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 4
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Brevoort
Hon. Leffert Lefferts, by whom he had Henry Leffert, who mar- ried Elizabeth Schermerhorn.
Laura, daughter of Henry and sister of James Carson, was noted for her intellectual and social grace. She married Charles Astor Bristed, the poet and journalist.
To this generation belongs James Renwick [1832], the painter and art critic. He studied art in the United States and Europe,
James spending his time in England, Holland, Italy, and
Renwick, Painter France. He made a special study of mathematical per-
spective, and in 1872 was made professor of that sub- ject at the National Academy. He was most successful in the depiction of landscapes, many of his canvases being noted in the art world.
The Brevoorts as a race have represented quiet industry, wealth, and culture. They have tended toward the graces and beauties of life, and have excelled along the lines of the social and moral traits. In this they carry out the spirit of the Netherlands, which, while devoted to industry, peace, and commerce, never- theless flowers in great thinkers, scholars, and artists.
Clinton
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General James Clinton
GEN JAMES
CLINTON!
V.
CLINTON
S long as the Revolution is remembered, the name of Clinton will be a house- hold word. An entire chapter of colonial history is summed up in the sentence of the Rev. John L. Blake, written more than sixty years ago, that " He (Brig .- Gen. James Clinton) commanded under Governor Clinton at Fort Clinton, from which, when attacked and taken by Sir Henry Clinton, General Clinton, though se- verely wounded, escaped."
Each of the Clintons named in this clumsy phrase belonged to the same family. All alike were descended from the Earls of Lincoln. The British General, son of the Admiral, held his posi- tion by virtue of birth as well as ability, but his American cousins had won their prominence by individual power and prowess. The break-up of the family took place in the troublous days of King Charles I. Here, William Clinton, a member of the Earl of Lincoln's family and a warm adherent of the unhappy English monarch, fled the realm and settled in Ireland, where the peas- antry gave him a warm welcome and protection against his foes. His grandson, Charles Clinton [born 1690], was a man of great ambition and energy. He chafed under the harsh rule and miser- able condition of Ireland, and on May 20, 1729, with relatives and
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Clinton
friends, chartered a ship and sailed for the New World. On the voyage they discovered that the captain and other officers had conspired against them and intended to kill them. Clinton promptly organized his associates, and after a long and bitter ar- gument with the skipper agreed to pay the latter an extra sum if they were landed in safety. They disembarked at Cape Cod October 4, worked their way to New York, and followed the tide of emigration, then moving northward to Ulster County, where Charles Clinton founded his new home.
His neighbors were Englishmen and Palatines, while over them were the Patroons and other Dutch land-owners. Of his
Charles fellow-countrymen, the majority had come out to ob- tain the liberty that was denied them at home. The Palatines had left Germany for the same reason, and also to find a land in which they would not be crushed by taxation. Under these auspices it was but natural that Clinton, who had soon be- come a Justice of the Peace, or " Squire," should have developed a strong democratic spirit. He married Elizabeth Denniston, by whom he had seven children. He transmitted his characteristics to his children, who had the special advantage of living in a wild country, where game abounded and where the necessities of daily life developed strong and vigorous bodies. Four of his sons proved worthy of their sire. The first, Alexander, entered the medical profession, and won laurels in its exercise. The second, Charles, followed the same career, but died prematurely. He enlisted as a surgeon in the war that England waged against Spain, and was a member of the colonial and British expedition which attacked Havana. Here he lost his life fighting side by side with his English cousins. The third son, James [1736], better known as "the Brigadier," was the soldier of
James the Brigadier the family. He was a strong revolutionist, and was one of the first in the Empire State to take arms against the Crown. He fought through the Revolution with great gallantry, and took part in campaigns against the British, the Indians, and half-breeds, and finally in the admirable military movement which resulted in the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown. He married, first,
George Clinton Governor of New York in 1789. From the painting by Ezra Ames
New York City Hall
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Clinton
Mary De Witt, by whom he had seven children ; and second, Mrs. Mary Little Gray, by whom he had three.
