J. J. Miles Rubber Company is located at 160 East Merrick Road. The company was named for its founder, John J. Miles (1902-1981). In an interview with the Nassau Daily Review in 1936, Miles said that he started the business when he was given the option to sell some of his oil stock. Instead of receiving money for the stock, he was given merchandise which he then used to create his retail company. Miles started the company in his hometown, Valley Stream, in 1924. He relocated three years later to Lynbrook, moved to Long Beach in 1942, and came to Freeport in 1961. Later, Miles operated the business with his son, John W. Miles.
It was said that J.J. Miles was one of the first companies east of Jamaica to establish installment payment plans for tires in 1930. In 1936, half the business was dedicated to tires, one-eighth to radios, and three-eighths in brake linings, batteries, and accessories.
J. J. Miles Rubber Company would later be renamed the J. J. Miles Truck and Auto Center.
John J. Miles was a past president of the Freeport Tuna Club.
Sources:
J.J. Miles Rubber Company [advertisement]. The Leader. September 7, 1961, 5. Accessed July 24, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1961-09-07/ed-1/seq-5/.
Vasil, Eddie. "News and Views." The Leader. June 22, 1961, 6. Accessed July 24, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1961-06-22/ed-1/seq-6/.
"Worthless' Stock Gave Miles Business Start." Nassau Daily Review. May 29, 1936, 23. Accessed July 25, 2018. fultonhistory.com
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, July 24, 2018.
Jack and Jill Children's Shop was a children's clothing store located at 83 South Main Street in the 1940s and 1950s. Murray Frisch was the owner. The Frisch family lived at 51 Shonnard Avenue and attended Congregation B'nai Israel.
Sources:
"Confirmation Rites Held in Temple Israel." The Leader. May 25, 1950, 8. Accessed November 15, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1950-05-25/ed-1/seq-8/.
Jack and Jill Children's Shop [advertisement]. The Leader. August 17, 1941, 2. Accessed November 15, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1941-08-17/ed-1/seq-2/.
"Murray Frisch Hurt In Fall from Ladder." The Leader. January 14, 1943, 6. Accessed November 15, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1943-01-14/ed-1/seq-4/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, November 15, 2018.
Jack Greaney's Cafe was located on the corner of Church Street and West Merrick Road. The Greaney family lived at 15 Lexington Avenue. Mary and Jack Greaney's three sons: John F., James, and William, all served in the military in World War II. The couple also had two daughters, Mary A., and Lillian.
Sources:
Ancestry.com
"Nassau Fighters." Newsday. November 18, 1943, 16.
Jack Greaney's Cafe [advertisement]. The Leader. February 2, 1950, 6. Accessed May 21, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1950-02-02/ed-1/seq-6/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, May 21 2018.
Jack Kahn Music Company was located on the second floor of 174 West Sunrise Highway. In 1947, Jack Kahn opened a new studio and showroom was opened at 126 South Main Street. The store was started around 1930 by Jack Kahn, a struggling musician. His music store became successful during World War II when the federal government purchased his entire inventory of horns to supply for military bands. After the war, Kahn's music business focused on the sale of pianos and organs.
In 1973, Kahn sold his business to Gerard Binder of Roslyn and retired to Florida. Binder later expanded the business to 12 locations, including stores in Huntington, Centereach, and Manhattan. In its factory/warehouse in Freeport, Jack Kahn Music Company. was able to customize pianos and organs to match customers' existing decor. The company also had a licensed department in Macy's in Manhattan.
Jack Kahn Music Company became a subsidiary of Musikahn Corp., which Binder made public in 1985. However, three months after stock was sold to the public, trading was suspended by the Securities and Exchange Commission due to problems with the company's financial statement. Around the same time, six of its stores were closed. Musikahn Corp. filed for bankruptcy in 1986. A reorganization plan was filed by Binder the following year. In 1988, a Chapter 11 bankruptcy court notice for Musikahn Corp. and Jack Kahn Music Co., Inc. appeared in The New York Times.
Sources:
"Betty's News for Buyers." The Leader. January 16, 1947, 4. Accessed November 14, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1947-01-16/ed-1/seq-3/.
Kahn, Daniel. From Struggle to an Outright Success." Newsday. August 4, 1977.
