| Notes |
- [smith.GED]
History tells how he was granted a large land area now encompassing much
of Smithtown, St James and surrounding areas by riding a Bull around it.
Richard Smyth (Smith) was one of the early settlers of Southampton, Long
Island, and it is there
that we find the earliest established record of him, who later became
the patentee of Smithtown, and whose activities made him a prominent
figure among his contemporaries and gave him a well recognized position
in the history of Long Island.
It now appears most probable that he was the Richard Smith who fled from
England 2 Oct. 1635, aged 22 years, in the ship John of London, bound for
St. Christophers. We may suppose that ships sailing the West Indies
followed a course which
took them along the New England coast and that they would put in at
Boston on the way. Under such conditions Richard Smith could have ended
his voyage there or would have gone on to St. Kitts, later to find his
way back if he concluded at
New England offered more attraction than some point in the West Indies.
If he did continue the voyage to the West Indies at that time, he would
seem to have arrived in New England within a year or two later from his
supposed contact with the
activities of the Cambridge press at time of printing its earliest
issues, in 1639 and 1640, we suppose him to have been in Boston or in
Cambridge at that time, but it is not until his arrival in Southampton
that we have a definite record.
Southampton was settled by a group of men who lived at Lynn,in
Massachusetts Bay Colony. Contracts made by them regarding transactions
of their families and goods and for the acquisition of land on Long
Island were dated at Lynn, 10 March
1639/40 and 17 April 1640. The movement was made to Southampton in June
of that year. The advance of settlers had at first selected a site at
Cow Neck, on the Sound, on the west end of the Island, but finding that
the Dutch claimed the
territory and would be likely to make it unpleasant for any English
there, they chose a new site, further east, where they would not
disturbed. Originally belonging to the Indians, the land which Smithtown
rests was first given to Lyon Gardner by Montauk Indian Chief Wyandanch,
a gesture of gratitude as Gardner
had rescued Wyandanch's daughter from a hostile tribe. Gardner, the first
Englishman to settle on eastern Long Island received the land as a
gesture of peace and friendship. Gardner retained the land until 1663,
when he sold it to Richard
Smythe for an unknown price. It wasn't until 1665 that he received a
patent of confirmation from the Governor of colonial New York, Richard
Nicoll. The patent was granted on condition, that ten families would
settle in Smithtown within three
years. Thus, 1665 marked Smithtown's official beginning, paving the way
for future settlers. Smythe himself settled in what is now Nissequogue.
There he coexisted with the local Nessequake Indians. While Smythe's
relationship with the
natives was peaceful and friendly, no known descendents of the
Nissequogue are alive today as smallpox wiped out this population. After
Smythe's death in 1692, Smithtown was divided between his children and
grandchildren. Additionally, he
left land for the building of a grist mill on Nissequogue River, one
which operated until 1909. The land remained in the Smith family until
1735, when the grandchildren began to sell plots of land to outsiders.
Around this time, a commercial
center grew at what is now the Village of the Branch. Like most of Long
Island at this time, agriculture formed the main component of
Smithtown's economy, with many large and productive farms by the mid
18th century. As of 1776, a census
revealed 716 people had been living in Smithtown with almost half under
the age of 16. Generally, the residents were strongly patriotic,
resisting British occupation for seven years after the Battle of Long
Island. After the war ended, a
milling complex known as the New Mills was started 1789 at what is now
Blydenburgh park. Additionally, 100 acres of forest was cut down and used
to dam the Nissequogue, creating "stump pond". The pond recived its name
from the stumps of the
cut trees which remained visible under the surface of the water for many
years after its creation. In 1783, Smithtown recieved official
recognition as a town from New York State. Judge J. Lawrence Smith, a
descendent of the original Richard
Smyth, wrote A History of Smithtown in 1882. The book served as an
important link to Smithtown's past. Like many works of non-fiction at the
time, the book was filled with hyperbole. Remarking on the longevity of
its residents, Smith claimed
that one man in 1739 had to lived to the age of 140. History tells how he
was granted a large land area now encompassing much of Smithtown, St
James and surrounding areas by riding a Bull around it. Richard Smyth
(Smith) was one of the early
settlers of Southampton, Long Island, and it is there that we find the
earliest established record of him, who later became the patentee of
Smithtown, and whose activities made him a prominent figure among his
contemporaries and gave him a
well recognized position in the history of Long Island. It now appears
most probable that he was the Richard Smith who fled from England 2 Oct.
