is known as William Nicoll the second, also in history as Speaker Nicoll. He was born in 1702, and graduated with his brother, Benjamin, from Yale College in 1724. Like his father, he was educated for the bar, and became an eminent lawyer, continuing his legal practice after taking up his residence on Sachem's Neck, somewhere about 1726. His father died in 1723 and bequeathed him all of his estate located on this island. He then removed to this island, where he became the representative or foremost man of the Town, serving as Supervisor for ten years. In 1739 he was elected to the Colonial Assembly, like his father before him, and continued to serve until his death, in 1768, a period of twenty-nine years, during the last nine of which he served as Speaker of the House. Thus our first Supervisor was a very distinguished man, an eminent statesman, reflecting no small honor upon Shelter Island, which continued to be his home until his death, which came to him suddenly at a house on the Hempstead Plains Dec. 3d, 1768, as he was returning from his public duties. Thompson says: "He was a man of sound and discriminating mind, bold and fearless as a politician, and an unwavering asserter of the rights and liberties of the colony. In all public acts as a legislator he was diligent and attentive to every duty devolving upon him." And Wood says in his history "that he resembled his father in his political sentiments, and was a decided friend of the rights of the colonies. He is supposed to have concurred in the addresses to the King, lords and commons, respectively, which were adopted by the Assembly in 1764 and 1765, and which he signed as their Speaker. These addresses abound with patriotic sentiments. In that of 1764 they say that 'It would be the basest vassalage to be taxed at the pleasure of a fellow subject." In that of 1765 they say that "An assumption of power by the British Parliament to tax the colonies, if asquiesced in or admitted, would make them mere tenants at will of his majesty's subjects in Britain."

This William Nicoll, dying without issue, left his estate on this island to a son of his brother Benjamin, also named William Nicoll, commonly called "Clerk Nicoll," because he served as County Clerk for twenty-six years, being the last Clerk of the County under the Colonial Government. He not only succeeded his uncle in the possession of the Nicoll estate on Shelter Island, but was also chosen to succeed him in the Assembly, and continued to serve in that body until it was dissolved in consequence of the Revolution. This is indeed a remarkable thing, that three William Nicolls should succeed

than

each other, not only as the owners of that estate, but as representatives in the Assembly, the first William Nicoll serving twenty-one years, and as Speaker for sixteen years of the time; the second William Nicoll for twenty-nine years, and as Speaker for nine years of the time, and the third William Nicoll for nine years, or until the Colonial Assembly was dissolved. Truly Shelter Island can refer with pride to her first Supervisor.

2. JOHN HAVENS, one of the first two assessors of our Town, was the fourth son of George Havens and Eleanor Thurston, and married a lady whose given name was Sarah. He was elected Town Assessor in 1730, 1734, 1739 and 1744, and Overseer of the Poor in 1735, 1737 and 1743. In 1744 he moved to the Town of Brookhaven with his family, where he became an extensive land-owner and the progenitor of a large family. He died in 1750.

3. SAMUEL HUDSON, the second of the first two Assessors of our Town, was the son of Jonathan and Sarah Hudson. His parents came from Lyme, Conn., to Shelter Island. Samuel Hudson married Grissel L'Hommedieu, daughter of Benjamin and Patience L'Hommedieu, and granddaughter of the original settler of this island, Mr. Nathaniel Sylvester. Mr. Hudson served as County Clerk of Suffolk County from 1722 to 1730, and in 1746, with his brother Jonathan, joined Capt. James Fanning's company of volunteers and served in the expedition against Canada. He died Oct. 12th, 1781.

4. EDWARD HAVENS was the son of George and Mary Havens, of Fisher's Island. His father was the eldest son of the George Havens who purchased the 1,000 acres of Nathaniel Sylvester. Very little is known of this Edward Havens, save that he married Desire Terry in 1724. He was the first Collector of the Town. His name appears but once on the Town records, namely, in 1730.

5. EDWARD GILMAN. Of this person we know the least of all the twenty. Though we have searched in every direction, nothing has been found concerning him. The name "Gilman" does not appear in this region on any record save our own. The will of Joseph Moore, of Southampton, dated March 21, 1723, speaks of a daughterin-law, "Sarah Gilman."

6. GEORGE HAVENS was the son of George and Mary Havens, of Fisher's Island, and brother to Edward Havens. He married Mary and had a son named George, to whom,

with his mother, letters of administration were granted in 1734, the father and husband having died the previous year.

7. ELISHA PAYNE was the son of Cornelius and Constant (Havens) Payne. His father in 1698 bought 200 acres of land on this island from Giles Sylvester. At that time he lived on Gardiner's Island, as a husbandman. Upon becoming a landowner here he moved to this island, for in a bond of Giles Sylvester, dated 27th June, 1699, he is spoken of as a "yeoman of Shelter Island." Elisha Payne served the Town as Constable and Collector in 1740 and 1748 respectively. In 1748 he married Deliverance Tuthill, and died in 1761, leaving a widow and several children. (See census list of 1771.)

8. SYLVESTER L'HOMMEDIEU was the son of Benjamin and Patience L'Hommedieu, of Southold. He married Elizabeth More, and was the father of Samuel L'Hommedieu, a distinguished citizen of Sag Harbor, at one time a member of the Assembly. Sylvester L'Hommedieu served as Collector and Constable in 1732. He died March 9, 1788, and lies buried in the church yard at Southold, L. I.

9. HENRY HAVENS was the oldest son of John and Sarah Havens. My information is derived from the will of John Havens, of Brookhaven, in which he bequeathed to his oldest son Henry 370 acres of land on Shelter Island. The date of the will is 1749. This Henry Havens married Abigail Tuthill, sister of Noah Tuthill, one of the Town fathers. His father, John Havens, as has been already mentioned, moved to Brookhaven about the year 1745. Henry Havens was a town officer for over ten years.

