Adapted from the House Tour Guide (1986)

William Valentine (1781-1863) purchased the Onderdonk-Remsen-Gaine Paper Mill (built in 1773 and the earliest in New York State) in 1801, together with the mill pond and surrounding property, from Hendrick Onderdonk (1724-1809), or his sons. This holding included all of the present Roslyn Park, plus additional lands on the east and west. In 1806 he married Phebe Myers (d. 1859), of New York, and, in due course, moved into the Federal style house today known as the William M. Valentine House (TG 1963), which once served as the Roslyn Village Hall.

This house has so many features in common with the Anderis Onderdonk House (built 1794-1797) (TG 1971) that it may be assumed to have been built by the same carpenter, probably during the Onderdonk period of ownership.

According to "The Valentines in America" by T.W. Valentine (Clark & Maynard, N.Y., 1874), William and Phebe Valentine produced nine children, seven of whom were boys. Two of them died in infancy. The eldest, James J.M. Valentine (1807-1845) practiced law in New York as a partner of Mayor Caleb S. Woodhull. He is buried in the family plot in the Westbury-Friends Burial Ground..

Another of the surviving sons, Eugene (1821-1853) also was a lawyer practicing in New York as a member of the firm of Valentine & Hughson, 87 Wall Street. The firm advertised twice in the Roslyn Plain Dealer (7/26/1850 and 10/25/1850) and mentioned that Eugene Valentine spent Saturdays and Mondays "at the residence of his father in this village to attend to any business relating to his profession." Eugene Valentine died at the age of 32 and is buried in the family plot in Westbury. He appears to have had little, if any, impact on the local scene. The second oldest son, William M. Valentine (1809-1884), went into the general merchandise business in Roslyn and advertised frequently in the Roslyn Plain Dealer between 1850 and 1852, but rarely was mentioned in news accounts in that paper. He built a large brick building which was destroyed by a fire in 2001, facing the Clock Tower, ca. 1860, and at about the same time enlarged his father's house, which he had acquired, to its present configuration. It is illustrated in this form in "The Valentines in America" (1874) and described as belonging to William M. Valentine. The house is indicated on the Walling Map (1859) as belonging to "W. Valentine", which could have meant either William M. or his father, and on the Beers-Comstock Map (1873) as belonging to "W.M. Valentine." In addition to his advertisements in the Roslyn Plain Dealer, he also advertised in the Roslyn Tablet (1876-1877) and in the early issues of The Roslyn News (1878 and later). He frequently was the subject of news accounts in both the latter papers, but always in connection with his general merchandise establishment.

Apparently he never, at any time, had any connection with the Valentine Paper Mill. Actually, William M. Valentine may also have been a lawyer, as "W.M. Valentine" is mentioned in a news item in the Roslyn Plain Dealer, September 12, 1851 (Vol. 2 #10) as representing the prosecution in the trial of "The People versus Valentine Smith" for stealing oysters on September 1, 1851. Another son, Myers Valentine, was born December 26, 1818 and died September 9, 1891. He was married by 1843 as his first son, Theodore Searing Valentine, was born January 19, 1844. Myers Valentine's house, #83 Main Street, (TG 1963-64/1979-80) is indicated on both the Walling and Beers-Comstock Maps as belonging to "M. Valentine." Myers Valentine is mentioned often in the columns of the Roslyn Tablet and early issues of The Roslyn News as the operator of the Valentine Paper Mill. Myers Valentine is not mentioned at all, in any connection, in the Roslyn Plain Dealer during its two years of publication. Reference to the Valentine Paper Mill is made in the Plain Dealer, August 8, 1851, (Vol. 2, #5) in which the mill operation is referred to as "our neighbor, Mr. Washington Valentine." Henry W. Eastman, one of the two publishers of the Roslyn Plain Dealer, lived and practiced law at #75 Main Street (TG 196768/1977-78).

The Valentine Paper Mill was located immediately to the east of his property. Myers Valentine lived immediately to the south. If Washington Valentine lived at 105 Main Street, next door to Myers, as conjectured, he was indeed a "neighbor" to Henry Eastman. The Plain Dealer, November 8, 1850, (Vol. 1, #18), includes the account of a near accident on the Paper Mill dam (the present Paper Mill Road) in which a spirited horse driven by Mrs. Eliza S. Leggett, wife of one of the Plain Dealer publishers, was frightened and bolted with Mrs. Leggett and her three children "and if it had not been for the indefatigable exertions of Mr. Washington Valentine, disastrous consequences would have been the result." To the foregoing Mrs. Leggett's husband added, "Driving horses is not one of women's rights." It also is worth mentioning that Mrs. Leggett was the recipient of the letter from Bishop Benjamin Tredwell Onderdonk (see Reference List) which is the best description of life in Roslyn between 1796 and 1811. This near accident also connects Washington Valentine with the Paper Mill. It took place in front of the Mill and, most likely, Washington Valentine was on the spot because he was at his place of business.

However, now that Washington Valentine has been established as the operator of the Valentine Paper Mill during the mid-19th century, how did he relate to William Valentine, the owner of the Mill, and his family? It seems quite obvious that Washington Valentine and Obadiah W. Valentine (1811-1854) are the same person. "Obadiah" is a traditional Valentine family name which extends all the way back to the 17th century. The Roslyn Plain Dealer, August 30, 1850, (Vol. 1, #8) shows "O.W. Valentine" as one of seven delegates selected to represent the local branch of the Democratic Republican Party. There is no other mention of either "O.W. Valentine", or "Obadiah Valentine", during the two years of the paper's publication. There is no mention, either, of "Washington Valentine" in the "Valentines in America", although "Obadiah W. Valentine" is listed together with his siblings. "Obadah (sic) W. Valentine" is buried in the family plot in the Westbury Friends Burial Ground, as is his son, William Augustus Valentine. The latter died in 1846, at the age of 13, and his relationship to his father is plainly indicated on the gravestone.

