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Gc 974.7 H18f v.2 1153972
M.
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01148 8209
Gc 974.7 H18f v.2 11539
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Robert Livingston First Lord of the Manor
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SIGILLUM AMSTELL AMENSIS IN N
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RAC.
1686
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EBORACI
787
FAMOUS FAMILIES
OF NEW YORK
Historical and Biographical Sketches of Families which in successive generations have been Identified with the Development of the Nation
BY MARGHERITA · ARLINA . HAMM
ILLUSTRATED
VOL. II
G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS NEW YORK LONDON
GC 974.7 HI8F 1.2.
COPYRIGHT, 1901, BY THE NEW YORK EVENING POST COPYRIGHT, 1902, BY G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS
The Knickerbocker Press, Few pork
(2 ve 5)
CONTENTS
1153972
PAGE
XXII .- LIVINGSTON
- I
XXIII .- MORRIS
. 19
XXIV .- OSGOOD
39
XXV .- POTTER
49
XXVI .- RAPALJE
61
XXVII .- REMSEN
71
XXVIII .- RENWICK
. 81
XXIX .- ROOSEVELT
93
XXX .- RUTGERS
103
XXXI .- SCHERMERHORN
115
XXXII .- SCHUYLER
125
XXXIII .- SMITH .
139
XXXIV .- STUYVESANT
149
XXXV .- TAPPEN
161 .
XXXVI .- VAN BUREN . 171
XXXVII .- VAN CORTLANDT
183
XXXVIII .- VAN COTT
195
XXXIX .- VANDERBILT .
203
XL .- VAN RENSSELAER
213
XLI .- VAN SICLEN . 225
XLII .- WENDELL
. 237
VOL. II.
iii
1
ـتمجيد
ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
Robert Livingston .
First Lord of the Manor
Frontispiece
Judge Robert R. Livingston . 10 ·
From the original portrait
Mrs. Robert R. Livingston (Margaret Beekman) .
.
10 From the original portrait
Rev. Dr. John H. Livingston . 14
Maturin Livingston
From a miniature
16
Mrs. Maturin Livingston (Margaret Lewis) .
16
From a miniature
Lewis Morris . 20 Signer of the Declaration of Independence
Robert Hunter Morris
26
Governor of Pennsylvania, 1754
"Old Morrisania," New York
Gouverneur Morris's residence
26
Mrs. Lewis Morris III. (Katrintje Staats)
28
Richard Morris
30
Chief Justice under the Crown
Frances Ludlum
32
Wife of Robert Morris
Lewis Gouverneur Morris
From a steel engraving by Samuel Sartain
Samuel Osgood
From the painting by J. Trumbull
Rev. Dr. Samuel Osgood
·
From a steel engraving
46
.
34
40
VOL. II.
v
vi
Illustrations
PAGE
Mrs. Samuel Osgood
. 46
From the painting by J. Trumbull
Bishop Alonzo Potter From a painting
· 50
Maria Nott · · 56
Wife of Bishop Alonzo Potter
Clarkson N. Potter.
56 From a photograph
62
From a steel engraving
The Rapalje Family Bible, in possession of Henry S. Rapalje, Esq. · 66
Title-page of the Rapalje Family Bible and page showing family records 66
The Rapalje Estate, 35th Street and North River . 68
· Redrawn from an old print
George Rapalje 70 From a photograph in possession of Henry S. Rapalje, Esq. .
. The Remsen Farmhouse 76
From an old print
Bedford Corners in 1776
From a print in Valentine's Manual, 1858 . 76
Professor James Renwick 82 From an oil painting owned by Mrs. James Renwick .
Grace Church, Broadway 86
St. Patrick's Cathedral, Fifth Avenue 88
Mrs. William Rhinelander Renwick (Eliza S. Crosby) . 90 From a miniature owned by Edmund Abdy Hurry, Esq.
William Rhinelander Renwick .
· 90 From a miniature owned by Edmund Abdy Hurry, Esq.
Jean Jeffrey
. 92
From a picture in the possession of Edmund Abdy Hurry, Esq.
Theodore Roosevelt ·
94
From a photograph by Rockwood
Isaac Roosevelt
.
.
.
98
From an India ink drawing in the Emmett Collection, Lenox Library
Jacob Rapalje
Illustrations
vii
The Administration Building . Roosevelt Hospital
PAGE 100
Colonel Henry Rutgers .
From a steel engraving . 104
The Old Rutgers Mansion, New York, 1768 .
.
108
From a print in Valentine's Manual
The Old " Glebe House," Woodbury, Conn. 112 (At the time of the Revolution it was the home of the Rev. John Rutgers Marshall) .
