The New York genealogical and biographical record (Volume 74) online

Woodhull served as major under General Abercrombie at Ticonderoga
and Crown Point, with Lieutenant-Colonel Bradstreet at the capture of
Fort Frontenac, and in 1760 served as colonel of the 3d New York
Provincials under General Amherst ; was at the surrender of the Marquis de
Vaudreuil which effected the final reduction of Canada. He afterwards
had an important command in the Revolutionary army, and distinguished
himself at the battle of Long Island, where he received a wound from
which he never recovered. Being captured by a detachment of dragoons
and the 71st Regiment of Foot, he was struck down by a loyalist officer
after he had surrendered. His wife was Ruth, daughter of Nicoll Floyd,
and sister of William Floyd who was a signer of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence. He left one child, who married, 1st, Henry Nicoll, and 2d,
General John Smith of Mastic.)

Jonathan ' Thompson, Esquire, was, like his father, a very extensive
farmer and a justice of the peace for nearly forty years. He was a gen-
tleman of great intelligence and prudence, a lover of peace and concord,
and shared through life the esteem and confidence of all his fellow-
citizens. His death occurred June 5, i7S6,and that of his widow January
30, 1801. She was a person of literary acquirements, gentle disposition,
and possessed a refined nature which justly endeared her to all her ac-
quaintances. Thev had four sons and two daughters, viz. : Mary 4 , born
November 25, 1735, married Thomas Smith, Esq., son of Edmund Smith
of Smithtown, and died May 23, 1794, leaving only one child, a daughter
Anna 5 who married Richard Floyd of Setauket, a descendant of Colonel
Richard Floyd,* one of the fifty-five original settlers of Brookhaven, who



vidual who came from Normandy into England with William the Conqueror, in 1066.
The name was originally Wodhull, and continued to be so spelled for many years
after the arrival of the family in this country. Richard, the common ancestor in
America, was born at Thenford, Northamptonshire, England. He died in October,
1690, leaving issue Richard. Nathaniel, and Deborah. The second son died un-
married ; Deborah married Captain John Lawrence of Newtown. Richard was
early chosen a magistrate and was, like his father, an intelligent and useful man.
His wife was Temperance Fordham, by whom he had a number of children. By an
original letter in possession of his descendants, it appears that he was related to the
Crews, and other aristocratic families of England. This letter was from Lord Crew,
acknowledging the receipt of one from Woodhull, thanking him (Lord Crew) for a
present of the " crest and arms of the family," and also giving him news of his rela-
tives in England. Richard Woodhull. 3d. son of Richard Woodhull, 2d. had several
children; his daughter Mary married Jonathan 3 Thompson. The family are now
quite numerous and have occupied many important positions.

* Colonel Floyd, the first settler, was supposed to have died about 1700, and the
number of his children is uncertain. His son Richard, designated as Richard 2d,
married Margaret, daughter of Colonel Matthias Nicolls, secretary of the colony of
New York, and sister of William Nicoll the patentee of the great Islip estate. He
was for many years judge and colonel of the county militia. His children were :
Susanna, married Edmund Smith ; Margaret, married Judge John Thomas ; Char-
ity, married Benjamin Nicoll, and 2d, Dr. Samuel Johnson, President of King's
(now Columbia) College ; Eunice, married William Stephens ; Ruth, married Wal-
ter Dongan ; and Richard and Nicoll. Richard Floyd, 3d, above mentioned eldest
son of Richard 2d, inherited the paternal estate at Setauket, and was a highly useful
and respectable man. Like his father, he was a judge and colonel of the county.
His wife was Elizabeth, daughter of Benjamin Hutchinson, and their children weie
Richard, Elizabeth. John, Margaret, Benjamin, Gilbert, William Samuel, Mary
(married William Ellison), and Anne unmarried.

