 
nized  until  long  after,  really  existed  in  Bush- 
wick. This  was  Cherry  Point,  afterward 
known  as  Greenpoint,  lying  in  a  neck  with 
Newtown  Creek  as  one  boundary,  and  the  East 
River  and  Bushwick  Creek  as  others.  It  was 
divided  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution  between 
a  few  Dutch  families,  the  Praas,  the  Meser- 
oles,  the  Colyers,  the  Bennets,  and  it  is  known 
that  a  troop  of  Hessians  held  sway  here  during 
part  of  the  occupation  and  played  sad  havoc 
with  John  A.  Meserole's  house,  in  which  they 
were  quartered.  The  family  managed  to  save 
one  cow  out  of  the  wreck  of  their  live  stock  by 
hiding  it  away  in  an  out-of-the-way  clump  of 
trees.  From  its  peculiar  location  and  the  ab- 
sence of  roads  the  people  at  Cherry  Point  were 
so  cut  off  from  the  rest  of  the  township  as  to  be 
hardly  considered  a  part  of  it.  Their  main 
communication  with  the  outer  world  was  by 
boat,  and  a  boat  was  as  necessary  a  part  of  the 
farm's  outfit  as  was  a  wagon  at  Flatbush.  The 
people  rowed  over  to  Manhattan  with  their 
produce,  and  even  journeys  to  Brooklyn  were 
made  by  boat.  In  1796  a  bridge  was  built 
across  Newtown  Creek,  but  its  facilities  were 
for  a  long  time  of  little  practical  use  to  the 
dwellers  in  Cherry  Point. 

But  while  Bushwick  after  the  Revolution 
relapsed  into  its  primitive  state  of  what  might 
be  termed  in  words  of  a  modern  statesman  "in- 
nocuous desuetude,"  part  of  the  territory  was 
suddenly  given  over  to  modern  ways,  and  its 
population  and  resources  and  importance  be- 
gan to  expand.  But  the  pressure  to  expand 
came  from  without  in  the  chain  of  circum- 
stances which  led  to  the  foundation  of  Will- 
iamsburg. The  story  of  that  erstwhile  city  is 
that  of  a  succession  of  land  booms  and  reads 
more  like  a  romance  than  a  piece  of  veritable 
history.    As  the  early  history  is  so  involved  as 


M-2 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


to  be  clearly  stated  only  by  one  who  has  given 
the  subject  close  study  combined  with  a  per- 
sonal acquaintance  with  many  of  the  under- 
currents of  events,  I  venture  to  quote  at  con- 
siderable length  from  a  sketch  written  by  Mr. 
John  M.  Stearns,  probably  the  best  authority 
on  the  history  of  Brooklyn's  once  famous 
"Eastern  District." 

After  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War, 
the  farmers  of  Bushwick  pursued  in  peace 
their  occupations  of  raising  grain  and  cultivat- 
ing garden  vegetables  for  the  New  York  mar- 
ket. But,  ere  long,  upon  the  shores  of  the  river 
which  formed  their  western  border  appeared 
the  nucleus  of  a  village,  and  t:ven  while  they 
rubbed  their  astonished  eyes,  it  expanded  to 
the  fair  proportions  of  a  city.  Instead  of  sbwly 
amassing  money  by  plodding  labor  and. close- 
fisted  huckstering,  they  found  fortunes  fairly 
thrust  upon  them  by  the  enhanced  value  of 
their  farms,  due  to  the  enterprise  of  others, 
whom  they  considered  as  Yankee  intruders. 
They  hesitated  at  first,  dazzled  by  the  prospect 
and  suspicious  of  the  motives  of  those  who 
offered  it.  But  finesse  prevailed  and,  the  first 
purchase  made,  the  rest  was  simply  a  matter 
of  time. 

Richard  M.  Woodhull,  a  New  York  mer- 
chant, of  intelligent  and  comprehensive  views, 
albeit  somewhat  speculative  in  his  conclusions, 
was  the  pioneer  in  this  movement.  He  had  al- 
ready established  a  horse  ferry,  from  Corlaer's 
Hook  (near  the  foot  of  the  present  Grand 
street.  New  York)  to  the  foot  of  the  present 
North  Second  street,  in  Brooklyn ;  and  the  con- 
centration of  trade  from  Long  Island  at  this 
apology  for  a  ferry  naturally  suggested  to  him 
its  probable  occupation,  to  a  limited  extent, 
near  the  eastern  terminus  of  the  ferry,  for  a 
village.  Had  he  reasoned  from  experience  as 
to  the  growth  of  cities,  he  might  have  been  de- 
terred from  this  venture.  New  York  City, 
which  at  the  period  of  the  Revolution  had  but 
24,000  inhabitants,  possessed  at  this  time 
(1800)  less  than  61,000.  There  was,  indeed, 
a  highway  from  the  settled  parts  of  the  city  to 
Corlaer's  Hook ;  but  Chatham  street  was  then 
the  margin  of  the  built  up  city,  and  the  scat- 
tered farmsteads,  shops  and  hotels  along  the 
Bowery  were  mere  suburbs  of  the  town.  Had 
he  stopped  to  consider  that  from  thirty  to  forty 
vears  would  be  required  to  crowd  three  square 


miles  of  vacant  lands  with  houses,  and  to  oc- 
cupy the  De  Lancey  and  Willet  farms  with 
population,  before  his  projected  city  on  the  op- 
posite I-ong  Island  shore  could  become  a  prac- 
tical success,  he  might  have  saved  himself  from 
infinite  trouble  and  ultimate  bankruptcy.  True, 
he  had  a  ferry  established.  But  this  could  not 
accommodate  the  people  whose  employment 
was  in  New  York.  A  horse  ferry,  with  two 
miles  of  travel  on  the  New  York  side,  before 
the  business  portion  of  the  city  could  be 
reached,  was  to  most  persons  a  most  formid- 
able objection  to  locating  so  far  from  their  em- 
ployment. But  Woodhull  was  infatuated  with 
his  scheme ;  and,  as  he  could  not  easily,  in  the 
then  temper  of  the  old  Dutch  residents,  pur- 
chase the  much  coveted  land  in  his  own  name, 
he  employed  one  Samuel  Titus,  of  Newtown, 
to  secure  the  title  from  Charles  (old  "Char- 
lum")  Titus  of  some  thirteen  acres  of  his  farm, 
which  he  afterward  repurchased  from  the  said 
Samuel  Titus,  at  cost.  This  land,  situated  in 
the  vicinity  of  North  Second  street  (then  called 
Bushwick  street),  was  soon  laid  out  by  Mr. 
Woodhull  in  city  lots,  and  named  Williams- 
burgh,  in  compliment  to  his  friend.  Col.  Will- 
iams, U.  S.  engineer,  by  whom  it  was  surveyed. 
A  shanty  ferry  house  and  a  tavern  near  by  were 
erected;  one  Lewis  bought  some  lots  and  put 
up  a  hay-press  and  scales  near  the  present 
North  Third  and  First  streets,  where  it  was  in- 
tended to  bale  the  hay  crop  of  Long  Island  for 
shipment  and  the  New  York  market;  and  an 
auction  was  held,  at  which  a  few  building  lots 
were  disposed  of.  But  the  amount  realized 
came  far  short  of  restoring  to  Woodhull  the 
money  he  had  thus  prematurely  invested.  His 
project  was  fully  a  quarter  of  a  century  too 
soon.  It  required  half  a  million  of  people  in 
the  city  of  New  York  before  settlers  could  be 
induced  to  remove  across  the  East  River,  away 
from  the  attractions  of  a  commercial  city. 
Woodhull  found  that  notes  matured  long  be- 
fore he  could  realize  from  his  property,  and 
barely  six  years  had  passed  before  he  was  a 
bankrupt,  and  the  site  of  his  new  city  became 
subject  to  sale  by  the  sheriff.  By  divers  shifts 
the  calamity  was  deferred  until  September  11, 
T,8i  I,  when  the  right,  title  and  interest  of  Rich- 
ard M.  Woodhull  in  the  original  purchase,  and 
in  five  acres  of  the  Francis  J.  Titus  estate,  pur- 
chased by  him,  in  1805,  near  Fifth  street,  was 
sold  by  the  sheriff,  on  a  judgment  in  favor  of 
one  Roosevelt.  James  H.  Maxwell,  the  son-in- 
law  of  Woodhull,  became  the  purchaser  of 


BUSH  WICK. 


34S 


Williamsburgh ;  but  not  having  means  to  con- 
tinue his  title  thereto,  it  again  passed  under  the 
sheriff's  hammer,  although  a  sufficient  number 
of  lots  had  by  this  time  been  sold  to  prevent 
its  reappropriation  to  farm  or  garden  purposes. 
Woodhull  and  Maxwell's  experience  was  that 
which  is  common  to  men  who  think  in  advance 
of  their  times ;  but  they  will  ever  be  mentioned 
with  respect  as  the  "fathers  of  the  town." 

Meanwhile  another  rival  was  in  the  field, 
Thomas  Morrell,  of  Newtown,  who  had  pur- 
chased from  Folkert  Titus  the  ancient  Titus 
homestead  farm  of  twenty-eight  acres ;  and 
who,  with  James  Hazard,  to  whom  he  sold  a 
moiety,  had  laid  it  out  in  city  lots,  and  had  a 
map  made  of  the  same,  whereon  Grand  street 
was  laid  down  as  a  dividing  line.  Morrell  then, 
in  1812,  obtained  from  the  city  of  New  York  a 
grant  for  a  ferry  from  Grand  street,  Bushwick, 
to  Grand  street,  New  York, — the  same  point  to 
which  Woodhull's  ferry  also  ran.  Yorkton  was 
the  somewhat  pompous  name  given  to  the  ter- 
ritory along  the  river  between  South  First  and 
North  Second  streets,  and  Loss'  map  of  York- 
ton  was  dignified  to  tiie  position  of  a  public 
record.  The  Morrell  ferry  gradually  super- 
seded Woodhull's  in  the  public  estimation,  so 
that  both  owners  became  rivals;  and  disputes 
ran  so  high  between  them  that  they  would  not 
permit  each  other's  teams  to  pass  over  their 
respective  lands ;  all  this  tended  to  retard  the 
progress  of  the  village.  Grand  street  became 
the  permanent  site  of  the  ferry;  and  the  old 
Titus  homestead  (on  the  northeast  side  of 
South  First  street),  long  known  as  "Old  Char- 
lum's"  Fountain  Inn,  became  the  headquarters 
of  village  politics,  where  the  destinies  of  town 
and  county  were  often  discussed,  on  winter 
nights,  over  hot  flip  and  brandy  slings. 

But  while  Morrell  succeeded  as  to  the  ferry 
Woodhull  managed  to  preserve  the  name  Will- 
iamsburgh, which  applied  at  first  to  the  thir- 
teen acres  originally  purchased,  and  had  ex- 
tended itself  to  adjoining  lands,  so  as  to  em- 
brace about  thirty  acres,  as  seen  in  Popple- 
ton's  map,  in  1814,  and  another  in  181 5,  of 
property  of  J.  Hom^r  Maxwell.  But  the  first 
ferry  had  landed  at  Williamsburgh,  and  the 
turnpike  went  through  Williamsburgh  out  into 
the  island.  Hence,  both  the  country  people 
and  the  people  coming  from  the  city,  when 
coming  to  the  ferry,  spoke  of  coming  to  Will- 
iamsburgh. Thus'  Yorkton  was  soon  unknown 
save  on  Loss'  map  and  in  the  transactions  of 
certain  land  jobbers.     Similarly,  the  designa- 


tions of  old  farm  locations,  being  obsolete  to- 
the  idea  of  a  city  or  a  village,  grew  into  disuse  ^ 
and  the  whole  territory  between  the  Wallabout 
Bay  and  Bushwick  Creek  became  known  as- 
WiUiamsburgh. 

At  the  time  the  ferries  were  established' 
there  was  no  open  road  to  the  water  side  except 
that  of  the  Newtown  &  Bushwick  Bridge  Co., 
which  came  to  the  shore  at  Woodhull's  ferry. 
.  There  was  no  open  shore  road  connecting  the 
two  ferries,  nor  any  from  the  Wallabout  to 
Williamsburgh;  for,  blind  to  their  own  inter- 
ests, the  owners  of  the  shore  land  refused  to 
have  any  road  opened  over  their  property  along 
the  shore.  Consequently  the  ferries  could  not 
prosper,  their  cost  exceeded  their  income,  and 
both  owners  died  in  embarrassed  circumstances 
and  with  blighted  hopes.  Subsequently  the 
ferries  were  consolidated. 

While  Woodhull  (and  his  successor)  and 
Morrell  were  at  variance  about  towns  and  fer- 
ries. Gen.  Jeremiah  Johnson  had  purchased  the 
farm  of  Charles  Titus  second ;  and,  in  his  go- 
ings to  and  fro  between  his  farm  and  Williams- 
burgh, became  much  annoyed  at  having  to  open 
and  shut  no  less  than  seventeen  barred-gates, 
within  a  distance  of  half  a  mile  along  the 
shore.*  His  proposition  to  the  owners  of  these 
lands  to  unite  with  him  in  securing  a  legislative 
act  for  the  opening  of  a  two-rod  road,  along 
the  front  of  their  property  from  the  Wallabout 
Bridge  to  the  Newtown  and  Bushwick  Biridge 
road  at  Woodhull's  ferry,  was  not  only  de- 
clined but  strenuously  opposed.     Whereupon, 


*In  this  connection  we  quote  from  a  MS.  lecture 
by  Mr.  Barnes  on  the  Wallabout,  the  following  descrip- 
tion of  the  "old-time"  route  from  Gen.  Johnson's, 
place,  corner  Kent  avenue  and  Hewes  street,  to  East 
New  York:  "Travel  up  the  farm-lane  (Hewes  street) 
some  distance  beyond  the  present  Lee  avenue  church, 
thence  southeasterly  along  the  farm  to  the  then  woods, 
across  the  creek  to  Nostrand's  lane,  and  up  this  lane 
(near  the  site  of  Husted  &  Co. 's  brick  stables)  on  Flush- 
ing avenue,  then  southeast  to  land  of  Henry  Boerum, 
thence  southerly  to  Bedford,  then  along  the  old  Bedford 
road,  facing  to  the  south  of  Fort  Greene  to  Baker's  Tav- 
ern on  Long  Island  Railroad  to  Fulton  street;  then  a 
road  or  lane,  to  the  ferry,  six  miles  away, — a  journey  of 
two  or  three  hours.  This,  however,  was  short  com- 
pared with  the  distance  from  the  late  Abm.  Remsen's 
house  (adjoining  Scholes'  farm,  and  but  one  beyond  Gen. 
Johnson's).  The  family  had  to  travel  up  their  farm  line 
to  the  church  at  Bushwick,  thence  along  the  Bushwick 
road  to  the  Cross-Roads,  along  Cripplebrush  road  to  the 
residence  of  Jacobus  Lott,  where  Nostrand's  land  inter- 
sects the  road,  and  then  along  the  Cripplebrush  road 
and  Bedford  road,  past  Fort  Greene  to  Baker's  Tavern 
on  Long  Island  Railroad,  and  to  Fulton  street  and  so  ta 
the  ferry, — ten  miles,  and  taking  four  or  five  hours. 


•B44 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


taking  the  matter  in  his  own  hands,  he  himself 
surveyed  the  proposed  road,  gave  due  notice  of 
appHcation,  got  up  a  petition,  and  by  personal 
interest  at  Albany  secured  the  required  author- 
ity, and  within  a  month  the  road  was  opened 
by  commissioners  of  the  two  towns.  The  effect 
was  magical,  for  before  this  there  had  been  no 
means  of  vehicular  travel  with  Brooklyn,  ex- 
cept by  the  Newtown  road  from  the  Bushwick 
Cross  Roads.  Now  the  business  largely  in- 
creased at  the  ferry,  and  public  attention  began 
to  be  drawn  more  than  ever  to  the  many  ad- 
vantages of  residence  afforded  by  Williams- 
burgh.  For,  situated  as  it  was, — opposite  the 
very  heart  of  New  York  City,  with  a  bold 
water-front  upon  the  East  River  of  a  mile  and 
a  half  extent  (entirely  under  the  control  of  its 
own  local  authorities),  with  a  sufficient  depth 
for  all  ordinary  commercial  purposes,  and  with 
the  ground  rising  gradually  from  the  river  to 
the  height  of  about  forty-five  feet  above  water 
level, — it  seems  as  if,  on  the  whole,  Nature  had 
designed  the  territory  for  the  site  of  a  city. 

The  village  grew  apace.  The  M.  E.  Church 
(organized  1807)  erected,  in  1808,  the  first 
place  of  worship;  the  North  American  Hotel 
was  built  about  the  same  time;  and  by  1814 
the  town  numbered  759  persons. 

About  1819  a  distillery  was  established  at 
the  foot  of  South  Second  street,  by  Noah  Wa- 
terbury,  whose  enterprise  has  earned  for  him 
the  appellation  of  the  "Father  of  Williams- 
burgh."  A  native  of  Groton,  Ct.,  he  came,  in 
1789,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  'to  Brooklyn,  where 
he  learned  to  be  a  shoemaker.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years,  together  with  Henry  Stan- 
ton, he  took  Catharine  Street  ferry,  and  after 
carrying  it  on  awhile  entered  into  the  lum- 
ber trade,  and  subsequently  established  a  rope 
walk.  He  removed  to  Williamsburgb,  in  May, 
1819,  where  he  purchased  from  Gen.  Jeremiah 
Johnson  the  half  acre  of  land  on  which,  with 
Jordan  Coles,  he  built  the  distillery  above  re- 
ferred to.  Subsequently  purchasing  eight  ad- 
joining acres,  he  laid  it  out  in  city  lots ;  grad- 
ually got  into  the  real-estate  business;  fre- 
quently loaned  money  to  the  village  in  its  finan- 
cial embarrassments ;  originated  the  City  Bank, 
of  which  he  became  the  first  president ;  as  also 
of  the  Bo.nrd  of  Trustees  of  1827 ;  and  in  many 
ways  promoted  the  welfare  of  the  village.  His 
life  was  one  of  enterprise,  public  spirit  and 
high  integrity. 

It  was  early  found  that  the  laws  relating  to 
common   highways   were   entirely   inadequate 


to  the  opening  of  streets  and  other  improve- 
ments needed  by  a  village  or  city.  If  the  plan 
had  been- adopted  of  opening  all  streets  by  com- 
mon taxation,  improvements  might  have  been 
effected,  and  in  the  end  their  expense  would 
have  been  equitably  apportioned,  that  is,  when 
the  whole  village  plot  was  improved  alike  and 
paid  for ;  but  in  this  new  community  every  per- 
son wished  his  particular  property  improved, 
and  had  rather  pay  the  expense  than  have  such 
improvements  deferred  till  the  general  public 
were  willing  to  assume  the  special  burden  of 
such  i'mprovements.  Mr.  David  Dunham,  a 
merchant  and  citizen  of  New  York,  became  in- 
terested in  Williamsburgb,  by  purchase  at  the 
Sheriff's  sale,  when  the  right,  title  and  interest 
of  James  H.  Maxwell  (Woodhull's  son-in- 
law)  were  sold  out  on  execution  in  favor  of 
James  J.  Roosevelt,  who  continued  to  follow 
the  property  with  his  financial  accommoda- 
tions until  1818  brought  the  final  extinction  of 
the  original  pioneer  interest  of  -these  two 
founders  of  the  village.  Dunham  shared  his 
purchase  with  Moses  Judafa  and  Samuel  Os- 
born,  established  the  first  steam  ferry  from 
New  York  to  Williamsburgb,  and  had  his 
name  applied  to  Grand  street,  as  laid  down  on 
"Loss'  Yorkton  Map."  But,  though  the  street 
was  soon  widened  ten  feet  on  the  north  side, 
the  new  name  would -not  stick.  Grand  street 
it  was,  and  is  to  this  day.  In  1820  David  Dun- 
ham, above  named,  donated  land  near  North 
First  street,  on  which  a  school-house  was 
erected,  known  as  District  School  No.  3  of  the 
Town  of  Bushwick ;  and  the  population  of  the 
town,  including  the  village,  was  at  this  time 
934,  of  which  182  were  colored. 

In  July  of  this  year  an  advertisement  in  the 
Long  Island  Star  announces  a  bear-shooting,  at 
the  Fountain  Inn,  which  "the  rifle  companies 
of  Major  Vinton  and  Captain  Burns  are  par- 
ticularly invited  to  attend  with  their  music. 
Green-turtle  soup  to  be  ready  on  the  same  day, 
from  II  A.  M.  to  10  P.  M."  In  October,  fol- 
lowing, three  persons  were  indicted  at  the 
Kings  County  General  Sessions  for  bull-baiting 
at  Williamsburgb !  which  argues  well  for  the 
moral  sentiment  of  the  new  community.  In 
1823  the  village  sustained  a  severe  loss  in.  the 
death,  by  drowning,  of  Mr.  David  Dunham, 
"merchant  and  citizen  of  New  York,"  whose 
efforts  had  "materially  changed  the  appearance 
of  Williamsburgb  and  were  adding  constantly 
to  its  improvements.  The  Williamsburgb 
Ferry  and  Turnpike,  maintained  by  him,  are 


BUSHWICK. 


345 


real  and  lasting  benefits  to  the  city  and  to  Long 
Island."  "Never  disheartened  by  disappoint- 
ment, nor  diverted  from  his  object  by  indolence 
or  opposition,"  he  was  justly  considered  "the 
friend  and  founder  of  the  village."  His  ferry 
continued  to  run ;  manufacturers  (especially  of 
whisky  or  rum  and  ship  cordage)  acquired 
something  of  a  foothold  in  the  place ;  and  there 
appeared  one  or  more  corner  groceries  and  a 
village  tavern,  besides  "old  Charlum"  Titus's 
Fountain  Inn.  In  1825  Garret  and  Grover  C. 
Furman,  New  York  merchants,  purchased 
twenty-five  acres  on  South  First  street,  about 
150  feet  from  what  is  now  Grand,  near  corner 
of  Second  street,  at  $300  per  acre,  and  had  it 
mapped  into  city  lots.  They  then  offered  the 
Dutch  Reformed  congregation  their  choice  of 
a  lot  100  feet  square  upon  which  to  erect  a 
church,  which  was  accepted ;  then  building  lots 
began  to  be  enquired  about  in  that  neighbor- 
hood. The  first  two  lots  were  sold  to  Dr.  Cox 
for  $150,  after  which  they  sold  so  fast  that  the 
price  was  advanced  to  $200,  and  in  less  than 
six  months  to  $250,  etc. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  necessity  of  a 
village  organization,  with  officers  possessing 
the  power  to  compel  the  opening  and  improv- 
ing of  streets,  the  digging  of  wells  and  the 
erection  of  pumps,  and  other  public  conven- 
iences, and  to  restrain  and  limit  the  unneigh- 
borly  selfishness  of  particular  citizens,  was 
made  fully  apparent.  Moreover,  no  general 
survey  of  a  village  plot  had  been  made  ;  aiid  the 
people,  in  public  and  private,  began  to  discuss, 
and  gradually  to  agree  upon,  the  need  of  a  vil- 
lage charter.  Finally  John  Luther  and  Lemuel 
Richardson  (or  rather  George  W.  Pittman), 
having  purchased  sites  for  two  rope  walks  be- 
tween North  Third  and  North  Fourth  streets, 
procured  a  survey  of  the  adjacent  lands  into 
street  and  lots,  and  made  application  to  the 
legislature  for  an  act  which  should  confer  upon 
the  place  the  usual  village  powers.  The  de- 
sired act  of  incorporation  was  passed  April  14, 
1827,  .defining  the  vihage  boundaries  as  "be- 
ginning at  the  bay,  or  river,  opposite  to  the 
Town  of  Brooklyn,  and  running  thence  east- 
erly along  the  division  line  between  the  towns 
of  Bushwick  and  Brooklyn,  to  the  lands  of 
Abraham  A.  Remsen ;  thence  northerly  by  the 
same  to  a  road  or  highway  at  a  place  called 
Sweed's  Fly,  thence  by  the  said  highway  to 
the  d^velling-house  late  cf  John  Vandervoort, 
deceased;  thence  in  a  straight  line  northerly, 
to  a  small  ditch,  or  creek,  against  the  meadow 


of  John  Skillman ;  thence  by  said  creek  to  Nor- 
man's kill ;  thence  by  the  middle  or  centre  of 
Norman's  kill  to  the  East  River ;  thence  by  the 
same  to  the  place  of  beginning."  The  charter 
named  five  Trustees  to  serve  till  the  time  of  the 
village  election,  viz. :  Noah  Waterbury,  Abra- 
ham Meserole ;  Lewis  Sanford,  and  Thomas  T. 
Morrell ;  also,  John  Miller,  who  declined  serv- 
ing; which  Board  were  duly  sworn  in  April 
26th,  and  organized  April  30th,  by  choosing 
Noah  Waterbury,  President ;  Abraham  Meser- 
ole, Secretary ;  and  Lewis  Sanford,  Treasurer. 
Their  only  noteworthy  acts  were  the  granting 
of  ?everal  tavern  licenses  (the  proceeds,  $10 
each,  accruing  to  the  poor  of  Bushwick),  and 
procuring  a  survey  of  the  village  to  be  made  by 
Daniel  Ewen,  for  which  $300  was  raised  by 
special  tax.  The  first  village  election  was  held 
Nov.  5,  1827,  and  the  old  trustees  were  re- 
elected, by  a  nearly  unanimous  vote,  except 
that  Peter  C.  Cornell  was  elected  in  place  of 
John  Miller.  The  votes  being  one  to  six  of 
the  population  gives  114  as  the  population  of 
the  village  proper. 

While  the  new  city  fathers  speedily  evinced 
a  commendable  degree  of  enterprise  in  their 
efforts  towards  the  improvement  of  the  place, 
their  wisdom  was  not  altogether  commensurate 
with  their  zeal.  The  charter  itself  lacked  pre- 
cision, in  some  respects,  and  its  vaguenesg 
seems  to  have  been  often  improved  by  the  early 
trustees  as  a  warrant  for  the  exercise  of  extra- 
ordinary powers.  This  embroiled  them  in  legal 
and  political  contentions  with  private  owners 
bi  property,  who,  for  the  first  time,  became 
suhject  to  municipal  regulations.  Thus,  the 
attempt  to  open  First  street  along  the  East 
River  front  between  South  First  and  South 
Second  streets,  gave  rise  to  a  long  and  bitter 
lawsuit  between  Jordan  Coles,  as  plaintiff,  and 
the  village,  in  which  Coles  was  partly  success- 
ful ;  but  the  open  street  remained  in  the  hands 
of  the  public.  Again,  the  Board,  unwittingly, 
became  the  cats-paw  of  certain  domestic  specu- 
lators who  rendezvoused  at  the  old  Fountain 
Inn,  during  the  days  of  its  decline,  and  these 
hatched  schemes  to  possess  themselves,  under 
color  of  the  law,  of  the  parcels  of  land  owned 
by  non-residents  and  outsiders.  By  instigating 
taxation  and  assessment  sales  of  these  lands, 
with  and  without  law,  they  were  enabled  to 
purchase  them  "for  a  song,"  much  to  the  detri- 
ment of  the  village,  as  it  gave  rise  to  much  un- 
certainty as  to  land  titles.  Yet  the  practice  con- 
tinued until  probably  10,000  lots  were  sold  for 


346 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


non-payment  of  taxes  or  assessments,  while 
there  was  not  law  enough  in  these  assessments 
or  tax  titles  under  which  to  acquire  or  hold  the 
lands.  But  thus  were  matters  too  often  man- 
aged by  those  who  "had  the  ear"  of  the  little 
handful  of  trustees,  who  held  their  sessions  in 
a  small,  wooden  house,  with  its  gable  to  First 
street,  about  seventy-five  feet  north  of  Grand ; 
wherein,  also,  was  a  tin  and  stove  store,  and 
the  office  of  a  Justice  of  the  Peace. 

In  January,  1829,  the  village  had  reached  a 
milestone  in  its  career :  it  had  a  debt !  In  Feb- 
ruary it  had  a  postoffice,  Lewis  Sanford,  post- 
master; in,  June,  a  hook  and  ladder  company 
was  formed ;  and,  during  the  year.  North  Third 
and  South  Second  streets  were  built,  and  First 
street  between  Grand  street  and  the  Brooklyn 
line  was  opened.  In  1829  a  school  census  re- 
vealed these  facts, — that  Williamsburgh  had  a 
population  of  1,007,  including  72  blacks;  148 
dwelling  houses,  including  10  stores  and  tav- 
erns ;  5  other  stores ;  5  rope  walks ;  i  distillery ; 

1  turpentine  distillery;  i  slaughter-house,  and 

2  butchers ;  3  lumber-yards ;  i  M.  E.  church ;  i 
Dutch  Reformed  church;  i  district  and  3  pri- 
vate schools,  etc.,  etc.  In  1832  a  Methodist 
Protestant  church  was  formed  by  secession 
from  the  M.  E.  church.  In  1835  a  census  of 
the  town  of  Bushwick  (inclusive  of  Williams- 
burgh) gave  a  population  of  3,314;  and  2  dis- 
tilleries, 4  rope  walks,  and  one  gristmill,  with  a 
total  of  $398,950  of  raw  material  consumed, 
and  $481,272  produced — all  of  which  (except 
the  gristmill)  were  within  the  village  limits, 
as  were  also  3,000  of  the  population.  This  was' 
exclusive  of  many  smaller  establishments, 
wood-yards,  storehouses,  etc.,  together  with  72 
village  streets,  of  which  13  were  opened,  and 
about  300  houses.  This  year,  also,  the  Will- 
iamsburg Gazette  was  started. 

These  facts  illustrate  the  progress  the  vil- 
lage had  made,  despite  the  errors  of  its  trus- 
tees, the  machinations  of  land-jobbers,  and  the 
depressing  failures  of  its  first  founders ;  and, 
encouraged  by  these  facts,  its  inhabitants  be- 
stinred  themselves  to  procure  an  enlargement 
of  their  charter  and  a  strengthening  of  their 
corporate  authority.  On  their  application,  a 
legislative  act  was  passed,  April  18,  1835,  ex- 
tending the  village  limits  by  adding  all  the 
present  Sixteenth  Ward,  of  Brooklyn,  from 
the  Sweed's  Fly  road  to  Bushwick  avenue,  and 
the  present  Eighteenth  Ward,  as  well  as  a  por- 
tion of  the  Eighteenth  Ward,  between  Hum- 
boldt street  and  the  old  Wood  Point  road.  The 


new  charter  created  a  Board  of  nine  Trustees, 
to  be  annually  elected,  of  which  Edmund  Frost 
was  chosen  President,  and  the  energy  and  en- 
terprise of  the  new  board  soon  inaugurated  a 
new  era  in  the  histoiry  of  the  place.  Several 
large  and  substantial  wharves  and  docks  were 
built,  new  avenues  of  trade  opened  by  the  con- 
struction of  turnpikes,  more  streets  laid  out, 
and  (against  the  strenuous  opposition  of  New 
York)  a  new  ferry  established  to  Peck  Slip,  a 
movement  which,  more  than  anything  else,  per- 
haps, contributed  to  the  increase  of  Williams- 
burgh's  population  and  prosperity, — adding,  as 
it  did,  an  inducement  to  many  New  Yorkers  to 
locate  their  residences  on  some  of  the  beauti- 
ful and  eligible  sites  covering  the  eastern  shore 
of  the  East  River. 

Speculation  had  now  grown  to  enormous 
proportions.  In  1828,  in  addition  to  the  "Will- 
iamsburgh" and  "Yorkton"  settlements,  the 
Jacob  Berry  farm,  of  twenty-five  acres,  next  to 
the  East  River  and  Brooklyn  line,  and  the 
Frederick  Devoe  farm,  of  ten  or  twelve  acres, 
extending  from  the  river  to  Seventh  street  and 
along  South  Fifth  and  Sixth  streets,  had  been 
laid  out  in  village  lots  and  mapped.  In  1833 
one  Holmes  Van  Mater,  of  New  Jersey,  hav- 
ing purchased  the  David  Van  Cott  property,  of 
twenty-four  acres,  extending  from  Sixth  street 
to  the  old  Keikout  road,  near  Tenth  street, 
and  from  South  Third  to  Grand  street,  and  for 
the  space  of  a  block  to  North  First  and  be- 
yond, between  Ninth  and  Tenth  streets,  in- 
cluding the  "common"  near  Ninth  and  North 
First  streets,  had  it  mapped  out  into  lots. 
John  Miller  had  a  map  made  of  eleven  acres, 
the  northerly  half  of  the  land,  inherited  from 
David  Miller,  his  father,  being  part  of  the  old 
Keikout  farm  and  of  a  piece  of  land  extend- 
ing from  Seventh  to  Tenth  streets,  bought  by 
David  Miller  of  one  Roosevelt.  Maria  Miller 
Meserole  had  the  south  half  of  the  same  land, 
mapped  by  the  village  and  then  in  partition 
in  1849. 

Nearly  all  of  the  present  Thirteenth  and 
Fourteenth  wards  of  Brooklyn — the  original 
chartered  limits  of  Williamsburgh — was  laid 
out  into  lots  before  1834,  when  a  general  map 
of  the  village  was  made  by  D.  Ewen,  setting 
out  the  entire  chartered  village  into  prospective 
city  lots.  Prior  to  this  Edmund  Fi'ost,  Silas 
Butler,  Charles  O'Handy  and  William  Sin- 
clair had  laid  out  twenty-five  acres,  extend- 
ing from  near  North  Second  street  to  North 
Tenth,  and  from  Sixth  street  to  Ninth  street. 


BUSHWICK. 


347 


Sharp  and  Sutphen  had  also  seventeen  acres 
laid  out  from  North  Second  to  North  Seventh, 
and  from  Third  to  Sixth  street.  These  par- 
cels were  of  irregular  shape  and  matched  to 
contiguous  lands  by  irregular  lines. 

A  company  purchased  several  farms  and 
combined  them  in  a  map  of  939  lots  of  land 
in  Williamsburgh,  the  title  being  vested  for 
convenience  of  sale  and  the  execution  of  deeds 
in  one  William  P.  Powers,  a  handsome,  amiable 
and  honest  young  man,  who  was  a  law  clerk  in 
the  office  of  John  L.  Graham,  in  New  York. 
Powers  also  held  title  to  one  hundred  and 
ninety-seven  lots  located  between  Ninth  street 
and  Lorimer  street,  and  South  Third  street 
and  North  Second  street,  and  lying  on  both 
sides  of  Union  avenue;  also,  he  held  title  to 
the  Abraham  Meserole  farm,  west  of  Graham 
avenue. 

The  greatest  rivals  of  Powers'  associates 
were  one  John  S.  McKibben  and  Thomas 
Nicholls,  and,  associated  with  them  as  banker 
and  friend,  one  George  D.  Strong.  Nearly  all 
the  land  south  of  the  Meserole  farm,  held  by 
Powers  as  above,  to  the  Brooklyn  line  and  the 
cross-roads,  was  purchased  by  McKibben, 
Nicholls  and  Strong,  and  mapped  into  city 
lots,  both  upland  and  swamp.  The  only  por- 
tion of  what  was  made  the  third  district  of 
Williarhsburgh,  remaining  to  the  original 
owners,  was  the  part  of  the  Meserole  farm 
lying  between  Graham  avenue  and  Bushwick 
avenue,  the  John  Skillman  farm,  near  North 
Second  street,  to  the  northerly  village  line 
and  to  the  meadows,  and  from  Union  avenue 
to  near  Leonard  street, — the  land  formerly 
of  John  Conselyea,  deceased,  afterward  owned 
by  Andrew  J.  Conselyea,  as  to  part,  and  Mrs. 
D.  W.  Townsend  and  Mrs.  Schenck  as  to  other 
portions,  and  John  Devoe  as  to  land  on  the 
southerly  side  of  North  Second  street,  from 
Lorimer  street  to  Bushwick  avenue.  But  all 
these  several  farms  and  lands  were  mapped  as 
city  property  by  their  old  farm-owners  and  put 
on  the  market  in  competition  with  the  land- 
jobbers'  stock  in  trade.  The  village  had  already 
assumed  jurisdiction,  under  an  act  extending 
its  limits,  passed  in  1835,  and  laid  out  the 
streets  as  they  are  now  recognized. 

Such  are  the  mater-of-fact  details  of  the 
growth  of  the  paper  suburbs  of  our  growing 
town.  Its  springs  of  life  were  .hid  away  in 
the  speculating  haunts  of  New  York  City  in 
dingy  uper  roorhs  of  No.  142  Fulton  street 
and  No.  5  Nassau  street,  where  often  at  mid- 


day and  at  early  nightfall  gathered  those  who 
thought  there  was  something  more  than 
Kidd's  money  hid  away  in  the  meadows  and 
uplands  of  the  old  town  of  Bushwick. 

At  public  and  private  sale  large  numbers 
of  lots  were  disposed  of,  moneys  were  paid  for 
margins,  and  mortgages  were  taken  back  for 
part  of  the  purchase  money  to  twice  the  in- 
trinsic value  of  the  property.  All  went  mer- 
rily, the  land-jobbers  were  reputed  to  have 
become  wealthy,  and  their  customers  saw  for- 
tunes in  their  investments;  and  the  pasture 
lands  and  fields  which  then  made  up  nine- 
tenths  of  the  territoii-y  of  Williamsburgh  were 
clothed  in  the  hopeful  imaginings  of  the  hold- 
ers of  lots  with  all  the  incidents  of  a  busy, 
bustling  town. 

During  the  year  1836,  a  company  purchased 
the  Conselyea  (formerly  Daniel  Bordet's)' 
farm,  together  with  an  adjoining  estate,  trav- 
ersed by  the  present  Grand  street,  laid  it  out 
(part  of  map  of  939  lots),  and  erected  there- 
on fourteen  elegant  first-class  dwellings,  de- 
signed to  be  the  pattern  houses  of  a  new  and 
model  city.  The  advance  in  real  estate  and 
population  was  unprecedented — lithographed 
property-maps  set  forth  in  glowing  colors  the 
unrivalled  opportunities  and  advantages  for 
profitable  investments,  which  were  eagerly 
caught  up  by  the  uninitiated,  until  by  this  time 
(1836)  real  estate  in  Williamsburgh  actually 
exceeded  its  present  value. 

Finally  the  bubble  burst,  and  in  the  crash 
which  followed — known  as  the  "General  iCom- 
mercial  Crisis  of  1837,"  Williamsburgh  suf- 
fered deeply.  A  perfect  business  paralysis 
ensued,  which  seriously  shattered  the  founda- 
tions of  real  and  substantial  property.  Be- 
tween cause  and  effect,  intervening  circum- 
stances delayed  the  ultimate  catastrophe  to 
collateral  investments ;  so  that  not  until  1839 
or  '40  did  Williamsburgh  fully  realize  that  the 
prestige  of  her  second  founders  was  lost.  The 
fourteen  model  dwellings  were  followed  by  no 
similar  erections ;  here  and  there  a  half  fin- 
ished building,  abandoned  by  its  owner,  sug- 
gested the  vanity  of  all  human  hopes ;  the 
noise  of  the  axe  and  hammer  was  stilled 
throughout  the  village.  From  1840  to  1844 
the  Court  of  Chancery  was  fully  busied  in 
clearing  away  the  rubbish  of  private  bank- 
ruptcies from  investments  made  in  these  lots, 
that  they  might  stand  discharged  from  judg- 
ments and  liens  in  the  hands  of  responsible 
capitalists,  and  in  a  condition  for  improvement. 


■348 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


But  healthful  legislation  and  increasing  fa- 
cilities of  access  gradually  restored  business 
to  its  wonted  channels.  So  rapid  was  the 
progress  of  the  village  that  in  less  than  ten 
years  its  population  had  doubled,  and  its  ulti- 
mate position  as  a  city  became  a  fixed  fact  in 
the  public  mind.  For,  during  the  period 
(1835-1844)  when  political  and  financial  his- 
tory had  been  so  unhappy,  social,  religious 
and  educational  advantages  had  rapidly  in- 
creased and  helped  to  lighten  the  general 
gloom.  In  1837  the  Episcopal  Church  was 
organized  in  the  city;  in  1838  the  Williams- 
"burgh  Lyceum  was  established;  in  1839  the 
Baptist  denomination  gained  a  foothold;  in 
1840  the  opening  of  the  Houston  Street  ferry 
opened  a  convenient  transit  to  residents  em- 
ployed in  the  great  manufactories  along  the 
•eastern  water  front  of  New  York  City;  the 
village  press  was  augmented  by  the  advent  of 
The  Williamsburg  Democrat;  and  the  first 
omnibus  line  was  established.  The  village  cen- 
sus gave  a  population  of  5,094.  In  1841  the 
Roman  Catholic  denomination  established  it- 
self in  the  Dutch  village  neighborhood;  and 
the  Odd  Fellows  organized  a  branch.  In 
1842  the  First  Presbyterian,  and  in  1843  the 
First  Congregational  Church,  was  commenced ; 
while  during  i843-'4  the  place  became  a  fa- 
vorite resort  of  the  "Millerite,"  or  Second 
Advent  craze.  In  1844  an  amended  village 
charter  was  adopted,  under  which  three  trus- 
tees and  one  collector  were  chosen  for  each 
district.  From  this  point  up  to  1850  the  so- 
cial, educational  and  literary  interests  of  the 
village  assumed  more  definite  proportions 
and  vigor,  while  the  number  of  church  organi- 
zations was  rapidly  increased  in  each  of  the 
denominations,  and  the  Williamsburgh  Bible 
Society  was  formed.  In  i848-'9  appeared  the 
first  village  directory,  published  (as  also  the 
year  following)  bv  Henry  Payson,  and  con- 
tinued by  Messrs.  Samuel  and  T.  V.  Reynolds, 
the  increase  of  population  from  1845  to  1850 
being  19,448.  The  year  185 1  saw  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Williamsburgh  Savings  Bank, 
the  Williamsburgh  Dispensary,  the  Division 
Avenue  Ferry  and  three  new  churches. 

Williamsburgh  now  aspired  to  be  a  city. 
Several  motives  conspired  to  this  result.  The 
village  government  had  often  exercised  doubt- 
ful powers  in  matters  of  public  improvement. 
Its  several  charters,  subjected,  as  they  were 
by  the  courts,  to  the  strictest  construction, 
were  found  to  allow  of  too  little  discretionary 


power  to  be  always  available  in  emergencies 
which  were  constantly  arising.  Again,  the 
Village  Trustees  being  mostly  men  of  limited 
business  experience,  could  not  readily  work 
up  to  a  technical  and  strictly  constructed  law. 
It  is  due,  however,  to  the  old  Village  Trustees, 
to  say  that  their  carelessness,  as  to  the  pro- 
visions of  the  charter,  oftener  arose  from  an 
over-ambition  to  serve  the  public  in  its  need- 
ed improvements  of  the  village  than  from  any 
conrupt  motives  of  personal  profit.  And,  not 
infrequently,  they  found  themselves,  as  a 
board,  involved  in  litigations  initiated  by  the 
very  persons  who  had  petitioned 'for  improve- 
ments, and  whose  property  was  benefited 
thereby,  perhaps  to  even  double  the  assess- 
ments charged  to  it  for  the  expenses.  An  un- 
wise fostering  of  the  fire  department,  for  the 
sake  of  its  political  influence,  also  gave  imdue 
influence  to  the  rowdy  element  of  the  popula- 
tion, which  soon  showed  itself  in  an  increased 
turbulence  of  the  town  meetings,  at  which 
alone  legal  taxes  could  be  ordered.  This, 
with  the  impossibility  of  getting,  in  the  town 
meeting,  a  fair  expression  of  the  real  public 
voice — since  the  meetings  could  be  so  "packed" 
as  to  leave  nine-tenths  of  the  village  voters  out 
on  the  sidewalk — led  to  legislation  for  the 
establishment  of  a  Board  of  Finance,  which 
should  determine  the  amounts  to  be  raised  for 
specific  objects  and  provide  for  their  insertion 
in  the  tax  levy. 

Such  a  Board  was  created  March  i,  1849, 
by  act  of  Legislature,  and  consisted  of  the 
President  and  Trustees  of  the  village,  with  the 
Town  Sbpervisor  and  nine  other  men  espe- 
cially elected  for  the  purpose.  But  this  did 
not  suffice ;  and  finally  the  required  citi^  char- 
ter, drawn  by  Mr.  S.  M.  Meeker,  village 
Counsellor,  received  the  sanction  of  the  Legis- 
lature April  7,  185 1 ;  the  election  for  city  offi- 
cers was  held  in  November  following,  and  the 
charter  went  into  effect  January  i,  1852. 

The  names  of  public  streets  frequently  ex- 
press fragments  of  local  historv.  Some  are 
only  to  be  interpreted  by  traditions.  Men  who 
lav  the  foundations  of  a  city,  or  map  the  loca- 
tions so  to  be  occupied,  are  apt  to  respect  a 
Scripture  example  in  calling  their  cities  "by 
their  own  names,"  or  by  the  names  of  favorites 
and  friends.  Bushwick  had  no  verv  conspicu- 
ous men;  so,  when  it  became  the  site  of  a  fu- 
ture town,  no  local  denizen  had  sufficient  sym- 
pathy with  the  matter  to  wish  to  couple_  his 
name  with  what  seemed  so  absurd  a  project. 


BUSHWICK. 


349' 


Thus,  in  old  Williamsburgh  no  streets  pre- 
serve the  memory  of  the  Titus,  .the  Miller,  the 
Meserole,  the  Devoe,  the  Berry  families,  nor 
even  that  of  its  founders,  Morrell  or  Wood- 
hull.  Mr.  Dunham  sought,  indeed,  to  apply 
his  name  to  the  present  Grand  street;  or,  at 
least,  to  sixty  feet  wide  of  the  southern  por- 
tion of  it.  But  the  widened  street,  as  a  cen- 
ter line  of  departure  in  the  designation  of  all 
the  streets,  took  the  more  significant  name  of 
Grand  street.  And  Woodhull  street,  in  desig- 
nating the  streets  by  numbers,  was  succeeded 
by  "North  Second"  street.  All  the  regular 
streets  of  the  village  were  designated  by  num- 
bers, except  Grand  street  and  the  lane  known 
as  Water  street,  a  portion  of  the  old  road 
along  the  East  River  shore ;  and  a  street  laid 
out  on  the  Commissioners'  map  as  "River 
street,"  whose  site  was  over  the  waters  of  the 
East  River,  has  been  closed. 

In  the  designation  of  the  streets  First 
street  ran  along  the  East  River,  Second  street 
was  parallel  or  nearly  parallel  to  it,  and  so  the 
streets  were  numbered  as  we  went  east  from 
the  East  River  up  to  Twelfth  street;  and 
north  from  Grand  street  the  first  street  having 
the  same  general  directions  was  North  First 
street.  The  old  Jamaica  turnpike,  from  the 
old  Ferry  out,  was  North  Second,  and  so  on  to 
North  Thirteenth  street,  at  or  along  Bushwick 
creek ;  then,  south  of  Grand  street  and  running 
in  the  sarne  general  direction,  though  not  ex- 
actly parallel.  South  First  street  to  South 
Eleventh  street,  at  the  old  Brooklyn  line.  In 
the  use  of  numerals  there  was  a  certain  degree 
of  convenience ;  but  strangers  were  often  con- 
fused by  confounding  First  street  with  North 
First,  or  South  First,  etc. 

But  it  is  in  the  present  Fifteenth  and  Six- 
teenth Wards  that  we  find  the  streets  desig- 
nated by  historical  names.  Lorimer  commelm- 
orates  the  middle  name  of  John  and  James 
Lorimer  Graham,  two  famous  land-jobbers 
there  in  1836.  Ewen  street  was  named  after 
Daniel  Ewen,  City  Surveyor,  residing  in  New 
York,  who  surveyed  both  the  old  and  new  vil- 
lage. Graham  avenue  still  flatters  the  above 
named  Grahams.  Sknith  street  cdmmemorated 
Morgan  L.  Smith,  and  Bushwick  avenue  was 
the  boundairy  between  Williamsburgh  and 
Bushwick.  North  Second  street  was  extended 
on  the  map  of  the  new  village  to  Bushwick. 
Powers  street,  in  the  present  Fifteenth  Ward, 
was  named  after  William  P.  Powers,  a  clerk 
in  the  ofBce  of  John  L.  Graham,  who  was  made 


nominal  proprietor  of  939  lots  for  the  con- 
venience of  their  sale  and  conveyance  to  pur- 
chasers ;  also  of  several  other  parcels  of  land. 
He  appears  on  the  record  as  the  greatest  land- 
jobber  of  the  period.  While,  however,  the  prof- 
its belonged  to  others,  the  responsibilities  and 
losses  were  sometimes  fathered  on  him.  But 
he  has  always  borne  the  character  of  an  up- 
right, honest  and  cultured  gentleman.  Ainslee 
street  was  namer  after  Mr.  James  Ainslee, 
who  for  many  years  administered  local  justice 
in  Williamsburgh.  Devoe  street  represented 
the  Devoes,  who  owned  a  block  or  two  of  land' 
adjoining  North  Second  street  on  the  South 
side,  and  whose  home  was  in  Bushwick,  and 
not  Frederick  Devoe,  whose  farm  was  on  the 
East  River  shore.  Going  north  of  North  Sec- 
ond street,  or  the  old  Jamaica  turnpike,  the 
first  street  parallel  to  it  is  Conselyea  street, 
whose  eastern  portion  runs  through  the  farm 
late  of  Andrew  J.  Conselyea,  and  about  an 
acre  of  land  of  William  J.  Conselyea,  his 
brother;  hence  the  name.  Skillman  street, 
now  Skillman  avenue  to  distinguish  it  from 
Skillman  street  in  old  Brooklyn,  derived  its 
name  from  John  Skillman,  Sr.,  who  lived  and' 
died  on  the  same  farm,  at  or  near  the  present 
residence  of  Charles  M.  Church,  son-in-law 
to  John  Skillman.  Jackson  street  was  probably 
named  from  Daniel  Jackson,  who,  in  connec- 
tion with  Graham  and  Reuben  Withers,  had' 
some  landed  interests  in  Williamsburgh. - 
Withers  street  was  named  after  Reuben  With- 
ers, late  proprietor  of  the  Houston  Street 
Ferry.  Frost  street  was  named  from  Edmund 
Frost,  who  was  associated  with  Handy,  Sin- 
clair and  Butler  in  a  tract  of  land  in  the  Four- 
teenth Ward.  Richardson  street  was  named 
for  Lemuel  Richardson,  whose  worthy  name  is- 
elsewhere  mentioned  as  one  of  the  pioneers  in 
building  up  Williamsburgh.  Sanford  street 
(changed  to  Bayard)  was  in  honor  of  Edward 
Sanford,  a  distinguished  lawyer  associated 
with  John  L.  Graham  in  many  real-estate 
transactions.  His  name  had  been  applied  to 
a  street  in  the  Seventh  Ward,  Brooklyn  ;  hence 
the  change.  The  substituted  name  was  proba- 
bly taken  from  the  name  of  a  street  in  the  city 
of  New  York. 

Going  south  from  Grand  street,  Remsen 
street  was  named  after  Abraham  A.  Remsen, 
who  owned  land  at  its  junction  with  'Union 
avenue.  There  is  another  Remsen  street  near 
the  City  Hall,  old  Brooklyn,  and  the  name  of 
the  E.  D.  street  was  changed  to  Maujer  street- 


350 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


in  respect  to  Mr.  Daniel  Maujer,  who,  about 
the  time,  represented  the  Fifteenth  Ward  as 
Alderman. 

Nicholas  Wyckoff,  the  late  worthy  Presi- 
dent of  the  First  National  Bank,  has  his  name 
perpetuated  in  Wyckofif  street.  Stagg  street, 
•with  its  homely  name,  has  doubtless  outlived 
its  patron,  who  is  probably  known  to  but  few, 
if  any,  of  the  existing  citizens.  Scholes  street 
•represents  the  family  of  James  Scholes,  de- 
ceased, late  of  what  is  now  the  Nineteenth 
Ward.  Meserole  avenue  was  named  from  the 
Abraham  Meserole  through  whose  farm  it 
ran,  and  not  from  Abraham  Meserole,  hus- 
band of  Maria  Miller,  of  the  present  Thir- 
teenth Ward.  Johnson  street,  or  avenue, 
commemorates  the  memory  of  the  late  General 
Jeremiah  Johnson.  Boerum  street  was  named 
from  old  Jacob  Boerum,  who  had  a  farm  of 
fifty-eight  acres  within  the  limits  of  the  pres- 
ent Sixteenth  Ward,  Brooklyn.  This  farm 
was  the  subject  of  the  great  Cleveland  law- 
suit. McKibben  street  was  named  after  John 
S.  McKibben,  who  caused  a  map  of  a  part 
of  the  Jacob  Boerum  farm,  as  the  land  of 
McKibben  and  Nicholls,  to  be  made  and  filed. 
Sigel  street,  which  (on  changing  the  name 
of  duplicate  streets  in  Williamsburgh  by  the 
Common  Council  of  Brooklyn)  superseded 
Marshall  street,  was  in  honor  of  General  Sigel, 
•of  the  Civil  war.  Moore  street  was  named  for 
the  late  Thomas  C.  Moore,  a  manufacturer  of 
wire  sieves  and  netting,  who  owned  lands  in 
that  neighborhood.  Varette  street  was  named 
from  Lewis  F.  Varette,  a  land  speculator, 
who  operated  on  the  sale  of  village  lots  there 
.and  elsewhere.  Cook  street  was  probably 
named  from  an  old  resident  near  the  Cross 
Roads.  Debevoise  street  (covering  a  part  of 
the  old  Brooklyn  and  Newtown  turnpike,  by 
the  Cross  Roads)  was  named  from  'Charles 
Debevoise,  who  lived  on  Flushing  avenue,  near 
the  western  terminus  of  this  street. 

The  custom  of  perpetuating  the  names  of 
the  oldest  inhabitants  by  those  of  streets  is 
more  marked  in  the  old  city  of  Brooklyn  than 
in  Williamsburgh.  In  the  latter  place  many 
whose  names  are  thus' perpetuated  were  really 
residents  of  the  city  of  New  York,  and  inter- 
ested in  Williamsburgh  only  as  speculators. 

From  1817  until  1852  the  local  government 
■  of  Williamsburgh  was  carried  on  by  a  Bresi- 
■dent  and  Board  of  Trustees.    By  a  law  which 


passed  the  Legislature  in  April,  185 1,  it  was 
raised,  <?n  January  i,  1852,  to  the  dignity  of 
a  city,  and  Dr.  Abraham  J.  Berry  was  elected 
the  first  Mayor,  the  population  being  at  that 
time  about  45,000.  The  possession  of  a  city 
charter  at  once  added  influence  and  strength 
to  the  community,  and  it  began  to  expand 
with  bewildering  rapidity.  In  1852  the  Farm- 
ers and  Citizens'  Bank  was  incorporated,  with 
a  capital  of  $200,000,  and  the  Williamsburgh 
City  Bank  with  a  capital  of  $320,000.  In 
the  following  year  the  Mechanics'  (Manufac- 
turers' National)  Bank  was  formed,  with  a 
capital  of  $250,000,  and  these  financial  institu- 
tions, with  several  local  fire  insurance  com- 
companies,  gave  force  to  the  idea  of  the  citizens 
that  Williamsburgh  was  destined  to  become 
the  business  center  of  Long  Island.  New 
churches  were  organized  in  almost  all  denomi- 
nations, and  twenty-five  S'abbath-schools,  with 
4,600  registered  pupils,  showed  that  the  active 
element  in  the  city's  growth  was  not  unmindful 
of  the  higher  interests  of  the  community. 
Everything  was  hopeful,  and  a  roseate  hue  col- 
ored every  move  by  the  municipality.  Ex- 
penses were  increasing  rapidly,  much  more  so 
than  the  local  revenues  warranted,  but  then 
the  future  was  bright  with  promises.  Thirty 
miles  of  streets  had  been  opened  up,  paved 
and  flagged,  and  that  itself  was  boasted  about 
as  being  a  grand  item,  even  though  the  treas- 
ury was  empty. 

'  The  curse  of  the  new  city,  as  it  was  in  a 
lesser  degree  that  of  the  village,  was  its  poli- 
tics. A  class  of  men  forged  to  the  front 
who  lived  off  the  spoils,  and  these  were  urging 
the  city  fathers  to  rush  into  all  sorts  of  rash 
expenditures, — expenditures  far  beyond  the 
financial  ability  of  the  local  treasury  to  meet, 
and  the  municipal  indebtedness  began  to  pile 
up  in  a  way  that  caused  thinking  people  to 
desire  a  halt.  But  the  politicians  in  office 
could  not  halt  even  if  they  had  desired,  which 
is  doubtful,  for  those  not  in  office  had  to  be 
provided  for,  while  their  dependents, — those 
who  by  their  votes  gave  them  the  power  they 


BUSHWICK. 


851 


enjoyed, — had  to  be  "looked  after."  The  fire 
department,  for  instance,  being  an  excellent 
vote-getter,  was  carefully  nourished  by  the  lo- 
cal authorities  until  the  city  had  a  system  far 
beyond  its  needs ;  but,  then,  each  fire  company 
was  a  powerful  factor  in  local  politics.  In 
1852  the  Williamsburgh  Water  Company  was 
organized,  and  proved  the  beginning  of  the 
end,  for  it  was  its  extravagance  and  grasping 
methods  that,  more  than  aught  else,  turned  the 
eyes  of  the  Brooklyn  people  to  the  city  that 
was  rising  into  prominence  on  their  border 
and  to  the  dangers  which  its  exigencies  sug- 
gested and  presented.  The  water  company, 
soon  after  it  was  incorporated,  proceeded 
promptly  to  buy  up  some  sources  of  supply 
on  the  south  side  of  the  island,  for  which 
Brooklyn  had  been  cautiously  negotiating,  and 
its  scope  of  action  promised  still  further  to 
interfere  with  the  future  development  of  the 
water  department  of  the  City  of  Churches. 
■  The  condition  of  things  that  presented  itself 
to  Brooklyn  was  not  a  pleasant  one,  for  it  was 
seen  that  all  the  local  schemes  of  improve- 
ment were  apt  to  be  hindered  by  the  new  city, 
which  was  rapidly  increasing  in  population,  in 
ambition,  in  a  knowledge  of  the  wiles  of  local 
statesmanship,  and  in  debt.  Then  arose  in 
Brooklyn,  quietly  at  first,  a  sentiment  for  an- 
nexation. It  was  felt  that  two  such  city  gov- 
ernments, under  the  existing  conditions,  could 
not,  side  by  side,  maintain  amicable  relations 
or  possibly  work  hand  in  hand  for  the  mutual 
benefit  of  their  respective  cities,  and  that  they 
would  gradually  but  inevitably  drift  into  more 
and  more  pronounced  opposition,  involving 
each  other,  in  the  end,  into  countless  rash  ex- 
penditures, perhaps  even  into  a  condition  of 
financial  bankruptcy.  There  was  no  need,  for 
instance,  it  was  agreed,  for  the  cost  of  two 
municipal  establishments,  while  under  one  re- 
trenchment, economy  and  progress  might  be- 
come practical  watchwords.  Such  were  some 
of  the  arguments  put  forth  in  Brooklyn  in 
favor  of  annexation.  They  were  indorsed  by 
many  in  Williamsburgh,  but  the  bulk  of  the 


population  there  was  not  ready  for  any  such 
sweeping  change  as  self-annihilation. 

On  January  i,  1854,  William  Wall,  the  head 
of  a  local  cordage  factory,  a  man  who  had  risen 
from  the  ranks  by  his  own  industry  and 
shrewdness,  became  the  second  and  last  Mayor 
of  Williamsburgh.  He  desired  to  institute  a 
term  of  rigid  economy,  and  tried  to  introduce 
something  like  business  principles  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  affairs  of  the  city ;"  but  the 
Aldermen  were  decidedly  practical  politicians, 
versed  in  all  the  arts  which  that  phrase  im- 
plies, and  had  no  patience  with  such  notions. 
Mayor  Wall  would  not  yield  to  their  ways, 
or  their  wiles,  or  their  demands,  and  the  num- 
ber of  his  vetoes  became  such  as  to  win  for 
him  the  attention  of  almost  the  entire  com- 
munity, and  especially  of  all  interested  in 
municipal  progress.  Still  the  Aldermen  perse- 
vered in  carrying  on  a  campaignr  of  spoils, 
and  Mayor  Wall,  even  by  the  most  rigorous 
application  of  the  powers  vested  in  him,  could 
not  wholly  arrest  their  schemes  of  plunder  and 
extravagance.  So,  as  the  only  avenue  of  prac- 
tical, early,  and  complete  relief  that  presented 
itself,  he  threw  himself  with  all  his  energy 
into  the  annexation  movement.  Strengthened 
by  this,  the  advocates  of  annexation,  or  con- 
solidation as  it  was  sometimes  called,  caused 
a  bill  to  be  prepared,  which  passed  the  Legis- 
lature, and  on  January  i,  1855,  the  city  of  Will- 
iamsburgh passed  officially  out  of  existence  and 
became  simply  a  section  of  Brooklyn,  and  of 
the  history  of  that  city  the  further  story  of 
Williamsburgh  is  a  part.  In  dealing  with 
Brooklyn  we  will  speak  further  of  this  con- 
solidation, but  here  we  may  say  that  the  new 
city  not  only  included  Brooklyn  and  Will- 
iamsburgh, but  also  the  whole  of  the  town- 
ship of  Bushwick,  and  including  the  section, 
almost  distinct  in  itself,  one  time  called  Cherry 
Point,  but  which  by  that  time  had  been  known 
as  Greenpoint,  and  which  now  became  Brook- 
lyn's Seventeenth  Ward. 

For  many  years  after  the  Hessians   had 
simply  became  ugly  memories.  Cherry  Point 


352 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


pursued  the  even  tenor  of  its  way  and  floated 
along  the  current  of  Hfe  with  typical  Dutch 
placidity  and  evenness.  The  change  to  mod- 
ern conditions  and  development  came  about 
in  unexpected  fashion  and  mainly  through  the 
tireless  energy  of  one  man,  and  that  man  not 
a  native — Neziah  Bliss.  Bliss  was  born  in 
1790,  at  Hebron,  Conn.,  and  his  life  was  that 
of  a  typical  Yankee  adventurer.  After  some 
business  experience  in  a  store  in  New  Haven, 
he  removed  in  1810  to  New  York  City,  where 
he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Robert  Fulton, 
the  pioneer  steamboat  builder,  and  won  the 
confidence  and  friendship  of  that  great  in- 
ventor. A  year  later  Bliss  went  to  Philadel- 
phia, where,  with  Daniel  French,  he  became 
connected  with  a  company  that  proposed  con- 
structing a  steamboat  to  ply  on  the  Schuylkill. 
At  the  same  time  he  found  employment  in  a 
book  store'  and  in  other  clerical  work,  for,  al- 
though the  boat  project  proved  a  mechanical 
success,  there  was  little  money  in  it.  In  1817 
he  removed  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  organized 
a  company  and  built  the  first  steamboat  ever 
seen  there,  the  General  Pike.  It  plied  be- 
tween Cincinnati  and  Louisville,  and  proved  a 
money-maker.  Mr.  Bliss  sold  out  his  interest 
in  her  in  18 19  and  went  to  New  Orleans. 
His  business  career,  however,  need  not  here 
be  closely  followed ;  he  had  the  usual  alterna- 
tions of  success  and  ill  luck  incidental  to  all 
pioneers,  and  a  pioneer  he  essentially  was. 

In  1827  he  returned  to  New  York,  and,  be- 
coming acquainted  with  Dr.  Eliphalet  Nott, 
he  assisted  that  gentleman  in  several  of  his  re- 
searches in  steam  navigation.  The  result  of 
this  was  the  establishment  of  the  Novelty 
Works  in  New  York,  in  1831,  which  proposed 
to  construct  sea-going  steamboats,  and  of  that 
concern  Mr.  Bliss  was  the  head.  In  the  fol- 
lowing year  commenced  his  connection  with 
Greenpoint,  by  his  purchase,  along  with  Dr. 
Nott,  of  thirty  acres  of  the  farm  owned  by 
John  A.  Meserole.  In  1833  he  still  further 
identified  himself  with  the  place  by  his  mar- 
riage to  Mary  A.,  daughter  of  John  A.  Mes- 


erole. He  at  once  saw  that  the  territory  of- 
fered great  chances  for  development,  and, 
evolving  a  project  looking  to  that  end,  he 
threw  himself  into  it  with  characteristic  energy 
and  promptitude.  He  extended  his  holdings 
by  the  purchase,  in  1833,  of  the  Griffin  farm, 
and  during  the  following  year  had  the  entire 
territory  surveyed  and  laid  out  in  streets.  In 
1835  he  still  further  increased  his  acreage  by 
purchase,  expecting  that  the  United  States 
Navy  Yard  would  be  transferred  to  Green- 
point  from  the  Wallabout.  But  that  project 
fell  through,  and  thereby  Mr.  BHss  suffered 
severe  pecuniary  losses. 

However,  his  fortunes  were  now  fully 
thrown  in  with  Greenpoint,  and,  undaunted 
by  the  slow  progress  and  serious  losses,  he  ap- 
plied himself  zealously  to  the  immediate  de- 
velopment of  the  place.  In  1838  he  built  a 
foot-bridge  across  Bushwick  Creek,  and  in  the 
following  years  opened  for  traffic  part  of  a 
turnpike  road  which  was  subsequently  ex- 
tended to  Williamsburgh.  In  1839,  too,  he 
had  the  satisfaction  of  selling  some  lots  to 
John  Hillyer,  a  builder,  who  at  once  erected  a 
house  there,  and  this  example  was  quickly 
followed  by  others,  Mr.  Bliss  getting  an  aver- 
age at  that  time,  it  is  said,  of  fifty  dollars 
for  each  of  his  lots.  By  1842  a  boom  in 
building  in  Greenpoint  fairly  set  in,  and  by 
that  time  Mr.  Bliss  began  to  reap  some  benefit 
from  the  scheme  he  had  so  thoughtfully 
planned  some  ten  years  previously  and  which 
for  a  long  time  had  seemed  destined  to  prove 
utterly  barren  of  results. 

But  he  did  not  wish  to  make  Greenpoint 
alone  a  city  of  homes ;  he  desired  to  make  it 
also  the  center  of  the  trade  which  was  to 
support  the  homes.  Its  unrivalled  water  front 
made  it  a  natural  center  for  the  coal  trade, 
and  the  first  of  a  series  of  coal  yards,  was 
opened  in-  1843,  ^t  the  foot  of  F  street,  on  a 
point  stretching  into  the  East  River,  locally 
called  Green  Point,  and  which  gave  its  name 
to  the  whole  district.  In  1850  a  ship  yard  was 
established  by  Eckford  Webb,  and  this  proved 


BUSHWICK. 


353 


the  beginning  of  a  great  establishment,  for 
many  years  the  greatest  of  all  local  industries. 
In  1850  Mr.  BHss  secured  from  New  York  a 
lease  of  a  ferry  to  ply  between  Greenpoint 
and  that  city,  and  it  was  opened  for  traffic 
in  1852.  It  finally  became  financially  the  most 
successful  of  all  the  ferries  plying  to  New 
York.  The  Greenpoint  Gas  Works  were  in- 
corporated in  1853,  largely  through  Mr.  Bliss's 
influence  and  advice,  and  as  by  that  time 
Greenpoint  had  thousands  of  homes,  with  Epis- 
copalian, Methodist,  Baptist  and  Reformed 
churches,*  with  a  good  public  school,  and  sev- 
eral social  and  literary  clubs  and  societies,  it 
may  fairly  be  said  to  have  progressed  toward 

*The  first  Roman  Catholic  congregation  was  organ- 
ized in  \S'm,  and  a  body  of  Universalists  formed  a  church 
the  same  year. 
23 


full  development  in  a  most  marked  manner, 
and  Mr.  Bliss  had  already  begun  to  enjoy  the 
full  fruition  of  his  plans  and  was  also  vener- 
ated as  the  first  citizen  and  founder  of  Green- 
point. But  its  full  development  was  to  come 
with  annexation  to  Brooklyn.  When  that 
event  took  place  it  found  Mr.  Bliss  still  in  the 
lead  in  the  affairs  of  the  ward,  as  he  had 
been  in  those  of  the  village,  and  he  was  chosen 
to  represent  it  in  the  Board  of  Aldermen  of 
the  consolidated  city.  So  the  history  of  Green- 
point merged,  January  i,  1855,  into  that  of 
the  city  of  Brooklyn,  of  which  it  then  became 
a  component  part. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  early  history 
of  Greenpoint  is  virtually  a  part  of  the  life 
story  of  Neziah  Bliss.  This  thoroughly  typical 
American  citizen  died  in  1876. 


CHAPTER   XXX. 


GRAVESEND. 

The  English  Town  of  Kings  County — Lady  Moody — Early  Settlers  and  Laws — 
A  Religious  Community  with  a  Sad  Closing  Record. 


MONG  the  towns  of  what  is  now 
Kings  county,  Gravesend  for  many 
years,  in  one  respect,  stood  alone. 
It  was  an  English  settlement,  while 
the  others  were  Dutch;  it  was  not  included 
in  the  aggregation  known  as  the  "Five  Dutch 
Towns ;"  its  interests  seemed  always  on  a  dif- 
ferent footing  from  theirs,  and  yet  it  was  in- 
tensely loyal  to  the  Dutch  regime.  As  to  the 
origin  of  the  name  archaeologists  have  widely 
differed,  and  many  a  learned  argument  has 
been  set  forth  in  favor  of  some  pet  theory  or 
other.  Etymologists,  more  than  any  other 
class  of  (Students,  have  been  guilty  of  weaving 
the  most  absurd  theories, — so  much  so  that 
a  book  on  etymology  ten  years  old  is  about 
as  valuable,  practically,  as  an  ancient  almanac ; 
but  they  differ  from  all  other  classes  of  the- 
orists by  the  remarkable  good  nature  and 
•equanimity  with  which  they  see  their  airy 
creations  of  words  about  words  quietly  thrown 
down.  Considerable  time,  patience  and  inge- 
nuity have  been  spent  to  demonstrate  that  the 
name  of  this  town  was  derived  from  'S  Grave- 
sende  (The  Count's  beach),  after  a  place  in 
Holland,  but  an  equal  amount  of  time,  pa- 
tience and  ingenuity  have  been  expended  in 
-endeavoring  to  prove  that  it  was  simply  a 
transference  of  the  name  of  the  town  of 
■Gravesend  in  England.  Which  of  the  two  is 
right  we  will  not  attempt  to  discuss,  for  after 
-all  the  question  matters  very  little, — only  we 


cannot  help  remarking  that  a  great  amount 
of  argument  and  antiquarian  anxiety  would 
have  been  spared  had  some  one  of  the  early 
chroniclers  quietly  jotted  down  his  views  on 
the  subject. 

Another  and  more  interesting  argument 
among  the  local  antiquaries  has  been  caused 
by  the  effort  to  show  that  white  men  trod  the 
soil  of  what  afterward  became  Gravesend 
town  long  before  a  white  face  was  seen  on 
Manhattan  Island  or  in  Brooklyn,  or  even 
Flatlands.  Indeed,  we  are  told  that  Veraz- 
zano,  the  Florentine  navigator,  who  came  here 
to  explore  the  coast  and  "see  what  he  could 
see"  on  behalf  of  King  Francis  I,  of  France, 
in  1527,  had  anchored  in  Gravesend  Bay;  but 
the  evidence  on  this  point  is  not  very  clear, 
and  has  been  the  subject  of  much  protracted 
and  learned  dispute.  Still  it  is  not  asserted 
that  he  effected  a  landing.  He  compared  the 
harbor  to  a  beautiful  lake,  and  describes  the 
boat-loads  of  red  men  which  darted  hither 
and  thither  on  its  surface.  He  did  not  inves- 
tigate further,  but  seems  to  have  sailed  away 
in  a  northerly  direction.  As  he  passed  out 
he  saw  natives  gathering  wampum  on  Rocka- 
way  Beach,  and  next  discovered  Block  Island, 
which  he  called  Louise,  after  the  mother  of 
King  Francis.  In  1542  we  read  of  another 
visitor,  Jean  Allefonsee,  who  reached  the  har- 
bor after  passing  through  Long  Island  Sound, 
and  anchored  off  Coney  Island;  and  we  get 


GRAVESEND. 


355 


glimpses  of  other  navigators  who  seemed  to 
thoroughly  content  with  the  beauties  of  New 
York's  bay  that  they  did  not  try  to  institute 
any  acquaintance  with  the  land  itself. 

In  September,  1609,  however,  Hendrik 
Hudson  arrived  in  New  York  Bay  and  landed 
a  boat's  crew  on  Coney  Island  or  thereabout, 
and  there  had  a  tussle  with  the  natives  and 
lost  one  of  his  men.  So  runs  local  tradition. 
Across  the  bay,  on  the  New  Jersey  shore,  the 
local  authorities  have  laid  the  scene  of  the  trag- 
edy at  Sandy  Hook,  and  built  up  a  pretty 
strong  theoretical  argument  in  support  of  their 
claim.  There  is  no  (doubt  that  Hudson  landed 
several  parties  while  in  this  vicinity  and  that 
he  did  not  use  the  natives  either  courteously 
or  kindly ;  and  it  is  just  as  likely  that  a  boat's 
crew  from  the  "Half  Moon"  landed  on  the 
shores  of  Gravesend  Bay  as  on  any  other 
place.  The  whole  argument  amounts  to  very 
little  either  way,  and  could  the  Gravesend 
theory  be  sustained,  which  it  certainly  cannot 
—neither  can  the  Sandy  Hook  story,  for  that 
matter — its  only  result  would  be  to  give 
Gravesend  in  a  sense  a  degree  of  superiority 
over  her  neighborhood  as  the  scene  where  the 
white  man  made  the  initiatory  steps  toward 
'  taking  up  his  burden  of  converting  that  part 
of  America  to  his  own  use  and  profit.  It  may 
be  well,  however,  to  recall  the  name  of  the  . 
hero — perhaps  he  might  be  so  called — who  is 
recorded  as  having  been  the  first  white  man 
to  fall  a  victim  to  Indian  valor,  or  treachery, 
in  the  waters  surrounding  New  York.  He 
was  an  English  sailor,  John  Colman,  and  he 
was  killed,  so  we  are  told,  by  an  arrow  pierc- 
ing his  throat.  His  body  was  buried  where 
it  fell,  the  spot  being  long  known  as  Colman's 
Point.  But  such  legends  are  unsatisfactory, 
at  the  best,  and  we  must  come  down  to  facts. 

The  earliest  patent  for  land  in  Gravesend 
was  issued  to  Anthony  Jansen  Van  Salee,  who 
has  already  been  referred  to  at  sufiRcient 
length  in  our  notice  of  New  Utrecht  and  else- 
where. This  patent  was  dated  May  27,  1643. 
On  May  24,  1664,  Gysbert  Op  Dyck,  who  emi- 


grated from  Wesel  in  1635  and  settled  in  New 
Amsterdam,  where  in  1642  he  became  Com- 
missary of  Provisions  for  the  colony,  obtained 
a  patent  for  Coney  Island.  From  Bergen's 
"Early  Settlers  of  Kings  County"  we  learn 
that  "the  present  Coney  Island  was,  on  the 
first  settlement  of  this  county,  composed  of 
three  islands,  divided  from  each  other  by  in- 
lets or  guts,  now  closed.  The  westernmost 
one  was  known  as  Coney  Island,  the  middle 
one  as  Pine  Island  and  the  eastern  one  as 
Gisbert's  Island,  so  named  after  Gisbert  Op 
Dyck.''  Here  we  run  up  against  another 
etymological  puzzle.  What  is  the  meaning  of 
the  word  Coney?  Thompson,  who,  by  the 
way,  identifies  Pine  Island  as  the  scene  of  the 
Colman  tragedy,  tells  us  that  the  Dutch  called 
it  Conynen  Eylandt,  "probably  from  the  name 
of  an  individual  who  had  once  possessed  it." 
Others  assure  us  that  Conynen  Eylandt  is 
simply  Rabbit  Island,  and  they  are  probably 
right.  Op  Dyck  never  occupied  the  land  cov- 
ered by  his  patent,  and  seems  to  have  held  the 
property  simply  for  a  chance  to  sell  it.  This 
afterward  led  to  pretty  considerable  trouble,  in- 
volving the  consideration  and  even  the  direct 
intervention  of  their  High  Mightinesses  them- 
selves. 

There  were  doubtless  settlers  prior  to  1643 
in  parts  of  what  was  afterward  included  in 
Gravesend  township,  but  if  so  their  names  have 
not  come  down  to  us.  That  year,  however, 
was  a  memorable  one  in  the  annals  of  Grave- 
send, for  then  Lady  Moody  and  her  associates 
first  settled  there.  They  were,  however,  driven 
by  the  Indians  from  oflf  the  lands  on  which 
they  settled  by  virtue  of  a  patent  issued  that 
year,  and  went  to  Flatlands,  where  they  re- 
mained until  the  redskins  became  more  peace- 
able and  amenable  to  reason.  When  her  Lady- 
ship and  her  friends  returned  Governor  Kieft, 
on  December  19,  1645,  issued  to  them  a  second 
patent  for  the  town  of  Gravesend,  the  first 
probably  being  lost  in  the  turmoil  of  the  times, 
and  the  patentees  named  included  the  Lady 
Deborah  Moody,  Sir  Henry  Moody,  Bart.,  En- 


356 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


sign  George  Baxter  and  Sergeant  James  Hub- 
bard. This  is  the  real  beginning  of  the  En- 
ghsh  town  of  Kings  county,  and  Lady  Moody 
ought  to  be  regarded  as  its  founder.  She 
had  a  most  interesting  career,  being  a  wan- 
derer in  search  of  civil  and  religious  liberty  at 
a  time  when  aristocratic  women  were  not  much 
given  to  asserting  themselves  on  such  matters 
outside  their  own  immediate  households. 

Deborah  Moody  was  the  daughter  of  Wal- 
ter Dunch,  a  member  of  Parliament  in  the 
days  of  "Good  Queen  Bess."  She  married 
Sir  Henry  Moody,  Bart.,  of  Garsden,  Wilt- 
shire, who  died  in  1632,  leaving  her  with  one 
son,  who  succeeded  to  the  baronetcy.  After 
Sir  Henry's  death  her  troubles  began.  In  1635, 
probably  to  hear  the  Word  preached  more  in 
accordance  with  her  own  interpretation  than 
she  possibly  could  in  Wiltshire,  and  being  a 
stanch  nonconformist  in  religious  matters,  as 
well  as  a  believer  in  the  utmost  civil  liberty, 
she  went  to  London  and  stayed  there  so  long 
that  she  violated  a  statute  which  directed  that 
no  one  should  reside  more  than  a  specified 
time  from  bis  or  her  home.  She  was  ordered 
to  return  to  her  mansion  in  the  country,  and 
it  seems  likely  did  so,  for  the  Star  Chamber 
had  already  taken  action  in  her  case  and 
brooked  no  trifling  with  its  mandates.  Proba- 
bly she  became  a  marked  woman,  and  the 
watchful  eye  of  the  law  was  kept  on  her  move- 
ments so  steadily  that,  to  secure  liberty  of  wor- 
ship and  movement,  she  decided  to  emigrate. 
She  arrived  with  her  son  at  Lynn  in  1640, 
and  on  April  5,  that  year,  united  with  the 
church  at  Salem.  On  the  13th  of  May  follow- 
ing she  was  granted  400  acres  of  land,  and  a 
year  later  she  paid  £1,100  for  a  farm.  From 
all  this  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that 
she  intended  making  her  home  in  Massachu- 
setts. But  she  soon  found  out  that  true  re- 
ligious liberty,  as  she  understood  it,  was  not 
to  be  found  in  Puritan  New  England.  A 
steadfast  enquirer  into  religious  doctrine,  she 
became  impressed  with  the  views  of  Roger 
Williams  soon  after  settling  in  Massachusetts, 


and  his  utterances  concerning  the  invalidity 
of  infant  baptism  appear  to  have  in  particular 
won  her  adhesion.  Being  a  woman  who  freely 
spoke  her  mind,  she  made  no  secret  of  the 
views  she  held,  and  her  sentiments  attracted 
much  attention  and  drew  upon  her  the  con- 
sideration of  the  Quarterly  Court.  As  Roger 
Williams  had  been  thrust  out  of  Massachu- 
setts because  of  his  views  and  his  ideas  on 
religious  tolerance,  Lady  Moody's  position 
could  not  be  overlooked,  and  so,  after  being 
seriously  admonished  and  it  was  apparent 
that  she  persisted  in  holding  to  her  convic- 
tions, she  was  duly  excommunicated.  Possi- 
bly in  her  case  this  might  have  ended  the 
trouble,  for  she  appears  to  have  won  and  re- 
tained the  personal  respect  of  all  her  neigh- 
bors; but,  being  a  high-spirited  woman,  she 
seems  to  have  determined  to  seek  still  further 
to  find  the  freedom  for  which  she  longed,  and, 
to  the  surprise  of  all,  removed  with  her  son 
and  a  few  chosen  and  fast  friends  to  New 
Amsterdam.  Here  she  was  warmly  received 
by  the  authorities.  She  met  several  English- 
men in  the  fort,  among  them  being  Nicholas- 
Stillwell,  who  had,  in  1639,  a  tobacco  plant- 
ation on  Manhattan  Island,  which  he  was 
compelled  to  abandon  temporarily  on  account 
of  the  Indian  troubles.  He  was  quickly  at- 
tracted by  the  idea  of  helping  to  found  an 
English  settlement  where  his  fellow  country- 
men could  not  only  mingle  in  social  inter- 
course, but  could  unite  to  defend  themselves 
whenever  any  need  arose.  He  is  said  also  to 
have  been  a  believer  in  religious  toleration 
and  to  have  suffered  persecution  on  that  ac- 
count in  England;  but  the  additional  state- 
ment so  often  made  to  the  effect  that  he  had 
been  forced  to  leave  New  England  for  the 
same  cause  is  not  borne  out  by  facts.  He 
never  saw  New  England.  Lady  Moody,  who 
had  ample  means  (she  retained  her  property 
in  Massachusetts  intact  in  spite  of  her  re- 
moval), was  regarded,  singular  to  say,  by 
Governor  Kieft  as  a  welcome  addition  to  his 
colony,  and  he  gladly  gave  h2r  and  her  asso- 


GRAVESEND. 


357 


ciates  a  patent  for  the  unoccupied  lands  she, 
or  some  one  for  her,  suggested,  on  which  to 
form  a  settlement  such  as  they  desired. 

At  Gravesend  Lady  Moody  was  the  Grand 
Dame,  the  real  ruler.  She  enjoyed  the  confi- 
dence of  Kieft  and  of  Peter  Stuyvesant  to  a 
marked  degree,  and  although  the  latter  was 
not  over-fond  of  seeking  the  advice  of  women 
in  affairs  of  state,  he  did  not  scruple  to  consult 
her  on  more  than  one  occasion.  He  was  enter- 
tained along  with  his  wife  at  her  house,  and 
Mrs. .  Martha  Lamb  tells  us  that  the  Gov- 
ernor's wife  was  "charmed  with  the  noble  En- 
glish lady."  It  has  been  claimed  that  Lady 
Moody  assumed  the  principles  of  the  Society 
of  Friends  when  that  body  first  sought  shelter 
on  Long  Island,  but  the  evidence  tends  to 
show  that  she  simply  befriended  and  sheltered 
some  of  the  primitive  Quakers  in  accordance 
with  her  ideas  of  perfect  religious  freedom. 
She  seems  to  have  remained  at  Gravesend 
until  the  end  of  her  life's  journev,  in  1659, 
the  stories  of  her  visiting  Virginia,  or  Mon- 
mouth City,  New  Jersey,  or  other  places,  be- 
ing without  authentication.  She  fcund  in 
Gravesend  that  degree  of  liberty  in  search  of 
which  she  had  crossed  the  sea,  and  was  content 
to  pass  her  days  in  its  congenial  atmosphere. 
Of  her  son.  Sir  Henry,  little  is  known.  He 
left  Gravesend  in  1661  and  went  to  Virginia, 
where  he  died. 

Lady  Moody's  library  was  famous,  and  it 
is  through  her  son's  departure  for  Virginia 
so  soon  after  her  death  that  we  are  enabled 
to  judge,  to  a  considerable  extent,  of  its  con- 
tents. To  the  notarial  "Register"  of  Solomon 
Lachaire,  of  New  Amsterdam,  we  aire  indebted 
for  the  following  list  under  date  of  1661.  As 
it  is  not  likely  that  the  baronet  carried  any 
of  the  books  with  him  on  his  travels,  it  is  safe 
to  assume  that  the  list  of  Lady  Moody's  liter- 
ary treasures  is  here  given  complete : 

Cathologus  contining  the  names  of  such 
books  as  Sir.  Henry  Moedie  had  left  in  security 
in  handts  of  Daniel  Litscho  wen  hy  went  for 
Virginia : 


A  latyn  Bible  in  folio. 

A  written  book  in  folio  contining  privatt 
matters  of  State. 

A  writteneth  book  in  folio  contining  pri- 
vate matters  of  the  King. 

Seventeen  several  books  of  devinite  matters. 

A  dictionarius  Latin  and  English. 

Sixteen  several  latin  and  Italian  bookx  of 
divers  matters. 

A  book  in  folio  contining  the  voage  of  Fer- 
dinant  Mendoz,  &c. 

A  book  in  folio  kalleth  Sylva  Sylvarum. 

A  book  in  quarto  calleth  bartas'  six  days 
worck  of  the  lord  and  translat  in  English  by 
Josuah  Sylvester. 

A  book  in  quarto  kalleth  the  Summe  and 
Substans  of  the  Conference  which  it  pleased 
Ihis  Excellent  Majsti  to  have  with  the  lords 
bishops  &c.  at  Hampton  Court  contracteth  by 
William  Barlow. 

A  book  in  quarto  kalleth  Ecclesiastica  In- 
terpretatio,  or  the  Expositions  upon  the  diffi- 
cult and  doubtful  passage  of  the  Seven  Epis- 
tles callet  Catholique  and  the  Revalation  col- 
lecteth  by  John  Mayer. 

Elleven  several  bookx  moore  of  divers 
substants. 

The  Verification  of  his  fathers  Knights 
order  given  by  King  James. — Notarial  Keg. 
of  Solo-man  Lachaire  N.  P.  of  New  Amster- 
dam, AnrirO  1661. 

In  many  respects  the  patent  issued  by 
Governor  Kieft  to  Lady  Moody  was  peculiar. 
It  was  the  only  one  extant  in  which  the  pat- 
entees were  headed  by  a  woman,  and  it  con- 
tained such  full  powers  for  self-government 
and  for  the  enjoyment  of  freedom  of  religion 
as  to  be  unique  among  the  patents  signed  by 
Kieft  or  his  successor,  Stuyvesant.  For  these 
reasons  the  patent  is  here  presented  in  full  as 
printed  in  the  "Documentary  History  of  New 
York,"  vol.  I,  page  629 : 

Whereas  it  hath  pleased  the  High  &Mighty 
Lords  the  Estates  Genl  of  the  United  Belgick 
Provces — His  Highness  Fredrick  Hendrick 
by  ye  grace  of  God  Prince  of  Orange,  &c. 
and  the  Rt  Honourable  ye  Lords  Bewint 
Hebbers  of  the  W.  I.  Company  by  theyr  sev- 
eral Commissions  under  theyr  hands  and  seales 
to  give  and  grant  unto  me  Wm  Kieft  sufficient 
power  and  authorities  for  the  general  rule  & 


358 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


gouvernment  of  this  Prouince  called  the  New 
Netherlands,  &  likewise  for  ye  settling  of 
townes,  coUonies,  plantations,  disposing  of  ye 
land  within  this  prouince,  as  by  ye  said  Com- 
missions more  att  large  doth  and  maye  appeare, 
Now  Know  yee  whomsoever  these  Presents 
may  any  ways  concerne  that  I,  William  Kieft, 
Gouvernor  Generall  of  this  Prouince  by  vertue 
of  ye  authoritie  abovesaid  &  with  ye  aduice 
&  consent  of  ye  Councell  of  State  heere  estab- 
lished have  given  and  graunted  &  by  virtue 
of  these  presents  doe  give  grant  &  confirme 
unto  ye  Honoured  Lady  Deborah  Moody,  Sr 
Hennry  Moody  Barronett,  Ensign  George 
Baxter  &  Sergeant  James  Hubbard  theyr  asso- 
ciates, heyres,  executors,  administrators,  suc- 
:  cessours,  assignes,  or  any  they  shall  join  in 
,  association  with  them,  a  certaine,  quantiti-e  or 
p'cel  of  Land,  together  with  all  ye  hauens,  har- 
bours, rivers,  creeks,  woodland,  marshes,  and 
all  other  appurtenances  thereunto  belonging, 
lyeing  &  being  uppon  &  about  ye  Westernmost 
parte  of  Longe  Island  &  beginning  at  the 
mouth  of  a  Creeke  aidjacent  to  Coney ne  Island 
&  being  bounded  one  ye  westwards  parte  there- 
of with  ye  land  appertaining  to  Anthony  John- 
spn  &  Robt  Penoyer  &  soe  to  run  as  farre  as  the 
westernmost  part  of  a  certain  pond  in  an  ould 
Indian  field  on  the  North  side  of  ye  plantation 
of  ye  said  Robbert  Pennoyer  &  from  thence  to 
runne  direct  East  as  farre  as  a  valley  begin- 
ning att  ye  head  of  a  flye  or  Marshe  some- 
times belonging  to  ye  land  of  Hughe  Garrett- 
son  &  being  bounded  one  the  said  side  with 
the  Maine  Ocean,  for  them  the  sd  pattentees, 
theyr  associates  heyres,  executors,  adminisrs, 
successours,  assigns,  actuallie  reallie  &  perpet- 
uallie  to  injoye  &  processe  as  theyr  owne  free 
land  of  inheritance  and  to  improve  and  manure 
accoi'ding  to  their  owne  discretions,  with  lib- 
ertie  likewise  for  them  the  sd  pattentees,  theyr 
associates,  heyres,  and  successours  and  as- 
signes to  put  what  cattle  they  shall  think  fitting 
to  feed  or  graze  upon  the  aforesd  Conyne 
Island,  forther  giving  granting  &  by  vertue 
of  these  presents  Wee  doe  give  &  graunt  unto 
the  sd  Patentees  theeir  associates  heyrs.&  suc- 
cessours full  power  &  authoritie  uppon  the  said 
land  to  build  a  towne  or  townes  with  such 
necessarie  fortifications  as  tO'  them  shall  seem 
expedient  &  to  haue  and  injoye  the  free  lib- 
ertie  of  conscience  according  to  the  costome 
and  manner  of  Holland,  without  molestation 
or  disturbance  from  any  Madgistrate  or  Madg- 
\strates  or  any  other  Ecclesiastical!  Minister 


that  may  p'tend  jurisdiction  over  them,  with 
libertie  likewise  for  them,  the  sd  pattentees, 
theyr  associates  heyres  &c  to  erect  a  bodye 
pollitique  and  ciuill  combination  amongst 
themselves,  as  free  men  of  this  Province  & 
of  the  Towne  of  Grauesend  &  to  make  such 
civill  ordinances  as  the  Maior  part  of  ye  In- 
habitants fifree  of  the  Towne  shall  thinke  fit- 
ting for  theyr  quiett  &  peaceable  subsisting 
&  to  Nominate  elect  &  choose  three  of  ye 
Ablest  approued  honest  men  &  them  to  pre- 
sent annuallie  to  ye  Gouernor  Generall  of  this 
Prouince  for  the  tyme  being,  'for  him  ye  said 
Gouernr  to  establish  and  confirme  to  wch  sd 
three  men  soe  chosen  &  confirmed,  wee  doe 
hereby  give  &  graunt  full  power  &  authoritie, 
absolutelie  &  definitiuely  to  determine  (wth- 
out  appeal  to  any  superior  Court)  for  debt  or 
trespasse  not  exceeding  fififtie  Holland  Guild- 
ers ffor  all  such  actus  as  shall  happen  wthin 
ye  iurisdictn  of  the  above  said  limitt  with 
power  likewise  for  any  one  of  the  said  three 
to  examine  uppon  oath  all  witnesses  in  cases 
depending  before  them  &  in  case  any  shall 
refuse  to  stand  to  the  award  of  what  the  Maior 
part  of  the  sd  three  shall  agree  unto,  in  such 
cases  wee  doe  hereby  give  and  graunt  full 
power  and  authoritie.  to  any  two  of  ye  sd 
three,  to  attache  &  ceise  uppon  ye  lands  goods, 
catties  and  chatties  of  ye  parties  condemned 
by  their  said  sentence  &  fourteen  days  after 
the  sd  ceizure  (if  ye  partie  soe  condemned 
agree  not  in  the  interim  &  submitte  himself 
unto  ye  sentence  of  the  sd  three  men)  the  said 
three  or  three  appointed  men  as  afforsd  to 
take  or  ioyen  to  themselves  two  more  of  theyre 
neighbours,  discreete  honest  men,  and  wth  the 
advice  of  them  to  apprise  the  lands,  goods, 
catties  &  chatties  wthin  the  above  sd  juris- 
dictn  &  belongs  to  the  partie  condemned  as 
aforesd  to  ye  full  valleu  &  then  to  sell  them 
to  any  that  will  paye,  that  sattisfaction  &  paie- 
ment  may  be  made  according  to  the  sentence 
of  ye  appointed  men ;  Likewise  giuing  & 
graunting  &  by  virtue  hereof  wee  doe  give  & 
graunt  unto  ye  said  Pattentees,  the\'re  associ- 
ates heyres,  succesisours  &c  full  power  &  auth- 
oritie to  Elect  &  nominate  a  certaine  officer 
amongst  themselves  to  execute  the  place  of  a 
Sooute  &  him  likewise  to  present  annuallie  to 
the  Gouernor  Generall  of  this  Province  to  bee 
established  and  conprmed,  to  wch  sd  officer  soe 
chosene  confirmed.  Wee  doe  hereby  give  & 
graunt  as  large  &  am^ple  power  as  is  usualFie 
given  to  ye  Scoutes  of  any  Village  in  Holland 


GRAVESEND. 


S50 


for  the  suppression  or  prevention  of  any  disor- 
ders that  maye  theyr  arise,  or  to  arrest  and  ap- 
p'hend  the  body  of  any  Criminall,  Malefactouer 
or  of  anye  that  shall  by  worde  or  act  disturbe 
the  publick  tranquilletie  of  this  Province  or 
civill  peace  of  the  inhabitants  wthin  the  above 
sd  jurisdictn  &  him,  them  &  her  so  arrested  or 
apprehended  to  bring  or  case  to  be  brought 
before  the  Gouernor  Genii  of  this  Province  & 
theyre  by  way  of  Processe  declare  against  the 
P'tie  soe  offending;  farther  Wee  doe  give  & 
graunt  unto  the  P'tentees  theyr  associates 
heyres  &c  free  libertie  of  hawking,  hunting, 
fishing,  fowling  within  the  above  sd  limitts ; 
&,to  use  or  exercise  all  manner  of  trade  &  com- 
merce according  as  the  Inhabitants  of  this 
Province  may  or  can  by  Virtue  of  any  Priv- 
iledge  or  graunt  made  unto  them,  inducing 
all  and  singular  ye  sd  pattees  theyr  associates, 
heyres  &c  with  all  &  singular  the  immunities 
&  priueledges  allready  graunted  to  ye  Inhabit- 
ants of  this  Provce  or  hereafter  to  be  graunted, 
as  if  they  were  natives  of  the  United  Belgick 
Provinces,  allways  prouided  the  sd  pattentes 
yr  associates  heyres  &c  shall  faithfully  ac- 
knowledge &  reverently  respect  the  above 
named  High  Mightie  Lords  &c  for  theyr 
Superiour  Lords  &  patrons  &  in  all  loialtie  & 
fidellitie  demeane  themselves  towards  them  & 
theyr  successours  accord'g  as  the  Inhabitants 
of  this  prouince  in  dutye  are  bound,  soe  long 
as  they  shall  [be]  within  this  iurisdictn  &  att 
the  experatn  of  ten  yeares  to  beginne  from  the 
daye  of  the  date  hereof  to  paye  or  cause  to 
bee  paid  to  an  officer  thereunto  deputed  by  the 
Gouernr  Genl  of  this  Provce  for  the  time  be- 
ing, the  tenth  parte  of  the  reueneew  that  shall 
arise  by  the  ground  manured  by  the  plow  or 
howe,  in  case  it  bee  demanded  to  bee  paid  to 
the  sd  officer  in  the  ffield  before  it  bee  housed, 
gardens  or  orchards  not  exceeding  one  Hol- 
lands acre  being  excepted,  and  in  case  anye 
of  the  sd  pattentees  theyr  associats  heyres  &;c 
shall  only  improue  theyr  stocks  in  grasing  or 
breeding  of  cattle,  then  the  partie  soe  doing 
shall  att  the  end  of  the  ten  yeares  afiForesaid 
paye  or  cause  to  be  paid  to  an  officer  deputed 
as  aforesd  such  reasonable  sattisfactn  in  butter 
and  cheese  as  other  Inhabbats  of  other  townes 
shall  doe  in  like  cases:  Likewise  injoyning 
the  said  pattentees  thyre  associates  heyres  &c 
in  the  dating  of  all  public  instruments  to  use 
the  New  Style  wtli  the  wts  &  measure  of  this 
place.    Given  under  my  hand  &  Scale  of  this 


Prouince  this   19th  of  December  in  the  fort 
Amsterdam  in  New  Netherland.     1645. 
Signed  WiLHELM  Kieft. 

Endorsed, — Ter  ordonnantie  van    de    Hr 
Directr  Generael  &  Raden  van  Nieuw  Neder- 
landt.  CoRNELis  Van  Tienhouen, 

Secretary. 

The  only  fault  to  be  found  with  this  docu- 
ment was  the  loose  way  in  which  the  bound- 
aries were  set  forth.  This  was  amended  to  a 
certain  extent  in' the  patent  issued  in  1670  by 
Gov.  Lovelace,  and  the  limits  were  still  more 
closely  defended  in  Gov.  Dongan's  patent,  is- 
sued in  1686.  In  the  latter  document  the  quit 
rent  to  be  paid  by  the  town  was  fixed  at  "six 
bushels  good  winter  merchantable  wheat,"  a 
tax  that  was  felt  to  be  comparatively  light,  and 
therefore — as  is  usual  in  such  circumstances — 
just  and  equitable.  > 

On  being  armed  with  Kieft's  patent  Lady 
Moody  and  her  friends  lost  no  time  in  proceed- 
ing to  the  land  awarded  them  and  beginning 
operations  by  laying  out  a  town  site.  Concern- 
ing this  the  late  Rev.  A.  P.  Stockwell  wrote : 

In  view  of  the  natural  advantages  which 
the  town  possessed,  they  no  doubt  hoped  to 
make  it,  at  some  future  day,  a  large  and  im- 
portant commercial  center.  From  its  situation 
at  the  mouth  of  "The  Narrows,"  and  with  a 
good  harbor  of  its  own ;  with  the  ocean  on  the 
one  side,  and  the  then  flourishing  village  of 
New  Amsterdam  (New  York)  on  the  other, 
there  did  indeed  seem  to  be  good  ground  for 
such  an  expectation.  But  unfortunately,  as  the 
event  proved,  Gravesend  Bay,  though  afford- 
ing secure  anchorage  for  smaller  craft,  would 
not  permit  vessels  of  large  tonnage  to  enter  its 
quiet  waters  with  perfect  safety;  and  so  the 
idea  of  building  a  "city  by  the  sea,"  which  in 
extent,  wealth,  and  business  enterprise,  should 
at  least  rival  New  Amsterdam,  was  reluctantly 
abandoned. 

However,  with  this  end  in  view,  as  the 
work  begun  would  seem  to  indicate,  they  com- 
menced the  laying  out  of  the  village.  Select- 
ing a  favorable  site  near  the  center  of  the  town, 
they  measured  off  a  square  containing  about 
sixteen  acres  of  ground,  and  opened  a  street 
around  it.    This  large  square  they  afterwards 


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,645 


(Copied  from  the  Original  in  the  Town-Cierk's  Ollice.) 


GRAVESEND. 


&(31 


divided  into  squares   of  four  acres  each,  by 
•opening  two  streets  at  right  angles  through  the 
center.    The  whole  was  then  enclosed  by  a  pal- 
isade fence,  as  a  protection,  both  against  the 
sudden   attacks    of   hostile    Indians,    and   the 
■depredations  of  wolves  and  other  wild  animals 
which   were  then   common   upon   the   island. 
Upon  one  of  the  oldest  maps  of  the  town,  on 
■file  in  the  clerk's  office,  we  find  a  perfect  repre- 
sentation of  the  village-plan  as  originally  laid 
•out.    From  this  we  learn  that  each  of  the  four 
squares  was  divided  into  equal  sections,  laid 
■off  around  the  outside  of  each  square  and  fac- 
ing the  outer  street.     These  were  numbered 
from  one  to  ten,  in  each  of  the  four  squares. 
This  gave  forty  sections  in  all;  and  thus  one 
section  was  allotted  to  each  of  the  forty  patent- 
ees.   By  this  arrangement  every  family  could 
reside  within  the  village,  and  share  alike  its 
palisade  defence.    In  the  center  of  each  square 
was  reserved  a  large  public  yard,  where  the 
■cattle  of  the  inhabitants  were  brought  in  from 
the  commons,  and  herded  for  the  night   for 
their  better  protection.    At  a  later  period,  if  not 
at  this   early  date,   a   small   portion   of   each 
square  was  devoted  to  public  uses.  On  one  was 
the  church,  on  another  was  'the  school-house, 
on  another  the  town's  hall,  and  on  the  fourth 
the  burying  ground.     The  farms,  or  "planters' 
lots"  as  they  were  then  called,  were  also  forty 
in  number,  and  were  laid  out  in  triangular  form 
with  the  apex  resting  in  the  village  and  the 
boundary  lines  diverging  therefrom  like  the 
radii  of  a  circle  *  *  *.    From  the  fact  that  the 
village  was  divided  into   forty  lots  and  that 
forty  farms  radiated  therefrom,  we  have  natur- 
ally inferred  that  there  were  forty  patentees. 
If  this  be  so,  one  of  them  very  early  in  the 
history  of  the  town  must  have  dropped  out  of 
the  original  number,  either  by  death  or  remov- 
al, or,  as  tradition  has  it,  forfeiting  by  his  prof- 
ligate life  all  his  right,  title,  and  interest  in  the 
property  allotted  to  him. 

It  seems,  however,  from  the  records  that 
only  twenty-six  persons  up  to  1646  had  settled 
with  Lady  Moody  in  Gravesend  and  taken 
part  in  laying  out  the  town,  and  that  the 
full  quota  of  forty  according  to  the  plan  was 
filled  up  by  subsequent  arrivals. 

The  first  troubles  met  with  came  from  the 
Indians,  who  appear  to  have  held  rather  obnox- 
ious views  as  to  the  settlement  from  the  first. 


Every  man  was  ordered  to  be  armed  and 
equipped  to  meet  a  possible,  even  probable,  at- 
tack at  any  moment,  and  was  also  required  to 
keep  a  certain  part  of  the  palisade  surround- 
ing the  town  in  thorough  repair.  When  the 
paHsade  was  being  built  in  1646  an  attack  was 
made  unexpectedly,  and  the  best  the  settlers 
could  do  was  to  escape  to  Flatlands.  Lady 
Moody's  house,  probably  because  it  was  the 
most  conspicuous  in  the  settlement,  was  most 
frequently  marked  out  for  attack,  and  Nicholas 
Stillwell,  who  seems  in  time  of  such  trouble  to 
have  assumed  command,  had  a  difficult  task  in 
repelling  the  savage  warriors.  The  towns- 
people for  a  time  became  despondent  over, the 
outlook.  Stillman  himself  returned  to  New 
Amsterdam  and  saw  no  more  of  Gravesend 
until  1648,  when  he  bought  a  town  plot,  and 
even  Lady  Moody  had  serious  thoughts  of  go- 
ing back  to  her  property  in  New  England.  But 
a  peace  was  finally  patched  up  between  Gov. 
Kieft  and  the  Indians  and  Gravesend  was  al- 
lowed to  take  up  the  thread  of  its  story  without 
more  trouble. 

Another  Indian  incursion,  the  lalst  on  rec- 
ord, took  place  in  1655,  when  a  fierce  attack 
was  made  on  the  town;  but  although  the  set- 
tlers could  not  drive  the  foe  away,  on  account 
of  their  numbers,  they  made  a  gallant  defense 
behind  their  palisade  and  kept  the  red-skins  at 
bay  until  relieved  by  a  force  of  military  from 
New  Amsterdam.  From  the  first  the  settlers, 
according  to  their  lights,  tried  to  deal  honestly 
with  the  aboriginal  owners  of  the  soil.  Even 
before  Kieft 's  second  patent  was  issued  in  De- 
cember, 1645,  they  had  secured  by  purchase  a 
deed  from  the  Indians,  and  in  1650  and  1654 
they  secured  other  deeds  covering  the  land  on 
Coney  Island.  In  1684,  when  all  trouble  was 
at  an  end,  they  secured  another  deed  from  the 
red  men,  for  all  the  lands  in  Gravesend,  in  ex- 
change for  "one  blanket,  one  gun,  one  kettle." 
Surely  the  principle  of  fair  dealing  could  go 
no  further! 

The  municipal  history  of  Gravesend  began 
almost  with  its  settlement.     In  1646  the  first 


862 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


three  "approved  honest  men"  elected  as  Jus- 
tices were  George  Baxter,  Edward  Brown  and 
William  Wilkins;  Sergeant  James  Hubbard 
was  elected  Schout,  and  John  Til  ton  (who  had 
accompanied  Lady  Moody  from  New  Eng- 
land) was  chosen  to  be  Town  Clerk.  All  these 
elections  were  approved  by  the  Governor. 
Town  meetings  were  held  monthly,  and  at  one, 
held  Sept.  7,  1646,  it  was  decreed  that  any 
holder  of  a  lot  who  by  the  following  May  had 
not  erected  a  "habitable  house"  on  it  should 
forfeit  the  lot  to  the  town.  Such  matters  as 
the  repair  of  the  palisade,  registry  of  what  are 
now  called  vital  statistics,  the  defense  of  the 
town,  the  morals  and  habits  of  the  citizens, 
and  the  humane  care  of  live  stock,  were  the 
subjects  most  generally  discussed.  All  the  in- 
habitants were  compelled  to  attend  these  town 
meetings  when  summoned  by  the  beating  of  a 
drum  or  the  blowing  of  a  horn.  Infractions 
of  the  laws  were  tried  before  justices  and  the 
penalties  at  first  were  fines  which  were  for  a 
time  put  into  the  poor  fund,  but  after  1652 
were  placed  in  the  treasury  for  general  pur- 
poses. In  1656  the  people  passed  a  stringent 
liquor  law  which  prohibited  entirely  the  sale  of 
"brandie,  wine,  strong  liquor  or  strong  drink" 
to  any  Indian,  under  a  fine  of  fifty  guilders  for 
a  first  offense  and  double  that  amount  for  a 
second.  No  more  than  one  pint  was  to  be  sold, 
at  one  time,  even  to  white  people.  This  law 
was  rigidly  enforced  in  spite  of  the  difficulty 
of  proving  its  violation.  The  laws  regarding 
the  preservation  of  the  sanctity  of  the  Sab- 
bath, as  might  be  expected,  were  very  rigid. 
It  seems  strange  to  record  the  fact  that  at  one 
time  in  Gravesend  a  town  meeting  ordered  a 
bounty  of  five  guilders  to  be  paid  for  every 
wolf  killed  in  the  township.  The  town  court 
attended  to  all 'petty  criminal  or  civil  causes, 
but  the  criminal  cases  were  comparatively  few, 
and  slander  and  assault  seemed  to  be  the  pre- 
vailing weakness  of  the  more  demonstrative 
citizens.  In  1650,  for  these  decadents,  as  well 
as  for  petty  thieves,  the  stocks  were  brought 
into  requisition  and  continued  a  favorite  mode 


of  punishment  until  the  nineteenth  century  was 
well  advanced.  In  1668  the  town  received 
quite  a  boom  by  the  settlement  in  it  of  the 
Kings  County  Court  of  Sessions  which  had 
previously  met  in  Flatbush.  This  body  con- 
tinued to  dispense  justice  in  Gravesend  until 
1685,  when  it  returned  to  its  former  home. 

It  is  singular  that  in  an  essentially  religious 
community  like  Gravesend,  and  a  community 
the  earlier  records  of  which  are  more  complete 
and  methodical  than  those  of  any  other  town  in 
Kings  county,  there  should  be  any  dubiety 
about  its  first  place  of  worship ;  but  such  is  the 
case.  An  effort  has  been  made  to  show  that  a 
Dutch  Reformed  Church,  or  congregation,  was 
established  in  1655,  and  the  church  now  exist- 
ing of  that  body  claims  a  history  dating  from 
1693 ;  but  both  these  dates  are  manifestly 
wrong.  In  1655,  and  even  in  1692,  the  Dutch 
was  the  language  used  in  the  service  of  that 
body,  and  we  must  remember  that  Gravesend 
was  an  English  community.  In  1657  Dominie 
Megapolensis,  in  a  report  to  the  Classis  of  Am- 
sterdam, said  that  at  Gravesend  they  reject 
"infant  baptism,  the  Sabbath,  the  office  of 
preacher  and  the  teachers  of  God's  Word,  say- 
ing that  through  these  have  come  all  sorts  of 
contention  into  the  world.  Whenever  theyl 
meet  together  the  one  or  the  other  reads  some- 
thing to  them."  These  were  very  probably 
Lady  Moody's  own  views  and  show  why  no 
early  church  was  founded  in  the  settlement  at 
all.  In  1657  Richard  Hodgson  and  several 
other  Quakers  reached  Gravesend  and  were 
kindly  received,  but  there  is  not  the  slightest 
reason  for  supposing  that  Lady  Moody  adop- 
ted all  of  their  tenets  and  became  a  member  of 
the  Society.  That  would  have  been  a  depart- 
ure from  her  own  First  Principles  and  she  was 
not  the  sort  of  woman  to  make  such  a  change. 
That  the  Quakers  found  a  resting  place  at 
Gravesend  is  certain ;,  it  was  founded  for  just 
such  a  refuge;  and  in  1672,  when  George  Fox 
was  on  his  American  tour,  he  also  stopped  at 
the  town,  where  he  found  several  of  his  people 
and  held  "three  precious  meetings."     But  it 


GRAVESEND. 


863 


was  not  a  Quaker  settlement,  nor,  like  Flat- 
bush,  a  Dutch  Reformed  settlement.  There  is 
no  mention  in  the  records  of  the  church  at 
Flatbush  of  a  congregation  at  Gravesend  until 
1714,  though  it  is  possible  that  for  many  years 
before  some  of  the  citizens  attended  wor- 
ship in  Trinity  Church,  New  York,  and  that 
the  authorities  there,  at  intervals,  sent  over  a 
clergyman  to  hold  services  in  the  town.  From 
1704  there  is  evidence  that  the  ministers  at 
Flatbush  considered  Gravesend  part  of  their 
bailiwick  and  receipts  were  formerly  extant 
showing  that  Gravesend  paid  a  share  of  the 
Dominie's  salary  from  1706  to  1741.  In  1714, 
after  Dutch  had  ceased  to  be  the  sole  language 
used  in  the  Reformed  churches,  an  agreement 
was  entered  between  the  people  of  Gravesend 
and  the  church  at  New  Utrecht  for  a  share  in 
the  services  of  the  ministers  who  visited  the 
last  named  town.  It  is  probable  that  when  this 
short-lived  arrangement  went  into  effect  a 
church  building  was  erected.  It  seems  certain 
that  one  was  in  existence  in  1720,  when  it  was 
called  "the  meeting-house"  and  was  apparently 
ready  to  house  a  preacher  of  any  denomination 
who  came  along.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Stockwell, 
who  patiently  investigated  this  subject,  did  not 
believe  that  any  separate  congregation  of  any 
religious  body  was  organized  in  Gravesend 
prior  to  1763.  That  body  was  the  Reformed 
Church,  and  as  the  records  were  kept  in  Dutch 
until  about  1823  we  may  readily  understand 
that  the  English-speaking  citizens  had  little 
share  in  its  foundation  or  in  its  progress. 

In  1763  a  new  meeting-house  was  built  on 
the  site  of  the  first  one,  a  little  oblong  building 
with  high  pitched  roof,  surmounted  by  a  bel- 
fry. Inside  was  a  plain  box-like  pulpit  with  a 
huge  sounding  board.  Underneath  one  side  of 
the  gallery  was  the  negro  quarter,  reserved 
solely  for  the  use  of  the  colored  brethren. 
"This  old  church,"  wrote  Mr.  Stockwell, 
"within  the  memory  of  those  now  living  was 
without  stoves  or  any  other  heating  appliances. 
The  women  carried  foot-stoves,  which,  before 
service,  they  were  very  careful  to  fill  at  the 


nearest  neighbor's,  while  the  men  were  com- 
pelled to  sit  during  the  long  service  with  noth- 
ing to  generate  heat  but  the  grand  Calvinistic 
preaching  of  the  Dutch  dominie,  or  the  antici- 
pation of  a  warm  dinner  after  the  service  was 
over !"  Whitefield  preached  twice  in  this  little 
tabernacle,  which  continued  in  use  until  1833, 
when  it  gave  way  to  a  more  modern  structure., 
which,  with  many  improvements,  is  still  in  use. 
In  1767  Martinus  Schoonmaker  became  pas- 
tor of  the  little  congregations  in  Harlem  and 
Gravesend,  receiving  as  salary  from  the  last 
named  £35  a  year  and  preaching  at  frequent 
intervals.  In  1783  he  became  minister  of  the 
Collegiate  Church,  with  his  headquarters  at 
Flatbush,  and  after  that  held  services  in- 
Gravesend  once  in  each  six  weeks,  and  Graves- 
end continued  to  be  part  of  the  care  of  the  Flat- 
bush ministers  until  1808,  when  the  Collegiate- 
arrangement  ceased.  It  was  not  until  1832, 
however,  that  the  Gravesend  church  acquired 
a  settled  pastor,  ^.nd  in  that  year  the  Rev.  I.  P. 
Labagh  was  installed.  In  1842  he  was  sus- 
pended from  the  minirtry  for  refusing  to  rec- 
ognize the  authority  of  the  Classis,  and  for 
holding  opinions  deemed  unorthodox,  and  the 
Rev.  Abram  I.  Labagh  was  installed  in  his 
place.  This  pastorate  continued  for  seventeen 
years,  and  in  1859  the  Rev.  M.  G.  Hanson  was 
called  to  the  pulpit.  He  resigned  in  1871  and  a 
year  later  the  Rev.  A.  P.  Stockwell  was  called. 
This  gentleman  devoted  much  care  to  the  study 
of  the  civil  and  ecclesiastical  history  of  Graves- 
end, and  to  a  sketch  from  his  pen  the  present 
chapter  of  this  work  has  been  greatly  indebted. 
He  continued  to  minister  to  this  church  until 
1886  when  he  retired  and  devoted  himself 
mainly  to  literary  work  until  his  death,  in 
Brooklyn,  in  1901.  He  was  followed  in  the 
ministry  of  Gravesend  by  the  Rev.  P.  V.  Van 
Buskirk,  who  still  fejtains  the  charge,  and 
who  has  labored  most  successfully  and  won 
the  love  of  his  large  and  steadily  growing 
congregation,  as  well  as  of  the  entire  com- 
munity in  which  he  has  ministered  so  long, 
and  so  faithfully. 


■864 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


We  have  seen  that  in  one  of  the  squares  in 
the. original  plan  of  Gravesend  a  place  was  laid 
aside  as  a  burying  ground,  and  it  was  prob- 
ably used  as  such  when  occasion  required.  The 
■earliest  record  extant,  however,  concerning  this 
jiow  venerable  God's-acre  is  contained  in  the 
will  of  John  Tilton,  dated  Jan.  15,  1657,  in 
which  he  devised  land  "for  all  persons  in  ye 
Everlasting  truthe  of  ye  gospel  as  occasion 
serves  for  ever  to  have  and  to  hold  and  to  make 
use  of  to  bury  their  dead  there."  It  is  thought 
that  the  land  thus  deeded  adjoined  the  original 
burying  ground  and  Tilton's  bequest  was  in 
reality  an  addition  and  at  once  incorporated 
within  its  boundaries.  It  was  probably  part  of 
the  original  lot,  which  Tilton  received  when  he 
settled  at  Gravesend  with  Lady  Moody.  The 
oldest  stone  extant  now  bears  the  date  of  1676, 
and  many  of  the  inscriptions  discernible  are  in 
Dutch.  One  plain  rough  stone,  hardly  read- 
able, Was  thought  by  Teunis  C.  Bergen  to 
mark  the  grave  of  Lady  Moody ;  but  this  was 
merely  an  antiquary's  fancy.  From  the  form- 
ation of  Greenwood  Cemetery  the  Gravesend 
burial  ground  began  to  fall  into  disuse  and  in- 
terments in  it  have  now  practically  ceased. 
There  is  another  burying  ground  in  the  town- 
ship,— Washington  Cemetery, — laid  out  in 
1850  and  inclosing  about  100  acres,  which  is 
mainly  used  by  Hebrews. 

Regarding  the  dwellings  which  early  ex- 
isted in  Gravesend,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Stockwell 
said: 

It  may  be  interesting  to  know  the  style  of 
house  which  afforded  shelter  and  protection 
to  the  early  settlers.  If  the  following  is  a  fair 
specimen,  it  will  not  strike  us  as  being  too  elab- 
orate or  expensive,  even  for  that  early  day. 
Here  is  the  contract  for  a  dwelling,  as  entered 
by  the  town-clerk  upon  his  record : 

"Ambrose  London  bargained  and  agreed 
with  Michah  Jure  for  his  building  him  a  house 
by  the  middle  of  June  nexte,  and  to  paye  the 
said  Michah  40  gilders  for  it — at  the  time  he 
begins  a  skipple  of  Indian  corne,  at  the  raising 
of  it  10  guilders,  and  at  ye  finishing  of  it  ye 
rest  of  the  said  summ.  Ye  house  to  be  made 
22  foote  long,  12  foote  wide,  8  foote  stoode 
with  a  petition  in  ye  middle,  and  a  chimney,  to 


laye  booth  rooms  with  joice,  to  cover  ye  roof, 
and  make  up  both  gable  ends  with  clabboards, 
as  also  to  make  two  windows  and  a  door." 

This  man,  London,  was  rather  a  speculator, 
and  soon  disposed  of  this  house,  and  made  an- 
other contract  for  a  larger  and  still  more  com- 
modious one ;  the  contract  price  for  building  it 
being  $44.  John  Hawes  was  the  builder 
and  his  contract  was  to  build  "i  house  framed 
uppon  sills  of  26  foote  long,  and  16  foote 
broad  and  10  foote  stoode,  with  2  chimneys  in 
ye  middle  and  2  doors  and  two  windows,  and 
to  clabboard  only  ye  roof  and  dobe  the  rest 
parte."  The  price  was  1 10  gilders,  or  instead, 
"one  Dutch  cow." 


But,  if  their  houses  were  built  more  with 
reference  to  their  comfort  and  actual  necessi- 
ties than  for  display,  the  same  was  true  of  their 
household  furniture  and  personal  eiifects,  as 
will  be  seen  from  the  following  inventory  of 
the  estate  of  John  Buckman,  deceased,  dated  in 
the  year  165 1,  and  signed  by  Lady  Moody  as 
one  of  the  witnesses.  Among  a  few  other  ar- 
ticles appear  the  following:  "i  Kettle,  i  Fry- 
ing Pan,  I  Traye,  i  Jarre,  i  pair  breeches,  i 
Bonett,  I  Jackett,  i  Paile,  2  Shirts,  i  Tubbe, 
I  Pair  shoes,  2  pair  ould  stockings,  9  ould 
goats,  money  in  chest,  32  gilders." 

The  first  roads  to  these  houses  were  mere 
wagon  paths,  rough  and  unkempt,  although 
the  roads,  or  streets  inside  the  palisades  in  the 
town  square,  appear  to  have  been  well  kept, 
and  were  regarded  as  the  best  to  be  seen  any- 
where. The  outer  roads  were  made  simply  by 
merely  clearing  away  the  brush,  and  their 
boundaries  were  kept  defined  mainly  by  the 
traffic.  At  times,  however,  the  town  meeting 
took  a  hand  in  their  improvement,  as  in  1651, 
when  it  was  agreed  that  "every  inhabitant  who 
is  possessed  of  a  lot  shall  be  ready  to  go  by  the 
blowing  of  ye  horn  on  Thursday  next  to  clear 
ye  common  ways."  In  1660  a  highway  was 
laid  out  from  the  town  to  the  beach.  By  1696 
Gravesend  was  connected  with  Flatbush  and 
Flatlands  and  New  Utrecht  by  rough  but  serv- 
iceable roads,  and  the  King's  Highway,  still 
extant  among  a  wilderness  of  new  streets,  was 
laid  out  about  the  same  time. 


GRAVESEND. 


365- 


Notwithstanding  all  its  advantages  of  mag- 
nificent soil,  a  settled  community,  perfect  free- 
dom of  conscience  and  proximity  to  the  even 
then  great  commercial  centre,  the  progress  of 
Gravesend  was  slow.  It  had,  it  would  appear, 
at  one  time  some  pretentions  to  commercial 
dignity  on  its  own  account,  for  in  1693  it  was 
declared  one  of  the  three  ports  of  entry  on 
Long  Island ;  but  even  with  this  distinction  it 
continued  to  make  tardy  progress.  In  1698  its 
population  was  only  210,  including  31  men, 
32  women,  124  children,  6  apprentices  and  17 
negroes.  By  1738,  forty  years  later,  the  total 
number  had  increased  to  368,  of  which  50  were 
negroes.  In  1790  it  boasted  294  whites  and  131 
negroes.  Probably  when  the  Revolutionary 
War  broke  out  it  contained  in  round  numbers 
a  population  of  350,  white  and  colored. 

That  war,  as  in  the  case  of  the  other  towns 
in  Kings  county,  may  be  said  to  mark  the  cen- 
tral point  of  the  history  of  Gravesend.  Many 
of  the  troops  were  landed  on  its  ocean  front  on 
that  memorable  morning  in  August,  1776, 
when  the  British  movement  began.  It  was 
supposed  that  from  its  English  antecedents, 
Gravesend  would  be  even  more  pronouncedly 
Tory  in  its  sentiment  than  the  other  towns  in 
its  part  of  Long  Island ;  but  the  opposite  seems 
to  have  been  the  case.  In  the  battle  of  Aug. 
27th  the  Patriot  fighters  from  Gravesend  are 
said  by  the  local  historians  to  have  given  a 
good  account  of  themselves,  although  their 
losses  were  small  as  their  knowledge  of  the 
country  enabled  them  to  escape  from  the  de- 
feat and  return  to  their  homes  in  safety,  while 
others  who  escaped  in  the  melee  were  captured 
or  killed  by  roving  bands  of  the  enemy.  The 
tide  of  war  soon  carried  the  troops  away  from 
Gravesend.  But  during  the  entire  British  oc- 
cupation of  the  island  the  town  was  in  a  condi- 
tion of  perpetual  trouble  and  excitement. 
Prisoners  and  soldiers  were  billeted  upon  the 
people  without  ceremony,  the  soldiers  robbed 
with  apparent  impunity  and  lawless  bands  of 
thieves  made  frequent  descents  upon  farm- 
houses and  stripped  them  of  their  valuables 


and  provender.  It  was  truly  a  reign  of  terror 
for  the  peace-loving  people  while  it  lasted,  and 
Patriot  and  Tory  seemed  to  have  suffered  alike 
from  the  horrors  of  military  rule.  That  the 
people  were  peaceably  disposed  is  very  evident 
from  the  fact  that  several  of  the  Hessian  sol- 
diers remained  in  Gravesend  after  peace  was 
declared  and  assumed  all  the  duties  of  citizen- 
ship, and,  it  is  said,  with  credit  to  themselves. 
On  October  20,  1789,  General  Washington,, 
then  President,  visited  Gravesend  and  held  a 
sort  of  levee  in  the  town  square.  As  might  be 
expected  he  was  devotedly  welcomed  and  with; 
his  visit  we  may  consider  the  early  history  of 
Gravesend  fittingly  brought  to  an  end. 

Having  thus  presented  the  leading  facts  in 
the  opening  annals  of  Gravesend,  the  story  of 
a  particular  section  which  to  a  certain  extent- 
has  always  maintained  a  separate  history,  and 
the  name  of  which  is  known  throughout  the 
civilized   world,   even   in  places   where  Long 
Island's  Gravesend  was  never  heard  of,  may 
here  be  fittingly  considered.  This  is  the  famous  ■ 
Coney  Island,  the  first  disposal  of  which  to  a 
white  man  has  already  been  mentioned  in  this 
chapter.    Op  Dyck  tried  to  realize  on  his  pur- 
chase by  selling  his  eighty-eight  acres  of  sand 
dunes,  brush  and  waterfront  to  the  Gravesend' 
people  in  1661,  but  they  declined  to  purchase, 
alleging  that  it  was  theirs  already  by  right  not 
only  of  their  town  patent  but  of  a  deed  of  pur- 
chase in  1649  from  Cippehacke,  Sachem  of  the 
Canarsies  (in  which  the  island  was  called  Nar- 
rioch),  and  also  of  another  deed,  dated  May  7, 
1654,  in  which  (in  exchange  for  15  fathoms  of 
seawant,  2  guns,  and  2  pounds  of  powder)  they 
obtained  from  the  Nyack  Indians,  who  claimed 
to  be  the  real  owners,  not  only  a  conveyance  of" 
Coney  Island,  but  a  strip  along  the  shore  near 
the  old  village  of  Unionville,  which  afterward' 
involved  the  town  in  much  vexatious  litiga- 
tion.    Failing  thus  to  dispose  of  it,  Op  Dyck, 
sold  his  claim  to  Derick  De  Wolf,  the  transfer 
bearing  date  October  29,  1661.    In  the  follow- 
ing year  De  Wolf,  who  had  obtained  from  the- 
West  India  Company  in  Amsterdam  a  monop— 


§66 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


oly  for  the  manufacture  of  salt  in  New  Neth- 
€rland,  erected  his  plant  on  the  island  and  com- 
menced operations.  Incidentally  he  warned 
the  Gravesend  folks  to  cease  from  pasturing 
their  cattle  on  Guisbert's  Island,  or  using  it 
for  any  purpose.  This  so  enraged  these  usually 
quiet  and  peaceable  citizens  that  they  marched 
to  the  island,  overrun  the  establishment,  tore 
down  the  palisade  and  manufactory  and  made 
a  bonfire  of  their  ruins,   and  threatened  to 


clearly  set  forth.  Still  there  seems  somehow 
to  have  remained  a  doubt,  and  in  1684  a  new 
conveyance  was  obtained  from  the  Indians 
and  the  whole  was  placed  beyond  any  pretence 
of  future  question  by  the  terms  of  Governor 
Dongan's  patent  of  1685,  and  Coney  Island 
continued  to  be  a  part  of  the  territory  of 
Gravesend  until  the  town  government  itself 
was  wiped  out  of  existence  by  the  Moloch- 
like   march    of    modern  improvement.     The 


m 


(iij> 


THE    STRYKER    HOUSE,   GRAVESEND. 


ife 


silence  the  remonstrances  of  the  man  in  charge 
by  throwing  him  on  top  of  the  burning  pile. 
This  put  a  stop  to  the  enterprise;  and,  al- 
though De  Wolf  sent  a  remonstrance  to  Am- 
sterdam, and  their  High  Mightinesses  ordered 
Stuyvesant  to  protect  the  salt-maker  in  his 
rights,  the  Governor  did  nothing  in  the  mat- 
ter. In  fact,  he  openly  took  the  side  of  the 
Gravesend  people  in  the  dispute,  and  so  the 
trouble  continued  until  the  advent  of  Governor 
Nicolls  wiped  out  the  monopoly.  In  Governor 
Lovelace's  charter,  or  patent,  issued  in  1671, 
the   right   of   Gravesend   to  the   island   was 


island's  destinies  being  then  so  far  settled,  it 
was,  in  1677,  laid  out  in  thirty-nine  lots  of 
some  two  acres  each,  and  so  divided  among 
the  people.  They  agreed  to  fence  it  in  and 
plant  it  only  with  "Indian  corn,  tobacco  or 
any  summer  grain,"  and  when  not  so  used  it 
was  to  be  in  common  a  feeding  place  for 
cattle. 

The  Labadist  Fathers,  who  visited  Coney 
Island  in  1679,  have  left  the  following  record: 
"It  is  oblong  in  shape  and  is  grown  over  with 
bushes.  Nobody  lives  upon  it,  but  it  is  used 
in  winter    for    keeping  cattle,  horses,  oxen. 


GRAVESEND. 


367 


hogs  and  others,  which  are  able  to  obtain  there 
sufficient  to  eat  the  whole  winter  and  to  shelter 
themselves  from  the  cold  in  the  thickets."  It 
continued  to  be  used  mainly  for  feeding  cattle 
either  in  common  or  by  lease  down  to  about 
1840,  when  its  modern  history  may  be  said 
to  begin.  The  people  of  Gravesend,  however, 
seem  to  have  been  careful  to  retain  in  their 
own  hands  and  for  their  common  use  many 
of  the  privileges  of  ownership,  such  as  fishing, 
hunting,  the  use  of  timber  and  common  rights 
of  pasturage  to  unenclosed  places. 

The  history  of  Gravesend  from  the  time 
of  Washington's  visit  until  about  1870  might 
be  characterized  by  the  term  "reposefulness." 
In  fact,  its  people  might  be  said  to  have  dwelt 
by  themselves  and  for  thernselves  and  to  have 
let  the  world  roll  along,  unmindful  of  how  it  ' 
rolled  so  long  as  its  commotions  did  not  shake 
them  off.  Human  nature  now  and  again  as- 
serted itself  around  election  times,  when  the 
citizens  shouted  their  preferences,  but  when 
the  election  was  over  the  men,  then  as  now, 
wondered  what  they  really  had  been  shouting 
for,  and  what  difference  the  result  made  to 
them.  There  was  marrying  and  giving  in 
marriage,  children  were  born,  educated  at  the 
village  school  to  the  best  of  its  ability,  and 
then  stepped  into  their  fathers'  shoes ;  or  if 
there  were  many  sons  in  a  household  each 
managed  to  secure  a  bit  of  farm  land  in  the 
township  and  settled  down  to  start  a  new 
branch  of  the  family,  and  the  little  cemetery, 
even  with  Tilton's  pious  addition,  was  steadily 
being  filled  up.  So  far  as  we  have  been 
able  to  judge,  few  Gravesend  boys,  compara- 
tively, left  the  township  to  seek  their  fortunes 
in  the  outer  world.  Within  it  there  was  at 
least  an  abundance,  and  if  it  had  no  million- 
aires it  had  no  paupers,  and  by  paupers  I  mean 
men  or  women  who  have  fallen  by  the  way- 
side ii;i  the  struggle  of  life  as  a  result  of  their 
own  waywardness  or  worse.  Early  in  the 
nineteenth  century  we  read  of  a  new  road 
being  occasionally  opened,  making  transit  to 
the  beach  or  to  the  other  townships  easy,  and 


now  and  again  we  come  across  stories  of 
amateur  fishermen  from  the  outside  world 
who  discovered  its  shore  and  spent  a  few  days 
now  and  again,  to  return  to  their  homes  with 
stories  of  wonderful  success,  generally  justi- 
fied in  their  cases  by  truth.  The  court  records 
show  an  intricate  bit  of  litigation  now  and 
again  over  some  boundary  question,  of  little 
or  no  interest  now  that  boundaries  have  been 
swept  away;  while  the  church  continued  a 
matter  of  prime  interest  in  the  community 
and  the  real  center  of  its  civil  and  social  as 
well  as  its  religious  life.  These  brief  sentences 
really  sum  up  the  history  of  Gravesend  for  the 
half  century  or  so  that  passed  from  the  time 
the  last  British  troopship  sailed  out  of  the 
Narrows  until  what  might  be  called  the  mod- 
ern awakening  set  in.  A  glance  at  the  popu- 
lation returns  helps  to  emphasize  all  this.  In 
1800  its  figures  were  517,  and  ten  years  later 
520,  a  gain  of  3.  By  1835  it  had  increased 
to  695,  and  to  951  according  to  the  State 
census  of  1845. 

Some  might  begin  the  modern  story  of 
Gravesend  from  around  the  last  date  on  ac- 
count of  the  religious  activity  which  then 
sprang- up.  The  Third  Reformed  Church  edi- 
fice was  dedicated  in  January,  1834,  a  parson- 
age was  built  in  connection  with  it  in  1844, 
and  a  chapel  and  meeting  house  was  erected 
in  1854,  covering  the  site  of  the  pioneer 
church.  In  1840  a  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  was  organized  at  Sheepshead  Bay,  un- 
der the  name  of  the  Methodist  Protestant 
Church,  and  although  that  peculiar  designa- 
tion has  long  been-  abandoned  it  still  carries 
on  its  work.  In  1844  another  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  was  organized  at  Unionville. 

From  the  church  to  the  school  is  an  easy 
transition,  for  in  most  of  our  early  records 
the  two  almost  followed  each  other  so  closely 
that  their  beginnings  might  be  said  to  be  con- 
temporaneous. In  Gravesend,  however,  it  is 
not  until  1728  that  we  find  evidence  of  a 
school-house,  when  a  deed  shows  that  on 
April  8  of  that  year  "one  house  and  two  gar- 


368 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


den  spots"  were  sold  for  £19  by  Jacobus 
Emans  to  the  freeholders  for  the  use  of  a 
school  "and  for  no  other  use  or  employment 
whatsoever."  This  purpose,  however,  was  not 
carried  out  to  the  letter,  for  the  site  thus  laid 
apart  for  educational  purposes  was  that  on 
which,  in  1873,  the  town  hall  was  erected. 
It  is  hardly  to  be  imagined,  however,  that  no 
provision  for  education  existed  in  Gravesend 
prior  to  1728,  and  it  is  likely  that  as  soon  as 
the  need  appeared  a  teacher  found  employment 
and  a  place  for  teaching,  even  although,  as 
elsewhere  on  Long  Island,  he  migrated  from 
house  to  house.  The  building  erected  xsn  the 
Emans  "lots"  served  as  school-house  until 
1788,  when  a  larger  structure  was  erected  on 
the  same  site.  This  continued  to  be  the  local 
school-house  until  1838,  when  another  site, 
singular  to  say,  from  another  representative  of 
the  Emans  family  (Cornelius),  was  purchased 
and  a  commodious  building  erected  which  af- 
terward was  known  as  District  School  No.  i, 
and  so  continued  until  annexation.  Gravesend 
is  now  as  well  equipped  with  educational  facil- 
ities as  any  section  of  Greater  New  York, 
while  its  private  schools  have  won  many 
tributes  of  praise  for  their  high  standing  and 
efficiency. 

The  modern  progress  of  Gravesend  may 
be  traced  as  clearly  by  the  extension  of  its 
roads  as  by  any  other  basis,  for  its  progress 
in  this  regard  was  slow  and  gradual  and  strict- 
ly in  keeping  with  absolute  necessity.  It  is 
only  within  recent  years  that  the  construction 
of  public  thoroughfares  began  to  be  under- 
taken before  there  was  developed  a  crying  de- 
mand for  them.  In  1824  what  was  known  as 
"Coney  Island  Causeway"  was  laid  out  from 
Gravesend  to  the  ocean  front,  virtually  a  con- 
tinuation of  an  old  road  through  the  village, 
and  although  somewhat  primitive  it  contin- 
ued to  be  a  toll  road,  paying  a  dividend  to  its 
stockholders  until  1876,  when  it  was  sold  to 
the  Prospect  Park  &  Coney  Island  Railroad. 
In  1838  a  free  road  was  begun  from  Grave- 
send to  Flatbush,  a  continuation  inland  of  the 


road  to  the  sea.  In  1875  the  road  was  widened 
to  100  feet  and  extended  to  the  Brooklyn  city 
line,  receiving  the  name  of  Gravesend  avenue. 
It  proved  from  the  first  the  main  artery  of 
trade  and  travel.  The  Coney  Island  Plank 
Road,  laid  out  and  partly  opened  for  traffic 
in  1850,  which  extended  from  Fifteenth  street, 
Brooklyn,  to  Coney  Island,  was  long  the  prin- 
cipal carriage  road  to  the  shore.  The  planks- 
were  removed  after  ten  years'  service.  Iri 
1 87 1  an  eiTort  was  made  to  improve  this  road, 
but  while  the  story  is  one  of  the  most  disgrace- 
ful in  local  politics,  it  is  hardly  worth  while 
to  enlarge  upon  it  now.  Many  other  roads 
were  surveyed  and  several  were  opened  up  be- 
tween 1865  and  1876,  but  in  not  a  few  cases- 
they  are  still  roads  only  on  the  map.  Ocean 
avenue,  from  Prospect  Park  to  the  ocean,, 
five  miles  long  and  in  places  100  feet  wide,, 
was  opened  for  traffic  in  1876,  and  was  a  popu- 
lar thoroughfare  from  the  beginning.  It  was 
an  honest  piece  of  work  throughout,  and 
showed  the  citizens  how  economically  an  im- 
provement could  be  effected  when  undertaken 
by  business  men  and  carried  out  on  business 
principles. 

But  all  these  roads  fade  into  insignificance 
when  compared  with  that  magnificent  accom- 
plishment, the  Ocean  Parkway,  which  was 
begun  in  1874  and  completed  in  1880.  It  is 
five  and  one-half  miles  long,  with  a  width  of 
some  210  feet,  and  is  one  of  the  most  per- 
fectly appointed  and  best  equipped  roads  in 
the  world.  Its  main  purpose  is  pleasure,  and 
its  appearance  on  a  spring  or  autumn  after- 
noon, crowded  with  richly  appointed  vehicles 
and  pleasure  carriages  of  all  sorts,  bicycles, 
automobiles,  as  well  as  pedestrians,  is  not  to 
be  found  surpassed,  if  equalled  in  all  desira- 
ble respects,  by  the  boulevards  of  Paris.  It  is 
one  of  the  many  enduring  monuments  to  the 
late  J.  S.  T.  Stranahan,  who  is  generally  con- 
ceded to  be  the  originator  of  the  idea  of 
constructing  such  a  magnificent  parkway. 

One  feature  which  added  to  the  material 
progress  of  Gravesend  was  the  introduction 


GRAVESEND. 


369 


of  horse-racing,  which  may  be  said  to  have 
commenced  in  1868  with  the  incorporation  of 
the  Prospect  Park  Fair  Grounds  Association. 
This  body  of  "horse-lovers"  bought  a  tract 
of  some  sixty  acres  near  Gravesend  avenue, 
built  a  club  house. and  laid  out  a  track.  The 
association  afterward  removed  to  Ocean  Park- 
way. Another  track  was  laid  out  at  Parkville. 
These  were  comparatively  private  affairs  and 
did  not  prove  profitable  to  those  who  find 
profit  in  horse-racing.  In  1880,  however,  a 
bold  bid  for  public  favor  was  made  by  the 
Coney  Island  Jockey  Club,  which  secured  about 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres  of  land 
near  Sheepshead  Bay,  laid  out  a  splendid  track, 
adapted  the  grounds  thoroughly  to  meet  the 
wants  of  large  gatherings  of  people,  built  a 
commodious  grand-stand,  stables,  out-houses, 
etc.,  and  the  enterprise  at  once  sprang  into 
popular  favor.  It  was  not  long  before  the 
"race  days"  became  events,  and  attracted 
crowds  of  all  classes  from  New  York,  Brook- 
lyn and  even  more  distant  places.  Since  then 
the  Brooklyn  Jockey  Club  has  established  a 
course  at  Gravesend  and  the  Brighton  Beach 
Racing  Association  another  at  Coney  Island. 
These  have  their  ups  and  downs,  it  seems  to 
us,  in  public  favor,  but  all  manage  to  secure 
more  or  less  patronage  and  more  than  meet 
the  demand  for  the  "sport  of  kings,"  as  it  is 
called,  in  the  section  of  Long  Island  in  which 
they  are  located.  All  these  institutions  have 
helped  to  build  up  Gravesend  and  to  aid  in  its 
financial  prosperity.  Whether  they  have  aided 
in  moral  progress,  whether  they  have  brought 
within  its  precincts  a  class  of  residents  such 
as  the  fathers  of  the  settlement  would  have 
wished,  are  questions  which  others  may  at- 
tempt to  Si  live.  A  historian  only  at  times  be- 
comes a  moral  philosopher. 

The  introduction  of  the  horse  car  and  the 
steam  railroad,  passing  through  Gravesend 
and  yearly  conveying  increasing  crowds  to 
the  seashore,  finally  brought  the  quiet  settle- 
ment to  the  notice  of  the  outside  world  and 
aroused  it  from  its  sleep  of  over  200  years. 

24 


Brooklyn,  too,  was  steadily  filling  up  the  gaps 
in  its  own  domain  and  was  annually  extend- 
ing its  suburban  lines,  and  so  the  land-boom- 
ers got  an  eye  on  Gravesend  and  began  to 
menace  its  rural  life.  All  that  was  needed  to 
inaugurate  a  new  condition  of  things  was  a 
rapid  and  cheap  mode  of  transit,  and  that  was 
furnished  in  time  by  the  trolley, — the  "ubiqui- 
tous trolley,''  as  the  newspaper  reporters  used 
to  call  it  in  its  early  days.  The  population, 
began  to  grow  with  amazing  rapidity  and  new 
streets  were  steadily  opened  in  reality  or  on 
paper.  Old  farms  were  abandoned  to  the 
builders,  while  new  settlements,  some  of  them 
with  exceedingly  fancy  names,  sprung  into  ex- 
istence that  put  the  older  settlements  like 
Unionville  for  a  time  far  in  the  background, 
while  Sheepshead  Bay,  which  once  might  have 
been  called  Gravesend's  suburb,  became  in 
reality  the  center  of  its  life.  The  popularity  of 
Coney  Island  reflected  itself  on  Gravesend. 
It  was  the  attraction  which  the  land-boomers 
made  most  use  of  to  invite  settlers,  and  the 
closer  and  more  accessible  an  old  farm  was  to 
the  water  front  the  more  quickly  was  it  staked 
out,  its  old  glory  wrecked,  and  its  ancient 
story  wiped  out.  The  new  settlers  who  poured 
in  did  not  understand  the  old  days,  the  old 
methods,  and  while  the  shadow  of  annexation 
was  steadily  gathering  over  the  old  English 
town  it  became  the  prey  of  local  politicians, 
some,  it  is  sad  to  think,  claiming,  and  claim- 
ing rightly,  descent  from  original  settlers ; 
but  most  of  them  of  more  recent  importation, 
and  all  of  them  developing  traits  of  patriotism 
for  "what  there  is  in  it."  There  is  no  doubt 
that  in  its  latter  days  Gravesend,  like  Flat- 
lands,  became  the  prey  of  a  gang  of  political 
spoilsmen,  and  their  acts,  as  much  as  any- 
thing else,  forced  the  annexation  movement 
to  culminate  on  July  i,  1894,  when  Gravesend 
became  a  thing  of  the  past  and  its  territory 
quickly  took  a  place  as  Brooklyn's  Thirty-finst 
Ward. 

It  is  a  pity  that  the  last  scene  in  the  sep- 
arate history  of  Gravesend  should  be  one  of 


870 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


riot,  bloodshed,  contempt  for  law,  and  stern 
retribution.  For  several  years  the  leading 
figure  in  Gravesend  was  John  Y.  AIcKane. 
The  history  and  character  of  that  man  are 
deserving  of  critical  study.  He  was  purely 
a  product  of  modern  American  life,  and  we 
question  if  his  type,  although  plentiful  enough 
here,  could  be  produced  anywhere  else  in  the 
wide  world.  He  was  born  in  county  Antrim, 
Ireland,  August  lo,  1841,  and  was  brought  to 
this  country  when  a  few  months  old  by  his 
mother,  his  father  having  preceded  them.  The 
family  settled  at  Gravesend,  and  when  sixteen 
years  of  age  McKane  was  sent  to  learn  the 
trade  of  carpenter.  In  1865  he  married  Fanny, 
daughter  of  Captain  C.  B.  Nostrand,  of  Grave- 
send, and  in  1866  commenced  business  on  his 
own  account  as  a  builder  and  carpenter  at 
Sheepshead  Bay.  From  his  twenty-first  year 
he  was  active  in  local  politics,  quickly  gathered 
around  him  a  number  of  other  local  workers 
whose  leadership,  by  making  him  master  of 
many  votes,  not  only  gave  hirn  power  and  in- 
fluence, but  enabled  him  to^  extend  his  busi- 
ness on  all  sides  so  as  to  make  him  really 
independent  of  political  emolument.  But  he 
believed  in  holding  office,  for  that  in  turn  gave 
him  political  power,  and  as  Supervisor  of  the 
town  he  had  often  an  opportunity  of  reward- 
ing politically  those  who  were  faithful  to  his 
fortunes.  His  influence  was  made  still  greater 
in  1883,  for  then  he  was  elected  President  of 
the  Board  of  Supervisors  for  Kings  county. 
At  one  time  he  was  Gravesend's  "Poo  Bah," 
holding  the  office  of  Police  Commissioner, 
Chief  of  Police,  President  of  the  Town  Board, 
the  Board  of  Health  and  the  Water  Board, — 
and  it  is  difficult  to  recall  what.  His  busi- 
ness as  a  builder  continued  to  flourish,  and 
one  could  not  stand  at  any  point  in  the  old 
village  of  Gravesend,  at  Sheepshead  Bay,  or 
along  Coney  Island  without  being  able,  in  the 
new  cottages  and  hotels,  to  point  out  his  handi- 
work, and  good,  honest  work  he  did, of  that 

there  is  no  doubt.  His  popularity^  was  un- 
bounded.    Everyone  spoke  well  of  him,  and 


although  most  people  knew  him  as  a  politician, 
and  one  who  was  as  well  versed  in  the  ways 
and  wiles  of  local  politicians  as  any  man  liv- 
ing, it  was  believed  that  his  own  hands  were 
clean.  He  would  stand  by  a  supporter  through 
thick  and  thin,  he  never  repudiated  a  bargain, 
broke  faith  with  a  friend,  or  forgot  a  service. 
A  stanch  Democrat,  he  professed  to  have  the 
welfare  of  Gravesend  at  heart  more  than  the 
fortunes  of  his  local  ticket;  but  that  ticket 
he  always  worked  for  with  all  his  heart.  His 
private  life  was  pure  and  happy.  He  had  a 
pleasant  home,  and  there  he  spent  his  pleasant- 
est  hours.  For  years  he  was  an  active  member 
of  the  local  Methodist  Church  and  the  super- 
intendent of  its  Sabbath-school.  Up  to-a  cer- 
tain point  in  his  career  never  a  word  was 
spoken  against  him.  He  was  the  "boss;"  he 
ruled  with  a  rod  of  iron;  he  was  in  all  sorts 
of  deals,  and  it  was  believed  he  was  thor- 
oughly honest  personally  and  that  whatever 
underhand  and  shady  work  he  did  was  done 
simply  in  the  line  of  business  of  the  political 
boss.  Most  people  felt  that  with  all  his  faults 
things  were  safer  with  him  than  with  any  boss 
who  would  surely  be  raised  to  reign  in  his 
stead, — seeing  that  a  boss  was  necessary.  As 
Gravesend  grew  in  population,  as  Coney 
Island  year  after  year  added  to  its  visitors  by 
thousands,  McKane's  position  grew  in  impor- 
tance, and  he  had  to  use  all  the  customary 
accomplishments  of  the  professional  politician 
to  maintain  his  footing. 

The  key  to  his  power  lay  in  the  ballot-box, 
and  for  years  it  was  known  that  the  returns 
from  Gravesend  at  any  election  were  just  as 
McKane  wanted  them.  There  were  loud  com- 
plaints at  times  of  irregularity,  but  nothing 
was  done,  for  as  usual  political  excitement  and 
indignation  generally  subsided  after  each  elec- 
tion. Then,  too,  as  election  after  election 
passed  over,  McKane  became  more  reckless 
and  defiant  of  all  law.  Respect  for  the  law 
governing  elections  was  especially  forgotten 
by  him  and  cut  no  figure  in  his  calculations. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  for  years  the  ballots 


GRAVESEND. 


371 


cast  in  Gravesend  were  manipulated  to  suit 
McKane  and  his  coterie.  This  in  time  became 
50  glaring  that  little  more  was  needed  to  ex- 
pose the  whole  sham  and  bring  it  to  an  end 
than  the  zealous  protest  of  some  men  of  deter- 
mination, and  that  man  came  to  the  front  in 
William  J.  Gaynor.  In  1893  he  was  nomi- 
Tiated  for  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and 
when  the  campaign  was  on  he  determined  to 
pay  attention  to  Gravesend,  being  well  aware 
that  McKane  was  bitterly  opposed  to  him 
and  would  stoop  to  even  the  most  desperate 
act  to  accomplish  his  defeat.  He  determined 
to  have  at  least  an  honest  vote  in  Gravesend, 
and  to  that  end  obtained  an  order  from  the 
Supreme  Court  compelling  the  Registrars  of 
Elections  to  produce  the  registry  books ;  but 
the  books  could  not  be  found.  On  election 
■day  twelve  watchers  sent  by  Gaynor  went  to 
Gravesend  armed  with  an  injunction  from  the 
Supreme  Court  forbidding  McKane  or  any 
one  else  from  interfering  with  them ;  but  Mc- 
Kane, folding  his  arms  behind  his  back,  re- 
fused to  touch  the  document,  uttering  the  mem- 
orable words,  "Injunctions  don't  go  here." 
Colonel  Alexander  S.  Bacon  and  the  other 
watchers  were  arrested,  some  were  maltreated 
brutally,  and  all  were  glad  to  get  back  to 
Brooklyn.  Gravesend  had  6,000  votes  regis- 
tered, while  her  population  should  only  have 
■shown  some  2,000.  The  votes  cast  were  3,500, 
proving  that  in  spite  of  all  the  excitement, 
fraudulent  methods  had  been  at  work.  Ameri- 
can citizens  can  stand  a  good  deal;  they  can 
be  plundered,  imposed  upon  and  deluded  by 
politicians  year  out  and  year  in  with  impunity. 
Every  now  and  then  they  arise  in  their  might 
and  "turn  the  rascals  out,"  but  they  soon  for- 
get their  indignation,  the  rascals  return  to  their 
plunder,  and  things  go  on  as  before.  But  there 
is  one  thing  the  people  will  neither  condone 
nor  forget,  and  that  is  tampering  with  the 
ballot-box;  the  foundation  of  all  their  liberties, 
and  the  united  voice  of  a  free  people.  Of  the 
3,500  votes  cast,  Gaynor  received  an  insignifi- 
•cant  number,  but  the  general  returns  showed 


that  he  was  elected  to  the  b.'nch  by  a  large 
majority.  Public  attention  as  to  affairs  in 
Gravesend  had  been  aroused,  the  flagrant  tink- 
ering with  the  ballot-box  and  the  insults  and  in- 
dignities and  maltreatment  of  those  who  rep- 
resented the  law  created  a  deep  feeling  of  re- 
sentment in  the  communi'ty,  and  a  demand 
arose  for  the  prosecution  of  the  offenders.  A 
fund  was  raised  to  bring  the  matter  to  an 
issue,  and  AIcKane  and  several  of  his  promin- 
ent associates  were  indicted.  As  a  result  of  his 
trial  McKane  was  convicted  of  violating  the 
election  law,  and  on  February  19,  1894,  sen- 
tenced by  Justice  Bartlett  to  six  years  in  state 
prison.  After  a  few  delays,  trying  to  evade 
the  sentence  by  legal  quibbles,  he  began  his 
term  in  Sing  Sing  on  March  2,  following,  and 
was  there  incarcerated,  "a  model  prisoner," 
the  keepers  said,  until  April  30,  i8g8,  having 
then  finished  his  term  less  the  deduction  al- 
lowed to  all  prisoners  who  behave  themselves 
as  behavior  is  understood  in  penal  institutions. 
He  emerged  from  prison  a  broken-down  man 
in  every  way,  and  did  not  even  attempt  to 
regain  his  old-time  grip.  His  once  indomitable 
spirit  was  crushed  beneath  the  terrible  blow 
which  had  transformed  him  from  "a  useful 
citizen"  into  a  convict,  and  he  died,  broken- 
hearted, September  5,  1899. 

McKane  was  not  the  only  one  who  suffered 
for  the  "crime  of  Gravesend,"  as  the  reporters 
put  it.  Many  of  his  supporters  suffered  im- 
prisonment and  fine,  the  most  noted  being 
Kenneth  F.  Sutherland,  sent  to  prison  for  one 
year  and  fined  $500  on  one  count  and  sentenced 
to  another  year's  imprisonment  on  a  fresh 
charge;  R.  V.  B.  Newton,  sentenced  to  nine 
months'  imprisonment  and  $750  fine;  A.  S. 
Jameson,  eighteen  months ;  M.  P.  Ryan,  four 
months  and  $500;  F.  Bader,  five  months  and 
$500;  B.  Cohen,  four  months  and  $500;  and 
so  on  down  to  comparatively  petty  sentences, 
for  the  less  conspicuous  workers  of  the  gang. 
Possibly  the  full  extent  of  the  frauds  at  the 
ballot-boxes  was  not  realized  by  the  public 
until  the  election  at  Gravesend  in  April,  1894, 


372 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


when,  under  honest  auspices,  only  1,928  votes 
were  cast. 

Thus  closed  in  turmoil  and  gloom  the  story 
of  a  town  founded  in  righteousness  and  hon- 
esty, and  distinguished  for  its  uprightness 
and  the  even  tenor  of  its  ways.  It  demon- 
strated the  unscrupulousness  of  politics  and 
the  rottenness  which  can  be  introduced  into 
our  municipal  government  by  a  few  men  who 
are  zealous  for  power.  No  one  pitied  McKane 
and  his  fellows,  and  their  fate  has  been  held 
to   be   a   significant  and   much-needed   lesson 


to  others  who  might  be  induced  to  drift  into, 
such  methods;  and  drift  is  the  right  word. 
McKane  and  his  associates  were  not  bad  men ; 
in  private  life  most  of  them  were  above  re- 
proach ;  but  they  drifted  along  the  current  of 
low  political  intrigue  until,  blind  to  the  results, 
they  "shot  Niagara,"  went  beyond  the  safe- 
guards of  law  and  order,  defied  these  in  fact,, 
and  landed  in  prison  cells.  Their  story  is  a. 
blot  on  American  politics,  and  it  is  a  pity  that 
the  records  of  Gravesend  should  close  with 
the  details  of  a  political  crime  and  its  salutary 
punishment. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


CONEY    ISLAND. 

Rise  of  the   Famous  Resort — The   Democratic   Watering   Pi.ace   of  New  York- 
A  Revolutionary  Reminiscence  —  Piracy  and   Plunder. 


OR  many  years  after  the  Revolution 
Coney  Island  lay  practically  dor- 
mant. The  heirs  of  the  thirty-nine 
persons  referred  to  in  the  preceding 
chapter,  among  whom  most  of  Guisbert's 
Island  was  divided  in  1677,  held  their  right  for 
many  years  in  that  apportionment,  but  the 
property  was  unproductive.  By  1734  most  of 
their  claims  had  been  bought  by  Thomas 
Stillwell,  who  in  that  year  started  the  march 
of  modern  improvement  by  digging  a  ditch 
which  enabled  farmers'  and  gardeners'  boats 
to  reach  the  market  on  Manhattan  Island  much 
more  quickly  than  formerly.  All  the  arable 
land  was  practically  on  the  division  known  as 
Guisbert's  Island.  Pine  Island  and  the  orig- 
inal bit  of  sand  known  as  Coney  Island,  or 
Narrioch,  made  up  the  rest  of  the  territory, 
all  of  which  is  now  known  under  the  one  popu- 
lar name.  The  sea,  then  as  now,  played  sad 
havoc  with  this  stretch  of  sand.  Sometimes 
the  three  islands  were  quite  distinct,  at  other 
times  they  were,  as  now,  practically  one.  The 
whole  territory  at  one  time  was  little  more 
than  the  backyard  of  Gravesend,  and  at  inter- 
vals that  town  enjoyed  a  little  income  by 
letting  the  privileges  not  covered  by  the  rights 
of  the  original  thirty-nine.  From  time  to  time 
other  divisions  were  made  of  the  territory, 
always  in  thirty-nine  lots,  as  fresh  demands 
were  made  by  the  slowly  increasing  population, 
and  the  last  of  these  divisions  was  that  of 


1 82 1.  By  that  time  the  utility  of  Coney  Island 
as  a  "resort"  was  beginning  to  be  understood, 
and  before  the  end  of  that  decade  the  place 
boasted  its  first  hotel, — the  Coney  Island 
House.  Wyckoff's  Hotel  followed,  and  these 
two  establishments  divided  the  patronage  of 
the  place.  In  1844  a  bathing  pavilion,  with 
attachments,  was  erected  at  what  is  now  known 
as  Norton's  Point,  and  in  1847  another  hotel 
was  built  on  the  island, — the  Oceanic.  It  was 
burned  down  at  the  end  of  its  first  season,  and 
afterward  rebuilt. 

This  was  the  beginning.  But  it  is  difficult 
to  say  exactly  when  the  modern  movement 
which  resulted  in  making  Coney  Island  fa- 
mous fairly  set  in.  In  one  sense,  no  date  can 
be  definitely  fixed,  for,  like  Topsey  in  "Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin,"  it  "just  growed."  Every  year 
from  1847  witnessed  some  improvement,  some 
new  bathing-houses  run  up  with  unplaned 
lumber  and  primitive  appointments,  some 
roughly  constructed  hotel  or  restaurant,  cheap 
saloon,  democratic  eating-houses  where  you 
could  bring  your  own  luncheon  or  eat  what 
was  produced  on  the  premises,  lager-beer  bars, 
and  a  show  or  two,  generally  of  a  startling 
character,  such  as  newly-caught  wild  Indians, 
educated  pigs,  museums,  special  exhibits  of 
"sole  remnants  of  the  ancient  Aztec  sovereigns 
of  Central  America,"  and  the  like.  Each  year 
more  and  more  of  these  things  seemed  to  litter 
the  beach,  and  each  year  the  crowds  of  visitors 


374 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


increased.  It  was  a  democratic  resort,  and 
there  was  plenty  of  room  for  all  sorts  of  tastes. 
If  the  visitors  wanted  to  be  in  a  throng,  the 
throng  was  there ;  if  they  desired  quiet,  a  short 
walk  among  the  dunes  gave  them  all  the  quiet- 
ness that  Lady  Moody  could  have  enjoyed  in 
her  "bouwerie."  Then  the  crowds  became  too 
great  and  people  began  to  complain  that  the 
place  was  a  resort  for  roughs,  and  the  de- 
scendants of  the  good  old  settlers  of  Gravesend 
held  up  their  hands  in  horror,  at  the  scenes  of 
Sabbath  desecration  and  midsummer  riot 
which  hadi  grown  up  in  their  midst.  The 
steamboats  were  carrying  thousands  of  visit- 
ors, the  railroad  had  begun  its  work  of  trans- 
porting people  from  the  outskirts  of  Brooklyn 
and  from  Bay  Ridge  to  the  ocean,  and  even 
one  lumbering  horse-car  line  was  established, 
which  was  taxed  to  its  capacity  during  '  the 
season.  The  crowds,  however,  gave  rise  to 
trouble  of  all  sorts;  Sundays  were  seldom 
passed  without  exhibiting  scenes  oi  riot  and 
debauchery,  and  by  1875  respectable  N.ew 
Yorkers  and  Brooklynites  began  to  shun  Coney 
Island  and  talked  of  it  as  having  been  given 
over  to  the  mob,  the  rough  element,  in  their 
midst,  and  predicted  its  early  doom  to  silence 
and  decay.  But  the  mob  held  on,  and  recalci- 
trants were  won  back  to  some  part  of  the 
island  at  least.  By  1876  its  fame  had  spread 
over  the  whole  country,  and  in  that  centennial 
year  it  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  sights  of 
New  York  and  one  to  which  all  visitors  to 
the  commercial  metropolis  had  to  be  conducted. 

In  many  respects  1875  might  be  regarded 
as  the  opening  year  of  the  modern  Coney 
Island.  The  old  divisions  of  the  island  by  that 
time  had  begun  to  be  known  by  their  modern 
names  thus:  West  End  (Norton's  Point), 
West  Brighton,  Brighton  Beach,  and  Manhat- 
tan Beach. 

It  is  almost  useless  to  attempt  to  describe 
modern  Coney  Island  in  a  historical  work,  for 
the  yearly  changes  are  so  many  and  so  kaleido- 
scopic as  to  make  any  outline  seem  out  of 
date  a  few  months  after  it  has  been  penned. 


It  is  the  great  democratic  outpouring  place  of 
the  Greater  New  York,  and  although  all 
around  the  great  city  new  resorts  appear  to 
spring  up  every  year,  the  island  seems  not  only 
to  retain,  but  to  extend  its  popularity  with  each 
recurring  season.  Somehow  it  has  adapted 
itself  to  the  wants  of  the  great  multitude  of 
visitors.  Those  who  want  quiet  and  exclusive- 
ness  can  find  it  in  the  Oriental  Hotel,  which 
is  the  outpost  of  the  modern  Coney  Island. 
At  Manhattan  Beach,  with  its  theater,  mu- 
sic, fireworks  and  other  amusements,  there  is 
exclusiveness  and  pleasure  combined.  Brighton 
Beach  claims  to  be  a  family  resort  primarily, 
and  to  a  great  extent  retains  that  characteris- 
tic. It  attracts  larger  crowds  than  the  places 
already  named,  being  a  center  for  transit  fa- 
cilities ;  and,  having  superb  bathing  accom- 
modations, it  attracts  visitors  of  all  classes. 
It  really  forms  the  dividing  line  between  aris- 
tocratic and  democratic  Coney  Island.  The 
regular  visitors  to  the  Oriental  Hotel,  or  Man- 
hattan Beach,  or  Brighton  Beach,  however, 
would  hardly  care  to  admit  that  they  had  any 
connection  with  Coney  Island.  That  good  old 
name  has  become  somewhat  demoralized,  too 
much  associated  with  "the  great  unwashed," 
with  cheap  shows,  bawling  photographers, 
Sunday  beer  and  vulgar  frankfurters  to  be  con- 
genial to  ears  polite.  So  at  all  three  the  name 
of  Coney  Island  is  tabooed,  and  when  in  these 
modern  days  the  island  is  referred  to  we  are 
supposed  to  speak  of  the  long  stretch  of  sand 
lying  still  further  to  the  westward.  Here,  how- 
ever, the  island  retains  all  the  many  peculiari- 
ties and  types  which  won  for  it  its  first  popu- 
larity. Its  manners  are  free  and  easy,  its 
crowds  have  assembled  to  have  a  good  time 
according  to  their  individual  ideas,  and  they 
have  it.  One  account  tells  us :  "At  the  West 
End,  or  Norton's,  the  island  has  been  but  little 
improved.  Accommodations  are  provided  here 
for  parties  with  lunch-baskets,  and  there  are 
numerous  unattractive-looking  bathing-houses. 
This  part  of  the  island  is  now  being  redeemed 
from  neglect  by  the  building  of  good  houses. 


o 

CO 

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o 


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1-3 

fed 
o 


CONEY    ISLAND. 


375 


The  Atlantic  Yacht  Club  has  now  established 
its  quarters  there.  West  Brighton  was  former- 
ly known  as  Cable's,  and  is  the  central  part 
of  the  island.  Travelers  arrive  at  the  beach  by 
railroad  as  a  rule,  and  alight  in  a  spacious 
depot,  facing  the  finest  iron  pier  on  the  island. 
To  the  stranger  the  scene  is  suggestive  of  a 
great  fair-ground.  In  the  center  is  a  broad 
plaza  with  green  grass  and  flowers,  traversed 
by  wide  wooden  pavements,  and  numerous 
hotels  and  places  of  amusement  are  clustered 
around.  Bands  play  every  afternoon  and 
evening  in  pavilions,  and  the  beach  is  brilliant- 
ly illuminated  at  night  by  the  somewhat  ghast- 
ly white  rays  of  the  electric  light.  A  camera 
obscura  here  gives  charming  views  of  the 
beach,  sharply  outlined,  delicately  toned,  and 
well  worth  seeing.  An  observatory  300  feet 
high  occupies  a  prominent  place,  and  from  the 
top,  reached  by  large  elevators,  a  fine  view 
of  the  island,  the  bay  and  the  adjacent  cities 
may  be  had.  Two  piers,  each  about  1,300 
feet  long,  constructed  of  tubular  iron  piles, 
run  out  from  West  Brighton.  On  them  are 
various  buildings,  used  as  saloons,  restaurants, 
concert  halls,  etc.,  and  hundreds  of  bath- 
houses. Steamboats  from  New  York  land  at 
the  piers  hourly.  Near  the  piers  is  the  Sea 
Beach  Hotel  (this  structure  was  the  United 
States  Government  building  at  the  Centennial 
Exhibition).  The  Concourse,  which  leads  to- 
ward Brighton  Beach  on  the  east  (or  left), 
is  a  wide  drive  and  promenade  about  a  third 
of  a  mile  long.  Park  wagons  are  continually 
traversing  its  length,  and  there  are  two  rustic 
pavilions  in  which  pedestrians  may  rest  them- 
selves. It  is  maintained  by  the  Park  Depart- 
ment, and  no  buildings  are  allowed  between  it 
and  the  ocean.  It  has  been  seriously  damaged 
by  storms  in  recent  winters,  and  has  lost  much 
of  its  former  glory,  the  eastern  end  of  it, 
nearest  to  Brighton  Beach,  having  been  en- 
tirely destroyed."  The  winter  of  1901-2  proved 
particularly  destructive,  not  only  to  this  sec- 
tion of  Coney  Island,  but  to  all  the  others. 
Several  miles  of  roadway  were  destroyed  by 


a  storm  early  in  the  season  and  a  large  num- 
ber of  buildings  unroofed  or  blown  down. 
Even  Manhattan  Beach  suffered  severely  and 
miles  of  beautiful  lawns  were  ruined.  But  all 
that  seems  to  be  a  regular  winter  story  in 
spite  of  mere  human  ingenuity,  and  protective 
arrangements  of  all  sorts. 

But  by  whatever  name  its  sections  may 
be  designated)  for  advertising  and  business 
purposes,  the  historical  designation  can  never 
be  wiped  out.  Coney  Island,  in  fact,  is  itself, 
but  the  end  of  the  great  sand  bar,  broken 
here  and  there  by  inkts,  hurled,  twisted  and 
changed  by  every  winter's  storm,  which  ex- 
tends along  almost  the  entire  south  coast  of 
the  island  and  bears  many  names.  The  bar  is 
the  great  feature  of  the  south  shore  and  gives 
to  it  most  of  its  charms  of  scenery  and  climate. 
It  has  has  developed  on  its  course  many  charm- 
ing resorts ;  the  surface  of  the  sand  has  been 
in  places  so  beautified  by  turf  and  flower  bed, 
mammoth  hotel  and  charming  cottages  as  fair- 
ly to  claim  a  title  tO'  being  a  summer  paradise ; 
but  no  part  has  been  so  beneficial  to  the  toilers 
in  New  York  or  Brooklyn  as  that  which  still 
flourishes  under  the  old  name  of  Coney  Island, 
— the  name  first  given  to  it  by  the  Dutch  pio- 
neers 

From  the  earliest  times  of  its  European 
history  vague  stories  of  smuggling  and  piracy 
have  been  rife  concerning  Coney  Island.  A 
good  proportion  of  such  stories  was  either  en- 
tirely fabulous  or  was  founded  on  such  slim 
foundation  of  fact  that  the  foundation  itself 
has  disappeared.  In  its  early  ante-resort  days 
Coney  Island  must  have  been  a  wild  and  de- 
serted place,  its  storms  even  more  terrible 
than  now,  and  the  imaginations  of  the  few 
visitors  were  quickened  by  the  wind  and  deso- 
lation, the  solemn  stillness  that  prevailed  ex- 
cept for  the  low  moaning  of  the  sea  in  times 
of  placidity,  or  its  terrible  howling  when  the 
Atlantic,  roused  to  fury,  seemed  to  break  in  all 
its  anger  on  the  sandy  bar.  ■  Little  wonder  that 
popular  imagination  and  innate  human  super- 
stition  associated  the   dunes   and   creeks  and 


376 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


bays  and  points  with  tales  of  strange,  weird 
doings,  and  that  such  stories  gathered  in  im- 
portance and  weirdness  ana  tragedy  as  they 
sped  on  from  mouth  to  mouth.  Such  istories 
have  become  too  vague  to  be  regarded  as  his- 
tory, but  it  is  a  pity  that  some  of  them  had 
not  been  preserved.  Many  of  the  exploits  of 
Heyler  and  Marriner,  the  patriot  freebooters, 
were  performed  in  what  may  be  called  Coney 
Island  waters,  and  one  of  these  was  related  by 
General  Jeremiah  Johnson  from  the  recollec- 
tions of  some  of  its  participants.  While  here  in 
command  of  two  whaleboats.  Captain  Heyler 
saw  a  British  sloop  of  wa,r  lying  off  the  island 
and  determined  to  secure  it.  By  quietly  ap- 
proaching the  vessel  in  one  of  the  boats  Heyler 
found  that  no  watch  was  on  deck  and  that  the 
officers  were  playing  cards  in  their  cabin.  Sig- 
nalling for  his  other  boat  it  quickly  came  up, 
and  the  sloop  was  at  once  boarded  from  each 
side,  and  so  astonished  were  those  on  board 
at  the  sudden  and  unexpected  attack  that  they 
surrendered  without  even  a  show  of  resistance. 
The  crew  were  removed  as  prisoners  and  the 
ship  set  on  fire.  It  was  said  that  $40,000  in 
cash  and  many  valuables  went  up  in  smoke 
when  the  sloop  was  destroyed ;  but  this  we 
may  well  doubt.  Captain  Heyler  had  a  warm 
heart  for  plunder  as  well  as  for  his  country. 

One  well-authenticated  story  of  piracy  has 
come  down  to  us,  and  we  give  the  narrative 
in  the  words  of  Mr.  William  H.  Stillwell,  the 
patient  and  painstaking  historian  of  Coney 
Island,  who  has  devoted  many  years  to  unravel- 
ing the  many  vexed  questions  of  its  boundaries, 
its  early  settlers  and  their  descendants,  as  well 
as  telling  the  story  of  its  wonderful  modern 
growth. 

Coney  Island  is  connected  with  a  tragedy 
of  the  sea,  well-nigh  forgotten  by  even  the 
older  residents  of  the  vicinity,  but  which  was 
the  cause  of  intense .  excitement  at  the  time. 
On  the  9th  of  November,  1830,  the  brig  "Vine- 
yard" cleared  from  New  Orleans  for  Philadel- 
phia with  a  cargo  of  cotton,  sugar  and  mo- 
lasses, and  $54,000  in  specie  (all  Mexican 
diollars),  consigned  to  Stephen  Girard,  Esq., 


of  the  latter  city.  The  officers  and  crew  of  the 
brig  were  William  Thornby,  captain;  Mr. 
Roberts,  mate;  Charles  Gibbs  (alias  Thos.  D. 
Jefjfers),  Aaron  Church,  James  Talbot,  John 
Brownrigg  and  Henry  Atwell,  seamen;  Rob- 
ert Dawes  (age  eighteen  or  nineteen),  cabin- 
boy;  and  Wansley,  a  young  Delaware  negro, 
steward  and  cook.  When  the  brig  had  been 
five  days  out  at  sea,  and  was  off  Cape  Hat- 
teras,  the  negro  steward  informed  some  of  the 
others  of  the  money  on  board ;  and,  with  Gibbs, 
Church,  Atwell  and  Dawes,  planned  to  kill  the 
captain  and  mate,  and  possess  themselves  of 
the  specie.  On  the  night  of  March  23rd,  be- 
tween 12  and  I  o'clock,  as  the  captain  was 
on  the  quarter-deck,  and  the  boy  Dawes  was 
steering,  the  negro  Wansley  came  up  on  deck, 
and,  obeying  a  prearranged  call  from  Dawes 
to  come  and  trim  the  binnacle  light,  as  he 
passed  behind  the  captain  felled  him  with  a 
pump-brake,  and  killed  him  by  repeated  blows. 
Gibbs  then  coming  up,  he  and  Wansley  flung 
the  captain's  body  overboard.  Roberts,  the 
mate,  who  was  below,  came  up  the  compan- 
ion way  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  the  commo- 
tion, and  was  attacked  by  Church  and  Atwell, 
who  failed,  however  (through  nervousness'), 
to  accomplish  their  design  upon  him.  He  re- 
treated to  the  cabin,  where  he  was  followed 
by  Gibbs,  who,  not  being  able  to  find  him'  in 
the  dark,  returned  to  the  deck  for  the  binna- 
cle lamp,  with  which  he  re-entered  the  cabin, 
accompanied  by  Church,  Atwell  and  the  boy 
Dawes ;  and  Roberts,  being  speedily  overcome 
by  their  blows,  was  dragged  upon  deck  and 
hurled  into  the  sea — still  alive,  and  able  for  a 
while  to  swim  after  the  ship,  begging  for  mer- 
cy. Talbot,  who,  in  his  terror  at  what  was 
going  on,  had  sought  refuge  in  the  forecastle, 
and  Brownrigg,  who  had  fled  aloft,  were  now 
called  by  the  conspirators  and  offered  their 
lives  and  equal  share  in  the  booty  if  they  kept 
silent.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  they  joyfully 
accepted  the  terms  thus  unexpectedly  offered 
them.  The  conspirators  then  rifled  the  vessel, 
divided  the  specie;  and,  under  direction  of 
Gibbs,  who,  from  his  being  the  only  one  under- 
standing navigation,  assumed  command  of  the 
vessel,  their  course  was  laid  for  Long  Island. 
When  within  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  off  South- 
ampton light  the  vessel  was  scuttled  and  fired, 
and  they  took  to  their  boats ;  Gibbs,  Wansley, 
Brownrigg  and  Dawes,  with  about  $31,000 
of  the  money,  in  the  long  boat,  and  Church, 
Talbot  and  Atwell,  with  about  $23,000,  in  the 


CONEY    ISLAND. 


377 


joUv-boat.  The  wind  was  blowing  a  gale,  and 
in  attempting  to  cross  Duck  (or  Rockaway) 
Bar,  the  jolly-boat  upset,  and  its  occupants, 
with  their  share  of  the  booty,  were  lost.  The 
occupants  of  the  other  boat  were  compelled, 
by  fear  of  a  similar  fate,  to  lighten  their  boat 
by  throwing  overboard  all  but  $S,ooo  of  their 
stealings;  but  finally,  succeeded  in  reaching 
the  shore  of  Pelican  Beach,  then  part  of  Bar- 
ren, now  Coney  Island.  Their  first  care  was 
to  dispose  temporarily  of  the  specie  by  bury- 
ing it  in  a  hole  (dug  with  an  oar)  in  the  sand 
at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  shore,  each 
taking  out  sufficient  for  his  immediate  wants. 
Food  and  lodging  were  their  next  most  press- 
ing wants,  and  meeting,  on  Pelican  Beach, 
with  Nicholas  S.  Williamson,  of  Gravesend, 
they  told  him  a  pitiable  tale  of  shipwreck,  and, 
getting  from  him  the  needed  directions,  they 
passed  on  to  Dooley's  Bay,  on  the  northwest 
shore  of  Barren  Island.  Here  residted  John 
Johnson  and  wife,  and  his  brother  William, 
who  kindly  received  and  cared  for  the  ship- 
wrecked mariners,  and  gave  up  to  them  for 
the  night  their  own  room  and  beds.  Brown- 
rigg  and  the  Johnson  brothers  thus  happened 
to  occupy  chairs  in  the  living-room ;  and  as 
soon  as  the  other  inmates  of  the  house  were 
asleep  Brownrigg  revealed  the  whole  matter 
to  the  two  Johnsons.  In  the  morning,  after 
getting  such  breakfast  as  the  place  afforded, 
the  pirates  desired  the  Johnsons  to  take  them 
over,  to  the  hotel  at  Sheepshead  Bay,  whence 
they  might  get  a  conveyance  to  Fulton  Ferry 
and  New  York.  This  the  Johnsons  did,  and 
returned  to  Barren  Island  without  unnecessary 
delay:  and,  proceeding  to  the  spot  described 
by  Brownrigg  (and  to  which  they  had  gone 
in  the  early  morning  with  Wansley  to  get 
some  clothes  left  there),  they  dug  up  the  specie, 
removed  it  to  another  hiding  place  remote 
from  its  first  location ;  and,  by  walking  in  the 
water,  effaced  all  traces  of  the  direction  they 
had  taken. 

Meanwhile  Gibbs  and  his  party  were  bar- 
gaining with  Samuel  Leonard,  the  hotel- 
keeper  at  Sheepshead  Bay,  when  suddenly,  in 
the  presence  of  all,  Brownrigg,  declaring  that 
he  would  go  no  further  with  them,  denounced 
his  companions  as  pirates  and  murderers,  and 
unfolded  the  whole  story  of  the  "Vineyard's" 
fate.  Wansley  incontinently  took  to  his  heels 
to  the  woods,  and  Gibbs  and  Dawes  were 
seized  and  bound  bv  the  inn-keeper  and  bis 
people ;  and  Justice  John  Van  Dyke  was  sum- 


moned, who  promptly  issued  warrants  for  the 
arrest  of  the  pirates.  The  one  constable  of  the 
village  found  his  hands  full  in  guarding  Gibbs 
and  Dawes ;  and  so  Robert  Greenwood,  of 
Sheepshead  Bay,  volunteered  to  go  into  the 
woods  and  look  up  Wansley.  After  an  hour's 
search  he  found  the  negro,  and  presenting  a 
huge  pistol,  ordered  him  to  fall  on  his  face 
and  cross  his  'hands  behind  his  back.  Wansley 
submitted,  and  Greenwood,  sitting  astride  of 
him,  tied  his  hands  securely,  ordered  him  to 
arise,  and  marched  him  back  to  Leonard's 
hotel.  After  the  negro  had  been  thoroughly 
secured  his  captor  showed  him  the  pistol  (ut- 
terly destitute  of  either  lock  or  load),  with  the 
remark  that  it  "was  just  as  good's  any  other 
if  you  knowed  how  to  use  it."  Gibbs,  Wans- 
ley and  Dawes  were  then  lodged  in  the  county 
jail  at  Flatbush. 

The  Johnsons  had  been  none  too  quick  in 
securing  the  $5,000;  for,  scarcely  had  they 
regained  their  home  when  Squire  Van  Dyke, 
with  Brownrigg  as  guide,  appeared  on  the 
scene,  and  going  right  to  the  spot  where  the 
money  had  been  deposited  the  day  before, 
found  it  gone !  Brownrigg  was  then  sent  to 
join  the  others  at  Flatbush;  and  from  thence 
they  were  remanded  to  New  York  Bridewell. 
Indictments  being  found  against  Gibbs  and 
Wansley,  they  were  tried  and  convicted  on  the 
testimony  of  Brownrigg  and  Dawes ;  and  on 
the  nth  of  March,  1831,  were  sentenced  to  be 
hung;  sentence  being  carried  into  effect  on 
the  23d  of  April  following. 

John  and  William  Johnson,  apprehensive 
of  further  search  being  made  for  the  money, 
made  no  haste  to  get  it  home.  In  a  day  or 
two  they  were  visited  by  agents  of  the  insur- 
ance companies  and  an  officer,  who  not  only 
'  searched  for  the  money  on  the  beach,  but 
thoroughly  ransacked  the  Johnson  abode  from 
garret  to  cellar,  without  success.  Having, 
finally,  as  they  thought,  eluded  the  vigilance 
of  the  law,  John  Johnson  and  wife  planned  to 
get  possession  of  it  without  the  assistance  of 
William.  Accordingly,  one  night,  while  the 
latter  was  asleep,  they  stole  out  and  unearthed 
the  treasure,  and  reinterred  it  in  two  parcels, 
one  of  $3,400,  the  other  of  about  $1,600. 
Knowing  how  closely  William  would  scan  the 
beach  when  he  discovered  his  loss,  they  made 
only  the  slightest  mark  to  designate  the  new 
olace  of  deposit  on  Pelican  Beach,  by  tying 
knots  on  the  long  sedge-grass,  which  could  be 
seen  only  by  the  closest  scrutiny.     William's 


378 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


indignation,  when  he  discovered  the  loss,  was 
intense ;  his  suspicions  fell  upon  his  brother, 
and  going  to  New  York  he  informed  the  in- 
surance companies,  who  entered  suit  against 
John  for  the  recovery  of  the  money.  The  trial, 
which  was  held  before  Judge  Dean.,  in  the 
Apprentices'  Library,  in  Brooklyn,  ended  in 
John's  acquittal,  for  want  of  sufficient  evidence. 
He  then  removed  to  Brooklyn,  and  William  to 
Canarsie.  But  when  John  went  to  look  for  his 
deposit,  he  found  only  the  larger  sum.  A  high 
tide  had  swept  over  the  site  of  the  other ;  the 
action  of  the  waves  had  loosened  the  knots  in 
the  sedge-grass,  and  the  $i,6oo  was  lost  to  him 
forever. 

In  1842  the  Skidmore  family,  living  on 
"Ruffle  Bar,"  concluded  to  remove  their  house, 
in  sections,  to  a  new  site  on  the  shore  of  Doo- 
ley's  Bay,  Barren  Island.  The  house  was  ac- 
cordingly taken  down  piecemeal,  and  most  of 
it  carried  across  the  bay  and  piled  up  near  its 
future  site.  The  moving  was  not  quite  com- 
pleted on  the  day  appointed.  On  the  founda- 
tion of  their  old  'home  had  been  left  the  wooden 
ceiling  of  an  upper  chamber,  in  one  piece  or 
section.  During  the  night  a  violent  storm 
drove  the  tide  up  to  an  unprecedented  height ; 
and,  in  the  morning,  when  Jacob  Skidmore 
arose,  he  was  surprised  to  find  that  his  cham- 
ber ceiling  had  been  brought  over  by  the  tide 
from  Ruffle  Bar  to  Dooley's  Bay,  without  in- 
jury. Anxious  to  learn  whether  any  other  of 
his  property  had  go«e  farther  west,  he  pro- 


ceeded along  the  northerly,  or  inside,  shore 
of  Pelican  Beach,  which  then  had  become  sep- 
arated by  a  small  inlet,  shallow  enough  to  be 
forded  at  low  tide,  but  at  high  tide  floating 
skiffs  through  it  from  the  ocean  to  Dooley's 
Bay.  The  eastern  part  of  Pelican  Beach  then 
had  a  ridge  of  sand  hills,  while  the  western 
was  as  flat  and  level  as  the  whole  of  it  is 
now.  Arrived  at  these  sand  hills,  from  whence 
to  get  a  view  of  the  surrounding  country,  he 
saw  none  of  his  lumber ;  and,  acceding  to  the 
suggestion  of  his  companion,  Mr.  Loring,  hur- 
ried back  so  as  to  cross  the  inlet  before  the 
tide  got  too  high.  Taking  a  last  look,  as  they 
did  so,  they  noticed  the  shore  or  ocean  side 
of  Pelican  Beach  much  washed  away,  and  also 
saw  his  neighbors,  Willett  Smith  and  Henry 
Brewer,  approaching.  Smith  and  Brewer 
came  on  easterly  until  they  reached  the  spot 
where  John  Johnson  and  wife  had  last  buried 
the  $1,600;  and  here,  by  the  storm  over  night, 
the  silver  dollars  had  been  uncovered,  and  lay 
scattered  along  the  beach.  The  two  men  lost 
no  time  in  filling  pockets  and  boots,  and  car- 
ried away  all  they  could;  but  they  could  not 
keep  their  good  luck  to  themselves,  and  in  a 
day  or  twO'  business  was  almost  entirely  sus- 
pended in  Gravesend,  and  every  man  who 
could  got  to  Pelican  Beach.  The  intense  ex- 
citement only  gradually  subsided  when  a  suc- 
ceeding storm  placed  the  location  of  the  "find" 
so  far  to  sea  as  to  be  absolutely  beyond  fur- 
ther search. 


BROOKLYN 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


THE    STORY   OF   BROOKLYN   VILLAGE  TO  THE    BEGINNING    OF  THE 
REVOLUTIONARY  MOVEMENT. 


TANDING  at  the  junction  of  Fulton, 
street  and  Flatbush  avenue,  and  look- 
ing in  the  direction  of  the  City  Hall, 
the  modern  Brooklynite  can  cast  his 
eye  over  the  site  of  the  first  settlement  out  ot" 
which  grew  the  present  magnificent  metro- 
politan borough.  Standing  there,  looking  at 
the  throngs  of  all  classes  of  society  passing  and 
repassing  on  the  streets,  the  crowded  cars,  the 
loaded  teams,  and  the  elevated  railroad  crash- 
ing overhead,  one  can  hardly  realize  the  little 
village  of  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury with  its  few  scattered  houses  nestling  as 
closely  together  as  possible  so  as  to  afford  mu- 
tual protection  from  baii'ds  of  predatory  or 
murderous  Indians,  with  fields  of  growing 
grain  giving  a  golden  tinge  to  a  landscape 
whose  prevailing  color  was  green,  the  color 
of  luxuriant  nature.  Even  in  its  early  stages 
the  red  man  found  much  in  Breuckelen  to  in- 
cite his  cupidity,  and  a  twentieth  century 
marauder,  standing  on  the  spot  here  indicated, 
might  well  exclaim,  as  Blucher  is  said  to  have 
exclaimed  on  visiting  London,  "What  a  place 
for  loot !" 

If  we  were  asked  to  describe  in  a  word 
the  progress  and  end  of  Brooklyn,  we  would 
answer.  Annexation.  That  has  been  its  crown- 
ing feature  all  through.  The  place  we  now  des- 
ignate as  the  borough  of  Brooklyn  was  no  less 
the  result  of  annexation  than  was  the  city  of 
Brooklyn  prior  to  1855,  the  date  of  its  first 
most  noted   extension.   When   Williamsburgh 


and  Bushwick  joined  their  fortunes  with  it. 
Old  Breuckelen  really  waxed  in  strength  and 
dominated  the  other  towns  with  which  it 
started,  and  which  started  under  more  auspi- 
cious conditions  than  it,  by  absorption  of  outlyr 
ing  villages  from  time  to  time.  The  Wallabout, 
for  instance,  was  one  district,  Gowanus  an- 
other, the  Ferry  another,  Bedford  another, — all 
of  which,  one  after  the  other,,  fell  in  with  the 
group  of  houses  which  found  the  central  vil- 
lage on  the  rich  agricultural  plateau.  The 
first  purchase  within  the  old  limits  of  Brooklyn 
Cityi — the  pre-1856  limit — was  at  Gowanus, 
where  in  1636  William  Adriaense  Bennet,  an 
Englishman  by  birth  and  a  cooper  by  trade, 
and  Jacques  Bentyne,  another  Englishman, — 
an  important  man  in  the  colony,  for  in  1636 
he  was  Schout  Fiscal  of  New  Amsterdam, 
and  for  several  years  a  member  of  Governor 
Kieft's  Council, — bought  936  acres  from  the 
Indian  proprietors.  Three  years  later  Bentyne 
sold  out  his  interest  in  the  property  to  Bennet, 
who  resided  on  it  until  his  death,  about  1644, 
when  it  passed  to  his  widow.  This  purchase 
is  regarded  by  Dr.  Stiles  as  "the  first  step  in 
the  settlement  of  the  city  of  Brooklyn;"  but 
there  are  indications  of  earlier  settlement. 

In  1637  Joris  Jansen  (Rapalye)  obtained  a 
patent  for  some  334  acres  of  land  at  the  Walla- 
bout, and  so  began  that  historic  settlement. 
About  1640  a  ferry  was  established  which 
plied  between  the  present  Fulton  street  and 
Peck  Slip,  and  around  the  Fulton  street  end 


382 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


arose  a  small  settlement  to  which  the  name  of 
"the  Ferry"  was  given. 

By  reference  to  the  map  on  page  97  of 
this  volume,  where  the  context  gives  an  ac- 
count of  this  ferry  and  vicinity,  one  will  notice 
that  at  the  time  the  map  was  drawn  the  name 
of  the  village  was  spelled  Brookland,  at  least 
by  some  parties ;  that  Rapailie  was  one  of  the 
many  ways  in  which  that  name  was  spelled, 
that  being  before  the  days  of  spelling-books 
and  dictionaries,  and  even  before  the  era  when 
correct  orthography  was  thought  a  very  im- 
portant matter;  and  that  the  road  to  Jamaica, 
running  southeastwardly,  was  the  main  busi- 
ness street  or  thoroughfare  of  the  village. 

The  prospects  of  greater  things  led  the 
mind's  eye  of  the  resident  to  a  vague  and  dis- 
tant future,  with  scarcely  any  correct  idea  of 
what  the  place  would  be  at  the  end  of  a  hun- 
dred or  two  hundred  years,  and  life  was  com- 
paratively monotonous.  The  initial  improve- 
ments or  any  new  country  are  necessarily  very 
slow,  as  the  first  settlers  are  not  wealthy  and 
are  obliged  to  work  laboriously  up  from  small 
beginnings,  with  many  losses  by  experimenta- 
tion, accident,  etc.  For  the  time  being  there 
does  not  seenj  to  be  any  definite  promise  of 
great  things  soon  to  come.  The  capitalists  ar- 
rive after  a  long  time,  the  small  capitalists  first 
and  gradually  the  larger  ones  afterward,  and 
improvements  are  correspondingly  more  and 
more  rapidly  effected. 

The  essential  features  of  those  pioneer 
times  have  in  many  important  respects  been 
duplicated  in  all  the  Western  States.  Not  un- 
til recently  have  capitalists  felt  like  pushing 
railroads  out  into  unsettled  districts  in  order 
to  develop  their  resources  and  invite  settle- 
ment; and  this  movement  has  indeed  been  a 
great  blessing  to  the  public,  notwithstanding 
the  general  dissatisfaction  with  railroad  grants 
of  lands.  Of  course,  both  in  the  enterprise  of 
extending  railroads  into  unsettled  portions  of 
the  country  and  in  the  legislative  grants  of 
lands  in  aid  of  railroad  construction,  there 
would  be,  in  keeping  with  the  characteristic 


weaknesses  of  human  nature,  many  mistakes, 
— in  excessive  grants  by  one  party  and  exces- 
sive r9.ilroad  b'uilding  by  the  other. 

Bit  by  bit,  as  recorded  in  another  chapter, 
the  shore  front  was  occupied  by  farms  right 
down  to  Red  Hook,  where  in  1643  Wouter 
Van  Twiller  assumed  proprietorship  by  virtue 
of  a  patent  afterward  forfeited.  At  Gowanus 
and  Wallabout  as  well  as  at  the  Ferry  small 
settlements  quickly  sprang  up.  Between 
Gowanus  and  the  Wallabout  lay  a  level  stretch 
of  territory  Which  the  aborigines,  as  it  was  ex- 
ceedingly fertile  and  easy  of  cultivation,  used 
for  growing  their  maize.  To  this  tract  they 
gave  the  name  of  Mareckawieck.  Through  it 
lay  the  road  or  trail  that  led  from  the  Ferry 
to  Flatlands,  and  it  was  on  this  trail,  and  on 
this  fertile  tract  right  between  the  present 
Court  House  and  Flatbush  avenue,  that  the 
village  of  Breuckelen  had  its  beginning. 

To  the  early  settlers  reference  has  al- 
ready been  made,  and  we  may  here  take 
up  the  story  by  saying  that  the  pioneer  white 
dwellers  on  the  trail  located  their  homes 
in  proximity  to  each  other,  quickly  availed 
themselves  of  the  policy  outlined  by  the  West 
India  Company  that  the  settlers  should  "estab- 
lish themselves  on  some  of  the  most  suitable 
places,  with  a  certain  number  of  inhabitants,  in 
tile  manner  of  towns,  villages  and  hamlets," 
and  held  a  meeting  at  which  it  was  determined 
to  form  a  town.  Governor  Kieft  was  at  once 
notified  that  they  had  organized  a  municipality 
at  their  own  expense,  to  which  they  had  given 
the  name  of  Breuckelen,  after  the  village  of 
that  name  on  the  Vecht,  in  the  home  province 
of  Utrecht.  The  proceedings  wliich  led  up  to 
this  seem  to  have  been  promptly  indorsed 
by  Kieft  and  publicly  ratified  in  the  following 
proclamation,  issued  in  June,  1646: 

We,  William  Kieft,  Director  General,  and 
the  Council  residing  in  New  Netherland,  on 
behalf  of  the  High  and  Mighty  Lords  States- 
General  of  the  United  Netherlands,  His  High- 
ness of  Orange,  and  the  Honorable  Directors 
of  the  General  Incorporated  West  India  Cora- 


THE    STORY    OF    BROOKLYN    VILLAGE. 


383 


pany,  To  all  those  who  shall  see  these  presents 
or  hear  them  read,  Greeting : 

Whereas,  Jan  Evertsen  Bout  and  Huyck 
Aertsen  from  Rossum  were  on  the  2i'st  May 
last  unanimously  chosen  by  those  interested  of 
Breuckelen,  situate  on  Long  Island,  as  Schep- 
ens,  to  decide  all  questions  which  may  arise, 
as  they  shall  deem  proper,  according  to  the  ex- 
emptions of  New  Netherland  granted  to  par- 
ticular Colonies,  which  election  is  subscribed 
by  them,  with  express  stipulation  that  if  any 
one  refuse  to  submit  in  the  premises  afore- 
said to  the  above-mentioned  Jan  Evertsen  and 
Huyck  Aertsen,  he  shall  forfeit  the  right  he 
claims  to  land  in  the  allotment  of  Breuckelen, 
and  in  order  that  everything  may  be  done 
with  more  authority,  ■  We,  the  Director  and 
Council  aforesaid,  have  therefore  authorized 
and  appointed,  and  do  hereby  authorize  the 
said  Jan  Evertsen  and  Huyck  Aertsen  to  be 
schepens  of  Breuckelen ;  and  in  case  Jan  Evert- 
sen and  Huyck  Aertsen  do  hereafter  find  the 
labor  too  onerous,  they  shall  be  at  liberty  to 
select  two  more  from  among  the  inhabitants 
of  Breuckelen  to  adjoin  them  to  themselves. 
We  charge  and  command  every  inhabitant  of 
Breuckelen  to  acknowledge  and  respect  the 
above-mentioned  Jan  Evertsen  and  Huyck 
Aertsen  as  their  schepens,  and  if  any  one  shall 
be  found  to  exhibit  contumaciousness  towards 
them,  he  shall  forfeit  his  share  as  above  stated. 

This  done  in  Council  in  Fort  Amsterdam 
in  New  Netherland. 

It  may  not  be  inappropriate  here  to  refer  to 
the  ancient  town  after  which  the  new  settle- 
ment was  named,  and  to  this  end  we  quote 
from  the  able  monograph  on  "Origin  of 
Breuckelen,"  by  Mr.  Harrington  Putnam : 

Amersfoort,  Breuckelen,  and  Utrecht  have 
many  historic  associations.  To  the  politician 
and  reader  of  Mcstley,  they  are  forever  linked 
with  the  career  and  tragic  end  of  Barneveld. 
In  1619,  he  fell  a  martyr  to  the  cause  of  state 
rights  and  local  se'f-government.  Such  an 
event,  comparatively  recent  in  1646,  and  still 
appealing  to  the  sense  of  individual  liberty, 
may  have  been  recalled  by  the  settlers  in 
America.  While  the  liberties  of  Utrecht  had 
been  the  cherished  objects  of  Barneveld's  so- 
licitude, he  proudly  proclaimed  his  birth  in 
Amersfoort.  In  moments  of  arduous  public 
labor  he  looked  hopefully  forward  to  an  hon- 


orable and  calm  retirement  from  the  tumults 
of  party  strife  to  his  beautiful  estate  at  Gun- 
tersteijn  in  the  village  of  Breuckelen..  Breuck- 
elen, however,  was  an  ancient  village  three 
centuries  before  the  settlement  in  New  Nether- 
lands. Located  between  Utrecht  and  Amster- 
dam, it  was  early  noted  for  its  healthfulness, 
which  soon  made  it  a  desirable  residence 
region.  The  surrounding  fields  and  foliage 
are  strikingly  green  and  luxuriant,  even  for 
Holland.  Castles  grew  up  about  it  along  the 
banks  of  the  beautiful  Vecht,  which  all  the  suc- 
cessive tides  of  war  have  not  quite  destroyed. 

In  the  Dutch  records,  Breuckelen  had  vari- 
ous spellings,  as  Broklede,  Broicklede,  Brack- 
ola,  Brocklandia,  and  Broeckland.  Hence  some 
say  that  the  name  came  from  its  brooks  and 
marshes — van  de  drassige  en  broekactige  veen- 
landen^ — meaning  a  brook  or  marsh  land.  It 
is  mentioned  as  an  important  place  in  the  year 
13 17.  There  were  two  parishes  on  opposite 
sides  of  the  Vecht.  These  are  Breuckelen- 
Nijenrode,  from  the  castle  of  Nijenrode,  and 
Breuckelen-St.  Pieters.  The  small  river  Vecht 
dividing  these  towns  may  be  considered  an 
outlet  of  the  Rhine,  which  parts  in  two  chan- 
nels at  Utrecht.  The  Vecht  turns  to  the  north 
and  empties  into  the  Zuider  Zee.  It  is  navig- 
able for  small  vessels,  and  at  Breuckelen  is  a 
little  over  two  hundred  feet  wide. 

The  old  country-seats  along  the  Vecht,  once 
set  in  the  prim,  geometric  gardens  of  the 
last  century,  are  now  represented  by  modern 
villas,  half  hidden  by  trees,  which  to-day  form 
bits  of  unmatched  rural  scenery.  Eminent 
landscape  painters  of  the  modern  Dutch  school 
have  loved  to  make  studies  amid  these  gentle 
windings,  and  the  celebrity  of  the  Vecht  in  art 
bids  fair  to  surpass  the  forgotten  fame  of  the 
neighboring  castles.  Old  drawbridges  of  wood 
cross  the  sluggish  river.  Trees  come  close  to 
the  tow-path,  bordered  by  quaint  gardens. 
Along  the  garden  ed'ges,  looking  out  upon  the 
stream,  are  Koepels  or  tea  houses  and  over  all 
this  abundant  foliage  rises  a  church  spire. 

Jan  Evertsen  Bout  is  generally  regarded 
by  local  historians  as  the  founder  of  Brooklyn, 
and  as  such  deserves  somewhat  more  than 
merely  passing  notice.  According  to  the  record 
in  Bergen's  "Early  Settlers  in  Kings  County," 
he  was  born  in  the  Province  of  Gelderland  in 
1603  and  entered  the  service  of  the  West  In- 
dian Company.    In  1634  he  emigrated  to  New 


384 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Netherland  and  we  find  him,  four  years  later, 
settled  asi  a  farmer  at  Pavonia  (Jersey  City, 
N.  J.) .  In  1643  he  was  chosen  one  of  the  eight 
men  then  selected  to  represent  the  people  in  the 
days  of  Gov.  Kieft's  extremity  and  became  a 
member  of  the  Council  by  Kieft's  appointment 
in  1645.  That  same  year  he  secured  a  patent 
for  fifty-six  acres  of  land  on  Gowanus  Kill, 
and  when  the  town  of  Breuckelen  was  organ- 
ized he  was  chosen  asi  the  first  of  its  Schepens. 
In  1660  he  was  enrolled  as  a  member  of  the  Re- 
formed Dutch  Church  in  Breuckelen.  He  was 
twice  married,  first  to  Tryntje  Symons  de  Wit, 
and  secondly  to  Annetje  Pieters.  No  children 
blessed  either  union,  and  after  his  death,  in 
1670,  Annetje  married  Andries  Janse  Jurianse 
and  appears  to  have  brought  him,  as  a  dower, 
Jan's  Brooklyn  property. 

The  year  1646,  in  view  of  Kieft's  proclama- 
tion, already  given,  may  therefore  be  accepted 
as  the  beginning  of  Brooklyn's  municipal  his- 
tory. The  measure  of  local  self-government 
then  awarded  to  the  community  was  as  limited 
as  was  possible.  The  magistrates  were  in  office 
and  clothed  with  honor  and  authority,  but  they 
had  no  one  to  carry  out  their  orders^;  so  they 
at  once  petitioned  Kieft,  and  the  nature  of  their 
petition  can  easily  be  inferred  from  that  digni- 
tary's answer,  which  was  as  follows : 

Having  seen  the  petition  of  the  schepens  of 
Breuckelen,  that  it  is  impossible  for  them  to  at- 
tend to  all  cases  occurring  there,  especially 
criminal  assaults,  impounding  of  cattle,  and 
other  incidents  which  frequently  attend  agri- 
culture ;  and  in  order  to  prevent  all  disorders, 
it  would  be  necessary  to  appoint  a  schout  there, 
for  which  office  they  propose  the  person  of  Jan 
Teunissen.  Therefore  we  grant  their  request 
therein,  and  authorize,  as  we  do  hereby  author- 
ize, Jan  Teunissen  to  act  as  schout,  to  imprison 
delinquents  by  advice  of  the  schepens,  to  estab- 
lish the  pound,  to  impound  cattle,  to  collect 
fines,  and  to  perform  all  things  that  a  trusty 
schout  is  bound  to  perform.  Whereupon  he 
hath  taken  his  oath  at  the  hands  of  us  and  the 
Fiscal,  on  whom  he  shall  especially  depend,  as 
in  Holland  substitutes  are  bound  to  be  depend- 
ent on  the  Upper  Sfchout,  Schouts  on  the  Bailifif 
or  Marshal.  We  command  and  charge  all  who 


are  included  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Breucke- 
len to  acknowledge  him,  Jan  Teunissen,  for 
schout.  Thus  done  in  our  council  in  Fort 
Amsterdam  in  New  Netherland,  the  first  De- 
cember, Anno  1646. 

With'  the  appointment  of  this  terror  to  evil- 
doers the  municipal  government  of  Brooklyn 
may  be  said  to  have  been  made  complete  as 
far  as  it  could  be  under  the  circumstances.  It 
does  not  seem  likely  that  the  Schout  was  much 
exercised  over  the  degenerates  from  within  the 
village,  and  that  his  income  from  Breuckelen 
was  mainly  derived  from  what  might  be  called 
legal  fees,  sudh  as  drawing  up  writs,  petitions, 
certificates  and  the  like.  During  the  remainder 
of  the  Dutch  regime  the  story  of  the  young 
town  passed  on  so  placidly  that  really  there  is 
little  for  the  general  historian  tO'  tell,  and  what 
little  there  is  gatliered  around  the  fantastic 
figure  of  Peter  Stuyvesant.  Soon  after  that 
potentate  "of  uncertain  reputation,  impetuous, 
high  tempered,  energetic  and  persistent,"  as 
Henry  Cabot  Lodge  has  described  him,  suc- 
ceeded Kieft  in  1647,  the  whole  of  New  Neth- 
erland felt  the  benefit  of  the  change.  But  his 
paternal  notions  were  at  times  carried  too  far, 
and  in  the  protests  agains't  his  assumptions  of 
power  the  people  of  Breuckelen  were  ever 
active  and  were  represented  in  all  the  conven- 
tions which  so  often  aroused  the  wrath  of  the 
paternal  "Silver  Legs,"  as  the  Indians  called 
Stuyvesant,  on  account  of  the  silver  bands 
which  strengthened  and  adorned  his  wooden 
limb. 

In  1660  a  palisade  was  erected  around  the 
settlement  of  homes,  and  in  that  year  also  Hen- 
ricus  Stelyns  began  preaching  in  Brooklyn,  thus 
marking  the  beginning  of  the  great  factor  in 
the  city's  subsequent  fame.  The  palisade 
proved  a  source  of  comfort  during  the  Indian 
outbreak  of  1663.  But  in  spite  of  the  general 
success  of  the  colony  as  a  whole  under  Stuy- 
vesant, the  progress  of  Breuckelen  in  the  mat- 
ter of  population  continued  very  slow,  as  may 
be  understood  from  the  fact  that  when'  the 
Director  and  Council  decided  that  the  village 


THE    STORY    OF    BROOKLYN    VILLAGE. 


385 


should  contribute  eight  or  twelve  men  to  the 
common  defense  of  the  Dutch  towns,  a  meeting 
of  the  inhabitants  voted  to  the  effect  that  such  a 
proposition  was  outrageous,  that  it  really  called 
for  more  men  than  the  place  should  or  could 
provide.  But  then  Breuckelen  was  constantly 
giving  the  Director  trouble  by  not  complying 
with  his  wishes  and  tamely  submitting  to  his 
notions.  On  his  arrival  he  ordered  an  election 
of  nominees  for  membership  in  his  Council, 
retaining  the  final  selection  from  those  elected 
in  his  own  hands.  New  Amsterdam,  Breucke- 
len, Amersfoort  and  Midwout  were  among  the 


is  no  doubt  the  convention  indirectly  led  to  an 
increase  of  municipal  privileges  all  round.  In 
Breuckelen  the  number  of  Schepens  was  in- 
creased from  two  to  four  and  it  got  aSchout  all 
to  itself  in  the  person  of  David  Provoost.  The 
latter  official  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  in 
New  Amsterdam,  arriving  there  in  1639,  and 
he  afterward  held  several  official  jx>sitions.  He 
received  his  appointment  as  Schout  in  1654 
and  in  1656  was  succeeded  by  Pieter  Tonne- 
man.  It  is  difficult  to  understand  why  Pro- 
voost resigned  so  soon,  for  he  appears  to  have- 
been  an  inveterate  office-seeker,  and  it  was  not 


BROOKLYN    IN    1766. 


places  thus  'honored  by  a  taste  of  popular  gov- 
ernment. Out  of  the  eighteen  thus  chosen  by 
public  vote  the  Governor  selected  nine  as  his 
advisers,  and  his  choice  from  Breuckelen  fell 
upon  Jan  Evertsen  Bout.  In  1653,  at  the  un- 
authorized convention  of  representatives  of 
New  Netherland  towns  held  in  New  Amster- 
dam, Breuckelen  was  represented  by  Frederic 
Lubbertsen,  Paulen  Van  der  Beeck  and  Will- 
iam Beeckman.  Probably  Bout  did  not  attend 
because  of  his  official  position.  The  meeting 
apparently  accomplished  nothing.  Stuyvesant 
was  bitterly  opposed  to  such  things  and  he  em- 
phatically told  the  delegates  to  go  home  and  not 
to  assemble  again  on  such  business ;  but  there 

25 


until  1665  that  we  find  him  in  another  position,, 
that  of  Clerk  of  the  local  courts.  Probably  the 
fees  attached  to  the  Breuckelen  appointment 
were  too  small  to  suit  his  views  or  his  ambi- 
tion. Tonneman  held  on  until  1660,  when  he 
was  appointed  Schout  of  New  Amsterdam  and 
then  Adrian  Hegeman  became  Breuckelen's 
Schout,  with  a  fixed  salary  in  addition  to  what 
seems  to  have  been  for  the  time  quite  generous 
fees. 

Shortly  after  the  unauthorized  meeting  of 
representatives  of  the  people  which  Stuyvesant 
so  ruthlessly  put  down.  Bout  again  comes, 
under  our  notice.  In  1654  he  declined  to  serve 
any  longer  as  one  of  the  Schepens,  declaring  he 


f/fie/iuxu^ 


aJC  i-o  pv-^(r>n^  ^^1^  frir^^-t^  /-^ix^  c<rt^uiA^^  .^--h^c-j/t  \^-irvvpt4ia/j  yy4W2,^UJ 


[cnirpt'tr,  ij  i^t^cn-iT'i'ti^ 


.^^n,  ,_.   _. 


it. 


■Uf-t 


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cm. 


^^ 


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(386) 


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„  JxucMcn^  (^cm-e-^^e^-HTVi^cacdfaArtrpti-)  ^ia.^^^.  Vi^eA^,  ^ua>t^j 


oirt 


err: 


m -(yttrH, cattvu  -uiLC  (nt/i;  —-—  "-• 


-^--K 


(387) 


Ixtc-tr^  0/=^^  oS&aJaw  Qv^^  <rr  Zmg^,  (^^ 


Ci^^oyt^t^^  A^^Artx-.  qJ^^^^  ^^^"^^^  >  f^y^!  L 


t^ 


^<nn^f^>trit/ 


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(388) 


fv^  IT^^      ^<rt4l«**- 


^: 


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yt-Kie^^Ut- to. 


/l^^^^H^ 


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Xvim 

■^^  H  H  ^'^soi.u^ 


y°^      y^JJa^A 


-^^^^^ 


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Ar.ft-T' 


I  ;wy ; 


390 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


would  rather  return  to  Holland  than  venture 
on  another  term.  However,  says  Harrington 
Putnam,  "no  excuses  regarding  his  private 
business  were  accepted  [by  Stuyvesant]. 
Though  the  Schepen-elect  had  served  for  pre- 
vious te^rms,  and  filled  other  colonial  offices,  he 
wais  not  now  allowed  to  retire.  The  Sheriff 
was  formally  ordered  to  notify  him  of  these 
summary  commands  of  Gov.  Stuyvesant:  'If 
you  will  not  accept  to  serve  as  Schepen  for  the 
welfare  of  the  village  of  Breuckelen  with  oth- 
ers, your  fellow-residents,  then  you  must  pre- 
pare yourself  to  sail  in  the  ship  King  Solomon 
for  Holland,  agreeably  to  your  utterance.'  This 
appeal  to  the  civic  conscience  of  one  who  had 
been  prominent  as  a  reform€r,  coupled  with  the 
grim  threat  of  deportation,  was  irresistible.  No 
further  declinations  in  Breuckelen  offices  seem 
to  have  troubled  the  Council."  Bout  did  not 
go  to  Holland,  but  continued  in  public  life 
until  at  least  1665,  for  he  was  then  one  of  the 
representatives  of  Breuckelen  at  the  Hemp- 
stead convention ;  after  that  he  passes  from  our 
view. 

In  spite  of  his  paternal  methods  and  dom- 
ineering tactics,  there  is  no  doubt  that  under 
Stuyvesant's  rule  the  Dutch  towns  steadily 
advanced  in  self-government.  He  was  virtually 
as  one  man  standing  like  a  barrier  between  two 
forces  of  progress,  for  the  home  authorities  in 
New  Amsterdam  always  showed  themselves, 
when  appealed  to,  to  be  in  favor  of  the  fullest 
measure  of  local  self-government  and  the 
liberty  of  the  subject,  while  the  Dutch 
pertinacity  never  permitted  an  aim  to  be 
lost  sight  of  once  it  was  believed  to  be 
a  right.  There  were  frequent  quarrels  be- 
tween the  Dutch  towns  and  Stuyvesant, 
and  these  there  is  no  doubt  drove  him  to 
seek  the  support  of  the  English  settlers  at 
Gravesend  and  elsewhere  much  more  than  pos- 
sibly he  cared  to  admit.  But  his  arbitrairy  will 
kept  alive  a  certain  measure  of  discontent 
which  even  he  had  to  reckon  with,  and  it  is  ,a 
singular  fact  that  it  was  under  Stuyvesant  that 
the  acceptance  of  the  theory  that  the  people 


were  the  source  of  power  and  the  arbiters  of 
law  found  its  earliest  acknowledgment  in  what 
is  now  the  State  of  New  York.  The  first  prin- 
ciples of  union  were  also  instilled  into  the 
minds  of  people  and  ruler  when,  in  1664,  the 
Director  felt  impelled  to  call  a  meeting  of 
representatives  chosen  in  eadh'  community  to 
consider  various  matters  of  common  interest 
and  indirectly  to  repair  the  damage  done  by  his 
own  misgovernment.  At  that  meeting  Breucke- 
len was  represented  by  William  Bredenbent 
and  Albert  Cornelyisen  Wantanaer,  two  of  its 
Schepens.  It  is  of  little  moment  what  that 
meeting  did :  its  importance  lies  in  the  fact  that 
it  was  called  at  all  and  that  it  had  been  called 
at  the  direct  behest  of  such  a  ruler  as  Stuy- 
vesant. It  met  in  April  in  the  fort  at  New 
Amsterdam,  and  five  months  later  the  English 
flag  waved  over  that  stronghold,  an  English 
Governor  held  sway  and  the  indomitable  Pieter 
troubled  the  lieges  no  more. 

So  far  as  Gov.  Nicolls  was  concerned,  the 
chief  feature  of  his  administration,  the  chief 
feature  that  is  of  interest  in  the  history  of 
Breuckelen,  was  the  granting  to  it  of  a  charter 
which  has  been  reproduced  in  fac-simile,  while 
of  the  events  of  the  six  years'  administration 
under  his  successor.  Gov.  Lovelace,  only  the 
beginning  of  the  village  of  Bedford  need  be 
recorded.  The  ^second  Dutch  regime  was  bar- 
ren of  incident,  so  far  as  concerns  the  history 
of  Breuckelen,  and  when,  in  1674,  the  English 
Government  was  resumed  the  village  seems  to 
have  accepted  the  charge  again  with  placid 
equanimity.  Governor  Dongan  in  1686  gave  it 
a  new  patent,  which  served  the  purpose  of  help- 
ing his  administration  with  a  fee  and  fixing 
some  disputed  boundary  questions. 

But  amid  all  these  changes  in  rulers 
Breuckelen  continued  to  make  definite  prog- 
ress, and  by  1676  it  had  assumed  its  place  at 
the  head  of  the  five  Dutch  towns.  Its  taxable 
rate  was  adjusted  on  a  valuation  of  ^5,067, 
while  that  of  Middlewout  was  £4,872,  Boswyck 
£22,960,  New  Utrecht  £3,024,  and  Amersfort 
£3,966.     Gov.  Dongan  fixed  the  town's  quit 


THE    STORY    OF    BROOKLYN    VILLAGE. 


891 


rent  at  twenty  bushels  of  wheat.  In  1698  the 
population  of  Breuckelen  (it  had  then  become 
Brookland)  was  given  at  444,  not  including  65 
slaves,  while  its  nearest  neighbor,  Flatbush,  re- 
joiced in  405  whites  and  71  slaves. 

Much  of  the  early  history  of  Breuckelen 
that  has  come  down  to  us  is  in  regard  to  bound- 
ary disputes,  for  it  does  not  seem  that  in  the 
political  troubles  of  the  commonwealth,  such 
as  the  Leisler  excitement,  or  even  in  the  charg- 
es of  the  ruling  powers,  its  people  took  any 
very  profound  interest.  The  matter  of  their 
boundaries,  however,  seems  to  have  been  a  vital 
question  and  was  the  cause  of  much  trouble 
between  them  and  the  good  folks  of  Flatbush 
and  Bushwick,  while  the  rights  in  connection 
with  the  ferry  were  also  a  source  of  standing 
and  perpetual  worry  with  New  York.  In  these 
troubles  and  complications  and  claims,  how- 
ever, the  Brooklyn  people  seemed  to  want  no 
more  than  might  be  considered  their  just  right, 
and  an  instance  of  their  conscientious  iregard 
for  this  may  be  found  in  the  following  excerpt, 
showing  in  the  way  in  which  they  adjusted 
their  own  internal  boundaries  at  a  public  meet- 
ing of  the  citizens : 

At  a  Town  meeting  held  the  25th  day  of 
February,  1692-3,  att  Breucklyn,  in  Kings 
County.  Then  Resolved  to  divide  their  com- 
mon land  and  woods  into  three  parts,  in  man- 
ner following  to  wit: 

"i.  All  the  lands  and  woods  after  Bedford 
and  Cripplebush,  over  the  hills  to  the  path  of 
New  lotts  shall  belong  to  the  inhabitants  and 
freeholders  of  the  Gowanis,  beginning  from 
Jacob  Brewer  and  soe  to  the  uttermost  bounds 
of  the  limits  of  New-Utrecht. 

"2.  And  all  the  lands  and  woods  that  lyes 
betwixt  the  abovesaid  path  and  the  highway 
from  the  ferry  toward  Flattbush,  shall  belong 
to  the  freeholders  and  the  inhabitants  of  Bed- 
ford and  Cripplebush. 

"3.  And  all  the  lands  that  lyes  in  common 
after  the  Gowanis,  betwixt  the  limits  and 
bounds  of  Flatbush  and  New  Utrecht  shall  be- 
long to  the  freeholders  and  inhabitants  of 
Brooklyn,  fred.  neck  [Frederick  Lubbertsen's 
Neck],  the  ferry  and  the  Wallabout." 


In  1702  Fulton  Street  was  laid  out  and  ex- 
cept near  the  water  front  provided  a  fairly 
good  thoroughfare  out  to  Bedford  Corners, 
and  in  a  measure  to  Flatbush.  This  road  was 
so  highly  regarded  that  it  received  the  name  of 
the  King's  Highway,  and  jealous  eyes  were 
kept  upon  it  to  guard  against  encroachments 
upon  its  width  and  usefulness.  However,  at 
that  time  Brooklyn  and  its  then  suburbs — Go- 
wanus,  Wallabout,  Bedford,  Red  Hook  and 
Cripplebush  and  the  Ferry — were  tolerably 
well  supplied  with  roads,  at  least  with  roads 
which  made  communication  between  them 
comparatively  easy.  Still  the  whole  territory 
grew  slowly  in  point  of  population,  much  more 
slowly  than  might  be  expected  considering  the 
opportunities  for  settlers  and  the  wide  extent 
of  fruitful  land  that  lay  fallow  awaiting  the 
cultivator.  Even  in  1738  the  population  of 
Brooklyn  and  what  we  have  called  its  suburbs 
did  not  exceed  725,  yet  even  these  limited  fig- 
ures placed  it  far  in  advance  of  the  other  Dutch 
towns. 

Of  the  internal  history  of  the  people  little 
is  known  until  almost  the  beginning  of  the  cen- 
tury, for  the  records  of  the  town  prior  to  the 
close  of  the  Revolutionary  War  have  mainly 
been  lost  or  destroyed.  A  few  incidents  might 
be  chronicled,  such  as  the  meeting  of  the  Colon- 
ial Legislature  in  a  house  on  Fulton  street  in 
1752,  owing  to  the  fear  of  small-pox,  which 
then  raged  in  New  York;  but  as  a  rule  such 
details  as  we  have  are  hardly  worthy  of  being 
incorporated  in  a  general  history,  however  use- 
ful some  of  them  may  be  for  assisting  the  his- 
torian to  arrive  at  conclusions  on  matters  of 
purely  local  interest.  In  fact  Brooklyn  was 
a  municipality  in  name  but  only  a  community 
in  reality  until  after  the  nineteenth  century 
had  begun,  and  although  by  that  time  its  popu- 
lation had  increased  to  nearly  1,700  it  was  al- 
most unknown  outside  of  Long  Island  and 
Manhattan.  Tytler's  Gazetteer,  published  at 
Edinburgh  in  1781,  in  its  account  of  Long 
Island  did  not  think  Brooklyn  worthy  of  even 
being  named,  while  Moore's  American  Gazet- 


B92 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


teer,  issued  in  1798,  briefly  describes  it  as  hav- 
ing "some  elegant  houses,  which  lie  chiefly  on 
one  street." 

Whatever  history  the  district  had,  centred 
at  the  Ferry.  Some  means  of  transit  between 
Manhattan  and  Long  Island  was  necessary 
from  the  time  the  first  house  was  erected  on  the 
latter,  and  the  ferry  therefore  may  be  regarded 
as  the  first  of  the  local  institutions.  When  it 
originated,  however,  we  know  not ;  but  for  two 
or  three  years  the  little  traffic  there  was,  was 
done  by  private  boats  owned  on  the  Long 
Island  side  by  the  farmers  and  on  the  Manhat- 


came  into  being  from  the  trade  between  the 
two  points.  Certain  it  is  that  the  first  ferry 
was  between  the  points  above  named.  Ten 
years  later,  after  it  had  passed  from  Cornelis's 
hands,  the  ferry  trade  had  become  iso  import- 
ant that  the  New  Amsterdam  authorities  con- 
sidered it  'should  be  made  to  return  them 
some  revenue;  but  Gov.  Stuyvesant  refused 
to  entertain  the  idea,  although  afterward 
he  admitted  the  public  character  of  the 
service  by  permitting  it  to  be  placed  under 
certain  regulations.  These  included  a  fairly 
regular    service,    some    requirements    for   the 


VIEW  OF   BROOKLYN   IN  1798   (AS   SEEN   FROM  THE   NORTH). 


tan  side  by  the  usual  boatmen  who  plied  along 
the  waterfront.  The  journey  was  a  long  and 
tedious  one,  for  the  currents  were  strong  and 
were  also  treacherous  enough  to  infuse  a  sense  ' 
of  danger  into  the  ideas  of  whoever  meditated 
the  voyage. 

Transit  across  the  river  was  not  long,  how- 
ever, to  remain  a  matter  of  chance,  for  in  1642 
we  find  Cornells  Dircksen  (Hoogland)  ac- 
knowledged as  ferry  man.  Probably  there  was 
no  formal  appointment.  Cornells  kept  a  tavern 
in  connection  with  his  little  farm  at  what  after- 
ward became  Peck  Slip,  and  he  owned  a  piece 
of  land  and  a  house  near  the  present  site  of 
Fulton  ferry  on  Long  Island.  Very  likely  he 
set  up  a  tavern  there,  too,  and  so  the  ferry 


comfort  of  passengers  and  a  scale  of 
charges,  and  in  return  for  observing  these 
rules,  or  rather  for  accepting  them,  the 
Ferryman  enjoyed  a  monopoly  of  the  traffic. 
The  arrangernent  was  certainly  a  very  Uberal 
one  all  round  for  the  boatman,  but  then  there 
seems,  it  is  mortifying  to  say,  some  reason  to 
beHeve  that  he  had  quietly  to  hand  over  a  pro- 
portion of  his  earnings  to  Stuyvesant.  This 
new  arrangement,  in  spite  of  the  Governor's 
"rake-ofi,"  proved  so  profitable  that  competi- 
tion for  the  privilege  became  excited,  and  in 
1655  Egbert  Van  Borsum,  who  came  here  as 
skipper  of  the  ship  Prince  William,  leased  the 
ferry  from  the  Governor,  agreeing  to  pay  him 
300  guilders  per  annum.    He  also  got  a  patent 


THE    STORY    OF    BROOKLYN    VILLAGE. 


393 


for  two  lots  on  the  Long  Island  waterfront, 
and  there  erected  a  structure  which  long  served 
for  both  ferry  house  and  tavern.  Under  him 
the  place  seems  to  have  become  quite  a  resort 
for  the  "roving  blades"  of  the  period.  Egbert 
died  about  1670,  and  for  several  years  the  tav- 
ern was  run  by  his  widow,  while  his  son  Her- 
manns attended  to  the  ferry  business.  The 
house  erected  by  the  elder  Van  Boersum  con- 
tinued to  serve  its  varied  purposes  until  1700, 
when  a  new  building  was  erected  of  stone.  This 
structure  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1748,  and 
was  succeeded  by  the  historic  ferry-house 
which  was  in  existence  during  the  British  oc- 
cupation in  1776.  The  ferry  itself  became  a 
part  of  the  municipal  property  of  New  York 
City  under  the  Dongan  charter  of  1686.  The 
legality  of  this  charter  was  subsequently  dis- 
puted, and  led  to  interminable  lawsuits,  but  the 
charter  was  confirmed  by  royal  warrant  in 
1692.  It  was  run,  with  varying  success  and  on 
short  leases  (generally  seven  years)  by  private 
individuals,  farmers  and  tavern-keepers  mostly, 
^s  a  separate  holding;  but  the  rent  paid  ad- 
vanced steadily  so  that  by  1710  it  brought  to 
the  corporation  of  New  York  an  annual  rental 
of  iiSo, — the  largest  single  source  of  income 
over  which  the  local  treasury  rejoiced.  But 
the  fact  that  it  was  a  New  York  institution  was 
rather  galling  to  the  Brooklyn  settlers  and  a 
cause  of  complaint  from  a  very  early  period. 
Their  complaints  evoked  no  change,  however, 
and  the  New  York  corporation  in  1694  actually 
bought  sufficient  ground  at  the  Brooklyn  end 
and  built  the  ferry-house. 

In  1707  Cornelius  Sabring,  the  owner  of  a 
farm  in  what  is  now  known  as  South  Brooklyn 
and  member  of  Assembly  for  Kings  county 
from  1695  to  1726,  and  therefore  a  man  natur- 
ally possessing  much  local  influence,  tried  to 
get  permission  from  Gov.  Cornbury  to  estab- 
lish a  new  ferry,  and  his  request  was  backed 
up  by  quite  a  number  of  influential  indorsers ; 
but  the  New  York  corporation  stubbornly  con- 
tested what  they  regarded  as  a  movement  both 
"unreasonable  and  unjust,"  and  their  opposi- 


tion prevailed.  This  claim  at  ownership  of  the 
Ferry  was  one  that  became  the  more  bitterly 
contested  by  Brooklyn  as  time  went  .on  and 
more  stubbornly  upheld  by  New  York  ajs  the 
income  increased.  Even  in  1745  they  denied 
the  rights  of  residents  of  Brooklyn  to  cross 
the  river  in  their  own  boats  and  so  transport- 
ing friends,  or  produce,  and  when  one  of  these 
boatmen,  Hendrick  Remsen,  appealed  to  a  jury 
to  establish  his  claim  to  such  an  apparently  in- 
alienable privilege,  the  New  York  authorities 
contested  the  case  bitterly.  The  jury  before 
whom  the  action  was  tried  found  in  Remsen's 
favor,  and  after  a  long  interval  the  Supreme 
Court  finally  awarded  him  £118  143  io>4d  for 
damages  and  costs.  The  New  York  corpora- 
tion appealed  the  case  to  the  King  and  Council, 
and  somehow  the  matter  there  rested,  for  a 
final  decision  had  not  been  rendered  when  the 
Revolutionary  War  broke  out.  It  was  alleged, 
however,  that  Remsen  was  quietly  pacified  with 
a  gift  of  a  house  and  parcel  of  land  near  Coen- 
ties  Slip,  in  New  York  City.  It  is  a  matter  of 
little  interest  now  to  go  into  all  the  details  of 
the  struggle  against  what  used  to  be  called  the 
usurpation,  by  New  York,  of  rights  to  the 
Long  Island  shore :  it  has  no  more  interest  to 
the  reader  of  history  at  the  present  day  than 
the  disputes  as  to  boundaries  waged  by  some 
of  the  five  Dutch  towns  so  fiercely  against  each 
other ;  indeed,  in  a  sense  it  was  in  reality  sim- 
ply another  form  of  boundary  dispute  and  as 
such  has  had  its  meaning,  virtue,  and  force  re- 
moved forever  by  the  inexorable  march  of  mod- 
ern progress  and  the  soothing  influence  of  con- 
solidation. The  income  from  the  ferry  steadily 
advanced,  and  while  we  read  of  one  or  two  of 
the  lessees  losing  money  it  proved  a  steady 
source  of  revenue  to  the  New  York  corpora- 
tion. In  1750  it  brought  £455,  and  in  1753 
i65o. 

"In  May,  1766,"  writes  Dr.  Stiles  ("His- 
tory of  Brooklyn"  vol.  Ill,  page  527),  "it 
passed  into  the  hands  of  Samuel  Waldron  for 
five  years  at  a  yearly  i-ent  of  £660,  and  in  May, 
1 77 1,  was  renewer  to  him  for  another  three 


394 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


years,  at  iSSo  per  annum.  At  the  expiration 
of  hisi  lease  in  1774  it  was  determined  by  the 
corporation  that  three  ferries,  viz.,  one  from 
Coenties  Slip  to  the  landing  place  of  Messrs. 
Livingston  &  Remsen  [foot  of  present  Joral- 
emon  street :  this  ferry's  buildings  were  burned 
during  the  Revolutionary  War  and  it  wais  then 
abandoned] ;  the  second  from  Peck's  Slip  to 
land  at  Jacob  Brewerton's  wharf,  or  landing 
place,  at  Brooklyn  ferry;  and  the  third  from 
the  Fly  Market  (foot  of  Fulton  street,  New 
York)  to  the  same  landing  place  at  the  Brook- 
lyn Ferry.  Accordingly,  on  the  12th  of  April, 
1774,  three  several  leases  were  duly  executed 
for  the  term  of  two  years,  viz.,  to  Elisha  De 
Grushe,  for  the  first-named  ferry,  and  to  Sam- 
uel Balding  for  the  second-named  ferry,  at  an 
annual  rent  of  ii20,  and  to  Adolph  Waldron 
for  the  third  at  an  annual  rent  of  £430.  *  *  * 
In  May,  1776,  the  whole  ferry  came  under  the 
control  of  Adolph  Waldiron,  for  two  years,  at 
£450  per  annum.  Waldron,  being  a  Whig,  left 
New  York  with  the  American  army  in  1776 
and  did  not  return  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
During  the  British  occupation  of  New  York 
and  Long  Island  the  ferry  was  let  by  Mayor 
Matthew  and  Gov.  Tryon  to  two  of  their  Tory 


friends.  Van  Winkle  and  Buckett,  probably 
for  their  joint  benefit.  Van  Winkle  is  de- 
scribed as  a  very  important-feeling  man,  who 
was  accustomed  to  walk  about  in  a  silk  morn- 
ing gown.  They  raised  the  fare  to  6d,  not  so 
high  a  charge  when  we  remember  that  wheat 
was  then  selling  in  New  York  at  the  ordinary 
rate  of  one  guinea  per  bushel.  After  the  evac- 
uation Capt.  Adolph  Waldron,  by  a  lease  exe- 
cuted June  23.  1784,  resumed  the  ferry  for  five 
years  at  the  yearly  rent  of  £500.  During  the 
severe  winter  of  1783-4  it  is  said  that  he  and 
his  sons  made  considerable  money  by  purchas- 
ing wood  in  Brooklyn  and  selling  it  in  New 
York,  where  it  was  quite  scarce." 

In  1789  Waldron  tried  to  have  his  lease  re- 
newed, but  the  corporation  thought  more 
money  could  be  made  by  leasing  the  ferry 
building  and  licensing  a  number  of  boats  to 
carry  passengers  and  freight  across  the  river. 
In  1795  a  ferry  was  established  by  the  corpor- 
ation between  Main  street,  Brooklyn,  to  Cath- 
arine street,  New  York  (long  known  as  the 
New  Ferry),  and  leased  by  William  Furman 
and  Theodosius  Hunt,  and  with  the  mention 
of  that  transaction  we  may  fittingly  close  this 
chapter. 


CHAPTER   XXXIII. 


BROOKLYN. 


From  the   Close   of  the   Revolution  to  the   Incorporation  of  the  Village 

—  Pre-Eminence    of   the    Ferry — The    Beginning 

of  the   Navy  Yard. 


N  the  chapters  of  this  work  deaHng  with 
the  Battle  of  Brooklyn  and  the  events 
antecedent  and  subsequent  to  that  land- 
mark in  American  history,  the  story  of 
Brooklyn  from  the  beginning  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary movement  until  the  British  flag  passed 
out  of  New  York  Harbor  as  an  emblem  of 
possession  is  fully  told. 

On  March  7,  1788,  Brooklyn  was  duly  rec- 
ognized by  the  State  Government  as  a  town,  a 
proceeding  which  was  virtually  a  confirmation 
of  the  old  royalist  charter  by  the  new  Tepubli- 
can  order  of  things.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the 
changes  caused  by  the  Revolution  and  British 
occupation  and  evacuation  had  caused  much 
havoc  in  the  town,  had  brought  all  its  real 
business  interests  to  a  standstill  and  laid  waste 
much  of  the  property  of  its  residents.  Hence 
some  time,  after  peace  was  restored,  was  occu- 
pied in  putting  matters  in  order,  in  counting  up 
losses  and  calculating  future  chances.  The  fact 
that  in  1785  a  fire  department  was  organized 
shows  that  the  beginnmg,  at  least,  of  the  up- 
building movement  was  not  long  delayed.  That 
it  had  fairly  recovered  itself  by  1 800-1  was 
evident  from  the  fact  that  the  history  of  land- 
booming  in  Brooklyn  was  about  that  time  in- 
augurated by  the  Sandis'  brothers  placing  their 
once  famous  Olympia  on  the  market, — a 
scheme  which  has  already  been  fully  detailed 
in  this  woTk.     Quite  a  large  accession  to  the 


population  was  received  from  the  tide  of  Irish 
immigration,  which  had  even  then  set  in  to  this 
country. 

A  still  more  significant  evidence  was  the 
establishment,  in  June  26,  1799,  of  the  first 
newspaper  ever  printed  in  Brooklyn,  "The 
Courier  and  New  York  and  Long  Island  Ad- 
vertiser," by  Thomas  Kirk,  a  bookseller  and 
printer.  It  was  not  much  of  an  effort,  either 
in  its  literary  or  news  aspects,  its  publication 
being  prompted  probably  more  to  advertise  its 
owner's  business  than  anything  else ;  but  it  was 
a  beginning.  It  lasted  some  four  years,  issu- 
ing weekly  from  its  office  at  the  corner  of  Ful- 
ton and  Front  streets.  Kirk  was  also  the  print- 
er of  the  fii  st  book  issued  in  Brooklyn,  a  pam- 
phlet containing  General  Lee's  oration  on 
Washington,  in  1800.  In  1806  (May  26)  the 
condition  of  the  journalistic  field  in  Brooklyn 
was  tested  by  a  new  venture — "The  Long 
Island  Weekly  IntelHgencer,"  issued  by  Robin- 
son &  Little.  On  June  i,  1809,  Kirk  tried  a 
fresh  adventure, — "the  Long  Island  Star;" 
but  in  181 1  he  sold  it  to  Alden  F.  Spooner,  who 
may  be  regarded,  if  not  as  the  real  father  of 
journalism  in  Brooklyn,  as  at  least  its  first  'suc- 
cessful exponent. 

It  is  not  a  little  singular  that  the  first  great 
industry  to  feel  the  benefit  of  the  new  national' 
progress  in  Brooklyn  was  that  of  shipping  and 
shipbuilding.    In  1788  the  Sarah,  belonging  to 


390 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


the  Sands  brothers,  opened  the  eyes  of  the  local 
merchants  to  the  advantages  of  Brooklyn  as  a 
port,  and  thereafter  many  larger  vessels,  main- 
ly in  the  West  India  trade,  began  to  lie  up  at 
her  wharves,  while  the  connection  with  the 
coastwise  trade  steadily  increased.  From  the 
Ferry  to  the  Wallabout  many  wharves  were 
built  well  out  into  the  stream  so  as  to  permit 
large  vessels  to  dock.  Warehouses  were 
erected  close  to  the  water-front,  and  other 
commerce  sprung  up  in  the  same  section.  In 
1798  a  large  trading  ship  was  built  on  its 
water-front  and  in  1799  the  frigate  John  Ad-- 
amis,  thirty-two  guns,  was  launched  at  the 
Wallabout,  right  in  the  territory  now  included 
in  the  United  States  Navy  Yard. 

In  a  directory  for  1796  we  find  in  addition 
to  the  usual  array  of  grocers  and  what  may  be 
called  domestic  vendors  and  tavern-keepers, 
livery-stable  men,  loading  houses  and  carpen- 
ters, shoemakers  and  other  tradesmen  and 
storekeepers,  such  industries  represented  as 
rope-making,  chair-making,  gunsmithing,  also 
a  land-broker,  a  master  builder,  a  copperplate 
printer,  a  lumber  merchant,  a  brewer  and  a 
dyer,  showing  that  by  that  time  Brooklyn  was 
prepared  to  meet  any  requirement  of  the  exist- 
ing requirements  of  civilization.  Later  a  floor- 
cloth factory  and  a  cotton-goods  mill  were  es- 
tablished. Other  evidences  of  this  civiliza- 
tion's requirement  may  be  gleaned  by  the 
thoughtful  from  these  facts:  In  1806  the 
cage  or  watch-house  was  the  object  of  consid- 
eration at  a  town  meeting  at  which  a  regular 
night  watch  was  organized,  and  in  1808  $1,500 
was  voted  for  the  erection  of  a  new  poorhouse. 
In  1809  a  visitation  of  yellow  fever  led  to 
Brooklyn's  being  quarantined  for  a  couple  of 
months  by  New  York,  and  in  1812  it  was  near- 
ly wiped  out  by  a  fire  which  started  on  Main 
street,  near  the  ferry. 

The  extent  to  which  the  yellow  fever  epi- 
demic spread  led  to  considerable  feeling  among 
the  local  physicians.  With  these  professional 
healers  the  city  was  well  supplied,  and  among 
them  Drs.  Ball,  Wendell,  Lowe  and  Osborne 


were  probably  as  well  equipped  as  any  of  their 
brethren  in  New  York.  Dr.  Lowe,  who  was  a 
brother  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Lowe  of  the  Dutch 
Reformed  Church, .  possibly  had  the  largest 
private  practice  in  the  town  for  many  years. 
In  1815,  when  there  was  an  epidemic  of  small- 
pox, Drs.  Ball  and  Wendell  announced  their 
willingness  to  vaccinate  all  who  so  desired  free 
of  any  charge,  that  is,  we  take  it,  all  who  were 
too  poor  to  pay  a  fee,  thus  forestalling  one  of 
the  most  beneficent  provisions  of  our  modern 
Boards  of  Health. 

In  181 1  the  circle  of  practitioners  of  the 
healing  art  in  Brooklyn  received  quite  an  addi- 
tion in  the  person  of  the  "Rain  Water  Doc- 
tor," although  he  was  never  recognized  as  be- 
longing to  the  circle.  This  curious  charlatan, 
for  charlatan  he  undoubtedly  was,  although 
he  seemed  to  understand  some  matters  of  vital 
importance  in  combating  disease  better  than 
his  legitimate  brethren,  believed,  or  professed 
to  believe,  in  the  copious  use  of  rain  water  as 
a  remedial  agent,  and  used  a  wide  range  of 
herbs  in  his  treatment  of  diseases,  believing 
them  to  be  the  natural  correctives  of  all  hu- 
man ills.  He  seemed  to  have  no  faith  what- 
ever in  what  were  commonly  called  drugs  and 
was  credited,  according  to  popular  Tumor,  at 
all  events,  with  effecting  some  remarkable 
cures.  These  stories  quickly  spread  and  at- 
tracted large  throngs  of  patients  to  Brooklyn, 
not  only  from  various  parts  of  Long  Island 
but  from  New  York  and  New  Jersey,  and  his 
headquarters  at  the  Black  Horse  Tavern, 
where  is  now  the  junction  of  Fulton  and  De 
Kalb  avenues,  became  thronged  with  patients. 
All  reports  agree  that  his  charges  were  exceed- 
ingly moderate,  and  it  was  said  he  even  re- 
turned large  fees  handed  him  by  grateful  pa- 
tients who  regarded  themselves  as  cured  of 
their  ailments  by  his  treatment.  Nay,  more, 
he  even,  it  is  said,  placed  a  marble  monument 
over  the  grave  of  one  patient  who  had  come 
to  him  too  late  for  any  earthly  remedial  meth- 
ods to  be  effective.  A  wonderful  physician, 
truly !    But  we  fear  that  in  the  stories  we  have 


BROOKLYN. 


391 


concerning  him  a  good  deal  of  current  rumor 
is  dished  up  as  solemn  fact.  He  continued  in 
Brooklyn  for  about  a  year  (1811-12)  and  then, 
probably  because  his  methods  were  becoming 
stale  and  trade  was  falling  off,  removed  to 
Providence,  R.  I.,  where  he  died  in  1815. 

During  the  time  covered  in  this  section, 
too,  a  great  change  was  taking  place  in  Brook- 
lyn—the first  of  a  series  of  similar  changes 
which  had  often  puzzled  land  speculators  and 
set  real-estate  prices  in  a  kaleidoscopic  whirl. 
The  centre  of  trade  was  shifting  from  the  ■ 
plateau  on  which  old  Breuckelen  itself  stood 
down  toward  the  Ferry.  Around  that  spot 
there  had  long  clustered  a  collection  of  tav- 
erns, but  now  houses  of  entertainment  and 
business  establishments  of  all  kinds  struggled 
to  get  as  near  to  the  foot  of  Fulton  street  as 
they  possibly  could.  It  was  in  the  Ferry  dis- 
trict that  the  new  comers  who  were  steadily 
increasing  the  population  'settled,  and  the  over- 
flow, instead  of  stretching  back  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  present  City  Hall,  pressed  along  the 
water-front  until  it  reached  Catharine  Ferry. 
It  has  been  estimated  that  in  18 15  three-fifths 
of  the  total  population  of  Brooklyn  lay  be- 
tween these  two  points.  There  were  congre- 
gated the  stores,  and  the  professional  men, 
while  the  rest  of  the  town  maintained  its  rural 
character.  Old  Breuckelen  became,  for  a  time, 
a  suburb  of  the  Ferry,  just  as  were  Bedford 
and  Gowanus  and  Cripplebush  and  Red  Hook. 
Even  the  most  aristocratic  dry-goods  store 
was  kept  at  the  corner  of  Fulton  and  Front 
streets,  and  there  Abraham  Remsen  dis- 
coursed of  the  latest  fashions  in  gowns  and 
bonnets,  ribbons  and  laces,  until  the  neighbor- 
hood itself  began  to  become  unfashionable. 
Remsen's  establishment  was  the  pioneer  of  the 
retail  dry-goods  business  in  Brooklyn,  a  busi- 
ness which  now  in  point  of  magnitude  is  said 
to  exceed  that  of  Manhattan  borough  itself. 

But  while  the  Ferry  district  was  thus  pre- 
dominant an  event  occurred  during  the  time 
covered  by  this  chapter  which  was  destined 
not  only  to  preserve  the  name  of  the  Walla- 


bout  section  but  to  keep  it  distinct  and  pros- 
perous no  matter  what  other  changes  might 
come.  On  the  water-front  of  the  bay  was  the 
shipbuilding  establishnient  of  John  Jackson, 
surrounded  by  about  a  dozen  houses  where  his 
workmen  resided.  He  did  a  large,  although 
somewhat  intermittent  business.  In  1801  the 
United  States  Government  bought  Jackson's 
establishment  and  thirty  acres  of  land,  and 
thereon  proceeded  to  lay  out  a  navy  yard.  It 
is  said  that  the  price  Uncle  Sam  paid  for  the 
property  was  $40,000.  It  was  not  until  June 
I,  1806,  however,  that  the  Government  fairly 
commenced  work  on  the  land,  for  then  Lieu- 
tenant Jonathan  Thorn  was  appointed  Com- 
mandant and  began  putting  the  place  in  order 
for  its  new  mission.  He  was  retained  there 
only  for  a  year,  beirig  succeeded  July  13,  1807, 
by  Capt.  Isaac  Chauncey,  whO'  continued  in 
control  until  May,  1813,  when  he  was  ordered 
to  the  Great  Lakes  and  there  entered  upon  that 
series  of  naval  manoeuvres  which  made  his 
flag  ship,  "The  Pike,"  one  of  the  best  known 
boats  in  the  American  navy.  Chauncey  was 
followed  at  the  Navy  Yard  by  Capt.  Samuel 
Evans,  who  held  the  office  of  Commandant  un- 
til 1824.  These  three  men  were  brilliant  officers 
and  have  left  enviable  records  in  the  Navy  De- 
partment, and  the  annals  of  the  country  and 
their  appointments  show  that  from  the  first  the 
government  fully  appreciated  the  importance 
of  its  Brooklyn  property.  Lieut.  Thorn  was 
killed  on  the  Oregon  coast  many  years  after  he 
left  Brooklyn  while  in  command  of  one  of 
John  Jacob  Astor's  trading  ships. 

The  war  of  1812  found  Brooklyn  not  only 
determined  to  resist  any  recurrence  of  British 
occupation  but  united  in  the  desire  to  uphold 
the  position  of  the  country  without  regard  to 
the  poor  politics  which  had  rendered  a  re- 
course to  arms  necessary.  The  story  of.  Brook- 
lyn's share  in  that  conflict  (bloodless  so  far  as 
she  was  concerned)  has  already  been  told  and 
can  here  be  dismissed  with  this  passing  refer- 
ence.     But    we    may    here    be    permitted    to 


«98 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


say  that,  worthless  and  needless  as  that 
war  was  in  many  respects,  it  was  im- 
portant in  that  it  really  united  the  coun- 
try into  one  grand  and  actual  Federa- 
tion. Before  it  the  States  were  little  other  than 
a  union  on  paper;  they  formed  a  nation,  it  is 
true,  but  it  was  a  nation  only  in  name ;  but  the 
events  which  followed  the  declaration  of  war 
in  1812  made  them  a  nation  in  reality.  There- 
after the  Government  at  Washington  was  rec- 
ognized as  pre-eminent  and  the  necessity  for 
its  solidity,  strength  and  effectiveness  was  rec- 
ognized even  by  the  most  virulent  upholder  of 
the  theory  of  State  sovereignty.  Some  of  the 
lessons  of  the  war  were  speedily  forgotten, 
notably  that  of  the  necessity  of  a  strong  navy ; 
but  the  imperative  need  of  the  central  Govern- 
ment being  powerful  enough  to  meet  every 
■emergency  and  to  direct  the  country  amid  the 
policies  and  jealousies  of  the  nations  of  the 
world  was  never  afterward  lost  sight  of  or 
Ignored. 

It  was  not  until  the  middle  of  February, 
1815,  that  the  news  that  peace  had  been  pro- 
claimed reached  Brooklyn,  and  as  soon  as  the 
excusable  paean  of  joy  over  that  event  was 
ended  the  town  resumed  its  forward  march, 
and  the  march  seemed  more  blithesome  than 
ever  before.  It  was  not  all  work  and  no  play 
any  longer ;  life  was  not  taken  so  seriously  as 
formerly ;  tea  houses  were  opened  in  every  di- 
rection; "gardens"  where  people  could  regale 
themselves  with  music,  wine  or  beer  in  the 
open  air  were  set  out  in  all  the  main  thorough- 
fares, the  wharves  took  on  new  life  and  the 
market  at  the  Ferry,  beside  the  great  liberty 
pole,  the  grand  emblem  of  what  had  been  won, 
was  a  daily  scene  of  business  excitement. 
Every  occupation  appeared  to  "boom;"  an 
""era  of  prosperity"  had  arrived,  and  looked  as 
if  it  had  settled  down  for  a  long  stay ;  all  the 
local  horoscopes  seemed  to  promise  that  the 
town  had  a  bright  future  before  it,  and  all  that 


could  be  dreamed  of  as  wanting  was  a  form 
of  local  government  which  would  work  har- 
moniously and  bring  about  quickly  the  best  re- 
sults.    No  time  was  lost,  for  in  December, 
181 5,  a  meeting  called  to  consider  the  advisa- 
bility of  seeking  a  charter  of  incorporation  as 
a  village.    The  sentiment  at  this  meeting  was 
so  completely  in  favor  of  this  step  that  a  gen- 
eral meeting  of  the  citizens  was  called,  and  at 
that  gathering,  Jan.  6,  1816,  the  matter  was 
heartily  indorsed   and   a  committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  draft  a  bill  for  incorporation  and 
present  it  to  the  Legislature.    This  committee 
comprised  Thomas  Everitt,  Alden  F.  Spooner, 
Joshua  Sands,  John  Doughty  and  the  Rev. 
John  Ireland.     The  bill  was  laid  before  the 
Legislature  within  a  few  weeks,  on  March  13 
it  passed  the  Senate  and  on  April  12  the  As- 
sembly assented.     The  territory  thus  incor- 
porated under  a  village  government  was  de- 
scribed as  "beginning  at  the  Public  Landing 
south  of  Pierrepont's  Distillery,  formerly  the 
property  of  Philip  Livingston  deceased,  on  the 
East  River;  thence  running  along  the  Public 
Road  leading  from  said  Landing,  to  its  inter- 
section with  Red  Hook  Lane ;  thence  along  said 
Red  Hook  Lane  to  where  it  intersects  the  Ja- 
maica   Turnpike    Road;    thence    a    northeast 
course  to  the  head  of  the  Wallaboght  Mill- 
pond;  thence  through  the  centre  of  the  Mill- 
pond  to  the  East  River;  and  thence  down  the 
East  River  to  the  place  of  beginning."    The 
village  was  to  be  governed  by  a  board  of  five 
trustees,  who  with  three  assessors  were  to  be 
elected  by  popular  vote  each  year.    The  board, 
when  elected,  was  to  'select  its  own  officials. 
To  facilitate  matters  the  first  trustees  were 
named   in   the   act, — Andrew   Mercein,  John 
Garrison,  John  Doughty,  John  Seaman  and 
John  Dean,  and  these  held  their  first  official 
meeting  on  May  4,  1816.    That  meeting  may 
be  said  to  mark  the  beginning  of  the  modern 
history  of  Brooklyn. 


# 


THE    BROOKLYN    SHORE    IN    1820. 


# 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


THE    VILLAGE     OF     BROOKLYN. 


T  will  have  been  noticed  that  what  was 
incorporated  as  the  Village  of  Brookn 
lyn  formed  in  reality  only  a  portion  of 
what  had  been  grouped  together  as  the 
town,  and  comprised  little  more  than  what 
formerly  used  to  be  spoken  of  as  "the  Ferry." 
It  even  left  outside  in  the  cold  the  old 
Breuckelen  itself ;  and  the  Wallabout  and  Bed-, 
ford  and  the  rest  of  the  suburbs  of  the  old 
Dutch  town  were  permitted  to  get  along  as 
best  they  might.  The  trade  was  concentrated 
round  the  Ferry  district,  the  population  con- 
centrated there,  and  from  there  the  expansion 
was  destined  to  flow  that  was  to  bring  all  the 
scattered  sections  under  one  rule  again,  that 
was  once  more  to  link  all  their  fortunes  to- 
gether. But  while  the  Village  of  Brooklyn 
was  thus  only  a  part  of  the  whole,  it  was  the 
part  in  which  local  history  was  made  for  the 
eighteen  years  during  which  the  village  char- 
ter remained  in  force. 

Yet  to  all  of  what  afterward  became  the 
extended  city  of  Brooklyn  the  forces  then  at 
work  in  the  village  were  big  with  import,  for 
on  the  progress   there   made    depended   ulti- 


mately the  welfare  of  all  the  other  sections. 
It  was  as  if  the  sturdiest  brother  of  a  family 
assumed  the  care  and  responsibility  of  the  in- 
terests of  all  the  rest,  and  started  out  to  win 
enough  capital  which,  if  wisely  garnered, 
would  in  time  benefit  him  and  equally  all  the 
others.  During  these  eighteen  years,  there- 
fore, while  we  speak  of  Brooklyn,  we  have  to 
forget  the  other  members  of  the  family  and 
think  only  of  the  old  section  close  to  the  East 
River,  which  had  come  to  the  front  and  was 
making  such  a  bid  for  position  and  wealth. 

How  the  new  departure  aided  in  the  pros- 
perity of  the  place  may  be  understood  from  the 
fact  that  while  in  1816  the  population  of 
Brooklyn  was  4,402,  by  1820  it  had  increased 
to  7,475,  and  most  of  this  increase  was  count- 
ed within  the  limits  of  the  incorporated  vil- 
lage, for  outside  of  it  there  was  very  little  to 
attract  new-comers.  By  1825  the  figures  had 
increased  to  10,791,  and  by  1830  to  15,295; 
but  by  that  date  the  ferry  district  had  really 
overflown  its  old  limits  and  was  making  its 
own  prosperity  felt  all  over  the  old  town. 

In  1818  the  incorporated  village  was  sur- 


400 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


veyed  and  sign-posts  were  erected  on  the  vari- 
ous street  corners.  Sands  street,  which  was 
then  a  fashionable  thoroughfare,  was  paved 
in  1822,  and  Fulton  street  was  provided  with  a 
sidewalk,  both  of  these  being  regarded  as  won- 
derful improvements.  The  year  1824,  how- 
ever, witnessed  the  outbreak  of  a  desire  for 
public  improvements,  somewhat  astonishing  in 
its  scope  and  intensity.  Streets  were  graded 
and  improved  in  all  directions,  a  new  market 
was  built,  the  fire  department  was  nearly 
doubled  and  new  buildings  began  to  rise  all 
over  the  village,  generally  of  a  more  preten- 
tious style,  architecturally  speaking,  than 
those  which  had  hitherto  contented  the  citi- 
zens. The  streets,  too,  were  kept  clean  by  dint 
of  a  -series  of  local  ordinances,  and  the  night 
watch  was  strengthened  and  made  more 
effective  than  ever.  It  is  said  that  no  fewer 
than  164  new  buildings  were  erected  within 
the  village  during  that  year.  A  Board  of 
Health  was  also  then  organized.  In  1825  a 
stone  walk  had  been  laid  from  the  Ferry  to 
Water  street,  and  the  comfort  of  this  caused 
a  general  desire  for  the  introduction  of  such 
sidewalks  on  all  the  principal  streets.  The 
people  had  really  begun  to  take  a  pride  in  their 
city  and  also  had  acquired  wealth  enough  to 
pay  for  -the  improvements  they  desired  with- 
out inciting  any  more  than  the  average  amount 
of  grumbling  which  is  the  inherent  right  of 
every  taxpayer. 

Certainly  trade  was  most  prosperous  dur- 
ing these  years  of  the  village  regime.  Every 
season  seemed  to  find  a  new  industry  added, 
and  all  the  while  the  old  ones  were  strength- 
ened. The  shipping  industry  made  particu- 
larly rapid  strides  and  an  evidence  of  this  is 
found  in  the  fact  that  in  1823  the  United 
States  customs  authorities  erected  on  the 
water-front  near  the  foot  of  Cranberry  street 
a  three-story  warehouse, — an  immense  struc- 
ture for  those  days.  On  July  i,  1824,  there 
were  moo'red  to  the  village  wharves,  by  the 
count  of  a  local  statistician,  eight  full-rigged 
ships,   16  brigs,  20  schooners  and   12  sloops. 


altogether    representing    a    great    amount   of 

trade  and  commerce.  In  1828  Dr.  Stiles  tells 
us  the  village  contained  "seven  churches,  eight 
rope-walks,  seven  distilleries,  two  chain-cable 
manufactories,  two  tanneries,  two  extensive 
white-lead  manufactories,  one  glass  factory, 
one  floor-cloth  ditto,  one  card  ditto,  one  pock- 
et-book ditto,  one  comb  ditto,  one  seal-skin 
ditto,  seven  tide  and  two  wind-mills,  an  ex- 
tensive establishment  for  the  preparation  of 
drugs,  and  articles  required  for  dyeing  and 
manufacturing,  conducted  by  Dr.  Noyes,  late 
professor  of  Hamilton  College,  seventy  gro- 
cery and  dry-goods  stores,  two  printing  estab- 
lishments, lumber  and  wood-yards,  master 
masons  and  carpenters.  The  rope-walks  man- 
ufactured 1,130  tons  of  cordage,  annually  at 
an  expenditure  of  $260,000,  and  employed  200 
persons.  The  distilleries  consumed,  on  an 
average,  780  bushels  of  grain  per  day,  at  an 
expense  of  $368,200  per  annum.  The  seal- 
skin factory  employed  60  men;  pocket-book 
factory,  40  persons ;  comb  factory,  20 ;  the  card 
factory,  300  persons ;  and  other  branches  in  all 
400  to  500  persons.  Immense  quantities  of 
naval  stores,  hemp,  cotton,  India  goods,  hides, 
provisions  and  lumber,  were  stored  at  Brook- 
lyn." 

The  reason  for  so  much  naval  stores  being 
in  Brooklyn  lay  in  the  fact  that  the  Govern- 
ment was  beginning  to  make  full  use  of  its 
property  Jt  the  Wallabout.  In  1817  work  was 
commenced  on  the  line  ship  Ohio,  and  it  was 
launched  May  30,  1820.  In  1820  the  then  Sec- 
retary of  the  Navy  (Samuel  L.  Southard  of 
New  Jersey)  recommended  that  a  navy  yard 
of  the  first  class  should  be  established  on  the 
Wallabout  property,  and  as  the  recommenda- 
tion was  adopted  the  work  was  begun  of  put- 
ting the  place  in  serviceable  condition.  Capt. 
Isaac  Chauncey  was  again  placed  in  charge 
and  so  continued  until  1833.  Under  him 
the  property  was  enclosed  and  an  earnest 
of  its  future  importance  was  given  in  the 
order  for  the  construction  of  the  sloop  of  war 
Vincennes,  which  was  launched  April  25,  1826, 


THE    VILLAGE    OF    BROOKLYN. 


401 


followed  by  the  building  of  three  other  sloops, 
—the  Lexington,  the  Fairfield  and  the  Pea- 
cock, an  armed  schooner — the  Enterprise — 
and  the  revenue  cutter  Morris.  All  these  were 
constructed  during  the  continuance  of  Brook- 
lyn's village  charter,  and  incidentally  helped 
cons.'derably  also  in  the  upward  movement  of 
the  municipality.  It  should  be  mentioned  that 
another  vessel,  the  Fulton,  the  h'rst  steam  war- 
ship, was  built  at  the  Wallabout  by  the  Gov- 
ernment in  1815  from  plans  prepared  by  Rob- 
ert Fulton  himself;  but  she  never  proved  of 
any  value  and  exploded  while  lying  at  anchor, 
in  1829,  causing  a  loss  of  forty-eight  lives. 
The  Wallabout  never  returned  to  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  B'rooklyn,  and  so  when  the  time  of  re- 
organization came  a  certain  amount  of  terri- 
tory, a  town  within  itself  in  fact,  was  lo'st  to 
the  city ;  but  the  benefit  of  the  establishment  of 
the  navy  yard  to  Brooklyn  has  been  more  than 
can  easily  be  estimated. 

The  year  1824,  besides  being  memorable 
for  its  internal  improvements,  is  deserving  of 
being  prominently  remembered  in  local  annals 
for  many  other  reasons,  and  the  most  notable 
of  these  was,  perhaps,  the  establishment  of  the 
first  bank, — The  Long  Island  Bank,  with  Lef- 
fert  Lefiferts,  Jehiel  Jagger,  John  C.  Freecke, 
John  Vanderveer,  Jordan  Coles,  Silas  Butler, 
Fanning  C.  Tucker,  Jacob  Hicks,  Henry  AVar- 
ing,  Nehemiah  Denton,  Elkanah  Doolittle, 
Thomas  Everitt,  Jr.,  and  George  Little  as  its 
first  directors.  An  insurance  company,  "The 
Brooklyn  Fire,"  was  also  estabhshed  in  1824. 
Before  the  city  charter  was  issued  several 
other  banks  were  organized  and  the  increase 
of  such  institutions  amply  demonstrates  the 
steady  rise  of  the  local  and  general  business 
interests. 

But  wealth  does  not  obliterate  misery  and 
we  are  reminded  that  even  in  those  prosper- 
ous times  the  poor  in  Brooklyn  asserted  them- 
selves. On  March  30,  1824,  there  were  in 
Ihe  almshouse  11  men,  16  women,  5  girls  and 
8  boys — a  total  of  40 ;  and  duf ing  the  winter 
of  that  year  ninety-three  loads  of  wood  were 

26 


distributed  from  the  institution  among  the 
poor  throughout  the  village.  The  need  for  en- 
larged facilities  for  poorhouse  purposes  were 
then  so  apparent  that  some  nineteen  acres  of 
land  near  Fort  Greene  were  purchased  from 
Leffert  Lefferts,  for  $3,750,  on  which  to  erect 
a  new  'shelter  for  those  who  fell  by  the  wayside, 
by  poverty,  disaster  or  disease,  in  the  strug- 
gle for  existence.  This  property  was  outside 
the  village  limits,  but  it  was  proposed  to  erect 
on  it  a  building  sufficient  to  meet  the  needs 
of  the  whole  of  the  old  town.  The  establish- 
ment of  a  poor  farm  in  1830  at  Flatbush 
helped  to  lessen  the  extent  of  the  village  ex- 
penditure for  the  poor,  as  it  removed  from 
its  care  what  might  be  called  county  cases, 
cases  which  should  hardly  have  been  thrown- 
upon  the  people  of  the  village  at  all. 

While  spending  money  lavishly  for  the  de- 
velopment and  improvement  of  the  village,  it 
is  amusing  to  read  in  how  simple  and  unpre- 
tentious a  fashion  the  Trustees,  the  City  Fa- 
thers of  the  day,  conducted  its  business.  They 
held  their  meetings  in  a  room  over  a  grocery 
store  within  a  few  yards  of  the  entrance  to 
"the  Ferry,"  and  while  the  meetings  were  on 
public  business  the  Trustees  declined  to  al- 
low a  newspaper  reporter  to  be  present  or 
even  to  permit  the  minutes  of  their  meetings 
to  be  copied  for  publication.  What  was  done, 
however,  was  readily  learned,  the  refusal  of 
the  minutes  being  due  more  to  a  sense  of  of- 
ficial dignity  than  anything  else.  They  seem 
to  have  been  a  jolly  lot  of  mortals,  these  early 
trustees,  and  conducted  their  proceedings  on 
a  conversational  rather  than  an  oratorical 
basis,  and  so  got  through  with  the  considera- 
tion of  any  knotty  point  more  quickly  than 
though  formal  speeches  had  been  the  rule. 
Probably,  not  being  lost  in  rhetorical  fogs, 
they  appreciated  each  detail  clearly.  They  also- 
understsood  each  other  better,  and  to  help 
this  understanding  it  was  their  custom,  as 
soon  as  the  meeting  was  called  tO'  order,  to- 
■send  for  a  supply  of  bread  or  biscuits  and 
cheese  and  a  bottle  or  two  of  brandy  or  gin,. 


402 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


and  then  proceed  to  business.  At  the  end  of 
their  official  term  they  enjoyed  an  oyster  sup- 
per and  pledged  each  other  heartily.  All  this, 
it  should  be  noticed,  was  done  at  their  own 
-expense,  the  modern  official  junketer  had  not 
been  evolved. 

Under  such  auspices  the  village  flourished 
and  even  acquired  a  measure  of  fame.  It  was 
not  forgetful  in  the  higher  things  that  make 
for  the  good  of  a  community  and  give  it  char- 
acter.    In  1823  what  was  known  as  the  Ap- 


LAFAYETTE    IN    18-'5 

■prentices'  Library  was  organized  with  the  view 
of  supplying  reading  matter  for  apprentice 
mechanics  and  in  fact  working  people  of  all 
•classes.  Within  a  year  this  library  had  a  col- 
lection of  some  1,200  volumes,  all  presented 
by  citizens,  and  100  regular  readers.  It  proved 
■such  a  'success  that  in  1825  a  new  building 
was  erected  for  it  in  Cranberry  street,  and 
there  in  1826  the  Board  of  Village  Trustees 
removed  their  meetings,  although  whether  the 
•conveniences  for  crackers;  and  cheese  and 
drinkables  were  as  accessible  as  at  "the  Ferry," 
"history  is  silent.  The  cornerstone  of  the  libra- 
ry was  laid  on  July  4,  1825,  by  the  Marquis  de 


Lafayette,  then  on  his  memorable  tour 
through  the  country  fo'r  which  he  had  fought 
in  the  days  when  it  was  struggling  for  exist- 
ence. Up  to  Lafayette's  visit,  Brooklyn  had 
not  been  much  disturbed  by  the  sojourn  of 
great  men  in  its  midst.  It  had  seen  Wa'shing- 
ton  in  war  and  welcomed  him  in  peace.  Presi- 
dent Monroe  crossed  to  Brooklyn  in  June, 
18 1 7,  and  two  years  or  so  later  Andrew  Jack- 
son paid  it  a  flying  visit,  although  on  what 
particular  business  the  Hero  of  New  Orleans 
crossed  the  East  River  we  have  no  means  of 
accurately  knowing.  Talleyrand  lived  in 
Brooklyn  for  some  time,  and  so  did  Tom 
Paine,  the  agnostic.  These  were  all  the  great 
men — the  men  of  National  fame — who  had 
walked  through  Brooklyn  since  its  famous 
battle  until  the  appearance  of  Lafayette,  and 
that  the  illustrious  veteran  received  an  ova- 
tion goes  without  saying. 

An   admirable   picture   of   how    Brooklyn 
looked  in  1820  has  been  preserved  for  us  on 
the  canvas  painted  in   1820  and  representing 
a  part  of  the  city  in  its  winter  dress.     The 
picture  is  now  in  the  Brooklyn  Institute.    The 
painter,  Francis  Guy,  was  a  native  of  Eng- 
land,  who  came  here  in   1796.     After  many 
vicissitudes   he   settled   in   Brooklyn   in   1817 
and    devoted    himself    to   landscape   painting. 
As  might  readily  be  understood,  he  did  not 
prosper    exceedingly,    the   taste   of   Brooklyn 
not  having  by  that  time  reached  such  a  stage 
as  to  care  for  art  for  art's  sake.     Guy  was 
reckless  in  money  matters  and  had  other  fail- 
ings, which  prevented  his  gathering  and  keep- 
ing much  of  this  world's  goods,  and  he  died 
in  poverty  in  August,  1820.     His  widow  sold 
sixty-two  of  his  landscape  paintings  at  public 
auction  in   New   York  and   realized  thereby 
$1,295.50.     The  bit  of  Brooklyn  represented 
in  the  "snow  scene"  lay  just  before  the  win- 
dows of  his  house,  11  Front  street,  and  the 
figures  introduced  were  all  drawn  from  life 
from  among  the  artist's  neighbors.    The  can- 
vas was  exhibited  in  Brooklyn  as  soon  as  it 
was  completed,  and  for  the  correctness  of  its 


THE  Village  of  Brooklyn. 


403 


drawing  and  its  characteristic  portraits  was 
pronounced  a  masterpiece  by  the  local  con- 
noisseurs, who  must  be  regarded  as  the  best 
judges  of  the  value  of  such  a  work  as  a  re- 
production of  a  scene  with  which  they  were 


familiar.  The  picture  has  been  often  en- 
graved, but  gives  so  clear  an  idea  of  the  place 
represented  at  the  time  that  it  is  here  repro- 
duced, along  with  a  keyplate,  which  was  print- 
ed in  Dr.  Stiles'  "History  of  Brooklyn." 


GUY'S    SNOW    SCENE,    1830. 


1.  Dwelling  and  store  of  Thos.  W.  Birdsall. 

2.  House  of  Abiel  Titus. 

3.  Edward  Coope's  blacksmith-shop. 

4.  Geo.  Fricke's  carria&e-shop. 

5.  -Diana  Rapelje's  house. 
8.  Mrs.  Middagh's  house. 
7.  St.  Aim's  Church,  corner  of  Sands  and 

Washington  streets. 
n.  Residence  of  Edward  Coope. 
in  D**'®^  Titus'  barn  and  slaughter-house, 
lu.  Benjamin  Meeker's  house  and  shop. 
11.  Mrs.  Chester's  "Coffee  Room." 


KEY    PLATE    TO    GUY'S    SNOW   SCENE. 

12.  Robert  Cunningham's.  24. 

13.  Jacob  Hicks'  wood-yard,  corner  Main  St.  26. 

14.  Joslrua  Sands'  residence.  27. 

15.  AugustusGraham'sresidence.cor.Dockst.  28. 

16.  Burdet  Stryker's  house  and  butcher-shop.  20. 

17.  Selah  Smith's  Tavern.  30. 

18.  Morrison's  on  the  Heights.  31. 

19.  Dr.  Ball's  house,  opposite  Morrison's.  32. 

20.  Augustus  Graham,  conversing  with  33. 

21.  Joshua  Sands.  34. 

32.  Mrs.  Harmer  and  daughters. 

33.  Mrs.  Guy  (the  artist's  wife).  35. 


Jacob  Patchen. 
Mrs.  Burnett. 

Benjamin  Meeker,  talking  with 
Judge  John  Garrison. 
Thos.  W.  Birdsall. 
Jacob  Hicks. 
Abiel  Titus, 
Mrs.  Gilbert  Titus. 
Abiel  Titus'  negro-servant  "Jeff." 
James  (son  of  Abiel)  Titus,  on  horse- 
back. 
Samuel  Foster  (negro). 


404 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


The  church  influence  in  Brooklyn  was 
steadily  extending  itself  during  the  period 
now  under  review  and  so  far  as  educational 
facilities  went  there  was  no  lack  of  oppor- 
tunities for  the  young  American  to  grow  up 
with  all  the  advantages  of  a  liberal  training. 
There  were,  even  before  the  village  was  or- 
ganized, private  schools  in  abundance,  and  in 
1813'a  number  of  ladies  organized  what  they 
called  the  Louisian  Seminary,  where,  free  of 
cost,  poor  children  were  to  be  instructed  in 
reading,  writing  and  arithmetic,  and  in  addi- 
tion the  girl  pupils  were  to  be  taught  such 
practical  accomplishments  as  knitting  and  sew- 
ing. This  establishment  was  really  the  be- 
ginning of  the  free  educational  'system  of 
Brooklyn.  The  Louisian  school  was  a  success 
much  more  emphatic  than  its  projectors  had 
anticipated  and  the  claims  upon  its  facilities 
soon  threatened  to  swamp,  by  their  very  ex- 
tent, the  well  thought  out  scheme  of  the  ladies. 
In  1816,  as  a  result  of  this  experience,  a  pub- 
lic meeting  was  held  with  the  view  of  bring- 
ing about  a  free  public  school.  This  was 
agreed  to  and  the  Louisian  school  was  taken 
over  under  the  new  movement  and  the  ladies 
were  released  from  their  embarrassing  posi- 
tion with  regard  to  it.  A  frame  building  was 
erected  for  the  use  of  this  free  school  on  the 
corner  of  Concord  and  Adams  streets,  and 
the  cost  was  defrayed  by  a  tax.  Pupils  whose 
parents  or  guardians  could  pay  for  their  tu- 
ition were  expected  to  contribute  to  the  sup- 
port of  the  institution,  but  to  others  its  ad- 
vantages were  free.  In  1829  a  Collegiate  In- 
stitute for  young  ladies  was  opened  on  Hicks 
street;  but  it  did  not  prove  a  success.  It  was 
a  step  in  the  right  direction,  but  the  stride 
was  too  long  for  the  time.  In  1816  a  Sunday- 
school  was  opened  in  Brooklyn.  It  was  main- 
ly for  negroes  and  seems  to  have  been  'secular 
as  well  as  religious  in  its  aim;  but  bit  by  bit 
the  secular  features  were  eliminated  and  the 
movement  grew  so  rapidly  that  when,  in  1829, 
the  Kings  County  Sabbath-school  Union  was 
formed,  it  had  jurisdiction  over  no  fewer  than 
twenty-three  schools. 


Another  movement  for  social  betterment 
was  inaugurated  in  1829,  when  a  temperance 
society  was  established.  The  old  hard  and 
deep  drinking  habits  had  by  that  time  lost 
their  hold  upon  the  community,  excessive  in- 
dulgence was  no  longer  fashionable,  and 
drunkenness  was  not  even  regarded  as  ex- 
cusable. Yet  in  that  year,  with  a  population 
of  some  12,000,  Brooklyn  had  160  places 
where  intoxicating  liquor  was  sold  at  retail. 
Little  wonder  that  a  temperance  wave  set 
in  and  an  effort  made  at  improvement,  of 
which  the  Temperance  Society  was  one  of  the 
weapons.  The  movement  had  markedly  a  suc- 
cessful result,  for  by  1835,  when  the  popula- 
tion had  increased  to  24,310,  the  number  of 
retail  liquor  establishments  had  decreased  to 
fiftv. 

While  'SO  much  progress  was  going  on  it 
is  disappointing  to  be  obliged  to  chronicle 
the  fact  that  Brooklyn  lost  a  chance  of  one 
magnificent  improvement  in  1826,  which,  had 
it  been  carried  out,  would  to-day  have  placed 
her  in  possession  of  a  most  valuable  piece 
of  property,  almost  unique  for  its  beauty  and 
usefulness.  This  was  the  rejection  of  the  sug- 
gestion of  H.  B.  Pierrepont  and  others  that 
the  lands  on  the  heights  overlooking  the  bay 
should  be  bought  by  the  city  and  converted 
into  a  public  park.  The  lands  were  then  used 
for  agricultui-al  purposes,  when  they  were  used 
at  all,  and  as  it  was  not  thought  possible  that 
they  could  ever  be  utilized  for  building  purpos- 
es they  might  have  been  secured  at  a  compara- 
tively trifling  cost.  But  the  opportunity  was 
lost.  The  public  took,  apparently,  no  interest 
in  the  matter.  The  value  of  public  parks  was 
not  then  clearly  understood,  and  even  many 
who  favored  such  a  park  thought  that  the 
land  indicated  was  too  difficult  of  access  ever 
to  become  of  much  use  to  the  people. 

Another  matter  to  be  deplored  is  the  ap- 
parent ease  with  which,  in  spite  of  the  excel- 
lence of  the  local  physicians,  the  watchfulness 
of  the  Board  of  Health  and  the  evident  effort 
at  local  cleanliness,  imported  diseases  played 
sad  havoc  in  the  village.    In  1822,  as  in  1803 


=J 


THE    VILLAGE    OF    BROOKLYX. 


405 


and  1809,  there  was  an  outbreak  of  yellow 
fever,  when  nineteen  cases  were  reported,  of 
which  ten  proved  fatal.  The  disease,  however, 
was  confined  to  the  neighborhood  of  Furman 
street,  where  it  was  first  noticed.  In  1832 
cholera  made  its  appearance  and  from  June 
20  until  July  25,  when  it  was  reported  as 
stamped  out,  there  were  ninety-five  cases,  thir- 
ty-five of  which  terminated  fatally.  The  chol- 
era, however,  at  that  time  was  on  one  of  its 
apparently  periodic  rounds  and  New  York  and 
other  cities  suffered  terribly.  In  these  circum- 
stances it  was  thought  unlikely  that  Brooklyn 
should  escape.  Indeed,  but  for  the  excellence 
of  its  medical  service  the  mortality  list  would 
have, 'shown  sadder  figures. 

When  the  prosperity  of  the  village  seemed 
assured  and  everything  bespoke  a  glowing 
future,  it  was  inevitable  that  a  great  rise  should 
take  place  in  the  value  of  its  lands  and  that 
the  inevitable  speculator  should  take  advantas;e 
of  this  to  boom  sales  and  create  on  the  solid 
substratum  of  actual  success  and  need  a  fic- 
titious value  and  speculative  demand.  In  our 
favorite  year  of  1824  the  real  estate  within 
the  bounds  of  the  village  was  assessed  at 
$2,111,390;  and  building  lots  contiguous  to 
the  old  Ferry,  when  they  came  into  the  mar- 
ket, brought  fancy  prices.  In  1826  Dr.  Evans 
successfully  turned  one  of  the  heights,  Mount 
Prospect,  into  a  private  residence  reserve. 
Within  it  he  erected  several  cottages  and  laid 
out  the  grounds  around  them  with  such  taste 
that  the  place  became  one  of  the  most  attract- 
ive in  Brooklyn.  Although  almost  three  miles 
from  the  ferry,  lots  around  this  improvement 
■so  auickly  advanced  in  price  as  to  be  signifi- 
cant of  the  impending  change.  In  1833  a  land 
mania,  or  something  akin  to  it,  set  in  and 
values  advanced  almost  daily.  The  rise  was 
by  no  means  confined  to  the  village :  all  parts 
of  the  old  town  felt  the  change.  A  piece  of 
land  used  as  a  pleasure  resort  (The  Parmen- 
tier  Garden)  at  the  junction  of  the  Jamaica  and 
Flatbush  roads  was  purchased  for  $57,000  and 
at  once  'surveyed,   cut  up  into  lots  and  sold 


at  auction  foT  some  $70,000.  A  farm  at  Go- 
wanus  of  twenty-six  acres  brought  $25,000 
at  auction,  and  ten  acres  at  Red  Hook  reaHzed 
$47,000.  A  couple  of  speculators  from  New 
York  bought  a  farm  and  laid  out  on  it  a  wide 
avenue,  intending  to  restrict  it  to  private  resi- 
dences of  the  best  class.  The  lots  were  large 
(80x100  feet)  and  the  venture  seemed  a  dan- 
gerous one,  but  its  complete  success  was  as- 
sured when,  in  1835,  Trinity  Church  (now  St. 
Luke's)  was  erected  upon  it.  Now,  as  Clinton 
avenue,  it  ranks  as  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
and  fashionable  of  the  residential  sections  of 
Brooklyn.  Even  some  of  the  remote,  outly- 
ing sections  of  the  old  town  had  begun  to  feel 
the  prosperity  of  the  village  and  to  share  it. 
A  new  'settlement  sprung  up  on  the  old  Crip- 
plebush  road,  and  along  what  is  now  Flush- 
ing avenue  many  houses  were  being  erected, 
generally  in  small  colonies  convenient  to  rope- 
walks  or  other  works,  while  the  employes  of 
the  navy  yard,  at  times,  needed  more  house  ac- 
commodation than  could  readily  be  found. 
On  the  other  side  of  the  Ferry  improvements 
even  began  to  assert  themselves  on  the  heights, 
— the  territory  deemed  absolutely  useless  but 
a  few  years  before, — while  further  away  lay 
another  settlement,  for  which  in  1833  a  new 
water  route  to  New  York  was  opened  almost 
at  the  foot  of  the  slope,  and  to  this  was  given 
the  name  of  South  Ferry.  In  fact  it  was  seen 
that  the  village  had  burst  through  its  legal 
boundaries  and  was  pressing  out  into  the  old 
township  in  every  direction,  and  the  conditions 
which  resulted  from  all  this  expansion  slow- 
ly but  surely  became  the  reverse  of  satisfac- 
tory in  various  important  respects.  It  had 
early  been  seen  in  the  history  of  the  village 
that  it  was  laboring  under  'some  of  these  dis- 
advantages ;  it  was  apparent  even  then  that 
its  .boundaries  were  too  circumscribed  and  its 
municipal  powers  too  limited,  and  in  1825  a 
public  meeting  was  called  to  consider  the  ad- 
visability of  applying  to  the  legislature  at  Al- 
bany for  a  city  charter.  But  matters  were 
not  then  ready  for  that,  and  the  meeting  voted 


406 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


against  such  an  innovation,  much  to  the  cha- 
grin of  the  promoters,  who  thereupon  duly  ad- 
journed the  meeting,  and  with  it,  as  they 
thought,  the  project,  for  twenty-one  years. 

