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History Close at Hand

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Ketcham Inn in Center Moriches. Photo by Beverly C. Tyler
Austin Roe leaving the Brooklyn Ferry. Painting by Vance Locke
Roe Tavern location marker. Photo by Beverly C. Tyler
A painting by Patricia Windrow of President Washington visiting Roe Tavern. Photo by Beverly C. Tyler
Abraham Woodhull & Caleb Brewster. Painting by Vance Locke

By Beverly C. Tyler 

We are all familiar with the lives of the famous men and women in US history. From the time we were students in school, with the images of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln staring down at us from their place of honor in the classroom, we learned of the people who made our great nation. Our coinage includes U.S. presidents as well as men and women who contributed to America and American freedoms.

We can now see movies, videos and streaming programs about these same heroes of American democracy. Students are familiar with the poem about the “Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,” but the lives of many of our local men and women, who have contributed to history, are largely unknown. 

Long Island has played host to a number of these famous and well-known people from the past. In this century one of the best known was Charles Lindbergh, the Lone Eagle, who took off from Roosevelt Field on his solo flight across the Atlantic on May 20, 1927. Long Island was the scene of many other historic flights and record-setting attempts by early pioneers of flight throughout the 20th century. 

Long before Lindbergh, in June, 1791, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison came to Long Island at the conclusion of a pleasure trip which included the recording of many natural science observations through New England as detailed in “Jefferson and the Rights of Man” by Dumas Malone.“ They proceeded down the Connecticut ( River), crossed Long Island Sound, followed the northern coast of Long Island to Brooklyn, and then crossed to New York. On their way they visited a nurseryman in Flushing and Jefferson left with him a large order for trees and shrubs, including all the sugar maples that were available.” Not mentioned by Malone was the Ketcham Inn in Center Moriches where Jefferson and Madison spent at least one night. During the Revolutionary War, Benjamin Havens ran the inn and provided intelligence to the Culper Spy Ring, usually through Caleb Brewster who was a frequent visitor.

George Washington also visited Long Island after the Revolutionary War. In April 1790, while he was president of the United States, Washington toured part of Long Island traveling to Setauket from Patchogue. In his personal diary for April 22, 1790, Washington wrote, “We struck across the Island for the north side, passing the east end of the brushy marsh – and Coram, 8 miles – thence to Setauket 7 miles more, to the house of Captain Roe, which is tolerably decent, with obliging people in it.” According to Selah B. Strong, in an article written in the 1920’s, “The procession was led by my great grand-father, Capt. Selah Strong. He was evidently an important man in the county, holding the offices of County Judge, supervisor and President of the Board of Trustees of Brookhaven; and County Treasurer, and afterwards State Senator. It was very appropriate that he should entertain the General at Roe’s as the house was the former residence of his grandfather, the first Strong to bear the name of Selah, who came to Setauket about 1700 and on March 23, 1703 bought the land from Thomas Clark and built the house.” 

Captain Austin Roe maintained his home as a tavern and, in addition to hosting General Washington on that April evening in 1790, he is known as one of Washington’s spies during the Revolutionary War. This group of men and women, mostly from Setauket, were Patriots who, after their deeds were discovered, became famous. The Setauket Spies operated with such secrecy and modesty that their heroism and, in most instances, even their identities were not fully known until Morton Pennypacker discovered the facts, as we now know them, and published them in his book “General Washington’s Spies,” in 1939. 

As detailed in the Three Village Historical Society exhibit “SPIES!”, for two years, since August 1776, when General Washington’s army was defeated by British and Hessian soldiers at the Battle of Long Island, New York City and Long Island were occupied by the enemy.  Washington and the Continental Army were fighting elsewhere, in upstate New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and in the South. British headquarters was in New York City.

The only way for Washington to get information about enemy troop movements and strength was to plant reliable spies among them. But this had been tried and failed. In September 1776, Captain Nathan Hale had volunteered, crossed Long Island Sound, and gathered information on his way to and from the city, by then in British hands. Without training and support he was captured and brought to British General Howe who had him hanged the next day as a spy.

On Washington’s staff was 24-year-old Dragoon Major, Benjamin Tallmadge. Washington asked Tallmadge to create a spy ring of Patriots who could be trusted and who would support each other. Hale had been Tallmadge’s best friend at Yale. He would make sure that his spy ring would operate safely. Tallmadge was born in Setauket, a village across Long Island Sound from Fairfield, Connecticut, where Tallmadge and his Dragoons were stationed. There, Tallmadge had friends, Patriots like himself, who were determined to defeat the British. Tallmadge assured Washington that they could be trusted spies. To keep them safe, Washington did not want to know their names, so Tallmadge gave them code numbers and aliases, or spy names. General Washington called them Culper Spies, after Culpeper County in Virginia where he had his first job as a surveyor. Tallmadge gave himself an alias, too, and gave Washington and himself code numbers. Washington’s number was 711.

“SPIES!” tells the story of Washington, Tallmadge, and the Culpers. All but one was born in Setauket. Each had known Tallmadge since childhood: Abraham Woodhull, a farmer who had reason to hate the British; Anna Smith Strong, who let Woodhull know where Brewster was hiding with his whaleboats and crews: Austin Roe, a tavern keeper who rode into Manhattan as a courier for the Culper Spies; Caleb Brewster, a fearless whaleboat captain and artilleryman who crossed the Sound repeatedly to pick up and deliver spy messages, daring the British to capture him.

