Byrne and Asimov Genealogy and Family Histories

Author	Valentine, T. W. (Thomas Weston), 1818-1879
Publisher	New York, Clark & Maynard
Page	8-47
Periodical	The Valentines in America, 1644-1874 (1874)
Source Type	Book
URL	http://www.archive.org/details/valentinesinamer00vale
Source ID	S369
Text	PDF attachment of full text from Archive.org 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. I find, at an election for Deputies held in Jamaica Nov. 7, 1775, the names of Philip, Richard, Jacob, William, Obadiah, Robert, Jacamiah and Jonas Valentine among the voters. According to Sabine's "American Loyalists," some of the Valentines, like their original ancestor, were quite partial to the British crown, as Caleb, Jacob, Jonah, Obadiah, David, Robert, Philip, Thomas and William Valentine did not acknowledge allegiance to the American government till October, 1776, though after this, they appear to have been patriotic enough, and Philip even became Captain of a company in the Rev-olutionary Army. But though in favor of liberty for themselves, they, like many others in that day and since, seem to have had rather obscure views in relation to that of others. Thus, according to Onderdonk, June 2, 1791, Obadiah Valentine of Oyster Bay offers a 5 pound Reward for the return of his remarkably black negro man. Bob, aged 22. He had on a brown coat and green linings, yellow vest, old boots. He has gray hair on his neck." Obadiah ought to have known that to a young man of 22 (and gray at that ) liberty was as sweet as to himself. In the absence of all genealogies, family records, and other similar data, I am compelled to resort to such public and private resources as can be found. Of these, the oldest are the "Town Records of Hemp- stead," found in the North Hempstead Town Clerk's Office at Roslyn, which furnish the following items: Thos. Ellison sold to Richd. Valentine 5 acres meadow, Mar 14, 1658. Simon Searing sold certain lands to Obadiah Valentine about 1670. John Jackson " " " Ephraim " " " Wm. Valentine " " " Benjamin Birdsall " " Jonas " " " " -------- -------- The records of Conveyances in the County Clerk's Office at Jamaica mention the following Valentines: Richard Valentine, of Hempstead, Yeoman,in 1706. Obadiah " " " 1717. Henry " " " 1759. Henry " Oyster Bay, " " Joseph " Hempstead, " 1783. Philip " North Hempstead. 1791. Benjamin " " " 1800. Richard " " " 1806. Caleb " " " 1814. William " " " 1824. Jeremiah " Flushing, " " David " Oyster Bay, " " Isaac " " " 1825. Jacob " " " " James " Flushing, " " Absalom " Oyster Bay, " 1827. Daniel " " " " Daniel " " " 1831. Oliver " North Hempstead. 1835. Lewis " Oyster Bay. " "
Linked to (32)	COLES, Charity COLES, Keziah Whitson COLES, Mary GRIFFEN, Charles GRIFFEN, Henry KIRK, Ann TITUS, Martha VALENTINE, Charles VALENTINE, David VALENTINE, Elizabeth VALENTINE, Ephraim VALENTINE, Jacob VALENTINE, Jane R VALENTINE, Jonah VALENTINE, Lewis VALENTINE, Lewis VALENTINE, Martha VALENTINE, Obadiah VALENTINE, Richard VALENTINE, Richard VALENTINE, Samuel Titus VALENTINE, Sarah A VALENTINE, William WINTRINGHAM, Jeremiah Family: VALENTINE, Charles / COLES, Keziah Whitson Family: VALENTINE, Stephen / TITUS, Ann Family: VALENTINE, Samuel Titus / KIRK, Ann Family: WINTRINGHAM, Jeremiah / VALENTINE, Elizabeth Family: GRIFFEN, Henry / VALENTINE, Martha Family: GRIFFEN, Charles / VALENTINE, Sarah A Family: VALENTINE, Jacob / COLES, Mary Family: VALENTINE, David / COLES, Charity

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