1635, aged 22 years, in the ship John of London, bound for St.
Christophers. We may suppose that
ships sailing the West Indies followed a course which took them along
the New England coast and that they would put in at Boston on the way.
Under such conditions Richard Smith could have ended his voyage there or
would have gone on to St.
Kitts, later to find his way back if he concluded at New England offered
more attraction than some point in the West Indies. If he did continue
the voyage to the West Indies at that time, he would seem to have
arrived in New England within a
year or two later from his supposed contact with the activities of the
Cambridge press at time of printing its earliest issues, in 1639 and
1640, we suppose him to have been in Boston or in Cambridge at that
time, but it is not until his
arrival in Southampton that we have a definite record. Southampton was
settled by a group of men who lived at Lynn,in Massachusetts Bay
Colony. Contracts made by them regarding transactions of their families
and goods and for the
acquisition of land on Long Island were dated at Lynn, 10 March 1639/40
and 17 April 1640. The movement was made to Southampton in June of that
year. The advance of settlers had at first selected a site at Cow Neck,
on the Sound, on the west
end of the Island, but finding that the Dutch claimed the territory and
would be likely to make it unpleasant for any English there, they chose a
new site, further east, where they would not disturbed. Submitter:
Christian J. Streck
Submitter: 4 Staunton Court Submitter: Greensboro, NC 27410 Submitter:
Streck@aol.com Submitter: 910/852-4325 Submitter: 08 NOV 1996
[smith.GED]
History tells how he was granted a large land area now encompassing much
of Smithtown, St James and surrounding areas by riding a Bull around it.
Richard Smyth (Smith) was one of the early settlers of Southampton, Long
Island, and it is there
that we find the earliest established record of him, who later became
the patentee of Smithtown, and whose activities made him a prominent
figure among his contemporaries and gave him a well recognized position
in the history of Long Island.
It now appears most probable that he was the Richard Smith who fled from
England 2 Oct. 1635, aged 22 years, in the ship John of London, bound for
St. Christophers. We may suppose that ships sailing the West Indies
followed a course which
took them along the New England coast and that they would put in at
Boston on the way. Under such conditions Richard Smith could have ended
his voyage there or would have gone on to St. Kitts, later to find his
way back if he concluded at
New England offered more attraction than some point in the West Indies.
If he did continue the voyage to the West Indies at that time, he would
seem to have arrived in New England within a year or two later from his
supposed contact with the
activities of the Cambridge press at time of printing its earliest
issues, in 1639 and 1640, we suppose him to have been in Boston or in
Cambridge at that time, but it is not until his arrival in Southampton
that we have a definite record.
Southampton was settled by a group of men who lived at Lynn,in
Massachusetts Bay Colony. Contracts made by them regarding transactions
of their families and goods and for the acquisition of land on Long
Island were dated at Lynn, 10 March
1639/40 and 17 April 1640. The movement was made to Southampton in June
of that year. The advance of settlers had at first selected a site at
Cow Neck, on the Sound, on the west end of the Island, but finding that
the Dutch claimed the
territory and would be likely to make it unpleasant for any English
there, they chose a new site, further east, where they would not
disturbed. Originally belonging to the Indians, the land which Smithtown
rests was first given to Lyon Gardner by Montauk Indian Chief Wyandanch,
a gesture of gratitude as Gardner
had rescued Wyandanch's daughter from a hostile tribe. Gardner, the first
Englishman to settle on eastern Long Island received the land as a
gesture of peace and friendship. Gardner retained the land until 1663,
when he sold it to Richard
Smythe for an unknown price. It wasn't until 1665 that he received a
patent of confirmation from the Governor of colonial New York, Richard
Nicoll. The patent was granted on condition, that ten families would
settle in Smithtown within three
years. Thus, 1665 marked Smithtown's official beginning, paving the way
for future settlers. Smythe himself settled in what is now Nissequogue.
