This is in response to a follow-up question I received. It was asked if I know where George W. Pettit who sent this letter lived and if the letter included an envelope. All I know, based on the letter itself which simply says it was written in New York. The envelope the letter was in did not include a mailing address or a stamp. It simply says “Family Records, Hempstead Pettit records.” To me this suggests it might have been hand delivered to Mr. Nostrand and not sent through the mail. Perhaps George Pettit lived very near Mr. Nostrand and delivered it to him in person. It also may not be the original mailed envelope. I have not personally traced this George W. Pettit. If anyone has any information on him, please message me or post a comment below. Thanks.
"This folder contained a well preserved letter dated November 29, 1861, addressed to Mr. L. P. Nostrand in New York from a G. W. Pettit. It begins with a man named Joshua Pettit who was from Springfield, Long Island, NY. According to the letter, Joshua Pettit married a "rich English lady" and was the father of an Increase Pettit. In this paper we will compare this newly discovered letter to a deed found in Bristol England from the Ashton Court estate which may explain the source of some of these forgotten legends..."
"It is also important to point out that “1st generation” Joshua Pettit had two sons and two daughters according to the letter. None of the names of his children were given except for Increase Pettit. Some have speculated that the other son may have been named Joshua II born in 1734 who relocated to New Jersey, Virginia and South Carolina in that order. There are also some who claim the other son was a man named Zadok Pettit."
This confusion with some people naming the other son of 1st generation Joshua as Zadok may come from the relationship of Joshua Pettit (1751-1820) having a son named Zadock (1785-1834). This Zadok was a g-grandson of 1st generation Joshua which goes like this: Joshua (1701) - Increase (1726) - Joshua (1751) - Zadock (1785). To confuse the matter even more Zadock (1785) had brothers; Increase and Joshua. Good grief!!!
I have never found any other reference to another Zadock during this time period on Long Island.
Note: Today, 6/28/25, I have updated a section of this book to correct a reference to the author of the letter, George W. Pettit. I had misidentified his family. Thanks to Janet Wood for bringing this to my attention.
The Increase Pettit Revolutionary War period story that was published in the1939 titled: "Hick’s Neck, The Story of Baldwin, Long Island" and begins with the following quote: "Francis Pettit, son of the late John Pettit of Baldwin, tells of the role the marshes played in the Revolutionary history of his family. Francis’s father’s great-great-grandfather, Increase Pettit, while fishing with some friends down in Fundy, or Sea Dog Creek, saw a man running –running from “Redcoats”.__
The author has the generations incorrect - Increase Pettit was the great-grandson of Francis' father. The lineage goes as such: Increase Pettit>James Pettit>Asa Pettit>John Pettit>Francis Pettit (1872-1950)
The British occupied Long Island from Aug. 1776 to the end of the war, Nov. 1783. Unless an account was specifically dated, the event could have happened at anytime during those years. Increase Pettit (1726-1795) was the only Increase Pettit that was of an age that would qualify as being the person referred to in this account. Increase would have been aged 50-57 when he rowed his skiff into the water to save the man being chased by the Redcoats.
Thanks Janet. I appreciate your help in refining this work so that we have the most accurate information possible.