Pandemic Reflection

Remembering Our
Community's Losses

It has been a year since the Northport Historical Society closed its doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been a year of terrible loss for many, and we extend our deepest sympathies to the families who have lost loved ones. It is our mission to record and preserve local history and we have been collecting coronavirus-related materials for our archives. But these items do not tell the full story.

Share Your Memories

We would like to honor those from Northport and East Northport who lost their lives to COVID-19 and help keep their memory alive for future generations. The Northport Historical Society invites you to send us a picture and a letter telling us about your loved one. We will preserve these in a special collection ensuring their lives will not be forgotten. You can mail a photo and letter to:

The Northport Historical Society
PO Box 545, Northport, NY 11768
Attn: Terry Reid

We now look toward the future when we can invite you back inside the museum and make happier memories together. We have some exciting events planned for the upcoming year- check our website often as more will be added as restrictions begin to lift.

A Society Favorite Returns This Weekend!

Parading Down Main Street Walking Tour
-Sunday, March 21st at 1:30pm-

Join us for a lively, informative, and socially-distanced walking tour of Northport’s historic Main Street business district.
Masks are required and group size is limited. Tickets: $7 per person, available by registering on our website. The tour leaves from the Society steps at 215 Main Street- please arrive by 1:20 pm.

OR...
Join us from your living room and

Zoom Down Main Street on a Virtual Tour!
-Thursday, March 25th at 7pm-

Our fantastic Parading Down Main Street guide, Dan Sheehan, will lead a virtual version of his outdoor tour of historic Main Street. This tour will focus on the South side of the business district- starting at Village Hall and ending at Skippers.
We'll do it again on April 22nd and explore Main Street's North side!

Both are free Zoom events, but donations are welcome.
Please register on our website.

Women’s History Month:
Part Three of The Higbee Sisters

While we are focusing on the great Higbee (Higby) women, it is interesting to note that Edward Higby, born in England in 1615, came to settle in America at Pequot Harbor in Connecticut in 1646, along with his son-in-law, Thomas Skidmore and their families.
Both Edward and Thomas left that settlement shortly after in 1648, both were active in trading along the New England coast and came to Long Island. Higbee is on the list of one of the first English inhabitants of Long Island, living at Cow Harbor as early as 1655. Thomas Skidmore was among the corporators of the Town of Huntington and served as its clerk.
The Higbee sisters- Susan, Irene, Elizabeth, Frances and Phebe- are the 8^th generation of Higbee’s descending from Edward Higby of England. We covered Susan and Irene the last two weeks. This week we focus on the remaining three, Elizabeth, Frances and Phebe.

Jonas Higbee, a ship master, and Maria Smith from Little Cow Harbor (now Centerport) were married in 1817 by the renowned “Marrying Minister” Reverend Joshua Hartt. They had 7 children- two sons; twins Jonas and Shepard, and 5 daughters; Phebe, Irene, Elizabeth (standing) and Frances, and Susan (seated).

Elizabeth Higbee Johnson Bishop

Elizabeth Higbee, the eldest of the Higbee siblings was born on February 27, 1819, in Centerport. She married Joshua Hart Johnson a shipbuilder, in 1839 at the age of 20. They had one daughter, Julia, who married William Henry Carll- brother to Jesse and David Carll the renowned ship builders of Northport.
Joshua died in 1854 and Elizabeth remarried James Alfred Bishop, a farmer in Northport who had several older children. Elizabeth and James had two children and their large, combined family lived together.

Frances Higbee Lewis and Henry Scudder Lewis with their daughter Ameila Maria

Frances Higbee Lewis

Frances Emily Higbee was born on December 5, 1828. She married Henry Scudder Lewis in 1850 and lived in Northport. They had one daughter, Amelia Maria Lewis, who was born in 1852. Amelia, who married George S. Brush, was instrumental in raising the funds necessary to purchase the plot of land on the corner of Main Street and Woodside Avenue where the Carnegie Library was built- now the home of the Northport Historical Society.

Phebe Higbee Denton

Phebe Higbee was born October 25, 1833. She married Joseph Berian Denton, and had one child, Henry Herbert. They lived in Centerport and her son went on to be superintendent of schools in Springfield, Massachusetts.

From Our Collection:
The Higbee Family Bible

Transcript:

Northport June 1, 1903
I give this bible to my namesake Lille Bell for she is named after me, Lille Frances Bell, daughter of Jesse and Irene Jarvis. She is my sister’s child.
From, Frances E. Lewis, wife of Henry Lewis, a daughter of Jonas and Maria Higbee.
Three Golden Weddings in the family, Father and Mother 1, Frances E. Lewis made 2, Jonas Higbee made 3. Love is beauty. Nothing makes a human being so beautiful as a hart full of love God is love…Let us trust him in everything.

From other clues written in the bible, which was published in 1834, we can deduce that it was most likely a wedding gift to Epenetus Smith who married Francis Samantha Higbee in 1837. Francis was the sister of Jonas Higbee. She in turn passed it to her niece and namesake, Frances Emily Higbee Lewis, who in turn passed it to her niece and namesake, Lillian Frances Jarvis Bell.

Send in Your Entries!

The “Spirit of Northport and East Northport” Photo Contest

We hope that the last weeks we spent highlighting the decades from the 1940s to the 1990s has reminded you of your own family stories, and jogged your memory about photos you or your parents or grandparents might have saved that were taken during those years. We want to encourage you to contribute photographs you find that capture the spirit of Northport/East Northport from that time- these images will be added to our collection to help preserve the stories and visual history of our community.
Please go to our website for more information on how to send us your photos and enter the contest. We can't wait to see what you find!

Images of America, Northport is available for sale!
All book sales support the Northport Historical Society's mission.
$24 plus tax

To order, text 631 796-2316

Now is a great time to become a member!
Click below to join and support the Society's mission:
http://www.northporthistorical.org/membership

While the Society navigates through these uncertain times, your online contributions have never been more vital to sustaining our preservation efforts. If at all possible, we would appreciate any contribution you may be able to make at this time.

Thank you for considering this request and please stay safe!

Click Here To Donate

215 Main Street, Northport, NY 11768
Phone: (631)757-9859
Email: info@northporthistorical.org
Copyright © 2020 Northport Historical Society.
All Rights Reserved.

Our mailing address is:
Northport Historical Society
PO Box 545
Northport, NY 11768

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Northport HIstorical Society · 215 Main Street · PO Box 545 · Northport, NY 11768 · USA