William "The Immigrant" Satterly of Setauket, Brookhaven, Suffolk, New York
I am posting this short story because so many of the current SatterLEE lines are descended from William The Immigrant SatterLY of Setauket, Brookhaven, LI, NY. This is a great source of confusion, as many of the original SatterLY lines became spelled SatterLEE and many descendants of the Nicholas Satterlee of RI and Benedict Satterlee of Connecticut lines became spelled SatterLY.
William SatterLY b 1632 probably Devon, England, d 1677 in the waters of Long Island Sound, near Setauket, Brookhaven, L.I., New York, was one of the first English "proprietors" or property owner's in Setauket about 1660. I call him "The Immigrant" to identify him as the first WILLIAM of the English Satterly-lee-ley's to come to America. There are many William Satterly-lee-ley descendants of this man and it is easier for me to refer to the original scion of this family as "The Immigrant" to avoid confusion in some of the earliest generations.
I am a direct descendant of William The Immigrant Satterly through William II Satterly b 1660 d 1722, Nathaniel b 1709 d 1766, Selah bapt 1752 d 1800, Ephraim b 1786, Robert C. b 1832, George E., Robert O,. Robert A., Robert Alan II Satterly = me.
William The Immigrant Satterly was very active in the early village, then town of Setauket and Brookhaven, N.Y.
The earliest records of Setauket, Brookhaven are still extant and have been translated from the original "olde englishe" into an easily readable form.
The records, when closely scrutinized, detail the early lives of The Immigrant, his family, descendants, friends and other inhabitants of the area. All of the Brookhaven Town Records can be easily found and researched on Ancestry.com
Before he drowned in Long Island Sound, while returning from milling Setauket wheat into flour in Connecticut,
The Immigrant Satterly was a land speculator, horse trader, and negotiator/peacemaker with the local "Injuns." He served with distinction on the earliest Town Council.
As a result of the circumstances of his drowning, a new flour mill for Setauket was commssioned by the Town Council shortly after his death, so that local wheat would no longer have to be transported across the dangerous Sound to Connecticut.
Anyone descended from the Setauket, Brookhaven, N.Y. Satterly-lee-ley line cane be VERY proud of their Satterly heritage.
Lastly, I came across the original signature in the handwriting of William The Immigrant Satterly in the town records and had the signature photographed. He signs his last name SATTORLY.
Over the generations, the last name SatterLY has changed many times. The most frquent spellings are -LY-LEE-LEY.
BUT...it is important to note that William spelled HIS NAME -LY.
Thus, I believe that all generations descended from William The Immigrant Satterly should consider this -LY spelling as the "original" ending to this SatterLY line.
Best regards,
Dr. Chip Satterly