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Valentine's  Manual 

of  the 

City  of  New  York 

for   1916-? 


New  Series 


Edited  by 

Henry  Collins  Brown 


New   York 

The   Valentine  Company 

15  East  40th  Street 


FOUNDERS  EDITION 


^JSTHSO/vT^s 


Copyright,  1916 

by 

Henry  Collins  Brown 


TO   ALL   NEW  YORKERS 

NATIVE  OR  ADOPTED 

WHO  LOVE  AND  VENERATE  THIS  OLD  TOWN— 

AND  TO  HER  SONS  AND  DAUGHTERS, 

WHEREVER  THEY  MAY  BE 

THIS  VOLUME  IS  AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED 


David  Thomas  'Valentine,   famous  editor  of  the  original  Manuals 
of  New  York,  1842-1868. 


The  New  Manuals :  Retrospect  and  Revival 

Henry  Collins  Brown 

Any  attempt  to  revive  Valentine's  famous  Manuals 
is,  of  necessity,  an  undertaking  fraught  with  the  liveliest 
anticipation  to  all  old  New  Yorkers,  and  of  more  than 
passing  interest  to  the  generation  to  whom  his  work  is 
fast  becoming  merely  a  romantic  tradition. 

The  present  year  marks  a  full  half  century  since  the 
gifted  pen  of  David  Thomas  Valentine  ceased  to  labor 
on  the  work  he  loved  so  well.  It  has  also  seen  the  real- 
ization of  his  wildest  dream — that  New  York  would  some 
day  be  the  greatest  city  in  the  world.  And  this  effort 
to  continue  the  brilliant  record  of  the  " faithful  old 
clerk"  is  attended  with  no  small  amount  of  apprehen- 
sion and  a  due  appreciation  of  the  difficulties  to  be  sur- 
mounted. For  his  was  the  work  of  the  heart  as  well  as 
of  the  head. 

To  those  of  us  who  know,  and  appreciate,  the  worth 
of  these  veritable  store-houses  of  antiquarian  lore  con- 
cerning the  past  of  our  glorious  city,  the  mere  mention 
of  Valentine's  Manual  conjures  up  visions  of  a  city  with 
tree  embowered  streets,  little  two-and-a-half-story  red 
brick  houses  with  quaint  dormer  windows,  and  awnings 
over  most  of  the  stores  along  Broadway.  Our  churches 
were  still  below  Fourteenth  Street  and  Sunday  morning 
in  any  part  of  old  New  York  was  sure  to  be  crowded 
with  worshippers  in  goodly  numbers ;  the  women  in  wide 
hoop-skirts,  poke  bonnets  and  dainty  little  parasols;  the 
men  .in  huge  furry  beaver  hats,  fancy  waistcoats,  brass 
buttons,  etc.  Washington  Square,  St.  John's  Park,  St. 
Mark's  on  Stuyvesant  Place,  and  Union  Square  Park 
marked  the  extreme  northerly  limits  of  fashionable  up- 
town in  Valentine's  day.  Greenwich  village  was  still  a 
village  only  to  be  visited  with  trunks  for  a  two  weeks' 
stay ;  Chelsea,  Harsenville,  Bloomingdale,  Manhattan- 
ville,  Tubby  Hook,  Ft.  Washington,  Inwood,  Kingsbridge, 

[1] 


were  all  small  settlements  on  the  West  Side,  quite  remote 
from  the  city,  while  Corlears  Hook,  Manhattan  Island, 
Yorkville,  Kips  Bay  and  Harlem  were  scattered  on  the 
East.  Stage  coaches  were  still  the  main  means  of  trans- 
portation although  street  cars  were  beginning  to  appear. 

But  for  Valentine,  and  this  is  now  admitted  to  have 
been  his  greatest  work,  many  of  the  characteristics  of 
our  city  at  this  interesting  period  of  its  development 
would  have  been  lost.  "The  trash  of  today,"  historically 
speaking,  "becomes  the  treasure  of  tomorrow,"  and  it  is 
to  the  pictures,  which  he  preserved  for  us  at  a  time 
when  their  value  was  little  realized,  that  we  owe  him 
a  debt  of  inestimable  value.  Photography  and  the  pres- 
ent inexpensive  methods  of  engraving  were  undiscovered. 
Lithography  and  wood  engraving  were  practised  to  a 
limited  extent,  but  copper-plate  printing  was  still  the 
popular  method  of  preserving  the  work  of  the  artist. 
All  three  methods  were  still  in  an  expensive  state,  which 
necessarily  restricted  their  use  to  works  supposedly  of 
prime  importance  and  precluded  their  use  in  the  average 
book  of  moderate  cost.  For  this  reason,  few  publica- 
tions of  that  period  contain  illustrations  of  our  city,  and 
to  the  Manual  we  are  indebted  for  the  preservation  of 
street  scenes,  notable  buildings,  land  marks,  maps,  etc., 
between  1840  and  1868.  All  of  them  have  long  ago  dis- 
appeared and  but  for  Mr.  Valentine  the  record  would 
have  been  lost  irretrievably. 

Turning  to  the  issue  of  1841-1842,  the  first  under 
Mr.  Valentine's  editorship,  we  find  an  insignificant  vol- 
ume only  3%  by  5  inches  in  size,  containing  186  small 
pages  and  bound  in  inexpensive  board  covers.  A  com- 
plete Table  of  Contents  follows : 

PAGE 

Calendar    9 

Rules  and  orders  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen 21 

Rules  and  orders  of  the  Board  of  Assistants 25 

Joint  Rules  of  the  Boards  of  Aldermen  and  Assistants  30 
Mayor,  Aldermen  and  Assistant  Aldermen  of  the  City 

with   their   residences 31 

Standing  Committees  of  both  boards 33 

Board     of     Supervisions 38 

Board   of    Health 39 

Financial   Condition   of   the   City 40 

Public  Offices    53 

Ferries  from  the  City  of  New  York  to  adjacent  places  44 
Rates  of  Fare  of  Hackney  Coaches,  Carriages  and  Cabs  45 

[2] 


Value  of  Real  and  Personal  Estate  in  the  City,  etc ...  .  48 

Offices  of  the  Corporation 51 

Court    of     Sessions 69 

Water    Commissions     70 

Assessors     70 

Collector    of    Taxes 71 

Constables     72 

The  frontispiece  is  the  first  of  the  City  Maps  for 
which  Mr.  Valentine  was  afterwards  to  receive  so  much 
credit.  This  map  shows  the  extent  of  the  city  at  that 
time  (1842)  and  is  now  an  eagerly  sought  item  for  New 
York  collections.  These  were  followed  in  later  numbers 
by  other  similar  productions  showing  the  constant  and 
rapid  growth  of  the  city. 

The  preface  of  this  volume  contains  the  following 
significant  statement: 

"It  has  been  thought  expedient  to  enlarge  on  the  substance 
of  the  City  Hall  Directory  by  the  introduction  of  added 
matter,  interesting  and  useful  to  the  members  of  the  Cor- 
poration and  others.  The  contents  and  form  of  this  vol- 
ume have  been  selected  as  most  useful  and  convenient 
for  reference." 

The  City  Hall  Directory,  to  which  reference  is  here 
made  (and  of  which  the  Manuals  were  the  successor), 
appears  upon  investigation  to  have  been  a  small  pam- 
phlet issued  by  the  City  Government  as  far  back  as 
1818.  And  this  in  turn  to  have  been  preceded  by  a 
similar  publication,  which  consisted  of  a  couple  of  leaves 
or  so  containing  the  names  of  the  Mayor,  Aldermen, 
Assistants,  and  other  officials  of  the  City  Government 
dating  back  to  1801.  The  entire  series,  starting  with  this 
modest  leaflet,  continuing  with  the  City  Hall  Directory 
and  ending  with  the  Manuals  can  be  seen  at  the  Public 
Library  on  Fifth  Avenue.  They  form  an  interesting 
item  of  municipal  effort  in  this  direction. 

After  the  death  of  Mr.  Valentine,  the  Manuals,  as 
we  speak  of  them  here,  ceased.  Mr.  Shannon's  work 
belonged  to  another  period.  Under  Mayor  Gaynor  the 
City  provided  a  Municipal  Year  Book  giving  certain 
statistical  information  regarding  the  personnel  of  the 
Mayor's  office  and  the  various  departments  and  the  work 
has  been  continued  by  his  successor,  Mayor  Mitchel. 
Up  to  the  present  time  (January  1,  1916)  two  issues  have 
appeared  of  the  Year  Book  and  it  may  be  continued. 

[3] 


This,  briefly,  is  the  history  of  such  publications  as  have 
been  issued  by  the  City  along  the  lines  of  the  Manuals. 

Of  recent  years  the  huge  size  of  the  City  and  its 
Boroughs  has  necessitated  a  daily  publication  to  keep 
track  of  its  enormous  business  and  the  City  Record  has 
taken  the  place  of  these  old  once-a-year  periodicals. 
Naturally,  they  are  of  the  strictest  business  character 
and  have  no  room  for  anything  but  statements  of  the 
most  highly  condensed  facts.  And  no  doubt  material 
such  as  Valentine  used  would  be  sadly  out  of  place  in 
these  modern  papers.  Nevertheless,  the  city  changes  so 
much  and  so  rapidly  in  its  physical  aspect,  that  some 
record  of  these  changes  might  properly  come  within  the 
scope  of  a  city  enterprise. 

In  order  to  get  a  better  idea  of  what  Valentine's  pages 
actually  contained  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  state  that  no 
less  than  seventeen  of  them  are  occupied  by  the  names  of 
persons  on  the  City's  pay-roll  in  one  capacity  or  another, 
ninety  more  are  taken  up  with  a  list  of  members  of  the 
City  Council  from  1653  to  1842. 

The  calendar  takes  up  twenty  pages.  Rules  of  the 
Aldermen  and  Assistants,  nine  pages.  Names  and  resi- 
dences of  the  Mayor,  Aldermen,  etc.,  ten,  and  so  on. 

The  calendar  itself  is  worthy  of  special  commenda- 
tion. It  is  a  huge  depository  of  American  history.  It 
is  arranged  after  the  manner  of  the  old-fashioned  New 
England  almanac,  but  instead  of  giving  prognostications 
of  the  weather,  signs  and  portents  of  the  zodiac  and 
other  absorbing  items  of  like  nature,  it  gives  dates  and 
facts  concerning  the  late  Revolution,  meeting  days  of 
the  Corporation,  days  for  receiving  claims,  taxes,  etc. 
In  the  twelve  months  included  in  this  calendar  there  is 
a  veritable  chronological  table  of  past,  present  and  future 
dates  referring  to  the  City  or  the  country  as  a  whole. 
It  is  certainly  a  painstaking  and  exceedingly  interesting 
compilation  and  yet  is  only  one  instance  of  the  thorough 
manner  in  which  Valentine  did  all  his  work.  The 
amount  of  research  this  man  accomplished  is  certainly 
remarkable;  no  exertion  proved  too  severe  nor  did  any 
apparent  difficulty  discourage  him  in  his  search  for  facts. 

[4] 


1 

1 


f 

x 

•a 


8- 

! 


At  a  later  date  Mr.  Valentine  included  the  names  of 
all  school  teachers,  constables,  policemen,  junk-dealers, 
pawnbrokers  (and  all  other  persons  who  were  licensed 
by  the  city),  scrub-women,  bell-ringers,  firemen  in  charge 
of  firehouses  owned  by  the  City  (the  department  was 
volunteer)  and  numberless  other  items  which  today  have 
so  expanded  that  a  work  of  ten  volumes  would  not 
include  all  this  material.  For  instance,  the  total  number 
of  employees  of  every  kind  given  in  the  Manual  for 
1842  is  427.  The  permanent  number  of  city  employees 
on  the  pay-roll  today  is  never  less  than  about  85,000, 
and  that  is  constantly  increased  by  temporary  additions, 
which  make  the  daily  average  figure  considerably  over 
110,000.  In  Valentine's  day  the  constables  numbered  34, 
while  our  present  police  department  numbers  consider- 
ably over  11,000.  And  so  on  it  would  go  all  through  the 
list. 

A  new  Manual,  therefore,  based  on  the  exact  lines 
of  the  old  would  be  doomed  to  failure.  But  by  taking  the 
good  out  of  the  old,  and  expanding  the  same  material 
existent  today ;  by  preserving  the  rapid  changes  that  are 
constantly  going  on ;  by  collecting  and  reproducing  the 
"trash"  of  today ;  by  such  means  it  is  possible  that  a  new 
series  might  be  produced  that  would  prove  of  interest 
to  its  present-day  inhabitants  and  valuable  to  the  future 
historian. 

Such,  then,  is  the  task  confronting  the  present  editor. 
How  near  he  will  realize  the  just  expectations  of  the 
people  of  New  York  in  this  respect  remains  to  be  seen. 
The  present  volume  is  offered  as  his  idea  of  about  what 
the  new  Manuals  should  be.  Such  changes  as  the  com- 
ments of  his  readers  suggest  and  experience  dictates, 
will  be  found  in  subsequent  issues.  All  New  Yorkers 
are  cordially  invited  to  assist  in  making  the  Manual  a 
book  in  keeping  with  the  dignity,  importance  and  glory 
of  the  chief  City  of  the  world. 


[5 


The   Hitherto   Unpublished   Minutes  of  the 
Common  Council  from  1784  Until  1831 

A  matter  that  has  deeply  perplexed  librarians,  archiv- 
ists, men  of  letters,  and  the  public,  throughout  the  United 
States,  is  the  continued  failure  of  the  city  of  New  York 
to  print  the  minutes  of  its  own  Common  Council  from 
the  years  1784  to  1831.  This  period  covers  what  is 
easily  the  most  interesting  days  of  our  infantile  exist- 
ence. They  set  forth  as  no  other  medium  can,  condi- 
tions as  they  existed  at  the  time  the  British  evacuated 
New  York,  and  the  city  took  up  the  burden  of  separate 
existence  on  its  own  account.  As  we  read  those  absorb- 
ing chapters  of  our  early  infancy,  there  is  spread  be- 
fore our  eyes  the  picture  of  a  little  town  struggling  to 
right  itself  after  an  occupancy  by  a  foreign  foe  of  near- 
ly eight  years.  Disorder  and  crime  prevail  throughout 
the  city;  most  of  it  is  still  in  ruins  from  the  great  fire 
of  '76,  and  years  of  neglect  have  left  their  streets  in 
a  deplorable  condition. 

The  corporation  is  hard  pressed  for  funds  to  meet 
immediate  obligations,  and  is  frequently  obliged  to  seek 
private  assistance.  Public  lands  are  pressed  for  sale, 
in  order  to  raise  money,  and  in  a  dozen  ways  these  min- 
utes depict  as  nothing  else  can,  the  trials  and  ordeals 
through  which  the  young  metropolis  was  passing.  Even 
as  we  read,  we  see  the  little  village  rise  with  a  courage 
which  cannot  be  denied,  to  face  difficulties  that  seem  in- 
surmountable. The  burden  at  times  seems  almost  too 
great  to  bear,  but  gradually  we  see  order  emerge  out 
of  chaos,  and  tranquillity  reign  where  formerly  anarchy 
held  sway. 

As  we  continue  a  perusal  of  these  minutes,  we  see 
the  city  gradually  emerging  from  its  apparent  hopeless 
condition.  Large  numbers  of  its  former  residents,  ban- 
ished under  British  rule,  have  now  returned  and  their 
appearance  is  noted  in  the  minute  books. 

[6] 


<    ~ 


ST  -7  .c 


2   C   <u 


>■.  Ed   * 

-      O       v 

£.2-5 


s  »- 


>:* 


In  the  following  pages  we  have  printed  a  few  of 
these  minutes  of  the  first  years  including  the  resolutions 
offering  to  Lafayette  the  freedom  of  the  city.  As  a 
particularly  valuable  item  for  our  readers  we  have  also 
reproduced  in  facsimile  General  Washington's  reply  to 
the  Common  Council  tendering  him  a  similar  honor, 
in  which  he  refers  for  the  first  time  to  New  York  as  the 
"Empire"  city.  The  origin  of  this  title  is  not  generally 
known  and  it  will  be  a  pleasure  to  read  in  Washington's 
own  language  his  description  of  our  city  which  already 
he  foresees  as  the  "seat  of  Empire."  We  have  repro- 
duced this  document  on  another  page,  from  the  orig- 
inal which  is  in  the  possession  of  the  New  York  His- 
torical Society. 

The  first  selection  we  make  is  the  minutes  of  a 
meeting  held  September  20,  1786,  regarding  the  banish- 
ment of  Hogs  from  the  streets  of  New  York.  The  mo- 
tion was  at  first  defeated,  then  accepted  and  becomes  a 
law.  For  many  years  hogs  played  an  important  part 
in  keeping  the  streets  clean,  hence  the  opposition  to 
their  banishment. 

City  of        \  At    a    Common    Council    held    at    the    City    Hall 

New  York  )  of  the  said  City  on  Wednesday,  Septr.  20,  1786. 

Present  Richard  Varick,  Esqr.,   Recorder 

Benjamin   Blagge        "| 
£££££  Usars.A.dn. 

Nichs.  Bayard  J 

Abm.    Van    Gelder     "1 

Thos.  Ten  Eyck 

Geo.    Janeway  rAssists. 

Corns.  C  Roosevelt 

Henry  Will  J 

The  Committee  to  whom  was  referred  the  Petition  against  the 
going  at  large  of  Hogs  reported  a  Law  for  the  purpose  which  was 
read  and  thereupon  Aldn.  Blagge  moved  that  the  consideration  thereof 
be  postponed  until  a  future  meeting.  Debates  arose  &  the  Question 
being  put  on  the  said  Motion  it  passed  in  the  Negative  in  manner  fol- 
lowing. 

For  the  Affirmative  For  the  Negative 
Aldn.  Blagge  Aldn.  Broome 

Aldn.  Lott  Aldn.  Bayard 

Aldn.  Gilbert  Mr.  Ten  Eyck 

Mr.  Van   Gelder  Mr.  Roosevelt 

Mr.  Janeway  Mr.  Will 

The  Board  being  equally  divided  Mr.  Recorder  voted  in  the  Negative. 

[7] 


The  Law  then  read  &  considered  by  Paragraphs  And  on  Mr. 
Recorders  asking  whether  the  Law  should  pass ;  Debates  arose 
&  the  Question  being  put  it  passed  in  the  affirmative  in  the  manner  fol- 
lowing vizt. 

For  the  Affirmative  For  the  Negative 
Aldn.   Broome  Aldn.  Blagge 

Aldn.  Bayard  Aldn.  Lott 

Ten  Eyck  Aldn.   Gilbert 

Mr.   Will  Mr.  Van  Gelder 

Mr.  Roosevelt  Mr.  Janeway 

The  Board  being  again  equally  divided  Mr.  Recorder  voted  in  the 
Affirmative.  Thereupon  the  Law  passed  accordingly  which  with  the 
Title  thereof  is   as   follows. 

"A  Law  to  prohibit  the  going  at  large  of  Hogs  within  this  City. 
Whereas  the  going  at  large  of  Hogs  Shoats  &  Pigs  in  the  Streets 
and  Highways  of  this  City  is  attended  with  many  Inconveniences  to 
the  Citizens  at  large  &  with  great  Injury  to  Individuals. 

Be  it  ordained  by  the  Mayor,  Aldermen  and  Commonalty  of  the 
City  of  New  York  in  Common  Council  convened  and  it  is  liereby  or- 
dained by  the  Authority  of  the  same  That  from  &  after  the  first  Day 
of  January  next  no  Person  or  Persons  shall  permit  his  her  or  their 
Hogs  Shoats  or  Pigs  to  go  at  large  in  any  of  the  Streets  or  High- 
ways of  this  City  under  the  penalty  of  forfeiting  such  Hogs  Shoats 
or  Pigs  to  the  use  of  the  Poor  of  the  said  City.  And  be  it  further  or- 
dained by  the  Authority  of  the  same  That  from  &  after  the  first  Day 
Constables  &  Marshalls  of  the  said  City  and  any  other  Person  is  hereby 
authorized  to  take  up  &  Secure  all  such  Hogs  Shoats  or  Pigs  as 
they  or  any  of  them  shall  find  going  at  large  contrary  to  this  Law 
&  to  deliver  them  to  the  Keeper  of  the  Alms  House  of  the  said  City 
who  is  hereby  authorized  &  required  to  receive  them  for  the  use  of 
the  poor  as  aforesaid  &  to  pay  such  Constable  Marshall  or  other 
Person  for  their  trouble  the  Sum  of  four  Shillings  for  each  Hog  & 
the  Sum  of  two  Shillings  for  each  Shoat  or  Pig. 

The  meeting  of  September  14,  1784,  records  an 
event  of  great  historical  importance — the  freedom  of 
the  city  offered  to  Lafayette. 

City  of  New  York,  SS.  James  Duane,  Esqr.,  Mayor,  the  Recorder,  Alder- 
men &  assistants  of  the  City  of  New  York  in  Common  Council  con- 
vened. 

To  all  to  whom  these  Presents  shall  come  Send  Greeting : 

Whereas  the  Right  honorable  The  Marquis  De  la  Fayette  Mareschal 
De  Camp  of  the  Armies  of  his  most  Christian  Majesty  and  Major  Gen- 
eral in  the  Service  of  the  United  States  of  America,  by  the  early 
and  adventurous  Part  which  he  took  in  the  late  Revolution  by  which 
the  Liberties  and  Independence  of  the  United  States  are  happily  estab- 
lished and  the  essential  Services  he  hath  performed  in  different 
situations  hath  endeared  himself  to  all  to  whom  the  Rights  of  America 
are  Dear  And  we  being  desirous  of  giving  him  a  Public  Testimony  of 
our  Esteem  and  of  our  high  Sense  of  his  distinguished  Merit  and 
essential   Services. 

Be  it  therefore  known  to  all  whom  it  may  concern  that  the  said 
Marquis  De  la  Fayette  is  by  these  Presents  admitted  and  received  a 
Freeman  and  Citizen  of  the  City  of  New  York  in  the  State  of  New 
York  in  America. 

In  Testimony  whereof  We  cause  the  public  Seal  of  the  said  City 
to   be  here  unto   affixed. 

Witness  James  Duane,  Esqr..  Mayor  of  the  said  City,  this  four- 
teenth Day  of  September  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1784  &  of  the 
Independence  of  the  State  the  nith — 

"James   Duane. 


[8] 


To  which  the  Marquis  De  la  Fayette  makes  the  fol- 
lowing gracious  answer : 

Meeting  Sept.  15,  1784 

The  Members  having  waited  on  the  Right  Honble.  the  Marquis 
De  la  Fayette  with  the  Address  of  this  Corporation  Mr.  Mayor  laid 
on  the  Table  the  Marquis'  answer  which  was  read  &  is  in  the  words 
following  vizt : 

"To  the  honorable  the  Mayor  Aldermen  &  Commonalty  of  the 
City  of  New  York. 

"Gentlemen,  While  I  am  honored  with  so  flattering  Marks  of 
your  Esteem  it  is  a  peculiar  Gratification  to  me  to  receive  them  in 
this  City  where  with  Delight  I  see  the  triumphant  Restoration  of  the 
American  Flag. 

Amidst  Hardships  of  War,  which  so  heavily  fell  upon  you,  it  has 
been  your  noble  Task  to  give  the  World  an  Example  of  Disinterested- 
ness &  Fortitude.  To  unite  with  you  in  common  Efforts  and  com- 
mon Wishes,  became  my  fortunate  Lot ;  And  altho'  from  a  power- 
ful Cooperation,  then  in  readiness,  we  had  a  Right  to  expect  the 
Repossession  of  New  York,  yet  did  I  feel  much  happier,  in  the  far 
better  Method  by  which  the  End  of  your  Exile  was  made  a  signal 
for  restored  Peace. 

In  the  precious  Testimonies  of  your  Partiality,  now  afforded  me, 
I  most  pleasingly  enjoy  the  new  Tie  that  connects  me  with  this 
City :  and  whilst  I  ardently  share  with  you  in  every  concern  for 
its  Prosperity  I  beg  leave  to  assure  you,  that  the  warmth  of  my 
Zeal  can  only  be  equalled  by  the  Feelings  of  my  Respect  and  Grati- 
tude 

De    la    Fayette. 


The  meeting  held  October  14,  1786  is  a  picturesque 
account  of  an  old-time  ceremony. 

Re-election  of  Mr.  Duane  as  Mayor 

His  Excellency  the  Governor  by  &  with  the  advice  &  Consent  of 
the  Council  of  Appointment  having  been  pleased  to  reappoint  The 
honble.  James  Duane,  Esqr.,  to  the  Office  of  Mayor,  &c,  &c,  of  this  City 
for  the  ensuing  Year :  Mr.  Mayor  attended  by  the  Recorder,  Alder- 
men, Clerk  &  Constables  went  from  the  City  Hall  to  the  Residence  of 
His  Excelcy.  the  Governor  &  in  his  presence  took  the  Oaths  by  the 
Charter  of  this  City  prescribed  &  directed  And  being  returned  to  the 
Hall  after  ringing  of  three  Bells  &  proclamation  made  for  silence  the 
Mayors  Commission  was  published. 

The  city  appropriated  money  for  the  printing  of  the 
Dutch  Records  which  were  published  in  eight  volumes 
in  1897,  and  for  the  English  Records  in  1905.  It  seems 
strange  therefore  that  our  own  American  Records,  the 
most  vital  and  important  in  our  whole  career,  should  be 
thus  overlooked. 

Should  anything  happen  to  the  original  manuscript 
of  these  Records,  New  York,  the  greatest  city  in  the 
world,  would  be  deprived  absolutely  of  the  story  of  its 
infancy,  and  the  loss  could  never  be  replaced. 

[9] 


B*   His    EXCELLENCY 

GEOFGE  WA1HINTON,  JEfquire 

General,  And  Commander  in  Chief  of  the  Attn) 

of  tfec  tJ'nhcd  £t<3es  u^T^0irt&-^m^rica. 

WHEREAS  a  Bombardment  and-AJjwk 
Ifpon  the  Citv  o£Ne\V- York,  by  qui  cruel, 
and  inveterate  Enemy,  may  be  hourly  expelled: 
And   as  there  arc  gregt  Numbers'  of,  Women, 
Children,  and  infirm  Perform,  }Ct  refraining  in 
the  City,  "whofc  Condauancc  will  rather  fee  |>rc~ 
judicial  than  advantageous  to  t-  c  Avfty,  ar^t  their, 
Pcrfons  e vpofed  to   great  Datigcr  and  Vt$M.fd  ' 
I  Do  therefore  reeornmcBcl.itxa  ad-fooh  J^rifeJnsr, 
as  they  value  their  own    afcty  and.  Prefclvaticn, 
to  remove  with  all     xpedltbn,  out  df  fhe  iaicl 
Town,  at  this  critical  Fcnod.r— tmfdng,  triuit  \fitli 
#ie  tk£irg  of  Heaven,  i  j.on  'the  American  Arms; 
they  may  fi.cn  return  t  >  it  in  perfqft  Security, 
/,nd  I  do  enjoin  and  re  qui  c,  all  theX  Seers  and 
Solders?  in  t  c     nn/,  under  my   Command,   to 
fprward  And  alii.}   fuch  I"cr(h"ns  ;rr  their iGompfi* 
ance  with  this  Xcco:r;mer^la^>p». 

C/vf.N  ijiv-cr  my   Hand,  ac   FfeacF-Qjiarcers,    £>rew-Yof!s4 
AugiA  f7,  i77.<. 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON 


NEW-YO^ivr^PiiotuI  by    Jo»»   Holt, -in  Water-Street. 

BROADSIDE NOTIFICATION     BY     GENERAL     WASHINGTON     OP     EX- 
PECTED  BOMBARDMENT  BY   THE   BRITISH 

[10] 


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Echoes  of  the  Revolution 

It  was  a  long  time  before  the  bitterness  engendered 
by  the  struggle  for  liberty  was  assuaged  in  New  York. 
This  was  particularly  true  of  the  theatrical  profession 
where  alleged  indiscreet  utterances  by  foreign  artists 
frequently  led  to  riots.  The  old  Park  Theatre  in  Park 
Row  was  the  scene  of  several  serious  outbreaks  on  this 
account  and  the  great  Forrest- Macready  riot  was  not 
wholly  without  this  bias.  The  following  item  shows  the 
feeling  that  existed  in  the  years  directly  following  the 
signing  of  peace. 

If  there  are  Englishmen  whose  attachment  to  the  laws  of  Bac- 
chus, obliges  them  to  make  frequent  meetings  over  old  London  por- 
ter, and  Madeira,  they  should  always  carry  with  them  the  reflection 
that  in  a  republican  government,  there  are  songs  which  may  please 
their  palates,  and  be  grating  to  the  ears  of  freemen.  A  company 
lately  spending  the  evening  in  one  of  the  upper  rooms  at  the  Coffee 
House ;  in  the  height  of  their  mirth  and  loyalty,  broke  out  with 
"Rule  Britannia"  a  song  very  ridiculous  in  a  country  like  this,  where 
their  armies  were  conquered,  and  their  nation  defeated.  When- 
ever it  may  again  please  them  to  sing  the  same  ditty,  they  had  bet- 
ter alter  the  chorus,  and  instead  of  bawling 

Rule  Britannia,   Britannia   rules   the  waves, 
Britons    never    will    be    slaves. 
To  sing  it  thus 

Poor  Britannia,  Britannia  waves  the  rules  ; 
Britons   ever  will  be  fools  !  ! 

Origin  of  How  Old  Was  Ann  (1789) 

We  hear  that  to-morrow  afternoon  near  Bayard's  house,  in  the 
Bowery  a  curious  wager  will  be  determined,  whether  a  man  in  forty-five 
minutes,  can  collect  and  deposit  in  a  basket,  one  hundred  eggs  laid 
in  a  right  line,  at  the  distance  of  one  yard  from  each  other ;  so  that  he 
goes  for  the  first  egg  200  yards,  for  the  second  egg  198,  and  in  the  same 
proportion  for  the  rest ;  the  whole  distance  for  gathering  the  eggs,  being 
five  miles  and  1300  yards.  As  the  country  adjacent  is  beautiful  at  this 
season  of  the  year,  and  the  distance  from  town  only  a  pleasant  walk, 
much  company  is  expected  on  the  occasion. 

An  Old  Story 

Take  Care  of  Your  Pockets — This  forenoon,  while  a  gen- 
tleman from  the  country  was  standing  in  the  crowd  at  an  auc- 
tion the  pocket  of  his  undercoat  was  cut  open,  and  his  pocket- 
book  stolen,  containing  about  700  dollars.  When  it  was  dis- 
covered the  thief  had  made  off.     (Evening  Post,  Jan.  11,  1816.) 

[11] 


The  First  Directory  of  New  York,  1786 

To  the  casual  observer  this  insignificant  volume,  con- 
taining less  than  800  names,  does  not  reveal  the  latent 
possibilities  of  interest  which  its  pages  contain.  Here 
we  have  the  first  tangible  evidence  that  New  York  had 
outgrown  its  village  days  and  had  realized  its  coming 
importance.  On  the  South,  its  more  opulent  and  aris- 
tocratic neighbor,  Philadelphia,  had  a  year  before  com- 
piled a  list  of  its  families  and  merchants. 

Between  December  9,  1785,  and  the  11th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1786,  appeared  the  following  naive  announcements 
of  the  contemplated  publication  of  the  Directory : 

January    2d. 

Will  be  put  to  press  in  a  few  Days, 

And   published    with    expedition, 

The   New   York   Directory, 

Containing, 

1.  The  names  of  all  the  citizens,  their  occupations  and  places  of 
abode,   in   an   alphabetical   order. 

2.  The  members  in  Congress,  from  what  state,  and  where  residing. 

3.  Grand  departments  of  the  United  States  for  adjusting  public 
accounts,  and  by  whom  conducted. 

4.  Judges,  aldermen,  and  other  civil  officers,  with  their  places 
of    abode. 

5.  Members  in  senate  and  assembly,  from  what  county  and  where 
residing  in  the  city,  while  attending  to  their  legislative  duty. 

6.  Public  state  officers,  and  by  whom  kept. 

7.  Counsellors   at  law,   and  where  residing   in   city   or  country. 

8.  Ministers   of   the   gospel,   where   residing,    and    of   what   Church. 

9.  Physicians,   surgeons,   and  their  places  of  abode. 

10.  President,   directors,    days,    and   hours   of   business  at  the   bank. 

11.  Professors,   &c,   of  the  university   of   Columbia   College. 

12.  Rates  of  porterage  as  by  law  established. 

13.  Arrivals  and  departures  of  the  posts  and  stages. 

14.  Societies,  their  places  of  abode,  and  where  meeting,  will  please 
to  give  in  their  names. 

15.  Tradesmen,   their   occupations,   and  where   residing   in   the   city, 
&c,  &c. 

To  which  will  be  added, 

A  valuable  and  well  calculated  Almanack,  tables  of  the  different 
coins,  suitable  for  any  state,  and  digested  in  such  order  as  to  render 
an  exchange  between  any  of  the  United  States  plain  and  easy. 

This  useful  production,  it  is  supposed,  will  stand  each  subscriber 
in  about  Six  Shillings,  four  of  which  are  to  be  paid  at  subscribing, 
and  the  remainder  on  delivery. 

Subscriptions  are  taken  in  by  Mr.  Bradford,  at  the  Coffee-house; 
the    Printer   hereof,    and    by    the   compiler 

DAVID   FRANKS. 

[12] 


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In  a  few  days  the  actual  appearance  of  the  Directory 
was  announced  as  follows: 

Jan'y    11th 

The  New- York  Directory, 

is  this  Day  Published, 

And  to  be  sold  by  S.  Kollock  at  his  book  store,  opposite  the  Coffee 
House ;  and  by  Francis  Childs  No.  189  Water  Street. 

To  the  Inhabitants  of  the  City  of  New  York. 
Gentlemen, 

Mr.  Franks  returns  his  sincere  thanks  to  his  Friends  and 
the  Public,  for  their  kind  and  liberal  encouragement  towards  his  pub- 
lication of  the  New-York,  Directory;  he  humbly  requests  they  may  in- 
dulgently excuse  any  errors,  inaccuracies  or  omissions  which  may 
appear,  and  impute  them  only  to  the  local  disadvantages  he  laboured 
under,  in  this  first  attempt ;  as  he  intends  in  the  future  editions,  he 
shall  have  the  honour  of  annually  presenting  them,  to  have  it  more 
in  his  power  to  be  exact,  correct  and  circumstantial ;  as  the  number  of 
subscribers  are  but  few  (which  he  attributes  to  a  want  of  knowl- 
edge of  the  utility  of  this  production,  it  being  the  first  of  the  kind 
ever  attempted  in  this  city;)  he  makes  bold  to  call  on  the  citizens 
at  large  for  every  information  that  they  think  will  prove  conducive  to 
its  future  correctness.  Their  directions  will  be  thankfully  received, 
and  gratefully  acknowledged  by  Mr.  Franks,  at  his  lodgings,  No.  66 
Broadway,  or  at  Mr.  Kollock's  Printing-Office. 

Turning  to  the  pages  of  this  delightful  memoir  of  long 
forgotten  days  we  find  it  contains  about  800  names  in 
all.  Members  of  the  Continental  Congress  then  sitting 
in  New  York  are  given  with  His  Excellency  John  Han- 
cock, Esq.,  President,  whose  address  is  given  as  No.  5 
Cherry  Street.  (There  was  as  yet  no  President  of  the 
United  States  nor  Vice  President.  The  country  was  still 
governed  by  the  Continental  Congress.)  Mr.  Charles 
Thompson  of  28  King  Street  is  given  as  Secretary.  Thir- 
ty-six members,  representatives  of  each  State,  are  given. 
Then  follows  a  list  entitled,  "Grand  Department  of  the 
United  States,"  which  apparently  corresponds  to  our 
present  Cabinet,  as  His  Excellency  John  Jay,  Esq.,  is 
mentioned  as  Secretary  for  Foreign  Affairs,  No.  8  Broad- 
way. 

Hon.  Henry  Knox,  Secretary  at  War,  15  Smith 
Street. 

Henry  Remsen,  Jr.,  Secretary  to  Secretary  at  War. 

The  Hon.  Walter  Livingston,  Samuel  Osgood  and 
Arthur  Lee,  Esquires,  Commissioners  of  the  Treasury. 

James  Milligan,  Esq.,  Comptroller  General. 

Joseph  Nourse,  Esq.,  Registrar  General. 

John  Dier  Mercier,  Esq.,  Auditor  General. 

[13] 


John  Pierce,  Esq.,  Pay  Master  General  and  Commis- 
sioner of  Army  Accounts,  14  Dock  Street. 

Edward  Fox,  Esq.,  General  Hospital  Department,  7 
Cherry  Street. 

William  Densung,  Esq.,  Quarter  Master  General,  20 
Broad  Street. 

Jonathan  Burral,  Esq.,  Commissory  General,  22  Broad 
Street. 

Joseph  Bindos,  Esq.,  Clother  General,  66  William 
Street. 

Joseph  Pennel,  Esq.,  Marine  Department. 

The  compiler  of  the  Directory,  Mr.  David  Franks, 
was  evidently  a  member  of  the  legal  fraternity,  as  in 
one  page  of  the  directory  he  has  an  announcement  of 
his  own  as  follows: 

David  Franks 

Conveyancer  and  Accountant 

No.  66  Broadway. 

Begs  leave  to  return  his  sincere  thanks  to  his  friends  and  the 
public  and  hopes  the  cheapness  of  the  following  will  continue 
him  their  favors : 

Drawing  a  Lease  and  Release,  on  Parchment £  1.14.0 

Paper    1.   8.0 

Bond    0.   8.0 

Power  of  Attorney...  0.14.0 

Mr.    Franks    having    served    a    regular    apprenticeship    to    his 

father,  an  eminent  attorney  in  Dublin. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  learn  more  about  this  clever 
young  Irishman  who  conceived  the  idea  of  publishing 
the  first  directory  of  the  City  of  New  York  but  history 
is  unfortunately  silent  on  the  subject.  Like  many  an- 
other obscure  performer  in  those  days,  he  played  his  lit- 
tle part  with  no  thought  that  his  humble  effort  would 
afterward  become  one  of  the  beacon  lights  of  history. 

He  apparently  found  the  publication  of  the  directory 
not  at  all  remunerative,  as  we  find  a  halt  in  his  labors 
after  the  second  number.  A  year  is  allowed  to  elapse 
before  another  bold  spirit  appears,  but  beginning  with 
1789  the  New  York  City  Directory  has  appeared  regu- 
larly every  year  ever  since  except  1914.  There  is  no 
directory  for  1788. 

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This  year  marks  the  one  hundred  and  thirtieth  anni- 
versary of  our  City  Directory.  That  is  not  a  very  long 
period  when  referred  to  in  connection  with  the  life  of  a 
municipality.  London's  directory  is  now  beyond  its  900th 
year  and  yet  the  New  York  Directory  of  1916  has  risen 
to  the  premier  position  of  all  the  cities  of  the  civilized 
world  and  will  contain  more  names  by  a  great  many 
thousands  in  1916  than  will  that  of  any  other  city  in 
existence. 

If  David  Franks,  the  compiler,  or  Shepard  Kollock, 
the  printer  of  the  first  directory,  could  only  see  their 
present  successor  it  would  be  something  of  a  surprise  to 
them — the  population  of  the  city  at  that  time  (1786)  was 
23,416— and  today  it  is  about  5,800,000. 

Interesting  Meeting  of  the  Society  of  Cincinnati  in  1786 

The  anniversary  meeting  of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati  was  also 
held  at  Corre's  tavern,  on  the  4th.  inst  in  commemoration  of  the  day, 
when  the  Hon.  Baron  de  Steuben,  was  elected  President,  the  Hon.  Philip 
Schuyler,  Esq.  Vice  President,  Philip  Van  Cortlandt,  Esq.  Treasurer, 
and  Robert  Pemberton,  Esq.  Secretary  of  the  Society  for  the  ensuing 
year. 

An  elegant  oration  suitable  to  the  occasion  was  delivered  by  Col. 
Hamilton,  and  an  address  by  Col.  Walker,  greatly  pleasing  to  a  crowded 
audience.  The  Society  dined  together  at  four  o'clock,  after  which  the 
following  toasts  were  drank,  under  a  discharge  of  thirteen  cannon. 

1.  The  United   States  in  Congress. 

2.  His  most  Christian  Majesty. 

3.  The  United  Netherlands. 

4.  The  friendly  powers  in  Europe. 

5.  Governor  and   State  of  New  York. 

6.  Our  brethren  in  the  United  States  and  in  France. 

7.  The  glorious  and  immortal  memory  of  all  who  have  fallen  in 
defence  of  the  liberties  of  America. 

8.  May  the  powers  of  Congress  be  adequate  to  preserve  the  gen- 
eral Union. 

9.  The  17th  of  October,   1777. 

10.  The  19th  of  October  1781. 

11.  The  fair  friends  of  the  Cincinnati. 

12.  George  Washington,  Esq.  the  President  of  the  Society. 

13.  The  Day. 

The  greatest  harmony  and  decorum  was  observed,  the  day  was 
happily  spent,  and  at  the  early  hour  of  eight  in  the  evening  the  com- 
pany broke  up. — Weekly  Post  Boy. 

Perils  of  Early  Navigation  on  the  East  River  (1786) 

Saturday  afternoon,  one  of  the  Brooklyne  ferry  boats,  crossing  from 
the  city,  with  Mr.  Thorn,  Mr.  Backhouse,  and  a  servant  of  his  Ex- 
cellency Don  Gardoqui,  together  with  five  horses,  about  half  way  over, 
by  some  accident  one  of  the  horses  fell  to  leeward,  which  threw  the  rest 
into  confusion,  and  the  wind  being  fresh,  the  boat  overset  with  a  heavy- 
sea.  On  this  occasion,  the  officers  and  crew  of  the  French  packet, 
acquired  much  credit,  as  by  their  timely  exertions  no  lives  were  lost, 
the  horses  were  saved  by  swimming  to  the  shore. 

[15] 


Echo  of  a  Tragedy  That  Once  Stirred  New 
York  to  its  Depths 

The    Official    Record   of  the   Coroner's   Inquest   Held   Upon   the 
Body  of  Alexander  Hamilton 

It  is  doubtful  if  the  inhabitants  of  New  York  today 
can  realize  the  consternation,  the  excitement,  which  pre- 
vailed throughout  the  city  upon  receipt  of  the  awful 
news  that  Alexander  Hamilton  had  been  killed  in  a  duel 
with  Aaron  Burr.  A  simple  slip  of  paper  pasted  on 
the  door  of  the  Tontine  Coffee  House  attracted  but  casual 
attention  at  first,  but  when  its  contents  became  known 
the  excitement  became  intense  and  the  indignation  of 
the  citizens  knew  no  bounds.  Steps  were  at  once  taken 
to  apprehend  his  "murderer." 

In  those  days  dueling  was  a  recognized  code  of  honor 
and  to  apply  such  an  epithet  to  the  victor  was  unheard 
of.  But  it  was  Alexander  Hamilton — the  idol  of  Wash- 
ington, the  leading  statesman  of  his  time  and  foremost 
figure  in  the  country.  That  he  had  been  struck  down  by 
a  Senator  in  Congress  and  an  ex-Vice-President  and 
leading  lawyer,  availed  nothing.  Burr  was  a  cowardly 
murderer  and  the  populace  thirsted  for  vengeance. 

Burr  escaped  in  a  boat  from  the  rear  of  his  home 
in  Richmond  Hill.  In  one  unfortunate  moment  he  took 
two  brilliant  lives — Hamilton's  and  his  own.  For  Aaron 
Burr  from  that  moment  was  a  hunted,  persecuted  man 
to  the  day  of  his  death — in  abject  poverty  nearly  fifty 
years  later. 

This  terrible  tragedy  cast  a  gloom  over  New  York 
for  many  days  and  on  the  day  of  Hamilton's  funeral 
all  business  was  suspended  and  the  city  gave  itself  up 
to  unrestrained  grief.  He  was  buried  in  Trinity  church- 
yard and  his  grave  can  be  seen  within  a  few  steps  of 
Broadway. 

This  incident  had  one  lasting  good  result.    It  brought 

[16] 


Charming  view  of  old  St.  John's  Church  and  the  Park  sketched 

from  life  in  1868  by   Mr.    E.   L.    Henry.      Note  the  size  of  the 

tree  trunks. 


about  the  ultimate  banishment  of  the  duello.  It 
speedily  lost  caste  in  the  North  and  finally  disappeared 
entirely  from  the  whole  country.  The  following  account 
of  the  inquest  over  the  body  of  Hamilton  is  of  great 
interest,  being  the  exact  phraseology  of  the  Coroner's 
unique  report. 

City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss. : 

An  Inquisition  Indented  taken  for  the  People  of  the  State 
of  New  York  at  the  third  Ward  of  the  City  of  New  York,  the 
thirteenth  day  of  July  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  One  thousand 
Eight  hundred  and  four,  and  continued  by  adjournment  until  the 
second  day  of  August  in  the  year  aforesaid,  before  me  John 
Burger,  Coroner  for  the  said  City  and  County  of  New  York, 
on  view  of  the  body  of  Alexander  Hamilton,  then  and  there  to 
wit,  on  the  said  thirteenth  day  of  July  in  the  year  last  afore- 
said, at  the  ward,  City  and  County  aforesaid  lying  dead.  Upon 
the  oath  of  Alexander  Anderson,  George  Minuse,  John  A.  Har- 
denbrook,  Peter  Bonnett,  Elam  Williams,  John  Coffin,  John  Mil- 
deberger,  David  A.  Brower,  David  Lydig,  Abraham  Bloodgood, 
James  Cummings,  Amos  Curtis,  Isaac  Burr,  Benjamin  Strong 
and  John  D.  Miller,  good  and  lawful  men  of  the  said  City  and 
County  of  New  York,  duly  chosen,  and  who  being  then  and 
there  duly  sworn  and  charged  to  enquire  for  the  People  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  when,  where  and  by  what  means  the  said 
Alexander  Hamilton  came  to  his  death,  do  upon  their  oath  say, 
that  Aaron  Burr  late  of  the  eighth  ward  of  the  said  City 
in  the  said  County,  Esquire  and  Vice  President  of  the  United 
States,  not  having  the  fear  of  God  before  his  eyes,  but  being 
moved  and  seduced  by  the  instigation  of  the  devil,  on  the 
Eleventh  day  of  July  in  the  year  last  aforesaid,  with  force 
and  arms,  in  the  county  of  Bergen  and  State  of  New  Jersey  in 
and  upon  the  said  Alexander  Hamilton  in  the  peace  of  God  and 
of  the  people  of  the  said  State  of  New  Jersey,  then  and  there 
being,  feloniously,  wilfully  and  of  his  malice  aforethought  did 
make  an  assault,  and  that  the  said  Aaron  Burr,  with  a  cer- 
tain pistol  of  the  value  of  one  dollar,  charged  and  loaded  with 
gunpowder  and  a  leaden  bullet,  which  he  the  said  Aaron  Burr, 
then  and  there  had  and  held  in  his  right  hand,  to,  at,  and  against 
the  right  side  of  the  belly  of  the  said  Alexander  Hamilton,  did 
then  and  there  shoot  off  and  discharge,  by  means  whereof  he 
the  said  Aaron  Burr,  feloniously,  wilfully  and  of  his  malice 
aforethought,  did  then  and  there  give  unto  him  the  said  Alex- 
ander Hamilton,  with  the  leaden  bullet  aforesaid,  so  as  afore- 
said shot  and  discharged  out  of  the  pistol  aforesaid  by  the  force 
of  the  gunpowder  aforesaid,  upon  the  right  side  of  the  belly 
of  him  the  said  Alexander  Hamilton,  a  little  above  the  hip,  one 
mortal  wound  penetrating  the  belly  of  him  the  said  Alexander 
Hamilton,  of  which  said  mortal  wound  he  the  said  Alexander 

[17] 


Hamilton  from  the  said  eleventh  day  of  July  in  the  year  afore- 
said, until  the  twelfth  day  of  July,  in  the  same  year,  as  well  in 
the  County  of  Bergen  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey  aforesaid, 
as  also  at  the  eighth  ward  of  the  City  of  New  York  in  the 
County  of  New  York  aforesaid,  did  languish  and  languishing 
did  live,  on  which  twelfth  day  of  July  in  the  said  year,  the  said 
Alexander  Hamilton,  at  the  said  Eighth  ward  of  the  said  City 
in  the  said  County  of  New  York  of  the  mortal  wound  aforesaid 
died,  and  the  jurors  aforesaid  on  their  oaths  aforesaid,  do  fur- 
ther say,  that  William  P.  Van  Ness,  late  of  the  first  Ward  of 
the  City  of  New  York  &  County  of  N.  Y.  Attorney  at  Law, 
and  Nathaniel  Pendleton  late  of  the  same  place  Counsellor  at 
Law,  at  the  time  of  committing  the  felony  and  murder  aforesaid, 
feloniously,  wilfully  and  of  their  malice  and  aforethought  were 
present  abetting,  aiding,  assisting,  comforting  and  maintaining 
the  said  Aaron  Burr  to  kill  and  murder  the  said  Alexander 
Hamilton  in  manner  aforesaid. 

And  so  the  Jurors  aforesaid  upon  their  oath  aforesaid  do 
say,  the  said  Aaron  Burr,  and  the  said  William  P.  Van  Ness 
and  Nathaniel  Pendleton,  him  the  said  Alexander  Hamilton  in 
manner  and  by  the  means  aforesaid,  feloniously,  wilfully  and  of 
their  malice  aforethought,  did  kill  and  murder  against  the  peace 
of  the  People  of  the  State  of  New  York  and  their  dignity. 
In  witness  whereof  as  well  the  aforesaid  Coroner,  as  the 
Jurors  aforesaid,  have  to  this  Inquisition  put  their  seals,  on  the 
second  day  of  August  and  in  the  year  One  thousand  Eight 
Hundred  and  four,  and  at  the  place  aforesaid. 
John  Burger,  Coroner,  L.  S. 

Alexr.  Anderson.  L.  S. 

Geo.  Minuse.  L.  S. 

John  A.  Hardenbrook.  L.  S. 

Peter  Bonnett.  L.  S. 

Elam  Williams.  L.  S. 

John  Coffin.  L.  S. 

John  Mildeberger.  L.  S. 

David  Brower.  L.  S. 

David  Lydig.  L.  S. 

Abm.  Bloodgood.  L.  S. 

James  Cummings.  L.  S. 

Amos  Curtis.  L.  S. 

Isaac  Burr.  L.  S. 

B.  M.  Strong.  L.  S. 

J.  D.  Miller  L.  S. 


[18] 


©  H.  C  BROWN,  1916 

A  view  in  Wall  Street  about  1871,  looking  West  from  William  Street, 
showing  telegraph  poles. 


Old  Time  Marriage  Notices 

COMPILED  BY 
A.  J.  WOHLHAGEN 

Assistant  Librarian 

of  THE 

NEW  YORK  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 

Scarcely  anything  in  our  social  life  of  by-gone 
days  excels  in  quaintness  and  charm  the  curious  mar- 
riage notices  which  occasionally  appeared  in  our  lit- 
tle newspapers  which  were  issued  once  a  week.  The 
ones  which  follow  have  been  selected  from  the  New 
York  Weekly  Museum,  a  fairly  complete  file  of  which  is 
in  the  New  York  Historical  Society. 

In  those  days  the  law  dealing  with  the  return 
of  vital  statistics  was  not  generally  enforced,  conse- 
quently some  of  these  notices  will  be  seen  here  for 
the  first  time.  They  now  possess  an  historic  value  of 
importance,  as  they  recall  the  marriages  of  many  old 
families  whose  descendants  are  among  us  to-day. 
Aside  from  the  family  Bible,  this  is  probably  the  only 
other  record  of  these  interesting  events.  The  oddity 
of  expression,  the  intimate  personal  description,  im- 
part a  charm  to  these  notices  all  their  own,  and  bring 
back,  as  nothing  else  can,  the  atmosphere  of  the  little 
village  that  was  then  New  York. 

The  proprietor  of  the  Weekly  Museum  occasionally 
became  involved  in  serious  trouble  on  account  of  these 
marriage  notices,  some  of  which  were  afterwards  de- 
nied. In  the  issue  of  September  14,  1793,  he  announced 
the  nuptials  of  "Mr.  Levy  Phillips  to  the  amiable  Miss 
Hetty  Hays,  daughter  of  Mr.  Michael  Hays,  of  this 
city,"  and  on  the  week  following  printed  this  contra- 
diction : 

The  marriage  of  Miss  Hetty  Hays  handed  in  by  Aaron  Henry 
is  false .  The  Printer  begs  the  parties  will  pardon  the  inser- 
tion as  it  was  imposed  on  him  by  an  infamous  LIAR. 

[19] 


In  this  instance  the  printer  merely  leaped  from  the 
frying  pan  into  the  fire,  as  clearly  indicated  by  the  fol- 
lowing, which  appeared  in  the  next  issue. 

The  following  paragraph  was   handed   in   Thursday   the   12th   inst. 

"Married  on  Wednesday  last,  Mr.  Levy  Phillips  to  the  amiable 
Miss  Hetty  Hays,  daughter  of  Mr.  M.  Hays,  of  this  city."  By  insert- 
ing this  you  will  oblige  your  humble  servant, 

Aaron  Henry. 
New  York  Aug  12   1793 
No.  21   Great  Dock   Street. 

"In  justice  to  Mr.  Aaron  Henry,  the  Printer  declares  he  was  not  the 
person  who  handed  in  the  above  paragraph  but  that  it  was  imposed 
on  him  by  a  person  who  called  himself  Aaron  Henry  and  who  has 
added  to  the  infamy  of  lying  that  of  counterfeiting.  For  which,  unless 
satisfactory  concessions  are  made  to  Mr.  Henry  and  the  Printer,  the 
law  against  counterfeiting  will  be  put  vigorously  in  force  against  him." 

Evidently  this  was  not  the  only  time  that  an  exciting 
half  hour  resulted  from  an  error  of  this  kind,  as  we 
find  in  the  issue  of  April  5th,  of  the  same  year,  he  was 
compelled  to  apologize  to  one  Capt.  Moses  Toulon  for 
announcing  his  marriage  to  Anna  Mott.  The  doughty 
captain  was  evidently  real  rude,  and,  as  befitted  a  war- 
rior, sought  and  received  satisfaction,  as  we  find  the 
printer,  as  a  result,  reaching  this  mournful  conclusion: 

"The  difficulty  of  avoiding  such  impositions  compels  the  Printer 
to   refuse  the   insertion   of  marriage   notices   in   future." 

This  policy,  however,  did  not  last  long.  Evidently 
the  value  of  such  items  in  a  news  sense  outweighed  the 
occasional  shindies  which  inevitably  followed  these  mis- 
takes, as  we  find  their  publication  resumed  and  per- 
manently continued  thereafter. 

Another  difficulty  he  encountered  may  be  inferred 
from  the  following: 

Mr.  William  Low  aged  25  married  Thursday  Evening  to 
Mrs.  Rachel  Bryan  aged  69. 

In  the  next  week  a  Mr.  William  Low  of  Hanover 
Square  objects  to  the  notice  as  not  being  sufficiently 
distinctive  and  compels  the  printer  to  insert  a  notice 
that 

"The  Mr.  Wm.  Low  married  to  Mrs.  Bryan  is  not  the  Mr.  Low 
of  Hanover  Square." 

The  enterprising  proprietor  of  the  Museum  appar- 
[20] 


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ently  led  the  strenuous  life  at  times.  If  he  could  only 
come  back  again  and  open  his  little  print  shop  just  for  a 
day  how  happy  we  would  all  be  to  see  him!  Peace  to 
his  ashes ! 

We  begin  the  list  with  a  few  selections  showing  the 
curious  style  of  expression  common  in  those  days,  and 
then  abbreviate  the  others  so  as  to  provide  a  goodly 
number  in  the  short  space  at  our  command.  Included 
in  the  list  are  also  some  death  notices. 

On    Monday     evening,     June    7th,  to  Miss  Mary  Ann  Jelf,  an  amia- 

1792,      by    the    Rev.    Mr.    Beach,  ble   and   accomplished   young   lady 

John     Buchanan,     Esq.,    to     the  of  that  place, 
amiable,     adorable,     incomparable, 

lnfl«n?ilenf   wn^vleNAlnrv   Tni?rv  0n   Ma™h  20th,   1786,   married  in 

K™ileJ    wh    nf   thi«   £?v  New-Jersey,   Mr.    James   Walker, 

Turner,  both   of   this  city.  merchant,    to    the    amiable    Miss 

_  Ann     Vanderbeck,     daughter     of 

On  June  30th,  Mr.  Peter  Dustan  Isaac  Vanderbeck,  Junr.,  Esq. 
to  the  amiable  Miss  Sally  Gidny.  If    worldly    happiness    is 

e'er   complete 
On  Monday  the  31st  of  July,  1786,  It  is  when  two  fond  lov- 
was  married  in  Washington  Coun-  ers   meet, 
ty,  Maryland,  Major  General  Ho- 
ratio Gates    to  Miss  Mary  Val-  q      Wednesday    evening    (24th    of 
^E;.avJad/    ^°St    dTrvedlJ  May,   1786)    was   married   Samuel 
distinguished   for  her  good   sense,  Osgood,      Commissioner      of      the 
liberal  education,  and  amiable  dis-  Treasury   Board,    to   Mrs.    Frank  - 
position,  with  a  handsome  fortune.  LIN^    widow    of    Walter    Franklin, 

late   an   opulent   merchant  of   this 

Married  on  Sunday  last,  June  14,  city.      The    lady    is    possessed    of 

1786,     at     Elizabeth     Town,     Mr.  every      amiable      accomplishment, 

George  Joy,  merchant  of  this  city,  added  to  a  very  large  fortune. 

The  file  of  the  New  York  Weekly  Museum  from 
which  the  following  marriage  and  death  notices  were 
compiled,  is  collated  as  follows,  viz.:  1789,  January  31st 
to  April  11th  and  all  after  November  7th  are  missing; 
1790,  February  28th  missing;  1794,  December  20th  miss- 
ing; 1795,  September  26th  to  November  7th  and  De- 
cember 5th  and  12th  missing;  1796,  January  2nd,  April 
9th  and  May  28th  missing. 

Genealogists  and  those  interested  in  genealogy  will 
find  in  these  pages  a  valuable  addition  to  the  vital  rec- 
ords of  New  York  covering  a  period  when  these  statis- 
tics are  otherwise  most  difficult  to  obtain.  It  is  the  plan 
to  continue  these  notices  in  each  succeeding  year  of  this 
new  manual  and  as  many  pages  will  be  allotted  to  these 
records  as  consistently  may  be  expected  within  the 
scope  of  this  work,  which  aims  to  record  many  items 

[21] 


of  value  to  all  lovers  of  New  York's  history  not  other- 
wise readily  accessible. 

1789 — Saturday,  January  17.  George  Fleming,  of  the  Manor  of  Flem- 
ing, in  Sugarloafburgh,  Orange  County,  and  Phoebe  Yelverton, 
daughter  of  Abijah,  late  of  Goshen,  married  December  29,  1788. 

1789 — Saturday,  July  11.  Isaac  Moore  and  Christiania  Slater, 
both  of  New  York  City,  married  Thursday  last. 

1789 — Saturday,  July  11.  James  Barron,  of  the  Island  of  Jamaica, 
and  Miss  Malcom,  daughter  of  General  Malcom,  married  on 
"Saturday  evening." 

1789 — Saturday,  July  18.  Mrs.  Sophia  Bicker,  wife  of  Colonel  Henry 
Bicker,  of  this  city,  aged  sixty-three  years,  died  Wednesday 
morning  last. 

1789 — Saturday,  August  15.  Andrew  Graham,  of  Ulster  County, 
and  Mrs.  Hannah  Budd,  of  this  city,  married  Monday  last. 

1789 — Saturday,  August  29.  Robert  Gilbert  Livingston,  of  this  city, 
in  an   advanced   age,  died  yesterday. 

1789 — Saturday,  September  5.  Mrs.  Washington,  mother  of  our 
President,  died  this  afternoon.  Letter  dated  Petersburg,  Va., 
August    25,    1789. 

1789 — Saturday,  September  19.  Job  Sumner,  late  Major  Massachu- 
setts Line  Continental  Army,  in  the  33d  year  of  his  age,  died 
Wednesday. 

1789 — Saturday,  October  3.  John  Loudon,  Lieutenant  and  Adju- 
tant of  the  First  Regiment,  on  duty,  died  Monday  last. 

1789 — Saturday,  October  17.  John  Debois  and  Elizabeth  Duryee, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 

1789 — Saturday,  October  24.  Joseph  Cullen,  of  Philadelphia,  and 
Hester  Stevens,  daughter  of  Capt.  William  Stevens,  of  this 
city,  married   Sunday  last. 

1789 — Saturday,  October  24.  Hendrick  Wyckoff,  of  this  city,  died 
at  his  father's  house  on  Long  Island,  Wednesday  last. 

1789 — Saturday,  November  7.  Anthony  Franklin,  son  of  John  Frank- 
lin, of  this  city,  and  Lydia  Lawrence,  of  Flushing,  married  last 
week. 

1789 — Saturday,  November  7.  William  Durell,  printer  and  book- 
seller, and  Maria  Schenck,  daughter  of  Abraham,  both  of  this 
city,  married  Wednesday  last. 

1790 — Saturday,  January  23.  Samuel  Deremer,  attorney  at  law,  and 
Hester  Anthony,  daughter  of  Nicholas,  married  Sunday  last. 

1790 — Saturday,  February  13.  Frederick  Turk  and  Jane  Anthony, 
daughter  of  Nicholas,  both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 

1790 — Saturday,  February  20.  John  B.  Van  Wyck  and  Gitty  Brinck- 
erhoff,  daughter  of  Col.  Abraham,  both  of  Fishkill,  married 
at  Fishkill,  Thursday  last. 

1790 — Saturday,  March  6.  Capt.  George  Codwise  and  Maria  By- 
vanck,  both  of  this  city,  married  last  Saturday. 

1790 — Saturday,  March  6.  Francis  Wainwright,  of  this  city,  drug- 
gist, and  Maria  Staples,  daughter  of  John  (Sugar-baker),  mar- 
ried  Wednesday   last. 

1790 — Saturday,  March  27.  Robert  McDamitt  and  Susan  Arden, 
daughter  of  John,  both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday,  the 
20th   inst. 

1790 — Saturday  April  3.  Miss  Abigail  Otis,  daughter  of  the  Sec- 
retary of  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  died  on  the  18th  at 
Boston,  age  16  years. 

1790 — Saturday,  April  3.  Thomas  White  and  Miss  Marston,  daugh- 
ter of  John,  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  evening. 

1790 — Saturday,  April  3.  Hon.  John  Page,  of  Virginia,  and  Miss 
Lowther,  daughter  of  William,  of  this  city,  married  Saturday 
evening. 

1790 — Saturday,  April  24.  Isaac  DePeyster  Teller,  and  Alice 
Schenk,  daughter  of  Henry,  both  of  Fishkill,  married  Monday 
the   12th. 

(A  continuation  of  this  list  will  be  found  in  back  of  book.)     (See  Index.) 

[22] 


z 


u 

bx 


PL 

X 


An  Express 

Juft  arrived  from 
General  WASHINGTON. 


Camp  it  Cambridge*  OU.  24,  1775. 
o     1     R, 

THE  inctefed  information  being  of  the  higheft 
importance,  I  thought  it  proper  to  tranfmtt 
it  to  you  with  all  difpatch,        lam  Sir, 

Your  obedient  fitrvahr, 
CEORGE    WASHINGTON. 

On  thi  Service  of  the  United  Colonies. 

To  the  Hon.  Nicholas -Cuke,  Efqj  Dep.  Gov. 
«FRhode-Ifland,  Providence. 
(Indofed.) 

lFalmoutb%  Monday,  i6ch  0£.  jjj;. 
*T"HE  Canceaux  fbip  of  Gxteen  suns,  commanded 
by  Captain  Mowat,  a  large  (hip,  fchooner,  and 
*  floop  armed,  anchored  below  the  town  the  17th 
inft.  At  3  o'clock  P.  M.  they  weighed  and  came 
■up,  and  anchored  within  gun  fhot,  and  immediately 
'Capt.  Mowat  fent  a  letter  on  fhore  to  the  town, 
•giving  them 'two  hours  to  move  their  families  out, 
as  he  had  orders  to  fire  the  town.  The  town  im- 
mediately chofe  a  committee  of  three  gentlemen, 
and  fent  them  on  board  to  know  the  realon  of  the 
town's  being  fet  on  fire.  He  returned  for  anfwer, 
that  his  qrders  were  to  fet  on  fire  all  the  lea-pert 
towns  between  Bofton  and  Halifax,  and  that  he 
expe&ed  New-York  was  then  burnt  to  afhes.  He 
farther  laid,  that  when  he  received  orders  from  the 
Admiral,  he  defired  rha:  he  might  fhew  fbme  fa- 
vour to  the  town  of  Falmouth,  'which  the  Admiral 
granted  ( I  foppofe  as  Capt.  Mowat  was  under  par- 
ticular obligations  to  (ome  gentlemen  at  Falmouth 
for  civilities  fhewn  him  when  in  captivity  amongft 
them)  and  which  favour  was  to  fpare  the  town  tifl 
9  o'clock,  Wednefday  morning,  in  cafe  wc  would 
fend  him  off  eight  imall  arm?,  which  the  town 
immediately  did. 

Wednefday  morning  Veing  the  iSth,  the  Com- 
mittee went  on  board  of  Capt.  Mowat  a^ain,  in 
order  to  fave  the  town  j  he  laid  he  would  fave  the 
town  till  he  heard  from  the  Admiral,  in  ofe  we 
would  fend  off  four  carriage  guns,  deliver  up  all 
our  Imall  arms,  ammunition,  &c.  and  fend  four 
gentlemen  of  the  town  as  hofeiges,  which,  the  to  w.i 


would  not  'do.  Aboct  half  paft  nine  in  the  morn- 
ring  he  began  to  fire  from  the  four  armed  veflels, 
and  in  five  minutes  fet  fire  to  feveral  houfes.  He 
-continued  firing  till  after  dark  the  fame  day,  which 
deftroyed  the  larg<.ft  part  of  the  town.  He  farther 
informed  the  Committee  that  he  fhould  proceed  to 
Portfmouth,  and  deftroy  that  place  alfo.  The 
foregoing  is  as  near  the  fads  as  I  am  able  to  remem- 
ber.   Witnefs  my  hand. 

PEARSON  JONES; 

Tnfpfff-r'HUi,  OBobtt  24.  1775. 

"D  Y  an  expreft.  that  arrived  from  Falmouth  laft 
**  night,  we  learn  the  greatest  part  of  the  town 
-is  in  afhes.  The  tBemy  fired  about  three  thouland 
fhot  into  it,  and  a  large  number  of  carcafes  and 
bombs,  which  fet  the  town  on  fire,  the  enemy 
landed  once  dr  tw;ce*to  fet  fire  to  the  ftores,  they 
loft  eight  or  ten  men  in  the  attempt,  and  had  one 
taken  priloner,  the  inhabitants  got  out  a  very  con- 
fiderable  prt  of  their  furniture,  no  perlort  killed  or 
wounded  during  the  whole  time  of  their  firing* 
the  enemy  produced  orders  from  admiral  Graves, 
to  burn  all  the  towns  from  Boffon  to  Halifax* 
Capt.  Mowat  informed  the  committeeat  Falmouth,1 
there  had  arrived  orders  from  England  about  ten 
days  fince,  to  burn  all  the  fea  port  towns  on  the 
continent,  that  would  not  lay  down  and  deliver  up 
their  arms,  and  give  hoftages  for  their  future  good 
behaviour  •,  he  alfo  acquainted  them  that  he  ex- 
pected the  city  of  New- York  was  in  afhes  ;  by 
thefe  accounts  we  may  learn  what  we  have  to  ex- 
pect, I  think  Newport  fhould  be  fortified  in  the 
beft  manner  it  can  be,  doubtlefs  the  enemy  will 
make  an  attempt  to  get  the  ftock  off  the  ifhnd  ; 
provifion  fhould  be  made  to  defeat  them  ;  death 
and  defolaticn  leems  to  mark  their  foot  fteps,  fieht 
or  be  flaves  is  the  American  motto,  the  firft  is  by 
far  the  mofl  eligible.  In  hade  I  am  with  eftecm, 
your  moft  obedient  humble  fervant. 

NATHANIEL    GREEN. 

To  the  Hon.  Nicholas  Gokt,  Efq;  in  Provider.ce, 
(per  Exprefs.) 


BROADSIDE NOTIFICATION    TO    PROVIDENCE    BY    GEN'L.    WASHING- 
TON OP  AN  INTENDED  ATTACK  BY  THE  BRITISH  WAR  FLEET  UNDER 
CAPT.    MOWAT,    OCT.     24,    1775. 


[23] 


A  Glimpse  of  the  Fashions  in  1800 

We  now  come  to  a  period  when  the  new  country 
may  be  said  to  have  been  fairly  started  and  our  grand- 
mothers were  setting  their  own  fashions.  From  the  clever 
descriptions  herewith  given  there  will  be  but  little  diffi- 
culty in  forming  an  adequate  idea  of  how  our  grand- 
mothers looked  in  the  fetching  costumes  of  that  day. 
Times  have  changed,  however,  and  the  athletic  girl  of 
today  is  much  more  popular  than  the  frail,  fainting  sis- 
ter of  those  times ;  and  the  present  popularity  of  leather 
boots  includes  "genteel"  society  as  well  as  the  "com- 
moner" classes. 

Bird-of-Paradise  yellow  is  a  favorite  color  for  satin  gowns 
a  TEmpire. 

The  colors  most  in  estimation  are  ponceau  rose,  cachou-nut 
brown,  American  green,  willow-green,  and  ethereal  blue. 

Now  that  1800  is  an  accomplished  fact,  the  mania  for  classic 
attire  has  completely  metamorphosed  feminine  costume.  The 
waist  is  now  a  lost  quantity,  for  the  gown  is  drawn  in  but 
slightly  under  the  arms,  like  an  infant's  robe,  and  thence  the 
skirt  falls  quite  straight,  trailing  on  the  floor  at  the  back  from 
a  double  pleat  that  falls  from  a  low,  open  neck,  the  edges  occa- 
sionally draped  with  a  silk  kerchief,  or  finished  with  a  high- 
standing  lace  ruff. 

Long  plumes,  or  short  full  feathers  in  evening  dress  are 
oftener  seen  on  the  hair  than  either  cornettes  or  turbans,  and 
so  much  is  this  style  of  headdress  favored  that  several  dis- 
tinguished ladies  wear  it  at  the  opera  in  preference  to  the  opera- 
hat,  though  that  handsome  becoming  adjunct  for  the  hair  is 
by  no  means  moribund.  The  few  turbans  that  are  worn  are 
rather  devoid  of  plumage,  but  instead  they  are  richly  embellished 
with  lace  and  gold  or  silver  ornaments. 

The  Kutusoff  mantle  and  bonnet  are,  of  course,  named  after 
the  great  Russian  general  of  whom  we  are  now  hearing  so 
much. 

Parasols  are  made  on  the  same  principle  as  the  "surprise 
fans"  lately  invented — i.  e.,  with  a  joint  which  makes  them  ap- 
pear to  be  broken.  A  sliding  cylinder-like  fixture  holds  the 
joint  firmly  in  place  when  the  parasol  is  raised. 

Except  in  morning  dress,  ladies  invariably  carry  their  reti- 
cules (vulgarly  called  "ridicules")  with  them.  A  reticule  con- 
tains   the   handkerchief,    fan,    card,    money   and    essence-bottle. 

[24] 


They  are  made  of  figured  sarcenet,  plain  satin,  velvet,  or  silver 
tissue  with  strings  and  tassels  to  match.  It  is  necessary  that 
they  be  of  the  same  color  as  the  wrap  or  pelisse. 

Notwithstanding  the  severity  of  the  winter  season,  morn- 
ing dresses  continue  to  be  made  in  white  muslin,  which  is 
more  fashionable  than  anything  else.  The  dress  of  women 
should  differ  in  every  regard  from  that  of  men.  This  differ- 
ence ought  to  extend  to  the  selection  of  stuffs ;  for  a  woman 
habited  in  cloth  is  far  less  feminine  than  when  attired  in  soft 
delicate  muslin  or   light  lustrous   silk. 

By  way  of  new  ornament,  dressmakers  are  frequently  mak- 
ing use  of  very  small  pieces  of  gold,  silver,  or  steel,  cut  ex- 
ceedingly thin,  and  with  a  tiny  hole  in  the  middle.  They  are 
generally  of  circular  shape,  and  they  often  deck  an  entire  even- 
ing gown.     They  are  called  "spangles." 

Double  soles,  though  introduced,  are  quite  the  exception, 
and  as  for  leather  footwear,  no  lady  of  condition  would  dream 
of  putting  on  anything  so  coarse.  They  are  quite  Gothic,  and 
appropriate  to  none  but  the  lower  orders. 

The  conversation  bonnet  is  a  nicely  modified  coal-scuttle 
shape  that  is  greatly  favored.  The  most  fashionable  styles  in 
straw  are  the  conversation  cottage  models,  which  are  dis- 
tinguished for  their  negligent  neatness.  At  the  back  the  hair 
is  closely  cropped  or  tightly  braided,  and  has  somewhat  dis- 
hevelled curls  in  front.  Necklaces  and  earrings  are  of  Mocha- 
stones  linked  with  burnished  gold. 

Muslin  dresses  are  worn  unlined,  and  skirts  are  short 
enough  to  display  the  ankle  through  them.  Flowers  and  loops 
of  ribbon  are  worn  over  the  left  side  of  the  coiffure  and 
face,  so  placed  as  to  almost  conceal  the  left  eye.  Fugitive 
coats  made  of  exile  cloth  are  worn  this  season,  and  their 
name  is  a  tribute  paid  by  fashion  to  the  sufferings  of  the  exiled 
house  of  Braganza. 

York  and  Limerick  gloves  are  both  less  expensive  and 
much  more  easy  to  procure  in  these  times  than  fine  French 
kid,  but  they  are  not  so  pretty.  English  kid  gloves  are  rough, 
undressed-looking  things,  with  no  particular  fit  about  them 
— something  like  coarse  peau  de  Suede,  and  many  a  time  those 
who  perforce  wear  them,  must  sigh  for  the  peau  glace,  which 
can  only  be  had  from  abroad. 

The  fashion  of  tight  lacing  has  revived  with  a  degree  of 
fury — prevailing  universally  to  an  extent  of  which  people  of 
former  days  could  form  no  conception,  and  which  posterity 
will  not  credit.  Stays  are  now  composed,  not  of  pliable  whale- 
bone or  leather,  but  of  bands  of  steel  and  iron  from  two  to 
four  inches  broad,  and  many  of  them  not  less  than  eighteen 
inches  in  length. 

A  very  fashionable  article  of  jewelry  is  a  gold  neckchain 
and  heart  with  a  patent  spring,  which,  when  pressed,  opens 
and  reveals  the  eye  of  friend,  relative,  or  lover,  beautifully 
executed  on  ivory,  and  finished  with  an  enamelled  border. 

[25] 


Bonnets  are  of  a  becoming  shape  and  size — many  of  black 
or  violet  velvet,  though  those  of  white  or  tinted  satin  are 
rather  more  in  favor  with  the  higher  classes.  A  drapery  of 
black  net  is  often  added  to  the  edge  of  these  bonnets.  Bon- 
nets are  worn  rather  more  forward  than  they  have  been  for 
some  time  past.  Hats  of  black  satin  are  ornamented  with 
large  rosettes  of  pink  or  yellow  velvet  or  sarcenet.  We  see 
in  carriages  hats  of  dark-green  velvet,  with  white  plumes  and 
veil  of  white  net. 

Since  the  "Hundred  Days"  succeeding  the  return  of  Na- 
poleon from  Elba,  violets  have  become  the  rage.  They  are 
regarded  as  a  political  emblem.  No  imperialist  lady  appears 
in  public  without  a  large  bunch  of  violets  on  her  breast. 
Morning-caps  are  trimmed  with  violets  and  immortelles,  set 
side  by  side,  and  many  lapidaries  manufacture  ornaments  of 
the  same  design. 

On  the  other  hand,  royalist  ladies  wear  muslin  or  Jaconet 
gowns,  with  eighteen  tucks  on  the  skirt,  in  honor  of  Louis 
XVIIL,  and  bonnets  of  white  silk  striped  with  lacy  straw, 
a  square  cashmere  shawl  with  a  vermilion  border,  and  dark- 
blue  kid  shoes. 

The  art  of  dressing  woman's  hair  is  nearly  allied  to 
genius,  and,  in  order  to  exercise  it  nobly,  one  should  be  a 
poet,  a  painter,  or  a  sculptor.  It  is  necessary  to  understand 
shades  of  color,  chiaroscuro,  and  the  proper  distribution  of 
shadows,  so  as  to  confer  animation  on  the  complexion  and 
render  other  native  charms  more  expressive.  The  fine  art 
of  dressing  a  prude,  and  of  letting  pretensions  be  apparent, 
yet  without  frankly  thrusting  them  forward;  that,  also,  of 
pointing  out  a  coquette,  and  of  making  a  mother  look  like 
her  child's  eldest  sister;  of  adapting  the  style  of  coiffure  to 
the  taste  and  disposition  of  the  individual — in  fine,  the  art 
of  asserting  caprices,  or  of  occasionally  controlling  them,  re- 
quires a  more  than  common  share  of  intellect,  and  a  tact  with 
which  one  must  be  born. 

Girard's  masterpiece  of  Psyche  has  brought  pallor  into 
fashion.  It  is  so  much  the  rage  to  look  ethereal  and  delicate 
that  a  pot  of  rouge  can  now  be  purchased  for  half  a  crown, 
and  lotions,  instead,  are  used  to  promote  the  interesting  shade 
of  the  lily,  which  has  of  late  subdued  the  rose.  Poudre  de 
riz  is  universally  selected,  and  all  fashionable  women  in  these 
days  of  the  Empire  endeavor  to  render  themselves  still  more 
interesting  by  making  up  their  lovely  faces  a  la  Psyche. 

A  wreath  of  roses  or  ribband  rosettes  are  worn  by  young 
girls  in  half  dress,  while  satin  or  silk  mousseline  hats  are 
favored  for  the  evening  toilet.  These  are  placed  very  back- 
ward, and  the  brims  are  round  and  made  to  discover  the 
face.  Spanish  berets  embroidered  in  gold  or  silver,  with  gold 
cordons  and  acorn  tassels  depending,  are  much  admired,  though 
becoming  to  but  few  faces.  The  genuine  beret  or  cardinal's 
cap  is  like  a  plate  turned  upside  down,  and  such  a  flat,  skim- 
ming-dish  style   requires   to   be   placed   much   on   one   side,   to 

[26] 


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have  beautiful  luxuriant  hair  showing  on  the  other,  and  a  very 
pretty   face   underneath. 

Physicians  and  doctors  of  divinity  have  declared  that  the 
scanty  clothing  prescribed  by  fashion  is  indelicate  as  well  as 
unhealthful,  but  do  they  not  speak  to  deaf  ears?  What  doc- 
tor, be  he  D.  D.  or  M.  D.,  could  outweigh  a  fashion-book? 
The  arbiters  of  taste  never  seem  to  care  to  invent  anything 
to  protect  women  from  cold  and  damp,  and  even  when  com- 
mon sense  forces  one  to  put  on  heavy,  warm  clothing,  its 
wearer  is  deemed  either  insane  or  a  hopeless  invalid. 

The  general  mildness  of  March  has  banished  from  the 
promenade  those  weighty,  gross,  furry  decorations  which  so  re- 
cently were  noticed,  and  which  for  some  reason  were  con- 
tinued through  one  of  the  mildest  winters  ever  experienced 
in  our  atmosphere — as  though  our  fashionable  beauties  were 
shivering  under  the  chilling  influences  of  Siberian  skies. 

At  a  party  at  the  Hotel  Thelusson  great  admiration  was 
excited  by  a  lady  whose  tresses  were  dressed  in  Greek  style 
—a  band  of  exquisite  cameos,  representing  Roman  emperors, 
encircling  her  beautiful  head.  Her  gown,  with  waist  seven 
inches  long,  and  short  sleeves,  was  made  of  palest  pink  tulle, 
embroidered  with  cut-steel  beads. 

Not  only  did  Mme.  Tallien  create  a  furore  of  admira- 
tion at  the  fancy  ball  in  an  Athenian  gown,  wearing  two 
circlets  of  gold  as  garters,  which  glimmered  through  the  filmy 
folds  of  her  white  and  gold  crepe  frock,  and  with  jewelled 
strappings  on  her  bare  and  sandalled  feet,  but  there  were 
other  heroines  of  La  Mode — if  I  may  so  express  myself — 
who  were  attired  a  la  Sauvage,  or  who  threw  sang  de  boeuf 
scarves  over  their  shoulders,  squeezed  their  waists  into  steel 
stays  a  la  humanite,  and  wore  on  their  heads  either  a  hat 
d  la  Justice  or  a  cap  a  la  folic 


[27] 


What  was  Going  On  in  New  York  Ten  Years 
After  the  Declaration  of  Independence 

Perhaps  the  best  remembered  event,  if  not  the  most 
momentous  that  happened  in  our  city  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord  seventeen  eighty-six,  was  the  publication  of  our 
first  Directory.  Elsewhere  we  have  described  this  inter- 
esting event  at  length. 

It  is  from  the  daily  press  of  that  year  that  we  have 
selected  such  items  of  current  events  as  follows.  By  this 
means  we  get  a  very  clear  idea  of  every-day  life  in  those 
times  and  are  able  to  trace  a  gradual  outline  of  the  city 
and  its  people  as  they  were  a  century  and  a  half  ago. 

In  the  columns  devoted  to  the  prosecution  of  busi- 
ness, we  find  the  origin  of  the  vigorous  advertising  of 
the  present  day,  and  the  methods  of  our  busy  little  mer- 
chants of  long  ago  clearly  indicate  that  the  enterprise  and 
energy  of  the  present  day  is  nothing  more  than  an  ex- 
tension and  development  of  the  spirit  that  has  always 
characterized  the  merchant  of  New  York.  The  fact  that 
many  of  these  early  names  are  easily  recognizable  as  the 
same  as  those  borne  by  well  known  families  of  today 
is  convincing  evidence  that  the  ability  of  the  forefathers 
has  descended  even  unto  the  third  and  fourth  generation. 
Space  permits  only  the  reproduction  of  a  few  names,  but 
they  are  representatives  of  the  many. 

Isaac  Roosevelt  having  repaired  as    piano    fortes,    spinnets,     piano 

his    Sugar    House,    is    now    carry-  forte   guittars,   guittars,   hautboys, 

ing  on  his  business  of  refining  as  fifes,      the      best      Roman      violin 

formerly,    and    has    for    sale     (by  strings,     and     all     other    kind    of 

himself  and  Son)   at  his  house  159  strings,    music   books    and    papers, 

Queen  St.,  opposite  the  Bank,  Loaf,  and    every    other    article    in    the 

Lump,     and     strained     Muscovado  musical    line,    which    he    will    dis- 

Sugars   and   Sugar  House  Treacle.  pose    of    on    very    low    terms    for 

The  New  Emission  Money  will  be  cash, 
received  in  full  value  as  payment. 

Archibald    Gracie    has    removed 

Jacob     Astor,      No.      81,      Queen  his  Counting-Room  from  his  dwell- 

Street,  two  doors  from  the  Friends  ing-house,    No.    110    Broadway,    to 

Meeting  House,   has   just  imported  his  new  Fire  Proof   Store,   No.   52 

from   London,    An    elegant   assort-  Pine-street,  where  he  has  for  sale, 

ment  of  Musical  Instruments,  such  a  few  chests  very  fine  Hyson  and 

[28] 


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half  chests  Souchong  TEA  ;  a  con- 
signment of  8  packages  of  MUS- 
LINS, which  will  be  sold  at  a  low 
advance ;  one  box  assorted  white 
THREADS — GLASS  WARE  as- 
sorted in  casks  and  boxes.  Nov. 
16. 

Robert  Lenox  has  for  sale,  re- 
maining from  the  cargo  of  the 
ship  Sansom,  from  Calcutta,  an 
assortment  of  WHITE  PIECE 
GOODS  : — 
Also, 

50   tierces  Rice, 
15  bales   Sea-Island  Cotton, 
29    tierces    and    34    bis.    Jamaica 
Coffee, 

60  hhds.  Jamaica  Rum, 
10,000  Pieces  White  Nankeens, 
A    quantity    of    Large    Bottles    in 
cases, 

And  as  usual,  Old  Madeira  Wine, 
fit  for  immediate  use. 
Nov.   16. 

Peter  Goelet,  at  the  Golden 
Key,  No.  48  Hanover  Square,  has 
imported  in  the  last  vessels  from 
London,  A  very  large  and  general 
assortment  of  Ironmongery,  Cut- 
lery, Sadlery  and  Hardware ;  all 
kinds  of  tools  and  materials  for 
clock  and  watch  makers  ;  gold  and 
silver  smiths  ;  joiners,  carpenters, 
black  and  gun  smiths ;  sadlers, 
shoemakers,  &c.  Also,  refined 
bar  iron,  crowley  and  blistered 
steel,  cart  iron,  griddles,  pots, 
kettles,  cart  and  waggon  boxes, 
andirons,  &c.  anvils,  vises,  shovels, 
spades,  frying  pans,  sad  irons, 
crucibles,  black  lead  pots,  nails, 
saws,  tongs  and  shovels,  brass 
ware,  candlesticks,  branches,  &c.  a 
great  variety  of  brass  furniture 
for  cabinet  makers  ;  also,  station- 
ery, japaned  and  copper  ware, 
violin  and  guitar  strings,  harpsi- 
cord  wire,  pewter  spoons,  coat, 
vest  and  sleeve  buttons,  leather 
and  hair  trunks,  boot  legs  and 
vamps,  bend  leather  soles,  &c  &c. 
And  a  consignment  of  playing 
cards. 

Gtjion,  Carthy  &  Co.  have  for 
sale  at  their  store  33  Little  Dock 
St.  Claret  Wines,  Arrack,  Brandy, 
Gin,  Linseed  Oil  and  Naval  Stores. 
Flax-seed  or  any  kind  of  public 
paper  received  in  payment. 

P.  A.  Mesd3R,  No.  107  Pearl- 
street,  at  the  Sign  of  the  Ledger, 
has  always  on  hand  a  complete 
assortment  of  Merchants  Account- 
books,  patent  ruled  and  blank, 
manufactured     by     himself,     war- 


ranted equal  to  any  imported,  and 
English  Paper  of  the  best  quality 
to  make  books  to  any  pattern, 
which  will  be  done  at  the  shortest 
notice. 

Hugh  Gaine  has  imported  from 
London,  a  large  selection  of  books 
and  stationery,  to  be  sold  at  his 
book  store  and  printing  office,  in 
Hanover  Square. 

Abraham  Brevoort,  No.  26  Queen 
Street,  has  received  from  London 
and  Bristol,  a  general  assortment 
of  ironmongery  and  cutlery. 

James  W.  Depeyster  &  Co.  No. 
174  Queen  Street  have  imported 
an  assortment  of  dry  goods,  Hol- 
land sheeting  and  Holland  Geneva 
in  cases,  and  a  quantity  of  best 
Holland  Powder  in  quarter  casks. 

Nicholas  Hoffman  &  Son  12  Lit- 
tle Dock  St.  Have  for  sale  Bolt- 
ing Cloths,  iron-mongery,  ginseng, 
gin,  white  pine  boards  and  plank, 
also  an  assortment  of  Dry  Goods. 

Leonard  Kip  has  an  assortment 
of  Dry  Goods  for  sale  at  his  store 
No.  21  Great  Dock  St.  near  the 
corner   of   the   Old    Slip. 

A  person  lately  from  London,  now 
stopping  at  27  Little  Dock  Street 
has  a  composition  for  sale  that 
will  destroy  the  very  troublesome 
vermin  commonly  called  Bugs. 

A  variety  of  Muffs,  Tippets,  and 
Fur  trimmings,  among  which  are 
a  few  black  Fox  Muffs  for  gentle- 
men, may  be  had  on  Reasonable 
terms    at   No.    89.    in   William    St. 

JUST     PUBLISHED,     AND     FOR 

SALE, 
At    the    Book-stores    of    T.    &    J. 
Swords,    Nos.    99,    and    160 
Pearl-street, 
LECTURES,   on  DIET  and  REGI- 
MEN :       Being    a    systematic    in- 
quiry     into      the     most      rational 
means    of    preserving    health    and 
prolonging      life,      together      with 
physiological     and     chemical     ex- 
planations,   calculated    chiefly    for 
the    use    of    families,    in    order    to 
banish   the   prevailing   abuses    and 
prejudices  in  Medicine.     By  A.   F. 
M.  Willich,   M.  D. 

DRUGS,  MEDICINES,  &  GLASS. 
Jacob  Schieffelin,  Druggist,  no. 
195  Pearl-street,  late  Lawrence  & 
Schieffelin,  in  addition  to  the  ex- 
tensive    stock     of     Medicines     in 


[29] 


store,  has  just  received  from  Leg- 
horn, London,  Amsterdam,  and 
Bristol,  the  following  articles, 
which  he  will  sell  low  for  cash 
or  credit: 
10  lbs.    oil   of   cloves, 

6  lbs.    anisi, 

2  lbs.    rhodium, 
100  lbs.    amber, 
150  dozen  choice  castor  oil, 
200  lbs.  ess.  bergamot 
200  lbs.  — lemon. 

Frederick  Jay,  sales  at  auction, 
of  dry  goods  at  No.  11  Queen 
Street. 

Robert  Bowne  39  Queen  Street 
has  for  sale  Bolting  cloths,  pow- 
der, nails,  glass  and  dry  goods, 
pickled  herrings,  pitch  pine 
boards,  turpentine  and  a  few 
casks  of  low  priced  cutlery. 

Nicholas  Low  at  116  Wall  Street 
has  to  sell,  Looking-glasses  from 
London,     Carolina     Indigo,     Glass 


Ware,  French  Brandy,  •  Rum  and 
best  James  River  Tobacco. 

Jacob  Le  Roy  &  Sons,  No.  31 
Maiden  Lane  have  Linseed  Oil  in 
casks,  Russia  Duck,  Teas,  Iron- 
mongery etc  for  sale. 

For  Savannah,  the  brigantine 
Rock-ahock,  Cornelius  Schermer- 
horn,  master,  for  freight  apply  to 
Peter  Schermerhorn  No.  73  Water 
Street  opposite  the  Crane  Wharf. 

William  Backhouse  &  Co.  No. 
163  Water  Street,  have  for  sale 
Northern  Beaver,  Timber,  Salt, 
Coals,  Pine  and  Needles,  Boots  and 
Shoes,  Madeira,  Malaga  and 
Sherry  Wines. 

John  Delafield,  No.  28  Water 
Street  deals  in  all  sorts  of  Con- 
tinental Certificates,  every  kind  of 
Security  belonging  to  different 
States  in  the  Union,  particularly 
those  of  the  State  of  New  York. 


Many  of  the  names,  then  prominent  in  trade,  are  bet- 
ter known  today  as  large  holders  of  real  estate.  And  as 
that  business  today  is  one  of  the  most  important  in  the 
island,  it  will  no  doubt  prove  of  much  interest  to  read 
some  of  the  early  transactions  in  this  field  and  not  a  lit- 
tle interest  will  attach  to  the  prominent  and  valuable 
sites  of  today  which  were  then  described  in  terms  we 
would  now  use  only  in  describing  property  far  from  the 
madding  crowd. 


To  be  sold  a  house  and  lot  No.  3 
situated  in  the  Great  Square,  on 
the  south  side  thereof,  and  ad- 
joining on  the  south  side  of  Mr. 
Scott's,  the  State  Secretary,  and 
on  the  north  side  by  Mr.  Philip 
Livingston's,  the  house  is  two 
stories  high,  lot  25  x  100.  The 
situation  is  on  one  of  the  most 
elegant  streets  in  the  city,  and 
promises  to  be,  for  a  short  time, 
the  centre  of  the  residence  of  the 
fashionable  world,  the  large  green 
in  front  pleases  the  eye. 
[This  describes  the  present  site  of 
the  Washington  Building,  No.  1 
B  r  o  ad  way . — E  d .  ] 

A  fine  lot  of  ground  on  the  west 
side  of  Broadway,  near  the  old 
Lutheran  Church,  is  for  sale.  En- 
quire of  Alexander  Hamilton,  in 
Wall  Street,  No  58. 

Pour  or  five  stables  in  Wall  Street 


to  let,  opposite  Col.  William  Liv- 
ingston's, with  stalls  for  from 
two  to  four  horses,  rooms  for 
carriages,  and  large  lofts  for  hay. 

The  house  No  2  Wall  Street,  ad- 
joining the  City  Hall,  to  be  let, 
suitable  for  a  lawyers  office. 