There he coexisted with the local Nessequake Indians. While Smythe's
relationship with the
natives was peaceful and friendly, no known descendents of the
Nissequogue are alive today as smallpox wiped out this population. After
Smythe's death in 1692, Smithtown was divided between his children and
grandchildren. Additionally, he
left land for the building of a grist mill on Nissequogue River, one
which operated until 1909. The land remained in the Smith family until
1735, when the grandchildren began to sell plots of land to outsiders.
Around this time, a commercial
center grew at what is now the Village of the Branch. Like most of Long
Island at this time, agriculture formed the main component of
Smithtown's economy, with many large and productive farms by the mid
18th century. As of 1776, a census
revealed 716 people had been living in Smithtown with almost half under
the age of 16. Generally, the residents were strongly patriotic,
resisting British occupation for seven years after the Battle of Long
Island. After the war ended, a
milling complex known as the New Mills was started 1789 at what is now
Blydenburgh park. Additionally, 100 acres of forest was cut down and used
to dam the Nissequogue, creating "stump pond". The pond recived its name
from the stumps of the
cut trees which remained visible under the surface of the water for many
years after its creation. In 1783, Smithtown recieved official
recognition as a town from New York State. Judge J. Lawrence Smith, a
descendent of the original Richard
Smyth, wrote A History of Smithtown in 1882. The book served as an
important link to Smithtown's past. Like many works of non-fiction at the
time, the book was filled with hyperbole. Remarking on the longevity of
its residents, Smith claimed
that one man in 1739 had to lived to the age of 140. History tells how he
was granted a large land area now encompassing much of Smithtown, St
James and surrounding areas by riding a Bull around it. Richard Smyth
(Smith) was one of the early
settlers of Southampton, Long Island, and it is there that we find the
earliest established record of him, who later became the patentee of
Smithtown, and whose activities made him a prominent figure among his
contemporaries and gave him a
well recognized position in the history of Long Island. It now appears
most probable that he was the Richard Smith who fled from England 2 Oct.
1635, aged 22 years, in the ship John of London, bound for St.
Christophers. We may suppose that
ships sailing the West Indies followed a course which took them along
the New England coast and that they would put in at Boston on the way.
Under such conditions Richard Smith could have ended his voyage there or
would have gone on to St.
Kitts, later to find his way back if he concluded at New England offered
more attraction than some point in the West Indies. If he did continue
the voyage to the West Indies at that time, he would seem to have
arrived in New England within a
year or two later from his supposed contact with the activities of the
Cambridge press at time of printing its earliest issues, in 1639 and
1640, we suppose him to have been in Boston or in Cambridge at that
time, but it is not until his
arrival in Southampton that we have a definite record. Southampton was
settled by a group of men who lived at Lynn,in Massachusetts Bay
Colony. Contracts made by them regarding transactions of their families
and goods and for the
acquisition of land on Long Island were dated at Lynn, 10 March 1639/40
and 17 April 1640. The movement was made to Southampton in June of that
year. The advance of settlers had at first selected a site at Cow Neck,
on the Sound, on the west
end of the Island, but finding that the Dutch claimed the territory and
would be likely to make it unpleasant for any English there, they chose a
new site, further east, where they would not disturbed. Submitter:
Christian J. Streck
Submitter: 4 Staunton Court Submitter: Greensboro, NC 27410 Submitter:
Streck@aol.com Submitter: 910/852-4325 Submitter: 08 NOV 1996
|
1613 - 1692 (79 years)
[2] 