The Patchogue-Medford Area's Journey
Table of Contents
| Introductory Information: | Geographic Orientation | Historical Community Profiles |
| General Resources: | Basic Reference Works | Blizzards of Patchogue |
| Chronological Approach: | Slices of P-M Time | |
| Subject Approach: | Themes Across P-M Time |
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Historical Snickets of the Communities of
East Patchogue, Medford, North Patchogue, Patchogue, & South Medford
A Central Reference Collaborative Venture Between The Patchogue-Medford Library,
Its Celia M. Hastings Local History Room, & Suffolk Cooperative Library System
Compiled & Edited by Mark H. Rothenberg
With Special Thanks to Paul Infranco & Longwood's Journey
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Introductory Information
Geographic Orientation: Where's Patchogue-Medford?
The Patchogue-Medford Area is located on Long Island, in New York State's Southeastern-most county, Suffolk (settled 1640), within the southern portion of Brookhaven Town (settled 1655), along the Great South Bay. Opposite the Bay is a portion of Fire Island (to which there is ferry service) and beyond that, the Atlantic Ocean. Patchogue-Medford is a school district and a public library district, generally including the incorporated villages of Patchogue & East Patchogue, and unincorporated villages of Medford, North Patchogue, & South Medford. The Area features streams (creeks), lakes (generally dammed between the 17th-19th centuries, wetlands (bordering the Bay), beaches, marinas, main streets, quiet and noisy neighborhoods, fairly constant commercial and residential development, strip malls, and traffic congestion. The Area is bounded by the villages of Blue Point (of oyster fame) to the West, East Holbrook & Holbrook to the Northwest, Holtsville, Coram Hill, & Coram (scene of a Revolutionary War raid) to the North, Bellport, North Bellport, Hagerman, and South Yaphank to the East, and West Yaphank (known for the Camp Siegfried, among other things) to the Northeast. Farmingville (of recent documentary fame) is just North of the area. Brookhaven National Laboratory (formerly Camp Upton in both World Wars) is about a 20 minute ride to the Northeast, and Islip-MacArthur Airport is a 15 min. ride to the West Northwest, perennial traffic gridlock permitting. The prehistory of the Patchogue-Medford Area is a long one, going back perhaps 10,000 years, either before or after the last major glaciation. At the time of contact, there were Algonquian-speaking Woodland Indians living in what are believed to have been year-round villages. Local Indians have been designated the Unkechaug or Patchogue or Patachogue (the latter two probably being a settlement near the present village), Unkechaug much later becoming the name of a New York State-recognized tribe, now living in part locally, partly on the Poospatuck Reservation, to the East, and partly in the scatter of a diaspora.
Historical Community Profiles [capsule histories]
¯East Patchogue, NY
No general publication devoted to the history of this village presently appears to exist, though elements of its history appear in The Patchogue-Medford Library Catalog under "East Patchogue..." as a subject, as well as general incorporated into accounts of the history of the Greater Patchogue area (see the Catalog, under "Patchogue..."; in Patchogue-Medford Library's "L.I. - East Patchogue" Vertical File folders, and subsumed into the "L.I.--Patchogue..." Vertical Files. The selective SPLIA (Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities) survey of historic buildings and structures (covering the village, in 3 sections), and to a very limited extent, online. There is a forthcoming Arcadia book (heavily photographic) on the village, which, it is hoped, will inspire and encourage trained historians to delve into this historically rich and otherwise much under-studied neighborhood of Long Island. See also the bibliography on East Patchogue, below, which is in no way comprehensive, yet should prove interesting.
¯Medford, NY
Medford, in some ways, has long been a village in search of a center. Its interest in its history is starting to gel, in the efforts of the Medford Chamber of Commerce, esp. Mary and Jim Gubitosi, to put it on the map, historically. An incipient historical society is beginning to meet, elements of a museum are being gathered , and there has been a noteworthy upsurge, in recent years, of expressed interest in the history of Medford, NY, both as distinct from that of the Patchogue's, and as a signal part of the Patchogue-Medford Area. See also the Patchogue-Medford Library Catalog, under "Medford, N.Y....", the L.I. -- Medford Vertical Files, the bibliography (below), and the portion of the SPLIA Survey, covering Medford, N.Y.
¯North Patchogue, NY (Patchogue Highlands)
No known general history of this village presently appears to exist, though elements of its history may be pieced together from various accounts of the history of Patchogue, and in occasional online sources. Don't look for mountains in the Patchogue highlands. Expect a slight rise from the area to the south, which is a bit nearer to sea level. See also the Patchogue-Medford Library Catalog, under "Medford, N.Y....", the L.I. -- Medford Vertical Files, and the bibliography (below).
¯Patchogue, NY
The Incorporated Village of Patchogue has received the lion's share of such study as has taken place, within and on the history of the Patchogue-Medford Area. As previously indicated, surrounding villages tend to have elements of their history incorporated in writings about Patchogue itself, esp. if they are one of the Patchogues (North, East, Highlands, or even the would-be village of Smithport, in southern Patchogue). Yet, even in the case of Patchogue, there is a significant need for more formal, serious, clearly documented scholarship, and for more detailed studies and publication of its history, which is an extraordinarily rich and varied one. Patchogue, has too long been neglected by trained historians. There is no SPLIA Study for Patchogue. But see the Patchogue-Medford Library Catalog, under "Patchogue....", the L.I.-- Patchogue Vertical Files (8 drawers of subject files & sub files), maps, high school yearbooks, post cards, archives, and other resources in the Library's Celia M. Hastings Local History Room. See also the partial bibliography (below).
¯South Medford
No known general history or bibliography of this unincorporated village presently appears to exist, though elements of its history may be determinable, buried within various accounts of the history of both Patchogue and Medford.
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Creating Basic Reference Works
Beginning to Review the Literature, to Encourage & Speed the Study of P-M Area History
Or, Going Boldly Where Way Too Few Have Gone Before
¯ General Guides
¯ Special Collection & Thematic Guides
¯ Archival Finding Aids
Patchogue Farragut Council # 54, JOUAM Archive
An item-level archival list. The library has since received supplemental material.
