The Names

The origins of the names attributed to many of Long Island decoys and how they came into being

The person most responsible for setting the stage for today’s “antique” decoy market would be a legendary collector, trader, dealer, and author William J Mackey Jr., a very familer name to most decoy collectors. Some stories of his exploits can be found in the September-October 1991 Decoy Magazine.
For decoy collecting, Mackey has been a double-edged sword. On one hand, he single-handedly saved a huge percentage of the decoys in today’s collections and on the market. At a time when most people gave little or no value to the old wildfowl hunting decoys that Mackey sought out, he was able to acquire a huge amount of decoys in his travels at little real cost. Among collectors in the 1950’s and early 1960’s, it was common to trade decoys with each other or sell them for just a few dollars in most cases. Thousands of birds passed through Mackey’s hands and were retained in his collection at his death on July 2, 1972. He had energetically championed the decoy in many different forums, including a 1965 traveling exhibit. One of the exhibits stops was at The Long Island Museums at Stony Brook, where he was introduced to the Herrick brothers, setting the stage for the famed “discovery” and the subsequent launch of the “Bowman” story in 1965, later printed in “The Decoy Collectors Guide” in the Winter 1966/1967 issue.

However, the other side of the Mackey sword was the fact that he apparently did little or no research into the true makers of the decoys. It seems he would accept whatever someone told him without any verification or follow up research (as it is still done today by so called decoy researchers). Granted it was a different time, the decoys didn’t enjoy the respect they do today, now seen as great American folk art, with some commanding high monetary value. Over the years, Mackey and others would practice this form of so called “research,” giving a pedigree’s to decoys formerly credited to an “unknown maker,” or another non- researched “name,” as in the example of the Osborn decoys becoming Obadiah Verity decoys, without showing any proof or published research as to why the maker's name changed. That is the way it has been done for decades and it continues today, including some outright fabrication for some of the names used as the supposed maker, as in the case of the "Cuffee" decoys.
I have been a long time decoy carver, collector, dealer, appraiser, auction catalog description writer, decoy gallery/shop owner, and writer for Decoy Magazine. As with many collectors, I saw discrepancies in many of the decoy maker stories presented in print and if you looked closely at the evidence used for the claims of makership, you found holes you could drive a truck through. But I never openly disputed much of it. In fact, I used it like most collectors do in place of real knowledge. That was until the year 2000, when I was prodded into doing some real research by friend and collector David Bennett of East Hampton on a group of decoys made on Long Island’s East End that had wrongly been attributed to Shinnecock Indian Eugene Cuffee (1866-1941), which as stated turned out to have been a fabrication. Dave’s research proved beyond any doubt that the carvings had really been carved by William Henry Bennett (1867-1954) from Springs in East Hampton, not Cuffee in Southampton. Dave did 99% of the original research. I mainly reviewed and analyzed the research that he was finding on William Henry (Uncle Henry) Bennett. This led to my research into trying to discover what were the decoys Cuffee had carved, as some had claimed, which led me not to Cuffee, but to his first cousin and the rediscovery of Charles Sumner Bunn, Shinnecock/Montauk Indian, the maker of the decoys that had wrongly been attrubited to "Bill Bowman" by the Herricks and Mackey. This led to the three articles in Decoy Magazine on William Henry Bennett and Charles Sumner Bunn. Early on in our research, we were joined by fellow Long Island decoy collectors Joseph Jannsen and Steve Mikle, and the research began to expand.

I for one became very interested in what was the true history behind the names said to be the carvers of many well-known decoys from Long Island. It did not take long for it to become apparent how very little true research had actually been done on identifying many of the decoy makers from the past. What you find for the most part are stories completely void of any real documentation. Unraveling the history of the names associated with many of these well-known decoys found in today's collections, auctions, museums, and featured in books and magazines, inevitably lead to faux histories, dead ends, hearsay and spontaneous “history,” which is usually a mixture of a small fact connected to lots of fiction, passed on and added to over time, evolving from one publication to the next like a snowball rolling downhill, which under the scrutiny of any real research will also melt just like a snowball. The simple fact is it is far easier to prove the names used for the makers of these decoys could not really be the makers than it is to find the true makers of the decoys, which is undoubtedly why it’s done. A name linked to a decoy adds instant monetary value to any decoy left wanting for a maker’s name. And any name will do no matter how tenuous, ridiculous, or outright silly the “evidence” presented for the so- called “research” might be. And most people don’t look too close. They just accept what they're told. Most humans are followers, wanting to fit in and not rock the preverbal boat. They defer to those who are deemed “experts” in their field of interest. This was never more so than in decoy collecting, a true case of the blind, deaf and dumb following the blind, deaf and dumb.