To  be  let,  the  large  and  com- 
modious store,  No  10  Hanover 
Square,  formerly  occupied  by  Mr. 
Geradus  W.  Beekman,  deceased, 
and  now  in  the  tenant  of  Messrs. 
Randall,  Son  and  Stewarts,  with 
a  large  Brick  store,  fronting 
Slote  Lane.  For  particulars  en- 
quire of  Mrs.  Mary  Beekman,  at 
the  said  place. 

To  be  sold  a  dwelling  house  234 
Queen  street  between  King  street 
and  the  Fly-market  directly  op- 
posite to  his  Excellency  the  Gov- 
ernor.     Situation    unequalled    for 


[30] 


■fSifHUJjiTsjjssSsss 

!.  iK.lt  II     -«.«......   v^,  n  u  ii  mi  H 

"inn;;   .; .!  3...n  M|I||.m 


Nassau  Street  looking  north  from  Wall.  The  Bankers  Trust 
Building  stands  on  site  of  John  Simmon's  Tavern  where  the  first 
Common  Council  met  in  1 784,  under  James  Duane  our  first  Mayor. 


an  extensive  trade.  Apply  to 
White  Matlack,  No  11  William 
Street. 

Henry  Kennedy  opens  a  genteel 
Boarding  &  Lodging  house  at  the 
noted  No.  317  Great  George  Street, 
near  the  Bridewell,  formerly  kept 
by  the  Widow  De  La  Montagne. 
The  gentlemen,  members  of  the 
Senate  and  Assembly  will  find  this 
house  suitable  for  them  as  any 
in  the  city. 

Samuel  and  Josiah  Blackwell, 
offer  for  sale,  the  well  known  farm 
of  Jacob  Blackwell,  deceased, 
about  six  miles  from  New  York, 
on  the  East  river,  it  contains  160 
acres  and  25  acres  of  salt 
meadow.  [Blackwell's  Island. — 
Ed.] 

To  be  sold,  that  large  house  and 
lot  of  ground,  occupied  by  John 
Barney,  at  the  sign  of  the  Plough 
and  Harrow,  at  the  head  of  Bow- 
ery Lane,  the  stand  for  a  public 
house  is  equal  to  any  in  the  city. 
Enquire  of  Comfort  and  Joshua 
Sands,   No   50   Queen   St. 

For  sale,  a  farm  on  the  Bloom- 
ingdale  road,  near  the  Glass 
House,  for  particulars  enquire  of 
Henry  Shute  near  the  Tea  Water 
Pump,  or  William  Hopper  on  the 
premises. 

To  be  let,  the  "Dog  and  Duck" 
tavern,  in  the  Bowery  Lane,  at 
the  two  mile  stone ;  the  house  has 
eight  rooms,  with  a  large  garden, 
and  the  best  bed  of  asparagus 
on  this  island.  Enquire  at  No 
44  Gold  Street,  opposite  the  Bap- 
tist   Meeting-house. 

To  be  sold,  the  commodious  house 
No.  13  Nassau  Street,  the  corner 
of  Crown  Street,  together  with  a 
coach  house  stables  and  adjoining 
lot,  belonging  to  Misses  Sarah  and 
Catharine  Van  Dam.  These  lots 
are  upwards  of  50  feet  in  front 
on  Nassau  Stand  110  in  depth  on 
Crown    Street. 

To  be  sold,  Mount  Pitt,  the  place 
where  the  subscriber  now  lives, 
situated  near  Corlear's  Hook,  one 
mile  from  the  City  Hall,  contain- 
ing a  handsome  dwelling  house, 
out  kitchen  containing  several 
rooms,  a  large  stable,  a  new  car- 
riage house,  a  complete  ice  house, 
There  are  about  eleven  acres  of 
land,  between  three  and  four  hun- 
dred bearing  fruit  trees,  and  a 
handsome  garden.     The  place  be- 


ing so  well  known  needs  no  fur- 
ther description.  Also  a  farm 
of  ninety  acres  of  Brooklyn,  L.  I. 
For  terms  enquire  of  Morgan 
Lewis,   at  59  Maiden  Lane. 

TO  BE  SOLD 
At  Public  Vendue,  on  Tuesday  the 
7th  day  of  April  at  2  o'clock  in 
the  Afternoon,  on  the  Premisses — 
To  be  put  in  Possession  the  first 
of  May. 

Four  Lots  and  Houses  of  Lease. 
Church  Ground,  belonging  to  the 
late  David  Ross,  of  the  City  of 
New  York,  Carpenter,  deceased ; 
two  Lots  joining  on  the  North 
River,  each  having  a  good  Dwell- 
ing House,  the  one  being  a  double 
House,  having  two  Cellar  Kitch- 
ens, two  Rooms,  and  two  Bed 
Rooms,  containing  six  Fire 
Places  :  The  other  joining  to  it, 
is  two  Story  high  having  three 
Fire  Places,  a  large  Room ;  En- 
try, Shop,  and  Bed  Room,  and 
three  Rooms  above :  The  said 
House  has  a  large  Kitchen,  with 
a  good  Oven  and  Cellar.  Both 
these  Houses  have  a  fine  Pros- 
pect of  the  Bay  and  North  River. 
The  third  House  and  Lot  is  front- 
ing to  the  North  River,  a  little 
to  the  South  East  of  Kings  Col- 
lege, it  being  two  Story  high,  hav- 
ing a  good  Room,  Shop  and  En- 
try, and  a  large  Kitchen  and  good 
Oven  upon  the  first  Floor ;  two 
Rooms  above  with  Fire  Places,  and 
a  good  Stone  Cellar  under  the 
House. 

Any  Person  inclining  to  purchase 
any  of  them  before  the  Day  of 
Sale,  may  apply  to  John  Stymets, 
and  Rachel  Ross,  Administrators, 
near  the  College,  who  will  give  a 
good  Title  for  the  same. 
The  Conditions  to  be  known  at  the 
Day  of  Sale. 
New  York  March  16,  1767. 

Cornelius  J.  Bogart  of  42  Beek- 
man  street  offers  to  sell  or  ex- 
change for  a  house  in  town,  that 
pleasant  Villa  at  Haerlem,  late 
the  property  of  John  Bogart  de- 
ceased, about  8  miles  from  the 
city,  containing  80  acres  of  land, 
a  young  orchard  of  several  hun- 
dred apple  trees,  10  acres  of  fresh 
and  salt  meadows,  a  garden  with 
good  fruit,  a  good  dwelling  house 
and  a  large  barn.  The  premises 
extend  along  the  East  river,  on 
the  banks  of  which  the  house 
stands  commanding  an  agreeable 
prospect  of  the  Sound  and  Long 
Island.  Enough  sea  weed  and 
sedge  is  thrown  upon  the  shore  to 
manure  the  land ;  it  abounds  with 


[31] 


Ncv-Yorlc,  Nov.  24,  17B3. 

The  Committee  appointed  to  conduft  the  Order  of  re- 
ceiving their  Excellencies  Governor  Clinton  and 
General  Washington, 

BEG  Leave  to  inform  their  Fellow-Citizens,  that  the 
Troops,  under  the  Command  of  Major-Gener?! 
Knox,  will  take  PofTeflion  of  the  City  at  the  Hour  agreed 
on,  Tuefday  next  $  as  foon  as  this  may  be  performed, 
he  will  requeft  the  Citizens  who  may  be  affembled  on 
Horfeback,  at  the  Bowling-Green,  the  lower  End  of  the 
Broad- Way,  to  accompany  him  to  meet  their  Excellencies 
GovernorCLiNTON  and  General  Washington^  the  Bull's 
Head,  in  the  Bowery— the  Citizens  on  Foot  to  affemble 
at  or  near  the  Tea- water- Pump  at  Frefh -water. 

ORDER    of     PROCESSION. 

A  Party  of  Horfe  will  precede  their  Excellencies  and 
be  on  their  flanks— after  the  General  and  Governor,  will 
follow  the  Lieutenant-Governor  and  Members  of  the 
Council  for  the  temporary  Government  of  the  Southern 
Parts  of  the  State — The  Gentlemen  on  Horfe-back,  eight 
in  Front— thofe  on  Foot,  in  the  Rear  of  the  Horfe,  in  like 
Manner.  Their  Excellencies,  after  pafling  down  Queen- 
Street,  and  the  Line  of  Troops  up  the  Broadway,  will 
a-light  at  Cape's  Tavern. 

The  Committee  hope  to  fee  their  Fellow-Citizens,  con- 
duct themfelves  with  Decercy  and  Decorum  on  this  joy- 
ful Occafion. 

CITIZENS    TAKE    CAREI11 

TH  E  Inhabitants  are  hereby  informed,  that  PermilTion  has  been 
obtained  from  the  Commandant,  to  form  themfelves  in  pat  roles 
this  night,  and  that  every  order  requifitewill  be  given  to  the  guard*, 
as  well  to  aid  and  aflift,  as  to  give  protection  to  the  patroles  :  And 
that  the  counterfign  will  be  given  to  Thomas  Tucker,  No,  51, 
Water  Street  >  rVom  whom  It  can  he  obtained,  if  neceiTary. 

BROADSIDE RETURN     OF     THE      CONTINENTAL,     ARMY     HEADED     BY 

WASHINGTON    AND    HIS     GENERALS     THE     DAY    AFTER    NEW    YORK 
WAS     EVACUATED     BY     THE     BRITISH. 

[32] 


a  great  variety  of  fish  and  wild 
fowl  in  their  seasons. 

Aaron  Burr,  corner  of  Nassau 
and  Little  Queen  Streets  offers  for 
sale  the  farm  on  Harlem  Heights 
belonging  to  the  estate  of  the  late 
John  Watkins  containing  about 
300  acres  of  land,  bounded  by  the 
East  and  North  Rivers,  where  are 
plenty  of  fish,  oysters  &c.  and  is 
remarkably  well  watered  by  living 
springs,  a  healthy  location  with  a 
beautiful  prospect  and  large  quan- 
tity of  hay  ground. 

To  be  sold,  that  valuable  planta- 
tion, three  and  a  half  miles  from 
New  York,  whereon  Matthew  Hop- 
per now  lives,  containing  about 
fifty  acres,  situated  on  the  banks 
of  the  North  River,   adjoining  the 


land  of  John  Leake,  Esq.  There 
are  on  the  premises  a  good  stone 
dwelling  house,  a  good  orchard. 
The  place  in  point  of  situation  is 
exceeded  by  none  on  the  island. 

The  sale  of  the  remaining  unsold 
lots  on  the  estate  of  the  late 
James  De  Lancey,  Esq.  will  be  on 
Monday  the  10th  inst.  at  the  Cof- 
fee House,  by  the  Commissioners 
of  Forfeitures. 

Peter  Stuyvesant  offers  for  rent 
that  pleasant  seat  two  miles  from 
New  York  called  Petersfield,  lately 
occupied  by  Baron  de  Pollnitz, 
and  now  in  the  possession  of  Mr. 
Robert  B.  Winthrop.  Also  a  small 
house  and  garden,  near  the  house 
where  he  lives,  on  the  Bowery 
road. 


But  perhaps  the  most  curious  features  of  life  in  Old 
New  York,  as  it  will  appear  to  the  modern  reader,  are 
these  glimpses  of  slavery  days  which  are  afforded  by  the 
occasional  notices  in  the  press  of  runaway  servants,  etc. 
It  requires  quite  a  stretch  of  imagination  to  conjure  up 
a  Roosevelt  advertising  a  pitiable  reward  of  $2.00  for  the 
return  of  a  slave,  or  to  read  other  equally  well  known 
names  in  the  same  connection.  But  in  spite  of  the  fact 
that  our  newly  framed  Constitution  declared  all  men 
"free  and  equal,"  it  remains  a  fact  that  slavery  in  New 
York  did  not  cease  legally  till  1826 — nearly  half  a  century 
later.  It  is  only  fair  to  state,  however,  that  societies  for 
the  manumission  of  slaves  were  in  existence  soon  after 
the  Revolution,  and  that  efforts  both  public  and  private 
were  active  in  combating  this  evil,  and  that  the  system 
had  practically  ceased  long  before  it  was  officially  de- 
clared dead. 


Ten  Dollars  Reward.  Run  away 
from  the  subscriber,  on  Tuesday 
last,  a  Mulatto  Fellow  named  Jim, 
about  five  feet  nine  inches  high, 
of  a  downcast  look,  thick  lips  and 
broad  shouldered,  much  addicted 
to  liquor,  and  whether  drunk  or 
sober  very  silent ;  had  on  when  he 
went  away,  a  tow  cloth  trows ers 
and  shirt,  and  a  blue  cloth  coat. 
Bowery,  July  1,  1786. 

Petrus  Stuyvesant. 

For  Private  Sale,  a  Negro  Wench, 
aged   30   years,    a   compleat   Cook, 


understands  all  house  work  ;  with 
her  daughter,  aged  14  years,  used 
to  house  work,  and  particularly 
handy  in  the  care  of  children ; 
likewise  her  two  sons,  one  aged  5, 
the  other  3  years.  The  above 
slaves  are  sold  for  no  fault.  Ap- 
ply to  James  Barclay,  No  14  Han- 
over Square. 

Isaac  Brinckerhoff  No.  8  Coen- 
ties  Slip,  has  for  sale,  a  likely 
Negro  wench  aged  33  years,  with 
her  female  child,  about  two  years 
old,  also  a  smart  Negro  boy, 
twelve  years   of   age. 


[33] 


To  be  sold  at  the  auction  room 
of  James  Barclay,  No  14  Hanover 
Square,  the  property  of  the  de- 
ceased person.  A  Negro  Wench 
aged  32  years  and  her  child  2 
years  old. 

Run  away,  two  indented  German 
servant  men,  who  came  here  last 
year,  named  Peter  Sweine  and 
Jacob  Ronk,  neither  of  them  speak 
English,  they  were  seen  near 
King's  Bridge,  and  it  is  supposed 
intend  for  Albany.  Eight  dollars 
reward  for  each  will  be  paid  by 
Isaac  Roosevelt  or  Thomas  Pear- 
sail. 

A  Negro  Boy  named  Harry,  about 
14  years  of  age  ran  away  from 
William  Cammeyer  of  No  50 
Broad  street. 

Run-away  from  Joseph  Pierson 
No  195  Water  street  a  Negro  Man 
named  James  Hollan,  about  5  feet 
6  inches  high,  and  40  years  of 
age,  very  bald.  Took  with  him 
two   suits   of  clothes,  his   common 


one  was  deep  blue,  double  breasted 
jacket  and  overalls  of  the  same, 
black  buttons  with  a  white  streak 
round  the  edges  ;  his  other  suit  a 
light  colored  broad  cloth  coat,  blue 
collar  and  cuffs,  and  plain  metal 
buttons,  a  green  shag  vest,  green 
and  yellow  buttons,  black  satinet 
breeches,  brown  home  spun  stock- 
ings, and  a  small  round  beaver 
hat.  Five  Dollars  reward  will  be 
paid  for  his  recovery. 

Ran-away  from  her  place  at  No 
55  William  Street  a  mulatto 
wench  named  Diana,  she  is  good 
looking  about  20  years  old,  mid- 
dle sized,  had  on  a  blue  stuff  short 
gown,  a  yellow  calico  peticoat, 
spriged,  a  new  pair  of  leather 
shoes,  and  solid  silver  buckles,  a 
black  silk  bonnet,  and  mixed  col- 
our'd  cloth  great  coat.  She  took 
with  her  a  variety  of  articles  and 
may  appear  in  a  chintz  bedgown 
and  a  quilted  stuff  peticoat.  Who- 
ever apprehends  the  said  Wench 
shall  have  Two  Dollars  Reward. 


Once  a  place  for  slaves  was  set  apart  in  many 
churches  in  this  city.  Now,  only  one  of  the  old  slave 
galleries  remains.  It  is  in  the  Church  of  All  Saints,  at 
the  corner  of  Henry  and  Scammel  streets  in  this  city, 
the  third  oldest  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  building  in 
New  York. 


Augustus  Van  Home,  of  No  58 
Smith  Street,  offers  a  Half  Joe 
reward  for  the  capture  of  his 
Negro  slave.  He  is  a  very  talk- 
ative, saucy,  impertinent  fellow. 

To  be  sold  on  the  12th  inst.  agree- 
able to  the  will  of  Lewis  Morris, 
deceased,    at    Morrisania    all    the 


Family  slaves,  most  of  them  are 
old,  but  they  have  been  bred  and 
raised  in  the  family,  and  few,  if 
any  of  them,  have  failed  from 
their  services  and  attachments,  to 
gain  the  esteem  of  those  they  have 
served.  Conditions  of  sale  will  be 
made  known  by  Richard  Morris, 
executor. 


The  usual  amount  of  domestic  infelicity  seemed  to 
prevail  in  those  days  also,  with  this  difference  perhaps, 
that  there  is  a  touch  of  personal  intimacy  in  their  recital, 
which  is  lacking  in  our  present  methods  of  procedure. 
Nevertheless,  in  point  of  salacious  detail,  our  present 
performances  do  not  suffer  much  by  comparison. 

Benjamin  Jacobs  notifies  the  public  that  his  wife  Elizabeth 
has  eloped  from  his  bed  and  board,  and  that  he  will  pay  no 
debts  of  her  contracting. 

[34] 


Elizabeth,  however,  has  something  to  say — 

Elizabeth  Jacobs,  who  was  advertised  by  her  husband  on 
the  5th  inst.,  informs  the  public  that  she  was  compelled  by  his 
cruel  treatment  to  leave  him,  that  no  person  that  knows  him 
would  trust  him  with  a  shilling,  and  is  happy  that  the  law 
protects  her  from  paying  his  debts. 

The  anti-race  track  people  were  also  in  existence  as 
we  read  a  characteristic  opinion  regarding  this  "sport 
of  Kings"  from  one  of  their  pens. 

O  Yes  !  O  Yes  ! — This  is  to  give  notice  to  all  lovers  of  cruelty 
and  promoters  of  misery,  that  yesterday  was  begun  on  the  Maiden  Head 
race  ground,  in  the  Bowery,  which  will  continue  for  several  days  to 
come,  the  high  blood  sport  of  Horse  Racing.  This  cannot  but  give 
delight  to  every  breast  thoroughly  divested  of  humanity — music,  curses, 
and  imprecations,  will  resound  from  tent  to  tent,  by  both  male  and 
female,  so  that  this  pastime  must  be  greatly  approved  of  by  such  as 
have  no  reverence  for  the  Deity,  nor  feeling  for  his  creatures. 

The  members  of  Congress,  foreign  ministers,  and  others  drawn 
here  by  this  city's  being  the  seat  of  empire,  create  an  extraordinary 
expenditure.  It  is  said  of  not  less  than  One  Thousand  Spanish  Milled 
Dollars  Per  Day — equal  to  about  the  same  as  the  present  day  dollars. 

The  Spanish  Minister  we  are  glad  to  note  even  at 
a  fire,  is  able  to  recognize  the  sheep  from  the  goats 
socially,  and  it  is  pleasant  to  read  that  none  of  his 
neighbors  pinched  anything  on  that  exciting  occa- 
sion. 

Don  Diego  de  Gardoqui,  the  Spanish  Minister,  returns  thanks 
to  the  citizens  for  their  alacrity,  in  extinguishing  the  fire  that  hap- 
pened at  his  house.  He  observed  many  persons  of  the  first  dis- 
tinction, actively  employed,  and  although  his  doors  were  open  to  all, 
and  the  house  filled  with  people,  none  of  his  effects  were  missing,  every- 
thing carried  out  of  the  house  having  been  restored. 

The  beginnings  of  "Kultur"  in  New  York  are  shown 
in  the  advertisement  of  some  German  Redemptioners 
just  landed  and  the  people  who  have  goats  are  warned 
to  keep  them  out  of  the  Fort  garden. 

A  Few  German  Redemptioners  are  landed  from  the  Ship  Union, 
Capt.  Hazard  from  Hamburgh,  and  are  for  sale  on  reasonable  terms, 
one  mill-wright,  one  weaver,  one  baker,  several  women  suitable  for 
house  servants  and  maids,  with  some  few  boys  and  girls.  The  terms 
of  sale  and  time  of  servitude  may  be  known  by  applying  to  Murray, 
Mumford   &  Brown. 

Those  persons  who  have  Goats,  that  keep  about  the  Fort  Garden, 
are  desired  to  take  notice,  that  unless  they  are  taken  care  of,  and 
prevented  from  destroying  the  fruit  trees,  disagreeable  consequences 
will  attend  them. 

[35] 


Evidently  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati  had  just  been 
organized  as  we  find  their  advertisement  informing  the 
members  that  their  diplomas  "are  now  ready." 

Members  of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  of  the  State  of  N. 
Y.,  are  informed  that  their  Diplomas  are  ready  for  delivery  at  No.  27 
Water  Street. 

Our  heart  goes  out  in  special  sympathy  to  Col.  Wil- 
liam Smith,  who  has  just  moved  to  town  from  Red 
Mill,  Dutchess  Co.  He  finds  so  many  other  Bill  Smiths 
here  even  at  that  early  date  that  he  has  added  the  let- 
ter M.  between  his  first  and  last  name  to  distinguish 
him  presumably,  from  the  common  herd  of  Bills.  He 
ought  to  look  at  the  telephone  book  to-day. 

Col.  William  Smith,  late  of  Red  Mill,  Dutchess  Co.,  informs  his 
friends  and  the  public  that  having  moved  into  New  York,  and  finding 
so  many  of  his  name,  to  distinguish  himself  from  them,  has  added 
between  his  name  the  letter  M. 


The  Gentleman  who  took  by  mistake,  a  new  light  colour'd  drab 
great  coat  with  pinchbeck  buttons,  large  cape  of  the  same  Cloth 
and  flash  pockets,  from  the  Assembly  room,  is  desired  to  return  it 
to  the  Printer — as  the  owner  finds  himself  much  incommoded  by  the 
severity  of  the  weather. 


The  Post  Office,  etc.,  1816 

The  Post-Office  at  this  date  was  at  the  corner  of  Garden 
(Exchange  Place)  and  William  streets,  on  the  first  floor  of 
a  three-story  house,  in  a  single  room  forty  feet  in  length,  above 
which  resided  the  Postmaster,  Theodorus  Bailey.  The  entire 
Southern  Mail,  enclosed  in  two  bags,  was  transported  from 
Paulus  Hook  (Jersey  City)  in  a  row-boat.  One  of  the  base- 
ment rooms  of  the  City  Hall,  a  house  in  Eldridge  Street,  and 
one  in  Christopher  Street,  were  occupied  by  the  city  watch- 
men, a  small  band  of  Argus-eyed  guardians  of  the  peace,  who 
were  mustered  at  6.30  p.  m.  in  the  winter  and  9  in  summer, 
and  left  for  their  homes  soon  after  daylight.  For  day  service 
there  were  a  High  Constable  (Jacob  Hays)  and  but  twelve 
police  officers. — Haswell. 


[36] 


A  view  on  Broadway,  showing-  the  massive  skv-scrapers  that  now 

surround  Trinity  Church.    The  steeple  of  Trinity  is  faintly  shown 

in  foreground. 


Reopening  of  Columbia  College 

The  year  1786  is  also  notable  for  another  and  most 
important  occurrence — the  reopening  and  rechristening 
of  "the  College. "  There  had  been  only  one  institution  of 
higher  education  in  New  York  up  to  the  time  of  the 
Revolution,  and  while  it  was  known  officially  as  King's 
College,  it  was  affectionately  known  to  the  people  simply 
as  "the  College.,,  After  a  lapse  of  nearly  ten  years 
this  venerable  institution  of  learning  was  again  to  open 
its  doors  and  resume  its  interrupted  scholastic  career  un- 
der a  new  name — Columbia — and  the  event  was  properly 
regarded  as  a  most  auspicious  one  in  the  annals  of  New 
York.  An  impressive  and  distinguished  audience  from 
all  parts  of  the  country  assembled  in  the  sacred  pre- 
cincts of  St.  Paul's  Chapel  to  greet  the  new  faculty  and 
the  numerous  students,  among  whom  were  several  des- 
tined to  play  important  parts  in  the  future  history  of 
the  new  Republic.  But  let  us  continue  the  narrative  in 
the  exact  language  of  an  actual  eye  witness  whose  ac- 
count was  published  the  next  day,  and  is,  therefore,  of 
the  utmost  historical  value. 

After  a  long  night  of  darkness  and  confusion,  America, 
like  another  Phoenix,  rising  out  of  the  flames,  begins  to  emerge 
from  the  anarchy  attending  a  tedious  war.  The  seats  of  learn- 
ing are  again  renewed,  genius  seeks  her  favorite  retreats,  sci- 
ence and  industry  prompt  to  improvement,  and  our  sons  and 
daughters,  from  the  schools  come  accomplished  into  society, 
useful  to  themselves  and  beneficial  to  their   fellow  citizens. 

These  reflections  were  suggested,  and  considerably  height- 
ened, by  seeing  the  first  commencement  of  Columbia  College, 
which  was  held  in  St.  Paul's  Church  yesterday.  The  most 
respectable  and  numerous  assemblage  of  ladies  and  gentlemen 
that  we  recollect  for  a  long  time  were  present  on  this  occa- 
sion. About  12  o'clock,  a  grand  procession  set  out  from  the 
College,  and  went  to  St.  Paul's  Church,  where  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Provost  opened  the  business  of  the  day  by  a  prayer  suited  to 
the  occasion. 

The  Hon.  the  Congress  and  both  Houses  of  the  Legisla- 
ture suspended  the  public  business,  to  support  the  interests  of 

[37] 


Education  by  their  countenance,  and  graced  the  ceremony  by 
their  august  presence.  The  procession  moved  from  the  Col- 
lege hall  about  half  an  hour  after  eleven  in  the  forenoon  in 
the  following  order: 

The   Scholars   of   the   College   Grammar    School,   according   to 

their  Classes. 

The   Students   of   the   College,   according  to   their   Classes. 

The  Professors  of  the  University. 

His  Excellency  the  Governor. 

The  Hon.  the  Assembly. 

The  Regents  of  the  University. 

********** 

Mr.  De  Witt  Clinton  then  spoke  a  salutatory  oration  in 
Latin — De  utilitate  et  necessitate  studiorum  Artium  liberalium. 

Mr.  Philip  H.  Livingston,  on  the  Usefulness  and  Necessity 
of  the  Knowledge  of  the  Laws  of  our  Country. 

Mr.  Abraham  Hun,  on  the  question,  Whether  a  Nation 
bent  upon  Conquest,  is  acting  on  the  principle  of  Natural  Jus- 
tice and  Prudence. 

Mr.  John  Basset,  on  the  Descent,  Depredations  and  Inde- 
pendency of  the  Algerines. 

Mr.  Peter  Steddiford,  on  National  Prejudices. 

Mr.  Samuel  Smity,  on  Patriotism. 

Mr.  Clinton  finished  his  Latin  oration  with  a  polite  and 
well-adapted  salutation  in  the  same  language,  to  the  members 
of  Congress,  the  Legislature,  the  Regents  and  Professors,  and 
to  the  Public  at  Large, 

When  the  above  gentlemen,  together  with  Mr.  Francis 
Sylvester,  who  spoke  the  valedictory  oration,  with  a  dissertation 
on  the  Passions,  concluded,  the  graduates  received  the  degree 
of  Batchelor  of  Arts  from  the  hands  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Gross, 
Professor  of  Geography,  who  was  appointed  to  deliver  them. 


Safe  and  Sane  Fourth  in  1786 

Another  event  of  1786  which  takes  on  an  added  in- 
terest in  view  of  what  has  since  occurred,  is  the  action 
taken  by  the  Common  Council  of  the  City  of  New  York, 
in  regard  to  a  proper  celebration  of  the  new  National 
holiday — the  Fourth  of  July.  In  this  connection,  and  for 
such  aid  as  it  may  be  to  those  who  are  now  engaged  in 
promoting  a  safe  and  sane  celebration,  it  is  important  to 
note  that  the  use  of  fireworks  was  prohibited ;  what  was 
deemed  proper  at  the  beginning  should  certainly  be 
proper  now,  and  if  this  will  assist  in  further  diminishing 

[38] 


PQ 


E 


•5  o 


the  use  of  dangerous  explosives  on  that  day,  the  old 
Council  minutes  may  not  be  without  influence  even  at  this 
late  hour. 

In  Common  Council  the  28th  of  June,  1786,  the  following 
order  was  agreed  upon  for  celebrating  the  Fourth  day  of  July 
next,  being  the  Anniversary  of  the  Independence  of  the  United 
States. 

At  sunrise,  the  day  to  be  announced  by  a  display  of  colors, 
a  discharge  of  thirteen  cannon  in  front  of  the  Almshouse  and 
the  ringing  of  the  public  bells  in  the  city  for  one  hour. 

At  12  o'clock  there  will  be  a  procession  from  the  City- 
hall  down  Broad-street,  and  thence  through  Queen-street  to 
the  residence  of  his  Excellency  the  Governor,  who,  accompanied 
by  the  Lieutenant  Governor,  the  Chancellor,  Judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  and  the  other  State  Officers,  will  join  in  the 
procession :  Which  will  then  proceed  to  the  residence  of  his 
Excellency  the  President  of  the  United  States  Congress,  where 
the  President,  by  his  Excellency  the  Governor,  accompanied 
by  the  Lieutenant-Governor,  Chancellor,  Judges  and  other  State 
officers,  and  afterwards  by  the  Mayor,  in  the  name  of  the  citi- 
zens— The  procession  will  then  proceed  by  way  of  Beekman- 
street  and  the  Broad-way,  to  the  city  tavern,  where  a  collation 
will  be  provided. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  procession  from  the  City- 
hall,  all  the  bells  will  ring  and  continue  for  two  hours ;  on 
the  arrival  of  the  procession  at  the  city  tavern,  there  will  be 
a  discharge  of  13  cannon,  and  at  sun-set,  another  discharge  of 
13  cannon  to  close  the  day. 

Order  of  the  Procession.  1st  City  Watchmen,  2d  Marshals 
of  the  city,  3d  Constables,  4th  Engineers,  and  the  several  com- 
panies of  firemen,  5th  Sheriff,  Coroner  and  Sheriff's  Deputies, 
6th  City  Clerk  and  Chamberlain,  7th  Assistants,  8th  Aldermen, 
9th  Mayor  and  Recorder,  10th  Officers  of  the  Chauncery,  Su- 
preme, Exchequer  and  Admiralty  Courts,  11th  Counsellors  and 
Attorneys  at  law,  12th  Secretary  of  the  State,  Treasurer,  Attor- 
ney-General, Surveyor-General,  Auditor  and  Collector,  13th 
Judges  of  the  Admiralty  and  Probate  Courts,  14th  Judges  of 
the  Supreme  Court,  15th  Chancellor,  16th  Governor  and  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor, 17th  Clergy,  18th  Officers  of  the  late  Army, 
19th  Citizens. 

_  On  account  of  the  danger  of  fire,  there  will  be  no  illumi- 
nations, bonfires  or  fire  works  of  any  kind  in  the  evening. 

The  auspicious  morn   again  is  come, 

The   glorious    day    of   freedom's    birth, 
Sound,   sound   the  trumpet,   beat   the   drum, 
Let  joy  abound   and   social   mirth. 
Now,   huzza    each   free-born    son, 
Huzza   for  peace  and  Washington. 


[39] 


&6LtZs&-  £krzs  l  ^ '     _ 


S^  ^&^2sjCZ-  ?&l-3  /%ZL 


^L 


WASHINGTON'S    LETTER    IN    WHICH    THE    DESIGNATION    OF     NEW    YORK    AS 
"THE    EMPIRE    CITY"    ORIGINATES 


[40] 


6^ <ZS ^/C<£uX^£i?yZ>  <X*cf  OTUSI- 


'&sG-n_J2r-  £&^S>&G^?  &4*y&  --£**&—£    <0H~<*^7^ <2&7L*'<2'^L± 
St&a*   4*4**'   &^&Z-<L&^X  4>Z&^£>?y0S    fy^C*c^l 


.  &s^Les£ 


'a^i_ 


-2^-3 


&*A-t 


"&<^C^y      ^d^    ^Z^^tOaJD.      


^&~4?L-    &rs-y     CX^~^  <L^2.J2^<r 


^^^^2^3-  <^T*~ 


-OL^1~-y 


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r&z 


^^^/^^y 


(The  reference  occurs  in  the  9th  line  from  the  bottom.) 
[41] 


A  Golden  Age  in  New  York 

When  Washington   Irving   Haunted   its    Opera   and    Fashion 
Flocked  to  the  Battery 

BY 
POULTNEY    BIGELOW 

Author  of   "  History  of  the  German   Struggle  for  Liberty,    1806-48" — "  Prussian 
Memories,     1864-1914."    &c. 

The  new  Manual  pays  me  a  very  high  compliment 
by  requesting  from  my  pen  a  tribute  to  one  whose  name 
alone  symbolizes  the  apogee  of  American  culture  in  the 
field  of  Letters.  Washington  Irving  received  the  bless- 
ing of  George  Washington  when  a  babe,  and  I  am  cred- 
ibly informed  that  my  little  midget  self  was  honored  by 
a  similar  quasi-Apostolic  benediction  at  Sunnyside,  an 
event  of  immense  satisfaction  to  myself,  who  have  ever 
loved  his  personality  as  much  as  I  admired  the  skill  with 
which  he  lived  in  his  pages. 

Few  men  of  letters  enjoyed  so  many  friendships  or 
made  so  few  enemies.  He  travelled  the  world  exten- 
sively and  before  the  days  of  steam,  yet  seems  chroni- 
cally incapable  of  seeing  anything  but  kindliness  in  fel- 
low-travellers and  civility  amongst  the  people  whose  ter- 
ritories he  invaded  as  a  tourist.  Whether  in  France  or 
Italy,  England  or  Spain,  on  the  Hudson  or  on  the  Rhine, 
he  lived  and  died  without  learning  that  men  were  selfish 
or  women  lower  than  the  angels.  Indeed,  his  tribute 
to  womankind  in  the  abstract,  and  his  long  and  tender 
intimacy  with  the  best  women  of  his  time  place  him  in 
a  class  infinitely  above  his  German  contemporary,  Goethe, 
to  whom  woman  was  a  divinity  in  verse  but  a  drudge 
or  plaything  in  real  life.  Germany  is  perhaps  the  one 
exception  to  what  I  have  said  regarding  Irving's  chronic 
kindliness  as  critic  of  foreign  countries,  for  in  one  of 
his  letters  home  he  wrote  that  he  was  surprised  to  see 
very  coarse-looking  people  on  the  fashionable  promenade 

[42] 


00 


be 


o 


of  Aix-la-Chapelle  who  to  his  amazement  proved  to  be 
German  counts  and  barons. 

Irving  was  an  American  of  the  Americans,  and  from 
his  inimitable  history  of  New  York  to  the  last  chapter 
in  his  monumental  "Life  of  Washington"  the  inspiration 
under  which  he  wrote  came  from  American  themes,  and 
these  were  treated  from  an  American  point  of  view. 
When  he  went  to  England  in  the  midst  of  the  war  of 
1812  he  was  at  once  cordially  welcomed  by  Sir  Walter 
Scott  and  his  friends ;  as  not  merely  a  fellow-craftsman 
of  distinction,  but  as  an  American  who  was  after  all  of 
the  same  family,  whatever  cabinets  might  determine 
regarding  peace  or  war. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  retail  what  every  school-child 
can  gather  from  any  Carnegie  Library,  but  to  remind  my 
fellow-New  Yorkers  of  today  that  when  Washington  Irv- 
ing returned  to  take  up  his  permanent  residence  in  or 
near  the  city  of  his  birth  he  did  so  because  New  York 
then  offered  to  a  man  of  literary  tastes  and  wide  acquain- 
tance with  the  world  advantages  of  no  common  order. 

He  was  a  man  devoted  to  music  no  less  than  to  agree- 
able conversation  and  domestic  life.  He  never  failed  to 
take  advantage  of  a  good  dramatic  or  operatic  season 
and  indeed,  to  judge  by  his  letters,  New  York  had  then 
a  musical  life  equal  to  the  best  that  we  boast  of  today — 
yet  the  population  then  was  not  a  tithe  of  what  it  now 
is.  In  those  days  our  author  comments  glowingly  on 
the  social  relaxation  between  the  acts,  the  universal  cus- 
tom of  visiting  in  different  parts  of  the  house,  and  also 
on  the  fact  that  the  Opera  then  was  the  gathering  place 
of  all  New  York  in  the  sense  that  he  was  able  to  meet 
there  of  an  evening  pretty  much  everybody  worth  talking 
to.  Today  we  have  thousands  of  professional  workers 
in  New  York — writers,  painters,  sculptors,  inventors, 
biologists,  vivisectionists,  professors,  doctors,  lawyers, 
pacifists  and  humanitarians  without  number.  But  can 
you  see  Washington  Irving  like  a  lonesome  Rip  Van 
Winkle  mousing  about  the  diamond-studded  row  of  the 
Metropolitan  or  making  his  way  through  the  fumes  of 
cigarette-smoke  and  cocktails  of  the  so-called  Opera  Club 

[43] 


yearning  for  real  civilized  New  Yorkers  such  as  existed 
in  the  days  before  the  War? 

There  were  giants  in  those  days;  there  were  fewer 
hyphenates  and  no  high  buildings  nor  high  protective 
tariffs ;  no  subways  and  no  automobiles ;  but  men  had 
time  to  read  and  to  think  and  to  stroll  about  the  shore- 
front  of  the  beautiful  Battery  Park  and  discuss  the  state 
of  the  nation.  There  was  an  Andrew  Jackson  in  the 
Presidential  chair  and  Americans  were  American  first 
and  left  the  word  '"neutral"  for  those  who  were  "too 
proud  to  fight." 

Washington  Irving  lived  until  1859 — just  long  enough 
to  finish  the  "Life  of  Washington"  and  to  escape 
the  spectacle  of  a  great  English-speaking  nation 
divided  in  a  furious  struggle  that  was  to  impoverish 
and  embitter  the  one  half  and  give  pleasure  only  to  those 
abroad  who  dreaded  nothing  so  much  as  a  successful 
government  by  the  people. 

The  days  of  Washington  Irving  I  venture  to  call  the 
Golden  Age  of  America,  not  because  Americans  then 
appreciated  what  was  going  on  about  them,  but  because 
now  after  an  interval  of  nearly  a  century  the  verdict  of 
the  great  world  would,  in  my  humble  opinion,  maintain 
that  the  men  who  have  done  more  to  spread  the  fame 
of  American  genius  than  any  others  lived  in  those  years. 
We  know  the  exceptions  and  can  enumerate  them  with 
ease,  nor  need  we  be  reminded  that  we  have  today  more 
colleges  and  libraries  and  research  laboratories  and  se- 
rums guaranteed  to  cure  every  disease,  and  new  religions 
and  uplift  movements — we  have  more  universities,  so 
called,  for  our  negro  population  alone  than  all  the  uni- 
versities in  Germany — however,  I  am  not  talking  of  sta- 
tistics, but  of  real  things. 

Were  I  to  interrogate  a  wise  man  from  another  world 
and  ask  him  his  opinion  regarding  the  services  of  Amer- 
ica, he  would,  I  am  sure,  speak  of  our  historians :  Pres- 
cott,  the  blind  author  of  "Ferdinand  and  Isabella" ;  Mot- 
ley and  his  "Dutch  Republic";  Bancroft  and  his  inter- 
minable though  indispensable  "History  of  the  United 
States."  In  the  field  of  poetry  he  would  select  probably 
William  Cullen  Bryant,  Longfellow  and  the  unfortunate 

[44] 


It 

11 

4  8 


<fl     5/3 


I! 

si 


5  « 

3 

J* 

*  ° 

J* 

8 

& 


Edgar  Allan  Poe.  In  the  world  of  romance,  have  we  sur- 
passed Fenimore  Cooper  or  Hawthorne;  or  as  wor- 
shippers of  nature,  has  any  modern  eclipsed  Thoreau 
and  Audubon?  That  was  the  day  of  Emerson,  Walt 
Whitman,  Edward  Everett,  and  the  author  of  "Home, 
Sweet  Home/'  John  Howard  Payne.  Donald  G.  Mitchell 
was  of  the  same  spirit  as  Irving  and  keenly  relished  by 
him  and  the  world  was  already  enjoying  Joe  Jefferson 
as  an  actor  and  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  as  the  "Auto- 
crat of  the  Breakfast  Table."  In  our  Halls  of  Congress 
we  had  few  demagogues  and  still  fewer  millionaires — it 
was  the  day  of  Henry  Clay  and  Daniel  Webster,  when 
the  machinery  of  politics  was  very  crude  and  human 
passions  counted  for  much.  The  two  brothers  Perry  had 
added  fresh  laurels  to  the  American  Navy,  the  one  by 
the  victory  of  Lake  Erie,  and  the  other  by  opening 
Japan  to  world  intercourse — a  work  of  infinite  patience, 
tact  and  courage,  yet  done  without  a  shot  fired  in  anger. 
America  has  done  whatever  was  possible  to  throw  away 
the  advantages  gained  for  her  by  that  gallant  New  York 
Commodore,  but  history  continues  to  bear  her  testimony 
to  the  glorious  fact  that  when  this  country  was  only  on  a 
level  with  a  third-class  European  Power  in  matters  mili- 
tary she  took  the  lead  in  opening  the  Far  East  no  less 
than  in  suppressing  the  piracy  of  the  then  independent 
North  African  Sultans. 

We  are  travelling  today  on  the  momentum  given  to 
us  by  the  Americans  of  that  generation.  They  were  con- 
structive, patriotic  and  hopeful  men  who  believed  that 
America  had  a  mission  in  the  world  and  that  money 
was  but  one  and  not  the  most  important  factor  in  worldly 
success. 

Perhaps  you  object  that  I  have  laid  too  much  stress 
upon  one  side  only  of  American  greatness — let  us  turn 
to  the  world  of  trolleys,  telephones,  and  other  abomina- 
tions we  euphemistically  term  progress.  The  day  of 
Washington  Irving  was  that  in  which  America  astonished 
the  world  by  the  first  reaping  machines,  sewing  machines, 
the  cotton  gin  of  Eli  Whitney,  the  telegraphic  inventions 
of   Morse,   the   first   of   practical   steam   navigation   by 

[45] 


Fulton — indeed,  even  more  than  now,  America  was  then 
the  land  of  inventiveness  if  not  of  scientific  research. 

But  I  am  diverging  and  dilating,  and  I  must  close 
here  lest  you  think  me  one  of  those  who  can  find  no 
pleasure  in  the  Present  and  glory  only  in  the  Past.  Let 
my  apology  be  the  love  I  bear  my  native  city  and  the 
glory  I  claim  for  her  in  a  day  when,  compared  with 
the  present,  she  was  from  a  purely  statistical  point  of 
view  of  small  importance.  Nevertheless  the  great  days 
of  a  nation  are  those  in  which  her  people  unite  for  great 
purposes,  and  Washington  Irving  was  the  product  of  a 
time  when  America  had  suffered  and  conquered  in  strug- 
gles that  touched  the  national  life  to  its  depths  and  pro- 
duced a  social  atmosphere  in  which  he  and  his  many  illus- 
trious contemporaries  had  a  right  to  feel  that  they  were 
of  the  best  and  were  helping  to  build  in  the  Western 
World  a  monument  worthy  of  their  English-speaking 
forbears. 

Of  Interest  to  the  Yale  Club 

Extract  from  a  private  letter  written  in  1781  to  a 
friend  in  England  by  Lieutenant  Lantry,  an  English  pris- 
oner of  war: 

New  Haven  is  remarkable  for  having  given  the  epithet 
of  pumpkin-heads  to  the  New  Englanders,  which  arose  from 
a  severe  and  religious  code  of  laws,  made  at  the  first  settle- 
ment of  Connecticut;  which  enjoin  every  male  to  have  his  hair 
cut  round  by  a  cap,  and  when  caps  were  not  readily  at  hand, 
they  substituted  the  hard  shell  of  a  pumpkin,  which  being  put 
on  their  head  every  Saturday,  the  hair  was  cut  by  it  all  round 
the  head. 


[46] 


The  Merchants'   Exchange  in  Wall  Street,  father  of  all  our  ex- 
changes, on  present  site  of  the  National  City  Bank,  1831.     This 
famous  building   was    destroyed  in   the   great   fire   of  1835,    the 
greatest  conflagration  the  country  had  yet  experienced. 


The  Street  Cries  of  New  York  Fifty 
Years  Ago 

The  street  cries  in  the  early  days  of  New  York 
were  so  unique  and  numerous  as  to  be  a  marked  feature 
of  every-day  life.  Their  discordant  yells  have  survived 
to-day  in  the  yap  of  the  milkman  as  he  leaves  his  bot- 
tles on  the  stoop,  or  the  plaintive  cry  of  the  fresh  vege- 
table man  in  the  suburbs,  where  the  vegetables  grow 
but  are  never  allowed  to  be  sold  until  they  are  sent 
to  the  city  and  returned  for  distribution. 

The  junk  man  with  his  string  of  cow  bells,  tin  cans 
and  other  nerve  racking  instruments,  is  still  with  us 
but  in  a  more  chastened  spirit  due  to  the  activities  of 
Mrs.  Rice  and  her  friends.  The  tooting  of  whistles, 
pounding  of  flat  car  wheels,  the  roar  of  the  elevated 
and  the  shriek  of  the  auto  horn — still  engage  the  fond 
affections  of  the  anti-noise  people  and  from  present  in- 
dications the  Society  is  not  likely  to  die  of  ennui.  But 
to  return  to  our  criers. 

The  milkmen  then  usually  wore  a  yoke,  from  each  side 
of  which  was  suspended  by  a  chain,  a  large  tin  kettle  filled 
with  milk.  With  these  they  then  went  daily  from  door  to 
door  and  delivered  to  their  customers  the  daily  allowance 
of  the  article  they  consumed.  Their  cry  was  originally  "Milk. 
ho  I"  but  it  degenerated  into  various  peculiar  sounds,  ^  which 
their  customers  alone  understood.  At  present  the  variety  is 
very  curious ;  some  make  a  strange  whistle,  and  these  whistles 
are  numerous  in  their  peculiarities ;  some  a  falsetto,  some  a 
bass,  some  a  treble,  some  difficult  to  describe ;  some  employ 
a  bell.  The  yoke  has  passed  away,  and  carts  of  various  forms 
are  substituted. 

The  bakers  used  tall  round  baskets  for  bread  which  some 
carried  bodily  round  on  one  shoulder  by  a  handle;  others 
had  them  in  an  oblong  wagon,  containing  about  half  a  dozen 
baskets.  Their  cry  was  "Bread,"  when  family  bread  alone  was 
used;  but  for  cakes  they  had  various  cries,  including  tea  rusk, 
and  hot  cross  buns,  and  ginger  bread.  The  baskets,  the  wag- 
ons, and  the  cries,  have  disappeared. 

The   bellman,    as    he   was    called,    the    street   scavenger,    in 

[47] 


his  rounds,  was  a  noisy,  and  often  entertaining,  as  well  as 
useful  member  of  the  city  government.  In  cadence  with  his 
bell,  would  he  give  forth  songs  of  various  burdens,  slow,  fast, 
and  with  and  without  chorus.  He  was  regarded  as  the  best 
and  vagrant  comedian  of  the  district  assigned  to  him,  ever 
merry,  ever  ready  with  a  good  joke  or  a  good  word.  The 
women  and  young  girls  ever  received  him  with  a  laugh,  and 
with  a  tendency  to  mischief.     This  personage  is  no  more. 

The  chimney  sweepers  of  those  days  were  young  negro 
boys,  who,  dark  as  they  were,  were  made  blacker  by  the  quan- 
tity of  soot  which  covered  them  and  the  old  clothes  they  wore. 
With  the  break  of  day  did  the  streets  ring  with  their  cries 
of  "Sweep,  ho !  sweep,  ho !  from  the  bottom  to  the  top,  with- 
out a  ladder  or  a  rope,  sweep,  ho !,"  to  which  a  chorus  or 
cry,  in  which  often  were  added  dulcet  sounds  of  real  har- 
mony. 

Many  others  were  the  various  cries  of  the  city  which 
summoned  the  maids  and  housekeepers  to  the  door;  they 
formed  a  daily  round  of  household  attention,  as  well  as  amuse- 
ment, and  lightened  the  drudgery  or  tedium  of  the  passing 
hours.  They,  as  well  as  most  of  those  who  then  were  interested 
in,   or  observers   of,   them,   have  disappeared. 

Nathan  Hale 

On  the  next  page  we  show  the  only  known  official 
record  of  the  capture  and  execution  of  Nathan  Hale, 
from  the  original  orderly  book  of  a  British  Guard  on 
duty  at  the  time.  Now  owned  by  The  New  York  His- 
torical Society. 

The  Nathan  Hale  reference  is  the  third  paragraph 
reading:  "A  Spy  for  the  Enemy  (by  his  own  full  Con- 
fession) Apprehended  Last  night,  was  this  day  Executed 
at  11  o'Clock  in  front  of  the  Artilery  Park." 


[48] 


©  H    C    BROWN. 


In  olden  days  the  Dutch  burgher  held  Market-day  and  danced  on 

what  is  now    Bowling    Green.      This  is  from  a  tapestry  in  the 

McAlpin  Hotel  and  the  next  picture  shows  the  same  site  as  it 

looks  to-day. 


£?7*0jjPl.V t/jC^  y<nr/&/£*->c) tj^f^Z?   /77g 


^/&/fa^A-/ -. 

ONLY  OFFICIAL  EECORD  OF  THE  CAPTURE  AND  EXECUTION  OF  NATHAN 

HALE 

[49] 


Old  Time  Money 

In  all  books  relating  to  the  early  History  of  New 
York,  there  is  frequent  reference  to  money  in  terms 
which  are  now  obsolete.  For  instance,  there  is  the  fa- 
mous "pieces  of  eight."  This  is  a  particularly  interest- 
ing bit  of  coinage  as  the  design  on  it  showed  two  pil- 
lars of  Hercules  and  a  scroll  forming  a  letter  S.  This 
combination  has  now  become  the  written  sign  for  our 
dollar  mark — $.  "Pieces  of  eight"  were  originally 
coined  by  order  of  King  Charles  V.  of  Spain,  about  1725, 
who  desired  a  standard  of  value  which  would  readily  pass 
in  all  his  widespread  dominions.  For  many  years  this 
coin  circulated  throughout  the  entire  world  and  it  ap- 
pears not  only  in  our  own  literature  but  particularly 
in  piratical  romances.  This  coin  was  also  known  as 
the  "Spanish  milled  dollar."  It  was  equivalent  in  value 
to  our  regular  greenback. 

Another  curious  thing  is  that  we  continued  the  use 
of  sterling  money — pounds,  shillings,  and  pence, — long 
after  the  Revolution,  although  in  1776  the  Provincial 
Congress  ordered  35,000  dollar  bills  from  half  to  ten 
dollar  denominations.  In  1787,  however,  the  dollar  was 
formally  introduced  as  the  "unit"  in  the  United  States, 
and  from  that  time  the  change,  though  gradual,  finally 
became  complete.  It  is  also  noted  in  old  theater  prices 
"admission  12%c"  and  a  reward  for  runaway  slaves  is 
designated  as  being  a  "half  Jo."  The  former  was 
paper  money  and  the  latter  was  a  Portuguese  and  Bra- 
zilian gold  coin  worth  about  eight  or  nine  dollars. 

Lack  of  Heat  in  Olden  Days 

The  present  genial  warmth  of  offices  is  in  agreeable 
contrast  with  attempts  to  heat  such  apartments  about  fifty 
years  ago.  The  employment  of  steam  heat  was  uncommon. 
In  fact,  steam  and  water  pipes  had  not  been  made  in  the 
United  States  before  1857,  and  the  importation  of  such 
from   England  under   a   war   tariff  and   the   cost   of  the   in- 

[SO] 


IS 


stallation  of  a  pressure  plant  was  next  to  prohibitory.  A 
very  few  buildings  had  hot  air  furnaces  in  the  cellars,  but 
the  main  dependence  was  on  grate  fires  or  stoves. 

On  the  north  side  of  Wall  Street,  extending  from  the 
United  States  Assay  Office  down  to  Pearl  Street,  were 
many  old  residences  of  three  stories  with  dormer  windowed 
attics,  with  also  basement  dining  rooms,  and  the  conven- 
tional high  stoops.  The  parlors  were  mainly  occupied  by 
the  infantile  insurance  and  banking  offices  of  the  day.  In 
the  dining  rooms  and  parlors  grate  fires  of  hickory  or 
cannel  coal  were  burned.  In  the  large  bedrooms  were  sheet 
iron  or  cast  iron  "scorchers,"  while  in  the  hall  rooms,  being 
without  chimney  flues,  tenants  kept  circulation  active  by 
curses,  prayer  or  shivering. 

The  buildings  erected  for  office  purposes  in  the  sec- 
tion were  scarcely  better  provided.  None  were  above  five 
stories  in  height,  and  each  office  maintained  its  own  stove. 
The  halls  were  dark,  because  at  each  end  was  a  small 
office,  and  for  the  convenience  of  tenants  coal  bins  stood 
against  the  wall.  Space  being  contracted,  these  bins  were 
of  but  one-half  ton  capacity,  with  the  result  that  a  cease- 
less procession  of  Irishmen  carrying  bushel  baskets  of  coal 
into  buildings  was  a  common  sight.  So  that  spillage  of 
coal  dust  should  be  obviated,  these  bins  had  no  hinged  or 
sliding  doors  at  the  bottom,  and  it  was  necessary  to  re- 
move the  coal  over  the  edge,  about  four  feet  above  the 
floor.  This  required  not  a  little  engineering  for  a  boy  of 
say  six  inches  greater  height. 

When  the  supply  of  fuel  was  low  in  the  bin,  it  be- 
came necessary  to  suspend  himself  on  his  abdomen  and 
reach  low  with  his  shovel,  a  posture  leading  to  a  calloused 
condition  in  the  locality  of  his  indigestion  storage. 

Many  an  oldster  to-day  during  relaxation  from  coupon 
cutting,  rent  or  mortgage  interest  collection,  can  return  with 
serio-comic  reminiscences  to  his  early  attempts  to  get  the 
highest  value  out  of  fuel  combustion.  None  of  us  knew 
any  more  about  draughts,  dampers  and  their  control  than 
did  our  "bosses,"  who  alternately  stewed  or  congealed  and 
used  language  uncontained  in  dictionaries,  while  we  with 
youthful  circulation  of  blood  were  totally  indifferent,  at 
least,  to  a  low  temperature. 


Apropos  of  the  fact  that  most  New  Yorkers  come  from 
somewhere  else  a  loyal  editor  in  a  Florida  paper  says : 

Every  man  should  love  his  native  land,  whether  he  was  born 
there   or    not. 


[51] 


The  Old  Ship-Builders  of  New  York 

On  a  bright  morning  eighty  years  or  more  ago,  Chris- 
tian Bergh,  father  of  Henry  Bergh,  was  sitting  in  his 
office  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Scammel  and  Water 
streets,  not  far  from  what  is  now  the  Grand  Street 
Ferry,  watching  some  workmen  in  his  ship-yard.  He 
was  in  a  region  of  ship-yards.  Below  him,  at  the  foot  of 
Montgomery  Street,  was  the  ship-yard  of  Thorn  and  Wil- 
liams— Stephen  Thorn  and  "honest  old  Jabez  Williams," 
as  they  used  to  call  him — and  lower  still,  near  the  foot 
of  Clinton  Street,  the  ship-yard  of  Carpenter  and  Bishop. 
Ficket  and  Thoms's  yard  (afterward  at  the  foot  of 
Houston  Street)  adjoined  it,  and,  farther  south,  James 
Morgan  and  Son  had  built  a  bark  at  the  foot  of  Rutgers 
Street,  and  Joseph  Martin  the  brig  Mary  Jane  at  the 
foot  of  Jefferson  Street,  and  the  ship  General  Page  at  the 
foot  of  Pike  Street.  Above  Mr.  Bergh  was  a  series  of 
yards  extending  along  the  East  River  as  high  up  as  Thir- 
teenth Street;  Sneden  and  Lawrence's  yard,  near  the 
foot  of  Corlears  Street;  Samuel  Harnard's  yard,  near 
the  foot  of  Grand  Street;  Brown  and  Bell's  yard,  from 
Stanton  to  Houston  streets,  which  was  formerly  occu- 
pied partly  by  Henry  Eckford,  and  partly  by  Adam  and 
Noah  Brown ;  Smith  and  Dimon's  yard,  from  Fourth  to 
Fifth  streets ;  Webb  and  Allen's  yard  (afterward  Wil- 
liam H.  Webb's),  from  Fifth  to  Seventh  streets;  Bishop 
and  Simonson's  yard  (afterward  Westervelt  and  Mack- 
ay's),  from  Seventh  to  Eighth  streets;  James  R.  and 
George  Steers's  yard,  William  H.  Brown's  yard,  and 
Thomas  Collyer's  yard,  higher  still.  Many  other  build- 
ers or  repairers  of  ships  occupied  the  same  interesting 
shore  of  the  East  River  at  about  the  same  time  or  later ; 
Mr.  George  Thorburn,  a  well-known  spar-maker,  who 
used  a  part  of  the  old  yard  of  Sneden  and  Lawrence, 
counted  not  less  than  thirty-three  of  them,  whose  yards 

[52] 


resounded  with  the  axes  and  hammers  of  busy  Ameri- 
can ship-carpenters,  calkers,  blacksmiths,  and  joiners. 

At  the  immense  fire  place  (it  was  so  large  that  a 
man  could  easily  sit  in  the  chimney)  in  the  Bergh  house 
Henry  Eckford  was  a  frequent  visitor.  Indeed,  Bergh's 
principal  amusement  was  in  going  to  see  Eckford,  and 
Eckford's  principal  amusement  in  going  to  see  Bergh. 
Henry  Eckford  was  a  Scotchman,  who  came  to  this  coun- 
try in  1796,  when  twenty-one  years  old,  and,  like  his 
friend  Christian  Bergh,  rose  into  prominence  during  the 
war  of  1812,  having  obtained  contracts  for  building  gov- 
ernment vessels  on  the  lakes. 

Christian  Bergh  was  born  April  30,  1763,  and  bap- 
tized, May  12,  in  Wettenburgh  Church,  in  Rhinebeck 
Precinct— he  died  June  24,  1843.  Aged  80.  The  exist- 
ing records  of  the  Bergh  family  in  this  country  go  back 
to  the  year  1700,  and  there  were  still  earlier  records, 
destroyed  during  the  Revolutionary  war;  Mr.  Henry 
Bergh,  the  founder  of  the  Society  for  the  Prevention 
of  Cruelty  to  Animals,  was  a  son  of  Christian  Bergh 
and  is  well  remembered  by  the  present  generation. 

The  Bergh  homestead  on  the  northeast  corner  of 
Scammel  and  Water  streets,  was  in  an  excellent  neigh- 
borhood, old  Colonel  Rutgers,  the  Crosbys,  and  Henry 
Eckford  living  near  by.  The  property  extended  north 
to  Grand  Street,  and  among  the  trees  in  its  orchard 
was  an  ox-heart  cherry-tree  the  like  of  which  the  Bergh 
children  never  saw  elsewhere.  Henry,  the  son,  built 
ten  five-story  tenement-houses  on  the  site  of  the  home- 
stead, the  first  in  New  York  city  to  give  each  family  a 
floor  to  itself.  Fire-escapes  and  other  philanthropic  con- 
veniences were  not  wanting. 

It  was  John  Thomas  and  Henry  Steers  who  built,  at 
the  foot  of  Tenth  Street,  on  the  East  River,  the  first 
ship-railway  ever  seen  in  the  United  States ;  it  consisted 
of  rails  laid  on  an  inclined  plane,  upon  which  a  cradle 
was  run  for  the  purpose  of  drawing  vessels  up  out  of 
the  water  in  order  to  repair  them;  and  in  consideration 
of  their  enterprise  the  Legislature  granted  to  the  rail- 
way company  a  charter  for  a  bank,  to  last  "as  long  as 
grass  grows  and  water  runs."     Thus  was  founded  the 

[53] 


Dry-dock  Bank,  now  the  Eleventh  Ward  Bank.  The 
only  other  institution  that  ever  received  such  a  charter 
was  the  Manhattan  Company. 

James  R.  and  George  Steers  built  for  John  C.  Stev- 
ens and  others  the  famous  yacht  "America,"  which  cap- 
tured in  1851  the  Queens  Cup  at  Cowes  and  which  the 
English  yachtsmen  have  ever  since  vainly  attempted  to 
recover. 

William  H.  Webb's  distinction  as  an  American  ship- 
builder consists  partly  in  having  launched  a  larger  aggre- 
gate tonnage  than  any  other  member  of  his  profession, 
and  partly  in  his  successful  construction  of  powerful  war 
vessels.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  and  contrary  to  the 
wishes  and  plans  of  his  father,  Isaac  Webb,  who  desired 
for  him  an  easier  berth  on  the  voyage  of  life,  he  entered 
his  father's  ship-yard,  and  swung  the  axe,  shoved  the 
plane,  and  performed  all  the  other  functions  of  an 
apprentice. 

The  list  of  famous  ships  turned  out  by  the  old 
Eleventh  Ward  is  a  long  one  and  includes  the  Rainbow, 
Dauntless,  America,  Superior,  Dreadnaught,  Fulton  the 
First  (an  iron  frigate),  and  the  forerunner  of  armor- 
clad  ships. 

The  fame  of  these  wonderful  flyers  still  lingers  in 
the  memory  of  the  older  generation.  A  hundred  days 
to  San  Francisco  by  way  of  the  Horn  was  a  regular  oc- 
currence while  88,  92  and  95  days  from  New  York  to 
Calcutta  were  expected.  The  run  to  Liverpool  was  made 
as  low  as  eleven  and  a  half  days  while  fourteen  was  a 
good  average.  Nothing  like  the  American  Clipper  was 
ever  equalled  in  the  ship-building  line,  and  not  a  few 
New  Yorkers,  in  view  of  the  present  attractive  profits, 
think  the  old  days  will  return. 

The  skippers  of  these  old  time  flyers  were  recruited 
from  the  flower  of  the  country's  youth  and  manhood. 
Not  a  few  were  college  men;  the  majority  graduates  of 
home-town  academies  corresponding  to  our  present-day 
high  schools.  They  were  sons  of  builders,  masters,  own- 
ers, merchants  and  professional  men.  They  began  their 
careers  not  in  forecastles  but  at  the  counting-room  desks 

[54] 


jfl 


m 


©BROWS,    BROS. 


The  famous  Washington  Arch,  erected  at  the  beginning  of  Fifth 

Avenue  and  said  to  be  one  of  the  most  beautiful  structures  in  the 

world. 


and  in  the  warehouses  of  the  firms  or  individuals  for 
whom  they  were  destined  to  command  vessels. 

Before  they  ever  put  foot  on  deck  to  start  their  lives 
at  sea  they  possessed  a  grounding  in  the  arts  and  craft 
of  commerce  and  at  least  a  working  familiarity  with 
another  language — usually  French;  often  both  French 
and  Spanish.  They  went  to  sea  to  become  commanders 
and  ultimately  owners  and  merchants.  When  they  at- 
tained the  quarter-deck  of  their  first  command,  a  good 
many  before  they  were  twenty-one  years  old  and  most 
of  them  before  they  were  twenty-five,  they  either  bought 
a  share  of  the  vessel  or  a  share  was  given  to  them.  It 
was  to  their  own  advantage  that  their  ships  should  do 
well  by  their  owners. 

Some  of  the  more  famous  of  these  Clipper  ships  are 
shown  in  our  pages. 


Domestic  Items,  1816 

Milk  was  borne  in  tin  cans  suspended  from  the 
carriers'  shoulders, — frequently  women, — and  was  sup- 
plied from  cows  within  the  city  limits  or  contiguous 
shores  of  Long  Island  and  New  Jersey. 

There  were  many  cows  which  roamed  the  streets 
in  the  day  and  were  stabled  at  night.  The  slaughtering 
of  animals  for  the  markets  was  wholly  done  by  indi- 
vidual butchers  on  their  premises  in  different  parts  of 
the  city. 

Gentlemen  went  to  market,  and  in  default  of  ex- 
press companies,  messengers,  etc.,  often  carried  home 
a  turkey,  chicken,  or  a  leg  of  lamb.  The  public  author- 
ities gave  annually  a  prize  to  the  farmer  who  sub- 
mitted to  them  the  best  sample  of  butter  of  his  produc- 
tion. 

Canned  vegetables  and  fruits  were  also  unknown; 
hence,  when  their  season  passed  they  passed,  and  as 
railways  and  interstate  steamboat  lines  did  not  exist, 
we  did  not  receive  the  early  fruits  of  the  South  or  the 
game  of  the  North  and  West. 

[55] 


The  Washington  Arch 

New  York's  most  imposing  tribute  to  the  memory  of 
Washington  is  undoubtedly  the  Washington  Arch  at 
the  beginning  of  Fifth  Avenue  in  the  famous  square 
named  also  in  his  honor.  This  arch  was  erected  to 
commemorate  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the 
inauguration  of  George  Washington  as  first  President 
of  the  United  States.  Aside  from  being  a  magnificent 
work  of  art,  it  also  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being 
erected  without  any  expense  whatever  to  the  City.  For 
this  notable  addition  to  our  municipal  attractions  the 
City  of  New  York  is  mainly  indebted  to  Mr.  William 
R.  Stewart  and  his  neighbors  in  Washington  Square 
and  lower  Fifth  Avenue. 

While  the  location  is  now  conceded  to  be  the  best 
possible  for  this  structure,  its  selection  was  due  to  a 
happy  inspiration  of  Mr.  Stewart  at  whose  suggestion 
the  original  line  of  march  was  altered  so  as  to  bring  the 
procession  down  Waverly  Place  and  up  Fifth  Avenue 
instead  of  along  Broadway  and  Fourteenth  Street  and 
up.  As  an  inducement  for  this  change  Mr.  Stewart 
and  his  friends  offered  to  erect  a  temporary  arch  at 
the  foot  of  the  avenue  which  they  pledged  would  be  an 
ornament  and  credit  to  the  city.  This  temporary  arch 
was  at  once  so  beautiful  and  impressive  that  a  general 
public  desire  became  manifest,  looking  toward  its  preser- 
vation in  permanent  form.  Mr.  Stewart  was  approached 
and  gladly  headed  the  movement  that  afterwards  secured 
such  a  wonderful  result. 

As  a  slight  souvenir  of  his  strenuous  labors  on  be- 
half of  this  public  work,  the  City  presented  Mr.  Stewart 
with  a  silver  key  to  the  interior  of  the  Arch  enclosed  in 
an  ebony  box  and  inscribed  with  the  thanks  of  the  mu- 
nicipality.    A  sketch  of  this  is  shown  on  opposite  page. 

This  is  probably  the  most  famous  arch  in  the  whole 
country  and  in  beauty  of  design  is  second  to  none  in 

f  56  ] 


the  world.  It  is  an  ornament  to  the  City  and  chief  of 
the  long  list  of  memorials  that  have  been  erected  to 
the  memory  of  General  Washington.  There  are  still 
several  groups  of  statuary  remaining  to  complete  the 
design  and  they  are  rapidly  being  finished.  They  will 
enhance  the  present  artistic  appearance  quite  ma- 
terially. 


Other  Tributes  to  Washington  in  New  York 

The  monument  that  stands  next  to  the  arch  in  importance  is  the 
statue  on  the  steps  of  the  Sub-Treasury  in  Wall  Street,  erected  to 
mark  the  place  where  Washington  took  the  oath  of  Office  as  first 
President  of  the  United  States  on  the  balcony  of  the  Old  Federal  Hall, 
April  30,  1789.  This  Statue  is  of  heroic  size  and  is  a  conspicuous 
object  in  the  famous  thoroughfare.  The  statue  is  the  work  of  J.  Q. 
A.  Ward.  The  tablet  on  the  east  wall  of  the  steps  represents  Wash- 
ington kneeling  in  prayer  at  Valley  Forge. 

The  finest  equestrian  statue  of  Washington  in  the  City  or  perhaps 
anywhere,  is  the  one  given  to  the  City  by  Mr.  James  R.  Howe,  of 
Brooklyn,  and  stands  at  the  Brooklyn  end  of  the  Williamsburg  Bridge. 
It  represents  Washington  during  the  darkest  days  of  the  Revolution. 
The  statue  is  the  work  of  Henry  M.  Shrady. 

The  bronze  equestrian  statue  in  Union  Square  was  erected  by 
popular  subscription  and  dedicated  July  4,  1856.  It  stands  on  the 
spot  where  Washington  was  received  by  the  citizens  on  Evacuation 
Day,  Nov.  25,  1783.  It  represents  Washington  at  the  period  of  his 
greatest  triumph.    The  work  is  by  Henry  K.  Brown. 

A  group  by  Bartholdi  in  Morningside  Park  represents  Lafayette 
offering  his  services  to  Washington.  They  are  shown  clasping  hands 
and  the  standards  of  the  two  countries  are  draped  behind  them.  The 
monument  was  presented  to  this  city  by  the  late  Charles  Broadway 
Rouss  in  1890. 

In  the  New  York  Public  Library  there  are  two  portraits  of  Wash- 
ington by  Gilbert  Stuart,  one  of  the  famous  half  length  painted  in  1797 
and  which  was  originally  owned  by  Alexander  Hamilton,  the  other 
the  equally  famous  full  length  portrait  which  is  considered  by  many 
the  most  interesting  portrait  of  the  Father  of  his  Country  that  has 
come  down  to  us.  There  are  also  in  this  collection  a  portrait  of 
Washington   in    half    length    by    James    Peale    and    one   by    his    brother, 

[57] 


Rembrandt  Peale.  The  latter  is  a  copy  of  one  of  Stuart's  portraits, 
but  the  original  of  the  James  Peale  portrait  is  unknown. 

In  the  main  loggia  of  the  Metropolitan  Museum  stands  a  copy  of 
the  Houdon  statue  of  Washington.  This  statue  has  a  peculiar  inter- 
est from  the  fact  that  the  idea  originated  with  the  school  children 
and  was  paid  for  by  subscriptions  raised  by  them.  There  are  also 
two  portraits  by  Gilbert  Stuart  and  one  by  Charles  Wilson  Peale.  Here 
also  may  be  seen  the  painting  by  Leutze,  "Washington  Crossing  the 
Delaware"  and  "Washington  and  Lafayette  at  Mr.  Vernon"  by  Thomas 
P.  Rosseter  and  Louis  Mignon. 

The  New  York  Historical  Society  has  a  fine  marble  bust  of  Wash- 
ington by  Houdon  and  three  original  portraits  by  Gilbert  Stuart, 
Charles  Wilson  Peale  and  Ashur  Durand.  Besides  these  the  Society 
has  many  rare  books  and  manuscripts  pertaining  to  Washington,  and  a 
portrait   of  Martha  Washington. 

Hanging  in  the  Governor's  Room  in  the  City  Hall  is  the  Trum- 
bull portrait  of  Washington,  painted  from  life  in  1790.  The  city  paid 
the  artist  for  this  portrait  nine  hundred  dollars. 

A  portrait  of  Washington  woven  in  silk  stands  in  the  rooms  of 
the  Municipal  Art  Commission  in  the  City  Hall.  This  portrait  is  a 
product  of  the  French  loom  and  took  two  years  to  complete.  It  was 
presented  to  New  York  in  1855  by  C.  S.  Goodrich,  then  American 
Consul  at  Lyons,  France.  In  the  Borough  Hall,  Brooklyn,  may  be  seen 
a  copy  of  the  full  length  portrait  by  Gilbert  Stuart,  the  original  of 
which  is  in  the  New  York  Public  Library ;  also  a  copy  of  the  original 
Stuart  portrait  in  the  Boston  Academy  of  Fine  Arts. 

The  Long  Island  Historical  Society  in  Brooklyn  has  a  beautiful 
miniature  of  Washington,  which  was  given  to  Col.  Ramsay  by  Wash- 
ington himself  and  has  come  down  through  several  Long  Island  families 
until  finally  presented  to  the  Society  by  Robert  Benson.  A  half  length 
portrait  of  Washington  is  also  to  be  seen  here.  It  is  a  copy  of  one 
of  Gilbert  Stuart's  portraits.  The  Society  has  also  a  collection  of 
original  Washington  letters,  and  a  bust  in  white  marble  by  Green ough. 


Curios  of  Life  Still  Within  the  City  Limits 

Leo  Anderson  has  about  100  little  chickens  and  several  hens 
setting    at   this   writing. 

A  recent  addition  to  N.  Hoffman's  bovine  family  are  a  fine  pair 
of  twins. 

Mr.  Walter  Schumacher  spent  Sunday  with  his  motor  in  Hicksville. 

Conrad  Pfeiffer  sawed  wood  for  Dem  Eischen  last  Thursday,  also 
shelled   corn   for  N.   Hoffman. 

Miss  Eizabeth  Muller,  was  married  to  Mr.  Frank  Haligan  Monday 
morning  at  9  o'clock  at  St.  Helen's  Church,  by  Rev.  Father  Healey, 
after  which  breakfast  was  served  at  the  bride's  parents,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Joseph  Muller,   living  in  the  east  part  of  town. 

Wm.  Olexa  went  to  Harvard,  Neb.  Where  he  takes  the  second 
trick  operator  for  the  Burlington. 

Has  anybody  got  a  typewriter  to  exchange  for  a  monument  or 
headstone,  or  have  work  done  in  the  cemetery? 


With  Apologies  to  Commissioner  Fetherston 

Noah  regarded  the  Deluge. 

"Hooray,"   he  cried,   "this  will   remove  the  snow." 


[58] 


fe  H.  C.  BROWN.   5h|0 


Remarkably  interesting  view  of  42nd  Street,  known  hs  the  "Lost 

Opportunities'*    view,    looking  down    Fifth    Avenue   across  the 

Reservoir  in  1855,  when  corner  lots  might  have  been  bought  for 

a  song  and  you  were  in  good  voice,  too. 


By  his  EXCELLENCY 

WILLIAM  TRYON,  Efq; 

Cantaiii  General  and  Governor  in  Chief,  in  and  over  the  Province 
oi"  Neiv-Torky  and  the  Ten  itorics  depending  thereon  in  Americax 
Chancellor  and  Vice  Admiral  of  the  fame. 

A  PROCLAMATION. 

WHEREAS  the  General  Afllmbly  of  th«  Province  ftancJs 
prorogued  to  the  rirft  Day  of  February,  now  next 
uifiung:  I  have  thought  fit  for  his  Majefty  s  Service, 
and  I  do,  with  the  Advice  of  his  Majefty 's  Council, 
and  by  Virtue  of  the  Power  and  Authority  unto  me  granted  by  his 
^'aj-fly,  dillblve  the  fajd  General  AfTembly,  and  the  faid  General 
«\ficmbly  are  hereby  dnTolved  accordingly 

GIVEN  under  my  Hand  and  Sca!y  at  Arms,  in  the  City  of 
New-Yopk,  the  fecond  Day  of  January,  One  Thou/and  Seven 
Hu?idred  and  Seventy-fix,  m  the  Jixteenth  Tear  of  the  Reign  of 
our  Sovereign  Lord  George  the  Thirds  by  the  Grace  of  God,  of 
Great-Britain-,  France  end  Ireland,  King,  Defender  of  the  Faith, 
[and  fo  forth. 

Wm.  TRYON. 

By  his  Excellency's  Command, 
Sam*  Bayahp,  jug,  D.  Secry. 

GOD  favethe  KING. 


BROADSIDE ROYAL     PROCLAMATION     DISSOLVING     THE     GENERAL     ASSEMBLY 

[59] 


The  Worth   Monument  in  Madison  Square 

While  the  City  of .  New  York  preserves,  in  at  least 
three  public  parks,  graves  which  were  on  the  property 
before  the  City  acquired  it,  it  has  been  the  policy  of  the 
City  not  to  permit  interments  within  grounds  actually 
taken  for  pleasure  purposes.  In  two  instances,  how- 
ever, it  has  permitted  the  burial  of  illustrious  dead  ad- 
jacent to  public  highways  on  public  land  not  strictly 
pleasure  grounds  although  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
Park  Department.  One  of  these  instances  is  that  of 
Grant's  Tomb  on  Riverside  Drive,  and  the  other  is  that 
of  General  Worth  in  Madison  Square.  General  Worth's 
grave  is  in  the  triangle  bounded  by  Broadway,  Fifth  Ave- 
nue and  Twenty-fifth  Street,  which  forms  a  part  of  Madi- 
son Square.  This  triangle  is  about  170  feet  long  and  90 
feet  wide  at  its  base,  between  curb  lines.  Major-General 
William  J.  Worth,  a  hero  of  the  Mexican  War,  died 
in  Texas  in  1849,  and  was  first  buried  in  Brooklyn.  In 
1857  his  body  was  transferred  to  its  present  resting  place 
and  re-interred  with  public  honors.  Above  his  grave, 
which  is  at  the  northern  and  broader  end  of  the  triangle, 
is  a  monument  of  Quincy  granite,  fifty-one  feet  high, 
resting  on  a  base  about  fifteen  feet  square.  The  monu- 
ment stands  on  a  slightly  elevated  terrace,  thirty-two 
feet  square,  surrounded  by  a  stone  curb.  On  the  south 
face  of  the  monument  is  an  equestrian  figure  of  Gen- 
eral Worth  in  high  relief.  The  monument  bears  the 
following  inscription : 

Maj.  Gen.  Worth 
Ducit  Amor  Patriae 


By  the  Corporation 

of  the 

City  of  New  York 

1857 


Honor  the  Brave 
[60] 


■  'irjfcff^aBBB 


One   of   our    Oldest  Societies — New   York 
Historical 

By  reference  to  the  minutes  of  a  meeting  dated 
March  20th,  1804,  we  learn  that  the  following  persons 
agreed  to  form  themselves  into  a  Society,  the  principal 
design  of  which  should  be  "to  collect  and  preserve  what- 
ever may  relate  to  the  natural,  civil  or  ecclesiastical  his- 
tory of  the  United  States  in  general  and  of  this  city  in 
particular/'  and  appointed  Mr.  Benson,  Doctor  Miller 
and  Mr.  Pintard  a  committee  to  prepare  and  report  a 
draft  of  a  Constitution. 

The  meeting  then  adjourned  until  Monday  evening, 
December  10th  following. 

At  this  meeting  the  following  gentlemen  were  pres- 
ent: 

Egbert  Benson,    Chairman. 

De   Witt    Clinton,  John  Murray,  Jr., 

Rev.  John  M.  Mason,  Rev.  John  H.  Hobart, 

Rev.  William  Harris,  Dr.  David  Hosack, 

Rev.   John  Bowden,  Dr.  Archibald  Bruce, 

Dr.  John  Kemp,  Rev.  John  C.  Kunze, 

Daniel  D.  Tompkins,  Rev.  Samuel  Miller, 

Rufus  King,  Dr.   Peter  Wilson, 

Rev.  John  N.  Abeel,  Peter  G.  Stuyvesant, 
John  Pintard. 

A  constitution  was  adopted,  and  the  institution  was 
named  "The  New  York  Historical  Society." 

The  first  meetings  were  held  in  the  old  City  Hall, 
which  then  stood  on  the  corner  of  Wall  and  Nassau 
Streets  and  was  occupied  by  the  Society  almost  until 
the  building  was  demolished.  After  1809  it  occupied 
successively  rooms  in  the  Government  House,  Bowling 
Green  (1809-1816),  New  York  Institution,  City  Hall 
Park  (1816-1832),  Remsen's  Building,  Broadway  and 
Chambers  Street,  S.  W.  Corner  (1832-1837),  Stuy- 
vesant Institute,  Broadway,  opposite  Bond  Street,  New 
York  University,  Washington  Square  (1841-1857). 
The  first  building  erected  by  the  Society  for  its  own 
use  was  at  Second  Avenue  and  Eleventh  Street  (1857) 

[61] 


and  the  next  one  on  Central  Park  West  from  Seventy- 
sixth  to  Seventy-seventh  Street. 

The  growth  of  this  Society  since  its  removal  up- 
town has  been  notable.  The  officers  for  the  present  year 
are  as  follows: 

President,   John   Abeel   Weekes. 

First  Vice-President,  William  Milligan  Sloane. 

Second  Vice-President,  Walter  Lispenard  Suydam. 

Third  Vice-President,  Gerard  Beekman. 

Fourth  Vice-President,  Francis  Robert  Schell. 

Foreign  Corresponding  Secretary,  Archer  Milton  Huntington. 

Domestic  Corresponding  Secretary,  James   Benedict. 

Recording  Secretary,  Fancher  Nicoll. 

Treasurer,  Frederick   Delano  Weekes. 

Librarian,  Robert  Hendre  Kelby. 

American  Scenic  and  Historic  Preservation 

Society 

It  is  a  matter  of  regret  that  the  annual  reports  of 
this  admirable  Society  are  not  more  available  to  the 
general  public.  In  our  opinion  the  contents  of  these  re- 
ports are  so  readable,  so  instructive  and  so  patriotic 
that  many  New  Yorkers  would  only  have  to  know  that 
they  could  be  obtained  to  become  regular  readers.  There 
is  not  space  enough  at  our  command  to  do  justice  to  the 
work  which  this  Society  performs  and  which  is  set  forth 
in  detail  in  these  reports. 

In  compiling  this  Manual  we  have  repeatedly  found 
many  items  of  great  interest  in  these  Reports  and  if 
they  are  not  elsewhere  credited  we  do  it  here  and  with 
great  pleasure. 

It  is  not  at  all  unlikely  that  sooner  or  later  the  mat- 
ter of  printing  the  Common  Council  Minutes  from  1784 
to  1831  will  become  an  accomplished  fact.  When  this 
time  arrives  let  us  hope  that  Mr.  Edward  H.  Hall,  the 
energetic  secretary  of  the  American  Scenic  and  Preserva- 
tion Society,  will  receive  due  praise.  His  efforts  in  this 
direction  while  unrecognized  up  to  the  present,  will 
sooner  or  later  succeed. 

The  objects  of  this  Society  are  so  worthy  that  we 
recommend  the  readers  of  this  paragraph  to  write  Mr. 
Hall  who  will  send  them  such  information  as  we  think 
will   interest  them. 

[62] 


Origin  of  the  "Four  Hundred' ' 

Quite  a  few  among  our  readers  of  the  present  gen- 
eration have  no  doubt  become  familiar  with  the  term 
"four  hundred"  as  applied  to  Society,  but  may  not  know 
the  origin  of  the  phrase.  It  goes  back  about  twenty-five 
years  to  a  time  when  Mrs.  Astor  gave  a  great  ball  which 
was  managed  by  Mr.  Ward  McAllister,  at  that  time  so- 
cial dictator  in  New  York.  There  was  some  criticism 
of  the  small  number  of  guests  invited  to  the  ball,  when 
Mr.  McAllister  remarked  off-hand  that  there  were  only 
"about  four  hundred  persons  in  Society"  in  New  York. 

The  press  immediately  seized  upon  this  remark  and 
for  weeks  the  papers  were  filled  with  more  or  less  serio- 
comic allusions  to  the  "Four  Hundred."  Interest  in 
the  discussion  was  greatly  stimulated  by  the  publication 
of  a  list,  prepared  by  Mr.  McAllister,  supposed  to  con- 
tain the  names  of  those  who  were  indisputably  entitled 
to  this  distinction. 

Below  we  give  a  copy  of  this  list.  It  was  a  very 
amusing  incident  while  it  lasted,  and  all  New  York 
roared  at  Mr.  McAllister's  presumptuousness.  Never- 
theless the  phrase  remains  with  us  and  it  will  doubtless 
be  many  years  ere  we  discontinue  its  use. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  F.  R.  Appleton,  Miss  Barbey, 

Fred  H.  Allen,  Harold  Brown, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Astor,  Edward  Bulkley, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  J.  Astor,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  L.  Barclay, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  H.  Bend,  C.   C.   Baldwin, 

Miss  Amy  Bend,  Miss  Baldwin, 

Miss   Beatrice  Bend,  C.  C.  Baldwin,  Jr., 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lloyd  Bryce,  Gen.  and  Mrs.  Henry  L.  Burnett, 

Mrs.  Cavendish  Bentinck,  Mr.   Thomas   Cushing, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  F.  Bronson,  Miss  Edith  Cushing, 

Heber  Bishop,  Mr.  F.  Bayard  Cutting, 

Miss  Bishop,  Miss  Coster, 

William  Harold  Brown,  Mr.  Harry  Coster, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edmund  N.  Baylies,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  Carroll, 

Mr.  Temple  Bowdoin,  Mr.   and   Mrs.   Clarence  Cary, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  Townsend  Burden,       Mr.  and  Mrs.  Winthrop  Chandler, 

Miss  Burden,  Mrs.  Brockholst  Cutting, 

Mrs.  Barbey,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harry  Cannon, 

[63] 


Robert.  L.   Cutting,  Jr., 

Col.   J.    Schuyler  Crosby, 

Miss  Crosby, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  Bayard  Cutting, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  V.  R.  Cruger, 

Rawlings  Cottenet, 

F.  Brockholst  Cutting, 

W.  Cutting,  Jr., 

Sir  Roderick  Cameron, 

Duncan  Cameron, 

The  Misses  Cameron, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  Cross, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edward  Cooper, 

The  Misses   Chanler, 

William  R.  Coster, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elisha  Dyer,  Jr., 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Duncan  Elliott, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  B.  De  Forest 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chauncey  M.  Depew, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frederic  de  Peyster, 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Francis  Delafield, 

Miss  Delafield, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Paul  Dana, 

H.  De  Courcy  Forbes, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stuyvesant  Fish, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  G.  Francklyn, 

J.  O.  Furman, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hamilton  Fish,  Jr., 

Theodore  Frelinghuysen, 

Augustus  C.  Gurnee, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ogden  Goelet, 

Mr.  Frank  G.  Griswold, 

Miss  Greene, 

McAllister  Greene, 

Miss  Grant, 

Robert  F.  Hawkes, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  Howard, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carly  Havemeyer, 

Meredith  Howland, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Valentine  G.  Hall, 

Miss  Hall, 

John  A.  Hadden,  Jr., 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Columbus  Iselin, 

Isaac  Iselin, 

Mrs.  William  Jaffray, 

Miss  Jaffray, 

Mrs.  F.  R.  Jones, 

Miss  Beatrice  Jones, 

Shipley  Jones, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  De  Lancey  Kane, 

Nicholson  Kane, 

Miss  Knowlton, 

Miss  Sybel  Kane, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  P.  Kernochan, 

Col.  and  Mrs.  Kip, 

Miss  Kipp, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frederick  Kernochan, 

Clement  March, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  O.  Mills, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.  Martin, 

F.  T.  Martin, 

Peter  Marie, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  W.  McVickar, 

Mr.    and    Mrs.    A.    N.    Morris, 

Miss    Morris, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.  Mortimer, 


Miss  Morgan, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  Newbold, 

Mrs.  Frederick  Nelson, 

S.  H.  Olin, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  Oelrichs, 

James  Otis, 

Miss  Otis, 

Edward  Post, 

Richard  Peters, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.  C.  Porter, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frank  Pendleton, 

Julian  Potter, 

I.  V.   Packer, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  N.  Potter, 

Gen.  and  Mrs.  Pierson, 

Miss  Pierson, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  B.  Post, 

Mrs.  William  H.  Perry, 

Miss  Perry, 

Gould  H.  Redmond, 

Mrs.  Rogers, 

Miss  Rogers, 

J.  Ritchie, 

T.  J.  Oakley  Rhinelander, 

Miss  Cora  Randolph, 

Mrs.  Burke  Roche, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.   S.  O.  Ripley, 

D.  T.  L.  Robinson, 
R.  K.   Richards, 

Mr.    and    Mrs.    Douglas    Robinson, 

Jr., 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  Robins, 
Miss   Sands, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  D.  Sloane, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Philip  Schuyler, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Byam  K.  Stevens, 
Lispenard  Stewart, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  W.  Sherman, 
Miss  Adele  Sloane, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anson  Phelps  Stokes, 
Miss  Stokes, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walter  L.  Suydam, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  F.  K.  Sturgis, 
Miss  Elizabeth  Stevens, 
G.  Mead  Tooker, 
Miss  Tooker, 

E.  N.  Tailer, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  McKay  Twombly, 

Miss  Tailer, 

Marquise  de   Talleyrand, 

Miss  Mable  Van  Rensselaer, 

Miss  Alice  Van  Rensselaer, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cornelius  Vanderbilt, 

George  W.  Vanderbilt, 

Mrs.  A.  Van  Rensselaer, 

James   Varnum, 

Mr.  Worthington  Whitehouse, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  Seward  Webb, 

Barton  Willing, 

Miss  Willing, 

Gov.  and  Mrs.  Wetmore, 

Miss  Wetmore, 

Egerton  Winthrop, 

Thomas   C.  Winthrop, 

E.  B.  Winthrop, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Buchanan  Winthrop, 


[64] 


H.  C.  BROWN,  1916      A.S 


Bowling  Green  in  1915. 


Miss  Winthrop,  Miss  Lusk, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ben.  Wells,  Arthur  Leary, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  C.  Whitney,  Mrs.  Maturin  Livingston, 

Miss  Georgiana  L.  Wilmerding.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  Lanier, 

Mrs.   C.  A.  Whittier,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  B.  Livingston, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wysong,  Edward  Livingston, 

M.  A.  Wilkes,  Miss  Clarissa  Livingston, 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  Storrs  Wells,  Edward  De  Peyster  Livingston, 

Gen.  and  Mrs.  Alexander  S.  Webb,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clement  C.  Moore, 

Miss  Carrie  Webb,  Ward  McAllister, 

Alexander  S.  Webb,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  N.  Marshall. 


William  Loring  Andrews 

New  York  owes  a  great  debt  to  Mr.  Andrews  and 
his  associates  of  the  Iconophiles  for  the  number  of  rare 
and  unusual  books  about  the  city  which  they  have  pub- 
lished from  time  to  time  during  the  past  twenty-five 
years. 

It  is  a  matter  of  regret  that  Mr.  Andrews'  books 
were  printed  in  such  limited  numbers  that  they  are  now 
scarcely  available  to  the  general  public,  and  when  they 
come  into  the  market  the  price  prohibits  their  acquisition 
by  the  ordinary  purchaser. 

Mr.  Andrews,  however,  has  rendered  distinguished 
service  to  local  history  by  his  various  publications.  His 
work  is  noted  for  its  exquisite  engravings  on  steel  by 
Sydney  L.  Smith;  of  rare  old  prints  from  originals 
owned  by  Mr.  Andrews  and  of  course  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  his  subject. 

To  mention  just  one  item  among  the  many  treasures 
owned  by  Mr.  Andrews,  there  is  the  original  copy  of  the 
first  map  ever  printed  of  New  York  by  Bradford.  Mr. 
Andrews  is  justly  regarded  as  the  Dean  of  all  the  Col- 
lectors of  Old  New  York  prints. 


A  slight  reference  to  that  rare  artist,  Peter  Maver- 
ick suggests  the  wish  that  he  had  spent  less  time  engrav- 
ing tea  sets  and  more  time  making  delightful  pictures 
of  the  city  like  his  "North  side  of  Wall  Street"  shown 
elsewhere  in  these  pages. 

Peter  Maverick,  No.  3  Crown  Street,  carries  on  the  seal-sinking, 
engraving  and  copper  plate  printing,  ladies  may  have  their  tea  plate 
engraved  in  the  most  elegant  manner,  resembling  the  glass  chasing, 
as  neat  as  in  Europe. 

[65] 


The_  following  are  recommended  as  PROPER  P  E  R- 
SONS  to  reprefent  the  City,  and  County  tiT New- 
York,  in  Provincial  Congress.  The  Ele&ion  will 
commence  on  Tuefilay  next,  being  the  xdth  of  April, 
1776. 


JOHN  JAY,  ^  Ifaac  Stoutenburgh, 

'Philip  Iivbgfton,;§  William  Denning, 
John  Alfop*,  x  Jofeph  Hallett, 

Francis  Lewis,  $  Abraham  Braflier, 

James  Duane,  ?>  John  Van  Cortlandt* 

Jacobus  Van  ZanHt,-  X  John  Morin  Scott£ 
Comfort  Sands,  £  James  Beeknian, 


$  Capt.  Anth.  Rutgers, 

X  Evert  Bancker, 

X  Thomas  Randall, 

O  Jfaac  Roofevel^ 

O  John  Broome, 

X  Samuel  Prince, 

§  Peter.  P.  Van  Zandt 


Hie  Mowing  are  recommended  as  PROPER  PER- 
SONS: to  reprefent  the  City  and  County  of  New- 
York,  in  Provincial  Congress,  The  Ele&ion  wiU 
commence  on  Tuefday  next,  being  the  16th  of  Aprik 
1776. 