¯ Websites
Greater Patchogue Historical Society website (The Society)
Recently produced, and expanding, it provides information & illustrations on the Swan River Schoolhouse (the Society's museum), Trolley tracks recently uncovered during roadwork, an article on Gil Smith (master of wooden boat construction, & esp. successful racing vessels), and on the horrific shipwreck of the Louis V. Place. A section of postcard images is also provided, as well as information on the society, its officers, membership, meetings, upcoming events, links to the Sayville and Bellport-Brookhaven Historical Society, and another to contact the Greater Patchogue Historical Society.
Long Island History & New York State History (Patchogue-Medford Library)
A general launching site to a series of classified web pages:
(a) Celia M. Hastings Local History Room
Online guide not only to the Library's own specialized collections, archives, vertical files, map collections, print and online publications; but also to related, useful collections & contacts (people, organizations, & agencies at the local, Town, County, and State levels.
(b) Long Island Forum Index, 1938-2003
A searchable, sortable, partly browsable cumulative index to what was a very popular local history magazine, aimed at the general public, containing numerous articles and selected book reviews, on a wide variety of topics in Long Island history, ranging from lore and legend to readable summaries of the latest research. Originally published monthly, toward its final years, it became a quarterly. The cumulative index follows the original indexing, as requested by the publisher, which is strongest in its genealogical references. The 2004 issues were not indexed, as there was no final issue, that year (which would have contained the index), when its funding was cut and it ceased publication.
(c) Patchogue Farragut Council # 54, JOUAM Archive
An item-level archival finding aid for this collection. The library has since received supplemental material.
(d) Guide to Localizing Dewey for Long Island Use (Patchogue-Medford Library)
Since Dewey Decimal Classification for New York State doesn't any get more local than the county level and public request occur all the time for more specific information both above and below that level, this re-organizational method was developed to geographically group L.I. historical materials (in 4 Dewey categories). That is, it rearranges & groups material on the shelves alphabetically by: Long Island Region (bi-county & 4-county), County (Queens/Nassau [later Nassau] & Suffolk), town (13 towns of Nassau & Suffolk), Village (incorporated & unincorporated, + Nassau's 2 cities), Customary Village Group &peripheral Islands (e.g., Fire Is., Robins Is., Gardiners Is., Plum Is.). The result is that material on each of these geographic areas can be readily be found, even when the computer is down, vastly speeding and encouraging their general use and more in-depth research. In practice, it works very well for both librarians and the public.
(e) Long Island & L.I.-Patchogue Vertical File Subject Heading List (Patchogue-Medford Library. Celia M. Hastings Local History Room)
This is an alphabetically arranged, searchable list of the subjects and their sub-topics, held in 32-file cabinet drawers . There may be as few items as one, in a file, but perhaps many more. This will tell you if material on a subject exists or doesn't exist in our file cabinets, in advance of a visit, a call, or an e-mail, or letter. We have been subdividing the subject headings to allow much more specific access to their contents, as well as more general access. The result is over 100 pages, in print, so it's pretty specific. There are entries for people, places, selected years of Patchogue history and of the Library's history, and coverage is always expanding. The files mainly contain newspaper and magazine articles, though many are illustrated, and there are scattered photos, and other types of material among the many files. The subdivision has greatly improved access, and speeded research.
(f) Researching Your House (Patchogue-Medford Library. Celia M. Hastings Local History Room)
An online facsimile of a Suffolk County, NY-oriented 4-page brochure, available free, at the Patchogue-Medford Library (while supplies last). It gives an idea where to turn, what is available at the Library, and what can be provided by other local institutions.
(g) A Long Island History Web Page, which features, aspects of Long Island business & economic, geologic, library, literary, military, political, religious, shipbuilding, shipwreck, social, technological, county, town, and village history, in over 130 clickable, alphabetically-arranged subject headings (and subheadings).
(h) A New York State History Web Page , with over 100 clickable, alphabetic subject headings (& subheadings), covers aspects of the State's artistic, architectural, canal, cities', frontier, industrial, medical, military, political, social history, and a some of its personalities, e.g., U.S. Presidents, selected First Ladies and Vice Presidents (who hailed from NYS), NYS Governors, abolitionists, suffragists.
(i) Patchogue-Medford's Journey, the web page you are presently examining, with brief community profiles & a short geographic orientation, a quick survey of existing & available reference works, then an outline from 2 different approaches: chronological (by time period), and subject (or by theme or topic).
(j) Various commemorative web pages, featuring Long Island's African-American, Poetic, and Women's history, and more. Note: These are supplemented occasionally by links to commemorative web pages on the Patchogue-Medford Library Home Page, e.g.: Jamestown, VA @ 400 Years, 1607-2007 and Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15-October 15, 2007.
¯Abstracts & Reviewing Sources
There is presently no known abstracting or reviewing source devoted solely to P-M Area history, within the Patchogue-Medford Area, which shouldn't really be all that surprising. However, reviews of works either by Patchogue-Medford Area authors or about the history of the P-M Area have appeared in scattered reviewing sources, of varied scholarship, ranging from local, L.I. regional, and other newspapers sto, e.g., the Long Island Forum, and Long Island Historical Journal, and newsletters of various historical societies.
¯Annuals / Yearbooks
There is no known annual or yearbook focused solely on Patchogue-Medford Area history, in general. However, Patchogue-Medford Library maintains a collection of Seton Hall High School Yearbooks, and of Patchogue (later Patchogue-Medford) High School yearbooks (The Record), in the L.I. REF Collection.
¯Bibliographies (General and Thematic)
The Patchogue-Medford Area is treated in a number of short bibliographies both published and unpublished, in books, pamphlets, published and manuscript histories. The Patchogue-Medford Library Catalog @ http://www.pmlib.org/Pmlcatalog.html can be searched for material related to individual villages, people, related subjects. Material related to the Patchogue-Medford school district, to Brookhaven Town, and to a lesser extent Suffolk County, often incorporates material related to individual village or P-M area history, that can be good grist for a bibliography. PML's Celia M. Hastings Local History Room's L.I. & L.I.--Patchogue Vertical Files provide the basis for additional bibliographic material. See also the bibliographies below:
East Patchogue, NY -- A Partial Bibliography
Here is a sample of the fascinating ("truth is stranger than fiction") rewards of simply scratching the surface of the history of a village on L.I., e.g., mostly via newspaper articles:
"Little Girl Fatally Shot." New York Times, October 13, 1887: p. 8.
