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. II > Part 9
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Other distinguished members of the family were Henry Au- gustus [1840], a brilliant scholar, who was graduated from Columbia (1861), and took the degrees of A.M. (1863) and LL.B. Henry (1867); Dr. Burr, who was graduated from the College Augustus
of Physicians and Surgeons in 1863; William Barnewell, who was graduated from Columbia in 1863; Bruce, who was graduated from Columbia in 1833; Daniel C., who was graduated from Columbia in 1824; and Judge Cornelius, who was graduated from the same institution in 1806, and practised law for many years in this State.
The women of this race have been noted for their social graces. Nearly all married well and enjoyed long and happy wedded lives. In every generation they have been at the very head of New York society, and in the present decade they still wield that sovereignty in the person of Mrs. William Astor. They have been women of deep religious sentiments, and have been identified with church work in all of its forms. They have written their names indelibly upon the pages of philanthropy in the history of the metropolis.
The family typifies the growth of the Empire State. Its early members were active in the opening of the primeval forest-lands and thereafter in the development of travel and traffic. They were among the first to establish the higher education in New York, and have ever since been closely connected with its college and university life. In the present century they have aided gener- ously in the formation and support of learned bodies and semi- educational institutions. They have never sought office, and of all the old families of the State, they have been the most reserved. This reserve has not been that of selfish isolation, but has, on the contrary, been accompanied by an ideally democratic conduct. They have looked after the welfare of their neighbors and
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fellow-citizens, and have in every generation increased the pros- perity of the community.
From the earliest time they perceived the maritime importance of New York. They realized that the possession of the Hudson, the Sound, the Kills, and Newark Bay involved a mine of inex- haustible wealth to Manhattan Island. They were advocates of the Erie and Champlain Canal, the Morris and Essex, the Delaware and Raritan, and of the harbor improvements which have been going on for more than a century. They took part in the develop- ment of coastwise and river navigation, and laid the foundation for many mercantile enterprises between New York and the coast cities of the Atlantic. It was this clear statesmanlike view which enabled them to take advantage of opportunities unperceived by others, and to accumulate that wealth which is usually the reward of intelligence and determined effort. The name Schermerhorn bears the same relation to the coastwise shipping of New York that the names of Astor, Low, and Grinnell do to its huge ocean traffic.
Schuyler
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سمععبد
ofmusis2 qiliq Jpronusd UndmitT vd guitning soit mort
General Philip Schuyler From the painting by Trumbull
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SCHUYLER
WO hundred and fifty years ago (1651) a handsome young Dutchman, Philip Pietersen Van Schuyler, Philip came across the seas from Pietersen
Holland and settled in the town of Rensselaerswyck, known to-day as Albany. He represented the finest type of Dutch manhood, being brave, intelligent, energetic, and religious. He was a pioneer in the best sense of the word, and in addition was a commander of men and an organizer of industry. He was a successful farmer, acquiring an estate which enriched his descendants for many generations. He was eminent as a public leader, preserving friendly relations with the Indians, directing the conquest of the wilderness, and aiding newly arrived immigrants to obtain a foothold in the valleys of the Hudson and the Mohawk. He married Margherita Van Schlich- tenhorst soon after his arrival, and had a numerous family, all of whom inherited his health and physical and mental strength.
Of his children, Pieter, the oldest son, was the most conspicu- ous. With Dutch thrift, he circulated a petition, presented it in per- son, and obtained a royal charter in 1688 for the city, Pieter under the new name of Albany. Incidentally with the incorporation, came his appointment as Mayor. The mayoralty
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was more important in colonial days than at the present time. It had military and legal as well as executive obligations, and in general jurisdiction was almost the equal of the governorship. On account of the exigencies of the time, the Mayor was the In- dian Commissioner or Agent. He was popular among the red men, who named him "Quedor," a sobriquet by which he was well-known in northern New York.
