Suffolk County Historical Society : Henry P. Hedges’ Centennial Address, July 4, 1876 / 50 Handwritten Pages

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—– April 24, 2026 —–

FROM THE SCHS LIBRARY & ARCHIVE

“How shall we know it is us without our past?”
– John Steinbeck

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Henry P. Hedges’ Centennial Address, July 4, 1876. (From the Collection of the Suffolk County Historical Society Library & Archive.Copyright © Suffolk County Historical Society. All rights reserved.)

Henry P. Hedges (1817-1911), born in the town of East Hampton, attended the Clinton Academy at fourteen years old, and three years later became a student at Yale University. In 1843, Hedges married Gloriana Osborn; the couple had three children. Gloriana died in 1891, and one year later Hedges married Mary Hildreth.

After studying law and gaining admission to the Bar, Hedges practiced law in Sag Harbor and Bridgehampton. He was elected to the NYS Assembly in 1851. Later he served as District Attorney of Suffolk County and then as a Suffolk County Judge.

A talented writer and speaker, Henry P. Hedges was very interested in local history, having written a history of East Hampton Town and delivered many addresses throughout the county. On October 1,1889, he gave an address to the Suffolk County Historical Society on the very early history of the county. On July 4, 1876, he delivered an address on the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In our collection is the handwritten manuscript for this centennial address; over 50 pages in length, two of the pages are reproduced here. .

by Wendy Polhemus-Annibell, Head Librarian

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