In  the  following  year  the  legislature  passed 
several  acts  amendatory  of  the  government 
of  villages  and  under  the  provisions  of  one  of 
these  Brooklyn  elected  ten  trustees  instead  of 
five,  without,  however,  any  further  real  or 
supposed  benefit  to  the  community  than  the 
exaltation  of  five  more  citizens  into  places  of 
honor ;  but  even  this  did  not  silence  the  movej- 
ment  which  was  making  'steadily  for  a  change. 
In  1833  the  movement  for  increased  local 
powers  had  increased  so  far  that  a  bill  was 
introduced  in  the  Legislature  for  the  incorpora- 
tion of  the  City  of  Brooklyn,  and  though  it 
passed  the  Assembly  it  was  killed  in  the  upper 
house.  There  seems  to  be  no  doubt  that  the 
influence  of  New  York  City  was  inflexibly 
directed  against  any  attempt  to  create  a  strong 
municipality  on  the  opposite  shore  of  the  East 
River  from  Manhattan  Island.  It  is  difficult 
to  understand  nowadays  why  such  should  have 
been  the  case,  but  unfortunately  the  sentiment 
of  opposition  existed.  There  is  no  room  for 
doubt  on  that  point.  Possibly  the  idea  that 
a  city  should  have  something  more  to  say 
with  regard  to  ferry  rights  and  perquisites 
than  was  possible  for  a  village,  had  much  to 
do  with  it.  But  there  were  other  and  more 
valid  reasons.  The  ease  with  which  Brooklyn 
could  be  'reached  from  the  then  heart  of  New 
York's  business  and  manufacturing  districts 
aroused  the  fear  of  the  real-estate  manipu- 
lators on  Manhattan  Island,  and  it  was  inev- 
itable even  to  the  sodden  brains  of  the  New 
York  Aldermen  of  the  period,  that  if  Brook- 
lyn should  become  the  city  of  homes — homes 
of  New  Yorkers — another  big  drop  in  tax  re- 
ceipts would  be  the  inevitable  result.  New 
York  could  only  grow  in  one  direction — north- 
ward— and  the  journey  thither  was  slow  and 
uncertain,  even  in  the  best  of  weather,  while 
a  pleasant  trip  by  ferry  landed  the  dwellers 
in  Brooklyn,  within  a  short  ride  of  pleasant. 


semi-rural  streets,  where  comfortable  homes 
could  await  them.  Then  in  all  such  matters  as 
shore  and  river  jurisdiction  a  city  government 
might  speak  with  greater  emphasis  than  could 
the  trustees  of  a  village  or  the  representatives 
of  half  a  dozen  sleepy  and  forgotten  little  com- 
munities, mainly  agricultural.  So  bitter  was 
the  opposition,  so  pressing  became  the  need 
for  a  change,  that,  despairing  of  bringing 
about  the  improvement  in  any  other  way,  at 
one  time  a  proposition  was  actually  broached 
that  instead  of  seeking  a  separate  charter 
Brooklyn  should  ask  for  annexation  to  New 
York!  That  notion  did  not  find  much  favor, 
however.  It  was  not  only  humiliating  to  the 
local  feeling  of  civic  pride  that  had  sprung  up, 
but  it  was  felt  that  the  river  itself  furnished 
a  barrier  that  could  not  be  crossed  even  by  an 
act  of  Legislature ;  that  nature's  boundary  line 
could  not  be  obliterated. 

So  the  agitation  for  a  new  charter  was  kept 
up  with  unflagging  interest,  and,  at  last,  by 
an  act  which  passed  all  the  usual  legislative 
perils,  the  struggle  was  won  and  Brooklyn 
became  a  city  on  April  10,  1834.  The  charter 
was  a  most  comprehensive  document  and 
brought  together  again  under  one  government 
the  scattered  sections  of  the  old  town  of 
Brooklyn.  It  divided  the  city  into  nine  wards. 
The  first  included  the  famous  Ferry  dis- 
trict, which  had  created  the  modern  Brook- 
lyn and  had  been  the  legal  village  for  some 
eighteen  years ;  the  second  embraced  what 
had  been  Olympia  and  to  it  was  also  given 
the  New  (Catharine)  Ferry;  the  third  was 
the  old  Breukelen ;  the  fourth  was  another  part 
of  the  village  territory;  the  fifth  lay  around 
the  Wallabout ;  the  sixth  extended  to  Red 
Hook;  the  seventh  contained  Cripplebush  and 
Bedford;  the  eighth  reached  to  Gowanus; 
while  the  ninth  carried  the  line  of  thecity  out 
to  the  territory  which  belonged  to  Flatbush. 
It  was  a  comprehensive  scheme,  compact  and 
well  thought  out.  So  far  as  could  be  seen 
it  fully  met  all  passing  needs  and  promised 
plenty  of  scope  for  the  future,  and  in  its  posi- 


THE    VILLAGE    OF    BROOKLYN. 


40T 


session  Brooklyn  rejoiced  except  for  the  grip 
which  New  York  still  managed  to  'retain  on 
her  ferry  system  and  its  feudal  hold  upon  the 
river  which  washed  with  equal  impartiality  the 
shores  of  Long  Island  and  of  Manhattan. 

The  ferry  interests  had  yearly  been  as- 
suming greater  proportions.  When  we  last 
referred  to  their  history  they  formed  quite  a 
respectable  item  in.  the  resources  of  the  old 
city  of  New  York  and  they  had  been  steadily 
growing.  For  some  years  the  Old  Ferry  and 
the  New  had  shared  the  business,  but  the  yel- 
low fever  epidemic  of  1809  having  its  seat  near 
the  Brooklyn  t-rmini  of  these  two  water  routes, 
a  change  was  made  and  a  ferry  established 
between  Joralemon  street,  Brooklyn,  to  White- 
hall street.  New  York.  This  inconvenient  ar- 
rangement was  abandoned  as  soon  as  public 
confidence  was  restored  and  we  hear  of  no 
more  ferry  changes  until  1817,  when  a  boat  wa3 
run  between  Little  street,  Brooklyn,  and  Wal- 
nut (now  Jackson)  street,  New  York.  This 
was  never  a  popular  route  and  was  abandoned 
about  1850. 

Prior  to  1814  the  means  of  transit  across 
the  river  were  sail  or  row  boats,  the  journey 
was  long  and  the  wind  and  tide  and  ice  and 
snow  played  sad  havoc  very  frequently  with 
the  time  and  tempers  of  the  travelers.  Then 
even  in  the  best  of  times,  the  trip  was  too 
often  uncomfortable,  for  the  passengers  were 
mixed  up  with  cattle,  sheep,  garden  and  farm 
produce  and  all  and  sundry  sorts  of  baggage. 
The  ferrymen  generally  tried  to  wait  for  a  full 
load  before  starting  and  that  meant  time  wast- 
ed at  the  ferry  house,  which,  however  profit- 
able it  might  be  to  the  tavern  near  by,  was 
not  conducive  to  the  equanimity  of  the  way- 
farer. Then  when  the  weather  was  rough 
or  "thick''  it  was  impossible  to  say  when  or 
where  the  voyage  might  end.  Perhaps  the 
current  would  force  the  boat  up  to  Hellgate 
and  run  it  ashore  on  Astoria,  or  it  might  be 
forced  into  a  contrary  direction  and  give  one 
a  close  look  at  Governor's  Island  or  effect  a 
landing  finally  at  Red  Hook  instead  of  Man- 


hattan Island.  Upsets  were  of  frequent  oc- 
currence. Sometimes  a  horse  took  it  into  hi& 
head  to  suddenly  change  his  position  and  sO' 
caused  the  loaded  boat  to  keel  over;  some- 
times a  number  of  sheep  played  the  game  of 
"follow  your  leader"  into  the  river  and  the 
effort  to  stop  them  brought  about  disaster. 
Drunken  boatmen  were  often  the  cause  of 
serious  accidents,  and  if  we  can  credit  the 
newspaper  reports  and  current  gossip  a  boat-, 
man  who  was  not  rude  and  unmannerly  was 
tmknown.  We  are,  however,  inclined  to  dis- 
believe in  another  piece  of  current  gossip, 
which  had  it  that  whenever  a  Long  Island 
man  made  the  voyage  to  New  York  (apart 
from  dwellers  at  the  Ferry)  he  invariably 
made  his  will,  adjusted  all  his  earthly  affairs, 
and  set  out  amid  the  tears  and  prayers  of  his 
household  and  friends  1 

In  1813,  after  having  successfully  operated 
two  steam-ferry  services  between  the  New 
York  and  New  Jersey  shores,  Robert  Fulton 
made  the  corporation  of  New  York  the  offer 
of  a  similar  service  between  that  city  and 
Brooklyn,  and  on  January  24,  1814,  the  ne- 
gotiations were  settled  and  a  lease  signed  giv- 
ing control  of  the  ferry  between  "Old  Ferry, 
Brooklyn,"  and  Beekman's  slip,  New  York 
(the  previous  landing  place  had  been  at  the  Fly 
Market),  for  twenty-five  years  to  Robert  Ful- 
ton and  William  Cutting.  They  were  to  pay  an 
annual  rental  of  $4,000  for  the  first  eighteen 
years  of  the  term,  and  $4,500  for  the  re- 
mainder, and  on  or  before  the  24th  of  May 
following,  they  were  to  place  a  steaniboat  on 
the  route  to  run  daily  every  half  hour  from 
sunrise  until  sunset  and  in  addition  were  to 
run  the  full  complement  of  barges  as  then 
was  in  the  service.  It  was  provided  that  a 
second  steamboat  was  to  be  placed  on  the  route 
by  May,  181 9.  Under  the  lease  the  rates  of 
ferriage  were  to  be  increased,  and  when  this 
part  of  the  arrangement  became  known  there 
was  a  furious  outcry  in  Brooklyn.  A  town 
meeting  was  held  to  protest  against  the  in- 
crease, and  New  York  City  was  roundly  de- 


408 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


nounced.  A  remonstrance  to  the  corporation  of 
the  latter  produced  no  effect,  an  offer  on  behalf 
of  Brooklyn  to  lease  the  ferry  on  the  same 
terms  and  run  it  at  the  old  rates  was  promptly 
rejected,  and  finally  an  appeal  was  drawn  up 
and  forwarded  to  the  Legislature.  Somehow 
the  document  mysteriously  failed  to  reach  that 
august  body.  In  the  midst  of  ah  the  din, 
Messrs.  Fulton  and  Cutting  pushed  ahead  with 
their  plans,  organized  "The  New  York  and 
Brooklyn  Steamboat  Ferry  Association,"  and 
on  May  lo,  1814,  the  first  steam  ferry-boat  on 
the  East  River,  the  Nassau,  commenced  opera- 
tions, making  some  forty  trips  during  the  day. 
The  innovation  was  regarded  on  all  sides  as 
a  complete  triumph.  Fulton  did  not  long  en- 
joy the  success  of  this  experiment,  for  he  was 
laid  to  rest  in  the  Livingston  vault  in  Trinity 
churchyard  in  1815,  and  his  partner.  Cutting, 
died  in  1821. 

It  was  but  a  short  time  before  the  service 
proved  inadequate  and  a  demand  for  increased 
carrying  capacity  arose.  Instead  of  the  ad- 
ditional steamboat  a  horse-boat  (the  machinery 
propelled  by  horse  power  instead  of  steam) 
was  provided  in  1818,  when  the  fare  was  fixed 
at  four  cents  a  trip  for  either  steam  or  horse 
boat,  with  certain  commuting  privileges.  A 
horse  boat  had  also  been  established  at  the 
New  (Catharine)  Ferry,  but  there,  as  soon 
afterward  at  the  Old  Ferry,  it  was  found  to 
prove  an  expensive  arrangement,  and  the  in- 
troduction of  steam  all  round  became  merely  a 
question  of  time.  Even  when  the  long-looked- 
for  second  steamboat  was  added  it  did  not 
meet  all  the  requirements,  and  the  establish- 


ment, in  1836,  of  a  new  service  at  the  South 
Ferry  did  little  to  relieve  the  business  at  the 
foot   of   Fulton   street.     Improvements  were 
slow,  ■  feeble  and  paltry,  and  although  it  had 
long  been  urged,  it  was  not  until  September 
28,  1827,  that  an  all-night  service  was  intro- 
duced.    The  great  trouble  was  that  the  stock- 
holders were  not  united  under  any  directing 
head  or  animated  with  any  real  view  of  accom- 
modating the   public  interests,  especially  the 
interests  of  Brooklyn,  which  were  those  most 
concerned    in   the    development  of   the   ferry 
service.     To  remedy  this,  if  possible,  most  of 
the  stock  was  purchased  in  1835  by  a  com- 
mittee of  Brooklyn  capitalists,  who  .intended 
to    run    the    Fulton    and    South    ferries   until 
the     expii'ation    of    the     current    leases    on 
both  in  1839,  so  as  to  promote  the  interests 
of  their  own  city.     The  committee  did  their 
best  and  accomplished  much  in  the  way  of  im- 
provement,   but    lost  money  by  their  public 
spirit.     When  the  time  came  for  the  leases  to 
be  r     ewed  it  was  felt  that  the  only  way  out 
of  the  difficulty,  and  the  only  way  which  the 
interests  of  Brooklyn  would  be  conserved,  was 
by  the  formation  of  a  new  company  of  citizens, 
who   should   run   both   ferries   on  a  business 
basis  and  at  the  same  time  with  an  eye  to  the 
wants   and    requirements   of   their  own  city. 
The  company  was  formed  and  a  lease  signed 
on    May   3,    1839,    giving   the   New   York  & 
Brooklyn  Ferry  Company  a  lease  of  the  water 
routes  for  five  years,  at  an  annual  rental  of 
$12,000,  and  under  other  financial  restrictions 
and  stipulations,  which  were  soon  found  to  be 
very  oppressive. 


-.^ 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 


THE    FIRST    CITY. 

Mayors   Hall,  Trotter,  Joiixson',  Smith,  Murphy,  and   Others — Disastrous 

Fires — Business   Extension — The   Grand   City  Hall  — 

Literature  and  the   Press. 


HE  act  constituting  the  City  of  Brook- 
lyn went  into  effect  April  lo,  1834, 
and  the  elevation  of  the  old  town 
occasioned  at  first  much  rejoicing  all 
over  its 'territory,  and  some  of  it  found  ex- 
pression on  April  25  in  a  grand  procession, 
which  wended  its  way  through  a  number  of 
the  principal  streets,  and  the  inevitable  ora- 
tion, which  was  delivered  in  the  First  Pres- 
byterian Church,  in  Orange  street  (on  the 
present  site  of  Plymouth  Church),  by  Will- 
iam Rockwell.  There  was  every  reason  for 
pride  in  the  new  municipality.  It  covered  an 
extent  of  territory  nearly  twelve  miles  square, 
with  thirty-five  miles  of  streets,  had  a  popula- 
tion of  27,854,  twenty  churches,  three  busi- 
ness and  one  savings  banks,  two  markets,  effi- 
cient fire  and  police  departments  and  all  the 
accessories  of  a  well  governed  and  progressive 
•city,  a  clearly  defined  future,  a  host  of  public- 
spirited  citizens  and  an  ambition  to  press  on- 
ward. Its  people  loved  the  city,  honored  its 
past  and  revered  its  memories.  It  was  of 
■course  but  as  a  village  yet  compared  with  New 
York,  but  then  it  possessed,  what  its  big  neigh- 
bor did  not  possess  until  many  years  after- 
ward, a  sense  of  civic  pride.  Still  there  were 
a  few  pessimistic  people,  mainly  those  living 
in  the  outlying  parts  of  the  old  town,  and  who 
had  escaped  the  modernizing  influences  at 
work  all  around  them.    The  village  of  Brook- 


lyn, among  the  other  modern  improvements, 
brought  as  one  of  its  contributions  to  the  new 
city  what  seemed  to  many  of  the  simple  coun- 
try farmers  like  an  unsurmountable  load  of 
debt,  $22,000,  and  a  lawsuit  involving  about 
as  much  more.  The  rest  of  the  component 
parts  of  the  new  city  had  not  only  steered  clear 
of  such  an  appendage,  but  had  brought  to  the 
new  partnership  some  valuable  real  estate.  The 
city,  of  course,  had  to  assume  the  village  in- 
debtedness and  it  was  felt  by  those  pessimist- 
ically inclined  that  this  was  a  theme  for  mourn- 
ing. The  simple-minded  Dutch  farmers  had  not 
become  civilized  enough  to  "regard  a  pubhc 
•debt  as  a  blessing,"  nor  did  they  appreciate 
any  system  of  financiering  that  was  not  based 
on  hard  cash.  But  they  soon  had  their  eyes 
opened ;  their  education  was  not  long  delayed. 
The  first  election  for  aldermen  was  held 
on  May  5,  and  so  far  as  we  can  see  it  was  con- 
ducted strictly  on  local  issues  and  with  an  eye 
to  facilitating  the  business  of  the  new  com- 
munity rather,  as  is  so  common  nowadays, 
than  with  any  ulterior  views  as  to  the  rela- 
tion of  the  candidate  to  state  or  national  pol- 
itic. The  result  was  the  return  of  the  follow- 
ing: 

1st  ward — Gabriel  Furman,  Conklin  Brush. 
2d   ward — George   D.    Cunningham,   John 
M.  Hicks. 

3d  ward — James   Walters,  Joseph  Moser. 


410 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


4th  ward — Jonathan  Trotter,  Adrian  Hege- 
man. 

Sth  ward — William  M.  Udall,  Benjamin  R. 
Prince. 

6th  ward — Samuel  Smith,  William  Powers. 

7th  ward — Clarence  D.  Sackett,  Stephen 
Haynes. 

Sth  ward — Theodorus  Polhemus,  John  S. 
Bergen. 

9th  ward — Robert  Wilson,  Moses  Smith. 

It  is  questionable  if  Brooklyn  in  all  her 
history  from  then  until  now,  ever  rejoiced  in 
a  really  abler  or  more  thoroughly  representa- 
tive body  of  City  Fathers.  They  were  all 
men  of  standing  in  their  respective  communi- 
ties, most  of  them  were  men  of  substantial 
means  and  wide  business  interests  and  all  had 
considerable  influence  in  local  affairs.  They 
were  animated  by  a  single  desire  to  promote 
the  welfare  of  the  new  municipality,  and  they 
set  about  doing  it  at  once  and  to  the  best  of 
their  ability.  We  cannot  agree  with  all  that 
this  first  Board  of  Aldermen  did,  but  that  its 
membeirs  were  devoted  with  rare  honesty  of 
purpoise  and  strict  fidelity  to  the  prosperity  of 
the  young  city  and  of  their  constituents,  is  be- 
yond question. 

The  first  and  most  emphatic  evidence  of 
this  occurred  on  their  opening  meeting,  where 
they  elected  George  Hall  as  first  Mayor  of 
Brooklyn.  No  man  in  Kings  county  had  a 
more  intimate  acquaintance  with  local  affairs 
or  more  practical  experience  in  their  adminis- 
tration. He  had  served  as  a  trustee  of  the  old 
village  and  was  its  last  President,  holding 
that  office  when  the  law  which  brought  the 
city  into  being  went  into  effect.  Born  in  New 
York,  September  21,  1795,  of  Irish  parents, 
he  grew  up  an  American  among  Americans, 
and  in  time  became  one  of  the  local  leaders  of 
the  old  Know-Nothing  party,  a  party  whose 
merits  have  been  forgotten  in  the  modern  un- 
scrupulous rush  for  "votes."  Whatever  opin- 
ions he  held  he  never  concealed,  and  he  fol- 
lowed the  line  of  policy  he  deemed  the  best 
with  the  utmost  zeal,  regardless  of-  personal 
consequences.  A  thoroughly  brave  man,  as  his 


work  during  the  cholera  epidemic  showed,  he 
had  the  courage  of  his  'convictions  in  all  his 
public  doings.  He  was  a  stanch  advocate  of 
teetotalism  and  was  especially  proud  of  having 
been  the  first  man  in  Brooklyn  to  sign  a  tem- 
perance pledge.  So  determined  was  his  aver- 
sion to  intoxicating  liquor  that  he  refused  to 
swallow  a  little  on  his  dying  bed,  even  when 
it  was  prescribed  by  his  physician.  That  was 
a  characteristic  trait  of  the  man.  No  one  could 
be  more  determined  than  he  upon  any  point 
after  he  believed  it  to  be  right.  Nor  was  any 
man  more  generous.  In  business  life  he  ac- 
quired more  than  a  fair  measure  of  success, 
yet  his  charities  kept  him  poor.  He  was  al-  ■ 
ways  giving,  and  giving  in  such  a  way  that 
no  one,  not  even  himself,  knew  the  extent  of 
his  bounty.  In  all  local  institutions  for  help- 
ing the  poor,  the  distressed,  or  encouraging 
youth,  or  promoting  the  welfare  of  the  people, 
he  was  for  years  a  foremost  figure.  His  ad- 
ministration of  the  first  mayoral  term  of  Brook- 
lyn was  a  successful  one  in  every  way,  and  he 
was  a  candidate  for  the  office  in  1844  and 
again  in  1845,  but  went  down  each  time  with 
his  ticket.  In  1854,  when  Brooklyn,  Williams- 
burgh  and  Bushwick  were  consolidated,  he 
was  the  successful  candidate  for  the  votes 
of  the  united  territory  ,and  so  became  the  first 
Mayor  again  in  another  chapter  of  Brooklyn's 
history.  In  1861  he  was  the  Republican  can- 
didate for  the  office  of  Registrar,  but  was  de- 
feated, and  after  that  took  no  active  part  in 
politics  and  spent  his  days  quietly  at  the  home 
which  many  years  before  had  been  presented 
to  him  by  his  fellow  citizens,  at  37  Livingston 
Place.  There  he  died  April  16,  1868,  regretted 
by  the  entire  community,  and  the  funeral  ora- 
tion was  delivered  by  Henry  Ward  Beecher, 
who  well  knew  and  thoroughly  appreciated 
the  many  sterling  qualities  of  him  who  had 
served  Brooklyn  so  faithfully  and  so  long. 
Mr.  Beecher  on  this  occasion  made  one  of  his 
most  eloquent  public  utterances,  one  of  those 
addresses  which  won  for  him  praise  as  a  cit- 
izen, apart  from  his  eminence  in  the  pulpit. 


THE    FIRST    CITY. 


411 


The  other  Mayors  elected  during  this  sec- 
tion of  our  history  were : 

Jonathan  Trotter ' 1835-1836 

Jeremiah  Johnson 1837-1838 

Cyrus  P.  Smith 1839-1841 

Henry  C.  Murphy 1842 

Joseph  Sprague 1843-1844 

Thomas  G.  Talmadge 1845 

Francis  B.  Stryker 1846-1848 

Edward  Copeland 1849 

Samuel  Smith 1850 

Conklin  Brush 1851-1852 

Edward  A.  Lambert 1853-1854 

The  Mayors  were  chosen  by  the  Aldermen 
until  1840,  when  a  new  act  of  the  Legislature 
!;ave  the  people  the  privilege  of  electing  their 
local  chief  executive,  and  so  Mayor  Cyrus  P. 
Smith  entered  upon  his  second  term  under 
really  popular  auspices.  Most  of  these  men 
were  of  more  than  ordinary  ability  and  fully 
deserved  the  pre-eminence  they  received  at  the 
hands  of  their  fellow  citizens.  Only  three  of 
them — ^Johnson,  Murphy  and  Stryker — were 
natives  of  Brooklyn.  Samuel  Smith  was  a 
native  Long  Islander.  Trotter  was  born  in 
England,  and  the  others  hailed  from  various 
parts  of  the  Union.  Trotter  was  a  leather 
dresser  and  acquired  considerable  means,  but 
was  "'caught"  in  the  financial  panic  of  1837 
and  compelled  to  retire  from  politics  to  build 
up  anew  his  business  connections,  and  so  con- 
tinued until  his  death,  in  1865.  Of  the  long 
and  varied  career  of  Mayor  Johnson  full  de- 
tails have  already  been  given.  Mayor  C.  P. 
Smith  was  essentially  a  self-made  man,  and 
was  graduated  from  Dartmouth  College  in 
1824,  after  paying  his  way  through  its  classes 
with  his  own  earnings.  He  then  studied  law 
and  settled  in  Brooklyn,  in  1837,  where  he 
quickly  built  up  a  splendid  practice.  From 
1835  until  he  was  chosen  as  Mayor  he  was  the 
city's  Corporation  Counsel.  The  chief  feature 
of  his  whole  career  was,  however,  his  devotion 
to  the  cause  of  popular  education,  and  he  was 
connected  with  the  Board  of  Education  for 


thirty  years,  during  twenty-one  of  which  he- 
presided  over  its  deliberations. 

Joseph  Sprague,  who  was  elected  Mayor  in 
1843,  was  a  native  of  Leicester,  Massachu- 
setts, and  he  led  a  rather  adventuresome  and 
disappointing  business  life  until,  in  181 1,  he 
married  a  member  of  the  Debevoise  family 
and  settled  at  Bedford,  Brooklyn.  He  made 
considerable  money  during  the  war  of  1812. 
From  that  time  he  became  prominently  identi- 
fied with  Brooklyn  and  was  President  of  the 
village  from  1827  to  1832.  He  was  one  of 
those  who  'secured  a  charter  for  the  Long 
Island  Bank  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Long  Island  Insurance  Company.  In  1834 
he  was  chosen  President  of  the  Long  Island 
Insurance  Company  and  carried  that  institu- 
tion safely  through  the  panic  of  1837.  As 
Mayor  he  worked  incessantly  and  honestly  for 
the  welfare  of  Brooklyn,  and  although  at  first 
he  encountered  strong  opposition  from  those 
hostile  to  him  in  politics  his  sterling  honesty 
and  high  administrative  qualities  slowly  but 
surely  overcame  all  factious  oppo'sition,  while 
his  action  in  causing  the  arrest  of  several 
members  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  for  mis- 
demeanor, based  on  their  neglect  of  public 
business,  demonstrated  to  all  concerned  that 
though  a  man  of  placid.  Christian  character, 
he  was  not  to  be  trifled  with.  He  was,  almo'st 
from  the  beginning  of  his  connection  with 
Brooklyn,  a  worker  on  behalf  of  its  religious 
interests,  and  was  one  of  those  who,  in  1822, 
founded  the  First  Presbyterian  Church.  He 
was  also  prominent  in  Masonic  circles  and  in 
1826  was  elected  Master  of  Hohenlinden 
Lodge,  No.  56.  He  was  re-elected  Mayor  in 
1844  and  may  be  said  to  have  continued  in 
public  life  until  his  death,  December  12,  1854. 

T.  G.  Talmadge,  who  was  elected  Mayor  in 
1845,  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey  who  set- 
tled in  Brooklyn  in  1840  and  at  once,  seeming- 
ly, became  prominent  in  its  public  life.  Al- 
though successful  as  a  business  man,  he  was 
a  politician  clear  through,  a  Democrat  "dyed- 
in-the-wool,"  as  they  used  to  say,  and  he  car- 


412 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


ried  his  political  ideas— .-his  party  dogmas  and 
■cries — into  everything  he  said  or  did.  He 
took  a  most  active  interest  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  Gowanus  district,  in  which  he  held 
•considerable  property  and  developed  an  en- 
lightened public  policy  as  President  of  the 
Broadway  Railroad  Company.  He  acquired 
much  influence  in  the  national  councils  of  his 
party,  being  at  one  time  chairman  of  its  Gen- 
eral Committee,  but  he  was  not  called  upon  to 
hold  any  elective  position  outside  of  Brook- 
lyn, and  he  died  there  May  4,  1863.  At  the 
election  for  Mayor,  in  1846,  Talmadge  was 
again  a  candidate,  but  was  defeated  by  his 
Whig  opponent,  Francis  Burdett  Stryker. 

Stryker  was  a  worthy,  but  at  the  same 
time  a  curious,  product  of  American  political 
life.  When  he  received  the  mayoralty  nomina- 
tion he  was  working  as  a  journeyman  car- 
penter, but  had  previously  held  the  elective 
office  of  Sheriff,  showing  that  he  had  built  up 
.a  strong  following  among  the  people.  He  was 
re-elected  Mayor  in  1847,  and  again  in  1848, 
•each  time  in  face  of  strong  opposition;  and 
although  his  administration  of  the  office  could 
not  be  called  brilliant  it  was  eminently  safe, 
while  his  practical  knowledge  of  the  wants  of 
the  people  and  his  devotion  to  them  in  many 
trying  times  won  him  hosts  of  supporters,  in- 
dependent of  party.  Yet  he  was  a  strict  party 
man  at  all  times,  and  every  office  he  held  came 
to  him  as  a  reward  for  his  political  zeal  and  as 
.a  result  of  his  political  influence. 

His  successor  in  the  Mayoralty,  in  1849, 
was  also  a  zealous  Whig,  Edward  Copeland. 
He  was  a  graduate  of  Columbia  College,  a 
scholar,  a  good  business  man,  and  a  safe 
administrative  official.  For  many  years  he  was 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  and  it 
was  probably  in  connection  with  that  body  his 
best  work  was  done.  He  was  succeeded  as 
Mayor  by  a  Democrat,  Samuel  Smith,  who, 
however,  only  served  from  April,  1850,  to  the 
close  of  that  year,  an  amendment  to  the  city 
charter  making  subsequent  official  terms  begin 
with  the  calendar  year.    His  opponent  for  the 


civic  prize  was  J.  S.  T.  Stranahan,  whom  he 
defeated  only  by  some  300  votes.  Stranahan 
was  at  that  time  comparatively  a  stranger  in 
Brooklyn.  Smith  belonged  to  an  old  Long 
Island  family,  and  had  carried  a  musket  dur- 
ing the  War  of  1812  as  a  member  of  the  Wash- 
ington Fusiliers.  Originally  a  cooper  by  trade. 
Smith  had  managed  to  acquire  some  real  es- 
tate near  what  is  now  Fulton  street,  after-, 
ward  added  to  it  by  extensive  purchases  around 
the  present  Schermerhorn  and  Smith  streets, 
and  went  into  farming  to  hold  his  property 
together,  and  earn  his  hving  and  pay  his  taxes 
while  waiting  for  the  rise  in  value,  which  he 
saw  was  inevitable.  When  it  came  he  found 
himself  wealthy,  and  all  through  his  life  he 
continued  to  be  a  shrewd  but  honest  dealer  in 
Brooklyn  real  estate.  He  was  elected  Mayor 
with  the  view  of  introducing  economy  in  local 
affairs,  and  this  he  certainly  succeeded  in  ac- 
complishing, as  far  as  his  limited  term  of 
service  gave  him  opportunity. 

The  whirligig  of  politics  at  the  following 
election  gave  him  a  .Whig  successor,  in  Conk- 
lin  Brush,  who  held  the  Mayor's  office  for  two 
years,  and  also  gave  the  city  a  good  business 
administration.  To  his  exertions  and  busi- 
ness instinct  Brooklyn  was  largely  indebted 
for  the  successful  establishment  of  the  At- 
lantic Docks,  of  which  he  was  elected  a  Di- 
rector at  the  formation  of  the  company,  in 
1840;  and  as  President  of  the  Mechanics' 
Bank,  of  Brooklyn,  he  judiciously  used  the  re- 
sources of  that  institution  in  furthering  the 
commercial  interests  of  the  city  at  large. 

At  the  election  of  1853  politics  see-sawed 
again  and  a  Democrat  was  chosen  to  the  ex- 
ecutive office.  Edward  A.  Lambert,  the  last 
of  the  Mayors  of  the  first  City  of  Brooklyn, 
as  it  is  commonly  called,  was  a  native  of  New 
York  City,  but  removed  across  the  East  River 
at  an  early  age.  As  Mayor  he  strove  to  re- 
duce the  expenses  of  the  municipality  and  cer- 
tainly succeeded  in  introducing  several  reforms 
in  the  way  of  economy,  while  at  the  same  time, 
with  the  financial  blindness  of  the  period,  he 


THE    FIRST    CITY. 


413 


gladlv  granted  charters  to  such  organizations 
as  street  railroad  companies  practically  for 
nominal  considerations.  Of  course  at  that  era 
in  municipal  history  the  value  of  such  franchis- 
es were  decidedly  unknown  quantities,  and  as 
by  their  bestowal  the  general  public  was  sup- 
posed to  be  primarily  benefited,  such  franchises 
were  generally  freely  given  away,  not  alone 
in  Brooklyn,  but  in  all  other  cities.  Yet  a  little 
of  the  shrewdness  shown  by  private  citizens 
in  buying  and  holding  real  estate  might  have 
been  applied  to  estimating  the  future  value  of 
these  gifts  and  made  them  of  considerable 
practical  value  to  the  treasury  of  the  munici- 
pality. Certainly  in  the  case  of  the  street  car 
lines,  and  their  multiplicity  in  the  main  arteries 
of  Brooklyn,  nothing  contributed  more  to  the 
upbuilding  of  the  city  outside  of  the  ferry 
system,  and  in  that  way  the  community  was 
benefited ;  but  had  such  public  franchises  been 
awarded  from  the  first  on  a  business  basis,  it 
would  have  saved  many  hard  feelings  and 
harsh  words  in  the  future.  Mayor  Lambert's 
term  was  distinguished  by  the  inauguration 
of  several  public  improvements,  to  which  refer- 
ence will  be  made  in  the  course  of  this  chap- 
ter ;  and  it  was  also  marked  by  plague  and  riot, 
the  latter  the  result  of  the  bitterness  of  po- 
litical feeling  mainly  between  the  citizens  of 
Irish  birth  and  the  local  Know-Nothings,  both 
of  which  parties,  or  factions,'  or  classes  at  the 
time  proved  irreconcilable  as  the  famed  Kil- 
kenny cats.  When  the  rioting  broke  out 
Mayor  Lambert  was  enjoying  a  trip  across  the 
ocean  for  the  benefit  of  his  health ;  but  on  his 
return  he  quietly  put  down  the  open  turbu- 
lence and  his  firm  hand  guided  local  afifairs 
into  their  usually  calm  current.  He  continued 
active  in  public  life  after  his  retirement  from 
the  City  Hall,  and  during  the  Civil  War  was 
prominent  in  local  measures  undertaken  on 
behalf  of  that  great  conflict  and  especially  in 
the  memorable  Sanitary  Fair  of  1864. 

In  recalling  those  citizens  who  presided 
over  the  destinies  of  Brooklyn  in  what  was 
beyond  a  doubt  the  most  critical  period  in  her 


history — the  period  of  her  development — the- 
name  of  the  fourth  Mayor,  Henry  Cruse  Mur- 
phy, has  been  reserved  to  the  last  for  more 
special  mention,  as  he  was  not  only  the  most 
richly  endowed,  intellectually,  of  all  his  pred- 
ecessors and  successors  in  that  office,  but 
because  he  became  a  figure  of  national  im- 
portance, and  much  of  the  higher  intellectual 
development  that  distinguishes  Brooklyn  at  the 
present  day  is  due  to  his  initiative  and  example. 
A  gifted  man  in  every  respect,  a  public-spirited- 
citizen,  an  able  and  accomplished  lawyer,  a 
man  of  sterling  honesty  and  purity  of  purpose, 
inflexible, in  his  pursuit  of  the  right,  yet  warm- 
hearted, generous  and  sometimes  impulsive,  he 
was  the  very  type  of  man  most  Americans  de- 
sire to  see  lifted  up  into  high  public  station, 
but  who  seldom  are  ambitious  for  such  honors,, 
or  care  to  be  associated  with  active  politics. 

His  grandfather,.  Timothy  Murphy,  emi- 
grated from  Ireland  in  1766  and  settled  in 
Monmouth  county.  New  Jersey.  Timothy 
prospered  in  his  new  abode  and  saw  active 
service  on  the  Patriotic  side  during  the  Revo- 
lution. He  grew  rich  as  his  years  advanced,, 
married  into  a  good  family,  and  left  four  sons 
and  four  daughters.  The  second  of  these  sons, 
John  G.  Murphy,  settled  in  Brooklyn  in  1808, 
engaged  in  business  as  a  millwright,  held  sev- 
eral public  offices,  was  the  patentee  and  co- 
inventor  of  the  "horse"  ferryboat  system,  and 
acquired  a  comfortable  competence.  He  died' 
in  1853,  leaving  four  daughters  and  two  sons. 
The  eldest  of  the  latter,  Henry  C.  Murphy,. 
was  born  in  Brooklyn,  July  5,  1810,  was  ed- 
ucated for  the  legal  profession  and  after  he 
was  graduated  at  Columbia  College  entered 
the  office  of  Peter  W.  Radclift'e,  in  New  York. 
In  1833  he  was  called  to  the  bar  and  at  once- 
entered  upon  practice  in  Brooklyn.  Success 
came  to  him  quickly.  He  was  even  then  well 
known  in  literary  circles^  and  the  local  Demo- 
cratic leaders  had  found  hhn  a  brilliant  speaker, 
a  quick  debater  and  a  zealous  partisan,  whose 
loyalty  was  beyond  question ;  one  who  pos- 
sessed, in  fact,  all  the  qualities  that  promised 


414 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


future  leadership.  In  1834,  within  a  year  after 
he  had  "hung  out  his  shingle,"  he  was  ap- 
pointed Assistant  Corporation  Council,  and  at 
the  Democratic  State  Convention  that  year,  to 
which  he  was  a  delegate,  he  received  the  honor 
of  the  Chairmanship  of  the  Committee  on 
Resolutions.  In  1835  Mr.  Murphy  formed  a 
professional  partnership  with  John  A.  Lott, 
and  not  long  afterward  Judge  Vanderbilt  was 
added  to  the  alliance,  which  as  Lott,  Murphy 
■&  Vanderbilt  was  for  many  years  afterward 
not  only  the  leading  legal  firm  in  Brooklyn 
but  the  heart  of  its  political  life,  the  local 
headquarters  of  the  Democratic  party,  the 
abiding  place  of  "the  machine,"  as  we  would 
call  it  nowadays.  Mr.  Murphy  devoted  him- 
self mainly  to  the  legal  business  of  the  firm, 
retaining  his  activity  in  politics,  however,  and 
seeking  relaxation  in  literary  work.  In  those 
days  he  was  recognized  as  one  of  the  busiest 
men  in  Brooklyn,  and  the  calls  upon  his  time 
were  many  and  incessant,  for  his  personal  pop- 
ularity was  unbounded. 

In  1842  he  was  selected  by  his  party  as  its 
■candidate  for  the  Mayoralty  of  Brooklyn  and 
was  elected.  His  platform  was  the  old  and 
well-worn  one  of  "retrenchment  and  reform," 
and  he  started  to  make  good  his  promises  of  an 
economical  administration  by  reducing  his  own 
salary  and  by  instituting  many  judicious 
changes  which  led  to  other  economies.  His 
administration  was  of  rare  value  to  the  city, 
and  was  conducted  on  lines  which  advanced  its 
present  and  future  interests,  for  he  had  an 
abiding  faith  in  the  future  of  Brooklyn.  As 
Mayor  he  added  greatly  to  his  personal  popu- 
larity and  this  caused  him  to  leceive,  in  1843, 
the  Democratic  nomination  for  congress  from 
the  Second  District.  He  was  elected  and  served 
one  term,  but  was  defeated  when  he  presented 
himself  for  re-election,  owing  to  dissensions 
in  his  party's  ranks.  In  1846,  however,  he  was 
again  returned,  and  on  the  expiration  of  that 
term  he  declined  to  be  a  candidate  for  re-elec- 
tion. His  legal  business  then  demanded  his 
entire  attention  and  he  devoted  himself  to  it, 


leaving  politics  for  the  time  to  take  care  of 
itself.  In  1852,  however,  he  came  to  the  front 
again,  in  the  public  eye,  for  at  the  Democratic 
National  Convention,  held  in  Baltimore  that 
year,  he  found  himself  a  prominent  candidate 
for  the  Presidential  nomination.  That  honor 
fell,  however,  to  Franklin  Pierce  and  in  the 
contest  which  ended  in  the  latter's  election 
Mr.  Murphy  took  a  prominent  part  and  then 
returned  to  his  law  practice.  In  1857  Presi- 
dent Buchanan  appointed  him  Minister  to  The 


HENRY    C.   MURPHY. 


Hague.     One  of  his- biographers,  Mr.  L.  B. 
Proctor,  writes: 

As  he  had  long  been  identified  in  the  work 
of  rescuing  from  oblivion  the  early  history  of 
our  State,  particularly  that  part  which  relates 
to  our  first  colonization  by  Holland,  there  was 
something  in  the  opportunity  which  this  ap- 
pointment offered  eminently  congenial  to  his 
historic  and  literary  taste,  and  this  w^s  the  par- 
amount reason  for  his  accepting  the  position. 
Before  leaving  for  this  new  sphere  of  action, 
a  farewell  banquet  was  given  him  at  the  Man- 
sion House,  Brooklyn.  It  took  place  August  5, 
1857.    A  large  number  of  his  fellow  citizens  of 


THE    FIRST    CITY. 


415 


all  parties  were  present  to  testify  to  their  high 
respect  for  him.  The  occasion  will  long  be  re- 
membered as  one  of  the  happiest  social  events 
that  ever  took  place  in  Brooklyn.'  In  response 
to  a  sentiment  he  made  a  brief,  touching,  fare- 
well address,  in  the  course  of  which  he  used 
the  following  prophetic  language,  which  recent 
events  have  proved  singuarly  true:  "It  re- 
quires," he  said,  "no  spirit  of  prophecy  to  fore- 
tell the  union  of  the  two  cities,  of  New  York 
and  Brooklyn,  at  no  distant  day;  the  river 
which  divides  them  will  soon  cease  to  be  a  line 
Ol  separation,  and,  bestrode  by  the  Colossus  of 
Commerce,  will  form  a  link  which  will  bind 
them  together." 

During  his  absence  of  three  years  at  The 
Hague,  he  found  time  to  communicate  a  series 
of  thirty-five  most  interesting  letters  upon  Hol- 
land and  other  parts  of  Europe,  to  The  Brook- 
lyn Eagle,  many  of  which  were  extensively 
copied  in  other  papers.  As  happens  in  most 
cases  of  eminent  jurists  and  statesmen  occu- 
pying places  of  commanding  influence,  Mr. 
Murphy  became  a  subject  of  invidious  com- 
ment, by  which  dull  or  prejudiced  men  seek  to 
disparage  those  gifts,  and  that  influence,  which 
is  beyond  their  own  reach;  and  there  were 
those  whd  sought  to  injure  Mr.  Murphy,  in  at- 
taching blame  to  certain  acts  of  his  while  at 
The  Hague,  and  even  launching  the  arrows  of 
detraction  at  him  while  at  home.  But  these 
were  of  short  life,  and  his  fair  fame  emerged 
from  them,  and  he  continued  to  exercise  great 
influence,  much  of  which  was  exerted  in  be- 
half of  his  native  city. 

Recalled  from  The  Hague  by  President 
Lincoln  in  accordance  with  political  usage, 
Mr.  Murphy  strained  every  effort  to  aid  in  the 
preservation  of  the  Union  he  loved  and  the 
Constitution  he  revered.  He  was  zealous  in 
promoting  enlistments,  used  his  purse  freely  in 
sending  men  to  the  front  and  was  mainly  in- 
strumental in  equipping  two  regiments.  Dur- 
ing the  conflict  between  the  States  he  was  a 
member  of  the  State  Senate  and  every  war 
measure  in  the  Legislature  found  him  an  un- 
wavering and  liberal  supporter.  In  1866,  and 
again  in  1868,  he  was  prominently  mentioned 
as  a  candidate  for  Governor,  and  in  1875  he 
entered  the  lists  for  a  seat  in  the  United  States 
Senate,  but  after  a  long  and  somewhat  acri- 


monious contest  he  was  defeated  by  Francis 
Kernan. 

While,  in  a  certain  sense,  Mr.  Murphy 
failed  of  success  in  his  aspirations  for  a  place 
in  National  politics,  there  is  no  question  of  the 
eminent  success  of  his  position  as  one  of  the 
upbuilders  'of  Brooklyn.  As  Mayor  he  care- 
fully watched  over  the  entire  interests  of  the 
city,  safeguarded  its  treasury,  and  fostered  im- 
provements. Such  schemes  as  the  improve- 
ments of  the  water-front,  the  Atlantic  Docks, 
and  the  opening  of  great  thoroughfares,  like 
Myrtle  avenue,  were  zealously  promoted,  and 
in  later  life  he  procured  the  appropriation 
which  built  the  dry  docks  at  the  Navy  Yard. 
He  interested  himself  particularly  in  the  de- 
velopment of  Coney  Island  as  a  popular  sum- 
mer resort,  believing  that  Brooklyn  itself 
would  be  benefited  thereby,  and  he  rendered 
practical  assistance  to  this  end  as  President  of 
the  Brooklyn,  Flatbush  &  Coney  Island  Rail- 
road. In  the  advancement  of  the  ferry  system 
he  was  also  an  ardent  worker,  and  the  union 
of  the  cities  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn  by 
means  of  a  bridge  capable  of  carrying  all  sorts 
of  traffic  was  one  of  the  dreams  of  his  early 
manhood  which  he  lived  to  see  fully  realized. 
When  the  plans  for  such  a  scheme  were  first 
submitted  he  threw  himself  into  the  project 
with  all  the  enthusiasm  of  his  nature,  and 
whether  as  President  of  the  company  which 
first  launched  the  plans  for  spanning  the  East 
River,  or  afterward  as  one  of  the  Trustees 
representing  the  City  of  Brooklyn  in  the  work, 
he  never  wearied  in  rendering  watchful  assist- 
ance or  practical  direction  and  advice  while  the 
work  progressed  in  the  face  of  countless  and 
unforeseen  obstacles. 

To  a  certain  extent  it  may  be  said  that  Mod- 
ern Brooklyn  is  Senator  Murphy's  greatest  and 
most  enduring  monument.  But  time  brings 
about  a  strange  forgetfulness  of  municipal 
achievement  and  there  is  no  gainsaying  the  fact 
that  his  name  will  longer  be  recalled  for  his  lit- 
.erary  work  than  for  anything  else.  A  man  of 
scholarly  attainments,  he  was  all  through  his 


410 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


life  a  diligent  student,  and  history,  especially 
local  history,  had  a  deep,  unwearying  fascina- 
tion for  him.  He  gathered  together  in  early 
life  a  valuable  library  of  books  relating  to 
early  American  exploration  and  story  of  which 
in  later  years  he  was  justly  proud,  and  he  was 
hardly  settled  in  practice  before  he  began  an 
investigation  of  the  early  history  of  Brooklyn, 
which  finally  placed  him  at  the  head  of  all  local 
historians.  He  delighted  also  to  study  the  rec- 
ords of  the  early  Dutch  settlements,  and  for 
this  study  he  found  ample  scope  during  his 
official  residence  at  The  Hague.  His  work  as 
a  student  of  history,  however,  found  its  richest 
fruits  in  the  aid  he  rendered  in  the  organization 
of  the  Long  Island  Historical  Society,  and  in 
the  circular  which  first  called  that  institution 
into  life  .his  name  appeared  as  the  leader.  To 
its  library  and  collection  he  proved  a  liberal 
contributor,  and  in  all  its  work — publications, 
lectures,  discussions,  as  well  as  building  and 
collecting — he  was  from  its  institution  in  1864 
until  his  death  an  unwearied  worker.  All 
through  his  career  he  was  a  diligent  contrib- 
utor to  the  local  newspaper  press  and  for  a 
brief  period  was  editor  of  The  Brooklyn  Advo- 
cate, the  precursor  of  the  Brooklyn  Daily 
Eagle.  Of  the  latter  paper  he  was  at  one  time 
proprietor,  and  many  of  his  most  charming 
essays  and  interesting  historical  -letters  and 
monographs  appeared  in  its  columns  from  the 
day  it  was  first  issued  almost  until  he  laid 
aside  his  pen  forever. 

A  full  list  of  the  works  printed  by  j\Ir. 
Murphy  follows : 

"A  Catalogue  of  an  American  Library, 
Chronologically  Arranged"  (589  titles).  (Pri- 
vately printed). 

"The  First  Minister  of  the  Dutch  Reformed 
Church  in  the  United  States."  (Privately 
printed.)     The  Hague,  1857. 

"Henry  Hudson  in  Holland,  an  Enquiry 
into  the  Origin  and  Objects  of  the  Voyage 
which  led  to  the  Discovery  of  the  Hudson 
River."     The  Hague,  18.59. 

"Anthology  of  the  New  Netherlands,  or 
Translations  from  the  Early  Dutch  Poets  of 


New  York."  (Bradford  Club.)  New  York, 
1865. 

"Poetry  of  Nieuw  Neder-Landt;  Compris- 
ing Translations  of  Early  Dutch  Poems  Re- 
lating to  New  York,  etc."     1866. 

"The  Voyage  of  Verrazano."  (Privately 
printed.)     Albany,  1875. 

"Journal  of  a  Voyage  to  New  York  and  a 
Tour  in  Several  of  the  American  Colonies  in 
1679-80,  by  Jaspar  Dankers  and  Peter  Sluy- 
ter."     L.  I.  Historical  Society,  1867. 

Many  of  Mr.  Murphy's  most  valuable  pa- 
pers, such  as  translations  from  the  Dutch  of 
early  voyages  to  America,  etc.,  are  entombed 
and  forgotten  in  the  printed  "Transactions" 
of  the  New  York  Historical  Society,  of  which 
he  was  long  a  most  active  member.  He  died  in 
1882,  leaving  behind  him  a  memory  for  a  life 
of  good  deeds  and  noble  aspirations  which 
ought  ever  to  keep  his  name  at  the  very  head 
of  the  long  roll  of  distinguished  citizens  oi 
which  Brooklyn  is  so  justly  proud. 

Having  thus,  as  in  duty  bound,  paid  our 
■  respects  to  the  Mayors,  we  may  now  consider 
the  progress  of  the  city  under  their  respective 
reigns.  As  has  been  said,  they  all  filled,  and 
most  of  them  filled  well,  their  appointed  places 
in  the  community ;  and,  this  much  premised, 
we  may  proceed  to  speak  of  the  community 
without  much  reference  to  the  nominal  lead- 
ers. The  time  has  gone  by  when  the  history 
of  a  nation  is  considered  as  told  in  a  series  of 
biographies  of  its  rulers ;  and  Mayors,  like 
even  greater  potentates,  must  be  relegated  to 
the  background  when  we  speak  of  The  People. 

With  the  inauguration  of  the  new  city,  as 
was  to  be  expected,  an  active  era  of  public 
improvement  set  in.  A  movement  to  purchase 
some  waste  land  at  the  Wallabout  for  a  public 
park  was  instituted  by  the  corporation  and  a 
survey  of  the  entire  territory  under  the  charter 
was  ordered  and  begun ;  but  it  was  not  until 
1839  that  the  Commissioners  completed  their 
labors  and  were  able  to  submit  a  report.  Then 
a  scheme  for  a  permanent  water  line,  from 
Jay  street  round  to  Red  Hook,  was  prepared 
by  General  J.  G.  Swift,  and  adopted,  although 


THE    FIRST    CITY. 


417 


its  suggestions  were  not  fully  put  into'  effect 
for  quite  a  number  of  years,  and  in  fact  were 
not  carried  out  at  any  time  in  full  details  as 
the  desire  to  encroach  upon  the  river  as  much 
as  possible  by  filling  in  the  shore  line  neces- 
sitated constant  change  in  the  adopted  plans. 

But  the  glory  of  the  new  city,  the  outward 
and  patent  sign  of  the  new  order  of  things, 
was  to  be  the  projected. City  Hall,  which  be- 
fore a  stone  was  laid  was  regarded  as  certain 
to  prove  an  architectural  wonder,  the  Taj 
Mahal  of  America.  Building  on  the  founda- 
tion work  was  begun  in  the  fall  of  1835  and 
on  April  28,  1836,  Mayor  Trotter  laid  the 
corner-stone,  with  the  usual  ceremonies  and 
amid  much  speech-making  and  rejoicing.  An 
idea  of  the  intended  magnificence  of  the  edi- 
fice may  be  gathered  from  the  following  con- 
temporary description,  which  is  quoted  from 
Prime's  "History  of  Long  Island :" 

"Brooklyn  City  Hall,  now  erecting,  is  sit- 
uated at  the  intersection  of  Fulton,  Court,  and 
Joralemon  streets,  occupying  an  entire  block, 
forming  a  scalene  triangle  of  269  feet  on  Ful- 
ton street,  250  on  Court  street  and  222  on 
Joralemon  street.  The  exterior  of  the  build- 
ing is  to  be  constructed  of  marble,  and  to  have 
porticoes  on  the  three  fronts,  with  columns 
thirty-six  feet  6  inches  high,  ornamented  with 
capitals  of  the  Grecian  order  from  the  design 
of  the  Tower  of  the  Winds,  resting  on  a 
pedestal  base  seventeen  feet  high,  which  when 
completed  will  be  sixty-two  feet  from  the 
ground  to  the  top  of  the  cornice.  The  angles 
are  to  be  surrounded  by  domes,  and  rising 
from  the  centre  of  the  building  will  be  a  tower 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  in  height, 
which  will  be  enriched  with  a  cornice  and  en- 
tablature supported  with  caryatides  standing 
on  pedestals.  The  whole  will  have  a  most 
splendid  and  imposing  appearance  when  fin- 
ished. The  interior  will  be  finished  in  the  most 
chaste  and  durable  style  of  architecture,  calcu- 
lated to  accommodate  the  .different  public 
offices,  courts,  etc." 

For  a  time  all  seemed  well ;  but  the  work 

27 


had  not  progressed  very  far  when  the  Brook- 
lyn folks  began  to  understand  that  they  had 
not  fully  reckoned  with  the  question  of  cost, 
and  after  beginning  operations,  as  usual, 
"with  a  rush,"  the  bills  began  to  pour  in  upon 
the  city  with  equal  celerity.  Contractors  had 
to  be  paid  almost  as  soon  as  the  foundation 
work  had  been  completed,  and  then  almost 
every  "resh  course  of  stone  called  for  a  pay- 
ment to  the  builder.  The  public  treasury  was 
by  no  means  very  plethoric,  so  before  the  walls 
were  on  a  level  with  the  street  "payments  be- 
gan to  be  intermittent,  the  work  began  to  flag, 
the  initiatory  rush  was  over,  interest  in  the 
possession  of  an  architectural  wonder  weak- 
ened, and  finally  the  financial  panic  of  1837 
forced  a  cessation  of  all  work.  Little  was  said 
regarding  a  City  Hall  for  several  years,  but 
during  these  years  of  reflection  the  Brooklyn 
authorities  had  a  chance  to  abandon  the  hank- 
ering after  architectural  glory.  While  the 
building  lay  thus  unfinished  and  neglected, 
Historian  Prime  endeavored  to  make  the  mel- 
ancholy situation  useful  by  pointing  a  moral. 
He  said:  "This  stupendous  undertaking,  al- 
though arrested  in  its  commencement  by  un- 
controllable circumstances,  not  only  consti- 
tutes an  important  item  in  the  early  history  of 
the  city,  but  is  fraught  with  instruction  to  in- 
dividuals and  communities.  And  as  corpora- 
tions as  well  as  individuals  often  learn  wisdom 
by  dear-bought  experience,  should  these  mass- 
ive walls  never  rise  higher  the  expenditures 
may  not  be  wholly  in  vain.  They  will  stand 
as  a  friendly  beacon  to  warn  the  future  guard- 
ians of  the  city  of  the  mistakes  and  errors  of 
by-gone  days." 

But  useful  as  the  moral  might  have  been, 
such  a  memorial  of  municipal  miscalculation 
could  hardly  be  permitted  to  endure  indefinite- 
ly, no  matter  how  many  important  lessons  it 
might  present.  In  1845  the  plans  were  revised 
and  modified,  all  the  Grecian  porticos  but  one' 
were  cut  out,  the  caryatides  were  left  severely 
alone,  the  extent  of  the  structure  was  abbrevi- 
ated and  simplicity  everywhere  took  the  place 


418 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


of  ornament.  After  these  changes  work  was 
resumed  and  by  1849  the  City  Hall  was  com- 
pleted as  we  have  it  to-day.  Although  shorn 
of  its  intended  gorgeousness  it  is  a  beautiful 
structure,  and  its  elegant  proportions  always 
delight  the  eye.  Although,  architecturally,  it 
cannot  compare  with  the  beautiful  edifice 
which  is  the  headquarters  of  New  York's 
Civic  Government,  there  is  much  about  it  to 
admire, — perhaps  more  than  if  the  original  de- 
signs had  been  carried  out  in  their  entirety, 
for  it  seems' to  us  these  designs  attempted  to 
■accomplish  too  much,  and  their  completed  re- 
sults would  have  given  us  an  architectural 
■atrocity  which  would  have  been  laughed  at  in- 
stead of  eliciting  the  anticipated  praise. 

The  financial  panic  which  finally  sealed  the 
fate  of  the  original  designs  for  the  City  Hall 
was  felt  all  over  the  country.  Into  its  general 
causes  we  have  no  need  here  to  enter:  its  ori- 
gin and  its  story  of  disaster  belong  to  the 
general  history  of  the  United  States.  So  far 
as  Brooklyn  was  concerned  its  results  were 
mainly  felt  in  a  more  rigorous  safeguarding 
of  financial  resources  than  in  any  great  excess 
of  local  business  failures.  Certainly  the  con- 
sequent dullness  of  trade  was  felt,  and  felt 
Ikeenly,  in  Brooklyn;  the  prices  of  the  neces- 
saries of  life  rose  sharply  and  as  usual  in  such 
■crises  the  poor  suffered  severely,  but  the  local 
•stringency  and  depression  were  but  the  reflex 
■of  what  the  country  was  experiencing.  On 
May  10  the  banks  in  New  York  City  suspend- 
'od  specie  payments,  and  on  the  following  day, 
as  the  result  of  the  advice  of  a  hurriedly  called 
-public  meeting  of  citizens,  the  Brooklyn  banks 
•adopted  a  similar  course.  It  took  exactly  a 
■year  for  matters  to  right  themselves,  and  dur- 
ing the  continuance  of  the  commercial  disturb- 
ances the  people  were  taught  two  very  valu- 
able lessons :  First,  that  the  administration 
in  Washington  was  at  the  head  of  the  financial 
interests  of  the  nation,  and  that  paper  stamped 
or  printed  and  circulated  as  money  was  not 
■money. 

But  the  disaster  of  1837,  having  no  local 


foundation,  soon  lost  its  effect  in  Brooklyn 
and  the  march  of  improvement  and  develop- 
ment was  again  taken  up.  The  most  notable 
feature  in  this  was  the  inauguration  of  the 
Atlantic  Docks  enterprise  already  referred  to. 
In  1840  Daniel  Richards  organized  a  company 
with  a  capital  of  $1,000,000  and  bought  some 
forty  acres  of  what  was  practically  waste  land 
along  Buttermilk  Channel  from  Red  Hook 
northward — a  tract  of  marsh,  inlet,  low,  idle, 
washed  flats  and  rnud  banks — -with  the  view 
of  turning  the  property  into  a  gigantic  basin 
with  a  series  of  warehouses,  so  that  the  largest 
merchant  vessels  might  there  discharge  or  re- 
ceive their  cargoes.  The  project  was  pushed 
forward  vigorously  and  many  of  the  brightest 
business  men  of  Brooklyn  became  connected 
with  it.  Work  began  on  June  i,  1841 ;  cribs 
of  piles  were  built,  ponds  were  deepened  and  a 
stone  bulkhead  outlined  the  water's  front.  The 
soil  removed  to  make  the  main  basin  was  used 
to  fill  in  shallows  and  inlets  behind  the  bulk- 
head and  on  the  solid  ground  thus  formed  the 
first  of  the  warehouses  was  commenced  in 
May,  1844.  Four  years  later  the  splendid  line 
of  warehouses  half  a  mile  long  presented  a 
magnificent  unbroken  front  to  the  bay  except 
in  the  centre,  where  a  passage  some  200  feet 
wide  permitted  vessels  to  enter  the  basin.  All 
this  work  drew  renewed  attention  to  the  sec- 
tion in  which  it  was  situated  and  so  the  pros- 
perity of  South  Brooklyn,  as  it  came  to  be 
called,  had  its  real  beginning.  In  1848  Mr. 
Richards  petitioned  the  Common  Council  for 
permission  to  open  thirty-five  new  streets  in 
the  vicinity.  Other  improvements  followed 
and  the  commercial  success  of  the  enterprise 
made  most  of  these  improvements  permanent. 
The  Atlantic  Docks  have  proved  a  great  factor 
in  Brooklyn's  business  life.  The  main  basin 
has  an  area  of  forty  acres  and  a  depth  of 
twenty-five  feet,  and  can  be  entered  at  any 
state  of  the  tide.  The  total  wharfage  is  about 
two  miles,  and  the  pier  head  facing  Butter- 
milk Channel  is  3,000  feet  long.  The  ware- 
houses are  substantial  two  to  five-story  struc- 


THE    FIRST    CITY. 


419 


tures  of  brick  and  granite,  and  now  cover  an 
area  of  twenty  acres,  while  beside  them  are 
nine  steam  grain  elevators,  one  of  which  can 
raise  3,000  bushels  an  hour.  Such  facilities 
have  caused  the  Atlantic  Docks  to  become 
famous  in  shipping  circles  the  world  over  and 
have  fnade  Brooklyn  one  of  the  leading  grain 
depots  of  the  world. 

Another  improvement,  one  of  even  more 
direct  public  utility,  was  the  development  of 
the  system  of  public  transit  throughout  the 
city.  In  1840  a  line  of  omnibuses  was  run  be- 
tween Fulton  Ferry  and  East  Brooklyn,  and 
in  1845  a  similar  service  was  established  be- 
tween Fulton  and  South  Ferries.  In  1854  the 
Brooklyn  City  Railroad  Company  was  incor- 
porated and  by  July  of  the  following  year 
several  of  its  routes  were  opened,  notably 
those  of  Fulton  street,  and  Myrtle  avenue  and 
Flushing  avenue,  with  the  Ferry  as  their  start- 
ing points.  It  was  not  long  thereafter  before 
omnibuses  became  a  thing  of  the  past ;  even 
Montgomery  Queen's  stage  line  between  the 
Ferry  and  Wallabout,  splendid  service  though 
it  rendered  in  its  day,  had  to  give  way  to  the 
street  car. 

Several  efforts  to  provide  an  adequate 
water  supply  for  the  city  were  made  during 
the  time  covered  by  this  section,  but  without 
avail.  In  1853  several  streams  and  jxinds 
necessary  to  a  supply  of  water  were  purchased 
by  the  authorities,  at  a  cost  of  $44,000;  but 
when  the  question  of  taking  steps  to  bring 
about  an  ample  and  complete  supply  was  sub- 
mitted to  the  taxpayers  as  the  law  demanded, 
the  matter  was  invariably  voted  down.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  in  this  as  in  some  other  things 
Brooklyn  was  decidedly  slow,  and  slow  in  de- 
fiance of  her  own  best  interests.  For  instance, 
it  was  not  until  1848  that  gas  was  introduced 
into  the  city,  over  twenty  years  after  it  had 
been  successfully  introduced  across  the  river, 
where  its  success  as  an  illuminator  could  read- 
ily have  been  seen.  Still  gas  was  a  luxury, 
and  its  introduction  into  the  dwelHngs  of  the 
people  was  apt  to  be  attended  with  so  much 


"muss"'  and  discomfort  that  it  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at  that  the  citizens,  unaccustomed  to 
its  comfort  and  convenience,  were  apathetic 
concerning  it.  But  we  cannot  conceive  why 
they  were  so  strangely  indifferent  to  the  abso- 
lute ^necessity  of  a  full  and  unfailing  water 
supply,  even  were  it  for  no  more  than  the  pro- 
tection of  their  own  lives  and  property  from 
fire.  That  scourge  had  several  times  asserted 
itself  a  sufficient  number  of  times  to  have 
served  as  a  significant  assurance  that  addi- 
tional'protection  was  absolutely  needed. 

The  most  memorable  of  these  illustrations 
was  that  given  on  the  night  of  September  7, 
1848,  when  flames  were  seen  to  burst  out  of 
a  frame  building  on  Fulton  street,  near  Sands 
street.  The  wind  was  high  and  with  incredi- 
ble swiftness  the  flames  spread  until  the  whole 
block  back  to  Henry  street  was  a  seething, 
hissing  mass.  Then  the  flames  leaped  across 
Middagh  and  Fulton  streets.  Sands  street  to 
Washington  street  was  quickly  doomed,  and 
so  was  the  territory  between  High  street  and 
Concord  street  on  one  side,  and  Middagh  and 
Orange  across  Fulton  street,  as  well  as  both 
sides  of  Fulton  street  from  Poplar  street  to 
Pineapple.  In  fact  between  Henry  and  Wash- 
ington streets  and  Sands  and  Pineapple  and 
Concord  streets  but  little  was  left  standing. 
Brooklyn's  fire  force  could  do  nothing  to  stop 
the  progress  of  the  flames  and  'twenty-five  en- 
gines which  went  to  the  scene  from  New  York 
were  powerless  to  render  much  aid,  if  any,  on 
account  of  the  scarcity  of  water,  and  it  was 
only  by  the  seamen  and  marines  from  the 
Navy  Yard  blowing  up  the  houses  in  the  line 
of  the  fire  that  its  progress  was  finally  checked. 
The  loss  was  estimated  at  $1,500,000,  and 
among  the  buildings  destroyed  were  three 
churches, — Sands  street  Methodist,  the  Bap- 
tist, and  First  Universalist, — as  well  as  the 
Post  Office  and  the  offices  of  "The  Star"  and 
"The  Freeman"  newspapers.  The  details  of 
this  disaster  should  have  proved  a'  salutary 
lesson  as  to  the  immediate  need  of  an  abundant 
water  supply,  but  it  failed  in  this  regard,  al- 


420 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


though  the  widening  of  Fulton  street  along 
the  line  of  destruction  was  one  beneficial  result 
that  came  from  the  calamity.  Two  years  later 
another  serious  warning  came,  when  several 
warehouses  in  Furman  street  went  up  in 
smoke  and  involved  a  loss  of  some  $400,000. 
Then  it  began  to  be  apparent,  even  to  the 
most  close-fisted  taxpayer,  that  a  water  supply 
was  a  prime  necessity,  as  it  had  long  been  evi- 
.  dent  to  the  thinking  part  of  the  population, 
and  serious  efforts  were  made  to  hit  upon  a 
scheme  that  could  meet  with  popular  favor. 
But  when  the  question  of  cost  presented  itself, 
the  desire  again  died  out,  and  plan  after  plan 
was  suggested  without  the  slightest  success. 
Even  the  spectacular  effect  of  the  destruction 
of  Colonnade  Row,  on  the  Heights,  on  Dec. 
20,  1853,  did  not  arouse  the  people  anew  to  a 
sense  of  their  danger,  for  when  on  June  i,  the 
following  year,  a  plan  was  submitted  for  a  full 
water  system  with  a  reservoir  at  Cypress  HiHs, 
it  was  rejected  by  6,402  votes  out  of  a  total  of 
9,015  cast.  Still  it  was  only  too  evident  that 
some  complete  system  was  bound  to  come,  and 
those  who  most  keenly  realized  the  danger  did 
not  lose  sight  of  the  project  until,  as  we  will 
see  in  a  subsequent  chapter,  it  was  success- 
fully accomplished.  One  result  of  the  confla- 
grations named,  and  many  less  conspicuous 
or  disastrous  ones,  however,  was  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  various  hose  companies  into  a  Fire 
Department,  in  1855,  under  a  central  board. 
Up  to  that  time  and  indeed  for  some  years 
afterward  a  fire  company  was  more  of  a  polit- 
ical machine  than  anything  else. 

There  was  another  direction  in  which  the 
pressing  need  of  a  plentiful  water  supply  was 
indicated,  although  at  that  time  the  need  was 
not  so  well  understood  as  it  is  in  our  more  en- 
lightened days.  That  was  its  great  helpful- 
ness in  fighting  zymotic  diseases.  Of  visita- 
tion from  such  diseases  Brooklyn  had  its  full 
share  in  the  past,  and  even  under  the  enlarged 
powers  of  city  government  the  visits  contin- 
ued. In  May,  1849,  it  was  announced  that 
cholera  had  broken  out,  a  case  being  reported 


from  a  house  in  Court  street;  but  as  the  dis- 
ease had  been  raging  in  New  York  for  some 
time  its  appearance  in  Brooklyn  did  not  occa- 
sion much  surprise.-  It  continued  its  ravages 
until  near  the  close  of  September,  causing  642 
deaths.  Most  of  these  fatal  cases  were  fromi 
overcrowded  neighborhoods,  where  filth,  pov- 
erty and  drunkenness  abounded,  or  from 
houses  on  low  ground  where  stagnant  water 
filled  the  cellars  or  lay  in  deep  pools  in  front 
on  the  highways,  or  in  the  rear  yards.  Many 
fatal  cases  came  from  dwellings  on  the  river 
front;  and  could  the  story  of  the  visitatiort 
have  been  rightly  interpreted  it  would  have 
been  perceived  that  a  plentiful  supply  of  water 
and  a  proper  regard  for  sanitary  conditions 
would  have  lessened  the  death  rate  by  a  half 
or  even  more.  Another  visit  of  the  same  dread 
scourge  in  the  summer  of  1854  swelled  the  or- 
dinary death  figure  for  the  year  by  656. 

Such  outbreaks  undoubtedly  represented 
either  a  lack  of  knowledge  on  the  subject,  or 
popular  disregard,  or  both,  as  to  the  means  by 
which  they  might  be  prevented  or  their  conse- 
quence mitigated ;  and  such  remarks  might 
also  be  made  of  another  episode  in  the  history 
of  the  time  now  under  consideration,  which 
was  not  creditable  to  the  city  government  or 
to  the  mass  of  its  citizens. 

This  was  the  riot  of  April  4,  1844,  between- 
native  American  citizens  and  citizens,  or  resi- 
dents of  Irish  birth  in  the  vicinity  of  Dean  and'. 
Wyckofif  streets,  and  which  was  only  ended  by 
calling  out  the  militia.  It  was  a  part,  in  fact, 
of  a  long  series  of  irrepressible  conflicts 
caused  by  the  bitterness  engendered  by  the 
Know-Nothing  movement  and  which  then, 
raged  all  over  almost  all  States.  But  the  pres- 
ence in  Brooklyn  of  a  large  Irish  contingent 
and  of  such  a  big  majority  of  native-born  citi- 
zens ought  to  have  kept  the  authorities  on  the. 
alert  to  prevent  any  outbreak  such  as  that 
which  did  occur.  So  excited  was  popular  feel- 
ing in  this  instance  that  the  militia  had  to  re- 
main under  arms  all  night  patrolling  the  dis- 
trict. 


mfm 

■Siln 


422 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


There  were  many  companies  of  militia 
then  in  Brooklyn,— the  Light  Guards,  City 
Guard,  Continental  Guard  and  others.  In  fact 
there  had  been  no  lack  of  martial  spirit  since 
the  days  of  the  War  of  1812,  but  in  most 
cases  we  fear  it  was  the  uniform  that  attracted 
the  recruits  rather  than  any  burning  desire  to 
aid  in  the  maintenance  of  harmony  or  the 
preservation  of  the  State.  Each  company  was 
a  separate  organization,  each  had  its  own  uni- 
form, and  considerable  rivalry  was  shown  as 
to  which  would  secure  the  most  gorgeous. 
Discipline  in  all  of  them  was  lax,  drill  was 
confined  mainly  to  marching  so  as  to  be  ready 
for  a  parade,  and  rifle  shooting  was  rather  re- 
garded as  a  pastime  than  a  serious  business. 
It  was  seen  that  all  these  conditions  should  be 
improved,  and  that  the  city  ought  to  have  a 
military  arm  which  should  at  once  be  worthy 
of  it  and  prove,  of  practical  use  should  the  oc- 
casion arise.  The  riot  of  1846  and  the  various 
lesser  conflicts  between  the  civil  authority  and 
the  citizens  showed  how  useful  an  efficient  mil- 
itary force  could  be.  In  1844  several  of  the 
separate  companies  were  organized  into  a 
regiment — the  Fourteenth — but  as  each  com- 
pany wore  its  own  uniform  and  made  and  in- 
terpreted, to  a  great  extent,  its  own  laws,  the 
regimental  institution  was  mainly  a  paper  one. 
In  1 856' the  Thirteenth  Regiment  w;as  similar- 
ly formed  out  of  separate  companies,  the  firsi 
of  which  had  an  existence  since  1827.  It  was 
not  until  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  that 
Brooklyn  really  had  a  trained  military  force 
among  her  resources. 

The  police  force  was  a  semi-political  ma- 
chine, and,  while  it  is  not  to  be  inferred  from 
that  that  it  did  not  do  its -full  duty  to  the  best 
of  its  ability,  still  its  political  complexion  pre- 
vented it  from  acquiring  a  full  measure  of 
efficiency.  Then  it  should  be  remembered  that 
the  force  was  small  and  the  extent  of  territory 
under  its  care  was  wide  and  the  population 
somewhat  scattered.  When  the  city  came  into 
existence  J.  S.  Folk  was  at  the  head  of  the 
force,  which  consisted  of  247  men,  some  of  the 


outlying  districts  retaining  small  forces  of 
their  own.  In  1850  a  fully  equipped  police  de- 
partment for  the  entire  city  was  formed  and 
this  continued  to  preserve  the  peace  until  as 
the  result  of  a  villainous  act  of  political  chi- 
canery, Brooklyn  in  1857  was  merged  into  the 
Metropolitan  Police  District,  and  the  police 
control  virtually  fell  into  the  hands  of  New 
York  City  politicians.  It  got  rid  of  that  iniqui- 
tous political  scheme  in  1870,  passed  again 
under  local  control  and  continued  as  a  separate 
institution  until  the  final  stage  of  consolidation 
— when  Brooklyn  as  a  city  ceased  to  exist. 

But  enough  has  been  said  of  fires  and  chol- 
era and  the  police,  and.  attention  may  now  be 
turned  to  the  directions  in  which  the  citv  was 
making  real  progress  to  metropolitan  great- 
ness. In  1844  the  Association  for  Improving 
the  Condition  of  the.  Poor  was  organized, 
mainly  through  the  efforts  of  Senator  Mur- 
phy. In  1848  the  City  Hospital,  by  a  gift  of 
$25,000  from  Mr.  Augustus  Graham,  was  put 
in  possession  of  an  endowment  fund,  while  a 
few  years  later  Mr.  John  B.  Graham  provided 
the  city  with  an  Old  Ladies'  Home.  The 
Brooklyn  Athenaeum  was  started  in  1852  and 
the  Packer  Collegiate  Institute  for  Girls,  or- 
ganized in  1854,  carried  on  the  work  of  the 
Brooklyn  Female  Academy.  The  value  of  real 
estate  steadily  advanced  year  after  year  and 
the  city  continued  to  spread  out  in  all  direc- 
tions. In  1835  its  population  was  24,310;  in 
1840  it  had  increased  to  36,233 ;  in  1845  the 
figures  were  59,574,  and  in  1853  they  had 
swelled  to  almost  120,000.  Brooklyn  then  had 
all  the  elements  of  trade  to  insure  its  contin- 
ued prosperity.  Its  docks  were,  in  1853,  the- 
wonder  of  America,  and  some  of  its  indus- 
tries, notably  that  of  white  lead,  in  which  the 
philanthropic  brokers,  Augustus  &  J.  B.  Gra- 
ham, were  leading  factors,  far  exceeded  in  the 
value  of  their  annual  output  that  of  any  other 
place  in  the  world.  In  1853  taxable  property 
amounted  to  $12,000,000,  it  had  fifteen  public 
schools,  and  libraries  in  abundance.  Nine  car- 
riers,  however,    sufficed   to  deliver  the  mail 


THE    FIRST    CITY 


428 


from  the  postoffice  at  337  Fulton  street, — a 
small  number  indeed;  but  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  people  wrote  less  frequently  then 
than  now,  that  the  age  of  the  advertising  cir- 
cular had  not  arrived  and  that  people  vftre 
more  in  the  habit  of  calling  for  their  mail  than 
in  these  later  days. 

That  Brooklyn  was  extending  and  grow- 
ing there  was  no  question.  Hardly  a  month 
passed  that  some  farm  did  not  find  itself 
transformed  from  bearing  crops  into  city 
property  bearing  houses,  and  it  was  then  that 
Brooklyn  first  applied  to  itself  the  title  of  City 
of  Homes,  the  right  to  which  it  disputed  with 
Philadelphia  until  it  assumed  the  more  digni- 
fied epithet  of  the  "City  of  Churches."  In 
connection  with  the  steady  increase  in  the  pop- 
ulation it  was  even  then  admitted  that  the 
cause  of  this  was  the  steady  migration  of  men 
doing  business  in  New  York  to  homes  in 
Brooklyn.  Even  Mr.  Prime  noticed  this  fact 
and  expressed  some  fear  lest  such  citizens 
should  neglect  the  duties  which  they  owed  as 
citizens  to  their  place  of  residence.  But  the 
very  opposite  proved  to  be  the  case.  A  man's 
heart  is  generally  in  his  home,  and  while  for 
a  time  such  new-comers  might  regard  them- 
selves as  New  Yorkers  they  soon  came  to  look 
upon  themselves  as  Brooklynites  pure  and 
simple  and  to  become  among  the  most  devoted 
of  its  citizens.  The  old  gibe  that  Brooklyn 
was  New  York's  bedroom  was  never  used  by 
a  resident  of  Brooklyn  but  by  some  disap- 
pointed inhabitant  of  Gotham  who  was  unable 
to  change  his  environment  from  circumstances 
which  very  likely  in  his  heart  of  hearts  he  .re- 
gretted. In  Brooklyn  a  man  could  own  a 
home,  could  live  amid  all  the  influences  of 
wholesome  surroundings  and  pleasant  society 
and  at  the  same  time  be  within  as  easy  reach 
of  his  office,  or  store  or  factory  as  though  he 
had  no  ferry  to  cross.  At  that  time,  1853, 
Brooklyn's  means  of  transit,  poor  as  they  were 
in  comparison  with  those  now  existing,  were 
far  superior  to  those  in  its  twin  city. 

No  better  test  of  the  progress  of  a  city  can 


be  found  than  in  its  newspaper  press,  and  it  is 
fitting  that  some  reference  should  here  be 
made  to  that  of  Brooklyn.  Mention  has  al- 
ready been  made  of  Printer  Kirk's  journalistic 
ventures  and  the  connection  of  Alden  Spooner 
with  the  "Long  Island  Star"  beginning  with 
181 1.  "The  Long  Island  Patriot,"  issued  in 
1821  by  George  L.  Birch,  an  Irishman,  was 
carried  on  under  that  title  until  1833,  when  it 
was  changed  to  "The  Brooklyn  Advocate" 
and  pubHshed  by  James  A.  Bennett.  Under 
his  regime  Senator  Murphy  was  its  principal 
editorial  writer,  finding  in  the  opportunity 
thus  afforded  (there  was  no  money  in  it)  an 
excellent  sphere  of  practice  for  his  pen.  In 
1835  its  title  was  again  changed  and  it  became 
"The  Brooklyn  Advocate  and  Nassau  Ga- 
zette," which  lengthy  cognomen  it  retained 
until  its  suspension  in  1839.  ^^  1834  a  new 
candidate  for  public  favor  appeared  in  the 
"Brooklyn  Daily  Advertiser."  It  became  an 
evening  paper  within  a  few  months,  then 
sought  support  as  a  morning  issue  and  finally 
resumed  its  position  as  an  evening  paper,  and 
as  the  "Native  American  Citizen  and  Brook- 
lyn Evening  Advertiser"  became  the  organ  of 
the  Know-Nothings.  It  fell  into  the  news- 
paper morgue  with  the  decline  of  that  political 
sentiment.  "The  Brooklyn  Daily  News"  was 
commenced  in  1840  and  after,  a  brief  career 
was  merged  with  the  "Long  Island  Daily 
Times,"  but  the  combination  failed  to  win  pop- 
ular support  and  the  effort  ceased  in  1843. 
"The  Brooklyn  Evening  Star"  was  issued  by 
Col.  Spooner  in  1841  (after  two  previous  un- 
successful efforts,  in  1827  and  1834)  and  con- 
tinued to  figure  in  Brooklyn  journalism  until 
1862,  when  it  was  compelled  to  suspend,  the 
following  year,  1863,  witnessing  the  suspen- 
sion of  Spooner's  once  popular  sheet,  the 
"Long  Island  Star."  Long  before  that  hap- 
pened, however,  Alden  Spooner  had  ceased 
from  his  labors,  having  passed  away  Nov.  24, 
1848.  The  other  journalistic  ventures  in 
Brooklyn  of  this  period  are  hardly  worthy  of 
being  even  mentioned ;  they  were  merely  "poor 


424 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


sons  of  a  day"  and  retain  an  interest  only  for 
the  local  antiquary,  and  but  a  passing  degree 
of  interest  even  for  the  most  enthusiastic  of 
these.  The  literary  merit  of  those  fleeting 
sheets  was  most  conspicuous  by  its  absence. 

To  all  this.,  however,  an  exception  must  be 
made  in  favor  of  what  is  now,  and  has  been 
almost  since  its  first  issue,  the  most  successful 
and  influential  paper  published  on  Long 
Island, — the  Brooklyn  Daily  Eagle.  Lately 
indeed  it  has  boldly  wandered  forth  from  its 
insular  domain  and  demanded  a  place  among 
the  great  metropolitan  dailies,  and  its  demand 
in  that  respect  has  been  very  generally  allowed. 
Indeed  it  is  difficult  to  see  how  it  could  be  de- 
nied. A  perfect  and  complete  epitome  of  the 
news  of  the  world,  its  matter  well  edited,  its 
news  stories  clear  and  logical,  and  its  editorial 
page  bristling  with  clear  cut  comment  on 
events  of  the  day, — comments  which  carry  a 
vast  amount  of  weight  into  the  political  and 
social  life,  not  alone  of  Long  Island  but  of 
Greater  New  York  and  the  nation;  a  news- 
paper that  is  at  once  literary,  scientific,  re- 
ligious and  social,  every  issue  of  which  is  a 
reflex  of  all  that  is  going  on  at  home  or  abroad, 
of  all  that  interests  a  farmer,  a  preacher,  a 
professional  man,  a  merchant,  a  mechanic, 
which  appeals  with  equal  force  and  renders 
equal  service  to  the  teacher  in  his  sanctum  and 
the  man  about  town, — it  renders  a  faultless 
service  and  fully  deserves  the  honorable  posi- 
tion it  has  won  and  holds.  Its  origin  was  very 
humble.  The  first  number  was  issued  Octo- 
ber 26,  1841,  with  the  primal  purpose  of  serv- 
ing as  a  campaign  sheet  for  the  local  Democ- 
racy, and,  secondly,  with  the  view  of  testing 
public  opinion  and  sentiment  as  to  the  pros- 
pects for  a  daily  newspaper  devoted  to  that 
party.  Senator  Henry  C.  Murphy  was  its  real 
proprietor  and  editor,  although  in  the  latter 
capacity  he  shared  the  work  with  the  once  cele- 
brated author  of  the  "Moon  Hoax,"  Richard 
A.  Locke.  Its  success  was  immediate,  and 
this,  coupled  with  the  triumph  at  the  polls  of 


the  policy  it  had  espoused,  seemed  to  warrant 
its  continuance  as  a  daily  institution. 

Throwing  off  its  campaign  features,  it 
commenced  its  career  as  a  daily  newspaper 
Dec.  27,  1842,  under  the  editorial  care  of  Will- 
iam B.  Marsh,  who  won  for  it  an  enduring 
measure  of  success  prior  to  his  death,  in  1846. 
Before  that,  the  paper  had  been  purchased  by 
Isaac  Van  Anden,  who  continued  to  publish  it 
until  1870,  when  he  sold  the  property  to  an 
association- of  leading  Brooklyn  citizens,  who 
turned  its  proprietorship  into  a  joint  stock 
company,  and  so  it  remains.  Under  such 
editorship  as  that  of  Henry  McCloskey,  Walt 
Whitman,  Thomas  Kinsella,  William  Wood 
and  its  present  head,  St.  Clair  McKelway,  its 
course  has  been  one  of  uniform  success ;  and 
its  policy,  while  honestly  and  purely  Demo- 
cratic, has  ever  been  maintained  free  from 
party  dictation  or  the  influence  of  any  political 
machine.  National,  State  or  Municipal.  For 
many  years  its  office  on  lower  Fulton  street 
near  the  old  ferry  was  one  of  the  landmarks 
of  Brooklyn,  but  the  changes  caused  by  the 
opening  of  the  bridge  rendered  that  location 
undesirable,  and  since  1892  it  has  occupied  a 
magnificent  building  erected  for  its  own  use 
on  a  site  which  for  half  a  century  prior  to 
1868  was  that  of  the  St.  John's  Episcopal 
Church,  and  in  1871  was  occupied  by  the  ill- 
fated  Brooklyn  Theatre,  which  was  destroyed 
by  fire,  Dec.  5,  1876,  under  most  appalling  cir- 
cumstances. 

Although,  as  we  have  seen,  bountifully 
supplied  during  the  period  covered  by  this  sec- 
tion of  its  history,  with  newspapers,  Brooklyn 
could  not  be  described  as  having  much  literary 
distinction.  Most  of  her  best  work  in  that  de- 
partment belongs  to  a  later  period,  and  such 
literary  souls  as  she  did  produce  had  to  search 
elsewhere  for  their  bread  and  butter,  which 
things  are  as  essential  to  literature  as  to  me- 
chanics. Oliver  Bell  Bunce,  once  known  as  a 
novelist  whose  most  popular  book  was  a  little 
work  entitled  "Don't,"  pointing  out  mistakes 


THE    FIRST    CITY. 


425 


in  the  use  of  the  English  language,  is  some- 
times regarded  as  belonging  to  Brooklyn;  but 
on  what  ground,  beyond  that  of  temporary 
residence  in  it,  seems  difficult  to  point  out.  So, 
too,  with  John  G.  Saxe,  the  poet,  who  certain- 
ly resided  in  Brookl}-n  for  a  time  and  wrote 
much  of  his  verse  there,  but  never  somehow 
became  identified  with  it.  For  a  time  it  might 
be  said  he  was  in  Brooklyn,  but  not  of  it. 

It  seems  hard  to  have  to  put  a  native  Long 
Islander  and  a  poet  of  world-wide  renown  in 
the  same  category,  but  it  seems  to  be  that 
which  fits  Walt  Whitman  the  most  truly.  Born 
in  West  Hills,  Suffolk  county,  May  31,  1819, 
he  was  educated  mainly  in  Brooklyn.  After  a 
time  of  wandering,  during  which  he  learned 
the  trade  of  printer,  he  returned  to  that  city 
where  he  for  a  time  was  editor  of  the  "Eagle," 
and  engaged  in  business  as  a  printer.  It  can 
hardly  be  said  that  he  was  a  success  either  as 
an  editor  or  as  a  business  man,  or  that  he  iden- 
tified himself  much  with  Brooklyn.  He  speaks 
of  its  "beautiful  hills,"  but  its  central  point  of 
attraction  for  him  was  the  ferry,  and  his  heart 
was  more  in  the  Manhattan  than  on  the  Long 
Island  shore.  Still  there  seems  no  doubt  that 
it  was  in  Brooklyn  he  wrote  the  twelve  poems 
which  in  1855,  in  a  small  quarto  of  ninety-five 
pages,  made  up  the  first  edition  of  "Leaves  of 
Grass ;"  and  it  was  in  Brooklyn  also  that  much 
of  the  additional  verses  under  that  head  that 
were  contained  in  the  second  edition,  which 
appeared  in  the  following  year.  Both  editions 
were  published  in  New  York,  and  soon  after 
their  publication  Whitman  .ranked  only  as  a 
visitor  to  the  island  of  his  birth, — "Pauman- 
ok,"  as  he  liked  to  call  it. 

Gabriel  Furnam,  to  whom  every  writer  on 
Brooklyn's  history  is  under  a  deep  debt  of 
gratitude,  might  have  attained  a  considerable 
position  in  the  world  of  literature  had  he  so 
applied  himself.     He  was  a  man  who  natur- 


ally possessed  vast  industry,  wonderful  capac- 
ity for  research,  a  keen  and  critical  judgment, 
and  no  one  can  read  the  manuscripts  he  has 
left  without,  admitting  that  he  was  a  most 
zealous  worker.  His  literary  style  was  clear, 
nervous,  and  sometimes  exceedingly  graphic, 
and  as  a  public  speaker  and  lecturer  he  never 
failed  to  charm  his  audiences.  On  the  history 
and  the  antiquities  of  Brooklyn  and  Long 
Island  he  was  a  perfect  encyclopaedia,  and  his 
vast  stores  of  what  might  be  called  "local 
learning"  were  at  anyone's  service.  He  was 
born  in  Brooklyn  in  1800  and  died  in  that  city 
in  1853.  In  early  life  he  studied  law  and  in 
1827  was  appointed  a  Justice  in  the  Municipal 
Court,  serving  for  three  years.  In  1837  he 
was  chosen  to  the  State  Senate  and  remained 
a  member  of  that  body  until  1842,  when  he 
ran  for  the  office  of  Lieutenant  Governor  on 
the  Whig  ticket  and  was  defeated.  Then  he 
retired  from  public  life  and  devoted  himself 
to  his  books.  He  had,  however,  in  some  way, 
acquired  the  opium  habit,  and  indulgence  in 
that  cursed  weakness  crushed  out  whatever 
ambition  he  originally  had  and  gradually  left 
him  physically  and  financially  a  wreck,  and 
that  result  was  only  too  evident  at  the  very 
time  when  he  ought  to  have  been  in  the  zenith 
of  his  powers.  It  deadened  his  brain,  exhaust- 
ed his  power  of  initiative  and  capacity  for 
work,  even  for  thought;  and  his  death,  in  the 
Brooklyn  City  Hospital,  was  a  sad  end  to  a 
career  that  was  for  a  time  so  useful,  and 
seemed  so  full  of  promise.  In  1824  Furman  is- 
sued his  only  book, — "Notes,  Geographical  and 
Historical,  Relative  to  the  Town  of  Brook- 
lyn." It  was  reprinted  in  1875,  along  with  the 
contents  of  a  manuscript  volume,  "Long 
Island  Anticiuities  and  Early  History,"  which 
was  picked  up  in  a  bookstore  by  Frank  Moore, 
a  well-known  historical  student,  who  edited 
the  volume  and  gave  it  to  the  world. 


^'^\e%mw^^^ 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 


CHURCH     DEVELOPMENT. 

Bishop   Loughliw,  Dr.   Bethune,  St.  Ann's   Holy  Trinity — Dr.    Storks,   Henry 
Ward  Beecher — Land   Operations  —  Greenwood  and   Other  Ceme- 
teries— The   Ferries — Work  at  the   Navy  Yard. 


AKING  it  all  in  all,  the  purely  liter- 
ary life  of  Brooklyn  in  this  epoch 
is  hardly  worth  recalling.  But  its 
intellectual  development  then  cen- 
tred in  the  church  and  in  its  hands  nothing 
was  neglected  of  those  very  influences  which 
have  led  to  lasting  results  in  literature,  in  art, 
in  science,  and  in  all  the  amenities  which  call 
out  the  higher  and  richer  phases  of  intellect 
and  character  and  which  makes  society  nobler 
and  purer  and  life  better  worth  living.  The 
era  covered  by  this  section  was  one  of  rapid 
development  and  growth  among  the  churches 
of  all  creeds  or  denominations.  It  saw  the 
Roman  Catholic  body  so  increased  as  in  1853 
to  entitle  Long  Island  to  be  constituted  into 
a  diocese  with  the  late  Bishop  Loughlin  at  its 
head,  antedating  by  several  years  the  advent 
of  a  Protestant  Episcopal  bishop ;  for  it  was 
not  until  1869  that  that  body  attained  that  dig- 
nity. 

As  might  be  expected,  the  old  Dutch  Re- 
formed Church  was  the  strongest  religious 
organization  in  Brooklyn,  and  it  maintained 
its  hold  even  in  the  midst  of  what  men  then 
called  "Liberal  discussion"  and  "modern 
thought."  To  the  old  First  Church,  which  in 
1835  was  settled  in  its  third  building,  on  Joral- 
emon  street,  there  was  added  in  1837  the  Sec- 
ond, or  "Reformed  Dutch  Church  on  the 
Heights."    Two  years  later  that  congregation 


built  a  church  on   Henry  street,   near  Clark 
street;  but  in  1850  a  more  imposing  structure 
was  erected  on  Pierrepont  street  and  over  that 
society,  from  1847  until  1859,  the  Rev.  George 
W.  Bethune  presided  as  pastor,  and  by  his  elo- 
quence in  the  pulpit,  his  activity  in  passing 
affairs,  his  eminence  as  a  scholar  and  his  orig- 
inality as  a  thinker,  writer  and  poet,  made  it 
become  the  first  of  Brooklyn's  churches  to  ac- 
quire a  measure  of  national  fame.    Dr.  Beth- 
une, more  than  any  man  in  that  era,  could 
have  invested  Brooklyn  with  a  literary  repu- 
tation, or  raised  up  within  it  a  literary  cult; 
but  such  of  his  writings  as  were  given  to  the 
public   while   one   of   Brooklyn's   pastors,  he 
published  elsewhere,  sought  as  it  were  a  differ- 
ent public  for  the  fruits  of  his  pen,  while  the 
work  of  the  church  itself  engrossed  his  daily 
life  in  the  city  in  which  for  so  many  years  his 
lot  was  cast  and  which  yet  holds  his  memory 
in  reverence.     His  later  years  were  clouded 
by  ill  health,  and  he  died  at  Florence,  in  1862. 
His  remains,  however,  were  brought  across 
the   Atlantic   and    laid    in    Greenwood  beside 
those  of  his  father,  Divie  Bethune,  the  first 
of  New  York's  merchant  philanthropists,  and 
his  famous  grandmother,  the  sainted  Isabella 
Graham. 

The  Dutch  Reformed  Church  steadily, 
reached  out  all  over  the  city  limits  during  the 
period  now  under  notice,  engaged  as  it  were, 


CHURCH    DEVELOPMENT. 


427 


in  active  missionary  work,  in  marked  distinc- 
tion to  its  old  centralizing  and  conservative 
spirit.  In  rapid  succession  it  had  more  or  less 
flourishing  congregations  at  Gov^^anus,  the 
Wallabout,  East  New  York,  as  well  as  in  other 
points  where  the  population  was  growing. 

But  in  missionary  work  the  Episcopal 
Church  showed  equal  strength  and  energy  with 
the  pioneer  Dutch  body.  When  this  period  now 
being  reviewed  opened  in  reality  Protestant 
Episcopalianism  regarded  Brooklyn  as  but  one 
parish,  with  two  churches,  St.  Ann's  and  St. 
John's.  By  the  time  the  period  closed  it  had 
organized  and  housed — generally  in  splendid 
temples — no  fewer  than  fifteen  new  congrega- 
tions, including  the  palatial  Trinity.  Into  the 
story  of  these  congregations  we  cannot  here 
enter  into  detail ;  but  three  may  be  selected  for 
brief  mention,  mainly  because  they  illustrate, 
in  more  or  less  degree,  the  progress  of  all  the 
others.  The  early  history  of  St.  Ann's  Church 
has  already  been  .referred  to.  In  1835  it  was 
under  the  rectorship  of  the  Rev.  Benjamin 
Clarke  Cutler,  and  gradually  gathering  around 
it  all  the  usual  agencies  for  active  church  work, 
a  Sunday-school,  library,  orphan  asylum,  etc. 
Dr.  Cutler's  pastorate  continued  until  his 
death,  in  1863.  The  Rev.  Lawrence  H.  Mills 
was  chosen  as  his  successor  and  under  him  the 
church  left  its  old  house  of  worship  on  Wash- 
ington street  (the  terminus  of  the  Brooklyn 
bridge  now  runs  across  the  site)  and  wor- 
shipped in  its  chapel  at  Clinton  and  Livingston 
streets.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Noah  H.  Schenck  suc- 
ceeded Mr.  Mills  in  1867,  and  in  1869  the 
present  magnificent  building  used  by  the  con- 
gregation was  completed.  The  old  burial 
ground  of  the  church  on  Fulton  street,  near 
Clinton  street,  after  being  unused  for  many 
years,  .was  abandoned  altogether  in  i860,  the 
human  remains  in  it  were  disinterred  and  a 
suite  of  business  premises — St.  Ann's  Build- 
ings—was erected  on  the  site.  Dr.  Schenck 
died  in  1886,  and  the  present  rector,  the  Rev. 
B.  F.  Alsop,  was  called.  As  a  condition  of  a 
gift  of  $70,000,  made  in  1878  by  Mr.  R.  Fulton 


Cutting,  the  seats  in  St.  Ann's  are  free.  This 
gift  removed  all  the  indebtedness  of  the  church 
and  enabled  it  to  begin  a  new  era  of  active 
zealous  Christian  work.  Its  revenues  are 
large,  its  field  of  activities  broad,  its  methods 
liberal  and  its  work  has  been  singularly  blessed. 
The  Church  of  the  Holy  Trinity  might  in  a 
sense  be  regarded  as  one  among  the  many 
daughters  of  St.  Ann's,  as  its  founders,  Edgar 
J.  Bartow  and  his  wife  (Harriet  C.  Pierre- 
pont),  were  long  associated  with  the  latter, 
the  husband  as  an  officer  of  and  worker  in  the 
Sabbath-school,  and  the  wife  as  an  active  in- 
strument in  the  charitable  field  which  has  ever 
been  a  feature  of  St.  Ann's.  Mr.  Bartow  was 
descended  from  an  old  Westchester  family  and 
took  up  his  residence  in  Brooklyn  in  1830.  In 
business  life  he  was  a  paper  manufacturer,  but 
not  a  little  of  his  once  immense  wealth  came 
from  his  shrewdness  in  taking  advantage  of 
the  rising  tide  of  Brooklyn  real-estate  values. 
Blessed  with  riches  and  animated  by  a  sincere 
desire  to  add  to  the  spiritual  blessings  of 
Brooklyn,  Mr.  Bartow  and  his  wife  in  1844 
selected  a  site  for  a  new  church  at  Montague 
and  Clinton  streets,  engaged  the  services  of 
Minard  Lefever,  the  most  noted  ecclesiastical 
architect  of  his  day,  and  erected  a  building 
which  for  beauty  of  design  and  general  adapt- 
ability far  surpassed  any  structure  at  that  time 
in  the  city.  Its  cost  when  completed  was  esti- 
mated at  $175,000,  but  no  one  ever  knew  the 
exact  figure,  for  every  dollar  was  met  by  Mr. 
Bartow.  The  church  was  opened  for  Divine 
service  April  25,  1847,  ^"d  the  Rev.  Dr.  W.  H. 
Lewis  became  the  first  rector.  The  entire  prop- 
erty unfortunately  continued  in  Mr.  Bartow's 
hands,  as  it  had  been  his  intention  to  complete 
it  according  to  the  original  designs.  But  in 
1856  the  embarrassed  condition  of  his  affairs- 
forced  him  to  realize  on  all  his  available  estate, 
and  to  his  deep  regret  it  became  necessary  to' 
dispose  of  the  church  property,  along  with  the' 
rest.  It  was  offered  to  the  congregation  for 
$100,000  and  the  offer  was  accepted.  Starting 
out  anew,  as  it  were,  under  a  heavy  load  of 


-428 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


debt,  Dr.  Lewis  continued  his  pastorate  with 
much  success  until  i860,  when  he  resigned  and 
was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  A.  H.  Little- 
john,  afterward  first  Protestant  Episcopal 
Bishop  of  Brooklyn.  For  a  long  time  the  finan- 
cial condition  of  the  church  was  one  of  the 
wonders  of  Brooklyn.  It  seemed  so  burdened 
that  relief  appeared  an  impossibility  and  ru- 
mors were  frequently  heard  that  the  congre- 
gation would  be  compelled  to  abandon  its 
princely  edifice  and  seek  a  humbler  shelter. 
But  wise  counsels  prevailed,  the  people  held 
on,  able  heads  managed  the  finances,  and  slow- 
ly but  surely  the  debt  gradually  disappeared, 
the  building  was  completed  according  to  its 
original  designs,  with  its  beautiful  spire ;  the 
rectory,  abandoned  in  the  time  of  despair,  was 
repurchased,  and  its  financial  ability  for  ag- 
gressive church  work  was  placed  on  an  equal 
footing  with  any  in  the  city.  In  1869,  when 
Bishop  Littlejohn  was  consecrated,  he  was  suc- 
ceeded as  rector  of  Holy  Trinity  by  the  Rev. 
Charles  H.  Hall,  whose  ministry  was  one  of 
the  most  practically  successful  of  any  in  the 
fruitful  story  of  Brooklyn's  churches.  He  re- 
mained in  charge  of  the  parish  until  his  death, 
Sept.  12,  1895.  The  present  pastor  is  the  Rev. 
S.  D.  McConnell.  The  membership  is  now 
over  1,100,  and  the  church  property  is  valued 
at  $400,000,  while  not  a  penny  of  debt  rests 
upon  it. 

The  third  church  selected  tells  us  another 
story  of  advancement  and  illustrates  a  different 
method  of  Christian  work  and  church  up- 
building, and  it  brings  before  us  a  zealous  la- 
borer in  the  vineyard,  one  whose  name  and 
works  are  not,  it  is  to  be  feared,  as  widely  re- 
membered in  Brooklyn  as  they  ought  to  be. 
Until  the  day  of  his  death,  in  1865,  no  person- 
ality was  better  known  or  more  kindly  regard- 
ed in  the  city  than  that  of  the  Rev.  Evan  John- 
son. He  was  born  at  Newport,  R.  I.,  June  6, 
1792,  and  was  there  ordained  in  1813.  -After 
a  brief  service  as  curate  in  Grace  Church,  New 
York  City,  he  became  rector  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  at  Newtown,  Long  Island,  in   1814. 


The  same  year  he  married  Maria,  daughter  of 
John  B.  Johnson.  Through  her  he  acquired 
some  property,  and  for  a  number  of  years  he 
not  only  attended  faithfully  to  the  duties  of 
his  church  but  managed  successfully  the  affairs 
of  a  large  farm  which  he  owned.  After  his 
wife's  death,  in  1825,  he  determined  to  remove 
from  Newtown,  and,  selling  his  farm  for 
$4,000,  he  settled,  in  the  following  year,  1826, 
in  Brooklyn,  where  at  his  own  expense  he 
bought  land  and  erected  St.  John's  Church.  To 
the  congregation  he  gathered  there  he  minis- 
tered for  twenty  years,  seeing  it  steadily  grow- 
ing in  membership  and  usefulness,  but  all  the 
time  decl  ning  to  accept  a  cent  for  his  services. 
Indeed  it  was  his  boast  in  his  latter  days  that 
he  had  preached  and  filled  all  the  duties  of  a 
pastorate  for  forty  years  without  any  monetary 
remuneration !  In  1847,  finding  that  St.  John's 
was  self-supporting,  he  sold  the  building  and 
ground  to  the  congregation  and  with  the 
money  thus  received  proceeded  to  put  in  oper- 
ation a  project  he  had  long  cherished, — the 
erection  of  another  church  in  a  section  of  the 
city  where  poverty  abounded  and  religion  did 
not.  Hiring  a  room  in  Jackson  street,  he  com- 
menced holding  Divine  services  in  that  small 
apartment  in  September,  1847.  This  was  the 
beginning  of  St.  Michael's.  The  congregation 
grew  so  rapidly  that  in  a  few  months  he  was 
able  to  lease  the  old  Eastern  Market  building, 
on  High  street.  There  the  church  and  pairish 
were  duly  incorporated  and  in  time  a  self-sup- 
porting and  vigorous  congregation  was  added 
to  the  list  of  the  successful  Episcopal  Churches 
in  Brooklyn.  It  now  occupies  an  elegant  build- 
ing erected  for  its  use  on  High  street,  and  this, 
with  the  adjoining  rectory,  is  estimated  as 
worth  $100,000.  The  church  has  480  mem- 
bers, no  indebtedness,  and  raises  annually 
about  $16,000  for  church  work. 

During  the  period  covered  by  this  chapter 
the  Reformed  Church  added  seven  churches 
to  its  number,  the  Lutherans  four,  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  twelve,  the  Baptists  twelve, 
the    Congregational    nine,    the    Presbyterians 


CHURCH    DEVELOPMENT. 


429 


eight,  while  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  added 
sixteen.  These  figures  indicate  a  vast  amount 
of  activity,  and  practically  every  section  of  the 
city  found  itself  more  or  less  fully  covered  by 
church  influence.  The  field  was  large,  the 
workers  were  many, — so  many  in  fact  that  it  is 
beyond  the  scope  of  this  work  even  to  attempt 
to  recall  their  names.  Almost  any  selection 
that  could  be  made  would  be  unjust  to  those 
omitted,  but  it  may  be  said  that  there  was  not 
a  better  body,  a  more  self-denying  body,  a 
more  energetic  body  of  earnest,  devoted  Christ- 
ian workers  to  be  found  anywhere  than  might 
be  found  in  the  list  of  Brooklyn's  preachers 
during  this  division  of  its  story.  We  read  of 
little  troubles  bothering  a  few  of  the  congrega- 
tions, we  read  of  efforts  made  in  the  course  of 
reaching  out  bemg  unfortunate  on  account  of 
an  error  in  judgment  as  to  location  or  an  error 
in  calculation  of  resources  on  the  part  of  en- 
thusiastic workers,  and  now  and  again  we  read 
of  a  pastor  being  compelled  to  stand  aside  on 
account  of  his  health  breaking  down  under  the 
unceasing  strain  of  his  work.  Such  errors, 
such  drawbacks,  such  sorrows,  however,  were 
unavoidable,  and  had  but  little  eflfect  on  the 
general  result ;  and  so,  as  we  read  the  story  of 
Brooklyn  church  life  during  the  years  between 
1834  and  1854,  we  see  a  strong  body,  a  nervous 
force,  steadily  reaching  out  in  all  directions 
and  leavening  the  whole  into  a  Christian  com- 
munity, a  lighted  lamp  set  as  it  were  upon  a 
hill  and  shedding  its  rays  over  all  the  land. 
For  it  was  in  this  period  that  Brooklyn  in  real- 
ity became  generally  known  as  the  "City  of 
Churches,"  and  its  churches  acquired  a  meas- 
ure of  national  fame. 

Three  men  were  conspicuous  in  bringing 
all  this  about ;  and  as  they  have  all  three  passed 
beyond  the  veil  and  the  value  of  their  services 
was  so  pre-eminent  as  to  be  beyond  cavil,  we 
may  close  our  study  of  the  church  life  of  the 
first  City  of  Brooklyn  by  recalling  some  of  the 
prominent  features  of  their  careers. 

John  Loughlin,  the  first  Roman  Catholic 
Bishop  of  Long  Island,  was  born  in  county 


Down,  Ireland,  in  1816.  Early  in  life  he  came- 
to  America,  settling  for  a  time  in  Albany,  N. 
Y.,  and  was  educated  for  the  priesthood  at 
Blount  St.  Mary's'  College,  Emmittsburg, 
Md.  In  1842  he  was  ordained  priest  and  be- 
came attached  to  St.  Patrick's  Cathedral,  New^ 
York,  of  which,  in  1844,  he  became  Rector. 
He  was  subsequently  appointed  Vicar  General 
of  the  New  York  diocese,  and  was  consecrated 
as  Bishop  of  Brooklyn  October  3,  1853,  by  the- 
Papal  Nuncio,  the  Alost  Rev.  Cajetan  Bedini, 
Archbishop  of  Thebes.  Bishop  Loughlin 
named  St.  James's  as  his  cathedral  church  and 
thenceforth  his  life  was  bound  up  in  the  his- 
tory of  his  diocese.  Under  him  the  Church- 
steadily  extended,  new  parishes  were  opened 
up  in  rapid  succession,  and  schools  and  char- 
ities quickly  followed.  The  Bishop  was  a  con- 
sistent believer  in  active  religious  work,  inr 
work  outside  the  pulpit,  in  the  homes  and  the 
social  circles  of  his  people.  To  aid  in  such 
endeavor  he  introduced  into  his  diocese,  in 
1855,  the  Sisters  of  St.  Joseph  and  the  Sisters 
of  Mercv,  and  he  crowned,  as  he  believed,  his 
church, building  work  in  1868  when  he  had  the 
corner-stone  of  a  cathedral  and  diocesan  estab- 
lishment laid  by  Archbishop  McClosky,  on  a 
splendid  site  at  the  junction  of  Carlton  and 
Vanderbilt  avenues.  It  was  designed  to  be  the 
finest  group  of  ecclesiastical  buildings  on  Long- 
Island, — ^to  rival  in  fact  anything  of  the  kind  in 
America.  But  he  did  not  live  to  see  the  work 
completed.  The  buildings  remain  uncompleted 
even  to  this  day,  although  a  part  of  the  cathe- 
dral has  been  opened  for  service  and  a  palace 
for  the  Bishop's  residence  has  been  completed, 
a  beautiful  structure  in  keeping  with  the  im- 
portance and  dignity  of  the  office.  Bishop 
Loughlin  continued  sedulously  to  advance  and' 
protect  the  vast  interests  committed  to  his  care, 
quietly  and  unostentatiously,  but  none  the  less- 
efTectively,  until  his  death,  Dec.  29,  1891.  It 
may  truly  be  said  that  on  assuming  the  Bish- 
opric he  gave  himself  up  wholly  to  his  work, 
and  that  the  full  story  of  his  life  in  Brooklyn 
would  be  but  the  story  of  the  marvelous  prog- 


430 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


ress  of  his  Church  from  1853  until  1892.  On 
May  2,  1892,  the  Rev.  Charles  E.  McDonnell 
was  installed  as  his  successor.  In  writing  of 
-the  personal  career  of  such  a  man  as  Bishop 
Loughlin,  the  biographer  is  necessarily  limited 
as  to  its  details.  A  true  leader  in  such  circum- 
stances is  essentially  the  head  of  a  force,  and 
while  his  life  is  spent  as  the  representative  of 
that  force,  and  the  leading  director  of  its  move- 
ments, he  more  or  less  completely  sinks  his 
personality  in  its- direction.  Such  self-abnega- 
-tion,  in  fact,  has  been  one  of  the  causes  of  the 
-modern  success  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 

But  in  dealing  with  the  career*  of  such  a 
man  as  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  Storrs,  his  individu- 
ality not  only  stands  out  in  bold  relief  "all 
through  his  career  but  that  individuality  re- 
•flects  its  own  characteristics  upon  the  church 
with  which  it  is  associated  and  gives  it  not 
merely  local  but  national  importance,  an  im- 
portance which  generally  passes  away  with  its 
.  creator  although  the  church  to  which  he  minis- 
-tered  may  remain  intact.  To  illustrate  perhaps 
a  little  more  plainly,  it  may  be  said  that  the 
Church  of  the  Pilgrims  was  better  known  as 
Dr.  Storr's  Church  during  that  gifted  man's 
life-time  than  by  its  ofificial  designation. 

Richard  S&ker  Storrs  was  descended  from 
a  long  and  illustrious  line  of  New  England 
.clergymen.  His  father,  Richard  S.  Storrs,  was 
-for  sixty-two  years  pastor  of  the  First  Congre- 
gational Church  of  Braintree,  Mass. ;,  his 
.grandfather,  who  akobore  the  name  of  Rich- 
ard Salter  Storrs,  was  pastor  of  a  Congrega- 
tional Church  at  Long  Meadow,  Mass.,  for 
thirty-three  yeairs,  and  his  great-grandfather 
was  a  Chaplain  in  the'  Patriot  army  during  the 
American  Revolution. 

Richard  S.  Stor-rs  was  born  at  Braintree, 
Mass.,  Aug.  21,  1821.  He  was  graduated  at 
Amherst  College  in  1839,  and  for  a  short  time 
-was  engaged  as  a  teacher  in  Monson  Academy. 
It  was  apparently  his  idea  at  first  to  prepare 
himself  for  the  bar,  for  he  entered  the  office  of 
"Rufus  Choate  as  a.student.  He  abandoned  law 
for  theology, ;  however,  and  entered  Andover 


Seminary,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1845. 
He  became  pastor  of  a  Congregational  church 
at  Brookline,  Mass.,  in  that  year,  and  in  the 
following  year  was  called  to  the  Church  of 
the  Pilgrims,  and  was  installed  as  pastor  on 
Nov..  19,  1846.  It  had  been  organized  only 
two  years  before,  and  Dr.  Storrs  was  its  first 
minister. 

The  corner-stone  of  the  present  edifice  of 
the  Church  of  the  Pilgrims,  at  Henry  and 
Remsen  streets,  was  laid  in  1844,  and  the  build- 
ing was  dedicated  in  1846,  several  months  be- 
fore Dr.  Storrs  was  installed  as  pastor.  Many 
changes  and  improvements  have  since  been 
rhade  in  the  building. 

Dr.  Storrs  was  a  Commissioner  of  Parks 
of  the  City  of  Brooklyn  from  1871  to  1879. 
He  was  elected  President  of  the  American 
Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions 
in  1887  and  continued  in  that  office  for  ten 
years,  and  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  old 
Manhattan  Congregational  Association,  which 
seceded  from  the  main  Congregational  Asso- 
ciation after  the  Beecher-Tilton  trial.  In  1881, 
on  the  occasion  of  the  thirty-fifth  anniversary 
of  his  pastorate.  Dr.  Storrs  was  the  recipient 
of  a  purse  of  $35,000  from  parishioners  and 
friends. 

From  1848  to  1861  Dr.  Storrs  was  associ- 
ate editor  of  The  Independent.  Much  of  his 
attention  was  given  to  the  Brooklyn  Mission 
Society,  and  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  was 
President  of  the  Long  Island  Historical  So- 
ciety. He  also  served  as  First  Vice  President 
of  the  Brooklyn  Institute  of  Arts  and  Sciences, 
and  as  a  member  of  the  Amherst  College  Board 
of  Trustees. 

Dr.  Storrs  was  married  in  October,  1845, 
to  Miss  Mary  Elwell  Jenks,  granddaughter  of 
John  Phillips,  the  first  Mayor  of  Boston,  and 
a  niece  of  Wendell  Phillips.  Mrs.  Storrs' 
father  was  a  clergyman.  She  died  in  1898, 
leaving  two  daughters,  Mrs.  L.  R.  Packard  and 
Mrs.  E.  B.  Coe,  wife  of  the  Rev.  E.  B.  Coe  of 
the  Dutch  Reformed  Church,  New  York. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Richard  S.  Storrs  was  a  his- 


O'^      if^^^p—ty^ 


CHURCH    DEVELOPMENT. 


431 


toric  figure  in  the  ecclesiastical  world  of  Amer- 
ica. "His  death,"  says  a  writer  of  one  of  the 
many  biographies  issued  after  his  death,  "re- 
moves from  the  American  ministry  one  of  its 
most  scholarly  Hghts,  and  by  it  Brooklyn  loses 
a  citizen  honored  and  beloved  for  more  than 
half  a  century.  The  last  of  an  extraordinary 
group  of  Brooklyn  ministers,  he  was  not  alone 
a  local  force  spiritually  and  secularly,  but  a 
man  of  recognized  importance  in  the  entire 
Christian  world.  He  was  a  scholar,  orator, 
man  of  affairs,  and  a  historian  of  authority,  as 
well  as  pastor. 

"Dr..  Storrs  represented  in  Brooklyn  for 
fifty-three  years  the  tradition  of  the  conserva- 
tism and  the  rhetorical  elegance  of  the  Puritan 
pulpit  of  New  England.  During  much  of  that 
period,  in  a  neighboring  church — Plymouth — 
Henry  Ward  Beecher  stood  for  the  opposites 
of  these  pulpit  ideals,  the  radical  thought,  the 
reforming  impulse,  and  the  genius  for  impas- 
sioned oratory. 

"In  all  his  preachings  Dr.  Storrs  kept  in 
touch  with  the  Scriptures,  and  their  teachings 
were  the  foundation  of  his  utterances.  New 
England  born  and  bred,  he  lived  according  to  " 
the  precepts  of  the  Pilgrims,  and  he  preached 
as  he  lived.  His  greatness  lay  in  broad  and 
humane  scholarship.  Possessed  of  an  alert 
and  vigorous  mind,  he  treated  his  themes  with 
a  delightful  thoroughness  and  clothed  his 
thoughts  in  beautiful  and  fitting  speech." 

Dr.  Storrs's  fiftieth  anniversary  as  pastor 
of  the  Church  of  the  Pilgrims — his  golden  an- 
niversary— was  celebrated  in  1896  by  a  week 
of  general  public  rejoicing,  in  which  many 
prominent  men  took  part. 

Dr.  Storrs  delivered  what  is  regarded  as 
his  greatest  oration  on  June  i,  1865,  on  the 
impressive  theme  of  the  death  of  Lincoln.  He 
was  a  most  prolific  worker  and  the  large 
number  of  his  works  which  have  been  pub- 
lished give  some  idea  of  the  energy  and  indus- 
try of  his  life.  The  titles  of  some  of  his  pub- 
lished lectures  and  addresses  are  as  follows: 
"Congregationalism;  Its  Principles  and  Influ- 


ences ;"  "Obligation  of  Man  to  Obey  the  Civil 
Law;"  "Christianity:  Its  Destined  Supremacy 
on  the  Earth;"  "The  Relations  of  Commerce 
to  Literature ;"  "Colleges,  a  Power  in  Civiliza- 
tion, to  be  Used  for  Christ ;"  "Constitution  of 
the  Human  Soul;"  "Character  in  the  Preach- 
er;" "The  Puritan  Scheme  of  National 
Growth;"  "The  Bible,  a  Book  for  Mankind;" 
"Declaration  of  Independence,  and  the  Effects 
of  It ;"  "John  Wyckliffe  and  the  First  English 
Bible." 

Feeling  the  approach  of  his  end,  and  suf- 
fering greatly  from  enfeebled  health.  Dr. 
Storrs  formally  resigned  his  pastoral  charge 
Nov.  19,  1899,  but  retained  his  connection  with 
the  church  as  pastor  emeritus.  His  last  ap- 
pearance in  the  pulpit  was  in  April  22  follow- 
ing, when  he  conducted  the  services  in  com- 
pany with  the  Rev.  H.  P.  Dewey,  of  Concord, 
N.  H.,  whom  the  congregation,  at  his  sugges- 
tion, had  decided  upon  as  his  successor.  His 
health  continued  to  fail  in  soite  of  his  relief 
from  his  pastoral  duties  and  he  gradually  grew 
more  infirm  until  the  end  came,  June  5,  1900, 
at  his  home,  No.  80  Pierrepont  street.  Three 
days  later  his  remains  were  interred  in  Green- 
wood Cemetery.  The  news  of  his  death  caused 
many  regrets  in  Brooklyn;  it  was  truly  felt 
that  the  last  of  a  race  of  Princes  in  Israel  had 
truly  fallen,  and  several  movements  for  some 
tangible  memorial  of  his  life  and  public  serv- 
ices were  proposed  and  discussed.  But  these 
seemed  to  awaken  little  practical  response,  and 
the  memory  of  this  good  man  is  likely  to  be 
enshrined  only  in  his  own  works. 

A  still  more  famous,  more  popularly  fa- 
mous, preacher  came  to  Brooklyn  in  this  era, 
the  Rev.  Henry  Ward  Beecher.  It  is  difficult 
to  compress  the  story  of  the  life  work  of  this 
gifted  man  into  the  few  paragraphs  which  the 
compass  of  this  work  necessitates,  and  yet  a 
history  of  Brooklyn  without  mention  of  Beech- 
er's  work  would  necessarily  be  incomplete.  He 
was  one  of  the  sons  of  the  Rev.  Lyman  Beech- 
er, who  in  the  course  of  a  busy  life  of  eighty- 
eight  years  spent  some  fifty  years  in  the  active 


432 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


work  of  the  ministry  and  became  one  of  the 
intellectual  leaders  of  the  country.  Lyman 
Beecher,  "stood  unequalled,"  writes  one, 
"among  living  divines  for  dialectic  keenness, 
pungent  appeals,  lambent  wit,  vigor  of  thought 
and  concentrated  power  of  expression."  This 
sentence  might  also  have  been  applied  to  Henry 
Ward,  the  most  gifted  of  his  sons,  at  whose 
home  in  Brooklyn  he  died  in  1863.  All  of 
Lyman  Beecher's  children  became  famous  fof 
their  genius  or  noted  for  their  usefulness. 
Most  of  them  were  in  some  way  connected 
with  Long  Island,  where,  at  Easthampton, 
Lyman  Beecher  preached  for  several  years. 

Henry  Ward  Beecher  was  born  at  Litch- 
field, Conn.,  June  24,  1813.  After  being  pre- 
pared for  the  ministry  under  the  direction  and 
instruction  of  his  father,  he  was  settled  as  min- 
ister of  a  Presbyterian  Church  at  Laurence- 
burg,  Ind.  While  there,  living  mainly  on  his 
hopes,  he  married  Eunice  White,  who  survived 
him  after  the  close  of  his  life's  journey.  In 
1839  he  removed  to  Indianapolis,  where  he 
labored  until  1847,  when  he  received  the  call 
to  become  pastor  of  the  newly  formed  Plym- 
outh Congregational  Church,  Brooklyn.  He 
accepted,  entered  upon  that  memorable  pastor- 
ate October  10,  1847,  and  continued  to  be  iden- 
tified with  Brooklyn — its  world  famous  citizen 
— until  the  end  of  his  career.  In  his  opening 
sermon  he  announced  that  he  would  preach  of 
Jesus  "not  as  an  absolute  system  of  doctrines, 
nor  as  a  by-gone  historical  personage,  but  as 
the  ever  living  Lord  and  God,"  and  added  that 
he  included  anti-slavery  and  temperance  as 
parts  of  Christ's  teachings.  That  brief  system 
of  theology  continued  ever  after  to  rule  in 
Phmouth.  When,  many  years  later,  June  30, 
1883,  he  received  the  congratulations  of  his 
fellow  citizens  in  Brooklyn's  Academy  of  Mu- 
sic, on  the  occasion  of  the  celebration  of  his 
seventieth  birthday,  he  enlarged  upon  it  as 
follows : 

"The  inspiration  which  has  made  the  force 
of  my  whole  life  I  found  in  a  vision  of  the  lovie 
of  God  in  Jesus  Christ.    It  has  grown  larger 


and  larger  with  the  sympathy  which  is  natural 
to  my  constitution,  compassion  of  God,  mani- 
festations of  God  in  Jesus  Christ,  that  side  of 
God  which  is  great,  holy,  beautiful,  showing 
Him  to  have  compassion  on  the  ignorant,  and 
on  them  that  are  out  of  the  way.  I  have  tried 
to  have  compassion  like  Christ,  'ihe  less  wor- 
thy the  object,  the  more  it  was  needed.  I  went 
right  upon  the  side  of  the  dumb  and  needy, 
without  consideration.  I  think  it  most  heroic 
for  a  man  with  standing  and  influence  and 
ability  to  give  himself  to  them.  I  thank  God  I 
had  a  desire  to  work  for  His  glory,  when  to  do 
it  was  to  earn  scoffings  and  abuse  and  threats. 
When  Kossuth  brought  Hungary  to  us,  my 
soul  burned.  The  wrongs  of  Greece  made  my 
heart  kindle.  Nearly  all  the  nations  of  the 
world,  all  under  the  sword  of  the  soldier  or  the 
ban  of  -harsh  governments,  have  aroused  my 
sympathy  and  efifort.  I  did  not  go  into  these 
because  they  were  humanities  or  specious 
philosophies,  but  because  it  was  Christian; 
that's  all.  I  did  it  for  humanity  because  I 
loved  Christ.  In  my  preaching  it  has  been  the 
same.  I  have  attacked  governments,  institu- 
tions, anything;  never  a  denomination  or  a 
body  of  ministers.  I  have  preached  against 
the  principles  involved  in  all,  and  in  my  own 
denomination  as  much  as  in  others.  I  have 
preached  for  the  deliverance  of  souls,  for  clear- 
er light,  for  a  plainer  path,  that  the  stumbling 
blocks  might  be  removed.  These  things  I 
have  changed  in  only  to  grow  more  intense 
and  emphatic ;  first,  the  universal  sinfulness  of 
mankind,  so  that  it  is  necessary  everywhere  for 
men  to  be  born  again  by  the  Spirit,  necessary 
for  a  life  to  be  given  to  human  nature  above  its 
animal  nature,  and  this  only  by  the  Spirit  of 
God ;  second,  I  believe  in  conversion  and  the 
effectual  influence  of  the  Spirit  of  God ;  third, 
I  believe  with  ever-growing  .strength  in  the 
love  of  God  in  Jesus  Christ.  I  know  that 
Christ  loves  me,  and  that  I  shall  go  where  He 
is.  By  grace  am  I  saved,  say  I.  The  feeling 
has  grown  in  my  later  years,  and  when  under 
great  pressure  and  sorrow  that  raised  a  strong 


CHURCH    DEVELOPMENT. 


433 


sea,  my  strength  and  courage  all  came  from 
this  view — Christ  loves  me,  He  will  hide  me 
in  His  pavilion  till  the  storm  is  passed.  The 
sweetness  of  life  is  as  much  .dependent  on  the 
love  of  Christ  as  the  landscape  is  on  the  sun 
to  bring  out  its  lights  and  shadows.  I  never 
believed  so  much  in  the  Gospel  as  to-day.  My 
faith  in  it  has  never  been  shaken,  except  in  the 
ideals.  I  was  never  so  sure  as  now  of  its 
truth." 

From  the  first,  Beecher's  ministry  in  Plym- 
outh was  a  triumphant  success.  As  the  late 
Benjamin  J.  Lossing  said,:  "It  has  no  parallel 
in  the  history  of  pulpit  oratory  and  pastoral 
labors.  Thousands  were  brought  into  the 
church  during  his  ministry.  Its  audience  room, 
always  full,  would  accommodate  3,000  persons. 
At  times  more  than  that  number  have  been 
packed  within  its  walls.  The  membership  of 
the  church, averaged  about  2,500.  Its  contribu- 
tions to  benevolent  and  charitable  purposes 
have  been  munificent."  Beecher  was  not  what 
many  would  have  called  an  orthodox  preacher. 
He  believed  that  smiles  should  follow  a  ser- 
mon as  well  as  tears ;  he  thought  happiness  as 
appropriate  a  theme  for  contemplation  as  sor- 
row; he  beheved  in  describing  the  joys  of 
heaven  rather  than  in  painting  the  horrors  of 
hell;  in  fact  he  did  not  believe  in  the  doctrine 
of  eternal  punishment,  and  openly  declared 
himself  on  that  point  in  a  discourse  preached 
in  1878.  His  manner  was  dramatic,  his  illus- 
trations were  drawn  from  act'ual  life,  mainly 
from  his  own  reading  and  observation,  and  he 
treated  every  theme  from  the  standpoint  of 
common  sense,  attempted  in  short  to  interpret 
the  life  to  come  by  the  life  that  now  is.  Creeds 
and  dogmas,  especially  as  the  years  grew  upon 
him,  he  had  little  use  for,  and,  starting  out  in 
life  as  a  disciple  of  Calvinism,  he  so  developed, 
as  he  said  himself,  that  in  1882  he  and  his  con- 
gregation threw  off  even  the  loose  and  pliant 
bonds  of  Congregationalism  and  withdrew 
from  association  with  that  body.  In  his  church 
Beecher  was  singularly  beloved  and  well  un- 
derstood, and  his  word  was  law.    He  made  it 

28 


famous,  and  from  its  pulpit  he  not  only  spoke 
to  three  thousand  or  more  auditors  at  every 
service,  but  to  an  outer  audience  of  many, 
many  thousands  more,  for  his  sermons,  care- 
fully reported,  were  printed  weekly  in  a  pub- 
lication called  "Plymouth  Pulpit,"  and  so  were 
circulated  and  read  all  over  the  civilized  world. 
Most  popular  preachers  have,  singularly,  to 
meet  a  crisis  during  their  careers ;  and  Beech- 
er's personal  crisis  came  in  1874,  when  he  was- 
openly  charged  with  immorality,  the  lady  in  the 
case  being  Mrs.  Tilton,  wife  of  Theodore  Til- 
ton,  a  brilliant  figure  in  the  literary  world  of 
that  day  but  now  forgotten  excepting  for  the 
history  of  this  charge,  which  developed  into' 
one  of  the  causes  celehres  of  American  juris- 
prudence. The  case  first  came  up  in  Plymouth 
Church,  and  there,  after  investigation,  the 
charges  were  dismissed  as  without  foundation. 
A  civil  suit  followed,  Tilton  figuring  up  his 
heart  losses  at  $100,000.  The  trial  of  the 
action,  which  continued  for  some  six  months,, 
was  watched  with  intense  interest  and  at  the 
close  much  regret  was  expressed  when  it  was; 
learned  that  the  jury  could  not  agree,  nine  of 
the  members  being  in  favor  of  a  verdict  for 
Beecher  and  the  remaining  three  disagreeing 
with  their  view.  But  Beecher  was  acquitted 
at  the  bar  of  public  opinion.  The  worst  that 
could  be  said  of  him  was  that  his  own  inno- 
cence of  wrong-doing  or  wrong  intent  had 
sometimes  placed  him  in  positions  from  which 
rumor  and  slander  might  easily  raise  up  flimsy 
tissues  of  falsehood,  while  his  liberality  of 
thought  and  disregard  of  conventionalities  had 
brought  him  into  contact  with  a  class  of  people,, 
some  of  them  fanatics,  some  of  them  literary 
and  social  curiosities,  and  some  of  them  people- 
who,  to'  put  it  mildly,  had  wits  and  lived  by 
them.  New  York  at  that  time  was  full  of  curi- 
ous people,  and  Beecher,  generous,  open-heart- 
ed, always  zealous  in  his  search  for  truth,  wa* 
sometimes  too  apt  to  listen  openly  and  serious- 
ly to  their  vagaries.  After  the  excitement  of 
the  trial  had  spent  itself  his  influence  in  Plym- 
outh Church  became  greater  than  ever,,  while 


434 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


he  himself  emerged  from  that  dark  cloud  with 
his  thoughts  broadened  and  mellowed,  and 
more  intensely  than  ever  before  preached  of 
the  infinite  love  of  Christ. 

Apart  from  his  pulpit  the  life  of  Henry 
Ward  Beecher  might  be  divided  into  two  parts, 
— his  work  as  a  citizen  and  as  a  man  of  letters, 
over  both  of  which,  however,  it  should  be  re- 
membered to  his  credit,  his-  pulpit  work  pre- 
dominated, or  rather  both  contributed  to  its 
requirements.  When  in  the  height  of  his  fame 
as  a  pubHc  lecturer,  commanding  $500  a  night, 
he  had  to  decHne  many  engagements  when 
they  seemed  likely  to  interrupt  his  pastoral 
duties.  He  kept  a  close  watch  over  the  passing 
events  of  the  day  and  spoke  of  them  freely  and 
unreservedly  from  his  pulpit.  On  the  slavery 
question  his  abolitionist  views  were  as  a  part 
of  his  Bible,  and  in  that  cause  he  was  one  of  the 
most  tireless  workers.  When  the  Civil  War 
broke  out  he  threw  himself  heart  and  soul  into 
the  task  of  defending  and  strengthening  the 
position  of  the  Northern  States.  Plymouth 
some  one  has  said,  virtually  became  a  recruit- 
ing station  for  the  Northern  Army  and  'raised 
a  regiment  of  its  own  which  went  to  the  front, 
one  of  its  officers  being  the  pastor's  son. 

In  1863  Beecher  went  to  England  to  re- 
cuperate his  health;  but  the  condition  of  public 
opinion  which  he  found  existing  there  com- 
pelled him  to  try  and  correct  an  erroneous  im- 
pression as  to  the  origin  and  meaning  of  the 
war,  which  caused  a  great  deal  of  sympathy  to 
be  thrown  away,  both  in  England  and  Scot- 
land, on  behalf  of  the  States  then  fighting  for 
secession  and  slavery.  The  story  of  the  tri- 
umphant progress  of  his  self-imposed  mission 
forms  one  of  the  most  interesting  chapters  in 
his  biography. 

As  a  platform  orator  Beecher  was  unap- 
proached  even  in  that  day  of  great  orators,  and 
his  oration  on  "Robert  Burns"  has  been  con- 
ceded to  be  the  most  brilliant  which  the  world- 
wide celebration  of  that  poet's  centenary  called 
forth.  In  the  field  of  letters  Mr.  Beecher  was 
a  diligent  worker,  and  we  can  only  wonder  at 


the  industry  which  produced  so  much  in  the 
midst  of  occupations  that  constantly  called  him 
from  his  library  and  his  desk.  Shortly  after 
settling  in  Brooklyn  he  began  writing  for  "The 
Independent,"  and  he  edited  that  still  influen- 
tial organ,  from  1861  to  1863.  Afterward, 
from  1870  to  1880,  he  edited  the  "Christian 
Union."  His  separate  writings  are  too  numer- 
ous to  enumerate  here  and  it  may  briefly  be 
■said  that  they  run  from  sermons  to  politics, 
lectures  and  essays,  and  take  up  all  sorts  of 
themes,  from  a  "Life  of  Christ"  to  "Nor- 
wood," a  novel  of  New  England  life. 

Mr.  Beecher's  later  years  from  1874  were 
truly  years  of  peace  and  were  fruitful  of  good 
works  and  profitable  to  all.  He  died  suddenly 
March  8,  1887,  when  Dr.  Lyman  Abbott,  who 
succeeded  him  as  editor  of  the  "Christian 
Union,"  was  called  to  fill  the  pulpit  of 
Plymouth.  This  he  did,  keeping-  the  great 
congregation  intact  until,  feeling  the  weight 
of  years,  he  resigned,  in  1899,  and  was 
succeeded  by  the  present  pastor,  the  Rev. 
A'ewell  Dwight  Hillis,  who  preached  his 
first  sermon  in  that  capacity  March  19, 
1900.  A  magnificent  bronze  statue  of  Mr. 
Beecher  has  been  erected  in  front  of  the 
Brooklyn  City  Hall,  as  a  result  of  a  popular 
subscription.  One  wall  of  Plymouth  Church 
is  graced  with  a  memorial  tablet,  and  his  body 
rests  beneath  a  massive  monument  of  Quincy 
granite  in  Greenwood,  where,  too,  lie  the  re- 
mains of  his  notle-hearted  wife  who  on  March 
8,  1898,  joined  him  beyond  the  veil. 

Churches  and  church-yards  used  to  be  as- 
sociated in  the  olden  times,  and  although  in 
our  modern  system  they  are  widely  separated 
in  our  cities  this  seems  a  fitting  place  to  write 
of  what  an  after-dinner  speaker  in  New  York 
with  grim  humor  once  called  "Brooklyn's 
noted  industry,  its  cemeteries."  The  first  of 
these  great  "Cities  of  the  Dead"  in  point  of 
formation  as  well  as  foremost  for  its  costly 
memorials  and  beauty  of  situation,  was  due, 
probably  more  than  that  of  any  other  individ- 
ual, to  the  initiative  of  Mr.  Henry  E.  Pierre- 


ST.  AHH'S  CHURCH. 


CHURCH  OF-  THE  PILGRIHS. 


PLYMOUTH  CHURCH,  1867. 


CHURCH    DEVELOPMENT. 


435 


pont.  The  gradual  increase  of  population  in 
New  York  and  Brooklyn  had  not  only  caused 
many  of  Ihe  old  God's-acres  to  be  abandoned, 
but,  in  numerous  cases,  had  necessitated  what 
many  thought  the  desecration  of  the  graves 
by  opening  them  up,  removing  the  bones  and 
bodies,  and  turning  the  land  into  practical  use 
for  business  purposes.  Mr.  Pierrepont  pro- 
posed the  selection  of  a  large  tract  of  ground 


thoroughly  ventilated  and  discussed,  and  met 
with  a  ready  'response,  but  it  was  not  until 
1838,  some  years  after  it  was  first  talked  about, 
that  a  company  was  formed  and  about  200 
acres  of  land  purchased,  the  property  extend- 
ing from  what  is  now  Twenty-first  to  Thirty- 
fourth  street  and  from  Fifth  avenue  to  the 
old  city  line.  It  required  a  good  deal  of  ma- 
nipulation to  secure  all  of  this  land,  although 


GREENWOOD    CEMETERY— STATUE    OF    DE  WITT    CLINTON. 
From  photograph  by  Mr.  Alexander  Scott. 


which  would  serve  as  a  place  of  burial,  for 
New  York  as  well  as  for  Brooklyn,  a  veritable 
necropolis,  a  garden  set  aside  forever  as  a 
resting  place  for  the  dead.  His  observations 
while  on  several  visits  to  Europe  had  con- 
firmed his  sense  of  the  practical  utility  of  some 
such  scheme,  and  his  intimate  knowledge  of 
Brooklyn  had  prompted  him  to  turn  to  the  his- 
toric hills  of  Gowanus,  the  heart  of  the  site 
of  the  Battle  of  Brooklyn,  as  presenting  an 
ideal  place  for  such  a  shrine.    The  matter  was 


most  of  the  owners  agreed  to  receive  in  pay- 
ment stock  in  the  proposed  cemetery,  and  to 
obtain  the  necessary  state  and  local  sanctions 
for  its  future  preservation  and  amenity  and 
the  unalterable  restrictions  to  its  sole  use  for 
burial  purposes.  These  preliminaries  of  land 
and  regulations  duly  arranged,  the  subscrip- 
tion books  to  the  stock  of  the  company  were 
opened  November  3,  1838.  All  through  that 
winter  work  on  the  grounds  was  vigorously 
pushed  and  much  progress  was  reported.     In 


436 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


1839  an  amendment  was  secured  to  the  deed 
of  incorporation  which  practically  made  the 
institution  become  a  public  trust,  for  by  the 
amendment  none  of  the  gain  or  profits  from 
the  operation  of  the  cemetery  goes  into  the 
pockets  of  any  one,  but  all  money  realized  over 
and  above  necessary  working  expenses  is  de- 
voted to  the  preservation  and  beautifying  of 
the  grounds.  It  is  this  feature  which  has  made 
Greenwood  rank  first  among  our  local  "Cities 
of  the  Dead."  The  plan  proved  a  popular  one 
from  the  first,  and  the  work  of  adaptation 
proceeded  so  rapidly  that  lots  were  advertised 
fo'r  sale  in  1840,  and  the  first  burial  was  on 
Septernber  5,  that  year,  when  John  Hanna  was 
laid  in  a  grave  at  the  base  of  Ocean  Hill  to 
await  the  coming,  one  .by  one,  of  a  vast  host 
of  silent  neighbors. 

For  several  years,  in  spite  of  th;  success 
of  the  enterprise,  the  corporation  had  to  stag- 
ger along  under  a  load  of  financial  troubles. 
That  it;  emerged  unscathed  from  these,  carried 
on  unceasingly  its  expensive  sceme  of  improve- 
provemeijts,  and  met  all  its  obligations,  was 
due  to  the  zeal,  energy  and  financial  ability  of 
the  late  Joseph  A.  Perry,  who  was  one  of  its 
original  incorporators  and  became  its  comp- 
troller and  manager  in  1842,  devoting  there- 
after his  entire  life  to  its  service.  Under  him 
the  usefulness  of  the  entire  scheme  soon  be- 
came more  and  more  adequately  appreciated, 
and  the  daily  increasing  beautias  of  the  en- 
closure were  made  thoroughly  known  among 
the  people.  Greenwood's  walks  and  hills  and 
dales  quickly  became  so  popular  that  there  was 
danger  of  the  cemetery  becoming  a  "reso^rt" 
rather  than  a  place  of  seclusion  and  mourning 
and  where  the  bitter  memories  of  bereave- 
ment might  be  soothed  by  solitude  and  by  the 
appealing  beauties  of  nature,  supplemented  by 
the  artifices  that  humanity  and  love  and 
thoughtfulness  could  suggest  or  provide.  But 
stringent  rules  were  enforce!  to  prevent  this 
tendency  from  spreading,  and  all  fear  of  it  has 
long  since  passed  away.  The  success  of  the 
undertaking  and  the  popularity  of  Greenwood 


were  so  assured  that  even  in  1845  Dr.  Prime 
could  write  of  it  as  follows  in  his  history; 
"It  was  purchased  by  a  company  incorporated 
April  18,  1838,  with  a  capital  of  $300,000, 
'  in  shares  of  $100  each,  for  a  public  burial 
ground.  The  surface  is  admirably  diversified  by 
hill  and  dale,  while  every  now  and  then  a  beau- 
tiful little  lake  is  spread  out  in  the  valley.  The 
greater  part  of  the  area  is  deeply  shaded  with 
dense  forest  trees,  without  underbrush,  which 
give  to  the  whole  scene  the  sombre  aspect  of 
the  habitation  of  the  dead.  The  grounds  are 
not  cut  up  into  squares  and  par3llelogra:,Tis. 
No  such  figure  is  seen  throughout  the  whole 
extent.  But  spacious  avenues,  neatly  grav- 
eled, wind  through  every  valley,  encompass- 
ing numerous  fiillocks  and  intersecting  each 
other  at  every  turn.  The  main  avenue,  called 
'the  tour,'  in  numerous  windings  forms  a 
circuit  of  three  miles.  You  might  travel  for 
hours  within  this  hallowed  enclosure  with  a 
fleet  horse  and  yet  at  every  turn  enter  a  new 
road.  The  work  of  appropriation  se:ms  to 
have  just  commenced.  Though  the  grounds 
have  been  in  the  market  more  than  seven 
years  and  many  have  availed  themselves  of  the 
opportunity  of  providing  a  narrow  house  for 
themselves  and  their  families,  and  many  have 
already  been  deposited  here,  yet  they  are  so 
extensive  and  diversified  that  it  is  only  here 
and  there  you  meet  with  a  solitary  vault  in 
the  side  of  a  hill  or  an  occasional  monument 
on  its  summit.  But  here  is  an  assembly  that 
will  never  diminish  and  is  sure  to  increase, 
which  it  will  probably  do  until  bone  and  ashea 
mingle  with  ashes  in  kindred  dust." 

The  original  purchase  was  soon  found  ta 
be  too  limited  for  the  future  growth  of  the 
place,  and  steps  were  taken  to  acquire  as  much 
contiguous  property  as  was  desirable  and  could 
be  secured,  two  notable  additions  being  sixty- 
five  acres  on  the  southwesterly  side  and  eighty- 
five  acres  on  the  eastern  side,  which  made  the 
property  extend  into  the  old  town  of  Flatbush. 
It  now  encloses  474  acres,  and  in  that  respect 
has  'reached  its  full  possible  growth  with  the 


CHURCH    DEVELOPMENT. 


437 


exception  of  a  few  small  parcels  which  it  is 
expected  time  will  make  available  and  which 
will  cut  ofif  a  trifling  irregularity  in  its  bound- 
ary line.  Up  to  October  i,  1900,  the  number 
of  interments  was  309,000. 

From  the  beginning  the  story  of  Green- 
wood has  been  one  of  constant,  almost  daily, 
improvement,  and  for  beauty  of  location,  arti- 
ficial adornments,  scrupulous  care  in  mainte- 
nance, magnificence  of  many  of  its  tombs  and 
monuments,  it  is  far  ahead  of  any  pubHc  ne- 
cropolis in  the  world.  Space  is  not  available 
to  follow  here  in  detail  the  story  of  its  devel- 
opment further  than  to  say  that  its  most  strik- 
ing improvement,  the  main  entrance,  with  its 
sculptured  gateway  on  Fifth  averue,  was 
completed  in  1861.  The  time  is  coming  when 
the  disposal  of  single  graves  will  be  a  thing 
■of  the  past  and  when  even  the  sale  of  lots  will 
be  at  an  end,  and  many  changes  and  improve- 
ments will  then  be  e'iifected  which  will  still 
further  add  to  the  beauty  of  the  enclosure.  To 
provide  for  this  a  reserve  fund  has  been  slowly 
maturing  which  now  amounts  to  $2,500,000, 
so  that  when  the .  time  comes  that  no  further 
income  is  obtainable  from  the  sale  of  the  lots 
the  welfare  of  the  cemetery  will  be  amply 
guarded. 

The  success  of  Greenwood  inspired  several 
movements  in  a  similar  direction.  The  first  of 
these,  Cypress  Hills  Cemetery,  was  laid  out 
by  a  company  incorporated  in  1847,  and  which 
purchased  125.  acres  of  land,  which  have  been 
added  to  until  the  cemetery  now  encloses  400 
acres.  The  first  interment  was  made  in  1848, 
and  its  silent  population  was  quickly  built  up 
by  its  receiving  bodies  from  the  old  church- 
yards of  New  York  and  Brooklyn,  the  sites 
of  which  were  being  turned  over  to  the  uses 
of  the  living.  Its  location  is  beautiful,  but  up 
to  within  a  recent  period  it  was  so  difficult  of 
access  that  its  success,  from  a  financial  point 
of  view,  was  much  retarded;  but  now,  with 
increased  facihties  in  that  respect,  it  is  yearly 
yielding  better  returns  to  its  stockholders.  It  is 
steadily  being  improved  and  many  of  its  monu- 


ments rank  as  splendid  specimens  of  such  art. 
One  feature  of  Cypress  Hills  Cemetery  is  the 
number  of  special  plots  it  contains.  The  most 
notable  of  these  is  that  known  as  "the  Soldiers' 
Plot,"  which  contains  in  its  center  an  imposing 
monument,  and  the  whole  enclosure  is  under 
a  distinct  management  from  that  of  the  rest 
of  the  cemetery.  The  Actors'  Fund  has  also 
a  fine  plot,  and  so  has  the  Press  Club,  while 
such  organizations  as  the  St.  Andrew's  Socie- 
ty, the  St.  David's  Society  and  the  St.  George's 
Society  have  here  plots  where  they  bury  such 
of  their  country •  people  who  may  die  friend- 
less or  poor,  or  both.  A  small  plot  contains 
the  graves  of  soldiers  of  the  war  of  1812,  but 
unfortunately  these  graves  are  not  marked  by 
any  stones.  The  cemetery  is  a  fitting  resting 
place  for  such  heroes,  for  it  was  itself  once 
placed  in  order  ,for  battle,  and  on  its  slopes 
General  Woodhull,  prior  to  the-  Battle  of 
Brooklyn  in  1776,  prepared  to  meet  an  attack, 
while  several  cannon  balls  fired  from  British 
cannons  have  been  dug  up  in  the  course  of 
making  improvements. 

In  1849  the  Cemetery  of  the  Evergreens 
v/as  incorporated  and  112  acres  were  acquired 
by  its  stockholders,  since  extended  to  375 
acres.  It  also  occupies  ground  which  may  be 
classed  as  historic,  for  over  it  many  of  the 
soldiers  in  General  Howe's  army  marched  in 
August,  1776,  when  executing  that  strategic 
movement  which  brought  such  havoc  to  the 
patriot  forces.  Its  Chinese  section,  .situated 
on  a  bleak  hillside,  separated  from  the  ceme- 
tery proper,  is  the  scene  at  times  of  many 
strange  ceremonies. 

While  on  this  subject  brief  mention  may 
be  made  of  other  cemeteries  which  lie  within 
the  Long  Island  division  of  the  Greater  New 
York,  and  which  caused  some  sections,  such 
as  Newtown,  to  be  spoken  of  as  one  vast  bury- 
ing ground.  There  is  little  to  be  gained  by 
detailing  their  history  or  describing  their 
memorial  or  scenic  beauties,  but  most  of  them 
are  as  trimly  kept  and  made  as  attractive  as 
a   liberal   expenditure  of   time,   thought  and 


438 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


money  can  achieve.  Such  cemeteries  as  Cal- 
vary, with  over  700,000  bodies  lying  in  its 
graves  and  vaults,  and  Lutheran,  with  300,000, 
are  vast  cities  of  the  dead  and  contain  the  ashes 
of  many  men  and  women  once  famous  in  local 
annals,  while  Mount  Olivet,  Mount  Nebo,Most 
Holy  Trinity,  St.  Michael's,  Salem  Fields, 
Mount  Zion,  Holy  Cross,  Cedar  Grove  and 
Methodist  are  the  best  known  among  the  small- 
er ones.  At  Fresh  Pond,  in  Queens  Borough, 
is  the  public  crematory,  where  those  who  pre- 
fer that  form  of  disposing  of  their  dead  to 
burial  can  have  their  preference  put  into  quick 
effect.  It  is  generally  held  that  cremation  in 
the  time  to  come  will  be  the  general  mode 
of  getting  rid  of  the  body  after  its  spirit  has 
passed,  and  that  cemeteries  will  then  be  turned 
into  public  gardens  or  opened  up  for  building 
purposes ;  but  if  so  the  idea  of  cremation  does 
not  seem  to  be  attaining  its  destined  popularity 
very  quickly;  Fresh  Pond  crematory  has  now 
been  in  operation  since  1884,  and  up  to  Octo- 
ber, 1900,  only  3,795  incinerations  had  taken 
place  in  its  furnace.  But  the  number  seems  to 
be  growing  slowly  each  year.  In  1899  there 
were  540,  and  in  1900,  610. 

During  the  years  covered  by  this  chapter 
the  ferry  system  of  Brooklyn  made  considera- 
ble progress,  and  was  extended  as  fast  as  the 
growing  demands  of  the  various  sections 
seemed  to  warrant.  In  fact,  so  far  as  Brook- 
lyn is  concerned,  she  has  always  been  alive 
to  the  necessity  of  perfection  in  -her  ferry 
services,  and  but  for  the  handicap  imposed 
by  the  claims  of  Manhattan  that  service  would 
have  advanced  with  more  rapid  strides  than  it 
did.  In  1836  what  is  known  as  South  Ferry 
was  opened,  in  1846  the  Hamilton  Ferry  was 
established,  and  the  Wall  Street  Ferry  in 
1853.  These,  as  well  as  the  older  ferries,  were 
run  by  different  companies,  and  except  at 
Fulton  Ferry  the  service  was  poor,  for  the  cost 
of  maintaining  each  was  considerable  and  the 
financial  returns  to  the  owners  were  meager, 
• — when  there  were  any  returns  at  all. 


The  first  really  upward  step  looking  to  gen- 
eral improvement  was  taken  in  1844,  when 
the  Brooklyn  Union  Ferry  Company  was 
formed.  The  president  was  N.  B.  Morse, 
and  Henry  E.  Pierrepont  was  vice-pr;sident, 
as  well  as  a  trustee,  along  with  Jacob  R. 
Leroy.  These  gentlemen  formed  the  direc- 
torate, along  with  George  Wood,  Joseph  A. 
Perry,  John  Dikeman,  Joseph  Ketchum,  John 
B.  La  Sala,  Seth  Low,  C.  J.  Taylor,  L.  Van 
Nostrand,  Walter  N.  De  Grauw,  H.  R.  Worth- 
ington,  C.  N.  Kiersted,  C.  P.  Smith,  John 
Dimon,  A.  G.  Benson,  Charles  Kelsey,  James 
E.  Underbill,  Ezra  Lewis,  S.  E.  Johnson,  E. 
J.  Bartow  and  George  Hurlbut.  There  were 
some  features  attending  the  formation  of  the 
company  which  were  regarded  with  surprise 
at  the  time,  it  being  even  alleged  that  one  or 
two  of  these  directors  bought  their  stock  and 
obtained  their  seats  with  the  view  of  selling 
out  the  lease  of  the  Fulton  and  South  Ferries, 
control  of  which  the  corporation  had  secured, 
to  outside  parties.  But  if  any  such  purpose 
was  entertained  it  was  balked  by  the  pubhc 
spirit  of  Messrs.  Leroy  and  Pierrepont,  in 
whose  names  the  leases  of  the  two  ferries 
had  been  made  out  and  whose  sole  aim  in  the 
matter  was  to  promote  the  interests  of  Brook- 
lyn. Practically  the  lease  they  held  was  ac- 
companied by  no  reservations,  and  so  what- 
ever scheme  may  have  been  concocted  to  de- 
feat the  public-spirited  purposes  of  the  incor- 
poration was  easily  defeated  before  it  had 
time  to  mature.  The  corporation  at  once  pro- 
ceeded to  manage  its  property  so  as  to  add  to 
its  financial  prosperity  by  effecting  improve- 
ments in  its  service.  The  landing  stages  and 
ferry  houses  were  rehabilitated,  new  and  larger 
boats  were  placed  on  each  route,  the  running 
schedule  was  quickened  and  the  utmost  regu- 
larity introduced,  while  the  fare  was  gradu- 
ally reduced  until,  from  four  cents  on  Fulton 
Ferry  and  three  cents  on  South  Ferry  in  1836, 
a  uniform  rate  on  both  of  one  cent  was  estab- 
lished in  1850.  The  corporation,  despite  these 
changes,  made  money,  and  the  business  at  the 


CHURCH    DEVELOPMENT. 


439' 


other  ferries  dwindled  rapidly,  so  much  so 
that  there  were  rumors  that  some  of  them 
would  be  abandoned. 

In  1850  a  new  lease  of  the  Fulton  and 
South  Ferries  was  secured  for  ten  years  by 
Messrs.  Leroy  and  Pierrepont,  and  their  com- 
pany, in  addition,  secured  the  Hamilton  Ferry, 
which  at  once  began  to  feel  the  beneficial 
effects  of  the  change.  The  business,  especially 
at  Fulton  Ferry,  which  the  street  railroads 
made  their  terminus  because  it  was  the  most 
popular,  steadily  assumed  larger  proportions, 
— so  much  so  as  to  give  rise  to  ideas  of  danger 
in  the  mere  handling  of  such  crowds  as  passed 
over  it  morning  and  evening.  The  movement, 
too,  of  the  street  railways  tended  to  increase 
the  trafific  at  the  one  point  and  helped  to  de- 
moralize the  service  at  the  ferries  which  the 
corporation  did  not  control.  A  change  of  some 
sort  became  imminent:  either  the  outside  fer- 
ries should  be  purchased  by  the  company,  or 
two  at  least  would  have  to  be  abandoned. 
The  latter  contingency  was  to  be  regretted, 
it  was  felt  all  round,  as  Brooklyn  needed  all 
the  outlets  possible.  The  results  of  a  long 
series  of  private  conferences  was  that  the  own- 
ers of  Roosevelt,  Gouverneur,  Catharine,  and 
Wall  Street  Ferries  agreed  to  sell  out  to  a 
new  company  which  should  be  incorporated 
and  to  take  their  purchase  money  in  stock. 
When  all  the  negotiations  were  completed 
what  we  would  now  call  a  trust  was  called 
into  existence.  A  new  company  was  formed, 
virtually  the  old  one  under  the  slightly  altered 
name  of  the  Union  Ferry  Company  of  Brook- 
lyn, and  complete  possession  of  the  entire  sys- 
tem was  entered  upon.  Being  now  thoroughly 
protected  against  private  interference,  Messrs. 
Leroy  and  Pierrepont  at  once  surrendered 
their  leases  of  the  Fulton,  South  and  Hamil- 
ton Ferries  to  the  new  corporation,  which 
henceforth  controlled  these  routes,  as  well  as 
the  Roosevelt,  Gouverneur,  Catharine  and 
Wall  Street  Ferries ;  and  although  the  financial 
results  of  the  deal  were  at  first  disappointing 
the  clouds  soon  cleared  awav  and  the  entire 


system  was  placed  on  a  footing  satisfactory 
both  to  the  public  and  the  stockholders. 

The  Navy  Yard  during  this  period  was 
steadily  extending  its  size  and  importance. 
Through  the  exertions  of  H.  C.  Murphy,  then 
a  member  of  Congress,  a  splendid  dry  dock 
was  constructed  at  the  yard.  It  was  com- 
menced in  1841,  and  was  completed  some  years 
later,  at  a  cost  of  over  $2,000,000.  Business, 
however,  was  at  no  time  rushing  at  the  yard, 
and  the  records  only  show  the  construction 
of  the  following  Government  ships : 

Brig  Dolphin,  commenced  in  1836, 
launched  June  17,  1836;  schooner  Pilot,  com- 
menced in  1836  (for  the  Surveying  and  Ex- 
ploring Expedition),  launched  September, 
1836;  steamer  Fulton  (second),  commenced 
in  1835,  launched  May  18,  1837;  sloop  of  war 
Levant  (second  class),  commenced  in  1837, 
launched  December  28,  1837;  sloop  of  war 
Decatur  (third  class),  commenced  in  1838, 
launched  April  9,  1839;  steamer  Missouri, 
commenced  in  1840,  launched  January  7,  1841 ; 
brig  Somers,  commenced  in  January,  1842, 
launched  April  16,  1842;  sloop  of  war  San 
Jacinto,  commenced  1837,  launched  April  16, 
1850;  sloop  of  war  Albany  (first  class),  com- 
menced in  1843,  launched  January  27,  1846; 
steamer  Fulton  (third),  rebuilt,  commenced 
in  1850,  launched  August  30,  1851. 

It  was  seriously  discussed  about  this  time 
whether  the  Navy  Yard  really  was  of  any 
practical  benefit  to  Brooklyn  and  whether  the 
city  would  not  be  much  better  off  were  the 
Government  to  take  its  outfit  somewhere  else 
and  leave  the  Wallabout  to  aid  in  the  develop-, 
ment  of  the  commerce  of  the  city.  It  was 
felt,  however,  that  the  location  of  the  Navy 
Yard  where  it  had  so  long  been  not  only  added 
to  the  importance  of  Brooklyn,  but  that  it 
promised  to  be  one  of  the  city's  best  means 
of  defense  should  a  foreign  invasion  ever  be 
threatened.  Mr.  Murphy's  dry-dock  scheme, 
when  inaugurated,  put  a  stop  to  whatever 
idea  the   Government  mav  have  held  of   re- 


440 


HISTORY    OF    LOiNG    ISLAND. 


linquishing  its  hold  in  Brooklyn's  historic 
bay,  and  the  notion  was  abandoned  on  all 
sides.  The  Navy  Yard,  it  was  felt,  was  a  fix- 
ture and  its  location  was  an  ideal  one  for  every 
conceivable  purpose.  Indeed,  the  question  of 
change  has  long  since  been  relegated  to  a 
place  among  the  many  dead  issues  we  meet 
with  in  the  history  of  Kings  county  which  are 
only  worth,  from  a  historical  point,  a  refer- 
ence of  a  line  or  two  simply  to  show  that  they 
really  existed,  but  are  no  longer  worthy  of 
consideration  or  discussion. 

It  was,  however,  this  national  occupation 
of  the  Wallabout  and  the  consequent  failure 
of  Brooklyn  to  extend  in  its  direction  that 
proved  one  of  the  leading  arguments  against 
the  utility  of  the  consolidation  of  Brooklyn 
and  Williamsburgh  when  that  subject  came 
up  for  serious  consideration.  It  was  easily 
seen  by  reference  to  any  plan  or  map,  or  even 
to  the  eye  of  the  observer  on  the  East  River, 
that  the  two  cities  were  quite  distinct  and  sepa- 
arate  from  each  other,  and  that  the  Navy 
Yard  had  prevented  a  complete  line  of  dwell- 
ings and  warehouses  and  workshops  being 
erected  along  the  water  front,  which  would 
of  a  certainty  have  been  formed  and  made  a 
chain  connecting  the  two  municipalities  had 
the  way  been  clear.  But  there  the  Navy  Yard 
lay,  completely  blocking,  as  it  were,  munici- 
pal p.rogress,  and  back  of  it  rolled  a  stretch 
of  wild  and  mostly  unoccupied  territory  which 
the  most  optimistic  fancy  could  not  see,  even 
if  parceled  out  into  streets  and  squares  and 
avenues  by  the  surveyors  and  map-makers, 
filled  up  with  residential  or  business  establish- 
ments. But  the  fiat  had  gone  forth,  the  poli- 
ticians and  official  spoilsmen  had  practically 
wrecked  Williamsburgh;  and  although  many 
thought  that  while  the  union  must  inevitably 
come,  it  should  be  deferred  in  the  interest  of 
both  municipalities  for  a  quarter  of  a  century 
or  thereabout,  those  in  favor  of  it  craved  im- 
mediate action.  The  bill  ordering  the  consoli- 
dation became  a  law  in  April,  1854,  and  with 
the  passing  of  the  31st  of  December  following 


Williamsburgh  and  Bushwick  lost  their  iden- 
tity and  became  part  and  parcel  of  the  city 
of  Brooklyn,  which  then  entered  upon  another 
phase  of  its  own  history.  The  first  Mayor 
of  the  first  city  of  Brooklyn  was  George 
Hall,  singularly  enough  chosen  to  be  the  first 
Mayor  of  the  new  city,  and  on  assuming  the 
office  January  i,  1855,  he  delivered  a  most 
interesting  reminiscent  address,  and  this  chap- 
ter cannot  be  more  appropriately  closed  than 
by  an  extract  from  it: 

It  is  now  twenty-one  years  since  I  was 
called  by  the  common  council  to  preside  over 
the  afifairs  of  the  late  city  of  Brooklyn,  then 
first  ushered  into  existence.  The  population 
of  the  city,  at  that  time,  consisted  of  about 
20,000  persons,  residing  for  the  most  part 
within  the  distance  of  about  three-quartprs  of 
a  mile  from  Fulton  Ferry.  Beyond  this  limit 
no  streets  of  any  consequence  were  laid  out, 
and  the  ground  was  chiefly  occupied  for  agri- 
cultural purposes.  The  shores,  throughout 
nearly  their  whole  extent,  were  in  their  natural 
condition,  washed  by  the  East  River  and  the 
bay.  There  were  two  ferries,  by  which  com- 
munication was  had  with  the  city  of  New 
York,  ceasing  at  twelve  o'clock  at  night. 
There  were,  within  the  city,  two  banks,  two 
msurance  companies,  one  savings  bank,  fif- 
teen churches,  three  public  schools  and  two 
weekly  newspapers.  Of  commerce  and  manu- 
factures it  can  scarcely  be  said  to  have  had 
any,  its  business  consisting  chiefly  of  that 
which  was  requisite  for  supplying  the  wants 
of  its  inhabitants.  Sixteen  of  its  streets  were 
lighted  with  public  lamps,  of  which  number 
thirteen  had  been  supplied  within  the  then  pre- 
vious year.  The  assessed  value  of  the  taxa- 
ble property  was  $7,829,684,  of  which  $6,457,- 
084  consisted  of  real  estate  and  $1,372,600 
of  personal  property. 

Williamsburgh  was  incorporated  as  a  vil- 
lage in  1827.  Its  growth  was  comparatively 
slow  until  after  the  year  1840.  At  the.  taking 
of  the  census  in  that  year  it  was  found  to  con- 
tain 5,094  inhabitants,  and  since  that  time  it 
has  advanced  with  almost  unparalleled  rap- 
idity, having  attained  a  population  of  30,780 
in  1850.  It  was  chartered  as  a  city  in  1851. 
Within  the  comparatively  short  period  of 
twenty-one  years  Bushwick,  from  a  thinly  set- 
tled township,  has  advanced  with  rapid  strides, 


CHURCH    DEVELOPMENT. 


441 


and  yesterday  contained  within  its  limits  two 
large  villages,  together  numbering  a  popula- 
tion of  about  7,000  persons.  Williamsburgh, 
from  a  hamlet,  become  a  city  of  about 
50,000  inhabitants.  Brooklyn,  judging  from 
its  past  increase,  yesterday  contained  a  popu- 
lation of  about  145,000  persons,  and  on  this 
day  the  three  places  consolidated  into  one 
municipal  corporation,  takes  its  stand  as  the 
third  city  in  the  Empire  State,  with  an  aggre- 
gate population  of  about  200,000  inhabitants. 
The  superficial  extent  of  area  included 
within  the  city  limits  is  about  16,000  acres 
(or  twenty-five  square  miles).  The  extent  in 
length  of  the  city  along,  the  water  front  is 
eight  and  one-half  miles,  along  the  inland 
bounds  thirteen  and  one-half  miles,  and  be- 
tween the  two  most  distant  points  in  a  straight 
line  seven  and  three-fourths  miles,  and  its 
greatest  width  five  miles.  Within  these  limits 
516  streets  have  been  opened  for  public  use. 
*  *  *  Thirty  miles  of  railroad  tracks,  ex- 
clusive of  those  of  the  Long  Island  railroad 
companies,  have  been  laid  and  are  in  use 
upon  the  streets  of  the  city ;  besides  twelve 
lines  of  stages  or  omnibuses.  The  city,  to  a 
great  extent,  is  lighted  by  gas,  supplied  by 
the  Brooklyn  and  Williamsburgh  Gas  Light 
Company,  using  ninety-five  miles  of  pipes 
along  the  streets.  The  streets  are  lighted  with 
public  lamps,  numbering  in  the  aggregate 
3,766,  of  which  2,609  ^re  gas  lamps.  Thirteen 
sewers  have  been  constructed,  extending  in 
length  five  miles.  There  are  157  public  cis- 
terns and  547  wells  and  pumps.  There  are 
two  public  parks,  one  of  which  will  rival  in 
magnificence,  as  respects  its  natural  position 
and  commanding  prospect,  that  of  any  other 
city  in  the  Union. 

Reference  was  then  made  to  the  formation 
of  Greenwood  and  Evergreens  Cemeteries;  to 


113  churches  within  the  city;  to  27  public 
schools,  containing  317  teachers  and  about 
30,500  scholars;  to  the  Packer  Collegiate  In- 
stitute, the  numerous  private  schools,  the 
Brooklyn  City  Hospital,  the  Orphan  Asylums, 
the  Old  Ladies'  Home,  industrial  schools, 
dispensaries,  etc. ;  also  to  nine  banks,  four 
savings  institutions,  eight  insurance  compa- 
nies, five  daily  and  two  weekly  papers,  etc. 
The  assessed  value  of  taxable  property  dur- 
ing the  previous  year  was  estimated:  In 
Brooklyn — of  real  estate,  $64,665,117;  of  per- 
sonal property,  $8,184,881;  Williamsburgh — 
of  real  estate,  $11,242,664;  of  personal  prop- 
erty, $11,614,559;  Bushwick — ^of  real  estate, 
$3,106,864;  of  personal  property,  $109,000; 
making  the  aggregate  in  the  whole  city,  $88,- 
923.085. 

Thirteen  ferries,  keeping  up  a  constant 
communication  with  the  city  of  New  York, 
and  the  almost  continuous  line  of  wharves 
between  Greenpoint  and  Red  Hook,  as  well 
as  the  commercial  facihties  furnished  by  the 
Atlantic  Docks,  and  the  expensive  ship  build- 
ing at  Greenpwint,  were  also  alluded  to.  The 
police  of  the  new  city,  under  Chief  John  S. 
Folk,  comprised  seven  districts,  with  an  aggre- 
•gate  of  274  men ;  the  Eighth,  Ninth  and  Eight- 
eenth Wards  not  being  included,  they  having 
a  special  police  at  their  own  expense.  The 
fire  department  was  also  on  a  good  footing, 
the  western  district  having  twenty  engines, 
seven  hose-carts  and  four  hook  and  ladder, 
companies ;  the  eastern  having  ten  engines, 
four  hose-carts,  three  hook  and  ladder,  and 
one  bucket  companies. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 


THE    ERA    OF    THE    CIVIL   WAR,    1865-1870. 

A   Succession   of  Capable   Executives — The   Metropolitan   Police — J.  S.  T. 

Stranahan,  Prospect  Park,  Street  Railways,  Libraries  — 

Rapid   Extension   of  the   City — Cholera. 


N  THIS  division  it  is  proposed  to  treat 
of  the  history  of  Brooklyn — the  Con- 
soHdated  City — as  it  was  generally 
called  from  the  date  of  that  consoli- 
dation (January  i,  1855)  until  the  beginning 
of  1870.  That  period  may  rightfully  be  called 
the  era  of  the  Civil,  War,  for  although  that 
terrible  conflict  lasted  only  during  four  years 
out  of  the  fifteen  years  thus  included,  yet  the 
time  of  preparation  and  'recuperation  ought  to 
be  included.  While  it  cannot  be  said  that 
the  preparatory  events  leading  to  that  war 
had  much  more  than  a  passing  influence  on 
the  progress  of  Brooklyn,  it  must  be  admitted 
that,  in  keeping  with  all  loyal,  slavery-hating 
communities  in  the  North  she  saw  the  dark 
clouds  settle  out  of  which  was  to  issue  that 
bolt  which  was  to  strike  Fort  Sumter,  and  felt 
the  need  of  ample  preparation  to  meet  the 
storm.  She  had  to  grope  in  the  darkening  at- 
mosphere for  a  while,  not  knowinq;  exactly 
what  might  be  required  of  her,  where  the 
storm  would  break,  or  how  far  it  might  spread. 
She  kept  on  as  calmly  as  could  be  in  the  even 
tenor  of  her  way,  extending  her  boundaries, 
effecting  improvements  in  her  internal  econo- 
my, and  then,  when  the  time  did  come,  tak- 
ing her  full  share  with  the  Northern  cities  in 
the  grand  work  of  preserving  the  Union  of 
the  States. 

During  this  period  Brooklyn  had  five  oc- 


cupants of  its  civic  chair,  all  men  of  marked 
individuality  and  in  every  way  worthy  of  the 
honors  heaped  upon  them  by  their  fellow  citi- 
zens.    Of  Mayor  Hall  mention  has  already 
been  made  and  there  is  no  need  to  dwell  upon 
his  career  during  the  new  term  1855-6  further 
than  to  say  that  he  was  elected  upon  a  tem- 
perance and  religious  platform  and  zealously 
kept  every  plank  in  place.    Possibly,  one  of  the 
proudest  moments  of  his  life  was  when,  July 
31,    1855,    he    broke    ground    for    the   reser- 
voir of  the  Nassau  Water  Company  on  Reser- 
voir Hill,  Flatbush.     That  company  had  been 
chartered  earlier  in  the  same  year  and  in  June 
the  Brooklyn  Common  Council  had  subscribed 
for  $1,300,000  of  its  stock,  thus  giving  the  city 
a    controlling    interest    in    its    management. 
Mayor  Hall  zealously  put  in  operation  all  the 
laws  he  could  find  on  the  statute  books  which 
aimed  at  preserving  the  amenity  of  the  Sab- 
bath, and  in  the  poorer  quarters  of  the  city 
he  aroused  a  strong  feeling  against  himself 
by  the   determined  manner  in  which  he  en- 
forced  the   regulations   requiring-  the  closing 
of  all  sorts  of  stores  on  the  day  of  rest,  while 
his  determined  refusal  in  spite  of  many  urgent 
and   influential   appeals  to   permit  the  street 
cars  to  run  on  Sundays  added  to  his  unpopu- 
larity with  the  masses,  although  most  of  the 
old  residents  thoroughly  approved  his  policy, 
so  far  as  these  public  vehicles  were  concerned. 


THE    ERA    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 


443. 


But  long  before  his  term  was  up  he  found 
himself  decidedly  a  most  unpopular  personage 
among  all  classes, — particularly  among  the 
very  classes  who  were  most  zealous  in  their 
use  of  the  ballot-box.  His  rectitude  and  lofti- 
ness of  purpose  Were  unquestioned,  but  it 
was  felt  that  his  many  peculiar  views  on  pub- 
lic morals  were  not  in  keeping  with  the  spirit 
of  the  times, — were  too  paternal  and  Puri- 
tanic for  the  nineteenth  century. 


cars   to   be   run   on   Sundays   and   winked   atr 
Sunday  store  trading  so  long  as  it  was  kept 
within  bounds  and  was  not  only  necessary  to- 
the  comfort  of  the  poor,  but  was  demanded 
by  public  opinion.     As  a  result  his  popularity 
steadily  increased,  and  he  was  triumphantly 
re-elected  when  his  first  term  expired.    After- 
ward,  in    1871,   he   was   again   called   to  the- 
Mayor's  office  and  served  a  third  term,  and  he  ■ 
was  chosen  Comptroller  in  1874,  a  Park  Com— 


VIEW    FROM    BATTLE    HILL,    GOWANUS    HEIGHTS,    IN    1860. 
From  drawing  by  James  Smillie. 


His  successor,  who  entered  upon  office 
with  the  advent  of  1857,  was  Samuel  S.  Pow- 
ell, a  native  of  New  York  City.  Mr.  Powell 
had  resided  in  Brooklyn  since  1838,  and  for 
many  years  was  engaged  in  business  as  a 
clothier.  In  1845  he  was  elected  for  a  term 
to  the  Common  Council,  but  declined  re- 
election and  held  no  other  public  office  until 
he  was  elected  to  the  Mayoralty.  He  was  a 
religious  man,  but  not  so  strict  in  his  notions 
as  his  predecessor,  so  he  permitted  the  street 


missioner  in  1877,  and  County  Treasurer  irr 
1878,  holding  the  latter  office  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  February  6,   1879. 

Mayor  Powell  was  what  would  nowadays 
be  called  an  independent  Democrat,  and  had 
received  the  Mayoralty  nomination  in  spite 
of  "the  machine"  of  the  party,  which  then  had 
its  headquarters  in  the  law  office  of  Lott,  Mur- 
phy &  Vanderbilt.  His  successor,  Martin, 
Kalbfleisch,  however,  was  elected  in  1861  by 
more  "regular"  Democratic  management,  and! 


444 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


as  the  War  JMayor  of  Brooklyn  deserves  to 
be  held  in  loyal  and  kindly  remembrance. 
Mayor  Powell,  it  should  be  said,  had  proved 
himself  devoted  to  the  national  cause,  and 
aided  the  Government  to  the  best  of  his  ability 
and  the  extent  of  his  influence,  but  it  viras 
MayoT  Kalbfleisch's  fortune  to  be  in  office 
shortly  after  the  storm  broke,  and  he  con- 
tinued to  direct  Brooklyn's  loyal  aspirations 
during  what  may  be  called  the  darkest  period 
■of  the  awful  struggle.  In  him,  a  native  of  the 
Netherlands  and  a  naturalized  citizen,  the 
Union  had  no  more  stanch  advocate  or  the 
National  Government  a  more  single-hearted 
adherent.  He  could  not  understand  for  a  long 
time,  it  ■  was  said,  exactly  what  the  contest 
was  about,  but  he  enjoyed  the  advantage  of 
his  citizenship,  had  found  wealth  and  friends 
and  home  in  the  land  of  his  adoption,  and 
looked  upon  the  schism — any  schism — as  a 
crime.  He  had  settled  at  Greenpoint  in  1842, 
and  there,  built  up  a  splendid  business  as  a 
manufacturer  of  colors.  He  at  once  took  a 
deep  interest  in  local  affairs,  organized  a 
school  so  that  his  own  children  and  those  of 
his  neighbors,  might  have  the  advantages  of 
a  good  education,  and  paid  the  teacher's  sal- 
ary out  of  his  own  pocket  for  a  considerable 
time.  In  politics  he  became  quite  an  active 
figure,  and  he  was  soon  recognized  in  the 
local  Democratic  party  as  an  indefatigable 
worker,  being,  as  a  noted  Brooklyn  politician 
said,  "One  of  those  Dutchmen  who  never  let 
go  until  they  have  carried  their  point,  and 
don't  know  when  they  are  beaten."  In  1851 
he  was  elected  Supervisor  of  the  old  town  of 
Bushwick  and  held  tliat  office  until  Bushwick 
was  "consolidated,",  of  which  project  he  was  a 
stanch  advocate.  In  1855  he  was  chosen  Alder- 
man of  Brooklyn's  new  Eighteenth  Ward,  and 
held  his  seat  in  the  Common  Council  until  he 
became  Mayor.  While  he  held  that  office  it 
may  be  said  that  war  measures  occupied  his 
whole  time,  and  he  proved  indefatigable  in  his 
efforts  to  strengthen  the  hands  of  the  Govern- 
ment and  at  the  same  time  fulfill  all  the  active 


duties  incumbent  upon  him  as  the  head  of  a 
municipality  which,  in  spite  of  the  civil  com- 
motion, was  extending  itself  in  all  directions 
and  almost  daily  entering  upon  improvements 
and  new  enterprises  all  of  which  were  adding 
to  its  reasons  for  civic  pride.  After  a  term  in 
Congress  he  was  again  elected  Mayor,  in  1867, 
and  held  that  office  until  1871,  two  years  be- 
fore his  death. 

Mayor  Kalbfleisch's  successor  to  that  title, 
in  1864,  was  one  of  the  local  heroes  made 
conspicuous  by  the  war, — Colonel  Alfred  M. 
Wood.  This  man  of  many  brilliant  parts  was 
a  native  of  Hempstead,  and  what  might  be 
called  a  politician  by  profession.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  business  in  Brooklyn  for  a  short 
time  early  in  life,  but  was  unsuccessful,  and 
in  1853  was  elected  Collector  of  Taxes,  and 
re-elected  in  1856.  In  1861  he  was  elected 
to  the-  Board  of  Aldermen  and  was  chosen  as 
its  president.  When  the  war  broke  out  he  was 
the  senior  officer  of  the  Fourteenth  Regiment 
of  militia,  and,  resigning  his  civic  office,  he 
devoted  his  entire  time  to  filling  up  the  ranks 
of  the  regiment  and  led  it  to  the  front.  At 
the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run  he  was  conspicuous 
for  his  bravery,  and  was  severely  wounded 
just  as  the  panic  among  the  Northern  troops 
began.  While  being  removed  from  the  field  in 
an  ambulance,  Colonel  Wood  found  himself 
forsaken,  for  the  driver  had  cut  the  traces 
from  the  horse  which  had  been  hauling  the 
vehicle  and  ridden  away.  With  the  help  of 
some  of  his  own  men,  whom  he  happened  to 
fall  in  with,  Colonel  Wood  contrived  to  reach 
a  bit  of  woods,  where  they  lay  concealed  for 
four  davs,  when  the  little  party  was  captured 
by  some  Southern  soldiers.  On  partially  re- 
covering from  his  wound,  Colonel  Wood  was 
sent  to  Richmond  and  there  ordered  to  be 
executed ;  but  the  sentence  was  not  carried  out, 
and  after  a  time  he  was  exchanged.  Return- 
ing to  Brooklyn,  he  was  received  with  all  the 
acclaim  due  to  a  hero,  and  on  October  20, 
1863,  received  the  nomination  for  Mayor  and 
was  elected  by  a  -rousing  majority,  his  leading 


THE    ERA    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 


4-45 


opponent  being  Mayor  Kalbfleisch,  who  cer- 
tainly deserved  better  treatment  at  the  hands 
of  the  voters.  But  it  was  a  time  when  war 
heroes  were  the  idols  of  the  public  and  could 
get  anything  they  sought  from  an  admiring 
fwpulace.  Although  he  did  not  go  to  the 
front,  Kalbfleisch  probably  accomplished  a 
thousand  times  the  service  that  his  rival  could 
have  claimed  credit  foT,  but  then  "the  conse- 
cration of  battle,"  as  the  orators  used  to  call 
it,  did  not  figure  in  his  record.  Wood  made 
a  good  Mayor,  devoted  himself  to  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  city,  and  after  his  term  was 
over  filled  several  minor  offices  in  the  gift  of 
the  National  Government,  and  then,  went 
abroad. 

Samuel  Booth,  in  1866,  succeeded  Colonel 
Wood  as  Mayor.  Mr.  Booth  was  born  in  Eng- 
land in  1818,  but  was  brought  here  while 
yet  an  infant,  and  had  resided  in  Brooklyn 
from  the  tenth  year  of  his  age.  He  learned 
the  trade  of  carpenter,  and  in  1843  started  in 
business  on  his  own  account,  steadily  pressing 
upward  until  he  was  at  the  head  of  a  flourish- 
ing establishment.  After  a  long  and  honora- 
ble record  in  various  public  offices,  and  win- 
ning much  personal  popularity  as  chairman  of 
the  local  Bounty  Committee,  which  disbursed 
some  $3,800,000  to  the  soldiers  and  their  rela- 
tives, he  found  himself,  on  entering  upon  the 
office  of  Mayor,  in  1866,  in  the  awkward  posi- 
tion of  having  the  Board  of  Aldermen  mainly 
made  up  of  political  opponents,  and  presuma- 
bly, for  party  purposes,  ready  to  defeat  any 
policy  upon  which  he  might  enter.  This  posi- 
tion of  things  lasted  during  his.  entire  term, 
but  his  own  sterling  honesty  safely  carried 
him  through  and  he  retired  with  the  good  will 
of  the  citizens  generally.  Afterward  he  be- 
came Postmaster  of  Brooklyn,  and  when  he 
quitted  that  office,  in  1874,  enjoyed  many 
honors  as  a  private  citizen, — honors  which 
came  to  him  willingly  from  all  classes  of  his 
townspeople. 

The  succession  to  the  Mayoralty  again 
brought  Martin  Kalbfleisch  to  the  front,  and 


that  sturdy  Hollander  held  the  reins  of  power 
when  the  period  allotted  to  this  chapter  came 
to  a  close.  He  proved  as  safe  and  successful 
an  administrator  of  the  city's  affairs  in  itime_ 
of  peace  as  he  had  during  the  eventful  years 
of  his  previous  administration  when  the  issues . 
of  the  war  dictated  everything,  and  in  1868 . 
he  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  Brooklyn- 
advance  with  greater  strides  than  ever  before 
to  queenly  rank  among  the  cities  of  the 
country. 

One  of  the  most  significant  movements  of 
this  period  was  that  tending  to  consolidation 
with  New  York,  although  consolidation  itself; 
was    hardly  more    than  broached    in  public. 
]\Iuch  of  this  arose  from  the  fact  that  Man- 
hattan Island  was  so  overwhelmingly  Demo- 
cratic that  those  opposed  to  that  party  could 
see  no  way  of  thwarting  its  influence  other 
than  by  legislative  enactment.     In  1855  Fer- 
nando Wood  was  elected  Mayor  of  New  York; 
City  and  held  that  office  until  1858,  when  he 
was  defeated  by  a  fusion  candidate,  Mr.  D. 
N.  Tiemann.    On  the  conclusion  of  the  latter's. 
term  Wood  again  became  a  candidate  and  was, 
elected,  serving  until  the  close  of   1862,  and 
afterward  entering  Congress.     He  was  a  man-' 
of  strong  personality,  a  natural  leader  of  men, 
and  brim-full  of  ideas,  progressive  in  his  own^ 
way,  determined  to  achieve  his  own  purposes, 
and  overcome  opposition,  and  without  any  of 
those  nice  scruples  which  sentiments  of  honor- 
and  honesty  inspire  in    lofty  or    even  well- 
trained   minds.      Like   so   many   other   "local 
statesmen,"  Wood  began  political  life  as  a  re- 
former and  ended  as  a  partisan  with  all  the- 
qualities   which    that    designation   implies   in 
American  politics.    He  had  no  broad  views  on, 
any  subject,  he  was  not  a  statesman;  nothing 
but  a  politician,  and  that,  too,  of  a  purely  local 
type.     He   saw   nothing  beyond    New   York, 
and  took  no  interest  in  the  Nation,  except  as 
events   in  it  affected   his  bailiwick.     With   a 
firm  and  united  Democratic  majority  behind 
him  in  New  York,  he  cared  little  for  outside 
aiifairs,  and  it  was  this  sentiment  more  than: 


446 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


..any  real  approval  of  the  threatened  Southern 
secession  that  led  him,  when  the  crisis  became 
acute,  to  publicly  suggest  that  New  York  City 
should  secede  .from  the  Union  and  become  an 
independent  State,  dragging  with  her  into  her 
loneliness  Brooklyn  and  Staten  Island.  After- 
ward public  opinion,  the  only  thing  he  feared 
in  this  world,  showed  him  he  had  gone  too 
far,  and  he  slid  down  from  his  top-lofty  posi- 
tion with  all  the  skill  he  could  command.  It 
was  this  steady  and  crafty  manipulation  on 
the  part  of  Wood  and  his  followers  to  increase 
and  solidify  the  Democratic  strength  of  Man- 
hattan Island  that  led  the  opposition  party  to 
•  concoct  measures  calculated  to  offset  his 
schemes,  and  one  of  the  first  of  these  was  to 
take  the  control  of  the  local  police  out  of  his 
hand,  for  it  was  only  too  clearly  self-evident 
that  that  force  was  being  used  by  him  as 
one  of  the  most  effective  agents  in  perpetua- 
ting and  strengthening  his  local  party,  and,  as 
'  has  been  said,  a  strong  local  party  was  all  that 
he  cared  about  at  that  time.  Accordingly,  in 
1857,  a  bill  passed  by  the  Legislature  became 
law,  under  the  signature  of  Governor  J.  A. 
King,  which  united  the  police  of  New  York, 
Kings,  Westchester  and  Richmond  counties 
.  and  the  towns  in  Queens  county  into  what 
was  called  the  Metropolitan  District,  and 
which  was  to  be  governed  by  a  board  on  which 
the  Mayor  of  New  York  had  only  an  ex-officio 
seat,  as  well  as  had  the  Mayor  of  Brooklyn, 
while  the  real  power  over  the  entire  force 
was  vested  in  the  appointed  commissioners,  the 
most  notable  of  whom  was  the  late  J.  S.  T. 
Stranahan.  For  a  long  time  Mayor  Wood 
tried  to  defy  the  Legislature  and  endeavored 
to  retain  intact  the  old  municipal  force  in  his 
immediate  jurisdiction,  thereby  giving  to  the 
world  the  spectacle  of  two  sets  of  Dogberrys 
■  doing  exactly  the  same  work  and  often  coming 
into  actual  collision  in  doing  it.  In  the  long 
run  Wood  was  forced  to  bow  to  the  superior 
authority  of  the  State  and  yielded  ungracious- 
ly, but  Brooklyn  from  the  first  loyally  accepted 
•the  mandate.    It  was  this  union  that  was  gen- 


erally regarded  as  the  first  actual  step  toward 
consolidation,  and  it  was  his  experience  as  a 
Commissioner  that  led  Mr.  Stranahan  to  be- 
come impressed  with  the  view  which  governed 
his  later  years  that  the  destinies  of  Brooklyn 
and  New  York  were  one  and  the  same,  were 
inseparable,  in  fact,  whatever  they  might  be 
in  name,  and  that  neither  could  reach  the  full 
fruition  of  metropolitan  greatness  until  they 
were  united  into  one  compact  municipality. 
It  must  be  said  that  under  the  Metropolitan 
Police  law,  bad  as  it  was,  Brooklyn  was  much 
better  protected  than  under  her  former  inde- 
pendent force;  but  the  enforcement  of  the 
measure  led  to  another  unexpected  and  un- 
bearable evil.  Like  New  York,  Brooklyn  was 
a  Democratic  stronghold,  although  its  type  of 
Democracy  was  purer  and  less  identified  with 
municipal  scandal  than  had  been  prevailing 
foT  some  time  on  Manhattan  Island.  But  the 
fwlice  law  demonstrated  the  ease  with  which 
local  affairs  could,  when  occasion  required  or 
party  exigencies  demanded,  be  directed  from 
the  headquarters  of  the  State  Government, and 
as  a  result  of  the  devious  ways  of  politics 
Brooklyn  for  a  long  time, — virtually  during  the 
period  covered  by  this  chapter, — was  deprived, 
on  many  and  important  occasions,  of  the  priv- 
ilege and  right  of  home  rule  which  had  hitherto 
been  her  boast.  But  the  system  of  meddling 
in  purely  local  affairs  on  the  part  of  the  State 
was  discovered,  after  a  few  years  of  practical 
test,  to  be  a  bad  one  for  both  parties,  equally 
dangerous  to  both,  and  Republicans  as  well 
as  Democrats  proclaimed  against  it  with  grati- 
fying results  when  the  Tweed  gang  obtained 
a  foot-hold  in  State  politics  and  ran  things  to 
sui-t  themselves  in  a  manner  that  finally 
aroused  the  people  to  action  irrespective  of 
party. 

That  the  Metropolitan  Police  act  proved  a 
benefit  to  Brooklyn  was  due  more  than  all  else 
to  the  energetic  and  public-spirited  labors  of 
Commissioner  Stranahan,  who  then  began  to 
acquire  that  degree  of  public  confidence  and 
personal  popularity  which  later  won  for  him 


THE    ERA    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 


447 


the  unquestioned  title  of  "First  Citizen  of 
Brooklyn."  Mr.  Stranahan  was  born  at  Peter- 
boro,  New  York,  in  1808.  In  1832  he  became 
associated  with  Gerrit  Smith  in  business  in 
Oneida,  and  in  1838  was  a  member  of  the 
State  Legislature.  In  1840  he  took  up  his 
residence  in  Newark,  New  Jersey,  where  he 
remained  four  years,  engaged  in  railroad  pro- 
motion and  the  actual  building  of  railroads. 
In  1844  he  settled  in  Brooklyn,  which  contin- 
ued to  be  his  home  until  the  time  of  his  death. 

Mr.  Stranahan  at  once  took  an  active  part 
in  local  affairs,  ran  for  Mayor  and  was  badly 
defeated,  and  from  1854  to  1857  was  a  Repre- 
sentative in  Congress ;  but  his  first  real  work 
for  the  city  was  accomplished  on  the  Police 
Commission,  of  which  he  was  a  member. 
Thenceforth  until  laid  aside  by  the  weight  of 
years  his  life  story  was  really  a  part  of  the 
history  of  Brooklyn.  It  was  in  i860  that  he 
began  his  association  with  the  public  improve- 
ment with  which  his  name  is  yet  closest  con- 
nected and  which  accomplished  the  most  last- 
ing good, — the  inauguration  of  the  movement 
which  gave  to  the  city  its  famous  Prospect 
Park. 

That  beautiful  enclosure  now  contains 
some  516  acres,  and  is  not  only  a  park  for 
health  and  recreation,  but  a  memorial  of  the 
famous  battle  of  Brooklyn,  for  that  sanguin- 
ary episode  of  the  War  of  the  Revolution  was 
fought  mainly  within  its  boundaries  and  those 
of  the  adjacent  Greenwood.  At  Prospect  Hill, 
or  Lookout  Hill,  a  stately  shaft  was  erected 
by  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution  in 
1895,  in  memory  of  the  400  Maryland  soldiers 
who  fell  in  that  battle  while  defending  the  re- 
treat of  the  American  army  to  the  Brooklyn 
fortifications,  when  it  was  seen  that  the  day 
was  to  end  in  the  defeat  of  the  Patriot  cause. 
This  memorial  helps  to  remind  the  visitor  that 
he  is  treading  historic  ground.  The  first 
Board  of  Commissioners  appointed  by  the  act 
to  "lay  out  a  public  park  and  parade  ground 
for  the  city  of  Brooklyn"  comprised  J.  S.  T. 
Stranahan,  T.  H.  Rodman,  E.  W.  Fiske,  R. 


H.  Thompson,  Thomas  G.  Talmadge,  Stephen 
Haynes  and  Cornelius  J.  Sprague;  but  it  is 
no  disparagement  to  the  services  of  the  others 
to  say  that  the  leading  spirit  among  them  all, 
the  most  persistent  and  indefatigable  worker, 
the  one  who  was  least  disheartened  at  delays 
and  annoyances,  was  Mr.  Stranahan. 

As  soon  as  the  commission  was  organized 
Egbert  L.  Viele,  who  had  prepared  the  plans 
for  the  laying  out  of  New  York's  Central 
Park  and  saw  them  carried  through  their  in- 
itiatory stages,  was  appointed  chief  engineer 
of  Prospect  Park  and  drew  up  the  original 
plans  on  which  work  was  commenced,  the 
park  territory  being  then  bounded  by  Ninth 
avenue,  Douglass  street,  Washington  avenue 
and  the  Coney  Island  road.  The  outbreak  of 
the  Civil  War  summarily  arrested  this  great 
public  improvement,  Viele  resigned  his  office 
and  hurried  to  the  front,  and  until  the  conflict 
was  over  little  could  be  done  with  the  scheme 
but  to  watch  and  plan  and  wait.  With  the  re- 
turn of  peace  came  renewed  effort,  and  in  1865 
a  revised  plan  for  the  enclosure  was  prepared 
by  Olmsted  &  Vaux,  the  most  famous  firm  of 
landscape  architects  then  in  the  United  States. 
This  plan  suggested  the  addition  of  new  lands 
and  the  abandonment  of  some  parts  of  the 
original  scheme,  and  by  successive  legislative 
enactrnents  the  suggestions  were  all  given 
practical  endorsement  and  accomplishment 
by  1868,  and  in  1871  most  of  the  general  im- 
provements were  completed  and  the  grand  peo- 
ple's garden  and  playground  was  dedicated 
to  public  use.  Mr.  Stranahan  continued  to 
act  as  president  of  the  Board  of  Commission- 
ers until  1882,  when  a  new  board  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  Mayor,  of  which  Mr.  William 
B.  Kendall  became  chairman,  and  that  body 
continued  to  direct  its  fortunes  until  it  was 
placed  in  charge  of  the  Commissioner  of 
Parks,  when  the  entire  system  of  Brooklyn's 
breathing  places  was  ruled  as  a  department 
of  the  municipal  government. 

Since  1865  the  story  of  Prospect  Park  is 
one  of  continuous  improvement,  beauty  added 


443 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


to  beauty,  and  the  work  is  still  going  on, 
every  year  developing  some  fresh  charm,  see- 
ing the  completion  of  some  .design,  and  the 
whole  being  carried  on  with  a  liberal  expendi- 
ture which  speaks  volumes  for  the  tastes  of 
the  city;  for  the  history  of  the  park  belongs 
to  the  city,  the  now  existing  borough  merely 
carrying  on  and  maintaining  the  work.  The 
principal  entrance,  the  Plaza,  is  on  Flatbush 
avenue,    where    stands    the    magnificent    arch 


surroundings  of  the  park  at  the  Plaza  are 
most  artistic  and  a  constant  source  of  delight 
to  the  eye.  Beside  the  entrance  stands  a 
bronze  statue  of  Mr.  Stranahan,  erected  dur- 
ing the  lifetime  of  that  most  estimable  gen- 
tleman as  an  evidence  that  Brooklyn  was  not 
ungrateful  for  the  many  years  of  toil  and 
thought  he  had  given  to  her  best  interests. 
The  park  contains  several  other  memorials, 
notably  the  bronze  statue  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 


3 


MUNICIPAL    ARCH,    ON    THE    PLAZA,    BROOKLYN. 


erected  by  Brooklyn  in  memory  of  those  of  her 
sons  who  fought  in  the  Civil  War.  This  pile 
is  now  surmounted  by  a  bronze  quadriga  by 
Macmonnies,  the  Brooklyn  sculptor  whose 
home  has  been  in  Paris  for  many  years,  and 
the  whole  structure  is  one  of  those  artistic 
achievements  which  give  distinction  wherever 
they  are  seen.  Beside  this  memorial  is  one  of 
the  modern  wonders, — an  electric  fountain, — 
and  across  the  Plaza  is  a  splendid  bronze 
statue  of  General  G.  K.  Warren.     The  whole 


erected  on  the  Plaza  in  1869  by  a  popular 
subscription,  but  afterward  removed  to  its 
present  site  beside  the  lake,  busts  of  Beetho- 
ven, Mozart,  Washington  Irving,  Thomas 
Moore  and  John  Howard  Payne,  and  a  pair 
of  bronze  panthers  which  guard  the  entrance 
at  Third  street.  There  are  within  the  enclo- 
sure some  eight  miles  of  drives,  fourteen  miles 
of  pedestrian  roadways  and  a  lake  covering 
about  sixty-one  acres,  while  from  the  top  of 
Lookout  Hill  is  one  of  the  most  interesting 


THE    ERA    OF   THE    CIVIL   WAR. 


449 


panoramic  views  to  be  seen  in  or  around  the 
Greater  New  York.  Flocks  of  sheep  nibble 
the  grass  on  the  meadows,  swans  and  other 
water  fowl  make  their  homes  on  or  beside  the 
lake,  a  deer  paddock  and  a  bear  garden  add  to 
the  interest  or  amusement  of  visitors,  while 
on  the  top  of  a  low  hill  is  preserved  sacredly 
an  old  Hebrew  burying  ground  placed  there 
long  before  the  park  was  thought  of.  As  it 
stands  to-day  Prospect  Park  is  eminently  a 
people's  popular  resort.  It  is  used  for  games, 
rambles  and  rest,  and  in  summer  music  is  pro- 
vided twice  a  week  to  lighten  the  hearts  of  the 
multitude.  In  the  park  all  tastes  are  grati- 
fied. One  can  mingle  with  the  passing  throng 
or  find  solitude  as  deep  and  as  quiet  as  though 
a  thousand  miles  away  from  a  busy,  bustling, 
prosperous  city,  with  its  accompanying  noises 
and  distractions. 

Thanks  to  the  forethought  and  public 
spirit  shown  in  the  acquisition  and  develop- 
ment of  Prospect  Park,  Brooklyn  possesses  a 
magnificent  variety  of  such  resorts,  some  of 
which  are  even  yet  only  in  course  of  prepara- 
tion for  the  public  needs.  Forest  Park,  for 
instance,  some  550  acres,  mainly  of  woodland, 
on  the  heights  between  Ridgewood  Park  and 
Richmond  Hill,  will  be  a  source  of  delight  to 
all  lovers  of  the  artistic  and  beautiful  when 
the  plans  now  in  process  of  unfolding  are 
completed  or  nearly  so,  and  Dyker  Beach 
Park,  144  acres,  at  Fort  Hamilton,  will  be 
prized  as  a  beach  resort.  Bedford  Park  is 
now  contained  in  four  acres  of  the  Spanish 
Adams  estate  and  boasts  an  old  colonial  man- 
sion, and  Tompkins,  City,  Winthrop,  Ridge- 
wood, Canarsie  Beach,  Cooper,  and  a  dozen 
others  all  scattered  through  the  borough,  as 
well  as  open  spaces  innumerable,  show  that 
the  builders  of  Brooklyn  have  been  thorough- 
ly mindful  of  a  city's  necessities  in  the  way 
of  breathing  and  recreation  places. 

To  describe  these  in  minute  detail  would 
be  going  beyond  the  province  of  this  work, 
but  a  few  lines  may  be  devoted  to  Fort  Greene 
Park   (sometimes  called  Washington  Park). 

29 


We  have  already  mentioned  the  acquisition  of 
a  Fort  Greene  Park,  a  portion  merely  of  the 
present  enclosure.  In  1847  the  people  peti- 
tioned the  Legislature  for  the  necessary  au- 
thority to  purchase  all  the  land  generally  spo- 
ken of  as  Fort  Greene,  so  that  it  might  be  re- 
served as  a  park,  and  as  soon  as  this  authority 
was  obtained  the  land  was  secured  and  laid 
aside  for  public  uses.  It  contains  thirty  acres- 
and  has  cost  the  city,  for  land,  improvements- 
and  maintenance,   something  like  $2,000,000;; 


OLD    JERSEY"    PRISON    SHIP. 

but  even  this  great  expenditure  has  proved  a 
splendid  investment,  for  with  the  exception  of 
Prospect  Park  Fort  Greene  has  become  the 
most  frequented  and  generally  used  of  the 
city's  pleasure  grounds.  It  is  at  once  a  memo- 
rial, a  tomb  and  a  playground.  It  was  one 
of  the  central  points  in  the  line  of  defense  at 
the  battle  of  Brooklyn.  It  was  before  that 
crisis  thickly  wooded,  but  when  the  issue  came 
the  wood  on  its  crest  was  hurriedlv  cleared: 
and  a  fortification  was  constructed  on  which' 
five  guns  were  mounted.    It  then  received  the 


450 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


name  of  Fort  Putnam.  During  part  of  the 
■battle  of  August  27,  1776,  General  Washing- 
ton stood  there  and  v/atched  the  progress  of  the 
•conflict  with  an  agonized  heart  as  he  realized 
only  too  surely,  as  soon  as  he  learned  that  the 
line  of  defenses  had  been  turned,  that  victory 
was  not  to  rest  with  his  forces.  In  the  War 
of  18 12  it  again  formed  a  link  in  the  chain 
of  defenses,  and  was  then  christened  Fort 
Greene.  In  one  of  its  slopes  is  the  tomb  in 
which  lie  the  bones  of  the  Patriots  who  died 
in  the  prison  ships  in  the  Wahabout  during  the 
Revolution  and  were  originally  buried  with 
scant  ceremony,  or  rather  with  brutal  lack  of 
ceremony,  in  the  sandy  soil  of  its  shore.  The 
park  is  now  handsomely  laid  out  in  walks, 
lawns,  terraces,  and  is  completely  enclosed  by 
a  stone  wall.  From  its  highest  point  a  splen- 
did view  may  be  obtained,  while  for  nine  or 
-ten  months  in  each  year  it  affords  a  pleasant 
•place  of  quiet  relaxation  for  all  classses  of 
-promenaders. 

Brooklyn's  entire  system  of  public  parks, 
■now  under  a  single  head — a  Park  Commission- 
er— has  a  combined  area  of  1,649  acres.  In  ad- 
dition many  of  the  driveways,  such  as  Ocean 
Parkway,  Eastern  Parkway,  Fort  Hamilton 
avenue,  Bay  Ridge  Shore  Drive,  Eastern 
Parkway,  Bay  Parkway  and  others  are  vir- 
Ttually  to  a  great  extent  public  parks  and  are 
aised  as  such.  These  driveways  are  in  the  care 
■of  the  Park  Commissioner,  and  form  an  ag- 
gregate of  roads  and  drives,  including  all  va- 
rieties of  scenery,  of  some  forty  miles. 

As  the  city  extended  the  street  railways 
■continued  to  multiply  and  push  out  in  all  direc- 
tions, sometimes  indeed  anticipating  the  line 
■of  progress  by  pushing  their  rails  into  what 
■seemed  a  wilderness.  In  1862  the  Coney 
Island  Railroad  from  Fulton  Ferrv  to  the 
beach  was  completed,  covering  a  distance  of 
■eleven  miles  and  forming  the  longest  car  line 
in  the  city.  In  one  particularly  important  de- 
tail the  Brooklyn  street  cars  were  far  superior 
■to  those  of  New  York  at  that  time,  the  former 
:being   heated   by    small    but   suflicient    stoves 


which  maintained  a  coinfortablc  ■degree  of  heat 
even  in  the  bleakest  weather.  But  in  most 
other  respects,  in  frequency,  regularity  and 
what  might  be  called  ubiquity,  Brooklyn's  sys- 
tem of  transit  was  then  far  superior  to  that 
prevailing  on  Manhattan  Island. 

Brooklyn,  nowever,  had  need  of  all  such 
facilities,  for  her  business  was  extending  in  all 
directions  and  homes  were  springing  up  in  all 
sorts  of  suburbs,  in  spite  of  the  war-cloud 
which  hovered  over  the  land  all  through  the 
years  covered  by  this  chapter.  In  fact  while 
private  enterprise  may  have  to  some  extent 
hesitated,  and  undoubtedly  did  so,  the  city 
itself  seemed  to  press  forward  with  conceiv- 
able improvements.  On  December  4,  1858,  a 
water  supply  from  Ridgewood  was  first  used, 
although  it  was  four  months  later,  April  27 
and  28,  1859,  before  the  people  found  time 
and  opportunity  to  appropriately  celebrate  the 
improvement,  which  they  did  by  a  monster 
parade,  listening  to-  orators  and  illuminating 
the  city.  Before  the  close  of  the  next  year  a 
site  was  secured  on  Montague  street,  at  a  cost 
of  $41,000,  and  the  erection  of  the  Academy  of 
Music  was  begun  by  a  corporation  with  a  cap- 
ital of  $150,000.  The  building  was  opened  in 
January,  1861,  and  has  since  been  the  scene  of 
many  a  brilliant  and  historic  gathering. 

The  intellectual  interests  of  the  city  were 
not  forgotten.  In  1857  the  Mercantile  Library 
Association  was  formed ;  and  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  organized  in  1853,  was 
soon  noted  for  the  success  of  its  work.  In 
1855  the  number  of  churches  was  computed 
at  113,  with  several  in  course  of  construction, 
and  indeed  it  would  be  a  curious  year  in  the 
story  of  Brooklyn  that  could  pass  without  sev- 
eral such  edifices  being  erected.  The  steadily 
increasing  rise  in  the  value  of  land  on  Man- 
hattan Island  and  the  difficulty  of  access  to  its 
remoter  parts,  which  then  pi-actically  meant 
all  of  it  north  of  Thirty-fourth  street,  made 
many  of  her  manufacturers  take  advantage  of 
the  cheap  land  in  Brooklyn  or  its  immediate 
vicinity,  where  there  was  also  excellent  transit 


THE    ERA    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 


45L 


facilities  much  more  moderate  than  in  Manhat- 
tan. Land  could  be  bought  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Brooklyn,  in  extent  enough  whereon 
to  erect  a  factory  and  surround  it  with  a  group 
of  workers'  houses,  for  less  than  such  a  block 
could  be  rented  on  Manhattan  within  an  hour's 
team  travel  of  the  City  Hall.  So  in  and  around 
the  city,  notably  in  Greenpoint  and  Williams- 
burgh,  factories  of  all  sorts  began  to  spring 
up,  steel  works,  shipbuilding  works,  sugar 
works,  printing  offices,  breweries,  chemical 
works,  color  works,  oil  refineries, — it  is  diffi- 
cult to  enumerate  them  all, — and  each  of 
course  had  an  influence  not  only  in  attracting 
new  residents  but  in  developing  the  city  in 
their  respective  sections.  As  fast  as  popula- 
tion increased  the  system  of  street  transit  kept 
pace.  Even  the  Wallabout  district,  swampy, 
unkempt,  and  ill  favored  in  many  ways,  felt 
the  influence  of  the  tide  of  manufactures  and 
enjoyed  a  share,  and  the  result  was  that  as  a 
manufacturing  city  Brooklyn,  even  before  the 
war  cloud  had  been  dissipated,  felt  impelled  to 
claim  no  mean  rank  among  the  beehives  of  the 
Union.  The  policy  of  the  city  was  to  attract 
such  additions  to  its  midst  and  to  make  the 
most  liberal  arrangements  possible  to  retain 
them.  It  also  realized  the  immense  advantage 
it  possessed  in  its  water-front  and  was  slowly 
but  surely  utilizing  it  so  as  to  attract  as  much 
commerce  as  possible.  The  Atlantic  Basin  had 
already  proved  a  financial  success  and  had  of 
itself  opened  up  for  use  a  section  of  the  city 
which  had  previously  been  known  only  to  the 
lone  fisherman,  the  farmer,  and  the  market 
gardener. 

Shortly  after  the  beginning  of  the  period 
we  are  treating  in  this  chapter  the  Erie  Basin 
on  Gowanus  Bay  was  begun  and  in  spite  of  the 
perilous  times  and  several  unavoidable  delays 
was  pushed  through  and  completed,  and 
opened  for  business  October  13,  1866.  It  is  a 
magnificent  shelter,  covering  now  100  acres 
and  protected  by  a  semi-circular  breakwater 
measuring  about  a  mile.  It  includes  ten  piers 
of  various  sizes,  grain  stores  with  a  capacity 


of  3,000,000  bushels,  and  stores  for  saltpetre, 
chloride  of  potash  and  other  chemicals  as  well 
as  general  merchandise.  Several  floating  grain 
elevators  are  always  found  in  it  and  each  win- 
ter about  700  canal  boats  are  laid  up  in  its 
shelter  and  many  of  our  yachting  devotees 
keep  their  crack  boats  there  when  the  racing 
season  is  over.  It  was  of  course  built  by  pri- 
vate enterprise  but  the  enterprise  was  primar- 
ily brought  about  by  a  desire  to  aid  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  city,  a  desire  which  seems  to 
have  inspired,  to  more  or  less  degree,  the  life 
of  every  one  who  has  resided  in  Brooklyn  long 
enough  to  rank  as  one  of  its  citizens.  The  Erie 
Basin  was  a  commercial  success  from  the  be- 
ginning and  so  continues,  although  it  has 
shared  in  the  evil  fortunes  of  the  Brooklyn 
Wharf  &  Warehouse  Company,  to  which  its 
ownership  was  transferred  when  that  un- 
wieldy and  badly  managed  trust  was  formed 
in  1895.  On  Jan.  9,  1901,  a  disastrous  fire 
occurred  at  the  Erie  Basin,. destroying  one  of 
its  piers  and  two  vessels,  besides  a  great  quan- 
tity of  stores,  involving  a  financial  loss,  it  was 
estimated,  of  about  $500,000. 

Another  notable  improvement  in  the  same 
direction  was  accomplished  by  the  Gowanus 
Canal  Improvement  Commission,  which  was 
called  into  existence  by  aot  of  the  Legislature 
in  1866.  Under  it  the  historic  creek,  widened 
and  deepened,  became  a  genuine  water  high- 
way, a  mile  long  in  its  main  line  with  several 
branches,  carrying  what  might  be  called  the 
sea-power  right  into  the  city.  Along  this  canal 
brick,  lumber,  coal  and  other  yards  were  soon 
located,  the  moderate  cost  of  the  land  as  well 
as  the  ample  loading  and"  docking  facilities 
commending  the  whole  line  of  the  improve- 
ment to  those  dealers  in  bulk  who  could  handle 
their  goods  either  in  the  way  of  receiving  or 
shipping  by  a  water  route.  A  boat  could  leave 
a  brickwork  on  the  Hudson,  for  instance,  and 
carry  its  load  right  to  Baltic  street,  Brooklyn, 
whence  it  could  easily  be  transported  to  any 
part  of  the  city,  saving  time  and  money  in 
transporting  and  handling.     In  1867  a  similar 


452 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


improvement  was  effected  in  the  Wallabout 
district,  and  it  may  be  said  that  Brooklyn  is  as 
well  supplied  with  internal  waterways  as  any 
city  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic. 

From  1866  to  1870  was  a  time  of  marked 
development  in  the  history  of  Brooklyn.  The 
war  was  over,  it  was  a  time  of  upbuilding,  re- 
building everywhere,  sometimes  a  little  fever- 
ish and  uncertain,  it  is  true,  but  in  the  main 
healthy  and  in  the  direction  of  repairing  the 
damage  and  the  waste  and  the  delay  brought 
about  by  four  years  of  disunion,  war,  hate,  and 
waste  of  blood,  brain,  and  treasure.  In  1867 
3,539  new  buildings  were  erected,  and  in  1868 
3,307,  a  lesser  number  certainly  than  that  of 
the  previous  year  but  many  of  the  structures 
of  a  much  more  costly  character.  In  1867  six- 
teen miles  of  water  pipes  were  laid  and  four- 
teen miles  of  sewers,  giving  the  city  210  miles 
of  water  pipes  and  134  miles  of  sewers.  In 
1869  there  yvere  150  miles  of  sewer  pipes  and 
224  miles  of  water  pipes.  In  1864  the  assessed 
valuation  of  the  real  estate  in  the  city  was 
$103,593,072;  in  1865,  $106,470,308;,  in  1866, 
$113,941,366;  in  1867,  $122,748,954;  in  1868, 
$131,271,141;  in  1869,  $179,064,130;  and  in 
1870,  $183,822,789.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  the  assessed  valuation  was  about  one-half, 
of  the  real  market  value.  These  figures  are 
more  eloquently  illustrative  of  the  material 
progress  of  the  city  than  any  words  could  pos- 
sibly be. 

But  the  city  had  its  drawbacks.  On  the 
map  it  had  about  500  miles  of  streets,  but  on 
only  about  half  of  these  were  there  any  houses, 
and  on  little  more  than  a  quarter  was  there 
acv/age  provisions.  Around  the  ferry  the  pop- 
ulation was  congested, — far  too  iiuich  so  for 
health,  and  on  the  less  crowded  streets  the  san- 
itary arrangements  so  necessary  for  the  pub- 
lic welfare  were  absent.  A  hou;e  might  be 
found  standing  on  a  street,  the  only  dwelling 
on  a  block,  and  beside  it  would  be  a  swamp, 
while  the  water  for  domestic  purposes  was  pro- 
cured   from    a    well,    without    the    slightest 


thought  as  to  where  the  water  came  from  or 
what  it  passed  through.  Even  in  the  heart  of 
the  city  sanitation  in  the  poorer  dwellings  was 
almost  unknown,  or  at  best  deemed  only  a  lux- 
ury for  the  rich.  It  has  already  been  seen  how 
easily  from  this  cause  Brooklyn  had  received 
several  dread  visits  of  cholera,  and  in  i860  it 
found  itself  in  the  grasp  of  an  epidemic  of  yel- 
low fever,  which,  it  was  claimed,  was  brought 
to  the  port  by  some  ship  or  ships  from  the 
South.  How  it  did  originate,  however,  is  not 
very  clear;  but  there  is  no  doubt  of  the  stern 
fact  that  forty-six  cases  of  the  disease  were  re- 
ported and  of  these  thirty-four  were  found  on 
Congress  street.  In  1866,  however,  there  came 
an  even  more  dreaded  visitor,  cholera,  of  which 
there  were  reported  816  cases.  Of  these  573 
ended  fatally,  and  there  were  alsD  reported  142 
fatal  cases  of  what  was  described  as  cholera 
morbus.  The  greatest  number  of  cases  and  of 
deaths  occurred  in  the  Twelfth  ward,  between 
the  Atlantic  Basin  and  Gowanus  Bay,  where 
there  was  a  total  absence  of  sanitary  provi- 
sions, of  abundance  of  wells  and  a  scarcity  of 
water  mains.  That  the  disease  did  not  spread 
over  a  wider  territory  and  with  even  more  ter- 
rible results  was  due  to  the  heroic  exertions  of 
the  medical  profession,  whose  labors  .during 
the  anxious  months  of  July,  August  and  Sep- 
tember were  beyond  all  praise.  Through  the 
demands  of  the  physicians  a  hospital  for  the 
treatment  of  cholera  patients  was  opened  at  the 
corner  of  Van  Brunt  street  and  Hamilton  ave- 
nue, and  later  a  second  one,  in  the  City  Park. 
Brooklyn  had  already  become  conspicuous  for 
the  excellence  of  its  medical  service,  and  dur- 
ing this  period  it  came  to  the  front  with  re- 
markable brilliancy.  In  1856  the  Central  Dis- 
pensary was  established,  and  in  1858  the  Long 
Island  College  Hospital  and  Dispensary  was 
organized,  the  St.  Peter's  Hospital  Dispensary 
in  1864,  St.  Mary's  Hospital  in  1868,  and  sev- 
eral other  institutions  having  for  their  primal 
object  the  care  of  the  sick  were  started  on  their 
mission  of  practical  charity  and  love  during  the 
period. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 


INTELLECTUAL   AND    SPIRITUAL    LIFE. 

Literature  —  Brooklyn  Public  Library — Rev.  Dr.  Cuylkr — Rev.  Dr.  Talmage 

— Father  Malone. 


N  literature  the  city  made  little  progress 
as  a  producer,  although  as  a  reading 
centre  its  importance  was  everywhere 
recognized.  Such  of  its  sons  and 
daughters  as  displayed  literary  ability  found 
the  best  and  readiest  market  for  their  wares 
in  other  places,  and  those  of  its  residents  who 
'vere  practically  active  in  literary  work  be- 
longed in  reality  to  Manhattan  Island  or  were 
simply  birds  of  passage  temporarily  in  Brook- 
lyn. This  was  the  case  with  John  G.  Saxe,  one 
■of  the  most  popular  American  poets  of  his  day 
but  whose  memory,  since  his  death,  at  Albany, 
in  1887,  seems  to  have  been  gradually  reced- 
ing into  the  dark  mist  of  time,  where  so  many 
bright  and  fragrant  memories  become  forgot- 
ten. It  cannot  be  said  that  Brooklyn  showed 
any  sign  of  the  possession  of  a  literary  cult 
then  any  more  than  it  does  now.  It  has  been 
■held  that  Oliver  Bunce  Bell  wrote  his  "Ro- 
mance of  the  American  Revolution"  and  his 
"Bachelor's  Story'.'  in  Brooklyn;  but  both  of 
these  are  now  hardly  regarded  as  literature  as 
time  has  robbed  them  of  the  popularity  they 
once  enjoyed.  Still  Bell  could  hardly  be 
claimed  as  having  done  anything  to  confer  lit- 
erary eminence  on  Brooklyn.  His  interests 
centred  in  New  York.  Frederick  Saunders, 
too,  wrote  most  of  his  "Salad  for  the  Social" 
and  his  earlier  "Salad  for  the  Solitary,"  as  well 
as  several  of  his  other  books,  in  his  home  in 
Brooklyn,  but  he  carried   the  manuscript   to 


New  York,  where  his  days  were  spent  and 
where  his  real  work  was  done.  Brooklyn  con- 
tained only  his  "bedroom."  Much  of  Alden 
J.  Spooner's  best  work  was  done  during  this 
oeriod,  and  he  and  Senator  Murphy  and  Ga- 
briel Furman  and  Gabriel  Harrison  and  a  few 
others  might,  had  they  so  desired,  have  won 
some  measure  of  literary  fame  for  the  city 
they  loved  so  well,  but  either  they  did  not  so 
desire  or  the  fates  were  unpropitious,  or  they 
wanted  a  leader  and  those  who  might  have 
been  leaders  like  Beecher,  or  Murphy,  or 
Storrs,  were  too  busy  with  other  matters  to 
attempt  to  found  a  literary  forum. 

In  a  literary  sense  the  greatest  of  all  these 
names,  the  one  who  might  have  formed  and 
attained  leadership  in  a  literary  guild  and  so 
given  Brooklyn  some  degree  of  individuality 
in  the  world  of  letters,  was  the  last  named,— 
Gabriel  Harrison,— a  man  of  many  and  bril- 
liant parts  but  whose  every  effort  seemed  des- 
tined to  lead  to  financial  failure.  Born  in  Phil- 
adelphia, in  1825,  he  settled  in  New  York  in 
183 1  with  his  father  and  early  conceived  a  pas- 
sion for  becoming  an  actor,  inspired  in  that 
direction  by  seeing  a  performance  by  Edwin 
Forrest  at  the  Park  Theatre  in  1832,  it  is  said, 
although  children  of  seven  years  of  age  are  not 
generally  bothering  much  about  a  vocation  to 
carry  them  through  life.  Hov/ever  this  may 
be,  he  made  his  first  appearance  as  an  actor  in 
Washington  in  1838,  taking  the  part  of  Othello 


454 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


in  Shakespeare's  famous  tragedy.  For  some 
time  he  was  interested  in  photography  by  the 
Daguerre  process  and  did  work  which  won  the 
praise  of  the  inventor  himself;  but  there  was 
no  money  in  it.  In  1845  he  became  a  member 
of  the  Park  Theatre  Company  in  New  York 
and  in  that  position  lent  effective  support  to 
Charles  Kean.  Mr.  Furman's  active  connec- 
tion, publicly,  with  Brooklyn  dated  from  1848 
when  he  first  appeared  at  the  Garden  Theatre 
in  a  round  of  characters,  and  so  endeared  him- 
self to  many  of  its  best  people  that  he  was 
persuaded  to  make  it  his  home.  In  185 1  he  or- 
eanized  the  Brooklyn  Dramatic  Association, 
and,  with  the  exception  of  a  year  or  so  when 
he  managed  the  Adelphi  Theatre  in  Troy, 
Brooklyn  henceforth  continued  to  be  his  home 
and  the  constant  scene  of  his  labors.  In  1863 
he  opened  the  Park  Theatre,  when  he  pro- 
duced most  of  the  popular  operas  and  high- 
class  dramas  of  the  day  with  a  conscientious 
regard  for  the  correctness  and  completeness  of 
every  detail,  as  well  as  the  ability  of  every 
actor,  in  a  manner  that  was  far  ahead  of  the 
usual  run  of  such  things  in  America.  This 
endeavor,  while  praised  on  every  hand,  in- 
volved a  degree  of  expense  which  the  returns 
did  not  warrant,  and  he  was  compelled  to  re- 
tire from  the  management  under  a  cloud  of  in- 
debtedness. Thereafter  he  acted  as  manager 
of  the  Brooklyn  Academy  of  Music  and  in  that 
capacity  contrived  to  struggle  along  for  a  time. 
From  his  early  years  Harrison  had  excelled 
as  an  artist  and  his  interest  in  art  had  led  to 
his  appointment  as  secretary  of  the  Brooklyn 
Academy  of  Design,  for  which  institution  he 
raised  enough  money  to  free  it  from  a  load  of 
indebtedness  and  to  put  its  art  schools  on  a 
satisfactory  footing.  His  own  artistic  work 
was  then  winning  recognition  and  he  was  en- 
abled to  dispose  of  as  much  of  it  as  he  cared 
to  finish  and  put  on  the  market,  but  his  con- 
scientious scruples  of  only  sending  forth  the 
very  best  of  which  he  was  capable  or  which 
seemed  to  him  to  come  nearest  to  his  high 
'ideals,   kept  him   from   realizing  all   that   his 


brush  might  have  brought  him.  As  an  artist 
his  best  known  work  is  a  portrait  of  Edwin 
Forrest  as  Coriolanus,  although  some  of  his 
landscapes  are  worthy  of  a  generous  meed  of 
praise.  But  his  main  business  from  the  time 
he  left  the  Academy  of  Music  was  that  of  a 
man  of  letters.  In  1872  he  organized  the  For- 
rest Qub  of  Brooklyn,  with  the  idea  of  its  be- 
coming a  literary  and  dramatic  society  of  some 
influence,  but  it  passed  away  after  an  existence 
of  a  few  years  sans  accomplishment.  In  the 
same  year  he  published  "The  Life  and  Writ- 
ings of  John  Howard  Payne"  (Albany,  1872), 
and  it  is  to  his  efforts  that  Brooklyn  is  indebted 
for  the  bust  of  that  author  which  now  adorns 
Prospect  Park.  He  adapted  Hawthorne's 
"Scarlet  Letter"  for  the  theatre  and  wrote 
"Melanthia,"  a  tragedy,  as  well  as  a  number 
of  dramas,  most  of  which  were  produced  on 
the  stage  but  failed  to  obtain  any  hold  on  the 
public  and  are  now  forgotten.  After  doing  a 
good  deal  of  literary  work  of  one  kind  or  an- 
other his  health  failed  and  he  was  laid  aside 
for  several  years  by  nervous  prostration,  dur- 
ing which  he  accomplished  little  except  a 
graphic  chapter  on  the  drama  in  Brooklyn  for 
Dr.  Stiles's  work,  the  "History  of  Kings  Coun- 
ty." In  1887  he  became  u  teacher  of  elocution 
in  Brooklyn  and  so  continues. 

The  story  of  the  newspaper  press  during 
the  period  was  about  as  barren  of  incident  as 
the  general  literary  field  was  barren  of  living 
results.  The  Eagle  had  obtained  a  standing 
as  the  leading  local  newspaper  in  point  of  cir- 
culation and  influence  and  zealously  and 
worthily  strove  not  only 'to  increase  its  grip 
but  to  strengthen  it.  In  this  it  succeeded  to 
a  greater  extent  than  even  its  owners  probably 
anticipated.  There  was  a  constant  issue  of 
new  literary  street  and  family  papers  which 
fluttered  for  a  brief  time  and  then  disappeared, 
filling  during  their  existence  no  felt  want  and 
passing  away  without  leaving  any  sign.  There 
were,  too,  several  attempts  made  to  estabHsh 
new  daily  or  weekly  newspapers  without  cap- 
ital or  connection  or  public  purpose,  and  meet- 


INTELLECTUAL   AND    SPIRITUAL    LIFE. 


455 


ing  with  the  usual  fate.  "The  Signal,"  in 
1855-,  ran  a  brief  course  of  six  weeks  as  an 
evening  paper  and  then  ceased;  and  the  same 
year  saw  the  beginning  and  end  of  "The 
Brooklyn  Independent,"  a  weekly  organ 
which  was  to  proclaim  the  views  of  men  who 
were  bereft  of  a  party  and  wanted  to  find 
shelter  somewhere  again.  "The  City  News," 
begun  in  1859,  for  a  time  was  looked  upon  as 
a  successful  competitor  of  "The  Eagle,"  but 
whatever  measure  of  success  it  had  was  of  but 
brief  duration,  and  in  1863  it  was  consolidated 
with  "The  Union."  That  paper  was  first  issued 
Sept.  14,  1863,  as  a  Republican  organ  and  had 
a  marked  measure  of  success  while  the  war 
lasted.  After  that  it  began  to  decline  and  in 
1870  its  original  owners  disposed  of  it  to 
Henry  C.  Bowen,  and  Stewart  L.  Woodford 
(afterward  Minister  to  Spain)  became  its 
editor.  In  1872  the  proprietorship  again 
changed  hands  and  Theodore  Tilton  became 
editor.  In  1866  "The  Brooklyn  Argus''  ap- 
peared, as  a  weekly,  becoming  a  daily  in  1873, 
and  it  continued  to  be  published  until  1877, 
when  it  was  merged  in  the  "Union,"  which 
then  became  the  "Union-Argus." 

One  literary  development  of  moment  in 
Brooklyn  was  the  increase  in  the  number  of 
pubhc  libraries..  The  Mercantile  Library  As- 
sociation, organized  in  1857,  got  together  a 
large  collection  of  books  and  its  classes  and 
lectures  were  for  years  features  of  the  higher 
social  life  of  the  city.  In  1867  the  Brooklyn 
Library  was  housed  in  its  commodious  build- 
ing in  Montague  street,  where  it  now  has  a 
collection  of  150,000  volumes,  including  a  spe- 
cial collection  of  3,000  reference  works.  The 
Library  of  the  Long  Island  Historical  Society 
dates  from  1863  and  now  numbers  62,340  vol- 
umes. Brooklyn  of  the  present  day,  while  it 
contains  no  single  institution  which  can  take 
•rank  as  a  great  library,  is  abundantly  provided 
with  institutions  of  a  thoroughly  practical  sort, 
■so  that  the  citizens  so  inclined  can  really  com- 
mand the  world's  current  literature  free  of  any 
cost.    The  free  library  of  the  Packer  Institute 


has  67,906  volumes,  and  there  are  quite  a 
number  of  smaller  institutions  the  uses  of 
which  are  free  or  available  by  payment  of  a 
small  sum. 

In  Brooklyn,  too,  is  one  of  the  .latest  and! 
most  effective  developments  in  the  way  of  a 
really  useful  public  library  which,  while  it  is 
still  in  the  experimental  stage,  seems  certain 
of  success  in  application  and  rich  success  in 
results.  The  Brooklyn  Public  Library  has  for 
its  object  the  development  of  a  municipally 
controlled  institution  on  the  lines  of  the  largest 
possible  free  circulation  of  books,  and  under 
the  new  regime  has  progressed  rapidly.  Its 
municipal  control  gives  to  Brooklyn  the  honor 
of  proclaiming  as  her  own  the  only  municipal 
library  in  Greater  New  York.  The  Long 
Island  City  Library,  while  being  conducted 
upon  the  same  lines,  is  much  less  extensive, 
and  the  New  York  Free  Library  is  still  to  some 
extent  under  corporative  control.  The  defini- 
tion of  a  .free  library,  as  given  by  the  State 
Board  of  Regents,  voiced  by  Mr.  Melvil 
Dewey,  is  "one  owned  and  controlled  by  the 
city." 

In  February,  1899,  the  library  came  under 
municipal  authority,  and  Mr.  Arthur  E.  Bost- 
wick,  who  was  formerly  chief  librarian  of  the 
New  York  Free  Circulating  Library,  was 
placed  at  its  head.  Mr.  Bostwick  is  a  gradu- 
ate of  Yale  College  and  has  taken  the  degree 
of  Ph.  D.  He  is  well  known  in  library  circles, 
being  extensively  affiliated  with  library  inter- 
ests. He  has  twice  occupied  the  Presidency 
of  the  New  York  Library  Club,  and  is  now 
President  of  the  Long  Island  Library  Club. 

The  library  is  the  product  of  the  Brooklyn 
Public  Library  Association,  the  association  in 
turn  being  the  outcome  of  the  interests  in  free 
library  extension,  as  upheld  and  proclaimed  by 
the  Woman's  Library  Association,  of  which 
Mrs.  Mary  E.  Craigie  was  chief  pioneer. 

At  the  time  of  the  city's  assumption  of  the 
library  it  consisted  of  the  main  branch,  at  26 
Brevoort  Place,  and  the  Bedford  Park  branch. 
Since  that  time  there  have  been  added  five 


-456 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


■branches :  Williamsburgh,  380  Bedford  ave- 
nue; East,  29  Pennsylvania  avenue;  South 
-Broo'klyn,  1147  Fourth  avenue;  and  Flatbush, 
5  Caton  avenue,  opened  as  Flatbush  Free  Li- 
brary, and  transferred  to  Brooklyn  Public 
Library  in  January,  1899.  The  latest  branch 
■established  is  Prospect  Branch,  at  Litchfield 
Mansion,  Prospect  Park,  used  at  first  as  a  sta- 
tion for  the  traveling  library  department:  it 
later  became  of  the  same  character  as  the  other 
branches.  The  situation  of  this  branch,  which 
is  an  important  one,  is  but  temporary,  the  site 
chosen  for  its  permanent  quarters  being  at 
Sixth  avenue  and  Third  street. 

Originally  the  library  contained  some  20,- 
000  volumes ;  to-day  there  are  50,000  volumes. 
The  library's  worth  is  best  judged  by  the 
city's  recent  appropriation  of  $80,000  for  its 
next  year.  This  is  twice  the  amount  appropri- 
ated in  1899.  To  this  $20,000,  conditionally 
available,  may  be  added,  to  be  used  for  main- 
tenance of  established  free  circulating  libra- 
ries, when  they  shall  be  acquired  as  branches  of 
the  Brooklyn  Public  Library.  The  libraries 
alluded  to  are  New  Utrecht,  Fort  Hamilton, 
Bay  Ridge,   and  Union  for  Christian  Work. 

Throughout  the  library  the  open-shelf  sys- 
tem prevails,  and  is  considered  by  the  librarian 
to  be  the  most  desirable  method,  particularly 
where  the  borrower's  interest  is  concerned. 
The  loss,  in  his  estimation,  which  is  a  natural 
outcome  of  such  a  plan,  is  in  every  way  com- 
pensated for  by  the  actual  good  accomplished. 

At  the  main  branch,  which  is  also  the  build- 
ing of  administration,  there  is  a  most  success- 
ful children's  department,  situated  on  the 
ground  floor.  The  building  is  modern  in  its 
appointment  and  most  attractive.  Each  branch, 
in  so  far  as  possible,  is  conducted,  especial  re- 
quirements of  localities  being  considered,  upon 
the  model  of  the  main  branch,  the  children's 
department  included,  even  when  it  is  only  pos- 
sible to  reserve  a  corner  of  a  room  for  them. 

The  Traveling  Library  Department,-  which 
is  at  the  main  branch,  is  under  the  direction  of 
Mrs.   Mary  E.   Craigie,   Assistant  Librarian. 


The  privileges  of  this  department  for  schools, 
literary  clubs,  etc.,  are  just  beginning  to  be 
realized,  and  will  be  more  used  by  them  as  the 
advantages  become  known. 

It  is  the  'directors'  object  to  co-operate 
more  and  more,  not  alone  with  schools,  but 
with  all  institutions  of  learning  and  progress. 
It  is  a  matter  of  great  encouragement  that  the 
reception  of  the  library  branches  has  been  most 
enthusiastic,  the  borrowers  being  all  the  time 
on  the  increase ;  and  whereas  ordinarily  in  the 
establishment  of  a  free  institution  gifts  of 
money,  etc.,  are  a  proof  of  progress,  the  great- 
est possible  evidence  for  the  future  success  of 
the  library  lies  in  the  ability  of  the  people  to 
appreciate  their  own  needs ;  the  consequent  de- 
mand being  best  supplied  and  strengthened  by 
one  who,  having  already  been  helped  by  the  in- 
stitution, in  turn  becomes  interested.  An  actual 
gift  of  money  from  one  not  appreciative  of  the 
library's  privileges  does  not  voice  to  the  same 
extent  the  people's  progress  in  culture.  Mr. 
Bostwick  is  an  advocate  of  complete  organiza- 
tion in  the  administration  of  the  library. 

The  apprentice  class  in  connection  with  the 
library,  while  it  is  under  the  control  of  the 
librarian,  is  more  directly  under  the  supervi- 
sion of  Miss  Theresa  Hitchler,  the  library's 
chief  cataloguer.  It  is  an  institution  of  merit. 
Six  months'  free  service  to  the  library  entitles 
the  applicant,  after  passing  civil  service,  to  take 
competitive  examination  for  entrance  on  the 
force  of  the  Brooklyn  Public  Library. 

Beginning  with  the  main  branch,  each 
library  will  eventually  contain  an  art  and  a 
music  department.  Unity  of  purpose  and  de- 
termination in  pursuit  of  the  highest  interest 
of  the  institution  committed  to  their  charge  is 
upheld  to  the  entire  force  of  the  Brooklyn  Pub- 
lic Library  by  its  chief  librarian. 

The  aims  and  scope  of  the  Brooklyn  Pub- 
lic Library  have  been  treated  at  some  length 
herte  because  th-ey  are  so  perfecit  and  far- 
reaching  as  to  make  the  institution  a  model 
one  and  worthy  of  careful  consideration  by  all 
engaged  in  such  work  or  planning  a  similar 


INTELLECTUAL    AND    SPIRITUAL    LIFE. 


/457 


design  of  municipal  usefulness.  Just  as  this 
volume  is  about  to  go  to  press,  however,  the 
munificent  gift  of  $5,000,000  by  Andrew 
Carnegie  to  establish  a  group  of  popular  li- 
braries throughout  the  Greater  New  York  has 
been  announced  and  the  problems  occasioned 
by  the  princely  donation  are  being  thought 
over  by  the  local  leaders  in  library  work.  So 
far,  as  seems  likely  the  main  policy  !to  be 
adopted  will  be  a  unification  of  all  existing 
public  libraries  under  the  management  of  one 
central  body  and  the  erection  of  what  may  be 
termed  "Carnegie  library"  buildings  through- 
out the  municipality.  Brooklyn,  of  course, 
getting  her  share.  Manhattan's  great  libraries 
— the  Astor  and  the  Lenox — are  already 
united,  and  with  the  money  left  by  Samuel 
J.  Tilden  as  a  perpetual  endowment,  will  have 
their  headquarters  in  the  New  York  Public 
Library  Building  now  in  course  of  erection  by 
the  city  (and  at  the  cost  of  the  city)  on  Fifth 
Avenue  and  Forty-second  street.  This  will 
likely  be  the  heart  of  the  entire  library  system 
•of  the  Greater  City,  and  when  these  details  are 
perfected  the  work  of  the  Brooklyn  Public 
Library  may  be  changed  somewhat,  but  mean- 
time it  carries  on  its  beneficent  mission  to  the 
best  of  its  ability  and  present  resources,  re- 
gardless of  what  the  future  may  have  in  store, 
or  rather  confident  that  the  future  will  only 
bring  progress  and  improvement. 

It  is  impossible  within  the  limits  of  this 
work  to  attempt  to  follow  with  any  degree  of 
detail  the  progress  of  its  churches  during  the 
time  covered  in  this  section.  It  was  a  time 
of  great  spiritual  activity  in  all  directions  and 
the  churches  were  represented  in  every  move- 
ment. Pastors  and  people  were  drawn  to- 
gether in  all  walks  of  life  and  in  all  pursuits, 
and  the  clergy  were  no  longer  a  class  who 
dwelt  apart,  but  men  who  boldly  grappled  with 
all  the  questions  of  the  day,  questions  con- 
cerning local  and  National  government,  the 
war,  the  claims  of  peace,  and  the  regeneration 
of  the  Republic  after  its  baptism  of  fire.     In 


this  Henry  Ward  Beecher  led  the  wav  and  set 
the  fashion,  and  it  was  his  intense,  thijobbing 
sympathy  with  men  around  him  and  in  meas- 
ures of  even  passing  moment  that  made  the 
platform  of  Plymouth  Church  become  a  forum 
of  the  people  as  the  pulpit  had  not  been  since 
the  days  when  John  Knox  thundered  from  that 
in  St.  Giles'  Church  in  old  Edinburgh  and  de- 
nounced and  defied  his  sovereign  Queen — the 
unfortunate  Mary  Stuart.  The  activity  of  the 
clergy  in  all  that  pertained  to  the  war  was 
most  marked,  and  especially  so  in  all  the  meas- 
ures tending  to  brighten  the  lot  of  the  boys  at 
the  front  or  to  alleviate  the  sorrow  and  hard- 
ship of  those  they  left  at  home.  To  rehearse 
even  that  story,  to  chronicle  even  those  deeds 
of  active  interest  and  loving  charity,  would 
alone  require  the  space  of  a  large  and  portly 
volume.  In  these  circumstances  we  must  be 
content  with  selecting  three  representative 
names  as  illustrative  -of  the  rich  array  of 
preachers  who  in  this  era  made  the  words 
spoken  in  Brooklyn  pulpits,  literally  ring 
throughout  the  world. 

In  i860  the  Rev.  Theodore  Ledyard  Cuyler 
was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  Park  Pres- 
byterian Church,  then  but  recently  organized. 
He  was  born  at  Aurora,  N.  Y.,  in  1822,  was 
educated  at  Princeton  and  was  minister  of  the 
Market  Street  Dutch  Church  in  New  York 
when  he  accepted  the  call  to  Brooklyn.  There 
his  success  was  immediate  and  the  congrega- 
tion had  to  erect  a  new  structure  on  Lafayette 
avenue  to  carry  on  the  work,  and  even  that 
had  to  be  enlarged.  Dr.  Cuyler's  success  was 
remarkable  in  that,  while  not  unmindful  of  the 
stirring  events  of  his  time,  he  never  forgot 
that  he  was  first  of  all  a  minister  and  that  his 
first  duty  was  to  win  souls  to  Christ.  His 
services  were  purely  evangehstic,  and  all  the 
work  of  the  chuirch,  and  a  royal  working 
church  it  was,  was  directed  to  that  prime  duty. 
But  he  used  the  religious  press  to  show  his 
standpoint  on  passing  events  and  especially 
upon  such  matters  as  temperance,  charity  and 
missions.    He  was  a  graceful  and  ready  writer. 


458 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


one  who  could  plead  with  his  pen  as  efifectually 
as  with  his  tongue,  and  denounce  shams  and 
hypocrisies  and  evils  with  a  degree  of  force 
which  he  would  not  have  been  thought  proper 
in  the  pulpit.  He  wrote  many  books,  mainly 
religious,  all  of  which  enjoyed  a  large  sale  and 
made  his  name  known  throughout  the  .  land, 
throughout  the  religious  world  in  fact.  In 
1890  he  retired  from  the  active  pastorate,  but 


The  second  representative  selected  was  a 
man  of  different  stamp  but  whose  name  was 
even  more  popularly  known — in  time — than 
that  of  Dr.  Cuyler.  Indeed  for  many  years  his 
name  was  popularly  bracketed  with  that  of 
Beecher  as  a  leader  in  the  local  church  world. 
In  1834  a  Presbyterian  church  was  organized 
on  Schermerhorn  street — ^the  Central.  It 
dragged  on,  doing  good  work  in  a  quiet  way. 


TALMAGE'S    LAST    TABERNACLE,    BROOKLYN,  L.   L 


has  continued  to  ireside  in  Brooklyn  and  main- 
tained his  literary  work  so  that  he  is  still  an 
active  power  for  good.  He  preaches  occasion- 
ally in  various  churches  in  whose  midst  he  may 
be  sojourning,  but  his  life  is  spent  mainly  in 
his  study  where  he  keeps  a  close  watch  on  the 
passing  events  of  each  day  and  never  fails 
when  the  occasion  demands  it  to  issue  a  note 
of  warning  or  of  approval  or  point  a  fitting 
moral  to  any  story  which  strikes  his  fancy. 


until  1869,  when  it  issued  a  call  to  the  Rev. 
Thomas  DeWitt  Talmage,  who  accepted,  and 
with  his  advent  the  church  became  a  power. 
He  was  born  at  Bound  Brook,  N.  J.,  in  1832, 
and  his  first  charge  was  the  pastorate  of  the 
Reformed  Dutch  Church  at  Belleville  in  4iis 
native  state.  From  1862  he  was  pastor  of  a 
church  in  Philadelphia,  but  while  his  ministry 
there  was;a  successful  one  it  was  not  start- 
lingly  so.     Some  one  has  said  that  Talmage 


INTELLECTUAL    AND    SPIRITUAL   LIFE. 


459' 


needed  the  environment  of  Brooklyn  to  bring 
out  tile  qualities  which  won  for  him  his  pre- 
eminent position.  However  that  may  be,  there 
is  no  question  of  his  immediate  success  in 
Brooklyn.  Within  a  year  the  Central  Church 
became  too  small  to  hold  the  throng  of  wor- 
shippers, and  in  1870  the  congregation  built 
a  new  edifice,  with  a  seating  capacity  of  3,400. 
Even  this  proved  too  small  and  so  it  was  en- 
larged to  accommodate  500  more.  This  edi- 
fice was  burned  Dec.  22,  1872,  and  a  new 
structure  rose  from  its  ashes,  a  magnificent 
Gothic  building  with  a  seating  capacity  of 
5,000,  the  largest  Presbyterian  church  in  the 
country.  It,  too,  was  destroyed  by  fire,  on  Oct. 
27,  1889.  Another  new  "tabernacle"  was 
erecced  far  Dr.  Talmage,  but  it  in  turn  was 
consumed  by  fire,  May  13,  1894,  and  with  it 
ended  his  pastoral  labors  in  Brooklyn.  The 
regular  congregation  seemed  unwilling  to  enter 
upon  the  burden  of  erecting  a  fourth  "taber- 
nacle," and  the  story  of  the  negotiations 
showed  that  not  one  of  these  buildings  for  the 
congregation  had  ever  been  a  paying  invest- 
ment ;  that  Dr.  Talmage  had  for  years  received 
no  salary;  that  there  was  a  heavy  load  of  in- 
debtedness. The  regular  members  were  com- 
paratively few,  and  while  each  service  was 
crowded  with  worshippers  the  collection  bask- 
ets were  poorly  filled,  and,  as  one  puts  it,  "the 
church  could  not  get  along  with  a  weekly  in- 
come of  a  penny  a  seat."  So  the  church  was 
abandoned.  Dr.  Talmage  subsequently  ac- 
cepted a  call  to  Washington  and  that  city  has 
since  been  his  home.  His  popularity  as  a 
preacher  is  undiminished,  while  as  a  literary 
worker  the  demands  made  upon  him  and  suc- 
cessfully responded  to,  indicate  that  his  inor- 
dinate capacity  for  such  labor  does  not  weaken 
with  the  advance  of  years. 

A  typical  Brooklyn  citizen,  an  Irishman,  a 
Roman  Catholic  priest,  a  Republican  in  poli- 
tics, and  a  loyal  American  clear  through,  may 
be  spoken  of  about  here  as  our  third  represent- 
ative Brooklyn  clergyman.  The  Rev.  Sylvester 
Malone  was  born  in  Trim,  county  Meath,  May 


18,  1 82 1,  and  came  to  America  in  1839  and  at 
once  entered  on  a  course  of  study  to  qualify 
himself  for  the  priesthood,  and  was  ordained 
August  15,  1844.  He  was  then  assigned  to 
the  pastoral  charge  of  the  little  congregation' 
at  Williamsburgh.  His  ministry  was  a  success 
from  its  very  beginning.  Within  two  years 
he  had  filled  the  benches  in  the  little  church 
building  with  worshippers,  paid  ofiE  a  heavy 
burden  of  debt  which  lay  upon  it  and  had 
started  a  movement  to  erect  a  new  and  more 
fitting  place  of  worship.  He  was  a  most  active 
man  in  those  early  days,  his  parish  was  the 
most  extensive,  in  point  of  territory,  of  any 
near  New  York,  he  attended  closely  to  all  its- 
parochial  needs,  and  he  lectured,  visited  and 
planned  for  the  good  of  his  people  continually. 
He  early  became  known  as  a  man  of  liberal 
spirit,  a  sturdy  adherent  of  his  own  church, 
but  at  the  same  time  an  admirer  of  all  churches 
which  had  for  their  purpose  the  salvation  of 
souls.  A  doubting,  an  agnostic,  "a  modern 
thought"  community  he  had  no  patience  with, 
then  or  thereafter.  His  first  principle  next  to 
faith  was  sincerity,  and  when  he  found  a  man 
sincere  he  had  no  trouble  in  honoring  and  re- 
specting him,  no  matter  how  far  their  views 
as  to  church  questions  might  diverge.  These 
sentiments  early  won  him  the  love  of  all  classes 
in  the  community  and  that  love  deepened  into 
reverence  as  time  went  on. 

In  his  own  congregation  he  was  decidedly 
popular  long  before  the  people  of  Williams- 
burgh understood  him,  and  this  popularity 
found  tangible  evidence  in  the  rapidity  with 
which  his  plans  for  erecting  a  new  church  was 
carried  out.  The  corner-stone  of  the  new  edi- 
fice was  laid  May  30,  1847,  s-i^d  on  May  7  in 
the  following  year  the  building  was  opened 
for  worship.  To  it  was  given  the  name  of  the 
Church  of  Sts.  Peter  and  Paul,  and  it  at  once 
became  a  centre  of  religious  and  educational 
activity.  It  had  a  congregation  numbering 
5,000,  a  parochial  school  with  capacity  for 
1,000  scholars,  a  religious  library  and  various 
church  societies,  all  engaging  with  enthusiasm 


460 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


in  various  details  of  religious  and  missionary 
work. 

Thereafter  his  life  was  bound  up  with  his 
church,  and  his  devotion,  his  eloquence,  his 
sterling  Americanism,  made  it  one  of  the  most 
talked  of  congregations  in  a  city  that  has  had 
more  famous  chuiches  than  any  other  in  Amer- 
ica. Perhaps  the  most  significant  honor  paid 
him  was  in  1894,  when  he  was  selected  as  one 
of  the  Regents  of  the  New  York  State  Univer- 
sity. He  was  equally  the  friend  of  Beecher 
and  Storrs,  of  Mayors  Low  and  Schieren,  of 
Theodore  A.  Havemeyer  and  Silas  B.  Butch- 
er, of  Rabbi  Gottheil  and  Dr.  Charles  Cuth- 
bert  Hull.  He  retained  his  popularity  to  the 
end  of  his  life's  journey  and  much  genuine 
^rief  was  expressed  throughout  Brooklyn 
when  it  became  known,  on  Friday,  Dec.  29, 
1899,  that  Father  Malone  had  passed  to  his 
■  ■rest  at  an  early  hour  that  morning. 

The  cause  of  Father  Malone's  popularity 
may  best  be  understood  by  citing  a  few  ex- 
tracts from  some  of  his  public  utterances. 
Speaking  of  the  New  England  Pilgrims  at  a 
public  celebration  of  Forefathers'  Day  in  1877, 
Father  Malone  said : 

The  Puritans  were  the  representatives  of 
the  principle  which  forms  the  nucleus  of  our 
present  civilization.  I  remember  paying  a  visit 
to  Plymouth,  in  company  with  two  Catholic 
priests.  We  had  not  long  to  stay  and  it  was 
raining  when  we  arrived  at  that  spot.  In 
spite  of  that  fact  we  went  to  the  rock  and  I  re- 
member, in  all  the  wet,  we  knelt  down  and 
reverently  kissed  that  blarney  stone,  thinking 
that  it  would  do  us  good  to  pay  that  tribute 
to  the  memory  of  the  founders  of  this  coun- 
try. The  spirit  of  liberty  which  imbued  the 
Pilgrim  Fathers  has  built  up  the  country  to 
what  it  now  is.  That  same  spirit  was  mani- 
fested when  we  asserted  the  independence  of 
the  nation  at  large,  shaking  oiT  the  fetters  of 
oppression.  It  was  that  same  spirit  which 
called  us  to  preserve  our  liberty  during  seces- 
sion. But  for  the  New  England  element  dur- 
ing the  late  Civil  War,  we  would  never  have 
preserved  the  Union.  But  for  the  New  Eng- 
land element  the  Pacific  coast  would  have  gone 
in  with  the  secessionists.    It  is  my  honest  con- 


viction that  it  was  the  Puritan  spirit  which  car- 
ried the  struggle  to  a  successful  ending.  Of 
course,  all  other  nationalities  aided  us,  but 
their  struggles  would  not  have  amounted  to 
anything  had  it  not  been  for  the  energy  of  the 
Yankee.  As  a  lover  of  that  liberty  which  im- 
bued these  patriarchs  and  imbues  our  present 
Government,  I  am  delighted  to  be  present  with 
you  to-night.  I  thank  you  for  the  warm  recep- 
tion you  have  given  me  and  I  thank  you  that 
I  have  had  the  opportunity  of  expressing  my 
sentiments. 


An  ardent  lover  of  his  native  land,  he  had 
no  tolerance  for  some  of  the  forms  which  love 
of  Ireland  assumed  in  this  country.  Speaking 
with  reference  to  St.  Patrick's  Day  parades, 
he  once  said  :  "What  insanity  is  it  that  brings 
St.  Patrick  from  his  niche  in  God's  temple  to 
the  streets  to  be  made  the  subject  of  laughter 
and  derision?  Silver-tongued  orators  fire 
your  enthusiasm;  but,  harken  ye,  you  are  no 
better  nor  worse  than  the  people  of  any  other 
nation.  It  is  true  that  the  Irish  have  as  their 
characteristic  a  love  even  to  death  of  their 
faith.  It  seems,  in  God's  good  providence, 
that  they  are  the  instruments  He  uses  to  coun- 
teract the  effects  of  the  work  of  the  Reforma- 
tion in  England ;.  for  go  the  world  over,  where 
the  English  tongue  is  spoken,  and  there  you 
will  find  Irishmen.  Does  this  apply  to  the 
Irish  Cathohc  politicians,  who  for  their  own 
preferment  bring'  their  religion  and  their  race 
into  politics  ?  If  you  are  politicians  be  Ameri- 
can politicians.  Your  religion  and  its  saints 
and  the  apostles  of  the  land  dear  to  you  and 
your  ancestry  do  not  need  street  pageants. 
Flock  to  your  church,  for  there  alone  is  the 
place  to  give  honor  to  St.  Patrick,  and  thpre 
alone  you  will  gain  the  strength  to  walk 
through  this  world  with  honor  to  yourself, 
your  religion  and  Ireland." 

In  his  "jubilee"  meeting,  October  16,  1894, 
surrounded  by  a  host  of  the  brightest  men  in 
Brooklyn,  men  of  all  shades  of  religious  faith, 
political  complexion  and  social  class,  he  turned 
aside  in  the  course  of  his  address  from  an 
acknowledgment   of    the    many   tributes  paid 


INTELLECTUAL    AND    SPIRITUAL    LIFE. 


461 


him  to  eulogize  the  American  volunteer  sol- 
dier :  "It  was  the  American  soldiers  who  won 
for  us  the  proud  pre-eminence  of  being  the 
safest  and  most  trustworthy  civil  organiza- 
tion as  a  free  nation  that  the  world  has  ever 


ful  services  for  fatherland  in  times  of  war  as^ 
in  times  of  peace.  The  American  citizen  being, 
the  shield  in  war  and  the  industrious,  peace- 
ful member  in  a  great  and  prosperous  nation, 
in  times  of  peace,  we  can  always  trust  this- 


REV.    DR.    SYLVESTER    MALONE. 


known.  Let,  then,  the  American  citizen  sol- 
dier be  forever  honored  who  has  done  his 
work  so  well,  and,  in  doing  so,  has  left  to 
posterity  an  example  of  self-devotion  and  pa- 
triotism which  will  ring  joyous  notes  down 
the  ages,  so  that  American  patriotic  citizens 
may  always  be  relied  on  to  do  good  and  faith- 


citizen  soldier  who  takes  to  war  because  it  is- 
in  the  line  of  duty,  and  is  at  home  in  peaceful 
pursuits  just  for  a  similar  reason.  Duty  in 
both  spheres  of  activity  gives  the  citizen  a 
place  in  the  warm  affections  of  the  family, 
in  the  confidence  of  the  community  and  in  the- 
admiration  of  the  country  for  which  he  feels- 


462 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


and  bleeds.  There  may  be  degrees  in  my 
charity,  but  I  am  not  ashamed  to  say  it,  that, 
all  peaceful  as  is  my  natural  disposition,  and 
is  also  the  nature  of  my  calling,  my  soul 
awakens  to  the  highest  regard  for  the  soldier 
of  the  Union  who  laid  down  his  weapons  of 
war  when  peace  was  proclaimed  and  went 
back  to  the  plow  and  his  counting  house  and 
the  other  pursuits  which  were  in  his  line  of 
duty  before  he  answered  the  summons  to 
shoulder  his  musket  and  be  ,drilled  for  the  ter- 
rible conflict." 

Perhaps  no  man  ever  more  truly  painted 
his  own  character  than  Father  Malone  deline- 
ated his  own  in  the  words  with  which  he 
closed  the  address  from  which  the  above  quo- 
tation was  made,  and  with  these  few  words 
from  his  own  lips  this  all  too  brief  record  of 
,a  lovely  life  may   fittingly   close.     He   said : 


"I  give  you  an  inside'  view  of  the  workings 
of  my  soul  for  the  last  fifty  years.  It  labored 
for  God  and  revealed  religion;  and  in  doing 
so  the  children  of  God  were  never  for  a  mo- 
ment forgotten  and  the  children  of  God  with 
me  would  include  even  Ingersoll.  No  one 
can  be  beyond  my  most  earnest  sympathy. 
I  love  to  do  the  most  good  where  it  is  most 
needed.  Such  has  been  my  life  in  the  past — 
the  same  it  shall  be  in  the  future.  And  while 
a  merciful  Father  will  bless  me  with  health 
and  understanding,  I  will  ever  be  with  Him, 
always  showing  mercy,  blessing  the  weak  and 
strong  alike,  the  Jew  and  the  Gentile,  the 
Protestant  and  the  Catholic,  the  Democrat  and 
the  Republican.  And  you,  dear  friends,  and 
all  who  have  taken  an  active  part  in  this  cele- 
bration, will  be  remembered  by  me  in  time 
and  in  eternitv." 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 


THE     CIVIL    WAR. 


The  Troops    in  the   Field — 'The   Enthusiasm   in   Brooklyn - 

Contributions  to  the   Navy. 


-Brooklyn's 


N  THE  beginning  of  i860  the  military 
resouTces  of  Brooklyn  included  a  little 
over  1,150  officers  and  men,  with 
vague  notions  of  discipline  and  rather 
picturesque  ideas  of  drill  and  duty.  They 
were  good  men,  most  of  them,  in  a  fighting 
sense,  but  for  many  years  all  ideas  of  fight- 
ing had  been  abandoned,  real  war  was  some- 
thing that  might  only  be  encountered  in  picture 
books,  and  the  principal  aim  of  the  soldier 
was  to  wear  an  original  sort  of  uniform :  the 
more  original  and  outre  the  more  gallant  a 
soldier  was  he.  The  Thirteenth  Regiment 
had  250  men  on  its  roll,  the  Fourteenth  had 
150,  the  Twenty-eighth  had  400,  and  the  Sev- 
entieth 350. 

The  Thirteenth  was  in  point  of  years  a 
historic  command,  for,  although  only  organ- 
ized in  1847,  it  was  a  gathering  together  of 
several  military  companies,  some  of  which 
could  trace  a  descent,  more  or  less  direct,  to 
commands  which  were  ready  to  do  battle  on 
the  earthworks  in  1814.  They  included  the 
Brooklyn  City  Guard,  the  Pearson  Light 
Guard,  the  Washington  Horse  Guard,  Oregon 
Guard,  Jefferson  Guard,  Williamsburgh  Light 
Artillery,  and  the  Brooklyn  Light  Guard.  All 
wore  different  uniforms:  some  had  white 
coats,  some  had  red,  and  one  was  rigged  up  in 
fac-simile  of  the  old  Continentals  when  the 
latter  were  on  dress  parade.  In  1858,  when  a 
gray  uniform  was   ordered   bv  the   State   to 


supersede  the  various  fantasticalities,  it  nearly 
disorganized  the  command  and  the  strength 
of  the  regiment  was  greatly  reduced.  The 
Fourteenth  Regiment  came  into  existence  in 
1846,  and  was  also  made  up  of  a  number  of 
separate  companies  each  wearing  its  own  uni- 
form. It  was  originally  known  as  the  Brook- 
lyn Chasseurs,  probably  for  no  other  reason 
than  that  the  name  sounded  much  more  heroic 
and  dignified  than  light  infantry  would  have 
done.  In  1861  it  adopted  the  zouave  dress, 
.  which  it  wore  during  the  war.  This  garb  won 
for  its  wearers  the  title  of  "Red-legged 
Devils,"  a  compliment  to  the  fighting  qualities 
they  constantly  and  gloriously  exhibited.  The 
Twenty-eighth  Regiment  was  organized  in 
i860,  when  it  seemed  certain  that  war  was 
about  to  be  the  outcome  of  the  trouble  be- 
tween the  States,  and  when  war  was  inevitable 
and  the  North  began  to  put  its  military  force 
in  order  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  disband 
the  Seventieth  Regiment.  It  was  a  nonde- 
script body,  half  artillery  and  half  cavalry, 
and  in  that  form  not  easily  handled.  But  the 
men  were  not  lost  to  the  State.  The  artillery 
portion  organized  what  was  known  as  the 
First  Battalion  of  Light  Artillery,  and  ren- 
dered good  service  in  manning  the  forts  in  the 
harbor,  while  the  cavalry  formed  the  nucleus 
of  a  regiment  of  horse. 

The  news  from  Fort  Sumter  and  President 
Lincoln's  call  for  troops  aroused  the  utmost 


464 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


excitement  and  enthusiastic  patriotism 
throughout  Kings  county.'  The  existing  regi- 
ments at  once  began  recruiting,  and  found  no 
difficulty  in  sweUing  their  ranks.  Money  be- 
gan to  be  pMDured  out  from  every  quairter  to 
help  those  who  proposed  to  do  the  fighting. 
The  city  government  appropriated  $75,000  to 
assist  the  families  of  those  who  volunteered. 
Plymouth  Church  gave  $1,000,  Pierpont  Street 
Baptist  Church  $1,077,  3-i^d  others  in  lesser 
degree.  The  Stars  and  Stripes  were  floated 
from  every  pinnacle,  one  Roman  Catholic 
priest.  Father  Rafina,  raising  the  emblem  of 
union  and  liberty  with  his  own  hands  on  the 
top  of  his  church,  and  military  companies  were 
being  daily  formed  and  nightly  drilled.  On 
April  20, — five  days  after  receipt  of  the  Presi- 
dent's proclamation, — General  Duryea  was  or- 
dered to  send  two  Brooklyn  regiments  to  the 
front  and  selected-  the '  Thirteenth  and  the 
Twenty-eighth,  and  three  days  later  (April 
23,  1861)  the  former  ma)rched  from  its  ar- 
mory under  Colonel  Abel  Smith  600  strong, 
leaving  200  men  behind  awaiting  equipment. 
The  regiment  went  to  Annapolis,  and  after- 
ward was  stationed  in  Baltimore.  The  Twen- 
ty-eighth, under  Colonel  Bennett,  went  to 
Washington,  and  was  on  active  duty  until  the 
end  of  the  term  of  three  months  for  which 
the  enlistment  of  both  regiments  in  the  national 
service  had  been  made.  Both  commands  re- 
turned to  Brooklyn  when  that  time  expired, 
although  it  was  then  beginning  to  be  under- 
stood that  the  war  had  barely  begun. 

Writing  of  the  history  of  the  Thirteenth 
Regiment  during  the  war,  General  Horatio  C. 
King  said :  "Many  of  its  officers  and  men 
there  (on  the  return  to  Brooklyn  after  the 
three-months  term)  entered  the  volunteer 
service,  and  it  is  said  that  the  Thirteenth  fur- 
nished a  larger  number  of  officers  from  its 
ranks  than  any  militia  organization  except  the 
Seventh  (New  York  City).  One  entire  com- 
pany of  the  Fifty-first  New  York  Volunteers 
(Colonel  Ferrero)  was  recruited  by  Captain 
Samuel  H.  Sims,  formerly  Lieutenant  in  Com- 


pany B.  Colonel  Abel  Smith  raised  the  Eighty- 
seventh  New  York,  and  was  killed  by  accident 
while  superintending  the  organization.  Captain 
Joseph  JMorgan,  of  Company  C,  afterward  be- 
came Colonel  of  the  Ninetieth  New  York  Vol- 
unteers, in  which  Captain  John  Sullivan,  of 
Company  A,  was  a  Captain.  Captain  Morgan 
also  raised  and  commanded  the  One  Hundred 
and  Forty-eighth  New  Yoirk  Volunteers.  John 
Manly  was  made  Captain  in  the  One  Hundred 
and  Fifty-ninth  New  York  Volunteers,  and 
was  killed  at  Irish  Bend,  Louisiana.  The 
Third  New  York  Volunteers,  Colonel  Abel 
Smith,  Jr. ;  Fifty-first  New  York,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Thirty-ninth  New  York,  Seventy- 
ninth  New  York  (Highlanders),  Foirty-sev- 
enth  New  York,  Fifth  New  York  Artillery, 
and  Thirty-seventh  New  York  were  indebted 
to  the  Thirteenth  for  many  excellent  officers. 
Major  John  H.  Walker,  of  Rankin  Post,  No. 
10,  G.  A.  R.,  was  taken  from  the  ranks  of 
Company  D  by  General  Scott,  and  made  an 
officer  in  the  regular  army.  But  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  follow  the  names  in  detail.  At  least  600 
of  those  who  were  connected  with  the  Thir- 
.  teenth  entered  the  army  and  navy  and  served 
their  country  with  zeal  and  fidelity. 

"Upon  the  retirement  of  Colonel  Smith, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  R.  B.  Clark  was  elected 
Colonel,  with  John  B.  Woodward  as  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel, and  S.  K.  Boyd  as  Major.  May 
2,  1862,  the  regiment  again  responded  to  the 
call  of  the  Federal  Government,  arid  pro- 
ceeded to  Baltimore,  where,  after  a  march  of 
four  miles,  it  encamped  just  outside  of  Fort 
McHenry.  The  camp  was  christened  'Camp 
Crescent.'  June  6th  four  companies  of  the 
regiment  embarked  for  Fortress  Monroe, 
thence  to  Norfolk.  The  remaining  four  com- 
panies, which  left  Baltimore  June  7th,  went 
direct  to  Portsmouth,  Virginia,  and  the  entire 
regiment  a  few  daj^s  later  arrived  at  Suffolk, 
Virginia.  Here  it  was  brigaded  with  the  Sec- 
ond, Fourth  and  Twenty-fifth  New  York  and 
the  First  Delaware,  General  J\Iax  Webber 
commanding,     relieving     veteran    regiments. 


THE    CIVIL    WAR. 


465 


which  were  sent  at  once  to  the  Peninsula. 
The  country  around  was  held  by  the  Confed- 
erates, and  the  duty  was  both  arduous  and 
fraught  with  danger.  The  camp  at  Suffolk 
was  called  'Camp  Crooke,'  after  the  com- 
mander of  the  Fifth  (New  York)  Brigade, 
General  Philip  S.  Crooke,  recently  deceased. 
It  formed  a  part  of  the  extreme  left  wing  of 
McClellan's  army,  and  rendered  very  effective 
and  valuable  service.  At  a  review  by  General 
Dix,  commanding  the  corps,  accompanied  by 
General  Mansfield,  the  division,  and  General 
Webber,  the  brigade  commander.  General 
Dix  complimented  the  organization  as  a  'su- 
perior regiment.'  Picket  duty  and  the  usual 
'  accessories  of  war,  except  actual  collision  with 
the  enemy,  occupied  the  time  until  the  expira- 
tion of  the  term  of  service,  when,  on  August 
31st,  the  men  turned  their  faces  homeward, 
and  again  received  a  most  cordial  welcome. 

"Again,  in  June,  1863,  and  for.  the  third 
time,  the  regiment  was  called  into  active  serv- 
ice, and,  with  other  New  York  militia,  was 
hurried  to  the  front.  Colonel  John  B.  Wood- 
ward was  in  command,  with  W.  A.  McKee 
as  Lieutenant-Colonel.  The  presence  of  the 
militia  organizations  in  Pennsylvania  enabled 
veteran  regiments  to  go  to  the  immediate 
front,  and,  although  no  one  of  them  was  under 
fire,  their  service  was  of  incalculable  benefit 
to  the  Union  cause.  They  had  many  weary 
marches,  and  suffered  privations  hard  for  un- 
seasoned troops  to  bear.  The  overwhelming 
defeat  of  the  Confederates  at  Gettysburg,  and 
their  final  retirement  across  the  Potomac,  ren- 
dered the  services  of  the  militia  no  longer  in- 
dispensable, and,  in  consequence  of  the  draft 
riots  in  New  York,  in  July,  1863,  the  Thir- 
teenth was  ordered  home,  and  during  August 
did  guard  duty  in  the  city  while  the  draft  pro- 
ceeded, preventing  further  outbreak." 

Many  of  the  members  of  the  Twenty- 
eighth  Regiment  also  volunteered  at  once  upon 
their  return  for  active  duty  at  the  front,  but 
the  regiment  as  such  did  not  leave  Brooklyn 
^gain  until  1863,  when  it  was  ordered  to  Har- 

30 


risburg,  Pennsylvania.  It  was  home  again  in 
July  to  aid  in  the  suppression  of  the  draft 
riots. 

But  gallant  as  these  two  regiments  proved 
themselves,  and  ready  for  any  sort  of  service 
as  the  officers  and  men  undoubtedly  were, 
there  is  no  doubt  that  the  fighting  glory  of 
Brooklyn  was  more  fully  maintained  by  the 
Fourteenth, — "the  red-legged  devils,"  which 
won  a  record  that  for  endurance  and  accom- 
plishment is  second  to  no  other  during  the 
trying  years  of  the  great  conflict.  It  was  mus- 
tered into  the  service  of  the  United  States  at 
first  for  the  term  of  three  months,  and  after- 
ward for  three  years.  Its  story  is  in  brief 
that  of  the  Civil  War,  from  the  time  it  marched 
away  under  Colonel  Alfred  M.  Wood  until  it 
was  mustered  out  June  i,  1864.  Those  who 
then  had  not  completed  their  term  of  enlist- 
ment were  at  once  transferred  to  the  Fifth 
New  York  Volunteers,  and  gave  abundant 
evidence  that  the  fighting  tradition,  of  the 
Fourteenth  had  not  suffered  by  the  change  of 
number. 

On  leaving  Brooklyn  May  16,  1861,  the 
regiment,  under  Colonel  Wood,  went  to  Wash- 
ington, and  on  the  23d  of  the  same  month 
it  was  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United 
States.  Then,  with  its  strength  increased  to 
960  m-en  by  recruits  from  Brooklyn,  it  en- 
tered  Ykginia  and  suffered  much  loss  in  the 
first  battle  of  Bull  Run.  There  Colonel  Wood 
was  wounded  and  taken  prisoner,  and  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel E.  B.  Fowler  assumed  com- 
mand. Then  its  war  record  commenced  in 
stern  reality,  and  it  took  part  in  the  battles 
of  Manassas  Plains,  Chantilly,  South  Mount- 
ain, Antietam,  Chancellorsville,  Gettysburg, 
Wilderness,  Laurel  Hill,  Spottsylvania  Court 
House  and  a  host  of  others,  great  and  small. 
It  was  always  on  the  move,  always  ordered 
to  the  front  wherever  was  the  danger  line, 
and  it  could  always  be  depended  on  to  per^ 
form  whatever  task  was  assigned  to  it.  Under 
such  circumstances  its  glory  was  great,  but  its 
losses   were    heavy.     At    South   Mountain  it 


466 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


lost  thirty  per  cent,  of  its  fighting  force;  at 
Gettysburg  it  lost  half  its  available  strength, 
and  so  on  the  story  of  destruction  went 
through  the  entire  service.  Needless  to  say 
that  when,  in  1864,  the  bulk  of  the  regiment 
was  honorably  cUscharged  and  returned  to 
Erooklyn,  the  survivors  of  a  hundred  fights 
met  with  a  reception  at  the  hands  of  their 
townspeople  that  certainly  repaid  the  veterans 
for  many  a  weary  march  and  three  years  of 
hardship  and  peril.  When  the  war  was  over 
the  iregiment  was  reorganized  under  Colonel 
Fowler,  who  continued  as  its  commandant 
until  1873,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  James 
McLeer,  now  Brigadier-General  in  command 
of  the  Second  Brigade,  New  York  National 
Guard. 

On  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  as  has  been 
already  said,  the  military  fever  in  Brooklyn 
rose  to  a  high  pitch  and  separate  companies 
Avere  voluntarily  formed  in  nearly  every  sec- 
tion of  the  city,  the  Brooklyn  Grays,  the  Car- 
roll Hill  Guards,  Guard  Lafayette,  Relief 
Guard,  City  Guard  and  the  like.  When  the 
war  was  fairly  on  a  number  of  these  organi- 
zations determined  to  unite  in  the  formation 
of  a  regiment,  and  so  in  1862  was  started  the 
Twenty-third.  That  command  had  a  brief  but 
honorable  experience  at  the  front.  The  Forty- 
seventh  Regiment  was  organized  the  same 
year  and  after  pretty  much  the  same  manner, 
hut  was  recruited  mainly  from  the  military 
companies  in  the  Eastern  District.  In  May, 
1862,  under  Colonel  J.  A'.  JNIeserole,  it  was 
ordered  to  assist  in  the  defense  of  Washing- 
ton, and  remained  in  the  service  of  the  Nation 
Tintil,  with  the  Twenty-third  and  other  regi- 
ments, it  was  ordered  back  to  assist  in  stop- 
ping the  draft  riots.  The  Forty-seventh  after- 
ward perfomied  another  tour  of  duty  at  the 
front  in  1863.  In  1864  it  was  housed  in  its 
own  armory,  the  first  structure  of  the  kind  in 
Brooklyn. 

The  other  regiments  in  which  Brooklyn's 
sons  took  their  share  of  fighting  at  the  front 
included   the    15th,   31st,   48th    ("The   Conti- 


nental Guard,"  recruited  by  Colonel  Perry), 
50th,  51st,  56th,  67th  (First  Long  Island, 
"Beecher's  Pets"),  73d,  87th,  90th  (organized 
at  East  New  York),  I32d,  139th,  158th,  isgth, 
164th,  165th,  173d,  176th,  5th  Artillery,  and 
the  15th  Engineers.  Besides  these  there  were 
many  companies  of  Brooklyn  men  to  be  found 
all  through  the  service,  as  in  the  First  Engin- 
eers, Duryea's  Zouaves,  Fourth  and  Fifth  Cav- 
alry and  several  others. 

Having  thus  discussed  as  largely  as  need 
be  here  the  force  which  Brooklyn  directly  sent 
into  the  field  to  defend  the  LTnion,  it  is 
proper  to  turn  to  the  consideration  of  what 
was  done  at  home  to  help  the  fighting  arm. 
Besides  the  call  for  troops,  one  of  the  earliest 
things  that  brought  the  war  right  home  to 
Brooklyn  was  an  alarm  (in  the  early  part  of 
1861)  from  the  Navy  Yard  over  a  rumor 
(rumors  were  rife  in  those  days)  that  an  at- 
tempt was  to  be  made  to  destroy  it  by  fire. 
In  some  way  news  of  the  rumored  attack 
reached  Captain  Foote,  then  in  charge  of  the 
yard,  and  he  at  once  laid  the  matter  before 
Mayor  Powell,  stating  that  he  only  had  a 
force  of  seventy-five  or  eighty  men, — too  few 
to  defend  the  Navy  Yard, — and  requested 
assistance  so  that  the  property  of  the  Govern- 
ment might  be  protected.  According  to  the 
news  received  by  Captain  Foote,  the  plans  of 
the  conspirators  had  been  fully  made,  and 
made  with  so  much  thoroughness  that  the  ut- 
most exertions  were  necessary, — immediately 
necessary, — to  avert  what  promised  to  be  a 
terrible  catastrophe.  Many  at  the  time  doubted 
the  existence  of  a  plot  at  all, — dubbed  the  in- 
cident "The  Navy  Yard  Scare,"  and  ridiculed 
the  story  generally ;  but  afterward  it  was  fully 
confirmed  that  a  plot  to  destroy  the  Navy  Yard 
liad  really  been  concocted,  although  the  exact 
details,  so  far  as  known,  are  not  so  ample  as 
were  those  furnished  by  rumor.  However, 
Captain  Foote  was  thoroughly  convinced  that 
a  plot  was  in  existence,  and  fortunately  so 
impressed  Mayor  Powell  with  a  sense  of  the 
seriousness  of  the  situation  that  the  latter  at 


THE    CIVIL    WAR. 


once  placed  the  Thirteenth  Regiment  and  Colo- 
nel Graham's  artillery  under  arms  ready  to 
appear  at  a  moment's  notice,  while  an  extra 
force  of  police  (i,ooo,  it  is  said)  thoroughly 
patrolled  the  boundaries  of  the  yard,  on  the 
river  as  well  as  on  the  land  side,  watched  the 
ferries  for  isuspicious  gangs,  or  followed  any 
loiterers  near  the  scene  of  the  proposed  out- 
rage. The  rest  of  the  militia  in  the  city  was 
ordered  to  be  in  readiness  to  take  up  arms  in 
quick  order.  Nothing  unusual  occurred,  how- 
ever, the  extraordinary  precautions  warning 
the  conspirators  against  making  any  attempt, 
and  the  scare  passed  over  as  quickly  as  it  had 
arisen. 

There  is  no  doubt  of  Brooklyn's  entire  loy- 
alty to  the  Government  during  the  crisis  of 
1861.  Doubtless  some  of  the  traitorous  ele- 
ment which  seemed  to  infect  New  York  had 
an  influence  on  a  few  in  Brooklyn  belonging 
to  the  lawless  and  discontented  class,  a  class 
seemingly  inseparable  from  all  large  commu- 
nities, in  the  poorer  districts,  but  even  of  these 
the  number  who  had  any  sympathy  with  the 
objects  of  the  rebellion  was  very  few.  Brook- 
lyn was  a  loyal  city,  and  it  gave  many  unmis- 
takable evidences  of  it.  Money  was  liberally 
subscribed,  the  Common  Council  doing  its  full 
share,  and  even  the  banks  agreeing  to  make 
loans  on  terms  which  at  other  times  would 
have  been  rejected,  churches  and  societies 
voted  money,  private  subscriptions  were 
abundant,  recruiting  for  the  army  was  easy, 
and  more  than  one  corporation  followed  the 
example  of  the  Union  Ferry  Company,  which 
promised  to  pay  the  salaries  of  such  of  its 
employes  as  volunteered  to  those  dependent 
upon  them  and  to  hold  their  positions  in  its 
service  open  until  their  return  from  the  front. 
The  members  of  the  Kings  County  Medical 
Society  promised  to  render  to  the  families  of 
the  volunteers  free  of  cost  such  medical  serv- 
ices as  might  be  needed. 

