USA > New York > Famous families of New York; historical and biographical sketches of families which in successive generations have been identified with the development of the nation, Vol. I > Part 12
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He must have brought over considerable wealth with him, as in 1661 he resided on Lower Broadway, and was a large taxpayer. Life on Manhattan does not seem to have agreed with him, because after a few years he removed to Albany, then known as Fort Orange, where he resided for nine or ten years. Again he changed his residence and settled in Esopus, or Kingston, where he passed the remainder of his life. He was a man of great energy. Besides managing his property and opening up new territory in Ulster
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Martin Hoffman From a painting
KME
The Hoffman Residence near Upper Red Hook, N. Y. Erected by Zacharias Hoffman in 1760
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County, he had a large saddlery and leather business, which he conducted for several years.
He was an able man of affairs, as well as a good husband and father. This can be seen in the old records, where there are accounts of the baptizing of his children in the presence of their parents and relatives, of their education, and of their starting in life by the placing of real estate in their names.
He married, first, Lysbeth Hermans, who died without issue, and secondly, Emmerentje Claesen De Witte, by whom he had five children. Four of these reached maturity and married, and all of them were wealthy and prosperous. His portrait has come down from the past, and shows a strong face with a high, intellec- tual forehead and a jaw indicative of force and determination.
In the second generation two stalwart sons kept up the family line, Captain Zecharias, or Zacharias, and Captain Nicolaes, or Nicholas. They were prosperous farmers and invested Captains their large earnings with wise judgment in real estate. Zecharias and The former became one of the largest landed proprietors Nicolaes in Ulster county, while the latter purchased territory in both Ulster and Dutchess counties. This was the beginning of the Hoffman estates on the east side of the Hudson, and marks the appearance of the family in the roll of the large landed proprietors of the New Netherlands. Beyond their wealth and military pres- tige, they had already formed influential connections by marriage. By the time of the third generation they were related to many of the chief families of that period. Among these were Pruyn, Bogardus, Du Bois, Jansen, Wyckoop, and Dekker. Captain Zacharias married Cester Pruyn, and Captain Nicholas, Janetje Crispell. Both this and the succeeding generation were fortunate in their marriages. In every instance the partners were healthy, vigorous, and able, as well as comparatively rich in worldly goods. The unions were based upon love, which in those days contained a large religious element.
The husbands and wives were active members of the Dutch Reformed Church, and found their chief pleasure in works of piety and charity. They seemed to have lived with greater simplicity
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than their wealthy Dutch and English neighbors. The family accounts, which have been preserved, show very small expendi- tures for luxuries and for wines and other beverages of the period. Probably in consequence of this fact is due the remarkable physical vigor which the race displayed from the very start. The prosper- ous people of that time who indulged in high living had fewer descendants, and in their households there was a larger infant mortality. The Hoffmans, on the other hand, were noted for their health and strength, and for the number of descendants who reached maturity and became parents in their turn.
The third generation was marked by three men of striking personality. Of these the most prominent was Colonel Martin Col. Martin [1706], son of Captain Nicholas. Born in Kingston, he
settled near Red Hook in Dutchess County, upon land which had been bought by his father. Here he developed the property into one of the best farms along the Hudson, and estab- lished a first-class grist-mill, from which the neighborhood came to be known as "Hoffman's Mills." He was an ideal American in his energy and industry. He made money rapidly, and invested it in farms, houses, orchards, forests, waterfalls, quarries, and mines. He developed all the known resources of the neighbor- hood, and long before he died he had enriched his neighbors as well as himself. His views were broad, and his activities varied in public as well as private affairs. He took pleasure in fostering the military system of Dutchess County; so much so that his name is largely in evidence for a generation in the State archives at Albany. This energy secured to Dutchess County a full com- plement of arms and munitions of war. It made the young men trained soldiers, so that when the Revolution broke out it found Dutchess County a stronghold which was almost impreg- nable to the British arms.
He was a Justice of the Peace, a Judge of the Court of Com- mon Pleas, an Indian Commissioner, and a member of many committees, both royal and provincial. He was twice married, his first wife being Tryntje Benson, and his second, Alida Living- ston Hansen. Of his ten children, nine grew up and were mar-
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ried, and to each was given or bequeathed an estate so large as to make the recipient affluent.