COL.  M<Doogafl> 
Robert  Ray, 
John  Van  Cortlanclt, 
Comfort  Sands, 
Thomas  Randall, 
Jacobus  Van  Zandt, 
John  Mprin  Seett, 


g  Anthony  Rogers, 
><  Abraham  P.  Lott, 
j£  Evert  Bancke*, 
<<  Ifaac  Roofevelt, 
%  John  Ray, 
^;  Willkm  Dennifig, 
^;  James,  Beekman, 


*  Samuel*T>rince, 
5|  Ifaac  Stoutenburgh, 
X  Thomas  Mariton, 
<£  Abraham  Brailier, 
X  Adrian  Rutgers, 
X  Jofeph  Hallett, 
&vHenrv  Remfen, 


BROADSIDE RIVAL     NOMINATIONS     FOR     CONGRESS     IN     1776 


[66] 


A 


View  of  the  Woolworth  Building — by  permission  of  Stewart  &  Company. 


Broadway;  Picturesque  and  Historic 

Long  before  the  white  man  came,  Broadway  was  al- 
ready in  existence.  It  seems  to  have  been  one  of  those 
thoroughfares  that  Nature  herself  makes.  As  an  In- 
dian trail,  it  led  up  from  the  pebbly  shore  where  is  now 
the  Battery,  climbed  the  steep  hill  that  faced  the  Bay 
and  wound  its  way  to  the  northward.  Sometimes  it 
deviated  a  little,  but  always  it  retraced  its  course  and 
continued  in  the  same  general  direction — northward. 
For  a  time  it  threatened  permanently  to  follow  the  east- 
ward course,  up  the  present  Park  Row,  but  that  was  only 
to  avoid  the  high  hills  just  beyond  Vesey  Street  and 
further  North,  the  Collect  Pond.  This  obstruction  com- 
pelled a  long  detour  through  the  Bowery  to  the  farm  of 
Petrus  Stuyvesant  at  3rd  Avenue  and  12th  Street. 
From  that  point  it  skirted  Westward  through  4th  Ave- 
nue which  begins  here,  crossed  what  is  now  Union 
Square  to  17th  Street,  joined  the  Bloomingdale  Road  at 
that  point  and  resumed  its  interrupted  northerly  course. 

With  the  exception  of  Broadway  all  the  Dutch  streets 
below  Wall  Street  are  narrow,  tortuous  paths  surveyed 
and  laid  out  originally  by  bovine  instinct.  Broadway, 
however,  was  destined  to  be  great  from  the  first.  The 
Dutch  called  it  "De  Heere  Straat"— The  Great  Common 
Road,  or  the  Broad  Wagon  Way.  And  the  English 
called  it  "The  Broad  Way."  From  the  beginning  it  held 
a  peculiar  prominence  arising  from  no  other  cause  than 
its  own  dignity  and  impressiveness.  Pearl  Street,  Wall 
Street,  Pine  Street,  Greenwich  Street  and  many  other 
streets  seemed  destined  at  one  time  or  another  to  become 
New  York's  most  famous  thoroughfare,  but  Broadway 
heeded  not.  The  shores  along  the  East  River  front 
were  populous  and  busy.  The  commerce  of  the  grow- 
ing City  clustered  thick  around  the  water  fronts,  East 
and  West,  and  Broadway  seemed  far  away.     It  was  in 

[67] 


the  middle  of  the  town,  too  remote  from  either  shore  to 
give  a  hint  of  its  future  greatness. 

But  right  here,  let  us  review  the  beginning  of  Broad- 
way. Fort  Amsterdam  is  at  the  very  foot.  The 
water  came  right  up  to  the  fort  in  those  days.  The  pres- 
ent Custom  House  is  now  on  the  same  spot.  The  streets 
that  today  lie  beyond  the  Custom  House  all  the  way  down 
to  the  Staten  Island  Ferry,  and  the  whole  of  Battery 
Park,  have  been  added  since  that  time.  So  Broadway, 
leading  from  the  Fort  naturally  became  our  first  main 
traveled  road,  going  North.  Even  before  the  Fort  was 
built  some  traders  occasionally  stopped  here  for  a  few 
weeks  at  a  time  and  they  built  a  few  huts  on  the  same 
place.  When  Adrian  Block  was  here  in  1613,  his  vessel, 
the  Tiger,  burned  to  the  water's  edge.  He  spent  the 
winter  in  New  York  and  he,  too,  selected  Broadway  for 
his  company's  quarters.  There  is  a  tablet  on  the  build- 
ing, No.  39,  telling  of  his  visit  and  of  the  fact  that  he 
contrived  to  build  a  new  ship  while  here  which  he  called 
the  Restless.  Broadway  was  therefore  the  scene  of  the 
first  shipyard  ever  erected  in  the  city,  and  that  was  more 
than  a  dozen  years  before  the  Dutch  finally  decided  to 
settle  here  permanently. 

For  nearly  two  centuries  a  fort  of  some  kind  always 
stood  here.  Under  the  Dutch  it  was  called  Fort  Am- 
sterdam. When  the  English  took  it  in  1664,  they 
changed  the  name  to  Fort  James,  after  the  Duke  of  York. 
When  it  again  came  into  the  hands  of  the  Dutch  in 
1673,  they  in  turn  called  it  Fort  William  Hendrik  and 
the  City  they  named  New  Orange,  after  the  Prince  of 
Nassau.  When  it  finally  passed  into  the  hands  of  the 
English  to  be  retained  by  them  till  the  Revolution,  it  was 
called  successively,  Fort  William,  Fort  Ann  and  finally 
Fort  George.  During  the  Revolution,  the  British  added 
a  redoubt  to  the  Fort  and  erected  thereon  a  battery  of 
guns  for  defense  against  an  attack  by  sea.  And  this 
gave  the  name  "Battery"  to  the  site,  which  strangely  has 
endured  long  after  the  Fort  has  been  forgotten.  When 
the  Revolution  was  over,  the  Fort  was  finally  razed  to  the 
ground  and  on  its  site  was  erected  an  imposing  structure 
designed  to  house  the  President  of  the  United  States  and 

[68] 


o 


SI 
.2  ^ 


■=0 


the  Congress,  for  New  York  was  the  Federal  Capital. 
Washington  never  occupied  the  building,  however,  as  the 
Capital  was  changed  the  next  year  to  Philadelphia.  This 
building,  which  was  known  as  Government  House,  was 
taken  down  in  1815  and  the  land  sold  to  private  persons 
who  erected  thereon  a  row  of  brick  houses,  very  impos- 
ing and  costly  for  those  days,  and  the  block  was  called 
Battery  Place.  It  became  a  very  fashionable  street. 
Many  New  Yorkers  can  recall  these  houses  in  the  days 
of  their  adversity  as  "Steamship  Row."  They  were  re- 
moved not  many  years  ago  to  make  room  for  the  present 
Custom  House.  And  so  this  historic  spot  of  ground 
which  was  Government  property  at  the  beginning  has 
once  again  come  into  the  possession  of  the  Government 
and  is  used  for  Government  purposes. 

The  region  of  the  Fort  in  Dutch  days  and  its  im- 
mediate vicinity  was  evidently  the  center  of  such  social 
and  political  life  as  then  existed.  We  find  there  the  resi- 
dences of  the  Provincial  Secretary,  Dominie  Megapol- 
ensis,  the  first  Dutch  minister  to  settle  permanently  here, 
and  two  of  the  leading  Taverns  of  the  day — Peter 
Koch's,  which  stood  on  No.  1  and  later  that  of  Martin 
Krieger.  The  open  sphere  or  plain  in  front  of  the  Fort 
was  used  as  a  parade  ground  and  witnessed  the  return 
of  Peter  Stuyvesant's  army  so  humorously  portrayed  by 
Washington  Irving  in  Diedrich  Knickerbocker. 

The  old  parsonage  of  Dominie  Megapolensis,  later  be- 
came the  property  and  residence  of  Balthazar  Bayard,  a 
relative  of  Governor  Stuyvesant.  He  erected  a  brewery 
on  the  premises  near  the  river  shore,  access  to  which  was 
by  a  lane  from  the  present  line  of  Morris  Street.  Mr. 
Bayard  died  in  1699.  His  representatives  and  heirs  in 
1726  sold  the  property  to  Augustus  Jay,  ancestor  of  the 
distinguished  family  of  that  name.  It  later  became  the 
site  of  the  Stevens  House,  and  where  Delmonico  opened 
the  first  of  his  famous  restaurants. 

On  the  site  near  the  corner  of  the  present  Morris 
Street,  was  the  first  public  burying  ground  established  by 
the  city  and  at  the  termination  of  Dutch  rule  was  quite 
full  of  the  graves  of  early  settlers  whose  bones  were 
ruthlessly  thrown  out  by  later  excavations. 

[69] 


For  many  years,  a  public  market  occupied  the  site 
and  in  1651,  a  great  annual  Cattle  Fair  was  established, 
to  be  held  between  October  25th  and  the  last  week  in 
November.  During  this  period,  no  one  could  be  ar- 
rested for  debt,  and  this  no  doubt  had  much  to  do  with 
its  popularity,  as  it  continued  for  nearly  thirty  years. 
Another  market  was  subsequently  built  on  Broadway — 
the  Oswego — in  1738,  near  Liberty  Street.  It  had  a 
tendency  to  lower  values  in  the  neighborhood  by  reason 
of  unsightly  and  cheap  buildings,  which  grew  up  around 
it  and  the  Common  Council  finally  decreed  its  removal 
to  the  foot  of  Dey  Street.  From  this  location,  it  moved 
slightly  North  and  eventually  became  Washington  Mar- 
ket, of  the  present  day. 

Under  the  English,  the  Fort  was  greatly  improved  and 
enlarged.  The  "Ellipse"  or  oval  space  in  front  was  en- 
closed by  a  fence  and  paths  laid  out,  and  in  1732  the 
whole  turned  over  to  the  use  of  the  public  as  a  park. 

A  little  later,  in  1745,  the  Weekly  Post  Boy  con- 
tains the  following  announcement : 

"The    Bowling    Green,    near    the    Fort, 
being  to  be  new  laid  with  the  Turff, 
and  rendered  fit  for  Bowling,  this 
summer.     Whoever  inclines  to  do 
that  service,  may  leave  their  Pro- 
posals with  the  Printer  hereof." 

Bowling  Green  is  therefore  the  oldest  Park,  and  the 
City  Hall,  the  second.  The  land  on  which  the  City  Hall 
now  stands  was  always  City  property,  or  "Common 
Lands."  They  were  first  used  for  pasture  lands,  then  for 
general  public  meetings,  and  were  known  as  the  "Fields" 
or  "Commons." 

Broadway  lay  on  a  ridge  and  the  land  sloped  to 
either  side.  For  nearly  a  century  it  was  effectually  ended 
at  Trinity  Church  by  the  stockade  erected  at  Wall  Street. 
By  and  by  the  town  grew  and  the  cattle  needed  more 
room ;  they  were  then  driven  out  to  pastures  through  the 
land  gate  to  the  "Common  Land,"  now  the  City  Hall 
Park,  and  no  one  saw  any  significance  in  the  fact  that 
Broadway  was  the  route  selected.  It  was  the  line  of 
least  resistance  and  thus  early  showed  its  utility. 

By  and  by  the  stockade  was   removed.     After  the 

[70] 


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ii •  s  m  ti  i  ii  1 1  ii  ii  it  i 

II  IK  Si  II!  I  II II  1|  | 

II  E  £6  El  El  I  I  '!( i|  ||  i 


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The    great    Municipal   Building,    housing   more  than   7,000  city 
employees. 


removal  of  the  stockade,  an  association  of  shoemakers 
purchased  about  16  acres  of  land  on  Broadway,  extend- 
ing from  about  Maiden  Lane  to  Ann  Street.  They  had  a 
tannery  at  the  junction  of  Maiden  Lane  and  William 
Street.  This  tract  was  long  known  as  the  "shoemakers' 
pasture."  One  of  its  principal  figures  was  John  Harber- 
ding,  after  whom  John  Street  was  named.  He  lived  on 
the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Maiden  Lane.  He  ac- 
quired considerable  property,  a  goodly  portion  of  which 
he  left  to  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  on  Nassau  Street, 
which  it  still  enjoys. 

North  of  the  shoemakers'  pasture  was  a  sort  of  coun- 
try resort  known  as  the  Spring  Garden.  A  small  Tavern 
stood  on  the  site  of  the  present  St.  Paul  building  which 
afterwards  became  Hampden  Hall,  headquarters  of  the 
Sons  of  Liberty.  In  a  later  day,  the  site  was  occupied 
first  by  Barnum's  Museum  in  1840,  the  Herald  Office  in 
1869,  and  finally  the  present  St.  Paul  Building. 

Wells  and  pumps  existed  in  the  middle  of  Broadway 
as  late  as  1806. 

During  the  intervals  which  ensued  in  the  extension 
of  Broadway  to  the  north,  several  of  the  side  streets 
were  opened.  Cortlandt  Street  was  opened  from  Broad- 
way to  the  River  in  1736.  The  first  sale  of  a  lot  in  this 
street,  size  25  x  126,  brought  $130.00.  A  plot  of  5 
acres  adjoining  Cortlandt  Street  was  owned  by  Tunis 
Dey  which  fronted  on  Broadway  and  on  which  stood  the 
first  suburban  Tavern,  the  Blue  Boar  in  1670.  This 
type  of  roadhouse  afterward  became  very  popular  in  the 
outskirts  of  the  town  and  in  fact  all  through  the  country. 
At  the  time  of  the  Blue  Boar  establishment,  it  was  the 
first  of  its  kind,  and  was  distinctly  outside  the  "city 
limits"  which  were  then  defined  by  the  stockade  at  Wall 
Street. 

Several  other  Taverns  in  Broadway  achieved  such 
fame  as  to  warrant  their  preservation  in  history.  Chief 
of  them  all  was  undoubtedly  Burns'  Coffee  House,  which 
looms  large  in  the  history  of  Broadway  during  the  stir- 
ring times  that  preceded  the  Revolution.  It  was  erected 
on  the  site  of  Etienne  De  Lancey's  house,  at  what  is 
now  115  Broadway.    The  Holland  Society  has  erected  a 

[71] 


bronze  tablet  on  the  building  to  commemorate  the  site. 
This  Tavern  had  its  chief  distinction  as  the  headquarters 
of  the  Sons  of  Liberty,  one  of  the  numerous  organiza- 
tions formed  throughout  the  Colonies  to  combat  the 
growing  abuses  of  the  English  Government.  The  meet- 
ing to  express  opposition  to  the  Stamp  Act  was  held  here 
in  1765  and  the  correspondence  with  the  disaffected  sec- 
tion of  the  Colonies  was  conducted  from  this  place. 
Members  of  the  Sons  of  Liberty  included  most  of  our 
influential  citizens,  many  of  whom  were  later  to  become 
prominent  as  leaders  in  the  actual  Revolution,  and  two 
as  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  The 
Sons  were  in  frequent  conflict  with  the  English  author- 
ities, and  one  of  the  encounters  gave  rise  to  a  small 
scrimmage  which  has  since  been  referred  to  as  the 
"Battle  of  Golden  Hill"  where  the  first  blood  was  shed 
for  the  Revolution.  This  encounter  took  place  at  about 
the  corner  of  John  and  William  Streets,  then  known  as 
Golden's  Hill. 

Meanwhile,  the  Common  Lands  or  "The  Fields"  was 
the  scene  of  much  excitement  on  its  own  account.  In  ad- 
dition to  the  frequent  altercations  between  the  soldiers 
and  the  Sons  of  Liberty  which  were  many  between  the 
years  1766  and  1776,  the  Commons  was  the  scene  of 
many  public  indignation  meetings  of  one  kind  or  an- 
other. In  1770,  the  citizens  met  to  denounce  the  Mutiny 
Act.  In  the  same  year  no  less  than  three  thousand  per- 
sons assembled  to  erect  an  unusually  strong  Liberty  pole 
on  which  was  inscribed  at  the  top  in  huge  letters  the 
word  "Liberty."  A  contest  ensued  but  no  fatali- 
ties occurred.  A  little  later  a  meeting  in  opposition  to 
the  importation  of  British  goods  was  held  and  a  month 
later  a  quantity  of  British  goods  was  seized  as  a  result 
of  this  protest  and  was  burned  on  the  Commons.  Four 
years  later,  a  great  meeting  was  held  to  protest  against 
the  Boston  Post  Act.  Then  came  news  of  the  Battle 
of  Concord  and  Lexington,  which  convinced  the  people 
that  war  was  inevitable  and  caused  them  to  make  prepar- 
ations. 

Finally,  and  this  may  be  said  to  have  ended  one  phase 
of  the  "Fields"  existence,  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 

[72] 


ence  was  read.  Troops  paraded  to  the  Commons  at  6 
o'clock  in  the  evening  under  the  command  of  Washing- 
ton. A  hollow  square  was  formed  at  the  lower  end 
of  the  "Fields,"  with  Washington  on  horseback  in  the 
centre.  One  of  his  aides  read  the  precious  document 
and  at  its  conclusion,  three  hearty  cheers  were  given  and 
the  crowd  dispersed  to  their  homes.  This  ended  for  the 
time  being  the  function  of  the  "Fields"  as  a  rallying  place 
for  the  people.  When  peace  was  declared,  this  land,  as 
we  shall  see,  while  still  preserved  to  the  people,  lost 
something  of  its  original  character  but  gained  in  another 
and  more  dignified  direction. 

The  Liberty  Boys  had  erected  a  pole  on  the  Com- 
mons (The  City  Hall  Park),  around  which  they  were 
wont  to  gather  and  this  pole  was  an  object  of  consid- 
erable contention.  It  was  originally  raised  to  express 
their  satisfaction  and  gratitude  for  the  repeal  of  the 
Stamp  Act.  The  authorities  would  remove  it  one  day, 
only  to  see  it  erected  the  next  on  some  other  part  of 
the  Commons.  It  served  as  a  rallying  place  for  the 
Sons,  and  in  a  measure  was  the  outward  and  visible  sign 
of  an  organized  opposition  to  the  principle  of  no  taxation 
without  representation.  The  frequent  encounters  with 
the  Militia  led  the  Sons  of  Liberty  to  erect  a  pole  of  their 
own  on  private  ground  just  outside  the  limits  of  the 
Corporation's  land.  This  Pole  stood  on  the  North  side 
about  opposite  to  where  the  City  Court  now  is.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  pole,  the  Sons  also  acquired  a  house  on  the 
corner  where  the  St.  Paul  Building  now  stands  which 
they  named  Hampden  Hall  after  the  English  patriot. 
Broadway  was  thus  the  scene  of  many  stirring  events 
from  Bowling  Green  to  the  Commons  the  entire  length 
of  its  then  existence.  At  Bowling  Green,  a  statue  of 
George  III  had  been  erected  by  a  loyal  people,  but 
during  the  war  the  statue  which  was  made  of  lead  was 
torn  down,  shipped  to  Litchfield,  Conn.,  and  then  run 
into  bullets  for  the  use  of  the  American  army.  Years 
afterwards,  the  base  on  which  the  statue  rested  was 
found  doing  duty  as  a  headstone  for  a  grave  in  New 
Jersey.     It  was  identified  by  the  marks    left    for    the 

[73] 


hoofs  of  the  horse,  and  removed  to  the  custody  of  the 
New  York  Historical  Society. 

Before  the  Revolution,  Broadway  had  given  signs  of 
its  manifest  destiny  by  attracting  not  a  few  of  the  then 
prominent  citizens  as  residents.  Among  those  may  be 
mentioned  John  Watts,  Judge  Chambers,  Mayor  Min- 
vielle,  Mrs.  Alexander,  mother  of  the  Earl  of  Stirling, 
William  Peartree  Smith,  Samuel  Verplanck,  the  Van 
Cortlandt  and  Livingston  families.  The  block  on  the 
West  side  to  Morris  Street,  escaped  the  devastating  fire 
of  1776  and  preserved  its  Colonial  identity  for  many 
years  after  the  Revolution.  There  are  still  among 
us  men  who  can  recall  the  demolition  of  the  old  Ken- 
nedy, Watts  and  Livingston  buildings  to  make  room  for 
the  present  Washington  Building. 

The  fire  of  1776  was  one  of  the  most  destructive  that 
ever  visited  the  city.  The  only  block  on  Broadway  that 
was  spared  was  the  one  mentioned  above.  North  of 
Morris  Street,  practically  nothing  is  now  known  of  the 
appearance  of  the  street  as  every  vestige  of  its  charac- 
ter was  destroyed.  The  fire  was  stayed  by  the  open 
fields  at  St.  Paul's  Church  and  the  College  grounds  just 
beyond. 

Following  this  fire  a  number  of  shanties  were  erected 
temporarily  in  lower  Broadway  on  the  East  Side  and 
gave  the  noble  thoroughfare  a  decidedly  poverty  stricken 
appearance.  Their  characters  may  be  imagined  from  the 
following  descriptions  of  those  still  standing  in  1785. 


No. 

37 

Mrs.  Ross 

Grocery  Store 

No. 

39 

S.  Buskirk 

Tinman 

No. 

41 

Mrs.  Lasley 

Shopkeeper 

No. 

51 

Peter  Ritter 

Jeweler 

No. 

53 

Ben  Haight 

Saddler 

No. 

55 

John  Girdere 

Chandler 

No. 

57 

Henry  Rome 

Store 

No. 

59 

Wm.  Bayley 

Tinman 

No. 

65 

James  Anderson 

Shoemaker 

No. 

67 

John  B.  Dash 

Tin  Store 

No. 

69 

J.  Richardson 

Jeweler 

No. 

71 

Mrs.  Hoffman 

Grocery  Store 

No. 

77 

Mrs.  Forbes 

Shop  Keeper. 

[74] 


o 
o 


cu  « 


^5 


O 


O 


As  an  illustration  of  the  difference  socially  between 
the  residents  of  Broadway  in  1793  and  the  squatters  who 
occupied  the  same  site  with  miserable  wooden  shacks 
only  a  few  years  earlier,  I  quote  a  few  of  the  names  as 
recorded  in  the  Tax  List  of  1793. 

John  Watson  Henry  King 

John  Delafield  John  Ricket 

George  Scriba  James  Watson 

Dominick  Lynch  John  Ramsey 

Brockholst  Livingston  Charles  Wilkes 

John  Lawrence  Col.  Harry  Livingston 

William  Edgar  Philip  Henry  Livingston 

Alexander  McComb  Richard  Varick 
Archibald  Gracie 

As  we  have  the  Tax  book  for  1793  before  us,  it  is 
interesting  to  note  that  all  the  houses  and  lands  then  ex- 
isting on  Broadway  were  assessed  at  only  $85,690,  and 
the  total  tax  collected  amounted  to  less  than  $900.00. 
As  the  numbers  have  changed  since  then,  it  is  not  pos- 
sible to  give  exact  comparisons  except  in  a  few  instances 
where  the  locations  are  indicated  by  something  else  than 
numbers.  The  corner  of  Rector  Street  and  Broadway 
belonged  to  the  Lutheran  Church  and  that  plot  is  the 
same  one  today  occupied  by  the  Empire  Building.  It 
is  assessed  at  $600,  and  the  tax  amounts  to  $4.66. 

The  corner  of  Pine  Street  and  Broadway  belonging 
to  Richard  Varick  is  assessed  at  $9,000,  and  the  corner 
of  Thames  Street  and  Broadway  $10,000.  Broadway 
and  Cedar  Street  is  quoted  at  $6,500.  Three  vacant  lots 
below  Wall  Street  and  presumably  about  25  feet  wide 
are  assessed  at  $3,200.  These  figures  moreover  repre- 
sent a  substantial  increase  over  pre-revolutionary  days 
and  maintain  the  experience  of  constantly  increasing 
values  which  have  ever  been  the  characteristics  of  Lower 
Broadway. 

In  addition  to  the  destruction  of  490  buildings  by  the 
fire  of  1776,  the  whole  of  the  city  was  in  a  highly  de- 
pressed condition  at  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war. 
For  almost  eight  years,  it  had  been  constantly  in  the 
hands  of  the  enemy.     Its  commerce  was  well  nigh  de- 

[75] 


stroyed;  its  population  had  dwindled  from  60,000  to 
about  25,000.  A  large  part  of  the  town  was  still  in  melan- 
choly ruins,  and  Broadway  was  the  chief  sufferer.  No  re- 
building had  been  attempted.  Gaunt  and  blackened  walls 
lined  all  of  the  downtown  section  and  all  that  remained 
of  Trinity  Church  stood  at  the  head  of  a  once  bustling 
thoroughfare  now  silent  and  deserted. 

The  Presbyterian  Church,  a  few  steps  from  Broadway 
on  Wall  Street,  was  in  a  scarcely  more  presentable  con- 
dition. Its  protecting  rail  destroyed,  its  neatly  kept 
garden  a  mass  of  refuse  and  debris,  its  interior  showing 
the  effects  of  its  use  as  a  store  house  for  soldiers,  all 
made  it  a  fit  companion  for  Trinity.  Small  reason  was 
it  therefore  that  the  lower  end  of  Broadway  should  be 
tenanted  by  nondescripts  and  hucksters,  or  that  property 
should  go  begging  at  a  thousand  dollars  a  lot. 

But  with  the  evacuation  of  New  York  by  the  Brit- 
ish, and  the  return  of  its  exiled  citizens,  Broadway  be- 
gan to  experience  a  change  in  spirit.  Some  years  elapsed 
however  after  peace  was  declared,  ere  Broadway  got 
its  real  start  as  our  leading  thoroughfare.  Some  little 
time  was  required  to  clear  up  the  dumps  and  squat- 
ters that  had  acquired  locations,  but  when  the  way 
was  clear  for  regeneration  the  work  actively  commenced. 
In  a  short  while  society  flocked  to  lower  Broadway 
and  it  became  the  leading  fashionable  quarter  of  the 
new-born  city. 

Within  the  next  few  years  the  improvement  was 
continued  and  many  first  class  residences  added.  Among 
the  new  comers  we  find  Gen.  Alexander  Hamilton  at 
26,  Nicholas  Low  at  24,  John  Delafield  at  30,  Peter 
Jay  Morris  at  36,  Daniel  Ludlow  at  54,  Judge  Law- 
rence at  52,  Herman  Le  Roy  at  66,  Josiah  Ogden  Hoff- 
man at  68,  Cadwallader  D.  Colden  at  70,  and  Gov- 
ernor Jay  whose  large  stone  house  was  considered  the 
handsomest  building  on  the  street  and  added  much  to 
its  growing  social  importance  further  up  the  street. 
Just  beyond  Trinity  was  opened  the  first  real  hotel  New 
York  had  yet  seen.  It  was  the  City  Hotel.  For 
half  a  century  this  hotel  was  the  resort  of  fashion- 
able society.     In  it  the  Assembly  originated  and  all  the 

[76] 


BROWN,  1916 


Grace  Church,  at  Broadway  and  10th  Street,  when  it  was  sup- 
posed Broadway  would  never  extend  farther.  The  church  stood 
at  the  head  of  the  street  and  made  an  admirable  ending.  When 
the  street  continued,  it  branched  off  a  little  to  the  left  leaving 
Grace  still  "at  the  head." 


important  political  dinners  were  held  there.  Leading 
Societies,  like  the  Cincinnati,  the  New  York  Historical, 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  etc.,  all  had  their  meet- 
ings here.  Soon  after  the  New  York  Hospital,  occupy- 
ing the  blocks  from  Duane  to  Worth  Streets,  opened  its 
doors. 

In  1793  the  street  was  paved  as  far  north  as  Mur- 
ray Street  and  sidewalks  laid.  The  erection  of  hand- 
some private  residences  on  the  block  now  occupied  by 
the  Woolworth  Building  was  commenced,  owned  by 
leading  private  citizens,  among  whom  were  Walter 
Rutherford,  Rufus  King,  Cornelius  Roosevelt,  Richard 
Harrison  and  Abijah  Hammond.  The  house  (221)  next 
to  the  corner  of  Vesey  Street  was  owned  by  the  State 
of  New  York  in  1802,  and  was  occupied  by  Aaron 
Burr  as  the  official  residence  of  the  Vice  President  of 
the  United  States.  Edward  Livingston,  then  Mayor 
of  the  City,  occupied  the  adjoining  premises  (223),  which 
were  owned  by  John  Jacob  Astor. 

After  the  Revolution,  the  improvement  of  the 
"Fields"  or  Common  Lands  by  its  enclosure  in  1785 
with  a  post  or  rail  fence  was  the  first  step  to- 
ward the  more  exclusive  condition  of  a  Park.  This 
was  in  keeping  with  the  general  and  rapid  improve- 
ment of  this  part  of  Broadway  and  the  custom  of 
allowing  cattle  and  other  animals  to  roam  at  will  upon 
the  green  was  out  of  all  keeping  with  the  changed 
condition  of  things.  In  due  time,  the  post  and  rail 
fence  was  superseded  by  one  of  wooden  palings  which 
finally  in  1816  gave  way  to  a  substantial  railing  which 
was  erected  with  due  ceremony  and  public  recognition 
of  the  event.  In  this  connection  I  might  mention  that 
a  portion  of  the  present  enclosure  was  part  of  the  negro 
burying  ground  which  extended  north  across  Chambers 
to  Reade  Street  in  its  early  days. 

From  this  time  on  the  progress  of  Broadway  has 
been  continuous  and  rapid.  Up  to  the  time  of  the  Revo- 
lution it  could  not  be  said  to  have  ranked  in  importance 
with  Pearl,  Wall,  Pine,  Broad  or  Beaver  Street,  all 
of  which  were  populous  and  thriving  thoroughfares. 
For   many   years,    its   opening,   as   we   have   said,    was 

[77] 


halted  at  Vesey  Street,  and  as  late  as  1789  there  were 
no  houses  on  it  north  of  this  street,  though  it  had 
been  opened  as  far  as  Duane  Street  and  received  a 
new  name — Great  George's  Street,  a  name  which  it  re- 
tained for  over  thirty  years.  After  passing  Canal  Street, 
its  development  was  rapid;  it  followed  the  course 
mapped  out  by  the  Commissioners  in  1807  and  soon 
reached  the  "Tulip  Tree"  on  Union  Square.  Houses 
sprang  up  on  both  sides  as  if  by  magic  and  retail  shops 
soon  deserted  the  waning  fashionable  section  of  Pearl 
Street  and  Chatham  Square  for  the  more  pretentious 
establishments  on  the  now  fast  growing  and  more  metro- 
politan Broadway.  On  all  the  Island,  there  was  no 
street  so  generously  wide,  so  handsomely  adorned  with 
magnificent  shade  trees  as  Broadway.  Pearl  Street, 
which  for  years  had  been  the  leading  retail  thorough- 
fare, was  originally  a  shore  road  skirting  the  river,  and 
when  the  streets  were  extended  beyond  that  point,  the 
width  was  made  in  conformity  to  the  regularly  accepted 
measurements  of  the  day,  which  were  soon  seen  to  be 
wholly  disproportionate  to  the  needs  of  the  growing 
community.  The  great  fire  of  1835  had  also  much  to 
do  with  the  decline  of  Pearl  Street,  and  the  rise  of  its 
rival.  Overlooking  the  possibilities  of  the  new  street, 
and  relying  upon  its  past  reputation,  owners  of  prop- 
erty in  Pearl  Street  demanded  exorbitant  rents  and  as 
the  lower  part  of  town  had  been  practically  denuded 
of  houses  and  stores,  the  landlords  expected  to  reap 
a  rich  harvest.  Profiting  by  this  condition  and  aided 
by  its  natural  superiority,  Broadway  soon  wrested 
supremacy  from  Pearl  Street,  Chatham  Square  and 
Catherine  Street,  as  the  retail  shopping  centres  and  has 
retained  it  ever  since.  Curiously  enough  some  of  the 
old  time  leaders  in  this  erstwhile  fashionable  section 
who  moved  to  Broadway  at  that  time,  remained 
there  till  quite  recently.  At  the  present  time  of  writ- 
ing, Broadway  as  a  retail  centre  has  been  compelled 
to  divide  honors  with  Fifth  Avenue,  although  still  re- 
taining a  very  large  and  important  section  of  retail  busi- 
ness. In  its  endless  array  of  other  costly  enterprises, 
wholesale  houses,  office  buildings,  hotels,  theatres,  etc., 

[78] 


Forty-second  Street  and  Madison  Avenue.    Dr.  Tyng's  Church — 

popularly  known  as  the  "Church  of  the  Holy  Oilcloth."     From 

the  collection  of  F.  W.  Schoonmaker. 


it  has  more  than  made  up  what  it  has  lost  to  Fifth 
Avenue. 

Unhappily  pictures  of  Broadway  in  its  early  stages 
are  exceedingly  rare.  Attached  to  an  old  deed  of  sale 
of  lots  near  Morris  Street  in  Dutch  days,  there  is  an 
authentic  picture  of  the  character  of  house  in  existence 
at  that  time.  Next  to  that  comes  some  excellent  draw- 
ings by  Bennett,  Megary  and  Maverick,  and  still  later 
a  series  of  advertising  views  by  Jones  and  Newman, 
now  of  exceeding  value.  Another  series  of  similar 
character  by  Tallis,  engraved  on  steel  but  rather  small 
are  also  interesting,  and  last,  but  by  no  means  least, 
are  the  lithographed  show  cards  published  by  W.  T. 
Stephenson  &  Co.  in  the  fifties.  These  are  of  generous 
size  and  although  primarily  designed  as  commercial 
works,  they  nevertheless  delineate  the  buildings,  cos- 
tumes, vehicular  traffic  and  other  street  accessories  cor- 
rectly and  clearly.  In  this  connection,  it  is  not 
without  interest  to  record  the  fact  that  these  old 
prints  of  Broadway  are  now  so  eagerly  sought  for 
by  collectors  that  their  price  has  soared  far  be- 
yond the  reach  of  the  ordinary  pocketbook.  A 
Stephenson,  for  instance,  readily  brings  from  $1,200 
to  $1,800  according  to  its  condition,  while  the 
view  of  lower  Broadway  owned  by  Mr.  Percy  Pyne  2nd 
is  the  only  one  known  to  exist  and  is  therefore  unavail- 
able at  any  price.  Mr.  Robert  Goelet,  Mr.  Herbert  Lee 
Pratt,  Mr.  I.  N.  Phelps  Stokes,  are  also  known  to  rejoice 
in  the  possession  of  prints  of  which  no  other  copies  are 
known  to  exist.  Other  collections  of  old  New  York 
prints  are  owned  by  Mr.  Simeon  Ford.  Mr.  E.  W.  C. 
Arnold,  Mr.  J.  Clarence  Davies,  Mr.  J.  N.  Golding,  Mr. 
Robert  E.  Dowling  and  others. 

The  Broadway  views  by  Jones  &  Newman,  were 
originally  published  at  25c  each  in  four  parts.  A  com- 
plete set  is  easily  worth  $500  today.  They  are  the 
most  interesting  views  of  Broadway  in  the  fifties  ex- 
tant. Each  block  on  both  sides  is  shown  from  the  Bat- 
tery to  Duane  Street  and  from  them  it  is  easy  to  trace 
the  gradual  encroachment  of  business  into  this  street. 
First  came  the  retail  stores,  soon  to  be  followed  by  the 

[79] 


wholesale.  In  our  own  time  we  have  seen  the  purely 
commercial  supplanted  by  the  purely  financial  in  the 
same  section  covered  by  Jones  &  Newman  and  again 
we  are  reminded  of  the  competition  of  the  Fifth  Ave- 
nue of  today  with  the  Broadway  of  yesterday  by  the 
recurrence  of  old  familiar  firms,  all  leading  concerns  in 
lower  Broadway  in  the  fifties. 

Late  in  the  fifties,  photography  began  its  commer- 
cial career  and  the  pictures  of  Broadway  from  that 
date  on  are  more  numerous  and  the  record  of  the 
street  development  from  that  period  on  is  more  com- 
plete. There  are  still  quite  a  number  of  old  residences 
transformed  into  business  buildings  standing  on  Broad- 
way, most  of  them  unaltered  as  to  fronts  and  only 
slightly  changed  inside.  Between  the  City  Hall  Park 
and  14th  Street  they  are  quite  numerous  and  with  trifling 
alterations  could  easily  be  made  into  their  original  ap- 
pearance. But  the  shade  trees  are  gone,  the  stages 
have  disappeared  and  the  gas  lamp  posts  have  been  re- 
placed by  electric  light.  The  awnings  which  formerly 
lined  the  road  from  its  beginning  to  its  end,  have  like- 
wise disappeared,  as  have  also  the  hideous  telegraph 
poles  with  their  ever  increasing  strings  of  wire. 

Before  the  street  cars  came  Broadway  was  the  one 
street  in  town  favored  for  parades.  For  almost  a  cen- 
tury it  was  unrivalled  in  this  direction.  The  first  im- 
portant exhibition  of  this  kind  occurred  upon  the  arrival 
of  Lafayette  to  pay  his  last  visit  to  America.  The 
demonstrations  that  have  followed  since  that  are  too 
numerous  to  mention.  It  is  quite  safe  to  say  that  no 
important  public  event,  from  the  protest  against  the 
Stamp  Act  in  1765  down  to  within  a  few  years  ago, 
was  ever  allowed  to  pass  without  a  celebration  on  Broad- 
way in  the  shape  of  a  parade.  The  tremendous  ex- 
pansion of  the  city  northward  has  however  robbed  Broad- 
way of  this  monopoly  and  other  streets,  notably  Fifth 
Avenue,  have  succeeded  to  this  honor.  As  the  parade  era 
began  with  a  patriotic  demonstration,  so  it  may  be  said 
to  have  practically  ended  with  another — the  funeral  pro- 
cession of  General  Grant.  Other  imposing  and  impres- 
sive parades  have  since  occurred  from  time  to  time  but 

[80] 


< 


z-tf 

o  £ 


the  old  time  political  parade,  the  complete  monopolizing 
of  the  street  from  the  Battery  to  the  Square,  long  ago 
ceased. 

And  such  parades  as  they  were!  Countless  thou- 
sands still  recall  the  famous  political  parades  in  the 
eighties  which  have  probably  never  been  exceeded  in 
numbers  and  enthusiasm  in  any  city  in  the  world.  The 
rival  political  leaders  reviewed  the  marchers  either  from 
the  balcony  of  the  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel  or  from  a  stand 
on  Madison  Square,  and  the  length  and  number  of  the 
paraders  were  supposed  to  presage  victory  or  defeat  and 
the  effect  on  the  silent  vote  was  supposed  to  be  decisive. 

In  the  early  fifties,  Broadway,  by  the  erection  of 
the  iron  front  building  for  Benedict  Brothers  on  the 
corner  of  Broadway  and  Cortlandt  Street,  set  the  style 
for  business  architecture  for  many  years.  This  was  the 
first  of  the  so-called  fireproof  ( ?)  buildings  ever  at- 
tempted and  was  a  distinct  improvement  over  the  brown 
stone  and  brick  buildings  hitherto  prevailing.  At  about 
the  same  time,  there  was  erected  in  a  building  so  far 
uptown  on  Broadway  as  to  be  almost  in  the  country  one 
of  the  most  daring  innovations  yet  planned  in  architec- 
ture— a  passenger  elevator  in  the  new  hotel  at  the  corner 
of  Broadway  and  23rd  Street.  This  latter  invention 
proved  a  success  and  its  use  became  general.  In  the 
erection  of  the  first  skyscraper  at  S3  Broadway  in  the 
late  eighties,  Broadway  gave  the  first  practical  demon- 
stration of  the  success  of  this  new  school  of  architecture 
and  its  effect  on  the  value  of  surrounding  property  was 
immediate.  In  conjunction  with  the  elevator,  the  sky- 
scraper completed  the  change  in  the  appearance  of  lower 
Manhattan.  Late  in  the  nineties,  strangers  desiring  to 
obtain  a  view  of  New  York  from  the  highest  available 
point  were  wont  to  climb  the  steeple  of  Trinity  Church, 
then  and  for  almost  a  hundred  years,  the  most  con- 
spicuous landmark  on  the  Island.  Today  this  steeple  is 
completely  lost  in  the  architectural  Matterhorns  that 
surround  it  and  the  original  skyscraper  has  already  been 
demolished  to  make  room  for  a  loftier  and  more  impos- 
ing edifice,  its  modest  ten  stories  being  completely  over- 
shadowed by  its  thirty  and  forty  story  neighbors  adjoin- 

[81] 


ing.  It  is  doubtful  if  Broadway  in  all  its  varied  career 
ever  contributed  quite  so  much  to  the  wealth  of  the 
whole  city  as  when  it  devoted  part  of  its  valuable  space 
to  the  erection  of  an  unsolved  problem  such  as  the  sky- 
scraper was  at  that  time. 

Other  changes  were  at  work  about  the  same  time. 
The  experiment  of  horse  cars  had  been  accepted  as  an 
improvement  over  stages.  That  was  now  to  be  succeeded 
by  cable  cars  and  they  in  turn  by  underground  trolleys — 
each  a  step  in  advance  of  the  other.  They  were  now 
to  be  reinforced  by  another  method  of  transit — the  sub- 
way. As  far  back  as  1860,  a  small  section  of  a  subway 
had  been  constructed  in  Broadway  between  Warren  and 
Murray  Street,  and  in  1873  a  more  pretentious  under- 
ground system  was  projected  by  a  company  who  issued 
a  huge  lithograph  depicting  their  proposed  plan.  Not 
until  the  present  electrically  driven  and  electrically 
lighted  system  was  introduced  did  the  public  take  kindly 
to  underground  travel,  but  now  the  entire  length  of 
Broadway  will  soon  be  traversed  by  this  means  of  trans- 
portation. 

With  these  three  remarkable  advances,  all  of  which 
contributed  to  the  welfare  of  Broadway,  the  street  be- 
gan to  change  accordingly.  Every  part  now  became 
readily  accessible  but  the  development  beyond  34th 
Street  became  most  marked.  The  large  number  of  ho- 
tels, theatres  and  restaurants  which  quickly  gathered 
along  its  length  imparted  an  atmosphere  of  cheerfulness 
and  gaiety  that  speedily  bestowed  upon  that  section  of 
the  street  the  sobriquet  of  "The  Great  White  Way." 
To  a  large  section  of  out  of  town  people  that  part  of 
Broadway  is  the  most  fascinating  of  all.  Beyond  the 
theatrical  district  however  are  immense  offices  devoted 
exclusively  to  a  business  that  a  few  years  ago  was  wholly 
unknown — the  automobile.  The  same  colossal  skyscrap- 
ers mark  this  part  of  Broadway  as  elsewhere.  This 
region  formerly  ended  at  the  beginning  of  Central  Park 
but  has  already  streamed  far  beyond  it  where  we  will 
leave  Broadway  for  the  present. 

[82] 


«i  AMERICAN  SI  I.Dlu 


Broad  Street   Looking  from  present  Curb  Market  to  Wall  Street. 


New- York,  April  27,  1775. 

To  the  PUBLIC 

AS  many  Publications  have  appeared  from  my  Prefs  which 
have-given  great  Offence  to  the  Colonies,  and  particularly 
to  many  of  my  Fellow  Citizens  $  Lain  therefore  led,  by  a  moft  fin- 
cere  Regard  for  their  favourable  Opinion,  to  declare  to  the  Public, 
that  Nothing  which  I  have  ever  done,  has  proceeded  from  any 
Sentiments  in  the  leaft  unfriendly  to  the  Liberties  of  this  Conti- 
nent, but  altogether  from  the  Ideas  I  entertained  of  the  Liberty 
of  the  Prefs,  and  of  my  duty  as  a  Printer.  I  am  led  to  make  this 
free  and  public  Declaration  to  my  Fellow  Citizens,  which  I  hope 
they,  will  confider  as  a  fufficient  Pledge  of  my  Refolution,  for  the 
future,  to  conduct  my  Prefs  upon  fuch  Principles  as  (hall  not  give 
Offence  to  the  Inhabitants  of  the  Colonies  in  general,  and  of  this 
City  in  particular,  to  which  I  am  connected  by  the  tendered  of  all 
human  Ties,  and  in  the  Welfare  of  which  I  (hall  confider  my  own 
as  infeparably  involved. 

James  Rivington. 

The  above  will  be  infer  ted  in  the  next  Week's  New-York  Gazetteer, 
and  continued  four  Weeks. 

BROADSIDE.  MR.  RIVINGTON  WAS  THE  LOYALIST  PRINTER  IN  NEW 
YORK  DURING  THE  REVOLUTION,  A  POSITION  NOT  ALWAYS  CONDUCIVE  TO 
PERSONAL    COMFORT    AS    THE    ABOVE    APOLOGY    INDICATES.       1775. 


[83] 


Beginnings  of  Free  Public  Education 

The  magnificence  of  New  York's  Public  School  Sys- 
tem is  the  admiration  not  only  of  its  own  citizens  but  of 
the  outside  world  as  well.  A  brief  account  of  its  modest 
beginnings  will  be  of  interest.  A  comparison  of  the 
first  old  Henry  Street  School  with  the  present  Erasmus, 
De  Witt  Clinton,  Washington  Irving,  or  Wadleigh  High 
School  is  something  of  which  we  all  have  a  right  to  be 
proud. 

In  1637  the  first  school  was  established  by  the  Dutch 
at  New  Amsterdam.  Adam  Roelantsen  was  appointed 
Schoolmaster.  In  1642  he  built  a  house  in  which  he 
taught  school,  and  a  tablet  on  the  Produce  Exchange  on 
Stone  Street,  placed  by  the  Schoolmasters'  Club  of  New 
York  in  1910,  marks  the  site  of  this  school  house. 

Our  present  school  system  is  the  outgrowth  of  the 
formation  of  the  Free  School  Society  established  in 
1805,  when  the  city  had  a  population  of  75,770.  Private 
and  church  schools  up  to  this  time  were  the  only  means 
of  education.  De  Witt  Clinton  was  the  leader  of  the 
Free  School  Society  and  its  first  president. 

The  first  school  building  erected  by  this  society  was 
built  in  1809  in  Henry  Street.  The  ground  was  given 
by  Col.  Rutgers  for  the  purpose.  The  development  since 
then  has  been  rapid  and  continuous,  and  our  present 
Public  School  system  is  the  result.  It  is  doubtful  if  any 
organization  ever  started  a  project  with  such  marvel- 
lous final  results  as  did  the  Free  School  Society. 

A  yellow  time-stained  book  containing  the  autograph 
signatures  of  those  public  spirited  citizens  who  con- 
tributed to  the  establishment  of  the  first  Free  School  is 
still  preserved  in  the  rooms  of  the  New  York  Histori- 
cal Society.    The  page  is  headed — 

"We  the  Subscribers  promise  to  pay  on  demand  to  the 
Treasurer  of  the  New  York  Free  School  Society  the  sums 
affixed  by  us  opposite  to  our  respective  names." 

[84] 


©  H.  C.  BROWN,  1916 


Dn  "Sarsaparilla"  Townsend's  house,  Fifth  Avenue  and  Thirty- 
fourth  Street,  removed  in  1867  to'make  way  for  A.  T.  Stewart's 
marble  palace— now  the  Columbia  Trust  Company. 


As  this  is  a  Roll  of  Honor  of  the  first  importance  it  af- 
fords us  pleasure  to  reproduce  herewith  the  list  of  names 
in  full: 


De  Witt  Clinton 
W.  Edgar 
M.  Clarkson 
Nath.  G,  Ingraham 
David   Hosack 
James    Thompson 
James   Slidell 
Samuel   Barrowe 
John  Morris 
Cornelius    De    Bois 
Samuel  Campbell 
Daniel   McCormick 
Wm.  Bayard 
James   M.   Evers 
Herman  Le  Roy- 
Isaac  L.  Kip 
Peter  Jay   Munro 
J.  Waddington 
Cornelius  Bayley 
Archibald  Gracie 
John    J.    Glover 
Stephen  B.  Munn 
Alexr  Dunlap 
Wm.    W.    Rodman 
Wm.  T.  Robinson 
John   Titus 
Wm.  Franklin 
John  Kane 
Benj.  Pell 
John  D.  Lawrence 
Jacob   Scheffelin 
Wm.  K.   Smedes 
Benj.  Page 
Walter  Bowne 
Samuel  Parsons 
Wm.  L.   Burling 
Jacob  Barker 
Abm.  Barker 
Thomas  Eddy 
John  Murray  Jr. 
Henry  Ten  Brook 
Matthew  Franklin 
Adiron   Hegeman 
Leonard    Bleecker 
R.   D.   Perkins 
Thos.    Franklin 
Gerritt  H.  Van  Wagenen 
Samuel   Prime 
Nichs   B.    B  rower 
Wm.  Ash 
Henry  Fanning 
Washington  Morton 
Benj.    Bakewill 
Isaac   Lawrence 
Samuel    Doughty 
Nicholas  Van  Antwerp 
H.  E.  Haight 
Geo.    Newbold 
Wm.  Rhoades 
J.  E.  R.  Birch 
Nath.  G.  Minturn 
Samuel  Leggett 
Robert  G.  Cornell 


John   Mason 
A.  H.  Lawrence 
Abraham  Bell 
O.   H.   Hicks 
Jos.   Buckley 
James    Bogert    Jr. 

A.  H.   Cash 
George    Warner 
John  H.   Livingston 
Ephin  Hart 
James   Cooper 
Allen  Sheperd 
John  Craig 

Thos.   Buckley 
Wm.   Tilton 
Jesse   R.    Smith 
Harriot  Murray 
Wm.   Ogden 

B.  D.   Perkins 
Sam    Stuart 
Richard   Varick 
John  A.   Graham 
Samuel  Mott 
Jeremiah   Thompson 
Benj.  Marshall 
Benj.    Clark 

John   Greene 
Wm.   Lovitt 
Edward  Wickham  Jr. 
Samuel    Davis 
Wm.  Waring 
David  L.   Dodge 
Thos.  Slidell 
Cornelius   Grinnell 
John    Vanderbilt    Jr. 
Thos.   Freeborn 
John   McComb 
Abraham  Labagh 
Richard  Chalk 
John  Leonard 
John  Craig 
John    R.    Murray 
James  Anderson 
Thos.   Collins 
John  McLean 
Sarah    M.    Romeyr 
Archibald  Bruce 
John  Pintard 
Jacob  L.  Sebring 
Gamaliel  Smith 
Cornelius  Cadle 
David   L.  Haight 
Wm.    Smith 
Elias    Haines 
James   Conklin 
Wm.   King 
Thos.    Collins 
Wm.  Collins 
Robt.    Pearsall 
F.   Thompson 
Isaac  Wright 
Thos.   Pearsall 


Arthur  Marx 
R.   B.   Forbes 
Coral.   J.   Bogert 
W.   Pew    ? 
John   R.   Murray 
B.    B.    Cruger 
Olive   H.    Hicks 
Benj.  Bailey 
S.    Jones   Jr. 
John   Day 
John   Grant 
J.  Whitten 
Edwd.  Moorwood 
J.    Ogden 
Jos.  Thebaud 
Henry  Remsen 
J.   C.  Van  Wyck 
Benj.   Ferris 
Silvanus  Miller 
Ludlow 

Richard   R.   Lawrence 
John  Murray 
Thos.  W.  Lent 
Valentine? 
Elias   Kane 
Benj.   S.   Collins 
M.    &  V.    G.    Fish 
Robert  Abbott  Jr. 
Wm.   Rhinelander 
Ph.    Rhinelander 
John  Jacob  Astor 
J.    C.   Vanderheuvel  ? 
W.   Rhinelander   Jr. 
E.   S.  Weeks 
Abm.    Brinckerhoff 
Michael   Hogan 
Nathan  Pendleton 
John   McLean 
J.   A.   Woods 
Saml.   Burling 
R.  Seaman 
Israel  Corse 
John   Craig 
James   Quackenbush 
Fred,  de  Peyster 
Wm.  T.  Slocum 
Robert  H.   Bowne 
John    T.    Glover 
Thomas   Kinder 
Samuel   Gedney 
Isaac  H.   Jackson 
Noah  Talcott 
Silvanus   T,   Jenkins 
Lawrence  Whitney 
Wm.  Clapp 
John  Toni 
Goolet  Hoyt 
Thos.   Burling 
John  McKesson 
Benjamin  Gillinturn 
Wm.  M.  Phigmert 
John  W.  Russel 


[85] 


Samuel  Hicks 
Valentine  Hicks 
Wm.   &   S.  Robinson 
Thos.   Walden 

F.  M.    Walden 
John  F.  Champion 
Thos.   Buckley 
Jonas  C.  Minturn 
Alex  S.  Glass 
Benj.   Ogden 

Van   Gieson 
Van   Blarcom 

G.  Denton 
William  Cairns 
James  Lent 
Wm.  Minturn 
Edmd  Kirby 


Nehemiah  Allen 
N.  L.  &  Geo.  Griswold 
John  Franklin 
John   T\   Lawrence 
Henry    Post    Jr. 
James  Gourlay 
John    Stoutenburgh 
Wm.  Moore 
John  Aspinwall 
Gilbert  Aspinwall 
Saml.  Stansbury 
D.  Lynch 
James   Manning 
Coral  Heyer 
Peter   Elting 
Geo.  Bement 
James   Roosevelt 


Wm.   Walton 
John  Gardner 
Wm.  Prall 
John  L.  Bowne 
J.  G.  Bogert 
Geo.   Newbold 
Charles  Marsh 
Elizah  Ferris 
Richard  Cumingham 
John  Wheeler 
Wm.   Rogers 
John  Suydam 
David  Underhill 
Isaac    Collins. 
James   Gillespie 
Robert  Cheseborough 
W.  &  G.  Post 


The  following  quaint  memorandum  also  appears  in 
the  book : 


8  Dollars  entitles  subscriber  to  be  a  member 
25 
40 


and  to  send  one  scholar. 
"     "        "     two  scholars. 


De  Witt  Clinton  Pres. 
John  Murray  Jr.  Vice  Pres. 
Leonard'  Bleecker  Treas. 
Benj.   D.   Perkins   Secy. 

New  York  May  18th  1805. 


Statement  of  Property  Owned  by  the  City  of  New  York  for  the 

Year  1915 

Bath    houses     $  3,000,750 

Recreation    piers     2,532,500 

Board    of    Education     123,521,000 

Fire     Department     ._ 9,607,725 

Street    Cleaning    Department    1,060,775 

Department  of  Water  Supply,  Gas  and  Electricity,  Aque- 
duct   Commission    58,686,970 

Department  of  Docks   and   Ferries    (piers,   bulkheads   and 

land  under  water) 171,483,790 

Department  of  Bridges     99,458,100 

Department  of  Correction     24,459,300 

Department  of  Public  Charities     30,012,350 

Department  of  Parks     673,556,380 

Armories     15,332,500 

Department  of  Health    1,730,950 

Libraries    (public)     25,053,800 

Police   Department    7,814,800 

Sewerage  System 70,775,700 

Fire  and  Police  Electric   System 1,485,000 

Corporation   Yards    576,900 

Markets     6,598,100 

Rapid  Transit   (subway)    129,247,450 

Public  Buildings  and  Places,  etc 46,483,500 

Easements  for  street  purposes   (Grand  Central   Station)  .  .  226,000 

Total      $1,502,704,340 


[86] 


I 


Is, 

"5 
5 


Old  Fifth  Avenue 

The  present  plan  of  streets  and  avenues  in  our  city 
was  the  result  of  the  labors  of  a  Commission  appointed 
in  1807  who  finished  their  work  in  1811.  Accompanying 
their  report  the  Commission  remarked : 

"To  some  it  may  be  a  matter  of  surprise,  that  the 
whole  island  has  not  been  laid  out  as  a  City;  to  others 
it  may  be  a  subject  of  merriment,  that  the  Commissioners 
have  provided  space  for  a  greater  population  than  is  col- 
lected at  any  spot  on  this  side  of  China.  They  have  in 
this  respect  been  governed  by  the  shape  of  the  ground. 
It  is  not  improbable  that  considerable  numbers  may  be 
collected  at  Haerlem,  before  the  high  hills  to  the  south- 
ward of  it  shall  be  built  upon  as  a  city;  and  it  is  improb- 
able that  (for  centuries  to  come)  the  grounds  north  of  Haer- 
lem Flat  will  be  covered  with  houses." 

To  justify  their  adoption  of  straight  lines  instead  of 
embellishing  the  plan  with  circles,  ovals  and  stars,  the 
commissioners  said : 

"They  could  not  but  bear  in  mind  that  a  city  is  to 
be  composed  principally  of  the  habitations  of  men,  and  that 
strait  sided,  and  right  angled  houses  are  the  most  cheap 
to  build  and  the  most  convenient  to  live  in.  The  effect 
of  these  plain  and  simple  reflections  was  decisive." 

No  better  idea  of  the  enormous  growth  of  New  York 
can  be  had  than  by  this  reference  to  the  original  plan 
and  its  quaint  remark  about  the  huge  population  thus 
provided  for  "centuries  in  advance"  of  its  probable  re- 
quirements. In  accordance  with  this  plan  Fifth  Avenue 
was  opened  in  1837,  and  the  park  called  Madison  was 
declared  a  Public  Square. 

The  pauper  burying  ground  which  marked  its  be- 
ginning on  the  south,  had  some  years  previously  been 
purchased  by  the  city  and  had  been  transformed  into 
beautiful  Washington  Square.  Along  its  four  sides 
handsome  residences  had  recently  been  built  and  on  the 
east  a  scholarly  air  had  been  imparted  to  the  neighbor- 
hood by  the  erection  of  that  Gothic  pile,  the  University 

[87] 


of  the  City  of  New  York.  Society  had  already  set  its 
seal  of  approval  on  Washington  Square  and  on  the 
north  side  there  still  stands  a  row  of  brick  houses  built 
at  this  time  (1833)  which  might  be  said  to  mark  the  last 
stand  of  the  old  Knickerbockers  against  the  up-town 
movement. 

The  farms  that  still  stretched  from  about  where  the 
Bowery  now  is  across  to  Sixth  Avenue,  gave  a  rural 
aspect  to  everything  north  of  the  Square ;  and  when  you 
went  as  far  as  the  lowlands  from  16th  to  23rd  Street 
on  the  West  Side,  there  was  still  plenty  of  good  shooting 
— woodcock,  English  snipe  and  rabbits.  In  fact  for  many 
years  the  "suburbs"  continued  to  afford  splendid  results 
for  the  amateur  sportsman. 

To  make  way  for  the  coming  aristocrat  of  streets, 
the  historic  farms  of  Brevoort,  Spingler,  Van  Buren, 
Burling  and  Varian  were  first  brought  under  the  sway 
of  the  city  and  later  the  farms  further  north  were  in- 
cluded as  was  also  the  famous  Elgin  Botanical  Garden. 
The  Brevoort  House  at  the  corner  of  Eighth  Street  pre- 
serves the  name  of  the  family  which  settled  here  early  in 
the  eighteenth  century  and  the  house  at  No.  24  was  occu- 
pied by  a  descendant  of  the  family  until  1850.  It  was 
considered  at  the  time  of  which  we  write  a  most  palatial 
residence. 

Apparently  the  new  street  was  not  long  in  achieving 
popularity  for  within  a  few  years  we  find  it  quite  thickly 
settled  and  the  character  of  houses  from  the  first  partook 
of  that  regal  quality  which  has  ever  remained  its  lead- 
ing characteristic.  The  Church  of  the  Ascension  (Epis- 
copal), corner  of  10th  Street,  of  which  the  Rev.  Percy 
Stickney  Grant  is  now  rector,  was  built  in  1840;  and 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  11th  and  12th  Streets, 
Rev.  Howard  Duffield  now  pastor,  in  1845. 

The  following  list  taken  from  the  city  directory  of 
1851  gives  a  complete  register  of  the  houses  built  up  to 
that  time  and  also  shows  the  unoccupied  lots  left  here 
and  there  to  be  tenanted  not  long  after. 

1  Lucy  Green's  School.  6  Vacant  lot  11  D  M  Barnes 

2  Vacant  lot.  7  Mary  Vandervoort  12  Augustus  Zerega 

3  Samuel    Jaudin  8  Vacant  lot  13  I  R  Livingston 

4  Vacant  lot  9  N  M  Beckwith  14  A   Le  Babier 

5  Wm  Van  Hook  10  Thos    Egleston  15  S   Wood 

[  88  ] 


16  G   R   Green 

17  Henry   Bergh 

18  Vacant  lot 

19  P   S   Forbes 

20  Vacant 

21  Unoccupied 

23  C   D  Marsh 

24  H    C    De    Rahm 

25  G   W   Morris 

27  Rev.  Geo  W.  Potts 
29  Abby    Irving 

31  James  Marsh 

32  Vacant  lot 

33  T  T  Woodruff 
35  Vacant  lot 

37  Francis  Cottonet 

38  Ascension    Church 
40  R   B   Fosdick 

J  A   Parks   &   Co 
Luther  Wilcox 

43  Unoccupied 

44  H  R  Remsen 

45  D   S  Kennedy 
49  Jas   Donaldson 

Vacant  lots 

57  J    S   Rodgers   M.    D. 

58  St.   Bartholomews 

Church. 

59  Unoccupied 
Jas  Lenox 
Eliza  S  Maitland 
R  B  Minturn 

65  Vacant  lot 

66  C    N    Talbot 

67  Vacant  lot 

68  Bradish   Johnson 


69  Vacant  lot 

70  G   S    Bedford 

71  Vacant  lot 

72  N   H   Wolfe 

73  Vacant  lot 

74  Jas    McBride 

75  J  W  Cook 

76  Isabella   Banks 

77  Now   building 

78  L.   M.    Hoffman 

79  Now  building 

80  M  B  Trimble 

81  now   building 

82  August    Belmont 

83  now   building 

84  Benjamin  Aymar 

85  now   building 

86  Myndert  Van  Schaick 
88  J  K  Myers 

90  Abr.  Van  Buren 

Gustavus   Berquist 
94  Mary   a   Pell 
96  Edward  Hoyt 

98  C  M  Parker 

99  D   B   Fearing 

100  Aaron   Vail 

101  vacant  lot 

102  Frederick  Gebhard 

103  vacant  lot 

104  now  building 

105  vacant  lot 

106  now  building 

107  vacant  lot 

108  now  building 

109  vacant  lot 

110  now   building 


111  vacant  lot 

112  now  building 

113  vacant  lot 

114  now   building 

115  vacant    lot 

116  now   building 

117  now   building 
vacant  lot 
vacant  lot 

R   M    Gibbs 

Geo    Griswold 

T    S   Gibbes 

A   C   Kingsland 
129   now   building 

Geo  Lewis 

Effingham   Townsend 

Moses  Taylor 

Samuel  Riggs 

Sames    Litton 
92   Jas  Brooks 
94  Henry  Stebbins 

134  R    C    Townsend 

135  Vacant  lot 

136  Sidney   Mason 
vacant    lot 
now   building 
Jos    Sanford 
J.  R.   Murray 
vacant   lot 
Thos  Chambers 
unoccupied 

B  F  Cook — land  office 
now   building 
Thos  Murray 
Christopher   Mildeberger 
Thompson's  Cottage. 


By  this  record  we  see  that  the  avenue  terminated  at 
Corporal  Thompson's  Madison  Cottage  which  stood  at 
what  is  now  the  corner  of  Fifth  avenue  at  23rd  street 
and  Broadway. 

Thompson's  Cottage  was  originally  the  house  of  John 
Horn  and  was  the  starting  point  of  the  Bloomingdale 
Road.  It  was  located  between  22d  and  23d  streets  in 
the  present  center  of  Fifth  Avenue  on  the  exact  spot 
where  the  "Isle  of  Safety"  lias  been  placed,  and  immedi- 
ately southeast  of  23rd  Street.  It  became  later  the  resi- 
dence of  Christopher  Mildeberger,  a  merchant  in  the 
swamp  who  had  married  Margaret  Horn  in  1808  and 
removed  to  this  dwelling  in  1820  from  Vandewater 
Street.  Venerable  and  stately  sycamore  trees  lined  the 
then  country  road,  and  also  divided  the  farm  from  the 
house  plot.  In  1839  Mildeberger  petitioned  that  his 
house  should  be  allowed  to  remain  on  its  site  until  ac- 
tual necessity  arose  for  its  removal  and  by  resolution  of 

[89] 


the  Common  Council  it  was  permitted  to  stay  until  No- 
vember 1st.  The  homestead  was  removed  to  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  Avenue  at  23rd  Street,  and  was  used 
as  a  tavern  known  as  Madison  Cottage  under  lease  to 
Corporal  Thompson. 

This  marked  the  extreme  northerly  limit  of  the  ave- 
nue and  so  remained  for  several  years  to  come.  Thomp- 
son's cottage  was  the  popular  road-house  of  the  day 
and  was  much  frequented  by  the  driving  element  who 
later  transferred  their  affections  to  McGowan's  Pass 
Tavern,  Cato's  and  other  popular  resorts.  It  was  also 
the  starting  place  for  several  stage  lines  that  ran  to  the 
lower  part  of  the  city  and  notwithstanding  its  diminutive 
size  from  present  day  proportions  it  was  a  very  im- 
portant and  well  known  establishment.  It  was  succeeded 
by  Franconi's  Hippodrome  a  few  years  later,  and  in 
1856  the  Fifth  Avenue  Hotel  was  started,  completed  in 
1858  and  opened  under  the  management  of  the  celebrated 
Paran  Stevens. 

Beyond  23rd  street  in  1850  the  avenue  while  cut 
through  was  as  yet  unpaved  and  the  sides  fell  off  per- 
ceptibly from  the  street  level.  The  new  Reservoir  re- 
cently built  to  supply  running  water  to  the  city  for  the 
first  time,  was  by  all  means  its  most  imposing  structure 
and  was  regarded  by  citizens  and  strangers  alike  as  but 
little  short  of  the  eighth  wonder  of  the  world.  It  was 
decidedly  the  most  talked  of  "sight"  in  New  York.  The 
promenade  which  encompassed  it  on  all  four  sides,  was  a 
famous  and  popular  rendezvous  for  the  fashionable  after- 
noon and  evening  stroll.  It  commanded  a  beautiful  view 
of  all  the  surrounding  country  including  the  palisades, 
the  Sound  and  the  hills  of  Westchester.  The  bright 
toilettes,  the  sparkling  water  and  the  singular  novelty 
of  the  whole  place  combined  to  afford  at  once  a  unique 
and  unusually  pleasant  experience.  The  water  was  first 
let  into  it  on  the  4th  of  July,  1842,  and  on  the  14th  of 
October  following  was  distributed  by  means  of  iron 
pipes  throughout  the  city.  It  was  on  the  block  between 
40th  and  42d  Streets  now  occupied  by  the  Public  Library. 

Opposite  the  Reservoir  was  a  ragged  precipice  covered 
with  shanties  east  of  the  Avenue.    In  full  view  were  the 

[90] 


Z.2 


4>    v: 


12    5-> 


T3    O 


-5  ° 

A    O 


c 

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tracks  of  the  Harlem  Road.  Where  the  Hotel  Belmont 
is,  was  a  blacksmith  shop.  The  Colored  Orphans'  Home 
was  located  between  43rd  and  44th  Streets,  while  the 
blocks  from  44th  to  46th  Streets  were  covered  by  cattle 
yards.  Processions  of  cattle  driven  up  and  down  the 
Avenue  were  not  uncommon.  Delmonico's,  at  44th  Street, 
is  on  the  site  of  an  old  abattoir.  From  51st  north  was 
a  dreary  waste  of  rocks  used  only  for  goat  farms.  These 
bad  lands  later  became  Central  Park. 

At  the  corner  of  47th  Street  extending  to  51st  Street 
on  the  north  and  extending  almost  to  6th  Avenue  on  the 
west  was  the  Elgin  Botanical  Gardens  composing  about 
20  acres.  In  1814  this  tract  was  deeded  by  the  state  to 
Columbia  College  to  replace  a  Vermont  township  granted 
long  before  but  lost  when  the  claim  of  New  York  to  the 
territory  was  denied.  This  incident  forms  one  of  the 
most  striking  and  romantic  events  in  all  the  history  of 
our  famous  Avenue.  While  the  loss  of  the  land  origi- 
nally given  to  Columbia  seemed,  at  the  time,  an  irrepar- 
able misfortune,  it  turned  out  to  be,  without  question,  the 
greatest  instance  of  a  blessing  in  disguise  ever  recorded. 

The  Vermont  land  is  today  worth  no  more  than  it 
was  then  and  perhaps  not  so  much,  while  the  Botanical 
Gardens  plot  occupying  as  it  does  one  of  the  choicest 
sections  of  the  most  valuable  street  in  the  world  has 
made  Columbia  College  one  of  the  richest  seats  of  learn- 
ing in  America. 

For  many  years  before  the  transfer  to  Columbia,  the 
Elgin  Botanical  Gardens  had  borne  a  graceful  part  in  the 
intellectual  and  social  life  of  the  city.  They  were  laid 
out  in  1801  by  the  celebrated  Dr.  David  Hosack,  profes- 
sor of  Botany  at  Columbia,  for  use  of  students  in  the 
work,  and  men  eminent  in  science  were  often  to  be  seen 
there.  When  the  social  center  of  New  York  was  still 
around  St.  Mark's  Place,  St.  John's  Park,  Gramercy 
Park,  Washington  Square,  old  Bond  Street  and  Stuy- 
vesant  Square,  the  gardens  lay  at  a  convenient  distance 
for  an  afternoon  drive.  At  the  time  of  the  transfer, 
though  the  legislature  estimated  the  land  to  be  worth 
$75,000,  it  was  admitted  that  at  a  forced  sale  "they  would 
not  bring  more  than  $6,000  or  $7,000." 

[91] 


In  the  same  neighborhood  another  romance  of  fortu- 
nate purchase  concerns  the  block  on  which  the  Windsor 
Arcade  now  stands.  This  land  appears  on  an  old  map  as 
part  of  the  farm  of  Thomas  Buchanan,  a  prominent  mer- 
chant, who  married  the  daughter  of  Jacob  Townsend  of 
Oyster  Bay.  Tradition  says  that  the  young  wife  was 
unwilling  to  give  up  the  country  life  to  which  she  was 
accustomed  and  specially  desired  a  home  where  she  could 
keep  a  family  cow.  To  humor  this  wish  Mr.  Buchanan 
bought  his  farm  which  has  since  become  one  of  the  most 
valuable  blocks  on  the  Avenue.  The  two  daughters  of 
the  Buchanans  married  the  Goelet  brothers. 


Julia  Ward  Howe  in  Her  Girlhood 

It  is  only  six  years  since  Julia  Ward  Howe  died,  but  al- 
ready the  story  of  her  girlhood  in  New  York  City  seems  as 
far  off  and  as  different  from  the  life  of  to-day  as  if  she  had 
been  born  centuries  ago,  instead  of  in  1819.  Her  father,  Samuel 
Ward,  was  prominent  in  the  financial  life  of  the  city.  ^  He  was 
a  member  of  Prime,  Ward  &  King,  an  important  banking  com- 
pany, and  the  founder  and  first  President  of  the  Bank  of  Com- 
merce. He  was  also  one  of  the  founders  of  the  New  York 
University,  the  Stuyvesant  Institute,  and  other  important 
public  institutions.  He  had  a  large  house  at  the  corner  of 
Broadway  and  Bond  Street,  then  far  out  of  town,  from  which 
it  was  separated  by  woods  and  fields.  Among  the  glories 
of  the  house  was  a  private  picture  gallery,  the  first  in 
America. 

When  Miss  Julia  and  her  two  sisters  grew  up,  so  lovely 
and  charming  were  they  that  they  were  known  as  "The 
Three  Graces  of  Bond  Street."  In  the  biography  of  Mrs. 
Julia  Ward  Howe  by  her  daughters  the  following  interest- 
ing quotation  from  a  "private  journal"  of  a  visitor  to  the 
family  is  given: 

Walked  down  Broadway  with  all  the  fashion  and  met  the  pretty 
blue-stocking,  Miss  Julia  Ward,  and  her  admirer,  Dr.  Howe,  just  home 
from  Europe.  She  had  on  a  blue  satin  cloak  and  a  white  muslin  dress. 
I  looked  to  see  if  she  had  on  blue  stockings,  but  I  think  not.  I  suspect 
that  her  stockings  were  pink,  and  she  wore  low  slippers,  as  Grand- 
mamma does.  They  say  she  dreams  in  Italian  and  quotes  French 
verses.  She  sang  very  prettily  at  a  party  last  evening  and  accom- 
panied herself  on  the  piano.     I  noticed  how  white  her  hands  were. 


[92] 


■S'S 


si 


^"2 

3 


>- 


New  York's  Great  Public  Library 

Astor,  Tilden  and  Lenox  Foundations,  at  Fifth  Ave.  and  42d  St. 

Historical  Address  by  Hon.  George  L.  Rives,  LL.D., 
at  its  Dedication 

Our  great  Library  is  of  such  recent  construction 
that  even  as  we  write  the  decorative  statues  on  the  front 
are  still  going  up.  It  is  such  a  wonderful  institution 
and  has  such  an  interesting  history  that  we  take  great 
pleasure  in  reprinting  the  scholarly  address  of  Mr. 
George  L.  Rives,  an  old  New  Yorker  himself,  and  an 
eminent  member  of  the  New  York  Bar,  delivered  at 
the  time  of  its  dedication  in  1911.  It  gives  an  admirable 
sketch  of  the  gradual  growth  of  our  Library  and  of  the 
men  who  made  it  possible.  We  regard  such  a  contribu- 
tion to  our  local  history  as  of  the  utmost  value  and  we 
are  glad  to  be  able  to  preserve  it  in  this  enduring  form. 

Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen. — Somebody  once 
asked  Dr.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  at  what  time  a  child's  educa- 
tion ought  to  begin,  and  he  made  the  rather  unexpected  reply- 
that  it  ought  to  begin  about  two  hundred  years  before  the  child 
was  born.  In  the  same  way  I  find  myself  compelled  in  tracing 
the  pre-natal  influences  in  the  historical  development  of  this 
Library,  to  go  back, — not  quite  two  hundred  years,  but  as  far 
as  the  end  of  the  American  Revolution. 

We  all  remember,  of  course,  that  the  British  evacuated  this 
City  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  November,  1783,  and  in  that  same 
month  there  sailed  from  the  port  of  London  a  young  German 
immigrant,  just  twenty  years  old,  whose  name  was  John  Jacob 
Astor.  He  came  to  the  United  States  with  a  capital  consisting 
of  a  very  few  pounds  in  English  money  and  seven  flutes — for 
he  intended  to  embark  in  the  business  of  selling  musical  instru- 
ments. He  discovered,  however,  that  selling  musical  instruments 
was  a  much  less  lucrative  occupation  in  the  United  States  of  the 
eighteenth  century  than  the  buying  and  selling  of  furs ;  and  to 
the  fur  trade  Astor  devoted  himself  with  an  ability  and  a  per- 
severance which  very  soon  enabled  him  to  acquire  what  was  then 
regarded  as  a  large  fortune. 

I  am  afraid  that  if  he  had  lived  at  the  present  time  he 
would  have  merited  the  now  discredited  title  of  a  captain  of 
industry.  He  entered  into  contracts  and  combinations  with 
other  persons  engaged  in  commerce  between  the  United  States 

[93] 


and  with  the  Indian  tribes,  which  were  of  a  kind  that  I  suspect, 
Mr.  President,  would  attract  nowadays  the  highly  unfavorable 
attention  of  my  friend  the  Attorney-General.  He  was  certainly 
engaged  in  monopolizing  or  attempting  to  monopolize  some  part 
of  that  trade;  for  what  he  was  really  trying  to  do  was  to  estab- 
lish in  the  United  States  a  great  corporation  which  should  rival 
in  its  power  and  in  the  extent  of  its  business  the  most  powerful 
monopoly  in  the  world — the  Hudson  Bay  Company  of  Eng- 
land. His  operations  embraced  not  only  the  greater  part  of 
the  territory  then  belonging  to  the  United  States,  but  extended 
over  the  whole  world.  His  plan,  which  was  fully  developed  in 
the  year  1811,  embraced  as  one  of  its  principal  features  the 
establishment  of  a  trading  post  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia 
River  in  Oregon,  where  furs  were  to  be  collected  and  from 
which  they  were  to  be  shipped  by  his  own  vessels  to  China;  and 
there  they  were  to  be  exchanged  for  tea,  porcelains  and  silks,  to 
be  brought  again  to  the  port  of  New  York.  In  those  simple  and 
distant  days  this  was  regarded  as  an  enterprise  worthy  of  the 
commendation  of  good  citizens,  and  the  history  of  Astoria,  writ- 
ten by  his  friend  and  executor,  Washington  Irving,  still  possesses 
perennial  charm. 

Astor's  most  ambitious  project  was  to  a  great  extent  a  fail- 
ure. But  the  fact  that  an  American  company  had  taken  posses- 
sion for  trading  purposes  of  land  upon  the  Columbia  River  was 
one  of  the  principal  features  in  the  case  which  the  American 
Government  was  able  to  present  against  England  in  the  long 
controversy  over  the  ownership  of  the  Pacific  Coast  between 
California  and  Alaska;  and  it  is  largely  to  Astor  that  the  United 
States  owes  its  ownership  to-day  of  the  States  of  Oregon, 
Washington  and  Idaho. 

But  Astor's  great  fortune,  although  founded  in  the  fur 
trade,  was  acquired  not  so  much  in  that  business,  as  through  his 
unwavering  and  well-founded  belief  in  the  future  of  the  City 
of  New  York.  His  profits  from  other  sources  were  regularly 
invested  in  the  purchase  of  land  upon  this  island,  and  he  made 
by  the  improvement  in  values  in  City  property  ten  times  over 
what  he  made  in  trade. 

He  was  a  man  without  much  education  except  what  he  had 
acquired  in  the  hard  school  of  early  poverty  and  constant  con- 
tact with  the  world,  but  he  was  a  man  who  thoroughly  appre- 
ciated learning  and  the  society  of  men  of  letters,  and  he  seems 
to  have  conceived  long  before  his  death  the  idea  of  founding 
in  the  City  of  New  York  a  public  library  which  would  do  for 
the  citizens  of  our  metropolis  what  the  public  libraries  of  Europe 
had  done  for  their  people.  By  a  codicil  to  his  will,  dated  in  1839, 
nine  years  before  his  death,  he  declared  that  "desiring  to  render 
a  public  benefit  to  the  City  of  New  York  and  to  contribute 
to  the  advancement  of  useful  knowledge  and  the  general  good 
of  society,"  he  gave  four  hundred  thousand  dollars  to  be  ex- 
pended in  the  erecting  of  a  suitable  building,  in  defraying  the 
necessary  expenses  of  the  accommodation  of  persons  consulting 
the  library,  and  in  supplying  the  same  from  time  to  time  with 

[94] 


£ 

■*-» 
'% 

-a 

.5 

o 
Z 


books,  maps  and  other  things  pertaining  to  a  library  for  general 
use  "upon  the  most  ample  scale  and  liberal  character." 

Four  hundred  thousand  dollars  was  an  immense  sum  at  the 
time  and  the  place  where  it  was  given,  and  was  indeed  the  largest 
gift  of  money  for  a  public  purpose  that  had  been  known  in  this 
State,  qf  perhaps  in  the  United  States,  up  to  the  year  1839.  If 
it  seems  small  at  the  present  day  it  must  be  remembered  that — 
as  Mr.  Evarts  once  said  of  an  alleged  feat  of  General  Washing- 
ton's— a  dollar  went  much  farther  in  those  days. 

For  many  years  the  Astor  Library  existed  and  prospered  as 
one  of  the  great  institutions  of  the  City  of  New  York ;  and  as  its 
means  were  trebled  by  the  son  and  the  grandsons  of  the  founder, 
it  was  enabled,  in  spite  of  the  growth  of  the  libraries  here  and 
elsewhere,  to  maintain  a  high  rank  among  the  libraries  of  the 
world. 

The  Lenox  Foundation 

The  second  of  the  persons  whom  the  Trustees  and  users  of 
this  library  must  always  hold  in  grateful  remembrance  is  James 
Lenox,  a  man  who,  in  every  possible  relation  in  life,  exhibited 
a  strong  contrast  to  John  Jacob  Astor.  Mr.  Lenox  was  a  native 
of  this  City,  of  Scotch  descent,  born  to  a  comfortable  fortune, 
and  having  all  the  advantages  which  good  schools  and  the  Col- 
lege of  New  Jersey  at  Princeton  could  afford  him.  His  father 
was  a  merchant  in  this  City,  and  in  his  father's  counting-house 
James  Lenox  acquired  those  habits  of  industry  and  precision 
which  stood  him  in  good  stead  when  he  came  to  embark  in 
what  proved  to  be  the  real  business  of  his  life.  In  one  respect 
only  did  his  career  parallel  that  of  Mr.  Astor.  His  father  had 
acquired  a  farm  of  some  thirty  acres,  situated,  as  he  described 
it  in  his  will,  near  the  five-mile  stone — that  is  to  say,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Seventieth  Street  and  Fifth  Avenue,  which,  he 
went  on  to  say  in  his  will,  he  believed  would  in  time  become  the 
site  of  a  considerable  village.  I  need  not  point  out  how  the 
growth  of  the  City  has  justified  his  expectations. 

After  his  father's  death  in  1840,  James  Lenox  retired  from 
business,  and  when  he  was  a  little  more  than  forty  years  old 
devoted  himself  with  an  ardor,  a  persistence  and  an  amount  of 
personal  labor  which  is  almost  incredible,  to  the  acquisition  of 
works  of  art  and  of  rare  books  and  manuscripts.  His  first  col- 
lections of  books  were  in  the  field  of  early  printed  works,  many 
of  them  block  books  made  before  the  invention  of  movable  type. 
He  also  formed  a  great  and  probably  quite  unique  library  of 
Bibles  in  every  language  and  of  every  age;  but  what  was  perhaps 
his  most  useful  contribution  to  the  cause  of  learning  was  his 
bringing  together  nearly  every  edition  and  translation  of  the 
original  narratives  of  discovery,  exploration,  settlement  and  his- 
tory of  North  and  South  America,  from  the  time  of  Columbus 
to  the  year  1700.  Since  his  death,  it  has  been  possible  to  enlarge 
and  supplement  his  collection  until  it  stands  to-day  probably 
unrivaled  in  the  world. 

[95] 


I  cannot  do  better  than  to  read  some  extracts  from  recol- 
lections of  Mr.  Lenox  by  one  who  was  long  associated  with  him. 
"Mr.  Lenox,"  says  Henry  Stevens,  "was  a  man  of  few  words  and 
few  intimate  friends,  but  of  varied  information,  much  studious 
reading,  extensive  correspondence  and  many  books.  He  was  a 
pattern  of  industry,  method  and  good  management.  He  was  ever 
most  generous  and  charitable,  but  he  manifested  a  dislike  of 
being^ indebted  to  strangers  or  neighbors  for  hints  as  to  his  public 
or  private  duties ;  nor  would  he  tolerate  any  interference  in  his 
own  charitable  impulses.  He  always ^  appeared  diffident  (almost 
bashful),  simple-hearted,  generous,  kind,  very  pious,  very  retir- 
ing and  very  dojsernouthed  to  outsiders,  but  as  communicative  as 
a  child  to  his  intimates;  and  especially  to  those  in  sympathy 
with  his  projects  and  pursuits.  Mr.  Lenox  shunned  notoriety 
with  the  same  ardor  that  others  sought  it ;  but  when  it  overtook 
him,  as  it  frequently  did,  in  spite  of  his  reserve,  he  bore  it  with 
Christian  fortitude  and  silence,  even  avoiding  to  read  the  news- 
papers that  heralded  his  praises.  He  tolerated  no  interviewers 
or  curiosity  seekers,  and  his  own  door  was  seldom  opened  to 
visitors  except  by  appointment." 

Mr.  Lenox  was  never  married,  and  as  his  life  began  to 
draw  to  a  close  he  perceived  the  necessity  of  founding  an  institu- 
tion in  which  his  accumulations  of  so  many  years  should  be 
preserved,  and,  if  possible,  added  to.  He,  therefore,  began  the 
erection  of  a  library  building  on  the  farm  he  had  inherited  from 
his  father,  and  he  procured  the  passage  of  an  act  of  the  Legis- 
lature constituting  a  corporation  to  be  known  as  "The  Trustees 
of  the  Lenox  Library."  The  charter  of  the  Astor  Library  was 
Chapter  1  of  the  Laws  of  1849.  The  charter  of  the  Lenox 
Library  was  Chapter  2  of  the  Laws  of  1870;  and  the  recording 
angel  has  doubtless  long  since  placed  to  the  credit  of  William 
M.  Tweed,  deceased,  the  fact  that  he  introduced  and  procured 
the  passage  of  the  latter  piece  of  legislation. 

For  ten  years  after  the  incorporation  of  his  library  Mr. 
Lenox  continued  to  share  in  its  management  assisted  by  his  old 
friend,  Mr.  George  H.  Moore,  for  many  years  the  Librarian  of 
the  Historical  Society  of  New  York,  who  did  much  towards  the 
classification  and  arrangement  of  Mr.  Lenox's  treasures  and  the 
completion  of  his  collections.  But  Mr.  Moore — for  no  man  is 
perfect — was  possessed  by  the  idea,  which  Mr.  Lenox  doubtless 
in  a  measure  shared,  that  a  public  library  was  a  sort  of  safe 
deposit  vault,  to  which  access  was  to  be  denied  except  for  the 
few  who  possessed  the  most  unimpeachable  vouchers.  I  need 
hardly  say  that  long  before  the  Lenox  Library  ceased  to  exist  as 
a  separate  institution,  this  policy,  which  was  probably  wise  in  the 
Library's  earliest  days,  had  been  discarded. 

"Such,"  to  quote  again  from  Stevens's  reminiscences,  "was 
James  Lenox  of  New  York,  who  died  on  the  seventeenth  of 
February,  1880,  at  the  age  of  eighty,  the  bibliographer,  the  collec- 
tor, the  founder  of  one  of  the  most  valuable  public  libraries  in 
the  New  World,  the  philanthropist,  the  builder  of  churches,  the 

[96] 


}  AMERICAN  SI  UDKJ 


The  Stock  Exchange  and  entrance  to  J.  P.  Morgan  &  Co\s  new  building 


establisher  of  a  large  public  hospital,  the  giver  to  New  York  of 
a  Home  for  Aged  Women,  the  dispenser  of  untold  silent  charity 
and  the  benefactor  of  his  native  City  and  his  honored  country." 

The  Tilden  Foundation 

The  third  name  which  figures  in  the  title  of  this  Library 
corporation  is  that  of  Samuel  J.  Tilden,  a  native  of  Columbia 
County  in  this  State,  and  for  nearly  the  whole  of  his  long  and 
active  life  a  resident  of  this  city.  Mr.  Tilden's  ancestry  was 
English,  and  on  his  father's  side  he  traced  it  back  for  many 
generations  in  the  old  country  in  the  pleasant  County  of  Kent. 
His  people,  however,  had  been  among  the  earliest  immigrants  to 
the  United  States  and  had  long  been  settled  in  New  England. 

Mr.  Tilden's  life,  at  least  in  later  years,  was  so  closely 
connected  with  the  public  history  of  this  State  and  this  Nation 
that  it  is  almost  superfluous  to  attempt,  in  the  present  company, 
any  account  of  his  career.  It  is  enough  to  say  that  he  studied 
law — his  studies  being  much  delayed  by  ill-health;  that  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  when  he  was  twenty-seven  years  old ;  and 
that  for  about  thirty  years  he  carried  on  in  this  City  a  practice 
which  grew  continually  larger  and  more  lucrative,  and  which  in- 
volved his  employment  by  the  greatest  corporations  in  the  coun- 
try. "Since  the  year  1855,"  says  his  biographer,  Mr.  John  Bige- 
low,  "it  is  safe  to  say  that  more  than  half  of  the  great  railway 
corporations  north  of  the  Ohio  and  between  the  Hudson  and 
Missouri  Rivers  were  at  some  time  his  clients.  ...  It  was 
here  that  his  legal  attainments,  his  marvellous  skill  as  a  financier, 
his  capacity  for  concentrated  labor,  his  constantly  increasing 
weight  of  character  and  personal  influence,  found  full  activity, 
and  resulted  in  the  reorganization  of  the  larger  part  of  that  great 
network  of  railways,  upon  conditions  by  which  the  rights  of  all 
parties  were  equitably  protected,  wasting  litigation  avoided,  and 
a  condition  of  great  depression  and  despondency  in  railway 
property  succeeded  by  an  unexampled  prosperity." 

During  all  these  years  Mr.  Tilden's  interest  in  public  affairs 
had  been  keen  and  constant.  When  almost  in  his  boyhood  he 
formed  an  intimate  friendship  with  Martin  Van  Buren,  and  he 
followed  Van  Buren's  lead  in  organizing  the  Democratic  party  in 
the  North  in  favor  of  the  free-soil  movement.  During  the  Civil 
War  he  was  one  of  the  large  party  of  war  Democrats  who  stood 
steadfastly  for  the  support  of  the  Union. 

In  1846  and  again  in  1867  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  State 
Constitutional  Conventions.  He  was  for  some  years  Chairman 
of  the  State  Democratic  Committee.  But  it  was  not  until  Mr. 
Tilden  was  approaching  the  age  of  sixty  that  he  began  to  take 
that  conspicuous  part  in  public  affairs  which  made  him  so  strik- 
ing a  figure  in  the  State  and  Nation. 

The  frauds  of  the  Tweed  Ring  in  1870  were  the  occasion  for 
the  display  of  Tilden's  slowly  maturing  powers.  "I  will  lead," 
he  exclaimed,  "where  any  dare  to  follow.     I  will  follow  where 

[97] 


any  dare  to  lead,"  and  with  some  personal  risk  to  himself,  and 
with  a  vast  expenditure  of  time  and  labor,  energy  and  skill,  he 
carried  through  the  great  movement  which  utterly  wrecked  the 
combination  of  criminals  who  had  held  the  City  of  New  York  for 
years  in  their  grasp.  The  distinguished  part  which  he  bore  in 
the  work  of  municipal  reform  in  the  City  of  New  York  made 
him  the  unquestioned  leader  of  his  party  in  the  State,  and  in  the 
autumn  of  1874  he  was  elected  Governor  of  the  State.  In  that 
office  he  continued  his  useful  efforts  in  support  of  honest  and 
efficient  administration,  and,  in  the  autumn  of  1876,  he  was  nomi- 
nated for  the  Presidency  of  the  United  States  by  an  overwhelm- 
ing vote  of  the  Democratic  Convention. 

The  results  of  the  election  of  1876  are  too  fresh  in  the 
recollection  of  us  all  to  call  for  anything  more  than  a  passing 
allusion.  Mr.  Tilden  was  not  inaugurated  President;  and  after 
the  early  part  of  the  year  1877  his  more  active  connection  with 
public  affairs  may  be  said  to  have  ceased. 

Like  Mr.  Lenox,  Mr.  Tilden  was  never  married,  but,  as 
Bacon  puts  it,  "Memory,  Merit  and  Noble  Workes,  are  proper 
to  Men :  And  surely  a  Man  shall  see,  the  Noblest  Workes  and 
Foundations  have  proceeded  from  Childlesse  Men  which  have 
sought  to  expresse  the  Images  of  their  Minds ;  where  those  of 
their  Bodies  have  failed :  So  the  care  of  Posterity  is  most  in 
them  that  have  no  Posterity."  It  was,  therefore,  in  Mr.  Tilden's 
mind  to  devote  the  residue  of  his  large  fortune  to  establish 
and  maintain  a  free  library  and  reading  room  in  the  City  of 
New  York,  and  by  his  will,  he  provided  in  some  detail  for  a  cor- 
poration to  be  created  by  his  executors  and  trustees  to  be  known 
as  the  Tilden  Trust,  which  was  to  have  power  to  carry  out  his 
wishes  in  this  regard. 

Mr.  Tilden  died  in  1886,  about  two  years  after  the  making 
of  his  will,  and  although  the  Legislature  acted  promptly  in  creat- 
ing the  corporation  which  he  had  designed,  the  Courts  ultimately, 
and  after  a  long  series  of  debates,  declared  the  provisions  of 
the  will  to  be  illegal  and  void  for  uncertainty.  The  residuary 
estate  of  Mr.  Tilden  would,  therefore,  have  passed  entirely  into 
the  hands  of  his  relatives  had  it  not  been  for  a  wise  and  fortu- 
nate compromise  agreement  with  some  of  them,  by  which  more 
than  two  million  dollars  was  ultimately  saved  to  the  Tilden  Trust. 

This  was,  indeed,  a  melancholy  falling  off  from  the  noble 
benefaction  which  Mr.  Tilden  had  intended,  but  looking  back 
over  the  period  of  now  nearly  twenty  years  which  separates  us 
from  the  time  when  the  compromise  was  made  and  the  case 
finally  determined  by  the  Court  of  Appeals  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  it  may  well  be  asked  whether  the  result  has  not  proved  a 
great  advantage  to  the  cause  which  Mr.  Tilden  had  at  heart; 
namely,  the  establishment  of  such  a  free  library  system  "as  would 
best  serve  the  interests  of  science  and  education,  and  place  the 
best  literature  of  the  world  within  easy  reach  of  every  class  and 
condition  of  people  in  our  commercial  metropolis,  without  money 
and  without  price." 

[98] 


View  on  Broadway,   showing  Singer  Building. 