Annie Overton, 8 years old
"Smashed All They Left Behind: Burglars Stole Some of Capt. Smith's Property, Destroyed the Rest." New York Times, February 1, 1894: p. 1.
Theft and vandalism at the house of the absent Capt. Henry Smith.
"Dog and Man Fight in the Sea: Joseph Smith, Bitten in the Leg, Drowns His Ferocious Assailant." New York Times, April 25, 1895: p. 3.
"Supervisors Easily Duped: Paid a Bounty for Cats' Ears, Thinking They Were Opossums'." New York Times, February 13, 1896: p. 2.
About the bare faced skullduggery of Oliver Rice, of East Patchogue.
"Theee [i.e., Three] Boys Lives Endangered: Left to Freeze in a Catboat by the Captain, Who Took Them Sailing." New York Times, February 19, 1896: p. 14.
"Dr. [Frank] Overton Elected President of the Suffolk County Christian Endeavor Union in Convention at Sayville -- Sketch of His Life." Brooklyn Daily Eagle, October 22, 1897: p. 5.
"Old Railroad Employe[e] Killed." New York Times, August 27, 1899: p. 19.
John Brush's death, in E. Patchogue.
"Fire at E.W. Durkee's Home: His Barn and Carriage House at East Patchogue Destroyed." New York Times, October 15, 1899: p. 2.
"Child Drowned in Mill Pond." New York Times, August 11, 1900: p. 2.
G.S. Swezey, Jr., 3 years old
"Aged Woman Instantly Killed: Struck by a Long Island Train and Her Body Thrown Within Seventy-five Feet of Her Home." Brooklyn Eagle, May 4, 1901: p. 1.
Phoebe Ann Ryder, bonnet (and probable severe hearing loss) blocked her view (hearing either train or its whistle).
"Killed Near Her Home." New York Times, May 5, 1901: p. 4.
Phoebe A. Ryder, killed by a train, near her East Patchogue home.
"The Motor He Drove Kills 'Sporting' Lynde: Thrown Out of His Car and a Wheel Beheads Him; Sought Gold in Australia; Brought Back $10,00 and Found His Father a Brooklyn Lawyer, had Left Him $536,000." New York Times, September 4, 1906: p. 1.
"The Robinson Family of East Patchogue, L.I." The Brooklyn Times, May 1, 1909: p. 6.
"Flight of Two Girls Puzzles Chinatown: Moi You Toy's Father Thinks Mission Worker Knows Where His Daughter Is; Pair Quit Home in Night; Miss Banta, Who has Been Teaching Them American Ideas, Denies Herself to Inquirers." New York Times, July 23, 1909: p. 14.
Naturally, the chosen place of escape from Manhattan proves to be East Patchogue.
"Some Record Catches of Bluefish and Weakfish Made Last Week" New York Times, July 16, 1911: p.[?].
"Civil War Veteran of Navy Dies at 82: Rear Admiral George Watson Sumner Fought Under Admiral Farragut: Navy Yard Captain Here: One of His Sons is John S. Sumner, Head of Society for Suppression of Vice." New York Times, February 21, 1924: p. 17.
"Adventist Sells All He Owns; Says World Will End on Feb. 6." New York Times, January 20, 1925: p. 25.
Robert Reidt of East Patchogue's millennial prediction, based on that of Margaret Rowen.
"Await World's End Tomorrow Night: Apostle of Doom and Band Sing and Pray -- Sell Belongings to Pay Debts; Only Faithful Survive; Expect All to Be Destroyed but 144,000 'Brides of the Lamb,' Who are to Go Up in a Cloud." New York Times, February 5, 1925: p. 1.
"Prophet Defers End of World One Week: Will Only Begin Tonight, Says Reidt, for Saints on Other Planets Must Be Mobilized; Sees 7 Days of Wonders; Promises Angels with Feet of Fire -- Tries Out Zither in Practice for His Harp." New York Times, February 6, 1925: p. 1.
"Says Movie Flares Spoiled Millennium: Apostle Reidt is Certain the Cloud Started and Will Continue His Watch; Yaphank Seer has Dream; Angel Gabriel Tells Brother Downs 144,000 Brides has a Sign in Dakota." New York Times, February 8, 1925: p. 15.
"Reidt Scents Slip in Doomsday Data: Expresses Doubt About the Expected Cloud and Migration of 144,000 Brides: Talks to Movie Audience: Tells Them End of the World is Near, Just the Same, and Skeptics Clamor for the 'Hook.'" New York Times, February 9, 1925: p. 19.
"Doom Apostle Leaves in Ford, Not in Cloud: Reidt and Family Abandon Belongings on Hill Where They Vainly Awaited Millennium." New York Times, February 10, 1925: p. 14.
"Doom Apostle Bobs Up in Newark with a Sign: Hung Around His Neck, It Insists End of World Will Come This Year -- Denies He Set Date." New York Times, February 12, 1925: p. 7.
"Arrest on Crutch Clue in Burglary." New York Times, June 24, 1924: 34.
"Denies Hiding Property: Widow of Admiral Sumner Examined by Surrogate." New York Times, July 29, 1924: p. 4.
"Jury for Sumner Estate: Disposition of $1000,000 Property to Be Left in Hands of Panel." New York Times, August 20, 1925: p. 9.
"Eugene W. Durkee Dies After Operation: Veteran Dealer in Spices had One of the Finest Flower Gardens on Long Island." New York Times, December 11, 1926: p. 17.
"Sumner Will Ignored Stepchildren." New York Times, April 4, 1929: p. 11.
