History
The first known inhabitants were Algonquian-speaking Native Americans, of the Setauket and Unkechaug tribes. The first English settlers arrived around 1640, and in 1655, several purchased Brookhaven's land from its Tribal inhabitants. Early English settlers farmed, fished, and hunted whales.
The first English settlement was named Setauket after the native American tribe. In 1666, Governor Richard Nicolls granted a Patent for the town which confirmed title to the lands purchased, and permitted additional purchases. Governor Thomas Dongan issued a Patent in 1686 which granted powers to the town and established a representative form of government.
The letter "D" on the official seal, associated with the original Dongan patent officially establishing Brookhaven, is a cattle branding letter assigned to Brookhaven in the mid-17th century, along with whaling harpoons.
Read more about this topic: Brookhaven, New York
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“Indeed, the Englishman’s history of New England commences only when it ceases to be New France.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“the future is simply nothing at all. Nothing has happened to the present by becoming past except that fresh slices of existence have been added to the total history of the world. The past is thus as real as the present.”
—Charlie Dunbar Broad (1887–1971)
“Systematic philosophical and practical anti-intellectualism such as we are witnessing appears to be something truly novel in the history of human culture.”
—Johan Huizinga (1872–1945)