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Law Land Law Land, the son of John Land and Lydia Law was born in Batley England on December, 29, 1858. For more information on Law Land and his family in England, go to Lands in England now or at the bottom of the page.
Elizabeth Sykes Elizabeth Sykes was born on July 27, 1857 in Adwalton, Yorkshire, the daughter of George Stell Sykes and Sarah Walker. For more information on Elizabeth Sykes and her family in England, go to Sykes in England now or at the bottom of the page.
The Marriage of Law Land and Elizabeth Sykes Law Land, age 23, bachelor, joiner, of Caringhow, Batley, the son of John Land, cloth drawer, and Elizabeth Sykes, age 24, spinster, of Caringhow, Batley, the daughter of George Stell Sykes, shoemaker, were married in the Independent Chapel Batley, Congregational Church, Batley, Yorkshire, England on April 25,1880 in the presence of R. W. Sykes and Anne Hepworth, Certificate of Marriage in the Registration District of Dewsbury. (From a copy of the Marriage Certificate May 18, 2001, General Register Office of England). R. W. Sykes was Elizabeth's brother. Anne Hepworth was R. W. Sykes wife.
LDS does not have records for the Independent Chapel in Batley.
Law Land and Elizabeth Sykes in the 1881 Census in Batley, England Law Land and family at 51 Victoria Street in the township of Batley, Parliamentary District of Dewsbury in St. John's Church, Carlinghow Parish is listed as follows:
Law, Elizabeth, and Clarence Land — Immigration to Canada I have not found anything on the immigration of Law, Elizabeth and/or Clarence.
Law Land and Elizabeth Sykes in the 1891 Census in Toronto, Ontario, Canada Province of Ontario, District No. 132, York West, Law Land, age 31 born England, Elizabeth age 31 born England, Clarence, age 10 born England, Sarah age 8 born Ontaio, Percy age 6 born Ontario, Ethel age 3 born Ontario, Fredrick age 1 born Ontario, caprenter, relegion, "House of Isreal" Occupation of Law Land In the English records Law Land was listed as a joiner. By the lated 1800s the work of the craftsman joiner was increasingly reduced to fitting and finishing factory made goods. By the 1900s these men were more often small business men then the superior master craftsmen of the previous generations.Canadian and US Records listed Law Land as a carpenter. To see images of carpenters go to Carpenters
The Children of Law Land and Elizabeth Sykes Law Land and Elizabeth Sykes had:
For more information on the children of Law and Elizabeth as adults see below.
Migration There was an economic depression in England in the late 1870s.
The 1871 census indicated that of 1,173 babies being born every day in Britain, 468 would emigrate.While they were two among many to leave England during the peak emmigration years, Law and Elizabeth's migration route was outside normal patterns. They left England circa 1881-2 and made the following steps:
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The map shows Toronto in relationship to Buffalo, New York and Detroit, Michigan. The move to Hoboken seems quite unusual. Most people headed west. If the Lands wanted to move east why didn't they go to Philadelphia where Law's mother, four siblings, half brother, and aunt lived? Bud Land said that Law moved to where there were large construction jobs. However, the building buisness was fairly healthy in lots of places at the time they moved to Hoboken. The move from Hoboken to Jersey City is not unusual. Hoboken and Jersey City abut one another. The move to Hauppauge was quite unusual. The Elizabeth and Law had lived in urban environments all their lives. Hauppauge in 1900 was very rural.
