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Thompson House, south side of Middle Country Road, site currently occupied by Longwood Public Library. Photo from the Donald Bayles Collection.
SMITH THOMPSON
The Smith Thompson farm of over 50 acres was located on the south side of the Country Road and extended from the land of Joseph Randall eastward about 1500 ft. to the Old Yaphank Road at the bottom of the hill where the house, barn and hen house were located. The west portion of the property consisted of a wooded hill near the road with fairly level fields toward the rear. Smith Thompson died in 1922 at the age of 86 and his wife Mary died in 1916 at the age of 71. A brother David lived with them and died in 1885. Smith and Mary had a daughter Carrie who died in 1942 at the age of 71 who may have lived in the house for a while after her father died as a 1917 atlas shows her name on the property. They are all listed in the 1880 Census but not th 1870 Census.
On the 20th day of May 1864 the Commissioners of Highways of the Town Brookhaven met at the office of B. T. Hutchinson, Town Clerk (which was on the north side of the Country Road), and determined that the highway on the west side of School House at one point was "three rods easterly from the south barpost southerly from L. Carpenter's Barn". As of that date the Smith Thompson property was in the possession of Latting Carpenter.
On Sept.30, 1932 the old Thompson house at bottom of hill burned to the ground. I remember going down to see the fire. Men from the Coram Fire Dept. were there with their fire truck but could do nothing. At that time it was occupied by the family of Joseph Obiedzensky. His daughter Victoria was a year or so behind me in the East Middle Island school about 1935. She had a younger brother James, an older brother Alex and an older sister Josephine who married Watzel Zebrowski. I think that Watzel worked the farm for several years and built a house on the old School house property just to the east. A new house was built back into the slope of the hill but in a few years the Obiedzensky family moved to Huntington.
In 1954 Joseph Obiedzensky sold the farm except for about 3 acres on the southeast side where he built a newer house. I surveyed the farm in 1969 for Mid-Isle Associates of Westbury and prepared plans for a discount store called "Billy Blake's" which was built, used for several years and finally demolished to make way for the construction of a Wal Mart Store. When the Billy Blake store was constructed the wooded hill at the front of the property was completely removed to build the parking lot.
On the south side of the highway opposite the Benjamin Hutchinson house was the Smith Thompson house on a farm of over 50 acres that was bounded on the east by the Old Yaphank Road. In 1860 this was the home of Ezra Gildersleeve, 69, farmer, his wife Hulda, 68, and Charlotte, 38. Ezra died that year and a mortgage dated Sept. 17, 1861 was given by Rev. Latting Carpenter who was to have possession of the house from Apr. 1, 1861 to April 1, 1872. Ezra Gildersleeve's widow, Hulda, died in 1872.
In the 1870 census the property was occupied by Isaac Salberg, 43, and his wife Joanna, 32, both from Germany. On May 9, 1872 the property was sold to David Thompson Jr. of the Town of Brookhaven and Smith Thompson of Williamsburgh, Kings County by Isaac and Joanna Salberg. In the 1880 census Smith Thompson, 43, farmer, his wife Mary S., 35 and a daughter Louise, age 7 occupied the farm.
1850 census - John Gildersleeve, 28, Charlotte Gildersleeve, 28, and Charlotte J. age 4 listed in the family of Herman and Charry Petty.
1860 census - Some distance to the south (on Yaphank Rd. ?) was the home of Charlotte Dayton, 61, with real estate valued at $2,000 and who was listed in the household of John Gildersleeve, 38, house carpenter with no real estate and several children ( incl. Alma 3, Charlotte J. age 5 ). Charlotte Gildersleeve, 38, in household of Ezra and Hulda Gildersleeve.
1870 census for Hempstead - John Gildersleeve, 48, Charlotte 48, Alma 13, and Sarah Dayton 38. Was Charlotte the daughter of Charlotte Dayton?
On the south side of the highway opposite the Benjamin Hutchinson house was the Smith Thompson house on a farm of over 50 acres that was bounded on the east by the Old Yaphank Road. In 1860 this was the home of Ezra Gildersleeve, 69, farmer, his wife Hulda, 68, and Charlotte, 38. Ezra died that year and a mortgage dated Sept. 17, 1861 was given by Rev. Latting Carpenter who was to have possession of the house from Apr. 1, 1861 to April 1, 1872. Ezra Gildersleeve's widow, Hulda, died in 1872.
On the 20th day of May 1864 the Commissioners of Highways of the Town Brookhaven met at the office of B. T. Hutchinson, Town Clerk, and determined that the highway on the west side of the School House at one point was "three rods easterly from the south barpost southerly from L. Carpenter's Barn". At that time the Smith Thompson property was in the possession of Latting Carpenter.
In the 1870 census the property was occupied by Isaac Salberg, 43, and his wife Joanna, 32, both from Germany. On May 9, 1872 the property was sold to David Thompson Jr. of the Town of Brookhaven and Smith Thompson of Williamsburgh, Kings County by Isaac and Joanna Salberg. In the 1880 census Smith Thompson, 43, farmer, his wife Mary S., 35 and a daughter Louise, age 7 occupied the farm.
1850 census - John Gildersleeve, 28, Charlotte Gildersleeve, 28, and Charlotte J. age 4 listed in the family of Herman and Charry Petty.
1860 census - Some distance to the south (on Yaphank Rd. ?) was the home of Charlotte Dayton, 61, with real estate valued at $2,000 and who was listed in the household of John Gildersleeve, 38, house carpenter with no real estate and several children ( incl. Alma 3, Charlotte J. age 5 ). Charlotte Gildersleeve, 38, in household of Ezra and Hulda Gildersleeve.
1870 census for Hempstead - John Gildersleeve, 48, Charlotte 48, Alma 13, and Sarah Dayton 38. Was Charlotte the daughter of Charlotte Dayton?
The Longwood Public Library was built very close to the site of the old Thompson house
From the records of Richard M. Bayles
Survey map by Richard M. Bayles. -Middle Country Road at top of page, The triangle in the upper right is the original School 17 property.
Written by,
Mr. Donald Bayles
September, 2000
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