of the city, have there been found the remains of so many English and
Hessian soldiers, as shown by buttons, cross-belt buckles, bayonets,
and portions of other arms, as have been excavated, from time to time,
in the neighborhood of Trinity Cemetery. There could have been no
fight at this point unless it was at the battle of Harlem, while the
neighborhood about Columbia University, where it is claimed the battle
was fought, has been particularly free from all such evidence.”[40]
Claremont is now a public restaurant.[41] The adding of the huge
inclosed piazzas has produced an effect that is nondescript.
[Illustration]
Hamilton Grange
Alexander Hamilton, although born in another colony, was identified
with the city from boyhood and married into a New York family.[42] The
genuine New Yorker seems always to have had a certain regard for the
memory of Hamilton, ascribable perhaps to his untimely taking off, to
a sentiment of having been, as it were, robbed of the services of a
great man, and to the strong light thrown upon the contrast between his
traits and those of his distinguished and brilliant antagonist.
He had faults, but they were very human ones, while those of his
adversary tended toward the incarnation of selfishness. His career
is probably more familiar to the people than that of any of the
other characters connected with the State of New York during the
Revolutionary era. The site of the house (named after the estate of his
grandfather in Ayreshire, Scotland) was chosen by him in order to be in
proximity to the house of his friend, Gouverneur Morris, at Morrisania.
The situation at that time, like that of the Jumel house, commanded an
extensive view of the Hudson and Harlem rivers and Long Island Sound.
It was then about eight miles from town, so that it was his habit to
drive in every day. It was not to this house that he was brought
after the disastrous event of July 11, 1804. His friend William Bayard
had received an intimation of the proposed encounter, and was waiting
when the boat containing him reached the New York shore. Hamilton was
carried to his house and died there the next day. His wife and children
were with him. One daughter, overcome by two such dreadful events
in the family within a short period, lost her reason.[43] The whole
city was affected. Business was suspended. Indignation was universal.
Burr’s followers walked in the funeral procession. Talleyrand said of
Hamilton: “Je considére Napoleon, Fox, et Hamilton comme lest trois
plus grande hommes de notre époque, et si je devais me prononcer entre
les trois, je donnerais sans hesiter la première place a Hamilton.”
[Illustration]
The Jumel House
This house was built in 1758 by Captain (afterwards Colonel) Roger
Morris of the British army, who had been an aide of General Braddock.
Morris married a daughter of Colonel Philipse. The Philipse estate
embraced a great part of the present Westchester and Putnam counties.
The manor hall erected about 1745 (the oldest part probably about 1682)
now constitutes the City Hall of Yonkers.[44] In that house, on July
3, 1730, was born Mary Philipse, and in the drawing-room on Sunday
afternoon, January 15, 1758, she was married to Captain Morris by the
Rev. Henry Barclay, rector of Trinity, and his assistant, Mr. Auchmuty.
A paper on “The Romance of the Hudson,” by Benson J. Lossing,
published in _Harper’s Magazine_ for April, 1876, gives the following
account of the wedding: “The leading families of the province and the
British forces in America had representatives there. The marriage was
solemnized under a crimson canopy emblazoned with the golden crest of
the family.... The bridesmaids were Miss Barclay, Miss Van Cortlandt,
and Miss De Lancey. The groomsmen were Mr. Heathcote, Captain Kennedy,
and Mr. Watts. Acting Governor De Lancey (son-in-law to Colonel
Heathcote, lord of the manor of Scarsdale) assisted at the ceremony.
The brothers of the bride ... gave away the bride.... Her dowry in her
own right was a large domain, plate, jewelry, and money. A grand feast
followed the nuptial ceremony, and late on that brilliant moonlit night
most of the guests departed.
“While they were feasting a tall Indian, closely wrapped in a scarlet
blanket, appeared at the door of the banquet hall, and with measured
words said: ‘Your possessions shall pass from you when the eagle
shall despoil the lion of his mane.’ He as suddenly disappeared....
