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Indians and Settlers

The Natives of Long Island were people known as the Algonquian who inhabited most of the east coast. The Indians living here were not individual tribes but rather small bands, or clans. They had loose interpretations of boundaries and held no idea of land ownership like the Europeans. There were three groups of Indians living on, or around, the lands that were to become known as Commack. They were the Nessaquakes, Matinecocks, and Secatogues. Traces of them can still be found in the area ranging from stone tools and arrow heads, to some of our main roads which follow their original foot path’s. A few neighborhoods and schools even have Indian names, as does the community itself.

The name Commack comes from the Secatogue Indians who lived on the south shore between Copiague and Bayport. They named their northern lands in the center of the island Winnecomac meaning “Pleasant lands.” This is what they must have thought when they looked over this area of flat lands with rich soil, and thick oak forests abounding with plants and wildlife. From the earliest days Commack was known for its fertile soil, abundance of game, and wood.

Chippose, Pompos, Memsoworron, Cattone, Napanick, and Perwineas are just some of the Secatogue Indians who lived, hunted, and farmed, here before us and gave it the name Winnecomac, or Pleasant Land.

The Nissequogues, named after their leader Nesaquake, had a name for one of their villages in our area. They called it “Indian Head” after a pond with a large rock on its shore that was said to have resembled an Indians head. This village, or camp as it’s sometimes described, was said by some to be located on Indian Head Road about half way between Kings Park Road and Old Northport Road. In those days Kings Park Road was the northern end of Wicks Path. A trail that went from Bay Shore on the south side of the island across to Indian Head Road near the village. The Indians and the head are mentioned by Judge J. Lawrence Smith in his notes about the history of Smithtown for W. W. Munsell in 1882.

About three miles southeast of fresh pond is Indian Head, a small village so called from the head of an Indian carved in stone, which was placed on a rock on the west side of the pond there. A large Indian settlement was around the pond. The Indians revered this head, and believed that if removed from the rock by any sacrilegious hand it would surly return and resume its place. David W. Smith, an aged citizen remembers having seen it in his youth, but it and the worshipers have long since disappeared.

The third group of Indians living here were the Matinecocks. Their land went from the streams at Cold Spring Harbor to the west bank of the Nissequogue River, or so they thought. Their chief was named Asharoken and his main village was in an area known then as Fresh Pond, or Unshenamuck, at the end of Bread and Cheese Hallow Road. The name of the road is said by Louise Hall to perhaps come from a flowering bush that grows in

that area with berries that taste like bread and cheese. The popular story is that Richard Smith stopped here for a quick lunch of bread and cheese during his legendary bull ride around the Nessaquakes land.

In 1653 three men from Oyster Bay, Richard Houldbroke, Robert Williams, and

Daniel Whitehead came to the Matinecocks and purchased all the land from Cold Spring Harbor to Cow Harbor and started the township of Huntington. Then in 1656 three men from the new town named Joans Woods, William Rogers, and Thomas Wilkes went to Asharoken to try to buy the rest of his land from Cow Harbor in Northport to the west bank of the Nissequogue. The Matinecock Indians and their chief agreeably sold the last of their land for some clothes, liquor, and gun powder, and the township of Huntington doubled.

With in a year meetings were already being held by the leaders of the new town to seriously discuss such matters as education and the need to find a minister. Joanas Houldsworth agreed in February of 1657 to move to the town and teach both the children and those adults who wished to be educated in reading and writing. All he asked from the town was that he be given a house to live in with a cleared lot next to it, probably to build the school house on, and be paid in butter, wheat, Indian corn, and cattle, along with a large amount of well strung wampum. These were to be given to him in quantities enough for him to live on and also trade with for goods and clothing that he might need each year.