Long Island has many famous “names” that are said to be the carvers of decoys known to collectors today as Verity's, Southard's, Dilley’s, Bowman’s, Cuffee’s Watts', and many more, one of the latest is the fabricated decoy carver “Lafayette Seabury".

The first two names to be dissected will be that of William J. Southard of Bellmore L .I. and Obediah Verity of Seaford. These names were linked together in the mid 1970’s as the makers of the birds formerly attributed to H.F. Osborn of Bellport L. I. and Osborn Style, and also Captain Ben Verity Gilgo Beach, Captain Dan Havens of Moriches and others.

Obadiah Verity and William Southard (William J. Southard)

The first time that I have able to find the names William Southard (no middle initial) and Obadiah Verity listed as decoy carvers is in the year 1965 in both Mackey’s book American Bird Decoys and Adele Earnest’s book The Art Of the Decoy. In Mackey’s book, on page 101, second paragraph, is a list of early decoy “makers” (names) from Long Island. Among the names can be found those of “Nelson Verity (1865-1954) of Seaford,” “Obadiah Verity Ca. 1870-1940 of Massapequa and “William Southard of Bellmore,” "working early in the present century, made one large rig marked 'JB'. They are of the best quality.” In the paragraph referenced above on the same page, he says “The Group in plate 85 are in the style of H.F.Osborn, a pioneer Bellport gunner and decoy maker.These attractive and practical patterns found many imitators, and decoys with minor variations in the carving and plumage patterns have turned up all along the South Shore.” On page 102 are plates 85 and 86, each plate shows a photo of four shorebird decoys. In the lower plate are at least two birds that would later be called “Southards”. The other two if not called “Southards”would today be called Verity family or attributed to a “known” Verity family carver. The four decoys in the top plate would all be called Obadiah Verity decoys by today’s decoy collectors, auction houses, etc.

Mackey’s caption “Plate 85 (Top). Three Typical Long Island Black-bellied plover, with a tiny sanderling on the left. Birds of this style and quality are attributed to H.F. Osborn of Bellport. They are well designed and durable. Plate 86 (bottom), A black-bellied Plover rises over three yellowlegs. They are proof that the classic “Osborn” Style influenced other Long Island carvers. Paint patterns and carvings followed the basic tradition. This group comes from the western end of Long Island.” The statement "Classic Osborn style "would lead one to believe that Osborn had really been established as the carver of decoys, and nothing could be farther from the truth. Page 58, plate 38, shows a Tern decoy “said to be made by Nelson Verity”. On page 96, plate 78, is a preening Broadbill. Both of these birds today are called Obadiah Verity‘s.
Mackey appears to say he knows of Southard and Obadiah and what they made on page 101. Their names are listed with other names said to be decoy carvers from Long Island, but there are no photos of the birds they are said to have carved, and he certainly did not say they made any of the birds that would latter be attributed to Obadiah Verity and William Southard. Mackey clearly lists them as Osborn’s or Osborn style. Curiously, Mackey states "Southard only made one rig branded "JB".

Adele Earnest was an early American folk art collector, dealer, gallery owner, author, and one of the founders of the Museum of American Folk Art, New York, New York. She approached decoy collecting more on an artistic level. She also had other folk art interests. Unlike Mackey, she did not concentrate solely on decoys. Mackey was into accumulation and being considered the Emperor of the decoy world; she was more concerned with aesthetics and the romance of a bygone era, and the leather skinned watermen folk artists who carved them.

In her book published that same year as Mackey's, on page 48 we find “(22 Sandpiper) (Text Reference) Sandpiper. Long Island, New York c. 1880”Henry F.Osborn”style collection of the Author.” On page 153 she wrote, “Henry F. Osborn is the most controversial name among the nineteenth-century Bellport Carvers. A few decoys are known to have come from his hand, but many shorebirds---yellowlegs, plover, and sandpipers---have been attributed to him with very little proof. All are similar type; they are charming and deftly carved.” She goes on to describe the carved eyes and wings meeting in a V at the tail and the ridge found in the center of the tail, now said to be a Classic Obadiah Verity signature.

She also says, “My attempts to trace these fine carvings lead me to guess that a number of men working in a similar style created this regional Long Island decoy. " She mentions in passing the controversy over the name of Osborn. She suggests that the slight difference in those called Osborn’s and Osborn type or style indicated different people working in the same area. She wrote “Many carvers lived in the vicinity of Bellport and hunted along the same shore. Their names read like a cast of characters from an American frontier novel: Ben Hawkens, Caleb Carman, Daniel Havens, Rastus H. Post, and 'Obediah Verity' (Bellport is about forty miles east of where Mackey said Verity lived”.

She goes on, “My investigation of Osborn produced two interesting discoveries. Some years back, at an auction at the old Osborn place, several bushel baskets full of shorebird decoys were dragged out of the woodshed and the birds sold for fifty cents apiece. At least someone in the household made snipe decoys, and presumably it was “Henry F.”

