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 17
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year Chargé d'Affaires. In the next four years he passed most of his time in Paris, studying the Code Napoleon and the Roman Law. In 1831 he returned to New York and formed a law partnership with Hamilton Fish. Some papers which he had writ- ten on political economy attracted attention, and he was asked to deliver a course of lectures at Columbia College upon that subject. These were so successful that they were repeated before the Mercantile Library Association, and thereafter published in book form. He built up an extensive practice and became both counsel and director of the Erie Railway. In 1845, he purchased Ochre Point at Newport, R. I., erected a villa, and made it his permanent residence. Six years later, he was elected Lieutenant- Governor of Rhode Island, in which office he brought to success the movement in that State for abolishing imprisonment for debt.
In 1873, he was the senior counsel for the claimants in the case of the Circassian before the British and American Interna- tional Tribunal at Washington. His argument in this litigation was a masterly exposition of private international law and estab- lished several precedents upon important points. He was an active member of the New York Historical Society, and for nine years its vice-president. Though a busy lawyer, he found time to write many works of literary, legal, and political value, as well as to translate several books from the French. No less than twenty volumes bear testimony to his industry and research. For many years he was a trustee of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, now a part of Columbia University. He married Miss Gracie, daughter of Hon. Archibald Gracie, by whom he had issue. The sisters of William Beach were prominent in New York and Newport society. Cornelia A. married James A. Hill- house, the poet and novelist; Harriet married Dr. John A. Poole; Isaphene C., Dr. Benjamin McVickar; Julia B., Thomas L. Wells; and Maria E., the Rev. Dr. William Ingraham Kip, Protestant Episcopal Bishop of California.
Of the children of Jonathan the banker, Henry became a merchant in Manila, Philippine Islands, and accumulated a large fortune. He retired from business in middle life, and spent the
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rest of his days in New York City, where he was noted for his hospitality. William Anson, his brother, was a merchant at Canton, China, and died there, leaving a fine estate. His remains were brought to this country and interred in Greenwood Cemetery ; they are marked by a monument famous for its beauty.
Jonathan, Jr. [1807], was a graduate of Columbia (1823) and a writer of remarkable promise. His poems appeared in periodi- cals, but leaped into instant popularity. Both his verse Jonathan and prose received the highest praise from the critics the Poet of his time. Many of them were collected after his death by his brother and published in book form. Richard, the fourth brother, was a merchant and investor in New York in the middle of the nineteenth century.
Dr. Jonathan, son of Congressman Samuel of Cayuga, was educated for a physician, but devoted much of his life to travel. He was rich both by inheritance and by marriage, and Dr. Jonathan was conspicuous in social circles in New York, Lon- the Traveller don, and Paris. He married Mary Richardson, by whom he had one son.
The sons of the Hon. John L. were prominent in city affairs in the middle of the nineteenth century. The oldest, John Smith, was a distinguished lawyer and financier. Richard was a young man of rare promise who died at Manila, P. I. William Thomas entered mercantile life. His wife was Sophy Tilley. Charles William was active in local affairs, and held many offices under the city Government. Abraham Riker was from the first Abraham R. the most distinguished member of his branch of the family. He was admitted to the New York bar in 1853, and from that time on has been steadily before the public. His first public position was Assistant Counsel to the Corporation, from 1853 to 1858. In 1867, he was elected a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. In 1873, he was chosen by a handsome majority to the Supreme Court Bench, and was re-elected in 1887. In the administration of justice he has displayed rare dignity, ability, and knowledge, and is deservedly regarded to-day as one of the
Judge
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ablest jurists of the nation. In 1860, he espoused Eliza, only daughter of Dr. William Miner, by whom he had issue.
Alfred Newbold [1813], son of John Burling and Hannah Newbold, was a distinguished merchant, who acquired a large estate. He married Elizabeth, daughter of the Hon. John L. Lawrence and Sarah Smith, by whom he had issue.
