Percy and Meta Before Their Marriage
Percy met his future wife, Meta Petermann,
while he was living in Hoboken.
Helen Land said Percy and Meta met at a
dance in Jersey City. However, Percy's address in Hoboken in November 1906 was at Hudson Street
between
3rd and 4th
Streets, quite close to 2nd Street and River Street where the Petermann family lived.
Meta was in Long Island at New Years 1906/07. She sent a post card from Hauppague on
December 31, 1906 to her sister, Annie, in Hoboken. There was no message on the card.
Most likely Meta and Percy had met before November 1906 (when Percy is known to have been
living in Hoboken on Hudson Street) if they were serious enough for
her to visit his parents home in December/January 1906/1907.
The post card from Meta to Annie can be viewed in the Land photo album. See below.
The Marriage of Percy Land and Meta Peterman, 1908
Percy Land of Hauppague, New York married Meta H. Petermann of Hoboken, New Jersey
in Smithtown, New York on January 18, 1908. Witnesses were Clarence L. Land and Anna
Peterman. The minister was E. S. Wright of Central Islip. Percy was listed as a 22-year-old
carpenter, born in Canada, father, Law Land, mother, Elizabeth Sykes, both born in England.
Meta was listed as a 21-year-old, dressmaker, born in Hoboken, New Jersey, father,
Bernard Peterman, mother, Sophie Steurer, both born in Germany.
The Children of Percy Land and Meta Petermann
Percy and Meta had:
- Percy Arnold Land, Jr.born on October 27, 1908 in the
town of Smithtown, Village of Hauppauge, Long Island, the son of Percy Arnold Land,
age 23, carpenter, born in Canada and Meta Peterman, age 22, born in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Percy Arnold Junior was known as Arnold.
- Meta Helen Land, known as Helen, born on February 14, 1910 in the town of
Smithtown, village of Hauppague, the daughter of Percy A. Land, age 24, carpenter,
and Meta Petermann, age 24, born in Hoboken, New Jersey, she was the second of two
living children. Attending physician, Roland Hazler (?). Percy was listed on the birth
certificate as being born in Hauppague, this is obviously in error.
Meta Helen was known as Helen.
- Allen Bernard Land born on January 8, 1913 in Central Islip, Long Island,
the son of Percy Arnold Land , age 27, contractor and builder, born in Canada and Meta
Peterman, age 26, born in New Jersey, he was the third of three living children.
The attending physician was William S. McDannald of Brentwood, Long Island.
- Edgar born on October 7, 1915 in Hauppauge, New York
to Percy Land, age 30, contractor, born in Canada and Meta Peterman, age 29, born in the
United States, he was the forth of four living children. Attending physician H. E. Chatwain (?)
of Brentwood, Long Island.
Edgar, called Bud or Buddy, always celebrated his birthday on October 8th. He said
the doctor made a mistake in recording the birth date as October 7th.
Percy and Family in the 1910 Federal Census
The 1910 Federal census listed the family of Percy A Land on Hauppague Road as follows:
- Percy A., head, age 24, married 2 years, Canada, immigrated in 1896, house
carpenter, renting
- Meta H, wife age, 24, married 2 years, born in New Jersey
- Percy A, son, age (can't read), born in New York
- Meta H., daughter, age (can't read) born in New York.
Their immediate neighbors were Warren Hubbs and George Cornish.
Percy Land at Carnegie Hall, New York City, 1911
Thursday Evening, June 15, 1911 at 8:30 a musical by the pupils of Mme Dora
Wiley-Tennis of 128 W 97th Street was presented in the Chamber Music Hall of the
Carnegie Building in New York City. Percy Land sang Ambrose's "The Shoogy Shoo" (four lessons)
and Faure's "The Palms" (fifteen lessons) both in the second part of the program .
Dora Wiley was an America soprano and was the Prima Donna of the Haverly Opera Company in 1883.
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| Photo courtesy of the Smithtown Library C Ball Spring 2006. Donated by Helen
Land February 1993
Percy is forth from the left in the back row. |
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Percy Land in the 1917 Draft Registration Records
Percy Arnold Land registered for the 1917 Draft. The registration included the following information.
Percy Arnold Land, living in Hauppauge, New York, age 33, born June 8, 1895,
occupation, carpenter for Stevenson American at Camp Upton in Suffolk, New York,
next of kin, wife, Meta Land, physical discription, medium height, medium build, brown eyes
and brown hair.
To see pictures of Camp Upton go to
Percy and Meta where They Lived and Worked
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Percy and Family in the 1920 Federal Census
The 1920 census list the family of Percy Land living on Wheeler Road in Islip, New York in
a rented house as follows:
-
Percy, head of household, age 34, immigrated in 1896, naturalized in 1903,
born in Canada, occupation carpenter, contractor.
- Meta, wife, 34 years old, born in New Jersey.