That is a pretty big presumption that Henry F. was the carver. Many decoys have been found, mostly in houses where no one carved decoys. And she does not say where the information of the auction comes from? It would seem she was not in attendance. In Dr. George Ross Starr’s book Decoys of the Atlantic Flyway (1974), he writes that he has in his collection a Blackbellied plover made by “Henry F. Osborn of Bellport.” and that “it was made in 1830," “Repainted by Captain Wilbur A. Corwin who authenticated the date." And Dr Starr goes on to say Osborn died in “1873” and “made all his snipe stool before he was twenty-one and there after stuck to ducks and brant.” The problem with this statement is Wilbur A. Corwin would have been eight years old in 1873 and it would be highly doubtful he could authenticate who carved the decoy with any authority. You can find a man by the name of Henry F. Osborn living in Bellport in 1870, age 59, listed as a farmer, married with two daughters, though I can find nothing to indicate he was a carver of the decoys in question. Adele Earnest only says the “auction was held some year’s back” she does not gave a date for the said auction, nor does she give her source or sources for this “information“. We have no timeframe to work with, but it would have to be before 1965 if it had taken place twenty years before. There would have been over eighty years from the time listed for Mr. Osborn’s demise for the birds to find their way into the “woodshed” using Dr. Starr’s given date for his death. All of this should call into question the story of the auction at “The Osborn Place.” Once again, as with most of the so-called early decoy research, it contains vague references, no facts and no tangible proof for Osborn as the carver.

She even posulates that “Albert Laing” dates listed (1811-1886) said to be born in New York and died in Stratford, Connecticut might have been the real maker because she found an “Osborn yellowlegs” ” in the Shelburne Museum's Collection “That had 'Laing' written on it” (See Decoy Magazine July/August 1995 for article on Laing).

To add to all this confusion, enter Mr. Newbold Herrick. In a letter to Jane des Grange, Director at the Museums at Stony Brook, dated April 18, 1959, cc: to Mr. and Mrs. Ward Melville, from Mr. Newbold Lawrence concerning a donation of old Long Island shorebird decoys passed down from his grandfather.

Two of the decoys are “Black- breasted plovers” he said were “made by Capt. Ben Verity U.S. Lifesaving Station, Gilgo Inlet 1850.” These are the type also called “Osborn’s” by many collectors, including Mr. Mackey in his book. Two of the decoys he said were “Big Yellow-leg made by Capt. Dan Havens, Moriches L.I. 1880.” And these are ones most collector at the time were calling “Osborn style” or “type." These four decoys today are listed in the Stony Brook Museum's collection as made by respectively “Obadiah Verity” and “William J. Southard". Interestingly, in 1966 Mackey prepared a letter of appraisal for the Herrick’s decoy donation to the Museums at Stony Brook collection; a total of thirty-three shorebird decoys. Mackey does not challenge the names of “Ben Verity” or “Dan Havens” used by Newbold Herrick to identify the birds he had listed as “Osborn’s” and “Osborn Style“ just the year before in his book American Bird Decoys.

In the early to mid 1970's among some decoy collectors, and especially the Long Island collectors, there was much speculation and discussion about whom it was that really had carved the snipe stool mostly called Osborn and Osborn style. In fact a group of founding members of the infant Long Island Decoy Collectors Association had two new names to champion as the makers, though there was also some who were not convinced the new names were the real carvers, and not Osborn. But the gospel of Obadiah Verity and William Southard was being spread, especially by three well- known Long Island collectors at auctions, decoy shows, Long Island Decoy Collectors Association meetings, and on the phone, sometimes quite hotly. As Gary Guyette had once told me, “Decoy people don’t like change.” However, the transition of the new names for the most part went very smoothly.

The decoys had been found in the past and were still being found all over Long Island, and even in other States. Many were said to come Long Island's South Shore in Nassau County. They had also been found out east in Suffolk County, i.e. Bellport.

As to the new names being ushered in, it was Obadiah Verity’s name that was first to appear in print in association with the decoys that had been called “Osborn” etc. in North American Decoys Part One (1977), the index listed on page 12 says “BILL BOWMAN SHOREBIRD DECOYS from a private collection”. On pages 12-13, is a color spread of four photographs from the Herrick rig. In one of the photographs you see three Black-bellied plover that for the first time that I have found are listed as “Plover by Obadiah Verity are shown with Bowman’s birds at lower right” with no text to explain how the decoys got their new maker’s name. Interestingly, in the winter 1978 issue of the same magazine, on page 32, we find a yellowleg decoy from “the Clingan Collection" carved by "H.F. Osborn, Bellport Long Island c.1846.” This decoy by the next year will be referred to as a “William J. Southard Yellowlegs.” Both names would become “official” in 1979 with the printing of Gunners Paradise, a paperback book published by The Museums at Stony Brook under the guidance of ”E. Jane Townsend History Researcher” (contact the Museum to obtain a copy).

