Unless indicated below, this is a transcript of the original Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities/Town of Brookhaven survey form. Since most of the surveys were conducted in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, much of the information reflects that time period.

Corrections to obvious typographical and spelling errors have been made. Corrections to factual errors in the original surveys, and updates or comments on the information are either enclosed in [square brackets], or are clearly indicated as updated material from the context of the comments.

Sites with an Inventory Code suffix of “S” are supplemental sites not included in the original surveys.

BUILDING-STRUCTURE INVENTORY FORM

Badetty-Reddall-Petretti house

 If checked, this is a Supplemental Form, not in the original surveys.

Inventory Code:   Br29A 
Prepared Date:   1975-03-10 
Last Modified:   1970-01-01 
Original Submitter
Submitter Name:   Mrs. Paul W. Bigelow
Submitter Address:   7 Thornhedge Road

Bellport, NY 11713  
Organization:   Bellport-Brookhaven Historical Society
Identification
1-Building/Site Name:   Badetty-Reddall-Petretti house 
2a-County:   Suffolk    2b-Town:   Brookhaven    2c-Village:   Hamlet of Brookhaven
3-Street Location:    
Ownership
 4a-Public    4b-Private
5a-Present Owner:   Dr. A. Kenneth Petretti 5b-Address:   same as above
Use

6a-Original:   private house

6b-Present:   private house

Accessibility
 7a-Visible From Road

 7b-Interior Accessible
7b-Interior Comment:   no
Building Materials
 8a-Clapboard

 8b-Stone

 8c-Brick

 8d-Board & Batten

 8e-Cobblestone

 8f-Shingles

 8g-Stucco
8-Other:   
Structural System
 9a-Wood Frame Interlocking Joints    9b-Wood Frame Light Members:   9c-Masonry:
 9d-Metal
9d-Metal Comment:   
 9e-Other
 9e-Other Comment:   
Condition
   10a-Excellent   10b-Good   10c-Fair    10d-Deteriorated
Integrity
  11a-Original Site  11b-Moved If so, when?
11c-Alterations:   After an 1880 fire, front part restored; 1920, encircling porch and "gingerbread" removed, side enclose porch added. Note arched windows and shutters of 3rd floor, and roof line.  «»
Photo & Map
12-Photo Photos and images
13-Map
Threats
[Threats were not evaluated in the original South Shore Estuary Survey.  They are an evaluation by J. Deitz]
  14a-None Known:   14b-Zoning   14c-Roads
  14d-Developers   14e-Deterioration
14f-Other:   
14-Comment:   
Related Outbuildings and Property
 15a-Barn  15b-Carriage House  15c-Garage
 15d-Privy  15e-Shed   15f-Greenhouse
 15g-Shop  15h-Gardens   15i-Landscape Features
15i-Landscape Features:   
15j-Other:   
15-Comment:   15-c. Garage had been carriage house close to Beaverdam Road.
Surroundings of the Building
 16a-Open Land  16b-Woodland  16c-Scattered Bldgs.
 16d-Densely Built-up  16e-Commercial  16f-Industrial
 16g-Residential 16h-Other:   
Interrelationship of Building and Surroundings
17-Interrelationships:  Surrounded by buildings constructed in mid 19th century or earlier  
Other Notable Features of Building and Site
18-Notable Features:      «»
Significance
19-Initial Const Date:   [Said to have been] Bought by Pierre Badetty [Badette] soon after the Civil War.  
19-Architect:  
19-Builder:  
Historic and Architectural Importance
20-Importance:  

The following material was not included in the original 1975 survey form prepared by Stephanie S. Bigelow.

Map evidence:

Stephanie Bigelow original 1975 survey identified "P. Badetty" as "Pierre Badetty" (see), and that he purchased the property soon after the Civil War.  There is some ambiguity about his early ownership (see property search information below).  However, Pierre Badetty is the first documented resident of a house on the property.

That P. Badetty was Pierre Badetty, and that  he resided specifically at the southwest corner of Beaver Dam and Bay Roads (this site), is confirmed by an entry in the records of the Town of Brookhaven -- he having applied to the Town Highway Commissioners for a survey of these two roads which was conducted 15 November 1872.  The record notes that the commissioners actual met in the Badetty house to deliberate.  Therefore there is little doubt that the house existed in 1872 with Pierre Badetty as its occupant..

The Badetty's sold there home on 49th Street in New York City in 1870, suggesting that 1870 was close to the time when they constructed their Brookhaven home.

An item in the 30 Oct 1875 issue of the South Side Signal, Babylon, NY noted: "Brookhaven. P. Badetty is building an extension to his neat little cottage, which improves its appearance very much."  While the note did not specifically identifying this site as the site referenced, it seems likely to have been so.

