USA > New York > Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and family history of New York, Volume II > Part 7
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which still remains, and which in its day was considered one of the finest in the city, and was for long years the center of social life. We cannot do better than to quote from the diary of Philip Hone, the "Gentleman Mayor," of New York. This relates to
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APEVERETTE &CD ROM
Ray Mansion, 17-19 Broadway.
an entertainment given by Richard Ray, at his house, No. 2 University Place :
"January 23, 1834. This was the most brilliant affair we have seen in a long time. 'Mr. Ray at home Thursday, 23rd instant. Quadrilles at nine o'clock.' The very cards gave promise of quelque chose distinguée. The fashionable world rushed with excited expectation to the gay scene, and none were
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disappointed. Mr. Ray has the finest house in New York, and it is furnished and fitted up in a style of the utmost magnifi- cence-painted ceilings, gilded moulding, rich satin ottomans; curtains in the latest Parisian taste, and splendid mirrors which reflect and multiply all the rays great and small. On this oc- casion the services of all the accomplished artistes were put in requisition ; decorators, cooks and confectioners vied with each other, and each in his vocation seemed to have produced the ne plus ultra; and unlike other entertainments of the kind, the spirit of jealousy and emulation cannot be excited to an incon- venient degree, for as no person possesses such a house, and very few the means to show it off in the same style, it will not be considered incumbent upon others to attempt to rival this splendid fete, and it will be no disgrace to play second fiddle to such a leader."
In the Diary of Philip Hone, constant allusion is made to Robert Ray as one of the gentlemen most frequently met at the dinner parties which were a prominent feature in the social life of those days. Among other things he is mentioned as one of the subscribers to the Marine Pavilion at Rockaway, in 1833, and he was the owner of a box in the Italian Opera. We quote again : "Feb. 9, 1842. I went to Mrs. (Richard) Ray's fancy ball, by special favor, as nobody. It was a beautiful affair. The house and furniture and everything therewith ap- pertaining is new and splendid, the greatest thing by common consent in this city. "The party consisted of about ninety, all (with one or two exceptions) in fancy characters, some of which were magnificent, and others highly characteristic. The scene was extremely brilliant." It will be noted that ninety persons were considered a very large gathering. It doubtless included all the elite of the city.
In what was then the distant suburbs of the city was a traet which in Revolutionary times was the property of John Morin Scott, noted as a patriot and citizen. This tract was bounded east by the "Fitz Roy road," which ran a little east of Vol. II-7
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Eighth Avenue, and extended to the river between Twenty- seventh and Thirty-first streets. It was sold in 1792 to Samuel Franklin and William F. Robinson, and they conveyed the south part of it to Cornelius Ray, who by will left it to his three grandchildren-Mrs. Mary King and Richard and Robert Ray. His heirs gave a large lot on the southeast corner of Twenty-
Ray Mansion, 9th Ave. and 28th St.
eighth street and Ninth Avenue, and upon it was erected in 1846 the Church of the Holy Apostles. Upon the opposite cor- ner Robert Ray built, in 1846, a family mansion, which was extremely magnificent in its time. We quote again from the Diary of Philip Hone:
"Jan. 28, 1847. My children called to take Mr. Russell and me from Mr. Spofford's dinner to a party at Mr. Robert
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Ray's, away up at the corner of Twenty-eighth street and Ninth Avenue. The house is one of those places which have lately sprung up in places where a few years since cattle grazed and orchards dropped their ripened fruit. This magnificent abode of earthly luxury, now the town residence of my good friend Mr. Ray, stands on the very spot where his father's garden, away out of town, flourished, long since my hair turned gray. This was the party of the season. Every luxury was supplied in abundance, and with good taste, to all the elegant women and fashionable gentlemen about town. Every room was filled, and even I (somewhat antiquated and not much given of late to party going) partook largely of the general enjoyment of Mr. and Mrs. Ray's first party in their new house in Fitz Ray place."
A person who recollects the time says: "I remember well when the Ray family used to ride into the city to attend Grace Church. They came in a coach which was then exceedingly stylish, but would now be considered lumbering and antiquated. It was furnished with iron steps which folded up. It was the duty of the footman to step down and unfold, or let down the iron steps and assist the family to alight." The family mansion and surrounding grounds were known as "Strawberry Hill." This hill was subsequently cut down, and the material used in filling up the water lots, below the high water line, which was about two hundred and fifty feet west of Tenth Avenue. The mansion itself gave way to the march of progress, and was torn down in 1893, and a business building far larger and more expensive now stands in its place.