On page 25, chapter VIII, “Long Island Decoy Carvers,” is the story of the discovery of Obadiah Verity and William Southard. The narrative tells that decoys had been wrongly identified as Osborn’s and Ben Verity’s work and how three wellknown Long Island decoy collectors had discovered the true makers. These three collectors had been championing the Verity and Southard “name” change starting in the early 1970’s.

All three collectors were from Nassau County’s South Shore and they believed the decoys came from their backyard, where they believed they had been carved, not out in Bellport. How they came up with the names can only be guessed, but the names are found in Mackey’s book, and that would appear to be the starting point.

The three collectors were George Combs Sr. (Pop Combs), George Combs Jr., and Charles (Bud) Ward. All three came from the world of water and marsh; fishermen, gunners, clam diggers, and crabbers, they were true baymen. The Combs’ owned a tackle shop in Amityville. Bud had a retail fish store in Oceanside. Two great places in the 1960’s and 1970’s to get decoys or leads on decoys, and both establishments openly advertised they would buy old decoys. “Pop” Combs Sr. was a very accomplished carver of gunning stool, slicks, and “Verity” reproductions that could and did fool many collectors, even as they do today. He was beloved by many. His son George Jr. was of a different cloth and never received the respect given his father by many.

By the late 1960’s and early 1970’s Bud Ward had become well known for his “knowledge” of Long Island decoys and his ability to come up with good birds from all over the country, but most of all the decoys found on Long Island, especially the shorebirds. They were his passion, and most of all, the ones collectors had called Osborn’s. Bud had a folksy earthiness about him; salty as brine, always the stub of a cigar held tight in his teeth. At a Long Island Decoy Collectors show some time in the 1990’s, they had passed a no smoking law in Suffolk County in public places and there was Bud at his table with his cigar, law or no law. I was president of the club back then and someone told me I should tell him he couldn’t have his cigar and I should tell him to put it out. I said, “You tell him to put it out.” Bud kept his cigar. Bud didn’t suffer fools well and he had a quick temper at times. For me he was always fun to be around and I really liked him. One thing that could bring distain or anger was someone calling the birds he loved “Osborn’s”. Of the three “researchers” Bud was the most respected in the world of high-end decoy collectors and auction houses. His opinion on whether a bird was right or not was the gold standard. A bird could be left without a buyer or pulled from a sale on the shake of his head or the look in his eyes and sneer on his face.

The “discovery" story of Verity and Southard that is told in Gunners Paradise is of the three collectors visiting Andrew “Grubie” Verity (1881-1976) at the nursing home where he was staying the year before he passed away. George Combs Sr. tells of showing him some decoys they brought with them and “He picked up one and and he says, ’Diah, Obediah.'” He picked up another and says, “William Southard.”

The text goes on to say ”Grubie’s identification clinched their previous research and established that an Obediah Verity, one of six living in the village of Seaford in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.” This clinches absolutely nothing, and there is no proof of any “previous research” at all.
William J.Southard of Bellmore (formerly said to be by “Dan Havens” or “Osborn Style or Type"), page 27 of Gunners Paradise states that William J.Southard was a “wheelright active from the 1880 to the 1920s” and that two of his decoys were among the first group of decoys donated to the Museum in 1959, ”Which were eventually credited to William J. Southard” (see Gunners Paradise for full text). In Mackey's book on page 59 plate 38, you find a tern decoy credited to Nelson Verity of Seaford, a rig mate to this bird from the Stony Brook collection (formerly from the Herricks listed by Newbold Herrick as a Nelson Verity) now listed in Gunners Paradise as the work of ‘Obadiah Verity“. On page 4 of Gunners Paradise in "Acknowledgments", Ms. Townsend says, “In my research, I am indebted to many people, one is Mr. Richard P. Baldwin, Patchogue." On page 5 she gives “A special thanks to the very knowledgeable members of the Long Island Decoy Collectors Association, members George Combs Sr. and Jr., Bob Gerard, Fred Kaseman, Ken Rohl (Judge Kenny Rohl who presided over the trial of Exxon Valdez captain), and Bud Ward were particularly helpful in sharing their expertise as the Museums decoy collection was identified, cataloged and researched.” It would appear that George Sr. and Jr. and Bud benefited more than the Museums did from this relationship. The three collectors now had found the perfect platform to launch the names of Obadiah Verity and William Southard. With the Museum's acceptance of their story, the changing of names of the decoy carvers was accomplished easly with the assistance of the Museum's unwitting staff who had no knowledge of the decoys, their makers or histories, and had relied on these collectors along with Mr. Richard P. Baldwin for their supposed expertise. All four had an agenda to establish the new names as the makers of the carvings formerly not associated with any of the Verity family or William Southard. However, many disclaimers are found throughout the book stating the identity of carvers have not been “firmly established” so the museum must have had some reservations about their "research", but it would appear that most collectors ignore these inconvenient statements. The appearance of the names in Gunners Paradise along with Bud’s and the Combs’ assurances that it was all true (absent of research, proof or evidence) was good enough for most decoy collectors, museums, and auction houses. No further research would be needed. They had “names”.

