CORAM: A
HISTORICAL SKETCH
by
Richard M. Bayles, 1893
…The first settlements
were in that (Setauket) neighborhood, and for half a
century and more there was probably no settlement made in
the interior. But in the early years of the 18th century,
tradition tells us that younger men established homes
upon the southern half of the long lots of their fathers,
which extended from the north side to the middle of the
Island. But in the latter part of the preceding century,
Col. Smith, Lord of the Manor of St. George had
established a house at Mastic and a few others had made
some improvements about the present village of
Brookhaven. It was a long road from Mastic to Setauket,
so for the convenience of the two sections of the towns,
holding meetings for the consideration of questions of
common interest a meeting place about half way was
chosen. This meeting place was Coram. The first record I
have discovered of a public meeting of the town being
held at Coram was held on the first day of January 1695.
It was held for the purpose of considering the question
of inviting a minister to town. But the public meetings
of the town were not held regularly at Coram until many
years later. However, it afterwards became the regular
meeting place for all town meetings, ad meeting of all
the official boards of the town as well, and continued
until the year of 1884.
The origin of the name of
Coram has been a matter of much speculation and doubt.
There is no well authenticated account of its source. A
tradition has been handed down that the name was borrowed
from an Indian who lived in the vicinity, and the
historians have sometimes accepted that tradition. But it
is for several reasons unsatisfactory. It is fair to
presume that had the early Europeans borrowed the name
from the Indians they would have spelled it with a K
instead of a C. But in all the early documents that I
have see it is always spelled with a "C". For
this and other reasons I am of the opinion that the name
is not of Indian origin, but comes from the Latin. I may
ancient documents may be seen at the bottom an attesting
expression, the words, "Coram Imprimis",
meaning, in substance, sealed before us. The word Coram
means "in presence of", "before one's
eyes", "face to face", "in
person", "by word of mouth", hence the
appropriateness of the word as applied to the place where
the business of the town was done publicly, or the people
met "face to face", in each others' presence.
This being the locality where, as we have already stated,
the people from the extremes of the town sometimes met
for the consideration of questions of common interest,
the suspicion appears well founded that the character of
the meeting place suggested the name.
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