NPS Photo At a site like the William Floyd Estate, history comes into focus through the telling and retelling of stories. Often, those stories which remain untold promise to teach us the most about the lives and histories that flowed through here. We are working to uncover stories of the people who lived and worked here through research into estate records, artifacts, letters, and other documents. These are the stories of enslaved, indentured, manumitted and free workers. They are stories that have too often been omitted. While research into the lives of enslaved people at the William Floyd Estate is ongoing, some individuals are starting to come into focus. Phillip was enslaved as a child and later armed by William Floyd during the American Revolution. Rose was remembered by the Floyd family as the tender caretaker of seventeen children, Black and white. Her daughter Tamer and son Elijah saw their way to freedom under the 1799 Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery in New York State. And, London, known by most as Lon or Lun, is one of many whose name remains tied to the land today. His cabin stood as the center of a vibrant community, along the bank of what is still named Lon's Creek in Mastic Beach. There is still so much work that remains to further bring these individuals into focus. While some may remain lost to history, we know many names of the men and women who lived and worked here over the course of around a hundred years: Dick, Lydia, Tiss, Bun, Ebo, Peter, Phebe, Elijah, Jin, Hagar, Harry, Rachel, Abby, London, Hector, Rueben, Lew, Lun, Charles, Rose, Pomp, Isaac, Lil, Ben, Phillip, Hannah, Richard, Sarah, Sam, Charity Ann, Cyrus, Caesar, Ann, Benny. |
Last updated: February 9, 2024