Footnotes to Long Island History
First Settlers Led Hard Life
October 18, 1956
Thomas R. Bayles
Editors Note -- This article, provided
this newspaper by historian Thomas R. Bayles, was written by Mr. Bayles’
father, Richard M. Bayles, in Munsell’s History of Suffolk County in
1882.
The first
settlers of Long Island came from a land of political, religious and
social oppression far away beyond the sea, from the old England of
Europe to the New England of America. They came to find a home for
themselves and their posterity, and after visiting some part of the
mainland of New England, had sailed on until their eyes rested on the
green hills of beautiful Long Island.
Having gained
the favor of the Indians and excited their curiosity by showing them
various articles of convenience, the first founders of the little colony
sought and found a desirable spot for their settlement, and negotiated
with the Indians for its purchase. The plot thus selected was at some
distance from the Indian Village, as the white settlers thought it best
not to be too close to the natives.
The way thus
prepared, the white settlers set to work preparing, as best they could,
the wilderness for their occupancy. At first a rude hovel made of
sticks braced against a ridgepole and covered with boughs, grass and
dirt served the purpose of a house until some of the land could be
broken up and planted with corn. Some place had been cleared by the
Indians sufficiently to allow corn to be planted. Then the seeds of
other vegetables and grains were planted and cultivated. In the
meantime, as their crops grew, they set about making themselves more
secure against the possible depredations of their savage neighbors, and
the long cold winter which would soon be upon them.
We may
suppose that the settler during the long cold winter, when nothing could
be done in the way of cultivation, cut down trees and prepared from them
besides firewood, material for fences to be put up when spring
returned. As he is busy plying his axe through the cold winter days we
wonder what musings fill his mind. Perhaps the solitude and dreariness
of his surroundings make him regret he has chosen this course for
himself in a new land. Does he reflect that the civilization of his
fathers in his home land is as dead to him here as all the nature seems
to be? If such reflections cross his mind they are followed, no doubt,
by the thought that brighter days will soon be here and time will bring
new life to all things around him.
Within his
humble dwelling the domestic furniture and implements are scanty and
simple. A few conveniences brought from the mother country and a few
more simple and rude pieces of furniture made from the materials at hand
make up the equipment of a household. The plain and homely fare which
comes up on the settler’s board is in keeping with the plainness and
rudeness of the table on which it is served. However, he is a free man,
and he rejoices in that liberty.
With appetite
sharpened by exercise and the thought that his own exertions helped by
the genial influences of nature, have obtained the food before him, he
partakes of that coarse fare with a relish that a king might envy.
For the
clothing worn by himself and his family, he had to depend at first upon
the supply brought from afar, but before long he made from the products
of his animals and his fields most of the garments worn by himself and
members of his family.
The hardships
by which the settlers were surrounded were modified by the fact that the
settlers were not far separated from each other in the locations of
their homes. A part of the land they had purchased from the Indians was
divided into home lots, with a share to each settler, and other parts
were enclosed in large common fields for cultivation or pasture for
stock. A large part of their stock was turned loose upon the open
plains and hills to find pasturage where they could, and a man was
employed to keep watch of them.
As one season
follows another the hand of improvements widens the area of culture and
adds new features of attraction, beauty and convenience to the settler’s
surroundings. His stock is multiplied by annual increase, and his house
and garden have been enclosed by a substantial fence. The cottage
itself has been improved by a solid roof of slabs instead of the one of
thatch, and windows have glass in them.