The Ray Mansion, No. 17-19 Broadway, was built about 1830. The two lions on each side of the entrance are a con- spicuous feature, and give it the popular name of "The House of the Lions." A picture of the house made in 1848 shows the building precisely as at present, excepting that it was originally four stories in height; two more were added in later years.
Among the property given by Nathaniel Prime to his daugh- ter, Cornelia Ray, was the northwest corner of Broadway and
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Spring street. In 1853 was erected on this lot the Prescott House, named in honor of the famous historian, who was an intimate friend of Robert Ray. This was for many years one of the most noted hotels in the city. In 1888 it was changed into an office building, though the external appearance remains un- changed.
FISH FAMILY.
Few families have been more prominent in the history of the state and nation than the one which bears this honored name. It is of Saxon origin and in the tables of German nobility dates from a remote era. At what date they removed to England is unknown. Among the early settlers in New England were Nathaniel, John and Jonathan Fish, who at first resided at Lynn, Massachusetts, the same place which in 1640 sent out a colony that founded Southampton, the oldest English town in the State of New York. In 1637 they removed to Sandwich, on Cape Cod, where some of the family remained.
As early as 1659 Jonathan Fish joined in the settlement of Middleburg, or Newtown, Long Island. He was evidently a man of character and influence, and for several years he served in the magistracy. His name very frequently occurs in the rec- ords of the town in an official capacity. He was also the owner of a twenty shilling right in the town lands, which gave him many acres in the various divisions of the undivided lands. This right descended to his sons Nathan and Samuel. He died in or about 1663, leaving a widow, Mary, and three sons-John, Samuel and Nathan-who were all patentees of Newtown in 1686. Of these sons, Samuel died in 1700 without issue. John appears to have emigrated to New Jersey, while Nathan remained in Newtown and was the progenitor of all the families of the name.
The life of Nathan Fish was that of an honest and respect- able yeoman, and an honored citizen of the town and county.
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He died of dropsy at an advanced age, August 1, 1734. He left a family of fourteen children: 1. Jonathan, born October 11, 1680. 2. Nathan, born September 13, 1686; died without issue, January 11, 1732. 3. Mary, born September 4, 1687; married Daniel Betts. 4. Samuel, born April 15, 1689. 5. John, born February 25, 1691. 6. Thomas, born May 28, 1693. 7. Susan- nah, born December 28, 1695; married Edward Howard. 8-9. Ambrose and Benjamin, twins, born May 12, 1697. 10. Sarah, born March 28, 1699; married Abraham Kip. 11. Nathaniel, born December 18, 1700. 12. Hannah, born January 18, 1703; died unmarried, October 13, 1741. 13. Temperance, born November 30, 1705; married Joseph Woodward. 14. Elna- than, born July 27. 1708.
Of these sons, John married Elizabeth, daughter of Will- iam Hallett. He had two daughters: Sarah, who married Lieu- tenant Samuel Moore (the grandfather of Clement Clarke Moore, the famous author of the "Night Before Christmas") ; and Elizabeth, who married John Greenoak. Thomas married Elizabeth Kip. in 1717. Ambrose married Elizabeth Lawrence, 1728. Benjamin married Sarah, daughter of Joseph Moore, and removed to New Jersey, where he has many descendants. Elna- than settled in Flatbush, and was the progenitor of a long line of descendants. Nathaniel remained in Newtown, and died in 1769, leaving a large family.
Samuel Fish (son of Nathan) married, in 1712, Ruth, widow of John Berrien. She died February 28, 1763. He then mar- ried Mercy Bailey, who survived him. He was the owner of an extensive farm and a mill in Newtown. For twenty-three years he was the supervisor of the town, and was also a mag- istrate and elder in the Presbyterian church. He died JJuly 9, 1767. at the age of seventy-eight. His children were: Ruth,
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Elizabeth and John. The last had a son, Samuel, born May 11, 1752, and died unmarried in 1834.
The branch of the family which claims our especial atten- tion is descended from Jonathan Fish, the eldest son of Nathan. Jonathan Fish became the owner of the ancestral homestead and considerable land in Newtown. His house was in after years a noted inn, and is often mentioned as the "corner house." The ground on which the Presbyterian Church stands was pre- sented by him. For fifteen years he was town clerk. He died in November, 1723, aged forty-three. His wife, Mary, survived him. He had seven children. but only two appear to have arrived at maturity. Samuel. born November 24, 1704, and Jane, born May 26, 1721. She married Charles Palmer.
