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 3
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In 1653 he was elected an Assistant Alderman of New Amster- dam, which position he held for four years. He was then made Vice-Governor of the South River Colony, this being the Swedish settlement which Governor Stuyvesant had conquered, and which the Dutch West India Company sold to New Amsterdam. He
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soon was promoted to be Governor. The young Governor ap- pears to have been the first to notice that the colony was not Swedish, but Swedish and Finnish, a fact which adds greatly to our knowledge of the polyglot character of the early immigration. The year 1664 saw him Sheriff of New Amsterdam. In 1674 he was elected Burgomaster. He held office under the English, and was on the Board of Aldermen up to 1696, when he retired on account of old age. He resided in the heart of his farm, about where Pearl and Frankfort streets are at present. Here he died in 1717, at the age of eighty-five, universally loved by his neighbors- Dutch, Huguenot, and English. He married Catharine Van Boogh, one of the Dutch belles of the period. The union was happy and fruitful, there being five sons and one daughter ; the latter married Nicholas William Stuyvesant, son of the great Governor.
In the second generation, Dr. Gerard, or Gerardus, and Colo- nel Henry were prominent in the public eye. Dr. Gerard was a stronger character than his distinguished father.
Dr. Gerardus the Acting
Governor Though born to great wealth, he was as industrious and ambitious as a man dependent upon his own re-
sources. He studied medicine and became a respected leader in the medical profession. He took an active part in civic affairs, and was always with the democratic, as opposed to the so-called aristocratic, party. Acting-Governor Jacob Leisler appointed him a major, and Governor Bellomont, a lieutenant-colonel. He was prominent in the Revolution of 1688, and was condemned to death, with his superior, Leisler.
Dr. Gerardus was pardoned, and resumed his former active life. In spite of his connection with the Leisler affair, he easily regained his former popularity, and was a friend and an official of several colonial governors. Besides his military office under the Earl of Bellomont, he was a member of Governor Cornbury's Council (1702-1708), and two years afterwards was President of the Council and Acting Governor of New York. He was made a member of Governor Hunter's Council the same year, and held the position until his death. He had a large medical practice, and frequently crossed the East and North rivers upon professional
Mrs. James Beekman From the painting by L. Kilburn, 1761
The Beekman House, 1860 Headquarters of Sir William Howe in 1776. Beekman Hill, near First Avenue From an old lithograph print
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visits, a rather uncommon proceeding in those days of slow ferries and ungovernable tides and currents. He found time to improve the Beekman estate, which through the growth of the city had now become very valuable. He married Magdalene Abeel, of Albany, by whom he had both sons and daughters.
Colonel Henry, son of Wilhelmus and brother of Dr. Gerard, invested his inherited wealth in land in the neighborhood of Esopus, where he took up a permanent residence. His Col. Henry possessions were so extensive that he was called " The "The Great Patentee " Great Patentee." He was keenly alive to public duties, both of Church and State, serving as deacon and elder of the one, and Judge of Ulster County for the other. He married Joanna, or Jane, de Loper, of Boston, by whom he had issue.
In the third generation, Colonel Henry II., son of Colonel Henry [1688], was a wealthy owner of landed property and distinguished in the affairs of the State. He was many years in the Col. Henry II.
Provincial Assembly (1725 to 1758), serving perhaps the As- longer than any other member. He was twice married, semblyman .
his first wife being Janet Livingston, daughter of Robert Living- ston, and his second, Gertruyd Van Cortlandt. He had issue by both wives, those of the second dying young. He served as Judge, and held numerous minor offices.
Dr. William [1694], son of Dr. Gerard, was a distinguished physician in the eighteenth century. His services in 1745, when there was an epidemic of smallpox and lingering fever, Dr. William
were so valued as to receive a vote of thanks from the the philan-
thropist city. During the epidemic he gave his time and skill to the poor without charge, and did much towards bringing the diseases under control. He married Catharine Peters de la Noy, by whom he had many children.
In this generation, Jacobus deserves mention. He enjoyed opulence, and was notably philanthropic. He married Eliza- beth de Peyster, who proved a congenial helpmeet in church and charitable work. Their union was blessed Jacobus with several children, including Gerardus [1718], Jacobus [1722], and John.