Judge Anthony, [1711], second son of Capt. Nicholas was a worthy brother of Colonel Martin. He was a trustee of Kingston, and a civil magistrate for that city for many terms
between 1742 and 1780. In 1775 he was one of the Judge Anthony signers of the " Ulster County Roll of Honor," also known as the "Articles of Association in Favor of the Cause of Liberty." He was a member of the Provincial Congress, a Judge of Dutchess County, and in 1780 a Regent of the University of the State of New York. During the Revolution, he was tireless in his efforts on behalf of the colonies, and contributed largely of his means to that end. His was a busy life. He built and conducted addi- tional mills, established several large stores, and bought sloops, with which he maintained a large freight business between Albany on the north and New York on the south, touching at all the intermediate points on the Hudson. Often when there was a demand, he would send his vessels upon longer voyages up Long Island Sound, and even down the coast. He was singularly shrewd in such matters, and, in addition, was lucky. His sloops seldom encountered any accident, and were noted for making quick passages. The profits of his many industries were never allowed to lie idle, but were promptly invested in other fields, more especially in real estate in Ulster County. With his brothers, Colonel Martin and Captain Zacharias II., he acquired large holdings in Dutchess County. He married Catharina Van Gaasbeck, by whom he had ten children.
Capt. Zacharias Il. [1713] settled at Red Hook when he was forty-two years of age. Here he built the handsome stone mansion, then the finest in the neighborhood, known Capt. as "Hoffman's Castle," and which in 1902 was in good Zacharias II. preservation. He followed the same line of policy as his brothers, and engaged in the same industries. Like Colonel Martin, he was a good soldier, and for a long time was the captain of militia in his district. In 1775 he was among the signers of the pledge repudi- ating the British Government. His estates were so large in his
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old age as to give rise to a bon-mot. A traveller asking a Red Hook man who owned the property thereabouts was answered: " Everything you can see on this side of the river is Hoffman's, and also on the other side. He does not own the river yet, but he hopes to before he dies." He married twice, his first wife being Helena Van Wyck; and his second, Letitia Van Wyck Brinckerhoff, by each of whom he had two children.
At the end of the third generation, the Hoffman family was one of the most prominent in the province. This was the result of their policy, which was very different from that of the great patroons. The latter desired to establish a landed aristocracy, and bought their lands in blocks, so as to have large continuous prop- erties. This involved the purchase and maintenance of sterile districts, marshy lands, and unproductive hill country. Thus, though many of the famous estates of the time were very exten- sive, they brought in a small return as compared with their cost or size. The Hoffmans purchased land with a view to its value as an investment. It was scattered upon the map, but it always included fine farms, large water-power, available timber, and ex- cellent dockage. Most of it paid a very handsome profit from the beginning, and nearly all of it increased in value from year to year by the growth of the community.
The fourth generation was marked by many talented and influential members. Nicholas [1736], son of Colonel Martin,
Nicholas was a wealthy merchant and a noted member of the Merchant the New York Chamber of Commerce. He was a member of the General Committee of the City and County of New York, and an active man in ecclesiastical as well as mer- cantile and civic affairs. His wife, Sarah Ogden, was singularly like him in taste and activities. She was an offi- Sarah Ogden cer or a member of the charitable organizations of that period, and was the organizer and first directress of the New York Orphan Asylum. Here for fifteen years she worked, it is said, harder than any of the employees. She was one of the first ladies of the city to adopt the new practice of calling in person upon the sick and the destitute in the poorer wards,
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and built up a small society to perform that kind of philanthropic work.
Colonel Robert [1737], brother of Nicholas, settled in Pough- keepsie. He joined the militia when in his teens, and was a major in 1755. He rose to be lieutenant-colonel and Colonel
colonel, and had charge of the raising of troops in Robert Dutchess and Westchester counties for the Revolutionary army. The colonial documents of New York show him to have been possessed of much executive ability, and to have been as good a soldier as he was an administrator. When the war was over, he returned to his estates, where he passed the remainder of his life. He married Sarah Van Alstyne, by whom he had seven children, all growing up and marrying.
