July 2026: Volume 26 - Issue 10

We have a new category under Features called The Hicksville Connection. Thanks to returning author Karl Schweitzer for the title! This category includes articles that have historical connections to Hicksville and remain relevant today. In addition, please make use of our Search feature. Ryan Vicino has an interesting article with a Grumman tag. A tag in our newsletter does not work outside of HixNews. However, if you use our Search box, you can find other articles in HixNews about Grumman or whatever else you are looking for. When you are logged into the site, scroll to the bottom of an article and leave us a comment! 

Written by: Karl Schweitzer, Class of 1981

As we celebrate the 250th Anniversary of our nation, a country born from what many have called one of history's greatest experiments in self-government, I am equally proud to pass down to my grandchildren another cherished title: Patriot.

Genealogy has been a passion of mine for more than twenty-five years. My maternal grandparents emigrated from Italy, while my paternal grandparents came from Germany. When I began researching my wife's family history, I knew I was about to uncover the treasure trove I had been hoping for. Her father's ancestry was primarily Irish and Polish, but it was her mother's family that opened an extraordinary window into America's colonial past.

On her maternal side, my wife traced her grandfather's lineage to a talented carpenter from Torbjörntorp, Skaraborg, in the Västra Götaland region of Sweden. It was her grandmother, Carrie Augusta Van Nostrand, however, who unlocked generations of history dating back to 1634. Long before genealogy became the popular hobby it is today, Carrie preserved a Xerox copy of the Van Nostrand Family Bible, filled with names, dates, and family records that traced directly back to their Dutch roots in New Netherland.

The story begins with Jacob Van Nostrand, who sailed to America just twenty years after Henry Hudson explored the river that now bears his name. My grandchildren's ninth great-grandfather left the Netherlands seeking opportunity in the New World. He became one of the early Dutch settlers of New Amsterdam and established himself as a master brewer, operating his own brewery in what is now Rensselaer, near Albany.

It is here that the family story takes an unexpected and remarkable turn.

My grandchildren can proudly claim their seventh great-grandfather, Aaron Van Nostrand, and their sixth great-grandfather as an American Patriots during the Revolutionary War. As my research unfolded, it also revealed something equally compelling: the painful family divisions between Patriots and Loyalists that tore apart households throughout the colonies.

History offers famous examples, including Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, whose relationship with his son William Franklin, the Royal Governor of New Jersey and a committed Loyalist, was permanently destroyed by the Revolution.

Choosing a side was dangerous. Loyalists often endured confiscation of property, public humiliation, imprisonment, and exile. Patriots risked imprisonment, execution, or death on the battlefield. Entire families were forever divided.

Aaron Van Nostrand, their seventh great-grandfather was born on January 7, 1729, the son of John and Lametie (Ryerson) Van Nostrand, and was baptized in Jamaica, Queens. He married Susannah Cornell on December 18, 1763.

In 1772, Aaron was commissioned as a cornet, the cavalry officer entrusted with carrying his troop's colors. On January 19, 1776, his name appears among those signing a declaration by residents of Queens County pledging their allegiance to the Continental Congress.

Following Susannah's death on February 11, 1793, Aaron married Elizabeth Ryder (née Brinckerhoff). They had no children together. Elizabeth died on February 18, 1816, at the age of eighty-nine. Both Aaron and Elizabeth are buried in Foster's Meadow.

Aaron and Susannah had one son, John Van Nostrand, born on January 20, 1766, near Lake Success.

Like his father, John was also a Patriot.

Still underage, John reportedly lied about his age in order to enlist. Records place him in military service in January 1782, serving in the Weissenfels Regiment until April of that year. He also participated in militia service during the Battle of Sharon Springs, where American forces successfully ambushed a combined force of Loyalists and Native American allies.

After the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783 officially ended the war, John married Sarah (Sara) Hewlett on Christmas Day, December 25, 1785.

It is at this point that the story becomes especially fascinating.

John Van Nostrand and his father Aaron had fought for American independence. Sarah's father had fought just as passionately, for the British Crown.