The Rutgers House, Rutgers Place
112
.
Between Jefferson and Clinton Streets
From a print in Valentine's Manual, 1858
The Schermerhorn Residence, 84th Street and East River
.
120
From a print in Valentine's Manual, 1866
General Philip Schuyler
126
From the painting by Trumbull
Philip Jeremiah Schuyler
128
.
From an oil painting
Mrs. Philip Jeremiah Schuyler (Mary Anna Sawyer)
·
128
From an oil painting
Philip Schuyler
132
From a miniature
Grace Hunter
132
Wife of Philip Schuyler
From a miniature
Louise Lee Schuyler
134
The Interior of the Schuyler House on 31st Street
134
Philip Schuyler
136
From a painting by R. M. Stagg
The Schuyler Home "Nevis," at Tarrytown on the Hudson . 136
William Smith
140
Justice of the Supreme Court
William Smith
144
Chief Justice of New York and of Canada
.
From a steel engraving
. Peter Stuyvesant . . 150 After an engraving of the picture owned by the N. Y. Historical Society
viii
Illustrations
PAGE
The Residence of Nicholas W. Stuyvesant
· 156
Which stood in 8th Street, between First and Second Avenues From a print in Valentine's Manual, 1857
Frederick D. Tappen
. 162
From a photograph
Martin Van Buren .
. 172
From a steel engraving
Pierre Van Cortlandt
184
From the painting by J. W. Jarvis
Cornelius Vanderbilt
204
From a steel engraving
William H. Vanderbilt .
· 206
From a steel engraving
The Obelisk in Central Park .
. 208
Brought from Egypt by Wm. H. Vanderbilt
Residence of the late Cornelius Vanderbilt, 57th Street and Fifth Avenue . 210
Kiliaen Van Rensselaer .
214
First Lord of the Manor
Margaret Schuyler
216
Wife of Stephen Van Rensselaer 111.
Philip Van Rensselaer Mayor of Albany
216
Maria Van Cortlandt
218
Wife of Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, the Fourth Patroon
Anna Van Wely . .
218
Second wife of Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, the First Patroon
Stephen Van Rensselaer Ill. .
. 220
Patroon of the Manor of Van Rensselaerwyck Major-General of the United States Army
Cornelia Paterson .
. 222
Second wife of Stephen Van Rensselaer 111. From a miniature
The Old Van Siclen House in Ghent, Belgium . 228
Built about 1338, and still standing
Livingston
I
XXII
LIVINGSTON
R ELIGIOUS zeal and persecution were powerful factors in the settlement of the New Netherlands, as of New Eng- land. With the Dutch colonists went Huguenots, seeking that freedom in the New World which was denied to them in the Old, and British indepen- dents who could not adapt them- selves to the conditions of life then existing in England and Scotland. Settlers of this type exert a more po- tent influence than do such as emi- grate from motives of gain, glory, or power. The intensity of their moral and intellectual life reacts upon their social environment, causing them, it may be said, to become either martyrs or monarchs.
Running through the agricultural and commercial fabric of Dutch life in America, were strong threads of religious devotion and heroism. They modified their surroundings and imparted their force and tendencies to whatever came within the circle of their influence.
Fanaticism caused the exile of the Rev. John Livingston, a Scotch clergyman of remarkable ability. Like other non-conform- ists, he went to Holland, where he became a noted preacher. His family tree runs back to 1124 A.D. During the five centuries
3
4
Livingston
between that time and the exile, they were Lords Livingston and Earls of Linlithgow. They were among the noblest families of Scotland, and for generations were in the front rank of the court- iers at Holyrood. The distinguished divine had, therefore, the strongest social influence and position when he began his sacred calling anew in the Netherlands. There he became acquainted with the merchant princes of the time, among them Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, the First Patroon. The New Netherlands were a fre- quent subject of conversation in the society wherein these men moved, and those who were far-sighted perceived the future im- portance of the fertile territories in America. None took a livelier interest than the Scotch minister, who made no less than two un- successful attempts to emigrate.