In 1689, the war broke out between England and France, affording the doughty Mayor the opportunity of proving himself as brilliant a soldier as he was a statesman. From this period up to his death, in 1724, his life was one of the chief glories of New York. He was indefatigable; he kept his own property well in hand, organized the people of northern New York into military companies, established forts at strategic points, led several expedi- tions into Canada, then an appendage to the French Crown, made treaties with the Puritan colonies in New England, and alliances with the Indian tribes in the Empire State. When affairs were looking dark for the colony, he took a delegation of Indian chiefs across the sea and presented them to Queen Anne. It is hard to say which produced the greatest sensation at the English capital -the handsome Dutch Mayor or the stalwart sagamores. They were entertained in the most lavish style of old-fashioned hospitality, which, according to old historians, nearly ruined the Honorable Pieter's digestion and half demoralized his redskin colleagues. But it had the effect desired. When the chiefs returned laden with clothing, jewels, arms, toys, watches, and baubles they created such a furor among the Iroquois that from that time on the Mayor had no difficulty in gathering an Indian army whenever needful. The historians of the time are singu- larly unanimous-the English, Canadians, and Americans pro- nouncing Pieter the best soldier and statesman of his period, while the French chroniclers refer to him as the most ferocious and bloodthirsty enemy of the King of France. The fame of Pieter has obscured his brothers, Brandt, Arent, and John, who were gal- lant officers and public-spirited citizens, the latter also having been Mayor of Albany. Pieter might have had a title had he so desired,
Philip Jeremiah Schuyler From an oil painting
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Mrs. Philip Jeremiah Schuyler (Mary Anna Sawyer) From an oil painting
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but when knighthood was offered him by Queen Anne he refused the honor. He explained his declination on two grounds: first, that it might humble his brothers, who were just as good men as he; and, second, that it might make the women of his family vain. Pieter's bravery came as much from his mother as his father. The former, Margherita Van Schlichtenhorst, was living in the fort at Albany when a party of soldiers came to seize the place. The Colonel, her son, was away at the time, and the men attached to the house were at their wit's ends; but the woman was equal to the emergency. She summoned the men, called them to arms, and drove out the assailants.
In the third generation, the most conspicuous figure was that of Colonel Philip, Jr., Pieter's oldest son. According to his tomb- stone, he was " a gentleman improved in several public employ- ments." He was a capable soldier, a shrewd statesman, and a good business man. He married his cousin, Margaret Schuyler (1701-1782), whose many graces have been recorded in Mrs. Grant of Laggan's interesting book, Memoirs of an American Lady.
From Arent, Philip Pietersen's third son, are descended the Schuylers of northern New Jersey, where many still own large estates along the Passaic River. To this branch belongs Colonel Pieter, son of Arent, the gallant commander of the "Jersey Blues " during the " Old French War," who will be remembered for his humanity and generosity while in Canada toward the captives of the French and Indians whom he rescued or ransomed, as well as toward the prisoners he himself made.
The fourth generation brings upon the boards the greatest of the family, Major-General Philip Schuyler, who was born in 1733, and died in 1804. He was a man who could have suc- Major-Gen. ceeded in any calling, so well rounded was his mental Philip and moral equipment. Webster pronounced him second only to Washington among the great Revolutionary heroes. At the breaking out of the Revolution, he was practically the head of the Schuyler family. He had wealth, power, and culture; he held a commission under the British Crown, and could, had he so de- sired, received knighthood. His interests were bound up in the VOL. II .- 9.
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English cause, and to espouse the cause of the colonies seemed to mean ruin. He was an aristocrat by birth, breeding, and associa- tion. Nevertheless, when the conflict came he threw up his com- mission and gave himself to the Revolutionary cause. His career during the seven years' war is known to every one, and it is gen- erally conceded that it was his genius which won the battle of Saratoga. After the Revolution, he took an active part in public affairs, serving as a delegate to the Continental Congress, and as a United States Senator.
General Schuyler was not covetous of public office. From boyhood he was marked by an equanimity seldom found among the children of the wealthy. He was generous to a fault. Under the law of primogeniture, which then prevailed, he was entitled to the major part of the paternal estate. He refused to accept it, however, and shared the patrimony with his brothers and sisters. The first half of the eighteenth century was not an age when edu- cation flourished. Conviviality and social pleasures engrossed the attention of the higher classes, but young Schuyler made himself conspicuous even then by his studious habits. In this determina- tion he was greatly aided by his mother, Cornelia Van Cortlandt. He was a fluent French scholar, had a good knowledge of Dutch, German, and Latin, excelled in mathematics, and was more than proficient in civil and military engineering.