Edward Newbold [1805], brother of Alfred Newbold, was a merchant and landed-owner. He married Lydia A., daughter of the Hon. Effingham Lawrence and Anna Townsend, by whom he Brig .- General had issue. In the seventh generation, a brilliant sol- Albert G. dier was Brigadier-General Albert Gallatin [1834], son of William Beach. He lived abroad in his youth and spent many years upon the Continent. His schooling was obtained at the Anglo-American Academy in Vevay, Switzerland. Here he ob- tained a knowledge of European languages that proved of great value in after-life. Upon his return to America he entered Har- vard, where he was graduated in 1856, and from the Harvard Law School in 1858. Soon after graduation, he was appointed attaché of the United States Legation at Vienna. Upon the breaking out of the Civil War, he resigned his post, came back to New York, and enlisted in the army. He served with almost reckless bravery, and at Fort Fisher, where he led the forlorn hope against the Southern earthworks, he lost his right arm. In 1865, he was bre- vetted brigadier-general. The following year, when he had re- gained his health, he was appointed by President Johnson Minister to Costa Rica. He made an able representative; but through impulsive patriotism he took umbrage at a Prussian attaché who had spoken disparagingly of the United States, and challenged the latter to a duel. The duel was fought, his antagonist wounded, and the Prussian Government provoked. The General was re- called to Washington, and thereafter made Indian Commissioner. He investigated the grievances of Sitting Bull, and represented the Government with great tact and judgment in negotiations with many Western Indian tribes. He never recovered entirely from the loss of his arm, and died in 1887.
John L. [1857], son of Alfred Newbold and Elizabeth Law-
.
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rence, is prominent in metropolitan society. He resides on the ancestral estate at Lawrence, L. I. He married, in 1895, Alice Warner Work, daughter of I. Henry Work and Marie P. Warner.
William Miner, son of Judge Abraham R., has taken part in public affairs, having represented the Eleventh Assembly District of the city of New York in the State Legislature. He married Lavinia Oliver, by whom he has had issue, Oliver and Clement.
Ruth, his sister, is an eminent worker among the patriotic and Revolutionary societies of the metropolis, and an author of many short stories and a volume of poems. She is a Ruth, Author member of the Colonial Dames, the Daughters of the and Poet American Revolution, and the Daughters of the Cincinnati, and through her ancestry is eligible to nearly every colonial organiza- tion extant.
The Lawrences have been remarkable for their activity, energy, and industry. Few families of which there are any records can begin to compare with them either in regard to these qualities, or what is equally important so far as the State is con- cerned, in regard to their numbers and vitality. Though they marry as a class later in life than does the average citizen, they nevertheless have much larger families than the normal and a larger number of sons. This is shown in many ways. The records of the Register's and County Clerk's offices, the civil list of the United States, the triennial catalogues of Columbia, Har- vard, and other institutions of learning, the red book of New York State, the records of the Exchanges, and The Old Merchants of New York fairly bristle with the name. More than two hun- dred are chronicled in the Lives of the Old Merchants alone, and more than fifty are inscribed in the red book. On account of their numbers, their connections by marriage would fill an entire volume. A good illustration of this may be found in the will of Catharine Lawrence in the New York Surrogate's office. She was a Livingston by birth, and a society leader of her time. She died seized of a large estate, which she distributed in a thought- ful manner to her relatives and to the charities of her day. A part of this document reads as follows :
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" Catharine Lawrence of the city of New York, widow of John Lawrence, deceased, devises to the children of her late grand- niece Mary Houston, of her grand-niece Catharine Johnson; to Mary Louisa Stoutenburg and Philip Tredwell Stoutenburg, grand- children of her niece Mary Linn; to Alexander Duer and Catharine, children of her niece Lady Catharine Neilson; to the children of her niece Judith Watkins; to the children of her nephew William Livingston; to Harriet Ogden, one of the children of her niece Sarah Ogden; to John Duer, one other of the children of her said niece Lady Catharine Neilson; to Catharine Cooledge and Alida Hoffman, two of the children of her nephew Philip Hoffman, etc., etc."
Lewis
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sanskidsbal to noitinha gift to rurgia
Francis Lewis Signer of the Declaration of Independence From a steel engraving
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XXI
LEWIS
HERE is a certain dualism in the Celtic, and more particularly in the Cymric and Gaelic, character, which manifests itself at times in the coexistence of the most contradictory qualities in the same individual. The Welsh miner is often a bard and the Caledonian peasant the possessor of second sight. The annals of Wales and of Caledonia abound with examples of this singular and interesting type. It may have been produced by centuries of com- munion with the bleak climate, inhospitable country, and sterile soil. No matter how produced, it seems to have become an integral part of the organism, and to be transmissible from father to children and children's children.
