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By Tara Mae Well known for her acerbic writing, literary prowess, and co-founding of the Algonquin Circle, Dorothy Parker was also a staunch supporter and an ally to social and civil rights operations. Her lightning quick wit hid depths of pain that ensnared her at various points of her life. Parker’s understanding of suffering and injustice extended beyond her own experience; she supported causes and individuals who fought for a better existence for all people. Parker was born Dorothy Rothschild on August 22, 1893, in Long Beach, New Jersey, where her parents had a summer cottage. They quickly returned to New York, as her mother wanted her to identify as a native New Yorker. No matter where she roamed, New York City was home.  “I take New York personally. I am, in fact, somewhat annoyingly tender about it. A silver cord ties me tight to my city.” She was an arbiter of and contributor to the New York literary scene, and this status enabled her to broaden her career and extend her influence. Her childhood was unhappy. Parker’s mother died before her fifth birthday, and her stepmother and father, to whom she was not close, passed away when she was still a teenager. Parker’s formal education ended when she was 14 years old. Alcoholism and depression were familiar foes and visited Parker throughout her life; she drank too much and attempted suicide four times. Such acute pain can either make someone more sensitive to the suffering of others and the cruelties of the world or it can make someone mypoic, seeing only their own sorrows. Parker cultivated a legendarily caustic tone that underscored strong moral convictions. Some of her work may appear to be preoccupied with her own circumstance and her biting commentaries could be self-directed, but she was acutely aware of other people’s struggles, and worked to right injustices. Employed as theater critic for Vanity Fair until too many high profile producers suffered the stings of her barbed critiques, she was also part of the original writing staff of The New Yorker  along with her dear friend Robert Benchley, who quit Vanity Fair in protest of her firing. Parker published her first collection of poetry, Enough Rope, in 1926. This volume established the style that would become her signature: brief, sharp statements often startlingly acidic or smart, with resonating impact. Her writing, regularly satiric, and frequently displaying a dark sense of humor, was not usually completely despairing or devoid of hope. The last line of the poem “Résumé” is after all, “You might as well live.” A pioneer on many fronts, Parker had a comprehensive understanding of the insidious banality of everyday racism. In her short story, “Arrangement in Black and White,” first published in The New Yorker in 1927, she brilliantly and bitingly exposes the problematic folly of the “I’m not racist, but” trope. Skewering the stereotype of the beloved black “mammy,” and addressing the hypocrisy of claiming to love black servants who are simultaneously thought of and treated as inferior, Parker addresses the blunt but casual racism through the long-winded dialogue of a female party guest who is eager to make the acquaintance of a black male gospel singer. She speaks to the man as if he is hard of hearing, “moving her lips meticulously, as if in parlance with the deaf,” and views beauty based on proximity to fair skin, remarking about an actress, “I thought she was much better looking. I had no idea she was so terribly dark.” Because the speaker equates service to white people with value, she feels modern and open-minded to support African Americans who in some way improve her life. The household servants provide domestic relief and the performers provide recreational entertainment. The character’s absurd hyperbolic attempts to convince her host of her acceptance only serve to highlight her bigotry. Parker conveys the host’s discomfort and disapproval through pointed silences and sardonic asides. Her condemnation is clear. It was during this period that Parker helped establish the Algonquin Roundtable and began to become more socially and civically active. After learning about the upcoming executions of anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, she traveled to Boston with Roundtable member Ruth Hale to protest the proceedings. They were arrested for their participation and Parker pleaded guilty to the offense of “loitering and sauntering.” She paid a $5 fine. The literary success she achieved in New York led Parker to pursue a career in Hollywood. Having divorced her first husband, stockbroker Edwin Pond Parker II, she met and married actor/screenwriter Alan Campbell. They would later divorce and remarry. She earned a variety of writing credits, including contributing lyrics to the song “I Wished on the Moon,” and co-writing scripts for popular movies, including Little Foxes and the original version of A Star is Born. She collaborated with Alexander Woollcott, another member of the illustrious Roundtable, to produce a comprehensive anthology of her work. It consisted of more than 24 short stories, and poems from three previous books: Enough Rope, Sunset Gun, and Death and Taxes. It featured an introduction by W. Somerset Maugham and was produced for servicemen  stationed overseas during World War II. Published in the United States as The Portable Dorothy Parker, it is one of three in a series to remain in continuous print: the other two are The Portable Shakespeare and The Portable World Bible. During the 1930s and ‘40s, Parker became an increasingly active advocate of civil rights and social justice matters. She applied the networking skills finely honed in New York to these pursuits. Parker cultivated a robust social circle, including actors, composers, and other artists, with whom she collaborated on different reform campaigns. She was renowned for hosting big dinners and throwing lavish parties at the Garden of Allah’s extravagant celebrity villas. To gain entry into these exclusive gatherings, gay men, including friends, acquaintances, and strangers, used the code “I’m a friend of Dorothy” as a secret password that had a double meaning. It indicated a relationship with Parker, even if none existed, and served as a code for the gay men to identify each other. Parker once mused “Heterosexuality is not normal, it is just common.” Her lack of prejudice enabled her to form important alliances but also gave her powerful adversaries. She supported the Scottsboro Boys, nine black teenagers who were falsely accused of rape and sentenced to death. For The New Masses, Parker reported on the Loyalist movement in Spain. With screenwriter/author Donald Ogden Stewart, lyricist/producer Oscar Hammerstein, and actor Frederic March, she helped establish the Hollywood Anti-Nazi League. As a chairperson for the Spanish Refuge Agency, the fundraising department of the Joint Anti-Fascist League, Parker arranged the transport of Loyalist veterans to Mexico, led the Spanish Children’s Relief, and gave her name to numerous left-wing organizations and efforts. Her vocal support of progressive agendas resulted in her being listed in Red Channels: The Report of Communist Influence in Radio and Television. The FBI assembled a 1000 page dossier on her activities, and she was blacklisted from Hollywood. Parker returned to New York. Although her writing output waned as her alcoholism worsened, she continued to publish and occasionally wrote for or appeared on radio. On June 7, 1967, Parker died of a heart attack. Having struggled with mental health issues and addiction, reoccurring themes of her impressive oeuvre allude to her own difficulties and directly regard societal troubles. Perhaps the best assessment of her writing comes from Parker herself: “There’s a hell of a distance between wise-cracking and wit. Wit has truth in it; wise-cracking is simply calisthenics with words.” She bequeathed her entire estate, including copyrights and royalties to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a man who she deeply admired but had never met. When he was assassinated on April 4, 1968, the literary estate, per Parker’s written instructions should anything happen to him, was transferred to the NAACP. Having resided in her lawyer’s filing cabinet for 21 years, in 1988 her ashes were interred in the Dorothy Rothschild Parker Memorial Garden, which the NAACP created in her honor at its Baltimore headquarters.