Musikahn and Jack Kahn Music Co., Inc [bankruptcy court notice]. The New York Times. October 26, 1988, D20.
Nowak, Ann. "Musikahn Sounding Better." Newsday. March 23, 1987, B12.
"Sour Notes for Kahn Music Chain." Newsday. July 12, 1985, 47.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, November 15, 2018.
Chubby Jackson (1918-2003) (also known as Greig Jackson Funda and Grieg Stewart) was a renowned jazz bassist who was raised in Freeport. Both his parents performed in vaudeville. After his father's sudden death in 1919, his mother, uncle, and grandmother lived at 320 Archer Street. While living in Freeport, his mother would later marry Frank Funda.
Jackson played clarinet at the age of 16 in the Freeport school band. He bought a bass from classmate Arnold Fishkind. In 1935, at the suggestion of Jackson, Freeport High School formed the Boys' Glee Club. Jackson was president of the club and the group practiced under the direction of Professor J. Maynard Wettlaufer. Jackson graduated from Freeport High School in 1936 and attended Ohio State University. After returning to NY in 1937, he joined Mike Riley's Band. He would later work with Johnny Messner, Raymond Scott, Jan Savitt, Terry Shand, and Henry Busse. Between 1941 and 1943, Jackson worked with Charlie Barnet. From 1943 to 1946, Jackson played with the Woody Herman band which was called the First Herd. Jackson's fifth string gave him sped-up sound. The band briefly broke up but reformed and was then known as the Second Herd.
In 1947, Chubby worked with Charlie Ventura and toured Scandinavia with his own band. In the late 1940s, he opened the Esquire Club in Valley Stream.
Jackson returned to Freeport High School in 1949 and a performed be-bop concert as a fund raiser for the Dad's Club. Wettlaufer complimented Jackson in the press by saying that the concert would introduce students to "real American music." The summer of that same year, he teamed up with friend and noted square dance caller Ed Durlacher for a square dance event at Randall Park. The event was billed as "Hollywood Square Dance Under the Stars" and featured Chubby Jackson and the Texas Rangers. A year earlier, his mother, Dorothy Jackson, returned to performing by opening at the Coral House in 1948.
Jackson freelanced in various all-star bands until 1953 when he moved to Chicago. While in Chicago, Jackson worked as an announcer for a children's TV program and performed as a studio musician. He worked briefly with Louis Armstrong and his All-Stars in 1954.
Jackson moved back to Freeport in 1958. In addition to doing studio work, TV announcing, and song writing, he performed locally for the Freeport community. In 1958, Jackson performed at an after prom event at the Bayview Avenue School. Comedian Stubby Kaye also performed. That same year, Jackson was one of 57 Jazz musicians photographed on a Harlem street by Art Kane. This Esquire magazine photograph would become the subject of the 1994 documentary, A Great Day in Harlem. Jackson was interviewed in this Academy Award nominated film.
In the 1960s, Jackson performed with his own bands as well as with the Harold Baker Quartet and Joe Coleman's Big 4. In 1961, Jackson wrote a few articles in the Freeport Leader under the header "Chubby's Doghouse." In these articles, he expresses his love for the Village of Freeport and calling the village the "entertainment center of the East." After the election of Robert J. Sweeney as mayor of Freeport, Jackson was appointed chairman of the entertainment committee. On Memorial Day eve in 1961, he organized an open house at Guy Lombardo's East Point House. Entertainment included an orchestra, Broadway and Hollywood celebrities, and a jazz concert. Jackson was the host and MC of this event.
In 1962, Jackson served as the theatrical and musical host at the Freeport Manor (35 North Main Street). The owners of the establishment, Al and Helen Andrews, called their cabaret space the LIGHTS Club Room.
He moved to Florida in the mid-1960s and worked as a jazz disc jockey while continuing to perform with his own band. In the 1970s, he worked as a musician in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. He eventually settled in Rancho Bernardo, CA. He would occasionally appear with his son, jazz drummer Duffy Jackson (1953-2021).
During his life, Jackson recorded with Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, J.J. Johnson, Gerry Mulligan, and Zoot Sims.
Jackson died of cancer near his home in San Diego, CA at the age of 84.