The  public  interest  was  also  manifested  in 
many  and  unmistakable  ways.  On  April  22, 
1861,  a  mass  meeting  of  citizens  was  held  at 


Fort  Greene,  at  which  it  was  estimated  that 
50,000  persons  were  present,  and  every  Union 
sentiment  was  wildly  cheered.  A  Union  salute 
of  thirty-four  guns  was  fired,  and  the  gather- 
ing demonstrated  that  clergy,  politicians,  busi- 
ness men  and  men  of  all  ranks  and  shades  of 
opinion  had  thrown  down  all  the  barriers 
which  marked  out  their  folds  and  come  right 
out  into  the  open  with  the  single  idea  of  sup- 
porting the  national  administration  at  Wash- 
ington. As  Father  Malone  said,  it  was  no 
time  to  talk  about  mistakes  having  been  made, 
of  this  one  to  blame  or  that  one  to  blame,  to 
denounce  politicians  or  even  to  anathematize 
those  who  had  brought  about  the  crisis.  The 
crisis  had  come,  the  flag  of  the  United  States 
had  been  ruthlessly  pulled  down,  and  all  should 
be  forgotten  until  restoration  had  been  ac- 
complished, and  the  only  way  to  accomplish 
that  was  to  support  loyally  and  without  reser- 
vation or  question  the  Federal  Government. 
It  was  a  grand  meeting  in  every  way,  and  re- 
sulted in  a  generous  outpouring  of  money  as 
Vi'ell  as  a  marked  impetus  in  the  enrollment 
of  volunteers  for  duty  at  the  front.  It  has 
been  estimated  that  from  April,  1861,  until 
July,  1862,  10,000  Brooklyn  men  went  into  the 
military  iservice  of  the  Government.  It  should 
be  remembered  that  no  one  anticipated  the 
magnitude  of  the  struggle  on  which-  the  coun- 
try had  entered,  and  all  had  underrated  the 
tenacity  of  purpose  with  which  the  Southern 
States  would  cling  to  their  Confederacy. 

The  enlistments  for  active  service  in  Brook- 
lyn, as  in  most  other  places  where  the  loyal 
spirit  predominated,  were  rapid  at  first ;  but 
when  it  began  to  be  realized  that  three  months 
were  really  to  cut  no  figure  in  the  settlement 
of  the  disturbance  and  that  the  end  promised 
to  be  a  matter  of  years,  vounteering  began  to 
fall  off  at  a  most  alarming  Tate.  This  is  not 
to  be  wondered  at.  -  This  is  a  nation  of  busi- 
ness men  and  business  is  too  complex  a  con- 
cern to  be  easily  laid  aside  for  three  or  four 
or  an  uncertain  number  of  years  and  then 
taken  up  again,  while  even  those  holding  situ- 


468 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


ations  could  hardly  expect  them  to  be  kept 
open  indefinitely  awaiting  their  return.  Under 
these  circumstances  there  was  little  cause  for 
surprise  that  the  active  war  spirit  should  fag 
a  little.  The  country  was  in  the  position  of  a 
traveler  who  finds  himself  at  the  bottom  of  a 
very  steep  bit  of  road.  To  get  over  it  quickly 
he  gathers  up  his  strength,  discovers  it  to  be 
steeper  than  he  imagined  and  that  he  had  used 
up  all  his  energy  in  the  first  rush ;  so  he  has 
to  wait  a  little  until  he  recovers  a  little  of  what 
he  has  wasted,  and  then,  wiser  than  before 
as  a  result  of  his  first  experience,  he  carefully 
and  tstolidly  plods  upward  until  he  reaches  the 
top  and  finds  himself  on  level  ground  once 
more. 

But  while  the  enlistments  fell  off  in  Brook- 
lyn there  were  no  suggestions  heard  anywhere 
in  the  city  that  the  war  should  cease  except 
as  a  result  of  submission  on  the  part  of  the 
seceded  States,  and  every  effort  was  made  to 
encourage  the  military  arm.  It  was  felt  that 
the  work  entered  upon  had  to  be  completed. 
All  sorts  of  inducements  were  offered  to  stim- 
ulate recruiting.  Money  continued  to  pour  in 
to  various  committees  organized  to  help  the 
families  of  those  who  were  in  the  tented  field, 
and  subscriptions  to  provide  equipment  for 
new  regiments  or  companies  starting  for  the 
front  werd  liberally  responded  to.  The  Com- 
mon Council,  the  Board  of  Supervisors  and 
corporations  of  all  kinds  generally  regarded 
as  soulless,  gave  liberally  and  promptly.  There 
is  no  need  of  going  into  details  or  to  quote 
examples.  The  patriotic  liberality  of  Brook- 
lyn at  this  juncture  was  beyond  all  praise,  and 
the  credit  belongs  to  the  city  at  large  rather 
than  to  the  individual  givers. 

Brooklyn  aided  in  the  defense  of  the  Union 
very  effectively  also  in  another  way.  It  was 
in  one  of  her  shipbuilding  yards, — that  of 
A.  J.  Rowland  at  Greenpoint, — that  Ericsson's 
famous  Monitor  was  constructed.  It  was 
launched  January  30,  1862,  just  100  days  after 
the  keel  had  been  laid,  a  marvel  of  rapidity, 
and  the  strange  vessel,  almost  every  line  of 


which  evolved  a  new  idea,  was  completed  with 
equal  haste,  but  without  any  sacrifice  of  essen- 
tial qualities,  so  that  she  was  put  in  commis- 
sion on  February  25th.     On  March  9th  she- 
had  concluded  her  virgin  voyage  to  Hampton 
Roads,  and.  at  once  engaged  the  Confederate- 
ironclad,    "Merrimac,"    which    was    playing 
havoc  with  the  wooden  ships  belonging  to  the 
United  States  Government.  The  success  of  the 
"Monitor"    was    so   immediate   and   complete 
that  the  Govetnment  ordered  quite  a  fleet  of 
similar  vessels,  no  fewer  than  seven  additional 
ones    being   constructed   at   Rowland's   estab- 
lishment.    Long    before    the    war    closed    a 
large  number  of  war  vessels  of  various  grades 
had  been   constructed    in    different  yards  at 
Greenpoint. 

Greenpoint,  during  the  whole  of  the  war 
period,  was  an  exceptionally  busy  place,  thanks- 
to  its  shipbuilding  industry.  The  "Brooklyn 
Union,"  of  March  17,  1864,  in  referring  to 
this,  gave  the  following  summary,  after  speak- 
ing of  the  succession  of  monitors  built  in 
Rowland's  yard : 

Though  Brooklyn  has  had  to  bear  its  full 
share  of  the  responsibilities  and  burdens  of 
the  war,  its  natural  advantages  and  the  enter- 
prise of  its  people  have  proved  equal  to  any 
exigency ;  and  the  course  of  our  city  has  been 
as  prosperous  and  as  progressive  as  in  more 
auspicious  times.  A  satisfactory  attestation, 
of  this  fact  may  be  had  by  a  walk  through, 
the  outskirts  of  the  city,  where  costly  struc- 
tures rear  their  lofty  heads,  and  the  busy  hum 
of  industry  may  constantly  be  heard.  The 
large  manufacturing  interests  of  our  city, — 
which  exist  to  an  extent  that  but  few  of  our 
citizens  have  any  conception  of, — are  all  high- 
ly prosperous,  and  are  employed  to  their  fullest 
capacity. 

But  it  is  in  that  portion  of  our  city  known 
as  Greenpoint  where  the  greatest  evidences  of 
progress  and  prosperity  are  to  be  seen.  Within 
the  past  year  a  dozen  or  more  streets  in  the 
Seventeenth  Ward,  which  promise  to  become- 
the  most  frequented  and  important  thorough- 
fares, have  been  opened,  graded  and  paved, 
thus  enormously  enhancing  the  value  of  the 
property  in  that  district.     In  the  same  ward. 


THE    CIVIL    WAR. 


469 


there  has  been  erected  within  the  past  eight 
•months  not  less  than  loo  first-class  dwelling 
houses  and  stores,  and  yet  the  .demand  is 
greatly  in  advance  of  the  supply.  Besides  these 
buildings,  there  have  been  erected  in  the  same 
locality  docks,  ferry  houses  and  factories, 
■which  have  largely  increased  the  traffic  and 
impoirtance  of  the  neighborhood. 

But,  perhaps,  the  most  encouraging  feat- 
ure of  Brooklyn  enterprise  is  to  be  found  in 
the  unabated  prosperity  of  the  shipbuilding  in- 
terest. The  estimated  value  of  the  vessels  now 
building  at  Greenpoint,  including  those  for  the 
Government,  is  upwards  of  ten  million  dollars, 
and  the  number  of  persons  employed  thereon 
is  between  two  and  three  thousand.     *     *     * 

A.  J.  Rowland  has  two  iron  monitors  un- 
der way.  One,  the  "Puritan,"  a  sea-going  ves- 
sel (length,  340  feet;  breadth  of  beam,  50 
feet;  depth,  23  feet),  is  the  largest  of  the 
monitors  yet  built,  and  is  justly  regarded  as 
a  perfect  marvel  of  naval  architecture  and 
strength.  She  is  so  nearly  finished  that  she 
will  be  ready  for  launching  early  in  May. 
The  other  iron  vessel  under  way  at  this  yard 
is  the  "Cohoes,"  a  light  draft  monitor  for 
coast  service.  She  is  300  feet  long,  42  feet 
wide,  28  feet  depth  of  hold,  and  2,800  tons 
burden.  The  number  of  hands  employed  at 
this  yard  will  average  about  500. 

The  Dry  Dock  Iron  Works  is  a  young 
rival  of  Mr.  Rowland's  establishment,  and 
was  opened  last  fall  by  Mr.  J.  S.  Underbill. 
At  this  establishment  is  being  constructed  a 
light  draft  monitor,  to  be  called  the  "Modoc," 
and  in  all  respects  similar  to  the  "Cohoes," 
building  in  Mr.  Rowland's  yard. 

Mr.  Henry  Steers,  at  his  yard,  is  building 
for  the  Government  the  sloop  "Idaho,"  a  vessel 
of  3,000  tons,  300  feet  long,  44  feet  wide,  and 
27  feet  depth  of  hold.  The  "Idaho"  will  be 
launched  within  a  month  from  this  time.  She 
is  built  with  an  express  view  to  speed,  will 
be  furnished  with  two  propellers,  and  contain 
engines  of  3,000-horse  power,  and  will  prove 
a  splendid  addition  to  the  United  States  Navy. 


A  large  number  of  ocean  and  sound  steam- 
ers (both  side-wheel  and  propellers),  ferry 
boats  and  wooden  vessels  were  also  being  con- 
structed in  the  various  yards. 

The  Navy  Yard  was,  as  might  be  expect- 
ed, continually  busy  during  those  days  of  con- 
flict. Besides  repairing  many  existing  vessels, 
the  following  were  constructed  at  this  great 
establishment  between  1861  and  1864: 

Sloop  "Oneida,"  launched  November  20, 
1861. 

Steamer  "Octorora"  (paddle-wheel,  double 
ender),  launched  December  7,  1861. 

Screw  steamer  sloop  "Adirondack," 
launched  February  22,  1862. 

Screw  sloop  "Lackawanna,"  launched  Au- 
gust 19,  1862. 

Screw  sloop  "Ticonderoga,"  launched  Oc- 
tober 16,  1862. 

Steamer  "Shamrock,"  launched  March  17, 
1863. 

Steamer  "Mackinaw,"  launched  April  22, 
1863. 

Steamer  "Peoria,"  launched  October  9, 
1863. 

Steamer  "Tullahoma,"  launched  November 
28,-  1863. 

Steamer  "Algonquin,"  launched  December 
31,  1863. 

"Miantonomah,"  ironclad,  double  turret, 
launched  August  15,  1863. 

Screw  sloop  "Maumee,"  launched  Julv  2, 
1863. 

Screw  sloop  "Nyack,"  launched  October 
6,  1863. 

Screw  sloop  "Madawaska,"  launched  July 
8,  1865.  (Engines,  boilers,  etc.,  built  by  Johy 
Ericsson). 

Screw  sloop  "Wampanoag,"  launched  De- 
cember 15,  1864. 


CHAPTER   XL. 


THE  DEATH  GRAPPLE  OF  THE  STRUGGLE. 

Brooklyn's  Meetings  and   Contributions — The   Sanitary  Fair — The  War   Fund 

Committee  —  Repairing  the   Losses — The   Grand  Army 

OF  the   Republic. 


EFORE  the  middle  of  1862  had  passed 
President  Lincoln  and  his  cabinet 
felt  that  a  fresh  crisis  had  to  be 
faced,  and  in  view  of  the  falling  off 
in  the  enlistment  a  call  was  issued  August  4th 
for  a  draft  of  300,000  troops  to  serve  for  nine 
months.  The  quota  assigned  to  Kings  county 
under  this  call  was  4,294.  By  that  time  the  first 
glamor  of  the  war  was  over, the  ideas  of  a  short 
and  glorious  campaign  had  been  dissipated  and 
the  certainty  of  a  long  and  bitterly  waged 
contest  had  taken  possession  of  the  people. 
In  other  words,  the  conflict  was  no  longer  a 
fad,  but  a  life-and-death  struggle,  and  the 
sadness  of  the  outlook  induced  an  apathy  that 
seemed  inconsistent  to  thoughtless  mind's  when 
considered  in  the  light  of  the  previous  enthu- 
siasm. It  was,  however,  merely  the  natural 
relaxation  which  comes  tO'  nations  as  to  men 
in  times  of  over-exciteinent,  and  that  may  be 
regarded  as  the  real  solution  of  the  apathy 
which  Brooklyn,  and  so  many  other  centers 
of  genuine  patriotism,  showed  to  this  third 
call  of  the  Government  for  troops.  The  re- 
sponse certainly  was  disappointing.  But  a 
public  meeting  held  at  Fort  Greene  on  August 
15th  to  consider  the  situation  changed  all  that. 
so  far  as  Brooklyn  was  concerned,  and  again 
aroused  the  same  enthusiasm  which  had 
marked'  the  opening  story  of  the  war.  On  the 
day  following  the   Board  of  Supervisors  of- 


fered a  bounty  of  $50  for  volunteers,  and  this 
in  many  cases  was  supplemented  by  private 
bounties.  Recruiting  stations  began  to  pre- 
sent again  a  lively  appearance,  tents  were 
pitched  in  the  public  parks,  recruits  were  seen 
in  all  directions,  the  funds  for  the  relief  of 
those  at  the  front  were  liberally  replenished, 
and  it  was  not  long  before  Kings  county's 
quota  was  secured  and  equipped,  without  any 
need  at  that  time  of  the  dreaded  draft,  ilore 
men,  in  fact,  had  volunteered  than  were  asked 
for,  and  recruits  were  sworn  in  faster  than 
they  could  be  equipped.  From  then  on  Brook- 
lyn had  no  dubiet\-  about  answering  every 
demand  from  \\'ashington.  The  financial  end 
of  all  this  enthusiasm  was.  fully  met  in  the 
long  run,  although  the  bounty  paid  by  the 
authorities  before  the  end  of  the  war  rose  to 
as  much  as  $300  for  substitutes  for  those 
drafted  who  had  families  entirely  dependent 
on  their  daily  earnings.  The  spirit  of  patriot- 
ism, the  bounty,  the  aliment  allowed  in  certain 
cases  to  family,  the  generous  work  of  the  re- 
lief boards, — all  contributed  to  make  men  will- 
ing to  lay  down  their  peaceful  avocations  and 
go  to  the  front.  At  times,  indeed,  the  city 
looked  more  like  a  military  rendezvous  than  a 
place  of  peaceful  trade  and  barter,  and  from 
the  outlying  camps,  such  as  at  Union  Course, 
parties  of  armed  men  were,  for  a  time,  con- 
stantly marching  through  the  streets  on  their 


THE  DEATH  GRAPPLE  OF  THE  STRUGGLE. 


471 


way  to  the  fenry  en  route  for  the  front.  In 
June,  1863,  came  another  call  for  troops,  and 
six  Brooklyn  regiments  responded,  the  Thir- 
teenth, Twenty-third,  Twenty-eighth,  Forty- 
seventh,  Fifty-second  and  Fifty-sixth,  and  be- 
fore the  close  of  the  month  every  command  in 
the  city  excepting  one, — the  Seventieth, — had 
gone  to  the  front. 

In  July  the  extreme  peril  of  the  Nation  was 
felt  at  Brookl}^n"s  own  doors,  for  on  the  13th 
of  that  month  the  famous,  or  infamous,  "draft 
riots"  commenced  in  Xew  York.  There  was 
little  trouble  expected  in  Brooklyn  from  its 
own  residents,  but  the  stores  at  the  Xavy  Yard 
offered  a  tempting  prize  to  the  disaffected  on 
Manhattan  Island  and  much  private  property 
along  the  water  front  was  practically  unpro- 
tected against  any  attack  by  rioters  in  quest 
of  plunder.  As  usual  in  such  moments,  ther(i 
were  hundreds  of  wild  rumors  circulated  which 
tended  needlessly  to  magnify  the  extent  of  the 
danger.  The  force  at  the  Navy  Yard  was 
strengthened  and  the  armories  and  all  other 
points  where  danger  was  anticipated  were 
zealously  guarded.  The  Seventieth  did  good 
service  and  special  volunteers  rallied  to  meet 
the  crisis.  A  part  of  Brooklyn's  defensive 
force  was  sent  over  to  New  York  to  assist  the 
authorities  in  the  protection  of  public  property, 
and  the  police  remained  on  duty  day  and  night 
ready  to  answer  any  call.  The  Mayor  showed 
himself  the  right  man  for  such  an  emergency 
and  was  constantly  at  his  post,  advising,  direct- 
ing and  planning,  as  long  as  the  danger 
seemed  acute.  That  danger  did  exist  in 
Brooklyn, — that  the  forces  of  disorder  were 
waiting  an  opportunity  to  accomplish  some- 
thing,— was  realized  on  the  night  of  the  15th, 
when  two  grain  elevators  in  the  Atlantic  Ba- 
sin were  put  on  fire  by  a  mob,  causing  a  loss 
of  over  $100,000.  The  mob  even  charged  the 
firemen  when  the  latter  were  engaged  in  their 
duty,  but  were  routed  by  the  police.  This  was 
practically  the  only  outbreak  in  Brooklyn  of 
die  spirit  of  disorder  which  was  then  wide- 
spread in  the  neighboring  city.     As  soon  as 


possible,  however,  troops  were  sent  to  Brook- 
lyn in  sufficient  number  tO'  quell  any  further 
trouble  which  might  arise,  and  the  citizens  re- 
sumed their  ways  without  the  haunting  spectre 
of  red  riot  confronting  them  day  and  night, — 
a  spectre  that  for  a  time  seemed  plainly  visible 
to  the  dwellers  on  Manhattan.  But  it  was  a 
sharp  and  significant  lesson  as  to  what  might 
be  the  result  should  the  force  of  ignorance 
and  discontent  and  poverty,  which  makes  for 
riot  and  disorder,'  gain  a  foothold,  even  for  a 
brief  period. 

From  that  time  private  generosity  fully 
vied  with  that  of  the  municipality  in  equipping 
troops,  increasing  bounties  and  the  like,  and 
money  was  raised  in  all  sorts  of  ways  and  with 
a  most  generous  hand.  Perhaps  the  most  no- 
table, certainly  the  best  remembered,  outcome 
of  this  spirit  was  the  Sanitary  Fair  of  Brook- 
lyn, which  was  opened  February  22,  1864.  and 
by  which  $402,943.74  was  raised.  It  was  one 
of  a  series  of  similar  schemes  for  raising 
money  undertaken  in  several  of  the  larger 
cities,  but  with  the  exception  of  Xew  York, 
whose  fair  yielded  about  $1,000,000,  Brooklyn 
was  far  ahead  of  her  sister  cities,  for  Chicago 
only  raised  $60,000  and  Boston  $140,000,  to 
give  a  couple  of  instances.  These  fairs  were 
undertaken  at  the  request  of  the  United  States 
Sanitary  Commission  to  aid  in  its  remarkable 
work  among  the  soldiers  in  the  field,  and  were 
oid\-  suggested  when  it  was  thought  impossi- 
ble to  secure  more  money  as  a  result  of  further 
appeals  to  churches,  societies  or  committees. 
A  great  fair  was  naturally  looked  forward  to 
as  a  certainty  in  New  York,  and  it  was  first 
intended  that  Brooklyn  should  unite  its  ener- 
gies with  the  good  folks  of  Manhattan  in  the 
matter ;  but  after  a  time,  when  the  movement 
began  to  gather  a  little  enthusiasm,  the  ladies 
of  Brooklyn  considered  their  city  big  enough 
and  wealthy  enough  to  support  a  fair  of  its 
own,  and  so  the  matter  was  left  in  the  hands 
of  the  War  Fund  Committee  of  Brooklyn  and 
Kings  county  and  the  Woman's  Relief  Asso- 
ciation of  the  citv  of  Brooklyn.    Both  of  these 


472 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


organizations  had  already  performed  grand 
service  in  the  charitable  work  made  necessary 
by  the  war,  the  Woman's  Association  in  one 
year  alone  turning  in  to  the  Sanitary  Commis- 
sion clothing  and  supplies  to  the  value  of 
$50,000. 

The  plan  of  having  an  independent  fair, 
rather  than  devoting  their  time  and  energy  to 
what  would  be  simply  an  annex  to  that  in  New 
York,  was  starting  at  a  meeting  of  the  Wo- 
men's Association,  over  which  Mrs.  J.  S.  T. 
Stranahan  presided,  and  to  that  lady  is  due 
the  credit  for  much  of  the  success  which  was 
ultimately  achieved.  The  project  at  once  com- 
mended itself  to  the  ladies  and  was  almost  at 
once  adopted.  The  executive  committee  of 
their  association  was  thereupon  enlarged,  the 
aid  of  the  War  Fund  Committee  was  solicited 
and  that- body  at  once  heartily  endorsed  the 
plan  and  appointed  a  committee  of  sixty  to 
co-operate  with  the  women.  This  committee 
at  once  met  and  organized  by  electing  Mr. 
A.  A.  Low  as  president.  Many  meetings  were 
held ;  Henry  Ward  Beecher  and  many  of  the 
ministers  and  political  and  social  leaders  of 
the  city  entered  heartily  into  the  plan,  and  a 
splendid  spirit  of  enthusiasm  was  quickly  de- 
veloped. It  was  determined  that  the  fair  should 
be,  for  the  honor  and  the  good  name  of  Brook- 
lyn, a  grand  success ;  but  when  otie  enthusiast. 
Dr.  Spear,  mentioned  $150,000  as  the  sum  to 
be  aimed  at,  he  was  regarded  as  a  visionary. 
On  December  i8th  the  Women's  Association 
sent  out  notices  all  over  Long  Island  asking 
contributions  for  the  fair.  On  the  following 
evening  the  War  Fund  Committee  held  a 
meeting,  and  after  a  careful  study  of  the  situa- 
tion and  hearing  reports  on  the  plan,  scope 
and  success  of  the  fair  then  open  in  Boston, 
addresses  were  delivered  by  Dr.  Cuyler  and 
several  others,  including  ■Mr.  John  D.  McKen- 
zie,  who  spoke  most  effectively  from  a  practi- 
cal standpoint,  and  closed  by  tabling  a  sub- 
scription of  $1,000.  Thus  incited  to  immedi- 
ate  effort,    a   subscription   paper   was    drawn 

up  and  passed  around,  with  the  following  re- 
sults : 


A.  A.  Low $2,500 

■  S.    B.    Chittenden 1,000 

George  S.   Stephenson 1,000 

Peter  C.  Cornell 1,000 

H.  E.  Pierrepont 1,000 

Henry    Sheldon 1,000 

Josiah  O.   Low 1,000 

George  B.  Archer 1,000 

Joseph    Ripley 500 

S.  B.  Caldwell 500 

A.  W.  Benson 500 

R.  W.  Ropes 500 

John    Frothingham 500 

J.    S.    T.    Stranahan 500 

Richard'   P.    Buck 500 

Henry   Sanger 500 

Henry  K.  Sheldon 500 

Ambrose    Snow 500 

S.   M.   Beard 500 

Sidney  Green 500 

R.    H.    Manning 500 

James  P.  Wallace 500 

Cornelius  J.  Bergen 500 

Cornelius  Adams 500 

Amos  Robbins 500 

Seymour  L.  Husted 1,000 

J.  B.  Wellington 500 

John    Bullar.d 500 

James  C.  Wilson 500 

Charles   Storrs 500 

E.  B.   Place 250 

H.  G.  Reeve 250 

Thomas  T.  Buckley 250 

H.  K.  Worden 250 

S.  E.  Howard 500 

W.   H.    Lyon 250 

C.  R.  Marvin 250 

James    Humphrey 500 

E.  T.  H.  Gibson 1,000 

A  total  of  $26,000.  Then  the  enthusiasm 
over  the  plan  rose  to  fever  heat  and  was  main- 
tained at  that  point  until  the  fair  was  over. 
Mr.  Chittenden  offered,  besides  his  subscrip- 
tion, a  pair  of  Devon  steers,  which  he  prom- 
ised to  fatten  on  Yankee  corn,  and  there  were 
promises  of  other  donations. 

By  the:  end  of  December  the  subscriptions 
exceeded  $50,000,  and  the  committee  began  to 
be  burdened  with  the  extent  and  variety  of 
the  contributions  in  goads.  It  was  intended 
that  the  fair  should  open  on  February  22,  the 
day  fixed  for  the  opening  of  that  in  New  York; 
but  the  management  in  the  latter  city  found 


THE  DEATH  GRAPPLE  OF  THE  STRUGGLE. 


473 


it  necessary  to  postpone  their  opening  until 
March  28th.  When  this  was  announced  Brook- 
lyn determined  to  adhere  to  the  original  date, 
so  that  any  lingering  connection  even  in  name 
between  the  two  movements  was  clearly  sev- 
ered.   The  more  emphatic  this  distinction  be- 
came the  more  loyally  did  Brooklyn's  citizens 
rise  to  the  occasion,  and  the  local  enthusiasm 
■spread  all  over  the  island.    Meetings  were  held 
in  Flatbush  and  almost  every  town  in  Queens 
and  Suffolk,  and  the  scheme  irapidly  developed 
into  one  in  which  all  Long  Island  had  an  equal 
interest.    The  Academy  of  Music  was  secured 
■for  the  main  display,  and  arrangements  were 
■made  for  the  use  of  other  buildings   should 
they  be  found  necessary,  while  the  Board  of 
Aldermen  gave  the   requisite   permission   for 
the  erection  of  whatever  temporary  structures 
-might  be  desired.     A  public  meeting  in  the 
Academy  of  Music  on  June  2,  1864,  gave  the 
-citizens  for  the  first  time  an  adequate  idea  of 
what  had  been  accomplished  and  of  what  was 
■expected,  and  seemed  to  crown  the  efforts  of 
all  concerned  with  the  assurance  of  success. 
Then  followed  a  busy  time  receiving  and  ar- 
ranging contributions    of    every    conceivable 
sort,  devising  this  and  that  surprise,  discussing 
one  novel  feature  after  another,  putting  plans 
in  operation  and  getting  everything  in  readi- 
ness.   It  was  an  anxious  season,  too,  for  the 
committee,  for  there  was  so  much  to  do,  so 
much  to  prepare   and  arrange   for,   that   the 
■days  and  nights  all  seemed  to  become  too  short. 
In  fact,  even  before  it  was  opened  the  fair  had 
far  exceeded   the    early   anticipations   of   the 
workers.    The  Academy  was  found  to  be  too 
small,  and  a  temporary  structure  was  erected 
on  its  west  side  on  a  vacant  lot,  the  use  of 
which  was  given  by  Mr.  A.  A.  Low,  while  a 
similar  structure  was  raised  on  a  lot  across 
the  street  belonging  to  Mrs.  Pierrepont,  who 
gladly  gave  the  fair  the  use  of  it.    On  the  Low 
site  the  building  was  named  Knickerbocker 
Hall.     It  was   beautifully  fitted   up   and   the 
whole  of  the  material  and  decorations  used  in 
It  were  presented  to  the  fair  and  sold  by  auc- 


tion for  its  benefit  after  all  was  over.  On  the 
ground  owned  by  Mrs.  Pierrepont  was  the 
New  England  Kitchen,  which  proved  to  be 
one  of  the  most  attractive  features  of  the 
affair.  The  Taylor  Mansion,  No.  119  Mon- 
tague street,  had  to  be  called  into  service  and 
was  turned  into  a  museum  of  arts,  with  war 
relics  and  other  attractive  features;  and  even 
with  all  this  additional  accommodation  the  con- 
tributions so  poured  in  upon  the  committee 
that  it  was  difficult  to  classify  and  exhibit  them 
properly. 

Only  two  troubles  seemed  at  the  close  of 
the  season  of  preparation  and  just  before  the 
opening  to  cause  any  discord,  and  these  were 
in  connection  with  the  sale 'of  liquor  at  the 
refreshment  stands,  and  the  raffling  off  of  any 
of  the  articles  contributed.  Many  of  the  con- 
tributors were  opposed  to  liquors,  especially 
the  ladies,  and  quite  a  number  looked  upon  the 
usual  style  of  raffling  in  vogue  even  at  church 
fairs  as  being  a  mild  form  of  gambling.  These 
objections  led  to  quite  a  discussion,  but  in  the 
end  it  was  decided  that  as  the  fair  was  to  be 
held  for  a  holy  and  patriotic  purpose  it  were 
best  that  it  should  be  conducted  on  lines  that 
should  be  free  from  reproach  even  by  the  most 
fastidious  and  straight-laced,  and  so  it  was  de- 
cided that  neither  should  liquor  be  sold  nor 
raffling  be  permitted. 

The  fair  opened  on  February  22,  at  7 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  from  then  until  its 
close  the  huge  enterprise  was  managed  with- 
out a  hitch,  everything  proceeding  smoothly, 
so  far  as  the  management  was  concerned,  and 
the  public  evidently  becoming  daily  more  and 
more  enthusiastic  over  it.  But  even  the  ease 
with  which  the  business  of  the  fair  proceeded 
bespoke  incessant  and  vigilant  care  and  super- 
vision on  the  part  of  the  committee,  and  it 
may  be  fitting  here  to  recall  the  names  of 
those  who  were  most  active  in  it, — most  of 
whom  have  now  passed  away.  Indeed,  it  was 
thought  that  the  care  and  responsibility  thrown 
upon  her  by  this  great  local  undertaking  of 
love    and   patriotisan    hastened    the    death    of 


474 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Mrs.  J.   S.   T.    Stranahan,   who   died  August 
30,  1866. 

Of  the  fair  the  two  presidents  were  Mrs. 
Stranahan  and  Mrs.  A.  A.  Low.  The  execu- 
tive committee  included,  on  the  part  of  the 
gentlemen,  Dwight  Jc^lmson,  Chairman ;  Fred- 
erick A.  Farley,  D.  D.,  Corresponding  Secre- 
tary ;  Walter  S.  Griffith,  Recording  Secretary ; 
James  H.  Frothingham, Treasurer  ;  Hon.  James 
S.  T.  Stranahan,  Hon.  Alfred  M.  Wood,  Hon. 
John  A.  Lott,  Samuel  B.  Caldwell,  Ambrose 
Snow,  Thomas  T.  Buckley,  A.  A.  Low,  Henry 
Sheldon,  Charles  A.  Meigs,  William  H.  Jenk- 
ins, Joseph  Wilde,  H.  B.  Claflin,  Elias  Lewis, 
Jr.,  Hon.  Edward  A.  Lambert,  Ethelbert  S. 
Mills,  James  D.  Sparkman,  Hon.  John  A. 
King,  Arthur  W.  Benson,  S.  B.  Chittenden, 
Henry  E.  Pierrepo'nt,  John  D.  McKenzie,  Hon. 
James  Humphrey,  George  S.  Stephenson, 
Archibald  Baxter,  Joseph  Ripley,  Edward  J. 
Lowber,  Luther  B.  Wyman,  W.  W.  Armiield, 
Peter  Rice,  Willard  M.  Newell,  William  Bur- 
don  and  S.  Emerson  Howard.  On  the  part  of 
the  ladies,  Mrs.  J.  S.  T.  Stranahan,  Chairman ; 
Mrs.  H,  L.  Packer,  Corresponding  Secretary ; 
Miss  Kate  E.Waterbury, Recording  Secretary; 
Mrs.  G.  B.  Archer,  Treasurer ;  Airs.  G.  B. 
Archer,  E.  Anthony,  H.  W.  Beecher,  A  W. 
Benson,  C.  J.  Bergen,  R.  C.  Brainard,  J.  C. 
Brevoort,  T.  T.  Buckley,  W.  L  Budington,  N. 
Burchard,  A.  Bradshaw,  S.  B.  Caldwell,  S.  B. 
Chittenden,  W.  J.  Cogswell,  J.  P.  Duffin,  J.  W. 
Harper,  A.  Crittenden,  Alfred  U.  Wood,  L. 
Harrington,  G.  H.  Huntsman,  T.  F.  King, 
E.  S.  Mills,  Morrell,  W.  W.  Pell,  H.  E.  Pierre- 
pont,  E.  Shapter,  H.  Sheldon,  J.  C.  Smith, 
J.  D.  Sparkman,  G.  S.  Stephenson,  J.  S.  Swan, 
A.  Trask,  J.  Vanderbilt  and  H.  Waters. 

The  committee  on  finance  and  donations 
comprised  John  D.  McKenzie,  Chairman :  S.  B. 
Chittenden,  A.  A.  Low,  Abraham  P..  Bavlis, 
Peter  C.  Cornell,  E.  T.  H.  Gibson,  Richard  P. 
Buck,  Charles  E.  Bill,  Reuben  W.  Ropes,  Ru- 
fus  R.  Graves,  George  B.  Archer,  James  D. 
Sparkman,  Charles  A.  Meigs,  Theo.  Polhemus, 
Jr.,  Josiah  O.  Low,  R.  W.  DeLamater,  E.  W. 
Corlies,  Charles  W.  Blossom,  Joseph  Ripley 
and  Thomas  Messenger. 

The  other  committees  were  as  follows : 

Business  Committee :  Mrs  E.  Shapter, 
Chairman ;  G.  B,  Archer,  N.  Burchard,  W.  I. 
Budington,  A.  W.  Benson,  C.  T-  Bergen,  S.  B. 
Chittenden,  J.  P.  Duffin,  T.  F.  King.  E.  S. 
Mills,   A.   M.   Wood,   G.    S.    Stephenson,   A. 


Trask,  H.  Waters,  N.  Knight,  H.  Marchant 
and  A.  Crittenden. 

Committee  on  Buildings  and  Decorations: 
Gentlemen — Arthur  W.  Benson,  Chairman;  J. 
W.  Degraw,  John  Bullard,  Charles  J.  Lowrey, 
William  Burrell,  James  How,  Cornelius  J. 
Bergen,  E.  L.  Roberts,  George  F.  Thomae, 
Thomas  Messenger,  William  Hunter,  Jr., 
Thomas  Brooks,  Joseph  L.  Heath,  George  A. 
Bell,  William  S.  Herriman,  Thomas  Sullivan, 
Edwin  Beers  and  J.  A.  Perry;  Ladies — Mrs. 
T.  F.  King,  chairman ;  A.  W.  Benson,  H. 
Webster,  J.  Humphrey,  H.  B.  Duryea,  J.  Bul- 
lard, H.  B.  Starr,  Coe  Adams,  N.  B.  Kittell, 
W.  S.  Griffith,  J.  W.  Gilbert,  H.  Laing,  E.  B. 
Litchfield,  Miss  Charlotte  Coles,  H.  Hunter, 
Sarah  Boynton,  H.  L.  Waterbury  and  Phoebe 
Hagner. 

Committee  on  Internal  Arrangement  and 
Reception  of  Goods :  Gentlemen — George  S. 
.Stephenson,  Chairman ;  Alexander  M.  White, 
I.  H.  Frothingham,  L.  S.  Burnham,  R.  H. 
Manning,  George  W.  Hennings,  J.  O.  Morse, 
James  Myers,  Edward  Anthony,  George  T. 
Hope,  Samuel  McLean,  E.  H.  Stephenson, 
George  C.  Ripley,  John  L.  Worden,  Captain 
Radford,  Theodore  Hinsdale,  William  H. 
Swan,  Charles  B.  Loomis,  Hon.  James  H. 
Tuthill,  Alexander  McCue,  George  W.  Dow, 
William  Xicoll,  Hobart  Ford,  Elias  J.  Beach 
and  Hon.  James  Rider ;  Ladies — Mrs.  G.  B. 
Archer,  chairman ;  G.  S.  Stephenson,  A.  M. 
White,  S.  H.  Low,  J.  P.  Van  Bergen,  M.  F. 
Odell,  Miss  C.  Thurston,  Mrs.  S.  McLean, 
J.  Maxwell,  D.  Fairbanks,  J.  Eells,  J.  W. 
Emery,  J.  C.  Atwater,  C.  B.  Loomis,  J.  C. 
Smith,  E.  Shapter,  J.  D.  Sparkman,  N.  Bur- 
chard, A.  Bradshaw,  J.  S.  Morrell,  T.  F. 
King,  W:  I.  Budington,  J.  Vanderbilt,  Hunts- 
man, W.  Cogswell  and  Miss  Wyckoff. 

Committee  on  Refreshments  :  Gentlemen — 
Edward  J.  Lowber,  Chairman ;  Rufus  Crook, 
John  Crook,  D.  H.  Gould,  A.  Dorian,  Amos 
Robbins,  William  A.  Husted,  Isaac  B.  Well- 
ington, Seymour  L.  Husted,  Alfred  Thomp- 
son, William  S.  Dunham,  John  B.  Wright,  A. 
E.  Sumner,  Robert  G.  Anderson  and  James 
A.  Carman  ;  Ladies — Mrs.  E.  S.  Mills,  Chair- 
man :  H.  Waters,  T.  T.  Bucklev,  H.  Marchant, 
R.  P.  Buck,  A.  W.  Leggett,'j.  C.  Hurlbiit, 
W.  C.  Bowers,  F.  H.  Trowbridge,  W.  J.  Mc- 
Cluney,  C.  Dinsmore,  S.  B.  Gregory,  H. 
Blanchard,  George  Thrall,  A.  Burrows,  W. 
Marston,  C.  H.  Sands,  E.  Fish,  S.  C.  Blake, 
L.  M.  Adams,  I.  Badeau,  H.  W.  Law,  W.  C. 


THE  DEATH  GRAPPLE  OF  THE  STRUGGLE. 


475- 


Goddard,  W.  Lumby,  L.  Boyes,  William  H. 
Jenkins,  N.  Putnam,  N.  E.  Smith,  John  Green- 
wood, J.  D.  Cocks,  Eli  Merrill,  F.  E.  Taylor, 
•  H.  P.  Messenger,  Edward  Young,  J.  B. 
Hutchinson,  J.  W.  Sanford  and  J.  Hall. 

Committee  on  Art  Relics  and  Curiosities : 
Gentlemen — E.  S.  Mills,  Chairman  ;  Regis  Gig- 
noux,  Charles  Congdon,  Gordon  L.  Ford,  John 
Williamson,  R.  W.  Hubbard,  Charles  Parsons, 
M.  F.  H.  DeHaas,  Samuel  Coleman,  Seymour 
J.  Guy,  Thomas  Le  Clear,  W.  H.  Beard,  S.  P. 
Avery,  P.  P.  Ryder,  L  M.  Falconer,  L  A. 
Parker,  Jr.,  J.  Remsen  Bennett,  H.  Carmi- 
encke,  N.  B.  Kittell,  Charles  Burt,  James' B. 
Blossom.  F.  A.  Chapman,  John  W.  Frothing- 
ham,  R.  S.  Storrs,  Jr.,  D.  D.,  H.  W.  Beecher, 
J.  Carson  Brevoort,  T.  L.  Lutkins,  Alonzo 
Chappell,  J.  B.  Whittaker,  H.  W.  Herrick, 
A.  W.  Wairren,  William  McEwan,  E.  W. 
Hall  and  C.  L.  Elliott:  Ladies— Mr.s.  S.  B. 
Chittenden,  Chairman ;  R.  S.  Storrs,  Jr.,  H.  E. 
Pierrepont,  Regis  Gignoux,  J.  C.  Brevoort, 
E.  H.  Gibson,  John  T.  Howard.  G.  L.  Ford, 

A.  N.  -Littlejohn,  J.  O.  Low,  John  Raymond, 
Charles  Congdon,  A.  W.  Henshaw,  R.  Vander- 
bilt,  C.  Rosire,  J.  H.  Frothingham,  Alex.  Mc- 
CuUum,  Helen  Conant,  W.  H.  Dudley,  Francis 
Vinton,  G.  S.  Stephenson,  Thomas  Messenger, 
Miss  K.  Van  Xostrand,  Rose  Thomae,  Alice 

B.  Cary,  Kate  Ripley,  Kate  Treadway,  Kate 
Taylor,  Fay,  M.  H.  Chittenden,  Fannie  Gray, 
M.  Stranahan,  Cornelia  King,  S.  Luqueer,  C. 
M.  Olcott  and  F.   Bridges. 

Committee  on  Music :  Gentlemen — L.  B. 
Wyman,  chairman ;  A.- Cooke  Hull,  R.  R.  Ray- 
mond, A.  V.  Blake,  C.  A.  Townsend,  Willard 
M.  Newell,  George  William  Warren,  William 
Poole,  Edward  Lambert,  J.  F.  Talmage,  P.  K. 
Weizel,  Ph.  Alaver,  Captain  R.  W.  Meade, 
.Pickering  Clairk,  H.  D.  Polhemus  and  T.  F. 
Meynen;  Ladies— Mrs.  J.  S.  Swan,  Chairman; 
W.  W.  Goodrich,  R.  W.  Potter,  S.'  J.  Peet, 
L.  W.  Serrell,  W.  B.  Acklev,  M.  A.  Bicknell, 
M.  Moore,  A.  F.  Stewart,  Ralph  Cook,  C.  E. 
Adriance,  Miss  M.  L.  Rich,  Sarah  Watson, 
Mary  Shepard,  Mrs.  R.  H.  Manning  and  J.  J. 
Couch. 

_ Committee  on  Oration  and  Lectures:    FT. 

.  E.  Pierrepont,   Chairman ;  James   Humphrey, 

Benjamin  D.  Silliman,  Judge  Greenwood,  R. 

W.  Ropes,    Edward    Whitehouse    and    Rev. 

Francis  Vinton,  D.  D. 

Committee  on  Postoffice  and  Newspapers: 
^irs.  J.  P.  Duffin,  Chairman :  1.  R.  St.  John, 
f-  J.  Conant,  J.  Humphrey,  T.  Hinsdale,  J. 


M.  Dimond,  William  Brooks,  S.  W.  Putnam,. 
Miss  H.  Gladwin,  Brigham,  Harrison,  M.  E. 
Thalheimer,  A.  L.  Jones,  Flushing;  Kate 
Hillard,  C.  Van  Cott,  M.  Stranahan,  Mrs. 
George  B.  Lincoln,  William  E.  Robinson  and 
George  A.  Jarvis. 

Committee  on  Benefits,  Entertainments  and 
Exhibitions  :  Gentlemen — Edward  A.  Lam- 
bert, Chairman ;  Edward  Anthony,  Charles  R.. 
Marvin,  Isaac  Henderson,  John  D.  Cocks,  J. 
E.  Southworth,  Professor  Plimpton,  Moses  S. 
Beach,  J.  S.  Burr,  James  Hall,  Henry  A.  Kent,. 
Benson  Van  Vliet,  Livingston  K.  Miller,  Theo- 
dore Tilton,  Elias  Howe,  Jr.,  John  W.  Hunter, 
James  P.  Dike  and  E.  D.  Plimpton ;  Ladies — ■ 
Mrs.  E.  Anthony,  Chairman;  H.  Farnham, 
Miss  Alice  B.  Cary,  Mrs.  J.  F.  Herriman,  N. 
P.  Waring,  Ho^sea  Webster,  S.  E.  Howard, 
Miss  L.  Oliver,  Mrs.  D.  Fairbanks,  Miss  S.  O. 
Anthony,  A.  E.  Anthony,  S.  Farrington,. 
Madame  Xapolien,  Mdlle.  Millon,  Miss  S. 
Blunt,  Mrs.  McLean,  Miss  A.  Cotton,  Alarsh, 
Mrs.  E.  A.  Lambert,  Miss  C.  Coles,  Mrs.  E.  J. 
Lyons,  Hoyt,  ]Miss  M.  Dunning,  A.  Hoppin, 
L.  Tupper,'M.  Luquerr,  Mrs.  W.  M.  St.  John, 
A.  S.  Barnes,  Miss  Anna  Totten  and  E. 
Norton. 

Committee  on  Books,  Publications  and 
Printing:  Gentlemen — Samuel  B.  Caldwell,, 
Chairman ;  A.  S.  Barnes,  J.  H.  Raymond,  LL. 
D.,  George  B.  Lincoln,  Adrian  Van  Sinderen, 
J.  M.  \"an  Cott,  Birdseye  Blakeman,  John  C. 
Beale,  W.  H.  Arthur,  John  N.  Taylor,  George 
W.'  Parsons,  W.  T.  Hatch,  Charles  Nordhoff,. 
T.  H.  Messenger,  D.  Lansing  Lambert,  F.  J. 
Hosford,  J.  B.  Merwin  and  John  F.  Harper ; 
Ladies — Mrs.  W.  L  Budington,  Chairman ;  J. 
W.  Harper,  A.  S.  Barnes,  C.  Xordoff,  S.  E. 
Warner,  S.  N. 'Cutter,  W.  W.  Rose,  Isaac  Hen- 
derson, Miss  Laura  Marsh,  Mrs.  Daniel  Fair- 
weather,  S.  B.  Caldwell,  William  Moses,  E.  A. 
Lambert,  Miss  Gascoigne,  Mrs.  Dwight  John- 
son, William  Swayne,  J.  H.  Richards  and  S. 
W.  Sarles. 

Committee  on  Seminaries  and  School'^ : 
Mrs.  H.  L.  Packer,  Chairman ;  C.  J.  Bergen, 
A.  Crittenden,  G.  F.  Dunning,  'M.  E.  Dunkley, 
William  Brooks,  Professor  Eaton,  H.  C.  Os- 
born,  J.  D.  McKenzie,  L.  Miller,  D.  M.  Stone, 
C.  E.  West,  J.  H.  Raymond,  S.  G  Taylor,  Miss 
H.  Garahan,  Mrs.  J.  C.  Whitcombe. 

Dry-Goods  Merchants'  Committee :  Thom- 
as T.  Buckley,  Chairman ;  H.  B.  Claflin,  Ne- 
hemiah  Knight,  J.  B.  Hutchinson,  W.  C.  Shel- 
don, R.  J.  Hunter,  Samuel  McLean,  James  S.- 


476 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Noyes,  Henry  Collins,  Thomas  Achelis,  S. 
Hutchinson,  W.  B.  Kendall,  D.  H.  Conkling, 
James  Haslehurst,  J.  C.  Atwater,  T.  W.  Pren- 
tice, Alex.  D.  Napier,  W.  B.  Leonard,  Charles 
:S.  Baylis,  H.  P.  Journeay,  George  Mygatt,  J. 
L.  B.  Willard,  H.  P.  Morgan,  T.  K.  Horton, 
.Samuel  B.  Stewart,  Walter  Lockwood  and 
Elijah  Lewis. 

Committee  on  Fancy  Goods  :  Gentlemen — 
S.  E.  Howard,  Chairman ;  J.  W.  Greene,  Hen- 
ry Sanger,  D.  C.  Robins,  J.  S.  Shapter,  Charles 
Storrs,  D.  S.  Arnold,  W.  H.  Lyon,  Abel  Den- 
nison,  Alexander  McCuUum,  J.  Charles  Ber- 
ard,  W.  F.  Trafton,  James  R.  Taylor,  G.  H. 
Taylor,  H.  H.  Dickinson,  F.  Hinchman,  T.  M. 
Spelman,  A.  P.  Hayden,  Enos  Richardson, 
George  S.  Moulton,  Carlos  Bardwell,  Benja- 
min Carter,  Alex.  P.  Purves  and  Hy.  Elliott; 
Ladies — Mrs.  H.  Sheldon,  Chairman ;  R.  C. 
Brainard,  S.  Gracie,  Bryan  B.  Smith,  Hugh 
Allen,  Miss  Mary  S.  Griffith,  Agnes  Russell, 
Mrs.  D.  S.  Mills,  Henry  Sanger,  S.  M.  Beard, 
H.  E.  Hunter,  J.  S.  Rockwell.  Miss  Mary  C. 
Jarvis,  Mrs.  W.  C.  Sheldon,  I.  Badeau.  Her- 
mann Garlichs,  B.  P.  Lunt,  Miss  E.  L.  Howe, 
Mrs.  W.  C.  Perry,  Alex.  P.  Purv.is,  T.  Ache- 
lis, Miss  Bertschinger,  Mrs.  E.  Unkart,  Miss 
Susan  Nelson,  F.  C.  West,  J-  Buckmaster, 
Mary  Miller,  S.  Johnson,  Misses  H.  &  S. 
Duckwitz,  Miss  C.  Fellows,  Madame  St. 
Amant,  Miss  Maria  Messenger,  Mrs.  W.  God- 
dard,  H.  W.  Beecher,  W.  H.  Beare,  Hoirace 
Warren,  S.  W.  Truslow,  William  Raymond, 
Miss  Harriet  Tucker,  Addie  Wright,  Mrs. 
Hobinson,  Miss  F.  Creagh,  C.  Bush,  A.  J. 
Berry,  C.  Richardson,  Helen  Usher,  Amelia 
Beard  and  Minnie  Stanton. 

Committee  on  Boots,  Shoes,  Leather,  Hats, 
Caps  and  Clothins::  W.  M.  Newell,  Chair- 
man ;  Aaron  Claflin,  John  T.  Martin,  Isaac 
Hyde,  Jr.,  George  Dickensen,  James  H.  Pren- 
tice, Roswell  S.  Benedict,  John  Bullard,  Ed- 
ward A.  Nichols.  A.  C.  Baldwin,  Nathan 
Southwick,  John  F.  McCoy,  C.  B.  Caldwell, 
Alexander  Studwell.  Jonathan  Ogden,  Alan- 
-son  Trask,  Aaron  Healy,  C.  B.  Camp,  W.  B. 
Button.  John  O.  Whitehouse,  J.  C.  Southwick, 
Granyille  Whittlesey,  William  Higbie,  James 
M.  Burt,  M.  S.  Kerregan,  James  M.  Griggs, 
A.  D.  Wheelock,  John  W.  Lewis,  F.  H.  Big- 
Tow,  John  B.  Woodward  and  William  Evans. 

Committee  on  Grocers  and  Hardware  Mer- 
chants: Henry  Sheldon,  Chairman;  John  J. 
Van  Nostrand,  H.  H.  Warden,  Frederick  La- 
•cey,  George  A.  Jaryis,  Theodore  Victor,  S.  M. 


Beard,  Francis  Hathaway,  Charles  E.  Hill, 
Henry  K.  Sheldon,  Solon  F.  Goodridge,  James 
L.  Morgan,  Robert  S.  Bussing,  J.  S.  Rockwell, 
Alexander  M.  Earle,  G.  L.  Hueser,  E.  B. 
Place,  James  C.  Wilson,  William  C.  Fowler, 
Eugene  O'Sullivan,  Edward  B.  Mead,  A.  S. 
Perry,  Henry  W.  Banks,  Henry  Starr,  Edwin 
Atkins  and  Franklin  H.  Lummus. 

Committee  on  Manufactures  and  Mechanic 
Artj,  Western  District :  William  Burden, 
Chairman;  B.  F.  Delano,  Richard  Poillion, 
Ship  Builders ;  William  Arthur,  Henry  Esler, 
Steam  Engine  Builders ;  Abram  Inslee,  D.  D. 
Badger,  Founders ;  Jacob  Cutwater,  David  S. 
Quimby,  Railing,  Grates  and  Fender  Manufac- 
turers ;  J.  S.  Bunce,  Norman  Hubbard,  Boiler 
Makers ;  Charles  Morris,  John  Firth,  Piano 
Forte  Makers ;  Robert  Graves,  C.  Van  Dusen, 
Wall  Paper  Manufacturers;  H.  Jackson,  Al- 
bert Bruen,  Manufacturing  Chemists:,  Elias 
Howe,  Jr.,  James  Wilcox,  Sewing  Machine 
Manufacturers ;  Thomas  Brooks,  Bryant  Ste- 
vens, Furniture  Manufacturers ;  J.  W.  Mc- 
Xamee,  George  S.  Puffer,  Distillers ;  Samuel 
Vernon,  William  C.  Dunton,  Paper  Manufac- 
turers ;  A.  H.  Barnes,  Birdsey  Blakeman,  Pub- 
lishers ;  William  Wise,  James  H.  Hart,  Jewel- 
ers ;  Henry  Waldron,  John  S.  Masury,  Paints 
and  Color  Manufacturers ;  James  How,  Fisher 
Howe,  White  Lead  Manufacturers;  W.  M. 
Thomas,  James  Seville,  Glassware  Manufac- 
turers; John  French,  Samuel  Booth,  Builders; 
John  Butler,  J.  Morrison,  Lamp  and  Chan- 
delier Manufacturers :  S.  E.  Carll,  Jon- 
athan Stewart,  Upholsterers ;  G.  M.  Wood- 
ward, James  O.  Morse,  Iron  Pipe  Manu- 
facturers ;  James  K.  Wheatley,  T.  A.  Have- 
mever,  Suear  Refiners ;  T.  E.  Tewell.  A.  Green- 
leaf,  Jr.,  Millers;  T.  S.  Willard,  Thomas  T. 
Knight,  Looking  Glass  and  Frame  Manufac- 
turers ;  James  L.  Moore.  Robert  R.  Stnrv,  Sad- 
dle and  Harness  Manufacturers ;  J.  Johnston, 
J.  A.  Fuller,  Brewers :  Samuel  Ingalls,  George 
Chaooel,  Cpmphene  Distillers ;  Thomas  Rowe, 
A.  Thayer.  Linseed  Oil  Manufacturers;  James 
Sharkey.  John  Shustei ,  Marble  Workers;  D. 
S.  V/arring,  George  S.  Harding,  Coffee  and 
Soice  Grinders ;  R.  T.  Anderson,  Joseph  H. 
Mumby,  Confectioners ;,  A.  M.  Vail,  Silvanus 
White,  Skate  Manufacturers;  Patrick  Cas- 
sidy.  Iron  Dealer;  William  Hager,  Type 
Founder;  Charles  E.  Smith,  Umbrella  Manu- 
facturer; R.  H.  Hand,  Trunk  Manufacturer; 
Wright  Ramsden,  Plumber;  G.  J.  Vining, 
Stove    Manufacturer;    W.    M.    Brasher,   Oil 


THE  DEATH  GRAPPLE  OF  THE  STRUGGLE. 


477 


Cloth  Manufacturer;  George  W.  Robbins,  Tin 
Ware  Manufacturer;  Charles  B.  Tatham,  Lead 
Pipe  Manufacturer;  H.  B.  Whitty,  Carriage 
Manufacturer;  R.  L.  Allen,  Agricultural  Im- 
plement Manufacturer;  iiiram  F.  St.  John, 
Axe  Manufacturer;  F.  S.  Otis,  Hoop  Skirt 
Manufacturer ;  W.  B.  Higgins,  Soap  and  Can- 
dle Manufacturer ;  Thomas  Carrell,  Tobacco- 
nist; David  Fithian,  Sash  and  Blind  Manufac- 
turer ;  John  S.  Loomis,  Moulding  Manufac- 
turer ;  A.  G.  Hicks,  Pencil  Manufacturer ;  G. 
W.  Hubert,  Enamel  Ware  Manufacturer;  J. 
H.  McWilliams,  Lock  Manufacturer;  John 
Phillips,  Charles  H.  Baxter,  Whiting  Manu- 
facturers ;  Richard  R.  Flanders,  Oil  Manufac- 
turer; and  Julius  Ives,  Jr.,  Clothes  Wringers. 
Eastern  District :  William  H.  Jenkins,  Chair- 
man; Samuel  W.  Truslow,  Cordage;  Thomas 
Rowland,  Ship  Builder;  C.  E.  Bertrand,  Su- 
gar; William  W.  Armfield,  Coal  and  Wood; 
James  A.  Taylor,  Iron;  Charles  W.  Fellows, 
Gas  Fixtures;  Henry  C.  Richardson,  Hard- 
ware; Joseph  L.  Heath,  Builder;  Eckford 
Webb,  Ship  Builder;  A.  Leininger,  Glass 
Ware ;  William  Tuttle,  Brass ;  J.  B.  Wicker- 
sham,  Iron  Rails ;  Watson  Sanford,  Stoves ; 
James  Hall,  Iron  ;  J.  A.  Heath,  Cooper  ;  Joseph 
Wilde,  Coffee;  George  Wiley,  Machinist;  C. 
Dorflinger,  Glass  Manufacturer;,  W.  Cabbie, 
Wireworks ;  George  C.  Bennett,  G.  W.  Plymp- 
ton,  Hiram  M.  Warren,  Joseph  Reaves,  Will- 
iam Coles  and  Christian  Neidig. 

Committee  on  Manufactures  :  Ladies — • 
Mrs.  A.  Trask,  Chairman ;  Luke  Hassington, 
Theo.  Polhemus,  Jr.,  John  H.  Prentice,  Thom- 
as Messenger,  David  Wesson,  A.  B.  Baylis, 
Coe  Adams,  Jos.  Ripley,  W.  J.  Miller,  J.  F. 
Whitney,  A.  F.  Hazen,  J.  Curtis,  J.  P.  Wick- 
ham,  C.  Baylis,  A.  Cruikshanks,  Nathan  Beers, 
E.  E.  Estes,  W.  Spelman,  D.  Caven,  E.  A. 
Biden,  Smith  Fancher,  A.  Jewett,  E.  L.  Bush- 
nell,  Peter  Rice,  L.  B.  Shaw,  William  Libby, 
C.  H.  Mills,  Theodore  Ovington,  Miss  Mary 
Cosnell,  Mrs.  F.  H.  Biglow,  N.  Curtis,  E.  J. 
Houlett,  L.  Burnham,  Miss  L.  P.  Henchman, 
Mrs.  Charles  Marvin,  L.  Thomae,  P.  Wyck- 
off,  R.  H.  Manning,  and  Boyer. 

Committee  on  Produce:  Arch.  Baxter, 
Chairman;  James  P.  Wallace,  Sam  A.  Saw- 
yer, Smith  J.  Eastman,  J.  H.  Holcomb,  Curtis 
Noble,  Seymour  Burrell,  George  B.  Doudas, 
Frederick  Sherwood,  Sidney  Sanderson,  Har- 
vey E.  Hicks,  Alex.  E.  Orr,  Smith  Fancher, 
W.  D.  Mangam,  James  G.  Weld,  Hugh  Al- 


len, Stephen  W.  Gary,  Geoirge  Tucker,  Coe- 
Adams,  and  Franklin  Woodruff. 

Committee  on  Kings  County  Town  Con- 
tributions :  Gentlemen — John  Leff erts.  Chair- 
man; John  D.  Prince,  Tunis  I.  Bergen,  Dr. 
J.  L.  Zabriskie,  Dr.  H.  L.  Bartlett,  Robert  R. 
Fox,  William  Matthews,  E.  H.  Kimball,  John- 
L.  Ryder,  Robert  Magan,  William  Couen- 
hoven,  Benjamin  I.  Hitchings,  Bernardus  I. 
Ryder,  Charles  R.  Miller,  Philip  H.  Reid,  Rev. 
Mr.  Van  Buren,  A.  H.  W.  Van  Sicklen,  J. 
Ormiston  Currie,  Col.  W.  I.  Cropsey  and  Sted- 
man  Wright ;  Ladies^Flatbush — Mrs.  J.  Van- 
derbilt,  Chairman;  J.  A.  Lott,  J.  V.  B.  Mar- 
tense,  J.  D.  Prince,  J.  Lefi'erts,  T.  J.  Bergen, 
D;r.  Robinson,  William  Wall,  J.  M.  Hood,  W. 
Murphy,  M.  S.  Scuyler.  Windsor  Terrace — ■ 
Mrs.  Hudson.  Flatlands— Mrs.  A.  Hubbard,, 
E.  K.  Kimball,  P.  Couenhoven,  Doolittle,  An- 
nie Lott.  Gravesend — Mrs.  M.  G.  Hanson,  S. 
Garretson,  E.  Lake,  J.  Cropsy.  Fort  Hamil- 
ton— Mis3  Brown.  Greenfield — Mrs.  G.  M. 
Close.  Bay  Ridge— Mrs.  J.  O.  Perry,  U. 
Tracy,  J.  Van  Brunt,  Fletcher,  M.  Musgrave, 
W.  Sherman.  East  New  York— Mrs.  C.  R. 
Miller,  P.  H.  Reed,  A.  H.  W.  Van  Sicklen. 
New  Utrecht— Mrs.  J.  Crane  and  J.  Van 
Brunt,  Jr. 

Committee  on  Long  Island  Contributions: 
Elias  Lewis,  Jr.,  Chairman;  C.  H.  Victor,. 
Newtown;  William  Nicoll,  Huntington;  D. 
Bogart,  Jr.,  Roslyn;  Hon.  Elias  J.  Beach,  Glen' 
Cove;  Isaac  H.  Cocks,  Westbury;  S.  B.  Mes- 
sereau,  Hempstead;  James  Rider,  Jamaica; 
C.  S.  Powell,  Farmingdale;  W.  W.  &  J.  Rob- 
bins,  Babylon ;  Havens  &  Prince,  Shelter 
Island ;  C.  N.  Brown,  Sag  Harbor ;  J.  Madison- 
Hunting,  East  Hampton;  H.  G.  Reeve,  Mat- 
tituck,  etc.;  Goldsmith  &  Tuttle,  Cutchegen; 
Hon.  James  H.  Tuthill. 

There  is  little  need  now  to  enter  into  any 
details  of  the  fair:  all  that  were  interesting  at 
the  time  have  by  the  passage  of  the  years  lost 
their  significance,  and  except  in  importance  of 
results  it  differed  little  from  similar  fairs  which 
had  preceded  and  have  followed  it.  Perhaps 
we  might  recall  such  labors  as  that  of  Dr. 
Storrs  and  Mr.  Francis  Williams  in  editing 
"The  Drumbeat,"  the  daily  newspaper  which 
recorded  the  story  of  the  enterprise  and  added 
largely  to  its  funds,  or  describe  the  New  Eng- 
land Kitchen,  where  an  old-time  interior  was- 


478 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


-disclosed  with  ladies  in  attendance  who  were 
dressed  up  in  the  style  of  their  grandmothers, 
where  the  spinning-wheel  was  seen  in  opera- 
tion, where  the  huge  open  fire,  fed  by  logs, 
not  only  diffused  warmth  and  thawed  the  most 
careworn  face  but  cooked  great  pots  of  chow- 
der and  of  mush  and  lent  its  heat  to  side  rang- 
es where  were  prepared  huge  dishes  of  pork 
and  beans,  brown  bread,  puddings  and  pies  all 
"such  as  mother  used  to  bake."  But  these  are 
glimpses :  to  tell  the  story  of  the  fair  it  .would 
be  necessary  to  use  a  volume,  and  it  is  only  in 
the  nature  of  things  to  confess  that  the  telling 
would  not  repay  in  interest  the  reader,  who 
would  be  wearied  and  certainly  not  much  edi- 
fied. 

But  we  have  to  deal  with  the  results.  The 
fair  closed  on  March  nth;  and,  when  the  re- 
turns were  footed  up  and  it  was  learned  that 
$402,943.74  had  been  realized,  it  is  safe  to  say 
that  there  was  not  a  man  or  woman  in  Brook- 
lyn who  did  not  feel  proud  of  their  city.  Of 
the  money  thus  realized  $300,000  was  at  once 
paid  over  to  the  Sanitary  Commission,  and  in 
acknowledging  it  the  president  of  that  body. 
Dr.  Bellows,  wrote:  "As  this  is  by  far  the 
largest  amount  ever  put  into  our  treasury  at 
•one  time  by  any  community,  I  feel  that  it  de- 
serves the  most  marked  expression  of  our  grat- 
itude and  wonder.  *  *  *  Brooklyn,  by 
the  only  thorovighly  approvable  kind  of  seces- 
sion, has  henceforth  declared  her  independence 
of  New  York.  She  has  indicated  her  right 
and  power  to  lead,  and  we  shall  no  longer  hear 
her  spoken  of  as,  an  appendix  to  the  metropo- 
lis. She  is,  at  least,  entitled  to  be  the  second 
volume  of  that  great  work,  the  Commercial 
Capital,  of  which  New  York  is  the  first." 
Certain  it  is  that  Brooklyn  was  no  longer  con- 
sidered by  the  county  at  large  as  merely  an 
annex  to  the  city  on  Manhattan  Island. 

The  idea  of  cutting  away  from  New  York 
City  found  another  expression  a  few  days 
after  the  fair  closed.  Up  to  that  time  the 
Brooklyn  contributions  to  the  United  States 
Christian  Commission  were  paid  through  the 


New  York  branch  of  that  organization,  an  or- 
ganization   that    was    doing    a    grand    work 
among  the  soldiers  and  sailors  in  the  front  as 
well  as  in  hospitals,  forts  and  camps  through- 
out the  country.    On  March  10  a  meeting  was 
held  for  the  organization  of  a  branch  of  this 
body  for  Brookl)'n,  and  in  this  movement  the 
following  were  active:     Revs.  James  Eels,  D. 
D. ;  R.  S.  Storrs,  Jr.,  D.  D. ;  John  H.  Raymond, 
D.  D. ;  W.  I.  Budington,  D.  D.';  J.  B.  Water- 
bury,  D.  D. ;  J.  E.  Rockwell,  D.  D. ;  Elbert  S. 
Porter,  D.  D. ;  E.  H.  Canfield,  D.  D. ;  Samuel 
T.  Spear,  D.  D. ;  Charles  S.  Robertson ;  L.  H. 
Mills ;  C.  D.  Foss ;  R.  M.  Hatfield ;  Theodore 
L.    Cuyler;  Wilbur  F    Watkins;  WilHam  S. 
Karr;  E.   Mills;  Robert  Lowery;  Samuel  B. 
Caldwell ;  Thomas  H.  Messenger ;  Livingston 
K.  Miller;  S.  B.  Chittenden;  Reuben  W.  Rog- 
ers; Henry  Sheldon;  Edward  Cary;  William 
J.   Coffin,   Edward  A.   Lambert;   William  A. 
Armfield  ;  James  C.  Southworth ;  John  D.  Mc- 
Kenzie  ;  David  Wesson ;  Lewis  Morris  ;  A.  D. 
Matthews;    R.    L.    Wyckoff;    John    G.    Fay; 
Richard    H.    Cornwell;    Benson    A'an   Vleet; 
Dwight  Johnson;  Walter  S.  Griffith.     Before 
the  clo§e  of  the  month  these  men  had  fully  or- 
ganized the  branch,  and  chosen  Walter  S.  Grif- 
fith, president;  Rev.  Dr.  Eels,  vice  president; 
Rev.   Dr.   Waterbury  and  William  J.   Coffin, 
secretaries,  ard  Samuel  B.  Caldwell,  treasurer. 
It  is  difficult  to  estimate  the  amount  of  good 
accomplished  by  this  organization,  which  was 
held  to  be  representative,  not  alone  of  Brook- 
lyn but  of  all  of  Long  Island.   It  was  liberally 
sustained  by  gifts  of  money,  books,  newspa- 
pers, the  work  of  sewing  circles  and  by  suit- 
able gifts  of  all  sorts;  it  suppHed  ten  chapel 
tents,  at  a  cost  of  $5,000,  each  with  a  library, 
and  it  forwarded  large  collections  of  books  to 
many  of  the  hospitals ;  it  sent  Christian  work- 
ers to  the  front  and  on  the  battleships,  and 
carried  the  reputation  of  Brooklyn  as  a  Chris- 
tian   community    right    into    the    very    fields 
where  her  sons  had  made  the  name  honored 
for  their  gallantry,  and  it  continued  its  mag- 
nificent work  with  unflagging  zeal  until  the 


THE  DEATH  GRAPPLE  OF  THE  STRUGGLE. 


479 


central  body  deemed  the  time  had  come  that 
its  labors  should  end. 

Then  there  were  many  charitable  agencies 
at  work,  showing  how  profoundly  the  local 
spirit  of  generosity  was  touched  and  how,  as 
the  war  progressed,  and  men — under  the  im- 
pulse of  patriotism,  large  bounties,  liberal 
"hand"  money  and  public  as  well  as  private 
payments  to  substitutes,  and  rewards  even  to 
those  bringing  in  recruits  to  the  recruiting 
stations — were  being  hurried  to  the  front  to 
meet  the  demand  for  drafts,  the  apparently  in- 
satiable demand  of  the  Government  for 
"more,"  the  public  benevolence  seemed  to  be- 
come month  after  month  stronger  and  more 
generous  and  impulsive.  The  Woman's  Relief 
Association  continued  its  beneficent  work  with 
undiminished  zeal,  The  Female  Employment 
Society  performed  a  rare  service  among  the 
widows  and  orphans  of  deceased  soldiers  or 
among  families  made  destitute  by  the  removal 
of  the  bread-winner  to  the  front,  the  Soldiers' 
Home  Association  also  carried  on  a  work  of 
mercy  and  love,  and  in  most  of  the  churches 
were  organizations — sometimes  more  than  one 
— to  aid  the  fighting  man  in  some  way  to 
relieve  the  distressed,  and  to  comfort  those 
who  mourned. 

But  it  is  no  disparagement  to  the  work  of 
all  such  organizations,  to  the  splendid  achieve- 
ments of  the  Women's  Relief  Association,  to 
say  that  the  greatest  and  most  inspiriting 
power  in  all  the  charitable  work  of  the  time 
was  the  War  Fund  Committee.  It  was  organ- 
ized on  Sept.  II,  1862,  and  continued  for  three 
years  or  so  after  the  war  was  over.  The  first 
members  of  this  committee  were  J.  S.  T. 
Stranahan  (president),  A.  A.  Low,  Hon.  John 
A.  Lott,  H;  E.  Pierrepont,  Isaac  H.  Frothing- 
ham,  Cyrus  P.  Smith,  William  Marshall,  J.  D. 
Sparkman,  Nathaniel  Briggs,  Martin  Kalb- 
fleisch,  John  A.  Cross,  Walter  S.  Griffith, 
Conklin  Brush,  Seymour  L.  Husted,  Abram  B. 
Baylis,  S.  B.  Chittenden,  John  H.  Prentice  and 
Alexander  McCue.  This  body  was  afterward 
somewhat  changed  by  the  passage  of  time,  but 


as  a  whole  those  who  were  active  in  it  at  the 
beginning  remained  so  to  the  end.  Its  aims 
were  most  comprehensive;  its  results  were 
most  effective.  It  raised  regiments,  aided  dis- 
tress, fanned  the  flame  of  local  patriotism,  col- 
lected pensions,  bounties  and  soldiers'  pay  and 
handed  the  money  to  the  proper  parties,  for- 
warded letters  to  the  soldiers  and  sent  them 
nurses ;  it  aided  widows  and  orphans,  the  sick 
and  needy ;  it  was  practically  an  association 
formed  to  second  the  efforts  of  the  Govern- 
ment, to  assist  the  soldier  and  to  help  those 
dependent  on  him,  and  it  nobly  accomplished 
all  that  work.  The  committee  may  be  said  to 
have  fittingly  closed  its  mission  by  the  erec- 
tion, on  the  plaza  in  front  of  Prospect  Park, 
of  the  statue  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  which  now 
adorns  a  fine  site  elsewhere  in  that  beautiful 
pleasure  ground. 

The  news  of  the  assassination  of  Lincoln, 
on  April  14,  1864,  coming  so  soon  after  the  in- 
telligence of  the  surrender  of  Gen.  Lee's  army 
at  Appomattox  on  April  9  and  the  virtual  clos- 
ing of  the  war  had  roused  a  jubilant  spirit  in 
Brooklyn,  plunged  the  community  into  the 
deepest  gloom.  It  was  fully  realized  that  an- 
other and  most  unexpected  crisis  had  arisen, 
and  all  classes,  all"  shades  of  political  belief, 
joined  hands  in  a  common  sorrow.  Flags  were 
everywhere  lowered,  public  offices,  courts  and 
theatres  were  closed  and  mourning  emblems 
were  displayed  on  every  side.  On  April  15  a 
mass  meeting  of  citizens  was  held  in  the  Acad- 
emy of  Music  under  the  auspices  of  the  War 
Fund  Committee,  when  the  public  sorrow  and 
horror  and  indignation  were  fittingly  voiced, 
and  on  the  26th  a  vast  procession  of  citizens 
honored  in  spirit  the  obsequies  of  the  nation's 
martyr. 

But  the  keen  edge  of  the  sorrow  passed, 
and  soon  the  country  was  busy  repairing  in  the 
new  era  of  peace  the  ruin  and  havoc,  the  loss 
and  sorrow,  which  the  war  had  brought.  In 
this  grand  work  Brooklyn  was  as  conspicuous 
as  in  the  crisis  she  had  been  conspicuous  in 
sending  men  and  treasure  without  stint  into 


480 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


the  arena.  Soon  the  war  became  nothing  but 
a  hateful  memory,  except  to  those  from  whom 
it  had  taken  near  and  dear  ones  and  with  whom 
the  bitterness  of  the  fateful  years  between 
Sumter  and  Appomatox  remained  until  the 
end  of  life's  weary  journey.  But  the  story  of 
the  war  was  to  furnish  in  Brooklyn  one  mote 
ceremony,  in  this  case  a  gratifying  one,  and 
with  it  we  may  close  this  glorious,  if  tragic, 
section  of  our  history. 

On  October  25,  1866,  the  city  presented  to 
each  of  its  surviving  heroes  of  the  army  and 
navy  a  simple  'silver  medal,  a  trifling  but  sig- 
nificant emblem,  which  is  now  treasured  as  an 
heirloom  in  many  a  home  all  over  the  land. 
The  presentation  ceremonies  were  made  the 
occasion  of  a  grand -military  parade;  and  the 
entire  proceedings,  conducted  by  Mayor  Booth 
on  the  historic  slopes  of  Fort  Greene,  called 
forth  all  the  enthusiasm  of  a  people  who  in 
time  of  conflict  and  peril,  of  gloom  and  fore- 
boding, did  at  least  what  they  could  to  aid  in 
maintaining  the  honor  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes 
and  preserving  the  work  of  the  fathers  of  the 
Republic.  On  the  occasion  of  the  presentation 
of  these  medals,  three  thousand  veterans  were 
"decorated"  in  the  sense  that  French  soldiers 
are  decorated  when  they  receive  the  ribbon  of 
the  Legion  of  Honor, — an  idea  neatly  con- 
veyed by  Mayor  Booth  when  he  said:  "The 
medal  we  present  bears  with  it  that  which 
money  cannot  purchase.  It  represents  the 
heart  and  voice  of  300,000  people.  The  small 
ribbon  worn  by  the  French  soldier  as  a  mark 
of  heroic  deeds  is  prized  as  highly  as  life  itself. 
It  bears  evidence  that  the  wearer  has  done 
something  for  the  glory  of  France.  The  tes- 
timonial we  present  you  to-day  bears  evidence 
that  you  have  done  very  much  for  the  cause  of 
liberty  and  good  government  throughout  the 
world."  It  was  a  day  of  triumph  for  the  old 
soldier  when  he  was  thus  honored  by  his  fel- 
low citizens  through  their  Chief  Executive  and 
in  the  presence  of  the  Governor  of  the  State 
(R.  E.  Fenton),  Admiral  Farragut  and  a  host 
of  men  famous  in  national  and  local  story.   Dr. 


Storrs  delivered  the  inevitable  oration,  but  it 
was  a  masterpiece  of  oratory,  arid  ex-Mayor 
Wood,  himself  one  of  the  veterans,  made  a 
fitting  response  on  behalf  of  his  comrades  in 
acknowledgment  of  the  praises  which  had  been 
heaped  upon  them. 

Gradually  the  war  took  its  place  in  history 
and  its  public  memories  were  confined  to  the 
ceremonies  of  Decoration  Day,   when  in  the 
various  cemeteries  the  graves  of  the  veterans 
who  had   passed   away   were   decorated  with 
flowers  and  the  events  of  the  days  which  fol- 
lowed the  fall  of  Fort  Sumter  were  recalled' 
by  orations   in   public  places  or  less   labored 
speeches  beside  many  a  little  mound  marked' 
by  a  flag,  beneath  each  of  which  rested  one 
who  had  joined  the  mighty  army  above.    On 
one  of  these  occasions,  in  Greenwood,  Mayor 
Seth    Low    suggested    that    Brooklyn    should 
erect  a  memorial  which  should  at  once  honor 
the  dead  soldiers  of  the  Civil  War  and  be  a 
permanent  reminder  of  Brooklyn's  gratitude 
for  the  men  who  left  her  streets  in  the  course 
of  the  conflict  to  fight  for  the  Union.    The  sug- 
gestion was  heartily  taken  up;  but  after  several' 
plans  were  talked  over  the  matter  seemed  to 
be  dropped.    Finally  the  idea  of  a  monumental 
arch  struck  the  popular  fancy  and  designs  for 
such  a  structure  were  prepared  by  Mr.  John 
D.  Duncan,  and  approved.     The  money  was. 
readily  raised,  the  corner-stone  was  laid  in  the 
Park  Plaza  in  i8qo,  and  the  completed  struc- 
ture was  dedicated  to  the  memory  of  the  dead 
in  1892.     That  is  to  say,  the  arch  proper  was 
then   completed,    for   since  then   it  has   been- 
adorned  by  sculpture,  notably  figures  by  Mac- 
Monnies,  until  it  now"  stands  as  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  memorials  of  its  kind  in  the 
world.     The  Plaza,  too,  has  been  adapted  to 
add  to  its  effectiveness,  and  the  scene  of  which- 
it    forms    the    most    striking    feature    is    not 
equalled  in  artistic  beauty  in  any  city  in  the  old 
world,  not  even  in  Paris  itself, — a  city  which' 
prides  itself  on  its  wealth  in  stone  and  line  and 
its  architectural  triumphs.    Brooklyn  truly  has- 
not  proved  ungrateful  to  or  forgetful  of  those- 


THE  DEATH  GRAPPLE  OF  THE  STRUGGLE. 


481 


who  represented  her  in  the  tented  field  or  on 
the  battleship  when  the  fate  of  the  Nation  was 
at  stake. 

Many  years  have  come  and  gone  since  the 
wage  of  battle  between  the  States,  but,  al- 
though slowly  dwindling,  the  number  of  sur- 
vivors of  the  terrible  struggle  who  are  still 
with  us  is  considerable,  and  as  members  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  wield  a  great  in- 
fluence not  only  on  the  well-being  of  those 
themselves  to  whom  have  come  age  and  pov- 
erty, or  on  the  well-being  of  the  widows  of 
those  who  have  passed  away,  ■  but  upon  the 
community  in  general. 

The  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  was 
founded  at  Indianapolis,  in  1866,  in  the  spirit 
of  fraternity,  charity,  and  loyalty.  These  con- 
tinue yet  to  be  its  watchword.  The  first 
Post  in  New  York  State  was  organized  at 
Rochester,  in  December,  1866,  and  the  fourth, 
Wadsworth  Post,  at  Brooklyn,  a  few  days 
later.  In  Brooklyn  the  Army  has  had  a  most 
beneficent  influence  over  the  fortunes  of  the 
old  soldiers,  procuring  them  employment,  vot- 
ing them  into  office,  and  standing  by  them  in 
seasons  of  trouble;  and,  although  at  times  the 
cry  has  been  raised  that  the  organization  was 
lending  itself  to  politics,  it  has  never  betrayed 
its  watchwords  to  a  comrade,  no  matter  what 
his  politics  might  be ;  and  while  it  has  certainly 
sought  to  influence  legislation  the  influence  has 

31 


been  exerted  simply  on  matters  pertaining  to 
itself  or  its  members.  On  two  occasions  it  has 
come  prominently  before  the  public.  The  first 
was  in  the  movement  which  culminated  in  the 
founding  of  the  Soldiers'  Home  at  Bath,  which 
was  started  when  Corporal  James  Tanner 
pledged  his  word  that  Brooklyn  would  raise 
towards  such  a  home  $10,000,  and  Brook- 
lyn made  good  the  pledge,  with  some 
$4,000  to  spare.  The  second  was  in  con-- 
nection  with  the  funeral  of  Gen.  U.  S^ 
Grant,  when  Post  327  of  Brooklyn  re- 
ceived his  name  and  was  part  o£  the- 
guard  of  honor  beside  his  bier  at  Mount  Mc- 
Gregor and  held  the  most  honorable  place- 
around  the  casket  containing  the  hero's  re- 
mains as  they  were  escorted  through  New 
York  to  the  temporary  tomb  in  Riverside  Park. 
There  are  now  thirty-three  posts  of  the  Grand 
Army  in  Brooklyn  Borough,  six  in  Queens 
county,  three  in  Nassau  county,  and  nine  in 
Suffolk,  making  fifty-one  in  all  on  Long  Island. 
The  charitable  works  of  these  organizations 
are  well  supplemented  by  those  of  the  Wot- 
man's  Relief  Corps,  of  which  there  are  sixteen 
on  Long  Island,  and  which  render  material, 
'aid  to  the  aged  and  poverty-stricken  wives, 
mothers  or  widows  of  those  New  York  men, 
who  fought  in  the  Union  armies,  and  to  the 
army  nurses  who  rendered  the  Boys  in  Blue 
grand  and  never  fully  requited  services  in  the; 
hospitals  and  camps. 


>^  %. 

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S^  jl^ 

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^^.^'^ 

%^^^^ 

^■^.^.J- 

CHAPTER   XLI, 


THE    SPLENDID    CLOSING    RECORD. 

Mayors   Low,  Whitney,  Chapin,  Boody,  Schieren  and  Wurster — The   Bridge 

—  Some   Interesting   Statistics. 


HE  story  of  Brooklyn  from  1882  until 
it  assumed  its  place  as  one  of  the 
boroughs  of  the  Greater  New  York 
is  one  that  should  be  discussed  in  a 
volume  rather  than  summarized  -in  a  chapter. 
It  presents  us  with  many  details  which  are  de- 
iserving  of  thoughtful  and  extended  study.    To 
'.students    of   municipal   government   it   shows 
;the  steps  by  which  the  principle  of  direct  re- 
sponsibility   was    carried   to    its    highest    and 
clearest  practical  demonstration,  and  the  prog- 
ress of  the  struggle  between  that  principle  and 
ithe  efforts,  unseen  but  unceasing,  of  the  polit-  ' 
ical '.machines  to  undo  it.    It  shows  a  constant 
.growth  ;of  a  community  in  wealth,  in  culture, 
in  art,  in  science,  in  education,  in  trade  and 
■commerce,  a  vast  aggregation  of  people — the 
■population  increasing  annually  at  a  rate  that 
seemed -certain  to  make  it  in  time  exceed  that  of 
the  "neighboring  city"  of  New  York — and  yet 
without  any  of  the  excrescences  in  the  shape 
'of  open  vice  and  looseness  of  morals  which  is 
.■generally  such  a  blot  on  all  great  centres.    A 
■great    commercial    city    without    a    stock    ex- 
change ;  a  splendid  water-front — large  enough 
to  serve  a  world's  commerce  and  yet  neglected 
except  in  sections.    A  vast  storehouse  of  Gov- 
.lernment    property    without    any    military    or 
naval  aristocracy,  a  city  of  churches,  of  shops, 
and  of  homes,  a  city  of  splendid  distances, 
splendid  buildings,  honest  aspirations,  and  yet 
preserving  mach  of  the  characteristics  of  the 


old  village  life ;  a  city  which  was  full  of  poli- 
ticians, but  whose  local  affairs  as  a  general 
rule  were  honestly  managed ;  a  city  whose  mar- 
velous extension  was  immediately  followed  by 
a  generous  outlay,  irrespective  of  immediate 
returns,  so  as  to  bring  the  extensions  as  soon 
as  possible  under  city  conditions,  a  city  which 
could  boast  of  all  the  concomitants  of  the  high- 
er civilization, — all  these  things  present  them- 
selves for  consideration  along  with  a  hundred 
others  as  we  survey  the  closing  twenty-five 
years  of  Brooklyn's  civic  history. 

And  yet  over  all  as  we  read  the  record  now, 
there  pointed  the  inexorable  finger  of  fate 
pointing  to  consolidation  with  the  Island  of 
Manhattan  and  so  welding-  into  one  grand  cor- 
porate body  the  two  cities  which  had  grown 
up  side  by  side  and  which,  even  in  spite  of  old- 
time  bickerings  and  jealousies  had  been  helpful 
and  necessary  the  one  to  the  other.  By  consol- 
idation the  city  of  Brooklyn  disappeared  and 
assumed  the  lower  status  of  a  borough,  so  did 
the  city  on  Manhattan  Island  and  the  Greater 
City — ^the  boroughs  of  Manhattan,  Brooklyn, 
Bronx,  Queens  and  Richmond  formed  a  united 
community — a  city  destined  to  become  the 
greatest  in  the  whole  world.  Henceforth  the 
story  of  Brooklyn  is  merged  in  that  of  the 
Greater  New  York,  but  its  people  believe  that 
in  the  destinies  of  that  grand  city  it  will  be  the 
leading  factor,  the  greatest  of  the  boroughs 
in  population  and  influence. 


THE    SPLENDID    CLOSING    RECORD. 


483 


So  we  resume  our  study  of  the  old  city, 
taking  up  the  story  with  the  advent  to  power 
of  the  victor  in  the  mayorahy  campaign  of 
1881. 

Seth  Low  stepped  into  the  Mayor's  office 
Jan.  I,  1882,  after  one  of  the  most  strenuously 
contested  elections  of  which  even  the  political 
history  of  Brooklyn  has  record.  He  was  born 
in  Brooklyn,  Jan.  18,  1850,  and  belongs  to  a 
family  which  for  over  a  century  had  held  a 
leading  place  among  the  merchants  of  New 
York  and  the  public-spirited  citizens  of  Brook- 
lyn. He  received  a  thorough  education,  cotn- 
mencing  with  his  entry  into  the  Juvenile  High 
School  on  Washington  street  and  closing  with 
his  graduation  at  Columbia  College  in  1870. 
Then  he  entered  the  firm  of  A.  A.  Low  & 
Brothers,  of  which  his  father  was  then  senior 
member,  and  in  1875  was  assumed  as  a  part- 
ner. Like  so  many  of  his  family,  he  became 
deeply  interested  in  the  working  out  of  munici- 
pal problems  as  they  presented  themselves  in 
the  local  affairs  of  the  city,  and  his  naturally 
kindly  heart  led  him  first  of  all  to  try  to  effect 
some  improvement  of  the  work  of  charitable 
administration  which  was  not  only  corrupt  but 
inefficient  and  had  for  its  real  sufferers  the 
poorest  of  the  poor — the  very  class  least  able 
to  help  themselves.  By  his  work  and  influence 
the  Bureau  of  Charities  was  established  in 
1878  which  strove,  as  it  still  strives,  to  system- 
atize the  work  of  charity  all  over  the  city,  to 
prevent  deception,  to  aid  the  really  deserving 
among  the  poor,  to  provide  temporary  employ- 
ment, to  send  visitors  and  nurses  among  the 
indigent,  to  investigate  reports  of  cases  of  dis- 
tress and  to  promote  a  spirit  of  co-operation 
in  charitable  work  among  the  various  churches 
and  benevolent  organizations  of  the  city.  Its 
beneficent  work  is  being  extended  year  after 
year,  it  has  its  own  lodging  houses,  day  nurser- 
ies, wood-yards,  laundries,  and  other  accessor- 
ies and  in  1900  it  attended  to  9,544  cases  and 
expended  on  its  work  $21,858.  It  was  while 
engaged  in  establishing  this  great  experiment 
in  charitable  work  that  the  name  of  Seth  Low 


first  became  prominent  in  Brooklyn ;  and  the 
straightforward  way  in  which  he  conducted 
all  the  proceedings,  the  clear  and  logical  man- 
ner in  which  he  presented  all  the  details  and 
the  business-like  way  in  which  the  entire  sub- 
ject was  handled  commended  him  to  the  favor 
of  all  good  citizens  of  all  shades  of  politics,  for 
it  was  seen  that  one  of  the  main  issues  of  his 
plan  was  to  separate  charity  from  politics  alto- 
gether. In  other  walks  of  life  Mr.  Low  had 
given  marked  evidences  of  his  business  ability 
and  tact,  notably  in  committees  of  th;  New 
York  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  so  when  a 
desire  arose  in  Brooklyn  to  take  the  affairs  of 
the  city  out  of  politics  and  to  run  the  munici- 
pality as  a  business  institution  and  on  a  busi- 
ness basis  it  was  felt  that  he  of  all  men  should 
be  chosen  to  lead  the  movement  to  carry  such 
ideas  into  effect.  He  accepted  a  nomination 
as  Mayor  on  the  distinct  understanding  that  if 
elected  he  was  to  administer  the  office  without 
regard  to  politics,  and  simply  as  a  business 
man  would  run  any  trust  committed  to  his 
care.  The  circumstances  of  the  time  were  fa- 
vorable for  such  a  change  and  the  canvas  pro- 
ceeded with  mu:h  enthusiasm,  its  peculiar  con- 
ditions making  the  calculations  as  to  its  result 
merely  wild  guesses  on  both  sides  until  the 
ballots  had  been  cast  and  counted.  Mr.  Low 
certainly  fulfilled  all  his  pledges  and  gave  the 
people  not  only  a  purely  business  administra- 
tion but  showed  how  the  application  of  that 
principle  meant  honesty  and  economy  all 
through  the  administrative  bureaus  even  to 
the  work  of  the  humblest  clerk.  He  was  re- 
sponsible to  the  city  for  his  appointees  and  they 
in  turn  were  directly  responsible  to  him  for 
the  manner  in  which  they  conducted  their 
offices,  and  that  sense  of  personal  and  direct 
responsibility  governed  his  entire  administra- 
tion with  splendid  results.  Of  course  his  plain 
policy  was  criticized,  criticized  somewhat  bit- 
terly at  times,  especially  by  the  "war-horses" 
in  both  parties,  but  he  held  on  in  his  own 
course  and  when,  in  November,  1885,  he  pre- 
sented himself  as  a  candidate  for  re-election, 


484 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


asked  the  people  by  their  votes  to  pass  judg- 
ment on  his  official  course,  he. was  again  re- 
turned and  during  his  second  term  still  further 
illustrated  the  benefits  of  his  nourpartisan 
ideals.  The  high'  level  he  set  in  municipal  ad- 
ministration still  remains  a  beacon  to  those 
who  are  striving  to  perpetuate  his  methods  in 
Brooklyn  and  introduce  them  elsewhere.  To 
a  great  extent  it  was  his  four  years'  experi- 
ence in  Brooklyn  that  guided  the  framers  of 
the  Greater  New  York  charter  in  much  of 
their  work ;  but  they  overlooked  the  fact  that 
instead  of  a  man  being  appointed  Mayor  that 
honor  might  fall  to  a  mere  hub  in  a  machine 
wheel,  and  that  the  hub  would  have  to  go  just 
as  the  machine  was  directed  by  the  more  or 
less  invisible  hand  at  the  lever. 

Mr.  Low  was  re-elected  Mayor  at  the  close 
of  his  first  term,  again  by  a  narrow  majority — 
1,842 — receiving  49,934  votes  as  against  48,- 
092  for  Joseph  C.  Hendrix.  When  he  retired 
at  the  close  of  1885  he  went  to  Europe  and 
then  took  charge  of  the  business  of  A.  &  A. 
Low,  which  he  desired  to  close  up.  This  he 
accomplished  with  success  and  tact.  His 
marked  success  in  public  life  and  his  rare  ex- 
ecutive ability  had  however  marked  him  out 
for  high  office,  but  he  steadfastly  refused  to 
enter  into  the  vortex  of  politics  and  so  never 
proved  an  available  man  in  the  eyes  of  the 
party  managers.  He  was  a  Republican  in 
politics  in  national  issues,  but  in  local  affairs 
he  believed  in  being  guided  by  business  con- 
siderations. However,  in  1890  he  was  elected 
president  of  Columbia  College,  and  after  much 
hesitation  he  accepted  the  office  and  threw 
himself  at  once  into  it  with  its  varied  and 
responsible  duties  with  characteristic  zeal.  The 
work  of  the  various  institutions  which  made 
up  Columbia  was  grouped  under  a  single 
council,  and  it  soon  took  a  place  among  the 
great  universities  of  the  country.  The  man- 
agement of  the  negotiations  which  resulted 
in  the  purchase  of  the  splendid  site  on  Morn- 
ingside  Heights  and  the  removal  there  of  the 
university  was  another  task  which  he  managed 


with  consummate  skill,  and  he  further  showed 
his  deep  interest  in  the  institution  by  present- 
ing it  with  $1,000,000  from  his  private  fortune 
for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  library  building 
on  the  new  site,  now  the  most  conspicuous  of 
the  many  buildings  on  the  university  grounds. 
His  work  in  this  connection  was  stopped  in 
the  fall  of  1897,  when  he  became  the  candi- 
date for  Mayor  of  the  Greater  New  York  on 
an  independent  ticket.  After  his  defeat  he 
resumed  his  labors  in  connection  with  the  uni- 
versity, but  he  has  held  many  public  appoint- 
ments, such  as  membership  in  the  peace  con- 
ference which  met  at  The  Hague  in  1899. 

It  may  be  noted  here,  although  beyond  the 
limit  of  time  laid  down  for  the  scope  of  this- 
work,  that  in  the  fall  of  1901  Mr.  Low  again 
received  the  nomination  for  the  Mayoralty  of 
Greater  New  York,  this  time  from  all  parties 
except  the  regular  Democratic  forces.  On 
accepting  the  nomination  he  resigned  the 
presidency  of  Columbia  and  entered  on  a  vig- 
orous civic  canvass,  which  resulted  in  his  elec- 
tion, together  with  that  of  his  entire  ticket. 
He  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  office  of 
Mayor  of  Greater  New  York  on  January  i,. 
1902. 

As  Mayor  of  Brooklyn  Mr.  Low  held  him- 
self completely  free  from  party  control  and  be- 
came the  foremost  exponent  of  the  "business- 
man in  politics."  His- progress  was  watched 
with  curious  eyes  by  the  managers  and  by  the 
people.  While  it  can  not  be  said  that  the 
latter  endorsed  him  much  more  strongly  than 
the  machine  was  able  to  find  votes  opposed  to- 
him,  it  should  be  remembered  that  every  in- 
terest was  arrayed  against  his  success  that  had 
been  accustomed  to  regard  municipal  govern- 
ment as  a  matter  of  dicker  and  deal,  a  scheme 
for  spoils,  soft  jobs  and  various  rewards  for 
faithful  party  service.  As  Mayor  he  was  in 
supreme  control  of  the  city's  affairs,  but  he 
gathered  around  him  as  heads  of  departments- 
a  group  of  men  in  whom  the  public  had  con- 
fidence, and  who,  while  responsible  to  him  as 
the  executive  head  of  the  municipality,  were- 


THE    SPLENDID    CLOSING    RECORD. 


485 


also  directly  responsible  to  the  people  for  the 
departments  committed  to  their  care.  The  late 
John  Fiske,  the  famous- historian,  whose  death 
on  July  4,  1901,  was  a  terrible  blow  to  Ameri- 
can letters,  said  in  his  work  on  "Civil  Gov- 
ernment in  the  United  States :"  "This  Brook- 
lyn system  has  great  merits.  It  assures  unity 
of  administration,  it  encourages  promptness 
and  economy,  it  locates  and  defines  responsi- 
bility, and  it  is  so  simple  that  everybody  can 
understand  it.  The  people,  having  but  few 
officers  to  elect,  are  more  likely  to  know  some- 
thing about  them.  Especially  since  everybody 
understands  that  the  success  of  the  govern- 
ment depends  upon  the  character  of  the  Mayor, 
extraordinary  pains  are  taken  to  secure  good 
Mayors,  and  the  increased  interest  in  city 
politics  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  in  Brooklyn 
more  people  vote  for  Mayor  than  for  Governor 
or  President.  *  *  *  The  Brooklyn  system 
seems  to  be  a  step  toward  lifting  city  govern- 
ment out  of  the  mire  of  party  politics." 

But  it  can  not  be  said  that  the  Brooklyn 
idea  in  practice  continued  after  Mr.  Low  re- 
tired from  the  office  of  Mayor.  Toward  the 
close  of  his  second  term  the  candidates  put  for- 
ward for  the  office  were  zealous  and  pro- 
nounced party  men,  General  Isaac  S.  Catlin 
being  at  that  time  a  Republican  and  Daniel  D. 
Whitney  a  stanch  Democrat,  the  "independ- 
ent" in  politics  being  ignored,  although  Mr. 
Whitney,  who  had  had  a  most  successful  ca- 
reer as  a  merchant,  was  a  good  example  of 
the  "business  man  in  politics."  The  contest, 
however,  was  conducted  on  strictly  party  lines, 
but  Catlin's  party  seemed  to  have  a  splendid 
advantage  in  Mr.  Low's  splendid  Mayoral 
record.  The  result,  however,  was  the  election 
of  Whitney  by  49,002  votes  to  36,905  given  to 
Catlin,  a  majority  of  12,097.  Mr-  Whitney 
was  born  at  Oyster  Bay  in  1820.  When  he 
was  ten  years  of  age  his  parents  settled  in 
Brooklyn,  and  when  ready  to  go  to  work  he 
found  employment  in  a  grocery  store;  after- 
ward he  went  into  the  wholesale  grocery  trade 
on  his  own  account.     Previous  to  taking  his 


seat  as  Mayor  he  had  served  as  an  Alderman 
and  for  a  time  was  President  of  the  Board. 
He  gave  the  city  a  clean  administration,  but 
the  old  charm  of  the  Low  administration  was 
gone.  Mir.  Whitney  was,  after  all,  the  nomi- 
nee of  one  of  the  local  machines,  and  that 
machine  was  on  its  good  behavior.  But  with 
the  election  of  Alfred  C.  Chapin  as  Whitney's 
successor  the  machine  began  to  feel  it  could 
do  as  it  liked.  His  opponent.  Colonel  Andrew 
D.  Baird,  the  nominee  of  the  Republican  party, 
with  a  splendid  record  as  a  business  man,  a 
large  employer  of  labor  and  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil  War,  made  a  splendid  run  against  him, 
and  was  defeated  by  882  votes,  the  figures 
being  Chapin,  52,753;  Baird,  51,871;  but  even 
this  narrow  majority  gave  satisfaction  to  the 
victor  and  his  friends.  However,  it  made  the 
latter  feel  cautious  for  a  while.  Mr.  Chapin 
had  been  prominent  in  Brooklyn's  politics  since 
settling  there  in  1873,  the  year  after  he  had 
been  admitted  a  member  of  the  New  York 
bar.  He  became  president  of  the  Brooklyn 
Young  Men's  Democratic  Club,  and  through, 
the  influence  thus  acquired  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  Assembly  in  1881,  and  re-elect- 
ed the  following  year.  Possessed  of  a  large 
fortune,  he  paid  little  attention  to  the  practice 
of  his  profession  and  devoted  himself  solely 
to  politics,  having  set  before  him  as  the  goal 
of  his  ambition  the  Governorship  of  the  State. 
His  election  and  re-election  as  State  Con- 
troller he  regarded  as  steps'  in  that  direction, 
and  his  election  to  the  Mayoralty  of  Brooklyn 
over  such  a  candidate  as  Colonel  Baird  he  re- 
garded as  a  stride.  During  his  first  term  he 
gave  the  people  a  good  administration,  and 
strengthened  the  police  system,  increased  the 
park  area  and  in  many  ways  proved  that  he 
fully  appreciated  the  opportunities  for  improv- 
ing civic  conditions  and  effecting  improve- 
ments. The  people  endorsed  his  work,  too,  in  a 
most  flattering  manner,  for  they  re-elected  him 
by  a  majority  of  9,012  over  Colonel  Baird,  who 
was  once  more  his  opponent.  Some  one  said 
that  Chapin's  first  term  was  for  the  people, 


486 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


his  second  was  for  the  Governorship.  He  be- 
came simply  a  tool  of  the  local  politicians, 
with  his  mind,  set  on  the  Governor's  chair. 
Somehow  stories  of  scandals  and  deals  began 
to  crop  out,  but  nothing  substantial  was  proved 
against  him  or  his  associates  until  he  and  his 
Board  of  Aldermen  had  entered  into  an  agree- 
ment to  buy  out  the  Long  Island  Water  Sup- 
ply Company,  a  New  Lots  concern,  for  $i,- 
250,000.  There  was  loud  grumbling  all  around 
at  this  manifest  misuse  of  public  money,  and 
William  Zeigler  and  his  counsel,  William  J. 
Gaynor,  came  to  the  front  in  a  torrent  of  de- 
nunciation. The  deal  was  in  fact  one  of  the 
most  barefaced  in  the  history  of  municipal  gov- 
ernment since  the  time  of  Tweed.  The  water 
company  was  a  half  moribund  concern  even 
in  its  best  days.its  olant  was  practically  worth- 
less and  its  franchises  of  small  value  to  the 
community.  Its  stock  had  been  a  drug  in  the 
market  at  $25  a  share,  and  found  few  purchas- 
ers at  that.  It  was  shown  afterward  that  be- 
fore the  city  had  closed  its  deal  they  were 
eagerly  bought  up,  even  $70  being  paid  will- 
ingly. When  it  was  learned  that  the  city  was 
to  pay  $300  a  share  the  reason  of  the  demand 
for  the  stock  among  the  politicians  was  not 
difficult  to  discover.  The  whole  concern  was 
worth,  at  the  outside,  it  was  claimed,  not  more 
than  $62,500,  and  yet  the  city  had  agreed  to 
pay  a  million  and  a  quarter  for  it.  Zeigler 
and  Gaynor  stopped  the  deal  by  an  injunction. 
As  a  result  of  continued  litigation  the  deal  did 
not  get  through  and  was  ultimately  aban- 
doned. Its  story,  however,  aroused  a  wide- 
spread feeling  of  disgust  and  by  it  Mr.  Cha- 
pin's  political  story  came  to  an  untimely  end. 
He  even  asked  for  a  renomination  to  the  May- 
oralty, but  that  was  refused,  for  the  simple 
reason  that  it  was  felt  his  defeat  was  a  cer- 
tainty. So  when  the  time  came  Mr.  David 
H.  Boody,  a  well-known  New  York  stock  bro- 
ker and  member  of  Congress  from  the  20th 
(Brooklyn)  district,  was  put  forward  in  the 
fall  of  1891  and  was  elected,  securing  73,366 
votes  to  67,89s  cast  for  Henry  A.  Meyer,  the 


Republican  candidate.  Soon  after  Mr.  Chapin 
received  a  sop  in  the  shape  of  an  election  to 
Congress  from  the  district  vacated  by  Mr. 
Boody,  but  his  hold  on  the  machine  was  loos- 
ened, his  political  end  was  at  hand  and  he  has 
long  since  ceased  even  to  reside  in  Brooklyn. 
Mr.  Boody  was  born  at  Jackson,  Maine, 
in  1837,  ^iid  was  educated  for  the  law.  After 
being  admitted  to  the  bar  he  settled  in  New 
York  and  entered  the  banking  house  of  Boody 
&  McClellen  as  clerk,  the  head  of  the  firm  be- 
ing his  uncle.  There  he  made  rapid  progress, 
was  made  a  partner  and  the  stock  exchange 
member  of  the  firm,  and  acquired  a  fortune. 
Before  becoming  Mayor  he  had  served  in 
Congress,  and  had  been  active  in  Brooklyn's 
Democratic  circles,  and  in  the  Thomas  Jeffer- 
son Association,  the  Brooklyn  Institute,  the 
Montauk  Club  and  several  other  organiza- 
tions, literary  and  financial.  Mr.  Boody  made 
a  good  Mayor;  his  administration  was  clean, 
but  when  he  presented  himself  as  a  candidate 
for  re-election  the  people  rejected  him  and 
chose  Charles  A.  Schieren,  the  Republican  can- 
didate, by  about  30,000  majority.  Mr.  Schieren 
was  born  in  Dusseldorf,  Prussia,  in  1842.  He 
was  educated  in  his  native  land  and  came  to 
this  country  with  his  parents  in  i860.  In 
1863  he  became  employed  in  a  leather  manu- 
factory in  New  York's  famous  Swamp,  and 
five  years  later  started  in  business  on  his  own 
account,  and  in  the  leather  trade,  with  a  capital 
of  about  $1,000, — his  own  savings.  Soon  he 
established  a  trade  that  extended  all  over  the 
country  and  controlled  several  extensive  tan- 
neries. Mr.  Schieren  has  resided  in  Brooklyn 
since  his  arrival  in  this  country,  and  has  taken 
an  active  interest  in  its  religious,  charitable 
and  political  affairs.  He  is,  and  has  been  for 
years,  prominently  connected  with  the  Y.  M. 
C.  A.,  the  Union  for  Christian  Work,  the  So- 
ciety for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Ani- 
mals, and  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation. He  lent  effective  aid  in  the  raising  of 
funds  for  the  erection  of  the  statues  of  Henry 
Ward  Beecher  and  J.  S.  T.  StranaJian.     He 


CHARLES    A.   SCHIBREET. 


THE    SPLENDID    CLOSING    RECORD. 


48T 


was  one  of  the  chief  organizers  and  has  always 
been  vice-president  of  the  Hide  and  Leather 
National  Bank  of  New  York.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and 
trustee  of  the  Germania  Bank  of  Brooklyn.  Of 
the  career  of  Mr.  Schieren  or  of  his  successor, 
Frederick  W.  Wurster,  the  last  Mayor  of  the 
city  of  Brooklyn,  this  is  not,  however,  the 
place  to  speak  in  detail.  Both  proved  accepta- 
ble executives,  but  both  are  still  prominent 
workers  in  the  local  Republican  ranks,  and  in 
neither  of  their  cases  is "  the  record  of  party 
activity  closed.  It  is  sufficient  to  say  here  of 
Mayor  Wurster  that  he  was  born  in  North 
Carolina  in  1850,  but  has  resided  in  Brooklyn 
since  he  was  seven  years  of  age.  Under 
Mayor  Schieren  he  held  the  office  of  Fire  Com- 
missioner, and  he  has  long  been  prominent  in 
Brooklyn's  financial  circles,  including  the  Nas- 
sau Trust  Company,  of  which  he  was  one  of 
the  organizers. 

During  the  opening  years  of  the  period 
now  under  notice  the  great  subject  of  interest 
was  the  bridge.  As  has  already  been  told, 
it  was  finally  opened  amid  great  eclat  on  May 
24.  1883,  and  public  curiosity  drove  thousands 
to  become  acquainted  with  its  wonders.  The 
excitement  was  not  over  by  May  30,  the  first 
holiday  following  the  opening,  and  the  struc- 
ture was  thronged.  In  the  afternoon  a  woman 
fell  on  the  steps  near  the  New  York  end,  car- 
rying with  her  several  persons  near,  and  a  cry 
was  raised  that  the  whole  concern  was  tum- 
bling into  the  river.  Then  ensued  a  wild 
panic,  which,  before  it  subsided,  caused  the 
death  of  about  twelve  persons,  while  about 
fifty  were  more  or  less  badly  hurt.  It  did 
not  take  long  for  order  to  be  restored,  but 
the  incident  showed  how  easily,  even  in  an 
enlightened  community,  a  senseless  yet  death- 
dealing  panic  could  spring  up. 

But  although  the  bridge  was  open  and  free 
to  any  one  who  chose  to  invest  a  cent,  one  had 
to  walk  over  or  indulge  in  the  luxury  of  a 
nde  in  a  private  carriage,  unless,  indeed,  one 
was  able  to  negotiate  a  ride  in  a  democratic 


and  friendly  truck.  But  even  in  these  few 
opening  months  of  primitive  locomotion  the 
bridge  proved  most  popular,  and  thousands- 
made  the  journey  across  twice  a  day,  while  at 
night,  lighted  up  brilliantly  with  electric  lamps,, 
it  formed  a  most  agreeable  promenade.  Om 
September  24,  in  the  opening  year,  the  cable 
railroad  across  was  opened  to  the  public,  and 
then  it  seemed  as  if  the  power  of  the  structure 
was  being  worked  to  its  fullest  extent.  The 
returns  for  the  first  year  seemed  to  fully  jus- 
tify a  hope  for  the'  financial  success  of  the 
enterprise.  Up  to  November  31,  when  the 
books  were  closed,  4,250,000  passengers  had 
used  the  promenade  and  1,082,500  had  been 
carried  on  the  trains,  and  the  bridge  had 
earned  $138,773.  Five  years  later,  in  1887, 
the  figures  were  2,664,415  promenade  passen- 
gers, 27,940,313  on  trains,  and  the  earnings 
had  increased  to  $850,724.  After  a  while  the 
promenade  on  the  bridge  was  declared  free, 
the  railroad  fare  was  cut  to  five  cents  for  a 
couple  of  rides,  and  even  less  if  one  is  capi- 
talist enough  to  invest  twenty-five  cents  for 
ten  passage  tickets. 

When  this  went  into  effect  it  was  again 
felt  that  the  bridge  was  being  used  to  its  full- 
est capacity,  but  the  surface  and  elevated  rail- 
road managers  thought  differently.  Their  am- 
bition was  to  cross  the  bridge,  but  every  effort 
in  that  direction  had  been  balked  by  the  trus- 
tees. After  consolidation,  however,  when  the 
structure  became  a  part  of  the  political  equip- 
ment, the  use  of  the  bridge  was  extended  to 
the  trolley  lines  and  to  the  elevated  roads, 
and  became  in  effect  a  part  of  their  system. 
The  result  of  this  great  addition  to  traffic, — 
in  the  face  of  warnings  uttered  by  Colonel 
Roebling-  and  others, — was  evident  in  ugly  ru- 
mors of  the  stability  of  the  structure.  Several 
times  it  was  reported  by  passengers  that  some- 
thing was  wrong,  but  what  it  was  no  one 
who  had  experienced  the  something  had  en- 
gineering knowledge  sufficient  to  explain  what 
it  was,  and  the  officials  spoke  glibly  about 
"simple  cases  of  buckling."    But  on  July  24, 


488 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


1 90 1,  traffic  on  the  bridge  was  peremptorily 
stopped  by  the  poHce  when  it  was  discovered 
that  twelve  of  the  cable  bands  on  the  north 
-side  had  parted  and  that  there  was  other  dam- 
age, the  extent  of  which  was  not  known.  For 
•a  day  or  two  traffic  was  continued  solely  on 
-the  north  roadway. 

The  success  of  the  Brooklyn  Bridge  led  to 
■others  being  projected,  and  at  the  date  of  this 
writing  a  second  bridge  is  approaching  com- 
pletion, crossing  the  river  from  a  point  be- 
tween South  Fifth  and  South  Sixth  streets, 
Brooklyn,  to  the  foot  of  Delancey  street,  Man- 
hattan. The  towers  are  completed,  the  ap- 
proaches are  being  prepared  and  a  beginning 
ihas  been  made  with  the  work  on  the  cables. 
A  beginning  has  also  been  made  with  a 
bridge  which  is  to  cross  the  river  at  Washing- 
ton street,  Brooklyn,  to  Peck  Slip,  Manhattan, 
and  is  to  be  much  longer  than  the  others,  for 
the  structure  with  its  approaches  will  cover  a 
distance  of  two  miles,  and  the  cost  will  be  a 
"little"  over  $15,000,000.  Yet  another  bridge 
will  in  time  cross  the  river  with  a  central  tower 
resting  on  Blackwell's  Island,  so  that  ere  long, 
between  bridges  and  tunnels,  communication 
between  New  York  and  Brooklyn  will  be  easy 
from  almost  any  point. 

The  success  of  the  big  bridge  and  the  con- 
veyance to  it  of  almost  the  entire  system  of 
travel  have  reduced  the  old  Union  Ferry  sys- 
tem to  a  subordinate  place  in  the  economy  of 
the  city,  and  it  may  be  said  that  since  the  open- 
ing of  the  bridge  all  efforts  to  improve  the 
service  have  been  abandoned.  Even  on  the  fer- 
ries least  affected  by  the  bridge  the  service 
and  conditions  have  remained  in  statu  quo,  and 
the  expectation  is  that  bridge  or  tunnel  traffic 
will  make  their  patronage  so  fall  off  that  their 
stockholders  will  abandon  them,  or  most  of 
them.  Indeed,  there  is  even  a  suggestion  in 
the  press  that  if  their  continuance  is  to  be 
assured  they  will  require  to  be  taken  over  by 
the  city  and  become  a  corporation  asset,  or  a 
means  of  showing  a  corporation  deficit. 

In   1885  the  Brooklyn  Elevated  Railroad 


commenced  running,  and  in   1888  the  Kings 
County  Elevated  Road  began  operations.    Bit 
by  bit  pillars   were   run  up  in  all  directions 
until  by  one  or  other  of  the  existing  five  di- 
visions one  can  ride  from  Park  Row,  Man- 
hattan,  to  Coney   Island,  or  to  Jamaica,  or 
Ridgewood  without    once    leaving  the  road. 
The  elevated  railroad  system  in  Brooklyn  has 
not   proved   a  financial   success.     The  great 
cost  of  construction,   the   determined  opposi- 
tion of  the  property  owners  in  many  of  the 
streets   pre-empted,   the  vexatious   variety  of 
lawsuits  and  a  number  of  details  which  will 
easily  occur  to  those  acquainted  with  the  inner 
workings  of  joint  stock  companies  in  their 
earlier  stages,  watered  stock,  etc.,  prevented 
the  golden   returns   which  the  promoters  so 
confidently  predicted.    Of  course  it  was  heLd, 
as  usual  in  such  cases,  that  time  was  on  their 
side,  that  the  city  was  extending  steadily,  that 
the  roads  were  built  so  as  to  benefit  by  the 
extension,  that  the  population  was  increasing, 
and  everything  was  satisfactory  so  far  as  the 
outlook  was  concerned.     But  many  averred 
that  if  the  roads  could  only  be  conducted  on 
a  basis  of  honesty  the  present  would  be  as 
comfortable  as  the  future  was  rosy.     But  the 
future  in  reality  only  deepened  the  gloom  and 
made  matters  worse.     In  1892  the  trolley  sys- 
tem of  street-car  propulsion  was  introduced. 
The   permission    to    erect    poles   and  string 
wires  had  been  granted  on  January  23 ;  the 
Brooklyn  City  Railroad  Company  doubled  its 
capital,   to  $12,000,000,   in   order  to  buy  the 
necessary  outfit  to  change  all  its  cars  from 
horse  to  electric  power,  and  on  November  7 
the  new  motor  vehicles  were  placed  in  service 
on  Third  avenue.     The  innovation  was  a  suc- 
cess from  the  start,  and  within  two  years  horse 
cars  in   Brooklyn  had  virtually  disappeared, 
while  new  routes  were  constantly  being  opened 
up.    This  success,  of  course,  militated  against 
the  elevated  roads  and  seemed  to  threaten  the 
continued  existence  of  at  least  some  of  the 
lines  and  the  virtual  bankruptcy  of  them  all. 
Most  of  the  surface  roads  were  flourishing. 


THE    SPLENDID    CLOSING    RECORD. 


489 


such  as  the  Brooklyn  City  Raih-oad,  "Deacon" 
WiUiam  Richardson's  Atlantic  Avenue  road, 
'but  others,  from  one  cause  or  another, — in  only 
•a  few  cases  failed  from  lack  of  public  patron- 
-age.  When,  however,  the  power  of  the  trolley 
.and  the  great  potentialities  of  the  system  began 
to  be  seen,  a  series  of  financial  "arrangements" 
began  to  operate  in  Brooklyn's  passenger  tran- 
sit circles,  which  slowly,  by  due  process  of 
•evolution,  effected  a  great  change  in  the  aspect 
■  of  affairs.  In  1893  a  corporation  called  the 
Long  Island  Traction  Company  bought  out 
the  Brooklyn  Heights  Company  and  in  the 
following  year  the  Brooklyn,  Queens  County 
-and  Suburban.  In  1896  the  Traction  Company 
was  merged  in  the  Brooklyn  Rapid  Transit 
-System.  In  1893  the  Nassau  Electric  Com- 
pany was  formed,  which  took  over  the  Atlan- 
tic Avenue  road,  the  Coney  Island,  Fort  Ham- 
ilton &  Brooklyn  ,and  the  Coney  Island  & 
'Gravesend.  As  a  part  of  the  financial  jug- 
:gling  the  elevated  roads  were  united  into 
'two  companies.  In  1898  a  grand  coup  was 
■effected  by  which  the  Brooklyn  Rapid  Transit 
'Company  controlled  the  Brooklyn  Heights 
Tiailroad,  Brooklyn  City  Railroad,  Brooklyn, 
Queens  County  &  Suburban  Railroad,  Nassau 
Electric,  Prospect  Park,  Coney  Island  Grave- 
send  Railroad,  Brooklyn  Union  Elevated  Rail- 


road Company  and  the  Kings  County  Ele- 
vated Railroad  Company. 

This  is  virtually  all  the  roads  which  pass 
out  of  the  old  city  of  Brooklyn,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  Long  Island  Railroad  and  what 
is  known  as  the  Coney  Island  &  Brooklyn 
Railroad  Company.  The  latter  is  really  also 
an  aggregation  and  includes  the  De  Kalb  Ave- 
nue, the  Smith  Street,  the  Van  Brunt  and 
Erie  Basin  and  several  other  less  important 
lines.  Truly  Brooklyn  is  abundantly  provided 
with   cheap   and   rapid  transit. 

In  1880  Brooklyn  had  a  population  of 
566,663,  and  of  these  389,000  were  natives  of 
the  United  States;  by  1890  it  had  been  in- 
creased to  806,343;  in  1895  it  was  reported  at 
1,055,378,  but  by  that  time  it  had  added  to 
its  fold  Flatbush,  with  14,905 ;  New  Utrecht, 
with  10,778 ;  Gravesend,  with  9,939 ;  and  Flat- 
lands  was  practically  in  with  5,000,  so  that 
the  entire  city  then  had  an  estimated  popula- 
tion of  1,096,000  and  an  area  of  765%  miles. 
In  1896,  when  consolidation  was  effected,  its 
population  was   estimated  at   1,180,000. 

The  following  table  shows  the  number  of 
new  buildings  erected  each  year,  with  their 
cost,  character,  etc.,  which  forms  one  of  the 
most  magnificent  illustrations  of  the  wealth 
and  progress  of  the  city : 


Year.  . 

Total 
Buildings. 

Estimated 
Cost, 

$,S,5!)li,5(Hi 
i;i,100,624 
1 2,(i72.334 
ll,4()."),7!t5 

20  31,S,4H5 
1 8  00S,:!2.") 
17,937,270 
19,174 ',),S(I 
22,02(i.(il2 

21  ]23.-)44 
18,509  819 
]8,;i35,5!IO 
1],. 532,770 
11,9:{0,075 
11,203,657 

Brick  or 

Iron  and 

Stone. 

Frame. 

!)24 
1,392 
1,304 
12()1 
1 ,774 
2,123 
1,923 
2,2.32 
2.404 
2,269 
2,.308 
2,134 
],(i40 
1,866 
1,5!)0 

Private 
Dwellings. 

Dwellings 
for  two  or 

more 
Families 

to 

ne 

»& 

■  > 

10 

,S 

4 

13 

19 

,S 

10 

20 

2 

10 

13 

11 

13 

14 

0  0 
c  cr 

In  0 
to  0 

5 

,., 
1 

5 

8 
9 

12 
<) 
5 
7 
s 

10 
8 
1 
6 
4 

11 

V 

0 
0 

m' 
tn 

52 
6S 
50 
3,1) 

57 

49 
46 
51 
46 
46 
45 
32 
27 
26 

0 

5- 

en 

],SS2 

l,Ss:i. 

1,934 
2,806 
2,739 
2  638 

3,!)!I0 
3,87.') 
3,661 
4,080 
4,3.-|.-) 
4,140 
3,(i!)2 
3,(iH7 
2,482 
3,035 
2,861 

1,010 
1,414 
1,435 

1 ,377 
2.216 
1 ,752 
1 ,73,8 
1 .848 
1,951 
1,871 
1,.384 
1,.5.53 
H41 
1,169 
1,271 

881) 

1,268 

1,143 

1,071) 

1  ,(i44 

1  ,.372 

1 ,205 

1,305 

1,:!85 

1,3.57 

917 

.       8117 

458 

798 

(i!)5 

605 
1,044 

1,180 

1 ,0ii7 

1,742 

1.741) 

1 ,787 

2.105 

2,251) 

2  080 

2,0.38 

2,056 

1,310 

1,367. 

1,209 

93 

100 

1S,'S4 

188.5 . . . 

88 
81 

1886 

1)7 

1SS7 

143 

1S,S,S 

139 

1889 

1.58 

1890 

143 

1891 

1()7 

1892 

171 

1893. 

164 

1894 

73 

1895 

1)1) 

1896 

()7 

490 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Another  evidence  of  the  continued  progress 
will  be  found  in  the  following  table  of  as- 
sessed valuations  of  real  and  personal  prop- 
erty: 


REAL. 


1882 
1883 
1884 
1885 
1886 
1887 
1888 
1889 
1890 
1891 
1892 

1893 
1894 

189s 
1896 


$264,404,017 
28q(,8oo,S97 
297,126,144 
311,308,060 
339,922,812 
36^,166,083 
384,856,788 

407,153.135 
430,911,794 
448,802,470 
467,112,182 
486,531,506 
527,008,427 
540,359,686 
555.310,997 


PERSONAL. 


TOTAL. 


$19,334,300 
18,135,909 
20,727,406 
19.375.702 
22,086,390 
21,685,591 
22,597,240 
21,330,546 
21,846,807 
18,111,779 
16,625,947 
19,523,170 
22,460,985 
23,627,446 
27.536,636 


$283,738,317 
298,936,506 

317,853,850 
330,683,762 
362,009,202 

383,851,674 
407,454,028 
428,483,681 
452,758,601 
466,914,249 
483,738,129 
506,054,676 
549,469,412 
563,987,132 
582,847,633 


It  should  be  remembered  that  the  assessed 
valuation  is,  as  a  general  rule,  only  about  half 
the  actual  worth  of  the  property.  Another 
factor  which  should  not  be  forgotten  is  that 
$166,759,427  in  real  estate  was  not  included 
in  the  above,  being  exempt  from  taxation 
under  the  law.    The  list  follows: 

Baptist   Churches $  1,472,400 

Congregational    Churches 1,284,900 

Jewish   Synagogues 166,800 

Lutheran    Churches 749,100 


Methodist  Episcopal  Churches.  . .  .$  1,873,900 

Presbyterian    Churches 1,132,500 

Protestant  Episcopal  Churches. . . .  2,501,650 

Reformed  Dutch   Churches 1,087,000 

Unitarian  Churches 160,000 

Universalist  Churches 139,000 

Catholic    Churches 4,680,300 

Miscellaneous    Churches 680,600 

Parochial    Schools •  2,767,900 

Charitable  institutions 4,960,900 

Public   Schools 7,153,640 

Fire    Department 777,900 

Police  Department 979,000 

Department  of  Parks 51,882,500 

Armories    3,073,000 

Public  buildings  and  U.   S.  prop- 
erty      56,247,700 

Miscellaneous      2,901,930 

N.    Y.    and    Brooklyn   Bridge....  7,051,819 

New  East  River  Bridge 666,714 

Wallabout    Market    lands 2,469,000 

Parsonages    296,600 

Ministerial    exemptions 145,500 

Pratt    Institute 967,900 

Pension  exemptions 163,774 

Property  held  by  the  city  under  the 

arrears  act 590,000' 

Cemeteries    7,734,500' 

The  financial  institutions  of  any  city  are 
probably  the  safest  indexes  to  its  real  property, 
and  the  following  returns  of  the  various  banks 
and  trust  companies,  compiled  a  few  months- 
before  consolidation,  will  give  a  clear  idea  of 
the  tremendous  volume  of  business  trans- 
acted : 


NATIONAL    BANKS,    BOROUGH    OF    BROOKLYN. 


Institu- 
tions. 


First 

Manuf  rs' 
Nat' 1  City 
Nassau . . . 
Sprague  . . 


President. 


I.  G.  Jenkins 
J.  Loughran. 
C.  S.  Young. 
T.  T.  Barr.. 
N.T.  Sprague 


Loans 

and 

Discounts. 


$3,170,ri24 

1,980.771 

3,i;W.791 

4,00  J, .S72 

7()(i,(i:i:i 


Specie, 
Legal 

Tender 

and 

Cash 

Items. 


U.  S. 
Bonds  to 
Secure 
circula- 
tion, etc. 


$1 ,0().5,.V.)2  $  7o,000 
441,12:'.:  2.")0,000 
442,:!1h|  100,000 
4.54,."):i2'  2f)7,0()0 
101,1421  1.50,000 


other 
Resources. 


s3,inn,o.-,i 
1,013,12:5 

l,4,')l,740 

1,138,848 

57r),084 


Capital. 


Net 
Profits. 


Due 

Banks 

Other 

and 

Liabil- 

Depos- 

ities. 

itors. 

;300,OO0,S  .">7,4.")4  $6,024,203  $1,068,311 
2.i2,(100i     28,.-)()!)    3,273,0831      630,367 


300,000  74  4:iO 
:500,00l)!  .")Sl,()2."i 
2011,0001     20,4(i] 


3,086,2.-)0|  651,16!) 
4.719,117'  364,.-)ll 
1,031,0711     335,330 


Total 
Resources 

and 
Liabilities. 


$7,44!1,!I71 
4,184,021 
4,111, S.-)2 
;i,8(i.).25.') 
l,.-)8l>,S(i2 


THE    SPLENDID    CLOSING    RECORD. 


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•492 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


In  another  division  of  public  business  the 
following  table  of  the  co-operative  building 
■and  loan  associations  proves  the  prosperity  of 
the  working  classes : 


Name. 


Afro-American 

Atlantic 

Bedford 

Brooklyn  and  N.  Y.  Arcanum 

Brooklyn  City 

Brooklyn  Mutual 

Bushwick 

Columbia  

Eagle 

East  Brooklyn 

East  New  York 

Equitable 

Excelsior 

Fifth  Avenue 

Flatbush 

Fort  Greene 

Foruna 

Fulton 

German 

<5ermania 

Hamilton   

Homestead 

Jno.  H.  Shults' 

Kings  Co 

Long  Island 

Madison  

■Model 

Nassau 

Ninth  Street 

People' s 

Prospect  Home 

South  Brooklyn 

Suburban  

To^wn  of  Ne-w  Utrecht  . . 
T^wenty-Ninth  Ward. .  .  . 

Union 

West  End 


In- 
corpo- 
rated 


Assets. 


Total. 


1892 
1892 
1888 
188.5 
1887 
1883 
1888 
1889 
1897 
188.5 
1892 
1888 
1894 
1890 
1889 
1891 
1896 
1888 
1886 
1888 
1889 
1889 
1888 
1888 
1888 
1888 
1889 
1889 
1891 
1895 
1890 
1886 
1897 
1887 
189.5 
1890 
1896 


Real 
Estate. 


$    8,000 

118,000 

135,000 

100,000 

445,000 

110,000 

485,000 

25,000 

105,000 

725,000 

35,000 

700,000 

■  5,000 

70,000 

175,000 

85,000 

3,000 

100,000 

.50,000 

10,000 

75,000 

1"20,000 

140,000 

600,000 

4.50,000 

85,000 

35,000 

225,000 

25,000 

20,000 

100,000 

650,000 

5,000 

150,000 

3,. 500 

150,000 

3,500 


$10,000 


38,201 

5,500 

30,000 


55,000 
11,000 
20,000 


2,500 
5,987 
1,446 


7,500 


12,060 
7,638 
9,402 
21,119 
16,118 
1,300 
4,000 
7,500 


4,050 
34,783 


1,208 
'9,47:! 


S6,n85,000i(!.315,680 


Add  to  the  assets  in  the  above  table  the 
deposits  in  the  savings  banks  on  July  i,  1897, 
the  last  statement  before  consolidation,  and 
the  prosperity  of  the  working  classes  will  be 
further  demonstrated.    See  table  on  page  493  : 

In  1889  contracts  were  awarded  by  which 
an  additional  25,000,000  gallons  of  water  were 
secured  to  the  city  and  five  additional  ponds 
were  added  to  the  sources  of  the  city's  water 
"supply.    These  were :  Massapequa,  22,500,000 


gallons;  Ridgewood,  20,000,000;  Newbridge, 
16,500,000;  East  Meadow,  23,500,000;  Mill- 
burn,  19,500,000:,  and  Millburn  storage  reser- 
voir, 414,000,000  gallons ;  total  storage  capaci- 
ty, 516,000,000  gallons.  This  increased  the  area 
of  the  watershed  from  which  the  city's  supply 
is  drawn  to  161  square  miles.  The  main  reser- 
voir at  Ridgewood  has  a  capacity  of  320,000 
gallons,  and  the  Hempstead  reservoir  of  120,- 
000,000.  Mount  Prospect  pumping  station, 
the  tall  and  handsome  structure  which  over- 
looks the  Prospect  Park  Plaza  and  fits  in  so 
delightfully  with-  its  surrounding  landscape, 
is  about  200  feet  above  tidewater  and-  carries 
water  to  the  most  elevated  buildings  within 
its  territory.  To  most  Brooklyn  people  the 
tower  is  the  only  visible  evidence  of  the  water 
system  that  presents  itself.  In  1895  the  aver- 
age daily  consumption  of  water  in  Brooklyn 
was  80,100,000  gallons. 

Richard  Brinsley  Sheridan  used  to  say  that 
a  man's  prosperity  is  best  known  by  his  debts, 
and  of  the  truth  of  that  assertion  Brooklyn 
is  a  splendid  example.  From  the  formation 
of  the  village  government  it  has  always  been 
face  to  face  with  problems  of  extension  and 
improvement,  and  after  the  recovery  from  the 
Civil  War  trouble  these  two  problems  had  as- 
sumed steadily  great  proportions  and  the  pro- 
portions seemingly  increased  each  year.  Money 
had  to  be  raised  for  these  requirements;  they 
were  mainly  for  the  future  and,  as  it  were,  the 
future  had  to  be  mortgaged.  Bonds  had  been 
freely  issued  for  all  sorts  of  improvements, 
but  the  steady  increase  in  taxable  values  and 
in  taxable  area,  and  the  multitude  of  private 
improvements  had  combined  with  excellent 
financial  management  to  meet  all  the  charges 
of  interest,  to  repay  each  indebtedness  on  ma- 
turity. The  great  system  of  sewers  had  alone 
cost  a  fabulous  amount,  and  schools,  parks, 
municipal  buildings,  in  which  may  be  included 
police  and  fire  department  '  structures,  the 
bridge,  the  water  system,  and  the  cost  of  an- 
nexation,— that  is,  of  taking  over  all  of  Kings 
county, — had  involved    a    series  of  financial 


THE    SPLENDID    CLOSING    RECORD. 


49a 


schemes  and  manipulations  which  needed  the 
most  delicate  attention  at  all  times.  How- 
ever, when  the  record  was  closed  Brooklyn's 
total  indebtedness  was  placed  as  follows: 

County  of  Kings $14,851,892.83 

City  of  Brooklyn 66,669,478.10 

Town  of  New  Lots 519,820.00 

Town  of  Flatbush 929,000.00 

Town  of  Gravesend 1,404,296.00 

Town  of  Flatlands 62,169.60 

Town  of  New  Utrecht 734>939-oo 

Gross    debt    of     Bofough    of 

Brooklyn  6,734,055.69 

Less    sinking     fund    city     of 

Brooklyn    6,734,055.69 

Net  debt $78,437,539.84 

The  bulk  of  the  indebtedness  ascribed  in 
the  above  to  Kings  county  really  belonged  to 
the  city  of  Brooklyn,  as  the  following  analysis 
of  the  figures  shows : 

Refunding  loan $  2,367,500.00 

State  Tax  Registered 119,000.00 

Meeker  Avenue  Bridge 10,000.00 

Indexing  and  reindexing 211,392.83 

Hall  of  Records 155,000.00 

County  Farm 3,339,000.00 

Thirteenth  Regiment  Armory.  .  490,000.00 


Fourteenth   Regiment   Armory 

site    $  50,000.00 

Fourteenth  Regiment  Armory.  .  360,000.00. 

Public   Park 2,410,000.00 

Public  Building  Improvement.  .  250,000.00 

Paid: 

Driveway   and    Parkway 3,600,000.00. 

Street  Improvement 1,550,000.00 

Total    $14,851,892.83 

While  we  are  thus  groping  among  figures, 
we  may  here  reproduce  the  report  on  Brook- 
lyn's manufactories,  prepared  by  Mr.  Robert 
P.  Porter,  Commissioner  of  the  Census  of 
1900, — the  last  document  of  the  kind  in  which 
Brooklyn  could  be  considered  as  a  distinct 
city.  It  would  be  interesting  to  compare  the 
returns  from  the  census  of  1900  with-  those- 
here  presented,  but  that  computation  has  not 
yet  been  completed.  However,  the  document 
here  presented  covers  the  section  of  Brook-, 
lyn's  history  which  is  here  being  treated: 

Department  of  the  Interior^ 
Census  Office, 
Washington,  D.  C,  October  10,  1892. 
Herewith  is  presented  a  preliminary  repoi-t 
on  the  mechanical  and  manufacturing  indus- 
tries  of   the   city   of   Brooklyn   for  the   year 
ended  May  31,  1890,  prepared  under  the  direc- 


SAVINGS    BANKS,   JULY  1,   1897. 


Savings  Banks. 


Brevoort 

Brooklyn 

Bushwick 

City  Savings. . . . .- 

Dime  Savings  ........ 

Dime  Sav,  of  Wmsb'  g'  h 
East  Brooklyn ...'..... 

Eastern  District 

East  New  York 

Germania 

German 

Greater  New  York 

Greenpoint 

Kings  County 

South  Brooklyn 

Williamsburgh' 


President. 


Total 
Resources. 


Due 
Depositors. 


Felix  Campbell 

Bryan  H.  Smith 

Jcseph  Liebmann. . .  . 
Remsen  Rushmore . .  . 
Benj.  H.  Huntington. 

Vacant 

Darwin  R.  James. . .  . 

L.  E.  Meeker 

Frederick  Middendorf 
FrederickA.  Schroeder 

Charles  Naeher 

J.  C.  Obermayer 

Timothy  Perry 

James  S.  Beams 

Alexander  E.  Orr. . .  . 
John  Mollenhauer. . . . 

Total 


$       .%S6,8'77 

.36,.534,796 

■  1,214,533 

640,876 

23,208,834 

2,8.34,643 

2,675,0.33 

93,781 

967,731 

3,294,011 

4,192,906 

6,129 

3,131,358 

6,184,526 

15, 7.37,. 347 

.36,261,902 


t      536,. 386 

31,7.)4,.373 

1,171,940 

623,366 

21,404,470 

2,615,014 

2,466,433 

93,084 

863,793 

3,046,190 

3,846,828 

6,107 

2,739.759 

5,626,204 

13,7,37,475 

29,452, .375 


Surplus. 


491 

4,780,423 

42,578 

17,510 

1,804,.364 

219,628 

228,600 

696 

96,187 

247,820 

313,765 

13 

391,606 

,558,322 

1,999,877 

6,809,527 


Open 
Accounts. 


3,183 

.56,925 

4,.305 

3,268 

55,780 

7,933 

9,265 

1,220 

3,802 

9,131 

15,221 

113 

9,149 

11,074 

28,705 

74,697 


Deposits 
For  Year. 


;325,.3(() 

8,6l8,5-l,S 
.581,3114 
321,281 

5,. 586, 774 

],037,:i;!:! 

869,61)4 

117,165 

3;M,46.S 

1,061,406 

1,625,426 

6,4(i4 

975,4(i7 

1,649,792 

3,49(),597 

7,457,419 


$1.37,515,283 


$119,963,797 


$17,511,407 


293,771 


$33,364,4:!.S 


494 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


tion  of  Mr.  Frank  R.  Williams,  special  agent 
in  charge  of  statistics  of  manufactures.  The 
statements  contained  in  this  bulletin  are  pre- 
liminary and  subject  to  modification  for  final 
report,  therefore  fair  criticisms  and  sugges- 
tions are  invited,  with  a  view  to  such  revision 
and  correction  as  may  appear  necessary. 

It  is  proposed  to  promptly  publish  bulletins 
for  all  principal  cities  in  a  form  similar  to 
this,  to  be  followed  by  final  reports  containing 
data  in  detail  respecting  all  industries  for  each 
city  at  the  earliest  date  practicable.  The  to- 
tals presented  in  the  complete  reports  will  not, 
however,  be  less,  and  may,  in  a  number  of 
cases,  be  considerably  increased.  A  compara- 
tive statement  is  presented  for  1880  and  1890 
in  Table  i,  showing  the  totals  under  such  gen- 
eral heads  of  the  inquiry  as  are  common  to 
both  census  periods.  Table  2  exhibits  for 
important  industries,  under  the  general  heads 
•of  "Capital  employed,"  "Miscellaneous  ex- 
penses," "Wages  paid,"  "Materials  used,"  and 
"Goods  manufactured,"  all  essential  details  of 
the  inquiry  for  1890,  excepting  wage  statistics 
for  the  various  classes  of  labor  employed  in 
the  respective  industries. 

In  comparing  results  of  the  current  inquiry 
with  the  returns  of  1880  it  will  be  observed 
that  the  item  of  "Miscellaneous  expenses"  is 
given  for  1890  only.  No  previous  census  in- 
■quiry  has  embraced  the  cost  incurred  in  manu- 
facturing operations  other  than  wages  paid  and 
materials  used.  Differences  in  method  of  in- 
quiry, as  explained  in  this  report,  and  the  in- 
clusion in  the  Eleventh  Census  of  certain  in- 
dustries omitted  in  the  Tenth  Census  account 
in  part  for  the  increases  shown. 

The  following  classes  of  industry  were 
■omitted  in  the  census  reports  of  1880:  China 
and  pottery,  decorating;  druggists'  prepara- 
tions, not  including  prescriptions ;  millinery, 
■custom  work;  women's  dressmaking,  custom 
work. 

The  totals  stated  for  1890,  in  Table  i,  are 
increased  as  follows  by  the  inclusion  of  the  in- 
dustries referred  to : 

"TOTALS  FOR  INDUSTRIES  OMITTED  IN    1880,  BUT 
INCLUDED   IN    189O. 

Number  of  establishments  reported  i,o88 

'Capital   invested $1,074,910 

Number  of  bands  employed 3,704 

Wages  paid $i,5o5>5i5 

'Cost  of  materials  used 2,310,375 


Miscellaneous  expenses $    208,063 

Value  of  product  at  works 4,102,761 

To  ascertain  the  amounts  for  comparison 
with  the  totals  of  1880,  the  foregoing  figures 
should  be  subtracted  from  the  totals  stated  in 
Table  i  for  1890,  and  the  percentage  of  in- 
crease would  then  appear  as  follows: 

PERCENTAGES    OF    INCREASE. 

Number  of  establishments  reported. . .  82.14 

Capital  invested 102.40 

Number  of  hands  employed 1 10.10 

Wages   paid 168.91 

Cost  of  materials  used. . '. 4.59 

Value  of  product  at  works 38.04 

Population  of  city 42.30 

Assessed  valuation  of  city 91.06 

Decrease  of  municipal  debt  less  sink- 
fund    8.94 

A  striking  feature  of  these  returns  is  the 
satisfactory  increase  in  the  number  of  estab- 
lishments reported.  Still  more  gratifying  is 
the  increase  during  the  decade  in  the  number 
of  hands  employed  and  the  amount  of  wages 
paid ;  the  wages  have  increased  not  only  actu- 
ally, but  relatively,  the  average  wages  per 
hand  increasing  from  $473  in  1880  tD  $605  in 
1890,  or  27.91  per  cent. 

Part  of  this  increase  is  undoubtedly  due 
to  the  fact  that  in  many  industries  relatively 
more  men  were  employed  in  1890  and  less 
children ;  and  also  to  the  fact  that  in  ten  years 
many  branches  of  industry  have  improved  the 
grades  of  their  products,  and  for  this  reason 
require  more  skilled  and  higher  paid  employes. 
After  making  all  possible  allowance  for  these 
changes,  for  the  more  thorough  enumeration 
of  1890,  and  for  the  advance  in  quantity  of 
manufactured  product,  we  have  a  decided  rela- 
tive increase  in  the  amount  paid  in  wages  be- 
tween 1880  and  1890. 

The  comparatively  small  increase  in  the 
total  value  of  materials  used  is  principally  due 
to  the  decreased  volume  of  manufactures  re- 
ported for  the  refining  of  sugar  and  molasses, 
an  industry  in  which  the  cost  of  materials  far 
exceeds  all  other  elements  in  the  cost  of  pro- 
duction. 

In  1880  the  value  of  product  reported  for 
this  industry  by  all  establishments  was  $59,- 
711,168,  the  value  of  materials  used  being 
$56,423,868,  or  94.49  per  cent,  of  the  value 
of  product.     The  value  of  product  reported 


THE    SPLENDID    CLOSING    RECORD. 


495 


by  8  establishments  in  1890  is  $16,629,982, 
and  of  materials  used  $13,317,789,  or  80.08 
per  cent,  of  the  value  of  product. 

Attention  is  called  to  the  presentation  of 
labor  and  wage  statistics.  The  "average 
wages"  paid  to  all  classes  employed  has  always 
proved  a  stumbling  block  in  census  reports. 
It  is  believed  the  Eleventh  Census,  in  obtain- 
ing data  to  show  the  classification  of  labor 
employed,  the  average  term  of  employment, 
the  various  rates  of  wages  per  week,  and  the 
average  number  of  men,  women  and  children, 
respectively  employed  at  each  rate  in  the  var- 
ious classes,  has  taken  a  step  in  advance,  which 
will  be  shown  in  detail  in  final  reports,  and 
appreciated  by  students  of  these  data. 
Robert  P.  Porter, 
Superintendent  of  Census. 

The  act  of  Congress  approved  March  i, 
1889,  providing  for  the  Eleventh  Census,  di- 
rects the  Superintendent  of  Census  to  investi- 
gate and  ascertain  the  statistics  of  the  manu- 
facturing industries  of  the  country.  By  virtue 
of  the  authority  conferred  by  section  18  of  the 
said  act,  the  collection  of  statistics  of  all  estab- 
lishments of  productive  industry  located  in 
certain  cities  and  towns  was  withdrawn  from 
enumerators  and  assigned  to  special  agents, 
who  were  appointed  and  entered  upon  their 
duties  as  soon  after  the  completion  of  the  work 
assigned  the  general  enumerators  as  was  prac- 
ticable. 

The  instructions  issued  by  this  office  to 
enumerators  and  special  agents  relating  to  the 


collection  of  statistics  of  manufactures  were 
as  follows: 

It  shall  be  their  duty  personally  to  visit 
every  establishment  of  productive  industry  in 
their  respective  districts  (except  as  noted)  and 
to  obtain  the  required  information  in  the  case 
of  each  manufacturing  establishment. 

The  term  "establishment  of  productive  in- 
dustry" must  be  understood  in  its  broadest 
ense  to  embrace  not  onlv  mills  and  factories, 
but  also  the  operation  of  all  small  establish- 
ments and  the  mechanical  trades. 

Restaurants,  saloons,  barber  shops,  the 
compounding  of  individual  prescriptions  by 
druggists  and  apothecaries,  the  operations  of 
mercantile  establishments,  transportation  cor- 
porations and  lines,  and  professional  services 
(except  mechanical  dentistry)  are  not  consid- 
ered as  coming  within  the  meaning  of  the  law 
in  this  connection. 

Great  care  must  be  taken  by  special  agents 
and  enumerators  to  guard  against  the  omis- 
sion from  their  returns  of  any  establishment 
that  comes  properly  within  the  scope  of  this 
investigation.  *  *  *  They  should  have  their 
eyes  open  to  every  indication  of  the  presence 
of  productive  industry  and  should  supplement 
personal  observation  by  frequent  and  persistent 
inquiry. 

The  tabulated  statements  presented  here- 
with include  only  establishments  which  report- 
ed a  product  of  $500  or  more  in  value  during 
the  census  year,  and,  so  far  as  practicable, 
only  those  estabhshments  operating  works  lo- 
cated within  the  corporate  limits  of  the  city. 


TABLE  1. — Comparative  Statement  of  Totals  under  General  Heads  of  Inquiry:  1880  and  1890. 


INDUSTRIES. 

Number 
industries 
reported. 

Number 
establish- 
ments 
reporting. 

Capital,     ('i) 

Hands 
employed. 

Wages  paid. 

Cost  of 

materials 

used. 

Anindustries \  1*^*.!^ 

180 

5,201 

$  61,646,749 
125,849,052 

47,587 
103,083 

$22,487,457 
61,975,702 

$129,085,091 

(  1890 

229 

10, .301 

137,325,749 

Miscellaneous 
expenses.     U') 

Value  of 
product. 

MUNICIPAL  DATA. 

INDUSTRIES. 

Population. 

Assessed 
valuation. 

Municipal 
debt.     W 

^"-■i-'-s \ll^ 

$177,223,142 
248,750,184 

.")66,6()3 
806,343 

$232,925,699 
445,038,301 

$38,040,000 

$14,824,466 

34,039,542 

«  The  value  of  hired  property  is  not  included  for  1890,  because  it  was  not  reported  in  1880. 

0  No  inquiry  in  1880  relating  to  "Miscellaneous  expenses." 

c  The  amount  stated  represents  the  "net  debt"  or  the  total  amount  of  municipal  debt  less  sinking  fund. 


496 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


For  the  purpose  of  ready  comparison  Table 
I  presents  the  statistics  of  1880  and  1890  in 
the  form  of  publication  used  in  the  reports 
for  1880.  In  comparing  industrial  statistics 
for  1880  and  1890  it  should  be  borne  in  mind, 
as  stated  by  the  Superintendent  of  Census, 
that  radical  changes  have  been  made  in  1890 
as  well  in  the  form  and  scope  of  inquiry  as  in 
the  method  of  presentation. 

The  form  of  question  respecting  capital 
used  at  the  census  of  1880  was  as  follows: 
"Capital  (real  and  personal)  invested  in  the 
business."  It  became  evident  from  the  results 
then  obtained  that  this  question  was  neither 
sufficiently  comprehensive  nor  properly  under- 
stood, and  therefore  the  full  amount  of  capi- 
tal employed  in  productive  industry  was  not 
reported,  thus  forming  an  erroneous  basis  for 
deductions. 

The  present  census  inquiry  respecting  capi- 
tal is  intended  to  comprehend  all  the  property 
or  assets  strictly  pertaining  to  a  manufacturing 
business,  whether  such  property  is  owned, 
borrowed  or  hired.  The  value  of  hired  prop- 
erty is  not  included  in  the  amount  stated  for 
1890  in  Table  i,  because  it  was  not  reported 
in  1880,  and  its  inclusion  would  therefore  ren- 
der the  comparison  misleading.  It  will,  how- 
ever, be  specifically  stated  for  each  industry 
in  final  reports. 

TABULAR   STATEMENTS   FOR    189O. 

The  various  subheads  into  which  the  in- 
quiry of  1890  is  divided,  excepting  wage  sta- 
tistics by  classes,  will  be  found  in  Table  2  for 
important  industries.  The  statements  for  each 
industry  are  intended  to  present  the  true 
amount  of  capital  employed",  the  amount  paid 
in  wages,  and  the  number  of  hands  employed 
in  the  respective  industries,  the  cost  of  mate- 
rials used,  miscellaneous  expenses,  and  the 
value  at  the  works  of  goods  manufactured,  as 
compiled  from  individual  reports  of  manufac- 
turers. 

LABOR  EMPLOYED  AND  WAGES   PAID. 

In  the  form  of  inquiry  used  in  the  Eleventh 
Census  respecting  laboi;  and  wages  the  classi- 
fied occupation  and  wage  system  was  adopted. 
Officers  or  firm  members  engaged  in  produc- 
tive labor  or  supervision  of  the  business  con- 
stitute one  class,  for  which  the  wages  reported 
are  those  which  would  be  paid  to  employes 
performing  similar  service.  Clerical  labor  is 
embraced  by  distinct  classification,  also  piece- 
work. 


Wage  workers  proper  are  divided  into  two., 
classes,   as   follows ; 

First.  Operatives,  engineers,  and  other- 
skilled  workmep,  overseers  and  foremen  or- 
superintendents  (not  general  superintendents, 
or  managers). 

Second.  Watchmen,  laborers,  teamsters^, 
and  other  unskilled  workmen. 

It  should  be  noted  that  the  first  class  in- 
cludes all  operatives,  that  is,  those  directly  en- 
gaged in  productive  labor  as  well  as  skilled, 
mechanics,  while  the  second  class  includes  all 
unskilled  workmen  other  than  operatives.  The- 
questions  required  a  statement  of  the  average 
number  of  rrien,  women  and  children,  respec- 
tively, employed  during  the  year  in  each  class, 
also  the  actual  amount  of  wages  paid  to  each, 
number. 

A  statement  was  requested  showing  the 
various  rates  of  wages  per  week,  the  average- 
number  of  men,  women  and  children,  respec- 
tively, employed  at  each  rate,  exclusive  of 
those  reported  as  employed  on  piecework,  and. 
the  actual  ternj  of  operation  for  the  establish- 
ment reporting.  The  wage  statistics  compiled 
from  the  reports  obtained  will  be  stated  in  de- 
tail for  each  class  in  the  final  reports  to  be 
published  for  each  city.  In  this  bulletin  only 
the  aggregate  >  wages  paid  is  given. 

MATERIALS    USED    AND    GOODS    MANUFACTURED. 

Against  the  caption  "Materials  used"  is 
presented  the  reported  cost  at  the  place  of  con- 
sumption of  all  materials  used,  and  against 
"Goods  manufactured"  is  the  reported  market 
value  at  the  factory  of  the  total  product,  not 
including  any  allowance  for  commissions  or 
expenses  of  selling. 

In  this  connection  it  must  be  considered 
that  the  difference  between  apparent  cost  and 
value  of  manufactured  product  as  presented 
cannot  be  taken  as  a  correct  indication  of 
manufacturers'  net  profits,  because  many  other 
items  of  expense  enter  into  the  mercantile  por- 
tion of  the  business  not  within  the  scope  of 
the  census  inquiry. 

Expenses  of  selling  are  excluded,  because 
the  reported  value  of  product  is  its  selHng 
value  "at  the  shop  or  factory."  The  cost  of 
depreciation  of  plant  in  excess  of  the  expense 
for  ordinary  repairs  is  not  included,  because 
the  information  obtained  by  the  inquiry  is  not. 
sufficient  to  form  a  basis  for  accurate  computa- 
tion for  the  respective  industries. 


THE    SPLENDID    CLOSING    RECORD. 


497 


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32 


CHAPTER   XLII, 


"THE    END    OF    AN    AULD    SANG." 

Literature   and  the    Drama  —  Higher    Education — National   Guard — The    Navy 

Yard — Architectural  Progress — Wallabout — Public   Statues 

— The  Passing   of  Brooklyn   City. 


UT  we  must  turn  away  from  statis- 
tics. Though  necessary,  they  are 
by  no  means  interesting  and  are  apt 
to  become  tiresome.  But  those 
we  have  presented  form  a  splendid  and 
significant  synopsis  of  the  great  progress 
which  Brooklyn  made  during  its  last  quarter 
of  a  century.  It  was  a  metropolitan  city  in 
fact  if  not  in  name,  and  while  growing  in 
wealth  was  almost  daily  adding  to  its  posses- 
sions in  all  that  an  educated,  progressive  and 
hospitable  city  holds  most  dear. 

In  literature  the  first  place  as  representa- 
tive of  the  city  was  still  held  by  the  news- 
paper press.  "The  Eagle"  still  sustained  its 
■supremacy,  and  in  1892  vacated  its  old  prem- 
ises which  so  long  had  been  a  landmark  at  the 
bottom  of  Fulton  street  and  moved  to  a  pala- 
tial structure  at  the  corner  of  Washington 
and  Johnson  streets,  the  site  of  the  ill-fated 
Brooklyn  Theater.  The  "Standard"  was  first 
published  in  1884,  but  after  some  three  years 
it  consolidated,  and  "The  Standard-Union"  as 
stich  commenced  in  1887,  and  was  in  reality 
a  survival  of  several  papers,  including  "The 
Argus."  In  1886  the  "Brooklyn  Citizen" 
■commenced  its  issue,  and  under  the  editorship 
of  Andrew  McLean  soon  became  noted  for  its 
literary  ability  and  won  a  recognized  place  as 
a  family  newspaper.  During  the  time  here 
treated  the  publication  of  weekly  papers  con- 


tinued to  be  a  part  of  the  privilege  of  every 
man  who  had  a  cause  to  advocate  or  money  to 
waste ;  sometimes,  it  must  be  told,  the  amuse- 
ment of  men  who  had  neither.  Hardly  a 
month  passed  without  a  new  weekly  being 
"established,"  but  as  a  rule  the  careers  of  these 
organs  were  brief.  When  the  city  became  a 
borough,  however,  there  were  twenty-nine  of 
these  weekly  publications  in  Brooklyn,  as  fol- 
lows: Baker's  Journal  and  Deutsche  Ameri- 
kanische  Baecker  Zeitung,  Bedford  Home 
News,  Blade,  Life,  Courier,  East  New  York 
Advertiser,  Flatbush  Press  and  Kings  County 
Gazette,  Greenpoint  Independent,  Greenpoint 
Weekly  Star,  Kings  County  Journal,  Ledger, 
Nordiske  Blade,  Nordisk  Tiende,  Oesterns 
Haerold,  Post,  Record,  Reform,  Reporter,  Re- 
view, Revue,  Saturday  Journal,  Siirtolainan 
Supervisor,  Svenska  Amerikanska  Pressen, 
Transcript,  Uptown  Weekly,  Weekly,  and 
Williamsburgh  Democrat. 

In  1893  an  effort  was  made  to  establish  a 
new  daily, — the  "Chronicle," — but  the  effort 
ended  in  failure  in  three  months, — a  few  days 
more.  It  was  organized  apparently  to  "boom" 
the  consolidation  scheme,  but  the  people  did 
not  need  any  special  organ  to  enlighten  them 
on  that  point  and  so  "The  Chronicle"  came  to 
an  untimely  end.  Since  then  no  real  effort  has 
been  made  to  establish  a  new  daily  in  the  City 
of  Churches,  and  the  Eagle,  Times,  Standard- 


"THE    END    OF    AN    AULD    SANG." 


499 


Union,  Citizen  and  Freie  Presse  (German) 
have  the  field  to  themselves  and  meet  every  re- 
■quirement  ably  and  well. 

But  in  the  higher  walks  of  literature, 
Brooklyn  continued  to  be  as  little  of  a  centre 
to  the  end  of  her  separate  history  as  she  was 
when  her  position  in  the  world  was  only  that 
of  New  York's  bedroom.  Her  story  had  been 
written  by  Dr.  Henry  R.  Stiles  and  written 
with  a  degree  of  thoroughness  that  made  the 
work  a  model  in  the  way  of  local  histories  and 
«very  line  seerned  penned  with  a  degree  of  pa- 
tient care  and  loving  industry  which  has  made 
it  the  text  book  of  all  who  have  since  studied 
the  subject,  and  Thomas  W.  Field  had  written 
an  account  of  the  battle  of  Ljong  Island,  while 
Spooner,  Onderdonck,  Murphy,  Bergen  and 
■others  had  treated  of  the  past  with  the  un- 
wearied carefulness  of  typical  antiquaries  and 
sometimes  with  the  infinite  grace  of  the  man  of 
letters,  but  these  things,  useful  and  valuable 
and  inspiring  as  they  are,  are  not  literature; 
rather  are  they  the  foundations  for  literaiture. 
Shakespeare  wrote  his  "Macbeth"  with  a  story 
in  Holinshed's  "Chronicles"  as  a  basis.  "Mac- 
beth" is  part  of  our  literature.  Holinshed's 
""Chronicles"  is  not,  but  we  could  ill  afford  to 
lose  it.  So  fair  as  reading,  study  and  the  lit- 
erary gift  were  concerned  Brooklyn  might  be 
regarded  as  a  literar\f  producer;  but  the  trouble 
was  that  as  soon  as  a  man  began  to  acquire 
eminence  in  letters  he  found  it  necessary  as  a. 
result  of  his  calling  to  move  across  the  river  or 
to  some  other  place  where  the  maker  of  books 
could  weave  his  thoughts  or  arrange  his  fancies 
•or  ideas,  or  formulate  his  theories  or  his  dog- 
mas with  all  the  processes  and  agencies  at  hand 
for  reaching  the  public.  A  case  in  point  is  that 
■of  Prof.  John  Bach  McMaster,  whose  "His- 
tory of  the  People  of  the  United  States"  prom- 
ises to  rank  as  an  American  classic.  That 
work  is  printed  in  Brooklyn,  but  is  published 
in  New  York,  and  people  speak  of  him  as  "the 
■eminent  Pennsylvania  writer,"  although  he  is 
a  native  of  Brooklyn  and  in  Brooklyn  received 
the  educational  training  which  fitted  him  for 


the  honored  position  he  now  holds  among  the 
country's  historians.  Rossiter  W.  Raymond 
was  long  regarded  as  among  the  most  indus- 
trious of  Brooklyn's  professional  litterateurs, 
and  in  Brooklyn  much  of  his  life  work  was 
done,  but  the  world  generally  regarded  him 
as  a  Manhattan  worker.  Will  Carleton,  the 
poet,  whose  "Betsy  and  I  Are  Out"  has  per- 
haps been  as  widely  popular  as  any  production 
of  its  size  that  has  appeared  in  recent  years,  is 
never  spoken  of  as  a  Brooklyn  poet'  although 
his  home  has  been  in  it  for  many  years ;  and 
the  same  might  be  said  of  Wallace  Bruce,  a 
man  with  an  international  reputation  as  a  lec- 
turer and  poet,  who  set  up  his  home  in  Brook- 
lyn when  he  returned  to  America  after  repre- 
senting the  United  States  as  Consul  at  Edin- 
burgh for  four  years.  Henry  George,  the  pub- 
licist whose  "Progress  and  Poverty"  has 
proved  a  new  gospel  to  a  large  group  of  earn- 
est, thoughtful  men  and  women  who  are  try- 
ing to  improve  life  by  removing  poverty  and 
laying  bare  its  cause,  is  never  regarded  as  hav- 
ing had  any  connection  with  Brooklyn,  al- 
though his  home  was  at  Fort  Hamilton  for 
many  years  before  his  death  in  1897  during 
the  contest  for  the  mayoralty  of  New  York 
in  which  he  was  one  of  the  candidates.  Dr. 
John  D.  Ross,  who  has  made  a  special  study 
of  the  life  and  works  'of  Burns,  his  great  poet 
and  countryman,  does  his  literary  work  in  his 
Brooklyn  home,  but  Brooklyn  is  never  heard 
in  connection  with  it.  It  seems  a  pity  that  the 
literature  that  really  ought  to  be  rightly  cred- 
ited to  the  city,  be  regarded  as  a  part  of  its 
work  for  the  world,  should  find  its  sponsors 
elsewhere. 

Possibly  one  exception  might  be  made  to 
this  in  the  case  of  the  Ford  brothers,  whose 
literary  work  somehow,  no  matter  where  print- 
ed, has  always  been  associated  with  the  city  of 
Brooklyn.  Their  father,  Gordon  Leicester 
Ford,  was  a  resident  of  Brooklyn  for  over 
40  years,  and  as  a  collector  of  internal  reve- 
nue, as  business  manager  of  the  "New  York 
Tribune,"  as  well  as  in  various  other  import- 


500 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


ant  capacities,  was  one  of  its  most  widely 
known  citizens.  A  man  of  many  grand  qual- 
ities, an  active  and  conscientious  citizen,  a 
fearless  supporter  of  whatever  he  deemed  to 
be  right,  a  sturdy  partisan  yet  tolerant  of  the 
views  of  others,  he  carried  with  him  in  his 
"daily  walk  and  conversation"  the  hearty  good 
wishes  of  an  ever  increasing  circle  of  personal 
friends.  In  all  the  literary  and  higher  social  life 
of  Brooklyn  he  was  particularly  prominent; 
and  in  the  affairs  of  the  Historical  Society,  the 
Brooklyn  Library  and  similar  institutions  he 
was  particularly  active  and  helpful.  His  own 
collection  of  books,  manuscripts  and  auto- 
graphs was  in  itself  a  wonder,  and  long  be- 
fore his  death,  in  1891,  it  was  regarded  as  the 
largest  private  collection  in  Brooklyn.  It  was 
especially  rich  in  Americana,  and  for  over  half 
a  century  he  had  been  patiently  collecting 
books,  pamphlets,  manuscripts,  portraits — any- 
thing in  fact  that  threw  even  a  slender  side 
light  on  the  story  of  the  land.  At  his  death 
he  bequeathed  his  literary  and  artistic  treas- 
ures to  his  two  'sons  and  they  have  largely 
added  to  them  and  turned  them  to  practical 
value  in  their  literary  work. 

The  eldest,  Worthington  C.  Ford,  who  was 
born  in  Brooklyn  in  1858,  edited  "The  Writ- 
ings of  George  Washington"  in  ten  volumes, 
and  several  other  works  treating  of  the 
"Father  of  his  Country,"  while  his  younger 
brother,  Paul  Leicester  Ford,  born  at  Brook- 
lyn in  1865,  has  issued  the  Writings  of  Thom- 
as Jefferson,  also  in  ten  volumes,  and  quite  a 
host  of  books  from  such  pamphlets  as  one  on 
"Who  was  the  Mother  of  Franklin's  Son,"  to 
solid  contributions  to  historical  study  and 
works  of  fiction  which  have  been  sold  by  the 
thousands  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic. 

Brooklyn  has  been,  and  is  rich  in  book  col- 
lectors and  in  some  of  its  homes  are  to  be 
found  the  largest  and  choicest  collections  of 
rare  books  to  be  found  anywhere  in  America. 
To  mention  the  contents  of  such  collections 
as  that  of  Mr.  Daniel  M.  Tredwell,  author  of 
"A  Plea  for  Bibliomania,"  "Literature  of  the 
Civil  War,''  and  a  number  of  other  interesting 


monographs,  or  that  of  Norton  Q.  Pope,  or 
that  of  Prof.  Charles  E.  West,  or  that  of  Will- 
iam Augustus  White,  or  that  of  C.  H.  Moser, 
would  be  to  enumerate  a  succession  of  gems 
enough  to  fill  a  goodly  sized  volume. 

But  we  may  here  recall  one  noted  collector 
who  certainly  turned  his  treasures  to  practical 
use  before  his  death  on  Feb.  2,  1900.  This 
was  James  A.  H.  Bell,  who  in  June,  1899,  pre- 
sented several  tbousauid  of  his  rarest  volumes 
to  the  Brooklyn  Library.  He  was  born  in  New 
Orleans  on  June  4,  1817,  and  when  three  years 
old  his  parents  died  of  yellow  fever.  The  boy 
was  discovered  between  the  bodies  of  his  fa- 
ther and  mother,  and  was  taken  to  a  hospital, 
but  he  never  contracted  the  disease.  He  was 
subsequently  sent  by  the  Mayor  of  New  Or- 
leans to  Brooklyn,  where  his  uncle,  Augustus 
Graham,  resided.  Mr.  Graham  was  the  found- 
er of  the  Graham  Institute,  which  became  the 
Brooklyn  Institute,  and  is  now  the  Brooklyn 
Institute  of  Arts  and  Sciences.  Mr.  Graham 
cared  for  his  nephew  for  some  years  and  event- 
ually he  was  adopted  by  his  housekeeper,  a 
Mrs.  Taylor. 

Mr.  Bell  was  for  some  years  engaged  in 
the  brewery  business  in  Manhattan.  When 
only  14  years  of  age  he  began  to  take  a  great 
interest  in  books  and  this  interest  never  lagged. 
During  the  last  forty  years  he  had  been  a  de- 
voted collector.  When  his  collection  had 
grown  too  large  for  him  to  care  for,  owing  to 
his  advanced  age,  Mr.  Bell  presented  the  most 
valuable  books  in  it  to  the  Brooklyn  Library. 
This  collection  is  kept  in  a  separate  room  and 
is  distinct  from  the  regular  library.  One  of 
the  interesting  parts  of  the  collection  is  the  in- 
dex which  comprises  thirty-six  volumes.  The 
index  is  in  detail  and  is  all  in  Mr.  Bell's  hand- 
writing. 

After  he  made  this  present  to  the  Brooklyn 
Library  Mr.  Bell  found  that  he  had  too  much 
time  to  himself  and  he  began  to  make  another 
collection.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  had 
succeeded  in  getting  about  2,000  volumes  for 
his  new  library, 

Mr.  Beirs  home  at  45   Sands  street  had 


'THE    END    OF    AN    AULD    SANG.' 


501 


been  occupied  by  him  and  his  family  for  over 
a  half  century.  When  he  first  took  possession 
of  it  the  house  was  one  of  the  handsomest  in 
Brooklyn. 

Possibly  the  nearest  approach  to  a  literary 
cult  in  Brooklyn  was  due  to  the  establishment 


lution,  and  one  of  interest  to  the  students  of 
the  personal  life  of  George  Washington.  But 
with  the  publication  of  the  last  named,  in  1889, 
that  branch  of  the  society's  usefulness  has 
apparently  come  to  an  end.  It  is  housed  in  a 
handsome  building  at  Clinton  and  Pierrepont 


LONG    ISLAND    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY  BUILDING. 


of  the  Long  Island  Historical  Society,  but 
with  the  passing  away  of  its  founders  that  in- 
stitution seemed  to  lose  much  of  its  earlier  in- 
spiration. For  a  time  its  publication  fund 
promised  to  enrich  local  literature  and  did  en- 
rich it  with  four  volumes,  three  of  wliich  are 
of  great  importance  as  contributions  to  the 
story  of  Brooklyn  and  of  the  American  Revo- 


streets,  which  it  had  erected  for  its  own  use  in 
1880,  it  has  a  library  of  43,000  volumes  which 
is  steadily  being  added  to  and  its  museum  is 
a  marvelous  storehouse  of  curiosities, — birds, 
stones,  Indian  relics,  manuscripts,  deeds,  pic- 
tures,— relating  mainly  to  Long  Island.  Its 
literary  and  other  treasures  are  freely  placed 
at  the  service  of  all  who  are  interested.     The 


50^ 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


other  Brooklyn  libraries  have  already  been 
re'ferred  to  and  it  is  needless  to  enlarge  upon 
any  of  them  at  this  writing  as  the  entire  sys- 
tem in  the  Greater  New  York  is  steadily  un- 
dergoing radical  dhanges. 

The  literary  tendency  of  the  people  has 
shown  itself  in  the  great  number  of  literary 
clubs  which  have  flourished  in  the  city.  The 
Writers'  Club,  organized  in  1895,  is  mainly 
composed  of  professional  people :  the  Brooklyn 
Catholic  Historical  Society,  founded  in  1891, 
explains  its  purpose  clearly  in  its  name,  which 
is  more  than  can  be  said  of  most  of  the  others. 
But  many  and  varied  as  are  these  coteries  they 
are  far  outstripped  in  numbers  and  extent  of 
membership  by  the  musical  organizations.  The 
Oratorio  Society  of  Brooklyn,  founded  in 
1893,  has  a  membership  of  250;  the  Arion 
Singing  Society,  600  members ;  the  Harmony 
Glee  Club,  250  members;  the  United  German 
Singers,  1,400  members ;  Amateur  Musical 
Club,  200  members,  and  so  on  through  a  list  of 
about  100  organizations.  The  most  prominent 
composer  associated  with  Brooklyn  is  Dud- 
ley Buck,  for  many  years  organist  in  Holy 
Trinity  Church  and  w'ho  resigned  in  1902.  In 
1871  he  became  organist  in  the  Music  Hall, 
Boston,  and  attracted  the  attention  of  Theo- 
dore Thomas,  and  he  was  associated  with  that 
famous  musician  and  leader  for  several  years. 
Many  of  Buck's  best  compositions  were  first 
produced!  at  Mr.  Thomas'  concerts,  notably 
the  music  for  Sidney  Lanier's  centennial  can- 
tata, which  was  given  at  the  opening  of  the 
Philadelphia  Exposition  in  1876.  In  1878 
Buck  became  choirmaster  and  organist  of  Holy 
Trinity  and  resided  in  Brooklyn  until  the 
end.  His  Religious  compositions  have  been 
much  admired  and  are  to  be  found  in  all  mod- 
ern books  of  praise.  As  a  teacher  of  music  he 
stands  at  the  very  head  of  Brooklyn's  instruc- 
tors. 

From  music  to  art  is  an  easy  step;  but  a 
large  volume  might  easily  be  written  on  Brook- 
lyn's artists  and  art  collections.  It  has  long 
been  the  'home  of  J.  M.  Hart,  the  famous  land- 


scape and  cattle  painter,  of  Wedworth  Wads- 
worth,  whose  illustrations  to  Shakespeare, 
Cooper,  Tennyson  and  others,  as  well  as  his 
water-color  sketches,  have  been  highly  praised ; 
of  Carleton  Wiggins,  and  of  E.  H.  Blasbfield 
who  studied  under  Gerome,  won  a  medal  at 
the  Salon  in  Paris  and  was  one  of  the  decorat- 
ors of  the  Chicago  Exhibition.  The  famous 
"Gibson  Girl"  might  also  claim  to  be  a 
Brooklyn  lass,  for  her  designer,  W.  Hamilton 
Gibson,  has  been  a  resident  of  Brooklyn  more 
or  less  steadily  since  he  was  a  child  and  was 
educated  at  the  Polytechnic. 

But  the  painter  who  has  done  most  to' de- 
pict Brooklyn  and  Long  Island  on  canvas  is 
Charles  Henry  Miller.  In  reviewing  an  exhi- 
bition of  his  works  given  in  1901  a  well  known 
New  York  critic  wrote  as  follows : 

Mr.  Miller  has  followed  the  adage  that 
beauty  lies  about  one,  and  need  not  be  sought 
afar.  As  Whistler  painted  and  etched  the 
Thames  before  his  Chelsea  house,  so  Miller 
found  his  pictures  on  Newtown  Creek  and  at 
Hell  Gate,  at  Creedmoor,  and  Roslyn.  The 
mill  belonging  to  the  famous  local  bard.  Blood- 
good  Cutter,  appears  in  two  of  his  composi- 
tions. Sometimes  he  went  as  far  as  the  Hud- 
son and  penetrated  the  Highlands  even  into 
Peekskill ;  and  again  he  would  make  a  tour  of 
his  beloved  and  always  grateful  Long  Island 
and  paint  the  "graveyard  of  ships"  at  Port 
Washington,  or  visit  the  marshy  solitudes  of 
the  Great  South  Bay,  linger  near  the  Shinne- 
cock  Hills,  and  reach  the  remote  hamlet  of 
East  Hampton — when  East  Hampton  was  not 
only  remote  but  a  hamlet.  There  is  evidence 
that  he  has  trod  the  soil  of  New  Jersey;  for 
here  is  a  grove  of  tall  trees  at  Weehawken 
with  a  glimpse  of  New  York  in  the  deep  dis- 
tance. 

But  for  the  most  part  his  own  little  corner 
is  his  world,  where  he  paints  with  evident 
gusto  such  townscapes  and  landscapes  as  "The 
Queen's  Church,"  "Springfield  Road  at 
Queens,"  "A  Gray  Day  on  Long  Island," 
"Landscape  at  Queens  Park,"  "Queens  Barn- 
.  yard  at  SunseT,"  "Queenlawn  Homestead,'' 
"Sunset  at  Queens,"  "The  Queens  School," 
"Queens  Corners,"  "Oaks  at  Creedmoor, 
Queens."  Like  the  old  Dutchman,  like  Con- 
stable, and  some  of  the  French  landscapists 


"THE    END    OF    AN    AULD    SANG.' 


503 


of  1830-1860,  he  is  a  philosopher  on  the  ques- 
tion of  novelties,  preferring  to  give  all  his 
strength  to  an  endeavor  to  paint  what  is  at  his 
doors,  instead  of  roaming  abroad  for  the  stim- 
ulus that  new  scenery  might  bring. 

At  the  same  time  he  has  not  lacked  foreign 
travel.  He  has  Ltudied  at  Munich  and  visited 
other  countries  besides  Holland  and  Germany. 
He  has  been  an  Academician  since  1875,  and 
won  medals  at  expositions  in  Philadelphia, 
Boston,  and  New  Orleans.  In  the  course  of 
time  his  paintings  has  changed  very  consider- 
ably. Where  it  was  muddy  and  without  sun- 
shine it  has  become  alive.  If  he  has  not 
reached  great  skill  in  rendering  the  delicate 
differences  in  atmosphere,  some  of  his  later 
works  show  the  eflfect  of  modern  struggles 
with  the  problem  of  sunlight  and  air.  Take 
as  an  instance  No.  56,  "A  Frosty  Day  on  Long 
Island."  The  remains  of  a  cold  fog  are  indi- 
cated well  by  the  trees  and  by  the  cattle  com- 
ing into  sight  in  the  hazy  air,  down  the  level 
road,  toward  the  observer.  This  is  a  very 
different  style  compared  with  his  earlier  work 
like  "Manhattan  from  Long  Island,"  where  the 
painting  is  dull  and  turbid.  "A  Cloudy  Day 
in  Spring,"  which  was  part  of  the  American 
exhibit  at  Paris  la:st  summer,  has  a  quiet  truth 
to  nature  that  is  often  lacking  in  older  work. 
"New  Yqrk  from  Newtown  Creek,"  painted 
in  1876,  and  "High  Bridge  from  Harlem 
Lane,"  are  pieces  for  a  historical  society  rather 
than  for  a  museum  of  art ;  for  the  value  lies  in 
the  subject  rather  than  their  artistic  force. 

About  a  score  of  paintings  here,  about  one 
in  four,  hold  one  through  the  beauty  of  their 
coloring  and  the  sturdy  value  of  their  compo- 
sition. Easily  first  stands  the  big  canvas, 
"Autumn  Oaks  at  Creedmoor,"  a  serious  and 
even  grand  landscape,  large  in  composition, 
simple  and  impressive  as  to  mass,  and  fine  in 
coloring.  A  number  of  landscapes  in  this 
style,  but  not  quite  so  impressive,  indicate  the 
strongest  vein  of  the  painter. 

In  1882  Brooklyn  possessed  an  educational 
department  that  was  justly  regarded  as  a 
model.  Its  resources  were  ample,  its  teaching 
staff  was  able  and  enthusiastic  and  its  school 
rooms  were  even  better  appointed  than  those 
on  Manhattan  Island.  Its  school  board  com- 
prises 45  members  and  its  system  of  primary, 
grammar,  evening  and  industrial  schools  was 


complete.  In  1882  William  H.  Maxwell  was. 
appointed  Associate  Superintendent,  and  Su- 
perintendent in  1887,  and  from  then  onward 
vmtil  the  close  of  1897  he  was  the  real  admin- 
istrator of  the  affairs  of  Brooklyn's  public 
school  system  and  administered  them  welL 
The  city  in  1896  voted  $2,564,263  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  schools.  Possibly  no  de- 
partment of  the  city  government  was  regard- 
ed with  more  pride  than  this,  but  somehow 
since  consolidation  that  feeling  is  not  so  gen- 
erally apparent. 

As  has  already  been  remarked  Brooklyn 
has  never  managed  to  have  a  recognized  uni- 
versity in  its  midst,  but  the  opportunities  for 
what  is  called  the  higher  education  have  been 
liberally  provided  even  since  the  days  when  it 
was  thought  that  education  should  consist  of 
something  more  than  a  knowledge  of  the  three 
r's."  The  Polytechnic,  however,  is  in  reality  a 
college  and  in  1890  received  from  the  Regents 
of  the  State  University  a  charter  which  con- 
ferred on  it  "all  the  rights,  powers  and  digni- 
ties given  by  law  and  the  ordinances  of  the 
Regents  to  the  college."  The  Polytechnic,  how- 
ever, had  an  existence  since  1854  and  as  early 
as  1869  its  work  was  of  such  a  high  stand- 
ard that  the  Regents  gave  it  the  authority  to 
confer  the  degrees  of  Bachelor  of  Science  and 
Bachelor  of  Arts.  Its  present  building  was 
completed  in  1890  and  not  only  has  commodi- 
ous class  rooms,  studies,  laboratories  and  gym- 
nasiums but  ample  accommodations  for  the 
splendid  Spicer  library,  a  collection  for  refer- 
ence works  collected  by  Capt.  Elihu  Spicer  at 
a  cost  of  $35,000  and  presented  to  the  Poly- 
technic as  a  memorial  of  his  son  who  was  one 
of  the  pupils.  It  is  a  technical  and  commercial 
school  and  has  about  700  students  each  year 
and  50  instructors. 

The  Packer  Institute  is  the  successor  of  the 
old  Brooklyn  Female  Academy  which  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire  in  1853.  Mrs.  William  F. 
Packer  then  offered  to  establish  with  a  gift 
of  $65,000,  a  new  school  for  girls,  as  a  memor- 
ial to  her  husband,  and  the  property  of  the  old 


504 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


school  was  transferred  to  the  corporation 
which  estabhshed  the  Polytechnic.  So  in  1854 
the  building  of  the  Packer  Collegiate  Institute 
was  opened  to  receive  pupils  and  quickly  be- 
came known  as  the  most  perfect  establishment 
for  the  education  of  young  women  in  the  coun- 
try. The  original  building  has  been  added  to 
and  the  curriculum  has  been  changed  and  im- 
proved and  strengthened  to  meet  the  needs  of 
the  time,  and  every  change  found  in  Mrs. 
Packer  a  liberal  and  zealous  supporter  until 
her  death  in  1892.  It  has  a  corps  of  53  in- 
structors and  an  average  roll  of  650  students. 
Under  Dr.  Truman  T.  Backus  it  has  kept  pace 
with  the  highest  class  of  women's  colleges  and 
its  equipment  and  curriculum  are  maintained 
with  a  zealous  regard  to  preserve  its  traditions 
and  its  rich  record  of  accomplishment. 

The  Adelphi  Academy,  founded  in  1869, 
entered  upon  its  new  building  in  1886  mainly 
through  a  gift  of  $160,000  by  Charles  Pratt, 
president  of  its  Board  of  Trustees.  It  is  a 
complete  institution,  preparatory,  academic 
and  collegiate,  and  takes  a  pupil  into  its  kinder- 
garten at  the  earliest  age  and  fits  him  for 
the  university  or  for  a  business  or  technical 
career.  Its  art  department  is  possibly  the  most 
perfect  and  complete  in  the  country.  In  1889 
the  splendid  buildings  it  occupies  were  seri- 
ously damaged  by  fire  but  the  damage  was 
soon  repaired.  It  has  generally  between  1,100 
and  1,200  pupils  on  its  rolls. 

Mr.  Charles  Pratt,  who  made  a  yet  more 
princely  provision  for  Brooklyn  education  in 
the  establishment  which  bears  his  name — the 
Pratt  Institute — was  one  of  the  partners  in  the 
Standard  Oil  Company.  The  land  for  this  in- 
stitution was  bought  in  1883  and  work  on  the 
building  was  at  once  begun.  It  was  designed 
by  its  projector  to  be  "for  the  promotion  of 
art,  science,  literature,  industry  and  thrift," 
and  he  had  been  planning  its  features  for 
twenty-five  years  or  more,  basing  its  curricu- 
lum on  some  of  the  English  technical  schools 
with  the  aim  of  so  supplementing  the  usual 
educational  training  as  to  fit,  by  its  evening 


classes,  young  men  and  women  to  apply  them- 
sdves  to  the  trade  they  had  selected  with  the 
best  technical  and  applied  knowledge.  Before 
it  was  fairly  opened  its  donor  passed  away, 
May  4,  1891. 

One  of  the  early  annouuncements  of  the 
institution  gave  an  idea  of  the  comprehensive- 
ness of  the  plan  thought  out  by  Mr.  Pratt  with 
the  provisions  for  the  day  and  evening  classes 
in  the  following  condensed  "calendar:" 

High  School — A  four-years  course  for 
both  sexes,  combining  drawing  and  manual 
work  with  the  usual  studies  of  a  high  school 
or  academy. 

Department  of  Fine  Arts — Classes  in  free- 
hand and  architectural  drawing,  clay  model- 
ing, wood-carving,  design,  art  needle- work; 
regular  art  course ;  normal  course  for  training 
of  teachers ;  lecture  course. 

Department  of  Domestic  Art — Normal  do- 
mestic art  course;  courses  in  sewing,  dress- 
making, millinery,  physical  culture,  combined 
course  in  domestic  art  and  domestic  science; 
lecture  course. 

Department  of  Domestic  Science — -Normal 
domestic  science  course,  household  science,  hy- 
giene and  home  nursing,  public  hygiene,  cook- 
ery, laundry,  food  economics;  lecture  course. 

Department  of  Science  and  Technology — 
Normal  manual  training,  drawing,  and  ma- 
chine designs ;  algebra,  geometry,  physics, 
chemistry,  electrical  construction,  steam  and 
the  steam  engine,  strength  of  materials,  ma- 
chine design  ;  mechanical  drawing ;  carpentry, 
machine  work,  plumbing,  house,  sign  and  fres- 
co painting ;  lecture  course. 

Department  of  Kindergartens — Training 
class  for  teachers,  mothers'  class,  nurses'  class, 
special  classes;  lecture  course. 

Department  of  Libraries — Free  Library, 
Reading  and  Reference  Room.  Classes  in 
library  training,  literature  and  cataloguing. 

Department  of  Museums — Collections  of 
inorganic  substances,  ceramics,  glass,  building 
and  decorative  stones,  reproductive  processes, 
organic  compounds,  textile  fabrics. 

The  Thrift — Deposit,  savings,  and  loan 
branches,  the  privileges  of  which  are  open  to 
the  public. 

The  Brooklyn  Eagle  Almanac  for  1896, 
after  the  institution  had  bean  in  operation  for 


"THE    END    OF    AN    AULD    SANG." 


505 


several  sessions,  gave  the  following  account 
of  its  work,  an  account  evidently  supplied  "on 
authority :" 

"The  late  Charles  Pratt  gave  to  the  youth 
of  Brooklyn  an  institution  that  is  unique 
among  the  educational  establishments  of  the 
country.  While  there  are  technological  schools 
in  other  cities,  there  are  none  that  were  found- 
ed by  a  single  individual  that  have  anything 
like  the  range  and  influence  that  is  exerted  by 
the  Pratt  Institute.  The  buildings  of  this 
school  are  on  Ryerson  street,  between  Wil- 
loughby  and  DeKalb  avenues,  extending  back 
for  a  block  to  Grand  avenue.  The  main  struc- 
ture is  100  feet  wide  by  60  feet  in  depth,  and 
six  stories  in  height.  The  building  devoted  to 
science  and  technology  behind  this  structure  is 
240  by  95  feet,  while  directly  south  of  the  main 
building  is  that  of  the  High  School,  50  by  80 
feet,  and  three  stories  high.  The  latter  was 
completed  January  i,  1892.  A  new  building 
has  been  erected  on  the  west  side  of  Ryerson 
street,  that  will  contain  the  library.  [This  was 
completed  and  opened  in  May,  1896,  and  con- 
tains about  80,000  volumes  and  the  collection 
is  at  the  service  of  any  resident  of  Brooklyn.] 

"The  object  of  the  Institute  is  to-  pronK^te 
manual  and  industrial  education,  as  well  as 
cultivation  in  literature,  science  and  art ;  to  in- 
culcate habits  of  industry  and  thrift,  and  to 
foster  all  that  makes  for  right  living  and  good 
citizenship.  Its  aim  is  also  to  educate  young 
men  and  women  in  handicrafts  by  which  they 
will  be  made  self-supporting;  it  encourages 
them,  moreover,  to  practice  tho:.e  arts  in  a 
thorough  and  honest  manner.  The  classes  are 
open  to  everyone,  but  there  is  no  room  for 
shirkers  and  dawdlers.  Nominal  charges  for 
tuition  are  made,  but  the  Institute  is  in  no  way 
a  money-making  concern.  The  library  of  52,- 
000  in  the  new  building  is  free  to  all  citizens, 
children  included.  There  is  a  reading  room, 
with  a  reference  department  of  nearly  2,000 
volumes.  On  the  second  floor  is  an  assembly 
hall,  where  lectures  are  given  on  the  more  gen- 
eral aspects  of  studies  in  the  curriculum. 

"The  floor  above  is  mostly  devoted  to  do- 
mestic art — dressmaking,  etc. ;  and  on  the  sec- 
ond floor  is  a  commercial  department.  Th  2 
cooking  schools  are  on  the  upper  floor.  The 
whole  fourth  floor  is  devoted  to  art — painting, 
drawing,  designing,  carving,  modeling  in  clay 
—while  the  technical  museum  on  the  fifth  floor 
and  other  parts  of  the  main  building  contain 


works  of  art  in  textiles,  etchings,  photography, 
ceramics  and  metal.  There  is  a  fine  collection 
of  minerals.  The  large  annex  contains  the  en- 
gines, anvils,  shops,  foundries  and  other 
branches  of  the  Department  of  Science  and 
Technology. 

"The  High  School  is  the  Academic  Depart- 
ment of  the  Institute.  Its  course  of  study  cov- 
ers three  years  and  embraces  manual  training 
for  both  "boys  and  girls.  Pupils  who  have 
graduated  successfully  from  a  public  grammar 
school  are  prepared  to  enter  the  High  School, 
which  fits  its  graduates  for  the  highest  scien- 
tific schools  and  colleges. 

In  the  basement  of  the  main  building  is 
the  library  school  for  the  training  of  library 
assistants,  and  the  luncheon  room. 

The  Institute  is  under  the  control  of  a 
board  of  trustees.  The  average  number  of 
students  is  3,000;  instructors,  120." 

Since  then  the  work  of  the  Institute  has  so 
increased  that  the  last  returns  give  the  number 
of  instructors  at  134.  The  department  called 
The  Thrift  is  practically  a  building  loan  bu- 
reau and  by  it  thousands  of  working  people 
have  been  enabled  to  own  their  own  homes. 

But  useful  as  the  Pratt  Institute  is,  the  edu- 
cational pride  of  Brooklyn  is  the  "Institute  of 
Arts  and  Sciences."  It  has  done  a  great  work 
in  the  past,  it  is  idoing  a  great  work  in  the 
present,  but  its  future  promises  wonderful  de- 
velopments. It  is  the  outgrowth  of  the  old 
Apprentices'  Library  of  1824.  In  1843  ^^he 
name  was  changed  to  the  Brooklyn  Institute 
and  for  many  years  its  annual  lecture  course 
was  famous  in  the  days  when  the  lecture  plat- 
form was  a  power  in  the  land.  Its  main  bene- 
factor was  Augustus  Graham.  He  presented 
to  its  trustees  the  building  on  Washington 
street  in  which  it  was  housed,  and  at  his  death 
in  185 1  it  was  found  that  he  had  bequeathed 
to  it  $27,000  as  an  endowment.  Of  this  the 
income  from  $10,000  was  to  be  spent  in  scien- 
tific lectures  and  the  pitrchase  of  scientific  ap- 
paratus, the  income  from  $12,000  was  to  pro- 
vide Sunday  evening  lectures  on  religious  top- 
ics, while  the  interest  on  the  remaining  $5,000 
was  to  support  a  school  of  art.  But  somehow 
the  interest  in  the  institution  began  to  fall  off, 


506 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


the  building  was  remodeled  at  a  cost  of  $30,- 
000  without  improving  its  popularity,  and  as 
this  amount  was  met  by  a  mortgage  the  inter- 
est on  Graham's  endowment  had  to  be  devoted 
to  its  payment. 

In  1887  a  number  of  public-spirited  citi- 
zens, foreseeing  the  evident  end  of  the  Insti- 
tute, determined  to  revive  it  in  accordance  with 
moidern  ideas  and  on  a  scale  that  would  be  in 
keeping  with  the  growth  and  importance  of 
the  city,  with  a  grand  museum  as  its  central 
feature.  A  public  meeting  was  held  and  much 
general  interest  was  aroused  and  it  was  not 
long  before  the  Institute  building  became  a 
scene  of  daily  activity.  In  two  years  the  mem- 
bership rose  from  350  to  1,200,  the  library  was 
reorganized  and  augmented  at  the  rate  of  50,- 
000  books  a  year,  most  of  the  scientific  societies 
in  Brooklyn  joined  the  Institute  and  became 
departments  of  its  work.  In  1890  the  building 
was  partly  destroyed  by  fire  but  the  work  went 
on,  the  various  schools  ofifering  quarters  for 
the  use  of  the  departments  and  in  1891  it  had 
a  total  membership  of  1,810.  That  year  the 
Institute  formally  passed  out  of  existence  and 
its  property  was  deeded  to  the  Brooklyn  Insti- 
tute of  Arts  and  Sciences, — the  old  society 
under  a  new  name  and  with  greatly  enlarged 
powers.  In  1892  the  old  building  was  acquired 
for  bridge  purposes  and  idemolished  and  the 
departments  continued  to  find  refuge  in  the 
various  schools  and  institutions  until  the  new 
permanent  home  should  be  ready. 

That  home  was  the  museum,  so  long  talked 
about  and  anticipated.  The  city  of  Brooklyn 
was  authorized  to  erect  a  section  of  the  Mu- 
seum building  at  a  cost  not  to  exceed  $300,000. 
A  tract  of  land  facing  the  Eastern  Parkway  on 
the  north,  Washington  avenue  on  the  east,  a 
line  100  feet  south  on  the  southern  boundary 
of  old  President  street  on  the  south,  and  land 
reserved  for  the  Prospect  Hill  Reservoir  on 
the  west,  containing  eleven  and  nine-tenths 
acres  and  valued  at  $900,000,  was  leased  by  the 
city  of  Brooklyn  to  the  Institute  for  a  term 
of  one  hundred  years. 


On  this  site  has  been  erected  the  first  sec- 
tion of  a  Museum  building,  in  classic  style,  and 
the  entire  structure,  when  completed,  will 
cover  an  area  of  560  feet  square,  with  four  in- 
terior courts,  to  provide  light  for  the  central 
portions  of  the  building.  The  plan  provides 
for  collections  illustrating  the  general  history 
of  Art  and  Architecture  on  the  first  floor, 
rooms  for  the  illustration  of  the  practical  Arts 
and  Sciences  on  the  second  floor,  and  galleries 
for  the  illustration  of  the  history  of  Painting, 
Engraving,  Etching  and  Decorative  Art  on  the 
third  floor.  The  central  portion  of  the  build- 
ing is  carried  one  story  higher  than  the  rest, 
and  in  this  the  Schools  of  Fine  Arts  and  of 
Architecture  will  be  located. 

The  first  section  of  the  building  was  com- 
pleted in  January,  1897,  and  was  furnished 
and  ready  for  occupancy  as  a  Museum  in  May. 
It  was  opened  to  the  public  for  the  first  time 
on  June  2,  1897,  and  has  remained  open  daily 
since.  A  second  building  in  Bedford  Park,  on 
Brooklyn  avenue,  is  used  as  an  auxiliary  to 
the  main  Museum. 

The  Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportionment 
in  1899  authorized  the  erection  of  a  second  sec- 
tion of  the  Museum  Building  and  an  appropri- 
ation to  meet  the  cost  of  the  same  of  $300,000. 
The  second  section  is  now  in  process  of  erec- 
tion. 

The  departments  now  covered  by  the  In- 
stitute's work  include  anthropology,  archaeol- 
ogy, architecture,  astronomy,  botany,  chemis- 
try, domestic  science,  electricity,  engineering,, 
entomology,  fine  arts,  geography,  geology,  law, 
mathematics,  microscopy,  mineralogy,  music, 
painting,  pedagogy,  philately,  philology,  phil- 
osophy, photography,  physics,  political  science^ 
psychology,  sculpture  and  zoology.  It  has  a 
membership  of  6,132  and  its  yearly  work  con- 
sists of  courses  of  lectures  on  the  arts  and  sci- 
ences, monthly  meetings  of  each  of  the  de- 
partments, concerts  and  dramatic  readings.  Its- 
collections  in  anthropology,  archaeology,  arch- 
itecture, chemistry,  botany,  entomblogy,  eth- 
nology, geography,  geology,  microscopy,  min- 


'THE    END    OF    AN    AULD    SANG.' 


5or 


eralogy,  photography  and  zoology,  apparatus 
in  physics,  chemistry,  electricity  and  engineer- 
ing, and  collections  of  paintings,  sculpture  and 
statuary  are  large  and  varied.  The  officers  are 
A.  Augustus  Healy,  Pres. :  Chas.  A.  Schieren 
and  Carll  H.  De  Silver,  Vice-Prests. ;  George 
C.  Brackett,  Sec. ;  Wm.  B.  Davenport,  Treas. ; 
Associate  Members:  Rev.  Albert  J.  Lyman, 
Pres. ;  James  Cruikshank,  Sec. ;  John  A.  Tay- 
lor, Treas. ;  Prof.  Franklin  W.  Hooper,  Gen- 
eral Director  of  the  Institute. 

The  early  story  of  the  drama  in  Brooklyn 
has  already  been  told  and  its  later  history  may 
here  be  rapidly  sketched.  The  Brooklyn  The- 
atre, destroyed  by  the  awful  calamity  of  De- 
cen:iber  5,  1876,  was  rebuilt  in  1879  under  a 
new  name — Haverly's — but  was  not  a  success 
either  financially  or  artistically  and  was  torn 
down  in  1890  to  afford  a  site  for  "The  Eagle" 
newspaper. 

But  somehow  the  drama  has  never  acquired 
much  of  a  foothold  in  Brooklyn  and  while 
stars  and  combination  companies  fill  up  a 
week's  engagement  very  comfortably  the  taste 
of  the  people  seems  to  run  toward  "variety" 
rather  than  to  the  "legitimate."  Mr.  Hamilton 
Ormsbee  in  1898  summarized  the  closing  days 
of  the  Brooklyn  theatrical  story  as  follows: 

An  attraction  was  Hooley's  Opera  House, 
which  occupied  the  upper  floor  of  a  building 
at  Court  and  Remsen  streets,  where  the  Dime 
Savings  Bank  now  stands,  from  1862  to  1883. 
It  was  called  an  opera  house,  but  was  a  place 
for  minstrel  show  and  is  chiefly  notable  for  the 
appearance  of  popular  black-face  performers 
and  for  the  fact  that  that  brilliant  comedian, 
Nat  C.  Goodwin,  used  to  do  the  imitations  of 
eminent  actors,  for  which  he  was  once  noted 
upon  its  stage  at  a  very  early  time  in  his  career. 
Another  disused  theatre  is  the  Lee  Avenue 
Academy  in  the  Eastern  District,  which  for 
many  years  after  it  was  opened,  in  1872,  occu- 
pied the  same  position  in  the  eastern  end  of  the 
city  as  the  Park  did  in  the  western.  There 
was  also  once  a  theatre  where  is  now  Lieb- 
mann's  Arcade,  on  Fulton  street.   R.  M.  Hoo- 


ley  and  Thomas  Donnelly  opened  it  in  1869  vis 
the  Olympic.  Hyde  &  Behman  and  John  W. 
Holmes  afterward  conducted  it  and  it  disap- 
peared about  1890.  Music  Hall,  at  the  junc- 
tion of  Fulton  street  and  Flatbush  avenue,  was 
used  for  a  time  about  1872  for  negro  minstrel 
exhibitions.  The  oldest  theatre  in  the  Eastern 
District  is  the  American,  on  Driggs  avenue, 
which  was  built  as  the  Odeon  in  1852,  used  in 
1868  by  R.  M.  Hooley  as  a  variety  house  and 
has  been  both  a  variety  theatre  and  a  skating 
rink. 

The  conversion  of  an  unused  market  on" 
Adams  street,  near  Myrtle  avenue,  into  a  va- 
riety theater  in  1877  is  notable,  because  it  was 
the  introduction  to  Brooklyn  of  the  firm  of 
Hyde  &  Behman,  among  the  most  extensive 
and  prosperous  managers  in  the  theatrical 
business.  Their  Adams  street  house  is  one' 
of  the  leading  variety  houses  in  the  country, 
and  they  "are  the  owners  of  six  other  theaters 
in  Brooklyn,  besides  one  in  Newark.  Their 
Brooklyn  houses  are  the  Grand  Opera  House,- 
Amphion,  Park  and  Gayety,  used  for  drama,- 
and  Hyde  &  Behman's,  the  Star  and  Empire, 
for  variety  and  burlesque.  The  Grand  Opera 
House,  in  Elm  Place,  was  built  on  the  site  of 
a  church,  and  opened  to  the  public  ii;i  1881. 
It  was  long  managed  by  Knowles  &  Morris. 
The  Amphion,  on  Bedford  avenue,  was  built 
by  the  Amphion  Musical  Society,  with  the 
idea  that  it  would  occupy  the  same  position' 
in  the  Eastern  District  that  the  Academy  of 
Music  did  in  the  Western.  It  was  opened 
as  a  first-class  theater,  with  C.  M.  Wiske  as 
manager.  This  venture  was  unprofitable,  and 
in  January,  1888,  Knowles  &  Morris  took 
possession,  conducting  the  house  as  a  combi- 
nation theatre.  The  control  of  Manager  Ed- 
win Knowles  over  this  house  lasted  until  the 
end  of  last  season,  and  in  that  time  he  pre- 
sented at  that  theatre  the  chief  American  and 
foreign  actors  of  the  day,  with  the  exception 
of  Henry  Irving.  Mr.  Knowles  was  also  the 
first  manager  of  the  Columbia,  built  for  him, 
Daniel  Frohman  and  Al  Hayman,  and  opened 


508 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


March  7,  1892,  with  "Alabama."  The  Bijou 
Theatre  was  opened  November  13,  1893,  by 
H.  C.  Kemiedy  &  Co.,  with  Mr.  Ken- 
nedy as  the  resident  manager.  The  play 
was  "Adonis,"  with  Henry  E.  Dixey.  In 
1895  Colonel  William  E.  Sinn,  who  had  leased 
the  Park  Theatre  since  1875,  opened  the  Mon- 
tauk  Theatre,  which  was  regarded  as  the  most 
perfectly  adapted  house  of  its  kind  when  com- 
pleted. The  Star  Theatre  was  built  about 
the  time  the  Brooklyn  Theatre  was  torn  down, 
was  used  for  a  time  as  a  combination  house, 
and  has  since  been  occupied  for  variety  and 
burlesque. 

The  leading  event  in  the  history  of  the 
Brooklyn  little  theatrical  world  in  the  closing 
days,  however,  was  not  its  transformations  or 
changes  of  management,  but  the  final  appear- 
ance of  a  world-renowned  actor,  who  had,  it 
would  seem,  lingered  on  the  stage  too  long. 
This  was  Edwin  Booth,  possibly  the  greatest 
tragedian  America  has  produced,  who  on  April 
4,  1891,  made  his  last  public  effort  on  any 
stage  at  the  Academy  of  Music.  Th;  play 
selected  was  "Hamlet,"  and  as  the  Prince 
Booth  had  in  the  years  of  his  prime  won  his 
highest  meed  of  praise.  But  his  performance 
that  night,  as  indeed  on  every  night  of  his 
engagement,  was  a  shock  to  all  his  admirers. 
It  was  mercilessly  condemned  by  the  news- 
paper critics,  who  did  not  see  that  the  per- 
formance itself  was  a  tragedy, — the  ending  in 
gloom  of  a  career  that  had  done  more  than 
aught  else  to  lift  the  American  stage  above 
the  level  of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  and  "The 
Dumb  Man  of  Manchester."  But  it  was  the 
old  story  summarized  in  Johnson's  famous 
line, 

"Superfluous  lags  the  veteran  on  the  stage." 

The  National  Guard  after  the  war  became 
a  well-disciplined  force.  The  Brooklyn  con- 
tingent formed  the  second  of  the  four  brig- 
ades into  which  the  State  military  forces  were 
divided  and  was  under  the  command  of  Briga- 
dier-General James  McLeer,  one  of  the  vet- 


erans of  the  Civil  War  and  who  for  eight 
years  had  held  the  ofHce  of  Postmaster  of 
Brooklyn.  The  strength  of  the  commands 
under  him  in  1897  was  as  follows: 

Organization.  No.  of  Members. 

Brigade   Headquarters 11 

Thirteenth   Regiment 635 

Fourteenth  Regiment 616 

Twenty-third  Regiment 759 

Forty-seventh    Regiment 593 

Seventeenth  Separate  Company....  94 

Third    Battery 81 

Second  Signal  Company 48 

Troop   C 100 

Total    2,937 

From  the  time  of  the  close  of  hostilities 
between  the  States  the  Guard  had  been  mainly 
engaged  in  holiday  making,  varied  by  shoot- 
ing excursions  to  Creedmoor,  but  even  amid 
the  holiday  making  discipline  and  tactics  were 
strenuously  maintained,  so  that  one  of  the  offi- 
cers used  to  remark  that  the  Brooklyn  National 
Guard  was  ready  at  any  moment  to  go  on  any 
military  duty.  But  the  time  came  when  the 
value  of  the  militia  was  to  be  again  tested. 
On  January  14,  1895,  5,500  employes  of  the 
trolley  companies  went  on  strike.  The  merits 
of  the  dispute  have  no  interest  for  us  here 
and  need  not  be  discussed.  Almost  the  entire 
system  of  street-car  travel  was  brought  to  a 
standstill,  and  the  apparent  perfection  of  the 
strikers'  plans  seemed  to  giye  promise  of  a 
speedy  termination  of  the  trouble.  But  the 
employers  were  obstinate,  and  on  the  follow- 
ing day  the  strikers  commenced  to  get  ugly. 
Slowly  the  cars  "began  again  to  move,"  as  new 
hands  flocked  in  from  all  parts  of  the  coun- 
try, and  on  the  i6th  and  17th  the  police  was 
able  to  handle  whatever  disturbances  arose. 
On  the  i8th,  however,  the  trouble  got  beyond 
their  capability,  a  car  was  fired  upon,  a  riot 
of  considerable  proportions  raged  for  a  time 
on  Fifth  avenue,  and  "fresh"  conductors  and 
motormen  as  well  as  passengers  suffered,  and 
on  the  following  day  the  entire  militia  force, 
under    General    McLeer,   was    ordered    out. 


"THE    END    OF    AN    AULD    SANG. 


50& 


The  military  remained  in  possession  of  the 
streets  until  February  ist,  when  the  struggle 
was  given  up  by  the  strikers.  During  these 
eventful  days  the  troops  had  hard  work.  ■  Sev-. 
eral  of  the  rioters  were  shot,  and  it  is  hard  to 
say  how  many  were  hurt  in  the  daily  charges 
of  the  cavalry.  The  streets  were  constantly 
patrolled  by  armed  men,  and  here  and  there, 
loaded  cannons  were  placed  on  open  streets 
ready  to  sweep  an  entire  thoroughfare  if 
necessary.  Brooklyn  breathed  freely  when  it 
was  all  over  and  mourned  the  loss  involved 
in  human  life  as  well  as  in  money ;  but  it  was 
felt  that  the  National  Guard  had  saved  the 
city  from  an  era  of  mob  violence  and  riot  which 
would  have  brought  about  scenes  at  the  very 
thought  of  which  the  boldest  could  not  help 
shuddering. 

In  1896  the  Navy  Yard  was  adorned  with 
a  rather  ornate  new  main  entrance  at  Sands 
and  Navy  streets,  and  its  entire  Ii2j4  acres 
were  by  that  time  fully  enclosed  on  the  land 
side.  The  following  description  of  the  yard 
in  1897  is  from  "The  Eagle :"  "The  Lyceum 
is  a  three-story  structure.  On  the  ground  floor 
are  the  ofifrces  of  the  captain  of  the  yard,  and 
on  the  second  floor  offices  of  the  commandant 
and  his  aides,  and  on  the  third  floor  the  quar- 
ters of  his  clerks.  Here  the  records  are  pre- 
served, including  such  as  pertain  to  ships,  lists 
of  officers  and  rosters  of  all  clerks  and  the  em- 
ployes. In  Trophy  Park,  a  triangular  green 
adjoining  the  Lyceum — not  in  the  Museum — 
is  a  marble  column,  commemorating  twelve 
American  seamen  who  fell  at  the  capture  of 
the  Barrier  forts,  on  Canton  River,  China, 
in  1856.  It  was  erected  by  their  shipmates 
on  the  "San  Jacinto,"  "Portsmouth"  and  "Le- 
vant."' About  the  monument  are  guns  cap- 
tured from  the  British  frigate  "Macedonian," 
and  the  iron  prow  of  the  Confederate  ram 
"Mississippi."  In  1890  the  Naval  Museum, 
containing  priceless  relics  and  trophies,  was 
sent  to  the  Naval  Academy  at  Annapolis.  A 
small  octagonal  building  west  of  Trophy  Park 
IS  the  ofiice  of  the  naval  surgeon,  and  beyond 


that  there  is  a  building  for  provisions  and 
clothing.  Here  is  cut  out  by  machinery  all 
the  clothing  used  in  the  Navy,  except  that 
worn  by  officers,  though  the  garments  are  sent 
away  to  be  finished.  Here,  also,  all  the  coffee 
used  in  the  Navy  is  roasted,  ground,  put  up 
in  tins,  and  all  canned  goods,  hard  tack  and 
condensed  food  for  the  Navy  are  stored. 

"On  the  other  side  of  Main  street  the 
cruiser  "Cincinnati"  was  built. 

"The  workshops,  machine  shops  and  foun- 
dries are  on  Chauncey,  Warrington  and  Mor- 
ris avenues.  On  Chauncey  avenue,  which  ex- 
tends from  Main  street  to  Flushing  avenue, 
are  the  cooper  shop,  mold  shop,  ordnance 
building,  tank  shed,  now  used  for  sand,  coal 
and  lumber;  a  building  for  anchor  chains  and 
rigging  loft,  coppersmith's,  plumbing  shop 
and  boiler  shops.  Building  No.  7,  on  War- 
rington avenue,  contains  various  departments, 
the  court-martial  room,  civil  engineer's  room 
and  flag  loft,  where  all  flags  and  bunting 
used  by  our  Navy  as  well  as  flags  of  other 
nations  are  made  by  women.  Other  buildings 
on  this  avenue  are  the  blacksmith's  shop, 
paint  shop,  yard  and  docks,  construction  de- 
partment and  steam  engineering  department. 
The  avenue  ends  in  a  park.  On  Morris  avenue 
are  a  joiner's  shop,  offices,  boat  house  and 
iron  plating  shops.  Most  of  the  senior  officers 
are  pleasantly  quartered  on  Flushing  avenue, 
while  some  of  them  live  in  private  houses 
in  the  city.  The  spacious  marine  barracks 
and  drill  yard  are  entered  from  the  gate  on 
Flushing  avenue,  and  the  only  department  out- 
side the  enclosure  is  the  Naval  Hospital  on 
Flushing  avenue,  separated  from  the  yard  by 
Wallabout  market.  In  the  hospital  enclosure 
is  the  naval  cemetery.  The  water  front  of  the 
yard  extends  for  6,600  feet  from  Little  street 
on  the  west  to  Division  avenue  on  the  east, 
and  opposite  the  center  is  the  Cob  dock.  This 
is  an  island  nineteen  acres  in  extent,  and  to 
resist  the  action  of  the  tide  a  concrete  and 
granite  wall  is  built  around  it.  It  has  a 
water    front   of   5»ooo   ^^^^-     Whitney   Basin 


.510 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


in  this  island  has  a  frontage  of  3,300  feet. 
The  ordnance  dock  is  also  here.     Communi- 
,  cation  is  had  by  means  of  a  steam  rope  ferry, 
and  a  causeway  across   Wallabout   Channel, 
connecting  the  Cob  dock  with  the  main  shore 
,at  the  northeast  boundary  line,  is  now  prac- 
tically completed.    This  causeway  is  to  be  522 
feet  long,  with  an  extreme  width  of  forty-one 
,feet.     Two  forty-ton  cranes,  traveling  on  an 
eighteen-foot  railway  around  the  dry  docks, 
.are  designed  for  lifting  armor  plates  weigh- 
ing from  twenty  to  forty  tons;  stepping  steel 
-jnasts,  hoisting  machinery  and  boilers  and  low- 
.ering  them  into  place." 

Among  the  most  notable  vessels  construct- 
,ed  at  the  yard  were  the  "Terror,"  launched 
in  1883,  the  "Puritan,"  launched  in  1882,  the 
'Cincinnati,"  launched  in  1892,  and  the 
"Maine,"  launched  in  1890.  The  subsequent 
..destruction  of  this  last-named  vessel  in  Ha- 
vana Harbor  was  the  first  incident  in  the  war 
with  Spain  of  1898,  in  which  the  United 
States  acquired  so  much  glory  and  territory. 

About  1880  began  the  real  transformation 
,of  the  city  in  respect  to  its  architectural  at- 
'tractions.  Heretofore,  as  a  rule,  the  architect? 
-were  limited  to  churches  mainly,  with  here 
and  there  an  opportunity  in  an  armory  or 
mansion  to  show  their  skill  and  taste.  But 
by  1880  the  public  sentiment,  the  public  taste 
and  the  public  wealth  began  to  call  for  a 
'higher  order  of  things,  and  the  response  was 
most  gratifying.  With  the  City  Hall  and 
the  Municipal  Building, — of  which  latter  one 
of  the  Brooklyn  civic  boasts  used  to  be  that 
it  cost  $20  less  than  the  appropriation, — as  a 
-center,  new  structures  of  much  beauty  and 
commanding  appearance  began  steadily  to  oust 
the  old  plain  brick  or  marble  front  edifices  so 
commonplace  yet  so  comfortable.  By  1890  a 
still  further  change  was  inaugurated.  By 
that  time  the  principle  of  skeleton  construction 
"had  been  introduced  and  the  elevator  system 
had  'been  perfected,  so  that  the  height  to 
which  a  building  might  be  run  up  was  a  mat- 
iter  of  money  and  calculation  rather  than  of 


the  thickness  of  the  walls.    So  Brooklyn  began 
to  get  sky-scrapers,  and  its  office  buildings  vie 
with  those  across  the  river  for  their  size  and 
the  perfection  of  their  details.    The  Jefferson 
building  rises  to  a  height  of  98  feet,  the  Me- 
chanics' Bank  to  140  feet,  the  Franklin  Trust 
to   156  feet,  and  the  Telephone  building  to 
128  feet.     It  is  not  customary  to  mention  the 
Havemeyer  &  Elders  vast  sugar  mills,  erected 
in  1883,  as  architectural  beauties,  but  if  beauty 
in  architecture  be,  as  some  contend,  the  adap- 
tation of  building  ideas  to  a  means  and  an  end, 
they  must  be  accepted.    Such  structures  as  the 
Alhambra  and  the  Fougera  are  equal  in  point 
of  architectural  perfection  and  elaboration  of 
detail  to  any  apartment  houses  in  the  world, 
and  such  structures  as  the  City  Railroad  build- 
ing,   the    new  structures  which    have    trans- 
formed parts  of  Montague,  Court,  Remsen, 
Fulton  and  many  other  streets  within  a  radius 
of  the  center  of  Brooklyn's  political  life,  afford 
much  gratification  to  the  visitor  of  taste  as 
well  as  a  theme  for  pardonable  pride  on  the 
part  of  the  citizens.     The  Hall  of  Records 
building,   completed   in   1886,  is  a  handsome 
structure  in  the  Renaissance  style,  three  stories 
high,  and  cost  $270,000.    The  Fire  Department 
building,  on  Jay  street  near  Willoughby,  is  a 
bold  yet  exceedingly  graceful  development  of 
the  Romanesque  order.    Its  massive  tower,  ris- 
ing some  forty  feet  above  the  rest  of  the  struc- 
ture,  gives   it   an   individuality   that   at  once 
attracts  the  eye.    The  Federal  building,  com- 
pleted in  1892,  at  a  cost  of  $1,886,115,  is  a 
wonderful  change  from  the  little  store  at  the 
corner  of   Fulton   and   Front   streets,  where 
up  to  1819  Brooklyn's  first  Postmaster,  Joel 
Bunce,   was   wont  to  transact  business.     In 
what  is  known  as  the  shopping  district, — Ful- 
ton street  from  the  bridge  to  Flatbush  avenue, 
— the  dry  goods  merchants  have  erected  huge 
structures,  eclipsing  in  their  size  and  adapta- 
bility most  of  those  in  New  York,  and  it  is 
also  said  far  surpassing  those  across  the  river 
in  the  aggregate  annual  amount  of  business. 
Mention  of  the  dry  goods  stores  recalls  the 


'THE    END    OF    AN    AULD    SANG." 


511 


importance  of  these  establishments  in  the 
daily  history  of  Brooklyn,  and  might  prompt 
a  few  lines  further  concerning  them;  but 
there  are  so  many  of  them  and  of  such  varying 
degrees  of  importance  that  a  selection  might 
be  invidious  and  would  certainly  be  disap- 
pointing. But  we  may  say  a  few  words  about 
the  career  of  one  of  the  greatest  of  these  mer- 
chants, whose  death  early  in  1900  is  still 
mourned  in  many  circles.  This  was  Azel  D. 
Matthews,  who  from  a  small  beginnirig  built 
up  one  of  the  largest  trades  in  the  city.  His 
life  story  was,  in  fact,  part  and  parcel  of  the 
modern  history  of  Brooklyn.  He  settled  in 
the  place  when  it  was  a  mere  town  of  about 
25,000  inhabitants.  He  began  business  in  a 
small  way,  and  as  Brooklyn  grew  the  Mat- 
thews establishment  grew  with  it,  until  from  a 
small  shop  in  Main  .street  the  present  large 
department  store  of  A.  D.  Matthews  &  Sons 
in  Fulton  street  evolved. 

Mr.  Matthews  came  of  an  old  Cape  Cod 
family.  His  father  moved  to  Hinsdale,  Mas- 
sachusetts, where,  on  April  29,  1809,  Azel  D. 
Matthews  was  born.  He  began  his  mercantile 
•career  in  Brooklyn  in  a  small  store  at  93  Main 
street,  which  was  then  the  business  center  of 
the  town.  He  later  established  himself  on 
Myrtle  avenue,  near  Bridge  street.  Mr.  Mat- 
thews was  the  pioneer  among  the  dry  goods 
merchants  in  the  upper  Fulton  street  move- 
ment. Recognizing  the  fact  that  Brooklyn 
was  bound  to  grow,  and  that  the  march  of 
trade  would  be  up  town,  he  rented  a  store  at 
the  corner  of  Fulton  street  and  Gallatin  place. 
That  was  thirty-five  years  ago.  The  Matthews 
5tore  is  now  in  the  very  center  of  the  shopping 
district.  From  time  to  time  additions  have 
heen  made  to  the  store,  until  it  now  covers  the 
greater  part  of  the  block  on  Fulton  street  be- 
tween Gallatin  place  and  Smith  street,  extend- 
ing back  to  Livingston  street. 

Mr.  Matthews  took  a  keen  interest  in  the 
Church  and  Sunday-school  life  of  Brooklyn. 
He  early  became  identified  with  the  Brook- 
lyn Sunday-school  Union,  and  continued  his 


association  with  that  organization  almost  up 
to  the  time  of  his  death. 

During  this  period  the  city  itself  was  con- 
stantly effecting  improvements.  One  of  the 
most  important  of  these,  apart  from  roadways 
and  the  like,  was  the  acquisition  of  the  marsh 
lands  of  the  Wallabout  and  their  transforma- 
tion into  a  public  market.  The  ground  in  ques- 
tion had  long  been  an.  eyesore,  and  besides  was 
a  constant  source  of  danger  to  the  public 
health.  It  was  long  thought  that  a  public 
market  or  a  public  park  might  be  erected 
there,  as  it  was  not  deemed  possible  that  the 
ground  could  ever  be  adapted  for  building 
purposes  or  that  it  would  ever  be  needed  for 
the  Navy  Yard,  of  whose  territory  it  was  a 
part.  On  September  12,  1883,  the  Grocers' 
Retail  Protective  Association  urged  the  au- 
thorities, at  a  conference,  to  secure  the  land 
in  question  and  turn  it  into  a  market,  offering 
all  the  aid  in  their  power.  Acting  on  this, 
the  city  government  entered  into  negotiations 
with  the  Navy  Department  and  as  a  result 
obtained  a  lease  of  the  property,  with  a  view 
of  practically  testing  the  success  or  otherwise 
of  the  project.  Part  of  it  was  at  once  drained 
and  graded,  divided  up  into  streets  and  lots, 
a  lot  ol  two-story  frame  structures  were 
quickly  run  up  by  market  men, — cheap  struc- 
tures of  the  most  flimsy  description,  for  the 
whole  affair  was  an  experiment  and  the  United 
States  could  cancel  the  lease  at  any  moment 
by  giving  thirty  days'  notice,  when  the  whole 
concern  might  be  wiped  out.  The  strength 
of  the  market  lay  in  the  open  lots  to  which 
farmers'  and  other  wagons  brought  produce 
direct  from  farm  or  garden,  and  theire  re- 
mained for  half  a  day  or  a  day  until  their 
load  was  disposed  of.  The  scheme  worked 
so  well,  in  spite  of  the  many  adverse  condi- 
tions, that  the  city  in  1891  purchased  about 
eighteen  acres  of  the  marsh  land  for  $700,000 
and  the  market  became  a  fixed  feature.  In 
1894  an  additional  twenty-seven  acres  was  se- 
cured, for  which  Uncle  Sam  was  paid  $1,208,- 
666.    This  tract,  between  Clinton  and  Wash- 


512 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND 


ington  avenues  and  from  Flushing  avenue  to 
the  East  River,  has  been  developed,  says  the 
"Eagle"  Almanac,  "largely  into  a  shipping 
basin  and  pier  system  for  vessels  in  the  food 
supply  traffic,  and  embracing  facilities  for 
loaded  i-ailroad  cars  to  be  transferred  to  the 
market  without  breaking  freight  bulk.  The 
bulkhead  wall  along  the  south  and  west  sides 
of  the  basin  is  i,68o  feet  in  length,  and  that 
along  the  easterly  side  of  the  basin,  some 
i-,o8o  feef.  These  walls,  together  with  four 
of  the  five  piers  constructed,  add  a  mooring 
frontage  of  over  a  mile  in  length  to  the  city's 
wharfage  room.  The  fifth  pier.  No.  2,  has 
been  leased  to  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad 
Company  at  the  annual  rental  of  $12,000.  The 
preparation  of  this  pier  for  service  involved 
the  outlay  of  $100,000  by  the  railroad  com- 
pany. The  market  is  deriving  great  benefit 
from  the  operation  of  this  terminal,  and  that 
of  the  Delaware,  Lackawanna  &  Western 
Railroad,  on  the  north  side  of  Wallabcut  Ca- 
nal, completed  during  last  year.  Cold  storage, 
of  which  there  was  great  need  from  the  time 
the  market  was  founded,  has  been  provided 
in  the  opening  to  business  last  year  of  the 
establishment  of  the  Kings  County  Refriger- 
ating Company,  with  the  preserving  capacity 
of  700,000   square   feet. 

"In  May,  1894,  the  city  authorities  and 
market  people,  acting  conjointly,  effected  from 
the  New  York  State  Legislature  the  enact- 
ment of  a  law,  chapter  569,  which  authorized 
the  city  authorities  to  issue  upon  lots  rented 
five-year  leases,  with  privilege  of  two  renew- 
als of  similar  duration  at  rates  adjustable  at 
the  commencement  of  each  term.  The  leases 
issued  imder  this  law  required  the  erection 
of  substantial  buildings  of  brick,  stcne  and 
iron,  uniform  in  external  design,  at  the  outlay 
of  the  lessees ;  the  buildings  at  the  termination 
of  the  leases  to  revert  to  the  city  upon  pay- 
ment of  their  appraised  values.  During  the 
years  1895-6  the  buildings  were  constructed." 

By  the  close  of  1897  it  was  estimated  that 
the  annual  business  of  the  market  amounted  to 


$25,000,000,  and  often  in  the  summer  of  that 
year  something  like  550  wagons  of  produce 
would  be  disposed  of  every  Saturday,  while 
the  financial  return  to  the  city  for  the  year 
was  $42,046  in  the  shape  of  rents,  and  $3,531 
from  the  fees  paid  by  farmers  for  wagon 
room. 

This  was  a  practical  work.  But  the  city 
was  not  forgetful  of  the  adornments  which 
came  from  the  sculptor's  studio,  and  which, 
besides  adding  to  the  beauty  and  interest  of 
a  street  or  park,  serve  to  show  that  republics 
are  neither  oblivious  to  aesthetic  requirements 
nor  ungrateful  to  their  great  men.  Several  of 
these  have  already  been  mentioned.  The  statue 
of  General  Grant,  unveiled  in  1896,  was  a  gift 
to  the  city  from  the  Union  League  Club,  and 
in  the  same  year  the  statue  of  General  Warren 
on  the  Park  Plaza'  was  unveiled.  A  statue 
of  General  Fowler,  who  commanded  Brook- 
lyn's "red-legged  devils"  in  the  Civil  War, 
will  shortly  be  placed  beside  it,  and  an  eques- 
trian statue  of  General  Slocum,  another  war 
hero,  is  promised  soon.  A  simple  monument, 
but  a  most  significant  one,  was  placed  on 
Battle  Hill,  Prospect  Park,  August  27,  1895, 
in  memory  of  the  four  hundred  Maryland 
soldiers  who  fell  near  the  spot  thus  again 
consecrated  in  the  fateful  battle  of  Brooklyn, 
August  27,  1776.  It  is  a  plain  but  extremely 
elegant  shaft  of  white  marble,  and  its  cost 
was  borne  by  the  JMaryland  Society  of  Sons 
of  the  American  Revolution.  It  is  at  once  a 
memorial  to  brave  men  who  gave  up  their 
lives  in  the  cause  of  patriotism,  and  it  marks 
the  center  of  a  widespread  battle-field  on 
which  it  almost  seemed  as  if  that  liberty  for 
which  they  had  died  had  been  forever  crushed 
out. 

A  peculiarity  in  the  way  of  statues, — one 
erected  by  citizens  to  mark  their  sense  of  the 
labors  of  a  citizen  then  still  living, — was  that 
which  was  unveiled  at  the  main  entrance  to 
Prospect  Park,  on  June  6,  1891.  The  man 
so  honored  was  J.  S.  T.  Stranahan.  The  idea 
of  erecting  a  statue  of  this  esteemed  citizen  in 


"THE    END    OF    AN    AULD    SANG. 


513 


the  people's  playground  which  he  had  done 
so  much  to  create  was  originated  at  a  private 
gathering,  and  it  was  at  once  heartily  en- 
dorsed, and  in  a  short  time  the  following 
committee  was  constituted  to  put  the  idea  into 
shape:  John  Gibb,  Chairman;  John  B.  Wood- 
ward, Treasurer;  Elijah  R.  Kennedy,  Secre- 
tary; Richard  S.  Storrs,  S.  V.  White,  Darwin 
R.  James,  William  B.  Kendall,  Charles  Pratt, 
Henry  B.  Maxwell,  George  V.  Brower,  Sam- 
uel B.  Duryea,  C.  N.  Hoagland,  E.  F.  Linton, 
William  Carey  Sanger,  William  Berri,  An- 
drew D.  Baird,  Frederick  A.  Schroeder,  Jo- 
seph F.  Knapp,  Bernard  Peters,  Thomas  E. 
Stillman,  Franklin  Woodruff,  David  A.  Boody, 
William  A.  Read,  Abbott  L.  Dow,  E.  H.  R. 
Lyman,  A.  C.  Barnes,  Charles  E.  Schieren, 
Alexander  E.  Orr,  Benjamin  D.  Silliman  and 
Gustave  A.  Jahn.  In  answer  to  a  request 
for  funds,  money  soon  began  to  flow  in,  and 
the  commission  to  execute  the  statue  was 
placed  with  Frederick  ]\IacMonnies.  His 
work  was  most  satisfactorily  completed,  and 
the  statue  was  unveiled  amid  much  ceremony, 
at  which  Mr.  Stranahan  was  privileged  to  be 
present  and  to  listen  to  many  kindly  words 
about  himself,  notably  those  in  the  masterly 
address  of  Dr.  Storrs. 

Besides  its  progress  in  material  wealth,  in 
architectural  beauty  and  commercial  impor- 
tance, the  feature  of  Brooklyn's  story  during 
its  last  twenty  years  was  annexation.  The 
consolidation  of  Williamsburgh,  Greenpoint 
and  Bushwick  in  1855  and  the  success  of  that 
experiment  in  the  harmonious  blending  of  the 
various  elements  had  inspired  a  desire  for 
"more."  Besides,  it  was  felt  that  Brooklyn 
was  daily  overflowing  its  old  boundaries,  and 
that  the  outlying  districts  were  getting  many 
of  the  benefits  of  the  city  government  and 
privileges  without  being  of  any  assistance  in 
the  matter  of  paying  taxes,  that  what  was 
spoken  about  as  the  "outside  towns"  were  in 
reality  prospering  at  the  expense  of  Brooklyn. 
A  beginning  was  made  in  1886,  when  on  May 
13  a  bill  which  had  passed  the  Legislature 
33 


annexing  New  Lots  became  a  law  without 
the  Governor's  signature,  thus  taking  from 
the  town  of  Flatbush  a  vast  proportion  of  its 
territory  and  adding  a  new  ward,  the  Twenty- 
sixth,  to  Brooklyn. 

The  early  story  of  New  Lots  has  already 
been  told,  but  the  following  interesting  sketch 
by  Mr.  N.  F.  Palmer  is  interesting,  as  show- 
ing its  modern  development: 

New  Lots  was  originally  settled  by  the 
well-to-do  farmers  of  old  Flatbush,  and  be- 
came an  active  farming  district  for  market 
gardening,  and  all  these  New  Lots  farmers 
became  prosperous  and  their  influence  was 
felt  in  the  politics  of  Kings  county.  This  in- 
fluence prevented  any  innovation  in  the  way 
of  real  estate  development,  and  not  until  1835. 
was  there  in  the  New  Lots  section  a  single 
parcel  of  land  cut  up  into  building  lots.  In 
that  year  Abraham  H.  Van  Wyck  and  Peter 
Neefus  purchased  a  parcel  of  land  from  the 
Johannus  Eldert  family,  who  owned  a  large 
farm  extending  from  the  Jamaica  plank  road 
to  the  old  New  Lots  road  next  to  the  boun- 
dary line  of  the  town  of  Jamaica.  This  locality 
had  become  famous  by  the  horse  race  tracks 
at  Union  Course  and  Centerville,  and  a  de- 
mand took  place  for  building  lots.  Van  Wyck 
mapped  the  lands  into  the  first  building  lots,. 
25x100,  in  1836,  and  lot  No.  I  was  near  the- 
corner  of  what  is  now  Jamaica  avenue  and 
Eldert  lane,  in  what  is  now  known  as  the  Cy- 
press Hills  section  of  the  ward. 

A  few  years  after  this,  July,  1837,  the 
farms  of  Major  Daniel  Rapelje  and  others- 
were  purchased  by  John  R.  Pitkin  and  a  map- 
made  known  as  "Map  No.  i.  East  New  York; 
lands,  or  the  First  Manufacturing  District,, 
lying  on  the  Great  Eastern  Railroad,  five  and' 
one-half  miles  from  the  city  of  New  York."' 
This  was  the  first  use  of  the  words  East  Newr 
York,  and  represented  a  neighborhood  near  the 
old  Howard  House.  The  Postoffice  Depart- 
ment adopted  the  name,  and  it  has  stuck  to  it 
ever  since.  There  never  was  any  village  cor- 
poration nor  other  form  of  government,  ex- 
cept the  town  of  Flatbush,  until  1852,  when 
the  town  of  New  Lots  was  set  off  and  created 
out  of  the  eastern  part  of  the  town  of  Hat- 
bush.  Between  Van  Wyck  and  Pitken  maps- 
of  1836  and  1843  little  was  accomplished  to 
create  a  boom  in  building  on  this  tract.     On 


■514 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


the  contrary,  Pitkin  was  obliged  to  work 
hard  to  hold  his  own  through  the  hard  times 
of  '36,  and  released  from  contract  a  vast  area 
contemplated  in  this  manufacturing  district. 
On  the  1st  and  7th  of  July,  1841,  and  the  2d 
and  isth  of  July,  1842,  the  titles  (streets  and 
avenues)  were  "made  perfect  through  two 
great  chancery  sales,"  and  a  map  was  printed 
which  gave  notice:  "East  New  York  (center 
property).  Union,  monthly  auction  sale  map. 
Notice:  Several  of  the  present  proprietors  of 
this  valuable  property  have  concluded  to 
unite  in  establishing  a  system  of  monthly 
auction  sales  to  persons  wishing  to  make  lo- 
cations, or  improvements.  Persons  can  go 
out  to  see  said  property  by  the  railroad  cars 
from  the  South  Ferry,  Brooklyn  side,  at  9>4 
A.  M.,  4  and  6j4  o'clock  P.  M.  Tickets  Y^ 
each.  Returning  from  East  New  York  the 
cars  leave  at  about  8J4,  iJ4  and  ^Yi  o'clock. 
This  is  a  good  opportunity  to  secure  very 
valuable  property  at  low  prices.  It  will  soon 
be  on  the  line  of  the  great  thoroughfare  to 
Boston,  the  quick  ten  hour  route  per  Long 
Island  Railroad  now  nearly  complete,  and  only 
about  22  minutes'  time  per  railroad  from  the 
<;ity,  Brooklyn  side.  How  can  Newark  and 
Lynn  be  so  much  better  than  E.  N.  Y.  ?  They 
are  not  so  well  situated." 

So  wrote  John  R.  Pitkin  in  1843,  more  than 
half  a  century  ago,  and,  strange  to  contem- 
plate, he  then  could  ride  from  the  South 
Ferry  to  East  New  York  in  twenty-two  min- 
•utes.  He  used  the  argument  about  time  to 
get  there  with  great  foresight,  for  he  real- 
ized that  as  an  inducement  to  boom  his 
venture  nothing  else  could  better  be  engraved 
orL  his  map. 

This  map  shows  that  there  were  only  thir- 
ty-eight buildings  in  East  New  York  at  this- 
time.  The  railroad  was  in  the  center  of  At- 
lantic avenue,  and  had  a  branch  track  down 
what  was  then,  and  is  now,  Pennsylvania 
avenue,  into  a  building  in  "Block  14,"  south 
■of  South  Carolina  avenue,  which  we  now  call 
Liberty  avenue,  into  the  building  of  the  New 
Jersey  Mills,  now  owned  by  the  Davis  family, 
.and  still  in  operation.  The  Howards'  Half- 
way House,  on  the  Brooklyn  and  Jamaica 
turnpike  at  the  end  of  Flatbush  road  at  the 
head  of  Alabama  avenue,  is  where  the  stage 
■coaches  made  a  stop.  Opposite  was  the  house 
■of  J.  L.  Williams,  standing  about  opposite 
to  the  middle  of  the  block,  on  the  north  side 
of  Flatbush  road.     There    were    no    streets 


represented    on    this   map    west    of    Alabama 
avenue,   except  the   Flatbush  road,   nor  any 
east   of  Wyckoff's   lane,    nor    south    of    old 
Broadway.     The   following  names  appear  as 
owners  of  lots:    E.  M.  Strong,  Isaac  Bemis, 
Jacob  H.  Sackman,  W.  J.  Furman,  J.  L.  Will- 
iams,   Vanderbof,    W.  van    Voorhees,    Fred- 
erick Lang  and  John  Taphan  along  the  south 
side  of  the  turnpike.    Along  Virginia  avenue 
(Fulton    street)    are    the     names:     Johnson, 
Charles  Gough,    Wolcott    March,     Ransome 
Smith,  and  Turner.     Along  Alabama  avenue, 
on  the  east  side,  were:  Henry  Grobe,  Abrm. 
Van  Siclen,    Leonard  Bond,    Francis    Keitz, 
Jacob  H.  Sackman,    Isaac  Bemis,    John    W. 
Warth,    Charles  Heitkamp.     On  Georgia  ave- 
nue:    Ransome  Smith,    Potter    J.    Thomas, 
Charles  Vinton,   Charles  Georig,  William   K.. 
Teasdale,     William     Simonson,     Rul     Smith, 
Wentworth,  Isaac  M.  Steevnorf  (Stoothoofs). 
On    Sheffield    avenue    were  Wolcot    Marsh, 
Jacob  H.  Sackman,  J.  L.  Williams,  Thomas  I. 
Gerrald,  Lewis  Kendig,  S.  Frisbey,  John  Van 
Siclen.    Pennsylvania  avenue  on  the  west  side 
was    all    a    courtyard,  with    no    names  on  it. 
On  the  east  side  were  names :    Vanderhoef, 
Ransome   Smith,    Samuel    Judson,    Sherman 
Institute  Branch  Depository  Work  and  School, 
with  Manson  House  corner  of  Atlantic  ave- 
nue.    H.  F.  Thrall  on  south  side  of  Atlantic 
avenue,  and    south    side    of.  North  Carolina 
avenue  (Liberty  avenue)  the  factory  building, 
now  Davis'  New  Jersey  Mills ;  on  New  Jersey 
avenue  were  Dutch  Reformed  Church,    Tur- 
ner, S.  Shepherd,   George  Butcher,  C.  Goebel. 
Corner  of  South  Carolina  avenue  (now  Glen- 
more),    M.    F.    Misenere,    J.  F.  Bridges;  on 
Vermont  avenue   were,   corner  Virginia  ave- 
nue, Ransome  Smith,  Jacob  H.  Sackman;  cor- 
ner Atlantic  avenue,    Ransome    Smith,    John 
Lohmans,    Morganthaler,    Assalle    Seldinger, 
Charles  Beumaer,  R.  S.  Winslow;  on  Wyckoff 
lane  were,  on  west  side,  John  Sopham,  John 
Lohman,  J.  H.  Sackman,  C.  Heitkamp,  Charles 
Beumer,   F.  Lang,  John  W.  Worth,  and'  at 
Broadway,  Philip  Obergirck.    Not  all  of  these 
occupied  buildings,  but  they  were  the  first  in- 
vestors in  real  estate  in  this  locality. 

In  1838  John  R.  Pitkin  came  out  with  a 
second  map  of  the  Second  Manufacturing 
District  in  the  easterly  part  of  the  town,  lay- 
ing out  a  large  territory  from  the  turnpike  to 
the  New  Lots  road.  This  was  premature  and 
the  same  territory  was  subsequently  mapped 
by    Rapalye,  Walter    Nichols,    Lewis    Curtis 


'THE    END    OF    AN    AULD    SANG." 


515 


and  others;  only  a  few  blocks  of  this  old  mao 
Temain.  In  1849  Williams,  Pellington  &  Fur- 
man  laid  out  the  land  at  the  north  side  of 
the  B.  and  J.  plank  road  between  old  How- 
ard place  and  old  Pellington  place.  This  was 
followed  in  185 1  by  the  Jacob  H.  Sackman 
map  and  in  1853  by  Sackman,  Barby  &  Del- 
monico.  Horace  A.  Miller  came  out  in  1853 
with  the  map  of  eighteen  blocks  of  land  on 
the  east  side  of  Pitkin's  East  New  York 
lands,  between  the  plank  road  and  old  Broad- 
way. Up  to  1859  these  were  the  principal 
lands  of  East  New  York.  About  this  period 
C.  W.  Heitkamp  was  energetic  and  took  a  lead- 
ing part  in  the  affairs  of  the  town.  He  pub- 
lished a  map  made  "from  different  surveys 
and  maps  made  and  drawn  by  M.  G.  Johman, 
Esq."  At  this  period  the  Broadway  ho'ise  rail- 
road had  continued  to  circumnavigate  around 
two  blocks  near  the  Howard  House,  but  the 
Fulton  street  horse  cars  had  got  only  to  the 
Mattowak  House,  where  the  plank  road  com- 
pany of  the  late  Aaron  A.  De  Graw  stood  on 
guard.  At  this  period  John  R.  Pitkin  was 
general  agent  and  signed  a  "map  of  East  New 
York,  Kings  County,  Long  Island,  N.  Y., 
drawn  by  C.  W.  Heitkamp,  lithographed  and 
published  by  Gustav  Kraetzer,  May  i,  1859." 
The  map  said :  "Great  sale  at  auction  of  East 
New  York  (center)  building  lots,  by  James 
Cole  &  Son,  at  the  Merchants'  Exchange, 
New  York,  of  100  very  valuable  (reserved) 
center  lots,  belonging  to  George  D.  Pitkin, 
Israel  W.  Vanderveer  and  others.  *  *  * 
This  is  all  most  desirable  property  within 
4%  miles  of  New  York  City.  By  Broadway 
cars  (fare  5  cents).  About  five  miles  by  Ful- 
ton avenue  cars  from  Fulton  Ferry  (fare  5 
cents)  and  5J4  miles  from  South  Ferry."  No 
mention  is  made  of  the  Long  Island  R.  R.  or 
how  one  could  get  from  South  Ferry. 

The  principal  buildings  at  East  New  York 
in  1859  were :  Howard  House,  by  P.  H.  Reid ; 
Mattowak  House,  by  W.  Simonson ;.  Railroad 
Hotel,  by  M.  Bennett,  on  Atlantic  avenue; 
Military  Hall,  by  John  Lohman,  Liberty  ave- 
nue; residence  of  C.  R.  Miller,  of  Bernhard 
Mc Williams.  Broadway  and  Hull  street;  Nic- 
olson  brick  cottage,  J.C.  Middendorf,  residence 
and  grocery,  corner  of  Sheffield  avenue  and 
Fulton  street,  with  the  old  pump  in  front  of 
it;  William  Alexander,  residence  on  Flatbush 
road  (East  New  York  avenue) ;  James  L. 
Williams,  residence,  since  moved,  and  is  now 
standing  on  the  north  side  of  East  New  York 


avenue,  opposite  Williams  avenue;  C.  Heit- 
kamp, store  and  residence,  on  old  plank  road, 
where  many  a  man  has  fallen  up  the  three 
steps  to  get  before  the  justice  of  the  peace; 
C.  A.  Beckert,  M.  D.,  at  Sheffield  avenue,  and 
G.  Kraetzer,  residence,  Sheffield  avenue. 

East  New  York  at  this  period  had  also  the 
target  companies  shooting  galleries  of  L.  Al- 
tenbrand,  of  M.  Bennett  and  of  H.  Luhrs,  be- 
hind which  now  stands  Breitkopt's  Hotel,  on 
the  corner  of  Bushwick  and  Jamaica  avenue, 
at  the  head  of  Pennsylvania  avenue.  At  about 
this  period,  or  in  1861,  the  city  of  Brooklyn 
had  opened  up  the  streets  to  the  old  patent 
line,  along  the  ridge  of  hills,'  and  the  James 
L.  Williams  map  had  opened  the  intervening 
land  from  the  Howard  House  to  the  old  city 
line.  'Ihe  old  parade  ground  west  of  Ala- 
bama avenue  and  south  of  Atlantic  avenue  did 
not  come  out  as  lots  until  the  Whitehead 
Howard  map  was  filed  in  1869,  although  the 
survey  and  map  was  made  in  1857.  The  indi- 
viduals whose  names  are  mentioned,  so  far, 
were  the  pioneers  of  East  New  York,  and  the 
period  to  which  they  belonged  was  one  pecu- 
liar to  itself,  and  long  to  be  remembered  as 
East  New  York. 

The  return  of  the  steam  locomotive  on  At- 
lantic avenue  and  the  opening  of  the  elevated 
railroads  just  before  annexation  to  Brooklyn 
in  1886  marks  a  middle  period  and  one  which 
was  historical  in  its  results,  because  at  one 
bound  this  locality  attracted  capital,  and  a 
flood  of  it  came,  until  hardly  a  farm  was  left 
to  be  purchased  for  the  making  of  building 
lots,  and  East  New  York  vanished  and  Brook- 
lyn came  to  our  doors  and  welcomed  us  as  the 
Twenty-sixth  Ward.  Previous  to  that,  and 
not  since  1869,  when  Williamsburgh  and  old 
Bushwick  were  annexed  to  Brooklyn,  had  one 
square  foot  of  territory  been  added  to  old 
•  Brooklyn.  The  sudden  development  of  the 
Twenty-sixth  Ward,  after  the  opening  of  the 
elevated  railroads,  as  the  actual  end  of  the 
Brooklyn  Bridge,  led  up  to  conditions  which 
eventually  terminated  in  the  annexation  of  all 
the  county  towns  of  Kings  county  and  ended 
in  consolidation  with  the  city  of  New  York. 
Surely  East  New  York  pioneers  started  a  great 
project  of  suburban  development.  They  came 
up  to  East  New  York  out  of  the  crowded  tene- 
ments of  the  old  city  for  fresh  air  and  pros- 
perity, and  they  got  both ;  peace  to  their  ashes 
and  respect  for  their  courage. 

Previous  to  the  annexation  of  the  town  of 


516 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


New  Lots  to  the  city  of  Brooklyn  an  economi- 
cal political  government  had  made  taxes  small 
with  very  few  public  improvements.  The  first 
expensive  improvement  was  the  grading,  curb- 
ing and  paving  in  part  of  Atlantic  avenue, 
which  was  done  in  1870  by  a  special  commis- 
sion under  an  act  passed  April  16,  1869.  This 
cost  about  $100,000.  Thereafter  a  few  prin- 
cipal streets  in  the  old  East  New  York  section 
were  improved  by  grading,  curbing  and  flag- 
ging, which  aggregated  about  $90,000  more 
expended  under  a  New  Lots  improvement 
commission.  When  the  agitation  of  the  an- 
nexation question  commenced,  it  was  deemed 
wise  to  bond  the  town  for  $500,000  for  public 
improvements,  which  was  done. 

There  was  a  balance  in  this  fund  of  accrued 
interest  amounting  to  about  $20,000,  which 
was  expend'ed  in  part  on  certain  other  street 
improvements,  or  still  remains  to  the  credit 
of  the  ward. 

Since  annexation  to  Brooklyn  the  sewers 
have  been  laid  and  are  being  paid  for  by  as- 
sessments on  the  property  benefited. 

The  Park -Department  has  improved  Glen- 
more  avenue,  through  the  ward,  and  has  also 
improved  the  eastern  parkway  extension  and 
Pennsylvania  avenue.  These  improvements 
were  not  assessed  directly  upon  the  property 
benefited,  by  an  anomaly  in  political  diplo- 
macy. 

The  Twenty-sixth  Ward,  known  up  to  1886 
as  the  town  of  New  Lots,  may  deserve  the 
credit  of  being  the  pioneer  in  annexation  and 
consolidation  to  the  city,  because  the  annexa- 
tion of  that  locality  tO'  Brooklyn  caused  a 
phenomenal  boom  to  suburban  property  in  the 
old  town  of  New  Lots  that  became  a  strong 
argument  among  real  estate  men  and  influ- 
enced the  subsequent  annexation  to  Brooklyn 
of  all  the  other  county  towns  of  Kings  county. 
The  town  of  New  Lots  was  ripe  for  annexa- 
tion when  it  came,  for  it  had  secured  perfect 
railroad  transit  via  both  steam  and  elevated 
railroads,  as  well  as  being  the  terminus  of  the 
trunk  horse  car  lines  to  the  Brooklyn  ferries, 
which  for  five  cents  carried  one  to  the  ferry, 
day  or  night.  Besides  these  railroad  advan- 
tages water  was  secured  at  a  small  cost  to  the 
individual  and  without  a  dollar  of  town  in- 
debtedness. No  wonder  that  the  population 
of  this  ward  increased  from  10,000  in  1872 
to  nearly  80,000  in  1900. 

Since  annexation  to  Brooklyn  the  sewers 
have  been   laid   and  provided   with  the   only 


perfect  outlet  in  Kings  county,  and,  as  these 
sewers  were  prosecuted  on  long  term  bonds- 
and  as  these  bonds  are  about  one-half  paid 
off,  it  will  be  discovered  ere  long  that  the 
Twenty-sixth  Ward  has  indeed  secured  great 
advantages  in  laying  the  foundation  for  a 
great  and  solid  future  to  the  real  estate  in- 
vestor. This  locality  has  passed  through  all 
the  experimental  schemes  of  suburban  de- 
velopment, and  whatever  advantages  it  has  had 
physically,  they  have  all  been  a  factor  in  its 
rapid  growth.  This  ward  may  be  said- to  be 
the  gateway  to  Long  Island,  for  all  the  bridges 
and  railroads,  elevated,  surface  or  depressed, 
go  through  this  gate  to  the  island  with  their 
stream  of  travel.  This  ward  will  be  the  first 
to  develop  a  water  front  on  Jamaica  Bay,  and 
the  wonder  is  that,  with  navigable  water  within 
two  miles  of  a  population  of  nearly  80,000 
people,  not  a  public  dock  for  coal,'  lumber  and 
all  material  necessary  to  cheapen  the  building 
and  sustaining  trade  of  such  a  community  has' 
been  built. 

There  the  annexation  movement  rested 
until,  after  much  negotiation  and  delay.  Flat- 
bush  became  Brooklyn's  Twenty-ninth  Ward 
April  25,  1894,  Gravesend  became  the  Thirty- 
first  Ward  on  May  8,  and  New  Utrecht  the 
Thirtieth  Ward  on  July  i.  This  brought  all 
of  Kings  county  within  the  city  of  Brooklyn 
excepting  the  town  of  Flatlands,  and  that 
wheeled  into  line  in  1896  and  took  rank  with 
her  old  Dutch  sister  communities  as  the  Thir- 
ty-second Ward.  There  was  naturally  great 
jubilation  in  Brooklyn  over  this  consummation, 
and  as  by  the  time  Flatlands  had  surrendei'ed 
the  trolley  was  opening  up  new  routes  daily 
and  the  land  boomers  were  organizing  fresh 
tracts  of  land  into  home  sites,  it  was  felt  that  a 
splendid  future  had  opened  up  for  the  enlarged 
city, — Greater  Brooklyn,  they  called  it,  and 
the  orators  were  wont  to  enlarge  upon  the  ex- 
tent and  importance  of  a  city  that  extended 
from  the  East  River  to  the  sea,  that  practically 
had  space  enough  for  a  century's  growth,  that 
had  a  magnificent  water  front,  a  well-supplied 
treasury,  a  population  of  over  a  million  and 
all  varieties  of  landscape  from  the  crowded 
streets  around  the  City  Hall  to  the  festal  scenes 


OITY   HALL,   BROOKLYH, 


"THE    END    OF    AN    AULD    SANG. 


517 


of  Coney  Island  and  the  hopeful  isolation  of 
Flatlands  and   New  Utrecht. 

But  even  in  the  midst  of  this  expansion 
■and  jubilation  the  evidences  were  not  wanting 
that  a  much   greater   transformation   was   at 
hand;  that  once    the    comedy  of  annexation 
was  over  the  drama  of  consolidation, — some 
regarded  it  as  a  tragedy, — would  begin.     The 
movement  toward  the  consolidation  of  Brook- 
lyn and  New  York  had  long  been  agitated. 
Mr.  Stranahan  had  ventilated  it  for  years,  and 
with    the    completion    of    the    bridge    many 
thoughtful  persons  saw  in  that  evert  but  t1'e 
first  tangible  evidence  of  the  complete  civic 
-union  that  was  bound  to   come.     While  the 
scheme  was  but  a  dream,  Brooklyn  regarded 
the  matter  somewhat  jocularly,  but  in   1894, 
when  the  question  became  serious  and  agita- 
iion  on  the  subject  became  acute,  it  was  seen 
that  the  voting  population  was  pretty  evenly 
divided,  for  and  against.     In  1890  the  advo- 
cates of  union  had  so  far  matured  their  plans 
as  to   have   a   commission   appointed   by  the 
Legislature  to  consider  the  expediency  of  con- 
solidating the  cities.     The  Long  Island  mem- 
bers were  J.  S.  T.  Stranahan,  E.  F.  Linton 
and  W.  D.  Veeder,  of  Brooklyn,  and  John  H. 
Brinckerhoff,  of  Queens.    Lender  the  engineer- 
ing of  this  commission  a  test  vote  as  an  ex- 
pression was  taken  at  the  November  election 
in  1894,  with  the  following  result : 

FOR.         AGAINST. 

Kings    county 64,744         64,467 

Queens   county 7.712  474i 

New  York 96,938         59-959 

With  the  rest  of  the  vote  we  are  not  here 
■concerned.  On  the  Long  Island  side  the  only 
district  to  give  a  majority  against  consolida- 
tion was  Flushing  (1,407  against,  1,144  for, 
■union)  ;  but  the  most  curious  fact  brought  out 
was  that  Brooklyn's  exploits  in  the  way  of 
■annexation  had  really  sounded  the  knell  of 
its  own  separate  history.  The  majority  in 
Kings  county  for  consolidation  was  only  277, 
■and  this  was  brought  about  by  the  vote  of  the 
annexed  towns,  for  in  Brooklyn  city  proper 


the  vote  showed  a  majority  of  1,034  against. 
The  vote  had  hardly  been  counted  before  defi- 
nite action  was  taken  by  the  opponents  of  the 
question  which  had  now  become  a  live  and 
most  important  issue.  The  League  of  Loyal 
Citizens  was  formed  and  began  a  vigorous 
campaign,  using  the  press,  enlisting  orators, 
issuing  leaflets  and  even  a  newspaper  which 
was  called  "The  Greater  Brooklyn,"  and  in- 
troduced into  the  Legislature  a  bill  supported 
by  a  petition  signed  by  over  70,000  voters  of 
Brooklyn,  calling  for  a  resubmission  of  the 
question  to  a  vote  of  the  people.  On  January 
13,  1896,  the  league  organized  a  mass  meet- 
ing in  the  Academy  of  Music,  where  Dr.  Storrs. 
presided  and  declared  that  while  resubmis- 
sion was  the  topic  to  be  considered,  "there  is 
now  a  strong  sentiment  against  consolidation 
with  or  without  resubmission."  "Let  Brook- 
lyn's future  remain  in  the  hands  of  Brook- 
lyn's people,"  was  the  watchword  of  the  meet- 
ing, and  its  entire  proceedings  showed  the  keen 
antipathy  which  had  been  aroused  to  any  at- 
tempt at  union.  In  March,  1896,  liowever,  a 
bill  favoring  consolidation  was  passed  in  the 
Senate  by  a  vote  of  38  to  8  and  in  the  Assem- 
bly by  91  to  56.  When  submitted  as  required 
by  law  to  the  executives  of  the  municipalities 
affected.  Mayor  Strong,  of  New  York,  and 
Mayor  Wurster,  of  Brooklyn,  vetoed  the  bill, 
and  Mayor  Gleason,  of  Long  Island  City,  ap- 
proved it.  When  the  bill  was  returned  to  Al- 
bany it  was  promptly  repassed  and  became  a 
law.  A  mass  meeting  in  New  York,  in  which 
A.  A.  Low  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Cuyler  took  a 
prominent  part,  asked  Governor  Morton  to 
veto  the  bill,  but  it  was  signed  on  May  11, 
1896,  and  so  the  first  stage  of  the  struggle 
was  over. 

By  the  terms  of  the  act  consolidation  was 
to  go  into  effect  on  January  i,  1898,  and  in 
the  meantime  a  commission  was  to  frame  a 
charter  for  the  proposed  great  municipality 
and  setting  out  the  basis  of  the  union.  This 
commission  consisted  of  Seth  Low,  Benjamin 
F.  Tracy,  John  F.  Dillon,  Comptroller  Stew- 


518 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


art  L.  Woodford,  Thomas  F.  Gilroy,  Silas  B. 
Butcher,  William  C.  De  Witt,  George  M. 
Pinney,  Jr.,  and  Harrison  S.  Moore.  That 
body  accomplished  its  task,  and  the  charter  it 
prepared,  after  being  amended  to  please  the 
whims  of  some  of  the  legislators,  was  duly 
passed  and  became  a'  law  by  the  signature  of 
the  Governor  on  May  2,  1897.  In  November 
of  that  year  the  Mayor  of  the  consolidated 
municipality  and  all  the  other  elective  officials 
provided  by  the  charter  were  chosen  after  a 
heated  campaign,  and  then  the  consolidation 
movement  had  only  to  wait  a  few  weeks  be- 
fore coming  to  its  full  fruition. 

It  was  truly  a  mournful  gathering  that 
assembled  in  the  Council  Chamber  of  Brook- 
lyn's City  Hall  on  the  closing  hours  of  De- 
cember 31,  1897,  to  observe  the  passing  into 
history  of  the  City  of  Churches.  There  was 
no  lack  of  expressions  of  hope  for  the  future; 
it  was  even  felt  by  many  that  Brooklyn  was 
about  to  enter  upon  the  highest  phase  of  her 
history;  that  she  was  to  preserve  her  indi- 
viduality in  the  cluster  of  boroughs  which  the 
next  day  were  to  unite  into  the  Greater  New 
York;  but  even  the  most  optimistic  in  the 
gathering  could  not  but  feel  that  they  v/ere 
face  to  face  with  "the  end  of  an  auld  sang," 
as  the  Chancellor  of  Scotland  remarked  with 
the  passing  of  the  last  vote  which  united  that 


country    to     England.      The    meeting, — "the 
wake,"  some  one  irreverently  called  it, — was- 
arranged  mainly  by  the  Society  of  Old  Brook- 
lynites  and  the  city  officials,  and  the  following 
formed  the  committee  in  charge:    Joseph  C. 
Hendrix,  William  Berri,  Herbert  F.  Gunnison,. 
John  S.  McKeon,  Richard  Young,  James  L. 
Watson,  D.  T.  Leverich,  John  Hess,  E.  D. 
White,  Stephen  M.  Griswold,  Mayor  Wurster,. 
Comptroller  Palmer,  Auditor  Sutton,  Alder- 
men J.  R.  Clark  and  David  S.  Stewart.    The 
City   Hall    was    bedecked  with    flowers  and 
seemed  gay  even  in  the  waning  hours  of  its- 
pre-eminence.      Over    the    exercises    Mayor 
Wurster  presided,  and  in  a  graceful  manner 
performed  his  last  public  official  duty.  The  in- 
evitable  "oration"   without   which   no  Amer- 
ican gathering  would  be  complete  was  deliv- 
ered by  St.   Clair  McKelway,  whose  theme 
was  "From  Great  to  Greater."     Will  Carle- 
ton,  the  poet,  read  an  original  ode,  "The  Pass- 
ing of   Brooklyn,"   and   Rev.   J.    M.    Farrar,. 
D.   D.,   delivered  an  address   on   "Commerce 
and     Church."     An     informal     address    was 
made   at   the   close  of   the  exercises   by   ex- 
Mayor    Seth   Low. 

The  proceedings  were  kept  up  until  the  toll- 
ing of  the  bell  in  the  tower  announced  at  once 
the  dawn  of  1898  and  the  end  of  the  long  and 
honorable  story  of  the  City  of  Brooklyn. 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 


QUEENS. 


Development  From   Rural  to  Urban   Life — The   Future  of  the  Borough- 
Horse   Racing — An   Interesting   Story  ok  the 
Consolidation. 


ITH  the  advent  of  the  Greater  New 
York  the  old  county  of  Queens  be- 
came Httle  more  than  an  expres- 
sion. Shorn  of  its  ancient  bound- 
aries it  retained  its  county  organization,  its 
County  Clerk,  District  Attorney,  Surrogate, 
Sheriff  and  other  legal  officials,  but  for  admin- 
istrative purposes  it  became  one  of  the  bor- 
oughs of  the  Greater  New  York  with  its  repre- 
sentatives in  the  Council  and  on  the  Board  of 
Aldermen  of  the  great  city,  its  own  local  Bor- 
ough President,  Board  of  Public  Improve- 
ment, its  school  board  and  the  like.  It  is  as 
much  a  distinct  borough  as  Manhattan  or 
Brooklyn,  with  the  same  official  staff  as  has 
any  of  the  other  component  sections  of  the 
greater  city. 

But  that  fact  does  not  make  it  any  the  less 
true  that  many  of  the  old  residents  of  the 
Queens  County  as  it  was,  believe  that  in  its 
present  status  as  a  borough  much  of  its  old 
glory  has  departed,  that  its  birthright  has  been 
sold  for  a  mess  of  pottage  and  that  even  that 
reward  or  price  is  still  in  the  future.  At  the 
•election  of  Nov.  6,  1894,  at  which  the  question 


of  consolidation  was  decided  by  the  people 
Queens  county  voted  in  favor  of  the  change 
by  7,712  votes  to  4,741,  the  large  majority 
being  rolled  up  mainly  through  the  votes  of 
Long  Island'  City.  Flushing  township  voted 
1,407  against  consolidation  and  1,144  in  favor 
of  it. 

The  boundaries  of  the  old  County  of 
Queens  were  as  follows :  On  the  east  by  Suf- 
folk County,  on  the  west  by  Kings  County,  on 
the  north  by  Long  Island  Sound  and  on  the 
south  by  the  Atlantic,  and  included  410  square 
miles.  In  its  territory  was  the  North  and 
South  Brother,  Riker  (Hallet's)  and  several 
smaller  islands.  The  whole  was  divided  into 
the  six-  townships  of  Newtown,  Flushing, 
Jamaica,  North  Hempstead,  Hempstead  and 
Oyster  Bay.  For  a  long  time  its  population 
increased  slowly — slowly,  that  is,  considering 
its  contiguity  to  Manhattan  Island.  In  1731 
the  figure  was  7,895;  in  1786,  13,084;  in  1800, 
16,983;  in  1830,  22,460;  in  1880,  90,574;  and 
in  1890,  the  last  official  census  in  which  the 
county  figured,  128,415,  The  details  of  the 
two  latest  censuses  follow : 


522 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Flushing   town 

Including  College  Point  vil- 
lage  

Flushing  village 

Whitestone  village 

Hempstead    town 

Including  Far  Rockaway  vil- 
lage  

Hempstead  village 

Inwood   village 

Lawrence    village 

Rockaway  Beach  village. 

Seaford  village 

Jamaica    town 

Including  Jamaica  village.  . .  . 

Ozone  Park  village 

Richmond  Hill  village. .  . 
Long  Island  City 

Ward  1 8,359 

Ward  2 37303 

Ward  3 4,813 

Ward  4 9,263 

Ward  5 4,768 

Newtown  town 

Including  Corona  village 

Middle  village 

Winfield    village 

Woodside   village 

North  Hempstead  town 

Including  Roslyn  village 

Oyster  Bay  town,  including 
Sea  Cliff'  village  (organized 
in    1880) 


1890. 
19,803 

6,127 

8,463 
2,808 

23.756 

2,288 

4-831 
1,277 

626 
1,502 

503 

14,441 

5,361 

539 
626 

30,506 


1880. 
15,906 

4,192 

.  6,683 

2,520 

18,164 


2,521 


10,088 
3,922 


■17,129 


17,549 
2,362 

504 

819 

710 

8,134 

1,251 


9,804 
750 


500 
7,560 
1,101 


13,870     11,923 


Totals 128, 


059    90,574 


Smce  the  change  which  incorporated  it 
into  New  York,  what  remains  of  the  old  coun- 
ty as  the  Borough  of  Queens  still  continues  to 
show  an  increase,  and  that  in  a  more  marked 
degree  than  formerly.  Long  Island  City  has 
now  an  estimated  population  of  over  50,000 
and  the  other  sections  are  increasing  in  great 
although  not  equal  proportions.  Of  late  years 
the  land  boomer  has  been  energetically  at  work 
and  devoting  to  Queens  some  at  least  of  that 
energy  which  helped  so  materially  to  build  up 
the  old  outlying  sections  of  Brooklyn,  and  as  a 
result  many  new  settlements  are  opened  up 
each  year.  But  the  increased  facilities  of  travel 
with  the  various  sections  of  the  Greater  City 


in  the  way  of  bridges  over  the  East  River  and 
tunnels  under  it  and  the  splendid  programme 
of  the  Long  Island  Railroad  as  to  its  immedi- 
ate extension  and  the  adoption  of  improve- 
ments which  win  make  it  a  trunk  line  are  the' 
surest  reliances  for  the  wonderful '  growth 
which  will  come  to  Qtisens  within  the  next 
decade.  Its  population  of  152,999  in  1900  will, 
it  is  confidently  expected,  be  doubled. 

For  a  long  time  in  the  last  century  the  pop- 
ulation of  Queens  increased  very  slowly  so  far 
as  immigration  was  concerned.  Little  effort 
was  made  to  entice  settlement  and  it  was  so- 
inconveniently  situated  that  even  intercourse 
between  it  and  Brooklyn  was  difficult.  Long 
after  Brooklyn  and  its  associate  towns  and 
even  the  villages  of  Westchester  were  more  or 
less  marked  by  the  influx  of  settlers  from 
abroad.  Queens  county  went  on  the  even  tenor 
of  its  way,  contented  with  its  isolation,  proud 
of  its  old  families,  and  careful  of  the  ancient 
customs  which  had  been  handed  down,  gener- 
ation after  generation.  But  such  a  state  of 
things  could  not  endure  for  ever  and  the  in- 
troduction of  the  railroad  in  Queens  as  well, 
as  elsewhere  brought  a  change.  Long  Island 
City,  for  instance,  may  be  regarded  as  a  prod- 
uct of  the  railway,  and  it  has  had  for  years,, 
as  it  has  now,  a  larger  proportion  of  foreigrt 
born  citizens  in  its  population  than  any  other 
part  of  the  borough.  Jamaica,  too,  has  felt 
the  change,  although  it  was  not  until  the  in- 
troduction of  the  trolley  and  its  cheap  and 
speedy  method  of  transit  that  it  began  to  really 
feel  the  full  effect  of  the  modern  impulse. 

But  gratifying  as  this  increase  of  popula- 
tion is  in  one  sense — in  every  practical  sense — 
it  has  not  been  witnessed  without  a  sentiment 
of  regret  by  some  of  the  representatives  of  the 
old  families.  The  late  Gov.  R.  C.  McCormick, 
who  for  fifty  years  had  his  home  in  Jamaica^ 
remarked  a  few  weeks  before  his  death  (1901) 
to  the  writer  with  considerable  pathos :  "I  re- 
member when  I  used  to  walk  along  these- 
streets  of  Jamaica  and  everybody  knew  me  and 
spoke   to  me.     I   knew   all  the  children,  and 


QUEENS. 


523- 


could  send  kindly  messages  of  enquiry  with 
them  to  their  homes.  I  had  something  to  say 
to  every  man  or  woman  I  met,  I  knew  much  of 
their  history,  their  hopes,  their  disappoint- 
ments, their  anxieties  and  sorrows.  They  all 
knew  me,  knew  of  my  interests,  my  politics, 
my  purposes,  my  standing  in  the  community. 
Now  I  can  walk  from  my  home  here  to  the 
postoiSce  and  back  again  and  not  exchange  a 
word  with  any  one.  It  is  very  sad;  it  is  not 
as  it  used  to  be ;  we  have  lost  the  old  friendli- 
ness and  neighborliness,  we  are  growing  in 
strength,  new  streets  are  being  opened  up  each 
year,  we  have  no  fault  to  find  with  the  new- 
comers, they  are  here  to  found  homes — the 
very  best  class  of  settlers  who  can  come  to  any 
place,  but  somehow  the  old  charm  of  personal 
acquaintance  has  been  lost." 

In  one  respect  the  statistics  of  Queens 
County  are  peculiar,  as  they  show,  until  almost 
a  recent  date,  a  very  small  proportion  of  pau- 
perism. In  1835,  for  instance,  with  a  popula- 
tion of  25,130,  there  were  only  71  persons  re- 
ceiving public  relief.  This  slim  proportion 
continued  all  through  the  history  of  the  coun- 
ty until  the  introduction  of  the  railway,  and 
the  figures  before  us  tell  the  story  so  familiar 
to  students  of  sociology  that  as  the  county  ad- 
vanced in  wealth  so  did  the  number  of  its  pau- 
pers increase.  In  a  purely  agricultural  com- 
munity, and  especially  in  a  community  where 
the  ground  is  tilled  by  its  owners,  pauperism 
does  not  flourish,  and  such  a  community  was 
Queens  County  until  it  began  to  fall  under  the 
influence  of  the  spirit  of  "modern  improve- 
ments." 

But  the  future  of  Queens  borough  is  not  to 
lie  in  agriculture;  that  much  seems  certain 
from  a  survey  of  existing  conditions  or  condi- 
tions promised.  It  will  be  by  the  growth  of  its 
manufactures,  the  development  of  its  seaside 
resorts  and  its  advantages  as  a  place  for  home 
building.  Long  Island  City  is  already  a  manu- 
facturing centre,  so  is  Jamaica,  and  scattered 
through  the  country  are  places  like  Steinway 


devoted  solely  to  one  branch  of  trade.  All  that 
is  really  needed  to  upbuild  local  manufacturing 
prosperity  is  cheap  and  adequate  communica- 
tion with  the  rest  of  the  continent,  and  that  is- 
promised  in  the  fullest  measure  in  the  near  fu- 
ture. Land  is  cheap  in  every  section  of  the- 
borough  and  water  privileges  are  plentiful. 
In  the  way  of  summer  resorts  contiguous  to 
New  York,  it  has  splendid  advantages.  On  the 
Atlantic  coast  the  Rockaways,  Arverne,, 
Woodsburgh,  Lawrence,  and  Edgemere  are  al- 
ready famous  and  popular;  on  the  other  side 
North  Beach  now  attracts  thousands  each  year, 
and  Flushing  Bay  is  ready  to  provide  a  dozen 
resorts,  while  College  Point,  Whitestone  and- 
the  shores  of  Little  Neck  Bay  already  boast 
populous  summer  colonies. 

For  home  building  with  the  trolley  system' 
daily  becoming  more  ubiquitous,  and  the  prom- 
ised development  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad, 
and  the  tunnels  and  bridges  ijow  in  course  of 
construction,  all  insuring  rapid  and  convenient 
travel,  there  is  no  section  better  for  practical 
purposes  on  Long  Island.  Real  estate  in-. 
Brooklyn — throughout  old  Kings  County,  in 
fact — has  long  lost  its  old;  time  quality  of 
cheapness — a  quality  that  still  presents  itself 
abundantly  in  Queens.  Then  according  to  the 
schemes  now  being  put  through,  Jamaica  wilt 
really  be  nearer  the  centre  of  business  on  Man- 
hattan Island  than  are  Flatbush  or  Gravesend. 

A  ridge  of  high  hills  runs  east  and  west 
through  the  borough  along  its  northern  part^ 
throwing  out  spurs  to  the  Sound  and  breaking 
the  shore  into  indentations  of  bays  and  head- 
lands. On  this  ridge,  facing  the  water,  are- 
some  of  the  most  finished  home  settlements  in 
the  city,  while  the  broad  interior  plain  stretch- 
ing southward  to  the  Atlantic  is  covered  with- 
agricultural  villages,  railroad  towns  and  thriv- 
ing suburbs.  Throughout  both  the  Sound  and 
plains  settlements  city  improvements,  such  as^ 
water,  gas  and  electricity,  are  universal,  and 
larger  places,  like  Flushing  and  Jamaica,  have- 
sewerage  systems. 


524 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Writing  on  the  certain  progress  of  Queens 
Borough,  a  recent  writer,  who  evidently  had 
the  facts  at  his  finger's  end,  wrote : 

This  tremendous  prospective  growth  of 
p<ipulation  must  of  necessity  follow  the  lines 
of  least  resistance,  which,  in  the  presence  of 
adequate  transportation,  are  determined  by 
the  cost  of  land.  On  this  basis  Queens  should 
receive  a  disproportionate  share  of  whatever 
uivestment  takes  place,  for  land  in  Queens 
is  selling  at  hundreds  of  dollars  as  against 
thousands  in  the  case  of  land  in  Manhattan 
and  The  Bronx  at  an  equal  distance  from  the 
Manhattan  City  Hall.  The  Long  Island  Rail- 
road's passenger  service  will  come  into  direct 
contact  with  the  Manhattan  Rapid  Transit 
.system  at  the  Brooklyn  terminal  of  the  tunnel 
from  the  Battery  and  in  Manhattan  itself 
through  the  tunnel  ■  from  Long  Island  City. 
Through  these  tunnels  the  principal  settle- 
ments in  Queens  will  be  tapped  without  change 
of  cars,  except  to  board  those  of  the  Man- 
hattan Rapid  Transit  road,  and  these  new  out- 
lets to  Manhattan  will  be  supplemented  by 
three  others  dispensing  with  water  passage — 
the  East  River  Bridge,  the  Blackwell's  Island 
.Bridge  and  the  bridge  at  Peck  Slip,  all  of  wnich 
are  under  way.  The  combined  effect  of  two 
tunnels  and  three  new  bridges  on  the  passen- 
.ger  service  from  Queens  will  be  tremendous, 
revolutionizing  travel  not  only  over  the  Long 
Island  Railroad,  but  over  the  elevated  and 
trolley  lines  as  well. 

How  susceptible  the  growth  of  the  borough 
is  to  betterments  of  transportation  appears 
from  the  progress  made  in  the  past  three  or 
four  years.  Consolidation  with  New  York 
induced  the  construction  of  a  network  of  trol- 
ley lines  throughout  the  borough  by  the  New 
York  and  Queens  County  Railway  Company 
and  the  New  York  and  North  Shore  Railway 
'Company,  which  are  identical  as  to  manage- 
ment. The  former  system  starts  at  the  Long 
Island  Railroad  ferry  in  Long  Island  City  and 
the  latter  at  the  terminus  of  the  Kings  County 
Elevated  road  at  the  Brooklyn  borough  limit. 
The  two  systems,  which  also  connect  with  the 
Long  Island  Railroad  and  the  Brooklyn  Rapid 
Transit  lines  at  numerous  points  in  the  inte- 
rior, served  the  needs  of  local  travel,  besides 
bringing  formerlv  inacessible  places  into  con- 
tact with  the  highways  of  travel  to  Manhattan. 
The  formation  of  the  New  York  and  Queens 
Electric  Light  and  Power  Company  not  only 


supplied  the  illuminant  that  is  now  essential 
in  public  lighting  but  made  economical  power 
for  manufacturing  available  throughoul  the 
borough,  except  the  Rockaway  district. 

These  notable  improvements,  together  with 
the  admission  to  Brooklyn  Bridge  of  the  trolley 
and  elevated  lines  of  the  Brooklyn  Rapid  Tran- 
sit Company,  which  sends  one  branch  of  its 
system  to  Jamaica  and  another  to  Flushing, 
started  a  building  movement  which  spread'  far 
beyond  the  customary  limit  of  housing  im- 
provements. However,  the  bulk  of  the  travel 
from  the  farther  parts  of  the  borough  must 
continue  to  be  over  the  Long  Island  Railroad. 
Hence  the  supreme  importance  of  the  tunnels 
which  will  connect  that  road  with  the  Manhat- 
tan Rapid  Transit  system,  implying  a  saving 
of  at  least  fifteen  minutes  in  distance  whicii 
now  consume  an  hour  in  travel,  besides  dis- 
pensing with  ferry  transfers.  But  although 
the  improvements  in  transportation  that  have 
been  obtained  since  consolidation  with  New 
York^  appear  slight  by  comparison  with  those 
now  in  sight,  thev  were  sufficient  to  initiate  a 
far-reaching  movement  in  real  estate,  until  ;n 
1900  the  number  of  conveyances  practically 
equalled  those  of  The  Bronx  with  its  direct 
approach  to  downtown  Manhattan  and  its 
years  of  start  in  municipal  progress. 

Outside  of  farming,  only  one  of  the- old 
industries  of  Queens  remains,  that  of  horse 
racing,  although  it  must  be  confessed  that  the 
sorry  and  sometimes  silly  exhibitions  at  Aque- 
duct are  but  a  poor  succession  to  the  old  glories 
of  Hempstead  or  Union  Course.  Horse  racing 
really  was  the  first  industry  of  Queens  county 
andl  its  meets  were  long  the  most  famous  in 
the  countr}'.  In  1665  Gov.  Nicolls  ordered  a 
race  course  to  be  set  aside  on  Hempstead  "for 
encouraging  the  bettering  of  the  breed  of 
horses  which,  through  great  neglect,  has  been 
impaired."  His  successor,  Gov.  Lovelace,  also 
lent  his  aid  to  making  the  sport  a  success  and 
it  seems  to  have  been  a  popular  feature  from 
the  first.  Daniel  Denton  in  his  "Brief  De- 
scription" (London,  1701)  savs:  "Toward 
the  middle  of  Long  Island  Iveth  a  plain  16 
miles  long  and  4  broad,  where  you  will,  find 
neither  stick  nor  stone  to  hinder  the  horses' 
heels,  or  endanger  them  in  their  races,  and 


Q.UEENS. 


52a 


once  a  j'car  the  best  horses  in  the  island  are 
brought  hither  to  try  their  swiftness,  and  the 
swiftest  rewarded  with  a  silver  cup,  two  being 
annually  procured  for  that  purpose."  The 
course  itself  was  changed  at  least  once,  but  the 
racing  centre  continued  to  be  on  Hempstead 
plains  until  1821,  when  it  was  moved  to  Union 
Course.  The  stakes  at  Xew  Market,  as  the 
Hempstead  Course  was  called,  were  as  a  gen- 
eral rule  £50  for  each  event,  although  on  two 
or  three  occasions  iioo  was  the  figure.  It  was 
on  Union  Course  that  horse  racing  reached  its 
highest  development  in  the  eyes  of  the  sporting 
fraternity,  the  gentlemen  who  make  money  on 
the  turf.  Gambling  in  fact  was  as  much  the 
feature  of  each  meeting  at  Union  Co^urse  as 
was  horse  racing  itself;  in  reality,  as  in  our 
modern  days,  the  racing  was  but  an  excuse  for 
the  gambling.  It  was  estimated  that  in  the  race 
in  1823  between  "Eclipse"  and  "Sir  Henry" 
for  a  stake  of  $20,000  a  side  $200,000  changed 
hands  when  Eclipse  was  declared  the  winner. 
The  amount  lost  was  even  greater  in  1842 
when  "Boston"  defeated  "Fashion"  in  two 
heats.  It  was  estimated  that  70,000  persons 
witnessed  this  race.  It  was  probably  the 
widely  reported  excesses  of  that  race  and  its 
attendant  circumstances  that  induced  Dr. 
Prime  to  write : 

"Here  [Union  Course]  are  regularly  enact- 
ed twice  a  year,  scenes  which  no  imagination, 
however  fertile,  can  depict  without  the  aid  of 
ocular  demonstration.  It  has  been  stated,  and 
the  statement  stands  uncontradicted,  that  at  a 
single  course  of  races  50,000  parsons  attend- 
ed and  $700,000  were  lost  and  won ;  and  that 
during  the  five  days  that  the  "sports"  contin- 
ued the  toll  of  the  Fulton  Ferry  Company  aver- 
aged $1,000  a  day;  and  it  is  supposed  that  the 
other  avenues  of  the  city  realized  an  equal 
sum.  But  the  gambling,  expense,  and  loss  of 
time  attending  these  scenes  of  dissipation 
form  only  a  part  of  the  evils  with  which  they 
are  connected.  The  drinking,  the  swearing, 
the  licentiousness,  the  contentions  and  other 
nameless  crimes,  which  are  here  periodically 


committed,  with  the  countenance  of  law,  are 
enough  to  sicken  the  soul  of  every  man  that 
fears  God  and  is  disposed  to  reverence  His- 
commands  and  must  induce  him  to-  wish  most 
devoutly  for  the  time  to  come,  and  that  speed- 
ily, when  this  crying  abomination,  with  all 
its  accompaniments,  shall  be  banished  from, 
this  once  sacred  soil  of  Puritans  and  Hugue- 
nots." 

Queens  County  had  other  tracks  which 
while  not  so  famous  as  thajt  at  Hempstead  and 
Union  Course  still  proved  attractive  enough  to 
bring  crowds  to  their  "events"  and  to  swell 
the  notoriety  which  the  county  enjoyed — en- 
joyed even  in  England — as  the  headquarters - 
of  horse-racing  in  America.  As  early  as  1757 
there  was  a  track  in  Jamaica,  and  one  at  New- 
town in  1758.  The  "Fashion  Association  for 
Improving  the  Breed  of  Horses"  had  a  course 
at  Newtown  in  1854,  which  continued  with 
varying  success  until  1865,  when  it  had  to  give 
way  to  the  progress  of  the  railroad.  At  Cen- 
treville,  near  Union  Course,  a  trotting  track- 
was  laid  out  in  1825  where,  in  1847,  the  "Al- 
bany Girl"  was  tried  to  run  100  miles  in  10 ■ 
consecutive  hours  in  harness.  She  actually 
accomplished  97^^  miles  in  g}^  hours  and  then 
broke  down.  Surely  such  sport  shows  degen- 
eracy somewhere. 

With  the  decadence  of  the  Union  Course- 
racing  in  Queens  County  ceased  to  be  profit- 
able, and  it  was  abadoned  altogether  when 
Kings  County  took  the  sport  up  in  earnest, 
until  the  establishment  of  the  track  at  Aque- 
duct, where  racing  seems  to  be  in  reality  an- 
other n^me  for  gambling.  When  horses  are 
started  to  race  in  mud  or  by  electric  light  the 
nature  of  the  sport  can  easily  be  appreciated. 