As with most of the “stories” of “discovery” in decoy collecting lore and legend, many questions go unanswered, many loose ends are never tied up, no real facts or corroborating research is ever presented as in the alleged “interview” with ninety-four year old Grubie, which is unquestionably a total fabrication. And I am not the only one to have thought or said this. Many collectors have expressed skepticism or outrightly scoffed at the story.

The fact that so many people respected Bud Ward is one of the main reasons the story was accepted so easily, however most of these stories are accepted if the right person tells them and there was no huge hard support for the claim for Osborn, Dan Havens, Ben or Nelson Verity as the makers. Collectors are all looking for decoys with a “name” and a “good story” attached to elevate there relevance and value to the collectors and a prominent collector to spin the yarn and put it over.
In the “story”of “discovery” in Gunners Paradise, it is George “ Pop” Combs Sr. who is quoted, not Bud. I personally only ask Bud about it one time outright, and he just made a face and grunted. I never thought he felt comfortable when people asked him about some aspects of the “story” as the reaction I received showed when I asked him about it. I believe he regretted being part of it later on. I do believe he really thought Obadiah and Southard had made the decoys and not Osborn, etc. I believe he went along with the fabrication to give credit to the carvers he believed had actually made the decoys. What his reason was for believing they were the real carvers is not known. Though it would appear that he thought the end justified the means to establish the new names. In an interview for the January/February 1989 Decoy Magazine by Gene and Linda Kangas titled “A conversation with Bud Ward” When asked who “his favorite Long Island carver?” was, he responded “Obediah Verity” (Bud's business card featured an illustration of a feeding plover by "Obadiah"). Bud tells of how he got some of his best Verity shorebird decoys from a friend named Herbert Golding who “had hunted with Nelson Verity as a kid." No mention of the ground-breaking Interview with Andrew Verity is to be found in the article, not one reference to the discovery of “Obadiah” and Willy.

When George Sr. or George Jr. was questioned by some collectors as to what proof they had for the interview with ninety-four year old Andrew “Grubie’ Verity, they claimed they had tape recorded the “interview.” Well here would be all the proof anyone could need that what they were saying was really true. All you have to do is listen to the recording they made with old “Grubie." However, the problem with this assumption is they never allowed anyone to hear the alleged recording they said they had in their possession. Not even Mr. Richard P. Baldwin, who would be the very first person you would share this ground-breaking information with. Mr. Richard P. Baldwin is a retired teacher and Verity Family genealogist, publisher of “The Verity Family of Long Island, New York” first printing 1976 ( 90 pages ) second printing 2000 (260 pages ). The book is primarily devoted to the Verity’s and their related families, of which Mr. Baldwin descends. Mr. Baldwin has put a tremendous amount of time and effort into this work and the publication may have great value to the family’s descendants, but is of absolutely no value to anyone as a source for serious documentation as pertaining to the researching of the Long Island decoys today said to be made by the “Verity Family Decoy Carvers.” It is a good possibility that none of these decoys were made by any Verity Family member. It is in this first publication of the book in 1976 that Mr. Baldwin presents a list of (nine) names of what he claims are the “Verity Family Carvers.” In his reprint in the year 2000 the list is expanded to a total of sixteen names. One name found on both lists is that of “Obadiah Verity” 1850-1906, (1976), with text stating that he ”lived in Seaford, perhaps the most well known of the Verity carvers…. perhaps a son of Obadiah and Arabella (Verity ) Verity.” In the 2000 reprint we find a totally different "Obadiah" is listed as the carver. Now we find “Obadiah Verity 1813-1901, son of John Henry (“Uncle John”) and Amy (Verity) Verity. See Long Island Forum, fall 1993, 4-12.” Another carver listed in both editions is “Benjamin Verity.” In the 1976 edition, “Ben Verity (?) said to at the Gilgo Life Saving Station in the 1860’s (was there a Ben)? In the 2000 edition, we find “Benjamin Verity, c.1852-? Son of Henry and Hanna Verity. Said to have served in the U.S. Life saving Service at Gilgo.”

