VALENTINE, Richard^[1]

Abt 1617 - Bef 1685  (< 67 years)

• Name	VALENTINE, Richard
  Birth	Abt 1617	England
  Gender	Male
  EARL	Y
  Death	Bef 1685	Hempstead, Nassau, New York, USA
  Notes	From Valentines in America Hempstead was originally one of the largest towns in territory on the Island, extending from the Sound on the north to the Atlantic on the south, and from Oyster Bay on the east to Jamaica on the west. The first division of land among the sixty-six proprietors of the town took place in 1647, hardly a quarter of a century after the Pilgrims at Plymouth, and the ad- vent of the Dutch in New York. Among these was RICHARD VALENTINE, then probably a young man of twenty-five or thirty years of age, but whether married or single I have no means of knowing. He was of English origin, and, from the fact that some of the company came from that section, as well as the identity of name, it is not at all improbable that he was a lineal descendant of Richard Valentine of the parish of Eccles in Lancastershire, the undoubted ancestor of the New England Valentines, more fully mentioned in another chapter— which, if my conjectures are correct, would seem to prove that these two great branches have one common origin. Of this first American Valentine, but little is known, for the public and private records of those days were but imperfectly kept. He must have been married soon after immigrating if not before, for, in 1685, he had four sons, and perhaps more, who were freeholders. In a tax laid that year, Widow Richard Valentine is assessed for 40 acres, Obadiah, 44, William, 40, Ephraim, 40, and Richard (Jr.), 71 acres. Besides these. I find from the N. Y. Calendar of Hist. MSS., that in Feb., 1679, Jonah Valentine of Hempstead petitioned the Governor for a grant of 100 acres of land. Moreover, I find from the same source that in 1679 Richard Valentine (Jr.), "one of the Hempstead rioters," asks to be exempted from punishment "on account of his youth and ignorance." As mention is made of Richard Valentine (Sen.), in 1682, and of his widow in 1785, it seems clear that he must have died between those years, leaving at least five sons, and several daughters. There is a tradition in the family that the farm of the original Richard contained 600 acres — which probably included some "out-lots" or wild lands, as well as the homesteads named in the foregoing list. But if the young Richard came to grief from his " sky-larking " propensities, his paternal ancestor could hardly reprove him, for he, too, had his own troubles. In the "Colonial History of the Slate of New York," Vol. II., Page 728, I find that "the Marshal of the town of Hemstede, Richard Valentyn by name," is complained of before the [Dutch] Governor- General and Council of New Netherlands, July 7, 1674, for refusing to put in execution a judgment against one Jeremy Wood, and " for uttering these seditious words: ' Is it in the name of the King of England? for I will do nothing in the name of the Prince or of the States of Holland,' " &c. True to his English origin, the Marshal found the Dutch Government a galling yoke to bear. It would seem, however, that neither father nor son received any severe punishment, or some mention would have been made of it. In the stirring events of that period, the Valentines appear to have taken an active part. Thus, in 1702, Richard Valentine was one of the Grand Jury raised especial!}- to indict Samuel Bownes, an itinerant Quaker preacher who came to that region ; but instead of doing so, the jury endorsed the paper “Ignoramus" and returned it to the Judge, utterly refusing to have anything to do with such dirty work. Many of Richard's posterity afterwards became " Friends " them- selves, and some remain such to this day. In 1726, Obadiah Valentine was one of a committee to put a stop to the " wicked and wanton burning of Hempstede Plains." Of this family of Richard Valentine and his five sons, there is not, so far as I can learn, any continuous and authentic genealogy in existence; but it is certain that nearly all the Valentines of Long Island, except those in the city of Brooklyn (and even many in that city also), have descended from these. The family name soon extended to adjoining towns, especially to Oyster Bay, Jamaica and Flushing, until finally it was common in every town in Queens County, and was occasionally found in the other counties of Long Island, Kings and Suffolk. [1]
  Person ID	I1224	Hugh Byrne and Nanette Asimov Lines
  Last Modified	29 May 2011

  
  

  Children	1. VALENTINE, Richard,   b. 1650, Hempstead, Nassau, New York, USA d. 1725, Hempstead, Nassau, New York, USA (Age 75 years)   2. VALENTINE, Obadiah   3. VALENTINE, William   4. VALENTINE, Ephraim   5. VALENTINE, Jonah
  Family ID	F528	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	29 May 2011

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - Abt 1617 - England Death - Bef 1685 - Hempstead, Nassau, New York, USA  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Sources

  [S369] Valentine, T. W. (Thomas Weston), 1818-1879, (New York, Clark & Maynard).