When  the  Trustees  of  the  Tilden  Trust  found  that  the 
greater  part  of  the  funds  intended  for  them  had  passed  out  of 
their  reach,  it  was  their  plain  duty  to  look  about  and  consider 
what  could  best  be  done  to  carry  out,  in  some  measure,  the  pur- 
poses which  Mr.  Tilden  had  so  much  at  heart.  They  could  count 
upon  the  property  to  the  value  of  something  over  two  million 
dollars,  and  they  possessed  a  library  of  books  numbering  fifteen 
or  twenty  thousand  volumes.  It  was  perfectly  obvious  that  with 
these  resources  no  public  library  worthy  of  the  name  could  be 
established  in  the  metropolis.  At  the  same  time  the  Astor 
Library  with  its  fine  general  collection  of  books  was  pursuing 
a  useful  but  relatively  modest  task.  The  Lenox  Library,  three 
miles  away,  possessed  a  noble  and  almost  priceless  collection  of 
books  in  certain  lines,  but  it  was  by  no  means  a  general  library 
and  was  very  far  indeed  from  being  an  institution  for  popular 
use. 

Both  the  Astor  and  Lenox  Libraries,  moreover,  were 
hampered  by  the  fact  that  they  possessed  very  inadequate  endow- 
ments. Their  income  literally  permitted  them  to  do  little  more 
than  to  heat  and  clean  their  buildings.  They  were  unable  to 
expend  any  substantial  sums  of  money  in  the  purchase  of  new 
books.  Their  catalogues  were  extremely  imperfect,  for  they 
could  not  pay  the  services  of  cataloguers.  Both  libraries  had  to 
be  closed  at  night,  for  neither  the  Astor  nor  the  Lenox  had 
money  enough  to  pay  the  expenses  of  keeping  open  after  dark. 

Under  these  circumstances  the  thoughts  of  Mr.  Tilden's 
Trustees  naturally  turned  toward  the  possibility  of  a  consolida- 
tion of  the  three  institutions,  and,  in  1892,  the  year  after  the  de- 
cision of  the  Court  of  Appeals,  they  procured  an  act  of  the 
Legislature  to  be  passed  authorizing  the  consolidation  of  library 
corporations  in  the  City  of  New  York.  There  were,  however, 
a  number  of  difficulties  to  be  overcome  before  their  projects 
could  assume  a  definite  shape.  There  was  some  desultory  dis- 
cussion from  time  to  time,  but  it  was  not  until  the  early  spring 
of  1895  that  the  Trustees  of  the  three  institutions  concerned 
really  took  up  in  earnest  the  question  of  uniting  their  resources, 
for  the  greater  good  of  the  people  of  this  City  and  of  the  Union. 

In  those  discussions  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  take  part, 
and  it  is  but  just  to  record  that  there  was  no  feeling  upon  the 
part  of  anyone,  except  that  of  desiring  to  do  the  very  best  that 
could  be  done  in  carrying  out  the  objects  for  which  all  libraries 
must  exist — the  furtherance  of  science  and  art  and  the  educa- 
tion and  recreation  of  the  people.  Personal  considerations, 
family  considerations,  the  natural  desire  of  preserving  the  ident- 
ity of  the  separate  corporations,  were  all  subordinated  to  the 
great  end  of  furthering  the  public  interest;  and  though  many 
details  had  to  be  considered  and  worked  out,  the  meetings  of  the 
representatives  of  the  three  corporations  were  so  absolutely 
harmonious,  and  all  were  so  devoted  to  the  accomplishment  of 
a  definite  purpose,  that  the  business  was  transacted  with  great 

[99] 


ease  and  great  rapidity.  On  the  twenty-third  of  May,  1895, — 
sixteen  years  ago  this  day — the  agreement  of  consolidation  was 
duly  executed  and  The  New  York  Public  Library,  Astor,  Lenox 
and  Tilden  Foundations,  came  into  being. 

The  new  corporation,  in  addition  to  the  Astor  and  Lenox 
Library  buildings,  possessed  some  vacant  and  unproductive  land, 
some  millions  of  dollars*  worth  of  income-producing  property, 
and  three  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  volumes  of  books.  Thus 
far,  the  books  were  only  available  for  purposes  of  reference  or 
research.  The  task  of  making  large  additions  to  the  Libraries, 
and  of  administrating  them  at  the  same  time  so  as  to  be  most 
readily  available  to  the  public,  was  something  that  evidently  was 
quite  beyond  the  means  of  the  Trustees,  if  they  were  to  rely 
solely  on  the  funds  then  in  their  hands.  Nearly  half  the  annual 
income  of  the  corporation  had  to  be  expended  in  heating,  light- 
ing, cleaning  and  repairing  the  buildings,  even  if  they  were  kept 
open  only  during  the  hours  of  daylight;  and  this  left  but  a 
moderate  sum  with  which  to  complete  and  maintain  and  add  to 
the  collections  of  books.  What  the  latter  task  amounted  to 
may  be  estimated  from  the  fact  that  while  The  New  York  Public 
Library  had  three  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  volumes,  the 
British  Museum  had  a  million  and  three-quarters  and  the  Na- 
tional Library  of  France  nearly  three  millions.  It  was  the  far- 
reaching  ambition  of  the  Trustees  to  place  The  New  York  Public 
Library  upon  a  par  with  the  greatest  libraries  in  the  world — if 
not  in  the  mere  number  of  volumes,  at  least  in  the  high  quality 
and  wide  and  general  scope  of  those  which  it  did  possess,  and  in 
the  liberality  and  efficiency  with  which  they  were  placed  at  the 
service  of  the  people. 

In  order  to  accomplish  their  purposes  the  Trustees  were 
therefore  compelled  to  look  either  to  private  generosity,  or  to 
the  liberality  of  the  public;  but  all  the  precedents  in  the  other 
States  of  the  Union  and  in  the  other  countries  of  the  world 
suggested  that  the  public  ought  to  have  at  least  a  share  in  carry- 
ing forward  the  great  and  useful  task  which  the  consolidated 
library  was  prepared  to  undertake. 

There  existed  at  that  time  upon  this  spot  the  abandoned 
Murray  Hill  reservoir,  which  more  than  fifty  years  before  had 
been  constructed  as  a  part  of  the  Croton  water  system,  but 
whose  usefulness  had  long  been  outlived.  The  site  of  the  reser- 
voir appeared  admirably  suited  for  a  central  library;  but  there 
were  serious  difficulties  in  the  way.  The  land  on  which  the  reser- 
voir stood,  had  originally  been  a  part  of  the  common  lands  of 
the  City  of  New  York  which  had  been  granted  by  the  Crown 
to  the  Corporation,  under  the  Dongan  Charter  of  1686.  It  had 
been  held  by  the  Courts  that  the  State  had  no  power  to  dispose 
of  this  land,  and  it  was  also  the  law  that  the  Corporation  of  the 
City,  without  legislative  authority,  was  unable  to  act  in  the  mat- 
ter; so  that  it  became  necessary  first  to  procure  an  enabling  act 
of  the  Legislature,  and  then  to  persuade  the  Mayor,  Aldermen 

[100] 


f\  "  f|  "^ffy 


■gug 


~  4>    ^    U 

°      —  1* 

33 J3  *C  *? 

g  3  c 

■S  S  §  6 

oo 

*-*  ~  o 

J*     CO     *-.     j- 

J>  »-,  o>  ra 

^"5  2  c  — 
«*  :r  ss  •  **« 

2   t-   4>  ♦*  *i 


s«  o  ^ 


2:      «•*  >» 


o 


^ 


rs  ^ 


go 


ZfcdSA 


and  Commonalty  of  the  City  that  it  would  be  for  the  benefit 
of  all  the  people  to  remove  the  old  Croton  reservoir  and  devote 
the  ground  upon  which  it  stood  to  a  reservoir  of  learning  and 
art.  The  task  was  not  altogether  an  easy  one.  The  Board  of 
Aldermen  of  the  City  could  not  quickly  be  convinced ;  but  ulti- 
mately— eighteen  months  or  more  after  the  Public  Library  had 
been  formed — the  City  authorities  did  vote  for  the  removal  of 
the  reservoir. 

The  next  step  was  to  induce  the  City  to  undertake  the  con- 
struction of  the  building.  Excellent  precedents  existed  in  the  aid 
which  the  City  had  given  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art  and 
the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History.  Again  an  act  of  the 
Legislature  became  necessary,  and  as  soon  as  the  City  authorities 
were  vested  by  law  with  the  requisite  authority,  negotiations 
with  the  City  for  the  construction  of  a  building  went  forward 
with  considerable  rapidity.  In  the  spring  of  1897,  two  years  after 
the  consolidation  of  the  three  original  libraries  had  been  carried 
through,  preparations  were  begun  for  an  architectural  compe- 
tition to  decide  upon  the  plans.  On  Election  Day  of  1897, — the 
day  on  which  Judge  Van  Wyck  was  elected  Mayor, — the  jury 
for  the  selection  of  plans  held  their  final  meeting,  and  the  de- 
signs, which  are  now  at  last  embodied  in  stone  and  steel,  in  this 
building  in  which  we  are,  were  finally  approved.  One  of  the  last 
acts  of  the  administration  over  which  Mayor  William  L.  Strong 
presided  was  to  sign  the  various  papers  by  which  the  City  en- 
tered into  a  contract  to  construct  this  building  and  to  employ 
as  its  architects  the  firm  of  Carrere  &  Hastings. 

A  few  words  as  to  the  agreement  are  necessary.  The  City 
undertook  thereby  to  build  and  equip  this  building.  In  return, 
the  Library  Corporation  undertook  that  it  would  place  and  ar- 
range in  the  building,  as  soon  as  practical  after  completion,  the 
whole  of  its  library  and  collections.  It  was  also  agreed  that 
the  library  should  be  accessible  at  all  reasonable  hours  and  times 
for  general  use,  free  of  expense,  to  all  persons  resorting  thereto ; 
that  it  should  be  open  morning  and  evening  on  every  day  of 
every  week,  including  holidays;  and  that,  in  addition  to  the 
reference  libraries  of  the  Astor  and  Lenox  buildings,  there 
should  be  a  free  circulating  branch  to  be  kept  open  on  Sundays 
and  all  other  evenings,  up  to  at  least  ten  o'clock  at  night.  By 
this  agreement  the  library  gained  a  noble  and  spacious  home 
situated  in  the  very  heart  and  most  accessible  centre  of  the 
metropolis ;  but  the  City  gained,  for  the  mere  cost  of  a  build- 
ing, the  inestimable  advantage  of  having  the  private  funds  of 
the  Library  Corporation  expended  for  the  support  and  main- 
tenance and  increase  of  a  great  public  library,  which  was  certain 
to  become  in  time  one  of  the  very  first  libraries  of  the  world, 
and  which  was  to  be  maintained  and  added  to  from  generation 
to  generation  and  forever,  without  expense  to  the  public.  Both 
parties — the  City  and  the  Library — were  to  contribute  money  and 
property  of  very  great  value;  both  parties  were  united  in  carry- 

[101] 


ing  forward  a  work  of  the  utmost  benefit  to  the  citizens  of  the 
metropolis ;  and  I  confess  I  do  not  know  of  any  agreement 
more  far-reaching  in  its  benefits  or  more  honorable  and  satis- 
factory to  each  of  the  parties,  than  this  agreement  between  the 
City  of  New  York  and  The  New  York  Public  Library. 

During  the  period  which  has  elapsed  since  the  Astor  and 
Lenox  Libraries  united  with  the  Tilden  Trust,  the  consolidated 
library  has  by  no  means  stood  still.  At  the  beginning  of  the 
present  year,  the  total  number  of  volumes  in  the  Astor  and 
Lenox  libraries  available  for  use  amounted  to  over  eight  hun- 
dred thousand  and  the  pamphlets  to  over  three  hundred  thou- 
sand— so  that  the  number  of  pieces  in  the  collection  has  nearly 
tripled  in  sixteen  years.  It  has  also  been  made  more  available 
for  general  use  by  cataloguing,  and  the  catalogues  now  contain 
nearly  three  million  cards.  Not  only  has  the  number  of  books 
been  added  to  and  their  quality  well  kept  up,  but  the  periodicals 
in  which  all  the  latest  inventions  and  discoveries  of  science  and 
art  are  recorded,  are  kept  in  use  in  ever-increasing  numbers. 
The  library  now  receives  over  seven  thousand  current  periodicals. 
It  has  also  recently  undertaken  the  collection  of  engravings  and 
etchings,  on  the  lines  of  the  print  collection  of  the  British 
Museum. 

But  by  far  the  most  striking  growth  in  the  work  of  the 
corporation,  has  been  in  the  direction  of  popular  use  by  the 
means  of  its  great  system  of  circulating  branches.  It  is  now 
and  always  was  the  unchanging  purpose  of  the  Trustees  to  make 
The  New  York  Public  Library  available  for  the  use  of  scholars, 
and  also  to  make  it,  in  the  largest  and  most  liberal  sense,  an 
institution  for  the  use  of  all  the  people,  of  all  ages  and  of  all 
nationalities.  That  purpose  they  were  enabled  in  some  measure 
to  carry  out  by  taking  over  the  work  of  the  New  York  Free 
Circulating  Library  and  other  institutions  which  carried  on  simi- 
lar enterprises,  but  it  was  not  until  one  of  our  own  Trustees, 
Mr.  Andrew  Carnegie,  made  his  great  gift  of  five  million  dol- 
lars to  the  City,  which  induced  the  City  authorities  in  their  turn 
to  embark  upon  a  most  far-reaching  and  generous  policy,  that 
we  were  able  to  establish  the  great  system  of  branch  libraries 
which  now  exist  under  the  control  of  our  corporation  in  what 
was  the  old  City  of  New  York  and  in  Staten  Island. 

Of  the  circulating  work  of  this  corporation  and  of  the 
liberality  of  Mr.  Carnegie  this  is  not  the  time  to  speak  at  length. 
This  building,  which  we  are  here  to  inaugurate  to-day,  is  in- 
tended in  part  only  for  circulation  purposes.  Nor  can  I  speak 
now  of  the  many  other  splendid  contributions  to  our  means  and 
collections  which  have  helped  to  make  this  institution  what  it  is. 
But  I  cannot  forbear  mentioning  with  profound  gratitude  the 
gift  of  another  Trustee,  the  late  Mr.  John  S.  Kennedy,  who  left 
us  a  large  share  of  his  very  ample  fortune. 

With  the  means  that  we  now  possess,  arising  in  part  from 
the  benefactions  of  the  founders ;  in  part  from  the  sale  of  the 

[102] 


►— «    "• 


II 


-c  a. 


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3  6 


Lenox  Library  and  the  surrounding  land;  in  part  from  the  ex- 
pected sale  of  the  Astor  Library  property;  and  in  large  part  from 
the  liberality  and  generosity  of  Mr.  Carnegie,  Mr.  Kennedy  and 
other  benefactors,  we  shall  be  enabled  to  carry  on  the  work  of 
this  institution  upon  at  least  an  adequate  scale.  The  vast  collec- 
tions which  are  assembled  under  the  roof  of  this  noble  building, 
are  certain  to  grow  in  something  like  a  geometric  ratio,  and,  if 
properly  administered,  will  be  of  increasing  value  as  time  goes 
on  to  all  the  people,  not  only  of  this  City  and  State,  not  only 
of  this  Nation,  but  of  all  the  World. 

How  great  their  opportunities  are,  the  Trustees  fully 
realize;  and  I  am  sure  that  they  feel  profoundly  the  immense 
responsibility  they  have  incurred  in  the  discharge  of  this  trust. 
It  is  given  to  few  men  to  realize  their  dreams ;  but  we  have  been 
so  fortunate  as  to  have  succeeded  thus  far  beyond  our  most 
sanguine  hopes.  None  of  us,  sixteen  years  ago,  could  have 
looked  forward  to  this  splendid  result  of  our  labors.  Non  nobis 
Domine,  must  be  our  Psalm.  If  we  had  not  been  generously 
supported  by  the  enlightened  intelligence  of  the  people  of  this 
imperial  City,  we  should  have  failed;  and  if  we  are  some- 
times tempted  to  look  with  mistrust  to  the  future  we  are  en- 
couraged and  sustained  by  the  conviction  that  that  same  public 
sentiment,  in  all  quarters  of  the  community,  will  certainly  enable 
us  to  go  forward  in  the  work  that  is  now  so  auspiciously 
begun. 

Statistics  of  the  Public  Library 

The  number  of  books  borrowed  from  the  New  York  Pub- 
lic Library  and  its  branches  in  1915  was  10,384,579,  an  in- 
crease of  868,097  over  the  previous  year. 

There  went  into  the  central  building  in  the  course  of 
the  year  2,558,717  persons.  How  many  books  they  used  is 
not  known,  since  thousands  of  books  and  periodicals  can  be 
reached  without  written  application.  There  were,  however, 
827,664  readers  who  were  supplied  with  2,289,436  volumes. 

The  number  of  children  going  into  the  children's  rooms 
of  all  the  branches  making  use  of  the  collections  for  refer- 
ence and  reading  was  1,608,753.  In  1914  it  was  1,502,185. 
The  circulation  of  books  from  the  children's  rooms  in  forty- 
four  branch  libraries  was  3,938,031.  In  1914  it  was  3,584,448. 
The  total  circulation  of  books  to  children  including  the  fig- 
ures recorded  by  travelling  libraries  was  4,415,794,  or  42  per 
cent,  of  the  total  circulation  of  the  library. 


[103] 


Changing  Historic  Names 

The  mania  for  discarding  old  and  historic  names  for 
others  of  doubtful  and  often  pernicious  origin  seems  never 
to  cease.  The  proposal  to  change  the  Bowery  to  Central 
Broadway  or  Hewitt  Avenue  is  a  recent  case  in  point,  and 
the  suggestion  that  Varick  Street  be  also  thrown  into  the  dis- 
card reveals  again  the  ignorance  of  the  average  citizen 
regarding  the  significance  of  the  early  nomenclature. 

One  of  the  most  lamentable  instances  of  this  nature 
is  the  substitution  of  Marble  Hill  for  Kings  Bridge  by  the 
New  York  Central  R.  R. 

Kings  Bridge  is  a  name  coexistent  with  almost  the  first 
mention  of  New  York  history.  It  was  originally  a  toll 
bridge  and  the  first  connection  for  foot  passengers  made 
from  Manhattan  Island  to  the  mainland.  As  it  was  a  per- 
quisite granted  by  the  King  it  became  known  as  "the  Kings 
Bridge" — hence  its  name.  Numerous  references  in  our  local 
history  are  made  of  citizens  fording  the  Harlem  River  at 
various  shallow  places  further  down  to  escape  the  toll 
charges,  to  the  great  disgust  and  indignation  of  the  toll 
keeper  who  thus  lost  his  fee. 

The  following  letter  from  the  President  tof  the  New  York 
Central  R.  R.  concerning  this  change  is  interesting  because 
in  it  he  plainly  intimates  that  there  is  yet  a  possibility  of 
dropping  Marble  Hill — the  name  of  a  local  real  estate  com- 
pany, by  the  way — in  favor  of  some  other. 

We  respectfully  urge  Mr.  Smith  to  restore  the  old 
appellation.  It  was  good  enough  for  New  York  under  the 
Georges,  New  York  under  Washington,  and  New  York 
up  to  now. 

Give  us  back  our  ancient  heritage,  Mr.  Smith! 

We  regret  the  necessity  for  the  change.  When  the  Spuyten  Duyvil 
Branch  was  relocated  and  built  along  the  Harlem  River,  the  plants 
were  somewhat  isolated,  and  in  view  of  the  fact  that  we  have  expected 
to,  and  have  since  established  a  separate  freight  station,  it  was  thought 
advantageous,  to  avoid  confusion  in  selling  tickets,  way-billing,  etc., 
to  have  separate  names  for  the  different  plants.  As  the  location 
develops,  it  may  be  feasible  to  substitute  a  more  appropriate  name, 
such  as   "Broadway,"   to  indicate  the   location  of  the  subway. 

As  requested,  I  take  pleasure  in  sending  you  under  separate  cover 
a  copy  of  the  booklet  describing  the  history  and  development  of  the 
New    York    Central    Railroad. 

Thanking  you  for  your  courtesy  in  writing  me,  I   am, 

Very  truly  yours, 

A.  H.   Smith. 

[104] 


The  Bridges  of  New  York— The  Big  Four 

There  are  in  all  forty-two  bridges  under  the  City  Ad- 
ministration, but  the  four  great  bridges  which  span  the  East 
River  carry  the  preponderating  amount  of  traffic  between  the 
boroughs  and  are  in  fact  links  in  the  great  highways  of  the 
City.    These  four  bridges  cost  the  City  about  $88,000,000. 

The  first  to  be  built  was  the  Brooklyn  Bridge  running  from 
Sands  Street  in  Brooklyn  to  the  City  Hall  Park  in  Manhattan, 
a  distance  of  about  a  mile  and  an  eighth.  Looking  down  from 
the  roadway  of  the  bridge  on  the  passing  river  craft  below  we 
have  the  novel  experience  of  a  bird's  eye  view  of  the  entire 
deck  of  the  vessels  and  the  peculiar  sensation  of  looking  at  a 
procession  of  boats  that  seem  very  picayune  from  this  great 
height.  The  roadway  is  about  135  feet  above  the  water  at  high 
tide.  A  splendid  view  of  the  river,  harbor  and  City,  and  a 
comprehensive  view  of  Brooklyn  is  to  be  had  from  the  bridge; 
and  the  roadway  is  used  by  the  Citizens  in  that  neighborhood 
as  an  evening  promenade  where  may  be  enjoyed  the  cooling 
and  refreshing  breezes  of  the  bay  in  the  sultry  summer  weather. 

The  Manhattan  Bridge,  a  little  north  of  the  Brooklyn 
Bridge,  has  only  been  opened  for  traffic  a  short  time.  The 
traffic  already  is  very  heavy  and  soon  the  subway  trains  will  be 
operating  on  it.  The  height  of  the  towers  is  322  feet  above 
high  water  mark  and  the  entire  length  of  the  roadway  6,955. 
The  center  span  over  the  river  is  1490  feet.  It  leads  right  into 
the  heart  of  the  Bowery  and  already  has  had  some  effect  in 
changing  the  character  of  that  famous  artery  of  the  East  Side. 
The  Brooklyn  approach  is  a  fine  extension  of  Flatbush  Avenue, 
where  the  subways,  elevateds  and  street  cars  intersect  at  Fulton 
Street. 

The  Williamsburgh  Bridge  is  the  greatest  suspension 
bridge  in  the  world.  The  river  span  is  1600  feet  and  the 
total  length  is  7200  feet.  The  towers  are  335  feet  high  and  the 
roadway  135  feet.  The  width  of  the  bridge  is  118  feet  and 
there  are  four  trolley  tracks,  two  roadways  and  two  foot  walks 
besides  the  tracks  for  the  elevated  trains.  The  approach  to  the 
bridge  on  the  Brooklyn  side  is  from  the  great  new  plaza  which 
has  entirely  transformed  that  section  of  the  borough.  The 
plaza  is  connected  with  the  famous  thoroughfare  of  the  Eastern 
district,  Bedford  Avenue,  by  the  widening  of  what  used  to  be 
Seventh  Street,  making  another  splendid  driveway  to  the  Eastern 
Boulevard  and  Prospect  Park.  The  Manhattan  approach  ex- 
tends through  Delancey  Street  to  a  point  not  far  from  the 
Bowery — another  influence  which  has  been  at  work  in  chang- 
ing that  street. 

The  Queensboro   Bridge   crosses  the  East  River   at  Black- 

[105] 


weirs  Island  and  is  the  second  longest  cantilever  bridge  in 
the  world.  It  has  a  larger  carrying  capacity  than  the  other 
bridges.  The  width  between  railings  is  86  feet,  the  upper  floor, 
however,  being  only  67  feet.  The  height  of  the  roadway  is  135 
feet  above  high  water.  The  New  York  entrance  to  the  bridge 
is  at  59th  Street  and  Second  Avenue,  and  the  Queensboro  end 
rests  on  the  splendid  new  plaza  into  which  runs  Jackson  Avenue, 
a  fine  broad  highway  extending  all  the  way  to  Flushing  and 
already  well  built  up  with  dwellings  and  business  houses. 

The  Brooklyn,  Manhattan  and  Williamsburgh  bridges  are  all 
suspension  bridges  and  are  the  longest  which  have  ever  been 
built  anywhere.  They  are  likely  to  hold  their  supremacy  in 
this  particular  for  a  long  time  as  engineering  skill  about  reached 
its  limit  at  the  time  of  their  construction. 


Number  of  Telephone  Stations  in  New  York 

Jan. 1916 

Manhattan     409,332 

Brooklyn     128,695 

Bronx      42,497 

Queens 23,883 

Richmond    8,119 

612,526 
The  total   number  of   new   stations   for  the  year  was   49,414. 


A  Statistical  Comparison  of  New  York  and  London 

New  York.  London. 

Debt    $757,000,000  $558,583,980 

Assessed  valuation   (estimated)...  $8,460,000,000  $4,000,000,000 

Foreign  population 1,250,000  153,000 

Weddings    61,107  40,201 

Deaths    by    accidents 5,750  1,846 

Paupers     5,000  140,560 

Motor    cars    100,000  8,318 

Pensions     $5,000,000  $10,000,000 

Street  accidents    24,360  25,800 

Parks 7,250  acres  6,241  acres 

Hotels     700  250 

Theatres     132  140 

Banks  120  277 

Clearings    .'  " .' .' .' .'  " .' .' .' ...... '. '. ! !  !  $96,183,554,464  $82,182,020,000 

Cloudy  days    125  200 


In  December  of  the  year  1819  it  was  officially  estimated  that 
there  were  twenty  thousand  hogs  running  at  large  in  the  streets 
of  the  city. 


[106] 


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The  Bowery 

"They  do  such  things  and  they  say  such  things 
In   the   Bowery" 

There  has  lately  been  an  agitation  to  change  the 
name  of  the  Bowery  to  Central  Broadway,  Hewitt 
Avenue  and  other  names,  and  many  of  the  new  mer- 
chants of  the  neighborhood  favor  the  change.  How- 
ever, it  goes  without  saying  that  no  such  change  will 
ever  be  tolerated  by  the  citizens.  It  would  be  impos- 
sible to  suggest  a  satisfactory  name  to  take  the  place 
of  the  Bowery,  or,  what  is  more  to  the  point,  to  give 
a  good  and  substantial  reason  for  the  change.  A  name 
must  have  some  meaning — some  content,  as  the  sci- 
entists would  say,  and  the  Bowery  has  abundance, 
while  the  other  names  have  none  at  all  if  applied  to 
this  thoroughfare.  It  is  not  true  that  "a  rose  would 
smell  as  sweet  if  called  by  any  other  name,"  even 
though  Shakespeare  did  say  so.  There  is  only  one 
Bowery,  and  there  will  never  be  another. 

Many  books  have  been  written  about  Broadway, 
and  Fifth  Avenue,  and  Wall  Street,  but  the  Bowery 
has  been  strangely  neglected.  Intermittent  articles 
have  appeared  describing  the  Bowery  in  a  cursory 
and  very  incomplete  way,  but  the  subject  has  usually 
been  curtailed  or  dropped  as  one  containing  elements 
of  uncertainty  and  perhaps  even  of  danger.  Perhaps 
sometime  a  genius  will  arise  and  give  us  the  Bowery 
in  all  its  picturesque  and  lurid  trappings,  and  maybe 
also  the  silver  lining  which  is  said  to  be  on  the  other 
side  of  every  dark  picture.  We  remember  what  Oliver 
Wendell  Holmes  said  in  his  discourses  at  the  break- 
fast table — there  were  three  John  Smiths — John  Smith 
as  he  saw  himself,  John  Smith  as  others  saw  him, 
and  the  real  John  Smith.  It  would  be  delightful  to 
get  the  real  Bowery,  for  the  Bowery  is  not  so  bad 
as  it  is  often  represented  to  be.  Our  friends  in  far- 
off,  peaceful  villages   speak  about  the   Bowery  with 

[107] 


bated  breath  and  conjure  up  visions  of  sin  and  wick- 
edness which  would  make  even  the  hardened  "Bowery 
Boy"  look  up  in  blank  amazement  and  horror.  And 
the  Bowery  has  undoubtedly  had  a  bad  name,  and 
perhaps  the  numerous  missions  which  have  made  their 
homes  there  are  the  best  evidence  that  there  are  a 
few  bad  people  in  it.  But,  admitting  all  that  may  be 
said,  I  don't  think  even  the  oldest  inhabitant  can 
recall  a  time  when  he  would  have  been  afraid  to  go 
through  the  Bowery  at  any  hour  day  or  night.  And 
at  the  present  time  the  Bowery  is  one  of  our  best 
streets.  Of  course,  the  missions  still  persist,  and  the 
lodging  houses  are  still  quite  numerous,  but  the 
crowds  that  go  to  and  fro  are  very  much  like  those 
we  see  in  any  of  our  other  busy  and  bustling  thorough- 
fares. 

In  the  early  history  of  New  York,  when  Broadway 
was  only  a  short  street  leading  up  from  the  Fort, 
the  Bowery  was  the  only  highway  of  ingress  to  the 
little  town  from  the  outlying  districts  which  centered 
about  the  Bouwerie  Village.  There  the  estates  or 
farms  of  many  of  our  well-known  New  York  families 
— the  Bayards,  Beekmans,  Roosevelts,  De  Lanceys 
and  Depeysters — were  situated.  We  can  see  there- 
fore that  the  antecedents  of  the  Bowery  were  highly 
respectable,  and  however  it  may  have  degenerated 
in  later  times,  we  may  expect  that — on  the  general 
principle  that  a  stream  always  rises  as  high  as  its 
source — the  Bowery  will  yet  take  its  place  among 
our  most  esteemed  and  respected  thoroughfares.  An 
interesting  fact  about  the  Bowery  is  that  notwith- 
standing the  tragic  disrepute  to  which  it  has  some- 
times fallen,  there  is  not  a  single  Old  New  Yorker 
anywhere  who  does  not  have  a  warm  place  in  his 
heart  for  the  dear  old  street  that  has  figured  so  inti- 
mately and  so  conspicuously  in  the  life  of  our  city 
from  the  beginning  to  the  present  hour. 

Bouwerie  Lane,  the  name  by  which  it  was  known 
in  the  early  English  period,  was  redolent  of  the  simple 
rustic  life  of  the  people  who  had  settled  there.  It 
wound  in  and  about  their  farms,  marking  the  boun- 

[108] 


0 


daries  and  shaping  the  outlines  of  their  lands,  and 
no  doubt  was  the  scene  of  many  of  the  little  tragedies 
and  comedies  that  took  place  amongst  them ;  and 
when  the  people  prospered  and  had  herds  and  flocks 
to  dispose  of  they  drove  them  into  the  large  tract  of 
land  which  had  been  set  aside  for  this  purpose  and 
which  ultimately  became  the  headquarters  of  the 
Butchers  and  Drovers  that  gathered  there  with  the 
famous  Bull's  Head  Tavern  as  their  meeting  place. 
The  site  of  the  Bull's  Head  was  near  Canal  Street, 
where  the  Thalia  Theater  now  stands.  It  was  in  this 
Tavern  that  General  Washington  was  received  and 
dined  on  the  day  of  the  evacuation  of  the  town  by 
the  British.  The  Bowery  looked  very  shabby  and 
dilapidated  as  the  triumphant  American  army  marched 
through  it  on  their  way  to  the  Battery;  and  well  it 
might,  for  here  it  was  that  the  British  encamped  dur- 
ing the  occupation,  and  many  grog  shops  and  kindred 
places  flourished  and  were  left  as  a  heritage  for  those 
who  came  after  them.  The  American  army,  though 
jubilant  and  triumphant,  did  not  present  a  very  hand- 
some appearance.  Their  uniforms  were  shabby  and 
worn  and  they  had  all  the  look  of  men  who  had 
been  through  a  hard  campaign.  But  this  was  counted 
to  their  honor  and  they  were  received  with  shouts  and 
acclamations  of  joy.  General  Knox,  with  an  advance 
guard,  preceded  Washington  and  marched  as  far  as 
Wall  Street,  almost  within  sight  of  the  last  of  the 
British  troops.  When  they  had  all  embarked  he  rode 
back  with  a  few  of  his  staff  and  met  General  Wash- 
ington, who  later  in  the  day  marched  at  the  head  of 
his  army  through  the  Bowery  to  Broadway  and  thence 
to  the  Battery.  He  then  returned  to  the  Bull's  Head 
Tavern,  where  the  prominent  men  of  the  city  and  the 
army  met  to  celebrate  the  great  event. 

In  time  the  Bull's  Head  Tavern  disappeared  and 
in  its  place  arose  the  American  Theatre,  afterwards 
the  Bowery.  This  was  in  1826  and  the  Bowery  was 
undergoing  one  of  those  transformations  which  hap- 
pened from  time  to  time.  The  interests  of  the  Butch- 
ers and  Drovers  were  giving  way  to  the  more  cos- 

[109] 


mopolitan  influence  of  fashion  and  art.  The  theater 
opened  with  that  soul-stirring  melodrama,  "The  Road 
to  Ruin,"  a  peculiarly  appropriate  piece  for  the  Bow- 
ery, if  we  can  believe  all  that  is  said  about  the  much- 
abused  street. 

This  theater  was  a  great  success,  and  most  of  the 
leading  actors  of  the  time  appeared  on  its  stage;  Ed- 
win Forrest,  George  Barrett  and  Mrs.  Barrett,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Duff,  Mrs.  Young  and  other  favorites  were 
frequently  seen  here.  In  1836  Charlotte  Cushman 
made  her  first  appearance  in  this  theater.  In  her  ab- 
sorbingly interesting  impersonation  of  Lady  Macbeth 
she  at  once  scored  a  success  and  ever  after  held  a 
high  place  in  the  admiration  of  the  theater-going  pub- 
lic and  always  a  deeply  affectionate  one  in  the  hearts 
of  all  the  people.  Old  New  Yorkers  can  remember 
with  what  regrets  we  parted  with  her  when,  after 
nearly  half  a  century  of  instructing,  inspiring  and 
amusing  us  before  the  footlights,  she  at  last  with- 
drew to  enjoy  the  privacy  and  rest  she  had  so  faith- 
fully earned. 

As  the  city  grew  more  populous  and  the  lands  both 
east  and  west  of  the  Bowery  filled  up,  we  begin  to 
hear  of  clashes  of  the  factions  that  grew  up  in  the 
different  sections  of  the  town.  The  Bowery  boys  and 
the  Broadway  boys  did  not  love  each  other  at  all 
and  nothing  suited  them  better  than  a  "scrap."  They 
fought  then  chiefly  with  fists,  and  many  were  the 
pitched  battles  of  these  would-be  heroes.  The  Bowery 
boy  has  become  historical — he  is  not  in  evidence  in 
our  day,  but  he  must  have  been  a  picturesque  figure 
when,  at  the  height  of  his  power  and  fame,  he  domi- 
nated the  Bowery.  Today  he  would  be  considered 
more  amusing  than  dangerous — there  was  nothing  of 
the  gunman  about  him,  and  it  is  even  questionable  if 
the  real  Bowery  boy  was  bad  at  all.  He  was  a  swag- 
gering and  bragging  personage  who  loved  to  assert  him- 
self in  all  possible  ways.  He  wore  much  jewelry,  decked 
himself  in  showy  cravats,  and  talked  a  language  that  was 
more  familiar  in  the  Bowery  than  anywhere  else.  His 
manner  was  always  defiant,  and  when  he  looked  at 

[HO] 


1 


<5  H.  C.  BROWN.  1916 


Pabst's  Restaurant  that  was  removed  to  make  room  for  the  Times  Building, 
42nd  Street  and  Broadway 


you  it  was  with  apparent  condescension.  But  the 
Bowery  boy  with  all  these  marks  of  self-assertion 
would  hardly  be  recognized  without  a  cigar.  This 
was  the  one  pre-requisite  to  his  standing  in  the  Bow- 
ery. It  marked  him  off  from  the  rest  of  his  fellow 
citizens.  A  good  big  cigar  placed  in  his  mouth  at 
the  proper  angle  to  express  perfect  content  with  him- 
self and  perfect  indifference  to  all  the  rest  of  the  world 
put  the  last  and  finishing  touch  to  this  picturesque 
and  almost  forgotten  figure. 

Near  Grand  Street,  on  the  Bowery's  east  side,  was 
Owney  Geoghegan's  Burnt  Rag,  which  ended  its  career 
before  slumming  parties  came  along  to  make  it  more 
notorious.  A  little  way  above  Grand  Street  on  the 
same  side  stood,  after  the  elevated  road  was  built, 
"suicide  post,"  the  nearest  railroad  pillar  to  McGurk's 
dive,  whence  came  men  and  women  derelicts  to  lean 
against  the  post  while  they  shot  themselves  or  swal- 
lowed poison.  Near  the  Bowery's  upper  end  was 
Paresis  Hall.  Various  so-called  museums  of  many 
sorts  were  located  between  Chatham  Square  and  the 
Cooper  Union. 

The  Bowery  in  those  days  was  a  feeder  by  night 
for  a  number  of  outlying  resorts.  Chuck  Connors  met 
his  Chinatown  slumming  parties  at  the  Bowery  and 
Chatham  Square.  At  Hester  Street  it  was  a  short 
westward  walk  to  Armory  Hall,  where  Billy  McGlory 
reigned  and  drew  the  line  on  shooting  and  stabbing 
within  the  hall.  One  evening  McGlory,  attended  by 
his  principal  bouncer  as  a  witness,  went  to  The  Sun 
office  to  complain  because  the  paper  had  said  a  man 
in  St.  Vincent's  Hospital  reported  to  the  police  that 
he  was  stabbed  in  McGlory's.  "He  was  stabbed  just 
outside  of  McGlory's,"  said  Billy.  "I  don't  permit 
stabbing  and  shooting  inside."  He  was  told  that  The 
Sun  was  as  averse  to  doing  McGlory  an  injustice  as 
to  doing  a  wrong  to  any  other  person,  and  the  next 
morning,  the  wounded  man  in  the  hospital  having 
been  seen,  the  proprietor  of  Armory  Hall  read  in  the 
paper  that  the  patient  disavowed  the  assertion  that 

[HI] 


the  stabbing  took  place  on  the  inner  side  of  the  re- 
sort's threshold. 

Houston  Street  was  the  turning  off  place  for  Harry 
Hill's  place  of  "refreshment  for  man  and  beast,"  as 
one  of  his  indoor  signs  said,  at  the  northeast  corner 
of  Houston  and  Mulberry  Streets.  This  was  the  most 
notorious  dive  of  its  day  in  New  York,  but  the 
stranger,  from  no  matter  how  far  back  in  the  tall  tim- 
ber, was  as  safe  in  Harry  Hill's  as  he  would  have  been 
at  Police  Headquarters,  a  few  doors  away.  Once 
the  visitor  was  on  the  sidewalk  he  took  his  chances. 

The  north  sidewalk  at  Bleecker  Street  led  west  to 
the  American  Mabille,  kept  by  The.  Allen.  A  short 
time  before  this  dive  was  opened  Mrs.  de  Barry,  wife 
of  a  wine  agent,  had  her  diamond  earrings  torn  from 
her  ears  by  a  footpad  on  the  Fifth  Avenue  sidewalk. 
The  story  at  that  time  was  that  Police  Captain  Byrnes 
of  the  Mercer  Street  station,  afterward  Inspector 
Byrnes,  was  told  by  Allen  that  if  he  would  permit  the 
latter  to  carry  on  the  dive  and  wouldn't  bother  him 
overmuch  the  arrest  of  the  highwayman  who  robbed 
Mrs.  de  Barry  would  be  an  easy  matter.  The  man 
was  caught  and  sentenced  to  a  twenty-year  term. 

With  the  passing  of  the  Bowery  boy  many  of  the 
old  landmarks  have  also  disappeared.  The  old  Bowery 
Theatre,  however,  first  called  the  American,  is  still 
there  and  houses  audiences  who  listen  to  plays  in  the 
strange  dialect  of  the  foreigners  called  Yiddish.  The 
transformation  of  the  street  has  been  wrought,  first 
by  the  elevated  road,  then  by  the  bridges,  two  of 
which  pour  their  enormous  traffic  day  and  night  into 
this  very  important  artery  of  city  life.  The  dance 
halls,  pool  rooms,  cheap  gambling  houses,  and  shady 
places  in  general  have  disappeared.  We  never  hear 
any  more  of  sandbagging,  or  panel-house  robberies, 
or  street  outrages  of  any  kind,  and  there  is  no  doubt 
that  the  Bowery  is  fast  becoming  one  of  New  York's 
most  important  east  side  business  streets.  The  people 
who  traverse  it  today  are  largely  strangers,  and  are  as 
ignorant  of  its  picturesque  history  as  if  they  still  lived 
in  the  Steppes  of  Russia,  but  these  are  the  people  who 
are  going  to  transform  the  Bowery. 

[112] 


Broadway  and  the  Park  from  Chambers    iOoKmg" 


South  in  1830. 


Hamilton   Secures   the   Federal   Capitol   for 
New  York 

John  D.  Crimmins 

Among  my  interesting  items  concerning  old  New 
York  is  the  following  original  letter  in  the  handwrit- 
ing of  Washington's  great  Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 

At  the  time  it  was  written  the  location  of  the  Capi- 
tal had  not  been  decided,  and  the  rivalry  between  the 
various  provinces  was  very  keen.  Philadelphia  with 
the  powerful  backing  of  Franklin  and  Rush  was  well 
in  the  lead,  though  Boston  backed  by  Hancock  and 
Adams  was  a  formidable  rival.  Hamilton  took  up  the 
fight  for  New  York,  aided  by  Morris,  Lewis,  Living- 
ston and  others.  No  contest  in  our  Western  states 
for  the  county  seat  in  the  present  day  exceeded  in 
bitterness  the  struggle  among  the  Colonies  for  this 
great  prize.  Hamilton's  adroit  move  in  presenting  the 
City  Hall  to  Congress  as  a  gift  to  be  used  as  a  Capitol 
building  decided  the  day,  and  New  York  became  the 
first  Capital  of  the  new  Republic. 

The  letter,  which  follows,  is  therefore  of  surpass- 
ing interest,  giving  as  it  does  an  inside  glimpse  of 
national  politics  as  they  were  at  the  very  beginning  of  the 
City  of  New  York  and  of  our  National  Administra- 
tion. It  is  addressed  to  Richard  Varick,  at  that  time 
Mayor  of  the  City. 

Dear  Sr : 

It  is  in  my  opinion  intirely  necessary  that  the  Common 
Council  should  be  convened  this  day  in  order  to  pass  an  act 
for  appropriating  the  City  Hall  to  the  use  of  Congress.  The 
act  should  be  published  in  the  papers  &  notified  by  yourself,  or 
if  you  are  not  well  enough  by  a  committee  or  member  of  your 
board  to  the  Senators  &  representatives  as  they  arrive  .  .  . 
The  Philadelphians^  are  endeavouring  to  raise  some  cavils  on 
this  point — The  thing  must  not  pass  to-day.  For  propriety 
absolutely  requires  that  the  Members  should  be  offered  a  place 
by  tomorrow  which  is  the  day  for  assembling. 

Yrs 
Richard  Varick,  Esq.  A  Hamilton. 

Tuesday,  Mch  3rd,  1789. 

[113] 


Another  equally  interesting  item  is  the  Common 
Council's  action  in  presenting  the  freedom  of  the  city 
to  Baron  Steuben  which  follows: 

To  the  honorable  Frederic  William  Baron  de 
Stuben  late  Major  General  and  Inspector  General 
of  the  Armies   of  the  United  States  of  America. 

The  Address  of  the  Mayor  Aldermen  and  Commonalty  of  the 
City  of  New  York. 

In  offering  Testimonials  of  the  Respect  of  this  Corporation  for 
Individuals  who  have  distinguished  themselves  in  our  happy  Revo- 
lution ;  We  cannot  be  unmindful  of  the  merits  of  the  Baron  de 
Stuben. 

We  recollect  with  Pleasure  Sir,  among  other  important  Services 
which  you  have  rendered,  that  to  your  well  directed  efforts  this 
Country  is  essentially  indebted  for  the  Introduction  of  that  System 
into  our  military  Establishment,  on  which  the  Reputation  and  Success 
of  our  Arms  so  much  depended.  The  Battle  of  Monmouth,  soon  after 
the  commencement  of  your  Labours  and  every  subsequent  Event  of  the 
late  War,  are  memorable — Proofs  of  the  Utility  of  that  System 
in  the  Field ;  and  the  Records  of  Congress  bear  Testimony  in  how 
great  a  Degree  it  contributed  to  promote  the  Interests  of  national 
Economy. 

As  a  public  Mark  of  the  Sense  we  entertain  of  your  Services  and 
of  our  Esteem  for  you  Personally,  We  present  you  with  the  Free- 
dom of  the  City,  within  the  Limits  of  which  you  have  chosen  your 
Residence.  We  shall  only  add  that  the  interest  we  take  in  your 
Happiness  dictates  our  warmest  Wishes  that  you  may  experience  from 
the  Citizens  of  the  State  at  large  every  Species  of  Distinction  and 
Acknowledgement  which  can  contribute  to  render  that  Residence 
agreeable. 
By  order  of  the 
Common  Council  Jas.  Duane,  Mayor. 

A  Half  Forgotten  Location,  Observatory  Place, 

Between  5th  and  Park  Avenues 

"Observatory  Place"  was  planned  by  the  Commissioners 
appointed  by  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  New  York,  in 
1807,  to  lay  out  the  Island  of  Manhattan.  In  1811  they  fin- 
ished their  work  and  published  a  map  of  the  Island  on  which 
is  shown  "Observatory  Place"  located  between  89th  to  94th 
Sts.  and  from  what  is  now  Park  Avenue  to  Fifth  Avenue. 
This  Observatory  Place  or  square  for  a  reservoir  as  laid  out 
on  the  Commissioners,  Map  contained  26,  3-10  acres.  Speak- 
ing of  this  section  of  the  city,  the  Commissioners  in  their 
published  report  in  1811  make  the  following  comment:  "It 
appeared  proper,  nevertheless,  to  select  and  set  apart,  on 
an  elevated  position,  a  space  sufficient  for  a  large  Reservoir, 
when  it  shall  be  found  needful  to  furnish  the  City,  by  means 
of  aqueducts,  or  by  the  aid  of  hydraulic  machinery,  with  a 
copious  supply  of  pure  and  wholesome  water.  In  the  mean- 
time, and  indeed  afterwards,  the  same  place  may  be  con- 
secrated to  the  purpose  of  science,  when  public  spirit  shall 
dictate  the  building  of  an  Observatory.  .  .  ."  The  Com- 
missioners* idea  is  carried  out  by  the  Croton  Reservoir  now 
in  Central  Park  which  is  a  little  west  of  the  ground  orig- 
inally planned  on  their  map. 

[114] 


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Remarkable  Description  of  New  York 
in  1781 

The  following  letters,  written  by  Lieutenant  Thomas 
Anbury,  are  remarkable  not  only  for  the  accurate  descrip- 
tions of  the  scenes  which  he  depicts,  but  also  for  his 
story  of  the  "signal"  set  off  in  New  York,  by  which  in 
relays  the  news  was  conveyed  to  Washington  of  the 
departure  of  the  British  fleet  to  succor  Lord  Cornwallis. 
Lieutenant  Anbury,  as  one  of  Burgoyne's  prisoners  of 
war,  was  marched  from  Saratoga  to  Cambridge  on  foot ; 
also,  still  on  foot,  to  Charlotteville,  Virginia,  and  back 
again  to  New  York.  He  was  evidently  a  person  of  keen 
observation  and  of  more  than  usual  intelligence.  Upon 
his  return  to  England  in  1789,  he  published  these  letters 
written  to  a  friend  from  New  York,  entitled  "Travels  in 
the  Interior  of  America,"  based  upon  his  experiences. 
This  volume,  however,  is  little  known  and  as  an  account 
of  the  "signalling"  to  Washington  is  the  first  we  have 
read  in  any  work  on  New  York  City.  His  remarks  con- 
cerning various  phases  of  the  War  and  of  the  ulti- 
mate favor  that  was  to  overtake  the  Americans,  are  par- 
ticularly interesting,  in  view  of  what  actually  happened. 

The  island  of  New  York,  at  King's  Bridge,  is  joined  to 
the  continent  by  a  small  wooden  bridge,  and  the  country  around 
is  very  rocky  and  mountainous.  The  river,  which  separates  the 
island  from  the  continent,  is  a  safeguard  against  any  sudden  in- 
vasion of  the  enemy,  and  the  works  that  are  thrown  up,  which 
are  exceedingly  strong,  are  on  such  commanding  situations, 
that  an  army  would  be  cut  to  pieces  in  attempting  to  pass  it. 
This  post  is  fourteen  miles  from  the  city  of  New  York. 

The  city  of  New  York  stands  on  the  southern  extremity 
of  the  island,  and  its  situation  is  extremely  delightful;  com- 
manding such  a  variety  of  prospects,  as  are  the  most  charming 
that  can  be  conceived.  The  city  is  mostly  built  upon  the  East 
River,  on  account  of  the  harbour.  In  many  of  the  streets  are 
rows  of  trees  on  each  side,  for  shelter  from  the  amazing  heats 
in  summer.  Most  of  the  houses  are  built  with  brick,  very 
strong  and  neat,  and  several  stories  high;  many  of  them  have 
balconies    on    the    roof,    where    company    sit    in    the    summer 

tH5] 


evenings,  to  enjoy  the  prospect  of  the  opposite  shores  and  har- 
bour; and  the  roofs  are  covered  with  shingles.  The  streets  are 
paved  and  ( clean,  but  in  general  very  narrow ;  there  are  two 
or  three,  indeed,  which  are  spacious  and  airy.  The  length 
of  the  town  is  somewhat  more  than  a  mile,  and  the  breadth 
of  it  about  half  a  mile.  The  situation  is  reckoned  healthy,  but 
subject  to  one  great  inconvenience,  which  is  the  want  of  fresh 
water. 

There  are  several  public  buildings,  tho'  but  few  deserving 
attention.  There  were  two  churches,  the  Old  or  Trinity  Church, 
and  the  New  one  or  St.  George's  Chapel,  both  very  large; 
the  former  was  destroyed  by  fire;  by  the  remains  it  appears 
to  have  been  in  the  Gothic  taste.  The  latter  is  built  upon  the 
model  of  some  of  the  new  churches  in  London,  and  opposite 
to  it  is  a  spacious  square,  where  stands  the  park  of  artillery. 
Besides  these  two,  there  are  several  other  places  of  worship, 
consisting  of  two  Low  Dutch  Calvinist  churches,  two  High,  one 
French ;  meeting  houses  for  Lutherans,  Presbyterians,  Quakers, 
Anabaptists,  Moravians,  and  a  Jews  synagogue.  There  is  a 
very  handsome  charity  school  for  sixty  boys  and  girls,  a  good 
workhouse,  barracks  for  a  regiment  of  soldiers,  and  an  exceed- 
ing strong  prison.  The  courthouse  is  not  so  considerable  as 
might  be  expected  for  such  a  city,  and  is  now  converted  into 
a  guard-house  for  the  main  guard. 

The  original  fort  was  quadrangular,  capable  of  mounting 
sixty  pieces  of  cannon,  but  now  there  are  great  additions.  In 
this  fort  stands  the  governor's  palace,  and  underneath  the  fort 
is  a  battery  capable  of  mounting  ninety-four  guns,  and  bar- 
racks for  two  companies  of  soldiers.  Upon  a  small  island, 
opposite  the  city,  is  an  hospital  for  sick  and  wounded  seamen. 

The  North  River  is  somewhat  more  than  two  miles  over 
to  Paulus  Hook,  where  there  is  an  exceeding  strong  work 
opposite  New  York.  On  account  of  the  exposure  to  the  north 
winds,  and  to  the  driving  of  the  ice,  in  the  winter,  ships  can- 
not anchor  there  at  that  season  of  the  year,  and  therefore  lay 
up  in  the  East  River,  it  being  the  safest  and  best,  though  the 
smallest,  harbour. 

The  sea  near  New  York  affords  great  quantities  of  oysters, 
as  well  as  variety  of  other  sea  fish.  Lobsters  were  extremely 
plentiful,  of  an  enormous  size;  but  after  the  cannonade  at 
Long  Island  they  forsook  the  coast,  and  not  one  has  been  seen 
since.  The  manner  they  first  came  upon  the  coast  is  rather 
singular,  for  although  New  England  abounded  with  them,  none 
were  ever  caught  here;  but  this  city  was  supplied  by  the  New 
Englanders,  who  brought  them  in  great  well-boats.  One  of 
these  boats  coming  thro'  the  Sound,  and  passing  Hell  Gates, 
a  very  dangerous  rocky  part,  struck  and  split  to  pieces,  and 
the  lobsters  escaped;  after  which  they  multiplied  very  fast, 
and  were  caught  in  great  abundance,  till  frightened  away  by 
the  noise  of  the  cannon. 

This  afternoon  I  went  down  to  the  beach,  to  see  the  whale 

[116] 


o 


boat  set  off  with  dispatches  for  Lord  Cornwallis's  army,  and 
you  cannot  conceive  how  elated  the  crew  were,  entertaining  an 
idea  of  conveying  tidings  that  would  make  them  joyfully  re- 
ceived. 

As  these  are  open  boats,  and  have  so  many  leagues  to  sail 
before  they  reach  the  Chesapeak,  you  must  necessarily  conclude 
the  voyage  to  be  attended  with  imminent  danger.  Their  inten- 
tion is  to  coast  along  shore,  but  may  be  frequently  driven  out 
of  sight  of  land;  the  last  boat  that  came  from  Lord  Cornwallis, 
was  in  that  situation  for  three  days.  They  easily  evade  being 
taken,  as  they  can  sail  in  shallow  water,  and  keep  close  in 
shore.  The  boats  that  pass  between  the  two  armies  have  little 
apprehension  of  being  captured,  except  in  passing  through  the 
French  fleet  at  the  mouth  of  the  Chesapeak. 

On  crossing  the  East  River  from  New  York  you  land  at 
Brooklyn,  which  is  a  ^  scattered  village,  consisting  of  a  few 
houses.  At  this  place  is  an  excellent  tavern,  where  parties  are 
made  to  go  and  eat  fish;  the  landlord  of  which  has  saved  an 
immense  fortune  this  war.  At  a  small  distance  from  the  town 
are  some  considerable  heights,  commanding  the  city  of  New 
York. 

Long  Island^  is  the  largest  island  _  from  •  Cape  Florida  to 
Cape  Sable.  It  is  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  in  length  and 
about  fifteen  miles  in  breadth,  and  from  its  formation  derives 
its  name.  The  south  side,  next  to  the  Atlantic,  is  low,  level 
and  sandy,  with  extensive  bays  within  the  land,  near  the  length 
of  the  island;  on  that  side  opposite  the  continent,  the  lands 
are  high,  hilly  and  broken,  but  with  a  number  of  fine  bays 
and  harbours.  A  chain  of  hills  runs  through  the  middle  of 
the  island,  the  whole  length  of  it,  from  which  there  is  an 
extensive  view  of  the  ocean  and  the  adjoining  continent. 

The  Plain  is  a  perfect  level,  and  what  is  a  phenomenon  in 
America,  has  not  a  tree  growing  upon  it.  The  soil  is  said  to 
be  incapable  of  producing  trees,  or  any  vegetation  except  a 
coarse  grass,  and  a  kind  of  brush-wood  or  shrub  which  sel- 
dom grows  higher  than  four  or  five  feet,  and  that  only  on  a 
particular  part  of  the  plain. 

The  soil  of  this  plain  is  a  black  earth,  covered  with  a  kind 
of  moss,  and  under  the  earth,  which  is  of  a  spongy  quality, 
is  a  bed  of  gravel,  which,  consequently  absorbing  the  heaviest 
rains,  prevents  the  water  from  remaining  on  the  ground;  it 
therefore  naturally  follows,  that  in  wet  seasons  there  is  abund- 
ance of  grass,  and  in  dry  ones  it  is  entirely  parched  up. 

The  plain  supports  great  quantities  of  cattle,  sheep  and 
horses,  which  are  supplied  with  water  from  the  ponds  made 
by  the  inhabitants  in  different  places,  and,  that  they  may  retain 
the  rain,  have  clay  bottoms;  for  what  is  equally  as  remark- 
able as  the  plain  itself,  there  are  no  springs  or  running  water 
throughout  its  whole  extent.  This  plain  is  of  the  nature  of 
our   commons   in    England,    having   no    inclosures,    and   almost 

[117] 


uninhabited,   except   a   few   public   houses    for   the   convenience 
of  travellers. 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  anxiety  of  every  one  when 
the  fleet  left  this  place,  in  full  hopes  and  expectation,  although 
it  had  to  fight  its  way  through  a  much  superior  force,  it  would 
have  been  the  means  of  saving  the  gallant  and  brave  army 
under  Lord  Cornwallis ;  but  language  is  unable  to  describe 
the  feelings  of  every  loyal  subject,  when  the  fleet  returned, 
unable  to  effect  so  noble  a  purpose;  for  three  days  before  the 
fleet  made  the  Chesapeak,  that  gallant  army  had  surrendered 
to  the  combined  forces  of  France  and  America. 

When  the  British  fleet  left  Sandy  Hook,  Gen.  Washington 
had  certain  intelligence  of  it,  within  forty-eight  hours  after  it 
sailed,  although  at  such  a  considerable  distance  as  near  six 
hundred  miles,  by  means  of  signal  guns  and  alarms.  A  very 
notorious  rebel  in  New  York,  from  the  top  of  his  house,  hung 
out  the  signal  of  a  white  flag,  the  moment  the  fleet  got  under 
way,  which  was  immediately  answered  by  the  firing  of  a  gun  at 
a  small  village  about  a  mile  from  our  post  at  Paulus  Hook; 
after  that  a  continual  firing  of  cannon  was  heard  on  the  opposite 
shore;  and  about  two  days  after  the  fleet  sailed,  was  the  period 
in  which  Gen.  Washington  was  so  pressing  for  the  army  to 
surrender.  There  is  a  secrecy  to  be  observed  in  war,  necessary 
to  the  well-conducting  of  plans,  and  the  execution  of  any  par- 
ticular measure  that  is  concerted,  which,  being  disclosed,  all 
is  frustrated.  This  was  the  case  in  the  present  instance :  the 
sailing  of  the  fleet,  by  a  villain  under  the  mask  of  a  Loyalist, 
was  revealed  to  the  Americans;  and  to  similar  causes  may  be 
accounted  the  many  fatal  calamities  attending  our  army  upon 
this  continent. 

The  loss  of  Lord  Cornwallis's  army  is  too  heavy  a  blow 
to  be  soon  or  easily  recovered ;  it  evidently  must  change  the 
face  of  affairs ;  for  the  war  which  commenced  in  this  country, 
and  ought  to  have  been  maintained  in  the  offensive,  must  now 
degenerate  into  a  dishonorable  defensive;  and  if  Great  Britain 
is  determined  to  overcome  the  Colonies,  she  must  send  out  a 
very  numerous  reinforcement  in  the  spring,  or  the  surrender 
of  Lord  Cornwallis  may  be  considered  as  the  closing  scene  of 
the  whole  continental  war  in  America. 

I  have  taken  my  passage  in  the  Swallow  Packet,  which  the 
latter  end  of  the  week  sails  for  England.  I  preferred  coming 
home  in  the  packet  rather  than  in  a  transport,  not  only  as  it 
is  a  better  sailing  vessel,  and  having  more  hands  is  in  less 
danger  of  being  captured;  but  the  transports  in  general  are 
so  exceedingly  crazy,  and  their  bottoms  so  very  bad,  owing  to 
their  laying  up  such  a  length  of  time  in  rivers,  that  they  are 
unable  to  withstand  the  boisterous  winds  and  waves  of  a  win- 
ters passage. 

As  this  is  the  last  letter  you'll  receive  from  me  in  America, 
permit  me,  before  I  bid  a  final  farewell  to  it,  to  make  some 
few  reflections  on  this  unfortunate  contest. 

[118] 


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The  famous  original  life-size  Stuart  painting  of  Genl.  Washing- 
ton, owned  by  Mr.  John  Jay  Pierrepont,  of  Brooklyn  —  a  family 
heirloom.      Copyright  1900  by  Manzi  Joyant  &  Co. 


Although  America,  through  France  and  her  naval  power, 
may  gain  independence,  she  will  find  in  what  an  aukward  pre- 
dicament she  has  involved  herself,  and  how  convulsed  the  prov- 
inces must  be  for  a  length  of  years.  As  a  new  state  she  must 
maintain  or  establish  her  public  character,  and  is  bound,  by 
every  tie  of  policy,  not  to  desert  her  allies. 

Alas,  deluded  Americans !  When  too  late,  you'll  repent  your 
rashness.  Let  me  impartially  ask  the  most  sensible  among 
them,  When  the  Independency  is  established,  will  they  possess 
that  freedom  and  liberty  as  under  the  English  government?  If 
their  answer  is  impartial,  they  must  declare,  Certainly  we  shall 
not;  but  in  a  few  years  perhaps  we  may.  That  period,  I  am 
afraid,  is  at  a  great  distance. 

Much,  indeed,  are  they  entangled  in  the  cabals  of  a  French 
court,  which  will,  sooner  or  later,  not  only  endeavour  to  en- 
slave them  in  reality,  but  dispossess  them  of  their  southern 
provinces.  It  is  not  without  just  grounds  I  assert  that  e'er 
half  a  century  elapses,  America  will  be  suing  that  protection 
from  the  mother  country,  which  she  has  so  ungratefully  de- 
spised, to  screen  her  from  the  persecutions  and  tyranny  of 
France.  They  are  conscious  of  being  happy  before  this  unfor- 
tunate revolution,  and  will  feel  that  they  are  no  longer  so ;  they 
must  inevitably  regret  the  change  in  sullen  silence,  or,  if  they 
have  any  thing  like  spirit  left,  rouze  into  arms  again. 


Our  Streets 

The  streets  of  New  York  have  been  the  constant 
wonder,  consternation,  despair,  etc.,  of  citizens  and 
visitors  alike.  Volumes  could  be  written  of  what  has 
been  done  with  them  and  probably  more  volumes  of 
what  will  be  done  with  them  before  we  may  expect  to 
see  them  in  some  positively  permanent  condition.  In 
the  meantime,  we  can  read  with  complacency  this  de- 
scription of  them  a  century  ago. 

The  streets  are  firmly  and  neatly  paved  and  the  sidewalks 
are  laid  with  durable  flat  stones  from  the  quarries  of  Con- 
necticut, as  also  the  crossings.  Almost  the  whole  city  is  well 
lighted  with  lamps,  the  management  of  which  is  not  left  to 
the  care  of  greedy  contractors,  but  is  under  the  immediate 
inspection  of  the  Corporation  who  have  no  interest  in  the  mat- 
ter but  a  deal  of  reputation  to  lose  if  they  should  violate  the 
trust  reposed  in  them.  A  regular  night  watch  is  also  estab- 
lished to  give  security  to  the  inhabitants  and  clear  the  streets 
of  improper  persons.  There  are  rows  of  trees  planted  on 
many  of  the  streets  which  in  summer  afford  a  cool  and  refresh- 
ing shade  from  the  intense  rays  of  the  sun. 


[119] 


*  *  *  We  could  have  wished  to  avoid  censure  of  every  kind, 
but  when  public  health  is  endangered  it  would  be  criminal  to 
have  remained  silent;  yet  it  is  remarked  on  all  hands  that 
the  streets  of  N.  Y.  are  the  dirtiest  in  the  U.  S.  There  ap- 
pears to  be  one  radical  cause  of  this  and  that  is  the  number 
of  swine  which  are  allowed  to  go  constantly  at  large.  We  are 
aware  there  is  a  prohibitory  law  in  existence  respecting  these 
animals,  but  they  roam  abroad  at  pleasure,  no  one  considering 
it  his  business  to  interfere  with  them.  We  also  know  the 
existing  regulations  as  to  removal  of  filth  could  not  be  better 
written  than  they  are.  Still  so  long  as  immense  numbers  of 
swine  are  allowed  to  traverse  the  streets,  so  long  will  the 
inhabitants  think  themselves  justified  in  throwing  out  their 
garbage  to  them  for  food;  and  so  long  will  the  streets  of 
N.  Y.  remain  proverbial  for  their  filth   .    .    . 

The  principal  street  is  Broadway,  which  runs  from  the  Bat- 
tery to  its  extremity  in  the  Bloomingdale  Road  and  measures 
3  miles  in  length.  Pearl  Street  is  next  in  importance,  being 
the  principal  mercantile  mart  of  the  City,  where  the  chief  stores 
and  counting  houses  are  situated.  In  Wall  Street  are  situated 
the  Banking-houses,  Custom  House,  Insurance  offices,  Tontine 
Coffee  House,  and  Exchange  Brokers,  etc.  This  is  a  very 
handsome,  airy  street.  Towards  the  bottom  in  front  of  the  Ton- 
tine Coffee  House,  the  public  sales  by  auction  are  conducted, 
which  renders  this  quarter  extremely  busy,  and  gives  a  very  fav- 
orable and  correct  idea  of  the  extensive  trade  and  commerce  of 
New  York.  Chatham  Street  is  an  elegant  street,  in  which  a 
good  deal  of  the  retail  business  is  transacted.  It  leads  out  of 
Broadway  into  the  Bowery  road,  and  together  they  form  one  of 
the  most  spacious  streets  in  the  City.  Maiden  Lane,  John  Street, 
Nassau  and  Broad  Streets,  Pine,  William,  Hudson  and  Cherry 
Streets  though  second  rate  are  of  considerable  trade  and  im- 
portance. Fulton  Street  is  remarkable  chiefly  from  its  having 
been  lately  formed,  and  so  named  after  the  ingenious  and  patri- 
otic inventor  of  the  Steam  Boats,  and  very  appropriately  com- 
mences on  the  Hudson  River  where  the  Albany  and  Paylus 
Hook  Steam  boats  have  their  stations  and  terminates  on  the 
East  River  where  the  Brooklyn  and  New  Haven  Steam  boats 
take  their  departure. 

Wells  and  pumps  are  to  be  met  with  in  almost  every  street 
— these  afford  an  excellent  supply  of  wholesome  spring  water 
to  the  inhabitants.  Most  of  the  private  families  also  have 
cisterns  in  their  gardens  for  rain  water,  which  they  use  in 
washing  clothes.  Several  squares  are  laid  down  in  the  plan  of 
the  city  which  in  a  few  years  will  prove  of  great  ornament. 
They  are  not  however  in  that  state  of  formation  at  present  that 
will  admit  of  any  satisfactory  description. 

[120] 


Reminiscences  of  Old  Columbia  College 

Richard  T.  Bang,  M.D.,  A.B.,  76 

There  have  been  three  Columbias — the  older  one, 
founded  as  "King's  College,"  or  "The  College  of  the 
Province  of  New  York,"  in  1754,  which  became  Colum- 
bia College  after  the  Revolution  in  1784,  and  which 
flourished  at  Park  Place,  Murray  and  Church  Streets, 
until  1857;  the  old  one,  which  was  located  on  the  square 
block  from  49th  to  50th  Street,  and  from  Madison  to 
Fourth  Avenue,  from  1857  to  1897,  and  the  new  one, 
proudly  standing,  since  1897,  on  the  acropolis  of  the 
City  on  Morningside  Heights.  In  1890,  under  Presi- 
dent Seth  Low,  the  old  modest  College  was  transformed 
into  the  present  new  and  magnificent  Columbia  Uni- 
versity, "Nulli  Secundus." 

My  reminiscences  are  of  the  Old  College  at  the 
49th  Street  site,  where  I  was  a  student  from  1872  to 
1876.  In  the  Seventies  the  annual  number  of  matricu- 
lants at  the  School  of  Arts  was  about  120.  At  the  Uni- 
versity now,  the  number  of  students  attending  all  the 
schools  is  16,144. 

When  the  removal  to  the  49th  Street  site  took  place 
in  1857,  there  were  no  car-tracks  on  Madison  Ave- 
nue above  42nd  Street,  and  there  were  but  few  houses 
in  that  neighborhood.  The  old  buildings  that  stood  on 
the  block  were  to  be  used  as  the  temporary  home  of  the 
College,  the  intention  of  the  trustees  being  to  build  a 
permanent  home,  facing  Fifth  Avenue,  on  the  block  from 
49th  to  50th  Street  and  from  Fifth  to  Madison  Avenue. 
For  many  obvious  reasons,  this  project  never  material- 
ized. 

I  well  remember  the  first  glimpse  I  had  of  Old 
Columbia.  I  had  been  prepared  at  school  and  by  private 
tutors  for  a  European  education  and  was  spending  a 
final  delightful  evening  with  my  French  teacher  who 
lived  on  30th  Street,  near  Broadway.  It  was  a  balmy 
night  in  June,   1872,  and  about  a  dozen  young  gentle- 

[  121  ] 


men  had  foregathered  there.  One  of  these  was  Rudolph 
Aronson,  afterwards  the  celebrated  musical  director  and 
manager  of  the  New  York  Casino,  who  had  with  him 
the  most  wonderful  collection  of  autographs  I  had  ever 
seen.  I  well  remember  the  reluctance  with  which  I 
gave  up  the  inspection  of  this  autograph  album,  in  or- 
der to  accept  our  host's  invitation  to  attend  the  Good- 
wood Cup  Celebration  of  the  Class  of  '73  at  Columbia 
College.  We  all  walked  up  Fifth  Avenue,  which  was 
then  entirely  and  exclusively  residential,  and,  on  the 
way,  when  I  deplored  the  fact  to  my  teacher,  that  I 
would  soon  be  obliged  to  go  abroad  to  stay  indefinitely, 
he  suggested  to  me  that  I  might  try  the  entrance  ex- 
aminations at  Columbia,  which  were  to  take  place  dur- 
ing the  following  week,  without  saying  anything  about 
it  at  home.  I  have  never  forgotten  that  first  evening 
I  spent  on  the  Old  College  grounds.  First  and  fore- 
most came  the  students  in  their  caps  and  gowns,  and 
then  the  many  lovely,  beautifully-gowned  girls,  and  the 
speeches,  and  the  songs,  and  the  cheers,  and  last,  but 
not  least,  the  dancing  to  the  music  of  Grafulla's  7th 
Regiment  Band.  In  those  days  the  music  for  all  fes- 
tive occasions  was  furnished  by  Bernstein,  Gilmore, 
Eben,  or  Grafulla,  and  Strauss's  waltzes  were  the  chief 
selections  played.  It  is  needless  to  say,  that  I  was 
charmed  and  delighted,  and  that  I  required  no  additional 
incentive,  for  I  passed  my  entrance  examinations  read- 
ily, and  with  the  consent  of  my  parents,  I  became  a 
member  of  the  Class  of  '76. 

In  the  Fall  of  1872  our  Freshman  year  began.  All 
of  the  students  of  the  College  attended  Chapel  from 
9:30  to  10  A.  M.  and  each  class  had  three  recitations, 
or  lectures,  one  from  10  to  11  A.  M.,  another  from  11 
to  Noon,  and  a  third  from  Noon  to  1  P.  M.  Between 
hours  we  drifted  around  on  the  Campus,  or  in  the 
old  College  buildings,  (afterwards  so  aptly  named  the 
"Maison  De  Punk")  and  overstayed  our  limit  of  five 
minutes  recess  between  hours,  in  the  Cloak  Room  in  the 
basement.  There  were  no  dormitories  in  those  days, 
and  after  one  o'clock,  everybody,  as  a  rule,  went  home. 
Our  studies  were  possibly  fewer  and  less  difficult  than 

[  122  ] 


u 


the  curriculum  the  School  of  Arts  demands  today.  They 
consisted  briefly  of  English,  Greek,  Latin,  ancient  and 
modern  history,  chemistry,  geology,  astronomy,  all  of 
the  branches  of  mathematics,  including  algebra,  tri- 
gonometry and  mensuration,  analytical  geometry  and  cal- 
culus, physics,  etc.  The  list  of  professors  was  not  a 
large  one.  It  was  headed  by  President  Barnard,  and 
it  included  Professors  Drisler,  Short,  Schmidt,  Joy, 
Peck,  Nairne,  Rood,  Merriam,  and  Van  Amringe. 

President  Barnard  was  always  visible  at  Chapel,  fre- 
quently in  the  President's  Room,  occasionally  at  col- 
lege functions,  and  once  in  a  while,  when  he  walked 
across  the  Campus  on  his  way  to  and  from  his  resi- 
dence, which  stood  on  the  College  grounds,  on  the  North- 
west corner  of  49th  Street  and  Fourth  Avenue.  We 
knew  of  him,  however,  as  a  very  learned  man  who  had 
richly  earned  the  many  honorary  degrees  that  had  been 
conferred  upon  him.  He  was  very  deaf  and  always 
used  a  speaking-tube,  when  carrying  on  a  conversation. 
He  had  the  reputation  of  being  a  most  just  and  amiable 
gentleman,  but  at  times,  he  could  be  decidedly  brusque. 
I  remember  being  in  the  President's  Room  in  the  be- 
ginning of  my  Sophomore  year,  when  the  "grande  dame" 
mother  of  a  lazy  student  who  had  been  dropped  from 
his  class  was  explaining  (necessarily,  on  account  of  the 
President's  infirmity,  in  a  loud  voice,)  that  she  wanted 
her  son  reinstated,  and  that  she  would  provide  him  with 
all  kinds  of  special  tutors,  if  this  were  done.  The  Presi- 
dent, after  getting  the  young  man's  record  from  a  book 
on  his  desk,  politely  replied,  that  numerous  attempts 
had  been  made  to  induce  the  youth  to  keep  up  with 
his  class,  all  of  which  had  failed,  and  he  assured  the 
mother,  that  further  efforts  would,  in  his  opinion,  be 
useless.  When  the  mother,  who  was  evidently  unaccus- 
tomed to  have  any  wish  she  expressed  denied  her,  in- 
sisted and  repeated  her  demand,  the  President  quietly 
laid  his  end  of  the  speaking-tube  aside  and  said  firmly 
and  bluntly,  "No,  madam,  that  can  not  be  done.  Besides 
it  is  a  mistake  to  waste  a  $4,000  education  on  a  $4  boy." 
The  lady  looked  daggers  and  flounced  out  of  the  room, 
while  the  President  calmly  returned  to  the  work  lying  on 
his  desk  before  him. 

[123] 


Professor  Drisler  was  our  especial  favorite,  and  be- 
cause we  were  so  fond  of  him,  the  Greek  that  he  taught 
so  thoroughly,  became  one  of  our  easiest  and  pleasant- 
est  studies.  He  had  the  biggest  and  the  kindest  heart 
of  all  of  the  professors,  and  whenever  we  were  in 
trouble,  he  was  always  ready  to  advise  and  assist  us. 
I  can  best  and  most  briefly  describe  him  in  the  words 
of  Hamlet,  "He  was  a  man,  take  him  for  all  in  all, 
I  shall  not  look  upon  his  like  again." 

Professor  Short  taught  Latin.  He  was  a  good 
scholar  and  an  able  teacher,  but  he  was  always  so  dig- 
nified and  exclusive,  that  he  never  became  popular  with 
the  boys.  I  am  afraid  that  was  one  of  the  reasons 
why  "Saw  my  leg  off-short"  was  one  of  the  refrains 
most  frequently  sung  by  the  students  of  those  days. 

Professor  Schmidt  was  our  teacher  in  Greek  An- 
tiquities and  in  German.  He  also  gave  us  topics,  on 
which  we  wrote  essays,  and  these  essays  he  kindly 
and  carefully  corrected  and  criticized.  Some  of  his 
favorite  comments,  written  by  him  at  the  end  of  our 
compositions,  were:  "Somewhat  too  sententious,"  and 
"Not  always  happy  in  expression."  He  was  a  most  de- 
lightful gentleman,  but  not  a  good  disciplinarian,  of 
which  fact  many  of  the  boys  took  advantage  at  times. 

Professor  Joy  was  a  quiet,  unassuming  lovable  man 
who  presided  over  the  Department  of  Chemistry  and 
Geology.  I  remember  an  incident  which  happened  in 
his  class-room,  as  he  was  completing  his  lectures  on 
the  manufacture  of  beer.  He  had  just  made  the  state- 
ment, "Thus  you  see,  gentlemen,  that  the  manufacture 
of  beer  depends  entirely  on  the  germination  of  the  malt," 
when  he  was  interrupted  by  an  impulsive  student  who 
sat  on  one  of  the  upper  benches  of  the  amphitheatre 
and  who  blurted  out,  "And  is  that  the  reason,  Pro- 
fessor, the  German  nation  is  so  fond  of  beer?"  After 
the  laughter  had  subsided,  during  which  the  expression 
on  the  Professor's  face  never  changed,  he  went  on  and 
concluded  his  lecture,  without  taking  notice  of  the  inter- 
ruption. 

Professor  Peck  was  a  genial,  rugged,  just  man,  but 
his  West  Point  training  had  made  him  a  martinet.     He 

[124] 


CO 


taught  us  higher  mathematics  and  astronomy,  and  he 
succeeded  in  making  those  studies  most  attractive  to  us. 

Professor  Nairne  was  a  most  erudite  Scotch  scholar, 
but  the  boys  quickly  discovered  that  he  was  no  dis- 
ciplinarian. He  taught  us  English  belles-lettres  and  lis- 
tened to  our  recitations  and  criticized  them.  Many  a 
notice  have  I  seen  on  the  Cloak-room  bulletin-board, 
announcing  the  fact  that  there  would  be  a  "matinee" 
in  Professor  Nairne's  room  that  day. 

Professor  Rood  was  very  tall  and  slender  and  the 
fact  that  he  always  wore  a  red  neck-tie  added,  in  our 
opinion,  to  his  Mephistophelian  appearance.  He  taught 
physics  and  was  master  of  his  subject.  He  had  a  pecu- 
liar way  of  shrugging  his  shoulders,  a  "French  shrug" 
we  used  to  call  it,  when  asked  a  question,  and  if  he 
replied  at  all,  his  answer  was  most  laconic.  His  room 
was  on  the  top  floor  of  an  annex  to  the  old  building, 
and  his  lectures  were  attended  jointly  by  a  class  from 
the  College  and  a  class  from  the  School  of  Mines.  We 
had  three  or  four  flights  of  stairs  to  climb,  and  we  al- 
ways marched  up  these  stairs  in  lock-step,  singing  some 
marching,  or  rather  stamping  song,  like  "The  Mulligan 
Guards,"  made  popular  by  Harrigan  and  Hart,  who  were 
New  York's  chief  comedians  in  those  days.  There  was 
a  small  ante-room  to  Professor  Rood's  amphitheatre, 
where  the  sixty  or  more  students  left  their  hats,  super- 
fluous books  and  other  impedimenta.  It  was  a  common 
occurrence,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  lecture,  to  find  all 
of  the  hats,  books,  etc.,  piled  up  in  one  heap  in  the  cen- 
tre of  the  ante-room  floor,  where  each  man  would  finally 
get  his  belongings  after  much  difficulty  and  exertion. 

Professor  Merriam  was  one  of  our  youngest  teach- 
ers, and  he  officiated  in  the  departments  of  Greek  and 
Latin  during  our  Freshman  and  Sophomore  years.  He 
was  thorough,  kind  and  painstaking,  and  we  were  all 
very  fond  of  him. 

Last,  but  by  no  means  least,  came  Professor  Van 
Amringe,  who  was  then  in  his  prime, — about  40  years 
old.  He  was  the  adjunct  professor  of  mathematics  un- 
der Professor  Peck,  and  he  afterwards  became  the  Dean 
of  the  College  and  its  "Best-loved  Alumnus."    So  much 

[125] 


has  been  said  and  written  about  "Van  Am,"  in  prose 
and  in  poetry,  during  his  long  and  busy  life-time  and 
since  his  recent  and  deeply-lamented  decease,  that  I 
could  add  but  little  that  is  new  in  this  necessarily  brief 
recapitulation.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  Cowper's  lines  in 
my  opinion,  describe  him  well — 

"An  honest  man,  close-buttoned  to  the  chin, 
Broadcloth  without,  and  a  warm  heart  within." 

When  I  entered  College,  there  were  about  45  mem- 
bers in  my  class.  Thirty-seven  of  these  were  grad- 
uated, and  about  twenty-seven  of  them  are  still  liv- 
ing. About  sixteen  of  these  are  lawyers,  five  are  min- 
isters, three  studied  medicine,  and  three  are  educators. 
This  roster  includes  the  following  gentlemen:  Rev. 
Harold  Arrowsmith,  of  Brooklyn ;  Herman  Drisler,  re- 
tired lawyer  and  educator,  of  New  York;  P.  Henry 
Dugro,  Justice,  Supreme  Court  of  New  York;  Richard 
T.  Ely,  Professor  of  Political  Economy  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Wisconsin;  Aymar  Embury,  lawyer,  of  New 
York;  Louis  O.  Ivey,  retired  lawyer  and  now  treas- 
urer of  the  Whitlock  Cordage  Co.,  of  New  York ;  Town- 
send  Jones,  Edwin  C.  Kent,  and  Theodore  F.  Lozier, 
lawyers,  of  New  York ;  Rev.  Cornelius  W.  Morrow,  Pro- 
fessor of  Psychology  at  Fisk  University,  Nashville, 
Tenn. ;  Frederick  Oakes,  retired  physician  and  now  a 
member  of  the  New  York  Stock  Exchange;  Wash- 
ington E.  Page,  lawyer,  of  New  York;  Rev.  Edward 
Pratt,  of  Shoshone,  Idaho;  Louis  C.  Raegener,  retired 
lawyer,  of  New  York;  Egbert  G.  Rankin,  physician,  of 
New  York;  James  A.  Renwick,  lawyer,  of  New  York; 
William  F.  A.  Von  Sachs,  retired  lawyer,  now  living 
in  Vienna,  Austria;  Eugene  Seligman  and  George  W. 
Seligman,  lawyers,  of  New  York;  Isaac  N.  Seligman, 
banker,  of  New  York;  Du  Bois  Smith  and  William  E. 
Ver  Planck,  lawyers,  of  New  York;  Irvin  A.  Sprague, 
broker,  of  New  York;  William  C.  Thayer,  Professor 
of  English  at  Lehigh  University,  Bethlehem,  Pa. ;  Rev. 
Montgomery  H.  Throop,  retired  minister,  of  New  York  ; 
Rev.   Leighton  Williams,   of   New  York;  and  Richard 

[126] 


& 


hfi 


■fl  c 

O   £ 
</3    *- 


V3 


T.  Bang,  physician,  of  New  York.  All  of  our  teachers 
are  dead. 

The  chief  student  celebrations  of  Old  Columbia  were 
"The  Semi-Annuals,"  "The  Burial  of  the  Ancient,"  "The 
Goodwood  Cup  Celebration"  and  "Class  Day." 

"The  Semi-Annuals"  were  held  every  February  at  the 
Academy  of  Music  on  14th  Street,  after  the  semi-an- 
nual college  examinations.  Two  members  of  each  class 
were  elected  to  deliver  original  orations,  and  the  topics 
selected  were  frequently  most  weird  and  uninteresting 
ones.  Grafulla's  or  Gilmore's  music  in  between  the  ora- 
tions was,  in  my  opinion,  the  chief  attraction,  serving, 
as  it  frequently  did,  as  an  invitation  to  many  a  delight- 
ful dance  in  the  halls,  boxes  and  corridors  of  the  spacious 
old  play-house.  I  remember,  on  the  one  occasion  on 
which  I  had  the  honor  of  speaking  at  a  Semi-Annual, 
I  had  selected  the  cheerful  topic,  "An  Hour  in  Trinity 
Church-yard,"  and  as  I  concluded  my  oration  with  the 
statement  "And  I  cherish  amongst  my  recollections  of 
time  spent  usefully  and  well — An  Hour  in  Trinity 
Church-yard,"  and  listened  to  the  perfunctory  applause 
that  followed,  I  was  convinced  that  the  only  person  in 
that  audience  who  had  been  interested  and  who  had 
appreciated  my  efforts,  was  my  mother.  Some  few  years 
after  we  were  graduated,  these  Semi-Annuals  were 
wisely  abandoned  and  now,  I  believe,  the  boys  have  a 
dance  at  Delmonico's  instead. 

At  the  end  of  the  Sophomore  year,  we  celebrated 
"The  Burial — or  Cremation — of  the  Ancient."  In  other 
words,  we  burned,  with  much  pomp  and  ceremony, 
Boyesen's  Book  on  Grecian  Antiquities,  because  we  were 
glad  to  get  rid  of  this  dry  and  uninteresting  study.  Pre- 
ceded by  a  band  of  music  playing  dirges,  a  procession 
of  students,  in  cap  and  gown,  formed  at  the  Worth 
Monument  at  26th  Street  and  marched  up  Fifth  Ave- 
nue to  the  College.  On  the  Campus  a  large  bonfire 
had  been  built  and  there,  with  a  poem,  an  oration,  and 
much  singing  and  snake-dancing,  "old  Bo"  was  prop- 
erly incinerated.  I  happened  to  be  the  orator  at  the 
'76  Burial,  and  I  remember  telling  my  impatient  and 
turbulent  auditors,  that  "inasmuch  as  he  had  earned  a 

[127] 


reward,  we  ought  to  reward  him  with  an  urn."  The 
celebration  usually  ended  with  a  collation  and  a  "song- 
fest"  at  Fritz's  Hall  on  50th  Street,  between  Fourth 
and  Lexington  Avenues,  which  place  was  the  students' 
rendezvous  in  those  days. 

"The  Goodwood  Cup  Celebration"  occurred  at  the  end 
of  the  Junior  year.  This  cup  was  a  loving-cup  given  to 
the  most  popular  man  in  his  class  by  his  class-mates.  Bob 
Townsend  was  its  receipient  from  my  class.  Bob  after- 
wards became  Colonel  Robert  Townsend,  a  member  of 
Governor  Hill's  staff,  and  he  was  also,  for  many  years, 
an  Assistant  District  Attorney  under  Colonel  Fellows 
and  Delancey  Nicoll.  When  he  retired  from  the  District 
Attorney's  office  some  years  ago,  I  was  present  at  the 
dinner  tendered  to  him  by  his  friends  and  colleagues 
at  the  Hotel  Savoy  in  this  city.  On  this  occasion  an- 
other loving-cup  was  presented  to  him,  and  I  reminded 
him  of  the  '76  Goodwood  Cup.  With  tears  in  his  eyes 
he  told  me  how  much  more  he  had  appreciated  the  Col- 
lege honor  that  had  been  bestowed  upon  him  in  his 
early  youth.  Colonel  Townsend  died  suddenly  only  a 
few  short  months  ago.  The  "Goodwood  Cup  Celebra- 
tion" consisted  chiefly  of  two  orations,  one  delivered  by 
the  student  who  presented  the  cup  on  behalf  of  its  donors, 
and  the  other,  a  reply  by  the  Cup  Recipient.  The  rest  of 
the  celebration  was  a  dance,  with  a  collation. 

"Class  Day,"  was,  of  course,  the  Senior  year  celebra- 
tion. The  exercises  consisted  in  reading  a  History  of 
the  Class,  placing  a  Class  Memorial  Plate  somewhere 
on  the  grounds,  delivering  the  Class-Day  Oration,  read- 
ing the  Class-Day  Poem,  planting  the  Class  Ivy,  smok- 
ing the  Class-Pipe  and  saluting  the  Old  Rooms.  In  be- 
tween these  exercises  three  or  four  songs,  with  orig- 
inal words,  were  sung,  usually  the  Class-Song,  thp  Song 
of  the  Pipe  and  the  Parting  Song.  The  entertainment 
always  ended  with  dancing. 

There  were,  I  think,  two  College  papers  which  ex- 
isted at  Old  Columbia  during  the  Seventies — "The  Cap 
and  Gown"  and  "The  Spectator,"  both  excellent  publi- 
cations, entirely  in  the  hands  of  the  undergraduate  body 
and  managed  and  run  by  the  students.     In  the  Junior 

[128] 


1 


I 


year  the  "Columbiad"  was  published.  This  was  a  hand- 
some magazine,  sometimes  a  book,  recording  all  of  the 
occurrences  of  the  past  year  at  College,  with  full  in- 
formation concerning  athletic  contests,  membership  in 
societies,  etc.  It  was,  in  short,  a  College  Almanac,  and 
each  Junior  class  tried  to  issue  a  Columbiad  which  was 
an  improvement  on  its  immediate  predecessors. 

The  Literary  Societies  were,  of  course,  Philolexia 
and  Peithologia.  In  the  later  Seventies,  a  third  So- 
ciety came  into  existence,  the  Barnard,  named  after  the 
President. 

There  were  about  eight  or  ten  chapters  representing 
the  principal  Greek  Letter  Fraternities  of  the  Country  at 
Columbia  in  those  days,  together  with  many  exclusive 
smaller  societies.  Amongst  the  National  Greek  Letter 
Fraternities  represented  were :  Alpha  Delta  Phi,  Delta 
Kappa  Epsilon,  Psi  Upsilon,  Phi  Kappa  Psi,  Delta  Psi, 
and  Delta  Phi. 

Rowing,  foot-ball,  baseball  and  general  athletics  were 
our  chief  pastimes.  We  had  a  boat-house  on  the  Har- 
lem River,  just  below  the  Railroad  Bridge  at  125th 
Street,  which  was  the  Mecca  of  many  students  on  Sat- 
urdays and  Holidays  in  the  spring  and  fall  of  the  year. 
Our  crew,  although  Columbia  began  its  rowing  existence 
at  Springfield,  Mass.,  on  the  Connecticut  River  in  1873, 
was  victorious  at  Saratoga  in  1874  and  came  in  second 
at  Saratoga  in  1875.  Three  members  of  my  class,  Jasper 
T.  Goodwin,  Irvin  A.  Sprague  and  Isaac  N.  Seligman, 
rowed  in  the  '74  and  '75  boats.  Jasper  T.  Goodwin  was 
the  stroke  and  did  much  to  bring  the  colors  of  Columbia 
to  the  front. 

Football  at  Columbia  had  its  beginnings  in  about 
1870,  the  game  in  those  days  being  played  with  twenty 
men  on  a  side.  The  only  place  we  had  for  practice  was 
the  so-called  Campus,  or  patch  of  lawn,  skirted  by  trees, 
in  front  of  the  49th  Street  side  of  the  College.  Our 
twenty  in  the  Seventies  made  a  good  showing.  There 
was  little,  or  no  training  done,  for  we  had  no  gymnasium, 
and  this,  in  my  opinion,  was  the  main  reason  for  the 
occurrence  of  numerous  accidents.  I  remember  my  left 
shoulder  coming  in  contact  with  a  tree-trunk  during  one 
of  the  scrub-games  on  the  Campus,  with  the  result  that 

[129] 


my  clavicle  was  broken.  I  was  assisted  across  the  rail- 
road track  on  Fourth  Avenue  to  the  Women's  Hospital, 
then  located  on  the  east  side  of  Fourth  Avenue  on  49th 
Street,  and  there  my  arm  was  bandaged  to  my  body  in 
what,  in  later  years,  I  learned  was  called  a  Sayre  dress- 
ing, which  arrangement  allowed  my  coat-sleeve  to  dangle 
empty  by  my  side.  I  also  remember  coming  home  with 
a  smile  on  my  face,  proud  of  the  fact  that  I  was  a  foot- 
ball hero,  injured  in  a  worthy  cause,  but  oblivious  of  the 
impression  made  upon  others  by  my  empty  coat-sleeve. 
My  dear  mother  caught  one  glimpse  of  me  and  fell  into 
a  faint,  thinking  I  had  lost  my  arm,  which  illusion  was, 
however,  soon  happily  dispelled. 

Baseball  was  fairly  well  played  at  all  colleges  in 
those  days.  Its  beginnings  at  Columbia  were  in  about 
'58  or  '60.  General  athletic  meets  were  held  annually 
on  the  grounds  of  the  New  York  Athletic  Club  at  Mott 
Haven,  but  there  were  few,  if  any,  inter-collegiate  con- 
tests. 

My  chronicle  of  reminiscences  would  not  be  com- 
plete without  mentioning  that  old  Stephen  Weeks,  who 
had  been  moved  up  with  the  College  from  Park  Place, 
was  still  the  janitor,  and,  as  he  loved  to  be  called,  the 
assistant  Librarian.  Francois  and  Mike  were  the  sub- 
janitors  who  did  the  real  work.  Weeks'  chief  labors 
consisted  in  tolling  the  chapel  bell  and  blowing  the  whistle 
at  the  end  of  recess. 

I  could  easily  prolong  my  tale,  but  time  and  space 
forbid.  Let  me  fitly  conclude  my  article  by  giving  to 
the  light  of  day  the  words  of  the  parting  song  of  '76, 
written  to  the  air  of  "Lauriger  Horatius"  by  John  E. 
H.  Hyde,  later  on  a  prominent  patent  lawyer  of  New 
York,  who  died  several  years  ago.  The  only  time  this 
fine  poem  was  ever  printed  was  when  it  was  placed  on 
our  Class-Day  program. 