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In the fourth generation the chief personality was Margaret Beekman, the only surviving child of Colonel Henry II. She stands out above her contemporaries as one of the great Margaret heroes of the Revolution. Beauty, refinement, culture, and wealth were hers by inheritance. To these she added the highest type of moral and spiritual character. In the lottery of marriage she drew a capital prize in the person of Judge Robert R. Livingston of Clermont. She was a model wife and mother. Of her many children, eight grew to maturity and established themselves in handsome homes in Clermont, near their birthplace. Before she died, no less than twenty-four such establishments represented her descendants.
Her life was devoted to the high ideals she set before herself. Though a natural aristocrat, she was the truest kind of a demo- crat. She believed in individualism and liberty. Before the breaking out of the Revolution, she was a strong opponent of the abuses of the administration. When the war came, she did all that lay within her power to aid the Continentals. Her home in Clermont was the headquarters and the asylum of the Revolutionists.
One year she gave the entire income of her estate to the public treasury. To do this, she was compelled to sell a portion of her holdings in Saratoga to pay the tax bills. In the darkest years of the Revolution she lost no courage, but determined with her husband that if the patriot cause was lost, they would sell their property and remove to Switzerland. She declared that they would not live in a country where a man was deprived of the exercise of his natural rights. So thorough was her knowl- edge of men and events that the American leaders frequented her house to obtain the benefit of her counsels. One incident in her career is graphically described by Miss Julia Delafield :
" Not long before the delegates who assembled at Kingston declared the State of New York independent, a number of the most influential Republicans met at Clermont. That the State should be independent was no longer a question, but there were other points to be considered ; for instance, who was to be the
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first Governor. One gentleman well qualified for the office was all-important in the position he then occupied, and could not be spared. There was a valid objection to every person named until Mrs. Margaret Beekman Livingston, who was present at their deliberations, proposed George Clinton. Her suggestion was re- ceived with acclamation: 'He is the man! Why did not we think of him at once?' Margaret Beekman had the honor of nominat- ing the first Governor of the State of New York, and now the statue of Governor Clinton stands side by side with that of her son, Chancellor Livingston, in the Capitol of the United States."
Two sons of Dr. William, Gerard W. and James, were prom- inent in the latter part of the eighteenth century, and through their mercantile ability largely increased their inherit- ance. The latter owned the famous Beekman mansion Gerard W. on the East River, which for many years was regarded as the finest residence in the metropolis. They took pride in the city, and did much towards its improvement. Gerard W. married Mary Duyckink ; and James, Jane Keteltas.
In the fifth generation the leading representatives were Gerard, who married Catharine Sanders, and John, who mar- ried Mary E. G. Bedlow. Both were men of wealth
Gerard and active in church affairs.
In the sixth generation the ablest member of the family was undoubtedly James William [1815], son of Gerard and Catharine Sanders. He was graduated from Columbia in 1834, studied law, and was admitted to the bar. He travelled James William extensively, and on his return to this country made the the Publicist voyage in one of the first ocean steamships. He served in the New York Assembly (1848) and the New York Senate (1849-51). He was a trustee of the Medical Department of Columbia (1860- 1877), and of the college proper from 1875 to 1877, which was the time of his death. He carried through the Legislature the bill creating Central Park. During the Civil War he was an energetic patriot. Other offices which he held were: the Vice-Presidency of the New York Historical Society, Vice- Presidency of the New York Hospital, Presidency of the Woman's Hospital, and
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Presidency of the New York Dispensary. His death was untimely, and was caused by sickness contracted in the prosecution of his duty as an officer of the New York Hospital. He married Abian Steele Milledoler, daughter of the Rev. Dr. Philip Milledoler; President of Rutgers College, and is represented in the seventh generation by James William II., Gerard, Catharine B., and Cornelia.
Another descendant of prominence was Judge Henry Rutgers. He was graduated from Columbia in 1865, and from the Columbia Judge Henry Law School in 1867. The same year he was admitted Rutgers to the bar, and soon built up a lucrative practice. He was active in civic life, serving as Park Commissioner, President of the Board of Aldermen, Corporation Counsel, and Commis- sioner for promoting uniformity in legislation in the United States, and Supreme Court Justice of the State. He married Isabella Lawrence, and is represented in this generation by Josephine, William F., Mary E., and Henry R. II.