See Also:
Guy Lombardo's East Point House
Long Island Good Hearted Thespian Society (LIGHTS Club)
Sources:
"Be-Bop Expert Forms Square Dance Club." Nassau Daily Review. August 10, 1949, 22. Accessed March 3, 2024. https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=ndrs19490810-01.1.26.
Chilton, John, and Lewis Porter. "Jackson, Chubby (Greig Stewart)." Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, edited by Nicolas Slonimsky and Laura Kuhn, vol. 3, Schirmer, 2001, p. 1688. Gale eBooks.
""Chubby' and His Jazz Launch Tour at White's." Nassau Daily Review-Star. August 7, 1946, 2. Accessed March 4, 2024. https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=tl19610511-01.1.1.
"Chubby Jackson Show Opens at Huntington Club Tonight." The Leader. August 28, 1952, 3. Accessed March 4, 2024. https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=tl19520828-01.1.2.
"Chubby Jackson Heads Archer PTA Fete Bill." April 28, 1961, 3. Long Island Graphic. Accessed March 4, 2024. https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=lig19610428-01.1.3.
Jackson, Chubby. "Chubby's Doghouse." The Leader. June 29, 1961, 7. Accessed March 4, 2024. https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=tl19490901-01.1.1.
Jackson, Chubby. "Chubby's Doghouse." The Leader. October 26, 1961, 3. Accessed March 4, 2024. https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=tl19611026-01.1.3.
Jackson, Chubby. "Chubby's Doghouse." The Leader. June 8, 1961, 5. Accessed March 4, 2024. https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=tl19610608-01.1.9.
Jackson, Chubby. "Chubby's Doghouse." The Leader. June 29, 1961, 7. Accessed March 4, 2024. https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=tl19610629-01.1.7.
Jackson, Chubby. "Chubby's Doghouse." The Leader. May 25, 1961, 11. Accessed March 4, 2024. https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=tl19610525-01.1.11.
Jackson, Chubby. "Chubby's Doghouse." The Leader. May 11, 1961, 1. Accessed March 4, 2024. https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=tl19610511-01.1.1.
"Chubby Jackson Gives Be-Bop Concert at F.H.S." The Leader. April 4, 1949, 16. Accessed March 4, 2024. https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=tl19490407-01.1.1.
"Chubby Jackson, Jazz Bass Player with Woody Herman." Newsday. October 3, 2003, 60. Accessed February 29, 2024. Newspapers.com.
Lawrence, Sam. "Disca & Data." The Leader. April 29, 1948, 6. Accessed March 3, 2024. https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=tl19480429-01.1.4.
Levin, Harold A. "Music in the Air." Flashings. December 18, 1935, 2. Accessed February 22, 1924. https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=fphsf19351218-01.1.2.
"FHS Alumni Plan Homecoming Day." The Leader. September 21, 1961, 16. Accessed March 4, 2024. https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=tl19610921-01.1.16.
"Top Swingers to Play at Hofstra." Nassau Daily Review-Star. July 11, 1947, 4. Accessed March 4, 2024. Accessed March 4, 2024. https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=ndrs19470111-01.1.4.
Vasil, Eddie. "News and Views." The Leader. July 26, 1962, 4. Accessed March 3, 2024. https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=tl19620726-01.1.4.
Vasil, Eddie. "Eddie Vasil Introduces... Chubby Jackson." The Leader. September 1, 1949, 1. Accessed March 4, 2024. https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=tl19490901-01.1.1.
Vasil, Eddie. "Vasil's Varieties." The Leader. October 28, 1949, 8. https://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=tl19481028-01.1.5.
Voyageur, 1934 (Freeport High School Yearbook).
Voyageur, 1935 (Freeport High School Yearbook).
Voyageur, 1936 (Freeport High School Yearbook).
Whitehead, Kevin. "100 Years Of Woody Herman: The Early Bloomer Who Kept Blooming." Fresh Air. NPR. May 16, 2013. Accessed February 29, 2023. https://www.npr.org/2013/05/16/179864519/100-years-of-woody-herman-the-early-bloomer-who-kept-blooming#:~:text=But%20then%20came%20that%20late,made%20him%20sound%20sped%2Dup.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, March 4, 2024.
