I apologize to my readers for missing a couple of editions, due to travel and technical problems.

•Congratulations to the Bridges Family of Cockonoe Avenue. In April they celebrated the christening of four-month old Logan Bridges at the Cross of Christ Lutheran Church on Deer Park Avenue. Logan joins his sister Gwyneth and big brother Lucas. Family and friends then enjoyed refreshments at the Carriage House. Proud parents are Tim and Allison Bridges. In addition to being a great mom, Allison also owns Evolutions Hair Salon on Little East Neck Road. Both parents are graduates of the Babylon schools.

•You may have heard that a certain English divorcee was recently caught selling an introduction to her exhusband, Prince Andrew, for half a million pounds (that’s about one million American dollars). However, a Babylon resident will soon be on the way to meet Queen Elizabeth, and I promise you, there was no bribery involved! More details to come when the Queen’s visitor returns!

•Get well wishes go out to Village Trustee Kevin Muldowney, who suffered a bad fall during a recent vacation and was seen hobbling around Babylon with a cane.

•Additional get-well wishes to Bruce Taylor and Dottie Simpson, both of whom have been ailing recently.

•I’m very sorry to report the recent passing of Joann Fitts Secor of Park Avenue, Babylon. Joann was a member of BHS’s Class of ’67, and a kind, generous woman. Her death after a long illness is a great loss to her family and friends. She will be missed.

•Congratulations are in order for some area locals. At a recent meeting of the Babylon Rotary, the following were awarded Paul Harris Fellowships: Hapi Auer, Ed Miller, Steve Semryck, Charles (Skip) Gardner, and the Members of the Babylon Fire Department Rescue Squad. A Lifetime Achievement Award went to Gus Fishell III. Frank Seibert is Rotarian of the Year, and Blair Mathies won the Rising Star Award. Awards for Service Above Self went to Aleta Labiento, Kathy Moore, and Michael Simon.

•The last week or so, I have seen several parents riding bikes with their babies. The babies are wearing helmets but the parents are not. If, heaven forbid, something happens to the parent, what happens to the baby? I also saw one man riding with his baby on his lap, in traffic. Mom and Dad, take care of yourselves and take better care of the babies. You both need helmets and the baby needs to be stowed in an infant seat, not on your lap!

•Have you ever wondered who it was that settled Babylon originally? Most of us are familiar with Nat Conklin and his mother, who were responsible for first calling the area Babylon. But Nat was not the first to settle in the area, which was originally known as Huntington South. The land that would become the town was initially sold by the Native American Sachem Meantaquit, in 1657 to Jonas Woods. Woods paid for the land with 20 coats, 20 hoes, hatchets and knives as well as 10 pounds of powder, ten pounds of lead, and one hat. Additionally, Meantaquit was to receive a new coat yearly for six years, and also received something called a “settell” (I have had no success in finding out what the latter was).

Other area settlers who purchased land from the Native Americans were Captain Thomas Fleet, Issac Platt, Samuel Ketcham, Richard and Thomas Brush, and Timothy Conklin, Sr. The early settlers of Babylon were quite strict about who could settle in the area. Newcomers were on probation for six months and at the end of that time were allowed to stay or told to leave by a given date. I wonder what they would have thought of the current residents?

Readers can contacdt Mary Gallagher, c/o Beacon newspaper, 65 Deer Park Ave., Babylon NY 11702 or via email at beaconnews@ rcn.com