Sayville and beyond, its history and people.

By Thomas McMahon

Here is the story of James Martin Mullen, a little boy who grew up living with his grandparents on Greeley Avenue in Sayville. A Sayville High School graduate,1940.

The story begins in 1890 when Patrick Mullen arrived from Ireland to start a new life. Born in 1866, Patrick immigrated to America around 1889. He eventually settled in Sayville, where he worked for Isaac H. Green.

While working for Mr. Green, Patrick sent for his childhood sweetheart, Margaret Sweeney. The couple had seven children and Patrick purchased land to run a dairy farm in Sayville for more than 35 years. The deeply religious family were founding members of St. Lawrence’s Church. Their children attended St. Lawrence and Sayville schools and went on to become teachers, nurses, police officers, soldiers, and entrepreneurs.

The farmland was eventually sold to Tony Yonda, who built many homes on 32 plots of the land. Some of you may live on the old farmland today.

But what about the little boy?

The little boy was James M. Mullen. His father was Patrick and Margaret’s son, James L. Mullen.

James L. Mullen was born in Sayville in 1894. He attended Sayville schools and even made the third grade honor roll. By 1915, he was working in a factory in Brooklyn. At the outbreak of World War I, James L. Mullen enlisted, receiving training at Camp Upton. He served in France at the Headquarters of the Motor Transport Corps in Tours, France.

After the war, James L. returned to Sayville and met a local Sayville school teacher, Ethel Marie Martin. They married in 1921, and James took a job as a police officer in Astoria, Queens. The couple moved to Brooklyn and were expecting a child a year later.

Tragedy struck when Ethel Marie developed eclampsia and died four days after giving birth to their son.

James L. Mullen was now faced with raising an infant son alone. In 1922, childcare was virtually nonexistent, but his family provided a lifeline. His parents, Patrick and Margaret, along with his two sisters, Peg (a Sayville teacher) and Mame (a nurse), took in the infant. Thus, James M. Mullen started his life in Sayville, raised by his grandparents and aunts.

James L. remained involved in his son’s life, visiting when he could. He worked as a police officer for twenty years, retiring in 1940. He continued working at a bank in Brooklyn and remarried Catherine Furey, with whom he had two daughters. Following twenty years of service, he retired from the East New York Savings Bank and passed away in 1961.

James M. Mullen, the little boy, had a happy childhood in Sayville. He attended St. Lawrence’s School and graduated from Sayville High in 1940. He developed a lifelong love of baseball and played as a second baseman on the high school team. He was a devoted Brooklyn Dodgers fan.

Following in his father’s footsteps, James M. faced a war of his own. After high school, he joined the U.S. Navy and served as a gunner in the South Pacific during World War II. He was discharged at the end of the war in 1946.

In 1947, he met and married Alice Marie Brophy. The couple would have three children. James M. worked for the East New York Savings Bank, the same bank as his dad, retiring after forty years. The couple retired to South Carolina, where Alice passed away in 2007, followed by James in 2008.

James M. Mullen’s story weaves through the history of Sayville, beginning at a low point for his family. Their love and devotion demonstrated that family can overcome any adversity. Their faith and dedication serve as a shining example of a great Irish American immigration story.

Thank you for all your help Kathie Mullen Rocco