USA > New York > Putnam County > History of Putnam County, New York : with biographical sketches of its prominent men > Part 56
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71
"His father took the greatest care of his education from the beginning, and well did the boy repay that care. His ideal was the highest. His aim was to do his duty; to please the father for whom he cherished the utmost veneration and love; and indeed that father deserved such affection and reverence; he who watched over and carefully guided him, and who ever held ont a noble future before him, giving him the treasures of his own large and varied experience. The letter, which the Hon. Edwards Pierrepont wrote to his son while the latter was at Oxford, explains more eloquently than my poor pen can do, the influence exerted by this devoted fatlier over his promising only son. All who have had the privilege of reading this letter hope
601
TOWN OF PHILIPSTOWN.
it may yet be published in a permanent form, so as to influence other young men with as much success as it did the subject of this memoir.
"Father and son had the fullest confidence in each other; the son's heart lay, an open, unsullied page, before the eyes of his be- loved guide. Happy the father and son so united and so sure of each other. His affection for his mother much endeared him to me; high reverence and deep, fond love ever showed themselves when he mentioned her; in his eyes, voice, and manner one could see how he loved and venerated the one who had guided his young years by that religious light which he never ceased to follow. He was confirmed while at Oxford in the Episcopal Church.
"Early in 1876 the Hon. Edwards Pierrepont, then a member of the Cabinet of President Grant, was sent as Envoy Extra- ordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to England, and Mrs. Pierrepont and the son accompanied him as a matter of course. This change of residence altered the plan which the father had proposed for the education of his son and seemed to change the boy's destiny. His father wished him to be educated at Yale College, where he himself had graduated, and to study law, through which lies the way to political eminence in America. Instead he was placed with a few other boys for private instruc- tion at Holme-Pierrepont Rectory in the charming and religions family of the Rev. Henry Seymour, where he was under the direct tuition of the Rev. H. S. Swithenbank, to whom he al- ways felt deeply indebted. Subsequently he entered Christ Church and graduated at the University of Oxford in June, 1882. Of the eminent Dean of Christ Church he always spoke with reverence and gratitude. Wherever Edward Pierrepont resided he made true and lasting friends, and won all hearts by his cheerful and amiable disposition, his noble heart and his charming manners.
"He seemed to have been endowed with many of the char- acteristics of his eminent and pious ancestor, the Rev. James Pierrepont, of New Haven, one of the founders of Yale College, of whom, in the first volume of Hollister's History of Connecti. cut, published more than thirty years ago, it is said:
"'New Haven was for many years distinguished for the wis- dom and ability of its clergymen; of these, Hooker, Street, and Pierrepont are among the most eminent. James Pierrepont was born at Roxbury, Massachusetts, in 1659, graduated at Har-
602
HISTORY OF PUTNAM COUNTY.
vard in 1681, and was ordained at New Haven in 1686. De- scended from an illustrious family, and gifted to a high degree with intellectual endowments, eloquent speech, a graceful per- son, handsome features, and manners the most courtly and win - ning, he appears to have been from early youth too intently occupied with the mission of saving the souls of his fellow men, ever to think of himself. I suppose, of all the clergymen whose names belong to the early history of New England, Pierrepont was the most lofty and pure in his aspirations, and of the most spiritual temper. With none of the sternness of Davenport, withont the despondency of Wareham, and free from the im- petuous moods that proved such thorns in the pillow of Hooker, his words, like the live coals from the altar in the hand of the angel, touched and purified the lips of those who listened to his teachings.'
"He was of Norman origin and a direct descendant of the Pierrepont family in Nottingham, England. His beautiful daughter, Sarah Pierrepont, became the wife of that eminent divine, the Rev. Jonathan Edwards.
"From a multitude of letters written both in England and America, I copy one written in London by the Rev. H. S. Swithenbank, who was for a long time the boy's tutor, residing in the same house and seeing him at all hours; who witnessed his bravery and pluck in a fight with 'Nottingham roughs,' they having insulted the Reverend friend in whose house Ed- ward was a gnest; who remained an intimate acquaintance, and twice crossed the Atlantic with him while at the University of Oxford, and who knew him so well, and observed his traits of character when life was young and without disguises.