"Last of Durkees of E. Patchogue Died Last Week." The Advance, December 16, 1954 (sect. 2): p. 5.
Helen W. Durkee Mileham.
Bayles, Thomas R. "'Captain Joe', Schooner Captain." Patchogue Advance, September 16 1948: [n.p.].
Volkmann, Laurine T. The East Patchogue Community and the Robinson Family. [Patchogue, NY:] The Author, B.A. Thesis, submitted in partial requirement for St. Joseph's College, 1985.
Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities. "East Patchogue." SPLIA Historic Structure, Building-Structure, Historic and Natural District, & Archeological Site Inventories for East Patchogue, Medford, and North Patchogue, New York. [Setauket, NY:] The Society, 200?. [n.p.]
Arranged in sections, by road, or group of roads: EP 1- EP 32a (South Country Road), EP 33 - EP 44 (Roseland Ave., Union Ave., Dunton Ave., Oakdale Ave., Montauk Hwy., Bayview Ave., Orchard Rd., Oxford Pl., Durkee Lane, Colonial Dr.), EP 45 - 61 (Roe Ave., First St., Chapel Ave., Montauk Hwy, E. Main St., Swezey St., Grove Ave., Bay Ave., Norton St.).
Santorelli, Dina. "Finding Allure in Stories [i.e., Storied] Houses, History is What May Make a House a Home -- and Sell It, Too." Newsday, January 26, 2007: p. C8.
Medford, NY -- A Partial Bibliography
Greater Medford Chamber of Commerce. Pictorial History of Medford, New York, 1844-1944, by Mary Gubitosi. Medford, NY: The Chamber, [1993]. [no pagination.] b&w ills. map. L.I. REF. 974.725 V-MEDF MED, v. 1.
Gubitosi, Mary. Medford: The Early Years, 1844-1944, ed. by Carrie Locke. [brochure]. Patchogue, NY: Patchogue-Medford Library, 2006. 8 p.
Medford News [weekly]. Medford, NY: ESP Publications, Sept. 1998- [PML Periodicals Plus]
The Mid-Island Mail, v. 1, no. 1 (June 12, 1935)-v. 7, no. 9 (Aug. 19, 1941). Medford, NY: Published by the Patchogue Argus, 1936-1941. [PML Periodicals Plus]
Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities. "Medford." SPLIA Historic Structure, Building-Structure, Historic and Natural District, & Archeological Site Inventories for East Patchogue, Medford, and North Patchogue, New York, v. 7. [Setauket, NY:] The Society, 200?. [n.p.]
Arranged in sections, by road, or group of roads: ME 1- ME 8 (LIRR Underpass, Long Island Ave., Route 112 [Medford Ave.])
North Patchogue, NY -- A Partial Bibliography
North Patchogue CDP (New York State. Office of the Aging. Bureau of Research and Technology Development) http://aging.state.ny.us/explore/population/Census2000/mcd/103/2114.txt
North Patchogue, NY, Profile (IDcide-- Local Information Data Server) http://www.idcide.com/citydata/ny/north-patchogue.htm
North Patchogue Fire Department (The Department) http://npfd.northpatchoguefd.com/httpfiles/
Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities. "North Patchogue." SPLIA Historic Structure, Building-Structure, Historic and Natural District, & Archeological Site Inventories for East Patchogue, Medford, and North Patchogue, New York, v. 7. [Setauket, NY:] The Society, 200?. [n.p.]
Arranged in sections, by road, or group of roads: NP 1 - NP 10 (Vernon St., N. Ocean Ave., Jayne Ave., Jennings St., Sunrise Hwy., Traction Blvd., Waverly Rd.)
Patchogue, NY -- A Partial Bibliography
General
Gordon, H. Wellington. History of Patchogue [manuscript]. Patchogue, NY: The Author, 1924-25. 114 p. L.I. REF. 974.725 V-PATCH GOR
Index to H. Wellington Gordon's History of Patchogue
Henke, Hans. Patchogue: Queen City of Long Island's South Shore. Blue Point, NY: The Author, 2003. 151 p. numerous ills. [rev. & exp. combined ed. of Patchogue and Patchogue, Volume II, pub. previously by Arcadia Press, 1997 and 1998, respectively.] L.I. REF. 974.725 V-PATCH
Jones, Fred. The Creek [The Patchogue River]. Patchogue, NY: The Author, 1986, rev. 1997. 19 chapters, various paginations. numerous maps and ills. L.I. REF. 974.724 V-PATCH JON
Rothenberg, Mark. H. ""Patchogue." In Encyclopedia of New York State. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 2005: p. 1185. REF. & N.Y. REF. 974.7 ENC
Patchogue, L.I., N.Y., in the Spanish-American War (and Its Immediate Aftermath): Events and Concerns of the Day, as Reported in Microfilmed Pages of the Patchogue Advance, as Originally Published in 1898: A Selective Centennial Bibliography (Of National, State, and Regional News, in Local Context) http://www.pmlib.org/spampadv.htm
Actually this covers the year 1898, chronologically, and includes at least a bibliographic citation, occasional excerpts, and often the full-text of articles. It is searchable, using the Control + F(ind) function, and was reprinted by kind permission of the Long Island Advance. Since the basic information presented is documentary, it presents a local period time capsule, from the editorial standpoint of the then, Patchogue Advance.
Rothenberg, Mark & Carrie Locke. Patchogue: A Brief History [brochure]. Patchogue, NY: Patchogue-Medford Library, 2005. 8 p.
Note: While there are studies for North and East & North Patchogue, none was done for Patchogue proper.}
See also Patchogue-Medford Library's L.I. -- Patchogue Vertical File Subject Headings (viewable and searchable online)
Selected Newspaper Articles
"On Long Island: Products and Peculiarities of Patchogue -- Matrimonial Misunderstandings -- A Visit to Madam Elizabeth Oakes Smith -- Fishing & Shooting -- The Country Editor's Pleasure and Profit, &c." Brooklyn Daily Eagle, September 10, 1873: p. 1.
Declares the principal products of Patchogue to be "scandal and oysters."