What the father was unable to do, the son, Robert [1654], achieved. Provided with strong letters of introduction, and well
Robert, acquainted with many of the foremost Dutchmen al- First Lord of ready in the New Netherlands, he sailed from Green- the Manor ock, April 18, 1673, bound for Charlestown, in New England, and arrived in New Amsterdam about 1674. He was a well-educated man, and had a fair knowledge of surveying and certain useful arts. He worked hard from the day of landing, saved all he could, and in a few years seems to have accumulated a large amount of money. At the end of five years, he married, July 9, 1679, Alida, née Schuyler, the widow of Dr. Nicolaus Van Rensselaer. The union proved a happy one. The issue was four sons and two daughters. In 1686, Robert obtained from Governor Dongan a patent of Livingston Manor, which consisted of one hundred and sixty thousand acres of fertile country on the Hud- son River, half way between New York and Albany, and opposite the Catskills. It seems curious that the cost of this magnificent estate amounted to not more than two hundred dollars worth of merchandise, including blankets, shirts, stockings, axes, adzes, paint, scissors, jack-knives, and pocket looking-glasses.
He led a busy life, attending to his great domain and serving in many offices of honor and trust. The records show that he was a secretary to the Albany Commissary, Town Clerk and
5
Livingston
Town Collector, Secretary of Indian Affairs, member of the Coun- cil, member of the General Assembly (1709-1711), and Speaker of the General Assembly (1718). He bestowed great care upon the education of his children, and lived to see several of them occupy high places in the community. He loved adventure, and was noted, even among the Indians, for his skill in hunting. In 1694, he made a trip across the ocean, and was wrecked on the coast of Portugal. He displayed great fortitude during the disaster, and was instrumental in saving several lives. A thoroughly pious man, he saw in his preservation the answer to his prayers, and commemorated his escape, family tradition says, by making an appropriate change in the family escutcheon. For the ancient crest of a demi-savage, he substituted the figure of a ship in dis- tress. This will account for the fact that both coats-of-arms are found in the family records.
During the latter part of his life, he built a church near his Manor House, now known as Linlithgow-a tomb within its portals. Here his body was laid away. The building, in the course of years, decayed and was torn down. Upon this site his descendants have erected a memorial church, and over the tomb have placed a tablet in honor of the founder of their race in the United States.
The four sons of the first "Lord " were worthy of their father. The oldest, John, embraced a military career, and rose to be a colonel in the Connecticut militia. He married twice, his first wife being the only daughter of Governor Winthrop of Connecticut, and his second, Elizabeth Knight. As he left no issue, and as he died before his father (in London, 1717), the title of "Lord" as well as the oldest son's share of the family estate went Philip the to Philip, who was born in 1686. The latter, dis- Princely satisfied with farming, turned his attention to commercial life, and, owing to his great wealth as well as to his natural ability, became, if not the greatest, at least one of the great merchants of his period. He married Katherine Van Brugh, by whom he had six sons and two daughters. In the latter half of his life he became famous for his hospitality. He kept his three houses, in
6
Livingston
New York, Clermont, and Albany, always open to his friends and acquaintances, and gave entertainment for man and beast to whom- soever called. To him was applied the term "The Princely Livingston." He did not allow private business to engross his attention to the neglect of public duties. He served as Town Clerk, Secretary of Indian Affairs, and member of the Legislative Council.
The third son, Robert, was the most cultured and intellectual, if not the ablest, of the generation. He received a collegiate Robert of education in Scotland, and studied law at the Temple in Clermont London, where he won high praise for his legal acumen. Upon his return to the New World, he opened a law office at Albany, where he soon built up a lucrative practice. It was about this time that he surprised a burglar who was breaking into his father's house by climbing down the chimney. He seized the fellow by his legs, hauling him down into the ashes, and fright- ened him into making a full confession, which included the de- tails of a plot to rob and murder the white people of the district. The father was so pleased with his son's courage that he pre- sented him with a section of the manor land containing thirteen thousand acres. From this piece of land the young man received his name, Robert of Clermont, and the place was called for gener- ations the Lower Manor. He was a member of the General As- sembly from 1711 to 1727. He married Miss Howarden.
Gilbert, the fourth son, was the least conspicuous of the four; he devoted himself to his estate, to reading, and to social duties.
Gilbert He married Cornelia Beekman, and was the founder of
the Poughkeepsie branch of the family. From 1728 to 1737, he was a member of the General Assembly.
Margaret, one of the daughters of the founder, made a notable marriage when she espoused Colonel Samuel Vetch, the first English Governor of Annapolis. The other daughter, Johanna, married Cornelius Van Horne, a well-to-do property-owner of that time.
Robert "the It would not be fair, in commenting upon this Nephew " generation, to omit Robert Livingston, a nephew of the first "Lord of the Manor," who came to this country in 1684,
7
Livingston
ten years after his uncle. While he did not occupy so large a place in the public view, nevertheless he and his did much for the State, and added to the glory of the race.
His wife was Margaretta Schuyler, niece of Alida, his uncle's wife, by whom he had sons and daughters. Three of his sons -Peter, John, and James-became prominent in their time.