The bride pondered the ominous words for years ... and when, because
they were royalists in action, the magnificent domain of the Philipses
was confiscated by the Americans at the close of the Revolution, the
prophecy and its fulfillment were manifested.”[45]
While in New York in 1756 Washington stayed at the house of his friend,
Beverly Robinson, who had married a sister of Miss Philipse, and there
is no doubt that her charms made a deep impression upon him, but there
is no evidence that she refused him.
[Illustration: MANOR HALL, YONKERS, 1682]
After the Revolution Colonel Philipse withdrew to Chester, England,
died there in 1785, and was buried in Chester Cathedral, where there
is a monument to his memory. Some of his descendants are now living in
England, as well as descendants of Colonel and Mrs. Morris. “A part of
the Philipse estate was in possession of Colonel Morris in right of his
wife, and that the whole interest should pass under the (confiscation)
act, Mrs. Morris was included in the attainder.”[46] It is believed
that Mrs. Morris and her sisters were the only women attainted of
treason during the Revolution. “In 1787 the Attorney General of England
examined the case and gave the opinion that the reversionary interest
was not included in the attainder,” and was recoverable, and in the
year 1809 Mrs. Morris’s son, Captain Henry Gage Morris, of the royal
navy, in behalf of himself and his two sisters, sold their reversionary
interest to John Jacob Astor for twenty thousand pounds sterling. In
1828 Mr. Astor made a compromise with the State of New York by which
he received for these rights five hundred thousand dollars, with the
understanding that he should execute a deed with warranty against
the claims of the Morris family, in order to quiet the title of the
numerous persons who had bought from the commissioners of forfeitures.
This he did.
In 1810 the property was bought by Stephen Jumel, a wealthy French
merchant. There he entertained Louis Philippe, Lafayette, Joseph
Bonaparte, Louis Napoleon, and Henry Clay. After Jumel’s death it came
into the possession of his widow. Aaron Burr, in his old age, married
Madame Jumel. After he had made away with a good deal of her money,
she got rid of him. He withdrew to other fields of action and died
somewhere on Staten Island.
During the Revolution Washington had his headquarters here from
September 16 to October 21, 1776, and revisited it, accompanied by his
cabinet, July, 1790.
The house is now in the control of the Department of Parks and is shown
to the public.
[Illustration]
Gracie House--East River Park
Archibald Gracie, a native of Dumfries, Scotland, of an old Scotch
family, came to this country about the time of the close of the
Revolutionary War and established himself as a merchant. He became
one of the largest if not the largest ship owner in the country, his
ships visiting, it is said, every port in the world. He was a man of
the highest character. Oliver Wolcott said of him: “He was one of
the excellent of the earth, actively liberal, intelligent, seeking
and rejoicing in occasions to do good.” Washington Irving wrote
(January, 1813): “Their (the Gracies’) country place was one of my
strongholds last summer. It is a charming, warm-hearted family and the
old gentleman has the soul of a prince.” Mr. Gracie lost greatly as a
result of the Berlin and Milan decrees, over a million dollars, it is
said. It is believed that he was the largest holder of the celebrated
“French Claims,”[47] which Congress with outrageous persistence refused
or neglected to pay for generations. He married Esther, daughter of
Samuel Rogers and Elizabeth Fitch, daughter of Thomas Fitch, Governor
of Connecticut.
There was an old house at Gracie’s Point belonging to Mrs. Prevoost,
and this he either altered and enlarged or else removed entirely and
built the present structure, but at what time it is not known. In the
year 1805 Josiah Quincy was entertained there at dinner. He describes
enthusiastically the situation, overlooking the then terribly turbulent
waters of Hell Gate. He said: “The shores of Long Island, full of
cultivated prospects and interspersed with elegant country seats, bound
the distant view. The mansion is elegant in the modern style and the
grounds laid out in taste with gardens.”[48] Among the guests at that
dinner were Oliver Wolcott, Judge Pendleton, Hamilton’s second, and Dr.
Hosack, who later married Mrs. Coster.
William Gracie, the eldest son, married the beautiful Miss Wolcott,
daughter of Oliver Wolcott, Secretary of the Treasury under Washington.