The Lands in Toronto, Canada Law and Elizabeth and family were in Toronto from about 1881 to 1892. Addie, Percy, Ethel and Frederick were born in Toronto. See Land Migration Route now or at the bottom of the page for more information on their stay in Toronto. The Lands in Detroit The Lands moved to Detroit sometime between 1892 and 1896, most likely in February of 1892. Detroit is about 200 miles south west of Toronto. The reason Law and his family moved to Detroit is not known. Most of what I've read on immigration says no one moved in isolation. All migration is a chain of some sort. Of course there had to be the first link in the chain, but most people moved because they had a relative, friend, acquaintance or someone they knew that drew them to a new place. The only record I fond for them in Detroit was the birth record of Ruth in 1894. Unfortunately, it did not include an address. See Land Migration Route now or at the bottom of the page for more information on their stay in Detroit. The Lands in Hoboken and Jersey City Sometime after the birth of Ruth in March 1894 and before the birth of Joseph in January 1896, the Lands moved to Hoboken, New Jersey. Sometime before February 1898 the family moved 12 Floyd Street, Jersey City, New Jersey. They were at 72 Griffith Street, Jersey City in January 1899. Law Land was not listed in the 1894 through 1896 Directory for Hoboken and Jersey City. Land, Law, carp, 205 14th Street, Hoboken was listed in the 1897/98 and 1898/99 Directory. Law Land filed his Statement of Intention to become a US citizen in Jersey City in 1899. The Lands moved to Hauppauge where they were listed in the 1900 US ensus. Law applied for citizenship in Jersey City in 1901 and gave his address as 213 14th Street, Hoboken Law became a citizen in Jersey City in 1902. See Land Migration Route now or at the bottom of the page for more information on their stay in Hoboken and Jersey City. The Lands in Hauppauge The property on which Law and Elizabeth settled in Hauppague originally belonged to Law's mother, Lydia, who bought it in 1899. Lydia had been living in Philadelphia with at least four of her children since circa 1882. See below The move to Long Island was not a clean break for the Lands. The records show that Law and/or his son, Percy, where back in Hoboken in 1902, 1903 and 1906. I am sure they moved to Long Island because Lydia had property there. Why she bought the property so far from Philadelphia is not clear. I do not know if she ever saw it. The transactions for the 1899 sale and the subsequent sale of the property to Law in 1902 were carried out by notaries in Philadelphia. See Land Migration Route now or at the bottom of the page for more information on their move to Hauppauge. Bud Land says Law moved to Long Island to be a construction supervisor when the Central Islip Mental Hospital was built. Helen Land said that Law had a "permanent position with Central Islip State Hospital October 1911" Law's Property on Long Island Law Land bought three pieces of property in the Smithtown/Islip area between July 1902 and September 1903.
To read excerpts from the deeds for these properties go to Law Land's Property on Long Island now or at the bottom of the page.
Naturalization of Law Land Before 1922 the process for becoming a citizen of the United States could be carried out in a local, state, or federal court and involved three steps:
Only adult males could apply. Wives and foreign-born children under 21 automatically became citizens with their husband and/or father. Law Citizenship Process as compared to the three steps listed above:
Notes:
Who Spent Time in Hoboken After the Move to Long Island? Clearly the whole family was not living on Long Island permanently after 1900. Law and Percy were definitely in Hoboken after 1900. While Law did not move to Hoboken initially to rebuild the Hoboken piers (as Bud Land always said), it is highly likely that he returned to Hoboken to work on them. The piers of the North German Lloyd Steamship Company in Hoboken, New Jersey burned on June 30, 1900. It was a tremendous fire. Not only did the piers burn, but also several ocean liners and many smaller boats caught fire. For more information on the fire see below. According to articles in the Jersey Journal (available on microfilm at the Hoboken library) dated from November 1900 to May of 1901, construction on new piers was started almost immediately after the fire. In November 1900 the North German Lloyd lines decided to rebuild in Hoboken. Also in November of 1900 the Hamburg lines got a mortgage of $1,000,000 to rebuild their piers in Hoboken. Property was purchased from the Pennsylvania Railroads so the piers could be larger than the piers that had burned. Work began on the Hamburg-American line piers in April of 1901. The piers were rebuilt in steel. An aerial photograph taken in 1925, obtained at the Hoboken Library, shows a substantial super structure, which could involve a lot of woodwork. The Erie Lackawanna Train Station was also build in Hoboken in the early 1900's. According to the plaque on the wall of the waiting room, the Hoboken Train terminal was built in 1906 and opened in 1907. There was obviously a lot of carpentry work going on in Hoboken between 1900 and 1907. According to Bud Land, Percy and Clarence apprenticed as cabinetmakers in Hoboken. Were Elizabeth and the children living on the farm on Long Island while Law was working in Hoboken? Who else, if anyone, was living at 213 14th Street when Law applied for his citizenship in 1901? Clarence would have been 20 and Percy would have been 16 at the time. The Lands most likely traveled back and forth between Hoboken and Smithtown on the trains. An 1889 map of Long Island show the same basic train tracks on the north and central Long Island lines as there are today. The Land house in Hauppauge was quite close to the train station in Central Islip on the central line.
Elizabeth Sykes Land on Long Island According to Bud Land, Elizabeth Sykes Land was a member of the Hauppague Ladies Aid Society and the Smithtown Gardening Club. Her tombstone contains an American Legion Auxiliary marker.
