Town of Islip officials meet with folks from Islip, England

Tom from Islip, New York meet Tom from Islip, England.

That's how introductions went this week when Islip Town Supervisor Tom Croci greeted former Islip Village Councilman Tom Love at Town Hall. They exchanged coins, flags and promised to resurrect a middle-school pen pal program.

Love, a councilman for 32 years, said, "I love both the places. The Village of Islip knows all about this town here."

It wasn't the first meeting of the Islips. Officials from Islip, Northamptonshire, England -- a village of about 1,000 an hour north of London -- have for more than 30 years communicated with their Long Island peers. Former Town Supervisor Peter Fox Cohalan once visited the village.

Love's visit was an attempt to revive the friendship.

"We wanted to re-establish these historical roots so the next generations of Islip residents have the ability to know some of their counterparts," Croci said.

The Islips share a long past, according to the two Toms. Matthias Nicoll moved to New York from the English Islip in 1664. His son William Nicoll later owned a large swath of town land. Some of George Washington's ancestors hailed from Islip, memorialized by their still-standing home in the village.