Jackson Place was originally named Oak Street.
Source:
Zimmerman, Charles J. "What Ever Happened To Randolph, Claude and Jerome?" The Leader. October 15, 1992, 24
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, May 29, 2016
Morris Jacobson (1876-1935) was the owner of the Jacobson Shoe Store, which was located on South Main Street. Jacobson immigrated from Russia and eventually opened a shoe store in Brooklyn. Around 1910, he ran a shoe store in the Gobetz Building on South Main Street. In 1908, this shoe store was owned by Philip Jacobson, possibly the brother of Morris.
In 1914, Morris Jacobson purchased property from Martha Raynor for $7,500 to construct his own store with an apartment above for his family. The 22 x 50 foot building was designed by B. D. Homan and constructed by Fred S. Howell. It was located at 79 South Main Street.
In 1933, Jacobson was a director of the B'nai Israel Synagogue.
See Also:
Source:
"Freeport." Nassau County Review. August 20, 1915, 1. Accessed July 26, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1915-08-20/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Freeport." South Side Messenger. March 21, 1913, 1. Accessed July 26, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn96083504/1913-03-21/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Jacobson Business Block is Completed." The Nassau Post. December 17, 1915, 1. Accessed July 26, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071434/1915-12-17/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Temple Israel Elects." Brooklyn Times Union. January 6, 1933, 25. Accessed July 26, 2019. newspapers.com.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, July 26, 2019.
Jacobson's Shoe Store (also known as Jacobson's Family Shoe Store) was located on South Main Street between Sunrise Highway and Merrick Road. The shoe store is first mentioned in 1908 as owned by Philip Jacobson.
In 1914, Morris Jacobson, possibly the brother of Philip, purchased property from Martha Raynor for $7,500 to construct his own store with an apartment above for his family. The 22 x 50 foot building was designed by B. D. Homan and constructed by Fred S. Howell. It was located at 79 South Main Street.
See Also:
Source:
"Freeport." Nassau County Review. August 20, 1915, 1. Accessed July 26, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1915-08-20/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Freeport." South Side Messenger. March 21, 1913, 1. Accessed July 26, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn96083504/1913-03-21/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Jacobson Business Block is Completed." The Nassau Post. December 17, 1915, 1. Accessed July 26, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071434/1915-12-17/ed-1/seq-1/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, August 5, 2019.
Charles Jaggs sold boots and shoes at 78 Main Street in 1909.
Source:
Aero view of Freeport, Long Island, N.Y. 1909. New York: Hughes & Bailey, 1909. Accessed August 10, 2016. https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3804f.pm005650/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, August 30, 2016.
Japanese Garden was an open-air theater operated by vaudevillians Rose and Arthur Baylan. They were summertime residents of Freeport with a cottage located on Roosevelt Avenue. The Japanese Garden was located on South Main Street and Merrick Road, and was originally known as Stone's Orpheum Airdome.
In 1915, the Japanese Garden was reopened by the Oregon Comedy and Vaudeville Company.
See Also:
Sources:
"Freeport." Nassau County Review. September 17, 1915, 1. Accessed January 16, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1915-09-17/ed-1/seq-1/
Japanese Garden [advertisement]. Nassau County Review. May 21, 1915, 8. Accessed January 16, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1915-05-21/ed-1/seq-8/.
"To Have Japanese Garden." The Nassau Post. May 14, 1915, 2. Accessed January 16, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071434/1915-05-14/ed-1/seq-2/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, January 16, 2018.
Moses Jarvis (c. 1852-1917) was a member of one of the first African American families in Freeport. Jarvis grew up in Hempstead and lost his leg as a youth. Depending on the source, Jarvis's amputation was the result of either a fall or an accident involving the Long Island Rail Road. He built a successful scavenger business that thrived until the 1930s, when municipal sewers went into service. He also engaged in the private collection of garbage and ashes. In his business, Jarvis employed both whites and African Americans. It was said that Jarvis once paid $650 for a team of horses for his wagons, which he then leased to the local funeral director to pull a hearse.
