The civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the county of Kings and the city of Brooklyn, N. Y., from 1683 to 1884 Volume I, Part 29

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909, ed. cn; Brockett, L. P. (Linus Pierpont), 1820-1893; Proctor, L. B. (Lucien Brock), 1830-1900. 1n
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: New York : W. W. Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1114

USA > New York > Kings County > Brooklyn > The civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the county of Kings and the city of Brooklyn, N. Y., from 1683 to 1884 Volume I > Part 29

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The following description of this eccentric man was by one who knew him intimately:

"His dress was seldom varied or replaced; each article-a part of which he made himself-always bore the same appearance. The round-crowned felt-hat, with a broad brim rolled up all around, sat firmly down upon his head, much lower behind than before; and this at times was ornamented with a well-smoked pipe, secured under the band. Then he presented the short kersey coat, ent in a sort of semi-quaker style, covered with metal buttons the size of a Spanish dollar; a single- breasted waistcoat, buttoned up to the throat, contain- ing two pockets large enough to shelter his doubled hands, clutching and guarding their sterling contents, I the sinews of his business. Glancing downward, your

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BROOKLYN SEVENTY-SEVEN YEARS AGO.

eyes met his stoutly-formed nether limbs, encased with ancient buckskin, remarkable for its high polish, by an adhesive grease and other mat- ter, which had rendered it waterproof ; while, below it, appeared stockings, usually gray in color, and stout in texture; and Patchen fastened them below the knce by the com- pression of the ties of those famous leather breeches. A broad and thick pair of cow-skin shoes, fastened on the top with large steel buckles, completed his attire." Aside from his eccentricities, Mr. Patchen had the reputation of being a conscientiously honest man.

A little beyond Patchen's was the crockery and carth- enware store of Mrs. Coope (mother of David Coope). Above her were the stores of old Joseph Fox; Wilson (baker); Wynant Bennet (shoes); Mrs. Earles (thread and needles); and, on the corner formed by the junction of Old and New Ferry roads, a confectionery-store which often changed owners. Crossing the head of

The Hogan. Del."

Old Ferry-Road, between Prospect and Sands.

Main and Prospect streets, we came to a block (a view given above), between the latter street and Sands street. On the corner was the residence of Theodorius Hunt, one of the proprietors of the New (Catherine street) Ferry. In a small building adjoining a man Lippincott kept a grocery. The next, a high-stooped, double- pitched, dormer-windowed house, was the bakery of William Philip, the baker, par excellence, of the village.

He was the father of Frederick A. Philip, the artist ; Wil- liam H. Philip, the sculptor ; Dr. John C. Philip ; Rev. Joseph D. Philip ; and five other children, all of whom have been honorably identified with Brooklyn interests.

Next was the shop of Peter Prest, who had moved up from his old shop. In the rear part of the same

house was a small dry-goods and thread-and-ncedle store, kept by Mrs. Williams, an Englishwoman. It was, par excellence, the gossip-place for the Brooklyn village dames of that day; Mrs. Williams' repertoire being constantly replenished with the most diverting tit-bits of scandal, which were here retailed to every rustonier or caller-and to each in strict confidence.

Adjoining, was the residence of Cyrus Bill, the father of Chas. E. Bill. The old gentleman kept a school and a dry-goods store, the latter being attended by his daughter (wlio subsequently married George Hicks), and his son Charles. Mr. Bill's school, which was opened in November, 1818, was the successor of one kept by a Mr. D. De Vinnc.

On the corner of Sands street was Drs. Ball and Wendell's office. These were prominent and highly respectable practitioners in Brooklyn. Dr. Wendell was of the family of that name in Albany.

Westerly side of the Old Road (Fulton street) from Middagh to the present Montague street.