The Heart of the Tree by Henry Cuyler Bunner - 1855-1896 What does he plant who plants a tree? He plants a friend of sun and sky; He plants the flag of breezes free; The shaft of beauty, towering high; He plants a home to heaven anigh; For song and mother-croon of bird In hushed and happy twilight heard— The treble of heaven's harmony— These things he plants who plants a tree. What does he plant who plants a tree? He plants cool shade and tender rain, And seed and bud of days to be, And years that fade and flush again; He plants the glory of the plain; He plants the forest's heritage; The harvest of a coming age; The joy that unborn eyes shall see— These things he plants who plants a tree. What does he plant who plants a tree? He plants, in sap and leaf and wood, In love of home and loyalty And far-cast thought of civic good— His blessings on the neighborhood, Who in the hollow of His hand Holds all the growth of all our land— A nation's growth from sea to sea Stirs in his heart who plants a tree. Many in the community were heartbroken when, in September 1979, the iconic Lubber St. Oak in Stony Brook was taken down by the Town of Brookhaven. Controversy overshadowed its accidental removal and the age of this tree has always been a point for discussion. All that remained of this White Oak was the tree’s base when a plaque was added in 1983 dedicating the park to the memory of this landmark tree. For generations, this White Oak stood on Lubber St., its exact age could not be determined, but it was said to be over 300 years old and the oldest White Oak on Long Island. Edward Lapham in his 1942 book Stony Brook Secrets contemplates the old oak as he describes the history of the area “Stopping at the giant oak we found that some ruffians had smashed the sign put up by the North Suffolk Garden Club of Smithtown, who have maintained the spot. His Royal Highness is also badly in need of tree surgery. Why doesn’t some Stony Brook civic organization undertake the care of its oldest living inhabitant? It has been stated that this is the oldest tree in the country, but as that claim is still being debated by newspapers contributors, leave me out of it. I wonder just how old he is? I am told that he was here before the white man came. He saw Lubber Street’s birth and death. What has happened in Stony Brook since he burst open that brown shell of his acorn prison and pushed a tender shoot up toward the sun, would fill many volumes.” In 1952 The Long Island Horticultural Society published The Trees of Long Island by George H. Peters. As described in its subtitle the publication was “A Short Account of their History, Distribution, Utilization, and Significance in the Development of the Region…Also the Results of the First Systemic and Comprehensive Census of the “Big Trees” of Long Island, including a List of the Largest Specimens of the Species Reported.” This first publication of the organization was dedicated to Mrs. Frank Melville “Director-Patron-Friend…with gratitude and affection.” The booklet published the results of a five year survey begun in 1947. The publication expanded on the previous survey work by Norman Taylor published by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in 1922. In late 1947 The Long Island Horticultural Society in pursuance of its policy to foster interest in all phases of Long Island horticulture, decided to undertake a new census of big trees including native and exotic trees. The main part of the publication lists the largest example of that particular species and its location and girth. Another section lists the ten largest trees for several selected species. The booklet contains a list of Long Island’s 68 native tree species. It also focuses on big trees with specific historic significance. The Black Oak at Lloyd Neck was then the largest specimen in the United States. The tree was named for Theodore Roosevelt who “spent many hours under this tree reading or resting during hiking or hunting trips” before becoming President. (Circumferences - 1922 17ft; 1947 19ft. 7in.; 1973 20ft. 7in.). Also the largest Horsechestnut on Long Island at Halesite and a Sycamore at Orient. “The largest tree with a trunk over 4 ½ feet high, and therefore most impressive as a big tree, is the White Oak on Lubber Lane, west of Christian Road, northeast of Stony Brook. This great tree measures 23 feet 4 inches around at breast height.” The Society decided the census should be reviewed and updated every 10 years. A concern during the undertaking of the first census was that not all potential big trees/species were reported. Also over time trees could be damaged or removed, the result of natural causes or by man, and some trees may have simply reached the end of their life cycle. The 1963 report mentions that three of the largest trees from the 1922 report are still standing including the Lubber St. White Oak (girth 23ft. 9in.) and the Lloyd Harbor Black Oak (girth 20ft. 3in.) The 1963 publication supplement summarizes the results of the second big tree census of The Long Island Horticultural Society taken between 1958 and 1963. It points out the effect of suburbanization, hurricanes, etc. but the biggest destructive factor mentioned was Dutch Elm disease. They estimated that by the time of the third tree census the English and American Elms would all be gone. Big Trees from the Three Village area-the largest of the species at the time of the census. Girth measurements taken at a height of 4ft. 6in. unless otherwise noted. (Absence from a survey year does not necessarily mean a tree is gone, a larger specimen may have been identified. Location/species 1922 1952 1962 1972 Francis Bacon Estate, Stony Brook/ Head of the Harbor Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) 18ft. 8in. 19ft. 5in. 19ft. 8in. Weeping European Larch (Larix decidua pendula) 8ft. 3 in.* 10ft. 0in* 10ft. 7in.* Erland Ave., Stony Brook Monkey Puzzle (Araucaria Araucana) 0ft. 11in. 1ft. 8in. 2ft. 5in. C. T. Emmett Estate, Stony Brook/ Head of the Harbor Smoketree (Cotinus coggyria) 2ft. 7in.** 3ft. 0in.** English Holly (Ilex aquifolium) 2ft. 6in. 3ft. 1in. T. A. Emmett Estate, Stony Brook/Head of the Harbor English walnut (Juglans regia) 5ft. 7in.** Lubber Lane, Stony Brook White Oak (Quercus alba) 19ft. 7in 23ft. 4 in. 23ft. 9in. 24ft 0in. Meadow Lane, Stony Brook Quince (Cydonia olbonga) 0ft 11in.*** Old Field Rd., Old Field Deodar Cedar (Cedrus deodara) 2ft. 1in. Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) 2ft. 0in. Golden Arborvitae (Thuja occidentallis aurea) 0ft. 9in. 1ft. 1in. gone Bay Dr., Setauket Chestnut Oak (Quercus montana) 17ft. 0in. The reports also list the top ten trees for certain selected species. The following are among those listed for the Three Village area from the three censuses H.C. Sherwood, Post Rd., East Setauket aka Sherwood Jayne House Black Walnut 14ft. 6in. 14ft. 4 in. 14ft. 6in. J.J. O’Connor/S. Converse property, Old Town Rd., Setauket 200ft south of LIRR high bridge Black Walnut 13ft. 7in. 14ft. 1 in. 14ft. 4in. Former William Floyd Estate, south of View Ave., Setauket European Beech NR NR 13ft. 10in.**** C. S. Newcomb property, east of north end of Van Brunt Manor, Poquott Purple (Copper) Beech NR 12ft. 10in. 14ft. 7in.** *girth measurement taken at height 2 ft. 6 in. ** girth measurement taken at height of 3ft. *** girth measurement taken at height of 2ft. ****girth measurement taken at 4ft. NR – not registered The 1973 publication (surveying began in 1968) contemplates the loss of several White Oaks. “Among the White Oaks, the well known “Ye Olde Oake” of Stony Brook is still the Long Island Champion but it is nearing the end of several centuries of stalwart life. Unfortunately, we will never know its age since it is completely hollow and the annual rings cannot be counted…Another special White Oak, now gone, was the Walt Whitman White Oak which the poet undoubtedly knew quite well but which succumbed to the paving of the Walt Whitman Shopping Center.” Sources: Peters, George H., The Trees of Long Island, The Long Island Horticultural Society, publication no. 1, Summer 1952, Farmingdale, NY. Supplement Number 1 to The Trees of Long Island, The Long Island Horticultural Society, publication no. 2, Fall 1963, Great River, NY. Peters, George H., The Trees of Long Island, The Long Island Horticultural Society, publication no. 3, Spring 1973, Oyster Bay, NY. Lapham, Edward A., Stony Brook Secrets, The Gotham Bookmart Press, NY 1942. Murphy, Robert Cushman, Fish-Shape Paumanok, The American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, 1964. The books referenced above are available at the Emma S. Clark Memorial in the Long Island reference collection. Also in the collection is a 1994 publication Great Trees of Long Island photography by Richard Machtay; illustration and design by M. Willis Associates, Stony Brook, NYS DEC (not accessible at the time of this writing due to library closure) Please share your stories and memories of the Lubber St. Oak.

