PAPERS RELATING TO LONG ISLAND.
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the Great William Perm for having sett an uncommon Example in purchasing the Soil of 1 ennsyl-vania of the Native Indians, and which if it had been followed by the Settlers of New England andVirginia would have prevented some wars that took place. This Frenchman, like many European writers who have never been in the country, did not understand himself sufficiently on this subject.The fact was that the Settlers of Virginia & New England purchased their lands of the Natives beforeGeo; Fox the Founder of the Quaker’s Sect published their principles in England in Oliver Crom-well’s time, and a long time before the celebrated William Penn settled in Pennsylvania . There iswo doubt but the regular purchase & the warrantie deed from the four abovementioned Sachems, in1648, prevented difficulties between the Natives & English . Some Indian writings on record in EastHampton speak of the friendship & amity of their neighbours the English about 1660.
Gov Winthropin his Journal, page and Gov. Hutchinson in his History of Massachusetts p. 88,mentions that in 1610, a number of families removed from Lynn to the West end of Long Island ,and bought land there of James Farrctt Agent to the Earl of Sterling: hut getting into some quarrewith the Dutch, they removed to the East end, and settled at Southampton & chose one Peirson lortheir Minister. Probably Southampton was settled before East Hampton. Tradition informs usthat, before East Hampton people built their lirst grist mill (which went with cattle), they went toSouthampton to mill, and carried their grain on the back of a Bull that belonged to the Town lor theWse of their cows. If this is true, no doubt Southampton was settled first.
Gov Hutchinson says that in 1644 Southampton by an act of the Commissioners of the UniteColonies was annext to the Jurisdiction of Connecticut . One might suppose that E. Hampton wassettled from Southampton, but the method of pronunciation is quite different, although the Towns join. Au East Hampton man may be known from a Southampton man as well as a native of Kentin England may be distinguished from a Yorkshire man. The original settlers of these Towns pro-bably came from different parts of England. Besides the names that prevail in one town are not tobe met with in the other. The names of Pierson, Halsey, Howell, Toppin, Sanford, Cooper, White,Tost &c are common in Southampton & confined there, as are the names of Mulford Osborn, Conk-ling, Baker, Parsons, Miller, Gardiner, Dayton, be. to East Hampton. The names of Hedges & Handare met in the Eastern part of Southampton but originally ( they were j from E. Hampto . ylittle intercourse took place between the two towns before the Revolutionary war. Since that, visitsand intermarriages are more frequent. nun „ „ q„,, f u
What time East Hampton was first settled is not certainly known ProbaWy Boon after Soutampton. Neither of the Towns was settled as early as Gardiners Island winch was settled by L oGardiner in March 1639. David, son of Lion Gardiner , in a petition presenie o °v- ° 8about 1683, mentions his lather as the first Englishman that had settled in the Co ony •
Southampton put itself under the Jurisdiction of Connecticut in 1644, as SoutholdHaven in 1648. According to President Stiles History of the three Judges ofChailes I, P
ton was a Plantation or Commonwealth as it is styled, in the Record t ia wa ’ Tother Government from the first settlement till about 1657. The magistrates
^ difficult cases “of the neighbour Towns of Southampton & Southold” and sometimes of the
The three Towns on the East are styled the “ Three Plantations.” The government of the Townof E- Hampton was purely Republican. Their laws were enacted by all the citizens assembled mtown meeting; this was stiled “ the General Court” and a fine inflicted on such as did not attend.
In Dec'-1653 by a vote of the General Court, “the Capital laws, and the laws and Orders that arenotic’d in the bodie of laws that came from Connecticut shall stand in force among us.”
Their public officers were few; three magistrates who were called Townsmen, were chosen an-aually. Their oath of office points out their duty; it was as follows