Jarvis's wife, Henrietta (nee Green), was of African American and Long Island Native American ancestry. They married around 1879 and had eleven children. Using Census records, their children were identified as: Irwin/Irving (c. 1880-?); Mabel (1883-?); Anna/Annie (c. 1884-?); Sherman (c. 1887-?); Wilbur (c. 1890-?); Christopher (c. 1892-?); Henrietta (c. 1895-?); Moses (c. 1896-?); Katie (c. 1897-?); Florence (c. 1904-?); and Benson (1905-1944). In 1883, it was reported that two of Moses's children ingested poison (Paris Green). One newspaper account reported that the children died; another account reported that the children lived.
In the 1900s, when New York City decided to install a new pipeline for water supply from Nassau County to Brooklyn, Moses Jarvis sold a right-of-way through their farm. In 1912, Jarvis was sued by his siblings claiming this land was owned by their father (also named Moses) and not their brother. The courts found in favor of the younger Moses Jarvis.
Moses Jarvis's siblings included: Josephine Potter (Freeport); Mary Jane McLain (Freeport); James Jarvis (Freeport); William Edward Jarvis (Amityville); David Jarvis (Jamaica); Olive V. Humane (Baldwin) and John Cornelius Jarvis (Hempstead).
In 1917, Moses and Henrietta sued James M. and Thomas B. Seaman, who they believed attempted to swindle them out of the same land.
For a time, the Jarvis family lived in Merrick but later moved to Sweezy Avenue. In 1915, the Jarvis family got a telephone.
Moses and Henrietta Jarvis donated land for the first Bethel A.M.E. Church and along with Richard H. Toomer were early founders of this congregation.
Jarvis died at the age of 66. Henrietta died about 1950 at the age of 95. Both are buried in Greenfield Cemetery, Uniondale, NY.
See Also:
Sources:
"Clad in His Sister's Clothes." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. May 2, 1894, 1. Accessed June 3, 2017. https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50345361/?terms=%22clad%2Bin%2Bhis%2Bsister's%2Bclothes%22.
Day, Lynda R. Making a Way to Freedom: A History of African Americans on Long Island. Interlaken, NY: Empire State Books, 1997.
"Demand Property Back." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. February 27, 1914, 2. Accessed June 5, 2017. https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/53165980/?terms=moses%2Bjarvis.
"Freeport." South Side Signal. November 10, 1883, 1. Accessed June 3, 2017. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn83031038/1883-11-10/ed-1/seq-2/.
"Long Island Notes." The Long-Islander. November 2, 1883, 1. Accessed June 3, 2017. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn83031119/1883-11-02/ed-1/seq-1/.
Metz, Clinton. "Yester-Year." The Leader. June 15, 1966. 14. Accessed June 5, 2017. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1966-06-15/ed-1/seq-14/.
Metz, Clinton. "Yester-Year." The Leader. June 30, 1966, 14. Accessed June 5, 2017. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1966-06-30/ed-1/seq-14/.
Moses Jarvis Obituary. Nassau County Review. February 02, 1917, 1. Accessed June 3, 2017. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1917-02-02/ed-1/seq-1/.
"New Telephones." Nassau County Review. January 15, 1915, 4. Accessed June 3, 2017. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1915-01-15/ed-1/seq-4/.
"Relatives Beaten of Fight For Award." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. November 29, 1912, 11. Accessed June 5, 2017. https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/55381604/?terms=moses%2Bjarvis.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, June 5, 2017.
Updated by Regina G. Feeney, March 12, 2018.
Jay Street between Grand Avenue and Broadway was changed to Harding Place in 1920. This southern section of Jay Street was called sometimes referred to as Jay Avenue. Jay Street was named for John Jay Randall.
Source:
Village of Freeport Minutes, 1920, 230.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, May 21, 2016.
Jean Radtke's Vermont Maple House was located at 249 West Sunrise Highway, across the street from the Freeport water tower. It sold various cheeses, jellies, maple candy, and specialty items. It opened for business in December of 1966.
Source:
"Jean Radtke's Vermont Maple House a Big Hit." The Leader. December 15, 1966, 10. Accessed March 14, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1966-12-15/ed-1/seq-10/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, March 14, 2018.
Jeannette Avenue was named for Jeannette Meister. She was the wife of Albert Meister, the developer of Meister Beach.