By Tara Mae Maritcha Remond Lyons was an African American civil rights activist, educator, and suffragist who spent her life fighting for racial and women’s equality. An assistant principal and cofounder of the Women’s Loyal Union of New York and Brooklyn and the White Rose Mission, her profound yet understated legacy encompassed becoming an advisor for writer and anti-lyching advocate Ida B. Wells. Maritcha’s contributions, though less well-known than some of her peers, were integral to the amplification of frequently marginalized voices and social justice movements. Her practical experience, wealth of knowledge, and networking abilities made her an invaluable asset to groups that were striving for change. Born on May 23, 1848 to Albro and Mary Joseph Lyons, she and her family resided in New York City’s free African American community. Maritcha’s father was a graduate of the African Free School in Manhattan. Founded in 1787 by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and other members of the New York Manumission Society, it was set up for the children of enslaved and free people of color. Involved in many organizations, Maritcha’s parents ran a seamen’s home and outfitting store. These businesses served as a cover for their involvement in the Underground Railroad. From a young age, Maritcha loved learning and understood the importance of education. Her passion was fostered by her family and nurtured by her own motivation. In her unpublished memoir, Maritcha muses that she had a “love of study for study’s sake.” This hunger for knowledge informed both her professional career and her personal activism. Her access to education was hampered by sickness and threatened by danger and discrimination. As a child, Maritcha suffered from an undisclosed illness that kept her out of school for a significant period of time. Her schooling was further interrupted by the violent New York City Draft Riots of July 1863. Led by incensed working-class New Yorkers, the unrest was ignited by a federal draft law that subjected to conscription all male citizens between the ages of 20 and 35 and all unmarried men between the ages of 35 and 45. They were entered into a lottery for war service, but wealthy individuals could buy their way out of participation, either by hiring someone to go in their stead or paying the government $300 (approximately $5,800 today.) Resistance to the updated draft law was further complicated by opposition, including from within the Union Army, to the Emancipation Proclamation. Some anti-war politicians and newspapers consistently and insidiously cautioned their audiences, mainly Irish and German immigrants, that freeing enslaved individuals would cause them to come north and take their jobs. Originally directed at the police, the unrest quickly expanded to target African American businesses, homes, and citizens. The Lyons fled to Massachusetts, briefly returned to New York, then temporarily relocated to Providence, Rhode Island. It was here that Maritcha faced yet another obstacle to her education; she was forbidden from attending Providence High School due to her race. The family joined the desegregation movement of the state and sued the school. At age 16, Maritcha testified before the state legislature, urging desegregation and  “...the opening of the door of opportunity.” Aided by the strength of her statement, public schools were integrated. In 1869, she became the first African American student to graduate from Providence High School. That same year she moved to Weeksville, a vibrant African American enclave in Brooklyn, and began what would develop into a long and illustrious career in education. Maritcha taught for 30 years before becoming an assistant principal for PS 83, where, drawing on her own experience, she helped integrate the school. Her responsibilities also included supervising and instructing other educators, which made her the second African American in the New York City public school system to train teachers. She continued to further her own learning; Maritcha spent a decade studying languages and music at the Brooklyn Institute. She took public speaking courses, which were a great asset in her roles as advocate and advisor for different social justice platforms. Maritcha was a counselor and consultant to other women involved in these efforts. Earning a reputation as a well-respected orator renowned for her speeches and lectures on topics like women’s suffrage and civil rights, Maritcha was very active in her community. She was vocal member of the Colored Women’s Equal Suffrage League of Brooklyn and participant in many different aid societies. It was through this involvement that she first met activist and journalist Ida B. Wells, who came to Brooklyn in 1892 as stop on her anti-lynching tour. Ida had recently published an editorial in the Memphis Free Speech, a newspaper she co-owned. It examined the lies that were used to justify lynchings of African Americans, particularly the stereotype that these killings were done in retaliation for black men raping white women. An investigative journalist, she visited the scenes of lynchings and interviewed witnesses. She combined the information she gathered, which included incidents of consensual encounters between black men and white women, with statistics and quantitative data. Ida proved that the reasons given for lynchings were patently false. These homicides were acts of domestic terrorism designed to preserve economic, social, and political white supremacy. African Americans were lynched for reasons such as registering to vote, opening their own businesses, or not deferring to whites in a manner they deemed appropriate. Ida had personal motivation for her exposé. A close friend, Thomas Moss, and his business partners Calvin McDowell and Will Stewart, had been murdered by a lynch mob because their store, People’s Grocery, was believed to be diverting revenue from a white man’s store. After her article was printed, an angry white mob destroyed the newspaper office and ran the co-editor out of town. Ida, who was in Philadelphia at the time for a conference, began traveling the country, speaking out about the circumstances of lynchings. When she arrived in Brooklyn, she got involved in the local outreach initiatives and began attending lyceums, where she met Maritcha. At a gathering of the Brooklyn Literary Union of the Siloam Presbyterian Church, Maritcha and Ida debated lynching. Maritcha won the debate, and Ida was so impressed that she asked Maritcha to advise her on how to become a better public speaker. She agreed and introduced Ida to her social circles, connecting her with a strong group of women who were prominent figures in the robust cultural life of the African American community. Maritcha invited her to join the ranks of the journalists, educators, and reformers who strove to enact positive change. Having helped harness the support for Ida, Maritcha joined forces with friend and activist Victoria Earle Mathews. Together they assisted Ida in planning and arranging her impactful speech on anti-lynching at New York City’s Lyric Hall. This powerful testimonial was very well-attended and raised enough funds to finance publishing Ida’s editorial as a pamphlet. Southern Horrors: Lynch Law In All Its Phases. Ida dedicated the piece to the “Afro-American women of New York and Brooklyn.” Inspired by their achievement at Lyric Hall, Maritcha and Victoria co-founded the Women’s Loyal Union of New York and Brooklyn, one of the country’s first racial justice and women’s rights organizations in the United States. Through this coalition, Maritcha continued to support the work of Ida and promote her anti-lynching pamphlet as well as other projects. Its success led to the formation of the National Association of Colored Women. Maritcha and Victoria also established the White Rose Mission, a settlement house on the Upper West Side of Manhattan that was created to give shelter, food, and safety to African American women newly arrived from the southern states or West Indies. In an attempt to protect the women from unscrupulous characters of nefarious intent, Maritcha, Victoria, and other volunteers met them as they disembarked from ships and trains, and offered them refuge in their new city. The mission offered child-rearing classes, enrichment courses, and a Penny Provident Bank thrift program. Providing all of these services was particularly important since they were usually unavailable to African American women. In 1901, Maritcha was invited to speak at the Constitution League to discuss the draft/race riots of 1863. Although she officially retired in 1918, Maritcha continued her activism. Four years after her retirement, she once again engaged in an anti-lynching campaign, led by Mary B. Talbert of the NAACP. Homespun Heroines and Other Women of Distinction, published by Hallie Quinn Brown in 1926, contained eight biographical segments written by Maritcha. Her memoir and family photos are part of the Harry A. Williamson Papers at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture of the New York Public Library. She died in 1929, leaving behind neither partner nor children but a lasting and meaningful impact on history.