Richard Floyd, 4th, eldest son of Richard 3d, settled on his father's estate at



6 The Family of Thompson, of the County of Suffolk, N. Y. [Jan. ,

with Richard Woodhull, Esquire, and John Thompson, Esquire, were
the principal persons in that settlement ; Hannah 4 , daughter of Jonathan 3
Thompson, born October 5, 1747, married Colonel Benajah Strong of
Islip (his sister married, as his 2d wife, General William Floyd of Mastic)



Mastic, which he forfeited by his adhesion to the British cause in the Revolution.
He removed to St. Johns, N. B., where he died in 1792. He married Arabella,
daughter of the Hon. David Jones, by whom he had children : 1st, Elizabeth, mar-
ried John Peter Delancey, and died, leaving three sons, Thomas Jones DeLancey,
Edward and William Heathcote DeLancey, Bishop of Western New York, and five
daughters, viz.: Anna, married, as his second wife, John Loudon McAdam ; Susan,
married James Fenimore Cooper; Caroline, Martha, and Maria. 2d, Anne Willet,
who married Samuel B. Nicoll. 3d, David Richard Floyd, married Sarah, daughter
of Hendrick Onderdonk, who died, leaving sons, John and Henry. Mr. Floyd, in
accordance with the will of his grandfather, and in pursuance of an act of the Legis-
lature, added the surname of Jones, and the family is now known as Floyd-Jones.
Mrs. Jones lived to a great age, and her sons were : Brigadier-General Thomas
Floyd-Jones, married Cornelia, daughter of Major William Jones ; and Major-
General Henry Floyd-Jones, married Helen, daughter of Charles Watts of South
Carolina.

Benjamin Floyd, brother of the last-named Richard, and third son of Richard 3d,
remained on the estate at Setauket, and w r as colonel of the militia. He married
Anne, daughter of Samuel Cornell, of Flushing, and had issue : Richard, who mar-
ried Anna, daughter of Thomas and Mary Thompson'' Smith ; Gilbert, married suc-
cessively Sarah Dewick, Sarah Woodhull, and Lydia Woodhull.

Samuel, married, 1st, Elizabeth Ellison, and 2d, Augusta Van Home.

Nicoll Floyd, second son of the 2d Richard, married Tabitha, daughter of Jona-
than Smith, 2d, of Smithtown. He died in 1752, leaving issue : Ruth, married Gen-
eral Nathaniel Woodhull ; William ; Tabitha, married Daniel Smith ; Nicoll ;
Charles ; Charity, married Ezra L'Hommedieu.

Mary, married Edmund Smith ; Catherine, married General Thomas ; Ann, mar-
ried Hugh Smith.

Charles Floyd, son of Nicoll, married and left descendants. William Floyd, son
of Nicoll above mentioned, was a distinguished patriot during the Revolution, and
was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, member of Congress, candidate for
lieutenant-governor as the opponent of Stephen Van Rensselaer, etc. He married
Isabella, daughter of William Jones of Southampton, and had issue, Nicoll, Mary,
and Catherine. He afterward married Joanna, daughter of Benajah Strong of Setau-
ket, and sister of Benajah who married Hannah ; , daughter of Jonathan 3 Thompson.
By this second wife he had children, Ann and Eliza. His son Nicoll married Phcebe,
daughter of Hon. David Gelston. and sister of the late Maltby Gelston, Esq.. of New
York, by whom he had several children, one of whom, Hon. David G. Floyd, resided
at Greenport ; another, Hon. John G. Floyd, resided at Mastic; and his daughter
Julia married Dr. Edward Delafield. Mary, eldest daughterofGener.il Floyd, mar-
ried Colonel Benjamin Tallmadge ; Catherine, second daughter, married Dr. Samuel
Clarkson ; Ann (by second wife, Joanna Strong) married George W. Clinton, son of V
the former Vice-President of the United States, and 2d, Abraham Varick ; Eliza,
the youngest, married James Piatt of Plattsburg. She, Eliza F. Piatt, died in 1820,
when he married for his second wife Susan Catherine Auchmuty, ntc Woolsey,
daughter of Melanchlhon Lloyd Woolsey.