Among the many brilliant New Yorkers of the eighteenth century there is no better illustration of this class than Francis Lewis [1713], a signer of the Declaration of Independ- Francis ence. His father was the rector of the parish of the Signer Llandaff in Glamorganshire; his mother, the daughter of the Rev. Dr. Pettingal, rector of the parish of Caernarvon. Both parents enjoyed a thorough culture, more than ordinary mental attain- ments, and high social position. From them he inherited a love of learning, and especially of poetry and romance. The death of
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his mother, when he was but a child, threw him under the in- fluence of an aunt named Llanwelling, who was a noted scholar in a community where every one was imbued with literary tastes. She taught Lewis the Cymric language and the literature and history of its people. The death of his father transferred his guardianship to his maternal uncle, the Dean of St. Paul's.
The latter admired the mental abilities of the boy and saw, or thought that he saw, in him the embryo of a great divine. He sent the youth to Westminster, where he proved a scholar of aptness and ambition. Here he received a good English educa- tion, a fair knowledge of Greek and Latin, and some instruction in French. Upon finishing the curriculum of Westminster, he went to the Scotch Highlands to visit a maternal relation. Here he acquired the Gaelic speech, a love of hunting and adventure, and a dislike of the English Government. It is worthy of note that his home in Glamorganshire and that of his kinsmen in the Highlands were centres of political disaffection. In after-life, he declared that before he had reached manhood's estate he was, without knowing it, a rebel against the British Administration. It was probably the opinions thus formed which prevented his taking orders, as had been intended by his relatives, and induced him to engage in a commercial life.
On coming of age, he converted his patrimony into money, and this into a cargo of merchandise, with which he set sail from London (circa 1734) for New York. He had overestimated the commercial importance of the latter city, and found to his sur- prise, when he arrived, that he could not dispose of more than one half of his cargo at a fair profit. Undiscouraged, he sold the moiety, and sailed with the remainder to Philadelphia, where he disposed of it upon better terms than he had obtained for the first half. The entire transaction must have been very profitable, as immediately thereafter he took a partner, Edward Annesley, and established a business house in both New York and Philadelphia.
This double arrangement surprised the staid merchants of the time, who saw in it an unwarrantable extravagance, but its suc- cess soon proved the wisdom of the young man. For a return
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cargo he bought wheat. Philadelphia could supply but one half the quantity at reasonable rates. This he purchased, and then sailed his ship to New York, where he secured the other half. The firm prospered, and both members became very wealthy. He retired from business prior to the Revolution with a handsome fortune.
During his mercantile career he displayed every now and then those curious romantic traits to which reference has already been made. He noticed on one of his voyages a marked resem- blance between a cabin-boy and his wife, who was Elizabeth Annesley-a sister of his partner and a relative of the Earl of Anglesey. Upon questioning the youth, Lewis ascertained that the boy had been stolen from his parents, and further investiga- tion showed that the little waif was the undoubted heir of the house of Anglesey. Lewis took up the fight, which he prosecuted with great vigor, and succeeded in giving the boy his title and estates. It was a poor investment for the philanthropist. The Earl proved ungrateful, and turned out to be a disgrace to the family name.
Even more romantic was "the adventure of the African princes." The captain of one of his trading-ships, while sailing on an African river, rescued the children of an inland chief or king, and brought them back with him to New York, where Lewis re- ceived them into his own home. He took up their education, and soon had them speaking the English language. After he had won their confidence, they told him all about their home and their royal blood, and promised him that if he would fit out a ship and send them back to their own country, they would fill his vessel with a freight which would more than return him all his expenses. The vessel was equipped, to the great amusement of cynical friends, who took endless delight in predicting how the " niggers " would give Lewis the slip and laugh at him from the shadow of the palm-trees the moment they had got beyond his control. They were sent back, and kept their word. They loaded the little ship with gold-dust, ivory, palm oil, and other African pro- ducts, and did it with so generous a hand that the voyage proved the most profitable ever undertaken by the firm.