Whether you spell it doughnut or donut or prefer glazed to creme filled I think we can all agree they are delicious. Not that we need a special day to enjoy this tasty treat, but did you know that the first Friday in June is known as National Doughnut Day? Some donut chains and bakeries will offer free donuts on this day. Its origin is not a marketing campaign dreamed up by your favorite donut chain or corporate America. National Doughnut Day dates to 1938 but its roots precede that date. How the doughnut became a symbol of comfort and home during wartime and beyond During the Great War (World War I) The Salvation Army provided various services, not just spiritual support, to U. S. troops stationed in France. These volunteers worked out of huts near the front lines often coming under fire themselves. "Soon after the U. S. entrance into World War I in 1917, The Salvation Army sent a fact-finding mission to France. The mission concluded that the needs of U. S. enlisted men could be met by canteens/social centers termed "huts" that could serve baked goods, provide writing supplies and stamps, and provide a clothes-mending service. Typically, six staff members per hut would include four female volunteers who could "mother" the boys...Margaret Sheldon wrote of one busy day: "Today I made 22 pies, 300 doughnuts, 700 cups of coffee." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Doughnut_Day “Despite discovering that serving baked goods would be difficult considering the conditions of the huts and the limited rations, two officers – Ensign Margaret Sheldon and Adjutant Helen Purviance – began frying donuts in a small pan. These tasty treats boosted morale and won the hearts of many soldiers.” https://salvationarmyflorida.org/2020/05/19/national-donut-day/ These ladies came to be known as “Doughnut Lassies” or “Doughnut Girls” The original doughnut recipe from the front lines: https://salvationarmyflorida.org/2020/05/19/national-donut-day/ Ingredients: 2 large eggs 5 cups flour 2 cups sugar 5 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 tablespoon salt 1 3/4 cups milk 1 tub lard Directions: Combine all ingredients (except for lard) to make the dough. Thoroughly knead the dough, roll smooth, and cut into rings that are less than 1/4 inch thick. Drop the rings into the lard, making sure the fat is hot enough to brown the donuts gradually. Turn the donuts slowly several times. When browned, remove donuts and allow excess fat to drip off. Dust with powdered sugar. Let cool and enjoy! National Doughnut Day established In 1938, in Chicago, The Salvation Army, providing comfort to those during the Great Depression, held the first doughnut day to honor those who served in WWI. The tradition continued and it became a symbol of the organization. On June 5, 2020, The Salvation Army will thank the men and women on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic by delivering donuts and hope. https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/national-donut-day/ World War II During World War II the War Department decreed that the American Red Cross would be the only civilian service organization permitted to work with overseas military personnel. One of the services they offered was to set up clubs and canteens for the servicemen. They also had buses, aka clubmobiles, fitted out to go where the servicemen were to provide basic goods, a lounge area, and, of course, serve donuts and coffee. These “Donut Dollies” continued the tradition established in WWI. https://history.delaware.gov/ww-ii-donut-dollies-the-american-red-cross/ Donut Trivia, etc. For some donut facts, trivia, and what are the most popular flavors visit https://nationaltoday.com/national-donut-day/ The term “Doughboy” became a popular nickname for the United States soldiers during WWI and some say that it originated because of the doughnuts. The term however predates WWI and historians debate its origins. For some history on the origins of the term: https://www.history.com/news/why-were-americans-who-served-in-world-war-i-called-doughboys http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/origindb.htm To read more about this topic and the roll these women and other female volunteers took in WWI to reach out and support service men read: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/donut-girls-wwi-helped-fill-soldiers-bellies-and-get-women-vote-180962864/

(from the collections of the Three Village Historical Society) Originally written for the Summer 2015 Historian by William B. Minuse and Beverly C. Tyler Joseph Rowland’s home and shipyard is in East Setauket at the intersection of Shore Road and Bayview Avenue. Rowland built the 106 foot schooner-yacht Wanderer in 1857 for Colonel John D. Johnson who was a member of the New York Yacht Club and a wealthy sugar planter from New Orleans. He had a home in the Islips. The Wanderer was designed by Captain Thomas B. Hawkins and he supervised her construction. The sails for the Wanderer were made in Port Jefferson, in the Wilson sail loft. Wilson also made the first suit of sails for the schooneryacht America, that captured the Cup that still bears the name of that first winner. That summer of 1857, the Wanderer sailed Long Island Sound with Captain Hawkins as her sailing master. Her owner, Johnson, sailed her with the New York Yacht Club Squadron. She was said to have been the fastest schooner ever built, too big and too fast so the yacht club wouldn't let her compete. That fall Wanderer, with captain Walter Smith, voyaged to Havana, via Charleston and Savannah and she was very widely acclaimed. However, Johnson sold the Wanderer in Janurary 1858 to William C. Corey. With the change of ownership Captain Smith left the ship along with the owner and most of the crew. As a token of appreciation and respect the owner and crew presented Smith with an inscribed silver cup. “PRESENTED to Capt Walter Smith OF YACHT WANDERER on her Southern Cruise Jan 1858 As a testimonial of our regard BY THE WANDERERS John D Johnson, Henry D Townsend, G.H. McLean, T.E. Wilmeiding, E.A. Johnson, P. Haitshoine.” Corey sailed the Wanderer back to Long Island and brought her into Port Jefferson where she was fitted out for the slave trade, probably at the yard of J.J. Harris. Numerous large water tanks were installed. All the people looked the other way, except S.S. Norton, surveyor of the Port. He became suspicious and notified federal officials in New York. The revenue cutter Harriet Lane intercepted the Wanderer off Old Field Point and took her in tow to New York over Corey's loud protests. Corey glibly talked himself free and the Wanderer was allowed to leave for Charleston, SC where the real owner Charles Augustus Lafayette Lamar surfaced. Actually he probably crawled out from under a rock. Lamar, staying in the background because of his previous connection with slavers, obtained customs clearance for her. They completed fitting out for the slave trade and sailed for Africa. Her captain, for at least part of this time was John E. Farnum, a mean looking cuss. Slavers were rigged to outrun the slave squadrons of Great Britain and America, both of which were trying to stop the now illegal slave trade. Wanderer took aboard some 600 “negroes” and sailed for America. The slaves were laid down side by side alternating head and feet and chained, wrist to ankle. They were kept lying there for days and there was no sanitation. Even worse, if a ship was overtaken by one of the slave squadrons it was not uncommon to bend an anchor to the last man on the chain and let it go overboard, taking the whole cargo of slaves and destroying the evidence. On the evening of November 28, 1858, she landed 465 Africans on Jekyll Island, Georgia. The rest died during the voyage and were unceremoniously tossed over the side. The ship was seized by Federal authorities however the Africans, now on Georgia soil, a slave state, were sold at auction. There was outrage in the U.S. Congress but little, if anything, was done, less than two years before the start of the Civil War. Wanderer was sold at auction and Lamar bought her. In the spring of 1861 she was seized by the federal Government and used as a gunboat in the Civil War. She was credited with capturing four prizes. After the war the U.S. Navy sold her to private owners who ran her aground on cape Maisi, east out of Cuba, on January 21, 1871 and she was a total loss. The mess kettle that was used to feed the slaves on Jekyll Island, Georgia still existed in the 1970s but has since disappeared. There was even a sign beside it that explained the history of the kettle and told that the Wanderer was built at East Setauket. In 2008, the Jekyll Island History Museum opened an exhibit on “The Last Slaver.” William B. Minuse (1908-2002) was a civil Engineer, writer, historian and past president of the Three Village Historical Society. Beverly Tyler is Three Village Historical Society Historian. The last four photographs above are from William Minuse’s 1973 slide presentation “Shipbuilding in the Three Village Area.” His notes, documents and written presentation formed the basis for this article.

By Tara Mae There is a journalistic tenet “The role of a newspaper is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” Muckraker and a mother of investigative journalism, Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman, better known as Nellie Bly, was an ambassador for this credo. Born in Pennsylvania in 1864, she adopted New York as her home, and it was here that she produced some of her most legendary work. Her incendiary journalism helped set a modern precedent for using the written word not only to expose corruption and abuse but to inspire change. Although her journalistic intention often came up against patriarchal constraint, she sought to balance her fluff and “stunt” reporting with meaningful writing. Bly’s first published piece was a letter to the editor, written under the pseudonym “Little Orphan Girl” when she was approximately sixteen years old. In it, she excoriated a column in the Pittsburgh Dispatch entitled “What Girls are Good For.” Bly took issue with the fact that according to the author, women were primarily suited only for birthing children and keeping house. The editor of the newspaper, George Madden, was so enthused by Bly’s fervor that he ran an advertisement in the paper, asking the unknown writer to identify herself. Upon meeting Bly, he suggested that she write an article under the same pseudonym. Little Orphan Girl penned “The Girl Puzzle,” which addressed how divorce impacted women and argued for a reform of divorce laws, themes close to Bly’s heart since her mother had divorced her alcohlic, abusive third husband. Madden was further impressed and offered her a full-time job. He gave Bly her nom de plume, taken from a popular minstrel song, “Nelly Bly,” by Stephen Foster. Among other things, it had been a campaign song for Abraham Lincoln’s reelection. The different spelling of the first name was due to an editorial error and she kept it for continuity. Still very much considered to be the domain of men, it was quite common for female journalists, writers, and