On the southerly side of Middagh street, after pass- ing two small frame buildings, we come to thic low one-story house of Marvellous Richardson, shoe-maker; whose name, in common parlance, was either ab- breviated to "Marvel," or lengthened to "Miraculous Marvel." It was built by the Hessians, during the Revolutionary war, as a guard-house; and here, also, for a short time, during the rectorship of Rev. Mr. Wright, the Episcopalians worshipped in a hired room, rudely fitted up for the purpose, with pulpit, reading- desk and seats, and here gathered the few churchmen of the village, and, indeed, of the county, among whom was Aquila Giles, Esq., and his family, from Flatbush.

Next was the dwelling of Richard H. Cornwell, cabi- net and coffin maker, and a man of considerable ability. He was, in 1832, Surrogate of the county, to which office (so grimly luunnorously appropriate to his business) he was elected by the Methodist influence, which then largely controlled local politics. Just opposite to the lower corner of what is now High street, was the wheelwright-shop of George Smith, the father of Mr. Crawford C. Smith. It was a long, two-story frame edifice, originally erected on Sands street, and occupied by the Methodist church. When, in 1810, they determined to build larger, it had been purchased by Mr. Smith, moved into this spot, and converted to a shop. It had a long flight of stairs on the outside, leading up to Judge Garrison's Court Room, on the second floor.

JOHN GARRISON was for many years intimately connected with the interests of Brooklyn. He was born at Grave- send in 1764. When quite young his parents removed to Brooklyn; and, his father dying soon after, he, under the instruction of Matthew Gleaves, became a butcher, commencing business, on his own account, about 1785 ; and, for many years, had a stand in the Fly Market, New York. In November, 1793, he experienced religious convictions, and when the first Methodist church was formed

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HISTORY OF KINGS COUNTY.

in the village, in 1794, he was chosen one of its board of trus- tees, which office he continued to hold for thirty-six years. In politics he was a violent democrat, of the old school, and was naturally regarded, by some, as a man of bitter and vin- dictive feelings ; while, in fact, a kinder-hearted man never lived. He was a fireman in 1787, 1790, 1791, 1793, 1794 ; over- seer of the poor in 1803 and 1804 ; one of the committee of the board of health in 1809 ; a school commissioner in 1806 and 1807 ; was a village trustee in 1816 and 1826, and for the larger portion of his life-time a judge of the common pleas, or justice of the peace. Indeed, he, in connection with Squire Nichols, dispensed nearly all the justice that was needed to keep the Brooklynites straight in those primitive days; and, though his legal attainments were not extensive, his strong common sense, his shrewdness in judging charac- ter, and his straight-forward way of getting at the justice, if not the law, of the cases brought before him, rendered him, in the opinion of all who knew him, one of the best justices Brooklyn ever had. In person he was six feet two inches high, remarkably large, and weighing th: e hundred pounds. Towards the close of his life he inclined towards corpulency, but always retained his early activity and erectness. He was invariably dressed in a suit of "pepper-and-salt" mixed clothing, cut very loose. Many pleasant stories are yet told of his queer ways and sayings, by those who were wont to frequent his court-room. A characteristic one is the follow- ing: On one occasion, a trial was going on before Judge Garrison, the case being a suit for money. The long, warm summer's day had been almost entirely occupied by the argu- ments and pleadings of the opposing counsel, and judge and jury gave indubitable signs of weariness. The lawyer who closed the case requested the judge to " charge the jury," a proceeding somewhat unusual in the simple routine of the justice's court. Thereupon, the judge, rising with great de- liberation and with some evident hesitancy, turned his burly figure towards the jury, and delivered himself thus : "Gen- tlemen of the Jury ! You have heard the learned counsel on both sides, and the last lawyer who spoke has asked me to charge the jury. My charge shall be very short;" and turn- ing to the contesting parties in the suit, he exclaimed, " I think that that man (pointing to one) owes that man (point- ing to the other) the money, and he ought to pay it !" Again, M. T. sued G. T., before Judge Garrison, for the sum of ten shillings, and got a decision in his favor. G. T., however, contumaciously refused to pay, whereupon M. T. complained to the judge. "What!" said the judge, " won't he pay you ? Well, I'll issue a summons and I'll guarantee he'll pay you, then." Accordingly, the summons was issued, and judgment obtained, but the money didn't come. Whereupon, M. T., meeting the judge soon after, said to him, "Look here, Squire, you guaranteed that debt, and now, if you don't pay it, I'll sue you." "Oh, well," said the judge, "that debt must be settled," and forthwith paid M. T. five shillings out of his own pocket. He died January, 1831, his remains being interred under the Sands street Methodist church, of which he so long had been a useful and devoted member. Judge Garrison's residence, during the early portion of his life, was in Doughty street ; afterwards on the south-east corner of Washington and High streets. His portrait is preserved in Guy's Brooklyn picture.