Colonel Anthony [1739], son of Colonel Martin, was another staunch Revolutionary soldier. He was graduated from Columbia in 1760 in the same class with Samuel Bayard, Philip Col. Anthony Livingston, and Robert Watts. Upon graduation, he the Patriot devoted himself to the management of his property and to public affairs. He was a member of the First, Third, and Fourth Provincial congresses, Regent of the New York University, Loan Officer for Dutchess County, and member of the Assembly. He made an admirable record in the Revolution, and was highly esteemed by the colonial generals. He married Mary Rutgers. He became an anti-slavery man towards the close of his career, and after freeing many slaves manumitted all the rest in his will.
Captain Harmanus, the High Sheriff [1745], son of Colonel Martin, earned distinction in military, civil, official, and social life. He was one of the Associators for Liberty of Dutchess County in 1775, and before the breaking out Captain Har- manus, High of the Revolution a captain of the First Rhinebeck Sheriff Company of Minute-Men. He served the seven years of the struggle, and in 1786, was made High Sheriff, in which office he remained until 1807. He inherited a large fortune, which he increased by judicious management, and also by three marriages, the first being to Catharine Douw, the second to Cornelia R. Vredenburgh, and the third to Catharine Verplanck. By the first
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he had three children, by the second two, and by the third eight.
Captain Martin [1747], son of Colonel Martin, was one of the Associators of Liberty, like his brother, and was Captain of the
Captain Third Company of Rhinebeck. He served through
Martin the war with great credit, and upon the return of peace devoted himself to the management of his estates in Dutchess County. He married Margaret Bayard, by whom he had three children.
Lieutenant Zachariah [1749], son of Colonel Martin, was a lieutenant in the Revolution, where he displayed gallantry and Lieutenant discipline. He was wounded, and contracted con-
Zachariah sumption, from which he died in his prime. He married Jane Hoffman, his cousin, by whom he had three children.
Philip Livingston [1767], son of Colonel Martin, was a brilliant lawyer of his time, who was named after his father's college
Philip L. friend. He was admitted to the bar in 1790, and set-
tled in Johnston, N. Y. He married Helena Kissam, by whom he had eight children.
Three of the sons of Judge Anthony deserve mention in this period. These were Nicholas Anthony [1745], Abraham [1747], Judge and Judge Anthony A. [1756]. Nicholas Anthony
Anthony A. was an Associator for Liberty; Abraham was an Associator and cornet in the army; Judge Anthony A. was a soldier, a member of the bar, and County Judge. Nicholas An- thony married Edy Silvester, by whom he had eleven children; Abraham, Rachel Du Bois, by whom he had seven children; and Judge Anthony A., Elizabeth Snedeker, and, upon her death, Ger- trude Verplanck, by the former of whom he had two and by the latter four children.
The period of the four generations may be regarded as the first stage in the history of the family. Its career during this time was notable in many respects. Health, longevity, commercial talent, patriotism, piety, and the performance of public duty were its characteristics. These had brought it the success for which
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most men yearn. In riches they were the equals of the chief patroons and the superiors of the other patroons and the mer- chants of New York. In civic affairs they had held scores of offices of honor and trust. In martial life they had supplied a large group of brave and capable soldiers to the forces of liberty. By marriage they had formed alliances with the most distinguished families of the province. The colony had become a province, and the prov- ince a State. From now on comes the second stage of the race, in which they are to make name and fame in law, literature, science, the Church, philanthropy, and public work.
The descendants now entered the fields of higher activity and won distinction in the professions, finance, and commerce. The first of the fifth generation was Martin [1763], son of Martin the Nicholas, who was a leading merchant in New York for Merchant many years. Noted for his public spirit, he took a lively interest in the great enterprises of the time. He was an esteemed member of the Chamber of Commerce, a leader in the volunteer fire de- partment system, sachem of Tammany Hall, captain of the militia, and a grand master of freemasonry. So great was his integrity that on several occasions during the mercantile panics of his time, when he had been driven to the wall by heavy losses, he was promptly rescued and enabled to continue business through the assistance of his many friends. Not only did he pay back all the advances which they made, but after he had regained his former position, he went out of his way to assist those, in turn, who had once befriended him. He was twice married, his first wife being Beulah Murray, by whom he had five children, and his second, Mary Frances Seton, by whom he had ten.