Matthias Nicolls, or Nicoll, the progenitor of the Nicoll family, was of an
ancient and honorable family of Islipe, England, and came to this country shortly
before Colonel Richard Nicolls who captured New York from the Dutch, and was
the first English governor. It is supposed that Matthias Nicolls was the nephew
of Richard Nicolls the governor. Matthias Nicolls, Colonial Secretary, Mayor of the
City of New York in 1672, member of the Council, Justice of the Assizes, and Judge
of the Colony, died 16S7, and was buried at Cow Neck. He had a daughter Mar-
garet who married Colonel Richard Floyd, and a son Colonel William Nicoll who
came to this country with his father in 1664. He was a lawyer, the first clerk of
Queens County, a member of the Council six years and of the Assembly twenty-one
years, during sixteen of which he was Speaker. He married Anna Van Rensselaer,
daughter of Jeremiah Van Rensselaer, and widow of Kilian Van Rensselaer,



1896.] The Family of Thompson, of the County of Suffolk, N. Y. 7

— she died February 1, 1786, leaving children, Samuel, Nancy, Mary,
Benajah, Elizabeth, and William ; Nathan', youngest son of Jonathan' 3 ,
died in infancy; Jonathan', third son of Jonathan 3 , born February 1-1, 1745,
died unmarried September 14, 1773, on his passage from St. Eustatia to
New York, where he had been on business ; Isaac*, second son of Jona-
than 3 , was born January 18, 1743; and Samuel',* eldest son of Jonathan 3 ,
was born October 2, 1738. Jonathan 3 Thompson purchased for his son f

the Patroon. The children of Colonel William Nicoll and Anna his wife were : 1st,
Benjamin, married Charity Floyd his cousin, daughter of Colonel Richard Floyd and
Margaret Nicoll, and lived at Islip. 2d, William, died unmarried. He was
Speaker of the Assembly. 3d. Van Rensselaer, died at Albany. 4th, Mary, mar-
ried John Watts of the distinguished family of that name of New York. 5th, Cath-
erine, married Jonathan Havens of Shelter Island. 6th, Frances, married Edward
Holland.

Benjamin, eldest son of Colonel William Nicoll and Anna Van Rensselaer, mar-
ried his cousin Charity Ford, and had children :

1st, William, called " Clerk" Nicoll, married Joanna d'Honneur.

2d, Benjamin. 3d, Gloriana Margaretta.

William, called Clerk Nicoll, married Joanna d'Honneur. His children were :
Charity, married Garret Keteltas of New York ; William ; Gloriana Margaretta,
married John Loudon McAdam, and was the mother of the late Sir James L.
McAdam, knight ; Joanna Rachel, married Clerk Kilby McAdam ; and Samuel
Benjamin.

Captain William Nicoll married Frances Smith, daughter of Colonel Henry Smith.
He owned the Nicoll Manor or Patent at Islip, which was an entailed estate. Their
children were William and Henry. William married Deborah Seaman, and was the
owner of the entailed manor at Islip. Their children were Frances, married Wick-
ham Conklin of Oakneck, Islip, and William, married Sarah Greenly. He was
graduated at the College of New Jersey, and studied law. He resided on the manor.
Their children were William who lives on the manor, Frances Louisa who married
Brevet Major-General William H. Ludlow, and Sarah Greenly. William Nicoll
married Sarah Augusta Nicoll, daughter of Edward A. Nicoll, and has children.

Henry Nicoll, son of Captain William Nicoll, of Islip, and Frances Smith, mar-
ried Sally Squires, and left children. Samuel B. Nicoll. son of William Nicoll and
Joanna d'Honneur, married Anne Floyd (daughter of Colonel Richard Floyd and
Arabella, daughter of Judge David Jones), and had children : Rev. Richard Floyd
Nicoll ; Lieutenant William Nicoll, United States Marines ; Elizabeth Floyd Nicoll,
married Charles T. Dering (son of General Sylvester Dering and Esther Sarah
Havens, of Shelter Island) ; and Anna W. , died unmarried. Samuel B. Nicoll mar-
ried Sarah B. Payne. Thomas Ellison Nicoll died unmarried, Maria Cortlandt Nicoll
married Rev. Ezra Young, John Cortlandt Nicoll unmarried, Gloriana Margaretta
Nicoll unmarried, Arabella Floyd-Jones Nicoll married Charles Johnson. Rev.
Richard Floyd Nicoll, son of Samuel B. Nicoll and Anna Floyd, had children :
Margaret, Sylvester, Richard Floyd, Sarah Anna, Mary Catherine. Captain Sylvester
Dering, United States Navy, Hester R., Charles llinnlv. Charity Antoinette, Eliza-
beth Gardiner, and Joanna Rachel. Elizabeth Gardiner Nicoll married Samuel Gar-
diner, son of Abraham S. Gardiner and Abby Lee, and had children : Abraham
Smith, Richard Floyd Nicoll, Elizabeth Nicoll, Mary Catherine, Clarence Lyon,
Margaret Sylvester Dering, and Murray Stewart. Samuel B.. son of Samuel B. and
Anna Floyd, married Sarah Brown Payne, and resided on Shelter Island. He left
seven children.