Next the wheelwright-shop was a house occupied by Joseph Moser and wife, known to every one in the village as "Uncle Joscy," and " Aunt Rachel."

JOSEPH MOSER, like his friend "Poppy" Snow, with whom he was associated in " every good word and work," was one of those quiet public benefactors which every community

needs. Peculiar in gait, clean-shaven, round-shouldered, and dressed always in drab-colored clothes, he was never missed from his place in the Methodist church on the Sabbath. His ministrations to the sick, and the heavy laden ; his labors in the Sabbath-school ; his untiring interest in the youth of the place, endeared him to the hearts of both old and young. He was a builder, and amassed what, in those days, was an in- dependent fortune ; and many of Brooklyn's most prosperous citizens owed their welfare to his unsolicited aid. His purse was ever open, and it probably never entered his head to say "No!" when called upon. Especially in the establishment of the churches of his own beloved denomination, was his liberality unbounded. But, through losses entailed upon him by others, he became deprived of his hard-earned property, and dependent upon the charity of relatives. Within a few years of his death, which occurred on the 8th of February, 1854, in his seventy-eighth year, he occupied, for the brief period of a few months, an inspectorship in the New York customs, and an inspectorship of pavements in Brooklyn, both of which were bestowed upon him unsolicited, and by his political adversaries. His life and death alike proved him a devoted, active and useful Christian.

A very old one-and-a-half-story house stood on the corner of the present Cranberry street; then a carpen- ter-shop-subsequently the paint-shop of old Matthew (father of ex-mayor George) Hall. Just beyond, and nearly on the line of the present Orange street, was an old house occupied by Cortlandt Van Buren, and afterward the residence of Losce Van Nostrand. Next to this was "Biddy Stephenson's liquor-saloon and Ice- Cream Garden," a place much resorted to for the hold- ing of town, village, and public meetings. The "Gar- den" extended to the property of James B. Clark, Esq., an industrious, plodding attorney, for many years Dis- trict Attorney of the County, and a dealer in real-estate, who occupied a large piece of land (some 200 feet front) leased from the Middagh estate, through which Pineapple street has since been opened, leaving the old " Clarke pump " out, on the corner.

Next to Mr. Clarke's grounds was the parsonage building of St. Ann's; and next to it, just on the lower side of the turn of the present Clinton street into Fulton, was the pretty two-story framed dwelling of SAMUEL SACKETT.

He was of a Newtown family and a most excellent man ; for many years overseer of the poor, in Brooklyn, to which, as well as to the duties of a trustee of the only public school, he gave his undivided attention. He was a man of polished manners and agreeable address, and the father of Clarence D., and Grenville A., both lawyers and deceased. The former was a village trustee in 1826, and a member of the State legislature; while the latter, although a diligent and competent lawyer, was possessed of more than ordinary poeti- cal genius, and, under the signature of " Alfred," wrote some of the best and most widely circulated of the fugitive poetry of the day, in The New York Mirror, The New York Times and Long Island Star.