The Beekman family has been marked during seven genera- tions by unusual vitality, both intellectual and physical. It has manifested skill in nearly all the vocations, and high talent in the professions. A singular characteristic has been pointed out by one of its members. While the possession of wealth and culture does not seem to lessen the size of the Beekman families generation after generation, it apparently tends toward a preponderance of daughters over sons. On the female side, it is probably the most numerous of all the old families of New York State, and to all the bloods into which its daughters have married they have brought the paternal virtues. Of the fifty historical families of New York State, more than one half possess Beekman blood. The main characteristic of the race has been the democratic spirit in its full- est development. In religion, it has favored what may be termed the congregational rather than the ordinational system of ecclesiastical government; in politics, it has espoused the cause of the masses against the classes, and of the people against the crown; while in charities it has endeavored to help those in need by teaching them how to help themselves.
Brevoort
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Ес81 штабом „обсяг г брэд . Я мота
Henry Brevoort From R. Peale's sketch, made in 1823
IV
BREVOORT 1185635
OW long Holland has been a refuge for the persecuted and distressed, it is difficult to determine. History teaches that in the clash and conflict of political and religious forces the weaker are forced either into the mountains, or else down the river valleys to the inaccessible marshlands bordering on the sea. To this cir- cumstance, geographical rather than political, it may be due that Holland was from the first a Mecca for fugitives and vanquished. It is certain that long before the relentless wars by Rome against the Huguenots there were smaller persecutions, in which the heretical were forced to abandon their homes in order to preserve life and property. The wars upon the Lollards in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, and on the Albigenses in the twelfth and thirteenth, were attended with results similar to those which characterized the extermination of the Huguenots. Genealogy and history both show that there was a Lollard migration at one time to the Netherlands, and long before that a movement of Albigenses to the same hospitable and charitable land. In this movement, French and German, Walloon and Fleming, English, Russian, and Scandinavian were actors.
The fugitives were in nearly every instance men of firm
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convictions and vigorous moral natures. They were strong physically, and in the sifting process, where the sword and fagot are the sieves, only the best types of manhood and womanhood tended to survive. To this cause was undoubtedly due the tremendous strength of Holland during its brilliant career. Its population was a composite of a stalwart original race mixed with selected specimens of a dozen other races. The blending of these different types would in itself result in the production of a superior community; it would also result in the strengthening of the principles of toleration, helpfulness, and co-operation.
According to tradition, the founder of the Brevoorts of Holland was a religious refugee, and probably a Flemish Albigense. He settled in the Amersfort district of Holland, where for at least two centuries the name appears upon the local records. He begot a quiet, sterling race, which devoted itself to the cultivation of the soil, and occasionally entered mercantile life. They were religious and soldierly, as is shown by church archives and military chronicles. They possessed family vigor, so that the name is still to be encountered in many parts of the Netherlands.
In the seventeenth century, Hendrick Jansen [1630 ?] came to America. He was apparently attracted by the name of a settle- Hendrick ment on Long Island, Amersfort, or New Amersfort, the Founder now a part of the Borough of Brooklyn, and took up a residence at that place. He stayed here but a brief period, and then moved to Maspeth Kill, which is now Newtown Creek, in the same borough, and thereafter changed his abode to New Haarlem, on the Island of Manhattan.
The latter place, in those days, was a very desirable district, from a Dutch point of view. A large part of it had been settled by Captain Jochiem Pietersen Kuyter, a Danish gentleman, who, attracted by the fertility of the low-lying soil, had organized what we would call to-day a real-estate syndicate, to develop its resources. Here he and his colleagues had fought and finally pacified the Indians, had drained much of the soil, and perfected plans for the securing of farmers and farm-laborers. They were kindly landlords, and very progressive, according to the standards
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of their age. They built the Haarlem road or turnpike, and established a line of sloops, which traded between their place and the Battery. The gallant captain must have had a large vein of poetry in his being, because he named his grant "Zegendal," or "The Vale of Blessing." It is a pity that his prosaic descendants did not preserve the charming phrase. With true Dutch careless- ness, they named it Pieterson's Flatts, which it remained for several generations, after which it was known, with the other grants, as New Haarlem, and then Harlem. In the growth of cities, poetry seems to have very little chance of longevity. Hen- drick apparently thrived in Harlem, as may be inferred from the town records.