In  the  general  chapters  of  this  history  re-- 
ference  has  already  been  made  to  the  position 
of  Queens  County  in  the  War  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, so  that  it  is  needless  to  dwell  upon  that 
theme  here.  It  had  its  Tories  and  its  Patriots 
in  probably  equal  numbers,  it  has  been  even' 
asserted  that  the  former  were  the  most  numer- 
ous, but. however  that  may  be,  there  can  be  no-' 


620 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


■doubt  that  all  sections  were  fully  aroused  to 
the  evils  of  the  system  of  government  to  which 
they  had  become  subject  and  that  the  people 
■of  Jamaica  have  the  right  to  claim  their  old 
suburb  of  Brushville  as  being  the  birthplace 
-of  the  Revolution  on  Long  Island. 

It  is  not  known  what  duties  the  County's 
militia  performed  at  the  battle  of  Brooklyn 
-other  than  throwing  up  fortifications  and 
standing  guard  at  the  outposts  and  ferries. 
Capt.  Jacob  Wright  of  Jamaica  and  Capt. 
Van  Nuyse  of  Kings  County  formed  two  com- 
panies in  Col.  Lasher's  ist  New  York  battal- 
ion in  Scott's  brigade.  The  Kings  and  Queens 
■County  Militia  guarded  alternate  days  at  the 
Flatbush  pass.  On  the  day  of  battle  Capt. 
Wright's  men  were  in  Cobble  Hill  fort.  The 
Queens  County  Militia  often  spoke  of  lying 
behind  the  lines  when  the  British  shot  whistled 
•over  their  heads.  Putnam  rode  along  the  line 
and  every  now  and  again,  checking  his  horse, 
would  say :  "Gentlemen,  by  your  dress  I  con- 
clude you  are  countrymen,  and,  if  so,  good 
marksmen.  Now,  don't  fire  till  you  see  the 
whites  of  their  eyes." 

Next  to  the  Revolutionary  story  the  most 
interesting  study  in  connection  with  the  his- 
tory of  Queens  County  is  thrt  of  the  incidents 
in  connection  with  the  transformation  of  the 
greater  portion  of  it  into  a  borough  of  the 
modern  New  York  City.  The  story  is  well 
worthy  of  study  and  that  it  might  be  clearly 
and  intelligently  put  before  the  reader  by  one 
who  has  made  a  thorough  study  we  present  the 
following  written  at  the  request  of  the  publish- 
ers by  Mr.  Duncan  Maclnnes,  one  of  the  ex- 
pert accountants  in  the  office  of  the  Comp- 
troller of  New  York,  through  whose  hands 
all  the  papers  in  the  case  were  passed  and  con- 
sidered : 

At  midnight  on  the  31st  day  of  December, 
1897,  there  were  forty-eight  separate  munici- 
palities merged  into  the  Greater  New  York, 
under  the  general  name  or  title,  Borough  of 
Queens.  These  former  municipalities  consisted 
of  Long  Island  City,  the  old  towns  of  New- 


town (from  which  Long  Island  City  was  orig- 
inally created  in  1871),  Jamaica  (in  its  earliest 
form  the  town  of  "Crawford"),  Flushing  and 
that  part  of  the  town  of  Hempstead  extending 
westward  from  the  eastern  limits  of  the  in- 
corporated village  of  Far  Rockawayto  the 
Rockaway  Beach  inlet.  Eight  incorporated 
villages  were  among  the  said  municipalities, 
viz. :  Flushing,  College  Point,  Whitestone, 
Jamaica,  Richmond  Hill,  Far  Rockaway,  Ar- 
verne,  and  Rockaway  Beach;  also  fourteen 
school  districts  in  the  township  of  Newtown, 
eleven  school  districts  in  Jamaica,  seven  in 
Flushing,  and  three  in  Hempstead.  These 
forty-eight  separate  municipalities  were  all 
within  the  corporate  limits  of  that  part  (over 
two-thirds)  of  Queens  County  merged  into  the 
city  of  New  York  by  the  act  of  consolidation; 
and,  together  with  the  funded  debt  of  the  coun- 
ty, brought  a  legacy  of  bonded  indebtedness 
alone  to  the  greater  city  of  $13,337,465.  The 
total  real-estate  assessed  valuation  within  said 
former  municipalities  was  '$83,263,593  on  Dec. 
31,  1897,  and  this  was  a  great  increaie  over 
what  the  same  property  was  assessed  at  twelve 
months  before,  and  an  extraordinary  increase 
over  the  assessment  of  1895  and  1894,  as  the 
following  comparative  figures  will  show : 

Real  Estate, 

Assessed  Bonided 

Date.                      Valuation.  Debt. 

De:.  31,   1894 $40,405,036  $4,813,300 

Dec.  31,   1895 42,186,900  5.627,650 

Dec.  31,   1896 69,267,710  6,089,125 

Dec.    31    1897 83,260,593  13,337.465 

On  January  i,  1895,  when  the  ten  per  cent 
constitutional  limitation  as  to  the  debt  of  a  city 
or  county  went  into  eflfect.  Long  Island  City 
real  estate,  assessed  valuation,  was  $16,667,- 
332,  and  her  bonded  debt  alone  $3,033,500,  or 
nearly  twice  the  statutory  limitation.  Some- 
thing had  to  be  done,  and  the  powers  that  then 
were  proceeded  to  increase  the  assessed  valu- 
ation of  property,  so,  as  to  scale  down  the  ratio 
of  the  bonded  debt,  and  the  work  was  done 
effectually  by  increasing  Long  Island  City  real 


QUEENS. 


Q-J( 


estate  values  in  1896  from  $16,667,332  to  $42,- 
377,481,  or  more  than  the  combined  assessed 
valuation  of  1895  of  all  real  estate  in  Long 
Island  City,  the  towns  of  Newtown,  Flushing, 
Jamaica  and  that  part  of  Hempstead  which 
ultimately  was  merged  into  the  Greater  New 
York.  These  1896  and  1897  values  have  since 
been  reduced  by  the  courts  by  upwards  of  six 
millions  of  dollars,  which  has  the  disadvantage 
of  decreasing  the  proceeds  to  the  City  of  New 
York  from  Long  Island  City  tax  arrears. 

It  will  be  noted  from  the  table  that  the 
bonded  debt  of  these  Queens  municipalities 
was  more  than  doubled  in  the  year  1897  as 
compared  with  a  normal  increase  of  several 
hundred  thousand  dollars  in  each  of  the  years 
preceding ;  and  the  extraordinary  increase  dur- 
ing 1897  was  practically  all  after  the  passage 
of  the  Greater  New  York  charter  in  April  of 
said  year.  As  Comptroller  Coler  has  said, 
"The  worst  mistake  of  the  charter,  it  seems  to 
me,  was  that  it  put  a  premium  on  the  notion 
of  the  various  communities  (to  be)  consolidat- 
ed going  into  debt." 

The  latter  part  of  the  year  1897  witnessed 
an  orgie  in  Queens  of  lavish  expenditure  and 
■debt-incurring  obligations.  Every  town,  vil- 
lage and  school  district  was  issuing  bonds  ad 
libitum,  and  generally  on  the  most  liberal 
terms  to  purchasers  thereof.    The  county  was 


also  doing  its  share.  The  funded  debt  of  the 
county  park  was  increased  in  1897  from 
$1,083,500  to  $4,837,811,  and  everywhere  was 
a  feverish  anxiety  and  haste  to  take  in  on  the 
one  hand  and  disburse  from  the  other  every 
cent  that  could  be  realized  previous  to  Dec.  31, 
1897,  after  which  the  authority  to  contract  fur- 
ther liability  or  disburse  a  dollar  was  vested  in 
the  officials  of  the  City  of  New  York.  It  was 
a  wild  orgie  while  it  lasted,  and  officials  who 
in  former  years  had  never  handled  more  than 
a  few  thousand  dollars  found  themselves  in 
possession  and  absolute  disposal  of  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  dollars,  which  was  expended 
with  the  reckless  lavishness  of  a  Monte  Cristo. 
Chapters  might  be  written  of  the  cow-paths 
that  were  paved  by  granite  blocks,  of  the  tur- 
nip and  potato  patches  that  were  lighted  by 
electric  lamps,  of  the  by-lanes  that  were  lit  by 
gas  and  naptha  lamps,  etc.,  etc.,  and  of  the  va- 
riety and  questionable  character  of  contract 
on  contract  made  on  the  very  eve  of  actual 
consolidation ;  and  of  the  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  dollars  of  floating  debt  that  has  since 
come  to  light  and  been  foisted  on  the  greater 
city,  and  the  end  is  not  yet !  Consolidation  has 
cost  the  Manhattan  taxpayer,  or  rather  Man- 
hattan property,  several  millions  of  dollars  for 
the-  honor  of  being  the  second  largest  city 
(numerically)  in  the  world. 


M^i   M^  M^ 

>S.-        ^sr       *S.- 


CHAPTER   XLIV. 


FLUSHING. 


The   Patentees    of  16-15 — Freeholders   in   1G83  —  The   Lawrences — The   Churches- 

— Modekn   Changes  and   Devei,opmenis. 


HE  earliest  year  of  any  settlement 
within  the  old  township  of  Flushing, 
— Vlissingen,  as  it  was  called, — is 
1643.  Two  years  later  Governor 
Kieft  issued  a  town  charter  to  the  inhabitants, 
and  this  charter  was  afterward  renewed  by 
Governor  Dongan  in  1685.  The  town's  early 
records  and  patents  were  destroyed  by  fire  in 
1789,  but  in  1792  a  copy  of  Dongan's  patent 
was  furnished  from  the  records  in  Albany 
under  the  seal  of  Governor  Clinton,  of  the 
State  of  New  York.  There  is  a  theory  that 
the  name  given  to  the  place  was  derived  from 
that  of  a  town  in  Holland,  but  the  evidence 
as  to  this  is  a  little  hazy,  and  while  the  matter 
is  practically  of  no  moment,  it  seems  fair  to 
say  that  the  honor  of  name  giving  to  the 
Dutch  town  should  not  be  abandoned.  The 
first  settler  was  William  Thorne  (the  name 
long  survived  in  Thome's  Neck),  who  appears 
to  have  held  views  on  religious  matters  which 
did  not  find  sympathy  among  the  Puritans, 
so  he  is  said  to  have  come  to  this  neighborhood 
from  New  England  in  search  of  a  place  where 
he  might  enjoy  liberty  of  conscience.  What 
his  views  were  is  not  exactly  known,  but  they 
were  of  such  a  nature  that  he  afterward  found 
it  congenial  to  throw  in  his  lot  with  the  Society 
of  Friends.  Soon  he  was  joined  by  several 
others,  and  thus  Flushing  was  another  relig- 
ious community,  which,  like  Gravesend,  was 
a  standing  reproach  to  the  reputed  religious 
toleration  of  Massachusetts. 


The  names  in  Kieft's  patent  of  the  settlers 
to  whom  it  was  issued  were  Thomas  Faring- 
ton,  John  Townsend,  Thomas  Stiles,  Thomas- 
Saull,  John  Marston,  Robert  Field,  Thomas 
Applegate,  Thomas  Beddard,  Laurence  Dutch,. 
John  Lawrence,  William  Lawrence,  William 
Thorne,  Henry  Sautell,  William  Pigeon,  Mi- 
chael Milliard,  Robert  Firman,  John  Hicks,. 
Edward  Hart.  They  were  empowered  to  elect 
a  Schout,  to  build  fortifications,  "to  have  and 
enjoy  the  liberty  of  conscience  according  to 
the  custom  and  manner  of  Holland  without  • 
molestation  or  disturbance  from  any  Magis- 
trate of  Magistrates  or  any  other  Ecclesiastical 
Minister."  In  return  for  all  this  and  other 
privileges  they  agreed  to  "reverently  respect 
the  High  and  Mighty  Lords  for  their  Superior 
Lords  and  Patrons,"  and  pay  a  really  moderate 
tax  "in  case  it  be  demanded."  All  of  those 
mentioned  in  the  deed  were  not  from  New 
England,  or  exiles  for  religion.  John  Law- 
rence, who  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of 
Hempstead  in  1644,  was  quite  an  enterprising 
gentleman,  and  was  several  times  Mayor  of 
New  Amsterdam,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
1699,  was  a  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court. 
William-  Lawrence  was  also  pro-minent  as  an 
office-holder,  and  had  the  knack  of  "holding 
on"  no  matter  what  flag — Dutch  or  English — 
waved  over  the  fort  at  New  Amsterdam. 

In  Dongan's  patent  the  names  of  the  free-- 
holders  were  Thomas  Willett,  John  Lawrence 
Seinior,     Elias     Doughtv,     Richard     Cornell,. 


FLUSHING. 


529 


Moriss  Smith,  Charles  Morgan,  Mary  Fleake, 
Wouter  Gisbertson,  John  Masten,  John  Cor- 
neUs,  John  Harrison,  Denitis  Holdron,  John 
Hincliman,  WilHam  Yeates,  Joseph  Tliorne, 
John  Lawrence  Junior,  Matthias  Harveye, 
Harmanus  King,  John  Farrington,  Thomas 
Williams,  Elisabeth  Osborn,  Joseph  Havyland, 
John  Washborne,  Aaron  Cornelis,  John  Bowne, 
William  Noble,  Samuel  Hoyt,  Madeline  Fran- 
ces Barto,  John  Hoper,  Thomas  Ford,  John 
Jenning,  John  Embree,  Jonathan  Wright, 
Nicholas  Parcell,  William  Lawrence,  Richard 
Townly,  Edward  Griffin  Junior,  John  Law- 
rence at  the  Whitestone,  Henry  Taylor,  Jasper 
Smith,  Richard  Wilday,  Thomas  Townsend, 
John  Thorne,  Anthony  Field,  John  Adams, 
Richard  Stockton,  James  Whittaker,  Hugh 
Copperthwaite,  Richard  Chew,  James  Clem- 
ent, Margaret  Stiles,  Samuel  Thorne,  Thomas 
Hedges,  William  Haviland,  Thomas  Hicks, 
John  Terry,  David  Patrick,  James  Feake, 
Thomas  Kimacry,  Phillip  Udall,  Thomas  Da- 
vis, Edward  Farrington,  Thomas  Farrington, 
Matthew  Fanrington,  John  Field,  Joseph 
Hedger,  John  Talman,  William  Gael,  William 
White,  Elisabeth  Smith,  Thomas  Partridge, 
\A'illiam  Hedger  and  Benjamin  Field.  Out- 
side of  the  Lawrence,  Farrington,  and  Thorne 
families  few  representatives  of  the  original 
patentees  appear  in  this  ■  list.  But  so  far  as 
can  be  learned  they  were  of  pretty  much  the 
same  stamp  as  most  of  the  pioneers — men 
and  women  whose  law  lay  wholly  in  the 
sacred  Scriptures. 

Most  of  these  people  were  farmers :,  most 
of  them  were  from  New  England.  Probably 
many  had  left  the  mainland  to  get  rid  of  the 
religious  notions  prevailing  there  and  enjoy 
freedom  of  worship  in  their  own  way.  But 
they  brought  with  them  their  Bibles  and  their 
own  peculiar  views,  and  were  prepared  to  set 
up  as  much  of  a  theocracy  as  circumstances 
would  permit,- — some  even  were  determined  to 
carry  out  their  spiritual  ideas  no  matter  what 
circumstances  presented  themselves. 

So  it  was  as  a  religious  colony  that  Flush- 
ing was  to  thrive.     In  1647,  by  order  of  Gov- 
34 


ernor  Stuyvesant,  the  Rev.  Francis  Doughty 
settled  in  it  as  its  minister.  Stuyvesant  was 
curious  in  his  friendships,  his  likes  and  dis- 
likes, and  what  there  was  in  Mr.  Doughty's 
composition  that  won  him  the  personal  interest 
of  the  Governor  it  is  difficult  to  imagine. 
Doughty  was  an  English  clergyman,  who  had 
crossed  the  Atlantic  that  he  might  speak  the 
truth,  but  his  views  on  baptism  did  not  suit 
the  Puritans,  and  he  was  arrested,  tried  and 
ordered  to  leave  Massachusetts.  He  promptly 
went  to  Rhode  Island  for  a  brief  period,  but 
in  1642  he  went  to  Long  Island,  having  with 
several  associates  secured  a  grant  of  13,332: 
acres  of  land  at  Newtown.  An  Indian  out- 
break soon  scattered  this  settlement,  and 
Doughty  took  refuge  in  New  Amsterdam  for 
two  years.  In  1645  Doughty  and  most  of  the 
patentees  returned  to  Newtown,  but  trouble 
and  quarrels  broke  out,  and  as  a  result  Dough- 
ty threatened  to  refer  the  matter  to  Holland, 
and  thereupon  he  was  arrested  and  fined  twen- 
ty-five guilders.  In  this  case  Stuyvesant  acted 
in  haste  and  without  warrant,  and  when  he  rec- 
ognized this  he  was  anxious  to  "do  something" 
for  Doughty.  A  request  from  Flushing  for  a 
minister  reached  Stuyvesant  about  this  time, 
and  he  at  once  named  Doughty.  The  good 
folks  of  Flushing,  however,  did  not  want  the- 
Newtown  dominie,  but  Stuyvesant  reasoned 
with  them  one  by  one.  As  a  result  Doughty 
was  accepted  and  his  salary  fixed  at  600  guild- 
ers. It  was  probably  Flushing's  complaisance 
in  this  matter  that  impelled  Stuyvesant  in  1648. 
to  permit  it  to  elect  three  Schepens  and  a  clerk 
in  addition  to  the  primitive  Schout.  Doughty 
does  not  seem  to  have  become  popular  in 
Flushing.  His  religious  views  were  not  pleas- 
ing to  many,  and  that  singular  compound,. 
Captain  John  Underbill,  when  elected  Schout 
in  1648,  at  once  ordered  the  meeting-house 
closed,  as  the  preacher  "spoke  against  his  bet- 
ters." Doughty  wandered  forth  again,  but  re- 
turned. He  had  made  his  home  in  Flushing, 
and  there  his  sons  developed  into  splendid  citi- 
zens, while  his  daughter  Mary  married  Adrian 
Van  Der  Donck,  a  Hudson  River  patroon,  who 


•530 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


included  what  is  now  the  city  of  Yonkers  in 
his  holding. 

As  a  settled  minister  Doughty  was  a  fail- 
ure, and  probably  the  citizens  did  not  care  to 
ask  for  another  in  his  place.  In  1656  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  William 
Wickendam,  a  shoemaker,  settled  in  Flushing 
from  Rhode  Island,  and  the  people  seem  to 
have  accepted  his  views.  They  listened  to  his 
preaching  and  what  he  said  appears  to  have 
united  them  under  his  spiritual  leadership, 
and  many  were  baptized  by  him.  Even  Dough- 
ty accepted  the  workingman's  theological 
views  and  threw  in  his  lot  with  the  Quakers. 
Such  a  condition  of  things  aroused  attention 
in  New  Amsterdam  and  led  to  Stuyvesant's 
persecution  of  the  Friends,  which  has  been 
•detailed  at  length  in  an  earlier  chapter  of  this 
•work.  But  this  persecution  failed,  like  most 
persecutions  of  similar  nature,  to  stamp  out 
the  object  of  its  enmity,  and  Flushing  became 
more  and  more  deeply  a  religious, — a  Quaker 
community.  In  1660  quite  a  number  of  Hu- 
guenots settled  in  the  township,  and  their  pres- 
ence and  pronounced  views  on  matters  of  faith 
made  Flushing  more  than  ever  before  a  center 
of  religious  thought. 

In  June,  1672,  George  Fox,  the  founder 
•of  the  Society  of  Friends,  made  his  memorable 
visit  to  Long  Island,  and,  as  might  be  expected. 
Flushing  was  one  of  his  stopping  places.  He 
stayed  in  the  home  of  John  Bowne,  Stuyves- 
ant's victim  and  victor,  and  the  couch  on  which 
he  was  wont  to  rest  and  other  articles  of  fur- 
niture used  by  him  or  in  use  during  his  sojourn 
are  still  preserved.  Fox  in  his  diary  mentions 
holding  one  large  meeting  in  Flushing,  "many 
hundreds  of  people  being  there." 

Although,  however.  Flushing  was  thus  in 
a  sense  a  center  of  Quakerism,  it  was  not  until 
1690  that  a  meeting-house  was  erected.  After 
:  Stuyvesant's  experience  in  the  case  of  John 
Bowne  the  Friends'  seem  to  have  been  per- 
mitted the  utmost  freedom  of  worship,  so  far 
as  the  civil  government  was  concerned.  Under 
Ihe  English  rule,  indeed,  they  were  more  or 


less  in  trouble,  because  in  accordance  with  their 
principles  they  refused  to  train  in  the  militia 
service,  a  service  which  by  law  was  made  com- 
pulsory on  all  able-bodied  men.  This  refusal 
was  punished  by  the  imposition  of  a  fine,  and 
.as  it  was  not  in  keeping  with  their  ideas  of 
religion  and  right  to  pay  this  fine,  their  goods 
were  seized  and  sold  in  satisfaction.  This  pro- 
cedure the  Quakers  regarded  as  an  infringe- 
ment of  liberty  and  conscience,  as  a  religious 
persecution ;  but  it  was  not  so  in  reality,  as 
the  law  made  no  provision  for  creeds,  the 
militia  was  for  the  defense  of  the  people  and 
the  Quakers  enjoyed  the  security  of  that  de- 
fense and  should  contribute  their  share  in  it. 
A  mu:h  more  dangerous  disturber  of  the 
peace  of  the  Quakers,  and  indeed  of  the  com- 
munity, was  the  attempt  made  in  the  reign  of 
James  II  to  establish  the  Church  of  England 
throughout  the  province.  We  say  attempt,  be- 
cause, although  it  is  the  fashion  for  some 
writers  to  argue  ■  as  though  that  church  was 
established  in  New  York,  just  as  it  was  in 
England,  it  never  really  succeeded.  Royal  in- 
structions and  Gubernatorial  edicts  notwith- 
standing. The  King's  orders  to  Governor 
Dongan,  in  fact,  avoided  the  question  of  "es- 
tablishment," although  that  result  was  implied. 
"You  shall  take  especial  care  that  God  Al- 
mighty be  devoutly  and  duly  served  through- 
out your  government;  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer  as  it  is  now  established  read  each  Sun- 
day and  holiday,  and  the  Blessed  Sacrament 
administered  according  to  the  rites  of  the 
Church  of  England."  He  was  also  ordered 
not  to  present  a  clergyman  to  any  benefice 
within  his  gift  "without  a  certificate  from  the 
Most  Reverend  the  Lord  Archbishop  of  Can- 
terbury of  his  being  conformable  to  the  doc- 
trine and  discipline  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land." Still  he  was  to  "permit  all  persons,  of 
what  religion  soever,  quietly  to  inhabit  within 
your  government  without  giving  them  any 
disquiet  or  disturbance  whatever  for  or  by  rea- 
son of  their  dififering  opinions  in  matters  of 
religion."    So  far  as  Flushing  was  concerned, 


FLUSHING. 


531 


these  instructions  had  little  interest,  and  it  was 
not  until  1702,  under  Governor  Cornbury, — 
one  of  the  most  disreputable  of  men  and  blind- 
est of  churchmen, — that  any  effort  was  made 
to  foist  an  Episcopalian  minister  on  the  town. 
Then  the  turbulent  George  Keith  came  upon 
the  scene,  but  as  the  story  of  his  experiences 
and  of  his  persecutions  of  Quakers  inspired 
by  him  have  already  been  told  in  an  earlier 
chapter,  the  story  need  not  be  repeated  here. 
Ecclesiastically  in  the  Episcopalian  fold, 
Jamaica,  Newtown  and  Flushing  were  united 
for  a  time  under  one  irector.  The  first,  Patrick 
Gordon,  diedi  a  few  days  after  his  arrival,  and 
then  Cornbury  sent  the  Rev.  James  Honeyman 
among  the  people  to  preach  to  them  until  he 
could  determine  upon  a  rector.  This  rector, 
the  Rev.  William  Urquhart,  was  put  in  pos- 
session of  the  charge  in  June,  1704,  and  con- 
tinued to  minister  to  such  of  the  people  as  ad- 
hered to  him  until  his  death,  in  1709.  Flush- 
ing did  not  take  kindly  to  him,  nor  did  he  to 
Flushing.  "Most  of  the  inhabitants  thereof 
are  Quakers,"  he  wrote,  "who  rove  through 
the  county  from  one  village  to  another,  talk 
blasphemy,  corrupt  the  youth,  and  do  much 
mischief."  He  held  services  once  a  month  in 
the  Guard  House,  which  was  amply  sufficient 
for  his  auditory.  Mr.  Urquhart's  headquarters 
were  in  Jamaica,  and  there,  too,  as  we  shall 
see,  his  path  was  not  one  strewn  with  roses. 
His  successor  was  the  Rev.  Thomas  Poyer,  a 
Welshman.  Flushing  still  continued  obdurate, 
and  matters  were  not  much  brighter  in  Ja- 
maica, which  still  continued  to  be  the  rectorial 
headquarters,  but  Mr.  Poyer  "wras'led"  on 
amid  a  host  of  discouragements,  as  we  will 
read  in  the  story  of  Jamaica,  until  his  death, 
in  1 73 1.  Two  years  later  the  Rev.  Thomas 
Colgan  was  given  the  charge,  and  under  him, 
in  1746,  the  first  Episcopalian  Church  in  Flush- 
ing was  erected.  Mr.  Colgan  seems  to  have 
got  on  better  with  the  Quakers  than  any  of 
his  predecessors,  and  one  of  them,  it  is  said, 
actually  aided  the  new  congregation  by  a  gift 
of  money.    As  was  customary,  the  Society  for 


the  Prop_agation  of  the  Gospel  (in  London) 
sent  to  the  new  church  a  Bible  and  Prayer 
Book,  and  that  gift  is  now  among  the  treas- 
ures of  St.  George's  Church.  On  the  death 
of  Mr.  Colgan,  in  1755,  the  Presbyterians  and 
others  endeavored  to  seize  control  of  the  eccle- 
siastical affairs  in  the  three  towns  and  elected 
a  Presbyterian  minister.  Sir  Charles  Hardy, 
then  Governor,  would  have  none  of  this,  and 
presented  the  Rev.  Samuel  Seabury  to  the 
charge.  Mr.  Seabury  had  not  a  very  high 
opinion  of  Flushing,  which  he  said  was  "in  the 
last  generation  the  ground  seat  of  Quakerism, 
is  in  this  the  seat  of  infidelity,"  but  under 
him  the  church  was  finished  and  in  1761  it 
received  a  charter  from  King  George  HI 
under  the  title  of  St.  George's,  which  it  still 
retains.  His  leading  lay  helper  in  Flushing 
was  Mr.  John  Aspinwall,  whom  he  described 
in  one  of  his  letters  as  "a  man  of  low  birth 
and  strong  passions,  and  violent  in  his  resent- 
ments, who,  having  acquired  a  great  fortune 
in  privateering,  removed  thither  from  New 
York,  and  has  really  done  very  considerably 
toward  finishing  the  church  and  giving  it  a 
good  bell."  Not  much  of  an  angelic  character, 
certainly,  but  this  reformed  pirate  was  a  bene- 
factor to  the  Flushing  church  in  many  ways, 
even  to  the  extent  of  "bringing  over  many 
Quakers  and  Calvinists,  so  that  I  myself," 
wrote  Mr.  Seabury,  "have  been  a  joyful  wit- 
ness of  a  numerous  congregation  in  a  church 
wherein,  within  three  or  four  years,  seldom 
assembled  above  ten  or  twelve  persons."  It 
is  sad  to  think  that  the  friendship  of  Mr. 
Aspinwall  and  Rector  Seabury  should  have 
ended  in  a  violent  rupture  caused  by  an  effort 
on  Aspinwall's  part  to  make  Flushing  a  sepa- 
rate charge  under  a  new  rector,  but  so  it  was. 
.The  effort  did  not  succeed,  and  Seabury  re- 
mained until  1765,  when  he  removed  to  West- 
chester. Afterward  he  was  the  first  Episco- 
palian bishop  in  America.  His  successor  in 
the  three  towns  was  the  Rev.  Joshua  Bloomer. 
The  tripartite  rectorial  arrangement  continued 
until     1802,    when    Flushing   and     Newtown 


532 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


united  in  calling  a  rector,  leaving  Jamaica  to 
its  own  course,  and  in  1809  Flushing  and  New- 
town separated,  and  the  Rev.  Brazella  Buckley 
became  first  sole  rector  of  Flushing. 

From  then  until  now  St.  George's  has 
held  a  long  list  of  earnest,  devoted  rectors, 
but  the  name  that  stands  out  in  boldest  relief 
is  that  of  the  Rev.  William  A.  Muhlenberg, 
who  presided  over  it  from  1826  to  1829.  This 
famous  preacher  and  practical  philanthropist 
founded  the  once  famous  Flushing  Institute 
for  the  education  of  boys,  and  out  of  its  success 
grew  St.  Paul's  College,  of  which  he  contin- 
ued to  act  as  principal  until  1844,  when  he 
accepted  a  call  to  New. York. 

Until  181 1  St.  George's  Church  and  the 
meeting-house  of  the  Society  of  Friends  con- 
tained the  only  two  organized  religious  bodies 
in  Flushing.  In  181 1  a  congregation  of  col- 
ored Methodists  was  organized,  although  it  did 
not  possess  a  church  edifice  until  1837.  The 
white  Methodist  brethren  built  a  church  in 
1822,  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  had  its  be- 
ginning with  twelve  adherents  in  1826,  when 
the  Rev.  Father  Farnham  celebrated  mass  for 
the  first  time  in  Flushing,  and  in  1835  the 
first  place  of  worship  was  fitted  up.  In  1854 
a  second  Episcopalian  Church,  St.  Michael's, 
was  erected,  and  St.  George's  Church  was  re- 
built for  the  third  time,  the  second  building 
having  been  erected  in  1812.  The  Baptists 
also  erected  their  first  Flushing  church  in 
1854. 

The  most  prominent  of  the  early  industries 
of  Flushing,  next  to  agriculture — farming — 
was  that  of  fruit  and  tree  growing.  The  Hu- 
guenot settlers  introduced  many  of  the  fruits 
of  their  native  land,  and  their  product  won 
quite  a  measure  of  fame  and  brought  them  con- 
siderable profit.  In  the  early  years  of  the 
eighteenth  century  a  number  of  English  gar- 
deners settled  in  Flushing,  attracted  by  stories 
of  the  varied  nature  of  its  soil  and  its  adapta- 
bility to  fruit  raising,  and  established  market 
gardens.  Its  fame,  however,  in  horticultural 
circles  was  really  won  by  a  native,  William 


Prince,  who  was  born  in  Flushing  in  1766, 
and  died  there  in  1842.  His  father,  William 
Prince,  in  1750  laid  out  a  tract  of  land  in 
Flushing  for  the  propagation  of  trees,  such  as 
apple,  plum,  peach,  cherry,  nectarine  and  pear. 
This  venture  proved  quite  a  success,  and  the 
area  of  ground  was  steadily  enlarged  and  the 
varieties  grown  extended  to  almost  every  va- 
riety possible  in  the  climate,  almond  and  fig 
trees,  flowering  trees  and  shrubs,  berry  bushes. 
So  famous  did  the  place  become  that  General 
Howe,  when  manoeuvring  in  Flushing  on  Au- 
gust 29,  1776,  ordered  it  to  be  guarded  so 
as  to  preveiit  any  depredations  on  the  part  of 
his  soldier}'.  The  nursery,  however,  did  suffer 
considerably  during  the  British  occupation, 
and  for  the  time  its  business  was  paralyzed. 
In  1789  the  place  was  visited  by  General 
Washington,  who  had  long  heard  of  its  beau- 
ties, but  what  he  saw  did  not  answer  his 
"expectations,''  for  at  that  time  the  business 
was  just  beginning  to  recover.  By  1792  Mr. 
Prince  had  twenty-four  acres  under  his  opera- 
tions. His  son  brought  the  nursery  up  to  the 
fullest  measure  of  its  usefulness.  In  1793  he 
entered  into  business  relations  with  his  father 
and  extended  the  area  under  cultivation  until 
it  exceeded  sixty  acres.  He  sent  far  and  near 
for  trees,  fruits  and  plants  for  experimental 
purposes,  successfully  acclimatized  several 
hundred,  systematized  the  nomenclature  of  the 
best  knowri  fruits,  such  as  the  Bartlett  pear 
and  the  Isabella  grape,  and  wrote  a  "Treatise 
on  Horticulture,"  the  first  work  of  the  kind 
issued  in  the  United  States.  The  London 
Horticultural  Society  named  the  William 
Prince  apple  in  his  honor,  and  he  enjoyed  the 
personal  friendship  of  all  the  celebrated  bot- 
anists and  naturalists  of  his  time.  The  Morus 
multicaulis,  long  so  well  known  in  the  manu- 
facture of  silk,  was  first  grown  here  in  1826 
by  Mr.  Prince  from  trees  imported  from 
France  a  year  after  they  had  been  received 
there  from  the  Philippine  Islands.  Perhaps 
this  should  entitle  him  to  be  regarded  as  the 
pioneer  in  the  great  American  Philippine  trade 


FLUSHING. 


533 


which  is  so  certain  to  come  as  the  result  of 
more  recent  events ! 

Flushing  had  many  other  famous  nurseries, 
such  as  that  of  Samuel  Parsons,  a  man  noted 
for  his  benevolence,  his  enterprise,  his  public 
spirit  and  his  steadfast  adherence  to  the  So- 
ciety of  Friends,  before  which  body  he  fre- 
quently preached.  His  love  of  trees  led  him 
to  plant  many  along  the  streets  of  Flushing  at 
liis  own  cost,  and  he  went  into  the  business 
•of  tree  raising  simply  for  the  good  he  might 
accomplish  rather  than  as  a  commercial  specu- 
lation. 

With  the  upward  progress  which  attended 
so  many  of  the  Long  Island  towns  after  the 
Revolutionary  War  Flushing  had  but  little 
share.  Its  business  had  been  sadly  shattered 
by  that  armed  conflict,  and  its  geographical 
position  was  such  that  it  was  by  no  means 
•easy  of  access.  In  the  closing  years  of  the 
■eighteenth  century  communication  with  New 
York  was  had  twice  a  week — Tuesdays  and 
Fridays — by  passenger  boats,  and  that  service 
sufficed  until  the  advent  of  the  rrineteenth  cen- 
tury. In  1801  a  daily  coach  service  was  estab- 
lished, running  from  Flushing  through  New- 
town to  Brooklyn,  and  such  coach  service,  with 
■slight  changes  as  to  route,  continued  until 
1854,  when  the  opening  of  the  Flushing  & 
North  Shore  Railroad  forced  its  cessation. 
But  long  after  the  railroad  was  an  assured  fact 
the  carrying  trade  in  merchandise  continued 
to  be  done  by  packets.  The  first  steamboat 
from  Flushing  to  New  York  was  run  in  1822. 
It  was  a  small  concern,  but  proved  so  success- 
ful that  in  the  following  year  "The  Linnaeus," 
a  much  more  substantial  and  roomy  vessel, 
was  put  on  the  route. 

In  1837  Flushing  began  to  feel  that  she 
really  was  becoming  prosperous,  and  in  that 
year  it  applied  for  and  received  its  charter  as 
a  village.  The  population  was  then  about  2,000, 
the  number  of  real  estate  owners  was  103,  and 
the  assessed  valuation  $465,360.  Robert  B. 
Van  Zandt  was  elected  the  first  President  un- 
der the  charter. 


The  Rev.  H.  D.  Waller,  to  whose  interest- 
ing "History  of  Flushing"  this  sketch  has  been 
much  indebted,  says:  "The  village  boundary 
line  began  at  the  creek  just  beyond  the  bridge 
on  the  College  Point  causeway  and  ran  east, 
crossing  Whitestone  avenue  about  300  feet 
beyond  Bayside  avenue,  just  including  the  Os- 
good property.  At  a  point  near  the  junction 
of  Bayside  avenue  and  Parsons  avenue  the 
line  turned  south  and  ran  to  the  corner  of 
Sanford  avenue  and  Long  lane  (now  South 
Parsons  avenue).  From  this  corner,  which 
marked  the  furthest  limits  of  the  village  in 
that  direction,  the  line  ran  west  to  the  creek, 
fo'rming  an  acute  angle  with  Sanford  avenue 
and  crossing  Jamaica  avenue  just  south  of 
the  Jagger  homestead  (now  Captain  Hin- 
man's).  Sanford  avenue  was  not  open  below 
Jamaica  avenue.  Bowne  avenue  was  the  street 
furthest  east.  Long  lane  began  at  the  village 
limits  and  ran  south.  Jagger  avenue  was  a. 
private  lane  leading  from  Main  street  to  the 
Jagger  house;  Lincoln  street  was  then  called 
Liberty  street;  Amity  street  was  not  then 
opened ;  neither  was  Locust  street  east  of 
Main.  A  tide  mill,  kept  by  William  Hamil- 
ton, stood  at  the  bridge  on  the  College  Point 
causeway.  There  were  no  houses  northeast 
of  the  park  except  a  few  which  stood  in  large 
country  places.  *  *  *  -pj-^g  ig-wer  part  of 
Main  street  was  more  thickly  settled,  but  even 
there  the  bouses  stood  apart  from  each  other 
with  gardens  between.  The  Pavilion,  once  a 
famous  hotel,  stood  at  the  corner  of  Bridge 
street  and  Lawrence  avenue,  where  the  old 
electric  power  house  now  stands.  The  Town 
Hall  stood  where  the  fountain  now  stands, 
facing  on  Main  street,  the  school-ho'Use  being 
on  the  lot  now  occupied  by  the  Empire  Hose 
Company's  building  in  Lincoln  street." 

From  the  time  of  her  incorporation  as  a 
vllage  until  the  closing  scene  in  her  history, 
when  she  became  part  and  parcel  of  the  Great- 
er New  York,  the  sto^ry  of  Flushing  was  one 
of  great  progress.  It  was  regarded  as  a  resi- 
dential quarter,  sufficiently  retired  to  be  the 


534 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


scene  of  several  county  fairs,  where  abundant 
educational  facilities  were  provided,  and 
church,  social  anid  professional  circles  were  all 
oi  the  most  desirable  quaHties.  The  Board 
of  Education  commenced  work  in  1848  in  ac- 
cordance with  an  act  of  the  Legislature  pass>ed 
that  year,  and  under  its  direction  the  educa- 
tional system  of  the  village  was  steadily  ex- 
tended; in  1874  the  Douglass  Pond  water  sup- 
ply was  introduced  and  made  the  occasion  of 
a  grand  demonstration  and  parade,  with  the 
usual  oratorical  accompaniments.  In  1883  the 
old  area  of  the  village  was  considerably  ex- 
tended by  a  new  act  of  the  Legislature,  and. 
in  the  following  year  the  Flushing  Hospital 
and  Dispensary  was  incorporated,  a  building 
being  rented  for  its  purpose  until  1887,  when 
the  hospital  was  erected  on  ground  presented 
for  the  purpose  by  the  late  John  Henderson. 
"The  village  of  Flushing,"  writes  Mr.  Waller, 
"has  always  been  a  place  of  residence.  Those 
institutions  have  been  fostered  that  would  ren- 
der the  village  attractive  to  persons  seeking 
homes ;  manufacture  has  not  been  encouraged. 
The  village  streets  are  macadamized,  well 
shaded  with  fine  trees  of  many  varieties,  light- 
ed by  gas  and  electricity  and  swept  and  sprin- 
kled at  public  expense^  The  sidewalks  are 
paved  with  stone  flagging.  A  complete  system 
of  sewers  extends  throughout  the  village.  The 
steam  and  electric  cars  make  frequent  trips  be- 
tween Flushing  and  the  city.  These  conven- 
iences and  improvements  have  made  Flushing 
an  attractive  home  for  business  and  profes- 
sional men  of  New  York.  Here  they  find 
pleasant  homes  and  rural  surroundings  within 
easy  reach  of  their  places  of  business." 

Such  are  the  salient  points  in  the  history 
of  Flushing  township  in  general,  and  espe- 
cially of  Flushing  village,  the  center  of  its  life. 
There  are  several  settlements  or  villages 
throughout  the  township  which  are  deserving 
of  some  mention,  however  brief. 

College  Point  (formerly  Lawrence's  Neck) 
on  Flushing  Bay  was  first  settled  by  immi- 
grants  from  German}'.     It  was  the  scene  of 


the  operations  of  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  St.  Paul 
College  and  from  that  got  its  modern  name. 
It  has  some  manufactories  and  a  population 
of  some  6,000.  Within  recent  years  it  has  be- 
come quite  a  suburban  residential  village, 
boasting  all  modern  improvements  in  the  way 
of  gas,  electricity,  etc.,  and  many  remarkably 
fine  residences  have  been  added  to  its  attrac- 
tions during  the  past  year  or  two.  It  is  con- 
fidently expected  that  it  will  continue  to  grow 
in  favor. 

Whitestone  is  regarded  as  being,  next  to 
Flushing  village,  the  oldest  settlement  in  the 
township.  It  derived  its  name  from  a  large 
white  piece  of  rock  in  front  of  it  in  the  East 
River,  and  although  several  efforts  have  been 
made  to  change  the  name  the  efforts  have 
failed.  Even  De  Witt  Clinton's  popularity, 
which  inspired  a  meeting  of  citizens  to  give 
it  the  name  of  Clintonville,  failed  to  make 
the  change  any  more  than  a  passing  whim. 
Another  name  once  given  to  it  "Cookie  Hill," 
did  not  find  many  admirers  at  any  time,  so 
Whitestone  has  clung  to  it  throughout  its 
modern  history.  That  history  really  amounts 
to  very  little.  In  1800  it  had  less  than  twelve 
houses.  It  was  not  until  1853,  when  J.  D. 
Locke  &  Company  established  a  tin  and  cop- 
per ware  factory,  that  it  began  to  attract  set- 
tlers, and  a  year  later  it  had  advanced  suffi- 
ciently to  induce  Uncle  Sam  to  establish  a 
postoffice  within  the  village.  Some  of  its  clay 
soil  has  been  found  eminently  suited  for  mak- 
ing tobacco  pipes,  flower  pots,  flower  vases 
and  the  like,  and  in  connection  therewith 
several  establishments  have  arisen,  and  the 
village  now  boasts  a  population  of  about  3,400. 
Whitestone  is  the  terminus  of  the  North  Shore 
branch  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad.  It  is 
one  of  the  stations  of  the  New  York  Yacht 
Club,  and  alread}-  before  consolidation  con- 
tained a  considerable  colony  of  New  York 
business  and  professional  men.  The  village 
has  a  new  athletic  club,  and  a  school-house 
costing  $200,000  has  lecently  been  completed 
A  tract  of  land  fronting  nearly  a  mile  on  the 


FLUSHING. 


535. 


water  is  held  jointly  by  the  Realty  Trust  and 
the  Cedar  Cliff  Park  Association,  part  of  which 
is  under  development  by  Edwin  P.  Roe. 

Francis  Lewis,  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  wKose  seat  in 
Whitestone  was  one  of  the  centers  of  Revo- 
tionary  activity,  was  born  at  Llandaflf,  Wales, 
in  March,  1713,  and  was  educated  at  West- 
minster School,  London.  In  that  city  he  also 
obtained  his  mercantile  training.  He  sold  all 
his  property  in  England  in  1735,  and  came  to 
this  country,  where  he  at  once  engaged  in 
business  as  a  merchant,  establishing  houses  in 
New  York  and  Philadelphia.  He  met  with 
remarkable  success,  and  probably  was  the 
leading  shipper  in  New  York  at  that  time.  His 
enterprise  was  unbounded,  arid  he  paid  fre- 
quent visits  to  Europe  on  business  ventures, 
going  as  far  as  Russia,  and  was  twice  ship- 
wrecked. As  a  supply  agent  for  the  British 
army  he  was  talien  prisoner  at  Fort  Oswego 
when  it  was  surprised  by  Montcalm,  was  car- 
ried to  Montreal,  and  from  there  to  France. 
After  his  liberation  he  returned  to  New  York 
to  find  the  conflict  between  the  Colonies  and 
the  mother  country  already  practically  com- 
menced; and,  joining  heartily  in  Revolutionary 
movements,  he  was  in  1775  unanimously 
elected  a  delegate  to  the  Continental  Congress, 
where  his  business  experience,  executive  talent 
and  knowledge  of  commerce  made  him  a  val- 
uable member.  At  the  next  session  he  with 
his  fellow  patriots  signed  the  paper  to  the 
maintenance  of  which  they  pledged  "their 
lives,  their  fortunes  and  their  sacred  honor." 
Having  some  time  previous  purchased  a  coun- 
try seat  a£  Whitestone,  he  removed  his  family 
to  it  in  1776,  and  then  entered  actively  upon 
the  performance  of  duties  of  importance  with 
which  he  had  been  entrusted  by  Congress, 
one  detail  of  which  was  the  importation  of 
military  stores,  in  which  he  expended  the  bulk 
of  his  large  fortune,  and  for  which  he  was 
never  repaid.  Hardly  had  his  family  been 
settled  at  their  home  in  Whitestone  before  they 
were  visited,  in  the  fall  of  1776,  by  a  body  of 


British  light  horse,  who  plundered  his  house, 
wantonly  destroyed  his  extensive  and  valuable 
library,  and,  taking  Mrs.  Lewis  a  prisoner,  re- 
tained her  several  months,  without  a  change' 
of  clothing  or  a  bed  to  rest  on!  Through  the 
influence  of  Washington  she  was  released, 
but  with  her  health  so  broken  by  the  abuses 
she  had'  suffered  that  she  drooped  and  died — 
another  victim  to  English  chivalry  in  the  eight- 
eenth century.  Mr.  Lewis  resided  here  until 
1796,  when  he  disposed  of  his  property  and 
retired  to  New  York,  where  he  died  Decem- 
ber 30,  1803,  in  his  ninetieth  year. 

The  second  son  of  this  patriot,  Morgan 
Lewis,  afterward  Governor  of  New  York,  also 
lived  at  Whitestone  for  many  years.  He  served 
in  the  War  of  the  Revolution  as  a  captain, 
and  afterward  as  major,  retiring  with  the  rank 
of  colonel,  to  resume  his  legal  studies  and  qual- 
ify for  the  bar.  He  soon  acquired  distinction 
in  that  profession,  and  in  1792  became  Chief 
Justice  of  New  York's  Supreme  Court.  In 
1804  he  was  elected  Governor.  In  the  War 
of  1812  he  became  a  major  general  and  served 
on  the  Niagara  frontier.  But  the  details  of 
his  career  are  too  interesting  to  be  condensed 
and  we  must  refer  the  reader  to  the  sketch  of 
India  Delafield,  containing  a  sketch  of  his  life 
and  that  of  his  father.  Governor  Lewis  died 
in  1844.  A  portrait  of  him  is  given  on  page 
277  of  this  volume. 

Bayside,  on  Little  Neck  Bay,  although  in 
many  respects  a  modern  settlement,  has  really 
a  history  of  almost  equal  antiquity  with  Flush- 
ing village,  but  its  story  is  uninteresting,  al- 
though it  contained  a  building  which,  like  so. 
many  hundreds  of  others,  bore  the  designa- 
tion of  Washington's  Headquarters.  It  was 
really  simply  a  scattered  group  of  rural  resi- 
dences until  within  a  comparatively  few  years, 
and  its  progress  has  been  slow.  It  has  a  pop- 
ulation of  700,  but  is  steadily  rising  into  favor 
as  a  residential  village,  as  it  presents  many 
advantages  in  the  refined  society  already  to 
be  found  there  and  the  many  beautiful  villas 
which  adorn  its  streets. 


536 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


As  much  might  be  said  of  Little  Neck,  a 
similair  community  on  the  other  side  of  Little 
Neck  Bay  and  close  to  the  Nassau  county 
boundary  line.  The  property  was  in  the  hands 
of  the  Hicks  family  from  the  time  Thomas 
Hicks  drove  the  Indian  owners  ofif  the  lands 
by  forge  until  a  recent  date;  indeed,  some  of 
that  redoubtable  land  grabber's  descendants 
are  still  to  be  found  in  and  near  the  village. 
Douglass  Point,  however,  as  it  is  now  called, 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  "bits"  of  landscape 
on  the  sound,  passed  from  their  hands  early 
in  the  last  century.  Little  Neck  is  slowly  but 
surely  rising  in  popular  favor,  and  its  popu- 
lation of  600  are  doing  all  that  is  possible  to 
add  to  its  attractiveness.  Willets  Point,  Doug- 
laston  and  several  small  settlements  are  also 
gradually  finding  their  way  into  public  favor 
and  are  certain  to  increase  as  the  years  roll  on. 

In  fact,  there  seems  little  doubt  that  the 
whole  of  the  old  township  of  Flushing  is  des- 
tined to  be  the  "home  land,"  as  it  were,  of  a 
great  population  of  home  owners, — ^the  best 
possible  class  of  citizens.  A  recent  article  in 
one  of  our  daily  papers,  speaking  on  this 
point  evidently  with  the  knowledge  of  an  ex- 
pert, says :  "Flushing,  with,  a  population  of 
9,700,  on  the  ridge  overlooking  Flushing  Bay, 
is  a  village  of  Dutch  Colonial  antiquity,  of 
historic  associations  and  substantial  growth. 
Originally  an  agricultural  community,  its  chief 
characteristics  have  come  to  be  those  of  a 
suburban  home  settlement.  It  has  good  iroads, 
schools  and  churches,  libraries,  banks,  stores, 
shops  and  a  complete  system  of  public  works. 
Fine  old  mansions,  set  in  spacious  grounds, 
break  the  uniformity  of  development  present 
in  more  distinctly  modern  places,  and  the 
water  aflfords  variety  to  the  enjoyment  of 
nature  and  outdoor  life.  In  the  outskiirts 
of  the  village  are  important  suburban  ad- 
ditions, developed  by  private  enterprise,  as 
Ingleside  and  Bowne  Park.  Both  are  located 
on  high  ground,  abutting  on  fine  residential 
streets,    which   are    continued   through   them. 


At  Ingleside  the  Realty  Trust  has  sold  some 
hundred  detached  frame  dwellings  at  $3,500 
to  $6,750,  besides  a  number  running  as  high 
as  $10,000.  Building  sites  are  sold  to  investors 
at  $260  to  $1,000  a  lot.  At  Bowne  Park,  where 
John  Dayton  &  Company  have  built  extensive- 
ly, similar  conditions  as  to  prices  of  houses  and 
lots  prevail,  this  place,  like  the  former,  having 
maintained  a  high  grad'e  of  suburban  con- 
struction. Among  smaller  groups  of  houses 
in  the  mairket  are  eight  dwellings  at  the  Broad- 
way station  that  are  quoted  at  $3,000  and 
upward.  These  are  offered  by  John  N.  Fal- 
kinburg,  who  is  also  improving  a  tract  at 
Bayside,  a  station  just  east  of  Flushing,  with 
houses  selling  at  $3,500  to  $6,000.  Land  in 
the  various  additions  under  development  at 
Flushing  has  been  carefully  restricted  against 
uses  objectionable  in  a  residential  community, 
the  aim  having  been  to  keep  in  harmony  with 
the  social  and  natural  features  which  have 
made  the  village  attractive  to  quite  a  colony 
of  artistic  and  professional  men. 

"Corona,  with  a  population  of  2,700,  is  an- 
other center  of  suburban  development  in  the 
section  overlooking  the  Sound.  Until  re- 
cently houses  were  for  the  most  part  built 
by  intending  occupants  with  assistance  from 
co-operative  building  and  loan  associations. 
Construction  work  is  now  largely  carried  for- 
ward on  extensive  tracts,  as  Luona  Park  and 
Hamilton's  Homes.  At  Luona  Park,  laid 
out  by  the  Realty  Trust,  several  hundred 
houses  have  been  built.  The  prices  prevail- 
ing have  been  between  $2,400  and  $3,500.  At 
Hamilton's  Homes,  developed  by  William  J. 
Hamilton,  quotations  range  from  $2,000  to 
$3,000. 

"Elmhurst,  near  by,  with  a  population  of 
3,000,  is  composed  of  two  principal  elements, 
an  old  village  of  Dutch  origin  and  a  modern 
suburban  settlement.  The.  newer  Elmhurst 
comprises  a  tract  of  1,800  lots  controlled  by 
Cord  Meyer  &  Company.  Houses  are  sold  to 
intending  occupants   at    $3,500    to    $10,000, 


FLUSHING. 


537 


About  two  hundred  and  fifty  families  have 
been  drawn  to  the  neighborhood  since  the  tract 
was  opened  in  1896.  Provisions  are  contained 
in  all  the  deeds  reserving  the  land  for  private 
residences,  and  property  is  thus  guarded 
against  construction  which  might  tend  to  de- 
preciate values.  The  management  refuses  to 
sell  lots  unless  assurance  is  given  that  no  house 


is  to  be  erected  without  the  plans  having 
been  approved  by  the  company.  This  makes 
speculative  building  impossible.  On  the  other 
Imnd,  the  village  elsewhere  offers  attractive 
opportunities  for  building  operations,  and  a 
jroup  of  new  houses  by  Warren  &  Combes 
were  for  the  most  part  readily  disposed  of 
last  season  at  $3,800  to  $4,300." 


5^:  .^-;-(3j«s.ji 


CHAPTER   XLV. 


NEWTOWN. 


The    Step-Child   of  the   Metropolitan  Area  —  Mespath  and   Mr.  Doughty- 

MlDDLEBURG DeWiTT    ClTNTON MlDDLE    ViLLAGE    AND 

Other  Settlements. 


i 


N  the  old  Gazetteers  the  township  of 
Newtown  was  described  as  bounded  on 
the  north  by  the  East  River  (including 
in  its  limits  Riker's,  the  two  Broth- 
er and  Berrian  Islands),  on  the  south  by  Ja- 
maica, Flatbush  and  Bushwick,  and  west  by 
Bushwick  and  the  East  River.  It  was  held 
to  contain  10,683  acres.  These  rather  vague 
boundaries  are  now  of  little  use,  except  in  an 
antiquarian  sense,  for  the  town  is  described 
very  dififerently  nowadays,  when  it  is  appor- 
tioned beween  the  First  and  Second  Wards 
of  the  borough  of  Queens  and  has  its  bounda- 
ries indicated  by  named  streets  or  avenues. 

For  a  long  time  Newtown  was  the  step- 
child of  the  metropolitan  area,  its  backyard,  so 
to  speak.  Whatever  was  too  offensive  for  the 
rest  of  the  area  found  lodgment-there,  and  the 
odors  from  some  of  its  works  often  aroused 
indignant  protests  even  from  dwellers  on 
Manhattan,  while  Newtown  Creek,  once  one 
of  the  sweetest  bits  of  water  stretching  into 
Long  Island  from  the  river,  became  a  syno- 
nym for  all  that  is  vile.  Much  of  its  territory 
was  used  as  a  dumping  ground,  its  manufac- 
tories were  those  which  could  not  be  carried 
on  close  to  any  large  city,  the  making  of  glue, 
the  rendering  of  fat,  the  distillation  of  oil  and 
the  like,  and  the  establishment  of  each  of  these 
made  the  surrounding  territory  only  the  more 
barren  and  bleak.     Back  from  the  coast  line 


the  land  was  flat  and  the  landscape  uninterest- 
ing, and  as  agriculture  decayed  the  old 
farms,  many  of  them,  began  to  be  cut  up  into 
market  gardens,  while  discolored  and  deserted 
barns  became  mute  evidences  of  the  glories  of 
the  past.  In  the  entire  district  pools  lay  stag- 
nant, helping  by  their  exhalations  to  make 
the  territory  uninviting  even  to  the  land  boom- 
ers, who  found  "Newtown  lots"  invariably  the 
hardest  sort  of  proposition  to  tackle  when  the 
lots  were  away  from  within  sight  of  the  river. 
The  place  had  gradually  lost  caste  and  settlers 
were  few.  Astoria  had  flourished,  the  beau- 
ties of  Ravenswood  had  invited  a  colony  of 
home  builders  of  the  better  class.  Hunter's 
Point  was  boomed  for  many  years  as  a  suita- 
ble site  for  the  homes  of  Manhattan  working- 
men,  but  the  lots  failed  to  command  anything 
like  attractive  prices  outside  of  Astoria,  and 
Ravenswood  was  somewhat  exclusive.  Within 
the  last  ten  or  twelve  years  a  change  for  the 
better  has  taken  place  and  many  thriving  com- 
munities have  sprung  up,  thanks  to  the  in- 
crease in  the  metropolitan  population,  the  fa- 
cilities of  transportation  and  the  more  respon- 
sible efforts  of  the  land  speculators,  and  such 
places  as  Winfield,  Elmhurst,  Woodside,  Lou- 
ona  Park,  Corona,  are  not  only  beautiful  and 
attractive  settlements,  but  are  an  illustration 
of  the  effect  of  business  principles,  capital  and 
thoughtful,  well-planned  enterprise  being  ap- 


NEWTOWN. 


539 


plied  to  the  once  wild  and  irresponsible  busi- 
ness of  land  booming.  But  even  in  spite  of  the 
number  of  these  settlements,  and  their  sur- 
rounding evidences  of  prosperity,  there  are  not 
more  dreary  and  uninteresting  trolley  rides 
in  the  area  of  the  Greater  New  York  than 
those  across  old  Newtown  township,  say  from 
Greenpoint  Ferry  to  North  Beach. 

Tt  used  to  be  a  standing  joke, — a  somewhat 
grim  one, — ^to  say  that  Newtown's  greatest 
industry  was  that  of  funerals,  that  it  was  the 
great  burying  ground  of  New  York  and 
Brooklyn.  Certainly  it  is  plentifully  dotted 
over  with  cemeteries,  the  cheapness  of  the  land 
and  its  apparent  unpopularity  with  the  living 
having  induced  churches  and  corporations  to 
buy  up  large  lots  or  "parcels"  and  developing 
them  for  burial  purposes.  Except  such  as  the 
extensive  holdings  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church  and  some  smaller  places  owned  by 
other  religious  bodies,  these  cemeteries  are  all 
ruled  by  corporations,  pay  dividends  or  are 
expected  to  pay  dividends  on  the  money  in- 
vested in  them,  and  are  managed  on  business 
principles  and  with  a  view  to  the  profits  just 
the  same  as  any  other  piece  of  property  would 
be.  The  largest  of  these  cemeteries  is  Cal- 
vary, now  inclosing  some  300  acres,  and  the 
smallest  the  little  Quaker  resting  place  in  Mid- 
dle Village,  which  is  hardly  one  acre  in  extent, 
while  the  Methodist  cemetery,  near  the  latter, 
only  encloses  two  acres,  but  it  has  a  history  of 
its  own  which  antedates  the  Revolution,  for 
iit  was  laid  aside  for  its  present  purpose  in 
1770.  The  Lutheran  cemetery  and  St.  John's, 
also  at  Middle  Village,  Machpelah,  St.  Mi- 
chael's, Mount  Olivet,  Mount  Nebo,  Union 
Field  and  parts  of  Evergreens  and  Cypress 
Hills  are  among  the  best  known  of  the  other 
silent  cities  which  so  long  were  Newtown's 
most  potent  attractions  for  throngs  of  visitoi'S 
from  the  neighboring  centers   of  population. 

In  another  way  the  township  of  Newtown 
is  peculiar  among  the  old  Long  Island  com- 
munities. In  Jamaica,  Flushing,  Hempstead, 
Oyster  Bay  and  other  places  the  first  settle- 


ment, the  first  place  which  gave  the  name  to 
the  township,  has  retained  its  original  impor- 
tance and  maintained  its  place  as  the  center  of 
its  population, — the  local  capital,  as  it  might 
be  called.  Not  so  Newtown.  In  1870  its  most 
densely  populated  corner,  including  Astoria, 
Ravenswood,  Hunter's  Point,  was  concentrat- 
ed into  one  municipality  and  elevated  intO'  the 
dignity  of  a  city,  with  the  result  that  Long 
Island  City  now  has  a  population  of  52,240, 
while  Newtown  still  struggles  on  as  a  village 
with  a  population  of  about  2,500.  Still  the  old 
village  is  growing,  has  added  about  1,000  to 
its  population  in  a  decade,  and  in  spite  of  the 
prominence  of  the  city  it  is  to  the  viHage  we 
must  turn  when  we  write  of  the  history  of 
the  township  until  at  least  within  the  last  three 
or  four  decades. 

Antiquarians  have  decided  that  the  first 
settlement  in  the  township  was  made  at  what 
was  afterward  known  as  Fisher's  Point  and 
which  is  known  at  the  present  day  as  North 
Beach.  The  pioneer  Hendrick  Harmansen 
received  a  grant  of  land  there  from  Governor 
Kieft  in  1638,  and  appears  to  have  at  once 
settled.  Not  long,  after  Richard  Brutnell  re- 
ceived a  grant  of  land  near  the  modern  Dutch 
Kills,  while  amidst  a  slowly  gathering  pro- 
cession we  find  a  blacksmith  named  Jorissen, 
who  was  the  first  white  man  to  become  pos- 
sessor of  the  beautiful  tract  later  known  as 
Ravenswood.  That  he  was  killed  by  a  party 
of  Indians  is  simply  tO'  say  that  he  was  the 
victim  of  a  contingency  which  he  and  all 
other  pioneers,  and  even  dwellers  in  towrus, 
in  those  picturesque  but  happily  remote  days- 
had  to  face. 

The  first  general  name  applied  to  the  ter- 
ritory was  Mespat,  so  named  after  a  small 
tribe  of  Indians  who  hunted  around  Newtown 
Creek.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Doughty's  settlers 
twisted  it  to  Maspeth,  a  name  which  still  lin- 
gers in  one  of  the  villages  of  the  township. 
After  the  Doughty  forces  were  shattered  by 
the  terrible  Indian  rising  of  1643,  the  whole 
of  Newtown's  territory  was,  in  fact,  pretty 


■540 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


well  cleared  of  settlers  by  the  avenging  hosts 
■of  the  red  man.  \Mien  peace  was  restored 
■and  a  truce  had  been  made  with  the  aborigines, 
the  pioneers,  who  slowly  returned,  found  they 
had  a  new  grievance, — the  pretensions  of  Mr. 
Doughty.  That  gentleman  seemed  to  have 
caught  the  land  fever  pretty  severely  and  tried 
to  set  up  as  a  patroon,  but  the  other  original 
patentees  stood  up  for  their  eights  and  won 
their  case  when  they  appealed  to  the  Governor 
and  his  Council.  So  in  his  wrath  Mr.  Doughty 
gathered  up  his  skirts  and  forsook  Maspeth 
forever. 

Immigration  helped  the  territory  but  slow- 
ly, a  spot  here  and  there  only  being  cleared, 
for  although  lying  temptingly  near  to  New 
York,  the  swift  and  treacherous  currents  in 
the  river  were  not  much  to  the  liking  of  the 
longing  eyes  on  Manhattan.  In  1652,  how- 
ever, a  little  colony  came  from  Connecticut, 
mainly  English  people,  and  after  prospecting 
around  settled  on  a  spot  which  answered  all 
their  requirements  in  the  way  of  meadowland, 
abundant  and  pure  water  and  the  like.  As 
was  necessary,  application  was  made  to  Gov- 
ernor Stuyvesant  for  a  town  warrant  or  char- 
ter, which  he  at  once  granted,  giving  the  name 
of  Middleburg  to  the  place  and  conferring  on 
the  colonists  all  the  privileges  which  had  been 
awarded  to  the  other  towns  on  Long  Island 
which  had  asked  that  favor  from  him.  This 
was  the  beginning  of  Newtown. 

The  first  jMagistrates  were  Robert  Coe, 
Richard  Gildersleeve  and  Thomas  Hazard. 
The  usual  system  of  town  meetings  seems  to 
have  governed  as  far  as  possible  all  the  local 
arrangements,  but  it  is  unfortunate  that  nearly 
all  the  early  records  have  been  lost.  But 
enough  has  been  left  to  show  that  Middleburg 
was  a  peaceable  and  law-abiding  community, 
that  it  admitted  newcomers  to  the  privileges 
of  settlement  only  after  being  satisfied  as  to 
character  and  after  a  vote  had  been  taken, 
and  when  a  citizen  did  not  walk  according  to 
the  local  ideas  of  right  and  wrong  he  was  un- 
ceremoniously ordered  to  betake  himself  else- 


where. Serious  crimes  were  apparently  un- 
known among  them ;  they  had  no  lock-up  for 
offenders,  and  imposed  liberal  fines  upon  all 
who  violated  any  of  the  local  ordinances. 
Some  offenses  were  too  heinous  to  be  condoned 
by  a  fine,  no  maitter  how  severe,  and  in  1660 
we  read'  of  the  just  and  merited  penalty  in- 
flicted on  a  "ne'er-do-weel"  who  stole  some 
corn  from  Magistrate  Coe's  barn.  This  rep- 
robate had  to  walk  through  the  village  with 
two  rods  under  each  arm  and  drums  beating 
in  front  of  him,  and  having  suffered  this  humil- 
iation he  was  to  make  "amends"  to  the  party 
he  had  robbed.    Besides  all  this  he  was  ordered 


NEWTOWN'S   FIRST  HOUSE    OF  WORSHIP. 

to  keep  to  his  house  at  nights  and  so  give 
no  cause  for  suspicion  as  to  his  movements. 
Why  he  was  not  summarily  ordered  out  of  the 
community  is  not  disclosed.  Very  Jikely  there 
were  sufficient  reasons  for  not  imposing  this 
last  dread  penalty.  The  citizens  united  in  pay- 
ing premiums  for  the  slaughter  of  wild  beasts, 
especially  wolves,  and  in  mutual  protection 
against  the  Indians,  but  the  latter  continued 
troublesome,  and  in  1653,  so  great  was  the 
apprehension  of  a  general  rising  of  the  red 
men,  that  the  whole  colony  paissed  over  to  Con- 
necticut for  safety.  They  soon  returned,  how- 
ever, and  resumed  the  usual  tenor  of  their 
ways,  but  in  1655  the  Indians  did  make  a  raid 
which  caused  much  bloodshed  and  destruction. 


NEWTOWN. 


541' 


The  people  from  the  first  seem  to  have  been 
dissatisfied  with  the  Dutch  government  in  New 
Amsterdam,  although  they  fulfilled  all  their 
obligations  to  it  honestly  and  paid  their  tithes 
with  commendable  regularity.  In  1662  Con- 
necticut, under  its  charter,  laid  claim  to  juris- 
diction over  Long  Island  and  the  English 
towns  excepting  Gravesend  seem  to  have  ac- 
cepted this  claim  joyfully.  Those  which  were 
near  New  Amsterdam,  however,  had  to  be 
cautious  in  their  preference,  because  the  ire- 
doubtable  Peter,  the  doughty  Silver  Leg,  had 
his  eye  upon  them.  So  Middleburg  had  to 
await  events  while  cherishing  her  hope  of 
getting  away  from  Dutch  rule.  In  1663,  how- 
ever, her  citizens  openly  professed  allegiance 
to  Connecticut,  threw  away  their  Dutch 
name  and  adopted  that  of  Hastings.  Then 
they  were  landed  in  a  slough  of  despond  by 
news  that  Connecticut  liad  deserted  them  as 
the  iresult  of  a  treaty  with  Stuyvesant,  and 
hailed  the  arrival  of  Captain  John  Scott  as 
the  direct  representative  of  English  authority, 
elected  him  their  President,  but  he  did  not 
rule  very  long.  Peter  Stuyvesant  had  too 
much  on  hand  to  think  of  the  contumacy  of 
iliddleburg  or  Hastings,  and  in  1664  Captain 
Xicolls  wrested  the  entire  province  from  his 
rule,  and  Middleburg  or  Hastings  had  an 
Enghsh  government  at  last,  ■  an  English  gov- 
ernment de  facto,  which  of  course  had  never 
been  realized  under  the  Connecticut  claims. 
W'ith  that  change,  too,  the  old  names  were 
abandoned  and  "the  New  Towne"  took  their 
place. 

In  the  convention  of  1665,  which  accepted 
"the  Duke's  laws,"  the  limits  of  the  different 
townships  were  discussed  and  to  a  certain 
extent  determined,  for  the  original  charters 
were,  as  has  been  noticed  fnequently.  So,  too, 
was  the  determination  of  the  convention. 
However,  in  the  following  year  the  freehold- 
ers secured  by  purchase  all  the  remaining  lands 
in  the  possession  of  the  Indians,  or  lands 
claimed  by  them,  and  on  March  6,  1667,  Gov- 
ernor Nicolls  issued  a  brand  new  charter  in 


which  he  gave  the  people  all  the  privileges  of  a-_ 
town    government,    ordered    that    the    town- 
should  continue  to  be  known  as  New  Town., 
and  vaguely  set  out  its  boundaries  as  "east  by 
Flushing  Creek,  north  by  the  Sound,  south  by 
the  Jamaica  line  which  runs  on  the  south  side 
of  the  hill  and  west  by  Alespat  Creek  or  Kills." 
The  boundaries   as  thus   set   forth   continued"^ 
practically   to   be   those   of   the   township   al- 
though  the   courts   had   afterward   to   be  ap- 
pealed to  very  frequently.    A  tract  of  meadow 
land  which  was  in  dispute  between  Bushwick 
and  New  Town  was  awarded  to  the  former 
after  quite  cantankerous  legal  proceedings  in  ■ 
1669.    In  1684  Newtown,  Brooklyn  and  Bush- 
wick  had   a   three-cornered   fight   over   their 
boundaries,  and  a  year  later  Flatbush  secured 
a    patent    for    some    land    which    Newtown 
claimed.     A  long  and  wearisome  contest  en- 
sued, all  the  other  towns  apparently  joining 
issue,  most  of  them  against  Newtown,  assert- 
ing that  she  claimed  tracts  of  territory  which., 
had  been  patented  to  the  othelrs.     Sometimes  - 
the  trouble  was  before  the  law  courts,  some- 
times before  the  Governor,  sometimes  before  - 
the  Legislature.    There  is  no  practical  purpose 
to  be  gained  by  following  its  details  and  it  may 
be  dismissed  by   saying  that'  after  dragging 
along  for  some  80  years  it  was  finally  adjusted 
by  an  act  of  the  Legislature  in  1768.   The  sud- 
den overthrow  of  the  English  government  and 
the  appearance  of  Anthony  Colve  in  1673  as  . 
the   representative   of  the  Dutch   authoirities,. 
appear  to  have  been  received  by  the  Newtown  . 
people  with  equanimity.    The  Duke's  laws  and 
the  Duke's  methods  had  been  tried  and  found 
decidedly  wanting  by  a  people  who  valued  the  ■ 
privileges  of  freedom.  However,  when  Colve's  . 
representative  visited  Newtown  to  administer 
the  oath  of  allegiance  he  found  only  23  out  of  ' 
the  99  male  adults  which  his  papers  showed 
the  place  contained.     New  Town  was  united . 
with   "Rustdorp,   Heemstede,   Vlissingen   and 
Oyster  Bay  in  the  election  in  the  usual  round- 
about way  of  a  sheriff  and  clerk  who  were  to  - 
execute  the  laws  in  those  five  towns.    Toward  . 


542 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


the  close  of  1674  the  Dutch  rule  gave  way  to 
the  English,  the  Duke's  laws  were  again  oper- 
ative, and  the  Dutch  officials  were  removed. 
But  the  people  were  far  from  satisfied,  and 
when  the  news  came  that  King  James  had  fled 
from  his  ancestral  kingdom  and  been  succeed- 
ed by  the  Dutch  prince,  William  of  Orange, 
there  was  great  rejoicing  among  the  freehold- 
ers generally,  Dutch  as  well  as  English.  They 
were  represented  in  every  convention  and  in 
their  excess  of  zeal  actually  voted  to  provide 
two  soldiers  for  the  defense  of  the  fort  at  New 
Amsterdam  and  to  fully  provide  for  the  main- 
tenance of  that  brace  of  heroes ! 

Newtown,  throughout  its  eairly  history,  by 
which  may  generally  be  understood  its  pre- 
revolutionary  history,  was  essentially  an  agri- 
cultural community,  and  it  is  said  that  it  be- 
came so  famous  for  its  crops  of  wheat,  rye, 
hemp,  tobacco  and  potatoes,  that  in  1732  all  of 
the  land  within  its  boundaries  had  been  taken 
up  mainly  for  farming,  grazing  or  fruit  grow- 
ing purposes.  Horses,  cattle  and  sheep  were 
reared  in  great  numbers  and  much  attention 
was  given  to  breeding,  importations  being 
made  from  New  England  and  Holland.  The 
fruit  raised  was  particularly  good  and  the 
Newtown  pippins  became  famous  at  an  early 
date.  In  such  a  community  few  trades  were 
in  demand,  for  the  people  were  content  with 
their  own  product  and  the  wealthier  bad  slaves 
who  were  generally  handy  men  on  the  farm 
or  did  the  rough  work  in  the  domestic  estab- 
lishments. Then,  too,  money  was  scairce  and 
business  transactions  were  conducted  on  the 
basis  of  barter.  Thus  in  1661  a  house  was 
sold  for  "six  hundredweight  of  tobacco,  a 
thousand  clapboards,  and  half  a  fat  [vat]  of 
■strong  beer."  Still  the  community  supported 
several  such  tradesmen  as  butchers,  weavers, 
tailors,  cairpenters,  coopers  and  blacksmiths. 
In  some  instances  the  trades  were  represented 
by  a  single  representative,  but  there  were  half 
a  dozen  weavers  although  every  household  had 
its  spinning  wheel,  and  sometimes  its  own 
loom.    Milling  in  such  a  community  was  a  re- 


munerative as  well  as  a  most  necessary  busi- 
ness and  as  early  as  1657  John  Coe  had  set  up 
a  flouring  mill.  The  first  trace  of  manufactur- 
ing pursuits  occurred  in  1691  when  Thomas 
and  Edward  Stevenson  were  given  permission 
and  the  necessary  ground  to  set  up  a  fulling 
mill.  In  1 72 1  a  bark  mill  and  tannery  were  put 
in  operation  by  William  Vallance.  Then  fol- 
lowed a  starch  factory,  a  brewery  and  a  grist 
mill.  Most  of  these  were  in  operation  when 
the  Revolutionary  War  broke  out  and  managed 
to  struggle  through  it,  although  while  the 
struggle  lasted  all  business  was  depressed  ex- 
cept agriculture  and  where  that  was  permitted 
without  molestation  it  was  no  longer  pirofitable. 
When  the  war  broke  out  Newtown  was 
found  like  every  other  town  on  the  Island,  es- 
pecially on  the  island  west  of  Oyster  Bay,  to 
be  hopelessly  divided.  The  Newtown  fanners 
saw  their  stock  carried  off  by  order  of  Con- 
gress to  prevent  it  being  used  by  the  British 
and  the  news  of  the  result  of  the  battle  of 
Brooklyn  made  it  only  too  apparent  that  their 
property  would  never  be  returned.  Some  of 
their  citizens,  too,  who  formed  part  of  General 
Woodhull's  little  force  were  captured  along 
with  that  hero  and  sent  to  the  prison  ships. 
The  British  troops  were  visible  in  Newtown 
village  on  August  28  and  the  Whigs  knew  then 
that  their  doom  ^yas  sealed.  Those  who  could 
fled  before  the  arrival  of  the  redcoats,  most  of 
those  v^rho  remained  were  seized  and  impris- 
oned or  taken  out  of  the  town  and  their  prop- 
erty confiscated.  Feeling  in  the  crisis  rose 
high  and  a  Tory  thought  it  no  disgrace  to  turn 
informer  against  his  Whig  neighbor,  a  pro- 
ceeding which  the  latter  repaid  with  full  in- 
terest when  his  turn  came  in  course  of  time. 
Newtown  on  the  surface,  at  least,  became  in- 
tensely loyal  and  joined  heartily  in  a  petition 
which  prayed  that  the  whole  of  Queens  Coun- 
ty might  be  restored  to  royal  favor.  It  was 
restored  and  Newtown  raised  a  couple  of 
troops  of  horse  to  guard  its  borders  against 
the  depredations  of  the  despised  Whigs.  But 
the  wages  of  loyalty  was  soon  found  terribly 


NEWTOWN. 


543 


exacting,  exasperating,  and  beggaring.  Mar- 
tial law  prevailed  during  the  seven  years  of 
the  "occupation"  which  followed  the  battle  of 
Brooklyn,  and  the  civil  courts  were  suspended. 
Many  tiroops  were  quartered  at  Newtown  from 
time  to  time' — the  17th  dragoons,  the  Mary- 
land Loyalists,  the  42d  Highlanders,  the  33d 
regiment  and  a  battery  of  artillery.  The  sol- 
diers were  mainly  billeted  in  the  houses  of  the 
Whigs,  but  the  farmers,  Whig  or  Tory,  had 
to  supply  the  army  with  their  produce  at  a 
price  named  by  the  army  officials,  or  see  their 
oats,  wheat,  straw  and  provisions  confiscated 
and  themselves  harshly  maltreated  by  the  sol- 
diery or  imprisoned,  perhaps  both.  Robbery 
was  a  matter  of  daily  occurrence  and  toward 
the  end  of  the  seven  years  life,  liberty  and 
property  weire  held  by  the  slenderest  of  ten- 
ures. Little  wonder  that  Newtown,  Whig  or 
Tory,  hailed  the  return  of  peace  with  many 
manifestations  of  delight. 

While  we  do  not  think  of  Newtown  as  a 
religious  settlement  such  as  was  Gravesenid, 
or  even  as  a  theocracy  like  Hempstead  or  Ja- 
maica, there  is  little  doubt  that  the  pioneer 
settlers  were  earnest  God-fearing  people,  fully 
imbued  with  the  devout  spirit  of  New  Eng- 
land. Still  their  purpose  in  leaving  the  land  of 
the  Puritan  was  to  secure  a  stretch  of  fertile 
soil  and  earn  a  livlihood  rather  than  to  ob- 
tain any  further  religious  freedom  than  the 
law  car  public  sentiment  there  tolerated.  Mr. 
Doughty,  of  course,  might  be  cited  to  prove 
an  exception  to  this,  but  while  he  had  to  leave 
New  England  mainly  on  account  of  his  views 
on  baptism,  there  is  no  evidence  to  show  that 
he  intended  setting  up  a  religious  community 
when  he  settled  in  "Mespot."  Indeed  he  ap- 
pears more  anxious  to  attain  the  dignity  of 
patroonship  rather  than  the  barren  honor  of 
spiritual  leadership.  But  his  connection  with 
Newtown  was  too  brief  to  give  full  scope  to 
his  ambition,  temporal  or  spiritual,  while  cer- 
tainly the  course  of  events  showed  that  what- 
ever his  views  may  have  been  as  to  the  found- 
ing of  a  little  theocracy,  they  were  not  shared 


by  those  who  were  his  fellow-patentees  in 
1652.  It  has  been  asserted,  however,  that  the 
first  settlers  were  organized  in  a  congregation 
prior  tO'  setting  up  their  homes  in  Mespot  and 
that  accompanying  them  was  their  pastor,  the 
Rev.  John  Moore.  That  this  minister  was 
among  the  pioneers  seems  undoubted,  and  it  is 
very  likely,  nay  it  is  certain,  that  he  would 
preach  to  his  neighbors  and  perform  his  holy 
offices  among  -them ;  but  there  is  nothing  ro 
show  that  he  was  accepted  as  their  leader,  that 
his  voice  and  influence  were  all-important  in 
their  councils  as  was  so  often  the  case  in  other 
settlements.  We  are  told  that  he  preached  in 
the  "town  house,"  which  served  him  also  as  a 
dwelling,  and  which  had  been  erected  soon 
after  the  settlement  was  efifected,  but  all  that 
relates  tO'  him  is  so  disjointed  and  meagre  that 
his  personality  adds  little  to  our  history.  He 
died  in  1657,  so  that  at  best  he  was  not  permit- 
ted to  enjoy  for  many  years  the  associations  of 
the  community  he  bad  helped  to  found.  It  was 
not  until  1671  that  the  first  church  building 
was  erected  in  Newtown.  The  Rev.  William 
Leverich  was  at  that  time  the  pastor  and  he  is 
generally  regarded  as  the  first  settled  minister 
in  the  town.  Mr.  Leverich  had  quite  a  history 
before  settling  in  Newtown,  where  his  life 
work  was  destined  to  end,  about  1694.  It 
seems,  however,  that  several  yeans  before  that 
he  had  retired  from  the  active  duties  of  the 
ministry.  He  was  a  native  of  England,  and 
after  being  educated  for  the  ministry  at  Cam- 
bridge crossed  the  Atlantic  in  1633  to  become 
pastor  of  the  church  at  Dover,  N.  H.  He  re- 
mained there  two  years  or  so  and  then,  after 
holding  several  brief  charges,  became,  in  1640, 
minister  at  Sandwich,  Cape  Cod,  where,  it 
seems,  he  took  a  particular  interest  in  the  work 
of  spreading  a  knowledge  of  the  Gospel 
among  the  Indians.  He  removed  to  Oyster 
Bay  in  1653,  where  he  had  acquired  some  land, 
and  was  chosen  as  minister  by  the  people  at 
an  annual  salary  of  £15.  He  remained  there 
for  some  two  years  as  pastor  and  then  became 
minister  at  Huntington,   where  he   remained 


544 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


until  1670,  when  he  settled  in  Newtown.  He 
seems  to  have  been  a  man  of  singular  ability, 
about  as  learned  in  the  law  as  in  the  Gospel, 
and  seems  to  have  engaged  in  many  enterprises 
outside  of  his  sacred  calling,  and  bis  lawsuit 
or  lawsuits  with ,  his  predecessor  as  religious 
teacher  in  Huntington  still  fortn  an  interesting 
story  in  the  early  annals  of  that  town.  Mr. 
Leverich  certainly  prospered  in  his  worldly 
affairs  and  seems  to  have  been  much  beloved 
in  Newtown.  His  descendants  are  still  among 
the  most  prominent  citizens  of  Long  Island. 

The  successors  of  Mr.  Leverich  at  New- 
town were  amiable  men,  and  the  church  pi'os- 
pered  so  that  about  1697  or  thereabout  a 
house  and  lot  were  set  apart  for  the  use  of  the 
ministry.  In  1703  the  church  was  taken  posses- 
sion of  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Urquhart  of  the  com- 
bined charge  of  Jamaica,  Newtown  and  Flush- 
ing, under  the  orders  of  Lorxd  Cornbury,  just 
as  in  the  case  of  the  Jamaica  church,  and  an 
effort  was  made  to  suppress  Presbyterianism. 
The  Rev.  John  Hampton  was  openly  arrested 
in  Newtown  and  imprisoned  for  attempting  to 
preach  without  first  obtaining  a  permit  from 
the  precious  scamp  who  then  represented  the 
majesty  of  Britain — Lord  Cornbury.  In  spite 
of  this  the  Presbyterian  flock  was  able  to  keep 
together  and  in  1708  the  Rev.  Samuel  Pumroy 
accepted  a  call  to  the  pastorate  and  entered  up- 
on his  duties  on  September  i8th,  that  year,  al- 
though he  was  not  ordained  for  some  fourteen 
months  later.  Under  hir.  the  church  waxed 
strong  and  in  171 5  it  was  received  into  th-j 
Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  and  built  a  new  and 
much  larger  tabernacle,  which  seems  to  have 
been  used  for  religious  services  from  that  date, 
although  it  was  not  fully  completed  until  1741. 
By  that  time,  however,  the  labors  of  Mr.  Pum- 
roy were  nearing  an  end,  for  he  died  in  1744. 
The  most  noted  of  his  successors  was  the  Rev. 
Simeon  Horton,  who  held  the  charge  for  some 
26  years.  Then  he  retired  and  waited  for  the 
end,  which  came  to  him  May  8,  1786.  He  had 
the  mortification  of  seeing  the  church  in  which 
he  had  labored  so  long  without  a  pastor  (foir 


his  successor,  Andrew  Bay,  was  not  a  success 
in  any  way  and  only  lasted  a  couple  of  years), 
used  b}'  tlie  British  troops  as  a  hospital,  a 
guard  house,  and  finally  demolished.  It  says 
wonders  for  the  steadfastness  of  the  people 
that  in  1787,  four  years  after  the  last  British 
troops  sailed  through  the  Narrows  homeward 
bound,  they  commenced  the  erection  of  a  new 
house  of  worship. 

For  many  years  after  the  zealous  Mr.  Ur- 
quhart   captured    the    Presbyterian    meeting 


OLD   FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH, 
NEWTOWN,   L.  I. 

house  at  Newtown,  the  story  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  in  Newtown  is  bound  up  with  the  stoi-y 
of  its  progress  in  Jamaica  and  Flushing  and 
has  already  been  told  in  the  sections  devoted 
to  these  towns.  It  does  not  seem  that  at  first 
the  old  meeting  house  was  much  used  or  that 
I^^ewtown  was  regarded  as  much  more  than  a 
preaching  station.  But  in  1735  a  building  was 
erected  for  the  use  of  the  church  and  services 
were  commenced  in  it  although  it  was  not 
completed    until    1740.      Newtown    continued 


NEWTOWN. 


545 


part  of  the  tripartite  charge  until  1797,  when 
the  EpiscopaHans  attained  the  long  sought 
privilege  of  having  a  minister  of  their  own  and 
the  Rev.  Henry  Van  Dyke  entered  upon  the 
sole  charge.  Five  }ears  later  he  retired.  New- 
town then  united'  with  Flushing  and  the  Rev. 
Abraham  Clarke  became  joint  rector.  'This  ar- 
rangement lasted  until  1809,  when  it  was  dis- 
solved and  Mr.  Clarke  was  irector  of  Newtown 
until  his  death  in  1810.  The  Rev.  Evan  Mal- 
bone  Johnson  became  rector  in  1814  and  con- 
tinued until  his  removal  to  Brooklyn  in  1827, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  George  A. 
Shelton,  who  was  rector  for  the  long  period  of 
33  years,  from  1830  to  1863. 

The  first  Dutch  Reformed'  Church  was 
erected  in  Newtown  in  1732,  but  the  congrega- 
tion for  several  years  thereafter  was  dependent 
upon  the  service  of  such  ministers  as  might  be 
sent  thtm  from  New  York  or  Kings  County. 
In  1739  the  people  united  with  the  other  Re- 
foiitned  churches  in  Queens  County  and  this 
arrangement  continued  until  1802,  when  the 
Rev.  Jacob  Schoonmaker  became  minister  of 
Jamaica  and  Newtown  jointly.  He  labored 
in  Newtown  until  1849  'Lud  the  church  throve 
under  him  greatly  and  built  in  1833  a  new 
house  of  worship.  But  }-ears  began  to  limit 
even  his  great  capacity  for  work,  sO'  he  con- 
fined himself  for  the  remainder  of  his  days  to 
Jamaica,  and  Newtown  went  forth  alone  and 
prospered  under  the  care  of  the  Rev.  Thomas 
C.  Strong,  who  was  installed  December  12, 
1849. 

As  early  as  1661  a  schooil  was  held  in  the 
town  or  meeting  house  under  the  direction  of 
Richard  Alills  and  thereafter  under  a  succes- 
of  high  attainments.  The  children  in  the  county 
sion  of  teachers,  some  of  them  apparently  men 
were  never  without  means  of  learning  as  much 
at  least  as  the  three  R's,  which  was  all  that  the 
American  common  school  system  aimed  at 
until  within  comparatively  recent  years.  As 
the  population  increased  schools  were  estab- 
lished at  different  points  and  by  1740  there 
were  no  fewer  than  five  in  the  town,  and  in 
35 


1762  an  advanced  school,  where  writing,  arith- 
metic, the  "Italian  method!  of  book-keeping  by 
double  entry,"  Latin  and  Greek  were  taught, 
was  opened  at  /Hallet's  Cove. 

After  the  Revolutionary  struggle  had  been 
fought  and  won  Newtown  relapsed  into  its  old 
quiet  ways  as  an  agricultural  community  and 
jslumbered  on.  It  had'  a  population  when  the 
rule  of  Uncle  Sam  commenced  of  about  2,000 : 
fo'rty  years  later  (in  1830)  it  had  only  in- 
creased by  some  500.  Coinmunication  with 
the  outside  world  was  difficult  and  dangerous 
on  "the  one  side  and  expensive  and  tedious  on 
the  other.  The  currents  on  the  East  River 
were  treacherous  and  a  knowledge  of  their 
peculiarities  had  never  been  thoroughly  mas- 
tered even  by  those  living  on  its  banks,  so  that 
a  voyage  from  Newtown  Creek  to  the  'opjx)- 
site  shore  might  last  an  hour  or  take  up  the 
best  part  of  a  day,  and  the  landing  place  de- 
pended not  on  the  will  of  the  passenger  but  on 
circumstances.  All  was  wfeU  provided  fair 
weather  was  vouchsafed;  if  not  the  simple 
trip  might  furnish  terrors  enough  to  enthrall 
a  farm  fireside  for  a  generation  to  coane.  If 
the  journey  was  made  by  land  up  to  1798  the 
means  of  accomplishment  were  few  and  far 
between,  unless  one  had  the  command  of  bo'^s- 
es  and  wagons.  In  that  year,  however,  a 
"light,  airy  coachee,  hung  on  springs,"  was  put 
on  the  route  between  Newtown  and  Brooklyn, 
running  through  Alaspeth,  across  Penny 
Bridge  to  Bushwick,  Cripplebush  and  Bed- 
ford, and  the  cost  for  the  trip  was  3  shillings. 
The  "coachee"  carried  seven  passenger's  and 
left  Newtown  three  ,da}'s  in  each  week.  In 
1805  the  extension  of  the  Cripplebush  road 
brought  IX^ewtown  more  easily  in  touch  with 
Brooklyn  and  in  1816  it  was  placed  in  direct 
communication  with  the  Williamsburg  ferry 
and  so  in  easy  reach,  co'mparatively,  of  Man- 
hattan Island.  It  was  not,  however,  until 
1854,  with  the  opening  of  the  North  Side  Rail- 
road, that  Newtown  was  brought  into  touch 
not  onh'  with  Brooklyn  and  New  York  but 
with  the  outlying  sections  of  its  own  territory 


546 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


and  began  to  make  ready  for  the  great  ad- 
•\-ance  which  was  in  time  to  come  with  the 
trolley,,  railroad,  rapid  transit  and  annexa- 
tion. 

So  far  as  the  township  was  concerned  the 
modern  advance  in  population  commenced  in 
1830,  but  little  of  that  advance  was  felt  in 
Newtown  village.  In  fact  it  steadily  began, 
almost  with  the  opening  of  the  last  century, 


is  seldom  used  as  very  few  of  that  denomina- 
tion are  to  be  found  in  this  vicinity.  It  is  sup- 
posed to  be  about  100  years  old,  but  there  is 
some  reason  to  believe  that  it  is  even  more 
ancient."  But  whatever  its  age  it  has  long 
since  disappeared  altogether  and  so  have  most 
of  the  country  homes  of  the  merchants  and 
others  of  New  York  which  in  the  early  part  of 
the  nineteenth  century  made  it  the  best  known 


CLINTON    HOMESTEAD. 


to  lose  its  primal  place  in  the  story  of  the 
township  and  to  become  quite  a  subordinate 


village. 


Even  Maspetb  in  time  surpassed  it.  That 
early  English  settlement,  almost  as  early  as 
Newtown  village  itself,  has  had  a  most  curious 
history.  For  }'ears  it  was  a  stronghold  of  the 
Quakers,  but  that  body  abandoned  it  long  ago. 
Writing  in  1845  Dr.  Prime  said :  "The  only 
pubHc  edifice  is  an  ancient.  Friends'  meeting 
house  which  is  now  veiry  much  in  dcca\',  and 


village  in  the  township.  Here  De  Witt  Clinton 
had  his  country  seat  to  which  he  was  glad  to 
retire  at  frequent  intervals  to  think  out  his 
many  schemes  for  the  upbuilding  of  New 
York  and  to  escape  from. the  worry  and  wiles 
of  the  politicians,  and  one  is  almost  inclined 
to  think  that  the  local  statesmen  were  more 
numerous,  more  irrepressible,  more  zealous  in 
their  plans  for  emptying  the  public  treasury 
either  b\-  way  of  salaries  or  appropriations 
than  now.     The  old  house  is  still  standing, 


NEWTOWN. 


547 


seemingly  in  as  good  condition  as  when  it  was 
inihabited  by  Walter  Franklin,  Clinton's  father- 
in-law,  whose  New  York  house  was  Washing- 
ton's residence  when  he  became  President  of 
the  United  States  and  whose  name  is  still  kept 
alive  in  Franklin  Square,  on  which  the  Presi- 
dential dwelling  stood.  Many  modern  villas 
and  cottages,  even  little  settlements,  have 
arisen  in  Maspeth  since  De  Witt  Clinton's  day, 
but  it  still  retains  much  of  its  rural  aspect  ex- 
cept in  the  spots  where  manufacturing  has 
sprung  up. 

To-day  it  would  really  be  termed  a  manu- 
facturing village,  and  has  been  such  since 
1842  when  John  Mur'ch  began  the  manufacture 
of  cord  auid  twine,  and  that  business  is  now 
carried  on  in  several  establishments,  the  indus- 
try giving  employment  to  several  hundred 
hands.  In  1852  Cord  Meyer  started  a  factory 
for  producing  animal  carbon.  Oil  cloth  mak- 
ing was  another  industry,  established  in  1863, 
and  since  then  a  number  of  other  establish- 
ments of  various  kinds  have  given  employment 
to  a  population  estimated  to-day  at  2,500. 
During  the  past  few  years  the  building  up 
process  going  on  so  unceasingly  in  New  York 
and  Brooklyn  has  added'  what  may  be  called  a 
new  industry  to  Maspeth  in  the  opening  up  of 
picnic  grounds  and  athletic  grounds  which  at- 
tract at  intervals  large  crowds  of  visitors  each 
summer.  It  is  well  supplied  with  churches 
and  can  now  be  so  easily  reached  that  there  is 
no  doubt  its  popularity  as  a  site  for  homes  and 
factories  will  steadily  increase. 

Middle  Village  is  another  old  settlement, 
but  it  is  mainly  given  over  in  these  later  days 
to  cemetery  purposes,  although  it  supports  a 
living  population  of  some  1,300.     It  received 


its  name  from  its  geographical  situation,  being 
midway  on  the  old  turnpike  between  Williams- 
burg and  Jamaica.  In  it  was  built  in  1785  the 
first  Methodist  church  on  Long  Island,  but 
that  structure  has  long  since  disappeared.  The 
late  Joseph  Wesley  Harper,  of  the  famous 
Ne>w  York  publishing  house,  had  his  home  in 
Middle  Village  from  the  time  he  reached  man- 
hood until  his  death  in  1871,  and  did  much  to 
improve  the  amenity  of  the  village  as  a  place 
of  residence.  The  Harper  family  originally 
hailed  from  Newtown,  where  the  father  of  the 
founders  "J-  &  J.  Harper"  was  long  a  farmer. 
Corona  has  lately  come  intO'  prominence  as  a 
manufacturing  village  and  home  site,  having 
been  much  favored  by  the  land  boomers,  and 
as  much  may  be  said  of  Laurel  Hill,  full  of 
memories  of  the  old  Alsop  and  Rapalye  fam- 
ilies and  which  began  to  be  laid  out  for  "im- 
provement" in  1853.  About  the  same  time 
Woodside  became  known  as  a  desirable  place 
for  (residential  purposes  and  several  elegant 
villas  were  erected.  It  dates  from  1850,  when 
the  late  J.  A.  F.  Kelly  came  north  ffom  South 
Carolina .  and  sought  retirement  from  active 
life  amid  its  beautiful  surroundings.  It  still 
continues  to  be  a  village  of  homes  and  its  busi- 
ness interests  are  mainly  confined  to  floricul- 
ture and  market  gardening.  East  Williams- 
burgh,  Charlotteville,  Glendale,  New  Suffolk 
anid  several  other  settlements  are  among  those 
likely  to  become  soon  prominent  through  the 
impetus  which  rapid  transit  and  consolidation 
have  even  already  brought  about.  What  may 
be  called  the  eld  part  of  Newtown  township 
has  an  interesting  history  in  the  past,  but  its 
future  promises  to  surpass  it  in  incident,  in 
impo-rtance  and  in  real  achievement. 


>#^' 


'V" 


CHAPTER   XLVI. 


JAMAICA. 


The  I^itti.e   Republic   of  Rusdorp — Ministerial  Troubles — Mr.  Foyer's  Trials- 
The  Revolution  —  Educational  and  Business  Progress. 


O  Governor  Stuyvesant  must  be  award- 
ed the  credit  of  bringing  this  town 
into  existence,  the  old  village  of 
which  is  destined  ■  to  become  in  the 
near  future  one  of  the  great  railroad  centres 
with  the  usual  accompaniments  of  trade,  busi- 
ness and  industries  of  all  sorts,  of  this  part  of 
the  continent.  Stuyvesant  issued  his  first  war- 
rant foT  settlement  March  21,  1656,  and  a 
more  ample  and  more  imposing  document  in 
1660.  When  Gov.  Nicolls  sent  Stuyvesant  to 
enjoy  the  comfc'rts  of  his  Bouwerie,  he  con- 
firmed all  the  rights  artd  privileges  which  had 
been  granted  Jamaica  by  a  deed  dated  Feb.  15, 
1666,  and  Governor  Dongan  twenty  years  later 
gave  it  another  charter  mainly  for  the  sake  of 
the  fee  involved.  On  March  7,  1788,  it  was  re- 
-organized'  as  a  town  by  the  state  government 
and  SO'  it  remained  until  it  was  swallowed  up 
in  the  Greater  Xew  York. 

Su:h  in  brief  is  what  might  be  called  the 
municipal  history  of  Jamaica  from  beginning 
to  end.  Tbeire  is  much  doubt  about  the  origin 
of  its  name;  but  it  is  generally  accepted  as  be- 
ing a  modernized  rendering  of  the  old  Indian 
name  Jameco — the  name  of  a  small  tribe  lo- 
cated on  Jamaica  Bay.  How  or  when  this 
name  was  first  applied  is  not  clear.  The  Dutch 
authorities  called  it  Rusdorp — town  in  the 
country  ;  and  this  was  long  its  Oifficial  designaT 
tion.  Some  oi  the  settlers  called  it  Canorasset, 
others  Crawford,  but  Jamaica,  by  whoever  in- 


troduced, kept  to  the  front  and  remained.  Very 
likely  it  was  called  Jameco  before  the  white 
man  came  along.  But  there  have  been  all  sorts 
of  surmises  and  speculations  over  the  name 
and  the  etymologists  as  usual  have  given  their 
fancy  free  reins  ov^r  it  with  wonderful  re- 
sults :  even  so  staid  a  personage  as  the  late  Dr. 
O'Callaghan,  the  famous  local  historian, 
formulated  a  theory  that  the  word  was  de- 
rived from  the  Indian  name  for  beaver  as 
translated  by  the   French   "Amique." 

Where  the  first  settlers  came  from  is  a 
point  that  has  not  been  exactly  determined,  but 
there  is  little  doubt  that  they  came  over  from 
Connecticut  with  the  view  of  establishing  a  re- 
ligious colony,  or  rather  a  colony  where  relig- 
ious tolerance  might  be  enjoyed.  Those  who 
signed  the  request  to  Stuyvesant,  therein  de- 
scribed themselves  as  "inhabitants  of  the  town 
of  Hempstead  and  subjects  of  this  province,'' 
so  it  is  very  likely  that  some  of  them  had  been 
for  a  time  residing  in  Hempstead  and  spying 
the  land.  They  told  the  Governor  that  the)' 
wanted  "a  place  to^  improve  our  labors  upon; 
for  some  of  us  are  destitute  of  either  habita- 
tion or  possession,  others,  though  inhabited, 
find  that  in  the  place  they  are  they  cannot  com- 
fortably subsist  by  their  labours  and  exer- 
tions." So  they  asked  for  the  Governor's  con- 
sent to  settle  on  a  tract  of  land  "called  Conor- 
asset  and  lyes  from  a  river  which  divideth  it 
from  Conarie  see  to  the  bounds  of  heemstead, 


JAMAICA. 


549 


and  may  contain  about  twenty  families."    This 
tract  tliey  had  already  "bought"  from  the  In- 
dians for  "two  guns,  a  coat  and  a  certain  quan- 
tity of  powder  and  lead."     Stuyvesant  had  to 
te  petitioned  three  times  before  he  consented, 
but  when  he  did  confirm  the  request  he  did  it 
in  a  most  handsome  manner,  giving  them  per- 
mission to  elect  magistrates  and  conduct  their 
affairs  on  the  same  lines  as  Brooklyn,  Mid- 
wcut  and  other  Dutch  towns.     The  names  of 
the  petitioners    were   Robert   Jackson,    Nich- 
olas Tanner,  Nathaniel  Denton,  Richard  Ev- 
.erit,  Rodger  Linas,  Daniel  Denton,  John  Eazar, 
Abraham    Smith,    Thomas    Ireland,    Thomas 
Carle,  Edward  Spray,  John  Rhoades,  Andrew 
Messenger    and    Samuel    Matthews.      These 
fourteen  may  therefore  be  regarded  as  the  fiirst 
citizens  of  Jamaica.  By  1660,  when  Stuyvesant 
gave  the  town  a  regular  charter  and  the  name 
of  Rusdorp,  there  were  some  forty  additional 
freeholders  in  the  town.    It  was  a  little  irepub- 
lic  in  itself ;  its  town  meeting  regularly  settled 
all  its  affairs  and  even  regulated  who  should 
and  who  should  not  be  admitted  tO'  citizenship. 
One  Benjamin  Hubbard,  for  instance,  in  1649 
had  bought  a  house  lot  without  having  first 
obtained  the  sanction  of  the  town  meeting,  so 
it  required  him  to  give  assurance  of  his  good 
behavior.     Of  course  with  such  additions  to 
the  population  more  land  had  to  be  secured 
from  the  local  Indians  from  time  to  time,  and 
we  find  several  records  of  purchases  made  in 
exchange  for  such  articles  as  soldiers'  coats, 
kettles,  "bottles  of  licker,"  powder,  lead,  guns, 
blankets  and  the  like.     The  value  of  the  Don- 
gan  patent  of  1686  was  that  it  clearly  defined 
the  limits  of  the  township  and  showed  that 
several   of   the   original    patentees    were    still 
prominent  in  the  town.     The  names  given  in 
this  patent   were,    Nicolas    Everit,    Nathaniel 
Denton,    Nehemiah    Smith,    Daniel    Denton, 
John  Oldfields,  William  Creed,  Bryant  New- 
ton, Benjamin  Coe,  Jonas  Wocd,  William  Fos- 
ter,   John    Everit,    Edward    Higbie,    Daniel 
Whitehead,    John    Carpenter,    John    Furman, 
Saimuel  Smith,  Richard  Rhodes,  Thonias  Lam- 
berson,  Joseph  Smith,  George  Wcolsey,  John 


Baylis,  Thomas  Smith,  Wait  Smith  and  Sam- 
uel Mills.  The  town  government  seems  to 
have  gone  at  once  into  operation  on  receiving 
Stuyvesant's  first  permit  (it  should  hardly  be 
called  a  charter,  although  in  effect  it  was  one). 
The  town  meeting,  as  has  been  said,  deter- 
mined everything,  subject,  of  course,  to  the 
Governor's  veto,  but  Stuyvesant  seems  to  have 
given  the  English  settlements  much  more  lib- 
erty than  he  did  the  Dutch,  and  so  practically 
the  town  meeting  of  Jamaica  was  supreme 
within  its  bounds.  Attendance  at  these  meet- 
ings was  compulsory  and  absence  without 
cause  was  the  subject  of  a  fine.  A  keeper  was 
hired  in  1661  to  look  after  the  cows  and  calves 
of  the  lieges,  thus  saving  a  lot  of  individual 
time  and  worriment,  and  they  gathered  in  their 
crops  in  squadrons  under  appointed  officers  for 
mutual  protection  against  any  overt  effort  on 
the  part  of  Indians.  It  must  be  said,  however, 
that  the  settlers  did  all  they  could,  according 
to  their  light,  to  deal  justly  with  the  red  man,- 
and  held  frequent  conferences  with  his  repre- 
sentatives while  the  conclusions  seem  to  have 
been  mutually  satisf actor)'.  In  1662  they  hired 
Abraham  Smith,  one  of  the  original  patentees, 
to  beat  the  drum  on  Sundays  and  on  the  days 
of  public  meetings.  They  laid  aside  a  lot  ten 
rods  square  as  a  burying  place  and  this,  in 
1668,  they  had  reverently  enclosed  with  a 
wooden  fenc;e. 

The  glimpses  we  get  of  the  community 
show  it  to  have  been  prosperous  from  the  first 
and  steadily  advancing  in  material  wealth,  re- 
minding us  in  many  respects  of  the  English 
settlements  on  the  eastern  half  of  the  island. 
The  population  steadily  increased,  although  as 
early  as  1664  the  adventurous,  roving  spirit 
of  some  of  the  early  settlers  asserted  itself  and 
Daniel  Denton,  John  Baylis  and  Luke  Watson 
headed  a  new  migration  which  passed  over 
into  New  Jersey  and'  there  commenced  the' set- 
tlement of  Elizabethtown.  Denton,  however, 
seems  to  have  returned  within  a  few  years  to 
Jamaica  and  resumed  his  original  holding 
there.  It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  in  the  peti- 
tion to  Gov.   Nicolls   for  a  tract  of  land  on 


550 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


which  to  settle  in  New  Jersey,  Denton  and  his 
associates  dated  the  document  "from  Jamaica, 
commonly  so  called."  From  this  paper,  in 
which  they  speak  of  the  "deceas  of  the  Dutch 
interest"  in  the  Province,  we  see  how  thor- 
oughly English  at  heart  were  the  pioneer  set- 
tlers at  Jamaica.  They  had  fled  from  New 
England  intolerance  and  from  nothing  else  and 
built  up  right  under  the  official  dictatorial  re- 
gime of  Stuyvesant  as  complete  a  little  repub- 
lic as  was  any  of  the  commiunities  in  Massa- 
chusetts which  sent  representatives  to  the  Gen- 
eral Court.  In  all  essential  matters  they  were 
masters  of  their  own  municipal  destinies — and 
so  continued  for  many  years. 

While  not  a  professedly  religious  com- 
munity like  Gravesend,  or  enrolled  under  cler- 
ical leadership  like  Southold,  thene  is  no  doubt 
that  from  its  inception  Jamaica  was  a  theo- 
cratic society — one  in  which  the  affairs  of  the 
little  commonwealth  were  regulated  by  the 
teachings  of  the  Scriptures  rather  than  the 
statutes  of  their  High  Mightinesses.  The  life 
of  the  community  revolved  around  its  church 
and  the  recognized  fathers  of  the  church  were 
the  natural  leaders  of  the  people,  so  that  for  a 
long  time  after  the  settlement  was  begun  the 
story  of  its  religious  development  is  really 
the  entire  story  there  is  to  tell.  Stuyvesant's 
permission  for  settlement  was  dated  March  21, 
1656,  and  it  was  not  until  1662  that  a  town 
meeting  decided  to  erect  a  house  of  worship,  a 
meeting  house,  and  united  in  a  call  to  the  Rev. 
Zachariah  Walker  to  join  with  them  and  be- 
come the  first  minister  of  Jamaica,  which'  he  ac- 
cepted. It  is  not  to  be  imagined,  however,  that 
during  the  four  or  five  years  which  elapsed  be- 
fore this  preacher  that  the  community  was 
without  any  regular  religious  services.  Un- 
doubtedly one  or  more  of  their  number  was 
quite  capable  of  conducting  public  worship  and 
fulfilling  all  the  duties  which  could  be  per- 
formed by  a  lay  preacher.  Services  would  be 
held  in  any  convenient  barn  or  in  the  winter 
time  in  any  hospitable  kitchen.  '  With  the  erec- 
tion of  the  meeting  house,  however,  the  people 
had  a  place  where  they  could  worship  God  or 


discuss  affairs  of  state  or  assemble  for  any  pur- 
pose, religious  or  secular,  as  they  saw  fit.  The 
little  frame  edifice  (20  feet  square)  was  at 
once  the  church  and  the  Town  Hall.  About 
the  same  time  a, house  was  built  for  the  pros- 
pective minister  and  a  lot  laid  aside  for  his  use. 
It  would  seem  that  an  effort  was  made  to  try 
the  experiment  of  listening  to  one  of  Stuyves- 
ant's ministers  before  finally  calling  one  from 
New  England  and  accordingly  in  answer  to 
a  petition  Stuyvesant  sent  there  the  Rev.  Sam- 
uel Drisius,  who  was  able  to  preach  in  English 
and  who,  on  Jan.  8,  1661,  delivered  two  ser- 
mons and  baptized  eight  children  and  two  wo- 
men. Probably  all  this  was  done  to  please  the 
irascible  Governor  and  to  pave  the  way  to  the 
peaceable  settlement  of  the  minister  of  their 
choice.  Mr.  Walker  seems  to  have  won  the 
affections  of  his  people,  although  one  would 
think  from  the  records  that  he  was  as  much  a 
farmer  as  a  clergyman.  He  received,  how- 
ever, much  "encouragement"  in  the  way  of 
having  his  stipend  increased  and  the  like,  but 
he  decided  on  trying  another  sphere  of  opera- 
tions and  in  1668  removed  to  Connecticut. 
The  Rev.  John  Prudden,  a  Harvard  graduate, 
then  became  Jamaica's  ministeir  at  a  salary  of 
£40  and  the  use  of  the  minister's  house  and 
land.  He  was  a  Congregationalist  and  the 
majority  of  the  citizens  were  Presbyterians 
and  they  seem  to  have  been  unable  to  agree, 
although  what  the  real  difference  was  between 
the  two,  considering  the  time  aild  circumstan- 
ces, it  is  difficult  to  realize.  It  is  not  so  stated, 
but  probably  the  people  did  not  want  any  con- 
nection with  the  Congregational  churches  in 
Connecticut,  while  Mr.  Pruddfen  at  that 
time  iregarded  New  England  as  the  hub  of  the 
entire  religious  system.  The  Jamaica  citizens 
seemed  to  have  appreciated  his  services  and 
were  desirous  of  retaining  him,  but  he  retired 
in  1674.  His  successor,  the  Rev.  William 
Woodruff,  whose  salary  was  fixed  at  £60,  did 
not  seem  to  please  the  people.  Mr.  Prudden, 
on  full  reflection,  thought  he  might  go  further 
and  fare  worse,  so  in  1676  Mr.  Woodruff 
seems  to  have  been  released  and  Mr.  Prudden 


JAMAICA. 


551 


once  more  presided  over  the  table  in  the  meet- 
ing house.  It  was  an  amicable  arrangement 
on  both  sides.  Mr.  Prudden  became  a  Pres- 
byterian and  bis  salary  was  to  be  £40  a  year. 
Besides,  he  had  the  use  of  forty  acres  of  mead- 
ow land'  and  19  of  the  brethren  agreed  each  to 
bring  him  a  load  of  firewood  each  year.  Then 
he  was  housed  in  the  minister's  home  and  to 
encourage  him  it  was  agreed  that  if  he  re- 
mained as  minister  for  ten  years  the  house  and 
lot  which  had  been  set  apart  for  the  use  of  the 
minister  should  become  his  own  property. 
Under  him  the  congiregation  prospered.  In 
1690  a  new  and  more  commodious  meeting 
house  was  erected — 60  feet  long  and  30  feet 
wide,  and  a  year  later  the  minister's  salary  was 
raised  to  f6o  with  all  firewood  and  other  priv- 
ileges. In  the  following  year,  however,  he  ac- 
cepted a  call  to  Newark,  N.  J.  His  ministry 
had  extended  six  years  beyond  the  ten  v^fhich 
madte  the  minister's  house  and  lot  his  personal 
property,  but  before  leaving  he  transferred  the 
holding  to  the  congregation,  receiving  in  re- 
turn land  elsewhere.  Jamaica  seems  to  have 
been  invariably  liberal  in  its  treatment  of  its 
ministers  and  to  Mr.  Prudden's  immediate 
successor,  the  Rev.  George  Phillips,  the  prom- 
ise was  made  that  if  he  sbculd  remain  in 
charge  until  the  ctose  of  his  life  his  annual  sal- 
ary of  £60  would  be  continued  to  his  widow. 
The  minister's  salary  being  paid  mainly  in 
produce,  or  as  a  result  of  sales  of  produce, 
sometimes  a  little  difficulty  arose  in  connection 
with  the  collection,  owing  to  the  dilatoriness  of 
human  nature,  but  such  details  were  to  be  ex- 
pected. 

In  1699  a  stone  meeting-house  was  built 
partly  by  subscription  among  tlie  people,  and 
when  that  source  failed  by  a  rate  passed  by 
the  trustees.  By  that  time,  it  shoidd  be  noted, 
several  of  the  ratepayers  were  opposed  to  the 
Presbyterian  form  of  worship  and  refused  to 
pay  the  rate,  but  payment  was  finally  made 
compulsory.  It  was  a  small  square  structure, 
forty  feet  square,  surmounted  with  a  belfry. 
Its  interior  was  plainly  fitted  up  with  high- 
backed,  uncomfortable  pews,  and  a  high  pul- 


pit, high  enough  to  bring  the  preacher  on  a 
level  with  the  gallery,  on  the  south  side,  had 
the  usual  huge  sounding  board,  an  arrange- 
ment which  good  Dr.  Prime  used  to  think 
was  an  arrangement  of  the  devil.  l\Iuch  of 
the  history  of  Jamaica  centered  around  the 
church  until  it  was-  demolished  in  1813. 

Its  'historic  interest  began  immediately  on 
its  completion.  The  Rev.  John  Hubbard,  who 
had  been  ministering  to  the  people  for  some 
time,  was  formally  called  to  the  charge  in 
Januajr\',  1702,  and  was  duly  installed  and 
given  possession  of  the  minister's  house  and 
lot.  He  had  hardly  more  than  got  accustomed 
to  his  new  dignity  when  he  was  dispossessed 
of  both  church  and  manse  in  the  summary 
procedures  already  recorded  ,in  ja  previous 
chapter  of  this  work. 

By  that  time,  it  should  be  remembered,  the 
Presbyterians  were  no  longer  the  sole  dicta- 
tcirs  of  Jamaica.  The  growth  of  population 
had  long  overstepped  the  old  necessity  of  sub- 
mitting a  certificate  of  character  on  the  part 
of  prospective  settlers  to  the  town  meeting, 
and  people  had  become  citizens  to  whom  Cal- 
vinism was  a  thing  abhorred. 

As  early  as  1657  we  find  Robert  Hodgson,, 
a  preacher  of  the  Quaker  persuasion,  visited 
Jamaica  and  was  lodged  in  the  house  of  Henry 
Townsend  (one  of  the  first  petitioners  to 
Stuyvesant  for  settlement  privileges),  who  for 
his  hospitality  was  promptly  fined  eight  Flem- 
ish pounds.  A  few  months  later  Townsend, 
who  seems  to  have  adopted  the  views  of  the 
Societ}'  of  Friends,  repeated  his  offense  by 
housing  another  preacher,  and  was  again  fined, 
this  time  at  a  higher  figure.  But  Townsend 
never  failed  in  his  hospitality,  and  welcoaned 
each  wanderer  and  gathered  a  congregation 
to  listen  to  the  preaching  of  the  new  doctrine 
until  Stu^'vesant,  tirfed  of  hearing  such  con- 
tumacy, sent  down  to  Jamaica  a  squad  of  sol- 
diers to  see  that  his  edicts  were  respected, 
and  then  Townsend  .and  several  others  re- 
moved to  Oyster  Bay  and  so  placed  themselves 
l)evond  Stuyvesant's  jurisdiction.  But  in  spite 
of  soldiers  and   local   opposition  the   number 


552 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


of  Friends  grew.  They  stubbornly  held  their 
views  in  spite  of  opposition,  declined  to  pay 
the  rate  imposed  for  the  support  of  the  "priest 
of  Jamaica,"  and  had  their  goods  distrained  as 
a  result,  but  held  their  ground.  As  a  result 
their  services  were  more  numerously  attended 
year  after  year,  and  Jamaica  was  declared  in 
1686  a  place  for  holding  quarterly  meetings, 
although  it  was  not  until  1706  that  they  erect- 
ed a  meeting-house. 

Al>out  1702  a  Dutch  Reformed  congrega- 
tion seems  to  have  been  organized,  meeting  in 
the  stone  church,  which,  as  has  already  been 
pointed  out,  was  never  intended,  even  by  the 
Presbyterians  themselves,  for  their  sole  use. 
It  was  not  until  171 6,  that  the  Reformed  Dutch 
people  erected  a  little  tabernacle  of  their  own. 

The  year  1702  also  marks  the  formal  intro- 
duction of  the  Episcopalian  body,  when,  ac- 
cording to  the  authorities  of  that  denomination, 
Jamaica,  Newtown  and  Flushing  were  spirit- 
uallv  united  under  one  rector.  After  the  forci- 
ble ejection  of  Mr.  Hubbard  the  Rev.  William 
Urquhart  continued,  in  spite  of  strong  oppo- 
sition on  the  part  of  those  he  styled  "noncon- 
formists" and  sometimes  amid  much  and 
sometimes  bitter  controversy,  to  hold  the 
church  and  the  minister's  house  until 
his  death,  in  1709.  Mr.  Hubbard  died 
in  1705,  and  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev. 
Francis  Goodhue.  We  do  not  find  wheth- 
er he  was  elected  to  the  pastorate  by  the  peo- 
ple or  was  simply  set  down  among  them  by  the 
rascal  who  then  represented  Queen  Anne. 
But  he  must  have  been  a  rather  weak-kneed 
brother  or  he  would  never  have  accepted  such 
a  document  as  the  following  prior  to  entering 
on  his  duties : 

By  his  Excellency  Edward  Viscount  Corn- 
1nn-y  Captn  Genl  &  Govr  in  Chiefe  of  ye 
Provinces  of  N  York,  New  Jersey  &  of 
all  The  Territories  &  Tracts  of  Land 
Depending  thereon  in  America  &  A^ice 
Admiral  of  the  same  &c. 
To  Mr  Francis  Goodhue,  Greeting. 

I  do  hereby  Licence  &  Tolleirate  you  to  be 
Ministr  of  the  Presb\lerian  Congregation  at 


Jamaica  in  Queens  county  on  the  island  Kas- 
saw  in  the  sd  Province  of  New  Yorke  &  to 
have  &  Exercise  the  fifree  Liberty  &  use  of 
yor  Religion  pursuant  to  Her  Matys  pleasure 
therein  signified  to  me  In  her  Royal  Instruc- 
tions &  during  so  Long  Time  as  to  me  shall 
seem  meet  &  all  Ministrs  &  others  are  here- 
by Required  to  Take  notice  hereof  Given  undr 
my  hand  &  scale  at  ffort  Anne  in  New  York 
this  da}-  of  this  Instant  January  in  the  ffourth 
year  of  Her  Matys  Reign  Annoq:  Dni  1705.6. 

CORNBURY. 

By  Flis  Excys  Command 

WiLLi.\M  Anderson  D  secv 


Goodhue  only  lasted  about  a  year  and  then 
went  home  to  New  England  to  die.  With  his 
departure  the  Presbyterian  flock  had  no  shep- 
herd until  in  1710  the  Rev.  George  McNish 
entered  upon  the  work  of  the  ministry  among 
them.  In  July  of  the  same  year  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Poyer  was  "appoanted  Rector  of  Ja- 
maica, Newtown  and  Flushing  under  the 
Episcopalian  banner.  Then  the  battle  royal 
between  the  two  forces  was  on.  Both  of 
these  men  were  of  marked  ability  and  of  earn- 
est devotion  to  their  work.  Parhaps  McNish 
was  the  brainiest  of  the  two,  the  most  brilliant 
of  the  two,  but  Poyer  was  one  of  those  dili- 
gent, plodding  individuals  whose  dogged  per- 
severance makes  up,  in  the  way  of  actual  ac- 
complishment, for  genius.  It  is  not  certain 
whether  Mr.  AIcNish  was  born  in  Scotland 
or  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  but  his  name  de- 
monstrates clearly  that  he  was  of  the  Scottish 
race.  Mr.  Poyer  was  a  Welshman  and  came 
direct  from  the  Mother  Country  to  at  once 
enter  upon  his  duties  here.  Mr.  McXish 
came  to  America  in  1705,  in  company  with  the 
ijainted  Mackemsie,  and  with  him  assisted  in 
the  formation  of  the  Presbytery  of  Philadel- 
phia— the  first  in  North  America,  and  to  him 
's  generally  awarded  the  credit  of  bringing 
about  the  first  Presbytery  on  Long  Island,  in 
r7i7.  However,  he  remained  a  member  of 
die  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  until  his  death, 
m    1722. 

McNish  seems  to  have  been  a  natural  lead- 


JAMAICA. 


553 


er,  and  if  Poyer  lacked  that  essential  quality 
to  success  in  public  or  professional  life,  he 
had  at  least  the  backing  and  support  of  the 
representatives  of  the  Royal  Government,  the 
authorities  of  the;  church  and  the  powerful 
society  in  London  which  was  then  engaged 
in  sending  out  men  like  him  as  missionaries- 
to  "propagate"  the  Gospel  in  foreign  parts. 
Such  were  the  two  men  who  were  destined  to 
oppose  each  other  in  support  of  their  respective 
standards  in  Jamaica  for  several  years.  The 
echoes  of  the  battle  rolled  over  Xewtown  and 
Flushing,  over  all  of  Queens  County,  in  fact, 
but  Jamaica  was  the  battle  ground ;  there  the 
leaders  resided  and  there  was  the  centre  of 
attack,  the  prize  for  the  victor,  the  little 
stone  church. 

Certainly  Mr.  Poyer  had  officially  the  most 
exacting  position  of  the  two.  i\Ir.  ^IcXish 
had  his  energies  concentrated  in  Jamaica, 
and  although  he  made  his  influence  felt 
throughout  Long  Island,  and  seems  to  have 
travelled  all  over  it  doing  missionary  work, 
his  parochial  labors  must  have  been  light.  But 
in  ;\Ir.  Foyer's  case  there  was  steady  paroch- 
ial work  all  the  time  and  a  host  of  other 
troubles — pecuniary  mainly — while  the  op- 
position confronted  him  at  every  step.  From 
some  of  his  letters  we  get  a  capital  idea  not 
only  of  his  own  little  troubles,  but  of  the  con- 
dition of  the  places  over  which  he  was  set  to 
hold   spiritual   supervision. 

The  first  position  in  the  struggle  was  won 
by  AlcXish.  Settling  in  Jamaica  before  the 
arrival  of  Poyer,  he  took  ■  possession  of  the 
church  and  for  some  reason  or  another,  [Mrs. 
Urquhart,  the  widow  of  Foyer's  predecessor, 
vacated  the  ministers  house  and  turned  it 
over  to  AlcXish.  Gov.  Hunter  saw  to  it  that 
the  church  was  turned  over  to  Foyer,  but 
McXish,  "an  independent  Xoi-th  Britain 
preacher  who  has  had  the  assurance  in  the 
face  of  the  contrary  to  aver  that  the  Bishop 
of  London  as  no  power  here,"  held  on  to  the 
dwelling  and  the  people,  the  ratepayers,  not 
only  refused  to  pay   Mr.   Foyer  his   stipend. 


but  actually  handed  over  part  of  it  to  Mr. 
McNish.  To  oust  McNish  from  the  dwelling 
a  suit  at  law  was  necessary  and  Gov.  Hunter 
seemed  unwilling  at  first  to  spend  his  money 
in  that  manner :  besides  the  Judge  before 
whom  the  matter  would  likely  come  was  a 
Dissenter.  Afterward  he  seemed  willing  to 
aid  in  bringing  the  case  into  a  court  of  law, 
but  by  that  time  Foyer  hesitated  about  fol- 
lowing such  a  procedure  and  aroused  the  ire 
of  the  Chief  Executive.  It  seemed  a  paltry 
case  throughout,  one  in  which  Foyer  had  the 
worst  of  it — his  salary  unpaid  or  only  partly 
paid,  his  dwelling  withheld,  his  appeals  disre- 
garded at  headquarters,  his  congregation 
growing  slowly,  and  personal  indignities  be- 
ing heaped  upon  him  on  frequent  occasions. 
But  for  gifts  of  money  from  the  home  society 
it  is  difficult  to  see  how  he  could  have  main- 
tained the  struggle.  His  brother  clergy, 
however,  stuck  to  him  all  through  and  really 
forced  the  authorities  to  take  some  action — 
getting  some  special  instructions  in  his  case 
from  the  Queen  in  Council ;  but  even  all  that 
had  paltry  practical  results.  Even  a  suit 
at  law  which  he  instituted  for  the  recovery  of 
his  salary  dragged  along  so  slowly  as  al- 
most to  banish  all  hope  of  legal  relief.  Here 
are  tvvo  of  his  letters  to  the  Secretary  of  the 
Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel, 
whose  missionary  he  was,  which  are  pathetic 
in  their  presentation  of  his  case : 

Jamaica  L.  I.  X'ovr.  2d  17 14. 
Honored  Sir — It  will  be  five  years  the  last 
day  of  next  month  since  my  most  honored 
patrons  the  Venerable  Society  were  pleased  to 
ordi;r  me  to  embark  to  procee;d  on  my  Mis- 
sion which  I  obeyed  and  embarked  that  same 
day  but  there  were  more  hindrance  than 
one  that  detained  the  Fleet  'till  the  loth  of 
April  and  in  the  interim  I  was  tossed  about 
from  one  expensive  harbour  to  another  witth 
my  family  having  my  Wife  visited  on  board 
with  two  fits  of  sickness  and  obliged  each  fit 
to  bring  her  ashore  for  the  help  of  a  Doctor 
which  was  not  a  little  trouble  &  charge  to  me 
and  besides  all  this  the  £20  1'  was  forced 
to  pay  for  our  passage  &  the  twice  laying  in 


554 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


of  sea  Stores  put  me  to  very  great  straits  the 
loth  of  April  we  left  the  Lands  end  of  Eng- 
land and  had  a  very  tedious  and  uneasy  pas- 
sage of  13  weeks  lacking  two  or  three  days. 
In  this  passage  I  had  great  experience  of  the 
goodness  of  God  and  often  had  occasion  to 
reflect  on  the  Royal  Psalmist's  expressions  in 
Psalm  107.  23  &c  where  he  has  these  words — 
They  that  go  dov/n  to  the  Sea  in  ships  and 
occupy  their  business  in  great  waters  these 
men  see  the  works  of  the  Lord  and  his  won- 
ders in  the  deep  &c.  I  saw  indeed  &  won- 
dered and  often  expected  in  the  great  temp- 
ests we  had  to  have  been  swallowed  up  of 
the  merciless  waves,  but  when  we  were  in 
our  trouble  and  almost  brought  to  our  wit's 
end  We  cried  unto  the  Lord  and  he  was 
graciously  pleased  to  hear  us  and  bring  us 
tho'  not  into  the  haven  where  we 'would  have 
been  yet  unto  a  Christian  shore  yea  unto  the 
Island  where  my  Mission  was  to  terminate 
about  100  miles  from  my  Parish  Here  the 
ship  and  part  of  her  Lading  was  lost  on  the 
7th  July  but  not  the  life  of  one  person. 

The  week  following  I  did  set  out  for  this 
place  where  to  this  time  I  have  not  ceased 
(accrording  to  the  ability  that  God  hath  given 
me)  to  instruct  the  Flock  committed  to  my 
•  charge  I  have  laboured  faithfully  in  my 
Lord's  Vineyard  and  in  mv  private  advice 
from  House  to  House  as  well  as  public  dis- 
courses I  have  exhorted  them  to  faith  in 
Christ  and  amendment  of  life  and  to  live  in 
Love  I  have  likewise  endeavoured  to  possess 
them  with  as  due  a  sense  of  the  fundamentals 
of  our  religion  as  I  could  and  the  Great  God 
has  vouchsafed  to  give  such  a  blessing  to  my 
poor  yet  well  meaning  endeavours  the  num- 
ber of  the  communicants  of  the  Church  of 
England  here  before  my  time  never  exceeded 
30  I  have  had  above  60 — of  the  Independ- 
ents who  are  the  most  numerous  in  my  parish 
I  have  gained  some  and  of  the  Quakers  more 
some  that  were  very  rigid  Independents 
since  I  came  and  that  have  reflected  very 
much  on  our  Church  and  constitution  are  now 
very  frequently  my  hearers ;  and  among  the 
Quakers  where  my  predecessor,  Mr.  Urqu- 
hart  thought  it  not  worth  his  while  to  go  I 
seldom  have  so  few  as  fifty  and  often  more 
than  one  hundred  hearers. 

And  notwithstanding  I  have  all  along  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  a  Parish  Minister  yet 
have  I  never  received  one  penny  of  the  Salary 
due  to  me  by  the  laws  of  the  Colony  how  to 
come  by  it  I  can't  tell ;  and  without  it  or  an 


augmentation  of  my  Salary  from  my  Right 
Honble  &  Right  Revd  Patrons  I  cannot  live 
in  this  dear  place.  I  live  very  near  much 
below  the  character  of  a  Missionary  and  yet 
am  running  myself  in  debt.  I  am  spending 
my  strength  &  yet  cannot  get  a  competency 
wherefore  I  humbly  beg  the  Venerable  So- 
ciety will  be  pleased  to  consider  my  condi- 
tion, it  is  very  necessitous  indeed. 

But  I  will  trouble  you  with  no  more  at 
this  time  but  refer  you  to  the  Revd  Mr  Vesey 
who  I  understand  is  safely  arrived  in  London 
how  I  have  led  my  life  here  and  in  how  mean 
circumstances  I  am  he  can  if  you'll  be  pleased 
to  enquire  of  him  verv  well  inform  you. 

I  have  no  more  to  add  but  my  most  sin- 
cere &  hearty  prayers  to  the  Lord  to  bless 
prospef  &  keep  my  most  honored  Patrons 
and  when  the  time  of  their  departure  hence 
shall  come  may  God  who  is  the  rewarder  of 
those  who  make  it  their  study  and  delight  to 
enlarge  Christ's  Kingdom  here  take  'em  to 
the  eternally  happy  enjoyment  of  himself  in 
Heaven  is  the  prayer  of 

Honored    Sir   &c    &c 

Thos.  Poyer. 


Jamaica  15th  Jany  1 716- 17 
Honored  Sir — My  suit  at  Law  for  the  re- 
covery of  my  Salary  here  is  as  backward  as. 
my  last  gave  you  an  account,  so  that  I  have 
nothing  new  to  add  on  this  head  but  that 
one  of  my  lawyers  is  dead  which  put  a  stop 
to  it  last  Term  &  what  progress  will  be  made 
in  it  the  next  I  cannot  tell,  you  shall  be  ac- 
quainted of  the  proceeding  by  every  oppor- 
tunity. 

The  continuance  of  my  troubles  (which 
alas  have  no  prospect  of  an  end)  and  the 
tediousness  of  this  lawsuit  have  almost 
wearied  me  out,  I  find  a  daily  decay  in  my- 
self thro'  the  continual  fatigue  I  undergo  in- 
this  large  parish  which  consists  (as  I  have 
formerly  observed)  of  Three  towns  which  I 
serve  alternately  &  how  I  have  discharged  my 
duty  to  the  Souls  I  am  entrusted  with  is  well' 
known  to  my  good  God  and  Great  Judge  & 
will  I  hope  be  testified  by  some  of  my  people. 
I  humbly  beg  the  favour  of  you  to  give 
my  most  humble  duty  to  my  most  Honble 
Patrons  &  acquaint  them  that  their  poor  Mis- 
sionary is  labouring  under  many  difficulties 
&  reduced  to  the  want  of  a  great  many  nec- 
essaries ;  two  Gowns  and  Cassocks  I  have  al- 
ready worn  in  their  service  a  3d  is  worn  very 


JAMAICA. 


r5& 


bare  and  my  family  wants  are  so  many  and 
pressing  that  I  laiow  not  how  I  shall  pro- 
cure another. 

But  pray  give  me  'leave  to  assure  you 
that  I  am  not  reduced  to  this  necessitous  Con- 
dition thro'  any  extravagance  in  my  way  of 
living,  'tis  well  known  to  many  jWere  Dis- 
senters from  us  as  well  las  friend's  to  the 
Church  that  I  am  contented  to  want  many 
necessaries  the  better  to  be  enabled  to  be  hos- 
pitable, which  is  expected  from  the  estab- 
lished Ministers  here  and  which  with  my  be- 
ing conversant  with  them  hath  (I  praise  God 
for  it)  removed  the  prejudices  of  some  and 
effectually  brought  others  to  us. 

But  under  all  my  troubles  this  bears  me 
up  and  is  great  comfort  that  God  is  so  good 
to  me  as  to  continue  his  Blessing  on  my  en- 
deavours I  have  lost  none  but  have  gained 
many  the  number  of  my  hearers  consisting 
of  about  400  &  Communicants  above  3  Score, 
I  have  this  last  week  gained  two  families  from 
the  Anabaptists  &  Quakers  and  baptized  them. 
Many  are  often  coming  over  to  us  and  I  am 
assured  more  would,  were  there  according  to 
their  desire  a  Minister  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land to  preach  to  them,  in  this  Town  every 
Lord's  day. 

But  this  I  leave  to  the  consideration  of  the 
Honble  Society  and  hope  they  will  be  pleased 
to  consider  my  necessities  and  administer  a 
little  comfort  to  me  in  my  troubles. 

I  pray  God  to  bless  guide  preserve  and 
keep  my  most  honored  Patrons  may  they  be 
enabled  to  send  out  many  faithful  Labourers 
into  Christ's  Vineyard  &  amply  rewarded  for 
all  their  pious  and  good  deeds.  This  is  what 
offers  at  present  from 

Your  most  humble  Servt 

Thos  Poyer. 


Mr.  Foyer's  appeals  to  the  home  authorities 
for  help  were  backed  up  by  his  own  people 
in  the  following  statement  which  was  for- 
warded to  London ; 

February  6th  171 6 
We  humbly  pray  leave  to  lay  before  our 
Honble  Patrons  a  true   state  of  the  case  of 
the  Church  here  and  that  as  briefly  as   the 
nature  of  the  thing  will  bear. 

The  Independents  here  being  the  most  nu- 
merous do  annually  choose  the  Church  War- 
dens &  Vestry  out  of  those  of  their  own  per- 
suasion who  are  the  most  inveterate  against 


the  Church,  every  freeholder  having  a  vote  by 
Virtue  of  an  Act  of  Assembly  for  settling  the 
Ministry  made  in  the  year  1693  in  which  act 
there  is  a  clause  empowering  them  to  call  a 
Minister,  the  act  also  provides  that  such  a 
Minister  shall  be  inducted  &  established  to 
entitle  him  to  the  Salary  of  i6o  per  annum 
given  by  the  same  Act. 

Now  this  Dissenting  Vestry  &  Church 
Wardens  have  (as  no  other  could  be  ex- 
pected of  them)  after  the  death  of  the  Revd 
Mr  Urquhart  (who  enjoyed  the  Glebe  &  Sal- 
ary undisturbed  for  about  six  years)  called 
one  Mr  Geo :  McNish  who  because  of  that 
call  has  seized  upon  the  Parsonage  House  & 
Glebe  pretends  to  all  and  has  actually  re- 
ceived some  part  of  said  Salary.  This  call  is 
the  only  argument  on  which  they  insist  &  on 
pretence  whereof  they  defraud  the  rightful 
minister  both  of  the  Glebe  and  Salary  con- 
trary to  the  known  laws  and  continued  prac- 
tice of  all  the  other  places  in  this  Province 
that  stand  upon  the  same  foundation.  To  con- 
fute therefore  their  absurd  notion  the  case  may 
be  stated  thus.  In  Feb  1702  the  Vestry  &. 
Church  Wardens  (being  as  always  Dissenters) 
called  one  Mr  Hubbard  a  Dissenting  Minister 
(one  whom  some  of  us  have  heard  declare  it 
a  sin  to  say  the  Lord's  Prayer).  In  the  year 
1704  Mr  Urquhart  was  sent  here  by  the  Ven- 
erable Society  &  Bishop  of  London  and  was 
immediately  inducted  and  established  by  the 
then  Governor  of  this  Province  the  said  call 
given  to  Mr  Hubbard  (who  never  did  officiate 
as  Minister  of  the  Parish)  being  deemed  to  be 
invalid  because  the  person  called  was  not  qual- 
ified to  accept  &  this  proceeding  of  that  Gov- 
ernor was  declared  to  be  right  by  another  Act 
of  Assembly  in  1705  for  the  better  explaining 
the  former  Act — Thus  in  like  manner  after 
Mr  Urquharts  death  as  is  said  before  they 
called  the  said  Mr  McNish  who  being  a  Dis- 
senter like  the  other  not  qualified  to  accept 
thereof,  our  present  Governor  for  the  reasons 
aforesaid  on  the  arrival  of  Mr  Poyer  imme- 
diately caused  him  to  be  inducted  and  estab- 
lished by  the  Chaplain  Mr  Sharpe  on  the  i8th 
day  of  July  1710  which  we  think  (with  sub- 
mission) makes  the  matter  very  clear  that  the- 
Salary  &  Glebe  can  belong  to  none,  but  him ; 
for  the  Cure  must  not  lie  vacant  for  want  of 
a  call  or  presentation  &  not  to  call  at  all  or  to 
call  a  person  in  himself  incapable  of  accept- 
ing is  all  one.  And  it  can  never  be  supposed' 
that  the  Law  intended  any  other  than  an 
Orthodox  Minister   for  if  otherwise  nothing 


556 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


"but  confusion  must  ensue  abdut  the  disposal 
even  amongst  the  Dissenters  themselves  all 
having  an  equal  right. 

To  this  false  argument  of  the  Church  War- 
dens, &  A'estry  (as  well  as  their  principles) 
may  be  attributed  the  many  affronts  by  them 
-at  sundry  times  given  to  our  Minister  even  to 
the  excluding  him  from  sitting  in  the  Vestry 
contrary  to  the  Governors  express  Injunctions 
from  the  Crown  signified  to  them. 

Yet-  notwithstanding  the  imperious  be- 
haviour of  these  our  Enemies  who  stick  not 
to  call  themselves  the  Established  Church  & 
us  Dissenters  we  can  with  Joy  say  the  Church 
hath  increased  very  considerably  both  in  its 
number  of  hearers  &  Communicants  by  the 
singular  care  pain  and  industry  of  our  present 
Labourious  Minister  Mr  Poyer  who  notwith- 
standing the  many  difficulties  he  has  struggled 
with  has  never  been  in  the  least  wanting  in  the 
due  execution  of  his  Ministerial  Function  but 
rather  on  the  contrary  has  strained  himself  in 
travelling  thro'  the  Parish  even  beyond  his 
sirength  &  not  seldom  to  the  prejudice  of  his 
health  which  is  notorious  to  all  the  Inhab- 
itants for  almost  7  years  last  past  in  all  which 
time  he  has  not  received  one  farthing  of  his 
Salary  allowed  him  by  the  laws  of  this  Prov- 
ince nor  any  private  contributions  that  by  the 
nicest  search  we  can  find  out  except  about 
£18  (this  Country  money)  which  was  pre- 
sented to  him  by  some  of  his  people  at  his  first 
arrival  here  purely  on  the  account  of  the 
tediousness  of  his  voyage  from  England  &  his 
having  with  his  family  been  shipwrecked  on 
this  island  about  100  miles  from  his  parish 
and  at  divers  times  since  Gifts  on  the  whole 
not  amounting  to  Fifty  pounds. 

A  year  later  Mr.  Poyer  reported  a  little 
progress  in  spiritual  matters,  but  the  situation 
unchanged  in  other  respects.  Writing  to  Lon- 
don, under  date  of  October  24,  1717,  he  said: 

Jamaica,  October  24th,  1717. 

The  State  of  the  Church  in  this  Parish  is 
much  the  same  as  my  last  gave  you  an  ac- 
count of  saving  that  I  had  two  new  members 
-added  to  it  since,  &  baptized  besides  several 
Infants  &  some  adult  persons. 

And  Here  I  must  desire  vou  to  pardon  me 
while  I  acquaint  you  that  I  have  undergone 
more  trouble  in  the  discharge  of  mv  Ministry 
liere  than  I  am  able  to  tell  vou — for  besides 


the  frequent  abuses  and  affronts  I  receive  from 
some  of  the  Enemies  of  our  Constitution  be- 
sides that  ;they  make  it  their  constant  en- 
deavor to  tire  me  with  their  ill  usage  and  to 
starve  me  as  some  of  the  most  inveterate 
among  them  do  sometimes  express  themselves ; 
the  service  of  the  three  towns  which  this 
Parish  consists  of  bears  hard  upon  me,  and 
affords  me  as  much  business  as  I  am  able  to 
go  through  with.  I  serve  them  by  turns  every 
other  Sunday  besides  frequent  Lectures  on 
week  days.  Now  to  do  this  and  to  visit  my 
people  which  I  am  often  obliged  to  who  live 
distant  from  me  many  of  them  about  12  miles, 
I  am  necessitated  to  keep  two  horses  which  is 
very  expensive  &  troublesome  to  me  &  con- 
sumes me  more  Clothes  in  one  year  than  would 
serve  another  that  is  not  obliged  to  ride  for 
3  or  4.  In  Newtown  &  Flushing  for  want  of 
the  convenience  of  private  houses  I  am  forced 
to  make  use  of  Public  ones  which  is  a  very 
great  charge  to  me  for  I  bring  some  of  my 
family  generally  with  me.  If  I  did  not  they 
would  be  the  half  of'  the  year  without  op- 
portunities of  public  Worship. 

Mr.  McNish  held  .the  fort — the  house  and 
glebe — until  his  death,  in  1723,  but  the  passing 
of  that  doughty  antagonist  made  no  difference 
in  Mr.  Foyer's  worldly  prospects.  In  fact  they 
were  worse,  for  the  Presbyterians  were  actual- 
ly at  law  with  him  for  the  recovery  of  the 
church  building,  and  in  this  they  were  finally 
successful.  Tired  of  it  all, 'Mr.  Poyer  became 
anxious  to  give  up  the  struggle,  and  wrote 
A  touching  letter  to  London  asking  to  be  re- 
lieved.   The  letter  was  dated  June  16,  1731 : 

By  this  opportunity  I  beg  leave  humbly 
to  represent  to  my  Honble  Patrons  the  Ven- 
erable Society  for  Propagating  the  Gospel  in 
Foreign  Parts  that  I  have  been  their  Mission- 
ary here  21  years  &  may  without  incurring  the 
imputation  of  boasting  say  that  my  diligence 
in  the  discharge  of  my  functions  has  been 
little  inferior  to  any  I  pray  God  to  give  a 
blessing  to  the  seed  sown  but  so  it  is  that  be- 
sides the  great  and  almost  continual  con- 
tentions that  I  have  struggled  withal  amongst 
the  Independents  in  this  parish  having  had 
several  law  suits  with  them  before  I  could  have 
the  Salary  which  the  Country  has  settled  upon 
the  Minister  of  the  Church  of  England  several 


JAMAICA. 


557" 


other  law  suits  for  some  Glebe  lands  which  we 
have  lost  and  at  last  even  the  Church  itself  of 
which  we  had  the  possession  25  years  is  taken 
from  us  by  a  trial  at  law  (with  what  justice 
I  can't  pretend  to  say)  tho'  I  say  I  have  en- 
deavored as  patiently  as  I  could  to  bear  up  un- 
der all  these  trials  besides  the  loss  of  two 
Wives  &  Several  children  yet  the  infirmities 
of  old  age  bear  very  hard  upon  me  insomuch 
that  I  find  myself  almost  unable  to  officiate  at 
the  three  towns  of  Jamaica,  Newtown  and 
Flushing  as  I  have  hitherto  done  and  which 
is  absolutely  necessary  for  the  Minister  of  the 
Parish  to  do. 

The  intent  of  these  are  therefore  to  beg- 
that  my  distressed  state  and  condition  may  be 
laid  before  the  \'enerble:  Society  and  that  they 
will  be  pleased  to  permit  me  to  quit  my  Mis- 
sion and  to  return  to  Great  Britain  as  being 
for  the  reasons  aforegiven  not  capable  of  bear- 
ing such  fatigues  and  discharging  my  duty  as 
I  have  done  for  so  many  years  in  this  place. 
I  humbly  beg  of  my  most  honored  patrons  to 
consider  my  case  &  circumstances  &  I  re- 
main &c  Thos   Poyer 

His  resignation  was  accepted,  but  before 
the  arrangements  were  completed  he  was  called 
higher  and  passed  away  January  15,  1732. 

We  must  now  return  to  the  Presbyterian 
camp.  Mr.  McNish,  broken-  in  health,  seems 
to  have  either  retired  from  the  active  work  of 
the  ministry  a  short  time  before  his  death 
or  to  have  obtained  leave  of  absence,  for  he 
passed  away  at  Newtown,  New  Jersey,  March 
10,  1722.  It  was  under  his  successor,  the  Rev. 
Robert  Cross,  "an  Irish  gentleman,"  Thomp- 
son called  him,  that  the  crowning  victory  of 
the  restoration  of  the  old  church  was  won. 
The  dissenters — Presbyterians  and  Quakers — 
could  not,  however,  avoid  the  payment  of  the 
salary  for  the  maintenance  of  the  Episcopalian 
minister,  and  this  salary  was  paid  out  of  the 
rates  with  grumbling  and  sometimes  only  after 
a  legal  process  had  been  indulged  in.  The 
Quakers  invariably  paid  under  protest,  when 
they  paid  at  all.  The  result  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary War  put  an  end  to  all.thjs. 

In  1738  the  Rev.  Walter  Wilmot,  one  of 
the  best  beloved  of  Jamaica's  ministers,  en- 
tered upon  his  work  in  the  little  stone  church. 


His  ministry  was  spiritually  a  success,  and 
the  historic  tabernacle  had  all  it  could  do  to» 
hold  the  worshippers.  Under  him  the  local 
Presbyterians  lost  much  of  the  harshness 
which  had  come  to  them  as  a  result  of  more 
than  a  generation  of  fighting  with  Friends  on 
the  one  hand  and  Episcopalians  on  the  other. 
They  had  won  the  victory  and  Mr.  Wilmot 
was  essentially  a  man  of  peace,  a  man  who 
had  taken  no  part  in  the  warfare  and  so  was 
better  able  to  heal  up  the  wounds  among  the 
laymen,  the  result  of  years  of  friction.  He. 
v/as  a  native  of  Southampton  and  had  mar- 
ried a  daughter  of  the  Townsend  family,  a 
family  which  had  been  locally  famous  for  its. 
devotion  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  even  before  that  society  was  fully 
organized.  She  was  a  devoted  Christian  and. 
on  her  marriage  openly  embraced  the  Pres- 
byterian views  held  by  her  husband.  His  min- 
istry was  destined  to  be  a  brief  one.  Mrs.  Wil- 
mot died  February  24,  1744,  in  the  twenty- 
third  year  of  her  age,  and  her  husband  joined 
her  on  the  6th  oif  August  following,  when  in^ 
his  thirty-fifth  year. 

Under  a  succession  of  ministers  and  itin- 
erant   preachers    or    students    designated    as- 
"stated  supply,"  the  cause  of  Presbyterianism 
barely  held  its  own  in  Jamaica  for  a  long  tenrt. 
of  years  after  Mr.  WilnTot  passed  away.     At 
tim.es  the  membership  fell  off  greatly,  and  in 
1761  we  read  that  it  had  but  twelve  commu- 
nicants.      There  were  s.everal  causes  for  this. 
The  preachers  were,  as  a  rule,  able  men,  but 
there  was  continual  difficulty  in  the  payment, 
of  the  stipend,  and  there  were  the  usual  di- 
visions  in   the   congregation    itself,    so    com-^ 
mon  in  the  history  of  Presbyterian  societies,, 
which   led   to   schisms   of   more   or   less    im- 
portance.    During  the   Re'volution   the   min- 
ister was  Matthias  Burnet,  who  was  installed 
in  1775,  when  in  the  twenty-sixth  year  of  his- 
age.     He  seems  to  have  been  an  amiable  but 
rather  a  weak  brother,  had  married  a  lady  be-- 
longing  to   an  Episcopalian   family   and   was. 
opposed  to  the  Revolutionary  movement.     It 
was   to   his  pro-British   sentiments,   however,. 


558 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


that  the  Httle  stone  church  was  saved,  during 
the  occupation  after  the  Battle  of  Brooklyn, 
from  the  desecration  which  befel  most  of  the 
other  places  of  worship  on  Long  Island.  When 
the  struggle  was  ended  the  feeling  against  him 
on  the  part  of  the  people  generally  was  so  in- 
tense that  he  was  compelled  to  resign.  He 
removed  after  a  time  to  Norwalk,  Connecticut, 
where  he  accepted  fully  the  views  of  the  Epis- 
copalian body  and  becami^  rector  of  one  of  its 
churches.  We  are  told,  however,  that  he  paid 
an  annual  visit  to  Jamaica,  and  in  1790 
preached  to  a  large  congregation  in  the  stone 
church.  That  fact  is  significant  as  showing- 
how  early  the  first  bitterness  engendered  by  the 
great  struggle  had  passed  over — so  far  as 
Jamaica  was  concerned. 

The  stone  church  served  until  1813,  when 
it  was  pulled  down  and  a  more  commodious 
structure  was  erected  in  its  place  and  opened 
for  worship  in  January,  1814.  At  that  time 
the  Rev.  Henry  Wood  was  the  pastor. 

The  English  Church,  even  after  it  had  lost 
the  stone  building  and  turned  forever  from 
all  thoughts  of  possessing  it  again  together 
with  the  glebe,  seemed  to  wax  in  strength, 
slowly,  but  none  the  less  surely.  Its  official 
position  was  of  itself  a  tower  of  strength,  and 
the  payment  of  the  stipend  was  about,  as  well' 
assured  as  anything  worldly  could  be.  The 
Rev.  Thomas  Colgan,  who  was  the  successor 
to  the  unfortunate  and  long-suffering  Poyer, 
and  who  entered  on  his  duties  January  31, 
1733,  was  a  much  more  diplomatic  and  con- 
genial gentleman.  He  aimed!  to  make  friends 
all  around  and  to  antagonize  no  one  and  ap- 
pears to  have  succeeded.  He  seems  to  have 
accepted  the  situation  as  he  found  it  and  be- 
gan holding  services  in  the  building  which 
then  served  as  a  court  house.  The  old  ani- 
mosity seemed  to  die  out  rapidly,  the  law- 
suits ceased,  his  stipend  was  paid  as  the  law 
directed  and  he  slowly  built  up  a  congrega- 
tion. Six  weeks  after  he  began  his  work  he 
was  able  to  report  that  200  persons  attended 
his  services  in  Jamaica.  The  court  house  soon 
proved  too  small  for  the  work,  and  with  quite 


an  effort,  aided  by  help  from  New  York  and 
elsewhere,  the  people  secured  a  lot  and  erected 
a  building  for  their  own  use.  Under  the  name 
of  Grace  Church  it  was  opened  for  service 
April  5,  1734.  Governor  Cosby  and  his  fam- 
ily attended  in  state,  the  military  lined  the 
front  of  the  building  and  the  throng  was  so 
great  that  many  persons  had  to  be  turned 
away.  It  was  a  memorable  occasion — one 
which  would  have  cheered  the  heart  of  poor 
Mr.  Poyer  beyond  measure  and  set  Mr.  Mc- 
Nish  to  measuring  out  unstintedly  the  vials  of 
destruction.  Many  gifts  were  made  to  the 
church,  notably  a  Bible,  Prayer  Book,  sur- 
plice and  pulpit  and  communion  table  cloths 
by  the  wife  of  the  Governor.  After  such 
an  auspicious  opening  Grace  Church  flour- 
ished. Here  are  some  extracts  from  Mr.  Col- 
gan's  letters  to  the  Lohdon  society  which  used 
to  get  such  dolorous  reports  from  Jamaica: 

Jamaica  Novr  226.  1740  . 
We  have  yearly  for  these  seven  years  last 
past  increased  in  Church  Members,  so  these 
buildings  are  generally  well  filled  in  time  of 
Divine  Service,  &  the  worship  of  God  is  duly 
performed  with  decency  and  good  order,  the, 
several  sects  which  are  around  us  do  look 
upon  the  Church  with  a  more  respectful  eye 
than  formerly,  there  being  not  wanting  either 
in  myself  or  people  any  Christian  like  or  pru- 
dential means  necessary  to  form  a  reconcilia- 
tion &  union  amongst  us,  some  itinerant  en- 
thusiastical  teachers,  have  of  late  been  preach- 
ing upon  this  Island  the  notorious  Mr  Whit- 
field being  at  the  head  of  them  &  among  other 
pernicious  tenets,  nave  broched  such  false  & 
erroneous  opinions  concerning  the  doctrine  of 
Regeneration  as  tend  to  the  destruction  of  true 
religion  &  of  a  holy  and  virtuous  life  and 
therefore  I  take  this  opportunity  to  beg  that 
the  Society  would  be  pleased  to  bestow  upon 
the  people  of  this  parish  a  few  of  Dr  Water- 
land's  pieces  on  that  subject,  &  of  his  Lord- 
ship the  Bishop  of  London's  Pastoral  letters 
upon  lukewarmness  and  enthusiasm. 


Jamaica  Decemr  15th  1741 

However  in  the  mean  time  be  pleased  to 

accept  this  general  account  of  the  State  of  my 

Mission  there  being  three  Churches  belonging 

to  my  Cure,  that  of  Jamaica  Newtown  and 


JAMAICA. 


569 


Flushing,  I  must  with  a  great  deal  of  truth 
say  that  not  only  they  are  in  a  growing  con- 
dition &  the  members  thereof  generally  of  an 
exemplary  life  and  conversation  but  that  the 
Church  of  England  here  was  never  in  so  much 
credit  and  reputation  among  the  Dissenters 
of  all  sorts  as  at  this  day,  their  opinion  con- 
cerning her  doctrine  as  well  as  discipline  be- 
ing vastly  more  favourable  than  ever.  En- 
thusiasm has  of  late  been  very  predominant 
amongst  us  but  is  now  in  a  declining  state 
several  of  the  teachers  in  that  way  as  well  as 
their  hearers  being  found  guilty  of  the  foulest 
immoral  practice.s  and  other  of  them  have 
wrought  themselves  into  the  highest  degree  of 
,  madness — these  occurrences  together  with 
those  good  books  lately  sent  over  by  the  So- 
ciety have  taught  people  what  the  true  spirit 
of  Christianity  is  and  what  it  is  not  &  that 
it  is  to  be  found  in  a  more  sober  rational 
Scheme  than  that  delivered  to  mankind  by  Mr 
Whitfield  that  Arch  Enthusiast  and  his  ad- 
herents, having  nothing  more  to  add  but  the 
promise  of  all  due  diligence  &  fidelity  in  the 
discharge  of  all  the  Offices  belonging  to  my 
Mission. 

Jamaica  March  23d,  1743 
Our  Church  here  is  in  a  fl-ourishing  con- 
dition her  being  depressed  of  late  by  those 
clouds  of  error  &  enthusiasm  which  hung  so 
heavily  about  her,  has  in  effect  tended  to  her 
greater  illustration  &  glory. 

If  the  Society  would  be  pleased  to  order 
me  some  small  tracts,  such  as  The  trial  of  Mr 
Whitfield's  spirit;  An  Englishman  directed  in 
the  choice  of  his  Religion,  Bishop  Stilling- 
fleet's  Unreasonableness  of  separation  &c.  I'm 
your  most  obt  &c.  Thos  Colgan. 


ilies  in  this  parish,  consisting  of  Men  Women 
&  children  who  before  were  tainted  with  the 
corruptions  of  Anabaptism  &  Quakerism  & 
have  now  before  me  a  fair  prospect  of  doing 
the  like  good  office  for  others  in  a  little  time. 


Jamaica  Sept  29th  1743. 
Our  Church  here  was  never  in  so  thriving 
a  way  as  at  this  time — for  it  has  increased 
both  in  number  &  esteem  with  those  who  are 
without  her  pale,  these  eight  or  ten  years  last 
past  more  than  it  did  for  30  years  before  being 
one  of  the  oldest  Missions  from  the  Society — 
This  must  be  an  argument  with  them,  that 
under  the  benign  influence  of  Heaven  and 
their  pious  Care  &  bounty,  my .  faithful  en- 
deavours have  not  been  wanting  to  promote 
and  answer  the  end  &  design  of  my  Mission 
to  this  place  I  would  further  acquaint  the  Ven- 
erable Society  that  since  my  last  accounts  I 
have  baptized  17  persons  belonging  to  3  fam- 


Jamaica  Sept  29  1744. 
The  several  Churches  belonging  to  my 
Cure  (as  those  of  Jamaica,  Newtown  &  Flush- 
ing) are  in  a  very  peaceable  &  growing  state, 
whilst  other  seperate  Assemblies  in  this  Parish 
are  in  the  utmost  confusion  &  this  I  can  write 
with  a  great  deal  of  truth  that  Independency 
which  has  been  triumphant  in  this  town  for 
the  40  years  last  past  is  now  by  the  provi- 
dence of  God  in  a  very  faint  &  declining  con- 
ditio^n  which  gives  us  hopes  that  better  Prin- 
ciples than  such  as  issue  out  thence  will  gen- 
erally prevail  amongst  us  &  that  we  shall  be 
better  united  than  heretofore. 


Jamaica  Sept  29th  1746 
These  are  to  accpaint  the  Venerable  So- 
ciety that  my  endeavours  in  the  work  of  my 
Mission  are  by  the  blessing  of  God  attended 
with  success  a  late  &  remarkable  instance 
whereof  we  have  in  the  conformity  of  a  Fam- 
ily of  good  repute  in  ye  Town  from  Inde- 
pendency to  the  Doctrine  discipline  and  Gov- 
ernment of  our  Church  which  considering  all 
circumstances  may  be  thought  worthy  of 
notice. 

In  my  letter  of  the  26  March  last  I  gave 
information  to  the  Society  of  our  being  in  a 
very  likely  way  of  having  a  Church  erected 
in  the  town  of  Flushing  a  place  generally  in- 
habited by  Quakers  &  by  some  who  are  of  no 
religion  at  all  which  indeed  has  all  along  from 
the  first  settlement  of  the  town  been  a  great 
obstruction  and  discouragement  to  an  under- 
taking of  this  kind  but  now  by  the  kind  prov- 
idence of  God  (who  has  raised  up  Friends  & 
money  for  the  purpose)  the  work  is  actually 
begun  so  that  I  have  hopes  of  performing 
divine  Service  in  this  new  Church  in  about 
3  months  time  and  also  that  the  Society  will 
bestow  upon  it  a  Bible  &  Common  Prayer 
Book  according  to  their  usual  bounty  for  cen- 
tainly  there  can  be  no  set  of  People  within 
this  Province  who  are  greater  objects  of  the 
Society's  pity  &  charity  than  those  belonging 
to  the  town  of  Flushing  of  which  I  have  been 
so  truly  sensible  that  it  has  brought  me  (if  I 
may   be    permitted    thus    to   express   it)    to 


560 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


double  my  diligence  in  that  place  where  error 
&  impiety  greatly  abound  nor  have  I  been 
wanting  (thro'  the  Divine  assistance)  in  the 
other  parts  &  duties  of  my  Mission  for  the 
space  of  almost  one  and  twenty  years  to  ap- 
prove myself  a  faithful  Labourer  &  my  trust 
in  God  is  that  I  shall  continue  to  approve  my- 
self such  whilst 

Jamaica  March  28th,  1749. 
I  have  great  hopes  that  our  Church  at 
Flushing  will  in  a  little  time  gain  ground 
among  the  Quakers  who  are  very  numerous 
there,  and  it  is  somewhat  remarkable  and  ma)' 
be  thought  worthy  of  notice,  that  a  man  who 
had  for  many  years  strictly  adhered  to  the 
principles  of  Quakerism,  when  that  new 
Church  was  opened  &  a  collection  made  he 
gave  money  for  the  use  of  that  Church,  but 
thinking  he  had  not  put  enough  m  the  Plate, 
went  immediately  after  service  and  gave  more 
to  the  Collector. 

Mr.  Colgan  died  in  1755  and  then  the 
"dissenters"  tried  their  coup — long  famous 
locally — of  at  once  installing  one  of  their  own 
ministers,  Simon  Horton,  into  the  vacancy, 
but  Governor  Hardy  made  short  work  of  that 
and  Samuel  Seabury,  Jr.,  was  inducted  to  the 
charge  of  the  three  towns.  He  was  not  a  suc- 
cess by  any  means,  and  by  1760  he  complained 
that  the  communicants  in  Grace  Church  were 
less  than  20.  Under  these  circumstances  the 
full  amount  of  his  stipend  was  not  forthcom- 
ing and  the  constant  attention  necessary  to 
keep  the  church  in  repair  was  relaxed  with 
the  usual  result.  With  the  view  of  improving 
matters,  Seabury  got  up  the  idea  of  having 
Grace  Church  incorporated,  and  the  following 
document,  which  explains  itself,  was  drawn 
up,  signed  and  presented  to  Cadwallader 
Golden  : 

To  .'  the  Honourable  Cadwallder  Colden 
E^q  President  of  his  Majestys  Council  and 
Commander  in  Chief  of  the  Province  of 
New  York  and  the  Territories  depending 
thereon  in  America  &c 

The  Petition  of  the  Minister  of  the  Parish 
of  Jamaica  &  Sundry  of  the  Inhabitants 
of  The  Town  of  Jamaica  on  Nassau 
Island  Communicants  &  professors  of 


the  Church  of  England  as  by  Law  Es- 
tablished 
Most  Humbly  Sheweth 

That  the  Inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Ja- 
maica :  Members  &  professors  of  the  Church 
of  England  as  by  Law  Established :  did  some 
years  ago  by  Voluntary  contributions  Erect  & 
finish  a  decent  &  Convenient  Church  in  the 
Town  of  Jamaica :  for  the  Celebration  of  Di- 
vine Service  according  Ito  the  use  of  the 
Church  Of  Englarid,  but  that  through  the 
Want  of  some  proper  Persons  to  Superintend 
the  Affairs  of  the  Same :  With  Legal  Au- 
thority, the  Building  is  now  Considerablv  out 
of  Repair,  and  There  is  Danger  Least  moneys 
contributed  for  the  Repair  of  ttie  Same  may  be 
Improperly  Applyd  to  the  Detriment  of  your 
Petitioners :  &  Thro'  the  want  of  Such  Persons 
it  also  comes  to  pass  yt  Pious  &  Well  Disposed 
People  are  Discouraged,  in  their  Designs  of 
Establishing  &  Erecting  proper  Funds  for  the 
Support  Of  the  Church  &  its  Ministry  Your 
Petitioners  Therefore  Humbly  beg  that  vr 
Honour  Takeing  these  things  into  Considera- 
tion Would  be  Pleasd  to  Grant  us  a  Charter 
( Incorperateing  such  Persons  as  upon  Mature 
Deliberation  shall  be  found  Worthv)  with 
such  Privileges  &  Immunities  as  in  Your  Wis- 
dom you  shall  think  Proper  And  Your  Peti- 
tioners as  in  Duty  bound  Will  Ever  Pray 
April!  the  8th  1761. 

S.VMUEL  SE.\nuRY  Jur  Minister 

Robert  Howell 

Benjamin  Carpenter 

John  huchiens 

John  Smith 

Jacob  Ogckn 

Joseph  Olfield 

Joseph  Olfield  Junr 

Jhno  Troup 

John  Comes 

Gilbert  Comes 

Thomas  Truxton 

Thos  Braine 

Benj.  Whitehead 

Samll  Smith 

William  Sherlock 

John  Innes 

Richard  Betts. 

Isaac  A'anhook 

Thos  Hinchman 

Adm  Lawrence 

The  cha.rter  was  granted,  the  church  was 
repaired  as  the  result  of  a  subscription  whicii 


JAMAICA. 


561 


netted  £93  i8d,  but  the  people  did  not  flock 
to  Mr.  Seabury's  ministrations  in  any  greater 
numbers  than  before.  So  he  gladly  went  his 
way  when  an  opening  occurred  for  him  at 
Wiestchester,  and  the  Rev.  Joshua  Bloomer 
\ras  installed  in  his  stead.  Mr.  Bloomer  com- 
menced his  ministry  May  23,  1769,  and  soon 
was  able  to  announce  that  his  services  were 
well  attended — "crowded  assemblies  who  be- 
have with  decorum."  But  the  times  were 
sadly  out  of  joint  and  it  was  not  long  before 
he  had  some  trouble  in  getting  payment  of  his 
salary  as  it  fell  due.  When  the  crisis  came  Mr. 
Bloomer  found  it  necessary  to  close  his  church 
for  a  few  weeks ;  some  of  his  members  were 
sadly  persecuted  by  order  of  Congress,  several 
even  sent  to  prison  or  to  Connecticut,  but  with 
the  victory  of  August  27,  1776,  all  went  well 
and  the  good,  loyal  minister  was  again  per- 
mitted to  pray  for  King  George  and  the  royal 
family  without  hindrance.  In  1778,  as  a  re- 
sult of  a  lottery,  $780  was  realized  for  the 
purchase  of  a  glebe,  and  witE  the  money  a 
farm  of  seventy  acres  was  bought  about  a 
mile  west  of  Jamaica  village.  It  was  not  the 
first  time  a  lottery  had  come  to  the  aid  of 
Grace  Church.  By  one,  in  1747,  the  bell  in 
its  steeple  had  been  bought.  The  glebe  does 
not  seem  to  have  proven  a  profitable  adjunct 
to  the  church,  and  it  was  offered  for  sale  in 
1786.  With  the  cessation  of  hostilities,  M-r. 
Bloomer  seems  to  have  passed  over  the  crisis 
of  the  sentiment  against  everything  British  un- 
disturbed, and  ministered  in  his  three  charges 
until  1790,  when  he  passed  to  his  reward,  and 
his  remains  were  laid  in  the  chancel  of  Grace 
Church. 

After  Mr.  Bloomer's  death,  however,  the 
congregation  began  to  dwindle,  although  most 
of  the  rectors  were  men  of  more  than  or- 
dinary ability.  In  1808  the  money  received 
at  a  communion  season  was  only  $234.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  the  influence  and  -generosity 
of  the  King  family  was  the  most  potent  agency 
in  carrying  the  church  through  its  darkest 
days,  which  may  be  said  to  have  lasted  from 

36 


1796  until  1815,  and  the  first  substantial  token 
of  that  interest  was  a  gift  from  Rufus  King  of 
real  estate  in  New  York  sufficient  to  yield 
the  rector  $500  a  year.  The  same  generous 
hand  in  1820  started  the  movement  for  the 
erection  of  a  new  church,  and  as  a  result 
the  second  Grace  Church  was  built  and  opened' 
for  service  July  15,  1822.  This  building  served^ 
the  congregation  until  January  i,  1861,  when  it 
was  burned  to  the  ground  and  to  the  building; 
which  took  its  place,  a  beautiful  gothic  struc- 
ture of  stone,  and  which  was  consecraited! 
by  Bishop  Horatio  Potter  January  8,  1863,  the 
King  family  were  princely  subscribers,  while' 
their  subsequent  gifts'  were  numerous  and 
munificent. 

The  Dutch  Church  seemed  to  have  had  its 
beginning  in  Jamaica  in  1702,  and  for  a  time 
its  services  were  held  in  the  little  stone  build-- 
ing  erected  by  the  Presbyterians.     For  some 
years  the  congregation  was  ecclesiastically  at- 
tached to  the  Kings  County  Consistory,  but 
in  171 5  they  managed  to  build  one  of  the  little 
octagon  edifices  such  as  the  early  Dutch  con- 
gregations delighted  in,  and  tried  to  get  a  min- 
ister of  their  own,  but  they   failed  to   offer 
enough  in  the  way  of  inducement  and  that 
project    slept.     Afterward  when    there  were 
small  congregations  formed  at  Newtown,  Suc- 
cess   and    Wolver    Hollow  further    attempts 
were  made  to  get  a  clergyman  to  devote  him- 
self to  the  four,  but  it  was  not  until  1741  that 
they  succeeded,  and  the  Rev.  Johannes  Hen- 
ricus  Goetschius  settled  among  them.    He  and 
his  successors  were  able  men,  but  they  did  not 
attract  large  congregations  somehow  and  the- 
people  did  not  seem  to  act  as  a  harmonious, 
unit  with  regard  to  them.     During  the  Revo- 
lution the  church  was  unceremoniously  used  by 
the  British  as  a  storehouse,  the  people  were 
without  any  stated  pastor,  but  Dominies  Rubell 
and   Schoonmaker,   of  Kings   county,   visited 
them  at  intervals  and  held  services  in  Grace 
Church.     After  the  war  was   over  the  Rev. 
Rynier  Van  Nest  became  the  pastor  of  the  four 
churches.     It  was  decided,  in  1794,  to  have 


562 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND, 


Half  of  the  services  in  English,  as  it  was 
thought  that  the  younger  people  might  wander 
away,  seeing  that  the  tongue  of  the  motherland 
was  thoroughly  understood  by  only  a  few. 
But  the  old  Dutch  service  continued  to  be  a 
feature  and  old  Dr.  Schoonmaker,  who  was 
minister  of  the  church  when  the  old  building 
was  abandoned,  June  23,  1833,  delivered  the 
farewell  sermon  in  Dutch,  although  nor  over 
half  a  dozen  could  follow  his  words  clearly. 
The  new  church,  a  frame  structure,  was  con- 
secrated   July   4,    1833,   by    which    time    the 

'  octagonal  edifice  had  been  demolished.  With 
this  change  the  congregation  (it  had  parted 
company  with  the  other  Reformed  Churches  in 
the  county)  seems  steadily  to  have  waxed  in 
strength.  The  building  was  burned  to  the 
ground  on  November  19,  1857,  but  on  Oc- 
tober   6,    1859,   the    present    tabernacle    was 

'  opened  for  worship.    It  cost  over  $20,000. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  body  had  a  con- 

;gregation  in  Jamaica  in  1784,  but  it  was  not 

■i  until  1810  that  they  erected  a  church.  The 
first  Roman  Catholic  Church,  St.  Monica's, 
was  erected  in  1839  and  the  first  Baptist 
Church  in  1869.  In  1873  the  German  Re- 
iormed  Church  was  erected. 

From  the  consecration  of  churches  we  pass 

-^  easily  as  a  corroUary  to  the  God's  acre,  where 
the  fathers  of  the  village  sleep.  There  are 
several  of  these  in  Jamaica:  township,  notably 
that  at  Springfield  and  the  quaint  Hebrew  cem- 
etery at  Woodhaven,  but  the  oldest  of  them  all 
is  that  in  Jamaica  village.  It  was  first  set 
aside — to  the  extent  at  least  of  ten  rods  square 
— in  1668  and  with  considerable  additions  has 
been  used  since  then,  although  the  oldest  exist- 
ing stones  bear  such  comparatively  recent 
dates  as  1732  and  1737.  It  has  been  much 
beautified  in  recent  years  and  the  chapel  at 
its  gateway,  the  Chapel  of  the  Sisters,  built 
by  Nicholas  Ludlam,  of  New  York,  in  1857, 
in  memory  of  his  daughters,  is  an  attractive 
piece  of  architecture.  In  Jamaica  village  also 
"the  Roman  Catholic,  Methodist  and  Protest- 
ant    Episcopal     Churches     each     have     their 


grounds  "sacred  for  the  resting  place  of  th«ir 
dead."  In  the  ground  of  the  last  named  is  the 
grave  of  Rufus  King  and  of  many  of  the 
other  members  of  that  famous  family. 

At  first,  as  might  be  expected,  agriculture 
and  hunting  were  the  two  industries  of  Ja- 
maica most  generally  followed,  the  two  indus- 
tries in  which  the  early  settlers  found  their 
employment  and  their  amusement.  It  was  not 
long,  however,  before  the  area  of  industry 
was  widened.  In  1663  John  Ouldfield,  at  a 
town  meeting,  was  voted  a  home  lot  and 
twenty  acres  of  meadow  land  on  which  to  set- 
tle and  pursue  his  occupation — that  of  a  tan- 
ner. He  was  admonished  to  stick  strictly  and 
constantly  to  his  trade  and  to  take  care  only 
to  produce  good  leather.  How  he  behaved  him- 
self after  "getting  in"  we  are  not  told,  but  as 
the  eyes  of  the  leaders  of  the  community  were 
upon  him  it  is  very  likely  that  he  fully  met 
their  views.  In  1669  the  settlers  offered 
James  Hubbard,  of  Gravesend,  ground  on 
which  to  erect  a  mill,  but  he  preferred  to  re- 
main in  Lady  Moody's  bailiwick.  Benjamin 
Coe,  however,  fell  in  with  the  offer  in  the 
following  year  and  the  people  agreed  to  build 
a  dam  for  the  mill  which  he  agreed  to  erect 
and  work.  It  was  part  of  the  agreement  that 
in  return  for  the  lot  and  the  other  bounties 
conferred  upon  him,  he  should  grind  the  corn 
of  the  townspeople  in  preference  to  that  of 
strangers  on  days  to  be  mutually  agreed.  Mr. 
Coe  carried  out  his  part  of  the  agreement  so 
well  that  they  added  ground  for  a  grist  mill. 
The  milling  business  after  a  time  fell  into  the 
hands  of  Joseph  Carpenter  and  Caleb  Carman 
on  the  same  terms  as  Coe  had  received  and 
which  did  not  pan  out  very  well  with  him,  but 
whether  owing  to  his  incompetency  or  neglect 
history  sayeth  not.  The  new  firm,  however, 
were  also  allowed  to  erect  a  saw  mill  and  were 
to  be  permitted  to  feed  it  from  the  common 
lands  of  the  township  under  a  few  restrictions 
pertaining  to  growing  trees.  Their  work  ac- 
cording to  the  pecuHar  ideas  of  the  time  was 
to  be  done  cheaper  for  the  townspeople  than 


JAMAICA. 


563 


for  others,  but  even  toward  outsiders  they 
were  not  permitted  to  make  extravagant 
charges.  This  arrangement  seems  to  have 
proved  eminently  satisfactory  all  around.  Mill- 
ing privileges  were  awarded  in  1685  to  Benja- 
min Coe  and  John  Hansen,  but  there  is  no  rec- 
ord as  to  how  Coe  profited  in  this  venture  by 
his  first  experience.  There  is  also  a  record  of 
half  an  acre  of  land  being  voted  to  a  cooper 
on  condition  that  he  work  at  his  trade,  build 
a  home  "and  supply  the  town  with  such  coop- 
er's work  as  they  shall  stand  in  need  of."     In 

1704  permission  was  given  to  Jonathan  White- 
head and  Benjamin  Thurston  to  establish  a 
fulling  mill  to  "full  [shrink]  all  kinds  of  cloth, 
press  the  same  for  three  pence  the  yard,  and 
to  full  for  the  townspeople  before  other  towns- 
people." For  a  long  time  the  milling  indus- 
try in  Jamaica  was  a  most  important  one,  but 
little  has  been  heard  of  it  in  recent  years. 

In  1676  the  first  record  of  a  local  school 
appears  in  the  record,  for  in  that  year  Richard 
Jones  was  given  the  use  of  the  little  stone 
church  "for  to  teach  scoule  in  for  ye  yere  en- 
suing, provided  he  keep  ye  windowes  from 
breaking  and  ^  keep  it  deasent  and  cleane  on 
Saturday  nights  against  ye  Lord's  Day  and 
seats  to  be  placed  in  order."  How  Brother 
Jones  fared  and  how  long  he  kept  "scoule"  is 
not  stated.  Nine  years  later  mention  is  made 
of  a  girls'  school  kept  by  "Goody"'  Davis.     In 

1705  Henry  Lindley  was  licensed  by  Governor 
Cornbury  to  teach  school  in  Jamaica  and  a  sim- 
ilar authority  w'as  conferred  in  the  same  year 
on  Thomas  Huddleston.  The  ministers  of  the 
Church  of  England  generally  were  in  receipt 
of  small  grants  from  the  London  Society  for 
the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  to  provide 
leaching  facilities,  but  the  amount  was  never, 
in  the  case  of  Queens  county,  sufficient  to  se- 
cure more  than  temporary  service.  Thus  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Poyer  complains,  in  1724,  that  while 
there  were  schools  in  Jamaica,  Newtown  and 
Flushing,  they  were  taught  by  Quakers  01 
Presbyterians.  A  public  meeting  Vv^as  called 
in  1726  to  consider  the  possibility  of  estab- 


lishing a  free  school,  but  nothing  came  of  it, 
probably  owing  to  theological  dififerences. 
Still  the  educational  facilities  of  Jamaica  seem 
to  have  been  ample  at  all  times,  and  several 
of  the  teachers,  such  as  James  Lockhart, 
Thomas  Temple  and  John  Moore,  all  pre- 
Revolutionary  schoolmasters,  were  men  of 
more  than-  ordinary  education.  In  1777  An- 
drew Wilson  opened  a  grammar  school,  and 
in  1784  the  Rev.  Matthias  Burnet,  the  Pres- 
byterian minister,  opened  a  private  school,  in 
which  he  proposed  to  teach  Latin  and  Greek, 
and  for  which  he  had  engaged  "a  person"  to 
teach  the  common  branches,  writing,  book- 
keeping, vulgar  arithmetic  and  the  like.  The 
opening,  in  1791,  of  Union  Hall  Academy  led 
the  way  to  other  schemes  of  higher  education. 
The  history  of  that  institution  has  already  been 
referred  to.  In  1812  the  common-school  sys- 
tem of  the  state  superseded  all  private  enter- 
prises to  a  great  extent  and  put  all  the  pri- 
mary schools  in  the  commonwealth  within  a 
short  time  on  a  standard  basis.  Still  even 
under  that  system,  as  it  progressed,  much  was 
due  to  the  work  and  intelligence  of  local  teach- 
ers and  superintendents,  and  in  this  regard  we 
must  recall  the  work  of  Henry  Onderdonk,  Jr., 
who  was  the  first  superintendent  of  common 
schools  under  the  law  passed  in  1844. 

Jamaica  has  never  figured  much  in  the  out- 
side world.  The  General  Assembly  of  the 
Province  of  New  York  met  in  the  village  in 
1702  and  again  in  1753,  and  in  1790  it  received 
a  visit  from  George  Washington,  who  seemed 
to  have  been  fully  satisfied  with  his  reception 
and  his  entertainment.  1  he  village  received  a 
charter  in  1814  and  an  additional  patent  of  the 
same  class  in  1855.  The  town  meetings  were 
held  at  first  in  the  meeting  house,  which  has 
been  generally  spoken  of  as  the  stone  church, 
but  afterward  when  that  place  became  the 
Episcopalian  sanctuary  they  -were  held  in  the 
court  house.  That  building  was  torn  down 
by  the  British  troops  in  1777  for  military  rea- 
sons, and  from  that  time  until  1858  they  were 
convened  at  various  inns  and  public  houses. 


564 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


In  1858  a  town  hall  was  erected  on  Herriman 
street,  near  Fulton  street — a  wooden  two- 
story  structure,  inconvenient  and  dangerous. 
It  served  its  purpose,  however,  until  1870, 
when  the  present  town  hall  was  completed  and 
was  then  converted  into  dwellings. 

In  1827,  so  far  as  the  records  show,  the 
first  made  road  in  Jamaica  was  laid  out,  and 
it  was  followed  by  several  others,  but  it  is 
not  likely  that  any  of  these  early  highways 
are  still  used  and  their  original  boundaries 
are  not  now  exactly  determinable.  In  1786 
the  people  in  town  meeting  decreed  that  no 
hogs  should  be  permitted  to  roam  about  the 
streets,  and  we  see  plenty  of  other  evidences 
of  a  desire  to  improve  the  amenity  of  the  town 
much  earlier  than  was  the  case  in  many  other 
Long  Island  villages.  It  was  not  until  1830, 
however,  that  the  township  was  divided  into 
ten  road  districts,  and  a  systematic  effort  made 
at  their  improvement  and  maintenance. 

While  Jamaica  was  in  all  moral  respects 
c[uite  a  clean  community,  yet  the  people  seemed 
to  be  at  all  times  in  a  condition  to  punish  such 
evil  doers  as  might  turn  up  among  them.  The 
early  town  meetings  were  liberal  in  their 
scale  of  fines  for  contraventions  of  local  laws 
and  a  significant  appointment  was  that  of 
whipper,  to  which  office  Joseph  Prue  was  ap- 
pointed in  1772.  His  work,  it  is  true,  lay 
principally  among  negroes,  but  still  he  stood 
ready  to  suitably  admonish  any  one  the  law 
thought  deserving  of  such  treatment.  In  those 
early  days  theft  was  a  capital  offense,  and  as 
late  as  1782  we  read  of  two  unfortunates — 
William  Guthrie  and  Joseph  Alexander — 
being  hanged  at  Jamaica  for  stealing  from  a 
farmer  at  Cow  Neck.  But  hanging  was  too 
expensive  a  luxury  to  be  indulged  in  by  a 
country  town  like  Jamaica.  Such  corrective 
agencies  as  the  lock-up  or  cage,  or  even  the 
stocks,  were  much  more  in  vogue.  In  fact 
as  late  as  1808  new  stocks  were  ordered  to 
be  erected. 

When  the  Revolution  was  over,  the  red- 
coats gone  and  peace  had  been  proclaimed,  Ja- 


maica celebrated  the  result  with  huzzas  and 
ovations  and  feasting,  and  then  quietly  settled 
down  to  the  even  tenor  of  its  days.  Of  course, 
it  felt  remotely  the  trend  of  the  outside  world, 
it  had  a  reverent  funeral  procession  when  the 
news  reached  it  that  George  Washington  was 
no  more,  and  it  felt  a  revival  of  the  old  pa- 
triotic thrill  when  the  news  came  in  18 12  that 
war  with  Britain  was  again  on;  it  was  stirred 
to  its  depths  around  each  election  time,  but 
such  flurries  soon  passed  over  and  left  little 
trace.  Its  splendid  fishing  in  Jamaica  Bay 
seems  to  have  attracted  few  adventurous 
spirits  and  the  islands  which  dot  that  inland 
sea,  and  which  were  included  in  the  boun- 
daries of  the  township,  were  untenanted  and 
unktiown.  It  had  its  newspapers — the  Long 
Island  Farmer  was  started  by  Henry  C. 
Sleight  in  1819,  and  the  Long  Island  Demo- 
crat first  saw  light  at  Jamaica  in  1835, — and 
these  in  a  measure  supplied  the  news  of  their 
day  and  more  or  less  sage  comment  and  com- 
munication was  kept  up  with  the  outside  world 
by  means  of  lumbering  stages,  which  run  on 
the  schedule  time  which  was  formulated  each 
trip  by  the  caprice  and  in  accordance  with  the 
temper  of  the  driver. 

A  revival,  the  great  modern  revival,  set  in 
in'  1837,  when  the  Brooklyn  &  Jamaica  Rail- 
road was  opened.  With  that  came,  slowly  at 
first  but  surely,  wonderous  changes.  The 
once  famous  plank  road  of  1854  has  already 
been  spoken  of,  and  other  road  improvements 
were  soon  in  vogue.  By  and  by  the  horse  car 
supplemented  the  service  of  the  railroad,  but 
the  advent  of  the  trolley  and  the  introduction 
of  something  hue  rapid  transit  by  the  railroad 
brought  the  old  village  nearer  and  nearer,  as  it 
were,  to  Brooklyn. 

As  the  means  of  transit  increased  the  land 
boomers  began  to  turn  their  attention  in  the 
direction  of  Jamaica,  especially  after  it  began 
to  be  understood  that  the  elevated  railroad  sys- 
tem of  Brooklyn  was  certain,  sooner  or'later, 
to  be  extended  there.  Under  their  manipula- 
tion  such  places   as   Dunlin,  Richmond  Hill. 


JAMAICA. 


565 


Woodlawn,  Clarenceville,  Morris  Park,  Wood- 
hull  Park  and  half  a  dozen  settlements  were 
opened  up  and  the  lots  disposed  of  with  re- 
markable celerity.  Even  the  old  pre-Revolu- 
tionary  village  of  Springfield — a  place  in  fact 
not  many  years  the  junior  of  Jamaica  village 
itself — felt  the  impulse  of  the  change,  and 
Woodhaven,  founded  in  1836  by  John  R.  Pit- 
kin, talked  confidently  of  extending  its  manu- 
factories. In  1863  Messrs.  Lalance  &  Grosjean 
entered  upon  the  manufacture  of  agate  ware 
in  an  old  factory  building  and  extended  the 
business  so  rapidly  that  in  1870  it  was  neces- 
sary to  organize  a  joint  stock  company  to  op- 
erate and  control  it.  The  capital  stock  was 
fixed  at  $500,000  and  the  operations  grew 
steadily  year  by  year.  In  1876  its  buildings 
were  destroyed  by  fire,  but  the  calamity  in  the 
long  run  really  helped  the  corporation,  for  the 
old  structures  were  at  once  replaced  with  mod- 
ern buildings,  in  which  the  most  advanced  ap- 
pliances were  introduced.  The  goods  made 
by  this  establishment  are  now  to  be  found  all 
over  the  country. 

Queens,  another  of  Jamaica's  suburbs,  has 
also  felt  the  impulse  of  the  modern  movement, 
and  has  gradually  been  opened  up  to  settle- 
ment. It  still,  however,  retains  much  of  its 
primitive  agricultural  aspects,  although  in  the 
recent  railroad  changes  which  have  been  dis- 
,  cussed  it  seems  likely  that  Queens  will,  more 
than  all  the  outlying  portions  of  the  old  town- 
ship, receive  its  share  of  the  material  pros- 
perity so  confidently  anticipated. 

Just  as  these  lines  were  being  penned  a 
telegram  brought  the  news  of  the  death  of 
■one  of  the  most  devoted  citizens  of  Jamaica — 
ex-Governor  Richard  C.  McCormick — at  his 
■home,  88  Herriman  avenue,  in  that  village.  In 
this  work  he  took  a  deep  interest,  made  many 
valuable  suggestions  and  promised  to  aid  it 
from  his  rich  stores  of  Long  Island  historical 
data.  He  was  a  most  enthusiastic  student  of 
county  history  and  had  gathered  together  a 
valuable  library  containing  published  volumes 
of  local  history  from  all  over  the  country,  for, 


as  he  said,  in  such  works  the  real  story  of  the 
nation  and  its  people  is  to  be  found!  In  con- 
versation with  the  writer  a  few  weeks  before 
his  death  he  told  the  story  of  the  now  forgotten 
movement  to  erect  at  Jamaica  a  statue  of  Gen- 
eral Nathaniel  Woodhull  and  regretted  that 
that  grand  hero  was  apparently  forgotten  in 
the  region  where  he  was  best  known  and  where 
he  gave  up  his  life  for  his  country. 

Both  the  political  and  the  business  career 
of  Governor  McCormick  were  anything  but 
commonplace.  In  recent  years  he  had  been  en- 
gaged in  mining  operations,  with  offices  at  i 
Broadway,  New  York,  but  in  earlier  life  he 
was  active  as  a  Republican,  and  had  the  con- 
fidence of  such  men  as  General  Grant,  Zacha- 
riah  Chandler,  and  William  H.  Seward.  This 
was  considered  somewhat  remarkable,  as  he 
married  a  daughter  of  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished Democratic  statesmen  of  the  day, 
Allen  G.  Thurman,  of  Ohio. 

Mr.  McCormick  was  born  in  New  York 
City  on  May  23,  1832,  and  was  descended  from 
several  old  Long  Island  families.  He  was 
elected  Trustee  of  Public  Schools  for  the 
Eleventh  Ward  in  1858,  and  two  years  later 
was  a  member  of  the  Republican  State  Com- 
mittee, taking  an  active  part  in  the  campaign 
of  that  year  in  support  of  Lincoln,  as  he  had 
in  the  canvass  four  years  previously,  when 
General  Fremont  was  his  party's  candidate. 
He  was  made  Chief  Clerk  of  the  United  States 
Department  of  Agriculture  in  1862,  and  a  year 
later  became  Secretary  of  the  Territory  of 
Arizona.  So  well  did  he  attend  to  the  duties 
of  this  office  that  in  1866  he  was  appointed 
Governor  of  the  Territory  by  President  John- 
son, and  at  once  set  about  placing  the  people 
in  a  better  condition  for  defending  themselves 
against  the  hostile  Apaches.  It  was  on  his 
advice  that  General  Crook  was  sent  to  this 
section. 

Governor  McCormick  served  three  terms 
as  a  delegate  in  Congress  from  Arizona,  and 
declined  a  fourth  nomination  in  order  to  ac- 
cept the  appointment  of  Commissioner  to  the 


566 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Centennial  Exposition.  He  was  appointed 
Assistant  Secretary  of  the  United  States 
Treasury  in  1877,  ^"d  Commissioner  General 
to  the  Paris  Exposition  in  1878.  Returning 
to  New  York  and  settling  in  Jamaica,  he  de- 
voted himself  to  promoting  the  large  mining 
enterprises  with  which  he  had  become  identi- 
fied. He  was  President  and  Director  of  the 
Boreel  Mining  Company  and  the  Small  Hopes 
Consolidated  Mining  Company,  a  Director  of 
the  Leadville  Consolidated  Mining  Company, 
and  a  Trustee  of  the  Citizens'  Savings  Bank. 
He  served  a  term  in  Congress  from  the  Eirst 


New  York  District,  taking  his  seat  on  March 
4,  1895. 

During  Governor  McCormick's  stay  in  Ar- 
izona he  kept  Secretary  Seward  informed  as 
to  Maximilian's  movements  in  Mexico.  He 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Long  Island 
Historical  Society  and  the  author  of  "Arizona : 
Its  Resources,"  and  of  several  other  works, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  Union  League  Club, 
the  American  Geographical  Society^  and  of 
the  Military  Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion.  He 
was  also  a  Commander  of  the  Legion  of  Honor 
of  France. 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 


LONG    ISLAND    CITY. 

A  Loose  Aggregation — Aimneke   Tans — Captain    Praa — Long    Island    Railroad's 

Terminus — Astoria   and   Its   Namesake — Grant  Thorburn — 

Hell   Gate  —  A  Picturesqjje    Mayor. 


N  May  27,  1870,  Governor  Hoffman 
signed  the  bill  which  took  away  part 
of  Newtown  from  that  ancient  town- 
ship, including  some  of  its  most 
thriving  villages,  and  incorporated  it  into*  a 
distinct  municipality  under  the  title  of  Long 
Island  City.  Such  a  union  had  been  agitated 
for  several  years,  mainly  since  the  terminus  of 
the  Long  Island  Railroad  had  been  established 
for  good  at  Hunter's  Point,  and  the  concentra- 
tion there  of  a  large  population  seemed  inevit- 
able in  the  not  very  distant  future.  But  it  is 
difficult  now  to  see  what  was  to  be  gained  by 
taking  a  section  of  territory  with  several  vil- 
lages widely  separated  from  each  other  and 
having  little  in  common  and  dubbing  it  a 
city.  It  was  hardly  a  political  measure;  it 
.seemed  rather  a  move  on  the  part  of  the  peo- 
ple, headed  by  Father  Crimmin,  of  St.  Mary's, 
Hunter's  Point;  the  wealthy  residents  were 
opposed  to  it  and  with  reason,  for  there  was 
not  even  a  city  treasury  in  sight  and  the  im- 
position of  city  taxes  on  a  sparsely  settled 
community  meant  a  startling  increase.  That 
increase  it  was  urged  would  keep  manufact- 
ures from  coming  to  the  section  and  would 
result  in  an  increase  of  assessments  on  real 
estate  without  any  increase  in  the  actual  mar- 
ket value  of  the  property.  From  a  financial 
standpoint  there  was  nothing  to  be  said  in 
favor  of  the   change,   and   the   events   which 


followed  from  the  signing  of  the  bill  of  in- 
corporation until  the  later  bill  was  signed 
which  wiped  the  city  out  of  existence  amply 
justified  all  the  arguments  against  it.  It  be- 
came in  its  consolidated  state  a  prey  to  the 
machinations  of  the  local  politicians,  its  treas- 
ury was  ever  empty,  its  police  force  was  never 
adequate,  its  educational  system  was  deficient; 
the  taxation  was  increased  without  adequate 
return,  the  several  sections  incorporated  by  law 
did  not  incorporate  in  reality,  except  in  the- 
Hunter's  Point  section,  the  expected  tremen- 
dous increase  in  population  did  not  materialize, 
transit  throughout  the  section  was  slow  and 
uncertain  until  1890,  when  the  trolley  began  its 
work ;  and  when  consolidation  took  effect  Long 
Island  City  was  the  weakest  point  in  the  ag- 
gregation which  made  up  the  Greater  New 
York.  Its  most  noteworthy  feature  was  a 
bonded  indebtedness  of  $3,849,000,  on  some 
of  which  interest  was  paid  at  the  rate  of  seven 
per  cent.  The  Long  Island  Railroad  had  done 
its  work  well  in  spite  of  local  political  op- 
position. It  had  built  up  a  vast  terminal  de- 
pot, brought  the  place  into  close  and  frequent 
communication  with  Manhattan  Island  and 
made  it  a  place  of  entry  in  reality  for  the  busi- 
ness of  Long  Island :,  but  the  city  itself  failed 
to  take  advantage  of  its  opportunity  and  be- 
came more  noted  for  the  antics  of  its  politi- 
cians, its  local  "statesmen,"  than  for  aught  else. 


568 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


The  localities  incorporated  into  Long  Isl- 
■and  City  were  Astoria,  Hunter's  Point,  Ra- 
•venswood,  Dutch  Kills,  Blissville  and  Middle- 
town  and  several  small  settlements,  while  the 
two  Brother  and  Berrian  Islands  were  thrown 
in  for  variety.  The  city  had  a  splendid  stretch 
•oif  water  ivont  from  Newtown  Creek  to  Bow- 
•ery  Bay,  but  although  settlement  was  early 
■effected  within  its  borders  it  never  had  any 
'.history  worth  writing  about  except  that  which 
comes  from  the  stories  and  traditions  of  the 
old  families  who  built  it  up  and  the  more  or 
less  straggling  communities  of  which  it  was 
composed.  These  communities  may  now  be 
considered  in  detail. 

Governor  Kieft  seems  to  have  given  pat- 
ents to  many  settlers  for  lands  along  the  water 
front  from  a  farm  at  Hell  Gate  to  an  English- 
man .  named  William  Hallet  to  another  at  a 
point  overlapping  Newtown  Creek  at  the  other 
end  of  the  territory  now  under  consideration 
which  was  given  to  Everardus  Bogardus,  the 
first  minister  or  dominie  of  New  Amsterdam, 
and  from  that  fact  the  point  was  named  Dom- 
inie's Hook.  The  property  stood  in  the  name 
of  the  dominie  when  he  went  down  into  the 
waters  off  the  Welsh  coasit  in  1647,  along 
with  Governor  Kieft  himself,  in  the  wreck  of 
the  "Princess."  His  widow,  the  still  famous 
Aneke  Jans,  secured  a  fresh  patent  for  the 
point  from  Governor  Stuyvesant,  and  it  was 
purchased  from  hen  heirs  in  1697  by  Captain 
Peter  Praa,  whose  descendants,  along  with 
those  of  Aneke,  have  enjoyed  many  a  most 
exciting  hunt  after  mythical  real  estate,  to 
the  enjoyment  of  the  public  and  the  enrich- 
ment of  the  lawyers.  Peter  Praa  (or  Pratt) 
was  a  Huguenot,  and  came  here  from  Dieppe, 
France,  in  1659.  He  appears  to  have  been  a 
man  of  means,  for  soon  after  his  arrival  he 
bought  a  bouwery  at  Gowanus.  He  died  in 
1663.  His  son.  Captain  Peter  Praa,  the  pur- 
chaser of  the  Dominie's  Hook,  was  born  at 
Leyden  in  1655,  and  therefore  was  but  a  child 
when  he  came  here.  He  developed  into  one 
of  the  largest   land  owners   in   the  vicinity. 


owning  vast  tracts  in  Bushwick  and  elsewhere 
as  well  as  extending  his  original  purchase  of 
the  Dominie's  Hook  by  much  additional  ter- 
ritory on  the  water  front  as  well  as  inland. 
He  died  in  1740.  One  of  his  daughters,  An- 
netie,  had  married  William  Bennet,  and  died 
some  years  before  him,  leaving  a  young  fam- 
ily, and  to  these  children  Captain  Praa  be- 
queathed the  Dominie's  Hook  property.  Thus 
in  course  of  time  its  popular  name  became 
Bennet's  Hook.  One  of  the  family,  Jacob 
Bennet,  bought  up  the  entire  interest  in  the 
estate  of  the  other  heirs  and  at  his  death  be- 
queathed it  to  his  daughter  Anne,  wife  of 
Captain  George  Hunter.  She  died  in  1833, 
leaving  the  property,  which  by  that  time  had 
again  changed  its  name  to  Hunter's  Point, 
to  her  children.  The  last  of  these  to  reside 
on  the  family  homestead  was  Jacob  Hunter, 
who  died  in  New  York  City  in  1875. 

It  is  noticeable  that  some  of  the  deeds  in 
the  early  part  of  the  last  century  conveying  lots 
at  Hunter's  Point  call  it  Long  Island  City. 
It  continued  to  be  a  straggly,  dreary,  poverty- 
stricken  place,  with  few  settlers  and  these  of 
the  poorest  class,  until  the  Long  Island  Road, 
because  it  could  not  make  the  necessary  ar- 
rangements in  Brooklyn,  selected  it  as  the 
main  terminus  of  the  road.  Since  then  it  has 
steadily  increased  in  population,  and  as  the 
First  Ward  of  Long  Island  City  it  rapidly 
assumed  the  lead  in  the  destinies  of  that  now 
happily  departed  shade.  Railway  and  manu- 
facturing interests  have  steadily  built  up  its 
population  and  added  to  its  material  (resources, 
most  of  which,  however,  were  mercilessly 
squandered  by  political  intriguers. 

The  Second  Ward  of  Long  Island  City, 
Blissville,  was  founded  by  Neziah  Bliss,  the 
patriarch  of  Greenpoint,  but  it  really  calls  for 
little  mention,  not  having  yet  fulfilled  the  am- 
bitious hopes  once  held  as  to  its  future.  At 
all  events,  it  has  not  yet  felt  the  upward  move- 
ment which  the  advent  of  the  Greater  City 
has  brought  to  so  many  other  outlying  places. 
Its  history  has  yet  to  be  written.     It  formed 


LONG    ISLAND    CITY. 


569 


part  of  the  old  Dutch  Kills  section,  and  was  a 
•corner  of  the  old  dominie's  farm. 

With  Ravenswood,  which  became  the 
Third  Ward  of  the  city,  we  find  better  material 
for  historical  study.  This  is  certainly  one  of 
the  prettiest  "bits"  in  the  whole  of  Greater 
New  Yoirk,  and  as  a  residential  neighborhood 
it  has  been  a  favorite  from  the  beginning  of 
the  nineteenth  century.  In  the  first  edition  of 
-his  "History  of  Long  Island,"  issued  in  1838, 
Thompson  says :  "The  site  is  sufficiently  ele- 
vated .to  afford  the  most  charming  view  of 
the  aidjacent  country  and  possesses  charms 
•which  almost  equal  some  descriptions  in  east- 
■ern  romance.  The  situation  will  hardly  suffer 
by  comparison  with  the  beautiful  scenery  of 
the  Thames  at  Windsor.  Already  several 
houses  have  been  completed  and  others  are  in 
course  of  erection.  In  the  vicinity  are  the 
valuable  farms  of  the  corporation  of  New 
York,  upon  which  buildings  have  been  con- 
•structed  for  the  accommodation  of  more  than 
.500  orphan  children  who  are  maintained  at  its 
■expense."  Grant  Thorburn,  the  noted  Scotch 
florist  of  Astoria,  whose  seed  store  in  New 
York  was  long  one  of  the  landmarks  of  the 
city,  describes  his  sensations  when,  once  pass- 
ing this  institution,  he  saw  600  children  enjoy- 
ing themselves.  But  the  enterprise,  or  be- 
nevolence, or  whatever  it  may  be  called,  did 
-not  continue  for  many  years.  Its  ultimate 
iate  created  quite  a  riot.  In  French's  Gazet- 
teer of  New  York  we  read :  "About  1834-5 
ithe  corporation  of  New  York  City  erected  ex- 
tensive buildings  about  one  and  one-half  miles 
■south  from  Astoria  for  a  pauper  establish- 
ment, which  were  sold  at  public  auction  April 
15,  1847,  upon  the  removal  of  these  institu- 
tions to  the  islands  in  the  river.  Three  large 
buildings,  called  the  'Boys'  JSIursery,'  'School- 
house'  and  'Infants'  Nursery,'  the  property  of 
William  W.  Miles,  were  leased  May  25,  1847, 
to  the  Commissioners  of  Emigration  for  a 
ship  fever  hospital  and  other  purposes.  A 
public  meeting  was  held  immediately  thereaf- 
ter at  Astoria  to  express  indignation  at  the 


appropriation  of  the  property  to  these  uses 
and  to  remonstrate  against  it.  The  people 
failing  to  obtain  their  object,  the  premises 
were  assailed  and  destroyed  on  the  night  of 
May  26-27  by  a  mob  in  disguise.  An  attempt 
was  made  to-  fasten  the  expense  of  these  losses 
upon  the  town,  and  after  repeated  efforts  the 
owner  recovered  $3,000  from  the  State  by  act 
of  March  15,  1855."  With  this  threatened 
discord  out  of  the  way,  Ravenswood  resumed 
its  quiet  and  dignified  serenity,  and  many  fine 
villas  were  erected  within  its  neighborhood 
from  time  to  time.  It  still  retains  -its  old 
description  as  a  residential  quarter,  although 
business  and  manufacturing  requirements  are 
beginning  to  make  inroads  upon  its  domain. 
It  was  long,  however,  the  aristocratic  section 
of  Long  Island  City.  In  1849  St.  Thomas's 
Episcopal  Church  was  organized,  and  since 
then  most  of  the  social  life  of  Ravenswood 
has  revolved  around  that  little  tabernacle. 

Steinway,  the  principal  settlement  in  the 
Fifth  Ward,  was  laid  out  in  1872  by  the  fa- 
mous firm  of  New  York  piano-makers.  There 
they  erected  a  splendid  suite  of  buildings  for 
their  own  uses  and  around  these  buildings  the 
little  village  of  Steinway  was  soon  built  up. 
It  has  now  an  estimated  population  of  1,500, 
and  several  other  enterprises  are  carried  on  in 
it,  while  its  beautiful  situation  on  Long  Island 
Sound  has  made  it  attractive  to  hundreds  of 
home-seekers.  It  is  a  thriving  place  in  every 
way  and  will  likely  undergo  many  important 
developments  before  many  years  pass  by. 

Astoria,  which  became  the  Fourth  Ward 
of  the  city,  was  long  the  most  populous  and 
most  popular  village  within  it,  It  was  incor- 
porated as  a  village  in  1836,  and  at  that  time 
its  name  was  changed  from  Hallett's  Cove. 
The  name  originally  proposed  was  the  old 
Indian  one  of  Sunswick,  still  kept  alive  in 
the  name  of  a  creek,  but  one  of  the  men  promi- 
nent in  the  matter  of  the  incorporation,  Mr. 
Stephen  A.  Halsey,  suggested  that  if  it  were 
named  in  honor  of  John  Jacob  Astor  he  might 
pay  for  the  foundation  of  a  female  seminary 


570 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


which  was  to  be  one  of  the  features  of  the 
new  village.  Mr.  Halsey  spoke  as  one  having 
authority.  He  had  been  engaged  in  the  fur 
trade  for  many  years,  was  intimately  acquaint- 
ed with  Mr.  Astor,  and  it  was  supposed  pos- 
sessed much  influence  with  him.  But  Mr. 
Astor  was  not  exactly  the  man  to  be  caught 
with  such  chaff,  and  when  approached  on  the 
subject  rather  threw  cold  water  on  the  matter 
by  saying  there,  was  already  a  city  named 
Astoria  and  one  was  enough.  However,  Mr. 
Halsey  persevered,  Astoria  became  the  name, 
and  Mr.  Astor  contributed  $ioo  to  the  insti- 
tution which  it  was  expected  he  would  erect 
and  maintain.  Mr.  Astor  was  a  liberal  enough 
giver  according  to  his  lights,  but  the  iriace  of 
modern  benefactors  had  not  then  arisen. 

Hallet's  Cove  received  its  name  from  Will- 
iam Hallet,  an  Englishman,  who  got  a  patent 
for  a  tract  of  land  of  i6o  acres  at  Hell  Gate 
from  Governor  Kieft.  In  1655  his  home  was 
destroyed  by  Indians,  and  he  was  glad  to  es- 
cape tO'  Flushing,  of  which  place  Stuyvesant 
appointed  him  sheriff.  However,  he  did  not 
hold  that  office  long  when  the  Governor  de- 
posed him  for  entertaining  a  traveling  preacher 
from  Rhode  Island.  When  the  trouble  had 
blown  over  he  returned  to  his  property  at 
Hell  Gate,  and  afterward  added  more  acres 
by  purchase  from  the  Indians  until  he  owned 
pretty  much  all  of  the  coastline  from  Sunswick 
Creek  round  to  about  where  Steinway  now  is. 
Anneke  Jans  also  managed  to  get  a  slice  of 
real  estate  near  by.  She  seemed, to  know  how 
'to  manage  to  secure  choice  parcels  of  land 
better  than  any  of  her  contemporaries,  and  she 
certainly  managed  to  hold  on  to  what  she  got. 
Bit  by  bit  several  farmers  settled  in  the  district, 
and  in  1753  Captain  Jacob  Blackwell  and  Jo- 
seph Hallock  built  and  operated  a  mill  at  the 
mouth  of  Sunswick  Creek,  on  its  right  bank. 
Around  the  mill  a  small  colony  gradually 
sprung  up.  Possibly  there  was  not  when  the 
Revolution  broke  out  over  half  a  dozen  houses 
altogether,  but  behind  lay  a  thriving  colony 
of  prosperous  farmers.     On-j  evidence  of  this 


is  found  in  the  fact  that  in  1762  an  English 
and  classical  school  was  established  at  Hallet's 
Cove,  while  thirteen  of  the  near-by  farmers 
were  willing  to  board  one  or  more  of  the  schol- 
ars at  a  yearly  rate  of  $45.  But  the  institu- 
tion did  not  last  long,  and  Hallet's  Cove  re- 
sumed its  sleep. 

With  the  War  of  1812  the  sleep  was  broken. 
Large  parties  of  experts  visited  the  cove  with 
the  view  of  surveying  its  importance  as  a 
defensive  position,  covering  as  it  could  the 
approach  from  the  Sound  through  Hell  Gate 
to  New  York.  One  of  the  results  of  this 
survey  was  the  erection  of  Fort  Stevens.  But 
the  flurry  was  soon  over,  although  its  effects 
were  of  incalculable  benefit  to  Hallet's  Cove. 
The  many  fine,  even  romantic,  sites  suitable 
for  iresidential  purposes  which  surrounded  it 
had  become  known,  and  many  New  York  mer- 
chants secured  choice  plots  in  the  neighbor- 
hood. But  the  most  noted  of  the  new  arrivals 
was  General  Ebenezer  Stevens,  for  whom  Fort 
Stevens  had  been  named.  A  member  of  the 
famous  Boston  Tea  Party,  a  hero  of  two  wars 
and  a  popular  man  in  social  life,  his  advent 
would  have  caused  a  stir  in  any  community 
and  would  have  been  the  occasion  of  a  warm 
welcome.  Such  he  found  in  Hallet's  Cove. 
He  built  a  splendid  home  on  an  eminence  just 
opposite  the  northern  extremity  of  Blackwell's 
Island,  and  gave  the  name  of  Mount  Bonaparte 
to  his  property. 

Mr.  Henry  Whittemore,  the  well-known 
Long  Island  historian  and  genealogist,  gives 
the  following  interesting  record  of  the  family 
of  this  hero  and  his  achievements  in  "The 
Heroes  of  the  Revolution,"  a  work  of  great 
value  and  research : 

John  Austin  Stevens,  the  founder  and  first 
President  of  the  Society,  comes  of  a  line  of 
distinguished  New  England  ancestors,  who 
have  been  prominent  in  Church  and  State 
affairs  for  two^  hundred  years. 

Erasmus  Stevens,  the  first  of  the  family 
mentioned  in  this  line,  appears  in  1714  as  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  New  North  Church  in 
Boston.     He  had  a  son,  Ebenezer  (i). 


LONG    ISLAND    CITY. 


571 


Ebenezer  Stevens  (i.),  son  of  Erasmus 
Stevens,  was  probably  born  in  Boston.  He 
lived  in  Roxbury,  where  he  married  Elizabeth 
Wild.    They  had  a  son,  Ebenezer  (2). 

Major-General  Ebenezer  Stevens,  of  the 
War  of  the  Revolution,  son  of  Ebenezer  and 
Elizabeth  (Wild)  Stevens,  was  born  in  Bos- 
ton, Massachusetts,  August  22,  175 1.  He  was 
an  ardent  patriot,  and  led  the  famous  "Tea 
Paiity,"  1773,  in  disposing  of  the  obnoxious 
cargo  by  "committing  it  to  the  deep."  He 
made  little  effort  at  disguise,  being  recognized 
by  the  officers  of  one  of  the  ships.  He  soon 
afterward  removed  to  Rhode  Island,  where  he 
raised  two  companies  of  artillery  and  one  of 
artificers,  and  was  commissioned  Lieutenant, 
May  8,  1775,  and  took  part  in  the  expedition 
against  Quebec.  He  joined  Henry  Knox's 
regiment  of  artillery,  was  made  a  Captain  on 
January  11,  1776,  and  on  November  9,  fol- 
lowing, was  brevetted  Major.  He  commanded 
the  artillery  at  Ticonderoga  and  Stillwater. 
As  senior  officer  of  this  arm  of  defense  in  the 
northern  department,  he  directed  the  airtillery 
operations  in  the  encounters  which  led  to  the 
defeat  and  surrender  of  Burgoyne,  and  soon 
after  received  a  brevet  commission  as  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel, with  a  special  resolution  of 
thanks  from  the  Continental  Congress,  for 
merit  as  Commandant  of  the  Artillery  of  the 
Xorthern  Department  in  the  campaigns  of 
1776-7.  He  was  at  this  time  in  the  Massachu- 
setts line.  On  April  30,  1778,  he  was  com- 
missioned Lieutenant-Colonel  and  transferred 
to  Colonel  John  Lamb's  regiment  of  the  New 
York  line,  in  which  he  served  to  the  end  of  the 
war.  He  was  entrusted  with  the  defenses  of 
the  Hudson  River,  and  had  chains  and  other 
obstructions  placed  across  the  river  to  prevent 
the  ships  of.  the  enemy  from  ascending.  In 
1 78 1  he  prepared  a  train  of  artillery  for  the 
southern  service  and  was  selected  by  General 
Lafayette  to  accompany  him  on  his  expedition 
to  Virginia. 

Owing  to  impaired  health  he  returned 
home  for  a  time,  but  after  a  brief  respite  he 
was  commissioned  by  General  Knox  to  pre- 
pare the  artillery  force  which  was  to  operate 
against  Cornwallis.  This  was  collected  and 
transDorted  from  West  Point,  Philadelphia 
anrf  Baltimore,  and  played  an  important  part 
in  the  final  siege  which  led  to  the  surrender 
of  Cornwallis.  This  completed  his  active 
service,  though  he  continued  his  command  till 
the  army  was  finally  disbanded.    It  is  believed 


that  no  officer  of  his  grade  in  the  army  ren- 
dered more  arduous,  various  and  important 
services  than  Colonel  Stevens,  and  his  charac- 
teristic energy,  courage  and  perseverance  gave 
assurance  that,  had  the  opportunity  occurred,, 
he  would  have  signalized  himself,  in  a  manner 
worthy  of  his  patriotism  and  his  ambition. 

After  the  Revolution  he  started  in  business 
in  New  York,  and  without  any  previous  ex- 
perience, but  'relying  on  his  own  prudence 
and  foresight,  he  met  with  extraordinary  suc- 
cess and  became  one  of  the  leading  merchants 
of  New  York  City.  As  agent  of  the  War 
Department  he  constructed  the'  fortifications 
upon  Governor's  Island  in  1800.  In  1812  he 
was  commissioned  Major-General  of  the  State 
Militia,  and  with  Morgan  Lewis  mustered  for 
active  service  against  the  British,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1814,  at  the  time  of  an  anticipated  attack 
upon  the  city.  He  resigned  his  command  in 
1815  and  withdrew  from  all  public  employ- 
ment. He  married,  first,  in  1775,  Rebecca 
Hodg'son,  of  Boston.  In  1784  he  married  Lu- 
cretia,  widow  of  Richardson  Sands,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Ledyard  and  sister  of  Colonel 
William  Ledyard,  the  hero  of  Fort  Groton. 
By  his  first  wife,  Rebecca  Hodgson,  he  had 
issue  three  children,  viz. :  Horatio  Gates, 
George,  Rebecca  (married  John  P.  Schermer- 
horn).  By  his  second  wife  he  had  Byam, 
William,  Henry  K.,  Samuel,  Dr.  Alexander 
H.,  John  Austin,  and  Mary,  wife  of  Frederick 
W.  Rhinelander,  Esq. 

John  Austin  Stevens,  Sr.,  was  born  in  New 
York  City  January  22,  1795,  died  October  19, 
1874.  He  was  graduated  at  Yale  in  1843 ; 
entered  mercantile  life  and  became  a  partner 
in  his  father's  business  in  1818.  He  was  for 
many  years  Secretary  of  the  New  York  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce,  and  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers and  the  first  President  of  the  Merchants' 
Exchange.  From  its  first  establishment,  in- 
1839,  till  i860,  he  was  President  of  the  Bank 
of  Commerce.  He  was  chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee of  Bankers  of  New  York,  Boston  and 
Philadelphia,  which  first  met  in  August,  1861, 
and  decided  to  take  $50,000,000  of  the  Govern- 
ment 7-30  loan.  They  subsequently  advanced 
$100,000,000  more,  and  the  terms  of  the  trans- 
action were  arranged  chiefly  by  Mr.  Stevens, 
as  the  head  of  the  treasury  note  committee. 
His  advice  was  frequently  sought  by  the  offi- 
cers of  the  Treasury  Department  during  the 
Civil  War. 

John  Austin  Stevens,  Jr.,  the  first  President 


0(2 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


and  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Society 
Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  son  of  John 
Austin  Stevens,  Sr.,  was  born  in  New  York 
City  January  23,  1827 ;  was  graduated  at  Har- 
vard in  1846,  engaged  in  mercantile  business 
in  New  York,  and  in  1862  was  elected  Secre- 
tary of  the  New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
continuing  in  office  six  years.  He  was  libra- 
rian of  the  New  York  Historical  Society,  and 
devoted  himself  to  the  investigation  of  topics 
of  American  History.  He  founded  and  for 
many  years  edited  the  Magazine  of  American 
History.  He  was  the  author  of  numerous 
works,  among  which  were  "The  Valley  of  the 
Rio  Grande;  its  Topography  and  Resources" 
(New  York,  1864)  ;  "Memorial  of  the  New 
York  Chamber  of  Commerce  on  Steam  Navi- 
gation" ( 1864) ;  "Colonial  Records  of  the  New 
York  Chamber  of  Commerce"  (1867),  con- 
taining illustrations  and  biographical  and  his- 
torical sketches ;  "The  Progress  of  New  York 
in  a  Century"  ( 1876)  ;  "The  Expedition  of 
Lafayette  Against  Arnold,"  published  by  the 
Maryland  Historical  Society  (Baltimore, 
1878),  and  other  works. 

General  Stevens'  eldest  son  married  the 
■daughter  of  Albert  Gallatin,  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury  under  Jefiferson  and  Madison,  and 
that,  venerable  statesman  died  in  the  home  on 
Mount  Bonaparte  in  1849.  ^Y  the  middle  of 
the  century  quite  a  number  of  manufactories 
had  located  around  Hallet's  Cove,  which  had 
become  quite  a  village.  In  1828  St.  George's 
Episcopalian  Church  was  founded,  and  in  1834 
,a  meeting-house  was  erected  for  the  use  of  the 
Presbyterian  and  Dutch  Reformed  congrega- 
tions. In  1837  the  once  famous  female  insti- 
tute was  founded.  The  Rev.  Alexander  H. 
Bishop  was  installed  in  1840  as  minister  of 
the  Dutch  Church,  and  the  Presbyterians,  hav- 
ing given  up  their  .interest  in  the  building, 
erected  jointly,  it  was  given  over  to  the  sole 
use  of  the  new  pastor.  The  Presbyterians 
Worshipped  in  the  district  school-house  until 
1846,  when  they  entered  a  new  church  they 
had  built,  and  chose  the  Rev.  F.  G.  Clark  as 
their  pastor. 

About  the  middle  of  the  last  century  As- 
toria became  noted  for  its  nurseries  and  gar- 


dens, the  leader  in  that  business  being  Grant 
Thorburn,  whose  grounds  were  once  the  most 
extensive  of  any  devoted  to  the  raising  of  gar- 
den seeds  to  be  found  in  the  country.  Thor- 
burn's  gardens  were  near  the  river, — the  Soh- 
mer  piano  factory  now  stands  on  part  of  the 
property,  and  he  himself  was  postmaster  of 
Hallet's  Cove  for  some  time,  and  assisted  in 
the  organization  of  the  Reformed  Dutch 
Church  in  1839.  A  useful  man,  the  founder 
of  a  local  industry  and  one  who  made  a  con- 
siderable mark  in  the  world  of  letters,  it  is 
worth  while  to  recall  the  salient  features  of 
Thorburn's  career  before  he  became  connected 
with  Astoria. 

In  the  "Statistical  Account  of  Scotland," 
vol.  I,  page  495,  is  the  following  brief  notice : 

"Mr.  Grant  Thorburn,  seedsman.  New 
York,  the  original  'Lawrie  Tod,'  though  a  na- 
tive of  Newbattle  parish,  where  he  was  born 
on  the  i8th  of  February,  I773>  lived  in  Dal- 
keith from  his  childhood  until  he  sailed  for 
New  York  on  the  13th  of  April,  1794.  He  is 
a  man  of  great  piety  and  worth,  though  of  a 
-.remarkably  lively  and  eccentric  character.  He 
visited  Dalkeith  in  1834,  when  he  published  his 
"Autobiography,"  which  he  dedicated  with 
characteristic  singularity  and  elegance  to  Her 
Grace  the  Duchess  of  Buccleuch." 

It  did  not  suit  the  purpose  for  Mr.  Peter 
Steele,  the  gifted  schoolmaster  who  in  1844 
wrote  these  words,  to  give  any  indication  of 
Thorburn's  career  in  Scotland.  Political  feel- 
ing then  ran  very  high  and  political  resentment 
was  very  bitter,  and  the  teacher  could  not,  had 
he  so  inclined,  say  a  word  commendatory  of 
Thorburn's  early  life  without  bringing  upon 
his  own  head  the  ill  will  of  the  Buccleuch 
family  and  its  adherents.  So  like  a  canny  Scot 
he  acted  the  part  of  the  Hie^hlandman's  parrot, 
which  "thocht  a  guid  deal  and  said  naething 
ava."  Thorburn  learned  from  his  father  the 
trade  of  a  nail-maker,  and  became  quitS  an 
expert  at  it  long  before  his  apprenticeship  was 
past.  Like  most  of  the  Scottish  workmen  of 
the  time, — a  time  when  the  old  order  of  things 


LONG    ISLAND    CITY. 


573 


was  fast  changing  and  the  governing  powers 
tried  to  quell  the  popula^r  advance  and  the 
popular  aspirations  with  trials  for  treason,  se- 
dition and  the  like, — Thorburn  became  deeply 
interested  in  politics,  and  in  Dalkeith  was 
prominent  among  those  who  advocated  Par- 
liamentary reform  and  a  generous  concession 
to  the  claims  of  the  people  to  a  voice  in  the 
conduct  of  affairs.  The  result  was  that  when 
opportunity  offered  he  was  arrested  for  trea- 
son, and  after  a  short  time  in  prison  was  re- 
^leased  on  bail.  This  arrest  made  him  a  marked 
man  and  blocked  any  prospect  of  his  making 
his  way  in  the  world,  so,  believing  that  the 
star  of  freedom  blinked  bonnily  across  the  sea 
in  the  new  republic  which  had  thrown  off  the 
yoke  of  the  same  Parliament  he  had  protested 
against,  Thorburn  left  Scotland,  and,  settling 
in  New  York,  tried  to  earn  his  living  at  his 
trade  of  nail-making.  It,  however,  did  not 
promise  much  for  the  future,  and  in  1801  he 
started  in  business  as  a  grocer  at  20  Nassau 
street.  "He  was  there,"  writes  Walter  Bar- 
rett, "some  ten  or  twelve  years,  and  then  he 
moved  to  No.  22,  and  about  the  time  of  his 
removal,  in  1810,  be  changed  his  business  and 
kej)t  garden  seeds  and  was  a  florist.  He  estab- 
lished a  seed-raising  garden  at  Newark,  but 
it  proved  unsuccessful,  and  thereafter  he  con- 
fined his  attention  to  his  business  in  New  York 
and  acquired  considerable  means."  In  1825 
he  secured  land  and  opened  his  garden  in 
Astoria,  where  he  built  a  home  for  himself. 
From  the  beginning  of  his  American  career 
almost  Thorburn  became  known  for  his  kindly 
heart,  and  he  did  much  practical  good  in  a 
quiet  way,  not  only  among  his  countrymen, 
but  among  all  deserving  people  whose  needs 
touched  his  sympathy  or  aroused  his  com- 
passion. For  many  years  his  store  in  Liberty 
street  was  not  only  a  lounging  place  for  the 
merchants  who  bought  flowers,  but  for  the 
practical  gardeners  who  grew  them,  and  his 
place  became  a  sort  of  clearing  house  for  the 
horticulturists  in  the  city,  and  every  Scotch 
gardener  who  arrived  in  New  York  from  the 


old  country  made  Thorburn's  place  his  head- 
quarters until  he  found  employment,  and  hun- 
dreds used  to  say  that  the  advice  and  informa- 
tion they  received  from  him  at  that  critical 
stage  in  their  careers  were  of  the  most  incal- 
culable value  to  them  through  life.  In  1854 
Mr.  Thorburn  in  a  sense  retired  from  business 
and  returned  to  Astoria.  From  there  he  moved 
to  Winsted,  Connecticut,  and  finally  to  New 
Haven,  Connecticut,  where  he  died  in   1863. 

Mr.  Thorburn  possessed  considerable  lit- 
erary tastes,  and  under  the  nom  de  plume  of 
"Lawrie  Tod"  wrote  in  his  later  years  at  fre- 
quent intervals  for  the  "Knickerbocker  Maga- 
zine" and  other  periodicals.    He  gave  to  John 
Gait  much  of  the  information  which  that  ge- 
nius incorporated    in    his    story  of  "Lawrie- 
Tod ;  or,  Settlers  in  the  New  World,"  and  his 
published  books  of  reminiscences,  notably  his 
"Forty    Years'    Residence    in    America"    and 
"Fifty  Years'  Reminiscences  of  New  York," 
still  form  interesting  reading.    So,  too,  does  a, 
now  scarce  volume  published  in  1848,  under 
the  title  o.f  "Lawrie  Tod's  Notes  on  Virginia,, 
with  a   Chapter    on    Puritans,  Witches    and 
Friends."    This  book  is  one  of  those  contribu- 
tions to  American   social   history  which   will' 
become  of  more  value  as  time  speeds  on,  al- 
though its  importance  will  be  more  appreciated 
by  the  student  than  by  the  general  reader. 

Until  the  incorporation  of  Astoria  as  a-, 
village  it  progressed  on  somewhat  slow  yet 
eminently  satisfactory  lines.  In  fact,  it  was  re- 
garded as  prosperous.  After  incorporation  it 
progressed  more  rapidly.  The  "horse"  ferry 
gave  way  to  a  steamer  in  1839,  ^"^  in  1853, 
a  gas  company  was  organized  and  many  other 
improvements  were  introduced.  Its  advan- 
tages as  a  residential  village  were  kept  well' 
•before  the  people  and  every  inducement  was 
offered  to  people  likely  to  become  good  citi- 
zens to  settle.  It  was  a  quiet,  orderly  com- 
munity, a  home  community,  a  law-abiding,, 
peaceful  community ;  and  even  after  the  forma- 
tion of  Long  Island  City,  of  which  it  became 
a   ward,    when   other   parts   of   the   townshipi 


)74 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


were  offering  protection  to  blacklegs  and 
swindlers,  when  the  liquor  dealers  united 
openly  to  defy  the  law,  when  it  was  loudly 
boasted  that  in  Long  Island  City  a  man  might 
even  defy  the  law  and  escape  justice,. Astoria 
held  aloof  from  the  maelstrom  of  license  and 
crime  and  pursued  the  even  tenor  of  her  way, 
conscious  that  if  other  members  of  the  family 
had  thrown  open  their  doors  to  crime  she  at 
least  had  preserved  her  name  unsullied.  But 
it  cannot  be  said  that  her  incorporation  with 
Long  Island  City  proved  for  Astoria's  benefit ; 
.how  she  will  fare  in  the  Greater  New  York 
still  remains  to  be  seen. 

An  event  which  for  a  time  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  entire  country,  and  indeed  of 
the  scientific  world,  to  Long  Island  City  was 
the  blowing  up  of  Hell  Gate  so  as  to  provide  a 
clear  cHannel  for  navigation.  This  event  be- 
longs to  the  annals  of  Astoria  because  the 
main  obstructions  destined  to  be  removed  lay 
off  her  shore  line  and  the  operations  were 
directed  from  headquarters  established  in  her 
territory.  The  wonderful  story  of  that  great 
engineering  enterprise  has  been  sO'  often  fully 
told  that  there  is  little  need  of  plunging  into 
the  details  in  these  pages.  Suffice  it  tO'  say 
that  the  work  was  begun  in  1870  by  the  United 
States  Government  and  placed  under  the  direc- 
tion of  General  Newton.  For  six  years  the 
work  progressed,  and  after  some  mirior  ob- 
structions had  been  removed  every  effort  was 
directed  to  the  destruction  of  Hallet's  Reef, 
the  most  dangerous  in  the  whole  passage.  A 
shaft  had  been  sunk  and  passageways  cut  out 
in  the  interior  of  the  rock  until  its  whole 
extent  was  opened  up.  Into  holes  drilled 
into  these  passageways  52,206^^  pounds  of 
dynamite  and  other  explosives  were  inserted, 
a  network  of  electric  wires  connected  the 
whole  with  a  series  of  batteries  on  shore,  and 
these  again  were  controlled  by  a  single  wire 
operated  by  a  button.  The  work  was  pro- 
nounced complete,  and  on  Saturday,  Septem- 
ber 23,  1876,  water  was  let  into  all  the  pas- 
sageways and  on  the  following  day  the  little 


daughter  of  General  Newton  touched  the  but- 
ton and  in  two  seconds  Hallet's  Reef  was  a 
mass  of  broken  rock.  The  whole  scheme  had 
worked  to  perfection,  almost  exactly  accord- 
ing to  the  schedule  of  the  engineers.  Flood 
Rock  was  afterward  destroyed  in  the  same 
way  and  several  smaller  obstructions  were 
successfully  removed.  Hell  Gate  with  its  dan- 
gers is  now  a  thing  of  the  past,  and  this  was 
amply  demonstrated  in  the  early  summer  of 
1901,  when  a  United  States  war  vessel  of  the 
first  class  successfully  passed  through  a  chan- 
nel which  formerly  was  deemed  too  dangerous 
to  be  attempted  in  time  of  peace  except  by 


HELL    GATE. 


river  craft  manned  by  river  pilots,  and  was 
always  dangerous.  Readers  of  Fenimore 
Cooper's  interesting  novel,  "The  Water 
Witch,"  will  recall  a  most  thrilling  descrip- 
tion of  the  passage  through  Hell  Gate  as  it 
was  in  the  days  before  Uncle  Sam  undertook 
to  remove  its  dangers. 

To  the  student  of  American  municipal  mat- 
ters the  history  of  Long  Island  City  as  a  dis- 
tinct community  during  its  existence  of  some 
twenty-eight  years  is  an  interesting  study,  if 
a  somewhat  nauseous  one.  It  is  not  intended 
to  follow  its  details  here,  for,  excepting  for 
the  purposes  oi  such  study,  the  story  is  really 
purposeless;  so  a  few  details  will  suffice.    As 


LONG    ISLAND    CITY, 


0*0 


the  new  city  became  the  legal  center  of  Queens 
county  it  became  the  seat  of  the  law  courts 
and  so  attracted  quite  a  new  order  of  business 
to  the  whilom  Hunter's  Point,  a  class  of  busi- 
ness which  it  still  holds.  To  accommodate  this 
legal  business  it  was  deemed  necessary  to  build 
a  court  house.  One  was  authorized  in  1872 
and  in  1875  it  was  completed  and  opened. 
The  original  cost  was  fixed  at  $150,000,  but 
the  actual  cost  was  $278,000,  and  the  local  poli- 
ticians thought  it  escaped  them  too  easily  at 
that!  The  first  election  vinder  the  charter 
was  held  on  July  5,  1870,  when  Abram  D. 
Dittmars  was  elected  Mayor,  but  the  charter 
proved  unworkable  and  full  of  faults,  so  that 
within  a  year  a  second  charter  had  to  be  given 
the  city.  Each  of  the  five  wards  were  repre- 
sented by  three  Aldermen,  but  in  1879  the 
number  was  reduced  by  limiting  the  wards  to 
one  city  father  each,  while  two  were  chosen 
by  the  city  at  large.  Henry  S.  Bebevoise  was 
elected  the  second  Mayor  in  1873,  and  in  1876 
Mr.  Dittmars  was  re-elected,  but  soon  re- 
signed. The  most  famous  of  all  the  Mayors, — 
famous  for  his  vulgarity,  his  defiance  of  law 
and  his  aptitude  for  holding  votes, — was  Pat- 
rick Jerome  Gleason,  the  last  of  the  city's 
own  lulers,  and  who,  after  a  curious  career,  be- 
came a  political  nonentity,  a  bankrupt,  and 
died  poor  and  heartbroken  early  in  1901.  One 
of  the  newspaper  accounts  of  his  career  said : 

"Patrick  Jerome  Gleason,  who  in  late  years 
was  never  mentioned  without  his  emblem, 
the  battle-axe,  being  spoken  of  in  the  same 
breath,  was  a  unique  figure  in  American  poli- 
tics. For  years  be  practically  carried  Long 
Island  City  in  his  vest  pocket  and  was  the 
autocrat  of  the  place.  He  was  its  Mayor  for 
three  terms,  runing  over  eight  years,  and  from 
the  time  of  his  appearance  there  until  his  death 
his  name  was  constantly  before  the  public  in 
one  form  or  another. 

"Gleason  was  fond  of  notoriety  and  liked 
to  talk  about  himself  and  his  deeds.  He  de- 
clared that  the  laborer  and  school  children  had 
m  him  a  champion,  and  in  the  fight  for  more 


school-houses  he  continually  led  the  van.  One 
of  his  latest  feats  was  to  write  an  autobiogra- 
phy, which  it  was  his  intention  tO'  publish  in 
book  form.  He  could  not  keep  it  long  enough, 
however;  he  said  it  was  too  good  for  that, — 
so  he  gave  it  to  the  newspapers  a  chapter  at 
a  time. 

"It  was  in  the  parish  of  Drum  and  Inch, 
County  Tipperary,  the  birthplace  of  Senator 
John  Morrissey,  that  Patrick  J.  Gleason  was 
born.  He  said  in  his  book  that  he  had  a  twin 
brother  and  six  other  brothers  and  one  sister. 
Patrick  was  the  pigmy  of  the  family,  and  he 
stood  six  feet  one  inch  when  he  had  attained 
his  growth. 

"In  May,  1862,  when,  the  Civil  War  was 
raging,  Gleason  came  to  this  country.  Pie 
used  to  tell  that  he  had  not  been  here  two 
days  when  he  was  assaulted  by  two  volunteer 
firemen,  and  he  added,  'we  had  to  be  separated 
by   a  policeman.' 

"Mr.  Gleason's  twin  brother  became  a 
member  of  Mosby's  guerrillas,  but  Patrick 
elected  to  stand  by  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  al- 
though the  Ninety-ninth  Regiment,  in  which 
he  was  a  lieutenant,  never  got  to  the  front. 
The  next  step  in  his  career  was  as  a  distiller 
in  Flushing,  but  the  plant  was  confiscated  by 
the  Government  and  Gleason  found  himself 
bankrupt.  He  became  a  bidder  for  a  street 
railroad  through  Williamsburgh  into  Long 
Island  City,  and  got  a  franchise.  Then  came 
his  first  plunge  into  politics  at  the  time  of  the 
Greeley  campaign,  when  he  was  defeated  for 
the  Assembly. 

"With  a  capitail  of  fifty  cents,  Gleason 
thought  of  California  as  a  haven,  and  he  said 
he  went  to  a  friend  to  borrow  $150,  telling 
him  be  need  never  expect  tO'  see  it  again. 
The  friend  gave  him  $300  and  he  went  to  the 
Golden  Gate.  He  had  brothers  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  finally  sold  his  distillery  secret  for 
$5,000,  dabbling  in  stocks  and  increasing  his 
capital  to  $32,000.  He  heard  that  some  one 
was  trying  to  get  his  franchise  in  Williams- 
burgh,  so  he  came  East,  built  his  road,  acted 


576 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


as  conductor,  driver,  president  and  general 
superintendent,  and  began  to  increase  his  roll- 
ing stock. 

"It  was  as  Mayor  of  Long  Island  City  that 
Gleason  came  into  the  greatest  prominence. 
He  was  a  strong  supporter  of  consolidation, 
and  when  the  Greater  New  York  was  finally 
an  accomplished  fact  Mr.  Gleason  announced 
himself  as  a  candidate  for  Mayor  of  the  greater 
city.  The  battle-axe  was  his  emblem  on  the 
ballot,  but  his  candidacy  was  looked  upon  as 
a  joke." 

With  the  story  of  this  interesting  person- 
age, whose  name  for  fifteen  years  or  so  was 
the  most  familiar  one  in  Long  Island  City, 
we  might  fittingly  close  this  chapter,  for  in 
one  sense  he  was  its  most  irepresentative  citi- 
zen, in  that  he  could  for  many  years  rally  a 


majority  of  its  votes  to  his  assistance  to  sup- 
port his  schemes.  But  before  closing  it  may 
be  proper  to  recall  one  locality  which  practi- 
cally has  passed  out  of  existence.  Dutch 
Kills  still  has  a  quasi-existence  in  local  talk, 
although  it  has  legally  been  wiped  out,  but 
Mid'dletown,  on  the  eastern  boundary  line  of 
the  city,  seems  to  have  been  entirely  passed 
into  the  forgotten.  In  the  Revolutionary  era 
it  came  into  prominence  from  the  movement 
of  the  British  troops.  Sir  Henry  Clinton  and 
General  Robertson  having  their  headquarters 
there  for  brief  periods,  just  as  Lord  Corn- 
wallis  seems  to  have  had  a  brief  station  at 
Dutch  Kills.  But  historic  tradition  alone  is 
not  enough  to  give  vitality  to  a  place,  and  so 
Middletown  gradually  fell  from  its  one-time 
prominence  and  is  now  practically  a  memory. 


YACHTS. 


CHAPTER  XLVIll, 


SUMMER    RESORTS. 

A  CosMOPOuiTAN   Pleasure    Resort — Health,  Excitement,  Society  and    Solitude 

—  Modern   Baronial.  Estates — Patchogue — Pkconic   Bay — The 

Land   Boomer   and   the   Railway. 


ONG  ISLAND,  throughout  its  whole 
extent,  might  most  fittingly  be 
rStyled  the  garden  of  New  York,  or 
Grfater  New  York,  the  amusement 
and  recr£ati.on  ground  of  America's  greatest 
city.  It  gratifies  every  taste.  The  lover  of 
quiet  can  find  it  in  abundance,  can  settle  down 
in  places  apparently  so  far  removed  from  the 
din  of  commerce,  the  roar  and  bustle  and 
struggle  of  humanity,  that  he  might  easily 
imagine  himself  a  thousand  miles  away  from 
any  habitation  excepting  his  own  and  hear  no 
sound  save  the  hum  of  the  bee,  the  twitter  of 
the  bird,  or  the  musical  duet  of  the  katydid 
when  night  falls  and  darkness  closes  in  on  the 
little  world  to  which  he  has  resigned  himself. 
If  he  wants  society  ahd  fun  and  frolic  and 
excitement,  he  can  find  it  in  abundance  at 
many  a  popular  caravansary,  where  he  can  be 
associated  with  people  from  all  parts  of  the 
world,  get  the  newest  bints  as  to  social  life 
and  study  the  most  recent  fad  in  the  fashiona- 
ble world.  If  a  sportsman,  he  can  find  full 
use  for  rod  and  gun ;  and  if  he  desires  to  fish 
in  the  deep  blue  sea,  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic 
or  of  Long  Island  Sound  are  ready  at  his  com- 
mand. The  fishermen  can  find  no  place  where 
a  day  of  more  genuine  fun  can  be  had  than 
in  Jamaica  Bay,  or  he  can  have  a  day  worthy 
of  being  remembered  by  engaging  in  snipe 
shooting  at  Westhampton ;  if  he  wants  excite- 

37 


men  with  his  sport,  let  him  spend  a  day  or  two 
in  an  open  boat  off  the  Great  South  Bay;  if 
he  be  of  the  quiet,  contemplative,  philosophical 
kind,  Izaak  Walton  description  of  a  sport,  a 
gentle  "angler,"  why,  such  places  as  Sayville 
are.  ready  to  receive  and  welcome  him.  If  a- 
golfer,  the  finest  courses  in  the  world  are  at 
Babylon,  Quogue,  Flushing,  Port  Washing- 
ton, the  Shinnecock  Hills  and  a  dozen  other' 
places.  If  a  polo  expert,  he  will  find  many 
noted  players  in  the  Meadow  Brook  Club,- 
one  of  the  most  famous  sporting  organizations' 
in  the  land,  whose  kennels  are  a  sight  to  see' 
and  whose  anmial  hunting  record  is  the  best 
and  most  exciting  in  the  country.  If  a  bicy- 
clist, he  has  only  to  secure  a  little  tag  and  go 
meandering  oven  some  of  the  finest  cycle  paths 
to  be  met  anyw'here  in  this  vale  of  tears  and  of 
spent  tires  and  smashed  wheels.  He  may  even 
enjoy  scorching  now  and  again,  and,  most 
wonderful  of  all,  will  never  once  in  his  jour- 
ney on  the  island  be  idenounced  as  a  nui- 
sance. Sea-bathing,  rolling  and  tumbling  in 
the  breakers  or  floating  lazily  in  still  waters- 
is  everywhere  at  command  or  within  easy 
reach;  and  some  of  the  most  magnificent 
stretches  of  sandy  beach  to  be  found  any- 
where are  of  frequent  occurrence  along  the 
whole  extent  of  the  South  Shore.  The  har- 
bor facilities  for  yachting  purposes  are  unex- 
celled, and  the  sport,  one  of  the  grandest  ever 


578 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


invented  by  human  agency,  is  enjoyed  to  the 
full  by  the  dwellers  on  the  island.  No  pret- 
tier sight  can  anywhere  be  found  than  the  snug 
harbors  of  Port  Jefferson  or  Shelter  Island 
during  the  height  of  the  season.  If  one  is 
of  a  poetic  mind,  loves  to  realize  how  small 
an  atom  he  is  in  the  cosmopolis,  he  can  sit 
on  the  rocks  at  Montauk  Point  and  mourn  the 
glories  of  a  vanished  race,  a  royal  race,  and 
realize  the  mutability  of  earthly  greatness  and 
comprehend  his  own  insignificance  as  he 
watches  the  wide  expanse  of  horizon  and  sees 
the  wide  limitless  expanse  of  water  kissing 
the  rocky  coast  when  in  placid  mood,  or  hurl- 
ing against  it  with  resistless  fury  when  the 
•angry  fit  is  on. 

A  rare  place  indeed  is  Long  Island  for  all 
sorts  and  conditions  of  men,  and  the  beauty 
•of  it  all  is  that  every  section  of  it  is  within 
■€asy  reach  of  America's  metropolitan  city, 
'Greater  New  York,  part  of  which,  indeed,  is 
now  on  the  island  itself.  Even  to  the  so- 
journeiT,  with  only  an  hour  or  two  to  spare, 
the  attractions  of  the  island  are  open.  Coney 
Island  is  less  than  an  hour's  distance  by  water, 
or  even  by  the  trolley,  and  a  ride  on  some 
of  these  vehicles  really  carry  the  visitor 
rthrough  a  stretch  of  ground  more  crammed 
with  historical  interest  than  can  be  found  in 
-an  hour's  ride  even  in  history-burdened  Con- 
tinental Europe.  We  traverse  the  scene  of 
the  Battle  of  Brooklyn  and  through  old  vil- 
lages, now,  however,  so  sadly  modernized  and 
;  annexed  that  only  glimpses  here  and  there  of 
the  relics  of  other  days  present  themselves. 
But  we,  in  spite  of  changes,  db  pass  through 
Flatbush  and  Flatlands  and  Gravesend>  and 
each  of  these  names  irecalls  to  the  student  of 
modern  history  a  flood  of  treasured  mem- 
ories. Coney  Island  itself  is  a  picture,  a  unique 
"city  of  the  sea,"  with  its  bands,  its  noise,  its 
touts,  its  shows,  its  merry-go-rounds  and  its 
cafes  and  saloons.  A  little  bit  vulgar,  some 
people  call  it;  possibly  they  are  right;  but 
there  are  many  tastes  in  this  world  to  be 
gratified,   and   every   taste  that   is   right   and 


proper  and  in  keeping  with  morals  and  ethics 
has  to  be  catered  to.     Coney  .Island  has  but 
one  mission,  and  that  is  to  please  the  public; 
and  as   it   is   visited   every   year   by   about  a 
million  persons  it  can  hardly  be  said  not  to 
fulfill  that  mission.     But  people  who  think  it 
vulgar,   who  find   it   not  to  their  taste,  can 
pass  it  by  and  go  on  to  Manhattan  Beach  and 
the  Oriental,  where  they  can  listen  to  classical 
music,  hear  now  and  again  an  opera  or  bur- 
lesque,  associate  with  the  salt  of  the  earth, 
be  waited  upon  by  Austrian  dukes  and  Italian 
counts  rigged  up  in  swaLlow-tailed  coats,  eat 
the  culinary  masterpieces  of  French  chefs,  and 
see  a  grand   display  of  fireworks  before  as- 
cending to  their  bedrooms  to  be  lulled  to  sleep 
with  the  gentle  moan  of  the  deep  blue  sea. 
In  the  season  "the  sport  of  kings,"  as  horse' 
racing  is  called,  can  be  enjoyed  at  Sheepshead 
Bay  or  at  Gravesend.     Another  resort  near 
at  hand  is  Rockaway,  a  long  stretch  of  sand 
lying  between  Jamaica  Bay   and  the  ocean; 
while  east  of  it,  on  the  same  stretch  of  sand, 
is  Arverne,  with  its  huge  hotel  and  cottages, 
a  center  of  social  pleasure  for  three  months 
every  year. 

The  trolley  system  of  Brooklyn  is  one  of 
the  most  comprehensive  to  be  found  anywhere, 
and  by  it  one  may  journey  over  very  considera- 
ble distances  of  interesting  country  for  a  cost 
that  is  almost  nominal.  From  Brooklyn  Bridge 
to  Jamaica  is  perhaps  the  acme  of  cheap  and 
pleasant  traveling,  and  so  in  the  trip  from 
the  Broadway  Ferry  to  Flushing  or  North 
Beach.  Jamaica  is  the  railroad  center  of  the 
island,  Flushing  one  of  its  old  historic  towns, 
al^d  North  Beach  a  summer  show  place;  and 
to  get  to  each  of  these  places  the'  cars  pass 
through  a  wide  extent  of  varied  country,  some- 
times more  or  less  thickly  populated,  some- 
times so  thinly  peopled  that  the  car  bowls 
along  with  increased  speed,  irresponsive  to 
the  beauty  of  the  surroundings  or  the  story 
of  the  wayside,  so  as  to  make  up  the  time 
lost  in  threading  its  way^  through  the  city's 
streets.     Traveling  by  trolley  is  a  delightful 


SUMMER    RESORTS. 


579 


pleasure  on  a  warm  day,  for  the  car  itself 
"makes  a  breeze,"  as  the  conductor  tells  us, 
and  there  is  a  certain  degree  of  excitement  or 
exhilaration  always  obtainable  when  one  is 
bowling  along  through  an  open  country,  now 
passing  a  village,  now  a  church,  now  a  green 
field,  and  ever  and  anon  dashing  through  some 
little  collection  of  pretty  villas,  the  beginning 
of  some  future  popular  summer  resort. 

But  the  trolley  has  its  drawbacks;  and  as 
we  look  at  the  motorman  we  realize  what  a 
wide  difference  there  is  between  that  mechani- 
cal development  and  the  old-fashioned  stage- 
driver  of  our  younger  days.  The  motorman 
is  a  part  of  the  machinery,  and  nothing  more. 
The  stage-driver  was  a  gentleman,  and,  in  his 
way  and  so  far  as  his  observation  went,  a 
scholar  and  a  philosopher.  He  could  tell  you 
the  story,  the  romance,  of  every  field  as  he 
passed  it  by,  name  the  owners  of  each  house, 
tell  you  how  much  the  head  of  each  family  was 
worth,  relate  all  sorts  of  village  scandal  and 
gossip,  and  point  out  the  scene  of  every  re- 
markable occurrence  within  his  view  for  a 
hundred  years  back!  Your  motorman  is  a 
different  personage.  He  attends  strictly  to 
business,  and  his  business  is  to  get  his  car  to 
the  end  of  his  route  and  nothing  more.  We 
•question  if  there  is  a  motorman  in  Brooklyn 
who  could  point  out  to  you  a  bit  of  the  ground 
fought  over  in  the  Battle  of  Brooklyn  in  1776, 
or  who  ever  heard  that  such  a  battle  had  ever 
been  fought.  His  mind  is  fixed  on  other 
things. 

The  resorts  on  Long  Island  are  very  nu- 
merous, and  all  of  them  seem  to  grow  in  popu- 
larity year  after  year.  We  can  not  recall  one 
that  has  gone  back  to  its  primitive  condition 
of  solitary  wildness;.  althouerh  most  of  them 
have  their  ups  and  downs,  their  good  years 
and  their  bad  ones,  the  story  is  one  of  steady 
progress  all  along  the  line.  Some  seasons 
the  "gilded  youth"  of  both  sexes  prefer  one 
place  to  another,  and  forsake,  say  Shelter 
Island  for  Glen  Cove;  but  new  arrivals  take 
the  place  of  the  departed  ones,  and  the  story 


of  success  goes  steadily  on.  There  is  moire 
reason  for  this  than  appears  on  the  surface. 
The  people  who  really  make  these  resorts  are 
the  dwellers  in  the  large  cities,  and  as  these 
increase  in  population  year  after  year  so  does 
the  cry  for  summer  homes,  and  summer 
breathing  places  increase.  Then  Long  Island' 
fills  the  bill.  It  is  so  easily  reached  and  yet 
affords  such  a  welcome  change !  But,  more 
than  all  that,  its  schedule  of  prices  are  mod- 
erate, and  a  man  can  spend  a  season  at  one 
of  its  best  hotels  as  cheaply  as  he  can  in  such 
establishments  anywhere.  Land  is  cheap,  and 
a  site  for  a  dwelling  is  not  costly,  nor  is  labor 
extravagant  in  its  demands.  A  man  can 
choose  a  site  overlooking  the  seashore  or  in 
some  picturesque  nook  in  the  center  of  the 
island,  all  for  a  moderate  cost,  while  he  can 
have  his  provisions  from  New  York  or  from 
some  of  the  towns  on  the  Connecticut  shore 
as  cheaply  and  promptly  as  though  he  were 
still  a  dweller  in  the  busy  haunts  of  men. 
He  can  enjoy  city  privileges  and  rural  felicity 
without  drawing  more  heavily  on  his  purse 
than  though  he  never  stirred  away  from  the 
noise  and  clamor  of  a  city.  Long  Island  is 
every  year  becoming  an  island  of  homes  in 
the  sense  that  Brooklyn  used  to  be  called  a 
"city  of  homes."  It  is  drawing  to  itself  all 
classes  of  the  community,' — the  millionaire 
and  the  clerk,  and  the  mansion  and  the  cot- 
tage, both  find  congenial  surroundings. 

In  recent  years  a  new  development  has 
taken  place  on  Long  Island,  in  the  holding  by 
individuals  of  vast  extent  of  its  territory,  such 
as  the  property  at  Oakdale  of  William  K.  Van- 
derbilt  and  the  estates  of  F.  G.  Bourne,  of  W. 
H.  Whitney  and  others.  These  demesnes  are 
veritable  baronial  holdings  and  rival  in  beauty 
and  elegance  many  an  English  show  place. 
But  they  are  much  more  home-like,  and  the  res- 
idences erected  on  them  are  a  thousand  times 
more  comfortable  than  most  of  the  storied  old- 
world  castles  we  read  so  much  about.  The  old 
owners  of  manors  on  Long  Island  would  have 
gazed  with  wonder  at  these  estates,  the  modern 


580 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


successors  of  their  vast  holdings.  The  modern 
manors  are  not  soi  large  as  the  old  ones,  and 
their  title  deeds  do  not  convey  any  question- 
able "rights," — rights  which  sometimes  sadly 
interfered  with  "life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit 
of  happiness  ;"  but  they  are  better  worth  living 
on  and  give  to  their  owners  more  genuine 
pleasure  and  comfort  than  any  of  the  old  patri- 
archs could  derive  from  their  broad  but  bleak 
and  sterile  acres. 

Of  late  years  a  feature  of  summer-home 
life  on  Long  Island  has  been  the  organizations 
which  club  together,  buy  a  piece  of  property, 
erect  a  club  house  and  cottages  and  restrict  the 
rights  of  property-owning  on  their  domain  to 
their  own  members.  By  this  means  many  a 
pleasant  colony  has  been  formed  oi  people  who 
are  acquainted  with  each  other  and  whose  com- 
pany is  congenial.  Some  of  these  places  are 
most  attractive,  their  co-operation  permitting 
many  expenses  which  the  members  could  not 
indulge  in  single-handed,  and  they  afford  as  a 
result  of  the  benefits  of  co-operation  all  the 
pleasure  of  rural  outdoor  life  at  a  very  moder- 
ate cost. 

But  the  multitude  of  people  who  go  to 
Long  Island  flock  to  the  resorts  and  the  num- 
ber of  them  is  legion.  Take  Patchogue,  for  in- 
stance. It  is  in  itself  an  old  and  settled  com- 
munity, lying  in  the  shelter  of  the  Great  South 
Bay,  in  a  little  bay  which  bears  its  own  name, 
with  a  railroad  station  in  its  midst,  and  one  of 
the  best  roads  in  the  island  reaching  from  its 
centre  right  across  to  Long  Island  Sound,  to 
Port  Jefferson.  It  has  an  industry  pre-emi- 
nently its  own,  its  oyster  trade,  as  well  as 
several  manufacturing  establishments.  Little 
need  for  it  one  would  think,  to  spread  bait  to 
catch  summer  visitors ;  yet  season  after  sea- 
son they  flock  to  it  by  the  thousand.  Its  wide 
streets  charm  every  one ;  and  its  churches,  vil- 
las as  well  as  its  general  air  of  comfort  and 
cleanliness  are  satisfying  somehow  to  the 
dweller  in  cities.  Of  course  it  caters  to  this 
annual  trade  and  has  all  the  attractions  which 
an  up-to-date  seaside  resort  should  have,  and, 


unlike  many  of  the  smaller  towns  in  Suffolt 
county,  it  spends  money  on  improvements  with 
no  niggard  hand.  As  a  sea-bathing  resort  it 
has  all  the  adjuncts  which  fashion  demands, 
and  a  fleet  of  oar-boats  or  sailing  vessels  or 
naptha  launches  are  daily  riding  in  its  harbor, 
waiting  the  beck  and  call  of  any  who  want  to 
enjoy  a  sail  on  the  Great  South  Bay.  If  one  is 
tired  of  the  seacoast  he  can  easily  turn  his  steps 
inland ;  he  can  enjoy  a  glimpse  of  the  country,, 
or,  by  hiring  a  gig,  can  drive  for  many  hours 
through  rich  and  varied  scenes  and  never  once 
catch  a  glimpse  of  the  coast  until  he  returns  to 
his  hotel  or  boarding-house,  and  boarding- 
houses  are  as  plentiful  in  Patchogue  as  dollar 
bills  in  a  bank. 

For  those  whO'  desire  seaside  with  very 
little,  comparatively,  of  country,  a  tract  of 
Long  Island  has  been  coming  slowly  into 
vogue  in  recent  years,  and  that  is  at  its  eastern 
end  along  the  shores  of  Great  and  Little  Pe- 
conic  Bay.  A  recent  writer  speaks  of  this  sec- 
tion in  the  following"  enthusiastic  fashion, — a 
fashion  which,  however,  is  truthful,  in  spite  of 
its  enthusiasm : 

"Along  Peconic  Bay  are  a  number  of  towns 
and  villages  whose  fine  climate,  good  roads  and 
general  attractions  are  making  them  prime  fa- 
vorites with  summer  visitors.  The  bay  itself 
is  a  beautiful  body  of  salt  water,  on  whose 
placid  bosom  all  manner  of  pleasure  craft  can 
be  seen  during  the  warm  months,  bearing  hap- 
py groups  of  care-free  folk.  They  sail  or  row 
over  the  blue  waters  in  land-locked  security 
from  the  rollers  of  the  open  sea.  If  they  wish 
to  take  a  dip  in  the  surf,  good  beaches  offer 
the  alluring  opportunity. 

"On  the  north  side  of  the  bay,  after  leav- 
ing Riverhead,  one  soon  comes  to  the  town  of 
Aquebogue,  a  name  admirably  descriptive,  for 
water  anc:  bog  make  up  the  bay-front  side. 
The  Saxon  half  of  the  name  and  the  sedgy 
flats  about  the  town  suggest  the  marshes  of 
Runnymede,  where  the  barons  wrested  the 
Magna  Charta  from  King  John. 

"The  land  rises  as  one  reaches  Jamesport,. 


SUMMER    RESORTS. 


581 


-and  here  are  hills  crowned  with  old  churches 
•and  pleasant  homes.  This  town  has  become 
so  popular  for  a  summer  holiday  that  the  dif- 
ficulty frequently  met  with  is  getting  accom- 
modations, a  fact  that  has  served  as  a  stimulus 
in  the  erection  of  many  cottages. 

"Franklinville  is  a  pretty  village,  'at  peace 
with  all  the  world.'  Contentment  exhales  from 
it  as  a  fragrance,  and  it  always  has  a  colony 
of  summer  residents. 

"A  little  way  on  down  the  narrow  Italy- 
shaped  peninsula  into  which  the  north  side 
■of  Long  Island  is  here  tapering  is  the  modest 
village  of  Mattituck.  Both  to  the  north  end 
■and  to  the  south  it  has  fine  water  views.  Hav- 
ing comfortable  inns  and  hospitable  farm- 
houses for  the  entertainment  of  visitors,  it 
has  won  deserved  repute  as  a  place  of  sum- 
mer outing.  One  of  the  diversions  of  those 
•sojourning  here  is  found  in  a  little  creek  flow- 
ing toward  the  Sound  and  abounding  in  crabs. 
In  both  sea  and  bay  fish  are  plentiful. 

"'Just  sneeze  and  you  pronounce  it:'  that 
is  a  remark  the  writer  overheard  as  descriptive 
■of  the  name  Cutchogue.  But  this  description 
is  suggestive  in  other  ways  than  phonetically. 
A  sneeze  is  apt  to  result  from  too  much  oxy- 
gen, and  in  the  air  that  blows  fresh  from  the 
water  over  sightly  Cutchogue  oxygen  is  abund- 
ant. This  pretty  town  has  other  advantages 
than  good  air  and  a  fine  view.  It  is  on  one 
-of  the  best  roads  in  America,  the  long,  straight 
highway  leading  from  Riverhead  to  Orient. 
But  good  roads  on  Long  Island,  it  should  be 
said,  are  the  rule  rather  than  the  exception. 
Every  natural  advantage  in  surface  and  soil 
helps  their  construction  and  maintenance.  The 
-drainage  is  good,  the  grades  seldom  steep, 
save  near  the  ocean,  and  there  is  plenty  of 
land  to  give  the  roads  needed  width.  As  a 
result  these  highways  "between  verdant 
-stretches  of  farm  land,  in  the' shade  of  noble 
■trees,  by  the  shores  of  shining  lakes,  and  in 
-sight  often  of  the  mighty  sea,  offer  a  perpetual 
"invitation  to  walking,  cycling  and  driving. 

"One's  first  impression  of  Peconic,  formed 


from  a  glance  down  its  broad,  shaded  street, 
is  favorable,  and  closer  acquaintance  with  the 
old  town  confirms  this  impression.  Jutting 
out  from  the  shore  is  a  headland  called  Nas- 
sau Point.  Southold,  a  few  miles  east,  lays 
claim  to  antiquity  in  its  name,  and  points  to 
the  fact  proudly  that  its  first  settlers  secured  a 
concession  from  the  Indians  and  from  a 
church  as  early  as  1640.  There  is  a  conten- 
tion between  Southold  and  Southampton, 
across  the  bay,  as  to  which  is  the  older.  In 
August,  1890,  Southold  celebrated,  with  much 
ceremony,  the  two  hundred  and  fiftieth  anni- 
versary of  its  founding.  The  town  has  a  cen- 
ter where  the  stores,  schools,  and  churches  are 
grouped,  and  about  it  the  houses  are  scattered 
widely.  Whichever  way  the  wind  may  blow 
the  old  place  is  fanned  by  a  sea  breeze.  In 
this  fact  some  antiquarians  profess  to  have 
found  a  reason  for  the  great  age  of  some  of 
the  inhabitants,  a  few  of  whom,  it  is  gravely 
claimed,  antedate  the  founding  of  the  place. 
"Journeying  to  the  very  end  of  the  main 
line  of  the-  Long  Island  Railroad  one  reaches 
the  progressive  and  interesting  town  of  Green- 
port.  It  has  over  3,000  inhabitants,  and  is 
both  a  resort  and  an  important  business  centre. 
Besides  the  trade  that  comes  to  it  from  being 
the  terminus  of  the  railroad,  it  has  a  consider- 
able commerce  through  its  boat  connections 
with  Shelter  Island,  New  London,  and  Sag 
Harbor.  Within  the  safe  haven  of  its  harbor 
a  mighty  fleet  could  find  anchorage.  The 
town's  large  summer  population  is  drawn  from 
a  wide  territory — New  England  and  the  West 
being  represented  as  well  as  New  York  and 
Brooklyn.  These  sojourners  have  pleasant 
stopping  places  in  well-appointed  hotels  and 
comfort-giving  cottages.  They  find  every 
means  of  outdoor  diversion.  Boating,  sailing, 
fishing,  and  shooting  are  excellent,  and  many 
pleasant  trips  can  be  made  awheel,  afloat,  or 
afoot.  The  view  one  gets  from  a  bluff  north 
of  the  town  is  expansive  and  exhilarating. 
Dancing  in  the  sunlight  are  the  waters  of  the 
Sound  stretching  away  to  the  green  shores  of 


582 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Connecticut;  to  the  south  lies  Peconic  Bay, 
a  glittering  sapphire  set  between  the  green 
heights  of  Shelter  Island  and  the  trees  of 
Greenport,  with  spire  and  roof  peering  through 
them;  to  east  and  west  the  eye  travels  over 
water  to  the  far  horizons.     This  north  prong 


the  history  not  only  of  Long  Island  but  of 
the  country  at  large  ought  to  commend  it  to 
many  classes.  To  a  certain  extent  and  up 
to  a  certain  time  it  was  a  "resort,"  but  since 
it  became  a  railroad  centre  it  is  so  no  longer ; 
yet  for  one  who  wants  to  explore  Long  Island 


CATHEDRAL    AT    GARDEN    CITY,    L.   I. 


of  Long  Island  pushes  on  from  Greenport, 
beyond  the  pretty  town  of  Orient,  with  its 
one  ithousand  people,  to  its  ebd  a(t  Orient 
Point.  Here  the  land,  which  has  beeen  grad- 
ually becoming  narrower,  dips  into  the  sea, 
and  what,  in  some  of  the  geological  epochs  of 
the  past,  was  a  greater  Long  Island  here  be- 
comes the  bed  of  the  Atlantic." 

To  many,  the  central  portion  of  Long  Isl- 
and will  always  be  its  most  attractive  feature. 
Jamaica  itself  might  be  a  resort,  deserves  to  be 
a  resort  in  fact,  for  its  antiquity,  its  natural 
beauty ;  and  the  important  part  it  has  played  in 


no  place  is  better  adapted  as  headquarters  un- 
less one  is  prowling  around  Montauk  Point, 
or  meandering  solemnly  in  the  outskirts  of 
Wading  River.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  cluster 
of  pretty  home-like  towns, — Hollis,  in  the  one 
direction  and  Woodhaven  in  the  other,  each 
worth  a  visit  to  get  a  good  understanding  of 
the  comforts  and  discomforts,  the  joys  and 
drawbacks  of  the  individual  the  comic  papers 
like  to  run  foul  of  as  the  suburbanite. 

It  is  not  very  far  by  rail  from  Jamaica  to 
Garden  City,  a  place  which  has  acquired  so 
much  prominence  from  the  beautiful  cathedral 


SUMMER    RESORTS. 


583 


and  schools  founded  by  the  late  A.  T.  Stewart 
and  his  widow.  Stewart  was  a  strange  in- 
dividual. The  most  successful  merchant  of 
his  time,  every  speculation  he  entered  into  ia 
connection  with  his  legitimate  dry-goods  busi- 
ness turned  to  gold :  everything  else  he  touched 
turned  to  dross.  One  of  his  pet  schemes  was 
to  found  a  city  on  Long  Island,  and  with  that 
end  in  view  he  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land 
in  the  township  of  Hempstead.  He  knew  that 
a  town  must  have  some  reason  for  its  exist- 
ence, and  he  furnished  the  reason — the  cathe- 
dral. He  also  built  houses  for  the  people  to 
live  in;  but  none  was  to  be  sold,  all  to  be 
rented,  and  the  rentals  in  turn  was  to  help 
support  the  cathedral  and  its  work.  It  was 
a  failure.  Americans  .do  not  like  to  live  in 
an  atmosphere  of  restriction,  and  that  was 
what  life  at  Garden  City  meant.  The  cathe- 
dral is  a  thing  of  beauty,  the  architectural 
beauty  of  Long  Island,  and  the  schools  asso- 
ciated with  it  are  the  best  of  their  kind ;  but  it 
was  not  until  Stewart  was  dead  and  the  silly 
restrictions  were  removed  that  Garden  City 
began  to  attract-  people.  Its  growth  has  been 
slow:  the  word. "city"  as  its  title  has  proved  a 
misnomer.  It  will  in  course  of  time  be  peo- 
pled :  that  is  inevitable ;  but  it  will  never  be  in 
itself  a  city,  for  the  next  time  that  the  Greater 
New  York  stretches  itself  it  will  be  swallowed 
up  as.  have  so  many  more  popular  places. 

For  sylvan  beauty  no  section  of  Long  Isl- 
and can  more  commend  itself  than  that  around 
Lake  Ronkonkoma.  Says  the  writer  we  have 
already  quoted : 

"The  sheen  of  its  limpid  surface  sparkles 
like  the  eyes  of  an  Indian  maiden.  Fed  by 
springs  at  the  bottom,  its  waters  are  as  pure 
as  they  are  clear.  The  lake  is  about  three 
miles  around,  and  its  shores  form  the  shape 
of  a  pear.  In  places  it  is  over  sixty  feet  deep. 
As  a  shady  fringe  around  it  are  many  trees, 
and  clustered  about  are  a  number  of  cottages. 
Along  the  beach  of  white  sand  a  road  runs, 
and  the  view  from  it  over  the  crystal  face  of 
the  lake  is  beautiful.     This  is  the  largest  body 


of  fresh  water  on  Long  Island.  It  is  fifty-five 
feet  above  sea  level.  Through  some  mystery 
of  nature  it  has  periods  of  ebb  and  flood,  but 
these  are  not  coincident  with  the  tides  or  by 
any  possibility  connected  with  them.  On  the 
sloping  banks  daisies  nod  to  their  relatives  the 
lily-pads  in  the  water.  In  the  darkling  depths, 
bass,  catfish,  and  perch  disport  vthemselves. 
Floating  now  and  again  over  its  bosom,  as  if 
calling  its  Indian  name,  are  the  sounds  of  bells 
from  St.  Mary's-by-the-Lake,  and  from  other 
steeples.  A  legend  has  it  that  a  phantom 
canoe  now  and  again  goes  noiselessly  over  the 
waters  bearing  an  Indian  girl,  love-lorn,  and 
in  search  of  the  young  brave  to  whom  she  has 
given  her  heart.  With  the  dawn  her  birch- 
bark  boat  skims  away  into  the  ether  and  the 
sun  looks  down  into  the  mirror  face  of  Ron- 
konkoma." 

But  we  must  cease  mentioning  places,  for 
wherever  our  eye  falls  on  the  map  some  great 
hotel  like  that  at  Long  Branch  or  some  quiet, 
old-fashioned  inn  like  that  at  Roslyn  comes 
before  us  demanding  a  word ;"  and  the  sum- 
mer delights  of  Southampton,  or  Cold  Spring 
or  Moriches  or  Shelter  Island  troop  up  calling 
for  more  detailed  description  than  can  well 
be  given  them  individually  in  a  chapter  de- 
voted to  all  as  a  class.  Then  too  many  his- 
toric spots  are  recalled,  such  as  the  early  home 
of  him  who  when  a  wanderer  far  from  it 
wrote  the  plaintive  words  of  "Home,  Sweet 
Home," — one  of  the  world's  songs;  the  old 
Indian  Canal  at  Shinnecock;  the  memorial  to 
Nathan  Hale;  the  haunts  of  Captain  Kidd, 
and  even  the  late  tumult  and  excitement  at 
Camp  Wyckoff,  where  our  soldiers  rested  af eer 
their  return  from  their  short  but  glorious  cam- 
paign in  Cuba, — all  these  bid  us  linger,  all  in- 
spire a  desire  to  tell  their  story;  but  such 
things  cannot  be  crowded  into  a  chapter  and 
had  better,  here  at  all  events,  be  left  untold. 

For  fifty  years  or  thereabout  Long  Island 
has  been  a  paradise  for  the  land  boomers. 
Money  has  been  made  in  its  real-estate  field, 
and  much  has  been  lost.     The  land  boomer  is 


584 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND 


an  evil:  of  that  there  is  no  doubt;  and  the 
story  of  his  doings  in  Wilhamsburgh  -and 
and  other  places  have  won  for  him  a  memor- 
able reputation.  .He  has  done  harm  in  many 
•quarters, — harm  which  exists  to  this  day,  be- 
cause he  has  floated  a  half-considered  and  ill 
advised  scheme,  and  then  when  the  "bottom 
fell  out  of  it"  left  it  hopelessly  a  wreck.  Such 
results  are  painfully  evident  all  over  Long 
Island.  But  still  the  boomer  has  been  of  serv- 
ice. He  quickened  the  extension  of  the  old 
city  of  Brooklyn  by  his  efforts  more  than  did 
any  other  agency;  he  it  was  who  opened  up 
its  farms  and  turned  them  into  streets  and 
squares  and  won  for  it  its  title  of  "city  of 
homes ;"  he,  too,  has  been  the  means  of  bring- 
ing to  the  front  most  of  Long  Island's  most 
popular  resorts.  They  have  been  started  in 
the  first  instance  by  his  glowing  descriptions 
and  his  confid'ently  expressed  hopes,  and  once 
he  induced  the  people  to  believe  as  he  professed 
to  believe  the  rest  was  easy.  He  made  money. 
He  turned  strips  of  sand  into  foundations  of 
wealth,  won  a  price  for  old  farms  which  would 
have  astonished  the  old  holder  of  a  manor  pat- 
ent; but  the  people  got  something  for  their 


money,  something  they  could  use  for  health 
and  pleasure.  It  was  said  of  a  once  famous 
real-estate  auctioneer  and  boomer  in  Brook- 
lyn that  he  sold  more  sand  and  mud  than  any 
other  man  living.  So  he  did.  But  people  built 
hotels  on  the  sand  and  homes  on  the  mud,  and 
so  all  were  benefited.  The  boomer  should  be 
gratefully  remembered  when  we  think  of  the 
marvellous  prosperity  which  Long  Island  has 
for  so  many  years  enjoyed  for  its  pleasant 
country  homes,  its  suburban  pleasures  and  the 
wealth  which  the  vast  throngs  of  summer  vis- 
itors yearly  bring  to  its  resorts. 

But  if  the  boomer  has  passed  a  greater 
power  has  arisen  to  perform  his  work,  to  per- 
form it  more  honestly,  more  thoroughly,  and 
with  more  beneficial  and  permanent  results. 
That  power  is  the  railroad  system  of  the 
island.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  plans  now 
in  progress  for  the  extension  and  develop- 
ment of  the  Long  Island  Railroad  will  open 
up  the  entire  island  to  business  and  pleasure 
to  an  extent  even  now  little  dreamed  of  and 
make  it  become  a  veritable  fairyland  of  homes 
and  resorts,  and  that,  too,  at  a  not  very  far 
distant  day. 


/t(Mau^-  (2H^^^, 


/I^Jff,, 


Itl 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 


THE    MEDICAL   PROFESSION    ON    LONG    ISLAND. 

Early  Medical   Legislation  —  A   Southampton    Doctor   and    His    Fees — Noted 
Physicians   of  the   Olden  Time  —  Brooylyn's  Pioneer  Doctoks. 

By   WILLIAM    SCHROEDER,    M.  D* 


T, appears  from  the  records  of  the  past, 
that  the  relation  of  the  medical  man  to 
the  people  was  not  the  same  as  that  of 
the  minister  or  the  schoolmaster,  for 
his  efforts  in  behalf  of  humanity  did  not  re- 
ceive the  same  recognition  as  was  accorded  to 

*This  chapter  and  the  two  following,  all  re- 
lating to  the  history  of  the  medical  profession 
on  Long  Island,  are  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  Will- 
iam Schroeder,  of  Brooklyn,  and  have  been 
presiented  here  in  answer  to  a  very  general 
request  that  so  much,  at  least,  of  Dr.  Schroe- 
der's  historical  studies  as  could  be  made  avail- 
able should  be  gathered  together  and  pre- 
sented in  an  enduring  form.  All  of  the  mat- 
ter contained  in  these  three  chapters  was 
prepared  and  presented  at  various  times  and 
in  various  publications — publications  which 
having  served  their  day  and  purpose  are  now 
forgotten  or  so  scarce  as  to  be  beyond  general 
reach.  It  was  felt  that  the  material  which 
had  been  so  carefully  and  so  lovingly  compiled, 
at  a  great  cost  of  time,  research  and  patient 
labor,  should  be  brought  within  easy  reach  of 
all  interested  in  Long  Island  history. 

William  Schroeder  was  born  in  New  York 
city,  July  26,  1854,'  but  since  he  was  four 
months  old  his  life  has  been  spent  in  Brooklyn. 
He  may  therefore  be  regarded  as  to  all  intents 
and  purposes  a  native  of  that  borough.  He 
studied  medicine  at  the  Long  Island.  College 
Hospital,  from  which  he  was  graduated  with 
honors  in  the  class  of  1881.  Soon  afterward 
he  entered  upon  practice  in  Brooklyn  and 
slowly  but  surely  advanced  to  the  front  in  pro- 
fessional   circles.      He   is   a   member   of    the 


the  two  other  professions.  This  may  be  largely 
accounted  for  by  saying  that  medical  science, 
as  we  understand  the  term  to-day,  was  un- 
known, and  that  the  people  submitted  them- 
selves to  various  forms  of  treatment  with  no 
particular  object  in  view  other  than  to  lower 

Kings  County  Medical  Society,  of  which  he  is 
the  official  Historian,  and  is  a  member  also  of 
the  Brooklyn  Medical  Society,  the  Brooklyn 
Pathological  Society,  the  Long  Island  College 
Hospital  Alumni  Association  and  several 
other  medical  organizations. 

Dr.  Schroeder  is  also  a  prominent  figure  in 
social  life.  In  Masonic  circles  be  has  attained 
high  rank,  having  served  as  Master  of  Nassau 
Lodge,  No.  356,  and  High  Priest  of  Gate  of  the 
Temple  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons.  In  the 
Order  of  the  Eastern  Star  he  has  held  the 
office  of  Grand  Lecturer  for  the  State  of  New 
York.  An  eloquent  public  speaker,  Dr. 
Schroeder  has  lectured  in  public  several  times, 
mainly  on  Masonic  matters,  on  which  he  is 
recognized  as  an  authority  of  more  than  ordin- 
ary standitig.  To  medical  and  periodical  lit- 
erature he  has  for  many  years  been  a  steady 
contributor,  mainly  on  historical  themes.  He 
is  to  the  present  day  a  diligent  and  painstaking 
student  and  he  gathered  around  him  a  working 
lihrary  of  which  any  library  man  might  well 
be  proud.  In  addition  to  his  medical  books, 
he  has  a  collection  of.  Masonic  literature,  col- 
lected from  all  sources  and  all  lands,  which 
could  hardly  be  found  equalled  in  any  other 
local  private  library,  while  of  works  relating 
to  Long  Island  history  and  antiquities  his 
treasures  are  large,  varied  and  unique. 


586 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


their  vitality.  The  patient  received  consider- 
able attention  from  his  neighbors,  and  they 
were  always  ready  tO'  give  advice  and  offer 
treatment — which  usually  consisted  of  herbs 
of  various  kinds,  each  one  possessing  peculiar 
merits,  capable  of  curing  all  the  ills  that  human 
flesh  is  heir  to.  Many  recovered,-  due  to  the 
fact  of  their  possessing  a  robust  constitution, 
consequent  to  their  mode  of  living,  which  was 
largely  out  of  doors;  their  living  apartments 
being  larger  and  their  food  more  wholesome, 
— therefore  much  more  health-giving  than  our 
manner  of  living  at  the  present  day. 

A  few  historical  notes,  relative  to  the  early 
history  of  medicine  on  Long  Island,  may  not 
be  out  of  place  at  this  time. 

Benjamin  F.  Thompson,  in  his  History, 
published  in  1839,  informs  us  that  the  name 
conferred  upon  Brooklyn  by  the  Dutch  was 
Breucklin  (broken  land),  and  in  the  act  for 
dividing  the  province  into  counties  and  towns, 
passed  Nov.  i,  1685,  it  is  called  Breucklyn. 

On  the  i8th  day  of  October,  1667,  a  patent 
was  granted  by  Governor  Richard  Nicolls  to 
the  freeholders  and  inhabitants  of  the  town  of 
Breucklen,  their  heirs,  successors  and  assigns. 
"It  is  generally  believed  that  Governor  Stuy- 
vesa'nt,  in  1657,  gave  a  general  patent  of  the 
town  to  Stephanus  Van  Cortlandt,  of  that  por- 
tion known  as  Red  Hook."  Grants  were  also 
made  between  the  years  1642  and  1647,  by 
Governor  Kieft,  to  different  individuals  for 
lands  on  the  Brooklyn  shore,  from  Red  Hook 
Point  to  the  Wallabout  Bay.  In  1670,  the  in- 
habitants being  desirous  of  enlarging  their 
common  land  applied  to  Governor  Lovelace, 
who  granted  a  license  for  that  portion  known 
as  Bedford,  extending  from  Brooklyn  Ferry 
to  the  Flatbush  turnpike. 

In  turning  our  attention  to  medical  educa- 
tion in  the  State  of  New  York,  we  find  that  in 
1767  or  1768  an  attempt  was  made  in  the  city 
of  New  York  to  establish  a  medical  school. 
The  faculty,  organized  at  that  time,  continued 
to  read  lectures  until  the  beginning  of  the  War 
of  the  Revolution,  which  converted  their  col- 


lege into  a  military  hospital.  From  this  time 
until  the  year  1792,  there  were  no  medical  lec- 
tures delivered  in  this  State,  and  from  that 
time  until  the  institution  of  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons  by  the  Regents  of  the 
University  in  1807,  medical  education  did  not 
make  much  progress,  in  fact,  the  advancement 
of  medlical  science,  so  far  as  the  State  of  New 
York  is  concerned,  may  be  dated  from  the  year 
1807. 

In  1760  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Prov- 
ince of  New  York  ordained  that  no  person, 
should  practice  as  a  physician  or  surgeon  in. 
the  city  of  New  York  before  he  was  examined 
in  physic  or  surgery. 

It  appears  that  the  first  degree  that  was 
granted  in  New  York  was  that  of  Bachelor 
of  Medicine,  conferred  upon  Samuel  Kissam 
and  Robert  Tucker,  in  1769,  by  the  College  of 
New  York.  In  1770  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine  was  conferred  upon  the  same  gentle- 
men. (Transactions  of  the  Medical  Society,. 
State  of  New  York,  1827  and  1842.) 

