Ellis Island the region. The oyster beds remained a major source of food for nearly three centuries. Landfilling to build the railyards of the Lehigh Valley Railroad and the Central Railroad of New Jersey eventually obliterated the oyster beds, engulfed one island, and brought the shoreline much closer to the others. During the colonial period, Little Oyster Island was known as Dyre's, then Bucking Island. In the 1760s, after some pirates were hanged from one of the island's scrubby trees, it became known as Gibbet Island. It was acquired by Samuel Ellis, a colonial New Yorker and merchant possibly from Wales, around
History of Smooth Island (Tasmania) History of Smooth Island (Tasmania) This article outlines the history of Smooth Island, popularly known as Garden Island, in Norfolk Bay, Tasmania. The names come from the island's gently undulating topography and lush vegetation in comparison with the stony mainland. It has been privately owned since 1864. Prior to European settlement, the Forestier Peninsula to the east of Smooth Island is believed to have been occupied by the Pydairrerme band of the Oyster Bay (Paredarerme) tribe of Aboriginal Tasmanians. They spoke the Paredarerme language. There is no recorded evidence of any remaining Paredarerme people in the region after the 1830s.