Documentation of a fire, said to have occurred in 1880, has not yet been found.  This fire is said to have required rebuilding of the "front" portion of the house.

By 1860 in New York City, Pierre Badetty had established a business as an importer.  He was likely the United States representatives of M. Badetty and Fils (sons), millers of nuts in Marseilles, France, principally West African peanuts, from which the oils were extracted.  For a while he was in a partnership with a Michael Badetty (born about 1818).  Marseilles was the principal center for this industry in Europe. Several ships with consignment to M. & P. Badetty are recorded.  Pierre was likely from Marseilles.  The Badetty family was prominent there; a well known Badetty mansion "Black Throat," found at Parc des Bruyeres (Heath Park), was built for a Bartholomew Badetty, a member of the nut milling family, in the 19th century and remained in the family until 1908.  The M. & P. Badetty partnership was dissolved about 1868.  Since no record of Michael in the United States has been found after that date, he perhaps returned to France.

Pierre Badetty has not been found in any United States census index. 

Pierre's business partner, Michael Badetty, seems not to be the same M. (or Michell) Badetty found contemporaneously in Brookhaven Hamlet, this Brookhaven M. Badetty being significantly younger and a farmer.

Other researchers have identified Frances Miriam Merrill (see), of Cortland County, New York to be Pierre's wife.  Independent evidence of their marriage has been found.  Pierre was likely her second husband.

A search of the deeds for this property filed with the Suffolk County Clerk has been conducted.  No record of a 19th century deed being granted to a Pierre or P-- Badetty (or name variation) has been found. 

A search on this particular property produced an ambiguity.  The search (see  below) clearly traces early ownership to Frances M. Badetty, Pierre's wife, with Stephen and Nancy Swezey being the grantors in 1882.  This date is ten years later than Pierre was known to be occupying the property.  No record of an earlier conveyance to Pierre Badetty has been found.   Frances died on 1 Jan 1899.  Pierre's death date has not been found.  No record of a conveyance earlier than 1882 for this property, such as to Stephen Swezey, has yet been found.

In 1906, the property was conveyed to Hubert Badetty in settlement of Frances M. Badetty's estate.  The amount of the sale was recorded as  $1950.  The relationship of Hubert Badetty to other Badetty's, including Pierre, has not been determined.  Hubert was born in Smyrna, Turkey about 1845, and emigrated to the United States in 1866.  He appears to have first settled for a short while in Maryland along with a Michell (sic) Badetty.   In 1880, both appear to be settled in the Brookhaven/South Haven hamlets, as farmers.  In 1879 Hubert married Elizabeth Rose Swezey, daughter of Charles Swezey (whose homestead was on the northeast corner of Fire Place Neck and Beaver Dam Roads).  Stephen Swezey (above) was only distantly related to Charles Swezey (4th cousins), Hubert Badetty's wife's father.  Charles Swezey was the the owner of the farm lots immediately to the south of this property, between Bay Road and Beaver Dam Creek.  In 1900 the Hubert Badetty family were living in Hempstead, New York as farmers.  By 1910, having purchase this property in 1906, they were back in Brookhaven, and operating the house as a guest/boarding house.  They also had a fruit farm.  In 1914, the family removed to Huntington, New York where they became prominent and apparently prosperous citizens  Their businesses included a hardware store, a automobile dealership, and a Dahlia farm.  They had two daughters and two sons, none of whom appear to have married.  Elizabeth died in 1915, and Hubert in 1923.

In 1914, the Hubert Badetty's sold the property to Joseph Fitch, a prominent magistrate of New York City; it was their summer residence.  The Fitch's divided the original six acres in half, and sold the southern three acre lot to James H. Post.  (Post appears to have been accumulating several parcels along the east side of Beaver Dam Creek, which was eventually to become the homestead of his daughter and husband, Elisabeth Post and Thomas Morrow; and is now the headquarters of the Post-Morrow Foundation.  The southern half-lot was to become the home of Hastings and Margaret Reddall.)  Joseph Fitch died in 1917.  He wife Annie eventually sold the northern three acre lot to Hastings and Janet Reddall in 1923. 

After the Reddalls took possession of the house in 1923, much of the original "gingerbread" was eliminated and the house was made to look "Colonial." (1n 1933, they also had a residence in Brooklyn, NY, at 164 Columbia Heights.) The Reddalls called their Brookhaven homestead "Red Alders."

In 1963, after forty years of residency, the Reddall's sold the their property to Dr. Arthur & Virginia Petretti of East Patchogue.  And the Reddalls purchased the southern lot, and built a new home, which is today the property of the Post Morrow Foundation.