The fourth son, George Clinton, was the greatest of his gen- eration and one of the greatest of the republic. He was born in 1739, was educated to the law, and when twenty-six George
years of age was made a member of the provincial the Governor Assembly. In the fall of that year he was chosen a member of the Colonial Congress. He was intensely active in the revolu- tionary movement and voted for the Declaration of Independence. He was to have been one of the signers, but before that famous instrument was engrossed he received his appointment as brig- adier-general, and departed upon military duty. He always referred to this incident as the saddest event of his life. In 1777, he had so impressed himself upon the minds of the people of New York that he received the unique distinction of being elected Governor and Lieutenant-Governor. He accepted the former and was re-elected five times. He was again elected in 1801 and in 1804 became Vice-President of the United States, which he re- mained until his death in 1812. This record of eighteen years as Governor and eight as Vice-President is without precedent in our history. In his gubernatorial career he displayed the same en- ergy as in his military work. He was foremost in all the enter- prises of his time. He took part in the re-establishment of the municipality of New York in 1784. He favored the creation of the Bank of New York in 1791, and the abolition of slavery in 1799.
He participated in the inauguration of General George Wash- ington in the metropolis, which took place in Wall Street, and escorted the President to his "elegant city residence at No. 3 Cherry Street." His most enduring work is seen perhaps in the two old forts on Governor's Island. The Revolution had scarcely closed when he urged the fortification of the port. He encoun- tered the opposition of the conservative and the apathetic. Un- discouraged by rebuffs, he kept up the agitation, interested his friends and followers in the project, and by degrees built up a strong public feeling in its favor. Before he left the Governor's chair to go to Washington as Vice-President one strong earthwork
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Clinton
was finished, and on his last visit to the future metropolis he saw his hopes fully realized. It seems strange to-day, when modern rifle-cannon hurl projectiles ten or twelve miles, to look at the defences which pleased the doughty soldier-statesman-two little forts upon Governor's Island and a battery of small cannon in Bat- tery Park. Yet these were probably sufficient to hold off the war- ships of the time.
The old State papers show that the Governor was keenly alive to the commercial prosperity of the State. He favored all bills which he thought would be of benefit to the people, and, so far as can be seen to-day, he was progressive almost to radicalism. At the same time, he had a well-balanced mind and a keen knowledge of human nature. He never went to extremes and never incurred the more bitter degrees of opposition. So far as the Empire State is concerned, the most significant event in his career was his trip in the summer of 1783 with the President. Gen- eral Washington, according to tradition, had intended to limit his journey to the military posts, terminating it at the fort at Oswego, but, following the suggestion of the Governor, he visited the chiefs of the Senecas, Cayugas, and Tuscaroras. There was at the time a widespread feeling that the Indians might go on the war-path, and Clinton, with remarkable foresight, thought that by having Washington visit them he could bring about an amic- able feeling which would be of the greatest benefit to the State. Subsequent events demonstrated the Governor's sagacity.
It was upon this trip that the idea of a canal connecting, to use Washington's words, " the Great Lakes with tide-water," was first broached. Washington, in addition to his many other abili- ties, was a skilful civil engineer, and with his trained eye easily saw the possibilities offered by the Hudson and Mohawk valleys. The Governor, though not an engineer, was a man of learning and practical sense. He quickly perceived the grandeur of the design, and from that time on was an advocate of a plan based upon Washington's suggestions. The common belief that De Witt Clinton was the first to suggest the project of a canal between the lakes and the Hudson is not strictly accurate; although un-
1
P
De Witt Clinton From the painting by Inman, owned by E. Abdy Hurry, Esq.