"Hail  to  the  departed  years, 
Which  too  soon  have  left  us! 
Of  the  fairest  days  of  life 
Has  their  death  bereft  us. 
Youth,  the  spring  of  life,  is  o'er, 

[130] 


4*  ? 


a,  g 
■d  c 


*=  -•  £ 

c  ^ 

1*1 


■a  .3  2 

•^   V    c 

fc«S 

c  £ 

—    o 

^  2 
E  -* 


—  o 


^ 


But  the  seed  is  planted, 

May  our  autumn,  with  its  fruits, 

Prove  a  harvest  granted! 

Of  the  sparkling  glass  of  life, 
Foaming  youth  is  sweetest, 
And  of  all  our  fleeting  years, 
Those  of  youth  are  fleetest. 
Seize  the  glass  and  drain  it  dry, 
E'en  though  one  of  sorrow, 
For  the  past  we  breathe  a  sigh, 
While  we  toast  to-morrow. 

May  our  Manhood's  coming  years, 
Still  in  friendship  find  us ! 
Though  our  class-ties  loose  to-day, 
Yet  our  mem'ries  bind  us. 
Here  we've  had  our  brighest  thoughts, 
Dreams,  which  we  have  cherished, 
Thoughts,  whose  brightness  could  not  last, 
Dreams,  which  long  since  perished. 

Though  our  early  hopes  have  failed, 
Should  we  then  regret  them? 
Dreaming  has  no  part  in  life, 
Let  us  then  forget  them ! 
May  our  lives,  by  noble  deeds, 
Writ  on  history's  pages, 
'Grave  the  year  of  seventy-six, 
Deeper  yet  on  ages ! 


[131] 


The  Shopping  District 

It  is  interesting  to  note  the  shifting  scenes  of  the  shop- 
ping district  of  New  York.  Not  long  ago  the  now  de- 
serted Twenty-third  Street  and  the  district  in  Sixth 
Avenue  between  Fourteenth  and  Twenty-third  Streets 
were  humming  with  the  busy  life  of  the  retail  business. 
The  stream  of  feminine  beauty  and  gayety  which  flowed 
through  these  streets,  eddying  in  and  out  of  the  great 
and  little  dry  goods  palaces,  has  been  deflected  to  other 
parts  and  now  we  find  it  in  the  more  spacious  and 
aristocratic  regions  of  Fifth  Avenue  and  the  cross  streets 
between  Madison  and  Sixth  Avenues.  Taking  Fifth 
Avenue  at  Thirty-fourth  Street  as  a  center  and  radiating 
out  in  every  direction  from  that  point  we  have,  without 
doubt,  the  most  extensive  and  by  far  the  most  luxurious 
shopping  center  of  any  city  in  the  world.  The  shifting 
of  the  scene  has  been  accomplished  within  a  compara- 
tively short  time.  Since  the  Waldorf-Astoria  succeeded 
the  Astor  houses  at  Fifth  Avenue  and  Thirty-fourth 
Street  many  palatial  business  establishments  have  been 
built  in  both  of  these  fine  thoroughfares,  and  all  of  the 
cross  streets  have  likewise  been  built  up  with  stores  of 
all  kinds  for  retail  business  purposes. 

In  walking  along  Fifth  Avenue  one  is  first  of  all  im- 
pressed with  the  architectural  beauty  and  chasteness  of 
many  of  these  business  buildings  and  afterward  with  the 
wonderful  combination  of  modern  practicality  with 
classic  style.  Business  and  art  go  hand  in  hand — the 
dollar  and  the  ideal  in  perfect  unison,  and  the  New 
York  merchant  is  proved  to  be  not  the  sordid  money 
getter  he  is  so  often  represented  to  be  but  a  pretty  good 
amalgam  of  the  man  who  dares  and  the  man  who  dreams. 
As  an  evidence  of  his  artistic  taste  one  need  only  take 
a  walk  through  the  aisles  of  any  of  these  fine  establish- 
ments and  witness  the  good  taste  and  pleasing  arrange- 
ment of  the  goods.    Perhaps  the  most  attractive  features 

[132] 


i*3-^^ 


2 

x 

3 


of  the  shopping  district  are  the  windows.  There  was 
a  time  when  the  leading  retail  merchants  sent  representa- 
tives to  London  and  Paris  to  study  the  art  of  window 
dressing,  but  that  point  has  long  ago  been  passed  and 
it  may  be  said  with  perfect  truthfulness  that  the  pupil 
could  now  give  lessons  to  the  former  master.  A  walk 
along  Fifth  Avenue  is  a  revelation  of  taste  and  beauty 
unequaled  in  any  city  in  the  world. 

A  recent  development  of  the  retail  business  in  the 
numerous  cross  streets  is  the  specialty  shop  which  makes 
a  feature  of  one  particular  line  of  goods  only — such  as 
millinery,  gowns,  gloves,  lingerie  and  other  things.  These 
shops  find  a  clientele  among  women  who  like  the  quiet 
and  exclusiveness  of  these  dainty  little  places  and  the 
sort  of  personal  and  intimate  attention  which  they  re- 
ceive there.  For  women  whose  tastes  are  fastidious  and 
exacting  these  specialty  places  offer  an  ideal  resort. 
There  has  also  developed  very  rapidly  the  antique  shop 
which  is  found  more  numerously  than  any  of  the  others 
and  locates  mostly  in  the  cross  streets  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Fifth  Avenue.  These  are  extremely  interesting 
places  to  visit  and  contain  rare  and  costly  articles  from 
every  clime  and  nation. 

In  a  big  city  like  New  York  the  shopping  district  can- 
not be  restricted  to  any  given  locality.  It  breaks  out  in 
spots  and  remains  there  or  suddenly  moves  according 
to  either  the  necessity  or  whim,  as  we  choose  to  call  it, 
of  the  people.  For  instance,  we  have  a  very  important 
shopping  district  in  the  neighborhood  of  Grace  Church 
which  refuses  to  be  stampeded  or  moved  by  any  of  the 
metamorphoses  of  this  ever-changing  city.  Here  it  has 
been  since  A.  T.  Stewart  built  his  magnificent  dry  goods 
palace  away  back  in  the  70s,  and  here  it  flourishes  still 
and  increases.  And  Fourteenth  Street  also  retains  its 
hold  and  still  possesses  one  of  our  oldest  and  best  known 
establishments.  As  the  city  extends  and  localities  fill 
up  new  districts  for  shopping  spring  up  and  grow  into 
important  centers  in  an  amazingly  short  time.  Witness, 
for  instance,  the  business  establishments  on  Broadway 
from  Seventy-second  Street  up  as  far  as  Straus  Park. 
There  are  stores  in  that  district  which  have  large  stocks 

[133] 


of  goods  vying  with  the  greater  establishments  further 
downtown  in  variety,  beauty  and  quality  of  material. 

A  very  large  and  important  shopping  district  has  de- 
veloped in  Brooklyn  from  Borough  Hall  along  Fulton 
Street  and  up  Flatbush  Avenue  as  far  as  Fourth  Ave- 
nue. This  district  is  not  at  all  restricted  to  Brook- 
lyn shoppers.  Intercommunication  between  the  bor- 
oughs has  made  it  possible  for  shoppers  to  reach  this 
section  as  conveniently  as  the  most  favored  localities  of 
Manhattan,  and  consequently  shoppers  come  from  all 
parts,  even  from  uptown  New  York.  These  Brooklyn 
establishments  are  as  large  as  those  in  New  York  and 
as  fine  in  their  appointments,  and  the  volume  of  business 
done  is  as  great. 

The  shopping  district  for  the  Bronx  centers  about 
149th  Street  and  Third  Avenue,  one  of  the  busiest  sec- 
tions of  the  city.  The  business  of  this  district  is  very 
large  but  is  chiefly  of  a  local  nature.  The  amazing 
growth  of  the  Bronx  is  having  its  effect  on  the  retail 
business  and  is  fast  transforming  these  handsome  local 
stores  into  business  establishments  of  cosmopolitan  im- 
portance. 

Men's  Wear  in  1822 

White  handkerchiefs  were  worn  by  men  only  on  spe- 
cial occasions,  as  when  in  full  dress;  at  other  times  red 
silk  was  the  prevailing  material.  It  was  not  until  this 
year  that  false  collars  to  shirts  were  worn,  and  only 
by  a  few. 

There  were  some  other  articles  of  men's  wear  that 
are  worthy  of  record.  Thus:  instead  of  the  single 
neck-cloths,  stiffeners,  termed  "puddings,"  were  intro- 
duced ;  and  soon  after  an  article  termed  a  "stock,"  com- 
posed of  stiff,  woven  horsehair,  fully  three  inches  in 
width,  buckled  behind;  and  leather  straps  from  the  legs 
of  pantaloons,  buttoned  at  the  sides,  were  worn  under 
the  boots. 

[134] 


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i « «  u  iUi  I|EJ :a  Utts ii 
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••'  II II  11)1 

I  till 


©  H.  C.  BROWN,  1916 


The  Seamen's  Institute— South  Street.  The  lighthouse  tower  is 
a  memorial  to  the  Titanic  victims.  A  brass  tablet  on  the  wall 
records  this  fact.     The  light  can  be  seen  twenty  miles  out  to  sea. 


Memories  of  Old  Brooklyn 

In  1816  Brooklyn  had  a  population  of  nearly  7,000 
souls.  To-day  it  has  a  million  and  three  quarters.  Be- 
tween these  two  points  stretches  the  wonderful  pano- 
rama of  Brooklyn's  development.  The  quaint  old  wood- 
cut we  often  see  printed  of  the  ferry  that  plied  between 
Brooklyn  and  Peck  Slip,  New  York,  in  these  early  days 
gives  hardly  a  hint  of  the  enormous  traffic  that  surges 
from  shore  to  shore  in  our  own  times ;  and  no  one  would 
have  predicted  then  that  the  tiny  little  village  of  low 
wooden  houses  clustered  about  the  foot  of  Fulton  Street 
would  expand  in  a  brief  century  into  one  of  the  greatest 
aggregations  of  people  in  the  whole  world.  When  we 
compare  our  little  ferry  of  1816  with  the  immense 
structures  of  communication  of  the  present  day  it  gives 
us  pause  and  we  wonder  what  the  future  may  bring 
forth. 

Although  the  ferries  are  almost  unknown  to  the 
present  generation,  they  filled  a  very  important  place  in 
the  lives  of  preceding  generations  of  Brooklynites, 
and  what  crowds  they  carried!  There  was  no  more  in- 
teresting sight  than  to  see  these  crowds  arriving  from  all 
directions  at  the  ferry  slips.  All  the  car  lines  focussed 
on  these  points  and  unloaded  their  thousands  there,  and 
streams  of  hurrying  pedestrians  poured  in  from  every 
street  until  a  huge  mass  of  human  beings  collected,  ready 
to  push  and  hustle  for  the  boat  as  soon  as  it  was  made 
tight  to  the  slip.  We  hear  much  about  the  bridge 
crowds,  but  it  is  a  question  if  the  ferry  crowds  were  not 
entitled  to  the  palm.  There  are  many  Brooklynites  liv- 
ing who  can  remember  the  exciting  and  perhaps  humor- 
ous scenes  so  often  enacted.  It  was  not  at  all  an  in- 
frequent occurrence  that  a  few  daring  souls  on  the 
fringes  of  the  crowd  would  make  a  bold  jump  for  the 
ferry  boat  after  it  had  started  out  from  the  slip,  and  in- 
stead of  landing  on  the  deck  plunge  into  the  foaming  wa- 
ters below.     They  were  always  fished  up  by  the  ferry 

[135] 


hands  not  much  the  worse  for  the  dipping,  but  sadder  and 
wiser  men.  These  ferry  crowds  were  always  good- 
natured,  and  they  stood  jammed  in  the  cabin  and  on  the 
decks  indulging  in  no  more  than  the  usual  banter  and 
good-natured  fault-finding  of  the  complacent  citizen. 

There  were  other  crowds  in  those  days  that  were 
just  as  picturesque  and  interesting  and  belong  in  a  spe- 
cial sense  to  the  life  of  Brooklyn — the  crowds  that  be- 
sieged Talmadge's  Tabernacle  in  Schermerhorn  Street; 
and  old  Plymouth  Church  where  Henry  Ward  Beecher 
was  the  idol  of  the  people.  To  get  a  seat  in  the  Taber- 
nacle in  those  days  was  out  of  the  question.  You  were 
lucky  if  you  got  inside  the  building  at  all.  Many  a  time 
I  have  mingled  with  the  crowd  on  the  outside  buzzing 
around  the  building  from  one  door  to  another  trying  to 
get  in.  And  the  crowds  still  came  pouring  into  Scher- 
merhorn Street  from  all  the  intersecting  streets  until 
there  were  more  people  on  the  outside  than  there  were 
in  the  church.  Then  we  could  hear  the  cornetist  and 
we  knew  the  services  were  fairly  under  way.  By  the 
time  Dr.  Talmadge  got  down  to  his  sermon  the  crowds 
in  the  corridors  thinned  out  and  any  one  who  was  tall 
enough  could  look  over  the  heads  of  those  who  jammed 
the  doorways  and  get  a  view  of  the  wide  platform  and 
the  long,  thin  solitary  figure  moving  dramatically  from 
one  end  to  the  other.  The  great  duel  of  intellects  be- 
tween Col.  Ingersoll  and  Dr.  Talmadge  created  great 
excitement  and  attracted  greater  crowds  than  ever.  The 
discussions  became  a  subject  of  world  wide  interest,  and 
were  not  always  in  favor  of  the  great  agnostic. 

It  is  often  said  that  you  must  hear  and  see  a  speaker 
to  get  the  full  meaning  and  spirit  of  what  he  says,  and 
this  was  true  of  Dr.  Talmadge.  Nevertheless,  his  ser- 
mons were  read  by  millions  of  people  in  every  Eng- 
lish speaking  country  on  the  globe.  His  enunciation 
was  sometimes  execrable — he  always  said  "mulitude" 
for  multitude,  but  his  dramatic  movements  and  poses 
were  so  striking  and  impressive  and  so  perfectly  original 
that  his  audience  sat  spell-bound  under  their  force  and 
power.     People  used  to  say  that  his  arms  and  legs  and 

[136] 


particularly  his  fingers  were  as  eloquent  as  his  spoken 
words. 

Old  Plymouth  Church,  of  course,  is  more  than  a 
Brooklyn  institution.  It  is  a  familiar  name  in  every 
American  home  and  every  Sunday,  pilgrims  from  far 
distant  points  wend  their  way  through  the  beautiful  old 
streets  of  the  Heights  to  this  shrine  of  the  Puritans. 

When  Mr.  Beecher  was  at  the  height  of  his  fame  in 
the  early  70's,  the  crowds  that  came  to  hear  him  could 
not  have  been  accommodated  in  a  building  twice  the 
size.  A  continual  stream  came  up  Fulton  Street  from 
the  ferry  (there  was  no  bridge  then)  and  a  long  line  of 
cars  was  always  to  be  seen  discharging  their  human 
freight  at  Orange  Street,  all  bound  for  Old  Plymouth. 
There  were  none  of  those  handsome  apartment  build- 
ings then.  Just  the  fine  old  Colonial  houses  of  which  a 
few  still  remain.  But  all  were  bent  on  just  the  one  thing 
— to  hear  the  master  orator  of  the  nineteenth  century. 
And  no  one  was  ever  disappointed,  for  Henry  Ward 
Beecher  could  touch  every  note  of  the  human  heart  with 
a  delicacy  and  power  unapproached  and  unapproach- 
able. Many  of  us  can  recall  the  fine  old  Puritan  gentle- 
man as  he  briskly  ascended  the  steps  to  the  platform  and 
casting  his  soft  hat  on  the  floor  at  his  side  took  his  place 
in  the  center  chair  and  calmly  gazed  out  on  the  great 
congregation.  A  strange  quality  of  Mr.  Beecher's  voice 
was  that  no  matter  how  low  he  might  speak  you  could 
hear  him  distinctly  in  every  part  of  the  church  and  when 
he  let  himself  out  his  voice  rang  with  the  clearness  and 
melody  of  a  bell. 

It  is  doubtful  if  there  ever  was  a  more  picturesque 
figure  in  Brooklyn  than  Henry  Ward  Beecher.  Count- 
less stories  are  told  of  his  remarkable  personality  and 
I  have  frequently  stood  beside  him  myself  crossing  the 
Fulton  Ferry  on  the  outward  deck  even  if  the  day  was 
stormy.  It  was  also  a  great  habit  of  his  to  read  on  the 
front  platform  of  the  horse  cars  and  indulge  in  conver- 
sation with  the  driver  and  the  conductor.  In  fact,  he 
was  noted  for  this  and  used  to  remark  that  many  of 
his  most  interesting  observations  resulted  from  this  ex- 
perience.    Another  eccentricity  by  which  he  was  noted 

[137] 


was  his  fondness  for  precious  stones.  It  was  not  an 
unusual  thing  for  him  to  visit  a  firm  of  jewelers  in  Mai- 
den Lane  and  leave  their  office  with  a  pocketful  of 
diamonds  of  the  first  water.  These  he  delighted  to 
spread  out  on  his  library  table,  enjoying  their  wonderful 
scintillating  rays.  He  seemed  to  have  a  perfect  pas- 
sion for  the  sparkling  stones,  and  after  he  had  them  in 
his  possession  a  few  days  the  firm  would  send  quietly 
over  and  get  them  back  again. 

Upon  one  occasion  he  met  his  distinguished  contem- 
porary, Dr.  Talmadge,  on  Fulton  Street,  in  front  of 
the  Brooklyn  Furniture  Store,  before  whose  premises 
were  displayed  a  large  assortment  of  armchairs  and  va- 
rious other  articles  for  sale.  These  two  distinguished 
citizens  became  very  much  interested  in  their  conversa- 
tion and  sat  down  in  two  rockers  that  were  marked 
down  to  $1.98  and  continued  their  conversation,  ob- 
livious to  the  fact  that  a  large  crowd  had  been  attracted 
by  the  spectacle.  The  police  were  finally  called  on  to 
keep  the  crowd  moving  and  when  the  conversation  fin- 
ished the  two  distinguished  divines  went  their  way  with 
no  further  thought  of  the  incident. 

To  Dr.  Newell  Dwight  Hillis,  the  eloquent  successor 
of  Mr.  Beecher,  is  due  the  credit  of  the  Beecher  Me- 
morial, a  dream  of  Dr.  Hillis'  ever  since  he  came  to 
Brooklyn  nearly  seventeen  years  ago.  It  resulted  in 
the  Arbuckle  Institute,  a  school  for  the  education  of 
young  men  and  women  in  technical  subjects.  The  build- 
ings are  the  munificent  gift  of  the  late  John  Arbuckle 
and  his  sister,  Catharine,  still  living.  A  fine  monument 
to  Beecher,  showing  him  as  he  appeared  on  the  platform 
speaking,  has  been  erected  on  the  grounds  facing  on 
Orange  Street. 

One  other  noted  divine  of  these  days  was  Dr.  Richard 
Salter  Storrs  of  the  Church  of  the  Pilgrims,  a  masterly 
speaker  and  a  man  of  fine  presence  and  voice  but  rather 
cold  and  reserved  in  manner.  His  oration  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  Brooklyn  Bridge  was  a  masterpiece  of  classic 
English  and  will  always  hold  an  important  place  in  the 
history  of  the  borough.  Next  to  President  Arthur  he 
was  the  most  noted  man  at  that  event.    President  Arthur 

[138] 


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himself  we  can  remember  as  a  man  of  exquisite  taste. 
He  was  known  to  be  the  "pink  of  perfection"  in  all 
matters  pertaining  to  dress  and  manners — a  gentleman 
of  the  first  water.  But  on  the  occasion  of  the  opening 
of  the  bridge  there  was  consternation  and  amazement 
when  the  President  appeared  in  an  old  "topper"  which 
had  lost  its  luster  and  looked  as  if  it  had  seen  much 
service. 

Many  Brooklynites  can  remember  when  Flatbush 
Avenue  from  the  Willink  entrance  to  Prospect  Park  was 
a  beautiful  country  road,  embowered  in  old  and  stately 
trees.  There  were  no  cars  beyond  the  Willink  entrance 
at  that  time  but  on  Sunday  afternoons  the  Nostrand  and 
Franklin  Avenue  cars,  the  only  two  lines  running  so 
far  out,  brought  their  thousands  to  the  Park  and  many 
of  us  who  loved  the  more  secluded  roads  would  wend 
our  way  leisurely  through  Flatbush  Avenue  out  as  far 
as  Flatlands.  The  old  Dutch  Reformed  Church  dating 
from  1654  and  the  oldest  on  Long  Island  and  Erasmus 
Academy  now  entirely  enclosed  by  the  magnificent  build- 
ings of  Erasmus  Hall  High  School  were  the  chief  land- 
marks and  here  and  there  on  either  side  of  the  road 
were  the  old  mansions  of  the  early  Dutch  settlers,  some 
of  which  still  remain  quaint  and  beautiful  as  ever.  We 
did  not  think  then  that  Flatbush  was  so  soon  to  become 
the  most  populous  and  important  suburb  of  Brooklyn, 
and  indeed,  as  many  visitors  say,  by  far  the  most  beau- 
tiful suburb  of  any  city  in  the  United  States.  Perhaps 
the  proximity  of  Prospect  Park  has  something  to  do 
with  this. 

A  peculiarity  of  the  young  people  of  Brooklyn  be- 
fore the  advent  of  elevated  roads  and  subways  was  the 
custom  of  promenading  through  the  beautiful  and  shady 
paths  of  Greenwood  on  the  Sunday  afternoons.  A  con- 
tinuous stream  passed  through  the  Fifth  Avenue  en- 
trance and  up  the  hill  toward  the  famous  Charlotte  Can- 
da  monument  and  thence  through  Central  Avenue  to  the 
Lake.  It  was  an  odd  fancy  that  took  young  people  gal- 
lanting through  the  city  of  the  dead  in  their  best  bib 
and  tucker  and  chatting  and  smiling  with  the  lighthead- 
edness of  youth,  but  it  was  not  done  either  in  irrever- 

[139] 


ence  or  careless  neglect  of  the  proprieties.  Something  in 
the  beauty  and  charm  of  the  winding  paths  and  road- 
ways no  doubt  had  much  to  do  with  it,  and  perhaps, 
too,  the  want  of  parks  and  the  general  barrenness  of 
the  streets  made  the  walk  through  the  cemetery  the 
only  really  enjoyable  one  in  the  neighborhood.  What- 
ever the  reason,  the  Sunday  afternoon  crowds  were  a 
surety.  Now  all  that  is  changed,  the  walks  are  given 
over  to  the  meditative  and  the  young  people  hie  them- 
selves to  Coney  Island.  There  were  no  street  cars  to 
Coney  Island  at  the  time  of  which  we  write  and  none 
of  the  present-day  attractions  there.  Transportation 
was  afforded  by  a  train  consisting  usually  of  one  car, 
which  was  not  always  crowded  and  Vanderveer's  Ho- 
tel was  the  great  rendezvous  for  visitors.  This  was  be- 
fore the  days  of  Brighton  or  Manhattan  Beach  and  when 
Dreamland  and  Luna  Park  were  still  afar  off.  As  boys 
we  used  to  go  in  swimming  where  lately  stood  the  fa- 
mous Oriental  Hotel,  and  many  a  struggle  with  the 
strenuous  undertow  was  experienced  by  the  youths  who 
adventured  into  these  treacherous  waters.  Since  then 
Ocean  Parkway — one  of  the  finest  driveways  in  the 
country,  and  Ocean  Avenue  with  its  handsome  homes 
and  many  other  great  highways  have  been  finished  all 
the  way  down  to  the  Island. 

Old  frequenters  of  Coney  Island  will  tell  you  how 
the  first  site  of  the  Brighton  Beach  Hotel  and  the  beach 
itself  have  long  ago  disappeared  in  the  all-consuming 
maw  of  old  ocean.  When  the  hotel  was  first  built  it 
stood  several  hundred  yards  further  out  than  it  does 
to-day  and  there  was  a  splendid  beach  stretching  all 
along  the  coast  on  either  side  for  miles.  The  relentless 
and  never-ceasing  encroachment  of  the  sea  first  com- 
pelled the  moving  of  the  hotel  far  inland  and  then  the 
building  of  bulwarks  to  keep  the  remorseless  waters 
back,  but  nature  was  not  to  be  balked  of  her  prey,  and 
the  original  site  was  soon  swallowed  up  and  is  now 
far  out  and  fathoms  deep  under  the  sea,  and  the  end  is 
not  yet!  It  would  be  interesting  to  watch  the  struggle 
between  nature  and  man  during  the  next  two  or  three 
generations.     At   Manhattan   Beach   Estates  they  have 

[140] 


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already  erected  the  first  line  of  forts  but  it  has  yet  to  be 
be  seen  if  they  can  withstand  the  pounding  of  an  enemy 
that  never  gets  tired. 

It  scarcely  seems  like  twenty-five  years  since  Ocean 
Parkway  was  alive  with  bicycles  rushing  in  pell-mell 
speed  to  and  from  Coney  Island.  These  were  the  days 
of  real  sport,  real  excitement;  and  it  looked  sometimes 
as  if  the  entire  population  of  the  city  with  little  old 
New  York  thrown  in  had  only  one  purpose  in  view  and 
that  was  getting  to  Coney  Island  and  getting  there  quick. 
The  nights  were  made  merry  with  the  shouts  and  laugh- 
ter of  the  joyous  riders  and  their  lamps  shed  a  maze 
of  light  up  and  down  the  road  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
see.  They  came  from  everywhere  and  came  in  thou- 
sands, for  here  was  the  finest  and  longest  bicycle  path 
that  was  ever  built  and  it  led  to  the  very  edge  of  the 
ocean.  And  the  glorious  morning  rides !  How  many 
enthusiasts  discovered  the  extraordinary  enjoyment  of 
these  morning  rides?  Skimming  over  the  smooth  road- 
ways of  beautiful  Prospect  Park,  along  the  edge  of  the 
lake  and  past  the  Wheelmen's  Rest  into  the  splendid 
highway  that  stretched  out  before  you  perfectly  smooth 
and  flat — nothing  could  be  finer.  And  at  the  end  of  the 
journey  a  cup  of  coffee  or  a  glass  of  soda  and  a  biscuit 
or  sandwich  in  the  little  wooden  refuge  on  the  sands. 
They  can't  do  much  better  in  these  later  times. 

In  the  other  direction — due  north — I  can  only  re- 
member one  place  that  attracted  the  Brooklynite  and  he 
had  to  share  it  with  the  East  Side  New  Yorker — that 
was  Bowery  Bay.  It  was  a  long,  long  way  in  these  days 
and  the  journey  had  /to  be  taken  in  installments,  first  to 
Greenpoint,  then  across  the  creek  in  a  little  bob-tail  car 
to  Long  Island  City,  and  from  there  to  Astoria,  from 
which  point  we  had  to  foot  it ;  but  the  latter  part  of  the 
journey  was  the  most  pleasant,  as  it  was  through  beauti- 
ful country  roads  leading  on  to  the  sandy  shores  of 
Bowery  Bay.  This  is  now  North  Beach,  the  great  pleas- 
ure ground  of  that  section  of  Brooklyn  lying  north  of 
Grand  Street. 

The  most  conspicuous  monument  of  Revolutionary 
days  in  Brooklyn  is  Fort  Greene,  now  a  beautiful  little 

[141] 


city  park.  This  fort  was  a  strong  point  in  the  long  bat- 
tle line  extending  from  Gowanus  to  Wallabout  Bay  in 
the  famous  battle  of  Long  Island.  There  has  been 
erected  recently  on  this  site  a  very  handsome  column 
commemorating  the  sailors  and  soldiers  who  perished 
during  the  Revolution  in  the  prison  ships  of  Wallabout 
Bay. 

Not  far  south  of  this  historic  spot  is  the  Pratt  In- 
stitute, a  college  of  technical  education  for  men  and 
women  founded  by  Charles  Pratt  in  1884.  The  library 
is  an  exceptionally  fine  one  and  contains  over  100,000 
volumes.  The  manual  and  industrial  training  of  this 
institution  is  a  special  feature  and  has  carried  its  fame 
to  all  parts  of  the  world.  Charles  M.  Pratt,  a  son  of 
the  founder,  is  president ;  George  D.  Pratt,  present  Com- 
missioner for  the  Conservation  of  Public  Lands,  is  treas- 
urer; and  Frederick  B.  Pratt,  secretary.  Herbert  Lee 
Pratt,  the  well  known  collector,  is  a  trustee.  In  this 
neighborhood  also  is  Adelphi  College,  which  also  bene- 
fited by  Mr.  Pratt's  munificence  and  is  the  best  beloved 
perhaps  of  any  institution  in  Brooklyn.  It  was  estab- 
lished in  1869  as  Adelphi  Academy,  but  is  now  a  col- 
lege for  women.  Dr.  S.  Parkes  Cadman,  the  brilliant 
pulpit  orator  and  scholar,  was  the  acting  president  until 
recently  when  Dr.  Frank  Dickinson  Blodgett  was  made 
president. 

Almost  opposite  Adelphi  are  two  famous  churches 
of  Brooklyn — Emmanuel  Baptist  and  St.  James'  Epis- 
copal, both  old  churches  but  comparatively  new  buildings 
far  famed  for  the  beauty  of  their  structure  and  interior 
arrangements.  And  only  a  very  short  distance  west  is 
perhaps  the  most  chaste  and  dignified  ecclesiastical  build- 
ing in  the  borough — the  chapel  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Cathedral,  Queen  of  all  Saints.  The  Masonic  Temple  is 
on  the  next  corner,  a  new  and  handsome  addition  in 
architecture  to  this  section  of  Brooklyn,  and  the  Church 
of  the  Messiah  in  Greene  Avenue  whose  graceful  spire 
is  one  of  the  most  admired  in  this  city  of  churches. 

[142] 


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The  Long  Island  Historical  Society 

To  those  who  are  interested  in  the  historic  events  of 
Brooklyn  and  Long  Island,  a  visit  to  the  Long  Island 
Historical  Society  in  Pierrepont  Street  would  pay.  There 
he  would  find  a  wealth  of  material  relating  to  local  af- 
fairs. An  excellent  library,  a  fine  collection  of  prints, 
relics  and  memorials  of  Colonial  life  and  other  interest- 
ing articles  pertaining  to  this  subject  are  at  his  disposi- 
tion. The  Long  Island  Historical  Society  is  also  en- 
titled to  a  very  high  place  among  the  original  discoverers 
and  publishers  of  historical  documents  pertaining  to 
New  York  City.  It  was  owing  to  their  enterprise  that  we 
have  the  Journal  of  Dankus  &  Sluyter,  a  narrative  of  a 
voyage  to  New  York  and  Brooklyn  and  a  tour  in  several 
of  the  American  Colonies  in  1679-80,  edited  by  Mr. 
Henry  C.  Murphy,  one  of  the  members  of  the  society. 
Mr.  Murphy  also  discovered  in  the  archives  at  the  Hague 
the  original  letter  of  the  first  Dutch  minister,  John 
Megapolensis,  who  continued  a  settled  ministry  in  New 
York  until  he  died  in  1669,  a  period  of  27  years.  A 
valuable  possession  of  the  Society  is  a  collection  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty-three  original  letters  of  George 
Washington,  a  portrait  of  Washington,  and  a  fine  bust 
of  the  same.  Judge  Willard  Bartlett,  the  president  of 
the  Society,  and  Mr.  John  Jay  Pierrepont,  the  treasurer, 
are  both  men  intensely  interested  in  all  Long  Island 
lore  and  give  ungrudgingly  of  their  time  and  knowledge 
to  its  affairs.  The  other  officers  are  William  B.  Daven- 
port and  Joseph  E.  Brown,  vice  presidents ;  Tunis  G. 
Bergen,  corresponding  secretary;  and  Cyril  H.  Burdett, 
recording  secretary.     Miss  Toedtleberg  is  librarian. 


Crossing  on  the  Ice,  1821 

On  the  21st  of  January  the  North  River  from  the  Battery 
up  was  so  wholly  frozen  over  that  many  thousand  persons 
crossed  from  the  foot  of  Cortlandt  Street  to  Paulus  Hook 
(Jersey  City).  On  the  25th  foot  passengers  crossed  the  East 
River  to  Brooklyn  and  to  Governor's  Island;  on  the  26th  a 
boat  was  brought  up  from  Staten  Island  on  the  ice,  and  persons 
walked  to  Staten  Island  from  Long  Island. 

[143] 


Preparedness  Seventy  Years  Ago 

There  is  much  excitement  at  the  present  time  about 
compulsory  preparedness  and  judging  from  comments 
and  conversations  one  hears  it  would  seem  as  if  the 
idea  was  something  entirely  new  to  our  people.  As 
near  as  the  '40s  they  were  quite  accustomed  to  the  idea 
that  every  man  owed  a  debt  to  his  country  in  the  mat- 
ter of  military  training.  Here  is  an  interesting  account 
of  "general  training-day"  from  "A  Tour  Around  New 
York/'  by  John  Flavel  Mines,  and  published  by  Harper 
&  Brothers. 

The  present  generation  has  much  to  boast  of  in  its  advance 
upon  the  traditions  and  inventions  of  the  fathers,  but  it  has 
forever  missed  some  delights  whose  memories  are  still  redolent 
of  pleasure  to  us  who  are  tottering  down  the  western  slope 
of  the  hill.  To  the  boy  of  today  the  once  magic  words  "general 
training-day"  have  no  meaning.  To  the  Oldboys  they  still 
convey  through  memory's  kaleidoscope  rare  pictures  of  the  past. 
The  "June  training"  was  a  holiday  whether  the  school-house 
kept  its  doors  open  or  not.  At  one  time  it  covered  the  space 
of  three  days;  later  on  a  single  day  was  devoted  to  the  public 
instruction  in  the  manual  of  arms.  And  a  blithesome  day  it 
was.  It  never  rained  during  those  twenty-four  hours.  Very 
early  in  the  sweet  summer  morning  the  victims  and  votaries 
of  Mars  used  to  assemble  on  the  gravelled  sidewalk  of  St. 
John's  Park  and  in  other  convenient  places,  and  go  through  the 
manual  in  awkward  array.  Short  and  tall,  old  and  young, 
shabby  and  well  dressed,  the  motley  crew  were  ranged  in  line, 
while  the  instructor  in  tactics,  sword  at  side  and  with  rattan 
in  hand,  endeavored  to  switch  them  into  order  and  swear  into 
their  dull  heads  some  idea  of  military  discipline.  It  was  a 
spectacle  for  which  all  New  York  prepared  itself  for  weeks 
in  advance  with  a  broad  grin.  A  virtual  holiday,  it  always 
culminated  in  a  carnival.  When  the  hour  arrived  for  the  dis- 
play of  this  motley  crew  in  parade,  all  New  York  poured  forth 
into  the  streets  through  which  its  awkward  army  marched,  and 
laughed  until  its  sides  ached. 

The  fun  of  training-day  was  phenomenal,  but  it  had  to 
be  paid  for.  After  the  glory  of  the  review  came  the  terrors 
of  the  court-martial.  In  a  few  weeks  those  who  had  failed  to 
turn  out  for  inspection,  as  by  law  directed,  and  those  who  had 
not  equipped  themselves  in  such  martial  array  as  the  statute 
required,  found  themselves  standing  in  the  impressive  presence 

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of  a  circle  of  epauletted  officers,  whose  sternness  was  equalled 
only  by  the  amount  of  gold  lace  that  bedizened  them.  Then 
woe  befall  the  unlucky  wight  who  had  hoped  to  escape  detec- 
tion as  an  artful  dodger  of  his  duty,  or  the  careless  trainer, 
whose  bayonet,  cartridge-box,  or  musket  had  not  materialized 
itself  to  the  inspector's  eye.  All  delinquents  were  incontinently 
fined  in  sums  varying  from  25  cents  to  $5,  and  those  who 
had  not  the  money  to  pay  were  promptly  filed  off  under  guard 
and  consigned  to  the  iron  grasp  of  Marshal  Davids;  The 
unhappy  defender  of  his  country's  honor  had  no  alternative  but 
to  furnish  the  hard  cash,  or  to  rest  his  martial  bones  in  Eld- 
ridge  Street  Jail  until  such  time  as  his  fine  had  been  liquidated 
at  the  rate  of  one  dollar  for  each  day  of  imprisonment.  'Twas 
ever  thus,  that  those  who  would  dance  must  pay  the  piper. 


Records  of  Trinity  Church 

Generally  speaking,  the  records  of  Births,  Marriages 
and  Deaths  in  Trinity  Church  are  not  available  for  pub- 
lication. Persons,  however,  who  are  in  search  of  speci- 
fic information  are  provided  with  a  copy  of  any  particu- 
lar item  which  the  church  may  possess. 

The  parish  registers  having  been  destroyed  in  the  great 
fire  of  1776,  a  new  set  of  books  was  commenced.  The 
destruction  of  those  old  registers  cannot  be  too  deeply 
deplored.  One  only,  a  Register  of  Marriages,  escaped 
destruction;  and  that  goes  back  only  to  1746,  the  time 
of  a  previous  fire.  In  marriages  they  have  no  records 
prior  to  that  date;  in  baptisms  and  burials  they  can  go 
as  far  as  1777. 


The  Social  Center  Shifts  Again 

Fifth  Avenue  between  Sixty-sixth  and  Sixty-seventh 
Streets  is  the  centre  of  population  of  the  prominent  families 
of  New  York.  Two  years  ago  the  centre  was  at  Madison 
Avenue  and   Sixty-fourth   Street. 

Park  Avenue  has  more  prominent  families  than  any  other 
thoroughfare,  702.  Fifth  Avenue  has  438  families  and  Mad- 
ison Avenue  has  330.  Of  the  702  families  living  in  Park  Ave- 
nue 606  are  housed  in  fifty  apartment  houses.  In  one  apart- 
ment house  alone,  that  at  375  Park  Avenue,  there  are  forty- 
nine  families. 

Below  Central  Park  there  are  3,942  families,  on  the  east 
side  above  Fifty-ninth  Street  2,277  families,  and  on  the  west 

[145] 


side  above  Fifty-ninth  Street  1,156  families,  a  total  of  7,375 
families.  The  7,375  families  mentioned  as  living  in  Manhat- 
tan are  only  60  per  cent,  of  the  total  number  of  prominent 
New  York  families.  The  other  40  per  cent,  is  divided  be- 
tween those  living  in  the  country,  3,097  families,  abroad  713 
families  and  at  miscellaneous  places  1,200  families.  There  are 
110  prominent  New  York  families  wintering  at  Washington, 
89  in  California,  204  in  Paris  and  169  in  London. 

In  1888  Twenty-first  Street,  which  boasted  more  prom- 
inent families  than  any  other,  had  292  families,  while  Thirty- 
second  Street  came  next  with  111  families.  It  is  an  interest- 
ing fact  that  Washington  Square  and  Gramercy  Park  have 
about  the  same  number  of  well-known  families  now  as  in  the 
year  1888. 


Passenger  Traffic — Subway  and  Elevated 

The  greatest  number  of  passengers  ever  transported  by 
the  Interborough  Rapid  Transit  Company  in  one  day  went 
over  the  subway  and  elevated  lines  December  20,  1915.  On  that 
day,  according  to  President  Theodore  P.  Shonts,  2,468,970  pas- 
sengers were  carried,  of  whom  1,385,253  rode  in  the  subway. 

From  December  1  to  December  27  the  total  number  of 
passengers  carried  on  both  the  subways  and  the  elevated  lines 
was  53,351,275,  3,000,000  more  than  were  carried  during  the 
corresponding  period  last  year.  During  the  week  ended  De- 
cember 18  the  number  of  passengers  carried  was  14,018,126, 
and  during  the  week  ended  December  25  the  total  was  13,- 
658,849. 

The  handling  of  the  passengers  on  December  20,  the  rec- 
ord day,  was  accomplished  without  a  single  accident. 


Steamboat  Replaces  Horse  Boat  on  East  River  Ferry 

September  11th,  1826,  the  Williamsburgh  Ferry  Co.  peti- 
tioned the  Common  Council  to  allow  them  to  replace  their 
horse-boat  with  a  steamboat,  as  a  steamboat  was  not  provided 
for  in  their  grant. 


First  Tow  Boats 

Up  to  this  year,  1825,  when  tow  or  tug  boats  were  intro- 
duced, sailing  vessels  were  navigated  from  Sandy  Hook  around 
the  city,  and  even  through  Hell  Gate,  under  their  canvas-  alone. 
Vessels  of  war,  beating  from  the  Navy  Yard  down  the  East 
River  and  Bay,  were  a  frequent  and  interesting  sight. 

[146] 


SUPPLEMENT     to  the 
NEW-YORK  GAZETTEER        No.  44. 

PEACE?     LIBERTY!  and  INDEPENDENCE! 
PHILADELPHIA    March  24,  1783. 

YE  STFRD  AY  arrived,  after  a  paiTage  of  32  days  from  Cadiz,  a  French 
floop  of  war  commanded  by  M.  de  Quefne,  with  the  agreeable  intelligence 
of  PhACE.  The  particular  Articles  respecting  this  happy  and  glorious 
Event  are  as  follows.  The  principle  articles  or  the  preliminaries  of  the 
Peace  of  the  20th  January,  1783. 

France  to  retain  Tobago  and  Senegal. 

France  to  reftorc  to  Great-Britain  Grenada,  St.  Vincents*  Dominic* 
arid  St.  Chrijlopkers. 

St.  Eujlaria,  Demarara*  Barbice  and  Ifiquibo  to  be  reftored  to  the  Dutch. 

Great-Britain  10  reftorc  to  France,  Goree*St.  Lucia*  St.  Pierre*  and 
Mhqttelon. 

The  fimety  of  France  and  England  on  the  Coaft  of  Newfoundland,  to  re- 
main on  the  fame  footing  on  which  they  were  by  the  treaty  of  1763,  except 
that  part  of  the  Coaft  Cape  Bona&fia  ac  Cape  St.  Johns*  (hall  belong  to  the 
irnclifli^ 

F&ANCE.tobe  fe,-eftabhfhed  in  the  Eaft-Indies*  as  well  in  Bengal*  as  on  the 
Eatt  ami  Weft  Ccattof  the  Peninfula,  as  regulated  by  the  treaty  1763.  The 
articles  of  preceding  treaties,  coocertaing  the  demolilhing  of  Dunkirk  to  be 
fuppreficd. 

Spain  to  retain  Minorca  and  Welt-Florida. 

Great-Britain  cedes  Easl-Fhrida  to  Spain. 

An-  agreement  to  be  entered  into  between  Spain  and  Great-Britain,  about 
the  cutting  of  weed  in  the  Bay  of  Honduras. 

Great-Britais  to  retain  the  Dutch  Settlements  of  Negapatam  in  the 
Eafl-IrJiei. 

Great-iBritain  to  reftore  Trinauemale  \o  the  Dutch,  if  not  retaken* 

St.EuJiatia*  Demarara*  and  IRouibo  to  be  rcftorcd  by  the  French  to  the  U- 
niteo  Provinces. 

Great-iBritain  acknowledges  the.  Sovereignty  &  Independence  of  the 
United  States  of  America. 

The  Limits  of  the  Unitid  St  ates  to  be  agreed  upon  in  the  provifional  ar- 
ticles between  them  and  Great-Britain,  except  that  they  (hall  not  extend  /fur- 
ther downi  the  river  Mi ftftppi  than  the  3 2d  degree  of  North  Latitude,  from 
whence  a  line  is  to  be  drawn  to  the  head  of  the  Kiver  St.  Mary,  and  along  the 
jhiddlc  of  itbat  river  down  to  its  mouth. 


FIRST   ANNOUNCEMENT   THAT   PEACE    HAD   BEEN   DECLARED   BETWEEN   AMER- 
ICA   AND    ENGLAND    THUS    ENDING    THE    REVOLUTIONARY    WAR     (LAST    TWO 
PARAGRAPHS). 


[147] 


The  City  Government 

In  the  following  pages  an  attempt  has  been  made  to 
present  in  concise  and  intelligible  form  the  more  impor- 
tant facts  relating  to  the  city  government,  and  this  in- 
formation should  prove  of  value  not  only  to  the  citizens 
of  New  York  but  also  to  officials  and  citizens  elsewhere 
who  are  interested  in  the  administration  of  our  great  city. 

THE  MAYOR 

John  Purroy  Mitchel 

Term  Expires  December,  1917 

The  Mayor  of  New  York  is  the  chief  executive  officer 
of  the  city.  He  is  responsible  for  the  entire  municipal 
administration  with  the  exception  of  the  Department 
of  Finance  and  the  departments  under  the  jurisdiction 
of  the  five  borough  presidents.  His  salary  is  $15,000 
per  annum  and  his  term  is  four  years. 

The  Comptroller 

William  A.  Prendergast 

The  Comptroller  is  elected  by  the  voters  of  the  city  at  the  same 
time  as  the  Mayor,  and  likewise  for  a  four-year  term.  His  salary  is 
$15,000.  The  Comptroller  is  the  chief  financial  officer  of  the  city. 
His  functions  and  duties  are  best  indicated  in  the  description  of  the 
work  of  the  Department  of  Finance. 

The  President  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen 

Frank  L.   Dowling 

The  President  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  is  elected  by  the  city  at 
large  for  a  term  of  four  years  and,  as  his  title  implies,  is  the  pre- 
siding officer  of  the  board. 

The  charter  provides  that  the  President  of  the  Board  of  Alder- 
men shall  be  Acting  Mayor  during  the  Mayor's  absence  and  shall  be- 
come Mayor  in  case  of  a  vacancy  in  that  office.     His  salary  is  $5,000. 

Borough  Presidents 

Marcus  M.  Marks,  Manhattan 
Lewis  H.  Pounds,  Brooklyn 
Douglas  Mathewson,  Bronx 
Maurice  E.   Connolly,  Queens 
Calvin  D.  Van  Name,  Richmond 

[148] 


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The  City  of  New  York  is  divided  into  five  boroughs — Manhattan, 
Brooklyn,  The  Bronx,  Queens  and  Richmond — whose  limits  are  con- 
terminous respectively  with  the  counties  of  New  York,  Kings,  Bronx, 
Queens  and  Richmond.  Each  of  these  boroughs  elects  a  borough  presi- 
dent for  a  term  of  four  years,  who  is  in  a  measure  a  local  mayor 
responsible  to  a  large  degree  for  matters  relating  to  local  improvements 
and  administration. 

Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportionment 

This  board  is,  in  fact,  the  board  of  directors  of  the  municipal  cor- 
poration of  New  York,  and  as  such  determines  the  policies  of  the 
city  with  reference  to  all  financial  matters,  assessable  public  improve- 
ments, franchises,  privileges  and  permits.  Its  control  over  these  mat- 
ters is  almost  absolute. 

The  board  of  estimate  now  consists  (in  accordance  with  the  pro- 
visions of  the  revised  charter  of  1901)  of  eight  members,  all  of  whom 
are  officials  elected  for  four-year  terms.  The  Mayor,  who  is  Chair- 
man, the  Comptroller  and  the  President  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen 
have  three  votes  each,  the  presidents  of  the  boroughs  of  Manhattan  and 
of  Brooklyn  have  two  votes  each,  and  the  presidents  of  the  boroughs 
of  The  Bronx,  Queens  and  Richmond  have  one  vote  each — a  total  of 
sixteen  votes. 

Board  of  Aldermen 

Frank  L.  Dowling,  President 
P.  J.   Scully,  Clerk 

The  Board  of  Aldermen  consists  of  (1)  seventy-three  members  elected 
by  districts  for  two  years;  (2)  the  President  of  the  Board  of  Alder- 
men elected  at  large  for  four  years;  and  (3)  the  president  of  each 
of  the  five  boroughs.  The  head  of  each  city  department  is  entitled 
to  a  seat  but  not  a  vote  in  the  Board  and  must  attend  its  meetings 
when  required.  The  law  compels  the  Board  of  Aldermen  to  meet  at 
least  once  a  month  except  during  August  and  September.  Its  stated 
meetings  are  held  in  the  City  Hall,  Tuesdays  at  1 :30  P.  M.  The 
minutes  of  each  meeting  are  printed  in  the  City  Record  on  the  sub- 
sequent Thursday. 

The  most  important  powers  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  are  the  fol- 
lowing : 

1.  To  codify  and  revise  the  ordinances. 

2.  To  adopt  a  building  code. 

3.  To  make,  amend,  or  repeal  all  police,  park,  fire  and  building 
regulations  and  ordinances. 

4.  To  initiate  the  issue  of  special  revenue  bonds  for  certain  speci- 
fied purposes  supplementing  budget  appropriations. 

5.  To  authorize  purchases  in  excess  of  one  thousand  dollars 
without  public  letting  of  contracts. 

6.  To  exercise  general  legislative  control  over  bridge  tolls,  water 
rates,  street  traffic  and  the  establishment  of  public  markets. 

7.  To  reduce  or  eliminate  during  the  twenty  days  allowed  for  its 
consideration  any  item  in  the  budget  as  passed  by  the  Board 
of  Estimate  and  Apportionment. 

8.  To  elect  from  its  own  number  by  majority  vote  a  Vice- 
Chairman,  who  acts  as  President  in  case  of  a  vacancy  in  that 
office  and  who  becomes  Acting  Mayor  if  vacancies  occur  simul- 
taneously in  the  offices  of  Mayor  and  President. 

9.  To  elect  from  its  own  number  by  majority  vote  a  Chairman 
of  the  Finance  Committee  who  is  ex  officio  a  Commissioner  of 
the  Sinking  Fund. 

10.  To  appoint  a  City  Clerk  for  a  term  of  six  years. 

11.  To    appoint    for    terms    of    two    years    four    Commissioners    of 
Elections. 

12.  To  appoint  Commissioners  of  Deeds. 

[149] 


Names  of  Aldermen  and  Districts  for  1916-17 


Dist. 


MANHATTAN 


1 — Bernard  E.  Donnelly. 

2 — Michael  Stapleton. 

3 — Patrick  H.   Sullivan. 

4 — William  H.  Burns. 

5 — Joseph  M.  Hannon. 

6 — Emanuel  I.  Silberstein. 

7 — Frank  L.  Dowling. 

8 — Moritz  Tolk. 

9 — John  F.  McCourt. 
10 — Frank  Dostal. 
11 — Louis  Wendel,  Jr. 
12 — William  P.  Kenneally. 
13 — John  McCann. 
14 — William  T.  Collins. 
15 — William  F.  Quinn. 
16 — John  T.  Eagan. 
17 — Thomas  A.  Williams. 
18 — Thomas  M.  Farley. 
19 — Michael  J.  Shields. 
20 — Edward  Cassidy. 
21 — Augustus  M.  Wise. 
22 — Edward  V.  Gilmore. 
23 — S.  Clinton  Crane. 
24 — Frank  Mullen. 
25 — Charles  Delaney. 
26 — Henry  H.  Curran. 
27 — Isaac  Gutman. 
28 — Louis  F.  Cardani. 
29 — Frederick  Trau. 
30 — Lauren   Carroll. 
31 — John  McKee. 
32 — Charles  J,  McGillick. 
33 — Samson  Friedlander. 

THE  BRONX 
34 — Edward  W.  Curley. 
35 — Peter  Schweickert. 
36 — Robert  L.  Moran. 
37 — James  R.  Ferguson. 
38 — Harry  Robitzek. 


39 — William  J.  Daly. 
40 — Clarence  Y.  Palitz. 
41 — Thomas  W.  Martin. 

BROOKLYN 
42 — M.   J.  Hogan. 
43 — James  J.  Browne. 
44 — Frank  A.  Cunningham. 
45 — John  S.  Gaynor. 
46 — John  Wirth 
47 — John  Diemer. 
48 — James  J.  Molen. 
49 — Francis  P.  Kenney. 
50 — Charles  W.  Dunn. 
51 — August  Ferrand. 
52 — William  W.   Colne. 
53 — Frederick  H.  Stevenson. 
54- — Alexander  Bassett. 
55 — Frank  T.  Dixson. 
56 — William  P.  McGarry. 
57 — John  J.   Ryan. 
58— Fred  Smith. 
59 — Arnon  L.   Squiers. 
60 — George  Hilkemeier. 
61 — Francis  P.   Bent. 
62 — Harry  Heyman. 
63 — Charles  H.  Haubert. 
64 — Charles  J.  Moore. 
65 — Alexander  S.  Drescher. 

QUEENS 
66 — Samuel   J.   Burden. 
67 — Edward  W.  Cox. 
68 — Frank   J.    Schmitz. 
69 — Charles  A.  Post. 
70 — John  Kochendorfer. 

RICHMOND 
71 — William  K.  Walsh. 
72 — John  J.  O'Rourke. 
73 — Charles  P.  Cole. 


Board  of  Commissioners  of  the  Sinking  Fund 

The  Board  of  Commissioners  of  the  Sinking  Fund,  composed  of  the 
Mayor  (chairman),  the  Comptroller,  the  Chamberlain,  the  President 
of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  and  the  Chairman  of  the  Finance  Commit- 
tee of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  is  a  board  of  trustees  charged  with  the 
duty  of  administering  the  several  sinking  funds  of  the  city  which 
provide  for  the  redemption  of  the  city  debt  and  the  payment  of  in- 
terest. It  is  also  the  custodian  of  the  city's  real  and  personal  prop- 
erty. 


Department  of  Finance 

William  A.  Pkendergast,  Comptroller 

Under  the  charter  there  are  six  bureaus  of  the  Department  of  Fi- 
nance : — the  bureau  for  the  collection  of  the  city  revenue  and  of  mar- 
kets ;  the  bureau  for  the  collection  of  taxes  ;  the  bureau  for  the  collec- 
tion of  assessments  and  arrears ;  the  auditing  bureau  (with  fourteen  di- 
visions) ;  the  bureau  of  the  Chamberlain  and  the  bureau  of  municipal 
investigation  and  statistics. 

[ISO] 


The  Division  of  City  Paymaster,  one  of  the  divisions  of  the  Auditing 
Bureau,  pays  every  employee  in  the  service  of  the  City  of  New  York 
and  the  five  counties  therein.  The  labor  group  is  paid  weekly ;  the 
others  are  paid  monthly  or  semi-monthly,  as  the  employees  of  the 
several  departments  have  elected.  Of  the  eighty-five  thousand  perma- 
nent employees,  eighty-eight  per  cent  are  paid  by  check,  involving  the 
issuing  of  130,000  checks  a  month  ;  the  other  twelve  per  cent  are  paid 
in  cash  at  or  near  their  work  by  deputy  city  paymasters.  About 
1,560,000  checks  are  issued  each  year  and  about  556,000  cash  payments 
are  made. 

In  addition  to  the  eighty-five  thousand  permanent  city  employees 
there  are  about  twenty  thousand  whose  services  are  temporary.  These 
comprise  election  officers,  lecturers  of  the  Board  of  Education,  teachers 
in  recreation  centers,  etc  Thus  the  paymaster's  office  pays  in  cash, 
or  by  check,  about  105,000  persons  a  year,  a  number  greater  than  the 
population  of  many  cities. 

Aside  from  issuing  the  checks  the  city  paymaster  cashes  checks  for 
employees  in  the  clerical  force  who  call  at  his  office  on  pay  days.  About 
$400,000  in  currency  is  used  for  this  purpose  each  month.  Through 
an  arrangement  with  150  banks  and  trust  companies  of  New  York  the 
city  pay-checks  are  made  as  good  as  currency.  Formerly  city  employees 
were  obliged  in  many  instances  to  pay  discounts  to  shopkeepers  and 
others  for  getting  their  checks  cashed.  There  is  no  need  whatever,  under 
the  revised  procedure,  for  this  abuse.  The  banks  cash  upon  identifica- 
tion the  pay  check  of  any  city  employee  without  discount.  The  checks 
are  so  designed  as  to  carry  a  specimen  signature  which  in  effect  is 
certified  by  the  city,  and  in  general  use  corresponds  to  a  traveler's 
check.     Thus  identification  is  made  automatic. 

"Pay-As-You-Go"  Policy 

On  September  11,  1914,  the  Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportionment 
adopted  a  resolution  approving  the  terms  of  an  agreement  between  the 
city  and  the  underwriters  of  the  $100,000,000  loan  by  which  there  was 
established  with  respect  to  the  financing  of  non-revenue  producing  public 
improvements  what  is  familiarly  known  as  the  "pay-as-you-go"  policy. 

That  portion  of  the  agreement  dealing  with  this  new  "pay-as-you-go" 
policy  involved  the  adoption  of  a  plan  whereby  an  annually  increasing 
proportion  of  the  cost  of  permanent  improvements  of  the  non-revenue 
producing  class  will  be  defrayed  from  the  tax  budget  until  after  1918 
the  entire  cost  will  be  so  defrayed. 

This  plan  provided  that  all  non-revenue  producing  improvements 
authorized  during  1915  should  be  financed,  three-quarters  by  fifteen 
year  corporate  stock  and  one-quarter  by  one  year  bonds  payable  from 
the  1916  tax  budget ;  that  those  authorized  during  1916  should  be 
financed,  one-half  by  fifteen  year  corporate  stock  and  one-half  by  one 
year  bonds  payable  from  the  1917  tax  budget ;  that  those  authorized 
during  1917  should  be  financed,  one-quarter  by  fifteen  year  corporate 
stock  and  three-quarters  by  one  year  bonds  payable  from  the  1918  tax 
budget ;  that  those  authorized  during  1918  and  subsequent  years  should 
be  financed  wholly  from  the  annual  tax  budget. 

While  such  a  plan  will  materially  increase  the  tax  budgets  of  the 
immediate  future  the  ultimate  effect  upon  the  city's  finances  will  be 
most  beneficial.  Every  dollar  borrowed  on  a  4^  per  cent  fifty-year 
bond  costs  $2.69  before  repayment.  By  financing  public  improvements 
from  the  tax  levy  instead  of  by  means  of  long  term  bonds,  their  cost 
to  the  city  will  be  one  dollar  for  each  dollar  spent  instead  of  $2.69, 
so  that  ultimately  the  budget  will  be  relieved  of  much  of  its  present 
huge  burden  for  interest  and  sinking  fund  payments. 

The  Chamberlain 

Henry  Bruere 

The  Chamberlain  is  the  city  and  county  treasurer.  Although  his 
office  is  a  bureau  of  the  Department  of  Finance,  he  is  appointed  by  the 
Mayor.  His  salary  is  $12,000.  His  most  important  duty  is  the  care 
of  the  city's   funds. 

[151] 


Department  of  Taxes  and  Assessments 

Lawson  Purdy,  President 

The  Department  of  Taxes  and  Assessments  is  administered  by  a 
board  of  seven  commissioners  who  are  appointed  by  the  Mayor  and 
whose  duty  is  the  assessment  for  the  purposes  of  taxation  of  all  real 
and  personal  property  within  the  city. 

There  are  three  classes  of  real  property:  (1)  land,  (2)  buildings  or 
improvements,  and  (3)  special  franchises  of  corporations;  and  two 
classes  of  personal  property:  (1)  tangible  property,  such  as  household 
goods,  merchandise,  machinery,  tools  etc.,  and  (2)  intangible  property, 
such  as  mercantile  credits,  chattel  mortgages'  promissory  notes,  cash,  etc. 

The  tax  department's  estimate  of  the  value  of  a  parcel  of  land  is 
derived  chiefly  from  records  of  sales,  mortgages  and  leases.  Values 
thus  determined  are  entered  in  the  tax  books  and  are  made  the  basis  of 
tax  maps  which  show  for  any  given  locality  the  distribution  of  front 
foot  values.  The  purpose  of  these  maps  is  to  prevent  the  levying  of  dis- 
proportionate assessments  on  adjoining  parcels.  All  complaints  as  to 
illegal  or  excessive  assessments  are  made  to  the  Board  of  Tax  Com- 
missioners and  acted  upon  before  the  completion  of  the  assessment 
rolls.  Their  action  is  subject  to  review  by  the  Supreme  Court  under 
certiorari  proceedings. 

Buildings  or  improvements  are  assessed  separately  from  the  land. 
The  value  of  a  building  is  determined  by  applying  to  its  floor  area  a 
unit  value  per  square  foot.  This  unit  is  chosen  and  adjusted  with 
reference  to  the  kind  of  building  involved,  the  height  between  floors, 
present  condition  and  the  amount  of  initial  cost  that  should  be  written 
off  because  of  obsolescence  and  depreciation,  the  proportion  of  the  lot 
area  covered,  etc. 

For  several  years  the  city  has  endeavored  to  assess  property  at  a 
fair  market  value  with  the  result  that  valuations  throughout  the  city 
are  now  a  full  one  hundred  per  cent  of  market  value.  In  many  sections 
of  the  State  this  policy  does  not  obtain.  The  tax  levied  by  the  State  for 
State  purposes,  however,  is  based  not  upon  assessed  values  but  upon 
adjusted  values  determined  by  the  State  Board  of  Equalization. 

Taxpayers'  Calendar 

February  1 — Assessment  rolls  made  up. 

March  1 — Assessment  rolls  delivered  to  Board  of  Aldermen. 

March  13 — Board  of  Aldermen  fixes  tax  rate. 

March  28 — Assessment  rolls  delivered  to  Receiver  of  Taxes  before  this 
date. 

April  1 — Work  of  assessing  for  the  next  year  begins. 

May  1 — All  personal  taxes  and  half  of  the  real  estate  taxes  payable  in 
May.  If  first  half  has  been  paid,  final  half  of  tax  may  be  paid 
from  now  until  November  1,  with  a  rebate  at  the  rate  of  4  per 
cent  per  annum  for  the  time  intervening  between  date  of  payment 
and  November  1. 

May  31 — Last  day  to  pay  first  half  of  real  estate  or  personal  tax 
without  interest. 

June  1 — Interest  at  7  per  cent  commences  to  run  from  May  1  on 
unpaid  taxes  due  in  May. 

June  30 — Last  day  to  begin  proceedings  under  certiorari  to  review  de- 
termination of  the  Tax  Commissioners  on  application  for  reduction 
of   assessed   valuation. 

October  1 — Tax  day :  Tax  books  are  opened,  showing  assessed  valuation 
of  real  and  personal  estate  for  the  following  year.  Applications 
for  reduction  of  valuations  of  real  estate  can  be  made  until  Novem- 
ber  15,    and   of   personal    estate   until    November    30. 

October — Generally  last  week :  Public  hearings  on  tax  budget. 

November  1 — Second  half  of  real  estate  taxes  payable.  Payment  can 
be  made  during  the  month  without  addition  of  interest. 

November  15 — Last  day  to  file  claims  for  reduction  of  real  estate 
valuations. 

November  30 — Last  day  to  correct  personal   tax  valuation. 

December  1 — Interest  at  7  per  cent  commences  to  run  from  November  1 
on  second  half  of  real  estate  tax,  if  unpaid. 

[152] 


? 


c 

35 


Board  of  Assessors 

Alfred  P.  W.  Seaman,  Chairman ;  Jacob  J.  Lesser,  William  C.  Ormond 
The  chief  duty  of  the  Board  of  Assessors  (composed  of  three  members 
appointed  by  the  Mayor)  is  the  levying  of  assessments  to  defray  the 
original  cost  of  local  improvements,  such  as  the  grading,  curbing  and 
paving  of  streets,  the  laying  of  sidewalks  and  the  laying  of  sewers. 

Department  of  Education 

William  G.  Willcox,   President  of  Board;   William  H.   Maxwell,    Super- 
intendent of  Schools. 

Control  of  the  public  school  system  is  vested  in  an  unpaid  Board 
of  Education,  consisting  of  forty-six  members  appointed  by  the  Mayor 
for  terms  of  five  years.  These  forty-six  commissioners  are  divided 
among  the  boroughs  as  follows :  Manhattan,  22 ;  Brooklyn,  14 ;  The 
Bronx,  4;  Queens,  4,  and  Richmond,  2.  '  Direct  responsibility  for 
school  management  rests  with  the  Board  of  Superintendents,  which 
consists  of  the  City  Superintendent  and  eight  Associate  Superin- 
tendents. .  . 

In  addition,  there  are  forty-six  local  school  boards,  each  com- 
posed of  five  members  appointed  by  the  borough  president,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Education  designated  by  the  president  of  that 
board,  and  the  district  superintendent  assigned  to  duty  in  the  dis- 
trict. These  local  boards  visit  the  schools  in  their  neighborhood  and 
make  recommendations  to  the  Board  of  Education. 

Every  child  between  seven  and  fourteen  years  of  age  is  required 
by  law  to  attend  school  throughout  the  school  year.  Children  between 
the  ages  of  fourteen  and  sixteen  who  have  completed  the  work  of 
Grade  6B,  or  an  equivalent  course  of  study,  may  leave  school  and 
obtain  employment  if  upon  examination  by  the  physicians  of  the 
Department  of  Health  they  are  granted  the  necessary  employment 
certificate.  Those  children,  however,  between  fourteen  and  sixteen 
who  have  obtained  employment  certificates  but  who  have  not  graduated 
from  the  elementary  school,  are  required  to  attend  evening  schools  or 
day  continuation  classes  for  six  hours  a  week  not  less  than  sixteen 
weeks   in  the  school  year. 

The  work  of  the  evening  elementary  schools  consists  chiefly  in 
teaching  English  and  civics  to  foreigners.  The  pupils  of  the  evening 
high  and  trade  schools  receive  instruction  in  the  regular  academic 
work  of  the  high  school  and  in  the  commercial,  professional  or  in- 
dustrial work  in  which  they  are  employed. 

Vocational  training  is  provided  by  three  vocational  or  trade 
schools — two   for   boys   and   one   for   girls. 

Among  its  other  activities  the  Board  of  Education  maintains 
vacation  schools  and  playgrounds,  operates  free  baths  in  thirty-seven 
school  buildings,  conducts  a  series  of  free  public  lectures  and  has 
established   recreation  centers   in  sixty-two  schools. 

Teachers  in  the  public  schools  are  appointed  from  eligible  lists 
established  as  the  result  of  examinations  held  by  the  Board  of 
Education.  The  names  on  an  eligible  list  must  be  exhausted  or  three 
years  must  have  elapsed  before  appointments  can  be  made  from  new 
lists.  In  the  elementary  schools  the  teachers'  salaries  range  from 
$720   to  $1,820   and   in  the  high   schools   from   $900   to   $3,150. 

The  supervising  and  teaching  staff  of  the  day  schools  consists  of 
2,701   men   and   18,404  women. 

The  average  daily  attendance  of  pupils  in  day  schools  is  702,856 
and  the  number  of  day  schools  549. 

In  addition  to  the  educational  facilities  provided  by  public  schools 
there  are  many  parochial  and  private  schools  in  the  city  and  thirty- 
nine  corporate  schools  or  societies.  These  corporate  schools  are  the 
incorporated  charitable  institutions  in  which  the  city  maintains  de- 
pendent children.  These  institutions  receive  from  the  city  two  classes 
of  appropriation,  one  for  the  maintenance  of  the  children  and  the 
other  for  their  education.  The  Department  of  Education  pays  $15.00 
per  year  for  each  child  enrolled  in  the  corporate  schools.  There  are 
about  16,000  such  children. 

[153] 


The  College  of  the^City  of  New  York 

S.   E.   Mezes,   President 

The  Board  of  Trustees  of  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York  con- 
sists of  nine  residents  of  the  city,  appointed,  each  for  a  term  of 
nine  years,  by  the  Mayor.  The  President  of  the  Board  of  Education 
is  an  ex  officio  member  of  this  governing  body. 

This  college,  established  in  1848,  is  maintained  by  the  city  as 
part  of  its  system  of  free  education.  The  educational  and  social 
services   rendered  by  the   institution   are   as   follows : 

(1)  The  day  session  of  the  college  offers  courses  leading  to 
the  degrees  of  B.A.  and  B.S.  The  education  here  provided  is  freely 
granted  to  male  residents  of  the  city  who  meet  the  entrance  require- 
ments  common   to  colleges   of  high    standard. 

(2)  The  evening  session  of  the  college,  with  organization,  aim 
and  regulations  similar  to  those  of  the  day  session,  is  conducted  at 
night  for  qualified  male  students  who  are  employed  during  the  day. 

(3)  Special  courses  in  the  day  and  evening  sessions  are  offered 
for  non-matriculated  students  who  are  city  employees.  These  courses 
are  designed  to  improve  the  quality  of  municipal  service.  Pees  may 
be  charged   for   these   special   courses. 

(4)  Extension  courses  for  teachers  (male  and  female)  are  held 
in  professional  and  cultural  subjects.  Credit  for  work  done  here  is 
allowed  by  the  City   Superintendent  of   Schools. 

(5)  A  preparatory  school — in  Townsend  Harris  Hall — offers 
work  so  arranged  that  able  and  earnest  students  may  complete  their 
preparation  for  college  in  a  minimum  of  three  years. 

(6)  Public  organ  recitals  are  given  on  Sunday  and  Wednesday 
afternoons,  in  the  Great  Hall.  Fifty-eight  recitals  were  given  last 
year  at  which  the  average  attendance  was  over  1,500. 

(7)  The  stadium  and  gymnasium  are  given  over  to  social  service 
of  an  educational  and  recreational  character.  Greek  plays,  other  out- 
door theatricals  and  pageants,  as  well  as  athletic  contests  and  exhi- 
bitions, are  presented  here  to  the  public. 

Hunter  College  of  the  City  of  New  York 

George  S.  Davis,  President 

Hunter  College,  formerly  the  Normal  College,  was  established  in 
1870  and  is  administered  by  a  board  of  eleven  trustees  consisting  of 
the  Presidents  of  the  Board  of  Education  and  of  Hunter  College  and 
nine  members  appointed  by  the  Mayor.  It  is  a  free  college  for  women 
residents  of  the   city. 

The  course  of  study  requires  four  years'  academic  work  after 
graduation  from  high  school  and  leads  to  the  degrees  of  A.B.  One 
of  the  chief  purposes  of  the  institution  is  the  preparation  of  women 
who  intend  to  become  teachers  in  the  elementary  and  high  schools 
of  the  city.  In  order  to  provide  such  students  with  practical  training 
in  teaching,  a  high  school  and  a  model  elementary  school  form  part 
of  the  college  organization.  The  college  also  maintains  a  school  for 
training  students  in  kindergarten  work. 

Public  Libraries 

Edwin   H.    Anderson,    Director,   New    York 
F.  P.  Hill,  Chief  Librarian,  Brooklyn 
J.  P.  Hume,  Chief  Librarian,  Queens 

There  are  three  public  library  corporations  in  the  City  of  New 
York:  (1)  the  New  York  Public  Library,  consisting  of  the  Astor, 
Lenox  and  Tilden  Foundations,  which  serves  the  boroughs  of  Man- 
hattan, The  Bronx  and  Richmond;  (2)  the  Brooklyn  Public  Library; 
and  (3)  the  Queens  Borough  Public  Library.  These  three  library 
systems  maintained  93  branches  in  1914  and  circulated  15,856,109 
books. 

In  1901,  Andrew  Carnegie  offered  the  city  $5,200,000  for  the 
construction   and   equipment  of   free  circulating   libraries   provided   the 

[154] 


city  should  furnish  the  sites  and  should  also  provide  adequately  for 
the  maintenance  and  operation  of  the  buildings  when  erected,  the 
annual  expenditure  by  the  city  for  such  purposes  to  be  not  less  than 
ten  per  cent  of  the  amount  expended  by  Mr.  Carnegie.  The  agreement 
further  provided  that  the  total  number  of  libraries  to  be  erected  should 
not  exceed  78,  unless  by  mutual  consent. 

Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art 

5th  Ave.   at  82d  St. 

OFFICERS  :   Robert  W.  De  Forest,  President;  Joseph  H.  Choate,  First 

Vice-President;    Henry    Walters,    Second    Vice-President;    Howard 

Mansfield,    Treasurer;   William    L.    Andrews,    Honorary   Librarian; 

Henry  W.   Kent,   Secretary. 

BOARD   OF  TRUSTEES :   V.   Everit  Macy,   Henry   Clay   Frick,    John   G. 

Johnson    Francis  L.  Leland,  Robert  W.  De  Forest,  George  F.  Baker, 

Henry  Walters,   Samuel   T.   Peters,   Joseph   H.   Choate,   George  Blu- 

menthal,    Howard    Mansfield,    Daniel    C.    French,    William    Church 

Osborn,  J.  Pierpont  Morgan,  William  L.  Andrews,  Edward  D.  Adams, 

R.  T.  Haines  Halsey,  Elihu  Root,  Edward  S.  Harkness,  Lewis  Cass 

Ledyard. 

EXECUTIVE    COMMITTEE :    William   L.    Andrews,    Elihu   Root,   Daniel 

C.   French,   William   Church   Osborn,   Edward   D.   Adams,   John   W. 

Alexander,  George  Blumenthal,   Edward  S.  Harkness. 

FINANCE    COMMITTEE :    Edward    D.    Adams,    Chairman;    George    F. 

Baker,    Henry   Clay   Frick,    The   Treasurer    (Ex-officio). 
AUDITING  COMMITTEE  :    Francis  L.  Leland,  Clvairman;  J.  P.  Morgan, 
Samuel  T.  Peters. 

The  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art  is  managed  by  a  self-perpetuating 
board  of  twenty-one  trustees  chosen  for  seven-year  terms,  and  by  the 
Mayor,  the  Comptroller,  the  President  of  the  Park  Board  and  the 
President  of  the  National  Academy  of  Design  as  ex  officio  members. 
The  Museum  is  maintained  from  endowments,  contributions  and  dues, 
admission  fees  and  appropriation  by  the  city. 

The  chief  departments  of  the  museum  are  the  following :  paintings, 
classical  art,  Egyptian  art,  decorative  arts,  arms  and  armor,  and  the 
library.  Each  one  of  these  departments  maintains  representative 
collections  which  are  continully  augmented  by  gift,  by  purchase,  and 
some  of  them  by  the  discoveries  made  by  the  museum's  field  expedi- 
tions. The  library  contains  28,000  volumes  and  37,000  photographs. 
The  museum  can  be  reached  directly  by  Fifth  Avenue  motor-bus.  It 
is  open  week  days,  in  summer,  from  10  A.  M.  to  6  P.  M.  ;  in  winter, 
from  10  A.  M.  to  5  P.  M. ;  Sundays  from  1  P.  M.  to  6  P  M.  ;  and 
Saturdays  from  10  A.  M.  to  10  P.  M.  Admission  is  free  except  on 
Mondays   and  Fridays,  when   a  charge  of  twenty-five  cents   is  made. 

American  Museum  of  Natural  History 

Columbus  Ave.,  77th  St.  and  Central  Park  W. 

OFFICERS :  Henry  Fairfield  Osborn,  President;  Cleveland  H.  Dodge, 
First  Vice-President ;  J.  P.  Morgan,  Second  Vice-President;  Henry 
P.  Davison,  Treasurer ;  Adrian  Iselin,  Jr.,  Secretary. 

BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES:  Arthur  Curtiss  James,  J.  P.  Morgan,  John 
B.  Trevor,  Percy  R.  Pyne,  Walter  B.  James,  Charles  Lanier,  Anson 
W.  Hard,  R.  Fulton  Cutting,  Seth  Low,  Frederick  F.  Brewster, 
Adrian  Iselin,  Jr.,  Thomas  DeWitt  Cuyler,  Ogden  Mills,  Madison 
Grant,  Cleveland  H.  Dodge,  A.  D.  Juilliard,  Felix  M.  Warburg, 
Henry  C.  Frick,  Archer  M.  Huntington,  George  F.  Baker,  Henry 
Fairfield  Osborn,  Joseph  H.  Choate,  James  Douglas,  George  W. 
Wickersham. 

EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE:  J.  P.  Morgan,  Chairman;  Henry  Fairfield 
Osborn,  ex  officio;  Charles  Lanier,  Cleveland  H.  Dodge,  A.  D.  Juil- 
liard, Felix  M.  Warburg,  Adrian  Iselin,  Jr.,  Arthur  Curtiss  James. 
Ogden   Mills. 

[155] 


AUDITING  COMMITTEE:  George  W.  Wickersham,  Thomas  DeWitt 
Cuyler,    Frederick   F.    Brewster. 

FINANCE  COMMITTEE:  J.  P.  Morgan,  Charles  Lanier,  George  F. 
Baker,  Henry  C.  Frick. 

NOMINATING  COMMITTEE — Percy  R.  Pyne,  R.  Fulton  Cutting,  Madi- 
son Grant. 

COMMITTEE  ON  BUILDING  AND  PLANS — Percy  R.  Pyne,  Walter 
B.   James,   Madison   Grant.      Cabot  Ward,   Commissioner   of  Parks. 

The  American  Museum  of  Natural  History  was  incorporated  in 
1869  as  an  educational  corporation  for  the  purpose  of  encouraging 
and  developing  the  study  of  natural  science.  It  is  governed  by  a  self- 
perpetuating  board  of  twenty-five  trustees  who  hold  office  for  terms 
of  five  years  and  by  the  Mayor,  the  Comptroller  and  the  President  of 
the  Park  Board,  who  serve  as  trustees  ex  officio. 

The  Museum  is  supported  by  endowments,  by  contributions  and 
dues,  and  by  appropriations  from  the  city.  The  permanent  endow- 
ment fund  now  amounts  to  nearly  $7,500,000,  including  the  recent 
Jesup  bequest  of  $5,000,000. 

In  order  that  the  collections  may  be  kept  as  complete  as  possible 
and  to  further  scientific  knowledge  the  trustees  support  many  ex- 
peditions for  the  purposes  of  exploration.  In  1914  twenty-nine  field 
parties  or  agents  were  actively  engaged  in  the  interests  of  the  museum 
in  various  sections  of  North  America,   South  America  and  Africa. 

The  museum  has  recently  undertaken  another  form  of  extension 
work  in  the  public  schools,  namely,  the  loaning  of  lantern  slides  to 
teachers  for  class  room  use.  The  purpose  of  this  extension  work  is 
to  facilitate  the  instruction  of  children  in  natural  science  and  to 
promote  their  interest  therein.  For  a  number  of  years  the  museum 
has  maintained  circulating  collections  of  nature  study  material  for 
schoolroom  use.  In  1914  about  four-fifths  of  the  public  schools  were 
regularly  supplied  with  these  collections.  Another  valuable  feature 
of  the  educational  work  of  the  museum  is  its  provision  for  the  instruc- 
tion of  the  blind.  Large  relief  globes,  showing  the  physical  features 
of  the  earth,  have  been  prepared  and  are  made  the  basis  of  the 
instruction  of  blind  children  in  physical  geography.  Special  casts 
of  North  American  mammals  have  also  been  made  for  the  teaching 
of  the  blind. 

The  museum  is  open  to  the  public  without  charge  on  week  days 
and  holidays  from  9  A.  M.  to  5  P.  M. ;  Sundays,  1  P.  M.  to  5  P.  M. ; 
and  Tuesday  and  Saturday  evenings  7  to  10  P.  M. 

Brooklyn  Institute  of  Arts  and  Scienoes 

Charles   D.  Atkins,   Director. 

OFFICERS :  A.  Augustus  Healy,  President;  Robert  B.  Woodward,  First 
Vice-President ;  George  D.  Pratt,  Second  Vice-President;  Walter 
H.  Crittenden,  Third  Vice-President;  Daniel  V.  B.  Hegeman, 
Treasurer;  Herman  Stutzer,  C.E.,  Secretary. 

BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES:  Elijah  R.  Kennedy,  E.  Le  Grand  Beers, 
Julian  D.  Fairchild,  Charles  Jones  Peabody,  David  A.  Boody, 
Martin  Joost,  J.  Adolph  Mollenhauer,  George  D.  Pratt,  John  W. 
Frothingham,  Rev.  Charles  C.  Albertson,  D.D.,  William  J.  Coombs, 
Dick  S.  Ramsay,  Henry  L.  Batterman,  John  Thomas  Underwood, 
Frank  L.  Babbott,  Jacob  G.  Dettmer,  Horace  J.  Morse,  Albert  De 
Silver,  John  Hill  Morgan,  A.  Augustus  Healy,  Alfred  T.  White, 
Walter  H.  Crittenden,  Edward  C.  Blum,  Rev.  Alfred  Duane  Pell, 
R.  R.  Bowker,  Herman  Stutzer,  C.E.,  Arthur  M.  Hatch,  Clinton 
W.  Ludlum,  Luke  Vincent  Lockwood,  William  B.  Davenport, 
Lysander  W.  Lawrence,  Rev.  S.  Parkes  Cadman,  D.D.,  Frank  S. 
Jones,  P.  A.  Valentine,  William  A.  Putnam,  William  T.  Evans, 
Daniel  V.  B.  Hegeman,  Rt.  Rev.  Mgr.  Edward  W.  McCarty,  LL.D., 
Gates  D.  Fahnestock,  Francis  H.  Sloan,  George  W.  Brush,  M.D., 
Henry  H.  Benedict,  Frank  Healy,  Samuel  P.  Avery,  William  C. 
Courtney,   Edwin    G.   Warner,   Ph.D. 

[156] 


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The  Brooklyn  Institute  of  Arts  and  Sciences  is  governed  by  a 
self-perpetuating  board  of  fifty  trustees.  The  Mayor,  the  President  of 
the  Borough  of  Brooklyn,  and  the  Brooklyn  park  commissioner  are 
ex  officio  members  of  the  board.  The  expenses  of  the  Museums  are 
met  in  part  by  appropriations  in  the  city's  budget  and  in  part  by 
admission  fees,  members'  dues,  contributions  and  income  from  endow- 
ments. The  work  of  the  Institute  is  carried  on  by  three  divisions — 
the   Department  of   Education,    the   Museums   and   the   Botanic   Garden. 

New  York  Zoological  Society 

William   T.   Hornaday.,   Director 

The  New  York  Zoological  Society  is  governed  by  a  board  of  36 
managers  elected  by  the  Society  for  terms  of  three  years.  The  Mayor 
and  the  President  of  the  Park  Board  are  also  members  of  the  board. 
The  Zoological  Park  in  the  Bronx  and  the  Aquarium  in  Battery  Park 
are  under  the  control  of  the  Society  and  are  maintained  in  part 
from  endowment  funds  and  in  part  by  the  city. 

The  Zoological  Park  opens  at  9  A.  M.  from  April  15th  to  October 
15th  and  at  10  A.  M.  during  the  rest  of  the  year,  and  closes  through- 
out the  year  a  half  hour  before  sunset.  Admission  is  free,  except  on 
Mondays  and  Thursdays,  when  a  fee  of  twenty-five  cents  is  charged. 
The  park  can  be  reached  most  easily  by  taking  a  Bronx  Park  Sub- 
way  express   to   the  end   of   the   line. 

The  Aquarium 

Charles  H.   Townsend,  Director. 

The  Aquarium,  located  at  the  Battery,  is  open  daily  without 
charge  in  summer  from  9  A.  M.  to  6  P.  M.,  and  in  winter  from  10 
A.  M.  to  4  P.  M. 

New  York  Botanical  Garden 

Nathaniel  L.  Britton,  Director 

The  New  York  Botanical  Garden  is  under  the  control  of  a  board 
of  26  managers  of  which  the  Mayor  and  the  President  of  the  Park 
Board  are  members.  The  expenses  of  the  institution  are  met  in  part 
from  the  city's  budget  and  in  part  from  members'  dues,  contributions 
and  income  from  endowment. 

The  main  building  contains  a  scientific  and  economic  museum,  a 
herbarium,  a  library  and  a  lecture  hall.  In  the  conservatory  there 
are  plants  from  tropical  and  warm  temperate  regions,  and  in  the 
400  acres  of  grounds  there  are  plantations  of  shrubs,  trees  and  hardy 
herbaceous   plants   in    addition   to   the   natural   woodlands. 

The  grounds  and  buildings  are  open  daily  to  the  public  without 
charge.  The  museum  building  is  open  in  summer  from  10  A.  M.  to 
5  P.  M.  and  in  winter  10  A.  M.  to  4.30  P.  M.  The  conservatories 
are  open  from  10  A.  M.  to  4  P.  M. ;  free  public  lectures  on  botanical 
subjects  are  given  in  the  museum  building  every  Saturday  afternoon 
from   April   to   November. 

The  Botanical  Garden  is  a  part  of  the  Bronx  Park  system  and 
can  be  reached  most  easily  by  taking  the  Third  Avenue  Elevated  to 
the  end  of  the  line. 

Parks 

Cabot  Ward,  President;  Raymond  V.  Ingersoll,  Thomas  W.  Whittle, 
John  E.  Weier 

The  park  system  of  New  York  City  is  under  the  control  of  the 
Park  Board,  which  consists  of  four  commissioners  appointed  by  the 
Mayor. 

The  Park  Board  controls  8,500  acres  of  park  land  assessed  at 
$641,000,000,    maintains    120    miles    of    parkways,    operates    94    play- 


[157] 


grounds  and  9  recreation  piers,   in  addition  to  public  baths,  gymnasia 
and  bathing  beaches. 

Park  land  is  devoted  to  many  uses, — some  of  the  parks,  par- 
ticularly those  in  The  Bronx  and  in  Queens,  include  many  acres  of 
woodland  and  in  addition  to  such  natural  advantages,  park  property 
has  been  developed  for  more  specific  forms  of  recreation.  Four  public 
golf  links  are  maintained  by  the  park  department,  three  in  The 
Bronx  and  one  in  Queens.  Permits  for  the  use  of  these  links  are 
granted  for  a  nominal  fee. 

Public  tennis  courts  are  located  in  Central  Park,  Prospect  Park, 
Van    Cortlandt    Park,    Forest    Park,    Highland    Park    and    other    parks. 

Baseball  diamonds  are  maintained  in  many  parks  and  playgrounds. 

Provision  is  also  made  by  the  park  department  for  basket-ball, 
cricket,   polo,   skating  and  many  other  recreational   activities. 

Another  use  to  which  park  property  is  put  is  camping.  In  Pelham 
Bay  Park  (The  Bronx)  and  Rockaway  Park  (Queens)  the  city  fur- 
nishes to  campers,  at  a  nominal  charge,  a  small  lot  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  tent.  In  Pelham  Bay  Park  the  fee  charged  is  $10  for  the 
season  (June  to  September)  and  includes  $3  for  water  rent.  The 
areas  of  the  larger  parks  are : 

Central    843    acres       Pelham    Bay     1,756    acres 

Prospect     526       "  Forest     536 

Bronx     719      "  Seaside 263 

Van    Cortlandt    1,132      "  Highland    102      " 

One  of  the  most  modern  and  most  thoroughly  equipped  of  these 
playgrounds  is  the  Betsy  Head  playground,  located  in  a  densely  popu- 
lated section  of  Brooklyn.  The  area  of  this  playground  is  about  ten 
acres.  It  includes  a  children's  playground,  with  wading  pool,  sand 
piles,  slides,  etc.,  an  athletic  field  with  grandstand  seating  15,000,  a 
swimming  pool  150  feet  long,  with  bath  house,  a  running  track,  a 
soccer  field,  and  a  gymnasium  for  men  and  women.  It  also  contains 
500   school  farm  plots   and  a  model   farmhouse. 

The  park  department  maintains  six  children's  school  farms  con- 
taining seven  acres.  Two  crops  are  grown  and  harvested  each  year 
on  these  farms  and  6,300  children  were  assigned  last  year  to  indi- 
vidual plots  8  feet  by  4  feet.  The  farm  plots  are  also  used  by  school 
teachers  as  demonstrating  stations  for  farm  work.  Last  year  some 
25,000  children  received  practical  instruction  by  visiting  the  farms 
and  by  studying  in  the  classroom  samples  of  beans,  beets,  carrots, 
lettuce   and  corn  grown  on  the  farms. 

Band  and  orchestral  concerts  are  given  during  the  summer  in 
many  of  the  parks. 

Bronx  Parkway  Commission 

This  commission  was  established  to  acquire  and  lay  out  a  park 
reservation  on  the  banks  of  the  Bronx  River  and  to  preserve  the  river 
from  pollution.  The  parkway  that  has  been  approved  has  an  area  of 
1,130  acres,  begins  at  the  north  end  of  Bronx  Park  and  extends  155^ 
miles  to  the  new  Kensico  Lake  reservation.  A  highway  is  to  be  con- 
structed along  the  full  length  of  this  reservation  to  serve  as  a  link 
between  the  park  system  of  New  York  City  and  the  city's  holdings 
in  the  watersheds. 

Department  of  Health 

Haven    Emerson,    M.D.,    President 

The  Board  of  Health,  composed  of  the  Health  Commissioner,  who 
is  president,  the  Police  Commissioner  and  the  Health  Officer  of  the 
Port  of  New  York  (a  State  official),  is  the  head  of  the  Department 
of  Health  of  New  York  City.  It  enacts  the  Sanitary  Code,  issues 
emergency  health  orders  and  has  very  broad  powers  in  all  matters 
affecting  public  health. 

The  official  in  direct  charge  of  the  enforcement  of  the  Sanitary 
Code  and  other  health  laws  and  responsible  for  the  administration 
of    the    Health    Department    is    the    Commissioner    of    Health,    who    is 

[158] 


appointed  by  the  Mayor  and  who  is   ex  officio  President  of  the   Board 
of  Health. 

The  work  of  the  department  is  carried  on  by  a  Bureau  of  Ad- 
ministration, a  Bureau  of  Records,  a  Sanitary  Bureau  and  the  Bureaus 
of  Preventable  Diseases,  Child  Hygiene,  Food  and  Drugs,  Laboratories, 
Hospitals,  and  Public  Health  Education. 

Bellevue  and  Allied  Hospitals 

John  W.   Brannan,  M.D.,   President 

The  Department  of  Bellevue  and  Allied  Hospitals  is  controlled 
by  a  board  of  eight  trustees,  seven  appointed  by  the  Mayor  and  the 
Commissioner  of  Public  Charities  ex  officio.  The  Department  operates 
five  hospitals,   as   follows : 

Bellevue  Hospital,  foot  of  East  26th   Street,  Manhattan. 

Gouverneur  Hospital,  Gouverneur  Slip,  corner  of  Front  Street, 
Manhattan. 

Harlem    Hospital,    Lenox    Avenue    and    136th    Street,    Manhattan. 

Fordham  Hospital,  Southern  Boulevard  and  Crotona  Avenue, 
The    Bronx. 

Ocean  Beach  Hospital  for  Children,  Rockaway,  Queens. 

These  hospitals  care  for  acute  cases  of  all  kinds.  In  general, 
the  three  allied  hospitals  (Gouverneur,  Harlem  and  Fordham)  receive 
patients  from  the  ambulance  districts  in  their  immediate  neighbor- 
hood. They  have  a  bed  capacity  of  about  200  each.  Bellevue  Hospital, 
however,  with  a  bed  capacity  of  about  1,200,  is  the  receiving  hospital 
for  accident  cases  and  acute  cases  from  the  entire  lower  portion  of 
Manhattan.  Ocean  Beach  Hospital  at  Rockaway  Beach  is  for  the  care 
of  children  suffering  with  non-pulmonary  tuberculosis. 

Department  of  Public  Charities 

John   A.   Kingsbury,   Commissioner 

The  Commissioner  of  Public  Charities  is  appointed  by  the  Mayor, 
and,  as  the  local  overseer  of  the  poor,  is  responsible  for  the  care 
and  treatment  of  the  city's  dependents. 

The  department  operates  a  Municipal  Lodging  House,  a  hospital 
and  schools  on  Randall's  Island  for  the  care  of  feeble-minded  and 
epileptic  children,  five  general  hospitals, — two  on  Blackw ell's  Island 
(Metropolitan  and  City  Hospitals),  and  three  in  Brooklyn  (Kings 
County,  Coney  Island,  and  Cumberland  Street  Hospitals), — a  home  for 
convalescing  mothers  at  Hunter's  Island,  two  homes  for  the  aged  and 
infirm  (Blackwell's  Island  and  Clarkson  Street,  Brooklyn),  a  colony 
for  homeless  men  and  vagrants  at  Staten  Island,  a  tubercluosis  hos- 
pital  on   Staten   Island,    and   two   mortuaries. 

Board  of  Ambulance  Service 

The  Board  of  Ambulance  Service,  composed  of  the  Police  Com- 
missioner, the  Commissioner  of  Public  Charities,  the  President  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  Bellevue  and  Allied  Hospitals,  and  two  citizens 
appointed  by  the  Mayor,  has  supervision  and  control  over  the  am- 
bulances of  all  public  and  private  hospitals  (except  the  hospitals  of 
the  Department  of  Health). 

Tenement  House  Department 

John  J.  Murphy,  Commissioner 

The  Commissioner  of  the  Tenement  House  Department  is  ap- 
pointed by  the  Mayor  and  charged  with  the  duty  of  enforcing  the 
Tenement  House  Law.  This  law  defines  a  tenement  as  any  house  or 
part  of  house  occupied  or  arranged  to  be  occupied  by  three  or  more 
families  living  independently  of  each  other  and  doing  their  own  cook- 

[159] 


ing  on  the  premises,  so  that  the  Tenement  House  Department  has 
jurisdiction  not  only  over  what  are  commonly  called  "tenement  houses" 
but  also  over   the  most   expensive   apartment  houses   of   the  city. 

On  January  1,  1915,  there  were  in  the  City  of  New  York  78,366 
old  law  tenements  and  24,573  new  law  tenements,  a  total  of  102,939 
buildings   under   the  jurisdiction   of   the   Tenement  House   Department. 