artists to labor under pen names. As a woman, Bly’s voice was stifled, socially and legally. It was generally considered unbecoming in polite society for women to have careers. Her alias afforded her a certain freedom and anonymity, but that changed as her articles and escapades became more popular. Women did not have the right to vote, and while state laws were shifting, many women did not have legal rights to their property or even their children. Bly, who had expressed to Madden a desire to write about ordinary persons, began composing a series of articles about the working conditions and struggles of female factory workers. She depicted the always dirty and too often dangerous factories, detailing the unsanitary spaces and exploitative practices faced by employees. Bly recognized the individuality of her subjects, highlighting their daily toils and personal dreams. When factory owners barred her from their businesses, Bly began her first undercover assignment. Dressed in tattered garments, she became a factory worker and wrote first-person narratives about her experience. Incensed at her reporting, the owners complained to Madden who reassigned her to the women’s pages of the paper, where she discussed high society, gardening, and fashion: topics that were considered suitable for female reporters. Very dissatisfied with the trajectory of her employment and resolved “to do something no girl has done before,” she went to Mexico as a foreign correspondent. Such an act was highly unusual and considered incredibly dangerous for a woman. Bly’s mother initially traveled with her as a chaperone but soon returned to the United States, leaving Bly to explore the country on her own, a fairly scandalous act for the time. For five months, she sent reports back to America that described Mexican life and culture. After she sent a dispatch that opposed the imprisonment of a local reporter who had criticized the dictatorial government of Porfirio Diáz, authorities threatened to arrest her, and she left the country. Her articles were later compiled in a book, Six Months In Mexico. Upon her return, Bly briefly resumed working for the Dispatch until continued frustration with her assignments inspired her to move to New York City. Resolute in her desire to be seen as a serious journalist, Bly left a note for her associate Erasmus Wilson that read “Off to New York. Look out for me.” The move would become the entry point for some of her most fiery prose, but it initially took her months to find a job. Hungry for funds and meaningful opportunities, Bly talked her way into the offices of the New York World and managed to get a meeting with Joseph Pulitzer, its powerful and infamous publisher. Impressed with her boldness, they agreed on a trial assignment: an exposé of the notorious Women’s Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell Island (now Roosevelt Island). The first crucial step was for Bly to get herself admitted into the asylum. Bly spent one night rehearsing in front of her mirror the persona of a “mad woman,” then rented a room at a boarding house to debut her character. She refused to go to sleep, informing the boarders that they were untrustworthy and crazy. Subsequently, they decided that she was insane and summoned the authorities. Brought before a judge, Bly claimed amnesia. A team of doctors examined her and declared her legally insane; one noted that she was a “hopeless case.” The judge decreed it so, and sent her to Bellevue Hospital from which she was shipped to Blackwell Island. Bly’s performance as a mad amnesiac was so enrapturing that other newspapers picked up the story of the “mysterious waif,” as the New York Times called her. Once Bly was successfully admitted to the asylum, she resumed her typical behavior. Instead of judging this as a sign of sanity, the doctors and nurses viewed these actions as symptoms of her mental illness. After interacting with the patients, Bly concluded that many of the women were perfectly sane but held in medical captivity for a variety of reasons, including physical impairments and abusive husbands or relatives who had committed them. Bly was subject to the same degrading and dangerous conditions with which the other inmates grappled: being served rotten, spoiled food, bitterly cold and aggressively administered ice baths, consistent verbal abuse, and regular beatings. She chronicled the added hardships that immigrant women faced, such as language barriers and cultural insensitivity. To her knowledge, there were only 16 doctors who attended more than 1600 women. She kept meticulous notes, recounting the mistreatment and mismanagement. Getting admitted to the asylum proved alarmingly easy, but getting released was a bit more challenging. When she explained that she was actually an investigative journalist and demanded to be freed, the staff took it as more of her delusional ravings. Bly’s liberation came when a lawyer for the World vouched for her mental capacity and ensured her release. The first of the resulting series of articles, titled “Behind Asylum Bars,” ran on October 9, 1887, two days after her release. The series was a sensation, and Bly became a renowned cultural figure. She decried the injustice of the entire process of institutionalization, beginning with the unilateral authority of a (male) judge to declare a woman insane “by merely bidding her good morning and refusing to hear her pleas of release? Even the sick ones know it is useless to say anything for the answer will be that it is their imagination.” The articles were syndicated, and her painstaking accounts of the deplorable conditions and policies received national attention. Bly then wrote Ten Days in a Mad House, a critically lauded book about her time on the island. Mortified, the psychiatrists who had mislabelled and misdiagnosed her offered their apologies. Beyond that, the New York City municipal government took notice of the negative attention and allocated more funds to the care of the patients on Blackwell’s Island. New York Assistant District Attorney Vernon M. Davis enlisted Bly’s assistance and convened a grand jury to investigate her discoveries. In conjunction with her muckraking, these findings inspired important changes in New York CIty’s Department of Public Charities and Corrections (later divided into two entities), which oversaw the state asylums. Within weeks, a number of the most egregious abuses relayed by Bly had been in some way addressed: living conditions and the food supply were improved, translators were hired for immigrant women, many of whom were not mentally ill but rather unable to understand their wardens, and the most malicious staff had been fired and replaced by other doctors and nurses. Not willing to rest on her fresh laurels, Bly quickly took on many new assignments from the World, immersing herself in the dangerous environments of homelessness, sweatshops, jails, and the legislature, where she exposed how bribery was used as a tool by certain lobbyists to influence politicians. In Albany, she posed as a lobbyist and enlisted a real lobbyist, Ed Phelps, to kill a bill for a fee of $1000. He used that money to pay off six assemblymen, checking each one off a list that he read aloud and gave to her. The newspaper published both this document and his subsequent denial of any wrongdoing. The six politicians demanded an investigation, the result of which was that they were each cleared of any crimes. Bly testified in front of the Assembly Judiciary Committee and was well-received by the crowd. Phelps, however, left the state capital and did not return the next year. One of her most salacious stories involved going undercover to uncover the nefarious world of trafficking infants. Once again, Bly showed her acting chops, pretending to be an unwed mother interested in selling her unwanted child. The sprawling feature story portrayed an insidious exchange between her and a doctor who lamented that she wanted to rid herself of girl since they were “...very hard to get rid of. Now, if it was only a boy you would have had more chance.” According to the report, Bly was also offered the opportunity to purchase a baby. She declined the invitation. Having gained national attention for her intrepid reporting, Bly and her editors agreed to a brash experiment: she would try to circumnavigate the globe in less than 80 days, thereby beating the record set by Phineas Fogg in Jules Verne’s book Around the World in 80 Days. Initially skeptical about the proposed endeavor, Pulitzer warned that only a man would be able to achieve such a feat. Bly’s response was direct. “Very well. Start the man, and I’ll start the same day for another newspaper.” The World sponsored her trip. Spurred on by her own determination and galvanized by the attention from an excited public, Bly completed her trek in 72 days, three days ahead of her personal goal. She leveraged her popularity and clout to write about topics in which she was interested, such as revealing the rampant animal cruelty of the Central Park Zoo. And, Bly continued to champion social interests as well as its supporters. Her conversation with anarchist, writer, and activist Emma Goldman identified the then imprisoned woman not as a dangerous radical, but rather an articulate individual of strong convictions. It was a frank discussion and provided Goldman, who initially expressed unease about being interviewed, the opportunity to explain her views to a new audience. Bly supplied editorial details about her appearance and manner; she concluded the piece on a sympathetic note. “And so I left the little Anarchist, the modern Joan of Arc, waiting patiently in the Tombs until her friends could secure bail for her.” Bly’s compassion for those deserving of it combined with her journalistic prowess made her a sought after reporter. In one of her last assignments before her early retirement from the World, Bly reported on the convention of the 1896 National Women’s Suffrage Association in Washington D.C. A suffragist herself, it was there that she interviewed Susan B. Anthony. Interweaving assessments of the speakers attire with descriptions of the speeches, Bly made the controversial idea of women’s right to vote seem less threatening to more conservative sensibilities. Following this contribution, she retired from journalism to tend to her new husband. Robert Seaman was a manufacturer, a millionaire, and approximately forty years her senior. Upon his death in 1904, she took over his business but returned to reporting a few years later as a way to improve her personal finances. Writing for different publishers, including William Randolph Hearst, she covered World War I from Vienna and other locations on the European front. Bly still advanced the cause of suffrage, penning such articles as “Suffragists are Men’s Superiors.” She died of pneumonia in 1922, at the age of 57, and is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery.  Bly helped shape the concept of modern journalism. She combined journalistic integrity with human interest features, and thus promoted a comprehensive style of connecting relevant information to insightful narratives.