S.YAN,BEI SSELARE
Entrance of the Canal into the Hudson at Albany From an old print
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Clinton
doubtedly the plan of carrying a watercourse across the State to Lake Erie is to be put to his credit. Two years later, when Christopher Colles, the eccentric inventor, memorialized the Legis- lature for a canal, the scheme received the support of the Governor. In 1792, a company was chartered which, in the course of five years, built a waterway from Schenectady to Oneida. Here it stopped for lack of money. The times were hard, money scarce, and people were afraid to invest in what they called "a ditch for the Indians to paddle their canoes in." It was during this period that De Witt Clinton served as private secretary to the Governor, and he must have heard and doubtless discussed the canal project in all its phases. It cannot be said that George Clinton was as able a politician as he was a soldier, patriot, states- man, or Executive. As with most of the great men of his period, the Presidential bee buzzed loudly in his bonnet. In 1789, he re- ceived three electoral votes for President of the United States. In 1792, he received fifty, while the other two Republican candidates, Jefferson and Burr, obtained but four and one respectively. In 1796, Jefferson and Burr had shot far ahead, the first receiving sixty-eight, the second thirty, and Clinton only seven. In 1800 was the famous tie between Jefferson and Burr, and Clinton re- ceived no votes. In 1804, he had a following, but Jefferson's popu- larity was so great that Clinton contented himself with the second place on the ticket. In 1808, Madison took the mantle which fell from Jefferson's shoulders, receiving one hundred and twenty-two votes, while Clinton received only six. The Electoral College then made him Vice-President as if to compensate him for his dis- appointment. He married Cornelia Tappan, by whom he had six children.
In the third generation, there were only three of the family who achieved distinction. One was George Clinton, Jr., son of the Governor, who served two terms in the New York State As- sembly and three in the House of Representatives. He was a graduate of Columbia College [1793], a man of great culture and refinement, but does not appear to have been marked by signal force. Charles Clinton, son of Gen. James Clinton, was famous 4
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Clinton
in the early part of the century as a traveller and writer. He enjoyed considerable popularity at the time, but his work, except by a few, has been forgotten.
The giant of the generation was De Witt Clinton, son of Gen. James Clinton. Over his position in New York history there has
De Witt been a fierce fight, which is not altogether settled the Statesman to-day. Even those who detract from his greatness admit that he was one of the most powerful and influential men who ever lived in the Empire State. He was born in 1769, and was the first student to enter Columbia College after it had relinquished its former name of King's College. He was graduated in the class of '86, first among the honor men. He studied law, but regarded it as an accomplishment rather than as a profession. He was naturally adapted to public life, and up to the time of his death occupied a commanding position in national affairs. He was elected to the Senate of New York in 1799. Here he made his mark instantly, proving himself to be a skilful parliamentarian, a graceful and polished speaker, and a forceful debater. On the other hand, he was haughty, self-willed, and devoid of the diplo- matic sense upon which is based the highest political success. In 1802, when only thirty-three years of age, he was elected to the United States Senate. For some personal reason, he resigned his high office in 1803 to become Mayor of the city of New York. This office he held, excepting two years, until 1815. While Mayor, he was for several years a State Senator and Lieutenant- Governor. During this period he showed himself to be a man of public spirit and lofty ideals. He was one of the founders of the Historical Society and the Academy of Arts. He was practically the creator of the present City Hall. In 1812, he was the Fed- eralist candidate for President, as opposed to Madison, and re- ceived eighty-nine electoral votes. In the campaign of that year the Republicans favored war with Great Britain, while the Fed- eralists were really or nominally in favor of peace. Clinton became known as the "Peace candidate," and the name stuck to him through life. It is said to have injured his political prospects and prevented his ever attaining the position which his abilities merited.
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Clinton
In 1816 he was appointed Canal Commissioner and President of the Board. In 1818 he was made Governor. From the moment of his election he took up the cause of public education and in- ternal improvements. During this term and the one which fol- lowed he did invaluable service for the public schools, the canals, and roads. Much of the excellence of the schools of the State dates from this period.
In 1822, he declined renomination as Governor, but continued to act as President of the Canal Board until 1824. He made many enemies, and, according to the politicians of the day, he used the canals as if they were his own private property. As a matter of fact, he simply offended party leaders by refusing to give them any patronage upon the public works. All other charges have long since been dismissed as worthless. His enemies were vin- dictive, and in 1824 induced the Legislature, which was composed mostly of weak men, to remove him from the Canal Board without either charges or trial. This action aroused general indignation, and he was at once nominated for Governor and elected by a majority of 16,000- a phenomenal vote for that time. The fol- lowing year the Erie Canal was finished, and a celebration took place which was the wonder of the nation. He was re-elected in 1826, and died at the close of his term, two years later. There are many remains of his literary and oratorical work, all of which was marked by high thought, sentiment, and wisdom. He had a penchant for delivering addresses before learned societies, and was without doubt the most popular speaker of his time.