While Sarah's mother attended the wedding, her father was absent, living in exile in Canada. One can only imagine the emotions surrounding that Christmas Day marriage. During the war, John and Aaron had quite literally fought against Sarah's father, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hewlett, one of Long Island's most respected Loyalist officers.

Richard Hewlett, my grandchildren's sixth great-grandfather, was unquestionably a distinguished soldier. He simply fought for the losing side.

Born on November 1, 1729, in Hempstead, Queens County, Long Island, Richard was the son of Daniel Hewlett and Sarah Jackson. In 1753, he married Mary Townsend, and together they raised eleven children, all born on Long Island.

Before the Revolution, Hewlett had already established an impressive military career during the French and Indian War. Serving as a captain in a New York Provincial regiment under Colonel Oliver DeLancey, he fought in Canada and participated in the capture of Fort Frontenac in 1758.

Returning home after the war, Hewlett became a prominent Hempstead citizen and lieutenant colonel of the Queens County Militia.

As tensions mounted between Great Britain and her American colonies, Hewlett remained steadfastly loyal to the Crown. Queens County itself was overwhelmingly Loyalist. In January 1776, New Jersey militia under Colonel Nathaniel Heard entered the county to confiscate weapons and reduce the threat posed by Loyalist residents. Hundreds signed declarations promising not to take up arms against the American cause. Six members of the Hewlett family signed the document.

Richard Hewlett did not.

Throughout the Revolutionary War, Hewlett commanded various posts across Long Island. One of his more memorable encounters occurred on September 29, 1779, while commanding the British post at Lloyd's Neck near Huntington. Four vessels entered the harbor flying British colors before suddenly lowering their flags and revealing the thirteen-striped American banner. The rebel privateers quickly captured four British merchant vessels before Hewlett's artillery drove them away, preventing the loss of many more.

When the war ended, Hewlett received one final assignment. In September 1783, he was ordered to escort the remaining Provincial regiments to the Saint John River in Nova Scotia and oversee their disbandment.

It must have been a heartbreaking duty.

The war had been lost. Thousands of Loyalists abandoned the only homes they had ever known, seeking refuge in what remained of British North America. Hewlett settled on a land grant in Gagetown, New Brunswick, where he retired on half-pay. He died there in 1789.

His wife, Mary Townsend, never joined him permanently. She remained on Long Island with one of their sons and died in 1819. She is buried in Hempstead, New York. Richard has a memorial marker there, although his actual burial is at St. Stephen's Anglican Church in New Brunswick, Canada.

History often speaks of battles, generals, and political leaders.

Far less often does it tell the stories of ordinary families divided by extraordinary times.

The Van Nostrand’s and the Hewlett’s represent both sides of America's founding. One branch fought for independence; the other remained loyal to the British Crown. Yet only a few years after the war, those two families became united through marriage.

Perhaps that is the most enduring lesson of all.

The Revolution created Patriots and Loyalists, but eventually, it also created Americans.

Today, the old Van Nostrand family cemetery, now surrounded by what is part of Beth David Cemetery on Elmont Road in Elmont, stands quietly as a reminder of that history. Although many of the stones have weathered with time, Aaron Van Nostrand's headstone can still be found, albeit badly worn. Numerous members of the Van Nostrand family rest there, surrounded by land that was once part of the Van Nostrand farm.

As I pass this history on to my grandchildren during America's 250th Anniversary, I hope they understand that their family legacy includes both Patriots and Loyalists. They should be proud of both. One side helped build a new nation; the other remained faithful to the country they believed was their own.

Together, they remind us that history is rarely black and white. More often, it is the story of families, convictions, sacrifice, and ultimately, reconciliation.