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When the French war broke out in 1752, he had his first martial experience, being in Oswego when General Montcalm at- tacked and captured that place. In this struggle, which was brought to a successful issue largely through the valor and pa- triotism of the colonists, Lewis realized for the first time the for- midable power which had been developed in the New World. He saw that without the aid of its subjects in the colonies Great Britain would have lost its possessions beyond the sea. When, therefore, the Government of George III. failed to display any gratitude, and, on the contrary, increased its exactions and the burdens upon the American people, he was one of the first men of the Empire State to take up the opposition. In 1765, he was se- lected as a committeeman for New York by the five delegates to the Colonial Congress. Shortly after, he became a member and organizer of the "Sons of Liberty "; was a delegate to the Con- tinental Congress from 1776 to 1779, and a signer of the Declara- tion of Independence and of the Articles of Confederation.
His wife was as imposing a figure in Revolutionary days as he himself. She was endowed with unusual attainments, and conducted in person the education of her children. At her home, whether in New York or at Whitestone, Long Island, she dis- pensed hospitality with a graceful hand, and was a favorite with the leaders of the early Republic. She was fiercely patriotic, and willingly faced death for the sake of her convictions. Shortly after the British occupation of New York, a detachment of red- coats was sent to destroy the Lewis home and to capture the mistress. She witnessed the destruction of her house with un- ruffled tranquillity. Taken to New York by her captors, she was thrown into the common prison and denied a bed or any extra clothing. Here she was treated as the vilest criminal for many months. The matter was reported to Washington, who immedi- ately put under arrest the wife of the British Paymaster-General and the wife of the Attorney-General, until they should be ex- changed for Mrs. Francis Lewis.
The prompt action of the American commander had the desired effect: the lady was released from prison and put upon the
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jail liberties of the city. Her sufferings and privation were too much even for her vigorous constitution, and she contracted a fever which developed into lingering consumption. She lived to see her children married, but not her country liberated from British rule. Her husband reached the ripe age of ninety, passing away in 1803.
Of the children, Ann married Post-Captain Robertson of the British Navy. The union proved happy and fruitful. The children seem to have inherited the Lewis characteristics, for all came to fill high positions in British society. One of Ann's daughters married Dr. Sumner, Archbishop of Canterbury; another, Bishop Wilson of Calcutta; and a third, Sir James Moncrieff, whose son was Baron Moncrieff.
The two sons were exceedingly dissimilar. Francis, Jr., the elder, seems to have inherited the commercial talents of the maternal or Annesley side, and few or none of the Francis, Jr. paternal. He received a fair education, and in 1771 the Merchant began a business career. His father, to aid the young man, be- came a partner in the house for a brief time, and accompanied his son to England to help establish mercantile relations with that country. He resigned from the firm the moment it began to prosper. The son devoted himself exclusively to business affairs, and took no part in public life. He married Miss Elizabeth Lud- low of the famous colonial family of that name. This marriage was bitterly opposed by the bride's brothers, who were strong Tories, and objected strenuously to their sister "marrying a man whose father would certainly be hanged as a traitor." True love triumphed, and the bride had the satisfaction years afterwards of seeing her father-in-law protect her kindred, when they returned from England in 1784 to take possession of their New York property.
The younger son, Morgan [1754], was a duplicate of his illustrious father. He was graduated from Princeton with high honors in 1773, his college chum being James Morgan, General and Madison. Ancestral influences had given him a strong Governor inclination for the pulpit, but his father, perceiving the trend of the
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boy's abilities, induced him to prepare for the bar. He began his legal studies, but was soon diverted from his work by the political excitement of the time. In 1774, he foresaw hostilities, and began to learn the military tactics of the time. In 1775, he joined a volunteer company, and with it went to increase the colonial forces at Boston. The same year, when just twenty-one, he was made major. In June, he became chief of staff to General Gates, with the brevet of colonel. In the winter, he was made quartermaster- general. He remained in active service during the entire war, proving one of the best soldiers in the Continental Army. He won the confidence and affection of nearly all the generals, and more especially of Washington. At the close of the conflict he retired from the army and resumed the legal studies which had been broken off eight years before, but he had won too large a place in the public heart to escape distinction. He was made colonel of a regiment of militia in New York City, and marched at its head at the first inaugural of George Washington.