10. THOMAS CONKLING was the son of John and Sarah (Horton) Conkling, of Southold, L. I., a descendant of one of the first settlers of that ancient town. In 1732 he married Rachel Moore, by whom he had five children. His youngest son, Benjamin, was the gentleman who at his death in 1826 bequeathed a large sum of money to our church. Thomas Conkling served the Town in the various positions as Assessor, Constable and Overseer of the Poor, from 1739 to 1761. He died in 1782 at the ripe age of eighty-seven.

11. JONATHAN HAVENS was the second son of George and Eleanor (Thurston) Havens, born at Jamestown, R. I., Feb. 22, 1681. Upon attaining his majority his father gave him 200 acres of his property on this island. In 1707 he married Hannah Brown, daughter of Jonathan and Eliza Sylvester Brown, and grand

daughter of the fist Nathaniel Sylvester, by whom he had ten children. He was an Assessor of the Town for twelve years, Overseer of the Poor two years, and Supervisor one year. Mr. Havens died. Aug. 5th, 1748, in the sixty-eighth year of his age, and lies buried in the south church-yard.

12. JOSEPH HAVENS was the son of Jonathan Havens and Hannah Brown. According to his tombstone in the south churchyard he was born in 1714. He was twice married. His first wife was Madam Mary Watts, a lady of refinement. She died in 1768. In 1769 he married Jemima Glover, by whom he had one son. Father, mother and son all passed away in a few years. Mr. Havens was Constable and Collector of the Town in 1737. He afterwards moved into the town of Southampton, from whence his will is dated. 13. NOAH TUTHILL was the third son of Deacon Daniel and Mehetable (Horton) Tuthill, born in Orient, L. I. The Tuthills and the Hortons were among the first settlers of Southold, and their descendants are legion. Noah Tuthill married a relation by the name of Hannah Tuthill. Many of his descendants live among us to-day. He was a Town officer for several years. He died in 1766, and is supposed to have been buried in the family burying ground upon the Tuthill homestead in Orient.

14. JOEL BOWDITCH. Who he was the son of or whence he came we cannot positively tell. But it is presumed that he came to Shelter Island from the region of Sag Harbor. A Joel Bowditch is mentioned by Judge Hedges in his "History of East Hampton" as a resident of that Town from 1704 to 1718. In 1718 an Abigail Bowditch married Nathan Fordham, of Sag Harbor. She had a grandchild named "Joel." Joel Bowditch, the subject of this sketch, married Ruth and had several children. He was the progenitor of the Bowditch's who live among us, and served as Town officer for many years, or until his death, in 1746.

15. JOHN BOWDITCH. What is said about Joel Bowditch applies equally as well to this man, as far as his parentage is concerned. It is presumed that he was the son of Joel Bowditch. We cannot tell whether he ever married; it is rather doubtful that he ever did. His name appears but once among the Town officers, under date of 1738, when he was chosen Constable and Collector.

16. SAMUEL HOPKINS was the son of William and Rebecca Hopkins, of this place, a direct and close descendant of Stephen Hopkins and Giles Hopkins, two of the immortal Mayflower pil

grims, being the great-grandson of the former and grandson of the latter. According to the inscription upon his tombstone at Miller's Place, Samuel Hopkins was born on Shelter Island about 1710. His father moved to Shelter Island about 1680, and in time became a man of considerable property. In an account book of William Hopkins, the following names appear between the dates of 1680 and 1710: Gideon Youngs 1681, Samuel King 1682, John Conklin 1682, Thomas Young 1685, John Tuthill 1685, Caleb Curtis 1688, John Marlin, Feb. 19, 1689, Thomas Torrey 1691, John Carter 1695, Samuel Glover 1696, James Rogers 1700, Edward Bonnet 1701, Jonathan Hains 1703, Cornelius Pain 1705, Indian Able, Indian Squaw, John Hobson, Jonathan Brown, Jacob Conklin, Jonathan Hudson, Lion Gardner, Henry Tuthill, Richard Brown, Rebecca Crook, William King, Walter Brown, Martha Collins, John Knowling, Thomas Russell, Mr. Emmons, Mary Young (widow). Samuel Hopkins was a carpenter and mason. From 1743 until 1756 he lived at Wading River. In 1757 he bought property at Millers Place and moved there, and made it his home until his death, in 1790. In 1733 he served this Town as Constable and Collector.

17. ABRAHAM PARKER. We cannot tell definitely who were the parents of Abraham Parker. He is said to have been born in Yorkshire, England. Several Parkers lived on this island. prior to the organization of the Town. As early as 1698 a Nathaniel Parker appears as a witness on the deed of Giles Sylvester to Cornelius Payne. In 1701 a Daniel Parke appeared in the same capacity on the deed of George Havens to Jonathan his son. Abraham Parker married probably twice. His first wife was Sarah Hudson, daughter of Jonathan and Sarah Hudson. His second wife was Mary Hudson, the widow of Jonathan Hudson, who was brother to his first wife. He served as Collector and Constable in 1731, as Assessor in 1736, and as Overseer of the Poor in 1738 and 1742. He died in March, 1768.

18. DANIEL BROWN was the son of Daniel and Frances (Watson) Brown, born Nov. 15, 1710. His great-grandparents, Chad and Elizabeth Brown, came from England in the ship "Martin," which arrived at Boston in July, 1638. The same year they moved to Providence, R. I., where Chad Browne was one of the original proprietors of the Providence purchase. In 1642 he was ordained the first settled pastor of the Baptist church. The children of Chad and Elizabeth Brown were sons John, James, Jeremiah,