Samuel Fish, generally known as "Captain," inherited the paternal mansion, the "corner house," where he kept an inn during his life, and was a useful public man. He married, June 21, 1727, Agnes, daughter of John Berrien. After her decease he married, April 22, 1748, Abigail, daughter of Edward How- ard. He married a third time, Anna Betts, who survived him. He died August 27, 1767. He was the father of fifteen children, of whom eight reached maturity. They were: 1. Jonathan, born May 11, 1728. 2. Ruth, born May 7, 1730; married Rich- ard Betts. 3. Samuel, born April 13, 1734. 4. Mary, born July 19, 1736; married Samuel Renne. 5. Sarah, born Febru- ary 24, 1739; married William Sackett. 6. Richard, born Aug- ust 9, 1743. 7. Abigail, born August 27, 1749; married Johanes Lott. 8. Elizabeth, born August 24, 1753; married James Bonney.
Of these children, Richard commanded a merchant vessel, and was captured by the British at the beginning of the Revo- Intion, and was sent as a prisoner to England. He was finally liberated, but died on his return voyage. His children were:
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Whitehead Fish, who was cashier of the Manhattan and Mechan- ies Banks; and Sarah B., who married Thomas Cadle, a New York merchant.
Jonathan Fish, the oldest child of this family, married Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph Sackett. She died April 9, 1778. in her forty-ninth year. He then married Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Whitehead. Although he was a land owner in New- town, with a residence in the village, he was for a portion of his life a merchant in New York. He died December 26, 1779. in his fifty-third year. His widow died October 26, 1798, aged seventy-two. He left two children: Sarah, who married Ter- rence Riley, October 22, 1755; and Nicholas.
Colonel Nicholas Fish was one of the most distinguished officers of the Revolution. At the beginning of the war he was studying law under the distinguished John Morin Scott. He entered the army with the grade of major, and rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He was in the battle of Long Island, was wounded at Monmouth, and participated in many other engagements, and shared in the capture of Burgoyne at Sara- toga, and of Cornwallis at Yorktown. He enjoyed the confidence of General Washington. After the restoration of peace he con- tinned for a few years in the army, and was subsequently Adju- tant General of the State of New York, and held many civil 20 offices. He died June 34, 1833, after an honored and useful life.
Colonel Fish married, April 30, 1803, Elizabeth, daughter of Petrus Stuyvesant, a descendant of the famous Governor of New Amsterdam. Their children were: Susan Elizabeth, born July 25, 1805, married Daniel Le Roy; Margaret Ann, born February 11. 1807, married John Neilson, Jr .; Hamilton, born August 3, 1808; Elizabeth Sarah, born May 25, 1810, mar-
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ried Dr. Richard E. Morris; and Petrus Stuyvesant, born May 13, 1813, died November 7, 1834.
Hamilton Fish, famous in the annals of the country, enjoyed from his earliest childhood all the advantages that wealth, social position and education could bestow. Entering Columbia University, he was graduated in 1827, being then in his nine- teenth year. Adopting the profession of law, he was admitted to the bar in 1830; his life, however, was devoted to politics rather than to law.
Attached to the Whig party he received their nomination as member of Assembly, but the strong Democratie majority in his district caused his defeat. In 1842 he was elected to Con- gress from the Sixth New York District. In 1846 he was nom- inated for the office of Lieutenant Governor of the State, with Hon. John Young as candidate for Governor. Although Mr. Young was elected, Mr. Fish was defeated, owing to the oppo- sition of the Anti-Renters, whose plans he most emphatically condemned. His competitor, Addison Gardner, soon resigned his office to accept the position of Judge of the Court of Appeals and Mr. Fish was elected in his room. In 1848 he was elected Governor by a plurality of one hundred thousand. Joining the Republican party, his best efforts were devoted to its interests and advancement, and in 1851 he was chosen United States Sen- ator. At the conclusion of his term in 1857 he made an extended tour of Europe.
