Lesson on David Carll, Black Civil War soldier from Oyster Bay

The legend of David Carll, a free Black man who volunteered to fight with the Union Army during the Civil War, married a Caucasian woman when such unions were illegal in most locations and settled in what was one of Long Island's wealthiest — and whitest — communities nearly disappeared into the ethos of history.

But after decades of hearing stories about her great-great-grandfather while having dinner with family in Oyster Bay, Denice Evans-Sheppard set out to learn if the stories were true.

And to document Carll's improbable life for posterity.

On Friday, in observance of Black History Month, Evans-Sheppard shared a presentation about Carll, along with an Emmy nominated short film about his life, with students from the East Woods School in Oyster Bay, a small private school for students from kindergarten through eighth grade.

"It's not just an African American story. It's an American story," said Evans-Sheppard, who now serves as executive director of the Oyster Bay Historical Society, the first woman to hold that post. "We add to that story and of that narrative. But sometimes those stories are buried."

Evans-Sheppard was able to locate historical records, dating back to 1810, of her great-great-grandfather in a Family History Room at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Plainview. Additional documents were found in files held by the Department of Interior.

Together with her cousin, Francis S. Carl, she co-authored a book: “Footsteps of a Forgotten Soldier: The Life and Times of David Carll." She has also spent years sharing Carll's story at local schools, libraries and historical societies.

David Carll, who was from a second generation of free blacks in Oyster Bay at a time when many were still enslaved, voluntarily enlisted at the age of 18 as a private in Company C of the 26th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. Colored Troops, which served during the final year of the Civil War.

Carll later married Mary Louise Appleford, a white woman, to whom he was wed for 30 years. Together, they bought land in Oyster Bay, establishing a still-existing homestead in Pine Hollow, an area overlooking Route 106, that was initially called Carll Hill.

"[Carll] wanted to make sure all people were free. All Blacks were free," said Tracey Bennett, an East Woods alumni, who, along with her brother, Christopher Bennett, helped set up Friday's event. "It's a unique story. He married a white woman. And her family disowned her after that. But they still worked together and had a thriving family." 

Five generations of Carll's family have lived in Oyster Bay — musician and actress Vanessa Williams is a cousin who also spent time there — and Evans-Sheppard now lives in the home Carll built in 1870 with payment for his wartime service.

"This house was actually abandoned for 30 years," Evans-Sheppard said. "So there was a lot of work that I had to do to preserve it."

While renovating the home, Evans-Sheppard discovered under a floorboard an artillery shell that could have been used by soldiers in the war. She passed the empty shell to students Friday to examine.

"We have to learn to be detectives," said Evans-Sheppard, who encouraged the students Friday to talk to their relatives about their own family history. "Learning how to find the different pieces of the puzzle."

Laura Kang, East Wood's head of school, said it's important for students to learn about local history.

"It's probably something they haven't heard before," she said. "And the fact that her family has been in Oyster Bay for five generations is very interesting."

Christopher Bennett, who sits on East Woods' board of trustees, said Carll's story demonstrates the impact that Blacks had on Long Island's history.

"Black history is American history," he said. He called it "one of the greatest examples of the American spirit … There's been African Americans in Oyster Bay, and on Long Island, for a very long time."

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.