"Patchogue: One of Long Island's Most Popular Resorts: The People Who Go There and What They Do -- An Instance of Prohibition -- Arrival of the Bluefish -- Where Land was Sold by Lottery." Brooklyn Daily Eagle, July 27, 1886: p. 2.
"Island's Knights Templar: First Commandery Outside Brooklyn Instituted at Patchogue, Last Night: An Impressive Ceremony: Largest Number Ever Knighted at Once in This State -- Clinton Confers the Uniform Degree." Brooklyn Daily Eagle, March 16, 1900: p. 7.
"First American Humorist: Memoirs of Major Jack Downing of the Downingville Militia, Seba Smith of Patchogue: His Gifted Wife was the Rev, Elizabeth Oakes Smith -- Their Home was in Cheever Place." Brooklyn Daily Eagle, July 21, 1900: p. 14.
"Lynde to Put Up 40,000 to Build Lace Factory: If the Promoters of the Enterprise will Locate It at Blue Point or Patchogue." Brooklyn Daily Eagle, December 14, 1901: p. 3.
"Editors at Patchogue: Welcomed by the Civic Officials and Entertained at the Cliffton House." Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 30, 1898: p. 4.
New York State Press Association's 42nd convention & outing
"Missing Daughter Found After 26 Years' Search: Theodore Brooks of Patchogue Discovers His Long Lost Child in a Troy Store, Grown to Young Womanhood: Trace of Her Lost by the Re-marriage of Her Foster Mother -- Story of the Search." Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 2, 1901: p. 5.
"Lynde to Put Up 40,000 to Build Lace Factory: If the Promoters of the Enterprise will Locate It at Blue Point or Patchogue." Brooklyn Daily Eagle, December 14, 1901: p. 3.
In addition, e.g., note these sites:
Articles and Links on the Web (Christine Rudowski) http://christine.rudkowski.googlepages.com/ontheweb...
Books and Periodicals About the Patchogue Riverfront (Christine Rudowski) http://christine.rudkowski.googlepages.com/booksandperiodicals
¯Biographic Sources
There is presently no published general or even reasonably comprehensive source of historical biographies of the P-M Area, or work that links scattered extant sources. Some capsule biographies do appear in scattered sources, but these are not always easily identified or located. Genealogists can often contribute signally to this area. Patchogue-Medford Library's L.I. & L.I. -- Patchogue Vertical Files contain scattered, limited information on P-M Area individuals, as do selected village, Brookhaven Town, Suffolk County, L.I. regional, and NYS histories and records, and records of such religious institutions, cemeteries, and family histories, as have been made available and accessible to the Library. Obituaries in indexed and unindexed newspapers (the latter still being the norm) can contribute to a broader knowledge of local biography. But there is also the basic problem of who is considered "local" to the P-M Area, e.g.: (a) Born here, spent their whole life in the area, and were buried locally; (b) Born elsewhere, but spent a significant portion of (or some portion of) their time in one of the village; (c) Regularly summered in one or more the villages; (d) Never lived here, but visited or wrote or achieved something of note here, then left; (e) Born & lived elsewhere, but are buried locally, perhaps to be nearer, or have their graves cared for by, living relatives, who, in turn may have lived locally, or nearby. Some argue vehemently for allowing only (a), others for various degrees of expansion of the definition, often just as vehemently. So who is called local often depends on one's perspective or real agenda. There is no convenient one stop source, or even a convenient 10-stop source for such information.
¯Information drawn from Genealogical Records that include the individual
¯Birth & Marriage Records (Public & Private)
¯Diary Entries, Account Books, Other Autobiographic & Biographic Sources
& Archival Records, as well as direct and indirect references in Letters &
Official or Business Correspondence, Wills, Deeds, & Records of Judicial
Proceedings, Association Records, of whom the individual was a member
¯Historical Images: Portraits, Group Shots, Associated Homes, Businesses, etc.
¯Newspaper Articles
Most local newspapers are un-indexed, not digitized, and are not searchable, thus requiring research. Some include entire spans of years on microfilm that are illegible to nearly illegible. There may or may not be references to the Patchogue-Medford Area in early L.I. newspapers, prior to the first local papers, as well as afterward. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online, and Suffolk Historic Newspapers include references, at least to Patchogue, and to a lesser extent, to Medford.
Suffolk Herald, 1858-1865
Patchogue Advance (later Long Island Advance), 1871-Present
Long Island Star, 1870
[Patchogue] Argus, 1892-1932
Previously Suffolk Democrat, 1884-87; Suffolk County Argus, 1888-91
Island News, 1932-37
Became part of Brooklyn Eagle, 1937
[Medford Station, N.Y.] Mid-Island Mail, 1935-1940
¯ Others' Accounts, Secondary Sources
¯ Military & Pension Records
¯Death Records, Obituaries, Memorials, Gravestones, Cemetery Registers
¯Catalogs
Patchogue-Medford Library Catalog and the County Catalog include entries, mixed with non-local history entries
Excelsior Online Catalog (New York State Library/Archives)
It includes some material related to P-M Area History. But it is basically a Statewide inventory. It was conducted on L.I., in 3 phases, in the mid-1980's. Searching Excelsior might also turn up unexpected serendipitous surprises. The Search HDI button on Excelsior may or may not lead to New York Historical Documents Inventory records related to the P-M Area. HDI records contain descriptions of institutional and sometimes also of institutions' specific special collection or archival collection holdings.
¯Chronologies (General & Thematic)
No known chronology of P-M Area history that is even reasonably comprehensive, is presently known to exist.
¯Diaries, Correspondence, Account Books
The bulk of these are believed to be either lost or mainly in private hands, in locations known to only a few.
¯Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
No dictionary or encyclopedia of P-M Area History, or for any of its component villages, is presently known to exist, though there are scattered occasional references to the area in a number of dictionaries and encyclopedias, at the Long Island, New York City, or New York State levels.
¯Historical Encyclopedia of P-M Area Place Names & Their Derivations
No historical encyclopedia of P-M Area Place Names or of local Place Name Derivations is presently known to exist; though occasional short articles have appeared in newspapers and historical publications providing a number of generally undocumented assertions.
