USA > New York > Westchester County > Huguenots of Westchester and Parish of Fordham > Part 3
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king. The last three kings of the "House of Valois" -Francis the Second, Charles the Ninth, and Henry the Third-dying without issue, the crown of France reverted to the " House of Bourbon," the head of which was the King of Navarre, who ascended the throne. under the title of Henry the Fourth.
The Massacre of St. Bartholomew took place August twenty-fourth, 1572, at three o'clock in the morning, when the victims-men, women, and children-were sleeping. The most distinguished among the slain of this sanguinary scene was Gaspard de Coligni, Ad- miral of France, a hero more to be feared after a defeat than many after victory. On the night in question, an assassin entered his room; the Admiral, divining his intention, said : " Young man, respect these gray hairs, and stain them not with blood." Regard- less of the appeal, the murderer plunged his sword into Coligni's bosom. The Admiral's son-in-law, Lord Teligni, fell among other nobles. After killing every member of the
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family, the soldiers went forward on their dreadful purpose.
The following letters were given to the author by the descendants of those to whom they were addressed, for the purpose of publi- cation :
GENERAL WASHINGTON TO MRS. ELIZABETH DE LANCEY.
General Washington returns his compli- ments to Mrs. De Lancey, and would, with the greatest pleasure, comply with her re- quest, of permitting her and her daughters to return to Westchester, was it consistent with propriety. Mrs. De Lancey must be sensible that any intercourse between the two armies, at this time, by means of per- sons (even ladies) who come from one to reside near the other, cannot be allowed.
General Mifflin is, at present, in Philadel- phia, but daily expected ; when he returns, General Washington will make inquiry into the detention of her servant-a matter which he is at present a stranger to. Mrs. De Lan-
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cey may be assured that all possible care shall be taken to procure the preservation of her house, grounds, and other property."
PASS FROM GENERAL WASHINGTON.
Permission is hereby granted to Mrs. Eliz- abeth De Lancey, Miss Anne De Lancey, and Mr. Henry Izard, with their servants, to land at Elizabeth Town, and from thence proceed to Mrs. Kennedy's, at Second River; from thence they will be permitted to proceed to New- York.
" Given at Headquarters, in Bergen County, this sixth day of September, 1780."
FROM GENERAL WASHINGTON IN REGARD TO THE MILITARY DEPREDATIONS ON THE PROP- ERTY OF MRS. DE LANCEY.
HEADQUARTERS, June 14, 1783.
SIR: I have transmitted to Governor Clin- ton the letter of Mrs. De Lancey, which you were pleased to inclose to me. 4
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The acts complained of were committed at a time when neither civil nor military government existed in that part of the country, and while measures were concerting for their reestablishment, under American laws and polity.
These enormities being totally abhorrent to my disposition, as soon as they were made known to me, I communicated to the Gov- ernor, who is equally disposed to promote peace and good order.
The Chief-Justice of the State, supported by a regiment of Continental troops, is now administering justice in Westchester County ; since his arrival there, I believe no outrages, like what Mrs. De Lancey complains of, have been experienced, and I hope, ere long, that good order and regularity of government will prevail in that distressed part of the country.
I have the honor to be, Sir, your most obedient servant,
GEORGE WASHINGTON.
Among other documents received from the same quarter were two letters which we shall
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give, though not immediately bearing on the subject. Their publication will not com- promise the feelings of any, as all the parties concerned have long since passed away, while any thing respecting them cannot fail to inter- est. The first, written nearly a century ago, was to Mrs. Elizabeth De Lancey, from her father, the Honorable Cadwallader Colden, Governor of New-York under the British Government, the first American appointed to that high office.
To MRS. ELIZABETH DE LANCEY.
SPRING HILL, June 8, 1772.
MY DEAR DAUGHTER : I have yours of the nineteenth of last month, and all the pre- ceding since you went to the country. I am better of late than I have been for several months before, otherwise I could not have persuaded myself to write that Major Clark is an oddity ; I know not what to call it if he be not a male coquette. I had a very kind letter from Mr. Izard by the packet ; but nothing particular in it. Richard Colden was
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here yesterday ; his wife is so delicate that he is unwilling to be absent from her. I believe he saw Mrs. Izard only once; his lodgings were three miles distant from her house. The Governor came here about three weeks since, in the evening, and went away next morning before six. We expect him and his lady this day or to-morrow ; he takes every opportunity to show a particular regard for me. I shall not have the pleasure of seeing you or your children this summer ; I cannot go to you. Pray continue to write to me by every oppor- tunity ; it gives me the greater pleasure to receive yours as I have such an unwillingness to take a pen in my hand. Speak very affec. tionately for me to all your children.
