This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

The Early Years: Sayville's Founding Fathers

Patch explores the history of Sayville leading up to the 250 anniversary celebration.

This year marks Sayville’s 250th anniversary and the community will he holding a daylong celebration October 1 at The Common Ground. To commemorate this historic occasion Sayville Patch is running a series of stories that looks back on the history of the hamlet. This first installment looks at the early days of the hamlet.

The first inhabitants of Sayville were the Secatogue Indians of the Algonquin nation. They were friendly and peaceful and survived through hunting and fishing. But, their numbers were small and many were killed by smallpox.

By 1665, the English took over ownership of the area now known as Sayville. William Nicoll received the land from William III. Yet, Nicoll never settled in Sayville, choosing instead to build his home in what is today Heckscher State Park. It was not until 1761 that Sayville would see its first settlers, the Edwards family.

Find out what's happening in Sayville-Bayportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

John Edwards was the first to settle in Sayville. He saw the area upon his return from the French and Indian War and settled here with his wife Sarah, building a home on the corner of what is now Foster Avenue and Edwards Street. When the American Revolution came, Edwards joined the militia, but with Sayville under the occupation of the British after the Battle of Long Island, he, along with many other Long Islanders, fled to Connecticut to continue the fight. After the war, John Edwards returned to Sayville and purchased most of what is now the eastern portion of Sayville for about $3 an acre! He soon divided up the land among his children. His son, Matthew, would build what is now the oldest dwelling in Sayville, the Edwards Homestead, in 1785 and moved it to its current location in 1838. The home today is under the care of the Sayville Historical Society.

The second family to move to Sayville was the Greene’s, who had a house built in 1786, which still stands on the corner of Main Street and Cherry Avenue, across from the West Sayville firehouse. On April 22, 1790, the Greene family would forever be marked into Sayville history when President George Washington stopped at the Greene home for tea and some rest before continuing on his tour of Long Island.

Find out what's happening in Sayville-Bayportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

By the early 1800s many more families, like the Tuthills, Bedells and Weeks, began moving into Sayville. But, the population of Sayville in those early days was so small that the community would not see its first school until 1820, or its first public building, the Bedell Tavern, until 1830.

Perhaps the most interesting story of those early days was how the young village got its name. In 1838, the inhabitants were asked by the Postal Service to come up with a name for the small village. The vote ended in a tie between Edwardsville and Greenville, until the new teacher in the area suggested “Seaville.” The name was sent to Washington by the clerk, who spelled it “Sayville.” When the error was discovered the people protested. However, they were persuaded to keep the name when they were told by the Post Master General that were plenty of Seaville’s but not one Sayville. He was sure right about that! In the next segment we will take a look at Sayville in the 1800s.

David Moglia is a Sayville resident is a very keen interest in local history. He can be reached via email at dlmoglia@gmail.com.

Sources:

Dickerson, Charles P. A History of the Sayville Community, including Bayport, Bohemia, West Sayville, Oakdale, and Fire Island. S.l.: S.n., 1975. Print.

Copyright 1990 Sayville Historical Society, Inc. Printed by Searles Graphics, Inc. Patchogue, N.Y. 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?