USA > New York > New York City > New York city and vicinity during the war of 1812-15, being a military, civic and financial local history of that period, Vol. I > Part 3
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James Davidson, Com. Stores, Gen. Hospital.
Philip Van Cortlandt, Col., 2d N. Y. Reg.
23
REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
Edward Dunscomb, Capt., 4th N. Y. James Fairlie, Lieut., 2d N. Y. and A .- d. - c. Theodosius Fowler, Capt., 2d N. Y. Nicholas Fish, Maj. and Brig. Insp., 2d N. Y. Aquila Giles, Maj. and A .- d. - c. James Giles, Lieut., N. Y. Artillery.
John Graham, Maj., 1st N. Y. John Wheelwright Greaton, Ens., 3d Mass. Abijah Hammond, Lieut., 3d Mass. Artillery. Abel Holden, Capt., 6th Mass. Christopher Hutton, Lieut. and Adj., 2d N. Y. Reg. William Leaycraft, Lieut., N. Y. Artillery. Abraham Leggett, Lieut., 5th N. Y. Morgan Lewis, Col. and Q .- M .- Gen. Brockholst Livingston, Lieut .- Col., A .- d .- c. Lebbeus Loomis. Lieut., 1st Conn. Nathaniel Norton, Capt., 4th N. Y. Nathaniel Pendleton, Capt., A .- d. - c. Richard Platt, Maj., A .- d. - c. William Popham, Capt., A. - d .- c. John Pray, Capt., 12th Mass. Jacob Reed, Jr., Capt., N. Y. Artillery. John R. B. Rodgers, Surg., 3d Penn. Jedediah Rogers, Capt., 2d Conn. Drag. Gerard Steddiford, Lieut., 4th Penn. Ebenezer Stevens, Lieut .- Col., N. Y. Artillery. James Stewart, Capt., 5th N. Y.
Cornelius Swartwout, Capt., Lieut., N. Y. Art. Henry Tiebout, Capt., 1st N. Y. William Torrey, Lieut. of Mass. Regt. Robert Troup, Lieut .- Col., A. - d. - c. John Trumbull, Col. and Dp. Adj. Gen. Richard Varick, Lieut .- Col. and Dup. Mm. Gen. John Van Dyk, Capt., 2d N. Y. Art.
24
CITY ORDINANCES.
Jedediah Waterman, Ens., 8th Mass.
Marinus Willett, Lieut .- Col., 5th N. Y.
All of the veteran officers of the Revolutionary war residing in New York did not belong to the aristocratic Society of the Cincinnati, for various reasons. Those that served in the militia only, were not eligible, neither were privates that were in the militia or those that were in the regular army admitted to membership.
The young men were very demonstrative, and paraded the streets early and late with fifes and bass drums, playing the popular military airs of the day. These were "Yankee Doodle," "The Campbells are Coming," "President's March," and other semi- political airs. They would frequently stop their march to serenade some of the Federalists who were known to be strongly opposed to the war. This continual fifing and drumming soon got to be an intolerable nuisance.
At the meeting of the Common Council on the 29th of June quite lengthy and specific regulations and directions were adopted for the prevention and suppressing of riots. One had recently occurred in Baltimore, directed against an editor who was opposed to the war.
An ordinance also was passed on June 29, making it unlawful for any person, excepting those in actual service, to beat drums or play fifes in the streets between eight in the evening and four in the morning, under penalty of ten dollars fine and being sent to the watch-house. This virtually con- fined it to between sunrise and sunset.
A meeting was called for the citizens to meet at Tammany Hall, to approve of the war, on the 7th
.
25
MEETING CALLED.
of July; but it must have had a cool reception. No resolutions were published, and very little notice of it appeared in the journals of the day.
A peculiarity of the call was that it was "recom- mended to our fellow citizens of forty-five years of age and upwards."
Very little or no regard was paid to the ordinance against drumming, and about two or three weeks afterwards the clerk of the Common Council pub- lished a notice in some of the daily papers, calling attention to it and asserting that it would be strictly enforced in the future.
De Witt Clinton was mayor, and ex-officio presi- dent of the Common Council, which was then a more influential and important office than now. He was also lieutenant-governor. He presided in the chief criminal courts in the city. In his charge to the Grand Jury on July 9, 1812, in a peculiar manner he defines the duties of the constituted authorities of the land to sustain the government through the rugged crisis. He also said: "Any offences against the laws of the State connected with aid, comfort, or intercourse with the enemy, or with levying war against the people of this State within this State, are proper subjects for your cognizance ; and if, since the promulgation of the declaration of war, any offences of this kind have been perpetrated, it is your duty to present them for punishment."