At this same time from nearby Oyster Bay came the Rev. Wm. Leverich who before then had been preaching around Boston and Plymouth. He agreed to stay and five years later was given most of the land around Cow Harbor. For thirteen years he served the community and was said to have built the first mill in the area at the head of Huntington Harbor. We know it was standing by 1660 because it is mentioned in the town meetings for October of that year that William Ludlam, finding the miller gone for the day and no key to the door available, forced his way in and ground his own corn then left the miller his rightful share as payment. Upon returning the Miller placed a complaint that his mill had been broken into while he was away and the grinding wheels damaged. The matter was looked into by the court and it was decided that Mr. Ludlam was only acting in his families best interest since they were all sick and hungry at the time and that the mill was left in good working order, as well as payment left for it’s use.

The first church was built in 1665 on a hill off to the side of the main road in town. It was a small drafty building with rough hand made wooden benches and no heat. A large drum was used to call the people together until a bell could be gotten. The people were mostly Puritans and these first church meeting lasted the entire day and into the afternoon. The town was to be kept quite on this day and no animals were to wonder the streets or children allowed out doors. The constable walked along the roads enforcing the laws of peace and quite. Once when a man was caught trotting passed his neighbors house on a horse coming back from Oyster Bay to Huntington on the lords day, and carrying a package, he was charged with having sinned against god and offending his neighbors. He was fined twenty shilling.

One of the early families to settle here were The Harneds who came to Huntington around 1657. The name is spelled Harnett in the early town records and then Harned. Edward and Elizabeth Harnett arrived in Salem Massachusetts in 1637 where Edward made a living as a tailor. Do to their Quaker beliefs the family suffered and finally left Salem for Huntington Long Island where the family grew and prospered. One of their son’s Jonathan married Rebecca Jones continued to live in Huntington and are the direct descendants of the Harned family who operate the Saw Mill in Commack today.

While the early settlers of Huntington were busy making deals with the Matinecocks and planing out their new town, Richard Smith had just received all of the Nissequogues land from his friend Lion Gardiner.

In 1659 the Sachem Wyandanch along with his wife and son gave Lyon Gardiner the Nissequogues land as a show of friendship for all he had done for the Sachem and his family in the past 24 years. One of the reasons for this was that Lion Gardiner, along with Richard Smith, had rescued Wyandanch’s daughter after being kidnapped on her wedding night during an attack by the Narragansett Indians of Connecticut. Gardiner then sometime just before he died in 1663 gave, or sold, the land to Richard Smith. When no deed for the transfer of the land could be found David Gardiner, Lyon’s son, agreeing that this was what his father wanted, signed the land over to Smith in 1664.

Richard Smith acquired his land from the Gardiner’s around the same time that the Duke of York received New Netherlands from his brother King Charles II. In 1664 Peter Stuyvesant was forced to surrender New Amsterdam when an English fleet of war ships took up positions in the harbor. After surrendering the name was changed to New York in the Dukes honor.

On the 3rd of March 1665 Gov. Nichol’s granted a patent for the Nessaquakes land, “including the west side of the river as far as is the possessions of Richard Smith in his proper right and not claimed or in controversy with others.” It then goes on to say that a Captain Robert Creely and others from the town of Huntington were questioning Richard Smiths claim to the land and that he must settle this dispute before he can own it and settle any one on that side. At this same time Nasseconset the son of Nesequake and now leader of the Nessaquakes said they had only given away the land east of the river and still owned all that lay on the west side. This was the same land Asherokan, who’s village was at Fresh Pond, and the Matinecocks sold in 1656 to the three men from Huntington who purchased all their land from Cow Harbor to the west banks of the Nissequogue river. It was then discovered that Asharoken had already sold the land back in 1646 to Governor Eaton of Connecticut. Richard Smith now learned also that the Nessaquake’s had already sold their land on the east side of the river in 1650.

