Footnotes to Long Island History
Of Courts and Corn
July 21, 1955
by
Thomas R. Bayles
(This is the
fifth in a series of articles by Advance historical writer Thomas R.
Bayles in conjunction with the Setauket-Brookhaven town tercentenary
celebration)
Attendance
at the town meetings was required of all town inhabitants in the early
days, and to enforce this, it was ordered that a fine of two shillings
six pence be paid by anyone who was late of failed to attend a town
meeting without a very good excuse. The same desire to stimulate
promptness in attendance seems to have taken hold of the town trustees
in 1695, for they ordered a fine of a pint of rum to be paid by anyone
of their members who failed to attend a meeting. An amendment was made
in 1702, fixing the fine for being even an hour late at three
shillings. This was reduced in 1704 to “one bitt” for being an hour
late and “two bitts” for not attending at all.
The
behavior of the settlers was closely watched during those early years,
and the records show that at a court held December 8, 1663 William Poole
was fined 10 shillings for cursing, and William Fancy and Henry Rogers
were each found guilty of lying and fined 10 shillings each.
Actions for
defamation were frequent in the early courts, and were not confined to
the male members of the settlement, as slander suits were frequently
brought against the women as well. The following appears in the printed
records for Brookhaven town in 1681.
“Whereas,
I, Hannah Huls. Through inadvertence and passion, defamed Nathaniel
Norton, of this towne, by saying he had stollen Indian corn out of my
fatther Dalton’s corn crib. These may surifie all whom it may concern,
that I the said Hanna Huls, never had any cause so to say, and that I
never knew that the sayd Nathaniell had ever stoele any Indian corn from
theare, and am hartely sory for defaming of him, nott knowing any cause
soe to doe, as witness my hand, in Brookhaven, this 5th day
of June, 1681.
Corporal
punishment was practiced here, although not so severely as in some of
the other towns. In 1696, Jonathan Owen was employed to make a pair of
stocks for the town, in connection with work he was doing repairing the
meeting house. In 1716 the town voted a new pair of stocks for the use
of Justice Brewster at Fireplace.
Wolves were
common during the first years of the settlement here and at a town
meeting in 1667 a premium of six pence a head was voted for every wolf
killed, the head to be brought to the constable, who was to pay the
fine.
The use of
cider seems to have been highly regarded, and in 1667 the regular fee
for settlig diferences between neighbors was a “gallant of sider.”
Before any
grist mills were built in the town the settlers had to send their grain
by boat to Connecticut to be ground. To end this undesirable condition,
the town granted to Daniel Lane the right to establish a mill on the
stream that ran down into the head of Setauket harbor. The people built
the dam and the mill was established some time before 1667. Mr. Lane
was to have absolute possession of the mill and dam, and for grinding to
receive two quarts of every bushel of Indian corn. Later on, mills were
built in various parts of the town under grants from the trustees.
The most
important tradesman in the early life of the town was the blacksmith,
and the settlers depended on him for a large part of their farming
implements, their nails for building, and a great many other articles of
everyday use. In 1686 the people at a town meeting voted “that
Christopher Swaine be admitted and encouraged as a smith for this town,
and that a shop shall be built for ye said Christopher about May next,
he paying the workmen by work at his trade.” In 1699 the town gave an
old shop to David Edwards, to be his as long as he should do the town’s
work as a blacksmith.