References

• US Revolutionary Rolls 1775 - 1783
• Van Nostrand Family Bible – As Maintained by Carrie Van Nostrand Ericson
• Centre Island News
• Mid Island Herald
• Mid Island Times
• South Shore Record
• Hicksville Illustrated News
• Newsday
• Newspapers.com
• Huntington Long Islander Newspaper
• Brooklyn Daily Eagle
• Fulton Street Post Cards
• Hicksville Courier
• NYS Historic Newspapers
• New York State Archives
• Holland Society of New York
• Queens Library
• Grace Episcopal Church Van Nostrand Book & Records
• Town of Oyster Bay Historical Society
• Ulster County Clerk's Archives Division
• de Halve Maen" Holland Society
• DIS of Sweden
• Swedish American Historical Society
• Far Rockaway Journal
• Bethpage Tribune
• Freeport News
• The Nassau Daily Review
• US Revolutionary Rolls 1775 - 1783
• United States National Archives
• Appletons' Cyclopedia of American Biography; Volume III
• Connecticut Society of Colonial Wars Pedigrees
• Ancestry.com
• FamilySearch.org
• Findmypast.org
• Findagrave.com
• Fold3.com

Written by: Ryan Vicino, Class of 2020

Many of us have probably passed the brown brick buildings and tall smoke stacks on S. Broadway while on the way to the gym, or to grab a bite to eat at McDonald’s. However, few understand these buildings' history and impact on our community. In 1936, Grumman and the US Navy would go on to create these facilities for different testing and research applications of aerospace technology. Throughout World War II and the Korean War, these facilities would create pivotal aircraft such as the Hellcat, Tigercat, and Albatross. Over 17,000 aircraft were produced by Grumman in Bethpage, making it a key facility for the military. These aircraft were vital in supporting US ground forces in both wars, objectively strengthening the power of our military tenfold and giving us true “air superiority”. The Bethpage Grumman facilities were also the creators of the Apollo Lunar Module, which would go on to complete the Apollo 11 Space Mission on July 20th, 1969. While it is said that this location would only house roughly 800 workers prior to the kickoff of WWII, by the peak of the war, this facility would reach upwards of 25,000 employees, leading to a major influx of jobs in the local community. In fact, the Apollo Lunar Module project required 9,000 employees alone! However, many would soon come to realize that the Grumman facilities were undeniably destroying the Island around them. 

F6F Hellcat’s lined up at Grumman, Bethpage. Circa 1945. (Caseda Frazco, Fans of Allied Warplanes of WWII Facebook Group)

The first signs of these negative impacts appeared not long after Grumman’s introduction to Long Island in the 1940’s. By then, the construction of planes such as the Hellcat had led to the contamination of wells on their property, which had tested positive for Chromium in 1949. While one form is known to be rather harmless to people, Chromium-6 has been known to be a rather toxic carcinogen if ingested or inhaled. Later, in 1986, a Nassau County Department of Health and US Geological Survey study showed that contaminants from the Grumman and Naval facilities were sinking into the ground and spreading across the Bethpage area. Again in 2009, a more contaminated deposit was found in the Bethpage Community Park area. In 2017, the news would only worsen, as radium was found in groundwater samples at multiple Bethpage schools, and a released document showed that Grumman had used radium, tritium, polonium, uranium, and more radioactive materials during their stay on Long Island. Side effects of such materials include gastrointestinal distress, anemia, and an increased risk of cancer, clearly putting the people in the surrounding area at extreme risk in their own homes.Released Memo From Grumman Consultant to Company, 1976. Courtesy of Newsday

Unfortunately, this is still not the end of Grumman’s tide being cast over the local Long Island community. As recently as 2024, chemical drums illegally dumped and buried by Grumman were found underneath the Bethpage skatepark. What was once a safe haven for many locals to enjoy their favorite sport, mingle with friends, and appreciate the warmer days has now become a burial ground of a much darker past. Now, many speculate that the local government knew about these illegal dumping grounds, yet still decided to build the skatepark and ignore the fact that cleanup had not been completed, according to HAZEL HOUSE’s 2025 YouTube video titled Toxic Waste and the Bethpage Skatepark Story. The Bethpage skatepark is still torn up to remove all dangerous contaminants, yet many local skateboarders are upset about the slow progress and possible underlying health issues caused by this catastrophe. It makes one wonder whether the Grumman facility was a protector of Long Islanders by creating technology that helped us win major wars, or an antagonist that used our land for its own gain while destroying what we call home. Bethpage Skatepark's current state, with side-by-side comparison of the park prior to the discovery of contaminants

Written by: Hicksville Class of 1976

Join the Hicksville Class of 1976 Facebook page to see the latest news!