The one Culper spy not from Setauket was Robert Townsend. He was born in Oyster Bay. His family home was occupied by the British. Townsend owned a shop in Manhattan where Loyalists and British soldiers visited. He was in a position to gather information. He wrote messages in a code Tallmadge devised. Sometimes he wrote with invisible ink, between the lines of ordinary letters, a suggestion from George Washington himself. Roe picked up the letters and brought them back to Setauket where Woodhull gave them to Brewster, who took them back across Long Island Sound to Tallmadge in Connecticut. From there the letters were sent to General Washington. Information gathered by Long Island’s spy ring helped save the Revolution. 

The homes, markers and graves of these Patriots can still be seen, many of them in the Three Village area. The location of the Roe Tavern is marked by a state plaque that locates where the house was, at the corner of Route 25A and Bayview Avenue, before it was moved. The grave and memorial for Abraham Woodhull is located directly behind the Setauket Presbyterian Church. A state plaque also marks the location of the home of Woodhull and is located on Dyke Road between Heritage and Bob’s Lane, overlooking Little Bay and Strong’s Neck. These Patriots are part of our local history and their lives can be an inspiration to us aIl.

Beverly C. Tyler is Three Village Historical Society historian and author of books available from the Three Village Historical Society, 93 North Country Rd., Setauket, NY 11733. Tel: 631-751-3730. WWW.TVHS.org

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Photo of Gould General Store taken circa 1890. Photo courtesy of Three Village Historical Society.

By Beverly C. Tyler

The post office in Stony Brook has a long history of service to the community. Until the 20th century, the postmaster was the only person authorized to handle letters and write money orders. Each rural post office had one representative of the postal system, the postmaster, who was appointed by the president of the United States with the advice and consent of the Senate.

A postal system existed in Massachusetts as early as 1639. In 1672, New York Gov. Lovelace established service between New York and Boston along the future Boston Post Road. Benjamin Franklin was appointed Postmaster General for the British Colonies in America in 1753 and served until 1774, when he was dismissed by the Crown. He was reappointed by the Continental Congress in 1775 and served for 15 months, establishing a sound postal system. The U.S. postal system was created when Samuel Osgood was appointed the first Postmaster General on Sept. 26, 1789.

A portion from the 1873 Atlas from Beers, Comstock & Cline, showing Stony Brook Village. Photo courtesy of Three Village Historical Society.

The first Stony Brook postmaster was Nathaniel Hallock. According to National Archives records, he was appointed on March 21, 1826, and served until June 24, 1836. Little is known about Hallock or his post office, but it was likely part of a general store, as was typical of post offices on Long Island in the 19th century.

The cost of posting a letter weighing less than 1 ounce was six cents until 1847, when stamps were first issued. Letters were single sheets of paper folded, addressed, and delivered for six cents within 30 miles. Beyond 30 miles or for heavier letters, the cost increased slightly, with a maximum charge of 25 cents for a letter traveling more than 400 miles. For example, a letter sent to “Mr. William S. Mount – Stony Brook – Long Island – N.Y.” in 1841 from Monticello, Georgia, was marked, folded, sealed, and addressed in the customary manner of the time.

The second Stony Brook postmaster was James N. Gould, who was appointed in 1836 and served until 1861. He was reappointed on March 29, 1867, and served until 1870. Gould owned and operated a general store, which was located just north of where the Reboli Center now stands. The store was demolished before 1900, as was Gould’s home, which stood just north of the store. Both were removed to make way for the village improvements in the 1940s by Ward Melville.

According to local lore, it was said to be impossible to ask for any item James Gould didn’t have in his store. On a bet, a customer once asked for a pulpit, and Gould amazed everyone by producing one from the store’s attic.

The third postmaster, Edward Oakes, began his service in 1861 as the Civil War began at Fort Sumter. He served until 1867, when James Gould resumed the position. During this period, the post office introduced the money order system in 1864 to allow soldiers to send money home. Only the postmaster could process money orders, as he was the sole postal employee.

Oakes’ general store was located north of Gould’s store and home, on the west side of the business triangle along what was then Main Street. Residents recalled a long horse block in front of the store where men gathered for evening chats. Oakes served as postmaster again from 1870 to 1885. During this time, the store was known as “Oakes and Topping,” later “Topping and Smith,” and eventually, around 1901, “E.E. Topping.”

William O. Gould succeeded Oakes as postmaster in 1885, taking over his father’s general store. He served until 1889, during which time the post office expanded its services. In 1885, the special delivery service was introduced, allowing for prompt mail delivery, which marked a shift from the rural post office’s general store model to independent operations.

From 1889 through the end of the century, Stony Brook had five postmasters. John W. Copley was appointed in 1889, followed by David R. Rayner in 1892. Charles J. Williamson succeeded Rayner on Aug. 4 of that year. William O. Gould returned as postmaster in 1893. On May 1, 1895, Nellie E. Smith became Stony Brook’s first female postmaster. In 1898, Daniel W. Arnold became postmaster, serving for less than two years.

The turn of the century brought stability to the post office as it continued to grow and adapt to the needs of the community.

Beverly C. Tyler is the Three Village Historical Society historian and the author of books available from the Three Village Historical Society, 93 North Country Road, Setauket. Tel: 631-751-3730.

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Postcard photo, circa 1935, showing the view up Christian Ave, from Main Street. The second Stony Brook Post Office is pictured to the left of the firehouse. Photo from Beverly C. Tyler

By Beverly C. Tyler

As detailed in my article on Nov. 7, 2024, the first Stony Brook Post Office built specifically for postal use was located on Main Street, a few hundred feet north of where the Reboli Center stands today.

As World War I approached, Stony Brook saw a new postmaster. Nellie E. Lempfert began serving the community on Jan. 24, 1913. According to Olga Reboli, she was a very nice person and a good postmaster.

Mrs. Reboli also recalled that Nellie Lempfert had an ice cream parlor before becoming postmaster. It was next to the big building on the corner near Mr. Rogers’ plumbing shop.