Department  of  Street  Cleaning 

J.  T.  Fetherston,  Commissioner 

The  Commissioner  of  Street  Cleaning,  appointed  by  the  Mayor, 
is  responsible  for  the  cleaning  of  streets  and  the  removal  and  dis- 
position of  ashes,  garbage,  rubbish,  street  sweepings,  snow  and  ice 
within  the  limits  of  Manhattan,  The  Bronx  and  Brooklyn.  In  Queens 
and   Richmond   these   duties    are   performed   by   the   borough   president. 

The  city's  streets  are  for  the  most  part  swept  by  hand  but  in 
certain  sections  sweeping,  flushing  and  squeegee  machines  are  used. 
When  the  water  supply  is  adequate  the  streets  are  flushed.  It  is  the 
endeavor  of  the  department  to  perform  its  work  during  the  hours 
when  the  traffic  is  least  heavy  and  so  the  business  section  and  more 
congested  portions  of  the  city  are  given  their  thorough  cleaning  at 
night. 

The  department  has  recently  established  a  "model  district"  in 
Manhattan,  bounded  by  Twelfth  Street,  Forty-second  Street,  Sixth  Ave- 
nue and  East  River,  in  which  it  is  experimenting  with  the  most 
modern  types  of  cleaning  and  carting  devices.  The  results  of  this 
trial  will  determine  the  extent  to  which  the  work  of  the  department 
will  be  developed  along  the  lines  of  machine  cleaning  and  carting. 

One  of  the  greatest  problems  confronting  the  department  is  that 
of  snow  removal.  In  Manhattan,  particularly,  the  demands  of  traffic 
are  such  that  if  snow  is  not  removed  immediately  the  business  of  the 
city  is  seriously  impeded.  In  an  endeavor  to  prevent  the  recurrence 
of  conditions  arising  from  the  severe  blizzard  of  March,  1914,  the 
Department  of  Street  Cleaning  organized  during  the  summer  an  emer- 
gency snow  squad  of  40,000  men.  The  names  and  addresses  of  these 
men  were  catalogued  according  to  the  districts  in  which  they  would 
be  employed,  and  arrangements  were  made  whereby  the  Police  De- 
partment would  notify  the  men  to  present  themselves  for  work.  During 
the  fall  certain  groups  of  these  emergency  workers  were  drilled  in 
their  new  duties  and  instructed  in  the  plan  which  the  department  had 
worked  out  for  using  the  sewers  as  a  means  of  snow  removal. 

Two  storms  of  the  winter  of  1914-1915  afforded  sufficient  oppor- 
tunity to  prove  the  efficacy  and  relative  economy  of  this  scheme  by 
which  a  large  squad  of  emergency  street  cleaners  is  called  out  during 
a  snow  storm  and  by  shoveling  and  sweeping  the  snow  into  the  sewers 
almost  as  fast  as  it  accumulates,  the  streets  are  cleared  without  clog- 
ging the  sewers.  This  method  of  snow  removal  costs  less  than  half 
as  much  as  and  takes  only  half  the  time  required  by  the  former  method 
of  carting  in  trucks. 

The  Department  of  Street  Cleaning  employs  about  5,400  regular 
and  1,600  temporary  employees.  A  street  sweeper  cleans  from  3,000 
to  13,000  square  yards  of  pavement  a  day,  according  to  the  char- 
acter of  the  district,  and  a  driver  collects  daily  about  five  tons  of 
waste    material. 

The  annual  wages  paid  to  street  sweepers  range  from  $720  to 
$792 — the  great  majority  receive  $780.  Drivers  are  paid  from  $768 
to  $864. 

Police  Department 

Arthur  Woods,  Commissioner 

The  Police  Department  is  under  the  control  of  a  commissioner 
appointed  by  the  Mayor  for  a  term  of  five  years  and  is  removable 
by  either  the  Mayor  or  the  Governor. 

The  authorized  strength  of  the  several  ranks  of  the  uniformed 
force   in  May,   1915,  was : 

One  Chief  Inspector,  19  Inspectors,  97  Captains,  524  Lieutenants, 
726   Sergeants   and   9,387  Patrolmen. 

[160] 


For  the  purposes  of  administration  and  supervision  the  city  is 
divided  territorially  into  89  precincts,  each  under  a  captain,  and  17 
inspection  districts  (made  up  of  from  4  to  7  precincts),  each  under 
an    inspector. 

Traffic  regulations  are  enforced  by  a  special  squad  assigned  ex- 
clusively to  that  work.  There  are  588  members  of  the  Traffic  Squad ; 
47   are  mounted  and   24  have  motorcycles. 

The  Marine  Police  keep  7  boats  constantly  in  service  patrolling 
the  waterfront  and  have  3  boats  for  emergencies.  It  is  their  duty 
to  prevent  and  suppress  the  operation  of  thieves  along  the  docks,  on 
the  boats  anchored  in  the  harbor,  and  on  islands  which  are  not 
patrolled  by  the  regular  force. 

The  Detective  Bureau  maintains  a  central  office  at  Police  Head- 
quarters and  9  branch  offices  (each  covering  from  7  to  13  precincts). 
At  the  central  office  is  located  the  Bureau  of  Criminal  Identification 
with  its  "Rogues'  Gallery,"  Bertillon,  finger-print,  and  criminal  records, 
and  also  a  system  of  files  containing  records  of  all  criminal  cases 
reported  to  the  police,  of  stolen  property,   and  of  pawned  valuables. 

Fire  Department 

Robert  Adamson,  Commissioner 

The  Fire  Department  is  under  the  control  of  a  Commissioner,  ap- 
pointed by  the  Mayor.  On  May  1,  1915,  the  fire  fighting  force  con- 
sisted of  4,983  men,  including  chiefs,  deputy  chiefs,  captains,  lieu- 
tenants, etc. 

In  March,  1915,  a  rescue  company  was  organized  for  use  at  spe- 
cially hazardous  fires.  These  men  are  equipped  with  smoke  helmets 
and  oxygen  tanks  and  can  operate  under  conditions  where  an  un- 
equipped fireman  could  not  live.  The  company  is  particularly  valuable 
in  coping  with  fires  where  the  smoke  is  unusually  heavy  or  where 
fumes  from  chemicals  render  the  air  dangerous. 

Department  of  Correction 

Burdette   G.   Lewis,   Commissioner 

The  Department  of  Correction  is  under  the  control  of  a  com- 
missioner appointed  by  the  Mayor.  It  has  jurisdiction  over  nearly  all 
city  institutions  for  the  custody  of  criminals  and  misdemeanants.  These 
institutions  include  the  New  York  County  Penitentiary  on  Blackwell's 
Island ;  the  Workhouses  on  Blackwell's,  Riker's  and  Hart's  Islands ; 
the  City  Prisons  of  Manhattan  (The  Tombs),  Brooklyn  and  Queens; 
the  New  York  City  Reformatory  for  Misdemeanants  and  the  ten  dis- 
trict prisons  located  in  Manhattan  and  The  Bronx.  The  department 
has  no  authority  over  the  conviction  or  commitment  of  prisoners  but 
is  charged   solely  with  their  custody   after  commitment. 

Board  of  Inebriety 

William    Browning,    M.D.,    B.    B.    Burritt,    T.    J.    Colton,    John 
Dorning,  M.D.,  Rev.  J.  J.  Hughes,  C.S.P. 

The  Board  of  Inebriety,  consisting  of  five  members  appointed  by 
the  Mayor,  and  the  Commissioner  of  Public  Charities  and  the  Com- 
missioner of  Correction  ex  officio,  was  established  in  July,  1911. 

Under  the  law  a  court  of  record  may  commit  an  inebriate  to  the 
custody  of  the  board  for  a  period  varying  from  one  to  three  years, 
upon  his  own  application,  or  on  the  petition  of  a  relative,  the  Com- 
missioner of  Public  Charities,  or  the  trustees  of  Bellevue  and  Allied  Hos- 
pitals. For  the  purpose  of  the  law,  inebriety  is  held  to  include 
addiction  to  alcohol  or  drugs,  and  the  evidence  required  includes  cer- 
tificates by  two  physicians. 

[  161  ] 


Department  of  Water  Supply,  Gas  and  Electricity 

William  Williams,  Commissioner 

The  Department  of  Water  Supply,  Gas  and  Electricity  is  under 
the  control  of  a  commissioner  appointed  by  the  Mayor.  The  Depart- 
ment has  jurisdiction  over  (1)  the  sources  of  supply,  the  distribution 
and  the  quality  of  water;  (2)  the  collection  of  revenue  from  the  sale 
of  water;  (3)  the  high  pressure  fire  service  in  Manhattan  and  Brook- 
lyn; (4)  the  regulation  of  the  rates  charged  by  the  private  water  com- 
panies in  Queens;  (5)  the  lighting  of  streets,  parks  and  public  build- 
ings; (6)  the  use  and  transmission  of  gas  and  electricity  in  or  under 
the  streets;  (7)  the  construction  of  electric  mains,  conductors  and  sub- 
ways in  or  under  the  streets;  (8)  the  inspection  of  electric  wires  and 
appliances  in  all  buildings;  (9)  the  licensing  of  operators  of  moving 
picture  apparatus  *  This  work  is  carried  on  by  three  principal  bureaus : 
(1)  water  supply,  (2)  water  revenue  collection,  (3)   gas  and  electricity. 

The  Bureau  of  Water  Supply  is  responsible  for  the  water  supply 
of  the  city.  Its  jurisdiction,  including  the  Croton,  Brooklyn  and 
Staten  Island  watersheds,  extends  over  an  area  of  more  than  600 
square  miles. 

Kensico  reservoir,  north  of  White  Plains,  will  store  29,000,000,000 
gallons  and  is  75  per  cent  completed.  Hill  View  equalizing  reservoir, 
with  a  capacity  of  900,000,000  gallons,  is  located  just  north  of  the  city 
and  is  91  per  cent  completed.  On  Staten  Island,  Silver  Lake  terminal 
reservoir,  with  a  capacity  of  400,000,000  gallons,  is  42  per  cent  com- 
pleted. 

The  92  miles  of  Catskill  aqueduct  north  of  the  city,  together 
with  the  18  miles  of  tunnel  and  the  15  miles  of  large  pipe  lines  within 
the  city,  are  structurally  complete,  and  will  be  ready  to  deliver  250 
million  gallons  of  water  daily  during  1916. 

Catskill  water  will  be  delivered  by  gravity  under  pressure  suf- 
ficient to  cause  it  to  rise  to  elevations  from  225  to  275  feet  above 
sea  level.  Much  of  the  pumping  which  now  costs  yearly  about  $1,500,- 
000,  may  therefore  be  dispensed  with   upon  completion  of  the  system. 

The  cost  of  the  new  Catskill  system  will  be  about  $177,000,000 
and  the  amount  of  water  supplied  will  be  about  500  million  gallons 
daily. 

Department  of  Docks  and  Ferries 

R.  A.  C.  Smith,  Commissioner 

The  Department  of  Docks  and  Ferries  is  administered  by  a  com- 
missioner appointed  by  the  Mayor.  The  commissioner  has  exclusive 
control,  subject  in  certain  particulars  to  the  Commissioners  of  the 
Sinking  Fund,  of  all  waterfront  property  belonging  to  the  city.  This 
control  includes  the  granting  of  permits  for  the  use  of  wharf  property 
and  the  regulation  of  wharfage  and  dockage  rates  (except  those  fixed 
by  law).  The  dock  commissioner  may  also  set  aside  piers  for  recrea- 
tion purposes  and  assign  waterfront  for  the  use  of  other  city  depart- 
ments. 

Department  of  Bridges 

F.  J.  H.  Kracke,  Commissioner 

The  Commissioner  of  Bridges,  who  is  appointed  by  the  Mayor, 
has  control  over  the  administration  of  the  Department  of  Bridges. 
He  has  jurisdiction  over  the  construction,  repair  and  maintenance  of 
all   public   bridges   crossing   navigable    streams 

There  are  forty-two  such  bridges,  representing  an  investment  on 
the  part  of  the  city  in  land  and  structures  of  over  $135,000,000.  The 
four  bridges  which  cross  the  East  River  (Williamsburg,  Manhattan, 
Brooklyn  and  Queensboro)  cost  about  $88,000,000.  The  Williamsburg, 
Manhattan  and  Brooklyn  bridges  are  the  longest  suspension  bridges 
in  the  world.  The  Queensboro  Bridge  is  the  second  longest  cantilever 
bridge  in  the  world. 

[162] 


e  AMERICAN  STUDIO 


The  Metropolitan  Tower  and  Dr.  Parkhurst's  Church,  Madison 
Square. 


Public  Service  Commission 

Oscar  S.   Straus,  Chairman 

The  State  of  New  York  is  divided  into  two  public  service  districts, 
the  first  district  consisting  of  the  five  counties  in  the  City  of  New 
York. 

The  jurisdiction  of  the  Public  Service  Commission  of  the  First 
District  extends  over  all  railroads,  street  railroads  and  other  com- 
mon carriers,  as  well  as  over  gas  and  electric  corporations  within  its 
district,  but  it  has  no  authority  over  telephone  or  telegraph  companies, 
such  authority  being  vested  in  the  Public  Service  Commission  of  the 
Second   District. 

The  Public  Service  Commissions  have  power  to  examine  into  the 
general  condition,  capitalization,  franchises  and  management  of  all 
common  carriers ;  to  prescribe  the  form  of  annual  reports ;  to  in- 
vestigate accidents  ;  to  fix  rates  and  service  ;  to  order  repairs,  changes 
or  improvements ;  to  order  changes  in  time  schedules  and  to  compel 
the  increasing  of  the  number  of  trains  or  cars.  The  approval  of  the 
Public  Service  Commission  must  be  obtained  prior  to  commencing 
construction  or  extension  of  a  railroad.  The  commission  also  has 
power  to  control  the  consolidation  or  merger  of  the  public  service 
corporations  and  to  supervise  the  financing  of  such  corporations. 

Transit  Facilities 

The  street  railways  in  the  city,  including  subway  and  elevated 
lines,  operate  1,576  miles  of  single  track.  During  the  year  ended 
June  30,  1914,  these  railways  carried  1,813,204,692  passengers  and 
received  in  fares  $94,153,673.  This  sum,  on  the  basis  of  the  city's 
population,   represents   a   per  capita  expenditure   of   $17.43. 

Subways 

The  present  subway,  which  is  owned  by  the  city,  consists  of  25.63 
miles  of  road  and  73  miles  of  track.  Although  built  to  accommodate 
only  400,000  passengers  per  day  it  now  carries  frequently  more  than 
1,000,000  passengers  per  day.  The  construction  of  the  subways  was 
undertaken  in  1901,  the  main  line  being  opened  for  traffic  in  1904  and 
the  extension  to  Brooklyn  in  1908.     The  total  cost  was  $56,129,785.76. 

The  new  lines  now  under  construction  call  for  44.55  miles  of  new 
subway  with  257  miles  of  single  track ;  53.19  miles  of  new  elevated 
road  with  57  miles  of  single  track  and  19.8  miles  of  third  track  and 
other  additional  tracks  on  the  existing  elevated  roads,  making  the  total 
single  track  mileage  of  new  lines  333.7  and  the  total  for  the  whole 
dual   system,  629.7. 

A  new  subway  is  also  being  built  in  Broadway,  Seventh  Avenue 
and  59th  Street,  Manhattan,  connecting  a  new  tunnel  between  Brook- 
lyn and  the  lower  end  of  Manhattan  with  the  Queensboro  Bridge,  so 
that  trains  from  Brooklyn  will  cross  under  the  East  River,  continue  up 
Broadway  to  42nd  Street,  then  up  Seventh  Avenue  to  59th  Street 
through  59th  Street  to  the  Queensboro  Bridge  and  across  into  Queens. 

The  cost  of  these  extensions  of  the  rapid  transit  system  including 
equipment,  will  approximate  $325,000,000.  The  companies  are  to 
bear  the  entire  cost  of  equipment  although  it  ultimately  will  become 
the  property  of  the  city,  the  entire  cost  of  reconstruction  and  ex- 
tension of  their  own  lines,  and  also  to  contribute  toward  the  cost 
of  construction  of  the  city  lines. 

The  new  system  will  probably  be  completed  in  1917.  When  in 
full  operation  the  Brooklyn  Rapid  Transit  trains  will  be  able  to  enter 
Manhattan  by  means  of  four  bridges  and  two  tunnels  and  can  be  oper- 
ated northward  through  Broadway  and  Seventh  Avenue  to  59th  Street 
and  eastward  through  59th  Street  and  over  the  Queensboro  Bridge  to 
Astoria  and  Corona  in  Queens,  and  on  the  Brooklyn  side  the  system 
will  include  the  lines  to  Coney  Island  and  other  remote  parts  of  the 
borough.  Over  the  whole  Brooklyn  system  the  fare  will  be  five  cents 
and  transfers  will  be  given  so  that  it  will  be  possible  for  a  pas- 
senger to  take  a  train  at  Corona  near  Flushing,  ride  through  to 
Manhattan  at  59th  Street,  then  south  to  Canal  Street  and  then  across 

[163] 


the  Manhattan  Bridge  and  through  the  Fourth  Avenue  Subway  and 
its  connections  to  Coney  Island,  all  for  a  single  fare.  As  soon  as  the 
new  roads  are  completed  and  it  is  possible  for  the  Brooklyn  company 
to  operate  trains  from  Manhattan  to  Coney  Island  direct  over  the 
New  Utrecht  and  Gravesend  Avenue  lines,  the  five-cent  fare  to  Coney 
Island   will   be   assured. 

On  that  part  of  the  system  to  be  operated  by  the  Interborough 
Company  the  length  of  the  five-cent  ride  will  also  be  greatly  extended. 
A  passenger  will  be  able  to  ride  from  Pelham  Bay  Park  through  The 
Bronx,  down  the  whole  length  of  Manhattan,  under  the  East  River 
to  Brooklyn  and  out  Eastern  Parkway  and  Livonia  Avenue  to  New 
Lots  Road  for  a  single  fare.  Transfers  will  also  be  given  between  all 
parts  of  the  Interborough  system,  except  that  the  transferring  privilege 
between  elevated  roads  and  the  subway  will  not  be  extended. 


Law  Department 

Lamar  Hardy,   Corporation  Counsel 

The  Corporation  Counsel,  appointed  by  the  Mayor,  is  the  head  of 
the   Law   Department. 

One  of  the  most  important  duties  of  this  department  is  to  give 
legal  advice  to  the  Mayor  and  other  city  oflicials.  The  Corporation 
Counsel  is  also  charged  with  the  duty  of  preparing  and  approving  the 
form  of  all  legal  instruments,  such  as  contracts,  leases,  bids,  bonds, 
agreements  and  releases. 


Courts  of  Record 

The  Court  of  Appeals  is  the  highest  court  of  the  state.  Its  juris- 
diction is  exclusively  of  an  appellate  character.  Cognizance  is  taken 
by  this  court  only  of  questions  of  law,  except  in  criminal  cases  where 
a  capital  offense  has  been  committed. 

The  Supreme  Court  of  the  state,  composed  of  102  justices  elected 
by  districts  for  fourteen-year  terms,  is  divided  into  four  judicial  de- 
partments. The  First  Department  consists  of  New  York  and  Bronx 
counties  ;  Kings,  Queens  and  Richmond  counties  form  part  of  the  Sec- 
ond Department.  The  work  of  each  department  is  apportioned  between 
the  Appellate  Division,  the  Appellate  Term,  and  the  Special  and  Trial 
Terms. 

The  County  Courts  have  jurisdiction  in  criminal  cases  not  punish- 
able by  death  and  in  civil  cases  involving  amounts  less  than  $2,000. 
The  judges   are   elected   for  six-year   terms   by  the   respective   counties. 

The  Surrogate's  Courts  have  jurisdiction  over  the  estates  of  in- 
fants and  deceased  persons  and  over  matters  incidental  to  the  adminis- 
tration of  such  estates.  Each  of  the  five  counties  of  the  city  has  a 
Surrogate's  Court,  presided  over  by  a  surrogate,  except  that  in  New 
York  County  there  are  two  surrogates  and  in  Richmond  County  the 
County  Judge  acts  as  Surrogate.  The  surrogates  of  New  York  County 
are  elected  for  fourteen-year  terms  by  the  electors  of  the  county.  In 
the   other  counties   their   terms   are   six   years. 

The  City  Court  is  found  only  in  New  York  County.  It  was  for- 
merly a  marine  court,  but  now  has  jurisdiction  over  all  civil  actions 
instituted  for  the  recovery  of  property  or  damages  to  the  extent  of 
$2,000.  It  is  composed  of  ten  justices  elected  for  ten-year  terms,  one 
of  the  justices  being  designated  by  the  whole  as  Chief  Justice.  The 
court  holds  special  and  trial  terms,  the  trial  terms  being  devoted  to 
jury   cases. 

The  Court  of  General  Sessions  is  found  only  in  New  York  County. 
It  is  a  criminal  court  with  a  jurisdiction  extended  even  to  cases  pun- 
ishable with  life  imprisonment  and  death.  The  court  has  seven  judges 
who   are   elected   by  the  voters   of   the  county  for  fourteen-year  terms. 

The  Municipal  Courts  have  jurisdiction  over  civil  actions  involving 
sums  not  exceeding  five  hundred  dollars.  There  are  twenty-five  justices 
in  Manhattan,  three  in  The  Bronx,  eleven  in  Brooklyn,  four  in  Queens 
and  two  in  Richmond. 


[164] 


The    Hudson   Terminal    Buildings    on    Church    and    Cortlandt 

Streets — one  block  from  Broadway.     St.  Paul's  Churchyard  and 

the  offices  of  Trinity  Church  Corporation  in  foreground. 


Courts  Not  of  Record 

The  Court  of  Special  Sessions  has  exclusive  jurisdiction  to  hear 
and  determine  in  the  first  instance  all  charges  of  misdemeanor  (except 
libel)    and  all  bastardy  proceedings. 

The  Children's  Court  has  exclusive  jurisdiction  in  the  City  of 
New  York  to  hear  and  adjudicate  all  misdemeanor  charges  against 
children  (defined  by  law  as  persons  under  sixteen  years  of  age),  all 
charges  of  juvenile  delinquency  and  all  other  cases  in  which  the  court 
or  a  City  Magistrate  has  power  to  commit  children. 

The  City  Magistrates'  Courts  are  held  by  the  Board  of  City 
Magistrates  consisting  of  a  Chief  City  Magistrate  and  thirty-eight  City 
Magistrates,  each  of  whom  is  appointed  by  the  Mayor  for  a  term  of 
ten  years. 

All  male  persons  arrested  after  the  day  courts  are  closed  (except 
on  a  charge  of  felony)  are  brought  to  the  night  court  for  men.  All 
females  arrested  after  the  close  of  the  day  courts  (except  on  a  charge 
of  felony)  are  brought  to  the  night  court  for  women.  The  Domestic 
Relations  Courts  have  jurisdiction  in  cases  involving  non-support  of 
wives,   children   or   poor   relatives. 

All  persons  convicted  in  these  courts  of  prostitution,  vagrancy, 
jostling  for  the  purpose  of  picking  pockets,  begging,  "mashing"  (men 
annoying  women  in  public  places)  and  degenerates  are  finger-printed. 
A  copy  of  each  of  these  prints  is  sent  to  the  finger-print  bureau,  where 
sufficient  photographic  copies  are  made  to  furnish  one  to  each  of  the 
district  courts,  so  that  the  following  day  a  record  of  the  conviction  is 
on  file  in  every  one  of  the  courts.  The  professional  pickpocket,  prosti- 
tute or  beggar  is  immediately  disclosed  upon   being  finger-printed. 

Probation  officers  are  the  confidential  agents  of  the  judges,  the 
justices  and  the  magistrates.  Their  duty  is  to  ascertain  facts  in  cases 
coming  up  for  judgment  and  to  keep  the  court  informed  as  to  the 
actions  of  each  individual  placed  in  their  charge.  They  are  further- 
more expected  to  help  in  every  way  the  probationers  under  their  care. 

City  Marshals 

There  are  sixty-eight  city  marshals,  all  of  whom  are  appointed 
by  the  Mayor  for  six-year  terms  and  are  removable  by  him  on  charges 
after  a  hearing.  Their  duties  consist  chiefly  in  executing  dispossess 
warrants  and  municipal  court  judgments  and  in  preparing  affidavits 
of  attempted  service.  They  also  serve  summonses,  orders  of  arrest 
and  writs  of  attachment,  summon  jurors  and  advertise  the  sale  of 
property.  The  fees  which  they  receive  are  retained  by  them  in  lieu 
of  regular  salary. 

Coroners 

There  are  eleven  coroners  :  four  in  Manhattan,  two  in  each  of  the 
boroughs  of  The  Bronx,  Brooklyn  and  Queens,  and  one  in  Richmond. 
They  are  elected  from  their  respective  boroughs  at  the  general  election 
for  terms  of  four  years.  It  is  their  duty  to  investigate  all  unusual, 
accidental  or  suspicious  deaths,  to  take  ante-mortem  statements,  and 
to  hold  inquests  to  determine  the  cause  of  death.  They  act  in  the 
capacity  of  magistrates  to  the  extent  that  after  an  examination  of 
persons  arrested  for  homicide  they  decide  whether  they  shall  be  held, 
with  or  without  bail,  to  await  the  result  of  the  inquest. 

Commissioners  of  Accounts 

Leonard  M.  Wallstein,  Commissioner 

The  Commissioner  of  Accounts  makes  investigations  at  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Mayor,  as  well  as  on  his  own  initiative,  into  specific  depart- 
mental conditions  and  special  matters  affecting  the  welfare  of  the 
city.  The  office  has  popularly  been  referred  to  as  "The  Mayor's  Eye," 
but  in  reality  it  is  the  Mayor's  agency  for  administrative  investigation. 

[165] 


Municipal  Civil  Service  Commission 

Henby  Moskowitz,  President 

The  members  of  the  Municipal  Civil  Service  Commission  are  ap- 
pointed by  the  Mayor  and  removable  by  him  at  pleasure  or  after  a 
hearing  on  charges  by  the  unanimous  vote  of  the  State  Civil  Service 
Commission,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  Governor.  The  law  pro- 
vides for  the  appointment  of  three  or  more  commissioners,  not  more 
than  two-thirds  of  whom  may  be  of  the  same  political  party.  The 
present  commission  consists  of  three  members. 

The  chief  duties  of  the  Civil  Service  Commission  are  as  follows : 
(1)  examination  and  rating  of  candidates  for  admission  to  the  city's 
service;  (2)  certification  of  names  from  appropriate  lists  established 
as  the  result  of  examination  ;  (3)  examination  and  rating  of  employees 
seeking  promotion ;   (4)  certification  of  all  city  pay  rolls. 

Board  of  City  Record 

David  Ferguson,   Supervisor 

The  Board  of  City  Record,  consisting  of  the  Mayor,  the  Corpora- 
tion Counsel  and  the  Comptroller,  has  charge  of  the  publication  of  the 
official  journal  of  the  City  of  New  York,  the  City  Record,  which  is 
issued   daily   except   Sundays   and    legal   holidays. 

Board  of  Elections 

E.  P.  Boyle,  President 

The  Board  of  Elections  is  a  bi-partisan  board  composed  of  four 
commissioners  appointed  by  the  Board  of  Aldermen  for  a  term  of  two 
years  upon  the  nomination  of  the  county  committees  of  the  two  most 
important  political  parties.  The  board  has  entire  charge  of  all  pri- 
mary, special  and  general  elections  held  in  the  five  counties  con- 
stituting the  City  of  New  York. 

Department  of  Licenses 

George  H.  Bell,  Commissioner 

The  department  is  charged  not  only  with  issuing  licenses  and 
collecting  fees  therefor,  but  with  the  enforcement  of  regulations  relative 
to  licenses.  Motion  picture  theatres,  for  instance,  are  not  licensed 
unless  ventilation,  fire  escapes  and  the  character  of  entertainment 
offered  conform  to  the  standards  prescribed  by  the  department.  Licenses 
are  not  issued  to  dance  halls  or  pool  rooms  until  a  report  on  the 
application  has  been  made  by  the  police.  Employment  agencies  are 
restricted  to  properly  conducted  business  offices  and  are  not  permitted 
to  charge  fees  where  no  service  is  given.  Taxicabs  are  not  licensed 
unless  approved  as  sanitary  and  safe.  Licenses  may  be  withdrawn 
or  withheld  from  shows,  dance  halls  or  pool  rooms  admitting  minors 
unaccompanied  by  bona  fide  guardians.  Motion  picture  theatre  licenses 
may  be  suspended  or  revoked  for  violation  of  these  provisions.  Licenses 
are  withheld  from  peddlers  and  others  dealing  in  or  handling  food, 
fruits,  confections,  etc.,  until  they  present  a  certificate  from  the  De- 
partment of  Health  as  evidence  that  they  are  not  afflicted  with  tubercu- 
losis, venereal  or  other  communicable  diseases.  The  inspectors  of  the 
Department  of  Licenses  have  the  power  of  arrest  which  is  conferred 
upon  them  by  the  Police  Department. 

Public  Employment    Bureau 

In  the  fall  of  1914  a  free  public  employment  bureau  was  or- 
ganized under  the  Department  of  Licenses. 

Applicants  for  employment  are  carefully  examined  as  to  their 
fitness  for  different  kinds  of  work.     Males  are  divided  into  the  follow- 

[166] 


ing  general  classes :  professional,  technical,  industrial,  agricultural, 
culinary,  mercantile  help  and  laborers.  Female  applicants  are  classified 
according  to  their  fitness  for  office,  store,  factory,  hotel,  restaurant, 
institution,  professional  employment,  etc.  By  means  of  advertisements 
in  New  York  and  other  papers,  personal  solicitation,  circulars,  etc., 
the  needs  of  employers  are  ascertained  and  applicants  best  fitted  to 
meet  such  needs  are  certified  to  them.  During  the  period  from  No- 
vember 19,  1914,  when  the  office  was  opened,  to  May  1,  1915,  25,048 
persons  registered  for  employment ;  5,001  were  referred  to  positions 
and  1,879  are  known  to  have  secured   employment. 

Mayor's  Bureau  of  Weights  and  Measures 

Joseph  Hartigan,  Commissioner 

This  bureau  is  under  the  supervision  of  a  commissioner  appointed 
by  the  Mayor.  It  is  designed  to  protect  the  interests  of  both  con- 
sumers and  dealers  through  systematic  regulation  and  inspection  of 
weighing  and  measuring  apparatus. 

Central  Purchasing  Committee 

The  Mayor's  Central  Purchasing  Committee,  of  which  the  City 
Chamberlain  is  Chairman,  was  appointed  in  November,  1914,  to  secure 
for  all  departments  the  advantage  of  the  city's  best  experience  in  the 
purchase  and  handling  of  supplies,  materials  and  equipment. 

Public  Markets 

The  old  established  municipal  markets  in  the  City  of  New  York 
are  as  follows : 

Names  Locations 

Washington    Market    Fulton  and  West  Streets. 

Jefferson    Market     Greenwich    Street   and    Sixth   Avenue. 

West    Washington    Market ....  Gansevoort  and  West  Streets. 

Gansevoort    Market    Little  West  12th  and  Gansevoort  Sts. 

Delancey   Street  Market Pitt  and  Willett  Streets. 

Wallabout    Market     Washington  Avenue,  Brooklyn. 

Art  Commission 

Robert  W.   De  Forest,   President 

Geo.   L.   Rives,  Vice-President 

Walter  H.  Crittenden,  Secretary 

John    Quincy    Adams,    Assistant    Secretary 

The  Art  Commission  is  composed  of  the  Mayor,  the  presidents 
of  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  New  York  Public  Library,  Brooklyn 
Institute  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  or  their  appointed  representatives,  and 
six  members  appointed  by  the  Mayor  at  the  nomination  of  the  Fine 
Arts  Federation. 

The  Art  Commission  must  approve  all  paintings,  mural  decora- 
tions, stained  glass,  statues,  sculptures,  monuments,  fountains,  arches 
or  other  structures  of  a  permanent  character  before  the  city  can 
acquire  them  either  by  purchase  or  by  gift. 

The  Commission  also  has  jurisdiction  over  the  plans  and  loca- 
tion of  buildings,  bridges,  approaches,  gates,  fences,  lamps  or  other 
structures  erected  by  the  city  or  upon  city  land,  except  that  where  the 
cost  of  such  structure  does  not  exceed  $250,000  the  approval  of  the 
Art  Commission  is  not  required,  if  the  Mayor  or  the  Board  of  Alder- 
men requests  the  commission  not  to  act. 

No  existing  work  of  art  may  be  removed,  re-located  or  altered 
except  with  the  Commission's  consent.  The  lines,  grades  and  plot- 
ting of  public  ways  and  grounds  come  within  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
Art  Commission. 

[167] 


Armory  Board 

Clark  D.  Rhinehart,  Secretary 

The  Armory  Board  is  composed  of  the  Mayor,  the  Comptroller, 
the  President  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  the  President  of  the  De- 
partment of  Taxes  and  Assessments,  the  Commanding  Officer  of  the 
Naval  Militia,  and  the  two  senior  ranking  officers  (of  or  below  the 
grade  of  Brigadier  General)  in  command  of  troops  of  the  National 
Guard   quartered   in   New   York   City. 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  Armory  Board  to  select  sites  for  and  erect 
new  armories  and  to  superintend  the  alterations,  repairs  and  improve- 
ments of  existing  armories. 

National  Guard  and  Naval  Militia 

The  National  Guard  of  the  State  of  New  York  consists  of  ap- 
proximately 17,000  officers  and  men,  representing  all  arms  of  the 
service. 

That  portion  of  the  National  Guard  of  the  State  which  is  sta- 
tioned in  the  City  of  New  York  consists  of  two  brigades  of  infantry ; 
two  regiments  of  field  artillery  (less  two  batteries)  ;  one  regiment 
of  cavalry  (less  one  squadron  and  two  troops),  one  squadron  of  cavalry, 
and  one  machine  gun  troop  of  cavalry ;  one  pioneer  battalion  and  one 
pontoon  battalion  of  engineers  ;  one  battalion  of  signal  corps ;  one  field 
hospital ;  one  ambulance  company ;  and  three  coast  defense  commands 
(thirty-two  companies).  The  troops  stationed  in  New  York  City  aggre» 
gate   about   11,000    officers   and   men. 

The  Naval  Militia  now  consists  of  three  battalions  under  the 
command  of  a  commodore.  Two  of  the  battalions  are  located  in  New 
York  City — one  in  Manhattan  and  the  other  in  Brooklyn.  The  present 
enlisted  strength  is  about  1,550. 

Examining  Board  of  Plumbers 

James   M.   Morrow,   Chairman 

The  members  of  the  Examining  Board  of  Plumbers  are  appointed 
by  the  Mayor  to  examine  and  certify  to  the  fitness  of  all  persons  de- 
siring to  practice  plumbing  in  the  city. 

The  Board  of  Examiners 

George  A.  Just,  Chairman 

The  Board  of  Examiners  renders  final  decision  in  disputes  in- 
volving more  than  $1,000,  arising  from  (1)  the  disapproval  by  a 
Superintendent  of  Buildings  of  a  form  of  construction  or  kind  of 
material  to  be  used  in  the  erection  or  alteration  of  a  building;  (2) 
the  claim  that  the  rules  of  a  Bureau  of  Buildings  or  the  provisions  of 
the  law  are  not  applicable;  (3)  the  claim  that  the  form  of  construction 
contemplated  is  as  good  as,  or  better  than,  that  provided  by  law. 


[168] 


New  York  the  Premier  City  of  the  World 

John  Wanamaker 

The  biggest,  busiest,  healthiest,  wealthiest  and  hap- 
piest agggregation  of  people  in  the  whole  world  is  now 
living  and  working  together  in  the  city  of  New  York. 

New  York  has  become  the  metropolis  of  the  world 
— first  in  population,  in  wealth,  in  business,  in  com- 
merce, in  finance,  in  education,  in  music,  in  charity,  in 
achievement,  in  power. 

Believing  that  this  sovereignty  is  not  generally 
known  to  the  people  of  our  city,  I  have  collected  a  few 
statistics. 

These  statistics  are  monumental.  They  are  almost 
bewildering.  They  shall  be  presented  as  simply  and  as 
plainly  as  possible. 

On  January  1,  1914 — before  the  war,  which  has  affected 
the  growth  of  both  cities — New  York  had  already  passed  Lon- 
don in  population. 

Administrative  London  counting  the  28  boroughs  under 
one  city  government,  then  had  4,517,172  residents ;  New  York, 
with  only  five  boroughs,  5,518,752. 

Metropolitan  London,  with  693  square  miles,  had  7,448,- 
681 ;  New  York,  with  683  square  miles,  7,454,296. 

Today  New  York,  according  to  the  latest  estimate,  made 
by  the  City  Board  of  Health,  has  a  population  of  about  5,800,000 
actually  within  her  city  limits,  and  approximately  8,000,000  in 
her  metropolitan  zone,  counting  the  people  who  live  in  the 
suburbs  but  who  work  in  New  York. 


New  York  is  increasing  in  population  at  the  rate  of  18,000 
a  month,  adding  every  three  months  a  new  city  as  large  as 
that  which  Washington  knew  when  he  was  President  of  the 
United  States  and  the  national  Capitol  was  on  Wall  Street. 

Averaging  every  three  minutes  there  is  a  birth  in  New 
York.  Every  seven  minutes  there  is  a  death.  Every  ten  min- 
utes there  is  a  marriage. 

One  in  every  nineteen  persons  in  the  United  States  lives 
in  New  York.     One  in  every  thirteen  lives  or  works  here. 

More  people  live  in  New  York  than  in  all  the  cities  of 
Liverpool,   Manchester,   Birmingham,   Leeds,    Sheffield,    Bristol, 

[169] 


Bradford,  Nottingham,  Portsmouth,  Oldham,  Croydon,  Brigh- 
ton, Norwich,  Birkenhead  and  Plymouth,  the  fifteen  largest 
English  cities  next  to  London. 

More  people  live  in  New  York  than  in  the  combined  cities 
of  Berlin,  Hamburg,  Munich,  Dresden,  Stuttgart. 

More  people  live  in  New  York  than  in  all  of  the  twelve 
States  of  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Vermont,  Rhode  Island, 
Delaware,  Idaho,  Montana,  Nevada,  Oregon,  North  Dakota, 
Utah  and  Wyoming. 

*  *        * 

There  are  approximately  a  million  individual  families  in 
New  York,  and  400,000  buildings  of  all  kinds. 

Manhattan  has  25,000  one-family  houses,  2,700  two-family 
houses,  and  40,000  multiple  type  houses. 

Brooklyn — the  great  home  borough — has  63,000  one-fam- 
ily houses,  51,000  two-family  houses,  and  46,000  multiple  type 
houses. 

Bronx — fastest  growing  of  all  the  boroughs,  having  in- 
creased 225  per  cent,  in  population  since  1900,  due  largely  to 
the  extension  of  the  rapid  transit  system — has  14,000  one-fam- 
ily houses,  2,000  two-family  houses,  and  10,000  multiple  type 
houses. 

Richmond  has  15,000  one-family  houses,  1,500  two-family 
houses,  and  500  multiple  type  houses. 

Queens — largest  of  all  the  boroughs  in  area — has  38,000 
one-family  houses,  14,000  two-family  houses,  and  5,100  multiple 
type  houses. 

*  *        * 

In  a  business  way,  the  figures  are  also  impressive. 

With  one-twentieth  of  the  population  of  the  United  States 
New  York  produces  one-tenth  of  her  manufactured  products. 

With  26,000  manufacturing  plants,  employing  three-quarters 
of  a  million  of  people,  paying  half  a  billion  dollars  in  wages, 
the  city  turns  out  over  two  billion  dollars  of  goods  annually. 

In  addition,  one  billion  dollars  more  of  goods  go  out 
through  the  port  of  New  York  and  one  billion  dollars  more 
come  into  the  port  every  year — in  normal  times. 

Busiest  Corner  in  the  World 

The  question  was  recently  asked  as  to  the  busiest  corner 
in  the  world  and  the  reply  was  made  that  while  no  exact  fig- 
ures were  available  several  experts  considered  it  to  be  Fifth 
Avenue  and  Forty-second  Street.  Attention  is,  therefore,  called 
to  the  figures  collected  by  the  New  York  police  and  published 
December  12.  This  traffic  count  showed  the  city's  busiest  cor- 
ner to  be  Park  Row  and  Frankfort  Street,  where  for  twenty- 
five  days  an  average  of  296,200  pedestrians  and  6,700  vehicles 
passed  daily  between  8:20  A.  M.  and  6:30  P.  M.  Fifth  Ave- 
nue and  Forty-second  Street  averaged  113,780  pedestrians  and 
18,800  vehicles. 

[170] 


©  H.  C.  BROWN,  1916 


Fifth  Avenue  from  35th  to  33d  Street,  showing  the  Wm.  Astor. 

corner  34th  Street,  and  Win.  Waldorf  Astor  houses,  corner  33d 

Street,  since  demolished  to  make  room  for  the  Waldorf-Astoria 

Hotel. 


The  City's  Coat-of-Arms 

While  New  York  has  not  always  been  mindful  of  her 
Colonial  treasures  it  is  a  source  of  satisfaction  that  her 
coat-of-arms,  with  a  trifling  alteration,  remains  the  same 
as  when  granted  to  the  city  by  the  last  of  the  Stuart 
Kings  to  reign  over  New  York. 

The  design  of  the  seal  denotes  the  commercial  su- 
periority of  New  York.  That  supremacy  grew  out  of 
a  law  prohibiting  the  bolting  of  flour  outside  the  city 
limits,  and  this  gave  to  its  people  a  monopoly  of  the  ex- 
port trade  in  breadstuffs  and  biscuits.  This  monopoly, 
with  the  export  of  furs,  really  made  New  York  the  cen- 
ter of  trade  in  America,  a  proud  position  she  will  ever 
retain. 

An  excellent  representation  of  this  seal  adorns  the 
cover  of  this  volume.  It  shows  the  shield  argent 
charged  with  four  sails  of  a  windmill  proper;  between 
their  outer  ends  two  beavers  proper,  one  in  chief  and  one 
in  base,  and  two  flour  barrels  proper  in  fess,  one  on 
each  side.  The  crest  shows  a  bald  eagle  proper  rising 
from  a  demi-terrestrial  globe.  An  Indian  and  a  sailor 
support  the  shield. 

The  change  to  which  we  refer  was  made  by  the  Com- 
mon Council  after  the  Revolution.  At  a  meeting  held 
March  16,  1784,  it  was  ordered  that  the  crown  which 
had  hitherto  formed  the  crest  be  removed  and  the  eagle 
substituted. 

With  this  slight  exception  New  York's  seal  has  re- 
mained unchanged  for  over  two  and  a  half  centuries. 

The  city  also  rejoices  in  a  special  flag  for  its  own  use. 
This  emblem  bears  the  original  colors  of  the  Dutch — 
orange,  white  and  blue  in  perpendicular  stripes.  On  the 
white  stripe  is  shown  the  coat-of-arms  of  the  city  as  de- 
scribed above.  This  flag  was  adopted  on  the  250th  anni- 
versary of  the  first  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen, 
or  Schepens. 

[171] 


New  York  in  1816 

Wonderful    Changes  in  the  City  of  Today  as   compared  with  a 

Hundred  Years  Ago.    Interesting  Description  of  Its  Size, 

Streets,  Theatres,  Etc.,  Etc. 

A  century  in  the  life  of  a  municipality  is  a  very  short 
time.  London  is  over  a  thousand  years  old  and  Paris 
nearly  as  many.  At  the  most  our  own  city  is  scarcely 
a  hundred  and  fifty,  counting  from  1789,  when  we  elect- 
ed our  first  President,  while  another  similar  period 
takes  us  back  to  the  days  when  Hudson  anchored  the 
Half  Moon  in  our  waters  for  the  first  time. 

And  yet  today  we  are  the  first  city  in  all  the  world 
— the  first  in  population,  in  wealth  and  in  commercial 
importance.  In  the  height  of  our  buildings^  the  dar- 
ing originality  of  our  architecture,  the  length  of  our 
subways,  the  size  of  our  parks,  the  number  of  our 
bridges,  the  importance  of  public  and  private  buildings 
we  stand  absolutely  alone.  Incredible  as  it  may  seem 
there  is  no  more  beautiful  business  building  architectur- 
ally in  any  city  in  the  world  than  the  Woolworth  on  our 
own  Broadway.  A  dozen  others  are  entitled  to  almost 
equal  praise.  New  York  builds  not  only  for  utility  but  for 
beauty  as  well  and  its  general  color  scheme  of  white 
combined  with  its  brilliant  sunshine  makes  it  one  of 
the  most  dazzlingly  beautiful  cities  in  the  world. 

In  the  matter  of  transportation  alone  the  difference 
between  today  and  a  hundred  years  ago  almost  sur- 
passes belief.  Within  a  few  months  at  most  when  you 
leave  your  business  for  the  day  it  will  be  un  fait  ac- 
compli to  enter  the  subway  at  South  Ferry,  and  board- 
ing an  express  train,  select  a  comfortable  seat,  with  per- 
fect heat  and  light,  devote  yourself  to  your  favorite 
newspaper  for  about  forty  minutes,  and  you  will  have 
been  transported  to  the  other  end  of  the  city,  say  at 
Pelham  Bay  Park,  a  distance  of  very  nearly  twenty 
miles. 

[172] 


B)  H.  C.  BROWN,  1816 

The  old  Middle  Dutch  Church,  which  formerly  stood  on  the 
corner  of  Fulton  and  William  Streets— now  occupied  by  De  Voe, 
Raynolds  6c  Co.  The  "Fulton  Street  Daily  Prayer  Meetings'* 
are  still  held  in  this  building  at  noon  to  conform  with  the 
conditions  under  which  the  land  was  originally  donated  for  church 
purposes. 


In  other  directions  changes  have  been  equally  im- 
portant. But  our  readers  who  know  the  city  as  it  is 
today  would  no  doubt  like  to  know  what  it  was  a  hun- 
dred years  ago  and  the  following  selections  from  news- 
papers and  other  publications  of  that  period  will  no 
doubt  be  found  of  great  interest,  as  they  relate  to  ex- 
actly the  same  city  in  which  they  now  live.  Our  first 
quotation  therefore  is  from  a  Guide  Book  of  the  city 
of  unusually  careful  compiling  and  consequently  of  great 
value  in  its  descriptions  of  the  city  in  various  direc- 
tions. These  guide  books  were  well  edited  and  were 
depended  upon  by  the  stranger  for  information  regard- 
ing the  city.  This  one  begins  with  the  following  de- 
scription of  the  city,  its  size  and  other  details. 

"In  extent  the  city  measures  in  length  from  the  Battery 
to  31st  Street  about  four  miles.  The  whole  of  this  space 
is  not  yet  covered  with  buildings,  but  the  greater  proportion 
of  it  is,  and  probably  as  new  houses  are  rapidly  appearing, 
the  plan  of  the  City  will  be  filled  up  in  the  course  of  a  few 
years." 

Should  it  happen  that  you  do  live  near  Pelham  Bay 
Park  and  are  fond  of  fishing,  hunting,  skating,  etc., 
you  may  have  these  at  hand,  but  by  no  means  to  such 
an  extent  as  in  the  neighborhood  of  Thirty-first  Street 
a  hundred  years  ago,  when  it  was  the  extreme  out- 
skirts of  the  flourishing  City  of  New  York  and  even 
now  there  are  still  living  some  old  citizens  who  can 
tell  you  of  the  snipe,  etc.,  to  be  had  where  the  Public 
Library  stands,  and  the  fishing  where  the  Park  Avenue 
Hotel  is. 

The  same  writer  goes  on  to  say: 

"The  number  of  Dwelling  Houses  is  estimated  at  17,000. 
The  population  exceeds  100,000,  which  gives  about  six  inhabi- 
tants to  each  house.  In  consequence  of  the  many  destructive 
fires  which  happened  in  New  York,  all  houses  erected  within 
a  certain  district  must  now  be  built  of  brick  or  stone,  with 
party  or  fire  walls  at  least  six  inches  above  the  roof.  This 
regulation  has  introduced  much  neatness  and  regularity  in  the 
general  aspect  of  the  dwelling  houses." 

Apropos  of  the  population  at  this  time  a  very  curious 
prediction  was  made  as  to  its  future  increase;  it  was 

[173] 


estimated  that  every  five  years  would  see  25  per  cent, 
added  and  which  computed  to  1900  made  a  grand  total 
of  5,247,493 !    A  commentator  had  this  to  say : 

"The  ratio  however  will  by  no  means  continue  in  the  same 
proportion,  as  here  given,  from  various  causes,  but  especially 
from  the  want  of  adequate  building  room  to  accommodate  suit- 
ably such  an  enormous  increase  on  this  island.  It  is  barely 
possible  that  the  year  1850  may  see  this  city  with  a  population 
of  4  to  5  hundred  thousand  but  beyond  that  number  the  increase 
must  be  more  limited  yearly !" 

Of  course  Greater  New  York  has  outgrown  the  lim- 
its of  Manhattan  Island  and  has  arrived  at  the  distinc- 
tion of  being  the  most  populous  city  of  the  world,  and 
the  word  of  the  prophet  has  come  true  almost  exactly, 
the  population  for  1916  being  5,685,000. 

But  what  of  the  estimate  of  six  inhabitants  to  each 
dwelling?  Our  conservative  friend  could  not  possibly 
foresee  a  single  building  housing  thousands  of  the  in- 
habitants at  one  time,  as  is  quite  possible  now  in  sev- 
eral of  New  York's  hotels  and  apartment  buildings. 

New  York  boasted  of  its  hotels,  etc.,  in  1816  just 
as  we  do  now.  Note  the  gorgeousness  of  one  of  them 
at  least  and  compare  it  mentally  with  the  Biltmore  or 
the  Waldorf  and  remember  that  for  a  decade  the  City 
Hotel  was  the  leading  hotel  of  New  York's  exclusive 
society  and  rejoiced  in  everything  pertaining  to  a  first- 
class  hostelry  in  this  country  at  that  time. 

"The  City  of  N.  Y.  is  amply  provided  with  these  for  the 
accommodation  of  visitors.  There  are  no  lodging  houses  or 
furnished  apartments  here  as  in  England.  Strangers  must  board 
in  the  place  where  they  lodge.  Unfurnished  rooms  may  some- 
times be  had,  but  these  have  been  difficult  to  procure  of  late, 
owing  to  the  rapid  increase  of  the  population.  These  are  the 
Hotels:— City  Hotel,  B'way— Merchants'  Hotel,  Wall  Street- 
Mechanics'  Hall,  B'way — Tontine  Coffee  House,  Wall  St. — Bank 
Coffee  House,  Pine  Street — Tammany  Hall,  Nassau  Street — 
Washington  Hall,  B'way — Commerce  Hotel,  Pearl  St. 

"The  principal  of  these  is  the  City  Hotel — it  is  an  immense 
building  5  stories  in  height,  and  contains  75  rooms  of  various 
dimensions,  fitted  up  and  furnished  in  a  tasteful  and  elegant 
manner.  Every  luxury  of  the  table  to  be  obtained  is  provided 
for  the  patrons." 

,        [174] 


It  was  at  the  City  Hotel  in  1816  the  first  savings 
bank  in  New  York  was  organized  and  here  was  held 
the  first  meeting  of  citizens  for  promoting  the  Erie 
Canal  as  here  set  forth: 

At  a  numerous  and  respectable  Meeting  of  the  citizens  held 
agreeably  to  public  notice  at  the  City  Hotel  on  Saturday  eve., 
Dec.  30,  1815,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  into  consideration  the 
measures  proper  to  be  adopted  in  order  to  promote  a  Canal 
Navigation  between  the  great  Western  Lakes  and  the  tide  waters 
of  the  Hudson  River — Wm.  Bayard,  Esq.,  in  the  chair — John 
Pintard  secretary, 

De  Witt  Clinton,  Esq.,  from  committee  appointed  for  that 
purpose  at  a  former  meeting,  reported  that  in  their  opinion  it 
would  be  proper  to  present  a  memorial  to  the  Legislature  in 
favor  of  a  canal  from  Lake  Erie  to  the  Hudson,  and  that  the 
committee  had  prepared  such  memorial  for  the  consideration 
of  this  meeting. 

Resolved  unanimously  that  the  same  be  adopted.     And 

Resolved  that  De  Witt  Clinton,  Cadwalader  D.  Colden,  John 
Swartwout,  Thomas  Eddy,  and  William  Bayard,  Esquires,  be 
a  general  committee   ...   to  promote  the  undertaking. 

The  proprietor  of  a  hotel  not  mentioned  in  the  Guide 
Book  to  New  York  thus  addresses  himself  to  the  pub- 
lic through  the  columns  of  the  Evening  Post : 

Miles  Greenwood  having  made  arrangements  for  the  accom- 
modation of  an  additional  number  of  boarders  at  the  Union 
Hotel,  68  William  St.,  begs  leave  to  solicit  the  patronage  of 
those  gentlemen  desirous  to  economize  in  their  expenses.  He 
hopes  however  that  those  not  so  desirous  will  not  be  discour- 
aged from  honoring  him  with  a  visit,  by  the  humble  terms  on 
which  he  proposes  to  serve  them,  but  that  they  will  estimate 
his  house  according  to  the  quality  of  its  provisions  and  con- 
veniences. 

Boarders  can  be  accommodated  at  3.50  a  week. 

And  those  in  search  of  a  good  roadhouse  as  far 
away  as  Twenty-sixth  Street,  might  be  accommodated 
here: 

Bellevue  Coffee  House — Nicholas  Thompson,  late  of  147 
Water  Street,  informs  his  friends  and  the  public  that  he  has 
opened  that  agreeably  situated  House  on  the  banks  of  the  East 
River,  a  few  yards  east  of  the  new  Alms  House  (26th  Street), 
called  the  Bellevue  Coffee  House,  where  he  will  pay  every  atten- 
tion  to   the   accommodation   of    those   who   visit   it.     Dinners, 

[175] 


Breakfasts,  and  Suppers  and  Relishes  furnished  in  a  handsome 
style  and  at  moderate  prices.  A  Boat  with  fishing  tackle,  etc., 
is  kept  for  the  use  of  Customers,  also  an  elegant  Bathing 
House. 

Ladies,  Your  Attention,  Please 

Mrs.  Barber,  Corset,  Dress  and  Habit  Maker  has  removed 
from  No.  80  to  No.  96  Broadway  and  will  use  her  best  en- 
deavors to  obtain  the  earliest  European  fashions. 

Introducing  Franklin  Street 

On  the  petition  of  the  owners  and  inhabitants  of  property 
on  Sugar  Loaf  Street,  the  name  of  said  street  was  changed  to 
that  of  Franklin   Street. 

Evening  Post,  July  10,  1816. 
The  Goal  for  Fast  Horses 

<  Macomb's  Stone  Dam,  across  the  Harlaem  River.  The  sub- 
scriber announces  that  Colonel  Macomb's  Stone  Dam,  across 
the  Harlaem  River  is  completed;  and  that  it  is  so  constructed 
as  to  answer  all  the  purposes  of  a  bridge,  being  brought  up 
to  a  surface  of  twenty-four  feet  in  width  in  the  clear.  The 
roads  connected  therewith  are  so  far  finished  as  to  open  a  di- 
rect route  to  Williamsbridge,  White   Plains,  etc. 

John  Marshall,  Superintendent. 

Evening  Post,  July  12,  1816. 

From  a  Member  of  the  Anti-Noise  Society 

Communication — Our  city  has  of  late  taken  a  very  musi- 
cal turn.  In  the  day  time  we  are  entertained  with  trumpets 
by  New  Jersey  buttermilk  blacks,  and  New  York  rusk-boys — 
in  the  night  by  the  smutty  ditties  of  the  nightly  scavengers. 
Would  it  not  greatly  add  to  the  harmony,  to  have  the  bells 
of  all  the  churches  rung  at  every  half-hour  in  order  that  the 
sick  and  dying  may  keep   an   account  of  their   last  moments? 

•       The  Gazette,  July  9,  1816. 

Never  remedied  except  during  the  administration 
of  the  late  lamented  Col.  Waring,  the  best  Street  Com- 
missioner New  York  ever  had. 

The  practice  of  sweeping  the  streets  in  dry  windy  weather, 
without  previously  sprinkling,  ought  to  be  prohibited  by  the 
civil  authority.  No  person  can  walk  during  sweeping  hours 
without  being  almost  suffocated. 

[176] 


itj|G^r3 


he 

2 


u 


^2 

E 


[In  reply  to  the  above  we  have  to  remark  that  there  is  an 
ordinance  of  the  corporation  forbidding  this  practice.  It  is 
evident  no  notice  is  taken  of  the  constant  infringement  of  the 
law.] 

The  wood  sawyer  pursuing  his  occupation  was  a  com- 
mon sight. 

Coroner's  Report — A  man  unknown  about  35  years  old, 
while  sawing  wood  in  Pearl  Street,  dropped  down  dead. 

Demand  for  pews  in  the  fashionable  St.  George's 
Church  in  Beekman  Street. 

Wanted — Either  the  whole  or  half  of  a  Pew,  on  the 
ground  floor  of  St.  George's  Church,  contiguous  to  the  pulpit; 
for  which  a  liberal  rent  will  be  paid. 


City  Parks  in  1816 

Comparatively  very  few  of  the  citizens  of  New  York 
have  any  adequate  idea  of  the  extent  of  the  Public 
Parks  that  have  been  provided  by  the  city.  The  sub- 
ject, as  it  well  deserves,  has  been  treated  at  great  length 
elsewhere  in  this  volume — although  it  would  necessitate 
a  very  large  book  of  itself  to  do  proper  justice  to  the 
wonders  and  beauties  of  these  vast  areas  reserved  for 
all  time  for  the  delectation  of  our  citizens.  From  a 
comparison  with  the  very  limited  Park  Property  of 
1816  it  would  appear  that  New  York  had  greatly  in- 
creased in  this  direction,  and  greatly  to  its  credit.  The 
following  descriptions  of  such  parks  as  were  in  ex- 
istence in  1816  are  of  unusual  interest,  so  great  are  the 
changes  that  have  occurred  in  the  various  sections  since 
that  time: 

The  Battery  Walk — Is  the  most  delightful  promenade  in 
the  city.  It  is  an  open  space  on  the  south-west  point  of  the 
island  to  which  everyone  has  access ;  originally  this  point  of 
land  was^  fortified  by  the  Dutch  who  threw  up  embankments, 
upon  which  they  placed  some  pieces  of  cannon.  Such  was 
the  origin  of  this  renowned  walk,  the  battery,  devoted  to  the 
purpose  of  war,  but  which  has  ever  since  been  consecrated 
to  the  sweet  delights  of  peace.  *  *  *  The  ornament  of 
New  York,  and  the  pride  of  the  lovely  island  of  Manhattan. 
(  Knickerbocker. ) 

[177] 


Bowling  Green,  formerly  a  place  of  amusement  for  the 
citizens,  who  used  to  play  here  at  ball,  quoits  and  other  diver- 
sions. 

The  Park  (Present  City  Hall  Park).  This  is  a  very 
elegant,  pleasant  and  fashionable  resort.  Its  extent  is  about 
4  acres,  and  its  situation  in  the  middle  of  the  city,  on  the 
right  hand  as  we  ascend  Broadway,  renders  it  easy  of  ac- 
cess. *  *  *  Rows  of  trees,  interspersed  with  walks  afford 
a  cool  and  agreeable  shade  from  the  heat.  The  whole  is  en- 
closed by  a  railing,  the  City  Hall  greatly  enhances  the  beauty 
of  the  place,  and  as  it  is  in  contemplation  to  remove  the  Jail 
and  Bridewell  to  some  other  quarter,  these  improvements  will 
greatly  add  to  the  attractions  of  a  spot  so  highly  and  de- 
servedly prized  by  the  citizens  of  New  York. 

Much  has  been  written  of  these  three  City  Parks 
since  1816  as  they  loom  large  in  the  early  history  of 
New  York.  They  were  the  scenes  of  many  important 
public  events  and  are  also  our  first  public  breathing 
spots.  As  such  they  are  entitled  to  the  love  and  venera- 
tion of  all  our  people. 


Old  Time  Amusements 

There  was  one  theatre  only  in  New  York  a  century 
ago,  therefore  it  is  called  The  Theatre  in  the  accom- 
panying list  of  six  places  of  amusement  "where  money 
for  admission  is  received.,,  The  New  Yorkers  of  that 
day  undoubtedly  found  a  great  deal  to  amuse  them  out- 
side of  the  play  house — one  popular  form  of  dissipa- 
tion being  the  book  auctions  that  were  held  in  the  even- 
ing. The  New  Yorker  of  today  would  find  little  ex- 
citement in  the  rival  bids  for  a  copy  of  Baxter's  "Saints 
Rest"  or  Adam  Smith's  "Wealth  of  Nations."  Tastes 
have  changed. 

Places  of  Amusement  where  money  for  admission  is  received : 
1.  The  Theatre  (Chatham  Street,  afterwards  called  the  Park 
Theatre).  2.  Vauxhall  Gardens.  3.  The  Circus.  4.  The  Gal- 
lery of  Paintings.  5.  The  Mechanical  Panorama.  6.  The  Naval 
Panorama. 

The  Theatre  is  a  large  and  substantial  stone  and  brick 
structure  well  adapted  for  the  drama  which  is  liberally  sup- 
ported in  New  York.    In  fitting  up  the  interior  much  taste  has 

[178] 


The    most   interesting   of  all  the   Lincoln   portraits.      Taken   at 

Cooper  Union,  New  York,  on  the  occasion  of  his  first  appearance 

in  the  East  after  the  famous  Lincoln-Douglass  debates. 


been  displayed  and  the  hand  of  the  artist  is  obvious  in  the 
painting  of  the  scenery.  The  house  will  hold  2500  spectators 
and  is  generally  open  from  the  1st  of  September  to  4th  July. 

Vauxhall  Gardens  is  situated  near  the  top  of  the  Bow- 
ery and  is  a  pretty  general  resort.  Music  and  fire-works  are 
the  principal  attractions.  In  the  centre  of  the  garden  is  an 
equestrian  figure  of  Washington,  and  the  orchestra,  erected 
in  the  midst  of  trees,  has  a  romantic  effect. 

The  Circus  is  a  large  wooden  building  near  the  stone 
bridge  in  Broadway  (Canal  Street)  erected  only  in  August 
last  (1815).  It  is  called  the  "New  Circus,"  there  having  been 
former  attempts  to  establish  a  place  of  amusement  of  this  de- 
scription here,  but  without  effect.  The  present  is  under  the 
guidance  of  Mr.  West,  who,  if  he  does  not  meet  with  better 
success  than  his  predecessors,  will  not  have  to  blame  himself 
for  want  of  variety  of  entertainments.  Astonishing  horseman- 
ship, wonderful  performances  on  the  tight  rope,  the  liliputian 
poney,  flying  horseman  and  the  hunted  tailor  are  the  principal 
items  in  the  bill  of  fare  which  excites  the  wonderment  of  the 
inhabitants  of  this  populous  city. 


The  Palisades  Interstate  Park 

It  will  doubtless  be  some  years  yet  before  New  Yorkers  in 
general  realize  what  a  wonderful  addition  has  been  made  to  their 
resources  for  health  and  pleasure  through  the  opening  and 
development  of  the  Palisades  Interstate  Park.  On  a  recent 
Sunday  more  than  five  thousand  foot-passengers  crossed  over  at 
the  Dyckman  Street  ferry  alone  and  this  number  will  greatly 
increase  during  the  coming  summer. 

The  development  of  this  immense  pleasure  ground  was 
greatly  accelerated  by  the  generous  gift  of  Mrs.  E.  H.  Harri- 
man  of  10,000  acres  of  land  and  $1,000,000  in  cash,  when  the 
project  was  still  in  its  beginnings.  One  of  the  great  features  of 
this  splendid  park  will  be  the  Henry  Hudson  Drive  to  be 
located  under  the  Palisades  with  approaches  to  the  top  of  the 
cliffs. 

The  Society  Library 

The  New  York  Society  Library  continues  to  prosper.  In 
1900  the  subscriptions  amounted  to  only  $200,  while  for  the 
fiscal  year  ending  March  31,  1916,  this  amount  had  grown  to 
$5,588. 

F.  Augustus  Schermerhorn,  Charles  C.  Haight,  David  B. 
Ogden,  Paul  Tuckerman,  and  Charles  de  Rham  were  elected 
trustees  for  a  term  of  three  years. 

[179] 


The  Leonard  Lispenard  House 

Elsewhere  in  these  pages  the  quaint  marriage  notice 
of  Leonard  Lispenard  to  Ann  Rutgers  is  recorded.  We 
would  not  be  able  to  locate  exactly  the  home  of  Lis- 
penard to  which  he  took  his  bride  were  it  not  for  the 
fact  that  Washington  spent  one  night  there  while  on  his 
way  from  Philadelphia  to  Cambridge  to  assume  com- 
mand of  the  American  Army.  News  of  the  battle  of 
Lexington  had  already  reached  New  York  and,  while  not 
regarded  seriously  by  the  King's  officers,  it  was,  never- 
theless, taken  as  an  indication  of  the  serious  resistance 
of  the  Americans.  But  the  startling  news  of  the  battle 
of  Bunker  Hill  and  the  presence  of  British  war  vessels 
in  the  harbor  caused  Washington  and  his  advisers  grave 
concern  regarding  his  route  through  New  York.  Ordi- 
narily speaking  there  were  three  main  traveled  roads 
from  Philadelphia  to  New  York.  One  by  way  of  Perth 
Amboy,  the  Arthur  Kill,  Kill  Von  Kull  and  New  York 
Bay,  or  crossing  by  Perth  Amboy  to  Staten  Island,  and 
thence  by  boat  to  New  York,  or  from  New  Brunswick 
to  Elizabethport  and  thence  by  boat  to  New  York,  or 
what  was  most  feasible  of  all,  continuing  through  New- 
ark to  Jersey  City,  then  called  Paulus  Hook,  and  from 
that  point  to  the  foot  of  Courtlandt  Street,  N.  Y.  All 
of  these  routes  landed  the  traveler  at  the  lower  end  of 
the  city. 

However,  as  the  Royal  Governor  Tryon  had  already 
arrived  at  Sandy  Hook,  it  became  a  delicate  matter  how 
to  avoid  an  embarrassing  situation.  Up  to  this  time 
there  had  been  no  formal  declaration  of  war  and  the 
Royal  Governor  was  entitled  to  a  formal  reception  from 
the  people  as  a  whole,  while  Washington's  appearance, 
representing  the  new  nation  in  the  making,  was  likely  to 
arouse  a  counter  demonstration  by  the  people. 

Washington's  advisers  wisely  concluded  that  by  go- 
ing up  to  Hoboken  and  crossing  there  they  would  avoid 

[180] 


Diana's    Tower   on    Madison   Square    Garden    seen    from    Fifth 
Avenue  and  24th  Street. 


possible  trouble.  This  naturally  led  to  a  landing  on  the 
New  York  side  at  about  the  present  Laight  and  Green- 
wich Streets  near  Leonard  Lispenard's  place.  The 
American  troops  were  disposed  accordingly  and  Wash- 
ington received  with  full  honors. 

To  the  fact  that  Washington  spent  the  night  at  Leon- 
ard Lispenard's  mansion  we  are  indebted  for  the  exact 
location  of  the  homestead,  which  is  now  definitely  deter- 
mined to  have  been  198  Hudson  Street.  A  tablet  has 
therefore  been  affixed  to  this  location  reading  as  follows : 


Opposite  this  Tablet 

in   Hudson   Street   stood  the 

House   of   Leonard   Lispenard 

in   which 

GENERAL  GEORGE  WASHINGTON 

was   Entertained   June  25,    1775, 

while   en  route 

from  Philadelphia  to  Cambridge 

to  Assume  Command  of  the  Continental  Army. 

This  Tablet  was  Erected 

By  the  Empire  State  Society 

Sons   of   the  American   Revolution 

June  25,    1914. 


Mr.  Lispenard  had  already  given  many  proofs  of  his 
devotion  to  the  American  cause  and  this  selection  of  his 
home  as  an  abiding  place  over  night  was  perfectly  nat- 
ural. A  Loyalist,  writing  of  the  event  and  referring  to 
Washington  and  his  hosts,  says  the  former  was  received 
by  shouts  and  huzzas  from  the  rebellious,  and  was  es- 
corted to  town  in  the  same  tumultuous  and  ridiculous 
manner. 

[181] 


Washington  Irving  Introduces  American 
Literature  to  the  Old  World 

The  nineteenth  century  had  hardly  opened  when  New- 
York  gave  signs  of  being  the  coming  literary  centre  of 
the  New  World.  As  yet,  however,  nothing  had  been 
produced  of  exceptional  merit.  Alexander  Hamilton  had 
founded  the  Evening  Post,  a  daily  paper  that  was  des- 
tined to  have  much  influence  on  American  letters  and 
had  imparted  to  its  columns  a  scholarly  standard  that  has 
been  maintained  to  the  present  day.  It  remained  for 
Washington  Irving,  one  of  its  early  contributors,  to 
gain  recognition  for  American  literature  in  the  great  cul- 
tured centres  of  Europe.  Irving  was  a  native  New 
Yorker  and  was  born  at  128  William  Street  and  chris- 
tened in  St.  George's  Chapel,  then  in  Beekman  Street. 
He  lived  a  long  and  useful  life  and  for  many  years  was 
the  first  citizen  of  New  York.  He  was  largely  instru- 
mental in  persuading  John  Jacob  Astor  to  found  the 
Astor  Library.  He  was  one  of  his  executors,  president 
of  the  commission  which  created  Central  Park  and  held 
many  other  positions  of  dignity  and  trust  in  the  city. 
Elsewhere  in  these  pages  Mr.  Poultney  Bigelow  has  writ- 
ten an  appreciation  of  Irving  which  is  of  great  interest. 

But  it  is  as  the  first  author  to  receive  recognition 
abroad  for  American  letters  that  his  chief  distinction 
lies.  His  list  of  works  is  a  long  one,  but  the  book  which 
is  best  known  to  our  citizens  is  his  inimitable  "Knicker- 
bocker's History  of  New  York."  The  popularity  of  this 
work  shows  no  signs  of  diminishing  and  today  its  sales 
are  greater  than  at  the  time  of  its  first  publication.  This 
edition  brings  today  $285.00  per  copy  if  nicely  bound. 
What  he  wrote  as  a  whimsical  ephemeral  production  has 
now  become  a  classic  and  the  good-natured  badinage 
with  which  he  records  the  doings  of  our  solemn  Dutch 
ancestors  has  gained  in  popularity  as  time  has  passed. 

[182] 


E 
5 


o 
2 


O 


Irving  was  evidently  not  unaware  of  the  advantages 
of  clever  advertising  and  conceived  the  idea  of  printing 
a  number  of  letters  designed  to  excite  curiosity  regard- 
ing Diedrich  Knickerbocker.  These  appeared  in  the 
Evening  Post,  at  weekly  intervals  prior  to  the  appear- 
ance of  his  book  and  a  glance  at  the  collection  will  readily 
prove  that  our  amiable  friend  was  vastly  superior  to  the 
many  so-called  experts  in  this  field  today.  We  print 
these  letters  in  the  succession  in  which  they  appeared, 
and  our  readers,  we  think,  will  agree  with  us  that  they 
are  well  worth  a  place  among  the  beginnings  of  Ameri- 
can literature.  As  will  be  seen,  they  were  excellently 
adapted  to  arouse  interest  and  sympathy  regarding  the 
fate  of  old  Diedrich  and  readily  excited  considerable 
curiosity  regarding  the  book  which  he  was  supposed  to 
have  left  with  the  irascible  Innkeeper.  The  result  amply 
justified  Irving's  expectations,  as  all  New  York  was 
agog  to  see  what  sort  of  a  "very  curious  kind  of  a  book" 
he  had  written. 

Distressing 

Left  his  lodgings  some  time  since,  and  has  not  since  been 
heard  of,  a  small  elderly  gentleman,  dressed  in  an  old  black 
coat  and  cocked  hat,  by  the  name  of  Knickerbocker,  As  there 
are  some  reasons  for  believing  he  is  not  entirely  in  his  right 
mind,  and  as  great  anxiety  is  entertained  about  him,  any  in- 
formation concerning  him  left  either  at  the  Columbian  Hotel, 
Mulberry  Street,  or  at  the  office  of  this  paper,  will  be  thank- 
fully received. 


From   the  same,  November  6,    1809. 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Evening  Post: 

Sir, — Having  read  in  your  paper  of  the  26th  October  last, 
a  paragraph  respecting  an  old  gentleman  by  the  name  of 
Knickerbocker,  who  was  missing  from  his  lodgings ;  if  it  would 
be  any  relief  to  his  friends,  or  furnish  them  with  any  clew 
to  discover  where  he  is,  you  may  inform  them  that  a  per- 
son answering  the  description  given,  was  seen^  by  the  passen- 
gers of  the  Albany  stage,  early  in  the  morning,  about  four 
or  five  weeks  since,  resting  himself  by  the  side  of  the  road, 
a  little  above  King's  Bridge.  He  had  in  his  hand  a  small 
bundle  tied  in  a  red  bandanna  handkerchief :  he  appeared  to 
be  travelling  northward,  and  was  very  much  fatigued  and 
exhausted.  A  TRAVELLER. 

[183] 


From  the  same,  November  16,   1809. 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Evening  Post: 

Sir, — You  have  been  good  enough  to  publish  in  your  paper 
a  paragraph  about  Mr.  Diedrich  Knickerbocker,  who  was  miss- 
ing so  strangely  some  time  since.  Nothing  satisfactory  has 
been  heard  of  the  old  gentleman  since;  but  a  very  curious 
kind  of  a  written  book  has  been  found  in  his  room,  in  his 
own  handwriting.  Now  I  wish  you  to  notice  him,  if  he  is 
still  alive,  that  if  he  does  not  return  and  pay  off  his  bill 
for  boarding  and  lodging,  I  shall  have  to  dispose  of  his  book 
to   satisfy  me   for  the   same. 

I  am,  Sir,  your  humble  servant, 

SETH  HANDASIDE, 

Landlord    of    the     Independent     Columbian     Hotel,     Mulberry 
Street. 


From  the  same,  November  28,   1809. 

Literary  Notice 

Inskeep  &  Bradford  have  in  the  press,  and  will  shortly  publish, 

A  History  of  New  York 

In  two  volumes,  duodecimo.     Price  three  dollars. 

Containing  an  account  of  its  discovery  and  settlement,  with 
its  internal  policies,  manners,  customs,  wars,  etc.,  etc.,  under 
the  Dutch  government,  furnishing  many  curious  and  inter- 
esting particulars  never  before  published,  and  which  are  gath- 
ered from  various  manuscript  and  other  authenticated  sources, 
the  whole  being  interspersed  with  philosophical  speculations 
and  moral  precepts. 

This  work  was  found  in  the  chamber  of  Mr.  Diedrich 
Knickerbocker,  the  old  gentleman,  whose  sudden  and  myste- 
rious disappearance  has  been  noticed.  It  is  published  in  order 
to  discharge  certain  debts  he  has  left  behind. 


From  the  American  Citizen,  December  6,  1809. 

Is  this  day  published 

By  Inskeep  &  Bradford,  No.  128  Broadway 

A  History  of  New  York 

etc.,   etc., 

(Containing  same  as  above.) 

[184] 


Among  other  brilliant  literary  men  who  were  soon 
to  shed  glory  in  American  letters  and  who  lived  in  New 
York  were:  Fitz-Greene  Halleck,  Dr.  Joseph  Rodman 
Drake,  Edgar  Allan  Poe,  Charles  F.  Browne  (Artemus 
Ward),  Fitz-James  O'Brien,  Godfrey  Saxe,  Benjamin 
P.  Shillaber,  Theodore  F.  Tuckerman,  Charles  G.  Hal- 
pin,  Miles  O'Reilly,  Henry  Brevoort,  James  K.  Paulding, 
Charles  Ferro  Hoffman,  Henry  Ogden,  Peter  and  Gou- 
verneur  Kemble,  Peter  and  William  Irving,  brothers  of 
Washington  Irving. 

This  group  in  a  degree  recalled  the  days  of  Garrick, 
Johnson  and  others  in  Grub  Street.  They  were  Bohe- 
mians of  the  better  sort  and  made  their  headquarters  in 
a  porter  house  at  John  and  Nassau  Streets  when  their 
finances  were  low — an  ordinary,  and,  in  fact,  chronic 
condition.  Here  they  enjoyed  "blackguard  suppers,"  as 
they  affectionately  termed  their  humble  repasts,  but  when 
fortune  smiled  upon  them  they  hied  them  forth  in 
ghoulish  glee  to  their  "country  estate,"  an  ancient  resi- 
dence on  the  banks  of  the  Passaic  not  far  from  Newark, 
to  which  they  gave  the  playful  name  of  "Cockloft  Hall." 
To  this  day  Cockloft  Hall  remains  Newark's  most  treas- 
ured literary  possession,  and  its  glories  will  be  revived 
in  the  celebration  of  that  city's  250th  anniversary,  which 
is  to  be  held  this  year. 

In  1820  Halleck  mourned  the  death  of  Drake,  who 
was  buried  in  Hunt's  Point  in  the  Bronx.  Returning 
from  the  funeral  he  composed  that  famous  monody  which 
begins : 

Green  be  the  grass  above  thee, 
Friend   of  my   better  days, 
None  knew  thee  but  to  love  thee, 
None  named  thee  but  to  praise. 

It  is  an  exquisite  poem  and  a  fitting  tribute  of  the 
love  he  bore  his  friend.  "There  will  be  less  sunshine  for 
me  hereafter  now  that  Jo  is  gone,"  he  remarked  to  his 
friend  De  Kay  that  evening,  and  so  it  proved. 

Events  now  move  swiftly  even  in  literary  circles  in 
New  York.  Irving  goes  to  Spain,  there  to  further  en- 
hance his  reputation  by  the  Conquest  of  Granada.  At 
the  Madrid  Court  he  met  the  future  Empress  of  the 

[185] 


French,  then  a  mere  child  of  eight  years.  It  is  a  singular 
fact  that  Eugenia  is  still  alive,  though  nearly  sixty  years 
have  passed  since  Irving  died  and  is  the  last  link  that 
connects  Irving  with  any  known  living  person.  The  late 
John  Bigelow,  for  many  years  New  York's  first  citizen, 
who  died  at  94  only  three  years  ago,  was  the  last  living 
American  to  remember  Irving  in  life. 

The  little  cottage  in  which  Poe  lived  is  fortunately 
still  preserved,  and  the  City  has  done  itself  credit  by 
purchasing  also  part  of  the  ground  surrounding  it  and 
setting  it  aside  as  Poe  Park. 

The  list  of  men  and  women  of  later  years  who  have 
shed  lustre  on  American  letters  is  a  long  one.  They  may 
not  have  been  native  sons,  but  wherever  born  it  was  in 
New  York  that  their  talents  were  recognized  and  their 
worth  appreciated. 

Where  Washington  Took   Farewell   of  His 
Officers 

Fraunces'  Tavern,  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Broad 
and  Pearl  streets,  contains  on  the  second  floor  the 
famous  "long  room,"  in  which  General  Washington  took 
affecting  leave  of  his  officers  and  aides  Dec.  4,  1783,  be- 
fore proceeding  to  Congress  to  surrender  his  commis- 
sion. It  was  originally  a  private  house  built  in  1700  by 
Etienne  De  Lancey.  It  was  opened  as  a  tavern  by  Sam- 
uel Fraunces  in  1762.  The  building  has  been  restored 
by  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution  to  its  original  proportions. 
The  first  floor  is  still  a  tavern ;  or  more  properly  speak- 
ing a  modern  restaurant  where  good  meals  can  be  ob- 
tained by  the  stranger.  The  second  floor  contains  a  dis- 
play of  historical  relics. 

Next  to  the  Jumel  Mansion  this  building  is  more 
closely  associated  with  the  memory  of  Washington  than 
any  other  on  the  island,  and  is  the  Mecca  of  many  a 
patriotic  pilgrimage.  The  Chamber  of  Commerce  was 
organized  here  in  1756,  and  the  Tavern  was  the  scene  of 
many  spirited  meetings  by  the  Sons  of  Liberty  prior  to 
the  Revolution. 

[186] 


President  Washington's  Life  in   New  York 

The  Presidential  Residence  in  New  York  was  not  a  place 
of  great  hilarity.  In  fact,  it  was  rather  dull  and  uninviting. 
Although  President  Washington  entertained  much,  the  dinners 
he  gave  were  considered  rather  dull  affairs  and  it  was  a  habit 
of  his,  while  the  guests  at  the  table  were  conversing  freely,  to 
toy  with  a  fork  or  spoon,  saying  nothing  and  looking  very 
much  like  a  man  who  was  greatly  bored.  He  was  imperious 
and  peremptory  and  very  exact  as  to  his  rules  of  life.  Such  a 
thing  as  waiting  for  a  guest  was  out  of  the  question.  His  hour 
for  dining  was  observed  to  the  minute.  It  is  related  that  on 
one  occasion  when  he  expected  two  noted  public  men  to  dine 
with  him  the  hour  struck  but  the  guests  did  not  appear.  Never- 
theless Washington  went  in  to  dinner  punctually  on  time  and, 
when  the  two  gentlemen  arrived  fifteen  minutes  late,  he  greeted 
them  with  his  usual  urbanity,  and  said  "Gentlemen,  we  are 
punctual  here.  My  cook  never  asks  if  the  company  has  ar- 
rived but  if  the  hour  has." 

There  were  times,  of  course,  when  Washington  threw  off 
the  stiff  and  dignified  manner  of  the  hero  and  appeared  just 
like  the  ordinary  human  being  and  in  such  a  mood  would  be- 
come very  genial  and  quite  talkative.  But  he  rarely  melted  out 
sufficiently  to  become  humorous,  although  he  got  to  the  point 
of  being  chatty  and  cheerful.  At  levees  and  social  functions 
the  ladies  surrounded  him  as  often  as  there  was  opportunity 
and  Washington,  although  not  a  ladies'  man,  would  be  quite 
entertaining  and  attractive.  One  young  woman  writes  to  a 
friend  of  having  met  Washington  on  such  an  occasion,  and 
adds,  "when  General  Washington  throws  off  the  Hero  and  takes 
up  the  chatty,  agreeable  Companion,  he  can  be  down  right 
impudent  sometimes — such  impudence,  Fanny,  as  you  and  I 
like." 

We  can  hardly  imagine  the  Presidential  Mansion  being  dull 
and  prosy;  but  such  it  was  and  we  have  Martha  Washington's 
own  testimony  to  that  effect.  In  a  letter  she  wrote  from  New 
York  to  her  friend  at  Mt.  Vernon  she  says :  "I  live  a  very 
dull  life  here  and  know  nothing  of  what  passes  in  the  town. 
I  never  go  to  any  public  place.  t  Indeed,  I  think  I  am  more 
like  a  State  prisoner  than  anything  else;  and,  as  I  cannot  do 
as  I  like,  I  am  obstinate  and  stay  at  home  a  great  deal.  Kiss 
Marie.  I  send  her  two  little  handkerchiefs  to  wipe  her  nose." 
So  it  is  not  all  gold  that  glitters  and  we  can  easily  imagine 
that,  after  the  long  and  trying  services  he  had  rendered  his 
country  and  the  years  of  arduous  toil  in  consolidating  and 
establishing  the  Republic,  Washington  was  glad  to  retire  to  the 
quiet  and  seclusion  of  Mt.  Vernon. 

[187] 


In  Provincial  Congrefs, 

New-York,  Auguft  8th,  177& 

RESOLVED, 

THAT  the  feveral  Committees  and  Suh-- 
Committees  of  the  different  Counties  with- 
in this  Coloriy,  be  directed  immediately  to 
purchafe  or  hire  all  the  ARM  S,  with  or  without. 
Bayonets,  that  are  fit  for  prefent  Service  (on  the 
Credit  of  this  Colony)  and  to  deliver  them  to  the 
refpe£tive  Colonels  in  this  Colony  employed  in  the 
Continental  Service,  or  their  Order,  for  the  Ufei  of 
.he  Continental  Army* 

A  true  Copy  from  the  Minutes, 

Robert  Benson,  Secry, 


REVOLUTIONARY    BROADSIDE    GIVING    FIRST    NOTICE    OF    ARMED    RESISTANCE 
TO    THE     CROWN 


[188] 


©  H.  C.  BROWN.  1916 


Great  naturalist  and  authot-of  "Audubon's  Birds. 
Another  beloved  citizen  of  New  York, 


Hunting  Bears  in  Pearl  Street 

From  Wooley's  Journal  of  New  York. 

[In  1678  Charles  Wooley,  A.M.,  a  young  graduate  of  Cambridge 
College  in  England  made  a  trip  to  this  country  spending  two  years 
in  New  York  and  vicinity.  The  city  itself  he  describes  as  "poore 
unsettled  and  almost  without  trade ;  small  in  size  and  scanty  in 
population ;  its  buildings  mostly  wood ;  some  few  of  stone  and  brick ; 
10  or  15  ships  of  about  100  tons  burthen  each  frequented  the  port 
in  a  year ;  four  of  these  being  New  York  built."  A  trader  worth 
$2,500  to  $5,000  was  "accompted  a  good  substantial  merchant ;  a  planter 
whose  moveables  were  valued  at  half  that  sum  was  esteemed  rich." 
Editor.] 

Wooley  left  England  May  27th,  1678,  on  board  the 
Blossom,  Richard  Martain,  Master,  and  arrived  in  N. 
Y.  the  following  August  7th.  Although  he  spent  con- 
siderable time  in  other  parts  of  the  country  besides  New 
York,  we  are  only  concerned  with  his  sojourn  here,  as 
he  records  an  actual  Bear  Hunt  in  the  City  of  New  York. 

"I  was  one  with  others  that  have  had  very  good  diversion  and 
sport  with  them ;  in  an  orchard  of  Mr.  John  Robinson's  of  New  York, 
where  we  followed  a  Bear  from  Tree  to  Tree  upon  which  he  could 
swarm  like  a  Cat ;  and  when  he  was  got  to  his  resting  place  perch'd 
upon  a  high  branch,  we  despatch'd  a  youth  after  him  with  a  Club 
to  an  opposite  bough  who  knocking  his  Claws,  he  comes  grumbling 
down  backwards  with  a  thump  upon  the  ground,  so  we  after  him 
again." 

Note. — The  John  Robinson  referred  to  above  was  a 
merchant  in  New  York  as  early  as  1676  and  at  the  time  of 
the  incident  above  referred  to,  his  orchard,  as  near  as  can 
now  be  judged,  extended  along  Pearl  Street  just  north 
of  Pine.  (N.  Y.  Book  of  Deeds,  V,  113,  VI,  208,  414.)  Also 
Minutes  of  Common  Council  1680.  Resolved  that  water 
lots  between  John  Robinson's  and  William  Beekman's  lands 
along  the  Smiths  Valley  be  sold  at  auction  to  pay  some 
public  assessments.  (Smiths  Valley  extended  from  Cedar 
nearly  to  Beekman  St.) 

Mr.  Robinson  was  a  brother-in-law  of  Dirck  Van  der 
Cliff  through  whose  farm  the  present  Cliff  St.  runs. 

Nevertheless,  James  Riker  in  his  excellent  book 
"History  of  Harlem"  disputes  the  location  of  this  farm 
so  far  down  town  and  gives  excellent  proof  that  it  really 
was  up  town  at  about  the  foot  of  75th  to  80th  Sts.  In 
any  event  it  seems  to  show  beyond  a  doubt  that  Bears 
were  hunted  in  the  city. 

[189] 


New  York's  Great  Universities 

New  York  is  justly  proud  of  her  great  educational  institu- 
tions. In  recent  years  the  increase  in  the  number  of  stu- 
dents has  been  phenomenal  and  New  York  may  now  claim  to 
have  the  largest  university  in  the  world.  Columbia  a  few  years 
ago  had  only  about  6,000  students — the  latest  report  shows  nearly 
16,000;  and  the  others  are  growing  at  a  corresponding  rate. 
We  have  not  space  in  this  article  to  give  a  detailed  account  of 
their  activities  but  we  give  in  brief  a  synopsis  of  their  work 
and  the  men  who  are  responsible  for  them. 

Columbia  University 

Morningside  Heights 

Nicholas  Murray  Butler,  Ph.D.,  Jur.D.,  LL.D.,  D.Litt.,  President 
The  Schools  and  Colleges  composing  the  University  are  Columbia 
College,  the  oldest  part  of  the  University ;  Barnard  College  for  Women  ; 
the  Graduate  Schools ;  the  School  of  Law ;  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons ;  the  School  of  Mines ;  the  School  of  Engineering ;  the 
School  of  Chemistry ;  the  School  of  Architecture ;  the  School  of  Jour- 
nalism ;  Teachers  College ;  the  College  of  Pharmacy. 

The  University  also  maintains  a  Summer  Session  and  a  system  of 
Extension   Teaching. 

TRUSTEES:  George  L.  Rives,  Chairman;  John  B.  Pine,  Clerk;  Gerard 
Beekman,  Hermann  H.  Cammann,  William  Barclay  Parsons,  Fran- 
cis Sedgwick  Bangs,  Benjamin  Aymar  Sands,  Nicholas  Murray  But- 
ler, T.  Matlack  Cheesman,  Horace  W.  Carpentier,  Marcellus  Hartley 
Dodge,  Rev.  William  T.  Manning,  Rt.  Rev.  David  H.  Greer,  Ben- 
jamin B.  Lawrence,  Willard  V.  King,  William  Pellowes  Morgan, 
Stephen  Baker,  James  Duane  Livingston,  Frederic  R.  Coudert, 
William  Douglas  Sloane,  Walter  Mendelson,  Charles  F.  Hoffman, 
George  L.  Ingraham,  Ambrose  D.  Henry. 

The  University  Library,  the  central  feature  of  the  entire  group 
of  buildings,  is  the  gift  of  Seth  Low,  LL.D.,  president  of  the  Uni- 
versity   from    1889    to    1901. 

St.  Paul's  Chapel  was  given  by  Olivia  E.  P.  Stokes  and  Caroline 
Phelps    Stokes   in   memory   of   their   parents. 

Avery  Library  is  the  gift  of  Samuel  P.  Avery. 

Fayerweather  Hall  is  the  gift  of  Daniel  B.  Fayerweather. 

Schermerhorn  Hall  is  the  gift  of  William  C.  Schermerhorn. 

Havemeyer  Hall  is  the  gift  of  the  family  of  Frederick  Christian 
Havemeyer. 

Earl  Hall  is  the  gift  of  William  Earl  Dodge. 

School  of  Mines  Building  is  the  gift  of  Adolph  Lewisohn. 

John  Stewart  Kennedy  gave  the  University  Hamilton  Hall,  the 
home  of  Columbia  College,  and  the  two  residence  halls,  Hartley  Hall 
and  Livingston  Hall. 

[190] 


Furnald  Hall,  the  third  residence  hall,  is  the  gift  of  Joseph 
Pulitzer. 

The  South  Building  and  the  Middle  Building  of  the  Medical  School 
at  59th  St.  between  9th  and  10th  Aves.,  are  both  the  gift  of  William 
H.    Vanderbilt. 

The  North  Building,  the  Institute  of  Anatomy  and  the  Vanderbilt 
Clinic,  also  at  59th  St.,  are  the  gifts  of  Cornelius,  William  K.,  Fred- 
erick W.   and   George  W.   Vanderbilt. 

The  Sloane  Maternity  Hospital  is  the  gift  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William 
D.   Sloane. 

UNIVERSITY  COUNCIL:  Nicholas  Murray  Butler,  Ph.D.,  Jur.D., 
LL.D.,  D.Litt.,  President  of  the  University;  Frederick  J.  E.  Wood- 
bridge,  A.M.,  LL.D.,  Dean  of  the  Faculties  of  Political  Science, 
Philosophy,  Pure  Science;  Frederick  Paul  Keppel,  A.B.,  D.Litt., 
Dean  of  Columbia  College;  Frederick  Arthus  Goetze,  M.Sc,  Dean 
of  the  Faculty  of  Applied  Science;  Harlan  S.  Stone,  A.M.,  LL.B., 
Dean  of  the  Faculty  of  Law;  Samuel  W.  Lambert,  M.D.,  Dean  of 
the  Faculty  of  Medicine;  Virginia  C.  Gildersleeve,  Ph.D.,  Dean  of 
Barnard  College  and  Adviser  of  Women  Graduate  Students;  James 
Earl  Russell,  Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  Dean  of  Teachers  College;  Henry  H. 
Rusby,  M.D.,  Dean  of  the  College  of  Pharmacy;  William  H.  Car- 
penter, Ph.D.,  Provost-  of  the  University ;  William  T.  Brewster, 
A.M.,  Provost  of  Barnard  College;  James  C.  Egbert,  Ph.D.,  Di- 
rector of  the  Summer  Session  and  of  Extension  Teaching;  Talcott 
Williams,  LL.D.,  L.H.D.,  D.Litt,  Director  of  the  School  of  Jour- 
nalism; Austin  W.   Lord,   Director  of  the   School   of  Architecture. 

