Loading...
 
Suffolk County, New York

Suffolk Co., NY

Suffolk County, NY


History

The first people to dwell on Long Island were Algonquins, the group with similar languages and culture which lived throughout New England and the middle Atlantic coastal region. They came to this area crossing small steams and low lands where now the Hudson and East Rivers flow.

The Dutch who had settled on Manhattan Island in the early part of the seventeenth century, soon began to build and occupy on the opposite shore of Long Island; and as their population increased, they pushed their settlements out eastward to the north and south shores of the Island. The western part of the Island then came under the jurisdiction of the Dutch Government at New Amsterdam until the surrender of New York to the English in 1664. However, by 1650 they were losing their position of superiority due to the ability of the English to control much of the prized fur trade with native Americans. They agreed to divide Long Island and the English took control of the East End with the remainder left to the Dutch. The agreement of 1650 lasted until 1664 when Peter Stuyvesant, the Dutch governor, surrendered New Amsterdam to Colonel Nicolls in a bloodless coup. James, Duke of York, and brother to the King, now owned New York and all Long Island.
Source: Long Island Genealogy - Reflections and The Early History of Suffolk

Modern Day Adjacent Counties

Suffolk County is bordered by Nassau County, the Connecticut counties of Fairfield, New Haven, Middlesex and New London as well as Washington County, Rhode Island.

Gleanings from


Contributors to this page: Beverly .
Page last modified on Saturday 04 of August, 2012 11:21:09 CDT by Beverly.