Contact With the Elizabeth's Brothers in Canada On September 3, 1914 Elizabeth Sykes sent a post card addressed to Mr. Percy Land, Central Islip, L.I. entitled "College Street Baptist Church and Palmerston (edge is torn off the card) Toronto. The message reads, Best (I can't read the next word. It looks like "Loset", perhaps it is 'love to" ) all. Mother".The address was c/o Sykes, 20 Sully Crescent Toronto, Can. Sully Crescent is located on a current map of Toronto just south of College Street several blocks west of the University of Toronto. How did Elizabeth get to Toronto? Did Law go with her? Did she travel with anyone else? Elizabeth, Percy, Meta, Arnold, Helen, Allen and Buddy all went to Toronto in 1922 by car to visit the Canadian Sykes families. To see the 1914 postcard and pictures of the 1922 trip, go to The Photo Album of Percy Land and Meta Petermann
The Family of Law Land in Other Records on Long Island Census Records Law and Elizabeth and their children were listed in the 1900, 1910, 1920 Federal Censuses on Long Island. Their children were listed in the 1930 Federal Census. The Land families was also listed in the 1915 and 1925 State Cenuses. See Lands in the Censuses on Long Island 1913 Telephone Directory Law and Elizabeth Land were not listed with a phone number in the 1913 telephone directory for the area. Telephones on Long Island in 1913 were a luxury item. While there were over 60 telephones in Smithtown, there were only two in Hauppauge where the Lands lived in 1913. There was no listing for Currier or Moseley. Ethel Land married Frank Currier and Addie Land married Edward Moseley. Moir, F.C., New York Ave., Smithtown was listed. Norman Land married Madeline Moir. 1928 Telephone Directory In the 1928 Smithtown Telephone Directory the following Lands were listed:
For some unknown reason the 1928 Directory only included names up to the letter P. The rest of the alphabet is missing.
An Interesting Situation Addie Land married Edward Moseley. Her sister, Ether, married Frank Courier. Ed Moseley and Frank Courier were both house painters and were listed as such in the 1925 New York State census. I had thought that they probably worked together until I came across the following item in the Town Records for the town of Smithtown published in 1930. In 1921 The following bids for painting the Town Hall were received, publicly opened, and read: Death of Law Land Bud Land said that Law died of a heart attack while chopping wood in the back yard. His death certificate lists the date of death as February 26, 1926 around 6 P.M., cause of death, acute cardiac, contributory, history of myocarditis, birth date, December 27, 1858, age, 67 years, 1 month and 27 days, occupation, carpenter, parents, John Land and Lydia Law. The information on his death certificate was supplied by Percy A. Land. Law Land was buried in the Methodist Cemetery in Hauppague on March 1, 1926. (Information from the death certificate of Law Land was taken from a copy in the possession of Anthony Land.) The following Wills and related documents were obtained at the Suffolk County Records Office in Riverhead, Long Island. Law left a hand written Will, dated May 31, 1910, which reads, "Know all men by these present, that Law Land of Hauppague, Suffolk County, New York, do make and publish this my last will and testament. I hereby give, devise and bequeath to my Beloved wife, Elizabeth Land, all my real and personal property. And appoint her as sole executrix of my last will and testament. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this thirty first day of May, in the year one thousand nine hundred and ten.There was also a typed Will dated May 31, 1910, which reads, "Will of Law LandLaw's Will was probated on the 3rd of March 1926. It was uncontested and all eight of his surviving children signed the form. Clarence Law Land, Adelaide Land Moseley, Percy A. Land, Ethel May Courier, Ruth Weidenkeller, Joseph A. Land and Norman H. Land were listed as living in either Smithtown Branch or Hauppague. Edna Weidenkeller was listed as living on Governor's Island. The family submitted an estimate of his real property at $4000. There appears to have been a small problem with estate taxes and several forms were submitted regarding this question until it was settled in December 1929, when it was decided that Elizabeth did not owe taxes on the estate. In December of 1929, all the children of Elizabeth Land are listed as living in Smithtown Branch, with the exception of Edna who is listed in Honolulu. The estate files include one undated document and one dated document, which list the real properties of Law Land. The first document reads, "Schedule "A"The second document was dated December 23rd, 1929 and was the sworn testimony by George Smith who said he was in the insurance and real estate business, was acquainted with the property of Law Land, and that the value of that property was as stated.