The third generation made the golden age of the Livingston family; each of the four branches (Philip, Gilbert, and Robert of Clermont, of the founder's side, and Robert, the nephew) had able and vigorous sons, who led lives of the greatest activity and, in the main, of beneficence. The Philip branch was the most notable on account of its numbers, there having been no less than six sons, each of whom rose superior to the average of his time. Nearly all had daughters of physical, mental, and social charm, who strengthened the house through marriage. Genealogically, the head of the family was Robert, the third " Lord of Robert, Third the Manor," son of Philip, who was born in 1708, and Lord of the died at the good old age of eighty-two. He inherited Manor his father's business ability, enterprise, and thrift, and increased the large fortune which he had inherited. He married Mary Thong, a great-granddaughter of Rip Van Dam, by whom he had six sons and two daughters. Like nearly all the men of his family, he served the State for a long time, having been a mem- ber of the General Assembly, and held minor offices. His three brothers-Philip, who signed the Declaration of Independence, Peter Van Brugh, and William, the war-Governor of New Jersey- are known as the "Revolutionary trio." Philip [1716] was a Yale graduate; in 1746, he was referred to as one of the Philip the fifteen collegians in the colony. From college he Signer
went into mercantile life, and became an importer in New York. He was successful in business, and in 1755 had become a leader in the commercial world. He took an active part in the politics of the day; he was one of the seven New York Aldermen in 1754; and thereafter a member of the Provincial Assembly. As early as 1760, he identified himself with the opposition to the methods of the British Government. He was a prominent correspondent of
8
Livingston
Edmund Burke, and supplied that statesman with much know- ledge of colonial affairs.
While most of the men, especially the merchants of the time, were afraid to take part in the questions of the day, Philip never hesitated. In 1764, he drew up an address to Lieutenant-Governor Colden, in which he used language so bold as to warrant the charge of treason. He was a delegate to the "Stamp-Act Con- gress " in 1765, and was cordially hated by the Royalists, who made open war upon him and unseated him when he was elected to the Assembly. He was unanimously elected a member of the First Continental Congress, and remained a member of the House until his death. On behalf of New York, he signed the Declaration of Independence; and he has ever since been known as "Philip the Signer." He also served in the Senate of New York. His benevolence was great; he gave away seldom less than one third of his income. He founded the professorship of divinity in Yale, took part in the organization of the Society Library of New York, and was one of the founders of Columbia College. In his time, Brooklyn was a poor farming country, and not at all popular with Knickerbocker society. He foresaw its future and purchased con- siderable land on what is now known as Brooklyn Heights. He built a mansion at about the present corner of Hicks and Joral- emon streets, and laid out a fine carriage-road from his estate to Red Hook Lane. This road is now Livingston Street. In this mansion Washington held a council of war in August, 1776. In 1770, Philip took part in organizing the Chamber of Commerce. Though his family were non-conformists, he manifested a singular catholicity in religious sentiment, establishing a chair of divinity in Yale, aiding Columbia, which was of the Church of England; contributing to the Presbyterian Church, and aiding liberally in the construction of the first Methodist church in the United States. His wife was Christina, daughter of Colonel Ten Broeck.
Peter Van Brugh [1710], was a Yale man of 1731. As did his Peter brother, he went to New York and entered upon a Van Brugh mercantile career. He built a handsome mansion on the east side of what is now Hanover Square, whose beautiful gardens
9
Livingston
extended to the East River. His partner was Lord Stirling, whose sister he married in 1739. His official services to the State were long and honorable; he was member of the Provincial Council and of the Committee of One Hundred, delegate to the First and Second Provincial Congresses of New York, Treasurer of Congress (1776), trustee of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton), and a member of numerous Revolutionary and patriotic organizations. John Adams spoke of him as "an old man, extremely stanch in the cause, and very sensible," which, coming from the grim Massachusetts statesman, was high praise, indeed.
