Capt. Thomas Talmadge II

A Founding Father of East Hampton

Captain Thomas Talmadge II was an influential colonial settler, civic leader, and military officer who played a critical role in the early development of Long Island, New York. Born in 1617 in Hampshire, England—with historical records suggesting his birthplace as Wherwell, Winchester, or Barton Stacy—Talmadge was part of the great Puritan migration to the New World. At the young age of 13, he emigrated in 1630 from England with his family to Lynn, Massachusetts. Over the course of his lifetime, he transitioned from a young immigrant to one of the most prominent, wealthy, and respected leaders in colonial America.

After coming of age in Massachusetts, Talmadge set his sights further south and west. Around 1642, he married Elizabeth Bancroft, likely the daughter of John Bancroft, a follower of John Winthrop who had also settled in Lynn. Together, Thomas and Elizabeth would have a large family, including Thomas III, Nathaniel, Hannah, Naomi, Mary, Shubael, Sarah, Enos, Onesemus, and John. Their descendants would go on to propagate the Talmadge line throughout New York and beyond.

Talmadge is most historically significant for his role as a pioneering founder of East Hampton, New York. In 1649, he and a small group of fellow settlers pushed westward on Long Island to establish a new town, which they initially called “Maidstone” before it was renamed East Hampton. When a General Court was ordained for the whole assembled people in 1650, Talmadge’s educated background became immediately apparent. He was elected as the town’s “First Recorder” and secretary on October 3, 1650. He held this vital position for many years, carefully documenting the town’s early history and legal decisions. The Chronicles of Easthampton noted that, judging from his handwriting and spelling, he possessed a remarkably good education for the era.

Beyond his civic duties, Talmadge was a leading figure in the town’s defense. In a colonial frontier where localized militias were essential to a settlement’s survival, he was appointed Lieutenant in 1665. He was later promoted to Captain of the Train Band, the local militia. In the Puritan-influenced society of 17th-century Long Island, this title was not just a military rank but also the highest social office in the community, carrying with it the prestigious “seat of honor” at the local church.

Through his leadership and varied enterprises, Captain Talmadge amassed significant wealth. Tax assessments from 1690, near the end of his life, indicate that his property holdings far exceeded those of anyone else in the community, making him the richest man in East Hampton.

Captain Thomas Talmadge II died in September 1691 at the age of 74. He left behind a legacy that stretched far beyond his considerable estate. From his early days as a teenage immigrant in Massachusetts to his standing as a wealthy, educated, and distinguished founding father of East Hampton, Talmadge exemplified the quintessential early American pioneer. His life’s work laid the foundational civic and military infrastructure of one of New York’s oldest and most historically rich communities.