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 9
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A graphic picture of political life in the later part of the eight- eenth century is afforded by a letter from the jurist to his wife:
" NEW YORK, 30 Sept., 1789.
"You may remember, my dearest Polly, that I could not see you set sail on account of the Common Council, which was then assembling. I had hardly taken my seat at the Board, when I received a message, that Col. Hamilton wished to speak with me. He asked me to walk into a private room, and then to my surprise informed me that he was sent by the President of the United States to know whether I would accept the office of District Judge. I told him as I never had solicited, expected, or even
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wished for any office from the President, knowing that he was hard pressed by numberless applicants, who stood more in need than myself, I could not, on a sudden, give him an answer. He told me that it was not necessary, and that I might take that. day to consider of it. On inquiring from him, I found these were the circumstances attending the affair; very great interest had been made for the Chief Justice Morris, for Judge Yates, and Mr. Harrison. When the point was to be decided, Col. Hamilton and Mr. Jay were present. The President observed that he conceived a more respectable appointment than either of the gentlemen recommended could be made, and named me. Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Jay declared that they were of the same senti- ments. On which the President replied that he was pleased to find that his opinion was confirmed by theirs, and Col. Hamilton was requested to deliver the above message to me. After the Common Council had adjourned, I found I was to decide on a question of great moment, which greatly concerned my family, without an opportunity of consulting with you, or any of the children. I communicated it to the Baron (Steuben) alone, who was very earnest that I should accept it. Both offices I considered as highly honorable. They are equally profitable. The Judge's place is held under the Commission of the President of the United States during good behavior; the Mayor's annually renewed at the whim of a Council of Appointment. The Judge's office permits him to reside in any part of the State, and affords a sufficient portion of leisure for his private affairs and recreation and study. The Mayor's demands the most slavish confinement and a waste of time on insignificant matters, as well as care and assiduity on those which are important. In short, if he is upright and as he ought to be easy of access, he cannot call an hour of his time his own. These are the chief considerations which with the honorable manner the office was conferred on me, induced me to return an answer in the evening that I accepted it. As soon as it was known that the Senate approved of my nomination, I sent a resignation of the Mayoralty to the Governour. The Council of Appointment met the day after and appointed Col.
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Varick, who relinquished the place of State's Attorney, as my successor. The 14th inst. he will be qualified, and I clear of it. Till then I must administer it. While I am writing this letter, I received an invitation to dine with the President to-morrow. I presume I shall then receive my commission, which I owe solely to his regard for and good opinion of me.
" Your Affectionate and Faithful Husband,
JAMES DUANE.
"For Mrs. Duane."
Three of James's brothers were men of strong character. Abraham [1732] manifested considerable mercantile talent, but died when but thirty-five years of age. John [1734] enlisted John in the Colonial army, serving under the Crown, and the Soldier was an ensign in Colonel Abercrombie's regiment, which defended Fort Oswego. He died when just twenty-one years of age from disease contracted during that campaign.
Cornelius [1735] remained in New York City during the war to look after the property of his family. He died before the close of the war, his death having been superinduced by the privations which he had undergone.
Of the children of James, Adelia married Alfred Pell, by whom she had Robert Livingston, James Duane, John Augustus, George Washington, and Richard Montgomery, all of whom were promi- nent in the first half of the nineteenth century. Maria [1761] married General William North, first aide-de-camp to General (Baron) Steuben. Sarah married George W. Feathstonhaugh, from whom is descended the Duane-Feathstonhaugh family.
Of the five sons, only one, James Chatham, grew up and married. His wife was Marianne Bowers, daughter of Henry Bowers of New York City. His life-work was the James development of the great Duane estate at Duanes- Chatham burgh. It had been increased to 40,000 acres by his father, James, the jurist, but what with political changes, industrial discontent, financial panics, and anti-rent riots, he lost much of that mag- nificent property.
