New York AHGP Part of the American History & Genealogy Project

Residences Early and Present, Southampton

No one of our ancestors has done for Southampton what Col. Lyon Gardiner did for the town which he assisted to bring into existence, viz., leave for future generations a record of the residences of the original settlers. Many changes in the course of two hundred and twenty-five years have, of course, obliterated some of the old landmarks, and the difficulty is no small one, to reconstruct at this time the town of 1650. Yet some waymarks are found scattered all along, by which, with other assistance, much can be done in solving this problem. The list of inhabitants in 1649, 1657 and 1698, which have been given, will go far to confirm and complete the results of investigation of the town records. We take the following as a sure and reliable starting point; the facts are ascertained beyond all dispute.

On the East Side of the Town

Obadiah Rogers lived on the residence of Captain Albert Rogers, deceased, and this homestead has always been in the Rogers family. Henry Pierson lived on the opposite corner where the church now stands, or it may be a little to the south on the homestead now owned by Mr. Lewis Hildreth.

Isaac Wilman lived next north of the second church and on the' home lot now belonging to Mr. Edwin Post.

James Herrick lived on what is now the homestead of Mrs. Hannah, widow of Captain James Post. This house was probably a little south of the dwelling of Mrs. Post.

Thomas Topping, Sen., lived on what is now the residence of Mr. Albert Foster.

On the "West Side of the Street

There can scarcely be any doubt but that Edward Howell, in 1648, built the house formerly occupied by Mr. William P. Herrick. His homestead was bounded on the north by that of Thomas Sayre, and south by that part of the parsonage land lately sold to Mrs. Amanda Hildreth.

Thomas Sayre resided where his descendants still live, north of the Academy, and probably in the same dwelling, though one half of the house was added many years after his death.

The Jones family resided on what is now the residence of the heirs of Mr. Wm, T. Jones, and their homestead embraced also that of Mr. Edward Huntting, deceased.

Besides these a large number of residences of a later period have been ascertained from the town records, the result of which investigations will appear at length in the following plot of the main street of the Tillage.

Remarks about Plots, with Maps

To the north, say of Robert Woolley, in 1648, the nomesteads appear to have been larger than those south of this point, and, therefore, it has been impossible to indicate the exact locality of some who there resided. It is known that north of Manassah Kempton, on the same side of the street, lived James Hampton, who gave his homestead to his son-in-law, James Mappara. North of him lived Joshua Barnes. North of Barnes lived John Bishop in 1683.

After every attempt to make an accurate analysis of all the data furnished by the records, perfect certainty cannot in all cases be obtained—yet in the main the plot is believed to be correct in the location of the homes of our ancestors.

The west fork in the main street beginning at the residence of the late Capt. Austin Herrick, seems to have been laid out in 1712. Previous to this the line on the west side of the street must have run directly from the south-east corner of the burying ground to the south-east corner of the homestead of Captain A. Herrick.

1679, Residence or homestead of Captain Mercator Cooper owned by Chris. Fowler. 1684, John Jennings sells same to Thomas Goodwin.

Cornelius Voncke, a Dutch shoemaker lived where Mr. Thomas Warren lives. He died, and his wife sold the homestead to Edward White, June 7, 1682, and on June 14, 1682, Edward White sold the same to William Mason.

North of him on the west street running by the swamp in 1679, lived Richard Painter; and north of his house a road was laid out in 1682, running at an angle of about 60° from this street to the hill street or main highway to the hills of Shinnecock.

West of Voncke, from 1646 to 1684, Thomas Cooper resided. Cooper must have sold a house-lot to Voncke.

John Tennison for a time, about 1668, resided on what is now the corner lot of Captain Thomas Royce on the hill. South of this, about where is the residence of James Pierson, deceased, in 1698, lived James Cooper.

Edmund Howell, in a deed of date about 1696, is spoken of as then residing in Cape May County, New Jersey.

Thomas Hildreth died, leaving Widow Hannah and a number of young children, names not given. At the time of his death his eldest son Joseph appears to have arrived at the age of manhood, and inherited the homestead at Flying Point. But afterward either Joseph or his son Joseph lived on what is now the residence of William Woolley, the grandfather of the late Mr. William Woolley.