¯Historical Dictionary of P-M Area Place Names & Their Derivations
No historical dictionary of P-M Area Place Names or of local Place Name Derivations is presently known to exist; though occasional short articles have appeared in newspapers and historical publications providing a number of generally undocumented assertions.
¯Directories
A partial directory of institutions (and/or their websites) known to collect information on P-M Area history appears on the Celia M. Hastings Local History Room website. Most have a larger geographic focus.
¯Documents (key local historical documents, in collection)
No general compilation of significant documents representative of the general history of the P-M Area is presently known to have been written or published.
¯Electronic Resources (Websites, RSS Feeds, Blogs & Offline Electronics, focused on the history of the locale)
See Websites section (above)
¯Genealogical Sources
The Patchogue-Medford Library maintains 2 separate, recently revised and expanded printed classified bibliographies (12/06) of its genealogical holdings. One includes titles in the adult general Reference Collection, the other covers titles held in the L.I. Reference and New York [State] Reference collections. The Library also maintains a genealogical specialist, and has an active genealogical discussion group. The Dewey Decimal 920's (in particular) in PML's Reference, Long Island Reference, and New York [State] Reference Collections and related collections in storage, are good places to start, though these holdings are listed in the above-mentioned bibliographies.
¯Geographic Sources (Historical Atlases, Maps, Aerial & Satellite Views, Geologic Sources, Local Place Name Derivation Dictionaries)
No comprehensive collection of these is presently known to exist, covering the P-M Area and its villages. The only known atlases that can be said to be devoted solely to the Patchogue-Medford area or to one of its constituent villages are the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps [New York, 1884-1952], of Patchogue, published occasionally, between 1884 and 1925 (the latter coverage published in 1941), which is part of a larger series. These are available for in-library use, on microfilm, in the PML Periodical Plus Room. SUNY at Stony Brook's Map Library (on the 2nd floor of the Melville Library), has the complete set of Sanborn Atlases on microfilm, for New York State (i.e., for those villages and cities selected for inclusion in their surveys). There are also scattered individual maps, of various types and dates, produced by various publishers, agencies, and individuals, in the PML Local History Room's Map Collections and in its L.I. & L.I. -- Patchogue Vertical Files. Dr. Fred Jones' (dec'd.) The Creek [the Patchogue River area] also contains a fair number of black & while maps of the area, generally arranged chronologically. The Local History Room has a number of framed aerial photos of the vicinity, taken by Frank Mooney, Sr., former editor of the Main Street Press, which he generously donated to the Library. In addition, there are topographic maps, of the vicinity, land subdivision maps, maps and atlases focused on a wider area, and thematic maps in our collection. The Room also contains a few Long Island and New York State gazetteers and place name dictionaries.
¯Handbooks & Manuals
No known handbook or manual of Patchogue-Medford History has ever been published to our knowledge.
¯Indexes
These are as yet the exception to the rule. The Patchogue-Medford Library has produced an online index to its L.I. Vertical File and L.I. -- Patchogue Vertical File Subject Headings @ http://www.pmlib.org/livert06.html, and a searchable or browseable cumulative index to the Long Island Forum Index, 1938-2003 searchable or browsable at http://www.pmlib.org/LI_Forum/index.html.
¯ Military History (Local Aspects: Campaigns, Battles, Privateering, Naval Actions, Home Front, Manufacturing, Donations, Substitutions, etc., as reflected by the P-M area participation & experience; Personnel Service Records, Oral Histories, Diaries, Military Reports, Military Units, Warships, Diplomacy, Military Camps)
¯General
¯Biography & Military Genealogy
¯Veterans' Associations & Reunions
¯Colonial Wars
* Local Mobilization
* Local Participants (Land, Air, Sea)
* Military Units & Ships in which they served
* Local Record of participation in Specific Campaigns, Battles, Engagements
* Industrial / Employment Aspects
* Local Social & Political Aspects
¯Revolution, 1775-1783
* Local Mobilization
* Local Participants (Land, Air, Sea)
* Local Record of participation in Specific Campaigns, Battles, Engagements
* Industrial / Employment Aspects
* Local Social & Political Aspects
¯Early U.S. Wars, 1784-1812
* Local Mobilization
* Local Participants (Land, Air, Sea)
* Local Record of participation in Specific Campaigns, Battles, Engagements
* Industrial / Employment Aspects
* Local Social & Political Aspects
¯War of 1812
* Local Mobilization
* Local Participants (Land, Air, Sea)
* Local Record of participation in Specific Campaigns, Battles, Engagements
* Industrial / Employment Aspects
* Local Social & Political Aspects
¯Mexican War, 1846-1848
* Local Mobilization
* Local Participants (Land, Air, Sea)
* Local Record of participation in Specific Campaigns, Battles, Engagements
* Industrial / Employment Aspects
* Local Social & Political Aspects
¯Civil War, 1861-1865
* Local Mobilization &the Draft
* Local Participants (Land, Air, Sea)
* Local Record of participation in Specific Campaigns, Battles, Engagements
* Industrial / Employment Aspects
* Local Social & Political Aspects
¯Indian Wars, 1866-1900
* Local Mobilization
* Local Participants (Land, Air, Sea)
* Industrial / Employment Aspects
* Local Social & Political Aspects
¯Spanish-American War, 1898
* Local Mobilization
* Local Participants (Land, Air, Sea)
* Local Record of participation in Specific Campaigns, Battles, Engagements
* Industrial / Employment Aspects
* Local Social & Political Aspects
¯Philippines, 1899-1902
* Local Mobilization
* Local Participants (Land, Air, Sea)
* Local Record of participation in Specific Campaigns, Battles, Engagements
* Industrial / Employment Aspects
* Local Social & Political Aspects
¯Boxer Rebellion,1900
* Local Mobilization
* Local Participants (Land, Air, Sea)
* Local Record of participation in Specific Campaigns, Battles, Engagements
* Industrial / Employment Aspects
* Local Social & Political Aspects
¯WW I
* Local Mobilization & the Draft
* Patchogue-Camp Upton Relations
* Patchogue Banned and Ban Removed
* German Language Courses Replaced by Spanish in Schools
* Local Participants (Land, Air, Sea)
* Local Record of participation in Specific Campaigns, Battles, Engagements
* Industrial / Employment Aspects
* Local Social & Political Aspects
¯WW II
* Patchogue-Camp Upton Relations
* Patchogue U.S.O.
