A history of Long Island, from its earliest settlement to the present time, Part 15

Author: Ross, Peter. cn
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: New York ; Chicago : The Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1188

USA > New York > A history of Long Island, from its earliest settlement to the present time > Part 15

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When Robert Hunter retired from the Col- ony, in 1719. the Assembly gave him an ad- dress in which they lauded his administration of affairs and expressed the opinion that he had "governed well and wisely, like a prudent magistrate, like an affectionate parent." This praise seems to have been thoroughly well deserved, and even American writers acknowl- edge that his official record was not only an able but a clean one. He was possessed of more than ordinary talent, was a warm friend of such men as Addison, St. John, Steele, Shaftesbury, and especially of Dean Swift,

HISTORY OF LONG ISLAND.

who appears to have entertained for him as undoubted sentiments of respect and friend- ship as he entertained for any man. "Hunter," wrote John Forster in his uncompleted life of the Dean of St. Patrick's, "was among the most scholarly and entertaining of his (Swift's) correspondents; some of Swift's own best letters were written to this friend, and the judgment he had formed of him may be taken from the fact that when all the world were giving to himself the authorship of Shaftesbury's (anonymously printed) 'Let- ter of Enthusiasm,' Swift believed Hunter to have written it." General Hunter died at Jamaica in 1734, while holding the office of Governor of that island.

Governor Hunter's successor in New York was also a Scotchman-William Burnet. This amiable man was the son of the famous Bishop Burnet, whose "History of Our Own Times" is one of the classics of English literature. William Burnet was educated at Cambridge and admitted to the practice of the law. He appears to have been fairly successful in that profession, but lost all his means in the South Sea bubble, and, finding himself ruined, looked around so that he might use his great family influence to secure for him a colonial appoint- ment, a most natural and common proceeding at that time. His success was quick and brilliant, and in September, 1720, he found himself in New York as its Governor. His administration was as able and as honest as that of his predecessor, and he made himself immensely popular by his prohibition of trade between the Indians of the colony and the merchants in Canada, and he even built a fort at his personal expense to help in protecting the trade of the colony over which he ruled. The home government, however, refused to en- dorse Burnet's course in this instance, but that set-back only added to his personal popu- larity. He lost it all, however, by the policy he adopted toward the Court of Chancery. Briefly stated, he wanted to make that body independent of public sentiment and above

public interference, while Colonial opinion was that all judges and all courts should be subject to the control of the people directly or through their elected representatives. Things reached such a pass that the Assembly threat- ened to declare all acts and decrees of the Court of Chancery as null and void, and re- duced all its fees as a preliminary step in that direction. The crisis between the Governor and the people was ended, greatly to the former's relief, in 1728, when he was trans- ferred to the Governorship of Massachusetts. He had not much time to make a name for himself in the old Bay State, for he died at Boston in 1729.

John Montgomery, the next Governor, was a soldier of brilliant parts and many amiable qualities, but he only held the office for some- three months, dying July 1, 1731. Rip Van Dam, the oldest member of the Council, acted as Governor until the arrival of William Cos- by on Aug. 1, 1732. This miserable charlatan drew his salary, quarrelled with the Assembly, aired his self-conceit, and gabbled about pre- rogatives until he became the most hated man in the province. He died in office March 7, 1736, and George Clarke, his Lieutenant Gov- ernor, administered affairs until the arrival of Governor George Clinton, Nov. 23, 1743. It is said that Clarke during his American career amassed a fortune of £100,000, while Clinton when he retired in 1753 took back with him to England £80,000, all gathered in during his ten years' tenure, a tenure that was marked by constant bickering with the Assembly and many leading Colonists; for the trend of af- fairs was even then, unconsciously to all, most certainly approaching a crisis. It became con- scious, however, to a great many in 1765, when, Sir Henry Moore being Governor, an attempt was made to introduce stamp duties. But from Clinton to Tryon the Governors were either mere figure-heads, or at all events passing creatures on the stage who accom- plished nothing worth even the recalling of their names in these pages. Tryon was the

THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT.

ablest of the lot, but his story belongs to the pages of our history which recount the events of the Revolution.