On the 7th of July an order was issued from the State Department at Washington, requiring all British subjects to register their names, ages, places of residence, persons composing their families, etc., at the office of the United States marshal of the district in which such persons resided.
26
RIOTS FEARED.
On the 12th of July, 1812, Mr. Foster, the late British minister, and Mr. Barclay, late consul at New York, departed from the United States, at New York City, on board the British flag of truce Colibri. These gentlemen were much esteemed for their private amiable qualities.
The riot in Baltimore against those who opposed the war caused the Common Council of New York to be on their guard against one in New York. Accordingly, on the 3d of August, further pre- cautions were taken by the Common Council, and one hundred citizens in each of the ten wards volunteered and were organized, under the City authorities, to aid the magistrates and Committee of Defence in keeping the peace.
The peace officers connected with the Police De- partment in 1812 were : Jacob Hays, Samuel Mont- gomery, George B. Raymond, Thomas Martin, John Farrington, Abner Curtis, David Townley, John Con- klin, John S. Dusenbury, and John McManus. Jacob Hays was high constable, and there were two con- stables in each ward, in addition to the above, that could aid in maintaining the peace when necessary.
The ordinance provided that two aldermen and the special justices attend at the City Hall through each night to quell riots ; that the court bell in the cupola of the City Hall be rung and rockets sent up as an alarm; that arrangements be made for two troops of cavalry and two companies of the brigade of artillery to form in the park on the alarm, and there await the order of the magistrates.
That the drummers of the regiments of artillery have similar orders to repair to the City Hall on that occasion.
·
27
PEACE OFFICERS.
That in case this force is not deemed sufficient, the general to be beat, and that all the artillery and light infantry shall repair to and form in the City Hall Park, and there await the orders of the magistrates.
There were ten special justices, one for each ward. Their names were as follows :
1st Ward, Henry Meigs.
2d
E. Burling.
3d 66 Samuel Van Wyck.
4th
Stephen Burdett.
5th
Samuel Burritt.
6th 66 George Cumming.
7th 66 Edward Mclaughlin.
8th 66 W. Wood.
9th
Henry Post.
10th 66 Thomas Waring.
They had power to commit offenders to prison, to take recognizance for their appearance, for their keeping the peace and for their good behavior, etc., and all the powers of justices of the peace in other counties.
They held the same kind of courts as the present district court or ward courts. They were appointed by the State Council of Appointment at Albany. They were familiarly known as assistant justices, in distinction from the justices of Marine Court, which latter court was composed of only three justices. They were John Ferguson, Thomas Herttell, and A. C. Van Slyck.
The thorough measures for the purpose of putting down riots were necessary at this time because of the state of party feeling then displayed. The question of peace or war was intended to be the
28
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
issue to be decided by the choice of a President of the United States, who was to be chosen by the representatives of the people in a few months. The presidential campaign had already commenced by the declaration of war and the nomination of Mr. Madison for re-election on that platform. The old men were for council, but the young men were for war; hence the fervor in the coming presidential campaign.
1
CHAPTER III.
The City in Peace -- Population and Occupation-Public Buildings- Landholders-Free Colored and Slave-Aliens-Voters-Dwell- ings-Commerce and Manufactures-Auctions-Business Habits- Home Comforts-How they Lived then and how they Died -Number and Causes of Deaths in each Year-Amusements- Theatres-Dancing-Dress-Streets-Roads - Stages - Ferries - Suburbs-Harlem-Brooklyn-Jersey City-Hoboken.
EW YORK CITY then contained about ninety-eight thousand persons, of which about fifteen hundred were slaves. The number of aliens was about three thousand ; many of them were English, Scotch, French, and Irish. Germans were almost unknown then. There were about eight thousand free persons of color, some of them were aliens from the West Indies. Aliens were so few, that they were not distin- guished in the Federal census of 1810 nor in the State census of 1814, but were in the city census of 1813 and 1816 .* The city then contained only about six- teen thousand five hundred houses all told.
