Old Purchase at South
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In 1664, the early settlers on the north shore of Long Island, 'purchased' a tract of land on the south shore of Long Island. This tract is identified in Town records as the "Old Purchase at South," and includes the land which was eventually to include the Hamlets of Brookhaven and South Haven and the Village of Bellport. This purchase was made about ten years after the original settlement on the north shore, and was part of several early land purchases. This conveyance is "betwene the Sacham [leader or chief] of unchachage [Unkechaugs] Tobacus, and the inhabetance of Brookehaven, eles Setak [Setauket]."
For the most part, the relationships between the new settlers and the indigenous population appear to have been civil and respectful, although diseases introduced by the Europeans eventually decimated the populations. Some suggest that the deals struck took advantage of very different concepts of property ownership and valuation.
The "deed" for the "Old Purchase" appears to give the "true native proprietors" in perpetuity all that they traditionally valued from the land -- "free liberty for fishing, fowling, and hunting with out molestation." From Tobacus' perspective, this was likely viewed as fair. But as the native population dwindled and European populations burgeoned, European law took hold. After but a few generations, this "bargin or agreement" became a deed under English law. (See the deed as recorded in the Town's records.)
Yamphank Neck
(dark grey shading).
The eastern part of Brookhaven and South Haven Hamlets was not included in the Town's "Old Purchase at the South". In 1688, the Indian Wopehege sold a relatively small parcel of land to a Town Freeholder, Samuel Terrell, which completed the land purchases that now comprise the Brookhaven/South Haven Hamlets. The deed for this tract was signed 13 Nov 1688 and has more of the character of a modern conveyance. The parcel was known as "Yamphank Neck" and is the tract of land between Yaphank Creek (aka Barteau Creek) on the west to the Connecticut River (now known as the Carman's River) on the east. (See the deed as recorded in the Town records.)
Unfortunately, five years later this parcel also was included in the first patent from Governor Fletcher to the Manor of St. George and the Tangier Smith family -- their lands otherwise being on the east side of the Carman's River. For two hundred years there were legal disputes because of the overlapping. The Neck remained theoretically under the jurisdiction of the Lord of the Manor until 1789 when the Manor was formally dissolved and annexed to the Town of Brookhaven by the newly independent government and the Lord's governing authority ended (although his property ownership rights remained). As a practical matter, however, it appears from the Town records that the Town believed that it had jurisdiction on the Yaphank Neck and that it was in fact largely governed by the Town during the Colonial period.
| 1688 Deed for Yaphank Neck |
| 1738 Town of Brookhaven Action confirming Samuel Terrill ownership |
The Tangier Smith family descendents appear to have retained control of at least the lower river until into the 20th century. In 1894, a lease was signed between Joseph Palmer Knapp and four of the Tangier Smith descendents (brothers and sisters William E. T., Clarence G. T., Martha T. and Eugenie A. T. ) for hunting privileges on the river between the "going over" in South Haven and the Squassax's Dock.. The lease can be seen here.
For nearly 100 years, the Hamlet of South Haven on the Neck was the "center" of the Brookhaven Town south shore community. It was here that the Carman's mills, store, and inn were located, and it was an important stop-over point for the stage coach lines. It was here also that the the second "town" church was established in 1740 (now called the Old South Haven Church, although the building itself has been moved to Brookhaven Hamlet.) Gradually South Haven's prominence was eclipsed as other commercial centers developed along the south shore, principally in Patchogue and Bellport to the west, and later the communities to the east.
Map Notes.
The two purchases have been overlaid on the 1903 USGS maps -- the NE and SE quadrants have been joined and cropped. I used the original descriptions as found in the recorded deeds. As is typical of the time, there is vagueness in the descriptions. It's interesting to note that there is overlap between the two purchases.
Old Purchase at South.
The eastern boundary of the Old Purchase is a line now known as the Yaphank Line.
The parcel "extendes to the Midell of the Island." While this is vague by modern standards, it was likely of little practical importance at the time, not only because the middle of the Island was mostly wilderness, but also because there were a similar series of purchases on the North Shore which had as their southern boundary the middle of the island -- the Town therefore owning everything from the North Shore to the South Shore. I've chosen Middle Country Road as the northern boundary, but, of course, there would have been no such road at the time of the purchase. I also recall reading somewhere that later surveyors decided the "middle of the Island" to be what became Middle Country Rd.
The western boundary as it is drawn here is uncertain. The boundary is identified in the deed as a north-south line through "a fresh ponde, aioyning to a place comanly called acombamack." Acombamack or Occumbomuck Neck is now associated with the Village of Bellport, but I'm uncertain of its actual location. I've also put a little crook at the southern end, as I think it likely that the intention was to follow the stream from the pond to the bay. I'm certain that the line is known, and its location on this map may change when I confirm where the pond actually was.
I've skewed the north-south lines from true north to magnetic north (approximately 10-12°, as that is what would have been used at the time. It also appears to be the way many of the major roads were laid out.
Yamphank Neck.
The eastern boundary of this parcel is the Carman's River. The south and west boundaries are defined by Yaphank Creek to a "tree" at its source, and on the north by "a Swompe coled Asawsunce." I'm uncertain of where this swamp was, but George Borthwick in his book: The Church at the South: A History of the South Haven Church indicated that the purchase extended roughly to where the Main Line of the Long Island Railroad crosses the Carman's River -- which is the way I've drawn it even though I have a gut feeling that that would extend the purchase a bit too far north. It is true, however, that much of the northern end of the tract as drawn is swampy.