Messenger, Thomas, 1810-1881

Thomas Messenger, son of John Messenger Esq., was born in 1810 in the county of Surrey in Southeast England. Having relocated to New York City at a very young age, Thomas Messenger spent the majority of his early and adult life in the area of Great Neck, Long Island. Thomas Messenger, his wife Ann Messenger, and daughters Emma and Marie (also known as Minnie) resided at the family farm in Great Neck, known as Minnamere (or referenced as Minna-mere in some key correspondence), and 27 Pierrepont Street in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Messenger's influence on the Great Neck community was far-reaching. Messenger was assigned as the Trustee of the Aged and Infirm Clergy fund of the diocese of Long Island and was well-known as an early supporter and the largest stockholder of the Great Neck branch of the Flushing and North Shore Railroad, for which he was the receiver after his death. One of Thomas Messenger's greatest passions involved enriching the agricultural community of Queens County, N.Y. Messenger placed significant attention to the importing and breeding of foreign cattle, having specifically introduced the Hampshire Down Sheep into the New York agricultural community. His passion garnered him awards at local agricultural shows and secured his elected position of President of the Queens County Agricultural Society in 1877. The Messengers gradually expanded their modest Minnamere farm, resulting in the family becoming the largest landowners in the Great Neck community.

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