If, however, these titular rulers are un- worthy of a place in this history there is no doubt that the actual ruler of New York for fifteen years prior to the advent of Tryon, Cadwallader Colden, deserves more than pass- ing notice. Colden was born at Dunse (now unfortunately called Duns), Scotland, in 1688, the year of the "Glorious Revolution" which placed William and Mary on the British

CADWALLADER COLDEN.

throne. His father was a clergyman and Cad- wallader was educated at Edinburgh Univer- sity with the view of entering the ministry. His own inclination, however, led him to study medicine and he appears to have practiced that profession in London. In 1710 he crossed the seas to Philadelphia. His stay there was comparatively short, for we find him in 1715 again in London, where he moved in the high- est intellectual and literary circles. In 1716 he returned to Scotland and married a country girl, the daughter of a minister, and soon after left his native land again for America. After practicing medicine for a time in Phila-

delphia he visited New York and won the friendship of Governor Hunter, who invited him to settle in the territory under his author- ity. This he agreed to, mainly because Hunter backed up his profession of friendship by the more tangible offer of the position of Surveyor General of the Colony. Two years later Colden had so fortified his position with the ruling powers that he obtained a grant of 2,000 acres of land in Orange county, and there built a country home for himself and founded a village to which he gave the name of Coldenham, which it still retains. His in- fluence was increased after he was appointed, in 1722, a member of his Majesty's Provincial Council, when Governor Burnet had com- menced his rule, and he became that person- age's most trusted counsellor. After Burnet went to Boston, Colden retired to Coldenham and there interested himself in those literary and scientific pursuits which gave him a prom- inent position in contemporary learned circles. He had a wide correspondence with scientists on both sides of the Atlantic, and to a sugges- tion in one of his letters was due the formation of the American Philosophical Society of Philadelphia. As a member of Council, how- ever, Colden still continued to be active in the politics of the Province and as usual came in for a full share of popular and official criticism and abuse. In 1760 a second time as senior member of Council, he was called upon to administer the government on the sudden death of Governor De Lancey, and he soon after was commissioned Lieutenant Governor. Thereafter, with "few interrup- tions," he served as Lieutenant Governor until June 25, 1775, when the progress of the Revo- lution laid him on the shelf by wiping out the royal office. Had Colden thrown in his lot with the Revolutionists he might have attained a high place in the affection of the leaders of the successful side, but he remained steadfast in his loyalty and to the official oaths he had taken to be faithful to the home Government, and while his sympathies were always with the people and his views were

HISTORY OF LONG ISLAND.

most decided against unwarranted State inter- ference and against taxation without repre- sentation, he was too old to change his flag. Besides, he was of the opinion that all the evils which led to the Revolution could be amended by united and firm representation to the sovereign and his immediate advisers, and that therefore open rebellion was needless. So, when the crash finally came and his pro- testations, tears, promises, explanations, diplo- macy and entreaties proved unavailing, the old Governor retired to a farm near Flushing, Long Island, and died of a broken heart a few months later, in September, 1776, when in the eighty-eighth year of his age.

After the bitterness of the contemporary struggle had passed away the public services and brilliant talents of this most accomplished

of all New York royal representatives was more apparent than at the time when he was an actor in the drama of history, and his loyal devotion to the duties of his high office was fully acknowledged on all sides. "Posterity," wrote Dr. O'Callaghan in his "Documentary History of the State of New York," "will not fail to accord justice to the character and mem- ory of a man to whom this country is most deeply indebted for much of its science and for many of the most important institutions, and of whom the State of New York may well be proud ;" and G. C. Verplonck said: "For the great variety and extent of his learning, his unwearied research, his talents, and the public sphere which he filled, Cadwallader Colden may justly be placed in a high rank among the most distinguished men of his time."

CHAPTER VII.

SOME EARLY FAMILIES AND THEIR DESCENDANTS.

SOME PIONEER SETTLERS-THE STIRLING OWNERSHIP AND COLONIZING SCHEMES - LION GARDINER AND HIS PURCHASE-A LONG ISLAND "QUEEN OF THE WHITE HOUSE"-THE BLUE SMITHS AND OTHER SMITHS, THE TANGIER SMITHS AND OTHER BRANCHES OF THE SMITH FAMILY-THE FLOYDS.