About 1650, Thomas Topping gives to his son-in-law, James Herrick, a lot of land on his front, about two rods wide, for a house lot. He lived on what is now the homestead of Mr. Albert Foster. At this time, probably, and certainly in 1681, John Jessup lived on what is now the residence of the widow of Captain James Post; for in 1681 John Jessup sells this homestead to James Herrick. North of this, where some shops or wood houses of Mr. Edwin Post now stand, must have been the site of the second church. North of the church was the court-house and in the rear the jail. Still north of these, on the present homestead of Mr. Edwin Post, was the residence of Isaac Willman. Next to this was the house of Ellis Cook, now Mr. James Herrick's. Then next north lived John White very early, and north of him, embracing the late homestead of Mr. Lewis Hildreth and Mrs. Esther, widow of Dr. John P. Herriek, was the residence of Henry Pierson.

 The house lot of William Russell was sold to Obadiah Sale in 1678, bounded north by home lot of John Laughton, east by the street, south by the home lot of John Jagger, and west by the highway leading to North Sea. Obadiah Sale sells this homestead to George Heathcote, and it was afterward purchased of Heathcote by the town for a burying ground and is still so used.

1676, Richard Howell exchanges a lot laid out for a home lot of four acres, bounded north by home lot of Joseph Raynor, south by home lot of Mrs. Raynor or Jonathan Raynor (R. Howell bought this of John Lum), for six acres of Ben Davis' which he had of Arthur Howell and which were next to and south of Richard Howell's home lot.

Arthur Howell and Hannah his wife, sell his home lot and house to Ben Davis, May 2, 1675, which lies between Joseph Raynor and Richard Howell's, containing six acres. Arthur Howell removed to Sagabonach.

We will add some statements communicated to the author, concerning the residences during the better half of the last century, by Mr. Charles Pelletreau, now deceased. South of Mr. Isaac Foster's house was the residence of Obadiah Howell.

North of Mr. Isaac Foster lived Nathan Jagger. South of Mr. Nicholas White lived Hugh Raynor, and James his son lived in the present residence of Mr. White. North of Mr. White lived Benjamin Marshall.

North of Horsemill lane lived Adonijah Raynor.

South of the house of Mr. Barney Green lived John Howell. Deacon Thomas Jessup erected and occupied this house of Mr. Green. A windmill once stood on the south-west corner of the lot of Captain Charles Howell, which lies south of the homestead of Mr. Albert Foster. Stephen Howell lived on the present residence of Mr. Edwin Halsey.

Jeremiah Jagger lived on the present residence of Capt George White. East of the homestead of Capt. Barney Green, deceased, lived John Fowler, Esq. Caleb Cooper lived on the present residence of Mr. Schroeder. Charles Cooper lived on the place of the late Sylvanus Marshall. Dr. Smith lived on the place of Mr. William Pelletreau, deceased. Joshua Sayre lived north of the present home of Mr. Caleb Halsey. Stephen Sayre lived on the present homestead of Mr. Jackson, but afterward, removed from the town.

Elias Foster lived on the present homestead of Mr. Peter Fournier. John Foster, one of the convention to adopt the Constitution of the United States, lived on the late homestead of Mr. Lewis Hildreth. Deacon Samuel Howell lived on the homestead now of Mr. Jeremiah Squires.

To complete the list of present residences in the main street from the fork in the road opposite the burying ground, northward on the trapezoidal tract of land which forms the fork, lived on the end fronting the south, the widow of the late Capt. Austin Herrick. On the east side north of Mrs. Herrick lived Capt. Daniel Jagger and north of him Capt. Henry Halsey, and still north of him Miss Sayre. On the west side of the same lived Mrs. Agee Halsey. On the east side of the east branch of the main street line, successively advancing northward, the widow of Jonathan Fithian, Esq. (as in the plot before given), Charles Bishop, Caleb Halsey, Septa Jackson, Peter Fournier, James Bishop, William Jagger and Lewis Jagger. On the west side of the same branch live Mrs. Lewis Sanford, Albert Jagger, Albert Reeves and Francis Bishop. On the south end of a tract of land between the two branches aforesaid, and fronting south live Mr. Lewis Bowden, on the west, and Mr. John Burnett to the east of him. On the west side of the west branch, north of Capt. William Fowler (as in the above plot) lived Mrs. Harriet R. Halsey, Mr. E. Wines Payne and Captain Samuel McCorkle. On the east side of the same lived Mr. David Jagger.

Plot 1|Plot 2 | Plot 3 | Plot 4 | Plot 5 | Plot 6

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