* Samuel' Thompson was Captain of the Brookhaven Company, Suffolk County
Regiment. Onderdonk : Revolutionary Incidents. Documents relating to the Colonial
History of the State of New York, vol. i., p. 287.

f Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford. it is said by various writers, was a
relative of the Long Island Thompsons. Count Rumford was born at Woburn,
Mass., in 1753, was major of New Hampshire militia, and afterward lieutenant-
colonel of dragoons in the British army during the Revolutionary war, and I nd( 1
Secretary of State for the colonies as assistant to Lord George Germain. He received
the honor of knighthood from the British Government. In 1784 he went to Bavaria



8 The Family of Thompson, of the County of Suffolk, N. Y. [Jan.,

Isaac", in 1758, the estate on the south side of the island known as
Sagtikos * Patent or Manor, on a neck of land called Appletree Wicke.
For this beautiful property he paid ^"1,200 New York money, which sum he
brought over from the north side in his saddle-bags on a handsome gray
horse. The original charter or patent for this property, dated 1697, from
King William the Third, signed by Colonel Benjamin Fletcher, then gov-
ernor of New York, with the great seal of the province attached, is still in
the possession of the family. The quit rent was one shilling a year in lieu

to reorganize the military of that State, and here greatly distinguished himself for his
administration of affairs. For his services he was made successively Major-General,
Lieutenant-General, Commander-in-Chief, Minister of War, and Count of the Holy
Roman Empire, on which occasion he selected as his title the name of Rumford, the
place in America where he had resided. In 1796 he was appointed head of a Coun-
cil of Regency during the absence of the elector, and ruled the kingdom for some
time. He was the real founder of the Royal Institute of Great Britain, and spent
the close of his life in making and applying useful discoveries. He died in France.
A bronze statue has been erected in his honor at Munich. The count was very arbi-
trary and severe in his treatment of the people of Long Island while stationed there
during the Revolutionary war. but to his honor never molested or interfered with the
Long Island Thompsons. He was invited by the Government of the United States
to superintend the formation of the West Point Military Academy, but declined. See
New Englander for February, 1876. (New Haven.)

* Sagtikos Manor, Appletree Wicke, ("called by the native Indians, Saghtekoos;
by the Christians, Appletree Neck ; ") was granted to Colonel Stephanus Van Cort-
landt, he having received from his Excellency the Governor a license to purchase the
property from the native Indians, September 26, 1692.

On January 12, l6q2, an order was made to Augustine Graham, Surveyor-Gen-
eral of the Province, " to survey and return a platt of Saghtekoos."

Pursuant to the warrant of survey, a return was made by the Surveyor-General,
dated October 9, 1693.

Under this license Colonel Stephanus Van Cortlandt purchased of the native In-
dians, the'deed being dated October i, 1692, the consideration being £45.

The patent from William III.. King of England, Scotland, Ireland, and France,
etc., signed by Colonel Benjamin Fletcher, Esq., Captain-General, Governor-in-
Chief, Vice-Admiral, etc., etc., bears date June 2, 1697.