In 1913, Mrs. Reboli, then 12 years old, and her sisters would occasionally spend a nickel on ice cream at Mrs. Lempfert’s store. “We didn’t have a nickel to spend very often,” she said, “but it was always a special time to remember.”

The first Stony Brook Post Office, now located at 44 Cedar Street. Photo by Beverly C. Tyler

The Stony Brook Post Office was also remembered by Orietta Peterman, who shared her vivid recollections of working there.

“Mrs. Lempfert was the postmaster, and I went to work there in October 1913,” Ms. Peterman explained. “I was married in 1917, and my husband went off to World War I. He left in 1919.” (Note: Charles C. Peterman was inducted into the U.S. Army in December 1917 and served in Europe from March 1918 until his discharge on Feb. 2, 1919.)

When Ms. Peterman started at the post office, there were only two workers, and only one person worked at a time. “On Mondays, I had to be in by 6 o’clock to get the morning mail off, all by myself,” she said. “If anyone came in to buy stamps, I did that. If someone wanted a money order, I did that too. We didn’t even have a safe until a year or two later. When the post office started growing, they finally bought a safe to keep the money in.”

She described her postmaster’s schedule, explaining that Mrs. Lempfert would probably arrive around 8 o’clock. She stayed to help with the morning mail before heading home. “I was there most of the time, earning $5 a week for a 14-hour day,” she said.

The space itself was challenging to work in. Ms. Peterman remembered that the post office wasn’t used very long and was already outgrowing its capacity. “Two people were always in the way. There were no facilities, no water. If we needed water, I had to fetch it from a spring near the Sherry house. For hot water, we used a kerosene space heater with a tea kettle on top,” she explained.

“In winter, there was a coal stove that needed tending daily,” she added. “I handled all the cleaning, and since there was no electricity, I cleaned lamp chimneys and filled the lamps.”

Parade in Stony Brook marking the end of WWI. Percy W. Smith driving the Ford with his son, Percy Roger Smith, about 2 ½ sitting on his right. Photo courtesy of Three Village Historical Society

Reflecting on her experience, Ms. Peterman said she did everything under heaven. “I never had a coffee break in my life. I worked there for seven or eight years, with no vacation and no paid days off. Even on the day I got married, I was docked. That’s how liberal they were.”

On April 29, 1922, Louise E. Wells was appointed the next postmaster of Stony Brook, operating from the same building. Miss Wells married Charlie Williamson in 1926 and remained postmaster until mid-1932. Olga Reboli remembered her fondly and said Mrs. Williamson was also a very nice person. The couple had two daughters, Louise and Madeline.

In the early 1930s, a new post office was built next to the old firehouse on Christian Avenue. Though not much larger, it offered more modern facilities.

The old post office wasn’t forgotten. By 1922, it became a butcher shop for Percy W. Smith and later served as the office for L.C. Clarke Co. In 1925, Olga Reboli worked for L.C. Clarke Real Estate and was photographed in front of the building.

The venerable old structure was eventually moved in the 1940s and repurposed as a home. It now resides at 44 Cedar St. in Stony Brook, just north of Hollow Road.

Beverly C. Tyler is an author and historian with the Three Village Historical Society. For more information, visit www.tvhs.org.

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The first building in Stony Brook built for exclusive use as a post office. Before then the post office was usually located in a local general store. It was moved to Cedar Street when Ward Melville reorganized the Stony Brook village area. Courtesy Emma S. Clark Library

By Beverly C. Tyler

The first postmaster in Stony Brook in the 20th century was Ralph M. Sammis, appointed on April 16, 1900. He served for 12 years. That same year, Sammis built a home at 77 Hollow Road. According to research by Barbara and Greg Allard, while the house was being built, Sammis and his family rented what is now the Country House Restaurant.

Ralph and Julia Sammis had three children: Anna, Morton, and Mildred. Morton and Mildred were born in the northeast bedroom of the new house on Hollow Road. According to family stories from Anna Sammis, when Morton was born, the family cat gave birth to a litter of kittens under the same bed.

The family’s privy was accessed by a path from the back door, covered by a grape arbor pruned by Julia Sammis each year on Washington’s Birthday. They also maintained a garden with raspberries, blackberries, and grapes, with Ralph planting and Julia tending to the plants. Julia Sammis was known locally for her pickles and preserves.

The Sammis house also played a role in the “Great Stony Brook Post Office Robbery of 1911,” as described in an article by R. Morton Sammis, editor of The Independent Press of Stony Brook, in the Aug. 15, 1952, issue. The post office, then located on Main Street near the current Reboli Center, was situated next to Dr. James A. Squire’s home.

In his article, R. Morton Sammis wrote about his father’s observations during this period, describing how “there was a brick-and-concrete post near the post office windows, and Father noticed someone leaning against it, watching the back room of the post office. From this vantage point, a man could see Father wrapping the money and stamps in a large package we called ‘the bundle.’”

Morton continued, explaining that his father “started home, and the man followed him at a distance… Two days later, a man appeared at our house, wanting to demonstrate furniture polish. He insisted on entering, but once inside, he seemed more interested in observing the layout of the house than his product.”

“That night,” Morton recalled, “Father took ‘the bundle’ home and left it on the table with his coat and vest over it… Later, he took ‘the bundle’ upstairs with him. In the middle of the night, Mother woke him, saying, ‘There is someone in the house!’ Then, we heard the sideboard door squeak, and a flashlight lit the upper hall. Hearing us awake, a loud ‘meow’ came from outside—a signal to the man inside.”