Shall I have no more the pleasure of a letter from Anne or Betsey, because I do not answer their letters ? For this they must ex- cuse me, and not punish me.
Your very affectionate father, CADWALLADER COLDEN.
Mrs. ELIZABETH DE LANCEY, West-Farms.
HUGUENOTS OF WESTCHESTER.
The other letter in the same packet was addressed to Dr. Cochran, New-Windsor, by General Washington.
[Copy.] WEST-POINT, August 16, 1779.
DEAR DOCTOR : I have asked Mrs. Coch- ran and Mrs. Livingston to dine with me to- morrow ; but ought I not to apprise them of their fare ? As I hate deception, even where the imagination only is concerned, I will. It is needless to premise that my table is large enough to hold the ladies-of this they had ocular proof yesterday. To say how it is usually covered is rather more essential, and this shall be the purport of my letter.
Since our arrival at this happy spot, we have had a ham (sometimes a shoulder) of bacon to grace the head of the table-a piece of roast beef adorns the foot, and a small dish of greens or beans (almost imper- ceptible) decorates the centre. When the cook has a mind to cut a figure (and this I presume he will attempt to do to-morrow)
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we have two beef-steak pies or dishes of crabs in addition, and on each side the centre dish, dividing the space and reduc- ing the distance between dish and dish about six feet, which, without them, would be near twelve apart. Of late he has had the surprising luck to discover that apples will make pies, and it is a question if, amidst the violence of his efforts, we do not get one of apples instead of having both of beef. If the ladies can put up with such entertainment, and will submit to partake of it on plates-once tin, but now iron-(not become so by the labor of scouring) I shall be very happy to see them. I am, dear Dr., your most ob't servant,
GEORGE WASHINGTON.
Thinking that these letters, as being the production of him who was "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen," apart from the interest they must excite in the breasts of those who are most likely to be the readers of these pages,
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would constitute an interesting episode in the memoir of the " Great Man," I sent copies of them to Washington Irving, then occupied on his grand work-"The Life of Washing- ton." According to the custom of this cele- brated writer (a biographer worthy of the subject) the following reply was sent by the earliest opportunity :
SUNNYSIDE, April 16, 1851.
DEAR SIR : The documents concerning General Washington came safely to hand, and were, some of them, quite new to me. For your kindness in sending them accept my sincere thanks, and believe me, very respect- fully, your obliged and obedient servant,
WASHINGTON IRVING.
WILLIAM W. WALDRON, Esq.
We shall add one more to the above letters as coming from a member of a Huguenot race, and connected with the subject.
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HUGUENOTS OF WESTCHESTER.
FROM THE RT. REV. WM. HEATHCOTE DE LAN- dEY, BISHOP OF WESTERN NEW-YORK.
GENEVA, Nov. 4, 1863. W. W. WALDRON, EsQ. :
MY DEAR SIR : Your letter has reached me just as I am starting on a tour. I rejoice at the proposed publication, and should not re- sist the distinction you propose in regard to myself, except that I am a Huguenot of the New-York class, and another of nearer connec- tion with Westchester might be found. My ancestor came from New-York, and married Miss Anne Heathcote, of Heathcote Hill, Westchester County, where afterwards my father lived, and where I was born. But I am hurried away, and must conclude with consent to the inscription, and due acknow- ledgment for the same.
Yours, W. H. DE LANCEY.
A great part of the manor of Fordham was formerly in possession of the De Lancey fam- ily, whose ancient homestead was romantically
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situated near the Bronx ; even this relic of by- gone days has not been spared by time, the fell destroyer of all things - a consuming fire laid the old mansion in ashes, and with it a number of the forest trees which surrounded it, and among them "De Lancey's Ancient Pine," which, like a Huguenot of old, stood as a landmark, connecting the present with the past. A bard of other days has celebrated this ancient tree, nearly the last remnant of "Revolutionary Times," in the following lines :
DE LANCEY'S ANCIENT PINE.
WHERE gentle Bronx clear winding flows, The shadowy banks between, Where blossomed bell or wilding rose Adorns the brightest green : Memorial of the fallen great, The rich and honored line, Stands high in solitary state, De Lancey's ancient Pine.
