THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS, MANHASSET






<PRE>

Cow neck and Great Neck (now Mangasset) mettings was started in 1702, when 
Thomas Story visited the place. He says; "We went to Great Neck,to the house 
of William Mott, a young man lately convinced by the ministry of Thomas 
Thompson,where we had a large meeting, there being many other people with 
us,and all very sedate." A meeting was settled at his house. Story visited 
Mott again in 1704. In 1703 Samuel Bowans had a meeting at Jacob 
Doughty's,cow Neck,there not having been any there before. A meeting was kept 
one First day at Doughty's and next at Mott's. In 1708 on Doughty's removal, 
the meeting was appointed at Richard Cornwell's, and the Sixth-Day meeting at 
William Hutchings's Cow Neck. In 1715 this meeting was transferred from the 
Flushing to the Westbury monthly. In 1719 it was concluded to build a 
meeting-house at Cow Neck, the place and dimensions to be left to :
Joseph Latham, 
William Hutchings, 
James Jackson, 
William Mott, 
Jeremiah Williams and Richard Cornwell. 

In 1722 John Fothergill had a very Large meeting; many Friends and others 
were humbly affected with his testimony. On the shortest day in the year 1725,
it being snowy and stormy,eighteen persons went, in company with Thomas Chalkley,
from Thomas Pearsall's Cedar Swamp, to Cow Neck,where he had a good meeting,
larger than could be expected. They then went to Joseph Latham's and had a 
tender open meeting. In 1737 Chalkey went again to Latham's "Our conversation 
was plesant. We remembered our walking to and from schoolin the suburbs of 
London when we were beaten,stoned and abused for being the children of Quakers." 

In 1735 and 1763 the house and stable were repaired. In 1762 Adam Mott was 
appointed to remove the gravestones and do up the graves of those who had no 
relations. In 1780 half an acre of land was bought of Adrian Onderdonk, the cost 
of which, with the fence, was L199s. 

In 1782 the meeting-house was occupied by the soldiers. Friends applied to 
Governor Robertson, who ordered Colonel Wormb to restore it. In 1783 it was 
again used as a guard-house,and considerable damage done to the seats and 
fence.

In 1785 it was proposed to remove the place of worship. In 1786 the Westbury 
stove was put up in the Cow Neck meeting-house and more pipe bought,but it 
did not answer,and another was bought(1789) for L1015.3. 

In 1788 the meeting wished a school-house built,the place where the school 
was then held being inconvenient. In 1809 it was proposed to set the new 
meeting-house on Thomas Appleby's land, on the Middle Neck road, 
one hundred rods north from Appleyby's Corner, as being more central to the 
Friends; but in 1812 it was concluded,after a long agitation,to put it on the 
old ground, northeast of the old house. The dimensions proposed were 
38 by 28 feet, and 18 feet posts, and the estimated expense was $1,250. The 
building, compleated in January 1813,cost $1,547.25; the old stuff sold for $ 
24.98, so that $272.27 was yet wanting. 



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