"Mr. Swithenbank writes :
"""The world little knows what it has lost; dear Eddie's nature was one which required to be known. Popular as he was, none loved him as they who knew him; to know him was to love him. Since first I heard of his illness, old times have been coming up before my mind. I shall dwell much and lovingly on that bright life, and I doubt not I shall know and love him more than ever. It is a fact that we do not half value our friends until we lose them, and we do value them then.'
" After taking his degree at Oxford in June, 1882, he spent the summer in travel upon the Continent; returning to New York in the autumn of that year, he entered the law school of
603
TOWN OF PHILIPSTOWN.
Columbia College, under the charge of the eminent Professor Dwight. In May, 1883, he started on a long journey, in com . pany with his father, to the Pacific Coast, and traveled far into Alaska; on his return the house of Geo. Putnam & Sons pub- lished his book, called 'From Fifth Avenue to Alaska,' giving an account of his journey, which lasted four months. This book made him a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. The work, written with so much enthusiasm, with so buoyant a spirit, is filled with valuable information, which will be more and more appreciated. Read that vivid description of his trip to the Hoodoo Mountains, where he was lost for two days, but where his faith shines forth like a bright star, a beacon- light to all young men of the present day, many of whom might not like to own their child-like faith with such simple direct- ness. His kind heart also is shown in the care of his old horse, and his endurance and courage were all supported by true Christian faith. I can never read this description without tears blinding my eyes. The whole scene lies before me like a vision, - that lonely mountain, the wild storm and wind and snow and blinding sleet, and there, alone in that solitude, stands that noble form by his poor old horse, alone with his God! And his prayer was heard and answered. Invisible forms led him into the path of safety; and we can all say with him, with full hearts, 'More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.' His description of the scenery of Alaska, and his account of the savages of that country where there was no gov- ernment or law, the hanging of two men without judicial pro- ceedings, which he witnessed, and his ascent (alone with two Indians) of a high mountain at Bartlett's Cove, which no white man had ever climbed, are admirably told.
*" A manuscript found among his papers at Rome corrobo- rated what he had confided to some of his friends, that he was writing a novel intended to portray the social characteristics and subtle distinctness in the morals and manners of New York, London and Rome.
"I will now go back a few years. While still a student in Oxford he visited us at Bâle, where we then resided. He re- minded me of some rare tropical flower, so graceful and beauti- ful. Some years later, in 1882, he came with his mother to Vevey, where we then resided, and where they remained seven weeks. We saw them daily. In June, 1884, he left the charms
604
HISTORY OF PUTNAM COUNTY.
of London society for our quiet shores, and his father joined him a few weeks later. This was a happy time, scarce one short year ago, and we now recall with sad pleasure those happy months, although my own life was saddened by the severe and fatal illness of my precious mother. Those two dear friends were our consolers, their very presence helped us to bear our grief. Five months Edward Pierrepont remained here, and was with us daily, with the exception of some trips he made to Zer- matt with his father, and to Chamouni, where he ascended Mt. Blanc. Plainly do I see him in his mountain gear, a tall, strong, athletic, graceful youth; no one would have dreamed that he would be the first taken from our midst. Those lovely moonlight evenings on our terrace, where he recited to us with his harmonions voice poems without end, with the starry heav- ens above us, and the grand mountains facing us, their hoary heads reflected in the clear waters of the lake-those evenings will never be forgotten.
"He seemed entirely free from envy and jealousy, and while ambitious of success he enjoyed the success of others, and it was said of 'Young Pierrepont' in Rome, where he was a great favorite in society, that if any young lady of his ac- quaintance was neglected in the ball room he was sure to take her up in the dance, and when, by command of the Queen, he was invited to her Balcony at the Carnival, he would have been glad if his friends could have shared the rare distinction. These traits, blending with his naïve sweetness of temper, a handsome person, alluring manners and a bright and airy spirit, of course made him charming.
"He had full faith that our Great Republic, as its commer- cial relations with the great powers of the world increased, would before long need a diplomatic service as distinct from party politics as that of the legal profession. He chose that career, not unaware of its risks and difficulties, and President Arthur readily furthered his wishes and gave him the place which exactly suited him. He enjoyed his work, and by his diligence and fidelity to his duties so won the approbation of Secretary Frelinghuysen that he took a zealous interest in hav- ing him retained.