A great reception was given by Mr. and Mrs. Archibald Gracie to the
bride at this house. All the bridesmaids, groomsmen, and a large
company were assembled when the bride died suddenly of heart disease.
His daughter Hester was married in the parlor of the house to William
Beach Lawrence, afterwards Governor of Rhode Island. Another daughter
married James Gore King, the eminent banker, and another Charles King,
afterwards president of Columbia College, both being sons of Rufus
King of Revolutionary fame. On one occasion during the Napoleonic wars,
a French vessel was chased by an English frigate into the neutral
harbor of New York. The Englishman lay in the lower bay ready to attack
the Frenchman when he should return through the Narrows. Being sure of
his prize he was off his guard. The French captain, taking a skillful
pilot, slipped up the East River, a feat believed impossible for so
large a vessel. In rounding Gracie’s Point a sailor on a yardarm was
swept from his perch by the overhanging branches of a great elm that
was standing on the lawn as late as 1880. With wonderful agility, the
sailor seized the limbs and swinging from one to another reached the
trunk, down which he slid to the ground. Charles King, calling to the
Frenchman, rushed to the other side of the Point, put him in his boat
and followed the man-of-war, although it had then swung over to the
other side of the river. By skillful management he reached the vessel
and the sailor scrambled aboard. Anyone who remembers the waters of
Hell Gate before the rocky bottom was blown up by the Government will
admit that Mr. King did some vigorous rowing. The man-of-war escaped by
way of the Sound, much to the chagrin of the English.
Many distinguished people were entertained in this house. When Louis
Philippe was here in exile he was invited to dine with Mrs. Gracie.
The carriage and four were sent to town to bring the royal visitor,
and when he arrived the family were assembled to receive him. One of
the little girls exclaimed aloud, “That is not the king, he has no
crown on his head,” at which the guest laughed good-naturedly and said:
“In these days, kings are satisfied with wearing their heads without
crowns.” An early picture shows an ornamental balustrade on the roof of
the house and also on that of the piazza, relieving the present rather
bare appearance.
[Illustration]
BOROUGH OF THE BRONX
The Gouverneur Morris House[49]
Gouverneur Morris was one of the most interesting characters of
the Revolutionary era, interesting because he had an individuality
that distinguished him from the other worthies of the time. Though
crippled,[50] his versatility and activity of mind and body were very
great. An orator of the first rank, when but a few years past his
majority he swayed the Continental Congress with his views upon matters
of finance, a subject for which he had an especial aptitude throughout
his career. Resolving, when a young man, to be the first lawyer in the
land, he became so. By reason of his connections, his education and
abilities, during his long stay abroad he associated on intimate terms
with a vast number of the most influential personages living at the
time. The unfortunate King and Queen of France sought his advice and
aid in their troubles, as did Lafayette and many others.
His diary published in 1888 (now out of print), written in Paris during
the early days of the French Revolution, although evidently for his
own use, is comparable with those other letters and memoirs of the
eighteenth century when writing of the sort was cultivated as a fine
art.
His father’s will states: “It is my desire that my son, Gouverneur
Morris, may have the best education that is to be had in England or
America.” Great pains were taken that this should be carried out, so
that he should be fitted for any career that might open to him.[51]
He was a member of the Provincial Congress of New York, in 1775,
“serving on the various committees with such well-balanced judgment
as to command the respect of men of twice his age and experience.”
Twice elected to the Continental Congress, he was a chairman of three
committees for carrying on the war,[52] wrote continually on all
subjects, especially that of finance, and at the same time practiced
law, doing all this before he was twenty-eight years of age. After
five years of devotion to public affairs, he became a citizen of
Philadelphia and settled down to the practice of his profession.
In 1787, as a delegate from Pennsylvania, he took his seat in the
convention which met to frame the Federal Constitution. He had been
connected in certain financial ventures with William Constable of New
York, which had been eminently successful, and in November, 1788,
led partly by matters relating to these and partly by the desire to
travel, he decided to visit France. His life on the other side became
so crowded with interesting and important events that this visit
was prolonged far beyond his intention. It was ten years before he
returned. He was furnished by Washington with letters to persons in
England, France, and Holland. He was present at the assembling of the
States-General at Versailles, which has been called the “first day of
the French Revolution,” and from that time on was _au fait_ with all
the important events of that exciting period. At times he was in almost
daily communication with the Duchess of Orleans, Madame de Staël,
Talleyrand, and hosts of others equally important.
