Footnotes to Long Island History
Town's Early Settlers
Lived Peaceably With the Indians
by
Thomas R. Bayles
(This is the first of a series of five articles on the early years in
Brookhaven Town.)
The town of Brookhaven is the largest on Long Island, and extends across
the island from the sound to the ocean, and is about 20 miles long, east
and west. the towns of Smithtown and Islip are to the west, and
Riverhead and Southampton on the east.
During the early part of the year 1655, a party of six men from the
colonies of New England landed on the shores of those beautiful bays
and
coves around Setauket. They purchased from the Setalcott Indians, who
had their headquarters there, a tract of land extending from Stony
Brook
to and including Port Jefferson, and gave the Indians in payment, "10
coats, 12 hoes, 12 hatchets, 50 muxes (small brad awls), 100 needles, 6
kettles, 10 fathoms of wampum, 7 pipe bowls of powder, 1 pair of
children's stockings, 10 pounds of lead, and one dozen knives." The
deed
was dated April 14, 1655, and contained the signature marks of the
Setalcott Sachem Warawasen or Warawakmy, and 14 of his tribesmen. The
settlers also were given the right to let their cattle run beyond the
bounds of their purchase, and to cut timber as far east as they
pleased.
The Indians and the proposed settlers agreed to live peaceably with
each
other, which they did.
The first settlement was called Ashford, later Brookhaven, and finally
Setauket, and was located around the "meeting house" green at Setauket.
The lands of the town were purchased from the Indians at different times
by the early settlers, and later held by the 54 proprietors as tenants
in common, which were divided among them as occasion demanded. In some
of these divisions an extra share was made for the support of the
minister.
Those first settlers at Setauket soon began to explore the south
side of the town and discovered large meadows of salt hay and grass
which could be harvested for their cattle. They purchased in1657 two
tracts of meadow land from the Unkechaug Indians, who had their
headquarters at Mastic. The settlers purchased from Tobaccus, chief of
the Unkechaug Indians, on June 10, 1664, all that tract of land
extending from Yamphanke creek in South Haven to a small pond in the
western part of Bellport, and north to the middle of the Island. The
same day, Gov. Winthrop of Connecticut, bought from Tobaccus all the
land west of this to the Islip Town line at a creek called Nampkee in
the western part of Blue Point. On this tract are the present
communities of East Patchogue, Patchogue, and Blue Point. This was
underdeveloped for many years and was not annexed to Brookhaven Town
until 1773, by an act of the Colonial Assembly. The town also bought at
the same time from the Setalcott chief, all the land on the north side
from Mt. Sinai to Wading River, and south to the middle of the island.
Old Field was purchased from the Indians sometime before 1659.
A patent was issued by Gov. Nicolls on March 7, 1666, for all the
land that had been bought or should be bought from the Indians, bounded
on the west by a line running across the island at Stony Brook, and on
the east by a line at Wading River. On November 19, 1675, the Setalcott
chief, Gle, conveyed to Richard Woodhull, acting for the town, all
unsold land within the limit of the patent to the middle of the island,
and also confirmed all former grants, which covered all the land claimed
by the Setalcott Indians from Stony Brook to Wading River. A second
patent for the town was issued by Gov. Dongan on December 27, 1686,
which included all former grants, and named John Palmer, Richard
Woodhull, Samuel Erburne, Andrew Gibb, William Satterly, Thomas Jenner
and Thomas Helme as trustees.
A tract of land on the south side of the town extending east from
the Connecticut (Carman's) river to the Mastic river and north to the
middle of the island was purchased from the Indians by Col. William
Smith in May 1691. This also included the Great South Bay, the island in
it and the ocean beach, and was known as the Manor of St. George. A
patent for this immense tract of thousands of acres was issued by Gov.
Fletcher in 1693. Mr. Smith later purchased most of the land east of
this to the Southampton Town line at Eastport, for which he received a
patent in 1697 from Gov. Fletcher.
In 1659, the town requested an alliance with Connecticut for
protection against any possible invasion by the Indians or the Dutch on
the west end of the Island. On May 16, 1661 Hartford voted to receive
Brookhaven Town and appointed Richard Woodhull and Thomas Pierce as
magistrates. This continued until 1664 when the English took over the
Dutch settlement at New York, including Long Island. The Duke of York
appointed Richard Nicolls as governor.