Transcript:New York Genealogical and Biographical Record (New York Genealogical and Biographical Society)/v43p275

Previous Page <- [Vol 43, p 275 (Jul 1912) - The Doughty Family of Long Island] -> Next Page

"Owing to the failure of the colony Govs. Kieft and Stuyvesant sought to recover the claime upon Mespat, but Doughty declined to restore it. He was at last glad to escape from the wrath of Stuyvesant and fled to Maryland, where he preached to the Puri- tans for many years."

An intelligent correspondent of the Brooklyn (New York) Daily Eagle, signing himself an " Old Brooklynite," in the issue of June 7th, 1891, says:

" The first notice of Rev. Francis Doughty is found in the an- nals of Taunton and reads as follows:

['Cohannet, alias Taunton, is in Plymouth patent. There is a church gathered there of late, and some ten or twenty of the church, the rest excluded. Master Hooke, pastor; Master Street, teacher. One Master Doughty (Rev. Francis) opposed the gathering of the church there, alleging that according to the cov- enant of Abraham all men's children that were of baptized parents, and so Abraham's children, ought to be baptized, and so spake in public, or to that effect, which led to a disturbance, and the ministers spake to the magistrate to order him out, the magistrate commanded the constable who dragged Master Doughty out of the assembly.']

" But for this disagreeable incident the Doughty family proba- bly would never have played their part in the history of Brook- lyn. Much excitement followed the church wrangle, and it re- sulted in about one hundred families leaving the Cohannet colony and following the fortunes of Mr. Doughty. By this it was determined to leave the English colonies and apply to the Dutch for a grant of land upon which they could settle and enjoy that freedom of conscience which the straight laced Puritans de- manded for themselves, but were unwilling to accord to anyone else. With his wife and children Doughty proceded to the Island of Aquetneck, the present site of the city of Newport, R. I., where his friends soon joined him. A regular association was organized and Mr. Doughty sent to New York to interview Gov- ernor Kieft. So successful was this visit that the Dutch authori- ties immediately granted Mr. Doughty a tract of land of 13,332 acres at Mespat, which embraced nearly the whole of Newtown, Maspeth and a part of Flushing. Here the Doughtyites settled in the year 1642, and from their efforts a successful colony was soon established. Indeed, its success was so great that it excited the jealousy of Kieft, as will presently be seen. The Doughty patent is recorded in the Secretary of State's office at Albany, book of patents, C. G., p. 49. It bears date March 28, 1642. Mr. Doughty seems to have been a chronic objector and a man of most decided opinions. Preaching to his flock weekly he took occasion to severely criticise certain acts of Governor Kieft's, and trouble was the result. The director and Council of the New Amsterdam colony in April, 1647, rescinded the Doughty patents, dividing the property among members of the association, leaving Mr. Doughty only his bouwery and the lands he had in possession. The Doughty bouwery occupied the land on the east of Flushing Bay, now known as Stevens' Point.