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Kings Park, NY 11754 Telephone: 631-265-6768 Other Bull Smith family Sites Open to the Public: Caleb Smith House (Smithtown Historical Society) Address: 5 North Country Rd Smithtown, NY 11787 631-265-6768 hours Mon-Fri all year 9am to 4 pm Sat. noon to 4 pm fees - donation Epnetus Smith Tavern Address: 211 E. Middle Country Rd Smithtown, NY 11787 631-265-6768 |
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.
(See Notation regarding this passage)
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 were 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.
**An email from Graham Pickles" <Graham.Pickles@ntlworld.com> on Tue, 3 Jul 2001 stating that "he has the complete passenger list for the "John" in the year 1635 and Smyth does not appear on it. Neither does his son. It is correct that this ship did sail to the West Indies, and yes quite possably droped people off on its way so to speak." The rest appears to be unsubstantiated Spreculation.