Along the westerly side of the Old Road (Fulton strect), from Orange to Clinton streets, extended a row of magnificent old elms; the largest, perhaps, being those along in front of Lawyer Clarke's grounds. Elm, mulberry, locust, cedar, and willow-trecs abounded in

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BROOKLYN SEVENTY-SEVEN YEARS AGO.

the village at that day, to a greater extent than the promenaders of the present city ean realize.

The next house on this side of the road, and very nearly opposite to the present Johnson street, was the residenee of JOHN VALENTINE SWERTCOPE, one of those Hessians who had been left (perhaps not unwil- lingly) upon our shores by the rceeding wave of British domination, after the declaration of peace in 1783.

With his long gray beard, his soldierly tread and strongly marked features, he was certainly the quaintest and most original character in the village. In the British service he had been an armorer ; and, very naturally, found some em- ployment in furbishing and repairing the guns, pistols, etc., of his neighbors in Brooklyn. By industry and thrift he amassed a very snug little property, so that he was commonly reputed to have found a buried treasure. In course of time he purchased from the De Bevoise brothers a strip of land off the end of their farm, upon which he erected a dwelling- house, and, adjoining it on the north, a gunsmith-shop, mostly used by his son John. Old Swertcope, among other contrivances, invented an air-gun, the balls of which were clay pellets; and this weapon was an object of great curi- osity, and of no small fear, to the boys especially, in their predatory excursions into the old man's orchard. Much of his time was occupied in attending to his fine garden and orchard, where he used to prowl about, in apple season, with whip in hand and a dog at his heels, ready to pounce upon the boys who were skirmishing around his trees. He also did a considerable business in the distilling of rose- water. Roses, at that time, were raised in great abund- ance in the gardens of Brooklyn ; and many persons were accustomed to send their annual crop of rose-leaves to Swert- cope, who returned to each customer one-half the yield in rose-water ; reserving the other half as payment for services in distillation. Having procured from the De Bevoises some of their fine strawberry-plants, of which fruit they had pre- viously held the monopoly in the New York market, he very soon, by his good management, succeeded in dividing with them the reputation and the business of the best berries. In addition to these, he derived no inconsiderable income from the sale of a superior kind of bitters, which he manufactured; and he might be seen almost every morning, wending his way to the ferry, with a basketful of bottles of these bitters, which he peddled off in New York, before his return to Brooklyn. He was somewhat of a miser, and the large amount of money which he amassed, all in specie, was kept in a heavy iron-bound box, under his bed ; and its key during his last illness was always placed under his pillow. The late George Hall used to relate that, having occasion to visit him, a little before his death, some one called at the house to obtain pay- ment of a small bill, and the sick man directed his daughter to get the necessary amount out of the trunk. As she was engaged a little too long in searching for a coin, the sick man became impatient and suspicious, and raising himself up in bed, exclaimed, "Come away ! Come away ! vat you doin' mit your tam money-rousin ?"

In the rear of Swerteope's land, just behind the pres- ent Presbyterian ehureh, on the west side of Clinton street, was the ancient private burial-ground of the Middagh family. Along the southcrly side of Swert- eope's land was " Love lanc," leading down the De Bevoise place on the Heights; and, a little distance be- yond the lane was Lawrence Brower's tavern, called "Mount Pleasant Garden."

Beyond Brower's, a little north of the corner of Montague street, was the "Bee-Hive," kept by Mrs. Wells, the mother-in-law of Capt. Hudson, U. S. N. It stood back a little from the old road, with its "bee- hive " sign projeeting over the walk, and was subse- quently occupied by Dr. Hurd.

The easterly side of the Old Road (Fulton street) from Sands street to Myrtle avenue.