There once, at early dawn, arrayed, The rural sports to lead, The gallant master of the glade Bedecked his eager steed, And once the lightfoot maiden came, In loveliness divine, 4*
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To sculpture, with the dearest name, De Lancey's ancient Pine.
But now the stranger's foot explores De Lancey's wide domain,
And scarce one kindred heart restores His memory to the plain ; And just like one, in age alone, The last of all his line, Bends sadly where the waters moan, De Lancey's ancient Pine.
O victim of misguided zeal, To tell thy former fame !
Who bid the fretted stone reveal The numbers of thy name ? Ere brightening up the eastern sky, Another morn shall shine, In equalizing dust shall lie De Lancey's ancient Pine.
O greatness ! o'er thy final fall The feeling heart should mourn,
Nor from De Lancey's ancient hall With cold rejoicing turn ; No, no ! the satiate traveller stays Where eve's calm glories shine, To weep as tells of other days, De Lancey's ancient Pine.
The benefit which has resulted to these manors (Pelham and Fordham) from the es-
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tablishment of churches, cannot be too highly appreciated. Though the Huguenots have passed away, the seed sown by them, as the grain of mustard-seed, has become a large tree which in time will overspread the land, from which will spring other branches, bring. ing forth fruits in the season.
I love the Church-the holy Church, That o'er our life presides- The birth, the bridal, and the grave, And many an hour besides. Be mine, through life to live in her, And when the Lord shall call,
To die in her-the spouse of Christ, The mother of us all.
A. C. CoXE.
Southey, in his Book of the Church, thus writes of the Church of the Reformation :
"From the time of the Revolution, the Church of England has preserved both sta- bility and security. It has rescued the Brit- ish Islands from heathenism, idolatry, and su. perstition, and has saved them from temporal, as well as spiritual despotism. Slowly and firmly it has been established in America,
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where each year it is increasing in strength and influence. The Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States of America is still in heart with the mother church. Let its members, while they review the struggles and sacrifices through which their own ex- alted privileges have been obtained, lift up their thanksgiving to Him who overrules the events of nations, for the welfare and pros- perity of the kingdom of Christ."
APPENDIX.
HAVING concluded my records of the Hu- guenots of New-Rochelle, I considered the work completed, until gaining further inform- ation on the subject, by researches at the As- tor Library, I could not feel satisfied with- out imparting all the additional information gained on the subject by an appendix on which I expect the critic will not exercise his skill, as such an appendage was not bargain- ed for and consequently not subject to strict scrutiny.
The Huguenots or French Protestants suf- fered persecution in their own country, be- yond what would be credible to any but wit- nesses of their distress. When we consider the virtues of this "glorious band of brothers," we are amazed at their fortitude
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and courage. To be a Huguenot was suf- ficient to insure condemnation. Some were slaughtered in cold blood without any legal form of justice. Their final destruction was completed at the dreadful massacre on St. Bartholomew's Day, when it is supposed a hundred thousand perished. The Huguenots may be considered a kindred sect with the Lollards, who derived their name from the practice of singing hymns, (lullen,) as a mother lulls her babe to sleep. The doctrine which they held was the same the Church of England adopted at the Reformation; their founder was John Wycliffe, whom the Prot- estant world will always regard with grati- tude for his translation of the Scriptures into the language of the people. He was sum- moned to Rome to stand his trial for heresy, but was relieved from his persecutors by the friendly hand of death, being attacked with a paralysis which terminated his existence.
From the doctrines of Wycliffe sprung those of John Huss the Reformer of Bohemia, who perished at the stake; not, however, be-
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fore he imparted the spirit of his religious zeal to Luther, from whom we derive our Protestant institutions. From such various and apparently incongruous materials sprung the "Huguenots," whose strange appellation has ever been a subject of controversy among the learned, the latest suggestion regarding the derivation of the name being that of the learned Dr. Trench, Archbishop of Dublin, in his work entitled, The Study of Words, in which he says: "It can hardly be any other than a corruption of 'Eidgnoton,' low Ger- man for Eidgenossen, confederates." What must have been the feelings of that remnant of the Church which reached Westchester when seated beneath their own vines !
