In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re pleased to introduce you to some of the historic women of Shelter Island.
————–
Here’s the first story in our series. Meet Dinah Williams.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
SIHM photo: U.S. Coastal Survey Map c. 1838 with points of historical interest added by Ralph Duvall in the 20th century.
———————
|
The history of this dear Island sheltered by Islands is not just kept in books or even our archives. It lives and breathes all around us, from street signs to the hills we sled down in winter, to the bays, coves, and harbors whose names we know so well, and in the shared language of our community. One could read a map of Shelter Island like a history book and be greeted by the legacies of so many Islanders. Of course, like so much of history, the names on our map are often those of prominent white wealthy families. But among the names that have been immortalized on our Island’s geography is one of a Black woman who was born into slavery, later purchased her freedom, and left a legacy of her own. Her name was Dinah.
————
After twenty-five years as a slave to the Terry family in Orient, Dinah (also recorded as Diana and Dianna) saved enough money to purchase her freedom. She married Thomas R. Williams, a Black mariner, and took his name.
|
SIHM Photo: Excerpt of journal entry by Augustus Griffing naming Dinah’s parents, Crank and Flora.
|
Dinah’s father is believed to be a man known only as Crank, a free Black man, who established himself “as a manufacturer of salt from salt water by boiling it at Shelter Island in the Revolutionary War.” His wife, Flora (Florah), created a name for herself as a highly sought after nurse.
|
SIHM Photo: Letter naming “Diana” Williams as executor of her husband’s estate after his death.
|
SIHM Photo: 1930 U.S Federal Census Record for Shelter Island, Suffolk, NY. “Diana” Williams listed as head of household.
|
Like her parents, Dinah became well-known and liked in the community. After her husband’s death in 1816, she bought property on the northern tip of the island and was listed as a head of household in the 1820 and 1830 Shelter Island censuses.
|
SIHM Photo: Historical essay c. 1920s, unknown author, describing Dinah’s pantry selling light groceries.
|
Perhaps her father passed on his entrepreneurial spirit because, although there were no “regular” stores on the Island at the time, Dinah supported herself by operating a small business selling “light groceries” such as tea and sugar.
|
SIHM Photo: Photo of Dinah’s rock from the water.
|
But it was Dinah’s endearing habit of sitting on a flat rock just off the shore of her property to clean fish which has allowed her name to live on for over 200 years. Local sailors and fishermen became so accustomed to seeing Dinah on this rock working peacefully and waving kindly that it was coined “Dinah’s Rock.”
|
SIHM Photo: Receipt of Payment for Work, 1835. “To Dianna Williams for attending upon my cousin in her last sickness.”
|
Dinah was a member of the Shelter Island Presbyterian Church and Columbian Temperance Society. She was known for her gentle and caring nature and, like her mother, also worked as a nurse, as evidenced by a receipt from 1835.
|
According to the records of the Presbyterian Church, Dinah passed away in 1837, age unknown. Upon her death a “comfortable Dwelling House, Wood House, together with about 3 1/2 acres of land, in the town of Shelter Island, in good repair” was auctioned off. Their exact location remains unknown and none of these structures stand today. But Dinah’s Rock, just off Hay Beach, remains.
|
SIHM Photo: Poster for “Dinah’s Rock” pleasure area.
|
Many years after Dinah’s death, in 1873, a man named Eben Horseford bought what had been her property, and opened a pleasure area he called “Dinah’s Rock,” complete with a large pier and carousel that attracted tourists and locals alike.
————
Today, Dinah’s name can be found on street signs that cut through the edge of Gardiners Bay Country Club, not far from her famed rock. There is still so much we do not know about Dinah’s life and probably never will. Dinah Williams was a Black woman in the early nineteenth century, born a slave, and like countless other people of color, likely experienced discrimination, disenfranchisement, and the worst our society had to offer at the time. But there is so much more to her story. Like so many Shelter Islanders today, she was also a business owner, a caregiver, and an active member of community organizations. In another 200 years, Dinah’s name may not bless the same street signs, but we hope to preserve the legacy of her kind, hardworking spirit in our archives for generations to come.
|
The Shelter Island History Museum
16 South Ferry Road
Shelter Island, NY 11964
631-749-0025
——————
|
|
|