"His memory was wonderful; he only needed to read a page over two or three times and he knew it forever. Indeed, in everything he succeeded and excelled; for him there was no
605
TOWN OF PHILIPSTOWN.
failure, only an ever-widening path leading to honor and glory. Here at Vevey he parted from his father for the last time; his father returned to America, leaving him here until the time should come for him to start for Rome, to assume the duties and responsibilities of his position as Secretary of Legation, to which post he had been appointed by the president on the 1st of July. At last the day came when he bade farewell to us and to the many friends he made while here, and who love and cherish his memory. We heard frequently from him; his last letter was filled with delight and interest in his work; indeed, he discharged the unusual duties devolving on one so young with conscientious fidelity and consummate tact. Besides this he was there, as he everywhere had been, a great favorite in society. Of a com- manding form, graceful in every movement, most distinguished in appearance, with a countenance beaming with merry light, of uncommon beauty of feature and expression, excelling in all athletic sports, a famous hunter, nothing daunted him; he was bound to be foremost in the race of life and win even if he should drop when the goal was reached. Thus his social qualities, united with talent of a high order, peculiarly fitted him for diplomatic life. One of the oldest ambassadors in Rome, as also His Excellency, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, expressed the opinion ' that Young Pierrepont had a great diplomatic future.'
" WHY DID HE DIE SO SOON ?
" ' O life as futile, then as frail! O for thy voice to soothe and bless! What hope of answer or redress? Behind the veil, behind the veil.'
" We hoped to clasp his hand in friendly greeting this summer on the shores of this lake; but it was not to be.
" Though of the strongest constitution and in perfect health, he seems to have had some prevision of his early death.
" In September, after his father had left Vevey en route for America, he said, as in a reverie, 'I shall not see the governor any more.' And on the 17th of October, just before starting for his post of duty, he said to me, with the look of one whose thoughts were far away, 'I go to Rome-
" ' If thou shouldst never see my face again, Pray for my soul. More things are wrought by prayer, Than this world dreams of !'
606
HISTORY OF PUTNAM COUNTY.
" Of this quotation from Tennyson, so dreamily uttered, I wrote to his mother.
" We learn from the attending nurses that during his long illness, he showed far more solicitude about giving them trouble, and about the anxieties of his dear relatives in New York, than abont his recovery.
"He was stricken down by that fell destroyer, the Roman typhoid fever, soon after he had been appointed to a still higher position, that of Chargé d' Affaires, on the departure of Mr. Astor from Rome. During the first stage of his illness he still attended to his duties. By the desire of his Excellency, the German Ambassador, he was removed from his apartments, for the sake of better air and attention, to the building con- nected with the Palace of the German Embassy. It is situated in the midst of extensive gardens, reaching to the celebrated Tarpeian Rock, and commands a magnificent view. The most devoted trained nurses and the most eminent physicians at- tended him. But in spite of all this love and care he succumbed at last, after an illness of thirty-six days. On a beautiful sunny morning on the 16th day of April, at 10:40 A. M., his pure and manly spirit, at the early age of twenty five, took its flight to its native home eternal in the heavens. He breathed his last in the arms of his faithful friend, the Rev. Dr. Nevin, rector of St. Paul's. It was a balmy morning of early spring in Rome; the windows of his spacious chamber overlooking the beautiful gardens of the Capitoline Hill were open, and on the instant that he closed his eyes for the last time, the little sing- ing bird, kindly sent to him by Mrs. Astor to cheer him during his long illness, sang its last song, fluttered violently against the drinking-cup in the cage, knocked it aside, and winged its way to realms unknown; no one ever saw it more. Its last song was sung for its dear master and it followed on the spirit's track, where, we know not, nor do we wish to rend the veil which hides so much from our knowledge. Even his death was lovely, if death can ever be. One morning near the last, he woke from a short slumber, and, with the dawn of heaven upon his face, he said to. one of his faithful nurses, I have had a beautiful vision. I have seen Jesus, and he has forgiven all my sins, and I am very happy.'
" Those who were present all noted the striking coincidence of the simultaneous flight of the spirit and of the little bird,
607
TOWN OF PHILIPSTOWN.
and they tell us that, as he closed his eyes, the countenance beamed with heavenly light and a smile passed over his face, which did not fade away. Heaven has one angel more.