* Local Mobilization & the Draft
* Local Participants (Land, Air, Sea)
* Local Record of participation in Specific Campaigns, Battles, Engagements
* Industrial / Employment Aspects
* Local Social & Political Aspects
¯Korean War
* Local Mobilization
* Local Participants (Land, Air, Sea)
* Local Record of participation in Specific Campaigns, Battles, Engagements
* Industrial / Employment Aspects
* Local Social & Political Aspects
¯Vietnam War
* Local Mobilization & the Draft
* Local Participants (Land, Air, Sea)
* Local Record of participation in Specific Campaigns, Battles, Engagements
* Industrial / Employment Aspects
* Local Social & Political Aspects
¯Gulf War I
* Local Mobilization
* Local Participants (Land, Air, Sea)
* Local Record of participation in Specific Campaigns, Battles, Engagements
* Industrial / Employment Aspects
* Local Social & Political Aspects
¯Gulf War II
* Local Mobilization
* Local Participants (Land, Air, Sea)
* Local Record of participation in Specific Campaigns, Battles, Engagements
* Industrial / Employment Aspects
* Local Social & Political Aspects
¯U.S. Small Wars & Domestic Disturbances
* Local Mobilization
* Local Participants (Land, Air, Sea)
* Local Record of participation in Specific Campaigns, Battles, Engagements
* Industrial / Employment Aspects
* Local Social & Political Aspects
¯Local Newspapers
Other than the most recently published print issues of the Long Island Advance (in PML's Periodicals Plus Room) most local newspaper holdings are held by the Patchogue-Medford Library in microfilm format. Those covering the local area include the Long Island [formerly Patchogue] Advance, The [Patchogue] Argus, Main Street Press, and Medford News. There are other related newspapers, not focused primarily on the P-M Area, that contain news about it, held in PML's Periodical Plus Room collections, e.g., Newsday and Rivington's Gazette (a NYC Tory paper of the American Revolution, in microfilm), accessible via PML or countywide public library subscription, e.g.: New York Times Historical Edition, or readily available via the web, e.g., Suffolk Historic Newspapers, Brooklyn Daily Eagle Online, or interloanable via Suffolk Cooperative Library System, e.g., Long Island Press, 1971-1977 [microfilm], New York Times [microfilm, maximum 12 reels].
¯Manuscripts
These occur in various forms, as acquisitions, donations, or in-house publications, in print or electronic format.
¯Oral Histories (Audiotapes, Digital Audio, Transcriptions, & Web-based)
The Patchogue-Medford Library Local History Room has some 7 non-circulating, audiotaped L.I. Reference oral histories, but presently lacks the equipment to hear them in-house, or space to house a reasonably sound-proof room. There are also a number of donated recordings of Greater Patchogue Historical Society thematic meetings, of variable audio quality, in the library, and perhaps more, held by the historical society & the school district. The Patchogue Village Historian's office may house more. There may also have been interviews collected by the Brookhaven Town Historian, Suffolk County Archivist, Farmingville Historical Society, by the local news media, and others (publicly and privately). As far as we know, no consolidated list of all of these has as yet been prepared.
¯Periodicals (Devoted to the History of the P-M Area)
Greater Patchogue Historical Society. Newsletter. [primarily meeting announcements & accounts of meetings]
¯PowerPoint Presentations
The Patchogue-Medford Library has a number of these on various topics, generally in manuscript form. Some slides have found their way into changing exhibits of the Celia M. Hastings Local History Room, or around the Library. Some have provided answers to reference questions. Those on Brookhaven Town history, prepared for the 350th Anniversary of the Town (in 2005), for instance, have seen a fair amount of use, in other contexts, and in PML exhibits.
¯Tours: Walking & Riding (Lecture, Self-Guided, Audio, Video, Digital)
Published versions of thematic tours of Patchogue appear to be few, produced mainly during historical commemorations. Printed walking and riding tours of Patchogue, were produced by the Greater Patchogue Historical Society, for the centennial of Patchogue Village's incorporation. Given the frenetic pace of local construction and demolition, since then, they are both in need of revision. The Historical Society also holds occasional historic house tours, and is the prime sour for information about those tours. Pamphlets prepared for the occasion, usually briefly describe the historic significance, key architectural features, elements of period decor, and ownership of the house, as well as providing walking or driving directions. Another, walking tour, produced to commemorate the PML's centennial was lost in a computer crash, immediately before 9/11/01. It is probable that it will be reconstructed from memory, at some point, updated and slightly expanded. A Library Centennial placemat, shows several of the approximate early locations housing the library, that were on the original tour. A walking tour of Lakewood Cemetery may be in the works. Many types of thematic tours of the area are possible (e.g., industrial, literary, historic associations, hotels, transportation, maritime history, and deserve development, and distribution in print or electronic format.
