STOP THE PRESSES !
THESE JUST IN ....
I cannot seem to get over the digital explosion of historic material that has cropped up over the last few years. Between Google's book digitalization project and other sources, things are really looking up for researchers and genealogists. I sure wish they were available when I started out almost a decade ago.
Even though "The Knapps Lived Here" manuscript is now in pre press production and my "Mastics from Blueblood To Blue To Blue Collar " manuscript is well under way, new items and info heretofore unavailable have caused me to have to go back and nip and tuck. Not that I'm complaining, because I feel the more info you have to work with, the better and more accurate a book you will wind up with.
I just discovered a new privately funded FANTASTIC source of NY Newspaper archives, that is free and openly available to all on line. It's Tom Tryniski's, FULTONHISTORY.COM
Tom, a former IT guru, has over 9 million pages of microfilm from the NY State Newspaper Project digitized and more are coming . But most importantly IT IS TOTALLY SEARCHABLE !
Prior to that if you didn't trek up to Albany NY to view the microfilm of the NY State Newspaper Project , well you were out of luck. Take it from me, viewing microfilm is absurd in this day and age, but many underfunded and understaffed libraries have no other options. If you find Tom's site helpful, you should think about contributing to help him maintain this treasure.
About 98 % of what you will see on this page came from Tom's site.
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LET'S START OFF WITH A BANG !!! AT LEAST FOR ME
Ever since I started my Knapp Research in 2000, I was never able to find much of anything about J P & Sylvia Knapp's divorce other than in JP's bios mentioning it occurred around 1904. The Washington Post in 1913 or so mentioned in a fashion article about Sylvia, that it occurred in Georgia. I was never able to confirm that, These next three items from The Brooklyn Eagle in 1903 & 1905 explain why.... btw Brooklyn Library has had the Eagle files online for some years, but they stop at the year 1902 as I believe their funds ran out. Your local libraies too deserve all the support you can give them .
THE MERRY MONTH OF MAY 1903
IF SIOUX FALLS RINGS A BELL WITH YOU , YOU ARE A BONA FIDE
KNAPPSTER & YOU MAY RECALL,
THIS PAGE I POSTED IN THE SPRING OF 2008
WELL SURPRISE ! SURPRISE ! AS GOMER PYLE WOULD SAY
THERE'S MORE ....
They Complain Today About The Media , And Where It's Interests Lie....
WAS IT EVER ANY DIFFERENT ?
I Ask You.....Is This Any Way To Write A Nuptial Story?
AND HERE IS THE GAY DIVORCE IN 1911
AT THE MADISON SQUARE GARDEN HORSE SHOW
Probably Watching Her Sister Clara & Daughter Claire Compete
Syracuse Journal Nov 25, 1911
THE STORY WAS IN MANY PAPERS
In Days Of Old A Glimpse Of Stocking , Was Looked On As Something Shocking
Now Heaven Knows, Anything Goes .... Cole Porter 1934
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TIME TO CALM DOWN
LETS SEE WHAT IS GOING ON IN SLEEPY OLD MASTIC
NOT A VERY NICE WAY FOR FOXY TO GO .....
OF COURSE IF FRANK WOULD OF FOUND HIM FIRST HE WOULD OF BLASTED IT.
FRANK M. LAWRENCE OF COURSE WAS THE LAWRENCE WHO SOLD OUT TO THE KNAPPS IN 1916
MASTIC 1908
Adelma's & Dr, Charles Robert of course lived in Pattersquas Mansion that would become the Bayview Hospital. Her name is always mentioned as one of the principal estate owners in the history of Mastic Beach. Some of her children remained on the estate up til about 1922.
Man ....At This Rate The Animal & Human Population Of Mastic Is Going Down Hill Fast
Time To Liven Things Up !
WHO YOU GONNA CALL? .....E. K. JAQUITH, THE AVIATOR
THAT'S WHO
HE WILL GET YOU RIGHT BACK IN UP IN THE AIR
AND RIGHT ON THE FRONT PAGE THAT'S FOR SURE
ARMY - NAVY ... ISN'T THAT A FOOTBALL GAME?