" The funeral was a solemn, overwhelming scene: thie capa- cious church was crowded; large numbers sought to enter who could not get in, and lingered outside. The whole American Colony, the entire Diplomatic Corps, many of the Italian no- bility, and numerous other friends were there.
" The divine hymn by Cardinal Newman-' Lead Kindly Light' -- which this youth so much loved, and which I heard him repeat but a few months before, was sung at his funeral; and in a rain of tears the last lines were rendered:
"'So long thy power hath blessed me, sure it still will lead me on O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent till the night is gone, And with the morn those angel faces smile,
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile.'
" The pall-bearers, selected by the doyen of the Diplomatic Corps, his Excellency, Baron von Kendell, the German Ambassa- dor, were as follows:
" His Excellency the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
" His Excellency the German Ambassador.
"His Excellency the Russian Ambassador.
" His Excellency the French Ambassador.
" His Excellency the English Ambassador.
" An Adjutant, the Count Gianotti, representing his Majesty the King of Italy.
" A delegate, the Duke di Fiano, representing the Mayor of Rome.
"The Consul-General of the United States.
" The floral offerings were numerous and magnificent. An enormous wreath was placed on the coffin by the Mayor of Rome for the Roman Municipality, with a broad Roman ribband embroidered with gold with this tribute, Senatus Populus- que Romanus, 'The Senate and People of Rome,' an honor shown to the old Roman heroes and men of renown. A mag- nificent cross of white roses was sent from Paris by the late Minister, Hon. Wm. Waldorf Astor, Splendid wreaths were also sent from the Marchesa Gavotti, Conte Malatesta, the Prin- cess di Vicovaro, the Contessa Gianotti, from Mr. James Gor- don Bennett, and from other American friends resident in Rome, too numerous to name in this sketch; and the distinguished
608
HISTORY OF PUTNAM COUNTY.
sculptor and poet Story, together with his gifted son, were pro- fuse in their kindness and contributed also their charming skill in the artistic arrangement of these fragrant offerings of sor- rowing admiration and love.
" What a scene that must have been in the Church of St. Paul's on the 18th of April, at four P. M. The rich casket, holding the precious form wrapped in his country's flag, covered with flowers and wreaths; the entire edifice filled. No eyes were dry, sobs were heard on every side, and all seemed overcome by the affecting service. Rich and poor, nobles and servants, all came to do him honor. For this bright spirit, so trustful, so happy, so full of faith in himself and others, death was but a transition from this world, in which, although he found it so beautiful and happy, the time would still have come when sor- row and disappointment must have overshadowed his cloudless sky-it is the fate of each mortal child -- to some it comes early, to others late in life, to him it never came and now never can come. All smiled on him, and I truly believe he was one of the favored few to whom God grants this happy serene life and takes them early to himself so as to spare them the storms and trials awaiting a longer life. For him all was fullness of joy and peace; he now beholds that glory to which the apostle re- fers: 'Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.'
"His remains lie embalmed in the Mortuary Chapel at Rome, waiting to be sent home and placed in the rural churchyard near his father's country-seat, on the beautiful banks of the Hudson.
" His father and mother had started from New York with the confiding hope that their son was convalescent, and that they could take him away from Rome to recruit in a more bracing air. Words cannot tell the grief which befell them, when, on arriving at Southampton, the first tidings that greeted them was the following, from the London Times:
" Funeral of Mr. Pierrepont.
" ' Rome, April 19.
"'The funeral services of Mr. Edward Pierrepont, the United States Charge d' Affaires, was performed yesterday afternoon at St. Paul's in the Via Nazionale.
609
TOWN OF PHILIPSTOWN.
". The pall-bearers were the Ambassadors of Germany, Aus- tria and Russia, the Duke di Fiano, representing King Hum- bert, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Belgian Minister, the American Consul-General, and a representative of the Roman municipality. The coffin. completely covered with beautiful fresh flowers, was placed on the chancel floor. The service was read by the Rev. Dr. Nevin, the United States chaplain, assisted by the Rev. Dr. Jex Blake, Head Master of Rugby, and the Rev. Mr. Pickance, British assistant chap- lain.
