An old friend posted a picture to facebook and it inspired some thoughts. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and I believe that wholeheartedly. Seeing that picture, at that particular time made me want to write a thousand words. The picture is of a windmill. Now that windmill is a fixture in the town I grew up in. I know it well as the Old Hook mill. It has been there since 1806, sitting high upon an artificial hill. Over the years I learned some of the history of that mill and the man that built it. Nathaniel Dominy V was his name and he came from a long line of millwrights. There were some that followed him as well. That mill is not the only one he built but I would say the most famous. I think it is only because of its prominent location that it is so. There are two other windmills in East Hampton and a total of nine still survive on Long Island. There are also one each on Gardiners Island and Shelter Island. All because of the influence of the Dutch in the early days.
But it is Hook Mill that holds my fascination and thoughts. That mill overlooks the South End Cemetery. The South End cemetery is one of the oldest in town. It is in that cemetery, in the shadow of that mill, that some of my ancestors lie. Most notably my third great grandmother is buried there. She has been there since 1879. That mill was already seventy three years old at that time. Beside Sarah, my third great grandmother lies her daughter Jennie. Jennie died as an infant. I knew her brother well, he was my second great grandfather, Floyd Parker Lester. You can see the mill from his house.
Great ,great,great Grandmother Sarah came to East Hampton by way of Albany city. At least that is what the records show as far as I have been able to find. She was a domestic servant for John D Hedges a prosperous farmer in Amaganset. That would have been in 1870. By 1875 she had met and married Charles Edgar Lester. That would last only thirty two months. On the thirtieth of January in 1879 she was laid to rest. The windmill would continue to operate, at some level, until 1908. How many more of my ancestors are interred there I cannot say. No longer living there I can not easily explore that. I'm certain however that there are others. The mill stands today, in all it's glory, a reminder of days gone by. It is a symbol of the town.
When I turned on my computer and that image appeared all those thoughts flooded my mind. I could not help but think what stories lie in the shadow of that mill. All the lives lived, and lives lost. For going on two hundred and seven years that very mill has been witness. That mill is treasured and cared for, as are those that it overlooks. The old South End Cemetery is well maintained by the cemetery association. My great ,great grandfather, son to Sarah served on that very board for a number of years. The wooden picket fence still surrounds it. At the entrances are steps. These wooden steps one or two up and then back down were there to keep the animals out. The steps are maintained as well.
It is ironic in a way that no Dominy is buried in that cemetery. Dominy, you remember is the architect and builder of that mill. He and his family are more noted for their furniture making and clock making skills. It is however that single mill that I would say has proven to be a lasting legacy. Interesting enough a museum dedicated to the Dominy family is in Delaware. You could say, figuratively speaking, that I grew up in the shadow of that mill. And I must add, it is a good thing.
But it is Hook Mill that holds my fascination and thoughts. That mill overlooks the South End Cemetery. The South End cemetery is one of the oldest in town. It is in that cemetery, in the shadow of that mill, that some of my ancestors lie. Most notably my third great grandmother is buried there. She has been there since 1879. That mill was already seventy three years old at that time. Beside Sarah, my third great grandmother lies her daughter Jennie. Jennie died as an infant. I knew her brother well, he was my second great grandfather, Floyd Parker Lester. You can see the mill from his house.
Great ,great,great Grandmother Sarah came to East Hampton by way of Albany city. At least that is what the records show as far as I have been able to find. She was a domestic servant for John D Hedges a prosperous farmer in Amaganset. That would have been in 1870. By 1875 she had met and married Charles Edgar Lester. That would last only thirty two months. On the thirtieth of January in 1879 she was laid to rest. The windmill would continue to operate, at some level, until 1908. How many more of my ancestors are interred there I cannot say. No longer living there I can not easily explore that. I'm certain however that there are others. The mill stands today, in all it's glory, a reminder of days gone by. It is a symbol of the town.
When I turned on my computer and that image appeared all those thoughts flooded my mind. I could not help but think what stories lie in the shadow of that mill. All the lives lived, and lives lost. For going on two hundred and seven years that very mill has been witness. That mill is treasured and cared for, as are those that it overlooks. The old South End Cemetery is well maintained by the cemetery association. My great ,great grandfather, son to Sarah served on that very board for a number of years. The wooden picket fence still surrounds it. At the entrances are steps. These wooden steps one or two up and then back down were there to keep the animals out. The steps are maintained as well.
It is ironic in a way that no Dominy is buried in that cemetery. Dominy, you remember is the architect and builder of that mill. He and his family are more noted for their furniture making and clock making skills. It is however that single mill that I would say has proven to be a lasting legacy. Interesting enough a museum dedicated to the Dominy family is in Delaware. You could say, figuratively speaking, that I grew up in the shadow of that mill. And I must add, it is a good thing.
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