E propose in this chapter to select a few of the early and other repre- sentative families of Long Island, to tell how they acquired a settle- ment, what they did in the way of developing its resources, trace, when possible, and at more or less extent, their descendants to the present day, referring briefly to the doings of the most prominent in each generation and in a general way try to show the influence which each family selected has had upon the fortunes of the island. Scattered throughout the course of this work much information of the descrip- tion thus indicated will be found, but the selec- tion here made will group together representa- tive examples of the various classes of "found- ers" whose names are to-day as familiar in Long Island as household words, and will en- able the reader readily to understand the quality of hearts and hands which have led the way in the building up of the local his- tory. Long Island is justly proud of its old families, and while it heartily welcomes new- comers to its soil it is wont to recall with

pleasure the names of the pioneers who in other times and under very different circum- stances from those which prevail to-day, cleared the land of its virgin forests, made fruitful fields take the place of hunting grounds, introduced civilization and com- merce, and won for Long Island a definite and honored position in the annals of the State and the Nation.

Outside of corporations, or companies, or sovereigns, the first owner of Long Island was William Alexander, Earl of Stirling, in many ways one of the most extraordinary men of his time; a man who was restless in his activity, who won fame in various walks of life, who was one of the most extensive land- owners of which the world has any knowledge, yet who died poor-a bankrupt, in fact. Will- iam Alexander was born at Menstrie, Stirling- shire, in 1567. Through the influence of the Argyle family he obtained a position at the Scottish Court and became tutor to Prince Henry, eldest son of James VI. He soon won the good graces of the sovereign himself-

HISTORY OF LONG ISLAND.

the British Solomon-by his learning, his shrewdness, and his poetical ability, and when the crowns of Scotland and England were uni- ted, in 1603, Alexander followed King James to London. That Alexander enjoyed much popular favor and high reputation as a poet during his lifetime is undoubted, although few except students of literature venture to read his productions now. They are heavy, dis- cursive, and, with the exception of a few of his sonnets and his "Paraenesis to Prince Henry," rather monotonous. He was a slave to the literary mannerisms and affectations of the age, but a knowledge of that cannot blind us to the fact that he was really possessed of a rich share of poetic ability. With his poeti- cal writings or his merits as a poet, however, we have nothing to do in this place; nor do we need discuss the question as to whether or not he wrote King James's "Psalms," or even discuss the nature of his statesmanship as employed in his official relations with his native country. We have to deal with him simply as a colonizer, one of the first to colo- nize America. His career at Court may be summed up by mentioning that he was knight- ed in 1609, created Lord Alexander of Tulli- body and Viscount Stirling in 1630, Earl of Stirling and Viscount Canada in 1633, and Earl of Dovan in 1639. A year later he died.

Lord Stirling found that the English were striving to establish colonies on the American seaboard and thought, like the patriot that he undoubtedly was, that his countrymen should have a share in the rich lands across the sea. Early in 1621 he sent a petition to King James for a grant of territory in America on which he hoped to induce Scotchmen to settle. "A great number of Scotch families," he told his sovereign, "had lately emigrated to Poland, Sweden and Russia," and he pointed out that "it would be equally beneficial to the interests of the kingdom, and to the individuals them- selves, if they were permitted to settle this valuable and fertile portion of his Majesty's dominions."

The petition was granted by the King-

probably that was satisfactorily arranged be- fore it had been committed to paper-and en- dorsed by the Privy Council. When these formalities had been gone through Lord Stir- ling entered on formal possession of what is now incorporated in Nova Scotia, New Bruns- wick, Prince Edward Island, a goodly portion of the State of Maine and of the Province of Quebec. This territory was to be known as New Scotland,-Nova Scotia, the charter dig- nifiedly called it,-and over it the new owner and those acting for him in it were supreme even to the establishment of churches and of courts of law. For some reason, not now ex- actly known, Lord Stirling at once handed over a part of his new dominion to Sir Robert Gordon of Lochinvar. That part is known as Cape Breton, but it was then given the more national name of New Galloway.

Sir William Alexander, to give Lord Stir- ling the name by which he is probably best remembered, sent out his first expedition to colonize New Scotland in March, 1622. These pioneers, with the exception of an adventurous clergyman, were of the humblest class of agri- cultural laborers, and only a single artisan, a blacksmith, was among them. The voyage was a rough one, and, after sighting the coast of Cape Breton, the emigrants were glad to shape their course back to Newfoundland, where they spent the winter. Next spring Sir William, who had been advised of the failure of the first expedition, sent out another ship with colonists and provisions. The early re- ports of the land on which the new colony was to settle were communicated to him by some of his people soon after they managed to get landed, which they did in the guise of an exploring party. These reports were sub- mitted by him to the world, with all the at- tractiveness of a modern advertising agent, in his work entitled an "Encouragement to Colo- nies." The explorers described the country they visited (mainly the coast of Cape Breton) as "presenting very delecate meadowes, having roses white and red growing therein, with a kind of wild Lily, which hath a daintie smell."