The first recognition of his ability came when he was a young man. The Commissary Department of the British Army was in a muddled condition, and Lord Viscount Howe, the commander, selected young Schuyler to take charge of an important branch of the work. There was a protest from many officers, who resented the placing over them of what they called a boy. Lord Howe is said to have replied that he did not like to appoint a boy, but when a boy was the only one who could do the work prop- erly, he had to appoint him. It was just before this time, September 17, 1755, that Philip Schuyler married Catherine Van Rensselaer, a noted beauty of the period, daughter of Colonel John Van Rensselaer. The choice was a happy one, as the wife possessed the determination and heroism of the husband. Her daughter
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wrote concerning her: "Perhaps I may relate of my mother, as a judicious act of her kindness, that she not infrequently sent a milch cow to persons in poverty. When the Continental Army was retreating before Burgoyne, she drove in her chariot with four horses to Saratoga to remove her household articles. While there, she received directions from General Schuyler to set fire to his extensive fields of wheat-which she did with her own hands-and to induce his tenants and others to do the same, rather than suffer them to be reaped by the enemy. She also sent her horses on for the use of the army, and returned to Albany on a sled drawn by oxen."
Of Philip's chivalry, the best witness was his adversary, Gen- eral Burgoyne. This British commander in the House of Commons delivered a speech in which he held General Schuyler up to the admiration of Parliament. He said: "By orders a very good dwelling-house, exceeding large storehouses, great sawmills, and other outbuildings, to the value altogether of perhaps ten thousand pounds, belonging to Gen. Schuyler at Saratoga, were destroyed by fire a few days before the surrender. One of the first persons I saw after the convention was signed was General Schuyler, and when I expressed to him my regret at the event which had happened to his property, he desired me to think no more of it, and said that the occasion justified it according to the rules and principles of war. He did more: he sent an aide-de-camp to con- duct me to Albany, in order, as he expressed it, to procure better quarters than a stranger might be able to find. That gentleman conducted me to a very elegant house, and to my great surprise presented me to Mrs. Schuyler and her family. In that house I remained during my whole stay in Albany, with a table with more than twenty covers for me and my friends, and every other pos- sible demonstration of hospitality."
This home in Albany saw all the great men and women of the land. The library contained the best collection of books in the colony. This room, or den, as the owner called it, was a favorite resort of Aaron Burr, who went there, when a member of the Legislature at Albany, to prepare his cases and write his orations.
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There he met the daughter of General Schuyler, whom he was to make a widow by shooting her husband, Alexander Hamilton. General Schuyler displayed great political wisdom and statesman- ship during his term in the Senate.
Of General Schuyler's children, eight reached maturity and married. Only one took part in public affairs-Philip J. Schuyler,
who was a Representative in Congress from Dutchess Philip J. County and a valued citizen. The other seven exer- cised great social influence in the latter part of the eighteenth century and the early part of the nineteenth. Angelica married Jolın Barker Church; Elizabeth, Alexander Hamilton; Margarita, Stephen Van Rensselaer, the Patroon; John B., Elizabeth Van Rensselaer, the daughter of the Patroon; Rensselaer, Elizabeth Ten Broeck; Cornelia, Washington Morton; and Catherine, who will be long remembered as the godchild of Washington, married Samuel Bayard Malcolm, and, upon the latter's death, James Cochran. Six of the eight marriages proved fruitful, though in nearly every instance there was a preponderance of female over male descendants. This is seen in the small number of those who bear the General's name, and the very large number of those who carry his blood in their veins. Among the names which now repre- sent this branch of the house are Ogden, Harison, Baxter, Bolton, Chambers, De Luze, Seabury, Peck, Morton, Van Rensselaer, Nolan, Douw, Thayer, Robb, Andrews, Berry, Townsend, Barber, Crosby, Hamilton, Church, Cruger, Pell, and Glover.
The oldest son of General Philip was John Bradstreet [1763], who was a distinguished engineer, and who died (1795) from a fever contracted while engaged in the construction of a water- way from Schenectady to Lake Ontario. He inherited the Sara- toga estate. His wife was Elizabeth, daughter of Stephen Van Rensselaer.