TRUSTEES  OF  BARNARD  COLLEGE :  Slias  B.  Brownell,  Chairman; 
Mrs.  A.  A.  Anderson,  V  ice- Chairman ;  Frederick  B.  Jennings, 
Clerk;  George  A.  Plimpton,  Treasurer ;  Mrs.  Joseph  H.  Choate, 
Mrs.  Alfred  Meyer,  Mrs.  James  Talcott,  Mrs.  Henry  Fairfield  Os- 
born,  Edward  W.  Sheldon,  The  Very  Rev.  William  M.  Grosvenor, 
Mrs.  Henry  N.  Munn,  President  Butler,  Albert  G.  Milbank,  Miss 
Clara  B.  Spence,  Howard  Townsend,  Mrs.  Gino  C.  Speranza,  John 
G.  Milburn,  George  L.  Rives,  Miss  Charlotte  S.  Baker,  Horace  W. 
Carpentier,  Pierre  Jay,  Mrs.  Charles  Cary  Rumsey,  Mrs.  Herbert 
Parsons,   Mrs.    Ogden   Mills   Reid. 

The  munificent  gift  of  $500,000  recently  given  by  Jacob  H.  Schiff 
to  Barnard  College  is  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  Students'  Hall,  which 
will  serve  as  a  center  for  the  social,  philanthropic  and  religious  ac- 
tivities  of   all   women   in   Columbia  University. 

TRUSTEES  OF  TEACHERS  COLLEGE :  V.  Everit  Macy,  Chairman; 
Frank  R.  Chambers,  Y  ice- Chair  man;  Newbold  Morris,  Secretary; 
Clark  Williams,  Treasurer;  Arthur  Turnbull,  Assistant  Treasurer; 
Peter  B.  Olney,  B.  Talbot  B.  Hyde,  James  Speyer,  James  E.  Rus- 
sell, Mrs.  Frederick  F.  Thompson,  Nicholas  Murray  Butler,  Mrs. 
Helen  Hartley  Jenkins,  Arthur  Iselin,  Horace  E.  Andrews,  Felix 
M.  Warburg,  William  B.  Osgood  Field,  Dunlevy  J.  Milbank,  Philip 
A.  Rollins,  Richard  M.  Hoe,  David   Snedden. 

TRUSTEES  OF  COLLEGE  OF  PHARMACY:  Nicholas  Murray 
Butler,  President;  Charles  F.  Chandler,  Vice-President ;  William 
Jay  Schieffelin,  Vice-President;  Albert  Plaut,  Vice-President; 
Clarence  O.  Bigelow,  Treasurer;  Thomas  F.  Main,  Secretary; 
Edward  W.  Runyon,  Assistant  Secretary;  W.  B.  Simpson,  Clerk 
of  the  College. 

[191] 


The  New  York  University 

University  Heights 

Elmer  Ellsworth  Brown,  Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  Chancellor 

The  New  York  University  offers  instruction  in  nine  schools  and 
faculties  offering  degrees  and  in  three  divisions  offering  extension 
work : — University  College,  Law  School,  Medical  College,  School  of 
Commerce,  School  of  Pedagogy,  Graduate  School,  School  of  Applied 
Science,  Washington  Square  College,  Veterinary  College ;  the  Sum- 
mer School,  the  Extramural  Division  and  Woman's  Law  Class. 

The  Council  of  the  University 

The  Council  of  New  York  University,  incorporated  the  18th  of 
April,  1831,  is  a  self-perpetuating  body,  consisting  of  thirty-two  mem- 
bers, each  holding  office  for  four  years  or  until  his  successor  is  elected. 
One- fourth  of  the  members  go  out  of  office  each  year  on  the  fourth 
Monday  of   October,  when  their  successors   are   elected  by  the  council. 

OPPFICERS  OF  THE  COUNCIL:  George  Alexander,  D.D.,  President; 
Eugene  Stevenson,  Vice-President;  George  A.  Strong,  Secretary; 
William   M.   Kingsley,    Treasurer. 

ROLL  OF  THE  COUNCIL:  William  S.  Opdyke,  George  Alexander,  D.D., 
Henry  M.  MacCracken,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  John  P.  Munn,  M.D.,  Willis 
Fletcher  Johnson,  L.H.D.,  Thomas  E.  Greaeen,  William  M.  Kings- 
ley,  James  G.  Cannon,  Clarence  H.  Kelsey,  William  H.  Porter, 
John  H.  MacCracken,  Ph.D.,  Eugene  Stevenson,  James  Warren 
Lane,  Frank  A.  Vanderlip,  David  A.  Boody,  Henry  W.  Hodge, 
George  A.  Strong,  James  Abbott,  Henry  M.  Brown,  D.D.,  Scott 
Foster,  Cleland  B.  McAfee,  Benjamin  T.  Fairchild,  Alexander  S. 
Lyman,  Robert  Mackenzie,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Elmer  Ellsworth  Brown, 
Ph.D.,   LL.D.,   Finley   J.   Shepard,   William  R.   Willcox,   LL.D. 

The  Memorial  Library  at  University  Heights,  one  of  the  most 
notable  library  buildings  in  the  United  States,  is  the  gift  of  Miss 
Helen  Miller  Gould   (now  Mrs.  Finley  J.   Shepard). 

Gould  Hall  is  also  the  gift  of  the  same  generous  giver  in  memory 
of  her  parents. 

The  Carnegie  Laboratory,  adjoining  the  College  Building  on  E. 
26th   St.,   is  the  gift  of  Andrew  Carnegie. 

The  Law  Library  has  been  very  largely  enriched  by  collections 
presented  by  Mrs.  Elliot  F.  Shepard  in  memory  of  her  husband. 


The  Hall  of  Fame — New  York  University 

The  Hall  of  Fame,  which  extends  in  semi-circular  form  just  west 
of  the  Library,  is  unique  among  college  buildings.  The  building  is 
two  stories  in  height,  the  first  of  which  consists  of  a  long  corridor 
and  six  separate  rooms  which  are  finally  to  constitute  the  Museum  of 
the  Hall  of  Fame.  The  second  story  is  the  Colonnade,  the  exclusive 
use  of  which  is  to  serve  as  "the  Hall  of  Fame  for  Great  Americans." 
Here  are  to  be  found  the  inscriptions  of  those  who  have  been  elected 
by  vote  of  the  One  Hundred  Electors  of  the  Hall  of  Fame.  Provi- 
sion is  made  for  the  commemoration  of  Americans  of  foreign  nativity 
and  of  famous  American  women.  Elections  are  held  every  five  years. 
The  following  are  the  names  of  Famous  Americans  elected  to  the 
Hall  of  Fame : 


[192] 


> 

< 


o 
U 


Famous  American  Men 

1900 

George    Washington     97 

John    Adams     62 

John    Quincy    Adams    48 

Henry    Clay     74 

Benjamin    Franklin     94 

Andrew    Jackson    48 

Thomas    Jefferson    91 

Abraham    Lincoln    96 

James   Madison    49 

Daniel    Webster     96 

Ralph   Waldo    Emerson    87 

Henry    Wadsworth    Longfellow 85 

Washington    Irving     83 

Nathaniel    Hawthorne     73 

James    Russell    Lowell    

John  Greenleaf  Whittier    

George   Bancroft    

William   Cullen   Bryant    49 

James  Fenimore  Cooper 30 

Oliver  Wendell  Holmes    

John   Lothrop  Motley    41 

Edgar   Allan    Poe    38 

Horace    Mann     67 

Jonathan    Edwards    82 

Henry    Ward    Beecher    64 

William   Ellery   Channing    58 

Phillips     Brooks     

Peter   Cooper    69 

George    Peabody     74 

John  James  Audubon    67 

Asa   Gray    51 

Robert  Fulton    86 

Samuel  F.  B.  Morse   82 

Eli    Whitney     69 

David   Glascoe   Farragut    79 

Ulysses   Simpson   Grant    93 

Robert  E.   Lee    68 

William  Tecumseh  Sherman    

James    Kent     65 

John    Marshall     91 

Joseph     Story     64 

Gilbert   Charles    Stuart    52 

Mark    Hopkins     48 

Francis    Parkman     » 

Louis    Agassiz    

Elias    Howe     47 

Rufus    Choate     47 

Daniel  Boone   

Joseph    Henry     

Alexander    Hamilton     


1905 


60 


46 


56 


59 
53 
40 
43 
43 
49 
47 
42 


49 


58 


1910        1915 


53 


53 
59 
62 
69 
51 
69 


60 


40 

45 

69 

47 

45 

68 
64 

29 

28 

61 

31 

28 

52 
52 
56 
70 

Famous  American  Women 

Frances   E.   Willard    

Mary    Lyon     20 

Emma    Willard     

Harriet  Beecher  Stowe   

Maria   Mitchell    7 

[193] 


59 

oo 

50 

74 

48 

Fordham  University 

Fordham  Road 

Rev.  JOSEPH  A.  MULRY,  S.J.,  President 
Fordham  University  includes  the  following  schools  and  colleges : 

ST.    JOHN'S    COLLEGE 

The  Rev.  Joseph  A.  Mulry,  S.J.,  Principal 

The    Rev.    Robert    H.    Johnson,    S.J.,    Vice -Principal    and 

Prefect  of  Studies 
The  Rev.  Charles  J.  Mullaly,  S.J.,  Prefect  of  Discipline 
The  Rev.  Joseph  T.  Keating,   S.J.,  Treasurer 

SCHOOL   OF  MEDICINE 

William  P.  Healy,  Ph.B.,  M.D.,  Dean 

COLLEGE    OF   PHARMACY 

William  P.  Healy,  Ph.B.,  M.D.,  Dean 

SCHOOL    OF    LAW 

140   Nassau   Street,   New  York 
John  Whalen,   LL.B.,  Dean 

College  Life  in  1849 

Dr.  Lyman  Abbott,  in  his  reminiscences,  says : 

In  the  New  York  University  there  was  very  little  college 
life.  There  were  compulsory  college  prayers,  but,  of  course,  no 
Sabbath  services,  and  no  religious  organization  comparable  to 
a  college  church.  There  was  no  effective  attempt  to  regulate 
conduct  outside  of  college  walls. 

We  did  not  know  where  our  professors  lived;  that  they  did 
not  know  where  we  lived  I  judged  from  the  fact  that  I  re- 
peatedly changed  my  residence  during  my  four  years  of  college 
life,  and  was  never  asked  to  report  the  change.  We  could  eat 
and  drink  and  amuse  ourselves  as  we  pleased,  so  long  as  we 
behaved  ourselves  with  propriety  in  the  three  or  four  hours 
under  the  college  roof. 


The  Hispanic  Society 

The  Hispanic  Society  of  America  to  which  New  York  is  under 
lasting  obligations  for  the  famous  Sorolla  Exhibition,  has 
equalled  this  notable  performance  by  the  public  display  of  the 
works  of  Cervantes.  The  Society  possesses  every  known  edition 
of  Cervantes's  work,  including  the  first  editions.  Other  notable 
works  are  also  among  the  treasures  of  the  Society — Don  Quixote, 
Orlando  Furioso,  Amadis  de  Gaula,  Reynald  of  Montalban,  etc. 

[194] 


0 

-3 


Cathedral  of  St.  John  the  Divine 

The  Cathedral  of  St.  John  the  Divine,  when  com- 
pleted, will  be  the  largest  edifice  for  worship  on  this 
continent  and  the  third  largest  in  Christendom — a 
magnificent  free  temple  for  the  people,  seating  7,000 
worshippers.  Its  site  on  Morningside  Heights,  125  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  is  imposing  and  impressive 
and  commends  a  far-reaching  view  of  the  city  over  whose 
inhabitants  it  is  to  have  a  molding  and  directing  in- 
fluence for  all  time.  The  corner  stone  was  laid  on  St. 
John  the  Evangelist's  day,  Dec.  27th,  1892  by  Bishop 
Henry  C.  Potter  assisted  by  Mr.  J.  Pierpont  Morgan. 

The  choir  and  crossing  are  completed  and  work 
is  now  proceeding  on  the  nave  and  transepts,  but  it  will 
be  many  years  before  this  great  structure  stands  forth 
in  all  its  magnificent  and  imposing  proportions.  Com- 
pared with  St.  Peter's  in  Rome,  the  Cathedral  of  St. 
John  the  Divine  will  be  a  little  less  than  half  in  area, 
and  will  almost  equal  the  Cathedral  of  Seville,  surpass- 
ing all  other  cathedrals  of  the  world  in  area.  The  Duomo 
of  Milan  and  the  Cathedral  of  St.  John  the  Divine  are 
about  equal  in  size,  but  the  latter  is  a  little  larger,  giv- 
ing it  third  place  among  the  great  temples  of  the  world. 
Notre  Dame,  Westminster  Abbey  and  all  the  great 
edifices  of  France  and  Germany  and  other  lands  will 
be  dwarfed  in  comparison  with  the  splendid  and  im- 
posing structure  which  is  slowly  rising  on  Morningside 
Heights. 

Among  the  most  conspicuous  and  beautiful  features 
of  the  choir  are  the  two  sections  of  exquisitely  designed 
and  carved  choir  stalls;  the  magnificent  white  marble 
reredos ;  and  the  great  organ.  These  were  provided  for 
out  of  the  munificent  gift  of  $750,000  made  by  Hon. 
Levi  P.  Morton  and  Mrs.  Morton.  The  stately  dignity 
of  the  architectural  features  of  the  interior,  the  wealth 
of  color  of  the  mosaic  floor  patterns,  the  splendor  of 

[195] 


the  long  perspective  terminating  in  the  magnificent  up- 
lift of  the  eight  towering  granite  columns  and  showing 
glimpses  of  the  Italian  tapestries  between,  is  a  revela- 
tion of  supreme  beauty. 

The  choir  is  enclosed  by  the  Chapels  of  the  Tongues, 
a  semi-circle  of  seven  chapels,  planned  to  provide  services 
for  seven  nationalities,  that  each  might  worship  in 
its  own  tongue.  The  interiors  of  all  the  chapels  are 
beautifully  suggestive  of  the  sacred  purposes  to  which 
they  have  been  dedicated.  Five  of  these  chapels  are  en- 
tirely finished  and  are  constantly  in  use  for  worship ;  the 
other  two,  at  the  respective  ends  of  the  semi-circle,  are 
nearing  completion. 

St.  James'  Chapel  is  erected  in  memory  of  Bishop 
Potter  and  is  the  gift  of  Mrs.  Potter.  St.  Ambrose's 
is  the  gift  of  Mrs.  Sara  Whiting  Rives;  St.  Martin  of 
Tours  was  given  by  Miss  Furniss  in  memory  of  her 
brother;  St.  Saviour's,  beautiful  in  harmony  and  per- 
fection of  detail,  is  the  gift  of  Mr.  August  Belmont ; 
St.  Colomba's  is  the  gift  of  Mrs.  Edward  R.  King;  St. 
Boniface's  was  finished  by  Mrs.  Julia  Grinnell  Bowdoin, 
and  given  in  memory  of  her  husband  Mr.  George  Sulli- 
van Bowdoin;  the  Swedish  chapel  was  given  by  Grace 
Church  in  memory  of  Dr.  Huntington,  long  the  rector 
of  that  famous  church. 

New  York  may  well  be  proud  of  this  great  building 
which  places  it  in  the  first  rank  of  the  cathedral  cities  of 
the  world. 


Easter  Services  in  1816 

Lent  and  its  services  were  then  very  indifferently  observed. 
The  service  on  Easter  Day  in  some  of  the  Episcopal  and  Roman 
Catholic  churches  differed  from  the  usual  services  only  in  the 
introduction  of  an  anthem ;  flowers  were  not  displayed  either 
in  churches  or  private  dwellings ;  in  fact,  the  contribution  of  all 
the  florists,  possibly  two  in  number,  would  not  have  been  equal 
to  the  usual  display  in  any  one  church  at  this  time.  "Easter 
bonnets"  and  cards  were  unknown,  and  colored  eggs  were  limited 
to  schoolboys,  who,  with  the  aid  of  the  cooks  in  their  families, 
were  enabled  to  produce  some. 


[196] 


View  of  Trinity  Church  in  1848.     The  first  drawing  made  after 
its  reconstruction.      Note  the  low  lying  buildings  surrounding  it. 


Famous  Churches  in  New  York 
Trinity 

New  York  has  some  very  famous  sacred  edifices. 
Unquestionably  the  one  which  appeals  most  to  strangers 
is  the  historic  Gothic  pile  at  the  head  of  Wall  Street  on 
Broadway — old  Trinity.  Although  it  is  now  almost  en- 
tirely surrounded  by  massive  buildings,  some  of  which 
tower  far  above  the  spire,  the  dignity  and  beauty  of 
Trinity  have  in  no  wise  been  diminished.  The  contrast 
between  its  restful  repose  and  the  turmoil  of  Broadway 
is  as  grateful  to-day  as  ever;  and  the  open  gate  still  as 
persuasively  invites  us  to  turn  aside  for  a  moment  within 
the  twilight  of  its  aisles,  or  to  stroll  amid  the  headstones 
where  so  many  thousands  are  sleeping  the  last  long 
sleep. 

The  present  church  building  is  the  third  one  which  has 
been  erected  on  this  site  since  1697.  The  first  one  was 
burned  in  the  great  fire  of  1776,  which  destroyed  500 
buildings,  and  the  second  one,  built  in  1788,  having  be- 
come unsafe,  was  pulled  down  to  make  way  for  the 
present  edifice,  which  was  completed  in  1846.  It  is  of 
brown  sandstone  and  is  regarded  as  a  fine  specimen  of 
the  Gothic  style.  In  the  belfry  is  the  famous  chime  of 
bells,  so  familiarly  and  fondly  known  to  all  New  York- 
ers. The  thousands  who  throng  Broadway  on  New 
Year's  eve  to  hear  the  chimes  of  Trinity  ringing  out  the 
old  year  and  ringing  in  the  new  is  a  unique  spectacle, 
and  a  wonderful  tribute  to  the  historic  value  of  Trinity 
church  in  the  life  of  New  York. 

In  the  northern  part  of  the  ground  near  Broadway 
stands  the  handsome  Gothic  memorial  commonly  called 
the  Martyrs'  Monument.     The  inscription  reads: 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of  those  brave  and  good  men, 
who  died  whilst  imprisoned  in  this  City,  for  their  devo- 
tion to  the  cause  of  America's  Independence. 

On  the  left,  as  we  enter  at  the  lower  Broadway  gate, 

[197] 


is  the  monument,  "In  memory  of  Captain  James  Law- 
rence, of  the  United  States  Navy,  who  fell  on  the  1st  day 
of  June,  1813,  in  the  32d  year  of  his  age,  in  the  action 
between  the  frigates  Chesapeake  and  Shannon."  The 
tribute  on  the  pedestal  reads : 

The  heroic  commander  of  the  frigate  C  oeake, 
whose  remains  are  here  deposited,  expressed  Zi,.«h  his 
expiring  breath  his  devotion  to  his  country.  Neither  the 
fury  of  battle,  the  anguish  of  a  mortal  wound,  nor  the 
horrors  of  approaching  death  could  subdue  his  gallant 
spirit.    His  dying  words  were,  "Don't  give  up  the  ship." 

Alexander  Hamilton's  tomb  is  marked  by  the  con- 
spicuous white  marble  monument  in  the  south  grounds 
near  the  Rector  street  railing.  The  oldest  tombstone  is 
dated  1681 — the  grave  of  a  little  child. 

It  would  be  impossible  in  a  work  of  this  nature  to 
mention  all  the  interesting  things  about  old  Trinity. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  there  are  memorials  in  abundance, 
both  in  the  church  and  in  the  grounds,  to  testify  to  the 
intimate  and  affectionate  part  this  famous  old  church 
has  taken  in  the  life  of  the  city  from  the  beginning  to 
the  present  day. 

The  scholarly  discourses  of  Dr.  W.  T.  Manning,  the 
Rector,  have  made  him  familiarly  known  to  all  New 
Yorkers. 

St.  Paul's  Chapel 

St.  Paul's  Chapel,  on  Broadway  between  Vesey 
and  Fulton  streets,  is  of  sufficient  historical  interest  to 
deserve  a  short  chapter  to  itself.  Curiously  enough, 
the  Broadway  end  of  the  building  is  the  rear,  for  the 
church  was  built  fronting  on  the  river;  and  in  the  old 
days  a  pleasant  lawn  sloped  down  to  the  water's  edge, 
which  was  then  on  the  line  of  Greenwich  street.  One  ef- 
fect of  St.  Paul's  thus  looking  away  from  Broadway  is 
to  give  us  at  the  portal  an  increased  sense  of  remoteness 
from  the  great  thoroughfare  and  of  isolation  from  its 
strenuous  life,  so  that  all  the  more  readily  we  yield  to 
the  pervading  spell  of  the  churchyard's  peaceful  calm. 

St.  Paul's  is  a  cherished  relic  of  Colonial  days.  Built 
in  1766  as  a  chapel  of  Trinity  Parish,  it  is  the  only  church 

[198] 


a- 5. 

o  n 

to 

O 


5*  c/5 


edifice  which  has  been  preserved  from  the  pre-Revolu- 
tionary  period.  After  the  burning  of  Trinity  in  1776, 
St.  Pauls  became  the  parish  church;  here  worshipped 
Lord  Howe  and  Major  Andre  and  the  English  midship- 
man who  was  afterward  King  George  IV.  After  his 
inauguration  at  Federal  Hall  in  Wall  street,  President 
Washington  and  both  houses  of  Congress  came  in  sol- 
emn procession  to  St.  Paul's,  where  service  was  con- 
ducted by  Bishop  Provost,  Chaplain  of  the  Senate,  and 
a  Te  Deum  was  sung.  Thereafter,  so  long  as  New  York 
remained  the  Capital,  the  President  was  a  regular  attend- 
ant here;  his  diary  for  Sunday  after  Sunday  contains 
the  entry :  "Went  to  St.  Paul's  Chapel  in  the  forenoon." 
Washington's  Pew  remains  to-day  as  it  was  then;  it 
is  midway  of  the  church  on  the  left  aisle,  and  is  marked 
by  the  Arms  of  the  United  States  on  the  wall.  Across 
the  church  is  the  pew  which  was  reserved  for  the  Gov- 
ernor of  the  State,  and  was  occupied  by  Governor  Clin- 
ton; above  it  are  the  State  Arms.  The  pulpit  canopy  is 
ornamented  with  the  gilded  crest  of  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
a  crown  surmounted  by  three  ostrich  feathers.  It  is  the 
only  emblem  of  royalty  that  escaped  destruction  at  the 
hands  of  the  Patriots  when  they  came  into  possession  of 
the  city  in  1783. 

In  the  wall  of  the  Broadway  portico,  where  it  is  seen 
from  the  street  and  is  observed  by  innumerable  eyes 
daily,  is  the  Montgomery  Monument,  in  memory  of 
Major-General  Richard  Montgomery,  of  Revolutionary 
fame.  It  consists  of  a  mural  tablet  bearing  an  urn  upon 
a  pedestal  supported  by  military  accoutrements.  Gen- 
eral Montgomery  commanded  the  expedition  against 
Canada  in  1775,  and  on  December  31  of  that  year,  in 
company  with  Colonel  Benedict  Arnold,  led  the  assault 
upon  Quebec.  Just  after  the  exclamation,  "Men  of  New 
York,  you  will  follow  where  your  General  leads !"  he  fell, 
mortally  wounded.  Aaron  Burr  bore  his  body  from  the 
field,  and  the  Englishmen  gave  it  soldier's  burial  in  the 
city.  Forty-three  years  later,  in  1818,  Canada  sur- 
rendered the  remains  to  the  United  States. 

The  monument  had  been  ordered  by  Congress  as  early 
as  1776.    It  was  bought  by  Benjamin  Franklin  in  Paris, 

[199] 


and  was  shipped  to  America  on  a  privateer.  A  British 
gunboat  captured  the  privateer,  and  in  turn  was  taken 
by  an  American  vessel,  and  so  at  last  the  monument 
reached  its  destination.     The  inscription  reads: 

This  Monument  is  erected  by  order  of  Congress,  25th 
Janry,  1776,  to  transmit  to  Posterity  a  grateful  remem- 
brance of  the  patriotic  conduct,  enterprise  and  perse- 
verance of  Major  General  Richard  Montgomery,  who 
after  a  series  of  successes  amidst  the  most  discouraging 
Difficulties  Fell  in  the  attack  on  Quebec  Z\st  Decbr,  1775. 
Aged  37  years. 

The  State  of  New  York  caused  the  remains  of  Majr. 
Genl.  Richard  Montgomery  to  be  conveyed  from  Quebec 
and  deposited  beneath  this  monument  the  Sth  day  of 
July,  1818. 

At  that  time  Mrs.  Montgomery,  in  the  forty-third 
year  of  her  widowhood,  was  living  near  Tarrytown  on 
the  Hudson.  Governor  Clinton  had  told  her  of  the  day 
when  the  steamboat  "Richmond,"  bearing  her  husband's 
remains,  would  pass  down  the  river ;  and  sitting  alone  on 
the  piazza  of  her  home,  she  watched  for  its  coming.  With 
what  emotions  she  saw  the  pageant  is  told  in  a  letter 
written  to  her  niece : 

"At  length  they  came  by  with  all  that  remained  of 
a  beloved  husband,  who  left  me  in  the  bloom  of  man- 
hood, a  perfect  being.  Alas !  how  did  he  return  ?  How- 
ever gratifying  to  my  heart,  yet  to  my  feelings  every 
pang  I  felt  was  renewed.  The  pomp  with  which  it  was 
conducted  added  to  my  woe ;  when  the  steamboat  passed 
with  slow  and  solemn  movement,  stopping  before  my 
house,  the  troops  under  arms,  the  Dead  March  from  the 
muffled  drums,  the  mournful  music,  the  splendid  coffin 
canopied  with  crepe  and  crowned  with  plumes,  you  may 
conceive  my  anguish.    I  cannot  describe  it." 

The  most  conspicuous  monuments  in  the  churchyard 
near  Broadway  are  those  of  Thomas  Addis  Emmet  and 
Dr.  William  J.  MacNevin,  both  of  whom  participated  in 
the  Irish  rebellion  of  1798,  came  to  New  York  and 
achieved  distinction,  Emmet  at  the  bar  and  MacNevin 
in  medicine.  The  inscriptions  are  in  English,  Celtic  and 
Latin.    West  of  the  church  is  the  urn  with  flames  issuing 

[200] 


from  it,  which  marks  the  resting  place  of  George  Fred- 
erick Cooke,  the  distinguished  tragedian;  born  in  Eng- 
land 1756;  died  in  New  York  1812.  The  monument  was 
erected  in  1821  by  the  great  English  actor,  Edmund 
Kean,  and  has  been  the  subject  of  pious  care  by  Charles 
Kean,  who  restored  it  in  1846,  Edward  A.  Sothern  in 
1874,  and  Edwin  Booth  in  1890.  The  epitaph  is  by  Fitz- 
Greene  Halleck: 

Three  Kingdoms  claim  his  birth, 

Both  hemispheres  pronounce  his  worth. 

St.  Paul's  is  dear  to  the  heart  of  every  New  Yorker 
and  will  ever  so  remain. 


St.  Peter's 

A  block  or  two  from  St.  Paul's,  on  Barclay  Street 
stands  St.  Peter's,  the  oldest  Catholic  church  in  the  city. 
Established  in  1786  and  rebuilt  in  1839,  the  church  is 
still  one  of  the  most  largely  attended  in  New  York.  Al- 
though many  of  the  old  parishioners  have  followed  the 
trend  uptown,  there  is  still  an  enormous  Catholic  popula- 
tion between  Canal  Street  and  the  Battery  to  whom  this 
church  brings  the  ministry  of  peace  and  good  will.  St. 
Peter's  has  also  had  its  influence  in  the  civic  life  of 
New  York.  A  tablet  has  recently  been  placed  in  this 
church  to  the  memory  of  one  of  the  early  Governors 
of  the  State,  Thomas  Dongan,  a  devoted  Catholic  and 
the  author  of  the  Charter  of  Rights  granting  religious 
freedom  to  all. 

St.  John's 

St.  John's  Chapel  in  Varick  Street  was  at  one  time 
the  center  of  the  most  beautiful  and  fashionable  neigh- 
borhood in  New  York.  To-day,  although  the  church  still 
preserves  its  former  dignity  and  sacredness,  the  sur- 
roundings have  degenerated  into  freight  houses,  storage 
warehouses  and  other  business  buildings,  and  the  former 
glory  of  this  renowned  church  has  been  dimmed.  It  is 
still  the  spiritual  habitation  of  a  remnant  of  people  who 
are  compelled  to  make  their  abode  in  this  neighborhood, 

[201] 


but  it  is  feared  that  this  historic  old  church  will  soon 
disappear.  Old  New  Yorkers  will  sorely  regret  its  going 
and  the  city  will  surely  lose  a  treasure  long  closely  re- 
lated to  its  social  and  religious  life.  It  is  the  third  oldest 
church  in  Manhattan  and  was  modelled  after  St.  Mar- 
tin's in  the  Field  in  London.  The  interior  is  almost 
exactly  as  it  was  over  a  hundred  years  ago,  and  the  bell 
is  the  same  which  was  brought  from  London  when  the 
church  was  built  in  1803. 

St.  Mark's 

St.  Mark's,  Second  Avenue  and  Eleventh  Street,  is 
the  second  oldest  church  building  in  Manhattan.  This 
church  was  the  center  of  the  religious  and  social  life  of 
New  York  when  society  began  to  move  uptown.  Here 
is  the  tomb  of  Peter  Stuyvesant,  and  the  first  burial 
place  of  the  great  New  York  merchant,  A.  T.  Stewart, 
whose  body  was  stolen  from  the  grounds. 

St.  George's 

St.  George's  Church,  in  Stuyvesant  Square,  is  a  large 
and  handsome  building,  and  is  one  of  the  most  active 
and  popular  churches  in  the  city.  Many  of  our  promi- 
nent business  men  worship  here.  The  late  Mr.  J.  P. 
Morgan  was  an  active  member  and  the  leading  vestry- 
man at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  regular  in  his 
attendance  and  unwearied  in  his  labors  in  all  the  ac- 
tivities of  the  church. 


Madison  Square  Presbyterian 

This  church  is  noted  for  the  beauty  and  simplicity  of 
its  design.  It  is  the  work  of  the  late  Stanford  White 
and  one  of  his  masterpieces.  The  interior  is  quiet  and 
rather  somber — the  exterior  conforms  to  the  style  of 
ancient  Grecian  architecture.  Dr.  Parkhurst,  the  pastor, 
is  known  far  and  wide  for  his  work  in  uncovering  the 
underworld  of  New  York  and  exposing  the  methods  and 

[202] 


I 


o 


sources  of  graft  from  which  unscrupulous  politicians 
derived  much  of  their  wealth.  Many  notable  men  have 
been  connected  with  the  church,  among  them  being  the 
late  Senator  Piatt. 


Marble  Collegiate  Reformed  Church 

This  church,  at  Fifth  Avenue  and  29th  Street,  has 
descended  to  us  from  the  "Church  on  the  Fort,"  and  can 
claim  a  continuous  history  contemporaneous  with  that 
of  the  city.  The  church  has  kept  pace  with  the  city  also 
in  its  growing  importance,  and  has  a  number  of  our 
prominent  citizens  in  its  membership.  The  collection 
of  memorabilia  is  interesting  and  among  them  is  the 
bell  used  by  the  old  North  Church  in  Fulton  Street  until 
it  was  razed. 


The  Brick  Presbyterian  Church 

At  the  corner  of  Fifth  Avenue  and  Thirty-seventh 
Street,  is  interesting  as  being  a  continuation  of  the 
church  which  stood  in  Park  Row  before  the  Revolution 
and  was  one  of  the  most  influential  at  that  time.  The 
building  is  a  very  interesting  one  to  visit  and  contains 
a  collection  of  historical  portraits  and  other  articles  re- 
lating to  the  old  church. 


Temple  Emanuel 

This  is  the  largest  of  the  Jewish  places  of  worship 
and  is  a  fine  specimen  of  Moorish  art.  Although  not 
so  impressive  from  an  architectural  point  of  view  as 
some  of  its  neighbors,  it  presents  a  quiet  dignity  and 
strength  in  keeping  with  the  ancient  faith  of  the  He- 
brew people.  It  is  always  well  attended  and  many  of 
our  leading  bankers  and  brokers  worship  here.  It  was 
from  this  church  the  body  of  Charles  Frohman,  who 
was  a  victim  of  the  Lusitania  horror,  was  carried  to  its 
last  resting  place.  The  church  is  at  Fifth  Avenue  and 
Forty-third   Street. 

[203] 


St.  Bartholomew's 

This  church,  on  Madison  Avenue  at  Forty- fourth 
Street,  is  justly  famous  for  the  beauty  of  its  interior 
and  for  the  sublimity  of  the  mural  painting  which  over- 
looks the  altar.  The  magnificent  bronze  doors  were  a 
gift  of  Mr.  Cornelius  Vanderbilt.  The  church  will  soon 
move  further  uptown,  a  site  having  already  been  selected 
on  Park  Avenue.  The  choir  of  St.  Bartholomew's  is 
the  finest  in  the  city  and  its  musical  services  are  almost 
as  celebrated  as  the  scholarly  discourses  of  Dr.  Parks 
himself. 

Fifth  Avenue  Baptist  Church 

Sometimes  spoken  of  as  Rockefeller's  church,  is  an 
unpretentious  building  on  Forty-sixth  Street  near  Fifth 
Avenue.  One  of  the  things  which  has  made  this  church 
a  powerful  influence  for  good  in  the  community  is  the 
large  Men's  Class,  and  its  fame  has  gone  out  to  all 
sections  of  the  country.  The  congregation  is  large,  and 
of  course  the  most  conspicuous  member  is  Mr.  Rocke- 
feller, who  is  regular  in  his  attendance.  When  the  serv- 
ices are  over  he  mingles  with  the  congregation,  taking 
a  lively  part  in  the  conversation.  There  are  no  marks 
of  great  wealth  about  Mr.  Rockefeller,  and  when  listen- 
ing to  him  you  would  not  think  this  genial,  unpretentious 
and  democratic  gentleman  was  the  money  king  of  the 
world.  Mr.  Rockefeller's  great  wealth  does  not  seem 
to  have  transformed  or  metamorphosed  his  nature  at  all. 

Collegiate  Dutch  Reformed  Church 

This  is  another  church  descended  from  the  "Church 
on  the  Fort"  and  retains  something  of  the  flavor  of  the 
Dutch  period.  It  is  situated  at  Fifth  Avenue  and  Forty- 
eighth  Street.  It  still  possesses  the  bell  which  was  made 
in  Amsterdam  in  1728  and  bequeathed  to  the  church  by 
one  of  the  De  Peyster  family  when  the  church  was  in 
Nassau  Street  and  known  as  the  Middle  Dutch  Church. 
This  latter  building  was  used  as  the  New  York  Post 

[204] 


o 

(J 


Office  as  late  as  the  '70s.  There  is  an  interesting  col- 
lection of  pictures  and  books  pertaining  to  the  church 
and  incidentally  to  the  city  to  be  seen  here. 

St.  Patrick's  Cathedral 

The  first  look  at  St.  Patrick's  Cathedral  carries  us 
back  in  memory  to  the  cathedrals  of  Europe,  and  the 
picture  of  the  great  Gothic  pile  at  Cologne  rises  to  mind. 
Although  not  so  massive  in  its  size  as  that  edifice,  nor 
perhaps  so  well  situated  to  command  interest,  our  first 
impulse  is  one  of  unqualified  admiration  for  the  sim- 
plicity and  chasteness  of  the  structure  and  of  reverence 
for  the  spirit  it  exhales.  This  is  one  of  the  really  great 
buildings  of  New  York  and  is  meant  to  be  a  permanent 
possession  for  the  people  in  which  all  creeds  and  na- 
tionalities may  take  pride.  We  can  understand  what  it 
means  to  our  Catholic  brethren  when  we  see  the  constant 
flow  of  worshippers  coming  and  going  every  Sabbath 
day.  In  the  rear  of  the  cathedral  is  the  residence  of 
Cardinal  Farley. 

Fifth  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church 

This  is  the  largest  church  of  the  Presbyterian  de- 
nomination in  the  world,  and  by  far  the  most  important. 
The  congregation  numbers  among  its  members  many  of 
the  best  known  and  wealthiest  men  in  the  country.  The 
influence  of  the  church  in  religious  and  charitable  work 
extends  far  beyond  the  city  limits.  Dr.  Hall  in  his  day 
was  probably  the  most  beloved  pastor  as  well  as  the 
greatest  preacher  in  New  York,  and  now  after  about 
twenty  years  a  successor  has  been  found  who  amply  fills 
his  place.  Dr.  Jowett  is  a  great  preacher,  a  fine  scholar 
and  a  splendid  exponent  of  all  that  is  best  in  Presby- 
terianism.  As  a  friend  and  pastor  he  has  won  his  way 
into  the  hearts  of  his  people,  as  the  large  audience  which 
gathers  every  Sunday  testifies. 

[205] 


St.  Thomas' 

Among  Episcopal  churches  St.  Thomas'  may  easily 
rank  first  as  a  perfect  type  of  ecclesiastical  architecture. 
Indeed,  it  may  fitly  be  classed  with  our  two  magnificent 
cathedrals.  To  any  one  who  sees  in  church  architecture 
an  expression  of  the  spiritual  ideals  of  man  this  church 
appeals  with  extraordinary  power.  And  the  interior 
is  no  less  effective.  Its  atmosphere  is  restful  and  inspir- 
ing. It  was  in  this  church  (the  old  building)  that  Con- 
suelo  Vanderbilt  was  married  to  the  Duke  of  Marl- 
borough, and  here  Ada  Rehan,  the  star  actress  of  Daly's 
Company  and  a  first  favorite  of  New  York  and  Lon- 
don audiences,  attended  regularly  every  Sunday  when 
in  the  city. 

"The  Little  Church  Around  the  Corner" 

"The  Little  Church  Around  the  Corner"  is  a 
familiar  name  for  the  Church  of  the  Transfiguration,  on 
East  Twenty-ninth  street,  near  Fifth  avenue.  The  story 
goes  that  when  in  1871  Joseph  Jefferson  endeavored  to 
arrange  for  the  funeral  of  George  Holland,  a  brother 
actor,  at  a  church  on  Madison  avenue,  the  pastor  said 
that  he  could  not  hold  burial  services  over  the  body  of 
an  actor.  "But,"  he  added,  "there  is  a  little  church 
around  the  corner  you  can  go  to."  "Then  all  honor  to  the 
little  church  around  the  corner,"  replied  Jefferson.  "We 
will  go  there."  From  that  time  the  church  and  its  rec- 
tor, Rev.  George  H.  Houghton  (who  died  in  1897),  were 
held  in  affectionate  regard  by  the  theatrical  profession. 
Many  actors  have  been  buried  from  the  church,  among 
them  Lester  Wallack,  Dion  Boucicault  and  Edwin 
Booth.  There  is  a  memorial  window  given  by  The 
Players  (the  actors'  club),  in  loving  memory  of  Booth. 


[206] 


St.  Patrick's  Cathedral  on  Fifth  Avenue,   50th  and  51st  Streets. 

The  residence  of  His  Eminence  Cardinal  John  M.  Parley, 

in  the  rear. 


Hospitals  of  New  York 


A  feature  of  the  humanitarian  work  of  the  city  is  its  hospitals. 
Although  these  institutions  make  a  charge  for  treatment  they  also 
admit  patients  free.  There  are  76  hospitals  in  the  city  supported  by 
endowments,  bequests  and  contributions,  of  which  we  give  below  a  list 
of   the  principal   ones : 

St.  Luke's  Hospital 

Cathedral  Heights,  113th  St.  and  Amsterdam  Ave. 
OFFICERS :     George     MacCulloch    Miller,     President;     John     B.     Pine, 
Charles  Howland  Russell,  Vice-Presidents;  H.   D.  Babcock,   Treas- 
urer; Hoffman  Miller,  Secretary. 
MANAGERS :    Henry    D.    Babcock,    Stephen    Baker,    George    M.    Miller, 
Rev.  Henry  Mottet,  D.D.,  A.  Gordon  Norrie,  Edmund  M.  B.  Roche, 
Henry   C.    Swords,   Rogers   H.    Bacon,   Edmund    L.   Baylies,   George 
Blagden,  George  F.  Crane,  William  A.  Greer,  J.  Van  Vechten  Olcott, 
John    B.    Pine,    Percy    R.    Pyne,    2d,    William    E.    Curtis,    William 
C.  Demorest,  William  Fahnestock,  Anson  W.  Hard,  William  M.  V. 
Hoffman,    Alvin    W.     Krech,    Hoffman     Miller,     Charles     Howland 
Russell. 
MANAGERS    APPOINTED     BY     ST.     GEORGE'S     SOCIETY    OF    NEW 

YORK:    George   Gray   Ward,    Edward   F.    Darrell. 
MANAGERS   EX-OFFICIO :    The   Bishop   of   the  Diocese  of   New  York, 
The  Mayor  of  the  City  of  New  York,  The  British  Consul  General, 
The  President  of  the  Medical  Board,   The  President  of  the  Board 
of  Aldermen. 

Affords  medical  and  surgical  aid  and  nursing  to  the  sick  and  dis- 
abled, suffering  from  acute  curable,  and  non-contagious  diseases,  with- 
out distinction  of  race  or  creed. 

Supported    by    voluntary    contributions    and    endowments. 

It  maintains    a   Dispensary   and   Training   School  for   Nurses. 

Presbyterian  Hospital 

Madison  Ave.,  bet.  70th  and  71st  Sts. 

OFFICERS  :  Frederick  Sturges,  President;  William  Sloane,  Vice-Presi- 
dent; William  V.  S.  Thome,  Treasurer;  Matthew  C.  Fleming, 
Secretary. 

MANAGERS :  Henry  S.  Van  Duzer,  Simeon  B.  Chapin,  William  R. 
Willcox,  William  M.  Kingsley,  Moreau  Delano,  William  Sloane 
Coffin,  Stephen  G.  Williams,  Cornelius  R.  Agnew,  Ethan  Allen, 
William  V.  S.  Thome,  Matthew  C.  Fleming,  Eugene  Delano,  William 
Allen  Butler,  Phillip  A.  Rollins,  Robert  W.  Carle,  Johnston 
DeForest,  Frederick  Sturges,  J.  Cleveland  Cady,  Arthur  P.  Sturges, 
William  Sloane,  Henry  W.  DeForest,  E.  Parmalee  Prentice, 
Thatcher  M.  Brown,  C.  Irving  Fisher,  M.D.,  Robert  W.  DeForest, 
Charles  W.  McAlpin,  John  J.  Sinclair,  David  M.  Look,  Edward  S. 
Harkness,  James  R.  Sheffield,  George  Gibbs,  William  Williams ; 
Ex-Officio,  Howard  Duffield,  D.D.,  Charles  H.  Parkhurst,  D.D., 
David  James  Burrell,  D.D.,  Robert  Watson,  D.D. 
For  the  establishment,   support  and  management  of  an  institution 

for  the  purpose  of  affording  medical   and  surgical  aid   and  nursing  to 

sick  disabled  persons  of  every  creed,  nationality  and  color.     Supported 

by  voluntary  contributions.      No   persons   suffering   from   contagious   or 

infectious   diseases    are   admitted. 
The  Hospital  maintains  an 
Out-Pateent  Department,  Visiting  Nursing  Department,  and  a 

Training  School  and  Registry  for  Nurses. 

[207] 


St.  Vincent's  Hospital 

11th  and  12th  Sts.,  and  Seventh  Ave. 

DIRECTOR :  His  Eminence  Cardinal  John  M.  Parley,  D.D.,  Archbishop 

of  New  York. 
ADVISORY  BOARD :  Thomas  H.  O'Connor,  John  Burke,  Judge  Morgan 
J.  O'Brien,  John  D.  Crimmins,  Judge  Joseph  F.  Daly,  Clarence  H. 
Mackay,  Ernest  Harvier,  William  E.  Iselin,  Thomas  Hughes  Kelly, 
Stephen  Farrelly,  Edward  J.  McGuire,  Schuyler  N.  Warren,  Daniel 
M.  Brady. 
OFFICERS  OF  ADVISORY  BOARD  :  Thomas  Hughes  Kelly,  President; 
Hon.  Joseph  F.  Daly,  Vice-President;  Thomas  Hughes  Kelly,  Treas- 
urer; Ernest  Harvier,  Secretary. 

For  the  medical  and  surgical  treatment  of  the  destitute  sick,  with- 
out  distinction    of    creed   or    nationality. 

Out-Door   Department   open  daily,   except   Sunday,   from   2    to   4 
p.   m.      Mother  M.   Dolores,  President;   Mother   M.   Josepha,   Treasurer. 

Mt.  Sinai  Hospital 

100th   and   101st   Sts.,   between  Madison   and   Fifth   Aves. 

OFFICERS :   George  Blumenthal,  President;   Philip   J.   Goodhart,   Vice- 
President;    Leo    Arnstein,    Second    Vice-President;    S.    S.    Prince, 
Treasurer ;  S.  Herbert  Wolfe,  Secretary. 
A  general  hospital  for  the  medical  and  surgical   care  of  the  sick 

admitted  to  its  wards,  of  all  creeds  and  classes,  except  those  suffering 

from  contagious   diseases. 

The  Society  of  the  New  York  Hospital 

8   West   16th    St. 

OFFICERS:  George  L.  Rives,  President;  Howard  Townsend,  Vice- 
President;  Edward  W.  Sheldon,  Treasurer;  Henry  W.  Crane, 
Secretary;  G.  Howard  Wise,  Assistant  Secretary;  United  States 
Trust  Company,  Assistant  Treasurer. 

GOVERNORS :  George  L.  Rives,  Howard  Townsend,  Edward  W.  Shel- 
don, Joseph  H.  Choate,  Hermann  H.  Cammann,  Waldron  Post 
Brown,  Henry  W.  DeForest,  Edmund  D.  Randolph,  Augustus  D. 
Juilliard,  Richard  Trimble,  George  F.  Baker,  Henry  A.  C.  Taylor, 
Augustine  J.  Smith,  Charles  S.  Brown,  Bronson  Winthrop,  Frank 
K.  Sturgis,  David  B.  Ogden,  J.  Woodward  Haven,  Henry  G.  Bar- 
bey,  Cornelius  N.  Bliss,  Jr.,  Paul  Tuckerman,  William  Wood- 
ward, Arthur  Iselin,  Payne  Whitney,  G.  Beekman  Hoppin,  Lewis 
Cass  Ledyard,  Jr. 
Maintains  the  New  York  Hospital   (founded  1771),  West  15th  and 

16th  Sts,  near  Fifth  Ave.     A  general  hospital  for  medical  and  surgical 

treatment   of   pay   and   free   patients. 

Thomas  Howell,  M.D.,  Superintendent 

German  Hospital  and  Dispensary 

East  76th  and  77th  Sts.,  Park  and  Lexington  Aves. 
OFFICERS  :   Fritz  Achelis,  President;  Julius  A.   Stursberg,  First  Vice- 
President;    Heinrich    Sandhagen,     Second    Vice-President;    Edwin 
Henes,    Treasurer;    William    A.    Spies,   Assistant    Treasurer;    Carl 
Heye,  Secretary. 

TRUSTEES:  Fritz  Achelis,  Adolf  Kuttroff,  Bernard  H.  Ridder,  Anton 
H.  Schefer,  Daniel  Schnakenberg,  Richard  Schuster,  Julius  A. 
Stursberg,  William  J.  Amend,  Bernard  Greeff,  Edwin  Henes,  George 
S.  Runk,  Jacob  Ruppert,  Jr.,  Heinrich  Sandhagen,  Rudolph  J. 
Schaefer,  O.  L.  Dommerich,  Carl  Heye,  J.  Christian,  G.  Hupfel,  A. 
Henry  Mosle,  Edmund  Pavenstedt,  William  A.  Spies,  Thomas  F. 
Vietor. 

For   the    free   medical    and    surgical    treatment   of    the    sick   poor, 
regardless  of  creed  or  nationality. 

[208] 


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Sloane  Hospital  for  Women,  Columbia  University 

447   West   59th   St. 
OFFICERS :   Dr.   E.   B.   Cragin,   President;   Malcolm   D.    Sloane,   Treas- 
urer; Dr.   F.  C.  Wood,   Secretary;  Dr.  Warren  Hildreth,   Resident 
Physician;  Martha  M.  Russell,  R.N.,  Superintendent. 
Endowed    for    the    good    of    humanity    and    the    advancement    of 
medical   education.      The  wards   furnish    127   obstetrical    and   28    gyne- 
cological  beds. 

The  Hospital  is  the  gift  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  D.  Sloane. 

The  Roosevelt  Hospital 

58th  and  59th  Sts.,  and  Ninth  and  Tenth  Aves. 

OFFICERS :  W.  Emlen  Roosevelt,  President;  W.  Irving  Clark,  Vice- 
President;  John  Mason  Knox,  Secretary;  Richard  Trimble,  Treas- 
urer. 

TRUSTEES :  W.  Irving  Clark,  Harry  Harkness  Flagler,  W.  Emlen 
Roosevelt,  Guy  Richards  McLane,  John  Mason  Knox,  George  E. 
Roosevelt;  ex-officio,  Howard  Townsend,  President  of  "The  So- 
ciety of  the  New  York  Hospital";  Samuel  W.  Lambert,  M.D.,  Dean 
of  "The  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  in  the  City  of  New 
York" ;  Lispenard  Stewart,  President  of  "The  New  York  Eye  and 
Ear  Infirmary" ;  Frederic  S.  Wells,  President  of  "The  Demilt  Dis- 
pensary";  Howland  Davis,  President  of  "The  New  York  Institution 
for  the  Blind." 
For  the  relief  of  sick  and   diseased  persons.      Capacity,   282.     All 

the  beds  in  wards  are  free  to  the  poor.     A  reasonable  rate  is  charged 

to  such  as  can  pay.     Contagious  diseases  or  chronic  cases  not  admitted. 

Flower  Hospital 

63rd,  64th  Sts.,   and  Ave.  A. 

OFFICERS:  Melbert  B.  Cary,  President  Board  of  Trustees;  Theo.  L. 
Bailey,  Secretary;  Henry  L.  Langhaar,  Treasurer;  Royal  S.  Cope- 
land,  M.D.,  Dean  of  College;  William  Tod  Helmuth,  M.D.,  Presi- 
dent Medical  Board;  Nelson  W.  Thompson,  M.D.,  Superintendent 
of  Hospital. 
A    general    hospital    for    men,    women    and    children    desirous    of 

receiving    homoeopathic    treatment    in     medicine    and     surgery.       The 

poor  are  specially  cared  for. 

Society  of  the  Lying-in  Hospital 

Second  Ave.,  17th  and  18th  Sts. 
GOVERNORS :    Lewis    Cass    Ledyard,    President;    Edmund    L.    Baylies, 

Secretary;  Wm.  Pierson  Hamilton,  Treasurer. 

For  the  relief  and  care,  free  of  charge,  at  their  homes  or  in  the 
Hospital,  of  women  unable  to  procure  necessary  medical  attendance 
and  nursing  during  the  period  of  their  confinement.  Supported  by 
voluntary  contributions   and   endowment. 


Philanthropic  Activities 


New  York  is  immeasurably  richer  in  philanthropic  activities  than 
any  other  city  in  the  world.     A  few  of  the  most  notable  are: 

The  Carnegie  Corporation 

This  corporation  was  formed  for  the  purpose  of  receiving  and 
maintaining  a  fund  or  funds  and  applying  the  income  thereof  to  pro- 
mote the  advancement  and  diffusion  of  knowledge  and  understanding 
among  the  people  of  the  United  States,  by  aiding  technical  schools, 
institutions  of  higher  learning,  libraries,  scientific  research,  hero  funds, 
useful  publications,  and  by  such  other  agencies  and  means  as  shall  from 
time  to  time  be  found  appropriate  therefor. 

[209] 


OFFICERS :   Andrew  Carnegie,  President;  Elihu  Root,  Vice-President; 

Robert  A.  Franks,  Treasurer;  James  Bertram,  Secretary, 
TRUSTEES:   Andrew  Carnegie,   Elihu  Root,  Henry   S.   Pritchett,   S.  H. 

Church,  Robert  S.  Woodward,  Charles  L.  Taylor,  Robert  A.  Franks 

and  James  Bertram. 

Mr.  Carnegie  transferred  to  the  corporation,  for  its  corporate  pur- 
poses, $125,000,000. 

The  business  of  founding  and  aiding  libraries  and  educational  in- 
stitutions, which  was  carried  on  by  Mr.  Carnegie  as  an  individual  for 
many  years,  was  turned  over  to  the  corporation. 

The  Rookefeller  Foundation 

61  Broadway 

OFFICERS:  John  D.  Rockefeller,  Jr.,  President;  L.  G.  Myers,  Treas- 
urer; L.  M.  Dashiell,  Assistant  Treasurer;  Jerome  D.  Greene, 
Secretary;  Robert  H.  Kirk,  Manager. 

To  promote  the  well-being  of  mankind  throughout  the  world.  Dur- 
ing the  first  year  after  its  incorporation  the  Rockefeller  Foundation 
received  from  Mr.  John  D.  Rockefeller  funds  aggregating  $100,000,000. 

The  Foundation  has  established  as  subsidiary  organizations  the 
following : 

International.  Health  Commission  for  the  suppression  of  hook- 
worm and  other  diseases  throughout  the  world. 

China  Medical  Board  for  the  promotion  of  medical  education  and 
public  health  in  China. 

Department  for  the  Study  of  Industrial  Relations 
Department  for  the  Promotion  of  Mental  Hygiene. 
War  Relief   Commission  to   recommend  measures   for  the   relief 
of  non-combatants  in  the  various  war  areas  of  Europe. 


Russell  Sage  Foundation 

130  East  22nd  Street 

TRUSTEES :  Mrs.  Russell  Sage,  President;  Robert  W.  de  Forest,  Vice- 
President;  Cleveland  H.   Dodge,   Treasurer;  John  H.   Finley,   Mrs. 
William  B.  Rice,  Miss  Louisa  Lee  Schuyler,  Mrs.  Finley  J.   Shep- 
ard,  Alfred  T.  White ;  John  M.  Glenn,  Secretary. 
The  endowment  consists  of  the  sum  of  $10,000,000,  given  by  Mrs. 
Russell  Sage.     The  purpose  of  the  Foundation,  as  stated  in  its  charter, 
is  the  improvement  of  social  and  living  conditions  in  the  United  States 
of  America. 

Among   other    activities    it   maintains    the    following: 
Charity     Organization     Department,     Department     of     Child- 
Helping,   Division  of   Education,   Division  of    Statistics,    Depart- 
ment of  Recreation,  Division  of  Remedial  Loans,  Department  of 
Surveys   and  Exhibits,   Committee   on  Women's   Work,   Library. 


[210] 


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Concerning  Prison  Ships  in  the  Revolution* 

James  Lenox  Banks 

The  late  Dr.  John  Fiske,  in  his  essay  on  the  "Old  and 
New  Ways  of  Treating  History/'  says : 

"The  old-fashioned  historian  was  usually  satisfied 
with  copying  his  predecessors  and  thus  an  error  once 
started  became  perpetuated;  but  in  our  time  no  history 
written  in  such  a  way  would  command  the  respect  of 
scholars." 

This  criticism  may  well  apply  to  many  of  the  state- 
ments made  in  reference  to  the  naval  prisoners  in  the 
War  of  the  Revolution,  based  as  they  were  on  un- 
proved charges  of  early  writers  and  tradition  founded 
on  the  bitter  feeling  of  the  day — and  gossip  sometimes 
masks  as  history. 

In  Mr.  Charles  H.  Haswell's  Reminiscences  the  fol- 
lowing item  appears: 

"In  the  war  of  the  Revolution  his  (Robert  Lenox)  father 
was  the  keeper  of  the  dreaded  prison-ship  at  the  Wallabout, 
Brooklyn,  and  Robert  was  the  individual  assistant  to  his  father, 
enjoying  the  highly  remunerative  position  of  supplying  the  pris- 
oners with  such  articles  as  were  not  included  in  their  meagre 
and  ill-served  rations." 

As  Robert  Lenox's  father  never  came  to  this  coun- 
try, this  statement  brought  forth  the  admission  from 
Mr.  Haswell  that  he  had  no  authority  for  it  beyond 
"common  report  and  tradition."  This  story  possibly 
grew  out  of  the  fact  that  Mr.  David  Sproat,  an  uncle  of 
Mr.  Lenox,  was  appointed  British  Commissary  General 
for  Naval  Prisoners  in  1779  and  Mr.  Lenox  was  a  clerk 
in  his  uncle's  office;  but  that  either  of  these  received 
any  money  from  the  prisoners  is  not  shown  by  a  particle 
of  evidence  and  this  Mr.  Haswell  also  admitted.  In  this 
connection,  it  is  an  interesting  fact  that  the  Continental 
Congress  upon  the  recommendation  of  Robert  Morris, 

*  This  article  is  based  on  searches  made  by  and  for  the  writer  in 
this  country  and  England. 

[211] 


then  Superintendent  of  Finance,  voted  upwards  of  £550 
currency  should  be  repaid  to  Mr.  Sproat  for  moneys 
personally  advanced  by  him  for  the  relief  of  American 
naval  prisoners. 

The  principal  difficulty  in  the  matter  of  naval  pris- 
oners was  that  of  exchange.  The  men  were  privateers- 
men  and  not  in  the  Continental  service  and  under  the 
rules  of  war  could  be  exchanged  only  for  seamen. 
Many  of  these  American  privateersmen  upon  capturing  a 
ship  neglected  to  turn  their  prisoners  over  to  the  proper 
authorities  or  landed  them  at  insecure  places  permitting 
their  escape — the  result  being  that  American  seamen 
taken  prisoners  soon  far  outnumbered  the  British  sailors 
held  for  exchange.  This  neglect  and  indifference  to 
the  freedom  of  their  own  countrymen  was  the  cause  of 
much  correspondence  between  General  Washington,  Con- 
gress and  the  British  authorities  and  many  seamen  were 
released  by  the  British  for  whom  no  return  was  made 
at  the  time. 

How  many  men  were  confined  on  the  ships  during 
the  War  is  not  known  but  from  the  reports  found,  the 
statements  since  made  are  doubtless  greatly  exaggerated. 
In  October,  1780,  Admiral  Rodney  reported  that  during 
the  past  twelve  months,  while  under  Mr.  Sproat's  ad- 
ministration, some  3,000  prisoners  had  been  exchanged 
and  released  and  this  number  was  never  approached 
again.  At  the  date  of  his  report  there  were  some  1,200 
prisoners,  which  number  the  American  Commissary,  the 
following  year,  stated  had  been  reduced  to  "near  500." 

The  Jersey,  the  most  widely  known  of  the  prison 
ships,  was  formerly  a  64-gun  ship  carrying  a  crew  of 
some  400  men ;  so  dismantled  and  at  anchor  it  was  com- 
puted a  thousand  men  need  not  have  been  exposed  to 
hardships  on  board  of  her.  She  and  the  Good  Hope, 
another  ship,  were  heated  and  had  separate  quarters 
for  officers  and  men  and  there  were  hospital  ships  which 
were  covered  with  awnings. 

Many  deaths  occurred  on  the  ships  due,  it  was  as- 
serted, to  diseases,  the  want  of  proper  clothing  and  the 
neglect  of  personal  cleanliness  of  many  of  the  prisoners. 
The  difficulty  of  controlling  these  epidemics  will  be  real- 

[212] 


ized  when  it  is  remembered  that  in  time  of  peace,  yellow 
fever  claimed  about  4,000  victims  in  Philadelphia  in 
1793  and  nearly  3,000  in  this  city  during  the  next  few 
years. 

In  an  early  number  of  Valentine's  Manual  it  is 
stated  that  the  estimate  of  10,600  deaths  on  the  ships 
was  made  in  1783  by  a  "reckless  newspaper  writer  and 
this  baseless  conjecture  has  gradually  passed  into  sober 
history  for  a  well-attested  fact."  How  many  did  die 
is  not  known  and  the  estimates  made  are  without  any 
foundation.  In  a  letter  from  the  American  Commissary 
in  June,  1782,  he  referred  to  the  deaths  on  the  prison 
ships  as  having  been  in  the  "hundreds,"  and  this  seems 
to  be  the  only  estimate  in  existence  which  was  made  by 
any  one  in  authority. 

That  the  guards  on  these  prison  ships  at  times  ex- 
ceeded their  authority  and  abused  the  prisoners  then, 
as  guards  do  now,  is  more  than  probable  but  no  instances 
have  been  found  which  show  the  officers  in  whose  charge 
these  prisoners  were,  used  other  than  the  best  means 
obtainable  to  relieve  their  distress  and  promote  their 
comfort.  It  is  worthy  of  mention  that  the  American 
Commissary  should  add  to  a  rather  censorious  letter  to 
Mr.  Sproat,  "I  beg,  sir,  you  will  be  pleased  to  con- 
sider this  as  addressed  to  you  officially  as  the  principal 
executive  officer  in  the  Department  of  Naval  prisoners 
and  not  personally." 

There  were  complaints  of  ill  treatment  made  on  both 
sides  and  General  Washington  refers  to  them  as  "mu- 
tual" and  "frequently  urged  on  each  part."  The  truth 
of  many  of  them  was  denied  and  evidence  was  presented 
at  the  time  in  support  of  such  denial.  Part  of  this  evi- 
dence took  the  form  of  reports,  signed  by  the  prisoners 
themselves  as  to  their  treatment  and  condition  and 
urging  that  efforts  be  made  to  obtain  their  exchange. 
One  report  in  particular,  favorable  to  the  British,  was 
signed  by  twelve  American  captains  and  one  surgeon  and 
was  published  in  the  papers  of  this  and  neighboring 
states.  • 

As  the  truth  of  this  report  was  not  denied  by  the 
American  authorities,  it  would  seem  a  mistake  to  ques- 

[213] 


tion  its  veracity  now  by  attributing  to  these  American 
captains  base  motives  for  their  action. 

Surely  time  enough  has  elapsed  for  us  to  act  impar- 
tially and  do  justice  to  those  whom  the  misfortunes  of 
war  had  made  our  opponents. 


Why  Not? 

Why  not  clear  City  Hall  Park  of  the  Post  Office  at 
the  southern  end,  and  the  dingy  looking  Court  House  on 
the  north? 

Why  not  erect  a  statue  to  the  memory  of  New  York's 
First  Citizen — Alexander  Hamilton? 

Why  not  organize  an  Association  to  Acquire  and 
Preserve  the  Home  of  John  J.  Audubon  at  156th  St., 
a  New  Yorker,  and  one  of  the  world's  greatest  nat- 
uralists— now  in  danger  of  demolition? 

Why  not  photograph  and  place  on  record  the  dozens 
of  old  houses  built  before  the  Revolution  and  still  stand- 
ing? 

Why  not  restore  the  statue  of  Wm.  Pitt  now  in  the 
custody  of  the  New  York  Historical  Society  to  its 
former  position  on  the  corner  of  Wall  Street  and 
William? 

Why  not  erect  an  Avenue  of  States  on  Pelham  Park- 
way, conecting  Bronx  Park  with  Pelham?     See  article. 

Why  not  appoint  a  permanent  committee  to  wait 
upon  visiting  delegations,  conventions  and  other  public 
meetings  to  extend  the  compliments  and  greetings  of  the 
City  of  New  York  to  all  the  visitors  ? 

Why  not  have  a  Society  of  Old  New  Yorkers  made 
up  mainly  of  former  residents  of  this  city  now  living 
elsewhere  to  keep  them  in  touch  with  their  old  home  ? 

Why  not  have  an  Old  Home  Week? 

Why  not  have  some  streets  barred  to  motor  trucks 
and  business  vehicles  ? 

Why  not  build  a  replica  of  the  old  City  Hall  in  Wall 
Street  where  Washington  took  the  oath  as  first  President 
of  the  United  States  ?  It  could  be  used  for  some  public 
purpose. 

[214] 


a. 

c 


The  Bronx 

Louis  A.  Risse,  Former  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Bronx 

Valentine's  Manuals  are  a  legacy  to  New  York  which 
will  be  more  and  more  appreciated  as  time  rolls  by  and 
a  revival  of  the  work  adapted  to  present  conditions 
would  greatly  aid  history  in  filling  the  gap  created  by 
the  discontinuance  of  the  Manual  of  the  Corporation 
of  the  City  of  New  York  since  1870. 

Since  that  time  great  changes  have  taken  place. 
Greater  New  York  was  created  by  uniting  the  entire 
area  of  the  present  five  boroughs  into  one  municipality 
under  the  corporate  name  of  the  City  of  New  York. 

This  creation  brought  into  existence  the  greatest 
system  of  municipal  improvements  the  world  has  ever 
seen. 

One  of  these  boroughs,  the  Bronx  Borough,  is,  among 
the  rest,  one  where  tradition  and  history  rank  it  with  old 
Manhattan;  and  the  material  available  for  a  publication 
somewhat  on  the  lines  of  the  manual  would  be  ap- 
preciated as  a  fine  contribution  to  the  history  of  this 
city  and  would  be  of  great  value  to  libraries  and  his- 
torical societies. 

Maps  and  illustrations  from  the  time  of  the  first 
white  settler,  Jonas  Bronck,  in  1639,  to  and  including  the 
important  part  the  Bronx  has  played  in  the  making  of 
this  country's  history  and  from  then  to  the  present 
time,  would  be  even  more  interesting  than  the  other  divi- 
sions of  New  York. 

The  Bronx  in  1870  was  a  conglomeration  of  about 
60  villages  and  hamlets  with  a  population  of  about  30,000. 
In  1890  it  had  increased  to  80,000  and  to-day  the  popu- 
lation is  over  650,000  with  42  square  miles  of  territory 
and  59  miles  of  water  front. 

The  real  development  of  the  Bronx  dates  from  the 
completion  of  the  final  maps  in  1895.  Prior  to  1891 
the  improvements  were  slow,  disconnected,  without  any 
fixed  plans  and  ideas  and  subject  to  constant  changes. 

[215] 


But  after  1891  under  the  law  creating  a  Commissioner  of 
Street  Improvements,  and  the  completion  of  the  new 
street  lay-out,  improvements  took  a  new  departure  and 
from  that  time  developments  made  such  rapid  strides 
that  that  part  of  New  York  became  the  wonder  of  the 
world,  the  population  meanwhile  increasing  at  the  rate 
of  138  per  cent. 

The  foundations  for  a  great  city  were  laid.  All 
these  improvements  necessitated  the  opening  of  new 
streets,  new  arteries  of  communications,  new  parks,  the 
removal  of  fine  old  trees  by  the  thousand,  the  obliteration 
of  old  land-marks,  the  remodeling  of  surroundings  and 
the  changing  of  perspectives,  with  only  a  few  preserved 
of  the  original  views.  For  want  of  these  views  and 
illustrations  and  the  great  changes  taking  place  in  so  short 
a  time,  the  historian  of  the  future  will  find  it  difficult 
to  obtain  correct  ideas  of  the  obliterated  old  land-marks 
as  originally  existing,  such  as  historical  places,  old  Co- 
lonial homesteads,  old  forts,  the  old  drives  and  road 
houses,  the  old  race  tracks,  Jerome  Park,  Fleetwood 
Park,  Morris  Park,  the  rendezvous  of  New  Yorkers  and 
men  of  sporting  inclinations. 

As  far  as  possible,  old  records,  views  and  illustra- 
tions, maps  and  lay-outs  of  the  old  villages  should  be 
recorded  and  preserved  while  the  material  is  still  avail- 
able, because  at  the  rate  the  Bronx  is  developing  it  will 
not  be  long  before  the  historian  will  find  it  difficult  to 
reproduce  that  which  made  Valentine's  Manual  the  de- 
light of  the  lovers  of  old  New  York. 


What  an   Eminent   Englishman   Thinks  of  Old 
New  York 

From   a  recent  private   letter  from  Lord  Northcliffe 
If  I  had  to  live  anywhere  else,   I  would  prefer  New  York 
in  the  vicinity  of  Washington  Square  with  a  home  on  the  Hud- 
son near  a  good  golf  course. 


[216] 


Governor's  Island 

Some  time  ago  there  was  a  bill  in  Congress  looking 
toward  the  purchase  of  Governor's  Island  by  the  City 
of  New  York  for  a  Park.  Unfortunately  this  delightful 
project  was  not  adopted,  but  it  serves  to  show  that 
there  are  unknown  possibilities  in  the  Park  line  as  yet 
undeveloped.  As  the  Island  is  so  close  to  New  York  and 
has  so  romantic  a  history,  we  think  our  readers  will 
enjoy  the  following  sketch. 

Its  Indian  name  was  Pagganck  and  the  Dutch  called 
it  Noten,  Nooten  or  Nutten  Island,  meaning  Nut  Island, 
on  account  of  the  chestnut,  oak  and  hickory  trees  with 
which  it  once  abounded.  In  "Aboriginal  Place  Names 
in  New  York,"  by  W.  M.  Beauchamp,  it  is  suggested 
that  the  aboriginal  name  is  derived  from  pohk,  meaning 
to  break  open,  and  the  terminal  locative,  the  whole  sig- 
nifying place  for  cracking  nuts.  The  earliest  mention  of 
the  island  by  name  is  found  in  De  Laet's  "Nieuwe 
Wereldt,"  dated  1624  and  published  in  1625,  in  which, 
referring  to  the  East  River  as  Hellegat  and  the  Hudson 
as  the  great  river,  he  says:  "The  two  currents  of  the 
great  river  and  Hellegat  meet  one  another  near  Noten 
Island." 

In  the  year  before  the  permanent  settlement  of  Man- 
hattan Island  by  the  Dutch  in  1626,  the  Dutch  West 
India  Company  sent  a  ship  load  of  cattle  and  some  pas- 
sengers to  New  Netherland  to  sustain  and  strengthen 
the  colony  at  Fort  Orange  (Albany).  "These  cattle," 
says  Wassenaer's  "Historisch  Verhael,"  "were,  on  their 
arrival,  first  landed  on  Nut  Island  .  .  .  where  they  re- 
mained a  day  or  two.  There  being  no  means  of  pastur- 
ing them  there,  they  were  shipped  in  sloops  and  boats  to 
the  Manhattes,  right  opposite  said  island." 

The  Buttermilk  Channel,  which  separates  Governor's 
Island  from  the  Long  Island  shore,  had  not  then  and  for 
many  years  after  had  not  attained  its  present  propor- 
tions.    In  the  trial  of  the  case  of  Israel  Horsefield  vs. 

[217] 


Hans  Bergen  in  1741,  involving  the  boundaries  to  their 
farms  in  Brooklyn,  Maritie  Bevois,  aged  84,  testified  that 
she  had  heard  Jerome  Remsen's  mother  say  that  there 
was  only  a  small  creek  between  Nutten  Island  and  the 
shore  and  that  a  squaw  carried  Dame  Remsen's  sister 
over  it  in  a  tub.  Jerome  Remsen,  aged  88,  testified  that 
he  had  heard  his  mother  say  the  same  thing.  His 
mother's  sister  was  born  in  1624  or  1625. 

The  Labadist  travelers,  Dankers  and  Sluyter,  who 
had  a  faculty  for  picking  up  facts  and  gossip  and  writ- 
ing them  down  in  their  Journal  in  1679,  credit  the  island 
with  having  been  "the  first  place  the  Hollanders  ever 
occupied  in  this  bay,"  but  the  statement  in  the  sense  of 
permanent  occupation  is  questionable. 

Soon  after  the  settlement  of  New  Amsterdam  in 
1626,  a  mill  for  sawing  wood  was  erected  on  the  island. 
In  1637,  Governor  Van  Twiller  bought  the  island  from 
the  Indians,' and  when  his  tenure  of  office  terminated, 
he  had  on  the  island,  beside  the  saw-mill,  a  frame  house 
and  twenty-one  pairs  of  goats,  among  other  goods  and 
chattels.  Van  Twiller  is  believed  to  have  been  the  only 
private  owner  of  the  island.  After  his  departure,  it  was 
claimed  by  the  government  and  leased  from  time  to  time. 
In  1698,  the  Assembly  set  it  aside  as  "part  of  the  Denizen 
of  his  Majestie's  Fort  at  New  York,  for  the  benefit 
and  accommodation  of  His  Majestie's  Governours  and 
Commanders-in-Chief  for  the  time  being."  Since  that 
time  it  has  been  known  as  Governor's  Island.  For  years, 
however,  the  Governors  rented  the  island  for  pasturage 
and  agriculture  and  derived  therefrom  a  convenient  addi- 
tion to  their  incomes.  In  1710,  when  a  shipload  of  Pala- 
tines destined  for  a  colony  on  the  Hudson  river  arrived 
in  the  harbor,  and  it  was  found  that  they  were  affected 
with  contagious  diseases,  they  were  quarantined  on  Gov- 
ernor's Island.  Among  these  immigrants  was  John  Peter 
Zenger,  afterwards  famous  in  the  suit  which  established 
the  freedom  of  the  press  in  New  York. 

In  1755,  Sir  Wm.  Pepperel's  regiment  was  encamped 
on  the  island. 

In  1774,  it  was  proposed  to  erect  a  fortress  on  the 
island,  but  no  fortifications  were  built  until  they  were 

[218] 


undertaken  by  the  Americans  in  1776.  By  August  of 
the  latter  year  the  patrols  had  strongly  fortified  the  island 
with  earthworks,  defended  by  2,000  men  and  forty  pieces 
of  cannon.  After  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  August  27, 
1776,  the  Americans  abandoned  the  island  to  the  British 
and  did  not  repossess  it  until  1783. 

In  1784,  Governor's  Island  was  assigned  by  the  new 
Legislature  to  the  uses  of  the  Governors  of  the  State 
until  further  orders.  Four  years  later  the  Surveyor- 
General  was  authorized  to  lay  the  land  out  into  lots  for 
sale;  but  it  is  not  known  that  any  portion  of  it  was 
disposed  of.  In  1790  the  island  was  given  to  the  Regents 
of  the  University,  who  were  authorized  to  lease  it  and  use 
the  proceeds  for  educational  purposes.  Columbia  Col- 
lege was  intended  to  be  one  of  the  beneficiaries  of  this 
arrangement.  In  1794,  the  Governor  was  authorized  to 
appropriate  the  island  for  a  quarantine  station.  How 
much  it  was  used  for  this  purpose  we  do  not  know. 

The  records  indicate  that  at  this  time  the  island  was 
a  well-established  military  post,  for  in  1794  complaints 
were  made  by  both  American  and  French  naval  officers 
that  their  vessels  had  not  been  properly  saluted  from  the 
fort  on  that  island.  The  fort,  however,  was  merely 
an  earthwork  with  two  batteries,  partly  lined  with  brick. 
In  1797  it  was  named  Fort  Jay.  In  1800,  the  island  was 
ceded  to  the  United  States.  In  1806,  Fort  Jay  was  pulled 
down  and  by  1809  a  new  work  called  Fort  Columbus 
was  built  on  its  site,  mounting  fifty  cannon.  In  the  same 
year,  the  circular  fort  of  masonry,  named  Castle  Will- 
iams, was  advanced  sufficiently  to  receive  its  first  tier  of 
guns,  but  it  was  not  completed  until  1811.  Castle  Will- 
iams was  named  after  Col.  Jonathan  Williams  of  the 
United  States  Engineers,  who  surveyed  the  harbor  in 
1805  and  made  his  report  concerning  defences  to  Con- 
gress in  February,  1806. 

The  island  was  a  scene  of  great  activity  during  the 
War  of  1812.  In  1821  the  Federal  military  headquarters 
were  transferred  to  it  from  the  City.  During  the  Civil 
War  Castle  Williams  was  used  as  a  military  prison, 
and  is  so  used  at  the  present  time.     During  the  Civil 

£219] 


War  it  is  said  that  as  many  as  1,800  prisoners  were  con- 
fined there. 

There  have  been  several  executions  on  Governor's 
Island.  On  July  7,  1814,  John  Reid  and  Roger  Wilson, 
privates  in  the  artillery  corps,  were  sentenced  to  be  shot 
the  next  morning.  Since  1852  there  have  been  two  ex- 
ecutions. One  man  was  shot  for  desertion  and  bounty 
jumping.  John  Y.  Beall,  a  Virginian,  was  hanged  for 
attempting  to  seize  a  vessel  to  use  against  the  Union. 

For  several  years  the  Government  has  been  filling  in 
the  shore  of  the  south  side,  partly  with  the  muck  dredged 
from  the  harbor  channel,  and  the  island  is  now  fully 
twice  as  large  as  it  used  to  be.  From  the  filled-in  por- 
tion, many  successful  aeroplane  flights  have  started,  and 
future  developments  justify  the  prediction  that  in  another 
generation  the  present  Island  will  be  unrecognizable  in 
the  one  that  will  have  taken  its  place. 

4 'Old  New  York"  in  Moving  Pictures 

For  some  time  the  editor  of  this  Manual  has  col- 
lected many  interesting  views  of  our  city,  some  of  which 
he  has  had  made  into  slides,  using  the  material  for  a 
Stereopticon  Lecture  on  the  subject.  He  has  appeared 
twice  at  the  N.  Y.  Historical  Society  and  once  at  the 
New  York  Genealogical  and  Biographical  Society.  Both 
Mr.  Kelby  and  Mr.  Bowen  were  kind  enough  to  say 
that  the  entertainment  was  very  acceptable.  The  in- 
terest in  the  subject  seems  to  be  growing  as  Mr.  Brown 
has  observed  much  larger  audiences  at  each  successive 
lecture. 

He  now  proposes  to  go  a  step  further  and  add  mo- 
tion pictures  to  the  work,  at  the  same  time  introducing 
a  feature  that  seems  of  the  greatest  historic  value — viz. 
reproducing  some  of  the  actual  scenes  enacted  during 
the  Revolution  and  at  other  vital  periods  in  our  city's 
history. 

A  better  idea  of  what  is  in  his  mind  may  perhaps 
be  gained  from  a  reading  of  a  scenario  recently  sub- 

[220] 


<& 


2* 

II 

J3 


S 


mitted  to  a  moving  picture  company  at  present  consider- 
ing the  matter. 

Mr.  &  Mrs.  John  Blake  decide  to  travel  a  little.  They  have  never 
seen  the  skyscrapers  or  any  of  the  wonderful  places  for  which  New 
York  is  famous. 

The  first  scene  shows  them  coming  to  New  York.  Leaving  the 
hotel  they  take  a  Sight  Seeing  Car  and  as  the  car  stops  in  front  of 
any  noted  historical  spot,  the  present  day  scene  melts  away  and  is 
replaced  by  the  incident  which  made  that  location  famous.  For 
example.  The  car  is  supposed  to  have  stopped  in  front  of  Fraunces' 
Tavern.  The  scene  is  of  today.  The  man  with  the  megaphone  is 
telling  the  sight  seers  of  Washington  bidding  farewell  to  his  officers 
in  that  building  when  the  present  day  scene  melts  away  and  in  its 
place  is  the  Tavern  aod  its  surroundings  as  it  was  in  1784.  Various 
officers  are  seen  approaching  from  different  directions.  Finally  Genl. 
Washington  rides  up,  ties  his  horse  to  the  post  and  disappears  inside. 

The  scene  now  changes  to  the  interior  of  the  Long  Room.  Grouped 
around  in  various  knots  are  all  the  famous  soldiers  of  the  Revo- 
lution, greeting  each  new  arrival  and  chatting  among  themselves.  A 
hush  falls  over  the  room  as  the  tall  serious  figure  of  the  Commander- 
in-Chief  appears  at  the  entrance. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  ceremony,  General  Washington  walks 
slowly  and  sadly  from  the  room,  descends  the  short  stairway,  mounts 
his  horse  and  rides  to  the  landing  at  foot  of  Whitehall  street.  Crowds 
line  the  roadway  and  the  wharf.  As  Washington  starts  to  descend  the 
steps  leading  to  the  barge  that  is  to  convey  him  to  the  Jersey  shore, 
he  turns  to  the  assembled  crowd,  raises  his  hat  in  salutation  and  dis- 
appears. 

Other  scenes  can  be  treated  in  the  same  way.  "The 
Inauguration  at  Federal  Hall,"  "Pulling  Down  the 
Statue  of  George  III,"  "The  First  Trial  Trip  of  the 
Clermont/'  are  all  susceptible  of  the  same  treatment. 

It  is  time  so  popular  a  medium  as  moving  pictures 
should  be  made  to  do  some  really  educational  work  and 
in  teaching  history  there  is  a  vast  field  open. 

Readers  of  this  Manual  who  are  interested  in  such 
a  lecture  are  invited  to  address  the  editor,  who  will  be 
glad  to  hear  from  them  on  the  subject. 


Commodore  Vanderbilt's  Ferry 

May  28,  1825,  the  steamboat  Bellona,  under  command  of  Cor- 
nelius Vanderbilt  (the  late  "Commodore"),  commenced  to  run 
to  Union  Garden,  Staten  Island,  for  12 y2  cents  each  way.  In 
illustration  of  the  difference  in  the  manner  in  which  steamboats 
of  that  day  were  fitted,  compared  with  the  present  mode,  it 
will  be  interesting  to  learn  that  the  pilot-house  of  the  Bellona 
was  immediately  over  the  engine-room,  and  that  instead  of 
bells  to  signal  to  the  engineer,  one  stroke  of  a  cane  on  the 
floor  was  the  signal  to  start  or  to  slow,  as  the  position  of  the 
engine  admitted,  and  two  strokes  were  the  signal  for  backing. 


[221] 


Old-time  Marriages  Notices 

(Continued    from    page    22.) 

1790 — Saturday,  April  24.  Anthony  Rutgers,  of  the  Island  of  Cur- 
racoa,  and  Cornelia  Gaine,  daughter  of  Hugh  Gaine,  printer 
of  this   city,   married   Saturday   last. 

1790 — Saturday,  April  24.  Dr.  Benjamin  Franklin,  of  the  City  of 
Philadelphia,  in  the  85th  year  of  his  age,  died  Saturday  last. 

1790 — Saturday,  April  24.  Wright  Nichols  and  Polly  Clements, 
daughter  of  Daniel,  of  Flushing,  L.  I.,  married  Wednesday  last 
at  Flushing. 

1790 — Saturday,  May  1.  Hugh  M'Kenzie.  Last  evening  was  found 
in  the  Old  Slip  the  body  of,  who  has  for  several  weeks  been 
missing. 

1790 — Saturday,  May  8.  Hon.  Joshua  Seney,  Representative  in  Con- 
gress from  the  State  of  Maryland,  and  Fanny  Nicholson,  daugh- 
ter of  Commodore  Nicholson,  of  this  city,  married  Saturday 
last. 

1790 — Saturday,  May  8.  Tobias  Lear,  Secretary  to  the  President  of 
the  United  States,  and  Polly  Xong,  married  at  Portsmouth 
on  the  22d  ult. 

1790 — Saturday,  May  8.  Cornelia  Remsen,  eldest  daughter  of  Henry, 
of  this  city,  died  Wednesday  last. 

1790 — Saturday,  May  8.  Stephen  Crossfield,  Jr.,  a  young  gentle- 
man of  great  worth,  died  Wednesday. 

1790 — Saturday,  May  8.  John  Foxcroft.  Agent  here  for  his  Britanic 
Majesty's  packets  and  before  the  revolution,  joint  post-master 
general  with  the  late  Benjamin  Franklin,  died  Tuesday  last. 

1790 — Saturday,  May  8.     Grove  Bend,  died  yesterday. 

1790 — Saturday,  May  22.  Samuel  Sterett,  of  Baltimore,  and  Rebecca 
iSears,  daughter  of  the  late  Col.  Isaac  Sears,  of  this  city,  mar- 
ried Thursday  last. 

1790 — Saturday,  May  22.  John  Anthony  and  Sally  Shaw,  both  of 
this  city,  married  Thursday  the  13th  inst. 

1790 — Saturday,  May  22.  Deborah  Denton,  relect  of  Nehemiah  Den- 
ton, in  the  78th  year  of  her  age,  died  Saturday  last  at  Ja- 
maica, L.  I. 

1790 — Saturday,  May  29.  Henry  Lawrence  and  Harriet  Van  Wyck, 
both  of  Flushing,  L.  I.,  married  at  Flushing,  L.  I.,  Wednesday 
last. 

1790 — Saturday,  May  29.  Henry  Henson  and  Dolly  Tyber,  married 
Monday  last. 

1790 — .Saturday,  May  29.  Miss  Clow,  daughter  of  Andrew  Clow,  mer- 
chant, of  Philadelphia  died  Saturday  last  at  Jamaica,  L.  I., 
buried  First  Presbyterian  Church  this  city. 

1790 — Saturday,  May  29.  Elizabeth  Borkinbine,  wife  of  George  Bork- 
inbine,  printer,  of  this  city,  died   Sunday  last ;   aged   25  years. 

1790 — Saturday,  May  29.  Elizabeth  Ustick,  daughter  of  the  late 
Henry  Ustick,  of  this  city,  died  Monday  last. 

1790 — Saturday,  June  12.  Dr.  Wright  Post  and  Miss  Bailey,  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  Richard  Bailey,  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 

1790 — Saturday,  June  12.  Israel  Putnam,  Maj.  Gen.  of  the  Con- 
tinental Army,  died  Saturday,  May  29th  at  Brooklyn,  Conn.,  in 
the  73rd  year  of  his  age. 

1790 — Saturday,  June  26.  Rev.  Mr.  Bloomer,  rector  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  of  Jamaica,  L.  I.,  died  Wednesday  last. 

1790 — Saturday,  July  31.  Hay  Stevenson  and  Miss  Graham,  both 
of  this  city,  married  Thursday.  ^T 

1790 — Saturday,  July  31.  William  Livingston,  Governor  of  New 
Jersey,  died  Sunday,  the  25th,  at  his  seat  near  Elizabethtown, 
N.    J. 

1790 — Saturday,  August  28.  Gerard  DePeyster,  son  of  William  De- 
Peyster,  merchant  in  Queen  Street,  died  Thursday,  aged  21. 

1790 — Saturday,  Sept.  11.  Thomas  Lowree  and  Polly  Dusinbury, 
both  of  Flushing,  L.  I.,  married   Sunday  last  at  Flushing,  L.  I. 

1790 — Saturday,  Sept.  11.  Capt.  John  Armour,  of  the  ship  Grace, 
and  Maria  Hop  son,  daughter  of  George  Hopson,  of  this  city, 
married  Tuesday  last. 

[222] 


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3 


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1790 — Saturday,    September    25.      Mrs.    Mary    Ogden,    wife    of    Doctor 

Jacob  Ogden  and  daughter  of DePeyster,  died  at  Jamaica, 

L.  I.,  in  the  prime  of  life. 
1790 — Saturday,    September    25.      John    Keating,    merchant    of    this 

city,  died  Tuesday  last  in  the  55th  year  of  his  age.     Interment 

Trinity  Church. 
1790 — Saturday,  October  2.     James  Bailey  and  Catherine  Brincker- 

hoff,  daughter  of  Col.   Abraham  Brinckerhoff  of  Fishkill,  mar- 
ried Monday  last. 
1790 — Saturday,    October   23.     William   Jones,    son   of   Samuel    Jones, 

attorney  at  law,  and  Keziah  Youngs,  married  Thursday  the  14th 

inst.  at  Oyster  Bay,  L.  I. 
1790 — Saturday,    October    23.      Stephen    Coles,    distiller,    and    Mrs. 

Lawrence,  both  of  this  city,  married  last  week. 
1790 — Saturday,  October  30.     Mrs.  Ann  Letts,  a  native  of  New  York, 

died  at  South  River,  N.  J.,  on  the  4th  inst.     Aged  107  years. 
1790 — Saturday,  November  6.     Philip  Kissick,  died   at  Bloomingdale, 

Thursday  last,  in  his  78th  year. 
1790 — Saturday,    November    6.      Thomas    Streatfteld    Clarkson    and 

Eliza  Van  Horne,   daughter  of   Augustus   Van   Home,   married 

Saturday  last. 
1790 — Saturday,  November  20.     Mrs.  Butler,  wife  of  Hon.  Pierre  But- 
ler, South  Carolina  Senator,  died  Saturday  last. 
1790 — Saturday,    November    20.      Daniel    Cromellne    Verplanck    and 

Anne  Walton,   daughter  of  William  Walton,   married   Wednes- 
day last. 
1790 — Saturday,    November    27.      Andrew     Norwood    and    Elizabeth 

Roe,  both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 
1790 — Saturday,    November    27.      Prosper    Wetmore    and    Catherine 

McEuen,  both  of  this  city,  married  last  Saturday. 
1790 — Saturday,  November  27.     Hon.  John  Vining,  Congressman  from 

Delaware,  and  Miss   Seton,  daughter  of  William   Seton,  of  this 

city,  married  Wednesday  last. 
1790 — Saturday,    November    27.      John    Ball,    merchant,    and    Rachel 

Sutton,   daughter  of  Caleb  Sutton,  merchant,  of  this   city,  mar- 
ried   

1790 — Saturday,  December  4.     Joseph  Bogart  and  Jane  Finck,  mar- 
ried on  the  25th  inst. 
1790 — Saturday,    December   4.      Joseph   Williams    and   Anne   Fisher, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 
1790 — Saturday,   December  4.     Eliphalet   Wickes   and   Martha  Her- 

riman,  both  of  Jamaica,  L.  I.,  married  Sunday  last  at  Jamaica, 

L.  I. 
1790 — Saturday,   December   4.      James   Huxe   and   Sarah   Blaact,   mar- 
ried  Saturday  last. 
1790 — Saturday,    December    25.      Matthew    M.    Clarkson,    merchant, 

and  Belinda  Smith,  both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 
1790 — Saturday,  December  25.     Leonard  Lispenard  and  Nancy  Bache, 

daughter  of  Theophelict,  married  Saturday  last. 
1791 — Saturday,  April  23.     Joseph  Beezly,  Innkeeper,  and  Catherine 

Roe,  daughter  of  Ezekiel  Roe,  both  of  Flushing,  L.   I.,  married 

Tuesday   last   at   Flushing. 
1791 — Saturday,  April  23.     John  Burger,  Jr.,  and  Sarah  Tout,  both 

of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 
1791 — Saturday,    April    30.      Robert    Crommeline,    died    on    Thursday 

last    at    his    seat    near    Flushing,    L.    I.,    in    the    75th    year    of 

his   age. 
1791 — Saturday,  April   30.  Sampson  Fleming,   died   on   Sunday   at  his 

house  on  Broadway. 
1791 — Saturday,   April   30.      John   Griffin,   merchant,   of   Horse   Neck, 

Conn.,  and  Polly  Thomas,  of  Bedford,  married  Sunday  last. 
1791 — Saturday,  May  21.     Polydore  B.  Wisner,  attorney  at  law,  and 

Maria  Blydenburgh,  of  Smithtown,  L.  I.     Married  last  Sunday 

at  Smithtown,  L.   I. 
1791 — Saturday,  May  21     Thomas  Hunt  and  Ruth  Rook,  both  of  this 

city,   married    Saturday   last. 
1791 — Saturday,  May  28.     Bartholomew  Fisher  and  Orpha  Forker, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last  at  Burlington,  N.  J. 
1791 — Saturday,   June  4.      David  Peffer   and  Nelly   Johnston,   both 

of  this  city,  married  Tuesday  last. 

[223] 


1791 — Saturday,  June  4.  Matthias  Crane,  of  Newark,  and  Jane 
Ferris,  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 

1791 — Saturday,  June  4.  William  Smith,  Jr.,  son  of  William  Smith, 
of  the  Manor  of  St.  George,  and  Hannah  Smith,  only  daugh- 
ter of  Philetus  Smith,  of  Smithtown,  L.  I.,  married  Wednesday 
the  25th  ult.  at  Smithtown,  L.  I. 

1791 — Saturday,  June  4.  Dr.  David  Woodhull  and  Irene  Wetmore, 
eldest  daughter  of  Rev.  Noah  Wetmore,  of  Brookhaven,  L.  I., 
married  Monday  the  9th  ult.  at  Brookhaven. 

1791 — Saturday,  June  11.  Charles  Ammenhuyser  and  Elizabeth 
Kelly,  both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 

1791 — Saturday,  June  18.  Neidas  Halsey  and  Polly  Brower,  both 
of  this  city,  married  Tuesday  last. 

1791 — Saturday,  June  25.  Paul  Richard  Place,  of  Bermuda,  and 
Miss  Jauncey,  eldest  daughter  of  the  late  Capt.  Joseph  Jauncey, 
of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 

1791 — Saturday,  June  25.  Anthony  Ogilvie  and  Elizabeth  Cow- 
drey,  daughter  of  Jonathan  Cowdrey,  both  of  this  city,  married 
Wednesday  last. 

1791 — Saturday,  June  25.  Isaac  Livesay,  druggist,  and  Jane  Law- 
rence, daughter  of  John  Lawrence,  merchant,  both  of  this  city, 
married  Sunday  last. 

