OWNERS OF THE LONG LOTS

THE DIVISION OF THE LONG LOT

History of Suffolk County

1882

Errors may exist in the table, or wrong impressions arise from it in consequence of the following causes:-The same names were so often preserved In families that what appears in the list as one man drawing lots In different divisions made many years apart may have been two or more men, belonging to as many successive generations. On the other hand the reckless orthography practiced in olden times upon proper names has doubtless caused in some instances the same Individual to be represented on different lists by different names. Then again it appears that the names of some men were preserved its representing their estates or rights in common long after the men themselves were dead. The records also may have led us into error by the occasional omission of the distinguishing affixes junior and senior to names that are otherwise duplicated. The lists furnish evidences which support suspicion of these inaccuracies, but we are hardly warranted in attempting to correct them.

The following explanations refer by the numbers to the different divisions in the table:

1. The division of Old Field of 1661 was made in six-acre lots.

2. The second division of Old Field was made later, in lots of three and four acres, the numbers in each class commencing at 1, &c. The figure and letter a attached to each number denote which class is meant.

3. The tract of meadows at Fireplace belonging to the tract of upland and meadows bought of Tobacus June 10th 1664. It was probably divided in l670, agreeable to a resolution of the trustees on the 16th of January of that year.

4. The lots In Newtown, memorandum of which is dated 1667, contained two classes, a division to the original settlers and another to the new purchasers.

5. A memorandum of this " first lootmente " is dated 1668, and appears to have reference to no particular division of lots, but was simply designed to show who were shareholders in the town, and the number of shares held by each man. The names of Henry Brooks, Thomas Smith and William Frost, however, show evidence of having been placed on the list at a later date. The records otherwise show these men to have been admitted to proprietary rights respectively August 1671, March 16th 1672, and September 26th 1672. The name of "Mr. Bayly', was on the list, but was crossed, and this agrees with the fact that John Bayles was a resident here from March 14th 1669 to April 22nd 1674.

6. The meadows lying between Connecticut and Mastic rivers, called the " New Purchase," the final deed for which was obtained, after repeated attempts, September 19th 1674. The division is dated 1675.

7. The date of this division is uncertain. It was laid out about the year 1680 and was located near the Old Man's.

8, 9, 10 and 11 were divisions of meadow in different part of the town. The last one was largely made up of patches here and there, some of the individual shares being described as follows: 11 Thomas Ward, at Stony Brook;" " Zachariah Hawkins, at W. Meadow;" " Henry Brooks, on Ward's Island;" "Mr. Lane, on the olde field Beach;" " Robart Wolie, wethin ye olde field Gate;" "Samuel Dayton, by the Mill Creek;" " William Frost, by John Hallat in ye meadow mill creek;" 11 Samuel Akerly, by Richard Woodhull close;" "John Wade, between Richard Woodhull & Nathl. Brewster;" "Win. William, by John Wood's house;" and " Joseph Mapes, by William Satterly barn, on the east side of the Mill creek."

12. This was land upon which most of the village of Yaphank lies.

13. Extending from the east line of the town west to Miller's Place, it was bounded on the south by the Country road and reached north to the sound except where land already appropriated intervened along the north side. This division was completed May 4th 1729, by Richard Woodhull and Nathaniel Brewster, surveyors.

14. These lots covered a tract from the Smithtown line to the Connecticut River, and from the Country road south to Winthrop's patent, on the Middle Island line. (This line runs from a point near Swezey's mills at Yaphank westward to a point about four and a half miles south of the Country road at the Smithtown line.) The survey of this division was completed May 4th 1731, by the same surveyors as the above.

15. The east division on the south side, commonly called " Great Division," was made December 10th 1733, the survey being made by Nathaniel Biggs and Samuel Smith. This comprehended a tract bounded north by the Middle Island line, south by an irregular line along the northern bounds of lands already taken up, east by the west line of Smith's patentship and west by the " Little Division." The irregular line spoken of- the south bound of both " Great Division " and " Little Division " -ran from a " White Oak tree nere yamphank " [creek], ass the path Runs [south Country road from Southaven] to bever Darn Swamp, and then Runing due Sothwest untill it comes to a Due North Line from a pine tree in the beed of Dayton's swamp [Osborn's Brook], said to bee Robert Rose's bound tree;" thence running due west to the line of Winthrop's patent. The stump of" Robert Rose's bound tree" was replaced by a permanent stone fixed there by a committee of town trustees January 26th 1872. This division extended nearly three miles.

16. This, called " Little Division," lay between the one last mentioned and Winthrop's patent, being bounded north and south by the exten-sion of the same lines as the north and south bounds of the other. It was laid out at the same time and by the same man. Its extent east and west was about four-fifths of a mile.

17. The West Division of Long Lots extended from the west line of the town to a point about Selden, where it joined the East Division of Long Lots, and from the Country road north to the irregular line of the various parcels of land along the north side that were otherwise disposed of. It was laid out March 10th 1734 by Samuel Thompson, John Wood, Thomas Strong and Samuel Smith.

18. This was bounded north and south by the continuation eastward of the same bounds as the last named, and extended eastward from that division to the Wading River Great Lots, joining that division between Middle Island and Coram, about seven and seven-eighths miles east of the Smithtown line. It was laid out at the same time and by the same men its the last.

19. This division of " skirts " was the clearing up of the " odds and ends" after the two divisions north of the Country road bad been made. It was made about the year 1735.

20. A small division lying at Middle Island, between a former one (12) and the Country road, and reaching from the head of Connecticut River to the line of Smith's patent. It was laid out April 20th 1739.

21. A division near Nasseekeag, extending in a northeasterly and southwesterly direction about one and one-eighth miles and being about two-thirds of it mile in width. This was laid out April 24th 1739, by Robert Robinson and John Smith.

22. Another small division near Nassekeag, being a triangular piece, laid out May 2nd 1743.

23. Lots on the South Beach from Whalehouse Point to Long Cove, a distance of three miles 54 chains, surveyed and divided in June 1774.

Besides the above divisions there were others of smaller size in different parts, mostly about the north side, in the neighborhood of the original settlement. Among these were the home lots in the original town plat; the 20-acre lots laid out April 3d 1716, lying west of the town; the " Equalizing Division," ordered June 5th 1721; the Sheep Pasture Division at Old Man's, laid out February l4th 1737; the Sheep Pasture Division southeast of the town, laid out April 6th 1738; the West Meadow Neck Division, and the 30-acre lots.