See Also:
Researched by Cythnia J. Krieg, May 24, 2016.
Jess-Lu Inn was a restaurant opened by Captain George Lindley in 1964. The restaurant was located at 150 Woodcleft Avenue, across the street from the headquarters of the Jess-Lu fleet. It served snacks and full meals.
Source:
"Another Jess Lu Added to the Fleet." The Leader. May 21, 1964, 12. Accessed September 11, 2018. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1964-05-21/ed-1/seq-12/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, September 11, 2018.
Jesse Street was named for Jesse Lewisohn, the companion of the vaudeville actress and singer, Lillian Russell. It is located in the Stromberg Park development.
Researched by Cynthia J. Krieg, May 24, 2016.
Jodi's Restaurant, located at 24 West Sunrise Highway, opened in November of 1971. A specialty of the restaurant was chicken, which it marketed to recreational fisherman as "Mr. T's Economy Buckets." In 1972, Jodi's started a catering service. The location became the Hungarian restaurant Betyar Charda around 1974. Two years later, the site was converted to an OTB (Off Track Betting). Prior to Jodi's Restaurant, the site was occupied by a restaurant named Hill-Billy's.
Source:
Betyar Charda [advertisement]. The Leader. June 20, 1974, 3. Accessed December 21, 2021. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1974-06-20/ed-1/seq-3/.
Jodi's Restaurant [advertisement]. The Leader. June 15, 1972, 14. Accessed December 21, 2021. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1972-06-15/ed-1/seq-14/'
Jodi's Restaurant [advertisement]. The Leader. December 21, 1972, 14. Accessed December 21, 2021. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1972-12-21/ed-1/seq-14/.
"Local OTB Branch Three Years Old." The Leader. August 30, 1979, 2. Accessed December 21, 2021. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1979-08-30/ed-1/seq-2/.
"Notes from Norma." The Leader. November 4, 1971, 11. Accessed December 21, 2021. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1971-11-04/ed-1/seq-13/
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, December 21, 2021.
Albin Johnson (1874-1933) served as Village justice from 1919 to 1933. Born in Sweden, Albin’s family, led by his father and mother (August and Bertha), immigrated to the United States in 1886. He graduated from the Freeport public schools in 1893 and was the first president of the Alumni Association. In 1894, he graduated from the commerce department of Pratt Institute, received his bachelor of laws degree from New York University in 1896, and his master of laws from Brooklyn Law School, St. Lawrence University in 1905. In 1931, he ran on both tickets for judge, such was his popularity.
Johnson was called the “Great Joiner” and it was said he belonged to more fraternal organizations than any other resident of Freeport. He was an Exalted Ruler of the Elks, a member of the South Shore Yacht Club, the Freeport Lodge of Moose, United Commercial Travelers of America, Modern Woodsmen of America, Freeport Chamber of Commerce, Freeport Exchange Club, Royal Arch Masons, Odd Fellows, and the Methodist Church. He was made an honorary member of the William Clinton Story American Legion Post, Henry Theodore Mohr Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Order of the Ahepa. He also was president of the Board of Education.
Click here for images related to Albin Johnson.
Researched by Cynthia J. Krieg, June 20, 2016.
Eleanor Lavinia Johnson (1894-1935), born in Freeport to Axel S. and Mary (nee Boynton) Johnson, is one of two Freeport women who died from disease contracted while serving as military nurses.
Johnson attended Freeport Public Schools and studied nursing at the Jewish Hospital in Manhattan. She graduated from nursing school in 1914. In 1917, she enlisted as an Army Nurse. Johnson was placed in charge of nurses at a hospital in Dartford, England. In October 1918, she met King George and Queen Mary when they visited the hospital. She was said to be one of the few surviving members of her unit. Many nurses and doctors attached to this unit died of tuberculosis.
After the war, Johnson returned home. She spoke about experience as a military nurse to students in Freeport in 1919. About 1927, the disease progressed to a point where she was taken to the Farmingdale Sanatorium. She remained there until her death in 1935 at the age of 41.
Johnson was a charter member of the William Clinton Story American Legion Post. It was the custom of the post to send her the number one membership card for free. For a time, she was their only female member. Johnson’s name does not appear on any Freeport monuments. Johnson’s obituary in The New York Times contains some errors including her middle initial and the name of the hospital where she died.