New-Rochelle, the final "Rehoboth" or resting-place "to those persecuted for right- eousness' sake," is situated on the Boston turnpike road, near Long Island Sound. As already stated, it was named from Rochelle in France, and several distinguished men have received their education here, among whom were General Schuyler and Washington
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Irving. The first Protestant place of wor- ship erected was built by the Huguenots, on the same site occupied by Trinity Church. Madame Knight, who published a journal of her trip from New-York to Boston, a hun- dred and sixty years ago, A.D. 1704, thus describes this village: "On the twenty-sec- ond of December we left Kingsbridge, the first day's journey, for New-Rochelle, where we met good entertainment. This is a very pretty place, and the roads are passable. There is a bridge made entirely of one stone, over which a cart may pass with safety. Here are three fine taverns and very good entertainment for travellers !" After under- going many changes and vicissitudes, the church building was transferred to the Epis- copalians, and in 1770 the Rev. Samuel Sea- bury, rector of Westchester, performed serv- ices until the Revolutionary War broke out, during which the church was closed and the congregation scattered. When peace was proclaimed, a new church organization was effected, and Mr. Theodosius Bartow, a member
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of the Episcopal Church, was appointed lay reader, which duty he performed until he was admitted to deacons' orders by Bishop Prevost, the first bishop of the diocese. A unanimous invitation was given to Mr. Bar- tow to become rector of the new parish, which he accepted, and on his resignation, another Huguenot descendant was chosen, the Rev. Lewis Pintard Bayard. The church was con- secrated by the Right Rev. John Croes, Bish- op of New-Jersey. The Cemetery is in the rear of the building, where repose in peace the remains of the persecuted Huguenots. The communion service of plate was present- ed to the parish of Westchester by Queen Anne, who also gave a Church Bible, a book of homilies, and a cloth for the communion- table. Among the families who settled in Westchester was that of De Lancey.
During the troubles in France, the De Lan- ceys, who resided at Caen in Normandy, suf- fered on account of their devotion to the Hu- guenot cause. In 1681 Stephen De Lancey fled to Holland, and from thence to New-
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York, where he became a merchant. By his wife, Anne Van Cortland, he had five sons and two daughters, of whom the eldest of the former, James De Lancey, was Lieutenant- Governor of the province; he married Anne, daughter of the Hon. Caleb Heathcote, Lord of the manor of Scarsdale, and his descend- ants still possess his large possessions.
The De Lanceys of Mamaroneck are de- scended from a branch of the ancient and no- ble house of De Lanci of Normandy.
At the ancient church at Oise is a tomb- stone bearing the following inscription :
Ici repose Haute et puissante Dame MADAME FRANÇOISE de LANCI, dame des terres et seigneuries d'Haramont et St. Germaine, Hereditaire chatelaine des Domaines de Botluzey, etc.
As New-Rochelle, Pelham, and Fordham, were integral portions of the parish of West-
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chester, it cannot be considered irrelevant to touch slightly on the history of the original organization. The first rector of Westches- ter was the Rev. John Bartow; he was ap. pointed by Lord Cornbury, in the year 1702. In a letter written in 1704, Mr. Bartow speaks with thankfulness of having made many proselytes to our holy religion. Colonel Heathcote, in a letter to the Secretary of the Venerable Society, dated from the Manor of Scarsdale, November 9th, 1705, says: "There is not any gentleman whom the Society hath sent over that is clothed with a fairer char- acter than Mr. Bartow of Westchester, for truly he is a very good and sober man, and is extremely well liked by the parishioners."
Having given all the details connected with that small portion of the Reformed Church which settled in Westchester county, it re- mains now only to state that the Huguenots of New-Rochelle were a portion of a body of fifty thousand French who fled to England after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, the authenticity of which statement is con-
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firmed in the charter of Trinity Church in that village. As no other opportunity will occur to make the statement, it may not be out of place to mention here that the first principles of the Reformation appeared in France in the provinces of Picardy and Dau- phiny, and to the inhabitants of these pro- vinces should be attributed the credit of that great event which we have the happiness to enjoy. Though Luther, by his zeal and en- ergy, might be considered the master-spirit of the age, and well deserving the epithet of " The Great Reformer," still the way was first pointed out by the Huguenots.
All the credit of the Reformation cannot be arrogated by the male members of the Church, as many females distinguished them- selves in the great and ever-enduring revival. Ladies of the most exalted rank exhibited their zeal in the promotion of the great work, among whom may be mentioned Jane, Queen of Navarre, and Margaret, Princess of Valois sister of Francis the First, who dignified their
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religion by pure and blameless lives in aban- doned and dissolute times.
