The Carman Family of Long Island

The Carman Family has been on Long Island since 1643 when a purchase of land was made by the Rev. Robert Fordham and John Carman from the Indians. These English settlers arranged a patent the following year in 1644. The immigrant ancestor for most of the Carmans on Long Island was John Carman, mentioned above. He arrived in the New World in 1631 and after 12 years in theMassachusetts Bay Company and Plymouth Colonies, he migrated south to Long Island. John had three known sons and one daughter.John Jr. settled in Hempstead and most Long Island lineages descend from him. Son, Caleb, migrated south to New Jersey. Son, Joshua had no offspring and probably never married. Apparently he was afflicted with a handicap. John Carman's daughter, Abigail married Benjamin Coe, son of the Puritan Robert Coe. Benjamin Coe was a prominent citizen of Jamaica, Long Island. A son of John Carman Jr., Caleb married into the prominent Seaman Family of Long Island. She was a daughter of the famous Capt. John Seaman. The Carman history is filled with adventure. From establishing early mills, to fighting on both sides during the American Revolution. Like many families on Long Island, the Carmans split over the fight for independence. As a matter of fact in the Family of Benjamin Carman; one son became a Colonel in the new found Republic while his brother departed for Canada after the War with many other Loyalists.
Carman documentation, like all colonial genealogy, is very fragmentry Evidence for some statements no longer exists while new evidence has refuted other things, and several different theories have woven different stories for the same few facts. While most of the following details are fairly well accepted there will probably always be some disagreement over others.