By Beverly Tyler, TVHS Historian Members of the Three Village Historical Society Beverly and Barbara Tyler and Arthur Billadello held a brief memorial service at the Setauket Village Green on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, 2020 at 10:30 A.M. to honor those who gave their lives to preserve our freedoms. Following an opening prayer by VFW Post Commander Jay Veronko, memorial wreaths were presented by New York State Assemblyman Steven Englebright, Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn, Town of Brookhaven Councilwoman Valerie Cartright, and Anna Smith Strong Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution Regent Rita Newman and member Mary Pinnata. Three Village Historical Society Historian Beverly Tyler read the names of the men memorialized on the plaques on the rock on the Setauket Village Green who gave their lives during World War I, World War II and Vietnam, They are: Harry Golden (and) Raymond Wishart - World War I Clifford J. Darling, Henry P. Eichacker, Francis S. Hawkins, David Douglas Hunter, Orlando P. Lyons, Anthony R. Matusky, Edward A. Pfeiffer, (and) William E. Weston - World War II Chris Fredrick Brunn - Vietnam This week American flags were placed at the graves of the Revolutionary War men and woman who as soldiers and spies risked their lives to establish our nation; The names of these Patriots, buried in eight graveyards and cemeteries throughout the Three Village area were also read. Elijah Bayles, David Cleaves, Benjamin Hawkins, Elnathan Satterly, John Satterly, Samuel Satterly, Jedediah Williamson, Abraham Woodhull, (and) Nathan Woodhull - Setauket Presbyterian Church Graveyard Israel Bennett, Robert Jayne, Samuel Jayne, Benjamin Jones, Vincent Jones, (and) Samuel Longbothum - Caroline Church of Brookhaven Graveyard Anna Smith Strong, (and) Selah Strong - Smith-Strong Family Cemetery Joseph Wells, (and) John Williamson - Obediah Davis Family Cemetery Joseph Brewster - Brewster Family Cemetery Jonathan Thompson, (and) Samuel Thompson - Thompson Family Cemetery Isaac Hawkins, (and) Arthur Smith - Smith Family Cemetery Alexander Hawkins, Alexander Hawkins, Jr., Isaac Hawkins, Jacob Hawkins, Simeon Hawkins, (and) Zopher Hawkins - Hawkins Family Graveyard - Nassakeag Following the reading of names, Bethel A.M.E. Pastor the Reverend Gregory Leonard gave the benediction. PHOTO CAPTIONS FOR ABOVE Selah and Nancy Strong, Revolutionary War, Smith-Strong Cemetery, Strong's Neck Jonathan Thompson, Revolutionary War, Thompson Family Cemetery, Setauket Francis Hawkins, World War II, buried Caroline Church Graveyard, Setauket John Williamson, Revolutionary War, Obediah Davis Family Cemetery, Stony Brook Bev marking the grave of Isaac Hawkins in the Smith Family Cemetery, Main Street, Setauket

By Tara Mae Born in Manhattan on October 11, 1884, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt maintained strong ties to New York all of her life. Her legacy of activism started in New York and was tested during her husband’s presidency. Opposition came not from the “other" but from detractors cloaked in camaraderie. Eleanor’s understanding of the impact and cost of conflict encompassed more than economic hardships, battle casualties, and military funding. It included women and minorities fighting to be seen and safe in their own country, refugees fleeing Nazism, and citizens contending with ostracization and discrimination. At times limited by her gender and status, she recognized that prejudice was an enemy that needed to be faced at home. Her husband, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, began his political career in New York and Eleanor always had a residence in the state, first in Hyde Park and then, after the presidency, in Greenwich Village. In 1918, after 13 years of marriage, Eleanor discovered that Franklin was having an affair. She was devastated, but a divorce was deemed out of the question since it would ruin his political career, a cause to which both had devoted much time, energy, and labor. Their relationship evolved. She began spending more time at Val-Kill, the home in Hyde Park, and sought to cultivate a fulfilling public life of her merit. His betrayal became her leverage in establishing more equality in their marriage. Franklin was paralyzed due to illness in 1921, and she became his “eyes, ears, and legs.” Already very socially and civically active, Eleanor began making appearances in her husband’s stead. She was no longer just an active supporter of his work, she was now a practical participant in all of his outreach efforts. She did not sacrifice interest in her pursuits and continued to form and champion her opinions and causes, such as women’s education. He was elected president in 1933, and Eleanor was not thrilled at the prospect of being first lady. She feared the title would require her to give up her agency in favor of her husband’s presidency. This was not an unfounded fear: the position was most closely associated with matters of domesticity and hospitality. Her immediate predecessor, Lou Henry Hoover, gave up her feminist activism when she and her husband, Herbert Hoover, moved into the White House. Eleanor fought to maintain her identity with the support of Franklin and a couple of close friends, including Associated Press reporter Lorena Hickok. Eleanor was the first president’s wife to actively cultivate her own audience. She interwove her advocacy into her role as first lady. Eleanor wrote a daily syndicated newspaper column, “My Day,” as well as a monthly magazine column. She had a weekly radio show and gave regular media briefings. During her 12 years in the White House, she had 348 press conferences. Initially suggested by Hickok, Eleanor made them exclusive to women. Female journalists were invited; men were banned. This compelled newspapers to retain women on their staff in order to cover the briefings, saving the jobs of female reporters. Eleanor continued in her own career, giving speeches and pursuing her agenda. During the first year of Franklin’s administration, she was determined to earn as much as his salary paid him. She made $70,000 from public speaking and business endeavors, and donated most of the money to charity. Her community engagement provided her a more personal insight into the struggles of Americans, particularly women and minorities. She balanced her independence with her work on her husband’s behalf. During the first year of his presidency, a large group of protestors, consisting of WWI veterans and their families, encamped in Washington. Known as the Bonus Army, they were there to demand early access to their bonus certificates. A previous march during Hoover’s administration had been met with tanks and tear gas. Franklin dispatched Eleanor to meet with them, but no one told her the purpose of the errand until she was already on her way to camp. Upon arrival, she listened to their grievances, sang army songs with them, and effectively de-escalated a tense situation. As one protestor noted, “Hoover sent the Army. Roosevelt sent his wife.” As a presidential emissary, she was one of Franklin’s greatest assets. A dogged campaigner and ardent proponent for the radical New Deal, Eleanor traveled around the country in support of it, acting as both Franklin’s surrogate and an independent observer. She fought for inclusion and parity in the program’s policies, and was frequently one of the sole members of Franklin’s cabinet advocating that people of different races have equal access to all elements of outreach and support. When Eleanor visited the South and witnessed the racial discrimination of the New Deal against African Americans, she entreated Franklin to address the issue. Throughout her life, she fought against racial prejudice and inequality. Afraid to offend Southern Democrats, whose favor he needed to pass New Deal initiatives, Franklin frequently refused her admonitions. In 1934, the Costigan-Wagner Bill was proposed to make lynching a federal crime. Eleanor, who had joined the NAACP, urged her husband to support the measure. She arranged a meeting between him and the president of the NAACP, Walter Francis White, but Franklin refused to publicly endorse the legislation. The bill died in Congress. Eleanor continued to push, publicly and personally, for civil rights, earning the ire of racists throughout the country. The Ku Klux Klan even put a $25,000 bounty on her head. The onslaught of World War II inspired Eleanor to expand the scope of her service. Originally wanting to join the Red Cross in Europe, she was discouraged from doing so by the administration; it feared that Eleanor would be taken as a prisoner-of-war. So, she used her position and standing to support not only the Allies, but different oppressed persons as well. Eleanor became an advocate for Jewish refugees escaping persecution. She encouraged Franklin to accept European refugee children as well as Jewish refugees into the United States, an endeavor that was frequently thwarted. Franklin resisted accepting immigrants due to political pressure, lack of Congressional support, and fear of fifth columnists: spies and saboteurs who would infiltrate the United States. Instead of expanding the immigration policy to be more inclusive, he restricted its scope. Still Eleanor persisted, and won a relatively small but meaningful victory when she convinced Franklin to grant visas to approximately 80 refugees who, fleeing the Nazis, came to the United States aboard the SS Quanza. She obtained safety and protection for them, but all of her similar overtures were overruled by Franklin and his administration. Assistant Secretary of State Breckinrdige Long was incensed by the interference and made it a personal mission to ensure that it would not happen again. Eleanor also drew ire for her demonstrative support of Japanese-Americans, who were targeted, otherized, and forced into internment camps during World War II. She visited their communities, lauded their patriotism, and warned against the “great hysteria against minority groups.” Eleanor privately objected to Franklin’s Executive Order 9066, which mandated that many Japanese-Americans enter internment camps in different parts of the country. When he remained unswayed to her objections, Eleanor chose to work quietly, utilizing her presence as a popular figure to impact public opinion. In April 1943, she visited the Gila River Detention Center in Arizona, and made sure to be photographed with internees. In a bid to elicit sympathy among other Americans, she extolled their attempts to rapidly adjust to their new lives in her “My Day” column. Eleanor gave an interview to the Los Angeles Times, in which she posited that closing the camps immediately was imperative for the health of the nation as well as the detainees. Eleanor set up a meeting between Franklin and the head of the War Relocation Authority, Dillon Myer, who wanted to release everyone held in the camps. That conference was ultimately unsuccessful, but Eleanor continued her efforts, writing an article in Collier magazine, hosting the Japanese Americans Citizens League at the White House, and strategizing with the NAACP about forcing Franklin to close the camps by staging mass protests by African Americans on behalf of Japanese Americans. The camps remained in effect until 1945. Franklin died in April of that year, and Eleanor vacated the White House. She was appointed to the United Nations by President Harry S. Truman and was then selected as president of the United Nations commission tasked with creating a Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was ratified in 1948, and she remained a delegate until 1952. Eleanor kept writing “My Day,” contributed other articles and books, and continued her public speaking tours for many years. She died in 1962, having radicalized the role of first lady and made lasting impressions on the social and civil rights movements.