Elizabeth Sykes Land After The Death Of Law Land According to Bud Land, after Law's death, Elizabeth bought a small house on Linden Place in Smithtown, between Maple and Elm Streets, were she lived until her death in 1930. She was listed at Linden Place in the 1928 Telephone directory.
Death of Elizabeth Sykes Land Elizabeth Land died of acute dilatation of the heart due to chronic cardio renal disease on February 16, 1930 in Smithtown Branch, Long Island. Her death certificate says she had lived in Smithtown for 3 years and 6 months and had been in the United States for 38 years. She is listed as the widow of Law Land, born in England on July 27, 1858, age at death, 71 years, 6 months, and 20 days, father, George Sykes, mother, Sarah Wright, both born in England. The information on the death certificate was provided by her daughter, Adelaide Moseley. She was buried in the Methodist Cemetery in Hauppague on February 29, 1930. Undertaker, C. (?) B. Darling. Note:
Hauppauge United Methodist Church Cemetery, Hauppague, Long Island, New York The following people are buried in the cemetery of the Hauppague United Methodist Church in Hauppauge:
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| In October 2009 Hans Havermann kindly shared this image of 26 Denison Avenue,
Toronto, Canada.
This was the Land's address at the birth of Edith (Sarah Adelaide) Land in 1883.
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| Click on the photo for more information about Clarence Land | 
| Click on the photo for more information about Addie Land |
| Click on the photo for more information about Percy Land | 
| Click on the photo for more information about Ethel Land |
| Click on the photo for more information about Mary Land | 
| Click on the photo for more information about Ruth Land |
| Click on the photo for more information about Joe Land | 
| Click on the photo for more information about Norman Land |
| Land Genealogy by Helen Land Helen Land, the daughter of Percy Land, compiled some notes over the years on the children of Law and Elizabeth. To see a transcription of Helen's notes, click on her photo. | 
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| The Lands in England For more information about John Land, the father of Law Land, and his family in England, click on the photo of Law in the bowler hat |  |
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The Sykes in England
For more information abour George Stell sykes, the fahter of Elizabeth Sykes, and his family in England, click on the photo of Elizabeth in the lilac bush. |
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| Lydia Law Land in Philadelphia Lydia Law Land immigrated to the United States (with at least her four youngest children) circa 1882. For more information on Lydia and her children in Philadelphia, click on the photo of the Philadelphia Art Museum. | 
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| The Lands in the United States Censuses To see listings of Law and Elizabeth and their children in the United States Federal censuses, click on the photo of the Land cousins and their fathers. | 
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| Photo Album To see photos of the Lands from the collection of Helen Land, click on the photo of Percy and Meta kissing. | 
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| Toronto, Canada Law Land and family were in Toronto, Canada from circa 1881 until circa 1892. To see pictures of Toronto, click on the picture of Queens' Park, Toronto. | 
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| Detroit Law Land and family lived in Detroit ,Michigan from circa 1892 to at least March 1894. To view pictures of Detroit, click on the postcard of Cadillac Square. | 
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| Jersey City Law Land and family lived in Jersey City, New Jersey from at least February 1898 until January 1899. To view some pictures of Jersey City, click on the postcard of the Public Library in Jersey City. | 
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| Hoboken Law Land and family lived in Hoboken, New Jersey from at least January 1896 until no later than February 21, 1898. They moved to Long Island by 1900. However, Law and Percy returned to Hoboken at various intervals until at least 1908. To view pictures of Hoboken, click on the postcard of the River Street. |
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| The Hoboken Fire For a transcription of the New York Times stories on the Hoboken fire, click on the photo of the fire. | 
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| Law Land's Property on Long Island To see more information on the property Law Land owned on Long Island, click on the photo of Elizabeth and Meta. | 
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| The Sykes in Canada For information of Elizabeth's brothers in Toronto, click on the the photo of Helen Land and a Sykes cousin in Toronto in 1922. | 
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| The Migration route of Law Land and
Elizabeth Sykes and For more detail on the migration route of Law Land and Elizabeth Sykes, click on the photo of Percy as a young man. | 
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| Smithtown, Long Island To view photos of Smithtown, click on the picture of the Presbyterian Church in Smithtown. | 
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| If you have any suggestions, corrections, information, copies of documents, or photos that you would like to share with this page, please contact me at maggie@maggieblanck.com |
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