The first sale the Nessaquake’s made of their land was to speculators who were probably buying any land they could from the Indians. Nasseconset and his people made out very well on the deal in the end. The six men who bought their land each paid one Coat, some Wampum, a hoe, one hatchet, Knife, and a Kettle each. Three of the men may have returned to confirm the sale in 1663 with an old man and his son that they found on the land, and then seem to disappear from the records. Since these men had never applied for a land grant from the government in almost fifteen years their deed was deemed no longer valid. Richard Smith then went out east to talk with the Gardiners and Wyandanches daughter about the land grant. When he talked with the girl she said that she thought only the east side of the river was to be given away by the Nissequogues. It seems that when he then went to talk with Mrs. Gardiner he complained so much of the trouble that land was giving him that she having heard enough said she would gladly take the land back right then if that would please him, that is all she can do. He replied that he would keep their agreement, and the land, and see this through till the end, and left.

Upon returning he went to Nasseconset on the west side of the river and offered to buy the rest of his land. They reached an agreement on May 4th 1665 for a gun, some powder and shot, ten coats, and a blanket. Richard Smith now officially owned all the lands belonging to the Nissequogues. It was then just a matter of proving that the Matine-cocks land did not extend to the west bank of the river and that the land the Indians had

sold to the town of Huntington also contained that of the Nissequogues. Over the next ten

years the two parties would fight it out in the Dutch and English courts accusing each

other of acting in ways unbecoming of a true gentleman, and neighbor. Richard Smith’s own son Jonathan was charged on June 1st 1670 in Southold Court with taking Joanas Wood’s horse from him and made to pay thirty shillings and his lawyer fee.

By 1672 the town of Huntington already having won two court decisions started to settle the land. The people, comfortable with their victories, said they would now defend themselves and their property from any aggressors.

One of these persons was Joseph Whitman, a respected member of the town of Huntington, who built a General Store on a quiet little corner and called his property the Indian Head farm. On a hill behind the store he built a house that was known until it was torn down almost three hundred years later as the Whitman house. The store would remain in the family for generations as the small community soon to be known as Comac grew up around it. The last descendent of this line of the Whitman family, Miss Annie Whitman, was living in Smithtown when she died in 1912.

The land battle continued to be fought in the courts until finally in 1675, and again in 1677 it was decided that Richard Smith did possess ownership of some of the land lying west of the Nissequogue River claimed by the Matinecocks. On March 25th 1677 he received a second patent from the government stating his land west of the Nissequogue was to extend up to the Fresh Pond Unshenamuck south to Whitman’s Hollow then east to the fresh water pond called Raconkamuck. This seems to be about the end of all the land boarder disputes between the two parties and the Whitman’s from Huntington remained on their land but were now also living in Smithtown.

The first church, or meeting house, in Smithtown was built around 1675 and stood near Moriches and River Road down by the Nissequogue. The building was much the same as the church in Huntington. The walls were covered in boards with spaces between them through which the cold wind would come through. There was no heat at all, not even a wood burning stove for warmth, and the people had to dress appropriately for the cooler days of winter. The ceiling was built similarly to the crude walls and birds would often fly around the roof beams during sermons.

Richard Smith then began to divide his new lands on both sides of the river amongst his family. Two of his sons were each given about one hundred acres on the west side of the Nissequogue river to build their homes. His son Obadiah had a tract of land along the mouth of the Nissequogue between the swamp and a stream called Shockhegonn. At this time the Indians still held rights through the land deeds to hunt and farm on parts of their old land, and the early settlers lived along side them. His son Obadiah though seemed to show little regard for the Nissequogues and their religious believes. He would often come to the Indian Head village that was near his land and shoot, or throw rocks, at the head for fun, then taunt the Indians about the spirit. This troubled them as they thought what the great spirit might do in retaliation. Finally one day Obadiah struck the rock so hard he either badly chipped the face, or had completely broken it, and the Indians became extremely worried. A few days later one of them offered to take him duck hunting out on the river in his canoe. When they were far enough from land he grabbed Obadiah from behind with a raccoon skin and strangled him. His body was found a few days later on Aug. 7, 1680 floating near the entrance of the Nissequogue.