Hello HHS Class of 1976!

We're very excited about having a 50th reunion for the Hicksville High School class of 1976!!!

Alice Hauser (Guariglia) and Cathy Caros (Tamburro) have been working through the details and would like to share with you what we have so far.

Date: Thursday, October 8, 2026

Location: Patrizia's of Long Island, 1040 S. Broadway, Hicksville NY 11801

Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm (the restaurant closes at 10:00pm so if anyone wants to hang out a little after, they can go to the bar at the restaurant)

Menu: Italian, served family-style at tables.  Wine, Beer, Sangria, and Soft Drinks are included - PLEASE NOTE: Mixed drinks are not included but can be purchased at the bar

Cost: $110 per person

We also thought it would be fun to schedule a tour of the High School prior to our reunion party, so more details to follow.  Alice will be contacting the HHS Principal to discuss.

There'll be plenty of music! We're looking at the cost of a DJ but we may just provide our own music to keep the cost down.

IMPORTANT: WE NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!

To finalize the food and beverage arrangements, we need a final headcount!!! Please confirm your attendance by July 24th by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the following information:

Name (first name, birth name, last name as appropriate)

Contact information (email address and cell phone number)

Number of attendees

NOTE: If you are bringing a guest, please provide their name as well, as we'll be creating nametags for each attendee!

HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!!!

If you are in touch with any fellow classmates, please pass this information along and encourage them to join us!

Let's make this reunion one for the books!  The stories, the laughter and the memories we created made our High School days the time of our lives!!!  Let's celebrate together!!! Once we have a final headcount, we'll send another communication out with the payment method and the final details.

We can't wait to see everyone on October 8th!!!

Alice Hauser Guariglia (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Cathy Caros Tamburro (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Compiled by: Stefanie Cedar Shames, Class of 1977

Etcetera for July 2026

Check out this new video about the rejuvenation of Mid Island Plaza/Broadway Mall.  Click here

Emails from Readers:

I wasn’t notified about the combined ’66-’68 reunion recently, but I wondered if there was interest in a ’67 60th reunion.  
Cheers,
Rick Hasbrouck ‘67

In Memoriam

Neal Pizzariella, Class of 1961, passed on June 13, 2026. Thank you to his brother, John, for notifying us. Neal is interred in Calverton National Cemetery.

John Berlenbach, Jr.,  Class of 1962, passed on July 10, 2026

Pam Poole, Class of 1967, passed away in 2024. Thank you to Lewis Furman for informing us.

Ralph Sirico, Class of 1965

Kenneth Petersen, Class of 1965, passed away July 6, 2026

Michael Krummenacker, Class of 1968, passed away Feb. 28, 2026

Veronica Gertrude "Roni" Wilde, Class of 1958, passed away June 27, 2026

Joseph Schlosser, Class of 1965, passed away June 3, 2026

James E. Barton, Class of 1957, passed away May 22, 2026

From Ron Wencer:

My friend James Bell passed away on June 13^th , 2026.  Although he was a member of the HHS Class of 1963, Hixnews readers more likely will recall him as a teacher; he taught at the Middle School, and then at the High School, for a combined total of 30 years.  This picture is from the Faculty section of the Middle School's 1987 Meteor Yearbook:

 

Jim grew up around the block from me; I first knew him as our Long Island Press paper boy.  I moved away in the 1960s and lost touch.  I met him again 30 years later, on a trip back to Hicksville, and we found that we shared many interests.  Despite his modesty, I would gradually realize that I'd never known anyone who had read more books, had read them more thoughtfully, and who was more willing to graciously listen to other people's opinions than Jim Bell.

He was rather imposing physically, but those who knew him realized that he was a gentle soul.  Ironically, when he first applied for a teaching position in Hicksville, he was told that some of the students in the Middle School needed to be intimidated, and a tall Vet who had survived the jungles of Vietnam seemed just the kind of teacher that was called for!  In reality, he never liked talking about his experiences in 'Nam.  He much preferred discussing the works of, say, Dostoevsky, or Augustine of Hippo.

Jim's online memorial can be found at

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/hicksville-ny/james-bell-12925317