Johnson's family home was located at 128 North Main Street.
Sources:
"Eleanor F. Johnson, Nurse in War is Dead; Headed a U.S. Army Hospital Illness Contracted Led to Her Death" The New York Times. December 4, 1935, 23.
"King and Queen Give Cheer to Wounded Brooklyn Soldiers," The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. October 20, 1918, 6. Accessed June 3, 2016. https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/57730835/?terms=King%2Band%2BQueen%2BGive%2BCheer%2Bto%2BWounded%2BBrooklyn%2BSoldiers.
"High School Notes" Nassau County Review. March 21, 1919, 1. Accessed June 3, 2017. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1919-03-21/ed-1/seq-1/.
New York, Abstracts of World War I Military Service, 1917-1919.
"War Nurse Dies at Farmingdale" Nassau Daily Review. December 4. 1935, p. 1. Accessed June 3, 2017. fultonhistory.com.
"Welcome Home" Nassau County Review. August 29, 1919, 1. Accessed June 3, 2017. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1919-08-29/ed-1/seq-1/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, June 3, 2017.
Hilbert R. Johnson (1888-1953) served as Village judge from 1933 to 1953. Johnson was born in Freeport and grew up on Seaman Avenue in Freeport when it was very rural. He graduated from Freeport High School with high honors in 1906; subsequently, he entered New York University Law School and graduated in 1909. He passed the State bar examination. admitting him to the practice of law before he was 21. He joined his brother Albin in the law practice of Johnson and Johnson which had an office at 33 South Grove Street. He was elected a Village trustee in 1921 by a record breaking vote and served until 1923. In that year he was elected president (mayor) and later served as Village counsel until he was elected to succeed his brother Albin as Village judge.
Johnson was the unofficial historian of the Village and wrote numerous articles for local papers as well as the pamphlet, Freeport, Its History and Progress in 1934 which was published and sold by the Freeport Unemployment Relief Committee, the proceeds of which were to support that organization to help people hurt by the Depression. In 1932, he was elected President of the Corporation Counsels’ Association. He was a member of the Elks, Freeport Exchange Club, Morton Lodge F. and A. M. (Masons), the Royal Arcanum and the South Shore Yacht Club and was the first president of the Freeport Historical Society in 1940.” He was one of the organizers of Hose Company No. 4 of the Freeport Fire Department.
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Source:
Hazelton, Henry Isham. The Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens Counties of Nassau and Suffolk Long Island, New York 1609-1924 (Volume 5). New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc., 1925.
Researched by Cynthia J. Krieg, June 20, 2016.
Johnson Place was named for the Johnson family, longtime residents of Freeport. The family was involved in real estate development and owned the Swift Creek Inn.
Researched by Cynthia J. Krieg, May 24, 2016.
Johnson Realty Exchange, Inc. sold real estate and insurance; its office was located at 28 Brooklyn Avenue in 1909.
Source:
Aero view of Freeport, Long Island, N.Y. 1909. New York: Hughes & Bailey, 1909. Accessed August 10, 2016. https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3804f.pm005650/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, September 2, 2016.
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Johnson's Ditch is a canal located south of Hampton Place and north of the Town 'N Harbor cooperative apartments.
Source:
Map of Nassau County Barrier Islands, 2014. Accessed October 27, 2020. https://www.nassaucountyny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/25617/2019-helicopter-larviciding-Map?bidId=
Researched by Regina G. Feeney. October 27, 2020.
Johnston's Pharmacy was located 23 West Merrick Road and was owned by Thomas Johnston. Johnston also owned a pharmacy in Brooklyn. In 1915, Clarence S. Abrams assumed ownership of the drugstore. Management of the store by Wesley J. Haig began in 1919 under the name W. J. Haig, Inc. The pharmacy was part of Rexall, a national drugstore chain.
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Sources:
"Change In Drug Firm." Nassau County Review. May 2, 1919, 1. Accessed December 28, 2016. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1919-05-02/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Freeport." Nassau County Review. June 4, 1915, 1. Accessed December 28, 2016. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1915-06-04/ed-1/seq-1/.