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In the fourth generation the great figure is James Chatham II. [1824], the military engineer. He displayed an aptitude for
James Chat- mathematics in mere boyhood, and in school and
ham II., college excelled in this branch of study. He was Engineer graduated at Union (1844), and the Military Academy at West Point four years later. He served in the United States army as engineer, instructor, architect, and builder, lighthouse inspector, and commander of a company of engineers in the Utah expedition. At the outbreak of the civil struggle he was stationed at Fort Pickens, Fla. In 1862, he performed the notable feat of bridging the Potomac, and the same year built bridges and viaducts across the almost impassable Chickahominy and White Oak swamps.
His greatest feat in this field of work was the construction of a timber bridge two thousand feet long across the Chickahominy River. This was finished in such splendid style that it received the compliments of the generals as well as a warm letter of praise from the War Department. He was intensely active throughout the war, at the close of which he was brevetted brigadier-general. From 1865 to 1868, he had charge of the construction of the new fortifications at Willetts Point, N. Y. In 1886, he was appointed chief of engineers, with the rank of brigadier-general. He has contributed many interesting papers upon topics connected with his calling, of which the most important is a Manual for Engineer Troops.
The Duanes, like the Montgomerys and other distinguished families, may be classed with the Livingstons, of which family they are portions on the maternal side. They display the same general characteristics, and have enjoyed private and public careers of similar usefulness.
Duer
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William Alexander Duer From a steel engraving
XII
DUER
E HE fate of families as well as of nations seems often to turn upon insignificant trifles. A young and brilliant man goes from England to far-off India to carve out a career with the sword, but is forced by the climate to return to his native land, and thence, by cir- cumstance, to the New World, where he achieves distinction in using his talents against the land of his birth. Such, in brief, is the life-record of Colonel William Duer, the founder of the Duer family in the Empire State.
His father was a wealthy British planter, whose estates in Antigua, West Indies, brought him more than a handsome income. The boy, idolized by both father and mother, enjoyed Colonel every advantage which wealth could procure. He re- William ceived an admirable education at Eton, but in his sixteenth year tired of books and schoolboy sports, and, through family connec- tions, obtained a position upon the staff of Lord Clive, the com- manding general of the English forces in India. He made the long voyage in safety, and during the brief period in which he enjoyed health in the far East he proved a good soldier and a faithful sub- ordinate. Hygiene was a sealed book in those years, and the climate of Hindustan was deadlier than the weapons of the rajahs.
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He broke down with the Indian fever, grew steadily worse, and at last was sent home as the only means of regaining his health. He reached his native land, but was hardly recognized by his relatives. After a short stay in London and Devon, he again took ship and went to his father's plantation in Antigua. Here he re- gained his health and strength, and with these his ambition.
In 1768, he tired of West Indian life and sailed for New York, where his fine personal appearance, agreeable manners, and strong letters of introduction made him welcome to the society of that period. He formed the acquaintance of the leading men of the province, and especially that of General Schuyler, who took a friendly interest in the handsome newcomer. Acting upon the General's advice, Duer bought a large tract of forest land at Fort Miller, beyond Albany, in what is now Washington County. Here he built sawmills, erected cottages, and established a large lumber industry. The hard work and rough life suited his adven- turous nature admirably. From his settlement he made tours in every direction and hunted the bear, wolf, deer, and, it is said, the marauding Indian. He became by degrees the leader of the woodmen and hunters of northern New York, who were to prove in after years some of his best soldiers. From the first he seems to have been imbued with radical if not revolutionary sentiments. These were the result of practical experience and injustice suf- fered, rather than of any iconoclastic disposition.
The predisposing cause was the foolish and inequitable fiscal system of the British government. It bore hard upon the planters of the West Indies, who were forever protesting against both the laws to which they were subject and the officials who were sent out from London to govern them. It bore still harder upon the American colonists, who, even in 1768, were in a state of deep- seated ferment. In New York, where the presence of British ships and soldiers was of benefit to commerce, as well as of en- livenment to society, the feeling of resentment was not so deep or general as in the outlying country districts. Thus, as may have been noticed by the reader, New York and the surrounding coun- ties were Tory hotbeds, while in the interior of the State the
William Duer Member of Continental Congress. From a steel engraving
Colonel William Duer From a miniature
Lady Catherine Alexander (Lady Kitty) Wife of Col, Willianı Duer From a miniature
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Royalists were a very small minority. In the northern districts, to which Colonel Duer belonged, the leading families, such as Schuyler, Van Rensselaer, and Livingston, were strongly opposed to existing political conditions. They were not radical or rebel- lious, but merely eager to defend their own rights. Most of them, in fact, were conservative, and were willing to bear many of the ills which seemed to them inseparable from colonial life. As legal and political exactions became more onerous in every part of the colonies, their discontent deepened into opposition and rebellion. In this natural transformation, Colonel Duer moved along with all the rest. His military training, his travels, and his wealth caused him to become prominent, even among the prominent men of his circle.