The Smith’s never took any action against the Indians but about ten years later the town would pass a law stating that all Indians living on any land in Smithtown were either living there with the owners permission, or as indentured servants to the owner, all others were to be considered squatters and had to leave. Judge J. Lawrence Smith notes in his book that some Indians in the area mixed with the white settlers and until the early eighteen hundreds dark skin, high cheek bones, and straight black hair could still be seen in some of the towns people, but by 1888 when he wrote his notes traces of them were just about gone completely. The last Nissequogue Indian Jeremiah Cuffei died on Jan, 19 1909 on a small piece of land given to him and named Jerry’s shanty.

In 1687 the Matinecocks were given two reservations near Hempstead Bay. Their numbers had been greatly reduced, along with all the other Indians on the island, between 1630 to 1660 by Smallpox and other diseases. And even with the Government now watching out for them they were still taken advantage by people for the last of their land. Not grasping the idea of land ownership they agreeably signed over parts of their reservation to local settlers who then built houses and farms. It was later thought that the Matinecocks became so few that they simply melted into the new communities around them and disappeared. But it is now known over three hundred years later that there are still people here today with Indian blood who are related to the Matinecocks.

Once again some more men from Huntington went to talk with the Indians about selling their land. This time John Skidmore and John Whitman came to the Secatogues to look into buying the land they called Winnecomac. In 1698 they made the purchase from three Indians named Wameas, Tuskin, and Charles Pameque of all the land from Whitman’s Hollow east following the marked trees to the head of the Nissequogue River, south to the pine planes, then west following the pines to the Huntington patent. This was called the Winnecomac Patent and is where the name Commack comes from.

After this land was bought from the Secatogues two houses were built, and both are still standing today. They are the Elnathan Wicks house at Hoyt Farm, and the Moreland-Harned house now on Commack Road. It was common for early settlers to construct their house and farms where the Indian villages, or camps, had been and expand on any fields that were already there. Over the years a variety of Indian artifacts have been unearthed at both of these locations. Hoyt Farm, now a town park, has a number of stone tools, axes, grinding stones, and arrow heads that were found in the area. Ralph Moreland still owns a house that has been in his family since 1780, and was built forty years earlier. The family is said to have picked up four to five hundred arrow heads from their fields along with a few stone tools. Ralph remembers when he was young his brothers used to take him to a place where there were a number of large stones scattered about, and some in circles. They were told by their grandmother it was the site of an old Indian camp. It was said to be located in the woods west of Commack Road near the parkway.

One of the two men who bought this land was John Whitman, and it is believed he was the son of Joseph Whitman who built the General Store here in 1672 and named the area “Whitman’s Hollow,” and his farm “River Head” because it ran from the hollow all the way to the head of the Nissequogue River near Willow Pond. One of the three

witnesses to the sale of the Winnecomac land to John and his partner was a man named Zebulon Whitman who was likely a relative.

In March of 1692 Richard Smith died and it is believed he was buried atop a hill over looking the east banks of the Nissequogue River near his son Obadiah. In the will his children were each given more land. His daughter Elizabeth Townley receiving an area known as Sunken Meadow. He also gave two of his sons the family slaves named Harry and Robin. It was stated in his will that the Negro Robin should be set free twelve years after he dies.

Most of the early towns did not have a regular minister that could lead their meetings for them every Sunday. The ministers were so few that they had to travel between towns and when none were available often a respected town father would lead the meeting. The first preacher in the area was the Rev. George Phillips who was married to Sarah Hallett and came here in 1697, a year before their son George was born. They also had another child named William. He had originally come to preach in Setauket and Brookhaven but was later given some land in Smithtown in exchange for his services to include them as well. He never did move from the parsonage house at Setauket and settle on the land he was given in Smithtown but he tried his best to serve the two towns. When Mrs. Smith’s will was written she had asked that he bare witness, he obliged her wish and she then thanked the Reverend by leaving him a cow.

A year later in 1698 Richard Smiths son Adam built a small grist mill on the Stonybrook stream near Brookhaven. He was given the land by the town to build and maintain a large mill for the good of the people. This mill had to be built to replace an earlier one erected about the same time as the meeting house that could not handle the volume of the growing farms. Prior to this the people would have to transport their wheat and corn by boat to Connecticut for milling.