The  presentation  of  these  historical  notes 
at  this  time  is  intended  to  fix  in  our  minds  the 
condition  of  things  as  they  existed  at  that  time. 
By  so  doing,  we  can  more  easily  comprehend 
the  efforts  put  forth  by  medical  men  at  that 
time,  to  organize  a  college  or  society.  Long 
Island  evidently  was  not  looked  upon  as  the 
best  place  to  practice  medicine,  as  the  writer 
has  been  unable  to  find  a  record  of  any  physi- 
cian, who  was  willing  to  call  Long  Island  his 
home,  until  about  the  year  1725. 

The  practice  of  medicine  on  Long  Island 
is  well  presented  in  an  address,  delivered  by 
W.  S.  Pelletreau  in  1890,  at  the  2Soth  anni- 
versary of  the  town  of  Southampton.  He 
seems  to  have  understood  the  relative  position 
of  the  medical  man  in  the  community,  for  he 
admits  that  the  procuring  of  a  minister  and 
then  of  a  schoolmaster  always  preceded  that  of 
a  doctor.  His  lang.uage  is  so  beautiful  and 
truthful,  that  I  shall  take  the  liberty  of  giving 
it  in  full. 


THE    MEDICAL  PROFESSION    ON    LONG   ISLAND. 


58r 


For  long  years  after  the  settlement  there 
appears  to  have  been  no  physician  in  town.  A 
"Dr.  Craig"  is  once  mentioned,  but  he  evident- 
ly was  not  a  permanent  resident;  Families 
then  doctored  their  ailments  with  domestic 
remedies.  It  was  a  part  of  the  duty  of  a  good 
housewife  to  lay  in  a  good  stock  of  herbs  at 
the  proper  season.  "Yarb  teas"  of  all  kinds 
were  given  in  cases  of  sickness,  and  if  they  did 
IK)  good  they  certainly  did  no  harm. 

It  is  quite  a  question,  whether  many  of 
these  herbs  were  not  brought  with  the  first 
settlers  from  England,  with  the  traditional 
knowledge  of  their  efficacy.  Some  of  them 
are  never  found  growing  wild,  far  from  the 
haunts  of  men.  However  this  may  be,  each 
plant,  according  to  their  ideas,  possessed  a 
peculiarly  good  quality.  Catnip  was  soothing 
to  the  nerves ;  Indian  posy  was  strengthening ; 
boneset  was  good  in  fevers ;  and  skunk  cab- 
bage was  used  for  rheumatism,  but  never  cured 
it. 

The  first  physician  who  appears  to  have 
settled  here  was  Dr.  John  Mackie,  who  was 
here  previous  to  1 736.  He  died  in  1758,  and 
of  his  medical  practice  we  have  no  knowledge 
whatever.  Succeeding  him  came  Dr.  William 
Smith,  son  of  Nathaniel  Smith,  Esq.,  who 
owned  a  very  large  estate  at  Moriches.  He 
iirst  came  to  Southampton  as  a  scholar  of  the 
Rev.  Sylvanus  White.  In  1742  he  studied 
medicine  in  Philadelphia,  and  settled  here  in 
1754,  remaining  here  until  his  death  in  1775. 
His  son.  Dr.  John  Smith,  was  a  physician 
here  for  many  years,  but  the  real  successors 
of  Dr.  William  Smith  were  Drs.  Henry  White 
and  Silas  Halsey,  the  latter  removing  to  the 
western  part  of  the  State  after  the  Revolu- 
tion. 

Of  the  nature  of  a  doctor's  practice  .during 
the  latter  part  of  the  last  century  and  the  early 
part  of  the  present,  we  have  a  very  full  de- 
scription, contained  in  the  account  book  of 
Dr.  White,  which  is  still  in  existence.  His 
prices  certainly  were  moderate, — so  moderate 
that  if  physicians  at  the  present  time  followed 
his  scale  of  prices  we  could  almost  afford  to  be 
sick.  As  examples  of  the  fees  then  earned  by 
the  medical  profession,  we  may  mention  the 
following :  Charge  for  a  visit  in  the  vicinity — 
one  shilling.  For  a  visit  more  than  a  mile 
distant — ^three  shillings.  For  a  night  visit — 
four  shillings;  A  visit  to  the  North  Sea — five 
shillings,  and  if  he  stayed  there  all  night,  and 
furnished  medicines,  the  charge  was  nine  shil- 


Hngs  and  six  pence.  To  Seth  Squire's,  at 
Squiretown — seven  shillings.  To  Wakeman. 
Foster's,  at  Pon  Quogue — eight  shillings,  and 
the  same  to  Red  Creek. 

A  visit,  with  paregoric,  cost  Squire  Her- 
rick  (a  near  neighbor)  two  shillings,  and  for 
three  visits,  with  spirits  of  nitre,  he  charged 
three  shillings  and  six  pence.  A  visit  to  Wick- 
apog,  in  the  night,  with  castor  oil  and  pare- 
goric furnished,  was  ten  shillings.  He  made 
a  good  many  visits  to  Samuel  Jaggeis,  at  Long 
Springs,  at  three  shilhngs  each.  His  son  Syl- 
vanus made  a  good  many  more  visits,  but  he- 
got  a  wife  by  them.  The  fee  for  extracting  a 
tooth  was  one  shiHing.  A  "purge"  was  one 
shilling  and  four  pence;  an  emetic  the  same;^ 
also  the  same  for  a  dose  of  rhubarb.  Two 
visits  to  Shinnecock,  with  sundry  medicines,- 
cost  some  Indians  twelve  shillings.  A  visit  to- 
North  Sea,  with  bleeding  thrown  in,  was  four 
shillings. 

A  large  part  of  his  pay  was  taken  in  barter- 
and  days'  work.  At  one  time  he  gets  a  load  of 
sea-weed  for  a  visit,  with  the  inevitable 
"purge,"  and  again  he  brings  home  a  fine  bass, 
at  a  cost  of  a  cent  and  a  half  a  pound.  We 
have  no  doubt  but  that  his  successors  in  the- 
profession  would  be  glad  of  such  a  chance 
occasionally.  In  one  instance,  a  wealthy  fam- 
ily at  North  Sea,  for  divers  visits  and  doses,. 
hadi  run  up  a  bill  of  nine  pounds,  seven  shil- 
lings and  six  pence.  This  was  paid,  in  what 
the  doctor  very  justly  calls  "sundries,"  and  in- 
cludes apples,  flax,  wood,  pears,  timothy  seed,, 
beans,  clams,  fish,  eels,  pigs,  watermelons  and 
geese. 

His  accounts  show  that  all  the  medicines- 
he  used  were  of  the  very  mildest  kind,  and  it 
is  doubtful  if  they  have  either  killed  or  cured. 
Phlebotomy  and  cathartic  medicines,  or  as  he 
expressed  it  in  much  plainer  English,  "bleed- 
ing and  a  purge,"  was  the  beginning,  the  mid- 
dle, and  the  "end.  No  matter  what  the  disease 
might  be,'  a  "purge"  was  the  first  remedy  ad- 
ministered. If  the  patient  recovered,  the  doc- 
tor had  the  credit  of  it;  if  he  died,  it  was 
charged  to  Providence. 

When  Dr.  Smith  wished  to  replenish  his 
stock  of  drugs,  he  saddled  his  horse,  fastened 
on  his  saddle  bags,  and  started  for  New  York. 
The  end  of  the  first  day  found  him  at  Patch- 
ogue,  where  he  tarried  at  the  tavern  over 
night.  The  next  evening  found'  him  in  the 
city,  which  then,  extended  almost  to  Canal 
street.     Having  accomplished  his  business,  he 


■588 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


started    on    his    return    home,    and    Saturday 
night  found  him  safe  at  home. 

The  foregoing  notes  give  an  idea  of  the 
practice  of  medicine,  and  the  relation  of  the 
physician  to  the  people,  up  to  the  beginning 
of  the  present  century,  on  Long  Island.  It  is 
probable  that  the  same  relative  conditions  ex- 
isted!  in  every  other  part  of  the  country  at  that 
time.  The  following  items  regarding  the  phy- 
sicians in  practice  on  Long  Island  up  to  this 
time,  as  far  as  the  writer  has  been  able  to  col- 
lect information  concerning  them,  are  intended 
to  give  the  medical  men  of  our  city  at  the  pres- 
ent time  a  view  of  the  scarcity  of  physicians 
•at  that  time,  in  any  of  the  three  counties  of 
Long  Island,  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a 
Medical  Society.  In  the  county  of  Kings,  the 
number  was  exceedingly  small.  Still  there 
may  have  been  a  number  of  medical  men  in 
practice  on  this  island,  at  the  time  referred  to, 
who  simply  attended  to  their  professional 
work,  and  never  permitted  their  names  to  ap- 
pear in  connection  with  any  other  work,  but 
this  was  probably  not  the  case,  as  they  would 
likely  have  been  called  upon  to  perform  some 
work  for  the  town  in  which  they  lived,  and  in 
that  way  their  names  would  appear  upon  rec- 
ord. 

"The  Annals  of  Medical  Progress,"  by 
Joseph  M.  Toner,  M.  D.,  1874,  makes  mention 
of  the  following  physicians  on  Long  Island : 

Samuel  Osborn,  a  son  of  Dr.  John  Osborn, 
of  Middletown,  Conn.,  studied  medicine  and 
became  a  physician  of  repute  in  Brooklyn.  He 
■subsequently  resided  in  New  York  city.  Drs. 
Ball  and  Wendell  succeeded  to  his  practice  in 
Brooklyn. 

Dr.  Benjamin  Treadwell,  a  physician  of 
Long  Island,  was  in  practice  for  nearly  sixty- 
five  years.  He  died  in  North  Hempstead,  in 
1830,  aged  ninety-five  years. 

Dr.  Jacob  Ogden  was  born  at  Newark,  N. 
J.,  in  1721.  Received  the  best  medical  educa- 
tion the  Colonies  afiforded,  and  removed  to 
Jamaica,  L.  I.,  where  he  remained  in  practice 


during  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  was 
Warden  of  Grace  Church  from  1761  to  1802. 
He  wrote  several  medical  dissertations  on  the 
sore  throat  distemper  of  1769.  The  application 
of  mercury  in  the  treatment  oi  inflammatory 
complaints  was  extensively  used  by  him  in 
1749.  He  was  also  noted  for  his  advocacy  of 
inoculation.  He  died  at  Jamaica,  L.  I.,  Sep- 
tember, 1780,  in  the  fifty-ninth  year  of  his  age. 

Dr.  Samuel  Martin,  of  Hempstead,  L.  I^ 
son  of  the  Hon.  Josiah  Martin,  located  in 
Hempstead,  where  he  was  Warden  of  St. 
George's  Church  from  1770  to  1791.  He  died 
at  Rock  Hall,  April  19,  1806,  aged  sixty-five 
years. 

In  the  Proceedings  of  the  Medical  Society 
of  the  County  of  Kings,  1876,  Dr.  R.  M. 
Wyckoff  contributes  a  paper  on  "Kings  County 
in  1776,"  from  which  we  extract  the  following 
notes : 

Dr.  John  Jones,  who  assisted  the  Pro- 
vincial Congress  in  establishing  regimental 
hospitals,  was  a  native  of  Jamaica,  L.  I.  He 
was  born  in  1729.  He  studied  medicine  in 
Europe.  Returning  to  this  country  in  1768, 
he  was  selected  to  fill  the  honorable  station 
of  Professor  of  Surgery  in  the  Medical  School 
of  New  York.  He  is  the  author  of  the  first 
surgical  book  published  in  this  country.  It 
was  brought  out  in  1776.  The  title  reads: 
"Treatment  of  Wounds  and  Fractures;  with 
an  Appendix  on  Military  Hospitals."  He  died 
June  23,  1791,  aged  sixty-two  years. 

Dr.  Daniel  Menema,  a  native  of  New  York, 
who  served  as  surgeon  in  the  Second  New 
York  Regiment,  was  afterwards  a  resident  of 
Jamaica,  Queens  county.  He  was  a  member 
of  Grace  Church;  also  of  the  Society  of  Cin- 
cinnati. In  1806  he  was  President  of  the  Med- 
ical Society  of  Queens  County.  He  died  at 
Jamaica,  L.  I.,  Jan.  20,  1810. 

Nathan  Shelton,  M.  D.,  for  more  than  fifty 
years  a  practicing  physician  in  Jamaica,  and 
for  more  than  forty  years  a  ruling  elder  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  He  was  President  of 
the  Queens  County  Medical  Society  in  1829. 


THE    MEDICAL  PROFESSION    ON    LONG   ISLAND. 


589^ 


(History  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  Jamaica, 
L.  I,  1862.) 

Dr.  Joseph  Bloodgood,  who  was  born  in 
1784,  graduated  from  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania in  1806.  He  became  a  trustee  of  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  New 
York  in  181 1,  and  came  to  Flushing  in  1812. 
He  died  March  7,  1851,  aged  sixty-seven 
years.  He  was  Postmaster  of  Flushing  for 
sixteen  years.  (History  of  Flushing,  G.  H. 
Mandeville,  i860.) 

Dr.  Benjamin  Y.  Prime,  born  in  Hunting- 
ton, in  1733,  was  graduated  from  Princeton 
College  in  1751.  In  1756  and  1757  he  was 
employed  as  a  tutor  in  the  college.  He  studied 
medicine  with  Dr.  Jacob  Ogden,  of  Jamaica, 
L.  I.,  and  for  several  years  thereafter  prac- 
ticed physic.  He  died  Oct.  31,  1791,  aged 
fifty-eight  years. 

Dr.  Gilbert  Potter  was  born  in  Hunting- 
ton, Jan.  8,  1725.  He  studied  medicine  with 
Dr.  Jared  Elliot,  of  Guilford,  Conn..  He  was 
engaged  as  a  surgeon  in  the  French  War.  In 
1776  he  was  appointed  Colonel,  and  was  asso- 
ciated with  General  Woodhull  in  protecting 
Long  Island.  In  1783  he  returned  to  Hunt- 
ington, and  pursued  his  professional  calling. 
He  died  Feb.  14,  1786,  aged  sixty-one  years. 
(Historical  Address,  by  the  Hon.  Henry  C. 
Piatt,  1876,  Huntington,  L.  I.) 

Robert  A.  Davidson,  M.  D.,  was  born  No- 
vember 28,  1793,  and  settled  in  Hempstead  in 
1813.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  he  had  been 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  over  sixty 
years. 

Dr.  James  Searing  is  remembered  as  an  old 
resident,  at  one  time  residing  in  the  Harper 
■residence.  He  was  the  first  Treasurer  of  the 
Queens  County  Medical  Society.  He  died  at 
the  age  of  seventy-four  years. 

Edwin  Webb,  M.  D.,  of  Hempstead,  was 
born  in  England,  September  2,  1804.  He  came 
to  New  York  when  three  years  of  age.  He 
studied  medicine  with  Drs.  Ball  and  Wendell, 
who  were  in  partnership,  and  were  then  the 
principal  physicians  in  Brooklyn.    He  received 


his  diploma  from  the  College  of  Physicians, 
and  Surgeons,  New  York,  in  1825.     (History 
of  Queens  County,  1882.)) 

Dr.  Samuel  L.  Mitchell,  of  Hempstead,  L. 
I.,  was  born  in  1764.  He  died  Sept.  7,  1831. 
He  was  a  physician,  naturalist,  and  Senator. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1791.  Received 
his  medical  education  in  Edinburgh,  Scotland. 
He  held  the  chair  of  Chemistry  and  Natural. 
History  in  Columbia  College  in  1796.  In  1797 
and  1798  he  made  a  geological  survey  of  the  ■ 
banks  of  the  Hudson.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Legislature  at  Albany  from  1797  to  1813. 
He  started  with  others  the  "Medical  Reposi- 
tory" in  1798.  Made  a  special  study  of  yellqw 
fever.  Was  present  on  November  4,  1825, 
at  the  completion  of  the  Erie  Canal.  In  1820  , 
he  presided  over  a  convention  of  physicians, 
who  bad  for  their  object  the  formation  of  a 
Pharmacopoeia.  For  twenty-seven  years  he 
gave  an  annual  course  of  lectures  at  the  Col- 
lege of  Physicians  and  Surgeons.  He  was 
President  of  the  New  York  Institution  for  the 
Deaf  and  Dumb,  and  in  1808  made,  with 
others,  that  famous  trip  to  Albany  in  Robert 
Fulton's  first  steamer.  (N.  Cleveland's  His- 
tory of  Greenwood.) 

Dr.  John  B.  Riker,  born  at  Newtown,  L.  I., 
in  1738.  He  held  the  position  of  surgeon  in 
the  American  Army,  from  1775  until  1783. 
Returning  to  his  native  town,  he  practiced 
medicine  until  his  death  in  1795,  aged  fifty- 
seven  years.  He  was  considered  a  gentleman 
of  high  professional  attainments. 

Dr.  Ebenezer  Sage,  born  August  16,  1755, 
in  Connecticut.  He  graduated  from  Yale  Col- 
lege in  1778;  in  1790  settled  in  East  Hampton, 
and  married  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Wm.  Smith,  of 
South  Hampton.  He  was  elected  to  the  Elev- 
enth, Twelfth  and  Thirteenth  Congresses,  and 
again  in  1819  and  1820.  In  1821  he  was  a 
delegate  to  the  convention  for  arnending  the 
Constitution  of  the  State  of  New  York.  He 
died  Jan.  20,  1834,  at  Sag  Harbor. 

Dr.  Isaac  Hulse,  born  August  31,  1796,  at 
Brookhaven,   L.    I.,   studied   medicine   in  the 


■590 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


University  of  Maryland,  and  graduated  in 
1820.  In  1 82 1  he  was  commissioned  Assistant 
Surgeon  in  the  U.  S.  Navy;  in  1824  Surgeon 
to  the  Naval  Hospital  in  Virginia.  In  1838 
President  Van  Buren  appointed  him  Fleet 
Surgeon  of  the  West  India  Squadron.  His 
medical  reports  exhibit  talent  of  a  high  order. 

Dr.  George  Muirson,  of  Brookhaven,  L.  I., 
in  1745  became  celebrated  for  his  successful 
treatment  of  small-pox  by  the  administration 
•of  mercury,  which  method  proved  very  suc- 
-cessful  in  his  hands.  (Benjamin  F.  Thomp- 
son's History  of  Long  Island,  1839.) ' 

Dr.  Benjamin  F.  Thompson  was  born  in 
Brookhaven,  L.  I.,  May  15,  1784.  He  stud- 
ied medicine  with  Dr.  Ebenezer  Sage,  of  Sag 
Harbor,  andl  practiced  the  same  for  about  ten 
years.  He  then  studied  law,  and  was  elected 
to  the  Assembly  in  1813  and  1816.  He  was 
School  Commissioner  in"  1813  and  1814.  A 
History  of  Long  Island'  was  written  by  him 
in  1839.  A  second  edition,  in  two  volumes, 
was  published  in  1843.  He  died  March  21, 
1849. 

Dr.  Nathaniel  Miller  was  born  in  Brook- 
Jiaven,  on  April  17,  1783;  graduated  from  the 
JSIew  York  Medical  College  in  1812;  was  a 
member  of  the  Assembly  in  1818  and  1849. 
He  died  May  7,  1863. 

Dr.  Nathaniel  Gardner,  of  East  Hampton, 
born  June  11,  1759,  was  a  Surgeon  in  the 
Revolutionary  War,  and  served  "as  a  member 
-of  the  Assembly  in  1786,  1789,  1790.  He  died 
March  25,  1804. 

Dr.  Abel  Huntington  was  born  in  the  State 
•of  Connecticut,  February  22,  1776.  In  1796 
he  came  to  East  Hampton,  L.  I.,  where  he 
studied  medicine,  and  for  sixty  years  prac- 
ticed his  profession.  He  was  a  representative 
in  Congress  from  1833  to  1837.  Collector  of 
Sag  Harbor  under  President  Polk,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  New  York  Constitutional  Conven- 
tion of  1846.  He  was  known  for  his  ability 
as  a  surgeon.  He  died  May  18,  1858.  (His- 
tory of  Sufifolk  County,  1882.) 

The  following  are  the  names  of  physicians, 


who  have  practiced  medicine  on  Long  Island 
previous  to  1822,  so  far  as  the  writer  has  been 
able  to  obtain  information  in  regard  to  them, 
together  with  the  dates  of  their  practice : 

Dr.  Gilbert  Smith,  1775.    Huntington,  L.  I. 

Dr.  James  Sandford,   1780.     Huntington, 
L.  I.    Died  Oct.  1795. 

Dr.   Daniel  Wiggins,   1790.     Huntington, 
L.  I.    Died  Sept.  10,  1805. 

Dr.  Zophar  Piatt,  1754.    Huntington,  L.  I. 
Died  Sept.  29,  1792,  aged  eighty-seven  years. 

Dr.  Oliver  Brown,  1800.     Huntington,  L. 
I.     Died  Oct.,   1815. 

Dr.  Jonathan  Havens.    Smithtown,  L.  I. 

Dr.   Zephanialy  Piatt,   1760.     Smithtown, 
L.  I.    Died  Jan.  27,  1718. 

Dr.  Samuel  H.  Rose,  1790.    South  Hamp- 
ton, L.  I. 

Dr.  Henry  White.     South  Hampton,  L.  I. 

Dr.  Silas  Halsey.    South  Hampton,  L.  I. 

Dr.  Aaron  F.  Gardner,  1800.    East  Hamp- 
ton, L.  I. 

Dr.  Samuel  Latham,  1780.     South  Hamp- 
ton, L.  I. 

Dr.  George  Punderson,  1780.    Brookhaven, 
L.  I. 

Dr.  Samuel  Moore,  1761.    Newtown,  L.  I. 

Dr.  William  Lawrence,   1774.     Musquito 
Cove,  L.  I. 

Dr.  Richard  U.dall,  i860.    Islip,  L.  I.  Died 
Oct.  6,  1841,  aged  ninety  years. 

Dr.  Joshua  Clark,  1780.    Southold,  L.  I. 

Dr.  James  E.  DeKay.    Oyster  Bay,  L.  I. 

Dr.  Richard  Sharpe.     North  Hempstead, 
L.I. 

Dr.  Purdy.    North  Hempstead,  L.  I. 

Dr.  Drake.    North  Hempstead,  L.  I. 

The  town  of  North  Hempstead  claims  the 
following  as  having  been  born  in  the  town : 

Samuel  Mitchill,  M.  D.,  1764,  Professor  of 
Natural  History,  etc.,  etc. 

Benjamin   Kissam,    M.    D.,   Professor  of 
"The  Institutes  of  Medicine." 

Richard  S.  Kissam,  M.  D.,  Professor  of 
Surgery. 

Wright  Post,  M.  D.,  Professor  of  Surgery. 


THE    MEDICAL   PROFESSION    ON    LONG   ISLAND. 


591 


Valentine  Mott,  M.  D.,  1785.  Professor  of 
Surgery. 

Dr.  D.  W.  Kissam,  born  in  Cow  Neck, 
March  23,  1763.  He  married  the  daughter  of 
Dr.  Benjamin  Treadwell,  June  26,  1787.  At 
the  death  of  Dr.  Sandford,  1795,  he  removed 
to  Glen  Cove,  v^^here  he  remained  in  practice 
until  his  death,  November  21,  1839,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-six  years. 

Nathaniel  S.  Prime,  in  his  History  of  Long 
Island,  published  in  1845,  informs  us  that  in 
1802  the  town  of  Brooklyn  had  but  eighty-six 
freeholders,  but  that  it  was  rapidly  increasing 
in  population,  so  that  in  1816  the  total  popula- 
tion was  4,402.  In  the  latter  year  the  town 
was  invested  with  the  powers  of  a  village.  The 
impulse  it  received  at  this  time  soon  became 
manifested,  so  that  in  1822  the  total  population 
was  about  8,000. 

The  formation  of  medical  societies  on  Long 
Island  dates  from  the  organization  of  the  Suf- 
folk County  Medical  Society,  which  was  or- 
ganized July  22,  1806.  The  early  records  of 
this  society  have  been  lost,  but  as  nearly  as  can 
be  ascertained  at  the  present  time,  Drs.  A.  G. 
Thompson,  W.  S.  Preaston,  and  Dr.  B.  D. 
Carpenter  were  prominently  identified  with 
its  formation.  The  first  delegate  to  the  New 
York  State  Medical  Society  was  Dr.  Nathaniel 
Miller,  in  1818,  and  the  second  was  Dr. 
Charles  H.  Havens  in  1820. 

This  was  followed  by  the  Queens  County 
Medical  Society,  which  was  organized  Oc- 
tober I,  1806,  at  Jamaica,  with  the  following 
as  its  first  officers:  Daniel  Minema,  Presi- 
dent; Henry  Mott,  Vice-President;  Thomas 
Cock,  Secretary;  and  James  Searing,  Treas- 
urer. But  it  is  evident  that  they  did  not  meet 
with  success,  for  on  December  17,  1829,  a 
second  society  was  formed.  This  also  seems 
to  have  met  with  adverse  circumstances,  for 
the  present  society  dates  only  from  1853. 

At  a  preliminary  meeting  of  the  physi- 
cians of  the  county  of  Kings,  held  at  Flatbush 
on  the  25th  of  February,  1822,  at  which  Dr. 
Charles   Ball,   Matthew  Wendell,   John   Car- 


penter, William  D.  Creed,  Francis  H.  Dubois, 
and  Adrian  Vanderveer,  were  present,  the  or- 
ganization of  a  County  Medical  Society  was 
decided  upon,  and  carried  into  effect.  At 
an  adjourned  meeting,  held  on  March  2,  1822, 
at  the  inn  of  William  Stephenson,  Brooklyn, 
the  organization  was  perfected  by  the  elec- 
tion of  the  following  officers  : 

Cornelius  Low,  President;  Matthew  Wen- 
dell, Vice-President;  Adrian  Vanderveer, 
Secretary;  and  John  Carpenter,  Treasurer. 
At  a  second  meeting,  in  addition  to  those 
present  at  the  first  one,  were  Drs.  Joseph  G. 
T.  Hunt  and  Thomas  Wilson  Henry.  A 
third  meeting  was  held  on  the  8th  of  April, 
at  which  time  a  code  of  by-laws  was  adopted, 
and  the  following  gentlemen  presented  their 
credentials : 

Cqrnalius  Low,  licensed  in  1782,  died 
1830. 

Francis  H.  Dubois,  licensed  1802,  was 
born  May  21,  1783,  and  died  Dec.  27,  1837. 

Matthew  Wendell,  licensed  1804,  was 
born  July,  1779,  and  died  July  11,  i860. 

Jos.  Gedney  T.  Hunt,  licensed  1804,  was 
born  in  1783,  and  died  June  25,  1848. 

Charles  Ball,  licensed  1806,  died  1845. 

William  D.  Creed,  licensed  1809,  was  born 
April  4,  1787,  and  died  1870. 

John  Carpenter,  licensed  1812,  was  born 
April  17,  1791,  and  died  Sept.  13,  1864. 

Adrian  Vanderveer,  M.  D.,  Col.  P.  &  S., 
N.  Y.,  i8j:8,  was  born  Dec.  21,  1796,  and  died 
July  5,   1857. 

Thomas  Wilson  Henry,  M.  D.,  Col:  P. 
&  S.,  N.  Y.,  1820,  died  1867. 

The  above  named  gentlemen  founded  the 
Medical  Society  of  the  County  of  Kings. 

At  the  meeting  of  May  8th,  Dr.  Matthew 
Wendell  was  appointed  delegate  to  the  New 
York  Stale  Society,  and  Drs.  Jos.  G.  T.  Hunt, 
T.  W.  Henry,  and  Charles  Ball,  censors  ac- 
cording to  law. 

In  July,  1822,  the  society  adopted  a  seal, 
bearing  the  figure  of  a  serpent  spirally  wound 
around  a  staff,  with  the  inscription,  "Scientia 


592 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Salusque  Deo,"  and  around  the  margin  the 
words,  "Societas  Medica  Comitatus  Regis. 
Instituta  A.  D.  1822." 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  April,  1825, 
the  venerable  President,  Dr.  Cornelius  Low, 
resigned  his  office  in  consequence  of  his  in- 
tention to  altogether  abandon  the  practice  of 
physic,  on  account  of  his  age  and  its  attend- 
ant infirmities.  Dr.  Low  enjoyed  a  large 
practice  in  Bushwick,  New  Lots,  and  part  of 
Newtown.  He  was  an  ardent  Patriot.  He 
remained  throughout  his  life  unmarried.  His 
death  occurred  about  the  year  1830.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Dr.   George  Cox. 

The  "Brooklyn  Medical  Journal"  of  Jan- 
uary, 1888,  contains  a  short  article  on  the 
formation  of  the  Medical  Society  of  the 
County  of  Kings. 

The  first  physician  that  settled  in  Brook- 
lyn was  Dr.  John  N.  Barbarin,  who  estab- 
iislied  himself  on  Front  streeit,  which  was 
then  the  main  road,  and  remained  in  practice 
from  1784  to  181 5.  He  was  a  Frenchman  by 
birth,  and  came  to  this  country  as  a  surgeon 
in  the  British  service.  He  was  for  a  while 
stationed  here  during  the  occupation  of  Long 
Island  by  the  British,  afterwards  resigning 
from  the  British  service.  He  married  a 
daughter  of  Mr.  Bamper,  and  entered  upon 
the  practice  of  his  profession  in  the  village 
of  Brooklyn.     He  died  greatly  respected. 

Dr.  Osborn  conducted  the  first  drug  store 
in  Brooklyn,  on  the  corner  of  Sands  and  Jay 
streets.  In  181 1  it  was  bought  by  Ithiel 
Smead,  who  was  followed  by  Dr.  J.  W. 
Smith,  who  removed  the  store  to  Hicks  and 
Fulton  streets. 

Dr.  Jos.  G.  T.  Hunt's  ofiice  was  on  the 
corner  of  Concord  and  Fulton  streets.  Dr. 
Chas.  Hall's  office  was  on  Pearl  street;  Dr. 
Daniel  McNeil  at  22  Hicks  street,  and  Dr. 
John  W.  Smith,  16  Concord  street. 

In  1809,  the  yellow  fever  prevailed  in 
Brooklyn,  producing  what  was  known  as  the 
newspaper  war  between  the  physicians  of  the 
village.     Among  those  particularly  interested 


were  Drs.  Osborn,  Ball,  and  Wendell.  Dr. 
Ball  was  President  from  1833  to  1835,  and 
Dr.  Wendell  in  1836,  of  the  Medical  Society, 
of  Kings  County.  Dr.  Wendell  was  Health 
Physician  from  1827  to  1834,  and  again  from 
1851   to   1856. 

Dr.  Osborn  removed  to  New  York,  and 
Drs.  Ball  and  Wendell  succeeded  to  his  prac- 
tice, their  office  being  at  the  corner  of  Sands 
and  Fulton  streets.  Dr.  Ball's  house  is  repre- 
sented in  Guy's  Brooklyn  Snow  Scene  of 
1820.     See  page  403  of  this  volume. 

Dr.  Francis  H.  Dubois  and  John  Car- 
penter were  in  practice  in  the  town  of  New 
Utrecht.  During  the  yellow  fever  epidemic 
Dr.  J.  E.  Dubois,  son  of  F.  H.  Dubois,  fell  a 
victim  to  the  disease.  A  beautiful  monument 
erected  to  his  memory  marks  his  resting  place 
in  the  old  village  graveyard.  Dr.  Carpenter, 
in  1825,  organized  the  first  Sabbath  school  in 
the  village  of  Fort  Hamilton,  its  sessions  be- 
ing held  in  a  barn.  In  1826  he  organized 
the  New  Utrecht  Sabbath-school,  of  which  he 
was  superintendent  until  his  death. 

Drs.  Adrian  Vanderveer  and  William  D. 
Creed  practiced  medicine  in  the  town  of  Flat- 
bush.  Dr.  Vanderveer  was  on  July  24,  1832, 
chosen  the  first  Health  Officer,  one  of  his 
assistants  being  Dr.  Creed.  Dr.  William 
Duryea  Creed  was  born  April  4,  1787.  He 
was  Sheriff  of  Kings  County  in  181 1,  and 
died  in  1870. 

In  1823  the  Reformed  Church  organized 
a  Sabbath-school,  of  which  Dr.  Vanderveer 
was  the  first  superintendent,  which  position 
he  held  for  thirty  years.  He  was  President 
of  the  Medical  Society  of  the  County  of  Kings 
in  1837  and  1838.  He  received  the  degree  of 
A.  M.  from  Columbia  College  in  1816. 

Dr.  Jos.  G.  T.  Hunt  was  the  first  Health 
Officer  of  Brooklyn,  being  such  during  the 
years  1825  and  1826.  He  was  well  known 
in  Masonic  circles,  being  Master  of  Hohen- 
linden  Lodge,  No.  56,  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  1825, 
and  Scribe  of  Nassau  Chapter,  R.  A.  M., 
during  the  same  year.     For  a  few  years  pre- 


THE   MEDICAL  PROFESSION   ON  LONG   ISLAND. 


593 


vious  to  this  time  he  was  surgeon  to  the  Marine 
Barracks.  He  was  President  of  the  Medical 
Societ}'  of  the  County  of  Kings  from  1825  to 
1831. 

Thomas  A\'ilson  Henry's  office  was  at  No. 
67  Sands  street,  corner  of  Jay  street.  He 
was  President  of  the  Medical  Society  of  the 
County  of  Kings  during  the  years  1831-1832. 

The  above  facts  are  related  by  Henry  R. 
Stiles,  in  his  "History  of  Kings  County,  in- 
cluding Brooklyn,"  1884,  vol.  II,  page  887; 
also  in  part  by  S.  M.  Ostrander,  in  his  "His- 
tory of  Brooklyn  and  Kings  Comity,"  1894, 
vol.  II,  page  32. 

From  the  organization  of  the  Medical  So- 
ciety of  the  County  in  Kings,  in  1822,  until 
the  repeal  of  that  power  by  the  Legislature  in 
1881,  the  societv  conferred  sixteen  licenses  to 


practice  medicine,  as  follows   (Manual,  1888, 
page  25) : 

Nelson  A.   Garrison .      1824 

Joseph    N.    Smith 1827, 

John   Fred   Sickels 1827 

Hartshorne    Gregory 1829 

Wihiam  A.   Clarke 1832 

Henry  A.  Ruding 1832 

Philip   Harvey 1833 

John  V    E.   Vanderhoef 1833 

Stephen  M.   Disbrow 1834, 

Henry  J.   Cullen '.  .  1843 

Nelson  J.  Tucker 1848, 

John  Van  Ness 1852 

William  H.  Van  Duyue 1857 

George   Wieber 1875 

John    Mears 1878 

W.  E.  Conroy   1879 


LONG    ISLAND    COLLEGE    HOSPITAL. 


CHAPTER   L. 


THE    MEDICAL   SOCIETY   OF  THE    COUNTY"   OF  KIXGS. 

^Brooklyn's   City   Hospital  and   Similar   Institutions — A  Long  Roll  of  Honor- 

ORABLE   Professional  Names. 


HE  formation  of  the  state  and  county- 
medical  societies  was  authorized  by 
the  Act  of  1806.  Soon  several  coun- 
ty societies  were  formed  in  various 
parts  of  the  State,  though  the  Society  of  the 
County  of  Kings  was  not  organized  until 
March  2,  1822,  at  the  residence  of  Simon  Voiz, 
in  Flatbush. 

The  first  annual  meeting  took  place  on 
April  8,  1822,  at  a  tavern  called  "Auld  Lang 
Syne,"  conducted  by  William  Stephenson;  at 
Fulton  and  Nassau  streets.  The  following 
were  the  first  officers  and  founders  :  Cornelius 
Low,  President ;  Matthew  Wendell,  Vice-Pres- 
■ident;  John  Carpenter,  Treasurer;  Adrian 
Vanderveer,  Secretary  and  Corresponding 
Secretary;  Joseph  G.  T.  Hunt,  Thomas  W. 
■  Henry,  Charles  Ball,  Censors;  Matthew  Wen- 
'dell,  Delegate  to  State  Medical  Society ;  Fran- 
cis H.  Du  Bois  and  William  D.  Creed.  From 
1822  to  1827  the  meetings  alternated  between 
the  house  at  Flatbush  and  the  Auld  Lang 
Syne  tavern,  after  which  until  1857  they  were 
held  quarterly  in  the  Apprentices'  Library 
Building,  Henry  and  Cranberry  streets. 

The  records  show  that  for  a  number  of 
years  the  Society  confined  itself  to  the  dis- 
-charge  of  the  duties'  connected  with  the  "regu- 
lating of  the  practice  of  physics  and  surgery 
within  its  limits."  The  nature  of  the  work 
may  be  more  clearly  comprehended  by  the  lay 
reader  when  the  fact  is  known  that  the  law  of 


the  State  required  all  practising  physicians 
and  Surgeons  to  connect  themselves  with  the 
society  in  the  county  in  which  they  resided. 
Thus,  the  statute  of  the  State  in  1827  required 
the  President  of  the  County  Medical  Society 
to  serve  personally  a  written  notice  on  every 
physician  and  surgeon  residing  in  the  county, 
not  a  member  of  the  Society,  directing  him  to 
apply  for  and  receive  a  certificate  of  member- 
ship within  sixty  days  after  the  service  of 
such  notice. 

The  history  of  old  Brooklyn  records  many 
physicians  whose  standing  was  open  to  ques- 
tion. As  it  was  necessary  for  the  protection 
of  the  public  at  large,  as  well  as  that  of  the 
reputation  of  the  medical  profession,  it  may  be 
readily  understood  that  the  officers  and  mem- 
bers of  the  Society  had  sufficient  work  in  en- 
forcing the  law  of  the  State  during  the  first 
thirty  odd  years  of  its  existence.  The  first 
historian  of  the  Society  was  Theodore  L.  Ma- 
son, M.  D.,  who  recorded  the  above  facts  in  a 
short  sketch  of  the  Society  published  in  1858, 
at  which  times  the  meetings  were  held  at  the 
Brooklyn  Lyceum,  better  known  as  the  Brook- 
lyn Institute,  on  Washington  street,  near  Con- 
cord, 1837-1866. 

Although  so  occupied  by  the  business  of 
enforcing  the  law,  the  Society  found  time  as  a 
society  to  aid  the  poor  as  early  as  1835,  when 
Isaac  J.  Rapelye,  M.  D.,  President  of  the  So- 
ciety, recommended  that  a  committee  be  ap- 


THE    MEDICAL   SOCIETY   OF   COUNTY   OF  KINGS. 


595 


pointed  to  prepare  a  memorial  to  the  Common 
Council  proposing  the  establishment  of  a  City 
Hospital  for  the  care  of  the  sick  poor.  It 
would  be  well  to  notice  here  that  a  dispensary 
had  been  organized  by  individuals  in  1833  at 
the  comer  of  Jay  and  Sands  streets.  This 
was  the  first  Brooklyn  Dispensary.  The  at- 
tending physicians  were  Doctors  J.  Sullivan 
Thome  and  W.  A.  Clark.  The  consulting  phy- 
sician was  Alatthew  Wendell. 

To  return  to  the  hospital  project,  the  Com- 
mittee named  below  were  appointed,  and  their 
efforts  resulted  in  the  organization  of  the  City 
Hospital  in  1839,  then  located  in  Adams  street, 
near  Johnson.  Committee :  Theodore  L.  Ma- 
son, AI.  D.,  Isaac  J.  Rapelye,  M.  D.,  John  C. 
Fanning,  M.  D.,  Matthew  Wendell,  M.  D., 
George  Marvin,  M.  D.,  Samuel  Boyd,  M.  D. 
The  staff  at  this  time  included:  Theodore  F. 
King,  AI.  D.,  President  from  1840  to  1842; 
John  Sullivan  Thome,  M.  D.,  Secretary ;  and 
the  attending  physicians  were  Purcell  Cooke, 
M.  D.,  George  Marvin,  M.  D.,  and  Samuel 
Boyd,  M.  D. 

The  Brooklyn  City  Hospital  may,  there- 
fore, be  considered  the  nucleus  of  the  great 
hospital  system  which  is  one  of  the  crowning 
glories  of  our  city.     Our  hospitals  are  estab- 
lished for  the  relief  of  suffering,  rich  and  poor 
are  alike  benefited,  and  it  is  a  question  which 
derives  the  greater  good  from  these  institu- 
tions.    The  Long  Island  College  Hospital,  as 
well  as  the  Brooklyn  City  Hospital,  owes  its 
inception  to  members  of  the  Society,  Drs.  Dan- 
iel Ayres,  Louis  Bauer,  and  John  Byrne,  to- 
gether with  the  first  council,  and  all  but  three 
of  the  first  faculty  were  members  of  the  Soci- 
ety.    Owing  to  the  fact  that  during  the  first 
thirty  years  of   its  organization   the   Society 
was  obliged  to  expend  its  efforts  in  the  en- 
forcement of  the  law,  there  was  little  or  no 
time  left  for  scientific  work.    As  a  result,  the 
Brooklyn     Medico-Chirurgical     Society     was 
fdrmed  on  November  10,  1856,  with  Andrew 
Otterson  as  President.     The  members  of  the 
society  were,   with   few   exceptions,  members 


of  the  County  Society.  During  the  ten  years 
of  its  existence  the  society  was  a  most  active 
body.  Here  for  the  first  time  in  the  medical 
history  of  the  city  of  Brooklyn  was  the  op- 
portunity offered  to  present  papers  on  the  ad- 
vancement made  in  medicine  and  surgery,  the 
discussion  of  which  tended  not  alone  to  benefit 
the  members,  but  the  community  at  large. 

In  1858,  by  a  revision  of  the  State  statutes, 
the  County  Aledical  Society  was  relieved  from 
its  work  of  regulating  the  practice  of  medicine 
and  began  the  publication  of  its  transactions. 
This  was  simply  the  beginning  of  the  great 
work  accomplished  here  on  behalf  of  the  peo- 
ple of  this  city.    At  this  time  the  society  was 
made  up  of  men  who  were  ready  to  give  not 
only  their  services  but  their  lives  when  the 
opportunity  ca*ne.     For  example,  during  the 
yellow  fever  epidemic  in  1856  at  New  Utrecht 
Doctors  John  L.  Crane  and  James  E.  Du  Bois 
gave  their  lives  in  their  endeavor  to  save  those 
who  were  stricken  with  the  disease.     A  few 
years  before,  in   1854,  Joseph  C.   Hutchison, 
M.  D.,  took  charge  of  the  Brooklyn  Cholera 
Hospital,  retaining  its  management  for  some 
years.     Later,   during  the  epidemic  of   1866, 
William  Henry  Thayer,  M.  D.,  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  society,  devoted  his  energies  'to  the 
Hamilton  Avenue  Cholera  Hospital.     William 
J.  Swalm  took  charge  of  the  Cholera  Hospital 
in  the  City  Park,  called  the  City  Park  Hos- 
pital, near  the  Navy  Yard.     Besides  this,  var- 
ious members  of  the  society  gave  what  leisure 
time    they   had   to   the    improvement    of    the 
Brooklyn  public  schools.     Doctor  J.  Sullivan 
Thorne  was  president  of  the  Brooklyn  Board 
of  Education  from   1868  to  1871.     From  the 
beginning  of  the  school  system  in  the  town 
of  Brooklyn  to  the  present  day  there  have  been 
physicians    connected   with    the    Board,   ever 
ready  to  give  their  advice  on  matters  pertain- 
ing to  the  public  health  and  to  better  the  con- 
dition of  the  children. 

The  first  Health  Officer  of  Brooklyn  was 
Dr.  J.  G.  T.  Hunt,  who  went  into  office  in 
1825.     He  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  sec- 


590 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


ond  President  of  the  Society,  and  from  his 
time  until  the  present,  with  three  exceptions, 
every  Heakh  Officer  or  CommissioneT  has 
been  connected  with  the  County  Society.  No 
one  can  estimate  what  a  vast  amount  of  work 
these  men,  whose  hves  are  devoted  to  the  heal- 
ing art,  have  accomplished  for  the  people  in 
the  city  of  Brooklyn.  The  monumental  work 
performed  in  this  direction  by  Dr.  A.  N.  Bell 
is  sufficient  of  itself  to  test  the  sincerity  of  the 
Society's  members  in  behalf  of  the  public 
good.  It  has  been  said  that  the  physicians 
have  not  received  the  recognition  which  is 
their  due.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  however,  the 
records  show  that  many  of  our  physicians 
have  been  called  upon  to  fill  places  of  honor, 
both  in  the  State  and  National  Societies. 
These  positions  have  been  such  as  to  com- 
mand the  highest  integrity  and  intellectual 
development.  Dr.  Joseph  C.  Hutchison,  as 
well  as  three  members  of  the  Society  who  are 
still  living,  have  held  the  presidency  of  the 
New  York  State  Medical  Society.  Two  of 
its  specialists  have  been  President  of  the 
Neyv  York  Obstetrical  Society,  one  of  whom 
has  also  been  President  of  the  American 
Gynecological  Society.  Dr.  Joseph  C.  Hutch- 
ison held  the  office  of  President  of  the  New 
York  Pathological  Society.  Another  of  the 
members  has  been  President  of  the  New  York 
Neurological  Society.  Still  another  of  the 
American  Dermatological  Society,  and  two 
more  have  been  Presidents  of  the  American 
Association  for  the  Cure  of  Inebriates.  These 
few  examples  show  that  the  ability  of  Brook- 
lyn men  has  not  been  entirely  disregarded, 
and  proves  conclusively  that  the  members  of 
the  County  Society  have  been  active  in  both 
State  and  National  Societies,  while  eight  of 
the  members  have  received  the  degree  of 
LL.  D. 

The  first  offspring  of  the  Society  was  the 
above-mentioned  Medico-Chirurgical  So- 
ciety. The  second  was  the  Brooklyn  Patho- 
logical Society,  organized  as  a  section  of  the 
Count)'    Medical   Society   in    1870,   under   the 


direction  of  Richard  Cresson  St\les,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Society  at  that  time.  To-day  it  is 
an  active  body,  independent  of  membership 
in  the  County  Society,  though,  with  a  few  ex- 
ceptions, its  members  are  also  members  of  the 
old  County  Society.  In  1866  the  Society 
changed  from  quarterly  to  monthly  meetings, 
securing  rooms  in  the  Hamilton  Building,  at 
44  Court  street,  where  it  continued  to  meet 
until  1875.  Then  removing  to  Everett  Hall, 
398  Fulton  street,  where  they  met  until  1887, 
when  they  purchased  the  Bridge  street  build- 
ing, 365  Bridge  street,  and  remained  until  Au- 
gust, 1898.  At  present  the  meetings  are  held 
at  Apollo  Hall,  102  Court  street.  During  the 
past  few  years  the  Society  has  been  making 
efforts  to  commemorate  events  connected  with 
its  members,  and  with  medical  history.  The 
first  of  these  was  a  dinner  to  the  late  Dr.  An- 
drew Otterson,  on  April  25,  1895,  in  honor 
of  his  completing  fifty  years  of  active  practice 
in  our  city.  Next,  the  Jenner  Centennial, 
commemorating  the  inauguration  of  vaccina- 
tion, May  14,  1896,  all  the  guests  receiving 
bronze  medals  in  commemoration  of  the  occa- 
sion. Then  the  75th  Anniversary  of  the  Kings 
County  Medical  Society,  April  11,  1897.  Fi- 
nally, the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  of  the  new 
building  of  the  Kings  County  Medical  Society, 
November  10,  1898. 

The  early  history  of  the  Society  is  so 
closely  identified  with  the  lives  of  its  mem- 
bers that  it  is  well  to  give  a  brief  sketch  of  the 
biographies  of  the  founders. 

Cornelius  Low,  M.  D.,  the  first  President 
of  the  Society,  was  born  in  Albany,  New  York, 
about  1750.  He  was  licensed  to  practice  medi- 
cine in  1782.  Served  the  Society  in  the  ca- 
pacity of  President  for  three  terms,  beginning 
1822.  Little  is  known  of  his  personal  history. 
He  died  in  Bushwick,  Long  Island,  in  1830. 

Dr.  Matthew  Wendell,  M.  D.,  the  first  \'ice- 
President  and  sixth  President  of  the  Society, 
was  born  at  Albany,  N.  Y.,  July  9,  1777.  He 
came  to  Brooklyn  from  his  birthplace,  Albany, 
having  studied  under  Dr.  Hyde,  of  that  city. 


THE    MEDICAL   SOCIETY   OF   COUNTY   OF   KINGS. 


597 


He  became  a  licentiate  in  1804,  and  entering 
into  partnersliip  with  Dr.  Charles  Ball  in  1805 
he  opened  an  office  at  the  corner  of  Sands 
and  Fulton  streets.  In  181 2  he  became  sur- 
geon in  the  United  States  Army.     From  1815 


Dr.  John  Carpenter,  first  Treasurer  of  the 
Society,  was  the  son  of  Anthony  Carpenter; 
his  mother  was  a  daughter  of  the  late  Rev. 
John  Moffat,  a  Presbyterian  preacher ;  also  the 
early  tutor  of  Governor  DeWitt  Clinton.     Dr. 


THE    LIBRARY    OF    THE    MEDICAL    SOCIETY    OF    THE    COUNTY    OF    KINGS. 


to  1816  he  was  free  vaccinator.  In  181 5  he 
was  President  of  the  Society  for  the  Preven- 
tion of  Vice  in  the  Town  of  Brooklyn.  He 
was  Health  Officer  of  this  city  during  the  years 
1831  to  1838,  and  185 1  to  1857,  and  in  hours 
■of  pestilence,  as  well  as  quiet,  showed  great 
executive  ability.     He  died  in  July,  i86o. 


Carpenter  was  born  at  Goshen,  New  York,  on 
April  17,  1791.  His  education  was  conducted 
by  the  Rev.  John  Moffat;  he  came,  however, 
to  New  York  about  1807.  On  his  arrival  in 
the  city  he  made  his  home  with  Rev.  James  B. 
Romeyn,  D.  D.,  and  found  employment  in 
the  Governor's  office.     A  few  years  later  he 


598 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


began  to  study  medicine  under  Dr.  Douglas, 
of  New  York,  as  preceptor.  He  attended  the 
course  of  lectures  at  the  old  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons,  and  in  1812  was  licensed 
to  practice  by  the  New  York  State  Medical 
Society.  It  is  believed  that  he  obtained  the 
first  license  granted  by  the  Kings  County  So- 
ciety, which  was  given  him  in  1822.  At  the 
beginning  of  the  war  of  1812  he  was  connected 
with  the  United  States  Army,  and  continued 
with  the  army  until  1822,  when  he  commenced 
private  practice  in  Fort  Hamilton  and  New 
Utrecht.  In  the  same  year  he  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Medical  Society.  He  also 
organized  the  first  Sunday-school  in  Fort 
Hamilton,  of  which  he  was  Superintendent  for 
thirty-eight  years.  In  fact  he  might  be  termed 
the  father  of  the  Brooklyn  Sunday-school  sys- 
tem.   He  died  on  September  13,  1864. 

Dr,  Adrian  Vandeveer  was  born  in  Flat- 
bush  December  21,  1796.  He  was  prepared 
for  Columbia  College  at  Erasmus  Hall  Acad- 
emy, and  after  graduating  from  there  studied 
medicine  at  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons,  New  York.  In  1819  he  entered 
upon  a  practice  which  finally  extended  over 
the  whole  of  Kings  county.  At  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Society  he  was  elected  First  Sec- 
retary, and  became  its  seventh  President,  dur- 
ing the  years  1837  to  1838.  He  and  Dr.  T. 
W.  Henry  were  the  only  members  of  the  So- 
ciety at  its  organization  who  were  graduates 
of  medical  colleges,  all  others  being  licentiates. 
-In  the  epidemic  of  Asiatic  cholera  in  1832  Dr. 
Vandeveer  was  appointed  Health  Officer  of 
Flatbush.  He  was  one  of  the  first  physicians 
to  abandon  general  practice  and  confine  him- 
self to  a  special  branch  of  the  profession.  This 
aroused  opposition  from  his  medical  brethren, 
but  he  persevered,  and  eventually  accomplished 
much.  He  died  July  5,  1827,  in  his  sixty-fifth 
year.  Like  many  of  the  early  physicians,  he 
was  closely  identified  with  church  work,  hav- 
ing organized  the  Reformed  Church  Sabbath 
School  of  Flatbush  in  1825,  of  which  he  was 
Superintendent  from  1825  to  1857. 


The  duties  of  the  Censors  were  far  more 
onerous  than  the  general  public  can  realize.  It 
was  their  duty  to  examine  candidates  and 
license  them  to  practice  medicine.  The  first 
three  men  who  formed  the  Board  of  Censors- 
were  Drs.  Joseph  G.  T.  Hunt,  Thomas  W. 
Henry  and  Charles  Ball. 

Dr.  Hunt  was  born  in  1783.  He  studied 
medicine  with  Drs.  Whitehead,  Hicks  and 
Bard,  was  licensed  in  1804  and  appointed  As- 
sistant Surgeon  in  the  Navy.  After  having 
been  promoted  to  full  surgeon,  1806,  he  served 
in  the  Algerian  war  under  Decatur,  and  was- 
on  board  the  "Chesapeake"  when  she  was  cap- 
tured by  the  "Leopard."  Later  on  he  was  sta- 
tioned at  the  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard,  and  in  ad- 
dition to  his  official  duty  acquired  considerable 
private  practice.  In  1820  he  resigned  from 
the  service.  In  1825  he  was  appointed  First 
Health  Officer  of  Brooklyn,  with  a  salary  of 
$200  a  year,  and  served  until  1830.  He  was 
also  President  of  the  Medical  Society  from 
1825  to  1830.  He  died  in  August,  1830,  hav- 
ing held  the  office  of  President  longer  than  any 
other  member  up  to  the  present  time. 

Thomas  W.  Henry  was  born  in  the  city  of 
New  York  June  17,  1796.  His  education  was 
obtained  in  the  private  boarding,  schools  of 
New  York.  In  18 18  he  entered  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons,  New  York,  receiv- 
ing the  degree  of  M.  D.  in  1820.  Dr.  Hi'.nry 
began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Brooklyn,  as  Brooklyn  at  that  time 
did  not  extend  much  further  than  the  presimt 
City  Hall,  the  population  being  about  5,000. 
His  first  office  was  at  Sands  and  Jay  streets, 
then  he  removed  near  the  further  corner  of 
Henry  and  Orange  streets,  and  the  old  direct- 
ories give  his  addriss  as  65  Henry  street.  The 
name  of  this  street  was  chosen  by  the  Trus- 
tees of  the  village  of  Brooklyn,  April  8,  1819 
According  to  the  custom  then  in  vogue,  Dr. 
Henry  conducted  for  a  number  of  years  a  drug- 
store at  the  corner  of  Sands  and  Jay  streets. 
In  addition  to  hclding  the  office  of  Censor  in 
the  Society,  Dr.  Henry  was  elected  to  the  Vice- 


THE    MEDICAL   SOCIETY   OF  COUNTY  OF  KINGS. 


599- 


Presidency  in  1827,  and  to  the  Presidency  in 
1831.  In  1832  he  was  elected  an  honorary 
member  of  the  Medical  Society  of  the  State 
of  New  York.  The  records  show  that  he  was 
preceptor  for  the  late  George  Gilfillan  and 
Ripley  E.  W.  Adams.  It  is  said  of  Dr.  Henry 
that  he  was  a  man  of  marked  education,  stern 
and  conscious  in  his  manner,  ever  ready  to  as- 
sist the  sick  and  needy  by  his  advice  and  treat- 
ment. 

In  comparison  with  the  other  two  Censors 
litde  is  known  of  Dr.  Charles  C.  Ball.  He  was 
licensed  July  4,  1806,  and  entered  into  private 
practice.  In  1824  he  and  Dr.  Wendell  had 
joint  ofKces  at  Columbia  and  Cranberry  streets. 
They  then  moved  to  112  Fulton  street,  corner 
of  Main.  He  erected  the  first  three-story  brick 
house  in  Brooklyn,  where  he  lived  at  the  time 
of  his  death.  This  house  was  surrounded  by 
beautiful  grounds,  and  is  pictured  in  Guy's 
snow  scene  of  1820.  Besides  holding  the  posi- 
tion of  Censor  he  was  President  from  1833  to 
1834.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Society 
for  the  Prevention  of  Vice.  It  is  interesting  to 
note  that  he  was  the  richest  physician  of  his 
time,  owning  all  of  what  is  now  known,  as 
Brooklyn  Heights ;  he  was  the  first  to  give  up 
horseback  for  the  more  luxurious  carriage. 

Of  Dr.  Francis  Du  Bois,  like  Dr.  Ball,  little 
is  known.  He  was  the  son  of  John  E.  Du  Bois, 
of  the  town  of  New  Utrecht.  Was  born  May 
21,  1873.  He  married  Sarah  Bergen,  and  died 
January  22,  1827. 

With  Dr.  Creed,  however,  we  are  more  for- 
tunate. He  was  born  in  1787,  in  the  town  of 
Jamaica.  His  early  education  was  obtained  at 
Friars'  Hall  Academy,  with  the  addition  of  a 
few  years  at  Columbia  College.  He  began  the 
study  of  medicine  in  1805,  under  the  preceptor- 
ship  of  Dr.  Comaine,  in  New  York.  He  also 
attended  medical  lectures  at  the  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons,  New  York,  and  was 
licensed  to  practice  medicine  in  1809.  He  ac- 
cepted the  position  of  interne  in  Bellevue  Hos- 
pital during  the  year  1810,  being  the  second 
interne  in  that  institution. 


In  181 1  he  began  the  practice  of  medicine 
in  the  village  of  Brooklyn.  The  same  year  he 
was  Sheriff  of  Kings  county,  and  was  the  only 
medical  man  in  Kings  county  to  hold  that 
office.  In  1812  he  was  appointed  surgeon  in 
Jeremiah  Johnson's  brigade,  stationed  at  Fort 
Greene.  He  resumed  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession after  the  close  of  the  war,  and  in  1822 
became  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Medical 
Society  of  the  County  of  Kings.  When  the 
first  board  of  health  was  organized  in  Flat- 
bush,  in  1832,  by  John  B.  Zabriskie,  M.  D., 
with  Dr.  Adrian  Vandeveer  as  Health  Officer, 
his  associates  were  Drs.  William  D.  Creed  and 
Robert  Edmond,  all  members  of  the  Society. 
Soon  after  Dr.  Creed  removed  to  Jamaica,  and 
connected  himself  with  the  Queens  County 
iMedical  Society,  of  which  he  was  President 
during  the  years  1856  and  1857.  He  was  also 
a  member  of  the  Suffolk  County  Medical  So- 
ciety. Dr.  Creed,  like  many  of  the  old  physi- 
cians, was  interested  in  the  temperance  cause, 
and  for  a  number  of  years  was  President 
of  the  Queens  County  Temperance  Society. 
He  also  organized  the  First  Reformed  Church 
at  Queens,  Long  Island,  laying  the  corner- 
stone in  September,  1858.  Dr.  Creed  died  in 
1870,  aged  eighty-three  years. 

In  addition  to  the  biographies  of  the  foun- 
ders it  will  be  interesting  to  touch  briefly  upon 
the  lives  of  the  deceased  presidents. 

Dr.  Isaac  J.  Rapelye  become  the  fifth  Presi- 
dent of  the  Society  in  1835.  He  came  of  a 
very  interesting  family,  for  tradition  has  it 
that  the  first  white  child  born  on  Long  Island 
was  a  Rapelye.  The  date  of  the  Doctor's  birth 
has  never  been  ascertained.  In  fact,  little  is 
known  of  him  up  to  the  date  of  his  gradua- 
tion from  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons in  1820.  He  practiced  in  Newtown 
from  1820  to  1830,  and  in  Brooklyn  from  1830 
to  1847.  He  held  the  position  of  Health  Of- 
ficer from  1839  to  1840;  was  Censor  of  the  So- 
ciety during  the  years  1831,  1832  and  1833. 
In  1847  he  met  with  a  tragic  death.  While 
going  upstairs  a   favorite  dog  jumped  upon 


600 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


him  with  such  force  that  he  was  thrown  the 
full  length  of  tue  stairs.  It  was  found,  upon 
examination,  that  his  neck  was  dislocated,  thus 
producing  instant  death.. 

Dr.  John  Barrea  Zabriskie  was  President 
of  the  Medical  Society  of  the  County  of  Kings 
in  1839,  being  the  eighth  in  line  of  succession 
of  the  preceding  officers.  He  was  prepared  for 
college  at  Millstone,  New  Jersey.  He  entered 
Union,  Schenectady,  leaving  that  college  in 
1823.  The  following  year  he  began  the  study 
of  medicine  in  the  office  of  Mr.  William  Mc- 
Keesick,  of  Millstone,  and  became  a  student  in 
the  College  of  Physicians  in  New  York,  1825. 
In  1826  he  was  licensed  to  practice  medicine 
by  the  Medical  Society  of  the  State  of  New 
Jersey.  Not  being  satisfied  with  this  legal 
qualification,  he  entered  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  received  the  degree  of  M. 
D.  in  1827.  In  1830,  after  having  practiced 
for  a  time  in  New  York,  he  removed  to  New 
Lots,  and  thence  to  Flatbush,  where  he  spent 
the  remaining  eighteen  years  of  his  life  in  the 
active  practice  of  medicine.  He  joined  the 
Medical  Society  of  the  County  of  Kings  in 
1829.  He  was  Censor  and  Secretary  in  1831-2 
and  Vice-President  in  1833-4-5,  and  was  Presi- 
dent in  1839.  He  also  represented  the  county 
organization  in  the  State  Medical  Society  in 
1829-31,  where  he  presented  a  paper  on  the 
medical  topography  of  Kings  county,  which 
was  published  in  the  transactions  of  1832. 
During  that  same  year  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Flatbush  Board  of  Health  and  in  1847 
superintendent  of  the  Flatbush  School  Dis- 
trict, which  included  New  Lots.  Besides 
these  positions  he  was  at  one  time  physi- 
cian in  charge  of  the  Kings  County  Alms- 
house, and  at  another  surgeon  to  the  Two 
Hundred  and  Forty-first  Regiment,  New  York 
State  Militia.  He  was  also  trustee  of  the 
Erasmus  Hall  Academy,  and  was  an  elder 
in  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church.  In  1848 
he  died  of  a  contagious  disease  contracted  in 
his  professional  career.  His  son,  John  L.  Zab- 
riskie, deceased,  was  a  member,  and  his  tv.'o 


grandsons  are  now  active  members  of  the  So- 
■  ciety. 

The  date  of  the  birth  of  Dr.'  Purcell  Cook 
is  not  known.  He  was  licensed  by  the  County 
Medical  Society  in  1824,  and  in  1851  received 
the  honorary  degree  of  M.  D.  from  the  Regents 
of  the  University  of  the  City  of  New  York. 
He  practiced  all  his  life  in  Brooklyn,  and 
held  the  following  positions  in  the  Society,  of 
which  he  was  a  member  during  the  years  1835 
to  i860:  was  Censor  in  1835,  Vice-President 
in  1839,  President  in  1840,  1841  and  1845.  He 
died  a  bachelor  December  24,  i860. 

The  next  in  line  is  Dr.  TEeodore  Lewis 
Mason.  He  was  born  in  Cooperstown,  New 
York,  September  30,  1803.  He  was  the  son  of 
the  Rev.  David  Mason,  of  Norwich,  Connecti- 
cut, and  a  direct  descendant  of  the  John  Mason 
who  came  to  Boston  from  England  in  1632. 
The  early  education  of  Dr.  Mason  was  re- 
ceived under  the  preceptorship  of  Rev.  Isaac 
Lewis,  He  began  the  study  of  medicine  in 
1822  at  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  under  Darius 
Meade,  M.  D.  A  few  years  later,  after  matric- 
ulating at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons, New  York,  with  David  Hosback  as  his 
preceptor,  he  graduated  in  1825.  In-that  same 
year  he  began  the  practice  of  his  profession 
at  Milton,  Connecticut,  where  he  remained  un- 
til 1832,  when  he  removed  to  New  York  city. 
In  1834  he  came  to  Brooklyn,  remaining  here 
until  his  death,  February  12,  1882. 

Bradley  Parker  graduated  from  the  Medi- 
cal Department  of  Dartmouth  College  in  1824. 
In  1836  he  joined  the  Medical  Society  of  which 
he  remained  a  member  until  his  death  in  1874. 
He  was  Censor  of  the  Society  during  the  years 
1838,  1840,  1841,  1846  and  1847.  Secretary 
in   1842  and   1843,  and  President  in   1844. 

John  Sullivan  Thorne  was  born  in  the  city 
of  New  York,  April  19,  1807.  Entered  Union 
College  and  received  the  degree  of  A.  M.  in 
1826,  and  immediately  began  the  study  of  med- 
icine in  the  offices  of  Drs.  Matthew  Wendell 
and  Charles  Ball,  two  of  the  organizers  and 
ex-Presidents  of    the  Medical    Society.     Re- 


THE    MEDICAL    SOCIETY   OF   COUNTY   OF  KINGS. 


601 


•ceived  the  degree  of  AI.  D.  from  the  College 
•of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  New  York,  in 
the  class  of  1829,  and  immediately,  began  the 
practice  of  medicine  in  Brooklyn,  at  51  Sands 
street.  In  1830  he  assisted  in  organizing  the 
first  dispensary  in  Brooklyn ;  when  the  dis- 
pensary was  discontinued  in  1839  he  assisted 
in  the  organization  of  the  City  Hospital,  and 
was  one  of  the  attending  physicians  until  1855. 
During  the  years  1844  and  1845  he  was  Presi- 
dent of  the  Hospital.  In  1832  he  was  physi- 
cian to  the  Cholera  Hospital,  and  from  1840 
to  1880  physician  to  the  Roman  Catholic 
Orphan  Asylum.  In  1876  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Council  of  the  Long  Island  College 
Hospital,  and,  at  the  same  time,  one  of  the 
consulting  surgeons.  In  1879  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Regents.  His  connection 
with  the  Medical  Society,  county  of  Kings, 
■dates  from  1834.  He  became  the  Vice-Presi- 
dent in  1844,  President  in  1846,  and  Censor 
in  185 1.  In  1843  Dr.  Thorne  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Brooklyn  Board  of  Education,  re- 
taining his  memBership  until  1872.  In  1868 
he  was  elected  President  of  the  board,  retain- 
ing the  position  until  his  retirement  in  1872, 
and  as  far  as  is  known  was  the  only  physi- 
cian who  ever  held  that  position.  In  addition 
to  these  various  offices  of  trust  he  held  the  po- 
sition of  Trustee  of  the  Brookl3-n  Female 
Academy,  and  was  also  a  director  of  the 
Packer  Institute  of  Brooklyn.  His  life  was  a 
record  of  usefulness. 

Lucius  Hyde  was  the  son  of  Isaac  Hyde, 
M,  D.,  of  Connecticut.  He  was  born  December 
13,  .1800.  Educated  at  Union  College,  he 
studied  under  his  father,  Isaac  Hyde,  in  1823, 
and  in  1825  was  licensed  by  the  New  York 
State  Medical  Society.  Practiced  in  Brooklyn 
from  1825  to  1862.  Joined  the  Society  in  1835. 
He  was  Censor  during  the  years  1843,  1846, 

1848,  and  President  in  1847.  A  delegate  1.0 
the  New  York  State  Medical  Society  1848-50, 
and  to  the  American  Medical  Society   1847, 

1849,  1850  and  1851.  He  died  September  11, 
1862. 


Chauncey  Leeds  Mitchell,  A.  M.,  M.  D., 
was  born  at  New  Canaan,  Connecticut,  No- 
vember 13,  1813.  He  graduated  at  Union 
College  in  1833,  received  the  degree  of  A.  M. 
in  1836,  and  the  degree  of  M.  D.  in  1836,  from 
the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  New 
York.  He  practiced  medicine  in  Brooklyn 
from  1843  to  1888,  was  a  member  of  the  Coun- 
cil of  Long  Island  College  Hospital  from  i860 
to  1888;  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Regents 
from  1878  to  1888.  Was  Professor  of  Obstet- 
rics at  Castleton,  Vermont,  Medical  College 
from  1842  to  1845.  Member  of  the  Medical 
Society  of  the  county,  of  which  he  was  Presi- 
dent in  1848,  and  1858  to  1859;  New  York 
Academy  of  Medicine  from  1847  to  1888.  The 
American  Academy  of  Medicine  from  1879 
to  1888,  and  the  Brooklyn  Pathological  So- 
ciety from  1 87 1  to  1888. 

Henry  James  Cullen,  born  at  Manor  Ham- 
ilton, Sligo,  Ireland^  July  2,  1806,  came  to  this 
country  when  about  fourteen,  remaining  in 
New  York  five  or  six  years,  when  he  removed 
to  New  Orleans,  where  he  began  the  study  of 
medicine.  In  1828  he  graduated  from  the 
Geneva  Medical  College,  in  New  York.  Im- 
mediately after  graduation  he  returned  to  Mat- 
amoras,  Mexico,  where  he  had  previously  lived 
some  years,  and  remained  there  three  years. 
In  1837,  after  a  trip  abroad,  he  settled  in 
Brooklyn,  where  he  resided  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  He  became  a  licentiate  of  the  Medical 
Society  in  1843,  a  membeil  in  1844,  Vice- 
President  in  1846  to  1847,  and  was  elected  its 
President  in  1849.  He  served  as  Censor  in 
185 1,  1856  to  1857.  He  was  for  years  one  of 
the  physicians  of  the  Brooklyn  City  Hospital, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death  consulting  physi- 
cian to  St.  Peter's  Hospital  and  St.  Mary's. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Brooklyn  Medico- 
Chirurgical  Society  from  1856  to  1866,  and 
President  in  1866.  He  was  one  of  the  worth- 
iest practitioners  Brooklyn  ever  had.  The 
last  time  he  was  seen  by  some  of  his  medical 
friends  was  on  a  cold  night,  when  the  air  was 
filled  with  snow  and  rain,  the  pavements  slip- 


602 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


pery  with  sleet,  walking  a  good  distance  in 
spite  of  his  chronic  enemy,  asthma,  to  witness 
the  transfusion  of  blood  from  the  carotid  of  a 
lamb  to  the  veins  of  a  man  enfeebled  by  dis- 
ease. Such  occasions  Dr.  Cullen  never  allowed 
to  pass.  He  was  a  practitioner  of  the  old 
school,  but  in  perfect  sympathy  with  the  pro- 
gressive spirit  of  the  profession.  To  Dr.  Cul- 
len the  medical  corps  of  the  Navy  owes  a  debt 
of  gratitude  which,  when  known,  will  be  fully 
appreciated.  It  was  he  who  instigated  the 
movement  in  1859  to  secure  for  the  surgeons 
a  right  which  had  often  been  asked  for,  and 
as  often  denied.  Acting  upon  his  recommen- 
dation, the  Society  appointed  a  committee  with 
power  to  promote,  by  all  lawful  means,  the 
passage  by  Congress  according  to  the  Naval 
medical  corps  their  just  demands.  Circulars 
were  addressed  to  medical  societies  far  and 
wide.  Petitions  were  sent  to  Washington  and 
members  of  Congress  appealed  to  personally 
to  further  the  cause,  which  two  years  later 
signally  triumphed.  Dr.  Cullen  was  a  man 
of  decided  natural  ability  and  high  intellectual 
qualities. 

James  Harvey  Henry  was  born  at  Rut- 
land, Massachusetts,  February  22,  1806.  He 
died  in  Brooklyn  November  i,  1875.  He  grad- 
uated at  the  Berkshire  Medical  Institute  in 
1827.  A  member  of  the  Council  of  the  Long 
Island  College  Hospital  from  i860  to  1867, 
and  of  the  Medical  Society  of  the  County  of 
Kings,   of  which  he  was   President  in    1850. 

Dr.  Samuel  Johnson  Osborn  was  bora 
May  4,  1813,  at  Mount  Airy,  Germantown, 
Pennsylvania.  His  early  schooling  was  ob- 
tained at  the  Middletown  Academy,  Connecti- 
cut, and  Joseph  Hoxie's  School,  New  York. 
After  completing  his  education  he  entered  the 
drug  business,  where  he  remained  until  1840, 
when  he  began  the  study  of  medicine  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  under  the  preceptorship  of 
Drs.  Nichol  H.  Deering  and  Joseph  Smith. 
Entering  the  Medical  Department  of  Rutgers 
College  in  1842,  and  the  New  York  College  of 
Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  1843,  he  obtained 


the  degree  of  M.  D.  in  1844,  and  began  the 
practice  of  medicine  in  the  city  of  Brooklyn, 
connecting  himself  with  the  Medical  Society 
the  same  year,  serving  the  Society  as  Censor, 
1846-50-52-55,  and  as  President  in  1851.  He 
was  Secretary  from  1845  to  185 1.  In  1855  he 
removed  to  Oshkosh,  Wisconsin,  where  his 
ability  was  recognized  by  the  citizens,  in  evi- 
dence of  which  he  was  called  upon  to  fill  the 
following  positions :  Supervisor ;  School  Su- 
perintendent, 1859  to  1869;  School  Commis- 
sioner, 1869  to  1 87 1,  and  Alderman,  1871  to 
1872.  He  was  an  upright  man,  a  profound 
student  of  human  nature,  and  an  honor  to  his 
profession.  During  sixty  years  of  his  life  he 
was  connected  with  the  Masonic  order,  having 
held  the  position  of  Master  and  High  Priest 
in  his  lodge  and  chapter. 

George  Marvin  was  born  at  Norwalk,  Con- 
necticut, February  23,  1798.  Having  been 
prepared  for  college  in  his  native  town,  he  en- 
tered Yale  University  in  1814,  receiving  the 
degree  of  A.  M.  in  1817.  In  1818  he  matricu- 
lated witli  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  received  the  degree  of  M.  D.  in  1821. 
He  began  private  practice  in  Rochester,  re- 
maining there  until  1828,  when  he  came  to 
New  York  city.  In  1831  he  removed  to  the 
city  of  Brooklyn,  where  he  engaged  in  active 
practice  until  1874.  In  1831  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Medical  Society,  holding  the  posi- 
tion of  Censor  in  1837-38  and  1839.  Was 
Vice-President  in  1840  to  1841,  and  President 
in  1852.  He  was  Assistant  Physician  to  the 
City  Hospital,  1840  to  1845,  and  a  member  of 
the  Council  of  the  Long  Island  College  Hos- 
pital from  1867  to  1874.  For  thirty-five  years 
he  was  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church  of  Brooklyn. 

Dr.  Andrew  Otterson  was  born  near  Ams- 
terdam, Fulton  county,  New  York,  February 
22,  1822,  and  died  April  15,  1897.  His  aca- 
demic education  was  received  at  Hempstead 
Harbor,  Long  Island,  and  Freehold,  New  Jer- 
sey, and  in  the  year  1840  he  commenced  the 
study  of  medicine  at  Whitehouse,  New  Jersey, 


THE    MEDICAL   SOCIETY   OF  COUNTY   OF  KINGS. 


003 


having  for  his  preceptor  Dr.  William  John- 
son of  that  place.  He  went  to  the  University 
Medical  College,  graduating  from  there  in 
1844,  and  immediately  selecting  Brooklyn  as 
the  field  of  his  future  efforts  for  fame  and 
success.  In  1845  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Medical  Society  of  the  County  of  Kings,  and 
remained  a  member  fifty-two  years.  His  con- 
nection with  the  Medical  Society  covers  a 
period  of  more  than  two-thirds  of  his  life.  He 
signed  his  name  as  the  seventy-eighth  member 
on  the  roll,  and  added  to  that  eminent  list  an 
unimpeachable  presence,  a  sublime  purpose, 
and  a  dignity  of  character  that  remained  \\n- 
questioned,  and  lived  to  enjoy  the  growth  of 
its  membership  to  more  than  six  hundred.  At 
the  time  of  his  death  he  was  the  oldest  ex- 
President  of  the  Society  in  active  membership, 
the  oldest  non-resident  ex-President  living  be- 
ing Samuel  J.  Osborn,  who  filled  the  chair  m 
1851,  removed  to  Wisconsin  in  1862,  attain- 
ing his  eighty-fourth  year  of  age  on  May  4, 
1897.  Between  these  two  there  existed  a  warm 
friendship,  which  time  failed  to  dim  or  dis- 
tance to  sever.  Dr.  Otterson's  membership  in 
the  Medical  Society  was  not  without  recogni- 
tion. He  was  President  in  1853,  1854,  and 
again  in  1868.  He  held  the  position  of  Censor 
in  1849,  1864  and  1865.  Secretary  in  1850, 
185 1  and  1852,  and  Treasurer  from  1855  to 
1861.  He  also  became  associated  with  the 
Brooklyn  Medical  Society  in  1856,  and  was  its 
President  in  1857;  with  the  Brooklyn  Med- 
ico-Chirurgical  Society  from  1857  to  1866,  be- 
ing its  President  in  1857,  1858  and  1859;  the 
Brooklyn  Pathological  Society  from  1877  to 
1897;  the  Brooklyn  Medical  Book  Club  from 
1892  to  1897,  and  the  Alumni  Association  of 
the  University  Medical  College  of  the  city  of 
New  York,  of  which  he  was  elected  Vice- 
President  in  1896.  While  thus  professionally 
affiliated  there  were  social  duties  which  claimed 
his  attention ;  among  these  were  Altair  Lodge, 
No.  601,  F.  &  A.  Masons,  Constellation  Chap- 
ter, R.  A.  M.,  Brooklyn  Consistory,  No.  24, 
and  Ancient  Scottish  Rite,  thirty-third  degree. 
To  cease  here  would  be  denying  him  the  time- 


honored  association  of  a  membership  where 
his  presence  was  ever  punctual  and  an  inspira- 
tion for  good — a  Fellow  for  fifty  years  of 
Montauk  Lodge,  No.  114,  I.  O.  O.  F.  In  his 
early  professional  life  he  filled  the  position  of 
Attending  Physician  to  the  Brooklyn  Dispen- 
sary from  1850  to  1855.  In  professional  pub- 
lic life  Dr.  Otterson  was  Health  Officer  of  the 
city  of  Brooklyn  in  1872,  and  again  in  1883 ; 
was  President  of  the  Board  of  Health  in  1875 
and  1877 ;  Commissioner  of  Health  in  1879 
and  1880,  and  again  from  February  6,  1886, 
to  February  i,  1888.  Like  many  physicians  in 
active  practice.  Dr.  Otterson  found  little  time 
for  contributing  to  the  medical  literature  of 
the  day.  He  was  essentially  a  practical  man, 
who  never  lost  a  suggestion,  and  was  never 
found  without  one.  His  reports  of  the  Health 
Department  are  chiefly  clerical,  but  His  papers 
on  the  cholera  epidemics  of  1848  and  1854  in 
Brooklyn  give  proof  of  a  facile  pen  and  an 
ability  to  understand  the  hygienic  requirements 
necessary  in  times  of  sudden  outbursts  of  dis- 
ease. Dr.  Otterson's  life  was  one  continued 
earnest  effort ;  right  or  wrong,  he  knew  no 
middle  ground.  To  his  brothers  in  the  pro- 
fession he  was  singularly  courteous,  upright 
and  void  of  dissimulation,  ever  ready  to  ex- 
tend the  helping  hand.  In  ethics  he  was  a 
moralist ;  in  politics  a  Jacksonian  Democrat ;  in. 
the  practice  of  his  profession  an  ideal  physi- 
cian, kind,  conscientious,  faithful  and  beloved. 

George  I.  Bennett  was  born  November  15, 
1809.  He  graduated  at  the  University  of  the 
City  of  New  York  in  1842.  Practiced  in 
Brooklyn  during  his  professional  career,  1842 
to  1875.  He  was  the  first  outdoor  temperance 
orator  in  Brooklyn,  lecturing  on  Fort  Greene 
plaza  on  Sunday  afternoons,  and  using  the 
stomachs  of  patients  who  had  died  of  alchohol- 
ism  (as  prepared  by  Dr.  John  G.  Johnson,  of 
Brooklyn)  to  illustrate  his  text.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Kings  County  Society,  1842  to 
1875.  The  Vice-President  in  1851 ;  Censor  in 
1858;  Librarian  in  1859  to  1869,  and  Presi- 
dent in  1855. 

Timothy    Anderson    Wade  was  graduated. 


604 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


from  Berkshire  Medical  Institute,  1843.  He 
practiced  medicine  from  1844  to  1866.  Was 
physician  to  the  Brooklyn  Dispensary,  1846 
to  1850;  physician  to  the  Kings  County  Peni- 
tentiary, 1849  to  1859.  A  member  of  the 
Kings  County  Medical  Society  from  1845  to 
1856.  Was  Secretary,  1847  to  1848  and  1849. 
Censor  in  1849;  President  in  1856;  Delegate 
to  the  American  Medical  Association  in  1855. 
He  died  in  Brooklyn,  in  April,  1866. 

Samuel  Boyde  was  born  in  Manhattan,  in 
1806,  began  studying  medicine  in  New  York 
city,  1825,  with  Dr.  Alexander  Stephens. 
Graduated  from  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons  in  1828;  post-graduate  studies  were 
conducted  in  the  hospitals  of  Dublin,  Edin- 
burgh and  Paris.  Began  private  practice  in 
New  York  city^  1829.  In  1844  he  moved  to 
Staten  Island,  where  he  remained  until  1848; 
also  had  an  office  in  Brooklyn  from  1830  to 
i860.  Health  Officer  of  the  city  of  Brooklyn 
from  1857  to  1859,  and  Visiting  Physician  in 
the  City  Hospital,  1840  to  1843.  Member  of 
Kings  County  Society,  1847  to  1861 ;  was 
Vice-President  in  1857.  Delegate  to  the  State 
Society  in  1835.  Physician  to  Seamen's  Re- 
treat, Staten  Island,  1844  to  1848;  a  surgeon 
in  the  Seminole  War,  and  the  only  member 
that  contributed  a  pamphlet  on  the  yellow 
fever  of  1856  then  prevalent  in  New  Utrecht. 

Daniel  Brooks,  M.  D.,  born  in  Westmore- 
land, New  Hampshire,  in  1813,  took  the  degree 
of  A.  M.  from  Yale  University  in  1839; 
the  degree  of  M.  D.  from  the  Vermont  Medical 
College  in  1845 !  was  interne  at  the  Insane 
Asylum  at  Hartford,  Connecticut,  1845  to 
1846;  practiced  medicine  in  Brooklyn,  1846 
to  1861 ;  attending  physician  at  the  Brooklyn 
Dispensary,  1846  to  1850;  member  of  the 
Kings  County  Society,  1847  to  1861 ;  Vice- 
President,  1859;  President,  i860;  delegate  to 
the  American  Association,  i860;  died  De- 
cember 24,  1861. 

Christopher  Raborg  McClellan,  born  in 
Baltimore,  Maryland,  in  1813;  graduated  from 
Yale  University,   1833.     Received  the  degree 


of  M.  D.  in  the  University  of  Maryland,  1835 ; 
was  interne  at  Baltimore  City  Hospital  and 
County  Almshouse,  1835  to  1836;  practiced 
medicine  in  Brooklyn,  1837  to  1887;  Health 
Officer  of  Brooklyn,  1841  to  1842;  attending 
physician  City  Hospital,  1845  to  1850;  con- 
sulting physician,  St.  Peter's  Hospital,  1877 
to  1887;  member  of  the  Kings  County  Medical 
Society,  1839  to  1887;  Censor  in  1842;  Vice- 
President,  1850  to  i860;  President,  1861 ; 
member  New  York  Mutual  Aid  Association, 
New  York  Academy  of  Medicine,  State  Medi- 
cal Association,  and  in  1866  he  was  a  delegate 
to  the  American  Medical  Association ;  Profes- 
sor of  Botany  in  the  New  York  College  of 
Pharmacy  in  1839;  he  died  in  Brooklyn  Jan- 
uary 13,  1887. 

Samuel  Hart  was  born  at  Wakefield,  Mass- 
achusetts, November  27,  1796;  graduated  at 
Harvard  University  (A.  B.,  1817;  A.  M., 
1820;  M.  D.,  1821).  Began  the  practice  of 
medicine  at  Beverly,  Massachusetts,  in  1821. 
In  1828  he  removed  to  Oswego,  New  York, 
and  in  1855  he  removed  to  Brooklyn,  where 
he  died  September  3,  1878.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Kings  County  Medical  Society, 
1858  to  1878,  and  Censor  in  1861,  1863  and 
1870.  Was  President  in  1862.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Oswego  Medical  Society,  1829 
to  1855,  also  a  member  of  the  American  Medi- 
cal Association  and  of  the  New  York  State 
Medical  Society,  and  Fellow  of  Massachusetts 
Medical  Society.  He  was  Curator  of  the 
Medical  Department  of  the  University  of  Buf- 
falo, and  Surgeon  to  the  Riflemen  of  Oswego, 
New  York.  He  bequeathed  his  library  to  the 
Kings  County  Medical  Society  in  1878. 

De  Witt  Clinton  Enos,  M.  D.,  was  born  at 
De  Ruyter,  New  York,  March  17,  1820.  Died 
in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  December  14,  1868. 
Received  his  medical  education  in  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  New  York,  grad- 
uating in  1846.  He  was  professor  of  General 
and  Descriptive  Anatomy  in  the  Long  Island 
College  Hospital,  i860  to  1867.  Professor  of 
operative  and  clinical  surgery.   Long    Island 


THE    MEDICAL   SOCIETY   OF   COUNTY   OF  KINGS. 


605- 


Hospital,  1867  to  1868.  He  was  President 
of  the  Medical  Society  of  the  County  of  Kings 
in  1863.  He  practiced  medicine  in  the  city  of 
Brooklyn  from  1847  to  1868. 

Joseph  Chrisman  Hutchison  was  born  in 
Howard  county,  Missouri,  Feb.  22,  1827,  died 
in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  July  17,  1887.  Grad- 
uated M.  D.,  University  of  Pennsylvania,  1848, 
receiving  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Missouri  in  1880.  Was  Professor 
of  operative  surgery  and  surgical  anatomy  of 
the  Long  Island  College  Hospital  from  i860 
to  1867.  President  of  the  Collegiate  Depart- 
ment, 1886  and  1887.  President  of  the  Medi- 
cal Society  of  the  County  of  Kings,  1864 ;  New 
York  State  Medical  Society,  1866;  New  York 
PatKological  Society,  1871 ;  and  Health  Com- 
missioner of  Brooklyn  from  1873  to  1875, 
where  he  practiced  medicine  from  1853  to 
1887. 

John  Terry  Conkling,  M.  D.  was  born  at 
Smithtown,  Long  Island,  jNIarch  19,  1825,  died 
in  Brooklyn  March  17,  1898,  thus  rounding 
out  a  useful  life  of  more  than  the  allotted  time 
of  three-score  years  and  ten.  His  preliminary 
education  was  received  in  the  schools  at  the 
place  of  his  birth,  and  at  the  State  Normal 
School  of  Albany,  graduating  from  there  in 
1847.  Shortly  after  this  he  came  to  Brooklyn, 
and  in  1852  began  the  study  of  medicine  in 
the  office  of  De  Witt  Clinton  Enos,  M.  D.  Dr. 
Conkling  matriculated  at  the  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons,  attending  lectures  during 
the  winters  of  1853,  1854  and  1855,  graduat- 
ing in  1855.  He  began  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine in  Brooklyn,  1855,  and  continued  until 
incapacitated  by  sickness.  Was  Superintend- 
ent of  the  Metropolitan  Board  of  Health  from 
1864  to  1870,  and  was  made  President  of  the 
Brooklyn  Board  of  Health  in  1873.  Was  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Education,  1864  to 
1870;  member  Council  of  the  Long  Island  Col- 
lege Hospital,  1886  to  1893 ;  Physician  to  the 
Brooklyn  Dispensary  and  Eye  and  Ear  In- 
firmary and  Consulting  Physician  of  the  Long 
Island  College  Hospital.    Member  of  the  Long 


Island  Plistorical  Society;  became  a  member 
of  the  Kings  County  Medical  Society,  1859; 
Censor,  and  President  in  1864,  serving  one 
term. 

William  W.  Reese  was  born  of  Quaker 
parentage,  about  eighty-seven  years  ago,  near 
Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania.  He  received  the 
degree  of  M.  D.  from  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania in  1845.  After  coming  to  this  city 
he  became  a  member  of  the  Medical  Society 
in  the  county  of  Kings  in  1861.  Six  years 
after  joining  the  society  he  was  elected  to  the 
Presidency,  which  office  he  held  during  the 
year  1867.  Dr.  Reese  was  one  of  the  con- 
stituent members  of  the  New  York  Physicians' 
Mutual  Aid  Association.  Was  the  first  Vice- 
President,  his  term  extending  from  1871  10 
1892.  From  1874  he  was  also  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Committee  on  Applications  for 
?ilembership.  Besides  holding  the  office  of 
President  he  was  Librarian  from  1870  to  1878 
and  later  held  the  office  of  Assistant  Secre- 
tary. He  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the  New 
York  State  Medical  Society  for  the  years  1870 
to  1873 ;  a  delegate  to  the  American  Medical 
Association  from  1870  to  1879,  ^^'^  the  Na- 
tional Quarantine  and  Sanitary  Commission 
in  1866.    He  died  on  October  20,  1894. 

Richard  Cresson  Styles  was  born  in  Phila- 
delphia, Pennsylvania,  Oct.  4,  1830,  died  at 
Westchester,  Pennsylvania,  April  17,  1873. 
In  185 1  he  took  the  degree  A.  B.  from  Yale 
University,  and  in  the  following  year  began 
the  study  of  medicine  in  the  office  of  Thomas 
Turner,  M.  D.,  of  Flatbush,  Long  Island, 
matriculating  with  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  receiving  the  degree  of  M.  D.  in 
1854.  The  years  1855  to  1856  were  spent  in 
the  Paris  Hospitals.  Returning  to  this  coun- 
try, he  began  the  practice  of  medicine  in  the 
State  of  Vermont,  where  he  continued  until 
1862,  receiving  in  that  year  the  appointment  of 
surgeon  of  volunteers.  In  1863  to  1864  he  was 
surgeon  in  Hancock's  corps,  coming  to  the 
city  of  Brooklyn.  In  the  same  year  he  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  medicine,  his  office  be- 


■606 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


ing  at  1 6  Court  street.  He  accepted  an  ap- 
pointment as  resident  physician  to  tiie  Kings 
County  Hospital,  remaining  until  1866.  Dur- 
ing the  years  1865  to  1866  he  held  the  position 
of  Superintendent  to  the  Hospital.  Under  the 
Metropolitan  Board  of  Health  he  held  the  of- 
fice of  Registrar  of  Kings  county  in  1866,  and 
was  Assistant  Sanitary  Superintendent  from 
1868  to  1870.  Previous  to  his  coming  to  Brook- 
lyn he  filled  the  following  positions :  Lec- 
turer on  Physiology,  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons,  New  York,  1861  to  1862 ;  Pro- 
fessor of  Physiology  and  Pathology,  Vermont 
Medical  College,  1857  to  1865;  Professor  of 
Physiology,  Berkshire  Medical  Institute,  Mas- 
sachusetts, 1858  to  1862.  His  affiliation  with 
medical  societies  has  been  as  follows :  Medi- 
cal Society,  County  of  Kings,  1865-1873 ;  Vice- 
President,  1867;  President,  1868-69;  Censor, 
1870;  Brooklyn  Pathological  Society,  1870- 
73,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  organizers. 
New  York  Academy  of  Medicine,  1865  to  1873. 
Delegate  to  the  American  Medical  Association, 
1865.  In  this  connection  it  may  be  interesting 
to  note  that  Dr.  Styles  had  given  some  time 
to  the  study  of  Texas  cattle  disease,  and  dis- 
covered the  parasite  which  caused  the  malady, 
and  which  Professor  Haller,  of  Jena,  named 
the  fungus  Conisthecium  Stilesianum,  in  honor 
of  the  discoverer. 

William  H.  Thayer  was  born  in  Milford, 
Massachusetts,  June  18,  1822,  "became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  class  of  1841,  Harvard  University, 
taking  his  A.  B.  in  regular  course.  He  re- 
ceived his  M.  D.  from  the  Harvard  Medical 
School  in  1844.  He  was  an  interne  of  the 
Massachusetts  General  Hospital  during  his 
student  period.  For  about  ten  years  he  prac- 
ticed at  Boston  and  at- Newtown  Centre,  Mas- 
sachusetts. From  1854  to  1862  he  resided  at 
Keene,  New  Hampshire.  Was  a  member  of 
the  State  Medical  Society,  New  Hampshire 
and  Vermont,  and  a  surgeon  of  ■  the  New 
Hampshire  volunteers.  From  1862  to  1865 
was  ^Medical  Director  of  New  York,  the  Sec- 


ond Division  of  United  States  Army  Corps, 
being  mustered  out  in  July,  1865.  He  joined 
the  Medical  Society  of  Kings  County  in  1866, 
filling  various  offices  from  1867  to  1878,  and 
holding  its  Presidency  in  1872  and  1873.  In 
1869  or  1870  he,  with  his  friend.  Dr.  R. 
C.  Styles,  and  nine  others,  laid  the  foundation 
of  the  Brooklyn  Pathological  Society.  In  1892 
he  gave  up  the  practice  of  tHe  profession  on 
account  of  deafness,  and  removed  to  Lanes- 
boro,  Massachusetts:  There  he  spent  the 
last  .five  years  of  his  life  in  the  enjoyment 
of  outdoor  freedom.  He  died  December  22, 
1897. 

William  Wallace  was  born  in  Cork,  Ire- 
land, May  14,  1835 ;  began  the  study  of  medi- 
cine in  Edinburgh  in  185 1,  and  graduated  from 
the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons  in  1856,  and  the 
Royal  College  of  Physicians  in  i860.  During 
185s  he  was  acting  Assistant  Surgeon  to  the 
Royal  Navy,  in  the  Russian  War.  After  the 
completion  of  his  medical  course  Dr.  Wallace 
entered  the  service  of  the  Cunard  Steamship 
Company,  and  for  seven  years  served  as  sur- 
geon. In  1864  he  began  practice  in  Brooklyn. 
Pie  held  the  office  of  attending  physician  to 
the  Out-door  Department  of  the  Long  Island 
College  Hospital.  Subsequently  he  became 
visiting  physician  to  the  following  institutions : 
Long  Island  College  Hospital,  St.  John's  Hos-  • 
pital  and  Home  for  Consumptives.  Consult- 
ing physician  to  Long  Island  College  Hospital 
and  St.  Mary's  Hospital,  and  medical  director 
to  the  college  dispensary,  were  the  important 
titles  conferred  upon  him.  His  appointment  ts 
a  member  of  the  Council  of  Long  Island  Col- 
lege and  Hospital  Committee  of  St.  John's 
Hospital,  and  the  board  of  Managers  of  the 
Church  Charity  Foundation,  shows  the  con- 
fidence reposed  in  him  by  the  general  public. 
In  the  Kings  County  Medical  Society  he  was 
elected  Censor,  Trustee  and  President,  and 
delegate  to  the  State  Society,  and  President  of 
the  Brooklyn  Pathological  Society.  He  died 
in  1897. 


CHAPTER   LI. 


VARIOUS    MEDICAL    SOCIETIES— BROOKLYN    HOSPITALS- 
DISPENSARIES. 


HE  reason  for  the  organization  of  the 
Aledico-Chirurgical  Society  is  that 
usually  offered,  want  of  harmony, 
or  inactivity,  in  the  older  societies. 
J.  H.  Hobart  Burge,  M.  D.,  located  in  the 
city  of  Brooklyn  in  1855.  The  Medical  So- 
ciety of  the  County  of  Kings  was  the  only 
medical  body  in  existence  and  its  members  met 
quarterly.  Dr.  Burge  felt  that  medical  men 
should  come  together  oftener,  and  issued  a 
call  to  a  number  of  physicians  to  meet  at  his 
office,  138  Duffield  street,  to  consider  the  ad- 
visability of  forming  an  active  medical  so- 
ciety. The  result  of  this  meeting  was  the  or- 
ganization of  the  above  society  on  November 
10,  1856. 

The  society  was  duly  organized,  in  Duf- 
field street,  the  name  of  which  it  received  in 
honor  of  Dr.  John  Duffield,  a  surgeon  in  the 
Revolutionary  War,  who  practiced  medicine 
in  the  village  of  Brooklyn  until  his  death  in 
1798. 

During  the  ten  years  that  the  society  had 
an  existence  in  Brooklyn  it  included  fifty  of 
the  most  active  phvsicians  as'  members,  many 
of  whom  were  connected  with  the  different 
hospitals  of  the  city,  and  in  a  position  to  pre- 
sent a  great  many  specimens  at  the  meetings 
of  the  society,  so  much  so  that  the  society  par- 
took largely  of  the  character  of  a  pathological 
society ;  this  work  continued  until  1866.  Dur- 
ing this  year  the  Medical  Society  of  the  Coun- 
ty of  Kings  resumed  active  work,  which  made 


it  unnecessary  to  have  two  medical  societies 
in  one  section  of  the  city.  The  members  of 
the  Medico-Chirurgical  Society  simply  trans- 
ferred their  field  of  active  work  to  the  Coun;!y 
Society. 

The  first  President  was  Andrew  Otterson, 
M.  D.,  who  held  the  office  from  1856-59. 

He  was  followed  by  Josepji  B.  Jones,  M. 
D.,  in  i860.  Dr.  Jones  is  a  graduate  of  the 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  New 
York,  of  1855.  He  was  local  Health  Officer 
from  1860-63  ai^d  1864-66;  Coroner  of  the 
county,  1869-74;  member  of  the  Medical  So- 
ciety of  the  County  of  Kings,  1860-76,  and  the 
last  President  of  the  Brooklyn  Medical  Society 
in  1857.  Daniel  Ayres,  M.  D.,  LL.  D.,  fol- 
lowed as  President,  during  the  years  1861-62- 
63.  He  was  born  in  Jamaica,  Long  Island,  on 
October  6,  1822,  "a  year  that  marks  the  birth 
of  our  County  Society."  He  was  prepared  for 
Princeton  College,  from  which  institution  he 
was  graduated,  A.  B.,  in  1842.  Wesleyan 
University  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of 
LL.  D.  in  1856.  He  commenced  the  study  of 
medicine  at  the  Castleton  Medical  College, Ver- 
mont, completing  his  studies  at  the  University 
of  New  York,  receiving  the  degree  of  M.  D.  in 

1845.  During  the  years  1844  and  1845  he  was 
interne  in  Bellevue  Hospital,  and  commenced 
private   practice   in   the   city   of   Brooklyn   in 

1846,  continuing  in  the  active  practice  of  his 
profession  in  thei  city  until  his  death,  January 
18,  1892.     During  his  long  and  active  service 


608 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


in  the  practice  of  the  healing  art  he  ever  main- 
tained that  dignity  of  character  and  honesty 
of  purpose  which  go  to  make  the  true  man 
and  physician.  In  1848  lie  was  surgeon  of  tlie 
Fifth  Brigade,  Thirteenth  and  Fourteenth 
Regiments,  New  York,  and  from  1861-65  sur- 
geon. New  York  State  Volunteers ;  surgeon  to 
the  Brooklyn  Hospital,  1846-53  and  1892; 
surgeon  to  St.  Peter's  Hospital,  1864-70;  Con- 
sulting Surgeon,  1870-92. 

His  greatest  work  was  in  connection  with 
the  Long  Island  College  Hospital.  He  was 
one  of  the  founders,  his  active  co-laborers  be- 
ing Louis  Bauer,  M.  D.,  F.  R.  C.  S.,  and  John 
r.yrne,  M.  D.,  LL.  D.  He  was  surgeon  to  the 
hospital  from  1858-60,  and  elected  the  first 
Professor  of  Surgery  in  1859,  and  Professor 
Emeritus  of  Surgical  Pathology  and  Clinical 
Surgery,  Long  Island  College  Hospital,  1874- 
1892. 

In  the  history  of  Bellevue  Hospital,  pub- 
lished in  1893,  Dr.  Daniel  Ayres  appears  as 
Professor  of  Surgery,  Long  Island  College 
Hospital,  1858-74.  This  is  simply  a  mistake, 
in  so  far  as  the  dates  are  concerned.  His  con- 
nection with  medical  societies  was  as  follows : 
Medical  Society  of  the  County  of  Kings, 
1845-92;  Censor,  1847;  American  Medical  As- 
sociation, New  York  Academy  of  Medicine, 
New  York  Pathological  Society,  Medical  So- 
ciety of  Berlin,  Medico-Chirurgical  Society  of 
Brooklyn,  New  York. 

His  contributions  to  surgery  have  been: 
"Treatment  of  Membranous  Croup  by  Trache- 
otomy," 1852;  "Successful  Treatment  of  Tet- 
anus," 1852 ;  "Successful  Reduction  of  Com- 
plete Dislocation  of  the  Cervical  Vertebras," 
1852;  "Contributions  to  Surgery,"  1857;  "Con- 
genital Exstrophy  of  the  Urinary  Bladder  and 
Its  Complication  Successfully  Treated  by  a 
New  Plastic  Operation,"  1859;  "Operations 
for  Artificial  Anus;"  "Trepanning  the  Skull 
for  Reflex  Epilepsy;"  "Lymphomata  in  Ap- 
terior  Mediastinum,"  1881 ;  "Reminiscences  of 
Tracheotomy;"  and  "Croup  and  Diphtheria," 
1881.     Several  of  the  above  papers  were  re- 


produced in  Hamilton's  Gross'  and  Erichsen's. 
"Systems  of  Surgery." 

His  bequests  to  Wesleyan  University  and 
Hoagland  Laboratory  are  well  known. 

John  Henry  Hobart  Burge,  M.  D.,  followed 
as  President,  in  1864-65.  He  was  born  in  the 
village  of  Wickford,  North  Kingston,  Wash- 
ington county,  Rhode  Island,  August  12,  1823. 
In  1844,  at  Wickford,  Rhode  Island,  he  com- 
menced the  study  of  medicine  under  the  pru- 
ceptorship  of  Drs.  William  Gorham  and  Will- 
iam Allen  Shaw,  which  were  continued  at  the 
University  of  the  City  of  New  York  from 
1846  to  1848,  graduating  M.  D.  in  that  year. 
His  post-graduate  studies  were  conducted  by 
Professors  Darling  and  Aylett,  and  at  the  New 
York  Hospital  under  Professors  Post,  Reid 
and  Watson.  Dr.  Burge's  private  practice 
commenced  in  New  York  city  in  1848.  In 
1849  and  1850  he  conducted  a  private  hospiLal 
at  Sacramento,  CaHfornia,  and  in  1851  to- 
1855  in  New  York  city,  coming  to  Brooklyn 
in  1855. 

During  the  fifty  years  of  professional  life 
he  has  been  connected  with  the  following: 
Physician,  New  York  Dispensary,  1852-54; 
Physician,  Brooklyn  Central  Dispensary,  1858- 
63;  Consulting  Physician,  1866-76;  Consult- 
ing Physician,  Brooklyn  Contagious  Diseases 
Hospital.  1863-70;  Consulting  Physician, 
Sheltering  Arms  Nursery,  1870;  Visiting 
Physician,  Long  Island  College  Hospital,  1863- 
94;  Consulting  Surgeon,  Long  Island  College 
Hospital,  1894 ;  Consulting  Surgeon,  St.  John's 
Hospital,  1872;  Consulting  Surgeon,  Lucretia 
Mott  Dispensary,  1882  ;  member  of  the  Brook- 
lyn Medical  Society,  1856-57;  Medico-Chir- 
urgical Society,  Brooklyn,  1857-66;  Medical 
Society  of  the  County  of  Kings,  1859;  Presi- 
dent, 1870-71 ;  Long  Island  College  Hospital 
Journal  Association,  1868-75  '<  President,  1870- 
71 ;  Brooklyn  Pathological  Society,  one  of  the- 
organizers,  in  1870;  Medical  Society,  State  of 
New  York,  1876;  New  York  Society  of  Medi- 
cal Jurisprudence ;  New  York  Neurological 
Society,  Vice-President,  1876;  and  Alumni  As-  - 


A.  J.  C.  SKEHE,  H.  D. 

PRESIDEHT  OF  THE  HEDIOAL  SOCIETY  OF  COUHTY  OF  KINGS. 
FROM  1874  TO  1876. 


VARIOUS    MEDICAL    SOCIETIES. 


609 


sociation,  University  City  of  New  York,  Vice- 
President,  1896. 

His  contribution  to  medical  literature  has 
been  as  follows :  "History  and  Mechanical 
Treatment  of. Fractures  of  the  Femur,"  1890; 
and  "Treatment  of  Fractures  of  the  Patella," 
1884  (his  apparatus  for  the  treatment  of  these 
fractures  was  presented  in  1868  and  1880)  ; 
"Hygienic  Influences,"  address  before  the 
Medical  Society  of  the  County  of  Kings,  1868 ; 
"The  Relations  between  Physician  and  Apoth- 
ecaries," 1870;  "A  New  Ether  Inhaler;  Re- 
marks on  Sulphuric  Ether,"'  1889;  "Anesthesia, 
Apparent  Death ;  Resuscitation  and  Medical 
Ethics,"  1891 ;  and  "Points  of  Election  in  Lap- 
arotomy, after  Wounds  of  the  Abdomen," 
1893.  To  these  may  be  added  "A  Throat 
Forceps,"  "Post-Mortem  Needle,"  "Obstetrical 
Forceps,"  "Dilating  Strictures  in  the  Urethra, 
Curved  and  Straight." 

Henry  James  Cullen,  M.  D.,  was  the  last 
President  of  the  Society,  in  1866. 

BROOKLYN    PATHOLOGICAL   SOCIETY. 

The  history  of  any  organization  is  simply 
the  history  of  those  who  were  active  in  its 
work.  The  success  of  any  society  depends 
upon  the  earnest  work  of  a  few  of  its  members, 
aided  by  the  general  and  hearty  support  of 
all  connected  with  the  organization.  It  is, 
therefore,  to  be  expected  that  in  outlining  the 
history  of  any  society  certain  of  its  members 
will  be  mentioned  by  name,  while  others  who 
may  have  been  faithful  and  earnest  in  their 
efforts  to  promote  the  best  interests  of  the  so- 
ciety are  not  named,  for  the  reason  that  their 
work  was  along  lines  carrying  with  it  little 
or  no  prominence. 

Previous  to  the  formation  of  the  Homeo- 
pathic Medical  Society,  County  of  Kings,  No- 
vember 12,  1857,  a  State  law  required  that  all 
physicians  who  desired  to  practice  medicine  in 
Kings  county  should  become  members  of  the 
County  Medical  Society. 

This  necessity  recjuired  homeopathic  physi- 
cians to  present  their  names  for  membership 
in  the  County  Aledical  Society. 

39 


As  a  natural  result  the  admission  of  homeo- 
pathic physicians  met  with  much  opposition  and 
caused  a  lack  of  interest  in  the  attendance  at 
the  meetings  of  the  Society,  the  outcome  of 
this  indifference  to  the  County  Medical  So- 
ciety being  that  the  Brooklyn  Medicb-Chirurg- 
ical  Society  came  into  existence. 

This  Society  was  organized  November  10, 
1856.  The  following  well  known  physicians 
held  the  office  of  President  during  its  exist- 
ence :  Andrew  Otterson,  M.  D.,  President, 
1856-59;  Joseph  B.  Jones,  M.  D.,  President, 
i860;  Daniel  Ayres,  M.  D.,  President,  1861-, 
63;  John  Henry  Hobart  Burge,  M.  D.,  Presi- 
dent, 1864-65 ;  and  Henry  J.  Cullen,  M.  D., 
President,  1866. 

This  Society  marked  the  beginning  of  the 
study  of  pathology  on  Long  Island ;  for  at  its 
meetings  were  presented  for  discussion  path- 
ological specimens,  the  first  time  anything  of 
this  character  was  ever  attempted  in  the  city 
of  Brooklyn. 

The  laws  of  the  State  having  been  amended 
so  as  to  permit  the  organization  of  more  than 
one  County  Medical  Society,  thereby  removing 
the  feeling  of  opposition  to  the  existing  So- 
•ciety,  peace  and  harmony  were  restored.  In 
a  few  years  the  Medico-Chirurgical  Society 
found  that  its  usefulness  as  a  society  had  prac- 
tically come  to  an  end,  and  the  Society  was. 
discontinued  in  1866.  For  a  few  years  nothing- 
of  importance  developed  until  the  formation 
of  the  Brooklyn  Pathological  Section,  in  con- 
nection with  the  Medical  Society,  County  of 
Kings.  The  preliminary  meeting  was  held  at 
the  office  of  Charles  H.  Ciberson,  M.  D.,  188 
Remsen  street,  on  the  evening  of  March  3, 
1870,  at  which  time  it  was  agreed  to  issue  a 
call  through  the  Medical  Society,  County  of 
Kings,  for  a  meeting  to  be  held  at  the  rooms 
of  the  Board  of  Health,  on  the  evening  of 
March  22,  1870.  The  Assistant  Superintend- 
ent was  Dr.  R.  C.  Stiles,  who  had  kindly  of- 
fered the  use  of  the  rooms  for  the  meeting. 
Eleven  physicians  responded  to  the  call,  as  fol- 
lows :  Charles  Henry  Ciberson,  M.  D.,  obit 
April  14,  1879;  Richard  Cresson  Stiles,  A.  B.,^ 


610 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


M.  D.,  obit  April  17,  1873 ;  Charies  Corey,  J\I. 
D.,  obit  April  4,  1894 ;  John  Henry  Hobart 
Burge,  M.  D. ;  John  Byrne,  M.  D.,  LL.  D. ; 
Arthur  Mathewson,  A.  M.,  M.  D. ;  Jonathan 
Slater  Prout,  M.  D. ;  Benjamin  Avery  Segur, 
B.  S.,  M.  D. ;  William  Henry  Thayer,  A.  B., 
M.  D.,  obit  December  22,  1897;  Richard  Mor- 
ris Wycoff,  A.  B.,  M.  D. ;  and  Frederick  Will- 
iam Wunderlich,  M.  D. 

At  this  meeting  the  Brooklyn  Pathological 
Section  was  organized,  by-laws  were  adopted, 
and  Charles  H.  Giberson  elected  to  the  office 
of  Secretary  and  Treasurer,  a  chairman  being 
elected  at  each  meeting  of  the  section.  In 
1876  the  by-laws  were  modified  so  as  to  pro- 
vide for  the  election  of  a  President  and  Vice- 
President,  but  it  was  not  until  1884  that  the 
-Pathological  Section  became  a  distinct  organi- 
zation, as  in  this  year  by-laws  were  so  changed 
as  to  admit  to  membership  all  physicians  in 
regular  standing,  irrespective  of  their  mem- 
bejrship  in  the  Medical  Society,  County  of 
Kings. 

The  Presidents  of  the  Brooklyn  Patholog- 
ical Society  from  its  organization  to  the  pres- 
ent time  have  been  as  follows : 

Charles  Henry  Giberson,  M.  D.,  first  Presi- 
■dent  of  the  Society,  was  born  in  the  Parish  of 
Kent,  Bath,  Carleton  county.  New  Brunswick, 
•on  September  5,  1838,  and  died  in  Brooklyn, 
New  York,  April  14,  1879.  He  was  a  graduate 
■of  the  University  of  Vermont,  Medical  Depart- 
ment, in  1 861,  and  was  Assistant  Surgeon  in 
the  United  States  Navy  from  1861-65.  Dur- 
ing the  year  1865  he  attended  the  Post-Grad- 
uate  course  at  the  Long  Island  College  Hos- 
pital. He  practiced  medicine  in  Brooklyn 
from  1868  to  1879,  and  occupied  the  position 
of  President  of  the  Pathological  Society  in 
1876;  in  1872  he  delivered  the  Semi-Centen- 
nial  address  before  the  Medical  Society,  Coun- 
ty of  Kings. 

Frank  Warren  Rockwell,  M.  A.,  M.  D., 
was  born  in  Valatie,  near  Albany,  December 
22,  1843.  Died  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  April 
30,  1889,  receiving  the  degree  of  A.  B.,  1865, 


and  A.  M.  in  1868  from  Amherst,  and  grad- 
uated M.  D.  from  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons,  New  York,  1868.  Lecturer  on 
Materia  Medica,  "Reading  Term,"  L.  I.  C.  H., 
1874.  President  of  the  Brooklyn  Surgical  So- 
ciety, 1887-88.  President  Brooklyn  Patho- 
logical Society  during  the  years  1877-78  and 
1879.  He  practiced  medicine  in  Brooklyn, 
New  York,  from  1868-89. 

Arthur  Mathewson,  M.  A.,  M.  D.,  was  born 
in  Brooklyn,  Connecticut,  September  11,  1837, 
received  the  degree  of  A.  B.,  1858,  A.  M., 
1865,  Yale  University,  graduated  M.  D.,  Uni- 
versity City  of  New  York  in  1861.  Assistant 
Surgeon,  United  States  Navy,  1861-64.  Sur- 
geon, 1865.  Surgeon  United  States  Naval 
Hospital,  Brooklyn,  New  York,  1866.  Lec- 
turer, Diseases  of  the  Eye  and  Ear,  Yale  Uni- 
versity Medical  Department.  Clinical  Profes- 
sor Diseases  of  the  Ear,  L.  I.  C.  H.,  1872-95. 
President  Brooklyn  Pathological  Society,  1880. 
Has  practiced  in  Brooklyn  since  1867. 

William  Wallace,  M.  D.,  born  in  Cork,  Ire- 
land, May  14,  1835.  Died  in  Brooklyn,  New 
York,  December  22,  1896.  Graduated  at  the 
Royal  College  of  Physicians,  Edinburgh,  in 
1856.  Royal  College  of  Surgeons  in  i860. 
Was  Assistant  Surgeon  in  the  Royal  Navy  in 
1855.  President  of  the  Medical  Society,  Coun- 
ty of  Kings,  1887-88.  President  of  the  Brook- 
lyn Pathological  Society  in  1881  and  1882.  He 
practiced  in  Brooklyn  from  1864-94. 

John  N.  Freeman,  M.  D.,  born  in  La 
Grange,  Ohio,  August  4,  1831.  Died  in  Oma- 
ha, Nebraska,  August  18,  1888.  Graduated 
M.  D.  from  the  L'niversity  City  of  New  York, 
1862.  Assistant  Surgeon  Duryea's  Zouaves, 
1862-63.  Surgeon  One  Hundred  and  Sixth 
New  York  \''olunteers,  1863-65.  President  of 
the  Brooklyn  Pathological  Society  in  1883. 
Practiced  medicine  in  Brooklyn,  New  York, 
from  1869  to  1888. 

Benjamin  Frank  Westbrook,  M.  D.,  was 
born  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  February  4,  1851. 
Died  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  April  12,  1895. 
Graduated  M.  D.  from  the  Long  Island  Col- 


VARIOUS    MEDICAL    SOCIETIES. 


611 


lege  Hospital  in  1874.  Lecturer  on  Anatomy, 
L.  L  C.  H.,  1879-80.  Lecturer  on  Anatom)' 
and  Pathological  Anatomy,  1880-82.  Presi- 
dent L.  L  C.  H.  Alumni  Association,  1886. 
President  Brooklyn  Pathological  Society,  1884- 
85-86.  He  practiced  medicine  in  Brooklyn, 
New  York,  1875-95. 

Joseph  Hill  Hunt,  B.  S.,  M.  D.,  was  born 
in  Huntsburg,  Sussex  county.  New  Jersey, 
April  12,  1848,  receiving  the  degree  of  B.  S. 
from  Washington  and  Lee  University  in  1869. 
Graduated  M.  D.  from  the  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons,  New  York,  1873.  Dem- 
onstrator and  Instructor  of  Histology  and 
Pathology,  L.  L  C.  H.  Demonstrator  of  His- 
tology, Brooklyn  Anatomical  and  Surgical  So- 
ciety; member  of  the  Kings  County  Board  of 
Pharmacy ;  Professor  of  Botany,  Materia  Med- 
;ca  and  Pharmacognosy,  Brooklyn  College  of 
Pharmacy,  1893-95.  President  Brooklyn  Path- 
ological Society,  1887-88.  President  Medical 
Society  County  of  Kings,  1898,  Practiced  med- 
icine in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  since  1874. 

John  Cargill  Shaw,  M.  D.,  born  in  Ja- 
maica, West  Indies,  September  25,  1845. 
Graduated  M.  D.,  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons,  New  York,  1874.  Was  Medical 
Superintendent  of  the  Kings  County  Insane 
Asylum  from  1874  to  1883 ;  has  been  Clinical 
Professor  Diseases  of  the;  Mind  and  Nervous 
System,  L.  I.  C.  H.,  since  1883 ;  was  President 
New  York  Neurological  Society,  1872  and 
1876;  President  Medical  Society,  County  of 
Kings,  1893;  ^iid  President  Brooklyn  Path- 
ological Society,  1889-90.  Practiced  medicine 
in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  since  1883. 

Ezra  Herbert  Wilson,  M.  D.,  born  in  Port 
Jefferson,  Long  Island,  November  24,  1859, 
graduated  M.  D.,  College  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons, New  York,  1882.  Director  Department 
of  Bacteriology,  Hoagland  Laboratory,  Chief 
of  the  Bureau  of  Bacteriology,  Health  Depart- 
ment. President  Brooklyn  Pathological  So- 
ciety, 1 89 1. 

Joshua  Marsden  Van  Cott,  Jr.,  M.  D.,  born 
iii  New  York  City,  1861.     Graduated  M.  D. 


Long  Island  College  Hospital,  1885.  Director 
Department  of  Pathology,  Hoagland  Labora- 
tory, Professor  ,  Histology  and  Pathological 
Anatomy,  L.  I.  C.  H.,  since  1891.  President 
of  the  Brooklyn  Pathological  Society,  1892- 
93.     In.  practice  since  1887. 

William  Nathan  Belcher,  M.  D.,  born  in 
Brooklyn,  New  York,  December  29,  1862, 
graduated  M.  D.,  Long  Island  College  Hos- 
pital, 1884.  Instructor  in  Histology  and  Path- 
ological Anatomy,  L.  I.  C.  H.,  1890.  Lecturer 
on  Physiology,  "Reading  Term,"  L.  I.  C.  H. 
President  Brooklyn  Pathological  Society,  1894. 
Practiced  medicine  in  Brooklyn,  New  York, 
since   1885. 

Francis  H.  Stuart,  M.  A.,  M.  D.,  born  m 
Logansport,  Indiana,  July  29,  1846,  received 
the  degree  of  A.  JM.  from  Hamilton  College, 
graduating  M.  D.  from  Long  Island  College 
Hospital  in  1873.  Registrar  of  Vital  Statistics, 
Department  of  Health,  Brooklyn,  New  York, 
1875-78.  Lecturer  on  Obstetrics,  "Reading 
Term,"  L.  I.  C.  H.,  1880-86.  Acting  Pro- 
fessor of  Surgery,  L.  I.  C.  H.,  1895-96.  Presi- 
dent Brooklyn  Anatomical  and  Surgical  So- 
ciety, 1884.  President  Brooklyn  Pathological 
Society,  1895.  In  private  practice  in  Brooklyn, 
New  York,  since  1874. 

Frederic  Joseph  Shoop,  M.  D.,  born  in 
Braceville,  Illinois,  February  8,  1862.  Grad- 
uated M.  D.,  College  Physicians  and- Surgeons, 
New  York,  1883.  President  Brooklyn  Path- 
ological Society,  1896.  Practiced  medicine  in 
Brooklyn,  New  York,  since  1886. 

James  Peter  Warbasse,  M.  D.,  born  in 
Newton,  New  Jersey,  November  22,  1866, 
graduated  M.  D.,  College  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons, New  York,  1889.  President  of  the 
Brooklyn  Pathological  Society,  1897.  In  prac- 
tice in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  since  1892. 

Literally  speaking,  the  Pathological  Society 
has  not  been  very  active;  true,  many  of  its 
members,  particularly  those  who  have  held  the 
cfHce  of  President,  have  enriched  our  medical 
literature  by  presenting  papers  at  the  meet- 
ings, also  at  the  meetings  of  other  Medical 


612 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Societies,  numbering  about  io8.  Independent 
of  books  and  contributions  to  bound  volumes 
this  figure  would  be  double  Or  more,  when  we 
consider  the  contributions  made  by  individual 
members. 

The  proceedings  of  the  Society  were  pub- 
lished, together  with  those  of  the  Aledical  So- 
ciety, County  of  Kings,  in  their  Journal  from 
1876  to  1883.  The  transactions  of  the  Path- 
ological Society  for  the  years  1885  and  1886 
were  published  in  an  octavo  volume  of  233 
pages. 

The  first  number  of  a  magazine,  under  the 
name  of  "The  Pathologist,"  was  issued  in  Jan- 
uary, 1 88 1.  This  magazine  continued  to  be 
published  until  1883,  its  editor  being  the  late 
Edward  Seaman  Bunker,  M.  D.  The  Chair 
of  Histology  and  General  Pathology  was 
fotmded  by  Dr.  Bunker  at  tlie  Long  Island 
College  Hospital  in  1879.  He  was  a  member 
of  this  Society  from  1873  to  the  time  of  his 
death. 

In  1894  William  N.  Belcher,  M.  D.,  who 
was  then  President,  delivered  an  address  be- 
fore this  Society,  which  was  afterward  pub- 
lished, being,  so  far  as  known  to  the  writer,  the 
only  address  ever  published  relating  directly 
to  the  Pathological  Society  of  Brooklyn.  A 
report  of  the  proceedings  of  the  Twenty-fifth 
Anniversary  of  this  Society,  together  with  the 
address  of  Joseph  H.  Hunt,  M.  D.,  and  other 
addresses  were  published  in  the  "Brooklyn 
Medical  Journal"  in  1896. 

Previous  to  1856  the  study  of  pathology 
on  Long  Island  was  practically  unknown,  and 
even  to-day  I  believe  we  are  the  only  Society 
that  has  been  devoted  to  the  study  of  pathology 
on  the  Island,  with  the  exception  that  during 
the  years  1874  and  1875  there  existed  a  path- 
ological society  in  South  Brooklyn,  with  Jo- 
seph E.  Clark,  M.  D.,  as  President. 

An  approximate  estimate  of  the  member- 
ship of  this  society  during  the  twenty-seven 
years  of  its  existence  is  as  follows :  Died  in 
active  membership),  30;  removed,  70;  present 
number  of  members,  150;  total,  250. 


In  conclusion  may  I  express  the  hope  that 
the  Pathological  Society  of  Brooklyn,  as  this 
city  merges  into  the  greater  city,  may  increase 
in  membership  and  in  usefulness,  and  that  the 
interest  manifested  in  its  proceedings  during 
the  last  few  years  may  be  an  incentive  to 
greater  work  in  the  future. 

Considering  that  the  study  of  histology  and 
pathology,  as  we  now  understand  it,  is  the 
product  of  but  recent  years,  the  advances  made 
in  this  study  by  members  of  this  society  are 
truly  commendable.  I  well  remember,  in  my 
student  days  at  the  Long  Island  College  Hos- 
pital, the  look  of  surprise  that  passed  over  the 
faces  of-  the  members  of  our  class  when  the 
announcement  was  made  that  a  Chair  of  His- 
tology and  Pathology  had  been  estabHshed,  a 
look  which  plainly  said,  "What  is  it?" 

The  Brooklyn  Pathological  Society  has 
just  cause  to  be  proud  of  its  record  in  the  past, 
for  if  any  one  body  of  medical  men  more  than 
any  other  have  been  instrumental  in  present- 
ing the  necessity  of  education  in  the  science 
of  pathology,  and  in  giving  an  opportunity  to 
the  profession  of  this  city  to  study  pathology 
in  its  scientific  and  practical  bearing,  it  has 
been  those  who  have  cherished  and  worked, 
for  its  aims  and  its  interests  in  the  past,  and 
now  look  forward  to  a  broader  and  a  grander 
field  of  labor  and  for  achievements  in  the  years 
to  come  in  the  history  of  the  Brooklyn  Path- 
ological Society. 

DISPENSARIES,    CITY    HOSPITAL. 

The  town  of  Brooklyn  in  1830  had  a  pop- 
ulation of  15,295.  Four  years  thereafter  it 
was  incorporated  as  a  city.  The  Medical  So- 
ciety of  the  County  of  Kings,  in  1830  had  nine- 
teen members  upon  its  roll,  and  the  town  di- 
rectory of  that  year  indicates  that  there  were 
about  ten  physicians  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
medicine  who  were  not  connected  with  the 
IMedical  Society. 

On  the  8th  day  of  February,  1830,  the  first 
dispensary  in  Brooklyn  was  organized  at  168 
Fulton  street,  under  the  name  of  The  Brooklyn 


VARIOUS    MEDICAL    SOCIETIES. 


613 


Dispensary.  In  1833  the  dispensary  removed 
to  the  corner  of ^  Jay  and  Sands  streets,  and 
must  have  been  discontinued  about  this  time. 
The  attending  physicians  were  :  Drs.  J.  SulH- 
van  Thome  and  W.  A.  Clark.  Consulting 
physician,  Matthew  Wendell. 

City  Hospital,  1839-1840. — Under-  this 
name,  and  about  the  time  above  indicated,  this 
hospital  was  organized,  being  located  on 
Adams  street  near  Johnson.  Its  staff  at  that 
time  included  Theodore  F.  King,  M.  D.,  Presi- 
dent, 1840-1842;  John  Sullivan  Thorne,  M. 
D.,  Secretary ;  attending  physicians — Purcell 
Cook,  George  Marvin,  and  Samuel  Boyd. 

Theodore  L.,  Mason,  M.  D.,  was  President 
from  1842  to  1844,  and  was  succeeded  by  John 
Sullivan  Thorne,  M.  D.,  as  President  from 
1844  to  1845.  The  attending  physicians  at  this 
time  were  George  Ball,  Theo.  F.  King  and  A. 
N.  Garrison.  This  hospital  was  incorporated 
May  8,  1845,  under  the  name  of 

Brooklyn  City  Hospital.  It  was  then  re- 
moved to  Hudson  street  near  Lafayette  ave- 
nue. The  attending  physicians  at  this  time 
were  Henry  J.  Cullen,  Lucius  Hyde,  Purcell 
Cook,  C.  L.  Mitchell  and  Christ  R.  McClellan ; 
attending  surgeons — Theo.  L.  Mason,  W.  G. 
Hunt,  F.  W.  Hurd  and  Daniel  Ayres. 

In  1850  the  hospital  removed  to  Hudson 
avenue,  then  "Jaekson  street,"  near  Lafayette 
avenue.  Attending  physicians  :  Henry  J.  Cul- 
len, James  Crane,  Jr.,  J.  Sullivan  Thorne  and 
John  W.  Corson ;  attending  surgeons  :  Will- 
iam G.  Hunt,  Daniel  Ayres,  John  Cochran  and 
James  AI.  Minor. 

In  1854-55  we  find  the  hospital  at  Ray- 
mond street,  near  DeKalb  avenue,  where  it  is 
situated  at  the  present  time.-  Attending  physi- 
cians: H.  S.  Smith,  James  Crane,  Jr.,  D.  S. 
Landon,  J.  Sullivan  Thorne  and  Henry  J.  Cul- 
len ;  attending  surgeons :  DeWitt  C.  Enos, 
D.  E.  Kissam,  John  Cochran  and  James  M. 
Minor;  1857-58 — visiting  surgeons:  DeWitt 
C.  Enos,  Daniel  E.  Kissam,  James  M.  Minor 
and  Joseph  C.  hutcnison;  visiting  physi- 
cians :    James  Crane,  Dillon  S.  Landon,  Hora- 


tio S.  Smith  and  E.  Krackowizer;  i860 — visit- 
ing surgeons:  James  M.  Minor,  DeWitt  C. 
Enos,  Daniel  E.  Kissam,  Joseph  C.  Hutchison 
and  George  Cocliran ;  visiting  physicians : 
James  Crane,  D.  S.  Landon,  H.  S.  Smith, 
A.  Nelson  Bell  and  Charles  J.  Seymour. 

The  hospital  is  still  in  existence,  at  Ray- 
mond street  and  DeKalb  avenue. 

BROOKLYN  DISPENSARY,  ORGANIZED  1846. 

Jackson  House,  Hudson  street,  near  La- 
fayette avenue.  Attending  physicians :  J.  D. 
.Trask,  Bradley  Parker,  C.  L.  Mitchell,  James 
Crane,  Jr.,  J.  H.  Henry,  Lucius  Hyde  and 
L.  K.  Brown ;  district  physicians :  J.  D.  Ladd, 
E.  N.  Chapman,  W.  Blackwood,  T.  A.  Wade, 

A.  V.  Lesley,  William  Swift;  1849 — Daniel 
Brooks,  H.  S.  Smith,  D.  E.  Kissam  and  Dr. 
Beers. 

1851-52.  Removed  to  the  basement  of  the 
City  Hall,  but  unable  to  remain  there  for  any 
length  of  time,  as  it  was  understood  that  the 
city  officials  were  afraid  of  contagious  dis- 
ease. The  officers  secured  the  back  room  of 
Bailey's  drug  store  at  269  Washington  street. 
Attending  physicians  and  surgeons :  John  D. 
Ladd,  William  H.  Gardner,  D.  E.  Kissam,  A. 
Otterson  and  J.  C.  Hutchison. 

In  1855  we  find  the  dispensary  located  at 
107  or  109  Pineapple  street.  Attending  physi- 
cians and  surgeons :  James  Hebbern,  J.  H. 
Catlin,  J.  Blackmore,  John  Ball,  E.  A.  Whaley, 
Alex.  Little  and  Joseph  B.  Jones ;  consulting 
physicians,  and  surgeons :  H.  S.  Smith,  D.  E. 
Kissam  and  L.  C.  McPhail.  1 

About  1858  the  name  was  changed  to  that 
of  Brooklyn  Dispensary  and  Eye  and  Ear  In- 
firmary. Its  staff  at  this  time  consisted  of  the 
following:  John  Ball,  M.  D.,  President;  Joseph 

B.  Jones,  M.  D.,  General  Surgery;  John  T. 
Conkling,  M.  D.,  Diseases  of  Females ;  John 
A.  Brodie,  M.  D.,  Children,  Skin  and  Vaccina- 
tion; William  Law,  M.  D.,  Heart,  Throat  and 
Lungs ;  William  Otterson,  M.  D.,  Head  and 
Digestive  Organs ;  and  R.  M.  Deering,  Apothe- 
cary and  Dentist;  i860 — attending  surgeons: 


614 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Joseph  B.  Jones  and  W.  F.  Swalm ;  attending 
physicians :  John  Ball,  William  Law  and  Rob- 
ert Ormiston. 

The  dispensary  is  still  in  existence,  at  No. 
II  Tillary  street. 

KINGS    COUNTY    HOSPITAL. 

The  early  history  of  this  institution  appears 
to  be  intimately  connected  with  the  Brooklyn 
Almshouse.  On  April  9,  1832,  the  poorhouse  at 
Flatbush  was  opened,  and  John  B.  Zabriskic, 
M.  D.,  was  appointed  as  physician,  at  a  salary 
of  seventy  dollars  per  year.  In  1834  0r.  J.  B. 
Zabriskie  was  re-appointed  as  physician.  In 
1838, the  County  Hospital  and  Lunatic  Asylum 
were  opened. 

On  February  8,  1848,  Dr.  J.  B.  Zabriskie 
died.  He  appears  to  have  been  the  only  physi- 
cian connected  with  the  above  institution  up 
to  this  date.  On  March  5,  1848,  F.  M.  Ingra- 
ham,  M.  D.,  and  Philip  O.  Hyatt,  M.  D.,  were 
appointed  in  place  of  Dr.  Zabriskie. 

March  30,  1849,  the  hospital  at  the  Peni- 
tentiary was  opened  and  T.  Anderson  Wade, 
M.  D.,  was  appointed  physician.  Dr.  Wade 
agreed  to  treat  all  prisoners  and  furnish  the 
necessary  medicine  for  $12  per  month,  which 
was  accep'ted.  Dr.  Wade's  salary  was  fixed  in 
1852  at  $250  per  annum.  Dr.  J.  L.  Zabriskie 
was  appointed  physician  at  the  Penitentiary  in 
1859. 

In  1854  it  became  known  to  the  Board  of 
Superintendents  that  a  bill  was  pending  be- 
fore the  Legislature  directing  that  bodies  of 
persons  who  may  die  in  the  poorhouse  be  de- 
livered to  medical  schools  for  the  purpose  of 
dissection.  The  bill  was  denounced  as  a 
monstrous  outrage,  its  provisions  being  de- 
clared barbarous. 

In  1854  Dr.  Thomas  Turner  was  physician 
\o  the  hospital,  and  Dr.  J.  A.  Blanchard 
physician  to  the  Lunatic  Asylum.  Dr.  Blanch- 
ard was  Superintendent  from  1875  to  1877. 
In  1856  Dr.  Robert  B.  Baiseley  was  resident 
physician  of  the  Lunatic  Asylum.  In  1857  Ed- 
win R.   Chapin,   M.  D.,  was  elected  resident 


physician  of  the  County  Hospital.  In  1859 
Dr.  E.  R.  Chapin  became  physician  to  the 
Lunatic  Asylum,  which  position  he  resigned  in 
1871. 

Dr.  Thomas  Turner  died  in  1865,  and  his 
successor  was  Dr.  R.  Cresson  Stiles,  who  re- 
signed in  1866.  Dr.  Stiles  was  followed  by 
Dr.  Teunis  Schenck. 

WILLIAMSBURGH    DISPENSARY. 

Organized  January,  185 1.  Opened  Sept. 
I,  1851.  Located  at  the  corner  of  Fifth  and 
South  First  street.  The  first  President  was 
Samuel  Groves.  The  attending  physicians  were 
John  A.  Brady,  Nelson  L.  North  and  Chas. 
Holzhauer;  consulting  physicians,  Sidney 
Wade  and  Orson  H.  Smith ;  consulting  sur- 
geons, A.  J.  Berry  and  F.  M.  Lovett ;  visiting 
physicians,  L.  N.  Palmer,  C.  H.  Schapps  and 
J.  J.  Bagley,  M.  D. 

This  dispensary  is  still  in  existence,  under 
the  name  of  the  Brooklyn  (E.  D.)  Dispensary 
and  Hospital. 

BROOKLYN   GERMAN   GENERAL  DISPENSARY. 

From  1857  to  1858,  at  145  Court  street. 
Consulting  physicians,  Edward  Macbert  and 
Gustav  Braeunlich ;  consulting  surgeons,  Louis 
Bauer  and  William  Arming;  resident 
physician,  Hermann  Zundt;  Mr.  Hermann, 
Cupper  and  Leecher. 

BROOKLYN    CENTRAL  DISPENS.\RY. 

This  dispensary  was  opened  to  the  public 
in  1855.  It  v/as  located  at  173  Fulton  street. 
The  first  President  was  J.  Sullivan  Thorne,  M. 
D.  Attending  physicians  and  surgeons  :  J.  H. 
H.  Burge,  Nelson  S.  Drake,  William  H.  Van 
Duyne,  Arnold  Hallett,  Thomas  H.  Green  and 
T.  H.  Catlin;  consulting  surgeons,  James  M. 
Minor  and  C.  E.  Isaacs ;  consulting  physicians, 
James  H.  Hewey  and  Jos.  C.  Hutchison. 

In  1858  this  dispensary  was  located  at  5 
Flatbush  avenue.  From  that  time  to  i860 
there  seems  to  have  been  a  number  of  changes 
among  the  physicians.     In  i860  we  find  them 


VARIOUS    MEDICAL    SOCIETIES. 


615 


to  be:  J.  H.  H.  Burge,  John  Hill,  S.  C.  Gregg, 
W.  H.  Gardner  and  J.  Wilson. 

This  dispensary  is  at  present  situated  at 
No.  29  Third  avenue. 

THE    LONG    ISLAND    COLLEGE    HOSPITAL. 

This  college  and  hospital  will  undoubtedly 
in  the  near  future  assume  a  position  among 
medical  colleges  second  to  hone  in  this  coun- 
try. The  additions  to  its  curriculum;  the  in- 
creasing number  of  students ;  and  the  growing 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  institution  which 
is  'exhibited  by  our  citizens,  all  indicate  that 
the  Long  Island  College  Hospital  has  before 
it  a  career  of  unlimited  usefulness.  The  pres- 
ent outlook  causes  us  to  believe  that  the  bright- 
est pages  in  its  history  are  yet  to  be  written. 
The  writer  can  scarcely  believe  the  testimony 
of  his  own  senses  as  he  notes  the  advances 
made  by  this  institution  during  the  short  time 
he  has  been  in  active  practice.  While  con- 
gratulating ourselves  upon  the  splendid  pros- 
pects the  future  appears  to  have  in  store  for 
the  Long  Island  College  Hospital,  let  us  glance 
backward  and  note  a  few  facts  in  the  incep- 
tion and  early  history  of  this  institution. 

During  the  year  1857  a  number  of  German 
physicians  in  general  practice  in  the  Sixth 
and  Tenth  Wards  of  the  city  of  Brooklyn  or- 
ganized what  was  known  as  the  Brooklyn  Ger- 
man General  Dispensary.  This  dispensary 
was  situated  at  145  or  147  Court  street,  be- 
tween Pacific  street  and  Atlantic  avenue. 
Prominently  connected  with  this  dispensary 
were  the  following  doctors :  Gustav  Braeun- 
lich,  residing  at  285  Henry  street;  Carl  Aug. 
Louis  Bauer,  167  Court  street;  William  Arm- 
ing. 75  Court  street;  Edward  Maebert,  109 
Union  street;  and  Herman  Zundt,  42  Dean 
street. 

The  intention  of  these  gentlemen  was  to  or- 
ganize a  large  German  hospital,  as  at  this 
time  the  population  of  the  Sixth  Ward  con- 
sisted largely  of  Germans.  Nothing  definite 
came  of  this  idea,  for  we  find  that  shortly 
afterward  they  joined  with  Drs.  John  Byrne, 


of  202  Clinton  street;  Daniel  Ayres,  of  156 
Montague  street,  and  William  H.  Dudley,  of 
201  Henry  street,  in  the  organization  of  what 
was  then  known  as  the  St.  John's  HospitaL 
On  November  5,  1857,  this  hospital  occupied 
the  premises  at  145  or  147  Court  street,  where 
it  remained  until  the  spring  of  1858. 

The  "Perry  Mansion"  on  Henry  street  be- 
ing for  sale,  subscriptions  were  solicited  from- 
the  citizens  of  Brooklyn. for  the  purpose  of 
purchasing  this  property.  The  effort  proving 
successful  and  the  property  having  been  pur- 
chased, application  was  made  to  the  Legisla- 
ture for  a  charter,  which  was  granted  in  1858. 

Drs.  Braeunlich  and  Bauer  deserve  special 
mention  for  the  interest  manifested  by  them 
in  the  institution  and  for  the  work  which  they 
accomplished  at  this  time. 

The  reason  for  the  change  of  name  from- 
St.  John's  Hospital  to  that  of  the  Long  Island 
College  Hospital  is  unknown  to  the  writer, 
but  it  was  under  the  latter  name  that  the  in- 
stitution received  its  charter  and  opened  the 
hospital  in  the  spring  of  1858,  on  the  site  where 
it  now  stands,  and  where  we  hope  it  may  stand 
for  ages- to  come.  The  following  is  taken  from 
the  Birooklyn  City  Directory  of  iSsS-'sg: 

LONG   ISLAND   COLLEGE   HOSPITAL  OF  THE   CITY 
OF  BROOKLYN. 

Henry  street,  between  Pacific  and  Amity. 
Board  of  Regents :  Hon.  Samuel  Sloan,  Presi- 
dent; Samuel  W.  Slocum,  Esq.,  Vice-Presi- 
dent; C.  Nestell  Bovee,  Esq.,  Secretary;  Cor- 
nelius Dever,  Esq.,  Treasurer;  Hon.  Samuel 
Sloan,  Samuel  W.  Slocimi,  Henry  Messenger,. 
C.  N.  Bovee,  L.  K.  Miller,  Jaques  Cortelyou, 
A.  B.  Baylis,  R.  L.  Delisser,  Cornelius  Dever, 
Daniel  Chauncey,  J.  T.  Moore,  George  F. 
Thomas,  Joseph  Hegeman,  J.  S.  Brownson, 
N.  E.  James,  Theodore  Polhemus,  Charles 
Christmas,  Nicholas  Luqueer,  Eugene  O'Sul- 
livan,  Harold  Dollner,  Henry  F.  Vail,  R.  H. 
Berdell,  L.  B.  Wyman,  J.  J.  Van  Nostrand 
and  Samuel  Smith.  Members  of  the  Council : 
Theo.  L.  Mason,  M.  D.,  C.  L.  Mitchell,  M.  D., 


€16 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


William  H.  Dudley,  M.  D.,  and  J.  H.  Henry, 
M.  D. ;  physicians :  John  Byrne,  M.  D.,  E.  N. 
Chapman,  M.  D.,  and  Gustav  Braeunlich, 
M.  D. ;  surgeons:  Daniel  Ayres,  M.  D.,  and 
Louis  Bauer,  M.  D. ;.  adjunct  physicians:  R. 
S.  Olmstead,  M.  D.,  G.  D.  Ayres,  M.  D.,  and 
W.  H.  Davol,  M.  D. ;  adjunct  surgeons :  E.  A. 
Whaley,  j\I.  D.,  D.  A.  Dodge,  M.  D.,  and  J. 
G.  Johnson,  M.  D. ;  apothecary :  E.  S.  Fougera. 

MEDICAL   SOCIETIES. 

The  first  medical  society,  independent  of 
the  Medical  Society  of  the  County  of  Kings, 
was  organized  in  1852,  and  was  known  as 
the  Medical  Association  of  the  Eastern  Dis- 
trict. Among  the  physicians  who  were  con- 
nected with  this  society  we  find  the  following : 
C.  H.  Schapps,  M.  D.,  who  was  President  in 
i852-'55 ;  Ernest  Krackowizer,  C.  Macfarlan, 
Jos.  Creamer,  James  S.  Hawley,  Carl  Witt- 
man,  Geo.  W.  Baker,  John  Walsh,  J.  J.  Ache- 
son,  Nelson  L.  North,  Sr.,  and  E.  N.  Colt. 

This  society  continued  until  1882,  when  it 
went  out  of  existence. 

On  February  5,  1863,  the  Medical  Associa- 
tion of  the  Eastern  District  of  Brooklyn  was 
organized. 

MEDICAL  CHIRURGICAL  SOCIETY. 

Instituted  at  Brooklyn  in  1857.  Active 
among  its  membership  were  the  following 
well-known  physicians:  Andrew  Otterson 
(President  from  1857  to  1859),  John  Ball, 
Joseph  B.  Jones  (President  in  i860),  E.  N. 
Chapman,  Daniel  A.  Dodge,  J.  H.  H.  Burge 
(President  from  1864  to  1865),  Daniel  Ayres 
(President  from  1861  to  1863),  J.  C.  Halsey, 


Jos.  E.  Clark,  Henry  J.  CuUen  (President 
in  1866),  William  Law,  Jr.,  A.  N.  Bell,  John 
Byrne  and  W.  E.  Mulhallon;  besides  James 
Crane,  Jr.,  U.  Palmedo,  Geo.  I.  Bennet,  A. 
Moore,  J.  P.  Colgan,  Sr.,  Charles  C.  Isaacs, 
J.  P.  Colgan,  Jr.,  William  Otterson,  G.  D. 
Ayres,  W.  Mills,  Thomas  P.  Morris,  H.  C. 
Simms  and  De  Witt  C.  Enos. 

This  society  was  discontinued  in  1866. 

BROOKLYN     MEDICAL    SOCIETY 1856. 

This  society  met  in  Brooklyn  Institute  on 
Washington  street,  but  very  little  is  known  re- 
garding it.  The  physicians  connected  with  it 
were  Andrew  Otterson  (President  from  1856 
to  1857),  John  Ball,  A.  N.  Bell,  Jos.  E.  Clark, 
Jos.  B'.  Jones  and  John  Byrne. 

On  August  21,  1846,  a  special  meeting  of 
the  Medical  Society  of  the  County  of  Kings 
was  called  to  consider  the  propriety  of  estab- 
lishing a  dispensary  in  the  city  of  Brooklyn. 
This  call  was  signed  by  the  following  mem- 
bers: Drs.  Robert  McMillan,  John  F.  Morse, 
J.  C.  Halsey,  Sam.  J.  Osborn,  William  Swift, 
David  F.  Atwater,  T.  A.  Wade,  Purcell  Cooke, 
J.  M.  Moriarty,  A.  Otterson,  Wm.  C.  Betts, 
Daniel  Ayres,  F.  W.  Hurd,  Geo.  I.  Bennet 
and  A.  Van  Pelt. 

The  committee  appointed  at  this  meeting 
reported  on  September  14,  1846,  that  the  mat- 
ter had  been  presented  to  the  trustees  of  the 
Brooklyn  City  Hospital,  and  that  a  committee 
had  been  appointed  by  them  to  consider  the 
subject.  The  committee  from  the  medical  so- 
ciety comprised  Drs.  Sam.  J.  Osborn,  Henry 
J.  Cullen,  John  F.  ]\Iorse,  John  L.  Thorne 
and  Theo.  L.  Mason. 


-!ife^- 


CHAPTER   LIl. 


DENTISTS     IN     BROOKLYN. 


UR  information  regarding  the  early 
dentists  on  Long  Island  is  exceeding-, 
ly  limited.  The  first  of  whom  we 
have  any  record  is  T.  Jefferson  Jones, 
M.  D.,  who  in  1828  practiced  dentistry  and 
kept  a  drug  store  at  No.  4  Sands  street.  He 
appears  to  have  continued  to  practice  at  this 
place  until  his  death  in  1835.  In  1831  W.  K. 
Northall,  Jr.,  commenced  practice  at  79  Ful- 
ton street.  His  father,  W.  K.  Northall,  F. 
S.  A.,  was  principal  of  the  Mount  Pleasant 
Academy,  278  Fulton  street.  Dr.  Northall 
was  evidently  from  Birmingham,  England, 
and  in  the  directory  for  1832  appears  the  fol- 
lowing advertisement : 

W.    K.    NORTHALL.    DENTIST, 

No.  79  Fulton  Street.  Brooklyn. 

Begs  to  refer  to  those  Ladies  and   Gentlemen  who   may  require 

liis  attendance,   to    the   Rev.  Mr.  McUvane,  Brooklyn,  Valentine 

Mott,  M.  D.,  and  Daniel  Lord,  M.  D.,  of  New  York. 

Mr,  Northall  has  certificates  from  the  following  Gentlemen  in 
England,  namely:  W.  T.  Cox,  Esq.,  Professor  of  Anatomy  in  the 
Birmingham  School  of  Medicine;  John  Ercles.  M.  D.,  Lecturer 
on  the  Practice  of  Physics;  Dr.  Richard  iPierson,  M.  D.,  Lecturer 
■on  Materia  Medica  and  Medical  Botany;  to  Dr.  Burt  Davis,  M. 
D.,  Physician  to  the  Fever  Hospital,  Birmingham;  Joseph  Hodg" 
son,  Esq.,  Senior  Surgeon  to  the  Birmingham  General  Hospital; 
T.  K.  Booth,  Senior  Physician;  Dr.  Aaron  Davis,  M.  D..  of  Rad- 
norshire; the  Rev.  George  Hall,  Vicar  of  Tenbury,  Worcester- 
shire, Rector  of  Rochford,  Herefordshire,  and  Domestic  Chaolain 
to  Lord  Brougham  and  Vaux,  the  Lord  High  Chancellor  of  England. 

In  the  same  year  appears  the  advertisement 
of  Dr.  T.  Jefferson  Jones,  as  follows  : 

T.  JEFFERSON,  JONES,  M.  D. 

Would  inform  his  friends  that  he  continues  to  officiate  in  the 
capacity  of  a  Dentist  at  his  residence.  No.  4  Sands  street,  Brook- 
lyn, where  Teeth  of  every  description  from  one  to  an  entire  set 
can  be  inserted.  Teeth  Cleaned,  Filed  and  Filled  so  as  to  add 
much  to  their  Durability  and  Beauty.  He  would  also  recommend 
the  Persian  Dentifrice  (tooth  powder)  kept  by  him  to  all  those  who 
are  desirous  of  having  their  gums  healthy  and  teeth  white  and 
clear  from  tartar  without  any  injury  to  either.  Also  a  general 
assortment  of  Drugs,  Medicines  and  Perfumery  for  sale  as  above. 

In   1836    Dr.   Northall,   having    evidently 
obtained  somewhat  of  a  practice  among  Brook- 


lyn people,  has  the  following  advertisement  in 
the  directory  of  that  year: 

TEETH, 

W.  K.  NORTHALL,  Surgebn  Dentist.  56  Fulton  street,  re- 
spectfully informs  the  inhabitants  of  Brooklyn  and  Long  Island 
that  he  is  prepared  at  all  times  to  accommodate  those  who  wish  to 
supply  the  loss  of  natural  teeth  with  artificial  ones  with  Premium 
Incorruptible  Teeth  of  the  very  best  quality  and  of  every  \ariet3'  of 
shade,  of  durability,  cleanliness  and  natural  appearance  of  the 
silicious  teeth;  renders  them  permanently  superior  to  all  other 
kinds.  Mr.  Northall  inserts  teeth  from  one  to  an  entire  set  upon 
the  best  principles  of  dental  mechanism  which  render  them  avail" 
able  for  all  purposes  of  articulation  and  mastication. 

DENTAL  SURGERY. 

Cavities  in  the  teeth  filled  with  Cement,  Gold  or  Silver,  as  the 
circumstances  of  the  case  may  require.  The  teeth  when  loosened 
by  tartar,  disease  or  mercury,  may,  by  a  proper  course  of  treat- 
ment, be  in  almost  every  case  restored  to  their  pristine  firmness. 

Irregularities  in  children's  teeth  may  in  most  instances  be  obvi- 
ated by  well  directed  aid,     Such  cases  particularly  attended  to. 

Dr.  Northall  begs  to  present  the  following  Certificates  for  the 
guidance  of  those  who  may  wish  to  emplofr"  him  professionally: 

We,  the  undersigned,  having  had  opportunities  of  judging  of 
Dr.  Northall's  r.bilities  as  a  Dentist,  cheerfully  subscribe  our 
names  in  evidence  of  our  opinion  of  his  skill  as  an  operator  on 
the  teeth  and  recommend  him  to  the  public  as  one  in  whom  every 
confidence  may  be  placed  in  the  practice  of  the  various  branches 
of  his  profession. 

(Signed)     Evan  Johnson,  Rector  of  St.  John's  Church. 

B.  C.  Cutler,  Rector  of  St.  Ann's  Church. 

S.  A.  Willoughby,  President  Brooklyn  Bank. 

D.  Embury,  Esq.,  Cashier  Long  Island  Bank. 

N.  B.  Tooth  powders  of  all  kinds  to  be  obtained  at  the  office,  IS 
Fulton  Street.  A  work  called  "  Hints  to  Parents  on  the 
Importance  of  Early  Attention  to  Children's  Teeth,"  by 
W.  K.  Northall,  for  sale.  Also  one  entitled  "Five  Min- 
utes' Advice  on  the  Teeth."  Both  works  can  be  obtained 
at  the  office  or  at  any  of  the  big  stores  in  Brooklyn. 

In  1842  Dr.  Northall  paid  a  visit  to  Europe 
and  on  his  return  calls  to  the  attention  of  his 
patients  that  he  has  resumed  practice,  and 
with  respect  to  charges  "begs  to  state  that  he 
shall  at  all  times  take  a  pleasure  in  consulting 
the  circumstances  of  those  who  may  apply  to 
him  and  charge  as  moderately  as  he  can  with 
justice  to  himself  and  patients." 

Dr.  Northall  had  considerable  literary  abil- 
ity, and,  in  addition  to  the  works  referred  to  in 
his  advertisement,  wrote  a  book,  which  was 
published    in    1850,   entitled   "The   Life   and 


618 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Recollections  of  Yankee  Bill,  together  with 
Anecdotes  and  Incidents  of  his  Travels."  In 
1844  he  became  associated  with  Dr.  George 
Rose  and  had  moved  his  office  to  208  Fulton 
street.  This  is  our  last  information  of  Dr. 
Northall,  who  probably  died  in  1846,  for  in 
1846  we  find  his  partner,  .Dr.  George  Rose, 
practicing  alone  at  246  Fulton  street. 

In  the  year  1837  Dr.  Martin  K.  Bridges 
settled  in  Brooklyn  and  commenced  practice 
at  118  Fulton  street.  In  the  directory  of  1839 
appears  his  card,  simply  calling  attention  to 
the  fact  that  he  was  practicing  at  105  Fulton 
street,  and  referring  to  fourteen  or  fifteen  of 
the  leading  clergymen  and  physicians  of  the 
city,  together  with  the  Mayor,  the  Hon.  Cyrus 
P.  Smith.  He  edited  the  "Dental  Mirror,"  a 
little  leaflet  published  for  gratuitous  circula- 
tion, in  which  appeared  conspicuously  in  1843 
the  following  notice : 

"Two  hours  in  each  week  day,  from  seven 
to  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  are  devoted  to 
the  service  of  the  poor  without  charge.'' 

Dr.  Bridges  was  born  in  Hardwick,  Massa- 
chusetts, August  I,  1800,  and  when  thirty-six 
years  of  age  commenced  the  study  of  den- 
tistry in  the  office  of  Dr.  Lathrop  at  Sauger- 
ties.  He  died  in  September,  1853,  at  109 
Henry  street,  Brooklyn.  Drs.  Jones,  Northall 
and  Bridges  were  able  representatives  of  the 
pioneers  in  dentistry  in  the  United  States,  and 
the  example  they  set  in  earnestness,  ability, 
learning  and  liberality  has  been  faithfully  fol- 
lowed by  their  successors  in  Brooklyn. 

In  the  year  1845  the  village  of  Brooklyn 
had  become  a  city  and  had  extended  its  bor- 
ders to  accommodate  the  rapidly  increasing 
population.  The  two  dentists  who  had  been 
sufficient  to  attend-  to  the  needs  of  the  com- 
munity in  1 83 1  had  increased  to  eight,  among 
whom  were : 

Dr.  George  Wood,  born  at  Groton,  Massa- 
chusetts, July  24,  1813,  and  who  settled  in 
Brooklyn  in  1838  and  began  practicing  at  169 
Fulton  street ;  Dr.  James  E.  Miller,  born  Janu- 
ary 7,   1820,  in  Somers,  Westchester  county, 


New  York,  and  after  teaching  school  in  the 
Friends'  Meeting  House,  which  was  then  on 
the  corner  of  Clark  and  Henry  streets,  com- 
menced to  practice  dentistry  in  1842,  and  in 
1845  was  practicing  at  No.  7  Squire's  Build- 
ing, Atlantic  avenue;  Dr.  John  Scott,  born  in 
Wyoming  county,  New  York,  September  4, 
1813,  and  after  studying  medicine  and  den- 
tistry settled  in  Brooklyn  in  1843  and  was 
then  practicing  on  Fulton  street,  near  Clinton 
street;  Dr.  G.  A.  Cooper,  born  in  Lexington, 
Kentucky,  in  1822,  became  a  citizen  of  Brook- 
lyn in  1845  ^'id'  commenced  to  practice  at  268 
Washington  street;  and  Dr.  Salmon  Skinner, 
born  at  Coeymans,  Albany  county.  New  York, 
March  6,  1818,  commenced  to  practice  at  57 
Hicks  street,  Brooklyn,  in   1840. 

In  the  year  1855  the  number  of  dentists 
had  increased  to  forty-nine,  but,  as  far  ai 
known,  none  were  natives  of  Brooklyn. 

Dr.  Hezekiah  N.  Stratton  was  born  in 
Phillipston,  Massachusetts,  in  July,  1822-,  and 
in  1846  commenced  to  practice  at  139  Atlantic 
avenue,  Brooklyn,  and  in  1855  was  still  there. 
Dr.  A.  Appleton  Wheeler  .was.  born  near  Brat- 
tleboro,  A'ermont,  December  11,  1832,  and 
commenced  to  practice  in  Brooklyn  in  1853, 
at  51  Myrtle  avenue.  In  1855  he  moved  to 
what  is  now  80  Court  street,  where  he  died 
November  23,  1865.  Dr.  C.  A.  Marvin  was 
born  at  Tappan,  New  York,  June  16,  1823, 
was  practicing  at  the  southwest  corner  of 
Montague  and  Henry  streets,  where  he  had 
commenced  May  i,  1853.  Dr.  W.  B.  Hurd, 
who  was  born  at  Broolcfield,  Connecticut,  July 
5,  1820,  was  on  Fourth  street,  in  what  was 
then  Williamsburgh,  where  he  had  commenced 
to  practice  in  1854,  at  which  time  there  were 
but  four  other  dentists  in  Williamsburgh,  viz., 
Dr.  Andrew  H.  Griswold,  Dr.  Lloyd  Slade, 
Dr.  Samuel  H.  Twitchell  and  Dr.  Cornelius- 
Weeks,  all  of  whom  had  their  offices  on  Fourth 
street.  Dr.  H.  G.  Mirick  was  born  in  Worces- 
ter, Massachusetts,  October  15,  1832,  and  set- 
tled in  Brooklyn  in  1852- as  assistant  to  Dr. 
James  E.   Miller.     He  was  practicing  at  74- 


DENTISTS    IN    BROOKLYN. 


619 


Clinton  street.  Dr.  John  Branique  was  a  na- 
tive of  Ireland  and  was  practicing"  at  196 
Clinton  street.  Dr.  Charles  F.  Mermier  was 
a  native  of  Jamaica,  West  Indies,  and  was 
practicing  on  Classon  avenue,  near  Myrtle 
avenue.  Dr.  C.  D.  Cook  settled  in  Brooklyn 
in  1853  as  assistant  to  Dr.  James  E.  Miller, 
whose  office  was  on  the  corner  of  Pacific  and 
Henry  streets,  on  the  site  of  the  present  Hoag- 
land  laboratorv.  At  the  present  writing  but 
four  of  those  who  were  practicing  in  1855 
are  living.  Drs.  Mirick  and  Marvin  have  re- 
tired from  practice,  the  former  still  residing  in 
Brooklyn,  while  the  latter  lives  in  Philadel- 
phia. Drs.  Hurd  and  Cook  are  both  actively 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  their  profession, 
the  former  at  502  Bedford  avenue,  the  latter 
at  162  Remsen  street. 

The  number  of  dentists  kept  pace  with  the 
increase  of  population,  for  in  1870  there  were 
seventy  practicing.  The  boundaries  of  the 
city  were  continually  extending.  In  i860 
there  were  not  more  than  one  or  two  dentists 
beyond  where  the  City  Hall  now  stands,  but 
at  the  end  of  the  decade,  while  the  greater 
number  were  still  located  in  that  part  of  the 
city  known  as  the  "Heights,"  many  were  in 
South  Brooklyn  and  on  "The  Hill." 

Drs.  A.  H.  Brockway,  M.  E.  Elmendorf, 
W.  T.  Shannon,  F.  W.  Dolbeare  and  Henry 
Brown  were  on  "The  Hill;"  Drs.  James  H. 
Race,  S.  W.  Bridges,  C.  D.  Cook  and  C.  H. 
Biddle  were  south  of  Atlantic  avenue;  Drs. 
W.  B.  Hurd,  W.  C.  Parks,  William  Fish- 
bough,  R.  T.  Ambler,  C.  W.  Harreys,  S.  H. 
Twitchell  and  E.  C.  Wadsworth  were  in  the 
Eastern  District;  Drs.  C.  A.  Marvin,  H.  G. 
Mirick,  O.  E.  Hill,  G.  A.  Mills,  William  Jar- 
vie,  Jr.,  I.  C.  Monroe,  D.  S.  Skinner,  Thomas 
Fry,  J.  B.  Brown,  R.  C.  Brewster,  ¥/.  A. 
Campbell  and  A.  N.  Chapman  were  on  the 
"Heights"  or  in  the  immediate  neighborhood. 

In  1842  John  Kearsing  opened  a  small  es- 
tablishment at  the  corner  of  South  Fourth 
street  and  Eighth  street,  Williamsburgh, 
where  he  refined  gold  and  beat  it  into  foil  to 


be  used  in  the  filling  of  teeth.  In  1848  he 
removed  to  240  Adams  street,  Brooklyn,  where 
he  kept  a  supply  of  dental  instruments  and 
artificial  teeth  and  melted  and  rolled  out  gold 
and  silver  which  were  alone  employed  at  that 
time  in  the  construction  of  sets  of  teeth.  Prior 
to  this  time  it  had  been  necessary  for  Brook- 
lyn dentists  to  go  to  New  York  for  all  their 
materials,  but  Mr.  Kearsing  became  so  favora- 
bly known  as  a  refiner  and  beater  of  gold  that 
many  New  York  dentists  bought  their  gold 
and  silver  plates  and  gold  foil  from  him.  In 
1855  Messrs.  Jones,  White  &  McCurdy  opened 
a  branch  of  their  dental  depot,  under  the  su- 
pervision of  Mr.  Thomas  Wise,  on  Fulton 
street,  near  Tillary.  A  third-story  hall  room 
at  the  back  of  the  building  was  sufficiently 
commodious  for  the  purpose,  and  a  small  ja- 
panned cash  box  large  enough  to  contain  all 
the  gold  and  silver  kept  on  hand.  This  box 
was  carefully  carried  to  New  York  every 
night  for  safe  keeping  and  brought  back  every 
morning.  "Tom"  was  the  faithful  custodian 
of  this  box,  and  continues  to  be  the  faithful 
conservator  of  the  interests  of  the  S.  S.  White 
Dental  Manufacturing  Company,  and  the  gen- 
ial friend  of  all  Brooklyn  dentists.  In  1865 
M.  M.  Johnston  opened  a  dental  depot  at  No. 
20  Fulton  avenue,  in  a  small  room  in  the  rear 
of  a  book  store.  He  soon  associated  his  broth- 
ers with  him  under  the  name  of  Johnston 
Brothers,  and  introduced  many  improvements 
upon  the  materials  and  appliances  then  in  use. 
Prospering  rapidly,  the  firm  became  a  power- 
ful competitor  of  S.  S.  White;  competition 
was  terminated,  however,  in  1881,  by  a  com- 
bination of  the  two  firms  under  the  name  of 
the  S.  S.  White  Dental  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany. 

In  the  autumn  of  1853  the  first  association 
of  dentists  on  Long  Island  was  organized. 
It  was  known  as  the  Long  Island  Association 
of  Dental  Surgeons,  and  held  its  first  meeting 
at  the  office  of  Dr.  H.  N.  Stratton,  137  Atlantic 
avenue,  and  elected  as  officers:  D.  H.  Mul- 
ford.  Recording  Secretary ;  G.  A.  Cooper,  Cor- 


•620 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


i^esponding  Secretary ;  James  E.  Miller,  Treas- 
urer ;  Martin  K.  Bridges,  Librarian ;  John 
Branique,  James  E.  Miller  and  J.  B.  Freder- 
icks, Examining  Committee';  B.  S.  Lyman, 
A:  H.  Griswold  and  C.  B.  Hammond,  Execu- 
tive Committee. 

This  society  had  no  president,  but  a  chair- 
man was  elected  for  each  meeting.  Its  object 
was  more  of  a  social  than  a  scientific  charac- 
ter, and  the  interest  in  it  soon  subsided.  It 
passed  out  of  existence  after  two  or  three 
years  of  an  uneventful  career. 

On  June  12,  1862,  a  number  of  dentists  met 
at  the  office  of  Dr.  O.  E.  Hill,  on  Fulton  street, 
near  Clinton  street,  and  organized  the  Brook- 
lyn Dental  Association.  Its  first  officers  were 
W.  C.  Parks,  President ;  A.  C.  Hawes,  Vice- 
President;  John  Allen,  Treasurer;  and  Will- 
iam B.  Hurd,'  Secretary.  This  society  was 
largely  composed  of  the  most  able  and  pro- 
gressive of  New  York  dentists,  its  Brooklyn 
members  being  O.  E.  Hill,  A.  Appleton 
"Wheeler,  C.  A.  Marvin  and  William  Jarvie, 
Jr.,  while  Williamsburgh  was  represented  by 
W  B.  Hurd,  W.  C.  Parks  and  W.  C.  Home. 
It  met  every  two  weeks  at  the  offices  of  the 
members,  and  during  its  existence  of  five  years 
was  the  most  active  and  useful  society  of  the 
time. 

In  1867  unfortunate  differences  arose  and 
the  society  disbanded,  some  of  its  New  York 
members  organizing  the  New  York  Odonto- 
logical  Society,  while  on  December  14  of  that 
year  thirteen  Brooklyn  dentists  met  at  the 
■office  of  Dr.  George  A.  Mills,  133  Henry  street, 
and  organized  "The  Brooklyn  Society  of  Den- 
tal Science  and  Art."  These  dentists  were 
George  A.  Mills,  H.  G.  Mirick,  O.  E.  Hill, 
A.  H.  Brockway,  L.  E.  Brockway,  William 
Jarvie,  Jr.,  I.  C.  Monroe,  John  Scott,  N.  M. 
Abbott,  Thomas  Fry,  E.  L.  Childs,  H.  E. 
Bird,  George  E.  Bretz.  The  first  officers  cho- 
sen were  H.  G.  Mirick,  President ;  C.  D.  Cook, 
Vice-President;  E.  L.  Childs,  Recording  Sec- 
retary; William  Jarvie,  Jr.,  Corresponding 
Secretary;   I.    C.   Monroe,   Treasurer;   G.   A. 


Mills,  O.  E.  Hill  and  John  Scott,  Executive 
Committee. 

On  January  4,  1869,  the  name  was  changed 
to  the  Brooklyn  Dental  Society,  and  the  fol- 
lowing made  application  to  have  the  society 
incorporated:  C.  D.  Cook,  O.  E.  Hill,  E.  L. 
Childs,  William  Jarvie,  Jr.,  I.  C.  Monroe, 
James  H.  Race,  H.  G.  Mirick  and  George  A. 
Mills.  The  application  was  granted  April 
5,   1869. 

On  January  10,  1870,  this  society  organized 
a  dental  infirmary  at  260  Washington  street, 
which  was  open  every  week  day  and  where 
dental  operations  were  performed  for  the 
worthy  poor  without  cost.  A  superintendent 
was  employed,  and  each  afternoon  a  member 
of  the  society  was  in  charge.  The  members 
of  the  society  not  only  volunteered  their  serv- 
ices, but,  with  the  assistance  of  a  few  public- 
spirited  citizens,  paid  all  the  expenses  for  one 
year,  after  which  the  city  contributed  $1,500 
annually  toward  its  support.  The  infirmary 
was  in  existence  about  four  years,  and  through 
it  the  society  endeavored  to  teach  the  people 
to  appreciate  the  value  of  their  teeth  and  to 
educate  them  in  their  proper  care.  The  in- 
firmary studies  became  to  many  dentists  a  post- 
graduate 'course.  Clinics  were  frequently 
given,  and  the  dentists  of  Brooklyn,  as  well 
as  the  public,  are  indebted  to  the  late  Dr. 
William  H.  Atkinson,  who  at  great  personal 
loss  and  inconvenience  would  frequently  leave 
his  private  patients  in  New  York  and  conduct 
them.  As  far  as  is  known,  this  infirmary  was 
the  only  institution  of  the  kind  ever  in  exist- 
ence. Much  good  was  accomplished,  and  its 
relinciuishment  was  caused  principally  by  the 
many  people  who  were  able  to  pay  endeavoring 
to  obtain  good  dental  services  gratuitously, 
thereby  defeating  the  charitable  object  for 
which  the  infirmary  was  established. 

In  1882  the  Brooklyn  Dental  Society  estab- 
lished a  library  and  reading  room  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Kings  County  Medical  Society, 
in  Everett  Hall,  at  398  Fulton  street.  This 
library  was  afterward  removed  to  the  rooms 


DENTISTS    IN    BROOKLYN. 


621 


of  the  ^Medical  Society  in  Bridge  street,  much 
enlarged  and  owned  by  the  Second  District 
Dental  Society;  it  is  now- in  the  beautiful  new 
home  of  the  Kings  County  Medical  Society  in 
Bedford  avenue. 

In  1895  the  Brooklyn  Dental  Society  re- 
tired from  the  field  of  scientific  activity  in 
favor  of  its  somewhat  younger  brother,  the 
Second  District  Dental  Society,  still  retain- 
ing, however,  its  organization,  and  meeting 
but  once  each  year,  at  which  a  banquet  is 
given.  This  function  is  looked  forward  to 
with  much  pleasure  as  the  social  event  among 
the  dental  profession  on  Lxjng  Island.  The 
present  officers  of  the  society  are :  William 
Jarvie,  President ;  W.  A.  Campbell,  Vice- 
President;  R.  C.  Brewster,  Recording  S'ecre- 
tary;  R.  G.  Hutchinson,  Jr.,  Corresponding 
Secretary;  F.  C.  Walker,  Treasurer;  F.  O.  ' 
Kraemer,  Librarian. 

On  April  7,  1868,  the  State  Legislature 
passed  a  law  entitled  "An  Act  to  incorporate 
dental  societies  for  the  purpose  of  improving 
and  regulating  the  practice  of  dentistry  in 
the  State,"  which  provided  for  a  dental  society 
in  each  of  the  eight  judicial  districts,  eight 
delegates  from  each  of  which  were  to  meet 
at  the  capitol  in  Albany  and  organize  what 
was  to  be  known  as  the  Dental  Society  of  the 
State  of  New  York.  In  accordance  with  this 
provision  in  the  law,  thirty-eight  of  the  dentists 
of  the  Second  Judicial  District,  which  com- 
prised the  counties  of  Kings,  Suffolk,  Rich- 
mond, Westchester,  Orange,  Rockland  and 
Putnam,  and  to  which  was  added  in  1897  Nas- 
sau, met  at  the  City  Hall,  Brooklyn,  on  June 
2,  1868,  and  organized  the  Second  District 
Dental  Society  by  electing  the  following  offi- 
cers: President,  W.  B.  Hurd;  Vice-President, 
George  A.  Mills;  Recording  Secretary,  Will- 
iam Jarvie,  Jr. ;  Corresponding  Secretary,  L. 
S.  Straw ;  Treasurer,  H.  G.  Mirick ;  Delegates 
to  State  Dental  Society,  C.  D.  Cook,  W.  B. 
Hurd,  O.  E.  Hill,  H.  G.  Mirick,  A.  H.  Brock- 
way,  G.  A.  Mills,  L.  S.  Straw  and  C.  L. 
Houghton. 


This  society  has  had  an  uninterrupted  ca- 
reer of  activity  and  usefulness  and  is  one  of 
the  most '  prosperous  and  influential  in  the 
State.  The  regular  monthly  meetings,  with 
the  exception  of  the  September  one,  are  held 
in  Brooklyn,  at  the  residences  of  the  members, 
that  of  September  being  held  in  one  of  the 
river  towns,  generally  Newburgh.  Once  each 
year  a  large  meeting  is  held  to  which  the 
neighboring  dental  societies  are  invited  and 
papers  of  special  value  are  presented.  These 
meetings  attract  eminent  dentists  from  dififer- 
ent  parts  of  the  country  and  are  anticipated 
with  great  interest  throughout  the  profession. 

As  stated  above,  this  society  has  been  most 
influential  in  the  affairs  of  the  Dental  Society 
of  the  State  of  New  York,  four  of  its  Brook- 
lyn members  having  been  called  to  serve  in  the 
capacity  of  President,  viz. :  W.  B.  Hurd,  C.  A. 
:\Iarvin,  O.  E.  Hill  and  F.  T.  Van  Woert. 
H.  G.  Mirick  was  its  Treasurer  for  several, 
years  and  until  his  retirement  from  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession,  while  William  Jarvie 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Censors 
and  of  the  New  York  State  Dental  Examining 
Board  for  the  last  twenty-six  years. 

Members  of  this  society  have  also  been, 
called  upon  to  fill  positions  of  prominence  and 
responsibility  in  the  New  York  Odontological 
Society.  C.  A.  Marvin,  W.  B.  Hurd,  O.  E. 
Hill,  William  Jarvie  and  A.  H.  Brockway  have  ■ 
been  its  Presidents,  H.  G.  Mirick  and  F.  C. 
Walker  have  been  its  Treasurers,  while  Will- 
iam Jarvie  and  William  J.  Turner  have  edited 
its  transactions  for  several  years. 

It  now  has  enrolled  123  names  upon  its- 
list  of  members.  Its  officers  are :  President, 
William  J.  Turner;  Vice-President,  F.  P. 
Hamlet ;  Recording  Secretary,  Ellison  Hillyer ; . 
Corresponding  Secretary,  H.  P.  Gould  ;  Treas- 
urer, R.  G.  Hutchinson,  Jr. ;  Librarian,  R.  C. 
Brewster;  Censors,  William  Jarvie,  E..L.  Rip- 
pier,  F.  B.  Keppy,  O.  E.  Houghton  and  G.  W. 
Knight;  Executive  Committee,  F.  C.  Walker, 
D.  W.  Barker  and  C.  F.  Ash. 

Perhaps  no  better  idea  can  be  obtained  of: 


62: 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


the  rapid  advancement  in  dental  standards 
than  by  a  brief  resume  of  legislation  regulating 
the  practice  of  dentistry  in  this  State.  The 
law  of  New  York  is  generally  conceded  to  be 
the  most  comprehensive  of  all,  and  nearer  the 
ideal  than  that  of  any  other  State.  In  the  var- 
ious movements  to  obtain  this  result  the  den- 
tists of  Brooklyn  have  always  taken  a  promi- 
nent part.  In  response  to  an  informal  call  a 
meeting  composed  of  dentists  representing 
various  sections  of  the  State  was  held  on  De- 
cember 17,  1867,  at  Utica,  New  York,  to  con- 
sider the  desirability  of  securing  a  law  that 
should  regulate  the  practice  of  dentistry  in  this 
State.  Such  a  law,  was  drafted,  passed  by  the 
Legislature  and  signed  by  the  Governor  April 
7,  1868.  It  was  entitled  "An  Act  to  incor- 
porate dental  societies  for  the  purpose  of  im- 
proving and  regulating  the  practice  of  den- 
tistry in  the  State,"  and  under  its  provisions 
a  society  was  to  be  formed  in  .each  of  the  eight 
judicial  districts,  and  eight  delegates  from  each 
of  these  societies  were  to  meet  in  Albany  and 
organize  a  State  society.  This  provision  of 
the  bill  was  carried  out  and  "The  Dental  So- 
ciety of  the  State  of  New  York"  was  organized 
at  Albany  June  30,  1868. 

Prior  to  this  time  there  were  but  few  den- 
tal schools,  and  many  of  the  prominent  and 
most  able  dentists  had  received  their  instruc- 
tion and  early  experience  in  the  offices  of  pri- 
vate preceptors.  In  order  that  such  might  re- 
ceive a  degree  after  proper  examination,  on 
April  21,  1870,  the  dental  law  was  amended, 
providing  for  a  Board  of  Censors  and  the  con- 
ferring of  the  degree  of  M.  D.  S.  (Master  of 
Dental  Surgery)  in  the  following  words  : 

Section  8.  The  State  Dental  Society,  or- 
ganized as  aforesaid,  at  its  first  meeting  shall 
appoint  eight  censors,  one  from  each  of  the 
said  district  societies,  who  shall  constitute  a 
State  Board  of  Censors,  and  at  the  first  meet- 
ing of  said  board  the  members  shall  be  divided 
into  four  classes,  to  serve  one,  two,  three  and 
four  years,  respectively,  and  said  State  Dental 
Society  shall,  at  each  annual  meeting  thereaf- 
ter, appoint  two  censors,  to  serve  each  four 
years  and  until  their  successors  shall  be  cho- 


sen, and  fill  all  vacancies  that  may  have  oc- 
curred in  the  board  by  death  or  otherwise. 
Each  district  society  shall  be  entitled  to  one 
and  only  one  member  of  said  Board  of  Censors. 
Said  Board  of  Censors  shall  meet  at  least  once 
in  each  year,  at  such  time  and  place  as  thi.y 
shall  designate,  and  being  thus  met,  they,  or  a 
majority  of  them,  shall  carefully  and  impar- 
tially examine  all  persons  who  are  entitled  to 
examination  under  the  provisions  of  this  act, 
and  who  shall  present  themselves  for  that  pur- 
pose, and  report  their  opinion  in  writing  to  the 
President  of  said  State  Dental  Society,  and 
on  the  recommendation  of  said  board  it  shall 
be  the  duty  of  the  President,  aforesaid,  to  is- 
sue a  diploma  to  such  person  or  persons,  coun- 
tersigned by  the  secretary,  and  bearing  the 
seal  of  said  society,  conferring  upon  him  the 
degree  of  "Master  of  Dental  Surgery"  (M.  D. 
S.),_and  it  shall  not  be  lawful  for  any  other 
society,  college  or  corporation  to  grant  to  any 
person  the  said  degree  of  "Master  of  Dental 
Surgery." 

Sec.  9.  All  dentists  in  regular  practice  at 
the  time  of  the  passage  of  this  act,  and  all 
persons  who  shall  have  received  a  diploma  from 
any  dental  college  in  this  State,  and  all  students 
who  shall  have  studied  and  practiced  dental 
surgery  with  some  accredited  dentist  or  den- 
tists for  the  term  of  four  years,  shall  be  enti- 
tled to  an  examination  by  said  Board  of  Cen- 
sors. Deductions  from  such  term  of  four  years' 
shall  be  made  in  either  of  the  following  cases : 

1.  If  the  student,  after  the  age  of  sixteen, 
shall  have  pursued  any  of  the  studies  usual  in 
the  colleges  of  this  State,  the  period  not  ex- 
ceeding one  year  during  which  he  shall  have 
pursued  such  studies  shall  be  deducted. 

2.  If  the  student,  after  the  age  of  six- 
teen, shall  have  attended  a  complete  course  of 
lectures  of  any  incorporated  dental  or  medical 
college  in  this  State,  or  elsewhere,  one  year 
shall  be  deducted. 

The  examinations  by  this  board  were  so 
thorough  and  of  such  a  high  standard,  and  its 
decisions  so^  fair  and  evidently  free  from  fa- 
v.oritism,  that  the  degree  has  always  been 
held  in  great  esteem  and  was  sought  for  even 
by  many  graduates  of  dental  schools  who  had 
already  the  degree  of  D.  D.  S.  (Doctor  of  Den- 
tal Surgery). 

On  June  20,  1879,  the  Governor  signed  an 
amendment  which  required  every  dentist  then 


DENTISTS    IN    BROOKLYN. 


623 


in  practice  within  the  State  to  register  within 
sixty  days,  and  permitting  no  one  thereafter 
to  commence  the  practice  of  dentistry  unless 
having  a  dental  or  medical  degree.  The 
amendment  was  as  follows : 

It  shall  be  unlawful  for  any  person  to  prac- 
tice dentistry  in  the  State  of  New  York  for 
fee  or  reward  unless  he  shall  have  received  a 
proper  diploma  or  certificate  of  qualification 
from  the  State  Dental  Society,  or  from  the 
faculty  of  a  reputable  dental  or  medical  col- 
lege recognized  as  such  by  said  societies,  pro- 
vided that  nothing  in  this  section  shall  apply 
to  persons  now  engaged  in  the  practice  of  den- 
tistry in  the  State  of  New  York;  and  that 

Every  person  practicing  dentistry  within 
this  State  shall  within  sixty  days  after  the 
passage  of  this  act  register  in  the  office  of  the 
Clerk  of  the  county  where  located. 

On  May  12,  1895,  the  law  was  again 
amended  so  that  "the  Board  of  Censors"  be- 
came "the  Board  of  Dental  Examiners"  to  be 
appointed  by  the  Board  of  Regents  of  the 
University  of  the  State  of  New  York  from 
nominations  twice  the  number  of  vacancies  to 
be  filled,  made  by  the  State  Dental  Society. 
No  person  was  allowed  to  commence  the  prac- 
tice of  dentistry  unless  he  had  received  a 
license  to  practice  dentistry  from  the  regents 
upon  the  recommendation  of  the  Board  of  Ex- 
aminers. The  board  was  allowed  to  examine 
for  a  license  only  those  who  had  received  a 
degree  from  a  registered  dental  school,  or 
those  who  had  been  practicing  legally  in  some 
other  State  for  a  period  of  not  less  than  five 
years.  The  dental  schools  were  not  allowed  to 
graduate  any  in  1898  who  had  not  had  the 
equivalent  of  one  year  in  a  high  school  three 
years  previous  to  the  conferring  of  the  degree ; 
in  1899  two  years  in  a  high  school,  and  in  1900 
a  full  high-school  course.  Provisions  were 
made  for  revocation  of  licenses  and  for  penal- 


ties for  infractions  of  the  law.  In  1899  an 
interchange  of  licenses  to  practice  dentistry 
was  effected  between  New  Jersey  and  New 
York,  by  which  dentists  who  had  been  licensed 
lo  practice  in  this  State  would  be  licensed  to 
practice  in  New  Jersey  without  further  ex- 
amination, and,  vice  versa,  those  who  had  been 
licensed  in  New  Jersey  would  be  licensed  to 
practice  in  this  State  without  further  examina- 
tion. This  is  the  only  case  in  which  such  an 
interchange  in  dentistry  or  medicine  is  prac- 
ticed, but  negotiations  are  on  foot  by  which 
it  is  hoped  to  extend  it  to  other  States.  On 
March  28,  1901,  the  law  was  yet  further 
amended,  allowing  the  Board  of  Examiners  to 
recommend  to  the  regents  for  a  license  only 
those  who  had  a  dental  degree,  and  also  allow- 
ing the  regents  to  confer  the  degree  of  D.  D.  S. 
in  lieu  of  the  M.  D.  S'  which  had  been  con- 
ferred by  the  State  Dental  Society. 

Probably  no  other  profession  ever  made 
the  rapid  advance  in  science  and  art  that  den- 
tistry has.  Scarcely  born  at  the  beginning 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  the  close  of  it  sees 
it  securely  recognized  as  one  of  the  learned 
professions.  In  1828,  when  the  first  dentist 
of  whom  we  have  any  knowledge  came  to 
Brooklyn,  there  was  not  a  single  dental  society 
in  the  country,  there  was  no  dental  literature, 
neither  was  there  a  dental  school.  Intercourse 
among  members  of  the  profession  was  almost 
unknown,  and  what  little  did  exist  was  marked 
by  constraint,  secrecy  and  jealousy.  Now 
there  are  about  five  hundred  dentists  in  this 
city;  there  are  one  hundred  and  sixty-seven 
dental  societies  throughout  the  country,  and 
eighty-eight  dental  schools,  and  twenty-three 
journals  devoted  to  the  profession.  Every- 
where professional  courtesy  and  liberality  is 
the  rule,  and  a  spirit  of  mutual  interchange  of 
knowledge  and  sympathy  abounds. 


^^^^%%'^^WW 


CHAPTER   LIII. 


THE     BENCH     AND     BAR. 

The   Old   Courts  and  Judges  —  Alden  T.   Spooxer,  Judge   Furman — The  Tii.tox- 

Beecuer   Case — Judge   Nhilson,  Judge   Beach — A   Group 

OF  Modern  Judges  and  Jurists. 


HE  first  court  house  in  Kings  county 
was  inaugurated  in  Gravesend  in 
1668,  and  there  the  seat  of  jus- 
tice remained  until  1686,  when  it 
was  removed  to  Flatbush.  In  1832  it  was 
finally  located  in  Brooklyn,  when  Judge  John 
Dikeman  opened  the  first  session.  At  that 
time  the  Brooklyn  bar  was  represented  ty 
thirty-three  members,  and  if  all  reports  are 
true  there  were  even  then  too  many  council- 
ors for  the  extent  of  business.  There  had 
been  three  court  houses  in  Flatbush.  The 
first,  a  plain  little  building,  was  torn  down 
in  1758  and  replaced  by  a  large  structure 
which  was  part  court  house  and  part  jail  and 
cost  the  ratepayers  $448.  During  the  occu- 
pation the  British  officers  often  used  the  court 
room  for  balls  and  entertainments.  In  1792 
it  was  condemned  as  antiquated  and  in  such 
a  poor  condition  as  to  be  not  worth  repairing, 
and  in  the  following  year  a  new  building  was 
erected,  which  served  until  it  was  burned  to 
the  ground  in  1832.  When  the  embers  of  that 
conflagration  died  out  the  glory  of  Flatbush 
as  a  seat  of  justice  passed  away.  In  its  day 
it  had  been  the  scene  of  many  brilliant  forensic, 
displays.  Egbert  Benson,  John  Marshall, 
John  Jay,  Joseph  Story,  Oliver  Ellsworth, 
Bushrod  Washington,  Samuel  Nelson,  Brock- 
hoist  Livingston,  John  Sloss  Robert,  James 
Kent,  Ambrose   Spencer,  William  L.   Marcy, 


Eseck  Cowan,  John  W.  Edmonds,  Ogden  Ed- 
wards and  many  other  historic  Judges  have 
presided  over  its  courts.  The  Judges  of  the 
higher  courts  prior  to  the  legal  changes  im- 
posed by  the  onstitution  in  1846  were: 

judicial  officers  (west  riding,  under  the 
"duke's  laws/') 

John    Manning,  James  Hubbard, 

Richard   Betts,  Ellert  Elbertson, 

Samuel   Spicer,  James  Cortelleau, 

Rulof  Martin. 

JUSTICES     under     the     COMMISSION     OF     GOV- 
ERNOR andros,   1688. 

Stephen  Van   Cortland,   Judge   of  the   Court 

of  Pleas. 

James   Cortelleau,  William   Morris, 

Gerardus  Beekman,         Nicholas  Stillwell. 

justice  of  the  quorum. 

Under  the  law  of  1691,  and  the  ordinance  of 
1699:    Gerardus  Beekman. 

JUDGES   OF   THE    COMMON    PLEAS. 

APPOINTED 

Gerardus    Beekman 1700 

Jacobus  Van  Cortland Oct.  1702 

Nicholas  Stillwell 1710 

Cornelius  Sebring Nov.   13,  1716 


THE    BENCH    AND    BAR. 


625 


APPOINTED 

Cornelius  van  Brunt 1718 

Peter    Strycker 1720 

Daniel    Polhemus 1722 

Peter  Cortileau ; . . .    1724 

Samuel    Garretsen 1729 

Ryck  Suydam 1732 

Christopher  Codwise Feb.  24,  1738 

Johannes  Lott 1742 

Abraham   Lott 1745 

Isaac  Seabring i749-'52 

Samuel  Garretsen,  Barnabus  Ryder,  Chas. 

De  Bevoise,  1752-61 Oct.  13,  1749 

Abraham  Schenck Oct.  9,  1767 

John  Lefferts May  9,  1770 

John  Lefferts,  Jeremiah  Remsen,  Philip 

Nagil   1770-77 

Englebert     Lott,     Jeremiah    Vanderbilt, 

Theodoras  Polhemus 1777-80 

JUDGES    OF    THE     COMMON     PLEAS     (sinCe    the 

Revolution). 

APPOINTED 

Nicholas  Covenhoven March  28,  1785 

Johannes  E.   Lott June   11,   1793 

John  Skillman March  15,   1805 

Wm.  Furman Feb'y  28,  1808 

Leffert  Lefferts Feb'y  10,  1823 

Peter  Radcliff Feb'y  21,  1827 

John   Dikeman April   21,  1830 

Nathan  B.  Morse April  30,  1833 

John  A.  Lott April  18,  1838 

John   Greenwood Jan.   27,  1843 

John   Vanderbilt May    i,  1844 

COUNTY    JUDGES      UNDER      THE     CONSTITUTION 

OF    1846. 

ELECTED 

William  Rockwell June,  1847 

Samuel  E.   Johnson Oct.  1848 

Henry  A.  Moore. Nov.  1851 

Samuel  D.  Morris Nov,   1855 

Samuel   Garrison Nov.  1859 

John   Dikeman Nov.  1863 

James  Troy Nov.   1867 

Henry  A.  Moore Nov.  1871 

Gerardus    Beskman 1700 

40 


ELECTED 

Jacobus  Van  Cortland 1702 

Cornelius    Seabring 1716 

Cornelius  Van  Brunt 1718 

Peter   Strycker 1720 

Daniel   Polhemus ,  1722 

Peter   Cortilleau 1724 

Samuel    Garretson 1729 

Ryck  Suydam 1732 

Christopher  Codwise 1738 

Johannes  Lett 1742 

Abraham  Lott 1745 

Isaac   Seabring i749 

Samuel  Garretson,  Barnabus  Ryder,  and 

Chas.  De  Bevoise 1749-1761 

Abraham   Schenck 1767 

John   Lefferts 1779 

John   Lefferts,   Jeremiah    Remsen    and 

Philip    Nagil 1770-1777 

Englebert  Cowenhoven 1785 

Johannes  E.  Lott 1793 

John  Skillman 1805 

William    Furman 1808 

Leffert   Lefferts 1823 

Peter  Radcliff 1827 

John   Dikeman 1830 

Nathan  B.  Morse 1833 

John  A.  Lott 1838 

John    Greenwood 1843 

John  Vanderbilt 1844 

Under  the  Constitution  of  1846  the  follow- 
ing county  Judges  held  office  : 

William   Rockwell 1847 

Samuel  E.  Johnson 1848 

Henry  A.  Moore 185 1 

Samuel  D.  Morris 1855 

Samuel    Garrison 1859 

John    Dikeman , 1863 

James  Troy 1867 

Henry  A.  Moore 1871 

Henry  A.  Moore ,  .  1877 

Henry  A.  Moore 1885 

Henry  A.   Moore 1889 

William  B.Hurd 1895 

Joseph    Aspinall 1895 


626 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


In  1848  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State 
was  organized,  and  under  it  the  following  jus- 
tices were  elected  in  the  Second  Judicial  Dis- 
trict, which  included  Kings  county: 

Selah  B.  Strong,  Presiding  Justice,   1848. 

William  T.  McCoun,  1848. 

Nathan  B.   MoTse,  of  Brooklyn,   1848. 

Seward  Barculo,   1848. 

John  W.  Brown,  elected  1849. 

Selah  B.  Strong,  re-elected  in  1851. 

Gilbert  Dean,  appointed  1854,  after  Bar- 
culo's  death. 

William  Rockwell,  of  Brooklyn,  elected 
1853- 

James  Emmott,  elected  1855. 

Lucien  Birdseye,  appointed  1856. 

John  A.  Lott,  of  Brooklyn,  elected   1856. 

William   W.   Scrugham,   elected    1859. 

Joseph  F.  Barnard,  elected  1863. 

Jasper  W.  Gilbert,  of  Brooklyn,  elected 
1865. 

William  Fullerton,  appointed  1867,  after 
Scrugham's  death. 

Abraham  B.  Tappen,  elected  1867. 

Calvin  E.  Pratt,  of  Brooklyn,  elected  1869. 

Jackson  O.  Dykman,  elected  1875. 

Erastus  Cooke,  of  Brooklyn,  elected  1879. 

Edgar  M.  Cullen,  of  Brooklyn,  elected 
1880. 

Charles  F.  Browne,  elected  1882. 

Willard  Bartlett,  of  Brooklyn,  elected  1884. 

William  J.  Gaynor,  of  Brooklyn,  elected 
1893- 

William  D.  Dickey,  elected  1895. 

Wilmot  M.  Smith,  of  Patchogue,  elected 
1895- 

Martin  J.  Keogh,  elected  1895 ;  Augustus 
Van  Wyck,  Nathaniel  H.  Clement  and  William 
J.  Osborne,  former  Judges  of  the  City  Court, 
became  Supreme  Court  Justices  January  i, 
1896,  by  virtue  of  section  5,  title  VI  of  the 
Revised  Constitution. 

Garret  J.  Garretson,  elected  1896. 

William  W.  Goodrich,  of  Brooklyn,  ap- 
pointed 1896. 

Michael  Hirschberg,  elected  1896. 


Samuel  T.  Maddox,  elected  1896. 

Jesse   Johnson,    appointed    after    death   of 
Justice  Osborne,  1897. 

We  do  not  propose  following  in  this  chap- 
ter the  record  of  the  various  courts  in  which 
justice  has  been  administered  in  Kings  coun- 
ty, our  purpose  being  mainly  to  speak  of  some 
of  the  men  who  were  and  are  leaders  of  the 
local  bench  and  bar,  and  who  by  their  judicial 
and  impassioned  expounding  of  the  principles 
of  the  law,  or  their  clear  and  cogent  utter- 
ances when  charging  a  jury,  or  by  impas- 
sioned argument  or  ingenious  tactics  have 
won  victories  at  the  bar  for  the  cause  of  their 
clients  or  the  public  weal,  have  won  for  the 
bar  of  Kings  county  a  measure  of  fame  that 
is  not  surpassed  in  any  other  section  of  the 
United  States.  The  keynote  to  the  structure 
thus  raised  to  such  noble  proportions  was 
struck  by  Judge  Egbert  Benson  when  he  ad- 
dressed the  grand  jury  at  Flatbush  June  6, 
1800,  as  follows,  to  quote  a  most  striking 
passage  from  his  charge :  "In  proportion  as 
your  county,  gentlemen,  increases  in  wealth 
and  population;  as  it  advances  in  public  im- 
provement, in  education,  in  arts,  science,  com- 
mercial prosperity,  which  must  flow  from  its 
unsurpassed  resources,  there  will  be  a  cor- 
responding growth  of  crime — the  inseparable 
companion  of  great  public  prosperity. 

"Your  county,  gentlemen,  over  which  the 
smoke  of  battlefields  has  but  recently  floated, 
has  before  it  a  magnificent  future.  Upon 
grand  juries;  upon  courts  of  justice;  upon  all 
ofificers  of  courts,  and  upon  all  persons  con- 
nected with  the  administration  of  the  laws, 
rest  solemn  responsibilities,  which  are  to  tell 
on  that  future;  for  now  is  the  seed  time, — 
now  is  the  ground  fallow  which  is  to  yield 
fruit  for  generations  to  come.  See  to  it,  then, 
gentlemen,  that  the  responsibility  with  which 
the  law  clothes  you  is  properly  executed  and 
directed." 

One  of  the  earliest  of  the  recognized  lead^ 
ers  of  the  bar  was  John  Wells,  who  was  born 
at  Cherry  Valley  in  1770.     He  was  the  son 


THE    BENCH    AND    BAR. 


627 


of  Robert  Wells,  a  prosperous  farmer,  who 
was  murdered  along  with  eleven  members  of 
his  family  in  1778  by  a  horde  of  Indians  under 
Joseph  Brant, — the  sad  incident  being  now 
spoken  of  as  the  Cherry  Valley  Massacre.  John 
Wells  would  have  shared  the  fate  of  the  oth- 
ers had  he  not  been  in  Schenectady  attend- 
ing school.  He  was  taken  to  Brooklyn  by  an 
aunt,  educated  at  Princeton,  studied   for  the 


MEMORIAL  OF  JOHN   WELLS, 
In  St.  Paul's  Chapel,  New  Yokk. 


bar,  and  in  1791  was  admitted  to  practice. 
His  home  then  was  in  Brooklyn,  and  he  had 
an  office  there  as  well  as  in  New  York.  For 
a  time  little  business  came  his  way,  but  his 
literary  ability  attracted  the  attention  of  Alex- 
ander Hamilton,  and  he  assisted  that  states- 
man in  bringing  out  the  "Federalist."  But 
his  opportunity  came  when  Mr.  Cheetham, 
editor  of  "The  American  Citizen,"  a  New 
York  newspaper,  selected  him  for  his  legal 
adviser  in  a  suit  brought  for  libel  against  the 
paper  by  W,  S.  Smith,  son-in-law  of  President 


Adams.  It  was  one  of  those  peculiar  suits 
which  involved  much  more  than  appeared  on 
the  surface.     A  contemporary  account  says : 

Mr.  Cheetham,  it  is  said,  reasoning  from 
the  force  with  which  Wells  had  wielded  his 
pen  in  certain  political  and  other  articles,  re- 
tained him  as  his  counsel  for  the  defense, — not 
merely  his  counsel,  but  the  leading  counsel  in 
the  case.     This  was  a  great  surprise  to  all  of 
Cheetham's  friends ;  but  the  result  shows  he 
made  no  mistake  in  his  selection  of  counsel. 
The  cause  came  on  for  trial  in  the   city  of 
New  York  early   in   1804.     The  prosecution 
was  conducted  by  several  of  the  ablest  lawyers 
then  at  the  bar.    The  defense  of  Cheetham  by 
his  young  and  apparently  inexperienced  coun- 
sel, as  has  well  been  said,  was  masterly;  it 
would  have  added  lustre  to  the  reputation  of 
Wirt.    The  result  was  highly  favorable  to  his 
client.     The  damages  against  him  were  miti- 
gated to  a  trifle,  compared  with  what  was  con- 
hdently  expected  on  one  side  arud  feared  on  the 
other.     Nothing   could;    exceed   the    surprise 
which  this  splendid — we  may  say  triumphant 
— defense  created  in  the  public  mmd ;   ana  tne 
young  advocate  at  once  took  that  high  and 
commanding  place  at  the  bar  for  which  his 
talents    so    admirably    fitted    him.     From   a 
stinted  business  and  a  few  clients,  whose  visits 
had  hitherto  been  "few  and  far  between,"  he 
was  daily  retained  in  cases  of  importance  and 
of  pecuniary  value  to  him.    Not  long  after  the 
trial  of  Smith  vs.  Cheetham,  he  was  retained 
in   an   important   case   tried   at    Flatbush,    in 
which   he   displayed   skill,    learning   and   elo- 
quence that  added  largely  to  his  fame.     His 
opponent  was  Colonel  Aaron  Burr,  who  often 
appeared  in  the  Kings  county  courts.     After 
the  trial  Burr  said,  "I  was  aware  of  Mr.  Wells' 
power  and  astonishing  ability  as  a  writer,  but 
I   did   not   think   he   possessed,   as   he   really 
does,  the  genius  of  an  Erskine  as  a  lawyer." 

From  that  time  until  the  time  of  his  death', 
in  1823,  Mr.  Wells  was  the-  acknovvledged 
leader  of  the  bar,  not  alone  of  Kings  county, 
but  of  the  State.  For  a  time  he  was  in  part- 
nership with  Josiah  Ogden  Hoffman,  but  as 
a  rule  he  preferred  to  fight  his  battles  single- 
handed.  After  his  death  his  associates  at  the 
bar  united  in  the  erection  of  a  memorial  bust, 
which  is  still  to  be  seen  in  St.  Paul's  Chapel, 
New  York, 


628 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


George  M.  Wood,  born  in  Trenton,  New 
Jersey,  and  who  began  to  practice  law  in 
Brooklyn  in  1837,  was  long  famous  as  a  local 
leader.  Chancellor  Walworth  called  him  a 
"walking  library  of  law,"  and  the  immortal 
Daniel  Webster, 'seeing  him  apparently  asleep 
in  court  while  a  case  was  going  on  in  which 
they  held  opposite  sides,  said,  "Pray  don't 
wake  him,  for  when  George  M.  Wood  is  fully 
awake  he  is  one  of  the  most  troublesome 
opponents  I  am  in  the  habit  of  meeting."  M.r. 
Wood  died  in  1861. 

One  of  the  last  of  the  purely  political 
Judges  to  hold  office  in  the  court  at  Flatbush 
was  William  Furman,  whO'  in  1808  became 
Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas.  It  is 
not  certain  that  he  was  ever  bred  to  the  law 
or  knew  much  more  about  the  profession  than 
any  educated  gentleman  might  pick  up  in  the 
course  of  his  reading  or  association,  yet  he 
sat  on  the  bench  from  1808  until  1823,  and 
won  a  most  enviable  record.  One  of  the 
biographers  of  his  son,  Gabriel  Furman,  the 
well-known  local  antiquary,  thus  wrote  of 
him: 

He  was  a  man  of  finished  education; 
strong,  practical  good. sense.  Paramount  traits 
in  his  character  were  love  of  justice,  perfect 
integrity,  impartiality  and  a  close  perceptioti 
of  human  nature.  It  will  therefore  be  seen 
he  possessed  the  qualities  of  a  useful  and  up- 
right Judge ;  his  popularity  with  the  bar,  and 
the  high  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  the 
public,  plainly  attest  his  character  as  a  Judge 
and  as  a  private  citizen.  He  represented 
Brooklyn  on  the  Board  of  Kings  County  Su- 
pervisors for  several  successive  years.  In  the 
fall  of  1825  he  was  elected  member  of  the 
Assembly  from  Kings  county,  entering  upon 
his  legislative  duties  January  3,  1826.  That 
illustrious  statesman,  Samuel  Young,  was 
Speaker ;  -the  peculiarities  of  Mr.  Young  as  ■  a 
legislator  have  become  matters  of  history.  He 
was  in  every-  sense  unUke  Judge  Furman,  and 
yet  there  always,  existed  a  warm  friendship 
between  these  gentlemen ;  there  is  one  fact 
which  attests  this  in  a  strong  manner ;  he  was 
appointed  by- Mr.'  Young 'Chairman  of"  the 
Judiciary  ■  Committee,  and  second  on  the  Com- 
mittee of  Ways  and  Means.  ,    - 


Judge  Furman  was  President  of  the  Brook- 
lyn Fire  Insurance  Company,  incorporated  in 
1824.  There  was  scarcely  any  public  improve- 
ment touching  the  welfare  of  the  then  village 
of  Brooklyn  that  Judge  Furman  was  not  more 
or  less  identified  with.  He  was  a  lifelong,  un- 
deviating  friend'  of  De  Witt  Clinton,  strongly 
sustaining  him  in  that  great  policy  that  inau- 
gurated and  constructed  the  Erie  Canal. 

The  legislative  session  of  1826  was  -one  of 
the  most  exciting  and  important  in  the  history 
of  the  State.  The  four-cornered  Presidential 
conflict  between  General  Jackson,  Mr.,  Adams,. 
Mr.  Crawford  and  Mr.  Clay  culminated  that 
year.  It  entered  largely  into  the  Legislature 
of  the  State,  leading  to  frequent  collisions. 
In  these  Judge  Furman  largely  participated. 
On  the  whole  he  was  one  of  the  most  active 
and  influential  members  of  that  session.  He 
was  tendered  the  ,re-nomination  the  next  year, 
but  declined.  Among  his  associates  in  the 
Assembly,  whose  names  have  passed  into  the 
history  of  the  State,  were  Ogden  Hoffman,, 
then  a  resident  of  Orange  county;  Francis- 
Granger,  frorn  Ontario;  John  Tracy,  from 
Chenango;  and  Erastus  Root,  of  Delaware.. 
After  retiring  from  the  Legislature  Judge  Fur- 
man retired  entirely  into  private  life,  a  highly 
esteemed  citizen,  influential  and  active  in  all' 
that  concerned  the  interest  and  advancement 
of  the  society  in  which  he  moved. 

Judge  Dikeman,  the  last  of  the  presiding 
Judges  at  Flatbush,  was  the  son  of  a  Hemp- 
stead farmer,  and  was  born  in  that  township- 
in  1795.  For  a  time  he  was  a  teacher  in  a 
school  on  Adams  sitreet,  near  Sands  street,, 
but  while  so  engaged  he  zealously  studied  law. 
In  1821  he  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  village 
of  Brooklyn,  and  held  that  office  until  he  was 
appointed  to  the  bench  in  1830. 

In  referring  to  the  career  of  Henry  C. 
Murphy  reference  was  often  made  to  bis  law 
firm,  Lott,  Murphy  &  VanderbiU,  and  as  the- 
members  of  that  firm  were  really  representa- 
tive lawyers  of  Brooklyn  for  many  years  as- 
well  as  active  in  its  politics,  the  careers  of  the- 
other  members  may .  be  briefly,  summarized; 
John  A.  Lott  was  .born,  in  Flatbush  in  1805, 
and  .was  the  representative  of  a  family,  whose 
progenitor  settled  there,  in  1682.  In-  1828 
MiP.  Lott  was  aclmitt©^  to  practice  at  the  bar,. 


THE    BENCH    AND    BAR. 


629 


and  for  some  time  held  an  office  in  New  York. 
His  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Murphy  brought 
about  a  partnership  with  that  gentleman  in 
1835,  and  Mr.  Lett  removed  his  office  to 
Brooklyn.  In  1836  Judge  Vanderbilt  was 
assumed  as  a  partner,  and  the  firm  of  Lett, 
Murphy  &  Vanderbilt  started  in  its  history 
of  some  twenty  years,  until  Mr.  Murphy  be- 
came Minister  to  The  Hague,  in  1857.  Then 
it  became  Lott  &  Vanderbilt  and  so  continued 
until  Judge  Vanderbilt's  death,  in  1878,  when 
Mr.  Lott  continued  in  business  alone  until 
he  was  summoned  hence,  in  1878.  With  Judge 
Lott's  politics,  of  course,  this  work  has  no  in- 
terest, but  it  must  be  confessed  that  he  was 
as  much  a  politician  as  a  lawyer,  and  for  a 
long  time  was  the  acknowledged  leader  of 
his  party  in  Brooklyn.  In  1838  he  was  ap- 
pointed Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas, 
in  1841  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Assem- 
bly, and  about  two  years  later  was  chosen 
Senator.  His  legislative  career  was  a  most 
honorable  one.  He  took  an  active  part  in  the 
debates  on  every  important  public  question, 
and  his  words,  well  thought  out  and  elegantly 
and  forcefully  expressing  the  ideas  of  a  well- 
read  man  and  one  who  was  in  favor  of  legiti- 
mate reforms  of  all  sorts,  carried  much  weight. 
One  notable  speech  he  made  was  on  a  motion 
to  cheapen  the  cost  of  the  printed  reports  of 
the  State  courts'  decisions,  in  which  he  came 
pretty  close  to  the  notion  of  a  Scotch  jurist 
who  held  that  when  the  State  enacted  a  law 
and  the  law  continued  in  force,  the  State 
should  attend  to  its  enforcement  and  its  ad- 
ministration so  that  justice  would  cost  nothing, 
as  justice  was  a  right,  not  a  privilege  to  be 
paid  for.  Judge  Lott,  among  other  things, 
said: 

I  am  strongly  in  favor  of  cheap  law  and 
cheap  law-books.  I  think  it  quite  as  important 
that  a  knowledge  of  law  should  be  brought 
within  the  reach  of  the  people  as  the  knowl- 
edge of  any  other  science, — for  law,  as  has 
been  well  said,  "is  the  rule  of  human  action." 
We  have  read  of  the  Roman  Emperor  who 
caused  his  code  to  be  written  in  fine  letters 


on  tablets,  placed  on  towers  so  high  that  none 
could  read  it.  Those  who  favor  the  other  side 
of  this  question  do  indirectly  what  that  Em- 
peror did.  Sir,  I  do  not  desire  to  emulate  him 
in  any  degree.  I  cordially  indorse  the  lan- 
guage of  a  great  English  law  reformer  who 
said :  It  was  the  boast  of  Augustus, — it  formed 
a  part  of  the  glare  in  which  the  perfidies  of 
his  early  years  were  lost, — that  he  found  Rome 
built  of  brick  and  left  it  marble ;  but  how  much 
more  noble  will  be  the  Sovereign's  boast  when 
he  shall  have  it  to  say  that  he  found  law  dear 
and  left  it  cheap;  found  it  a  sealed  book,  left 
it  a  living  letter;  found  it  the  patrimony  of 
the  rich,  left  it  the  inheritance  of  the  poor; 
found  it  the  two-edged  sword  of  tyranny  and 
oppression,  and  left  it  the  staff  of  honesty 
and  the  shield  of  innocence. 

In  1857  Judge  Lott  was  elected  to  the  Su- 
preme Court  and  entered  on  his  duties  January 
I,  1858.  In  1869  he  was  elected  to  the  bench 
of  the  Court  of  Appeals. 

John  Vanderbilt,  the  junior  partner  of  the 
famous  firm,  was,  like  Mr.  Lott,  a  native  of 
Flatbush,  and,  like  him,  was  descended  from 
an  ancient  family  of  that  good  old  town.  In 
1835  he  became  associated  in  business  with 
Mr.  Lott  and  Mr.  Murphy,  and  his  association 
with  Judge  Lott  continued  until  the  close  of 
his  active  career.  In  1844  M'P.  Vanderbilt 
was  appointed  by  Governor  William  C.  Bouck 
to  the  responsible  position  of  first  Judge  of 
the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  of  Kings  county 
to  succeed  Judge  Greenwood,  who  had  re- 
signed. He  discharged  the  duties  of  this  im- 
portant position  with  faithfulness  and  credit 
for  two  years,  until  the  Court  of  Common 
Pleas  was  abolished  by  the  adoption  of  the 
New  Constitution  in  1846,  and  the  creation 
of  the  County  Court  as  at  present  constituted. 
It  has  been  said  that,  at  the  time  of  his  retire- 
ment from  the  bench,  there  was  not  a  more 
popular  man,  politically  and  socially,  in  the 
city  of  Brooklyn  than  he.  In  the  fall  of  1852 
he  received  the  Democratic  nomination  for  the 
State  Senate,  to  which  position  he  was  chosen 
by  a  large  majority.  He  filled  this  station 
creditably  for  the  full  term  of  two  years.  Dur- 


030 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


ing  his  term  as  Senator  he  was  appointed  one 
of  the  Commissioners  to  investigate  the  har- 
bor encroachments  of  New  York.  He  was 
also  selected  as  one  of  the  Commissioners  to 
investigate  the  affairs  of  President  Nott  and 
Union  College.  In  the  fall  of  1856  he  was 
nominated  on  the  Democratic  ticket  for  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor, with  Amasa  J.  Parker,  of 
Albany,  as  Governor,  but  the  Democrats  were 
not  successful  in  the  issue  of  the  election. 
For  several  years  before  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred at  Flatbush  May  16,  1877,  Judge  Van- 
derbilt  was  retired  from  active  service  by  a 
shock  of  paralysis;  but,  "in  the  prime  of  his 
energy  was  certainly  the  most  vigorous  and 
handsome  man  in  public  or  political  life  in  this 
county,  if  not  in  the  State.  His  strong,  manly 
beauty  mated  with  and  was  the  exponent  of 
qualities  of  mind  and  heart,  as  attractive  as 
his  gifts  and  graces  of  person.  In  a  time 
when  'rings'  were  unknown,  he  was  a  Demo- 
crat; in  a  time  when  sectionalism  was  hardly 
an  apparition,  and  when  the  State  had  its 
full  rights,  whether  it  was  weighed  or  counted 
as  a  factor,  he  was  a  patriot,  and,  one  who 
gloried  in  his  whole  country ;  in  a  time  when 
shysters  had  not  been  evolved,  and  when  petti- 
foggers were  limited  to  a  satirical  stage  or 
a  saircastic  literature,  he  was  a  lawyer ;  in  a 
time  when  gentlemen  were  as  dominant  in  poli- 
tics, and  scholars  as  dominant  in  council  as 
they  now  are  not,  he  was  a  scholar  and  a  gen- 
tlanan.  His  rapidity  of  public  development, 
his  activity  in  affairs,  his  not  surpassed  quali- 
ties of  good-fellowship,  the  magnetism  of  his 
mind  and  manners,  and  the  impressive  appeal 
which  he  could  address  to  the  people,  early 
made  him  and  long  kept  him  what  he  was 
freely  called,  'Kings  County's  Favorite  Son,' 
when  that  appellation  was  forcible  by  its  rar- 
ity, significant  in  its  meaning,  and  when  it  had. 
not  been  vulgarized  by  its  application  to  the 
politicians  by  profession,  and  to  the  place-hunt- 
ers by  occupation." 

Judge  Vanderbilt  married  Gertrude  Pbebe 
Lefferts,  daughter  of  John  Lefferts,  of  Flat- 


bush.  She  yet  survives,  and  by  her  volume  on 
"The  Social  History  of  Flatbush"  and  other 
graceful  writings,  has  done  much  to  keep 
alive  the  kindly  memories  of  that  old  Dutch 
town.  She  has  been  a  frequent  contributor 
to  newspapers  and  magazines,  and  her  inter- 
esting story  of  the  Dutch  Refo'rmed  Church 
at  Flatbush  has  been  by  general  request  in- 
corporated in  these  pages. 

No  study  of  the  past  generation  of  Brook- 
lyn lawyers  would  be  complete  without  a 
sketch  of  Alden  J.  Spooner,  who  was  at  once 
a  representative  citizen,  a  representative  law- 
yer, and  a  representative  of  the  higher  cul- 
ture of  the  city.  The  following  is  condensed 
from  a  sketch  by  L.  B.  Proctor.  Alden  T. 
Spooner  was  born  at  Sag  Harbor  February 
10,  1810.  His  father.  Colonel  Alden  Spooner, 
was  long  the  foremost  journalist  in  Brooklyn, 
established  "The  Long  Island  Star,"  the  first 
newspaper  published  on  Long  Island,  and  in 
1841,  although  not  bred  to  the  law,  was  ap- 
pointed Surrogate  of  Kings  county.  His  son, 
however,  was  duly  qualified  for  a  legal  career 
and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  regular 
manner  and  after  a  thorough  training. 

His  first  case  at  the  Queens  county  bar 
was  one  of  great  difficulty,  full  of  knotty  legal 
questions ;  and  in  addition  to  this  his  opponent 
was  one  of  the  ablest  lawyers  of  his  times. 
Mr.  Spooner  had  associated  with  him  a  very 
able  and  experienced  lawyer,  who  was  to  try 
the  case  before  the  jury.  But,  being  taken 
suddenly  ill,  the  whole  responsibility  of  the 
case  rested  upon  the  young  advocate.  With 
many  misgivings  he  entered  the  contest;  but 
as  the  struggle  deepened  his  timidity  vanished, 
confidence  and  self-reliance  took  its  place,  and 
after  a  long  and  bitter  contest  his  efforts  were 
crowned  with  a  triumph  that  greatly  advanced 
his  professional  prospects. 

In  May,  1836,  the  celebrated  case  of  the 
People  V.  John  Nichols  was  tried  at  the  Suf- 
folk Term  of  Oyer  and  Terminer,  the  Hon. 
Ogden  Edwards  presiding.  Nichols  had  been 
indicted  for  an  assault  with  an  intent  to  kill 


THE    BENCH    AND    BAR. 


631: 


and'  for  burglary.  The  crime  was  committed 
under  circumstances  of  great  atrocity.  Spoon- 
er  appeared  for  the  defense,  interposing  the 
plea  of  insanity  for  his  client.  The  case  is  re- 
membered as  one  in  which  an  unprecedented 
number  of  eminent  physicians  were  sworn  as 
witnesses  for  and  against  the  prisoner;  those 
for  the  defense  established  beyond  a  doubt  his 
insanity,  while  an  equal  number  testified  that 
he  was  perfectly  sane.  Under  this  conflict 
of  evidence  Spooner  went  to  the  jury.  With 
great  ingenuity  he  took  advantage  of  this 
marked  conflict  in  the  professional  evidence, 
thereby  raising  a  reasonable  doubt  as  to  the 
guilt  of  the  prisoner. 

"Gentlemen  of  the  jury,"  said  he,  "you 
have  the  testimony  of  ten  irespectable  physi- 
cians showing  the  insanity  of  my  client.  It  is 
true  you  have  an  equal  number  of  equally  re- 
spectable physicians  who  testify  to  his  sanity. 
Notwithstanding  this,  will  you  take  the  respon- 
sibility of  convicting  a  man  of  a  charge  as 
serious  as  this,  whom  ten  scientific  physicians 
have  pronounced  insane  ?  They  may  be  right, 
gentlemen, — quite  as  likely  to  be  right  as  those 
who  have  testified  against  them.  Here,  then, 
gentlemen,  is  such  a  reasonable  doubt  of  my 
client's  guilt  that  you  can  not  convict  him; 
for,  gentlemen,  when  doctors  disagree,  who 
can  decide?" 

His  whole  plea  was  a  masterly  effort,  and 
so  pronounced  by  the  bar  and  spectators  pres- 
ent. He  was  followed  by  the  Hon.  Selah  B. 
Strong,  District  Attorney  of  Suffolk  county, 
afterward  one  of  the  Justices  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  Second  Judicial  District  of  the 
State.  Judge  Strong  made  a  very  able  and 
eloquent  reply  to  Mr.  Spooner's  argument,  but 
the  jury  rendered  a  verdict  of  "Not  guilty," 
and  the  prisoner  was  discharged.  This  was 
a  signal  victory  for  the  young  lawyer.  As  a 
speaker  Mr.  Spooner  had  a  full  share  of  ad- 
vantages in  personal  appearance,  in  oratorical 
and  reasoning  powers,  and  in  clear  voice. 
These  united  qualities  commanded  respect  and 
attention,  and  often   produced   conviction  in 


the  minds  of  his  hearers.  With  his  pen  he 
was  a  more  powerful  dispenser  of  eloquence 
than  with  his  lips.  Possessing  a  fine  literary 
taste,  strengthened  and  enlarged  by  classical, 
lore,  and  an  extensive  knowledge  of  books, 
he  ranked  among  the  most  able  writers  of  his 
times.  His  capacity  for  intense  application 
to  literary  labor  seemed  exhaustless.  All  his. 
literary  efforts  exhibit  vivacity  and  strength, 
of  mind,  quickness  of  perception  and  great 
purity  of  taste.  Books  were  his  constant  com- 
panions, and  he  was  ever  a  close  student  of 
the  Greek  and  Latin  writers.  He  used  to 
say :  "I  am  pleased  with  Livy,  for  his  inimita- 
ble manner  of  telling  a  story;  with  Sallust, 
for  his  entering  into  those  internal  principles 
of  action  which  arise  from  the  characters  and 
manners  of  those  he  described;  with  Tacitus, 
for  displaying  those  outward  motives  of  safe- 
ty and  interest  which  give  birth  to  the  whole 
series  of  transactions  he  relates."  A  more 
pleasing  and  truthful  description  of  these  ele- 
gant writers  could  hardly  be  given. 

His  Hterary  taste  gradually  led  him  from 
the  duties  of  his  profession.  As  has  well 
been  said:  "The  literary  and  artistic  features 
of  Mr.  Spooner's  character  were  an  especial 
and  profitable  phase  in  his  life.  He  wrote 
much  and  well.  In  his  earlier  years.,  besides 
the  work  of  editing  the  'Long  Island  Star,' 
he  was  a  frequent  and  valuable  contributor 
to  that  greatly  admired  periodical,  'The  Knick- 
erbocker Magazine.'.  The  history  of  Brooklyn 
and  Long  Island  always  interested  him  deeply. 
He  furnished  a  loving,  tender  biography  of 
the  author  to  a  reprint  of  Gabriel  Furman's 
'Notes,  Geographical  and  Historical,  Relat- 
ing to  the  Town  of  Brooklyn'  (annotated  by 
Dr.  H.  R.  Stiles),  which  was  published  in 
1865.  He  also  edited  a  reprint  of  Silas  Wood's 
'Sketch  of  the  First  Settlement  of  the  Towns 
of  Long  Island.'  Of  both  of  these  works 
small  editions  on  large  paper,  for  private  dis- 
tribution, were  issued  by  the  Faust  Club 
(consisting  of  Alden  J.  Spooner  and  Henry  R. 
Stiles)   in  1865. 


C32 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


"A  more  recent  work  was  the  article  on 
Brooklyn  in  Johnson's  Encyclopedia,  published 
a  few  years  ago, — a  very  complete  sketch; 
and  he  also  contributed  articles  on  other  top- 
ics for  the  same  work. 

"Mr.  Spooner's  interest  in  public  affairs 
dates  back  to  his  earlier  years.  When,  on  the 
i8th  of  November,  1830,  the  Hamilton  Liter- 
ary Society  was  organized,  Mr.  Spooner,  then 
a  youth  of  twenty  years,  was  one  of  the  active 
promoters  of  the  movement,  and  was  elected 
first  president  of  the  Hamilton.  With  him 
were  associated  at  that  time,  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  society,  such  men  as  Henry  C. 
Murphy,  A.  A.  Low,  Seth  Low,  John  T.  How- 
ard, Prof.  Raymond, — afterward  President  of 
the  Polytechnic  and  Vassar  College, — Joshua 
A.  Van  Cott  and  Hon.  John  Greenwood,  of 
the  city  of  Brooklyn." 

One  of  the  pleasantest  instances  in  the  lit- 
erary career  of  Mr.  Spooner  was  the  semi-cen- 
tennial of  the  Hamilton,  on  the  evening  of 
January  19,  1880,  held  in  the  Art  Gallery  on 
Montague  street.  As  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  society  and  its  first  president,  Mr.  Spooner 
was  one  of  the  honored  guests  of  the  evening, 
and  there  led  in  that  old  song  so  dear  to  all 
Hamiltonians, 

"When  we  all  ate  the  oyster  fries 
Way  down  at  Johnny  Joe's." 

He  was  the  writer  of  that  song,  and  it  has 
been  sung  at  the  annual  banquets  of  that  so- 
ciety for  years.  It  carries  the  memory  of  many 
a  gray-haired  and  .reverend  citizen  back  to  his 
younger  days,  and  to  the  pleasures  and  com- 
panions of  his  youth. 

Mr.  Sipooner  loved  the  Hamilton  Society 
as  a  parent  loves  its  offspring;  and  he  was 
always  the  hearty  friend  of  the  young  men 
who,  year  after  year,  swelled  its  ranks  and 
participated  in  its  exercises. 

His  connection  with  the  establishing  of  the 
Dong  Island  Historical  Society  is  one  of  the 
main  features  of  his  career.  The  idea  was 
present  in  his  brain  long  before  the  initial 


step  was  taken,  and  his  name  is  signed  to  the 
call  for  the  meeting  held  on  the  i6th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1863,  when  the  project  took  shape  and 
form,  and  he  was  among  its  first  officers.  He 
drew  largely  from  the  shelves  of  his  own 
library  to  contribute  to  the  infant  library  of 
the  institution.  He  presented  pictures  and  ob- 
jects of  interest  to  the  gallery  and  museum 
of  the  society,  and  he  was  always  its  earnest, 
steadfast  friend;  and  his  leisure  hours  were 
largely  passed  in  its  alcoves.  The  following 
minute  was  adopted  by  the  Board  of  Directors 
of  the  Long  Island  Historical  Society,  Octo- 
ber II,  1881,  as  expressive  of  their  sense  of 
the  loss  which  the  society  sustained  in  his 
death : 

Alden  J.  Spooner,  one  of  the  councillors 
of  this  society,  died  suddenly  in  the  month 
of  August  last.  His  life  was  most  absolutely 
that  of  a  Long  Islander.  He  was  born  in 
Suffolk  county,  passed  the  greater  part  of  his 
life  in  Kings,  and  died  and  was  buried  in  the 
county  of  Queens.  His  tastes  were  always 
predominantly  literary,  and  his  busier  years 
were  divided  between  journalism  and  the 
practice  of  the  law.  He  was  a  w;ide  reader, 
and  wrote  with  facility  and  finish  in  both  prose 
and  verse.  He  was  a  delightful  companion, 
and  abounded  in  anecdote,  fun  and  genial  hu- 
mor. He  was  humane  and  generous  up  to  the 
full  measure  of  his  means.  From  early  man- 
hood down  to  his  death,  on  the  very  verge  of 
old  age,  he  sympathized  with  all  measures 
and  efforts  which  aimed  to  make  men  wiser, 
better  and  happier  in  their  lives.  Beyond  most 
of  his  contemporaries,  he  had  a  prescience  of 
the  rapid  growth  and  prosperity  of  this  city, 
and  of  its  needs  of  libraries,  lyceums,  schools 
of  art,  and  other  institutions  for  culture  and 
pleasure;  and  he  was  always  a  prompt,  eager 
and  enthusiastic  participant  in  all  combined 
efforts  to  make  adequate  provision  for  such 
needs.  The  early  Apprentices'  Library,  the 
City  Library,  the  Athenaeum,  and  the  Hamilton 
Literary  Association,  are  among  his  debtors, 
and  should  hold  him  in  grateful  and  honorable 
remembrance.  The  circular  which  convened 
the  earliest  meeting  for  the  organization  of 
this  society  was  from  his  pen,  and  bears  his 
name,  and'  he  was  not  only  among  the  fi-rst, 
but  among  the  most  zealous  of  those  to  whose 
public  spirit  the   society  owes   its   existence. 


THE    BENCH    AND    BAR. 


633 


Prominent  and  active  members  of  the  existing 
institutions  of  the  city,  who  shared  his  genial 
companionship  and  liberal  aims,  have  united 
to  pay  a  parting  tribute  to  his  cultivated  tastes, 
his  broad  humanity,  his  devotion  to  the  welfare 
of  the  city  and  the  island,  and  to  his  high 
character  for  integrity  in  his  relations  to  his 
fellow  men. 

Mr.  Spooner  was  also  largely  interested  in 
establishing  the  Brooklyn  Institute,  on  Wash- 
ington street.  Indeed,  there  is  scarcely  one 
among  the  older  institutions  of  Brooklyn  in 
which  he  was  not  actively  interested.  The 
latest  offspring  of  his  efforts  in  this  direction 
was  the  Society  of  Old  Brooklynites. 

As  a  judge  of  art,  Mr.  Spooner  had  few 
superiors  among  amateurs.  Painting  and 
sculpture  were  equally  a  study  with  him,  and 
he  had  an  intelligent  appreciation  of  their  finer 
points. 

In  his  later  years  he  was  engaged  in  col- 
lecting, arranging  in  chronological  order,  and 
uniting  together  a  mass  of  historical  incidents 
relating  to  Long  Island,  which  he  had  been 
years  in  "gathering.  It  was  his  intention,  ha4 
his  life  been  spared,  to  have  written  a  com- 
prehensive history  of  Long  Island;  but  death 
came  to  him  suddenly  at  his  residence  in 
Hempstead,  on  the  evening  of  August  2,  1881. 

He  never  had  any  taste  for  politics,  conse- 
quently never  sought  political  distinction  or 
official  promotion.  The  only  office  he  ever 
held  was  that  of  clerk  of  the  Brooklyn  City 
Court.  As  has  well  been  said:  "Always  too 
ready  to  yield  to  the  advancement  of  others, 
he  put  aside  positions  he  would  have  splendidly 
adorned  with  his  magnificent  intellect." 

Mr.  Spooner's  life  was  one  of  spotless  in- 
tegrity, and  the  rigid  honesty  of  his  business 
dealings  always  secured  him  absolute  confi- 
dence, not  only  with  his  clients,  but  with  all 
classes  of  business  men.  He  was  a  fascinating 
and  instructing  conversationalist ;  one  of  those 
persons  in  whose  society  intelligent  men  and 
women  became  still  more  intelligent.  He 
could  draw  out  persons,  if  there  was  anything 


in  them  to  draw  out;  if  there  was  a  subject 
about  which  they  knew  more  than  he  did, 
nothing  pleased  him  so  much  as  to  have  it 
introduced.  He  seized  quickly  upon  charac- 
teristic traits,  and  by  an  anecdote  would  put 
one  in  possession  of  the  real  character  of  the 
man  better  than  an  extended  biography. 

Perhaps  no  Judge  in  Brooklyn  came,  for 
a  time,  more  before  the  eyes  of  the  civilized 
world  than  did  Justice  Joseph  Neilson,  who 
presided  so  ably  over  the  famous  Beecher- 
Tilton  trial.  He  was  born  at  Argyle,  New 
York,  April  15,  1815,  and  was  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent.  His  father  was  a  physician.  Joseph 
studied  for  the  legal  profession,  and  on  being 
admitted  to  the  bar  "hung  out  his  shingle"  in 
Oswego,  New  York,  and  there  remained  until 
1844,  when  he  removed  to  New  York  and 
took  up  practice  there,  building  up  quickly  a 
large  business.  He  made  his  home  in  Brook- 
lyn, and  in  1870  he  was  elected  one  of  the 
Judges  of  that  city.  He  retired  at  the  close 
of  1882,  having  then  reached  the  constitutional 
age  limit.  He  was  in  every  respect  a  remarka- 
ble Judge,  and  a  notable  instance  of  this  was 
given  just  toward  the  close  of  the  long  and 
involved  Beecher-Tilton  trial.  The  evidence 
was  all  in,  the  decisions  of  the  Judge  on  law 
fKDints  had  been  given  day  after  day  with  un- 
varying courtesy,  the  lawyers  had  summed 
up  and  every  one  waited  to  hear  the  Judge's 
charge.  All  through  the  long  trial  he  had 
been  so  impartial  that  neither  side  could  say 
how  the  evidence  had  impressed  him  or  what 
his  opinion  of  the  case  really  was;  Now  it 
seemed  as  if  he  must  at  least  show  his  leaning, 
and  counsel,  jury  and  public  hung  on  his  words 
as  he  laid  down  the  law,  pointed  out  the  value 
of  the  evidence  submitted  and  went  over  every 
detail,  every  law  point,  and  presented  the 
whole  in  such  a  clear  and  logical  manner 
that  the  jury  had,  as  it  were,  a  birds-eye  view 
of  the  ugly  story  laid  before  them.  At  the 
conclusion  of  his  summing  up  not  a  single 
exception  was  taken  to  any  part  of  his  ad- 
dress by  the  counsel  on  either  side;  all  those 


634 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


brilliant  men  who  had  weighed  every  word 
uttered  could  find  no  flaw,  no  wavering  in  the 
scales  of  justice,  and  through  their  spokesmen 
answered  they  were  "content."  In  comment- 
ing on  the  charge  the  Albany  Law  Journal 
said:  "The  brief  charge  to  the  jury  of  Judge 
Neilson,  in  the  Tilton-Beecher  case,  is  a 
marked  contrast  with  the  address  of  Lord 
Cockburn  in  the  Tichborne  case.  The  address 
of  the  former  occupied  only  one  hour  and  a 
half,  while  that  of  the  latter  required  many 
days,  and  fills  two  ponderous  volumes.  The 
vast  variety  of  topics,  social,  moral,  religious, 
political  and  legal,  which  were  connected  with 
the  Tilton-Beecher  case,  gave  the  counsel  on 
both  sides,  and  the  Judge  presiding,  a  splen- 
did opportunity  to  air  their  learning,  their 
fancy,  their  rhetoric  and  their  logic.  This  op- 
portunity the  counsel  accepted,  but  the  Judge 
modestly,  and  we  think  commendably,  re- 
frained from  the  display  of  anything  but  what 
the  necessities  of  the  case  required.  His  charge 
is  a  model  of  clearness,  precision  and  force. 
It  seems  almost  incredible  that  the  case  could 
have  been  presented  to  the  jury  adequa'.ely  in 
so  few  words.  But  a  careful  perusal  of  the 
charge  shows  that  nothing  was  left  out  which 
was  necessary  to  the  complete  presentation 
of  the  case..  The  whole  address  bears  marks 
of  the  most  patient  and  careful  consideration 
of  all  the  material  evidence,  under  the  most 
wonderful  condensation.  The  spirit  which 
breathes  through  the  address  is  one  of  the  ut- 
most fairness  and  impartiality.  The  counsel 
on  both  sides  expressed  themselves  satisfied, 
and  this  of  itself  is  a  high  testimonial  to  the 
freedom  from  bias  which  the  charge  evinces." 
The  summing  up  in  the  Beecher-Tilton 
case,  grand  as  it  was  and  hailed  as  it  was  with 
acclaim  all  over  the  civilized  world, — at  least 
over  as  much'  of  it  as  American  newspapers 
reached,  has  now  in  a  measure  lost  most  of 
its  interest  for  us.  The  world  has  long  ago 
made  a  decision  in  the  case,  grander  and  mare 
conclusive  than  that  of  the  jury,  and  fully  ac- 
cepted  the   perfect   innocence   of   Brooklyn's 


greatest  preacher  and  foremost  citizen.  But 
Judge  Neilson  was  a  polished  man  of  letters,  as 
well  as  a  brilliant  jurist,  and  we  as  laymen 
can  read  much  of  his  literary  work  to-day 
with  more  interest  than  even  his  most  pains- 
taking utterances  from  the  bench.  Here,  how- 
ever, is  a  summing  up  which  seems  so  perfect 
a  piece  of  literary  work,  and  at  the  same  time 
so  thoroughly  judicial  in  tone,  that  it  may 
serve  to  recall  his  genius  in  both  qualities.  It 
is,  in  fact,  a  summing  up  of  the  characters  of 
Bacon  and  Coke, — two  of  the  greatest  judges 
of  England.  King  James  I,  the  "British  Sol- 
omon," and  exponent  of  the  Divine  Right  the- 
ory, had  tried  to  persuade  his  law  officers  that 
he  was  the  supreme  judge  of  the  law  and  that 
judges  should  obey  his  wishes,  and  as  a  result 
had  frequent  conferences  with  those  whose 
duty  it  was  to  administer  justice.  Judge  Neil- 
son wrote : 

In  one  of  these  conferences  Coke  thought 
to  teach  James  I  that  he  was  not  above  the 
law,  could  not  add  to  or  alter  it,  or  create  new 
offenses.  At  another  interview.  Bacon,  the 
attorney-general,  present,  and  supporting  the 
king  in  his  arrogant  pretensions,  the  question 
was  put  whether  the  judges  would  obey  the 
royal  mandates.  All  the  other  judges,  infirm 
of  purpose,  answered  yes ;  but,  with  the  mod- 
eration and  dignity  which  became  his  office, 
Coke  said :  "When  the  case  happens,  I  shall  do 
that  which  shall  be  fit  for  a  judge  to  do." 

By  his  independence.  Coke  paved  the  way 
for  his  dismissal  from  office,  a  disgrace  for 
which  Bacon,  neither  the  greatest  nor  meanest 
of  mankind,  had  toiled,  and  in  which  he  en- 
joyed a  temporary  triumph.  But  though,  in 
that  deprivation,  Coke  revealed  what  Sheridan 
might  have  called  "the  flabby  part  of  his  char- 
acter," he  was  thus  left  free  to  act  as  a  states- 
man. 

We  call  up  in  review  before  us  the  life  of 
Coke  with  alternate  emotions  of  regret,  shame, 
sorrow,  pride  and  consolation.  Was  that  life 
as  a  journey  of  a  day?  If  so,  it  was  by  path- 
ways through  dreary  and  desolate  wastes,  over 
Sorbonniian  bogs,  each  footstep  sinking  in  the 
slime,  but  occasionally  leading  up  to  Alpine 
heights,  glowing  with  celestial  light  and  beau- 
ty. It  was  a  life  often  marred  by  want  of  moral 


THE    BENCH    AND    BAR. 


635 


tone;  often  redeemed  by  elevated  sentiments; 
full  of  distortions  and  contradictions.  As  the 
Speaker  when  in  Parliament,  under  Elizabeth, 
he  was  shamefully  subservient;  as  a  crown 
officer,  extorting  confessions  from  prisoners 
put  to  the  torture,  he  was  pitiless ;  as  uttering 
reproaches  and  accusations  against  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh,  on  trial  for  his  life,  he  was  fierce  and 
brutal.  His  devotion  to  study  and  his  mastery 
of  the  law  were  unprecedented;  his  assertion 
of  his  rights  as  a  judge,  against  royal  intru- 
sion, was  admirable;  his  intrigue  to  regain 
royal  favor  by  the  marriage  of  his  daughter  to 
the  brother  of  Buckingham  was  intolerable; 
his  independence,  virtue,  courage,  devotion  in 
Parliament,  under  James  I  and  Charles  I 
gave  special  grace  and  value  to  the  history  of 
the  times.  But  our  sensibilities  are  touched 
when  we  find  him  a  prisoner  in  the  Tower  of 
London.  The  room  in  which  he  is  confined, 
long  devoted  to  ignoble  uses,  becomes  sacred. 
We  enter  with  reverence,  as  upon  holy  ground. 
He  is  absorbed  in  his  work  on  the  Commentar- 
ies. As  he  writes  the  hand  is  tremulous ;  but 
that  hand  had  never  been  polluted  by  accepting 
bribes. 

In  some  aspects  of  life  and  character  Coke 
appears  to  greater  advantage  than  Bacon. 
Both  were  insatiate  in  their  ambition,  implac- 
able in  their  resentments.  The  one  was  rough 
in  manners,  arrogant  in  speech,  ready  to  strike 
terrible  blows  openly;  but  poor  in  feigning 
and  clumsy  in  changing  his  ground.  The 
other  was  courtly,  plausible,  serene,  had  a 
gentle  touch,  even  when  that  touch  boded  ruin, 
was  an  athlete  in  fencing  with  cunning  words, 
had  the  facial  adroitness  of  a  trimmer,  was 
covetous,  to  his  own  disgrace  and  ruin.  Those 
who  dislike  the  one  may  well  despise  the  other. 
For  neither  of  them  can  we  feel  the  love  and 
sympathy  we  have  for  Sir  John  Fortescue  and 
Sir  Thomas  More.  In  scientific  speculation, 
no  jurist  has  commanded  as  much  respect  as 
Bacon.  In  exact  and  profound  knowledge  of 
the  old  common  and  statute  law,  none  could 
rival  Coke.  But,  in  view  of  the  times  in  which 
they  lived,  the  work  allotted,  and  the  materials 
in  which  they  wrought,  it  would  be  unjust  to 
weigh  and  estimate  their  labors  with  reference 
to  the  more  enduring  and  fruitful  services  of 
the  great  English  jurists  and  statesmen  of 
later  days.  In  the  freedom  of  judicial  inquiry 
and  direction,  in  the  temper  of  the  people,  the 
condition  of  trade  and  commerce,  and  in  the 
character  of  legislation,  there  had  been  a  great 
advance  between  their  time  and  that  of  Hard- 


wick.  Coke  and  Bacon  could  not  for  any  prac- 
tical purpose  have  adapted  their  work  to  the 
coming  and  higher  civilization.  As  in  the  nat- 
ural world  we  have  progress  and  rotation, 
each  season  performing  its  appropriate  office, 
so  in  the  intellectual,  social,  and  political  life 
of  a  people  events  are  marshalled  in  due  order 
and  relation — a  gradual  development.  What 
was  easy  of  achievement  when  the  times  were 
ripe  for  it  would  have  been  impossible  if  at- 
tempted prematurely  or  out  of  season.  When 
Mansfield  moulded  and  illustrated  our  com- 
mercial law  the  materials  were  at  hand,  plastic 
and  ready  for  use. 

In  another  part  of  this  work  mention  was 
made  of  the  unusual  honor  paid  to  Mr.  J.  S. 
T.  Stranahan  in  seeing  his  own  statue  erected 
by  the  people  among  whom  he  had  lived  and 
labored  for  so  many  years.  A  similar  honor 
was,  on  May  8,  1895,  paid  to  Benjamin  D. 
Silliman,  long  the  Nestor  of  the  Brooklyn  bar, 
and  whose  death  in  1901  removed  from  public 
life  a  figure  that  had  been  active  in  Brooklyn's 
affairs  for  nearly  two  generations.  On  the 
date  mentioned  a  marble  bust  of  Mr.  Silliman, 
from  the  studio  of  William  Ordway  Partridge, 
was  unveiled  and  presented  to  the  New  Eng- 
land Society.  It  was  the  occasion  of  a  brilliant 
gathering.  Gen.  Stewart  L.  Woodford,  Will- 
iam M.  Evarts  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Storrs  were 
among  the  speakers.  Mr.  Silliman  was  boirn 
at  Newport,  R.  I.,  in  1805,  and  was  graduated 
at  Yale  in  the  class  of  1824.  He  studied  law 
in  the  office  of  Chancellor  Kent  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  1829.  Thenceforth  his 
life  was  bound  up  in  his  profession  and  he 
sought  relaxation  in  literary  pursuits.  His 
home  in  Brooklyn  was  the  constant  scene, 
until  the  weight  and  infirmities  and  changes  of 
years  forced  him  to  abandon  all  sorts  of  ex- 
citement, of  pleasant  and  intellectual  gather- 
ings. Though  often  urged  to  enter  political 
life,  he  invariably  refused,  except  when  he 
served  a  term  in. the  State  Legislature.  In 
1873  he  was  prevailed  upon  to  become  the  can- 
didate for  Attorney  General  of  the  State  on 
the  Republican  ticket.  The  ticket  was  defeat- 
ed, and  while  Mr.  Silliman  mourned  the  blow 


636 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


to  his  party,  he  was  personally  glad  to  escape 
what  to  him  were  the  annoyances  of  public 
office,  for  as  United  States  District  Attorney, 
which  office  he  resigned  in  1866,  he  knew  that 
even  legal  officials  had  to  submit  to  much  that 
made  political  life  irepulsive. 

As  a  lawyer  Mr.  Silliman  was  rather  dis- 
tinguished for  his  deep  and  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  fundamentals  of  jurisprudence,  for 
his  complete  mastery  of  the  details  of  every 
•case  submitted  to  him,  for  the  clearness  and 
cogency  of  his  arguments,  than  for  his  ora- 
torical ability.  He  was  more  conversational  in 
his  tone  at  the  bar  than  impassioned  or  glow- 
ing, but  when  he  laid  down  a  point  it  was  so 
•clear,  so  logical,  so  matter-of-fact  in  its  as- 
sumptions that  he  seldom  failed  to  win  his. 
case.  His  knowledge  of  the  "authorities"  was 
most  thoroughgoing  and  he  could  support  his 
own  views  with  an  array  of  decisions  that  left 
little  to  controvert.  As  a  chamber  or  consult- 
ing lawyer  he  was  without  a  peer,  and  his 
cautious  and  conservative  advice,  his  desire  to 
arrange  out  of  court  all  differences  that  could 
be  so  adjusted,  and  his  honest  appraisal  of  the 
legal  status  and  prospects  of  his  client,  often 
effected  settlements  involving  vast  interests 
without  the  intervention  and  expense  of  liti- 
gation. 

For  his  legal  profession,  as  such,  Mr.  Silli- 
man had  the  most  unbounded  admiration.  In 
addressing  a  graduating  class  at  Columbia  Col- 
lege he  said: 

In  welcoming  you,  gentlemen,  to  the  broth- 
erhood of  the  Bar,  you  may  well  be  congratu- 
lated on  the  peculiar  advantages  you  enjoyed 
in  preparing  for  its  duties.  You  have  not  been 
left  to  pick  up,  as  you  best  might,  here  and 
there,  scattered  fragments  of  legal  knowledge, 
but  you  have  been  systematically  instructed  in 
the  principles  and  philosophy  of  the  law.  You 
have  been  guided  and  trained  by  eminent  and 
learned  teachers  in  a  school  that  ranks  second 
to  none  in  the  land  for  the  completeness  of  its 
system  and  the  thoroughness  of  its  instruction. 
You  come  not  as  undrilled  militia,  but  as  grad- 
uates from  the  very  West  Point  of  the  pro- 
fession. 


Widely  different  have  been  (with  few  ex- 
ceptions) the  opportunities  of  legal  instruc- 
tion in  this  country  until  a  comparatively  re- 
cent period.  The  student  was  required  to  enter 
the  office  of  a  practicing  attorney,  and  there  to 
pursue  his  studies.  He  was  at  once  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  that  which  he  had  not  learned 
the  principles.  He  became  familiar  by  daily 
observations,  and  as  a  copyist,  with  the  forms 
of  conveyancing  and  phraseology  of  plead- 
ings, without  understanding  their  reason.  * 
*  *  As  a  general  rule,  it  was  impossible  for 
the  attorney,  in  whose  office  the  student  was 
engaged,  to  give  any  material  attention  to  his 
studies,  and  his  progress  and  attainments, 
therefore,  lacked  system,  and  were  slow,  con- 
fused and  uncertain.  A  formal  and  superficial 
examination  finally  passed  him  to  the  Bar, 
where  he  could  rarely  feel  at  home  until  he  had 
acquired  by  subsequent  labc^rious  and  anxious 
practice  a  knowledge  of  very  much  that  he 
should  have  attained  at  the  outset.  *  *  In 
Europe,  on  the  other  hand,  full  and  careful  in- 
struction in  the  principles  of  law  has  ever  been 
a  pre-requisite  to  admissiom  to  the  Bar,  and  the 
schools  in  which  such  instruction  has  been 
given  have  been  organized,  fostered,  and  more 
or  less  regulated  by  public  authority.  Regular 
schools  of  law  were  established  in  Rome,  in  the 
time  of  Augustus,  at  which  those  who  aspired 
to  the  honors  of  the  forum  were  assiduous  stu- 
dents. None  but  the  thoroughly  learned  and 
skilled  could  dream  of  such  honors  where 
Scaevola,  Sulpicius.and  Cicero  had  been  com- 
petitors, and  where  even  the  boys,  according 
to  Cicero,  were  taught  the  "twelve  tables"  as 
a  necessary  lesson  ( discebamus  enim  pueri  XII 
tablulas  ut  carmen  necessarium)  to  instruct 
them  in  so  much  of  the  laws  as  should  be  ob- 
tained by  every  Roman  citizen. '^  In  France  such 
schools  existed  as  far  back  a§  the  twelfth  cen- 
tury. From  an  early  period  the  law  has  been, 
and  still  is,  most  fully  and  elaborately  taught 
by  renowned  professors  in  the  Universities  of 
Germany  and  Holland.  In  England  the  schools 
of  law  have  been  less  regular  and  complete 
than  on  the  Continent,  but  the  qualifications  of 
candidates  for  the  English  Bar  have,  neverthe- 
less, been  measured  by  a  very  high  standard. 

We  regard  the  annual  reinforcement  of  the 
Bar  by  a  class  of  accomplished  and  educated 
gentlemen  who  have  been  -  thus  thoroughly 
taught  in  the  principles  of  the  law,  and  whose 
minds  have  been  carefully^  disciplined  and 
trained  for  its  intellectual  duties,  as  sure  to 
elevate  the  standard  of  legal  attainment,  and 


THE    BENCH    AND    BAR. 


637 


to  promote  the  honor  and  usefulness  of  the 
profession.     *     *     * 

A  grand  future  beckons  you,  and  you  have 
the  best  preparation  for  the  course.  But  we 
must  bear  in  mind  that  other  stout  knights, 
who  have  had  nO'  such  advantages  as  you  have 
had,  will  enter  the  lists  with  strong  lances,  and 
compete  with  you  for  the  higher  prizes.  The 
great  lawyers  who  preceded  us — the  Hamil- 
tons,  the  Kents,  the  Jays,  the  Van  Vechtens, 
the  Spencers,  the  Hills,  the  Wellses^  the  Oak- 
leys, the  Duers,  the  Woods,  the  Talcotts,  the 
Ogdens,  the  Hofifmans,  the  Van  Burens,  the 
Butlers — had  not  such  training  as  you  have  en- 
joyed.   But  what  summits  did)  they  not  attain ! 

I  have  spoken  of  this  school  as  the  "West 
Point"  of  the.  profession;  but  we  have  seen 
within  the  last  six  years  that  other  soldiers 
than  those  who  graduated  at  West  Point  won 
victories  and  received  laurels — marched  to  the 
front  with  muskets  on  their  shoulders  and  re- 
turned with  stars  on  their  shoulders. 

At  the  same  time  he  warned  his  auditors 
against  indulging  in  practices  which  are  apt 
to  militate  against  legal  ethics  and  defeat  the 
ends  of  justice — practices  which  were  then, 
and  still  are,  often  indulged  in,  especially  by 
young  lawyers  in  their  desire  to  win  a  position 
quickly.  He  said :  "No  man  can,  consistently 
with  personal  honor  or  professional  reputa- 
tion, misstate  a  fact  or  a  principle  to  the  court 
or  jury.  The  man  who  would  cheat  a  court  or 
jury  would  cheat  anybody  else.  Measured  by 
the  lowest  standard,  that  of  expediency,  no 
lawyer  can,  in  any  case,  afford  to  act  meanly 
or  speak  untruly.  He  owes  no  such  duty  to 
his  client;  an  honest  client  would  not  be  safe 
in  the  hands  of  a  lawyer  who  would  do  either." 

In  speaking  of  the  frequent  popular  denun- 
ciation of  lawyers  in  defending  cases- — espe- 
cially criminal  cases  in  which  the  guilt  of  the 
accused  is  evident  to  everyone  who  "reads  the 
newspapers" — and  succeed  in  getting  a  ver- 
dict actually  or  pra.ctically  removing  the  ac- 
cused from  the  grasp  of  the  law,  Mr.  Silliman 
laid  down  a  ruling  which  must  be  accepted  as 
just : 

It  needs  but  little  thought  to  convince  even 
the  vulgar  that  the  idea  that  the  vocation  of 


lawyers  is  inconsistent  with  the  strictest 
truth,  is  but  vulgar  error.  In  support  of  the 
charge,  it  is  often  said  that  counsel  will  not 
refuse  to  defend  a  prisoner  whom  he  supposes 
to  be  guilty  of  the  offense  for  which  he  is  to 
be  tried.  The  answer  to  this  is  plain :  The 
accused  person  is  not  to  be  tried  by  the  impres- 
sions, or  even  by  the  convictions,  of  any  one 
man,  whether  lawyer  or  layman.  The  law  of 
the  land  requires,  not  only  for  the  sake  of  the 
accused,  but  for  the  safety  of  every  citizen, 
that  no  man  shall  be  tried  and  convicted  ex- 
cept by  a  jury  of  twelve  men.  The  question 
of  his  guilt  or  innocence  calls  for  a  division 
of  labor  in  the  process  by  which  it  is  to  be  de- 
termined. It  is  made  the  duty  of  the  counsel 
for  the  prosecution  to  conduct  one,  and  of  the 
counsel  for  the  prisoner  to  conduct  the  other 
branch  of  the  investigation ;  for  the  former  to 
collect  and  present  before  the  jury  the  evi- 
dence against  the  accused,  and  to  state  sUch 
views  adverse  to  the  prisoner  as  result  from 
the  whole  testimony ;  and  for  the  latter  to  col- 
lect and  present  before  the  jury  the  evidence 
in  favor  of  the  prisoner,  and  to  state  all  such 
views  in  his  favor  as  result  from  the  whole 
testimony. 

If  counsel  assumes  the  guilt  of  an  accused 
person  before  that  guilt  has  been  judicially  as- 
certained!, if  he  determines  at  the  outset  that 
the  accused  is  guilty,  he  takes  upon  himself 
most  unjustifiably  the  combined  character  and 
prerogative  of  accuser,  witness,  jury  and 
judge;  and  if,  because  of  such  conclusions  in 
his  own  mind,  he  refuses  to  conduct  the  de- 
fense of  the  prisoner,  he  throws  the  weight  of 
his  own  character  and  convictions  into  the 
scale  against  him. 

Of  course  were  we  attempting  a  complete 
chronicle  of  the  bench  and  bar  of  Brooklyn 
many  names  would  be  included  in  the  retro- 
spect, some  of  which  have  acquired  a  national 
measure  of  fame,  but  the  aim  here  has  been 
to  select  a  few  judges,  -attorneys,  men  of  local 
fame  as  well  as  those  whose  names  belong  to 
the  nation,  who  are  representative  of  all  rank* 
of  the  greatest  of  all  the  professions. 

But  what  a  galaxy  of  brilliant  rnen  the 
story , of  whose  lives  th?  biographer  wlio  would 
aim  to  cover  the  bar  of  King?  County,  a  decide 
•ago  could  draw^  upon  fpr  illustrations!  :, "Ben- 
jamin F.  Tracy,  statesman  as  well  as  lawyer,. 


68S 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


although  now  in  practice  in  New  York,  was 
for  years  the  leader  of  the  bar  in  Brooklyn. 
Judge  George  G.  Reynolds,  Judge  Alexander 
McCue,  Major  Gen.  Duryea,  Judge  N.  H. 
Clement,  who  succeeded  the  erudite  Nielson, 
Judge  S.  D.  Morris,  who  for  9  years  was  Dis- 
trict Attorney,  Thomas  G.  Shearman,  who  was 
as  well  known  as  a  publicist  and  political  re- 
former as  a  lawyer.  General  J.  S.  Catlin,  who 
won  an  enviable  record  in  the  field  as  a  sol- 
dier; Mark  E.  Wilbur,  another  distinguished 
lawyer-soldier;  Judge  T.  W.  Gilbert,  who  in 
1865  was  elected  to  the  bench  of  the  Supreme 
Court  after  being  nominated  by  conventions 
of  both  the  great  political  parties  and  held 
the  seat  until  1882,  when  the  legal  age  limit 
compelled  his  retirement ; ;  Judge  Henry  A. 
Moore,  a  graduate  from  the  famous  office  of 
Lott,  Murphy  and  Vanderbilt,  and  County 
Judge  for  some  twenty-eight  years;  Asa 
W.  Tenney,  who  for  over  a  decade  was  Unit- 
ed States  District  Attorney  for  the  Eastern 
District  of  New  York;  Calvin  E.  Pratt,  who 
fought  at  Bull  Run  and  until  1891  carried  in 
his  cheek  bone  a  bullet  which  had  prostrated 
him  at  Mechanicsville,  Va.,  while  fighting  un- 
der Gen.  Porter,  who  was  recommended  for 
promotion  to  a  bi'igadier  generalship  by  Mc- 
Clellan  and  was  promoted,  succeeding  Han- 
cock in  the  command  of  the  6th  Army  Corps, 
and  who  on  returning  to  civil  life  resumed 
his  old  profession  of  the  law,  and  in  1869 
was  elected  to  the  bench  of  the  Supreme 
Court;  but  even  the  names  alone  which 
come  up  to  memory  would  fill  a  chapter.  De- 
tailed sketches  of  most  of  these  appear  in 
other  sections  of  this  work. 

Some  of  the  present-day  leaders  of  the  bar 
are  deserving  of  brief  mention,  for  their  public 
services  are  such  as  to  show  that  the  old  pre- 
eminence of  the  City  of  Churches  in  the 
"forum  of  justice"  is  still  maintained  and  that 
the  legal  profession  is  still  prominent  in  all 
that  stands  for  good  citizenship, — honesty  in 
public  life,  and  in  knowledge  of  and  devotion  ■ 
to  the  legal  system,  which,  after  all,  has  been 


the  backbone  of  American  liberty  and  which 
has  stood  amid  all  the  political  turmoils  which 
have  excited  the  people  since  -the  adoption  of 
the  Constitution  for  the  freedom  and  equal- 
ity of  the  citizen,  for  free  speech,  freedom  of 
contract,  and  the  purity,  potency  and  dignity 
of  the  source  in  these  United  States  of  all 
power — the  ballot  box  which  registers  and  de- 
termines the  people's  will. 

Perhaps  the  most  widely  known  exponent 
of  all  this  at  the  present  time  is  Justice  Will- 
iam J.  Gaynor  of  the  Supreme  Court,  whose 
services  in  connection  with  the  ballot-box 
frauds  at  Gravesend  won  for  him  the  gratitude 
of  every  man  who  values  liberty  and  popular 
government.  Justice  Gaynor  was  born  in 
Onieda  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1851,  and  spent  his 
early  years  on  a  farm.  He  received  his  aca- 
demic training  at  Whitestown,  and  for  a  time 
was  employed  as  a  teacher  in  Boston,  during 
w'hich  time  he  availed  himself  of  every  chance 
to  add  to  his  own  education.  In  1873  lie 
settled  in  Brooklyn  and  studied  law,  maintain- 
ing himself  at  the  same  time  by  newspaper 
work.  In  1875  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and 
soon  had  quite  a  large  practice.  He  soon  be- 
came known  for  his  mastery  of  local  questions 
and  as  a  stanch  and  unwavering  advocate  of 
good  government  and  came  prominently  to  the 
front  in  public  life  as  the  counsel  for  Mr. 
William  Ziegler  in  the  contest  against  the 
city's  purchase  of  the  plant  and  assets  of  the 
Long  Island  Water  Supply  Company.  All  of 
Mr.  Gaynor's  legal  points  in  this  case  were 
.fully  sustained  by  the  courts  and  as  a  result 
the  city  saved  a  large  sum  of  money.  .  But 
apart  from  that  saving,  a  principle  was  in- 
volved with  which  the  whole  cause  of  munic- 
ipal government  was  concerned.  Besides  this 
Mr.  Gaynor  appeared  in  several  other  cases  in 
which  the  rights  of  the  people  were  involved, 
notably  against  the  system  of  giving  away  pub- 
lic franchises,  which  has  lost  not  Brooklyn 
alone,  but  every  American  city  so  much  in  the 
way  of  the  collection  of  practical  assets  which, 
created  by  the  commnnity,  should  be  shared  by 


THE    BENCH    AND    BAR. 


639 


it.  Mr.  Gaynor  is  a  Democrat,  but  in  public 
life  has  been  known  for  his  complete  inde- 
pendence of  p^rty  control,  and  it  was  this  in- 
dependence, his  stern  assertion  of  right,  his  un- 
swerving devotion  to  high  ideals  in  politics 
whether  in  county,  in  state  or  in  municipality 
w'hich  won  for  him  the  wonderful  majority  by 
which  he  was  elected  to  the  bench  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  where  he  still  presides. 

Judge  Gaynor's  opponent  in  the  contest 
for  the  Supreme  Court  Judgeship  was  a  gen- 
tleman who  has  long  enjoyed  an  enviable 
reputation  in  Brooklyn's  legal  circles,  Mr. 
Thomas  E.  Pearsall.  As  representative  of  an 
old  Brooklyn  family  Mr.  Pearsall  would  be  en- 
titled to  a  prominent  position  among  the  lead- 
ers of  Brooklyn  thought  and  society,  even  had 
not.  his  own  abilities  and  personal  successes 
been  such  as  to  win  for  him  an  honored  posi- 
tion among  those  v/ho  in  the  present  day  and 
generation  are  striving  to  make  Brooklyn  be 
regarded  as  the  leading  borough  among  those 
which  make  up  the  present  City  of  New  York. 
All  his  associations  have  been  with  Brooklyn. 
He  was  born  there  (in  1842,  studied  in  its  pub- 
lic schools  and  then  entered  the  law  office  of 
Judge  Samuel  Garrison,  and  at  once  diligent- 
ly entered  on  the  study  of  his  intended  pro- 
fession. In  such  an  office  a  student  has  an 
opportunity  of  learning  in  a  practical  manner 
the  practice  of  law  as  well  as  its  theory,  office 
routine  as  well  as  general  principles,  and  the 
application  of  these  general  principles  and  le- 
gal decisions  to  individual  cases.  By  the  time 
he  had  reached  his  21st  year  Mr.  Pearsall  was 
so  thoroughly  skilled  in  the  law  that  he  had  no 
difficulty  in  passing  the  examination  at  Pough- 
keepsie,  which  made  him  become  a  full  fledged 
member  of  the  bar.  After  getting  his  diploma, 
he  continued  his  relations  with  Judge  Garri- 
son for  a  time,  but  finally  concluded  to  engage 
in  business  on  his  account. 

One  of  the  first  of  his  cases  and  of  his  suc- 
cesses was  over  the  will  of  one  Peter  O'Hara, 
in  which  a  large  amount  of  money  was  in- 
volved upon  the  construction  of  several  of  its 


clauses.  Mr.  Pearsall  was  retained  by  one  of 
the  heirs  and  the  ojpposing  counsel  was  the 
late  Henry  C.  Murphy.  After  a  considerable 
amount  of  litigation  the  case  was  settled  in 
favor  of  Mr.  Pearsall's  client  by  a  decision  of 
the  Court  of  Appeals. 

In  1867  Mr.  Pearsall  entered  into  partner- 
ship with  Judge  Samuel  D.  Morris,  then  Dis- 
trict Attorney  of  Kings  County,  and  from  1868 
until  1872  he  acted  as  Assistant  District  At- 
torney, besides  carrying  on  most  of  the  private 
legal  business  of  his  firm.  He  was  the  prose- 
cutor in  many  noted  criminal  trials,  including 
that  of  Fanny  Hyde,  a  murder  case  which  for 
many  reasons  was  one  of  the  most  prolific  of 
talk  and  rumor  in  Brooklyn  and  which  is  still 
of  interest  to  the  student  of  jurisprudence. 
But  perhaps  the  most  celebrated  trial  in  which 
Mr.  Pearsall  has  taken  part  was  that  of  Tilton 
vs.  Beecher,  in  which  he  appeared  for  the 
plaintiff.  Associated  with  him  in  behalf  of 
Tilton  was  a  brilliant  array  of  counsel — Sam- 
uel D.  Morris,  Roger  A.  Pryor,  Austin  Ab- 
bott, William  Fullerton  and  William  A.  Beach 
— but  to  him  fell  the  real  work  of  the  plain- 
tiff's case,  the  preparation  of  the  evidence,  its 
presentation,  and  the  arrangement  and  sifting 
of  the  authorities  upon  the  important  and  far- 
reaching  points  of  law  which  were  constantly 
coming  up.  His  work  in  that  case  was  really 
extraordinary  and  the  value  of  his  services 
was  freely  acknowledged  by  all  his  associates. 

A  stanch  Democrat,  and  a  gifted  orator, 
he  has  always  been  regarded  as  one  of  the 
local  leaders  of  the  party,  but  cares  little  for 
public  office.  His  own  legal  business  and  the 
many  and  varied  and  important  interests  com- 
mitted to  his  care  are  more  than  sufficient  to 
occupy  his  time.  But  he  believes  that  one  of 
the  tests  of  good  citizenship  is  the  interest  a 
man  takes  in  public  affairs  and  the  doings  of 
his  political  party.  So  he  has  been  active  in 
politics,  served  on  the  local  Democratic  com- 
mittee, and  willingly  accepted  an  appointment 
from  Gov.  Hill  to  membership  on  the  commis- 
sion of  lawvers  which  he  intrusted  with  the 


640 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


delicate  task  of  revising  the  section  of  the 
State  Constitution  appertaining  to  the  ju- 
diciary. He  is  a  member  of  the  Montauk, 
Carleton  and  Crescent  Clubs  and  is  prominent 
in  Masonic  circles. 

Justice  Goodrich  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
Second  District,  who  presides  over  the  Appel- 
late Division  of  that  body,  was  noted  in  Brook- 
lyn for  his  ability  as  an  admiralty  and  com- 
mercial lawyer  for  many  years  before  he  was 
elevated  to  the  bench.  He  was  born  at  Ha- 
vana, in  Catharines  Township,  Schuyler 
County,  N.  Y.,  in  1833.  After  he  was  grad- 
uated at  Amherst  College,  in  1852,  he  went  to 
Albany  to  study  for  the  legal  profession.  He 
attended  the  Albany  Law  School  and  after- 
ward entered  the  office  of  Hill,  Cagger  & 
Porter,  and  there  remained  until  1854,  when 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  On  receiving  his 
diploma  he  settled  in  New  York  with  the  view 
of  building  up  a  practice,  but  in  the  course  of 
five  or  six  years  he  removed  his  office  to 
Brooklyn,  and  has  since  been  identified  in  a 
marked  manner  with  its  affairs.  A  devoted 
Republican  in  poHtics,  he  soon  proved  a  pillar 
of  strength  to  the  local  ranks  of  that  party, 
and  in  1866  was  elected  a  member  of  Assem- 
bly. In  1869  he  was  defeated  by  a  small 
majority  for  re-election,  but  in  1871  he  was 
again  returned.  When  his  term  closed  he  re- 
turned to  his  law  practice  and  devoted  him- 
self to  it  closely,  without  at  the  same  time 
losing  his  interest  in  political  life  as  may  be 
judged  from  the  fact  that  in  1890  he  was 
elected  Chairman  of  the  Republican  General 
Committee.  As  a  member  of  the  Brooklyn 
School  Board  to  which,  in  1867,  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  Mayor  Schroeder,  Justice  Goodrich 
rendered  much  effective  service  to  the  cause  of 
education,  and  in  1889  he  was  privileged  to 
perform  soriie  good  work  for'  his  profession 
and  the  business  interests  of  the  county  as  a 
member'  of  the  International  Marine  Confer- 
ence which  met  in'June  of  that  3'eair'in  Wash- 
ington.' 

Justice  Goodrich  is  a  rriemb'er  of  the  Phil- 


harmonic Society  and  the  Apollo  Club  and  is 
more  or  less  active  in  several  of  Brooklyn's 
charitable  and  social  organizations. 

For  many  years  the  name  of  Grenville  T. 
Jenks  was  one  of  the  best  known  and  best  be- 
loved among  the  members  of  the  bar  in  New 
York  and  Brooklyn.  He  was  a  man  of  many 
brilliant  parts,  a  thorough  law  student,  a  care- 
ful, conscientious  adviser,  an  eloquent  speaker, 
a  skillful  examiner  of  witnesses,  a  man  of 
ready  wit,  keen  perception,  wide  reading  and  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  human  nature,  he 
would  have  come  to  the  front  in  any  calling 
to  which  he  had  chosen  to  devote  himself. 
He  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Lott,  Murphy 
&  Vanderbilt  in  Brooklyn,  and  afterward  in 
that  of  Storrs  &  Sedgewick  in  New  York,  and 
it  was  while  so  engaged,  in  1851,  that  he  was 
called  to  the  bar.  On  receiving  his  certificate 
he  at  once  entered  into  practice  in  New  York 
and  soon  attained  a  marked  measure  of  success. 
On  removing  his  office  to  Brooklyn  success 
still  attended  him,  and  when  he  died,  in  1870, 
at  the  early  age  of  40  years,  he  was  regarded 
not  only  as  one  of  the  most  brilliant  members 
of  the  local. bar,  but  as  a  man  who  would, 
sooner  or  later,  have  attained  any  professional 
honor  to  which  he  might  have  aspired. 

Almet  F.  Jenks,  the  eldest  son  of  this  gifted 
man,  is  worthily  following  in  his  footsteps. 
He  was  born  at  Brooklyn,  May  21,  1853,  ^"^ 
received  his  early  educational  training  at 
Adelphi  Academy.  From  there  he  passed  I0 
Phillips  Exeter  Academy,  at  Andover,  and 
completed  its  curriculum  with  all  the  honors. 
Then,  being  destined  for  a  legal  career,  he 
went  to  Yale,  where  he  was  graduated  in  1875, 
and  closed  his  training  by  passing  through 
Columbia  Law  School.  He  was  graduated 
from  that  institution  in  1877  andin  the  same 
year  entered  Oil  practice  in  Brooklyn  in  part- 
nership with  Frederick  A.  Ward.  It  was  not 
long  before  it  was  recognized  that  the  firm 
had  won  a  large  business  and  that  many  im- 
portant interests  were' committed  to  its  care. 
In  1848  Mr.  Jenks  accepted  an  appointment  as 


THE    BENCH    AND    BAR. 


641 


Assistant  District  Attorney  under  James  W. 
Ridgway,  and  he  continued  to  hold  that  office 
until  Feb.  i,  1886,  when  he  was  appointed 
Corporation  Counsel  by  Mayor  Whitney,  and 
by  successive  appointment  he  continued  to  hold 
that  important  office  throughout  the  adminis- 
trations of  Mayors  Chapin  and  Boody.  A 
change  in  political  conditions  caused  him  to 
retire  from  public  office  with  the  accession  of 
Mayor  Schieren  and  Mr.  Jenks  devoted  him- 
self to  building  up  his  private  practice  and  so 
was  engaged  with  eminent  success  when,  in 
November,  1898,  he  was  elected  a  Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court  from  the  Second  Judicial 
District  with  a  popular  vote  of  169,436,  and 
that  dignified  office  he  continues  to  hold. 

Justice  Jenks  almost  from  the  time  he  at- 
tained his  majority  has  been  an  active  worker 
in  the  Democratic  party  and  has  since  been 
prominent  at  many  of  its  conventions.  He 
has  been  a  pronounced  supporter  of  honest 
money  and  lent  all  his  influence  and  bent  all 
his  ability  and  eloquence  to  keep  that  plank 
paramount  among  the  issues  supported  by  the 
Democrats  of  New  York  State.  In  1891  Gov. 
Hill  appointed  him  Judge  Advocate  General 
and  that  appointment  was  endorsed  by  Gov. 
Flower  when  that  lamented  statesman  and 
financier  became  the  Chief  Executive  of  the 
State.  Since  ascending  to  the  bench  Justice 
Jenks  has  been  less  active  as  a  worker  in  the 
party — his  judicial  position  so  demands — but 
his  interest  in  its  councils  is  unabated  and  he 
is  still  regarded  as  one  of  those  quiet,  deter- 
mined, far-seeing  leaders  whose  advice  is  cer- 
tain to  lead  to  good  results. 

For  several  years  the  late  Mr.  Charles  J. 
Patterson  held  an  honorable  position  in  Brook- 
lyn as  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  local  bar.  He 
was  born  in  what  is  now  the  Borough  of  Man- 
hattan, May  19,  1853,  and  received  his  general 
education  in  the  public  schools.  He  entered 
the  law  office  of  Gen.  C.  W.  Sanford  and  re- 
mained there  until  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
In  1876  he  was  admitted  to  practice  at  Pough- 
keepsie   and   soon   after   settled   in   Brooklyn, 

41 


where  he  entered  upon  the  professional  career 
which,  slowly  but  steadily,  has  given  him  such 
an  enviable  position  in  legal  circles  of  the  old 
"City  of  Churches."  Mr.  Patterson  devoted 
himself  closely  to  his  professional  duties,  and 
while  he  made  many  brilliant  appearances  in 
coujrt,  his  arguments  were  legal  ones  pure  and 
simple,  and  probably  a  case  presenting  sensa- 
tional rather  than  purely  legal  features  would 
have  been  repugnant  to  him.  He  was  regarded 
especially  as  an  authority  on  the  subject  of 
torts,  and  many  of  his  best  earned  victories 
were  in  connection  with  suits  in  which  wrongs- 
have  been  redressed  by  substantial  damages. 
Mr.  Patterson  died  in  1901. 

Mr.  James  C.  Church,  a  native  of  Rhode 
Island,  has  been  quite  prominently  identified 
with  the  legal  profession  in  Brooklyn  since 
1883,  when  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  His 
early  years  were  mainly  spent  in  New  Utrecht, 
and  he  received  his  legal  training  in  the  office 
of  Morris  &  Pearsall.  His  practice  has  been 
in  a  great  measure  confined  to  corporation 
work,  as  he  is  counsel  for  several  such  con- 
cerns and  his  work  as  an  organizer  has  been 
pre-eminently  successful. 

Surrogate  Abbott,  who  retired  from  that 
position  on  Jan.  r,  1902,  as  a  result  of  a  "land- 
slide" which  in  November  preceding  had  be- 
fallen his  ticket,  is  one  of  the  most  honored 
lawyers  in  Brooklyn.  It  was  felt  throughout 
the  electoral  canvass  which  ended  in  the  defeat 
of  the  ticket  on  which  his  name  appeared,  that 
a  mistake  in  the  very  fundamental  principle  of 
good  government  had  been  made  when  he  was 
not  endorsed  for  re-election  by  both  parties. 
Throughout  the  whole  of  that  heated  cam- 
paign, not  a  word  was  said  derogatory  to  Sur- 
rogate Abbott,  while  his  eminent  fitness  as  a 
judge,  and  his  upright,  dignified  and  thought- 
ful disposition  of  the  many  and  often  extreme- 
ly tangled  cases  which  turn  up  in  his  court, 
were  freely  admitted.  He  had  presided  over 
the  Surrogate's  Court  since  1888,  and  had 
earned  the  highest  encomiums  from  the  bar, 
the  press  and  the  citizens  generally.     He  has 


642 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


now  resumed  private  practice  and  will  doubt- 
less soon  build  up  a  large  clientele. 

That  same  election  placed  in  the  important 
office  of  Comptroller  of  Greater  New  York 
Mr.  Edward  M.  Grout,  who  had  won  an  en- 
viable record  as  President  of  the  Borough  of 
Brooklyn,  which  office  he  vacated  only  on  Jan- 
tiary  i,  1902,  when  he  entered  upon  the  duties 
of  the  Comptrollership,  succeeding  another 
Brooklyn  man,  Mr.  Bird  S.  Coler.  Mr.  Grout 
has  been  a  consistent  Democrat  all  through  his 
career,  but  has  never  wavered  in  upholding  his 
theory  that  national  and  state  policies  should 
have  no  place  in  connection  with  municipal 
government.  The  latter,  he  holds,  is  simply  a 
business  proposition  and  should  be  adminis- 
tered from  a  business  standpoint.  His  ideas 
on  that  and  kindred  subjects,  as  well  as  his 
independence  in  politics  generally,  have  won 
him  the  confidence  of  his  fellow  citizens  of  the 
Greater  City,  299,713  of  whom  gave  him  their 
votes  at  the  election  of  November,  1901,  a 
greater  number  than  voted  for  Mayor  Low, 
the  head  of  the  ticket.  But  Mr.  Grout  has  a 
habit  of  running  ahead  of  his  associates  in  the 
various  municipal  contests  in  which  he  has 
taken  part. 

We  have  already  referred  to  Mr.  Grout's 
career  in  a  previous  chapter  and  only  refer  to 
him  in  this  instance  to  emphasize  his  prom- 
inence as  a  member  of  the  Brooklyn  bar.  In 
1893  he  became  a  partner  in  the  firm  of  which 
Judge  Gaynor  was  the  head,  and  in  1894  when 
that  gentleman  took  his  seat  on  the  bench,  Mr. 
Grout  became  the  bead  of  the  firm.  His  large 
practice  soon  won  for  him  an  independence, 
but  his  active  mind,  his  sense  of  public  duty 
and  his  ideals  of  citizenship,  as  well  as  the 
trend  of  most  of  his  associates,  made  him  be- 
come a  prominent  figure  in  politics.  His 
watchword  was  reform,  and  as  a  reformer 
most  of  his  political  battles  have  been  fought 
from  the  time  that  he  aided  so  successfully  in 
sending  the  Gravesend  ballot-box  stuffers  to 
jail.  For  some  years  be  was  associated  in  po- 
litical work  with  Mr.  Edwin  M.  Shepard',  but 


in  1895  both  he  and  Mr.  Shepard  were  in  the 
race  for  the  Mayoralty  of  Brooklyn,  both  using 
reform  banners,  and  as  a  result  the  Republican 
candidate  was  elected.  In  1897  he  was  elected 
President  of  the  Borough  of  Brooklyn,  and  as 
such  did  as  much  good  as  he  could.  But  his 
experiences  in  that  office  led  him  in  1901  to 
accept  the  candidacy  of  a  non-political  fusion 
movement  for  Comptroller,  which  again  ar- 
rayed him  against  his  old  associate,  Mr.  Shep- 
ard ;  and  his  personal  popularity  aided  much  in 
accomplishing  the  defeat  of  that  gentleman 
and  bringing  about  the  accession  of  Seth  Low 
to  the  Mayoralty  of  the  Greater  New  York. 

Edward  M.  Shepard,  who  in  the  canvass  of 
1 90 1  came  so  prominently  before  the  citizens 
as  the  Democratic  candidate  for  the  Mayor- 
alty, has  long  been  prominent  in  legal  and 
public  life  in  Brooklyn.  His  law  practice  is  a 
large  one,  but  it  is  as  a  public-spirited  citizen 
that  he  has  won  the  magnificent  following  be 
possesses  and  the  large  measure  of  confidence 
and  popularity  which  he  'enjoys.  Possibly  his 
grandest  public  service'  has  been  his  work  as 
counsel  to  the  Rapid  Transit  Commission.  In 
that  respect  he  has  performed  a  series  of  im- 
portant labors  which  are  hardly  fully  appre- 
ciated even  by  those  who  have  watched  the  re- 
cent development  of  the  rapid  transit  move- 
ment in  Manhattan  and  Brooklyn.  Mr.  Shep- 
ard is  recognized  as  a  man  of  honest  pur- 
poses, of  pure  ideals  and  rare  administrative 
qualities,  and  will  undoubtedly  continue  to  be 
an  active  factor  in  Brooklyn's  public  affairs 
for  many  years  to  come. 

But  lest  it  might  be  thought  that  we  are 
"drifting  into  live  politics,"  we  will  leave  such 
leaders  alone  and  turn  to  those  whose  claim  to 
notice  here  is  their  prominence  solely  in  con- 
nection with  bench  and  bar.  One  of  the  fore- 
most of  these  is  Justice  E.  M.  Cullen,  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  who  was  born  in  Brooklyn  in 
1843.  After  he  was  graduated  from  the  Troy 
Polytechnic  Institute,  in  1861,  he  became  a 
Lieutenant  in  the  United  States  Army  and  saw 
considerable  active   service   during  the   Civil 


iGu^^T^uuC  ^"vi*/-!*^. 


THE    BENCH    AND    BAR. 


643 


War.    In  1862  he  was  commissioned  a  Colonel 
by  Governor   Morgan,   and  continued  in  the 
service  until  the  close  of  the  war.    On  leaving 
the  army  he  followed  for  a  while  the  profession 
of  civil  engineering;  but  he  was  at  the  same 
time  devoting  himself  to  the  study  of  law,  and 
under  the  guidance  of  his  r.ncle.  Judge  McCue, 
grasped  its  details  so  thoroughly  that  in  1867 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  McCue,  Hall  &  Cullen.     In 
1872  he  was  appointed  Assistant  District  At- 
torney and  filled  that  office  in  a  manner  that 
won  him  many  stanch  friends  both  in  the  pro- 
fession and  among  the  public.    In  1880  he  was 
elected  a  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court.     His 
political  independence,  manifested  by  his  keep- 
ing the  bench  free  from  party  interference,  led 
to  his  being  "turned  down"  in  1894,  when  he 
was  a  candidate  for  re-election,  but  the  vigor- 
ous action  of  the  Bar  Association  as  well  as 
the  general  sentiment  of  the  voters  led  to  his 
receiving  the  nomination  from  the  party  oppo- 
site to  that  which  had   formerly   placed   his 
name  before  the  electors,  and  he  was  again 
elected.    Political  managers  have  often  found 
out  that  "monkeying"  with  the  Supreme  Court 
is  a  dangerous  business  for  them,  but,  unfor- 
tunately, they  soon  forget  the  many  lessons 
in  this  connection  which  they  have  received. 