Among the well-known mercantile houses of that day were Jenkins & Havens, Gabriel & Philetus Havens, Baily & Bogert, Ebenezer Stevens & Sons, B. & J. Strong & Co.,
* In appendix, note I., will be found detailed statements of the in- habitants of New York City during the period from 1810 to 1816, showing the number of freeholders, etc., persons owning personal property over $150 in value, number of voters, tenants, colored, slaves, aliens, etc., and number of deaths, and the causes thereof in each of said years from 1810 to 1815 inclusive.
30
LEADING MERCHANTS.
Selah Strong & Son, John & Jacob Drake, Peter Schermerhorn & Son, Treadwell & Thorne, Thomas H. Smith, and others. These were Amer- icans. There were many foreigners who were prominent merchants : J. Boonen Graves, Fred. Gebbard, Knox & Laurie, Divie Bethune, Gilbert Robertson, George Barnwall, and others. The Irish trade was a very important one before the embargo of 1807. The prominent mercantile houses were James McBride, John Flack, Wm. and Samuel Craig, McVickar & Stewart, Alex. Cranston & Co., Abraham Bell & Co., Major & Gillespie, William Bailey, James Magee, Robert Dickie, James & William Sterling, Thomas Suffern, John Agnew, David Sullivan, John Morrison, Robert Kelly, and others. Many of these named were Presbyterians from the North of Ireland. There were four varie- ties of Presbyterians in the city at that time, and their churches were patronized by the most in- fluential portion of the community.
The principal occupation of the inhabitants was commerce by shipping. The registered tonnage for New York City in 1812 was 268,548, and was nearly double that of any other port in the United States, and equal to Boston and Philadelphia together, the latter being next largest city in size to New York; in 1800 it was larger than New York.
*The city of New York at that time was the greatest commercial emporium of the nation, although Philadelphia had a population nearly as large and her manufactories were more extensive than those of New York .*.
* In 1810 official returns showed that New York City had three looms and made 2,540 yards of woolens and 217 yards of linen, and
31
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
The New York Chamber of Commerce was established in 1769. It was instituted for the pur- pose of promoting and encouraging commerce, supporting industry, and adjusting disputes rela- tive to trade and navigation. The officers in 1812 were : Cornelius Ray, President ; John B. Coles, Archibald Gracie, Vice-Presidents ; John Ferrers, Secretary.
, Retail merchants usually supplied their stock from public auction sales, which were made almost daily as the merchandise arrived in the city .. They regulated their retail prices according to the public auction sales for the time, without regard to the prices paid by them for the goods.
Many persons availed themselves at auction sales for supplies for their individual wants, and thus auctions came to be largely patronized. The State charged a percentage on sales by each auctioneer for the privilege of his business. One-third of the pro- ceeds of these auction duties arising in New York City were devoted to the support of the foreign poor in New York City; the remaining two-thirds belonged to the State. This continued from 1798 to 1816 in- clusive. For the year 1810 the total duties amounted to $30,096.19 ; in 1811 to $43,480.22; in 1812 to $38,699.12 ; in 1813 to $52,022.32 ; in 1814 to $33,- 336.87; and in 1815 to $32,455.84.
The auctioneers were appointed annually by the
had nine tanneries, eleven distilleries, fifteen breweries, five hat factories, and two machines for carding wool, and ten sugar houses. No other manufactures were reported for New York City.
Onondaga County, N. Y .. with a population of only 26,000, had 1,016 looms and made 107,470 yards of woolen and 197,106 yards of linen, and 3,000 yards of cotton; had 31 tanneries, 26 distilleries, 2 breweries, 10 hat factories, 16 fulling mills, and 21 carding machines.
32
AUCTION SALES.
State Council of Appointment, and not more than thirty-six were allowed at any one time in New York City.
The Custom House and Federal courts were in the " Old Government House." It stood on an emi- nence at the foot of Broadway, on the south side of Bowling Green. It was a large double brick build- ing, with a showy portico in front, to which the ascent was by many steps. The yard and garden extended back to Bridge street, and occupied the whole block from Whitehall to State street.
Bowling Green was an oval plot of ground, sit- uated between Broadway and Whitehall street, sur- rounded by an iron fence which had been placed there before the Revolutionary war. The heads of the iron posts had been broken off and used as balls to shoot at the British in that war. The same fence is still surrounding Bowling Green to this day. In the center of the enclosure of Bowling Green still remains the pedestal of the leaden equestrian statue of King George III., which was taken down in the early part of the Revolutionary war and melted into bullets by the patriots to shoot at the British soldiers.
Great wealth, as then considered, was concen- trated in a few hands, and so was the heaviest ship- ping business.