It is expected that an updated edition of a researched, fact-based publication would contain newly discovered information as stated in the “Introduction” in 2000; “Since the publication of the 1976 edition my continuing research has resulted in the correction of some errors and the addition of much new material.” The problem with his “corrections” and “additional material” as far as the "Decoy carvers" is that he shows no evidence for his conclusions as to why the changes were made. He just states it as a fact, based on what? And strangely “Ben Verity” was the name used by the Herrick’s as the maker of the decoys they had donated to the Museums at Stony Brook, now referred to as the work of “Obadiah”. Of the sixteen plus carvers names listed in the two editions, I can find no evidence presented to indicate any linkage between the names on the lists and carvings attributed to the named carvers. The only exception may be Andrew Verity. And in the research I have personally done on the subject, I have not found any linkage of the “Names” listed in Mr. Baldwin’s book as well as all printed material that has used these names as the carvers to the decoys in question.

Mr. Baldwin uses as research reference articles found in the “Long Island Forum” founded in 1938. The publication was supposed to be dedicated to preserving the history of Long Island’s past heritage. The "Long Island Forum" has never been and should never be considered a serious publication by historians and never as a peer reviewed publication. The Forum editors printed whatever was sent in that appealed to the publisher, who tended to favor vapid romancicized views of history with little or no attention paid to facts. However, even if you read the references Baldwin sites as his proof for “The Verity Carvers” in the Forum issues, you find they contain nothing about the carving of decoys by any of the Verity’s he lists as carvers. The only exception are the articles written by Mr. Baldwin himself about who he says are the carvers, mostly just reprints from his book. In his book he also says some carvers were “identified by the Long Island Decoy Association” (the L.I.D.C.A. has been proven to be one of the worst places to obtain correct information from). Once again, no facts are given as to how they identified the carvers, just that they were “identified.” For the "Stephen Verity decoys" he cites a letter from ”Mr. Robert Shaw, Decoy Specialist, Shelburne Museum, he cites that decoys in the Museum were made by Stephen Verity, yet once again no facts are presented as to why they are said to be made by Stephen Verity, except this statement found in the letter that the decoys had originally been wrongly labelled with wrong birth place, birth date and death date, etc. I wonder if the “etc.” was a different name used as the maker? The rest of the names on the list have no references as to why they should be considered as a carver of decoys.

This is not the sloppiest “research” I have ever seen connected with decoys. It is in fact the norm. It is totally lacking in any true scholarly research and is completely void of any evidence for his assertion that these are decoy carvers. This is the type of so-called research that has established these ghost names as the makers of most of the decoys on today's market.

The three collectors and Baldwin had been working together somewhat helping with the Stony Brook Museum's Gunners Paradise project and establishing the “Verity Carvers.” Eventually they had disagreements over who “THE REAL OBADIAH” was. This dispute was mainly between Bud and Baldwin. Baldwin had never disputed that an Obadiah Verity was the carver of the decoys formerly attributed to Osborn, however he did question which of the many Obadiah’s from Seaford was the maker. And he questioned the “facts” that Bud and The Combs’ had used for the Obadiah they favored and the one Baldwin eventually favored, and of course neither presented any proof that either of the “names” had ever carved at all.
The original Obadiah clamed to be the maker of the decoys was said to be a brother to Smith Clinton Verity (1845-1920), Andrew Verity's father. What Mr. Baldwin had found fault with was that Smith C. Verity’s brother Obadiah had died young, most likely sometime between 1850-1860 and this would mean that Andrew could not have know this Obadiah and he could not have been the carver. Another thing that concerned Mr. Baldwin was an article written in “Long Island Forum” January 1969 “Recollections of Seaford” by George L. Weeks (1884-1977), a Town Historian of Islip, Long Island, writer and “native of Seaford”. The article tells of Mr. Weeks having known an Obediah Verity as a boy. He states, “Diah was a great carver of decoys of which I have about a dozen.” In this article once again he presents no proof for what he says about “Obadiah” and presents no photos of the decoys he says he owns made by him.

Mr. Baldwin believed he knew which Obadiah was the real carver by what Weeks had written, nevermind what the unsubstantiated content was, this is what he would hang his hat on. On page 185 of Mr. Baldwin’s book he states “In 1975 Andrew Verity then 94, living in a nursing home, during a taped interview, was asked questions by several members of the Long Island Decoy Collectors Association. Some of this interview is (related) in E. Jane Townsend’s Gunners Paradise”. "Related" would indicate that the tape was also not made available to Ms. Townsend. In Mr. Baldwin’s book (second edition) in the section titled “Who Was Obadiah Verity, the Carver of Decoys?” pages 184-193, he lays out who and why he feels he knows who the real "Obadiah” the carver was. His conclusion appears to be based solely on the short paragraph by Weeks in "Long Island Forum." It is interesting and took a lot of work to sort out all the “Diah‘s” however it's like all the other printed material on Obadiah Verity; contains no facts that would link the decoys in question to any “Diah” from Seaford. On page 188 Mr. Baldwin states in “ENDNOTES” “Most of the decoys identified as Obediah’s have been shore birds. An article by George W. Combs, Jr., Obadiah (sic) Verity, of Seaford, L. I. in the Newsletter of the Long Island Decoy Collectors Association, February 1984, page 2, states that ”He is known to have made 5 or so duck decoys-Bluebill with carved wings, 2 Sheldrakes and a black duck that is now in the Shelburne[VT] Museum.” This newsletter, in the opinion of this author, contains much undocumented and erroneous information about the Verity family. The very same thing can be said about Baldwin’s book at least when it comes to “The Decoy Carvers” from the Verity family.