The outbreak of the Civil War found him one of the strong- est supporters of the Union cause, and his labors were as un- sparing as his influence was commanding. In 1862 he was ap- pointed one of a commission to visit the Union prisoners con- fined in Richmond, with a view to obtaining an exchange, which was eventually successful. He was also chairman of the Union Defence Committee. In 1869 he was selected by President
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Grant to hold the high position of Secretary of State, and held this office till the accession of President Hayes, in 1877. It was through his skillful and untiring efforts that a peaceful set- tlement was made of the Alabama Claims, and war averted between two of the greatest nations on the globe. The Revolu- tionary services of his distinguished father made him worthy of the office of president of the Order of the Cincinnati, to which he was elected in 1854. He was also president of the New York Historical Society and of the Union League. After a long and extremely active and useful life, Mr. Fish passed away from earthly cares on September 7, 1893, leaving behind him the memory of a patriotic citizen and an upright and honorable man.
The city residence of Mr. Fish was an elegant mansion on the northwest corner of Second Avenue and Seventeenth street. This was destroyed several years since, and the Maternity Hos- pital now stands in its place. His country residence was at Garrison, in Putnam county. A part of his estate there embraced the famous Beverly House, which was occupied by Benedict Arnold at the time of the detection of his nefarious plans, and from which he made an ignominious and hasty retreat, never to return.
It remains to add a few words concerning the distinguished children of Hamilton Fish:
Hamilton Fish, Jr., was born in Albany, April 17, 1849, and with his honored father made a tour of Europe in 1857. In 1869 he was graduated from Columbia University, and acted as private secretary to his father till 1871. Entering the Law School, he graduated in 1873, and for one year served as aide- de-camp to Governor John A. Dix. Elected as member of the Legislature in 1874, he served until 1879 as representative from Putnam county, and for a portion of the time was Speaker of the Assembly. In 1906 he was appointed by President Roose-
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velt, Assistant United States Treasurer in the City of New York, and stills holds that responsible position.
Of Stuyvesant Fish it may be said that his business life is the history of the Illinois Central Railroad. Although a grad- uate of Columbia, he adopted no profession, but his whole time has been devoted to the interests and advancement of the rail- road company, of which he has been president for many years, and to him is justly due its remarkable success. It may be said in few words that he is an example of what a man can accom- plish who bends his time and energies and talents to one par- ticular thing. Mr. Fish was president of the American Rail- way Association, 1904-6, and chairman at the Seventh Session of the International Railway Congress, held at Washington, D. C., May, 1905.
Beverly House, a part of the country seat of Hon. Hamil- ton Fish, at Garrison, New York, may justly be considered as one of the historic homes of the State. It was built about 1750 by Colonel Beverly Robinson, who married Susannah Philipse. daughter of Frederick Philipse, Lord of the Manor of Phillips- burgh, and owner of the great Patent in the Highlands, granted to Adolph Philipse, and which fell to his brother Frederick. In the division of this vast estate, which includes almost the whole of Putnam county, Lot No. 1 (which is a tract four miles square in the southwest corner of the county) fell to Mrs. Susan- nah Robinson. After the Revolution it was confiscated and sold. Colonel Robinson was an officer in the British army, and fought under Wolfe on the Plains of Abraham, and during the Revolution he was one of the most active of loyalists. When he abandoned this residence it was used for a while as a mil- itary hospital. When Arnold was in command of West Point he made this house his headquarters, and it is closely connected with one of the most important episodes of our Revolutionary
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history. From this house a footpath, crossing a small brook, led down to a landing known as "Beverly Dock," on the river shore. It was down this footpath that the traitor made his flight to the barge which bore him beyond the chance of capture. After this it was for some time the headquarters of General Putnam, also of General Samuel Holden Parsons, and for a while it was the home of Dr. Dwight, then a chaplain in the Continental Army, and afterwards the President of Yale Col- lege. It was here that Colonel Humphreys, a brave soldier, and appointed by Washington to carry to Congress the stand- ards captured at Yorktown, composed his famous hymnn,
"Columbia, Columbia, to glory arise,
The queen of the world and the child of the skies."
The place remained until very recent years, and was the home of Richard D. Arden and his son, Lieutenant Thomas Arden. It was purchased by Hon. Hamilton Fish, and was destroyed by fire in 1870.
THE FAMILY OF BEDLOW.
It is a somewhat curious fact that this family, one of the oldest of the "Knickerbocker race," has never had more than two representatives in "the male line at any period in the his- tory of the city."