SOME EARLY FAMILIES AND THEIR DESCENDANTS.

The ground "was without wood, and very good, fat earth, having several sort of berries growing thereon, as gooseberries, strawber- ries, hindberries, raspberries and a kind of wine berrie, as also some sorts of grain, as pease, some eares of wheat, barly and rie growing there wild. * They likewise found in every river abundance of lobsters, cockles, and all other shell fishes, and also, not only in the rivers, but all the coasts alongst, num- bers of several sorts of wilde foule, as wild goose, black Ducke, woodcock, crane, heron, pidgeon, and many other sorts of Foul which they knew not. They did kill as they sayled alongst the coast, great shore of cod, with several other sorts of great fishes. The coun- try is full of woods, not very thick, and the most part Oake, the rest Firre, Spruce, Birci, and some Sicamores and Ashes and many other sorts of Wood which they had not seen before." All this information, so cunningly and attractively set forth by Sir William in his book of "Encouragement," which by the way had a map of the territory in which Scottish names are given to every point and section and river, failed to attract settlers and the "pro- jector" found himself some £6,000 out of pock- et by his patriotism. To reimburse him, and at the same time add a little to the royal treas- ury, the order of Baronets of Nova Scotia was founded, on the pattern of the order of Ulster ; even this move was not substantially success- ful, although the terms were reasonable and the lands accompanying the honor were "three myles long upon the coast and ten miles into the country."

We need not follow the details of Sir Will- iam's colonizing schemes any further. They belong really to the history of Canada. Each failure seemed to be compensated for by a fresh grant of territory, and, if we may be- lieve a map issued long after by one of the many claimants for his hereditary titles and "land rights," the Alexander family held by right of charters, the sort of documents which the late Duke of Argyle believed to be the most sacred on earth, not only about the whole

of Canada, but what are now the States of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland and an unde- fined territory two or three times as large as all that has been named put together.

· Sir William never saw his possessions on this side of the Atlantic. He appointed as his agent and administrator on Long Island James Farret, and by way of recompense, or partly so, for his services the latter received as a starter a grant from his knightly employer of twelve thousand acres of land on Long Island, or "the islands adjacent." Farret af- terward selected Shelter Island and Robin's Island under this clause in the agreement, but in 1641 he conveyed both these islands to Stephen Goodyear, of New Haven. That in- dividual seems never to have made any use of either of them, probably hield them only as a speculation, and in 1651 he sold both to Thomas Middleton, Thomas Rouse, Constant Sylvester and Nathaniel Sylvester, for 16 cwt. of raw sugar. These buyers, however, took the additional precaution of getting a confirma- tion of their title from the chief of the Man- hansett Indians. By 1666 the two Sylvesters and Thomas Middleton were the owners of Shelter Island and had the original patent from Lord Stirling's agent confirmed by Gov- ernor Nicolls. Governor Colve, when the Dutch regained sovereignty of the Province, confiscated the property of Middleton and Con- stant Sylvester and sold their holdings on the island to Nathaniel for £500. He had a good deal of trouble in collecting the amount before the regime under which he acted came to an end forever : in fact, he had to send a detach- ment of fifty soldiers to the island before Na- thaniel would part with the money. He did part with it, however, and remained in peace- ful possession until his death, when he willed the property in equal parts to his five sons. Its further story will be traced in another section of this work.

On March 10, 1639, Farret, on behalf of Lord Stirling, made a conveyance to Lion

HISTORY OF LONG ISLAND.