William [1723] was the most picturesque of the six sons. He was brought up by his maternal grandmother, Sarah Van Brugh, who seems to have had eccentric ideas as to a William the boy's education. She did not neglect his book-learn- War-Governor ing, but made physical development a point. By the time he was thirteen, he was skilled in horsemanship, woodcraft, fishing, and agriculture. At fourteen, he was sent into the forest, where he lived a year among the Mohawks, under the care of a mission- ary and an Indian chief. He came back with a thorough know- ledge of the Mohawk language and a master of all the Indian dances. Sent to Yale, he proved himself the best fighter and best scholar of his class, which was that of 1741. He studied law and became a leader of the bar, with the quaint sobriquet of "the Presbyterian lawyer." He served in the Provincial Legislature for three years, and then removed to Elizabethtown, N. J. Here he built a fine country seat, which in after years became celebrated as Liberty Hall. Elizabethtown was then said to be in the wilder- ness; from New York it was at least one day's journey. Never- theless, so fascinating was the man, and so attractive his four daughters, that the house was always crowded with visitors. Among these were Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and other lead- ing men of that period. William foresaw the Revolution, and from the first was a fierce and uncompromising patriot. When it came to nominating a delegate to the Continental Congress, he was so fearful that the people would send a weak representative that, it is said, he made a personal canvass of the electors, and
10
Livingston
only stopped when he found that he was the one candidate who had been thought of by the people. He was a delegate twice, serving upon the more important committees. He gave up Con- gressional life to become a brigadier-general and governor, holding the latter office until his death. In this double capacity he was a thorn in the flesh to the British, by whom he was called the "Don Quixote of the Jerseys." He gave them so much trouble that they set a price upon him, and induced reckless adventurers to attempt his kidnapping, as well as to burn his mansion. Many attempts were made, but all proved failures. Before three years had gone by, many of the ignorant British troops believed that the war-Governor was in league with Satan and had supernatural powers of appearing and disappearing.
In 1777, William recommended in his message to the Assem- bly the abolition of slavery, and eleven years later he secured the passage of an act forbidding the importation of slaves into the State. He had inherited or had obtained many slaves himself, but these he liberated and helped on as free citizens. His versatility was notable. He wrote a digest of the laws of New York, several volumes on law and politics, a long and somewhat heavy poem entitled " Philosophical Solitude," and many bits of lighter verse, essays, theses, and pamphlets. In writing about him, President Timothy Dwight, of Yale College, said: "The talents of Governor Livingston were very various. His imagination was brilliant, his wit sprightly and pungent, his understanding powerful, his taste refined, and his conceptions bold and powerful. His views of political subjects were expansive, clear, and just. Of freedom, both civil and religious, he was a distinguished champion."
Robert of Clermont had but one son, Robert R. Livingston [1718]. Upon his father's death he became the owner of the estate, which made him one of the wealthy men of
Robert R., or
Robert the the colony. Owing partly to his wealth and partly Judge to his ability, he became a person of much distinction, and was appointed Judge by the English Crown. He is known as "Judge Robert," to distinguish him from his famous son of the same name, the Chancellor. Like nearly all of his relatives, he
Judge Robert R. Livingston From the original portrait
Mrs. Robert R. Livingston (Margaret Beekman) From the original portrait
II
Livingston
was an ardent patriot, and was elected a delegate to the Colonial Congress held in New York in 1765, better known as the Stamp Act Congress. He married Miss Margaret Beekman, daughter of Colonel Henry Beekman of Rhinebeck. By her he had many chil- dren, of whom at least three were to become famous in law and politics. Of Judge Robert, an interesting story is told by a friend. At a family party in Clermont one evening he was talking with his father, Robert of Clermont, his son, the future Chancellor, and his son-in-law, Captain, afterwards General, Richard Montgomery. The conversation turned upon the relations of the colonies to Great Britain, and soon became excited. The argument culmi- nated in a bit of prophecy from the aged head of the house, who exclaimed: "It is intolerable that a continent like America should be governed by a little island three thousand miles away. America must and will be independent. My son, you will not live to see it ; Montgomery, you may ; Robert," turning to his grandson, "you will." The prophecy was fulfilled. Montgomery was killed at the siege of Quebec, 1775; the son died before independ- ence was achieved, while the grandson became one of the leaders of the new republic.
James, son of Robert the nephew, left his country home to engage in commercial life at New York. He became an opulent merchant. His wife was Maria Kiersted, John by whom he had issue.
John, his brother, devoted his life to the family estates. He espoused Catharine Ten Broeck, daughter of General Ten Broeck. Among their children were three of the most brilliant James the
Merchant soldiers of the Revolution.
The fourth generation produced many eminent men. They were so numerous that it is difficult to select a few representatives without being guilty of neglecting others as worthy. Robert, the third "Lord of the Manor," had five sons, whose names are familiar to all students: Peter R., Walter, Robert Cambridge, John, and Henry; and three daughters: Mary, who married James Decare, Alida, and Catharine. Each of three sons has left long lines of descent.
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Livingston
Peter R. was a wealthy landed proprietor in Dutchess County,
Lieut .- Gov. and took a lively part in State affairs. In 1828, he was
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