Philip of Saratoga [1788], son of John Bradstreet, was gradu- ated from Columbia in 1806 and immediately afterward began a brilliant career. He was a canal advocate and secured the con- struction of the great canal-basin at Schuylerville. He established at the latter place the second cotton-mill in New York State. He
Philip Schuyler From a miniature
Grace Hunter Wife of Philip Schuyler. From a miniature
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served in the New York Assembly (1822) and made an excellent United States Consul at Liverpool. He married Grace, sister of Hon. John Hunter. His life was noted for its generosity and hospi- tality. At his first home in Schuylerville, and his second and last, at Pelham-on-the-Sound, he entertained with princely liberality. He was enthusiastic in his love of humanity, giving all the time he could to church work and charity.
John [1825], son of Philip of Saratoga, was educated at the New York University and became a civil engineer. In this profes- sion he rose to the highest rank, and became an authority on railway construction and bridge-building. He was a member of the Order of the Cincinnati, where he was elected progressively sec- retary, general treasurer, and vice-president. His chief relaxation was the study of astronomy and Egyptology, in both of which sciences he was a distinguished expert. He died unmarried in 1895.
Philip Jeremiah [1768], second son of General Philip, settled in Rhinebeck, where he attained great prominence. He served in the Assembly and held many responsible offices. He married Sarah Rutzen, and, after her death, Mary Anna Sawyer.
George Lee [1811], son of Philip Jeremiah, was born in Rhine- beck and came to New York early in his career, where he became a civil engineer of high repute. He was one of the organizers of the modern system of transportation upon the Hudson River and Long Island Sound, and shares with Stevens, Astor, and Stock- holm the credit of having developed, if not created, that system which has been so potent in increasing the wealth of the Metropolis.
He was a stanch supporter of the Union during the Civil War, and served as an aide-de-camp with rank of Colonel on the staff of General Wool, as agent for the Union Defence Committee and as agent for the Federal Government. He enjoyed considera- ble reputation as a writer and historical student. He was married twice, both wives being grand-daughters of Alexander Hamilton. He was active in club life, having been a member of the Union, Knickerbocker, and New York Yacht Clubs. He was probably best known to the public as one of the original owners, with J.
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C. Stevens, E. A. Stevens, Hamilton Wilkes, and J. Beekman Finley, of the America's Cup. In 1882, he was the sole survivor of that famous group of yachtsmen.
In 1887, he was the referee in the international race between the Volunteer and the Thistle. He had one son, Philip, and two daughters, Louisa Lee and Georgina. The present head of this branch is Philip [1836]. He was educated at Harvard (1853) and the University of Berlin (1857). He read law with the late Ben- jamin D. Silliman. He joined the Seventh Regiment N. Y. N. G. in 1859, and at the outbreak of the Rebellion left New York for the defence of Washington. In May, he entered the regular army as lieutenant and became major for gallant and meritorious services. He has been identified with the management of several large local institutions, including the New York Hospital and its Asylum for the Insane at White Plains and the New York Blind Asylum. He is a trustee of the New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundation, and of the Zoological Gardens. He inherits his father's yachting tastes and has been fleet-captain of the New York Yacht Club.
Louisa Lee [1837], daughter of George Lee and Eliza Hamilton holds a high rank in philanthropy and patriotism. At the breaking out of the Civil War she joined the U. S. Sanitary Commission and was one of the chief volunteer workers of the New York Branch during the four years of that great struggle. So closely did she attend to her duties that her health was impaired and she was obliged to pass some time in Europe. In 1872, as a result of her visits among the poor and to institutions for their benefit, she organized the " State Charities Aid Association," which has been so potent a factor in the reforms of institutional work in the Empire State. To this Aid Association she has given her time and labor up to the present date. Her achievements include reports, recommendations, studies upon pauperism, hospitals, asylums, and the care and treatment of the pauper insane. She is especially distinguished for her ability in initiating and further- ing reform measures and for her power of enlisting the sympathy of the community in such undertakings.
Louisa Lee Schuyler
3
The Interior of the Schuyler House on 31st Street
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She accepted the honorary position of representative of New York State on the Woman's Board of the Columbian Exposition at Chicago 1892-93, and in 1900 was chosen an honorary member of the Woman's Board of the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo.