In the second generation, Jan Hendricksen was the most important personage. He owned property on both sides of the East River, and seems to have been a man of unusual Jan the ability. He was tutor of the children of Hendrick Tutor Bastiaense. A tutor under the ancient régime corresponded to the modern guardian. He was trustee of the infant's estate, custodian of its property, and, in addition, its teacher and friend. Guardian- ship in those days had a larger element of personality than at the present time. The wards were members of the tutor's family, and enjoyed the rights of the latter's children, and owed the same duties. In nearly all instances, they became inmates of the guardian's home. The authorities did not permit a tutorship, excepting where the applicant was qualified in every way to discharge properly the functions of the office.
Jan, or John, was a busy member of the community, and enjoyed a fitting share of the honors of his little world. In 1678 he was Overseer; in 1686, Constable; in 1691, "Authorized Man "; in 1697, Surveyor of Highways, and in 1702 Assistant Alderman for the Out Ward, and filled the same office from 1707 to 1713. He married Annetje Bastiaense, the daughter of Bastiaen Ellisen, from whom he received a large amount of real estate. He left four children.
Hendrick, his brother, was a prosperous farmer, who married twice: first, Maryken Van Couwenhoven, daughter of Johannes
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Brevoort
Couwenhoven, a rich land-owner, and, secondly, Jaquemyntje Boke. He had eight children.
During the next three generations the history of the family was uneventful. It followed the old Dutch traditions, which were marked by rare wisdom. Although nearly all the male descend- ants were farmers, yet, in pursuance of the ancestral custom, each was taught some trade. This will explain what often puzzles readers: why a farmer owning broad acres is referred to here and there as a weaver, carpenter, wheelwright, builder, or blacksmith. The exigencies of life in the Old World had compelled every community to depend at times upon its own unaided resources. Inundation, the breaking of the dikes, or invasion by foreign foes, frequently isolated a town or city, when, without these accom- plishments, there would have been much suffering. It was, therefore, a part of the good Dutch education that every male citizen should be a master of one useful trade in addition to his ordinary occupation. With the women the rule was even stricter. Nearly every girl was obliged to study kitchen-garden- ing, spinning, bleaching, weaving, sewing, the care of poultry, and the management of the dairy.
Under these conditions, it is little wonder the Brevoorts pros- pered. They accumulated property; their estates widened; they loaned money, and became interested in local, and even general, ventures. Their homes reflected their success- growing larger, more elegant, and attractive. The inherited physical vigor and the thorough domestic education of the daughters made them much sought after in marriage, and many of them contracted alli- ances of the best nature. It was one of their race, Sarah Todd, who was wooed and won by John Jacob Astor, and who, accord- ing to that great merchant and financier, had a better business genius even than he. Mr. Astor himself once said that upon several occasions, when he had called her from her domestic duties to advise him in regard to business enterprises, she had charged and he had paid $500 an hour for her time, and that the money thus expended proved a very handsome investment.
The Brevoorts do not seem to have had any desire to estab-
BE
View of the Brevoort Estate and Vicinity
Between 54th and 55th Streets, near First Avenue. From a print in Valentine's Manual, 1866
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Brevoort
lish great estates, as did many of their neighbors. They made generous allowances to their children, both sons and daughters, and regarded the welfare of the latter as equal to their own. In their wills they generally divided their estates equally, and if they expressed any preference it was in favor of daughters and sickly sons rather than of the strong men who might build up a great family establishment. They were active in religious life, their names appearing in church building, visiting work, synod meetings, charitable subscriptions, and lists of church officers. Several enjoyed local renown. John [1715] was the John the first goldsmith in the metropolis, and earned high Goldsmith praise by his beautiful designs in jewelry. Many of his concep- tions are still preserved and bear witness to his skill and artistic talents. His daughter Charlotte [1740] was a famous belle and heiress, who was courted by many suitors and won by the Hon. Whitehead Hicks, Mayor of New York (1766-1773).
Hendrick, his brother [1711], was a wealthy land-owner, who married Catharine Delamater, a member of the renowned Hugue- not family of that name, by whom he had eight children.
