Huntington History

A typical Long Island three quarter house sits behind two early 1960s high ranches on the east side of West Neck Road about a quarter of a mile north of Huntington village.  The house provides a glimpse into the humble nineteenth century background of one of the leading Long-Islanders of the twentieth century.

Although no early deeds have been located, Joseph Warren Conklin and his wife Rebecca appear to be the original owners of the house.  When one of their daughters died in 1901, her obituary noted that she had lived in the house since her birth in 1850[1].  Her parents married in 1835 and their first child was born in 1836.[2] It is likely the house was built at about the time they married and started a family.

A construction date in the 1830s or 40s is consistent with the physical evidence.  All of the details of the house point directly to the Greek Revival Style in the second quarter of the 19th Century, including: a braced, pegged frame of sawn spruce, no ridge pole, a brick/stone foundation, side hallway, front entrance entablature with glazed sidelights, frieze (“lay on your belly”) windows over 6/6 windows, porch with square columns, a small rectangular chimney set crosswise to the roof ridge and a debased fireplace mantle.

The rear kitchen service wing is unusual for Long Island, where the service wing was usually placed on the side hallway end of the house during the Federal/Greek Revival Period (1790-1850).

Of the Conklin’s eight children, two died in childhood.  The only deed found in the Suffolk County Clerk’s records under Joseph Warren Conklin’s name is for a 14½ acre triangular parcel on the west side of West Neck Road, which he acquired in 1841.[3] Warren Conklin was a farmer, who in addition to his home lot and the parcel on the west side of the road, also owned 10 acres on the east side of Oakwood Road and 20 acres on the east side of Woodbury Road about three quarters of a mile south of Main Street.

Unfortunately, Warren Conklin died in 1854[4] at the age of 45 leaving behind seven children ranging from 1 to 18 years of age.  A mortgage he had taken out in 1841 and secured by the property on the west side of West Neck Road was foreclosed the following year.[5] His widow advertised the lots on Oakwood and Woodbury Roads for sale at auction a year after his death.[6]

It must have been difficult for his widow to raise seven children on her own—one died three years after Warren at age 10 and another died in 1866 at age 22.  Rebecca Conklin borrowed $700 from George Carll of Dix Hills in 1866 at 7% interest secured by the nine-acre homestead.  The following year the mortgage was released in part to allow for the development of houses along what is now known as Mechanics Street.[7] The Long-Islander noted the new development:  “We learn that several of our mechanics have made arrangements to purchase lots on a new street to be opened near the residence of Mrs. Rebecca Conklin on the North Bowery.  The locality to be known as Mechanicsville.”[8] The entire mortgage was cancelled later that year.[9]

In 1871, Rebecca Conklin again mortgaged her homestead, this time giving a mortgage to Mary P. Baldwin to secure a $500 loan for a three-year term at 7% interest.  Rebecca Conklin, who had been a founding member of the Central Presbyterian Church, died in 1880.  At the time of her death, her only personal property was a cow, which was sold for $40 to cover her funeral expenses.  She left debts of $613.56 for doctor’s bills, notes and merchandise from various local stores.[10] Her family sold at auction three building lots from the homestead property as well as five acres of woodland on the ridge between New York Avenue and Oakwood Road south of the village, which may be what was left of the ten acre plot Warren Conklin left.  The sale of these properties yielded $890.  It appears that the 1871 loan from Mary Baldwin—which was secured by a mortgage on the homestead—was still not paid off at the time Rebecca Conklin died.  The property was purchased at auction by Mary, Henrietta and Juliette Conklin for $697.28 a year after their mother died.[11]

The three sisters continued to live in the house for the rest of their lives.  Henrietta, who was sickly her entire life, died in 1901.  Apparently, money was still an issue for the family.  Henrietta’s two sisters placed a notice in The Long-Islander thanking “the many kind friends who so generously assisted in defraying the expenses attending the funeral of our sister.”[12]

As early as 1880, Mary advertised her services as a dressmaker.[13] Juliette also engaged in dressmaking and millinery.  To accommodate their business the room in the northeast corner of the house was enlarged.  They also continued to sell building lots along Mechanic Street.  In 1905, the remaining  property was surveyed and divided into 10 lots including the lot with the family home.

Juliette died in 1914 and Mary died in 1916.  The lot with the house, now about an acre and a half, was sold in 1920 to Paul Williamson.[14] The property had a series of owners until the current owners purchased it in 1979.  In 1961, two lots were created from the front yard of the property; thereby obscuring it from view.

One of the leading figures of twentieth century Long Island—if not the nation—traced his family tree to these humble beginnings.    Rebecca and Warren’s son Alonzo had five children, one of whom was Grace Ethel Conklin.  Grace married George Tyson Grumman.  George and Grace Grumman’s son LeRoy graduated from Huntington High School in 1911, served in World War I and after the war established the aerospace company that bore his family’s name.  The Grumman name became synonymous on Long Island with fighter jets and space exploration.