Judge  Willard  Bartlett,  who  has  resided  in 
Brooklyn  since  1868,  was  born  at  Uxbridge, 
Alass.,  in  1846.  His  father,  the  late  William 
0.  Bartlett,  in  1859  purchased  a  country  seat 
in  Brookhaven  township,  and  that  property  is 
now  in  possession  of  his  son  and  is  the  subject 
of  constant  improvement.  Nothing  delights 
the  Justice  more  than  to  throw  away  the  dig- 
nity of  the  ermine  and  enjoy  the  relaxation 
and  the  health-giving  properties  of  his  now 
beautiful  country  seat  "out  on  Long  Island." 
Willard  Bartlett  studied  law  at  Columbia  Col- 
lege and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1868.  For 
a  time  he  was  associated  with  Elihu  Root,  the 
present  United  States  Secretary  of  War,  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  so  continued 
until  1887,  when  he  was  appointed  one  of  the 
justices  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  that  office 


he  still  holds.  He  has  proved  an  able  judge, 
and  during  his  long  career  on  the  bench  his 
fairness  and  impartiality  have  never  been 
questioned  and  his  decisions  have  seldom  been 
subject  to  adverse  review.  He  is  naturally  of 
a  judicial  temperament  and  his  long  experi- 
ence, his  thorough  grasp  of  the  principles  of 
the  law,  his  wide  reading,  his  close  observation 
and  his  good  New  England  practical  common 
sense  all  combine  in  giving  him  a  "grip"  on 
even  the  most  involved  case  and  a  clear,  em- 
phatic and  practical  decision  is  the  invariable 
result. 

Tunis  G.  Bergen,  a  nephew  of  the  famous 
antiquarian  and  genealogist  of  Kings  county 
who  bore  the  same  name,  was  born  May  17, 
1847.  After  passing  through  the  public 
schools  he  completed  his  academic  training, 
in  succession,  at  the  Brooklyn  Polytechnic  In- 
stitute and  Rutgers  College.  Designed  for 
the  legal  profession,  he  then  attended  the  law 
school  of  Columbia  College,  and  on  complet- 
ing the  course  there  went  to  Berlin  and  Heid- 
elberg for  further  study,  and  in  1871  received 
from  Heidelberg  University  the  degree  of 
Doctor  in  Public  Law.  He  attended  lec- 
tures afterward  at  other  continental  colleges, 
notably  at  the  famous  Sorbonne,  and  spent 
some  time  at  Oxford.  Returning  at  length 
to  his  own  country,  Mr.  Bergen  began  the  task 
of  building  up  a  practice,  and  slowly,  it  seemed 
to  him'  for  a  long  time,  but  none  the  less  sure- 
ly, he  became  the  centre  of  a  large  clientele, 
and  one  that  is  even  yet  steadily  growing. 
But  in  spite  of  the  cares  of  his  law  practice 
Mr.  Bergen  has  found  time  to  perform  a  good- 
ly share  of  the  duties  which  fall  to  the  public 
spirited  citizen.  Proud  of  the  city  of  his 
birth,  proud  of  his  Dutch  ancestry,  zealous  of 
the  tender  memories  of  the  old-fashioned  his- 
toric Bergen  homestead  in  which  he  first  saw 
the  light,  Mr.  Bergen  has  been  most  active  in 
aiding  by  voice  or  by  pen  whatever  seemed  to 
him  to  be  for  the  honor,  the  progress  or  the 
glory  of  the  good  old  town.  He  was  long  an 
active  member  of  the  local  school  board,  and 
for  over  four  years  was  its  president.     In  the 


644 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


work  of  the  Long  Island  Historical  Society, 
and  especially  in  the  capacity  of  one  of  its 
secretaries,  he  has  rendered  a  grand  service  in 
carrying  on  the  work  so  ably  begun  by  iVIur- 
phy,  Spooner,  Storrs,  McCormick  and  others 
of  bygone  day,  and  thus  maintaining  in  all 
its  usefulness  an  institution  which  has  done 
more  for  the  preservation  of  the  history  of 
Long  Island  than  any  other  single  force.  A 
stanch  Republican  in  politics  he  has  generally 
managed  to  win  the  support  of  independent 


letters  to  the  newspaoers  and  other  literary 
efforts  and  his  manner  of  arresting  and  retain- 
ing the  attention  of  the  people  gave  him  a  de- 
gree of  national  prominence  and  made  his 
name  familiar  all  over  the  country.  Mr.  Ber- 
gen is  a  many-sided  man,  a  deep  and  tireless 
student  of  all  things,  especially  delighting  per- 
haps in  historical  themes,  yet  he  has  the  true 
instincts  of  a  sportsman,  holding  membership 
in  various  himting  and  fishing  clubs.  In  the 
Hamilton  and  Brooklyn  clubs  he  is  especially 


.- 

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HOMESTEAE 

). 

Democrats  to  any  cause  which  he  espoused, 
and  in  many  a  contested  election  he  has  proved 
himself  a  power  in  the  art  of  winning  votes, 
winning  votes,  that  is  to  say,  as  they  should  be 
won,  by  explanation  and  argument.  He  rare- 
ly wastes  words  in  his  speeches,  is  epigram- 
matic rather  than  florid,  but  every  successive 
point  tells.  Not  long  ago  he  was  foremost  in 
an  effort  to  arouse  the  sympathy  of  the  people 
of  this  country  toward  the  Boers  in  South  Af- 
rica in  their  great  struggle  to  retain  their  po- 
litical freedom,  their  country's  independence, 
and  while  so  engaged  his  ringing  appeals,  his 


interested  and  is  held  in  the  highest  personal 
esteem  in  thelse  institutions,  and  indeed  in 
every  circle,  business,  social  or  political,  in 
which  he  moves. 

General  Horatio  C.  King,  who  has  long 
been  prominent  as  a  soldier,  lawyer,  jour- 
nalist and  statesman,  and  won  a  national 
reputation,  comes  of  most  distinguished  an- 
cestry. His  great-grandfather,  George  King, 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and 
his  father,  Horatio,  was  postmaster-general 
of  the  United  States  in  i86i.  Horatio  C. 
King  was  bom  at  Dickland,  Me.,  December 


THE    BENCH    AND    BAR. 


645 


22,  1837,  and  after  the  usual  course  of  study 
was  admitted  to  the  New  York  bar  in  1861. 
The  crisis  between  the  States  was  then  on  and 
the  young  lawyer,  like  so  many  thousands  of 
the  men  of  the  time  in  the  first  flush  of  young 
manhood,  thought  his  first  d'uty  was  to  aid 
in  maintaining  the  supremacy  of  the  flag,  so 
he  volunteered  for  duty  and  was  actively  en- 
gaged "at  the  front"  from  August,  1862,  until 
October,  1865,  when  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged with  the  brevet  rank  of  colonel  for 
his  brilliant  service  and  his  bravery  in  the  field. 
Then  he  returned  to  New  York  and  devoted 
himself  to  the  building  up  of  a  law  practice. 
His  tastes  gradually  led  him  into  the  jour- 
nalistic field,  and  by  1870  he  was  more  widely 
known  perhaps  as  a  newspaper  man  and  all- 
around  author  than  as  a  lawyer.  For  a  time 
he  edited  the  "New  York  Star,"  and  after- 
ward managed  the  "Christian  Union''  in  such 
a  way  as  to  win  the  heartiest  commendation 
of  Henry  Ward  Beecher.  His  entire  relations 
with  that  gifted  man  were  of  the  pleasantest 
and  closest  nature.  He  stood  by  Mr.  Beecher 
with  unwavering  fidelity  throughout  the  great 
crisis  in  his  personal  career,  and  was  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  management  of 
Plymouth  church  during  the  latter  days  of  the 
great  preacher.  In  quitting  journalism  and 
resuming  his  law  practice.  General  King 
seemed  to  become  a  more  active  factor  than 
ever  in  political  affairs,  and  in  the  councils  of 
his  party  in  the  state  of  New  York,  and  every 
movement  that  tended  to  promote  the  cause 
of  good  government  found  in  him  an  earnest, 
devoted  supporter.  As  a  platform  orator  dur- 
ing a  political  contest  he  often  appeared  at  his 
best  as  a  public  speaker  and  he  was  ever 
ready  to  discuss  the  affairs  of  the  nation  and 
the  state,  and  to  discuss  them  with  a  full 
knowledge  and  a  flow  of  argument  based  on 
reading  and  experience,  such  as  few  could 
equal.  In  the  canvass  which  ended  in  the 
election  of  Mayor  Cleveland,  of  Buffalo,  to  the 
governorship  of  New  York,  General  King  took 
a  most  active  part,  and  it  is  said  to  be  due  to 
his  active  influence  that  Mr.  Beecher,  a  Re- 


publican in  politics,  threw  his  party  aside  and 
came  out  for  Mr.  Cleveland  at  a  critical  point 
in  that  statesman's  campaign  for  the  Presi- 
dency. Governor  Cleveland  appointed  Gen- 
eral King  Judge  Advocate  General  in  1883  and 
he  continued  to  hold  the  office  under  Governor 
Hill.  Upon  returning  to  private  life  General 
King  resumed  his  law  practice  and  since  con- 
tinued in  it  with  occasional  flights  into  the 
literary  or  journalistic  field.  He  has  won  a 
high  reputation  as  a  military  lawyer  and  his 
"Guide  to  Regimental  Courts-Martial,"  issued 
in  1882,  is  still  regarded  as  a  standard  work 
Gin  the  subject.  In  Grand  Army  circles  he  is 
very  popular  and  for  two  years  he  served  as 
commander  of  Charles  R.  Doane  Post,  No. 
499,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  charter  mem- 
bers. He  enjoys  in  a  high  measure  the  per- 
sonal regard  of  his  fellow  citizens,  and  wher- 
ever he  goes  is  always  certain  of  a  loyal  and 
hearty  welcome. 

Another  prominent  adherent  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  in  Kings  is  William  C.  De  Witt, 
v/ho  for  thirteen  years  held  the  important  of- 
fice of  corporation  counsel,  and  in  late  years 
has  been  conspicuous  in  the  work  attending 
the  consolidation  of  the  two  cities.  He  is  de- 
scended from  Tjerck  Clausen  De  Witt,  who 
left  Holland  in  1657  and  founded  a  family 
v/hich  gave  to  the  country,  among  many  other 
distinguished  citizens,  Charles  De  Witt,  a 
member  of  the  first  Continental  Congress,  and 
De  Witt  Clinton,  the  greatest  of  all  the  gov- 
ernors of  New  York.  William  C.  De  Witt 
was  born  at  Paterson,  New  Jersey,  in  1840, 
but  has  resided  in  Brooklyn  since  he  was  five 
years  of  age.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1861,  and  since  then  has  built  up  a  large  and 
lucrative  practice  in  spite  of  the  time  he  has 
devoted  to  politics  and  the  demands  of  his 
party.  In  the  cause  of  good  municipal  gov- 
ernment he  has  been  an  active,  and  what  is 
better,  a  practical  worker,  and  his  efforts  won 
him  the  hearty  support  of  a  majority  of  the 
citizens  of  Brooklyn,  regardless  of  party  in- 
fluences. He  was  elected  corporation  counsel 
of   Brooklyn   in    1869,   and  by  continued  re- 


646 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


election  served  until  1882,  when  he  retired  to 
attend  to  the  increasing  demands  of  his  pri- 
vate practice,  now  one  of  the  most  extensive 
in  Brooklyn.  Devoted  to  the  law,  a  close  and 
painstaking  student  of  all  its  phases  past  and 
present,  its  procedures,  rules,  decisions  and 
provisions,  he  has  found  time  to  study  litera- 
ture in  general  from  the  standpoint  of  a  stu- 
dent of  letters  and  in  the  works  of  the  classic 
writers  of  EngHsh  and  American  literature  has 
found  a  world  of  pleasure  and  of  solace  quite 
different  from  that  other  and  rather  common- 
place world  in  which  a  busy  public  man  of  the 
present  day  "lives,  moves  and  has  his  being," 
as  the  fKDpular  saying  goes.  His  own  orations 
and  public  utterances,  even  his  addresses  in 
court,  have  always  been  models  of  good  nerv- 
ous English,  and  the  frequent  and  apt  quota- 
tions which  sometimes  illustrated  a  point, 
seemed  always  to  come  from  a  storehouse 
filled  with  such  aids  to  argument.  In  1881  he 
published  a  volume  in  which,  under  the  gen- 
eral title  of  "Driftwood,"  he  printed  several 
of  his  orations  and  contributions  to  magazine 
literature,  and  the  book  is  at  once  an  evidence 
to  his  literary  taste  and  critical  judgment.  But 
Mr.  De  Witt  is  first,  last  and  all  the  time  a 
lawyer,  and  it  is  in  that  field  that  his  most 
active  work  has  been  done,  the  work  which 
has  won  for  him  the  prominent  position  he  oc- 
cupies in  Brooklyn — in  the  Greater  New  York 
in  fact,  for  consolidation  has  made  his  name 
equally  familiar  on  both  sides  of  the  East 
River. 

We  may  now  speak  of  a  lawyer  who  is  not 
a  representative  of  the  bench,  but  simply  of  the 
bar.  Mr.  W.  B.  Davenport  claims  descent 
from  John  Davenport,  who  founded  the  New 
Haven  colony  in  1638,  and  from  Thomas  Ben- 
edict, a  member  of  the  first  English  Colonial 
Assembly  in  New  York.    He  was  born  in  New 


York  City  in  1845,  but  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Brooklyn  bar  since  1870.  In  1889  he  was 
elected  public  administrator  of  Kings  County. 
That  is  the  only  public  office  he  has  ever  held, 
for  the  extent  of  his  private  business  has  fully 
monopolized  his  time.  In  connection  with  cor- 
poration matters  and  the  administration  of  es- 
tates he  enjoys  a  large  practice,  while  his  per- 
sonal popularity  and  social  instincts  are  shown 
by  the  fact  that  he  has  held  the  office  of  Presi- 
dent of  the  New  England  Society  in  Brook- 
lyn and  is  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  the  Revo- 
lution, the  Society  of  Colonial  Wars  and  sev- 
eral such  organizations  as  the  Hamilton,  Cres- 
cent and  Athletic  Clubs.  He  is  also  a  Trustee  of 
the  Polhemus  Memorial  Clinic,  of  the  Brook- 
lyn Institute  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  and  a  num- 
ber of  other  public  and  business  organizations. 
But  we  must  now  draw  this  chapter  to  a 
close,  for  our  purpose  has  been  fully  gained  of 
presenting  in  the  pages  preceding  a  few  repre- 
sentative types  of  the  bench  and  bar,  showing 
its  high  standing  in  its  own  community  and 
its  wealth  of  material  in  the  olden  time  as  well 
as  in  the  days  now  passing.  The  list  might  bs 
extended  easily  so  as  to  fill  two  or  three  goodly 
volumes.  We  might  mention  such  present-day 
leaders  as  Judge  Hand,  Judge  '  Aspinall, 
Messrs.  E.  B.  Thomas,  James  Troy,  George 
H.  Fisher,  A.  E.  Lamb,  H.  C.  M.  Ingraham, 
A.  G.  McDonald,  J.  A.  Burr,  John  A.  Taylor, 
A.  E.  Mudge,  R.  P.  Chittenden,  T.  H.  Field, 
Jesse  Johnston  and  Herbert  T.  Ketchum,  and 
by  recalling  their  struggles  and  their  exploits 
and  achievements  prove  that  the  bench  and 
bar  of  the  Brooklyn  of  to-day  are  equal  in  in- 
tellectual capacity  and  legal  scholarship  with 
any  of  those  groups  whose  members  were  re- 
garded as  giants  in  the  days  that  are  gone. 
But  such  a  theme  really  should  form  a  special 
study. 


JliS^ 


4s^ 


CHAPTER   LIV. 


FREEMASONRY    ON    LONG    ISLAND. 

Social — Tiny  Beginnings    of  a   Great  Institution  —  Sketches    of  Representative 
Early  Lodges — Some   Distinguished   Long  Island   Craftsmen. 


S  might  readily  be  supposed,  Brook- 
lyn is  a  city  of  societies  of  all 
sorts — secret,  fraternal,  political, 
sporting,  dramatic  and  fashion- 
able. Most  of  its  organizations  are  popular, 
that  is  to  say,  their  membership  is  practically 
open  to  all  who  apply  and  who  have  the  req- 
uisite qualifications  as  to  taste,  acquaintance, 
reputation  and  the  wherewithal  to  pay  the  en- 
trance fee  and  the  annual  dues.  Some  on  the 
other  hand  are  as  exclusive  as  can  be  imag- 
ined, and  it  would  seem  the  more  exclusive  a 
c'ertain  club  or  society  may  be  the  larger  is  its 
waiting  list.  In  the  long  list  of  Brooklyn 
clubs  and  societies  nearly  every  taste  seems 
to  be  catered  to,  every  nationality  has  its  circle, 
■every  trade  and  profession  has  its  social  home, 
and  every  recreation  its  temple.  Even  the 
ladies  have  their  chosen  societies  and  the  num- 
ber of  those  open  equally  to  both  sexes — not- 
ably the  dramatic  and  singing  societies — run 
into  the  hundlreds. 

The  time  indeed  was  when  the  people  on 
almost  each  block  in  Brooklyn  formed  prac- 
tically a  little  social  organization  among  them- 
selves. That  was  in  the  days  prior  to  the  ad- 
vent of  the  tenement  or  apartment  house  and 
the  appearance  of  the  trolley.  In  the  pleasant 
summer  afternoons  people  would  gather  on 
the  stoops  and  verandahs  in  front  of  their 
homes  and  receive  the  visits  of  their  neigh- 
bors, while  the  ladies  would  ramble  from  one 


home  to  another  and  indulge  in  their  dearly 
loved  and  kindly  gossip.  Each  block  had  its 
own  passing  affairs  to  disciass  and  business  to 
regulate,  and  it  was  done  in  a  pleasant,  neigh- 
borly fashion  as  the  evening  hours  slipped 
away.  The  children  played  in  the  streets 
right  under  the  eyes  of  their  elders,  and  with- 
out any  of  the  modern  dread  which  the  bi- 
cycle, the  trolley  and  the  automobile  have  in- 
spired, and  the  adult  male  population  dis- 
cussed the  latest  turn  in  politics  or  canvassed 
the  most  recent  news.  Each  household  seemed 
to  unite  for  the  time  being  into  but  one  fam- 
ily, having  the  same  interests,  the  same  anxie- 
ties, the  same  ideas  of  hospitality  and  amuse- 
ment. So  it  went  on,  night  after  night,  dur- 
ing the  spring  and  summer,  and  when  winter 
came  each  house  in  turn  held  sweet  converse 
with  its  neighbors,  unless,  indeed,  when  a 
sleighing  excursion  carried  practically  the 
whole  adult  and  active  population  on  a  wild 
and  health-giving  .rush  along  one  of  the  old 
plank  roads.  All  this  is  now  a  thing  of  the 
past.  We  are  not  so  friendly  with  our  neigh- 
bors as  we  were  wont  to  be,  for  the  influx  of 
population  is  steady  and  changes  are  contin- 
ual. But  Brooklyn  is  still  a  city  of  social  in- 
stincts, and  instead  of  holding  forth  on  a  stoop, 
we  now  spend  out  evenings  in  our  clubs  and 
there  seek  that  solace,  that  kindred  associa- 
tion, that  inspiration  from  congenial  souls 
which  tends  so  eiifectually  to  lighten  the  bur- 


648 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


dens  and  dissipate  the  cares  of  the  moiling 
and  toiling  of  our  daily  existence  and  which 
make  life  after  all  seem  really  worth  living. 

In  point  of  antiquity  the  credit  of  being 
the  premier  among  the  existing  organizations 
on  Long  Island  must  be  given  to  the  Masonic 
fraternity.  The  records  of  the  Grand  Lodge 
inform  us  under  date  of  February  4,  1784, 
that  it  was  then 

"Voted  unanimously  that  the  petition  of 
James  Gardiner,  John  Leverel  Hudson  and 
Joseph  Corwin  requesting  an  Ancient  War- 
rant to  form  a  lodge  on  Long  Island  be 
granted." 

There  is,  however,  no  further  record  of 
this  lodge,  and,  indeed,  it  is  doubtful  if  it  was 
ever  constituted.  The  three  surnames  men- 
tioned frequently  appear  in  the  annals  of  the 
island,  but  diligent  investigation  has  failed  to 
locate  them  exactly.  It  is  generally  supposed 
that  they  were  residents  of  Brooklyn,  but  even 
for  this  fhere  is  no  warrant.  The  record  shows, 
however,  that  in  some  part  of  Long  Island 
there  were,  in  1784,  members  of  the  Ancient 
and  Honorable  Fraternity  in  numbers  suf- 
ficient to  think  of  uniting  into  a  lodge.  It  is 
worth  noting,  too,  that  the  then  Grand  Master, 
Bro.  William  Cock,  although  a  lawyer  in  New 
York,  was  a  native  of  Long  Island,  and  a  rep- 
resentative of  one  of  its  oldest  families. 

In  1787,  however,  another  Long  Island  ap- 
plication for  a  charter  reached  the  grand  body, 
over  which  Chancellor  R.  R.  Livingston  then 
presided,  this  time  from  brethren  at  Jamaica. 
This  was  granted  and  Jamaica  Lodge  was 
duly  constituted  on  September  5,  that  year. 
It  does  not,  however,  appear  to  have  gained 
much  headway,  and  in  1792  'surrendered  its 
charter  and  passed  out  of  existence.  In  the 
following  year  some  brethren  at  Oyster  Bay, 
headed  by  Moses  Blackly,  applied  for  the 
necessary  authority  to  organize  a  lodge  in  that 
town,  and  the  application  was  referred  to  a 
committee.  So  far  as  the  records  show  that 
ended  the  matter.  Probablv  the  field  ;in  that 
stronghold  of  Quakerism  did  not  seem  to  the 


committee  very  promising.  At  all  events  there 
is  nothing  in  the  minutes  to  show  that  they 
even  dignified  the  application  with  a  report.  On 
March  22,  1793,  a  lodge  was  constituted  at 
Huntington,  but  it  seems  to  have  been  a  weak 
organization  from  its  very  beginning.  It 
struggled  on,  'however,  until  1806,  when  so  far 
as  can  be  ascertained  it  ceased  holding  any 
meetings  and  was  abandoned.  Its  last  master 
was  Ruluf  Duryea,  but  local  history  concern- 
ing him  is  silent. 

On   December   7,    1796,   application   for  a 
warrant  for  "a  lodge  in  Suffolk  county.  Long 
Island,  by  the  name  of  Suffolk  Lodge"  was 
made  to  the  Grand  Lodge  of  New  York,  and 
it  was  at  once  granted.     Grand  Lodge  was 
not  so  particular  then  as  now  and  little  time 
was  wasted  either  in  making  Masons  or  war- 
ranting lodges.     It   was   not,   however,   until 
March  10  following  that  the  first  regular  meet- 
ing of  the  new  body  was  held  and  the  lodlge 
"duly  opened  and  in  order  for  business."   The 
officers  were  installed,  the  first  master  being 
William  Wright,  a  past  master  of  Independent 
Royal  Arch  Lodge,  No.  2,  New  York  City. 
The  visitors  present  at  the  opening  meeting 
were  seven  brethren  from  Huntington  Lodge, 
No.  26,  and  "Brother  Fagan  from  Ireland." 
The  first  applicant  for  initiation  was  Wood- 
hull  Smith,  who  was  afterward  passed  Fellow- 
craft   March   16  and  raised  April    11.     The 
lodge  increased  rapidly  at  first.    In  the  course 
of  its  opening  year  it  initiated  nineteen  candi- 
dates, the  highest  number  reached  in  any  given 
twelve  months  in  its  entire  career.     The  peo- 
ple around  were  mostly  farmers  or  seamen, 
and  while  the  seamen  were  enthusiastic  at  first 
their  vocation  did  not  permit  them  to  attend 
lodge  meetings  regularly  and  after  a  time  most 
of  them  lost  all  interest  and  dropped  out.  Those 
who  did  retain  their  connection  were  of  little 
practical  use.  The  lodge  was  seldom  represent- 
ed in  Grand  Lodge  meetings  even  by  prox- 
ies, but  it  managed  to  pay  its  dues  with  more 
or  less  regularity  until  1820.    In  1822  it  was 
reported  in  arrears  for  two  years.     Long  be- 


GRAHD  MASTER  R,  R.  LIYIHGSTOH. 


FREEMASONRY   ON    LONG    ISLAND. 


649 


fore  that  it  began  to  decline,  and  in  the  seven 
years  from  1806  to  18 12  partly  inclusive  it  ini- 
tiated only  seven  candidates — in  1806,  1807 
and  181 1  two  in  each  year,  in  18 10  one,  and 
in  1808,  1809  and  18 12  none.  From  18 12  on- 
ward things  seemed  to  improve.  In  1813  it 
had  three  initiations,  in  1816  the  number 
reached  seven,  and  in  1820  the  records  show 
five  additions.  From  then  the  story  of  the 
lodge  is  simply  that  of  slow  progress  to  disso- 
lution. Even  in  1816,  which  looked  as  if  the 
early  success  had  in  a  measure  returned,  of 
the  seven  initiates  five  went  no  further  than 
the  first  degree,  and  in  1820,  when  there  were 
five  initiations,  two  remained  Entered  Appren- 
tices to  the  end  of  time,  so  far  as  Suffolk 
Lodge  was  concerned.  This,  of  course,  is  a 
bad  sign,  but  the  cause  for  this  particular 
weakness  we  can  not  trace.  In  spite  of  many 
discouragements  the  lodge  met  regularly  and 
elected  officers  each  year  until  December  11, 
1822,  when  J.'  M.  Williamson  was  eletted 
Master.  He  does  not  seem  to  have  been  in- 
stalled, and  after  that  date  the  meetings  were 
held  infrequently  and  irregularly,  the  last  en- 
try in  the  old  minute  book  bearing  the  date  of 
Septemiber  14,  1825.  That  may  be  accepted  as 
the  date  of  dissolution. 

The  writer  of  a  manuscript  history  of  the 
old  lodge,  from  which  the  facts  'here  set  forth 
have  been  gleaned,  comments  on  the  downfall 
of  this  lodge  in  words  which  are  as  applicable 
to  the  craft  at  this  date  as  they  were  when 
written  nearly  forty  years  ago.  He  wrote : 
"Two  causes  may  be  found  for  this  decline. 
First,  too  little  care  was  taken  in  the  examina- 
tion of  the  characters  of  persons  proposed  for 
membership.  So  far  as  the  minutes  s'how  there 
was  not  always  a  committee  of  inquiry  ap- 
pointed, but  the  candidate  was  proposed,  re- 
ceived and  initiated  at  the  same  meeting.  It 
was  this  want  of  due  discrimination  in  the 
admission  of  members  which  explains  a  fact 
that  appears  on  the  records,  viz.,  that  in  180S 
there  were  more  suspensions  and  more  of  lodge 
discipline  than  through  all  the  existence  of  the 


lodge.     The  other  cause  which  may  account 
for  the  decline  of  the  lodge  was  the  neglect 
of  the  brethren  to  pay  their  diues  regularly. 
It  is  not  certain  that  they  always  paid  the  fees 
for  degrees.     At  a  meeting  of  the  lodge  in 
February,   1800,  when  it  had  been  organized 
three  years  and  had  about  thirty  members,  a 
note    in   the   treasurer's    accounts    states   that 
there  was  'Cash  on  hand,  $64.19;  due  from 
members,  $103.75.'    Four  years  afterward  the 
state  of  the  finances  was  in  a  still  worse  con- 
dition, the  report  being  $221.80  due  from  mem- 
bers and  no  cash  at  all  in  the  treasury.     It 
was  this  un-Masonic  conduct  in  the  members 
not  paying  dues,  and  the  neglect  of  the  lodge 
in  not  using  its  power  of  discipline  that  led  to 
its  extinction  in  the  end..   A  very  brief  exami- 
nation into  this  will  teach  a  lesson  which  the 
wise  among  Masons  will  be  ready  to  learn." 
So  far  as  we  can  learn  the  body  fulfilled 
all  its  duties  perfectly  with  the  exception  de- 
tailed in  the  above  quotation.     We  have,  of 
course,  no  idea  of  how  the  "work"  was,  ren- 
dered, but  we  may  conclude  it  was  at  least 
equal  to  that  of  the  other  Long  Island  lodges. 
It  observed  the  two  saints'  days,  sometimes  by 
a  dinner,  sometimes  by  a  sermon,  sometimes  by 
book,  and  it  readily  responded  to  all  claims 
upon  its  charity.     One  lamentable  feature  of 
the  record's  is  the  amount  of  ill  feeling  that 
seemed  to  prevail  among  the  brethren  or  some 
of  them.     As  early  as   1799  we  find  a  com- 
mittee at  work  straightening  out  a  quarrel  be- 
tween two  brethren.     The  committee  reported 
and  the  report  was  accepted,  but  what  they  did 
report  the  minutes  do  not  state.    The  compiler 
of  the  manuscript  says :   "In  1802  two  brethren 
were  called  to  account  by  the  lodge  itself  and 
a  committee  appointed.     This  committee  duly 
reported  'that  although  the  said  I.  B.  and  S.  C. 
may  be  considered  as  respectable  members  of 
society,  they,  as  Masons,  have  acted  without 
the  square  and  compass  and  ought  to  be  con- 
sidered as  refractory  members  until  something 
favorable  on  their  side  may  be  produced.'    In 
1805  the  lodge  became  more  severe.     Brother 


650 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


S.  S.  was  called  upon  to  answer  the-  following 
charges  presented  against  him  by  a  committee 
appointed  for  the  purpose:  i.  Refusing  to 
discharge  his  dues ;  2.  non-attendance  at  lodge 
m'eetings-;  3.  slandering  and  injustice  to  his 
brethren.  S.  S.  pleaded  guilty  to  the  first  two, 
but  defended  himserf  against  the  third.  The 
lodge  after  considering  the  defense  proceeded 
to  ballot  for  his  expulsion  and  the  ballot  was 
unanimous." 

Another  brother  was  (Charged  with  "de- 
frauding the  fatherless  and  the  widow,"  but 
the  minutes  do  not  show  what  was.  done  with 
him.  In  1802  the  lodge  was  summoned  to 
examine  into  a  "matter  of  difference"  between 
two  of  its'  Past  Masters.  It  did  examine  on 
the  promise  of  both  to  abide  by  the  decision 
of  the  brethren,  but  the  one  who  was  held  to 
be  in  the  wrong  refused  to  accept  the  conclu- 
sion arrived  at,  and  the  matter  was  carried 
into  a  law  court.  Such  things  do  not  add  to 
the  prosperity  of  a  lodge,  and  thfe  wonder  is 
that  old'  Suflfolk  carried  the  banner  of  Ma- 
sonry in  Setauket  for  the  number  of  years  it 
was  so  privileged. 

The  present  Suffolk  Lodge,  No.  60,  which 
meets  at  Port  Jefferson,  claims  to  be  the  suc- 
cessor and  heir  of  the  old  organization  with 
whose  history  we  have  just  been  dealing.  The 
modern  No.  60  is  a  most  prosperous  body 
with  over  one  hundred  members,  and  is  proud 
of  the  earlier  lodge  whose  name  it  bears.  As 
the  old  lodge  went  out  of  existence  in  1824 
and  the  new  one  was  warranted  in  1856,  it 
can  hardly  be  said  that  the  theory  of  continuity 
is  much  in  evidence.  Thirty-two  years  is  a 
long  time  in  American  Masonic  history,  and 
that  fact  makes  us  feel  that  the  connection 
between  the  old  lodge  and  the  new  is  one  of 
sentiment  rather  than  continuity.  But  then 
sentiment  is  a  powerful  factor  in  all  that  con- 
cerns the  fraternity. 

The  year  1797,  when  Suffolk  Lodge  was 
chartered,  was  a  busy  one,  apparently,  among 
the  Freemasons  on  Long  Island.  Morton 
Lodge  at  Hempstead  was  then  organized  and 
still  continues,  having  celebrated  its  centennial 


with  great  eclat  June  23,  1897,  when  Grand 
Master  Sutherland  and  a  host  of  dignitaries 
took  part  in  the  proceedings.  It  was  probably 
an  offshoot  from  Huntingdon  Lodge,  at  least 
the  brethren  applying  for  a  warrant  seemed 
to  be  members  of  that  organization.  The  cen- 
tennial exercises  created  quite  a  degree  of  in- 
terest in  local  circles,  and  many  stories  of  the 
older  brethren  found  their  way  into  print. 
From  these  we  select  two.  The  first  incident 
is  that  of  two  brothers  who  lived  on  the  north 
side  of  the  island,  perhaps  twenty  miles  from 
Hempstead.  They  reached  the  lodge  by  what 
is  called  the  "ride  and  tie"  method.  That  is, 
they  both  started  together  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, one  riding  the  single  horse  on  the  farm, 
and  the  other  walking.  The  rider  proceeded 
to  a  place  agreed  upon,  where  he  tied  the  horse 
and  took  up  his  journey  afoot.  When  the  first 
walker  reached  the  horse  he  mounted  and  after 
passing  his  walking  journey  tied  the  horse 
again  at  another  place  of  agreement.  So  the 
journey  was  made  to  the  lodge,  and  the  re- 
turn on  the  following  morning  was  a  repeti-. 
tion  of  the  scheme. 

The  second  story  is  told  of  a  man  named' 
Piatt  Stratton,  living  near  what  is  now  College 
Point.  Stratton  was  a  candidate  for  Masonry 
and  rode  into  Hempstead  on  horseback  at 
about  noon.  Having  looked  after  his  horse  in 
the  barn,  he  went  to  the  hotel  through  the 
kitchen,  which  was  as  fashionable  a  way  as  the 
front  door  at  the  time.  In  the  kitchen  he  found 
an  old  colored  cook  standing  over  a  great  fire 
in  the  large  chimney  place,  across  which  was 
a  gridiron  of  very  ample  proportions. 

"What's  the  gridiron  for.  Aunty?"  asked 
Stratton,  to  which  the  old  cook  replied :  "I'se 
don'  know,  marsa,  zackly,  'cept  that  the  Ma- 
sons meet  ter  day  an'  dey  genly  uses  it  when 
dey  meets."  This  was  enough  for  Stratton. 
He  returned  to  the  barn,  mounted  his  horse 
and  rode  off.  Nothing  was  ever  heard  of  him 
again  by  the  lodge,  and  he  doubtless  died  in 
the  faith  that  the  gridiron  was  intended  for 
him. 

The  various  committees  who  arranged  for 


FREEMASONRY    ON    LONG    ISLAND. 


651. 


the  celebration  of  the  centennial  were  as  fol- 
lows, and  included  the  master,  Robert  A. 
Davidson,  and  all  the  living  past  masters  of 
the  lodge: 

Invitations  —  Wor.  Bro.  B.  Valentine 
Clowes,  Bros.  George  W.  Terry,  Carman 
Lush. 

Grand  Marshal— R.  Wor.  Charles,  L. 
Phipps.  Aids — Lewis  H.  Clowes,  Israel  W. 
Williams,  William  B.  Osterhout,  Jotham  Post, 
Henry  Floyd  Johnson,  Royal  Harvey. 

Railroad  and  Transportation — R.  Wor. 
Robert  A.  Davison,  Wor.  Augustus  Denton. 

Music — Wor.  Bros.  Augustus  Denton  and 
Oliver  E.  Stanton. 

Press  and  Printing — Wor.  Bros.  Oliver 
E.  Stanton,  Lot  Van  .de  Water,  Jr.,  and  B. 
Valentine  Clowes. 

Tent  and  Hall — Bros.  Lewis  H.  Clowes, 
Eugene  V.  Willis  and  John  Findlay. 

Refreshments — Bros.  William  M.  Akley, 
Lewis  H.  Clowes,  William  McCarthy,  Eugene 
V.  Willis,  Jotham  Post,  Foster  L.  Oakley, 
Benjamin  Griffin,  Edward  Willis,  Morris 
Sherwood,  John  Findlay,  Richard  C.  Camp- 
bell, Thomasi  W.  Albertson,  Walter  N.  De 
Nyse,  Israel  W.  Williams,  George  W.  Terry, 
John  Miller,  C.  Gardner  Miller,  William  B. 
Osterhout,  William  S.  Hall,  Wor.  Oliver  E. 
Stanton. 

Decorations — Bro.  Richard  C.  Campbell. 

Reception — R.  Wors.  Robert  A.  Davison 
and  Charles  L.  Phipps,  Wors,  Augustus  R. 
Griffin,  Benjamin  A.  HafJ,  B.  Valentine 
Clowes,  John  W.  De  Mott,  Joseph  E.  Firth, 
Robert  Seabury,  Augustus  Denton,  Lott  Van 
de  Water,  Oliver  E.  Stanton  and  John  R. 
Sprague,  Bros.  George  W.  Terry,  Israel  W. 
Williams,  Richard  C.  Campbell,  Thomas  W. 
Albertson,  William  McCarthy,  M.  J.  Gilder- 
sleeve,  Lewis  H.  Clowes,  Walter  N.  De  Nyse, 
C.  Gardner  Miller,  Joseph  H.  Bogart,  M.  D. ; 
C.  G.  J.  Finn,  M.  D. ;  Charles  F.  Lewis,  Tim- 
othy J.  Bird,  Thomas  B.  Seaman,  Thomas  J. 
Sammond,  Charles  Davison,  Samuel  S.  Rhame, 
William  H.  Patterson,  William  S.  Hall,  John 


Miller,  William  P.  Miller,. Foster  L.  Oakley, 
George  Emery,  Eugene  V.  Willis,  William 
B.  Osterhout. 

In  1797,  too,  the  first  known  Brooklyn 
lodge  of  which  we  have  any  record — St.  Al- 
ban's — was  constituted.  There  are  vague  in- 
dications that,  apart  from  the  lodge  warranted 
in  1784  and  which,  as  has  been  pointed  out, 
may  or  may  not  have  been  a  Brooklyn  body, 
there  was  one  lodge  existing  there  prior  to 
1797 — Mechanics',  No.  i.  But  all  we  know 
about  that  is  its  name.  About  St.  Alban's 
Lodge  we  certainly  know  little  more.  It  only 
existed  for  about  two  years,  and  then  it  was 
permitted  to  disappear.  At  all  events,  it  was 
mentioned  as  "lately  held"  in  the  petition  pre- 
sented December  4,  1799,  to  the  Grand  Lodge 
by  a  number  of  its  members  and  others  for  a 
new  warrant  under  the  name  of  Fortitude 
Lodge.  The  warrant  was  at  once  issued,  and 
bore  the  signature-  of  Chancellor  Livingston. 

That  lodge  is  now  undoubtedly  the  oldest 
in  Brooklyn,  and  it  celebrated  its  centenary  in 
December,  1899,  with  a  banquet  and  reception 
which  will  long  be  remembered  with  pleasure 
by  all  who  were  permitted  to  take  part  in  the 
proceedings.  The  first  meeting  place  of  the 
lodge  was  in  the  upper  room  of  a  tavern  near 
"the  Ferry,"  as  Fulton  Ferry  was  then  called, 
and  the  keeper  of  the  tavern,  Martin. Boerum, 
was  one  of  the  charter  members.  Soon  after 
its  institution  the  lodge  was  called  upon  to 
make  its  first  public  appearance,  when  it  took 
part  in  the  local  procession  on  the  death  of 
George  Washington,  and  it  marched  in  one  of 
the  processions  which,  in  1824,  welcomed  La- 
fayette on  his  memorable  journey  through  the 
country  which  he  had  helped  to  mold  into  a 
nation.  There  was  always  a  good  deal  of  pa- 
triotic sentiment  in  Fortitude  Lodge  when  oc- 
casion arose,  and  it  was  one  of  the  lodges 
which,  in  1814,  under  the'  immediate  direction 
of  the  Grand  Lodge,  helped  to  build  the  forti- 
fications around  Brooklyn  and  so  protect  it 
from  the  British  invasion  then  expected. 

Fortitude  has  had  its  ups  and  downs  like 


652 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


all  our  older  lodges,  but  it  managed  to  pull 
through,  although  it  was  hard  pressed  in  1832, 
when  an  epidemic  of  cholera  made  things  un- 
pleasant in  Brooklyn.  The  history  tells  us  that 
"the  first  record  of  the  conferring  of  degrees 
was  on  January  13,  1806.  The  fee  for  each 
degree  was  two  dollars,  but  at  a  meeting  ofl 
the  lodge  held  January  20,  1806,  the  fee  for 
each  degree  was  raised  to  five,  dollars."  The 
history  also  tells  us  that  "refreshments  ap- 
pear to  have  been  an  important  part  of  the 
proceedings  of  the  lodge.  The  amounts  of 
money  spent  for  this  purpose  ranged  all  the 
way  from  five  dollars  to  sixty  dollars  per  night. 
Upon  the  night  of  November  16,  1812,  there 
is  the  record  in  the  minutes  of  a  charge  of 
£4.1  I2S  lod,  which  is  something  over  two  hun^ 
dred  dollars.  The  regular  refreshments  for 
meeting  nights  during  the  earlier  history  of 
the  lodge  were  cheese,  crackers  and  wines." 
"Besides  this  the  records  show  that  the  ex- 
penditures for  charity  were  continuous  and  lib- 
eral. How  they  managed  it  all,  with  their  small 
income,  I  'can  not  understand,  unless  it  be  that 
the  brethren  "chipped  in"  very  frequently  andi 
that  fines  were  liberally  imposed  and  willingly 
paid.  The  great  curse  of  all  our  early  lodges 
was  the  drinking  habit.  When  they  went  to 
refreshment  the  brethren  went  in  reality  in- 
stead of  symbolically,  as  we  do  at  present,  and 
the  junior  warden's  duties  as  superintendent! 
of  the  feast  meant  more  than  mere  words.  But 
the  costliness  of  the  custom  led  to  its  abolition, 
although  some  of  the  lodges  had  to  adopt  he- 
roic measures  before  the  abolition  was  com- 
plete. Had  the  habit  not  been  stopped  we 
would  have  had  a  very  different  history  of 
Freemasonry  in  New  York  than  that  to  which, 
in  the  language  of  the  political  platform  mak- 
ers, we  now  'point  with  pride.'  Our  early 
brethren,  both  here  and  in  Britain,  were  jolly 
fellows  and  the  lodges  were  often  places  of 
pleasant  retreat,  where  the  flowing  bowl  and 
the  merry  song  made  life  seem  rosier  and  hap- 
pier than  in  the  currents  of  life  appeared  pos- 
sible.    They  performed  their  Masonic  work 


with  dignity  and  with  care,  they  were  scrupu- 
lous, possibly  more  scrupulous  than  we  are  in 
these  days  of  rush  and  commercialism,  as  to 
who  they  admitted  to  their  charmed  circle, 
they  zealously  fulfilled  all  the  Masonic  duties 
they  professed,  and  when  they  turned  from 
their  laborsi  to  'rest  and  refresh  themselves' 
they  did  it  with  a  thoroughness  and  abandon 
that  sometimes  stagger  us,  as  we  read  the 
story.  In  many  instances  the  records  of  the 
old  lodges  tell  us  more  of  the  refreshment  epi- 
sode than  of  the  incidents  of  the  time  devoted 
to  work,  the  old  'monitors'  and  'companions' 
and  'vade-mecums'  present  us  with  page  after 
page  of  the  songs  and  glees  and  'catches'  they 
used  to  sing,  and  as  most  of  the  poetry  is  mis- 
erable doggerel,  and  refers  to  drinking,  love 
making  and  law  defiance,  we  are  apt  to  get 
rather  a  poor  opinion  of  the  morals  and  man- 
ners of  the  early  brethren  unless  we  probe  a 
little  beneath  the  surface.  But  give  these  fa- 
thers all  the  credit  to  which  they  are  entitled, 
it  is  impossible  to  study  the  Freemasonry  of 
1800  and  that  of  1900  without  coming  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  craft  is  one  of  the  most 
progressive  of  organizations ;  that  if  it  holds 
as  steadfastly  as  possible  to  the  old  landmarks, 
it  is  earnestly  seeking  forth  after  new  ones. 
"To  me,  the  most  interesting  part  of  Ma- 
sonic study  has  been,  not  its  rules,  not  even 
its  ritual,  but  the  character  and  standing  of  the 
men  who  have  been  prominent  in  its  ranks. 
li  Masonry  has  been  worth  anything,  if  it  has 
really  proved  a  moral  factor,  if  its  philosophy 
is  sound,  it  can  not  have  failed  to  impress 
itself  upon  the  lives  and  thoughts  and  aspira- 
tions of  those  who  have  been  prominently  iden- 
tified with  it.  Fortitude  Lodge  has  had  quite 
a  number  of  brethren  on  its  roll  who  have  won 
a  measure  of  fame,  sometimes  local,  it  is  true, 
but  still  sufficient  to  show  that  they  were  dis- 
tinguished above  their  fellows,  and  who  can 
say  that  the  teachings  and  mellowing  and 
broadening  influence  of  the  lodge  did  not  aid 
these  men  in  winning  such  distinctions  and 
honors  as  they  received?    The  first  master  of 


FREEMASONRY   ON    LONG   ISLAND. 


658 


Fortitude  Lodge,  Dr.  George  A.  Clussman, 
who  held  the  office  until  the  close  of  1801,  was 
the  most  prominent  physician  of  the  time  in 
Brooklyn,  and  although  pihysicians,  like  actors, 
are  soon  forgotten  when  they  cross  old  Char- 
on's ferry,  this  man's  memory  is  still  held  in 
sweet  remembrance  in  the  story  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lived  and  labored.  Forti- 
tude's first  Senior  Warden  (afterward  Mas- 
ter), Daniel  Rhoades,  was  a  grocer  and  a 
soldier,  and  in  the  war  of  1812  was  a 
member  of  the  military  company  locally 
known  as  'the  Katy-dids,'  which  failed  to 
win  national  renown  only  because  the  Brit- 
ish forces  did  not  come  to  this  neighbor- 
hood dturing  that  struggle  with  the  old 
country.  Still  though  the  opportunity 
did  not  come,  Rhoades  and  his  comirades 
proved  that  they  were  ready  to  meet  it.  The 
more  notable  of  the  early  officers,  however, 
was  the  junior  warden,  Henry  Eckford,  the 
greatest  shipbuilder  of  his  time.  A  native  of 
Scotland,  but  a  typical  American  citizen,  he 
constructed  most  of  the  vessels  which  on  the 
Great  Lakes  won  so  much  fame  in  the  war  of 
1812  for  the  American  navy.  Tlie  once  fa- 
mous battleship  Ohio  and  many  other  noted 
war  vessels  were  built  from  his  designs,  and 
in  fact  he  was  the  reconstructor  of  our  navy 
at  the  time  when  America  successfully  wrest- 
ed from  Great  Britain — for  a  while,  at  least — 
the  undisputed  sovereignty  of  the  seas.  He 
afterward  went  to  Turkey  and  became  chief 
naval  constructor  for  that  country.  He  died 
in  1832.  All  his  biographers  bear  witness  to 
the  loyalty  and  sweetness  of  his  disposition, 
to  his  true  Christian  spirit  and  to  his  posses- 
sion of  every  true  Masonic  virtue." 

The  first  chaplain  of  the  United  States 
Navy,  the  Rev.  John  Ireland,  was  also  a  mem- 
ber of  Fortitude  Lodge.  He  was  one  of  the 
chaplains  of  the  Grand  Lodge.  Another  broth- 
er of  Fortitude  who  held  this  honor  was  the 
Rev.  Evan  M.  Johnson,  one  of  the  most  nota- 
ble of  the  long  list  of  clergymen  who  have 
made  the  name  of  Brooklyn  famous  as  "the 
City  of  Churches."    He  was  a  zealous  worker 


in  the  Master's  service,  freely  gave  of  his 
own  means  to  the  cause  in  which  he  labored, 
and  for  years  preached  without  fee  or  reward, 
building  one  or  two  churches  where  they  were 
needed — among  the  poorer  classes  of  the  city — 
among  the  lapsed  masses.  He  was  a  man  of 
rare  courage,  and  in  the  pulpit  and  out  of  it 
never  hesitated  to  proclaim  his  loyalty  to  Ma- 
sonry even  in  days  when  persecution  was 
abroad  and  zealous  Masons  were  content  to 
hide  their  light  under  a  bushel.  It  is  singular 
that  men  like  Ireland  and  Johnson  did  not 
hold  the  appointment  of  Chaplain  in  the  lodge, 
but  from  the  list  in  the  volume  now  published 
it  would  seem  that  such  officials  were  not  for- 
mally recognized  and  appointed  until  1864. 

Masonically,  probably  the  best  known  name 
on  the  long  list  of  members  of  Fortitude  Lodge 
is  that  of  Nathaniel  F.  Waring,  who  was  its 
master  in  1834  and  again  in  1848.  For  many 
years  he  was  one  of  the  most  active  Masons 
in  New  York,  and  came  into  special  promi- 
nence in  connection  with  what  is  known  as 
the  Phillips  Grand  Lodge.  He  was  elected 
grand  master  of  that  body  in  1857,  and  when 
it  was  received  into  the  legitimate  Masonic 
fold  in  1858  he,  according  to  the  agreement, 
carried  with  him  into  "the"  Grand  Lodge  his 
honors  as  a  past  grand  master.  We  can  hard- 
ly regard  him,  even  when  in  opposition  to  the 
regular  Grand  Lodge,  as  being  clandestine,  for 
his  opposition  was  based  upon  honest  princi- 
ple, and  he  was  an  honest  man,  one  of  those 
who  would  rather  be  right  than  be  president, 
as  the  saying  goes. 

Fortitude  Lodge  at  present  is  a  flourishing 
body  of  craftsmen.  It  has  some  two  hundred 
members  on  its  roll,  and  ranks  high  among  the 
lodges  of  Brooklyn.  It  is  fully  conscious  of 
its  position  as  a  representative  lodge,  is  proud 
of  its  antiquity,  and  is  a  splendid  example  of 
that  Masonic  spirit  which  with  one  hand  holds 
steadfastly  to  the  past  and  with  the  other 
reaches  out  for  all  that  is  beautiful  and  worthy 
and  commendable  in  the  days  which  are  pass- 
ing over  us. 

On  July  26,  1804,  a  lodge  was  constituted 


654 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


at  Sag  Harbor,  but  it  passed  out  of  existence 
in  1818,  and  appears  to  have  had  a  struggle 
for  existence  until  1818,  when  it  disappeared. 
An  interesting  history  of  this  lodge  and  its  suc- 
cessor, the  Wamponamon  Lodge  of  the  pres- 
ent day,  has  been  written  by  one  of  the  Past 
Masters  of  the  latter,  Brother  Brinley  D. 
Sleight,  which  we  here  reproduce : 

During  the  first  decade  of  the  present  cen- 
tury the  Masonic  fraternity  established  its  or- 
ganization in  Sag  Harbor.  The  first  officers  of 
Hampton  Lodge,  No.  iii,  were:  EHas  Jones, 
Master;  Ithuel  Hill,  Senior  Warden;  Joel 
Fordham,  Junior  Warden;  Moses'  Clark, 
Treasurer;  Benjamin  K.  Hobart,  Secretary; 
John  Godbee,  Senior  Deacon;  Aaron  Clark, 
Junior  Deacon;  John  Morrison,  Tyler. 

Five  years  afterward  we  find  the  same  offi- 
cers in  the  East  and  West,  with  Nathaniel 
Havens,  Junior  Warden,  and  Luther  Hildreth, 
Secretary.  The  list  of  members  comprised 
about  fifty  well-known  .citizens, — names  fa- 
mous in  the  historic  annals  of  the  east  end  of 
Long  Island,  such  as  Howell,  Hildreth,  Worth, 
Crowell,  Jennings,  Gardiner,  Glover,  Bishop, 
Briggs,  Baker,  Conkling,  Hedges,  Harris,  Top- 
ping, Seabury  and  others.  The  communica- 
tions of  the  brethren  were  held  in  the  attic  of 
the  house  of  Moses  Clark,  on  the  corner  of 
Division  and  Union  streets.  The  house  is.  still 
standing,  having  been  moved  further  up  the 
street,  next  south  of  the  residence  of  Miss 
Julia  King. 

Hampton  Lodge,  No.  iii,  was  at  that  time 
the  only  civic  society  in  Sag  Harbor.  Neither 
were  there  military,  firemen's  or  other  organi- 
zations. The  mystery  attached  to  the  name 
and  ceremonies  of  the  order  lent  an  attractive 
interest  to  every  occasion  when  the  brethren 
appeared  in  public,  and  well-accredited  tradi- 
tion says  that  the  schools  were  dismissed,  and 
the  people  turned  out  en  masse  "to  see  the  Ma- 
sons parade." 

After  a  while  fraternal  activity  languished, 
And  eventually  in  18 19  the  lodge  surrendered 
its    charter,    having    for    fifteen    years    been 


"steadfastly  held  in  the  Port  of  Sag  Harbor." 
About  this  time  politics  infested  Masonry.  In 
1827-30  exciting  partisan  contests  followed,  in 
which  anti-Masonic  sentiment  was  a  powerful 
agency. 

On  the  east  end  of  Long  Island  all  Masonic 
affiliation    was    abandoned.     For   thirty-eight 
years  thereafter  the  Masons  had  no  habitation 
in   Sag  Harbor,  but  in   1857  some  brethren 
from  other  jurisdictions  abiding  among  us,  to- 
gether with  the  few  remaining  members  of- 
Hampton  Lodge,  mindful  of  the  precept,  "once 
a  Mason  always  a  Mason,"  concerted  to  insti- 
tute a  new  lodge.    Others  desirous  of  joining 
the  order  were  initiated,  passed,  and  raised  in 
Peconic  Lodge,  No.  349,  of  Greenport,  with 
the  understanding  that  they  were  to  become 
charter  members  of  the  new  organization  when 
the  requisite  number  was  obtained.    The  char- 
ter members  of  the  new  lodge  were :   Henry  S. 
Rbscoe,   Eastern   Star,   No.   227,   New  York 
City;  Joseph  Stanton,  Widow's  Son  Lod^e, 
North   Stonington,    Connecticut;   Charlesi  H. 
Reeves,  Star  of  the  East,  New  Bedford,  Mas- 
sachusetts; J.  W.  Nickerson,  Lebanon,  New 
York  City;    Noah  Washburne,    Jacob    Leek, 
Thaddeus  Coles,  Nathan  T.  Fordham,  Zebu- 
Ion  Elliott,  of  defunct  Hampton  Lodge,  No. 
iir,  and  James  E.   Smith,  Roswell  Warner, 
Thomas  Lister,  Nathaniel  Dominy,  John  Stein, 
John  R.  Sayre,  P.  H.  Douglas,  raised  in  Pe- 
conic Lodge,  Greenport.     These  sixteen  men 
having   taken   the   obligation   and   agreed  to 
dwell  together  in  unity,  established  Wampona- 
mon Lodge,  No'.  437,  F.  &  A.  M.    The  name 
was  settled  upon  after  thbughtful  considera- 
tion.    There  were  those  who  desired  the  old 
name  and  number  to  be  retained.    "Hampton" 
had   local   signification,   and   the  three  units 
were  unique  and  easily  fixed  in  the  memory. 
Besides,  they  indicated  seniority  in  the  list  of 
Masonic     lodges.      But    the     newly-initiated 
brethren  wished  to  imprint  their  own  individ- 
uality upon  their  offspring,  and  so  they  liter- 
ally "left  the  west  and  traveled  east"  in  search 
of  a  new  name.    Wamponamon  is  the  Indian 


FREEMASONRY   ON    LONG    ISLAND. 


655 


appellation  for  the  easternmost  point  of  the 
promontory  of  Montauk,  and  signifies  "to  the 
eastward."  It  is.  found  in  the  records  of  the 
town  of  Easthampton,  and  a  correlative  term 
in  the  Indian  deeds.  It  is  quaint,  original 
and  not  likely  to  be  appropriated  by  other  so- 
cieties. 

The  first  men  made  Masons  in  Sag  Harbor 
under  the  new  order  of  things  were:  Joshua 
B.  Nickerson,  Abner  D.  Smith,  William  White, 
William  L.  Parsons,  Sylvester  F.  Brown.  They 
were  raised  under  a  dispensation  in  January, 
1858,  the  charter  of  the  lodge  not  being  issued 
until  the  June  following.  The  lodge  was  dedi- 
cated on  June  16,  A.  L.  5858,  and  on  the  same 
occasion  the  following  officers  were  duly  in- 
stalled: Henry  S.  Roscoe,  W.  M.;  James  E. 
Smith,  S.  W. ;  Roswell  Warner,  J.  W. ;  Joseph 
Stanton,  Treasurer;  Sylvester  F.  Brown,  Sec- 
retary; Nathaniel  Dominy,  Senior  Deacon; 
Pulaski  A.  Douglas,  Junior  Deacon;  Thomas 
Lister  and  William  White,  Masters  of  Cere- 
monies; Noah  Washburn,  Tyler. 

The  first  meetings  were  held  in  the  rooms 
of  Suifolk  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.  Afterward  the 
third  story  of  the  south  side  of  the  present 
Nassau  House  building  was  obtained.  It  was 
furnished  not  without  elegance  and  comfort, 
in  part  due  to  the  good  taste  and  generosity 
of  Dr.  Frederick  Crocker,  for  many  years 
treasurer  of  the  lodge. 

In  1883  it  became  necessary  to  look  about 
for  a  new  home.  After  the  consideration  of 
various  schemes  it  was  duly  determined  to 
purchase  the  old  Presbyterian  Church,  then 
owned  by  the  Episcopal  society.  A  contract 
of  sale  was  signed  with  the  vestry  of  Christ 
Church  on  December  17,  1883.  A  fund  was 
raised  by  bonding  the  property,  which,  together 
with  the  moneys  already  accumulated,  provided 
for  a  thorough  reconstruction  of  the  building. 
The  present  Masonic  Hall  is  the  result.  The 
new  hall  was  opened  with  a  festival  and  prome- 
nade concert  on  July  8th  next  ensuing.  On 
the  evening  of  November  20th  following,  the 
ceremonies  of  dedicating  the  new  lodge  room 


were  impressively  conducted  by  Right  Wor- 
shipful Frank  R.  Lawrence,  Deputy  Grand 
Master  of  Masons,  and  his  associate  officers  of 
the  Grand  Lodge.  Public  addresses  were  also 
given  in  the  large  hall,  and  a  collation  served 
in  Crowell's  Hall.  The  occasion  was  a  mem- 
orable one.  Thus,  the  structure  originally 
erected  in  1817  for  the  worship  of  God  was 
again  consecrated  to  the  Supreme  Architect 
of  the  Universe  and  dedicated  to  the  memories 
of  the  Holy  Saints  John. 

It  may  not  be  inappropriate  to  refer,  in 
passing,  to  the  early  Masters  of  the  lodge, 
those  who  have  gone  before  us,  who  have  seen 
the  Great  Light,  and  who  are  now  no  more 
among  the  living. 

Henry  S.  Roscoe,  the  first  Master,  was  a 
swarthy,  dark-eyed  man,  with  black  hair  and 
flowing  beard.  He  was  of  dignified  demeanor, 
well  up  in  his  work,  and  a  conscientious  be- 
liever in  the  tenets  of  Freemasonry.  Restless 
and  nervous,  and  something  of  a  nomad,  he 
went  from  this  place  to  East  Hampton,  and 
thence  to  Connecticut,  where  he  died. 

The  sdcond  Worshipful  in  the  East  was 
James  E.  Smith,  an  active  business  man,  iden- 
tified with  our  early  prosperity  as  a  commer- 
cial mart.  He  came  here  from  Connecticut 
when  a  young  man,  and  lived  here  until  his 
death.  His  final  mercantile  venture  was  the 
building  of  a  vessel  at  the  foot  of  Main  street. 
It  was  the  last  one  built  in  Sag  Harbor,  and 
was  sent  to  the  Pacific  coast,  where  it  still 
bears  on  its  stern  the  square  and  compasses 
which  signalized  its  bridal  with  the  sea,  in  the 
waters  of  our  bay. 

Joshua  B.  Nickerson  succeeded  Captain 
Smith.  He  had  been  one  of  the  argonauts  in 
the  search  for  gold  in  California.  He  returned 
home,  having  been  more  successful  than  many 
others.  Entering  into  the  business  activities 
of  our  village,  a  prosperous  career  was  before 
him,  but  the  insidious  disease,  consumption, 
cut  him  off  in  the  strength  of  his  manhood. 

Following  came  Captain  A.  Smith  French, 
a  typical  whaleman,  in  our  characteristic  whal- 


656 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


ing  times.  More  than  once  had  he  circum- 
navigated the  globe  carrying  the  emblems  of 
Masonry  and  Masonic  charity  to  the  confines 
of  the  earth.  He  was  raised  in  Hawaiian 
Lodge,  No.  21,  Sandwich  Islands,  but  was  a 
native  of  this  county.  He  sleeps  beneath  the 
quiet  shades  of  Oakland  cemetery.  Next  came 
Abner  D.  Smith,  merchant  and  citizen  of  good 
repute,  methodical,  correct,  attentive,  who 
served  the  lodge  with  fidelity  and  zeal,  both  as 
Master  and  Secretary,  for  several  years.  Will- 
iam H.  Gleason,  a  graduate  of  Yale,  wielded 
the  gavel  after  Smith.  A  scholar,  a  politician,  a 
lawyer  and  a  divine,  his  life  work  was  well 
done  and  his  career  active  and  honorable. 

Of  those  who  have  more  recently  occupied 
the  East,  but  who  have  passed  beyond  the  veil, 
are  Benjamin  F.  Huntting,  whose  name  is  es- 
pecially associated  with  the  purchase  and  re- 
construction of  the  present  hall.  He  was  the 
chairman  of  the  Building  Committee  and 
threw  all  the  enthusiasm  of  his  nature  into  the 
work,  making  it  a  labor  of  love,  and  Thomas 
F.  Bisgood,  whom  we  have  so  lately  borne  to 
the  silent  tomb,  a  wise  counselor,  a  steadfast 
and  genial  friend.  These  are  "the  dead  but 
sceptered  sovereigns  who^  rule  our  spirits  from 
their  urns." 

The  lodge  was  constituted  but  three  years 
before  the  beginming  of  the  war  of  the  Re- 
bellion. Our  numbers  were  few,  but  Wam- 
ponamon  supplied  its  honorable  quota  to  the 
list  of  self-sacrificing  heroes  who  voluntarily 
imperiled  their  lives  in  defense  of  the  Union. 
Dr.  L.  D.  Hall,  one  of  the  early  initiates,  and 
Drayson  Ford  red,  another,  a  promising  young 
man,  were  killed  upon  the  field  of  battle.  Sev- 
eral returned  after  having  won  the  laurels  of 
honorable  conflict. 

Among  the  living  members  who  have 
achieved  Masonic  distinction  may  be  men- 
tioned David  A.  Emory,  who  has  found  light 
in  the  East,  having  become  a  Deputy  Grand 
Master  of  the  Northern  District  of  the  Empire 
of  China.  He  is  still  a  resident  of  the  Flowery 
Kingdom.    The  brother  of  longest  official  rec- 


ord is  Right  Worshipful  Elbridge  G.  Howard, 
who,  in  a  period  of  twenty  years,  extending 
from  1869  to  1889,  occupied  the  Master's  sta- 
tion twelve  times.  In  1884  he  was  made  Dep- 
uty Grand  Master  for  this  district. 

There  have  been  memorable  occasions  in 
our  history  which  can  only  be  alluded  to  here, 
as  matters  of  record.  Conspicuous  among  these 
are  the  public  installation,  given  in  December, 
1884,  and  previous  to  this,  in  the  same  eventful 
year,  the  entertainment  of  July  8th,  and  the 
dedication  of  the  lodge,  November  24th.  The 
commemoration  of  the  emancipation  from  debt 
of  the  order  in  the  State  was  duly  observed 
April  24,  1889,  and  the  celebration  of  the  one 
thousandth  communication  of  the  lodge  on 
May  2,  1895,  was  a  jubilee  of  fraternal  interest 
transcendent  in  our  annals.  In  this  festivity 
Peconic  Lodge,  of  Greenport,  joined  with  us 
in  a  body.  The  whole  membership  of  Wam- 
ponamon  Lodge  since  the  beginning  numbers 
two  hundred  and  ninety-four.  There  are  now 
living,  and  in  good  standing,  one  hundred  and 
twenty  Master  Masons,  who  have  traveled  the 
same  road  and  are  bound  by  the  same  ties  of 
brotherhood. 

May  the  mystic  bond  never  be  loosened. 
Fresh  as  the  green  sward  upon  the  promon- 
tory whose  name  it  bears,  may  the  memory  of 
oil r  lodge  forever  be ;  bright  as  the  beacon  light 
from  its  headlands,  which  bids  God-speed  to 
the  parting  traveler ;  glad  as  its  beckoning  rays 
that  cheer  the  homeward  bound,  may  its  future 
ever  shine.  Long  live  WamponamOn!  Esto 
perpetua ! 

In  1808  a  lodge  was  warranted  at  New- 
town, which  seems  to  have  flourished  about 
a  decade  and  then  passed  away.  It  was  one 
of  the  lodges  which,  in  the  panic  of  1814, 
v/orked  a  couple  of  days  on  the  Brooklyn  forti- 
fications, but  that  is  about  the  only  glimpse  of 
it  which  we  get.  Then,  so  far  as  can  be 
learned,  Hohenlinden  Lodge,  No.  338,  organ- 
ized in  1821,  and  still  extant,  and  Naval  Lodge, 
No.  391,  warranted  in  1826,  but  which  almost 
on  receipt  of  its  charter  abandoned  it,  were- 


FREEMASONRY    ON    LONG    ISLAND. 


657 


the  other  lodg^es  instituted  on  Long  Island 
prior  to  the  outbreak  of  the  Morgan  contro- 
versy, which  played  such  havoc  with  Free- 
masonry all  over  the  North  American  conti- 
nent, compelled  hundreds  of  lodges  and  chap- 
ters to  pass  out  of  existence,  raised  up  a 
powerful  if  short-lived,  political  party,  at- 
tempted to  seat  a  President  in  the  White 
House  and  almost  brought  about  the  complete 
annihilation  of  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

From  that  persecution  the  craft  slowly  re- 
covered and  in  time  was  restored  to  its  old 
strength.  Long  Island  felt  the  change,  al- 
though it  was  not  until  about  1852  that  the 
upward  movement  still  going  on  may  be  said 
to  have  fairly  begun.  In  that  year  the  whole 
of  Long  Island  was  united  with  Staten  Isl- 
and and  several  Hudson  River  counties  into 
the  First  Masonic  District.  In  1859  Long 
Island  was  divided.  Kings  county  being  placed 
in  the  Third  Masonic  District  and  Suffolk 
and  Queens  in  the  Fourth.     In   1868  Kings 


county  itself  was  made  the  Fourth  Dis- 
trict and  in  1873  i^  was  divided.  Frequent 
changes,  as  a  natural  result  of  the  wonderful 
progress  made  by  the  fraternity,  finally  re- 
sulted in  Long  Island  being  divided  into  three 
districts — the  first  three  on  the  roll  of  the 
Grand  Lodge — and  that  arrangement  seems 
destined  to  endure.  According  to  the  latest 
official  returns  there  are.  now  on  Long  Island 
about  fourteen  thousand  members  of  the  fra- 
ternity and  seventy-six  lodges.  In  addition 
there  are  a  great  many  members  of  the  fra- 
ternity residing  in  Kings  county  and  in  Queens 
borough  who  are  members  of  lodges  meeting 
on  Manhattan  Island.  Taking  that  into  ac- 
count it  is  safe  to  estimate  the  entire  mem- 
bership of  the  craft  on  Long  Island  at  nearly 
twenty  thousand. 

The  three  districts  into  which  Long  Island 
has  been  divided  are  made  up  according  to  the 
following  official  tables : 


MASONIC    DISTRICT    No.  1    (Suffolk,  Nassau  and   Queens). 


No. 


(iO 


Lodges 


349 
437 
493 


Suffolk. 


Morton 

Peconic 

Wamponamon . 

South  Side. . .  . 

4!)4Jephtha 

54()  Jamaica 

ofi3  Cornucopia. . . . 

oSOJGIen   Cove 

5S6lIsland  City 

63.51  Advance 

045  Riverhead 

BOlJMeridian 

•i!)5  Alcyone 

72!)  Anchor 

7,38lMizpah 

703  Babylon 

80fi  Matinecock. . . . 

SOSjOlympia 

822  M  assapequa . . . 


Location 


Port  Jefferson 

Hempstead 

Greenport 

Sag   Harbor 

Patchogue 

Huntington 

Jamaica 

Flushing 

Glen  Cove 

Long  Island  City, . . 
Astoria,  L.  I.   City. 

Riverhead 

Islip 

Northport ..." 

College  Point 

Elmhurst 

Babylon 

Oyster  Bay 

Far  Rockaway 

Rockville  Center. . . 


Master 


Geo.  W.   Rovifland 

Walter  N.  DeNyse 

Edwin  D.  Tuthill 

Arthur  T.  Brown 

Samuel  T.  Ferguson.... 

Charles  H.  Walters 

Frank  E.  Hopkins 

Sanford   S.  Gowdey 

R.  Frank  Bowne ........ 

Frank  E.  Haff 

James  Grayson 

Usher  B.  Howell 

Matthew  I.  Hunt 

Henry  H.  Van  Dyck. . . . 

Henry  I.  Delemain 

Henry  Shilson 

Charles  Searle 

Theodore  A.  Swan 

Sanford  J.  Ellsworth 

William  H.  Holdsworth. 


Secretary 


Thomas  H,  Saxton. . . . 

George  W.  Terry 

Lewelen   F.  Terry.  . . . 
Thomas  W.  Lister.  . .  . 

Lemuel  B.  Green 

Edgar  P.  Buuce 

Fred  J.  Moore 

L.  Sidney  Valentine . . . 
Charles  J.   Baldwin... 

J.  Robert  Laws 

Henry  D.  Ing 

George   T.  Reeve 

Harry  P.  Haff 

Wm.   A.   Strawson.... 
Henry  L.  Partenfelder 

Abel  Powell 

Simon  W.   Cooper. . . . 

Walter  Franklin 

Harry  G.  Heyson 

William  J.  Carr 


Number 

of 
Master 
Masons 


117 
1.56 
1.50 
136 
175 
94 
14.5 

isf; 
no 

1.58 

97 
181 
105 
l(l(> 

50 
10!) 

H4 
1(14 
122 

82 


Total 2,468 


42 


658 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 

MASONIC    DISTRICT   No.  2   (Kings  County). 


No. 


Lodges 


Location 


188' Marsh  . 
aO.ijHyatt., 
284|Baltic. . 
•i">4  Progressive . 


367 
40.3 
430 
445 


'  Corner  Stone . 

!  Greenpoint. . . 

•  Star  of  Hope. 

I  Cassia 

446|01tmans 

4."(3  Clinton 

461 1  Yew  Tree 

540  Hill  Grove... 


618 
6.36 
656 

678 
704 
709 
710 
769 
776 
817 
825 


Tyrian 

Manual 

Euclid 

Seawanhaka . 

Tuscan 

Merchants' . . 
Ridgewood  . . 

Anthou 

Reliance  . . . . 

Sterling 

Kilwinning. . 


12."i2  Bedford  Ave 

Bedford  Ave.  &  Madison  St 

12.")2  Bedford  Ave 

Gates  &  Nostrand  Aves. . 
Grand  &  Havemeyer  Sts. 
Manhattan&MeseroleAves 
■Broadway  &  Boerum  St 


Gates  &  Nostrand  Aves. . . 

1032  Gates  Ave 

12.">2  Bedford  Ave 

Liberty  &  Wyona  Aves. . . 
Gates  &  Nostrand  Aves. . . 

1030  Gates  Ave 

Manhattan&MeseroleAves 

1252  Bedford  Ave 

Graham  Ave.  &  Broadway 

1030  Gates  Ave 

897  Gates  Ave 

Manhattan&MeseroleAves 

Reid  &  Gates  Aves 

12.52  Bedford  Ave '. . . 


Master 


Alfred  E.  Everdell 

Lawrence  Coffin 

Wm.   H.  Woodcock. . .  . 

Herbert  J.  Knapp '. . 

Charles  W.  Labdon.  . . . 
Edgar  H.    Hazlewood.. 

Henry  Berau,  Jr 

Charles  Doman 

Louis  Keller 

Amos  J.  Nimmo 

Ira  O.  Tracy 

David  F.  Moore 

Henry  Kahlert 

George  E.  England. .  . . 

Nathan  S.  Jones 

Chauncey  M.  Bennett. . 

Joseph  Marfing 

Bernard  A.  Matschke.. 

Harry  H.  Gould 

Henry  H.  Celler 

Frank  E.  Krueger 

Abram  J.  Piddian 

Alexander  S.  Cook 


Number  of 

Secretary 

Master 

Masons 

Henry  Hahn 

168 

Charles  F.  Lamy 

2.-14 

Herman  Ranken 

1.57 

Charles  E.  Marr 

114 

Charles  W.  Carpenter. 

.■i59 

Robert  F.  Quaille 

302 

Edward  L.  Walter 

269 

Frank  H.  Sawtelle 

226 

John  J.  Wolf 

185 

Charles  B.  Valentine.. 

224 

John   Watkins 

75 

W.   M.   Robinson 

203 

Fred  W.    Hancock .... 

255 

William  Miller 

201 

Revillo  Wells 

195 

Franklin  H.  Giblett... 

140 

Christian  Sipp 

142 

Adam  Maue 

161 

Peter  Van  Cott 

25(! 

William  B.  Maas 

126 

James  H.  Merklee. . . . 

139 

Alfred  L.  Cowles 

73 

Thomas  J.  Scott 

108 

Total 

....  4,326 

MASONIC    DISTRICT   No.  3   (Kings  County). 


No. 


Lodges 


19  Fortitude 

56  St.    Albans 

137  Anglo-Saxon 

201  Joppa 

286  Montauk 

2S8, Brooklyn 

310  Lexington 

322  Star  of  Bethlehem. 

.361jCentral  . . . : 

382  Long  Island 

409  Commonwealth. . . . 

451  [Delta 

483Zeredatha 

485|Stella 

511|Kings  County 

536jNassau 

5(i!)|Greenwood 

.574|Bedford 

585  [Cosmopolitan 

601  Altair 

638|Crystal  Wave 

640  Adytum 

(i47lMistletoe 

6B2|Cambridge 

717  Orion 

719  Acanthus 

7.32  Ezel 

747  Sanctorum 

756  Aurora.  Grata 

758  Covenant  

792  Minerva 

798  Day  Star 

803  Kedron 


Location 


200  Joralemon  St 

44  Schermerhorn  St 

Bedford  Av.  &  Madison  St, 

200  Joralemon  St 

15.'!  Pierrepont  St 

44  Schermerhorn  St 

153  Pierrepont  St 

200  Joralemon  St 


153  Pierrepont  St. 


200  Joralemon  St 

44  Schermerhorn  St 

14  Nevins  St 

824  Flatbush  Ave 

200  Joralemon  St 

7th  Ave.  &  9th  St 

Bedford  Av.  &  Madison  St. 

315  Washington  St 

Bedford  Av.  &  Madison  St. 

315  Washington  St 

44  Schermerhorn  St 

153  Pierrepont  St 

200  Joralemon  St 

14  Nevins  St 

Bedford  Av.  &  Madison  St. 

153  Pierrepont  St 

Union  &  Court  Sts 

Bedford  Av.  &  Madison  St. 

44  Schermerhorn  St 

7th  Ave.  &  9th  St 

3d  Ave.  &  54th  St 

Bath  Beach 


Master 


Martin  Miller 

Charles  E.  Lane 

George   Freifeld 

Samuel  H.   Holmes 

Wm.   F.  Campbell 

William  F.  Wenisch .... 

Andrew  G.  Cooper 

J.   Joseph  Rossbottom . . . 

Arthur  S.  Willdigg 

Valentine  Zahn 

Samuel  Crook 

Ira  M.  Cornwall 

Chas.  Friedenberg,  Jr. . . 

John  H.  K.   Green 

David  Morris  Kurtz 

James   Divisich 

John  D.  Goodwin 

George   H.  Packer 

Edward  W.  Reynolds... 

Rufus  L.  Scott,  Jr 

Franklin  J.  Spaulding.  . . 


Secretary 


Charles  R.  Phillips 

Edward  J.  Salisbury.. 

George  F.  Fagan 

William  H.  Riley 

Edward  P.  Thomas . . . 

Alex.   Thomson 

Charles  L.  Statdn 

John   C.  MuUins 

J.  H.    Burley 

Charles  L.  Clark 

E.  J.  Campbell 

Edwin  Schofield 

William  M.  Rome.  . .  . 
Alfred  B.  Montgomery 

T.  Morris  Terry 

Wm.  A.  Dwinell 

John    Miller 

Geo.   F.    Churchill 

Alfred  W.  Sloggatt 

Albert  C.  Aubrey 

Henry  Edebohls 

R.   W.   Gunzenhauser. 


Edward  O'Neil,  Jr 

Richard  E.  Shaw |Thos.  G.  Singleton 

James  F.  Weales John  K.  Van  Sise 

Alexander^  Gardner Charles  Delapierre. . . 

William  Bower 

Joseph  Williams 

Henry  Maginness. . . . 

William  H.  Clark.... 

Edgar  D.  Davis 

John   T.  Whitehead.. 

James  Bower 

Josiah  W.   Perkins... 


H.  Grant  Buswell 

James  A.  Doyle 

Nathan  Solomon '. 

Edgar  P.  Rice 

John  Keating 

Samuel  Smith 

James  Bower,  Jr 

Allan  McLain  Rodgers 


Number  of 
Master 
Masons 


206 
163 

260 
34(> 
212 
207 
162 
105 
108 
190 
515 
131 
252 
197 
152 
106 
192 
177 
153 
198 
181 
157 
1.5() 
107 
238 
339 
136 
149 
156 
125 
225 
177 
1,59 


Total 6,337 


FREEMASONRY    ON    LONG    ISLAND. 


659 


About  the  date  of  this  writing  there  is  a 
movement  on  foot  looking  to  the  erection  of 
a  Masonic  Hall  in  Brooklyn.  That  there  is 
need  of  such  a  structure  .is  apparent  to  every 
one;  and  that  the  brethren  in  the  borough 
are  numerous  enough,  wealthy  enough  and  in- 
fluential enough  to  make  such  a  movement 
successful  if  it  is  proceeded  with,  there  is  no 
doubt.  Yet  there  are  so  many  things  to  be 
considered  that  a  natural  conservatism  is  ap- 
parent about  actually  beginning  the  work.  At 
the  same  time  an  option  on  a  site  has  been 
secured,  quite  a  large  sum  has  been  pledged 
and  an  outline  architectural  scheme  has  been 
prepared  and  so  the  matter  rests,  awaiting 
developments.  In  the  meanwhile,  as  may  be 
seen  from  the  statistical  tables  already  given, 
the  Brooklyn  lodges,  as  well  as  the  chapters 
and  commanderies,  meet  in  apartments  and 
halls  scattered  all  over  the  borough.  What 
might  be  called  the  headquarters  of  the  fra- 
ternity is  the  structure  known  as  the  Aurora 
Grata  Cathedral,  the  local  home  of  the  Scot- 
tish Rite  bodies,  the  Mystic  Shrine  of  many 
lodges  and  of  the  Aurora  Grata  Club,  the  lead- 
ing Masonic  social  organization  of  the  ■  bor- 
ough. The  Aurora  Grata  Club  was  organized 
in  1887,  and  has  some  four  hundred  members, 
all  connected  with  the  Masonic  fraternity.  The 
building  lit  occupies  was  formerly  the  parson- 
age of  the  Bedford  Dutch  Reformed  Church, 
and  is  a  comfortable,  roomy  structure,  but  the 
good  old  dominies  of  that  closely  Calvinistic 
body  would  hold  up  their  hands  in  pious  horror 
could  they  see  the  improvements  and  changes 
which  the  Masonic  brethren  have  introduced. 
Even  what  used  to  be  the  holy  man's  study — 
his  sanctum  sanctorum — is  almost  nightly — in 
season,  of  course — given  over  to  merry  par- 
ties; and  there  are  bowling  alleys,  billiard 
tables,  a  reading  room  and  all  other  accessories 
of  an  up-to-date  social  club.  Adjoining  the 
house  occupied  by  the  Aurora  Grata  Club  is 
the  cathedral  of  the  same  name — the  old  Re- 
formed Dutch  Church — ^now  adapted  for  Scot- 
tish Rite  and  other  Masonic  purposes.  The 
Brooklyn  Veterans'  Association  meets  in  the 


basement,  and  in  one  corner  is  their  library, 
a  small  but  wonderfully  useful  and  well  se- 
lected collection  of  books.  The  building  it- 
self has  seen  its  best  days  and  the  wind  on  a 
stormy  night  seems  to  have  free  access  to  the 
several  apartments.  A  modern  Masonic  tem- 
ple is  certainly  needed  in  Brooklyii.  The 
Brooklyn  Masonic  Veterans'  Association  is 
one  of  the  best  and  grandest  developments  of 
the  social  side  of  Freemasonry  of  which  we 
have  knowledge.  All  members  must  have  be- 
longed to  the  fraternity  for  at  least  twenty- 
five  years  and  all  are  therefore  men  who  have 
passed  at  least  into  mid-life,  but  the  organi- 
zation's motto,  "The  best  of  life  is  yet  to 
come,"  shows  how  they  face  the  setting  sun 
slowly  sinking  in  the  west.  The  Veterans' 
annual  dinners  are  possibly  the  j  oiliest  "func- 
tions" of  their  kind  which  we  know.  They 
combine  a  splendid  bill  of  fare,  splendid  sing- 
ing and  some  of  the  best  after-dinner  oratory 
heard  in  Brooklyn.  They  are  generally  at- 
tended by  the  most  active  Masons  in  Brooklyn, 
a?  witness  the  following  partial  list  of  those 
at  the  gathering  of  1901 : 

Josephus  L.  Wood,  president  of  the  Brook- 
lyn Masonic  Veterans ;  Henry  A.  Powell,  A. 
H.  Nichols,  E.  W.  Mascord,  John  W.  Rich- 
ardson, James  T.  Burdick,  John  H.  Visscher, 
Richard  E.  Shaw,  C.  K.  G.  Visscher,  Sidney 
L.  Rowland,  Charles  F.  Bloom,  Claudius  F. 
Beatty,  Andrew  B.  Martin,  Joseph  H.  Cum- 
min, Dr.  James  T.  Terhune,  Frederick  L. 
Jenkins,  C.  W.  Hubbell,  Rufus  L.  Scott,  John 
S.  JNIowry,  Edward  A.  Dubey,  R.  Van  Val- 
kenburgh,  Joseph  C.  Abell,  W.  T.  Rams- 
botham.  Commodore  Edward  Hooker.  William 
Van  Sise,  Charles  A.  Shaw,  J.  K.  Van  Sise, 
Frank  Mapes,  J.  Carlisle  Loudon,  John  W. 
Palmer,  John  T.  Palmer,  J.  Fred  Marble,  Lee 
C.  Moore,  Augustus  C.  Tate,  John  W.  Mott, 
L.  E.  Nicholson,  Charles  W.  Held,  George 
W.  Foote,  Frank  E.  Wilson,  Dr.  J.  J.  Terhune, 
W.  O.  Cloges,  Stephen  W.  T.  Tennant,  J.  Har- 
ris Balston,  Wilmon  Whilldin,  Howard  W. 
Ennis,  George  W.  Arnold,  Abram  H.  Dailey, 
Robert    Rogers,    James    A.    Babcock,    The- 


660 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


ophilus  Pratt,  Herman  Canter,  Thomas  Heil- 
son,  William  E.  Stein,  Lawrence  MacNaugh- 
ton,  Charles  S.  Buell,  D.  G.  Griffiths,  Daniel 
J.  Morrison,  W.  H.  Armstrong,  Theodore 
Thieler,  John  Cuthbert,  W.  J.  Smith,  Charles 
W.  Hayes,  W.  Westlake,  C.  O.  Cowtan,  Jo- 
seph W.  Ray,  David  S.  Bruen,  Obediah 
Harned,  Thomas  W.  Corrigan,  William  P. 
Christmas,  William  H.  Johnson,  Gustavus  C. 
Weber,  John  C.  Waldron,  James  D.  Wright, 
W.  A.  Mathies,  F.  Frederick  Lenhart,  Al- 
fred Sims,  W.  J.  Allen,  Augustus  W.  Boerner, 
Joseph  H.  Loomis,  W.  A.  Campbell,  Eli  R. 
Denniston,  J.  W.  Smith,  A.  E.  Leach,  Louis 
Nathan,  Rudolph  R.  Bennett,  Isaac  Hicks, 
James  E.  Martin,  G.  B.  Martin,  J.  R.  Bennett, 
J.  M,  Kerrigan,  L.  A.  Lewis,  J.  T.  Ross, 
Harry  T.  Cook,  J.  W.  Hawkes,  W.  H.  Jarn- 
ton,  John  K.  Torfts,  James  Divisch,  Charles 
Christmas,  James  L.  Waldon,  J.  G.  Ramee, 
Dr.  W.  T.  Millington,  E.  L.  Spike,  T.  M. 
Goddard,  Charles  Goddard,  D.  M.  Meninger, 
1.  Dunn,  Colo  Venoni,  Isaac  S.  Waters,  Edwin 
Selvage,  Judah  Moses,  James  Parsons,  James 
Macbeth,  W.  H.  Steers,  S.  Wasserman,  Sam- 
uel Steinbrink,  Washington  Irving  Comes, 
William  M.  Clark,  G.  Turner,  J.  W.  Stopford, 
H.  McKeon,  B.  A.  Levett,  H.  A.  Aechtemacht, 
Almet  R.  Latson,  H.  G.  Buswell,  A.  E.  Bieder- 
man,  George  W.  Wilson,  John  W.  Carme, 
George  W.  Brown,  James  A.  Byxbee,  William 
L.  Burke,  William  Burns,  Henry  Scheele, 
Herman  Pietsch,  M.-  L.  Mann,  George  W. 
Cook,  G.  Greve,  C.  F.  Graves,  William  Chevi- 
ton,  Charles  Schabaker,  William  FI.  Phillips, 
George  S.  Patton,  Joseph  M.  Cord,  Robert  E. 
A.  L.  Estrange,  H.  T.  Giberson,  John  Fleming 
Duncan,  Walter  MacBain,  Charles  G.  Smith, 
Elmer  E.  Cain,  William  Clowninzer,  James 
Sinn,  Dr.  W.  H.  Clowninzer,  Henry  A.  Phil- 
lips, Henry  E.  Tuthill,  Burton  M.  Balsh  and 
Thomas  G.  Singleton. 

At  the  dinner  of  1893  addresses  were  de- 
livered by  three  prominent  citizens  of  Brook- 
lyn—William Sherer,  chairman  of  the  New 
York  Clearing  House;  "Deacon"  William 
Richardson  and  Mr.  St.  Clair  McKelwav,  of 


the  Brooklyn  Eagle.  These  addresses  are  so- 
elevated  in  tone  and  so  full  of  interest  to  the 
general  reader  that  we  are  tempted  to  reprint 
them  here : 

Brother  William  Sherer  responded  to  the 
toast  of  the  Grand  Lodge,  saying :  "I  am'  here 
to-night  for  the  purpose  of  partaking  of  this 
banquet  and  do  what  I  can  to  extend  the 
brotherly  feeling  in  Brooklyn.  It  was  my  as- 
signment, I  believe,  to  speak  for  another 
Grand  Body,  the  'Grand  Chapter.'  I  loaded 
myself  with  sufficient  ammunition,  I  thought, 
to  do  execution  in  that  direction;  I  come  here 
and  find  that  owing  to  the  absence  of  our 
Grand  Master  I  am  called  upon  to  fill  in  space- 
to  be  occupied  by  either  of  those  gentlemen, 
so  that  much  abused  institution,  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  the  State  of  New  York,  that  has 
suffered  so  often  at  my  hands,  is  again  to  be- 
a  victim  to-night.  Brethren,  you  know  the 
story  of  the  Grand  Lodge,  now  one  hundred 
and  twelve  years  old,  representing  the  constit- 
uencies of  seven  hundred  and  fifty  lodges 
formed  with  us.  You  know  the  purpose  for 
which  this  annual  assemblage  of  Masons  is 
held.  You  know  every  lodge  in  this  State, 
no  matter  how  small  or  how  large,  is  afforded 
equal  representation  in  your  own  Grand 
Lodge,  and  you  know  the  voice  of  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  most  humble  New  York  body 
receives  as  much  attention  as  though  he  came 
from  the  most  desirable  one  in  the  State,  and 
for  harmony,  dignity  and  justice  of  ruling 
the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State  of  New  York 
sets  an  example  that  the  several  Flouses  of 
Congress  and  State  Legislature  may  well  fol- 
low. And  it  is  this  fact  that  will,  in  years  to 
come,  as  it  has  in  years  that  have  passed,  be 
of  great  importance  to  the  fraternity  in  this 
State,  and  when  you  come  to  think  that  this 
Grand  Body,  without  danger  and  without  con- 
fusion, represents  a  grand  feeling  of  brother- 
hood extending  amongst  more  than  one  hun- 
dred thousand  men,  then  you  see  the  force  that 
there  is  in  that  body.  Representatives  of 
more  than  one  hundred  thousand  men  are 
there  to  legislate,  for  what  ?    In  the  interest  of 


FREEMASONRY    ON    LONG    ISLAND. 


661 


brotherly  love  and  respect  for  all  that  is  good. 
No  matter  what  may  be  a  man's  political  opin- 
ion, no  matter  what  may  be  his  religious  creed, 
if  he  believes  in  our  recognized  Supreme  Be- 
ing and  in  the  brotherhood  of  man,  he  finds 
his  representative  and  his  place.  Socialists,  an- 
archists, reformers  and  national  men  have  tried 
for  ages  to  find  the  panacea  for  human  wounds, 
but   I    will   tell    you    that   the    solution    rests 
alone  in  this  fact  and  in  this  condition,  when 
men  will  treat  their  brother  men  as  brethren, 
vdien  they  will  do  to  them  as  they  expect  to 
be  done  by,   then  we  will   have  no   need  of 
reformation    in    anything.      Now,    Brethren, 
\t!t  do  not  pretend,  we  do  not  claim,  to  stand 
in  the  place  of  any  man's  creed  or  religion, 
but  we  do  believe  that  we  have  the  founda- 
tion of  all  that  is  good  and  substantial,  the 
foundation  of  every  creed,   and  that  is  love 
to  God  and  love  to  all.     Our  Grand  Lodge 
during  its  one  hundred  and  twelve  years  of 
existence  has  exalted  all  that  I  have  just  men- 
tioned in  these  few  brief  words.     That  your 
several  Grand  Bodies  have  other  uses  I  will 
not  deny.    You  can  not  compel  every  man  to 
follow  in  the  same  rut  and  in  the  same  line, 
and  if  a  man  finds  that  his  usefulness  to  his 
fellow  man  and  his  usefulness  in  Masonic  cir- 
cles is  growing  by  taking  an  interest' in  the. 
other  lodges,  then  give   him   freedom  to   go 
there,  but  never  lose  sight  of  this  fact,  that 
the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
through  whom  indirectly  the  authority  came 
to  bring  this  association  to  light,  is  the  mother 
of  all  that    stands    for    Freemasonry    in    the 
grand   State   of   New   York. 

"It  has  been  my  great  good  fortune  to 
be  a  member  of  that  body  for  twenty-four 
years.  I  have  sat  under  the  gavel  of  many 
Grand  Masters  that  have  pased  away;  I 
have  sat  under  the  gavel  of  so  many  of  them 
that  to-night  I  can  not  recall  their  names, 
but  I  have  yet  to  see  a  man  in  that  position 
and  in  the  chair  who  has  ever  given  way  to 
personal  spite  or  personal  feelings  in  carrying 
out  the  official  position  in  which  his  brethren 
placed  him.    Now,  Brethren,  recollect,  he  who 


serves  you  so  serves  without  the  hope  of  re- 
ward. There  is  no  salary  attached  to  the  office 
of  Grand  Master  of  the  New  York  Body,  nor 
for  many  years  past  has  one  ever  thought  that 
his  position  was  any  reason  v/hy  he  should  go 
before  his  fellow  citizens  as  candidate  for  any 
office.  We  are  enabled  by  our  great  system  of 
brotherhood  to  eliminate  partisanship  and 
every  selfish  motive  and  every  other  motive 
which  might  bring  us  down  from  the  pinnacle 
upon  which  we  stand." 

Brother  William  Richardson,  responding 
to  the  t'oast  of  the  Brooklyn  Masonic  Veter- 
ans, said:  "It  is  with  a  feeling  of  pride  that 
we  recognize  ourselves  this  evening  to  be 
Masonic  Veterans.  The  City  of  Brooklyn, 
by  reason  of  recent  events,  is  well  and  favor- 
ably known  amongst  all  the  cities  of  the  world. 
It  has  been  the  fashion  amongst  a  certain  class 
of  Brooklyn  men,  when  traveling,  to  register 
themselves  as  from  'New  York.'  That  time 
has  passed  by.  Hereafter,  in  registering,  no 
man  will  be  loath  to  put  himself  down  as 
from  Brooklyn.  It  was  claimed  by  St.  Paul, 
of  old,  that  he  was  'a  citizen  of  no  mean  city,' 
and  we  can  certainly  claim,  in  view  of  recent 
events,  that  we  are  'citizens  of  no  mean  city,' 
and  one  which  contains  very  few  mean  peo- 
ple. 

"The  motto  of  our  Association  is  'The  best 
of  life  is  yet  to  come ;'  and  that  is  a  worthy 
motto  for  those  whom  we  may  look  upon  as 
being  amongst  the  'sifted  wheat'  of  the  Ma- 
sonic lodges  of  this  city.  After  the  length  of 
experience  which  we  must  attain  before  being 
eligible  to  membership  in  the  Masonic  Veter- 
ans, we  may  reasonably — and  without  too 
much  egotism — look  upon  ourselves  as  illus- 
trations of  the  truth  of  the  doctrine  of  'the 
survival  of  the  fittest.'  But  while  we  can' 
more  thoroughly  and  sensibly  enjoy  the  pres- 
ent, one  of  the  most  important  things  for  us 
to  feel  and  enjoy  is  the  hope  of  the  future, 
that  •  'the  best  of  life  is  yet  to  come,' — not 
merely  during  the  few  more  years  which  we 
niav  spend  here,  but  in  the  life  eternal  in  that 
o-reat   beyond.     In   this    connection   you   will 


662 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


pardon  me  if  I  recite  a  few  verses  written 
by  Thomas  Campbell,  a  Scotch  poet,  who  lived 
the  latter  part  of  the  last  century  and  the 
earlier  part  of  this.  For  the  theology  of  the 
poem  in  a  critical  sense  I  will  not  vouch ;  for 
the  poetry  of  it  I  am  willing  to  be  held  re- 
sponsible : 

"  'All  worldly  shapes  shall  melt. 
The  Sun  himself  must  die  in  gloom, 
Before  this  mortal  shall  assume 

Its  immortality. 
I  saw  a  vision  in  my  sleep 
That  gave  my  spirit  strength  to  sweep 

Adown  the  gulf  of  Time. 
I  saw  the  last  of  human  mould 
That  shall  creation's  death  behold. 

As  Adam  saw  her  prime. 

"  'The  Sun's  eye  had  a  sickly  glare. 

The  Earth  with  age  was  wan, 
The  skeletons  of  nature  were 

Around  that  lonely  man. 
Some  had  expired  in  fight :  the  brands 
Still  rusted  in  their  bony  hands; 

In  plague  and  famine  some. 
Earth's  cities  had  no  sound  nor  tread. 
And  ships  were  drifting  with  the  dead 

To  shores  where  all  was  dumb. 

"  'Yet,  prophet-like,  that  lone  one  stood, 

With  dauntless  words  and  high. 
That  shook  the  sere  leaves  from  the  wood 

As  if  a  storm  passed  by, 
Saying,  we  are  twins  in  death,  proud  Sun. 
Thy  face  is  cold,  thy  race  is  run ; 

'Tis  mercy  bids,  thee  go; 
For  thou  ten  thousand  thousand  years 
Hast  seen  the  tide  of  human  tears. 

That  shall  no  longer  flow. 

"  'Go,  let  oblivion's  curtain  fall 

Upon  the  stage  of  men. 
Nor  with  thy  rising  beams  recall 

Life's  tragedy  again. 
My  lips  that  speak  the  dirge  of  death, 
Their  rounded  gasp  and  gurgling  breath 


To  see  thou  shalt  not  boast. 
The  eclipse  of  nature  spreads  my  pall. 
The  majesty  of  darkness  shall 

Receive  my  parting  ghost. 

"  'Go,  Sun,  while  mercy  holds  me  up 

On  nature's  awful  waste. 
To  drink  this  last  and  bitter  cup 

Of  grief  that  man  shall  taste: 
Go  tell  the  night  that  hides  thy  face. 
Thou  saw'st  the  last  of  Adam's  race. 

On  earth's  sepulchral  clod. 
The  darkening  universe  defy 
To  quench  his  immortality 

Or  shake  his  trust  in  God.' 

"It  was  well  said  by  the  old  patriarch  of  Uz, 
Job  :  'For  I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth ; 
and  that  He  shall  stand  at  the  latter  day  upon 
the  earth;  and  though  after  my  skin  worms 
destroy  this  body,  yet  in  my  flesh  shall  I  see 
God,  Whom  shall  I  see  for  myself  and  mine 
eyes  shall  behold,  and  not  another,  though 
my  reins  be  consumed  within  me.'  Again, 
another  patriarch  who  lived  long  after  him,, 
the  Psalmist,  King  of  Israel,  cried  out  in 
ecstasy:  'As  for  me,  I  shall  behold  Thy  face 
in  righteousness,  I  shall  be  satisfied  when  I 
awake  with  Thy  likeness ;'  and  in  this  connec- 
tion I  may  again  quote  the  lines  of  a  poet : 

"  'There  is  a  land  where  every  pulse  is  thrill- 
ing 
With  rapture,  earth's  sojourners  may  not 
know; 
Where  heaven's  repose  the  weary  heart  is 
stilling : 
And  peacefully  life's  time-tossed  currents 
flow. 

"  'Thither  our  weak  and  weary  steps  are  tend- 

Saviour  and  Lord!  with  Thy  frail  chil- 
dren bide. 

Guide  us  towards  home,  where,  all  our  wan- 
derings ending. 

We  shall  see  Thee  and  'shall  be  satisfied.'  " 


FREEMASONRY    ON    LONG    ISLAND. 


668 


"But,  while  we  have  the  duties  of  life  here, 
we  must  not  be  entirely  engrossed  with  the 
thoughts  of  the  best  of  life  being  yet  to  come, 
even  in  the  great  hereafter." 

President  Haskell  in  response  to  the  toast, 
"The  Mason  as  a  citizen,"  said:  "Even  those 
who  are  skeptical  as  to  the  extent  to  which 
Masonry  controls  men's  actions,  will  admit 
that  if  tenets  of  Masonry  are  made  the  rules  of 
men's  lives  there  will  be  better  sons,  better  fa- 
thers and  better  citizens." 

St.  Clair  McElway,  responding  to  the  same 
sentiment,  "The  Mason  as  a  Citizen,"  said: 
"Every  American  Mason  should  be  a  good 
American  citizen.  I  do  not  so  far  lay  out  the 
duties  of  other  men  as  to  say  that  every  Amer- 
ican citizen  should  be  a  Mason,  but  I  do  say 
that  lif  every  American  citizen  were  a  Ma- 
son some  questions  which  are  now  before 
the  public  would  be  settled  at  once  and  for- 
ever. There  would  be  no  question  in  such 
a  case  about  the  eternal  divorce  between 
Church  and  State.  There  would  be  no  ques- 
tion in  such  a  case  about  an  end  at  once  and 
forever  of  legislative  appropriations  to  sec- 
tarian schools.  There  would  be  in  citizenship, 
as  there  are  in  Masonry  by  legitimate  evolu- 
tion, natural  and  qualified  leadership.  For  a 
thousand  years  Masonry  has  been  the  epitome 
of  an  honest  registration  and  an  honest  vote. 
The  last  twenty  years  our  country  has  wit- 
nessed the  deterioration  of  the  legislative  arm 
of  government,  but  in  Masonry  the  legislative 
arm  represented  by  our  Grand  Lodge  of  this 
and  other  States,  and  of  other  nations,  was 
never  stronger,  was  never  purer,  never  more 
simple,  never  more  worthily  trusted,  and  never 
more  universally  respected  than  now.  In  the 
one  hundred  and  twelve  years  of  its  existence 
it  has  commanded  the  approbation  of  man,  the 
allegiance  of  the  Brethren,  and  it  has  de- 
served, not  only  the  considerate  judgment 
of  mankind,  but  it  has  received,  whether 
in  adversity  or  prosperity,  the  gracious  favor 
of  Almighty  God.  Masonry  was  invisible  in 
the  duties  of  citizenship  and  ever  should 
be.      It    was,   however,   much    invisible,   not 


unfelt,  not  unfelt  in  its  professional,  its  fra- 
ternal capacity,  but  strongly  felt  in  the  un- 
derlying principle  of  the  golden  rule  and  the 
brotherhood  of  man  and  the  equal  rights  of 
all  before  the  law,  which  are  the  foundation 
stones  of  this  supreme,  magnificent  order.  As 
Masons  we  know  what  our  charter  is,  we 
know  where  we  got  it,  we  know  to  whom  we 
owe  allegiance  and  obltigations  under  it,  and 
we  know  its  invaluable  advantage  to  our  or- 
der. Now  let  us  as  Masons  believe  what  we 
please  concerning  protection,  believe  what  we 
please  concerning  revenue  reform  or  free 
trade,  believe  what  we  please  concerning  sound 
money,  but  let  us  bear  in  mind  that  home 
affairs  are  not  pohtical  affairs,  that  neigh- 
borhood affairs  are  not  State  affairs.  Un- 
der the  Declaration  of  Independence  the 
right  of  man  to  liberty  is  regulated  by  law. 
I  congratulate  you  upon  your  numbers  and 
your  enthusiasm,  and  I  thank  you  for  your 
courteous  attention.  I  regret  that  I  have  not 
been  able  in  previous  years  to  be  with  you. 
To-night,  I  am,  if  you  will  allow  me  to  in- 
dulge in  a  personal  remark,  so  fatigued  with 
labor  finished,  and  yet  awaiting  me,  that  I 
hardly  hoped  to  be  with  you.  I  have  been 
brought  into  good  company,  and  this  will 
become  a  pleasure  of  memory;  associated 
with  other  occasions  of  our  brotherhood 
down  at  the  St.  George,  where  I  have  met 
them  at  the  festive  board,  and  is  suggestive 
of  a  few  verses,  which  I  think  I  can  remember, 
although  I  would  not  dare  match  rny  poor 
memory  alongside  of  the  magnificent  mental 
faculty  of  the  Deacon,  whom  I  found  but  did 
not  make,  and  in  labelling  him  I  had  only 
acknowledged  the  fitness  of  things. 

"  'There  is  an  isle. 
And  the  name  of  that  isle  is  the  Long  Ago; 
And  we  bury  our  treasures  there ; 
There  are  brows  of  beauty  and  bosoms  of 

snow. 
There  are  heaps  of  dust;    but    we    loved 
them  so; 
There  are  trinkets  and  tresses  of  hair. 


664 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


"  'There  are  fragments  of  songs  that  nobody 
sings, 
And  a  part  of  an  infant's  prayer, 
There's  a  harp  unswept,  and  a  lute  without 

strings. 
There  are  broken  vows  and  pieces  of  rings, 
And  the  garments  she  used  to  wear. 

'■'  'Oh,  remembered  for  aye  be  that  blessed  isle. 
All  the  days  of  our  life  till  night, 
And  when  the  evening  comes  with  its  beauti- 
ful smile, 
And  our  eyes  are  closing  in  slumber  awhile, 
May    that    'Greenwood'    of    soul    be    in 
sight.' " 

"What  manner  of  men  may  these  Free- 
masons be,"  is  a  question  that  was  once  asked 
in  London  when  the  fraternity  began  to  at- 
tract notice  outside  of  their  lodge-rooms,  and 
it  is  a  question  that  is  often  asked  even  yet 
wherever  Freemasons  by  their  unmbers  stand 
out  in  bold  relief  in  any  community.  So  far 
as  Brooklyn  is  concerned  the  roll  of  member- 
ship of  the  various  lodges  might  be  said  to 
include  the  foremost  representatives  of  every 
walk  and  condition  in  life,  ministers  and  me- 
chanics, bankers,  lawyers,  political  war-horses, 
teachers,  merchants  and  professional  men  of 
all  sorts.  The  writer  of  this  has  an  abiding 
conviction  that  the  best  interests  of  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity  can  always  be  most  readily 
subserved  by  naming  for  public  discussion  the 
men  who  are,  or  have  been,  prominent  in  its 
ranks,  rather  than  by  enlarging  upon  the  moral 
and  other  lessons  which  are  inculcated  in  its 
lodge.  Contrary  to  the  general  belief.  Free- 
masonry has  no  secrets.  It  has,  of  course, 
grips,  words  and  signs  peculiar  to  itself,  but 
these  are  not  what  are  considered  "secrets"  in 
the  popular  sense.  Outside  of  these  all  that 
the  fraternity  dwells  upon  is  contained  in  the 
pages  of  the  Holy  Book,  which  ever  lies  open 
on  its  altars.  "Study  the  Bible,"  Grand  Master 
Thorne  once  said  in  addressing  a  mixed  audi- 
ence, "and  you  will  be  not  only  in  possession 
of  every   Masonic  secret,   but   be  as  good   a 


Mason  as  any  one  in  the  ranks."  Of  that  there 
i^.  no  doubt.  Most  men  are  the  result  of  their 
associations,  and  are  just  what  their  associa- 
tions make  them,  whether  these  associations 
be  found  in  the  home  circle,  the  political 
forum,  the  church  parlor  or  around  the  IVIa- 
sonic  altar.  So  it  as  safe  to  say,  when  a  man 
becomes  prominent  in  public  life  or  in  any 
walk  of  life  and  we  find  that  he  is  also  active 
in  Masonry,  has  been,  in  fact,  active  in  Ma- 
sonry long  before  he  became  prominent  in 
other  good  work,  that  it  is  the  teachings  of  the 
craft  which  have  directed  his  path  and 
strengthened  his  effort  in  all  good  works.  A 
good  Mason  must  be  also  a  good  citizen  and 
exhibit  in  his  walk  and  conversation  all  that 
which  makes  for  peace,  order,  law,  progress 
and  advancement  in  any  community.  One  or 
two  examples  of  Masonic  biography  may  en- 
able us  to  understand  this  more  clearly. 

The  first  we  select  is  that  of  a  man  whose 
memory  is  yet  cherished  among  the  members 
of  the  fraternity  in  Brooklyn  and  who  was, 
and  is,  justly  regarded  as  the  most  typically 
representative  Freemason  which  Long  Island 
has  given  to  the  great  brotherhood.  This  was 
Joseph  D.  Evans,  who,  in  1854,  succeeded  the 
famous  Chancellor  Walworth  as  Grand  Master 
of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  who,  while  by 
no  means  the  most  brilliant  chief  executive 
the  Grand  Lodge  had  chosen  up  to  that  time, 
proved  by  no  means  the  least  useful. 

The  following  sketch  of  the  career  of  this 
distinguished  brother  is  reprinted  from  the 
Standard  History  of  Freemasonry  in  the  State 
of  New  York,  issued  a  few  years  ago  by  the 
publishers  of  the  present  work: 

CAREER  OF  JOSEPH  D.  EVANS. 

Brother  Evans  was  born  in  the  city  of  New 
York  in  1807.  His  parents  removed  to  Rich- 
mond, Virginia,  and  there  the  future  Grand 
Master  received  his  education  and  business 
training.  In  1842  he  was  made  a  Mason  in 
Marshall  Lodge,  No.  39,  Lynchburg,  and 
afterward  affiliated  with  St.  John's  Lodge,  No. 


FREEMASONRY    ON    LONG    ISLAND. 


C65 


36,  of  Richmond,  and  in  1846  became  its  Mas- 
ter. Two  years  later,  when  he  left  Richmond 
to  take  up  his  residence  in  Ne'w  York  the 
brethren  presented  him  with  a  Past  Master's 
jewel. 

Taking  up  his  abode  in  Brooklyn,  he  affil- 
iated with  Anglo-Saxon  Lodge.  His  business 
inter€sts,  however,  lay  in  New  York,  and  here 
it  may  be  said  that  his  commercial  career  was 
as  brilliant  as  his  Masonic  one.  As  president 
of  th€  New  York  Tobacco  Board  of  Trade  he 
exerted  hiinself  greatly  in  the  struggle  of 
1871-3  to  retain  the  bonded  warehouse  system 
in  New  York  City,  and  he  was  the  first  presi- 


JOSEPH    D.  EVANS. 

dent  of  the  New  York  Naval  Stores  and  To- 
bacco Exchange.  His  business  career  was 
marked  by  industry  and  probity,  his  word 
was  as  good  as  a  bond,  and,  while  he  paid 
close  attention  to  details,  he  acted  with  a 
breadth  of  view  and  a  wholesome  liberality 
that  showed  him  to  be  animated  by  as  much 
ambition  to  promote  the  general  good  as  to 
conserve  his  own  personal  ends.  He  was  a 
man  of  humble  piety  and  of  deep  religious 
sentiments  and  his  memory  is  yet  held  in  lov- 
ing, remembrance  in  the  Church  of  the  Mes- 
siah, Brooklyn,  of  which  he  was  vestryman 
and  clerk  for  many  years. 


In  Anglo-Saxon  Lodge  Brother  Evans  be- 
came Master  in  1850,  was  elected  again  in  the 
following  year  and  declined  re-election  in 
1852.  In  the  Grand  Lodge  he  was  noted  for 
his  loyalty  dnd  his  conciliatory  spirit.  When 
the  Phillips  division  took  place  in  1849  Anglo- 
Saxon  Lodge  went  out  with  the  dissidents, 
but  Evans  exerted  all  his  influence  upon  the 
brethren  and  submitted  a  resolution  which, 
on  being  adopted,  brought  the  Lodge  back  to 
its  allegiance.  As  Grand  Master  he  tried  hard 
to  restore  harmony  in  the  jurisdiction,  and, 
though  he  did  not  fully  succeed,  there  is  no 
doubt  that  his  influence  hastened  the  final 
union  of  the  various  bodies  among  whom 
union  was  desired.  In  fact,  it  was  to  his  direct 
initiative  that  the  measures  were  taken  in 
1858  which  in  1859  finally  closed  the  disunited 
ranks.  He  was  a  strong  advocate  of  the  rep- 
resentative system  between  the  different  Grand 
Lodges  and  wrought  hard  to  make  it  universal, 
and  to  him  is  due  the  inauguration  of  the  Dis- 
trict Deputy  system  as  we  have  it  to-day — 
a  system  that  has  done  much  to  preserve  the 
unity  of  the  craft  and  to  lessen  the  labors  of 
the  Grand  Master  and  other  executive  officers 
cf  the  Grand  Lodge. 

On  retiring  from  the  Grand  Master's  chair, 
after  being  twice  elected.  Brother  Evans 
stepped  down  to  the  ranks  again  only  to  re- 
sume his  active  work.  In  1859  h^  dimitted 
from  Anglo-Saxon  Lodge,  affiliated  with 
Prince  of  Orange  Lodge,  No.  16,  and  became 
its  Master  in  i860.  In  1864  he  aided  in 
the  organization  of  Hillgrove  Lodge,  No.  540, 
and  later,  in  1867,  when  Hillgrove  had  be- 
come prosperous,  he  helped  to  organize  Mis- 
tletoe Lodge,  No.  647,  Brooklyn,  and  served 
at  its  Master  until  1870.  All  this  time  he  was 
more  or  less  active  in  all  the  Masonic 
branches.  Chapter  and  Crypt  had  no  mys- 
teries for  him  and  chivalric  Masonry  claimed 
him  as  a  faithful  knight.  In  the  Ancient  and 
Accepted  Scottish  Rite  he  received  the  high- 
est degree.  Sovereign  Grand  Inspector  Gen- 
eral, and  for  two  years  presided  over  the 
Grand     Consistory,     Northern     Jurisdiction^ 


666 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


while  as  Grand  Minister  of  State  he  accom- 
plished much  good  work. 

As  a  Mason  he  was  a  stanch  advocate  of 
maintaining  the  simplicity  and  purity  of  the 
order;  and  in  showing  the  brethren  that  the 
ritual,  while  beautiful,  was  simply  an  intro- 
duction to  a  wonderful  system  of  philosophy, 
reHgious  and  moral,  he  never  tired.  The  land- 
marks of  Masonry  formed  a  theme  which  en- 
gaged his  attention  for  many  years  and  his 
concise  arrangement  of  these  much  disputed 
essentials  found  great  favor  in  New  York. 
This  arrangement  is  to  be  found  printed  in  the 
current  edition  of  the  constitution,  a  position 
of  honor  which  it  should  always  occupy. 
There  never  lived  a  more  devoted  Mason  or 
one  who  interwove  Masonry  more  completely 
into  his  daily  life.  All  of  his  sons  in  this 
respect  emulated  his  example.  The  entire 
family  of  Brother  Evans  was  noted  for  its 
interest  in  Masonry,  and  his  eldest  brother, 
James,  was  at  one  time  Grand  Master  of  Vir- 
ginia. Joseph  D.  Evans  died  at  Brooklyn 
September  ii,  1888,  when  in  the  eighty-second 
year  of  his  age. 

As  an  evidence  of  how  thoroughly  he  him- 
self could  apply  the  teachings,  the  philosophy 
of  Masonry,  we  quote  the  following  from  his 
address  in  1855,  when  referring  to  the  death  in 
that  year  of  John  Van  Buren,  who  was  an  en- 
thusiastic Mason  and  had  been  Junior  Grand 
Warden  and  Senior  Grand  Warden  during 
four  years  under  the  Grand  Mastership  of 
Morgan  Lewis : 

"The  soul  of  our  beloved  brother,  John 
Van  Buren,  has  taken  its  everlasting  flight ;  his 
well  known  seat  is  vacant ;  it  was,  as  you  well 
recollect,,  always  near  the  East.  His  manly 
form,  benignant  demeanor  and  unobtrusive 
deportment  are  vividly  impressed  upon  our 
memory.  He  was  ever  watchful  of  the  true 
interests  of  the  institution,  a  friend  to  the 
needy  and  oppressed,  and  a  firm  and  unflinch- 
ing adherent  to  our  ancient  laws  and  regula- 
tions ;  in  his  death  we  have  sustained  a  great 
loss,  but  we  have  the  consolations  afforded  by 
the  happy  reflections  that  he  has  gone  to  meet 


a  rich  reward,  and  that  his  memory  will  ever 
flourish  as  the  green  bay  tree.  Brother  Van 
Buren  died  in  January  last;  at  his  request  his 
remains  were  consigned  to  the  tomb  by  his 
brethren,  who  assembled  in  large  numbers  to 
unite  in  the  sorrows  of  the  family  and  partici- 
pate in  our  last  solemn  rites,  and  as  the  sympa- 
thetic tear  which  silen,tly  expressed  their  grief 
at  their  unexpected  loss  fell  upon  his  grave, 
the  evergreen  deposited  by  hundreds  of  kin- 
dred hearts  within  the  tomb  proclaimed  with 
trumpet  power  the  everlasting  truth  that  his 
body  will  rise  and  become  as  incorruptible  as 
his  soul." 

As  might  be  supposed,  the  ritual  came  in 
for  a  large  share  of  his  official  attention  while 
Brother  Evans  exerted  a  direct  influence  on 
the  craft  as  Deputy  Grand  Master  or  as  Grand 
Master.  In  1852,  at  his  suggestion,  one  im- 
portant piece  of  uniformity  was  attained  when 
the  Grand  Secretary  was  instructed  to  notify 
all  Lodges  that  it  was  a  violation  of  the  con- 
stitution to  transact  any  business  other  than 
conferring  degrees,  except  when  in  a  Lodge 
of  Master  Masons ;  another  regulation  '  that 
did  good  service  in  keeping  the  craft  free  of 
undesirable  material,  or  assisted  to  that  end, 
v/as  that  passed  the  same  year  requiring  a 
candidate  lo  be  an  actual  resident  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  a  Lodge  before  being  in  a  position  to 
apply  for  membership.  A  Masonic  funeral 
service  drawn  up  by  H.  G.  Beardsley,  of  Ham- 
ilton, New  York,  was  also  adopted  by  the 
Grand  Lodge  and  recommended  to  the  frater- 
nity of  the  State.  Such  a  compilation  was 
much  needed  and  it  served  a  useful  purpose  at 
the  time,  although  it  has  since  been  superseded. 
It  would  have  been  thought  that  Freemasons 
would  have  respected  the  Sabbath,  but  un- 
fortunately in'  the  multiplicity  of  interests 
v/hich  then  prevailed  some  organizations,  both 
'cheap  and  nasty,"  found  it  profitable  to  work 
the  degrees  on  the  Lord's  day,  even  without 
the  justification  that  they  were  Hebrews  and 
held  sacred  the  seventh  day  of  the  week;  so 
ir  is  gratifying  to  find  the  Grand  Lodge  put- 
ting squarely  on  record  for  the  second  time  a 


FREEMASONRY    ON    LONG    ISLAND. 


667 


declaration  that  Masonic  meetings  on  Sun- 
day, except  for  burial  purposes,  are  improper 
and  prohibited,  and  also  that  the  use  of  pro- 
fane language  should  render  a  brother  liable 
to  discipline.  Being  himself  a  man  of  strong 
religious  sentiments,  there  is  no  doubt  that 
Brother  Evans'  influence  was  at  work  in 
bringing  about  such  legislation.  Doubtless  all 
such  matters  were  thoroughly  understood  by 
the  brethren  long  before  his  time,  but  they 
were  not  given  legislative  force  until  he  took 
the  initiative. 

The  necessity  of  having  the  esoteric  work 
uniform  throughout  all  the  Lodges  of  the 
State  had  been  a  theme  of  anxious  interest 
throughout  the  jurisdiction  since  the  days  of 
Livingston,  but,  although  many  means  had 
been  tri^d,  Grand  Visitors  and  District  Visit- 
ors appointed,  the  desired  uniformity  could 
not  be  brought  about,  and  now  that  Lodges 
were  springing  up  in  all  directions  it  was 
seen  that  something  had  to  be  done  or  the 
wildest  confusion  would  ensue.  To  overcome 
this,  if  possible,  Oscar  Coles,  in  1852,  intro- 
duced a  motion,  which  was  adopted,  that  the 
Grand  officers  should  constitute  a  Lodge  of 
Instruction,  to  meet  once  a  week,  and  appoint 
a  sufficient  number  of  Grand  Lecturers  so 
that  each  Lodge  could  be  visited  at  least  once 
a  year  and  exemplify  the  standard  work.  The 
Grand  Lecturer  was  to  receive  compensation 
from  the  Lodge  so  visited.  This  was  virtually 
the  beginning  of  the  present  Committee  on 
Exemplification  of  the  Work,  and  under  it  the 
lectures  were  thoroughly  revised  and  submit- 
ted to  the  craft.  The  system  thus  compiled 
was  favorably  received,  but  in  1855  the  expe- 
rience of  the  committee  led  to  the  permanent 
employment  of  a  Grand  Lecturer.  This  sub- 
ject is  thus  summarized  by  the  late  C.  T.  Mc- 
Clenachan,  who  as  a  ritualist  had  in  his  time 
no  superior  in  the  jurisdiction:  "The  revised 
work  of  the  craft,"  he  wrote,  "was  pronounced 
by  the  Grand  Master,  Joseph  D.  Evans,  as 
very  gratifying,  meeting  with  general  appro- 
bation; that  it  was  'the  same  taught  by  Pres- 
ton, Webb,  Cushman,  Cross  and  men  of  their 


day,  and  was  in  general  practice  throughout 
the  United  States;  that  Past  Grand  Master 
Walworth,  our  Grand  Chaplain,  the  Rev. 
Brother  Town,  together  with  four  other  0I4 
Masons,  recognized  and  stamped  it  the  same, 
substantially,  as  that  taught  to  them  forty  to 
fifty  years  ago.'  As  to  the  above-named  ritu- 
alists, Preston  and  others,  there  seems  ample 
room  for  surprise,  for  the  above  and  similar 
remarks  occur  in  the  Grand  Master's  address  of 
June  5,  1855.  The  inconveniences  in  the  Re- 
vision are  thus  set  forth :  'It  is  now  three 
years  since  the  Grand  Lodge  commenced  a 
revision  of  the  work.  *  *  *  The  chaotic 
rubbish  had  to  be  removed,  predilections  and 
prejudices  overcome,  before  truth  could  rear 
her  towering  arch,  self-supporting  and  self- 
capped,  to  the  admiring  gaze  of  the  devotees 
of  Masonry's  ancient  landmarks,  but,  thanks 
to  patience  and  perseverance,  success  equal  to- 
all  expectation  has  crowned  the  effort.  Its 
merits  have  borne  it  on  approving  wings  to 
distant  quarters  of  the  State,  and  it  is  now 
practiced  and  adhered  to  in  the  main  by  scores 
of  our  Lodges.'  The  subject  of  the  new  re- 
vision went  to  a  committee,  who  reported  on 
the  following  day,  recommending  the  election 
of  a  Grand  Lecturer,  under  the  constitution,  at 
a  salary  of  one  thousand  dollars,  who  shall  re- 
side in  the  city  of  New  York,  and  other  Lec- 
turers, who  shall  receive  for  their  services  their 
actual  expenses  and  two  dollars  per  day  during 
the  time  they  are  attending  a  call.  * ,  *  *' 
On  June  8  Brother  A.  Colo  Veloni  was  de- 
clared elected  Grand  Lecturer  and  on  the  suc- 
ceeding day  the  Grand  Lodge  resolved  'that, 
the  work  of  the  Grand  Lecturer  be  submitted 
to  the  Grand  officers,  with  power  to  receive  or 
reject  his  standard,  as  they  may  see  fit.'  Ac- 
cordingly, at  the  close  of  the  session  *  *  * 
the  Grand  Lecturer  exhibited  his  version  of 
the  ritual  to  the  Grand  Master  and  the  Grand 
Secretary  and  it  was  rejected."  The  reasons 
for  this  very  drastic  conclusion  were  many,, 
but  the  main  one  was  the  brother's  imperfect 
pronunciation  of  the  English  language  and  a 
certain  amount  of  extraneous  matter,  which 


668 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


was  not  suited  to  the  taste  of  American  Ma- 
sons.    Further  on,  McClenachan  says : 

"On  June  7,  1856,  the  Grand  Lodge  abol- 
ished the  Lodge  of  Instruction;  voted  Brother 
A.  Colo  Veloni,  for  his  services  as  Grand  Lec- 
turer, five  hundred  dollars ;  elected  Brother 
William  H.  Drew  the  Grand  Lecturer  without 
a  fixed  compenstation.  =i=  *  *  ^j,  appro- 
.priation  of  five  hundred  dollars  to  Brother 
Drew  was  made  on  the  following  June,  and  the 
sum  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  to 
■Brother  Veloni  as  his  assistant.  The  services 
of  the  Grand  Lecturer  were  then  settled  at 
three  dollars  per  day  and  necessary  expenses, 
to  be  paid  by  the  lodges  employing  him.  The 
lengthy  reports  presented  by  the  Grand  Lec- 
turer, William  H.  Drew,  to  the  Grand  Lodge 
and  printed  in  full  in  the  proceedings  of  1857 
and  1858  are  remarkable  documents  and 
worthy  of  frequent  reference.  It  was  in  thir 
latter  year  the  compensation  to  the  Lecturer 
was  made  one  thousand  dollars.  It  was  or- 
dered that  the  State  be  divided  into  Grand 
Lecture  Districts,  designated  by  Senatorial 
districts,  and  that  conventions  be  held  in 
each." 

It  was  this  legislation  that  placed  the 
"standard  work"  right  before  every  Lodge 
in  the  State  and  gave  the  New  York  brethren 
a  reputation  as  ritualists  which  has  never 
been  surpassed  by  those  of  other  jurisdictions. 

It  was  under  Grand  Master  Evans,  too, 
that  the  present  Grand  Lodge  library  really 
had  its  beginning,  although  for  such  purpose 
donations  of  books  had  already  been  received 
on  various  occasions.  He  brought  the  need  of 
such  an  annex  so  clearly  before  the  brethren 
in  his  address  in  1855  that  the  first  five  officers 
were  appointed  a  Library  Committee,  with 
power  to  commence  the  formation  of  a  library 
and  to  draw  on  the  Grand  Treasurer  for  five 
hundred  dollars  during  the  year  to  purchase 
books.  Subordinate  Lodges  were  asked  to  aid 
in  the  work,  and  a  really  good  beginning  was 
made,  although  the  work  afterward,  for  vari- 
ous reasons,  was  permitted  to  languish.  It  was 
Evans'   idea   that   the   Grand   Lodge   library 


should  be  a  sort  of  central  lending  organiza- 
tion, giving  the  brethren  all  over  the  country 
the  advantages  of  studying  whatever  treasures 
it  possessed,  but  this  was  soon  afterward 
abandoned  as  unfeasible.  It  was  not,  in  fact, 
until  the  Grand  Lodge  got  settled  in  its  own 
home  that  much  practical  headway  was  made 
in  the  collection  of  a  library  worthy  of  the  in- 
stitution. 

Grand  Master  Evans  governed  the  craft 
wisely  and  well,  and,  while  discussion  pre- 
vailed in  the  craft,  the  Grand  Lodge  steadily 
advanced  in  popularity  and  power.  When  he 
retired  at  the  close  of  his  second  term  there 
were  three  hundred  and  nineteen  lodges  under 
its  jurisdiction  and,  besides,  thirty-two  lodges 
were  working  under  dispensations,  while  the 
New  York  fraternity  was  recognized  all  over 
the  world  for  its  power  and  well  directed  en- 
ergies. 

A  more  modern  Mason,  yet  one  who  in  his 
earlier  days  was  often  associated  with  Evans 
and  who  died  in  November,  1901,  was  John 
G.  -Barker,  Masonic  bookseller,  who  was  prob- 
ably known,  by  name  at  least,  to  every  read- 
ing member  of  the  fraternity  in  the  United 
States  and  Canada.  His  home  was  for  years 
in  Brooklyn  and  some  of  the  Masonic  organi- 
zations of  which  he  was  a  member  had  their 
headquarters  there,  but  his  place  of  business 
was  in  New  York  City.  For  some  thirty  years 
he  published  Masonic  books,  but  the  great  fea- 
ture of  his  business  was  its  half-yearly  auction 
sales  of  Masonic  books,  gatherings  from  all 
sorts  of  places  of  volumes  of  interest  to  mem- 
bers of  the  order  and  to  no  one  else.  Some- 
times not  over  half  a  dozen  buyers  would  at- 
tend these  sales,  but  as  a  rule  nothing  was 
exactly  sacrificed' — Barker  attended  to  that. 
He  was  very  proud  of  these  auction  sales  and 
claimed,  with  justice,  that  they  were  not  only 
helpful  to  the  members  of  the  craft,  but  that 
he  was  of  real  benefit  to  the  widow  or  heirs 
of  a  book-loving  Mason  by  securing  for  his 
literary  treasures  better  prices  than  could  be 
obtained  were  they  sold  in  open  market.  But, 
as  he  sadly  used  to  admit  with  a  grim  smile. 


FREEMASONRY    ON    LONG    ISLAND. 


669 


"book-buying  brethren"  seemed  to  get  smaller 
in  number  year  after  year ;  as  to  the  brethren 
in  New  York  and  Brooklyn  who  read  books — 
Masonic  books — he  was  wont  to  aver  that 
they  "might  be  counted  on  the  fingers  of  both 
hands  and  still  leave  us  two  or  three  fingers 
for  additions."  For  the  "bright  Masons"  of 
the  present  day  he  had  nothing  but  the  most 
contemptuous  words  and  was  ready  on  all  oc- 
casions to  demonstrate  that  such  burning  and 
shining  lights  are  not  Masons  at  all. 

But  still,  it  must  'be  admitted  that  Barker 
himself  was  behind  the  age.  His  place  of  busi- 
ness was  in  a  street  that  was  once  a  Ma- 
sonic center,  but  had  long  ago  lost  its  pre- 
eminence in  that  and  in  every  other  respect, 
except  for  manufacturing  industries.  He  had 
a  large  stock,  but  it  was  never  displayed  prop- 
erly. When  you  wanted  anything  you  had  to 
ask  for  it,  and  Barker  generally  had  it,  no 
rrsatter  how  rare  a  bibliographical  treasure  it 
might  "be.  Yet  it  may  be  questioned  if  even 
he  had  a  complete  knowledge  of  all  that  his 
stock  contained,  for  human  memory  has  its 
limitations. 

The  establishment  in  Bleecker  street.  New 
York,  was  not  an  inviting  one.  It  was  not  at 
all  tidy ;  the  furnishings  were  "the  remains  of 
former  grandeur,"  and  the  presence  of  half  a 
dozen  cats  did  not  add  to  the  neatness  of 
things.  Three  or  four  chairs  were  disposed 
around  an  old  stove,  chairs  so  well  seasoned 
that  they  could  not  be  destroyed  by  rough 
usage,  and  therein  lay  their  supreme  comfort, 
for  you  could  sit  in  them  as  you  liked,  elevate 
them  to  your  notion  of  the  fitness  of  things, 
and  if  you  so  desired  tilt  your  feet  on  the 
stove  at  any  angle.  It  was  not  a  handsome 
spot,  the  surroundings  were  venerable  and  de- 
crepid,  yet  around  that  stove  more  Masonry 
has  been  talked  and  discussed  during  the  past 
quarter  of  a  century  than  probably  in  any  other 
spot  in  the  State  of  New  York.  Mr.  Barker 
himself  was  a  living  encyclopedia  of  local  Ma- 
sonic history,  and  if  his  educational  training 
had  only  been  commensurate  with  the  oppor- 
tunities that  came  to  him  and  with  the  facil- 


ities his  business  opened  up,  he  would  have 
been  a  power  in  the  fraternity.  But  his  early 
education  appears  to  have  been  limited.  For 
several  years  he  edited  and  published  a  Ma- 
sonic magazine,  which  had  more  errors  on  the 
page — errors  in  grammar  and  in  spelling,  in- 
volved and  dense  sentences,  misquotations  and 
the  like,  than  any  publication  the  writer  of 
this  ever  knew,  yet  he  was  never  aware  of 
them.  His  sale  catalogues  were  useless  for 
bibliographical  purposes  because  of  their  mis- 
takes in  names  and  dates,  yet  such  errors  he 
never  seemed  to  think  amounted  to  much.  But 
if  some  one  had  pointed  out  to  him  a  mist- 
spelled  name  in  one  of  Albert  Pike's  publica- 
tions he  would  have  gloated  over  it  for  a 
month  and  denounced  the  ignorance  of  Pike  in 
the  bitterest  terms  to  all  and  sundry. 

In  fact,  denunciation  was  his  great  forte. 
At  times  he  was  wont  to  denounce  everything. 
The  name  of  Albert  Pike  used  to  arouse  his 
ire  much  as  a  red  flag  is  said  to  arouse  the  dan- 
der of  a  bull,  and  the  name  of  the  late  Enoch 
Terry  Carson  uncorked  all  the  vials  of  his 
wrath.  Even  some  of  the  Grand  Masters  of  his 
own  jurisdiction  did  not  escape  his  ire  and  of 
some  of  them  the  language  he  used  was  such 
as  if  here  repeated  might  lay  the  publisher 
open  to  legal  proceedings.  Of  the  Grand  Mas- 
ters of  recent  years  he  knew  nothing,  except 
John  Stewart  and  Wright  D.  Pownah,  for  both 
of  whom  he  entertained  the  highest  regard, 
but  all  the  others  since  the  days  of  Frank  R. 
Lawrence  were  to  him  little  more  than  names. 
He  admired  Grand  Master  Lawrence's  work, 
or  rather  the  magnificent  outcome  of  it,  al- 
though he  did  not  admire  Lawrence's  methods ; 
but  then  Barker  was  one  of  those  whom  Law- 
rence himself  used  to  denounce  as  the  Past 
Masters  who  led  the  New  York  fraternity  into 
the  mire  of  debt  from  which  only  heroic  meas- 
ures and  masterly  leadership  enabled  them  to 
get  out  of. 

But  in  spite  of  his  gift  of  denunciation, 
which,  as  usual,  grew  more  virulent  as  years 
crept  on,  John  G.  Barker  had  a  kind  heart. 
Many  a  time  have  we  seen  a  beggar  enter  his 


670 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


store,  and  experience  a  share  of  his  wrath, 
winding  up  with  the  stern  admonition  that 
"this  is  a  jJlace  of  business  and  not  a  bureau 
of  charity;"  and  we  always  noticed  that  when 
the  speech  was  near  the  close  his  hand  was  in 
his  pocket  and  the  supplicant  went  away  satis- 
fied. Once  a  fellow  walked  in  and  solicited 
a  dime,  saying  he  was  a  brother  of  a  lodge  in 
Boston  and  had  tramped  the  streets  in  search 
of  work  until  he  was  played  Out.  Barker,  after 
the  customary  discourse,  gave  him  the  ten 
cents.  "That  fellow  wants  a  drink,"  the 
writer  said  after  the  scene  was  over.  "Well, ' 
said  Barker,  "what  if  he  does  ?  He  asked  me 
for  a  dime  for  food  and  I  had  the  dime  to 
spare.  If  he  has  lied  about  it,  I  have  at  least 
done  my  part."  But  his  kindliness  of  heart 
showed  itself  in  many  other  ways.  No  young 
brother  ever  applied  to  him  for  a  bit  of  in- 
formation as  to  work,  or  law,  or  procedure, 
or  history  without  having  the  point  at  issue 
fully  explained,  no  matter  how  much  of  his 
time  it  took  up,  and  he  would  not  only  give  his 
own  views  but  would  back  them  up  with 
authorities,  ransacking  his  whole  store,  search- 
ing in  safes,  desks,  pigeon-holes  and  all  sorts 
of  corners  for  the  necessary  books  or  data. 
"Proceedings"  of  Grand  Lodges  were  his  fa- 
vorite study,  and  probably  he  knew  as  much  of 
the  contents  of  these  as  any  man  living.  Now 
and  again  he  used  to  talk  of  editing  a  volume 
or  two  of  selections  frorn  the  valuable  contri- 
butions to  Masonic  history  which  lie  buried  in 
these  "books  which  are  not  books,"  but  he 
seemed  unwilling  to  undertake  the  task  owing 
to  his  advanced  years. 

Barker  was  a  genuine  example  of  the  old 
school  of  Masons,  of  the  type  that  prevailed  in 
New  York  forty  years  ago.  At  that  time 
Simons,  Holmes,  Phillips,  Macoy,  Sickels, 
Henry  C.  Banks,  Somers,  and  Evans  were  in 
the  height  of  thdr  usefulness.  Grand  men, 
they  were,  all  of  them.  Although  one  or  two 
gave  way  to  the  cup  which  inebriates,  they 
v/ere  not  drunkards ;  they  were  "convivialists," 
as  they  used  to  call  themselves,  but  there  is 
no  doubt  that  their  fondness  for  looking  on 


"the  wine  when  it  is  red"  lowered  their  stand- 
ing in   the   social   scale   and    more    or    less 
wrecked  their  lives.     But  whether  bon  vivants 
like  Holmes,  or  prim,  devout,  hard-working 
merchants  like  Evans,  they  were  all  men  of 
brains.     When  Barker  was  raised  in  Silentia 
Lodge   in    November,    1862,   he  had   known. 
Simons,  Holmes,  Sickels  and  most  of  the  rest 
of  these  leaders  for  some  years,  and  he  had 
quite    an    intimate    acquaintance     with    that 
apostle  of  unrest — that  most  wonderful  of  rit- 
ualists— Henry  C.  Atwood,  who  passed  away 
from  the  storms  and  distresses  and  conflicts 
of  this  life  to,  let  us  hope,  a  haven  of  rest 
above,  two  months  before  Barker  signed  the 
by-laws  and  was  acknowledged  a  Master  Ma- 
son.   Still,  although  he  thus  dated  legitimately 
in  a  Masonic  sense  from  1862,  it  is  difficult  to 
tell  when  Barker's  acquaintance  with  the  craft 
began.     They  were  not  so  particular  then  as 
now  about  many  matters  and  Barker  laugh- 
ingly once  told  a  group  of  listeners  that  his  in- 
itiating, passing  and  raising  showed  him  noth- 
ing new  as  he  had  "many  times  seen  the  whole 
business  before."    In  fact  he  had  often  tyled  a 
lodge  when  he  was  in  that  state  of  darkness 
which  the  elder  brethren  stigmatized  so  elo- 
quently as  being  that  of  a  "cowan,"  although 
not  one  of  them  could  tell  the  exact  meaning  of 
the  word.    Neither  can  any  of  the  brethren  of 
the  present  twentieth  century,  for  that  matter. 
Of  course  it  was  wrong  to  let  a  boy  act  as  ty- 
ler,  but  if  the  fact  of  a  non^Mason  being  tyler 
had  been  called  in  question  Simons  would  have 
found  ample  precedent  for  it  in  the  Scotch  sys- 
tem which  did  not  demand  in  those  days — and 
possibly  does  not  make  it  obligatory  even  yet^ 
that  the  tyler  of  a  lodge  must  be  a  member  of 
the  fraternity. 

For  many  years  Barker  was  a  prominent 
figure  in  Grand  Lodge  circles  although  the 
only  official  appointment  he  ever  held  was  that 
of  grand  librarian  for  some  four  years.  But  the 
library  was  a  small  afifair  in  his  day,  containing 
little  beyond  loose  numbers  of  proceeddngs,  and 
during  his  tenure  of  the  office  he  attempted 
little  beyond  arranging  and  completing  these. 


FREEMASONRY    ON    LONG    ISLAND. 


671 


The  fact  is  that  he  became  active  in  Grand 
Lodge  circles  at  a  time  when  a  Hbrary  was 
hardly  likely  to  be  a  theme  of  immediate  inter- 
est. The  first  year  he  attended  the  Grand  Lodge 
as  a  representative  the  purchase  of  the  present 
site  of  Masonic  Hall  was  announced  and  then 
followed  the  excitement  of  corner-stone  laying, 
of  seeing  the  building  in  process  of  erection,  of 
its  dedication,  and  the  long  years  of  doubt, 
money-raising,  and  even  despondency,  until 
Lawrence  lifted  the  load.  It  was  in  these  years 
of  financial  darkness  that  Barker  was  promi- 
nent. For  the  past  decade  he  seemed  to  take 
more  of  a  direct  interest  in  Scottish  Rite  mat- 
ters than  in  an)rthing  else.  He  was  the  secre- 
tary and  real  leader  of  what  the  brethren  in 
Brooklyn  and  New  York  generally  speak  of  as 
the  Gorman  Cerneau  council,  and  he  supported 
its  claims  to  being  the  genuine  article  with  all 
the  force  and  vehemence  of  the  old  controver- 
sial school  in  which  Hyneman  and  Folger  al- 
most to  our  day  carried  on  the  argumentative 
methods  of  Lawrence  Defmott  himself.  Into 
this  feature  of  his  dareer,  however,  this  is  not 
the  place  or  time  to  enter. 

Since  the  days  of  the  leadership  of  Joseph 
D.  Evans,  Brooklyn  has  given  two  Grand  Mas- 
ters to  the  craft  in  New  York,  Joseph  J. 
Couch  and  William  Sherer,  and  in  all  proba- 
bility will  "in  1902  furnish  yet  another  in  the 
advancement  to  the  highest  honor  in  the  gift 
of  the  fraternity  of  Elbert  Crandall,  now  Dep- 
uty Grand  Master.  A  lawyer  engaged  in  active 
practice  on  Manhattan  Island,  Mr,  Crandall's 
home  was  long  in  Brooklyn  and  his  entire 
Masonic  affiliations  are  centered  here.  He  is 
a  member  of  Ridgewood  Lodge,  No.  710:  of 
Ridgewood  Chapter,  No.  263;  of  De  Witt 
Clinton  Commandery,  No.  27;  Aurora  Grata 
Consistory,  Scottish  Rite,  and  of  Kismet  Tem- 


ple, Mystic  Shrine.  In  the  Grand  Lodge,  be- 
fore being  elected  to  his  present  office,  he  was 
chief  commissioner  of  appeals,  and  his  elo- 
quent voice  has  often  been  heard  in  that  ca- 
pacity as  well  as  in  urging  measures  and  mat- 
ters of  importance  to  the  general  welfare  of 
the  fraternity.  He  has  proven  a  wise  and  con- 
servative counselor,  has  rendered  loyal  service 
to  a  succession  of  Grand  Masters,  and  is  thor- 
oughly equipped  by  long  years  of  practical 
training  and  by  the  dictates  of  his  own  heart 
to  assume  the  leadership  of  the  big  army  of 
New  York  Masons — an  army  now  numbering 
over  one  hundred  thousand. 

Possibly  the  course  of  time  will  place  yet 
another  Long  Island  Mason  in  the  highest 
office.  At  present  Townsend  Scudder  is  chief 
commissioner  of  appeals  in  Grand  Lodge,  and 
somehow  that  office  has  come  to  be  regarded 
as  a  stepping-stone  to  greater  honors.  Town- 
send  Scudder  was  born  at  Northport  July  26, 
1865,  and  has  represented  Suffolk  county  in 
Congress.  As  a  lawyer  he  ranks  high,  having 
been  counsel  for  Queens  county  at  the  time 
when  its  affairs  were  being  adjusted  prior  to 
annexation.  In  Masonic  circles  he  is  popular 
everywhere,  and  the  same  high  regard  follows 
him  into  every  walk  in  life,  for  there  is  no 
dbubt  that  but  for  his  own  determination  to 
quit  active  political  life  he  would  have  been 
returned  to  Congress  from  his  district  as  often 
as  he  cared.  He  proved  a  most  useful  and 
reliable  representative  of  his  constituents,  and 
while  he  was  in  Congress  he  never  permitted 
his  associates  to  forget  that  there  was  a  place 
called  Long  Island,  a  place  that  had  many  and 
just  claims  upon  their  consideration,  and  he 
managed  somehow  to  get  quite  a  large  propor- 
tion of  these  claims  satisfactorily  and  liberally 
adjudicated. 


CHAPTER   LV. 


THE    SOCIAL  WORLD    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 

A  Grand  Array  of  Associations  of  All  Sorts — Assessment  Insurance — Fashion- 
able  Clubs — Sporting  and   Hunting  Organizations. 


ESIDES  the  Masonic  body,  Brooklyn 
has  quite  a  variety  of  secret  organ- 
izations ;  but  with  few  exceptions 
these  are  all  of  what  may  be  called 
the  beneficial  order  oi  associations;  that  is, 
their  main  purpose  is  to  help,  aid  and  as- 
sist th&ir  members  in  time  of  sickness  and 
trouble,  to  provide  a  burial  payment,  and 
ini  some  cases  to  pay  over  to  the  heirs  of 
a  deceased  member  a  sum  of  money  generally 
regulated  by  the  assessment  plan,  that  is  to  say, 
according  to  the  result  of  a  fixed  amount  col- 
lected from  each  surviving  m^ember  and  paid 
over  to  the  family  or  estate  of  a  member  "who 
has  passed  from  the  cares  and  troubles  of  this 
transitory  scene,"  as  the  ritual  of  one  of  these 
associations  graphically  expresses  it.  In  other 
words,  many  of  these  organizations,  in  spite 
of  their  claims  to  secrecy  an.d  their  choice  col- 
lection of  grips  and  passwords  and  more  or 
less  elaborate  rituals,  are  simply  insurance  or- 
ganizations, with  friendship  as  their  basis  in- 
stead of  business.  Their  systemi  is  based  on 
fellowship,  while  that  of  a  regular  insurance 
company  is  founded  on  experience,  statistics 
and  the  computations  of  their  actuaries.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  the  assessment  plan  of  life 
insurance  is  wrong — wrong  in  theory  and  in- 
different in  practice — that  the  prosperous  ca- 
reers of  societies  founded  on  such  a  basis  is 
short,  generally  a  couple  of  decades,  and  that 
even  with  the  best  and  most  careful  manage- 


ment those  who  are  so  insured  for  any  length 
of  time  generally  find  their  assessments  in^ 
crease  until,  in  the  end,  they  become  as  costly 
as  the  most  costly  of  the  regularly  established 
insurance  companies,  the  old-line  companies, 
as  the  assessment  plan  managers  used  con- 
temptuously to  call  them  when  the  assessment 
plan  was  in  the  first  flush  of  success — and 
that  was  shortly  after  it  entered  upon  its  ca- 
reer as  a  popular  fad.  To  win  in  an  assess- 
ment society  one  had  to  die  when  it  was  in 
the  first  flush  of  success.  Its-  principle  was'  so 
simple  that  on  the  surface  it  appeared  feasible 
and  plausible.  Get  together  a  thousand  mert 
between  the  ages  of  twenty-one  and  fifty,  men 
who  seemed  strong  and  healthy,  and,  in  some 
cases,  men  able  to  pass  a  quite  superficial  medi- 
cal examination.  Let  each  pay  in  one  dollar 
and  thus  raise  a  fund  of  one  thousand  dollars. 
When  one  died  the  fund  thus  created  was  to 
be  handed  over  tOi  his  heirs  and  a  fresh  assess- 
ment levied,  the  vacancies  caused  by  death  to 
be  filled  up  by  new  members.  Nothing  could' 
be  more  simple,  and  yet  in  practice  it  proved 
most  defective,  and  there  are  thousands  of  the 
policies  of  such  organizations  kept  as  sad  me- 
mentoes in  homes  all  over  the  continent — ^me- 
mentoes that  are  not  worth  the  cost  of  the 
paper  on  which  they  are  printed. 

And  still  this  fornn  of  insurance  has  not 
been  without  its  good  qualities.  It  has  been 
the  means  of  paying  over  to  thousands  of 


THE    SOCIAL  WORLD    OF    LONG   ISLAND. 


678 


widows  many  millions  of  dollars  which  other- 
wise they  would  never  have  received,  and  as 
these  women  were  generally  widows  of  me- 
chanics and  laboring  men,  men  working  for 
a  daily  wage,  the  result  of  the  assessment  call 
was  generally  all  that  stood  between  them  -and' 
actual  want  when  the  days  of  trouble  and  deso- 
lation came  upon  them.  The  working  classes 
were  not  given  much  to  the  provident  and 
thoughtful  scheme  of  saving  involved  in  life 
insurance  schemes  until  this  system  directed 
their  attention  practically  to  it,  and  one  benefit 
which  these  assessment  associations  was,  in 
the  long  run,  to  add  to  the  old  and  established 
companies  a  class  of  moderate  "risks"  which 
had  hitherto  been  overlooked  by  them  even  in 
their  keen  and  incessant  hunt  for  business. 

According  to  one  eminent  authority.  Mayor 
Merrill,  of  Massachusetts,  long  at  the  head  of 
the  department  of  insurance  in  the  old  Bay 
State,  the  assessment  system  of  life  insurance 
can  only  be  run  successfully  when  it  has  other 
features  to  recommend  it  other  than  those 
which  might  be  described  as  purely  business, 
when  it  brings  to  the  front  the  social  qualities 
and  aspirations  of  its  members,  when  it  is  sup- 
plemented by  a  scheme  of  sick  or  out-of-work 
benefits,  when  it  is  confined  to  a  trade  or  brings 
together  people  of  one  nationality,  and  so  keeps 
alive  by  its  reunions  the  memories  and  the 
story  and  the  customs  of  the  old  home  across 
the  sea.  , 

Among  these  a  prime  place  must  be  given 
to  the  Royal  Arcanum,  even  although  that 
strong  national  organization  has  had  to  revise 
and  adjust  and  increase  its  scale  of  assessments 
since  it  was  first  organized,  in  1877.  It  has  its 
regular  lodges  and  social  gatherings,  and  while 
the  national  organization  takes  direct  cogni- 
zance of  no  part  of  the  work  excepting  that  of 
administering  what  is  called  the  mortuary 
fund,  the  local  lodges  do  all  that  can  be  con- 
ceived in  the  way  of  catering  to  the  cultivation 
of  the  social  aspirations  of  the  members  and 
rendering  them  fraternal  aid.  The  strength  of 
the  whole  system  lies  in  the  work  of  the  local 
lodges,  and  they  in  turn  rely  on  the  solidity  of 
43 


the  general  organization  to  meet  all  claims 
which  become  due  on  the  death  of  one  of  their 
members,  claims  which  vary  according  to.  a 
stipulated  scheme  from  one  thousand  to  five 
thousand  dollars.  On  Long  Island  it  has  a 
membership  of  over  twenty  thousand,  distrib- 
uted in  ninety-three  lodges,  as  follows: 

Brooklyn. — Acme,   No.   594,  7th  avenue 
and  9th   street;  Adirondack,   No.    1742,   54th 
street  and  3d  avenue;  Alert,  No.  1567,  Brook- 
lyn avenue  and  Fulton  street;  Algonquin,  No. 
1610,  Johnston  Building;  Amaranth,  No.  461, 
153  Pierrepont  street;  Atlantic,  No.  1417,  Ja- 
maica and  Bushwick  avenues ;  Bay  Ridge,  No. 
1383,   13th  avenue  and  67th  street;  Bedford, 
No.  655,  Nostrand  and  Gates  avenues ;  Blythe- 
bourne,  No.   1324,   New  Utrecht  avenue  and 
S6th  street;  Bravura,  No.   1285,  Sumner  av- 
enue and  Fulton  street;  Brevoort,  No.   1350, 
Johnston  Building;  Brooklyn,  No.  72,  John- 
ston Building;   Burnside,  No.  625,  Brooklyn 
avenue  and  Fulton  street;  Bushwick,  No.  1327, 
1556  Broadway;  Canarsie,  No.   1678,  avenue 
G  and  9th  street ;  Carroll  Park,  No.  630,  Liv- 
lingston    and    Smith    stree^ts ;    Champion,    No. 
1618,   153  Pierrepont  street;  Commonwealth, 
Xo.  542,  153  Pierrepont  street ;  Dauntless,  No. 
1757.  897  Gates  avenue;  De  Forest,  No.  1527, 
Fulton  street  and  Bedford  avenue;  De  Long, 
No.  725,  16  Graham  avenue ;  DeWitt  Clinton, 
Xo.  419,  Bedford  avenue  and  Madison  street ; 
East  New  York,  No.  953,  Bushwick  and  Ja- 
maica avenues ;  Fern,  X^o.  774,  Johnston  Build- 
ing; Fort  Greene,  No.  1048,  Johnston  Build- 
ing; Franklin,  No.  253,  970  Fulton  street;  Fra- 
ternity, No.  504,  16  Graham  avenue;  Fulton,. 
Xo.  299,  Johnston  Building;  General  Putnam, 
Xo.  1446,  897  Gates  avenue ;  General  Slocum,. 
Xo.  1701,  Gates  avenue  and  Broadway;  Gil- 
bert, No.  1343,  Johnston  Building;  Gramercy,. 
Xo.   1 5 10,   1028  Gates  avenue;  lolanthe.  No.. 
318,  Argyle  Building;  J.  F.  Pnice,  No.  1769,. 
1028  Gates  avenue;  Kings  County,  No.  459,. 
Xostrand  and  DeKalb  avenues ;  Lefiferts,  No. 
1452,  6  Brooklyn  avenue;  Libertv  Bell,  No. 
1589,    1584  Fulton  street;  Long  Island,   No. 
173,    153   Pierrepont   street;    Manhasset,    XTo. 
1518,  217  Court  street;  Midwood,  No.   1615, 
Pij  Flatbush  avenue;  Montauk,  No.  651,  153: 
Pierrepont   street;   Morning  Star,    No.    680, 
Johnston   Building;   Nassau,    No.   822,   John- 
ston  Building;  Ocean  Hill,  No.   1134,  Gates 
avenue  and  Broadway;  Old  Glory,  No.  1712,. 
Mvrtle  and  Waverly  avenues;  Osceola,   No, 


674 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


759,  Manhattan  and  Meserole  avenues;,  Ox- 
ford, No.  650,  Johnston  Building;  Palm,  No. 
1626,  1360  Broadway;  Peconic,  No.  631,  John- 
ston Building;  Philadelphos,  No.  562,  Nos- 
trand  and  Gates  avenues ;  Pro  Patria,  No. 
1312,  869  Bedford  avenue;  Prospect  Heights, 
No.  1521,  265  Prospect  avenue;  Ridgewood, 
No.  678,  897  Gates  avenue;  Stuyvesant,  No. 
690,  Howard  avenue  and  Madison  street ;  Suy- 
dam.  No.  1746,  Broadway  and  Halsey  street; 
Templar,  No.  1376,  Johnston  Building;  Un- 
dine, No.  1 547,  Gates  and  Nostrand  avenues ; 
Utrecht,  No.  1332,  Bath  avenue  and  Bay  22d 
street;  Valiant,  No.  1559,  1089  Broadway; 
Vigilantia,  No.  1065,  Johnston  Building;  Vigi- 
lant, No.  1536,  54th  street  and  3d  avenue; 
Washington  Irving,  No.  821,  897  Gates  av- 
enue ;  Welcome,  No.  703,  Howard  avenue  and 
Madison  street;  Williamsburgh,  No.  441,  Bed- 
ford avenue,  near  South  9th  street. 

Queens. — Defender,  No.  1502,  Arcanum 
Hall,  Cedarhurst;  Far  Rockaway,  No.  1693, 
Far  Rockaway;  Floral  Park,  No.  706,  Ar- 
canum Hall ;  Flushing,  No.  997,  Masonic  Hall, 
Flushing;  Jamaica,  No.  433,  Town  Hall,  Ja- 
maica; Newtown,  No.  717,  Jeben's  Building, 
Corona;  Olive  Branch,  No.  1729,  Turn  Hall, 
College  Point;  Ozone,  No.  1465,  Odd  Fellows' 
Hall,  Ozone  Park;  Queens,  No.  1669,  Ar- 
canum Hall,  Corona;  Richmond  Hill,  No. 
1625,  Arcanum  Hall;  Sunswick,  No.  1374, 
756  Boulevard  Astoria. 

Nassau  County. — Afbutus,  No.  1362, 
Fleet's  Hall,  Oyster  Bay;  Charter  Oak,  No. 
141 5,  Odd  Fellows'  Hall,  Rockville  Centre; 
F'armingdale,  No.  1052,  Arcanum  Hall,  Farm- 
ingdale;  Hempstead,  No.  842,  Masonic  Hall; 
Hicksville,  No.  1159,  Hicksville;  Seawanhaka, 
No.  362,  Glen  Cove,  Arcanum  Hall. 

Suffolk  County. — Amity ville,  No.  1644, 
Amityville;  Babylon,  No.  881,  Babylon;  Great 
South  Bay,  No.  1635,  Sayville ;  Greenport,  No. 
1256,  Greenport;  Nathan  Hale,  No.  1121, 
Fluntington;  Neptune,  No.  1282,  Southamp- 
ton; Northport,  No.  1450,  Northport;  Pau- 
manake,  No.  778,  Patchogue;  Poi't  Jefferson, 
No.  1279,  Port  Jefferson  ;  Riverhead,  No.  1260, 
Riverhead;  Smithtown,  No.  151 1,  Smithtown; 
Stony  Brook,  No.  1333,  Stony  Brook;  Suffolk 
County,  No.  571,  Bay  Shore. 

The  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  is 
a   much    more  ancient    organization  than  the 


Royal  Arcanum,  and  its  objects  are  on  the 
whole  pretty  much  the  same,  although  its  lodge 
affiliation  seems  closer — somewhat  akin,  in  fact, 
to  the  Masonic  body,  while  its  ritual  is  said  by 
those  who  have  had  practical  experience  to  be 
much  more  elaborate  than  that  of  any  other 
purely  beneficial  organization.  In  fact,  many 
are  of  the  opinion  that  the  order  was  really 
organized  to  furnish  just  those  practical  bene- 
fits which  the  Masonic  body  does  not  supply, 
and  to  cater  mainly  to  the  working  classes,  to 
whom  Masonry  at  the  time  Odd  Fellowship 
was  instituted  was  practically  a  closed  order. 
The  candidate  for  Masonic  affiliation  is  taught 
to  expect  nO'  temporal  benefits  from  his  connec- 
tion with  it,  while  the  candidate  for  initiation 
into  the  circles  of  Odd  Fellowship  is  assured 
that  if  admitted  he  will  benefit  both  himself 
and  others.  The  Rebekah  lodge  gives  women 
a  chance  tO'  benefit  by  and  work  for  the  order, 
and  those  who  belong  to  such  lodges  have  a 
much  more  recognized  standing  in  its  circles 
than  have  the  ladies  belonging  to  the  Eastern 
Star  in  the  oldest  of  all  the  existing  secret  so- 
cieties. 

Odd  Fellowship  received  its  start  in  Brook- 
lyn from  the  action  of  certain  brethren  of  the 
order,  re&.'dent  in  the  city,  but  holding  member- 
ship in  New  York  City  lodges.  Several  meet- 
ings and  consultations  were  held  in  the  year 
1839,  at  the  house  of  Brother  James  W.  White, 
and  finally  application  was  made  to  the  Grand 
Lodge  for  a  charter.  This  application,  signed 
by  Brothers  George  P.  Bancroft.  Garret  B. 
Black,  Lemuel  B.  Hawxhurst,  John  Van  Pelt, 
William  G.  Hynard,  James  W.  White,  John 
Higbie,  Abram  Campbell,  Charles  and  John 
Pelletreau,  was  favorably  received  by  the 
Grand  Lodge,  and  a  charter  granted,  to  be 
known  as  Brooklyn  Lodge,  No.  26, 1.  O.  O.  F., 
which  was  fully  organized  November  12;  1839, 
in  Hall's  Building,  corner  of  Fulton  and 
Orange  streets,  by  John  A.  Kennedy,  at  that 
time  Grand  Master  of  the  order  in  the  States, 
assisted  by  the  officers  of  the  Grand  Lodge. 
The  officers  then  chosen  and  installed  were: 


THE    SOCIAL   WORLD    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


675 


L.  B.  Hawxhurst,  N.  G.;  James  W.  White, 
\'.  G. ;  William  G.  Hynard,  Secretary;  John 
W.  Van  Pelt,  Treasurer.  At  the  next  meeting, 
November  19th,  Messrs.  John  C.  Roach,  Thad- 
deus  Davids,  Richard  Hallam,  Henry  Rohring, 
Jarvis  Rogers,  Thomas  H.  Redding,  George 
Bloomfield,  William  M.  Johnson,  John  Povie, 
David  M.  Smith,  Henry  S.  Smith,  Peter 
L.  Taylor  and  Philip  Adams  were  initiated 
members.  By  1847  the  membership  num- 
bered five  hundred,  and  Nassau,  39 ;  Prin- 
ciple, 48;  Atlantic,  50;  Ivanhoe,  127;  and 
Magnolia,  166,  had  been  colonized'  from  it. 
From  its  organization  in  1839  to  January, 
1844,  this  lodge  enrolled  1,070  members. 
This  lodge  at  an  early  day  purchased  ten  lots 
in  Greenwood  cemetery  in  which  to  furnish  a 
place  of  decent  sepulture  for  its  members,  and 
for  strange  Odd  Fellows  dying  here,  away 
from  home  and  friends. 

The  membership  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  on  Long  Island  is  about  thir- 
teen thousand,  distributed  in  the  following 
lodges : 

Brooklyn. — Brooklyn,  No.  26,  Nevins  and 
Fulton  streets;  Principle,  No.  48,  725  Union 
street;  Atlantic,  No.  50,  177  Montague  street; 
^lontauk,  No.  114,  49  Court  street;  Ivanhoe, 
No.  127,  177  Alontague  street;  Franklin  De- 
gree, No.  13,  49  Court  street ;  Magnolia,  No. 
166,  177  Montague  street;  Myrtle,  No.  323, 
49  Court  street;  Union,  No.  169,  49  Court 
street;  Crusaders,  No.  61,  Broadway  and  Dod- 
worth  street;  ^vlount  Ararat,  No.  144,  J\Ian- 
hattan  and  Meserole  avenues ;  Olive  Leaf,  No. 
233,  Manhattan  and  M^eserole  avenues ;  James 
L.  Ridgely,  No.  287,  Broadway  and  Boerum 
street;  Lyceum,  No.  333,  14  Graham  avenue; 
Progressive,  No.  339,  Broadway  and  Boerum 
street;  Norman  A.  Manning,  No.  415,  Grand 
street  and  Graham  avenue ;  Ridgewood,  No. 
534,  654  Hart  street;  Mystic  Links,  No.  711, 
Cooper  street  and  Bushwick  avenue;  Nathan 
Hale,  No.  804,  14  Howard  avenue;  Artistic, 
No.  loi,  972  Fulton  street;  Bunker  Hill,  No. 
T36,  Bushwick  and  Jamaica  avenues ;  Ceres, 
Xo.  225,  1630  Fulton  street;  Prospect,  No. 
290,  14-16  Graham  avenue;  Purity,  No.  337, 
854  Gates  avenue ;  Fort  Greene,  No.  354i 
Broadway  and  Willoughby  avenue ;  Eagle,  No. 
368,  854  Gates  avenue;  Ivv,  No.  472,  corner 


DeKalb  and  Bedford  avenues ;  Wyona,  No.  28, 
440  Liberty  avenue  and  Wyona  street ;  William 
Tell,  No.  125,  114  Graham  avenue;  Socrates, 
No.  22;^,  134  Graham  avenue;  Diogenes,  No. 
298,  355  Bushwick  avenue;  Charles  T. 
Schmitt,  No.  348,  574  Broadway;  Chase,  No. 
367,  59  Driggs  avenue ;  Justitia,  No.  370,  355 
Bushwick  avenue;  Harmonda,  No.  394,  117 
Flimrod  street ;  Rainbow,  No.  409,  Atlantic  av- 
enue, near  Vermont  street;  Heinrich  Heine, 
No.  580,  253  Irving  street;  Steuben,  No.  133, 
123  Smith  street;  Blucher,  No.  426,  123  Smith 
street;  Wallenstein,  No.  428,  217  Court  street; 
Werder,  No.  594,  267  Prospect  avenue;  Hamil- 
ton, No.  640,  92d  street,  cor.  4th  ave.  and  Fort 
Hamilton;  The  Woods,  No.  121,  Bath  Beach; 
FVanklin,  No.  182,  Sheepshead  Bay ;  Gowanus, 
No.  239,  635  3d  avenue;  Arbor  Vitae,  No.  384, 
478  5th  avenue;  Joppa,  No.  386,  258  Court 
street:  Peerless,  No.  535,  217  Court  street; 
Bay  View,  No.  567,  3d  avenue  and  54th  street ; 
Intrepid,  No.  654,  13th  avenue,  near  67th 
street ;  Dauntless,  No.  708,  258  Court  street ; 
General  Putnam,  No.  724,  725  Union  street. 

Rebekah  Lodges. — Olive  Branch,  No.  19, 
315  Washington  street;  Silver  Spray,  No.  63, 
262  Prospect  avenue;  Mayflower,  No.  yy, 
Gates  and  Nostrand  avenues ;  Arbutus,  No. 
90,  Bath  Beach;  Miriam,  No.  107,  1089 
Broadway;  Laurel  Wreath,  No.  no,  Fulton 
street  and  Bedford  avenue ;  Mount  Olive,  No. 
117,  Pennsylvania  avenue  and  Fulton  street; 
Amaranth,  No.  176,  49  Court  street;  Cornelia, 
No.  38,  134  Graham  avenue;  Vereinigte 
Schwestern,  No.  59,  217  Court  street. 

Encampments,  Thomas  Fawcett,  D.  D. 
G.  P. — Fidelity,  No.  50,  854  Gates  avenue; 
Roland,  No.  91,  123  Smith  street;  Beacon 
Light,  No.  94,  corner  Grand  and  Havemeyer 
streets;  Kades,  No.  63,  134  Graham  avenue; 
Liberty,  No.  146,  3d  avenue  and  54th  street; 
Jilt.  Pisgah,  No.  26,  Broadway  and  Dodworth 
street;  Bethlehem,  No.  10,  879  Gates  avenue; 
\'cnus,  No.  109,  258  Court  street;  Excelsior, 
No.  134,  Gates  and  Nostrand  avenues. 

Queens. — Pacific,  No.  85,  Flushing,  71 
Broadway;  Astonia,  No.  155,  165  Fulton  av- 
enue, Astoria;  Marvin,  No.  252,  College  Point; 
Anchor,  Xo.  324,  3d  and  Vernon  avenues, 
Long  Island  City ;  Long  Island  City,  No.  395, 
432  Steinway  avenue;  Whitestone,  No.  775, 
Whitestone;  Woodhaven,  No.  204,  Wood- 
haven;  Jamaica,  No.  247,  22  Harriman  av- 
enue, Jamaica;  A.  Grosjean,  No.  371,  Wood- 
haven  ;  Freeport,  No.  600,  Freeport. 

Rebekah  Lodges.— Long  Island  City,  No. 


676 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


80,  Grand  and  Steinway  avenues ;  Florence, 
No.  97,  Flushing;  Gestina,  No.  120,  Wood- 
haven;  Camillia,  No.  210,  Woodhaven. 

Nassau. — Farmingdale,  No.  613,  Farm- 
in  gdale;  Freeport,  No.  600,  Freeport;  Hemp- 
stead, No.  141,  Front  street,  Hempstead;  Pem- 
broke, No.  73,  Glen  Cove ;  Primrose,  No.  569, 
Hicksville;  Protection,  No.  151,  Roslyn;  Rock- 
ville  Centre,  No.  279,  Rockville  Centre;  Sea- 
side, No.  260,  Inwood;  Seawanhaka,  No.  670, 
Fort  Washington;  Welfare,  No.  695,  Oyster 
Bay. 

J 

Suffolk. — Brookhaven,  No.  80,  Pat- 
chogue ;  Suffolk,  No.  90,  Sag  Harbor ;  Sampa- 
wams,  No.  104,  Babylon;  Sayville,  No.  322, 
Sayville;  Breslau,  No.  524,.  Lindenhurst; 
Awixa,  No.  574,  Islip;  Hampton,  No.  575, 
East  Hampton;  Fire  Island,  No.  636,  Bay 
Shore;  New  Point,  No.  677,  Amityville; 
Greenport,  No.  179,  Greenport;  Southold,  No. 
373,  Southold;  Ellsworth,  No.  449,  Hunting- 
ton ;  Roanoke,  No.  462,  Riverhead ;  Northport, 
No.  523,  Northport;  Port  Jefferson,  No.  627, 
Port  Jefferson ;  Stony  Brook,  No.  730,  Stony 
Brook. 

Rebekah  Lodges. — i^st  District,  Mrs.  Emma 
G.  Downs,  vice-president,  Riverhead.  Friend- 
ship, No.  70,  Greenport;  Suffolk,  No.  132, 
Northport;  Veritas,  No.  167,  Riverhead; 
Promise,  No.  204,  Southold;  D.  Meinen,  No. 
119,  Lindenhurst. 

Encampments:  Queens — Ridgeley,  No.  60, 
Flushing. 

Suffolk. — Thomas  W.  Lister,  D.  D.  G. 
P.  Montauk,  No.  56,  Sag  Harbor;  Medole, 
No.  14s,  Greenport;  Suffolk,  No.  147,  Bay 
Shore. 

Nassau — Mineola,  No.  121,  Hempstead. 

The  Knights  of  Pythias  has  a  membership 
of  some  2,000  on  Long  Island;  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen,  2,000 ;  the  Ameri- 
can Legion  of  Honor,  1,400;  Deutscher  Order 
der  Harugari,  1,200;  Improved  Order  of  Red 
Men,  2,000 ;  Knights  of  Honor,  2,000.  There 
are  also  many  minor  secret  organizations  with 
somewhat  fantastic  titles,  such  as  the  Knights 
of  the  Golden  Eagle,  Benevolent  Order  of  Buf- 
faloes, Knights  of  the  Golden  Star,  Order  of 
Good  Fellows,  which  have  small  membership 
rolls,  but  devoted  adherents.  The  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  is  possibly  the 


best  known  of  all  these  minor  organizations,, 
and  its  only  lodge  in  Brooklyn  has  a  member- 
ship of  close  on  to  500.  It  is  a  national  society, 
has  lodges  scattered  all  over  the  country,  and. 
accomplishes  a  vast  amount  of  practical  good 
each  year.  A  large  proportion  of  its  members 
belong  to  the  theatrical  profession,  and  some 
of  their  "high  jinks''  are  redolent  of  the  stage. 
Their  ritual,  we  understand,  is  quite  an  elab- 
orate affair,  a  compound  of  Freemasonry,  Odd 
Fellowship,  Forestry,  and  original  with  the 
brilliant,  witty  and  warm-hearted  men  who  are 
its  moving  spirits.  The  Brooklyn  lodge  has 
often  come  before  the  public,  but  generally  in 
connection  with  some  deserving  case  of  charity 
or  in  the  giving  of  elaborate  funeral  ceremo- 
nies over  the  remains  of  some  well-known  and 
much  loved  brother. 

The  Foresters  of  America  have  a  member- 
ship throughout  the  country  of  about  180,000, 
the  figures  for  Long  Island  being  given  as 
20,000.  Its  lodges  are  termed  courts,  and  the 
first  established  in  America  was  that  of  Brook- 
lyn. One  curious  point  in  connection  with  the 
early  history  of  this  organization  is  that  the 
struggle  of  the  Revolution  of  1776  was  fought 
over  again  in  its  ranks^ — on  a  small  scale,  of 
course.  The  order  is  an  English  one,  and  the 
early  American  courts  were  ruled  frcm  that 
country,  accepted  its  dictates  and  squared 
their  business  in  accordance  with  regulations 
m.ade.  After  a  time,  naturally,  some  dissatis- 
faction arose  over  this  method,  and  the  dis- 
satisfaction steadily  increased  in  extent  as  the 
American  membership  waxed  strong.  At 
length  the  crisis  came,  brought  about,  as  in  the 
case^of  the  Civil  war,  with  the  negro  as  the 
issue.  The  English  courts  were  open  to  men 
of  all  races,  so  far  as  their  by-laws  went,  while 
the  American  subsidiary  high  court  inserted 
the  word  "white"  among  the  necessary  quali- 
fications for  membership.  This  discrimination 
found  no  favor  in  England,  and  after  due  con- 
sideration a  message  was  sent  across  the  sea 
ordering  the  American  high  court  to  remove 
the  offending  and  restricting  word.  But  th^ 
representatives  of  the  courts  who  made  up  that 


THE    SOCIAL   WORLD    OF   LONG   ISLAND. 


677 


body  thought  they  understood  what  was  want- 
ed in  America  much  better  than  possibly  could 
any  body  of  men  in  England,  and  they  re- 
turned a  courteous  message  to  that  effect  and 
explained  the  situation  in  detail.  But  it  was 
the  old  story  over  again.  The  English  supreme 
court  was  obdurate;  its  mandate  must  be 
obeyed ;  the  oiifending  word  must  go.  So  the 
Americans  at  their  next  meetinig,  held  at  Min- 
neapolis August  15,  1889,  quietly  listened  to  the 
rather  imperiously  worded  message  from  the 
old  country,  and  after  a  long  discussion  de- 
cided to  become  independent.  That  edict  at 
once  took  effect,  and  a  courteous  notice  of  the 
change  was  the  only  answer  sent  across  the 
sea.  The  order  in  America  at  that  time  had 
31,000  members;  after  two  years  of  independ- 
ence it  had  risen  to  77,790. 

In  another  chapter  we  have  referred  to 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  but  in  this 
place  may  refer  to  it  in  its  aspect  as  a  benevo- 
lent, social  and  fraternal  organization.  There 
are  in  all  33  posts  in  Kings  county,  6  in 
Queens  borough,  3  in  Nassau  county,  and  9 
in  Suffolk  county,  with  a  membership  approx- 
imated at  4,300.    The  posts  are: 

Brooklyn. — Abel  Smith  and  First  Long 
Island,  No.  435,  441  Bedford  avenue;  B.  F. 
Middleton,  No.  500,  879  Gates  avenue;  Bar- 
bara Frietchie,  No.  11,  116  Calyer  street; 
Brooklyn  City,  No.  233,  1630  Fulton  street ; 
C.  D.  McKenzlie,  No.  399,  315  Washington 
street;  Charles  H.  Burtes,  No.  185,  1028-30 
Gates  avenue;  Gushing,  No.  231,  9th  street 
and  6th  avenue;  Devins,  No.  148,  12  Nevins 
streiet;  Erastus  T.  Tefft,  No.  355,  153  Pierre- 
pont  street;  Frank  Head,  No.  16,  258  Court 
street;  Germain-  Metternich,  No.  122,  241 
Floyd  street ;  George  Hunstman,  No.  50,  17th 
Sep.  Co.;  George  C.  Strong,  No.  534,  Gates 
and  Nostrand  avenues ;  George  Ricard,  No. 
362,  164  Clymer  street;  G.  K.  Warren,  No. 
286,  1810  Fulton  street;  Harry  Lee,  No.  21, 
897  Gates  avenue ;  H.  W.  Beecher,  No.  620, 
10^  Downing  street ;  Henry  W.  Slocum  Post, 
No.  28,  Amphion  Building;  James  A.  Perry, 
No.  8q,  Bedford  avenue,  near  DeKalb ;  James 
H.  Kerswill,  No.  149,  Snyder's  Hall,  Grant 
street;  L.  AI.  Hamilton,  No.  i.q2,  Atlantic  av- 
enue and  Vermont  street;  McPherson-Doane, 


No.  499,  Johnston  Building;  Mansfield,  No. 
35,  208  Grand  street;  Moses  F.  Odell,  No.  443, 
153  Pierrepont  street;  N.  S.  Ford,  No.  161, 
Avenue  G  and  95th  street;  Rankin,  No.  10, 
407  Bridge  street;  S.  F.  Dupont,  No.  187,  211 
Montrose  avenue;  Thatford,  No.  3,  Prospect 
Hall,  Prospect  avenue;  T.  T.  Dakin,  No.  206, 
156  Broadway;  U.  S.  Grant,  No.  327,  John- 
ston Building;  W.  W.  Stephenson,  No.  669, 
165  Clermont  avenue;  Winchester,  No.  197, 
972  Fulton  street;  William  L.  Garrison,  No. 
207,  118  Myrtle  avenue. 

Queens. — Adam  Wirth,  No.  451,  College 
Point,  I2th  street  and  4th  avenue ;  Alfred  M. 
Wood,  No.  368,  Jamaica,  Fraternity  Hall; 
Benjamin  Ringold,  No.  283,  Long  Island  City, 
County  Court  House ;  John  Corning,  No.  636, 
Oceanus,  Hall  Engine  Company,  No.  2;  Rob- 
ert J.  Marks,  No.  560,  Elmhurst,  G.  A.  R. 
Hall;  Sheridan,  No.  628,  Long  Island  City, 
Columbia  Hall. 

Nassau. — Daniel  L.  Downing,  No.  365, 
Glen  Cove,  Roberts  Hall;  Eliijah  Ward,  No. 
654,  Roslyn  I.  O.  O.  F.  Hall;  Moses  A.  Bald- 
win, No.  544,  Hempstead,  Carman's  Hall. 

Suffolk. — Edwin  Rose,  No.  274,  Sag  Har- 
bor, G.  A.  R.  Hall;  Edw.  Huntley,  No.  353, 
Greenport,  G.  A.  R.  Hall ;  Henry  A.  Barnum, 
No.  656,  Riverhead,  G.  A.  R.  Hall;  H.  B. 
Knickerbocker,  No.  643,  Amityville,  Wood's 
Hall;  J.  C.  Walters,  No.  641,  Huntington,  G. 
A.  R.  Hall ;  Lewis  O.  Conklin,  No.  627,  Port 
Jefferson,  Athena  Hall;  Richard  J.  Clark,  No. 
210,  Patchogue,  Arcanum  Hall;  Samuel  Ack- 
erly.  No.  426,  Northport,  G.  A.  R.  Hall ;  Will- 
iam Gurney,  No.  538,  Bay  Shore,  Odd  Fellows' 
Hall.  , 

There  is  no  doubt  that  it  was  the  action 
taken  in  1875  by  the  Brooklyn  Grand  Army 
posts  that  led  to  the  successful  development  of 
the  long  agitated  plan  to  erect  a  soldiers'  home 
at  Bath,  New  York.  Reference  to  this  has 
already  been  made,  but  further  details  may 
here  be  appropriate.  At  a  meeting  of  the  State 
Encampment  the  matter  was  urged  by  the 
Brooklyn  veterans,  and  in  the  course  of  a  warm 
address  in  advocacy  of  the  scheme  Corporal 
Tanner  pledged  Brooklyn  to  contribute  $10,- 
030  toward  the  project.  Where  Jne  was  to  get 
the  money  or  how  he  was  to  get  it  had  not 
been  considered  by  the  impulsive  corporal,  but 


678 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


he  made  the  offer  anyway  and  trusted  the  fu- 
ture. In  this  instance  it  did  not  fail  him.  On 
returning  to  Brooklyn  he  and  several  other 
veterans  laid  the  whole  matter  before  Hairy 
Ward  Beecher  and  secured  that  lion-hearted 
preacher's  hearty  espousal  of  the  pledge.  A 
meeting  was  in  course  of  time  called  in  the 
Academy  of  Music,  and  Beecher  delivered  one 
of  his  stirring  patriotic  orations,  which  aroused 
the  enthusiasm  of  the  vast  audience  to  the 
highest  pitch.  The  subscription  was  at  once 
launched,  and  ere  long  Tanner's  pledge  was 
more  than  redeemed,  for  $14,000  was  raised. 
The  good  work  thus  splendidly  begun  was  at 
once  carried  to  full  fruition  with  his  usual 
good-hearted  impulsiveness  by  Corporal  Tan- 
ner. He  traversed  the  State  from  New  York 
to  Niagara,  making  speeches  and  appeals,  and 
■securing  the  promise  of  aid  from  every  mem- 
ber oi  the  Legislature  he  could  reach.  The 
result  was .  the  erection  of  a  splendid  home 
where  disabled  and  poverty-stricken  veterans 
were  enabled  to  await  the  setting  of  their  sun 
with  temporal  comforts  and  freedom  from  the 
harassments  incidental  to  the  usual  struggle 
for  existence,  a  struggle  that  is  so  hard  when 
accompanied  by  old  age  and  physical  ailments. 

Corporal  Tanner  in  1877  was  appointed 
Collector  of  Taxes  for  the  city  of  Brooklyn, 
and  won  an  enviable  record  in  that  office.  As 
Pension  Commissioner  he  removed  to  Wash- 
ington, and  would  have  made  an  equal  suc- 
cess in  that  office,  but  an  ungnarded  remark 
about  the  surplus  and  a  determination  to^  at- 
tend to  the  pension  demands  of  the  old  sol- 
diers with  undue  liberality  led  to  a  hue  and 
cry  against  his  methods  and  in  time  led  to  his 
retirement.  For  years  he  was  one  of  the  most 
prominent  citizens  of  Brooklyn,  and  during 
these  years  was  very  frequently  the  theme  of 
newspaper  comment. 

Corporal  James  Tanner  was  born  at  Rich- 
mondville,  Schoharie  county.  New  York,  April 
4,  1844.  His  early  life  was  spent  on  a  farm, 
and  his  educational  privileges  were  those  of 
the   district    school.      While    a   mere   boy   he 


taught  in  an  adjoining  district,  manifesting  the 
thoroughness  and  force  of  will  that  have  since 
characterized  him,  and  proving  to  anxious 
friends  that  he  was  fully  competent  for  the 
work.  After  a  few  months'  experience  as 
teacher,  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  although 
not  yet  eighteen,  he  enlisted  as  private  in  Com- 
pany C,  Eighty-seventh  New  York  Volunteers. 
He  was  soon  made  corporal,  with  assurance 
of  further  promotion,  had  not  a  terrible  dis- 
aster befallen  him.  His  regiment  was  hur- 
ried to  the  front,  and,  with  Kearny's  Division, 
participated  in  the  Peninsular  campaign,  and 
the  battles  of  Williamsburg,  Fair  Oaks,  the 
siege  of  Yorktown,  the  seven  days'  fight  be- 
fore Richmond,  and  at  Malvern  Hill.  After 
leaving  the  Peninsula,  the  Eighty-seventh 
fought  at  Warrentown,  Bristow  Station  and 
Manassas  Junction. 

Corporal  Tanner  served  with  his  regiment 
through  all  the  engagements,  until  wounded 
at  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run.  There  the 
Eighty-seventh  held  the  extreme  right  of  our 
line,  with  Stonewall  Jackson's  corps  in  front. 
During  a  terrific  shelling  from  the  enemy,  the 
men  were  lying  down,  when  a  fragment  from 
a  bursting  shell  completely  severed  the  corpor- 
al's right  leg  at  the  ankle,  and  shattered  the 
left  so  badly  as  to  make  amputation  necessary. 
Carried  from  the  field,  he  lost  consciousness, 
and  on  recovering  found  that  the  surgeons  had 
amputated  both  legs,  four  inches  below  the 
knee.  Meanwhile  the  Union  lines  had  been 
broken  and  the  army  was  in  full  retreat.  The 
corporal's  comrades  were  forced  to  leave  him 
at  a  farm  house,  where  the  rebel  army,  in  close 
pursuit,  soon  made  him  prisoner  with  the  other 
wounded.  Paroled  after  ten  days,  he  was  taken 
to  F"airfax  Seminary  Hospital;  then  com- 
menced his  long  struggle  for  life,  with  all  the 
odds  against  him — but  a  good  constitution  and 
a  determination  to  live,  brought  him  through 
the  doubtful  days.  Through  all  his  suffering 
his  courage  never  left  him;  and  when  he  be- 
gan to  improve  his  first  thought  was,  "What 
can   I   do,   thus   crippled,   to  hold  my   place 


THE    SOCIAL   WORLD    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


679 


among  men?"  His  manhood  and  ambition 
could  not  brook  the  thought  that  he  must  take 
an  inferior  place  because  of  his  misfortune. 
After  treatment  in  the  hospital,  and  recupera- 
tion at  bis  old  home  in  Schoharie  county,  he 
was  able  to  walk  about  on  artificial  limbs.  He 
was  appointed  deputy  doorkeeper  in  the  As- 
sembly, and  subsequently  held  various  posi- 
tions under  the  Legislature,  which  he  filled 
with  great  credit.  He  then  accepted  a  clerk- 
ship in  the  War  Department,  under  Secretary 
Stanton.  On  the  night  of  President  Lincoln's 
assassination  he  was  employed  to  take  notes  of 
the  first  official  evidence,  and  then  stood  by  the 
dying  bed  of  the  President.  In  1866  he  re- 
turned to  Schoharie  county,  and  studied  law 
with  Judge  William  C.  Lamont.  The  same 
year  he  married  a  daughter  of  Alfred  C.  White, 
of  Jefferson,  New  York,  and  they  now  have 
four  beautiful  children,  two  daughters  and  two 
sons.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1869. 
Soon  after  he  was  appointed  to  a  place  in  the 
New  York  Custom  House  and  removed  to 
Brooklyn.  On  competitive  examination  he 
rose  to  the  position  of  deputy  collector,  and 
served  four  years  under  Gen.  Chester  A.  Ar- 
thur. He  was  the  Republican  nominee  for 
Assembly  in  1871,  in  the  Fourth  Kings  county 
district,  but  was  counted  out  in  the  election 
frauds  of  that  year.  Nominated  for  register 
by  the  Republicans  in  1876,  when  the  Demo- 
cratic county  majority  was  nineteen  thousand, 
he  was  defeated  by  less  than  two  thousand. 

Corporal  Tanner  is  an  impressive  public 
speaker,  and  his  public  utterances,  especially 
when  the  theme  is  the  late  war  or  the  claims 
of  the  veterans  to  the  most  liberal  treatment  at 
the  hands  of  the  country,  are  marked  by  that 
strenuousness  which  our  present  honored  chief 
magistrate  so  thoroughly  commends.  During 
recent  years  Mr.  Tanner  has  gradually  re- 
tired into  private  life  and  there  bis  many  fine 
qualities  of  head  and  heart  keep  closely  around 
him  troops  of  warm  and  devoted  friends. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  U.  S.  Grant  Post  is 
the  most  popular  and  best  known  of  the  Grand 


Army  organizations  in  Brooklyn.  It  came  into, 
prominence,  as  has  been  already  stated  ini  this 
work,  in  connection  with  its  services  at  the  ob- 
sequies of  General  Grant,  and  since  then  it  has 
been  particularly  active  in  all  that  pertains  to 
the  welfare  of  the  old  soldier.  It  has  among 
its  members  many  who  are  prominent  in  civil 
life.  Rankin  Post  is  still  a  popular  organiza- 
tion, but  indeed  all  of  the  posts  of  Long  Island 
might  so  be  described,  although  year  by  year 
their  numbers  are  wearing  down.  But  that 
contingency  is  in  the  nature  of  things  and 
something  to  be  expected. 

The  national  societies  which  are  linked  to- 
gether by  a  secret  ritual  are  representative,  to 
mention  them  in  the  order  of  their  strength,  of 
Ireland,  England  and  Scotland.  The  Ancient 
Order  of  Hibernians  has  something  like  3,000 
miembers  on  the  island.  The  Order  of  Sons  of 
St.  George  has  nine  lodges  in  Brooklyn,  with  a 
total  membership  of  about  800.  .The  first  of 
these  lodges — Anglo-Saxon — :was  instituted 
Sept.  22,  1879.  The  lodge  meetings  as  a  rule 
are  well  attended  and  present  many  attractive 
features.  In  connection  with  the  jubilee  of  the 
late  Queen  of  England,  in  1887,  these  societies 
took  a  prominent  part  in  the  proceedings  held 
in  New  York  and  Erastina,  Staten  Island,  by 
which  the  British  residents  of  the  Metropolitan 
area  showed  their  respect  for  the  venerated 
British  sovereign.  The  Scottish  organization, 
Clan  McDonald,  has  200  members,  a  ritual 
which  is  as  full  of  historical  data  as  could  be 
crowded  into  it,  and  any  amount  of  enthusiasm 
for  "the  land  of  the  mountain  and  the  flood." 
It  is  part  of  an  order  that  has  branches 
throughout  the  United  States  and  has  a  grad- 
ed scheme  of  life  assurance  which  pays  be- 
tween $250  and  $2,000.  It  is  based  on  a  scheme 
thoughtfully  prepared  by  Mr.  Duncan  Mac- 
Innes,  one  of  the  actuaries  in  the  New  York 
comptroller's  office,  and  is  believed  to  be  the 
most  perfect  and  abiding  scheme  of  assessment 
insurance  in  force.  As  to  that,  of  course  time 
is  the  best  and  most  potent  judge. 

Of  what  may  be  described  as  the  fashion- 


680 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


able  social  clubs  Brooklyn  possesses  an  abun- 
dance and  several   of  them  have   acquired  a 
measure  at  least  of  national  fame.     Most  of 
them  are  fitted  up  with  a  degree  of  luxurious- 
ness  that  is  equal  to  any  of  the  London  and 
Continental  clubs  about  which  so  much  is  writ- 
ten.    They  are  housed  in  roomy  mansions  fit- 
ted up  with  every  imaginable  convenience  for 
social  pleasure  or  the  amenities  of  every  day 
life;  their  cuisine  is  of  the  highest  order  and 
liveried  attendants  are  ready  to  carry  out  the 
wishes    of    the    members    and    their    friends. 
Reading  rooms,  smoking  rooms,  cafes,  billiard 
rooms,  grill  rooms  and  even  expensive  exam- 
ples of  the  artist's  studio  or  sculptor's  altier 
adorn  what  are  considered  the  public  rooms, 
while  the  highest  skill  of  the  architect,  the  dec- 
orator, the  upholsterer  and  the  furniture  de- 
signer is  employed  in  every  apartment  ar,d  hall. 
In  such  clubs  the  whole  domestic  machinery 
moves  with  a  noiseless  precision  that  bespeaks 
the  most  watchful  discipline,  and  the  service 
throughout  from  the  imported  chef  to  the  col- 
ored girl  who  peels  potatoes  is  the  best  that  can 
be  secured.    In  such  a  retreat  a  man  can  enjoy 
the  real  luxuries  of  life  to  a  degree  that  inde- 
pendent effort  could  hardly  attain.     He  can 
find  himself  in  a  veritable  palace,  be  waited  on 
as  though  he  was  attended  by  the  genii  we  used 
to  read  about  in  connection  with  Aladdin  and 
his  lamp,  and  have  his  aesthetic  notions  culti- 
vated by  everything  that  is  bright,  beautiful 
and  costly  but  withal   in  the  most   exquisite 
taste.     He  can  revel  in  fine  paintings,  delight- 
ful upholstery  harmonies,  exquisitely  cooked 
chops,  and  carpets  which  are  themselves  poems 
in  construction  and  design^    P'ifty  years  ago  no 
crowned  king  had  more   real  comfort,  more 
perfect  service,  more  to  delight  the  eye  and 
soothe  the  cares  and  the  vexations  of  the  busy, 
toiling,   exasperating  world   than  the   Brook- 
iynite  who  has  the  entree  to  one  of  these  genu- 
ine modern  palaces.     Then,  too,  he  has  what 
kings  did  not  always  have  according  to  his- 
tory and  may  not  have  at  the  present  day — al- 
though we  must  confess  that  our  acquaintance 


with  modern  kings  is  of  the  slightest  extent — a 
circle  of  congenial  friends,  friends  having 
tastes  similar  to  his  own  and  whose  conversa- 
tion, whose  hobbies,  whose  pleasures,  whose 
politics,  whose  fads,  whose  aspirations  are 
more  or  less  his  or  have  his  interest  and  his 
sympathy.  Most  of  the  Brooklyn  clubs,  even 
the  most  exclusive,  have  this  community  of 
tastes  as  their  foundation,  and  a  sure  and 
sturdy  foundation  it  has  amply  proved  to  be. 
In  the  Union  League  Club,  for  instance,  poli- 
tics is  the  crowning  feature;  in  the  Aurora 
Grata  it  is  Free  Masonry ;  in  the  Germania  it  is 
the  Fatherland. 

Some  of  these  social  organizations  are 
housed  in  buildings  especially  erected  by  or  for 
them.  The  Hamilton  Club  possesses  a  build- 
ing which  at  once  impresses  one  with  an  idea  of 
internal  comfort,  while  the  remarkably  beauti- 
ful statue  of  Alexander  Hamilton,  Washing- 
ton's finance  minister  and  one  of  the  foundfers 
of  the  Republic,  shows  that  the  members  think 
on  higher  matters  than  mere  personal  ease. 
The  Union  League's  mansion  is  Romanesque 
in  style  and  constructed  of  brick  and  brown- 
stone  with  medallions  of  Lincoln  and  Grant 
showing  prominently  in  the  facade,  and  an 
eagle  and  a  bear  form  conspicuous  features  in 
the  adornment.  But  the  main  attraction  to^  vis- 
itors is  the  magnificent  equestrian  statue  of 
General  Grant  which  stands  in  front  of  the 
building  and  was  unveiled  in  1896.  The  sculp- 
tor was  William  Ordway  Partridge.  The 
pedestal  of  Quincy  granite  rises  to  a  height  of 
16  feet  and  the  statue  itself  is  15  feet  8  inches 
in  height,  so  the  whole  assumes  heroic  propor- 
tions. General  Grant's  son — General  F.  D. 
Grant — General  Horace  Porter  and  others 
competent  to  speak  have  declared  it  to  be  the 
best  portrait  of  the  hero  of  the  War  of  the  Re- 
bellion yet  set  up  in  any  public  place.  The 
Montauk  Club  house  is  a  most  ornate  structure 
with  a  Greek  frieze  on  the  upper  part  of  its 
front  as  well  as  several  other  architectural 
features  well  worthy  of  careful  study.  The 
home  of  the  Riding  and  Driving  Club  was  built 


■*-^^     ft  T^iL^r^'^m 


.    ■  t(      f     ■.   <    if     -|riU,l 


o 

Eh 


THE    SOCIAL   WORLD    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


681 


for  convenience  rather  than  to  develop  any  ar- 
chitectural ideals,  but  its  internal  arrange- 
ments are  perfect.  The  Germania  Club  house, 
on  the  other  hand,  arrests  the  attention  of 
every  one  passing  it  on  Schermerhorn  street  by 
the  rich  Florentine  design  of  its  facade,  a  de- 
sign that  has  apparently  been  copied,  in  many 
respects,  in  several  other  club  buildings  as  well 
as  private  homes  in  the  borough.  Then  many 
clubs  have  altered  and  adopted  a  private  house 
— sometimes  have  taken  two  adjoining  build- 
ings and  thrown  them  practically  into  one  and 
so  secured  an  abundance  of  elbow  room  even 
though  the  outward  appearance  does  not  give 
■one  any  idea  of  the  splendor  of  the  interior. 
Perhaps  the  best  specimen  of  an  old  dwelling 
■developed  into  a  modern  club  is  the  home  of 
the  jMidwood  at  Flatbush,  a  grand  old  Colonial 
structure  with  great  white  columns  in  front,  a 
style  of  mansion  that  used  to  be  common  in  the 
neighborhood  of  both  New  York  and  Brook- 
lyn, but  of  which  few  specimens  are  now  left. 
One  of  the  oldest,  if  not  the  oldest,  of  the 
aristocratic  social  organizations  in  Brooklyn  is 
the  Hamilton  Club.  It  was  originally  intended 
to  be  a  purely  literary  club  and  was  so  de- 
scribed in  its  first  designation,  the  Young 
Men's  Literary  Association  of  Brooklyn,  but 
the  suggestion  of  calling  it  after  the  author  of 
the  Federalist — or  the  principal  author — 
seemed  to  cover  better  the  idea  of  the  founders, 
and  within  a  year  the  title  was  changed  to  the 
Hamilton  Literary  Club.  It  certainly  gathered 
in  its  fold  all  the  leading  literary  lights  and 
reading  men  of  Brooklyn  at  that  date — Henry 
C.  Murphy,  Alden  T.  Spooner,  Henry  Silli- 
man,  John  H.  Raymond,  Edgar  J.  Bartow, 
Abiel  L.  Low,  Joseph  Howard,  Francis  P. 
Sanford,  D.  N.  Schoonmaker,  Josiah  C.  Dow, 
Thomas  G.  King,  John  T.  Howan,  George  W. 
Dow,  Horace  H.  Dow  and  John  Jewett,  among 
others.  For  many  years  the  literary  feature 
was  fully  maintained  as  the  peculiar  field  of  the. 
club  and. its  annual  lecture  course  constituted 
an  important  detail  in  the  social  calendar  of 
the  city.    In  fact  the  association  seems  latterly 


to  have  developed  intO'  simply  a  lecture-giving 
body,  and  with'.the  decadence  of  that  form  of 
public  instruction — that  tribune  of  the  people, 
as  the  lecture  platform  was  titled  in  the  palmy 
days  of  Wendell  Phillips,  Lloyd  Garrison, 
Henry  Ward  Beecher  and  a  score  of  others — 
Hamilton  Literary  Association  appears  to  have 
lost  its  usefulness  and  its  place  in  the  public 
regard.  In  1882  a  reorganization  was  effected 
or  rather  the  old  association  was  practically 
wiped  out  and  in  its  stead  the  Hamilton  Club 
was  evolved,  a  new  organization  with  the  mem- 
bers, library,  pictures  and  other  accessories  of 
the  old  one,  but  better  equipped  with  rules  and 
regulationis  calculated  to  meet  modern  social 
wants  and  aspirations.  It  was  a  success  from 
the  first.  In  1884  it  was  estabhshed  in  its  pres- 
ent home,  erected  to  meet  its  wants,  at  a  cost 
exceeding  $100,000.  It  is  quite  an  aristocratic 
organization,  that  is  to  say,  its  membership  is 
rather  exclusive,  and  is  itself  regarded  as  a  so- 
cial honor.  Its  art  gallery  is  a  particularly 
choice  one  and  includes  Huntington's  famous 
painting  of  "The  Republican  Court,"  which 
was  formerly  one  of  the  features  of  the  won- 
derful collection  in  the  mansion  of  A.  T.  Stew- 
art, Manhattan's  merchant  prince.  Another 
possession  that  is  highly  treasured  is  a  Sevres 
vase  presented  to  the  club  by  the  French  Gov- 
ernment as  an  acknowledgment  of  the  hospital- 
ities showered  upon  M.  Bartholdi  and  his  com- 
patriots when  the  statue  of  Liberty  was  being 
placed  in  position  on  Bedlow's  Island. 

The  present  officers  are :  President,  James 
McKeen ;  secretary,  William  A.  Taylor ;  treas- 
urer, Theodore  B.  Brown. 

The  Brooklyn  Club,  organized  in  1865,  was 
for  many  years  the  most  fashionable  of  the  so- 
cial organizations  of  Brooklyn,  and  has  enter- 
tained in  its  rooms  such  guests  as  General 
Grant,  Admiral  Farragut,  General  Sherman, 
Grand  Duke  Alexis  of  Russia,  Professor  Tyn- 
dall,  the  world-renowned  scientist,  and  Henry 
M.  Stanley,  the  New  York  reporter  who  dis- 
covered Dr.  Livingston  in  the  recesses  of  the 
Dark  Continent,  and  who  has  since  become  a 


682 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND 


social  lion  in  London,  having  been  knighted  by 
the  late  Queen  Victoria,  elected  to  membership 
in  the  House  of  Commons  and  marrying  into  a 
family  noted  for  brains  as  well  as  for  social 
prominence.  The  club  was  housed  very  soon 
after  its  organization  in  a  building  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Clinton  and  Pierrepont  streets.  In  1883 
an  adjoining  house  was  bought  and  three  years 
later  the  two  buildings  were  practically  recon- 
structed and  the  present  commodious  club- 
house was  the  result.  For  twenty  years — from 
1870  to  1890 — the  club  was  presided  over  by 
Mr.  B.  D.  Silliman,  one  of  the  most  representa- 
tive of  the  citizens  of  Brooklyn  and  of  whom 
an  extended  biography  is  given  in  another 
chapter  of  this  work.  He  was  succeeded  by 
Mr.  David  M.  Stone,  editor  of  the  New  York 
Journal  of  Commerce,  who  served  for  but  a 
single  term  and  was  followed  by  General  Ben- 
jamin F.  Tracy,  then  probably  the  most  active 
member  of  the  legal  fraternity  in  the  city. 

Although  his  energies  are  now  directed 
elsewhere  and  he  is  regarded  as  belonging 
rather  to  Manhattan  than  to  Brooklyn,  General 
Tracy  played  too  prominent  a  part  in  the  affairs 
of  the  latter  borough — was  for  too  many  years 
identified  with  its  progress,  not  to  be  regarded 
with  affectionate  pride  by  every  citizen  of  the 
present  day.  He  was  born  at  Owego,  New 
York,  April  26,  1830,  and  studied  law  in  an 
office  in  that  village.  In  185 1  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  and  three  years  later  was  elected 
District  Attorney  of  Tioga  County  on  the 
Whig  ticket,  although  the  constituency  was 
strongly  Democratic,  and  at  the  expiration  of 
his  term  he  was  re-elected  in  spite  of  a  deter- 
mined effort  to  bring  about  his  defeat.  In 
1861  he  was  elected  a  member  of  Assembly, 
and  during  his  short  service  at  Albany  won 
golden  opinions  for  his  common-sense  views 
on  all  topics,  his  short,  clear-cut,  pithy  speeches 
and  his  devotion  to  the  advancement  of  public 
business.  He  served  but  one  term  and  then  re- 
turned to  his  law  practice  in  Owego.  But  he 
was  not  long  permitted  to  devote  himself  to  his 
private  business.     The  war  cloud  had  settled 


on  the  land  and  the  Nation  was  engaged  in  the 
most  gigantic  of  modern  armed  conflicts.  Re- 
garding his  war  record  one  authority  writes  as 
follows : 

"In  the  spring  of  1862,  still  remembered  as 
a  period  of  alarm  to  the  friends  of  the  Union 
cause,  new  levies  were  imperative  for  the  Fed- 
eral army,  and  Governor  Morgan  at  once  ap- 
pointed a  committee  in  each  Senatorial  district 
to  organize  a  general  recruiting  effort.  Tracy 
was  one  of  the  committee  for  Broome,  Tioga 
and  Tompkins  counties.  He  accepted  the 
charge,  and,  in  addition  to  general  service  as  a 
member,  he  received  a  commission  from  the 
Governor,  and  personally  recruited  two  regi- 
ments, the  One  Hundred  and  Ninth  and  the 
One  Hundred  and  Thirty-seventh,  making  his 
headquarters  in  Binghamton.  The  active  work 
was  completed  in  thirty  days,  and  Tracy  was 
appointed  colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Ninth,  with  which  he  repoTted  to  General 
Wool,  at  Baltimore,  in  whose  department  it  re- 
mained until  transferred  to  that  of  Washing- 
ton. In  the  spring  of  1864  the  regiment  was 
ordered  to  join  the  Ninth  (Burnside)  Corps, 
then  a  part  of  Grant's  advance.  Colonel  Tracy 
led  his  regiment  with  great  gallantry  in  the 
battle  of  the  Wilderness,  when  its  loss,  on  Fri- 
day, May  6th,  was  upwards  of  eighty  killed 
and  wounded.  Near  the  close  of  the  fighting 
on  that  day,  he  fell  exhausted,  and  was  carried 
from  the  field.  Urged  by  the  staff  of  his  com- 
manding officer  to  go  to  hospital,  he  refused, 
but  resumed  the  lead  of  his  regiment,  and  held 
it  through  three  days  of  the  fighting  at  Spot- 
sylvania, where  he  completely  broke  down,  and 
was  compelled  to  surrender  the  command  to 
the  lieutenant-colonel. 

"As  soon  as  he  became  satisfied  that  months 
must  elapse  before  he  could  again  join  the 
army,  and  not  liking  military  service  in  a  hos- 
pital, he  tendered  his  resignation,  and  came 
North  to  recruit  his  health.  In  the  following 
September,  without  solicitation  on  his  part, 
Secretary  Stanton  tendered  him  the  appoint- 
ment  of   Colonel   of   the   One   Hundred  and 


THE    SOCIAL   WORLD    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


683 


Twenty-seventh  United  States  Colored  Troops, 
which  he  accepted.  Subsequently,  he  was  or- 
dered to  the  command  of  the  military  post  at 
Elmira,  including-  the  prison  camp  and  the 
drefft  rendezvous  for  Western  New  York. 
This  was  a  large  and  important  command.  In 
the  prison  camp  there  were  at  one  time  as 
many  as  10,000  prisoners. 

"The  treatment  of  prisoners  of  war  was 
long  a  subject  of  extended  and  bitter  contro- 
versy betW'een  the  North  and  the  South.  That 
there  was  much  suffering  and  great  mortality 
at  Elmira  is  not  denied,  because  these  are  in- 
separable from  large  military  prisons ;  but  that 
either  can  be  attributed  to  cruelty  or  neglect  is 
positively  denied.  Nothing  that  could  be  rea- 
sonabh  done  to  alleviate  the  suffering  of  the 
prisoners  was  omitted.  The  very  best  of  food 
was  supplied  in  large  quantities,  while  the  bar- 
racks were  large  and  commodious — nearly  all 
new  and  built  expressly  for  the  prisoners ;  the 
accommod'ations  and  supplies  furnished  them 
being  in  all  respects  the  same  as  those  supplied 
to  the  Federal  troops  on  guard,  and  to  the  vol- 
unteers received  at  the  draft  rendezvous." 

There  are  a  class  of  men  who  achieve  dis- 
tinction that  seem  to  resemble  the  mechanic 
who  forms  his  calculations  and  fashions  his 
machinery  upon  the  abstract  considerations  of 
the  mechanical  powers,  making  no  allowance 
for  friction,  the  resistance  of  the  air,  or 
strenjilh  of  his  materials.  This  was  not  the 
case  \  nth  Judge  Tracy.  He  exerts  a  quick, 
careful  examination  of  every  circumstance  by 
which  he  is  surrounded,  even  though  sprung 
upon  him  instantaneously.  Perhaps  nothing  in 
his  life  more  strongly  illustrates  his  abihty  to 
overcome  sudden  difficulties  than  the  triumph- 
ant manner  in  which  he  repelled  the  dastardly 
attack  made  by  Hill,  of  Georgia,  in  the  House 
of  Representatives,  March,  1876,  upon  the 
treatment  of  rebel  prisoners  at  Elmira.  It  was 
virtually  an  attack  upon  General  Tracy,  and 
took  place  in  a  once  celebrated  debate  between 
Hill  and  Blaine,  in  which  the  former,  incensed 
by  the  representations  of  the  latter  of  the'  hor- 


rors at  Andersonville,  referred  bitterly  to  the 
Elmira  camp,  charging  upon  its  management 
cruelties  quite  equal  to  those  recorded  of  the 
Southern  prisons. 

General  Tracy  was  at  home  at  this  time, 
and  it  was  by  mere  accident  that  he  learned 
the  nature  of  the  debate  in  progress  at  Wash- 
ington, and  of  General  Hill's  charges.  This 
occurred  at  a  time  when  the  General  was  deep- 
ly engaged  in  an  absorbing  and  important  mat- 
ter. One  morning,  while  rapidly  glancing"  over 
a  New  York  daily,  his  attention  was  arrested 
by  the  heading  of  a  column,  as  follows  :  "Hill, 
of  Georgia,  on  the  Elmira  Prison;  he  alleges 
that  the  rebel  prisoners  confined  in  it  during 
the  war  were  treated  with  great  inhumanity," 
etc.  After  reading  it  carefully,  burning  with 
indignation,  he  hastened-  to  telegraph  Mr. 
Piatt,  member  from  the  Twenty-eighth  district, 
a  full,  well-worded  reply  to  Hill.  This  reached 
Mr.  Piatt  in  the  House,  while  the  debate  on  the 
subject  of  the  prison  at  Elmira  was  still  in 
progress.  Immediately  arising  to  a  question  of 
privilege,  he  sent  the  remarkalble  telegram^  to 
•the  clerk,  by  whom  it  was  read  to  the  House. 
It  commanded  profound  silence,  falling  upon 
Hill  and  his  Southern  friends  like  a  sudden 
clap  of  thunder.  Hardly  was  the  reading  con- 
cludied  when  Hon.  C.  C.  Walker,  a  member 
from  the  Elmira  district,  an  intense  Democrat, 
sprang  to  his  feet,  and,  in  a  few  glowing  and 
effectual  words,  fully  sustained  General  Tra- 
cy's telegram ;  alleging  that,  to  his  own  knowl- 
edge, every  word  of  it  was  true.  This  ended 
the  debate,  completely  refuting  the  charges 
made  by  Hill. 

On  resuming  civil  life  General  Tracy  be- 
came a  member  of  the  New  York  law  firm  of 
Benedict,  Burr  &  Benedict,  and  so  continued 
until  appointed  United  States  District  Attor- 
ney for  the  Eastern  District  of  New  York. 
This  office  he  resigned  in  1873  andl  entered 
upon  the  practice  of  law  in  Brooklyn,  quickly 
becoming  recognized  as  one  of  the  leaders  of 
the  local  bar  and  one  of  the  most  active  work- 
ers in  the  local  ranks  of  the  Republican  party. 


684 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


In  1 88 1  he  was  offered  the  nomination  for  the 
mayoralty  but  declined  in  favor  of  Mr.  Seth 
Low. 

Before  the  close  of  that  year,  however,  he 
was  appointed  to  a  seat  on  the  bench  of  the 
Court  of  Appeals,  which  he  held  for  over  a 
year,  and  then  resumed  private  practice,  and 
along  with  Mr.  Silas  B.  Dutcher  was  the  rec- 
ognized leader  of  the  Republican  forces  in  the 
city.  In  1889  General  Tracy  entered  the  cab- 
inet of  President  Harrison  as  Secretary  of  the 
Navy,  and  with  his  acceptance  of  that  office 
his  connection  with  Brooklyn  may  be  said  to 
have  closed.  Bis  career  in  the  Navy  Depart- 
ment at  Washington  won  for  him  the  heartiest 
commendation  of  all  classes  of  citizens,  regard- 
less of  party  affiliations  and  he  is.  credited  with 
being  the  real  builder  of  the  "New  Navy," 
which  rendered  the  country  such  heroic  and 
brilliant  service  when  the  time  came  to  practi- 
cally test  its  value  and  efficiency.  His  resi- 
dence at  the  Capital,  however,  was  clouded  by 
a  terrible  affliction.  In  a  fire  which  destroyed 
his  residence  his  wife  and  his  youngest  daugh- 
ter were  burned  to  death,  and  for  several  days 
his  own  condition  was  regarded  as  critical. 
He  calmly  resumed  his  official  cares,  apparent- 
ly finding  relief  from  his  own  sorrows  in  the 
rush  of  business,  and  continued  in  the  official 
harness  to  the  close  of  his  term.  Then  he  left 
Washington,  entered  upon  the  practice  of  law 
in  Manhattan,  and  so  continues.  He  is  active 
in  politics  still,  figured  prominently  as  the  reg- 
ular Republican  candidate  in  the  first  contest 
for  the  mayoralty  of  the  consolidated  oity,  but 
the  campaign  was  made  on  his  part  more  in 
compliance  with  a  sense  of  party  duty  rather 
than  from  any  personal  desire  to  again  hold 
public  office.  His  law  practice,  one  of  the 
most  important  on  Manhattan  Island,  fully  oc- 
cupies all  his  working  hours. 

The  officers  are:  President,  Edward  M. 
Grout;  vice-president,  Edward  F.  Patchen; 
secretary,  Henry  Earle ;  treasurer,  William  C. 
Smith. 

The  largest  and  the  best  generally  known 


of  the  social  organizations  of  Brooklyn  is  the 
Union  League  Club,  which  was  organized  in 
1887  as  the  Twenty-third  Ward  Republican 
Club,  but  changed  its  name  to  its  present  desig- 
nation a  year  later  when  it  was  incorporated. 
The  present  officers  are:  President,  Hibbert 
B.  Masters ;  first  vice-president,  David  Thorn- 
ton; second  vice-president,  Horace  M.  Carle- 
ton  ;  treasurer,  Thomas  Bishop ;  and  secretary, 
James  R.  Ross. 

The  Union  League  is  essentially  a  political 
organization.  Republican  to  the  backbone  and 
the  head  centre  of  the  party  in  the  "City  of 
Churches."  There  is  no  getting  away  from 
this  or  any  desire  to  get  away  from  it.  The 
constitution  of  the  club  plainly  declares  that 
its  aims  are  "To  promote  social  intercourse,  to 
advance  the  cause  of  good  government  by 
awakening  a  political  interest  in  citizens,  to 
overcome  existing  indifference  in  the  discharge 
of  political  duties,  and  to  perform  such  other 
work  as  may  best  conserve  the  welfare  of  the 
Republican  party."  The  club  was  a  numerical 
and  financial  success  from  the  first  and  in  1891 
took  possession  of  its  present  palatial  edifice  on 
Bedford  avenue  and  Dean  street  at  a  cost,  in- 
cluding site  and  fittings,  of  some  $215,000.  ' 
Architecturally  the  building  is  an  ornament  to 
the  city,  and  the  front  is  designed  after  the 
Romanescjue  style,  of  brick  and  terra  cotta,  and 
is  exceediriigly  chaste  throughout,  while  the 
four  stories  which  rise  over  the  line  of  the  side- 
walk are  sunnounted  by  a  French  roof,  giving 
really  the  accommodation  of  an  additional  floor 
and  the  whole  is  surmounted  by  a  neat  cupola. 
The  main  entrance  is  most  imposing  in  effect, 
and  throughout  the  entire  interior  the  appoint- 
ments are  the  very  best  that  taste  or  luxury 
could  suggest  and  money  could  buy.  On  its 
roll  of  membership  are  850  names — thereby 
representative  of  every  professional  and  busi- 
ness interest  in  the  city,  and  all  adherents  of 
the  Republican  party  with  an  intensity  that  is 
only  varied  by  their  natural  temperaments. 

The  Lincoln  Club  was  originally  a  purely 
Republican  institution,  although  nowadays  its 


THE    SOCIAL   WORLD    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


685. 


association  with  party  politics  has  been  aban- 
doned amd  its  purely  social  features  are  its 
main  attraction.  In  fact  many  of  the  most 
prominent  Democrats  in  Brooklyn  have  been 
and  are  on  its  roll  of  membership  and  in  its 
boards  of  officers  and  managers.  The  Lin- 
coln was  organized  in  1878  by  a  number  of  cit- 
izens of  Republican  proclivities  in  politics,  and 
for  a  year  or  so  held  very  pleasant  meetings 
according  tO'  a  sort  of  house-to-house  arrange- 
ment. By  the  close  of  a  year  a  knowledge  of 
these  meetings  and  their  many  social  pleasures 
and  their  spread  of  good  fellowship  and  ac- 
quaintanceship led  to  so  many  requestsi  for 
membership  that  the  originators  were  induced 
to  widen  the  scope  of  their  association,  to 
abandon  its  political  proclivities  and  to  look 
out  for  a  house  in  which  the  afifairs  of  the 
club  might  be  carried  on  and  its  social  features 
developed  to  the  utmost.  Two  adjoining, 
frame  buildings  were  purchased  on  •  Putnam 
avenue  and  there  the  club  took  up  its  head- 
quarters and  speedily  grew  in  popularity  as 
well  as  in  financial  and  numerical  strength. 
This  was  shown  in  1889  when,  after  "tinkering 
and  coopering,"  at  a  considerable  expense,  the 
original  frame  buildings,  from  time  to  time  to 
meet  the  needs  of  the  institution,  it  was  deter- 
mined to  pull  them  down  and  erect  on  their 
site  a  structure  that  would  meet  all  the  passing 
and  prospective  wants  of  the  association  and 
be  another  architectural  landmark  in  the  city. 
The  result  was  the  erection  of  the  present  Lin- 
coln Club  house,  a  magnificent  four-story 
structure  in  a  style  developed  from  the  early 
French  Renaissance — one  of  those  buildings 
which  attract  the  eye  and  rivet  the  attention 
even  in  a  "wilderness  of  brick,  stone  and  square 
holes  for  windows,"  as  a  writer  once  gave  as 
the  characteristic  feature  of  American  streets. 
Internally  it  is  fitted  up  in  a  style  in  keeping, 
not  with  all  the  comforts  of  home,  but  with  all 
the  attractions  and  luxuries  of  clubdom,  and 
that  means  it  is  in  every  sense  of  the  word  a 
modern  palace. 

The  Lincoln  Club  is  officered  as  follows: 


President,    H.    F.    Williams;    secretary,    Jay 
Stone ;  treasurer,  A.  T.  Stoutenburgh. 

The  Hanover  Club  has  a  history  in  many 
respects  akin  to  that  of  the  Lincoln  Club  in 
that  whatever  political  proclivities  it  may  have 
had'  in  its  earlier  days  have  long  been  aban- 
doned and  it  is  purely  devoted  to  social  pur- 
poses. It  is  essentially  an  Eastern  District  or- 
ganization, and  its  inception  was  due  to  the 
desire  of  several  of  .the  wealthier  residents  of 
that  section  of  the  old  city  which  would  fill  the 
same  purposes  in  their  own^  home  district  that 
the  oldter  clubs  did  nearer  the  old  Ferry.  The 
matter  was  discussed  for  quite  a  considerable 
time  and  then  the  old  Hawley  Mansion,  ail 
ideal  building  for  club  purposes,  was  put  on 
the  market  and  the  desire  to  secure  it  for  the 
proposed  organization  led  to  action  being  taken 
in  the  matter.  A  meeting  was  called,  signed 
by  Andrew  D.  Baird,  Frederick  W.  Wurster,. 
Charles  Cooper,  William  C.  Bryant,  Henry 
Seibert,  Charles  H.  Russell,  A.  C.  Hallam,  E. 
B.  Havens,  Warren  E.  Smith,  H.  G.  Taylor, 
Charles  Fox,  B.  E.  Veitch,  J.  A.  Peterkin, 
Millard  F.  Smith,  James  A.  Sperry  and  Louis 
Conrad,  who  may  be  regarded  as  the  "found- 
ers and  fathers"  of  the  organization.  As  a 
result  of  the  call  quite  a  large  and  representa- 
tive meeting  was  held,  when  it  was  determined 
to  organize  the  Hanover  Club  and  take  up  an 
option  which  had  been  secured  on  the  Hawley 
Mansion.  This  arrangement  was  carried  out, 
a  set  of  by-laws  for  the  government  of  the  new 
organization  was  drawn  up  and  possession  was 
taken  of  the  mansion.  The  first  Board  of  Di- 
rectors was  made  up  of  Andrew  D.  Baird, 
Millard  F.  Smith,  John  Cartledge,  J.  Adolph 
Mollenhauer,  William  Donald,  Benjamin  D. 
Bacon,  William  C.  Bryant,  E.  B.  Havens, 
Mathew  Dean,  Henry  Hasler,  Edwin  Knowles, 
Frederick  W.  Wurster,  J.  Henry  Diek,  A.  C. 
Hallam  and  H.  F.  Gunnison.  The  first  busi- 
ness was  to  "fix  up"  the  splendid  old  mansion, 
to  remodel  it  for  the  uses  of  the  organization 
and  this  involved  not  only  a  thorough  over- 
hauling of   its    interior   arrangements    and   a 


686 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


complete  outfit  in  the  way  of  furniture  and 
decoration,  but  also  the  building  of  a  large  ex- 
tension. However,  all  this  was  satisfactorily 
acciDmplished  and  on  January  19,  1901,  the 
club  house  was  formally  opened  to  the  mem- 
bers and  their  friends.  Since  then  the  prog- 
ress of  the  organization  has  been  as  rapid  as 
its  most  enthusiastic  member  could  desire.  It 
has  a  membership  of  400,  and  among  those 
who  figure  on  its  roll  are  many  of  the  most 
prominent  residents  of  Brooklyn — prominent 
in  professional,  business,  political  and  social 
life,  the  very  class  of  men  who  by  their  ener- 
gies are  making  Brooklyn  advance  with  rapid 
strides  to  the  foremost  position  among  the 
group  of  boroughs  which  constitute  the  Great- 
er New  York. 

The  president  is  Mr.  James  A.  Sperry ;  the 
treasurer,  Mr.  Andrew  D.  Baird,  and  the  sec- 
retary, Mr.  Alvah  Miller. 

The  Montauk  Club  is  the  last  of  the  social 
clubs  which  we  present  here  as  being  fully  and 
fairly  representative  of  the  higher  club  life  of 
Brooklyn.  Its  home  on  Eighth  avenue,  Lin- 
coln Place  and  the  Park  Plaza,  occupies  one 
of  the  finest  sites  in  Brooklyn  and  its  building 
is  among  the  most  attractive  in  the  city.  The 
structure  in.  design  is  after  the  Venetian,  and 
every  detail  is  carried  out  with  the  most  ex- 
quisite taste.  The  edifice  stands  out  in  bold 
rehef,  as  it  were,  even  in  its  rather  aristocratic 
surroundings,  and  while  there  can  be  no  doubt 
of  its  semi-public  character — its  size  at  once 
determines  that  even  to  the  most  casual  ob- 
server— there  is  never  any  question  as  to  its 
being  a  home,  and  a  home  whose  owners  pos- 
sess taste  and  wealth.  This  itself  is  a  satisfac- 
tory point,  for  we  have  seen  club  houses — ex- 
pensive concerns  so  far  as  their  cost  was  con- 
cerned and  pretty  exclusive  as  to  their  mem- 
bership— which  would  puzzle  even  an  experi- 
enced man  about  town  to  say  off-hand  whether 
they  were  hospitals,  police  stations  or  insur- 
ance headquarters.  The  Montauk  Club  house 
cost,  including  site,  $202,680,  while  its  fur- 
nishings and  fittings  involved  a  further  outlay 


of  about  $30,000.  It  was  opeiied  foT  the  use  of 
members  in  May,  1891,  the  club  at  that  time 
having  been  some  two  years  in  existence.  The 
limit  of  membership — 500 — has  long  been 
reached  and  is  easily  maintained — a  long  wait- 
ing list  being  one  of  the  features  of  the  story 
of  the  club.  Its  management  is  of  the  most 
generous  order,  its  appointments  throughout 
are  of  the  most  perfect  description  and  every- 
thing it  does,  every  hospitality  it  extends,  is 
characterized  by  lavishness,  but  at  the  same 
time  everything  that  savors  of  what  might  be 
called  the  mere  ostentation  of  wealth — the  bar- 
barity of  richness — is  strictly  tabooed.  It  is  a 
.progressive  and  thoroughly  representative  or- 
ganization of  Brooklyn's  most  prominent  citi- 
zens, and  has  thoroughly  deserved  the  almost 
national  degree  of  importance  it  has  achieved 
during  the  comparatively  brief  period  of  its 
existence. 

Its  officers  are:  President,  William  H. 
Henry;  treasurer,  T.  Plunkett;  and  secretary, 
J.  Meyers. 

Among  the  other  leading  social  clubs  are 
the  following: 

Aldine  Association — iii  Fifth  avenue,  or- 
ganized 1889.  500  members.  H.  B.  Domin- 
ick,  president;  C.  L.  Patton,  secretary,  43 
East  Tenth  street. 

Brooklyn  Barnard  Club — 132  Remsen 
street.  Organized  1896.  350  members.  Hon. 
John  A.  Taylor,  chairman ;  Mrs.  Thomas  R. 
French,  secretary,  150  Joralemon  street. 

Brooklyn  Schnorrer — 237  Johnson  avenue. 
Organized  1886.  50  members  (limited). 
William  Herthe,  president;  Henry  Bauer,  sec- 
retary, 46  Bartlett  street. 

Bushwick  Club — Bushwick  avenue  and 
Hart  street.  Organized  1890.  400  members. 
Charles  Graham,  president;  Louis  Burger, 
secretary,  465  Pulaski  street;  William  Batter-, 
man,  treasurer. 

Carleton  Club — Sixth  avenue,  corner  St. 
Marks.  Organized  1881.  141  members.  B. 
J.  York,  president;  Henry  Bodevin,  secretary, 
426  First  street. 

Church  Club  of  the  Diocese  of  Long  Isl- 
and.— 2-4  Clinton  street;  Brookl)^!.  Organ- 
ized 1894.  375  members.  Francis  H.  Miller, 
president ;  Sutherland  R.  Haxtun,  secretary. 


THE    SOCIAL  WORLD    OF    LONG   ISLAND. 


687 


Cortelyou — Bedford,  near  Newkirk  ave- 
nue. Organized  1896.  275  members.  Will- 
iam H.  Hooper,  president;  C.  A.  Bahn,  sec- 
retary, 199  East  28th  street,  Flatbush.  Has 
athletic  and  cycle  clubs  and  Dramatic  Society. 

Crescent — 25-29  Clinton  street.  Country 
house,  Shore  road  and  83d  street,  Bay  Ridge. 
1,700  members.  William  H.  Ford,  president; 
A.  Wallace  Higgins,  secretary,  99  Cedar 
street,  Manhattan;  Henry  L.  Langhaar,  treas- 
urer. 

Dyker  Heights  Club — 86th  street  and  13th 
avenue.  Organized  1898.  100  members.  The- 
odore H.  Bailey,  president;  Karl  B.  Sack- 
mann,  secretary;  Chas.  A.  Sea.ver,  treasurer. 

Eastern  District  Citizens'  Association — 
Organized  1899.  200  memibers.  John  Feier- 
abend,  president ;  Nicholas  Bonnlander,  sec- 
retary, 1477  DeKalb  avenue;  annual  election, 
April. 

Excelsior — Clinton  and  Livingston  streets. 
Organized  1854.  100  members.  George  W. 
Chauncey,  president;  J.  A.  Ayres,  treasurer; 
William  De  Vigne,  secretary,  72  South  El- 
liott place. 

Farmers' — 603  Grand  street.  Organized 
1883.  100  members.  John  J.  Jennings,  presi- 
dent; F.  Dahlbender,  treasurer;  Anton  Dahl- 
bender,  secretary. 

Germania  Social  Club — Schermerhorn 
street.  Organized  i860.  250  members.  Dr. 
R.  Schmeltzer,  president,  206  Lincoln  place; 
A.  Buchner,  secretary,  32  7th  avenue. 

Homard  Club — Organized  1899.  .  100 
members.  Club  house,  6th  avenue  and  9th 
street.  N.  Heyman,  president ;  C.  Henry,  sec- 
retary, 375  9th  street. 

Home  of  the  City  of  Brooklyn — 654  Grand 
street.  Organized  1889.  100  members.  R. 
C.  Knipe,  president;  A.  D.  Canty,  treasurer; 
A.  J.  Shefers,  secretary. 

Keramos  Club — Manhattan  avenue  and 
Milton  street.  100  members  (limited). 
George  R.  McLaughlin,  president,  82  Norman 
avenue;  Miss  A.  Gorman,  secretary. 

Knickerbocker  Field  Club — Tennis  Court 
and  East  i8th  street.  Organized  1891.  225 
members.  Walter  Moore,  president ;  C.  F. 
Bond,  treasurer;  H.  R.  Ham,  secretary. 

Lexington  Social  Club — 225  Lewis  avenue. 
Edward  J.  Farrell,  president ;  James  J.  Eagan, 
secretary,  771  Gates  avenue;  James  Mulvenan, 
treasurer. 

Lincoln  Social  Club — 405  Bridge  street. 
Organized  1895.  50  members.  M.  E.  Walker, 
president;  J.  J.  Bavenizer,  secretary,  93  Cler- 
mont avenue;  L.  W.  Herald,  treasurer. 


Metropolitan — 174  Prince  street.  Organ- 
ized 1896.  90  members.  H.  A.  Williamson, 
president;  A.  H.  Ferguson,  secretary,  569 
Union  street. 

Midwood — Flatbush,  near  Caton  avenue. 
145  members.  William  A.  A.  Brown,  presi- 
dent; W.  Joel  Moran,  treasurer;  R.  G.  New- 
begin,  secretary,  147  Midwood  street. 

Millard  Club — 335  Hoyt  street.  Organized 
1895.  no  members.  Andrew  I.  Cunan,  pres- 
ident ;  David  A.  Whamond,  corresponding  sec- 
retary, 31  Douglass  street;  Ed.  A.  Cantwell, 
treasurer. 

Nonpareil — Henry  Perera,  president;  Mat- 
thew Ryan,  treasurer;  Thomas  Ryan,  secre- 
tary. 

Original  Fourteen  Club — 7  Myrtle  avenue. 
Organized  1890.  617  members.  Robert  T. 
Brown,  president;  William  Grady,  secretary, 
249  Jay  street;  Thomas  Donlon,  treasurer. 

Oxford — Lafayette  avenue,  corner  South 
Oxford  street.  Incorporated  1880.  300  mem- 
bers. F.  Joseph  Vernon,  president;  Charles 
Martin  Camp,  secretary,  109  Lafayette  avenue ; 
Frederick  Worth,  treasurer. 

Prospect  Club — Prospect  Heights.  Or- 
ganized 1897.  42  members.  Mrs.  Margaret 
E.  Bretz,  president ;  Miss  J.  A.  Jordan,  record^ 
ing  secretary,  873  Union  street. 

Ridge — 2d  avenue  and  72d  street.  Organ- 
ized 1893.  95  members.  Frederick  C.  Cocheu, 
president;  Frank  F.  Koehler,  secretary,  270 
53d  street. 

Saratoga  Social  Club — 2042  Fulton  street. 
Organized  1895.  155  members.  William 
Chambers,  president ;  Claus  Kuck,  treasurer ; 
Dennis  Haggerty,  secretary,  1098  Herkimer 
street. 

St.  Patrick  Society  of  Brooklyn — 4  and  5 
Court  square.  Organized  1850.  230  mem- 
bers. William  J.  Carr,  president;  Daniel 
Kelly,  secretary ;  John  T.  Breen,  treasurer,  379 
State  street. 

Shinnecock  Club — ^High  and  Bridge  streets. 
Organized  in  1900.  102  members.  John  T. 
Hayes,  President;  M.  J.  Burke,  treasurer; 
Charles  J.  Hayes,  secretary,  155  Bnidge  street. 

Trinity  Club — Hall  Memorial  House.  Or- 
ganized 1897.  no  members.  A.  M.  Griffith, 
president,  72  Hoyt  street ;  A.  R.  Davison, 
treasurer;  D.  Hughes,  secretary,  61  Canton 
street. 

Twelfth  Ward  Home  Club — 420  Van 
Brunt  street.  Organized  1898.  100  members. 
Daniel  J.  Lynch,  president ;  August  H.  Guthes, 
treasurer;  Claus  H.  Luhrrsen,  secretary,  424 
\'an  Brunt  street. 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Unity — 482  Franklin  avenue.  Organized 
1896.  160  members.  Moses  J.  Harris,  pres- 
ident; Joseph  Manne,  secretary,  482  Franklin 
avenue;  Ferdinand  Seligman,  treasurer. 

Washington  Club — 172  Prospect  place. 
Organized  1898.  350  members.  Thomas  R. 
Farrell,  president;  Marriott  T.  Dowden,  sec- 
retary, 837  Bergen  street. 

The  sporting  clubs  of  Long  Island  form 
even  a  more  conspicuous  feature  of  its  pleasure 
circles  than  even  the  social  organizations. 
From  the  beginning  of  its  history,  almost, 
Long  Island  has  been  regarded  as  a  sort  of 
sportsman's  paradise  and  we  have  seen  hov\^ 
the  early  English  goivernoTs  encouraged  horse- 
racing  on  Hempstead  plains.  There  doubtless 
was  a  variety  of  sporting  clubs  on  Long  Island 
in  earlier  times,  for  sportsmen  are  sociable  be- 
ings and  half  the  pleasure  of  sport  is  the  gath- 
ering aroundi  the  evening  campfire  and  the 
swapping  of  wondrous  stories  of  adventure, 
escape,  and  the  weight  of  fish,  the  length  of 
antlers  or  the  size  of  a  bag.  But  sportsmen  do 
not — or  rather  did  not — keep  written  records, 
and  there  is  very  little  reliable  information  in 
existence  conoerning  the  doings  of  these  early 
associations  of  sportsmen.  There  was,  how- 
ever, one  great  difiference  between  them  and 
the  present  generation.  The  fashion  used  to 
be  to  kill  indiscriminately  and  without  any  re- 
gard to  the  laws '  for  the  protection  of  the 
game ;  rather  in  open  defiance  of  them ;  and  a 
hunter  who  went  forth  with  a  gun  banged 
away  at  every  animal  he  saw  and  his  prowess 
was  measured  by  the  number  of  animals  he 
sent  to  their  death.  Nowadays  there  are  no 
better  assistants  to  the  game  wardens  than 
the  members  of  the  various  sporting  clubs,  and 
indeed  it  has  been  said,  and  said  with  truth, 
that  the  preservation  of  game  on  Long  Island 
is  due  more  to  the  protection  afforded  by  the 
wide  domains  of  many  of  the  sportsmen's  or- 
ganizations and  to  the  intelligent  appreciation 
of  the  necessity  of  close  seasons  and  a  rigid 
application  of  the  laws. 

The  first  of  the  sporting  clubs  of  which  we 
have  any  precise  record  was  the  Long  Island 


Shooting  Club.  Of  that  organizatioin  andi  sev- 
eral other  early  ones  Mr.  Abel  Crook,  presi- 
dent of  the  Fountain  Gun  Club,  wrote  as  fol- 
lows: 

The  Long  Island  Shooting  Club  was  the 
pioneer  organization  of  the  gun  clubs  of  this 
country.  Originally  it  was  simply  an  associa- 
tion of  gentlemen  who  had  enjoyed  trap  shoot- 
ing in  England,  their  mother  country,  and 
wished  to  perpetuate  a  pastime  which  fur- 
■  nished  them"  the  practice  of  wing  shooting  at 
comparatively  _  small  expenditure  of  time  and 
money. 

It  was  in  existence  prior  to  1842.  Robert 
Carter  was  its  secretary  as  early  as  1847,  when 
its  roll  consisted  of  about  25  members,  includ- 
ing such  "old  time  sportsmen"  as  Harry  Rus- 
sell, Samuel  Parker,  John  Thompson,  John 
Maitland,  Frank  Palmer,  Humphrey  Harts- 
horn and  Robert  Robinson.  Their  place  of 
meeting  was  "The  Woodcock,"  then  kept  by 
Harry  Russell  and'  afterwards  by  Palmer,  in 
Adams  street,  near  Willoughby,  on  about  the 
site  of  the  present  iron  works  of  Howell  & 
Saxtan.  All  business  meetings  were  at  the  call 
(»f  the  president,  and  were  held  about  three  or 
four  times  a. year,  to  arrange  for  a  trap  shoot 
which  depended  upon  the  possibility  of  obtain- 
ing a  sufficient  supply  of  wild  pigeons,  which 
were  generally  used  for  that  purpose.  They 
had  no  regular  club  ground  but  held  contests 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  old  Oil  Cloth  factory, 
near  the  present  Sackett  street  boulevard, 
which  was  then  in  commons,  and  also  at  Sut- 
ton's Pro'spect  Hill  Hotel,  then  known  as  "Sam 
Vunk's,"  and  located  on  about  the  site  of  the 
Distributing  Reservoir,  at  the  entrance  to 
Prospect  Park.  The  novelty  of  these  "shoots" 
attracted  such  a  crowd  of  spectators  that  the 
members  ceased  to  hold  them  in  the  old  places, 
and  adopted  the  system  of  chartering  a  tug- 
boat and  sailing  to  some  of  the  islands  near 
the  city,  where  they  could  enjoy  themselves 
without  interruption. 

Their  last  excursion  of  this  character  was- 
to  Riker's  Island,  in  1850,  when  700  birds  were- 


THE    SOCIAL   WORLD    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


689 


killed.  At  that  time  no  regular  trap  rules  had 
been  adopted,  except  such  as  had  been  in  vogue 
in  England  for  at  least  a  century.  One  ground 
trap  only  was  used,  which  the  club  imported 
from  England. 

All  disputes  were  settled  by  submission  to 
Bell's  Life,  and  frequently  large  sums  were 
wagered  on  the  result  of  the  decision,  which 
would  remain  tmdetermined  pending  the  six 
weeks'  delay  necessary  to  receipt  of  the  paper 
from  London  containing  the  "answer.''  The 
amount  of  shot  allowed  was  one  and  a  half 
ounce.  Soon  after  the  Riker's  Island  meeting 
the  club  moved  its  headquarters  to  the  tavern 
corner  of  Main  and  York  streets,  kept  by  Rus- 
sell &  Stainsby,  and  still  later  it  followed  Harry 
Russell  to  his  place,  then  in  Fulton  street, 
about  opposiite  York  street.  In  1855  the  club 
was  reorganized  and  its  membership  was  lim- 
ited to  24  members,  anid  applicants  for  mem- 
bership were  required  to  await  a  vacancy. 

About  1868  a  further  reorganization  was 
effected,  and  the  limit  of  membership  in- 
creased to  fifty,  and,  for  the  first  time,  a  formal 
constitution  and  by-laws  and  shootinig  rules 
were  adopted.  Its  officers,  then  elected,  were : 
William  M.  Parks,  president;  Robert  Robin- 
son, first  vice-president ;  Charles  W.  Rod  nan, 
second  vice-president;  Captain  Sealy,  treas- 
urer; J.  Foulke,  Jr.,  secretary.  Its  executive 
committee  were :  Frank  H.  Palmer,  Benja- 
min L.  DeForest,  Robert  Robinson,  Dr.  S.  W. 
Bridges  and  George  S.  Lanphear. 

Shooting  grounds  were  selected  at  John  I. 
Snediker's,  on  the  old'  Jamaica  plank  road. 
The  club  then  included  among  its  members 
Benjamin  W.  West,  George  Lorillard,  How- 
ard Jaffray,  and  many  other  men  of  means  and 
sporting  tastes,  who  united  in  rendering  each 
meeting  at  the  trap  peculiarly  festive. 

A  dinner  on  the  grouijds  was  a  feature  of 
those  days,  and  was  served  frequently  at  the 
expense  of  the  losing  team  of  those  selected  at 
the  commencement  of  the  contest.  In  1874 
another  reorganization  was  had.  Again,  in 
1876,  an  ineffectual  attempt  was  made  to  in- 
44 


corporate  the  club  under  the  club  act  of  1875. 
A  certificate  was  filed  in  Queens  county,' which 
stated  its  object  to  be  "the  enforcement  of  all 
laws  and  ordinances  against  the  killing  and 
sale  of  game  out  of  season  and  the  encourage- 
ment of  a  genuine  sportsmanlike  spirit  among 
its  members."  The  limit  of  membership  was 
removed,  but  a  unanimous  vote  was  required 
to  elect  a  member. 

Finally,  on  June  3,  1876,  the  club  filed  with 
the  Secretary  of  State  a  copy  .of  a  further  cer- 
tificate of  incorporation,  which  had  been  filed 
in  Kings  County  Clerk's  office  on  May  24, 
1876,  and  the  incorporation  became  complete. 
This  final  certificate  states  as  the  "object"  of 
the  organization,  "Protection  and  preservation 
of  game  and  the  shooting  of  pigeons,  from 
traps ;  to  practice  and  improve  in  the  use  of  the 
gun  in  shooting  birds  on  the  wing,  for  which 
suitable  grounds  have  been  provided  in  the 
county  of  Queens." 

The  number  of  the  directors  was  certified 
to  be  seven,  "who,  with  the  president,  vice- 
president,  secretary  and  treasurer,  shall  form 
an  executive  committee."  It  has  about  50  mem- 
bers. Officers:  Theodore  Linington,  presi- 
dent ;  John  Akhurst,  vice-president ;  John  H. 
Chasmar,  secretary;  Robert  Robinson,  treas- 
urer. 

The  Phoenix  Gun  Club,  as  its  name  denotes, 
sprung  from  the  ashes  of  its  original  associa- 
tion, the  Blue  Rock  Pigeon  Club,  which  was- 
organized  February  4,  1866. 

The  "Blue  Rock"  founders  were:  A.  HT. 
Glahn,  Adam  Glahn,  M.  McMahon,  Owen 
Larkin,  Austin  Apple3'ard,  Samuel  McGaw 
and  John  H.  Chasmar.  Its  first  meeting  was 
at  the  residence  of  A.  H.  Glahn,  Flushing  ave- 
nue, near  Classon  avenue,  Brooklyn ;  but 
subsequently  the  meetings  were  at  the 
residence  of  Austin  Appleyard,  at  the  cor- 
ner of  High  and  Bridge  streets.  It  was 
limited  to  fourteen  members.  The  officers 
were  held  peculiarly  to  the  performance  of 
their  duties  by  the  imposition  of  a  fine  of  one 
dollar  for  any  neglect.     Non-attendance  at  a 


690 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


business  meeting  subjected  a  member  to  a  fine 
of  twenty-five  cents ;  and  if  not  present  at  roll 
call,  ten  cents  was  imposed  as  a  penalty.  Pro- 
fanity and  personalities  were  especially  ab- 
horred and  payment  of  fifty  cents  for  such  in- 
dulgence was  exacted.  The  trap  contests  were 
monthly,  and  the  trophy  for  the  winner  was  a 
sterling  silver  cup,  thirteen  inches  in  height, 
in  a  glass  case ;  which  was  retained  until  won 
by  some  other  member  at  a  subsequent  contest. 

In  May,  1871,  the  "Blue  Rocks"  dissolved, 
leaving  the  cup  with  its  then  holder,  Austin 
Appleyard.  Oni  June  7,  1872,  it  was  reorgan- 
ized under  its  present  name  at  a  meeting  in 
the  "Abbey,"  on  Fulton  street,  nearly  opposite 
Flatbush  avenue,  with  Austin  Appleyard,  Ed- 
ward H.  Madison,  Warren  Birdseye,  John  H. 
Chasmar,  Daniel  McGaw  and  John  Akhurst  as 
its  members.     Its  limit  of  membership  is  ten. 

The  rigid  official  and  individual  discipline 
has  been  retained.  Each  member  contributes 
$1.50  monthly  until  a  sufficient  sum>  has  been 
received  to  provide  the  birds  necessary  for  a 
shooting  contest  and  foi-  refreshments  upon  the 
ground.  About  four  "shoots"  are  held  each 
year.  All  shooting  is  by  teams  of  equal  num- 
bers, one  side  being  captained  by  the  president 
and  the  other  by  the  vice-president ;  the  shoot- 
ers being  selected  by  lot  and  all  being  experts. 
Each  contestant  shoots  at  fifteen  birds.  Some- 
times a  single  trap,  with  use  of  one  barrel  of 
the  gun,  is  provided,  but  usually  the  contest  is 
with  five  traps  and  both  barrels  may  be  used. 
The  losing  side  furnishes  a  supper  for  the 
participants  upon  the  close  of  the  day's  sport. 
The  club  gold  badge  is  awarded  to  the  indi- 
vidual making  the  best  score  of  the  day ;  but 
is  returnable  to  the  club  at  the  next  contest. 
The  conservative  but  social  character  thus 
maintained  has  rendered  membership  so  de- 
sirable that  vacancies  seldom  occur.  Its  pres- 
ent officers  and  members  are  :  Samusl  ■  Mc- 
Gaw, president;  Reuben  Midmer,  vice-presi- 
dent; John  H.  Chasmar,  secretary;  John  Ak- 
hurst, treasurer;  William  Baulsir,  James 
Smith,  Moses  Chichester,  D.  H.  Freligh, 
George  Jamer,  Austin  Appleyard. 


The  Brooklyn  Gun  Club. — This  voluntary 
organization  dates  from  July  24,  1872,  and 
was  reorganized  July  31,  1877.  As  a  pigeon- 
shooting  club  it  has  had  on  its  roster  the  names 
of  many  wellrknown  citizens  of  the  city  whose 
namie  it  bears.  Gradually  its  members  have 
deserted  the  rallies  and  sought  enrollment  in 
more  active  bodies.  At  one  time,  some  years 
since,  it  secured  a  victory  over  the  Riverton 
Gun  Club,  then  known  as  the  Social  Gun  and 
Rifle  Club  o-f  Philadelphia.  Its  policy  has 
been  exceedingly  conservative. 

At  its  annual  meeting,  in  January,  1884, 
■it  was  decided  that  the  club  should  devote  its 
energies  and  fund^  to  stocking  with  quail  cer- 
tain farms  in  the  vicinity  of  Smithtown,  Long 
Island,  for  the  purpose  of  affording  its  mem- 
bers facilities  for  field  sports,  and  that  trap 
shooting  should  be  abandoned  by  it.  Last  year 
the  club  tried  the  experiment  of  re'-stocking, 
with  gratifying  results.  .  Its  membership  is 
about  twenty-five.  Its  officers  are:  Henry  F. 
Aten,  president;  John  L.  Logan,  vice-presi- 
dent; John  E.  McEwen,  secretary;  Isaac  C. 
Monroe,  treasurer. 

The  Fountain  Gun  Club  has  appropriately 
been  styled  the  "banner  club."  It  was  the 
creation  of  necessity.  Prior  to  1876  member- 
ship of  gun  clubs  was  practically  limited  to 
expert  manipulators  of  fowling  pieces ;  and 
trap  shooting  was  confined  chiefly  to  sweep- 
stakes or  contests  for  cups,  which  represented 
the  aggregate  amounts  paid  by  the  comtestants 
as  entrance  money.  Skillful  shots  formed 
"combinations,"  whereby  they  agreed  to  di- 
vide winnings  and  share  expenses.  Novices 
soon  became  discouraged. 

In  May,  1876,  a  few  of  these  tyros  met  at 
"Brown's,"  on  the  old  Coney  Island  road,  and 
inaugurated'  a  shoot  in  an  adijoining  potato 
patch.  The  surroundings  were  "truly  rooral." 
Refreshments  were  at  hand  on  a  table,  com- 
posed of  a  board  supported  by  two  barrels. 
One  ground  trap  was  provided,  and  as  each 
participant  "toed  the  mark,"  the  others  formed 
a  line  beside  him  and  the  luckless  bird  became 
the  target  for  their  united  efforts.     If  killed, 


THE    SOCIAL  WORLD    OF    LONG   ISLAND. 


691 


it  was  scored  to  the  shooter  who  had  been 
called  to  the  front.  Many  "goose  eggs"  ap- 
pear on  these  original  records. 

Soon  those  pastimes  occurred  at  regular  inr 
tervals  oi  one  month  and  the  "lunch"  gave  way 
to  a  regular  dinner  which  each  member  at- 
tended; and  toasts  and  responses,  having  spe- 
cial reference  to  the  incident  of  the  day,  were 
intermingled  with  songs  and  chorus.  Under 
such  fostering  influences  the  members  became 
closely  united,  and  an  esprit,  du  corps  prevailed 
to  an  extent  far  greater  than  in  any  of  the 
rival  clubs.  Members  of  the  older  organiza- 
tions applied  for  admission  to  the  young  so- 
ciety; and,  having  outgrown  its  swaddling 
clothes,  it  was  incorporated  May  lo,  1877. 
Its  objects  are  specified  in  the  articles  of  incor- 
poration to  be  as  follows :  "The  particular 
business  and  object  of  such  society  shall  be  the 
enforcement  of  all  laws  and  ordinances  against 
killing  and  sale  of  game  out  of  season;  the 
prevention  of  unlawful  and  inhumane  destruc- 
tion of  game;  the  improvement  in  the  use  of 
the  gun  and  the  fostering  of  a  genuine  social 
and  sportsmanlike  spirit  among  its  members." 

The  leading  sporting  associations  of  the 
present  day,  on  Long  Island,  include : 

Rockaway  Point  Rod  and  Gun  (The 
Cuckoos) — Shooting  grounds,  Rockaway 
Park,  Rockaway  Beach,  Long  Island.  Mem- 
bership limited  to  12.  C.  Glier,  president;  J. 
Fleming,  vtice-president ;  Edw.  F.  Bourke, 
treasurer;  E.  J.  Meyer,  secretary,  257  Flat- 
bush  avenue,  Brooklyn. 

Steinway  Gun — 911  Steinway  avenue, 
Long  Island  City.  Organized  1890.  10  mem- 
bers. Jacob  Schumann,  captain;  Charles 
Knueppel,  secretary,  911  Steinway  avenue. 

RICHMOND. 

Lehner's  Rifle  Club — 02  Canal  street,  Sta- 
pleton,  Staten  Island.  Organized  1889.  13 
members.  F.  Winsch,  president ;  August  Mey- 
er, treasurer ;  Carl  Seidel,  secretary. 

West  New  Brighton  Rifle  Club — Broadway 
and  Cary  avenue.  Organized  1897.  15  mem- 
bers.    John  F.  Smith,  president;    Jacob    F. 


Seeger,  treasurer;  Robert  R.  Westbrook,  sec- 
retary, II  South  street.  West  New  Brighton, 
Staten  Island. 

QUEENS. 

College  Point  Schuetzen  Company — Col- 
lege Point.  Organized  1884.  24  members. 
William  Frese,  president;  Emil  Vouarb,  secre- 
tary, College  Point. 

Bay  Shore  Gun — Bay  Shore,  Long  Island. 
Organized  1892.  20  members  (limited). 
Grounds  ebctend  from  Bay  Shore  to  Islip. 
Stocked  with  quail.  John  H.  Vail,  president; 
J.  R.  Howell,  secretary  and  treasurer.  Bay 
Shore,  Long  Island. 

Bellport  Gun — Bellport,  Long  Island.  In- 
corporated April,  1895.  Dr.  H.  A.  Mandeville, 
president;  Alfred  Wagstaflf,  secretary,  27-29 
Madison  avenue,  Manhattan. 

Brooklyn,  E.  D.,  Fishiing  Club — ^260  Hum- 
boldt street.  Organized  1885.  25  members. 
r^Ieets  first  Saturday.  G.  Gillen,  president;  H. 
Bachmann,   secretary,   637   Bushwick  avenue. 

Carman's  River — Brookhaven,  Long  Isl- 
and. Peter  B.  Acker,  pre^sident ;  Henry  C. 
Wilson,  treasurer ;  Alfred  Wagstaff,  secretary, 
27-29  Madison  avenue,  Manhattan. 

Carteret  Gun  Club — Garden  City,  Long  Isl- 
and. Organized  1883.  100  members  (limited). 
Henry  A.  Gildersleeve,  president ;  Walter  H. 
Mead,  secretary-treasurer,  67  Wall  street, 
iManhattan. 

Cedar  Island — Cedar  Island,  near  Baby- 
lon, Long  Island.  Organized.  1892.  Stephen 
C.  Duryea,  president ;  Carll  S.  Duryea,  secre- 
tary, Babylon,  Long  Island. 

Coram  Gun  Club — Coram,  Long  Island. 
Organized  1897.  16  members.  T.  J.  Smith, 
president;  A.  S.  Pittit,  secretary.  Fairground, 
Long  Island. 

Flushing  Fishing — Anchorage,  Hicks 
Beach,  Flushing,  Long  Island.  Organized 
1896.  75  members.  J.  B.  Schmelzel,  presi- 
dent; George  W.  Pople,  secretary,  183  Lincoln 
street,  Flushing.    Annual  election,  March. 

Four  Jacks  Fishing  Club — Rockaway 
Beach.  C~)rganized  1896.  150  members.  R. 
H.  Sherman,  president;  Max  Berger,  treas- 
urer; Charles  Watson,  secretary,  1198  Myrtle 
avenue,  Brooklyn. 

Freeport  Gun — Freeport,  Long  Island. 
Organized  1892.  37  members.  T.  D.  Carman, 
president ;  E.  A.  Dorlon,  secretary. 

Gilbert  Rod  and  Gun  Club  of  Brooklyn- 
Club  House,  Amityville,  Long  Island.  Organ- 


692 


HISTORY,    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


dzed  1894.  30  members.  J.  G.  Tuthill,  presi- 
dent ;  George  W.  Barnard,  secretary,  63  Leon- 
ard street,  Manhattan;  W.  K.  Gilbert,  treas- 
urer. 

Huntington  Gun  Club — Huntington,  Long 
Island.  Organized  1899.  30  -members.  Doug- 
lass Conklin,  president;  Lewis  B.  Smith,  sec- 
retary.    First  and  third  Tuesdays. 

Glenwood  Fishing — Hempstead  Harbor, 
Long  Island.  Organized  1882.  20  members. 
G.  H.  K.  White,  president;  F.  A.  Brockway, 
secretary,  167  Willoughby  avenue,  Brooklyn; 
Russell  Wheeler,  treasurer. 

Lexington  Fishing  Club — Goose  Creek,  Ja- 
maica Bay.  Organized  1891.  12  members. 
J.  E.  McElroy,  president;  A.  McElroy,  treas- 
urer; G.  V.  Beckwith,  secretary,  Belmont  av- 
enue, near  Crystal  street,  Brooklyn. 

Long  Island  Meadow  Club — 19  West  30th 
street,  Manhattan.  50  members.  Dr.  Edward 
Bradley,  president ;  Burton  Loomis,  treasurer ; 
Charles  B.  Bradford,  secretary,  Richmond  Hill, 
Long  Island. 

Meadow  Brook  Hunt  Club — Westbury, 
Long  Island.  Organized  1881.  100  members. 
William  Jay,  president ;  Egerton  L.  Winthrop, 
Jr.,  secretary  and  treasurer,  48  Wall  street. 

Medicus  Rod  and  Gun  Club — ^Headquar- 
ters, Interstate  Park.  Incorporated  1900.  50 
members.  Dr.  A.  A.  Webber,  president ;  Dr. 
C.  E.  Kemble,  secretary,  905  Myrtle  avenue, 
Brooklyn.     Annual  election,  April. 

Oceanic  Rod  and  Gun  Club — Rockaway 
Park,  Rockaway  Beach.  Shoots  clay  birds 
October  to  April.  L.  H.  Shortemeier,  presi- 
dent; J.  H.  W.  Flemiing,  secretary  and  treas- 
urer, 19  East  28th  street,  Manhattan. 

Old  Farmers'  Light  Guard  of  Queens, 
Long  Island — Organized  1877.  30  members. 
J.  Krumenaecker,  president;  H.  A.  Herrmann, 
treasurer ;  Jacob  Jacobs,  secretary,  Elmont, 
Long  Island. 

Olympic — Bay  Shore,  Long  Island.  Or- 
ganized 1840.  50  members.  James  Kemp- 
ster,  president ;  James  F.  Wenman,  secretary, 
12  Old  Slip,  Manhattan ;  James  J.  McKenna, 
treasurer. 

Pastime  Fishing  Club — Brooklyn.  Tim- 
othy J.  Dady,  president ;  Peter  Toy,  secretary ; 
William  D.  Watson,  treasurer. 

Patchogue  Gun  Club — Patchogue,  Long 
Island.  Organized  1898.  32  members.  A. 
H.  Carman,  president ;  Warren  U.  Weeks,  sec- 
retary. 

Prospect  Gun — Meadow  Island,  Jones'  In- 
let, Freeport,  Long  Island.    Incorporated  1882. 


35  members.  Meetings  at  518  Fulton  street,. 
Brooklyn.  W.  J.  La  Roche,  president;  Charles 
E.  Hill,  secretary,  141  Broadway,  Manhattan.. 

Rassapreague — Smithtown,  Long  Island. 
Organ/ized  1894.  Has  club  house  and  over 
100  acres  on  Nissequogue  river  stocked  with 
game.  Limited  to  8  members.  H.  L.  Terrell, 
secretary,  749  5th  avenue,  Manhattan.  G.  B. 
Schley,  treasurer. 

Richmond  Borough  Gun  Club — Dubois 
Heights,  Staten  Island.  Organized  November, 
1898.  17  members.  William  H.  Allen,  presi- 
dent; William  J.  Alston,  secretary.  Box  15, 
Castleton  Corners,  Staten  Island. 

Ridgewood  Gun  Club — Ridgewood  Park, 
Long  Island.  Organized  1889.  25  members. 
Quaz  Martin,  president;  A.  Newburger,  sec- 
retary, 1235  Hancock  street,  Brooklyn. 

Riverhead  Rifle  Club — Riverhead,  Long 
Island.  Organized  1899.  25  members.  S. 
Terry  Hudson,  President;  William  F.  Flana- 
gan, secretary  treasurer. 

Robins  Island — Peconic  Bay,  Long  Island. 
Organized  and  incorporated  1881.  Owns  Rob- 
ins Island,  buildings  and  wharves.  Annual' 
meeting  in  February.  Eugene  A.  Hoffman, 
president;  W.  H.  Force,  secretary,  78  Front 
street,  Manhattan. 

Rockaway  Beach  Schuetzen  Corps — Or- 
ganized 1893.  50  members.  George  Gross, 
captain ;  George  Griepenkerl,  secretary. 

Rockaway     Hunting — ^Cedarhurst,     Long 
Island.    Organiized  1882.     160  members.    An- 
nual  meeting   in    March.      George    C.    Rand,, 
president;   Newbold   T.   Lawrence,   secretary, 
51  Liberty  street,  Manhattan. 

Rod  and  Gun  Club  (The) — Hempstead, 
Long  Island.  Organized  1898.  15  members. 
W.  K..  Bedell,  president ;  George  H.  Baukney, 
secretary. 

Southampton  Sportsmen — Southampton, 
Long  Island.  Organized  1879.  E.  H.  Moeran, 
president;  Charles  H.  Coster,  secretary  and 
treasurer,  27  West  19th  street,  Manhattan. 

Southside  Sportsman's — ^Oakdale,  Long 
Island.  Organized  1866.  Membership  100. 
Annual  meeting  in  March.  George  P.  Slade, 
president ;  F.  L.  Hall,  secretary. 

Stereo  Fishing — Canarsie,  Brooklyn.  Or- 
ganized 1883.  26  members.  A.  H.  Mahr, 
president;  W.  J.  Hilton,  secretary  and  treas- 
urer, 435;  2d  avenue,  Brooklyn. 

Wa  Wa  Yanda  Fishing  Club — Cap  Tree 
Island.  Great  South  Bay.  Organized  May  13, 
1878.  7S  members.  Charles  A.  Stadler,  presi- 
dent ;  S.  Popper,  secretary,  260  West  93d- 
street,  Manhattan. 


THE    SOCIAL  WORLD    OF   LONG    ISLAND. 


698 


Wyandanch — Smithtown,  Long  Island. 
Organized  1872.  45  members.  Annual  meet- 
ing second  Tuesday  in  January.  John  L.  Hill, 
president;  G.  Walter,  secretary,  45  Maiden 
Lane,  Manhattan. 


It  may  vary  the  round  of  the  sporting  and 
country  clubs  by  referring  here  to  another 
class  of  organizations  which  promises  to  grow 
in  number  and  importance  as  time  passes  on 
and  history  adds,  ht  us  hope,  to-  the  honors, 
dignity  and  influence  of  these  United  States. 
We  refer  to  the  patriotic  and  commemorative 
organizations,  chief  of  which,  of  course,  in 
point  of  numbers,  is  the- Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  which  has  already  been  referred  to. 
Time  was  when  the  only  one  of  such  societies 
that  existed  was  that  of  the  Cincinnati,  organ- 
ized in  1783,  but  now  they  can  be  numbered 
by  the  score  and  run  all  the  way  from  organ- 
izations of  descendants  of  those  who  came 
over  in  the-  "Mayflower"  and  "Descendants  of 
Colonial  Governors"  to  the  "Society  of  the 
Puerto  Rican  Expedition."  Long  Island  has 
a  share  of  such  associations,  but  not,  it  seems 
to  us  anything  like  a  full  share.  There  is  the 
"Colonial  Daughters  of  the  Seventeenth  Cen- 
tury," of  which  Mrs.  H.  P.  Halsey  is  Presi- 
dent and  Miss  R.  I.  Halsey  is  Secretary,  and 
which  has  ninety  members,  all  of  whom  can 
trace  their  descent  for  at  least  two  centuries. 
"The  Society  of  Old  Brooklynites,"  which  has 
one  hundred  and  seventy  members,  has  Mr. 
Edward  W.  Cooper  as  its  President  and  C. 
L.  Young  as  its  Secretary.  It  has  accom- 
plished a  vast  amount  of  good  in  preserving 
the  memories  of  Brooklyn  of  long  ago,  and  its 
monthly  meetings  in  the  Hall  of  Records  are, 
as  a  general  rule,  well  attended;  the  "St. 
Nicholas  Society  of  Nassau  Island,"  of  which 
Mr.  Tunis  G.  Bergen  is  President  and  Mr. 
W.  T.  Lane,  Secretary,  has  a  membership  of 
some  300  and  lias  proved  a  most  vigorous 
and  useful  auxiliary  to  the  organizations 
whose  purpose  is  to  gather  and  preserve  the 
records  of  by-gone  days  in  Long  Island. 
Brooklyn    is    the    headquarters    for    the 


society  of  "Prison  Ship  Boys — Children  of  the 
American  Revolution,"  and  the  "Prison  Ship 
Martyr  Monument  Association  of  the  United 
States,"  both  of  which  refer,  of  course,  to 
the  martyrs  of  the  Wallabout.  It  is  also  the 
headquarters  of  the  "Patriotic  League  of  the 
Revolution,"  organized  in  1884  to  collect  relics 
of  the  great  conflict,  and  of  the  "Society  of 
Settlers  and  Defenders  of  America,"  estab- 
lished in  1899.  The  purpose  of  this  last  or- 
ganization is  "to  stimulate  historical  research, 
to  publish  patriotic  manuscripts,  to  locate  and 
protect  historic  sites,  to  collect  colonial  records, 
and  to  aid  in  the  erection  of  libraries, 
museums,  etc."  It  will  be  seen  from  this  that 
the  society  has  quite  an  extensive  field  of  oper- 
ations and  must  cover  in  its  work  almost  every 
corner  of  the  thirteen  original  states.  Its 
membership  is  confined  to  those  descended 
from  a  pioneer  settler,  a  colonial  resident  or  a 
Revolutionary  patriot.  Its  President-General 
is  Mr.  W.  L.  Carter  and  Mr.  G.  B.  Winthrop 
holds  the  office  of  Secretary. 

The  war  with  Spain,  in  Brooklyn  met 
with  as  unqualified  a  degree  of  moral  support 
as  did  the  war  for  the  Union,  but  somehow  it 
did  not  arouse  anything  like  the  same  excite- 
ment. Volunteering  was  brisk  while  it  lasted, 
and  Camp  Black  at  Hempstead  was  for  a  time 
one  of  the  military  depots  of  the  country,  giv- 
ing rise  in  Brooklyn,  often,  to  scenes  that  re- 
called the  Civil  War  days  to  the  memory  of 
the  old  residents.  Then,  too,  the  Navy  Yard 
was  the  center  of  particular  activity  and  as  the 
scene  of  the  building  of  "the  Maine,"  the 
vessel  whose  destruction  by  a  'hidden  torpedo 
in  Havana  Harbor  led  indirectly  to  the  con- 
flict, it  was  often  visited  by  curious  throngs. 
It  is  not  our  purpose  here  even  to  summarize 
the  events  of  that  conflict,  which  resulted  in 
Uncle  Sam  acquiring  new  lands  across  the  sea 
and  taking  on  his  honored  shoulders  new  re- 
sponsibilities and  cares,  but  it  may  be  said 
that  the  military  spirit  of  Brooklyn  showed 
itself,  during  its.  continuance,  to  be  as  potent  , 
as  when  "the  first  gun  fired  at  Fort  Sumter 
aroused  the  world,"  as  the  orators  used  to  put 


694 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


it.  The  record  won  by  the  Forty-seventh 
Regiment  in  Puerto  Rico,  and  indeed  all 
through  its  service,  was  in  every  way  credit- 
able to  its  own  history  and  to  the  good  name 
of  Brooklyn,  and  as  much  at  least  may  be  said 
of  Troop  C  and  the  Second  Signal  Corps. 
There  were,  it  must  be  admitted,  some  dis- 
agreeable incidents  in  connection  with  other 
commands,  but  these  arose  from  a  misunder- 
standing on  minor  points  rather  than  from  any 
desire  not  to  perform  the  duty  of  a  soldier. 
In  ithe  war  which  freed  Cuba  and  added 
Puerto  Rico  and  the  Philippines  to  the  terri- 
tory of  the  United  States,  Brooklyn  con- 
tributed her  full  share,  faithfully  and  loyally. 
In  view  of  this  it  seems  strange  that  Brook- 
lyn should  not  have  at  least  one  Spanish- 
'  American  War  commemorative  society,  but 
that  is  a  want  which  it  is  expected  will  ere 
long  be  supplied. 

It  is  hard  to  tell  how  many  clubs  the  bicycle 
gave  rise  to,  some  of  them  quite  fashionable 
in  their  reservations  and  restrictions,  but  the 
fad  has  somehow  passed  over  and  the  more 
expensive  automobile  has  displaced  interest  in 
the  humWe  and  ever  ready  wheel.  Boating 
clubs  flourish  on  Long  Island  so  numerously 
that  possibly  no  complete  record  of  them  has 
ever  been  made,  and  many  have  only  a  brief 
existence,  sometimes  lasting  only  over  a  single 
season.  Baseball  and  athletic  organizations 
likewise  are  a'plentv  in  every  township,  and 
their  records  are  a  part  of  the  local  story  that 
often  forms  a  leading  theme  for  village  gossip 
the  whole  year  round. 

One  class  of  associations  deserves  more 
particular  mention  because  of  the  good  they 
accomplish  in  promoting  social  and  family  life 
as  well  as  in  developing  in  a  pleasant  way  the 
resources  of  the  territory  in  which  they  are 
located.  That  is  the  class  known  as  country 
clubs,  a  class  that  is'  increasing  steadily  year 
after  year,  and  is  destined  to  continue  to  in- 
crease as  life  in  the  cities  becomes  more  strenu- 
ous, more  intense.  The  most  prominent  of 
these  organizations  within  our  scope  is  the 


Long  Island  Country  Club,  which  was  organ- 
ized in  1886.  It  owns  1,250  acres  of  land  at 
£astport  and  holds  an  additional  5,000  acres 
under  lease,  all  of  which  are  stocked  with  game 
and  rigidly  reserved.  It  has  an  ample  club 
house  and  cottages  for  the  use  of  its  members, 
and  year  out  and  year  in  really  performs  a 
work  that  not  only  is  attractive  to  its  own 
large  membership,  but  is  really  of  public  bene- 
fit by  preserving  intact  so  much  of  Long  Isl- 
and's old  hunting  grounds  and  keeping  them 
well  stocked)  in  spite  of  the  army  of  pot- 
hunters which  yearly  prowl  around  its  fences. 
Its  trout  ponds  are  generally  fully  stocked, 
and  altogether  membership  in  this  organiza- 
tion is,  as  a  New  York  merchant,  who  in  his 
early  days  had  been  "raised"  on  a  farm,  once 
expressed  it,  "one  of  the  delights  of  life."  Its 
officers  are:  Dr.  H.  G.  Preston,  President; 
Otto  Magnus,  Vice-President ;  Ward  Williams, 
Treasuer;  James  P.  Philip,  Secretary,  26 
Court  street,  Brooklyn. 


The  other  country  clubs  include : 

Lawrence  Club — Lawrence,  Nassau  county. 
Long  Island.  Organized  1892.  60  members. 
F.  B.  Lord,  president;  George  Hewlett,  sec- 
retary, loi  Wall  street,  Manhattan. 

Maidstone  —  Easthampton,  Long  Island, 
Everett  Herrick,  president;  Preston  B.  Spring, 
treasurer;  S.  T.  Skidmore,  secretary,  71  West 
50th  street,  Manhattan. 

Marine  and  Field — Bath  Beach,  Long  Isl- 
and. Organized  and  incorporated  1885.  An- 
nual meeting,  second  Tuesday  in  January. 
400  members.  William  H.  Garrison,  presi- 
dent; George  H.  Usher,  Jr.,  secretary,  253 
Broadway,  Manhattan. 

Meadow  Club,  of  Southampton — South- 
ampton, Long  Island.  Henry  E.  Howland, 
president ;  Edward  W.  Humphreys,  vice-presi- 
dent; Charles  R.  Henderson,  secretary;  Rob- 
ert Olyphant,  treasurer. 

Ocean  Country  Club  —  Far  Rockaway, 
Long  Island.  Organized  1900.  Limited  to  75 
members.  B.  J.  Einstein,  president;  S.  Bier, 
secretary;    C.    Scheurer,   treasurer. 

Quogue  Field  Country — Quogue,  Long 
Island.  Dr.  S.  F.  Morris,  president;  Orison 
B.  Smith,  59  Frankfort  street,  Manhattan,  sec- 
retary; Albert  Van  Wyck,  treasurer. 


THE    SOCIAL  WORLD    OF    LONG   ISLAND, 


695 


Royal  Arcanum  Outing  Club — Gravesend 
Beach.  Winter  quarters,  Saengerbund  Hall. 
Organized  1897.  125  members.  John  T. 
Ryan,  president ;  John  H.  Petersen,  secretary, 
291  Pearl  street,  Brooklyn. 

Smithtown  Outing  Club — St.  James,  Long- 
Island.  Organized  1896.  40  members.  P. 
H.  Butler,  president;  M.  Blydenburgh,  sec- 
retary, Smithtown  Branch. 

Westhampton  Country  —  Westhampton 
Beach,  Long  Island.  Organized  1890.  Aaron 
P.  Whitehead,  president:  Dr.  W.  B.  Clark, 
secretary,  50  East  31st  street  Manhattan. 

Akin  to  the  country  clubs  are  the  riding 
and  driving  clubs,  the  principal  of  which  are: 

Bay  Ridge  Drivers'  Club — C.  W.  Boberts, 
president;  J.  J.  Lynch,  secretary;  F.  Jacobus, 
treasurer. 

Brooklyn — Rides  Wednesday  evenings, 
Bedford  avenue,  corner  Atlantic.  Member- 
ship, 20.  A.  Wierl,  president ;  Ph.  Corell, 
vice-president ;  William  Bruorton,  secretary, 
394  Degraw  street ;  Charles  M.  Held,  treas- 
urer. 

Parkway  Driving  Club — Boulevard  and 
Kings  Highway.  Organized  1899.  300  mem- 
bers. Francis  D.  Creamer,  president ;  William 
C.  Allen,  secretary  and  treasurer,,  P.  O.  Box 
233,  Brooklyn. 

Pleasure  Drivers'  Association — Oilman's 
Hah,  .1255  Bedford  avenue.  William  M.  Clark, 


president;  W.  A.  Carter,  secretary,  72  Wash- 
ington'avenue,  Parkville. 

Riding  and  Driving  Club  .of  Brooklyn — 
Vanderbilt  avenue  and  Prospect  Park  Plaza. 
William  N.  Dykman,  president ;  E.  H.  Barnes, 
vice-president ;  Irving  T.  Bush,  secretary ;  W. 
W.  Walsh,  treasurer. 

Whip  Club — Organized  1896,  25  members 
(limited).  Hamilton  H.  Salmon,  president; 
E.  K.  Austin,  vice-president ;  G.  Herbert  Pot- 
ter, secretary-treasurer ;  club  house,  Park 
Plaza. 

The  most  noted  of  these  organizations  is 
the  Riding  and  Driving  Club  of  Brooklyn, 
which  was  organized  in  1889.  Its  membership 
is  limited  to  400.  Its  building  opened  in  the 
fall  of  1891,  and  is  onie  of  the  most  commo- 
dious structures  of  its  kind  in  the  world. 
Architecturally  its  appearance  betokens  that 
beauty  has  been  freely  sacrificed  to  usefulness, 
and  that  in  fact  is  also  the  main  character  of 
its  'interior  accommodations.  The  main  feat- 
ure is  the  riding  arena,  90  feet  by  180  feet, 
and  in  the  stalls  200  horses  can  be  accommo- 
dated. The  club  was  an  exclusive  organiiza- 
tioni  at  the  beginning,  andi  that  exclusiveness 
it  still  retains,  although  in  many  respects  it  is 
the  most  generally  popular  of  all  the  develop- 
ments of  Brooklyn's  social  life. 


DITMAS    HOMESTEAD— Flatbush. 


CHAPTER   LVI. 


OLD     COUNTY     FAMILIES. 

Family  History  and   Story — Pioneers,  Heroes,  Merchants  and  Their 

Descendants. 


M 


ROBABLY  no  family  name  was  or  is 
better  known  throughout  Queens  or 
Nassau  county  than  that  of  Hicks, 
mainly,  of  course,  on  account  of  the 
celebrity  which  one  at  least  of  their  number 
attained  in  religious  circles.  Most  of  them 
were  Quakers  of  the  most  devoted  class,  in- 
tolerant of  the  wiles  and  vanities  of  this  wicked 
world,  and  yet  it  is  singular  that  they  should 
one  and  all  take  pride  in  tracing  the  family 
descent  from  a  warring  knight.  Sir  Ellisi  Hix, 
who,  the  genealogical  writers  tell  us,  was  one 
of    the    most    trusted    warriors   of   the    Black 


Prince  and  was  knighted  for  his  valorous 
deeds  by  that  hero  in  1356  on  the  battle-field 
of  Poictiers.  How  the  descent  is  proved  it 
is  not  easy  to  say,  but  it  seems  satisfactory  to 
the  genealogists  and  to  the  family,  and  in  such 
circumstances  no  one  has  any  right  to  dispute 
the  correctness  of  the  tree.  Only  it  is  singu- 
lar that  such  vanity  should  fin.d  expression  in 
the  circumstance.  The  first  of  the  family  to 
settle  in  America  was  John  Hicks,  who  settled 
at  Roxbury,  Massachusetts,  and  had  a  family 
of  six  sons  and  three  daughters.  Two  of  the 
sons,   John   and    Stephen,   crossed    to    Long 


OLD    COUNTY    FAMILIES. 


697 


Island  in  1642  and  settled  in  Hempstead,  of 
which  he  became  quite  an  active  citizen,  and 
be  also  acquired  some  property  in  Flushing. 
Stephen  bought  from  the  Indians  an  extensive 
tract  of  land  at  Little  Neck  and  settled  there. 
One  evil-minded  biographer  asserts  that  John's 
son  Thomas  in  time  also  acquired  a  tract  of 
land  at  Little  Neck  after,  according  to  tradi- 
tion, quite  a  rude  dispossession  of  the  Indians 
who  had  held  the  land  in  question.  There  is, 
however,  it  must  be  confessed,  some  dubiety 
abcut  this  matter,  and  probably  it  arose  from 
the  fact  that  some  unregenerate  aborigines 
returned!  and  squatted  on  lands  which  Thomas 
had  received  from  his  uncle.  The  family  biog- 
raphers, as  we  shall  see,  speak  in  the  highest  ■ 
terms  of  Thomas  Hicks,  as  'is  right  and  proper 
when  we  recall  the  fact  that  he  was  the  an- 
cestor of  the  most  distinguished  member  of 
the  Society  of  Friends  that  this  country  has 
produced.  Many  of  the  descendants  of  the 
pioneer  brothers  settled  over  Long  Island  and 
are  to  be  found  there,  notably  in  Flushing, 
Hempstead,  Rockaway  and  Oyster  Bay. 

The  following  sketch  of  the  family  and  of 
the  wonderful  and  useful  career  of  Elias  Hicks 
was  written  by  one  of  the  family,  Mr.  Isaac 
Hicks : 

John  Hicks  settled  at  Hempstead,  and  it  is 
from  him  that  the  extensive  family  of  the 
name  on  Long  Island  and  in  New  York  are 
descended.  Having  been  educated  at  Oxford 
University,  he.  was  a  man  of  intelligence,  and 
his  natural  force  of  character  made  him  a 
leader  in  the  youthful  colony.  He  took  an 
active  part  in  public  affairs,  and  his  name 
appears  in  most  of  the  important  transactions 
of  the  time. 

John  Hicks  left  an  only  son,  Thomas,  who 
seems  to  have  inherited  his  father's  intellec- 
tual vigor  and  force  of  character.  He  occu- 
pied a  prominent  position  in  public  and  social 
life,  and  filled  many  places  of  trust  and  honor, 
among  others  that  of  the  first  judge  appointed 
for  the  county  of  Queens,  an  office  which  he 
held  for  many  years. 


In  1666  he  obtained  from  Governor  Nicolls 
a  patent  for  4,000  acres,  including  Great  Neck 
and  lands  adjacent.  Here  he  erected  a  fine 
mansion  and  introduced  the  English  manorial 
style  of  living. 

He  was  a  remarkable  man  in-many  respects, 
retaining  his  mental  and  physical  powers  un- 
impaired to  extreme  old'  age.  A  paragraph 
in  the  New  York  Postboy  of  January  26,  1749, 
states  that  "he  left  behind  him,  of  his  own 
offspring,  above  three  hundred  children, 
grandchildren,  great-grandcbildren  and  great- 
great-grandchildren."  He  died  in  his  one  hun- 
dredth year,  and  left,  among  other  children, 
a  son  Jacob,  who  was  the  grandfather  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch. 

Elias  Hicks  was  born  at  Rockaway,  Long 
Island,  March  19,  1748.  His  parents,  John 
and  Martha  Hicks,  were  in  moderate  circum- 
stances, but  owned  a  good  farm  and  comforta- 
ble home,  where  their  children  had  excellent 
moral  training,  but  otherwise  received  only 'a 
very  limited  education. 

His  father  being  a  Quaker,  although  not  a 
very  active  member  of  that  society,  Elias  early 
imbibed  the  principles  of  that  sect,  but  during 
his  youth,  while  apprenticed  to  a  carpenter, 
seemed  inclined  to  prefer  the  gay  society  of 
the  young  people  of  the  neighborhood.  As  he 
grew  older  he  developed  a  vigorous  and  active 
intellect,  and  evinced  a  steadfast  devotion  to 
his  convictions  of  right  and  duty  which  was 
ever  one  of  the  most  marked  elements  in  his 
character.  He  early  took  decided  ground 
against  the  iniquity  of  human  slavery,  and 
later  in  life  wasi  among  the  pioneers  in  the 
cause  of  emancipation  in  the  Society  of 
Friends.  This  was  one  of  the  battles  that  he 
felt  called  upon  to  fight  in  the  cause  of  truth 
and  justice,  and  be  devoted  the  energy  and 
ability  of  a  long  life  to  the  faithful  championi- 
ship  of  the  oppressed  negro.  His  father  was 
an  owner  of  slaves,  and  in:  his  youth  Elias 
plead  long  and  earnestly  until  he  effected  their 
emancipation.  Later  in  life,  when  the  estate 
of  his   father-in-law,   who  was   also  a  slave- 


698 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    LSLAND 


holder,  came  to  be  divided,  he  resolutely  re- 
fused to  accept  for  his  own  share  any  portion 
of  the  money  which  represented  the  value  of 
the  slaves,  but  used  it  to  purchase  their  free- 
dom, and  ever  after  took  upon  himself  the 
care  and  support  of  those  thus  liberated;  even 
leaving  a  bequest  in  his  will  for  their  main- 
tenance in  old  age. 