ANCHORS AWEIGH PAL.....UNIT THREE WAS NAVY!!!!
JUNE 1917
There they are the original flyboys of Unit 3 minus one, perhaps Mister J. F, Knapp is taking the photo?
or is he up at the house rigging up the wireless station ?
AFTER THE WAR WAS OVER IN 1918 THINGS CALMED DOWN "A BIT"
IN SLEEPY LITTLE MASTIC
In The 1920 Census Shown Here
You will see an Italian couple Hamilcar & Mary Monzeglio. or Manzeglio (sp) He listed his occupation as a farmer, They are enumerated between the Smith & Knapp , which is quite a large area as both estates of by 1920, the late William & Charles Robert still were between them ( about 3500 acres)
My old pal Kenny Vitellaro, who takes great interest in all things Italian, always has been fascinated to find out more about this family and what happened to them. I know from talking with Mrs. Schulz ( A Mastic Pioneer Since The Mid 1920's) that the Monzeglios moved north to Barnes Road in Manorville, continued farming and also got into Real Estate probably by selling off their farmland.
Kenny walked into a bank one day, somewhere out on eastern Long Island and spotted a teller with that name and asked if she was related. Turns out she was and she told them that Mr. Monzeglio was run over by a street car in NY City in 1920's and was buried in Mt Pleasent in Center Moriches. Kenny went looking and found his grave that only had the date 1920 on it . His widow Mary who lived well into the 1980s I believe remarried and is buried next to him. Kenny asked me to do a little digging several times to see if I could ever find the story about him getting run over by a Trolley or Street Car in NYC. I never could and the reason is quite simple, Hamilcar met his end allright , but not in NY City and not with a Street Car as there were never any street cars in Mastic ,only in Patchogue and even in Patchogue the streetcars stopped running in 1918.
HERE IS WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO MR. MONZEGLIO
RIGHT BETWEEN CHRISTMAS & NEW YEARS IN 1920
A FEW DAYS LATER THERE WAS THIS FOLLOW UP
HE WAS WHACKED LITERALLY
I HAVE FOUND NOTHING ELSE IN THE PAPERS ABOUT IT
BEYOND THIS
A BONAFIDE MASTIC MURDER COLD CASE ?
WITH NO POLICE FORCE OUT IN THE ESTATE AREAS IT WOULD NOT BE UNCOMMON TO JUST
FORGET ABOUT IT ESPECIALLY IF THERE ARE NO LEADS. BUT I WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED IF
ONE OR MORE OF HIS HUNTING BUDDIES DIDN'T KNOW WHAT REALLY HAPPENED
THE LEAD, WHETHER IT WAS IN BULLETS OR PIPE FORM
( Perhaps A Decoy Weight?)
SEEMED TO REALLY BE FLYING IN OLD MASTIC IN THE 1920's
NOW WHO WERE THE OTHER TWO GUYS?
MASTIC HAS IT ALL
From Deer Hunting to Dear Hunting
ELLA BAKER BECAME ELLA DANA SOON AFTER
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LET'S MOVE ON & OVER TO QUAINT BELLPORT
IN GAY OLD 1909
IN 1908 DODI KNAPP HAD A POWER SPEED BOAT IN BELLPORT NAMED
"ELIZABETH"
Most Likely For His Step Mom
THE KNAPPS LIVED HERE
This is Col. Langley's "Old Kentuck" Estate In Bellport circa 1910 as seen from South Country Rd.
