The area we know as Bellmore was settled primarily by Englishmen who crossed the Sound from Connecticut in the middle of the Seventeenth Century. Thomas Southard purchased a 214 acre farm in what is now North Bellmore in 1655. Further south, near the Bay, John Smith deeded 100 acres to his son, Jeremiah in 1676. John Bedell married Sarah Southard and moved into their new home on Merrick Road about 1689. Two communities grew out of these beginnings. Smithville (later Smithville South) named for the many Smith families which joined the Southards and New Bridge (named for the peninsula on which it stood) along Merrick Road.When the Railroad came through this area in 1867 they arbitrarily named their station, Bellmore (A man's first name as well as a brand of Whisky popular in the late 19th and early 20th Century.) Development followed as both communities grew towards the railroad and adopted the name Bellmore. By 1920, we had a population of 3000, stores along Bedford Avenue and 455 commuters traveling daily to New York City. They paid $11.94 for their monthly ticket! After World War Two, the population exploded and we have the beautiful Bellmore we love today.
