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Gaylords and Gildersleeves, Helen Gaylord Gildersleeve, 1989, page 135:
Richard II made the voyage to America with his family during the great Puritan
exodus. They had a "happy voyage" of six to eight weeks, contrasting with less
fortunate ones that were from three to five months. He was associated with his
father in his business undertakings, and they worked against the exploitation
by royal governors. He was a Sergeant in the 1656 Dutch-Indian War. He was
one of the fifty-six men who bought the Newtown land in 1656 from the Indians.
He became proprietor of Hempstead and then surveyor, tax collector, town
drummer, and town clerk. In 1664 he wrote and signed the Hempstead Petition to
Connecticut Colony, revolting against the Dutch, however, the Duke's Laws took
over the town. He wrote and signed with his father the Hempstead Petition
1669, "No taxation without representation". In 1678, he was elected constable.
The Quakers protested his acts to the governor.
Their crops were planted outside the village, as was the English custom, and
cattle were herded together. He was a Town Clerk for 30 years, and acquired
considerable property. His will is printed in "Gildersleeve Pioneers" pages
179-180. He was Presbyterian. |