He was soon recognized as applying a clear brain to the solution of
any important question submitted to him, and we find him writing a
memoir for the guidance of the king and the draught of a speech to be
delivered before the National Assembly. The Monciel scheme, usually
mentioned in the biographies of Morris, was a well-conceived plan to
get the king out of Paris. Monciel, one of the ministry, consulted
Morris as to the details of the plan, and the king deposited with
him his papers and the sum of seven hundred and forty-eight thousand
francs. Everything was discreetly arranged and success nearly assured
when, on the morning fixed for the king’s departure, he changed his
mind and refused to budge. Later the money was nearly all withdrawn,
leaving a small balance in Morris’s hands which he returned to the
Duchess d’Angoulême.[53]
In 1789 Washington had written him a letter requesting him to visit
England and endeavor to facilitate the carrying out of the terms of the
treaty between the two countries, but the English governing class at
that day had no desire to facilitate anything in which this country was
interested. He had many interviews with Leeds and Pitt, but was always
met with a policy of vagueness, postponement, and unlimited delay, so
that he accomplished little. It was partly on this account that when
Washington nominated him as Minister to France in 1791, the nomination
was opposed. His views also regarding the condition of France were well
known. He did not deem that country fitted for a radical change of
government nor for the development of the wild theories of government
that were there rampant.[54] The sanity of these views was proved by
subsequent events, but many senators did not regard him as suitable
to represent this republic. He was, however, confirmed by a moderate
majority. He continued to be Minister until Genet was recalled at the
request of Washington. Then France requested his recall on the ground
of “reciprocity.”
Monroe arrived in Paris in August, 1794. Morris intended to return,
but changed his plans and decided to spend another year in Europe
visiting some of the principal courts and traveling[55] through various
countries, but events were so interesting and produced so much stir and
excitement that it was fully four years before he returned.
While in England he was presented at court, November 25, 1795.[56]
Finally in October, 1798, he sent his steward to New York with all his
“books, liquors, linens, furniture, plate and carriages,” and soon
after followed himself.
On his mother’s death in 1786, the estate of Morrisania devolved on his
eldest brother, Staats Morris; but he, having no intention of living
in this country, willingly sold it to him, including his father’s
house, in which he was born. The house he found in poor condition,
and at once set about the task of repairing and adding to it. After
its restoration, he settled there, and for the rest of his life the
house became the scene of a continuous hospitality, not only to the
most eminent Americans of the day, but to nearly every foreigner of
distinction that came to this country.
He was elected a United States Senator and was always interested in
public affairs. He is said to have been the originator of the Erie
Canal. In December, 1809, he married Miss Randolph of Virginia. In May,
1804, he was present at the deathbed of his friend, Alexander Hamilton,
and later delivered the funeral oration.
Sparks[57] says: “The plan of his house conformed to a French
model, and though spacious and well contrived was suited rather
for convenience and perhaps splendor within than for a show of
architectural magnificence without.” To a friend he wrote: “I have
a terrace roof of one hundred and thirty feet long,[58] to which I
go out by a side or rather back door, and from which I enjoy one of
the finest prospects while breathing the most salubrious air in the
world.” The parquet floors of all the rooms were brought from France.
The library, wainscoted and ceiled with Dutch cherry panels, also
imported, was in the early days hung with white and gold tapestry. The
room contained the mahogany desk, still preserved, trimmed with brass
(said to have been a present from one of the royal family), at which he
carried on his correspondence with so many distinguished personages,
correspondence often relating to loans of money to the Duchess of
Orleans, Madame de Lafayette, Louis Philippe, and hundreds of others.