¯ ¯ ¯
Slices of P-M Time (Chronological Approach to Local History)
¯ Geologic Time & the P-M Area
¯ Physical Geology: How the Land Evolved (P-M in Regional Context)
¯ Historical Geology: Life in the Area Over Geologic Eras (in Regional Context)
¯ Human (Indian) Prehistory, to the Contact Era, & the P-M Area
¯ The Question of Human Arrival Here
¯ Pre-history: Extrapolations of Regional History to the P-M Area
¯ Paleo-Indian and Archaic Indian Periods
¯ Early, Middle and Late Woodland Periods & Developments
¯ Architecture, Agriculture, Art, Boatbuilding, Clothing & Fashion, Culture, Crafts, Economy
&Wampum, Fishing, Folklore & Mythology, Shellfishing, & Whaling Methods & Techniques,
Horticulture, Spiritual Life & Cemeteries, Village-Centered Life vs. Traditional Accounts of
Tribes, Forts or Ceremonial Centers, Exogamous Marriage, Tri-State Area Trade Patterns
¯ The P-M Area & the Regional Context of the Early Contact Era, to 1664
¯ Pre-Settlement European Claims to P-M (Spain, France, Netherlands, England)
¯ Early Contact Era (European Passers-by & Traders)
¯ Anglo-Dutch Cooperation, Rivalries, Diplomacy, Wars
¯ The Pequot War and the Balance of Power
¯ Deeds & Settlements East & West
¯ The Failures of Dutch-Indian Diplomacy, Wars, & Intra-Colonial Tensions
¯ Treaty of Hartford & P-M Goes New-English
¯ The P-M Area in the Colonial Period, 1664-1775
¯ Cavalier vs. Roundhead -- P-M Area in Disputed Inter-Colonial Territory, 1664
¯ The Tobaccus Deed & Sale to Connecticut's Governor
¯ The Duke's Proprietary Colony & New-York's Counter Claims
¯ Changing Patterns of Life & Work in the Colonial P-M Area
¯ The P-M Area & Early Colonial Wars
Second Anglo-Dutch War, 1665-1667
Third Anglo-Dutch War, 1672-1674
King Philip's War, 1675-76
Leisler's Rebellion, 1689-1691 & King William's War, 1689-1698
Queen Anne's War, 1702-1713
War of Jenkins' Ear, 1739-1742, & King George's War, 1739-1743
¯ The P-M Area & the Eastern Necks sale of 1749
¯ The P-M Area & the French & Indian (7 Years') War, 1754-1763
¯ The P-M Area, the western neck sale, and the Avery Lottery of 1758
¯ The P-M Area in Revolution & Early Republic, 1775-1812
¯ P-M Area Residents & Relations with the New National Capital (New York City)
¯ P-M Area Residents and Reactions to the French Revolution, 1789-1799
¯ P-M Area Residents, during the Napoleonic Era, 1800 to 1812
¯ P-M Area Residents, George Washington's 1790 L.I. Tour, &
¯ P-M Area Residents during the Undeclared War with France & the Barbary Wars
¯ P-M Area Slavery, Manumissions, and the Abolition Movement
¯ The P-M Area in War, Peace, & War Again, 1812-1848
¯ P-M Area & the War of 1812
¯ P-M Area Residents & Emancipation in New York State, 1827
¯ P-M Area Residents & the Mormon & Mexican Wars
¯ The P-M Area from the Gold Rush to the Civil War, 1849-1861
¯ P-M Area Residents & the California Gold Rush
¯ P-M Area Residents & local Antebellum Life
¯ P-M Area Residents in the Growing National Political Crisis
¯ The P-M Area in the Civil War, 1861-1865
¯ Home Front & Local Sympathies
¯ Units & Ships Locally Raised, or in which Local People Served
¯ Campaigns, Battles, Skirmishes, & Naval Engagements in which P-M Figured
¯ The P-M Area from the Gilded Age to the Jazz Age, 1865-1917
¯ P-M Troops & the Occupation of the South
¯ History of the Local GAR Post (Civil War Veterans)
¯ Rails & Roads (Railroads, Monorail Line, Trolley Line, Expanding Road Net & Highways)
¯ Electrification (a grist mill, a lynching averted, PELCO)
¯ Hotels, Boarding Houses, Guest Cottages, & Growth of Peripheral Support Services
¯Newspapers
¯ Mills to Factories, Immigration Waves & Industrialization
¯ Social Divides
¯ The P-M Area in, and Immediately After, the Spanish-American War, 1898
¯ The P-M Area in the Age of Theodore Roosevelt & Woodrow Wilson, 1898-1917
¯ The P-M Area in World War I, 1917-1921
¯ Over Here: Home Front, & Dodgy Relations with Camp Upton, Prohibition Begins
¯ Over There & Back: Local Service Abroad, & Its Many Forms, Return to a New Life
¯ The P-M Area in the Roaring '20's & Great Depression, 1921-1941
¯ Prohibition (The Local Police, Beach Patrols, Coast Guard, Rum-Runners, KKK, the FBI &
Rum Row, Speakeasies, & cross-country Bathtub Gin to parties at the Great Estates)
¯The Rise & Fall of KKK Social & Political Control
¯ The P-M Area, the Great Depression, Personal, Small Business, Industrial, Maritime, &
Touristic Crashes or Survivals
¯ P-M in the Depression & New Deal (& the WPA)
¯ The P-M Area, the German-American Bund, its Nazification, the Camp Siegfried Special, &
the nearby Rise & Fall of Camp Siegfried
¯ The P-M Area in World War II, 1941-1945
¯ Home Front & Relations with Camp Upton, Participation in LI's Defense
¯ Overseas: Local Service Around the World, & Its Many Forms
¯ The Patchogue USO
¯ The P-M Area in the Post-War, Cold War Era, 1945-1991
¯Korean War, 1950-1953
¯Vietnam War, 1965-1975
¯ The P-M Area in Recent History, 1991-Present
¯ First Gulf War, 1991
¯ The P-M Area & 9/11/01, & its Wake
¯ Second Gulf War, 2002-
¯ ¯ ¯
¯ Agricultural History
¯ The Indian Inheritance
¯ Salt Hay
¯ Crops
¯ Introduction of Non-Native Plants & Animals, and its Consequences
¯ Peace & Plenty: The Fullertons' Experimental Farm (Medford, NY)
¯ The Avery Nursery
¯ Archeological Sites in the P-M Area
¯ Directory, Text, Findings of Archeological Digs & Studies Completed or Contemplated in the P-M Area
¯ Architectural History of the P-M Area (General & Thematic)
¯ Periods & Styles, Representative Buildings, Structures, & Sites of Structures
¯ Noted Local or Outside Architects, & Their Specific Works, in the P-M Area
¯ Architectural Tours of the P-M Area (General & Thematic)
¯ On the Street Where You Live:
¯"Main St." (a street in a business district), Then and Now
¯What's our earliest frame o