The Seaman Family in America Captain John Seaman
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE SEAMAN FAMILY IN AMERICA AS DESCENDED FROM CAPTAIN JOHN SEAMAN OF HEMPSTEAD, LONG ISLAND COMPILED BY MARY THOMAS SEAMAN Author of"Links in Genealogy" Life Member of The long Island Historical Society ASSISTl!I> BY JAMES HAVII.AND SEAMAN. JR. Member of the Loag Islaod Wstorial Socicly 1928 TOBlAS A. WRIGHT, INC. PRrNTERS AND PUBLISHERS NEW\"ORK SEAMAN FAMILY All.'-fS-Bal't'V wavy of six argent and a."1.1re, a c:rcscent or. CRJ;ST-A demi-sea-horse salient argent. Mono-Spcetcmur :igendo (kt us be judged by out actiot\S). CcS'aE coNTE.,'TS OF THIS BOOK ARE AUTHEllo'TIC TO THE BEST OF MY K.-.OWLEDGE. THE CONSIDEKATIO:S OF THE PUBLIC IS ASKED FOR SUCH ERRORS AS MAY J:sADVERTE.''TLY SLIP J:sTO THE MOST CAREFULLY PRE PARED MA!lo'USCRIPT. MARY THOMAS SEAMA:S ILLUSTRATIONS Coat of Arms and Crest . Frontispiece PAGE Deed of sale of land from Indians to John Seaman and others, July 4, 1657 . 16 Account of the Seaman Family, by Jordan Seaman, January, 18oo • 24 Deed of gift from John Seaman, senior, to sons Nathaniel and Richard, March 17, 1692/3 . 28 Deed of gift of Nathaniel Seaman to son Thomas, August 31, 1752 . 40 1\farriage certificate of NathaniP.1 Seaman and Rachel \Vil!is, August 9. 16g5 42 Deed of sale of land bv Richard Seaman to brother Nathaniel, September II, 1745 44 Deed of sale of land from Thomas Seaman to brothers Jacob, Nathaniel and Samuel, January 30, 1759 61 Marriage certificate of Thomas Seaman and Hannah \Villets, December 3, 174r/2 . 62 Deed of agreement about fanning land made between Na thaniel Seaman and his sons Thomas and Samuel. January 28, 1754 . 64 Dia,,o-ram of land . 68 Old newspaper clippings 77, Deed of sale of ne,,,aro to Thomas Seaman to insure his free- dom. May 5, 1779 . 88 Seaman Homestead. Old Westbury. L. I.. residence of Sam- uel Seaman 911 Westbury Meeting House . 101 Medical diploma of Dr. William Seaman, April, 1828 . 149 Certificate Membership Medical Society of New York of Dr. William Seaman, December 17, 1832 150 Marriage certificate of Dr. William Seaman and Caroline Hicks, June 23, 1831 . 204 Marriage certificate of Sarah Seaman and Henry B. Crom- weJ!, 1856 . 2o6 Scaman Homestead. 'Westbury, L. I., residence of Thomas Seaman 224 Seaman Homestead, Jericho, L. I., residence of Elias Hicks, now in possession of Anna Seaman . 240 Marriage certificate of Samuel Hicks Seaman and Hannah R. Husband, September 15, 1863 . 242· FOREWORD EPEATED requests for a general history of the Seaman family in America. has Jed to the presentation of the present R volume. It makes mention of different families bearing the s:i.me name who made separate settlements in America, but deals specially ,\;th the establishment of the Long Isfand family by Capmin John Sea man of Hempstead. Grateful appreciation is e."\.'tended to the many descendants who have given so generously of their contributions and support; to Mrs. Frank Haviland for the privilege of including the valuable manuscript of herself and her husband, now in the possession of The Long Island Historical Society of Brooklyn; to The Long Island Historical Society itself for its e.wustless resources and untiring assistance ; and to the many interested friends and well '\;shers; to all of whom the name of Capmin John has acted like the magic key that unlocked the chest of hidden treasure. Regret is e.'l:pressed for the absence of such names as could not be included, and for fuller records of early days which have been Jost to history. The book goes forth to the many descendants of Capmin John with the earnest hope that the trail blazed by his dauntless courage and noble example may be kept clear and open by all succeeding generations. HISTORIC LEGEND The Seaman family was originally Danish. In old Norse times tht members of families banded together, and sailed the ,\;de seas over in their ships of beauty, getting what they might and holding what they could. On one of their excursions they landed off the eastern coast of England, whipped the natives and held the land. They remained in possession until subdued by the Norman Con queror, 1o66. They passed under the name of "Sea Men•· (men of the sea). One of these leaders joined the Crusaders in the Third Crusade, I 187, under Richard Coeur de Lion, gained renown in the Holy Land, and on his return from Jerusalem was knighted by the king and given a Coat-of-Arms and a Crest. This Coat-of-Arms and Crest consists of a shield crossed.by wavy bars of azure and gold, emblazoned with a Crescent and