Mr. Baldwin had personally told me that he had also visited Andrew Verity at the nursing home and got a much different reaction from Andrew than what Bud and the Combs’ described in their history-making visit. From what Mr. Baldwin told me, Andrew wasn’t even interested in talking about decoys and appeared to have no interest in the subject at all. I believe he told me he wanted to go sit with the Ladies and watch a ballgame.
I also find it interesting that in the section on Obadiah Verity page 25 in Gunners Paradise, it says “It was not until 1975, more than 50 years after his death, his decoys were identified as his work." Yet there is nothing found in print in the Long Island Decoy Collectors Association Newsletter about the “Discovery” of the “real carvers.” The Combs' and Bud were founding members of the club and all were members in 1975, yet nothing about the Great Discovery, and no articles were written for "Long Island Forum" or the Magazine “North American Decoys”. How strange.
The next layer in the creating of Obadiah Verity and William Southard decoy carvers and a plethora newly minted “Verity Carvers” came the next year in 1980 with the publishing of “Shore Bird Decoys” by Henry A. Fleckenstein Jr. This would be the first book devoted entirely to “Snipe Stool” or Shore Bird decoys. This was the first hardcover book to associate the names of Obadiah Verity and William Southard with the decoys formerly called Osborn’s and Osborn type etc. Yet there is no mention of the names being changed. It‘s as if they had always been referred to Verity’s and Southard‘s. No new facts are added in the book. The “story” of the interview with “Grubie” at the nursing home that is said to establish an Obadiah as the carver is not even mentioned.

In his book Henry thanks Bud Ward and his wife Carol for being his “host and hostesses” along with other collectors and their wives that he had visited with to obtain some of the highly dubious information found in the book and photograph some of the decoys in their collections. So without any fact checking or questioning of the “information” Henry lists Verity and Southard and the others as “Verity Carvers” in his book. It is all presented as fact and it all came directly from Bud. Having known both Henry and Bud, I know Henry had great respect for Bud and valued his widely accepted expertise, as did most collectors. On page 16 and 17 are photos of five peeps (sandpipers); four are said to be by Obadiah Verity of Seaford and one by William Southard of Bellmore. He gives dates of 1880 for the “Verity” birds, and the text with the “Southard” bird says, “Southard decoys at first glance are very similar to the Veritys and are sometimes confused with those of Obediah.” The way this is written makes it seem like the decoys had always been associated with the two new names. It also gives an applied assurance of knowledge. It would give the impression that there is an established traceable empirical pedigree back to Verity and Southard, and of course this is not the case. Page 25 shows a photo of a “Robin Snipe” (Red Knot) and points out the rarity of Robin Snipe by Obadiah Verity. On page 31 we find two tern decoys “c-1890” now by “Obadiah Verity” they are rig mates to the Stony Brook Museum tern decoy and the one found in Mackey's book both as “Nelsen Verity”. Page 32 has a rare “Ruddy turnstone c-1880 extremely scarce, only three or four turnstones by Verity are known.” Throughout the book are more photos of decoys said to be Obadiah’s work. On page 42 is a Black bellied plover, text, “This view shows well the stippled paint on the back of Verity decoys, accomplished by dabbing with a chewed twig.” This folksy legend is highly questionable. First how would anyone have the information of how it was accomplished? I personally have never been able get a twig to duplicate stippling found on these decoys but it can be accomplished with a paint brush and you can make a nice stiff paint brush from horse hair or hog bristle, as I have done. On page 66 we are introduced to Smith Clinton Verity (1845-1950) with a photo of a yellowleg decoy (no Evidence presented other that a Verity Family Name). On page 70 is a yellowleg said to be the work of “Andrew Verity, son of Obadiah Verity” (Andrew Verity was Smith C. Verity’s son, not the deceased Obadiah’s, who died in childhood).