Property Transaction History

Recording Date

Document Date

LiberPageFromToNotes
26 Dec 20061 Dec 200612484707 McCain, Robert Sullivan & Sarah Redd 
29 May 199830 Apr 199811896313   
25 Jun 19931 Jun 199311634451   
       
1 Jul 1987 1035648Petretti, Arthur Kenneth and Virginia F.Farr, Hollow W. and Annie M. 
8 Oct 19638 Oct 19635431313Reddall, H. Hastings & Janet EwingPetretti, Arthur Kenneth & Virginia F.Except for improving the accuracy of the metes and bounds description, the metes and bounds are essentially as recorded in the prior deed.   Bounds: North - Beaverdam Road, East - Bay Rd, South - now or formerly of Justin H. Patterson, West - Beaver Dam Creek.  The size of the parcel transferred was still about three acres.  There is an error in the metes and bounds description, as the easterly bound was described as Beaver Dam Road instead of Bay Road.
22 Sep 192318 Sep 19231077574Annie L. Fitch (widow)H Hasting ReddallAbout three acres.  Bounds: North - Beaverdam Road, East - Bay Rd, South - James H. Post, West - Beaver Dam Creek.  "It being intended to convey the northerly one-half part of the of premises heretofore conveyed to Joseph Fitch by Hubert Badetty and wife by deed dated December 14th, 1914 ...."   That the southern bound was described as Post property is interesting, as the conventional wisdom is that it was the Reddall's who divided the property for their own use (the southern tract became the site of their new home after the 1963 sale to Petretti).  Instead, it appears that it was the Fitch's who split the property, perhaps selling the southern portion to Post, who later sells it to the Patterson, mentioned in the 1923 conveyance.
Joseph Fitch died in 1917.
15 Dec 191414 Dec 1914892261Badetty, Hubert & Elizabeth R.Joseph FitchFitch's were of 118 Amity St., Flushing, Borough of Queens, NYC.  About six acres.  Same bounds as earlier.  In 1914, the Hubert Badetty's removed to Huntington, NY.
21 Dec 190614 Sep 1906610177N. Clinton Miller, executor of the last will and testament of Frances M. Badetty, late, of the Village of Homer, NY.Hubert Badetty$1950.00.  About six acres.  Bounds: north Beaver Dam Highway, easterly by the property of John J. Gorman (interestingly not St. James Church, nor Bay Road), southerly by James H. Post, westerly by Beaver Dam Creek. 
Gorman had purchased the old Ireland estate in 1902. 
Also, in 1902, Elizabeth R. S. Badetty (Hubert's wife) had conveyed property to Post, probably the property mention in this conveyance.  While this transaction was before Hubert Badetty acquired this site, Elizabeth's father, Charles, coincidently owned the parcel south of the Badetty parcel; by 1888 Elizabeth owned a lot at the north end of her father's property.
In the late 1800s, the Hubert Badetty's were living in South Haven, NY, appearing there in 1880 census.  In 1900, the are farmers living in Hempstead, NY.
Frances M. Badetty (Frances Miriam Merill) died in 1899.
15 Dec 188218 Dec 188227070Swezey. Stephen & Nancy MariamBadetty, Frances M.Bounds:  North - Beaver Dam Road, East - John L. Ireland estate, South - formerly Samuel  and Florence Randall, now Charles Swezey, West - Beaver Dam creek.  About six acres.
Stephen Swezey and Charles Sweezey mentioned above are only very distantly related (4th cousins).
I have not yet been able to find a record of the conveyance of this site to Stephen Swezey.


 

This section last revised 10 Sep 2009.

 «»
Sources
21-Sources: See map references above.

Stephanie S. Bigelow, Bellport and Brookhaven: A Saga of the Sibling Hamlets of Old Purchase South. Bellport-Brookhaven Historical Society. 1968. p. 44

A talk on the History of Brookhaven Hamlet, given by Janet Reddall and Alfred Nelson to the members of the Brookhaven Library Association on April 17, 1983 at the Annual Meeting of the Library Association.

Long Island Advance, Patchogue, NY, 2 October 2008. "From the Archives of the Long Island Advance, 75 Years Ago." Recorded occupant and house name.

«»
Theme
22-Theme:    
Prepared By: 
   
Supplemental Material:
  [From Bigelow, p. 44, in a paragraph on boarding houses of note in Brookhaven Hamlet: "… There were about a dozen boarding houses in Brookhaven during the early 1900's. The Bedetty House on the corner of Bay and Beaver Dam Road was considered very fine …."]