Although the robbers didn’t get “the bundle,” they did steal Dr. Squire’s horse and buggy, later abandoning them in the Islip Cemetery. Following the attempted robbery, Post Office officials issued a stern warning that all money and stamps must remain on post office premises, and Sammis would be held accountable if they were stolen while in his possession. Morton noted that his father, aware of both the rule and the thieves’ interest in “the bundle,” made sure to leave it at the post office.

But that wasn’t the end of the robbers’ attempts. Morton continued in his article, writing, “One morning about a month later, Father arrived to find the safe blown open and its contents gone. Horse blankets belonging to Dr. Squire were wrapped around the safe and soaked, likely at the creek, as one blanket was found too heavy to carry.”

This time, Morton noted, the robbers attempted to escape using Dr. Squire’s early Model T Ford Roadster. However, Dr. F. Duane Squire had turned off the gas line that night due to a leak. “Once again, the robbers resorted to ‘Old Doc’s’ horses, escaping with all the money and stamps,” Morton wrote. “They later abandoned the team on the south side, and Howard E. Dickerson drove Dr. Squire to retrieve it. Later, Post Office officials notified Father that they had captured the culprits.”

Beverly Tyler is a historian with the Three Village Historical Society and author of books available from the society, located at 93 North Country Road, Setauket, N.Y. For more information, visit www.tvhs.org.

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A model of the bark Modesta, Capt. Rowland’s last command. Mary sailed on the 'Modesta' to exotic ports in Africa, the Mediterranean and South America. Photo courtesy of Bev Tyler

By Beverly C. Tyler

“I manage to go on shore more or less in every port and learn the different manners and customs of different nations and the works of God and man, both nature and art. I find much to amuse, edify and interest us, and see what so many travelers pay large sums for, while Henry makes a living and the brig is our hotel and even what is much better, our home.” — Mary Rowland, January 1873

In the graveyard of Setauket Presbyterian Church, near the center rear, lie the graves of Captain Henry L. Rowland (1827-1876) and his wife, Mary Satterly Rowland (1832-1908). The couple’s farm was situated south of their final resting place, between Main Street and Setauket Harbor. Today, Setauket School faces what was once the Rowland farm.

Children of Capt. Henry and Mary Satterly Rowland – Woodhull, Mary Emma and Henrietta.

Mary is one of the women featured in the Three Village Historical Society’s Spirits cemetery tour. Her life, like that of many women who lived in the area and traveled the world, remains largely unknown. A portion of Mary’s tumultueous sea adventures is documented in the book “Hen Frigates” by New Zealander Joan Druett.

“At 4 a.m., tacking on shore,” Mary Rowland wrote in 1856, “the vessel was rolling and pitching badly.” Everything below was “upside down, and there is no rest or peace to be had. Worst of all, one could hardly keep in bed, especially on one tack; when I sit down, I must of necessity take the floor for a sofa.”

Despite the hardships, Henry and Mary spent over 20 years living aboard three different sailing ships that traveled the world, carrying cargo from port to port. The couple’s children grew up on these ships, built in East Setauket, and one of them, Woodhull, was born on board.

“The captain’s wife gave birth to a child,” reads the logbook entry of the brig Thomas W. Rowland for October 21, 1857, near the island of Abaco. Mary Rowland’s two daughters, Henrietta and Mary Emma, were sent between decks with their dolls to play while Henry delivered the baby boy, christened Woodhull.

During the American Civil War, Captain Henry Rowland’s bark Glenwood sailed under sealed orders, with its destination (Pensacola, to deliver supplies to the troops) unknown until the orders were opened. The voyage south was traumatic; the vessel was struck twice by lightning, resulting in the death of one crew member. Mary’s youngest child, Willie, fell ill with yellow fever as they neared Pensacola Bay. All night, as they lay hove to near Santa Rosa Island, she fought for her son’s life while cannonballs from Confederate and Union gunships screamed overhead. When the battle was over, the Glenwood had survived unscathed but the little boy was dead.

Cover of “Hen Frigates” by Joan Druett

The diaries, journals, letters and artifacts of Setauket wives Mary Satterly Rowland, Mary Swift Jones and Ellen Elizabeth Jones, along with the logbooks of their captain husbands, are part of the collection at the Three Village Historical Society. These materials, donated by local residents and relatives, provide valuable insight into the lives of women at sea aboard wooden commercial ships. These women, along with their children in many cases, traveled the world with their husbands and fathers. Their experiences are part of the many stories told in the Society’s exhibition, “The Sailing Circle: 19th Century Seafaring Women from New York.”

The two Marys are featured in Hen Frigates along with many other women and children whose adventures make for fascinating reading. They are also included in the exhibit catalog The Sailing Circle, available in the society gift shop.

“Hen Frigates” by Joan Druett, available at the Emma S. Clark Library, is a seafaring book packed with intriguing details about shipboard life during the 19th century, when wooden ships and their crews journeyed along the North American coast and around the world. More than just a book about families at sea, Hen Frigates covers in dramatic detail the growth of American maritime commerce in the 19th century.

One of the most interesting aspects of local history is its connections to larger realms of people and events. Our community is linked in many ways to our region, nation and the world—a reality that has persisted throughout our history. The Three Village community is wonderfully rich in both natural and man-made resources that illustrate and exemplify these connections.

Beverly Tyler is an author and the historian for the Three Village Historical Society, located at 93 North Country Road, Setauket. Visit www.tvhs.org for more information.

