EARLY TOWN RECORDS
Footnotes to Long Island History
Early Town Records
by
Thomas R. Bayles
Navy
A town meeting on May 2, 1704, ordered that no land shall be taken up within a mile and a half of the meeting house.
The creek below Yaphank creek was called Little Neck Creek. Little Neck was sold at public auction May 15, 1716, to Nathaniel Brewster for 70 pounds 13 shillings “in money.”
The trustees arid the people made every effort to protect their highways and on May 28, 1701, the trustees called upon the people to notify the town clerk of any encroachments upon the highways.
A town meeting on May 4, 1703, granted to John Roe, Jr. and others the right to build grist mill on the Red Brook at Wading River and to take up some land adjoining it provided the mill was set up within two years and maintained continually.
A town meeting on May 5, 1713, voted that “all the undivided Meadows and Creekhatch in the town both at the south and north shall be equally divided to every man’s right as they shall make their Rights appear.” (This probably meant the grass only and not bottom).
On Jan. 2, 1716, the trustees decided to prosecute all subscribers to the meeting house who refused to pay.
On March 5, of the same year the trustees voted that the “Meeting house shall be ceiled with boards inside, forthwith and with all convenient speed.”
On March 5, 1716, Col. Floyd presented a piece of land for a pound opposite the town house by Daniel Brewster’s lot and his own, to be so used as long as the town should keep a sufficient pound upon it.
On April 10 of the same year, the trustees “Ordered that George Phillips, Jr. shall be pounder to keep the keys and have half a bit for letting in and out, and 9 pence apiece for cattle and horses, and for pounding sheep a shilling more or less the number, and for pounding hogs 2 pence a head.
The east part of the Granny road was laid out April 20, 1772 beginning not far from the house of John Turner near river, and running westerly to the road that ran from David Overton’s to Patchogue. Later in the same year the road was continued westward to a junction with the Horse Block road.
On Feb. 4, 1771, the trustees granted to Daniel Homan to set up a mill on the same stream at the place or dam where the saw mill was already established. The condition was that the said mill be fir for grinding within two years and also and an approved miller should be kept in it, “and also he said Homan shall take for Toll three quarts and no more out of each bushel of all sorts of grain he shall grind from time to time, also he shall grind always keep a Bolting mill with a good country cloth always to be used freely by those persons which have their grain ground at his mill.” In default of these conditions the privilege to revert to the town.
Shore bounds: “Lots that were laid out on the Sound and harbors were designed to extend to ye Bottom of ye Clifts against ye said lots; that is including all of the ye said Clifts to ye Bottom; and that each and every person owning such Lotts shall be entitled to ye same to the extent by force of this vote.” Trustees order Feb. 6, 1753.
Swezey’s Mill; Feb, 12, 1739, the trustees granted to Capt. Robert Robinson permission to build a mill on the Connecticut river above the going over where Mr. Gerard lives, within six years.
Dec. 9, 1718; Selah Strong obtained a grant for building a grist tide mill on the creek from his meadow over to Daniel Brewster’s Jr., to occupy stream and water so long as he maintain “a good sufficient grist mill” to be built within a year and a day.
June 2, 1722; “Nathaniel Brewster was chosen to keep the Pound Key and to take care for the pounding creature this present year.”