On the southerly corner of Sands street was John Harmer's patent floor-eloth factory. Subsequently, about 1819, he ereeted a new factory in Middagh, near Fulton street. Next to Harmer's was the residenee and grocery-store of high sheriff John Dean, father of Col. Joseph Dean. He was a prominent politieian in the county, was appointed sheriff in March, 1813, and " Dean's Corners," as it was generally called, was to the male portion of the village what Mrs. Williams' shop was to the female, a great rendezvous for (political and business) "chit-ehat." Adjoining Mr. Dean's grocery, with an intervening spaee, was his extensive shoe-shop. Beyond this were two small old buildings; then the residence of George Smith, whose wheelwright-shop was on the opposite side of the road; and then, the two- story frame dwelling-house and grocery-store of Isaae Moser, brother of "Unele Josey " Moser, of whom we have already spoken.

Across High street was a bakery-shop ; Mr. John G. Murphy's house; "Gus " Back's, with his whip-fac- tory in the rear; some vaeant lots, and then a little north of the corner of Nassau street, a long, one-story- and-a-half edifiee, built of small briek said to have been brought from Holland. This venerable building had been honored by having been the seat of the New York Provincial Congress, in 1746 and 1752, when driven from New York eity by the prevalence there of the small- pox, and many important aets were passed here. It was also Gen. Putnam's head-quarters, previous to the battle of Brooklyn, in August, 1776. It stood some fifteen or eighteen feet above the level of the road and was, for many years, occupied by old SQUIRE NICHOLS, a cabinet-maker by trade, and, for thirteen years previous to 1822, a justice of the peace.

His shop adjoined the eastern end of the dwelling. Sub- sequently it was occupied by Samuel E. Clements, as the post-office and the office of his paper, The Long Island Pat- riot. On the second floor old Mr. William Hartshorn (who died in 1859) kept a little stationery-shop, and cases where he set type for the Patriot. In 1832, in consequence of the wid- ening of Fulton street, the old house was condemned to de- molition. Squire Nichols, though far from rich, was an honest man and universally respected. He was a native of Newark, N. J .; entered the American army as a private in 1775; was in the whole of that wonderful and unfortunate expedition of the northern army, under Gen. Arnold, against Quebec; and was appointed adjutant of the 4th regiment, commanded by Col. Holmes. In 1776 he was a lieutenant in Col. Nicholson's regiment raised at Quebec, was at the siege of Fort Schuyler, and the capture of Burgoyne's army. Also, in the actions of September 19th and October 7th, and other skirmishes ; and,

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HISTORY OF KINGS COUNTY.

at the battle of Rhode Island, October 14th, 1778, where he commanded his company, in the absence of its captain, was twice wounded. He was short and stout in stature and very active and energetic in mind, although somewhat crippled in his feet ; and, even until within a few years of his death, was one of the most active justices of the peace which Brook- lyn ever had, although he would drink, and not unfrequently swear, even " while on the bench ;" still these were faults which were attributable probably to his early army associa- tions. He died in November, 1835, and his remains were es- corted to the tomb by the mayor and civil officers of the city, by four military companies of Brooklyn, and two from New York, forming the largest funeral which was ever known in Brooklyn, and Capt. Brower's Infantry company fired a vol- ley over the grave of the old veteran.

Across Nassau street, on the southerly eorner, was the large square house oeeupied by Capt. John O'Sullivan, a retired shipmaster, and father-in-law of Dr. R. S. Thorne and Dr. Hazlett. Then Willy Stephenson's " Auld Lang Syne" Inn, and the gardens attached to its southerly side. On the site of these gardens after- wards stood the old theatre. Next, on the corner of Coneord street, was the residence of Dr. Joseph Gedney Tarlton Hunt, for many years in active service as a naval surgeon, and subsequently on duty at the Brooklyn navy-yard.

The southerly corner of Coneord street was then a vaeant lot, adjoining which was the residenee of Rike Reid, hatter; and for many years a constable in the village, thus commemorated in village rhyme :

Do you not fear the terrors of the law, The direful energy of Justice Nichols ? Or lest Rike Reid let fall his mighty paw, And put you all in very pretty pickles.