The Clintons have been marked for generations by unusual physical beauty. This quality reached its climax in the famous Governor. He was referred to in his youth as "Apollo," and "Antinous," and even toward the close of his life he was so handsome that he attracted attention wherever he went. It suited his temperament, and made it seem natural for him to be ever on dress parade. His enemies denounced him as a poser, but the great common people paid no attention to the charge, and rather gloried in the physical and intellectual superiority of their Governor. He exerted a profound influence upon the
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Clinton
commonwealth. He was a fearless fighter, and at the very be- ginning of his career engaged in a political duel. He had an intense love for New York, both city and State.
De Witt was twice married: first, to Maria Franklin, by whom he had ten children, and second, to Catherine Jones.
The fourth generation was well represented by Dr. Alexander, son of Charles, who was an eminent physician in the middle of the last century. From 1846 to 1878 he was an officer of the New York State Society of the Cincinnati.
Of the fifth generation, the leading representatives are : Alex- ander James, son of Dr. Alexander, and treasurer of the New York State Society of the Cincinnati; Spencer and George, both sons of George; Julia Clinton Jones and De Witt Clinton Jones, children of Mary.
The family has held its own through the years. The number of those who bear the name has increased steadily, while through marriage it has become connected with scores of distinguished families.
The tendency of the male line has been towards the profes- sions; many of these have won renown in medicine, pedagogy, art, politics, and law. One is an architect of high repute, whose creations have added beauty to the metropolis. They have held warm places in the public heart, their name being a favorite term in personal and municipal nomenclature.
Cornell
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Ezra Cornell From a steel engraving
VI
CORNELL
HE pioneers of the early colonies were from the first divided into two classes: one marked by a strong family feeling which expressed itself in the forma- tion of estates; the use of the law or custom of primogeniture, and the close connection of the members of a stock to the land or district on which they were born; and the other by an intense individualism which prompted each child upon reaching manhood's estate to begin life for himself and start his own family, irrespective of ancestral relations or of fraternal influence.
In the main, the Dutch belonged to the former and the Eng- lish to the latter type. The patroons were the highest develop- ment of the one, while the other flowered in soldiers, inventors, philanthropists, and great professional men. An opposite example of the latter class is the Cornell family of New York State. It is of English origin, and, according to the genealogists, came to England in the Norman period from Brittany in France. Like most families of Anglo-Norman origin, there was but little uni- formity in the spelling of the name for many generations.
Among the variants found in the records are Cornell, Cornhill, Cornil, Cornehill, Cornwell, Cornewell, Cornwall, and Cornewall.
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Cornell
When the founder of the New York branch came to Long Island, he spelled his name Cornhill and thereafter Cornwell, and it was not until the eighteenth century that the major portion of the Long Island family adopted Cornell as their patronymic.
The first generation consisted of two brothers and a cousin, who came to New England about 1635. They stayed but a short
William of time upon the Massachusetts coast. William then Connecticut left for the West, married, and settled in Middletown, Conn., where he had numerous children, whose descendants, several hundred in number, constitute the Cornwell family of that State. Thomas, the cousin, went still further west and Thomas of settled in Gravesend, Long Island, now a part of Gravesend Brooklyn, where he died in 1650, leaving only daughters.
The other Thomas removed to Portsmouth, Rhode Island, in 1640, where the same year he was made a freeman under the name Thomas of of Thomas Cornil. Hearing of the fertility of the coun- Portsmouth try about New Amsterdam, he went with a number of adventurers under Captain Throckmorton in 1643 to Throgg's Neck, N. Y., where the party was driven away by an Indian tribe living in the neighborhood. Undaunted by his repulse, he went on to New Amsterdam, where he received a grant of land in Westchester from Governor William Kieft. He does not seem to have utilized this grant, because he returned shortly afterwards to Portsmouth, where he remained until his death in 1656. He married Rebecca Briggs, by whom he had nine children.