He was appointed colonel of militia, judge of the county courts, member of the Committee of Safety, a committeeman for drafting the State constitution in the Convention of 1777, delegate to the Continental Congress, 1777-1778, and secretary of the Treasury Board until the formation of the Treasury Department in 1789, when he was made Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. He was a member of the New York Assembly in 1786, and served upon many committees during his long and efficient career. In his na- ture there was a curious difference between his desires and his talents. Ambition prompted him to be a soldier in the field, while circumstance and the bent of his genius kept him as an admin- istrator and civil executive in the background. Not until the close of his life did he realize that he had been a statesman, and not a warrior. Of his ability all his contemporaries speak in terms of high praise. He was quick in conception, fertile in planning, tire- less in execution, and broad and liberal in judgment. He took no part in the intrigues of the time, but devoted himself to the service of the people. When he died, in 1799, the event produced univer- sal sorrow. He married, in 1779, Lady Catharine Alexander, daughter of Major-General William Alexander, Lord Stirling. As her father was a Scotch peer, Mrs. Duer was Lady Catharine, or Lady Kitty, Duer, and under this title was frequently referred to in the literature of the early republic. To her distinguished
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parentage she added the attractions of rare tact, great beauty, and many accomplishments. The union was very happy. There were eight children, three sons and five daughters.
Of the latter, Frances [1785] married Beverly Robinson; Sarah Henrietta [1786] married John Witherspoon Smith; Maria Theodora [1789] married Beverly Chew; Henrietta Elizabeth [1790] mar-
William ried Morris Robinson. The three sons grew up and
Alexander, played prominent parts in the history of the metropolis.
Scholar The eldest, William Alexander [1780], seems to have inherited his father's restlessness and executive ability. He was a very bright boy, and made remarkable progress in his studies. Suddenly he developed a love for the sea, and induced his father to secure an appointment for him in the United States navy. He was one of the first midshipmen, and during his brief life on ship- board gave every promise of becoming a brilliant naval officer, but the routine of nautical life wearied him, and, to the surprise and against the protests of his shipmates, he resigned and took up the study of the law. Here he was notably successful. Among his other achievements, he assisted Edward Livingston in the com- position of the famous Louisiana code. In 1829, he accepted the Presidency of Columbia College, which he held thirteen years. As an educator, he holds high rank. One official action shows him to have been sixty years ahead of his time. He perceived the coming importance of science, and established in 1830 a scientific course which omitted the classics. This created a storm of protest from the pedagogues of the time, and, after a brief trial, public opinion proved too strong for the President's position. The course was abolished, only to be revived in Columbia, Harvard, and other universities at the end of the century. He married Hannah Maria Denning, daughter of William Denning.
John [1782], better known as Judge John, was the scholar and jurist of the family. Although a devotee of books, he did not
neglect his public duties, and was always ready to take Judge John part in affairs of importance to the State. He was a leading member of the State Constitutional Convention of 1821, and did much toward the framing of the State charter. He served
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as Assistant Justice of the Supreme Court of the State, and, in 1857, became its Chief Justice. His judicial opinions are models of legal literature, and have placed him in the same rank with Kent, Livingston, and Walworth. He found time to write and edit many law works, of which several are text-books and authorities to-day. He married Anna Bedford Bunner, daughter of George Bunner.
Alexander [1793], the third son of Colonel William, was a lawyer who had a brief but brilliant career. He was graduated with high honors from Columbia in 1812, and was admitted to the bar in 1813, but died six years afterwards. During this time he displayed great forensic and juristic ability. He married Maria Westcott.