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A view of the Seat of the Hon. Selah Strong Esq., St. George’s Manor, Suffolk County, Long Island. NOTE: This is the house built by William “Tangier” Smith. Photo from B. Tyler

By Beverly C. Tyler

She was baptized Martha Tunstall on July 2, 1652, daughter of Henry Tunstall of Putney, Surrey, England. She moved with her family to Tangier, Africa, where she married William Smith. From her marriage on Nov. 26, 1675, until her death in Setauket in 1709 at 57, Martha led a life dedicated to her husband, family, business interests and community. She gave birth to 13 children, buried seven, and journeyed from Tangier back to England, to Ireland for a birth, and finally to America. She raised her family in primitive conditions, assisted her husband in his business dealings, often during his long absences, and became respected as lady of the manor. Widowed at 52, Martha successfully managed her husband’s business interests, including offshore whaling, and became a well-regarded community leader.

Historian Kate Strong as a young girl with her dog on the steps of her home on Strong’s Neck. Photo from B. Tyler

Lady Martha Smith, as referred to in many documents, is not listed in The Encyclopedia of Women’s History in America or Long Island Women: Activists and Innovators, both excellent books on overlooked women. However, she was a woman of wealth and influence on Long Island, especially in Setauket and Mastic, where she and William “Tangier” Smith resided.

Colonel William “Tangier” Smith was born in Feb. 1654. Tangier, a key port, was abandoned and burned by England in 1683. William arrived there at 20 and married Martha a year later. He became mayor on Nov. 11, 1682. The couple returned to England in 1683 and, in 1686, sailed from Ireland to America. They arrived in New York in the fall of 1686 with their two children, 7-year-old Henry and 5-year-old Martha. A third child, Hibernia, had died at sea, the couple’s fifth child to die. Three of their children, Elizabeth, John, and William Jr., died in Tangier. Their second William Jr. and Mary died in London.

In New York City, Martha gave birth to Jeane in Dec. 1687. William bought land in Setauket, “Ye Little Neck,” and the south shore. By 1689, the family had moved permanently to Setauket. Martha gave birth to William that March, followed by Gloryana the next year, then Theodocia, who died at 15 days old. Two years later, their last child, Charles Jeffery, was born.

In Setauket, William and Martha moved from their first house near the Woodhull homestead to the Neck, where they built St. George’s Manor. Martha managed the home while William expanded his land holdings. In Oct. 1693, he received a patent from Gov. Fletcher for land bordered by Carmen’s River and Forge River, between Middle Country Road and the Atlantic Ocean. This, combined with previous purchases, created the Manor of St. George. By 1697, he added land extending to Southampton and Southold. The family spent summers at a second manor house on Smith Point, returning to Setauket for the rest of the year. With the 1693 land acquisition, William and Martha became lord and lady of the manor.

As detailed by Kate Strong, “In 1675 (in Tangier), Colonel William Smith began entries in what is now called The First Pigskin Book. The first entry was his marriage. He then recorded baptisms and some deaths of his many children. Writing only on one side of the page, his wife, Martha, turned the book upside down and wrote in her recipes.”

Strong listed a few recipes, including: “To make pancakes—take the yolks of six eggs, add one white, one pint of cream, half a pint of sack, nutmeg, a little salt, and some sugar. Make the batter of a reasonable thickness, work in some flour, and fry them.” Martha also included medicinal recipes: “For a sore throat—take rue, pound it fine, make a poultice, about an inch thick, and lay it on the throat. It is a sure cure. You may sprinkle it with brandy.”

“She was not too busy to enjoy riding with her husband,” Strong related. “I imagine they had fine horses. Their saddles were covered with velvet, hers a side saddle of course.”

When William died in 1705, their children included Henry, later second lord of the manor, age 26; Mrs. Martha Heathcote, 23; Jeane, 17; William Henry, later to inherit the south shore manor, 15; Gloryana, 14, who later married the Rev. George Muirson; and Charles Jeffery, who died of smallpox in 1715 at 11. Lady Martha now had to raise her family and manage her late husband’s holdings and businesses.

Entries in the Pigskin Book recorded Indian whaling crews and whale oil and bone quantities. As noted by Dr. John Strong, “From 1696 until 1721, the Smiths used the book to track Native Americans working for their whaling company. Lady Martha Smith, for the 1706-07 season, made a net profit of 120 barrels of whale oil from 180 barrels—a sizable profit.”

“Offshore whaling was a fine business in those days, and Madam Martha had her own whaleboat,” Strong wrote. “The crew was mostly Indians. She kept records in a second pigskin book, which was almost lost in the San Francisco fire. A family member had taken it west. During the fire, a gentleman found it in a trunk, examined the contents, and returned the book to its owner.”

As noted in Bellport and Brookhaven (1968), “The Lady Martha was remarkable, managing both the vast estate and whaling business successfully.” Kate Strong observed, “Fifteen Indians, the whaling crew, are listed by name; their wages and the charges against them for shot, powder, rum, coats, britches, etc. She must have had trouble controlling them, as there are complaints, such as, ‘He [Will Bene] got nothing this season, stayed away 10 days to see his Shua. Was a great loss to me.’ But there were cheerful entries too: ‘I thank God, my company killed a yearling whale. Made 27 barrels ogle.’”

Early settlers recognized Martha’s prominence, noting that “at the table, no woman except Madam Martha Smith was to sit.” She died five years after her husband on Sept. 1, 1709, and was buried beside him on a spot overlooking the bay at St. George’s Manor.

Beverly Tyler is Three Village Historical Society historian and author of books available from the Three Village Historical Society, 93 North Country Rd., Setauket.

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The Smith/Swift/Tyler/Davis house in 1900. Photo courtesy of Beverly C. Tyler
Annie, Carrie and Corinne Tyler about 1935. Photo courtesy Beverly C. Tyler
The Tyler Brothers Store. Photo courtesy of Beverly C. Tyler

By Beverly C. Tyler

The Smith/Swift/Tyler/Davis house, built about 1740, was home to many generations. On June 1 and 2, the house at 97 Main Street in Setauket will function as the central hub for Gallery North’s 20th Annual Wet Paint Festival. The history of the house itself, as well as the families who have lived there, is a representation of the story of the growth of the Three Village community; of farming, transportation, commerce and trade. 