He pursued his studies with remarkable zeal, frequently spending fifteen and sixteen hours a day upon his law-books. He was admitted to the bar, and within one year had become a popu- lar pleader. His progress in public life from this point on was rapid and notable. He was sent to the Assembly from New York City in 1789, and sat alongside of Rufus King. Shortly afterwards, he removed to Dutchess County, where the people honored him with the same office in 1792. His next position was a judgeship of the Common Pleas, and then he became Attorney-General of the State. In 1792, he was made a Justice, and in 1793, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the State. In 1804, he was elected Gov- ernor. His administration was marked by wisdom and states- manship. Its main feature was suggested in his message to the Legislature, which contained the following :
"In a government resting on public opinion, and deriving its chief support from the affections of the people, religion and mor- ality cannot be too sedulously cultivated. To them science is a handmaid ; ignorance, the worst of enemies. Literary informa- tion should be placed within the reach of every description of
Concern, That I the Underwritten did on the This is to certify all whom it may
fifteenthday of June, in the year Seventeen Hun=
red & forty five did Joyn together in the holy
Bands of Matrimony according to the form and manner of the Church of England as by Law Established Francis Lewis of the City of new
February Seventeen Hundred forty Seven. here unto sett my hand & Seal this ligth day of hor Clinton. In Testimony to which I have Spinster; by Virtue of a Queme granted by Gover- York meret & elizabeth annesly of the same
Thomas Sandro Rector of Westchester
The Marriage Certificate of Francis Lewis
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citizens, and poverty should not be permitted to obstruct the path to the fane of knowledge. Common schools, under the guidance of respectable teachers, should be established in every village, and the indigent educated at the public expense. The higher semi- naries, also, should receive every support and patronage within the means of enlightened Legislatures."
He was a member of the State Senate in 1811, 1812, 1813, and 1814. His official duties did not prevent his returning to military service upon the breaking out of the War of 1812. He was appointed quartermaster-general, with the rank of brigadier, served in Canada, took Fort George, and the next year was pro- moted to be a major-general. In 1814, he was placed in command of New York City, which was threatened with an attack by the British war-ships. Upon the close of the war, he retired from political and martial life, and devoted himself to literature and agriculture. Long after he was sixty, he took up the study of Hebrew, and mastered that language in order to read the Old Testament in the original. In 1835, he was made President of the New York Historical Society. He was prominent in the Order of the Cincinnati, in 1829 being Vice-President-General and in 1839 President-General, which he remained until his death, in 1844. He was a distinguished Mason, and held every office up to that of Grand Master of the State.
General Lewis had an able helpmeet in his wife, Gertrude Livingston, daughter of Judge Robert Livingston, of Clermont. She was a woman of rare tact and social charm, who held a com- manding position in New York society. They had one child, a daughter, Margaret [1780], who married Maturin Livingston, and their daughter, Julia Livingston, in the next generation married Joseph Delafield.
Both Francis the signer and Morgan were marked by an energy which was stupendous. They worked because they loved work, and their enjoyment was always in proportion to its difficulty. The same quality has marked their descendants in this country and their kindred in Scotland and England. The family records abound with little incidents which throw delightful side-lights
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upon their character. What could be pleasanter than the story of General Lewis and the dog? When he returned from the lines during the War of 1812, he brought with him, as an honored guest, the dog of General Brock. The latter, when dying, had requested that his faithful and aged servant and his dog should be sent home to his family in England. The servant had sailed, but the poor brute had been neglected. The General took charge of the dog, carried him to his house, and there kept him until he was in good condition and ready for the voyage to England. Then he made many inquiries in regard to the accommodations for canines on outgoing vessels, waiting until he could secure a ship on which his charge would be comfortable. This was at last secured ; the dog had a pleasant trip to England, where it was received as if a member of the family by the relatives of the dead soldier.
In the midst of war's alarms, the General could find time to think of the lighter sides of daily life. Here is an illustrative letter to his wife :
"ALBANY, 11th October, 1812.
"MY DEAR LOVE : I gave your invitation to the General and suite, which they accept, provided nothing unforeseen prevents, so that you can look out for us on Saturday, the 17th, the day of Burgoyne's surrender and the succeeding one to my birthday. Have a light on the wharf. I hope we shall be in time for a dance. Enclosed is a note of thanks from the General for his present. The cover 1 tore off to render it more susceptible of enclosure. I sent some sermons by Mr. Schell and the other articles by the Paragon.
"God bless you all, prays your affectionate husband,
"MORGAN LEWIS."
Major-General Morgan Lewis From the original portrait
THE BOUND TO PLEASE Heckman Bindery. INC.
JUNE. 66
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