Who was it that identified the decoy as a “Grubie” snipe? It goes on to say the decoy “was found screwed to the wall of Nelsen Verity's boat house.” On page 87 is an “Obadiah” curlew and one by another newly (named carver) from the Verity family, “John Henry Verity” (1788-1878). The list of Verity carvers begins to grow. It is astounding out of nowhere we have carver’s being “discovered” yet not one shred of evidence is ever presented, other than documented names from the Verity family tied together with undocumented so called “facts” and shadow evidence, as with the name “John Verity” which was pulled from the book The Birds of Long Island by by J.P.Gerard (1844). It tells of guide “John Verity” of him he writes “He will furnish you with a suitable boat and decoys, and accompany you and if you visit him at the proper season.“ This reference is found on page 188 of Mr. Baldwin’s book.

It says he will furnish you with decoys. It does not say whether he will be using live decoys or wooden decoys, and it does not say or document that he carved decoys, only that he used decoys and there is nothing at all that would indicate he made or was associated with the decoys attributed to him shown on page 87.

Another thing found in common with all these patchwork cobbled together decoy “histories” are words like "possible", "maybe", "perhaps" and "could have" are found sprinkled throughout. As on page 188 of the Baldwin book “The Obadiah born 1813, could have learned decoy carving from his father John (“Uncle John “) and perhaps his grandfather, Samuel (“Uncle Sam” ) Verity, as well Obadiah would have been thirty-six years of age when his grandfather died and fifty-three when his father died. Why couldn’t all three have worked together between say 1838 and 1849, providing their carved decoys and acting as guides for wildfowling parties?” Why couldn’t they have never carved decoys at all? Maybe they got their decoys from someone else? Perhaps they carved no decoys at all. They could have possibley gotten their decoys from the real carver. Those word work both ways and neither way present any facts, only questions.

On page 88 we find three Yellowlegs by “William Southard from Bellmore." No William Southard has ever been recorded living in Bellmore, though I have located many men with the name William Southard, none can be connected to decoy carving. It also states “He married Celia Verity, sister of Obadiah and Smith Clinton." The only sister I can find for Obadiah (who died in childhood) and Smith Verity is listed as Julia. We also find out that Southard “made mostly Yellowlegs." Also in the text it says that “Southards” decoys were "made from tree limbs.” Another layer is added to the myth. Most are not made from “tree limbs."

Color plate LXXII shows two “Obadiah” tern decoys from Bud Ward’s collection and are rig mates to the terns mentioned earlier.

It was Henry’s book that gave use Smith Clinton Verity and John Henry Verity and Andrew as “decoy makers” and the legend of the “Verity Family carvers” was expanding based on absolutely nothing but Verity family names attached to decoys, devoid of any research for the claim.

It is at this point that the new names start to become established with the decoy auction houses, collectors, etc. Many people put a huge amount of trust in auction houses and their supposed expertise. If you are interested in who were the true makers of the decoys, auction houses are not where you go for factual information. The truth is they don’t care whom the carvers really were. They mainly care about the money generated for them and their clients who consign and buy their “product.” They are “salesmen” plain and simple. Most deserve the respect given to “used car salesmen.” Their knowledge and expertise comes from books filled with misinformation and collectors who get their information from the same publications. They do no research of their own into who made the “product”they sell. And when it came to decoys, whatever Bud told them they went along with. There was none of those “Cousin Vinny” moments where Al Pesci asks Marissa Tomei “Are you sure” no questions were asked. No one would question what Bud said when what he said could help to make the auction houses and dealers money. In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s we find the auction houses switching from “Osborn” to “Verity” almost overnight, though some would still stick to “Osborn” for awhile, and some collectors would remain confused for years. As can be seen in the 1990 Shore Birds The Birds The Hunters The Decoys by Levinson and Headley, where they list decoys made by both Osborn and Obadiah, along with other Verity names found in the book. And as with most books and articles on decoys, no evidence is ever presented for any of the supposed “facts ’used. Each subsequent book or article is based on past undocumented claims and a few new unsubstantiated “facts” layer after layer, year after year, a tapastry is woven into a "history" of the supposed carvers.

The only conclusion that can be reached on the decoys that have been attributed to the ‘Verity” carvers and Will Southard, first attributed to them by the Combs', Ward and Baldwin in the mid 1970’s, is there is not now and has never been any proof presented that any of the decoys cited as Verity decoys were actually made by any of the Verity family members or William Southard.

Who the makers of these decoys truly were may never be known, but as long as collectors, etc. perpetuate the fabricating of makers for these great old touch stones of American history, it will be hard to correct the record and give credit to the true carvers, or drop the fabricated names for "Unknown Maker." If any reader should feel that I am wrong in my assertions, please feel free to present your evidence for your conclusions as to why what I have written is in error, with supportive documentation for your conclusion (real documentation), not what has been parroted in the past and paraded around as facts. Then I will look forward to hearing what you have to say.

Next update will be on the decoys attributed to “Thomas H. Gelston” and the decoys he most likely didn’t make.