Life Saving Personnel 1872-1876
Information as submitted by Van Field
    Many old Long Island names were on the rosters of the old Long Island Life Saving Stations.  It was their vocation as surfmen.  Many of the surfman worked many years in the service, while others were retired on pension.  Back about 1880 the Third District of the Stations consisted of the Rhode Island and the Long Island Stations.  Stations at that time had names and numbers.

Long Island Life Savers List - Henry Hunting of Bridge Hampton, Superintendant
Narragansett Pier, R.I.
Benjamin Macember Keeper
Block Island [southwest point]
Samuel Allen Keeper
Horatio W. Allen Surfman
Lowell H. Dickens Surfman
Charles E. Allen Surfman
Samuel Allen Jn .Surfman
Noyse E. Ball Surfman
John E. Ball Surfman
Ditch Plains #7
Samuel T. Stratten Keeper
Joshua B. Edwards Surfman
Thomas B. Rose Surfman
Abram Loper Surfman
Charles B. Edwards Surfman
Gabriel B. Edwards Surfman
Charles A. Lindlow Surfman
Hither Plain #8
George H. Osborn Keeper
Jesse B. Edwards Surfman
Jonathan Edwards Surfman
Albert B. Edwards Surfman
Daniel B. Loper Surfman
Madison F. Kin gSurfman
Jonathan E. Payne Surfman
Albert Halsey Surfman
Napeague #9
John B. Laurence Keeper
Elijah M. Bennett Surfman
George E. Bennett Surfman
George C. King Surfman
John S. Edwards Surfman
Nathaniel Hildreth Surfman
Theodore G. Topping Surfman
Amagansett #10
Charles Y Mulford Keeper
Charles H. Miller Surfman
William L. Cartwright Surfman
Lodowick H. King Surfman
Nathaniel S. Hand Surfman
Joseph M. Edwards Surfman
Georgica #11
Jonathan F. Gould Keeper
Abram S. Parsons Surfman
Lineus C. M. Talmage Surfman
Robert Collins Surfman
William D. Conklin Surfman
David S. Sherrill Surfman
Aaron S. Conklin Surfman
Bridgehampton #12
Samuel J. Hildreth Keeper
Baldwin CookKeeper
Baldwin Cook  Surfman
Samuel Howell Surfman
Erastus Halsey Surfman
John A. Sandford Surfman
Samuel L. Cook Surfman
Egbert H. Hildreth Surfman
Theodore F. Haines Surfman
Southampton #13
Charles White Keeper
Nelson Bennett Surfman
Barney J. Green Surfman
Samuel Berry Surfman
Elwyn P. White Surfman
Sylvanus Bennett Surfman
Moses S. Phillips Surfman
Shinnecock #14
Lewis R. Squires Keeper
John H. Jacobs Jn Surfman
George R. Bellows Surfman
Charles Hand Surfman
William ? Conklin Surfman
Edward H. Foster Surfman
Charles L. Squires Surfman
Tiana #15
Edward H. Ryder Keeper
George W. Howell Surfman
Tuthill Carter Surfman
 John E. Carter Surfman
Daniel A Vail Surfman
John Quinn Surfman
William Culver Surfman
Quogue #16
Mahlon Phillips Keeper
William F. Phillips Surfman
Peter R. Hallock Surfman
George E. Phillips Surfman
Jeremiah H Phillips Surfman
John G. Herman Surfman
Nathan Havens Surfman
Tanners Point [Potunk]
Franklin C. Jessup Keeper
William Bishop Surfman
Nathan C Jessup Surfman
William C Raynor Surfman
Halsey Rogers Surfman
George C Raynor Surfman
Mortimer D Howell Surfman
Moriches #18
James Rowland Keeper
Henry D. Terry Surfman
John W Culver Surfman
Egbert H Terry Surfman
Herbert Rowland Surfman
Charles H Benjamin Surfman
George E Terry Surfman
Fargo [Forge] River #19
Sidney Penney Keeper
Isaac Gildersleeve  Surfman
Simms Havens Surfman
Josiah Overton Surfman
Theodore Gamage Surfman
David Thompson Surfman
Howard Robinson Surfman
Hampton E Penny Surfman
Smith’s Point #20
Alfred Brown Keeper
Benjamin A Brown Surfman
Silas Rogers Surfman
Charles M Woodruff Surfman
Leverett S Brown Surfman
Ebenezer Albin Surfman
Charles G Booth Surfman
Bellport #21
George W Robinson Keeper
Joseph H Bell Surfman
Timothy K Lane Surfman
Daniel Petty Surfman
Joseph Hawkins Surfman
John W Swezey Surfman
William H Tiles Surfman
Blue Point #22
Daniel A. Newins Keeper
Robert L. Bumsted Surfman
Robert A. Budde Surfman
Charles Hawkins Surfman
Daniel W. Newins Surfman
Charles Homan Surfman
Charles Sattterly Surfman
Smith G. Bumsted Surfman
Lone Hill #23
Edmund Brown Keeper
Joseph Haynes Surfman
Charles W. Everts Surfman
James E. Brown Surfman
Charles W. Green Surfman
Allen H. Brown Surfman
Egbert S. Brown Surfman
Point of Woods #24
Charles W. Yarrington Keeper
George W. Rogers Surfman
Epinetus Rogers Surfman
William G. Rogers Surfman
James Wilson Surfman
James Price Surfman
William Darling Surfman
Fire Island #25
Loeander Thurber Keeper
Francis W. Doxsee Surfman
George A. Howell Surfman
Smith W. Clock Surfman
Egbert Benjamin Surfman
William E. Pierson Surfman
Conklin Weeks Surfman
Oak Island East #26
Ira Oakley Keeper
Henry Oakley Surfman
James H. Hewlett Surfman
Andrew F. Smith Surfman
Smith Oakley Surfman
Joel B. Smith Surfman
George P. Arnold Surfman
Alfred Berry Surfman
Oak Island West #27
Prior Wicks Keeper
William E. Birch Surfman
Nelson Pearsall Surfman
Silas C. Pearsall Surfman
Fleweling Ketcham Surfman
Tyrenus Powell Surfman
Robert H. Austin Surfman
Jones Beach [east end] #28
Augustus C. Wicks Keeper
Elisha R. Wicks Surfman
Stephen Ketcham Surfman
John C. Shragg Surfman
Benjamin F. Morris Surfman
William E. Birch, Jn. Surfman
Timothy Terry Surfman
Jones Beach [west end] #29
Townsend Verity Keeper
Smith Verity Surfman
George W. Verity Surfman
John G. Baldwin Surfman
Selah Baldwin Surfman
Benjamin B. Rhoades Surfman
Obediah Verity Surfman
Meadow Island #31
Leander Losee Keeper
James G. Whaley Surfman
Monsel Smith Surfman
Alexander Pagett Surfman
John N. Mulfiner Surfman
Oliver B. Smith Surfman
George W. Combs Surfman
Long Beach(?) #32
Daniel W. Smith  Keeper
George Raynor Surfman
Quincy Raynor Surfman
William Herbert Surfman
Walter Sterling Surfman
Walter Herbert Surfman
Daniel Bedell Surfman
Alexander R. Rhodes Surfman
Long Beach (?) #33
Charles Wright Keeper
Lowden White Surfman
Dzkers White Surfman
Charles A. Dulan Surfman
Richard Van Wicklon Surfman
Alonzo Bailey Surfman
John H. Pearsall Surfman
Hog Island #34
Joseph Langdon Keeper
Townsend A. Langdon Surfman
James W. Pearsal lSurfman
William Seaman Surfman
Daniel B. Abram Surfman
Valentine Combs Surfman
Henry Hultz Surfman