The American ancestor of this family was Isaac Bedloo (as the name is spelled in our earliest records). The first men- tion of him is in the year 1653, at which time he had a contro- versy with Joost Goderus, though it is possible that he was here a few years previous. From the first he seems to have been a prominent citizen, and his position in the society of that time and the respect paid to his judgment is shown by the fact that he was frequently appointed referee to decide upon the merits of complaints made to the courts of that time. In
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a record of 1660 he is mentioned as "Sieur Isaac Bedloo." The family appears to have been of French origin, and one branch went to Holland and another to Ireland at a very early date. They were doubtless among the French Huguenots who left their native country long before the great migration that fol- lowed the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The arms of
MYNHOOPE OM HOUGH
De Belle Eau
1632
Belide Leau
BID-LOO
the family, of which a representation is here given, are: Argent, a fess wavy, azure, between a castle sable in chief, and the let- ters B. L. is base of the first. Crest, a pair of arms embowed habited purpure holding in pale an anchor, or.
Isaac Bedloo was alderman in 1668-70-71, and was nomin- ated for captain of the Third Militia Company, January 23, 1672, and the same year was appointed overseer of the road to Harlem. That he was a man of some means is shown by
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his various purchases of houses and lots at an early date. We give the following abstracts as illustrating our early records : "Nov. 12, 1661, Rutger Jacobsen sells to Johanes Without. a house and lot north of Hoogh Straat, at present occupied by Mrs. Isaac Bedloo. Bounded west by a certain little lane, and east by the house and lot of Thomas Wandell." This is on the north side of Stone street, next east of "Jews Alley."
In 1669 he owned two houses "on the Strand next the great house of Cornelius Van Thienhoven." This is now No. 31-33 Pearl street. On March 7, 1670, he purchased from Johanes Van Brugh and Asser Levy "a house and lot east of the Marck- velt, south of Anthony De Milt, west of Claas Van Elslandt, and north of the Marekvelt Steegh." The north corner of the Produce Exchange stands on this lot. On April 7, 1668, he purchased of Jacob Leendrse Vandergrist, one-fifth of "a tract of land on the Island Manhattan north of the Great Kreek, or Kill." This is now in the vicinity of Forty-seventh street, next Hudson river. On June 17, 1669, he purchased of Augustine Hermans, "a certain house lot on the west side of Smith street and on the north side of Princess street." This lot was about sixty feet wide, and is now on the northwest corner of Will- iam and Beaver streets. On August 15, 1669, he bought from David Anderson three-fourth of "the frigate heretofore called the 'Expedition,' but now the 'Jaen.' " Isaac Bedloo died intes- tate, February, 1673. For many years he had acted as factor or confidential agent for Governor Francis Lovelace, and had been intrusted by him "with great sums of money and consid- erable quantities of goods." His wife was Elizabeth De Potter, who afterwards married Peter DeLancy, April 22, 1680. He left five children: Isaac, baptized January 11, 1662; Pieter. baptized January 31, 1667; Sara, married Jan Sackerly, and after his death married Claas Burger; Maria, married Joseph
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Smith; and Catherine, wife of Thomas Hawarden, who was afterward the second wife of Dr. Samuel Staats. A part of the estate of Isaac Bedloo was the island known until very recent years as "Bedlow's Island," and now conspicuous as bear- ing the famous "Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World." At what time he became the owner is unknown, but probably about 1665. On March 10, 1708-09, the rest of the heirs sold their shares of the Island to their sister, Maria Smith. Her assigns sold it to Archibald Kennedy in 1746. In the former deed it is described as "lying South west from Fort Anne."
The dwelling house of Isaac Bedloo at the time of his death was on the north side of Pearl street, opposite Moore street. His widow sold it to Peter De Lanoy in 1675. It is described as "at the water side near the weigh house and Great Bridge of this city."
Pieter Bedloo, the second son, married Maria Nazereth, and left two children : William, baptized December 12, 1722, and Maria.
William Bedlow, who was among the first to spell the name in its present form, was a man of importance in his day, and was postmaster in New York in 1784. He married Catharine, daughter of Hendrick Rutgers, August 12, 1749. He had chil- dren : Petrus, William and Henry.
Henry Bedlow married Julia Halsey, a member of one of the oldest Long Island families. Their children were: Catha- rine R., married Luke Lincoln; Julia B., died young; Maria T., married William A. Beecher (a cousin of Rev. Henry Ward Beecher) ; Theresa T., wife of De Ferrier; Edward, died un- married; Henry, Alfred, and Harriette, married Frederick Arm- strong.
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