Then, the house of Joseph Sprague (afterwards mayor), who had in the rear of his ground a factory for making (by dog-power) the " Whittemore eards " used in the manufacture of woolen goods.

A little above stood an old meeting-house originally ereeted for the use of the "Independent" society, in 1785, and which afterwards eame into the hands of the Episeopalians of Brooklyn. It adjoined the northerly side of the old Episcopal burial-ground belonging to St. Ann's congregation. It gradually fell into deeay, but was patelied up and occupied as a sehool-room, by Rev. Samuel Seabury and John Swinburne, who kept here a elassieal and English school of great exeellenee, at which many of our oldest eitizens, now living, received their early education. Mr. Seabury, who had been an assistant to Mr. Evan Beynon, in his sehool on Coneord street, until the death of that worthy pedagogue, was a fine seholar, a strict diseiplinarian and a thorough teaeher, and was afterward widely known as an aceom- plished editor and theologian of the Episcopal church. His assistant, John Swinburne, was a eonseientious, methodical teacher, a good disciplinarian, and in all respeets a faithful teacher and worthy man. The grave- yard was for many years disused, being finally removed in 1860, and "St. Ann's Buildings " creeted on its site.

Adjoining the southerly side of the Episcopal burying- ground was the Matthew Gleaves property, extending along the road to a point about midway between Til- lary and Johnson streets, and baek from the road to a point nearly midway between Washington and Adams streets. On this (subsequently known as the Tillary) property stood the head of Norris L. Martin's rope- walk, which extended baek to the Wallabout Meadows. The next building was Dempsey's hotel, " The Village Garden," where the gay young fellows used to go to "shoot turkey." Then, with an intervening vaeant spaee, the residenee of Capt. Samuel Angus, United States Navy, originally built by old Matthew Gleaves. Then, the home of old Mrs. Miller, mother of Mr. E. G. Miller ; afterward Mr. Henry Waring built a residenee for himself on this property.

Near Mrs. Miller's was Moses Montgomery, originally a gardener, and his garden was ealled " Shamroek Hall." From this garden, the Johnson estate extended up to the line of the Duffield estate, about the eorner of Adams and Willoughby streets, where was the rope-walk, which extended along the line of the estate, and was leased by James Engles.

That portion of the village lying north and east of the Old Ferry road (Fulton street), and along the streets at that time opened through it, viz. : Water, Front, Main, Prospect, Sands, High, Concord and Nassau streets.

Water street. On the north side of the street, be- tween Old Ferry road and Doek street, were but six buildings, of which only two challenge any special no- tiee, viz .: Townsend & Cox's (afterwards Riehard Mott's) tavern; and the large briek and stone distillery not far from Doek street and fronting the river, said to have been built by John Jackson. It was here that the Brothers Graham commeneed their Brooklyn career as distillers, about 1816, and were succeeded by old Cunningham, the Seotehman ; and he in turn by Robert Baeh.

On the south side of the street, between Old Ferry and Dock streets, were : on the corner, Barnum's Hotel ; va- eant lots ; the livery stables belonging to the Town- send & Cox tavern opposite ; the tan-yard of Losee Van Nostrand (afterwards of Talford & Van Nostrand) ; and some vaeant lots (extending nearly to the corner of Doek street) upon which Alexander Birbeek subse- quently ereeted his blacksmithery.

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The civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the county of Kings and the city of Brooklyn, N. Y., from 1683 to 1884 Volume I, Part 29

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909, ed. cn; Brockett, L. P. (Linus Pierpont), 1820-1893; Proctor, L. B. (Lucien Brock), 1830-1900. 1n Publication date: 1884 Publisher: New York : W. W. Munsell & Co. Number of Pages: 1114

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909, ed. cn; Brockett, L. P. (Linus Pierpont), 1820-1893; Proctor, L. B. (Lucien Brock), 1830-1900. 1n
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: New York : W. W. Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1114