The original section of the house was constructed with white oak timber framing. Over the frame and on the floors were white pine boards; on the roof were red cedar shingles. These were the trees found locally and used to build most colonial-era buildings in this area. For more than 100 years, this was a farmhouse on an active farm with many out-buildings. In the original house there were two rooms on the first floor and three bedrooms on the second floor.

As a family home and farm, many generations of two prominent families lived here. Amos Smith and his wife Juliana Hawkins raised five children, born between 1773-1785. When Amos died intestate in 1799, an inventory of his home and farm included household goods, farm tools and farm animals. Their son, Walter Smith and his wife, Elizabeth Ellison, raised five children here, born between 1811-1825. 

About 1831, Joseph Swift purchased the house and farm. Joseph and his wife, Amelia Bacon, raised nine children here, born between 1832 and 1851. Joseph’s eldest daughter Eliza married Charles B. Tyler, my great-grandfather, in 1851. Charles purchased the house and farm in 1854 and raised nine children here, born between 1851 and 1870. Charles’ wife Eliza, their unmarried daughters, Annie and Corinne, and one of Charles’ granddaughters, Carrie, lived here until their deaths in 1924, 1941, 1943 and 1947, respectively. The house and property then passed to Carrie’s half brother Beverly Griffin Tyler, his wife Blanche and their three children. When Blanche Tyler Davis died in 2016 in her 102nd year, ownership passed to the Three Village Community Trust, who will preserve the home and property, including Patriot’s Rock, in perpetuity. 

 The Tyler Brothers General Store stood on the corner of the property, just north of the house, where it served the community as a post office and store for more than 50 years. The store was run by Charles B. Tyler and his brother Israel. Israel lived in East Setauket along what is now Gnarled Hollow Road and he served as Setauket postmaster for most of the years between 1870 and 1897. Both men were schooner captains who traveled up and down Long Island Sound and the U. S. East Coast carrying commercial cargo and passengers. Their knowledge of trade routes and sources of supply contributed to their success as general store owners.

The original house served well for the large families who lived there; however, by the last decades of the nineteenth century, with American industry providing more and more labor-saving devices for the home, change and growth was inevitable. In 1889, an addition included a formal dining room and two additional bedrooms. Over the years, the use of a kitchen had changed from a central fireplace to a summer kitchen, separated from the house. Finally, about a decade before World War I, that structure was moved and attached to the house as a “modern” kitchen with an ice box, a large coal stove and other appliances. All of these changes were implemented, not by the men, but by the women who remained in the home after most of Charles and Eliza’s children had moved on. 

Following the deaths of Israel in 1895 and Charles in 1899, Charles’ wife, Eliza, sold the general store to her children, Corinne and Annie Tyler, for one dollar. Corinne ran the general store. Annie was Setauket’s postmaster from 1897 until 1915.

Lucy Hart Keyes remembered that when she was six or seven and going to the school on the Village Green, she would walk home, stopping first at the post office. “They were such nice ladies. Miss Annie took care of mail … Miss Annie used to make money orders and everything. Miss Corinne took care of the store. They kept it open even during lunch–Miss Corinne and Miss Annie switched. It was open until after mail at night… We used to trade with Sears and Roebuck and Montgomery Ward. It came in the mail.”

Lucy recalled that Corinne’s brother Henry Tyler helped her at the store. “Momma and Poppa bought all their  groceries there. We bought canned goods, salt pork, potatoes, bread and even bananas in later years. We were a big family and we were always down there. Sometimes Poppa paid once a week. They kept track of it and I could get anything. They never asked questions.”

Lucy remembered a candy case in the store which contained a number of selections. “You would get 4 or 5 round things for a penny. JawBreakers, 3 or 4 for a penny, and stick candy was a penny a stick.”

By the 1920’s, the appeal of the local merchant who carried all the staples needed by the local family was decreasing. The variety of products was increasing by leaps and bounds, and the small country store could not keep pace. Chain food stores with quantity buying were able to offer lower prices and wider selections. In East Setauket the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A & P, established 1859) was getting a large share of daily trade with advertisements in the local papers listing prices such as “New Potatoes 5 lbs-15¢, Grandmother’s BREAD Small Loaf 5¢-Large Loaf 8¢.” (“Port Jefferson Times’’ – July 7, 1927). 

“After being established in the grocery business at Setauket for more than 60 years, the familiar old corner store, known as Tylers’ grocery store, near the lakes, closed out their stock last week and have discontinued business. . .” (“Port Jefferson Times” – April 1927). 

Beverly Tyler is Three Village Historical Society historian and author of books available from the Three Village Historical Society.

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Rev. Gregory Leonard speaking at the 2016 Order of St. Luke Conference. Photo courtesy Beverly C. Tyler

By Beverly C. Tyler

On Sunday, April 14, members of Bethel AME Church in Setauket and the Three Village community came together to celebrate the ministry of Rev. Gregory Leonard who retired in 2020, after twenty-six years as pastor of Bethel AME Church.

I first met Rev. Leonard at the funeral for the Mother of Bethel AME Church, Lucy Agnes Keyes, who died on Friday, September 16, 1994. This was his first funeral at Bethel AME and he said something about getting his feet wet at Bethel or starting here by jumping into the fire. Interesting choice of words, as he soon became the chaplain for the Setauket Fire Department. Mrs. Keyes’ Going Home Celebration was on September 20, 1994.