A more brilliant intellect was his brother, Josiah Ogden [1766]. He was a student of rare ability, and was admitted to the bar shortly after coming of age. Here he won celebrity by Judge Josiah his eloquence and his skill in the examination of wit- Ogden nesses. He was a member of many learned bodies and president of the Philological Society of New York, which at that time was the most erudite organization in the country. In 1791 he was made grand sachem of Tammany Hall. In those days Tammany 12
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was a patriotic society and not a party machine. After serving four terms in the Assembly, 1791-1796, he then was made Attorney-General of the State. He was next chosen Recorder of the city, and seven years afterwards was made Judge of the State Supreme Court. He was twice married, first to Mary Colden, by whom he had four children, and second to Maria Fenno, by whom he had three. He was a society leader and served as a representative of the city in nearly all the public functions of forty years.
Dr. William [1781], son of Harmanus, the High Sheriff, was a famous physician, who devoted much of his life to practising Dr. William gratuitously among the poor of Westchester County.
There was a number of small settlements around West Farms, composed of immigrants, in which, on account of their destitution, there was much disease. Here the good physician consecrated all the time he could spare. When he was buried, he is said to have had the largest funeral ever known in that district.
Philip Verplanck [1791], his brother, was a New York merchant and philanthropist. Another brother was Samuel
Philip Verplanck [1802]. He was admitted to the bar upon Verplanck attaining his majority and achieved considerable suc- the Churchman cess. Philip retired from practice, upon the unique ground that he did not have the eloquence of his great kinsman, Josiah Ogden, and established a dry-goods commission-house, which soon had a national reputation. It was so successful that he retired after a few years, becoming a special partner. He next turned his attention to moneyed corporations, in many of which he was a director.
Deeply interested in church matters he served as vestryman of Trinity Church and trustee of the General Theological Seminary. He was an energetic charity worker, making a specialty of the deaf and dumb, serving as a trustee of the Deaf and Dumb Asylum, and introducing many reforms in the treatment and education of those unfortunates. He married Glorvina Rossell Storm, by whom he had four children.
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Dr. Richard Kissam [1791] was graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1820, and entered the Dr. Richard United States navy as a surgeon in 1824. He served Kissam, U. S. with distinction up to his death in 1860. Navy
Dr. Adrian, his brother [1797], studied at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, and practised in New York and Sing Sing. versatility. He was a brilliant student, directing his studies
Anthony N. [1780], son of Nicholas A., was celebrated for his towards mechanics and the sciences. Becoming in- Anthony N.
terested in steam-engineering, he came to New York the Genius from Rhinebeck, and, through his kinsmen, the Livingstons, be- came acquainted with Robert Fulton, the inventor. The ac- quaintanceship ripened into partnership, and resulted in his building and owning steamboats. According to tradition, he once said: "Chancellor Livingston has so profound a faith in the future of steam navigation that he is bound to put every relative into the business. I cannot complain myself, because I've done better in this calling than I would have done in any other."
After a prosperous career of twenty years he retired from business and devoted himself to literary pursuits. He was a fluent and pleasant writer, and might have made a high name in American literature if he had made it a life profession. He was married twice, his first wife being Phobe Pell, by whom he had five children, and his second, Ann Cornelia Stoutenburgh, by whom he had eleven.
Richard Anthony [1785], son of Anthony A., received his ed- ucation in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, and shortly after graduation entered the United States navy. Here he proved a brave fighter as well as a skilful surgeon. Richard A. the Naval He was killed by a cannon-shot in the War of 1812. Hero
Captain Beekman Verplanck [1789], son of Anthony A., en- tered the United States navy in 1805, and reached the grade of captain in 1829. He was on the frigate Constitution, Captain
Beekman V.
" Old Ironsides," and took part in all her glorious bat- tles. He commanded a gun at the victories over the of " Old Ironsides " Guerrière, the Java, the Cyane, and Levant. After the last-named
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combat, he was put in charge of the Cyane, with a detachment of sailors, and sailed the battered craft into New York harbor, where he received an extraordinary ovation. In the navy he was said to bear a charmed life, having been through twenty battles without the slightest injury. He married Phoebe W. Townsend, by whom he had three children.