Arent Schuyler, a brother of Pieter, the founder, is the head of a junior branch which has been well represented in official and professional life. In the family itself it has been known Arent as the clerical division, on account of the large num- ber of ministers and writers it contained. To this line belongs the Rev. Dr. Montgomery Schuyler, who was born in New York City in 1814, and who studied at Geneva, now Hobart, and at Union Colleges. After graduating from the latter in 1834, he Rev. practised law, went into mercantile life, and finally Montgomery entered the Protestant Episcopal Church.
He was a rector in Marshall, Mich., Lyons, N. Y., and Buffalo, N. Y. He then went to Christ Church, St. Louis, Mo., where he labored up to his death, in 1896, serving over forty years. When his church was made the cathedral of the diocese, he was chosen dean. He made many valuable contributions to Church literature and ecclesiastical publications.
About his son, the Rev. Louis Sanford Schuyler, is the halo of heroism. He was born at Buffalo in 1852, graduated from Hobart in 1871, entered the ministry in 1874, and, when Rev. Louis the yellow fever broke out in 1878, was the first to Sanford volunteer upon the relief committee, and obtained an assignment at his own request for Memphis, Tenn., where the epidemic was the worst. Here he fought well, but paid the penalty of his philanthropy with his life. Memorial services for him were held in all the Protestant Episcopal churches of the country, as well as in those of other denominations.
The Rev. Dr. Anthony Schuyler, cousin of the Rev. Dr. Montgomery Schuyler, was another distinguished Episcopal divine. After graduation from Hobart College, he Reverend Anthony studied and practised law for ten years. He then took sacred orders, and was admitted to the Protestant Episcopal Church in 1850, at the age of thirty-four. For thirty-two years
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he was rector of Grace Church, Orange, N. J. A ripe scholar and author, he was rewarded by the degrees of D.D. and S.T.D. He died November, 1900.
Montgomery Schuyler [1843], son of the Rev. Dr. Anthony Schuyler, is the well-known editor, writer, and author of New Montgomery York City. He received his education at Hobart Col-
lege, travelled extensively at home and abroad, and has made a special study of American architecture.
Montgomery Schuyler, Jr., son of Montgomery and grandson of Anthony of the Arent line, is a fellow of Columbia University
Mont- and the author of monographs upon early Persian and
gomery II. Sanscrit religions and dramatic literature.
An important branch begins with Captain Philip, fourth son of the founder. He was a stalwart farmer and brave soldier, and was the leading spirit in Old Saratoga and its vicinity. To his energy was due much of the development of that early settle- ment. During King George's War (1744-48) the authorities at Albany gave notice that they could not protect the outlying towns in the event of an invasion by the French and Indians, and advised the settlers to rendezvous at the northern metropolis. Captain Philip refused to leave and fortified his house. Here he remained, and when the French made their attack in 1745 he was one of the many heroes who fought and died at Saratoga in defence of their homes.
Among the descendants of Captain Philip was George Wash- ington Schuyler, his great-grandson, who was born in 1810, and George died at Ithaca, N .. Y., in 1888. He was a graduate of Washington the University of New York. He studied theology, but turned from the pulpit to commerce. In 1863, he was State Treasurer and in 1866 was appointed Superintendent of the Bank- ing Department of New York. He served in the Assembly in 1875 and from 1876 to 1880 was auditor of the Canal Department. He was undoubtedly the first to advocate the abolition of tolls upon the canal and, after many years' agitation, saw his project become the law of the State by the passage of a Constitutional Amendment.
Philip Schuyler From a painting by R. M. Stagg
The Schuyler Home "Nevis," at Tarrytown on the Hudson
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The high talents of George Washington were transmitted to his son, Eugene Schuyler, author and diplomat. He inherited the intense energy of the founders of his race. He was born in 1840, at Ithaca, N. Y., and died in Egypt, Eugene at fifty years of age. He held consular and diplomatic posts no less than ten times, and in all acquitted himself creditably. He was a popular contributor to the magazines of both his own country and England, and made two translations from the Russian of Turgenef and Tolstoy, and one from the Finnish. He wrote a biography of Peter the Great, and was an esteemed member of a dozen learned societies.
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