There were twenty children in the third generation, fourteen girls and six boys. Of the former, six reached maturity and mar- ried, and of the latter, four. The married daughters of William Alexander were Frances Maria [1809], who espoused Henry Sheaff Hoyt; Eleanor Jones [1814], George Templar Wilson; Elizabeth Denning [1821], Archibald Gracie King. Of the daughters of Judge John, Anna H. married the Rev. Pierre P. Irving. Of the daughters of Alexander, Catherine A. [1816] mar- ried John Beam, and Henrietta [1818], David Gedney.
William Denning [1812], son of President William Alexander, married Caroline King, daughter of James Gore King. Lieutenant- Commander John King [1818], son of William Alexan- Lieut .- Com- der, was an officer in the United States navy. He mander John married Georgiana Huyler. The other two married sons of this generation were the children ot Judge John. The first, Judge William Duer [1805], was graduated from Judge Columbia in 1824, studied law, and was admitted to William the bar. He was a member of the Assembly from Oswego in 1840, District Attorney from 1845 to 1847, member of Congress from 1847 to 1851, and thereafter United States Consul in Chili. He married his cousin, Lucy Chew, daughter of Beverly Chew. The second son of Judge John was George Wickham, who mar- ried Catherine Robinson, daughter of Beverly Robinson.
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The fourth generation was almost as numerous as the third, there being thirteen sons and five daughters, nine of the former marrying and two of the latter. The two married daughters were Mary, daughter of Lieutenant-Commander John King, who married Charles Du Pont Breck, and Catherine, daughter of Judge William, who married Charles Vincent-Smith. Of the thirteen sons, five were the offspring of William Denning. Edward Alexander mar- ried Anna Van Buren, daughter of John Van Buren, and
James Gore
King, granddaughter of President Martin Van Buren. James
Banker Gore King, a banker and patron of art, was graduated from Columbia [1862], married Elizabeth Mead, daughter of Or-
Lieutenant lando Mead of Albany, and is conspicuous in financial
Rufus King circles. Rufus King was a lieutenant in the United States navy, and died at sea. William Alexander, the fourth son, was graduated from Columbia in 1869, from the Law School in 1871, and is a member of the New York bar. He married Ellen Travers, daughter of William Travers. Denning Il. was graduated from Columbia in 1871, and married Louise Suydam, daughter of Henry Suydam. He is a banker, residing in New Haven, Conn.
Lieutenant-Commander John King Duer had three sons, of whom one, William, married Josephine Clark, daughter of Joseph Clark. Judge William Duer is represented in this generation by John, who was graduated from Columbia in 1859, and from the Columbia Law School in 1861. He married Sarah Du Pont, the daughter of Henry Du Pont. Beverly Chew married Sophia Law- rence Pool. Of the children of George Wickham, John Beverly reached manhood's estate and married Mary Augusta Hamilton.
In the present, or fifth, generation, the family is very well rep- resented. There are thirteen bearing the family name, while the branches include such names as Larocque, Mackay, Van Rens- selaer, Bronson, King, Irving, McCulloh, Whittemore, Jewett, Babcock, Bridgham, Stoney, Relf, Muir, Gause, Labouisse, Eno, de Lucca, Nott, Kennedy, Cleveland-Coxe, and Winship.
From Devon, the home of their race, the Duers have carried the characteristics for which that country has been famous in English annals. Devonshire folk are Saxon stock, in which there
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is a small admixture of Cornish blood. The people are quiet, orderly, thoughtful, and prosperous, but beneath their staid ex- teriors there is a deep love of romance and adventure. It was from Devon that the English sea-kings drew their best captains and fighters. In the fleet which fought with bulldog pertinacity the Invincible Armada and the navies of Holland, there was always a huge contingent from Devon. The poorer classes were smug- glers, and well-to-do buccaneers, privateers, and admirals. This may explain why, although the average Duer is a lawyer, a banker, a merchant, or a diplomat, he is liable at any moment to drop the pen for the sword, or to exchange the office and count- ing-room for the quarter-deck, or even the forecastle. The admixture of the Alexander blood increased the vein of romance which belonged to Devon. Both founders of this American family, Colonel William on the paternal and Major-General Alex- ander, Lord Stirling, on the maternal, were Loyalists by birth and training, but Revolutionists by conviction. The one was willing to sacrifice his family connections at home and his ancestral wealth, the other his titles and privileges, for the abstract idea of justice and right. With such an heredity, it would be a marvel if the descendants did not take to the army and navy whenever the nation called upon the people for aid.