History has preserved " a tableau vivant" of the expression given by Queen Elizabeth and the ladies of her court to their grief and indignation at the massacre of St. Bartholo- mew's Day. Her Majesty, for several days, refused to give audience to La Mothe Fene- lon, the French ambassador, and when he was admitted, the Queen and the court were cloth- ed in the deepest mourning. When Fenelon approached Her Majesty, the lords of the council and the other attendants averted their looks as he passed through them, none conde- scending to offer a salute. When he approach- ed the Queen she said: "How can you justify your master in his odious crime of assassi- nating his Protestant subjects? "
i
PARISH OF FORDHAM,
FROM
INCORPORATION OF THE CHURCH TO THE AP- POINTMENT OF THE FIRST RECTOR.
BY WILLIAM WATSON WALDRON, A.B., SECRETARY OF THE FIRST VESTRY.
TO
WILLIAM ALEXANDER SMITH, EsQ., JUNIOR WARDEN IN THE FIRST VESTRY,
THE UNDEVIATING FRIEND OF THE PARISH, THE ORGANIZATION OF WHICH HE SUGGESTED, THESE RECORDS ARE RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED.
£
PREFACE.
IN presenting the following little work to the public, the author must forego all attempts at display, and satisfy himself simply with a statement of facts and memoranda as they ap- pear in a "Note-Book " kept by him when fulfilling the duties of "Clerk of the Vestry " during the first year of the exist- ence of St. James's Parish. The difficulties attending the in- auguration of a new church can only be known to those who have been engaged in a similar task, as such alone can sympa- thize with the operators. Ten years have now elapsed since the first Protestant Episcopal Church was established in the Manor of Fordham, and great and many are the changes which have taken place during that period. Several of the founders of the parish have left the vicinity, while the "Last Enemy " has removed others, thereby making sad inroads upon domestic circles.
It may seem irregular to embrace, within one publication, the affairs of St. James's Church, Fordham, and the Huguenots of Trinity Church, New-Rochelle, but when it is considered that these parishes constituted integral parts of St. Peter's, Westchester, then the only parish in the county, the blending of their histories must appear obvious.
Previous to the Revolutionary War, the Rev. Samuel Sea-
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INTRODUCTION.
bury, D.D., was rector of St. Peter's, Westchester, a parish then of vast extent and considered within the Diocese of Lon- don. America during the English rule had no bishops, and the Rector of Westchester had the honor of being the first American who was dignified with the mitre. The Huguenots of New-Rochelle are also entitled to put in a claim to partake in the honor of the Episcopacy, as the present incumbent of the Western Diocese of the State is a descendant of one of the most distinguished of the Huguenot families of the parish, and whose ancestral possessions at Mamaroneck, his native place, still in possession of their descendants, bear ample testimony to respectability .*
The time may arrive when the record of the humblest parish will be of vast importance ; when American churches will have become venerable from antiquity, and their early history will be lost in the mazes of time.
The author has no more to say than express his thanks to those friends through whose kindness and encouragement this volume has been brought to light. If the friendship and good- will of those whose favor it is an honor to enjoy be a suffi- cient recompense for any trouble induced by such an under- taking, the writer has been amply repaid. The mercy of the reviewer is not implored, as the undertaking is considered be- low criticism ; the indulgence of friendship is claimed, as common courtesy may demand such for the legitimate tribute due to so unprofitable a labor.
H : Wm. Heathcote De Lancey, D.D.
FORDHAM.
THE Manor of Fordham, which forms one of the three divisions of the town of West- Farms, was originally included within the parish limits of Westchester. The name is of Saxon origin, and compounded of two words, Ford (ford) and Ham, (a mansion.)
In 1656, we find the whole of Fordham, as well as Yonkers, in the possession of Adrian Vander Donck, whose widow, Mary, convey- ed them to her brother, Elias Doughty. The latter, in 1666, sold them to Mr. John Archer, of Westchester, who, in 1669, obtained a con- firmation thereof from the Indian Sachem Sachareth.
In 1671, Francis, Earl of Lovelace, Govern- or of the province, and consequently exer-
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PARISH OF FORDHAM.
cising regal power, erected the same into the Manor of Fordham.
From the Archers, the manor passed, through the Steenwicks, in 1684, to the Dutch Church, in the city of New-York, for the support and maintenance of their minis- ters, ordained according to the Church orders of the Netherlands, etc. Through the liber- ality, however, of Mrs. Margaret Steenwick, three hundred acres were exempted from the conveyance to the Dutch Church, upon which was situated the old manorial residence of the Archers, (they being created Lords of the Manor,) now substituted by a modern man- sion, in which a descendant of the original proprietor resides.
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