"' The church was crowded with American residents in and visitors of Rome, together with many English and Italian friends of Mr. Pierrepont, whose premature death has created a deep impression and is sincerely lamented. The official funeral service ended at the church, as there was to be no burial at the cemetery. The remains were deposited in the receiving vault to await the arrival of the deceased's father, the Honorable Edwards Pierrepont, late United States Minister in London, who is now at sea, having sailed for Southampton the day be- fore his son died.'
" On the sancity of their grief we may not intrude. But how tenderly is this grief expressed by Tennyson's lines, which his father wrote me after his sad journey to Rome:
"' Still in these ears till hearing dies, One set slow bell will seem to toll The passing of the sweetest soul That ever looked with human eyes.'
"Mrs. M. E. W. Sherwood, a charming writer from New York, having spent the winter in Rome, knew young Pierre- pont well, and published in the New York Tribune the follow- ing account :
" 'EDWARD PIERREPONT.
"' A Life of Rare promise ended-The Young Diplomatist's Character and Career.
" ' To the Editor of the Tribune :
" 'Sir :- Long before this reaches you your paper will have made the saddest of all announcements, the ending in its bright. morning of a promising life. But it must be permitted to an old friend of his father and mother-one, too, deeply indebted to young Pierrepont for kindly attentions in Rome-to speak of the impression he left there; of his many virtues, graces and
39
610
HISTORY OF PUTNAM COUNTY.
accomplishments; of his noble ambitions, of his tireless unself- ishness, of his literary promise, of his amiable disposition and his good heart, all of which were revealed by his every day life, all of which made him friends who will not soon forget him, all of which drew tears from those who were not used to weep, as they thought of the pathetic deathbed where, calling for father and mother, he finally yielded up his breath.
"'A singularly handsome young man, with all the accom- plishments of the salon, with an Oxford education behind him, young Pierrepont was much courted, and could have offered the excuse of preoccupation when asked, as he often was, to assist his country people when they applied at the Legation for certain privileges; but it was not the fashion of his chief to refuse, nor was it ever the fault of young Pierrepont. Mr. and Mrs. Astor never failed in their courtesy; their young friend and secretary never failed in his.
"' Young Pierrepont had brave ambitions; he had, alas ! a great belief in his own future; he had essayed authorship; he had hoped to be a diplomatist; he craved too much of the world's work; his ambition was greater than his strength. When there fell upon his young shoulders the added duties of the Legation, which, as Charge d' Affaires, he took upon him- self after the retirement of Mr. Astor, he trembled under the burden. He, however, would work night and day, and fever, the dreadful fever of Rome, came upon him. He strove to rise from a sick bed to do his work, and fell back never to rise again. It was a long and weary illness, full of fluctuations of hope and fear. He fought bravely for his young life, but he was destined to go, leaving his friends but the memory of a sweet and charming nature, which shone out brightly to the end, 'trailing clouds of glory' after it, as does the death of the early doomed. We who knew and loved him now remem- ber that he had the look and the atmosphere of those whom the French call ' predestine.'
" . It was hard to fill the place which Mr. Astor left. Himself a consummate man of affairs with knowledge of the world, an admirable linguist, with that power which comes with intense interest in the doing everything well, conscientious and thoughtful, few men have ever filled the post of foreign Min- ister so well as he has done. No wonder that the duties which
611
TOWN OF PHILIPSTOWN.
officially on the 14th of March he was obliged to give over to Mr. Pierrepont were too heavy for such young shoulders. The anxiety of Mr. Astor for his young friend kept him several days at Rome, and as he traveled northward he ordered tele- grams to follow him twice a day as to the state of young Pierre- pont's malady. It would be impossible to exaggerate the grief which has followed the death of this brilliant and promising young man. Associated in every one's mind with scenes of gaiety, balls, parties, dinners and receptions, great Court cere- monials, and all that comes of the life of a young and fashionable man, it is pleasant to remember that the law of kindness was with him the ruling law; he never forgot his friends; his arm was always at the service of those who needed it; his ready sympathy never retarded by selfishness, he was the most thoroughbred and the most amiable of men; and when fatal illness was known to have seized him, daily and hourly were the inquiries at his door. The faithful rector of St. Paul's Church, the Rev. Dr. Nevin, watched by his bedside day and night, and three of the most eminent physicians sought to save him.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.