· That part of the city along the East River was the chief seat of the foreign trade. Wholesale dealers were found principally in Pearl street, Broad street, and about Hanover Square. William street, reaching from Wall street to Fair (now Fulton) street, was the great seat of the retail trade, especially in fancy and staple dry-goods, and of
33
BUSINESS LOCATIONS.
course the great resort of the ladies for shopping. Many of the inhabitants resided over their stores or place of business.
Pearl street was the principal mart of the city. Water, Front, and South streets were occupied by extensive warehouses. There was considerable re- tail trade on Chatham street. South, Front, Water, Pearl, Pine, and Beekman streets contained many family residences. Broadway, below Leonard street, and Greenwich street, each was a favorite locality for private residences. In Wall and State streets were many residences of prominent families. Broad- way had as yet only attained a second-grade position as to business."
Along the North River was regarded as the worst portion of the city. West street was not in exist- ence. The boat landings came up to Washington street in many places. There were then only about thirty-five houses on Washington street, and they were so scattering that they were not numbered.
Greenwich street was more closely built than any other street, and contained about six hundred houses that were numbered. The retail trade was exten- sive there. The portion of the city built up was three and one-half miles on East River and two miles on North River. ,
During the war many changes were made in the character of streets. In a publication in 1817 it is stated that Broadway was regarded then as the first in rank for residences, and Pearl street next. Chat- ham street, which included Park Row, was called "an elegant street." Maiden Lane, John, Nassau, Broad, Pine, William, Hudson, and Cherry streets were second-rate streets. Greenwich had the largest
34
POST-OFFICE SERVICE.
retail trade, and Water, Front, and South streets the chief warehouses.
There was only one mail a day each way between Washington and New York City at that time. It closed in Washington at six P.M., and was due in New York nominally at six A. M. on the second morn- ing after starting, but it was frequently behind an hour or more. In bad weather it did not arrive until afternoon. It generally arrived in the sum- mer time and was distributed for delivery at the post-office at about nine o'clock A.M. The mail route was by land 240 miles. The most rapid ex- press was thirty-six hours from Washington to New York City.
The post-office was on the southwest corner of William and Garden streets (now Exchange Place), in a house about twenty-seven feet front. Theodo- rus Bailey, formerly from Poughkeepsie and a United States Senator, was postmaster, and lived in the same house. He was appointed by Mr. Jeffer- son, and held the office for about twenty-five years, until 1827. The office was in a room not more than twenty-five or thirty feet deep, with two windows in Garden street, and in William street a little ves- tibule of small dimensions, containing about one hundred boxes. He kept only two or three clerks. The deliveries were made when called for at the office, which was open from sunrise to sunset, but on Sundays from nine to ten A. M. and one to two P.M. When heavy mails arrived and were being assorted the delivery window was closed. This generally happened on the arrival of the morning mails, so the office was not open for delivery sometimes until near nine o'clock in the morning. There were six carriers
35
: BOARD OF BROKERS.
in the city. Postage was payable in advance or on delivery, at the option of the sender. On letters it was from eight cents to twenty-five cents on each sheet of paper, according to distance. There were no envelopes or stamps. The sheet of paper allowed was foolscap size ; each additional sheet was charged as if a separate letter. The gross revenue of the New York City office was about sixty thousand dollars a year.
The deliveries by carriers were paid for by the par- ties to whom the letters were delivered. Orders for deliveries by carriers were left with the postmaster, who conducted the delivery department as a private enterprise on his own account.
There was very little business done before nine or ten o'clock in the morning. Most of the merchants and people in business dined about two o'clock; others, who were less engaged, about three o'clock; and many of them returned to their business after dinner, and their offices and shops were kept open in the evening. Counting houses, insurance offices, retail stores, shops, and the like kept open evenings until nine o'clock. Mechanics worked evenings dur- ing the months of October until April. The Board of Brokers met at ten o'clock. The Tontine Coffee House in Wall street was used by the brokers and merchants as an exchange. Twelve o'clock was then the hour of "high 'Change," and it was the custom to take a glass of punch with a piece of raw salt cod- fish and sea biscuit, by way of nooning, at the bar in the center of the room. Overhead was the ordinary where dinner was served at three o'clock, at which time the board adjourned. Thus it was that Wall
36
CONDITION OF STREETS.
street became the permanent abode of the Mer- chants' Exchange and the financial center of the city.