In  1775  he  became  a  public  preacher  in  the 
Quaker  Society,  and  from  that  time  until  his 
death,  when  over  eighty  years  of  age,  he  was 
a  faithful  and  tirfeless  worker  in  what  he  be- 
lieved to  be  the  cause  of  truth  and  righteous- 
ness. He  was  especially  earnest  in  the  convic- 
tion that  service  in  the  ministry  should  be  free, 
and  without  the  selfish  stimulus  of  earthly  re- 
ward, and  to  this  end  he  was  scrupulously  care- 
ful when  traveling  in  the  service  of  the  society, 
and  on  all  other  occasions,  to  defray  his  own 
expenses. 

During  the  exciting  years  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary war  he  carefully  maintained  the  peace- 
ful principles  of  his  sect,  and  such  wasi  the 
confidence  reposed  in  his  high  character  that 
he  was  permitted,  in  the  exercise  of  his  relig- 
ious duties,  to  pass  six  times  through  the  lines 
of  the  contending  armies.  He  was  scrupu- 
lously just  in  his  business  affairs,  holding  in 
all  cases  the  dictates  of  conscience  to  be  su- 
perior to  the  fallible  laws  of  man. 

In  his  dress,  the  furniture  oi  his  house, 
and  all  outward  things,  he  carried  to  the  ex- 
treme the  principle  of  plainness  and  simplicity 
advocated  by  his  society.  .  In  person  he  was 
erect,  of  commanding  stature,  and  possessed 
in  a  remarkable  .degree  that  intangible  attri- 
bute which  we  denominate  "presence."  In  so- 
cial life  he  was  dignified  but  kind,  a  little  re- 
served in  mamier,  and  giving  the  impression 
of  great  intellectual  force,  combined  with  a 
stern  devotion  to  the  convictions  of  dh-tty. 
Affable  in  bearing,  and  inheriting  the  courtly 
politeness  of  the  old  school  gentleman  of  the 
last  cen/tury,  his  society  was  much  sought  by 
intelligent  people  of  all  classes,  who  were  at- 
tracted by  his  rare  and  varied  gifts  as  a  con-- 
versationalift. 


His  public  addresses  were  not  adorned^  with 
flowers  of  rhetoric,  nor  polished  by  scholastic 
learning,  but  were  plain,  logical  discourses, 
delivered  with  a  natural  earnestness  and  elo- 
quence which  seemed  to  inspire  his  audience 
with  a  measure  of  his  own  strong  faith,  and 
to  carry  them'  onward  to  conviction  in  the 
principles  he  advocated  with  such  force  and 
sincerity. 

His  religious  views  were  somewhat  in.  ad- 
vance of  those  popular  in  his  day,  and  were 
the  result  of  individual  thought  and  experi- 
ence, uninfluenced  by  theological  reading  or 
metaphysical  study.  While  accepting,  in  its 
broadest  sense,  the  Quaker  doctrine  that  the 
Almighty  Spirit  directly  influences  the  hearts 
of  all  mankind,  and  that  a  strict  adherence  to 
the  manifestations  of  duty,  as  revealed  to  each 
individual  soul,  is  the  foundation  of  all  true 
religion,  he  was  disposed  to  assign  a  less  ex- 
alted place  to  the  Bible,  as  God's  specially  re- 
vealed guide  to  man,  and  to  maintain  the  Uni- 
tarian view  of  Christ's  divinity.  He  took 
strong  and  decided  ground  against  the  old- 
time  belief  in  Satan's  personal  existence  and 
active  work  in  the  world,  holding  that  the 
weaknesses  and  unbridled  passions  of  human 
nature  were  the  actual  and  only  evil  spirit 
against  which  mankind  had  to  contend.  In  his 
view  God  was  all  love,  and  he  rejected  every 
doctrine  or  theory  that  impugned  the  absolute 
wisdbm  and  goodness  of  the  Divine  Being,  or 
His  universal  affection  for  all  the  human  fam- 
ily, however  indorsed  by  conclave  or  synod. 
As  it  was'  his  nature  to  think  out  his  conclu- 
sions for  himself,  and  then  to  take  bold  and 
fearless  ground  in  maintaining  his  convictions 
of  right,  his  advanced  views  naturally  met 
with  the  disapproval  of  many  of  the  conserva- 
tive members  of  his  society,  and  after  a  few 
years  of  excited  discussion  the  Quakers  in 
America  divided  into  two  separate  bodies, 
which  have  ever  since  remained  distinct.  Those 
who  united  with  the  sentiments  of  Elias  were 
called  Hicksite,  and  those  opposed  to  him  Or- 
thodox, Quakers.  The  former  are  the  most 
numerous  about  New  York,  Philadelphia  and 


OLD    COUNTY    FAMILIES. 


C99 


Baltimore,  while  the  latter  compose  the  bulk 
of  the  society  in  the  New  England  and  West- 
ern States. 

Like  most  celebrated  men  of  strong  will 
and  earnest  convictionsi  of  duty,  Elias  Hicks 
made  a  decided  impression  upon  the  religious 
thought  of  his  time,  although  the  circum- 
scribed limits  within  which  the  customs  and 
principles  of  the  Quaker  Society  of  that  day 
confined  his  labors  prevented  his  working  in 
connecticn  with  other  associations ;  thus  re- 
stricting his  efforts  to  the  endeavor  to  promote 
a  higher  standard  of  Christian  life  among  his 
own  religious  associates. 

During  his  long  and  active  career  he  was 
constariitly  traveling  about  the  country,  ad- 
dressing the  meetings  of  his  society,  and  wher- 
ever he  went  large  and  deeply  interested  audi- 
ences gathered  to  greet  him.  Hi's  noble  pres- 
ence and  eloquent  words  ma,die  lasting  im- 
pressions upon  his  hearers,  the  memory  of 
which  was  ever  afterward  cherished  in  affec- 
tionate hearts  and  has  been  banded  down  with 
a  feeling  of  reverence  to  a  later  generation. 

Elias  Hicks  died  at  Jericho,  Long  Island, 
on  the  27th  of  February,  1830. 

Many  old  families  were  represented  among 
the  residents  oi  Flushing  before  it  was  opened 
up  by  modern  impro'vem.ents  so  as  to  develop 
into  a  metropolitan!  suburb.  The  Thornes 
couLd  trace  their  descent  to  William  Thorne, 
who  settled  on  a  neck  of  land  which  was  called 
Thome's  Point  until  the  name  was  supplanted 
by  its  modern  designation  of  Willett's  Point. 
The  family  were  all  intensely  patriotic  during 
the  Revolution,  and  one  died  while  a  prisoner 
on  a  hulk  in  Wallabout  Bay.  The  Cornell 
family  claimed  connection  with  Flushing  from 
1643,  when  Richard  Cornell,  a  'sturdy  Quaker, 
siettled  within  its  bounds,  and  after  a  life  of 
exceeding  usefulness  left  a  large  family,  by 
whom  the  name  was  retained  in  the  front  rank. 
The  Lowerres  were  originally  Huguenot  refu- 
gees, and  came  to  America  in  1660  or  there- 
about, gradually  developing  into  Quakers  as 
time  went  on.    These  words  might  also  be  ap- 


plied to  the  Embree  family  and  to  that  of  the 
Van  Zandts. 

Jamaica  also  furnishes  the  local  historian 
with  records  of  many  old  families,  chief  among 
whom  is  that  of  King.  This  family  came  to 
Long  Island,  where  Richard  King  had  long 
been  a  successful  merchant.  There  his  son, 
Ruf'us  King,  the  most  famous  of  the  family, 
was  born  in  1755.  He  was  educated  at  Har- 
vard, where  he  was  graduated  in  1777,  and 
then  studied  law  in  an  office  at  Newburyport. 
His  studies  were  somewhat  disturbed  by  his 
becoming  an  aide  tO'  General  Sullivan  in  that 
hero's  Rhode  Island  expedition,  but  after  its 
disastrous  termination  be  was  honorably  dis- 
charged and  returned  to  his  desk.  After  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  he  rapidly  won  quite 
a  prominent  place,  and  as  a  member  of  the 
General  Court  of  Massachusetts,  to  which  he 
was  elected,  he  was  soon  distinguished  by  the 
clear  manner  in  which  he  hand'led  all  oi  the 
many  pressing  public  questions  then  before 
that  body.  In  1784  he  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress, and  was  returned  again  in  1785  and 
1786.  In.  .1785  he  offered'  his  famous  resolu- 
tion that  "there  'should  be  neither  slavery  nor 
unvoluntary  service  in  any  of  the  States  de- 
scribed in  the  resolution  of  Congress  in  April, 
1784,  otherwise  than  in  the  punishment  of 
crime,  whereof  the  party  shall  have  been  per- 
sonally guilty ;  and  that  this  resolution  shall 
be  made  an  article  of  co'mpact  and  remain  a 
fundamental  principle  of  the  constitution  be- 
tween the  original  States  and  each  of  the  States 
named  in  the  said  resolve."  This  was  not 
pressed  to  a  vote  at  the  time,  but  the  princi- 
ple laid  do'wn  was  adopted  in  the  ordinance  of 
1787  for  the  gO'vernment  of  the  Northwestern 
territO'ry.  In  the  movement  to  strengthen  the 
Federal  authority,  which  began  to  agitate  the 
country  almost  as  soon  as  peace  was  declared, 
Rufus  King  took  a  prominent  part,  his  views 
being  in  favor  of  a  strong  central  executive 
authority.  He  was  recognized  as  one  of  the 
leaders,  with  Alexander  Hamilton,  of  the  Fed- 
eralist  party,    and  by  voice   and   pen    strove 


700 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


mightily  that  its  principles  might  prevail.  In 
1788  he  was  choseni  Senator  along  with  Gen- 
eral Schuyler  fro^m  New  York,  and  was  re- 
elected in  1795.  But  higher  honors  awaited 
him.  He  was  offered  the  Secretaryship  of 
State,  and  declined,  but  accepted  the  post  oi 
Minister  to  Great  Britain.  He  left  New  York 
in  1796,  and  for  eight  years  continued  to  rep- 
resent his  country  at  the  court  of  St.  James, 
although  during  the  latter  part  of  the  time  he 
was  not  in  political  sympathy  with  the  then 
President  ( Jefifersom) .  In  ,1804  he  asked  to  be 
relieved,  and  when  his  successor  was  appoint- 
ed returned  to  America  and  retired  to  a  beau- 
tiful farm  he  had  purchased  at  Jamaica.  Thus 
began  the  long  and  honorable  connection  of 
his  name  with  the  good  old  village.  There 
he  mainly  resided,  keeping  a  watchful  eye  on 
public  affairs,  until  1813,  when  he  was  ag^in 
elected  to  the  United  States  Senate,  and  con- 
tinued to  serve  until  1825,  when  he  retired, 
as  he  hoped,  to  enjoy  the  leisure  he  had  so 
richly  earned.  In  reviewing  his  career  in  the 
Senate  chamber  we  are  unable  to  recall  any 
policy  advocated  by  him  which  was  not  wise, 
just  and  eminently  patriotic,  and  his  stanch 
opposition  to  slavery,  to  the  indiscriminate 
sale  of  the  public  lands,  sales  often  made  upon 
credit  and  without  guarantee,  and  in  particular 
his  opposition  to  the  scheme  of  a  political  bank 
with  a  capital  of  $50,000,000  pledged  by  the 
government,  showed  that,  strong  Federal  as 
he  was,  he  was  unwilling  to  lend  aid  to  a 
scheme  which  in  a  few  years  would  either  have 
become  bankrupt  itself  or  would  have  para- 
lyzed and  bankrupted  the  trade  of  the  country. 
In  1825,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  Presi- 
dent Adams,  Rufus  King  again  entered  public 
life  by  accepting  once  more  the  post  of  Am- 
bassador to  Great  Britain,  but  after  a  few 
months'  residence  in  London  his  health  failed 
and  he  was  compelled  to  resign.  He  died  in 
New  York  City  April  29,  1827. 

The  mantle  of  Rufus  King  fell  upon  his 
eldest  son,  John  AIsop  King,  who  developed 
much  of   his   father's   public   spirit   and   high 


statesmanship.  Educated  for  the  bar,  he  had 
a  taste  of  military  experience  during  the  war 
of  1812,  when  he  served  as  a  lieutenant  in  a 
cavalry  regiment.  He  took  up  his  residence 
near  his  father's  home  in  Jamaica,  and  en- 
gaged in  farming,  but  in  18 19  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  New  York  Assembly,  where 
he  soon  became  noted  for  his  opposition  to  the 
policy  and  plans  of  De  Witt  Clinton,  with  the 
exception  of  that  statesman's  canal  projects, 
which  he  heartily  endorsed.  He  went  to  Lon- 
don with  his  father  in  1825  as  secretary  of 
legation,  and  remained  in  charge  of  the  affairs 
of  the  embassy  from  the  date  of  his  father's 
resignation  until  the  arrival  of  the  next  ap- 
pointee. In  1838  he  was  again  returned  to  the 
Assembly,  took  part  in  1855  in  the  convention 
at  Syracuse  at  which  the  Republican  party 
was  born,  and  in  1856  was  elected  Governor 
of  the  State  of  New  York.  He  declined  a 
re-election,  and  when  his  term  was  over  retired 
to  his  home'  in  Jamaica,  where  he  continued 
to  reside  until  his  death,  in  1867.  His  widow 
survived  until  1873,  and  then  passed  away, 
venerated  by  all  who  knew  her  for  her  kindly 
ways  and  Christian,  beautiful  life.  Of  her 
many  benefactions  to  Grace  Church,  Jamaica, 
as  well  as  the  many  gifts  to  that  temple  of 
other  members  of  the  King  family,  mention 
has  already  been  made.  The  family  is  still 
prominently  represented  in  public  and  com- 
mercial life,  although  their  connection  with 
Jamaica  has  almost  become  a  memory. 

A  group  of  Jamaica  families  claim  descent 
from  Joris  (or  George)  Jansen  de  Rapalje, 
who  with  his  brother  William  came  to  America 
fromi  Holland  in  1623  in  the  same  vessel  with 
Peter  Minuit,  and  from  another  brother,  An- 
tonie  Jansen,  who  followed  them  in  1623.  It 
is  not  certain  that  William  ever  married,  but 
Joris  founded  the  Wallabout  family  of  Ra- 
palyes,  of  whom  we  have  spoken  considerably, 
while  Antoniie,  who  married  a  Quakeress,  had 
four  sons,  and  they  appear  to  have  departed 
from  the  old  Dutch  custom  in  the  way  of 
transmitting  surnames  and  stuck  to  the  Jansen, 


OLD    COUNTY    FAMILIES. 


roi 


which  in  due  process  of  time  became  trans- 
•formed  into  plain  Johnson  and  as  such  became 
prominent  in  Kings  as  well  as  in  Queens 
county.  A  family  genealogi'st  thus  describes 
the  fortunes  of  the  Jamaica  Johnsons  and  their 
collateral  branches : 

Hendrick  Jansen,  the  youngest  son  of  An- 
tonie,  settled  at  Gravesend  and  married  a  Stil- 
well,  by  whom  he  had  four  sons:  i,  Jan 
(John),  who  settled  at  Jamaica,  Long  Island; 
2,  Claes,  who  settled  at  Six  Mile  Run,  New 
Jersey;  3,  Barent,  who  settled  at  Gravesend; 
4,  William,  who  'settled  at  Gravesend.  Barent, 
the  third  son  of  Hendrick,  was  the  father  of 
the  Rev.  John  B.  Johnson,  a  noted  preacher 
of  the  Reformied  Dutch  Church,  who  was  set- 
tled first  at  Albany,  New  York,  and  afterward 
at  Brooklyn,  where  he  died  in  1803.  Rev. 
John  B.  Johnson  had  three  children:  i,  Maria 
L.,  who  married  the  Rev.  Evan  M.  Johnson, 
rector  of  St.  James's  Church,  Newtown,  Long 
Island,  from  1814  to  1827,  when'  he  removed 
to  St.  John's  Church,  Brooklyn ;  2,  Rev.  Will- 
iam L.  Johnson,  D.  D.,  who  from  1830  to  the 
time  of  his  death  (1870)  was  rector  of  Grace 
Church,  Jamaica,  Long  Island;  3,  Rev.  Samuel 
R.  Johnson,  D.  D.,  who  was  rector  at  different 
times  of  several  Episcopal  churches,  and  pro- 
fessor in  the  Episcopal  Theological  Seminary, 
New  York  City.  Hendrick's  children  changed 
the  Holland  name  Jansen  to  the  English  name 
Johnson,  yet  the  Holland  name  was  retained 
for  many  years  in  the  family  records. 

John  Johnson,  the  oldest  son  of  Hendrick, 
was  born  at  Gravesend,  Long  Island,  Decem- 
ber 5,  1705.  He  married  (September  23, 
1732)  Catalina  Scbenck,  who  was  born  May 
7,  1705.  They  had  seven  children:  i,  Maria, 
born  August  11,  1733,  married  Douw  Ditmars, 
of  Jamaica;  2,  Catalina,  bom  August  15,  1735, 
remained  unmarried;  3,  Elizabeth,  born  No- 
vember 21,  1737,  married  Abraham  Ditmars, 
of  Jamaica;  4,  Barent,  born  April  2,  1740, 
married  Anne  Remsen ;  5,  Martin,  born  Octo- 
ber 25,  1742,  married  Phebe  Rapalje;  6,  Cath- 
arine, born  February  18,  1746,  died  in  infancy; 


7,  Johannes,  born  July  25,  1748,  died  in  in- 
fancy. John  Johnson  held  office  in  the  Re- 
formed Dutch'  Church  at  Jamaica.  He  died 
March  27,   1776. '    His  wife  died  October  5, 

1779- 

Martin  Johnson,  of  Jamaica,  born  October 
25,  1742,  married  (May  10,  1772)  Phebe, 
daughter  of  George  Rapelje,  of  New  Lots. 
She  was  born  February  25,  1754.  Their  chil- 
dren were:  i,  Catalina,  born  May  14,  1773, 
married  (November  5,  1791)  John  D.  Ditmis, 
of  Jamaica,  and  had  children  Martin,  Dow  I., 
John,  Abraham,  Phebe,  Maria,  Catalina  and 
George;  2,  Maria,  born  August  20,  1775,  died 
in  infancy;  3,  Johannes  (John),  born  Febru- 
ary 27,  1777,  died  in  infancy;  4,  Maria,  born- 
May  10,  1778,  married  (November  30,  1798) 
Rem  Suydam,  of  Newtown,  and  had  children 
Phebe,  Catalina,  John,  Maria,  Nelly,  Martin,- 
Gitty,  and  Georga  and  Henry  (twins)  ;  5, 
Johannes  (John),  born  September  26,  1780,. 
died  in  infancy:,  6,   Martin,  born  Alarch   14,. 

1782,  died  in  infancy;  7,  Phebe,  born  July  19,. 

1783,  married  (December  11,  1800)  John  I. 
Duryea,  and  bad  children  Jane  Ann,  Maria, 
Alletta,  Martin  I.,  Sarah,  Catalina  and  John  I. ; 

8,  Martin,  born  September  13,  1785,  died  in 
infancy ;  9,  Elizabeth,  born  January  25,  1788, 
married  Willett  Skidmore,  and  had  children 
Phebe  and  Samuel;  10,  Jannetie  (Jane),  born 
May  15,  1790,  died  in  infancy;  11,  Joris 
(George),  born  August  30,  1791,  married 
(June  28,  1815)  Catharine  Snediker,  and  had 
children  Martin  G.,  Catharine  and  Pbebe;  12, 
Johannes  (John),  born  May  17,  1794,  mar- 
ried (August  22,  1815)  Maria  Lott,  and  had 
children  Martin  I.,  Stephen,  Phebe,  Eldert, 
George,  Maria  Ann,  Catalina,  Henry,  Jere- 
miah, Sarah,  Ditmars  and  Catharine;  13,  Jan- 
netie (Jane),  born  February  22,  1797,  died  in 
infancy. 

Martin  Johnson,  the  grandfather  of  Martin 
G.,  died  April  27,  1798.  Phebe,  his  wife,  died 
October  27,  1828. 

Martin  Johnson  was  earnest  in  the  cause 
of  independeince,  and  was  compelled  to  give 


702 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


up  the  best  part  of  his  house  to  the  British 
officers,  who.  occupied  it  while  their  army  was 
encamped  at  Jamaica.  He  and  his  family  were 
greatly  discommoded,  but  it  "was  better  to  sub- 
mit quietly  than  to  object  and  perhaps  suffer 
more.  Martin  John'son  was  an  active  mem- 
ber and  an  elder  of  the  Reformed  Dutch 
Church,  and  one  of  the  committee  to  repair 
the  church  edifice  after  the  Revolutionar)-  war, 
during  which  it  was  dismantled  by  the  British 
soldiers.  He  was  one  of  the  contributors  to 
the  fund  for  founding  Union  Hall  Academy. 
The  first  building  was  erected  on  the  south 
Slide  of  Fulton  street,  where  Herriman's  brick 
row  now  stands,  and  was  opened  May  i,  1792. 
Here  his  sons  George  and  John  were  educated, 
when  Lewis  E.  A.  Eigenbrodt,  LL.  D.,  was 
principal,  which  position  he  held  from  1796 
to  1828. 

George  Johnson,  born  August  30,  1791, 
married  (June  28,  1815)  Catharine  Snediker 
who  was  born  December  5,  1788.  They  had 
three  children:  i,  Martin  G.  Johnson,  born 
April  26,  1816,  married  (May  31,  1859)  Mar- 
garet T.  Kostrand,  who  was  born  February 
19,  1815 — no  children;  2,  Catharine  Johnson, 
born  July  8,  1819,  married  (May  13,  1856) 
Elias  J.  Hendrickson,  who  was  born  Atigust 
10,  1812 — no  children ;  3,  Phebe  Johnson,  born 
January  4,  1824,  married  (Juna  19,  1854) 
George  O.  Ditmis  (who  was  born  July  22, 
1818),  and  died  December  27,  1866.  James 
Hendrickson,  the  father  of  Elias  J.,  was  an 
elder  and  one  of  the  pillars  of  the  Reformed 
Dutch  Church  of  Jamaica. 

George  O.  and  Phebe  Ditmis  had  six  chil- 
dren: I,  Catharine,  born  November  26,  1856; 
2,  Georgianna  J.,  born  Alay  5,  1859;  3,  John 
D.,  born  December  18,  i860;  4  and  5,  Martin 
G.  J.  (born  January  30,  1862,  died  February 
18,  1878)  and  Margaret  N.,  born  January  30, 
1862,  died  in  infancy ;  6,  Caroline  Maria,  born 
November  9,  1863,  died  in  infancy. 

George  Johnson,  the,  father  of  Martin  G., 
held  at  different  times  the  town  offices  of  su- 


pervisor, commissioner  of  common  schools,  in- 
spector of  common  schools,  inspector  of  elec-. 
tion,  commissioner  of  highways  and  assessor. 
He  was  an  elder  in  the  Reformed  Dutch 
Church  of  Jamaica,  and  one  of  its  most  liberal 
supporters.  He  died  May  14,  1865.  His  wife 
died  December  15,  1858. 

A  short  genealogy  of  the  Johnson  family 
is  as  follows:  Gaspard  Colet  de  Rapalje,  from 
France,  married  the  daughter  of  Victor  An- 
toruie  Jansen,  in  Holland,  by  whom  he  had 
two  sons  and  a  daughter  Breckje,  who  married 
her  cousin,  Victor  Honorius  Jansen,  who  was 
the  father  of  Abram,  who  was  the  father  of 
Antonie,  who  was  the  father  of  Hendrick,  who 
was  the  father  of  John,  who  was  the  father 
of  Martin,  who  waS'  the  father  of  George,  who 
was  the  father  of  Martin  G. 

THE    PNEDIKER    FAMILY    AS    CONNECTED    WITH 
THE    JOHNSON    FAMILY. 

Jan  Snediker,  the  common  ancestor  of  the 
Snediker  family,  came  from  Holland  to  this 
country  as  early  as  1642,  and  was  among  the 
first  settlers  of  Flatbush,  and  his  name  appears 
in  the  patent  of  New  Lots,  1667;  by  his  will 
( 1670)  he  devised  his  land  to  his  son  Gerret. 
(New  Lots  was  then  part  of  the  town  of 
Flatbush.) 

Gerret  Snediker,  of  New  Lets  (son  of 
Jan),  married,  first,  Willemtje  Vooks  ;  second, 
Elstje  Denyse;  he  died!  in  1694.  Children: 
Jan  of  Jamaica,  Margaret,  Christian  of  Ja- 
maica, Abraham,  Isaac  of  New  Lots,  Sara, 
born  1683  (married  Adrian  Onderdonk)  ;  Ger- 
ret and  Elstje. 

Abraham  SnedLker,  of  New  Lots  (son  of 
Gerreit),  born  1677,  married  and  had  children 
Abraham,  Johannes,  Gerret,  Theodorus,  Eliza- 
beth, Altie  and  Sara. 

Isaac  Snediker,  of  New  Lots  (son  of  Ger- 
ret), born  1680,  married  Catryntje  Janse;  died 
in  1758.  Children:  Garret,  Abraham,  Antie, 
Sara,    Isaac,    Catryntje    (borm   1721,    married 


OLD    COUNTY    FAMILIES. 


703 


Douwe  Ditmars),  Jacob  of  New  Lots,  Fem- 
metie  (Phebe),  and  Elstje;  born.1731. 

John  Snediker,  of  New  Lots,  married 
Neiltj€,  daughter  of  Johannes  Lett,  of  Flat- 
bush;  she  was  born,  November  13,  1730.  They 
had  a  son,  Isaac  I.  (grandfather  of  Martin 
G.  Johnson). 

Isaac  I.  Snediker,  of  New  Lots  (son  of 
John),  born  July  17,  1759,  married  Catharine, 
daughter  of  Jacob  Rapelje,  of  Newtown.  She 
was  born  January  18,  1760.  They  had  four 
children:  i,  Jacob,  born  May  18,  1787,  died 
in  infancy;  2,  Catharine,  born  December  5, 
1788  (the  wife  of  George  Johnson  and  mother 
of  Martin  G.),  died  December  15,  1858;  3, 
Nelly,  born  November  5,  1790,  married  (Oc- 
tober S,  181 5)  John  E.  Lott,  of  New  Utrecht, 
Long  Island  (who  was  born  December  16, 
1789),  had  one  .daughter,  Catharine,  and  died 
May  I,  1866;  4,  Jacob,  born  November  2, 
1792,  married  (March,  1822)  Anne  Lott, 
daughter  of  Hendrick  Lott,  of  Jamaica;  no 
children. 

Jacob  Snediker  belonged  to  the  Refomied 
Dutch  Church  of  New  Lots,  and  was  one  of 
its  firmest  friends  and  supporters.  He  died 
September  20,  1859.  His  wife  died  August 
22,  1867. 

Isaac  I.  Snediker  (father  of  Jacob)  died 
February  i,  1804.  His  wif€  died  September 
9,  1796. 

The  Snediker  homestead,  on  which  Jacob 
Snediker  and  his  forefathers  were  born  and 
lived  and  died,  is  situated  on  both  sides  of  the 
New  Lots  road,  at  the  crossing  of  the  New 
York  &  Manhattan  Beach  Railroad  and  the 
Brooklyn  &  Rockaway  Bqach  Railroad.  The 
house,  probably  two  hundred  years  old,  still 
stands  in  a  good  state  of  preservation.  This 
farm  originally  extended  tO'  what  is  now  the 
center  of  East  New  York ;  but  Jacob  Snediker 
sold  forty-five  acres  of  the  northerly  part  to 
Whitehead  Howard,  and  sixty-nine  acres  of 
the  middle  and  easterly  part  to  Abraham  Van- 
dcrveer.     The  homestead  still  belongs  to  the 


heirs  of  Jacob  Snediker.     It  has  been  in  the 
family  215  years. 

THE    NOSTRANO    FAMILY    AS    CONNECTED    WITH 
THE    JOHNSON    F.VMILY. 

The  Nostrand  family  derives  its  origin 
from'  Hanis  Jansen,  who  came  to  Long  Island 
in  1640  from  the  Noortstrandt,  in  the  diuchy 
of  Holstein.  He  married^  Janneken  Gerrits 
\'an  Leuwen,  and  had  four  'sonis — Jan,  Gerrit, 
Peter  and'  Folkert.  His  sons  adopted  the 
name  of  the  place  from  which  their  father  emi- 
grated, which  in  the  course  of  time  has  been 
changed  to  the  present  to  the  present  name, 
Nostrand.  Different  branches  of  the  family 
have  in  former  times  lived  and  their  descend- 
ants still  live  in  New  York,  Brooklyn,  Flat- 
bush,  New  Utrecht,  Flatlands  and  New  Lots, 
Kings  county ;  in  Jamaica,  Flushing  and 
Hempstead,  Queens  county;  and  in  Hunting- 
ton, Suffolk  county. 

Margaret  T.  Nostrand,  the  wife  of  Mar- 
tin G.  Johnsoni,  is  the  .daughter  of  Timothy 
Nostrand,  who  for  many  years  was  a  merchant 
in  New  York.  When  he  retired  from  business 
he  bought  the  farm  on  which  his  son  George 
now  lives,  situated  on  the  Brooklyn  &  Jamaica 
Plank  Road,  one  mile  west  of  the  village  of 
Jamaica,  where  be  died  December  21,  1831. 
Her  grandfather,  John  Nostrand,  owned  and 
lived  and  died  on  the  homestead  farm  at  Val- 
ley Stream,  in  the  town  of  Hempstead ;  it  de- 
scended to  his  son,  John  Nostrand,  Jr.,  and 
there  he  lived  and  died ;  after  his  death  it  be- 
longed to  his  son  Foster,  who  also  lived  and 
died  there.  On  this  farm  Timothy  Nostrand 
was  born,  February  8,  1767. 

Timothy  Nostrand  married  first  (Septem- 
ber 27,  1793)  Garchy,  daughter  of  John  Suy- 
dam,  of  Newtown.  Their  children  were: 
Sarah,  born  October  i,  1794,  married  James 
Bogart,  died  October  14,  1845 ;  and  Johni  S., 
born  March  16,  1796,  who  died,  unmarried, 
February  6,  1836.  Timothy  Nostrand  mar- 
ried, second   (September  8,  1804),  Catharine, 


704 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


daughter  of  Stephen  Lott,  of  Jamaica.     Their 
children  were : 

1.  Stephen:  L.,  born  August  31,  1805,  mar- 
ried (January  30,  1826)  Cornelia  L.  Remsen, 
of  Flatlands.  They  had  one  child,  Catharine 
Ann,  who  married  Jacob  Ryerson,  of  Flat- 
lands. 

2.  Garchy  (Gitty)  Ann,  born  March  16, 
1807,  died,  unmarried,  January  8,  183 1. 

3.  George,  born  February  5,  1809,  mar- 
ried first  (March  26,  1846)  Mary  Bogardus. 
They  had  one  child,  Henry  L.  Nostrand,  who 
married  Phebe  W.,  only  child  of  Dominicus 
Vanderveer,  of  Jamaica.  George  married  sec- 
ondly (October  12,  1859)  Cornelia  C.  Van  Sic- 
len,  of  Jamaica.     No  children. 

4.  Catharine  L.,  born  December  31,  1810, 
married  (April  7,  1836)  Dr.  Richard  T.  Hors- 
field,  of  New  York.  Their  children  are :  Rich- 
ard T.,  Timothy  N.  (who  married  Sophia  Fris- 
bie),  and'  Catharine  L.  (who  married  John 
K.  Underhill).  Catharine  L.  Horsfield  died 
February  2,  1879. 

5.  Margaret  T.,  born  February  19,  1815, 
married  (May  31,  1859)  Martin  G.  Johnson. 
No  children. 

6.  Timothy,  born  April  21,  181 7,  married 
first  (October  19,  1853)  Catharine  Lott,  of 
New  Utrecht  (cousin  of  Martin  G.  Johnson). 
Their  children  were:  Eilie  (deceased),  J.  Lott, 
T.  Foster,  Margaret  (deceased)  and  George 
E.  Timothy  married,  secondly  Belinda  Hege- 
man,  of  New  Utrecht,  who  survive;  him.  He 
died  December  6,  1878. 

All  the  children  of  Timothy  Nostrand,  Sr., 
are  dead  except  George  Nostrand  and  Mar- 
garet T.,  wife  of  Martin  G.  Johnson. 

Timothy  Nostrand,  Sr.,  was  one  of  the 
most  prominent  members  of  Grace  Church, 
Jamaica,  and'  was  for  many  years  warden,  and 
for  several  years,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
senior  warden.  The  following  notice  of  his 
death  appears  on  the  records  of  the  church, 
January  2,  1832 : 

"The  vestry  have  beard  with  deep  regret 
of  the  decease  of  Mr.  Timothy  No'strand,  their 


clerk,  the  senior  warden  of  this  church,  and 
treasurer,  and  sincerely  condole  with  the  con- 
gregation with  whom  he  was  connected,  and 
with  his  family,  in  the  great  bereavement  they 
have  been  called  to  sustain ;  and  we  implore 
the  Divine  compassion  on  them  that  this  afflic- 
tive providence  may  be  sanctified  to  them, 
and  to  the  church  of  which  he  was  a  member." 
He  was  a  member  of  Assembly  of  the  State 
of  New  York,  and  a  trustee  of  Union  Hall 
Academy.  He  died  December  21,  1831.  Hi's 
wife  Catharine  died  February  13,  i860. 

THE  DITMARS  FAMILY  AS  CONNECTED  WITH  THE- 
JOHNSON    FAMILY. 

J 

Jan  Jansisn  Ditmars,  the  common  ancestor 
of  the  family,  emigrated  from  Ditmarsen,  in 
the  duchy  of  Holstein.  He  married  Neeltie 
Douws;  obtained  a  patent  March  23,  1647,  for 
24  morgens,  at  Dutch  Kills,  Newtown,  Queens 
county;  died  prior  to  1650. 

Douw  Jansen  Ditmars  resided  first  at  Flat- 
bush,  and  finally  settled  at  Jamaica.  His  first 
name  was  variously  spellsd  Douwe,  Douw, 
Dowe  and  Dow,  andi  his  surname  Ditmarse, 
Ditmis,  Ditmas  and  Ditmars.  He  held  office 
in  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  Jamaica,  and 
died  about   1755. 

Abraham  Ditmars,  of  Jamaica,  married. 
(June  18,  1725)  Breckje,  daughter  of  Abra- 
ham Remsen,  of  Neiwtown,  and  died  on  hi's 
farm  at  Jamaica,  August  7,  1743.  He  was  the 
father  of  Douw  Ditmars  and  Abraham  Dit- 
mars, Jr.,  the  two  brothers  who  married  two 
sisters,  Maria  and  Elizabeth,  the  daughters- 
of  John  Johnson,  of  Jamaica  (great-grand^ 
father  of  Martin  G.  Johnson). 

Douw  Ditmars,  of  Jamaica,  born  August^ 
24,  173S,  married  Maria,  the  oldest  daughter" 
of  John  Johnson,  of  Jamaica.  They  had  five 
children,  John  D.,  Abraham,  Breckje,  and 
Maria  and  Catalina,  who  were  twins.  He  was 
an  office  holder  in  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church. 
He  died  August  25,  1775. 

John  D.  Ditmi's,  of  Jamaica  (son  of  Douw" 


OLD    COUNTY    FAMILIES. 


705 


Ditmars),  married  (November  5,  1791)  Cata- 
lina,  the  oldest  daughter  of  Martin  Johnson 
(grandfather  of  Martin  G.  Johnson).  They 
had  eight  children :  Martin,  Dow,  John,  Abra- 
ham, Phebe,  Maria,  Catalina  and  George,  who 
are  all  deceased  except  Maria. 

Dow  I.  Ditmis,  son  of  John  D.,  married 
(April  22,  1817)  Catharimei  Onderdonk,  of 
Cow  Neck  (Manhasset).  Their  children  are: 
George  O.,  John  and  Jacob  Adrian  Ditmis,  all 
of  Jamaica.  Henry  Onderdonk,  Jr.,  A.  M., 
married  Maria  H.,  sister  of  Catharine  Onder- 
donk, wife  of  Dow  I.  Ditmis. 

Abraham  Ditmis,  son  oi  John  D.,  married 
(April  18,  1827)  Katie  Onderdonk,  of  Cow 
Neck  (Manhasset).  They  had  one  child, 
Henry  O.  Ditmis. 

John  D.  Ditmis  held  the  military  office  of 
major;  he  was  a  member  of  Assembly  in  1802 
and  1804,  and  a  State  Senator  from  1816  to 
1820,  and  held  the  office  of  Surrogate  of 
Queens  county.  He  was  a  trustee  of  Union 
Hall  Academy ;  he  belonged  to  the  Reformed 
Dutch  Church.  He  died'  March  11,  1853;  his 
wife  July  6,  1847. 

Abraham  Ditmars,  Jr.  (son  of  Abraham, 
of  Jamaica),  born  December  9,  1738,  married 
Elizabeth,  the  third  daughter  of  John  Johnson 
(great-grandfather  of  Martin  G.  Johnson). 
They  had  four  children — Abraham,  born  Oc- 
tober 6,  1760;  Catalina,  born  September  20, 
1762,  married  Samuel  Eldert,  of  Jamaica; 
John  A.,  born  April  9,  1766;  and  Dow,  born 
June  12,  1771. 

John  A.  Ditmars  married  Nancy,  daughter 
of  Johannes  Wyckoff,  of  Jamaica.  They  had 
three  children — Margaret  Ann,  A.  Johnson 
and  Elizabeth,  all  deceased. 

Elizabeth  Ditmars  married  (December  30, 
1839)  ^lartin  I.  Johnson,  who  was  for  some 
years,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  county 
clerk.  He  was  the  eldeist  son  of  John  and 
Maria  Johnson,  and  cousin  of  Martin  G.  John- 
son. Martin  I.  and  Elizabeth  are  both  de- 
ceased, but  one  son,  A.  Ditmars  Johnson,  of 
Jamaica,  survives  them. 
45 


Dow  Ditmars,  son  of  Abraham  Ditmars, 
Jr.,  studied  medicine,  and  went  to  Demarara, 
South  America,  where  he  had  a  lucrative  prac- 
tice for  fourteen  years.  When  he  returned  he 
married  Anna  Elvira,  daughter  of  Samuel 
Riker,  of  Newtown,  and  bought  a  farm  at  Hell 
Gate  (now  Astoria),  where  he  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life,  and  died,  at  an  advanced 
age,  in  i860.  Their  children  were  Thomas  T., 
Richard  R.,  Abraham  Dow  and  Anna.  They 
are  all  deceased  but  Abraham  Dow  Ditmars, 
who  is  a  lawyer  in  New  York. 

Abraham  Ditmars,  Jr.,  held  office  in  the 
Reformed  Dutch  Church,  Jamaica,  and  so  did 
his  son,  John  A.  Ditmars. 

Abraham  Ditmars,  Jr.  (father  of  John  A.) 
was  a  captain  of  militia  in  the  Revolution.  He 
was  known  among  the  British  soldiers  who 
were  quartered  at  Jamaica  as  the  "rebel  cap- 
tain," and  he  suffered  much  from  their  depre- 
dations. ,  They  stole  the  crops  from  his  farm, 
the  provisions'  from  his  cellar,  and  all  of  his 
fowls  but  one,  which  went  to  the  top  of  the 
barn  to  roost.  One  day  the  soldiers  ordered 
him  and  his  family  to  leave  the  house,  as  they 
intended  to  burn  it.  He  had  to  obey,  and  hisk 
sick  wife  was  taken  on  a  bed  and  placed  irt 
the  dooryard !  But  it  seemed  that  an  Almighty 
Power  interposed ;  the  consciences  of  the  fiends- 
stung  them,  and  the  dreadful  threat  was  not. 
executed. 

So  great  became  the  demands  upon  him  for 
the  produce  of  his  farm,  and  for  the  use  of  his- 
men  and  teams  for  carting  the  supplies  of  the 
British  army,  that  he  at  last  refused  to  comply.. 
For  this  the  petty  officer  who  made  the  demand 
arrested  him,  took  him  to  the  village  of  Ja- 
maica, and  locked  him  up  in  the  dungeon  in 
the  cellar  of  the  old  county  hall,  which  stood 
on  the  spot  now  covered  by  Herriman's  brick 
row.  He  was  confined  until  the  next  day,, 
when  he  was  brought  before  a  superior  officer 
of  the  British  army,  to  whom  he  made  a  frank 
statement  of  the  sufferings  he  had  endured,, 
and  of  the  unreasonable  claim's  continually 
made  upon  him.    The  officer  at  once  gave  himi 


703 


HISTORY    OF    LONTG    ISLAND. 


an  'honorable  discharge ;  and  at  the  same  time 
severely  reprimanded  the  underling  who  had 
arrested  him.  This  decision  had  a  good  effect, 
as  he  afterward  did  not  suffer  much  annoy- 
ance. It  is  proper  to  say  that  the  highest 
British  officers  always  oonidemned  the  cruel 
and  barbarous  acts  which  were  committed  by 
the  dregs  of  the  army. 

The  home  of  Abraham  Ditmars,  Jr.,  was 
the  farm  of  the  late  William  C.  Stoothoff,  one 
and  a'  half  miles  southwest  of  the  village  of 
Jamaica,  and  the  old  house,  in  which  he  lived 
and  died,  still  remains.  The  home  of  his 
daughter  Catalina,  who  married  Samuel  Eldert, 
was  the  old  house  on  Eldert's  lane  now  be- 
longing to  Henry  Drew;  and  the  old  house 
on  the  Brooklyn  &  Jamaica  Plank  Road  now 
belonging  to  Dominicus  Vanderveer  was  for- 
merly the  home  of  Douw  Ditmars,  of  another 
branch  of  the  Ditmars  family.  It  is  a  singu- 
lar circumstance  that  these  three  old  houses, 
probably  the  oldest-  in  the  town,  'should'  all 
have  belonged  to  members  of  the  Ditmars  fam- 
ily. They  still  stand  as  monuments  of  the  solid 
style  of  building  of  the  early  Dutch  settlers. 

Abraham  Ditmars  and  Abraham  Ditmars, 
Jr.,  were  contributors  to  the  fund  for  building 
Union  Hall  Academy,  and  were  two  of  the  first 
trustees  at  the  time  its  charter  was  signed  by 
Governor  Clinton,  March  9,  1792. 

Abraham  Ditmars,  Jr.,  died  November  19, 
1824. 

John  A.  Ditmars  was  colonel  of  the  State 
militia  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  he  and  his 
cousins  George  and  John  Johnson  and  their 
nephew  Dow  I.  Ditmis  were  encamped  at  Fort 
Greene  (now  Washington  Park),  Brooklyn. 
They  were  under  the  command  oi  Genera) 
Jeremiah  Johnson,  of  Brooklyn,  who  was  the 
cousin  of  George  and,  John  Johnson  and  John 
A.  Ditmars.  There  our  soldiers  were  for  some 
time,  in  daily  expectation  of  the  landing  of  the 
Briti'sh  forces,  whose  vessels  of  war  were  lying 
ofif  the  harbor  of  New  York:  but  the  British 
wisely  concluded  to  depart  without  landing. 


INTERMARRI.\GES    OF    JOHNSON^    DITMARS    AND 
RAPELJE   FAMILIES. 

The  union  of  the  Johnson  and  Ditmars  fam- 
ilies in  this  country  began  by  the  marriage  of 
two  sisters  of  Martin  Johnson,  Maria  and 
Elizabeth,  daug-hters  of  John  Johnson,  of  Ja- 
maica (great-grandfather  of  Martin  G.),  to 
two  brothers,  Douw  and  Abraham  Ditmars,  of 
Jamaica. 

Catalina,  daughter  of  Martin  Johnson,  of 
Jamaica  (grandfather  of  Martin  G.),  married 
John  D.  Ditmis,  the  son  of  Douw. 

Martin  I.  Johnson,  a  great-grandson  of 
John  Johnson  above  named,  married  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  John  A.  Ditmars. 

Phebe,  daughter  of  George  Johnson,  of  Ja- 
maica, married  George  O.  Ditmis,  a  grandson 
of  John  D.  Ditmis. 

Victor  Honorius  Jansen,  of  Holland,  mar- 
ried Breckje  Rapalje  (written  by  different 
families  Rapalje,  Rapelje,  Rapelye  and  Ra- 
pelyea) .  Martin  Johnson,  of  Jamaica,  married 
Phebe  Rapelje.  General  Jeranjah  Johnson,  of 
Brooklyn,  married  Sarah  Rapelje. 

Breckje,  sister  of  John  D.  and  daughter  of 
Douw  Ditmars,  of  Jamaica,  married  (Decem- 
ber 29,  1791)  Peter  Rapelje,  of  New  Lots. 
Their  children  were  Jacob,  Dow  and  Peter. 

Maria  and  Catalina  were  twin  daughters 
of  Douw  Ditmars,  of  Jamaica,  and  sisters  of 
John  D.  and  Breckje  Ditmars.  Maria  mar- 
ried Jacob  Rapelje,  of  Newtown.  They  had 
one  child,  Susan.  Catalina  married  John  R. 
Ludlow,  of  Newtown.  She  was  his  second 
wife.    They  had  one  son,  Ditmars. 

Susan,  the  only  child  of  Jacob  and  Maria 
Rapelje,  married  the  Rev.  Gabriel  Ludlow,  D. 
D.,  who  for  many  years,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  was  pastor  of  the  Reformed  Dutch 
Church  at  Ncshanic,  New  Jersey.  He  was 
the  son  of  John  R.  Ludlow  by  his  first  wife. 
Another  son  was  John  Ludlow,  D.  D.',  who 
was  twice  professor  in  the  Theological  Semi- 
nary, New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  for  many 


OLD    COUNTY    FAMILIES. 


707 


years  pastor  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church 
at  Albany,  andi  afterward  provost  of- the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania. 

OTHER   FAMILIES. 

The  Hallet  family  formerly  had  many  rep- 
resentatives in.  Jamaica,  although  Newtown 
seems  to  have  long  been  more  prominently 
associated  with  the  name  than  any  other  local- 
ity. The  pioneer  of  the  family,  William  Hal- 
let,  settled  in  1655  at  what  became  known  as 
Hallet's  Cove,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  had  quite 
a  melariicholy  experience  with  the  Indians.  He 
survived  his  troubles,  married  a  Quakeress  and 
settled  at  Hell  Gate  until  his  death,  when  he 
had  attained  the  age  of  ninety  years.  His  de- 
scendants were  long  known  as  thrifty  farmers, 
and  seem  to  have  spread  all  over  the  western 
end  of  Long  Island.  They  were  devoted  ad- 
herents, most  of  them,  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  and  in  the  persecution)  of  these  peo- 
ple by  the  authorities  they  seem  to  have  been 
visited  with  a  full  share.  In  connection  with 
the  history  of  this  family  a  story  is  told  in 
Riker's  "Annals  of  Newtown,"  which  long 
created  a  deep  sensation  throughout  the  district 
and  still,  for  its  heartless  atrocity,  holds  a 
prominent  position  in  the  criminal  annals  of 
Long  Island.  The  details  as  given  by  Riker 
were  as  follows : 

"Very  near  the  present  settlement  of  Mid- 
dletowni  there  lived  a  thrifty  farmer,  William' 
Hallttt,  Jr.,  who  held  a  portion  of  the  land 
which  his  paternal  grandfather  had  purchased 
of  the  natives.  Near  neighbors  there  were 
few  or  none,  but  his  domestic  hearth  was  en- 
livened by  the  presence  of  five  children  and  a 
fond  wife  who  was  expected  soon  to  add  an- 
other to  their  store  of  conjugal  comforts.  In 
the  family  were  two  colored  slaves,  a  man  and 
wife,  the  former  an  Indian.  Incensed,  as  was 
said  at  the  time,  because  they  were  restrained 
from  going  abroad  on  the  Sabbath,  the  woman 
meditated  revenge  and  assured  her  husband 
that  if  he  would  only  kill  the  whole  family 


then  the  farm  and  everything  pertaining  to  it 
would  become  his  own.  He  at  last  yielded  to 
the  wicked  suggestion  and  accomplished  the 
atrocious  deed  while  his  victims  were  asleep. 
It  was  on  Saturday  night,-  the  24th  ■  of  Janu- 
ary, 1708.  Hoping  to  screen  themselves  from 
suspicion,  they  concluded  to  be  the  first  to 
announce  the  tragedy,  and  with  this  intent  the 
female  fiend,  the  prime  instigator  of  the  deed,, 
set  out  early  the  next  morning  for  Hallett's 
Cove.  Entering  a  house,  her  first  exclamation 
was :  "Oh,  dear !  they  have  killed  master  and 
missis  and  the  children  with  an  axe,  and  only 
Sam  and  I  have'  escaped."  The  truth,  how- 
ever, was  too  palpable,  and  the  guilty  creature 
soon  confessed  who  was  the  real  murderer. 
Both  were  straightway  arrested  and  lodged  in 
Jamaica  jail.  Tidings  of  the  affair  were  at 
once  sent  to  Governior  Cornbury,  who  imme- 
diately issued  a  special  warrant  to  the  judges, 
before  whom,  at  Jamaica,  the  prisoners  were 
arraigned  for  trial,  and  being  found  guilty, 
they  were  executed  on  the  plains  east  of  that 
village,  on  Monday,  February  2d,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  a  large  concourse  of  spectators.  The 
woman  was  burnt  at  the  stake.  Her  accom- 
plice was  hung  in  gibbets  and  placed  astride 
a  sharp  iron,  in  which  condition  he  lived  some 
time ;  and  in  a  state  of  delirium  which  ensued, 
believing  himself  to  be  on  horseback,  would 
urge  forward  his  supposed  animal  with  the 
frightful  impetuosity  of  a  maniac,  while  the 
blood  oozing  from  his  lacerated  flesh  streamed 
from  his  feet  to  the  ground.  How  rude  the 
age  that  could  inflict  such  tortures,  however 
great  the  crime  committed  I  *  *  *  ]y[]-_ 
Hallett  was  a  son  of  Captain  William  Hallett, 
then  one  of  His  Majesty's  justices  of  the 
peace.  He  was  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  had 
served  the  town  in  various  public  capacities. 
"The  event  which  so  prematurely  termi- 
nated his  life  and  those  of  his  family  produced 
a  strong  sensation  in  the  province,  and  a  law 
was  passed  shortly  after,  making  mention  of 
the  occurrence  and  entitled  'An  act  for  pre- 
venting the  conspiracy  of  slaves.'    The  dwell- 


708 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


ing  where  the  murder  was  committed  is  still 
(1852)  remembered  by  many,  it  having  re- 
mained until  the  beginning  of  the  present  cen- 
tury. It  was  built  of  brick  and  stood  in  the 
hollow  on  the  we'st  -side  of  the  road,  opposite 
the  late  residence  of  Mr.  Marks  and  within  a 
few  feet  of  the  small  house  now  erected  there. 
The  well  which  belonged  to  these  premises 
remains  still  in  use.  With  this  spot  the  juve- 
niles were  wont  to  associate  the  idea  of  ghosts 
and  hobgoblins;  it  wa's  noted  as  the  scene  of 
marvelous  appearances  witnessed  by  the  timid 
traveler  at  the  dim,  mysterious  hour  of  twi- 
light, and  was  often  pointed  at  by  the  passing 
school  boy  as  "the  haunted  house." '  By  some 
it  is  stated  that  the  assa'ssination  of  the  Hallett 
family  was  only  part  of  a  plot  among  the 
slaves  of  the  vicinity  to  possess  themselves  of 
the  property  of  their  masters.  There  must 
have  been  some  evidence  in  support  of  this 
theory,  for  it  is  related  that  on  Tuesday,  Feb- 
ruary loth,  a  week  and  a  day  after  the  exe- 
cution of  the  murderers,  two  negro  men  were 
put  to  death  for  complicity  in  the  crime  and 
several  others  had  been  arrested  and  were 
awaiting  trial.  Yet,  had  the  murderous  move- 
ment been  a  general  one,  it  would  doubtless 
be  recorded  that  still  others  were  punished. 
In  the  absence  of  such  a  statement  it  is  fair 
to  presume  it  was  not." 

The  Burroughs  family  in  Newtown  can 
trace  its  American  genealogy  back  to  1637, 
when  John  Burroughs  landed  in  Salem,  Mas- 
sachusetts. In  1643  he  seems  to  have  settled 
in  Newtown,  where  he  occupied  a  farm  that 
remained  intact  in  the  possession  of  his  de- 
scendants until  about  1835.  Another  noted 
Newtown  family  was  that  of  the  Rikers,  whose 
American  ancestor,  Abraham  Rycken  or  de 
Rycke,  received  a  grant  of  land  at  the  Walla- 
bout  from  Governor  Kieft  in  1638.  He  got 
possession  of  what  is  now  known  as  Riker's 
Island  about  1650.  His  sons  Abraham  and 
Andrew  proved  shrewd  business  men,  and  their 
extensive  land  purchases  made  them  rich. 
Abraham  was  a  public-spirited  citizen  of  New- 


town, andi  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  erec- 
tion of  the  old)  Dutch  Church  there. 

The  Lent  family  is  of  common  origim  with 
the  Riker  family,  being  descended  from  Ryck 
and  Hendrick,  the  eldest  and  youngest  sons  of 
Abraham  Rycken,  who,  for  reasons  not  clearly 
known,  renounced  their  own  name  and  as- 
sumed the  name  of  Lent.  Abraham  Lent,  son 
of  Ryck,  came  from  Westchester  county  ta 
Xewtown  in  1729  and  took  possession  of  a 
farm  left  him  by  his  uncle.  Jacobus  Krank- 
heyt,  on  Bowery  Bay.  He  resided  here  until 
his  death,  in  1746,  when  his  son  Jacobus,  for 
years  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Dutch  Church,  suc- 
ceeded to  the  farm.  His  death  occurred  in 
1779.  Daniel  Lent,  youngest  son  of  Jacobus, 
was  the  last  of  the  family  who  occupied  this 
estate.  It  was  sold  just  prior  to  his  death,. 
which  occurred  April  20,  1797.  Daniel,  his 
only  child  that  survived  infancy,  removed  tO' 
Flushing  Bay,  and  for  years  resided  upon  the 
farm. 

The  Alsop  family  goes  back,  or  could  go- 
back  if  any  of  its  representatives  still  exist, 
which  is  doubtful,  to  the  roll  of  the  first  set- 
tlers of  Newtown.  Thomas  Wandell,  a  major 
in  Cromwell's  army,  seemed  to  get  involved 
in  some  dispute  with  the  Lord  Protector, — a 
dispute,  whatever  its  nature,  so  serious  that 
Wandell  had  to  fly  for  his  life.  He  made  his- 
way  across  the  Atlantic,  and  in  1648  we  find 
him  in  ^ilaspeith.  In  1659  he  bought  a  farm 
at  Newtown  and  took  up  his  residence  there,, 
marrying  the  widow  of  its  former  owner.  He 
was  quite  an  influential  member  of  the  local 
society,  and  was  held  in  high  esteem  even  on 
Manhattan  Island.  Having  no  children,  he 
invited  a  nephew  in  England  to  join  his  for- 
tunes with  his  in  this  country,  and  when  he 
died,  in  1691,  he  left  his  estate  to  that  nephew, 
Richard  Alsop.  That  young  man  had  "takcn"^ 
to  the  new  country  almost  as  soon  as  he  ar- 
rived. He  fell  in  love  with  a  Dutch  lady, 
but  as  she  could  speak  no  English  and  he  did 
not  know  a  word  of  Dutch,  the  billing  and 
cooing  customary  to  courtship  had  to  be  car- 


OLD    COUNTY    FAMILIES. 


709 


Tied  on  with  the  aid  of  an  interpreter.  How- 
ever, love,  which  laughs  at  locksmiths,  tri- 
-umphed  over  such  an  obstacle,  and  the  pair 
were  married.  They  lived  very  happily  to- 
gether on  the  Wandell  property  until  h's  death, 
in  1718.  His  widow  survived  until  1757, 
when  she  passed  away  in  her  ninety-first  year. 
Their  son  Richard  succeeded  to  the  property, 
and  it  remained  in  possession  of  the  Alsop 
family  until  1837,  when  the  last  of  the  name 
-died  and  the  property  was  sold  to  strangers — 
all  except  the  old  family  bvirial  plot,  which  is 
now  enclosed  in  Calvary  cemetery,  a  little 
Protestant  plot  in  the  midst  of  that  great  city 
■of  Roman  Catholic  dead. 

The  two  following  sketches  of  other  New- 
town worthies  are  from  the  pen  of  the  late 
William  O'Gorman,  of  Laurel  Hill,  and  were 
written  for  the  Long  Island  Star: 

"Captain  Richard  Betts,  whose  public  serv- 
ices appear  for  fifty  years  on  every  page  of 
Newtown's  history,  came  in  1648  to  New  Eng- 
land, but  soon  after  to  Newtown,  where  he 
-acquired  great  influence.  In  the  revolution  of 
1663  he  bore  a  zealous  part,  and  after  the  con- 
■quest  of  New  Netherlands  by  the  English  was 
a  member  from  Newtown  of  the  Provincial 
Assembly  held  at  Hempstead  in  1665.  In  1678 
he  was  commissioned  high  sheriff  of  'York- 
-shire  upon  Long  Island,'  and  he  retained  the 
position  until  1681.  He  became  a  bitter  oppo- 
nent to  Director  Pieter  Stuyvesant  and  the  lit- 
tle town  of  Bushwick,  which  he  had  founded. 
Under  leave  from  the  Governor,  the  English 
settlers  had  planted  their  town,  but  were  re- 
fused the  usual  patent,  and  in  1656  Richard 
Betts  administered  a  severe  blow  to  Stuyvesant 
by  purchasing  the  land  for  himself  and  fifty- 
five  associates,  from  the  red  men,  at  the  rate 
of  one  shilling  per  acre.  The  total  cost 
-amounted  to  i68  i6s.  4d.,  which,  with  the  sum 
of  £76  9&.  paid  to  the  sachems  Pomwaukon 
and  Rowerowestco,  extinguished  the  Indian  ti- 
tle to  NewtO'Wn.  For  a  long  series  of  years 
Betts  was  a  magistrate.  During  this  time  he 
was  more  than  once  a  member  of  the  high 


court  of  as'size,  then  the  supreme  power  in  the 
province.  He  became  an  extensive  landholder 
at  the  English  Kills.  His  residence  was  here, 
in  what  is  still  known  as  'the  old  Betts  house.' 
It  is  further  said  that  here  within  sight  of  his 
bedroom  he  dug  his  own  grave,  in  his  one 
hundredth  year,  and  from  the  former  to  the 
latter  he  was  carried  in  171 3.  No  headstone 
marks  the  grave,  but  its  absence  may  be  ac- 
counted for  by  the  fact  that  his  sons  had  be- 
come Quakers  and  abjured  headstones.  The 
old  house,  which  we  may  enter  by  lifting  the 
wrought-iron  latch  of  heavy  construction,  worn 
by  the  hands  of  many  generations ;  the  polished 
flags  around  the  old  deep  well,  where  the  sol- 
diers were  wont  to  wash  down  their  rations, 
are  still  as  the  British  left  them  on  their  last 
march  through  Maspeth.  This  house  is  but 
one  of  several  most  ancient  farm  houses  still 
carefully  preserved  for  their  antic[uity,  on  the 
old  Newtown  road,  between  Calvary  cemetery 
and  Maurice  avenue.  These  venerable  com- 
panions have  witnessed  many  changes,  and 
now  enjoy  a  green  old  age,  respected  by  the 
community  in  which  they  stand. 

"John  Moore,  the  early  ancestor  of  the 
Newtown  family  of  this  name,  was  supposed 
to  be  of  English  birth,  though  it  is  unknown 
when  or  whence  'he  emigrated.  He  was  an 
Independent,  and  the  first  minister  of  the  town. 
Though  not  authorized  to  administer  sacra- 
ments, he  preached  to  the  people  of  Newtown 
until  his  death,  in  1657.  In  consequence  of 
hi's  interest  in  the  purchase  of  Newtown  from 
the  Indians  the  town  awarded  eighty  acres  of 
land  to  hi-s  children,  thirty  years  after  his  de- 
cease. One  of  his  sons,  Samuel  Moore,  be- 
came a  grantee  of  land  in  Newtown  village  in 
1662,  and  afterward  bought  an  adjacent  tract, 
previously  owned  by  bis  father,  which  subse- 
quently came  into  the  hands  of  John  J.  Moore. 
In  1684  he  bought  a  farm  near  the  Poor  Bow- 
ery, to  which  he  removed. 

"Among  the  distinguished  members  of  the 
Moore  family  was  Benjamin  Moore,  who  was 
born  at  Newtown  October  5,  1748.     He  re- 


710 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


ceived  his  education  at  Kings  (now  Columbia) 
College,  and  afterward  became  its  honored 
president.  After  pursuing  theological  studies 
he  went  to  England  and  was  ordained  to  the 
Episcopal  ministry.  In  1800  he  was  appointed 
rector  of  Trinity  Church,  and  in  1801  was 
elected  bishop  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  in  the  State  of  New  .York,  and  he  con- 
tinued in  this  relation  until  his  death,  Febru- 
ary 16,  1816.  Hi's  wife  was  a  daughter  of 
Major  Clement  Clark,  of  New  York. 

"His  brother,  William  Moore,  born  at  New- 
town January  17,  1754,  was  a  medical  student 
and  a  graduate  of  Edinburgh  in  1780.  He 
then  returned  home,  and  for  more  than  forty 
years  was  engaged  in  the  duties  of  an  exten- 
sive practice.  For  many  years  he  was  presi- 
dent of  the  New  York  Medical  Society,  and 
trustee  of  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons. His  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Nathaniel 
Fish,  of  Newtowu.  One  of  their  'sons,  Na- 
thaniel F.,  succeeded  his  uncle  as  president  of 
Columbia  College. 

"Captain  Daniel  Sackett  Moore  was  a  suc- 
cessful and  respected  ship-master.  He  owned 
the  Moore  residence  near  Newtown  village, 
and  died  here  in  1828.  His  son,  John  Jacob 
Moore,  the  last  of  the  sixth  generation  of  the 
Moore  family,  died  June  14,  1879,  aged  sev- 
enty^three  years.  The  ancestors  of  this  gen- 
tleman form  an  unbroken  line  of  proprietors 
in  fee  from  the  original  Indian  purchase,  in 
1656,  in  the  following  order:  Rev.  John 
Moore,  died  1657;  Samuel  Moore,  died  1717; 
Benjamin  Moore,  died  1750;  John  Moore, 
born  1730,  died  1827;  Captain  Daniel  Sackett 
Moore,  died  1828;  John  Jacob  Moore,  died 
1879. 

"The  venerable  Moore  house  standing  on 
the  Shell  road  was  one  of  the  mansions  of  the 
colonial  period.  It  is  carefully  preserved  and 
has  been  occupied  constantly  by  the  Moore 
family  since  its  erection,  more  than  a  hundred 
years  before  the  Revolution;  no  part  of  it  is 
allowed  to  go  to  decay,  nor  is  there  much 
change  save  by  additions,  which  are  not  al- 


lowed to  displace  the  old  structure.  The  same 
hall  door — in  two  sections,  of  solid  oak  and 
secured  by  the  original  strong  hinges,  bolts 
and  locks,  and  with  the  original  ponderous 
brass  knocker — is  still  spared;  the  old  well 
built  stairway  give  access  to  the  upper  rooms; 
the  ancient  beams  still  exhibit  their  full  pro- 
portions and  are  well  varnished.  This  house 
occupied  the  center  of  the  British  camp  for 
many  years.  The  well  beside  it  requiresi  'but 
one  glance  down  its  mossy  stones  to  discover 
its  antiquity." 

The  Kissam  family  of  North  Hempstead 
can  point  in  its  records  to  the  names  of  many 
who  have  been  prominent,  locally  at  all  events, 
in  public  and  professional  life  fo-r  over  two 
centuries  and  a  half — a  long  time  as  geneal- 
ogies go  in  the  United  States.  The  name  of 
the  American  founder  of  the  family  has  been 
lost  "through  the  vicissitude  of  time,"  as 
Burkes'  "Peerage"  gravely  puts  it,  and  so  gets 
over  such  a  snag  in  its  story  of  the  origin  of 
many  noble  families  in  Great  Britain.  Had 
the  town  records  of  Flushing  not  been  de- 
stroyed! by  fire  in  1789  it  is  possible  that  the 
name  of  the  American  pioueer  would  have 
been  extant  and  so  the  genealogical  tree  of  the 
family  might  have  had  a  more  symmetrical 
beginning.  This  now  nameless  pioneer  seems, 
to  have  arrived  in  America  about  1640  and 
settled  on  a  piece  of  land  in  Flushing.  He  did 
not  long  survive  the  change  of  country,  for 
when  he  died  he  left  his  property  in  the  care 
of  guardians  for  the  benefit  of  his  only  son, 
John.  John  was  born  in  1644  and  in  due  time 
entered  upon  posses'sion  of  his  father's  acres; 
and  hke  a  good  Dutchman  settled  down  and 
cultivated  them,  bringing  to  the  homestead  as. 
its  mistress  a  Jamaica  girl,  Susan  Thorne,. 
whom  he  married  in  1667.  Their  family  con- 
sisted of  three  sons.  The  second  son,  John,  in 
after  years  married  and  settled  in  Freehold, 
New  Jersey,  and  it  is  thought  that  the  young- 
est, Thomas,  also  removed  to  that  colony. 
Daniel,  the  eldest,  appears  to  have  left  Flush- 
ing and  secured  a  farm  on  Great  Neck.  In. 


JOHH  HOWARD  PAYHE. 


OLD    COUNTY    FAMILIES. 


711 


1703  he  was  elected  a  .vestryman  in  St. 
George's  Church,  Hempstead  He  had  a 
large  family,  one  of  whom,  Joseph,  also  be- 
came a  vestryman  in  St.  George's,  and  had  a 
farm  at  Cow  Bay.  Daniel,  a  nephew  of  the 
last  named,  son  of  an  elder  brother,  who  also 
held  a  farm  at  Cow  Bay,  had  quite  an  ex- 
perience in  public  life,  as  he  served  as  county 
treasurer  from  1759  to  1782  and  was  for  many 
years  a  member  of  Assembly  and  a  justice  of 
the  peace.  Some  of  his  family,  at  least,  were 
opposed  to  the  Patriots  during  the  Revolu- 
tion, for  we'find  one  of  his  sons,  John,  accept- 
ing a  commission  as:  major  from  Governor 
Tryon  I'n  1776.  Another  member  of  the  fam- 
ily active  in  public  life  was  Daniel  Whitehead 
Kissam,  who  served  in  1786  as  a  member  of 
Assembly. 

Richard  Sharpe  Kissam,  born  in  1763,  was 
educated  for  the  medical  profession  at  Edinf- 
burgh,  Scotland,  and  entered  upon  practice  in 
New  York  in  1791.  For  thirty  years  he  stood 
at  the  head  of  the  active  members  of  his  pro- 
fession in  the  city,  and  until  his  death,  in  1822, 
he  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  foremost  sur- 
geons of  his  time.  From  one  of  his  brothers 
Governor  John  T.  Hoffman  of  New  York  was 
descended.  It  is  impossible  to  trace  here  all 
the  ramifications  of  this  family  to  the  present 
time.  Its  members  have  married  into  nearly 
all  the  old  families  of  New  York  and  Long 
Island  and  it  almost  seems  to  us  that  a  history 
of  the  various  generations  would  almost  in- 
clude the  story  of  the  legal  and  medical  pro- 
fessions in  Manhattan  from  the  beginning  of 
the  story  of  the  United  States. 

In  Suffolk  county  the  number  of  old  fam- 
ilies which  are  still  represented  in  every  town- 
ship is  such  that  a  volume  or  two  would  be 
needed  to  present  even  the  usual  meagre  de- 
tails of  births,  marriages  and  deaths,  wihich 
form  the  genealogists'  stock  in  trade.  Here, 
however,  a  few  may  be  selected  at  random  to 
illustrate  all  the  rest. 

We  may  begin  with  a  family  whose  con- 
nection with  Long  Island'-  has  long  since  ter- 


minated, which  was  really  connected  with  it 
for  a  few  years,  genealogically  speaking,  yet 
some  of  the  credit  of  affiliation  with  it  must 
be  given  to  Suffolk  county,  because  there 
seems  little  doubt  that  when  the  most  famous 
member  of  the  family  wrote  the  heart-touch- 
ing words  of  "Home,  Sweet  Home,"  it  was 
the  memory  of  the  interior  of  a  little  cottage 
in  East  Hampton  that  inspired  the  theme. 

John  Howard  Payne  was  born  in  New 
York  City,  June  9,  1792.  He  was  destined  for 
a  business  career  but  early  showed  a  predilec- 
tion for  literature  and  the  stage.  He  edited 
■some  trifling  publications  while  still  in  his 
teens, — publications  now  interesting  only  as 
curiosities, — and  in  1809  made  his  first  profes- 
sional career  as  an  actor  in  the  old  Park  The- 
atre, New  York,  taking  the  part  of  Norval  in 
Douglass'  tragedy  of  that  name,  a  part  which 
used  to  be  the  starting  point  in  the  career  of 
every  budding  Roscius.  The  play  has  long 
been  relegated  to  the  bookshelf  and  is  never 
now  acted,  but  in  the  early  part  of  the  past 
century  it  was  a  prime  favorite.  Payne's  suc- 
cess in  the  part  was  nost  flattering  and  after 
playing  it  in  many  American  cities  he  re- 
peated it  in  Drury  Lane  Theatre,  London,  with 
equal  commendation  from  the  critics  and  the 
public.  That  success  determined  his  careei' 
and  for  some  twenty  years  thereafter  he  was 
associated  wifli  the  stage  as  actor,  manager 
and  playwright.  General  James  Grant  Wil- 
son writes :  "While  living  in  London  and 
Paris,  where  he  was  intimate  with  Washing- 
ton Irving,  Payne  wrote  a  host  of  dramas, 
chiefly  adaptations  from  the  French.  In  one 
of  these,  'Clari ;  or.  The  Maid  of  Milan,'  oc- 
curs his  deathless  song  of  'Home,  Sweet 
Home,'  which  made  the  fortunes  of  all  con- 
cerned, except  t'he  always  unfortunate  author. 
By  it  alone,  Payne  will  be  remembered  after 
his  multitude  of  poems  and  dramas  have  been 
forgotten,  which,  indeed,  has  almost  hap- 
pened already.  His  tragedy  of  'Brutus,'  pro- 
duced in  1818,  with  Edmund  Kean  in  the 
principal  part,  is  his  only  dramatic  composi- 


712 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


tion  that  still  holds  possession  of  the  stage, 
with  the  single  exception  of  'Charles  the  Sec- 
ond,' the  leading  character  in  which  was  a 
favorite  with  Charles  Kemble."  In  1832  the 
wanderer  returned  to  America,  asi  poor  as 
when  he  left  it,  and  pursued  his  theatrical 
career  with  varying  fortunes,  generally  brief 
bits  of  success  mingled  with  long  periods  of 
misfortune  and  poverty.  Home  he  had  none 
throughout  his  career  since  the  .death  of  his 
mother  when  he  was  a  lad  of  thirteen  years, 
and  it  was  destined  that  he  should  die  in  exile 
from  his  native  land.  In  1841  he  wasi  a.p- 
pointed  consul  at  Tunis  and  there  he  resided 
until  his  death,  in  1852.  His  body  was  in- 
terred in  a  little  cemetery  on  the  shores  of  the 
Mediterranean  until  1883,  when  it  was  re- 
moved to  Oak  Hill  cemetery,  Washington, 
and  so  poor  Payne  was  home  at  last.  His 
career  was  a  sad  one;  poverty  and  he  were 
close  acquaintances,  he  "fattened  on  trouble 
and  starvation,"  as  he  said  himself,  and  he 
often  in  later  years  told  a  story  of  the  bitter- 
ness he  once  felt  on  hearing  his  famous  song 
sung  one  night  in  London  wlien  he  himself 
was  unable  to  raise  the  price  of  a  night's  lodg- 
ing and  had  to  find  a  home  in  the  streets'.  He 
made  plenty  of  money  but  had  no  idea  of  how 
to  keep  it,  and  a  hit,  when  it  was  made,  only 
carried  him  and  his  friends — partners  in  his 
joys  and  often  strangers  to  his  sorrows — 
through  for  a  few  days  and  then  the  weary 
round  of  misery  was  faced  again.  The  pen- 
alties of  genius  were  never  better  illustrated 
than  in  the  sad  career  of  this  gifted  singer. 
The  genealogy  of  the  Payne  family  has  been 
made  a  theme  of  special  study  by  Mr.  Henry 
Whittemore,  and  as  much  misunderstanding 
exists  concerning  the  poet's  ancestors  and  even 
concerning  his  birthplace,  we  give  the  record 
in  full : 

Thomas  Paine,  the  progenitor  of  the  fam- 
ily from  which  John  Howard  Payne  descend- 
ed, was  the  son  of  Thomas,  supposed  to  have 
come  from  Kent,  England,  and  presumably 
identical   with   Thomas   Payne  of   Yarmouth, 


the  first  Deputy  from  that  place  to  the  Old 
Colony  Court  at  Plymouth  in  Jime,  1639. 

Thomas  Paine  (2),  son  of  Thomas  (i), 
came  to  New  England  when  a  lad  ten'  years 
of  age,  and  settled  in  Eastham  before  1653,  as 
he  was  constable  there  at  that  date.  He  was 
admitted  freeman  1658.  He  represented 
Eastham  at  the  Colony  Court  1671-2-3,  1676- 
78-80-81,  and  in  1690.  He  removed  to  Boston 
before  1695.  He  was  a  man  of  more  than  or- 
dinary education,  and  was  a  very  fine  pen- 
man. He  died  at  Eastham  August  16,  1706. 
He  married  Mary  Snow,  daughter  of  Hon. 
Nicholas  Snow,  who  came  in  the  Anne  to 
Plymouth  in  1623,  and  in  1654  removed  to 
Eastham,  Massachusetts.  He  married  Con- 
stance Hopkins,  daughter  of  Stephen  Hopkins, 
of  Plymouth,  fourteenth  signer  of  the  "May- 
flower Compact." 

The  children  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Snow) 
Paine  were:  Mary,  Samuel,  Thomas,  Elea- 
zer,  Elisha,  John,  born  March  14,  1660-1, 
Nicholas,  James,  Joseph,  Dorcas. 

Deacon  John  Paine,  sixth  child  of  Thomas 
(2)  and  Mary  (Snow)  Paine,  was  born  in 
Eastham,  Massachusetts,  March  14,  1660-1. 
He  was  admitted  freeman  June,  1696. 
He  was  elected  clerk  of  the  town  1706  and  re- 
elected until  1729.  He  was  Treasurer  from 
1709  to  1736,  and  Representative  to  the  Gen- 
eral Court  at  Boston  1703-9-14-16-18-24-5. 
He  was  of  a  literary  turn  of  mind,  and  some 
of  his  spare  moments  were  devoted  to  literary 
pursuits.  Scraps  of  prose  and  poetry  written 
by  him  are  still  in  the  hands  of  his  descend- 
ants.   He  died  October  26,  1731. 

He  married  first  Bennet  Freeman,  daugh- 
ter of  Major  John  and  Mercy  (Prence)  Free- 
man, born  March,  1671.  She  was  "a  pleasant 
companion,  a  most  loving  and  obedient  wife, 
a  tender  and  compassionate  mother,  and  a 
good  Christian."  By  her  he  had  John,  Mary, 
William,  born  June  6,  1695,  Benjamin,  Sarah, 
Elizabeth,  Theophilus,  Joseph,  Nathaniel,  Re- 
becca, Mercy,  Benjamin  again. 


OLD    COUXTY    FAMILIES. 


713 


He  married,  2nd,  Alice  Mayo,  and  had  by 
her  Hannah,  James,  Thomas,  Alice,  Hannah. 

Lieut.  William  Paine,  third  child  of  Dea- 
con John  and  Bennet  (Freeman)  Paine,  was 
born  at  Eastham,  June  6,  1695.  He  was  a 
Representative  to  the  Provincial  Legislature 
from  Eastham  1731-32-35-38-39-4043-44-  He 
was  appointed  one  of  His  Majesty's  Justices 
in  1738.  He  took  part  with  the  Colonial  forces 
in  the  capture  of  Louisbourg  as  Lieutenant  in 
Capt.  Elisha  Doane's  company,  Col.  Gorham's 
Seventh  Massachusetts  Regiment,  and  died  in 
service  in  1746. 

His  first  wife  was  Sarah  Bacon,  of  Barn- 
stable, who  he  married  in  1727.  He  married, 
2nd,  June  14,  1741,  Elizabeth  Myrick,  a 
widow,  the  daughter  of  Rev.  Samuel  Osborn, 
pastor  of  the  South  Church  in  Eastham,  and 
sister  of  Dr.  John  Osborn,  the  distinguished 
physician  and  poetical  writer  of  Middletown, 
Connecticut.  By  his  first  wife  he  had  Sarah, 
Ruth,  Josiah,  Jedediah.  He  had  one  child  by 
liis  second  wife,  William,  born  1746. 

WiUiam  Paine,  or  Payne,  (2),  son  of 
Lieut.  William  and  Elizabeth  (Myrick  nee 
Osborn)  Paine,  was  born  in  1746,  the  year  his 
father  died  in  the  Colonial  service.  His  moth- 
er remarried  and  he  was  placed  in  the  family 
of  Rev.  Joseph  Crocker,  pastor  of  the  South 
Congregational  Church  of  Eastham.  He  com- 
menced the  study  of  medicine  under  Dr.  Jo- 
seph Warren,  who  fell  at  Bunker  Hill.  He 
was  interrupted  in  his  studies  by  the  events 
which  immediately  preceded  the  Revolution, 
and  opened  an  English  Grammar  School  in 
Boston,  but  on  account  of  the  occupation  of 
that  city  by  the  British  he  gave  it  up  and  be- 
came a  tutor  in  a  private  family.  Writing  to 
a  friend,  of  his  experience  at  that  time,  he 
says :  He  was  obliged  to  J>e  in  his  school 
"from  the  first  entrance  of  light  till  nine  in  the 
evening."  While  on  a  visit  to  Barnstable  he 
married  Lucy  Taylor,  who  died  shortly  after 
the  marriage.  He  went  to  New  London,  Con- 
necticut, and  there  engaged  in  a  mercantile  ad- 
venture to  the  West  Indies.    On  his  return  he 


formed  the  acquaintance  of  Miss  Sarah  Isaacs, 
of  East  Hampton,  Long  Island,  who  was  on  a 
visit  there,  and  soon  after  married  her.  Her 
father  was  a  convert  from  the  Jewish  faith, 
who  came  from  Hamburg,  Germany,  previous 
to  the  Revolution,  and  settled  at  East  Hamp- 
ton. He  was  a  man  of  education  and  wealth, 
but  difficulties  in  his  own  country  and  the 
Revolution  in  his  adopted  country  induced 
heavy  losses  and  left  him  comparatively  poor. 
His  wife,  a  Miss  Hedges,  was  the  daughter  of 
a  lady  whose  maiden  name  was  Talmage.  His 
uncle  Talmage  was  the  Earl  of  Dysart,  a  Brit- 
ish nobleman. 

William  Paine,  or  as  he  -wrote  his  name, 
"Payne,"  settled  in  East  Hampton  after  his 
marriage,  about  1780,  and  became  one  of  the 
teachers  of  the  academy  there.  His  wife,  who 
was  a  woman  of  remarkable  beauty,  fine  edu- 
cation and  many  excellent  traits  of  character, 
assisted  her  husband  in  teaching.  Payne  con- 
tinued there  for  about  ten  years.  Several  of 
his  children  were  born  there,  and  this  was 
really  the  only  home  he  ever  possessed.  He 
removed  to  New  York  in  1790,  where  he 
taught  school  for  some  years.  In  1793  he  re- 
sided at  No.  5  Dey  street,  and  he  also  resided 
and  taught  school  on  Little  Queen  street.  In 
1799  he  was  invited  by  some  influential  men 
in  Boston  to  open  a  school  there,  which  be- 
came quite  noted.  He  returned  to  New  York 
about  1809  and  taught  school  on  Common 
near  Grand  street.    He  died  March  7,  1812. 

In  the  cemetery  at  East  Hampton  is  the 
grave  marked  by  a  stone  of  Andrew  Isaacs, 
the  father  of  William  Payne's  wife,  Sarah 
(Isaacs)  Payne,  on  which  is  inscribed:  "Be- 
hold an  Israelite  in  Whom  is  No  Guile." 

William  Payne  by  his  wife  Sarah  (Isaacs) 
Payne  had  issue : 

1.  Lucy  Taylor,  born  1781,  at  East  Hamp- 
ton, married,  in  1816,  Dr.  John  Cheever  Os- 
borne, of  New  York;  died  in  Brooklyn,  1865, 
left  no  issue. 

2.  William  Osborne,  born  at  East  Hamp- 
ton, August  4,  1783,  died  March  24,  1804. 


714 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


3.  Sarah  Isaacs,  born  at  East  Hampton, 
July  II,  1785,  died  in  New  York.  October  14, 
1808. 

4.  Eloise  Richards,  born  at  East  Hamp- 
ton, March  12,  1787,  died  at  Leicester,  Massa- 
chusetts, July,  1819. 

5.  Anna  Beren  Leagers,  born  at  East 
Hampton,  April  9,  1789,  died  at  Newport, 
Rhode  Island,  October  11,  1789. 

6.  John  Howard,  the  poet,  born  in  New 
York  City,  at  33  Pearl  street,  June  9,  1791, 
died  at  Tunis,  Africa,  April  9,  1852. 

7.  Eliza  Maria,  born  in  New  York  City, 
September  19,  1795,  died  there  May  25,  1797. 

8.  Thatcher  Taylor,  born  in  New  York 
City,  August  14,  1796,  married  in  New  York, 
1833,  Mrs.  Anna  Elizabeth  Bailey,  died,  in 
Brooklyn,  December  27,  1863. 

9.  Elizabeth  Mary,  born  in  Boston,  Massa- 
chusetts, died  there  aged  about  two  years. 

The  Scudder  family,  although  not  among 
the  original  settlers  of  Suffolk  county,  might 
almost  claim  directly,  can,  in  some  of  its 
branches  at  least,  claim  descent  by  intermar- 
riage with  every  one  of  the  historic  families 
of  which  Suffolk  is  so  justly  proud.  Then, 
too,  their  own  American  pedigree  commences 
at  a  date  almost  ranking  with  the  first.  The 
American  pioneer,  Thomas  Scudder,  left 
Grafton,  England,  in  1636,  and  settled  at 
Salem,  Massachusetts.  He  left  three  sons, 
Thomas,  John  and  Henry,  all  of  whom  in 
1652  crossed  over  to  Long  Island  and  became 
residents  of  Southold.  After  a  while  they  all 
moved  to  Huntington  township  and  acquired 
land  there.  Then  John  removed  to  Newtown, 
where  he  resided  until  his  death,  about  1670. 
He  left  an  only  son,  John,  who  married  a 
daughter  of  Captain  Richar.d  Betts.  His  two 
sons,  John  and  Richard  B.,  moved  with  their 
families  to  New  Jersey,  and  their  descendants 
are  there  to  be  found  even  to  the  present  day. 

Thomas  and  Henry  Scudder  may  there- 
fore be  regarded  as  the  progenitors  of  the 
Scudders  of  Long  Island;  Thomas  seems  to 
have  had  quite  a  land  thirst  and  apparently 


invested  all  the  money  at  his  command  in  real 
estate.  At  his  death  his  holdings  were  divid- 
ed, according  to  his  directions,  between  his 
two  sons,  all  within  the  town  of  Huntington 
going  to  the  eldest,  Benjamin;  and  tracts  at 
Cow  Harbor,  Crab  Meadow  and  elsewhere,-  to 
the  younger  one,  Timothy.  There  were  five 
daughters  in  the  family  but  they  seem  to  have 
been  lost  sight  of  in  the  di'stribution  of  the  real 
estate.  Both  of  these  fortunate  brothers  mar- 
ried and  had  families  and  soon  the  mere  rec- 
ords of  the  marriages  and  baptisms  and  deaths 
begin  to  tangle  us  up  in  a  maze,  and,  even  if 
printed,  would  have  no  interest  even  for  the 
family  themselves  outside  of  a  few  of  an  anti- 
quarian turn  of  mind.  But  there  are  several 
names:  on  the  long  and  honorable  record 
which  deserve  to  be  held  in  general  remem- 
brance throughout  Long  Island,  at  any  rate 
for  their  patriotic  and  public  services. 

Thomas  Scudder,  son  of  Benjamin,  and 
third  in  descent  from  Thomas  (ist)  of  Salem, 
died  about  1760,  leaving-  only  one  son,  also 
named  Thomas,  who  in  turn  died  in  1809, 
leaving  four  sons,  John,  Nathaniel,  Gilbert  and 
Thomas.  John  joined  the  Continental  army, 
was  taken  prisoner  at  the  battle  of  Long  Island 
and  confined  with  many  others:  in  the  old  su- 
gar house  in  New  York  City,  where  the  cold 
and  hunger  occasioned  much  sickness  and 
many  deaths  among  the  prisoners. 

The  old  house  of  the  Scudders  at  Hunt- 
ington Harbor,  offering  good  quarters  for  the 
British  officers,  was  occupied  by  them,  except 
the  kitchen,  where  the  family  were  forced  to- 
crowd  together,  and  the  officer's  horses  occu- 
pied the  barn  and  used  the  hay  and  grain 
'Stored)  there,  while  the  stock  of  Thomas  Scud- 
der was  turned  adrift  in  the  fields  and  streets. 

The  sufferings  of  John  as  a  prisoner,  com- 
ing to  the  ears  of  his  father,  caused  the  latter 
to  send  his  son  Gilbert  (then  a  lad  of  sixteen 
years)  to  New  York  to  aid  in  his  brother's  re- 
lief, which  he  accomplished  by  walking  past 
the  prison  house  several  times  a  day  and  when 
the  chance  offered  passing  food  from  his  pock- 


OLD    COUNTY    FAMILIES. 


715 


et  to  him,  or  to  some  one  for  him,  through  the 
iron  bars  of  a  window  bordering  on  a  side 
street.    This  assistance  continued  until  he  was 
Hberated  on  parole;  but  the  severity  of  treat- 
ment the  prisoners  suffered  and  the  injustice 
and  rapine  offered  his  father's  family  in  Hunt- 
ington so  embittered  John's   feelings  against 
the  rule  of  Great  Britain  as  to  justify  him,  in 
his  own  opinion,  in  breaking  his  parole  and 
enlisting  in  General  Greene's  command  in  the 
Southern    arm_\-,    where    before    a    year    had 
passed    he    died    of    yellow    fever.      Another 
Revolutionary  hero  beloniging  to   the   family 
was  Henry  Scudder,  who  was  of  the  fourth 
in  descent  from  the  Salem  pioneer.     On  the 
outbreak  of  the  war  he  gave  heart  and  hand  to 
the  cause  of  the  Revolution,  promoted  its  de- 
velopment, held  a  commission  in  the  army,  and 
during  the  seven  years'  war  sacrificed  all  per- 
sonal and  family  considerations  for  the  com- 
mon cause  of  independence.    He  was  captured 
at  or  shortly  after  the  battle  of  Long  Island, 
but    escaped    confinement,    passed    over    the 
sound  to  Connecticut,  and  was  attached  to  the 
force    of    General    Tallmadge.      During    the 
seven  years/   struggle  he   largely  contributed 
by   his   local  knowledge   and   great   personal 
daring  to  many  successful  expeditions  against 
the   British   forces   on   Long   Island   between 
Matinecock    Point    and    Wading    River,    and 
came  to  be  held  by  them  as  a  scourge  whom 
they  at  once  feared   and  watched   for.     His 
possessions  at  Crab  Meadow  were  laid  waste 
by  cutting  his  wood,  burning  his  fences  and 
outbuildings  and  driving  off  all  the  stock  ( ex- 
cepting one  cow  which  was  secreted  by  an  old 
slave),  and  his  wife  was  subjected  to  a  system 
of  most  distressing  espionage  in  order  to  dis- 
cover  the    presence   of   her    husband   on   his 
stealthy  visits  to  her.     To  the  courage  of  his 
wife  and  her  sympathy  with  the  cause  of  jus- 
tice Henry  Scudder  undoubtedly  owed  much 
in  his  cheerful  self-denial  and  endurance  of 
the  hardships  occasioned  by  the  long  struggle 
for  freedom.     After  the  declaration  of  inde- 
pendence he  was  cho'sen  as  one  of  the  dele- 


gates from  Suffolk  county  to  aid  in  the  adop- 
tion of  the  Federal  constitution.  He  repre- 
sented the  county  in  the-  Assembly  several 
terms  and  held  other  positions  of  honor  and 
trust.  Henry  Scudder  died  in  1822,  leaving 
three  sons,  Youngs  Prime  Scudder,  Henry 
Scudder  and  Joel  Scudder.  He  also"  had  two- 
daughters,  the  oldest  Phebe,  who  married  Azel 
Lewis,  and  Amelia,  married  to  Piatt  Lewis. 

Several  of  the  Scudder  family  have  been 
members  of  Congress.  Tredwell  Scudder 
represented  Suffolk  county  in  the  State  As- 
sembly for  several  terms  and  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  fifteenth  Congress.  For  over 
twenty  years  he  was  prominent  in  public  life. 
Henry  Joel  Scudder  was  chosen  to  Congress 
in  1872  and  declined  a  renomination.  He  was 
bom  at  Northport  in  1825,  graduated  at  Trin- 
ity College,  Hartford,  in  1846,  and  two  years 
later  was  adimitted  to  the  New  York  bar.  He 
acquired  a  leading  position  in  his  profession, 
and  in  1881  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  was  con- 
ferred upon  him  by  Roanoke  College.  His 
career  was  distinguished  by  the  interest  he 
took  in  educational  matters  and  in  schemes  for 
improving  the  condition  of  the  poor  and  for 
his  native  town  of  Northport  be  was  always 
thinking  and  planning  some  scheme  of  im- 
provement. His  death  in  1886  was  deeply  re- 
gretted by  a  wide  circle  of  dfevoted  friends. 
His  son,  Townsend  Scudder,  afterwards  repre- 
sented Suffolk  and  Nassau,  etc.,  in  Congress, 
and  proved  a  thoroughly  practical  and  most 
eminently  useful  member. 

The  Huntting  family  is  another  which  has- 
representatives  all  over  the  island,  and,  not- 
ably, in  Suffolk.  Their  progenitor,  so*  far  as- 
their  American  story  goes,  was  John  Huntt- 
ing, who  in  1638  settled  at  Dedham,  Massa- 
.chusetts,  from  England.  His  grandson,  the 
Rev.  Nathaniel  Huntting,  was  minister  of 
East  Hampton  for  about  half  a  century.  He 
had  a  family  of  six  son®,  and  his  grandson, 
Jonathan  Huntting,  became  minister  of  South- 
old.  In  1739  Samuel  Huntting  founded  the 
Southampton  branch  of  the  family.     Colonel! 


■716 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Benjamin  Huntting,  who  was  born  in  South- 
ampton in  1754  and  died  there  in  1807,  was 
■  one  of  the  most  eiiterprising  merchants  of  his 
day.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  equip  whaUng 
vessels  for  long  voyages  and  carried  on  a  large 
.trade  with  the  West  Indies.  The  family  have 
been  merchants,  lawyersi  and  fighters  and  are 
represented  in  nearly  all  the  wars  in  which 
this  country  has  engaged.  When  the  Civil 
War  broke  out  E.  F.  Huntting  of  Southold 
volunteered  for  the  front  and  with  a  commis- 
sion as  lieutenant  went  forth  to  do  what  he 
could  to  defend  the  flag.  His  career  was  a 
short  but  brilliant  one ;  he  was  shot  at  the 
head  of  his  company  and  soon  after  the  news 
was  brought  to  Southold  the  Rev.  Dr.  Epher 
Whitaker  preached  a  notable  sermon  on  the 
lessons  of  the  young  hero's  death  which,  as  it 
deserves  to  be  printed  in  some  form  likely  to 
preserve  it,  and  as  its  deeply  religious  tone 
and  moral  musings  and  splendid  spirituality 
form  an  elevating  change  from  most  of  what 
appears  in  this  chapter,  we  print  it  entire.  It 
will  be  seen  that  it  is  more  than  a  sermon ;  it  is 
a  sketch  both  biographical  and  genealogical, 
with  a  lesson  of  deep  import  drawn  from  the 
■whole : 

"Here  am  I;  send  me."    Isa.  vi,  8. 

Readiness  for  duty,  however  dangerous, 
burdensome  and  responsible,  is  the  expression 
of  this  text ;  and  it  would  not  be  easy  to  find 
smother  more  fit  to  indicate  the  character  of 
that  young  soldier,  whose  death  we  mourn 
and  whose  virtues  we  commemorate  to-day. 

The  Bible  is  not  a  book  of  life  and  peace 
only.  It  is  also,  very  largely,  a  volume  of  war 
and  death.  The  songs  of  M'iriam  and  of  De- 
borah are  paeans  of  victory.  Many  of  the 
psalms  of  David  are  martial  odes.  His  lamen- 
tation over  Saul  and  Jonathan  is  the  eulogy 
and  elegy  of  battle-slain  heroes.  And  the 
Bible  abounds,  throughout  all  its  parts,  in 
language  and  illustration  drawn  from  the  sci- 
ence and  art  of  war.  This  is  the  case  in  the 
earlier  as  well  as  in  the  later  ages  of  its  his- 
tory. The  fine  figure  which  soldiers  present 
in  its  latest  books  is  specially  remarkable. 
Here  some  of  them  and  there  others,  again 
and  again  save  the  life  of  the  chiefest  of  the 


apostles,  and  afiford  him  the  means  of  spread- 
ing the  gospel  among  the  nations.  Others 
often  hate  and  hurt  him.  Soldiers  commonly 
treat  him  fairly  and  kindly. 

But  I  have  chosen  no  inaident  of  a  soldier's 
life,  nor  any  circumstance  of  a  soldier's  death, 
to  indicate  the  character  of  that  heroic  soldier, 
in  whose  honor  we  perform  this  service.  Yet, 
"Here  am  I;  send  m.e,"  are  words  full  of  mar- 
tial decision,  alacrity,  courage  and  manliness. 

These  qualities  and  others  of  Lieutenant 
Huntting  will  appear  in  the  briefest  sketch  of 
his  life  and  death. 

Edward  Foster  Huntting  was  born  May 
22,  1843,  in  the  home  of  his  parents  and  pa- 
ternal grandparents,  in  Southold,  and  died  in 
the  service  of  his  country,  while  commanding 
his  company,  on  the  battle-field  of  Olustee, 
Florida,  February  20,  1864,  in  the  twenty-first 
year  of  his  age. 

He  sprang  from  a  long  line  of  worthy  an- 
cestors of  the  same  family  name.  The  earliest 
of  the  name  in  this  country  was  John  Hunt- 
ting, who  came  from  England  two  hundred 
and  twenty-five  years  ago  last  September,  and 
settled  at  Dedham,  Massachusetts,  where  he 
died  April  12,  1682.  His  son,  John,  who  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Payne,  was  a  resident  of  the 
same  place,  where  his  son  Nathaniel  was  born 
November  15,  1675.  This  Nathaniel  Hunt- 
ting, a  graduate  of  Harvard  College  in  1693, 
began  his  life-long  ministry  at  Easthampton, 
in  September,  1696;  before  he  was  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  and  by  his  vigorous  ministry 
therd  for  more  than  half  a  century,  he  pre- 
pared the  way  for  the  Rev.  Samuel  Buell,  D. 
D.,  and  the  Rev.  Lyman  Beecher,  D.  D.,  who 
were  his  next  successors.  Two  of  his  sons 
and  one  of  his  grandsons,  having  graduated 
at  college  and  then  studied  theology,  became 
ministers  of  the  gospel.  The  grandson  was 
the  Rev.  Jonathan  Huntting,  ,who  graduated 
at  Yale  College  in  1804,  and  was  ordained  and 
installed  here  on  the  20th  of  August,  1807,  the 
Rev.  Drs.  Woolworth  and  Beecher  performing 
the  chief  parts  of  the  services.  He  fulfilled 
the  duties  of  the  pastoral  office  here  twenty- 
one  years  and  one  week ;  and  his  pastorate, 
under  God,  was  the  salvation  of  this  church. 
After  he  ceased  to  be  the  pastor,  he  retaiined 
his  home  in  this  place,  and  with  him,  till  his 
death,  December  30,  1850,  lived  his  son  Ed- 
ward, this  bereaved  father,  whose  first-born 
child  and  only  son  is  the  subject  of  our 
thoughts  to-day. 

The  brief  service  of  an  hour  will  not  permit 


OLD    COUNTY    FAMILIES. 


rir 


me  to  make  any  specific  mention  of  the  wide- 
ly spreading  branches  of  Lieutenant  Hunt- 
ting's  maternal  ancestry,  whether  through  the 
Cases,  the  Halseys,  or  others  more  remote 
from  him.  They  are  extensive  and  known  to 
be  worthy  of  the  regard  due  to  his  forefathers 
on  the  paternal  side. 

It  requires  some  acquaintance  with  men 
to  appreciate  the  full  worth  of  such  an  ances- 
try. But  its  advantages  are  none  the  less  real. 
Apart  from  the  virtue  of  blood,  which  is  sub- 
stantial and  operative,  it  gives  the  child  of 
such  parentage  a  material  vantage  ground  in 
the  very  first  years  of  his  life.  It  goes  before 
him  and  prepares  the  way  for  his  reception  of 
kindness,  instruction,  attention  and  manifold 
advantages  on  every  hand.  It  gives  him  the 
confidence  of  others,  and  makes  many  friends 
for  him  even  before  his  own  merits  have  won 
them  or  deserved  them.  He  is  "beloved  for  the 
fathers'  sakes."  This  may  aid  him  long  after 
his  ancestors  are  in  their  graves.  For  many 
important  purposes,  the  worth  of  his  forefa- 
thers avails  him  as  if  it  were  his  own.  The 
nature  of  human  life  and  the  structure  of  hu- 
man society  make  it  as  useful  as  it  is  unavoid- 
able that  parents  and  children  should  share 
their  advantages  and  disadvantages  with  each 
other.  Every  child  feels  this  connection  of 
the  parents  and  their  oiif spring,  even  before  he 
can  fully  understand  its  nature  or  appreciate 
its  great  value ;  and  he  is  a  most  unwise  and 
ungrateful  son,  who  recklesslv  throws  away 
all  the  substantial  advantages  of  honorable  par- 
entage, and  chooses  to  fight  the  battle  of  life 
alone,  and  cut  his  way  throueh  the  world 
friendle=s  and  unsupported.  We  honor  those 
who  make  a  good  name  for  themselves  without 
this  advantap^e:  but  we  blame  the  man  who 
scorns  the  privileges  of  his  own  birthright. 

Even  the  childhood  of  Lieutenant  Hunt- 
ting  was  marked  by  no  follv  of  this  kind.  He 
was  early  mindful  of  the  advantages  which  his 
parentage  gave  him,  and  commendablv  obedi- 
ent to  parental  authority.  The  family  is  the 
foundation  of  human  society.  He  felt  un- 
ceasingly its  benign  and  mighty  influence. 
The  wishes  of  his  parents  were  often  con- 
trary to  his  boyish  tendencies,  his  constitution- 
al inclinations,  and  the  customs  of  many  among 
his  youthful  associates,  and  in  many  a  case  of 
this  kind  it  was  exceedingly  interesting  to 
mark  the  cheerfulness  of  his  conformity  to 
their  will.  For  instance,  the  entertainments 
of  doubtful  character,  which  they  wished  him 
to  forego,  he  often  treated  for  their  sakes  as 


unattractive  and  worthless.  Thus  he  cheerful- 
ly rejected  what  would  have  pleased  his  social 
disposition,  in  order  to  show  his  regard  for 
their  wishes.  He  was  thus  trained  to  faithful- 
ness in  duty. 

The  same  deference  to  their  authority  and 
regard  for  their  comfort,  which  marked  the- 
course  of  his  boyhood  and  chiefly  formed  his 
character,  also  restrained  him,  I  know  not 
how  long,  from  giving  him^self  to  his  country 
in  arms. 

For  many  months  before  he  volunteered, 
the  strong  impulses  of  his  ardent  patriotism 
impelled  him  to  this  step,  but  a  life-long  desire' 
to   promote   the   comfort  of  his   parents   and 
sisters,  held  him  back  for  a  season. 

He  was  not  aware  that  his  talents  and 
training  had  fitted  him  for  this  service.  His- 
highest  triumphs  in  school  were  in  the  exact 
sciences;  and  I  never  saw  him  appear  in  a 
better  light  at  any  time  than  in  the  splendor" 
of  an  examination  in  certain  branches  of  the 
higher  mathematics,  which  are  closely  con- 
nected with  that  precision  of  movement  and" 
aim,  and  quick  measurement  of  time  and  dis- 
tance for  which  a  soldier  should  be  fitted. 

His  progress  and  excellence  in  his  academ- 
ical studies  were  not  more  marked  than  his 
activity,  agility,  strength  and  readiness  in  all 
athletic  sports  on  the  playground.  But  his 
vigorous  mental  powers  and  superior  physical' 
endowments  found  not  their  chief  object  in 
sports  and  pastime.  As  manhood  drew  on 
apace,  the  choicest  athletic  games  became  less 
attractive  than  substantial,  productive  toil ;  and' 
whether  he  ploughed  the  fields  of  his  father  or' 
performed  some  neighborly  and  generous  act 
for  one  in  need  of  aid,  the  labors  of  his  hands 
were  cheerful  industry,  not  repulsive  drudgery. 
Within  these  weeks  of  our  mourning,  since  he 
met  his  early  death  as  a  thorough  soldier 
might  wish  to  die,  new  anecdotes  of  his  skill, . 
efficiency  and  generosity  as  a  worker  have  been 
related  to  me  in  his  praise. 

Thus  in  the  life  of  the  family,  in  the  studies 
and  sports  of  good  schools,  both  at  home  and" 
abroad,  in  the  labors  of  the  farm,  and  in  the 
social  activities,  duties  and  charities  of  the 
neighborhood,  he  had  shown  himself  worthy 
of  high  regard. 

Full  five  years  since  he  passed  the  most 
critical  portion  of  his  youth ;  and  the  fears 
which  some  of  his  friends  then  experienced' 
for  a  short  time,  lest  he  should  falter  in  virtue, 
were  happily  and  speedily  done  away. 

The  approach  of  manhood  both  matured'. 


718 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


and  improved  his  character.  The  benign  influ- 
ences of  the  family  and  of  the  church  of  God, 
in  whose  worship  he  was  habitually  active, 
were,  through  the  working  of  the  divine  Spirit, 
not  without  effect  upon  his  higher  powers.  He 
became  more  thoughtful,  considerate,  manly 
and  gentle,  and  so  acquired  no  little  decision 
of  character.  We  saw  it  often,  but  will  paint 
you  to  no  more  than  one  instance. 

We  shall  not  soon  forget  that  evening,  the 
i8th  of  August,  1862,  when  his  tall  and  shape- 
ly form  was  seen  advancing  here  to  place  his 
name,  with  his  own  right  hand,  upon  the  list 
of  volunteers  for  his  country's  army;  and  we 
knew  him  to  be  one  who  would  never  shrink 
from  his  engagement,  neglect  his  duty,  nor 
turn  his  back  to  his  country's  foe.  His  un- 
selfish patriotism  was  not  the  kind  to  wear  the 
badge  of  jneanness  and  infamy,  and  his  heroic 
soul  was  not  shaped  and  fashioned  to  receive 
the  brand  of  cowardice  and  shame.  The  multi- 
tude who  then  thronged  this  house  of  God 
hailed  his  generous  act  with  loud  applause. 
But  it  was  not  so  much  the  acclamations  of 
the  enthusiastic  spectators  as  the  noble  im- 
pulses of  his  own  spirit  and  the  firm  decision 
of  his  own  mind,  that  filled  his  radiant'  eyes 
with  light,  and  spread  a  smile  over  his  ex- 
pressive countenance.  Memorv  is  faithful  to 
disclose  even  now  the  graceful  dignity  which 
he  displayed  among  his  worthv  companiions 
who  then,  with  him,  pledged  their  young  man- 
hood's prime  and  their  precious  lives  to'  the 
defence  of  our  country  against  the  lawless 
violence  and  war  of  traitors.  Dumb  be  our 
lips  and  dead  be  our  hearts  if  we  fail  to  honor 
them,  whether  they  live  or  die,  for  such  gen- 
erous and  heroic  devotion. 

It  was  no  sudden  freak  of  Lieutenant  Hunt- 
ting  that  led  him  to  lay  down  his  life  for  his 
country.  He  pondered  the  matter  long  and 
well  before  he  gave  himself  to  live  or  die  for 
the  nation.  Though  his  life  had  not  reached 
a  score  of  years,  he  had  carefully  studied  the 
history,  the  extent  and  the  worth  of  the  coun- 
try and  its  national  government.  He  had- 
marked  the  insurrection  of  traitors  and  had 
seen  how  they  had  levied  and  begun  war 
against  their  lawful  rulers.  He  scorned  their 
sophistry,  despised  their  selfishness,  detested 
their  oppression  and  defied  their  warlike 
power.  He  counted  not  his  life  dear  unto 
himself,  to  maintain  his  country's  rights  and 
promote  the  general  welfare. 

As  soon,  therefore,  as  approaching  man- 
hood would  justify  it,  and  the  national  voice 


asked,  "Who  will  go  for  us  ?"  his  firm  answer 
was  ready,  "Here  am  I ;  send  me."  When  he 
thus  offered  himself,  he  was  not  unaware  that 
he  gave  perhaps  his  life  for  his  country.  He 
was  not  unmindful  of  this  fact  in  subsequent 
days.  Indeed,  he  desired  to  incur  the  danger 
and  to  fight  the  battles  for  which  he  had  vol- 
unteered to  serve  his  country  in  arms. 

This  was  one  reason  why  he  desired  pro- 
m.otion  and  transfer  from  his  place  in  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty-seventh  Regiment  to  his 
lieutenancy  in  the  Forty-seventh  Regiment  of 
New  York  Volunteers.  In  the  former  regi- 
ment he  had  faiithfully  performed  the  duties 
of  a  non-commissioned  officer  for  more  than 
a  year  in  Maryland,  Virginia  and  South  Caro- 
lina, on  both  sides  of  the  Potomac,  the  James 
and  the  Nansemond  rivers,  as  well  as  on  the 
coast  islands  of  South  Carolina;  and  though 
often  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy,  yet  never  able 
to  see  more  than  his  back  or  a  line  of  his 
pickets.  This  did  not  satisfy  our  young  sol- 
dier. His  patriotic  aspirations  sought  a 
more  vigorous  and  decisive  service  of  his 
country  and  hence  it  was  a  real  gratification 
to  him',  even  at  the  expense  of  a  separation 
from  dear  companions  of  long  and  well  tried 
friendship,  to  be  transferred  to  a  lieutenancy 
in  the  Forty-seventh  Regiment,  whose  fortune 
it  had  been  to  see  more  decisiive  service.  Ac- 
cordingly, in  November  last,  he  received  his 
commission  in  this  regiment. 

It  presented  a  fit  occasion  to  display  the 
integrity  and  nobleness  of  his  character.  His 
commission  was  presented  to  him  with  the 
promise,  on  his  part,  that  he  would  forthwith 
report  himself  to  the  commander  of  the  regi- 
ment iii  which  he  had  been  commissioned.  But 
no  sooner  had  he  received  his  commission,  than 
he  was  ad-v^ised  by  senior  officers  around  him  to 
do  what  is  not  uncommon  in  such  cases,  name- 
ly, pocket  the  commission,  and  make  a  short 
visit  home  before  reporting  himself  in  the  new 
place  according  to  his  promise.  But  neither 
his  strong  desire  to  see  his  parents  and  kindred 
and  home  friends  once  more,  nor  the  example 
of  many  a  one  among  his  brother  officers,  nor 
all  other  considerattions  combined  with  these 
powerful  motives  could  induce  him  to  falsify 
his  word,  or  swerve  one  line  from  the  path  of 
integrity  and  honor.  He  would  not  burden  his 
conscience  with  a  broken  promise,  even  to 
lighten  and  gladden  his  heart  with  all  the  de- 
lights of  home,  though  he  might  see  that  be- 
loved home  and  its  unspeakably  dear  inmates 
never  more.     This  is  virtue  beyond  the  reach 


OLD    COUNTY    FAMILIES. 


719 


of  mere  heroism.       It  is  virtue  which  comes 
from  Christian  principle  only. 

It  was  virtue  too  in  one  whose  heart  craved 
the  society  of  gentle  souls  with  inextinguish- 
able longing.       This  yearning  of    his    heart 
might  be  shown  dn  many  ways.     Let  one  inci- 
dent suffice.     In  one  of  his  cheerful,  familiar 
letters,  intended  to  be  read  only  in  the  home  of 
his  childhood,  he  writes,  "I  do  not  particularly 
dislike  this  kind  of  life,  but  still  it  does  not  fill 
up  the  vacancy.     The  associations  do  not  ex- 
actly suit ;  and  you  may  laugh,  but  I  am  more 
'homesiick'  for  good  female  society  than  I  ever 
was  for  any  thing  else.     I  want  something  re- 
fining among  all  this  coarse,  strong  community 
of  men  who  do  and  dare.     I  think  sometimes, 
what  would  I  not  give  for  an  hour's  talk  with 
mother  and  sister.     I  never  have  been  home- 
sick— never  2vill  he,  so  long  as  I  have  health  in 
other  respects ;  but  I  do  hunger  for  something 
refining,  and  softer  than  these  surroundings  of 
war,  if  I  am  'a  man  of  blood.'     I  never  told 
you  of  the  risk  I  ran  to  have  an  hour's  con- 
versation with  an  old  lady  and  her  daughter 
while  in  Virginia.       They  lived  outside  the 
lines ;  but  I  took  my  gun  and  went  out,  deter- 
mined to  risk  a  fight  or  capture  for  the  sake 
of  an  hour's  chat  with  the  ladies.     The  old 
lady's  name  was  Warner,  and  I  found  herself 
and  her  niece  both  at  home,  but  very  much  sur- 
prised to  see  me,  as  they  lived  up  among  the 
mountains  or  'up  country,'  as  they  said.     I  told 
them  just  what  I  had  come  for,  and  hoped  they 
would  not  be  offended.     They  invited  me  into 
the  parlor,  and  I  spent  a  very  pleasant  two 
hours.     The  old  lady's  son  was  in  the  rebel 
army;  but  she  was  no  partisan,  and  said  she 
hoped  some  Southern  lady  would  talk  to  her 
son  like  a  mother,  for  she  was  sure  he  would 
need  it.     She  was  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
church,  a  very  good,  motherly  old  lady,  and 
when  I  left  she  gave  me  some  very  good  ad- 
vice." 

How  clearly  this  incident  discloses  the 
union  of  the  tenderest  sensibility  with  the  man- 
liest courage.  It  prepares  us  to  glance  our  eye 
at  his  modesty,  which  was  equal  to  his  merit  in 
other  qualities.  In  a  letter  containing  his 
photograph,  sent  to  his  oldest  sister  three 
months  since,  one  of  the  two  letters  from  his 
pen  which  I  have  had  opportunity  to  read,  he 
wrote  thus  :  "Is  Eddie  much  changed,  do  you 
think?  When  I  look  at  him  with  my  mind, 
and  compare  the  untried  boy,  untaught  in  the 
world's  rough  school,  who  left  his  island  home 
fifteen  months  ago  to  fight  the  battles  of  his 


country's  flag,  and  shield  that  flag  from  the 
foul  stain  traitors  would  put  upon  it,  to  the 
individual,  half  boy  half  man,  who  to-day  ap- 
pears before  me,  I  can  see  a  great  change  in 
many  respects.  He  has  gained  a  glimpse  of 
the  many  and  various  pages  of  the  text-book 
set  before  him  in  this  great  school,  and  his 
opinions  and  feelings  and  whole  mind  have 
changed  much.  But  when,  at  the  hour  of  twi- 
light, he  puts  aside  the  present  and  outward 
world,  gives  imagination  free  scope,  and  thinks 
of  the  loved  ones  who  at  that  moment  are 
thinking  and  praying  for  the  absent  one,  he  is 
the  same  boy  of  fifteen  months  ago,  not  a  whit 
changed,  still  cheerful,  still  hopeful  that  the 
end  will  soon  come,  and  he  be  again  united  to 
that  pleasant  family  circle  which  liis  imagina- 
tion correctly  pictures." 

This  mention  of  the  twilight  hour  is  a 
beautiful  intimation  of  his  prayerfulness.  It  is 
the  part  of  the  day  in  which  he  devoted  a  half 
hour  to  prayer  in  concert  with  his  mother.  His 
frequent  allusions  to  it  in  his  letters,  and  his 
oft-repeated  request  that  his  mother  would  not 
fail  to  observe  it,  show  most  clearly  how  highly 
he  prized  it.  He  was  mindful  of  the  religious 
privileges  and  education  which  he  had  received 
from  his  parents :  and  it  would  seem  that  he 
made  a  deep  impression  of  his  Christian  prin- 
ciple and  rectitvide  upon  the  minds  of  his 
brother  officers. 

This  shines  forth  in  the  letter  of  Lieutenant 
Smith,  who  wrote,  with  equal  perspicuity  and 
tenderness,  the  particular  circumstances  of  our 
young  lieutenant's  death. 

This  letter  is  the  most  grateful  evidence 
that  even  in  the  last  moments  of  his  life.  Lieu- 
tenant Huntting  maintained  and  disclosed,  and 
even  most  fitly  displayed  some  of  those  sterling 
virtues  which  have  come  into  view  in  the 
course  of  this  sketch. 

Only  four  days;  after  the  battle,  and  while 
yet  in  bivouac,  Lieutenant  Smith  obtained  the 
address  of  Lieutenant  Huntting's  mother,  and 
most  generously  and  k'ndly  wrote  thus : 

"My  Dear  M.\dam — It  is  with  feelings  of 
deep  sorrow  tjaat  I  communicate  to  you  the 
news  of  the  death  of  your  son,  my  esteemed 
friend,  Second  Lieutenant  E.  F  Huntting.  He 
fell  while  gallantly  leading  his  company  'I,'  in 
the  battle  of  Olustee,  on  the  afternoon  of  last 
Saturday,  February  20th. 

"A  large  number  of  the  original  members 
of  Company  T  had  re-enlisted  as  veteran  vol- 
unteers, and  the  captain  and  first  lieutenant  had 


720 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


accompanied  them  home  on  furlougfh.  So 
great  was  the  confidence  reposed  in  Lieutenant 
Huntting  by  Col.  Moore,  that  ahhough  he  was 
only  a  junior  officer,  the  colonel  gave  him  the 
command  of  his  company. 

"Our  mess  on  the  march  consisted  of  Lieu- 
tenants Evry,  Scott,  Huntting  and  myself. 
While  conversing  together  over  a  cup  of  coffee, 
reference  was,  by  chance,  made  to  the  proba- 
bilities of  some  of  us  going  down  in  the  battle 
that  we  knew  was  soon  to  take  place.  Your 
son's  thoughts  seemed  to  dwell  particularly  on 
home,  and  the  sad  effect  thr.t  any  thing  serious 
or  disastrous  to  him  would  cause  in  the  family 
circle.  He  mentioned  you  particularly  as  likely 
to  be  seriously  affected,  should  he  be  taken 
away.  Alas  for  the  uncertainty  of  human  life ! 
The  early  moon  that  evening  looked  down  se- 
renely on  the  lifeless  forms  of  two  out  of  that 
little  group  of  four  who  were  then  so  quietly 
talking  over  their  future  prospects. 

"At  a  little  after  8  A.  M.  we  were  on  the 
march.  My  company  was  first  in  line,  Lieut. 
Every's  next,  and  Lieut.  Huntting's  third.  We 
pushed  on  rapidly,  and  by  3^  P.  M.  were  sup- 
posed to  be  within  a  mile  of  the  town  of  Olus- 
tee,  a  distance  of  twenty  miles.  A  smart  artil- 
lery fire,  directly  followed  by  the  rattle  of 
musketry,  about  half  a  mile  in  advance,  led  us 
to  suppose  that  the  enemy  had  thrown  out  a 
small  picket  force,  which  our  cavalry  were  then 
engaged  in  driving  in.  Soon  we  were  ordered 
to  form  brigade  line,  and  shortly  afterwards 
we  came  into  line  of  battle,  our  regiment  being 
on  the  left  flank.  Imm^e/diately  the  enemy 
commenced  shelling  us,  with  good  range  on  his 
part,  so  that  we  at  once  moved  forward  to  en- 
gage him.  In  a  few  moments  we  were  hotly 
engaged.  Your  son — cool,  calm,  and  deliber- 
ate in  every  movement — cautioned  his  men  to 
fire  low,  and  bravely  stood  up  facing  the  death- 
storm  that  raged  alDOUt  him.  In  a  little  while 
a  rebel  regiment  moved  forward  on  the  left 
and  attempted  to  flank  us.  This  drove  back 
our  left  wing  for  a  time,  leaving  us  who  were 
on  the  right  exposed  to  an  enfilading  fire.  Our 
men  were  falliing  rapidly,  and  the  three  right 
companies  became  somewhat  massed  together. 
Lieut.  Huntting  deliberately  walked  back  to  the 
colonel,  not  understanding  what  order  had- just 
been  given,  and  inquired  if  he  had  any  thing 
for  him  to  do.  'Just  tell  me  what  you  want, 
colonel,'  said  he,  'and  I  will  do  it.'  The  col- 
onel answered  that  he,  the  lieutenant,  was  do- 
ing very  well,  and  he  had  no  orders  to  com- 
municate. Upon  this  Edward  walked  Over  to 
where  I  was  standing,  and  remarked  that  it 


was  a  pretty  hot  place.  I  answered  in  the 
affirmative,  at  the  same  time  showing  him 
where  the  throat  button  of  my  overcoat  had 
been  shot  away  by  a  rifle-ball.  He  then  called 
upon  the  men  to  'stand  steady,  aim  low,  and 
fire  deliberately.'  The  words  were  scarce  out 
of  his  mouth,  when  he  suddenly  threw  his  right 
hand  over  the  left  breast,  at  the  same  time 
covering  it  with  his  left  forearm,  and  turning 
his  face  towards  me,  remarked,  'I'm  struck; 
don't  leave  me,  Smiith.'  I  made  a  motion  to 
catch  him  in  my  arms,  but  he  reeled  towards 
the  right,  and  fell  immediately  on  his  right 
side.  Hastily  calling  two  men  to  carry  him  to 
the  rear,  I  knelt  for  a  moment  at  his  side, 
heard  him  mutter  something  incoherently  about 
'mother,'  'heaven,'  and  then  the  eyes  closed, 
the  limbs  stiffened,  and  his  pure  unselfish  spirit 
passed  away  to  be  at  rest  forever.  God  grant 
that  when  my  hour  for  departure  from  earth 
and  earthly  joys  and  sorrows  may  come,  I  shall 
be  found  as  well  prepared  as  he  was. 

"My  duties  calling  me  to  my  company,  I 
ordered  the  men  to  carry  him  to  the  rear,  not 
thinking  but  that  we  should  hold  the  ground, 
and  be  able  to  take  care  of  our  wounded  and 
bury  the  dead.  In  a  few  moments  a  heavy 
forc^  of  the  enemy  was  thrown  forward  to 
capture  a  battery,  and  we  were  forced  to  fall 
back  some  distance.  We  never  recovered  the 
ground,  so  that  nothing  of  the  personal  effects 
on  your  son's  body  were  saved  except  his 
sabre. 

"I  have  written  thus  at  length,  under  many 
difficulties,  knowing  you  would  take  a  mourn- 
ful interest  in  everything  relating  to  your  sO' 
much  loved  son.  Believe  me,  my  dear  madam, 
that  it  has  been  a  mournful  subject  for  me  to 
dwell  upon,  for  your  dear  boy  was  a  cherished 
friend  and  companion  of  mine.  Particularly 
since  the  opening  of  this  campaign  we  have 
been  together  night  and  day ;  and  his  singular 
openness  of  heart,  unselfish  conduct,  strict  and 
unbending  integrity,  and  thorough  knowledge 
of  all  of  his  duties  as  a  soldier  and  an  officer, 
had  endeared  him  not  only  to  me,  but  to  all 
his  brother  officers.  By  his  men  he  was  not 
only  promptly  obeyed,  but  greatly  respected. 
You  well  know  that  in  the  field  an  officer's 
power  over  his  inferiors  extends  even  to  life- 
itself,  but  your  son's  men  well  knew  that  while 
they  travelled  in  the  path  of  duty,  they  would 
be  protected,  and  always  receive  strict  and  im- 
partial justice.  His  every  action  seemed  to- 
ht  dictated  by  a  spirit  of  true  Christian  re- 
sponsibility. 

"It  would  not  become  me  to  intrude  upon 


OLD    COUNTY    FAMILIES. 


721 


your  sorrows — me,  who  am  so  far  behind  your 
loved  and  lost  one  in  preparation  for  eternity 
— but  may  I  not  suggest,  that  his  whole  life 
was  so  pure  and  guileless  as  to  warrant  us  in 
saying  that  he  is  now  rejoicing  in  the  presence 
of  his  Saviour,  where  I  trust  you  and  I,  and  all 
of  his  and  my  friends  may  some  day  join  him. 
For  one,  I  shall  try  to  benefit  by  the  example 
of  my  lost  friend,  who,  in  a  few  months,  took 
a  place  in  my  heart  that  will  cause  his  memory 
to  remain  there  for  ever. 

"Wishing  you  every  blessing  under  this 
heart-rending  bereiavement,  I  remain,  dear 
madam,  your  obedient  servant, 

"John  A.  Smith,  First  Lieut., 
Commanding  Co.  G, 
47th  Reg.  N.  Y.  Vols." 

Thus  his  comrade  in  arms  and  battle  ten- 
derly tells  us  how  nobly  died  our  true,  faith- 
ful, courageous  young  lieutenant.  How  could 
a  soldier  find  a  more  appropriate  death?  We 
mourn  his  early  fall,  even  though  he  died  glo- 
riously. For  it  is  our  grief  that  our  ears  shall 
hear  no  more  his  sprightly  footsteps  and  his 
cheerful  voice;  that  our  eyes  shall  no  more 
behold  his  tall  <?.nd  vigorous  form.  His  bril- 
liant eyes  will  no  more  flash  responsive  to  our 
looks  of  love.  His  dark  glossy  hair  feels  the 
dampness  of  the  grave,  and  the  earth  has  hid 
those  handsome,  manly  features  from  our'sight 
till  the  morning  of  the  resurrection. 

He  has  finished  his  work  on  earth.  He 
will  toil  no  more  for  his  kindred  and  his  coun- 
try. He  will  die  no  more  for  us 'all — for  11s 
all.  It  remains  for  us  to  cherish  his  memory, 
to  emulate  his  virtues,  and  to  receive  the  in- 
spiration and  the  consolation  which  properly 
come  from  his  noble,  unselfish  life  and  his  gen- 
erous and  courageous  death. 

His  readiness  for  the  most  burdensome  and 
dangerous  labors  and  exploits  should  animate 
us  to  perform  our  respective  duties  with  alac- 
rity and  faithfulness,  and  to  bear  our  heaviest 
burdens  with  fortitude  and  submission  to  God's 
holy  will  and  providence. 

Thei  example  of  good  men,  whether  old  or 
young — whether  in  ancient  times  or  in  these 
days — should  encourage  us  to  walk  in  the 
footsteps  of  the  one  perfect  Man,  who  was 
also  God  manifest  in  the  flesh,  and  who  died 
for  us  all,  that  we  through  him  might^  have 
forgiveness  of  sins,  and  strong  consolation  in 
the   deepest   afflictions   and   sorrows. 

The  grace  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus  affords 
the  best  relief  for  the  hearts  that  grieve  over 
the  bereavements  of  earth.     The  father  of  all 

46 


can  make  the  severest  anguish  of  his  children 
work  for  theix  future  and  eternal  joy.  To 
these  bereaved  kindred  he  can  make  the  death 
of  their  beloved  one  work  a  far  more  exceeding, 
and  eternal  weight  of  glory  than  all, the  fame 
and  honors  of  the  world. 

Oh  may  this  mournful  event  promote  in 
them  and  in  us  all  the  proper  preparation  for 
death,  judgment,  and  heaven;  so  that  when- 
ever may  come  the  hour  of  our  departure  from 
these  earthly  scenes,  we  may  each  be  ready  to 
say  unto  God,  "Here  am  I;  send  me." 

The  foremost  living  historian  of  Suffolk 
county  and,  indeed,  the  Nestor  of  its  histori- 
cal students,  is  Mr.  William'  S.  Pelletreau. 
He  has  been  and  still  is  a  diligent  student  of 
our  old  records  and  has  the  happy  faculty  of 
making  even  the  dryest  of  them  tel)  an  inter- 
esting story.  His  recent  work  on  Early  New 
Yorksi  Wills,  issued  by  the  New  York  Histor^ 
ical  Society,  and  his  volume  on  the  Records 
of  Southampton,  are  cases  in  point,  and  in 
both  there  is  hardly  a  page  from  which  some 
detail  of  general  interest  could  not  be  gath- 
ered, and  yet  their  local  character  is  thor- 
oughly preserved.  Both  books  received  quite- 
commendatory  notices  at  the  hands  of  the 
critics  of  the  country,  while  the  long  extracts 
which  appeared  in  the  daily  press  showed  the- 
value  placed  on  their  contents.  Mr.  Pelle- 
treau i'si  still  closely  studying  the  story  of  Suf- 
folk county  and  every  now  and  again  hits  upon 
a  discovery  which  is  at  once  given  to  the  world' 
with  the  same  honest  enthusiasm  which  Sir 
Walter  Scott — the  prince  of  antiquaries — used' 
to  announce  the  literary  and  historical  results- 
of  one  of  his  tours  to  the  Borderland  or  the- 
Highlands. 

The  family  to  which  Mr.  Pelletreau  by- 
his  life  work  and  his  many  brilliant  talents  has 
added  additional  honor,  has  long  been  one  of 
the  most  prominent  in  the  county.  He  has 
sketched  its  history  so  briefly  and  pithily  that 
we  here  reprodtice  his  own  record: 

The  ancestors  of  the  Pelletreau  family 
were  Huguenots  who  upon  the  revocation  of 
the  edict  of  Nantes  fled  from  France  and 
sought  safety  and  religious  freedom  in  a  for- 


722 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


eign  clime.  The  first  of  the  family  in  Amer- 
ica were  Jean  Pelletreau  and  wife  Magdalena, 
and  their  nephews  Jean  and  Elie,  the  latter 
having  two  sons,  Jean  and  Elie  (these  names 
were  soon  anglicised  into  John^  and  Elias). 
These  were  direct  descendants  from  an  ances- 
tor who  was  physician  to  Admiral  Coligny, 
and  like  his  illustrious  patron  perished  in  the 
massacre  of  Saint  Bartholomew,  August  23, 
1572.  King  Charles  IX  granted  him  a  coat 
of  arms  July  17,  1571.  The  following  is  a 
translation  of  the  description : 

"Azure,  upon  a  column  in  pale  or,  encir- 
cled with  a  serpent  proper,  and  bordered  on  the 
dexter  and  sinister  sides  by  a  martlet,  or; 
crest,  a  helmet." 

Jean  ist  was  naturalized  in  New  York  Sep- 
tember 22,  1687,  and  died  in  1700.  His  wife 
Magdalenia  died  in  1702,  without  children. 
Jean  2nd  died  in  1703,  childless.  He  and  his 
brother  Elie  were  naturalized  July  10,  1696. 
The  native  place  of  this  family  was  the  village 
of  Arces,  in  what  is  now  the  Department  of 
Charente  Inferieure.  They  were  all  members  of 
the  French  church  in  New  York,  and  in  their 
wills  left  funds  toward  the  support  of  its  poor. 
Their  names  are  found  in  connection  with  the 
troubles  in  that  church,  as  in  favor  of  Rev. 
TLewis  Row  (see  Documentary  History  of  New 
York,  Vol.  HI). 

Elie  Pelletreau  died  in  1730,  leaving  sons 
Elias,  Paul,  Francis,  Johni  and  Benjamin,  and 
a  daughter  Magdalena.  Elias  died  before  his 
father,  leaving  a  wife,  Elizabeth.  John  also 
died  before  his  father,  and  left  daughters 
Mary  and  Elizabeth.  Paul  is  supposed  to 
have  had  a  son  Elias,  who  had  children  Elias, 
Samuel,  Mary  and  John.  From  the  first  of 
these  are  descended  the  families  now  living  in 
the  city  of  Brooklyn.  Benjamin  was  the 
youngest  'son  and  is  not  known  to  have  left 
descendants. 

Francis  Pelletreau  is  said  to  have  been  an 
infant  at  the  time  when  the  family  left  France 
in  1686.  He  came  to  Southampton,  L.  L,  in 
171 7.  He  married  Jane,  widow  of  Richard 
Osborn,  September  26,  1721,  and  by  this  mar- 
riage had  two  children — Mary,  born  Novem- 
ber 30,  1723,  and  Elias,  born  May  31,  1726. 
His  wife  Jane  died  December  6,  1733,  aged 
thirty-eight.  His  second  wife  was  Mary 
King,  widow  of  Joseph  King,  of  Southold,  and 
daughter  of  Judge  Thomas  Chatfield,  of  East 
Hampton.  She  was  born  September  12,  1707, 
and  was  married  to  Mr.   King  September  9, 


1 73 1.  He  died  while  on  a  visit  to  his  father- 
in-law  at  East  Hampton,  November  6,  1732, 
aged  twenty-five.  Mrs.  King  married  Francis 
Pelletreau  September  4,  1734,  and  they  had 
children  Hugh  and  Hannah,  born  in  1735. 
Francis  Pelletreau  was  a  merchant.  In  1728 
he  purchased  the  homestead  of  Samuel  Wood- 
ruff ini  Southampton  village,  and  this  place  re- 
mained in  the  hands  of  his  descendants  until 
1866,  and  is  now  the  residence  of  Josiah  Fos- 
ter. The  old  house  remained  standing  till 
1881 ;  it  was  the  last  house  on  Long  Island 
that  retained  the  old-fashioned  rhomboidal 
panes  of  glass  set  in  lead,  and  from  these  it 
was  known  as  "the  house  with  diamond  win- 
dows." In  1737  Francis  Pelletreau  went  to 
London  to  undergo  a  surgical  operation,  and 
died  from  its  effects  September  26.  His  widow 
married  Judge  Hugh  Gelston,  February  23, 
1737,  and  died  September  i,  1775. 

Mary,  eldest  child  of  Francis  Pelletreau, 
died  July  6,  1736.  Hugh  died  when  a  child. 
Hannah  married  Edward,  son  of  Rev.  Silvanus 
White,  in  1757,  and  died  March  i,  1810. 

Elias  Pelletreau  married  Sarah,  daughter 
of  Judge  Hugh  Gelston,  December  29,  1748, 
and  had  five  children,  viz. :  Jane,  born  May 
13.  1750.  married  Judge  Pliny  Hillyer,  of 
Simsbury,  Conn.,  whose  descendants  are  now 
living  in  Westfield,  Mass. ;  Francis,  born  May 

15,  1752,  died  September  29,  1765 ;  Hugh 
born  November  25,  1762,  died  July  30,  1771 ; 
John,  born  July  29,  1755,  died  August  26, 
1822;  Elias,  born  August  29,  1757,  died  Octo- 
ber 10,  183 1. 

The  last  named  married  Hannah,  daughter 
of  Colonel  Josiah  Smith,  of  Moriches,  August 
7,  1782,  and  had  children:    Francis,  born  May 

16,  1784;  Elias  Smith,  born  May  18,  1789, 
died  September  30,  1821 ;  Maltby,  born  March 
23,  1791. 

Hannah  Pelletreau,  wife  of  Elias  2nd,  died 
July  II,  1804,  and  he  married  Milicent  Post, 
December  21  of  the  'same  year,  and  by  her  had 
one  son,  Paul,  who  died  when  a  child. 

Elias  Smith  Pelletreau  married  Hannah, 
daughter  of  Oliver  Smith,  of  Moriches,  and 
had  a  son,  Jesse  Woodhull  Pelletreau,  who 
died  in  1878,  leaving  children  Mary  (wife  of 
Hon.  John  S.  Havens  of  Moriches,  Jessie  and 
Legrand. 

Maltby  married  Jane  Joralemon,  of  New 
York,  and  left  children  William  Upson,  Malt- 
by and  Francis. 

Francis  married  Mary  Conkling,  of  Islip, 


OLD    COUNTY    FAMILIES. 


723 


and  left  children  Henry  and  Cornelia;  the  lat- 
ter married  Rev.  Ralph  Smith;  the  former 
died  childless. 

Elias  2nd  married  Sarah  Conkling,  daugh- 
ter of  Zebulon  Conkling,  of  East  Hampton, 
June  28,  1786.  They  had  no  children.  His 
wife  Sarah  died  April  14,  1784,  aged  fifty- 
three. 

The  descendants  of  John  Pelletreau,  son  of 
Elias  1st,  were  as  follows : 

John  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Dr.  Will- 
iam Smith,  April  9,  1785,  and  had  six  chil- 
dren, viz. :  William  Smith,  born  June  8,  1786, 
died  March  15,  1842;  Nathaniel,  born  Septem- 
ber 18,  1787,  died  January  5,  1823 ;  Sarah, 
born  July  19,  1789,  died  April  15,  1839; 
Charles,  born  December  9,  1791,  died  Febru- 
ary 24,  1863;  Edwin,  born  January  11,  1795, 
died  1840;  John,  born  February  15,  1804,  died 
December  2,  1817.  Mary,  wife  of  Jolm  Pelle- 
treau, died  December  2,  1817,  aged  fifty-eight. 

William  Smith,  son  of  John  Pelletreau, 
married  Nancy  Mackey,  daughter  of  David 
Mackey,  May  23,  1810,  and  had  children:  Al- 
bert died  May  19,  1843,  aged  thirty-two; 
George  died  December  21,  1832,  aged  twenty; 
Jane  married  Lyman  Lewis,  of  Westfield, 
Massachusetts;  Gilbert  died  in  1864;  Alex- 
ander, born  March  4,  1829,  now  in  California; 
Mary  Gelston,  wife  of  William  Green,  Prairie 
du  Sac,  Wisconsin;  Frances,  wife  of  William 
L  Mathews,  Washington,  Pennsylvania. 

Nancy,  wife  of  William  S.  Pelletreau,  died 
April  22,  1832,  aged  44,  and  he  married  Eliza- 
beth, daughter  of  Colonel  Isaac  Welles,  of 
Westfield,  Massachusetts,  June  26,  1839,  and 
had  children:  Helen,  now  president  of  Penn- 
sylvania Female  College,  Pittsburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania; William  Smith  (the  historian),  and 
_  George,  Virginia  Citv,  Nevada. 

Nathaniel,  son  of  John,  married  Harriet 
Crittenden,  and  had  children:  Walter;  Mary, 
wife  of  Daniel  Jagger;  and  Maria,  wife  of 
Albert  Jagger. 

The  Dering  family,  which  for  so  long  was 
closely  connected  with  the  progress  of  Shelter 
Island,  was  descended  from  Henry  Dering,  a 
native  of  Dorsetshire,  England,  who  came  to 
America  in  1660.  He  became  a  merchant  in 
Boston,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1717, 
was  a  member  of  the  Governor's  Council.  His 
grandson,  Thomas-,  settled  on  Shelter  Island, 


and  as  the  husband  of  Mr.'.y  Sylvester,  heiress 
of  Brinley  Sylvester,  he  was  practically  lord 
of  the  manor.  In  the  time  of  the  Revolution 
he  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  Continental  Patriots, 
but  after  the  result  of  the  battle  of  Brooklyn 
became  known,  deemed  it  prudent  to  retire  to 
Connecticut  like  so  many  Long  Island  Whigs 
too  old  to  fight  or  not  possessing  fighting  qual- 
ities. He  died  in  1785,  leaving  two  sons,  Syl- 
vester and  Henry  Packer,  and  a  daughter. 
Sylvester  made  his  home  on  Shelter  Island  and 
did  much  to  beautify  it.  He  was  the  first  to 
introduce  merino  sheep  into  America  and  add- 
ed considerably  to  his  wealth  by  the  develop- 
ment of  that  stock.  Having  been  appointed  a 
brigadier-general  of  militia,  he  became  quite 
an  authority  on  military  matters  after  his  own 
notions  like  most  of  the  old  time  "militia  sol- 
diers," and,  like  them,  he  was  proud  of  his 
title  and  liked  to  be  addressed  as  "General" 
to  the  end  of  his  life  journey.  He  was  super- 
visor of  the  town  of  Shelter  Island  for  many 
years,  and  in  1804  was  elected  a  member  of 
Assembly.  His  death,  on  October  8,  1820, 
was  the  result  of  an  accident.  The  younger 
brother  of  this  warrior-stock  raiser,  Henry 
Packer  Dering,  was  appointed  collector  of  the 
port  of  Sag  Harbor  by  President  Washington, 
and  was  one  of  the  most  honored  of  the  busi- 
ness men  of  that  place.    He  died  in  1822. 

In  Hu.itington  Jonas  Wood  became  one  of 
the  first  settlers  and  the  ancestor  of  a  long  line 
of  men  and  vt'omen  who  were  highly  honored 
in  that  township  and  wherever  the  changes  of 
life  carried  them.  The  best  known  of  them  all, 
Silas  Wood,  has  been  called  the  first  historian 
of  Long  Island.  He  was  born  at  West  Hills, 
Huntington,  September  14,  1769,  and  was  edu- 
cated- at  Princeton,  where  he  was  graduated  in 
1793.  He  seems  to  have  then  studied  law. 
Two  years  later  he  was  elected  to  the  Assem- 
bly, and  when  his  service  at  Albany  was  over 
he  practiced  as  a'  lawyer  in  Huntington.  In 
1817  he  was  elected  a  member  of  Congress  and 
served  in  that  capacity  for  five  terms  in  suc- 
cession.    In  1828  he  was  defeated  of  re-elec- 


724 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


tion  and  retired  to  private  life.  He  died  in 
1847.  His  most  noted  work  was  his  "Sketch 
of  the  First  Settlement  of  the  Several  Towns 
on  Long  Island,"  and  a  brief  sketch  of  the  hi'si- 
tory  of  Huntington.  It  is  said  that  during  his 
last  years  he  engaged  in  a  series  of  extended 
theological  studies  and  wrote  quite  volumi- 
nously upon  religious  matters.  But  as  the  end 
drew  near  he  began  to  feel  dissatisfied  with 
som'e  of  the  opinions  he  had  expressed  and 
burned  every  line  he  had  written. 

Several  of  the  descendants  of  the  Rev. 
Joshua  Hartt  are  still  to  be  found  in  Hunting- 
ton, and  as  he  may  be  regarded  as  the  founder 
of  the  family  and  certainly  as  the  most  not- 
able of  the  name,  we  may  here  present  a  sketch 
of  his  extraordinary  career,  written  by  Mr. 
Charles  R.  Street,  the  learned  and  painstaking 
annalist  of  Huntington : 

Joshua  Hartt  was  born  at  Dix  Hills,  near 
Huntington,  September  17,  1738.  He  gradu- 
ated from  Princeton)  College,  New  Jersey,  in 
1770,  and  wag  ordained  and  installed  pastor 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Smithtown, 
Long  Island,  April  29,  1774.  He  married  Abi- 
gail Howell,  of  Moriches,  by  whom^  he  had  ten 
childTen.  After  the  Revolution  he  went  -to 
Fresh  Ponds,  where  he  preached  many  years. 
During  the  Revolutionarv  War  his  bold  and 
uncompromising  advocacy  of  the  cause  of  his 
country  caused  him  to  be  arrested  a  number  of 
times  by  the  adherents  of  the  king.  Once  he 
was  brought  before  the  court  martial  held  at 
Lloyd's  Neck,  but  he  was  admonished  and  di's^- 
charged.  He  was  soon  after  arrested,  tried 
and  committed  to  the  jail  in  New  York  City, 
where  he  remained  from  May  27,  1777,  until 
October  25  of  the  same  year.  During  this 
imprisonment  he  came  near  dying  from  want 
and  disease  brought  on  throug-h  cruel  treat- 
ment by  his  jailer,  the  notorious  Provost  Mar- 
shal Cunningham.  Among  his  fellow  prison- 
ers wasi  the  celebrated  Colonel  Ethan  Allen, 
with  whom  he  was  on  terms  of  intimate  friend- 
ship, although  their  views  of  spiritual  matters 
were  totally  at  variance,  Allen  being  at  the 


time  an  infidiel.  While  Mr.  Hartt  lay  sick  of  a- 
fever  and  his  life  was  in  danger  Allen  was- 
active  in  his  attention  to  the  wants  of  the  sick 
man,  and  by  his  lively  manner  and  cheerful 
conversation  did  much  to  make  his  sickness 
and  confinement  endurable.  It  was  during  Mr. 
Hartt's  illness  that  Allen,  one  day  knelt  down: 
by  his  bedside  and  made  a  most  fervent  prayer 
for  his  restoration  to  health.  (See  Onder- 
donk's  Annals.)  Soon  after  this  Mr.  Hartt,, 
probably  by  the  influence  of  some  Tory  friend, 
was  released  from  prison  upon  parole,  and 
when  he  was  about  leaving  Allen  took  him  by 
the  hand  and  said:  "Good  bye,  Mr.  Hartt; 
when  you  go  home  tell  your  wife  that  while 
you  were  sick  and  nigh  unto  death,  Ethan  Al- 
len, a  servant  of  the  Most  High  God,  prayed 
over  you,  and  you  recovered." 

Although  released  from  prison,  he  was  not 
free  from  persecution.  On  one  occasion  while- 
he  was  preaching  in  the  church  at  Smithtown 
Branch  a  bullet  was  fired  at  him,  lodging  in 
the  wall  just  above  his  head,  where  the  mark 
remained  for  many  years.  For  some  time 
after  the  return  of  peace  in  1783  Mr.  Hartt 
wasi  engaged  with  others  in  making  surveys- 
of  the  state  lands  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Whitestowni,  Oneida  county.  New  York.  In 
1790  he  and  Rev.  Nathan  Kerr  were  appointed" 
missionaries  by  the  Presbyterian  General  As- 
sembly. They  visited  Whitestown,  Cherry 
Valley  and  the  Indian  tribes  of  that  vicinity. 
Their  route  was  then  regarded  as  in  the  far  west. 

During  the  war  between  this  country  and 
England  in  1812  Mr.  Hartt  took  strong 
ground  in  favor  of  sustaining  the  government 
in  its  efforts  to  punish  Great  Britain  for  her- 
insolent  treatment  of  our  rights  upon  the  seas. 
He  preached  several  sermons  in  which  he  vin- 
dicated the  acts  of  the  government  in  declar- 
ing war,  and  in  which  he  set  forth  the  neces- 
sity of  a  hearty  support  of  the  government 
while  prosecuting  the  same.  These  sermons- 
were  printed  in  pamphlet  form,  and  were  ex- 
tensively circulated,  several  copies  being  still, 
preserved. 


OLD    COUNTY    FAMILIES. 


725 


The  Howell  family  was  formerly  a  prom- 
inent factor  in  the  business  affairs  of  South- 
ampton. Captain  Stephen  Howell  was  born 
in  the  good  old  town  in  1744,  and  died  there  in 
1828,  was  one  of  the  first  to  erect  a  storehouse 
in  the  village.  He  was  a  stanch  patriot  in  the 
Revolution  and  fought  in  the  battle  of  Brook- 
lyn, seemingly  ending,  however,  in  that  disas- 
trous engagement,  his  military  career.  In  1785 
he  became  prominent  in  the  whale  fishery  busi- 
ness and  he  and  his  sons,  Lewis  and  Silas, 
made  considerable  money  rapidly.  Latham 
may  also  be  regarded  as  the  founder  of  Sag 
Harbor's  industries,  he  having  established 
there  a  candle-making  factory.  Although  he 
was  a  man  of  many  progressive  ideas  and  of 
■shiewd  business  instincts  and  his  endeavors 
added  greatly  to  Southampton's  prosperity. 

A  family  named  Miller  was  long  promiinent 
in  East  Hampton.  They  were  descended  from 
John  Miller,  one  of  the  first  settlers. .  In  171 7, 
Eleazer  Miller,  the  grandson  of  this  pioneer, 
was  born  and  developed  into  quite  a  famous 
character.  He  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Assembly  in  1748  and  continued  to  hold  the 
office  for  twenty-one  years,  when,  in  1769,  after 
a  warmly  contested  election  he  was  defeated  by 
no  less  a  personage  than  Gen.  Nathaniel  Wood- 
hull.  Eleazer's  son,  Burnet,  was  clerk  of 
Huntington  for  many  years,  served  in  the  As- 
sembly and  in  Congress  and  was  supervisor 
for  eleven  years  prior  to  1776.  He  seems  to 
have  been  lost  sight  of  in  the  course  of  the 
Revolutionary  war,  probably  removed  to  some 
place  up  the  Hudson. 

Hubbard  Latham,  of  Connecticut,  settled  in 
Southampton  in  1760  and  was  for  many  years 
one  of  its  most  active  citizens.  He  was  a 
dealer  in  real  estate  as  well  as  a  speculator  in 
marline  ventures  and  gathered  together  quite  a 
fortune.  He  left  a  large  family  which  is  still 
represented  in  the  village. 

The  Rose  family,  still  represented  in  North 
Sea,  Southampton,  are  descended  from  Robert 
Rose,  who  settled  in  the  township  in  1644. 

Judge  H.  P.  Hedger  wrote  the  following 
interesting  sketch  of  the  career  of  a  member 


of  this  family  who  attained  high  judicial 
honors : 

Judge  Abraham  T.  Rose,  son  of  Dr.  Sam- 
uel H.  Rose,  was  born  in  Bridgehampton,  in 
1792,  and  died  April  29,  1857.  He  graduated 
at  Yale  College  in  1814,  S'li'd  became  a  success- 
ful practicing  lawyer,  residing  through  life  in 
his  native  village.  He  was  county  judge  and 
surrogate  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  uni- 
versal genius,  of  generous  and  kindly  im- 
pulse, poetic  temperament  and  magnetic  elo- 
quence; where  others  by  slow  and  laborious 
effort  achieved  the  mastery  he  by  intuition 
looked  through  the  cornpH'cation  of  mechanics, 
science,  literature,  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 
gesture  and  action,  fertile  in  fancy  and  inven- 
tion, versed  in  all  the  springs  of  human  nature, 
winning  and  persuasiive  in  manner,  his  pres- 
ence was  a  poem  and  his  speech  was  music. 
Almost  at  will  he  carried  courts,  jurors,  wit- 
nesses and  crowds  to  his  own  conclusions,  and 
in  his  own  inimitable  way.  One  of  his  con- 
temporaries remarked  that  industrious  appli- 
cation 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  un- 
doubting  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  regret  and 
repentance  for  errors  past,  he  was  received  on 
the  Sabbath  in  the  church  at  his  residence,  and 
partook  of  -the  sacramental  elements  at  the 
hands  of  the  elders.  When  his  malady  ob- 
structed his  wonderful  and  attractive  utter- 
ances he  commended  to  us  the  i  i6th  Psalm  as 
expressing  his  experience  and  undying  hope. 
The  tramping  feet  of  the  living  thousands  may 


726 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


move  on  unconscious  of  the  memory  of  the 
other  thousands  gone  before ;  yet  age  after 
age  the  remembrance  of  this  gifted  man,  of  his 
wonderful  eloquence  and  his  generous  heart, 
will  liv€  in  the  traditions  of  generations  to 
come,  transmitted  by  those  who  have  gone  as 
he  has  gone. 

These  random  notes  and  delvings  into  the 
family  history  "out  on  Long  Island"  must  here 
close.  We  have  lingered  with  the  subject  lov- 
ingly and  reverently  so  as  to  bring  out  the 
characteristics  of  each  and  in  most  cases  their 
special  claim  to  remembrance,  but  the  subject 
might  be  indefinitely  extended,  for  such  fam- 
ilies as  the  Mulfords,  the  Hewletts,  the  Day- 
tons,  the  Brewsters,  the  regiment  of  Smiths, 
and  a  host  of  others  are  at  hand — ^enough  to 
fill  many  volumes.  But  we  desire  to  close  this 
chapter  with  a  biographical  sketch  of  a  man 
who  was  for  years  a  tireless  student  of  Long 
Island  genealogy  and  whose  works  are  a  de- 
light to  the  antiquary  and  an  inspiration  to 
the  historian — Tetmis  G.  Bergen,  of  Bay 
Ridge.  This  sketch  was  written  by  his  life-long 
friend.  Dr.  Stiles,  the  historian  of  Brooklyn. 

Teunis  G.  Bergen,  farmer,  statesman  and 
antiquary,  was  born  in  the  town  of  New  Ut- 
recht, October  6,  1806.  He  was  the  eldest  child 
of  Garret  Bergen  and  Jane  Wyckoff,  his  wife, 
He  clearly  traced  his  ancestry  to  Hans  Hansen 
Bergen,  a  native  of  Bergen,  in  Norway,  who 
came  over  to  the  New  Netherlands  with  Wou- 
ter  Van  Tweller,  the  second  director  of  the 
colony.  Bergen's  wife,  whom  he  married  in 
1639,  was  Sarah,  the  daughter  of  the  Wal- 
loon emigrant,  Jan  Joris  Rapalye,  who  came  to 
this  country  in  the  ship  Unity  in  1623  and 
settled  in  Albany,  afterwards  removing  to 
New  Amsterdam,  and  thence  (1635)  to  the 
Waleboght  on  Long  Island.  Sarah  was  her- 
self a  historic  character,  being  the  first  white 
female  child  born  within  the  limits  .of  the  pres- 
ent state  of  New  York — at  Albany.  Thus,  from 
a  stock  not  originally  of  the  Netherland  blood, 
but  which  became  afterwards  thoroughly  in- 
corporated with  the  first  Dutch  settlers  of  this 
county,  sprang  this  most  distinguished  Dutch 


scholar.  His  early  youth  was  mainly  spent  be- 
tween work  upon  his  father's  farm  at  Gowan- 
us,  and  at  the  common  school  of  the  district. 
As  youth  merged  into  manhood,  he  applied 
himself  to  the  study  and  practice  of  surveying, 
in  which  he  soon  became  proficient.  To  the 
main  duties  of  an  active  life,  he  added  those 
of  a  farmer ;  and,  not  forgetting  those  he  owed 
to  the  community  in  which  he  resided,  he  faith- 
fully discharged  such  as  were  imposed  upon 
him  by  the  choice  of  his  fellow-citizens,  as  sol- 
dier, civilian  and  statesman.  He  held  the  po- 
sition of  Ensign,  Captain,  Adjutant,  Lieut. - 
Colonel  in  the  militia;  and,  finally,  that  of 
Colonel  of  the  241st  Regiment,  N.  Y.  S.  N. 
G.  He  was  supervisor  of  the  town  of  New 
Utrecht  for  twenty-three  years  in  succession 
(April,  1836,  to  April,  1859)  ;  and  from  1842 
to  1846  was  chairman  of  the  board.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Constitutional  State  Conven- 
tions in  1846,  1867  and  1868,  and  was  repeat- 
edly a  member  of  the  Democratic  state  conven- 
tions. He  was  a  delegate  to  the  national  Demo- 
ocratic  Convention  held  at  Charleston,  S.  C, 
m  i860,  and  vigorously  opposed  the  resolutions 
oi  that  body  which  caused  the  breach  between 
the  northern  and  southern  Democratic  party. 
The  last  and  most  notable  public  office  which 
he  held  by  the  choice  of  his  fellow  citizens 
was  that  of  representative  in  Congress  from 
the  Second  Congressional  District,  in  1864, 
when  he  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  4,800 
over  his  opponent,  the  "Union"  candidate.  In 
that  session  of  the  House  of  Representatives 
his  party  was  in  the  minority ;  but,  true  to  his 
Dutch  principles,  he  stood  firm  to  his  party  to 
the  completion  of  his  term  of  service.  The 
pages  of  the  history  of  the  county  of  Kings 
bear  frequent  witness  to  Mr.  Bergen's  many 
public  services  in  behalf  of  the  interests  of  the 
county  and  of  its  several  towns,  as  well  as  of 
the  city  of  Brooklyn.  That  he  was  so  fre- 
quently called  upon,  in  these  public  affairs,  was 
a  most  striking  tribute  to  his  ability,  industry 
and  integrity. 

On  his  retirement  from  public  and  profes- 
sional duties,  he  devoted  his  leisure  hours  to 


OLD    COUNTY    FAMILIES. 


727 


those  antiquarian  and  genealogical  investiga- 
tions which  possessed,  for  him,  so  great  a  fas- 
cination. These  linvestigations  ran  most  nat- 
urally in  the  lines  of  Dutch  (and  Kings  Coun- 
ty Dutch)  ancestry  and  history.  In  the  ear- 
lier years  of  his  life,  spent  among  the  hills  and 
by  the  waterside  at  Gowanus,  and  at  New  Ut- 
recht, he  knew  no  language  but  the  Dutch— 
not  as  spoken  nowadays,  but  with  the  idiom 
and  pronunciation  of  two  hundred  years  ago — 
and  corrupted,  in  a- measure,  by  the  gradual 
introduction  of  the  English.  By  education,  he 
soon  became  versed  in  the  English  language; 
but  he  never  ceased  to  cultivate  the  language 
of  his  boyhood,  which  he  lived  to  see  almost 
eradicated,  in  this  county,  as  a-  spoken  lan- 
guage. It  sometimes  seemed  to  his  friends  as 
though  he  thought  in  Dutch,  but  spoke  in  Eng- 
lish; and  there  was  always  a  certain  peculiar 
accent  to  his  pronunciation,  especially  when  a 
little  excited,  as  if  both  tongues  wrestled  at  his 
lips  for  precedence.  By  birth,  and  education 
and  study  he  was  admirably  qualified  to  de- 
cipher the  Dutch  records,  both  public  and  pri- 
vate, which  he  frequently  had  occasion  to  con- 
sult. His  pure  character  and  great  experience 
as  a  land-surveyor  in  the  settlinEf  of  town- 
boundaries  and  private  estate-Mties  among  the 
old  Dutch  families  of  the  county,  also  gave 
him  access  to  many  ancient  documents  and 
sources  of  information  which  would  have  been 
closed  to  any  other  person.  So  that  he  early 
became  an  expert  in  all  that  related  to  the 
Dutch  and  their  descendants,  not  only  in  the 
county,  but  upon  Long  Island  and  even  in  New 
Jersey.  In  the  history  of  the  Dutch  families 
of  Long  Island  he  was  not  only  (with  the  ex- 
ception of  Riker)  the  first  gleaner,  but  he  was 
by  far  the  most  thorough,  exhaustive  and  au- 
thoritative. His  untiring  and  self-sacrificing 
researches  into  the  almost  obsolete  records  of 
the  ancient  Dutch  churches  of  Long  Island 
and  New  York  have  unearthed  numerous  and 
important  materials  for  the  use  of  modern  his- 
torians; while  his  discoveries,  in  out-of-the- 
way  places,  of  many  of  the  detached  birth,  bap- 
tismal and  marriage  records,  and  the  restora- 


tion of  the  same,  have  conferred  inestimable 
benefits  upon  the  genealogist  and  antiquary. 
His  published  writings  were  numerous  and  im- 
portant. Scattered  through  the  volumes  of  the 
New  York  Genealogical  and  Biographical  Rec- 
ord will  be  found  valuable  papers  on  Records 
of  Births  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  Gravesend, 
L.  I.,  commencing  1665 ;  the  Van  Dyke  Fam- 
ily; Marriage  Records  of  Gravesend,  com- 
mencing 1664;  a  List  of  Deaths  in  Captain 
Grant's  company  in  1762;  the  Montfoort  Fam- 
ily; Pioneers  of  the  Revolutionary  War;  the 
Martense  Family ;  Contributions  to  the  History 
of  the  First  Settlers  of  Kings  county ;  Memor- 
ials of  Francays  D'  Bruynne;  the  Van  Duyn 
Family.  Some  of  these  formed  portions  of 
"A  Register  of  the  Early  Settlers  and  Free- 
holders of  Kings  county,  N.  Y.,  from  its  First 
Settlement  by  Europeans  to  1700,  with  Bio- 
graphical Noticesi  and  Family  Genealogies," 
which  was  published  in  1881,  a  few  weeks  after 
his  death.  Before  this,  however,  in  1866,  he 
had  issued  "The  Bergen  Family,"  an  octavo  of 
298  pages ;  in  1867,  the  history  of  his  wife's 
ancestry,  "Genealogy  of  the  Van  Brunt  Fam- 
ily," in  80  octavo  pages.  But  the  crowning 
glory  of  his  well-spent  life,  so  far  as  family 
history  is  concerned,  was  a  second  edition  of 
his  "Bergen  Family,"  so  improved  and  aug- 
mented as  to  embrace,  by  regular  descent  and 
intermarniage,  a  large  portion  of  the  Dutch 
population  of  southern  New  York  and  eastern 
New  Jersey;  forming  a  handsome  illustrated 
volume  of  6c;8  octavo  pages.  In  1878  ap- 
peared his  "Genealogy  of  the  Lefiferts  Family," 
1675-1878,  an  octavo  of  172  pages.  In  1877,. 
also,  at  the  200th  anniversary  celebration  of 
the  Reformed  Dutch  church  of  New  Utrecht, 
he  delivered  an  "Address  on  the  Annals  of 
New  Utrecht,"  of  great  historic  value;  and 
which  was  printed  for  private  circulation  by 
the  consistory  of  the  church.  He  left,  also,  in 
manuscript,  "A  History  of  New  Utrecht," 
which  antiquarians  are  hoping  to  see  issued,  in 
due  time,  by  competent  hands.  He  left,  more- 
over, translations  of  several  important  manu- 
scripts relating  to  Kings  county  matters. 


CHAPTER   LVII. 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


The    Long    Island    CAMPAinN  —  Dutch   Names    of   Places   and    Persons - 
icAL  Gleanings  and   Documents — Early  Nineteenth 
Century  Descriptions. 


-HlSTOR- 


N  this  chapter  we  propose  to  present 
some  documents,  extracts,  and  addi- 
tional details  which  will  help  to  elu- 
cidate several  of  the  earlier  passages 
of  this  work,  and  also  to  present  specimens  of 
the  work  of  the  earlier  historians  of  Long 
Island,  all  of  which  will  be  found  of  interest 
to  the  general  reader  of  the  local  history: 

CAPITULATION   BY   THE   DUTCH   TO 
SIR  RICHARD  NICOLLS. 

These  Articles  following  were  consented  to 
by  the  Persons  here  under  subscribed,  at  the 
Governour's  Bowery,  August  the  27th,  Old 
Style,  1664. 

I.  We  consent  That  the  States-General,  or 
the  West  India  Company,  shall  freely  in  joy  all 
-Farms  and  Houses,  (except  such  as  are  in  the 
Forts,)  and  that  within  six  months  they  shall 
have  free  Liberty  to  transport  all  such  Arms 
and  Ammunition  as  now  does  belong  to  them, 
or  else  they  shall  be  paid  for  them. 

II.  All  Publique  Houses  shall  continue  for 
the  Uses  which  they  are  for. 

III.  All  people  shall  continue  free  Deni- 
zens, and  shall  in  joy  their  Lands,  Houses, 
Goods,  wheresoever  they  are  within  this  Coun- 
try, and  dispose  of  them  as  they  please. 

IV.  If  any  Inhabitant  have  a  Mind  to  re- 
move himself,  he  shall  have  a  Year  and  six 
Weeks    from    this    day,    to    remove    hirruself, 


Wife,  Children,  Servants,  Goods,  and  to  .dis- 
pose of  his  lands  here. 

V.  If  any  Officer  of  State,  or  Publique 
Minister  of  State,  have  a  Mind  to  go  for  Eng- 
land, they  shall  be  transported  Fraught  free, 
in  his  Majesty's  Frigotts,  when  these  Frigotts 
shall   return   thither. 

VI.  It  i'si  consented  to,  that  any  People  may 
freely  come  from  the  Netherlands,  and  plant 
in  this  Colony;  and  that  Dutch  Vessels  may 
freely  come  hither,  and  any  of  the  Dutch  may 
freely  return  home,  or  send  any  Sort  of  Mer- 
chandize home  in  Vessels  of  their  own  Coun- 
try. 

VII.  All  Ships  from  the  Netherlands,  or 
any  other  Place,  and  Goods  therein,  shall  be 
received  here,  and  sent  hence,  after  the  man- 
ner which  formerly  they  were,  before  our  com- 
ing hither,  for  six  Months  next  ensuing. 

VIII.  The  Dutch  here  shall  injoy  the  Lib- 
erty of  their  Consciences  in  divine  Worship 
and  Church  Discipline. 

IX.  No  Dutchman  here,  or  Dutch  Ship 
here,  shall  upon  any  occasion  be  pressed  to 
serve  in  War  against  any  Nation  whatsoever. 

X.  That  the  Townsmen  of  the  Manhattans 
shall  mot  have  any  Soldiers  quartered  upon 
them,  without  being  satisfied  and  paid  for 
them  by  the  OfHcersi ;  and  that  at  this  present, 
if  the  Fort  be  not  capable  of  lodging  all  the 
Soldiers,  then  the  Burgomasters,  by  his  Of- 
ficers, shall  appoint  some  Houses  capable  to 
receive  them. 

XI.  The  Dutch  here  shall  injoy  their  own 
Customs  concerning  their  Inheritances. 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


729 


_XII.  AH'Pnblique  Writings  and  Records, 
-which  concern  the  Inheritapces  of  any  People, 
■or  the  Reglement  of  the  Church  or  Poor,  or 
Orphans,  shall  be  carefully  kept  by  those  in 
-whose  Hands  now  they  are,  and  such  Writ- 
ings as  particularly  concern  the  States-Gen- 
•eral,  may  at  any  Time  be  sent  to  them.      ; 

XIII.  No  Judgment  that  has  passed  any 
Judicature  here,  shall  be  called  in  Question; 
TDUt  if  any  conceive  that  he  hath  not  hadi  Jus- 
tice done  him,  if  he  apply  himself  to  the  States- 
General,  the  other  Party  shall  be  bound  to 
.answer  for  the  supposed  Injury. 

XIV.  If  any  Dutch,  living  here,  shall  at 
any  Time  desire:  to  travaile  or  traffique  into 
.England,  or  any  Place,  or  Plantatioti,  in  obedi- 
ence to  his  Majesty  of  England,  or  with  the 
Indianis,  he  shall,  have  (upon  his  Request  to 
the  Governor,)  a  Certificate  that  he  is  a  free 
Denizen  of  this  Place,  and  Liberty  'to  do  so. 

XV.  If  it  do  appeare  that  there  is  a  pub- 
lique  Engagementt  of  Debt  by  the  Town  of  the 
Manhattoes,  and  a  Way  agreed  on  for  the  sat- 
isfying of  that  Engagement,  it  is  agreed  that 
the  same  Way  proposed  shall  go  on,  and  that 
the  Engagement  shall  be  satisfied. 

XVI.  All  inferior  Civil  Officers  and  Mag- 
istrates shall  continue  as  now  they  are,  (if 
they  please,)  till  the  customary  Time  of  new 
Elections,  and  then  new  ones  to  be  chosen  by 
themiselves;  provided  that -such  new  chosen 
Magistrates  shall  take  the  Oath  of  Allegiance 
to  his  Majesty  of  England  before  they  enter 
■upon  their  Office. 

XVII.  All  Differences  of  Contracts  and 
Bargains  made  before  this  Day,  by  any  in  this 
Country,  shall  be  determined  according  to  the 
Manner  of  the  Dutch. 

XVIII.  If  it  do  appeare  that  the  West  ln<- 
■dia  Company  of  Amsterdam  do  really  owe  any 
Sums  of,  Money  to  any  Person  here,  it  is 
agreed  that  Recognition  and  other  Duties  pay- 
able by  Ships  going  for  the  Netherland'si,  be 
continued  for  6  months  longer. 

XIX.  The  Officers  Military,  and  Soldiers, 
shall  march  out  with  their  Arms,  Drums  beat- 
ing, and  Colors  flying,  and  lighted  Matches; 
and  if  any  of  them  will  plant,  they  shall  have 
fifty  Acres  of  Land  set  out  for  them ;  if  any  of 
them  will  serve  as  Servants,  they  shall  con- 
tinue with  all  Safety,  and  become  free  Deni- 
zens afterwards. 

XX.  If  at  any  Time  hereafter  the  King  of 
Great  Britain,  and  the  States  of  the  Nether- 
land,  ,do  agree  that  this  Place  and  Country  be 


re-delivered  into  the  Hands  of  the  said  States, 
whensoever  his  Majestic  will  serid  his  Cotn- 
marads  to  re-deliver  it,  it  shall  immediately  be 
done. 

XXI.  That  the  Town  of  Manhattans  shall 
Ichoose  Deputye's,  and  those  Deputyes  'shall 
have  free  Voyces  in  all  pubHque'  Affairs,  as 
much  as  any  other  Deputyes. 

XXII.  Those  who  have  any  Property  in 
any  Houses  in  the  Fort  of  Aurania,  ishall  (if 
they  please)  slight  the  Fortifications  there, 
and  then  enjoy  all  their  Houses,  ais'  all  People 
do  where  there  is  no  Fort.-  '    i 

XXIII.  If  there  be  any  Soldiers  that  will 
go  into  Holland,  and  if  the  Company  of  West 
India  in  Amsterdam,  or  any  private  Persons 
here,  will  transport  theni  into  Holland,  then 
they  shall  have  a  safe  Passport  fpm, Colonel 
Richard  Nicolls,  Deputy-Governor  under  his 
Royal  Highness,'  and  the  other  Comraissioners, 
to  defend  the  Ships  that  shall  tr^nspprt  s,uch 
•Soldiers,  and  all  the  Goods  in  them,  from 'any 
Surprizal  or  Act  of  Hostility,  to.  be  done  by 
any  of  his  Majestie's  Ships  or  Subjects.  That 
the  Copies  of  the'  King's  Grant  to  his  Royal 
Highness  and  the  Copy  of  his  Royal  High- 
jness's  Conpmission  to  Colonel  Ricljard  Nicolls, 
testified  by  two  Commissioners  more,"  andl  Mr. 
.Wintbrop,  to  be  true  Copies,  shall  be  delivered 
to  the  Hon.  Mr.  Stuyvesant,  the  present  Gov- 
ernor, on  Munday  next  by  Eight,  of  the  Clock 
in  the  Morning,  at  the  Old  Miln ;  and  these  Ar- 
ticles consented  to,  and  signed  by  Colonel  Rich- 
ard Nicolls,  Deputy-Governor  to  his  Royal 
Highness ;  and  that  within  two  Hours  after  the 
Fort  and  Town  called  New  Amsterdam,  upon 
the  Isle  of  Manhatoes,  shall  be  delivered)  into 
the  Hands  of  the  said  Colonel  Richard  Nicolls, 
by  the  Service  of  such  as  shall  be  by  him  there- 
unto deputed,  by  his  Hand  and  Seal. 

John  De  Decker, 

Nich.  Verleet, 

Sam.  Megapolensis, ; 

Cornelius  Steenwickj- 

Oloffe  Stevens  Van  Kortlant, 

James  Cousseau, 

Robert  Carr, 

Geo.  Cartwright, 

John  Winthrop, 

Sam.  Willys, 

Thomas  Clarke, 

John  Pinchon. 

I  do  consent  to  these  articles, 

Richard  Nicolls. 


730 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


The  division  of  Long  Island  by  the  Treaty 
of  Hartford,  in  1650,  is  given  below: 

TREATY  OF  HARTFORD,  1650. 

Articles  of  agreement  made  and  concluded 
at  Hartford,  upon  Conecticut,  September  19, 
1650,  between  delegates  of  the  Commissioners 
of  the  United  English  colonies,  and  the  dele- 
gates of  Peter  Stuyvesant,  governor-general 
of  New  Netherlands — concerning  the  bounds 
and  limits  between  the  English  United  Colo- 
nies and  the  Dutch  province  of  New  Nether- 
lands. 

We  agree  and  determine  as  follozvs: 
That  upon  Long  Island,  a  line  run  from  the 
westernmost  part  of  Oysterbay,  and  so  in  a 
straight  and  direct  line  to  the  sea,  shall  be  the 
bounds  between  the  English  and  the  Dutch 
there,  the  easterly  part  to  belong  to  the  Eng- 
lish, and  the  westernmost  part  to  the  Dutch. 

The  bounds  upon  the  main  to  begin  upon 
the  west  side  of  Greenwich  Bay,  being  about 
four  miles  from  Stamford,  and  so  to  run  a 
westerly  line  twenty  miles  up  into  the  country, 
and  after,  as  it  shall  be' agreed  by  the  two  gov- 
ernments of  the  Dutch  and  New  Haven,  pro- 
vided that  said  line  run  not  within  ten  miles 
of  Hudson'si  River,  and  it  is  agreed  that  the 
Dutch  shall  not,  at  any  time  hereafter,  build 
any  house  or  habitation  within  six  miles  of  the 
said  line.  The  inhabitants  of  Greenwich  to  re- 
main (till  further  consideration  thereof  be 
had,)  under  the  government  of  the  Dutch. 

That  the  Dutch  shall  hold  and  enjoy  all  the 
lands  in  Hartford  that  they  are  actually  in  pos- 
session of,  known  or  set  out  by  certain  marks 
and  bounds,  and  all  the  remainder  of  the  said 
lands',  on  both  sides  of  Connecticut  River,  to  be 
and  remain  to  the  English  there. 

And  it  is  agreed,  that  the  aforesaid  bounds 
and  limits,  both  upon  the  island  and  main,  shall 
be  observed  and  kept  inviolable,  both  by  the 
English  of  the  United  Colonies  and  all  the 
Dutch  nation,  without  any  encroachment  or 
molestation,  until  a  full  determination  be 
agreed  upon  in  Europe,  by  mutual  consent  of 
the  two  States  of  England  and  Holland.  And 
in  testimony  of  our  joint  consent  to  the  several 
foregoing  conditions,  we  have  hereunto  set  our 
hands  this  19th  day  of  September,  1650. 

Simon  Br.-^dstreet, 
Thomas  Prince, 
Thomas  Willet, 
George  Baxter. 


CAPTAIN  MULFORD'S  TROUBLE,  1717. 

Captain  Samuel  Mulford,  of  7  East  Hamp- 
ton was  the  eldest  son  of  one  of  the  first  set- 
tlers of  that  town  and  was  born  in  1644.  In 
1705  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Assembly 
and  held  that  office  until  1720.  Mr.  Pelletreau 
in  a  biographical  sketch  of, this  sturdy  patriot, 
says: 

The  greatest  grievance  of  Captain  Mul- 
ford's  fellow  townsmen  was  a  tax  which,  with- 
out shadow  of  law  or  justice,  had  been  levied 
by  the  governor  upon  the  products  of  the  whale 
fishery,  he  diemanding  a  tenth  as  a  right  of  roy- 
alty. Against  this  unjust  demand  the  people, 
with  Mulford  at  their  head,  rose  as  one  man.  In 
a  memorial  addressed  to  the  king  he  recounts 
the  facts  that  the  taking  of  whales  by  the  peo- 
ple continued  "above  fifty  years  before  the 
captors  heard  of  any  duty  for  so  doing  until 
of  late,"  and  that  it  was  looked  upon  as  "an 
imposition  contrary  to  the  law  of  the  colony." 

It  also  seems  that  Captain  Mulford  and  his 
two  sons  and  Colonel  Richard  Floyd,  of  Brook- 
haven,  "had  been  arrested  on  an  action  of 
trover  for  converting  the  Queen's  goods  to 
their  own  use,"  and  that  this  case  had  been 
"carried  from  court  to  court  to  the  number  of 
fifteen  or  sixteen  courts."  The  case  against 
Colonel  Floyd  was,  that  Captain  Theophilus 
Howell's  company  of  Southampton  had  a 
license  to  take  whales,  obliging  themselves  to 
pay  one-twentieth  part  of  all  they  gained.  This 
party  killed  a  whale  and  brought  it  ashore,  and 
in  the  night  a  strong  east  wind  drove  it  along 
shore  about  forty  miles.  The  owners  of  the 
v/hale  put  it  into  Floyd's  hands  to  try  out,  and 
he  was  prosecuted  by  the  governor  for  the 
whale.  The  defense  that  was  made  by  Cap- 
tain Mulford  is  an  example  of  careful  reason- 
ing which  before  an  unprejudiced  tribunal 
could  not  fail  to  command  respect;  but  judg- 
ment was  given  against  him,  and  in  every  pos- 
sible way  he  was  annoyed  by  persecutions  and 
penalties. 

On  the  2d  of  April,  1714,  he  made  a  speech 
in  the  Assembly,  "putting  them  in  mind  of 
some  ill  measures  I  was  informed  were  taken." 
This  speech  was  printed,  and  brought  down 
•  upon  the  devoted  head  of  its  author  the  wrath 
of  the  royal  governor.  Suit  was  instituted 
against  Mulford  in  the  supreme  court,  and  as 
it  was  in  the  power  of  the  governor  to  prolong 
the  matter  it  kept  him  away  from  his  home, 
and  deprived  him  of  the  opportunity  of  attend- 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


781 


ing  to  his  personal  affairs.  Conscious  of  the 
injustice  the  Assembly  united  in  a  petition  that 
the  prosecution  might  be  dropped  and  Captain 
Mulford  permitted  to  return  to  his  native  town. 
With  that  tenadity  of  purpose  which  distin- 
guished him-  through  life  he  resolved  to  make 
the  journey  to  England,  and  there  to  present 
his  wrongs  in  person  to  the  king  and  council 
and  demand  redress.  A  voyage  across  the 
Atlantic  at  that  time  was  something  that  called 
for  the  vigor  of  early  manhood,  but  it  was  un- 
hesitatingly undertaken  by  this  man,  whose 
head  was  whitened  by  the  frosts  of  seventy 
years,  but  whose  spirit  was  unconquered.  To 
conceal  his  departure  he  made  h!is  way  to  Bos- 
ton to  embark,  and  duly  arrived  at  London. 
Unaccustomed  to  the  sights  and  sounds  of 
crowded  cities,  and  with  none  to  urge  his  case 
or  assist  his  claim,  Samuel  Mulford  stood  in 
England's  capital,  unknowing  and  unknown. 
The  attendants  of  court  had  no  attentions  for 
the  plain  man  from  a  distant  colony,  who  came 
unannounced  by  the  voice  of  fame  and  un- 
accompanied with  the  pomp  of  power.  At 
length,  by  one  of  those  singular  circumstances 
which,  insignificant  in  themselves,  sometimes 
turn  the  tide  of  human  events  and  set  at 
naught  all  human  calculations,  attention  was 
drawn  to  his  case,  and  justice  obtained  for  his 
cause.  His  unsophisticated  appearance  ren- 
dered h'im  a  conspicuous  and  suitable  subject 
for  the  operations  of  the  light-fingered  gentry, 
and  the  contents  of  his  pockets'  were  quicklv 
transferred  to  their  own.  It  would  seem  as  if 
the  proverbial  Yankee  sharpness  must  have 
been  early  developed  in  this  clime  and  prompt- 
ed him  to  have  several  fishhooks  sewn  into 
his  garments  in  such  a  manner  that  the  next 
hand  that  was  introduced  into  his  pocket  re- 
ceived an  invitatiion  to  remain  that  it  was 
found  impossible  to  decline.  This  amusing 
affair  was  quickly  noised  abroad ;  it  was  men- 
tioned in  the  newspapers  at  the  time,  and  from 
an  unknown  individual  he  became  the  topic  of 
the  hour.  His  case  was  dxamjined  before  the 
council,  his  information  duly  appreciated,  the 
tax  on  oil  ordered  to  be  taken  off,  and  he  re- 
turned to  his  constituents  with  his  efforts 
crowned  with  well  merited  success.  At  his 
return  he  took  his  seat  in  the  Assembly.  The 
hatred  of  the  governor  was  not  appeased ;  the 
old  subject  of  the  speech  was  revived,  and  by 
the  vote  of  a  subservient  house  he  was  expelled 
from  his  seat.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the 
people  of  Suffolk  county  did  honor  to  them- 
selves by  immediately  re-electing  him  to  the 


place  he  had  filled  so  long  and  so  well,  and  he 
continued  to  serve  as  their  representative  till 
October  17,  1720,  when  he  was  again  ex- 
pelled, for  protesting  againsit  the  legality  of 
the  house  and  refusing  to  unite  in  an  address 
to  the  governor.  Thus  ended  his  public  career, 
but  to  the  end  of  his  life  he  was  in  HJs  native 
town  an  honored  man.'  , 

The  following  documents  illustrate  the  de- 
tails of  this  controversy  from  Captain  Mul- 
ford's  standpoint  and  were  written  by  him : 

A    MEMORIAL    OF    SEVERAL    AGGRIEVANCES    AND 

OPPRESSIONS  OF  HIS  MAJESTY'S  SUBJECTS 

IN  THE  COLONY  OF  NEW  YORK  IN 

AMERICA 

Sheweth;  When  the  Enemies  of  the  Nation 
had,  by  their  wicked  Councils  and  trayterous 
Intreagues,  brought  our  Nation  to  the  very 
Brink  of  being  swallowed  up  by  Popish 
Svperstition  and  Arbitrary  Government,  it 
pleased  the  Almighty  God  by  hisi  wonderful 
Omnipotence  to  bring  in  Peace  and  settle  his 
Most  Sacred  Majesty,  King  GEORGE,  upon 
the  British  Throne ;  and  it  is  to  be  hoped,  that 
his  Subjects  in  distant  Countries,  and  in  par- 
ticular those  of  the  Colony  of  New  York  may 
in  some  Measure  feel  the  Influence  of  his 
Happy  Government,  and  be  in  due  time  re- 
lieved from  all  Oppressions. 

The  West  End  of  the  Island  Nassau,  (the 
then  Manhados)  Hutsons  River  and  Staten 
Island  were  first  settled  by  the  Dutch  from 
Holland,  in  great  Danger  and  Hardship  many 
of  them  being  slain  by  the  Salvages ;  the  East 
End  of  the  same  Island  by  English  under  the 
Crown  of  England  (they  then  being  a  Part 
of  Connecticut-Colony)  who  also  settled  in 
great  Hazard  and  Hardship.  In  some  time 
after  the  Natives  were  suppressed,  in  the  Year 
1664,  General  Nicols  with  a  Fleet  of  Ships 
and  some  Land  Forces  reduced  the  then  Man- 
hados to  the  King's  Obedience,  it  being  de- 
livered to  him  upon  Articles.  And  being  thus 
subjected  to  the  Crown,  King  Charles  the  Sec- 
ond making  a  grant  of  the  same  to  his  Brother 
James  Duke  of  York,  as  by  the  same  may  at 
large  appear,  the  said  General  Nicols  and  Com- 
missioners demanded  the  East  End  of  the 
Island ;  and  though  the  Inhabitants  thereof 
were  much  against,  being  moved  from^  Con- 
necticut to  New  York,  yet  it  was  their  Misery 
and  unhappy  Fate  to  have  it  to  be  so.     The 


732 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Governor,  Commissioners  and  Council  took 
upon  them  the  Legislative  Power,  and  the  Peo- 
ple were  governed  by  their  Ordinances,  until 
Governor  Dungan  came  to  be  over  them,  then 
an  Assembly  were  called,  which  Privilege  was 
then  declared  to  be  the  People's  Right;  and 
some  time  after  an  Act  of  Assembly  passed, 
That  the  Persons  to  be  Elected  to  sit  as  Rep- 
resentatives in  the  General  Assembly  frorri 
time  to  time,  for  the  several  Cities,  Towns, 
Counties,  Shires,  Divisions  or  Manmors  of  this 
Province,  and  all  Places  within  the  same,  shall 
"be  according  to  the  Proportion  and  Number 
hereafter  expressed ;  that  is  to  say.  For  the 
City  and  County  of  New- York  four,  for  the 
County  of  Suffolk  two,  for  Queens-County 
two,  for  Kings-County  two,  for  the  County 
of  Richmond  two,  for  the  County  of  West- 
chester two,  for  the  County  of  Ulster  two,  for 
the  County  of  Albany  two,  for  the  Mannor 
of  Ranslerwick  one,  and  for  Dukes  County 
two,  and  asi  many  more  as  their  Majesties, 
their  Heirs  and  Successors  shall  think  fit  to 
establish ;  That  all  Persons  chosen  as  afore- 
said, or  the  major  Part  of  them  shall  be  deemed 
and  accounted  the  Representatives  of  this 
Province  in  General  Assembly,  and  such  Acts 
made  by  them,  consented  to  by  the  Governor 
.and  Counsel,  shall  be  the  Laws  of  the  Province, 
until  they  are  disallowed  by  their  Majesties, 
their  Heirs  and  Successors,  or  expire  by  their 
own  Limitation.  And  though  by  this  Act, 
their  Majesties,  their  Heirs  and  Successors 
may  establish  as  many  more,  as  they  shall 
think  fit :  It  is  not  to  be  thought  that  our  Most 
Gracious  Sovereign  King  George,  will  estab- 
lish 'SO  many  in  such  Places,  that  they  may  live 
upon  other  Parts  of  the  Government,  and  great 
Injustice  be  done  thereby,  neither  give  Power 
to  his  Governor  so  to  do;  But  that  his  Most 
Sacred  Majesty  would  have  Justice  done :  Not- 
withstanding of  late  there  hath  been  Precepts 
issued  out  for  Choice  of  Representatives  in 
what  Part  and  Places  of  the  Government  as 
lie  pleaseth.  So  that  notwithstanding  the  Law, 
they  are  raised  to  the  Number  of  Twenty  Five ; 
and  now  the  Minor  Part  of  the  People  in  the 
Government  have  the  Major  Part  of  the  As- 
sembly, and  for  their  Interest  Oppress  a  great 
Part  of  the  People,  and  they  lie  under  great 
Disadvantages;  as  may  appear  by  the  follow- 
ing proportion  of  a  4000/.  Tax,  and  several 
other  Particulars  upon  the  several  Counties  in 
the  Colony,  here  is  an  Account  of  the  men. 
Inhabitants   in   each  County,   and  their  Rep- 


resentatives in  the  Assembly;  also  the  Quota 
of  Tax  in  the  same. 


In  the  City  and  County  of  New  Yk 
County  of  Albany,  with  Ranslerw'h 

Kings  County 

Queens  County 

County  of  Suffolk 

County  of  Ulster 

County  of  Westchester 

County  of  Richmond 

Orange  County 

Dutchess  County 


1200 
540 
420 

1000 
800 
020 
030 

0.5' 

(iO! 


B  u 


Quota 

of 
Tax 


88.ii00  0 

n.jliojo 

730O(liO 
044  lOl  0 
O8OI0I0 
311  10|0 
340J()0  0 
220!l-3l4 
00  00,  0 
40:()0<  8 


l'.5885l  2.1  llOOOiOolo 


By  this  plan  it  is  evident,  that  the  several 
Counties  are  very  unequally  Represented,  as 
well  with  Regard  to  the  Number  of  Inhabi- 
tants in  each,  as  to  the  Taxes  they  pay;  And 
to  this  Disproportion  of  Assembly-Men  is  to 
be  ascribed  the  unequal  Taxing  of  the  several 
Counties,  without  respect  to  their  Number  of 
People,  their  Riches  and  Commerce.  To 
evince  this  it  will  appear,  that  Kings-County, 
Queens-County  and  County  of  Suffolk,  which 
contain  2220  Men,  have  only  Six  Representa- 
tives in  As'sembly,  and  are  taxed  2055/.  where- 
as all  the  other  Counties,  having  in  them  3465 
Men  and  so  many  Representatives  that  they 
are  Taxed  only  at  1945^.  So  that  at  this  time 
there  is  up  Hudsons  River  Ten  Assembly- 
Men,  in  Albany,  Ranslerwick,  Ulster,  Orange 
and  Dutchess  Counties,  and  all  those  Ten  rep- 
resient,  do  not  pay  in  one  Tax  so  much  as  one 
County  on  the  Island  of  Nassau,  where  they 
have  but  two  in  each  County.  And  for  what 
Disbursements  and  Services  done  on  the  same 
Island,  for  publick  Service  there  is  very  little 
if  anything  paid  themi;  When  for  publick  Dis- 
bursements and  Services  done  up  Hudsons 
River  (do  but  give  it  the  Name  for  their  Maj- 
esties Service)  altho'  it  be  to  draw  Trade  to 
them,  or  to  go  to  purchase  Land  for  them- 
selves, it  is  brought  to  the  Assembly  to  put 
the  Charge  upon  the  Country ;  and  for  the  most 
part  they  get  twice  so  much  as  others  in  part 
of  the  Government  would  demand  for  the  same 
Service,  if  it  were  not  for  the  Publick. 

It  is  a  Privilege  to  have  an  Assembly,  if  it 
were  as  near  as  may  be  according  to  the  Num- 
ber of  the  People  in  each  County,  that  Justice 
and  Right  might  be  done:     But  to  have  the 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


73& 


Name  and  nothing  of  the  Nature,  is  but  a 
Snare  to  the  greatest  Part  of  the  People  in  the 
Colony,  and  would  be  easier  for  them  that 
there  was  not  any  Assembly,  than  to  have  such 
an  One  as  endeavour  to  live  upon  their  Neigh- 
bours, and  not  by  them,  and  shall  be  called 
True  and  Loyal  Subjects,  complying  to  all  Pro- 
posals for  some  Men's  Advantage;  when  oth- 
ers, endeavoring  to  have  Justice  and  Right 
done,  and  speak  any  thing  for  Property  and 
Liberty  of  the  Subjects,  shall  be  looked  upon 
as  Criminals,  if  not  prosecuted  for  the  same, 
as  Capt.  Mulford  was.  It  is  supposed  there 
are  some  things  else  besides  Loyalty,  as  An 
Office  with  a  Sallary,  A  Grant  of  some  Lands, 
and  A  Sallery  of  Three  Hundred  Pounds  per 
Ann.  to  the  Commissioners  of  the  Indian  Af- 
fairsi  at  Albany;  though' it  is  not  known  to  the 
Country,  what  Service  they  do  to  the  King 
or  Country,  except  it  be  to  draw  Trade  to 
themselves  and  Debts  upon  the  Country,  and 
procure  a  Resolve  of  the  Assembly  to  allow 
them  300/.  per  Annum  for  five  Years,  and 
also  to  Allow  the  Indians  400/.  by  a  Resolve 
of  the  House  for  the  same  time.  And  so  in 
time  of  Peace  have  brought  the  Colony  to  be 
Tributaries  to  the  Heathen,  and  when  the  five 
Years  are  expired,  the  Indians  will  expect  it 
for  ever;  and  if  they  have  it  not,  they  will 
think  they  have  just  Cause  to  Quarrel  with 
the  English.  And  of  what  dismal  Consequence 
are  such  Measures  !  But  it  is  thought  that  the 
Indians  did  not  expect  such  a  Present  now, 
but  that  it  was  somebody  else  that  wanted  it: 
For  400/.  at  New  York,  with  the  Customary 
Advance  of  50/.  Per  Cent,  at  Albany,  makes 
600/.  And  if  the  Indians  have  400/.  there,  it 
will  do;  also  somebody  must  present  it  to  the 
Indians,  who  in  Retaliation  return  several 
Packs  of  Beaver  and  other  Skins :  The  Report 
is,  that  sometimes  to  the  Value  of  the  Present, 
which  is  unknown  to  the  Publick  what  becomes 
of  it.  But  it  is  thought  to  be  the  greatest  Rea- 
son of  Making  the  Present,  and  so  bring  His 
Majesties  Subjects  to  be  Tributaries.  If  it 
were  of  Necessity  to  do  it,  and  were  for  the 
publick  good  of  the  Plantations  in  America, 
why  do  not  the  Neighbouring  Colonies  assist, 
which  are  as  deeply  concerned  for  their  own 
Security  ? 

The  Indians  that  fled  out  of  New-England 
are  setled  near  Albany,  and  those  from  North- 
Carolina,  when  fled  from  thence,  come  there 
for  Shelter,  amongst  those  Indians  which  their 
Majesties  Subjects  in  New- York-Government 


are  brought  to  be'  Tributaries  to;  and  it  is 
thought  that  the  Present  that  was  made  to 
those  Indians  in  the  Year  1713,  put  themi  in  a 
Capacity  to  assist  in  destroying  their  Majes- 
the  Subjects  in  South-Carolina.  The  Report 
is.  That  when  the  Wars  were  in  North-Caro- 
lina they  had  Assistance  from  South  Carolina, 
the  Albany-Members  informed  the  Assembly, 
That  there  was  Five  Hundred  of  the  Enemy 
Indians  come  amongst  the  Five  Nations.  They 
also  informed  the  House,  That  they  thought 
it  was  requisit  to  make  a  Present  to  the  In- 
dians :  Amongst  some  slight  Arguments,  they 
said.  The  young  Men  amongst  our  Indians 
armed  themselves',  and  it  was  to  be  feared  they 
were  upon  some  ill  Design:  So  in  the  latter 
End  of  the  Summer  they  had  a  Present  of 
400/.  The  Report  was.  That  the  Winter  fol- 
lowing there  were  Indians  from  South-Caro- 
lina amongst  the  Five  Nations,  complaining 
that  the  English  at  South  Carolina  had  taken 
their  Land  from  them,  and  craved  their  As- 
sistance. In  the  Spring  following  the  Wars 
were  at  South-Carolina,  and  it  was  reported, 
that  several  Indians  from  those  Five  Nations 
were  gone  when  the  Wars  were  there,  and 
the  latter  End  of  that  Summer  the  Indians  Sold 
(at  Scunnatade,  about  twenty  Miles  above  Al- 
bany,) Beaver  Hats  bound  with  Silver  Lace, 
Wigs,  good  Broad  Cloth  Coats,  and  Shirts :  It 
is  so  reported  that  it  is  thought  to  be  real 
Matter  of  Fact,  and  it  might  be  well  if  it  were 
not  so.  It  was  commonly  reported,  That  the 
Albany-People  made  a  Truce  with  the  French 
of  Canada,  and  had  a  Trade  with  them  all  the 
Time  of  the  Wars :  Notwithstanding  by  their 
Remonstrances  to  the  Assembly,  of  their  Dan- 
ger, and  they  being  a  Frontier,  the  Country 
was  at  great  charge  keeping  Garrision  there, 
and  all  the  Officers  must  be  of  Albany,  and 
most  of  the  Money  for  that  Service  centers 
among  themi;  which  was  thought  to  be  the 
greatest  Reason  for  that  Service. 

And  if  the  Governor  for  the  time  being 
hath  power  to  establish  so  many  Representa- 
tives, and  in  what  Places  of  the  Government 
he  pleaseth  (as  it  now  is)  and  such  asi  for 
their  own  Interest  will  do  and  comply  with 
all  the  Proposals  to  bring  it  to  pass,  and  the 
Governor  to  put  in  Office  whom'  he  will,  and 
as  many  as  he  pleaseth,  and  allow  theiri  what 
Sallary  he  sees  cause,  and  all  the  publick 
Money  in  the  Government  at  his  Disposal,  to 
no  other  Use  but  at  his  Will :  Then  the  Peo- 
ple in  the  Colony  have  not  the  Property  and 


784 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Liberty  of  English  Subjects,  but  are  subjected 
to  some  Mens  Avarice;  not  only  to  those  who 
have  the  Name  of  Christians,  but  to  the  bar- 
barous and  cruel  Heathen.  And  is  it  not  a 
Dishonour  to  His  Majesties  Crown  and  Dig- 
nity, that  his  Subjects  should  be  sold  Tribu- 
taries! to  them?  Would  it  not  be  better  for 
them  to  part  with  one  Half  of  their  Personal 
Estates,  for  Encouragement  for  5000  or  6000 
Men  to  come  and  suppress  those  Salvages, 
that  his  Majesties  Subjects  could  not  live 
quietly  by,  and  to  possess  their  Lands,  and 
not  become  Tributaries  to  them,  or  at  least  to 
do  as  those  of  Quebeck  did  in  October,  18, 
1716,  on  the  Interruption  of  their 'Commerce 
by  the  Savages,  living  Four  Hundred  Leagues 
up  the  Country,  went  with  Three  Hundred 
French  and  Six  Hundred  Savages  their  Allies, 
to  bring  them  to  a  better  Temper:  And  find- 
ing the  Enemy  well  entrenched  with  Pallisa- 
does  and  good  Ditches,  they  planted  them- 
selves near  enough  to  the  Pallisadoes,  and 
threw  two  Granadoes,  brought  them  to  Sur- 
render and  agree  to  pay  the  Expenoe  they  had 
been  at,  and  restore  to  the  French  their  former 
Skin-Trade,  as  before ;  and  they  had  but  one 
Frenchman  and  two  Savages  wounded  in  that 
Expedition,  though  there  were  above  3000  Men 
Women  and  Children  in  that  Fort.  So  that  it 
is  a  Quaere,  whether  it  be  not  more  for  some 
particular  Mens  Interest,  to  make  so  much 
Stir  for  Presents  to  the  Indians  and  bring  the 
Colony  to  such  vast  Charge,  tham  it  is  for  the 
publick  Good. 

The  poor  Colony  of  New-York,  containing 
in  it  not  above  6000  Men  at  the  most,  were  at 
the  Charge  of  at  least  30000^.  upon  the  Expe- 
dition for  Canada,  upwards  of  27000^.  to  pay 
some  small  Debts  and  make  good  the  Embas- 
selment  of  the  publick  Money  in  the  Govern- 
ment, and  4045Z.  per  Annum  for  five  Years  by 
Resolves  of  the  House,  part  of  which  is  to 
bring  them  to  be  Tributaries  to  the  Heathen, 
and  pay  Men  to  bring  it  so  to  be;  and  now 
the  Colony  is  miserably  distressed,  if  not  vas- 
saled:  The  Sence  whereof  caused  several  to 
move  out  of  the  same,  and  several  more  pur 
pose  to  do  so,  if  they  cannot  be  relieved. 

A  great  Part  of  the  Aggrievances  and  In- 
justice done  in  the  Colony  may  be  ascribed  to 
an  unequal  Proportion  of  Representatives  ;  and 
if  not  redressed,  may  ruin  the  Colony.  If 
there  were  an  equal  Proportion  of  them,  as 
near  as  may  be  according  to  the  Number  of 
the  People  in  each  County,  then  they  might 


in  the  strongest  Manner  unite  the  Hearts  of 
all  the  Subjects,  and  put  an  effectual  End  to 
all  the  Feuds  and  Animosities  that  have  ob- 
structed Prosperity  in  the  Colony  for  a  Course 
of  many  Years. 

There  is  a  Court  of  Chancery  erected  at 
New-York,  where  the  Governor  is  sole  Judge, 
and  if  he  demands  any  thing  in  the  King's 
Name  and  it  is  not  comply'd  with,  they  shall 
be  subpcena'd  to  the  Court  of  Chancery,  where 
the  Governor  shall  judge  whether  he  shall 
have  his  Demands;  the  Masters  of  Chancery 
shall  not  judge  in  the  Cause,  only  tax  the 
Costs  of  the  Court.  So  in  all  Cases  that  come 
to  that  Court,  the  Governor  is  only  and  sole 
Judge,  whether  the  Cause  be  right  by  the  Ver- 
dict of  Twelve  Men  and  Judgment  upon  the 
same.  So  the  Governor  becomes  The  End  of 
all  Law  and  Judgment  in  the  Government: 
Let  the  Judicial  Reader  judge,  whether  it  be 
not  a  Miserable  and  Unhappy  Fate  to  be  sub- 
jected, both  Persons  and  Estates,  to  the  Will 
and  Pleasure  of  any  Governor  for  the  time 
being,  especially  considering  the  People  under 
the  Government  by  Experience  find  the  chief 
End  of  their  Coming.  It  may  be  said.  You 
have  an  Agent  for  your  Colony.  Answer, 
Though  there  be  an  Act  for  an  Agent  for  the 
Colony  of  New-York,  yet  by  the  same  Act  he 
is  Agent  for  the  Governor,  and  not  for  the 
Country,  they  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  pay 
him,  and  send  to  himi  such  Instructions  as  the 
Governor  shall  approve  of;  for  it  is  said  in 
the  Act,  That  the  Instructions  sent  to  him, 
shall  be  by  the  Governor  and  Council,  or  Gen- 
eral Assembly;  and  what  is  sent  by  the  Gov- 
ernor and  Council,  shall  be  Signed  by  the 
Governor  and  major  Part  of  the  Council,  re- 
siding within  the  Province,  and  what  is  sent 
by  the  General  Assembly,  shall  be  Signed  by 
the  major  Part  of  them  and  the  Speaker;  and 
if  any  thing  comesi  to  him  otherwise,  then  as 
aforesaid,  he  shall  not  have  any  Regard  to  it. 

Observe,  The  Governor  hath  Power  to  call 
some  to  sit  in  Council,  they  must  acquiesce 
with  what  he  proposeth,  lest  thev  be  suspend- 
ed' ;  and  for  the  Assembly,  if  the  Governor  hath 
Power  to  have  them-  chosen  where  he  pleaseth, 
and  get  the  Soldiers  to  chuse  for  such  Men  in 
New- York  as  they  shall  be  directed  to  chuse 
to  serve  upon  the  Assembly,  the  most  subtle 
Men  to  have  a  grant  of  some  Lands,  an  office 
with  a  large  Sallary,  as  several  of  the  Assem- 
bly Men  have,  they  must  comply  to  the  Gov- 
ernor's Proposals,  and  make  Resolves  to  allow 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


7b5 


the  Governor  1710/.  per  Annum  for  five  Years, 
the  Chief  Justice  300/.  per  Annum,  for  the 
same  time,  the  Commissioners  of  the  Indian 
Affairs  at  Albany  300/.  per  Annum,  for  the 
same  time,  and  some  others  of  the  Assembly 
Sums  too  tedious  here  to  relate. 

So  that  some  for  their  Interest  and  others 
for  Fear  dare  not  oppose  any  thing  proposed, 
but  comply  with  whatsoever  is  for  the  Gov- 
ernor's and  some  cunning  Mens  Advantages : 
An\d  how  can  the  miajor  Part  of  the  Assembly 
make  known  the  Aggrievances  of  the  People, 
when  they  are  drawn  and  deter'd  from'  speak- 
ing. And  if  the  major  Part  and  Speaker  of 
the  Assembly  should  be  about  tO'  send  to  the 
Agent,  if  the  Governor  should  not  like  it,  he 
could  dissolve  the  Assembly  at  hisi  Pleasure, 
and  so  prevent  them  of  sending.  So  it  must 
be  what  he  pleaseth ;  and  if  Demetrius  and  the 
Craftsmen  of  the  same  Occupation  made  such 
an  Uproar  about  Paul's  Preaching  the  Gospel 
at  Ephesus,  because  it  took  away  their  gain 
and  Wealth,  what  Stir  do  you  think  these  Men 
will  make,  if  any  should  endeavour  to  break 
the  Schemes  they  have  laid,  whereby  they  get 
their  Wealth,  and  wholly  subject  the  People 
to  their  Pleasure  ?  But  if  the  Governor  be  in- 
fallible, and  the  People  under  his  Government 
both  Persons  and'  Estates  at  his  Pleasure,  then 
it  is  in  vain  to  dispond  or  complain ;  but  if 
the  People  have  Property,  and  the  Gov;rnmenit 
ought  to  be  carried  on  for  His  Majesties  Bene- 
fit, and  Good  of  the  Subjects,  then  such  Meas- 
ures as  these  ought  to  be  took  into  considera- 
tion and  what  is  amiss  to  be  rectified. 

The  People  in  New- York  Government  have 
been  called  Stubborn,  Reflectory,  little  if  any 
thing  less  than  Rebels,  when  they  have  been 
Oppressed  under  the  Government,  and  Ruin- 
ous Measures  taken  amongst  them,  whereby 
they  are  deprived  of  the  Privileges  of  English- 
men, and  they  have  been  uneasie  under  the 
same :  And  there  is  not  any  ReasOn  to  Villify, 
Scandalize  and  Reproach  them,  except  to  ren- 
der them  so  vile,  that  not  any  should  have  re- 
gard of  them,  to  relieve  them  from'  Oppres- 
sions. But  he  that  doth  Injustice  dishonours 
the  King,  and  those  that  endeavour  to  uphold 
and  vindicate  such,  are  Accessories  though 
not  Principals. 

These  are  some  of  the  Measures  that  are 
and  have  been  taken  in  New-York  Govern- 
ment ;  although  the  truth  of  this  may  be  ques- 
tioned, yet  many  One  in  the  Colony  of  New- 
York  by  woful  Experience  knows  this  and  sev- 


eral other  Oppressions  to  be'  real  Matter  of 
Fact. 

And  although  there  was  an  Act  of  Parlia- 
ment passed  in  the  Reign  of  King  William 
III.  For  Punishing  of  Governors  of  Planta- 
tion.si  in  this  Kingdom,  for  Crimes  by 
them  committed  in  the  Plantations,  what 
Benefit  can  the  People  in  New- York  Gov- 
ernment have  by  this  Act,  when  they  can 
not  have  an  Agent  to  be  informed  of  the 
Aggrievances  of  the  People,  nor  any  Publick 
Money  in  the  Government,  to  enable  any  other 
Person  to  do  it,  but  what  the  Governor  pleas- 
eth. And  for  particular  persons,  when  denied 
to  make  Use  O'f  the  Customs  of  the  Colony 
and  Grants  made  by  former  Governors,  denied 
the  Benefit  of  the  Laws  of  the  Colony,  Prose- 
cuted contrary  to  Law,  passed  upon  and  de- 
stroyed without  due  Course  of  Law;  How 
shall  they  be  relieved  from  such  Oppressio'ns, 
when  by  their  Poverty  and  Ruinous  Measures 
are  so  impoverish'd,  that  they  have  not  Money 
to  prosecute  in  such  Case?  These  must  be 
Ruin'd:  for  there  is  not  any  Fencing  against 
a  Flail. 

So,  by  what  is  here  set  forth,  may  be  left 
to  the  Consideration  of  all  Judicial  Persons, 
what  Encouragement  such  a  small  People  as 
are  in  New- York  Colony  have,  to  allow  their 
Governor  such  a  large  Sallery.  Quoere,  Is  the 
Government  carried  on  for  their  Majesties 
Benefit,  and  Good  O'f  the  Subjects,  according 
to  the  Laws  and  Customs  of  the  Colony,  and 
according  to  English  Government ;  or  is  it  Ar- 
bitrary, Illegal,  Grievous,  Oppressive,  Unjust 
and  Destructive? 

AN    INFORMATION. 

It  hath  been  a  Custom,  for  above  60  Years, 
(several  Years  before  New- York  was  Subject- 
ed to  the  Crown  of  England)  for  their  Majes- 
ties Subjects,  on  the  East  End  of  Long-Island 
then  belonging  tO'  Connecticut  Colony,  to  go 
out  upon  the  Seasi  adjacent  to  their  Land,  Six 
Men  in  a  small  boat  to  take  and  kill  Whales 
and  other  Fish,  and  the  Capters  to  have  all 
they  killed,  brought  on  Shore,  or  left  dead 
or  wounded ;  so  that  they  came  on  Shore  with 
Wind  or  Sea,  which  continued  above  Fifty 
Years,  before  the  Capters  heard  of  any  Duty 
for  so  doing,  until  of  late,  by  violent  Proceed- 
ings, frighted  some  to  do  it,  when  generally  it 
was  look'd  upon  to  be  an  Imposition,  contrary 
to  the  Law  of  the  Colony:     And  while  my 


736 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Lord  Lovelace  was  Gpvernour;  Maj.  Engols-, 
bee  Lieutenant  Governour,  and  Colonel  Beat- 
man  President,  there  was  not  any  thing  de- 
manded, nor  paid  by  the  Capters;  so  it  ceased 
until  Briga,dier  Hunter  came;  then, he  imposed 
upon  the  People,  seizing  Whales,  Oyl  and 
Bone,  and  subpoena'd  the  Capters  to  New- York. 
to  the  Court  of  Chancery,  issuing,  out  Prosecu- 
tions at  Law,  to  compel  People  to  pay  Duty 
for.  that-  Fishery:  Whereupon,  in  the  Year 
1712,  t^iey  commenced  an  Action  of  Trover 
against  rtie,  in  the  Supream  Court  at  New- 
Yorli,.and  also  arrested  Colonel  Richard  Floyd 
and  my  two  ^on-s  Timothy  and  Matthew  Mul- 
ford;  in  an.  Action  of  Trover,  for  qonverting 
the  Queens  Goodisi  to  their  own  Use:  This 
was  carried  on  from ,  Court  to  Court,  to  the 
Number  of  Fifteen  or  Sixteen  Courts.  Here 
follows  the  (Defence  I  made  in  the  Courts. 

SAMUEL    HULFORd'S   DEFENCE    FOR    HIS    WHALE 
■r         I  FISHING.  ■  ■ 

,  '  New- York,  March  the  15th,  1715-16. 
The  Custom'  of  the  Whale-Fishing  is  a 
Fre«  Custoin ;  because  there  is  not  any  -Law  to 
Prohibit,  it:-  It  is  an  Antient  Custom,  to  the. 
Third  and  Fourth,  Generation ;  it  is  more  An- 
tient^ than  the  Colony  of  N,ew-York,  and  not, 
in  any  Man's  Memory  to  the  contrary  till  of 
late:  And  in  the  Year  1686,  we,  the  town  of 
Easthampton,  bad  a  Patent  to  us,  by  the  King's 
Governou-r,  with  -several  Priviledges  therein, 
granted  to  tnis  Corporation,  for  which  we  pay, 
40s.  per  Annumi  to  the  Crown,  amongst  which,' 
it  was  granted  to  us,  to  have  Rivers,  Rivulets, 
Waters,  Lakes,  Ponds,  Brooks,  Streams, 
Beaches,  Quarries,  Mines,  Minerals,  Creeks, 
Harbours,  High- Ways  and  Easements ;  Fish- 
ing, Hawking,  Hunting  and  Fowling,  [Silver 
and  Gold  Mines  excepted]  and, all  other  Fran- 
chises, Profits,  f  Commodities  and  Heredita- 
ments, whatsoeyer,  ^to  the  said  Tracts  and 
Necksi  of  Lap^  belonging  or  in  any  wise  ap- 
peffcainingf  or  therp  withal  used,  accepted,  re- 
puted or  taken  to  belong,  or  any  wise  apper- 
tain. To  All  Intents  and  Purposes,  and  fon- 
strue):ions;  whatsoever :  So  that  we  have  Wat- 
ers; Lakes,  which  is  Sea,  .and  Fishing  granted  ^ 
to  US;  and  nothing  prohibited,  but  granted  to 
us,  except.  Silver  and  Gold  Mines,  The  Whale- 
Fishirig  was  our  Fishing  at  the  time  of  the 
Grant,  and  .several  Years  before ;  so  we  hold 
it  to  be  9ur  Right  to  continue  so  to  do,  it  be- 
ing reputed-  to  be  one  of  ^  the  Franchises  con- 


firmed to  us  both  by  Patent,  Law  and  Rea- 
son: ^nd  in  the  Third  Year  of  King  Will- 
iam and  Queen  Mary,  1691,  there  was  an  Act 
oif  Assembly  passed,, That  no  Aid,  Tax,  Tall- 
age, or  Custom,  Loan,  Benevolence,  Gift,  Ex- 
cise, Duty  or  Imposition  whatsoever,  shall  be 
Laid,  assessed,  imposed,  levied  or  required  of 
or  on  any  of  their  Majesties  Subjects  inithis. 
Province":  Or  their  Estates  upon  any  manner, 
of  Colour  or  Pretence  whatsoever ;  but  by  the 
Act  and  ConSjent  of  the  Governour,  and  Coun- 
sels, and  Representatives  of  the  People,  in. 
General  Assembly  met  and  convened;  also  by 
another  Act  of  Assembly,  made  at  the  same: 
time,  confirming  Patents  and  Grants,  which 
by r  the  Act  may  at  large  appear,  And  also  unto 
all"  and  every  of  the  several  respective  Free 
Holders,  their  Heirs,  and  Assigns  for  .ever 
within  this  Province,  are  to  all  Intents-  and 
Purposes  whatsoever,  hereby  Ratified  and  con-, 
firmed, to  ^lave,  Hold,  Exercise,  occupy,  pos-, 
ses's  and  enjoy  all  their,  and  every  of'  their 
Former  Rights,  Custorns,  Prerogatives,  Privi- 
ledges, Preheminences,  Practices,  liminities,. 
Liberties,  Franchises,  ■  Royalties  ,  and  Usages, 
whatsoever:  And  ,in  their  Majesties  Letters, 
Patent  to  the  Governour  for  the  time  being, 
saith.  You  shall  calf  to  your  Self,,  some  oi  the 
principal  Free-Holders  to  sit  in  General  As- 
sembly, and  such  Acts  as  are  made  by  them,, 
consented  to  by  the  Governour  and  Counsel, 
shall  be  the  Law  of  the  Province,  except  they 
are  disallowed  by  us.  These  two  acts  above 
mentioned,  were  never  disallowed  by  th^  Crown 
that  ever  I  heard  of,  neither  by,  Record  or  In- 
formation from  the  Crown  to  this  Govern- 
ment ;  so  consequently  they  must  be  the  Laws 
of  this  Colony,  until  they  appear  to  be  dis- 
allowed by  their  Majesties:  So  that  the  Prose- 
cution of  me,  for  Whale-Fishing,  I  take  it  to  be 
against  the  Form  of  our  Grant  to  this  Cor- 
poration ;  against  the  Laws  of  this  Colony,  and 
against  Reason  and  the  Governour  for  the  time 
being's  Instructions  from  the  Crown ;  for  it  is- 
said  therein.  You  shall  carry  on  the  Govern- 
ment for  our  Benefit  and  the  Good  of  the  Sub- 
jects, according  to  the  Laws  and  Customs  of 
the  Colony.  It  is  hurt  to  the  Common-Wealth 
of  this  Colony,  against  the  Crown  to  hinder 
Effects  being  taken,  toi  make  Returns'  Home 
for  England,  to  purchase  the  Manufacture  of 
the  growth  of  that  Realm;  and  although  Mr. 
Attorney  General  was  pleased  to  commence 
an  Action  in  Behalf  of  the  Crown,  in  the  Su- 
pream Court  at  New-York,  against  me,  and 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


737 


prosecute  from  time  to  time  for  above  Three 
Years,  I  know  not  any  Law  the  Action  is 
groundted  upon,  but  Consequence  or  Pretence ; 
for  I  have  not  done  any  thing  in  that  Case,  but 
what  is  according  to  the  Laws  and  Customs  of 
the  Colony,  it  is  a  common  Saying,  where  there 
is  no  Law  there  is  no  Transgression' ;  and  in 
this  case  I  do  not  'see  how  any  can  give  Judg- 
ment against  me,  if  he  have  Regard  to  the  for- 
mer Governors  Grant,  tlie  Law  of  this  Colony, 
the  Governours  Instructions  from  the  King, 
Reason  and  a  publick  Good  of  the  Subjects, 
which  is  the  End  of  all  good  Laws :  I  query, 
what  Judgment  and  Penalty  shall  be  put  upon 
any  of  their  Majesties  Subjects,  that  have  not 
done  any  thing  contrary  to  Law  and  Custom, 
but  consonant  to  both,  and  only  made  use  of 
an  Antient  Custom  and  Usage  confirmed  by 
Patent,  Law  and  their  Majesties  Instructions: 
I  have  not  done  any  thing  but  used  a  particu- 
lar Custom,  as  I  take  it  to  be  neither  against 
the  Law  of  God  nor  the  Law  of  Reason,  and 
to  be  good  and  necessary  'to  the  Common- 
wealth. 

I  understand,  within  the  Realm  of  Eng- 
land, a  General  Custom  is  to  be  decided  by 
the  Justices,  which  I  take  to  be  the  Twelve 
Judges:  But  if  not,  I  suppose  it  must  be  more 
than  One  single  Person ;,  but  in  a  particular 
Custom  (as  this  is)  the  Student  at  Law  saith. 
If  it  be  not  against  the  Law  of  God  nor  the 
Law  of  Reason,  although  they  be  against  the 
said  general  Customs  or  Maxims  of  the  Law ; 
yet  nevertheless,  they  stand  in  Effect  andl  be 
taken  for  Law :  But  if  it  rise  in  Question  in 
the  King's  Courts,  Whether  there  be  any  such 
particular  Custom  or  not?  It  shall  be  tried  by 
Twelve  Men,  and  not  by  the  Judges,  except 
the  same  particular  Custom  be  of  record  in  the 
same  Court;  And  if  not  to  be  tried  by  the 
Judges,  to  be  sure  not  by  one  particular  Judge. 
So  I  crave  and  Request  of  this  Honoured 
Court,  the  Judgment  of  Twelve  Men,  my  Peers 
of  the  same  Vicknage,  that  may  know  some- 
thing of  the  Matter,  that  Justice  and  Right 
may  be  done  in  such  Matter  of  great  Conise- 
quence  as  this  is. 

And  in  fine.  We  have  Water  and  Lakes, 
which  is  Sea,  granted  to  us.  In  the  8th  Chap- 
ter of  St.  Matthew,  Verse  22.  it  is  said.  The 
Herd  of  Swine  ran  into  the  Sea;  And  St. 
Mark,  Chap.  5.  Ver.  13.  saith,  They  ran  into 
the  Sea:  St.  Luke,  Chap.  8.  Ver.  33.  saith. 
They  ran  into  the  Lake  and  were  choaked.  So 
that  by  the  most  Infallible  Rule,  the  Lake  is 
47 


Sea,  and  the  Sea  adjacent  to  the  Land  is  Lake, 
which  is  granted  to  us,  it  being  one  of  the 
Premisses  of  the  Grant.  And  we  have  Fish- 
ing granted  to  us,  which  we  hold  of  the  Crown, 
and  pay  an  Acknowledgment  for  the  same. 
And  I  know  not  any  Reason  why  we  should 
not  fish  in  the  Waters  and  Lakes  granted  to 
us :  There  is  not  any  Sort  of  Fishing  prohib- 
ited. Silver  and  Gold  Mines  are  excepted,  and 
all  other  Franchises,  Profits,  Commodities  and 
Hereditaments  whatsoever,  to  the  said  Tracts 
and  Necks  of  Land  and  Premisses  belonging, 
or  in  any  wise  appertaining,  or  therewithal 
used,  accepted,  reputed,  or  taken  to  belong,  or 
in  any  wise  appertain,  to  all  Intents,  and  Pur- 
poses, and  Constructions  whatsoever.  The 
Whale-Fishing  at  the  Time  of  our  Grant,  was 
used,  accepted,  reputed,  and  taken  to  belong 
to  us,  and  hath  been  ever  since  till  of  late. 
And  although  there  might  have  been  more 
Words  put  into  the  Grant,  to  have  made  ifc 
more  plain  to  be  understood,  yet  the  law  doth' 
it:  For  the  Law  in  expressi  Words  confirms 
our  Patents  and  Grants,  against  the  King,  His 
Heirs  and  Successors  for  ever,  notwithstand'- 
ing  the  Want  of  Form  in  the  Law,  or  Non- 
feizance  of  any  Right,  Priviledge,  or  Custom, 
which  ought  to  have  been  dione  heretofore,  by 
the  Constitutions'  and  Directions  contained  in 
the  respective  Charters,  Patents  and  Grants 
aforesaid.  And  the  Law  proceeds  farther,  to 
say,  what  the  Priviledges  granted  to  the  Sub- 
jects are,  as  at  large  may  appear  in  the  same. 
And  if  a  Grant  from  the  Crown,  the  Laws  of 
this  Colony,  nor  the  Instructions  from  the 
King  to  the  Governors  for  the  Time  being,. 
will  not  secure  the  Priviledgesi  of  the  Subjects, 
according  to  the  Laws  and  Customs  of  this 
Colony,  what  shall  a  Man  say,  but  request  and 
crave  the  Priviledges  of  an  English  Man,  and 
not  to  be  passed  upon  but  by  due  Course  of 
Law. 

My  Council  pleaded  an  Act  of  Parliament 
for  the  Subjects  within  this  Kingdom  to  go  a 
Whale  Fishing  to  Greenland,  Friezland  and 
Places  adjacent,  and  for  the  Oyl  and  Fins  they 
so  got  should  not  pay  any  Duty.  Also  New- 
foundland and  the  Plantations  in  New-Eng- 
land, who  should  pay  a  Duty  for  that  when 
brought  into  this  Kingdom.  He  shewed  the- 
Act  to  the  Court.  Upon  the  Tryal  I  was  de- 
nied to  have  a  Jury.'  My  Council  had  pleaded 
a  former  Court,  that  we  had  Right  by  Pre- 
scription; upon  which  the  Attorney-General' 
pleaded  a  Demur,  and  it  was  a  matter  of  Law  ; 


738 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


so  I  should  not  have  a  Jury:  Although  for- 
merly, in  the  Year  1694,  Peter  Choke  seized- 
a  Whale  killed  by  Richard  Smiths,  Esq ;  Com- 
pany, he  sued  for  the  same  in  the  Supreami 
Court  at  New- York,  and  Judgment  was  given 
in  Favour  of  the  Subject.  On  Thursday  the 
Chief  Justice  said  he  should  defer  Judgment 
until  Saturday.  On  Fryday  he  sent  his  Man 
to  me  with  a  Note,  the  Copy  whereof  is  aS' 
followeth : 

To  Samuel  Mulford,  Esq;  These, 

Sir,  I  desire  you  will  send  me  by  the  Bearer,  the 
Paper  you  read  in  Court  Yesterday;  for  I  did  not  take 
any  Notice  on  my  Paper,  and  cannot  remember  so  long 
a  Discourse,  so  as  to  form  any  Judgment  of  what  you 
offered  in  your  own  Defense,  except  I  read  it. 
I  am,  Sir,  Your  Servant, 

Lewis  Moris. 

The  Answer  that  I  returned,  was,  Sir,  You 
had  it  Yesterday  in  the  Court. 

On  the  Tryal  there  was  only  the  Chief  Jus- 
tice on  the  Bench.  My  Council  pleaded,  that 
Judgment  ought  to  be  according  to  Justice: 
The  Judge  said  he  could  give  Judgment  con- 
ditionally. The  Clerk  wrote  something,  but 
I  did  not  hear  the  Judge  give  JucJgment,  nor 
hear  him  direct  the  Clerk  what  to  write,  neith- 
er did  he  read  what  he  wrote  in  the  Court. 
Then  the  Court  adjourned  until  next  Term. 
So  I  could  not  know  whether  there  was  a 
Judgment  passed,  nor  what  it  was.  The  Re- 
port was,  that  there  was  a  Judgment  against 
me:  I  desired  the  Officer  to  give  me  a  Cbpy 
of  the  Courts  Proceeding  about  the  Whale- 
Fishing  The  3d  time  I  spake  to  him  he  could 
not  give  me  a  Copy,  because  the  Attorney- 
General  had  the  Rolls.  I  went  to  the  Attor- 
ney-General, desired  him  to  let  the  Officer  have 
the  Rolls,  that  he  might  give  me  a  Copy.  I  was 
with  them  for  a  Copy  in  May,  June  and  Au- 
gust, and  I  could  wot  have  any  Copy.  The 
Officer  said,  he  could  not  do  it,  because  the 
Attorney-General  did  not  let  him  have  the 
same.  I  desired  the  Officer  to  give  me  under 
his  Hand,  the  Reason  why  he  did  not  give  me 
a  Copy,  which  he  refused  to  do.  I  desired 
some  to  go  with  me,  that  they  might  be  wit- 
nesses that  I  demanded  a  Copy ;  but  they  would 
not,  and  said,  if  they  should  they  should  have 
Ill-will,  and  might  have  an  Injury  done  them. 
And  although  I  could  not  know  in  the  Court 
what  was  done,  I  was  informed  the  Judge  did 
give  Judgment  against  me,  my  two  Sons  and 
Col.  Richard  Floyd.  So  they  made  it  all  one 
Case  upon  Tryal,  but  every  one  particular  in 


the  Court  Charges ;  but  there  ought  to  have 
been  particular  Pleadings,  because  the  said 
Floyd's  Case  was  thus:  Capt.  Theophilus 
Howl's  Company  in  Bridghampton  had  a  Li- 
cense from  the  Governor  to  go  to  kill  Whales, 
obliging  themselves  to  pay  the  20th  Part.  This 
Company  kilkd  this  Whale,  and  brought  it  on 
Shore.  In  the  Night'  a  s'trong  Eastwardly 
Wind  drove  it  along  Shore  about  Forty  Miles. 
The  Owners  of  this  Whale  put  it  into  the  said 
Floyd's  Hands,  to  cut  it  up  and  make  it  into' 
Oyl  for  them.  The  said  Floyd  is  prosecuted 
for  this  Whale,  and  the  Capters  having  their 
Whale  kept  out  of  their  Possession,  by  Reason 
of  the  Prosecution,  next  Season  would  not  take 
a  License :  So  that  Nine  Men  were  subpena'd 
to  New-York  the  24th  of  June,  in  the  most 
busy  Time  in  the  Summer,  one  Hundred  Miles, 
to  pay  the  20th  Part  of  what  they  got  the  Win- 
ter before,  besides  Charges.  So  that  if  they 
will  not  take  a  License,  they  shall  be  molested, 
if  they  do,  they  may  lose  their  Whale. 

Some  time  after  the  Supream  Court  was 
over,  there  was  a  Jury  of  Enquiry  impannelled, 
to  enquire  what  Damage  was  done  to  the' 
Crown  by  our  Killing  Whales.  The  Jury  was 
told,  there  was  a  Judgment  against  us,,  and' 
their  Business  was  only  to  say  what  a  Whale 
was  worth.  So  that  they  could  not  but  say  a 
Whale  was  worth  Something.  So  Execution 
was  issued  out,  and  Distress  made  upon  out 
Estates  for  using  an  Antient  Custom ;  because 
one  Single  Judge  was  of  Opinion,  That  they 
had  not  right  by  Prescription,  though  they 
had  by  Law,  but  we  know  not  what  is  Law. 
The  Chief  Justice  makes  an  Argument,  that 
we  have  nothing  to  do  with  Acts  of  Parlia- 
ment, we  have  no  Law  but  what  the  Crown 
allows  us.  But  we  know  by  Experience,  That 
all  Penalties  by  Act  of  Parliament  and  Laws  of 
the  Colony  shall  be  severely  put  in  Execution ; 
when  if  by  either  of  them  the  People  might 
have  a  Benefit  it  shall  do  them  little  or  no 
good.  Our  Attorney-General  said  in  Court, 
when  pleading  about  the  Whale-Fishing,  If 
there  was  an  Act  of  Assembly  to  give  the  Lib- 
erty to  go  to  Sea  a  Whale-Fishing,  it  signifies 
nothing.  So  what  our  Officers  please  is  Law. 
I  desire  and  hope,  for  a  publick  Good,  that  the 
Subjects  in  the  Plantation  of  America,  might* 
have  the  Whale-Fishing  so  settled,  that  they 
m_ay  be  encouraged  to  go  on  that  Design,  and 
be  capacitated  to  have  Commerce  with  this 
Kingdom,  to  purchase  the  Manufacture  of  the 
same.     I  know  'no  Reason  why  the  Subjects 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


789 


in  New  York  and  New  Jersey  Governihents 
should  not  have  the  same  Liberty  to  Fish  for 
Whales  asi  freely  as  other  Subjects  in  their 
Neighboring  Colonies  in  America  have,  or  as 
the  French  King  hath  granted  his  Subjects  to' 
do,  and  not  be  deprived  of  Right  and  Privi- 
leges granted  to  us,  for  which  we  pay  an  Ac- 
knowledgment to  the  Crown,  for  Quit-Rents 
for  our  Land  five  Shillings,  and  an  Acknowl- 
edgement for  Priviledges  fourty  Shillings  per 
annum ;  of  which  the  Whale^Fishing  was  most 
Material,  and  several  Places  in  the  Colony  pay 
the  same. 

I  have  seen  a  Memorial,  setting  forth  sev- 
eral Aggrievances  and  Oppressions  in  the  Col- 
ony of  New  York ;  I  know  several  things  there- 
in mentioned  to  be  too  true  to  make  a  Jest  of. 

In  the  Year  1713,  I  with  my  Son  Matthew 
Mulford  was  subpena'd  to  appear  at  the  Court 
of  Chancery  at  New-York  on  the  9th  of  April  :■ 
My  Son  then  had  not  one  Foot  of  Land,  nor 
ever  was  a  Trustee ;  so  was  'not  prosecuted, 
but  was  forced  to  go  115  Miles  to  New  York, 
and  the  same  back,  to  be  afflicted  and  put  to 
Charge.  And  I  that  had  not  been  in  the  Sta- 
tion of  a  Trustee  for  several  Years  before, 
could  not  pay  the  Debt  of  the  Corporation, 
without  Orders  from  the  Trustees :  But  upon 
our  being  subpena'd  to  New  York,  the  Trus- 
tees sent  a  Man  to  New  York,  to  pay  what  the 
Corporation  was  in  Arrears ;  but  the  Receiver-' 
General  would  not  receive  it :  So  they  ordered 
me  to  receive  the  Money  and  pay  it.  I  ten- 
dered the  Money  to  the  Receiver,  he  would 
not  receive  it,  and  said  he  had  put  that  Matter 
into  the  Attorney  General's  Hands,  I  must  go 
to  him.  So  I  went  and  tendered  him  Sixteen 
Pounds,  for  him  to  take  what  was  due ;  and 
also  eight  Pounds  for  him  to  take  the  Charge 
out  of  it:  He  said  he  could  do  nothing,  and 
would  not  receive  it.  The  next  Week  in  the 
Court  of  Chancery,  it  was  proved  that  I  had 
made  a  Tender  of  the  Money,  as  abovesaid. 
The  Decree  of  Chancery  was.  That  I  should 
pay  to  the  Register  of  the  Court  Fifteen 
Pounds  and  Fifteen  Shillings,  and  the  Charge 
as  it  should  be  taxed  by  one  of  the  Masters  of 
Chancery,  and  if  the  Receiver-General  did  no! 
see  Cause  to  accept  thereof,  but  shall  further 
prosecute:  In  such  Case,  if  he  did  not  make 
it  appear  there  was  more  due,  I  should  not  pay 
any  more  Charge.  I  paid  the  15/.  15s.  to  the 
Register  of  the  Court,  and  5/.  and  lod.  taxed 
for  Costs  to  the  Attorney-General,  and  took 
their  Receipts  for  the  same,  and  comply'd  with 


the  Decree  as  far  as  I  was  capable,  remain'cl- 
at  New- York  Fifty  Days  upon  the  General 
Assembly.  Soon  after  I  got  home,  a  Man  was 
sent  down,  being  hired  as  it  was  said,  for  5/. 
losi.  to  bring  a  Writ  to  our  Sheriff  to  arrest 
me.  The  Sheriff  did  arrest,  and  I  gave  Secur- 
ity for  Appearance.  I  was  charged  with  Con- 
tempt, but  when  I  came  to  New  York,  being 
115  Miles  from  my  Abode,  they  could  not 
make  any  thing  out  against  me,  only  pretended 
that  I  was  not  discharged  from  that  Court, 
neither  could  I  get  a  Discharge  until -I  had 
paid  them  Twenty  ShilHngs.  So  in  this  Case 
I  was  prosecuted  contrary  to  the  Form  of  the 
Grant  of  the  Quit-Rents,  and  the  Custom  of 
the  Colony,  if  not  a  Breach  of  the  Instructions 
from  the  Crown  and  the  Decree  of  Chancery. 
So  it  was  said,  They  were  at  5/.  ids.  Charge, 
to  compel  me  to  ride  130  Miles  to  pay  them 
Twenty  Shillings,  I  being  near  Seventy  Years 
of  Age.  By  the  Grant,  the  Trustees  are  the 
only  capable  Persons  to  act  and  do  all  things 
in  Reference  to  the  Corporation,  and  every 
particular  Freeholder,  not  being  a  Trustee, 
hath  not  any  thing  to  do  with  the  Money  of 
the  Corporation  without  their  order. 

It  was  the  Peoples  Pleasure  to  chuse  me 
to  be  their  Representative  to  sit  in  the  General 
Assembly,  to  assist  in  having  the  Government 
carried  on  for  their  Majesties  Benefit  and 
Good  of  the  Subjects.  In  the  Year  1714,  upon 
the  2d  Day  of  April,  I  made  a  Speech  in  the 
House,  putting  them  in  Mind  of  some  ill 
Measures  that  I  was  informed  were  taken,  and 
to  set  things  in  their  true  Light,  that  Justice 
and  Right  might  be  done  amongst  us.  There 
was  a  Discourse  of  having  it  Printed,  but  the 
Question  was  not  put ;  however  a  Copy  was 
desired  and  taken,  which  was  printed.  That 
Assembly  being  dissolved  and  another  chose, 
who  expel'd  me  out  of  the  House  upon  the 
2d  Day  of  June,  171 5,  about  that  Speech.  The 
next  Week  the  Supream  Court  sate,  and  there 
was  an  Indictment  drawn,  charging  me  with 
an  High  Misdemeanor,  acting  contrary  to  my 
Duty  of  Allegiance,  in  manifest  Contempt  of 
his  Majesty,  and  the  Governour  of  these  Prov- 
inces under  His  said  Majesty,  and  against  the 
Peace  of  Our  said  Lord  the  King,  His  Crown 
and  Dignity,  and  against  the  Form  of  the  Stat- 
utes made  and  provided:  Whereupon  the  said 
David  Jeneson,  who  &c.  for  our  said  Lord  the 
King,  prays  the  Advice  of  this  Court  in  the 
Premisses,  and  that  the  said  Samuel  Mulford 
be  attached  by  his  Body  whersoever,  &c.  To 


740 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


answer  our  said  Lord  the  King  in  the  Prem- 
isses. The  Indictment  was  brought  to  the 
Grand  Jury,  who  return'd  it  to  the  Court  in- 
dorsed Ignoramus.  The  Attorney  General 
makes  Information  and  obtains  a  Capias  to 
our  Sheriff,  to  take  me  a  Prisoner,  to  bring  me 
to  New- York  before  the  Chief  Justice  upon  the 
first  Tuesday  in  September  at  the  Supream 
Court,  where  Recognizance  was  required  and 
given  of  500/.  Mr.  Vandam  and  Mr.  Delun- 
sey,  my  Securities  that  I  should  attend  the 
Court,  and  not  depart  without  Leave.  The 
Plea  we  made  was,  That  it  was  against  the 
Priviledge  of  the  House,  to  Appeach  any 
Member  of  the  same  in  any  Court  or  Place 
but  in  the  House ;  desiring  the  Court  would 
take  that  for  an  answer.  Which  Plea  the 
Chief  Justice  over-ruled,  there  not  being  any 
other  upon  the  Bench  to  assist.  And  I  have 
been  at  four  Courts,  and'  know  not  but  that 
it  must  be  from  Court  to  Court  so  long  as  I 
live;  which  has  been  a  great  Hardship  upon 
me  already,  which  I  set  forth  in  a  Memorial 
to  the  House  in  June  the  21st  1716.  They 
took  the  isame  into  Consideration,  and  resolved 
to  Address  his  Excellency  on  that  account; 
The  Speaker  with  the  whole  House  presented 
the'  Address,  which  is  as  followeth : 

The  humble  Address  of  the  General  As- 
sembly of  New-York  May  it  please  your  Ex- 
cellency, 

The  Assembly  being  deeply  sensible  of  the 
great  Hurt,  Damage  and  Inconveniency  Mr. 
Sarnuel  Mulford,  a  Memfcer  of  this  House, 
suffers,  and  undergoes,  by  Occasion  of  a  Prose- 
cution against  him  in  the  Supream  Court  for 
Printing  and  Publishing  a  Speech  formerly 
niadte  by  him  in  Assembly,  are  humble  Suters 
to  your  Excellency,  To  give  Orders  that  Mr. 
Mulford,  in  regard  of  his  great  Age,  Distance 
of  Habitation  from  the  City,  and  other- Con- 
siderations, may  be  freed  and  discharged  from 
the  said  Prosecution,  in  the  Supream  Court. 

The  other  Considerations  in  the  Address, 
may  be  because  the  Prosecution  was  against 
the  Priviledges  of  the  House  appears  by  Act 
of  Parliament,  and  contrary  to  a  Law  of  the 
Colony,  which  saith.  That  in  all  Cases  Capital 
and  Criminal,  there  shall  be  a  grand'  Inquest, 
who  shall  first  present  the  Offence,  and  then 
Twelve  good  Men  of  the  Neighbourhood,  to 
try  the  Offendor,  who  after"  his  Plea  to  the 
Indictment,  shall  be  allowed  his  reasonable 
Challenges. 


Of  what  Benefit  or  Good  can  it  be  to  the 
Colony,  to  have  such  an  Assembly  to  represent 
them,  when  the  Members  of  the  House  shall 
not  have  Freedom  of  Speech,  and  let  the  Peo- 
ple they  represent  know  what  they  are  doing 
for  them;  but  shall  be  prosecuted  from  Court 
to  Court  in  the  King's  Name,  and  every  Mem- 
ber of  the  House  deterred  to  speak  of  any  Ag- 
grievances  of  and  Priviledges  for  the  People; 
but  let  things'  pass  at  Pleasure,  lest  they  be 
molested  as  I  am,  and  shall  not  have  Relief,, 
when  hj  the  best  Authority  of  the  Country 
his  Excellency  was  addressed  to  free  and  dis- 
charge me,  he  refused  tO'  do  it,  except  I  would 
acknowledge.  That  I  had  set  out  a  false  Libel, 
and  maka  him  Satisfaction :  Which  I  could 
never  do,  knowing  that  all  which  I  set  forth  in 
that  Speech  was  true ;  and  I  can  prove  it  to  be 
true,  except  what  I  related  by  Information,  and 
that  I  believe  to  be  true.  I  desired  of  the 
House,  when  I  made  that  Speech,  To  let  me- 
know,  whether  they  knew  any  thing  in  it  that' 
was  not  true.  There  was  not  any  thing  ob- 
jected against  it;  but  it  was  said  in  the  House,, 
That  the  worst  Part  of  it  was,  it  was  too  true : 
Also,  That  it  was  too  true  to  make  a  Jest  of. 
And  I  know  not  any  Wrong  I  have  done  the 
Governor.  It  may  be  remembered.  That  the 
Speech  was  made  the  2d  Day  of  April,  1714, 
which  was  in  the  late  Administration ;  there- 
fore could  not  be  against  his  present  Majestiesi 
Administration ;  neither  is  it  a  Crime  for  any 
Member  of  the  House  in  the  same,  to  mention 
Matters  of  Fact,  which  are  the  Aggrievances- 
of  the  People  they  represent ;  but  their  Duty 
to  endeavour  to  have  them  relieved.  Although- 
the  Governor  might  be  the  Occasion  of  the 
Aggrievances,  and  if  I  have  done  the  Governor 
any  Wrong,  he  might  have  brought  his  Per- 
sonal Action  against  me,  and  not  orosecute  in 
the  King's  Name,  except  he  is  to  be  Infallible- 
and  do  what  he  pleaseth,  and  nothinof  to  be 
said  by  any,  lest  they  in  the  King's  Name  be 
prosecuted  from  Court  to  Court.  I  always 
thought.  That  the  Government  ought  to  have 
been  carried  on.  for  their  Majesties  Benefit  and 
good  of  the  Subjects,  according  to  the  Consti- 
tution of  English  Government:  But  it  is  so 
now  with  us,  that  I  desire  to  know.  Whether 
the  Subjects  in  New- York  Colony  are  to  be 
governed  by  Prerogative  and  deprived  of 
Property,  or  whether  they  are  to  be  governed 
by  the  Constitution  of  English  Government? 
If  the  former,  then  there  is  not  any  need  of  a 
General  Assembly,  nor  any  Occasion  for  that. 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


741 


Act  of  Parliament  made  in  the  Reign  of  King 
William  III.  For  punishing  Governors  or  Com- 
manders in  Chief,  for  Crimes  by  them  coni- 
mitted  in  the  Plantations:  But  let  the  Gov- 
ernors for  the  time  being  demand  of  the  Peo- 
ple what  they  please,  and  the  People  take  care 
to  help  them  to  it,  lest  they  be  subpena'd  to  the 
Court  of  Chancery  at  New-York,  where  the 
Governor  is  Judge  whether  he  shall  have  his 
Demands,  and  pay  Court  Charges'  into  the  Bar- 
gain :  But  if  according  to  the  Constitution  of 
English  Government,  then  by  the  Common 
Law,  what  Estate  every  Subject  possesseth,  is 
deemed  to  be  his  Property,  and  is  not  to  be 
taken  from  him  by  due  Course  of  Law,  which 
is  by  his  own  Consent,  the  Lawful  Judgment 
of  his  Peers,  or  the  Penalty  for  the  Breach  of 
some  Law :  And  I  know  not  any  thing  that  I 
Iiave  dtone  contrary  to  Law  and  Custom,  en- 
deavouring to  do  my  Duty  to  the  King  and 
Country,  as  far  as  I  was  capable,  and  to  have 
Justice  and  Right  done.  And  I  know  not  any 
just  Cause  or  good  Reason,  why  I  should  be 
thus  molested  and  destroyed.  So  I  am  forced 
to  come  to  this  Court  of  Great  Britain,  to  seek 
Relief  for  my  self  and  others  who  employed 
me,  which  I  hope  will  be  took  into  Considera- 
tion, that  I  may  be  discharged  and  freed  frorti 
unjust  Prosecution,  and  my  Securities  indem- 
nify'd,  and  a  final  Determination  setled  there- 
upon for  a  Publick  Good. 

Which  is  the  Desire  and  Request  of  His 
Most  Sacred  Majesty  King  GEORGE's  Most 
Humble,  Loyall,  Faithful  and  Obedient  Sub- 
ject, Samuel  Mulford. 

House  of  Assembly  Die  Veneris, 

Sept.  13.  1717- 
Col  Rutsen  reported  from  the  committee  ap- 
pointed to  consider  a  Memorial  entitled  A  Me- 
morial of  Several  Aggrievances  and'  Oppres- 
sions &c.  That  thev  are  of  Opinion,  the  same 
isi  most  false,  malicious  &  scandalous  Paper, 
reflecting  upon  the  Governor  and  Government 
and  the  whole  Constitution  of  this  Colony  and 
of  Pernicious  Consequence,  and  humbly  Con- 
ceive, that  the  Thanks  of  this  House,  ought  to 
he  returned  his  Excellency  for  communicating 
the  same,  and  that  he  be  addressed  to  use  his 
Interest  at  the  Court  of  Great  Britain,  to  find 
the  Author  in  order  to  be  brought  to  Justice, 
and  in  the  Meantime  his  Excellency  would 
please  to  acquaint  the  Indians  of  the  five  Na- 
tions, That  we  utterly  abhor  and  detest  that 
Suggestion  in  the  Said  paper  or  Libel,  of  re- 


ducing the  Indians  by  Force,  and  possessing 
their  Lands,  for  the  Steadiness  of  those  In- 
dians to  the  Interest  of  Great  Britain,  all  the 
last  War  with  France,  is  that  we  owe  in  a  great 
measure,  our  present  Security:  which  was 
read  &  agreed  to  by  the  House. 

LETTER     FROM     THE     LORDS     JUSTICES    TO    GOV. 
HUNTER. 

Whitehall,  ffeby  25th,   1717-18. 

You  intimate  in  Your  letter  to  our  Secry  of 
22d'  Nov.  last  that  the  Whale  ffishery  is  re- 
served to  the  Crown  by  Your  Patents.  As  we 
can  find  no  such  thing  in  Your  Commission, 
We  desire  you  will  explain  What  you  mean 
by  it.  In  the  meantime  We  have  received  an- 
other Petition  from  Mulford,  praying  Dispatch 
in  our  Report  upon  the  Papers  our  Secretary 
sent  you  on  the  19th  of  Septemb  last:  We 
must  desire  therefore  from  You  a  full  Answer 
to  those  Papers;  and  particularly  as  to  the 
Right  of  the  Crown;  and  that  you  would  in- 
form us  what  Quantitys  of  Whales  are  Caught 
in  your  Government  Comunibus  annis  ;  In  what 
Condition  that  ffishery  is,  &  has  been  for  some 
years  past,  especially  since  your  being  in  this 
Government,  whether  other  persons  have  paid 
&  continue  to  pay  the  Dues  you  demanded  & 
which  Mulford  Complains  of;  What  these 
Dues  may  amount  to  one  Year  with  Another, 
&  how  the  profit  arising  by  them  is  Apply'd. 

Upon  this  Occasion  We  must  observe  to 
you,  that  we  hope  you  give  all  due  Encour- 
agemt  to  that  Trade. 

Mr.  Philips  has  laid  before  us  the  Address 
from  the  General  Assembly  of  New  York  to 
You  about  Mulford  &  at  the  same  time  ac- 
quainted us  that  he  had  reason  to  believe  your 
Answer  to  Mulfords  Complaints  was  lost  in  the 
Ship  Mercury. 


THE    REV.    MR.    HORTON'S    LABORS 
AND  DIARY. 

The  story  of  the  efforts  to  advance  the 
spiritual  welfare  of  the  Indians  of  Long  Isl- 
and is  one  of  intense  interest,  involving  as  it 
does  the  usual  details  of  patient  labor,  of  pri- 
vations endured,  of  triumph  and  of  dejection; 
triumph  when  the  grand  message  seems  to 
have  been  accepted  and  dejection  over  the  ap- 
parent slowness  of  the  work  and  the  inability 


742 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


to  reach  and  rescue  the  thousands  who  might 
be  reached.  On  Long  Island  the  missionary- 
story,  while  relieved  of  the  tortures  and  mis- 
eries which  darken  the  story  elsewhere,  is  still 
full  of  details  whlich  must  ever  form  a  graphic 
chapter  in  the  story  of  Christian  endeavor  in 
North  America.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Prime  enlarges 
on  the  life  and  fwork  of  the  Rev.  Azariah 
Horton,  and  as  that  missionary  was  a  native 
of  Long  Island,  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  here 
to  present  his  record  as  given  by  Long  Isl- 
and's ecclesiastical  historian.  The  society  re- 
ferred to  is  the  London  Society  for  the  Propa- 
gation of  the  Gospel,  often  mentioned  in  this 
work: 

After  the  settlement  of  East  Hampton  the 
Rev.  Mr.  James,  the  first  miniister  of  that  town, 
moved  with  compassion  for  the  ignorance  and 
moral  darkness  of  the  Indians,  commenced 
the  study  of  their  language,  with  the  ddsign 
of  instructing  them  in  the  way  of  life  and 
salvation.  It  appears  that  he  was  employed 
by  the  same  society  about  the  year  1660,  but. 
how  long  he  continued  in  the  work  cannot  be 
determined.  His  exertions  were  principally, 
if  not  exclusively,  bestowed  upon  the  Montauk 
tribe. 

There  were  probably  other  individuals,  in 
different  parts  of  the  island,  who  devoted  more 
or  less,  time  to  their  religious  instruction.  But 
it  is  lamentable  to  record  the  fact  that  for 
about  one  hundred  years  these  benevolent  ex- 
ertions appear  to  have  bee.'n  made  in  vain. 
The  Indians,  almost  with  one  consent,  ad- 
hered to  the  religious  opinions  and  the  sense- 
less rites  of  their  ancestors,  and  exhibited  no 
inclination  to  receive  the  blessed  gospel.  It 
seems  probable  that  after  the  experiment  of 
a  few  years  had  been  made  the  work  was 
abandoned  as  altogether  hopeless. 

This  state  of  tMngs  remained  luitil  towards 
the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century.  In  1741 
the  New  York  committee  of  the  society  al- 
ready named,  engaged  Mr.  Azariah  Horton 
(a  native  of  Southold)  as  a  missionary,  to  be 
exclusively  employed  in  the  instruction  of  the 
Long  Island  Indians,  and  for  this  purpose  he 
was  ordained  to  the  work  of  the  gospel  min- 
istry in  that  year  by  the  Presbytery  of  New 
York. 

Although  human  ^instrumentality,  at  all 
times  and  under  all  circumstances,  is  dependent 
for  its  efficacy  on  the  divine  blessing,  it  will 


not  be  out  of  place  to  remark,  that  both  the 
character  of  the  missionary  and  the  time  of  his 
appointrrient  were  peculiarly  favorable  to  the 
results  that  were  reaHzed.  Though  the  good 
m.an  has  long  since  gone  down  to  the  grave, 
and  no  memoir  or  extended  biographical  sketch 
of  h'lis  life  perpetuates  bis  memory,  and  no 
memorial  remains  but  the  simple  and  concise 
record  of  his  daily  labors  and  some  of  their 
obvious  results,  he  was  manifestly  a  humble, 
laborious  and  self-denying  servant  of  the  cross. 
His  charge  extended  along  the  whole  southern 
shore  of  the  island,  for  more  than  one  hundred 
miles,  upon  which  the  remnants  of  those  once 
numerous  tribes,  at  that  time  reduced  to  "four 
hundred,  old  and  young,"  were  scattered.  And 
here  you  trace  him,  four  or  five  times  a  year, 
from  Montauk  to  Rockaway,  the  two  extreme 
points,  back  and  forth,  subsisting  upon  In- 
dian fare — sleeping  in  their  frail  wigwams — - 
teaching  them  to  read  the  word  of  God,  and 
almost  daily  preaching  to  them  the  gospel  of 
Christ. 

The  time  of  his  appointment  was  that 
notable  period,  at  which  it  had  pleased  the 
King  of  Zion  to  bestow  such  a  copious  and  ex- 
tensive effusion  of  His  Spirit  on  the  American 
churches.  And  while  thousands,  in  every  part 
of  the  land,  were  raising  the  anxious  inquiry, 
"What  must  we  do  to  be  saved?"  He,  who  is 
"no  respecter  of  persons,"  saw  fit  to  send  His 
devoted  servant  to  these  benighted  savages 
with  the  same  message  of  salvation  and  ac- 
companied it  with  "the  dispensation  of  the 
same  Spirit."  And  while  the  skeptiic  is  always 
ready  to  raise  the  cry  of  fanaticism  and  priest- 
craft against  the  work  of  God  in  the  conversion 
of  souls,  the  devout  Christian,  and  even  the 
candid  raticmalist,  can  scarcely  fail  to  acknowl- 
edge the  general  awakening  of  that  day,  not- 
withstanding the  human  infirmities  with  which 
it  was  in  same  cases  disfigured  as  a  super- 
natural operation,  when  he  sees  these  ignorant 
and  degraded  savages,  who  for  one  hundred. 
years  had  strenuously  rejected  a  proffered 
gospel,  now  melted  down  and  brought  to  bow 
with  contrite  hearts  to  the  message  of  grace. 
And  let  it  be  particularly  noticed  that  these 
eifects  were  produced,  not  by  the  powerful  ap- 
l>eals  of  an  eloquent  preacher,  addressed  to  the 
passions  and  sympathies  of  his  hearers,  but 
often  by  the  slow  communication  of  divine 
tryth  through  the  imperfect  medium  of  a  dull 
interpreter.  And  besides  this,  these  astonish- 
ing results  were  realized,  not  on  a  few  special 
occasions  and  in  one  or  two  populous  neighbor- 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


743 


hoods,  but,  during  several  successive  years  and 
throughout  the  length  of  the  island. 

A  few  extracts  only  can  be  given  from  the 
journal  of  this  indefatigable  missionary,  to  il- 
lustrate these  remarks. 

Rockaway,  June  6th,  1742;  preached.  My  hear- 
ers attended  with  seriousness,  and  appeared  some- 
what thoughtful. 

Islip,  June  8th;  preached.  Two  awakened  to  a 
considerable  sense  of  their  sinful  dangerous  condi- 
tion ;  others  concerned  before  brought  under  fresh 
and  strong  impressions  of  their  guilty  state,  of  their 
need  of  Christ,  and  to  earnest  inquiries  after  an  in- 
terest in  him,  and,  in  general,  they  are  very  devout 
and  attentive. 

Moriches,  June  13th;  preached.  Two  Indians 
awakened,  and  several  others  under  distressing  con- 
cern of  mind,  &c.  Most  of  these  are  endeavoring  to 
learn  to  read. 

Shinnecock,  June  isth.  Preached ;  and  surely  the 
Lord  was  in  this  place ;  his  power  made  known  in 
bringing  some  that  were  concerned  before,  under 
distressing  apprehensions  of  the  wrath  of  God,  of 
their  need  of  Christ  and  his  salvation,  and  in  re- 
freshing some  that  were  hopefully  his  own  children, 
by  the  refreshing  influences  of  his  blessed  Spirit. 

June  i6th.  Spent  the  forenoon  in  conversing  with 
the  Indians.  P.  M.  preached.  Many  were  under 
distressing  concern,  filled  with  anxiety  of  mind,  and 
inquire  "what  they  must  do  to  be  saved."  Some 
were  abundantly  refreshed  with  joy  and  comfort  in 
the  Holy  Ghost.  O  what  adoring  thoughts  of  free 
grace  and  redeeming  love !  O  what  wonder  did  they 
express  at  Christ's  stooping  to  them,  poor,  unde- 
serving creatures !  The  Lord  was  with  us  of  a 
truth. 

June  i8th.  Arrived  at  Montauk.  The  Indians 
gladly  received  me.     Many  among  them  are  now  sick. 

June  19th.  Spent  most  of  the  day  in  visiting, 
from  wigwam  to  wigwam,  both  sick  and  well. 

June  20th,   preached,   &c. 

June  23d.  Spent  most  of  the  day  in  visiting. 
Conversed  with  an  Indian  and  three  squaws,  who,  by 
the  accounts  they  gave,  and  their  conduct  and  con- 
versation consequent  thereupon,  are  hopefully  con- 
verted. And  these  conversions  were  wrought,  ac- 
cording to  their  accounts,  while  I  was  upon  my 
journey  to  the  western  Indians  upon  Long  Island. 

July  sth.  This  day  conversed  with  an  Indian 
girl,  by  an  interpreter,  and  I  hope  she  has  had  a 
saving  change  wrought  in  her  heart.  This,  while 
I  was  gone  westward. 

July  Sth.  Expounded;  and  at  this  exercise  an 
Indian   (who  was  hopefully  converted  while  I  was 


westward)  owned  the  covenant  and  was  baptized  tOr 
gether  with  four  of  his  children. 

July  15th.  Preached.  Former  concern  contin- 
ued. Two  squaws  owned  the  covenant,  and  were 
baptized.  These  were  hopefully  converted  last  Oc- 
tober. 

Shinnecock,  July  22nd.  This  evening,  gave  my 
dear  people  some  cautions  and  warnings  against 
some  irregularities  that  abound  in  our  land  at  this 
day,  and  by  which  their  best  interest  has  been  much 
endangered.  After  this,  preached.  Some  had  their 
distress  renewed  and  increased.  Others  appeared 
to  be  sweetly  composed,  and  to  find,  by  fresh  ex- 
perience, the  ways  of  religion  to  be  ways  of  pleas- 
antness, and  her  paths  peace. 

Moriches,  August  15th.  Preached.  Some  were 
deeply  distressed!  Some  that  attended  came  12 
miles,  and  others  20,  on  purpose  to  hear  the  word 
preached. 

Montauk,  August  22.  Preached.  This  day  the 
power  of  the  Lord  was  evidently  displayed  in 
strengthening  the  convictions  of  some,  and  height- 
.ening  the  joy  of  others.  It  may  be  noted  that 
seven  squaws  came  hither  from  Shinnecock,  on  pur- 
pose to  attend  public  worship,  and  that  one  of  the 
number  was  hopefully  converted  in  the  time  of  ser- 
vice, and  another  in  the  evening. 

Shinnecock,  September  10.  Visited  and  preached. 
The  outpourings  of  the  Spirit  still  evident  and  con- 
spicuous among  my  dear  people,  &c. 

Islip,  October  6th.  Spent  the  evening  in  giving 
instructions  and  cautions  to  some  of  my  Indian  peo- 
ple gathered  together  for  that  purpose.  They  were 
greedy  to  hear,  and  very  thankful  to  me  for  my  in- 
structions. It  may  be  noted,  these  Indians  have  fre- 
quently gone  (since  I  left  them  last  summer)  16 
miles  to  attend  public  worship. 

Rockaway,  October  loth.  Preached.  The  In- 
dians attended  with  seriousness,  and  some  appeared 
to  be  under  some  awakenings  about  their  eternal 
safety. 

Islip,  October  24th.  Preached.  Some  deeply 
concerned. 

Mastick,  October  29th.  Preached.  They  ap- 
peared serious  and  thoughtful. 

Moriches,  October  31.  Preached.  Some  deeply- 
concerned. 

Montauk,  November  nth.  Conversed  with  an 
old  Indian,  who  appears  to  have  found  the  Lord 
Jesus  by  faith.     This,  while  I  was  gone  westward. 

Quaog,  December  19th.  Preached.  They  seri- 
ously attended,  and  some  considerable  movings  ac- 
companied the  exercises  of  the  day. 

Moriches,  December  20th.  In  the  evening 
preached.     Some  few  were  led  to  commend  the  dear 


744 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Redeemer,  from  a  view  of  his  special  love  to  their 
souls,  and  to  acknowledge  their  own  meanness  and 
unworthiness.  Some  were  deeply  distressed,  &c. 
At  this  exercise  one  squaw  hopefully  converted. 

Quaog,  December  24th.  Visited.  In  the  evening 
preached,  attended  with  encouraging  appearances. 
It  may  be  noted  that  nine  or  ten  Indians  came  to 
the  meeting  twelve  miles,  in  a  wet,  stormy  time. 

December  26th.  .Preached.  Some  favoured  with 
lively  views  of  the  glory  of  Christ,  and  their  mouths 
'filled  with  praises  to  him.     Others  deeply  distressed. 

Montauk,  January  2,  1742-3.  Preached.  Many 
of  God's  children  favoured  with  almost  overcoming 
discoveries  of  divine  love,  which  raised  their  affec- 
tions on  high,  and  filled  their  souls  with  holy  trans- 
port and  sweet  nourishment,  and  made  them  with 
pleasure  speak  forth  the  praises  of  their  dear  Re- 
deemer ;  and  these  discoveries  were  attended  with 
a  deep  and  abasing  sense  of  their  own  unworthiness, 
and   led  them  to  pity  their  poor  Christless  friends. 

Shinnecock,  January  30th.     Visited. 

Quaog,  January  23d.  Preached.  Some  were,  as 
I  trust,  refreshed  from  on  high;  and  their  mouths 
filled  with  praises  to  the  blessed  and  glorious  Jesus. 
Some  others  were  deeply  distressed  in  mind,  and 
brought  to  inquire  with  solicitude  after  an  interest 
in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Montauk,  February  Sth.  Conversed  with  one 
squaw,  and  I  can't  but  hope  she  has  received  a  sav- 
ing change,  and  that,  a  few  days  ago. 

Moriches,  March  2nd.  Preached.  They  attended 
with  seriousness,  and  appeared  forward  to  receive 
instruction. 

Islip,  March  6th.  Some  considerably  affected 
with  a  sense  of  their  undone  estate. 

Rockaway,  April  14th.  Preached.  Some  few 
appeared  somewhat  attentive  and  thoughtful. 

Islip,  April  17th.  Preached.  Some  were  made 
sensible  of  their  sins  in  some  measure,  &c. 

Shinnecock,  April  20th.  Returned  to  the  Indians 
there,   and  they  appeared  much  rejoiced,   &c. 

Montauk,  April  24th.  Preached.  Some  were  en- 
livened and  refreshed,  &c. 

Rockaway,  May  Sth.  Preached.  There  was  a 
forwardness  in  some  to  receive  instruction.  I  can 
not  well  omit  observing,  the  great  necessity  of  one 
to  instruct,  caution,  and  exhort  them  in  a  more 
steady  and  uninterrupted  method  than  I  possibly 
can,  seeing  they,  with  the  Indians  of  many  other 
places  upon  Long  Island,  live  at  so  great  a  distance 
from  each  other,  it  being  at  least  100  miles  from  the 
two  extremes. 

Smithfield,  May  i8th.  After  a  long  and  tedious 
journey   arrived   at   Smithfield   upon   Delaware,   &c. 

Moriches,  June  2nd.     Preached.     Some  were  dis- 


tressed under  a  sense  of  sin.  The  Indians  here- 
abouts are  much  reformed,  and  very  ready  to  re- 
ceive instruction. 

Shinnecock,  September  Sth.  This  day  was  ob- 
served as  a  day  of  public  thanksgiving.  The  exer- 
cise was  attended  with  seriousness  and  decency.  A 
beautiful  sight  to  behold,  those  gathered  together 
to  worship  and  bless  God,  who  before  gospel  light 
shone  upon  them  were  wont  to  meet  to  sing  and 
dance,  carouse  and  give  loose  to  vain  mirth  and 
jollity. 

Quaog,  December  loth.  This  morning  I  had  the 
pleasure  to  hear  three  Indian  children  repeat  a  con- 
siderable part  of  the  Assembly  catechism,  and  to 
hear  each  of  them  spell  in  the  Psalter,  and  the  two 
eldest  repeat  the  two  first  of  David's  psalms.  Their 
mother  can  read  well,  and  is  painful,  after  her 
capacity,  in  giving  instructions  to  her  children. 
(This  woman  was  afterward  employed  as  a  school- 
teacher at  Montauk.) 

December  13th.  After  divine  service,  I  told  my 
people  the  news  I  had  received  from  Scotland,  viz., 
of  my  continuance  among  the  Long  Island  Indians. 
They  universally  manifested  what  great  joy  and 
satisfaction  it  was  to  them,  and  they  explicitly  de- 
clared their  thanks  to  the  great  God,  for  his  kind 
Providence  herein. 

Montauk,  December  25th.  Preached.  Some  of 
the  children  of  God  brought  to  a  deeper  acquaint- 
ance of  their  own  hearts,  and  made  to  mourn  bitter- 
ly under  a  sense  of  their  indwelling  corruptions. 
Towards  evening,  instructed  4  or  5  squaws,  who 
came  to  visit  me,  about  the  great  business  of  sal- 
vation. 

Quaog,  January  Sth,  1743-4.  Preached.  Some 
had  their  concern  revived  and  increased.  The  ex- 
ercises of  this  day  were  attended  with  much  of  the 
divine  power. 

Moriches,  January  23.  Preached  in  the  evening. 
Visibly  attended  with  divine  power.  A  great  part 
of  my  hearers  this  evening  came  from  Quaog,  which 
is  12  miles,  and  the  Indians  of  this  place  go  fre- 
quently there  to  meeting. 

Montauk,  January  29.  Preached.  Some  few  re- 
freshed. 

Quaog,  February  5.  Preached.  Some  distressed; 
others  sweetly  refreshed. 

In  makiing  these  extracts  the  object  has  not 
been  to  furnish  a  few  isolated  passages  of  the 
most  remarkable  character,  but  to  exhibit  sev- 
eral deeply  interesting  facts  connected  with  the 
work  of  grace  among  this  ignorant  and  be- 
nighted race,  such  as  the  following: 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


745 


1.  The  incessant  and  extended  labors  of 
this  devoted  and  self-denying  servant  of  the 
cross.  He  appears  to  have  been  untiring  in 
his  efforts  for  the  salvation  of  perishing  souls. 
While  the  principal  settlements  of  the  Indians 
were  at  Montauk  and  Shinnecock,  and  there- 
fore most  of  his  time  was  spent  there,  still  we 
find  him  traveling,  several  times  a  year,  from 
one  end  of  the  island  to  the  other,  to  proclaim 
the  message  of  salvation.  And  then,  the  ex- 
trerne  caution  with  which  he  expreSsses  his 
hopes  of  the  favorable  appearances  among 
them,  warrants  the  highest  confidence  in  the 
truth  of  his  statements. 

2.  While  the  work  of  grace  was  manifest- 
ly wrought  by  the  instrumentality  of  divine 
truth,  communicated  in  preaching  and  conver- 
sation, these  hopeful  conversions,  in  numerous 
instances,  did  not  take  place  under  the  excite- 
ment of  public  meetings,  but  even  in  the  ab- 
sence of  the  missionary  to  other  parts  of  his 
charge,  plainly  showing  that  it  was  the  work 
of  God  and  not  of  man. 

3.  The  long  continuance  of  this  blessed 
work  furnishes  another  evidence  of  its  genu- 
ineness. It  was  not  the  hot-bed  production  of 
a  few  days  or  weeks,  originating  in  special 
efforts  to  produce  a  public  excitement,  and 
then  subsiding  into  death-like  coldness,  as  soon 
as  the  exercises  were  suspended.  But  it  com- 
menced and  was  continued  for  months  and 
even  years,  by  the  occasional  labors  of  a  single 
missionary,  traveling  back  and  forth  over  a 
region  more  than  one  hundred  miles  in  extent. 
And  yet,  in  every  part  of  thiis  vast  field,  the 
same  moral  phenomena  were  exhibited,  to  a 
greater  or  less  extent,  throughout  this  pro- 
tracted season  of  mercy.  And  when  we  take 
into  consideration  the  numerous  disadvantages 
under  which  these  labors  were  performed,  it 
seems  that  infidelity  itself,  if  associated  with 
a  small  degree  of  candor,  must  be  constrained 
to  acknowledge  that  such  results  could  not 
be  ascribed  to  mere  human  ingenuity  or  effi- 
ciency. 

Mr.  Horton  remained  in  the  service  of  the 


Long  Island  Indians  eleven  years.  During  the 
first  three  years,  which  his  printed  journal 
covers,  he  appears  to  have  confined  himself 
constantly  to  his  field  of  labor.  In  May,  1742, 
he  attended  the  synod  in  Philadelphia,  and  in 
the  year  following  he  spent  a  fortnight  in  visit- 
ing the  Indians  on  the  Delaware  river,  for  the 
purpose  of  preparing  the  way  for  the  esta:b- 
lishment  of  a  mission  among  them.  With  these 
short  intervals,  not  of  relaxation,  but  of  a 
mere  change  of  labor,  he  pursued  his  solitary 
work,  uncheered  by  the  presence  of  a  single 
fellow  laborer,  except  that  in  February,  1742, 
David  Brainard,  who  was  then  preparing  to 
set  out  on  a  similar  embassy  of  mercy,  paid 
him  a  short  viisit  and  preached  a  single  dis- 
course to  his  "poor,  dear  people."  In  1752 
Mr.  Horton,  from  what  cause  is  not  known, 
left  the  island  and  was  settled  that  same  year 
at  South  Hanover,  or  Bottle  Hill,  New  Jersey, 
a  settlement  that  had  been  formed  in  part  by 
Long  Island  people.  Here  a  church  had  been 
recently  formed,  of  which  Mr.  H.  was  the  first 
pastor.  Here  he  spent  bis  days  and  laid  his 
bones.  His  tombstone  bears  the  following  sim- 
ple inscription: 

"In  memory  of  the  Rev.  Azariah  Horton, 
for  25  years  pastor  of  this  church.  Died 
March  27th,  1777,  aged  62  years." 

Mr.  Horton  was  evidently  a  very  respect- 
able miniister  in  his  day.  He  was  one  of  the 
most  constant  attendants  on  the  judicatories 
of  the  church — was  seldom  absent  from  the 
meetings  of  the  synod,  and  was  frequently  ap- 
pointed on  its  commission.  And  yet  his 
memory  has  well  nigh  passed  away.  It  is  still 
true  that  "the  righteous  perish,  and  no  man 
layeth  it  to  heart,"  even  while  men  of  far  less 
excellence  and  usefulness,  obtain  a  temporary 
renown  by  a  splendid  monument  or  a  flatter- 
ing memoir.  But  the  name  of  Azariah  Horton, 
though  little  else  of  the  good  man  remains,  is 
worthy  to  live  in  the  history  of  Indian  mis- 
sions, and  should  never  perish  from  the  annals 
of  Long  Island. 


746 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  BROOKLYN. 

PRECAUTIONS  PRIOR  TO  THE  LANDING. 

Jamaica,  May  15,  1776. 

Resolved :  That  no  person  be  permitted  to 
move  into  "the  township  from  the  date  hereof 
unless  he  produce  a  certificate  from  th»  com- 
mittee where  he  resided  that  he  has  in  all 
thlings  behaved  as  a  friend  to  the  cause  of 
American  freedom.  And  whereas,  sundry  per- 
sons, in  passing  and  repassing  through  the 
town,  have  given  just  cause  of  suspicion  that 
they  are  employed  in  aiding  and  assisting  the 
unnatural  enemies  of  America :    Therefore 

Resolved,  That  all  such  persons  passing 
through  this  town  be  taken  up  for  examina- 
tion. 

By  order  of  the  committee, 

Elias  Bayles,  Chairman. 

On  the  day  after  Woodhull's  capture  Elias 
Bayles  was  arrested  by  a  neighbor  and  brought 
before  the  British  officer  at  Jamaica,  although 
old  and  blind.  He  refused  to  say  even  a  word 
against  the  American  cause  and  was  shut  up 
in  the  Presbyterian  church  for  the  night  and 
the  next  day  was  sent  to  the  prison  at  New 
Utrecht.  He  was  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian 
church  and  beguiled  the  hours  of  his  imprison- 
ment by  reciting  passages  of  scripture  and 
singing  psalms  and  hymns.  Finally  he  was 
,  removed  to  the  provost  in  New  York.  After 
confinement  for  two  months  he  was  released, 
but  died  on  the  ferry  while  crossing  to  Long 
Island. 

INCIDENTS    FROM    ONDERDONK. 

Guarding  the  Stock. — August  24,  1776. 
— Congress  ordered  half  the  Western  Regi- 
ment of  Suffolk  with  five  days'  provisions,  to 
march  into  the  western  part  of  Queens,  that 
the  officers  of  the  militia  of  Queens  order  out 
the  whole  militia,  with  the  troop  of  horse,  and 
use  all  diligence  to  prevent  the  stock  falling 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  that  the  captain 
of  the  troop  of  horse  of  Kings  county  jom 
said  militia  and  that'  the  inhabitants  of  Queens 
(not  of  the  militia)  assist  when  ordered. 

Farm  and  Garden  Provisions. — August 
12,  1776. — Captain  P.  Nostrand  was  stationed 
at  Far  Rockaway  with  forty-six  men  to  guard 


the  coast.  There  was  a  guard  at  David  Mott's, 
and  at  Hog  Island  Inlet  was  a  guard  boat.  A 
guard  was  often  put  on  board  fishing  boats  to 
prevent  their  giving  information  to  the  British 
fleet,  to  which  the  disaffected  used  to  carry 
water,  eggs,  butter  and  fresh  provisions. 

Disposition  of  the  Militia. — August  10,. 
1776. — One-half  of  the  militia  of  Kings  and 
Queens  counties  was  ordered  to  march  immedi- 
ately to  Brooklyn;  the  levies  from  Kings  and 
Queens  to  be  formed  into  one  regiment  under 
command  of  Colonel  Jeromus  Remsen,  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Nich.  Covenboven  and  Major 
Richard  Thorne,  and  continue  in  service  until 
September  i. 

Captain  Andrew  Onderdonk's  company  lay 
at  Bedford,  in  the  barn  of  Lambert  Suydam, 
and  marched  daily  to  Brooklyn  to  throw  up  the 
fortifications. 

CAPTAIN    SUYDAM''S   DISCOVERY. 

Camp  Long  Island,  August  19,  1776. 

I,  the  subscriber,  went  down  to  Rockaway 
just  at  daybreak  with  my  company  of  light 
horse,  pursuant  to  an  order  from  Brigadtier- 
General  Heard  to  take  care  of  some  boats.    At 

the  house  of Van  Brockle  I  discovered 

a  number  of  men  issue  out  of  the  door  and 
run,  some  of  them  partly  dressed  and  some  in 
their  shirts  only.  Immediately  I  ordered  my 
men  to  pursue  them,  and  presently  overtook 
three  of  their  number  and  took  them  prisoners. 
Two  of  them  got  to  the  woods  and  hid  under 
the  bushes;  on  finding  them'  I  ordered  them 
to  surrender.  One  of  them  did;  the  other 
absolutely  refused,  although  one  of  my ,  men 
had  his  gun  presented  to  his  breast,  on  which 
my  men  alighted  and  took  him. 

After  I  had  taken  six  prisoners  I  examined 
the  beach  and  found  a  boat  and  four  oars  and 
a  paddle.  In  the  boat  were  three  sheep,  four 
ducks  and  a  large  bottle  wlith  water. 

Lambert  Suydam, 
Captain  of  the  Troop. 

the  HOWARD  HOUSE. 

Just  as  this  work  is  going  to  press  the  news 
has  transpired  that  the  Howard  House  at  East 
New  York  is  about  to  be  torn  down,  and  thus 
another  of  Brooklyn's  historic  landmarks  is 
doomed  to  disappear.  The  Howard  House  of 
1776  figures  prominently  in  the  story  of  the 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


747 


battle  of  Brooklyn,  and  although  possibly  but 
little  of  the  building  of  'that  day  is  extant  in 
the  old  tumble-down  structure  which  has  borne 
its  name  to  the  present  generation,  still  there 
was  that  continuity  about  the  house  which 
gave  it  a  certain  claim  to  authenticity  and  an- 
tiquity. The  old  Howard  House  of  1776  was 
never  pulled  down;  the  building  now  doomed 
just  developed  out  of  it  by  slow  degrees,  altera- 
tion succeeding  alteration,  repairs  obliterating 
the  past,  and  all  the  varied  requirements  of  a 
century  and  a  quarter  of  busy  occupation  ne- 
cessitating frequent  changes  in  exterior  as  well 
as  interior.  But  just  as  the  old  man  of  three 
score  years  and  ten  is  to  be  regarded  as  the 
same  individual  who  as  a  boy  of  five  or  six 
summers  awoke  the  echoes  with  his  mirth,  so 
must  we  regard  the  passing  Howard  House  as 
the  scene  of  the  culmination  of  Sir  William 
Howe's  bit  of  strategy,  which  turned  the  flank 
of  the  defenses  of  Brooklyn  and  brought  about 
a  disastrous  defeat  of  the  Continental  heroes  at 
a  time  when  the  cause  of  American  liberty 
could  ill  afford  such  a  set-back. 

The  original  Howard  House  was  built  m 
1700  by  William  Howard  and  was  conducted 
as  a  tavern  pure  and  simple,  with  nothing  to 
lend  it  any  degree  of  prominence  until  that 
eventful  August  night  in  1776,  when  Howe's 
detachment  came  upon  it  and  Sir  William 
compelled  the  proprietor  and  his  son  to  guide 
the  troops  through  the  pass,  the  movement 
which  insured  the  victory  of  the  red-coats  be- 
fore the  sun  went  down  the  next  day.  It  is 
said  that  Sir  William  and  several  officers  stood 
at  the  bar  of  the  house  and  ordered  refresh- 
mefnts,  but  on  that  point  historians  differ. 
However,  the  British  commander  had  a  habit 
of  wasting  time  and  it  is  quite  possible  that 
even  in  that  crisis  he  was  not  forgetful  of 
creature  comforts.  After  the  battle  the  How- 
ard House  simply  sank  iinto  a  tavern  once 
mors  and  so  continued  its  uneventful  story 
until  possibly  twenty  years  ago,  when  it  was 
invested  with  the  dignity  of  recognition  as  a 
landmark. 

Writing  of  its  approaching    destruction    a 


writer  in  the  Brooklyn  Eagle  wrote  of  some 
of  the  old  characteristiics  of  the  house  as  fol- 
lows : 

A  key  was  left  hanging  outside  the  door 
for  belated  farmers,  who  might  enter  and  help 
themselves,  settling  their  scores  at  some  more 
convenient  season.  This  seemingly  rash  policy 
would  bring  any  modern  tavern  to  the  brink 
of  lasting  ruin,  but  they  were  honest  in  those 
days,  and  it  was  with  such  considerate  sim- 
plidity  that  the  inn  was  then  conducted.  His- 
tory contains  no  record  that  the  Howards  of- 
fered the  first  free  lunch,  but  a  perusal  of  their 
business  methods,  as  aforesaid,  indicates  their 
right  to  the  distinction..  In  the  Howard  House 
on  winter  evenings  merry  sleighing  parties 
gathered,  coming  all  the  way  from  far  distant 
Brooklyn,  and  here  politics  and  weighty  state 
matters  were  discussed.  It  was  a  resort  for 
the  farmers  from  far  and  near,  and  Major 
Joseph  Howard  is  a  name  still  held  in  hon- 
orable memory  by  old  Long  Islanders.  In 
1852  the  property  passed  into  the  hands  of 
Catherine  Howard,  the  mother  of  Philip  H. 
Reid,  who  was  the  proprietor  of  the  hostelry 
when,  in  1880,  it  was  first  proposed  to  re- 
move it. 

Thompson's  story  of  the  battle  of  Brook- 
lyn. 

After  the  commencement  of  hostilities  in 
1776,  New  York  being  situated  near  the  center 
of  the  colonlial  sea-board,  and  readily  accessible 
from  the  sea,  was  selected  by  the  enemy  as  a 
principal  point  for  their  future  operations. 
With  this  view,  a  first  division  of  the^ir  army 
arrived  at  Staten  Island  in  the  latter  part  of 
June  of  that  year,  followed,  about  the  middle 
of  July,  by  the  grand  armament  under  Lord 
Howe,  consisting  of  six  ships  of  the  line,  thirty 
frigates,  with  smaller  armed  vessels  and  a 
great  number  of  transports,  victuallers  and 
ships  with  ordnance. 

The  Americans,  anticipating  the  invasion 
of  Long  Island,  had  fortified  Brooklyn  before 
the  arrival  of  the  Britlish  at  Staten  Island.  A 
line  of  intrenchment  was  formed  from  a  ditch 
near  the  late  toll-house  of  the  Bridge  Com- 
pany at  the  navy-yard  to  Fort  Greene,  then 
called   Fort   Putnam,    and    from    thence    to 


748 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Freek's  mill-pond.  A  strong  work  was  erected 
■on  the  lands  of  Johannis  Debevoice  and  of  Van 
Brunt;  a  redoubt  was  thrown  up  on  Bsemus' 
Hill  opposite  Brown's  mill,  and  another  on 
the  land  of  John  Johnson  west  of  Fort  Greene, 
Ponkiesberg,  now  Fort  Swift,  wais  fortified, 
and  a  fort  built  on  the  land  of  Mr.  Hicks  on 
Brooklyn  Heights.  Such  were  the  defences  of 
Brooklyn  in  1776,  while  a  chevaux  dc  frisc 
was  sunk  in  the  main  channel  of  the  river  be- 
low New  York.  The  troops  of  both  divisions 
of  the  British  army  were  landed  on  Staten  Isl- 
and after  their  arrival  in  the  bay,  to  recruit 
their  strength  and  prepare  for  the  coming  con- 
flict. It  was  not  till  the  middle  of  August  that 
a  first  landing  on  Long  Island  was  made  by 
them  at  New  Utrecht.  Here  they  were  joined 
■by  many  royalists  from  the  neigh'boThood,  who 
probably  acted  the  infamous  part  of  informers 
and  guides  to  the  enemy.  General  Sir  Henry 
Clinton  arrived  about  the  same  time  with  the 
troops  re-conducted  from  the  expedition  to 
Charleston. 

