This article appeared in a series of articles pertaining to the early history of twenty two families of Westchester County, New York. They were published during the summer and fall of 1951 as part of a special feature in the Westchester Group Newspapers and Affiliates. The author was Maureen McKernan. The article on the Haviland family was the 6th of the series.
As is true of many original Westchester families, the Haviland clan originated in Rye before 1700.
Founder of the American family was William, who came from England sometime before 1653 when he is recorded as a commissioner of the court in New Port, R. I., in 1656. This would indicate he was a man of education. That he had money can be assumed from his purchase of 100 acres at Little Neck, near Flushing, in 1667. Such men were usually younger sons of English gentry.
William's four sons came to Rye, led by the oldest, Joseph, who stayed only from 1688 until 1702 and moved on to New Jersey. He ran a grist mill in Rye and was a Town Trustee in 1698. Joseph's three brothers, Benjamin, John and Jacob, remained in Rye.
From Benjamin are descended most of today's Havilands. Benjamin, who had become a Quaker while living in Flushing, bought 400 acres of land in Harrison, some of which remained under Haviland title until recent years.
Late Supervisor a Descendant
The late Benjamin Taylor, for many years Supervisor of Harrison, gained his given name from his ancestor, the first Benjamin Haviland.
Benjamin's brother John came to Rye from Flushing in 1703 and bought several hundred acres, 200 of which later were transferred to Ben's son, Thomas. John, another son of Ben, owned Mansuring Islands which was long known as Haviland's Island.
A son of John of Haviland Island was Dr. Ebenezer Haviland who during the Revolution was a surgeon for the American Army. Provision for his education was made in his father's will, drawn in 1749. Dr. Haviland was town supervisor, president of the Rye Fair when such existed and owned the Square House, now the City Hall of Rye. Here his widow, the former Tamar Budd, conducted a tavern so fine that both George Washington and Gen Lafayette were entertained there. Tamar was a descendant of John Budd who in 1660 bought that land known until Civil War times as Budds Neck and which today is the Rye Neck district of the Village of Mamaroneck.
Samuel Has Claim to Fame
Maj. Billy Haviland was an officer during the Civil War and his farm was at Grove and West Streets in Mamaroneck, on the Harrison-Rye Town line. Deeds to this land are in the form of quit-claim deeds because so many generations of Havilands had held the land without formal registration of their inherited ownership.
Another traditional Haviland farm passed from the family when the Hutchinson River Parkway passed right through the James Haviland homestead at the corner of West and Purdy streets on the Harrison-White Plains line. The West Street overpass covers the site of the old farmhouse. This James Haviland introduced the first mechanical harvesters into Westchester. He was a cousin of Maj. Haviland.
James Haviland was the grandfather of Clements Haviland of Grove Street, Mamaroneck, and the great-grandfather of Gene Haviland who is on leave now from the County Trust Co. in Mamaroneck to take part in another war. Gene is with an Army Transport company, a mission so confidential that not even his parents are allowed to know where he is on duty.
Turn To Banking
Since the machine age changed the character of old agricultural Westchester, Havilands have turned to banking, law--as had W. V. Haviland of Port Chester--manufacturing and the building industry. Lack of space makes their listing impossible, but not to be forgotten should be the father of modern Purchase, Charles C. Haviland, born in 1875. His brother was James S. Haviland of New Rochelle. Charles was Town Supervisor for many years. Postmaster of Purchase, member of the Board of Education and a director of the County Trust.
Robert S. Haviland of Chappaqua, born in Mamaroneck in 1838, was a farmer, banker and leader of the Quakers. He was the moving spirit in the establishment of the Chappaqua Mountain Institute which from 1869 to 1909 was the leading educational institution of Northern Westchester. The Elizabeth Milbank Anderson Home now occupies the property. His son, Robert H Haviland, from whom descend White Plains and Chappaqua Havilands, was born in 1863 and was head of the Mount Pleasant Bank in Chappaqua.
| Hunt | Seacord | Oakley | Tompkins | Purdy | Haviland | Odell |
| Hatfield | Gedney | Acker | Horton | Van Wart | Van Tassel | Storm |
| Lent | Sutton | Hoyt | Hays | Hyatt | Coles | Griffen |
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