UPDATE Kleiner’s Korner: Real Estate Transactions Near the Motor Parkway in March, 1926
An interesting name in one of the transactions got me investigating who it belonged to. While I don't remember the name as being a prominent family on LI, the family certainly had a long history of farming in the Half Hollow Hills area. But first I'll mention one at a location we all know very well.
A Flying Field Sold
The Curtiss Airplane and Motor Company sold land north of the Motor Parkway in Garden City for a reported housing development for approx. $500,000. However, as we know, it eventually became Long Island's largest shopping center, Roosevelt Field. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle Mar. 18, 1926)
The property bordered the course of the Intercollegiate Golf Club, later Old Westbury Golf Club, on the south, which bordered the Motor Parkway. Old Country Road is on the north and Clinton Road is on the west. All of the Curtiss buildings were to be demolished.
E. Belcher Hyde, 1927
A Long Island Farming Family
The Erastus Soper farm "one of the best in the neighborhood" intrigued me so I went down a rabbit hole (please bear with me, that's my nature) and uncovered some information about the family that owned the land since the late 1800s. (The County Review Mar. 18, 1926)
The farm was located in Half Hollow Hills north of the Motor Parkway and was owned in 1917 by John H. Soper, son of Erastus. (E. Belcher Hyde, 1917)
"A Good Farmer's Farm"
68 acres were for sale in March of 1926. (The Long-Islander Mar. 5, 1926)
Similar listing for what I'm presuming to be the Soper farm. (The Long-Islander Mar. 5, 1926)
The following month the farm was for rent; the Sopers desired a good tenant rather than high rent. (The County Review Apr. 8, 1926)
Stepping Back Into the Soper Family History
Ezra Soper, aged 60, owned the farm in 1870 with his 35 year old son, Erastus, also listed as a farmer. Erastus' son, also named Ezra, is 5 years old. (U.S. Census, 1870)
The elder Ezra is no longer listed in this 1880 census record which shows son Erastus as farmer, and son, John H., as being 6 years old. John if you remember was on the map shown above. (U.S. Census, 1880)
Erastus, age 85 in 1920 is listed in this census record as a "retired farmer". (U.S. Census, 1920)
Erastus died in November, 1920 with an estate valued at $9,500. (Brooklyn Daily Times, 1920)
Both he and his wife Letitia are buried in the Wildwood Cemetery at "the Little White Church" in Melville. (findagrave.com)
Notice Letitia's maiden name, Ketcham, a name of which we may be much more familiar. (findagrave.com)
The Little White Church off of Route 110, circa 1930. Commuting to work in Melville for nearly 10 years I never realized my path would cross with cemetery residents 40 years later; and as a result of the Motor Parkway! I hope to visit the Sopers on my next visit to LI! (nyheritage.com)
A current picture of the cemetery.
The gravestone of Erastus and Letitia Soper; "Gone Home"! Rather than going down another rabbit hole, click here if you would like to read one reporter's version of the interesting history of the Little White Church.
Son, John H., died in 1943 and is burried in the Melville Cemetery. (findagrave.com)
The farm of Erastus Soper once again turns up in a realty listing in 1952! (The Long-Islander Oct. 16, 1952)
My North Carolina Discovery!
No more rabbit holes for now! However, yesterday I got re-invigorated by finding some discarded material under a utility easement close to my community here in NC that warrants more research. The entire area was timberland owned by various paper companies until very recently. While not the Motor Parkway or the Gold Coast estates of Long Island, I'll certainly be going down that rabbit hole. But I promise not to include my findings on vanderbiltcupraces.com.
Look out rabbits! Sorry, too much coffee this morning!
Update: June 10, 2026
I made it to Long Island in early June and was able to visit the Little White Church and the Soper family burial ground. The church is under new leadership as the photo shows.
Additional Soper Family Members
Here are some additional Soper family members I found buried there. Carrie, daughter of Erastus and Letitia.
Lemuel, from an earlier generation.
Son, John P. Soper.
Ira J. Soper, also from an earlier generation.
And Ira T. Soper.
Does anyone know what this stone might indicate for Ira T.?
Researching old Long Island families can be a very interesting exercise, especially with the online tools available today. And actually being able to visit their graves provides additional connections to those before us who lived where we live (or in my case, where I used to live).
Comments
Hi liked your article about 1926 sale of land, and the half hollow hill land
Question at the end you have a little bit about NC
I was wondering where is this rabbit hole location
I’m living in Wilmington NC now and wondering where you location you are talking about
Sam c
Hi Art, If some would like more on the Intercollegiate/Old Westbury Golf Course . I wrote an article about that course which was published in the Feb, 9, 2024 issue of the Garden City News, One thing that I was unable to discover why it was renamed a geographically challenging Old Westbury Golf Course.
Sam, I live in the Compass Point community in Leland just west of Wilmington. The items are in an area probably used during construction between 74/76 and our east gate on Compass Points East Wynd, west of the road. Glad you enjoyed my post. Thanks.
Sadly, any remnants of Soper’s cultivating farm is long gone ; (
From Art Kleiner - Frank, yes, very little remains of any farms in that part of Long Island. Here are some aerials depicting the changes - the first is from 1963 with the farms intact, then 1974 and lastly 1980. I realized that the Soper farms is either the actual area or very close to where I worked in the mid-1980s, the Huntington Quadrangle. And the area was near Newsday, now an Amazon distribution facility and a facility of the Estee Lauder company.
From Art Kleiner - see my update dated June 10, 2026.