Fish
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slziA notliNICH
Hamilton Fish From a steel engraving
XIII
FISH
LMOST from the first settlement of New England the nomadic instinct asserted itself. From eastern Massa- chusetts there was a steady migration -north, west, and south. It crossed the Sound and invaded Long Island. Among the early leaders in this exodus was Jonathan Fish, who came from Sandwich, Mass., and founded a home in Newtown, L. I., in 1659. Here he rose to be a magistrate and a di- rector of the town's affairs. For three generations the family confined itself to farming, in which all seemed to have been prosperous. In the fourth generation [1728- 1779], Jonathan Fish had broader views and larger ambitions than his ancestors, and entered mercantile Jonathan
life in the city of New York. He was well educated for the times, and possessed enough wealth and family prestige to make him an influential character in the commercial world. He married Eliza- beth Sackett, a woman of heroic mould-talented, public-spirited, and patriotic. She had the courage of her convictions, and was regarded with fear and even, tradition says, antipathy by the Tory element which then predominated in New York society.
There was considerable bitter feeling in those days, and she must undoubtedly have had many unpleasant experiences with
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the ultra-royalists. Time brings retribution, and when the British evacuated New York most of the men and women who had an- tagonized her in the past emigrated on the war-ships from New York to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The virtues of both Colonel husband and wife were transmitted to their son Nicho-
Nicholas las, who was one of the heroes of the Revolutionary army. Born in 1758, he had attended Princeton College and just begun the study of law when war broke out between Great Britain and the colonies. Though a boy in years, he was a man in bravery, shrewdness, common sense, and tremendous will power. He rose rapidly in his career, his first office being aide-de-camp to Brigadier-General John Morin Scott. He fought well in the battle of Long Island, and took an active part in covering the retreat of the American forces. He won laurels at Saratoga, where his reckless daring elicited high praise. He commanded a body of light in- fantry at Monmouth, and was a lieutenant-colonel at the siege of Yorktown. The close of the great struggle found him popular with the army, admired by the officers, and beloved by the gen- erals. He must have had rare tact. The Colonial army, both rank and file, at that time was devoured by jealousy, and few indeed were those who had not as many enemies in the service as friends. The infamous attempt of Gates to ruin Schuyler was merely one of a long series of similar undertakings. Yet out of this fiery furnace Colonel Nicholas Fish seems to have come un- scathed.
The war over, he devoted himself to civil life, and made his mark in municipal, state, and national affairs. He was appointed by Washington Supervisor of the Revenue, at that time one of the highest positions in the Treasury Department. He served effi- ciently as Adjutant-General of the State of New York, and the records of the metropolis show that he was identified with many of the improvements which changed the little country town into a modern city. He retained the friendship of the founders of the republic, among whom his dearest colleague was Alexander Ham- ilton, whose executor he was. It was in honor of the latter that he named his first son, Hamilton. He did not marry until late in
Nicholas Fish From the painting by H. Inman, 1823
The Hamilton Fish Estate, Garrisons, N. Y.
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life, when he wedded, in 1803, Elizabeth Stuyvesant, daughter of Peter Stuyvesant and Margaret Livingston, thus bringing to- gether three of the most distinguished families in the Empire State. He was one of the founders of the famous organization known as the Society of the Cincinnati, and took an active part in its development during his life. Colonel Fish left two sons and three daughters. Of the latter, Susan married Daniel Le Roy. From this union descend the Kings, Frenches, and Dressers. Margaret Ann married Dr. John Neilson, from which union are descended the Howards, Powels, Kings, Barrys, and Armstrongs. Elizabeth Stuyvesant married Dr. Richard Lewis Morris, from whom are descended the Morris, Marshall, and Mordaunt families of to-day. The younger son, Stuyvesant, died in 1834, unmarried.
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