Thomas Hopkins in Oyster Bay

Thomas Hopkins, a native of Dorset, England immigrated to Plymouth, Massachusets in 1636, spent years in Rhode Island as one of the first settlers of Prividence and eventally settled and died in the settlement of Littleworth of Oyster Bay. How did he end up in Oyster Bay, a small town on the north shore of Long Island?

Thomas was the son of William Hopkins and Joanna Arnold. He had the distinction of having individuals such as Benedict Arnold and Stephen Hopkins (signer of the declaration of independence) there is no question that Thomas was born into families that would foster good education, fortune and prestige.

Therefor, it is not surprising that from 1652 to 1672 Hopkins served in a number of civic positions in Providence, including Commissioner, Deputy, and member of the Town Council. In 1676 King Philip's War raged in Rhode Island and most of Providence was destroyed. While Hopkin's two oldest sons, William and Thomas, either remained in Providence or returned there shortly after the war, Hopkins and his youngest moved to Oyster Bay, on Long Island and remained there. Hopkins' son predeceased him, and his daughter-in-law, Elizabeth, then married Richard Kirby. It was in the home of Kirby that Hopkins was living when he died in 1684.

Photo of Thomas Kirby (descendent) document coutrsy of the Oyster Bay Historical Society.

Isaac Fox Allman

Although he wasn't a native of Long Island, Isaac Fox Allman found himself and his 2nd wife, Mahala Delle Wright, living in Selden in the latter part of his years. A Civil War veteran and a patentee of a gas engine, Isaac was held in high regard within his community as a brave and influential man.

Isaac, born in 1842, was the son of Isaac Bailey Allman of England and New Jersey and his wife Matilda Mott. Although we are not sure how his middle name was chosen, it is assumed it was taken from Matilda's brother in law, Vincent Henry Fox. Perhaps Vincent and Matilda's sister Phebe were Isaac's god parents.

The Civil War: Isaac was a Corporal during the Civil War under the 13th New York Calvary and he was part of the Great Rebellion for 4 years.

The Inventor: Isaac invented the Allman Gas Engine. Paperwork on this patent is still held by his honored descendents, who have generously shared the photos you see here. The Allman Gas Engine was used in the mechanical refrigeration industry and was patented in 1891. His company, the Allman Gas Engine Company was located at 461 Canal St in New York City and was established in 1897.

Isaac was on Long Island as early as the year 1900 and lived there until his death, although he died in Jersey City at his half brother's home, whom he spent his winters with at the time. His half brother was Stephen Lynn, an Engineer who presumably worked with Isaac at some point, perhaps for his company.

Isaac and Mahala are buried with a husband and wife headstone at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Port Jefferson.

The Allman family is connected to the Randall family of long island through marriage. The Randall descendents have generously contributed to this blog post. Thank you to the Randalls and the Allmans!

Sherwood-Jayne Homestead

The Sherwood-Jayne property in East Setauket is the oldest operating farm on Long Island. Now a museum, the 18th century Jayne Homestead, with original construction dating back to 1730, was purchased by Howard Sherwood in 1908, giving the house its current name.

However, the house was built by Matthias Jayne who was born in the fall of 1689 to William and Anne Jayne. Matthias and his wife, Temperance Helme whom he married the same year the house was built, raised their family in this home.

Many of the Jayne ancestors are buried in the Setauket Presbyterian Churchyard, the earliest death date being 1714.

Picture courtesy of The Setaukets, Old Field, and Poquott by The Three Village Historical Society, 2005

Today the Jayne-Sherwood Homestead hosts an annual apple festival which is coming up soon on September 22nd. Visit the house, property and see a piece of 18th century Long Island.

As summer comes to a close on Long Island, visitors and locals alike try to squeeze in those last days and nights of warm weather at their favorite outdoor spots. As we were having a cocktail recently on the deck of Claudio's Clam Bar in Greenport and watching a sailboat race go by as we turned to that summer breeze, I started to wonder about the history of Greenport and what the end of summer was like in yesteryear! It turns out that Greenport was a Whaling port as far back as the 1800's, but was Claudio there at that time?

As the story goes, from the restaurant's website, a whaler by the name of Manual Claudio, opened up Claudio's Tavern in Greenport in 1870. This tavern's home is now registered as a National Historic Building and the simple tavern has turned into an entertainment haven with its restaurant and bar and is still owned by the Claudio family.

Besides a former whaler, who was Manual Claudio? He was born in 1839 in Fayal, Portugal. He married Ellen Heaney, a native to Ireland. They remained in Greenport throughout their lives where they raised their two sons Frances Joseph (Frank) and William.  Ellen died in 1903 and is buried in the Saint Agnes Cemetery of Greenport.

A small family with humble beginnings grew a waterfront on the Sound in Greenport into a vibrant place for us to enjoy yet another Long Island asset. Long Island thanks you, Claudio family!