Rev. Leonard’s extensive community service included serving as chaplain of the Long Island State Veterans Home at Stony Brook University, and the development of Hobbs Farm in Centereach. My wife Barbara noted at the celebration, “My association with Bethel Church and Pastor Leonard began through the Order of St. Luke-a Christian healing ministry. He became one of our two chaplains. Services rotated monthly among  Caroline Church, St. Cuthbert’s in Selden and Bethel.” For us it was a chance to add Christian friends and worship in different ways.

“One of our cherished times was when Pastor Leonard was the spiritual leader for our regional retreat called A Quiet Walk with Jesus. The format was four short talks by the leader who then gave us points for meditation in the quiet times that followed each talk. Pastor Leonard was perfect for this. He had previously attended several of these retreats very quietly. We knew that he would be a wonderful leader, but others were very pleasantly surprised by the leadership of this quiet but dynamic man.”

It was in the spirit of William Sidney Mount that the Bethel AME Church, Setauket and the Museums at Stony Brook held “A Community Coming Together” in the Art Museum on Sunday, February 25, 1996. The reception featured the exhibition, William Sidney Mount: Music is Contagious, plenty of good food — courtesy of Bethel AME — good company, and a few descriptive comments on Mount and on the Three Village Community.

Rev. Leonard, pastor of Bethel AME, opened and closed the museum’s event with an emphasis on the strengths of neighborhood and family, and how important it is to work at getting to know other people in the community-thus adding to the strength of community bonds.

This emphasis of family and community was on display during the Sunday service at Bethel AME on April 21 as well as at the luncheon and talks in honor of Rev. Leonard. Speaker after speaker spoke about his spiritual leadership and his humility. 

As detailed in Bethel AME’s celebration program, “Rev. Leonard built strong ties, bonds and personal relationships with co-workers, community and congregation members. He recalls that his proudest moments during his ministry at Bethel Setauket came in working with members of his leadership team, the congregation and community groups such as Building Bridges, Order of Saint Luke, the Setauket Fire Department and the Vets home.”

Beverly Tyler is Three Village Historical Society historian and author of books available from the Three Village Historical Society, 93 North Country Rd., Setauket, NY 11733. Tel: 631-751-3730. http://WWW.TVHS.org 

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Joseph Smith Hawkins and his wife Henrietta. Photo courtesy Beverly C. Tyler

By Beverly C. Tyler

A fine example of the many Colonial farmhouses in the Three Village area is the two-and-a-half story farmhouse on Main Street in Stony Brook, just west of the mill pond, at the corner of Hawkins Road. This attractive white farmhouse with its nine-over-six small-pane windows was built about 1750. 

The earliest known resident of this farmhouse was Joseph Smith Hawkins, son of George and Ruth Hawkins. He was born in Stony Brook on February 7, 1763. Like his father, Joseph was a farmer. He married Phebe Williamson and they had two sons, Nathaniel – born 1791 – and Joseph Smith – born 1796. 

Sometime after 1810, Joseph Smith Hawkins built the house diagonally across the street. When their father died in 1827, the brothers traded houses. Joseph moved across the road to the original family farmhouse and Nathaniel moved into his brother’s house. Nathaniel was a wheelwright and operated a shop near his home.

Joseph Smith Hawkins built this Federal-style house, circa 1810, which was Victorianized and subsequently restored to its Colonial appearance by Ward Melville. Photo courtesy Beverly C. Tyler

Joseph was a farmer his entire life and his son Joseph Smith Hawkins – born 1827 – continued to live in the farmhouse. Joseph married Henrietta Sophia Davis on February 10, 1858 and together they farmed the land until the early 20th century. Henrietta died June 6, 1907 and Joseph died April 12, 1911. The farm, until about 1950, included a number of barns and related outbuildings.

Joseph Hawkins’ grandson Percy Smith, born 1892, and a Stony Brook resident his entire life, remembered, in an interview in 1976, when his grandfather ran the 65-acre farm. “He used to raise wheat and rye and corn, no small vegetables except in the family garden. There was a big barn on the south side of the house, a hog pen and many other buildings which are all gone now. There was, as I remember, six horses and ten to twelve cows. I used to, when I was a boy, drive the cows to pasture each morning and back in the evening. The pasture was more than a mile away and I got 75 cents a week.”

“He used to make butter and take it to the store and trade it in and get groceries. Farming used to be a mainstay of the village, plus the boats that used to bring things in and take things out. My grandfather used to cut and ship cordwood to New York City. The dock at Stony Brook used to be covered with hundreds of cords of wood.” 

Percy also remembered how Stony Brook families relied on each other for many of their necessities of life. The farmers supplied the food products and the ship captains supplied transportation for the goods that were sold in New York City and Connecticut. The coastal schooners also brought to Stony Brook many items that were not grown or manufactured here. The merchants then bought and sold from both the farmers and the schooner captains. 

The 19th century brought many changes that affected the close interdependent relationship of the farmers, ship captains, and merchants. The opening of the Erie Canal in 1826 brought coal for fuel from Pennsylvania and other states and hastened the decline of the use of cord wood for fuel in New York City. 

Wheat and other grains from the midwest, first from Ohio, were shipped on the Erie Canal and began arriving in New York City in large quantities. Most of the local grist mills found it difficult, if not impossible, to match the low price of midwest grains and either adapted or went out of business. Percy Smith also noticed these changes. 

Joseph Smith Hawkins house, circa 1750. Photo courtesy Beverly C. Tyler

“The older people died off and the younger ones didn’t want to bother with farming because they could make more money doing something else. They didn’t want the drudgery that their fathers had so the farms were sold off.”

 Thus ended most of the small individual farms in the Three Village area. The local farmer was always a hardworking individual who took a great deal of pride in his work. Most of the farmers continued to work their farms as long as they were able and, in the decades leading up to the 20th century, they usually passed the farm on to their sons and grandsons. 