Rockaway Beach [East] #35
Daniel Mott Keeper
John H. Abrames Surfman
Jordan Warner Surfman
Charles Pettit Surfman
James Hicks Surfman
Valentine Smith Surfman
Solomon Combs Surfman

Rockaway Beach [west] #36
Isaac Skidmore Keeper
John H. Davis Surfman
Nathaniel Carman Surfman
Richard Hendrickson Surfman
Benjamin Carman Surfman
Janeway Bogert Surfman
Samuel Carman Surfman

Sheepshead Bay [east end Coney Is] #37
Cornelius C. Van Nostrand Keeper

Eatons Neck #38
Darius Ruland ,keeper



    Montauk #6 was located close to Montauk Light House.  Coney Island was located at Manhattan Beach.  Eatons Neck was located on Long Island Sound.

    Around the year 1890 the Life Saving Stations went by names, with no numbers.  Some of the station names were changed as follows:
Bridgehampton station was renamed Mecox Station
Westhampton station was renamed Potunk station
Oak Island station, west end, was renamed Gilgo station
Jones Beach station, west end, was renamed Zacks Inlet station
Long Beach station, east end, was renamed Point Lookout
Hog Island station was renamed Far Rockaway station
Rockaway Beach station to the east was renamed Rockaway station
Rockaway Beach station to the west was renamed Rockaway Point station


     During the 1880's Station #31 situated on Meadow Island, south of Freeport, opposite New Inlet (now Jones Beach), was discontinued.
     During the 1890's the Far Rockaway station was destroyed by a sudden gale while being moved across water to a new site.  It was never replaced  Also during the late 1890's the Rocky Point station was built northerly of Greenport on Long Island Sound.  It was comissioned with equipment and a full crew of surfman and Keeper.
     Near the turn of the century the Montauk station #6, employed no crew or keeper.  The station being in charge of Keeper of Ditch Plain station.  If  a wreck warrented the use of equipment at Montauk the Ditch Plain crew went to the station and used the equipment..
Coney Island #37 was manned by a crew and keeper up until about 1901 the sea encroaching close to the station., the station was given up as a unit until 1898.  A coast Signal Service was set up during the War of 1898.  The purpose was for reporting to Washington of the presence of enemy warships along the Atlantic or Gulf shore lines.
     Three-quarters of the Life Saving Stations along the Atlantic andPacific coasts were commissioned as Coast Guard Signal Stations.  The surfmen were the watchdogs  and the U.S. Life Service telephone lines, the means of communication to Washington.  A total of 233 Coast Signal Stations existed which included Light Houses and Weather Bureau stations..  139 Life Saving stations were in the Coast Signal Service by a special Act of Congress the stations were kept opened and manned during the months of June and July (inactive period) when the crews were laid off for those two months of the year.