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Archiver > NYSUFFOL > 2004-02 > 1077439028


From: "Edward Smith" <>
Subject: Re: [NYSUF] Re: Tarman's Neck
Date: Sun, 22 Feb 2004 04:40:59 -0500
References: <102.3f58a2bf.2d699281@aol.com>


----- Original Message -----
From: <>

> Additionally, if I understand correctly, a neck is a small strip of land
> joining two larger pieces of land with water surrounding them all. There
is
> plenty of water on the eastern border of Bellport, but there are no rivers
at all
> even remotely near Bellport on its western side.

As used in the colonial period the term neck was a piece of land with water
on *three sides*- but it did not have to be wide bodies of water such as a
bay or river. Many of the necks on the southside of Long Island were
separated by very narrow creeks, some of which have been filled in and no
longer exist. Winthrop's Patent was said to have had nine necks, starting
with Blue Point Neck on the west. Fancies Neck was the second most eastern
one. At < http://www.bklyn-genealogy-info.com/Map/Brkhaven3.1.html > I can
identify 8 necks in the area in an 1873 map. Maybe one of the creeks had
already disappeared by then, or maybe one of the smaller creeks wasn't
included on the map, so it is difficult to determine how the 1873 necks
would correspond to the 17th century ones, especially since I don't know the
exact eastern boundary of Winthrop's Patent.

Similarly, the area east of Bellport seems to have had some creeks filled
in, and also some new boating channels dug (possibly, but not necessarily,
by straightening out and widening old creeks), so finding the exact outline
of Tarman's Neck is now also difficult.

Ned Smith

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