Lena Avenue was named for Lena Horne.
FALSE
Lena Avenue was named for John J. Randall's only daughter Lena P. Randall. Lena Horne was born in Brooklyn N.Y. in 1917 and lived in St. Albans in the 1940's. There is no record of Lena Horne ever living in Freeport.
Sources:
- "Upward Mobility, Centered in Queens." The New York Times 2 February 1997: 37.
"Lena Horne." Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 5. Gale Research, 1993. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2006. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC
Lou Gehrig was married in Freeport.
ALMOST TRUELou Gehrig married Eleanor Grace Twitchell on September 29, 1933 at his home at 5 Circuit Road, New Rochelle, NY. Witnesses included Frederick M. Linder of Mount Vernon and Blanche C. Austin of Freeport, L.I., the bride's aunt. The day after the wedding, Gene and Blanche Austin hosted a reception for the couple in their Freeport home. Research continues to locate the exact address of the Austin's house. Phone and directories from the 1930's and U.S. Census records are inconclusive.
Sources:
-- "Lou Gehrig Weds in New Rochelle." The New York Times 30 September 1933: 17.
Eig, Jonathan. The Luckiest Man: Life and Death of Lou Gehrig. NY, Simon & Schuster: 2005.
Robinson, Ray. Iron Horse. NY, W.W. Norton: 1990.
J.W. Dodd Jr. Middle School was built on the site of an old cemetery.
TRUE
In 1920, the school board proposed to condemn the Freeport Cemetery in order to build a high school. In 1922, a $600,000 new high school was approved. That same year, Chester A. Fulton, Freeport undertaker, assisted in moving the more that 1,000 graves to Greenfield Cemetery in Uniondale.
Sources:
-- Freeport News. 18 February 1921: 4.
--"Recognizes Features of Body Buried Sixteen Years Ago." The New York Times 6 June 1922:
16.
John J. Randall's home "Woodbine" was divided in half (one half moved to East Woodbine and the other half moved to West Woodbine) after Mr. Randall and his wife divorced.
FALSE
John J. Randall never divorced any of his three wives. His first wife, Sarah J. Davis of Middle Island, L.I., died 10 years after their marriage. In 1879, Mr. Randall married Mary Overton of Yapank, L.I. She died in 1904. Two years later at the age of 70, Mr. Randall married his 40 year old housekeeper, Frances E. Hendrickson.
Sources:
-"Takes Third Bride at 70." The New York Times 9 August 1906: 1.
Ross, Peter. History of Long Island: From Its Earlist Settlement to Present Time. New York, NY: 1903.
President Theodore Roosevelt visited Freeport.
True
In 1910, former President Teddy Roosevelt addressed the Southern New York State Volunteer Firemen's Association. Later that day, he had dinner at the home of Mr. and Mrs. J. Huyler Ellison located at 41 Wallace Street.
Source:
Metz, Clinton E. Freeport as It Was. Freeport, NY: Clinton Metz, 1976.