Many of the cross streets below City Hall Park were narrow and crooked, and not as they appear at present. In 1814 Fair (now Fulton) street, was cut through from Cliff street to Water street, making it as it appears at present. Many streets in the old part of the city have been widened or straightened, or extended since that time, and the names of many of them changed. West street has been entirely formed since then by filling in. The docks and boat landings in 1812-15, on the Hudson River, were on Washington street.
- Sidewalks were of brick, few were stone ; the end of the pavement on Broadway was at Anthony (now Worth) street. The sidewalk was up to Leonard street. In August, 1813, there was an ordinance for the paving of Broadway from Worth street to Canal street bridge. It was not completed until 1816. From Sugar Loaf (now Franklin) street people used to cross down through open lots to the west side of the city. There were only two crossings of Canal street: one was the bridge at Broadway, the other was at Greenwich street. Canal street from Hudson River to Centre street was an open sewer, and not a single house on its borders." On the west side of Broad- way the house numbers stopped at 415. On the east side of Broadway the numbers stopped at 428.
.There were only a few scattering buildings above Canal street, which was crossed at Broa lway by a stone bridge." All the upper part of the city was very irregular in surface and had many hills
37
STYLE OF BUILDINGS.
and hollows. On the line of the Bowery it was built up as far as Houston street, then called North street. Amity street, on the west side of Broadway, and North street, on the east side, were regarded as the extent of the inhabitants of the city. The house numbers on the east side of Bowery stopped at No. 300, and those on the west side at 270. Those residing above these boundaries were regarded as country residents.
The district on the East River, composed of the populous portions of the Seventh and Tenth Wards, contained about 25,000 persons, and was bounded on the north by North street, the Bowery on the west, and Catharine street on the south.
# The houses in the city were estimated at about sixteen thousand and were mostly built of wood, except in the lower and most business portion of the city, where the large ones were of red brick, with slate roofs ; tin roofs were unknown at that time. * They were usually three stories high, with low basement used as kitchen or cellar; the upper story was rude dormer windows protruding towards the street from the peaked roof."
The more pretentious dwelling usually had a flat part on the middle of the roof and had railing around it; from this the roof slanted each way to the front and rear. Many of the brick buildings of the fashion of that day are still standing.
There was very little restriction in building to pre- vent fires prior to June, 1812. The act of April, 1796, which existed up to that time, provided that in
* A. W. Spies told the writer that not one house in six were brick in 1817.
38
FIRE LIMITS.
the fire limits, which were then defined, every house thereafter built (except steeples, cupolas, and spires of churches and public buildings) being more than twenty-five feet front or rear to the foot of the raft- ers should be made or constructed of stone or brick, with party or fire walls being twelve inches above the roof, and covered, except the flat roof thereof, with tile or slate or other safe materials against fire, and not with boards or shingles, except the flat space thereof, which should not exceed two-fifths of the space of the roof; but buildings then already erected and then covered with boards or shingles could be re-covered or repaired with boards or shingles. At that time the population of the city was only about 40,000.
The fire limits of the city as prescribed by the law of April 1, 1812, made it obligatory that dwell- ing houses, storehouses, and other buildings there- after to be erected within the following bound- aries, should be made and constructed of stone or brick, with party or fire walls rising at least six inches above the roof, and should be covered, except the flat roof thereof, with tile or slate, or other safe materials against fire, and not with boards or shingles.
The district was bounded as follows: All that part of the city lying and being north of a line beginning on the westerly shore of East River, opposite Mont- gomery street, thence through Montgomery street to Cherry street ; thence down Cherry street to Roosevelt street ; through Roosevelt to Chatham street; down Chatham to Chambers street; through Chambers street to Broadway, up Broadway to
39
CITY HALL PARK.
Canal street, commencing again at Chambers street and running west to Hudson River, including lots on both sides of the streets .*
+ Wooden houses were either painted red or white, if painted at all, and when white the back of them was painted red. › The City Hall is still a monument of that fashion, for the back of it was made of red sandstone, while the front was of white marble It was covered with sheet copper. It was then so completely surrounded by public buildings in the park, and for more than twenty-five years after- wards, that the back of it could scarcely be observed from the streets.
The City Hall Park was described by a writer of the period as "a piece of inclosed ground in front of the new City Hall, consisting of about four acres, planted with elms, pines, willows, and catalpas, the surrounding foot walks encompassed with rows of poplars. Though the trees are young and of few years' growth, the park may be pronounced an elegant and improving place."
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