The origin of Memorial Day, a day to commemorate the lives of American military personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice, dates to the end of the Civil War. Local observances took place in the north and south immediately following the end of the war with multiple locations claiming to have held the first ceremonies. Traditionally, flowers were placed to decorate the graves of those who died hence the name Decoration Day. Decoration Day “Local springtime tributes to the Civil War dead already had been held in various places. One of the first occurred in Columbus, Miss., April 25, 1866, when a group of women visited a cemetery to decorate the graves of Confederate soldiers who had fallen in battle at Shiloh. Nearby were the graves of Union soldiers, neglected because they were the enemy. Disturbed at the sight of the bare graves, the women placed some of their flowers on those graves, as well… A stone in a Carbondale, Ill., cemetery carries the statement that the first Decoration Day ceremony took place there on April 29, 1866. Carbondale was the wartime home of Gen. Logan.” https://www.va.gov/opa/speceven/memday/history.asp General John A. Logan John A. Logan was a soldier and politician. A congressman from Illinois, he joined the Union forces as a colonel early in the Civil War and rose to the rank of general. After the war he returned to politics in the House and Senate and ran for vice president in 1884. It was John Logan who, in 1868 as commander of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.), called for a national day to pay tribute to those who died in the Civil War. Logan issued General Order No. 11 on May 5, 1868 which reads “The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion… We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. All that the consecrated wealth and taste of the nation can add to their adornment and security is but a fitting tribute to the memory of her slain defenders. Let no wanton foot tread rudely on such hallowed grounds. Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic...Let us, then, at the time appointed gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with the choicest flowers of spring-time; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from dishonor…” To read the full text https://loganmuseum.org/general-order/ Decoration Day, May 30, 1868 Invitation and program of the ceremonies which included a procession of children from the Soldier’s and Sailor’s Orphan Asylum who placed flowers and flags upon the graves, services at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and a reading of Lincoln's dedicatory address at Gettysburg. Read a detailed news account of the ceremony: "Soldiers' Graves Decorated," The National Republican (Washington, DC), June 1, 1868, Page 2, Image 2, col. 4-6. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86053571/1868-06-01/ed-1/seq-2/ Jennie Vernon In 1868 the story of a kind gesture by a 12 year old girl would be picked up by newspapers across the country. For a short time in 1862 a prison for Confederate POWs was located in Lafayette Indiana and deceased soldiers were interred in the local cemetery. While preparing for ceremonies in Lafayette's Greenbush Cemetery a wreath was received from a local girl. A short note was attached to the wreath: Will you please put this wreath upon some rebel soldier's grave. My dear papa is buried at Andersonville, and perhaps some little girl will be kind enough to put a few flowers upon his grave. Jennie Vernon https://www.nps.gov/ande/learn/historyculture/flowersforjennie.htm Memorial Day Following the Great War (World War I) May 30th became a day to honor all those in the American military who died in service. The use of the term Memorial Day became more widely adopted instead of the more traditional Decoration Day. A federal law in 1967 officially named the holiday Memorial Day. It wasn’t until 100 years after the first national Decoration Day, established by General Logan, that Congress would authorize a major change to the holiday. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act moved certain federal holidays to specific Mondays in order to create three-day weekends for federal employees. The 1968 act included Washington’s Birthday, Veteran’s Day (in 1978 it was restored to Nov. 11), Memorial Day (moved to the last Monday in May), and Columbus Day, these changes would take effect in 1971. National Moment of Remembrance Act In 2000 the National Moment of Remembrance Act was passed. Its purpose was to reclaim Memorial Day as the noble event it was intended to be, to honor those who died in service to our nation and sacrificed their lives for our freedoms. It calls for all persons at 3:00pm on Memorial Day to informally observe in their own way a moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to "Taps." https://clintonwhitehouse3.archives.gov/remembrance/factsheet.html Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/may-30 https://www.va.gov/opa/speceven/memday/history.asp https://loganmuseum.org/ https://www.loc.gov/rr/news/topics/memorialday.html https://www.britannica.com/topic/Memorial-Day

A Tribute to Our Veterans (from the collections of the Three Village Historical Society) Originally written for the 2008 Historian “The parade will form at the dock in East Setauket at 2:30 p.m. Labor Day and will proceed from there promptly at 3 o’clock to the new park, where simple ceremonies will be held to dedicate it in honor of the men from Setauket and East Setauket who served in the Army and Navy.” The date was Sept. 1st, 1919. The event the “Our Hero Parade” which formally welcomed local boys home from the World War and paid tribute to two local boys who gave their lives in service to their country. A parade complete with dignitaries, fraternal organizations, music, and decorated cars and carriages included one float titled “Birds of the Park” upon which Verna Baldwin (later Eikov) rode. The new park on the corner of Shore Road was dedicated and the march proceeded to the Village Green where the main ceremonies were held. A memorial to Raymond Wishart and Harry Golden “who sacrificed their lives to the cause” was dedicated on the Green and still stands there today.There was a “presentation of medals to the service men of Setauket and East Setauket, in token of the honor in which their villages hold their Army and Navy men.”The front of the medal pictures an eagle and the words “They did not pass 1917-1918”.The reverse reads “Presented by the people of Setauket, N.Y. in grateful recognition of patriotic service in the World War 1917-1918”. (The medal pictured was recently purchased by TVHS from a dealer on Ebay.) The day’s festivities ended with a dinner and vaudeville show and dance held at Mechanic’s Hall (This hall is now part of the Setauket Methodist Church building).