The reception room, twenty-two by thirty feet and fourteen feet high,
was also a paneled room with mirrors set in the wall in the French
style. It contained a number of pieces of gilt furniture, originally
covered with white silk embroidered in gold, with designs from Boucher
which he had brought with him from France. The dining room of peculiar
shape (a half octagon) was paneled in dark wood and contained a curious
reminder of life during Revolutionary days, a dumbwaiter placed near
each guest so that servants need not be admitted to overhear the
conversation.[59]
Morris died on November 6, 1816, in the room in which he was born.
Almost the last letter he wrote was to plead with the Federal Party
to “forget party and think of our country. That country embraces both
parties. We must endeavor therefore to save and benefit both.” What
statesman to-day would put forth such a sentiment?[60]
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
Van Cortlandt House
The property on which the house stands belonged in the seventeenth
century to the Hon. Frederick Philipse and was sold by him in the year
1699 to his son-in-law, Jacobus Van Cortlandt, who had married his
daughter Eva. The house was built in 1748 by Frederick Van Cortlandt,
only son of Jacobus, who married Frances Jay, daughter of Augustus Jay,
the Huguenot. His will, dated October 2, 1749, states: “Whereas I am
now finishing a large stone dwelling house on the plantation in which I
now live, which with the same plantation will, by virtue of my deceased
father’s will, devolve, after my decease, upon my eldest son, James,”
etc.[61]
During the Revolutionary War the neighborhood was constantly the scene
of conflicts. Washington visited the house in 1781, and on the hill to
the north disposed part of his army, which lighted camp fires while
he was quietly withdrawing the rest of his troops to join Lafayette
before Yorktown. There was a bloody engagement near the house on August
31, 1778, between the British, under Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe, and
a body of Stockbridge Indians. The Indians fought with great bravery
and desperation, dragging the cavalrymen from their horses, but were
ultimately dispersed, their chief being killed.[62]
Washington slept here the night before the evacuation of the city by
the British, November 25, 1785. The estate has been bought by the city
and is now known as Van Cortlandt Park. It contains 1,070 acres. There
is a lake covering sixty acres and a parade ground for the National
Guard on a level meadow of 120 acres.
The house is used as a museum and is crowded with interesting relics.
[Illustration]
BOROUGH OF QUEENS
The Bowne House--Flushing
This house was built in 1661 by John Bowne, a native of Matlock,
Derbyshire, England, in whose church he was baptized in the year 1627.
About 1672 George Fox, founder of the sect of Quakers or Friends,
visited Flushing and held meetings there. Bowne’s wife[63] frequently
attended the meetings, and after a time joined the sect. As a result
of this, Quakers were often entertained at the house. Governor
Stuyvesant had Bowne arrested for “harboring Quakers,” and he was
thrown into jail. Prior to this Henry Townsend, of Oyster Bay, had been
subjected to the same treatment. Bowne, being a man of considerable
independence, remained obdurate. He was then banished to Holland. He
presented his case to the Dutch West India Company in such a manner
that he was returned in a special ship with the following rebuke to
the Governor and Councils of the New Netherlands, 1663: “We finally
did see from your last letter you had exiled and transported hither a
certain Quaker named John Bowne, and although it is our cordial desire
that similar and other sectarians might not be found there, yet, as
the contrary seems to be the fact, we doubt very much if vigorous
proceedings against them ought not to be discontinued, except you
intend to check and destroy your population, which, however, in the
youth of your existence ought rather to be encouraged by all possible
means, wherefore it is our opinion that some connivance would be useful
that the conscience of men, at least, ought ever to remain free and
unshackled.
“Let everyone be unmolested as long as he is modest, as long as his
conduct, in a political sense, is irreproachable, as long as he does
not disturb others or oppose the Government.” Signed, “The Directors of
the West India Company, Amsterdam Department.”
The house has always remained in the possession of the descendants
of the first owner. House and furniture are in a good state of
preservation; they are in charge of a caretaker and shown to visitors.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
BOROUGH OF RICHMOND
The Billop House
For more than a century Staten Island was practically in the control of
the Billop family. The Billops for several generations had led active
and valiant careers in the service of the sovereign. One, James, in
the sixteenth century, is said to have won the friendship of Queen
Elizabeth by risking his own life in order to save hers. They had
favors also from the Stuart line.