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The area we live in now was
inhabited by the Secatogue Tribe of the Algonquin Nation. There were
thirteen tribes on long island. The name Secatogue means "black
meadow lands". The Secatogue Indians were mostly peaceful and
friendly, and showed the first settlers how to plant potatoes, sweet corn,
squash, and other native American crops.
In the Great South Bay is the hard clam, called by the Indians "quahaug."
The dark purple spot on the clam shell was carved into cylindrical beads
and strung on sinews, called "wampum".
The First Settlers
In 1655 settlers from Connecticut
landed in what is now Setauket, long island. At that time long island was
considered to be part of the Connecticut colony.
In 1697 William Nicoll
received land from William III. The land was from the Connetquot River to
Namkee Creek (which separates Bayport from Bluepoint), north to Lake
Ronkonkoma, and south to the Great South Bay. Sayville, Bayport, West
Sayville, Oakdale, Bohemia, and part of Holbrook, became part of the
Nicoll estate, but the bay and Fire Island remained in Brookhaven.
The First Settlers in
Sayville
John Edwards was born in 1738 in
Easthampton. He was a tailor by trade. After returning home from the
French and Indian war, he saw the beautiful country along the Great South
Bay at Sayville and decided to return here and make it his home.
In 1761 John Edwards and his wife Sarah built the first home in Sayville.
Today it would have been located on the corner of Foster Ave. and Edwards
Street. In 1913 the home was destroyed by fire. In 1785 Matthew Edwards,
the son of John Edwards, built a house on what is now the corner of
Gillette Ave. and Edwards Street. In 1838 Matthew's son James moved the
house to the corner of Collins Ave. and Edwards Street. This is now the
home of the Sayville Historical Society, founded in 1944.
Edwards Homestead
Source for the History
about Sayville:
Book Title: A History of the Sayville Community
By Charles P. Dickerson
For more information about the History of Sayville, this book is in the
Sayville Library 974.72D
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