By Tara Mae Even in a crowded room, you can still feel like the loneliest person in the world. At once the life of the party and an outside observer, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s work reflects these feelings of isolation. From 1922-1924, he lived with his wife Zelda and their daughter Scottie in Great Neck, Long Island, hosting and attending lavish gatherings while also desperately writing a cache of short stories that he described as “trash....it could nearly break my heart,” to offset debt he incurred from his failed attempt at developing a play. His experience on Long Island was the inspiration and impetus for The Great Gatsby, which he began drafting in a room above the garage of his Mediterranean style mansion. When the Fitzgeralds moved to Long Island, they were already known as the golden couple of the Jazz Age (a term taken from his collection of short stories called Tales of the Jazz Age). Famous for their glamour, infamous for their drunken decadence, they settled in Great Neck so that F. Scott could be close to Broadway as he attempted to turn his short story “The Vegetable” into a play. Although he had already established himself as a masterful creator of elegant, illustrative prose, his work was not consistently successful; the play’s one preview was a dismal flop. While living on the North Shore, the Fitzgeralds encountered both old money and new money sets. The old money was in Sands Point, represented as East Egg in Gatsby; the new money was in Great Neck/Kings Point, represented as West Egg in the novel. Zelda was a rich socialite, and he was a working writer; together they sporadically had little to no money and plenty of debt. This paradox, combined with their extravagant lifestyles, caused a recurring struggle: money made could be quickly spent, and the price of their renowned excesses was a monetary and emotional toll. A Southern belle from a prominent family, Zelda was descended from early European settlers of Long Island. By the time she was born, her family was well-established in Alabama. F. Scott, a descendant of Francis Scott Key, spent the first decade of his life in upstate New York, before relocating with family to St. Paul, Minnesota. After being stationed at Camp Mills, Long Island, during WWI, he and Zelda spent formative years of their marriage and lives on Long Island and in New York City. Zelda, the youngest child of an Alabama Supreme Court justice, grew up with the protection of her family’s social standing to insulate her from the fallout of any “unladylike” escapades, such as wearing a tight flesh-colored bathing suit to fuel gossip that she swam nude. F. Scott, from an upper middle-class Irish-Catholic family, always acutely felt like an “outsider” among his more monied peers at school and Princeton University. His last name did not afford him the same insurance that Zelda and his classmates enjoyed, and he lacked personal fortune. F. Scott’s initial dearth of available funds thwarted one relationship and threatened another. Before meeting Zelda, he courted socialite Ginevra King, whose father reportedly informed him, “Poor boys shouldn’t think of marrying rich girls.” Following the demise of that relationship, he met and first wooed Zelda while stationed in Alabama. He was then called to Camp Mils but soon returned, and their relationship intensified. Concerned about his heavy drinking and unenthused by his Catholicism, her family would not approve of a marriage unless he proved he could financially support himself and Zelda. So, he returned to New York and completed This Side of Paradise. With the publication of his novel came Zelda’s acceptance of his proposal. She joined him in New York and thus began their reputation for wild frivolity and tempestuous passion. Their intense relationship, fueled by strong personalities and stronger libations, inspired or influenced the majority of F. Scott’s work. It blurred boundaries while isolating them in complementary, but fraught, roles: muse and artist, subject and observer, writer and plagiarizer. A very creative being in her own right, Zelda’s interests were at various times overshadowed by F. Scott’s efforts. Their life in general, and Zelda, in particular, were F. Scott’s greatest sources of material. Character traits, mannerisms, even her own words make appearances in his writing. In The Beautiful and the Damned, which he published before The Great Gatsby, he uses dialogue taken directly from her diary, a practice to which she did not consent. Arguably, their marriage represented what so many couples in his stories embody, individuals who at least appear happy together, but are in some way alienated from each other’s needs. They may have fought privately, but publicly they were the star guests of any gathering. As a writer, F. Scott was a keen student of human nature and behavior. He also recognized and assessed his own personality; he was a participant in and witness to these parties and his own persona. F. Scott catalogued this information for later use; a recurring theme of his work is the sensation of being utterly alone while immersed in a bevy of frequently merry people. In The Great Gatsby, the narrator Nick Carraway is both part of the crowd and distant from its hedonistic drive. Jay Gatsby, party purveyor and focal point of the West Egg’s social scene, is revealed to be an amiable, aspirational fraud. Constantly surrounded by his closest strangers, in the end he really only has one friend to mourn him. F. Scott gives a bit of himself to each of these characters. Carraway is not an idle voice in the novel; he influences actions as he inspects the motivation and morality of its participants. Gatsby’s mysterious origins and grand displays of wealth belie his true purpose: to be accepted as a member of a class into which he was not born, so he can win over the woman who would not have him as a poor man. Carraway is ultimately repulsed by the dangerous cost of such glitz and glamour. Gatsby is ultimately dead. F. Scott may have appreciated the quest for the finest things in life, but he recognized its danger. Earlier in the decade, he had dubbed Zelda “the first American flapper,” and their coveted roles on the New York party scene gave him great insight into the almost frenzied pursuit of a good time. Living this way was a gamble. When the risk paid off, it was a grand reward, but when the risk did not, it was a colossal loss. No such highs were sustainable; he saw and suffered the resultant lows, partly caused, in his case, by too much drinking and financial uncertainty. In The Great Gatsby, he writes “There is a loneliness that only exists in one’s mind. The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly.” The big, bombastic facades that hide the wounded, petty, or mean traits of his characters in Gatsby were meticulously recorded from his own interactions. The Fitzgeralds maintained connections to New York, but only stayed on Long Island for two years. They went to Europe, where F. Scott completed what would become his most popular work. All writers draw from their own circumstances, but F. Scott excavated and amplified all his relationships, including the one with himself. This was not accidental or haphazard; one reason he wrote was to form and foster universal connections with other secretly solitary souls. As he once noted, “That is the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.”

From time to time we share some tidbits from the local newspapers. A great source for newspapers published throughout New York State, available to search for free, is https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/ So, if you are researching your family roots in New York, interested in state history, local or national events, or perhaps just for the latest in fashion or entertainment this is a site for you. Check back from time to time with NYS Historic Newspapers as new titles and dates are always being added. Researchers may be familiar with the older site Suffolk Historic Newspapers which was “absorbed” into the New York State site several years ago. It is still available at http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/APA/Suffolk/#panel=home (Note: Be aware of the limited issues and time periods on this site as no new content is added. Many of the titles and time ranges have now been expanded on the NYS site.) The Suffolk site is still worth checking out as search options are different and we have found it can result in additional hits from those found in the NYS site and visa versa. One main issue to be aware of is that in select cases some individual issues of newspapers from the Suffolk Historic Newspapers site did not transfer to the NYS Historic Newspapers database. For example The Long Islander issues from 1863 and 1905 did not transfer to the NYS site but can still be found on the Suffolk site. The calendar view option is handy for checking on or verifying missing issues. In searching these sites you may have to get "creative" and they are not 100% perfect. The searches are not intuitive like Google. It basically searches for exactly what you type. Realize names and words may be misspelled or abbreviated in the newspaper i.e. William may appear in a newspaper article as Wm. You may need to approach a search from different angles i.e. in the older newspapers women are often referred to with their married names i.e. Mrs. John Smith. Also the clarity of the newspaper image itself and the typeface may affect the search. You can also browse the individual issues using the calendar view option especially if you want to look for or follow a specific event or headline. Start with a local paper, if it exists, but then branch out. Early papers were not restricted to carrying news from only their immediate community. Other papers such as the Brooklyn Daily Eagle https://bklyn.newspapers.com/ carried news and social events on Long Island and in Suffolk County. Other Newspaper Resources A searchable repository of historic newspapers published in New York State and the United States between 1795 and 2007 is available at https://fultonsearch.org/ This site is the work of one dedicated individual. Chronicling America, through the Library of Congress, provides access to information about historic United States newspapers and select digitized newspaper pages https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/about/ Explore your public library's website for access to databases and online tools including those for newspapers such as Newsday, New York Times, and New York Amsterdam News. https://www.emmaclark.org/onlineresearch/ Looking back at some news items from 100 years ago Port Jefferson Echo, March 20, 1920 Teachers’ Salaries Raised The teachers of the Port Jefferson High School have been granted a substantial increase in salary. During the last year the board has experienced much trouble in keeping sufficient teachers, some of them leaving without giving notice, and this notwithstanding they had signed a contract to stay the entire term. The increase will not only eliminate this trouble, but will be the means of securing good teachers to fill any vacancies that may occur for the coming term. The increase amounts to over $4,000 for the 16 teachers and the principal. In the grades an increase of $200 is allowed to each teacher. The high school teachers will also receive an increase of $200, while the principal receives an additional $450 a year. The grade teachers formerly received $900 for the term and the high school teachers $1,000. The principal will receive a salary of $2,500. Port Jefferson Echo, March 27, 1920 Check out the latest fashions from Paris in the Port Jefferson Echo of March 27, 1920. In this timely article make your own “Ever Useful Shopping Bag : A shopping bag is useful nowadays, when most of us find it simpler to bring our own purchases home with us.” https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn88075686/1920-03-27/ed-1/seq-3/