surmounted with a Crest, a demi sea horse, arising out of the Crescent. The wavy bars of azure and gold and the sea horse represent the sea or calling of the family. The crescent represents the part taken in the Crusade. EARLY HISTORY The Ancient Paternal Arms of the Old and Historic of Sea man's, as described in the Dictionary of Heraldry, or General Ar mory, of all Armorial Bearings, from the earliest to the present time, by Sir Bernard Burke, LL.D., King-at-Arms. etc., etc.. arc as fol lows: Barry wavey of six argent, and azure, a crescent or. Crests-a demi sea-horse salient argent. The arms of the Seamans of London of later grant. are Barry wavy of six argent and azure, per bend counter changed. over all a Crescent Erminois. Crest out of a Crescent Erminois, a demi-sea horse, harry wavy of six argent. and azure. Argent-silver. Azur~the color of this name. Erminois-THE FEW THUS CALLED. Or-Gold. SIGNIFICATIONS OF THE QUARTERINGS CREST, ETC., OF THE SEA.'\IAN COAT OF .AR.'4s. Barry wavy, i.e., composed waved bars or wavey lines Guillim says "They may put us in mind that as in a tempestuous storm, one wave succeeds high above the other in immediate succession, so God has ordained one trouble should succeed another, to keep his chosen in continual exercise, and that His faithful may have manifold e., perience of His great providence, and Fatherly care in preserving them in all their troubles, giving them a comfortable event, and happy end in all their afflictions." As an e.'C3.1llple of the symbolic bea... ing of the wavy bars or fez (fess), we read that Sir Francis Drake had granted to him on a black shield, a Fess wavy, between two polestars-the Arctic and Antarctic-all colored silver on white (vide page 46 of the Symholismus of Heraldry)-a treatise on the meaning and derivations of family armorial bearings, etc., by W. Cecel Wade. 3 4 THE SEAMAN F.ulILY IN A?.lElUCA The following bearings were imported into Heraldry as tokens of the Crusades (and Crusaders), commenced almost simultaneously with the rise of heraldry itself; namely crosses of various kinds, Crescents, Pilgrims, staves, escallop schell, which were the ancient badges of pilgrims, beza.nts, or coins of gold; amulets, or rings, swords, battle-axes and arrow heads. {Vide Wade-page 19.) The Sea-Horse is indicative of the ancient Norse origin of a family, and is only borne on the Coat Armor of those whose lineage has been positively traced to Old Norse pa.rent strains. From the preceding e.'\.l)lanations from unquestionable and universally recognized authorities; as also what is set forth as to the origin of the family name, the ancient lineage of this family is clearly shown, as also the antiquity of tl1e Coat of Arms. In the Sea-horse we have the concretion of its old Norse origin, and in the Crescent the evidence of a Sir Knight Crusader of the Sea.man name. Taking only the Crescent in the Seaman Coat of Arms, we have the proof of its beginning in the period of the Crusader. The later addition of the Sea-horse indicates that the Lineage was traced still further back-to the very ancient days of the Norse men. DOOMSDAY BOOK. By common consent allowed to be the greatest and remarkable National Record in Europe, was compiled by Commissioners ap pointed by \VILUAM THE CONQUEROR in 1o85, and was completed in 1086. It is a faithful summary of all the lands of his Realm (three or four northern counties excepted), and contains the names of their proprietors. In this compilation we find the name of this family, and who, as we have learned from Lowe's (Vide Patronymica Britannica), held lands in Surrey be fore the making of that record, thus showing it to have been already at the very early period of English History, of prominence and in fluence and possessed of domains, manors, and other forms of the properties of that time. AS DEScE:-.7'ED FR0:0.1 CAPTAIN JOHN SE.-nIAN 5 As has been shown in the quotations from Lowe·s Patronymica Britannica. the name of this family is in tl1c favored list of original Knights. and holders of Dcsmesnes. and from Bardsley we learn of the name being in the Hundred Rolls, and also in the Placitorun1 in Dom. Cap. \Vestminstcr, or records of \Vestminstcr. They arc also in the ancient records and wills of Parliament. A brief account of their historic records is of interest and of value. for the clearer understanding of what is set forth in tl1is compilation. The celebrated compilation known as the DOOMSDAY BOOK. SEAMAN. In the DOOMSDAY BOOK of Surrey there is a Seaman who held lands before the maldng of that record-Old Anglo Sa.'i:on.