John Youngs

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John Youngs (about 1598 - February 1672) was a Puritan minister who founded Southold, New York.

He was born about 1598, in Reydon near Southwold, Suffolk, England. His father Christopher became minister of Southwold, on January 14, 1611. Young was a minister Hingham, Norfolk, England. He sailed America 1637, on the “Mary Anne”, from Great Yarmouth with 12 other pilgrim fathers and originally settled in the New Haven Colony in Connecticut.

In October 1640 he led a group group of 13 Englishmen, some cattle and women and children to cross Long Island Sound coming ashore at what is now Founders Landing at Peconic Bay. The group had traveled by sloop or oared barge from New Haven. They crossed Long Island Sound, sailed up Peconic Bay and came ashore. The Village of Southold, became the first permanent English settlement in New York State.

The Indians called Southold, Yennycock. John Youngs, who had been a Presbyterian minister at Hingham, Norfolk, England, came over with a considerable part of his church, and here fixed his residence. Lived and married his English wife in Salem, Mass from 1637 until 1640-1, then in Southold, Long Island, New York until he died in February 1672.

Considered the Founder and spiritual leader of Southold, Long Island. Southold, along with Southampton (founded by settlers from Lynn, Mass) were founded almost simultaneously and established the first English settlements on Long Island.