PREFACE.
When the author commenced work on this book, about two years since, he had become impressed with the idea that the time had arrived when some attempt should be made to bring forward the record of history from the time when Thompson and Prime wrote, to the present. During the thirty years that had elapsed since the writing of the last History of Long Island, a new generation of people had entered upon the field of life, and the greatly increased numbers of our population seemed to demand a more available history of the past. At the same time, those thirty years had developed many and important changes in the history of the Island or County. During that time we had made more history than for a century before, and the times seemed to demand the production of a work which should retain the principal historical items of the former period, to which should be added a continuation down to the present' day.
Then it appeared that a more complete effort in the matter of description than history generally received would add to the interest of the work. Lastly it appeared that to do justice to the whole field of Long Island would be an undertaking too great to be accomplished within a reasonable length of time, and would require a volume of such size and expense as to be beyond the convenient reach of the masses, and would thus prove a pecuniary failure. Acting upon these impressions the compiler set about the work, with but a very imperfect idea of the amount of labor, perplexity and time that would be required to carry it to a successful end. He has the satisfaction of knowing, however, that the work, though it has required a larger outlay than he anticipated, is more complete and more thorough than he intended at the outset to make it. At the same time it is not perfect not as nearly so as he would have been pleased to make it.
Nevertheless, a reasonable amount of pains have been taken to avoid mistakes, and to insure as far as possible correctness.
But in this point the compiler meets with numerous difficulties. He experiences perplexity at times for want of sufficient information, and at other times on account of too much information. In consulting different authorities on the same points there often appears such discrepancies that the inquirer turns away in disgust, and despairs of finding the truth. In these sketches very many important items have been omitted on this accountbecause the various authorities from whom they must be gathered, could not be reconciled. The author does not claim this work to be free from the power of criticism, by any means, but would ask in all seriousness that those who feel disposed to censure or criticize will first make sure that they know more of the items they question than the author does, before setting him down in error.
To relieve the monotony of digging, and searching, and solving contradictory problems, which this work has cost, the author remembers with a grateful heart the many favors he has received at the hands of his friendsgenerous deeds and kind words of encouragement, which have fallen at times like sun-beams across his path, and inspired him to persevere in the work he had set about.
Taking this means to return the most sincere thanks and heartfelt gratitude, to the scores of friends who have rendered him assistance in the enterprise of preparing these Sketches of Suffolk County he lays down the pen, and hands the book over to the public.
Port Jefferson, L. L, Dec. 20, 1873.
CHAPTER I.
THE DISCOVERY OF LONG ISLAND BY THE DUTCHTHE SETTLEMENT OF THE WESTERN TOWNSTHE DUTCH GOVERNMENTAND THE GENERAL DISCONTENTFROM 1609 TO 1664.
In the early part of September, 1609, Henry Hudson, an Englishman, employed by the Dutch East India Company, in the vain search for a Northwest passage to India, discovered the West end of Long Island, at the time he explored New York Bay and the river which bears his name. He had been fitted out by the said Company in the early part of the same year, with a crew of twenty picked men, with a vessel called the "Half Moon." This expedition sailed from Amsterdam on the 25th of March.
While exploring the neighborhood of New York Bay, a party of men went ashore from the "Half Moon," and landed on that strand now known as Coney Island, being the southwestern extremity of Long Island. Hero, we are told, they found plum trees and grape vines growing and bearing fruit in the midst of the untutored wilderness.
Thus it appears, Coney Island was the spot where the first white man ever set foot upon Long Island.
The members of this expedition also reported, that they found great numbers of birds of different kinds on the shores, and multitudes of fishes in the waters. A day or two later, as a party of Hudson's men were out in a small boat fishing, they were attacked by Indians and one of their number, John Coleman by name, was killed by an arrow from the latter. Hudson ordered him taken ashore and buried. The spot of his interment was called Coleman's Point, to commemorate the event. This place is supposed by some to have been on Coney Island, but by others it is located on the opposite or New Jersey shore.
The first discovery of Long Island; having thus been made under the auspices of the Dutch, they laid claim to its ownership, as they did also of the island of Manhattan, or Manhattoes, as it was then called by the Indians.
In 1611, Dutch merchants came over and established a trading post with the Indians, upon the latter island.
In 1614 they erected a fort on Manhattan Island, which they named New Amsterdam, and refused to acknowledge the superior claims of the English to the neighboring territory.
The same year Adrian Block sailed down the Sound, on a voyage to Cape Cod, and was the first to discover that Long Island was entirely surrounded by water. On this voyage he also discovered and gave name to Block Island.
Four years later Thomas Dermer sailed up the Sound from New England, on his way to Virginia, and in describing his passage through Hell Gate he says:" We found a most dangerous cataract amongst small rocky islands, occasioned by two unequal tides, the one ebbing and flowing two hours before the other."
The Dutch East India Company, under whose employ Hudson had discovered this part of the American Continent, was in 1621 merged into the Great West India Company, and to this organization the "States General" granted the exclusive monopoly of trading with the natives in the province of New Netherlands, for a term of twenty-four years.
In the year 1623, or 4, this Company appointed Peter Minuit to the office of director general, or governor of New Netherlands, under them. Previous to that time a few houses had been erected, and were occupied by the Dutch temporary settlers, on Manhattan Island.
It is evident that the matter of establishing permanent settlements here by the Dutch, received at first but little attention. The main objects which they sought, were the pecuniary benefits arising from a trade with the Indians.
The principal articles exchanged were guns, ammunition and mm, for which they received furs. In this way the early Dutch speculators enriched themselves, by placing in the hands of the Indians the instruments and destructive elements, which a few years later were turned with such fatal and distressing consequences upon the innocent white settlers.