Gardiner of what is now known as Gardiner's Island, but was formerly known among the Indians as Manchonat and among the En- glish as the Isle of Wight. The details of this purchase, both of the Stirling conveyance and the sale by the Indians, as well as some ac- count of the career of Lion Gardiner, have already been given in a previous chapter (Chapter V). But reference is made again to the purchase and the family, because the island has remained in the hands of the Gar- diner family until the present day, and it gives us, as has been said, "the only illustration of the practical working of the law of primo- geniture in this country covering so long a period." Lion Gardiner died at Easthampton in 1663, in or about the sixty-fourth year of his age. He had taken up his abode at East- hampton about the year 1649, probably with the view of the enjoyment of more frequent social intercourse with his fellows than he could command on his little island kingdom, on which in 1641 one of his daughters, Eliza- beth, was born. At Easthampton he seems to have lived the simple life of a cultured coun- try gentleman, and was held in the highest esteem by the people. He filled the office of magistrate and in all respects was regarded as the representative citizen of that section of the island, wielding an influence that was equally potent among the Indians as among those of his own race. A recumbent statue placed beside his grave in 1886 is testimony that his memory is still cherished. His son David came into possession of the property when the pioneer rested from his labors. He seemed to inherit much of his father's talents, took up the role of country gentleman and represented Easthampton and the other east- ern towns on several occasions before the General Assembly at Hartford. He died in the last named town July I02 1689, and his tomb set forth that he was "well, sick, dead, in one hour's time." His estate was divided between his sons, John getting Gardiner's Island and Lion the lands at Easthampton. With the latter's descendants we have no in-

terest at present, although for several genera- tions they upheld the family name. Gardi- ner's Island continued in the possession of John Gardiner until he died, in 1764, when it passed to his eldest son, David. Another son acquired property at Eaton's Neck and founded a family. David soon after entering into ownership of the island married Jerusha, daughter of the Rev. Samuel Buell, and had two sons,-John Lion and David. The lat- ter settled at Flushing and left a family there. John Lion married the daughter of the Hon. Roger Griswold, and at his death, November 22, 1816, the island became the property of his son, David Johnston, who died in 1829, and was the last to hold the island under the original deed of entail which extended to first heirs male only. His brother, John Griswold Gardiner, succeeded to the possession of the island, but died unmarried in 1861, when a third brother, Samuel Buell Gardiner, pur- chased the interest of a sister (Mrs. Sarah Diodati Thompson) in the property and be- came sole owner of the ancestral domain. He died in 1882, leaving it to his eldest son, David Johnston. It is at present held by the latter's brother, John Lion, the 12th lord of the property, and with a clearer and more direct descent from the original owner than that which gives title to many a lordly manor in the old land from which the family sprung. By the marriage of one of the ladies of the Gardiner family with President John Tyler, Gardiner's Island gave to the nation one of the "Queens of the White House," as the wives of the Presidents have been named. The facts in the case have recently been unearthed by Mr. Samuel Barber, and his interesting story is here reproduced :

That Mrs. John Tyler, widow of President Tyler, was once a resident of Brooklyn makes it interesting to give a number of historical extracts, viz .: In Appleton's Biography we read, "John Tyler, tenth President of the United States, born at Greenway, Charles City County, Virginia, March 29, 1790, died at Richmond, Va., January 18, 1862. On March

SOME EARLY FAMILIES AND THEIR DESCENDANTS.

29, 1812, he married Letitia, daughter of Robert Christian." It will thus be seen that his first marriage took place on his twenty- third birthday.

"Letitia Christian, born at Cedar Grove, New Kent County, Va., Nov. 12, 1790, and died in Washington, D. C., Sept. 9, 1842, was the daughter of Robert Christian, a planter in New Kent County, Va. She married Mr. Tyler March 29, 1813, and removed with him to his home in Charles City County. When he became President she accompanied him to Washington, but her health was delicate and she died shortly afterward. Mrs. Tyler was unable to assume any social cares, and the duties of mistress of the White House de- volved upon her daughter-in-law, Mrs. Robert Tyler. She possessed great beauty of person and of character, and before the failure of her health was specially fitted for a social life." Again it says: "Their son Robert, born in New Kent County, Va., in 1818, and died in Montgomery, Ala., December 3, 1877, was educated at William and Mary and adopted the profession of the law. He married Pris- cilla, a daughter of Thomas Apthorpe Cooker, the tragedian, in 1839," of whom we find the following account in Brown's American Stage, page 81, viz .: "Priscilla E. Cooker, daughter of T. A. Cooker, made her debut February 14, 1834, as Virginia at the Bowery Theater, New York. First appearance in Philadelphia Feb. 28, 1834, at the Arch Street Theater as Virginia."

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A history of Long Island, from its earliest settlement to the present time, Part 15

Author: Ross, Peter. cn Publication date: 1902 Publisher: New York ; Chicago : The Lewis Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1188

Author: Ross, Peter. cn
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: New York ; Chicago : The Lewis Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1188