This patent, as well as the Indian deed, included the whole of Saghtekoos Creek
on the east, also the whole of Okenock Creek on the west. The estate at present
comprises only one-half of the latter creek. The charter read thus :

"To Be Holden of us, our heirs & successors in free & common socage as of
our Mannor of East Greenwich in our County of Kent Within Our Realm of Eng-
land yielding, rendering & paying therefor yearly and every year, forever unto Our
Heirs & Successors at Our City of New-Yorke on the feast day of the Annuncia-
tion of our Blessed Virgin Mary, the yearly rent of One shilling Currant Money
of our Said Province in Lieu & Stead of all other rents, services, dues, duties &
demands, whatsoever for the said Neck of land & premises." Knight service
not being demanded. (See New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, July,
I893-)

In possession of Frederick Diodati 7 Thompson, the present Lord of the manor,
is the receipt book showing, March 24, 1712-13, eighteen shillings and eight
pence paid in full for quit rent by Timothy Carll ; June 27, 1723, ten shillings paid
in full for ten years' quit rent by Annanias Carll ; March 30, 1741, eighteen shillings
paid by Annanias Carll for eighteen years' quit rent; December 24, 1760, twenty
shillings paid by Jonathan 11 Thompson for twenty years' quit rent to March 25,
1761 ; June 22, 1774, thirteen shillings paid by Jonathan 3 Thompson^n full for
thirteen years' quit rent to March 25, 1774 ; September 20, 1787, nineteen shil-
lings and sixpence paid by Judge Isaac 4 Thompson in full for arrear of quit rent
and commutation on manorial patent.

The Indian deeds, the charter of the manor, and many other documents relating
to the property are owned by Frederick Diodati 7 Thompson, the present proprietor ;
also several beautiful maps and surveys.



1896.] The Family of Thompson, of the County of Suffolk, N. Y. g

of all services whatever, Sagtikos Manor, Appletree Wicke, is at present
the sole property of Frederick Diodati 7 Thompson, he having purchased
the rights of the other heirs in 1894. It is a fine estate of twelve hun-
dred and six acres, being a narrow strip of land about eight miles
long. Judge Isaac* Thompson* died here, January 30, 1816. He had
been a magistrate for more than forty years, a judge of the Court of Com-
mon Pleas, and a representative of the County of Suffolk in the Assembly
in 1795. He was a man of sincere piety and the strictest integrity. His
manners were mild, elegant, and courteous, and in the discharge of all
his official duties he manifested sound judgment united with firmness and
impartiality.

Judge Thompson was active during the Revolutionary war in organ-
izing the militia and was chairman of the Islip committee. He wrote
several letters to the Continental Congress in relation to affairs on Long
Island. Dr. Samuel ' Thompson of Setauket was also one of the principal
men of Brookhaven engaged in providing means of defence against the
anticipated invasion of the British troops. Februarv 15, 1776, he sent an
important letter to Congress enclosing maps of the harbors, descriptions
of the beaches, etc. He recommended the erection of a fort near Setauket
to have an armament of six or eight guns, and another at Stony Brook
to have two six or nine pounders. He also wished a capable gunsmith
sent to them.

In 1777 more than three hundred light horse, on their way east,
bivouacked for the night on the estate of Judge Thompson, and made,
as usual, free use of his property. The commanding officers, among whom
was Sir Henry Clinton, in their tours of the island, frequently stayed at
Sagtikos. On one occasion the house was assaulted in the night by some
British sailors belonging to a vessel of war, and Judge Thompson was
himself dragged by a rope around his neck across the highway, and threat-
ened with death, but was saved by one of their number saying that, as he
was a magistrate under the king, they should not hang him. He was
also fired at while going up-stairs in his house, but fortunately was not
hit. The bullet is in possession of his great grandson, Samuel Ludlow'
Thompson, Esq., who resides at Islip. They took with them some of
his furniture and carried it on board of a frigate at New York, but he
succeeded in having it restored to him after much trouble. Honorable
Isaac ' Thompson was the founder of the Presbyterian Church at Babylon.
His grandson, David " Thompson, presented an ancient bell to this church
in 1838, which originally hung in a Spanish convent. It had a fine
silver tone but was not considered loud enough, and was therefore sub-
sequently sold and replaced by one of American manufacture. Judge
Thompson's wife, Mary Gardiner, was daughter of Colonel Abraham
Gardiner of Easthampton. They were married June 4, 1772, and had
children, two sons, Jonathan 6 and Abraham Gardiner 6 , both of whom
became distinguished citizens of New York City. It is related that after
his marriage he brought his wife from Easthampton to Sagtikos on a
pillion behind him on his horse.