The farms are gone, but many of the farmhouses remain as witnesses to a lifestyle that has passed on. With a bit of imagination you can stand in front of these homes and visualize what it was like to be a part of that era.

Beverly Tyler is Three Village Historical Society historian and author of books available from the Three Village Historical Society, 93 North Country Rd., Setauket, NY 11733. Tel: 631-751-3730. 

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Historian Kate Strong drawing by Carol Petty. Photo courtesy Three Village Historical society

By Beverly C. Tyler

As detailed by Kate Strong, “In 1675 [in Tangier] Colonel William Smith…bought a great book, sometimes called ‘The Tangier Book’ and  sometimes ‘The First Pigskin Book.’ The first entry was a statement of his marriage. After that he recorded the baptisms [including minister and godparents], and some deaths, of his numerous children. As he wrote on only one side of the page, his wife, Martha, turned the book upside down and wrote her recipes — in some cases telling the name of the person giving her the recipe.”

The recipes and notes Martha made in the first pigskin book were most likely entered during the years on Long Island. “She sometimes added a few bits of news,” Kate Strong wrote, “as when she told that Colonel William’s sickness came from a strain he had incurred in lifting her off the horse…later she recorded that her dear Billy was better.”

Kate Strong listed just a few of the recipes including: “To make pancakes –  take the yokes of six eggs, add ye one white and one pint of cream and half a pint of sacke & nutmeg and a little salt and some sugar. Make the batter of a reasonable thickness, work in some flower [sic] and fry them…” Martha also included recipes for medicinal purposes, including one from her daughter. “For a sore throat or Quinsey — take Rue and pound it pretty fine and make a poultice and plaster, must be an inch thick & lay it on ye side of ye throat. It is a sure cure. You may sprinkle it with brandy…”

“This prescription is said to work like a charm for sore throat; Roast some apples very soft, smash them with as much butter as an English walnut, with a spoonful of molasses, mix well together. Take it hot and go to bed – given by daughter Heathcott.” 

Martha also wrote down some of the “old wives tales” of the period as well as recipes for household items that were not always easy to come by on rural Long Island. “When you gather apples or pears, to keep them you must gather them when the moon is at the full…. A recipe to make good ink. Take two quarts of strong vinegar, half a pound of galles or hard oak appels, Two spoonfuls of Coperas, putt all these ingredients into a glass bottle with a wide mouth, let it stand in ye sun or some hot closett & you have a very good ink, there must be 2 spoonfuls of Gunpowder!”

As related by Kate Strong “She was not too busy to enjoy riding with her husband,..I imagine they had fine horses. I know their saddles were covered with velvet. They went to the South Shore not only to enjoy the ocean breezes in the summer but on business.”

When William “Tangier” died in 1705, the Smith children included Henry, later second Lord of the Manor, age 26; Mrs. Martha Heathcote, age 23; Jeane, age 17; William Henry, later to inherit the south shore manor house and estate, age 15; Gloryana, later to marry the Rev. George Muirson, age 14; and Charles Jeffery, who would die of smallpox in 1715, age 11. Lady Martha was now faced with raising her young family and running her late husband’s vast holdings and business interests.

Entries in the Pigskin Book had been started by William Smith as an estate account book of farm transactions, the Indian whaling crews and the amount of whale “Ogle” and “Bane…” The entries began in 1697, as detailed by Dr. John Strong, “From 1696 until 1721, the Smiths used the book to keep the accounts of Native Americans working for their whaling company… Lady Martha Smith, for the 1706-07 whaling season made  a net profit of 120 barrels of whale oil out of 180 barrels, a sizable profit.”

“Off shore whaling was a fine business in those days and Madam Martha had her own whaleboat,” Kate Strong wrote. “The crew was mostly Indians. She kept her records in a second pigskin book, which was almost lost in the San Francisco fire. A member of the family had taken it west. During the fire, a gentleman saw a trunk which had fallen from a truck and examined the contents. Finding the pigskin book he restored it to its owner. I once held the book in my hands. It was after a small luncheon at Miss Ruth W. Smith’s at Mastic. After the luncheon she handed me the book and said I could go in the other room and make what notes I wanted. Alas, a member of the party followed me in there and, while we had a nice talk on mutual ancestors, I never had a chance to open the book.” 

As detailed in “Bellport and Brookhaven,” published in 1968, “The Lady Martha, was a remarkable woman…managing not only the vast estate, but carrying on the whaling business successfully.”

Also noted by Kate Strong, “Fifteen Indians, the whaling crew, are listed by name; their wages, and the charges made against them, for shot, powder, rum, ‘cotes,’ ‘britches,’ etc… She must have had trouble controlling them, for there are quite a few complaints. ‘He [Will Bene] got nothing this season, stayed away ten days at a time, when he went to see his Shua. Was a great loss to me.’ But there were more cheerful entries too.  ‘I thanks God, my company killed a yearling whale. Maid 27 barrels ogle.’ Listed was the weight in pounds of whalebone from each whale, as well as the number of barrels of oil.”

“As to what the early settlers thought of Martha in their plans for the meeting house church,” wrote Kate Strong, “they wrote that at the table was to sit no woman of any kind except Madam Martha Smith… She died five years after her husband on September 1, 1709 and was buried beside him on the spot he had chosen overlooking the little bay on the neck, now called Strong’s Neck, but we old timers think of it by its real name, St. George’s Manor, part of the Manor of St. George.”

Beverly Tyler is Three Village Historical Society historian and author of books available from the Three Village Historical Society, 93 North Country Rd., Setauket, NY 11733. Tel: 631-751-3730. 

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