The Knapps were his neighbors and he sold some of his Kentucky thoroughbreds to Claire
FROM APRIL 191l
CLAIRE KNAPP LIVED IN BELLPORT TILL 1912
A FEW YEARS LATER IN 1911 NOT SO GAY
Here Is Yet Another Version Of A Well Reported Story On Here
This Edeys & Murdocks Of Bellport LI, circa 1910 - 11
A PERFECTLY INNOCENT LOOKING PHOTO OF TWO COUPLES ON A HOLIDAY
THEIR TRAGIC STORY THOUGH WOULD SHOCK MUCH OF BELLPORT, NEW YORK & THE NATION
AS IT SPLASHED ACROSS THE HEADLINES IN 1912 - 13
THIS & THAT
THE DATE IS MAY 24, 1912
THE OCCASION IS HONORING GENERAL NATHANIEL WOODHULL
UP THE ISLAND IN QUEENS WHERE HE DIED RATHER THAN IN MASTIC WHERE HE LIVED
THE LADY ON THE RIGHT IS NONE OTHER THAN HANNAH NEWBOLD LAWRENCE SHERMAN
SHERMAN ROAD ONCE TRAVERSED FROM MASTIC ROAD TO THE WOODHULL LODGE, WHERE MISS HANNAH SPENT MANY SUMMERS
IN THE LATE 1800's
THE YEAR IS 1918
Charlie Hallock Was The Last Of His Family To Be A Postmaster In Moriches, (which was the Post Offive For Mastic )At His Father Edmund's General Store Near The Twin Ponds
You Can Read A Rather Complete Article About The Hallocks & The Fannings Here
and you can see Charlie At The Moriches School in his later years ( 1940's & 50's) Here
1924 WAS THE YEAR J P KNAPP BOUGHT THE COMPANY
J P 's LaMer Yacht Built In 1917 Was A 70 Footer. He Also Had A Utility Skiff By That Name At His Currituck Estate
I Don't Know The Size Of LaMer III, But It Had 50 More Horses Than Dodi's 30 Foot "Miss Demure"
Both went about the same speed
MAY 14, 1932
I Believe This Is The Theresa A In The Middle Of The Mastic Beach Lagoon
SAL & TESS AZZATTO WERE MASTIC BEACH PIONEERS
THEY LEASED FROM PAUL SCHULTE AND RAN THE MASTIC BEACH HOTEL IN THE MID 1930's
Rooms 18.00 A Week & Full Course Dinner 65 Cents,,, You Can See The Entire Menu Here
AFTER THE HOTEL BURNED IN1937 THEY OPENED SAL'S PLACE ACROSS FROM THE WOODHULL GRAVEYARD IN 1938 . IT'S STILL THERE
THIS WEB SITE GETS RESULTS !
Just Last Week I PostedThe First Picture Of The Original Stop & Shop
HERE
And Already Wilson Glass Is Looking For More Help
1943
"DELCO IT'S GOOD STUFF"
Electricity Has Come To Mastic Beach ! Is this why Dodi is selling his generator ?
It Still Hadn't Come By The Late 40's To The Area Of Mastic
Later Known As Shirley Which Is Why Walter Shirley Sold His Manor House
Rocco Cutro Had Quite A Nite Spot Too, Just Look At Who He Brought In To Entertain
STORK CLUB NYC 1940's
THAT'S WALTER T. SHIRLEY THE Ol' ACREAGE KING HIMSELF ON THE RIGHT LOOKING AT HIS CAKE
Not sure who the guy is in the middle, but he looks ready to eat cake
AS FOR THE GENTLEMAN ON THE LEFT THAT's MY GRANDPA JACK SPOONER
MEET THE PARENTS
They were married Feb 5, 1938........
and began their life together in this bungalow in Cedarhurst, LI
Several moves , West Hempstead, Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park one World War ( #2)
a sister in 1939 and a brother in 1944 and I came along on Mothers Day 1947......
South Ozone Park circa 1947 - 48 Notice The Racing Car ...
THE DIE WAS CAST EARLY ON
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST FOR NOW PRESENTING
THE BEST BUY OF 1939
TOO MUCH FOR YOU ?
Then How About .....
It Was Even A Better Buy Come New Years Eve 1940
The Knapps Lived Here
