As some remember, street names on the island have been named after the Iroquois and Dutch settlements. Neighborhoods were named after predominant people.
Tompkinsville was founded in 1815 by Daniel D. Tompkins, the Governor of New York State at the time, after the Battle of Long Island. He established another ferry service to Manhattan in 1817, this became a part of the Richmond Turnpike Company. The turnpike allowed travelers to ride coach from the ferry across the Island and continue to New Jersey on another ferry. The turnpike, was originally located on Arietta Street in Tompkinsville; after World War I, it is now renamed Victory Boulevard. The Turnpike was purchased in 1838 by Cornelius Vanderbilt; the ferry was made part of NYC ferry operations in 1905.
Tompkins was elected Vice President for two terms, along side President James Monroe in 1816. He died in Tompkinsville just 3 months after leaving office and is buried in St. Mark’s Churchyard on 2nd Avenue and East 10th Street in Manhattan; nearby Tompkins Square Park, which also bears his name. Tompkins Avenue in Staten Island and Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn are also named in honor of the Vice President. Some streets along Bay Street are named after Tompkins' family.
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