Matthias Nicoll (1630 – December 22, 1687), a.k.a. Nicolls, was the sixth
mayor of New York City from 1672 to 1673. He is the patriarch of the Nicoll family, which settled and owned much of
Long Island, New York. Numerous
place name
Place may refer to:
Geography
* Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population
** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own municipal government
* "Place", a type of street or road name
** Often ...
s on the island now bear the Nicoll name.
Early life
Nicoll was born in 1627 and was son of a minister. He lived in
Islip, Northamptonshire, and practiced law there.
Life in America
In 1664, he came to the North America with
Richard Nicolls
Richard Nicolls (sometimes written as Nichols, 1624 – 28 May 1672) was the first English colonial governor of New York province.
Early life
Nicolls was born in 1624 in Ampthill in Bedfordshire, England. He was the son of Francis Nicolls (1 ...
. It is not known if the two were related, although some sources say he was Richard's nephew. Matthias was Richard's secretary and was present to the first surrender of the Dutch New Amsterdam to the English. He was clerk of the court in the new English colony and served various judge roles. He was a member of the Convention at
Hempstead, New York
The Town of Hempstead (also known historically as South Hempstead) is the largest of the three towns in Nassau County (alongside North Hempstead and Oyster Bay) in the U.S. state of New York. It occupies the southwestern part of the county, on ...
, in 1664–1665 that established the laws for the new colony.
In 1670, he bought land in present
Plandome Manor, New York/
Plandome, New York
Plandome is a village in the Town of North Hempstead in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. It is considered part of the Greater Manhasset area, which is anchored by Manhasset. The population was 1,349 at ...
, and he is said to have named it for the Latin 'planus domus' meaning 'plain' or 'peaceful' home.
Political career
In 1672 he was appointed New York City mayor, and served for two years. He was speaker of the General Assembly under
Thomas Dongan
Thomas Dongan, (pronounced "Dungan") 2nd Earl of Limerick (1634 – 14 December 1715), was a member of the Irish Parliament, Royalist military officer during the English Civil War, and Governor of the Province of New York. He is noted for hav ...
in 1684 which guaranteed religious freedom to Christians.
Personal life
He and his wife were buried in front of the manor home, although the exact spot is not now known because it was vandalized. A plaque on Plandome Road marks the general area.
One of his children,
William Nicoll , would sell the Plandome Manor in 1718, then over 1000 acres, and move to his own estate of on the
Great South Bay
The Great South Bay is a lagoon situated between Long Island and Fire Island, in the State of New York. It is about long and has an average depth of 4 feet 3 inches and is 20 feet at its deepest. It is protected from the Atlantic Ocean by Fire ...
in present-day
Islip, New York
Islip ( ) is a town in Suffolk County, New York, United States, on the south shore of Long Island. The population was 335,543 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous city or town in the state.
The Town of Islip also contains a ...
. The Suffolk estate Islip was named after their ancestral home in England.
The manor house itself was torn down in 1998 by its new owner.
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicoll, Mathias
1630 births
1687 deaths
Mayors of New York City
People of the Province of New York
People from Plandome Manor, New York
People from Plandome, New York
People from North Northamptonshire