The foregoing is lengthy, confusing, and conjectural, but in a practical way it all works out. William and Phebe Valentine had three sons who remained in Roslyn and were in business there. William M. inherited his father's house and was in the general merchandise business. Myers had a house of his own, contiguous to the family holding. He operated the family paper mill during the late 19th century but not during the middle of the 19th century. Obadiah Washington Valentine operated the Valentine Paper Mill during the mid-century and, presumably, continued to do so until his death in 1854. If these conjectures are correct. O.W. Valentine preferred to be called "Washington Valentine" and was so addressed by his friends, neighbors, and in the press. His official name, "O.W. Valentine", or "Obadiah W. Valentine" continued to be used in matters of public record. In addition, one gets the impression that the publishers of the Roslyn Plain Dealer regarded Washington Valentine as a somewhat more consequential person than his brothers. Although he never advertised in the paper, he frequently was the subject of news stories and even editorials, always in the most favorable light. In these accounts he was always referred to with the honorific "Mr." If the aforementioned thesis is acceptable, the house at 105 Main Street must have belonged to Obadiah Washington Valentine.

The houses of William M. Valentine and Myers Valentine are well known today, largely because they are identified on the Walling Map (1859) and the Beers-Comstock Map (1873). The third house in the Valentine demesne, #105 Main Street, is indicated on the Walling Map as belonging to "W. Valentine", and on the Beers-Comstock Map as belonging to "Wm. Valentine." Obviously, O.W. Valentine's ownership would not have been indicated on either map as they were not published until after his death. At that time his father, William, or his brother, William M., acquired his house either by inheritance or purchase. Obviously, by the time of the Beers-Comstock Map the house belonged to his brother, as there was no other William Valentine in Roslyn. All this is difficult to establish from the records, as the William M. Valentine holding was not broken up until after the death of his second wife, Lydia P. Valentine, who died in 1912 at age 90. The possibility even exists that the house was not separated from the Valentine demesne during Obadiah Washington Valentine's lifetime and that an official record of his ownership does not exist. However, the case for the common identity of "Obadiah W. Valentine" and "Washington Valentine", together with the attribution of his ownership of the house, seems to be so well founded that we will refer to it as the "Obadiah Washington Valentine House." The alternate possibility exists that William M. Valentine, who did not marry until 1836, actually built the house and did not return to the house known today as the "William M. Valentine House" until after his father's death in 1863. It is hoped that future research will resolve this problem.

After Obadiah Washington Valentine's death in 1854 the house probably was rented. One of the better known tenants was Peter Douglas Leys, M.D. (18341911), who lived and practiced in the house from 1888 until his death. Dr. Leys was born in Evelyn, Scotland, and was educated at Robert Gordon's College, in Aberdeen. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1851. During the voyage the ship in which he was sailing was wrecked and abandoned. Its crew and passengers drifted about, in small boats, for some time before being rescued. After reaching New York he practiced pharmacy for several years while attending the Long Island College of Medicine. In 1862 Dr. Leys entered the U.S. Army as a surgeon and served with the Army of The Potomac. After the war he remained in the south in charge of the transportation of patients from military hospitals and, during this period, transported more than 14,000 men from southern hospitals. After the war Dr. Leys practiced in Chicago for awhile but moved to Brooklyn in 1870. He relocated in Roslyn in 1888. He was a member of the Elijah Ward Post No. 654, G.A.R., and served as President of the Executive Committee of the Queens County G.A.R. While raised as a Presbyterian, he became a Congregationalist and was active in building the first Congregational Church in Roslyn. Later he became a Deacon and served as President of the Board of Trustees and as a Lay Minister. He married Mary Holford of New Haven in 1859 and had five children (Chapman, "Portrait and Biographical Record of Queens County"). He is buried in the Roslyn Cemetery near a son, Clifford Douglas Leys (1859-1917), a pharmacist of Hempstead.

A photograph of the house, taken after 1907, shows the entrance of Dr. Ley's office in the north facade. After the death of the second Mrs. William M. Valentine, in 1912, the entire Valentine holding was acquired by William and Harriet Warnock. They sold most of the land to the Town of North Hempstead, in 1914, for the development of the present Roslyn Park. However, some sections of the original Valentine tract were not conveyed to the Town as, for instance, the William M. Valentine House (TG 1963) and the land upon which Bryant Library now stands. These parcels were acquired by the Roslyn Neighborhood Association and, about 1951, given to the Bryant Library Association.

The Obadiah Washington Valentine House was another of the Warnock-owned properties which was conveyed separately. In 1920 it was sold by Mrs. Warnock to Helen D. Peck who, in the following year, sold it to Mr. and Mrs. John Lowe. No one seems to know how the house was used between 1912 and 1920. Since the Warnocks probably made several changes to the house and grounds, it is assumed they intended to use it for their own occupancy. The Lowes lived in the house for a number of years and made several alterations.

After moving from Roslyn they rented the house to several tenants, the last of whom were Mr. and Mrs. John A. Parrott. After a few years the Parrotts bought the house. They sold it to new owners in 1959. The house was included in the Landmark Society house tours for 1961, 62, 71, 72 and 1985 and is described in the Tour Guides for those years. It has been the subject of an article in the "Magazine Antiques", in 1965, as well as articles in the American and English "House and Garden" magazines.