Nathaniel Sylvester
Encyclopedia
Nathaniel Sylvester was the first European settler of Shelter Island
. An Anglo-Dutch sugar merchant, in June 1651 with his brother Constant and two other men he purchased the whole of Shelter Island from the Manhanset Indians
, whose sachem, or chief, was called "Yoki." The Shelter Island enterprise involved barrel-making, using the stands of white oak for shipping the West Indies
tobacco, sugar, molasses and rum back to England
. Sylvester used both local Indians and African slaves from Barbados in his operation.
Between 6 July (date of marriage jointure) and 8 August 1653 (date of letter mentioning his changed condition because of marriage) he married Griswell Brinley, daughter of Thomas Brinley, one of the Auditors General of the Revenues for Charles I
, and later for Charles II
. Griswell was a younger sister of Anne Brinley, who in England had married William Coddington
of Rhode Island in January 1650. When the Coddingtons returned to Rhode Island in mid-1651, Grizzell came along as a ward of Coddington. The Sylvesters were friends with Quaker founder George Fox
, whom he entertained on at least one occasion on Shelter Island. They offered a place of refuge for several of the persecuted early Quakers in New England. Shelter Island families descended from Sylvester include Dering, Sprague, L'Hommedieu, Havens and Hudson.
A contemporary archaeological
dig, the Sylvester Manor Project, a project overseen by the University of Massachusetts Boston
, seeks to shed light on the Sylvester estate as it existed in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Shelter Island (town), New York
Shelter Island is a town and island at the eastern end of Long Island in the U.S. state of New York. It forms the tip of Suffolk County and is separated from the rest of the county by water. The population was 2,228 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
. An Anglo-Dutch sugar merchant, in June 1651 with his brother Constant and two other men he purchased the whole of Shelter Island from the Manhanset Indians
Metoac
Metoac is the collective name for the group of culturally and linguistically related Native American settlements roughly east of what is now the Nassau County line on, Long Island in New York at the time of European contact in the 17th century. Metoac does not specifically refer to political,...
, whose sachem, or chief, was called "Yoki." The Shelter Island enterprise involved barrel-making, using the stands of white oak for shipping the West Indies
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
tobacco, sugar, molasses and rum back to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Sylvester used both local Indians and African slaves from Barbados in his operation.
Between 6 July (date of marriage jointure) and 8 August 1653 (date of letter mentioning his changed condition because of marriage) he married Griswell Brinley, daughter of Thomas Brinley, one of the Auditors General of the Revenues for Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
, and later for Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
. Griswell was a younger sister of Anne Brinley, who in England had married William Coddington
William Coddington
William Coddington was an early magistrate of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and later of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving as the Judge of Portsmouth, Judge of Newport, Governor of Portsmouth and Newport, Deputy Governor of the entire colony, and then Governor of the...
of Rhode Island in January 1650. When the Coddingtons returned to Rhode Island in mid-1651, Grizzell came along as a ward of Coddington. The Sylvesters were friends with Quaker founder George Fox
George Fox
George Fox was an English Dissenter and a founder of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends.The son of a Leicestershire weaver, Fox lived in a time of great social upheaval and war...
, whom he entertained on at least one occasion on Shelter Island. They offered a place of refuge for several of the persecuted early Quakers in New England. Shelter Island families descended from Sylvester include Dering, Sprague, L'Hommedieu, Havens and Hudson.
A contemporary archaeological
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
dig, the Sylvester Manor Project, a project overseen by the University of Massachusetts Boston
University of Massachusetts Boston
The University of Massachusetts Boston, also known as UMass Boston, is an urban public research university and the second largest campus in the five-campus University of Massachusetts system. The university is located on on Harbor Point in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States...
, seeks to shed light on the Sylvester estate as it existed in the 17th and 18th centuries.