- Arnold, son, age 11, born in New York.
- Helen, daughter, age 10, born in New York.
- Allan, son, age 7, born in New York.
- Edgar, son, age 4 years and 3 months, born in New York.
Percy Land as Listed in the 1924 Lewis Historical
Biographies
The Lewis Historical Publishing company Volume V for the Boroughs of Brooklyn and
Queens and the Counties of Nassau and Suffolk, Long Island, New York 1609-1924 by
Henry Ishan Hazelton included the following biography of Percy A. Land,
"Percy A. Land, of Smithtown Branch, Long Island, was born at Toronto,
Canada, on June 8, 1885, the son of Law and Elizabeth (Sykes) Land. When he was
six years of age Percy A. and his parents moved to Detroit, Michigan, and the boy
received his education in the public schools there. After his schooling he leaned the
carpenter's trade and he and his parents moved to Long Island, in 1895. They went
to live at Hauppauge, and then Smithtown, Long Island, where Percy A. Land worked
at the carpenter's trade and finally became an independent builder and contractor.
He started in that business in 1911 and worked up a large and lucrative connection
and is widely and favorably known. He has now given up the building business,
and has bought a tract of land opposite St. James' (Long Island) depot, and is
sub-dividing it into business and building lots, and will also start a lumber, hardware,
and material business. Mr. Land is a Republican in politics, and a member of the
Woodmen of the world.
Mr. Land married, on January 18, 1908, Meta Peterman, and they have four
children: Arnold, Helen, Allen and Edgar."
Occupation and Property of Percy Land
According to both Helen Land and Bud Land , Percy worked for six years on
the Livingston Estate on Lloyds's Neck overlooking the Long Island Sound.
He picked up his crew every morning in a bus.
According to Bud, Percy build a house with 38 rooms and dairy barns, stables,
dog kennels, an 8-car garage, a beach cabana, cottages for the horseman, dairymen,
and gardener's buildings. Bud said Mr. Livingston owned railroads.
Lloyd's Neck is north west of Huntington.
According to Bud Land, Percy built houses and stores in Central Islip, Hauppague, and
Smithtown.
One of the pictures that Helen gave me is very faded, but it shows Percy with his crew in
front of a store he had just finished building.This photo can be viewed in the Land photo album. See below.
According to Bud, Percy bought two pieces of property with the profits for this job.
Bud said, Percy bought the Monahan farm in Saint James, a triangular piece of property
boarded by the railroad, Lake Avenue and Moriches Road. Monahan's daughter, Ella, married
Hosea Davis the grocer. At some point Percy had both a lumberyard and a hardware store
on that property. Bud Land says he, Bud, owned and ran the hardware store from 1939 to
until he married Agnes. He said his father gave him the store in exchange for insurance
money that Bud got from a burn injury. Bud said Percy needed the money to pay the taxes
on the property. When we were kids my father told us his father gave him the hardware
store because he couldn't afford to send him to college. After Bud had the stroke in 1986,
he told the version of the insurance money.
Percy also bought the property that included the house and land at
101 North Country Road in Smithtown.
According to the Suffolk County Records Office the following real estate transactions
occurred in the name of Percy Land.
- On September 22, 1919
"in consideration of One dollar ($1.00) lawful money of the United States, and other
valuable considerations) paid by the party of the second part"
"ALL that certain tract or parcel of land with the buildings and improvements theren (sic),
situate, lying and being at Hauppauge, in the Town of Smithtown, County of Suffolk, and
State of New York, bounded North by land of E. Morris; East by land of George McCrone;
South by the highway running along the town line between Smithtown and Islip; and west
by land of A. Turak. CONTAINING two acres (2) more or less."
- On the 16th of April 1920 Percy bought from Howard and Ada Arthur for
"consideration of the sum of Five ($5) dollars lawful money of the United States and other
good and valuable considerations"
Three tracts of land along the "highway" from Smithtown Branch to St. James. The first and
second parcels each contained one acre "more or less".
The third parcel contained five acres "more or less".
This is the property that included the house at 101 North Country Road where the Land
children grew up and where Meta Land lived until her death in 1973. The house on North Country Road was built by Green after 1873. The second owners were the Artures
from whom Percy bought the house.
Note: Percy Land and family
were listed on Wheeler Road in Islip in the 1920 census.
- On December 31, 1924 Percy bought the property in St James formed
by the triangle of Moriches Road, Lake Avenue and the Long Island Railroad tracks
and that included the hardware store and lumberyard. I don't completely understand the
documents relating to this puchase.
It appears to me that he agreed with Alfonsa Monahan, the former owner, to buy this
entire triangle of land for $27,000 and that she held the mortgage and released different
parcels of the land over a period of two years. Nothing is really spelled out in any of the
documents. The first document was dated December 31, 1924 and is referred to in the
later documents. The December 1924 document outlines the land as described above.