Two of his sons removed from Rhode Island to Long Island; Richard [1630] settling in Flushing, and John [1637] in Cove Richard the Neck, L. I. Richard was a shrewd man of affairs and Deputy became a freeholder before he was thirty years of age. In 1665, he was one of the two deputies from Flushing to a con- vention of delegates from sixteen towns on Long Island and the town of Westchester, called by Governor Richard Nicolls to pass "laws and ordinances to effect a uniform mode for administrating in the plantations on Long Island."
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Cornell
In the next year, when Governor Nicolls issued a patent for the town of Flushing, the two chief patentees were John Lawrence, alderman of New York, and Richard Cornhill, Justice of the Peace. He bought various tracts of real estate, selecting the land in every case with extreme prudence. In the latter part of his life, he removed from Flushing to Rockaway, of which village he was the head until his death. He was tenacious as to his rights, and at one time had a memorable altercation with the gubernatorial chair at New York. Both sides appealed to the Privy Council at Westminster, where the resolute Justice presented so admirable a case that the Crown affirmed his contention. He married and had five sons and three daughters.
Thomas [1620 ?] of this generation remained at the home- stead in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, where he married and raised a large family. He was the ancestor of Ezra Cornell, the philan- thropist, and of Governor Alonzo B. Cornell.
In the third generation, the sons of Richard proved prosper- ous and influential. Richard II., the oldest, settled in Success, Long Island, where he had a large family. Captain William remained in Rockaway, as did his brothers, Capt. William Squire Thomas and Colonel John. Squire Jacob moved to Rye, and afterwards to New Jersey, where he founded the New Jersey branch of his race.
The fourth generation was a period of calm and growth. All of the branches had careers marked by health and material wel- fare. The records show that their farms and business enterprises paid well and enabled them to purchase holdings of real estate from time to time, while the official archives reveal them as being active in public affairs. They served on committees, pre- sided at town meetings, and were highway commissioners, school trustees, and foremen of grand juries.
Thomas, of this generation, married, first, Miss Smith, and second, Charity Hicks, by whom he had four sons and three daughters. He added to the Rockaway estate, which Thomas, in his time became one of the leading properties in Assemblyman Queens County. He served in the General Assembly from 1739
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Cornell
to 1759, and from 1761 to 1764. To this generation belongs Ezekiel, the Rhode Island patriot, who served as lieutenant-colonel
General in Hitchcock's Regiment in the Continental army, and Ezekiel rose to be brigadier-general of the Rhode Island troops. In 1789, the State authorities made him their delegate to Congress.
The fifth generation produced many actors in the War of Independence. Here the Cornells were strongly divided. Three of the Queens County men were loyalists and two, especially Capt. Thomas Captain Thomas, won distinction by their bravery.
After the war, he and his brother removed to Anna- polis, while his oldest son, who had been a Revolutionist, remained on Long Island. The condition of the family during that long struggle must have been very dramatic. In one branch two brothers were arrayed against each other, and in another a father and grandson were Revolutionists, while the son was a loyalist.
It made the struggle all the more bitter and terrible, but at the same time enabled the combatants to display touches of gal- lantry and chivalry. Thus, on one occasion, tradition says, when Captain Thomas was ordered to forage upon the estates of his kindred upon a certain date, he sent a trusted messenger in ad- vance, notifying them of the fact, and begging them to take to the woods that day and have a picnic. Lieutenant John, on the other hand, sent a note to his cousin William that the latter's post was exposed to the rifle-fire of the minute-men, and entreating him as a matter of affection to move his quarters behind a small hill in the immediate neighborhood.
The family must have had many good sporting men in its ranks, because they still have the printed notices of races in ante- Revolutionary days. One of these is full of unconscious humor. It reads as follows : " 1771-Beaver Pond Races ;- Purse £25. for any horse except Whitehead Cornell's horse 'Steady ' and Timo- thy Cornell's horse 'Richmond.'" The Hon. Whitehead was Hon. a strong and resolute character. During the Revolu- Whitehead tion he remained neutral, extending courtesy to both rebels and royalists. He thought both were wrong and that the evils of the time should have been treated by peaceful means.
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