Early Government and Civic Identity
Abraham Gardiner Thompson, M.D.
Physician and designer of the Town Seal
1810–1887
Abraham Gardiner Thompson was born in Islip Town on August 10, 1810, into an influential local family. He studied medicine, traveled to Paris for further surgical training, practiced medicine, served two terms in the New York State Assembly, was active in the Episcopal Church, and donated land connected to St. Mark's Church in Islip.
His most lasting contribution to everyday life came in 1883, when Town Clerk Seth Clock asked him to design a seal for the Town of Islip. Town Historian material explains that the seal was not abstract symbolism but a rebus — showing Islip as an "eye" and a "slip" of a plant — recalling the English village connected to the Nicoll family and the town's unusual origin story.
Why they matter
Thompson designed the Town Seal, one of the most visible symbols of Islip's civic identity.
Connection to today
Every resident who sees the Town Seal is still seeing Abraham Gardiner Thompson's interpretation of Islip's history.
Sources
- Town of Islip Historian's Office material on Abraham Gardiner Thompson and the Town Seal.