In the next generation, Henry [1747], son of Hendrick, mar- ried Sarah, daughter of Captain Whetten, by whom he had issue. He was a man of means and high intelligence, who was promi- nent in the society of the period.
Henry II. [1791], son of Henry I., inherited great wealth and led a life of leisure. He had strong literary tastes, and in several instances displayed skill with the pen. He was un- Henry II., ambitious in the world of letters, and found his chief Litterateur pleasure in the society of writers and artists, of whom he was a munificent patron. Authorship was not a remunerative vocation in the beginning of the nineteenth century, and the few who ob- tained eminence underwent privation, and even distress, except- ing where they inherited enough wealth to be independent. They depended more upon the liberality of men like Brevoort than upon the patronage of the public for their daily bread. He was a friend of the great Scotch genius, Sir Walter Scott, and the lifelong friend of Washington Irving, for whom his affection was
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like that of a brother. To Henry, Irving owed much of his fame and happiness. At times in his career when fortune frowned, Brevoort was always by his side, ready to support him or to beat back the tide of adversity.
He was one of the first to perceive the high literary value of Knickerbocker's History of New York, and took pains to send copies to those who, in his opinion, could appreciate it justly, and thus aid the career of the author. He presented one to Sir Walter Scott, who acknowledged it in the following words :
"I beg you to accept my best thanks for the uncommon degree of entertainment which I have received from the most excellently written history of New York. I am sensible that, as a stranger to American parties and politics, I must lose much of the concealed satire of the work ; but I must own that, looking at the simple and obvious meaning only, I have never seen any- thing so closely resembling the style of Dean Swift as the an- nals of Diedrich Knickerbocker. I have been employed these few evenings in reading them aloud to Mrs. Scott and two ladies who are our guests, and our sides have been absolutely sore with laughing. I think, too, there are passages which indicate that the author possesses power of a different kind, and has some touches which remind me of Sterne. I beg you will have the kindness to let me know when Mr. Irving takes pen in hand again, for assuredly I shall expect a very great treat, which I may chance never to hear of but through your kindness."
He was a good citizen and patriot, serving many years with marked efficiency as a Common Councilman of New York.
Another distinguished member of this generation was Cap- tain Henry of the Detroit Branch. At the breaking out of the
Captain War of 1812, he enlisted, and served with high dis-
Henry tinction in General Hull's army, where he rose to be commander of a flotilla of small vessels which the Government had placed upon the Great Lakes for military purposes. Here he showed himself as good a seaman as he was a soldier. He in- flicted damage upon the British, captured five of their warships, took many prizes, and harassed the Canadian frontier until it was
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in a state of chronic terror. He received hearty praise from Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, who declared, it is said, that much of his success was due to the untiring and invaluable efforts of Captain Henry.
In the sixth generation the family produced its finest type. This was James Carson [1818], the historian and savant. His education was unusual for his time, beginning in New James Carson York, continuing in France and Switzerland, and clos- the Scholar ing at the École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures in Paris, where he took a three-years' course, graduating with the degree of civil engineer. On his return home, he passed a year at the West Point Foundry, gaining a practical knowledge of the manufacture of iron and steel. In 1841, he was engaged upon the Northeast Boundary Survey, under Professor James Renwick. The following year he accompanied Washington Irving, who was United States Minister to Spain, as private secretary and attaché of the Legation. In 1844, he settled in Brooklyn, where he immediately became conspicuous in public affairs. For thirty years he led an ideally busy life. Among the positions he occupied were: member of the Charter Convention and of the Board of Education; Secretary of the Board of Water Commissioners; trustee of Greenwood Cemetery; a founder and trustee of the Long Island Historical So- ciety, of which he was also President; Chairman of the Executive Committee and director and trustee of the Astor Library, and two years its superintendent ; member of the Lyceum of Natural His- tory, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Archæological Society of Madrid, the Entomological Societies of Baltimore and Philadelphia, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, the National Institute of Washington, the Ameri- can Antiquarian Society, and at least a score of other learned bodies. He was a regent of the University of the State of New York. A fluent, scholarly, and brilliant writer, he wrote copiously upon historic, scientific, linguistic, cartographic, bibliographic, and other topics, and enjoyed the deserved reputation of being the nearest approach to a living cyclopædia that could be found in the New World. He married Elizabeth Dorothea, daughter of the
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