* Isaac 4 Thompson was First Lieutenant Fourth Company, Suffolk County Regi-
ment, January 12, 1776. Onderdonk : Revolutionary Incidents of Suffolk County,
paragraphs 562-565. Documents relating to Colonial History of the State of New
York, page 2S7, vol. i.

He was also Supervisor, 1776-85.



IO The Family of T/wmpson, of the County of Suffolk, N. Y. [Jan.,

Colonel Gardiner, the father of Mrs. Thompson, was the second son
of David Gardiner, fourth Lord of the Manor of Gardiner's Island ; he
resided at Easthampton. and was a leading character on Long Island
during the war of the Revolution. Colonel Gardiner, as executor, had
charge of the manor during the minority of John Lyon Gardiner, the
seventh Lord and proprietor, and as Gardiner's bay was occupied by the
British fleet under Admiral Arbuthnot, who obtained from the island
nearly all their provisions, his duty to his ward obliged him to be careful
in his conduct, so that the "British would not vent their spite against
this young gentleman," who was not of age. Nevertheless Colonel Gar-
diner co-operated with Lieutenant-Colonel Livingston, who commanded
the troops on the east end of Long Island, until the town of Easthamp-
ton was occupied by a detachment of British soldiers under Sir William
Erskine.

As Colonel Gardiner's house was the finest in Easthampton, it was
naturally selected as the headquarters, and he entertained, at different
times, Lord Percy, Lord Cathcart, Governor Tryon. Major Andre, and
others. The unfortunate Andre was a great favorite in the family, and
left with them several mementos of friendship ; and two of the wine-
glasses from his camp chest, presented by him to Colonel Gardiner on
the eve of his departure in exchange for two of Colonel Gardiner's, are
still preserved in the family, one being the property of Frederick Diodati '
Thompson of Sagtikos Manor, the other of Colonel J. Lyon' Gardiner
of the Manor of Gardiner's Island.

Dr. Nathaniel Gardiner, son of Colonel Gardiner, who studied medi-
cine under the celebrated Drs. Shippen and Rush of Philadelphia, served
in the war as surgeon in the First New Hampshire Regiment.

Colonel Gardiner married Mary Smith,* a descendant of Richard
Smith of Smithtown. Their children were: ist, Rachel, married Colonel
David Mulford and afterward John Gardiner, of the manor of Eaton's Neck.

2d, Dr. Nathaniel, married Eliza Dering (the Derings were one of
the best families of the County of Kent, England).

3d, Mary, married Judge Thompson.

4th, Captain Abraham of the Militia (which title he went by to dis-
tinguish him from his father), married Phcebe Dayton. He had chil-
dren : Abraham S. (married Abby Lee, and left descendants mentioned
in note on the Nicoll family); Mary (married Philip G. Van Wyck, a
grandson of General Van Cortlandt, of the manor, and had : Joanna ;
Cortlandt, died unmarried, a midshipman United States Navy ; Eliza, mar-
ried William Van Ness Livingston ; Pierre C. ; and Anna Van Rensselaer,
married Judge Alexander Wells — their daughter. Gertrude Van Cort-
landt, married Schuyler Hamilton); David (married Juliana McLachlan
of Jamaica, West Indies, whose grandfather commanded the united clans
of McLachlan and McLean at the battle of Culloden, Scotland, and was
beheaded for treason). The children of David were : Julia (who mar-
ried John Tyler, President of the United States, and had children — David
Gardiner ; John Alexander, who was decorated by the Emperor of Ger-
many for bravery on the field of battle in the Franco-German war ; Lyon

* Through Mary Smith wife of Colonel Abraham Gardiner has come down in the
family — it being at present owned by Frederick Diodali 7 Thompson — a silver snuff-
box which was the property of the original Richard Smith, the patentee of Smith-