The sixth generation was marked by a larger number of emi- nent professional men than all its predecessors. The first of the Judge Murray group was David Murray [1791], son of Martin, who in
after-life dropped his first name. He was graduated from Columbia in 1809, and was admitted to the bar two years afterwards. Here he rose rapidly, and acquired the reputation of being a skilful jurist. He held many positions of confidence and trust, and refused many offices, both appointive and elective. In 1839, however, he accepted the position of Assistant Vice-Chancel- lor, and in 1853 was appointed a Judge of the Superior Court. He was an authoritative writer on legal topics, and wrote many standard volumes between 1820 and 1872. Among these were text-books, works on practice, digests of laws, vice-chancery re- ports, and digests of special statutes and decisions. He contrib- uted able works upon ecclesiastical law, ritual law, and other subjects connected with the Protestant Episcopal organization. He was twice married, his first wife being Frances Amelia Burrall, and his second, Mary Murray Ogden. He had six children by the first and three by the second. His two brothers, Lindley Murray [1793] and Martin [1795] were merchants who began their career as partners with their father, and who continued in business until their deaths.
The Rev. Cadwallader Colden [1819], half-brother of Murray, began life in the counting-room, but soon found that his natural
Reverend tendencies were toward the pulpit. He became a Cadwallader Colden the Sunday-school teacher and a city missionary, and when Martyr twenty-five years of age relinquished commerce to begin his studies in the Theological Seminary at Alexandria, Virginia. He was graduated with honor, and might have secured a pulpit in the metropolis, so sweet was his character, so great
Matilda Hoffman From a miniature
Anthony N. Hoffman From a miniature
Old House in Kingston, N. Y., Erected by Nicolaes Hoffman
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his learning, and so enthusiastic his devotion to religious truths. But to the dismay of his relatives and friends, he declined all offers, and volunteered his services as a missionary to the African Coast lands. He went to Cape Palmas on the Dark Continent in 1849, and there passed the remainder of his life, dying in 1865 at the negro orphan asylum which he had established at the Cape. He made several trips to his native land during his ministry in Africa, and everywhere created a revival of the missionary spirit.
Matilda [1791], daughter of Josiah Ogden, was said to be the most beautiful girl of her time. She was engaged to be married to Washington Irving, and the engagement had the approval of all her kindred. But just as she was pre- Matilda paring her trousseau she fell sick and died. The lovers were deeply attached, and her untimely end exerted a lifelong effect upon the great writer. For two years he kept aloof from all society, and during the remainder of his days it cast a gloom upon his mind from which he never entirely recovered. After his death, a lock to which he alone had the key was found to guard a braid of hair and a miniature of his dead fiancée. In another secret place he had preserved her Bible and prayer-book.
In Ogden [1794], son of Josiah Ogden, the family produced one of its greatest characters. He was graduated from Columbia in 1812, but instead of entering professional life, he Ogden the
joined the United States navy. He served in Tripoli Orator
and in the War of 1812 under Decatur. The following year he re- signed his commission, and took up the study of law with his father. The resignation was a source of great sorrow to his fellow- officers. He had won the hearts of his colleagues and superiors, and their opinion was well expressed by Decatur, who said: "I regret that young Hoffman should have exchanged an honorable profession for that of a lawyer." He rose rapidly in his new call- ing and a few years after admission to the bar was made District Attorney of Orange County. In 1828 he was sent to the As- sembly, where he fathered several reforms in legal procedure. In 1829 he was made District Attorney of New York County; in 1836 and 1838, a member of Congress; in 1839, United States District
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Attorney of New York, and in 1853 Attorney-General of the State. He was a fine jurist, an eloquent advocate, and a practitioner of unsurpassed skill. He married twice: first, Emily Burrall, and second, Virginia E. Southard.
Charles Fenno [1806], brother of Ogden, is a name which will long be remembered in the history of American literature. He Charles studied at Columbia, left before graduation, read law, Fenno, Poet and began contributing to the press. Upon being ad- mitted to the bar, he practised three years, and then relinquished law and adopted journalism and literature, becoming an editor of the New York American, founder of the Knickerbocker Magazine, proprietor of the American Monthly Magazine and the New York Mirror. For fifty years he was a steady contributor to the pub- lishing world. He is best known by his poems, especially his lines upon the battle of Monterey and his lyric of "Sparkling and Bright." He was prominent in the group of brilliant men which included Irving, Arnold, Halleck, Bryant, and Saxe.
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