Subsequent Deeds, with fees ranging form $1 to $10, are dated March 27, 1925,
April (no date) 1925, August 24, 1925, April 19, 1926, August 13, 1926 and
November 11, 1926 and include descriptions of parcels within the triangle of land
outlined in the December 1924 Deed.
- On September 22, 1926 Percy bought from Adolph and Elizabeth Harnish
for the "consideration of Ten (10) Dollars, lawful money of the United States and other
valuable considerations " "lots numbers Two (2) and Three (3)" on the "Map of River lots
situate at Smithtown ". This area was known as Smithtown Landing.
"The dimensions of said lots taken together are as follows, viz: 100.46 feet wide on
Road from Dock to North Shore Turnpike, 1001.26 feet in rear on River, 135.84 feet deep
on the southeasterly side, and 11.40 feet deep on the north westerly side be said
dimensions more or less".
It would be interesting to know what the "other valuable considerations" were for these
various real estate purchases.
Percy must have been doing well before the stock market crash of 1929.
Arnold and Helen both graduated from Syracuse University. I don't know the date
of Arnold's graduation. Allen apparently went for a few years and then had to quit,
because Percy could not afford it. |
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| 1917 Becher Hyde Map courtesy of the Smithtown Library Long
Island Room, November 2005
A 1917 Map of the area shows the property that Percy bought in 1919 on what is now
Town Line Road just east of Hauppauge Road and the intersection of Rte. 111 (Wheeler Road). It is the property with the arrow to C. H. Blydenburgh. On the other side of Mrs. N Mc
Crone was the property of L. Land. |
1930 Census
On North Country Road, Smithtown Branch:
- Percy A Land, head, own $15,000, age 44, married at age 22, born English Cananda, immigrated 1892,
proprietor lumber
- Meta H Land, wife, age 44, married at age 22, none
- Arnold Land, age 21, none
- Helen Land, age 20, none
- Ellen Land, age 17, none
- Edgar Land, age 15, none
1931
On December 18, 1931 the Smithtown Branch High School put on the Senior play
"Oh Kay", a three
act mystery comedy. The playbill includes an ad for Percy A Land, St James, Long Island,
Tel 535, Lumber, building Materials - Complete Line Sherwin-Williams Paints
Death of Percy Land
Percy died on May 10, 1950.
His will reads,
PERCY A. LAND, of Smithtown Branch, Suffolk county, New York, do make, publish and
declare my last will and testament in manner as follows;
- I order that all my just debts and funeral expenses be paid.
- I give, devise and bequeath all my real and personal property to my wife,
Meta H. Land to have and to hold as long as she may live, and what is left at her death
to be devided (sic) equable among my four children Arnold, Helen, Allen and Edgar.
- I hereby appoint my wife, Meta H. Land, executrix of this my last will
and testament, hereby revoking all former wills. AND my said wife, executor
shall not be required to give any security as executor. IT is my wish that she
shall not be hampered in any way in the conduct of trust imposed upon her
or in the settlement of my estate.
IN WITNESS (illigible word), I have hereto subscribed my name this 28th day of July 1938.
The witnesses: Arnold Land and Allen Land.
Death of Meta Petermann Land
Meta died on January 5, 1973 at age 87 in St Johnland Nursing Home, Kings Park.
She was buried in the Methodist Cemetery in Hauppauge.
Her will was pretty much a form will signed on June 30, 1950 shortly after Percys death. She appointed Arnold and Helen executors of
her estate. All the hosehold effects and furnishings were left to Helen.
The rest of the estate was devided equally between the four children: Arnold, Helen, Allen and Bud.
Among Helen's papers was a prayer card with the Twenty-third Psalm and
Meta's name and date of death printed on the top. Taped to it was the following
obituary from Newsday,
Land, Meta H., on Jan. 5, 1973, age 86, of Smithtown, L.I. Beloved wife of
the late Percy A. Land. Dear mother of Miss Helen Land, Arnold Land of Smithtown,
Edgar Law Land of Madison, N.J., and Allen Land of Chevy Chase, Md. Also survived by
13 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. Religious services Monday, 11 AM at the
O. R. Davis Funeral Home, Smithtown. Interment Hauppague Rural Cemetery,
Hauppague, L.I. In lieu of flowers, contributions to Organ Fund of the First Presbyterian
Church of Smithtown will be appreciated.
Meta Land, born January 18, 1886, died January 1973, Suffolk County, NY. SS#090-28-1526.
The Children of Percy and Meta as Adults
| Click on the photo for more information about
Arnold Land |
| Click on the photo for more information about
Helen Land and for her notes on the family genealogy. |
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| Click on the photo for more information about
Allen Land |
| Click on the photo for more information about
Bud Land |
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| The Photo Album
To view the Land photo album (which also contains the post cards), click on the
tintype of Percy and Meta |  |
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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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