"Social and Personal." Nassau County Review. March 3, 1916, 1. Accessed December 28, 2016. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071433/1916-03-03/ed-1/seq-1/.
Voyageur, 1928 (Freeport High School Yearbook).
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, December 28, 2016.
Pearl Jones (c. 1892-1976) was born in South Carolina and migrated to Freeport in 1917. She and her husband, Haywood C. Jones, settled on Liberty Avenue in the Bennington Park section of Freeport. The couple was very active in Bethel A.M.E. Church, the Red Cross, Salvation Army, American Legion, and the PTA. Mr. Jones died in the late 1960s.
The Jones family planted a tree on their property in 1917. This tree would later serve as a legacy to the Bennington Park community. Though their house was torn down, the tree remained. In 1980, a fence on the property was recessed for the tree's protection. A stone marker was also placed in front of the tree commemorating Pearl Jones' contribution to Bennington Park and Freeport.
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Sources:
1920 Census. Ancestry.com
"Tribute to Pearl Jones." The Leader. December 11, 1980. 17. Accessed June 1, 2016. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1980-12-11/ed-1/seq-17/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, June 1, 2016.
Jumbo is a Nott Steam Pumper that was purchased in 1906 by the Freeport Fire Department. It was a horse drawn fire apparatus associated with Engine Company No. 1. It was motorized in 1916 for $4,250 by the American LaFrance Corporation. Jumbo earned its nickname due to its seven ton weight. It remained as a first piece line of duty apparatus until 1928, when it was retired. In 1938, Jumbo was recalled from retirement to assist with the Williams Furniture Fire. It was at this call that Jumbo's boiler exploded and the pumper was pulled from service.
The Freeport Exempt Firemen's Association began restoring and refurbishing Jumbo in 1974. Jumbo's restoration was unveiled at the Freeport Memorial Day Parade in 1976. Since then, Jumbo as received numerous awards and trophies at fire department parades and musters. Jumbo is housed at the hall of the Freeport Exempt Firemans Association located at Nine North Long Beach Avenue.
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Source:
Bermudez, Miguel and Donald Giordano. An Illustrated History of the Freeport Fire Department, 1893-2008. Freeport, NY, Freeport Fire Department, 2008.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, September 31, 2016.
Junior Order of United American Mechanics, Freeport Council No. 57 (Jr. O. U. A. M.) was established in January 1896. They formed with 27 charter members. Early members included: E. A Dorlon, E. V. Baldwin, J. W. Cheshire, Walter B. Cozzens, Frank S. Snedeker, A. G. Smith, John Dunbar, C. G. Hunt, Charles Ritemeyer, J. E. Bloomer, Van De Water Post, Archer B. Wallace, and Ernest Randall. In 1909, the organization boasted 400 members.
In 1897, Jr. O. U. A. M. Freeport Council No. 57, petitioned the Committee of Foreign Affairs of the United States House of Representatives, advocating the recognition of Cuba. The Freeport Council provided American flags to public schools in Freeport, Baldwin, Merrick, Bellmore and Greenwich Point (now Roosevelt).
Freeport's Jr. O. U. A. M. originally met in Good Templars' Hall. In 1909, they leased space in the Otten Building for their lodge. This lodge was commonly referred to as Mechanics' Hall. Later, their headquarters was located at 80 Church Street.
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See Also:
Independent Order of Good Templars
Sources:
"About Long Islanders." Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 5, 1895, 8. Accessed August 3, 2016. https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/50335078/?terms=%22junior%2Border%22%2B%22good%2Btemplars'%2Bhall%22%2Bfreeport.
"Junior Mechanics Celebrate." Brooklyn Daily Eagle. April 1, 1909, 13. Accessed August 3, 2016. https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/53894019/?terms=%22mechanics%2Bcelebrate%22%2Bfreeport%2B57.
"Jr. O. U. A. M. to Mark 47th Anniversary." The Leader. December 24, 1942, 1. Accessed August 3, 2016. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071064/1942-12-24/ed-1/seq-1/.
Monday, March 22, 1897, Petitions, Etc." Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States, Being the First Sessions of the Fifty-Fifth Congress. Washington, DC, 1897.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, August 9, 2016.