Commodore .  Hotham  already  appeared 
there  with  the  reinforcements  under  his  escort, 
so  that  in  a  short  time  the  hostile  army  amount- 
ed to  about  twenty-four  thousand  men,  Eng- 
lish, Hessians  and  Waldeckers.  Several  regi- 
ments of  Hessian  infantry  were  expected  to 
arrive  shortly,  when  the  army  would  be  swelled 
to  the  number  of  thirty-five  thousand  combat- 
ants, of  the  best  troops  of  Europe,  all  abund- 
antly supplied  with  arms  and  ammunition,  and 
manifesting  an  extreme  ardor  for  the  service 
of  their  king.  The  plan  was,  first  to  get  pos- 
session of  New  York,  which  was  deemed  of 
most  essential  importance.  Then,  if  General 
Carleton,  after  having  passed,  as  was  hoped, 
the  lakes  of  Canada,  could  penetrate  to  the 
banks  of  the  Hudson  and  descend  this  river 
at  the  same  time  that  General  Howe  should 
ascend  it,  their  junction  would  have  the  im- 
mediate effect  of,  interrupting  all  communica- 
tion between  the  provinces  of  New  England 
on  the  left  bank,  and  those  of  the  middle  and 
south  upon  the  right.  While  General  Howe 
was  seconded  in  his  invasion  of  New  York  by 


the  twelve  or  thirteen  thousand  men  coming- 
from  Canada  under  Governor  Carleton,  Gen- 
eral Clinton  was  to  operate  in  the  provinces  of 
the  south  and  to  attack  Charlefeton.  The 
American  troops  being  thus  divided,  and  their 
generals  surprised  and  pressed  on  so  many 
sides  at  once,  it  was  not  doubted  but  that  the 
British  arms  would  soon  obtain  a  complete 
triumph.  But  in  executing  this  design  they 
had  counted  too  much  on  an  admirable  con- 
currence of  a  great  number  of  parts,  and  had 
not  taken  into  account  the  difficulties  of  the 
winds  and  seasons.  Admiral  Howe  did  not 
arrive  until  after  Clinton's  expedition  to 
Charleston  had  totally  miscarried.  The  army 
at  Canada  was  entirely  interrupted  at  the  lakes. 
It  was  still,  however,  confidently  expected  that 
General  Howe  would  be  able  alone  to  make  a 
decisive  campaign. 

To  resist  this  impending  storm  Congress 
had  ordained  the  construction  of  rafts,  gun- 
boats, galleys  and  floating  batteries,  for  the 
defense  of  the  port  of  New  York  and  the 
mouth  of  the  Hudson.  They  had  also  decreed 
that  thirteen  thousand  of  the  provincial  militia 
should  join  the  army  of  Washington,  who,  be- 
ing seasonably  apprized  of  the  danger  of  New 
York,  had  made  a  movement  into  that  quarter ; 
they  also  directed  the  organization  of  a  .corps 
of  ten  thousand  men,  destined  to  serve  as  a 
reserve  in  the  provinces  of  the  center.  All  the 
weakest  posts  had  been  carefully  intrenched 
and  furnished  with  artillery.  A  strong  de- 
tachment occupied  Long  Island,  to  prevent  the 
English  from  landing  there,  or  to  repulse  them 
if  they  should  effect  a  debarkation.  But  the 
army  of  Congress  was  very  far  frorri  having 
all  the  necessary  means  to  support  the-burden 
of  so  terrible  a  war.  It  wanted  arms,  and  it 
was  wasted  by  diseases.  The  reiterated  in- 
stances of  the  commander-in-chief  had  drawn 
into  his  camp  the  militia  of  the  neighboring 
provinces,  and  some  regular  regiments  from 
Maryland,  from  Pennsylvania  and  from  New 
England,  which  had  swelled  his  army  to  the 
number  of  twenty-seven  thousand  men ;  but  a 
fourth  of  these  troops  were  composed  of  in- 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


749^ 


valids,  and  scarcely  was  another  fourth  fur- 
nished with  arms. 

The  American  army,  such  as  it  was,  oc- 
cupied the  positions  most  suitable  to  cover  the 
menaced  points.  The  corps  which  had  been 
stationed  on  Long  Island  was  commanded  bv 
Major-General  Greene,  who,  on  account  of 
siclaiess,  was  afterwards  succeeded  by  General 
Sullivan.  The  main  body  of  the  army  en- 
camped on  the  island  of  New  York,  which,  it 
appeared,  was  destined  to,  receive  the  first 
blows  of  the  English. 

Two  feeble  detachments  guarded  Gov- 
ernor's Island  and  the  point  of  Paulus'  Hook. 
The  militia  of  the  province,  commanded  by 
the  American  General  Clinton,  were  posted 
upon  the  banks  of  the  sound,  where  they  oc- 
cupied the  two  Chesters,  East  and  West,  and 
New  Rochelle.  For  it  was  to  be  feared  that 
the  enemy,  landing  in  force  upon  the  north 
shore  of  the  sound,  might  penetrate  to  Kings- 
bridge,  and  thus  entirely  lock  up  all  the  Amer- 
can  troops  on  the  island  of  New  York.  Lord 
Howe  made  some  overtures  of  peace  upon 
terms  of  submission  to  the'  royal  clemency, 
which,  resulting  in  nothing,  decided  the  British 
general  to  attack  Long  Island.  'According- 
ly," says  Botta,  "on  the  22d  of  August  the 
fleet  approached  the  Narrows ;  all  the  troops 
found  an  easy  and  secure  landing-place  be- 
tween the  villages  of  Gravesend  and  New 
Utrecht,  where  they  debarked  without  meet- 
ing any  resistance  on  the  part  of  the  Ameri- 
cans. ■  A  great  part  of  the  American  army, 
under  the  command  of  General  Putnam,  en- 
camped at  Brooklyn  in  a  part  of  the  island  it- 
self, which  forms  a  sort  of  a  peninsula.  He 
had  strongly  fortified  the  entrance  of  it  with 
moats  "and  intrenchments  ;  his  left  wing  rested 
upon  the  Wallabout  bay,  and  -his  right  was 
covered  by  a  marsh  contiguous  to  Gowanus' 
Cove.  Behind  him  he  had  Governor's  Island 
and  the  arm  of  the  sea  which  separates  Long 
Island  from  the  Island  of  New  York,  and 
which  gave  him  a  direct  communication  with 
the  city,  where  the  other  part  of  the  army  was 
stationed    under    Washington   himself.     The 


commander-in-chief,  perceiving  the  battle,  was- 
approaching,  continually  exhorted  his  men  to 
keep  their  ranks  and  summon  all  their  courage ; 
he  reminded  them  that  in  their  valor  rested  the 
only  hope  that  remained  to  American  liberty; 
that  upon  their  resistance  depended  the  preser- 
vation or  the  pillage  of  their  property  by  bar- 
barbians ;  that  the)'  were  about  to  combat  in 
defense  of  their  parents,  their  wives  and  their 
children,  from  the  outrages  of  a  licentious  sol- 
diery ;  that  the  eyes  of  America  were  fixed 
upon  her  champions,  and  expected  from  their 
success  on  this  day  either  safety  or  total  de- 
struction." 

The  English  having  effected  their  landing 
marched  rapidly  forward.  The  two  armies- 
were  separated  by  a  chain  of  hills  covered  with 
woods,  called  the  heights,  and  which,  running 
from  west  to  east,  divide  the  island  into  two 
parts.  They  are  only  approachable  upon  three- 
points,  one  of  which  is  near  the  Narrows,  the 
road  leading  to  that  of  the  center  passes  the 
village  of  Flatbush,  and  the  third  is  approached 
far  to  the  right  by  the  route  of  another  village 
called  Flatlands.  Upon  the  summit  of  the 
hills  is  found  a  road,  which  follows  the  length 
of  the  range,  and. leads  from  Bedford  to  Ja- 
maica, which  is  intersected  by  the  two  roads- 
last  described;  these  ways  are  all  interrupted 
by  precipices  and  by  excessively  difficult  and 
narrow  defiles. 

The  American  general,  wishing  to  arrest 
the  enemy  upon  these  heights,  had  carefully, 
furnished  them  with  troops,  so  that,  if  all  had 
done  their  duty,  the  English  would  not  have 
been  alble  to  force  the  passage  without  extreme 
difficulty  and  danger.  The  posts  were  so  fre- 
quent upon  the  road  from  Bedford  to  Jamaica 
that  it  was  easy  to  transmit,  from  one  of  these 
points  to  the  other,  the  most  prompt  intelli- 
gence of  what  passed  upon  the  three  routes. 
Colonel  Miles,  with  his  battalion,  was  to  guard 
the  road  of  Flatland,  and  to  scour  it  contin- 
ually with  his  scouts,  as  well  as  that  of  Ja- 
maica, in  order  to  reconnoiter  the  movements 
of  the  enemy.  Meanwhile  the  British  army 
pressed  forward,  its  left  wing  being  to  the 


750 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


north  and  its  right  to  the  south ;  the  village  of 
Flatbush  was  found  in  its  center.  The  Hes- 
sians, commanded  by  General  Heister,  formed 
the  main  body;  the  English,  under  Major-Gen- 
eral  Grant,  the  left,  and  the  other  corps,  con- 
ducted by  General  Clinton  and  the  two  lords, 
Percy  and  Cornwallis,  composed  the  right.  In 
this  wing  the  British  generals  had  placed  their 
principal  hope  of  success ;  they  directed  it  upon 
Flatland.  Their  plan  was,  that  while  the  corps 
of  General  Grant  and  the  Hessians  of  General 
Heister  should  disquiet  the  enemy  upon  the 
two  first  defiles,  the  left  wing,  taking  a  circuit, 
should  march  through  Flatland,  and  en- 
deavor to  seize  the  point  of  intersection  of  this 
road  with  that  of  Jamaica,  and  then,  rapidly 
descending  into  the  plain  which  extends  at  the 
foot  of  the  heights  upon  the  other  side,  should 
fall  upon  the  Americans  in  flank  and  rear. 
The  English  hoped,  that  as  this  post  was  the 
most  distant  from  the  center  of  the  army,  the 
advanced  guards  would  be  found  more  feeble 
there,  and  perhaps  more  negligent;  finally, 
they  calculated  that,  in  all  events,  the  Amer- 
icans would  not  be  able  to  defend  it  against  a 
force  so  superior.  This  right  wing  of  the 
English  was  the  most  numerous  and  entirely 
composed  of  select  troops. 

The  evening  of  the  26th  of  August,  Gen- 
eral Clinton  commanded  the  vanguard,  which 
consisted  in  light  infantry;  Lord  Percy  the 
center,  where  were  found  the  grenadiers,  the 
artillery  and  the  cavalry;  and  Cornwallis,  the 
rearguard,  followed  by  the  baggage,  some 
regiments  of  infantry  and  of  heavy  artillery; 
all  this  part  of  the  English  army  put  itself  in 
motion  with  admirable  order  and  silence,  and 
leaving  Flatland,  traversed  the  country  called 
New  Lots.  Colonel  Miles,  who  this  night  per- 
formed his  service  with  little  exactness,  did  not 
perceive  the  approach  of  the  enemy;  so  that 
two  hours  before  day  the  English  were  already 
arrived  within  a  half  mile  of  the  road  to  Ja- 
maica, upon  the  heights.  Then  General  Clin- 
ton halted  and  prepared  himself  for  the  at- 
tack. He  had  met  one  of  the  enemy's  patrols 
and  made  him  prisoner.  General  Sullivan,  who 


commanddd  all  the  troops  in  advance  of  the 
camp  of  Brooklyn,  had  no  advice  of  what 
passed  in  this  quarter.  He  neglected  to  send 
out  fresh  scouts;  perhaps  he  supposed  the 
•English  would  direct  their  principal  efiforts 
against  his  right  wing,  as  being  the  nearest  to 
them. 

General  Clinton  learning  from  his  prisoners 
that  the  road  to  Jamaica  was  not  guarded,  has- 
tened to  avail  himself  of  the  circumstance  and 
occupied  it  by  a  rapid  movement.  Without 
loss  of  time  he  immediately  bore  to  his  left 
towards  Bedford  and  seized  an  important  de- 
file, which  the  American  generals  had  left  un- 
guarded. From  this  moment  the  success  of 
the  day  was  decided  in  favor  of  the  English. 
Lord  Percy  came  up  with  his  corps,  and  the 
entire  column  descended  by  the  village  of  Bed- 
ford from  the  heights  into  the  plain  which 
lay  between  the  hills  and  the  camp  of  the 
Americans.  During  this  time  General  Grant, 
in  order  to  amuse  the  enemy  and  divert  his  at- 
tention from  the  events  which  took  place  upon 
the  route  of  Flatland,  endeavored  to  disquiet 
him  upon  his  right ;  accordingly,  as  if  he  in- 
tended to  force  the  defile  which  led  to  it,  he 
had  put  himself  in  motion  about  midnight  and 
attacked  the  militia  of  New  York  and  of  Penn- 
sylvania, who  guarded  it.  They  at  first  gave 
ground ;  but  General  Pare ons  being  arrived 
and  having  occupied  an  eminence,  he  renewed 
the  combat  and  maintained  his  position  till 
Brigadier-General  Lord  Stirling  came  to  his 
assistance  with  fifteen  hundred  men.  •  The 
action  became  extremely  animated  and  fortune 
favored  neither  the  one  side  nor  the  other. 
The  Hessians,  on  their  part,  had  attacked  the 
center  at  break  of  day,  and  the  Americans, 
commanded  by  General  Sullivan  in  person, 
valiantly  sustained  their  efforts.  At  the  same 
time  the  English  ships,  after  having  made  sev- 
eral movements,  opened  a  very  brisk  cannonade 
against  a  battery  established  in  the  little  isl- 
and of  Red  Hook,  upon  the  right  flank  of  the 
Americans,  who  combatted  against  General 
Grant.  This  also  was  a  diversion,  the  object 
of  which  was  to  prevent  them  from  attending 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


751 


to  what  passed  in  the  center  and  on  the  left. 
The  Americans  defended  themselves,  however, 
with  extreme  gallantry,  ignorant  that  so  much 
valor  was  exerted  in  vain,  since  victory  was 
already  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  General 
Clinton  being  descended  into  the  plain,  fell 
upon  the  left  flank  of  the  center,  which  was 
engaged  with  the  Hessians.  He  had  previous- 
ly detached  a  small  corps,  in  order  to  intercept 
the  Americans. 

As  soon  as  the  appearance  of  the  English 
light  infantry  apprized  them  of  their  danger, 
they  sounded  the  retreat  and  retired  in  good 
order  towards  their  camp,  bringing  of?  their 
artillery.  But  they  soon  fell  in  with  the  party 
of  royal  troops  which  had  occupied  the  ground 
on  their  rear,  and  who  now  charged  them  with 
fury ;  they  were  compelled  to  throw  themselves 
into  the  neighboring  woods,  where  they  met 
again  with  the  Hessians,  who  repulseid  them 
upon  the  English;  and  thus  the  Americans 
were  driven  several  times  by  the  one  against 
the  other  with  great  loss.  They  continued  for 
some  timei  in  this  desi>erate  situation,  till  at 
length  several  regiments,  animated  by  an 
heroic  valor,  opened  their  way  through  the 
midst  of  the  enemy  and  gained  the  camp  of 
General  Putnam;  others  escaped  through  the 
woods.  The  inequality  of  the  ground,  the 
great  numbers  of  positions  which  it  offered, 
and  the  disorder  which  prevailed  throughout 
the  line,  were  the  cause  that  for  several  hours 
divers  partial  combats  were  maintained,  in 
which  many  of  the  Americans  fell. 

Their  left  wing  and  center  being  dis- 
comfited, the  English,  desirous  of  a  complete 
victory,  made  a  rapid  movement  against  the 
rear  of  the  right  wing,  which,  in  ignorance  of 
the  misfortune  which  had  befallen  the  other 
corps,  was  engaged  with  General  Grant.  Fin- 
ally, having  received  the  intelligence,  they  re- 
tired. But,  encountering  the  English,  who  cut 
off  their  retreat,  a  part  of  the  soldiers  took 
shelter  in  the  woods ;  others  endeavored  to 
make  their  way  through  the  marshes  of 
Gowan's  Cove,  but  here  many  were  drowned 
in  the  waters  or  perished  in  the  mud;  a  very 


small  number  only  escaped  the  hot  pursuit  of 
the  victors  and  reached  camp  in  safety.  The 
total  loss  of  the  Americans  in  this  battle  was 
estimated  at  more  than  three  thousand  men  in 
killed,  wounded  and  prisoners.  ,  Among  the 
last  were  found  General  Sullivan  and  Briga- 
dier-General Lord  Stirling.  Almost  the  en- 
tire regiment  of  Maryland,  consisting  of  young 
men  of  the  best  families  in  that  province,  was 
cut  to  pieces.  Six  pieces  of  cannon  fell  into 
the  power  of  the  victors.  The  loss  of  the 
English  was  very  inconsiderable ;  in  killed, 
wounded  and  prisoners  it  did  not  amount  to 
four  hundred  men. 

The  enemy  encamped  in  front  of  the  Amer- 
ican lines,  and  on  the  succeeding  night  broke 
ground  within  six  hundred  yards  of  a  redoubt 
on  the  left  and  threw  up  a  breast-work  on  the 
Wallabout  heights,  upon  the  Debevoice  farm, 
commenced  firing  on  Fort  Putnam  and  recon- 
noitred the  American  forces.  The  Americans 
were  here  prepared  to  receive  them,  and  orders 
issued  to  the  men  to  reserve  their  fire  till  they 
could  see  the  eyes  of  the  enemy.  A  few  of  the 
British  officers  reconnoitred  the  position,  and 
one,  on  coming  near,  was  shot  by  William  Van 
Cotts,  of  Bushwick.  The  same  afternoon  Cap- 
tain Rutgers,  brother  of  the  late  Colonel 
Rutgers,  also  fell.  Several  other  British  troops 
were  killed,  and  the  column  which  had  incau- 
tiously advanced,  fell  back  beyond  the  range  of 
the  American  fire.  In  this  critical  state  of  the 
American  army  on  Long  Island ;  in  front  a  nu- 
merous and  victorious  enemy  with  a  formidable 
train  of  artillery,  the  fleet  indicating  an  inten- 
tion of  forcing  a  passage  up  the  East  river; 
the  troops  lying  without  shelter  from  the  heavy 
rains,  fatigued  and  dispirited.  General  Wash- 
ington determined  to  withdraw  the  army  from 
the  island,  and  this  difficult  movement  was 
effected  with  great  skill  and  judgment,  and 
with  complete  success.  The  retreat  was  to 
have  commenced  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing of  the  29th,  but  a  strong  north-east  wind 
and  a  rapid  tide  caused  a  delay  of  several  hours, 
a  southwest  wind  springing  up  at  eleven  essen- 
tially facilitated  its   passage   from  the  island 


752 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


to  the  city,  and  a  thick  fog  hanging  over  Long 
Island  toward  morning  concealed  its  move- 
ments from  the  enemy,  who  were  so  near  that 
the  sound  of  their  pick-axes  and  shovels  were 
distinctly  heard  by  the  Americans.  General 
Washington,  as  far  as  possible,  inspected 
everything  from  the  commencement  of  the 
action  on  the  morning  of  the  27th  till  the 
troops  were  safely  across  the  river;  he  never 
closed  his  eyes  and  was  almost  constantly  on 
horseback.  After  this  the  British  and  their 
allies,  the  Tories  and  refugees,  had  possession 
of  Long  Island,  and  many  distressing  scenes 
occurred,  which  were  never  made  public  and 
can  therefore  never  be  known.  The  Whigs 
who  had  been  at  all  active'  in  behalf  of  inde- 
pendence were  exiled  from  their  homes  and 
their  dwellings  were  objects  of  indiscriminate 
plunder.  Such  as  could  be  taken,  were  incar- 
cerated in  the  church  of  New  Utrecht  and 
Flatlands,  while  royalists,  by  wearing  a  red 
badge  in  their  hats,  were  protected  and  en- 
couraged. It  is  believed  that  had  Lord  Howe 
availed  himself  of  the  advantage  he  possessed 
by  passing  his  ships  up  the  river  between 
Brooklyn  and  New  York,  the  whole  American 
army  must  have  been  almost  inevitably  cap- 
tured or  annihilated.  General  Washington  saw 
but  too  plainly  the  policy  that  might  have  been 
pursued  and  wisely  resolved  rather  to  abandon 
the  island  than  attempt  to  retain  it  at  the  risk 
of  sacrificing  his  army. 

The  unfortunate  issue  of  the  battle  of  Long 
Island  was  doubtless  to  be  ascribed,  in  part, 
to  the  illness  of  General  Greene.    He  had  su- 
perintended the  erection  of  the  works  and  be- 
come thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  ground. 
In  the  hope  of  his  recovery,  Washington  de- 
ferred sending  over  a  successor  till  the  urgency 
of  affairs  made  it  absolutely  necessary,  and 
then  General  Putnam  took  the  command,  with- 
out any  previous  knowledge  of  the  posts  which 
had  been  fortified  beyond  the  lines,  or  of  the 
places  by  which  the  enemy  could  make  their 
approach,   nor   had  he   time   to  acquire   this 
knowledge  before  the  action.    The  consequence 
was,  that,  although  he  was  the  commander  on 


the  day  of  the  battle,  he  never  went  beyond 
the  lines  at  Brooklyn,  and  could  give  no  other 
orders  than  for  sending  out  troops  to  meet  the 
enemy  at  different  points.  The  following  is  a 
letter  to  Congress,  describing  the  events  of  the 
day,  by  Colonel  Harrison,  secretary  to  the  com- 
mander-in-chief : 

New  YorKj  8  o'clock  p.  m., 
27th  August,  1776. 

Sir :  I  this  minute  returned  from  our  lines 
on  Long  Island,  where  I  left  his  Excellency 
the  General.  From  him  I  have  it  in  command 
to  inform  Congress,  that  yesterday  he  went 
there  and  continued  till  evening,  when,  from 
the  enemy's  having  landed  a  considerable  part 
of  their  forces,  and  from  many  of  their  move- 
ments there  was  reason  to  apprehend  that  they 
would  make  in  a  little  time  a  general  attack. 
As  they  would  have  a  wood  to  pass  through 
before  they  could  approach  the  lines  it  was 
thought  expedient  to  place  a  number  of  men 
there  on  different  roads  leading  from  where 
they  were  stationed,  in  order  to  harass  and 
annoy  them  in  their  march.  This  being  done, 
early  this  morning  a  sharp  engagement  ensued 
between  the  enemy  and  our  detachments, 
which,  being  unequal  to  the  force  they  had  to 
contend  with,  have  sustained  a  considerable 
loss,  at  least  many  of  our  men  are  missing. 
Among  those  who  have  not  returned  are  Gen- 
eral Sullivan  and  Lord  Stirling.  The  enemy's 
loss  is  not  known  certainly,  but  we  are  told 
by  such  of  our  troops  as  were  in  the  engage- 
ment, and  have  come  in,  that  they  had  many 
killed  and  wounded.  Our  party  brought  off' 
a  lieutenant,  sergeant  and  corporal,  with  twen- 
ty privates,  prisoners. 

While  these  detachments  were  engaged,  a 
column  of  the  enemy  descended  from  the 
woods,  and  marched  towards  the  center  of  our 
lines  with  a  design  to  make  an  impression,  but 
were  repulsed.  This  evening  they  appeared 
very  numerous  about  the  skirts  of  the  woods, 
where  they  have  pitched  several  tents;  and 
his  Excellency  inclines  to  think  they  mean  to 
attack  and  force  us  from  our  lines  by  way  of 
regular  approaches,  rather  than  in  any  other 
manner.  To-day  five  ships  of  the  line  came 
up  towards  the  town,  where  they  seemed  de- 
sirous of  getting,  as  they  turned  a  long  time 
against  an  unfavorable  wind;  and,  on  my  re- 
turn this  evening,  I  found  a  deserter  from  the 
Twenty-third  Regiment,  who  informed  me  that 
they  design,  as  soon  as  the!  wind  will  permit. 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


75S 


them  to  come  up,  to  give  us  a  severe  can- 
nonade, and  to  silence  our  batteries  if  possible. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be,  in  great  haste,  Sir, 
your  most  obedient. 

Robert  H.  Harrison. 

As  the  two  generals  who  commanded  the 
engagement  were  taken  prisoners,  no  detailed 
official  account  of  the  action  was  ever  reported 
to  the  commander-in-chief.  The  following 
letter  from  Lord  Stirling,  and  extracts  from 
General  Sullivan's,  contain  a  few  particulars 
not  hitherto  published.  Lord  Stirling  was  a 
prisoner  on  board  Lord  Howe's  ship  when  he 
wrote : 

Lord  Stirling  to  General  Washington. 

Eagle,  29  August,  1776. 
My  Dear  General: 

I  have  now  an  opportunity  of  informing 
you  of  what  has  happened  to  me  since  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  seeing  you.  About  three  o'clock 
in  the  morning  of  the  27th  I  was  called  up 
and  informed  by  General  Putnam  that  the 
enemy  were  advancing  by  the  road  from  Flat- 
bush  to  the  Red  Lion,  and  he  ordered  me  to 
march  with  the  two  regiments  nearest  at  hand 
to  meet  them.  These  happened  to  be  Haslet's 
and  Smallwood's,  with  which  I  accordingly 
marched,  and  was  on  the  road  to  the  Narrows 
just  as  the  daylight  began  to  appear.  We  pro- 
ceeded to  within  about  half  a  mile  of  the  Red 
Lion,  and  ihere  met  Colonel  Atlee  with  his 
regiment,  who  informed  me  that  the  enemv 
were  in  sight;  indeed,  I  then  saw  their  front 
between  us  and  the  Red  Lion.  I  desired  Col- 
onel Atlee  to  place  his  regiment  on  the  left 
of  the  road,  and  to  wait  their  coming  up,  while 
I  went  to  form  the  two  regiments  I  had 
brought  with  me  along  the  ridge  from  the  road 
up  to  a  piece  of  wood  on  the  top  of  the  hill. 
This  was  done  instantly  on  very  advantageous 
ground. 

Our  opponents  advanced  and  were  fired 
upon  in  the  road  by  Atlee's  regiment,  who, 
after  two  or  three  rounds,  retreated  to  the 
wood  on  my  left  and  there  formed.  By  this 
time  Kichline's  riflemen  arrived ;  part  of  them 
I  placed  along  a  hedge  under  the  front  of  the 
hill,  and  the  rest  in  the  front  of  the  wood. 
The  troops  opposed  to  me  were  two  brigades 
of  four  regiments  each,  under  the  command  of 
General  Grant,  who  advanced  their  light  troops 
to  within  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  our 
right  front,  and  took  possession  of  an  orchard 

48 


there,  and  some  hedges,  which  extended  to- 
wards our  left.  This  brought  on  an  exchange 
of  fire  between  those  troops  and  our  riflemen, 
which  continued  for  about  two  hours  and  then 
ceased  by  those  light  troops  retiring  to  their 
main  body.  In  the  meantime  Captain  Car- 
penter brought  up  two  field-pieces,  which 
were  placed  on  the  side  of  the  hill  so  as  to 
command  the  road  and  the  only  approach  for 
some  hundred  yards.  On  the  part  of  General 
Grant  there  werei  twO'  field-pieces.  One  how- 
itzer advanced  within  three  hundred  yards  of 
the  front  of  our  right,  and  a  like  detachment 
of  artillery  to  the  front  of  ottr  left.  On  a  ris- 
ing ground,  at  about  six  hundred  yards'  dis- 
tance, one  of  their  brigades  formed  in  two- 
lines  opposite  to  our  right,  and  the  other  ex- 
tended in  one  line  to  the  top  of  the  hills,  in  the 
front  of  our  left. 

In  this  position  we  stood  cannonading  each 
other  till  near  eleven  o'clock,  when  I  found 
that  General  Howe,  with  the  main  body  of 
the  army,  was  between  me  and  our  lines,  and  I 
saw  that  the  only  chance  of  escaping  being 
all  made  prisoners  was  to  pass  the  creek  near 
the  Yellow  Mills,  and,  in  order  to  render  this 
the  more  practicable,  I  found  it  absolutely! 
necessary  to  attack  the  body  of  troops  com- 
manded by  Lord  Cornwallis,  posted  at  the 
house  near  the  Upper  Mills.  This  I  instantly 
did,  with  about  half  of  Smallwood's  regiment ; 
first  ordering  all  other  troops  to  make  the  best 
of  their  way  through  the  creek.  We  contin- 
ued the  attack  for  a  considerable  time,  the  men 
having  been  rallied,  and  the  attack  renewed 
five  or  six  several  times,  and  we  were  on  the 
point  of  driving  Lord  Cornwallis  from  his  sta- 
tion, but  large  reinforcements  arriving,  ren- 
dered it  impossible  to  do  more  than  provide 
for  safety.  I  endeavored  to  get  in  between 
that  house  and  Fort  Box,  but,  on  attempting 
il,  I  found  a  considerable  body  of  troops  in  my 
front,  and  several  in  pursuit  of  me  on  the' 
right  and  left,  and  a  constant  firing  on  me.  I 
immediately  turned  the  point  of  a  hill,  which 
covered  me  from  their  fire,  and  was  soon  out 
of  the  reach  of  my  pursuers.  I  found  that  it 
would  be  in  vain  to  attempt  to  make  my  escape, 
and  therefore  went  to  surrender  myself  to 
General  de  Heister,  commander-in-chief  of  the 
Hessians.  Wm.  Stirling. 

General  Sullivan  to  the  President  of  Congress. 
Wi-iiTEMARSH,  25  October,  1777. 
I  know  it  has  been  generally  reported  that 
I  commanded  on  Long  Island  when  the  action 


'^54. 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


happened  there.  This  is  by  no  means  true. 
General  Putnam  had  taken  the  command  from 
me  four  days  before  the  action.  Lord  Stirling 
commanded  the  main  body  without  the  lines. 
I  was  to  have  commanded  under  General  Put- 
nam within  the  lines.  I  was  uneasy  about  a 
road,  though  which  I  had  often  foretold  that 
the  enemy  would  come,  but  could  not  persuade 
others  to  be  of  my  opinion.  I  went  to  the  hill 
near  Flatbush  to  reconnoiter,  and  with  a  picket 
of  four  hundred  men  was  surrounded  by  the 
enemy,  who  had  advanced  by  the  very  road  I 
had  foretold,  and  which  I  had  paid  horsemen 
fifty  dollars  for  patrolling  by  night  while  I 
had  the  command,  as  I  had  no  foot  for  the  pur- 
pose. 

What  resistance  I  made  with  these  four 
hundred  men  against  the  British  army,  I  leave 
to  the  officers  who  were  with  me  to  declare. 
Let  it  suffice  for  me  to  say,  that  the  opposition 
of  the  small  party  lasted  from  half-past  nine 
to  twelve  o'clock. 

The  reason  of  so  few  troops  being  on  Long 
Island  was  because  it  was  generally  supposed 
■that  the  enemy's  landing  there  was  a  feint  to 
■draw  our  troops  thither  that  they  might  the 
more  easily  possess  themselves  of  New  York. 
I  often  urged,  both  by  word  and  writing,  that, 
as  the  enemy  had  doubtless  both  these  objects 
in  view,  they  would  first  try  for  Long  Island, 
which  commanded  the  other,  and  then  New 
York,  which  was  completely  commanded  by  it, 
would  fall  of  course.  But  in  this  I  was  un- 
happy enough  to  differ  from  almost  every  other 
officer  in  the  army  till  the  event  proved  my 
conjectures  were  just.        John  Sullivan. 

A  DEFENCE  OF  PUTNAM. 

The  recent  publication  of  an  interesting 
and  valuable  life  of  Gen.  Israel  Putnam  by 
W.  F.  Livingston  has  called  renewed  atten- 
tion to  the  hero's  share  in  the  disaster  to 
the  Continental  arms  on  Long  Island. 
Naturally  Mr.  Livingston  defends  Putnam 
from  the  charge  so  often  made  by  contempo- 
raries and  by  later  historical  writers,  that  his 
military  incapacity  and  his  utter  ignorance 
of  civilized  military  tactics,  as  well  as.  his 
reckless  personal  bravery,  cost  his  coun- 
try a  defeat  that  for  a  time  made  the  pros- 
pects for  liberty  seem  decidedly  dark.  How- 
ever, as  the  late  John  Fiske  pointed  out,  the 
wonder  is  not  that  5,000  half-trained  soldiers 


were  defeated  by  20,000  veterans,  but  that 
they  should  h*ve  given  General  Howe  a  hard 
day's  work  in  defeating  them.  The  new  biog- 
rapher of  Putnam  accepts  the  statement  of  the 
case  made  by  Prof.  Henry  P.  Johnston :  "As 
for  the  generalship  of  the  day,  if  the  responsi- 
bility falls  on  any  one,  it  falls  first  on  Sullivan, 
who  sent  out  the  mounted  patrol  in  the  first 
instance,  and  to  whom  it  belonged  to  follow 
up  the  precautions  in  that  direction.  Putnam 
was  in  chief  command,  but  nothing  can  be  in- 
ferred from  contemporary  writers  to  fasten 
neglect  or  blunder  upqn  him  any  more  than 
upon  Washington,  who,  when  he  left  the 
Brooklyn  lines  on  the  evening  of  August  26, 
1776,  must  have  known  precisely  what  disposi- 
tion had  been  made  for  the  night  at  the  hills 
and  passes."  Prof.  Johnston  goes  on  to  say 
that  the  situation  seems  to  have  been  the  fol- 
lowing: "On  the  night  of  August  26th  we 
had  all  the  roads  guarded.  On  the  morning 
of  the  27th  Putnam  promptly  re-enforced  the 
guards  o'n  the  lower  road  when  the  enemy  were 
announced.  The  arrangements  were  such  that 
if  an  attack  was  made  at  any  of  the  other  points 
he  and  Sullivan  were  to  have  word  of  it  in 
ample  time.  No  word  came  in  time  from  the 
left,  for  the  reason  that  those  who  were  to 
bring  it  were  captured  or  surprised  or  failed 
of  their  duty.  Plence  the  disaster.  The  dis- 
positions on  Long  Island  were  quite  as  com- 
plete as  those  at  Brandywine,  more  than  a  year 
later,  where  we  suffered  nearly  a  similar  sur- 
prise and  as  heavy  a  loss."  Under  this  state  of 
facts.  Prof.  Johnston  submits  that  to  charge 
Putnam  with  the  defeat  of  August  27  is  both 
unjust  and  unhistorical.  No  one  hinted  such 
a  charge  at  the  time;  nor  did  Washington  in 
the  least  withdraw  his  confidence  from  Putnam 
during  the  remainder  of  the  campaign. 

In  May,  1777,  Putnam  was  placed  in  com- 
mand of  the  Hudson  Highlands,  and  contin- 
ued to  occupy  this  post  until  the  spring  of 
1778.  Here  he  by  no  means  gave  satisfaction 
to  the  Commander-in-Chief,  and,  after  being 
subjected  to  a  court  of  inquiry,  he  was  super- 
seded by  General  McDougall.    The  author  of 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


755 


this  book  conced'es  that  in  the  Hudson  High- 
lands Putnam's  military  capacity  was  put  to  a 
severer  test  than  at  any  previous'  period  of  his 
life.     He  did  not  appreciate  how  critical  was 
the  state  of  affairs  at  the  time.     He  did  not 
comprehend  that  Washington  must  have  large 
re-enforcements    from   the  northern   army  to 
prevent  Howe  from  removing  the  obstructions 
on  the  Delaware  and  opening  free  communi- 
cation between  Philadelphia  and  the  British 
shipping.    In  addition  to  Hamilton's  unfavora- 
ble report  concerning  Putnam,  General  Wash- 
ington received  numerous  complaints  from  in- 
habitants of  New  York  State  who  found  fault 
with  Putnam's  good  nature  in  granting  appli- 
cations for  passports  to  the  city.  He  had  shown, 
it  was  said,  an  "overshare  of  complaisance  and 
indulgence"  to  Tories,  and  many  of  them,  un- 
der the  pretence  of  urgent  business,  had  gone 
into  the  city  and  given  valuable  information 
to  the  British  General.     Even  the   fact  that 
Putnam  had  exchanged  newspapers  with  some 
of  the  King's  ofHcers  who  had  been  his  com- 
rades in  the  French  and  Indian  war  was  com- 
plained of.     Chancellor  Robert  R.  Livingston, 
in  a  letter  to  Washington,  lamented  that  Put- 
nam's patriotism  would  not  suffer  him  to  take 
the  repose  to  which  his  advanced  age  entitled 
him.     The  Chancellor  added:    "Unfortunately 
for  him,  the  current  of  popular  opinion  in  this 
and  the  neighboring  States,  and,  as  far  as  I 
can  learn,  in  the  troops  under  his  command, 
runs  strongly  against  him." 

The  judgment  of  the  court  of  inquiry  was 
favorable  to  Putnam,  who  was  not  reinstated 
in  his  command  on  the  Hudson,  however,  but 
was  ordered  to  Connecticut  to  superintend  the 
forwarding  of  troops. 


THE  PRISON  SHIPS. 

General  Jeremiah  Johnson  communicated 
the  following  data  to  the  "Naval  Magazine"  of 
September,  1836:  "The  subject  of  the  naval 
prisoners,  and  of  the  British  prison  ships  sta- 
tioned in  the  Wallabout  during  the  Revolution, 
is  one  which  cannot  be  passed  by  in  silence. 


From  printed  journals  pubHshed  in  New  York 
at  the  close  of  the  war,  it  appears  that  eleven 
thousand  five  hundred-  American  prisoners  had 
died  on  board  the  prison  ships.    Although  the 
number  is  very  great,  still  if  the  number  who 
perished'  had  been  less  the  commissary  of  na- 
val prisoners,  David  Sprout,  Esq.,  and  his  dep-^ 
uty,  had  it  in  their  power,  by  an  official  return, 
to  give  the  true  number  exchanged,  escaped 
and  dead.    Such  a  return  has  never  appeared 
in  the  United  States.     This  man  returned  to 
America  after  the  war,  and  resided  in  Phila- 
delphia, where  he  died.     He  could  not  have 
been  ignorant  of  the  statement  published  here 
on  this  interesting  subject.    We  may  therefore 
infer  that  about  that  number  perished  in  the 
prison  ships.     A  large  transport,  named  the 
"Whitby,"  was  the  first  prison  s'hip  anchored 
in    the    Wallabout.     She  was    moored    near 
"Remsen's  Mill,"  about  the  20th  of  October, 
1776,  and  was  crowded  with  prisoners.    Many 
landsmen  were  prisoners  on  board  this  vessel. 
She  was  said  to  be  the  most  sickly  of  all  the 
prison  ships.     Bad  provisions,  bad  water  and 
scanted  rations  were  dealt  to  the  prisoners. 
No  medical  men  attended  the  sick.     Disease 
reigned  unrelieved,  and  hundreds  died  from 
pestilence,  or  were  starved,  on  board  this  float- 
ing prison.     I  saw  the  sand-beach  between  a 
ravine  in  the  hill  and  Mr.  Remsen's  dtock  be- 
come filled  with  graves  in  the  course  of  two 
months ;  and  before  the  ist  of  May,  1777,  the 
ravine  alluded  to  was  itself  occupied  in  the 
same  way.    In  the  month  of  May  of  that  year 
two  large  ships  were  anchored!  in  the  Walla- 
bout, when  the  prisoners  were  transferred  from 
the  "Whitby"  to  them.     These  vessels  were 
also  very  sickly,  from  the  causes  before  stated. 
Although  many  prisoners  were  sent  on  board 
of   them,   and   were   exchanged,    death   made 
room  for  all.    On  a  Sunday  afternoon,  about 
the  middle  of  October,  1777,  one  of  the  prison 
ships  was  burnt ;  the  prisoners,  except  a  few, 
who,  it  was  said,  were  burnt  in  the  vessel, 
were  removed  to  the  remaining  ship.    It  was 
reported  at  the  time  that  the  prisoners  had  fired 
their  prison;  which,  if  true,  proves  that  they 


756 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND 


preferred  death,  even  by  fire,  to  the  hngering 
sufferings  of  pestilence  and  starvation.  In  the 
month  of  February,  1778,  the  remaining  prison 
ship  was  burnt  at  night,  when  the  prisoners 
were  removed^  from  her  to  the  sliips  tlien  win- 
tering in  the  Wallabout.  In  the  month  of 
April,  J778,  the  "Old  Jersey"  was  moored  in 
the  Wallabout,  and  all  the  prisoners  (except 
the  sick)  were  transferred  to  her.  The  sick 
were  carried  to  two  hospital  ships,  named  the 
"Hope"  and  "Falmouth,"  anchored  near  each 
other  about  two  hundred  yards  east  from  the 
"Jersey."  These  ships  remained  in  the  Walla- 
bout until  New  York  was  evacuated  by  the 
British.  The  "Jersey"  was  the  receiving  ship 
— the  others,  truly,  the  ships  of  Death !  It  has 
been  generally  thought  that  all  the  prisoners 
died  on  board  of  the  "Jersey."  This  is  not 
true ;  many  may  have  died  on  board  of  her 
who  were  not  reported  as  sick,  but  all  the  men 
who  were  placed  on  the  sick-list  were  removed 
to  the  hospital  ships,  from  which  they  were 
usually  taken,  sewed  up  in  a  blanket,  to  their 
long  home. 

After  the  hospital  ships  were  brought  into 
the  Wallabout,  it  was  reported  that  the  sick 
were  attended  by  physicians ;  few,  very  few, 
however,  recovered.  It  was  no  uncommon 
thing  to  see  five  or  six  dead  bodies  brought 
on  shore  in  a  single  morning;  when  a  small 
excavation  would  be  made  at  the  foot  of  the 
.hill,  the  bodies  be  cast  in,  and  a  man  with  a 
shovel  would  cover  them>  by  shoveling  sand 
down  the  hill  upon  them.  Many  were  buried 
in  a  ravine  on  the  hill ;  some  on  the  farm.  The 
whole  shore  from  Rennie's  Point  to  Mr.  Rem- 
sen's  dock-yard  was  a  place  of  graves;  as  were 
also  the  slope  of  the  hill  near  the  house,  the 
shore  from'  Mr.  Remsen's  barn  along  the  mill- 
pond  to  Rapelje's  farm  and  the  sandy  island, 
between  the  flood-gates  and  the  mill-dam; 
while  a  few  were  buried  on  the  shore,  the  east 
side  of  the  Wallabout.  Thus  did  Death  reign 
here,  from  1776  until  the  peace.  The  whole 
Wallabout  was  a  sickly  place  during  the  war. 
The   atmosphere   seemed  to^  be  charged  with 


foul  air  from  the  prison  ships,  and  with  the 
effluvia  of  the  dead  bodies  washed  out  of  their 
graves  by  the  tides.  We  have  ourselves  ex- 
amined many  of  the  skulls  lying  on  the  shore; 
from  the  teeth,  they  appear  to  be  the  remains- 
of  men  in  the  prime  of  life.  A  singularly  dar- 
ing and  successful  escape  was  effected  from, 
the  "Jersey"  about  4  o'clock  one  afternoon,  in 
December,  1780.  The  best  boat  of  the  ship 
had  returned  from  New  York,  was  left  fast- 
ened at  the  gangway,  with  the  oars  on  board. 
It  was  stormy ;  the  wind  blew  from  the  north- 
east, and  the  tide  ran  flood.  A  watchword 
was  given,  and  a  number  of  prisoners  placed' 
themselves  between  the  ship's  waist  and  the 
sentinel;  at  this  juncture  four  eastern  captains- 
got  on  board  the  boat,  which  was  cast  off  by 
their  friends.  The  boat  passed  close  under 
the  bows  of  the  ship,  and  was  a  considerable 
distance  from  her  before  the  sentinel  on  the 
forecastle  gave  the  alarm  and  fired  at  her.  The 
boat  passed  Hell  Gate,  and  arrived  safe  in 
Connecticut  next  morning. 

SuiiSce  it  to  say,  in  conclusion,  that  here 
more  than  eleven  thousand  American  citizens 
and  soldiers  perished,  many  of  whose  names 
are  unknown,  and'  whose  sufferings  are  buried 
in  oblivion !  They  lingered  where  no  eye  of 
pity  witnessed  their  agony ;  no  voice  adminis- 
tered consolation  ;  no  tongue  could  praise  their 
patriotic  d'evotion,  or  friendly  hand  be 
stretched  out  for  their  relief.  Here  to  pass  the 
weary  day  and  night,  unvaried,  except  by  new 
scenes  of  painful  endurance  and  new  inflic- 
tions of  hopeless  misery.  The  hope  of  death 
was  to  them  the  only  consolation  which  their" 
situation  afforded. 

STORY    OF    A    SURVIVOR    OF    THE    PRISON    SHIPS. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Andros,  of  Berkeley, 
Massachusetts,  was  a. prisoner  on  the  old  bat- 
tleship "Jersey,"  and  related  his  experiences 
in  the  following  graphic  words : 

"This  was    an    old    sixty-four  gun    ship,- 
which  through  age  had  becom>e  unfit  for  fur- 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


75T 


ther  actual  service.  She  was  stripped  of  every 
spar  and  all  her  rigging-.  After  a  battle  with 
a  French  fleet  her  lion  figurehead  was  taken 
away  to  repair  another  ship ;  no  appearance  of 
ornament  was  left,  and  nothing  remained  but 
an  old  unsightly,  rotten  hulk.  Her  dark  and 
filthy  external  appearance  perfectly  corres- 
ponded with  the  death  and  despair  that  reigned 
within;  and  nothing  could  be  more  foreign 
from  truth  than  to  paint  her  with  colors  flying 
or  any  circumstance  or  appendage  to  please  the 
eye.  She  wasi  moored  at  the  Wallabout  Bay, 
about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  to  the  eastward 
of  Brooklyn  Ferry,  near  a  tide-mill  on  the 
TLong  Island  shore.  The  nearest  place  to  land 
was  about  twenty  rods ;  and  doubtless  no  other 
ship  in  the  British  navy  ever  proved  the  means 
of  destruction  of  so  many  human  beings.  It 
is  computed  that  not  less  than  eleven  thousand 
American  seamen  perished  in  her.  After  it 
was  next  to  certain  death  to  confine  a  prisoner 
here,  the  inhumanity  and  wickedlness  of  doing 
it  was  about  the  same  as  if  he  had  been  taken 
lo  the  city  and  deliberately  shot  in  some  public 
square;  but,  as  if  mercy  had  fled  from  the 
earth,  here  we  were  doomed  to  dwell.  And 
never,  while  I  was  on  board,  did  any  Howard 
or  angel  of  pity  appear,  to  inquire  into  or  alle- 
viate our  woes.  Once  or  twice,  by  the  order 
of  a  stranger  on  the  quarter  deck,  a  bag  of 
apples  was  hurled  promiscuously  into  the  midst 
of  hundreds  of  prisoners,  crowded  together  as 
thick  as  they  could  stand,  and  life  and  limbs 
were  endangered  by  the  scramble.  This,  in- 
stead of  compassion,  was  a  cruel  sport.  When 
I  saw  it  about  to  commence  I  fled  to  the  most 
distant  part  of  the  ship. 

"On  the  commencement  of  the  first  evening 
we  were  driven  down  to  darkness,  between 
decks  secured  by  iron  gratings  and  an  armed 
soldiery,  and  a  scene  of  horror  which  baffles 
all  description  presented  itself.  On  every  side 
wretched,  desponding  shapes  of  men  could  be 
seen.  Around  the  well-room  an  armed  guard 
were  forcing  up  the  prisoners  to  the  winches 
to  clear  the  ship  of  water  and  prevent  her 


sinking;  and  little  else  could  be  heard  but  a 
roar  of  mutual  execrations,  reproaches  and 
insults.  During  this  operation  there  was  a 
small,  dim  light  admitted  below,  but  it  served 
to  make  darkness  more  visible,  and  horror 
more  terrific.  In  my  reflections  I  said  this 
must  be  a  complete  image  and  anticipation  of 
hell.  Milton's  description  of  the  dark  world 
rushed  upon  my  mind : — 

'Sights  of  woe,  regions  of  horror  doleful, 
'Shades   where   peace    and   rest   can   never 
dwell.' 

"If  there  was  any  principle  among  the  pris- 
oners that  could  not  be  shaken,  it  was  their 
love  of  country.  I  knew  no  one  to  be  seduced 
into  the  British  service.  They  attempted  to 
force  one  of  our  prize-brig's  crew  into  the 
navy,  but  he  chose  rather  to  die  than  to  per- 
form any  duty,  and  was  again  restored  to  the 
prison-ship. 

"When  I  first  became  an  inmate  of  this 
abode  of  suffering,  despair  and  death,  there 
were  about  four  hundred  prisoners  on  board; 
but  in  a  short  time  they  amounted  to  twelve 
hundred,  and  in  proportion  to  our  numbers 
the  mortality  increased.  All  the  most  deadly 
diseases  were  pressed  into  the  service  of  the 
king  of  terrors,  but  his  prime  ministers  were 
dysentery,  small-pox  and  yellow  fever.  There 
were  two  hospital  ships  near  to  the  old  'Jer- 
sey,' but  these  were  soon  so  crowded  with 
the  sick  that  they  could  receive  no  more.  The 
consequence  was  that  the  diseased  and  the 
healthy  were  mingled  together  in  the  main 
ship.  In  a  short  time  we  had  two  hundred 
or  more  sick  and  dying  lodged  in  the  fore 
part  of  the  lower  gun  deck,  where  all  the 
prisoners  were  confined  at  night.  Utter  de- 
rangement was  a  common  symptom  of  yellow 
fever ;  and,  to  increase  the  horror  of  the  dark- 
ness that  shrouded  us  (for  we  were  allowed 
no  light  betwixt  decks),  the  voice  of  warning 
would  be  heard,  'Take  heed  to  yourselves! 
There  is  a  madman  stalking  through  the  ship 
with  a  knife  in  his  hand !'     I  sometimes  found 


758 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


the  man  a  corpse  in  the  morning  by  whose 
side  I  laid  myself  down  at  night.  At  an- 
other time  he  would  become  deranged  and 
attempt,  in  the  darkness,  to  rise,  and  stumble 
over  the  bodies  that  everywhere  covered  the 
the  deck.  In  this  case  I  had  to  hold  him  in 
his  place  by  main  strength.  In  spite  of  my 
efforts  he  would  sometimesi  rise,  and  then  I 
had  to  close  in  with  him,  trip  up  his  heels 
and  lay  him  again  upon  the  deck.  While  so 
many  were  sick  with  raging  fever  there  was 
a  loud  cry  for  water;  but  none  could  be  had 
except  on  the  upper  deck,  and  but  one  al- 
lowed to  ascend  at  a  ,  time.  The  suffering 
then  from  the  rage  of  thirst  .during  the  night 
was  very  great.  Nor  was  it  at  all  times  safe  to 
iattempt  to  go  up.  Provoked  by  the  continual 
cry  for  leave  to  ascend,  when  there  was  one  al- 
ready on  deck,  the  sentry  would  push  them 
back  with  his  bayonet.  By  one  of  these  thrusts, 
which  was  more  spiteful  and  violent  than  com- 
mon, I  had  a  narrow  escape  of  my  life.  In 
the  morning  the  hatchways  were  thrown  open 
and  we  were  allowed  to  ascend,  all  at  once, 
and  remain  on  the  upper  deck  during  the 
day.  But  the  first  object  that  met  our  view 
was  an  appalling  spectacle — a  boat  loaded  with 
dead  bodies  conveying  them  to  the  Long  Isl- 
and shore,  where  they  were  slightly  covered 
with  sand.  I  sometimes  used  to  stand  and 
count  the  number  of  times  the  shovel  was 
filled  with  sand  to  cover  a  dead  body;  and 
certain  I  am  that  a  few  high  tides  or  torrents 
of  rain  must  have  disinterred  them,  and  had 
they  not  been  removed  I  should  suppose  the 
shore  even  now  would  be  covered  with  huge 
piles  of  the  bones  of  American  seamen." 

"There  were  probably  four  hundred  on 
board  who  had  never  had  the  small-pox. 
Some  perhaps  migfht  have  been  saved  by  in- 
oculation, but  humanity  was  wanting  to  try 
even  this  experiment.  Let  our  disease  be 
what  it  would,  we  were  abandoned  to  our  fate. 
Now  and  then  an  American,  physician  was 
brought  in  as  a  captive,  but  if  he  could  ob- 
tain his  parole  he  left  the  ship ;  nor  could  we 


blame  him  for  this,  for  his  own  death  was 
next  to  certain  and  his  success  in  saving 
others  by  medicine  in  our  situation  was  small. 
I  remember  only  two  American  physicians 
who  tarried  on  board  a  fe,w  days.  No  Eng- 
lish physician,  or  any  one  from  the  city,  ever, 
to  my  knowledge,  came  near  us.  There  were 
thirteen  of  the  crew  to  which  I  belonged,  but 
in  a  short  time  all  died  but  three  or  four.  The 
most  healthy  and  vigorous  were  first  seized 
with  the  fever  and  died  in  a  few  hours.  For 
them  there  seemed  to  be  no  mercy.  My  con- 
stitution was  less  muscular  and  plethoric,  and 
I  escaped  the  fever  longer  than  any  of  the 
thirteen  except  one,  and  the  first  onset  was 
less  violent." 

Another  survivor  of  these  horrors.  Cap- 
tain Dring,  wrote  regarding  the  burial  of  the 
dead  from  the  hulk: 

•  "After  landing  at  a  low  wharf,  which  had 
been  built  from  the  shore,  we  first  went  to  a 
small  hut  which  stood  near  the  wharf,  and 
was  used  as  a  place  of  de^posit  for  the  hand- 
barrows  and  shovels  provided  for  these  occa- 
sions. Having  placed  the  corpses  on  the 
hand-barrows,  and  received  our  hoes:  and 
shovels,  we  proceeded  to  a  bank  near  the 
Wallabout.  Here  a  vacant  space  having  been 
selected,  we  were  directed!  to  dig  ai  trench  in 
the  sand  of  a  proper  length  to  receive  the  bod- 
ies. We  continued  our  labor  till  our  guards 
considered  that  a  proper  space  had  been  ex- 
cavated. The  corpses  were  then  laid  into  the 
trench  without  ceremony,  and  we  threw  sand 
over  them.  The  whole  appeared  to  produce 
no  more  impression  on  our  guards  than  if  we 
were  burying  the  bodies  of  dead  animalsi  in- 
stead of  men.  They  scarcely  allowed  us  time 
to  look  about  us ;  for  no  sooner  had  we  heaped 
the  earth  above  the  trench  than  the  order  was 
given  to  march.  But  a  single  glance  was  suf- 
ficient to  show  us  parts  of  many  bodies  which 
were  exposed  to  view;  although  they  had 
probably  been  placed  there,  with  the  same 
mockery  of  intemient,  but  a  few  days  before. 
Having  thusi  performed,  as  well  as  we  were 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


759 


permitted  to  do  it,  the  last  duty  to  the  dead, 
and  the  guards  having  stationed  themselves 
on  each  side  of  us,  we  began  reluctantly  to  re- 
trace our  steps  to  the  boat.  We  had  enjoyed 
the  pleasure  of  breathing  for  a  few  moments 
the  air  of  our  native  soil,  and  the  thought  of 
returning  to  the  crowded  prison-ship  was  ter- 
rible in  the  extreme.  As  we  passed  by  the 
water's  side  we  implored  our  guards  to  allow 
us  to  bathe,  or  even  to  wash  ourselves  for  a 
few  minutes;  but  this  was  refused  us.  I  was 
the  only  prisoner  of  our  party  who  wore  a  pair 
of  shoesi;  and  well  recollect  the  circumstance 
that  I  took  them  from  my  feet  for  the  pleas- 
ure of  feeling  the  earth,  or  rather  the  sand,  as 
I  went  along.  It  was  a  high  gratification  to  us 
to  bury  our  feet  in  the  sand  and  to  shove 
them  through  it,  as  we  passed  on  our  way. 
We  went  by  a  small  patch  of  turf,  some  pieces 
of  which  we  tore  up  from  the  earth  and  ob- 
tained permission  to  carry  them  on  board  for 
our  comrades  to  smell  them  i ,  *  *  *  Having 
arrived  at  the  hut  we  there  deposited  our  im- 
plemenls  and  walked  to  the  landing-place, 
where  we  prevailed  on  our  guards,  who  were 
Hessians,  to  allow  us  the  gratification  of  re- 
maining nearly  half  an  hour  before  we  re- 
entered the  boat. 

"Near  us  stood  a  house,  occupied  by  a 
miller;  and  we  had  been  told  that  a  tide-mill, 
which  he  attended,  was  in  the  immediate 
vicinity,  as  a  landing  place  for  •  which  the 
wharf  where  we  stood  had  been  erected.  It 
would  have  afforded  me  a  high  degree  of 
pleasure  to  have  been  permitted  to  enter  this 
dwelling,  the  probable  abode  of  harmony  and 
peace.  It  was  designated  by  the  prisoners  by 
the  appellation  of  the  'Old  Dutchman's,'  and 
its  very  walls  were  viewed  by  us  with  feelings 
of  veneration,  as  we  had  been  told  that  the 
amiable  daughter  of  its  owner  had  kept  a  reg- 
ular account  of  the  number  of  bodies  which 
had  been  brought  on  shore  for  interment  from 
the  Jersey  and  the  hospital  ships.  This  could 
easily  be  done  in  the  house,  as  it&  windows 
commanded  a  fair  view  of  the  landing  place. 


We  were  not,  however,  gratified  on  this  occa- 
sion, either  by  the  sight  of  herself  or  of  any 
other  inmate  of  the  house.  Sadly  did  we  ap-' 
proach  and  re-enter  our  foul  and  disgusting 
place  of  confinement.  The  pieces  of  turf  which 
we  carried  on  board  were  sought  for  by  our 
fellow-prisoners  with-  the  greatest  avidity, 
every  fragment  being  passed  by  themi  from 
hand  to  hand,  and  its  smell  inhaled,  as  if  it 
had  been  a  fragrant  rose." 


FURMAN'S  LIST  OF  ANCIENT  NAMES 
OF  PLACES. 

Gabriel  Furman,  writing  in  the  year  1824,, 
gives  the  following  list  of  ancient  names  upon 
Long  Island,  with  the  dates  affixed  opposite; 
to  them,  of  the  time  when  they  were  used,  viz. : 

IN  THE  TOWN  OF  BROOKLYN. 

1667.  Gowanus,  which  still  retains  the  same 
name. 

1667.  Cripplebush,  which  still  retains  the 
same  name. 

1686.  Wallaboght,  which  still  retains  the 
same  name. 

1686.  Marchwick,  and  in  1722  called  Mar- 
tyr's' Hook,  which  was  the  point  of  land 
forming  the  present  United  States  Navy 
Yard. 

1689.  Lubbertse's  Neck,  which  was  sold  by 
Peter  Corsen  to  Cornelius  Sebringh,  March 
28,  1698,  for  £2^0,  and  Sebringh  to  find 
Corsen  in  meat,  drink,  washing,  lodging, 
and  apparel  during  his  life.  In  1690  the 
same  place  was  called  Graver's  Kill.  This 
place  was  recently  known  as  Cornell's  Red 
Mills,  and  is  about  five  hundred  feet  north 
of  the  Atlantic  dock. 

1700.-  Gowanus  Mill  Neck,  sometimes  called 
Mill  Neck,  and  known  by  this  latter  name 
in  1785.  In  1680,  a  lot  of  land  in  this  town 
was  called  an  Erffe. 

.About  the  period  of  the  Revolution  the 
people  were  in  the  habit  of  distinguishing  the 
large  lots  into  which  their  farms  or  planta- 
tions were  divided,  by  particular  names,  and 
these  names  they  retained  for  many  years. 
Thus  in  this  town,  near  the  road  leading  from 
Brooklyn  Ferry  to  Flatbush,  were  the  "Geele 
Water's  Caump,"  the  "Erste  Caump  of  Der- 


760 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


rick's  land,"  the  "Kline  Caump,"  the  "Twede 
Caump  of  Derrick's  land,"  the  "Middleste 
Caump,"  the  "Benen  Caump,"  and  the  "Ag- 
terse  Caump." 

IN  THE  TOWN  OF  MIDWOUT,  OR  FLATBUSH. 

1660     Canarsee  Landing,    Canarsee    Woods, 

which  places  still  retain  the  same  names. 
1679     Third  Kill. 
1687.     Minsehoele  Hole. 
1698.     Rush   Swamp. 

IN  THE  TOWN  OF  BUSHWICK. 

1690.     The  Norman  Kill. 

IN    THE   TOWN    OF    AMERSFORT,    OR    FLATLANDS. 

1636.  Kaskutensukin,  the    westernmost    flat 

of  land  of  the  three  flats. 

1646.  Mutelar's  Island. 

1687.  Stroom  Kill. 

1687.  Jurianses  Hook. 

1687.  Fries  Hook. 

1690.  Hogg's  Neck. 

1694.  Albertse's  Island. 

1695.  Mayise  land. 
1704.  Fresh  Kill. 

171 1.  Bestevaar's  Kill. 

1 712.  Craven  Valley. 

IN  THE  TOWN  OF  NEW  UTRECHT. 

1660.     Nayack,  which  name  it  still  retains. 
1685.     The  Fountain  at  Yellow  Hook. 
1690.     Turk's     Plantation,    afterwards    called 
Bruynenbergh. 


1692 
1693 

1695 
1697 
1698, 
1704, 
1718 
1718 
1718 


IN    THE   TOWN    OF    GRAVESEND. 

Hoogh  Penne  Neck. 
Gysbert's'  Island. 
Ambrose  Strand. 
Garretsen's  Neck. 
Cellars  Neck. 
Great  Woods. 
Harbie's  Gat. 
Brown"s  Creek. 
Robin  Povneer's  Patent. 


IN  THE  T0^^■N  OF  NEWTON. 


having  obtained  it  through  his  wife,  and  he  be- 
ing a  scholar,  called  it  Dos  U.voris,  the  Wife's 
Gift,  which  the  people  subsequently  corrupted 
to  its  present  name  of  Dosoris. 

Quoguc,  in  Suffolk  county,  is  probably  a 
corruption  of  the  Indian  name  of  a  favorite 
shell-fish  known  to  us  as  the  clam,  Quohaug — 
these  shell-fish  having  been  very  abundant,  and 
probably  of  a  choice  kind,  as  is  indicated!  by  the 
immense  ancient  shell  banks  in  all  the  sur- 
rounding region.  At  this  olace  isi  the  only  point 
fromi  which  the  Great  South  Beach  can  be 
reached  on  foot  from  the  mainland  of  the 
island,  for  the  immense  stretch  of  coast  reach- 
ing from  Fire  Island  to  the  inlet  of  Shinecoc 
Bay.  In  all  other  places  you  have  to  pass  in 
a  boat  over  many  miles  of  water ;  and  it  is  this 
circumstance  which  renders  a  ship-wreck  upon 
that  beach  in  winter  so  frequently  dreadful  in 
its  consequences'  from  the  loss  of  life ;  for  even 
if  the  crew  and  passengers  should  succeed  in 
reaching  the  beach  alive,  they  will  find  no  shel- 
ter there,  and  having  from  ten  to  twenty  miles 
of  water  to  cross  before  thev  can  experience 
any  relief,  and  their  boats  being  almost  in- 
variably destroyed  or  lost  in  the  shipwreck,  if 
the  storm  is  very  heavy  and  the  cold  .severe, 
as  is  frequently  the  case,  they  perish  from  the 
exposure.  It  may  be  asked  by  those  not  ac- 
quainted with  this  beach.  Why  is  this  not  pro- 
vided against?  The  answer  is,  It  is  almost,  if 
not  quite  impossible  to  do  so,  the  character  of 
the  beach  being  such,  and  the  distance  from 
the  mainland,  and  the  difficulties  and  dangers 
of  comnjunication  often  so  great  that  men 
could  not  live  there  at  the  times  when  their 
services  would  be  most  required.  The  forma- 
tion and  position  of  this  beach  is,  however 
such  that  the  great  loss  of  life  is  usually  sus- 
tained before  the  shipwrecked  persons  have 
the  chance  of  reaching  the  land,  from  the  im- 
mense seas  thrown  over  them-  by  the  whole 
swell  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  which,  by  the 
rapid  evaporation  it  causes,  comparatively 
soon  chills  them  to  death. 

NAMES  OF   FAMILIES    IN   BROOKLYN. 

Ancient  Modern. 


1656.  The  west  branch  of  Mcspatt  Kills, 
called  Quandus  Quaricns. 

Dosoris,  the  name  of  a  place  on  this  island, 
has  its  origin  from  the  circumstance  of  the 
original  owner  of  it,  as  a  farm,  or  plantation, 


Courten. 

Defforest, 

Deforest. 

Ffilkin. 

Gulick. 

Hansen, 

Johnson. 

Harsen. 

Houghawovit, 

Leflferts. 

NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


761 


Aticient. 
Abranse. 
Aerson. 
Amertmaii, 
Blaw. 
Beeckman, 
Casperse. 
Dehart. 
Depotter. 
Ew€tse. 
Hooghland. 
Janse, 
Jarisse. 
Jurianse. 
iambertse, 
LeFoy. 
Lubbertse. 
Middagh. 
Schaers. 
Seberingh. 
Symonse, 
Staats. 

Van  Cortlandt. 
Van  Eckellen. 


Modern. 


Amerman. 


Beekman. 


Johnson. 


Lambertson  and  Lamberson. 


Simonson. 


Of  all  these  families  there  are  now  but 
seven  remaining  in  Brooklyn,  viz. :  Beekman, 
Deforest,  Johnson,  Lambertson,  Lefferts,  Mid- 
dagh  and  Simonson.  Within  the  last  five  or 
six  years  the  emigration  from  Continental 
Europe  has  brought  back  some  of  the  old 
names  as  in  New  York,  merchants  of  the  name 
•of  Courten.  The  name  of  Middagh  is  Dutch, 
and  means,  in  English,  midday  or  noon. 


NEW    UTRECHT. 


Ancient. 
Van  Westervelt. 
Mattyse, 
Coorten. 
Salom. 
Smack, 
Van  Thinhoven. 


Modern. 


Martense. 


original  of  Martense. 


Garretse, 
Remmerson, 


Tiehuynon, 

Lucasse. 

Kenne. 

Elbertse. 

Harmanse. 


GR.WESEND. 

Garretson  and  Gerritson. 
Remson. 

FLATLANDS. 

Terhune. 


Ancient. 
Vanderschaez. 
Schamp. 
Loysen. 

Ditmarse, 


BUSHWICK. 

Modern. 


FLATS  us  H. 

Ditmas. 


The  practice  of  giving  people  what  would 
now  be  called  nicknames,  by  which  they  be- 
came known,  not  only  to  the  public  generally, 
but  also  in  the  official  records,  was  very  com- 
mon under  the  Dutch  Colonial  Government, 
and  it  also  continued  for  a  considerable  period 
under  the  English  administration  in  this  col- 
ony. In  1644,  in  the  Dutch  records  we  have 
John  Pietersen,  alias  Friend  John.  In  the 
Newton  purchase  from^  the  Indians,  dated 
April  12,  1656,  one  of  the  boundaries  is,  "by  a 
Dutchman's  land  called  Hans  the  Boore;"  and 
in  the  Bushwick  patent,  dated  October  12, 
1667,  one  of  the  boundaries  is  "John  the 
Swedes  Meadow."  In  1695,  in  the  Kings 
County  records  a  man  is  named  living  at  Go- 
wanus,  as  "Tunis  the  Fisher." 

And  we  also  find  that  by  the  records  of  the 
Common  Council  of  the  City  of  New  York,  on 
the  25th  of  March,  1691,  they  ordered  that  "fish 
be  brought  into  the  dock,  over  against  the  City 
Hall  [then  standing  in  Pearl  street,  at  the  head 
of  Coenties  slip],  or  the  house  that  Long  Mary 
formerly  lived  in." 

And  also  on  the  9th  of  April,  in  the  same 
year,  they  directed  "that  Old  Bush  deliver  into 
the  hands  of  the  treasurer  the  scales  and 
weights  that  he  hath  in  his  hands  belonging  to 
the  city,  being  first  satisfied  for  the  making  of 
them." 

Again,  on  the  same  day,  the  order  "that 
Top  Knot  Betty  and  her  children  be  provided 
for  as  objects  of  charity,  and  four  shillings  a 
week  allowed."  And  further,  that  "the  treas- 
urer let  Scarebouch  have  a  new  suit,  and  as- 
sist him  in  what's  wanting." 

All  the  preceding  orders,  from  the  date  of 
April  9th,  inclusive,  were  made  in  one  day,  so 
that  our  city  functionaries  of  that  period  seem 
to  have  had  a  most  charitable  disposition,  as 
well  as  a  strange  propensity  for  giving  nick- 
names to  people.  But  we  are  not  yet  dbne ; 
this  Common  Council  were  not  so  mean  as  to 
apply  such  nicknames  to  those  only  to  whom 
they  afforded  charitable  relief,  as  some  might 
otherwise  suppose — they  also  used  them  when 


762 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


discharging  their  debts.  Thus,  on  the  8th  of 
December,  1691,  the  city  records  contain  an 
order  that  "the  treasurer  pay  English  Smith, 
ii,  13s.  for  three  cords  of  wood,  which  he 
bought  for  the  use  of  the  city  this  day." 

Strange  as  it  may  now  seem  to  us  for  the 
Common  Council  of  a  city  to  place  such  names 
upKJn  the  public  records,  yet  we  have  seen  that 
this  practice  extended  to  the  highest  function- 
aries of  the  Colonial  Government,  and  that  the 
Governors,  both  Dutch  and  English,  used  it  in 
their  patents  for  towns,  and  other  official  docu- 
ments. The  explanation  of  it,  in  many  cases, 
undoubtedly  was,  that  in  many  instances  the 
parties  either  had  no  surname,  or  family  names 
(for  family  names  were  not  so  common  then 
as  now),  or  if  they  had,  they  did  not  them- 
selves know  it,  and  that  which  now  appears 
like  a  nickname  was  from  necessity  adopted 
as  a  means  of  distinguishing  them,  and  was 
usually  taken  from  some  personal  characteris- 
tic, and  which  subsequently  became,  some  part 
or  other  of  it,  the  surname  of  the  children,  as 
Long  and  Betty. 

The  manner  in  which  names  of  families 
sometimes  become  changed  in  this  country  is 
truly  curious.  There  was  previous  to  the  mid- 
dle of  the  last  century,  among  the  Dutch  set- 
tlers in  the  southern  part  of  this  colony,  and 
particularly  upon  Long  Island,  a  regular  sys- 
tematic change  of  the  family  name  with  every 
generation,  so  that  the  son  never  bore  the  fam- 
ily name  of  his  father;  thus,  if  the  father's 
name  was  Leffert  Jansen,  and  he  had  a  son 
named  Jacobus,  this  son's  name  would  not  be 
Jansen,  but  it  would  be  written  Jacobus  Lef- 
fertsen.  Suppose  the  old  gentleman  would 
have  a  grandson  by  his  son,  who  was  christened 
Gerrit,  his  whole  name  would  be  Gerrit  Jacob- 
sen.  Thus  we  would  have  in  the  three  genera- 
tions of  that  one  single  family,  the  following 
different  names,  viz. : 

1 .  The  father,  named  Leff ert  Jansen. 

2.  The  son,  named  Jacobus  Leffertsen. 

3.  The  grandson,  named  Gerrit  Jacobsen. 

This  strange  custom  does  not  seern  to  have 
prevailed  among  the  Dutch  in  Albany;  there 
they  preserved  their  family  names  from  the 
first  settlement,  and  many  of  them  may  there- 
fore be  traced  back  without  difficulty. 

In  other  parts  of  our  country,  as  well  as 
among  the  Dutch,  great  changes  have  occurred 
in  family  names.  Edward  Livingston,  Esq., 
in  his  answer  to  Mr.  Jefferson,  in  the  case  of 


the  New  Orleans  Batture,  furnishes  us  with 
the  following  singular  instance  of  this  nature : 
An  unfortunate  Scotchman,  whose  name 
was  Feyerston,  was  obliged,  in  pursuit  of  for- 
tune, to  settle  amongst  some  Germans  in  the 
western  part  of  the  State  of  New  York.  They 
translated  his  name  literally  into  German  and 
called  him  Fourstein.  On  his  returning  to  an 
English  neighborhood  his  new  acquaintances 
discovered  that  Fourstein,  in  German,  meant 
Flint  in  English;  they  translated,  instead  of 
restoring  his  name,  and  the  descendants  of 
Feyerston  go  by  the  name  of  Flint  to  this  day. 
I  ought,  however,  says  Mr.  Livingston,  to  ex- 
cept one  of  his  grandsons  who  settled  at  the 
Acadian  coast,  on  the  Mississippi,  whose  name 
underwent  the  fate  of  the  rest  of  the  family; 
he  was  called,  by  a  literal  translation  into* 
French,  Pierre-a-fusil,  and  his  eldest  son  re- 
turning to  the  family  clan,  his  name  underwent 
another  transformation,  and  he  was  called  Pe- 
ter Gun!  This  is  about  equal  to  the  Dutch 
transmutation  of  names,  although  wanting  its 
system.     Here  we  have  the  following  result: 

1.  The  father's'        ist  Name,  Feyerston. 

2d    Name,   Fourstein. 
3d    Name,  Flint. 

2.  The  son's  Name,  Flint. 

3.  The  grandson's  ist  Name,  Flint. 

2d    Name,  Pierre-a-fusil 
3d    Name,  Peter  Gun. 

The  old  practice  formerly  so  common 
among  the  Dutch  settlers  on  Long  Island, 
seems  also  to  have  been  at  one  time  in  use  in 
Iceland.  Mr.  Hooker,  who  was  there  in  the 
summer  of  1809,  speaking  of  the  family  of 
Olaf  Stephenson,  the  former  Governor  of  that 
island,  observes :  "In  naming  his  children,  the 
Stiftsamptman  (Governor),  as  well  as  his 
sons,  have  abolished  the  custom,  which  is  other- 
wise, I  believe,  very  general  in  Iceland,  of  call- 
ing the  child  after  the  Christian  name  of  the 
father,  with  the  addition  sen  or  son  to  it ;  thus 
the  son  of  the  Etatsroed  (Chief  Justice)  Mag- 
nus Stephenson  ought  by  this  rule  to  have  been 
Magnusen,  to  which  any  Christian  name  might 
be  subjoined.  If  it  had  been  Olaf  Magnusen, 
his  son  would  bear  the  name  of  Olavsen,  or, 
rather  Olafsen,  as  I  believe  it  is  generally  writ- 
ten. The  females  had'  the  addition  of  datter 
to  the  Christian  name  of  the  father." 

This  was  precisely  the  old  Dutch  custom  in 
this  colony;  and  it  has  led  to  great  difficulty 
in  tracing  the  descent  of  our  early  Dutch  fam- 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


r6B 


ilies,  and  also  in  examining  our  old  records,  as 
there  are  but  few  who  are  conversant  with 
this  peculiarity  in  the^r  change  of  names.  Thus, 
amongst  the  Dutch  the  original  name  of  the 
present  family  of  the  Lefferts  was  Hougha- 
wout.  Leffert  Houghawout's  son  James  was 
called  Jacobus  Leffertsen,  or  Leffertse,  as  it 
was  often  written,  dropping  the  letter  n;  and 
when  this  custom  was  abolished  about  the  mid- 
dle of  the  last  century,  this  latter  name  Lef- 
fertse  was  retained  as  the  family  name.  So 
also  the  original  family  name  of  the  Martenses 
was  Smack.  Mattyse  Smack's  son  received 
Mattyse  as  his  surname,  which  ev&ntually  be- 
came the  present  name  of  Martense,  although 
as  now  written  only  within  the  last  half  cen- 
tury. This  is  also  the  origin  of  the  present 
family  names  of  Johnson,  or  Jansen  (which  are 
both  the  same  name),  Remsen,  Gerritsen.  etc. 
It  is  strange  that  such  a  custom  should  have 
been  identically  the  same  with  those  two  dif- 
ferent nations;  but  it  shows  their  common 
origin. 

Upon  this  island,  and  especially  in  the  cen'- 
tral  portions  of  it,  are  very  many  families  ol 
the  name  of  Smith,  and  so  numerous  did  they 
become  at  an  early  period  of  the  settlement 
that  it  was  thought  necessary  to  distinguish 
the  various  original  families  by  some  peculiar 
name.  Thus  we  have  the  Rock  Smiths ;  the 
Blue  Smiths ;  the  Bull  Smiths ;  the  Weight 
Smiths,  and  the  Tangier  Smiths.  Of  the  Rock 
Smiths  there  are  two  distinct  families :  one 
originally  settled  between  Rockaway  and 
Hempstead,  some  ten  or  fifteen  years  before 
the  settlement  of  the  first  white  inhabitant  in 
Setauket,  who  derived  their  name  from  their 
contiguity  to  Rockaway ;  and  the  other  located 
themselves  in  Brookhaven,  and  obtained  their 
appellation  from  their  ancestor  erecting  his 
dwelling  against  a  large  rock  which  still  re- 
mains in  the  highway  of  that  town.  The  Blue 
Smiths  were  settled  in  Queens  county,  and  ob- 
tained their  peculiar  designation  from  a  blue 
cloth  coat  worn  by  their  ancestor ;  whether  be- 
cause a  cloth  coat  was  then  an  uncommon  thing 
in  the  neighborhood,  or  that  he  always  dressed 
in  a  coat  of  that  color,  does  not  appear.  The 
Bull  Smiths  of  Suffolk  county  are  the  most 
numerous  of  all  the  families  of  the  name  of 
Smith  upon  this  island;  it  is  said  that  there 
are  now  at  least  one  thousand  males  of  that 
branch  on  this  island.  The  ancestor  of  this 
branch  of  the  Smith  family  was  Major  Rich- 
ard Smith,  who  came  from  England  to  New 


England,  with  his  father  Richard,  in  the  early 
part  of  the  seventeenth  century ;  and  afterward 
came  to  the  island  and  became  the  patentee  of 
Smithtown.  The  sobriquet  of  this  class  of 
Smiths  is  said  to  have  arisen  from  the  circum- 
stance of  the  ancestor  having  trained  and  used 
a  bull  in  place  of  a  horse  for  riding.  The 
Weight  Smiths  derived  their  name  from  being 
possessed  of  the  only  set  of  scales  and  weights 
in  the  neighborhood  of  their  residence,  to  which 
all  the  farmers  of  the  country  around  resorted 
for  the  purpose  of  weighing  anything  they 
wished  to  sell  -or  buy;  at  least  so  says  the  tra- 
dition. The  Tangier  Smiths  owe  their  origin 
to  Colonel  William  Smith,  who  had  been  the 
English  Governor  of  Tangier,  in  the  reign  of 
Charles  the  Second,  and  emigrated  to  this  col- 
ony in  the  summer  of  the  year  1686,  where  he 
settled  in  the  town  of  Brookhaven,  on  the  Neck 
known  as  Little  Neck,  and  afterward  as 
Strong's  Neck,  which,  together  with  his  other 
purchases,  were  erected  into  a  manor  by  the 
name  of  St.  George's  Manor,  by  a  patent  grant- 
ed to  him  in  1693,  by  Governor  Fletcher.  Most 
of  the  Tangier  Smiths  are  now  in  that  town, 
scattered  through  it  from  the  north  to  the  south 
side  of  the  island. 

These  different  appellations  of  the.  families 
of  the  Smiths  became  as  firmly  settled  as  if 
they  were  regular  family  names ;  so  that  when 
any  inquiry  was  made  of  any  person  on  the 
road,  man,  woman  or  child,  for  any  particular 
Smith,  they  would  at  once  ask  whether  he  was 
of  the  Rock  breed,  or  the  Bull  breed,  etc. ;  and 
if  the  person  desiring  the  information  could  say 
which  breed,  he  at  once  was  told  of  his  resi- 
dence. In  truth,  there  are  so  many  of  the  same 
name  in  that  most  numerous  family  of  the 
Smiths  upon  this  island,  that  without  adapting 
some  such  plan  it  would  be  almost  impossible 
to  distinguish  one  from  the  other.  Among 
these  Smiths,  and  at  Smithtown,  upon  this 
island,  have  occurred  two  of  the  most  marked 
instances  of  longevity  known  in  this  country. 
Richard  Smith,  the  patentee  of  Smithtown, 
of  the  Bull  breed,  purchased  at  New  York  a 
negro  man  named  Harry,  who  lived  with  him, 
with  his  son,  and  then  with  his  grandson,  and 
died  at  Smithtown  in  the  month  of  December, 
1758,  aged  at  least  one  hundred  and  twenty 
years.  This  remarkable  individual  said  he 
could  remember  when  there  were  but  very  few 
houses  in  the  city  of  New  York ;  his  memory 
must  have  extended  back  to  the  administration 
of  the  Dutch  Governor  Kieft.    His  health  and 


764 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND 


^strength  of  body  continued  almost  unimpaired 
until  very  near  his  death,  and  he  could  do  a 
.good  day's  work  when  he  had  passed  one  hun- 
dred years. 

There  appears  to  have  been  another  negro 
man  in  the  same  town  who  even  exceeded  him 
in  the  point  of  age.  In  a  note  to  Moulton's 
History  of  New  York,  it  is  stated  that  an 
obituary  article  appeared  in  a  newspaper,  print- 
ed in  1739,  of  the  death  of  a  negro  man  at 
Smithtown,  on  Long  Island,  reputed  to  have 
been  one  hundred  and  forty  years  old;  who 
declared  that  he  well  remembered  when  there 
were  but  three  houses  in  New  York.  The 
memory  of  this  man  must  therefore  have  ex- 
tended back  to  the  founding  of  New  Amster- 
dam, in  the  year  1626,  as  New  York  was  then 
called,  and  he  must  have  come  into  this  coun- 
try with  some  of  the  first  Dutch  settlers. 


BROOKLYN  SURVIVORS  OF  THE 
MEXICAN  WAR. 

It  is  singular  that  in  1901  no  fewer  than 
thirty-five  survivors  of  the  Mexican  war  were 
still  resident  in  Brooklyn,  and  nearly  all,  if 
we  may  judige  by  their  portraits,  hale'  and 
hearty  old  gentlemen,  and  several  of  them  still 
engaged  actively  in  business.  Their  names  and 
the  regiments  in  which  they  served  are  as  fol- 
lows : 

T.  W.  Barnum,  Company  A,  First  Louisi- 
ana Volunteers ;  A.  Nelson  Bell,  Naval  Sur- 
geon ;  Anthony  Bassey,  United  States  Steam- 
ship "Ohio ;"  Charles  Blohm,  Permanent  Par- 
ty; C.  M.  Brower,  Company  F,  First  New 
York  Volunteers  ;  Othneal  Bush,  United  States 
■Steamship  "Princeton;"  R.  D.  Buttle,  United 
States  Marine  Battalion  ;  Jacob  Clute,  Siege 
Train;  E.  B.  Cole,  Company  C,  Second  United 
States  Artillery ;  William'  Coler,  Company  B, 
Second  Ohio  Volunteers ;  Hugh  Conner,  Ma- 
rine Corps ;  John  Cornock,  Company  E,  Third 
United  States  Dragoons ;  John  Da  Silva,  Uni- 
ted States  Steamship  "Savannah ;"  John  Dick, 
Company  I,  First  New  York  Volunteers;  C. 
H.  Farrell,  Company  I,  First  New  York  Vol- 
unteers ;  James  C.  Foote,  United  States  Steam- 
tship    "Columbus;"    John    H.    Foote,    United 


States  Steamship  "Columbus ;"  J.  S.  Gallagher, 
Company  A,  Second  Maryland  Volunteers ;  C. 
Herrschaft,  Company  H,  First  United  States 
Artillery;  F.  W.  Jennings,  Company  E,  First 
United  States  Infantry ;  Edward  Kast,  United 
States  Steamship  "Raritan ;"  Robert  T.  Kirk, 
Company  K,  First  New  York  Volunteers ; 
Julius  Lucas,  United  States  Steamship  "Cum- 
berland;" Hubert  Oberly,  Company  G,  Sev- 
enth United  States  Infantry ;  F.  E.  Pinto,  Com- 
pany D,  First  New  York  Volunteers;  David 
Randall,  Recruiting  Office;  John  Ritter,  Uni- 
ted States  Steamship  "St.  Mary's;"  H.  T. 
Spencer,  United  States  Steamship  "Vesuvius ;" 
Samuel  C.  Stores,  Company  A,  Tenth  United 
States  Infantry ;  E.  Sullivan,  Company  I,  First 
Rhode  Island  Volunteers;  L.  Thomas,  Com- 
pany F,  First  Pennsylvania  Volunteers;  D. 
Van  Auken,  United  States  Steamship  "Inde- 
pendence;" Van  Bokkelen,  Seventh  United 
States  Infantry;  John  Weeks,  United  States 
Steamship  "Cumberland;"  J.  Williams,  United 
States  Steamship  "Vesuvius." 

The  following  details  regarding  some  of 
these  veterans  are  taken  from  an  article  in 
"The  Brooklyn  Eagle"  of  February  17,  1901 : 

By  far  the  most  important  military  organ- 
ization that  was  recruited  in  this  vicinity  for 
service  in  Mexico  was  the  First  New  York 
Volunteers,  under  the  command  of  Colonel 
Ward  B.  Burnett,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Charles 
Baxter,  who  was  killed  at  Chapultepec,  and 
Major  J.  C.  Burnham.  On  May  19,  1846,  the 
President  served  a  requisition  on  Governor 
Fish  for  seven  regiments  to  be  organized  and 
held  in  readiness  for  service.  On  November 
16  of  the  same  year  a  regiment  was  called' 
for,  and  Colonel  Burnett's  being  the  first  or- 
ganization, was  chosen  for  the  service. 

The  surviving  members  of  the  First  New 
York  Volunteers  are  General  Francis  E.  Pin- 
to, Charles  H.  Farrell,  Charles  M.  Brower, 
Robert  Kirk  and  John  Dick.  General  Pinto 
enlisted  as  second  lieutenant  in  the  First 
Regiment,  New  York  Volunteers,  and  is  the 
only     surviving      commissioned      officer     of 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


J&5 


the  regiment.  He  was  brevetted  a  captain 
and  assisted  in  planting  the  only  regimental 
flag  on  the  walls  of  Chapultepec.  General 
Pinto  was  a  close  friend  of  Lieutenant  Mayne 
Reid,  who  became  famous  as  a  writer  of  boys' 
stories, they  being  officers  in  the  same  regiment. 
The  General  raised  a  regiment  for  service  in 
the  Civil  war,  during  which  he  rose  to  the 
rank  of  brigadier-general.  He  has  written  a 
history  of  the  Mexican  campaign  and  the  Re- 
bellion, which  he  has  not  published.  He  is  not 
now  actively  engaged  in  business. 

Charles  M.  Brower,  who  lives  at  1105  Bed- 
ford avenue,  was  one  of  the  original  members 
of  the  regiment,  and  enlisted  in  Company  F. 
One  of  his  most  conspicuous  services  during 
the  war  was  the  recovery  for  burial  of  the  body 
of  a  comrade  who  had  been  murdered  by  the 
Mexicans  in  the  rear  of  the  American  army. 
Mr.  Brower  was  twenty  years  old  when  he 
enlisted.     He  rose  to  the  rank  of  sergeant. 

Charles  H.  Farrell  enlisted  in  Company  I, 
of  the  First  New  York  Volunteers,  and  served 
through  the  entire  war.  He  contributed  letters 
to  the  Herald  during  the  Mexican  war,  and  at 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  became  its  regu- 
lar correspondent.  For  years  Mr.  Farrell  was 
the  city  editor  of  that  paper,  and  is  now  clerk 
of  the  Supreme  Court  in  this  borough.  Mr. 
Farrell,  who.  is  seventy-two  years  old,  resides 
on  Gates  avenue. 

Robert  Kirk  enlisted  in  Company  K,  of  the 
same  regiment,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  but 
being  detailed  for  recruiting  service  at  Forti 
Hamilton,  he  was  unable  to  sail  with  the  rest 
of  the  troops.  He  did  duty  as  a  recruiting  ser- 
geant until  August  10,  1847,  when  he  joined 
his  regiment  in  Mexico.  Mr.  Kirk  has  retired 
from  business  and  lives  at  his  home  on  Stuy- 
vesant  avenue.  He  is  seventy-six  years  old 
and  a  well-preserved  man. 

John  Dick  enlisted  in  Company  I,  with  the 
original  regiment,  and  was  connected  for  a 
time  with  the  quartermaster's  department.  Mr. 
Dick  is  in  poor  health  and  somewhat  feeble. 

Edward  Kast,  who    is    nearly    eighty-two 


years  of  age  and)  still  hale  and  hearty,  followed 
the  sea  all  the  early  years  of  his  life,  and  at  the 
outbreak  of  the  Mexican  war  ,he  was  serving- 
in  the  United  States  Navy  on  the  frigate  "Rar- 
itan,"  under  the  command  of  Commodore 
Gregory.  Before  the  beginning  of  actual  hos- 
tilities his  vessel  was  dispatched  to  Point  Isa- 
bel, and  he,  among  others,  was  sent  ashore  to 
join  General  Taylor's  division,  which  took  part 
in  the  battle  of  Palo  Alto.  Mr.  Kast  remained' 
with  the  American  forces  until  the  end  of  the- 
war,  when  he  embarked  in  the  merchant  serv- 
ice. He  now  conducts  a  cigar  store  on  Met- 
ropolitan avenue. 

Julius  Lucas  shipped  on  the  "Falmouth" 
when  that  vessel  sailed  for  Vera  Cruz  with  the 
United  States  Minister.  This  was  in  1844, 
when  Mr.  Lucas  was  about  sixteen  years  of 
age.  Shortly  after  this.  Commander  Forrest, 
who  was  a  friendJ  of  Mr.  Lucas'  father,  had 
the  young  man  transferred  to  his  own  vessel, 
the  frigate  "Cumberland."  He  was  at  the- 
siege  of  Vera  Cruz,  the  engagement  of  Eldo- 
rado, and  later  was  sent  ashore  to  join  the 
land  forces  at  Tobasco.  Mr.  Lucas  marched 
into  Vera  Cruz  by  the  side  of  Commander 
Forrest.  He  is  seventy-three  years  old,  and  has 
retired  from  business. 

John  Ritter  joined  the  merchant  service 
when  he  was  but  seventeen  years  old,  and  fol- 
lowed it  for  a  decade,  when  he  entered  the 
United  States  Navy.  He  served  on  the  United 
States  steamship  "St.  Mary's,"  the  famous 
"hanging  ship"  (so  called  because  a  man  was 
hanged  at  the  yard  arm  for  striking  an  officer), 
during  the  Mexican  war,  and  took  part  in  the- 
siege  of  Vera  Cruz.  He  is  not  only  the  oldest 
retired  gunner  in  the  Navy,  but  the  oldest 
Mexican  war  veteran  in  Brooklyn.  He  works- 
every  day  in  the  Department  of  Arrears  in 
the  Controller's  office,  and,  although  eighty-six 
years  old,  he  writes  a  beautiful  hand. 

A.  Nelson  Bell,  the  editor  of  the  Sanitarian, 
was  a  naval  surgeon  during  the  war  with  Mex- 
ico, and  the  last  one  who  survives.  Mr.  Bell 
went  to  Vera  Cruz  with  Farragut,  and  was  in- 


766 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND, 


the  wreck  off  the  coast  of  Mexico  when  two 
commanders  were  lost.  He  floated  out  to  sea 
on  two  oars,  and,  after  terrible  suffering,  was 
picked  up  by  a  passing  vessel.  He  served  on 
six  different  vessels  during  the  war. 

Anthony  Bassey,  who  is  quite  feeble,  is  one 
of  the  few  sailors  who  served  on  the  Pacific 
coast.  John  Da  Silva  was  also  in  the  Pacific. 
They  both  served  on  the  "Savannah,"  and  Mr. 
Bassey  was  also  on  the  "Ohio."  Mr.  Da  Silva 
is  a  Portuguese,  and  was  born  in  Madeira. 

James  Williams,  who  lives  at  33  Devoe 
street,  and  Hiram  T.  Spencer,  of  555  Tenth 
street,  were  both  on  the  United  States  steam- 
ship "Vesuvius."  John  H.  Foote  and  James 
C.  Foote,  who  are  brothers,  were  on  the  ship 
"Columbus,"  doing  blockade  duty  at  Monterey. 
They  were  under  the.  command  of  Commodore 
Bidel,  and  afterward  circtimnavigated  the 
world  in  this  vessel.  Othneal  Bush,  who  is 
employed  in  the  Navy  Yard,  served  during  the 
war  on  the  "Princeton."  Daniel  Van  Auken 
was  stationed  on  the  Pacific  coast  in  the  "In- 
dependence," under  Commodore  Schubert.  Mr. 
Van  Auken  is  seventy-five  years  old,  and  has 
retired  from  business.  John  Weeks,  who  is 
the  only  colored  survivor  of  the  Mexican  war 
in  Brooklyn,  was  on  the  old  frigate  "Cumber- 
land." 

The  other  veterans  in  this  borough  were 
enlisted  in  the  regulars  or  the  volunteer  regi- 
ments of  other  States.  There  is  one  member 
of  the  Marine  Battalion,  one  of  the  Third 
Dragoons,  one  of  the  Firsit  and  one  of  the  Sec- 
ond Artillery,  several  in  the  infantry,  and  one 
each  of  the  volunteer  regiments  of  Ohio,  Penn- 
sylvania, Rhode  Island  and  Maryland.  There 
is  also  a  musician,  a  member  of  the  Permanent 
Party  and  one  of  the  Ordnance  Department. 

John  Cornock,  who  belonged  to  Company 
E,  Third  United  States  Dragoons,  has  the  rep- 
utation among  his  fellow  veterans  of  being  one 
of  the  most  recklessly  brave  fighters  of  the 
war.  Mr.  Cornock  is  very  reticent  about  his 
own  feats,  but  his  regiment  saw  some  of  the 
severest  fighting  of  the  war.    Mr.  Cornock  has 


led  a  very  romantic  career  since  the  war  with 
Mexico.  Many  of  h'is  personal  experiences  in 
Mexico  are  thrilling  and  entertaining,  and  his 
narrow  escape  from  capture  by  Indians  in 
crossing  the  continent,  his  services  in  the  Cali- 
fornia Vigilante  troubles  and  his  subsequent 
life  prove  h'im  to  have  been  a  seeker  of  adven- 
tures. Mr.  Cornock  has  retired  from  business 
and  lives  at  1 14  Fourth  avenue. 

Robert  D.  Buttle  is  the  only  survivor  of  the 
Marine  Battalion  in  this  borough.  He  enlist- 
ed in  this^  organization  on  May  24,  1847,  and 
sailed  in  the  "Atlas"  on  June  4  of  the  same 
year,  arriving  at  Vera  Cruz  in  the  early  part 
of  July.  His  company  was  engaged  in  the 
battles  of  Pueblo,  Contreras  and  Churubusco, 
and  at  the  storming  of  Chapultepec.  Mr.  But- 
tle was  wounded  at  the  capture  of  the  city  of 
Mexico,  and  lay  there  eight  months  before  he 
had  recovered  sufficiently  to  be  removed.  He 
is  now  seventy-three  years  old,  and  conducts 
a  restaurant  in  Court  street. 

Charles  Blohm  was  a  member  of  the  Hano- 
verian army  in  Europe,  and  on  account  of  his 
training  was  selected  for  a  body  of  troops 
known  as  the  Permanent  Party.  They  enlisted 
for  any  service  until  the  end  of  the  war,  but 
were  quartered  at  Governor's  Island  till  the 
declaration  of  peace.  Ebenezer  B.  Cole  enlisted 
in  Company  C,  oif  the  Second  United  States 
Artillery,  during  the  Mexican  war,  and  for 
years  after  was  a  captain  in  the  Rhode  Island 
Militia.  Mr.  Cole  is  seventy-two  years  old  and 
has  retired.  Jacob  Clute  was,  connected  with 
the  Ordnance  Department  under  General 
Stone,  and  was  attached  to  Scott's  army.  Mr. 
Clute  lives  at  207  Halsey  street,  and  has  re- 
tired. David  Randall,  who  lives  at  277  Eight- 
eenth street,  was  a  musician  during  the  Mexi- 
can war.    Mr.  Randall  is  seventy-six  years  old. 

Coley  Herrschaff  occupies  the  unique  posi- 
tion of  being  the  youngest  Mexican  war  vet- 
eran. He  enlisted  in  the  First  Artillery,  Feb- 
ruary 10,  1845,  at  Governor's  Island,  and 
fought  under  the  forces  of  General  Taylor. 
Mr.  Herrschaft  was  but  twelve  years  old  when 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


767 


he  became  a  soldier.  He  served  part  of  the 
time  in  Company  H  and  afterward  in  the  regi- 
mental band,  his  regiment  being  the  last  to 
leave  Vera  Cruz.  He  received  his  discharge 
after  a  service  of  five  years,  and  this  docu.- 
ment  places  hig  age  at  that  time  at  seventeen. 

William  Coler  is  the  only  representative 
of  the  Ohio  troops  in  this  city.  Mr.  Coler  wras 
in  Company  B,  of  the  Second  Regiment  of 
Ohio  Volunteers,  under  the  command  of  Colo- 
nel Morgan.  Mr.  Coler  was  elected  a  ser- 
geant, but  resigned  the  office  to  become  clerk 
to  the  colonel  of  the  regiment.  He  is  best  re- 
membered as  the  father  of  Controller  Bird  S. 
Coler  and  the  head  of  the  banking  firm  of  W. 
N.  Coler  &  Company. 

John  S.  Gallagher  belonged  to  Company  A, 
of  the  Second  Regiment  of  Maryland  Volun- 
teers, under  the  command  of  Colonel  Hughes. 
This  regiment  captured  and  held  the  National 
Bridge  and  acted  as  a  part  of  the  body  guard 
of  Santa  Ana  after  his  surrender. 

Eugene  Sullivan  enlisted  in  Company  I,  of 
the  only  regiment  of  Rhode  Island  Volunteers, 
under  the  command  of  Colonel  Clemens.  This 
regiment  formed  a  part  of  General  Scott's 
■  army.  Lafayette  Thomas,  who  is  quite  ill  at 
present,  was  a  member  of  Company  F,  of  the 
First  Pennsylvania  Volunteers.  Captain  John 
Bennett  commanded  the  company  and  Colonel 
Wynkoop  the  regiment.  Mr.  Thomas  was  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  Scott  Legion  in  Phila- 
delphia. 

Samuel  C.  Stores  enlisited  in  the  Tenth 
United  States  Infantry,  raised!  under  the  ten 
regiment  bill.  The  regiment  was  commanded 
by  Colonel  Temple  and  was  a  part  of  Taylor's 
army,  but  was  never  engaged  in  any  battles. 

William  K.  Van  Bokkelen  belonged  to  the 
Seventh  Regiment  of  the  same  body  of  troops. 
He  is  a  West  Point  graduate,  and  served  in  the 
Mexican  war  as  a  second  lieutenant.  Mr.  Van 
Bokkelen  is  seventy-nine  years  old  and  isl  en- 
gaged in  the  real  estate  business. 

Hubert  Oberly  enlisted  in  the  Seventh  Uni- 
ted  States  Infantry  in  1840.     He  served  all 


through  the  Mexican  war,  part  of  the  time  with 
Taylor's  army  and  later  with  the  army  of  Gen- 
eral Scott.  Mr.  Hubert  was  in  the  Florida 
war,  the  Rebellion,  and  fought  Indians  on  the 
frontier  for  ten  years.  His  service  in  the  army 
lasted  for  twenty-five  years,  and  he  wag  for 
thirty-two  years  on  the  police  force. 

Hugh  Connor  was  a  member  of  the  Marine 
Corps.  He  sailed  for  Vera  Cruz  in  the  "Mon- 
terey," and  was  in  the  rear  of  Scott's  army. 
Mr.  Connor  is  seventy-one  years  old  and  has 
retired  from  business. 

T.  W.  Barnum,  of  118  Prospect  place, 
served  in  Company  A,  Captain  R.  R.  Mace, 
First  Regiment  Louigiana  Volunteers,  under 
the  command  of  Colonel  L.  G.  DeRuse,  of 
New  Orleans. 


GLEANINGS  FROM  EARLY  HISTO- 
RIANS. 

Thompson's  account  of  kings  county. 

For  purposes  of  comparison,  and  showing 
the  wonderful  advance  made  by  Kings  county 
in  little  over  half  a-  century,  we  reprint  the 
entire  story  of  the  county  and  its  towns  given 
in  Thompson's  "History  of  Long  Island,"  first 
edition,  1839: 

Town  of  Bushwick. 

This  town  is  situated  in  the  northeast  ex- 
tremity of  Kings  county,  is  bounded  westerly 
by  the  East  river,  northerly  by  Maspeth  or 
Newtown  creek,  easterly  by  Newtown  and 
southerly  by  Brooklyn,  and  that  part  of  Flat- 
bush  called  New  Lots.  Its  area  is  3,860  acres, 
of  which  a  greater  portion  is  under  cultiva- 
tion; its  proximity  to  the  cities  of  Brooklyn 
and  New  York  rendering  it  valuable  in  a  high 
degree.  The  precise  period  of  its  settlement 
is  not  satisfactorily  ascertained,  but  is  be- 
lieved to  have  been  some  years  later  than 
Brooklyn  and  the  more  southern  towns.  It 
was  commenced  by  the  Dutch,  who  were 
joined,  many  years  after^  by  a  number  of 
Huguenot  families,  whose  descendants  are  nu- 
merous and  respectable  in  this  and  the  neigh- 
boring towns.  The  name  is  of  Dutch  origin, 
indicating  that  the  territory  was  remarkable 


708 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


for  the  woods  which  covered  its  surface  in 
early  times.  There  are  some  families  here 
who  can  trace  their  ancestry  back  nearly  two 
hundred  years,  and  as  possessing  at  that  period 
the  identical  lands  now  in  the  occupation  of 
their  descendants.  The  increase  in  popula- 
tion in  this  part  of  the  country  was  so  small 
as  not  to  acquire  its  municipal  character  be- 
fore the  year  1648,  at  which  time  application 
was  made  to  the  governor  for  a  patent  or 
ground-brief.  One  was  accordingly  issued, 
under  which  the  inhabitants  remained  till 
the  conquest  of  New  Netherlands  in  1664. 
The  government  having  now  fallen  into  other 
hands  and  many  considerable  defects  existing 
in  the  charter  granted  by  Governor  Stuy- 
vesant,  the  people  of  Bushwick,  in  1666,  at  a 
town  meeting  assembled  for  the  purpose,  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  wait .  upon  Governor 
Nicolls,  "to  solicit  him  for  a  new  patent,  and  to 
request  that  therein  the  boundaries  of  their 
plantation  might  be  more  expressly  defined 
and  set  forth." 

This  patent  was  obtained  on  the  25th  of  Oc- 
tober, 1667,  wherein,  among  other  things,  the 
limits  and  bounds  of  the  town  are  set  forth  in 
the  words  following: 

"Bounded  with  the  mouth  of  a  certain 
creeke  or  kill,  called  Maspeth-Kill,  right  over 
against  Dominie-Hook,  soe  their  bounds  goe 
to  David  Jocham's  Hook ;  then  stretching  upon 
a  south-east  line  along  the  said  Kill,  they  come 
to  Smith's  Island,  including  the  same,  together 
with  all  the  meadow-ground  or  valley  there- 
unto belonging;  and  continuing  the  same 
course,  they  pass  along  by  the  ffence  at  the 
wood-side,  soe  to  Thomas  Wandall's  meadow, 
from  whence,  stretching  upon  a  south-east  by 
south  line,  along  the  woodland  to  the  Kills, 
taking  in  the  meadow  or  valley  there ;  then 
pass  along  near  upon  a  south-east  by  south 
line  six  hundred  rod  into  the  woods ;  then  run- 
ning behind  the  lots  as  the  woodland  lyes, 
south-west  by  south ;  and  out  of  the  said  woods 
they  goe  again  north-west,  to  a  certain  small 
swamp ;  from  thence  they  run  behind  the  New 
Lotts,  to  John,  the  Sweede's-meadow ;  then 
over  the  Norman's-Kill,  to  the  west  end  of 
his  old  house,  from  whence  they  goe  alongst 
the  river,  till  you  come  to  the  mouth  of  Mas- 
peth-Kill and  David  Jocham's  Hook,  whence 
they  first  began." 

From  the  organization  of  the  town  till  the 
year  1690,  it  was  for  certain  civil  purposes  as- 
sociated with  the  other  towns  in  the  county, 
except  Gravesend,  constituting  a  separate  dis- 


trict under  the  appellation  of  the  "Five  Dutch- 
Towns  ;"  and  for  which  a  secretary  or  register- 
was  specially  commissioned  by  the  governor, 
whose  duty  it  was  to  take  the  proof  of  wills, 
of  marriage  settlements,  also  the  acknowledg- 
ment of  "Transcripts,"  or  conveyances,  and 
many  of  the  more  important  contracts  and 
agreements ;  all  of  which  were  required  to  be 
recorded.  This  office  was,  in  1674,  held  by 
Nicasius  de  Sille,  who  had  once  held  the  office 
of  attorney-general  under  the  administration 
of  Stuyvesant.  These  five  towns  likewise 
formed  but  one  ecclesiastical  congregation,  and 
joined;  in  the  support  of  their  ministers  in 
common.  The  inhabitants,  with  few  excep- 
tions, professed  the  doctrines  promulgated  at 
the  synod  of  Dort  in  1618,  most  of  whose  reso- 
lutions are  still  adhered  to  in  the  Reformed 
Dutch  churches.  These  churches  were  at  that 
period,  and  for  a  long  time  after,  governed 
by  the  classis  of  Amsterdam,  and  so  contin- 
ued till  about  the  year  1772,  when  the  Ameri- 
can churches  repudiated  any  dependence  upon 
the  mother  church,  and  established  classes  and 
synods  of  their  own,  on  the  model  of  the- 
church  of  Holland.  In  the  year  1662,  accord- 
ing" to  one  authority,  the  dwellings  in  this  town 
did  not  exceed  twenty-five,  and  were  located  on 
the  site  of  the  village  of  Bushwick,  which, 
with  the  Octagon  church,  built  in  1720,  were 
enclosed  by  palisades,  as  most  of  the  other 
settlements  were.  In  the  minutes  of  the  court 
of  sessions  is  the  following  entry : 

"At  a  Court  of  Sessions,  held  at  Flatbush 
for  Kings  County,  May  10,  1699.    Uppon  the- 
desire  of  the  inhabitants   of   Breucklyn,   that 
according  to  use  and  order  every  three  yeare- 
the  limmitts  betweene  towne  and  towne  must 
be  runn,  that  a  warrant  or  order  may  be  given, 
that  upon  the  17th  day  off  May,  the  line  and 
bounds  betwixt  said  towns  of  Breucklyn  and 
Boswyck  shall  be  run  according  to  their  pat- 
tents  or  agrements.     Ordered,  That  an  order - 
should  be  past  according  to  theire  request." 

The  population  of  this  town  was  very  in- 
considerable at  the  time  of  the  Revolution  com- 
pared with  other  parts  of  the  county ;  yet  they  ■ 
suffered  greatly  from  the  depredations  of  the 
enemy.  They  were  particularly  exposed  to  the 
invaders,  who  made,  of  course,  an  indiscrim- 
inate destruction  of  whatever  their  caprice  or 
revenge  dictated.  The  nearness  of  its  forests 
to  the  garrison  and  barracks  of  New  York 
and  Brooklyn  led  to  the  entire  waste  of  the 
valuable  timber  which  abounded  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  contest.     On  the  return  of" 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


769 


the  owners  to  their  homes  at  the  close  of  the 
war,  they  found  not  only  the  woods  and  fences 
destroyed,  but  their  dwellings,  in  many  in- 
stances, greatly  deteriorated  in  value. 

On  the  I2th  of  May,  1664,  the  magistrates 
of  this  town  sentenced  one  John  Van  Lyden, 
convicted  of  publishing  a  libel,  to  be  fastened 
to  a  stake,  with  a  bridle  in  his  mouth,  eight 
rods  under  his  arm,  and  a  label  on  his  breast 
with  the  words,  "writer  of  lampoons,  false 
accuser,  and  defamer  of  magistrates,"  upon  it, 
and  then  to  be  banished  from  the  colony.  An 
instance  also  occurred,  of  a  clergyman,  who 
had  improperly  married  a  couple,  being  sen- 
tenced to  "flogging  and  banishment,"  but 
which,  on  account  of  the  advanced  age  of  the 
delinquent,  was  mitigated  by  the  governor  to 
banishment  only.  Another  person,  convicted 
of  theft,  was  compelled  to  stand  for  the  space 
of  three  hours  under  a  gallows,  with  a  rope 
around  his  neck  and  an  empty  scabbard  in  his 
hands.  In  1664  permission  was  given  by  the 
town  to  Abraham  Janson  to  erect  a  mill  on 
Alaspeth  Kill,  which  was  probably  the  first 
water-mill  built  within  the  town,  and  for 
grinding  of  the  town's  grain  he  was  to  receive 
the  "customary  duties."  November  12,  1695, 
the  court  of  sessions  of  Kings  county  made 
an  order  "That  Mad  James  should  be  kept  at 
the  expense  of  the  county,  and  that  the  deacons 
of  each  towne  within  the  same  doe  forthwith 
meet  together,  and  consider  about  their  proper- 
cons  for  maintainence  of  said  James." 

The  village  of  Williamsburgh  is  not  only 
the  principal  settlement,  but  contains  within  its 
corporate  limits  more  than  two-thirds  of  the 
whole  population  of  the  town.  This  flourish- 
ing village  was,  till  within  a  few  years,  an  in- 
considerable place,  although  it  was  com- 
menced, by  a  few  spirited  individuals,  nearly 
thirty  years  ago,  by  erecting  a  few  houses  and 
establishing  a  ferry  between  it  and  the  foot 
of  Grand  street.  At  this  period  the  houses 
on  the  New  York  side,  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
ferry,  were  scattering;  and  where  extensive 
blocks  of  buildings  and  a  large  population  now 
exist,  was  then,  in  a  great  measure,  an  open 
field  of  broken  ground ;  and  a  general  want  of 
confidence  in  the  project  of  making  this  a 
place  of  business,  retarded  its  operations  and 
prevented  its  growth.  In  the  year  1817  a 
ferry-boat,  impelled  by  horse  power,  gave  a 
new  impulse  to  Williamsburgh,  and  it  began 
to  assume  an  importance  before  unknown. 
Still,  the  main  current  of  travel  was  by  way 
of  Brooklyn,  and  the  progress  of  improvement 

49 


here  was  slow  and  gradual.  At  that  time  the 
road  leading  to  the  ferry  was  the  principal 
thoroughfare  •  of  the  village,  and  where  there 
are  now  wide  and  handsome  streets  partially 
built  upon,  were  then  cultivated  fields,  or- 
chards, etc.  Such  was  the  state  of  things,  in 
a  great  degree,  when  the  first  act  of  incorpora- 
tion was  obtained,  April  14,  1827,  which 
proved,  in  fact,  a  new  and  important  era  in  the 
increase  and  prosperity  of  the  village.  The 
territory  embraced  in  the  act  is  as  follows : 
"Beginning  at  the  bay  or  river  opposite  the 
town  of  Brooklyn,  and  running  thence  easterly 
along  the  division  line  between  the  towns  of 
Bushwick  and  Brooklyn  to  the  land  of  Abra- 
ham A.  Remsen ;  thence  northerly  by  the  same 
to  a  road  or  highway  at  a  place  called  Sweed's 
Fly ;  thence  by  the  said  highway  to  the  dwell- 
ing-house late  of  John  Vandervoort,  deceased  ; 
thence  in  a  straight  line  northerly,  to  a  small 
ditch  or  creek,  against  the  meadow  of  John 
Skillman;  thence  by  said  creek  to  Norman's 
Kill ;  thence  by  the  middle  or  center  of  Nor- 
man's Kill  to  the  East  river;  thence  by  the 
same  to  the  place  of  beginning."  The  first 
trustees  appointed  in  this  act  were  Noah 
Waterbury,  John  Miller,  Abraham  Meserole, 
Lewis  Sanf'ord  and  Thomas  T.  Morrill;  of 
whom  the  first  named,  a  well-known  and  spir- 
ited individual,  was  chosen  president.  The 
board,  under  the  extensive  and  liberal  pro- 
visions of  this  charter,  applied  themselves  im- 
mediately and  vigorously  to  the  laying  out  of 
streets  and  building  lots  as  the  basis  for  future 
improvements ;  and  everything  was  done  by 
them  which  the  state  of  things  at  that  time 
seemed  to  authorize  or  require.  Nevertheless 
the  increase  of  business  and  population  was 
not  equal  to  the  public  expectations  until  an- 
other portion  of  territory  was  included  in  the 
incorporated  part  of  the  village,  and  additional 
powers  conferred  upon  the  trustees  by  the 
act  of  April  18,  1835.  This  additional  legis- 
lative provision  vested  the  public  concerns  of 
the  village  in  the  hands  of  nine- trustees,  of 
which  new  board  Edmund  Frost  was  chosen 
president,  and  by  whose  zeal,  industry  and  per- 
severance much  has,  within  a  short  time,  been 
accomplished  for  the  increase  and  welfare  of 
the  place.  Such  has  been  the  progress  of  im- 
provement, that  the  ancient  village  of  Bush- 
wick can  scarcely  be  identified,  having  become 
amalgamated  with  the  village  of  Williams- 
burgh. Indeed,  it  now  seems  both  a  matter 
of  surprise  and  deep  regret  that  public  atten- 
tion should  not  have  been  soone'r  and  more 


770 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


efficiently  attracted  towards  a  place  possessing 
so  many  and  superior  natural  advantages  for 
the  successful  prosecution  of  every  species  of 
manufacture  and  commerce,  and  for  the  erec- 
tion of  pleasant  and  convenient  private  resi- 
dences.    Situated  opposite  the  very  heart  of 
the  city  of  New  York,  it  has  a  bold  water 
front  upon  the  East  river  of  a  mile  and  a  half, 
with  a  sufficient  depth  for  all  commercial  pur- 
poses, and  has  this  advantage  over  Brooklyn, 
that  its  entire  shore  is  under  the  control  of  its 
own  local  authorities.    There  has  already  been 
'Constructed,  under  the  act  of  the  22d  of  April, 
1835,  and  the  statutes  before  mentioned,  sev- 
■eral  large  and  substantial  wharves  and  docks, 
■affording  safe  and  convenient  mooring  for  ves- 
sels, even  of  the  largest  class.    Its  ferry  is,  by 
two  or  three,  miles,  the  nearest  approximation 
to  the  upper  parts  of  the  city  from  the  eastern 
towns,  and  is  connected  with  the  upper  and 
lower  parts  of  the  city  by  double  lines  of  steam 
ferry  boats  of  the  best  kind,  and  remarkable 
for   their   accommodations   and    speed.       The 
ferry  to  Peck  Slip  may  be  said  to  unite  the 
village  with  the  Fulton  and  Catharine  mar- 
kets, while  another  is  in  contemplation  to  the 
foot  of  Houston  street,  leading  to  the  upper 
wards  and  Harlaem.  Williamsburg  now  con- 
tains   seventy-three   streets    permanently    laid 
out,  of  which  twenty-seven  have  been  opened 
.and  regulated,  including  one  McAdamized  and 
seven  paved  streets.    The  number  of  dwellings 
is  five  hundred  and  eighty,  and  the  inhabitants 
about  three  thousand  and  five  hundred.   There 
are  one  Dutch  Reformed  and  two  Methodist 
churches,   ten   fire  companies,   one  hook  and 
ladder  company,  two  distilleries,  which   con- 
sume annually  more  than  two  hundred  thou- 
sand bushels  of  grain,  one  steam  spice  mill,  five 
rope-walks,  an  extensive  glue  factory,  two  hat 
manufactories,  one  iron  foundry,  two  lumber 
yards,  two  lime  and  brick  yards,  one  coal  yard, 
six  hotels,  one  drug  store  and  a  due  propor- 
tion  of  other  mechanics   and  tradesmen.     A 
considerable  number  of  elegant  dwellings  have 
lately  been  erected  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
village,  owned  and  occupied  by  persons  doing 
business  in  New  York.     Many  other  induce- 
ments exist,  besides  an  easy  and  speedy  com- 
munication with  the  city,  that  will  insure  a 
rapid  influx  of  inhabitants,  and  an  expansion 
of   business   in    every   department.     The   im- 
provements in  contemplation,  and  partially  in 
progress,  along  the  shore  south  of  the  present 
ferries,  will  in  time  unite  with  those  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  na\y  yard  at  Brooklyn,  and  in 


half  a  century  perhaps  form  a  continuous  city 
from  the  mouth  of  NewtoviT  creek  to  Red- 
Hook,  a  distance  of  four  miles. 

Town  of  Gravesend. 

This  town  occupies  the  most  southerly  part 
of  Kings  County,  including  also  Coney  Island, 
which  is  washed  by  the  Atlantic  ocean.     It  is 
centrally  distant  from  New  York  city  about 
ten  miles ;  bounded  east  by  Flatlands,  south  by 
the  sea,  and  west  by  New  Utrecht,  of  a  tri- 
angular shape,  with  its  base  upon  the  ocean 
and  terminating  northerly  in  a  point  adjoin- 
ing Flatbush.     Much  of  the  territory  consists 
of  salt  marsh,  not  more  than   one-third   be- 
ing returned  as   improved  land ;   the   surface 
generally  level,  but  near  the  seashore  are  some 
ridges  of  sand-hills.     This  town,  unlike  the 
rest  of  the   county,   was   settled   by  English 
people,  mostly  from  Massachusetts,  as  early  as 
1640,   who   gave  it  the,  name   of   Gravesend, 
they  having  sailed  from  a  place  of  that  name 
in  England  on  their  departure  for  America. 
They  were  joined  soon  after  by  a  small  colony 
of   English    Quakers,   accompanied   by   Lady 
Deborah  Moody,  a  woman  of  rank,  education 
and  wealth,  who,  with  several  others  residing 
at  Lynn,  Sandwich,  and  other  towns  in  New 
England,  had  imbibed  the  religious  sentiments 
of  George  Fox,  and  being  objects  of  jealousy 
and  persecution  with  the  Puritans  there,  de- 
termined to  settle  elsewhere.     Considering  the 
situation  of  this  town  calculated  for  the  site 
of  a  commercial  village,   they   proceeded  al- 
most  immediately   to   lay   out   ten    acres    of 
ground  near  the  center  into  streets  and  scjuares, 
which  they  enclosed  with  a  palisado  defense. 
The  plan  of  the  village  is  still  preserved  in 
the  clerk's  office  of  the  town,  and  is  worthy 
admiration  for  its  simplicity  and  beauty.     It 
seems  the  project  was  soon  after  abandoned 
on   discovering  the   insufficient   depth  of  the 
water  for  the  approach  of  large  vessels.    One 
of  the   original   squares   of  the   contemplated, 
city  was  occupied  by  the  court  house  of  the 
county  so  long  as  the  courts  continued  to  be 
held  here;  another  contained  the  first  Dutch 
church,  and  a  third  has  long  been  used  for  a 
public  cemetery.    On  the  same  plot  are  a  con- 
siderable number  of  graves  of  the  first  Quak- 
ers, the  whole  of  which  have  been  levelled  by 
the  plow,  except  that  of  Peter  Sullivan  and 
his  wife,  at  the  head  of  which  is  a  large  gran- 
ite slab,  containing  only  the  names  of  the  de- 
ceased.    As  this  particular  sect  make  no  use 
of  .such  memorials,  it  was  probably  placed  here 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


771 


by   some   friend   or   relative   who   was   not   a 
■Quaker.  ; 

The  first  patent  or  ground-brief  was  grant- 
ed by  Governor  Kieft  in  1643  to  Antonie  Jan- 
sen  Van  Sale  (or  Anthony  Johnson)  for  one 
hundred  morgen  of  land,  which  was  after-  • 
wards  known  as  the  Old  Bowery.  A  morgen 
was  a  Dutch  measure  of  little  less  than  two 
acres,  consisting  of  six  hundred  square  Dutch 
rods.  On  the  24th  of  May,  1644,  a  patent  was 
also  granted  to  Guisbert  Op-Dyck  for  Coney 
Island,  called  in  the  patent  Gunny  Island,  and 
by  the  Dutch  Conynen-Eylandt,  probably  from 
the  name  of  an  individual  who  had  possessed 
some  part  of  it.  Pine  Island,  then  called 
•Con3-ne-Hook,  was  at  that  time  separated  from 
the  former  by  a  creek,  which  has  since  disap- 
peared. The  latter  was  doubtless  the  spot  upon 
which  the  discoverer  of  the  Hudson  and  his 
■crew  landed  in  1609  before  entering  the  bay 
of  New  York.  A  general  patent  for  this  town, 
written  both  in  Dutch  and  English,  was  ob- 
tained from  Governor  William  Kieft  on  the 
19th  of  December,  1645.  The  patentees  named 
therein  are  the  Lady  Deborah  Moody,  Sir 
Henry  Moody,  Baonet,  Ensign  George  Baxter 
and  Sergeant  James  Hubbard,  with  their  as- 
sociates ;  and  is  for  "A  certain  quantity  of  land 
lying  or  being  upon  or  about  the  westernmost 
part  of  Long  Island,  beginning  at  the  north 
of  a  creek  adjacent  to  Conyne-Island,  and 
bounded  on  the  west  part  thereof  with  the 
lands  belonging  to  Anthony  Johnson  and  Rob- 
•ert  Pennoyre ;  and  to  run  as  far  as  the  western- 
most part  of  a  certain  pond  in  an  old  Indian 
field  on  the  north  side  of  the  plantation  of  the 
said  Robert  Pennoyre;  and  from  thence  to 
run  directly  east  as  far  as  a  valley,  being  at 
the  head  of  a  fly  or  marsh  sometime  belong- 
ing to  the  land  of  Hugh  Garrtetson ;  and  being 
bounded  on  the  south  with  the  main  Ocean, 
with  liberty  to  put  what  cattle  they  shall  see 
fitting  to  feed  or  graze  upon  the  aforesaid 
Conyne-Island,  and  with  liberty  to  build  a  town 
with  such  necessary  fortifications  as  to  them 
shall  seem  expedient;  and  to  have  and  enjoy 
the  free  liberty  of  conscience  according  to  the 
customs  and  manners  of  Holland  without  mo- 
lestation, and  to  establish  courts,  and  elect 
magistrates,  to  try  all  causes  not  exceeding 
fifty  Holland  guilders." 

The  circumstance  of  this  patent  being 
granted  to  a  female,  and  her  being  also  first 
named  is  a  matter  of  some  curiosity;  and,  in 
connection  with  events  hereinafter  mentioned, 
exhibits  the    Lady    Moody  in  a  conspicuous 


light.  She  being  a  considerable  personage  in 
the  early  history  of  the  town,  it  is  important  to 
ascertain,  as  far  as  possible,  the  particulars 
of  her  history.  We  find  it  mentioned  in  the 
very  interesting  publication  by  Mr.  Alonzo 
Lewis,  entitled  "History  of  Lynn,"  that  the 
Lady  Deborah  Moody  came  to  that  town  in 
the  year  1640.  That  in  1635  she  .went  from 
one  of  the  remote  counties  in  England  to  Lon- 
don, where  she  remained  in  opposition  to  a 
statute  which  directed  that  no  person  should 
reside  beyond  a  limited  time  from  their  own 
homes.  On  the  21st  of  April  of  that  year,  the 
court  of  Star-chamber  ordered  that  "Dame 
Deborah  Mowdie"  and  others,  should  return 
to  their  hereditaments  in  forty  days,  in  the 
good  example  necessary  for  the  poorer  class. 
That  soon  after  her  arrival  at  Lynn,  on  the 
5th  of  April,  1640,  she  united  with  the  church 
of  Salem;  and  on  the  13th  of  May  the  court 
granted  her  four  hundred  acres  of  land.  In 
1641,  she  purchased  the  farm  of  the  deputy 
governor,  John  Humfrey,  called  Swamscut,  for 
which  she  paid  ii,ioo.  That  some  time  after- 
wards she  became  imbued  with  the  erroneous 
doctrine  that  the  baptism  of  infants  was  a  sin- 
ful ordinance,  and  was  thereupon  excommuni- 
cated, and  that  in  1643  she  removed  to  Long 
Island.  Governor  Winthrop,  in  his  journal, 
says,  that  "in  1643  Lady  Moody  was  in  the 
colony  of  Massachusetts,  a  wise  and  anciently 
religious  woman ;  and  being  taken  with  the 
error  of  denying  baptism  to  infants,  was  dealt 
withal  by  many  of  the  elders  and  others,  and 
admonished  by  the  church  of  Salem,  whereof 
she  was  a  member ;  but  persisting  still,  and  to 
avoid  further  trouble,  etc.,  she  removed  to 
the  Dutch,  against  the  advice  of  her  friends." 
"After  her  arrival  at  Long  Island  (says  j\Ir. 
Lewis),  she  experienced  much  trouble  from 
the  Indians,  her  house  being  assaulted  by  them 
many  times.  Her  wealth  enabled  her  to  render 
assistance  to  Governor  Stuyvesant  in  some 
trouble  with  the  neighboring  settlers  in  1654, 
and  so  great  was  her  influence  over  him  that 
he  conceded  in  part  the  nomination  of  the 
magistrates  to  her.  .In  the  quarterly  court 
records  her  son  is  styled  Sir  Henry  Moody." 
"At  the  same  court,  December  14,  1642,  the 
Lady  Deborah  Moodie,  Mrs.  King  and  the 
wife  of  John  Tilton  were  presented,  for  hold- 
ing that  the  baptism  of  infants  is  no  ordinance 
of  God."  From  these  historical  relations  we 
learn  the  reason  why  the  Lady  Moody,  her  son 
Sir  Henry  Moody,  Ensign  Baxter,  Sergeant 
Hubbard,  John  Tilton  and  many  others  of  her 


772 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


associates  and  friends,  left  New  England  and 
planted  themselves  at  Gravesend,  where  they 
hoped  to  enjoy  the  most  perfect  freedom  of 
opinion,  unawed  by  the  civil  power,  and  be  al- 
lowed unmolested  to  propagate  those  religious 
principles  which  to  them  seemed  most  agree-  ' 
able  to  their  principles  of  reason  and  justice. 
All  .this,  it  would  seem,  was  intended  to  be  se- 
cured by  the  patent  above  mentioned  ;  how  far 
it  was  realized  under  the  governor's  successor 
will  appear  hereafter,  when  we  view  the  perse- 
cutions practiced  upon  the  Quakers  of  this  and 
other  towns  under  the  Dutch  jurisdiction. 
Lady  Moody  probably  retained  a  portion  of 
her  large  real  estate  in  New  England,  for  Gov- 
ernor Winthrop  says  that  in  1646  the  house  of 
Lady  Moody  at  Salem  was  injured  by  a 
tempest,  the  roof  being  torn  off;  which  fact 
he  likewise  mentions  in  a  letter  to  his  son 
John,  then  living  at  Fisher's  Island.  A  re- 
lease -or  conveyance  from  the  Canarsee  Indians 
was  obtained  for  Gravesend-Neck  and  Conyne 
Island,  on  the  7th  of  May,  1654.  Other  con- 
veyances in  different  parts  of  the  town  were 
procured  at  different  times,  both  by  the  town 
and  by  individuals,  which  in  the  end  occa- 
sioned no  small  difficulty,  in  consequence  of 
the  clashing  of  boundaries,  the  description  of 
which,  in  deeds,  were  frequently  inconsistent 
and  obscure. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1643,  a  soldier  was 
convicted  before  the  court  of  sessions  at 
Gravesend  of  having  left  his  station  while  on 
guard,  and  was.  punished  by  being  compelled 
to  sit  upon  a  wooden  horse  during  the  parade, 
with  a  pitcher  in  one  hand  and  a  drawn  sword 
in  the  other ;  to  show  that  he  loved  beer  more 
than  his  duty,  and  that  his  courage  was  always 
to  be  determined  by  the  quantity  consumed. 
"At  a  town  meeting,  September  27,  1644,  it  was 
voted  that  those  as  should  have  Boweries 
(farms),  should  have  fifty  morgen  of  upland, 
with  meadow  proportionable  to  their  stock ; 
and  it  was  further  ordered,  that  if  any  did  not 
build  a  habitable  house  by  the  last  of  May 
next,  should  be  defaulted  and  forfeit  their  land 
to  the  town."  The  records  of  this  town,  which 
were  kept  uniformly  in  the  English  language, 
are  still  preserved  almost  entire.  They  com- 
mence with  the  year  1645,  and  for  a  series 
of  years  are  chiefly  occupied  with  records  of 
wills,  inventories,  letters  of  administration  and 
a  variety  of  private  contracts,  bargains,  sales, 
etc.  In  January,  1648,  the  town  elected  Ser- 
geant James  Hubbard,  a  man  of  respectability 
and  influence,  to  execute  the  office  of  scout 


or  constable,  which  was  considered  of  much 
importance.  On  the  14th  of  April,  1649,  John 
Furman  agreed  with  the  town  to  keep  their 
calves  three  months  for  twenty  guilders  a 
month,  to  be  paid  in  money,  tobacco  or  corn, 
and  some  bitters,  if  desired.  In  March,  1650, 
it  was  recjuired  of  every  owner  of  a  lot  of 
ground  to  pay  one  guilder  toward  the  common 
charges  of  the  town,  to  be  collected  and  paid 
by  Mr.  Stillwell  and  Joseph  Tilton.  In  De- 
cember of  the  same  year  it  was  ordered  that 
every  man  should  fence  the  head  of  his  lot 
upon  the  town  square,  with  a  sufficiency  of 
palisades,  by  the  middle  of  April  next.  With- 
in this  palisade  enclosure,  which  included  the 
original  town-plot  of  ten  acres,  the  inhabitants 
secured  their  cattle  during  the  night,  and  them- 
selves also,  when  apprehensive  of  danger  from 
the  natives,  in  which  case  an  armed  guard  was 
employed.  That  wolves  were  both  plentiful 
ancl"  mischievous  at  that  time,  appears  from 
the  fact,  that  on  the  8th  of  August,  1650,  three 
guilders  were  offered  for  each  wolf  killed  in 
the  town,  and  two  guilders  for  a  fox.  It  was 
ordered  also  that  every  man  be  provided  with 
a  gun,  a  pound  of  powder,  and  two  pounds  of 
lead  or  bullets.  Every  owner  of  a  house  was 
likewise  required  to  provide  himself  a  ladder 
of  twenty  feet  or  more  in  length.  It  was  also 
voted  and  agreed  in  town  meeting,  that  who- 
ever should  transgress,  in  word  or  deed,  in 
defaming,  scandalizing,  slandering  or  falsely 
accusing  any,  to  the  breach  of  the  peace  and 
the  reproach  of  the  place,  should  suffer  condign 
punishment  according  to  his  demerit,  as  should 
be  thought  meet  by  the  magistrates,  by  fine, 
imprisonment,  stocking  or  standing  at  a  public 
post. 

In  the  year  1650  the  following  persons  are 
ascertained  to  have  been  inhabitants  and  free- 
holders of  the  town: 

William  Goulding,  Jacob  Swart,  Walter 
Wall,  Charles  Morgan,  Peter  Simson,  John 
Cock,  John  Laus,  Lawrence  Johnson,  John 
Broughman,  William  Wilkins,  John  Tilton, 
John  Van  Cleef,  Thomas  Spicer,  Ralph  Car- 
dell,  James  Grover,  Carson  Johnson,  Thomas 
Baxter,  William  Bowne,  Thomas  Whitlock, 
Richard  Gibson,  Richard  Stout,  James  Hub- 
bard, William  Nicolls,  Edward  Brown,  John 
Thomas,  Lady  Deborah  Moody,  Elizabeth 
Applegate,  John  Bowne,  John  Peters,  John 
Applegate,  Lyman  Law,  Thomas  Morrell, 
James  Curlear. 

In  1654  Governor  Stuyvesant  rejected  cer- 
tain persons  who  had  been  nominated  by  the 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS; 


773 


town  for  magistrates,  and  submitted  for  his 
approbation ;  these  were  Baxter  and  Hubbard, 
who  had  rendered  themselves  obnoxious  to  his 
displeasure  by  their  fidelity  to  the  people  and 
their  opposition  to  the  arbitrary  measures  of 
his  administration.  This  produced  great  of- 
fence, and  the  popular  indignation  rose  to  so 
high  a  pitch,  that  his  excellency  found  it  ex- 
pedient to  go  in  person  to  Gravesend.  In  order 
to  allay  the  general  excitement,  he  was  induced 
to  avail  himself  of  the  popularity  and  influence 
of  the  Lady  Moody,  and  even  committed  the 
appointment  of  the  magistrates  to  her  discre- 
tion. Whether  this  remarkable  woman  con- 
tinued here  till  her  death,  or  returned  again  to 
New  England,  is  not  certainly  known.  It  is 
supposed  that  while  she  remained  here,  she 
occupied  the  farm  of  the  late  Van  Brunt  Ma- 
gaw,  now  owned  by  Samuel  Smith,  Esq.,  and 
"one  of  the  best  in  the  county.  It  appears  that 
the  neighboring  Indians  were  sometimes 
troublesome  -to  the  white  settlers,  and  on  one 
occasion  a  considerable  body  of  Indians  from 
the  Main  attacked  the  place,  assaulting  the 
house  of  the  Lady  Moody,  and  would  have 
destroyed  her  and  her  family  (as  they  did 
Lady  Ann  Hutchinson  and  her  party  a  short 
time  before  at  Throg's  Point),  had  they  not 
been  overpowered  by  the  number  and  courage 
of  the  inhabitants.  Upon  the  Dutch  records 
in  the  office  of  the  secretary  of  state  is  the 
following  entry,  bearing  date  March  25,  1643 : 

"Whereas,  in  some  time  past,  several  mis- 
understandings have  taken  place  between  the 
savages  of  Long  Island  and  our  nation,  bv 
which,  from  both  sides,  the  blood  has  streamed 
upon  the  land,  the  houses  have  been  robbed 
and  burned,  with  the  killing  of  the  stock  and 
carrying  off  the  corn  by  the  Indians,  so  it  is, 
that  between  us  and  them,  who  alreadv  follow 
the  banner  of  their  great  chief,  Pennowits,  a 
solid  peace  has  been  established,  so  that  all 
injuries,  from  whatever  side,  are  hereby  for- 
given and  forgotten." 

A  confirmation  patent  for  this  town  was 
obtained  from  Governor  Nicolls  on  the  13th 
of  August,  1668,  in  which  the  boundaries  do 
not  vary  from  those  described  in  the  patent  of 
Governor  Kieft  in  1644.  An  additional  patent 
was  issued  on  the  ist  of  July,  1670,  by  Gov- 
ernor Francis  Lovelace,  which,  after  reciting 
the  most  material  parts  of  the  original  Dutch 
patent,  and  the  bounds  therein  mentioned,  pro- 
ceeds as  follows : 

"Know  ye,  that  by  virtue  of  the  commission 
and   authority   unto  me   given   by   his   Royal 


Highness,  I  have  ratified,  confirmed,  and 
granted,  and  by  these  presents  do  ratify,  con- 
firm and  grant  unto  Thomas  Delavall,  Esq., 
Mr.  James  Hubbard,  Ralph  Cardell,  William 
Bowne,  John  Tilton,  William  Goulding,  and 
Samuel  Spicer,  as  patentees,  for  and  on  behalf 
of  themselves  and  their  associates  the  free- 
holders and  inhabitants  of  the  said  town,  their 
heirs,  successors,  and  assigns,  all  the  fore- 
mentioned  quantity,  tract,  and  parcel  of  land, 
together  with  the  inheritance  of  all  Coney 
Island  (reserving  only  the  privilege  of  erect- 
ing huts  for  fishing  and  drying  of  nets  there 
upon  occasion  for  all  persons  who  shall  un- 
dertake that  design  for  the  public  good).  In- 
cluding all  the  land  within  a  line  stretching 
from  the  uttermost  part  of  the  said  Island, 
unto  the  southernmost  part  of  Antony  Jansen's 
Old  Bowry;  their  east  bounds  being  the 
Strome  Kill,  which  comes  to  the  marsh  or  Fly 
of  Mathew  Gerritsen's  land  aforementioned. 
As  also  the  meadow-ground  and  upland  not 
specified  in  their  former  patent;  concerning 
which  there  have  been  several  disputes  and 
differences  between  the  inhabitants  of  the  said 
town  and  their  neighbor,  Francis  Brown,  the 
which  in  part  were  issued  both  by  my  prede- 
cessors and  myself,  but  since  fully  concluded 
and  determined  between  them  by  articles  of 
agreement;  the  which  articles  I  do  hereby 
confirm  and  allow,  with  all  havens,  quarries, 
rivers,  &c.  Given  under  my  hand,  and  seal  of 
the  Province  at  Fort  James  in  New  York,  this 
first  day  of  July,  in  the  22d  year  of  his  Majes- 
ties Reign,  Anno  Domini,  1670. 

"Francis  Lovelace. 
"Mathias  Nicolls,  Sec." 

On  the  26th  of  March,  1777,  an  agree- 
ment was  entered  into  between  the  towns  of 
Gravesend  and  New  Utrecht  in  relation  to 
their  boundaries,  which  was  confirmed  in  the 
patent  granted  by  Governor  Dongan  on  the 
loth  of  September,  1686.  The  boundaries 
mentioned  in  this  instrument  are  as  follows: 

"Beginning  at  the  westernmost  part  of  a 
certain  place  called  Coney  Island,  and  from 
thence  to  the  westernmost  part  of  Anthony 
Jansen  and  Robert  Pennoyer's  land;  and  so 
from  thence  by  New  Utrecht  fence,  according 
to  agreement,  to  the  bounds  of  Flatbush,  and 
from  thence  along  John  Ditmas  his  land  unto 
the  bounds  of  Flatlands,  upon  a  line  agreed 
upon  between  Flatlands  and  Gravesend,  which 
from  John  Ditmas  his  land,  runs  to  a  certain 
bound  stake,  and  from  thence  to  a  white-oak 
tree  marked  and  standing  near  New  Utrecht 


774 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


wagon  path,  and  so  to  the  north-west  cornel" 
of  Albert,  the  weaver's  field,  and  so  going  to 
a  certain  marked  white-oak  tree  that-  stands 
by  the  highway  side  in  the  Hollow,  and  from 
thence  running  along  the  Hollow  to  the  head 
of  a  certain  creek  commonly  called  and  known 
by  the  name  of  Strome  Kill,  and  along  the 
said  creek  to  the  main  Ocean,  and  so  along 
the  sea-side  to  the  westernmost  part  of  Coney 
Island." 

The  patentees  in  this  instrument  are  James 
Hubbard,  John  Tilton,  Jr.,  William  Goulder, 
Nicholas  Stillwell,  and  Jocham  Guilock ;  and 
the  quit- rent  reserved  was  six  bushels  of  good 
winter  merchantable  wheat,  to  be  paid  on  the 
20th  day  of  March  annually,  for  his  Majesty's 
use,  at  the  city  of  New  York,'  forever. 

"At  a  court  of  sessions  held  at  Gravesend, 
June  21,  1676,  John  Cooke  and  John  Tilton, 
being  Quakers,  and  refusing  to  take  the  oath, 
were  ordered  to  give  their  engagement  to  Mr. 
Justice  Hubbard  to  perform  their  office  as 
overseers,  under  penalty  of  perjury."  "At  the 
same  court,  holden  Dec.  17,  1679.  Mr.  Jos. 
Lee,  deputy-sheriff,  presented  Ferdinandus 
Ya-Ti  Strickland  for  refusing  to  give  entertain- 
ment to  a  stranger  who  came  from  Hunting- 
ton about  business  at  this  court;  upon  which 
the  court  do  order,  that  if  said  Ferdinandus 
does  not  make  his  submission  to  the  sheriff 
and  the  justices  to-morrow,  that  he  be  dis- 
missed from  tapping."  It  is  believed  that 
many  of  the  Friends  who  settled  in  this  town 
removed  to  New  Jersey  at  or  about  the  time 
of  the  visit  of  George  Fox  to  Long  Island  in 
the  year  1672. 

Coney  Island,  on  the  sea-board,  is  a  place 
of  great  resort  for  strangers  in  the  summer 
season,  is  constantly  fanned  by  cool  sea  breezes 
and  affords  an  unlimited  view  of  the  ocean. 
It  is  separated  from  Long  Island  by  a  narrow 
creek  or  inlet,  over  which  a  handsome  bridge 
has  been  erected.  A  large  and  spacious  hotel 
is  established  here,  called  the  Ocean  House, 
and  hitherto  conducted  in  a  superior  manner. 
A  railroad  is  attached  to  the  establishment, 
with  cars  leaving  the  hotel  for  the  beach,  a 
distance  of  eighty  rods,  at  particular  intervals 
during  the  day.  The  bathing  at  this  place  is 
not  surpassed  by  any  in  the  United  States. 
The  beach  is  a  beautiful  white  sand.  The  isl- 
and is  about  five  miles  long  and  one  wide,  and 
is  entirely  of  alluvial  formation.  The  effect 
of  severe  ocean  storms  has  long  been  visible 
here,  and'  much  of  what  was  once  Coney  Island 
has  disappeared.  It  has  been  conjectured  by 
some  persons  that  Coney  Island  proper,  two 


hundred  years  ago,  lay  at  the  entrance  of 
Sandy  Hook,  and  separated  from  the  present 
Coney  Island  by  a  channel  of  considerable 
width,  which  is  supposed  to  haye  been  entirely 
demolished  by  a  storm  about  the  year  1715. 
It  is  well  ascertained  that  in  1643  there  was 
a  convenient  harbor  for  vessels  of  a  large  size, 
which  is  now  in  a  great  measure  filled  up. 
The  exposed  situation  of  this  island  subjects 
it  to  the  encroachments  of  the  sea,  and  to  be 
entirely  destroyed  at  some  future  period.  In 
the  terrible  gale  which  occurred  upon  the  coast 
on  the  26th  of  January,  1839,  the  whole  of  this 
island,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  sand-hills, 
was  completely  inundated  by  the  sea ;  the  base- 
ment story  of  the  Ocean  House  was  filled  with 
water;  the  bridge  was  carried  away,  several 
small  vessels  cast  upon  the  shore,  and  in  one 
instance  carried  to  a  considerable  distance  to- 
ward Flatlands. 

The  first  church  built  here  was  by  the 
Dutch  in  1655.  It  was  rebuilt  in  1770,  and 
stood  till  1833,  when  the  present  church  was 
erected.  It  is  located  in  the  village  of  Graves- 
end,  upon  one  of  the  original  squares  of  the 
town-plot  made  by  the  first  settlers,  and  near 
the  place  where  the  court-house  formerly 
stood.  Here  the  court  of  sessions  was  held 
till  the  Ridings  were  abolished  in  1685,  after 
which  it  was  removed  to  Flatbush.  All  the 
lands  in  this  town  were  laid  out  in  reference 
to  the  village  plan,  the  exterior  lines  of  most 
of  the  farms  converging  towards  this  center 
like  the  radii  of  a  circle.  The  soil  of  this 
town  is  light  and  sandy,  yet  it  is  generally 
well  cultivated,  and  the  surplus  produce  of 
the  farms'  is  supposed  to  exceed  forty  thou- 
sand bushels  of  different  kinds  of  grain  an- 
nually, which  is  a  permanent  mine  of  wealth 
and  independence  to  its  inhabitants,  their  num- 
ber being  seven  hundred. 

In  many  Dutch  patents  there  was  a  clause 
requiring  the  patentees  and  their  associates, 
after  the  expirationj  of  ten  years  from  the 
date  thereof,  to  pay,  by  way  of  quit-rent,  to 
the  governor,  or  his  agent  lawfully  authorized 
to  receive  the  same,  one-tenth  part  of  all  the 
produce  of  the  lands  cultivated  by  them ;  and 
as  difficulties  and  disputes  sometimes  occurred 
in  reference  thereto.  Governor  Stuyvesant  is- 
sued a  peremptory  order,  on  the  6th  of  June, 
1656,  prohibiting  the  inhabitants  of  Flatlands, 
Flatbush  and  Brooklyn  from  removing  their 
crops  of  grain  from  the  fields  until  the  tythes 
reserved  by  their  patents  had  either  been  taken 
or  commuted  for. 

The  following  is  a  true  copy  of  the  com- 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


775- 


mission  issued  by  the  governor  to  the  magis- 
trates of  the  several  Dutch  towns : 

"Fort  Amsterdam,  April  24,  1660. 
"Loving  Friendes. 

"Out  of  the  nomination  presented  unto  us 
we  have  maade  choice,  as  you  may  knowe  bee 
theese  presents  off  Tunis  Guisbert,  the  which 
wee  for  the  yeare  followinge  doe  confirme  and 
establish  ffor  magistraate  off  the  towne  called 
New-Amersforte,  requrringe  all  and  every  one 
whome  these  may  concerne  to  esteeme  them 
as  our  elected  and  confirmed  magestraate  ffor 
the  towne,  so  after  mee  respects,  I  rest,  your 
lovinge  ffiende  and  Governor. 

"P.  Stuyvesant." 

Form  of  a  commission  from  Lieut.  Gov- 
ernor Liesler. 

"By  the  Lieut.  Gov,  and  commander  in 
chieffe,  &c.  By  virtue  off  the  authoritie  unto 
mee,  I  doe  hereby  authorise  and  empower  you 
Jacobus  Van  De  Water  to  be  Chrk  and  Regis- 
ter ffor  Kings  County,  giving  you  ffull  power 
and  authoritie  to  acte  and  officiate  therein  as  a 
Clark  may  and  ought  to  doe,  and  this  com- 
mission to  continue  till  I  receive  further  or- 
ders from  his  Magesty  King  William.  Given 
under  my  hand  and  seal  20  off  Dec.  1689. 

"Jacob  Liesler." 

Tozvn  of  Flatlands. 

This  town,  called  by  the  Dutch  New 
Amersfort,  is  iDounded  northerly  by  Flatbush, 
southerly  by  Jamaica  Bay,  and  westerly  by 
Gravesend.  Barren  Island,  situated  upon  the 
west  side  of  Rockaway  Inlet,  and  at  the  mouth 
of  Jamaica  Bay,  is  attached  to  this  town,  and 
the  south  part  of  the  town  is  indented  by  nu- 
merous small  bays.  Along  the  shore  of  Ja- 
maica Bay  is  an  extensive  salt-marsh,  which 
yields  an  abundance  of  bay  of  an  inferior  qual- 
ity. With  the  exception  of  this  marsh,  there 
are  no  waste  lands,  the  whole  being  divided 
into  farms  well  cultivated  and  productive.  The 
settlement  was  commenced  in  1636,  contem- 
poraneously with  Gravesend,  and  one  of  the 
first  grants  for  land  was  that  for  Barren  Isl- 
and, which  was  at  that  time  a  great  deal  larger 
than  at  present,  and  was  also  covered  with 
cedar  and  other  timber.  The  woods  have  long 
since  disappeared  and  much  of  the  land  is 
composed  of  sand-hills,  affording  but  a  scanty 
subsistence  to  a  few  cattle.  Ex-Governor  Van 
Twiller  had  a  farm  in  this  town  at  the  time 
of  the  first  settlement,  and  called  Van  Twiller's 


Bowery  for  a  long  time  after.  The  village  of 
Flatlands  is  a  very  pretty  spot,  in  the  center 
of  which  is  the  Dutch  church,  originally  erect- 
ed in  1661,  and  has  since  been  twice  rebuilt. 

By  the  Duke's  laws,  passed  in  1665  in  re- 
lation to  public  officers,  it  was  declared  that 
the  "Overseers  shall  be  eight  in  number,  men 
of  good  fame  and  life,  chosen  by  the  plurality 
of  voyces  of  the  freeholders  in  each  town, 
whereof  foure  shall  remain  in  their  office  two 
years  successively  and  foure  shall  be  changed 
for  new  ones  every  yeare ;  which  election  shall 
preceed  the  election  of  constables,  in  point  of 
time,  in  regard  the.  constable  for  the  yeare  en- 
suing is  to  bee  chosen  out  of  that  number 
which  are  dismist  from  their  office  .of  Over- 
seer." The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  oath, 
administered  to  the  overseers  elect :  "Whereas 
you  are  chosen  and  appointed  an  Overseer  for 
the  towne  of  fflatlands,  you  doe  sweare  by  the 
Ever-Living  God,  that  you  will  ffaithfully  and 
diligently  discharge  the  trust  reposed  in  you, 
in  relation  to  the  publique  and  towne  affaires, 
accordinge  to  the  present  lawes  established, 
without  favoure,  affection,  or  partiality  to  any 
person  or  cause  which  shall  fall  under  your 
cognizance ;  and  at  times,  when  you  shall  bee 
required  by  your  superiors  to  attend  the  pri- 
vate differences  of  neighbors,  you  will  en- 
deavor to  reconcile  them :  and  in  all  causes 
conscientiously,  and  according  to  the  best  of 
your  judgment,  deliver  your  voyce  in  the 
towne  mieetings  of  constable  and  overseers.  So 
help  you  God."  It  was  the  duty  of  the  over- 
seers, together  with  the  constable,  to  hold 
Town  Courts,  for  the  trial  of  causes  under 
five  pounds.  They,  with  the  constables,  were 
frequently  to  admonish  the  inhabitants  "to 
instruct  their  children  and  servants  in  matters 
of  religion  and  the  lawes  of  the  country ;  to 
appoint  an  officer  to  record  every  man's  par- 
ticular rrtarke,  and  see  each  man's  horse  and 
colt  branded."  The  constable  and  two  over- 
seers were  to  pay  the  value  of  an  Indian  coat 
for  each  wolf  killed;  and  "cause  the  wolf's 
head  to  be  nayled  over  the  door  of  the  con- 
stable, there  to  remaine ;  as  also  to  cut  off  both 
the  ears,  in  token  that  the  head  is  brought  in 
and  payd  for." 

The  custom  of  putting  Dutch  inscriptions 
UDOn  tombstones,  which  was  the  general  prac- 
tice in  former  times,  was  continued  as  late  as 
1770,  and  some  may  be  seen  even  of  a  much 
later  date  in  many  of  the  burying-grounds  in 
this  county.  For  the  last  fifty  years  the  English 
language  has  been  generally  adopted  in  epi- 
taphs and  inscriptions.    Many  individuals,  and 


776 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


even  families,  employ  the  Dutch  language  in 
their  ordinary  intercourse  with  each  other  at 
this  day. 

An  extraordinary  interview  took  place  on 
the  2d  of  April,  1691,  between  the  Governor 
of  New  York  and  a  Sachem  of  Long  Island, 
attended  by  his  two  sons  and  twenty  other  In- 
dians. The  Sachem,  on  being  introduced,  con- 
gratulated Governor  Slaughter,  in  an  eloquent 
manner,  upon  his  arrival,  and  claimed  his 
friendship  and  protection  for  himself  and  his 
people ;  observing  also  that  hel  had,  in  his 
own  mind,  fancied  his  Excellency  as  a  mighty 
tall  tree,  with  wide,  spreading  branches,  and 
therefore  prayed  leave  to  stoop  under  the 
shadow  thereof.  Of  old  (said  he)  the  Indians 
were  a  great  and  mighty  people,  but  now  they 
are  reduced  to  a  mere  handful.  He  concluded 
his  visit  by  presenting  the  governor  with  thirty 
fathoms  of  wampum,  which  he  graciously  ac- 
cepted, and  ordered  the  Sachem  to  attend  him 
again  in  the  afternoon.  On  taking  leave,  the 
youngest  son  of  the  Sachem  handed  to  the 
ofificer  in  attendance  a  bundle  of  brooms,  say- 
ing at  the  same  time,  "that  as  Leisler  and  his 
party  had  left  the  house  very  foul,  he  had  been 
advised  to  bring  the  brooms  with  him  for  the 
purpose  of  making  it  clean  again."  In  the 
afternoon  the  Sachem  and  his  party  again  at- 
tended the  governor,  who  made  a  speech  to 
them,  and  on  receiving  a  few  presents,  they 
departed.  To  exhibit  the  relative  value  of 
some  kinds  of  property,  the  following  is  ex- 
tracted from  an  inventory  of  the  effects  of  a 
deceased  person,  which  was  taken  December 
16,  1719:  A  negro  wench  and  child,  valued 
at  £60 ;  while  five  milch  cows,  five  calves,  three 
young  bulls  and  two  heifers  were  valued  to- 
gether at  £20  only. 

From  the  New  York  Gazette  of  August  13, 
1781 :  "On  the  night  of  the  4th  inst..  the  crew 
of  a  rebel  whale-boat  from  New  Jersey  landed 
near  Flatlands  on  Long  Island,  and  robbed 
the  house  of  Colonel  Lott  of  about  six  hun- 
dred pounds,  and  carried  off  with  them  two  of 
his  slaves.  They  also  robbed  the  house  of  Cap- 
tain Lott  of  a  considerable  amount  of  specie." 

The  surface  of  this  town  is,  as  its  name 
indicates,  a  perfect  level ;  the  soil,  a  light  sandy 
loam,  warm  and  pleasant  to  till ;  and  from  the 
skill  and  industry  of  its  farming  population, 
yields  a  large  amount  over  and  above  the 
wants  of  the  inhabitants.  The  people,  gen- 
erally, are  conspicuous  for  habits  of  economy, 
and  modern  fashions  have  not  yet  extinguished 
their  love  of  simplicity  and  substantial  com- 


fort. The  character  of  the  inhabitants  is  tol- 
erably well  portrayed  by  the  traveler,  James 
Stewart,  when  he  says  that  "some  of  the  farm- 
ers of  Long  Island  are  wealthy,  but  are,  in 
general,  contented  to  live  comfortably  and  hos- 
pitably, with  all  the  ordinary  necessaries  and 
conveniences  of  life,  without  ostentation  or 
parade,  and  without  seeming  to  care  so  much, 
as  other  classes  of  people  in  this  country  do, 
about  money."  To  satisfy  any  doubts  that 
may  be  entertained  in  regard  to  the  prevalence 
of  good  order  and  morality  in  this  and  the  ad- 
joining towns,  the  compiler  considers  the  fol- 
lowing facts  as  affording  pretty  satisfactory 
evidence.  Elias  Hubbard,  Esq.,  a  respectable 
magistrate'  of  this  town,  states  that  he  has 
held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  therein 
for  more  than  twelve  years,  and  in  that  period 
transacted  most  of  the  judicial  business  for 
Flatlands,  Flatbush,  New  Utrecht  and  Graves- 
end,  and  during  the  whole  time  had  scarcely 
a  dozen  trials,  and  only  two  suits  in  which  a 
jury  was  demanded;  that  another  gentleman 
held  the  office  of  justice  in  the  town  of  Graves- 
end  for  eight  years,  who  had,  during  that 
period,  but  one  jury  trial,  and  even  in  that  one 
case  the  difference  was  compromised  by  the 
parties  -before  the  jury  had  delivered  their 
verdict  into  court.  Such  a  pacific  temper  is 
honorable  to  the  people,  and  creditable  to  the 
government  under  which  they  live. 

It  was  upon  Barren  Island  that  the  no- 
torious pirate,  Gibbs,  and  his  associates  in 
crime,  secreted  a  portion  of  the  money  which 
they  had  plundered  upon  the  high  seas,  part  of 
which  only  was  recovered.  The  names  of  the 
pirates  were  Charles  Gibbs,  Thomas  Wansley, 
Robert  Dawes  and  John  Brownrig,  the  last 
of  whom  saved  his  life  by  becoming  a  witness 
against  his  companions,  who  were  convicted 
and  executed  upon  Gibbet  Island  in  the  harbor 
of  New  York,  in  the  fall  of  1830. 

ToitJii  of  New  Utrecht. 

This  town  is  bounded  north  by  Brookhii 
and  Flatbush,  east  by  Gravesend,  and  west  and 
south  by  Gravesend  Bay  and  the  Narrows  op- 
posite Staten  Island.  It  was  settled  in  1654 
by  about  twenty  families  from  Holland,  and 
a  few  Palatines,  who  at  first  erected  a  block- 
house, as  well  for  security  against  the  natives 
as  from  the  hordes  of  wandering  savages, 
robbers  and  pirates,  which  at  that  time,  and  for 
several  years  after,  infested  the  country  and 
adjacent  coast  to  such  a  degree  that  the  inter- 
position of  the  government  became  necessary 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS- 


1 1 1 


for  the  more  complete  protection  of  the  inhab- 
itants, who,  from  their  position,  were  pecuHar- 
ly  exposed  to  their  predatory  excursions.  The 
population  of  this  part  of  the  country  increased 
in  a  very  moderate  degree  compared  with  other 
places  in  the  vicinity,  in  consequence  of  the 
constant  danger  apprehended  from  the  attacks 
of  enemies ;  and  the  first  steps  taken  to  organ- 
ize a  separate  community  was  in  1660,  when, 
on  application  to  the  governor,  he  appointed  a 
scout  or  constable  for  the  town,  together  with 
a  secretary  or  clerk,  and  an  assessor,  with 
power  to  make  a  division  among  the  inhabi.- 
tants  of  the  land  held  in  common ;  to  cause  the 
same  to  be  enclosed  and  cultivated;  to  lay  out 
a  street  or  highway  through  the  village;  to 
make  arrangements  for  the  erection  of  a  place 
of  defense,  with  a  mill  in  it,  and  a  well  by  it, 
at  the  common  charge  of  the  people ;  to  decide 
difference  among  individuals,  and  do  as  other 
subaltern  village  courts  were  accustomed  to 
do.  In  1662  a  patent  was  obtained  from  Gov- 
ernor Stuyvesant,  by  which  the  inhabitants 
were  not  only  confirmed  in  the  several  pur- 
chases and  divisions  of  land  already  made,  but 
were  vested  with  the  right  of  pre-emption  of 
all  the  iremaining  lands  not  included  in  the 
patents  previously  granted  to  the  adjoining 
towns.  By  this  patent  they  were  partially  in- 
corporated, with  power  to  build  a  town,  to 
elect  magistrates  subject  to  the  approval  of 
the  governor,  and  to  hold  town  courts  for  the 
trial  of  causes  not  exceeding  in  value  five 
pounds.  On  the  15th  of  August,  1666,  two 
years  after  the  conquest  of  New  York,  another 
patent  "or  grant  of  confirmation  was  issued  by 
Governor  Richard  Nicolls,  in  which  the  boun- 
daries of  the  town  are  described  as  follows : 

"All  that  tract  of  land,  together  with  the 
several  parcels  of  land  which  already  have 
been  or  hereafter  shall  be  purchased  or  pro- 
cured for  or  on  behalf  of  the  said  town, 
whether  from  the  native  Indian  proprietors  or 
others,  within  the  bounds  and  limits  herein- 
after set  forth  and  exprest ;  that  is  to  say,  the 
bounds  of  the  said  town  begins  from  Nayack- 
Point,  stretching  alongst  the  Bay  to  the  land 
belonging  to  ffrancis  Bruyin,  and  from  thence 
run  into  the  woods  along  the  said  ffrancis 
Bruyin's  land  to  the  land  heretofore  belonging 
to  Robert  Pennoyer,  near  upon  a  north-east 
line,  twelve  hundred  Dutch  rods;  from  which 
they  goe  again  in  a  direct  line  to  the  North 
River,  running  three  hundred  rod,  to  the  north 
of  the  whole  Hook  or  Neck  of  land ;  and  then 
again   alongst   the  -North   River   to   Nayack- 


Point,  comprehending  within  the  said  bounds 
or  limits  twenty  lotts  as  they  are  now  layd 
out." 

The  paucity  of  the  records  of  this  town, 
as  well  as  the  great  difficulty  of  deciphering 
those  that  remain,  render  it  impossible  to  ob- 
tain from  them  much  information  in  relation 
to  the  early  history  of  its  inhabitants ;  and  the 
little  we  have  been  enabled  to  procure,  has  been 
derived  from  extraneous  sources. 

It  was  off  the  shores  of  this  town  that  the 
squadron  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Rich- 
ard Nicolls,  destined  as  the  future  English 
governor  of  New  York,  anchored  in  1664;  and 
the  first  communication  addressed  to  the  Dutch 
governor  bears  date  on  board  the  ship  Guynev, 
riding  before  Nayack,  on  the  20th  of  August 
of  that  year.  The  place  at  that  time  known 
by  this  name,  is  near  the  present  site  of  Fort 
Hamilton,  and  is  a  delightful  place  of  resi- 
dence ;  being  in  sight  of  the  ocean,  it  commands 
a  full  view  of  all  the  shipping  leaving  and  en- 
tering the  harbor  of  New  York,  and  steam- 
boats passing  down  the  bay.  It  has  now  be- 
come an  important  military  station  by  the  con- 
struction of  a  fort  and  batteries,  and  the  main- 
tenance of  a  considerable  garrison  for  the  de- 
fense of  the  harbor.  Several  handsome  build- 
ings have  likewise  been  erected,  and  few  situ- 
ations can  boast  of  a  more  sublime  and  beau- 
tiful prospect.  A  handsome  Episcopal  church, 
called  St.  John's,  was  built  a  few  years  since, 
and  adds  much  to  the  appearance  of  the  place. 
In  1836  a  company  was  incorporated  for  the 
purpose  of  making  a  railroad  from  Brooklyn 
to  Fort  Hamilton,  Bath  and  Coney  Island, 
which  has  not  yet  been  undertaken,  but  which, 
if  accomplished,  would  make  each  of  them 
places  of  more  extensive  resort  than  hereto- 
fore. The  village  of  New  Utrecht  is  pleasantly 
situated  on  a  fine  plain,  nine  miles  south  of 
Brooklyn,  containing  a  Dutch  Reformed 
church  and  about  fifteen  dwellings.  This 
church  was  originally  built  in  1700,  and  was 
occupied  during  the  revolution  as  most  of  the 
other  Dutch  churches  were,  for  a  store,  hos- 
pital or  prison,  as  suited  the  convenience  of  the 
enemy.  The  present  church  was  erected  nearly 
upon  the  site  of  the  old  one  in  1820.  It  is  a 
substantial  stone  edifice,  and  an  important  fea- 
ture in  the  general  aspect  of  this  delightful 
spot.  Bath  House  and  village  is  upon  the 
margin  of  the  Bay,  a  mile  or  two  southeast 
from  the  Narrows  or  entrance  of  the  harbor,  in 
full  view  of  the  military  works  and  the  com- 
merce of  the  bay.  It  has  for  many  years  been  a 


778 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


favorite  place  of  resort  for  sea-bathing.  Here 
is  a  large  and  well-kept  public  house,  with  a 
lawn  in  front,  beautifully  shaded  by  trees,where 
the  luxury  of  the  ocean  breezes  may  be  enjoyed 
in  their  fullest  extent  during  the  heat  of  the 
summer.  It  is  the  nearest  watering-place  to 
New  York,  and  new  accommodations  have  re- 
cently been  erected  within  a  short  distance 
of  the  beach,  which  commands  a  most  charm- 
ing prospect  of  the  ocean.  It  was  near  this  de- 
lightful spot  that  the  British  army  commanded 
by  Sir  William  Howe,  protected  by  the  guns 
of  their  fleet,  landed  on  the  22d  of  August, 
1776,  and  followed,  a  few  days  after,  by  the 
disastrous  battle  of  Long  Island.  South  of 
the  hills  the  surface  of  the  town  is  perfectly 
smooth  and  level ;  but  along  the  shore  of  the 
Narrows  it  is  rough  and  uneven.  The  woody 
ridge  that  borders  the  town  is  the  western 
termination  of  the  range  which  extends  to 
the  eastern  part  of  Southold,  and  is  denomi- 
nated the  ridge  of  a  spine  of  Long  Island.  The 
shad-fishery  of  the  town  is  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant and  valuable  in  this  part  of  the  coun- 
try, in  which  many  of  the  inhabitants  engage 
at  the  proper  season,  and  find  it  a  profitable 
employment.  It  is  affirmed  that  ten  thousand 
of  these  fish  have  been  caught  here  at  a  single 
draught.  On  digging  a  few  feet  below  the 
surface,  some  3'ears  a2:o,  at  the  Narrows,  more 
than  a  wagon  load  of  Indian  stone  arrow-heads 
were  discovered  Iving  together,  under  circum- 
stances calculated  to  induce  a  belief  that  a 
large  manufactory  of  that  indispensable  article 
of  Indian  warfare  must  once  have  existed  at 
that  place.  They  were  of  all  sizes,  and  from 
one  to  six  inches  in  length ;  some  perfect, 
others  partly  finished ;  together  with  blocks  of 
the  like  kind  of  stone  in  the  same  condition  as 
when  brought  from  the  quarry.  They  had  the 
appearance  of,  and  were  nearly  as  hard  as, 
ordinary  flint,  from  which  not  only  arrow 
heads  were  formed,  but  axes  and  other  articles 
of  domestic  utility.  It  must  ever  remain  a 
matter  of  astonishment  how  these  native  arti- 
ficers, destitute,  as  they  were,  of  the  knowledge 
or  possession  of  tools  of  iron,  could  form  and 
polish  with  such  exquisite  art  so  many  various 
instruments  from  so  hard  a  material. 

In  the  year  1663  one  of  the  clergy  of  this 
town  was  accused  before  the  court  of  sessions 
of  having  performed  the  ceremony  of  his  own 
marriage,  and  that,  too,  while  he  had  another 
wife  living.  The  reverend  gentleman  pleaded 
his  own  cause,  and  alleged,  by  way  of  excuse 
for  so  novel  a  procedure,  that  his  first  wife 


had  eloped  from  him  without  cause,  and  being 
minded  to  take  another,  he  conceived  he  had 
as  good  a  right  to  execute  the  ceremony  for 
himself  as  for  any  other  person.  This  mode 
of  reasoning  did  not,  it  seems,  satisfy  the 
court.  The  marriage  was  declared  void,  and 
the  delinquent  was  fined  in  two  hundred 
guilders,  forty  beaver  skins,  and  also  forty 
guilders  more  for  his  insolence  and  imperti- 
nence to  the  court.  In  addition  to  the  patents 
before  mentioned,  another  was  granted  by 
Governor  Dongan  on  the  13th  of  May,  1686, 
of  which  the  following  is  an  extract : 

"Thomas  Dongan,  Lieut.  Governor  and 
Vice  Admiral  of  New-Yorke  and  its  dependen- 
cies under  his  Majesty  James  the  II,  by  the 
Grace  of  God  of  England,  Scotland,  France 
and  Ireland,  King,  Defender  of  the  faith,  &c. 
Supreame  Lord  and  proprietor  of  the  Colony 
and  Province  of  New-Yorke  and  its  Dependen- 
cies in  America,  &c.  To  all.whome  this  shall 
come,  sendeth  greeting.  Whereas  there  is  a 
certain  Towne  in  King's  County  on  Long- 
Island,  commonly  called  and  knowne  by  the 
name  of  New-Utrecht,  Beginning  at  the 
North-East  corner  of  the  Land  appurtaining 
to  Mr.  Paulus  Vanderbeeck  called  Goanus  to 
the  Bounds  of  Flattbush  Pattent  and  soe  along 
the  said  bounds  of  the  said  Pattent,  and 
stretching  from  thence  South-East  and  by 
South  till  they  meete  the  Limitts  of  Flatt- 
lands,  Gravesend,  and  the  said  Utrecht,  and 
from  thence  along  Gravesend  Bounds  to  the 
Bay  of  the  North  River,  and  soe  along  the 
said  Bay  and  River  till  it  meets  the  Land  of 
the  said  Paulus  Vanderbeeke  as  according  to 
severall  agreements  and  writeings  and  the  pat- 
tent from  Governor  Richard  Nicolls,  dated  in 
the  year  1666.  And  whereas  applicacon  hath 
to  mee  been  made  by  persons  deputed  from  the 
aforesaid  Towne  of  New-LTtrecht  for  a  con- 
firmation of  the  aforesaid  Tract  of  Land  and 
premises ;  now  Knowc  Yee,  that  by  Virtue  of 
&c.  I  have  Given,  Granted,  Ratified  and  Con- 
firmed, and  by  these  presents  doe  Give,  Grant, 
Ratify  and  Confirme  unto  Jackues  Corteljour, 
Ruth  Joosten,  John  Verkerke,  Hendrick  Ma- 
thyse,  Jolm  Kiersen,  John  Vandyck,  Guisbert 
Thyson,  Carel  Van  Dyck,  Jan  A'a'n  Cleef,  Cryn 
Jensen,  Meyndert  Coerten,  John  Hansen, 
Barent  Joosten,  Teunis  Van  Pelt,  Hendrick 
Van  Pelt,  Lawrence  Janse,  Gerrit  Cornelisson, 
Dirk  Van  Stutphen,  Thomas  Tierkson,  Gerrit 
Stoflfelson,  Peter  Thyson,  Anthony  Van  Pelt, 
Anthony  Duchaine,  Jan  \'andeventer,  and  Cor- 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


7Ta 


nelis  Wynhart,  on  Behalf  of  themselves  and 
their  associates,  the  present  Freeholders  and 
Inhabitants  of  the  said  Towne  of  New  Utrecht, 
their  Heirs,  Successors  and  Assigns;  All  and 
singular,  &c.  To  have  and  to  hold  the  said 
Tract  and  parcell  of  Land  with  their  and  every 
of  their  appurtenances  to  them  the  said  Jackues 
Gjrteljour,  &c. — To  bee  holden  of  his  said 
Majesty,  his  Heires  and  Successors  in  free 
and  common  Soccage,  according  to  the  Tenure 
of  East  Greenwich  in  the  County  of  Kent  in 
his  Majestyes  Kingdome  of  England ;  Yielding 
Rendering,  and  paying  therefor.  Yearly  and 
every  year,  on  every  five  and  twentyeth  Day 
of  March,  forever,  six  bushels  of  good  Winter 
merchantable  Wheate  att  thee  Citty  of  New- 
Yorke,  &c.  Given  under  my  hand,  and  sealed 
with  the  scale  of  the  Province  att  Fortt  James, 
in  New  Yorke,  the  13th  day  of  May,  1686, 
and  in  the  2nd  yeare  of  his  Alajestyes  Reigne. 
"Thomas  Dongan." 

"May  it  please  your  Honor, 

"The  Atturney  Generall  hath  perused 
this  Pattent,  and  finds  nothing  contained  there- 
in prejudiciall  to  his  Majestyes  Interest. 

"Ja.  Graham." 

In  1706  the  negroes,  who  had  become  nu- 
merous both  in  the  city  of  New  York  and  the 
adjoining  country,  were  at  times  so  disorderly 
and  dangerous  to  the  peace  and  safetv  of  the' 
people,  that  the  government  was  compelled  to 
take  measures  for  restraining  their  depreda- 
tions upon  the  community.  A  proclamation 
was  issued  by  the  governor  for  this  purpose  in 
the  words  following: 

"Whereas  I  am  informed  that  several  ne- 
groes in  King's  County  have  assembled  them- 
selves in  a  riotous  manner,  which,  if  not  pre- 
vented, may  prove  of  ill  consequence;  You, 
the  Justices  of  the  peace  in  the  said  county, 
are  hereby  required  and  commanded  to  take 
all  proper  methods  for  the  seizing  and  appre- 
hending all  such  negroes  as  shall  be  found  to 
be  assembled  in  such  manner  as  aforesaid,  or 
have  run  away  or  absconded  from  their  mas- 
ters or  owners,  whereby  there  may  be  reason 
to  suspect  them  of  ill  practices  or  designs ;  and 
to  secure  them  in  safe  custody ;  and  if  any  of 
them  refuse  to  submit,  then  to  fire  upon  them, 
kill  or  destroy  them,  if  they  cannot  otherwise 
■be  taken;  and  for  so  doing  this  shall  be  your 
sufificient  warrant.  Given  under  my  hand,  at 
Fort  Anne,  the  22nd  day  of  July,  1706. 

"CORNBURY." 


In  the  clerk's  office  is  the  copy  of  a  - 
proclamation  issued  on  the  i6th  of  June,  1780, 
by  James  Robinson,  a  British  officer,  styling- 
himself  captain-general  and  governor-in-chief 
in  and  over  the  province  of  New  York,  by 
which  the  inhabitants  of  Long  Island  are 
peremptorily  required  to  furnish  a  sufficiency 
of  wood  for  the  barrack-yard  in  New  York ; 
that  Kings  county  shall  get  fifteen  hundred 
cords.  Queens  county  four  thousand  five  hun- 
dred, and  the  western  part  of  Suffolk  county, 
including  Huntington,  Islip,  Smithtown  and 
Brookhaven,  three  thousand  cords ;  all  to  be 
cut  and  carted  to  the  landing  by  the  15th  of 
August  next  ensuing.  And  the  inhabitants  of 
Southold,  Southampton  and  Easthampton 
were  specially  required  to  cut  upon  the  wood- 
lands of  William  Smith  and  William  Floyd  ■ 
(notorious  rebels),  in  those  parts  nearest  to 
the  landing  by  Mastic-Neck,  three  thousand 
cords,  to  be  ready  by  the  ist  of  Si-ptember ;  and 
for  which  they  were  to  receive  at  the  rate  of 
ten  shilling's  per  cord.  This  requisition  it  was 
made  highly  penal  to  neglect,  and  those  who 
did  so  were  severely  punished,  instances  of 
which  were  not  uncommon. 

On  the  26th  of  May,  1836,  an  act  of  the 
Legislature  was  passed  to  incorporate  the  Xew 
Utrecht  Dock  and  Steamboat  Company,  but 
as  3'et,  it  is  believed,  nothing  has  been  done  to 
carry  this  very  desirable  measure  into  opera- 
tion. 

Town  of  Flathnsh. 

This  town,  called  by  the  Dutch  Midwout, 
or  Middle  Woods,  is  bounded  north  by  Brook- 
lyn and  Bushwick,  and  a  small  part  of  Queens 
county ;  east  by  Jamaica ;  south  by  Jamaica 
Bay,  Flatlands  and  Gravesend;  and  west  by 
Gravesend ;  being  of  an  irregular  shape,  con- 
taining an  area  of  about  seven  thousand  acres, 
most  of  which  is  under  cultivation.  The  set- 
tlement of  this  town  was  begun  in  1651,  and 
the  next  year  a  patent  or  ground-brief  was  ob- 
tained from  Governor  Stuyvesant,  authorizing 
the  inhabitants  to  erect  a  town  or  plantation, 
with  the  usual  privileges  of  other  towns  under 
the  Dutch  jurisdiction;  and  under  which  the 
settlers  managed  their  public  concerns  during 
the  remainder  of  his  administration.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1667,  application  was  made  to  Governor 
Nic'olls  for  a  patent  of  confirmation  and  assur- 
ance of  their  lands  and  boundaries  ;  and  on  the 
nth  day  of  the  same  month  one  was  issued 
unto  Mr.  Johannes  Megapolensis,  one  of  the 
ministers  of  the  city  of  New  York;  Mr.  Cor- 


780 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


nelius  Van  Ruyven,  onfe  of  the  justices  of  the 
peace;  Adrian  Hegeman,  Jan  Snedeger,  Jan 
Stryker,  Frans  Barents  (Pastor),  Jacob  Stry- 
ker,  and  Cornelius  Janse  Bougaert,  as  patentees 
for  and  on  behalf  of  themselves  and  associates, 
the  freeholders  and  inhabitants  of  the  said 
town,  their  heirs,  successors,  and  assignsi,  for 
the  premises  described  therein,  as  follows : 

"All  yt  tract  wt  ye  severall  parcells  of 
land  \vh  already  have  or  hereafter  shall  be 
purchased  or  procured  for  and  on  ye  be- 
half of  ye  sd  town ;  whether  from  ye  na- 
tive Indian  proprietors  or  others,  wt  in  the 
bounds  and  limits  hereafter  set  forth  and 
expresst ;  That  is  to  say,  bounded  to  ye 
south  by  ye-  hills,  and  to  the  north-  by  ye  fence 
lately  sett  between  them  and  the  town  of  Ams- 
fort,  alias  Flatlands,  beginning  at  a  certain 
tree  standing  upon  ye  Little-Flats,  marked  by 
ye  order  and  determination  of  severall  arbitra- 
tors appointed  b}-  me,  to  view  and  issue  ye  dif- 
ference between  ye  two  towns  concerning  the 
same,  wh  accordingly  they  did  upon  the  17th 
of  October,  1666,  and  to  ye  east  and  west  by 
the  common  woodlands,  including  two  tracts 
heretofore  called  by  ye  names  of  Curler's  and 
Twillers  flatts  wh  lye  to  ye  East  of  ye  town; 
As  also  a  parcell  of  meadow  ground  or  valley 
on  ye  East-north-east  side  of  Canaresse  plant- 
ing land,  and  having  to  ye  South  ye  meadow 
ground  belonging  to  Amsfprt  als  Flatbush,  ac- 
cording to  ye  division  made  by  an  East  line 
running  half  a  point  northerly  between  them 
without  variation  of  ye  Compass,  and  so  to  go 
to  ye  mouth  of  ye  creek  or  Kill, '  which  said 
meadows  were  on  ye  20th  of  April  last  by  com- 
mon consent  staked  out  and  by  my  approba- 
tion allowed'  of." 

On  the  I2th  of  November,  1685,  a  further 
confirmatory  patent  was  executed  by  Governor 
Thomas  Dongan  to  the  following  persons 
nam.ed  therein  as  patentees  :  Corneleus  Vander- 
wick,  John  Okie,  Joseph  Hegeman,  Art  Jansen 
A'anderbilt,  Lafford  Peterson,  William  Guil- 
iamson,  Hendrick  Williams,  Peter  Guilliams, 
Arien  Ryers,  Peter  Stryker,  John  Stryker, 
John  Ramsden,  Jacob  Hendricks,  Direck  Van- 
derfleet,  Hendrick  Rick,  Peter  Lott,  Daniel 
Polhemus,  Cornelius  Vanderveere,  Direck 
Johnson,  Hooglant  Denise,  John  Johnson,  Pet- 
imus  Lewis,  Okie  Johnson,  Jan.  Jansen,  Will- 
iam Jacobs,  Hendrick  Hegeman,  Jan  Stryker, 
Garret  Lubberts,  Hans  Bogaert. 

The  premises  are  in  this  patent  described, 
as  "A  certain  town  in  Kings  County  known  by 


the  name  of  Middwout,  alias  Flatbush,  the 
bounds  whereof  begin  att  the  mouth  of  ye  fress 
Kill,  and  soe  along  by  a  certain  ditch  which 
lyes  betwixt  Armsford  and  Flatbush  meadows, 
and  soe  running  alongst  the  ditch  and  fence 
to  a  certain  white  oake  markt  tree;  and  from 
thence  uppon  a  straight  line  to  the  westernmost' 
point  of  a  small  island  of  woodland  lying  be- 
fore John  Striker's  bridge;  and  from  thence 
with  a  straight  line  to  the  northwest  hooke  or 
corner  of  the  ditch  of  John  Okie's  meadow; 
and  from  thence  alongst  the  said  ditch  and 
fence  to  the  swamp  of  the  Fresh-Kill,  and  =oe 
alongst  the  swamp  and  hollow  of  the  aforesaid 
Kill  to  the  land  of  Krewler's  hooke;  then 
alongst  the  same  to  a  marked  white  oak  tree; 
from  thence  with  a  straight  line  to  a  black-oake 
markt  tree  standing  uppon  the  north-east  side 
of  Twilder's  Flatts,  having  a  small  snip  of  flatts 
upon  the  south-east  side  of  the  line,  and  soe 
from  thence  to  a  white-oak  tree  standing  to 
the  west  side  of  Mustahole  upon  a  small  island, 
leaving  a  snip  of  flatts  in  the  Flattlands 
bounds ;  and  from  thence  to  a  certain  markt 
tree  or  stump  standing'  by  the  highway  which 
goes  to  Flattlands  upon  the  Little  Flatts,  about 
twenty  rod  from  Flattbush  Lotts,  and  soe 
alongst  the  fence  six  hundred  Dutch  rodd  to 
the  corner  of  Flattbush  fence,  and  soe  alongst 
by  the  rear  of  the  Lotts  to  a  sassafras  stump 
standing  in  Cornelius  Jansen's  Bowery  lott  of 
land ;  and  from  thence  with  straight  line  to  a 
certain  old  marked  tree  or  stump  standing  by 
the  rush-pond  under  the  hills,  and  so  along 
upon  the  south  side  of  the  hill  till  it  comes  to 
the  west  end  of  the  long  hill,  and  soe  along 
upon  the  south  side  of  the  said  hill  till  itt  comes 
to  the  east  end  of  the  long  hill ;  and  then  with  a 
straight  line  from  the  east  end  of  the  said  long 
hill  to  a  mark'd  white-oake  tree  standing  to  the 
west  side  of  the  roadc  near  the  place  called  the 
gale  or  porte  of  hills,  and  so  from  the  east  si4e 
of  the  porte  or  gale  along  upon  the  south  side 
of  the  maine  hills  as  far  as  Browklin  pattent 
doth  extend,  and  soe  along  the  said  hills  to  the 
bounds  of  Jamaica  pattent;  and  from  thence 
with  a  southerly  line  to  the  Kill  or  creeke  by 
the  east  of  the  Plunder's  Neck,  and  soe  alongist 
the  said  Kill  to  the  sea,  as  according  to  the 
several  deeds  or  purchases  from  the  Indian 
owners,  the  patent  from  Governor  Nicolls,  and 
the  award  between  Browkline  and  the  town  of 
Flattbush,  as  by  reference  thereto  will  fully  and 
at  large  appear." 

On  the  17th  of  December,  1654,  Governor 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


781 


Stuyvesant,  who  seems  to  have  exercised  entire 
authority  as'  well  in  ecclesiastical  as  in  civil  and 
military  affairs,  gave  orders  that  a  house  of 
public  worship  should  be  erected  in  this  town, 
"sixty  feet  long,  thirty-eight  wide,  and  four- 
teen feet  in  height  below  the  beams."  Ar^d  on 
the  9th  of  February,  1655,  he  issued  his  com- 
mands that  the  people  of  Brooklyn  and  Amers- 
fort  should  assist  the  people  of  Midwout  or 
Flatbush  in  getting  timber  for  the  house.  In 
September,  1660,  those  who  had  the  charge  of 
the  building  reported  that  it  had  cost  four 
thousanid  six  hundred  and  thirty-seven  guild- 
ers ;  of  which  sum  three  thousand  four  hun- 
dred and  thirty-seven  had  been  collected  in 
New  Amsterdam,  Fort  Orange  and  on  Long 
Island.  Upon  which  the  Governor  contributed 
out  of  the  public  funds  four  hundred  guilders, 
leaving  a  balance  of  eight  hundred  against  the 
church.  In  June,  1656,  the  Governor  directed 
the  inhabitants  of  Brooklyn,  Flatbush  and  Flat- 
lands,  to  enclose  a  place  in  each  of  them  with 
palisades  for  the  common  defense.  In  1660 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Polhemus  petitioned  the  Gov- 
ernor to  have  a  window  placed  in  the  church, 
which  request  was  granted;  and  it  being  re- 
ported that  the  church  was  indebted  to  the 
amount  of  six  hundred  and  twenty-four  guild- 
ers, it  was  ordered  to  be  satisfied  out  of  the 
treasury  as  soon  as  funds  should  te  received. 
Complaint  being  made  that  the  minister  was 
inattentive  to  his  calling,  attending  only  once 
a  fortnight,  and  then  only  for  a  quarter  of  an 
hour,  giving  the  people  a  prayer  instead  of  a 
sermon,  the  Governor  gave  orders  "that  he 
should  attend  more  diligently  to  his  work." 
October  i,  1673,  an  ordinance  of  the  Governor 
and  Council  was  published,  enjoining  it  upon 
the  Sheriff  and  Constables  to  take  care  that 
the  reformed  religion  be  maintained,  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  all  other  sects.  It  is  supposed  that 
the  first  Dutch  church  erected  in  this  country 
was  one  built  in  the  city  of  New  Amsterdam 
in  1642,  although  a  society  had  been  organized 
as  early  as  1629.  And  the  inhabitants  of  Kings 
county  attended  religious  worship  in  the  city 
until  the  church  was  built  in  Flatbush  as  above 
mentioned.  The  Rev.  Everardus  Bogardus 
was  the  first  minister,  and  officiated  in  the  city 
from  1638  to  1647;  and  was  succeeded  by  the 
Rev.  Johan-nis  Megapolensis,  who  continued 
till  the  conquest  in  1664.  The  latter  gentleman, 
with  John  Snedicor  and  John  Stryker,  were 
the  persons  appointed  to  superintend  the  erec- 
tion of  the  church  here,  which  stood  nearly  on 


the  site  of  the  present  Dutch  Church.  It  was 
directed  to  be  in  the  form  of  a  cross ;  and  the 
rear  part  of  the  building  was  reserved  and 
fitted  up  for  the  accommodation  of  the  minister 
and  his  family.  The  original  subscription  list 
of  this  church  is  still  preserved  among  its  rec- 
ords, and  shows  the  names  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Dutch  towns  at  that  time.  A  church 
was  ordered  to  be  built  at  Flatlands  in  1662, 
and  completed  the  next  year;  another  was 
erected  in  Brooklyn  in  1666,  which,  with  the 
one  in  Flatbush,'  being  associate  churches,  con- 
stituted but  a  single  congregation,  and  were 
urwler  the  pastoral  care  of  the  same  minister. 
The  Rev.  Johannis  Polhemus  was  employed  to 
preach  soon  after  the  erection  of  the  church  at 
Flatbush,  with  a  salary  of  one  thousand  and 
forty  guilders  (about  four  hundred  and  six- 
teen dollars)  a  year,  raised  by  assessment  upon 
the  towns  in  which  he  officiated.  He  was  re- 
quired by  the  Governor,  in  JMarch,  1656,  to 
preach  every  Sunday  morning  at  Midwout; 
and  in  the  afternoon,  alternately  at  Amersfort 
and  Brooklyn.  In  1660  the  Rev.  Henericus 
Selwyn  was  installed  at  Brooklyn  by  order  of 
the  Governor,  at  a  salary  of  six  hundred  guild- 
ers a  year,  one-half  tO'  be'  paid  by  the  people, 
and  the  other  half  by  Fatherland  or  Holland. 
He  resided  in  New  Amsterdam;  and  in  1662 
the  inhabitants  of  Brooklyn  petitioned  the  Gov- 
ernor that  he  should  be  required  to  reside 
among  them.  The  Governor  agreed  to  pay  a 
part  of  his  salary,  provided  he  should  preach 
at  the  Bowery  every  Sunday  evening.  At  the 
conquest  he  returned  to  Holland.  ]\Ir.  Polhe- 
mus died  June  9,  1666.  In  1667  the  churches 
engaged  the  Rev.  Casperus  Van  Zuren,  who 
remained  about  the  period  of  ten  years,  when 
he  returned  again  to  Europe.  The  Rev.  James 
Clark  was  the  next  minister,  who  remained 
till  1695 ;  and.  was  followed  by  the  Rev.  Will- 
iam Lupardus,  who  died  in  1702.  The  Rev. 
Vicentius  Antonides  was  settled  in  1706,  and 
continued  till  his  death,  in  1714.  His  succes- 
sor was  the  Rev.  Bernardus  Freeman,  who  re- 
mained till  the  close  of  life,  in  1741.  In  1742 
the  church  engaged  the  services  of  the  Rev. 
Johannes  Arondius,  but  who,  in  1747,  removed 
to  New  Jersey.  The  Rev.  Anthony  Curtenius 
was  settled  as  an  associate  minister  in  1730, 
and  remained  till  his  death,  in  1750.  The 
Rev.  Ulpianus  Van  Sinderen  was  employed 
in  1747,  about  which  period  much  controversy 
arose  in  the  churches  touching  the  necessity 
of  foreign  ordination ;  the  opinion  being'  enter- 


782 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


tained  by  great  numbers,  both  clergy  and  laity, 
that  ministers  should  be  ordained  in  Holland. 
This  unhappy  schism  continued  for  several 
years  to  agitate  the  churches,  to  interrupt  their 
peace,  and  retard  their  prosperity.  These  dis- 
sensions having  much  abated,  the  Rev.  John 
Caspar  Rubel  was  in  1760  employed  as  a  col- 
league of  Mr.  Van  Sinderen,  but  was,  for 
some  reason,  deposed  from  the  ministry  in 
1784.  The  death  of  Mr.  Van  Sinderen  took 
place  in  1796.  The  Rev.  Martinus  Schoonma- 
ker  was  settled  in  1785,  and'continued  till  his 
death,  at  am  advanced  age,  in  1824,  and  with 
him  terminated  the  practice  of  preaching  occa- 
sionally in  the  Dutch  language.  The  Rev. 
Peter  Lowe  became  an  associate  minister  of 
the  churches  in  1787,  where  he  remained  to 
the  end  of  his  life,  in  1818. 

The  church  built  here  in  1663  stood,  with 
occasional  repairs),  till  171 7,  when  it  was  suc- 
ceeded by,  another,  built  of  stone.  This  build- 
ing fronting  the  east,  had  a  large,  double-arched 
doorway  in  the  center;  a  steep  quadrangular 
roof,  with  a  small  steeple  rising  from  the  mid- 
dle. It  was  sixty-five  by  fifty  feet,  the  pulpit 
being  in  the  west  side.  It  was  repaired  and 
altered  in  1775,  at  an  expense  of  more  than 
seven  hundred  dollars ;  but  in  1794  it  was  taken 
down,  and  the  present  large  and  commodious 
edifice  erected,  which  cost  about  twelve  thou- 
sand dollars.  It  was  completed  in  December, 
1796,  with  a  fine  bell,  imported  from  Holland, 
and  presented  to  the  church  by  John  Vander- 
bilt,  Esq.  In  1818  the  churches  of  Flatbush 
and  Flatlands  united  in  settling  the  Rev.  Wal- 
ter Monteith,  who  removed  in  a  short  time 
thereafter ;  and  in  1822  was  settled  their  pres- 
ent highly  respected  clergyman,  the  Rev. 
Thomas  M.  Strong.  In  1824  a  new  congrega- 
tion was  organized,  and  a  church  erected  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  town,  called  New  Lotts, 
from  the  circumstance  of  the  land  having  been 
divided  or  allotted  among  the  inhabitants  at  a 
later  period  than  some  other  sections  of  the 
town.  The  soil  is  generally  of  a  good  quality, 
and  by  careful  cultivation  is  made  highly  pro- 
ductive. The  village  of  Flatbush,  situated 
about  four  miles  from  the  City  Hall  of  New 
York,  is. hardly  excelled  by  any  other  as  a  place 
of  residence.  The  spirit  of  improvement  has 
reached  this  delightful  spot,  and  .sjeveral  splen- 
did private  edifices  have  been  erected,  bearing 
all  the  insignia  of  taste  and  opulence.  A  softer 
or  more  agreeable  landscape  than  is  here  pre- 
sented is  seldom  met  with.     Its  surface  is  an 


inclined  plane,  elevated  about  fifty  feet  above 
the  ocean,  toward  which  the  descent  is  regular 
and  gradual.  The  court  house  of  the  county 
was  erected  here  in  1685,  and  the  courts  con^ 
tinned  to  be  held  therein  till  it  was  destroyed 
by  fire  in  1832.  St.  Paul's  Episcopal  Church 
in  the  village,  was  built  in  1836,  mainly  by  the 
liberality  and  munificence  of  one  of  its  citizens, 
Matthew  Clarkson,  Esq.,  and  is  a  neat  and 
handsome  edifice.  Erasmus  Hall,  a  noble  aca- 
demical institution  here,  was  incorporated  No- 
vember 20,  1787,  being  the  second  in  point  of 
time  upon  Long  Island.  It  has:  always  main- 
tained a  high  reputation  as  a  place  of  educa- 
tion, and  its  pupils  are  diffused  over  almost 
every  part  of  the  United  States.  The  building 
is  not  only  spacious  and  airy,  but  replete  with 
every  convenience,  having  sufficient  grounds 
about  it,  filled  with  ornamental  trees  and  shrub- 
bery. A  little  north  of  the  village  is  an  eleva- 
tion, called  Prospect  Hill,  which  is  estimated 
to  be  one  hundred  feet  above  the  surrounding 
country,  and  from  whose  summit  the  view  is 
sublime  and  beautiful  beyond  description. 

The  Poor  House  of  the  county  of  Kings  is 
located  a  short  distance  from  the  village.  The 
farm  contains  sixty  acres  of  excellent  land, 
which  cost  three  thousand  dollars.  The  main 
building  is  forty- four  feet  square,  with  two 
wings,,  each  sixty  by  thirty-five  feet.  The 
whole  is  two  stories  in  height.  There  is  also 
a  building  detached  from  these,  appropriated 
for  patients  laboring  under  infectious  diseases  ; 
and  likewise  another  for  deranged  persons, 
where  these  unfortunate  individuals  are  treated 
with  the  attention  which  humanity  requires. 
Surely  this  benign  establishment  does  honor 
to  the  county,  and  deserves  the  imitation  of 
every  other  in  the  State.  The  soil  of  this  town 
is  inferior  to  none  other,  and  improved  in  the 
highest  degree,  furnishing  to  the  markets  of 
Brooklyn  and  New  York  a  large  quantity  of 
produce.  Many  of  the  farmers  are  wealthy, 
and  there  is  an  appearance  of  independence  and 
opulence  seldom  witnessed  in  many  other 
places. 

Town  of  Brooklyn. 

This  town,  the  whole  of  which  is  now  in- 
cluded within  the  corporation  of  the  city  of 
Brooklyn,  lies  upon  the  extreme  western  part" 
of  Long  Island,  opposite  the  southern  portion 
of  the  city  of  New  York,  and  separated  there- 
from by  the  East  River,  which  is  here  about 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


783 


three-quarters  of  a  mile  in  width.  The  length 
from  northeast  to  southwest  is  six  miles,  and 
its  greatest  breadth  four  miles ;  giving  an  area 
of  nine  thousand  two  hundred  acres,  most  of 
which  has  been  apportioned  into  city  lots.  The 
surface  is  high,  broken  and  stony;  and  the 
more  elevated  points  afford  beautiful  and  ro- 
mantic sites,  many  of  which  have  been  built 
upon,  and  are  not  excelled  in  elegance  by  any 
others  in  the  country.  The  soil,  in  common 
with  the  whole  county,  was  originally  claimed 
by  the  Canarsee  Indians,  a  numerous  tribe,  in- 
habiting chiefly  the  more  southern  parts  of  the 
county,  and  from  whom  the  title  to  the  lands 
was  procured  by  the  Dutch  government.  The 
situation  of  this  tribe  rendered  them  peculiarly 
obnoxious  to  invasion  from  their  savage  neigh- 
bors of  the  north,  and  it  has  been  supposed 
that  they  were  once  tributary  to  the  Mohawks, 
and  obliged  to  conciliate  their  forbearance  by 
yearly  contributions  of  dried  clams  and  wam- 
pum. At  the  first  settlement  of  the  white  peo- 
ple, the  Indians  were  persuaded  to  withhold 
the  accustomed  tribute,  being  promised  protec- 
tion from  these  unjust  exactions  of  their  ene- 
mies ;  in  consequence  of  which  they  were  un- 
expectedly assailed  by  a  hostile  force,  and  num- 
bers of  them  destroyed  or  taken  captive. 

The  name  conferred  upon  this  town  by  the 
Dutch  was  Breucklen  (or  broken  land)  ;  and 
in  the  act  for  dividing  the  province  intoi  coun- 
ties and  towns,  passed  November  i,  1685,  it 
is  called  Breucklyn ;  nor  does  the  present  ap- 
pellation appear  to  have  been  generally  adbpted 
until  after  the  Revolution.  Many  changes  have 
doubtless  taken  place  upon  the  shore,  and  it  is 
believed  that  Governor's  Island  was  formerly 
connected  with  Red  Hook  Point.  It  is  well 
known  that  a  short  period  previous  to  the  war 
of  independence,  cattle  were  driven  across  what 
is  called  Buttermilk  Channel,  now  sufficiently 
deep  to  afford  passage  to  vessels  of  the  largest 
class.  The  alteration  is  no  doubt  in  great  meas- 
ure attributable  to  the  vast  extension  of  the 
wharves  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  thereby 
diverting  the  course  and  increasing  the  force 
of  the  currents.  The  first  European  settler  in 
this  town  is  supposed  to  have  been  George 
Jansen  de  Rapelje,  at  the  Waalboght,  or  Waa- 
loons  Bay,  during  the  Directorship  of  Peter 
jNIinuit,  under  the  charter  of  the  West  India 
Company.  In  a  family  record  in  the  posses- 
sion of  Jeremiah  Johnson,  Esq.,  it  is  stated  that 
the  first  child  of  Rapelje  was  Sarah,  born  in 
162=;,  unquestionably  the  first  white  child  born 


upon  Long  Island.  Watson  says  she  was  born 
on  the  9th  of  June,  and  honored  as  the  first- 
born child  of  the  Dutch  settlers;  also  that,  in 
consideration  of  such  distinction,  and  of  her 
widowhood,  she  was  afterward  presented  with 
a  tract  of  land  at  the  Wallabout.  She  was 
twice  married ;  first  to  Hans  Hanse-Bergen,  by 
whom  she  had  six  children,  namely,  Michael 
Hanse,  Joris  Hanse,  Jan  Hanse,  Jacob  Hanse, 
Breckje  Hanse,  and  Marytje  Hanse.  Her  sec- 
ond husband  was  Teunis  Guisbertse  Bogart,  by 
whom  also  she  had  six  children,  namely  Aurtie, 
Antje,  Neelje,  Aultje,  Catalyntje,  and  Guysn 
bert.  The  account  of  this  remarkable  woman 
in  the  archives  of  the  New  York  Historical 
Society  contains  the  names  of  the  persons  to 
whom  eleven  of  her  children  were  married, 
and  the  places  where  they  settled.  The  twelfth, 
Breckje  Hanse,  went  to  Holland.  In  the  jour- 
nal of  the  Dutch  Council  in  1656,  it  is  related 
that  "the  widow  Hans  Hanson,  the  first-born 
Christian  daughter  in  New  Netherlands,  bur- 
dened with  seven  children,  petitions  for  a  grant 
of  a  piece  of  meadow,  in  addition  to  the  twenty 
morgen  granted  to  her  at  the  Waale-Boght." 
There  is  a  tradition  in  the  family,  that  the  In- 
dians, induced  by  the  circumstance  of  her  being 
the  first  white  child  born  here,  gave  to  her  fa- 
ther and  his  brethren,  the  other  French  who 
followed  them,  the  lands  adjacent  to  the  bay; 
hence  called  (says  Judge  Benson)  Het- Waale- 
Boght,  corrupted  to  Wallabout  Bay.  A  few 
of  the  other  associates  of  De  Rapelje  were  Le 
Escuyer,  Duryee,  La  Sillier,  Cershow,  Conscil- 
laer,  Musserol ;  thesie,  with  some  changes  in 
the  mode  of  spelling,  are  still  found  among  us. 
It  appears  by  the  Dutch  records,  that  in  1634 
a  part  of  the  land  at  Red  Hook  was  the  prop- 
erty of  Wouter  Vam  Twiller,  being  one  of  the 
oldest  titles  in  the  town.  The  earliest  deed  for 
land  was  from  Governor  Kieft  to  Abraham 
Rycken,  in  1638.  The  oldest  grant  recorded 
is  to  Thomas  Besker,  in  1639.  This  must  be 
considered  as  the  commencement  of  permanent^ 
Dutch  settlements  on  Long  Island,  and  there' 
is  no  evidence  of  any  direct  and  systematic- 
efforts  being  made  for  the  purpose  till  this 
period.  In  1641  the  Governor  and  Council,  in 
order  to  strengthen  their  claim  to  the  island, 
consented  that  the  English  should  settle  under 
their  jurisdiction  on  taking  the  oath  of  alle- 
giance to  the  States-General  and  the  Dutch! 
West  India  Company.  The  following  grant  for 
land  in  1642  is  given  as  a  specimen  of  convey- 
ances at  that  remote  period: 


784 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


"By  William  Kieft,  Director  General  and 
Counsellor,  about  the  high  and  mighty  Lords, 
the  States  General  of  the  United  Low  Country, 
and  his  highness  of  Orange,  and  the  Lords 
Commanders  of  the  privileged  West  India 
Company,  residing  in  the  New-Netherland,  do 
ratify  and  declare  by  these  presents,  that  we, 
upon  the  date  hereinafter  written,  did  give  and 
grant  to  Jam  Manje,  a  piece  of  land,  greatly 
twenty  morgan  stretching  about  south-east  one 
hundred  andi  ninety  rods  inward  the  woods 
towards  to  Sassians  maise  land^ — long  is  the 
limits  of  the  said  maise  land  fifty  rod,  and  then 
again  to  the  water  side,  two  hundred  and  twen- 
ty rod,  about  north  north-west,  well  so  north- 
erly, and  along  the  strand  or  water  side,  sev- 
enty rod.  Which  above-said  land  is  h'ing  upon 
Long  Island,  between  Andries  Hudde  and 
Claes  Janse  Ruyter.  With  express  conditions, 
&c.  Dated  at  Fort  Amsterdam,  in  the  New- 
Netherland,  the  nth  day  of  September,  1642. 
"William  Kieft. 

"By  order  of  the  Lord  the  Director  Gen- 
eral, and  Counsellor  of  New-Netherland. 
"Cornelius  Vantienhovex, 

"Sec'ry." 

Between  the  years  1642  and  1647  grants 
were  made  by  his  Excellency  Governor  Kieft, 
to  different  individuals  for  all  the  lands  on  the 
Brookl)ai  shore,  from  Red  Hook  Point  to  the 
Wallabout  Bay,  which  were  generally  in  the 
above  form.  It  is  believed  that  a  general  pat- 
ent of  the  town  was  granted  by  Governor  Stuy- 
vesant  in  1657,  the  same  being  frequently  re- 
ferred to  in  conveyances  between  individuals 
at  an  after  period,  and  is  evident  from  the  fol- 
lowing extract  from  the  records  :  "August  10, 
1695.  The  patentees  and  freeholders  of  the 
town  sold  unto  Stephanus  Van  Cortlandt  the 
neck  of  land  called  Red-Hook,  containing,  by 
estimation,  fifty  acres  ;  which  they  state  in  their 
deed  was  formerly  given  and  granted  to  the 
town  of  Broocklyn  in  the  year  1657,  by  Gov- 
ernor Stuyvesant,  the  Dutch  governor,  then, 
at  that  time,  and  since  confirmed  by  the  En- 
glish governors,  Nicolls  and  Dongan."  On 
the  1 8th  of  October,  1667,  a  full  and  ample 
patent  was  granted  by  Governor  Richard  Nic- 
olls to  Jan  Everts,  Jan  Damen,  Albert  Cornelis- 
son,  Paulus  Veerbeeck,  Michael  Eneyl,  Thom- 
as Lamberts,  Teunis  Guisbert  Bogart,  and 
Joris  Jacobson,  as  patentees  for  and  on  behalf 
of  themselves  and  their  associates,  the  free- 
holders and  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Breuck- 


len,  their  heirs,  successors  and  assigns,  for  "all 
that  tract,  together  with  the  several  parcels  of 
land  which  already  have  been  or  hereafter  shall 
be  purchased,  procured  for  and  on  behalf  of  the 
said  town,  whether  from  the  native  Indian  pro- 
prietors, or  others,  within  the  bounds  and  lim- 
its hereafter  set  forth  and  expressed;  that  is 
to  say: 

"The  town  is  bounded  westward  on  the  far- 
ther side  of  the  land  of  Mr.  Paulus  Veerbeck, 
from  whence  stretching  scuth-east,  they  go 
over  the  hills,  and  so  eastward  along  the  said 
hills  to  a  south-east  point  which  takes  in  all 
the  lotts  behind  the  swamp;  from  which  said 
lotts  they  run  north-west  to  the  river  and  ex- 
tend to  the  farm  on  the  t'other  side  of  the  hill 
heretofore  belonging  to  Hans  Hansen  over 
against  the  Kicke  or  Looke-out,  including  with- 
in the  said  bounds  and  limitts  all  the  lotts  and 
plantations  lying  and  being  at  the  Gowanis, 
Bedford,.  Wallabouc'ht,  and  the  Ferry.  All 
which  said  parcels  and  tracts  of  land  and 
premises  within  the  bounds  and  limitts  afore- 
mentioned, described,  and  all  or  any  planta- 
tion or  plantations  thereupon,  from  henceforth 
are  to.  bee,  appertaine  and  belong  to  the  said 
town  oi  Breucklen;  together  with  all  havens, 
harbors,  creeks,  quarryes,  wood-land,  meadow- 
ground,  reed^-land,  or  valley  of  all  sorts,  pas- 
tures, marshes,  runs,  rivers,  lakes,  hunting, 
fishing,  hawking,  and  fowling,  and  all  other 
profitts,  commodities,  emoluments,  and  heredit- 
aments, to  the  said  lands  and  premises  within 
the  bounds  and  limitts  aforesaid  belonging,  or 
in  any  wise  appertaining.  And  withal  to  have 
freedome  of  commonage  for  range  and  feed  of 
cattle  and  horse  into  the  woods,  as  well  with- 
out as  within  these  bounds  and  limitts,  with  the 
rest  of  their  neighbors ;  as  also  one-third  part 
of  a  certain  neck  of  meadow-ground  or  valley 
called  Seller's  Neck,  lying  and  being  within 
the  limitts  of  the  town  of  Jamaica,  purchased 
by  the  said  town  of  Jamaica  from  the  Indians, 
and  sold  by  them  unto  the  inhabitants  of 
Breucklen  aforesaid,  as  it  has  lately  been  laid 
out  and  divided  by  their  mutual  consent  and 
my  order,  whereunto  and  from  which  they  are 
likewise  to  have  free  egress  and  regress  as  their 
occasions  may  require.  And  that  the  place  of 
their  present  habitation  shall  continue  and  re- 
tain the  name  of  Breucklen,  by  which  name 
and  stile  it  shall  be  distinguished  and  known 
in  all  bargains  and  sales  made  by  them,  the 
said  patentees,  and  their  associates,  their  heirs, 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS 


785- 


successors,  and  assigns,  rendering  and  paying 
such  duties  and  acknowledgments  as  now  are 
or  hereafter  shall  be  constituted  and  estab- 
lished hy  the  laws  of  this  government,  under 
the  obedience  of  his  Royal  Highness,  his  heirs 
and  successors.  Given  under  my  hand  and 
seal  at  Fort  James,  in  New-York,  on  the  Island 
of  Manhattat,  the  i8th  of  October,  1667. 
"Richard  Nicolls." 

In  1670  the  inhabitants,  being  desirous  of 
enlarging  the  bounds  of  their  common  lands 
by  extinguishing  the  Indian  claim,  applied  to 
Governor  Lovelace,  and  obtained  from  him  the 
following  license : 

"Whereas,  the  inhabitants  of  Breucklyn, 
in  the  West  Riding  of  Yorkshire,  upon  Long 
Island,  who  were  seated  there  in  a  township 
by  the  authority  then  in  being ;  and  having  bin 
at  considerable  charges  in  clearing,  fiencing, 
and  manuring  their  land,  as  well  as  building 
ffor  their  conveniency;  have  requested  my  ly- 
cense  for  their  further  security,  to  make  pur- 
chase of  the  said  land  of  some  Indians,  who 
lay  claimi  and  interest  therein.  These  are  to 
certify  all  whom  it  may  concerne,  that  I  have 
and  doe  hereby  give  the  said  inhabitants  ly- 
cense  to  purchase  their  land  according  to  their 
request,  the  said  Indians  concerned  appearing 
before  me,  as  in  the  law  is  required,  and  mak- 
ing their  acknowledgments  as  to  fully  satis- 
fyed  and  payed  for  the  same.  Given  under 
my  hand  and  seal  at  flfort  James,  in  New- 
Yorke,  this  fifirst  of  May,  in  the  22d  yeare  of 
his  Majestyies  reigne,  Anno  Dom.  1670. 
"Francis  Lovelace." 

This  purchase  had  been  agreed  upon  the 
14th  of  May,  1670,  between  the  town  and  five 
Indian  chiefs,  and  is  described  in  the  convey- 
ance as  "all  that  parcell  of  land  in  and  about 
Bedford,  within  the  jurisdiction  of  Breucklyn, 
beginning  ffrom  Hendrick  Van  Aarnhem's 
land  by  a  swampe  of  water,  and  stretching  to 
the  hills  ;  then  going  along  the  hills  to  the  port 
or  entrance  thereof,  and  so  to  Rockaway  foot- 
path, as  their  purchase  is  more  particularly 
sett  fforth.  To  have  and  to  hold  all  the  said 
parcell  and  tract  of  land  unto  Monsieur  Ma- 
chiell  Haimelle,  Thomas  Lambertse,  John 
Lewis,  and  Peter  Darmantier,  flor  and  on  be- 
halfe  of  the  inhabitants  aforesaid,  their  heyres 
and  successors  for  ever."  The  port  or  en- 
trance mentioned  in  this  instrument  is  the  val- 
ley upon  the  Flatbush  Turnpike,  a  short  dis- 
tance beyond  the  three-mile  post  from  Brook- 

50 


lyn  Ferry,  where  a  freestone  monument  has- 
been  placed  to  designate  the  line  between  this 
town  and  Flatbush.  The  price  paid  for  the 
land  in  and  about  Bedford  was  one  hundred, 
guilders  seawant,  half  a  ton  of  strong  beer, 
two  tons  of  good  beer,  three  guns,  long  bar^ 
rels,  with  each  a  pound  of  powder,  and  lead 
proportionable,  two  bars  to  a  gun,  and  four 
match  coats. 

Notwithstanding  the  early  inhabitants  of 
this  town  had  previously  obtained  patents  for 
their  lands  both  from  the  Dutch  and  English 
Governors,  yet  Colonel  Thomas  Dongan,  who 
succeeded  to  that  office  in  '1683,  had  the  ad- 
dress to  make  them  believe  that  a  new  patent 
was  necessary  to  confirm  and  assure  their 
lands.  Accordingly,  on  the  13th  of  May,  1686, 
a  new  patent  was  issued,  which,  after  reciting 
the  boundaries  of  the  town  as  described  in  for- 
mer grants,  with  reference  to  the  charter  of 
Governor  Nicolls  in  1667,  the  powers  and  priv- 
ileges of  which  are  recognized  to  the  fullest 
extent,  concludes  in  the  following  words : 

"Now  know  ye,  that  I,  the  said  Thomas 
Dongan,  by  virtue  of  the  commission  and  au- 
thority derived  from  me,  and  power  in  me  re- 
siding, have  granted,  ratified  and  confirmed,, 
and  by  these  presents  do  grant,  ratifie  and  con- 
firm, unto  Teunis  Gysberts,  Thomas  Lamberts,. 
Peter  Jansen,  Jacobus  Vander  Water,  Jan 
Dame,  Joris  Jacobs,  Jeronimus  Rapalle,  Daniel 
Rapalle,  Jan  Jansen,  Adrian  Bennet,  and  Mich- 
ael Hanse,  for  and  on  the  behalf  of  themselves 
and  the  rest  of  the  present  freeholders  and  in- 
habitants of  the  said  town  of  Breucklen,  their 
heirs  and  assigns  for  ever,  all  and  singular  the 
afore-recited  tract  and  parcels  of  larid  set. 
forth  limited  and  bounded  as  aforesaid;  to- 
gether with  all  and  singular  the  houses,  mes- 
suages, tenements,  fencings,  buildings,  gar- 
dens, orchards,  trees,  woods,  underwoods,  pas- 
tures, feedings,  common  of  pasture,  meadows,, 
marshes,  lakes,  ponds,  creeks,  harbors,  rivers,, 
rivulets,  brooks,  streams,  highways  and  ease- 
ments whatsoever,  belonging  or  in  any  wise- 
appertaining  to  any  of  the  afore-recited  tract 
or  parcells  of  land  and  divisions,  allotments 
settlements  made  and  appropriated  before  the 
day  and  date  hereof.  To  Have  and  To  Hold, 
all  and  singular,  the  said  tract  or  parcels  of 
land  and  premises,  with  their,  and  every  of 
their  appurtenances,  unto  the  said  Teunis  Gys- 
berts, Thomas  Lamberts,  Peter  Jansen,  Jacobus 
Vander  Water,  Joris  Jacobs,  Jeronimus  Rap- 
palle,   Daniel    Rappalle,  Jan    Jansen,   Adriaiij 


786 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


Beniiet,  and  Michael  Hanse,  for  and  on  behalf 
of  themselves  and  the  present  freeholders  and 
inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Breucklen,  their  and 
every  of  their  heirs  and  assigns  for  ever,  as 
tenants  in  common  without  any  let,  hindrance, 
molestation,  right  of  survivorship  or  otherwise, 
to  be  holden  in  free  and  common  socage  ac- 
cording to  the  tenure  of  East  Greenwich,  in  the 
county  of  Kent,  in  his  Majesty's  kingdom  of 
England.  Yielding,  rendering,  and  paying 
therefor  yearly,  and  every  year,  on  the  five  and 
twentyeth  day  of  March,  for  ever,  in  lieu  of  all 
services  and  demands  whatsoever,  as  a  quit 
rent  to  his  most  sacred  Majesty  aforesaid,  his 
heirs  and  successors,  at  the  city  of  New- York, 
twenty  bushels  of  good  merchantable  wheat. 
In  testimony  whereof,  I  have  caused  these 
presents  to  be  entered  and  recorded  in  the 
Secretary's  office,  and  the  seal  of  the  Province 
to  be  hereunto  affixed  this  thirteenth  day  of 
May,  Anno  Domini,  one  thousand  six  hundred 
and  eighty-six,  and  in  the  second  year  of  his 
Majesty's  reign. 

"Thomas  Dongan." 

Under  this  and  other  patents  considerable 
sums  have  been  paid  at  different  times  for  quit- 
rents,  for  which  receipts  have  been  preserved. 
June  8,  1713,  there  was  paid  to  Benjamin  Van- 
dewater,  treasurer,  the  sum  of  £96  7s  id,  for 
upwards  of  sixteen  years  quit-rent.  April  6, 
1775,  Charles  Debevoice,  collector  of  the  town, 
paid  to  the  receiver-general  of  the  colony, 
twenty  bushels  of  wheat  for  one  year's  quit- 
rent;  and,  November  9,  1786,  Fernandus  Suy- 
dam  and  Charles  C.  Doughty,  two  of  the  trus- 
tees, paid  to  the  treasurer  of  the  state,  ii05 
los.  in  full  for  arrears  of  quit-rent  due  from 
the  town.  During  the  early  years  of  the  colony, 
the  old  ferry  was  from  near  the  foot  of  Jerole- 
mon  street  to  the  Breede-Graft,  now  Broad 
street,  in  the  city  of  New  York;  but  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  ascertain  the  exact  period  when  the  old 
ferry  was  first  established  at  its  present  situa- 
tion on  the  Brooklyn  side.  It  appears  that,  in 
1693  John  Areson,  the  lessee  of  the  ferry,  com- 
plained of  his  inability  to  pay  the  rent  of  £147, 
and  it  was  reduced  to  £140.  At  this  time  the 
ferriage  for  every  single  person  was  eight 
stivers  in  wampum,  or  a  silver  two-pence  ;  each 
person  in  company  half  the  above ;  and  if  after 
sunset,  double  price;  each  horse  or  beast  one 
shilling  if  single,  or  nine  pence  in  company. 
In  1698  Rip  Van  Dam  was  lessee  of  the  ferry 
for  seven  years  at  £165  per  annum.  During  the 
Revolution  the  old  ferry    was    kept    by    Van 


Winkle  and  Bukett,  when  the  usual  charge  for 
crossing  was  six  pence.  The  corporation  of 
the  city  of  New  York  has  long  claimed  and  ex- 
ercised the  control  of  the  ferry,  which  has  pro- 
duced a  considerable  revenue.  August  i,  1795. 
the  ferry  from  the  foot  of  Main  street  was  es- 
tablished by  William  Furman  and  Theodosius 
Hunt,  on  a  lease  from  the  corporation  of  New 
York.  In  May,  1814,  the  first  steamboat  com- 
menced running  upon  the  Fulton  Ferry,  and  at 
a  later  period  upon  the  other  ferries  also. 

The  town  having  accjuired  so  great  an  ex- 
tent of  common  land  by  the  purchase  of  1670 
from  the  Indians,  the  inhabitants  thought 
proper  to  take  some  order  for  the  division  and 
defending  thereof,  together  with  their  other 
lands ;  accordingly,  "At  a  town  meeting  held 
on  the  25th  day  of  February,  1692-3  at  Breuk- 
lyn,  in  King's  county.  They  Resolved  to  di- 
vide their  common  lands  and'  woods  into  three 
parts,  in  manner  following,  to  witt: 

"i.  All  the  lands  and  woods  after  Bedford 
and  Cripplebush,  over  the  hills  to  the  path  of 
Newlotts,  shall  belong  to  the  inhabitants  and 
freeholders  of  the  town  of  Gowanis,  beginning 
from  Jacob  Brewer  and  soe  to  the  uttermost 
bounds  of  the  limits  of  New-Utrectht. 

"2.  And  all  the  lands  and  woods  that  lyes 
betwixt  the  abovesaid  path  and  the  highway 
from  the  ferry  towards  Flattbush,  shall  belong 
to  the  freeholders  and  inhabitants  of  Bedford 
and  Cripplebush. 

"3.  And  all  the  lands  that  lyes  in  common 
after  the  Gowanis,  betwixt  the  limits  and' 
bounds  of  Flattbush  and  New-Utrecht,  shall 
belong  to  the  freeholders  and  inhabitants  of 
Brooklyn,  fred.  neck,  the  ferry  and  the  Walla- 
bout."  This  proceeding  of  the  town  meeting 
was  allowed  of  by  the  court  of  sessions,  held  at 
Flattbush  on  the  loth  day  of  May,  1693. 

The  following  will  serve  to  show  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  inhabitants  of  this  town  elect- 
ed the  trustees  of  the  common  lands,  and  the 
duties  of  those  trustees.  "Att  a  towne  meet- 
ing held  this  29th  day  ofif  Aprill,  1699,  at 
Breucklyn,  by  order  off  Justice  Machiel  Hans- 
sen,  ffor  to  choose  townsmen  ffor  to  order  all 
townes  busines  and  to  deffend  theire  limitts 
and  bounds,  and  to  dispose  and  lay  out  sum 
part  thereoff  in  lotts,  to  make  lawes  and  orders 
ffor  the  best  off  the  inhabitants,. and  to  raise  a 
small  tax  ffor  to  defray  the  towne  charges,  now 
being  or  hereaffter  to  come,  to  receive  townes 
revenues,  and  to  pay  townes  debts;  and  that 
with  the  advice  off  the  Justices  off  this  said 
towne  standing  the  space  and  time  oft'    two 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


787 


years.  Chosen  ffor  that  purpose  by  pluraHtie 
off  votes.  Benjamin  Van  de  Water,  Joores 
Hanssen,  Jan  Garretse  Dorlant.  By  order  of 
the  inhabitants  afforesaid.  L  Van'de  Water 
Clarke." 

Although  it  may  not  be  generally  known, 
yet  it  is  true  that  the  records  of  this  town,  from 
its  first  settlement  to  the  end  of  Revolutionary 
war,  were  either  destroyed  during  the  contest 
between  Britain  and  her  colonies,  or  carried  off 
at  its  close  by  some  evil-disposed  individual. 
The  person  suspected  is  John  Rapalje,  Esq., 
who  was  in  authority  here  during  that  period, 
and  against  whom  an  act  of  attainder  was 
passed  in  October,  1777,  by  which  his  large 
real  estate  was  confiscated,  and  himself  forced 
to'  depart  from  the  country.  The  necessary 
consequence  is,  that  we  have  been  deprived  of 
many  valuable  materials  toward  a  history  of 
the  town.  It  might  be  expected,  that  in  a 
state  of  hostility,  every  measure  would  be 
adopted  to  afflict  an  enemy ;  yet  it  mav  be  ques- 
tioned whether  abstracting  the  records  of  a 
country  is  strictly  justifiable  by  the  customs 
and  usages  of  civilized  warfare. 

The  hope  is  still  entertained  that  these  im- 
portant documents  are  still  in  existence,  and 
that  by  proper  exertions  they  may  yet  be  found 
in  some  of  the  public  offices  in  England.  Some 
facts  of  recent  occurrence  corroborate  this 
opinion,  and  a  correspondence  was  set  on  foot 
a  few  years  since,  between  General  Jeremiah 
Johnson,  supervisor  of  the  town,  and  Governor 
De  Witt  Clinton,  which  led  to  examinations  in 
one  or  more  places  in  London,  where  it  was 
supposed  they  might  chance  to  be  deposited; 
but  nothing  satisfactory  was  elicited.  The  sub- 
ject matter  of  this  correspondence  is  thought 
sufficiently  important  to  justify  its  insertion  in 
this  place. 

(General  Johnson  to  Governor  Clinton.) 


Albany,  April  11,  1827. 


Sir: 


I  visited  this  city,  in  December  last,  for  the 
purpose  of  examining  the  Dutch  records  and 
public  papers  in  the  secretary's  office,  particu- 
larly the  Dutch  patents  of  the  towns  of  Brook- 
lyn, Flatbush,  Flatlands,  and  Jamaica ;  and  not 
finding  them,  the  search  was  continued  among 
the  English  records  to  the  year  1684,  wherein 
I  found  that  in  that  year  the  governor  and 
council  of  the  colony  issued  an  order  com- 
manding all  the  inhabitants  of  the  Dutch  towns 
in  the  provinces  of  New-York  and  New  Jersey 


to  bring  their  Dutch  patents  and  Indian  deeds 
into  the  Secretary's  offlce  in  New- York.  This 
measure,  in  my  opinion,  accounts  for  the  ab- 
sence of  many  papers  supposed  to  be  lost.  Sub- 
sequent to  my  search  in  the  office  in  1826,  I 
had  been  informed  that  many  old  papers  re- 
lating to  this  state  are  in  the  colonial  office  in 
London.  And,  as  the  records  of  the  town  of 
Brooklyn  were  removed  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary war,  I  entertain  a  hope  that  we  may 
regain  them.  This  information  is  presented 
to  your  Excellency  in  the  expectation  that  in- 
quiry may  be  made  in  London  whether  the 
papers  alluded  to,  or  authenticated  copies,  can- 
not be  obtained.  The  recovery  of  the  records 
of  the  town  would  be  of  great  importance,  and 
the  patents  and  Indian  deeds  serve  to  improve 
the  history  of  the  town. 

Yours,  respectfully. 
Jeremiah  Johnson,  Snpcn'isor. 
His  Excellency,  Governor  Clinton. 

(Governor  Clinton  to  Albert  Gallatin,  Esq.) 


Sir: 


Albany,  12th  May,  1827. 


I  take  the  liberty  of  transmitting  to  you  a 
letter  from  General  Johnson,  a  respectable  citi- 
zen of  this  state,  and  of  requesting  your  atten- 
tion to  it.  According  to  a  report  made  at  the 
last  session  of  congress,  there  will  be  no  diffi- 
culty on  the  part  of  the  British  government. 
The  papers  wanted  may  be  found  in  the  former 
plantation  office.  Yours,  &c. 

De  Witt  Clinton. 
Albert  Gallatin,  Esq. 

(Mr.  Gallatin  to  Governor  Clinton.) 


Sir: 


London,  25th  August,  1827. 


I  had  the  honor  to  receive  your  Excel- 
lency's letter  of  the  12th  May  last,  enclosing 
one  from  General  Johnson,  and  requesting  that 
application  might  be  made  to  this  government 
for  certain  town  records,  and  other  papers 
therein-mentioned  as  having  been  carried 
away,  and  being  now  either  in  the  colonial 
office,  or  that  of  trade  and  plantations  in  Lon- 
don. I  regret  to  say,  that  after  diligent  inquiry, 
and  although  the  various  departments  here 
were  anxious  for  the  restoration  of  the  papers 
if  they  could  be  found,  there  is  no  trace  of 
them  whatever.  There  are  two  deposits  for 
records   and   documents    connected    with  the 


788 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


colonies ;  the  office  of  the  Board  of  Trade  and 
Plantations,  and  the  State  Paper  office,  where 
the  records  and  papers  of  the  colonial,  as  well 
as  the  home  and  foreign  departments,  are  kept. 
There  is  nothing  in  the  colonial  office ;  and  you 
will  perceive  by  the  enclosed  letters,  that  noth- 
ing was  found  in  the  others ;  and  that  it  is  be- 
lieved the  papers  in  question  were  carried  away 
by  individuals  who  never  deposited  them  in 
any  office.  Mr.  Charles  Grant,  the  writer  of 
two  of  the  notes,  is  the  vice-president  of  the 
board  of  trade,  one  of  the  commissioners  ap- 
pointed to  treat  with  me,  a  gentleman  of  dis- 
tinguished merit  and  obliging  disposition. 
Another  search  may  nevertheless  be  made,  if 
Gen.  Johnson  will  state  the  time  when  the 
records  were  carried  away,  and  other  circum- 
stances, which  may  afford  a  cue  to  the  inquiry. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be,  &c. 

Albert  Gallatin. 
His  Excellency,  De  Witt  Clinton. 

(Charles  Grant,  Esq.,  to  Mr.   Gallatin.) 

London,  August  14,  1827. 
Dear  Sir: 

I  have  only  this  morning  received  the  en- 
closed from  Mr.  Rice,  whose  absence  from 
town  prevaited  his  sooner  transmitting  it  to 
me.  I  regret  much  the  result.  As  a  last  hope, 
I  have  sent  Governor  Clinton's  letter  to  the 
colonial  office,  that  inquiries  may  be  made ;  but 
I  fear  there  is  little  probability  of  success. 
I  am,  Sir,  &c. 

C.  Grant. 
A.  Gallatin,  Esq. 

(Spring  Rice,  Esq.,  to  Charles  Grant,  Esq.) 

My  Dear  Grant: 

On  coming  down  to  the  office  this  morning, 
I  found  enclosed,  which  relates  to  your  com- 
munication with  me.  I  enclose  it  as  the  best 
means  of  answering  Mr.  Gallatin's  request,  re- 
gretting that  we  cannot  do  more  to  furnish  you 
with  the  information  requested. 

Ever  and  most  truly  yours, 

Spring  Rice. 

Judge  Furman,  in  speaking  of  the  history 
of  this  town,  observes,  "that  its  great  antiquity 
is  apparent  from  the  fact  that  the  English  colo- 
nists, who  came  out  from  Holland  for  pro- 
fessed purposes  of  settlement,  were  those 
brought  out  in  1623,  only  two  years  before  the 


settlement  of  Brooklyn,  in  the  ship  of  Capt- 
Kornelis  Jacobse  Mey ;  and  that  soon  after  two- 
ships  of  the  West  India  Company  brought,  as 
agriculturists,    the   Walloons,   whO'  settled   in 
Brooklyn."     In  1646  the  town  was  permitted^ 
to  choose  two  magistrates,  who  were  author- 
ized "to  give  judgment  in  all  events  as  they 
should  deem  proper,  not  contrary  to  the  charter 
of  New  Netherlands ;"  and,  to  give  complete 
effect  to  their  authority,  the  governor  ordered 
that  if  any  one  disobeyed  the  decision  of  the- 
magistrates,  he  should  forfeit  his  right  to  the 
lands  within  the  village.     This  privilege  seems 
not  to  have  been  extended  to  any  other  town, 
probably  because  no  other  was  at  that  time  so- 
populous  as  to  require  it. 

The  first  public  officer  appointed  by  the 
Dutch  government  for  this  town  after  its  set- 
tlement in  1625,  was  a  "superintendent," 
whose  duties  were  to  preserve  the  peace  and 
regulate  the  police  of  the  town.  A  few  years 
after  the  office  of  superintendent  was  abolished, 
and  the  offices  of  schout,  secretary,  and  as- 
sessor, created.  These  were,  like  others,  ap- 
pointed by  the  governor. 

The  inhabitants  suffering  very  much  under 
the  arbitrary  exercise  of  power  on  the  part  of 
the  government,  frequently  remonstrated 
against  the  same.  Finally  a  convention  of 
delegates  from  this,  and  other  towns  under  the 
Dutch  government,  assembled  at  New  Amster- 
dam, November  26,  1663,  on  an  invitation 
from  the  governor ;  where  they,  on  the  i  ith  of ^ 
December  following,  entered  into  a  remon- 
strance against  the  exclusion  of  the  people - 
from  any  share  in  legislation,  and  generally 
against  their  mode  of  government.  The  gov- 
ernor and  his  council  sent  them  no  answer, 
but  entered  one  on  the  minutes,  in  which  they 
denied  the  right  of  this  town,  Flatbush,  and' 
Flatlands,  to  send  deputies;  and  protested 
against  the  meeting,  notwithstanding  the  same 
was  held  at  the  governor's  request.  Enter- 
taining a  just  sense  of  the  responsibility  at- 
tached to  them,  the  deputies  made  another,  but 
ineffectual  attempt,  to  obtain  a  recognition  of 
their  rights;  and  on  the  13th  of  the  aforesaid 
month  presented  another  remonstrance,  in 
which  they  declared,  "that  if  they  could  not 
obtain  them  from  the  governor  and  council, 
they  would  be  under  the  necessity  of  appealing  - 
to  their  superiors,  the  States-general."  The 
governor,  in  a  fit  of  anger,  dissolved  their 
meeting,  and  sent  them  home. 

In  order  to  secure  the  settlement  against 
the  depredations  of  the  Indians,  the  governor, . 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


789 


■in  1660,  required  the  inhabitants  to  fortify  the 
town,  and  remove  their  families  within  the  en- 
•closure,  constructed  of  palisadoes,  set  close  to- 
gether and  made  sharp  at  the  top.  This  order 
was  probably  in  consequence  of  threatened  hos- 
tility from  the  northern  Indians,  who  had  in 
1655  made  a  descent  upon  Staten  Island,  and 
-massacred  sixty-seven  persons;  and  the  set- 
tlement of  Gravesend  was  only  saved  by  the 
timely  arrival  of  soldiers  from  New  Amster- 
dam. 

It  seems  to  have  been  enjoined  upon  the 
overseers  and  constables  to  admonish  the  in- 
habitants to  instruct  their  children  and  ser- 
vants in  matters  of  religion  and  the  laws  of  the 
country.  They  likewise  appointed  an  officer 
to  re  ord  every  man's  particular  mark,  and  see 
each  man's  horse  and  colt  branded.  They 
were  to  pay  the  value  of  an  Indian  coat  for 
killing  a  wolf,  whose  head  was  to  be  nailed 
over  the  door  of  the  constable.  In  October, 
1675,  an  order  was  passed  by  the  court  of 
assize  that  a  fair  or  market  should  be  yearly 
kept  near  the  ferry,  for  the  sale  of  grain,  cat- 
tle, or  other  produce  of  the  country ;  to  be  held 
the  first  Monday,  Tuesday  and  Wednesday  in 
November;  and  in  the  city  of  New  York  the 
Thursday,  Friday  and  Saturday  following. 
Although  the  population  of  this  town  has  aug- 
tnented  every  year  since  its  settlement,  yet, 
previous  to  the  incorporation  of  the  village  in 
1816,  the  increase  was  far  from  what  it  has 
been  since;  and  within  the  last  fifteen  years 
the  accession  in  number  and  wealth  has  been 
greater  than  for  tlie  preceding  hundred  years. 
In  1706  the  real  and  personal  estate  in  the 
town  was  valued  only  at  £3,112,  the  tax  there- 
on £41.  In  1824  the  valuation  was  over  two 
million  six  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  the 
taxes  between  six  and  seven  thousand.  In 
1834  the  valuation  in  the  city  of  Brooklyn 
alone  was  $7,257,473. 

The  controversies  which  have  heretofore 
-existed  betweenf  this  town  and  the  corporation 
of  the  city  of  New  York  in  relation  to  the 
ferry  across  the  East  river,  and  the  claim  of 
the  latter  to  the  soil  below  high  water-mark 
along  the  Brooklyn  shore ;  and  also  concerning 
the  title  of  the  United  States  to  a  valuable 
tract  of  land  at  the  Wallabout,  are  of  the  high- 
est importance  to  the  inhabitants ;  but  their 
merits  would  require  more  space  for  examina- 
tion than  could  be  afforded  in  this  work.  For 
an  exposition  of  the  legal  principles  involved 
in   the   discussion,  the   reader   is   referred  to 


Judge  Furman's  notes,  and  other  productions 
of  the  same  author. 

The  history  of  the  Dutch  church  in  this 
county  has  been  so  fully  detailed  in  our  ac- 
count of  Flatbush,  that  little  more  is  necessary 
on  that  head. 

In  the  year  1659  the  inhabitants  of  the 
town  applied  to  Governor  Stuyvesant  for  per- 
mission to  call  a  minister  for  their  congrega- 
tion, assigning,  as  a  reason  for  their  applica- 
tion, the  badness  of  the  road  to  Flatbush,  the 
difficulty  of  attending  divine  service  at  New 
York,  and  the  extreme  old  age  and  inability  of 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Polhemus  to  perform  ministerial 
services  at  Brooklyn. 

The  governor  deemed  this  request  reason- 
able, and  sent  Nicasius  de  Sille,  Fiscal  of  New 
Netherland,  and  Martin  Kregier,  Burgomaster 
of  New  Amsterdam,  to  this  town,  as  a  com- 
mittee of  inquiry,  who  reported  in  favor  of 
the  application ;  whereupon  the  request  of  the 
inhabitants  was  granted.  They  accordingly 
prepared  a  call  for  the  Rev.  Henry  Solinus, 
alias  Henricus  Selwyn,  from  Holland,  who 
was  approved  of  by  the  classis  of  Amsterdam, 
on  the  1 6th  of  February,  1660,  when  the 
classis  also  gave  the  Rev.  Mr.  Solinus  a  dis- 
mission, wishing  him  a  safe  and  prosperous 
journey  by  land  and  by  water  to  his  congre- 
gation in  the  New  Netherland.  The  time  of 
the  arrival  of  this  minister  is  not  known.  He 
was  installed  in  the  church  on  the  3d  of  Sep- 
tember, 1660,  in  the  presence  of  the  Fiscal  and 
Burgomaster  Kregier,  by  the  order  of  Gov- 
ernor Stuyvesant,  who  appears  to  have  been 
at  the  head  of  the  ecclesiastical  as  well  as  the 
civil  and  military  government  of  the  colony. 
The  salary  of  Mr.  Selwyn  was  fixed  at  six 
hundred  guilders;  and  the  marriage  fees,  in- 
stead of  being  a  perquisite  of  his  office,  were 
to  be  acounted  for  to  the  church.  On  the  29th 
of  October,  1662,  it  appears  that  he  paid  over 
to  the  consistory  seventy-eight  guilders  and 
ten  stivers,  for  fourteen  marriages  performed 
by  him  during  the  year.  On  the  23d  of  July, 
1664,  he  returned  to  Holland ;  and  after  his  de- 
parture, Charles  Debevoice,  schoolmaster  and 
sexton,  was  directed  to  read  the  prayers  in  the 
church,  and  a  sermon  from  an  approved  au- 
thor, every  Sabbath,  till  another  should  be 
called.  The  first  Dutch  church  was  built  here 
in  1666,  and  stood  about  forty  years,  when 
another  was  erected  on  the  same  spot,  which 
was  taken  down  in  18 10,  and  a  new  and  sub- 
stantial one  built  in  Jerolemon  street.     This 


790 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


last,  not  being  found  sufficiently  large,  has 
lately  given  place  to  a  more  splendid  edifice, 
on  nearly  the  same  site. 

An  Episcopal  society  existed  in  this  town 
as  early  as  1766.  It  was  incorporated  in  1787; 
and  in  1795  St.  Ann's  church  was  occupied  for 
the  first  time.  This  building  was  of  stone, 
and  was  superseded  by  the  present  elegant 
edifice  in  1824.  The  first  ^Methodist  church 
was  incorporated  in  1794;  the  first  Presby- 
terian church  in  1822 ;  the  first  Baptist  church 
in  1823  ;  the  first  Roman  Catholic  church  in 
1822;  and  the  first  Congregational  church  in 
1839. 

The  first  printing-press  established  in  this 
town  was  by  Thomas  Kirk  in  1799,  from  which 
was  issued  a  weekly  newspaper,  entitled  "The 
Courier,  and  New  York  and  Long  Island  Ad- 
vertiser," and  was  continued  for  about  four 
years.  The  first  number  of  the  ''Long  Island 
Star,"  by  the  same  gentleman,  was  isued  on 
the  first  of  June,  1809,  and  transferred  to  Alden 
Spooner  in  the  year  181 1. 

The  most  compaot  part  of  this  town  was,  in- 
corporated into  a  village  on  the  12th  of  April, 
1816,  which,  although  violently  opposed  by 
a  portion  of  the  population,  gave  a  new  im- 
pulse to  the  spirit  of  improvement,  and  has  re- 
sulted in  raising  it  to  the'  third  rank  among 
the  cities  of  the  State  of  New  York.  The  vil- 
lage charter  authorized  the  election  of  five 
trustees,  and  those  named  in  the  act  were  An- 
drew Mercein,  John  Garrison,  John  Doughty, 
John  Seaman,  and  John  Dean.  This  charter 
was  several  times  amended  and  enlarged  as 
the  increase  of  population  required,  until  it 
became  indispensable  to  endow  the  place  with 
the  name  and  privileges  of  a  city.  On  the  8th 
of  April,  1834,  the  whole  territory  of  the  town 
was  incorporated  under  the  name  of  the  "City 
of  Brooklyn,"  and  its  inhabitants  a  body  cor- 
porate and  politic,  by  the  style  of  "The  Mayor 
and  Common  Council  of  the  City  of  Brook- 
lyn." It  is  divided  into  nine  wards ;  the  pow- 
ers of  the  corporation  are  vested  in  a  mayor, 
and  a  board  of  aldermen  composed  of  two, 
elected  annually,  from  each  ward.  These  have 
the  appointing  of  most  of  the  subordinate  offi- 
cers of  the  city.  Bedford,  upon  the  eastern 
part  of  the  town,  was  formerly  a  separate 
hamlet;  but  is  now  so  far  swallowed  up  by  the 
progress  of  improvement,  as  to  have  nearly  lost 
its  identity.  Gowanus  is  that  part  of  Brook- 
lyn which  joins  Flatbush  and  the  waters  of  the 
bay,  consisting  principally  of  a  low  tract  of 
salt  marsh,  ponds,  and  creeks,  over  which  a 


highway  and  bridge  have  been  constructed, 
and  is  fast  becoming  more  valuable  as  the  city 
advances  in  that  direction. 

The  Wallabout  is  a  part  of  Brooklyn  north- 
east from  the  ferry,  and  rendered  famous  in 
the  Revolution  from  having  been  the  scene  of 
the  most  heart-rending  sufiferings  of  many 
thousand  American  citizens,  confined  on  board 
the  prison-ships  stationed  in  the  bay.  The 
United  States  possesses  about  forty  acres,  in- 
cluding the  site  of  the  old  mill-pond.  Here 
have  been  erected  a  spacious  navy-yard,  pub- 
lic store-houses,  machine-shops,  and  two  im- 
mense edifices,  in  which  the  largest  ships  are 
protected  from  the  weather,  while  building. 
On  the  opposite  side  of  the  bay  has  lately  been 
constructed  the  Naval  Hospital,  which  is  not 
only  splendid,  but  magnificent.  The  "Appren- 
tices' Library  Association"  was  formed  in 
1824,  the  corner-stone  of  which  was  laid  by 
the  Marquis  La  Fayette  during  his  last  visit  to 
America  in  that  year.  The  library  is  now  in 
the  Brooklyn  Lyceum ;  and  the  building,  hav- 
ing become  the  property  of  the  city,  is  appro- 
priated for  public  offices,  and  the  holding  of 
courts,  being  denominated  the  "City  Build- 
ings." The  Brooklyn  Lyceum  was  instituted 
October  10,  1833.  The  edifice  is  a  beautiful 
specimen  of  architecture,  composed  of  granite, 
and  every  wav  adapted  to>  the  purpose  of  its 
projection.  Th°  objects  of  this  institution  are 
intellectual  and  moral  improvement,  by  means 
of  certain  specified  committees,  and  by  gratui- 
tous public  lectures.  A  course  of  lectures  by 
gentlemen  of  the  city  of  New  York  was  com- 
menced on  November  7,  1833,  and  has  been 
varied  occasionally  by  essays,  principally  from 
the  pens  of  ladies.  The  Brooklyn  Collegiate 
Institute  for  young  ladies  was  incorporated,  in 
1829.  The  building  is  large  and  beautifully 
located  near  the  East  river.  It  flourished  for 
a  few  years,  and  gave  promise  of  permanent 
utility;  but  from  want  of  sufficient  patronage 
the  school  has  been  given  up.  The  "City 
Hall,"  which  was  commenced  a  few  vears 
since  upon  a  magnificent  scale,  has  been  inter- 
rupted in  its  progress,  and  doubts  are  enter- 
tained of  its  completion,  at  least  upon  the  plan 
and  to  the  extent  originally  contemplated. 

prime's    account     of     queens     and    SUFFOLK 
COUNTIES,    1845. 

The  people  of  Queens  county  are  of  a  more 
mixed  character,  both  in  regard  to  their 
origin  and  religious  views,  than  either  of  the 
other  counties.  In  Kings,  till  within  a  few  years. 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


791 


tile  Dutch  character  had  a  decided  and  obvious 
preijonderance,  which  is  still  the  case  in  some 
towns.  This  was  manifest  to  the  eye  of  the 
transient  observer,  in  the  manners  and  habits 
of  the  people,  and  even  in  the  form  and  style 
of  their  buildings.  A  Dutch  house,  or  a  Dutch 
barn,  has  been,  from  time  immemorial,  a  term 
that  conveyed  as  definite  an  idea  to  the  mind 
as  the  most  detailed  description  could  have 
given.  And  till  after  the  commencement  of 
the  present  century,  a  Dutch  church  was  in- 
variably conceived  to  bear  a  strong  resem- 
blance to  a  light-house,  only  occupying  more 
ground  at  its  base,  and  not  extending  to  so 
great  a  height.  And  so  peculiarly  appropriate 
was  this  form  of  church  building,'  in  the  public 
estimation,  that  other  denominations  some- 
times erected  their  houses  of  worship  on  the 
same  plan. 

On  the  other  hand  the  people  of  Suffolk 
county,  being  almost  exclusively  of  English 
or  Xew  England  origin,  present  to  the  present 
day  the  constant  evidence  of  Yankee  predilec- 
tion. Overlooking  the  physical  features  of  the 
country,  the  traveler  can  not  divest  his  mind  of 
the  idea  that  he  is  in  the  midst  of  a  New  Eng- 
land population,  living  in  Xew  England  habi- 
tations. And  had  he  entered  almost  any  one 
of  their  churches,  some  thirty  years  ago,  be- 
fore "the  spirit  of  improvement"  swept  over 
the  land,  he  would  have  recognized  in  the  vast 
pulpit,  sufficiently  large  to  hold  a  dozen  min- 
isters, with  its  deacon's  seat  beneath,  and  a 
sounding  board  of  corresponding  size  above, 
which  always  attracted  the  attention  of  cliil- 
dren  more  than  the  preacher,  and  filled  them 
with  constant'  apprehension  that  it  might  fall 
and  crush  the  man  of  God  in  the  midst  of  his 
devotions  ;  in  the  large  square  pews,  too,  which 
obliged  one-half  the  congregation  (and  those 
were  generally  the  children)  to  sit  with  their 
backs  to  the  minister,  and  thus,  in  spite  of 
themselves  and  all  their  efforts  to  become  li-st- 
less  and  sleepy  hearers, — in  all  these  and  many 
other  particulars  the  observer,  if  from  Xew 
England,  would  recognize  the  fac  simile  of  his 
native  church.  The  writer  has  always  been  of 
the  opinion  that  the  devil  had  as  much  of  a 
hand  in  the  invention  of  sounding  boards  and 
square  pews  as  he  had  in  the  Saleni'  witch- 
craft, and  that  the  scheme  has  been  vastly. 
more  successful,  in  its  pernicious  influences, 
on  the  rising  generation. 

But  in  Queens  county  there  is  nothing  of 
this  unique,  homologous  character,  either  in 
the  manner  of  the  people,  the  style  of  their 


buildings  or  the  moral  aspect  of  society.  Here 
Yankees  and  Dutchmen,  Presbyterians  and 
Quakers,  men  of  every  religion  and  no  re- 
ligion, have  for  almost  two  centuries  been  min- 
gled together,  with  all  their  various  affinities 
and  repulsions ;  and  while  the  effervescence 
has  been  constantly  going  on,  the  time  is  yet 
future,  if  it  ever  is  to  come,  when  it  is  to  sub- 
side into  one  homogeneous  mass. 

It  may  therefere  be  readily  inferred  from 
the  facts  of  the  case  that  there  is  and  always 
has  been  a  greater  diversity  of  religious  views, 
and  consequently  of  the  moral  habits  of  the 
people  of  this  county,  with  far  less  of  fellow 
feeling  and  assimilated  manners,  than  in  any 
other  district  of  the  island.  Except  in  a  few 
thickly  settled  spots,  houses  of  religious  wor- 
ship, till  of  late  years,  have  been  much  fewer 
in  number  and  attended  by  a  less  proportion 
of  the  population,  than  in  the  other  counties ; 
while  in  many  towns,  fishing  and  hunting, 
traveling  and  visiting  and  even  ordinary  secu- 
lar labor,  are  indulged  in  b}'  multitudes  on  the 
Sabbath  day.  Its  proximity  to  the  city  has 
doubtless  increased  these  evils,  if  it  has  not 
been  their  origin ;  but  it  is  to  be  apprehended 
that  too  many  of  the  inhabitants  are  voluntary 
panderers  to  the  votaries  of  pleasure  from  the 
great  metropolis. 

And  here  it  is  proper  to  notice  one  of  the 
principal  means  of  demoralization,  with  which 
this  county  as  well  as  the  adjacent  parts  have 
been  cursed  for  the  space  of  one  hundred  and 
eighty  years.  Here  has  been  the  permanent 
arena  of  "sports  of  the  turf,"  as  they  are  de- 
nominated in  the  jockey  dialect,  since  the  year 
following  the  surrender  of  New  York  to  the 
government  of  Britain. 

This  regular  system  of  horse  racing  was 
established  in  1665  by  Governor  NicoU.  Four 
years  afterward  ( 1669)  his  successor,  Gov- 
ernor Lovelace,  issued  a  proclamation  appoint- 
ing "trials  of  speed,"  to  take  place  in  the 
month  ofMav  annually,  and  ordering  the  jus- 
tices of  Hempstead  to  receive  subscriptions (  !) 
for  "a  crown  of  silver,  or  the  value  thereof  in 
good  wheat,"  to  be  the  reward  of  the  winner. 
The  ostensible  argument  for  this  procedure 
was  "for  the  purpose  of  improving  and  en- 
couraging a  good  breed  of  horses,"  an  argu- 
ment that  is  most  ridiculously  retained  in  our 
statute  book  to  the  present  day.  Every  man 
of  reflection  knows,  that  from  the  first  settle- 
ment of  this  country,  the  breed  of  race-horses 
is  the  last  species  of  the  animal  that  the  ex- 
igencies  of   the  people   have   demanded.      In 


792 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


days  gone  by  those  capable  of  enduring  hard- 
ship and  of  easy  support  have  been  sought 
after,  while  extraordinary  speed  has  been  only 
a  secondary  consideration  and  of  limited  de- 
mand in  the  occupations  of  life.  But  now, 
■when  "the  iron  horse,  which  travels  untired 
•with  the  speed  of  a  hurricane,  has  entirely 
■superseded  the  use  of  the  fleetest  steeds,  it  is 
to  be  hoped  that  when  the  current  "fifteen 
years"  shall  have  expired  the  act,  with  its  base- 
less reason,  will  cease  to  disgrace  the  statute 
"book  of  the  State,  whose  laws  forbid  every 
-species  of  gambling. 

The  Hempstead  Plain,  or  its  vicinity,  has 
been  the  permanent  theater  of  these  semi-an- 
nual enactments,  from  their  commencement  in 
1665.  The  "Newmarket  Course,"  called  also 
"Salisbury  Plain,"  was  in  the  southwest  cor- 
ner of  North  Hempstead,  five  miles  east  of 
Jamaica,  and  was  thus  occupied  for  more  than 
■one  hundred  and  fifty  years.  This  was  ex- 
changed, some  twenty  years .  ago,  for  the 
"Union  Course,"  three  miles  west  of  Jamaica, 
-a  circle  of  a  mile's  circumference,  completely 
palisadoed,  for  this  exclusive  purpose.  And 
here  are  regularly  enacted,  twice  a  year,  scenes 
which  no  imagination,  however  fertile,  can  de- 
T)ict,  without  the  aid  of  ocular  demonstration. 
It  has  been  stated,  and  the  statement  stands 
Tjncontradiicted,  that  at  a  single  course  of  races 
fifty  thousand  persons  attended,  and  two  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  were  lost  and  won,  and 
that  during  the  five  days  that  the  "sports"  con- 
tinued the  toll  of  the  Fulton  Ferry  Company 
averaged  one  thousand  dollars  per  day,  and  it 
was  supposed  that  the  other  revenues  from  the 
city  realized  an  equal  sum.  But  the  gambling, 
expense  and  loss  of  time  attending  these  scenes 
of  dissipation  form  only  a  part  of  the  evils 
with  which  they  are  connected.  The  drinking 
— ^the  swearing — the  licentiousness — the  con- 
tentions and  other  nameless  crimes,  which  are 
here  periodically  committed,  with  the  counte- 
nance of  law,  are  enough  to  sicken  the  soul  of 
every  man  that  fears  God  and  is  disposed  to 
reverence  his  commands,  and  must  induce  him 
to  wish  most  devoutly  for  the  time  to  come, 
and  that  speedily,  when  this  crying  abomina- 
tion, with  all  its  accompaniments,  shall  be 
"banished  from  this  once  sacred  soil  of.  Puri- 
tans and  Huguenots. 

There  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  the  pas- 
sion for  horse  racing,  so  long  and  so  assidu- 
ously cultivated,  has  had  a  powerful  influence 
in  stamping  the  character  of  the  people  of  this 
county  with  traits  so  diverse  from  either  of 


those  with  which  it  stands  in  juxtaposition. 

Suffolk  county  embraces  the  whole  of  the 
remaining  part  of  Long  Island  (proper)  with 
its  adjacent  islands.  Much  of  the  land,  as  al- 
ready described,  is  a  barren  waste.  In  travel- 
ing through  it  the  stranger  finds  it  difficult  to 
imagine  how  even  the  wandering  deer  can  find 
sustenance,  much  more  how  human  beings 
can  secure  an  adequate  support.  And  yet  it 
is  astonishing  to  see,  in  a  propitious  season, 
how  large  crops  are  raised  from  these  sterile 
plains.  Good  Indian  corn  may  frequently  be 
seen  growing  in  the  fine  white  sea  sand,  which 
has  evidently  been  drifted  by  the  waves  and 
the  winds  to  the  distance  of  miles.  This, 
slightly  mingled  with  sea  mud  and  vegetable 
mould,  conveyed  by  the  same  agency,  forms 
a  substratum,  if  not  a  soil,  in  which,  in  a  wet 
season-  (for,  on  Long  Island,  water  is  pre- 
eminently a  main  supporter  of  vegetation) 
corn  and  other  grains  will  grow  with  aston- 
ishing rapidity  and  luxuriance. 

But  while  these  remarks  apply,  with  strict 
propriety,  to  large  portions  of  this  county, 
there  are  extensive  tracts  of  excellent  land, 
which  amply  repay  the  labor  of  cultivation. 
This  is  true,  not  only  of  the  numerous  necks 
of  land  which  jut  out  into  the  .surrounding 
waters  and  the  margins  of  the  numberless 
bays,  coves  and  harbors,  but  also  of  large 
bodies  of  land  situated  in  almost  every  part 
of  the  island.  But  the  writer  would  gladly 
whisper  in  the  ear  of  many  large  land  holders 
in  this,  his  native  county,  if  they  could  be 
persuaded  to  believe  it,  that  there  is  a  great 
deal  more  profit  in  cultivating  one  acre  of  land 
well,  than  in  ten  acres  badly.  The  fact  is, 
many  on  Long  Island,  as  in  other  parts  of  the 
country,  own  and  work  too  much  land.  The 
writer  has  in  his  mind's  eye  a  farm  of  nearly 
a  thousand  acres,  which,  half  a  century  ago, 
was  owned  and  cultivated  under  the  direction 
of  a  single  individual,  who  was  called  a  great 
farmer.  But  when  he  had  ruined  himself  by 
the  operation,  and  had  surrendered  the  whole 
to  pay  his  debts  (as  honest,  but  unfortunate 
men  were  in  the  habit  of  doing  in  old  times), 
it  was  cut  up  and  sold  to  six  or  eight  persons, 
who  have  since  supported  as  many  families 
from  its  productions.  And  if  it  could  tmder- 
go  another,  and  even  another  subdivision,  it 
might  afford  sustenance  to  double  or  quad- 
ruple the  present  number,  besides  materially 
improving  the  aspect  of  the  town  in  which  it 
is  situated.  The  same  remarks  apply  to  scores 
of  farms  in  this  county,  which,  in  their  present 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


793 


■condition,  are  to  their  owners  what  self-right- 
"Cousness  is  to  the  sinner,  "the  more  they  have 
the  worse  they  are  off."  We  have  seen  that 
in  this  county  there  is  an  average  of  eighteen 
acres  to  every  inhabitant,  while  there  is  many 
an  acre  in  Kings  county  that  furnishes  support 
to  a  whole  family.  And  though  the  proximity 
of  a  great  market  makes  a  vast  difference  in 
the  value  of  vegetable  productions,  the  dis- 
parity in  the  two  cases  would  be  exceedingly 
reduced  by  applying  more  manure  and  more 
labor  to  less  ground.  There  is  no  knowing 
till  the  experiment  is  fairly  made,  how  much 
an  acre  of  land  may  be  made  to  produce  by 
good  husbandry. 

But  it  is  not  intended  by  these  remarks  to 
convey  the  idea  that  all  the  farmers  of  old 
Suffolk  are  regardless  of  the  improvements 
-made  in  agriculture,  or  that  they  are  in  the 
habit  of  taxing  their  fields  without  furnishing 
them  the  means  of  answering  the  demand. 
More  or  less  attention  has  long  been  paid  to 
the  importance  of  manuring,  and  they  would 
be  singularly  culpable  if  this  were  not  the 
case,  since  nature  has  furnished  them  with 
peculiar  facilities  for  the  accomplishment  of 
the  work.  The  waters  with  which  they  are 
surrounded  not  only  furnish  a  large  supply  of 
provisions  for  immediate  use,  but  they  are  the 
unfailing  sources  of  enriching  the  land.  The 
seaweed,  which  is  cast  up  in  immense  quanti- 
ties on  the  whole  extent  of  shore  and  various 
other  productions  of  the  bays  and  marshes  are 
■daily  yielding  vast  supplies  of  fertilizing  ma- 
terials. 

But  more  than  all,  the  countless  multitudes 
of  one  peculiar  species  of  fish,  which  crowd  the 
bays  and  press  upon  the  ocean's  shore,  of 
which  millions  are  annually  taken  for  the  sole 
purpose  of  manure,  are  the  principal  source 
of  fertility  to  the  land.  In  several  of  the  east- 
ern towns  this  business  is  as  regularly  pursued, 
during  a  part  of  the  summer,  as  ploughing 
and  sowing,  or  mowing  and  reaping  in  their 
appropriate  seasons.  For  this  purpose,  the 
farmers  of  the  neighborhood  form  themselves 
into  a  company  sufficiently  large  to  afford  a 
relief  of  hands  every  week,  and  having  provid- 
ed themselves  with  a  large  seine,  boats,  a  fish- 
house  on  the  shore  and  every  necessary  con- 
venience, the  party  on  duty  take  up  their  resi- 
dence on  the  water  side,  and  it  is  impossible  to 
convey  to  a  stranger's  mind  the  immense  prod- 
uct of  a  week's  labor.  A  single  haul  of  a  seine 
has  been  calculated  at  one  million  of  fish. 

These  fish  are  called  by  various  names,  as 


skip-hog,  moss-bonker,  shad  and  bony-fish, 
the  last  of  which  is  the  most  descriptive. 
Though  of  a  good  flavor  and  generally  very 
fat,  they,  are  so  perfectly  filled  with  fine  bones 
that  it  is  hazardous  to  eat  a  particle  of  them. 
It  would  seem  as  if  the  God  of  nature  had 
formed  and  annually  sent  them  in  such  im- 
mense quantities  to  these  shores  for  the  sole 
purpose  of  fertilizing  the  land.  By  this  means 
alone,  the  value  of  much  of  the  land  on  the 
east  end  of  the  island  has  been  doubled,  and 
by  the  same  means  its  present  value  is  main- 
tained. For  many  years  Suffolk  county  did 
not  raise  sufficient  grain  for  its  domestic  sup- 
ply, while  of  late  it  has  exported  a  large  an- 
nual surplus.  It  may  be  added  here,  that  in 
taking  these  fish,  other  kinds  of  an  excellent 
quality  for  the  table  are  caught  in  sufficient 
quantities  to  supply  the  fishermen  and  whole 
vicinity  with  fresh  fish  every  day,  while  those 
which  are  not  wanted  for  food  are  cast  into  the 
common  receptacle.  So  that,  on  the  whole, 
though  this  country,  from  the  nature  of  the 
land,  may  never  be  able  to  sustain  a  popula- 
tion proportioned  to  its  superficial  extent  in 
comparison  with  other  portions  of  the  State,  it 
is  really  questionable  whether  there  is  any  part 
of  the  world  in  which  the  means  of  support- 
ing life  can  be  more  readily  obtained.  And 
one  thing  is  believed  to  be  certain  that  in  no 
part  of  this  republican  country  is  there  so 
great  an  equality  and  such  a  strong  sympathy 
and  perfect  fellow-feeling  among  the  whole 
mass  of  population  as  in  Suffolk  county,  es- 
pecially in  the  eastern  towns. 

The  following  extract  from  Vol.  I  of  the 
"Transactions  of  the  Society  Instituted  in  the 
State  of  New  York  for  the  Promotion  of  Ag- 
riculture, Arts  and  Manufactures,  in  Febru- 
ary, 1791,  will  give  some  idea  of  the  fertilizing 
effects,  as  well  as  the  vast  quantities  of  these 
fish  which  were  taken,  even  at  that  early  day. 

"Observations  on  Manures,  by  Ezra 
L'Hommedieu,  Esq.,  read  in  March,  1795. 

"Notwithstanding  the  great  improvements 
which  have  been  made  in  husbandry  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  Europe  and  America  it  is  far  from 
being  ascertained  what  is  the  largest  quantity 
of  produce,  which  may  be  raised  from  a  given 
quantity  of  land  by  manure.  It  will  no  doubt 
be  much  more  than  from  the  most  fertile  land 
in  its  natural  state.  I  have  heard  of  no  in- 
stance of  new  land  producing  more  wheat 
than  forty-two  bushels  to  the  acre.  In  Suffolk 
county,  some  years  ago,  at  Huntington,  by 
manure  fifty-two  bushels  of  wheat  were  raised 


794 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


to  the  acre.  Since  the  practice  in  that  county 
of  manuring  land  by  fish  has  been  in  use  be- 
tween forty  and  fifty  bushels  of  wheat  from 
one  acre  is  not  an  uncommon  crop.  And  by 
a  late  accidental  experiment,  it  apears  that  the 
product  of  grain  from  an  acre  will  be  in  pro- 
portion to  the  quantity  of  this  manure,  and  so 
far  as  to  exceed  any  production  we  have  heard 
of  in  any  part  of  the  world.  A  farmer  in  the 
town  of  Riverhead,  in  Suffolk  county,  Mr. 
Downs,  having  four  thousand  fish  called 
mossbonkers  or  Menhaden,  strewed  them 
about  the  1st  of  June  on  twenty  rods  of 
ground,  being  a  poor,  gravelly,  dry  soil,  and 
which  without  manure  would  not  pay  for  the 
tillage.  These  fish  were  plowed  under  a 
shallow  furrow ;  at  the  time  of  sowing,  about 
the  last  of  September,  the  gi'ound  was  plowed 
up  again,  and  a  little  deeper ;  by  ,  har- 
rowing the  putrefied  fish  were  well  mixed  with 
the  earth,  and  the  ground  sown  with  rye  at 
the  rate  of  one  bushel  to  the  acre.  The  ground 
being  well  covered  in  the  fall,  the  rve  was  not 
injured  in  the  winter;  in  the  spring  the  growth 
was  remarkably  rapid  and  luxuriant  till  it  was 
about  nine  inches  high,  when  his  neighbor's 
sheep  broke  into  the  inclosure  and  eat  it  all 
off'  close  to  the  ground.  The  fence  was  mend- 
ed and  the  rye  grew  again,  and  much  thicker 
than  before,  till  it  got  about  six  inches  high, 
when  the  same  sheep  broke  in  again  and  the 
second  time  eat  it  close  to  the  ground.  It 
was  then  supposed  the  crop  would  be  lost, 
but  it  grew  up  again  with  additional  thick- 
ness and  great  rapidity ;  it  all  stood  well, 
the  ears  were  very  long  and  full  and  Mr. 
Downs  assured  me  he  had  sixteen  bushels 
of  rye  from  his  twenty  rods  of  ground. 
This  production  was  so  extraordinary  that  al- 
though I  could  have  no'  reason  to  doubt  the 
assertion  of  Mr.  Downs,  I  conversed  with 
some  of  his  neighbors  on  the  subject,  who  had 
seen  the  rye  growing  at  different  times  and 
just  before  harvest — they  made  no  doubt  of 
the  fact,  and  observed  the  heads  and  thickness 
of  the  rye  far  exceeded  anything  they  had  seen 
or  could  have  imagined.  This  piece  of  land 
was  manured  at  the  rate  of  thirty-two  thou- 
sand fish  per  acre,  which  would  cost,  including 
the  carting  from  the  shore  where  they  were 
taken,  ten  shillings  per  thousand,  which  would 
be  sixteen  pounds.  The  product  would  be  one 
hundred  and  twenty-eight  bushels,  which  at 
that  time  was  worth  eight  shillings  per  bushel, 
which  is  fifty-one  pounds  four  shillings.     If 


we  allow  three  dollars,  for  the  plowing,  gather- 
ing and  threshing  the  grain  per  acre,  with  the 
straw,  which  will  be  fully  adequate  to  the 
labor,  there  will  remain  eighty-five  dollars 
clear  of  expense  on  the  net  proceeds  of  one- 
acre  of  rye  thus  manured  and  produced.  And 
Mr.  Downs'  profits  oh  the  twenty  rods  of  rye 
were  four  pounds  five  shillings. 

"Mr.  Downs  as  well  as  his:  neighbors  were 
of  opinion  that  unless  the  accidents  of  the 
sheep  eating  off  the  rye  twice  had  happened, 
the  whole  would  have  been  lost  by  reason  of 
its  falling  or  lodging.  If  this  opinion  be  right, 
by  this  experiment  we  are  taught  the  necessity 
of  cutting  or  feeding  off  the  grain  on  lands 
highly  manured,  in  order  to  preserve  the  crop. 
Perhaps  the  thicker  such  land  is  sown  the  less 
necessity  there  will  be  for  cutting  or  feeding,, 
as  there  will  be  more  original  strong  stalks. 
Most  of  the  lands  in  this  country  of  the  same 
quality  will  bring  more  bushels  of  wheat  than 
rye — and  I  trust  by  improvements  on  this  ex- 
periment, which  was  merely  accidental,  we 
may  soon  be  informed  of  a  much  larger  quan- 
tity of  wheat  being  raised  on  an  acre  than 
hitherto  has  been  raised  in  Europe  or  America. 

"It  was  expected  that  the  taking  of  these 
fish  in  such  large  c[uantities  on  the  sea  coast 
for  manure,  would  in  a  few  years  destroy 
them,  but  hitherto  they  have  increased.  This 
year  I  saw  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
taken  at  one  draught,  which  must  have  been 
much  more  than  one  hundred  tons.  One  seine 
near  me  caught  more  than  one  million  the  last 
season,  which  season  lasts  about  one  months 
Various  are  the  modes  of  manuring  land  by 
fish.  Those  that  are  taken  early  in  the  sea- 
son are  by  some  carted  on  the  land,  spread 
lightly  and  plowed  under  the  furrow  for  rais- 
ing Indian  corn ;  this  corn  is  taken  off  in  the 
fall  and  the  land  plowed  and  sowed  for  wheat. 
By  this  mode  they  have  two  good  crops  by 
manuring  once." 

The  eastern  towns  on  Long  island  were, 
for  the  most  part,  originally  settled  on  a  dif- 
ferent basis  from  most  of  the  other  colonies  of 
this  country.  They  had  no  royal  charter  or 
proprietary  patent  as  the  foundation  of  civil 
government.  Having  purchased  their  lands 
of  the  original  proprietors  of  the  soil  and 
secured  a  corresponding  grant  from  the  pat- 
entee, without  anv  restrictions  to  their  civil 
rights,  they  found  themselves  absolutely  in  a 
state  of  nature,  possessing  all  the  personal 
rights  and  privileges  which  the  God  of  nature 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


r95 


gave  them,  -but  without  the  semblance  of 
authority  one  over  another.  From  the  neces- 
■  sity  of  the  case  they  were  thrown  back  upon 
the  source  of  all  legitimate  authority,  the  sov- 
ereign people,  and  entered  into  a  social. com- 
pact, in  which  every  man  had  an,  equal  voice 
and  equal  authority.  On  this  platform  they 
founded  a  pure  democracy,  and  for  several 
years  each  town  maintained  a  perfectly  inde- 
pendent government,  making  their  own  laws 
in  public  town  meeting  and  executing  them  by 
magistrates  of  their  own  appointment.  And 
it  is  worthy  of  remark  that  the  invaluable  priv- 
ilege of  trial  by  jury  was  at  once  introduced, 
though  with  this  peculiarity,  that  a  majority 
was  sufficient  to  render  a  verdict.  And  when, 
afterwards,  one  town  after  another  deemed 
it  expedient  to  unite  themselves  with  the 
larger  colonies  of  New  England,  it  was 
not  because  they  felt  themselves  incapable  of 
managing  their  own  internal  affairs,  but  solely 
for  defense  from  foreign  aggression.  And  the 
nature  of  the  union  was  rather  that  of  an  al- 
liance, than  of  subjection. 

Being  thus  trained  up  in  the  possession 
and  exercise  of  all  their  natural  rights  and 
privileges,  they  exhibited  through  the  whole 
course  of  their  colonial  existence,  the  most 
unyielding  determination  to  maintain  these  sa- 
cred immunities.  And  in  this  they  generally 
agreed  to  a  man.  It  is  a  fact,  though  little 
known,  but  worthy  of  being  handed  down  to 
posterity,  that  the  declaration  of  rights  and  a 
solemn  pledge  not  to  submit  to  British  taxa- 
tion, proposed  in  a  meeting  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  April  29,  1775,  and  distributed  for  sig- 
natures in  every  town  in  the  province,  was 
signed  by  the  6th  of  July  of  that  year  by  every 
man  capable  of  bearing  arms  in  the  town  of 
Easthampton,  to  the  number  of  two  hundred 
and  eighty  individuals.  This  is  surely  a  much 
more  notable  fact  than  that  since  the  establish- 
ment of  the  present  government  the  electionc 
of  that  town  have  often  been  returned  without 
a  dissenting  vote,  and  the  former  gives  a  ready 
explanation  of  the  latter.  Similar  unanimity, 
though  not  as  entire,  characterized  the  most  of 
the  towns  of  this  county  during  "the  times  that 
tried  men's  souls." 

There  is  another  fact,  however  great  the 
contrast  with  the  present  state  of  things,  which 
gives  this  and  the  adjoining  counties  a  conse- 
quence that  has  long  since  been  lost  sight  of. 
There  was  a  period,  and  that  of  some  consider- 
able duration,  when  Long  Island  constituted 


the  great  body  of  the  province  of  New  York. 
It  was  the  first  occupied  by  actual  immigrants 
for  the  purpose  of  a  permanent  settlement  and 
agricultural  pursuits.  Here  the  first  churches 
were  organized  and  the  first  towns  formed.' 
And  in  the  easternmost  town,  within  less  than 
twenty  miles  of  Montauk  Point,  and  at  Flat-' 
bush,  near  the  western  extremity,  the  first  in- 
corporated academies  in  the  great  state  of  New 
York  were  erected  and  ,put  in  successful  opera- 
tion. 

The  first  Assembly  of  Deputies  that  the 
representative  of  royal  power  condescended  to 
convoke  for  consultation,  the  year  after  the 
surrender  of  the  province  to  British  arms,  was 
held  at  Hempstead  March  i,  1665,  and  (with 
the  exception  of  two)  was  composed  entirely 
of  representatives  from  the  several  towns  of 
the  island. 

The  first  Legislative  Assemblys  convened  in 
1683,  was  not  only  procured  through  the  re- 
monstrances and  demands  of  Long  Island 
more  than  any  other  part  of  the  colony,  but 
was  in  a  great  measure  made  up  of  its  rep- 
resentatives. The  first  speaker  in  that  body 
was  either  then  or  afterwards  a  resident  of  the 
island,  and  the  same  office  was  afterwards  held 
by  one  of  its  representatives  sixteen  out  of 
twenty-one  years.  Though  now  regarded  as- 
the  mere  "fag-end,"  Long  Island  was  once 
both  the  body  and  soul  of  the  province_of  New 
York.  Nor  has  she  deteriorated  in  her  in- 
trinsic worth,  though  she  has  been  completely 
lost  sight  of  and  almost- cast  into  oblivion  in 
the  extending  glory  of  a  great  commonwealth, 
which  has  arrogated  to  itself  the  proud  title 
of  the  "Empire 'State."      , 

But  patriotic  views  and  love  of  national 
liberty  do  not  constitute  the  chief  glory  of  old 
Suffolk.  It  is  her  primitive  puritanism  which 
it  is  believed  has  been  illustrated  here,  in  piety 
towards  God  and  love  to  men,  for  two  hun- 
dred years,  and  now  exists  in  more  of  its  orig- 
inal purity  than  can  be  found  on  any  -other  spot 
of  equal  extent  on  the  American  continent. 
Let  it  be  proclaimed  in  trumpet-tongued  ac- 
cents that  here  no  man  was  ever  persecuted 
and  disfranchised  for  his  religious  opinions, 
nor  man  or  woman  executed  for  heresy  or 
witchcraft.  On  the  contrary,  from  the  first  or- 
ganization .of  their  civil  institutions,  they  or- 
dained the  widest  toleration  of  religious  opin- 
ions, so  long  as  it  was  not  exercised  for  the 
seduction  of  others  and  the  injury  of  the  com- 
munity, and  that,  too,  while  as  yet  such  an 


796 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


article  had  not  been  enacted,  if  it  had  been  con- 
ceived, on  the  continent  of  America. 

From'  the  natural  reserve  of  a  people 
brought  up  in  seclusion  from  the  rest  of  the 
world,  which  still,  in  a  measure,  distinguishes 
them,  these  traits  of  character  may  not  be 
readily  recognized  by  the  casual  observer.    But 


if  the  present  generation  have  not  greatly  de- 
generated from  the  sentiments  and  practices 
of  their  immediate  predecessors,  among  whom 
the  writer  spent  some  of  the  happiest  years  of 
his  early  life,  a  residence  of  a  few  months  or 
even  weeks  among  these  primitive  people  on 
the  east  end  will  afford  complete  conviction 
of  the  correctness  of  these  remarks. 


NOTES    AND    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


795 


gave  them,  but  without  the  semblance  of 
authority  one  over  another.  From  the  neces- 
sity of  the  case  they  were  thrown  back  upon 
the  source  of  all  legitimate  authority,  the  sov- 
ereign people,  and  entered  into  a  social  com- 
pact, in  which  every  man  had  an  equal  voice 
and  equal  authority.  On  this  platform  they 
founded  a  pure  democracy,  and  for  several 
years  each  town  maintained'  a  perfectly  inde- 
pendent government,  making  their  own  laws 
in  public  town  meeting  and  executing  them  by 
magistrates  of  their  own  appointment.  And 
it  is  worthy  of  remark  that  the  invaluable  priv- 
ilege of  trial  by  jury  was  at  once  introduced, 
thoug'h  with  this  peculiarity,  that  a  majority 
was  sufficient  to  render  a  verdict.  And  when, 
afterwards,  one  town  after  another  deemed 
it  expedient  to  unite  themselves  with  the 
larger  colonies  of  New  England,  it  was 
not  because  they  felt  themselves  incapable  of 
managing  their  own  internal  affairs,  but  solely 
for  defense  from  foreign  aggression.  And  the 
nature  of  the  union  was  rather  that  of  an  al- 
liance, than  of  subjection. 

Being  thus  trained  up  in  the  possession 
and  exercise  of  all  their  natural  rights  and 
privileges,  they  exhibited  through  the  whole 
course  of  their  colonial  existence,  the  most 
unyielding  determination  to  maintain  these  sa- 
cred immunities.  And  in  this  they  generally 
agreed  to  a  man.  It  is  a  fact,  though  little 
known,  but  worthy  of  being  handed  down  to 
posterity,  that  the  declaration  of  rig^hts  and  a 
solemn  pledge  not  to  submit  to  British  taxa- 
tion, proposed  in  a  meeting  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  April  29,  1775,  and  distributed  for  sig- 
natures in  every  town  in  the  province,  was 
signed  by  the  6th  of  July  of  that  year  by  every 
man  capable  of  bearing  arms  in  the  town  of 
Easthampton,  to  the  number  of  two  hundred 
and  eighty  individuals.  This  is  surely  a  much 
more  notable  fact  than  that  since  the  establish- 
ment of  the  present  government  the  elections 
of  that  town  have  often  been  returned  without 
a  dissenting  vote,  and  the  former  gives  a  ready 
explanation  of  the  latter.  Similar  unanimity, 
though  not  as  entire,  characterized  the  most  of 
the  towns  of  this  county  during  "the  times  that 
tried  men's  souls." 

There  is  another  fact,  however  great  the 
contrast  with  the  present  state  of  things,  which 
gives  this  and  the  adjoining  counties  a  conse- 
quence that  has  long  since  been  lost  sight  of. 
There  was  a  period,  and  that  of  some  consider- 
able duration,  when  Long  Island  constituted 


the  great  body  of  the  province  of  New  York. 
It  was  the  first  occupied  by  actual  immigrants 
for  the  purpose  of  a  permanent  settlement  and 
agricultural  pursuits.  Here  the  first  churches 
were  organized  and  the  first  towns  formed. 
And  in  the  easternmost  town,  within  less  than 
twenty  miles  of  Montauk  Point,  and  at  Flat- 
bush,  near  the  western  extremity,  the  first  in- 
corporated academies  in  the  great  state  of  New 
York  were  erected  and  put  in  successful  opera- 
tion. 

The  first  Assembly  of  Deputies  that  the 
representative  of  royal  power  condescended  to 
convoke  for  consultation,  the  year  after  the 
surrender  of  the  province  to  British  arms,  was 
held  at  Hempstead  March  i,  1665,  and  (with 
the  exception  of  two)  was  composed  entirely 
of  representatives  from  the  several  towns  of 
the  island. 

The  first  Legislative  Assembly  convened  in 
1683,  was  not  only  procured  through  the  re- 
monstrances and  demands  of  Long  Island 
more  than  any  other  part  of  the  colony,  but 
was  in  a  great  measure  made  up  of  its  rep- 
resentatives. The  first  speaker  in  that  body 
was  either  then  or  afterwards  a  resident  of  the 
island,  and  the  same  office  was  afterwards  held 
by  one  of  its  representatives  sixteen  out  of 
twenty-one  years.  Though  now  regarded  as 
the  mere  "fag-end,"  Long  Island  was  once 
both  the  body  and  soul  of  the  province  of' New 
York.  Nor  has  she  deteriorated  in  her  in- 
trinsic worth,  though  she  has  been  completely 
lost  sight  of  and  almost  cast  into  oblivion  in 
the  extending  glory  of  a  great  commonwealth, 
which  has  arrogated  to  itself  the  proud  title 
of  the  "Empire  State." 

But  patriotic  views  and  love  of  national 
liberty  do  not  constitute  the  chief  glory  of  old 
Suffolk.  It  is  her  primitive  puritanism  which 
it  is  believed  has  been  illustrated  here,  in  piety 
towards  God  and  love  to  men,  for  two  hun- 
dred years,  and  now  exists  in  more  of  its  orig- 
inal purity  than  can  be  found  on  any  other  spot 
of  equal  extent  on  the  American  continent. 
Let  it  be  proclaimed  in  trumpet-tongued  ac- 
cents that  'here  no  man  was  ever  persecuted 
and  disfranchised  'for  his  religious  opinions, 
nor  man  or  woman  executed  for  heresy  or 
witchcraft.  On  the  contrary,  from  the  first  or- 
ganization of  their  civil  institutions,  they  or- 
dained the  .widest  toleration  of  religious  opin- 
ions, so  long  as  it  was  not  exercised  for  the 
seduction  of  others  and  the  injury  of  the  com- 
munity, and  that,  too,  while  as  yet  sudh  an 


796 


HISTORY    OF    LONG    tsLAND. 


article  had  not  beerl   fetiacted,  if  it  had  been 
conceived,  on  the  continent  of  America. 

From  the  natural  reserve  of  a  people 
brought  up  in  seclusion  from  the  rest  of  the 
world,  which  still,  in  a  measure,  distinguishes 
them,  these  traits  of  character  may  not  be 
readily  recognized  by  the  casual  observer.   But 


if  the  present  generation  have  not  greatly  de- 
generated from  the  sentiments  and  practices 
of  their  immediate  predecessors,  among  whom 
the  writer  spent  some  of  the  happiest  years  of 
his  early  life,  a  residence  of  a  few  months  or 
even  weeks  among  these  primitive  people  on 
the  east  end  will  afford  complete  conviction  of 
the  correctness  of  these  remarks.