Place:Smithtown, Suffolk, New York, United States
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NameSmithtown
TypeTown
Coordinates40.87°N 73.217°W
Located inSuffolk, New York, United States
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
source: Family History Library Catalog


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Smithtown is a town in Suffolk County, New York, United States, on the North Shore of Long Island. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. The population was 116,296 at the 2020 Census.

The census-designated place (CDP) of Smithtown lies within the town's borders.

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History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Smithtown, originally known as "Smithfield", was first settled circa 1665. Local legend has it that, after rescuing a Native American chief's abducted daughter, Richard Smith was told that the chief would grant title to all of the land Smith could encircle in one day "on a bull". Smith chose to ride the bull on the longest day of the year (summer solstice), to enable him to ride longer "in one day". The land he acquired in this way is said to approximate the current town's location. There is a large, anatomically correct, statue of Smith's bull, known as Whisper, at the fork of Jericho Turnpike (New York State Route 25) and St. Johnland Road (New York State Route 25A).


The border between Smithtown and the town of Huntington is partially defined by Bread and Cheese Hollow Road (Suffolk County Road 4), so named after Bread and Cheese hollow, which according to legend is where Smith stopped on his ride to have a lunch of bread and cheese. The road is reputed to follow part of his original ride. The border between Smithtown and Huntington was also the site of Fort Salonga, a British fort that was the site of a battle of the American Revolution during 1781.

The Smithtown hamlet of Nesconset was the home of Spaceplex, an indoor amusement park and arcade that was falsely accused of being the abduction site in the Katie Beers kidnapping case in 1992.

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Research Tips

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External Links

  • Outstanding guide to Smithtown family history and genealogy resources (FamilySearch Research Wiki). Birth, marriage, and death records, town histories, cemeteries, churches, newspapers, libraries, and genealogical societies.
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