1791 — Saturday,  June  25.  Alexander  Anderson  and  Cretia  Wright, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday. 

1791 — Saturday,  June  25.  Daniel  Cotton,  Jr.,  merchant,  and  Eliza 
Watson,  both  of  this  city,  married  at  Stamford,  Conn. 

1791 — Saturday,  June  25.  William  Cross  and  Catherine  Sly,  both 
of  Ulster  County,  married  Thursday  the  16th  inst. 

1791 — Saturday,  June  25.  Eliphalet  Brush,  of  Demarara,  and  Sally 
Grennel,  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  the  15th  inst. 

1791 — Saturday,  June  25.  Gilbert  Aspinwall  and  Ann  Sowers,  both 
of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  the  15th  inst. 

1791 — Saturday,  June  25.  Robert  Roberts,  died  Saturday  last  at 
Philadelphia,  aged  48. 

1791 — Saturday,  July  2.  Caleb  Boyle  and  Eliza  Stanton,  daugh- 
ter of  George  Stanton,  both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday 
last. 

1791 — Saturday,  July  2.  Jacob  Morton  and  Catharine  Ludlow, 
daughter  of  Cary  Ludlow,  both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday 
25th  inst. 

1791 — Saturday,  July  9.  Thomas  Johnson,  of  this  city,  and  Cor- 
nelia Stonehouse,  of  Newark,  married  at  Newark  on  Mon- 
day. 

1791 — Saturday,  July  9.  Rev.  MR.  Elijah  Rattoon,  of  the  Epis- 
copal Church  at  Brooklyn,  and  Miss  Bache,  daughter  of  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Bache,  of  this  city,  married  at  Brunswick,  N.  J.f 
June   30th. 

1791 — Saturday,  July  9.  Mrs.  Maria  Barclay,  widow  of  James  Bar- 
clay, died  on  the  5th  inst.  in  her  44th  year.  Interment  Trinity 
Church. 

1791 — Saturday,  July  16.  Mr.  Mackey,  of  New  Jersey,  and  Eliza 
Micheau,  of  Staten  Island,  married  Saturday  last  at  Staten 
Island. 

1791 — Saturday,  July  16.  John  Richey  and  Johanna  Denton,  mar- 
ried Monday  last. 

1791 — Saturday,  July  16.  Alexander  Macomb  and  Mrs.  Rucker, 
widow  of  John  Rucker,  married  Monday  last. 

1791 — Saturday,  August  6.  Mr.  Simmond,  merchant,  and  Miss 
Wilkes,  daughter  of  Israel  Wilkes,  all  of  this  city,  married 
Saturday  last. 

1791 — Saturday,  August  6.  William  Rhodes,  merchant,  and  Sophia 
Roorabach,  both  of  this   city,  married  Friday  the  25th. 

1791 — Saturday,  August  13.  Capt.  Thomas  S.  Strong,  eldest  son 
of  Hon.  Selah  Strong,  and  Hannah  Brewster,  daughter  of 
Joseph  Brewster,  married  at  Brook  Haven,  L.  I.,  Sunday  the 
7th. 

1791 — Saturday,  August  20.  James  M'Cready  and  Mary  Wool,  both 
of  this  city,  married  Saturday   last. 

[224] 


1791 — Saturday,  August  20.     Mrs.  Alice  Armstrong,  relict  of  James 

Armstrong,   of   this   city,    died   Wednesday,    aged    94.      Interment 

Brick  Meeting  House  burying  ground. 
1791 — Saturday,    September   3.      William   Malcolm,    Brig. -Gen.    in   the 

militia,  died  Thursday  last.     Interment  New  Presbyterian  bury- 
ing ground. 
1791 — Saturday,    September   10.      Miss    Anne    Jay,   died    Sunday,    aged 

54,   at  her  brother  Peter  Jay's   seat  at  Rye. 
1791 — Saturday,    September    10.      Miles    Hitchcock    and    Sarah   Hop- 
son,  both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 
1791 — Saturday,   October  1.     Capt.   Samuel  Armour,  of  this  city,   and 

Catharine   Provoost,   late   from  Amsterdam,   married   Thursday 

last. 
1791 — Saturday,   October   8.     Miss   Mary  V.   Wagenen,   died   Saturday 

last  in  her  23rd  year. 
1791 — Saturday,    October    8.      Cornelius    Crygier,    of    this    city,    and 

Hannah  Parker,  of  Shrewsbury,  married  Saturday  the  17th. 
1791 — Saturday,   October  8.     James  Anderson,   of  South  Carolina,   and 

Miss  Webb,  of  this  city,  married  Monday  last. 
1791 — Saturday,    October   8.      Francis  -  Lynch,    counsellor   at   law,    and 

Maria  Rose,  both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 
1791 — Saturday,    October    15.      Thomas    Greenleaf,    Editor   New   York 

Journal,    and    Nancy    Quackenbos,    both    of    this    city,    married 

Thursday  last. 
1791 — Saturday,    October    22.      Magdalena    Middagh,    eldest    daughter 

of    John    Middagh,    of    Brooklyn,    L.    I.,    died    Thursday    last     at 

Brooklyn. 
1791 — Saturday,   October  22.     Rev.   William  Hammel,   of  Jamaica,   L. 

I.,   and   Mrs.   Catharine   Pevee,   of   this   city,   married   Monday 

last. 
1791 — Saturday,    October   29.     Margaret   Jay,   wife   of   Frederick   Jay, 

of  this  city,  died  yesterday. 
1791 — Saturday,    October    29.      James    Everitt,    attorney,    of    Goshen, 

N.  Y.,   and  Miss   Tallman,   of  this  city,  married  Wednesday. 
1791 — Saturday,    October   29.      William   Grant,   of    St.   Augustine,    and 

Anne  Sample,  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  the  16th. 
1791 — Saturday,    November    12.      Josias    Byles,    upholsterer,    of    this 

city,    formerly    of    Boston,    died    Saturday    last.      Interment    Old 

Presbyterian  burial  ground. 
1791 — Saturday,   November  12.     Jesse  Wilkins,   of  Goshen,   and  Miss 

Patty  Denton,  of  Jamaica,  married  Thursday  last  at  Jamaica, 

L.   I. 
1791 — Saturday,    November    12.      Jacob    De    La   Montagnie,    attorney, 

and  Polly  Armour,  married  Monday  last. 
1791 — Saturday,    November   12.      Capt.    Stephen   Miner,    and    Betsey 

Rice,  both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 
1791 — Saturday,   November  12.      John   Ditmas   and   Catharine   John- 
son, both  of  Jamaica,  L.  I.,  married  Saturday  last  at  Jamaica. 
1791 — Saturday,    November    19.      Henry    Aborn,    of    New    York,    and 

Abigail  Baker,  married  Friday  the  11th. 
1791 — Saturday,   November  19.     Dr.   Charles   M'Knight,   of  Columbia 

College,   died  Wednesday. 
1791 — Saturday,    November    26.      Nathan    Furman,    of    this    city,    and 

Phoebe    Person,    of   Morristown,    N.    J.,   married    Thursday   the 

10th  at  Morristown. 
1791 — Saturday,    November    26.      James    Black,    cabinet    maker,    and 

Mary  Rote,  both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 
1791 — Saturday,    November    26.       Peter    Mesier,     Jr.,     of     Dutchess 

County,    and   Miss    Stewart,    daughter   of    James    Stewart,   mer- 
chant of  this  city,  married  Wednesday. 
1791 — Saturday,   December   3.      John   Shaw,   of  Fauquier  County,   Vir- 
ginia, aged  19,  and  Mrs.  Mary  Hitt,  of  same  county,  aged  55, 

married  in  Virginia,  November  3rd. 
1791 — Saturday,  December  3.     Joseph  Dunkly  and  Betsey  Leonard, 

daughter  of  Jacob  Leonard,  both  of  this   city,  married  Wednes- 
day last. 
1791 — Saturday,  December  3.     Major  Henry  Gilbert  Livingston  and 

Ann   Nutter,   daughter  of   Valentine  Nutter,   bookseller   of   this 

city,  married  Saturday  last. 

[225] 


1791 — Saturday,  December  10.  Charles  Cornell,  of  Long  Island, 
and  Catharine  Rodman,  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 

1791 — Saturday,  December  10.  Robert  Hamilton,  of  this  city,  and 
Dorcas  Conger,  of  New  Jersey,  married  Sunday  last. 

1791 — Saturday,  December  24.  Shepard  Havens,  son  of  Benjamin 
Havens,  of  Bedford,  L.  I.,  died  at  Baltimore,  the  29th  ult., 
aged  22. 

1791 — Saturday,  December  24.  Mrs  Deborah  Smith,  wife  of  Capt. 
John  Smith,  of  this  city,  died  Tuesday  last,  aged  23. 

1791 — Saturday,  December  24.  Samuel  Burling,  of  this  city,  and 
Sally  Elmslie,  daughter  of  John  Elmslie,  of  Philadelphia,  mar- 
ried Tuesday  the  13th  at  Philadelphia. 

1791 — Saturday,  December  24.  Andrew  Meyers  and  Mrs.  Catharine 
Hill,  both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

1791 — .Saturday,  December  24.  James  Weeks  and  Emelia  Doughty, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  the  10th. 

1791 — Saturday,  December  31.  Peter  P.  Van  Dervoort  and  Anna 
Boroughs,  both  of  Newtown,  L.  I.,  married  at  Newtown,  L.  I. 

1792 — Saturday,  January  7.  John  Douglas,  of  Boston,  and  Sarah 
Cannon,  of  Corlaers-Hook,  married  Friday  the  30th  ult. 

1792 — Saturday,  January  7.  Peter  Repalje,  of  New  Lotts,  and 
Bridget  Ditmas,  of  Jamaica,  married  Thursday  the  29th  at 
Jamaica,  L.  I. 

1792 — Saturday,  January  7.  Lawrence  Burrows,  of  this  city,  and 
Elizabeth  Deane,  of  Tarrytown,  N.  Y.,  married  Thursday  the 
29th. 

1792 — Saturday,  January  21.  John  Wynkoop  and  Margaret  Jansen, 
married  Thursday  the  12th  at  Kingston,  N.  Y.,  after  a  court- 
ship of  45  years. 

1792 — Saturday,  January  21.  Charles  Sharp  and  Grace  Roberts, 
married  Sunday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  January  21.  David  Titus  and  Mrs.  Wilson,  both 
of  that  place,  Newtown,  L.  I.,  married  Tuesday  the  3rd  at 
Newtown,  L.  I. 

1792 — Saturday,  January  28.  Timothy  Smith,  of  North  Hempstead, 
and  Polly  Scidmore,  of  South  Hempstead,  married  Saturday 
last  on  Long  Island. 

1792 — Saturday,  January  28.  Capt.  Oliver  Ketchum  and  Elizabeth 
Scidmore,  married  Thursday  the  19th  at  Huntington,  L.  I. 

1792 — Saturday,  January  28.  David  Bryant  and  Ruth  Bryant,  mar- 
ried Wednesday  the  18th  at  Huntington,  L.  I. 

1792 — Saturday,  January  28.  Elkanah  Bunce  and  Lavinia  Jarvis, 
married  ,  at  Huntington,  L.  I. 

1792 — Saturday,  January  28.  Nathaniel  Scidmore  and  Esther 
Sopers,  married  Monday  the  16th  at  Huntington,  L.  I. 

1792 — Saturday,  January  28.     Robert  Rogers  and  Elizabeth  Bryant,  ^f 
married  Sunday  the  15th  at  Huntington,  L.  I. 

1792 — Saturday,  February  4.  William  Maximillian  Stewart  and 
Magdalene  Van  Nostrand,  married  Monday  last  at  Oyster  Bay, 
L.  I.,  both  of  that  place. 

1792 — Saturday,  February  4.  James  R.  Hutchens,  printer  at  Wind- 
sor, Vt,  and  Marianne  Thomas,  daughter  of  Isaiah  Thomas, 
printer  of  Worcester,  Mass.,  married  . 

1792 — Saturday,  February  4.  Jacob  LeRoy  and  Miss  Banyer,  daugh- 
ter of  Goldsborough  Banyer,  married  at  Albany,  . 

1792 — Saturday,  February  4.  Daniel  Bennum,  of  Flatbush,  and  Nelly 
Johnson,  daughter  of  Barent  Johnson,  married  Wednesday,  Jan- 
uary 25th,  at  Flatlands,  L.  I. 

1792 — Saturday,  February  11.  Jane  Reed,  wife  of  Major  Jacob  Reed, 
of  this  city,  died  Monday. 

1792 — Saturday,  February  11.  Earl  of  Effingham,  Governor  of  Ja- 
maica, died  the  19th  of  last  month. 

1792 — Saturday,  February  11.  John  Taylor,  Jr.,  of  this  city,  died 
lately  at  Falmouth,  England. 

1792 — Saturday,  February  11.  William  Maxwell,  of  this  city,  died 
Wednesday. 

1792 — Saturday,  February  11.  James  Pray,  of  this  place,  and  Mar- 
garet Richardson,  of  Flatbush,  L.  I.,  married  Sunday  last. 

1226] 


1792 — Saturday,    February     11.       Benjamin    Strong,     merchant,    and 

Sally  Weeks,  both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  the  4th. 
1792 — Saturday,   February   11.      John   Van   Awler   and   Mary   Green, 

both   of   this   city,  married    Sunday,    January   28th. 
1792 — Saturday,  February  18.     Edward  Lunagan  and  Maria  Siggers, 

married   Thursday  last. 
1792 — Saturday,    February    18.      Garrit    Cosine,    of    New    Lots,    and 

Miss  Van  Brunt,  daughter  of  Isaac  Van  Brunt,  married  Wednes- 
day last  at  New  Utrecht,  L.  I. 
1792 — Saturday,    February   18.      Samuel    Terry,    merchant,    and   Anne 

Leake    Carr,    both   of   this   place,    married    Thursday   the    9th. 
1792 — Saturday,   February   18.     Captain  Patrick   O'Brien   and  Nancy 

Carr,  both  of  this  city,  married   Thursday  the   9th. 
1792 — Saturday,   February   18.     Alexander   Frazier,   of  this   city,    and 

Hulday    Wilkinson,    of    Morristown,    N.    J.,    married    Sunday 

the  5th. 
1792 — Saturday,    February    18.      Noah    Whitmore,    son    of    Rev.    Mr. 

Whitmore,   and  Winifred   Smith,   daughter  of   Joel   Smith,   mar- 
ried   Tuesday    at   Long    Swamp,    Huntington,    L.    I. 
1792 — Saturday,  February  18.     General  Matthew  Clarkson,  of  this 

city,    and   Sally   Cornell,    daughter    of   the   late    S.    Cornell,    of 

Newbern,  N.  C,  married  Thursday  last. 
1792 — Saturday,    February    25.      Isaac    L.    Kip,    attorney,    and    Sally 

Smith,    daughter   of    Colonel    Jacamiah    Smith,    of   Powles    Hook, 

married   Wednesday   last. 
1792 — Saturday,  March  3      Jacob  German  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Barber, 

both  of  this  city,  married   Saturday  last. 
1792 — Saturday,   March   10.      John   Quackenbos   and   Mrs.   Elizabeth 

Merckler,  both  of  this   city,   married   Tuesday  last  at  the  seat 

of  Mr.  Mangle  Minthorn,   Bowery. 
1792 — Saturday,  March  10.     Enoch  Baldwin,  of  Jerusalem,  and  Lydia 

Pidgeon,  of  same  place,  married  Sunday  last. 
1792 — Saturday,   March   10.      Joseph   Sealy,  of  the  Little  Plains,   and 

Bonnella  Welling,  of  Jamaica  South,  married  Thursday  the  1st 

at  Jamaica,   L.   I. 
1792 — Saturday,  March  10.     Robert  H.  Livingston,  Clerk  of  the  Court 

of    Common   Pleas,    Dutchess    County,    and    Caty    Tappen,    eldest 

daughter    of    Hon.     Judge    Tappen,     of    Poughkeepsie,     married 

Wednesdav 
1792 — Saturday,    March    17.      Captain    Benjamin    North    and    Sally 

Wicks,  both  of  this   city,   married  Thursday  last. 
1792 — Saturday,  March  17.     Ambrose  Parish  and  Deborah  Wheeler, 

both  of  Oyster  Bay,  L.  I.,  married  Tuesday  last  at  Oyster  Bay. 
1792 — Saturday,  March  17.     Peter  Cortenius,  Jr.,  and  Ann  Remsen, 

both   of  this   city,   married  Wednesday  the  7th. 
1792 — Saturday,   March  24.     William  Bussing,   of  this   city,   and   Su- 
sannah  Odall,   of   Philip's   Manor,   married    Sunday   last. 
1792 — Saturday,  March  24.     Captain  Jeremiah  Shattuck,  aged  ninety, 

and  Mrs.   Ruth   Bixby,  aged   seventy-five,   married   at  Pepperel. 
1792 — Saturday,  March  24.     James  Seton,  merchant,  of  this  city,  and 

Mary    Gillou    Hoffman,    daughter    of    Nicholas    Hoffman,    also 

of  this   city,  married  Tuesday  last. 
1792 — Saturday,  March  24.     Isaac  Brewster,  son  of  Joseph  Brewster, 

and     Temperance     Brewster,     daughter     of     Captain     William 

Brewster,    married    at   Brookhaven,    L.    I.,    Sunday    last. 
1792 — Saturday,   March   24.     Thomas   Furdun   and   Margaret  Hamer, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 
1792 — Saturday,  March  24.     John  Mowatt,  Jr.,  and  Charlotte  Rod- 
man, both  of  this   city,   married  Wednesday  the  14th. 
1792 — Saturday,    March    31.  •   Elizabeth    Shaw,    daughter   of   the   late 

Captain    Daniel    Shaw,    died   Monday   the    19th. 
1792 — Saturday,   March   31.      James   Van   Dyne    and    Sally   Branson, 

both   of  this   city,   married   Thursday  last. 
1792 — Saturday,    March    31.      Willet    Seaman    and    Deborah    Hally, 

both   of   this   city,   married   Thursday   last. 
1792 — Saturday,   March  31.     Thomas  Hanes   and  Jane   King,  both  of 

this   city,   married   Monday   last. 
1792 — Saturday,  March  31.     Peter  Thompson  and  Rachel  Sloo,  both 

of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

[227] 


1792 — Saturday,  March  31.  Joseph  Strong,  attorney  at  law,  and 
Margaret  Strong,  daughter  of  Hon.  Selah  Strong,  both  of 
Brookhaven,    married   at   Brookhaven   Saturday  the   24th. 

1792 — Saturday,  March  31.  Wheeler  Foster  and  Miss  Patty  Grif- 
fin, both  of  this  city,  married  Tuesday  the  20th. 

1792 — Saturday,  April  7.  George  Kirk  and  Nancy  Wright,  married 
Thursday  last: 

1792 — Saturday,  April  7.  James  Briton  and  Violetta  Disosway, 
both  of  Staten  Island,  married  Wednesday  the  28th. 

1792 — Saturday,  April  7.  William  Boyd  and  Miss  Purman,  both  of 
this   city,   married   Sunday,   March   25th. 

1792 — Saturday,  April  14.  Thomas  Cooper,  of  this  city,  and  Cather- 
ine Colden,  daughter  of  David  Colden,  deceased,  married  Sat- 
urday last. 

1792 — Saturday,  April  14.  Zebulon  Robbins  and  Sally  Newman, 
both  of  Huntington,   L.   I.,   married   at  Huntington,   L.   I. 

1792 — Saturday,  April  14.  Dr.  John  Howard  and  Fanny  Howell, 
daughter  of  David  Howell,  married  at  Moriches,  L.  I.,  Wednes- 
day the  4th. 

1792 — Saturday,  April  14.  William  W.  Woolsey,  merchant,  of  New 
York,  and  Elizabeth  Dwight,  of  Northampton,  Mass.,  mar- 
ried  at  Greenfield,   Conn.,   Monday  the  2d. 

1792 — Saturday,  April  21.  Robert  M'Mennomy  and  Elizabeth  Salter, 
only  daughter  of  Manasseth  Salter,  merchant,  of  this  city,  mar- 
ried Thursday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  April  21.  Captain  Drew,  of  the  British  Navy,  and 
Lydia  Watkins,   of  this   city,   married  Monday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  April  21.  William  Hornblower  and  Margaretta 
Kingsland,  daughter  of  Edmund  William  Kingsland,  of  New 
Barbades,   N.    J.,   married   Friday  the   13th. 

1792 — Saturday,  April  21.  Nicholas  Dennis  and  Mrs.  Beekman, 
both   of  this   city,   married   Thursday   the   12th. 

1792 — Saturday,  April  21.  Daniel  Hulick  and  Gitty  Ammerman, 
both   of  this   city,    married   Thursday   the   12th. 

1792 — Saturday,  April  21.  James  Dunlap  Bissett,  cabinet  maker, 
and  Lizetta  Black,  both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  the 
12th. 

1792 — Saturday,  April  21.  Monson  Hoyt  and  Lucretia  Hammersley, 
married  Tuesday  the  10th  at  the  seat  of  Mr.  Christopher  Smith 
in  Jamaica,  L.   I. 

1792 — Saturday,  April  21.  Cadwallader  D.  Colden,  only  son  of  the 
late  David  Colden,  of  Long  Island,  and  Maria  Provoost,  daugh- 
ter of  Right  Reverend  Dr.  Provoost,  Bishop  of  New  York,  mar- 
ried  Sunday  the  8th. 

1792 — Saturday,  April  21.  Rev.  Dr.  John  Mason,  minister  of  the 
Scotch  Presbyterian  Church  of  this  city,  died  Thursday  last  in 
his   fifty-eighth  year. 

1792 — Saturday,  May  5.  Dr.  R.  Henderson  and  Maria  Journeay, 
of  Staten  Island,   married  on  Staten  Island   Sunday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  May  5.  David  S.  Bogart  and  Elizabeth  Platt, 
married  Sunday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  May  12.  Hugh  Maglone  and  Polly  White,  married 
Saturday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  May  12.  Thomas  Ross  and  Ann  Lions,  daughter  of 
William  Lions,  deceased,  all  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday 
last. 

1792 — Saturday,  May  12.  Willet  Hicks  and  Mary  Matlack,  daugh- 
ter of  White  Matlack,  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last  at 
the  Friends'   Meeting  House. 

1792 — Saturday,  May  12.  Robert  Giles  and  Margery  Woolsey,  both 
of   this   city,   married   Sunday   last. 

1792 — Saturday,  May  12.  Captain  Jonathan  Rowland  and  Cornelia 
Warner,  both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  May  19.  James  Taylor  and  Catherine  Wendele,  of 
this   city,  married  Sunday. 

1792 — Saturday,  May  19.  Ebenezer  Young,  of  this  city,  and  Sally 
Weeber,  of  Boston,  married   Sunday  at  Haerlem. 

1792 — Saturday,  May  19.  Thomas  Lawrence,  of  Flushing,  and  Eliza 
Stratton,   of  the   same   place,   married    Saturday   last. 

[228] 


1792 — Saturday,  May  19.  John  Young  and  Catherine  Creamer, 
of   this   city,    married   Saturday   last. 

1792 — Saturday,  May  19.  James  Genkins  and  Miss  Shatzel,  daugh- 
ter of  Michael  Shatzel,  of  Water  Street,  married  Saturday 
the  5th. 

1792 — Saturday,  May  19.  Alexander  Ogsbury,  Jr.,  and  Catharine 
Ellis,  daughter  of  the  Widow  Ellis,  of  this  city,  married  Satur- 
day the  5th. 

1792 — Saturday,  May  19.  Abraham  Forbes,  silversmith,  Broadway, 
and   Rebecca   Curser,   married   Thursday   the  3d. 

1792 — Saturday,  May  26.  John  Chikin,  aged  sixty-one,  and  Mrs. 
Lackey,  aged  seventy-one,  both  of  Kent  County,  Delaware,  mar- 
ried last  month. 

1792 — Saturday,  May  26.  Joseph  Griffiths,  merchant,  and  Mrs. 
Ann  Taylor,  both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  May  26.  John  Johnston  and  S.  Bard,  daughter  of 
Samuel   Bard,   of  this   city,   married   Wednesday   last. 

1792 — Saturday,  May  26.  P.  C.  Waterbury  and  Lydia  Curtis,  daugh- 
ter of  Charles  Curtis,  of  this   city,  married  Thursday  the   17th. 

1792 — Saturday,  May  26.  Captain  John  H.  Shackerly  and  Eliza- 
beth Kumbel,  daughter  of  William  Kumbel,  of  this  city,  mar- 
ried Monday  the  14th. 

1792 — Saturday,  May  26.  John  Woolsey,  formerly  of  Tappan,  and 
Sally   Tyler,   of   Brookhaven,   L.    I.,   married    Sunday   the    13th. 

1792 — Saturday,  May  26.  Peter  Amerman,  of  this  city,  and  Selina 
Coffin,  of  that  place  (Newbergh),  married  Sunday  the  6th 
at  Newbergh. 

1792 — Saturday,  May  26.  Mr.  Balding  and  Mary  Dodge,  of  this  city, 
married  Saturday  the  5th. 

1792 — Saturday,  May  26.  James  Cottle  and  Sarah  Carpenter, 
married  Saturday,  April  28th. 

1792 — Saturday,  June  2.  George  Rierson,  son  of  Cornelius  Rierson, 
of  Flushing,  L.   I.,  died   September  5th  last   at  New   Orleans. 

1792 — Saturday,  June  2.  Stephen  Herriman  died  at  Jamaica,  L.  I., 
Saturday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  June  2.  Abraham  Brower,  of  this  city,  died  Friday 
the  25th,  aged  seventy-five. 

1792 — Saturday,  June  2.  Nathaniel  Stockwell  and  Betsey  Moffat, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  June  2.  John  Meldrom  and  Peggy  Gurvin,  both  of 
this   city,   married   Wednesday   last. 

1792 — Saturday,  June  2.  John  Ten  Eyck,  of  this  city,  and  Mary 
Fowler,  daughter  of  David  Fowler,  deceased,  late  of  Flushing, 
L.  I.,  married  Monday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  June  2.  Joshua  Werts  and  Catharine  Crolius,  both 
of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  June  2.  Captain  Jonathan  Provoost,  of  Bushwick, 
L.  I.,  and  Mrs.  Ann  Dayton,  of  this  city,  married  Saturday 
last. 

1792 — Saturday,  June  2.  Christian  Baehr  and  Catharine  Moore, 
daughter  of  Blase  Moore,  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  June  9.  John  Buchanan  and  Nancy  Lucy  Turner, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Monday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  June  16.  Catherine  Dodge,  wife  of  Ezekiel  Dodge, 
of  this  city,  died  Thursday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  June  16.  James  Blanton,  aged  sixty-five,  and  Mar- 
tha Smith,  aged  twelve,  married  in  Marlborough  County, 
Cheraw,    S.   C. 

1792 — Saturday,  June  16.  Benjamin  Gilmore  and  Polly  Prentice, 
both  of  this   city,  married   Thursday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  June  16.  Ralph  Patchan,  of  Brooklyn,  L.  I.,  and 
Fanny  Yorkison,  of  the  same  place,  married  Wednesday  last 
in  this  city. 

1792 — Saturday,  June  1-6.  William  Bruce,  merchant,  and  Peggy 
Allen,  both  of  this  city,  married  Monday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  June  23.  Richard  Hartshorne,  merchant,  of  this 
city,  and  Miss  Ustick,  daughter  of  William  Ustick,  of  Flushing, 
L.  I.,  married  Thursday  the  14th. 

1792 — Saturday,  June  23.  Elizabeth  Nesbit,  daughter  of  Dr.  Samuel 
Nesbit,  died  Tuesday  last,  aged  17. 

[229] 


1792 — Saturday,  June  30.  William  Ramagb  and  Miss  Mary  Mel- 
vin,  both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  the  16th. 

1792 — Saturday,  June  30.  Dr.  Isaac  Davis,  of  New  Haven,  and 
Noma  Tuttle,  daughter  of  Daniel  Tuttle,  of  this  city,  married 
June  28,  1792,  Thursday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  June  30.  Mrs.  Denmark,  of  this  city,  died  Wednes- 
day. 

1792 — Saturday,  July  7.  William  V.  Wagenen,  merchant,  and  Cor- 
nelia Quackenbos,   both  of  this   city,  married  last  evening. 

1792 — Saturday,  July  14.  Enos  Veal  and  Eleanor  Garribront,  both 
of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  July  28.  Dr.  Peter  Paugeres  and  Margaret  Bleeck- 
er,  daughter  of  John  Bleecker,  of  this  city,  married  . 

1792 — Saturday,  July  28.  Philip  Minthorn  and  Sophia  Waldron, 
of  this   city,  married   Saturday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  July  28.  Col.  John  Smart  and  Mrs.  Stevens,  both 
of  this   city,   married   Saturday   last. 

1792 — Saturday,  July  28.  Robert  Seaman,  merchant,  and  Nancy 
M'Ready,  all  of  this   city,  married  . 

1792 — Saturday,  July  28.  Fisher  Ames,  member  of  Congress,  and 
Frances  Worthington,  daughter  of  Hon.  John  Worthington, 
of    Springfield,   Mass.,   married    at    Springfield,   . 

1792 — Saturday,  August  4.  Robert  Tolfrey  and  Charlotte  Porter, 
both   of  this   city,  married   Saturday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  August  4.  John  Bruen  and  Sally  Morris,  both  of 
this  city,  married  Tuesday  the  24th. 

1792 — Saturday,  August  11.  Robert  Wilson,  Commander  of  the 
ship  Three  Sisters  (in  the  Jamaica  trade)  and  Johanna  H. 
Pike,  of  St.  Lucia,  Island  of  Jamaica,  married  Thursday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  August  11.  Abraham  Corey  and  Elizabeth  Has- 
well,  both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  August  18.  William  Waldron  Ten  Brook,  eldest 
son  of  Henry  Ten  Brook,  merchant,  of  this  city,  died  Wednes- 
day last  in  his  16th  year.  Interment  Brethren's  Chapel  burying 
ground  in  Fair  Street. 

1792 — Saturday,  August  18.  Benjamin  Benson,  died  Monday  last  at 
Haerlem  in  his  eighty-third  year. 

1792 — Saturday,  August  18.  Jonathan  Post,  Jr.,  and  Helena  Blatjw, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  August  18.  Robert  Cuddy  and  Eleanor  Grant,  both 
of  this  city,   married  Monday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  August  18.  Simeon  Alexander  Bayley  and  Cath- 
arine Bicker,  both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  August  18.  John  Bokey  and  Eleanor  Van  Brunt, 
of  Brooklyn,  L.  I.,  married  on  the  27th  at  Brooklyn,  L.  I. 

1792 — Saturday,  August  25.  Anna  Maria  Seton,  wife  of  William 
Seton,  died  Tuesday  last  in  her  36th  year. 

1792 — Saturday,  September  1.  Peter  Keteltas,  merchant  of  this 
city,   died  Monday  last   in  his   seventy-second  year. 

1792 — Saturday,  September  1.  William  Backhouse,  merchant  of  this 
city,  died  Saturday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  September  1.  Jacob  Mott  and  Mary  Smith,  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  Smith,  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  September  1.  John  C.  Freick,  merchant  of  this 
city,  and  Martha  Stilwell,  of  Gravesend,  L.  I.,  married  Sun- 
day last  at  Gravesend,  L.  I. 

1792 — Saturday,  September  1.  John  Van  Devanter  and  Maria  Low, 
both  of  this   city,   married  Sunday  last  at  Newtown,  L.   I. 

1792 — Saturday,  September  1.  Capt.  Archibald  Maxwell,  of  Wash- 
ington, N.  C,  and  Mrs.  Hester  C.  Cullen,  of  this  city,  married 
Thursday  the  23d 

1792 — Saturday,  September  8.  Erasmus  Lewis  and  Hannah  White- 
field,  both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  the  6th  inst. 

1792 — Saturday,  September  8.  Carlisle  Pollock  and  Sophia  Yates, 
daughter  of  Richard  Yates,  merchant  of  this  city,  married  Sat- 
urday last. 

1792 — Saturday,  September  15.  Capt.  John  McPherson,  of  Phil- 
adelphia, died  Thursday  the  6th. 

[  230  ] 


1792 — Saturday,    September    15.      Mrs.    Smith,    wife    of    Hon.    William 

Smith,    member   of    Congress    of    South    Carolina,    died    in    Phil- 
adelphia,   . 

1792 — Saturday,    September    15.       Capt.     Joseph     Smith     and     Jane 

Pierce,   of   this   city,   married   Thursday   last. 
1792 — Saturday,   September   15.      William   Parsells   and   Polly   Ser- 

ron,  both  of  this  city,  married  Monday  last. 
1792 — Saturday,    September  15.      Lewis   Wells   and  Rhode   Manning, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Monday  last. 
1792 — Saturday,    September    15.       Stephen    De    Hart,     of     Elizabeth 

Town,    and    Margaret    Ryerss,    daughter    of    Judge   Ryerss,    of 

Staten  Island,  married  Thursday  the  6th  inst. 
1792 — Saturday,   September   22.     Francis   Bloodgood,   of   Albany,   and 

Eliza  Cobham,  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 
1792 — Saturday,  September  22.     Benjamin  Wooley  and  Sally  Hicks, 

both  of  North  Hempstead,  married  Sunday  the  16th  at  Jamaica, 

L.  I. 
1792 — Saturday,     September    22.       Peter    Teachernell    and    Nancy 

Thornton,  both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  the  16th. 
1792 — Saturday,    September    22.      John    Laroas,    of    New    Jersey,    and 

Jahilah   Thompson,   both   of   this   city,   married    Saturday    the 

15th. 
1792 — Saturday,    September   22.     Albert   Ryckman,   of   this   city,    and 

Sally  B.  Jarvis,  daughter  of  Samuel  Jarvis,  of  Stamford,  mar- 
ried at  Stamford,  Conn. 
1792 — Saturday,    September   29.      Vincent    Tilyou,    of   this    city,   aged 

64,  and  Mrs.  Margaret  Wood,  of  Stoningtown,  aged  25. 
1792 — Saturday,   September  29.     John  Willey,  Alderman  of  the  Sixth 

Ward,  of  this  city,  died  Friday  the  21st. 
1792 — Saturday,  October  13.     James  Harper,  of  this  city,  and  Susan- 
nah Furman,  daughter  of  Jonathan  Furman,  of  Newtown,  L.  I., 

married   Monday  last. 
1792 — Saturday,   October  13.     John  Johnson  and  Elizabeth  Shever, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Tuesday  the  2d. 
1792 — Saturday,    October    13.      Isaac    Bogart,    formerly    of    Flatbush, 

and  Susannah  Whetten,  of  New  York,  married  Sunday  the  30th 

at  Second  River. 
1792 — Saturday,  October  13.     James   Thompson  and  Elizabeth  Mon- 

taynee,  daughter  of  the  Rev.   Mr.  Montaynie,  both  of  this  city, 

married  Wednesday  last. 
1792 — Saturday,  October  13.     Stephen  Drake,  of  this  city,  died  Tues- 
day the  2d  at  Hunt's  Point,  Westchester. 
1792 — Saturday,  October  13.     Archibald  Blair,  formerly  of  this  city, 

died  at  Augusta,   Georgia,  last  month. 
1792 — Saturday,   October   20.      Catharine   Lasher,   wife   of   Col.   John 

Lasher,   of  this   city,   died   Saturday  last. 
1792 — Saturday,    October   20.      Gulian    Ludlow    and    Maria    Ludlow, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Monday  last. 
1792 — Saturday,    October    20.      Thomas    Whey    and    Hannah    Bugby, 

both  of  Newtown,  L.  I.,  married  Sunday  last  at  Newtown,  L.  I. 
1792 — Saturday,    October   27.      Benjamin    Seaman,    of    Huntington,    L. 

I.,   and   Ruth   Ketchum,   daughter    of    Capt.    Zebulon   Ketchum, 

of  same  place,  married  Sunday  last. 
1792 — Saturday,   October   27.      John   B.   Due   and   Mary   Cunningham, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 
1792 — Saturday,   October   27.     Reuben   Price   and  Rhoda   Titus,   both 

of   this   city,   married   Saturday   last. 
1792 — Saturday,    October    27.      William    Fosbrook    and    Mrs.    Smith, 

widow  of  Thomas  Smith,  both  of  this  city,  married  . 

1792 — Saturday,    November    3.      Paul   R.    Bache    and    Helen    Lispen- 

ard,   eldest   daughter  of   Anthony   Lispenard,   of   this   city,   mar- 
ried Thursday  last. 
1792 — Saturday,    November    3.      Thomas    Whitlock    and    Margaret 

Richey,  both  of  this  city,  married  Tuesday  last. 
1792 — Saturday,   November  3.     Benjamin   Sands,   late  of  Boston,   anf 

Peggy  Michaels,  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 
1792 — Saturday,   November   3.      John   Conner,   of   this   city,   and   Jen- 
net Searse,  formerly  of  Woodbridge,  N.  J.,  but  late  of  this  city, 

married  Saturday  last. 

[231] 


1792 — Saturday,  November  3.  John  Royse,  of  this  city,  and  Lydia 
Bull,  of  Hartford,  married  Saturday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  November  3.  David  Sherwood,  of  New-Cornwall, 
and  Eliza  Smith,  daughter  of  John  Smith,  of  this  city,  mar- 
ried Thursday  the  25th. 

1792 — Saturday,  November  3.  James  Gray,  died  Monday  last,  aged 
73  years. 

1792 — Saturday,  November  10.  John  O'Neill  and  Elizabeth  Heyer, 
both   of  this   city,   married   Monday   last. 

1792 — Saturday,  November  10.  James  C.  Roosevelt  and  Catharine 
Byvanck,  only  daughter  of  Evert  Byvanck,  both  of  this  city, 
married  Monday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  November  10.  John  Beekman,  son  of  James  Beek- 
man,  and  Mary  Elizabeth  Goad  Bedlow,  only  daughter  of 
William  Bedlow,  both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  November  17.  Joshua  Farrington  and  Nelly 
Brower,  daughter  of  Jacob  B rower,  both  of  this  city,  married 
Sunday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,    November    17.      Charles    Platt   Rogers    and    Sally- 
Rogers,  both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  November  17.  Peter  Bussing  and  Catharine 
Welden,  both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  November  17.  Cornelius  Buys,  of  Gravesend,  and 
Jane  Cozine,  of  New  Lotts,  married  Monday  the  5th  at  Plat- 
lands,   L.   I. 

1792 — Saturday,  November  24.  Dr.  James  Cogswell,  of  this  city,  died 
Thursday. 

1792 — Saturday,  November  24.     Frederick  Schmelzel,  died  Monday. 

1792 — Saturday,  November  24.  Gertrude  Brinkerhoff,  daughter  of 
Dirick  Brinkerhoff,  deceased,  of  this  city,  died  Sunday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  November  24.  Miss  Margaret  Lowry,  of  this  city, 
died  Saturday  last  in  her  18th  year. 

1792 — Saturday,  November  24.  Robert  Mount  and  Lydia  Myer, 
daughter  of  Isaac  Myer,  of  Newark,  married  Saturday  last  at 
Newark. 

1792 — Saturday,  November  24.  John  C.  Williamson  and  Margaret 
Grace,  both  of  this  city,  married  at  Elizabeth  Town  . 

1792 — Saturday,  November  24.  Hugh  Dougall  and  Letta  Hedden, 
married   Saturday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  November  24.  Thomas  Hertell  and  Barbara  Amelia 
Neely,  both  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  November  24.  William  Humphries  and  Effe 
Varick,  both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  November  24.  Townsend  Cock  and  Margaret  Far- 
ley, daughter  of  Capt.  James  Farley,  married  Tuesday  Novem- 
ber 13th,  at  Oyster  Bay,  L.  I.,  all  of  Oyster  Bay. 

1792 — Saturday,  November  24.  Zebulon  Frost  and  Elizabeth  Far- 
ley, daughter  of  Capt.  James  Farley,  married  Tuesday,  No- 
vember 13th,  at  Oyster  Bay,  L.  I.,  all  of  Oyster  Bay. 

1792 — Saturday,  December  1.  Patrick  M'Davitt,  of  this  city,  died 
Tuesday  last  in  his  fifty-sixth  year. 

1792 — Saturday,  December  1.  Mrs.  Margaret  Cunningham,  wife 
of  Richard  Cunningham,  currier  of  this  city,  died  Tuesday  in 
her  twenty-sixth   year.      Interment  Trinity   Churchyard. 

1792 — Saturday,  December  1.  Doctor  John  Romayne  Campbell  and 
Jane  Waldron,  both  of  Hackensack,  N.  J.,  married  Wednesday 
last. 

1792 — Saturday,  December  1.  George  Saliment  and  Mrs.  Biddle, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Tuesday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  December  1.  William  Youle,  of  Corlaer's  Hook, 
and  Elizabeth  Miller,  of  same  place,  married  Friday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  December  8.  Francis  Cooper  and  Nancy  Paul,  both 
of  this  city,  married  Sunday,  November  4th. 

1792 — Saturday,  December  8.  Major  Edgar  and  Sarah  Clarke, 
daughter  of  Hon.  Abraham  Clarke,  married  Saturday  last  at 
Elizabeth-Town. 

1792 — Saturday,  December  8.  Epenetus  Smith  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Smith,  daughter  of  Capt.  Epenetus  Smith,  both  of  Huntington, 
L.  I.,  married  Thursday,  November  29,  at  Huntington. 

[232] 


1792 — Saturday,  December  8.  William  Hannas  and  Eve  De  Witt, 
both  of  Flushing,  married  Sunday  the  11th  November  at  Ja- 
maica,  L.    I. 

1792 — Saturday,  December  15.  Sarah  Payne,  died  Wednesday  the  5th 
in  her  14th  year. 

1792 — Saturday,  December  15.  Joseph  Dean,  of  Norwalk,  and  Mary 
Walker,  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  December  15.  Abraham  Ditmas,  of  Jamaica,  L.  I., 
and  Mrs.  Harriet  Doughty,  of  same  place,  married  Thursday 
last. 

1792 — Saturday,  December  15.  Andrew  Brott  and  Lucritia  Tooker, 
both  of  this  city,  married   Sunday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  December  22.  Peter  Westerfield  and  Eliza  Wolfe, 
both  of  this  city,   married  Saturday  last. 

1792 — Saturday,  December  29.  Peter  Stymes  and  Mary  Thompson, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  the  23rd. 

1793 — Saturday,  January  5.  Solomon  Mark  and  Hetty  Cohen,  both 
of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  January  5.  Townsend  Underhill  and  Elizabeth 
Thompson,  daughter  of  Capt.  Thompson,  all  of  this  city,  married 
Saturday,  December  22. 

1793 — Saturday,  January  5.  Thomas  Hicks  and  Hannah  Creed,  both 
of  Jamaica,   L.   I.,   married   Saturday,   December  22,   at  Jamaica. 

1793 — Saturday,  January  12.  Jacob  LeRoy,  merchant  of  this  city, 
died  Thursday,  the  3rd,  in  his  sixty-fifth  year. 

1793 — Saturday,  January  12.  Joseph  Hitchcock  and  Sally  Van- 
Deuser,  daughter  of  Isaac  Van  Deuser,  both  of  this  city,  mar- 
ried Thursday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  January  12.  Edward  Meeks  and  Eliza  Heyer,  both 
of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  January  12.  John  Pray,  of  this  city,  and  Sally 
Crane,  of  Newark,  married  Tuesday  last  at  Newark. 

1793 — Saturday,  January  12.  John  Townsend  and  Rebecca  Frank- 
lin, daughter  of  John  Franklin,  merchant  of  this  city,  married 
Monday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  January  12.  Archibald  Thompson,  of  New  Bruns- 
wick, and  Kitty  Applegate,  of  this  city,   married   Sunday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  January  12.  John  Campbell  and  Sally  Guest,  both 
of  this   city,   married   Saturday   last. 

1793 — Saturday,  January  12.  Matthew  Bunce,  of  this  city,  and 
Rebecca  Smith,  of  Huntington,  married  Friday  the  4th  at  Hunt- 
ington,  L.   I. 

1793 — Saturday,  January  19.  Lewis  Hewlett,  son  of  Capt.  Charles 
Hewlett,  and  Eliza  Woolley,  daughter  of  Henry  Woolley,  of 
Success,  married  Wednesday  the  2d  at  Success,  L.  I. 

1793 — Saturday,  January  19.  Lewis  Hallam  (one  of  the  Managers 
of  the  Old  American  Company)  and  Eliza  Tuke,  married  Mon- 
day last  at  Philadelphia. 

1793 — Saturday,  January  19.  James  Byrd  and  Eliza  Pearsall, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Pearsall,  all  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday 
the  11th  in  the  Friend's  Meeting  House  this  city. 

1793 — Saturday,  January  19.  Paul  Green  and  Elizabeth  Ryer,  both 
of  this  city,  married  Tuesday  the  8th. 

1793 — Saturday,  January  26.  George  King,  aged  66,  and  Sally  King, 
aged  12  years  and  2  months,  married  at  Patchog.  "A  Dead 
Match." 

1793 — Saturday,  January  26.  James  Hulet  and  Sarah  Ingraham, 
both  of  Providence,   R.   I.,   married   Sunday. 

1793 — Saturday,  January  26.  Daniel  Tooker,  Jr.,  and  Nancy  Bailey, 
daughter  of  John  Bailey,  all  of  this  city,  married  Saturday 
last. 

1793 — Saturday,  February  2.  Mrs.  Sarah  Noble,  died  at  Brook- 
field,  Mass.,  December  30,  102  years  old.  Descended  from 
Drakes  of  East  Chester. 

1793 — Saturday,  February  9.  Thomas  Bartow,  merchant  of  Phil- 
adelphia, died  at  Philadelphia  the  20th  in  the  fifty-sixth  year  of 
his  age. 

1793 — Saturday,  February  9.  Miss  Mary  M'Leod,  died  Sunday  last 
at  Mr.   John  Turner's,   Broadway,   in  her  fifty-fifth  year. 

[233] 


1793 — Saturday,  February  9.  James  Scott,  merchant,  and  Eliza- 
beth Crommelin  Sowers,  granddaughter  to  John  R.  Myer,  of 
this  city,  married  Tuesday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  February  16.  Tobias  Van  Zant,  Jr.,  and  Maria 
Moore,  both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  February  23.  Jacob  Boerum,  merchant  of  this  city, 
and  Hannah  Thorne,  of  that  place,  married  at  Hackensack, 
N.  J.,  Sunday  the  3rd. 

1793 — Saturday,  February  23.  C.  Shong  and  Johanna  Housman, 
married  on  Staten  Island. 

1793 — Saturday,  February  23.  Timothy  Jarvis  and  Jane  Patterson, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  February  23.  Samuel  Boyd,  of  this  city,  and  Bet- 
sey Pierson,  of  that  place,  married  Saturday  last,  Newark, 
N.  J. 

1793 — Saturday,  February  23.  Samuel  Nesbitt,  Jr.,  and  Agnes  N. 
Jauncey,  daughter  of  the  late  Capt.  Joseph  Jauncey,  both  of 
this  city,  married  the  14th. 

1793 — Saturday,  February  23.  Robert  Bartow,  of  Westchester,  and 
Susanna  Duncan,  from  Georgia,  niece  to  John  Russel,  of  the 
Bahamas,  married  Wednesday  the  13th. 

1793 — Saturday,  March  2.  Mrs.  Hunt,  wife  of  Davis  Hunt,  of  this 
city,  died  Thursday  last  in  an  advanced  age. 

1793 — Saturday,  March  2.  Peter  Byvanck,  merchant  of  this  city, 
died  Thursday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  March  2.  John  Philip  Miller,  of  this  city,  died 
Saturday  last,  February  23d. 

1793 — Saturday,  March  2.  John  McGowan  and  Fanny  Weldon,  both 
of  this   city,  married   Saturday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  March  30.  Mr.  Baxter,  died  on  board  brig  "Hope," 
bound  from  South  Sea  to  New  York. 

1793 — Saturday,  March  30.  James  J.  Roosevelt,  merchant  of  this 
city,  and  Maria  Van  Schaak,  daughter  of  Cornelius  Van  Schaak, 
of  Kinderhook,  married  in  Columbia  County. 

1793 — Saturday,  March  16.  Keneth  King  and  Catharine  White- 
field,  both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last  by  Rev.  Mr. 
Beach. 

1793 — Saturday,  March  16.  Richard  Cunningham  and  Ann  Law- 
rence, niece  of  the  late  Mr.  Kisick,  of  this  city,  married  Wednes- 
day last. 

1793 — Saturday,  March  16.  Capt.  Thomas  Burton  and  Polly  Earl, 
married  Wednesday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  March  16.  Andrew  M'Ready  and  Jane  Campbell, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  March  16.  Rutger  Bleecker,  Jr.,  and  Johanah 
Vanranst,  both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  April  6.  Tredwell  Kissam  and  Mary  Platt,  both 
of  Long  Island,  married  Wednesday  last  on  Long  Island. 

1793 — Saturday,  April  6.  Lott  Onderdonk  and  Susan  Schenck,  both 
of  Long  Island,  married  Tuesday  last  on  Long  Island. 

1793 — Saturday,  April  6.  Miner  Onderdonk  and  Catharine  Schenck, 
both   of  Long  Island,  married  Tuesday  last  on  Long  Island. 

1793 — Saturday,    April    6.      Richard    Willis    and    Sally    Carpenter,     ^ 
daughter    to    Capt.    Thomas    Carpenter,    of    Harrisons    Purchase,  < 
married  Monday  last  at  New  Rochel. 

1793 — Saturday,  April  6.  Abraham  Ackerman  and  Margaret  Bart, 
married  Monday  last  at  Hackinsack,  N.  J. 

1793 — Saturday,  April  6.  Dr.  Charles  Buxton  and  Cornelia  Hen- 
shaw,  both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  April  13.  Levy  Cohan,  many  years  a  resident  of 
Maryland,   died   at  Corlears  Hook,   Thursday   the   5th. 

1793 — Saturday,  April  13.  John  Russel,  printer,  and  Eliza  Milne, 
of  Philadelphia,  married  at  Philadelphia. 

1793 — Saturday,  April  13.  George  Bement  and  Aletta  Gale,  daugh- 
ter of  widow  Gale,  both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  April  13.  Frederick  M'Donald  and  Elizabeth  Bur- 
ger, both  of  this  city,  married  Monday  the  1st. 

1793 — Saturday,  April  13.  Thomas  Cooper  and  Polly  Johnston. 
both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  the  28th. 

[234] 


1793 — Saturday,   April    13.      Capt.    Moses   Tulon   and   Hannah   Mott, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Friday  the  5th. 
1793 — Saturday,   May  4.     William   Ustick   and   Rebecca   Montanyea, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Friday  last. 
1793 — Saturday,   May   4.      John  Kortwright   and   Catherine    Seaman, 

eldest  daughter   of   Edmund   Seaman,   both   of   this   city,   married 

Thursday  last. 
1793 — Saturday,   May   4.      Joseph   Hawkins    and   Eleanor   Hoogland, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 
1793 — Saturday,  May  4.     James  Smith  Vance  and  Elizabeth  Parker, 

both    of    Philadelphia,    married    Tuesday    last. 
1793 — Saturday,    May    4.      Robert    Johnston     and     Ann     Buchanan, 

daughter  of   John   Buchanan,   both   of   this   city,   married   Sunday 

last. 
1793 — Saturday,  May  11.     Asa   Jones  Whiteacher   and   Luca  Avory, 

both   of   this    city,    married    Tuesday   last. 
1793 — Saturday,    May    11.       John    Storm,    of    Fishkills,     and     Susan 

Brinckerhoff,  of  Long  Island,  eldest  daughter  of  Mr.  Brincker- 

hoff,   of  that  place,   married   Tuesday   last. 
1793 — Saturday,    May    11.      John    Cameron,    merchant,    and    Jane    Ed- 
wards, both  of  this  city,  married  Monday  last. 
1793 — Saturday,    May   18.      Francis    Barretto    and   Mary    Shaw,    both 

of  this  city,  married  last  evening. 
1793 — Saturday,   May  18.      Capt.   William   Story   and   Polly  M'Neal, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 
1793 — Saturday,    May    18.      Henry    Pope    and    Mrs.     M'Kay,     relict    of 

Alexander  M'Kay,  both  of  this  city,   married   Saturday  last. 
1793 — Saturday,   May   18.     Cornelius   Sebring  and  Ann  Couenhoyen, 

both  of  this  city,  married   Monday  the  22d   at  Tarrytown. 
1793 — Saturday,    May    18.      Henry    Sickles    and    Sally    Faiow,    both 

of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 
1793 — Saturday,    May   18.      John   Johnston    and   Hannah   Crow,   both 

of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 
1793 — Saturday,  May  18.     Cornelius  Rauton  and  Hetty  Falow,  both 

of  this  city,  married  Monday  the  29th  April. 
1793 — Saturday,  May  18.     John  Rapllje  and  Maria  Lawrence,  daugh- 
ter   of    Colonel    Daniel    Lawrence,    both    of    New    Town,    married 

Friday  the  3rd. 
1793 — Saturday,    May    18.      Rev.    John    Mason,    pastor    of    the    Scotch 

Presbyterian    Church    this    city,    and    Anne    Lefferts,    daughter 

of  late  Mr.  Lefferts,  of  this  city,  married  Friday  the  3rd. 
1793 — Saturday,    May    25.      Willlam    Cargel    and    Phebe    Hunt,    both 

of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 
1793 — Saturday,   May   25       Joseph   Cutler,   of  Westchester,    and   Mrs. 

Rachel  Ball,  of  this  city,  married  last  week. 
1793 — Saturday,    May    25.      Dr.    Ewart    and    Mrs.    Patty    Hawkins, 

widow    of    John    Hawkins,    both    of    this    city,    married    Saturday 

the  11th. 
1793 — Saturday,   May  25       John   Ball  and  Mary  De  Forest,   both   of 

this   city,   married  April   7th. 
1793 — Saturday,   June  1.     Mrs.   Xixen,  wife  of  Elias  Xixen,  merchant 

in  this  city,  died  yesterday. 
1793 — Saturday,    June    1.      John    McLaren,    merchant,    and    Margaret 

Basset,  daughter  of  Frederick  Basset,  both  of  this  city. 
1793 — Saturday,    June    1.      William    King    and    Miss    Brett,    both    of 

our  Theatre,  married  Thursday  last  at  Mr.  Hodgkinson's  in  Ann 

Street. 
1793 — Saturday,    June    1.      Henry    Philips    and    Charlotte    Shafer, 

both  of  this   city,  married   Sunday   last. 
1793 — Saturday,  June  1.     Joseph  Hudson  and  Jane  M'Munaglll,  both 

of  Brooklyn  Ferry,  married   Sunday  last. 
1793 — Saturday,    June   1.      Thomas   Marshal,   of  Paterson,   N.    J.,    and 

Eliza    Cummings,    daughter    of    George    Cummings,    of    this    city, 

married  Sunday  last. 
1793 — Saturday,    June   1.      Jacob    Mudge,    of    Long    Island,    and    Eliza 

Baker,    daughter    of    William    Baker,    of   White   Plains,    married 

Thursday  the  23rd. 
1793 — Saturday,   June  1.     Henry   Tar   and  Miss   Myers,   both   of  this 

city,  married  last  week. 

[235] 


1793 — Saturday,  June  8.  Samuel  Willson  and  Theodosia  Mackay, 
both  of  thib  city,  married  Monday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  June  8.  Frederick  Van  Horn,  of  this  Society,  and 
Elizabeth  Colden  Antill,  granddaughter  to  Cadwaladar  Colden, 
married  Monday  the  27th  at  Coldingham,  Ulster  County,  New 
York. 

1793 — Saturday,  June  15.  Thomas  Franklin,  Jr.,  and  Mary  Heav- 
iland,  both  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last  at  the  Friends 
Meeting  House. 

1793 — Saturday,  June  15.  Abraham  Baudouine  and  Rachel  Robins, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  June  15.  Benedick  Bergman  and  Mrs.  Harriet 
Whitehead,  both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  June  15.  Bilious  Ward  Osborne,  of  New  Haven, 
Conn.,  and  Bridget  Turner,  daughter  of  John  Turner,  of  this 
city,  married   Sunday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  June  22.  John  Betts  and  Deborah  Carew,  both  of 
this  city,  married  Saturday  the  8th. 

1793 — Saturday,  June  22.  Enos  Smith  and  Elizabeth  Bunce,  of 
Huntington,  L.  I.,  married  Monday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  June  22.  Augustus  Jarvis  and  Charity  Plat, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Plat,  both  of  Huntington,  L.  I.,  married 
Sunday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  June  22.  Jeremiah  Wood  and  Elenor  Whiteman, 
of  this  city,  married   Saturday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  June  22.  Jacob  Wilkies  and  Ann  Rapalye,  daugh- 
ter of  Garret  Rapalye,  both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  the  9th 
at  Bloomsbury,   N.    J. 

1793 — Saturday,  July  6.  Mrs.  Tappen,  mother-in-law  to  his  Ex- 
cellency the  Governor,  aged  83  years,  died  Sunday  last  at  the 
Government  House. 

1793 — Saturday,  July  6.  William  Desbrosses,  eldest  son  of  James 
Desbrosses,  of  this  city,  died  Friday  the  28th. 

1793 — Saturday,  July  6.  Bart  Coffie,  of  this  city,  and  Mrs.  Cath- 
erine Carne,  of  South  Carolina,  married  lately  at  Lebanon 
Springs. 

1793 — Saturday,  July  6.  Palmer  Bertbee  and  Mary  Ridman,  of 
Brooklyn  Ferry,  married  Wednesday  last  at  Brooklyn  Ferry. 

1793 — Saturday,  July  6.  Jacob  Wilkins,  Jr.,  of  this  city,  and  Abigail 
Sebring,  of  Bedford,  L.  I.,  married  Sunday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  July  13.  Samuel  Maghee,  of  this  city,  died  Tuesday 
last,  aged  57  years  and  6  months. 

1793 — Saturday,  July  13  James  Hallett,  Jr.,  and  Phebb  Cornell, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last  at  the  Friends  Meet- 
ing House. 

1793 — Saturday,  July  13.  Freeborn  Garrettson  and  Catharine  Liv- 
ingston, of  this  city,  married  on  the  30th  near  New  Rochelle. 

1793 — Saturday,  July  13.  Benjamin  Holmes  and  Phebe  Jarvis,  mar- 
ried on  the  30th. 

1793 — Saturday,  July  13.  Samuel  Bonsal  and  Mary  Ann  Stewart, 
married  on  the  27th  at  Second  River. 

1793 — Saturday,  August  3.  William  Torry  and  Margaret  Nichols, 
daughter  of  late  Lewis  Nichols,  married  Tuesday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  August  3.  William  Cogswell,  merchant  of  this 
city,  and  Eliza  Crommelin,  daughter  of  Charles  Crommelin, 
of  that  place,  married  Sunday  last  at  Hempstead  Plains,  L.  I. 

1793 — Saturday,  August  3.  Isaac  Dean  and  Sally  Lane,  both  of  this 
city,   married   Wednesday   the   24th. 

1793 — Saturday,  August  10.  Catharine  Seaman,  wife  of  Thomas  Sea- 
man, died  Saturday  last  at  Staten  Island. 

1793 — Saturday,  August  10.  James  M.  Vandle,  printer,  formerly  of 
this  city,  died  at  "Charleston  on  the  25th." 

1793 — Saturday,  August  10.  Benjamin  Ogden  and  Elizabeth  Keyser, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Tuesday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  August  24.  John  Hopper  and  Eunice  Russel,  both 
of  this  city,   married  Saturday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  August  24.  James  Abbot  and  Ann  Stoutenburgh, 
daughter  of  Alderman  Stoutenburgh,  of  this  city,  married  Sat- 
urday last. 

[236] 


1793 — Saturday,   August    24.      James    Fakgay    and    Jane    Canon,   both 

of  this  city,  married  Saturday,  August  3rd. 
1793 — Saturday,    August   31.      Capt.    John    O'Brian    and    Jane    Riker, 
daughter  of  Henry  Riker,  of  this   city,   married   Saturday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  September  7.  Orange  Webb,  merchant,  and  Eliza 
Cebra,  both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  September  7.  Capt.  Charles  Gilbert  and  Eliza 
Ann  Banks,  daughter  of  John  Banks,  of  this  city,  married  Sat- 
urday last. 

1793 — Saturday,  September  14.  Thomas  Beckly  and  Ann  Lawrence, 
daughter  of  John  Lawrence,  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last 
at  Friends   Meeting  House. 

1793 — Saturday,  September  14.  Levy  Phillips  and  Hetty  Hays, 
daughter  of  Michael  Hays,  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday 
last     (Contradicted   Sept.    21    and   28,   1793.) 

1793 — Saturday,  September  14.  Timothy  Burr,  of  Hartford,  and 
Susan  Maria  Hurtin,  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  September  14.  John  Swartwout  and  Maria  Smith, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  September  14.  James  Hill,  aged  75  years,  and 
Mrs.  Sarah  Rogers,  widow  of  Jacamiah  Rogers,  married  Wednes- 
day the  4th. 

1793 — Saturday,  September  14.  Solomon  Powell,  of  North  Hemp- 
stead, and  Susannah  Smith,  of  South  Hempstead,  L.  I.,  mar- 
ried Sunday  the  1st. 

1793 — Saturday,  September  7.  Abr.  Fowler  and  Maria  Kumble, 
daughter  of  William  Kumble,  of  this  city,  married  Thursday 
the  29th. 

1793 — Saturday,  September  21.  Robert  Hunter  and  Mrs.  Bradford, 
married   Sunday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  October  5.  David  Lydig,  merchant  of  this  city,  and 
Maria  Mesier,  daughter  of  Peter  Mesier,  of .  Fishkill,  married 
Tuesday  the  24th  at  Poughkeepsie. 

1793 — Saturday,  October  5.  Marinus  Willett  and  Susannah  Vardle, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  the  3rd. 

1793 — Saturday,  October  12.  Clarkson  Crolius  and  Elizabeth 
Myers,  both  of  this  city,  married  Tuesday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  October  12.  Samuel  Henshaw,  of  this  city,  and  Sally 
Place,  of  the  Island  of  Bermuda,  married  Saturday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  October  12.  Capt.  William  Armstrong  and  Mar- 
garet Marshall,  both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday. 

1793 — Saturday,  October  19.     John  Hancock,  died  Tuesday,  aged  57. 

1793 — Saturday,  October  19.     Marquis  Precre  and  Catharine  Living 
ston,   eldest  daughter  of   Colonel   Robert   G.   Livingston,   late  of 
Rhinebeck,  married   Friday  the   11th. 

1793 — Saturday,  October  26.  Thomas  Seaman  and  Polly  Jackson, 
both  of  this   city,  married  Wednesday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  October  26.  Isaac  Hatfield,  of  New  Jersey,  and 
Christianna  Rodett,  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  October  26.  John  Le  Fort,  of  St.  Malo  in  Britany, 
and  Elizabeth  O'Bryan,  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  even- 
ing last. 

1793 — Saturday,  October  26.  Lynde  Catlin,  First  Teller  to  the  Bank 
of  the  United  States,  and  Helena  Margaret  Kip,  of  this  city, 
married   SELturd&v   last 

1793 — Saturday,  October  26.*  John  Clark,  M.  D.,  and  Maria  Law- 
rence, both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  October  26.  George  Strebeck,  late  of  Maryland, 
and  Jarushe  Mott,  of  this  city,  married  Friday  the  18th. 

1793 — Saturday,  October  26.  Capt.  George  Farmer,  of  this  city, 
and  Gertrude  Gojeman,  of  that  place,  married  Wednesday  the 
9th  at  New  Brunswick. 

1793 — Saturday,  October  26.  George  Courtney  and  Mrs.  Hannah 
Crosfield,  relict  of  the  late  Mr.  Stephen  Crosfield,  of  this  city, 
married  "a  short  time  since." 

1793 — Saturday,  October  26.  Benjamin  Douglass,  Jr.,  and  Deborah 
Post,  daughter  of  John  Post,  of  this  city,  married  Thursday 
last. 

1793 — Saturday,  November  2.  James  Ricker  and  Miss  Turner,  both 
of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

[237] 


1793 — Saturday,  November  2.  David  Stebbens  and  Sally  Cowdry, 
both  of  this  city,   married  Tuesday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  November  9.  Alexander  MacDonald,  late  of  this 
city,  died  October  24  at  Albany. 

1793 — Saturday,  November  9.  William  Irving,  Jr.,  and  Julia 
Paulding,  of  Greenburgh,  married  Thursday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  November .  9.  Gurdon  Saltonstall  Mumford  and 
Ann  Van  Zandt,  daughter  of  Tobias  Van  Zandt,  both  of  this 
city,  married   Saturday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  November  9.  John  Prentiss  and  Elizabeth  Rapp, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  the  31st. 

1793 — Saturday,  November  16.  James  Watson,  Jr.,  and  Mary  Rat- 
toone,  daughter  of  John  Rattoone,  of  Perth  Amboy,  married 
Thursday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  November  16.  Peter  William  Livingston,  of  Manor 
of  Livingston,  and  Eliza  Beekman,  daughter  of  Gerard  Wil- 
liam Beekman,  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  November  16.  Albert  Gallaten  and  Miss  Nichol- 
son, daughter  of  James  Nicholson,  married  Monday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  November  16.  William  Osborne  and  Polly  Hyde, 
married  Sunday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  November  16.  John  Fleurvelin  and  Esther  Thorne, 
married  Thursday  the  7th. 

1793 — Saturday,  November  16.  Abraham  Tomlinson,  of  Milford, 
Conn.,  and  Amelia  Green,  of  New  Castle,  N.  Y.,  married 
Wednesday  the   6th. 

1793 — Saturday,  November  23.  John  Kane  and  Maria  Codwise,  both 
of  this   city,  married  Wednesday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  November  23.  James  Mackarel,  Jr.,  and  Margaret 
Smith,  both  of  Jamaica,  married  Wednesday  the  13th  at 
Jamaica. 

1793 — Saturday,  November  30.  James  Bushnell,  of  Norfolk,  Va., 
and  Susan  Johnson,  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  November  30.  William  Ash  and  Diana  Targe, 
daughter  of  John  Targe,  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  November  30.  James  Bradish,  of  this  city,  mer- 
chant, and  Margaret  Thompson,  of  Staten  Island,  married 
Wednesday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  November  30.  Benjamin  Benson  and  Eliza  Leg- 
gett,    both   of   this    city,   married   Wednesday   last. 

1793 — Saturday,  November  30.  John  E.  Avery,  son  of  Rev.  Ephraim 
Avery,  and  Sally  Fairchild,  married  Saturday  the  16th. 

1793 — Saturday,  November  30.  Rev.  Andrew  Harpending  and  Maria 
Hammond,  married  lately. 

1793 — Saturday,  December  7.  Peggy  Rhinelander,  daughter  of 
Frederic  Rhinelander,  merchant  of  this  city,  died  Monday. 

1793 — Saturday,  December  7.  Oliver  Goodwin,  druggist,  and  Sophia 
Sacket,  daughter  of  Samuel  Sacket,  of  this  city,  married 
Wednesday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  December  7.  William  Edgar  and  Ann  Van  Horne, 
daughter  of  David  Van  Horne,   married  Monday. 

1793 — Saturday,  December  14.  Mr.  Haydock  and  Peggy  Pearsall, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last  at  the  Friends  Meet- 
ing  House. 

1793 — Saturday,  December  14.  Newall  Narine  and  Elizabeth 
Peters,  both  of  this  city,  married  Tuesday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  December  14.  Samuel  Underhill,  of  Oyster  Bay, 
L.  I.,  and  Abigail  Keen,  of  Huntington,  married  Sunday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  December  14.  John  Ewin  and  Sally  Tuttle,  daugh- 
ter of   Daniel   Tuttle,   both   of   this   city,  married   Saturday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  December  14.  John  Tiebout,  printer,  and  Miss  Todd, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  December  14.  Mr.  Mitchell,  of  Ireland,  and  Cor- 
nelia Anderson,  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  December  14.  Willet  Coles  and  Elizabeth  Elliot, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

1793 — Saturday,  December  21.  John  Ackerman,  of  Shelburne,  and 
Mary  Arnt,  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 

[238] 


1793 — Saturday,    December   21.      William   Wells    and    Damaris    Con- 

rey,    daughter    of    William    Conrey,    both    of    this    city,    married 

Wednesday  last. 
1793 — Saturday,  December  21.     Henry  Franklin  and  Sarah  Ackerly, 

married  Wednesday  last. 
1793 — Saturday,    December   21.     Peter   Vanderhoff    and   Nancy   Coe. 

both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  the  12th  inst. 
1793 — Saturday,    December    21.      William    Low,    aged    25,    and    Mrs. 

Rachel  Bryen,  aged  69,  married  Thursday  last. 
1793 — Saturday,    December    28.      Capt.    Jacobs    and    Catharine    De- 
wight   (sic),  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,   January   4.      Mary   Duryee,   wife  of   Charles   Duryee, 

of  this  city,   died  Monday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,  January  4.     Henry  Rodgers,  merchant,   and  Francis 

Moore,  both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,  January  4.     John  Smith,  merchant,  and  Mrs.  Agness 

Wetzell,   eldest  daughter  of  General  William  Malcolm,   both  of 

this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,   January  4.      Andrew   Smyth,   merchant   of   this   city, 

and  Maria  Parker,  daughter  of  James  Parker,  of  Amboy,  mar- 
ried Sunday  last  at  Amboy. 
1794 — Saturday,    January    11.      Peter    Massonneau,    of    St.    Domingo, 

and   Susanna  Neilson,   daughter   of   William   Neilson,   merchant 

of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,    January    11.      John    Delancy,    of    the    island    of    St. 

Croix,  and  Mrs.  Hannah  Pearce,  widow  of  Samuel  Pierce,  mer- 
chant of  London,  married  Monday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,  January  11.     Samuel  Borrowe  and  Eliza  Ball,  both 

of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,    January    11.      John    Lowerrie    and    Phebe    Seaman, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday,  December  26. 
1794 — Saturday,    January    18.      Harmin    Duryea,    of    Jamaica,    L.    I., 

and  Sally  Ann  Angevtne,  married  Tuesday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,    January    18.      Daniel    Kingsland,    of    this    city,    and 

Maria   Sill,    of   Cow   Neck,   L.    I.,    married   at   Hempstead   Mon- 
day last. 
1794 — Saturday,    January   18.      Robert   H.    Towt    and   Ann   Waldron, 

both  of  this  city,  married   Saturday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,    January    25.      Capt.    William    Wheaton    and    Sally 

Norwood,  both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,  February  1.     Ezekial  Hart,  of  Canada,  and  Frances 

Lazarus,    niece   of    Mr.    Ephraim    Hart,    merchant,    Wall    Street, 

married   Wednesday    last. 
1794 — Saturday,    February    1.      John    Taylor    and   Rachel   Meldrum, 

both  of  this  city,  married   Tuesday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,    February    1.      William    M.    Seton    and    Eliza    Anne 

Bailey,  both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,   February   1.      Augustine   Williams    and   Susan   Hil- 

drith,   both   of  North   Hempstead,   married   Sunday   last   at   Cow 

Neck,  L.  I. 
1794 — Saturday,  February  1.     Andrew  Harper  and  Elizabeth  Shirks, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Monday  the  20th. 
1794 — Saturday,    February    1.      Jonathan     Randall    and     Catharine 

Waldron,  both  of  Haerlem,  married  Sunday  the  19th. 
1794 — Saturday,    February    15.      Mrs.    Rebecca   Miller,    died    Monday 

last,  aged  92. 
1794 — Saturday,    February   15.      Mrs.    Hacker,    wife   of    Capt.   Hoisted 

Hacker,    died    Sunday   last. 
1794 — Saturday,    February   15.      Samuel    Todd,    of   this    city,    and   Eu- 

phemia  Fowler,  of  East  Chester,  married  Sunday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,    February    15.      Staats    Morris    Dyckman    and    Miss 

Kenneday,    granddaughter    of    Peter    Come,    married    Saturday 

last. 
1794 — Saturday,   February   15.      Stephen   Hicks    and   Polly   Carpen- 
ter,  daughter   of   Benjamin   Carpenter,    both   of    Jamaica,    L.    I., 

married  Wednesday  the  5th   at   Jamaica. 
1794 — Saturday,    February    22.      Mrs.    Hannah    Ackerly,    died    Sat- 
urday the  8th   at  Huntington,   L.   I.,   in   the  ninety-fourth   year 

of  her  age. 

[239] 


1794 — Saturday,   February  22.     Dr.  Henry  Moore  Van  Solingen  and 

Lettice   Suydam,  daughter  of  Rinier  Suydam,  merchant  of  this 

city,  married  Tuesday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,  February  22.     Dr.  Joseph  Youle  and  Jane  Byvanck, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Monday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,    February    22.      Isaac    Jefferson,    of    Maryland,    and 

Mary  Kissick,  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,  February  22.     Matthew  Bunce  and  Ann  Coulthard, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,  March  1.     Rinier  Suydam  and  Mrs.   Schuyler,  both 

of  this  city,  married  ,  by  Dr.  Livingston. 

1794 — Saturday,    March    1.      John    Cornelius    Vander    Heuvel    and 

Charlotte  Apthorpe,  daughter  of  Charles  Ward  Apthorpe,  mar- 
ried, by  Bishop  Provost. 
1794 — Saturday,    March   1.      Marinus    Gale    and    Mary   Gilbert,    both 

of   this   city,   married   Sunday   last. 
1794 — Saturday,  March  1.     James  Ker  Degree  and  Ann  Penny,  both 

of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,    March    1.      Robert    LeRoy,    of    this    city,    and    Miss 

Cuyler,    daughter    of    Henry    Cuyler,     of    Greenbush,    married 

Tuesday  the  11th. 
1794 — Saturday,   March   8.     Peter  B.   Ustick,  of  this   city,  merchant, 

died  Tuesday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,  March  8.     Charles  M'Lean,  died  Tuesday  last,  burial 

Trinity  Church  Yard. 
1794 — Saturday,  March  15.     Thomas  Hicks  and  M.  Buchanan,  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  Buchanan,  married  Monday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,    March    22.      John    Roosevelt    VanRanst    and    Jane 

Scilman,   daughter  of   Capt.    John   Scilman,   of   Bushwick,   L.   I., 

married  Thursday  the  6th  at  Bushwick,  L.  I. 
1794 — Saturday,  March  29.     James  Teller,  Jr.,  and  Sally  Bleecker, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,    March    29.      Hon.    Don    Joseph    DeJaudenes,    Min- 
ister   from    Court   of    Spain,    and    Matilda    Stoughten,    of   this 

city,  married  Tuesday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,  March  29.     Joseph  Wilson,  aged  68,   and  Susannah 

Wilson,    aged    23,    both    of   Rye,    married    Monday   the   17th    at 

Rye. 
1794 — Saturday,   April  5.     John  Wardell   and  Jane   Dodge,   daughter 

of  Samuel  Dodge,  both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,  April  5.     James  Cunning,  merchant  of  Second  River, 

and  Catharine  Paulsa,  of  Barbadoes  Neck,  married  Wednesday 

last. 
1794 — Saturday,    April    5.      Robert    Crommelin    and    Ann    Reed    De- 

Peyster,  granddaughter  of  James  DePeyster,  of  Jamaica,  L.   I., 

married  Tuesday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,  April  5.     Charles  M'Carty  and  Deborah  Hutchins, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,   April   5.      John   G.   Warren,   of   this   city,   and   Miss 

Kerney,  of  New  Jersey,  married  Sunday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,  April  5.     Albert  Cooper  and  Polly  Ackerman,  both 

of  Hackinsack,  married  at  Hackinsack. 
1794 — Saturday,    April    12.      Benjamin    Foster    and   Patty   Bingham, 

daughter    to    John    Bingham,    of    this    city,    married    Wednesday 

last. 
1794 — Saturday,   April   12.      James   Drake   and   Sally  Dodge,  both  of 

this   city,   married   Wednesday   last. 
1794 — Saturday,    April    12.      James    Culbertson    and    Hannah    Cook, 

both  of  the  city,  married  Sunday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,    April    12.      Thomas    Johnson,    of    Philadelphia,    and 

Catherine  Anderson,  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,  April  12.     Bartholomew  Skaats  and  Deborah  Evers, 

both  of  this  city,   married   Saturday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,    April    12.      "Citizen    William"    Cogdell    and    Mary 

Peck,   both   of   this   city,   married    Sunday   the   30th. 
1794 — Saturday,   April   19.      Henry   Mitchell,   of   this   city,    and   Miss 

Townsend,   of   Long   Island,   married   Tuesday   last. 
1794 — Saturday,  April  19.     John  Dyckman,  of  this  city,  and  Rebecca 

Randall,    daughter   of    Jonathan   Randall,    of   Haerlem,    married 

Monday  last  at  Haerlem. 

[240] 


1794 — Saturday  April  19.     Abraham  Davis   and  Mrs.  Maria  Collins, 

widow   of    Edward    Collins,    both    of    this    city,    married    Sunday 

last. 
1794 — Saturday,  April  19.     Thomas  R.  Smith,  of  this  city,  and  Han- 
nah Holly,  of  Stamford,  married  at  Stamford  Saturday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,  April  19.     Nathaniel  Hauxhurst  and  Phebe  Frank- 
lin, both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  the  10th. 
1794 — Saturday,   April   19.      Gerret   Gilbert,   of   this   city,   and   Maria 

Varick,   of  Hackinsack,  married  at  Hackinsack. 
1794 — Saturday,   April    19.      Miss    Sarah   Roosevelt,    second   daughter 

of   Nicholas   Roosevelt,    late   of   this    city,    deceased,   died    Friday 

the  11th   at  the   seat  of  Daniel   Hall,    in   Chester,   near   Goshen, 

Orange  County. 
1794 — Saturday,  April   26.     Isaac   Heyer,  merchant,   of  this   city,   and 

Jane  Suydam,  daughter  of  Henry  Suydam,  of  Hallet's  Cove,  L.  I. 

married   at  Hallet's   Cove  Thursday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,  April   26.     Edward   John  Ball  and   Susan  Halsted, 

of   Perth   Amboy,   N.    J.,   married    Sunday   last. 
1794 — Saturday,   April   26.      Daniel  Rodman,   of   this   city,   and   Polly 

Story,   of   Jamaica,   married    at   Jamaica   Thursday   the   17th. 
1794 — Saturday,  April  26.     John  Treadwell  Halsted  and  Catharine 

Van    Cortlandt    Johnston,    of    Perth    Amboy,    N.    J.,    married 

Thursday  the  17th. 
1794 — Saturday,   May  3.     Samuel  Abbot   and  Jemima  Moore,  both  of 

this  city,  married   Wednesday  the  23d. 
1794 — Saturday,   May   3.      Benjamin   G.   Minturn   and   Maria   Brown, 

both   of  this   city,  married   Monday   last. 
1794 — Saturday,    May    3.      Captain    John    O'Connor    and    Susannah 

O' Casey,     niece    to     Barnabas    O'Kelly,    of    this     city,     married 

Wednesday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,  May  3.     Thomas  Butler,  merchant,  of  this  city,  and 

Margaret  Cooper,  daughter  of  A.  Cooper,  merchant,  of  Augusta, 

married    at   Augusta    April    3d. 
1794 — Saturday,    May    10.      Francis    Blanchard    and    Phebe    Jarolo- 

men,  both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,   May   10.      Captain   Stephen   R.   Harding   and   Sally 

Durfee,    both    of   this    city,    married    Saturday    last. 
1794 — Saturday,  May  17.     Thomas  Newcomb,  of  Dutchess  County,  and 

Rachel  Hopper,  daughter  of  Andrew  Hopper,  merchant,  of  this 

city,   married    Thursday   last. 
1794 — Saturday,  May  17.     David  Morgan  and  Margaret  Burns,  both 

of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,   May    17.      Richard   Coenrad   Ham,   of   this   city,   and 

Elizabeth   Cowenhoven,  of  Brooklyn,   L.   I.,  married  Thursday 

last. 
1794 — Saturday,   May  17.     John  Van  Norder  and   Margaret  Young, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,   May   17.      Stanton   Latham,  of   this   city,    and   Anne 

Carmichael,  of  Morristown,  married  Sunday  the  5th. 
1794 — Saturday,  May  24.     James  B.  Kortright  and  Elizabeth  War- 
ner, both  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,  May  24.    William  Betts  and  Margaret  Post,  both  of 

this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,    May    24.      John   Wedge    and    Polly    Marston,    both 

of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,    May    24.      Zephaniah    Rodgers    and    Rebecca    Ben- 
net,  both  of  Huntington,  married  at  Huntington   Saturday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,   May   24.      Vincent   Tilyou    and   Mrs.    Gray,   both   of 

this   city,   married   Tuesday  the   13th. 
1794 — Saturday,  May  31.     John  Slidell,  Jr.,  and  Margery  M'Kenzie, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,  May   31.     Thomas   Foote   and   Mrs.   Newman,  widow 

of   Peter  Newman,   of  this   city,   married   Saturday   last. 
1794 — Saturday,    May   31.      Henry   Mead,   M.D.,    and   Eliza   Beekman. 

both   of   this    city,   married    Saturday   the   17th. 
1794 — Saturday,  June  7.     Francis  Dominick  and  Philander  Barnes, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,    June    7.      Samuel    Burden    and    Polly    Ryer,    both 

of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 

[241] 


1794 — Saturday,  June  7.     William  Hutchings  and  Mrs.  Wool,  relict 

of  John  Wool,  both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,   June   7.     Mr.   Roote    and   Hannah   George,   both   of 

this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,     June     7.       David     Dunham,     merchant,     and     Mary 

Shackerly,   both   of   this   city,    married    Saturday   last. 
1794 — Saturday,   June  7.      William   Tabele   and   Patty   Bogart,   both 

of  this  city,  married  Friday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,  June  7.   George  Brinkerhoff  and  Elizabeth  Palmer, 

married  Thursday  the  29th  at  Newtown,  L.  I. 
1794 — Saturday,    June   14.      Abraham   Richardson   and   Marian   Arri- 

bine,  both  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,  June  14.     James   Lowerre   and  Abby  West,  both  of 

this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,  June  14.     Cary  Lockwood   and  Maria  Quackenbos, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,  June  21.     Thomas  M'Euen,  of  this  city,  and  Hannah 

Parey,  of  Philadelphia,  married   Sunday  last  at  Philadelphia. 
•   1794 — Saturday,   June   28.      John   Weller,   of   Charleston,    and   Maria 

Ten  Eyck,  daughter  of  Richard  Ten  Eyck,  of  this  city,  married 

Thursday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,   June  28.     Lewis   Smith  and  Polly  North,  married 

Sunday  the  15th. 
1794 — Saturday,    June   28.      Neil   M'Kenzie    and   Mrs.    Jane    Loudon. 

relict  of   John  Loudon,  married  Wednesday  the   12th. 
1794 — Saturday,   June  28.     Dr.   Benjamin   Hicks   and  Miss   Ellison. 

both  of  this  city,  married   Thursday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,  June  28.     David  Davis,   of  New-Ark,  and  Elizabeth 

Hargrave,   of  this   city,   married   Thursday   last. 
1794 — Saturday,    July    5.      John    Taylor    and    Polly   Adeer,    both    of 

this  city,  married  Tuesday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,    July    5.      James    Always,    of    this    city,    and    Phebe 

Meeker,  both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,  July  5.     Nathaniel  Birdsall,  printer,  and  Clarissa 

Whittemore,  both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,   July  5.     Nicholas  Anthony  and  Mrs.  Mary  John- 
ston, both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  the  26th. 
1794 — Saturday,  July  5.     Thomas   Smith  and  Hetty  Russel,  daugh- 
ter of  Abraham  Russel,  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  the  26th. 
1794 — Saturday,  July  5.     Henry  Brewerton  and  Mary  Swords,  both 

of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  the  25th. 
1794 — Saturday,    July    12.      Tobias    Van    Zandt    died    Tuesday    last, 

aged   sixty-one. 
1794 — Saturday,  July  12.     Richard  Thomas  and  Sally  Parker,  both 

of   this   city,   married   Thursday   last. 
1794 — Saturday,  July  12.     Jeremiah  Hallett,  merchant,  of  this  city, 

and   Edney   Clark,   of  that  place    (Springfield,   N.   J.),   married 

at   Springfield,   N.   J.,   Monday   last. 
1794 — Saturday,  July  19.     Miss  Ann  Leonard,  of  this  city,  died  Satur- 
day last,  aged  seventeen.     Buried  in  Trinity  Churchyard. 
1794 — Saturday,    July   19.      Patrick   Wilson   and    Clarissa   Thields, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  the  3d. 
1794 — Saturday,  July  26.     John  R.  Harrington  and  Mrs.  Catharine 

Perrine,   both   of   this   city,   married   Tuesday   last. 
1794 — Saturday,    July    26.      Owen    Plannagan,    of    New    York,    grocer, 

and  Mary  M'Curtin,  late  of  Philadelphia,  married  Sunday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,   July   26.      Daniel   M'Fall,   of   Ireland,   and   Rebecca 

Jackson,   of   this   city,   married   Friday  the   18th. 
1794 — Saturday,   August  9.     Isaac   Larkin,  printer   and   Junior  Editor 

of    the   Independent    Chronicle,    and    Nabby    Clark,    married    at 

Boston. 
1794 — Saturday,  August  9.     George  F.  Dominick  and  Martha  Weay, 

of  Newtown,   L.   I.,   married   Saturday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,    August    16.      John   Alger    and    Eliza   DuBois,    both 

of  this  city,   married   Sunday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,    August    23.      George    Campbell,    merchant    of    this 

city,  and  Jennet  Hay,  of  Harvestraw,  married  Wednesday  last 

at  Harvestraw. 

[242] 


1794 — Saturday,  August  23.  Walter  W.  Hyer,  merchant  of  this 
city,  and  Phoebe  Smith,  daughter  of  Jacamiah  Smith,  of 
Elizabethtown,  married  Saturday  last. 

1794 — Saturday,  August  30.  James  Campbell,  of  this  city,  died  Fri- 
day 22d,  aged  22. 

1794 — Saturday,  August  30.  Matthew  Dikeman  and  Miss  Jemtmah 
Horne,  both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 

DL794 — Saturday,  August  30.  James  Brown  and  Polly  De  La  Mon- 
tanye,  both  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 

3.794 — Saturday,  August  30.  John  Roach,  of  St.  Croix,  and  Sally 
T.  Halsted,  of  this  city,  married  Tuesday  last. 

1794 — Saturday,  August  30.  Hercules  Heron  and  Miss  Bingham, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

1794 — Saturday,  September  6.  Robert  C.  Livingston,  died  23d  at 
Hudson,   aged   53. 

1794 — Saturday,  September  6.  Morris  Fosdick,  of  Far  Rockaway, 
and  Jane  Doughty,  of  same  place,  married  Saturday  last  at 
Jamaica,  L.   I. 

1794 — Saturday,  September  6.  Frederick  Babcock,  merchant,  and 
Peggy  Arden,  daughter  of  Thomas  Arden,  all  of  this  city,  mar- 
ried Saturday  last. 

1794 — Saturday,  September  13.  Mrs.  Clarry  Howard,  daughter  of 
William  Clark,  of  Dutchess  County,  and  Citizen  Bussy,  chan- 
cellor to  the  consulate  in  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 

1794 — Saturday,  September  20.  John  Smith  and  Mrs.  Cannon,  both 
of  this  city,  married  . 

1794 — Saturday,  September  20.  Hiram  Gardner  and  Jane  Randal, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last  at  Elizabethtown. 

1794 — Saturday,  September  20.  Peter  Stephen  DuPonceau,  of  Phil- 
adelphia, and  Anne  La  Touche,  of  this  city,  married  Friday 
last. 

1794 — Saturday,  September  27.  James  Swords,  printer,  and  Rachel 
Buskirk,  both   of   this   city,   married  . 

1794 — Saturday,  October  4.  John  Penier  and  Phebe  Woods,  both  of 
this  city,  married  Sunday  last  at  Newark. 

1794 — Saturday,  October  4.  Ruben  Clauson  and  Ann  Lake,  both 
of  Staten  Island,  married  Thursday  the  25th  at  Staten  Island. 

1794 — Saturday,  October  4.  Mrs.  Hannah  Harrison,  wife  of  Capt. 
Charles  Harrison,  of  this  city,   died  Thursday  last,   aged   61. 

1794 — Saturday,  October  11.  Jane  Elting,  daughter  of  Peter  Elting, 
of  this  city,  died  Tuesday  last,   aged  19. 

1794 — Saturday,  October  11.  Henry  Wells  and  Mrs.  Patty  Smith, 
daughter  of  John  Woods,  all  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last 
at   "Norwhich,   L.   I." 

1794 — Saturday,  October  11.  Rev.  James  Coe,  of  Troy,  and  Betsey 
Miller,  daughter  of  Dr.  Miller,  of  this  city,  married  Satur- 
day, 27th. 

1794— Saturday,  October  18.  Mrs.  Jane  Wardell,  died  Monday 
last. 

1794 — Saturday,  October  18.  Isaac  Roosevelt,  late  merchant  of 
this  city,  aged  68,  died  Monday,  October  13. 

1794 — Saturday,  October  18.  William  I.  Nott  and  Ann  Harris, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 

1794 — Saturday,  October  18.  John  G.  Bogert  and  Maria  Corbet 
Ludlow,  daughter  of  Gabriel  Ludlow,  deceased,  married  Wednes- 
day last. 

1794 — Saturday,  October  18.  Capt.  Samuel  Thompson  and  Judith 
Mowatt,  daughter  of  John  Mowatt,  merchant  of  this  city,  mar- 
ried Wednesday  last. 

1794 — Saturday,  October  18.  Adolph  L.  Degrove  and  Catharine 
Gallow,  both  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 

1794 — Saturday,  October  18.  William  Nisbitt  and  Mary  Vander- 
waters,  both  of  Flushing,  married  Sunday  last  at  Jamaica. 

1794 — Saturday,  October  18.  James  Simmington  and  Frances  Payne, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  the  9th  at  Mrs.  Evans  in 
White  Hall  Street. 

1794 — Saturday,  October  25.  Samuel  Myers,  merchant  of  Peters- 
burg, Va.,  and  Sally  Judah,  daughter  of  Samuel  Judah,  mar- 
ried Wednesday  last. 

[243] 


1794 — Saturday,  October  25.  George  Forman,  printer,  and  Jane 
Brower,  both  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 

1794 — Saturday,  October  25.  David  Melles  and  Mrs.  Riker,  both 
of  this  city,  married  Monday  last. 

1794 — Saturday,  November  1.  Samuel  Burtis  and  Hanhah  An- 
derson, both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 

1794 — Saturday,  November  1.  William  Mead  and  Jane  Dillingham, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  the  19th. 

1794 — Saturday,  November  1.  Capt.  Thomas  Ogilvte,  of  the  ship 
Cheesman,  and  Margaret  Ford,  of  this  city,  married  Thursday 
last. 

1794 — Saturday,  November  8.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Leaycraft,  died 
Thursday  last,  aged  75. 

1794 — Saturday,  November  8.  James  B.  Clarke  and  Hellenor 
Fisher,  both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 

1794 — Saturday,  November  8.  Edmund  Charles  Genet,  late  Min- 
ister from  the  Republic  of  France,  and  Cornelia  Tappen  Clin- 
ton, daughter  of  George  Clinton,  Governor  State  of  New  York, 
married  Thursday  last. 

1794 — Saturday,  November  8.  Michael  Syce,  of  this  city,  and  Cath- 
arine Hobert,  of  Flatlands,  L.  I.,  married  Tuesday  last. 

1794 — Saturday,  November  8.  William  Denning,  Jr.,  and  Catharine 
L.  Smith,  daughter  of  Thomas  Smith,  all  of  this  city,  married 
Tuesday   last. 

1794 — Saturday,  November  8.  Richard  Everitt,  of  Brooklyn,  and 
Sally  Latham,  of  this  city,  married  Monday  last. 

1794 — Saturday,  November  8.  Capt.  Thomas  Geer,  of  Connecticut, 
and  Mary  Sherwood,  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 

1794 — Saturday,  November  8.  Isaac  Van  Tasell  and  Nancy  Gordon, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 

1794 — Saturday,  November  8.  Jacob  Snow  and  Sally  Swain,  both 
of   this   city,   married    Saturday   last. 

1794 — Saturday,  November  8.  Mr.  Wilson  and  Miss  Mills,  both  of 
this  city,  married  Thursday,  October  30. 

1794 — Saturday,  November  8.  Philip  Arnold,  of  this  city,  and 
Mary  Crane,  of  Springfield,  N.  J.,  married  Saturday,  October 
18. 

1794 — Saturday,  November  15.  Benjamin  Shaw,  of  Boston,  and 
Charity  Smith,  of  this  city,  married  Saturday,  the  1st  inst. 

1794 — Saturday,  November  15.  David  Campbell,  of  Schenectady,  and 
Fanny  Bowers,  daughter  of  Henry  Bowers,  of  this  city,  mar- 
ried  Thursday,    October   23. 

1794 — Saturday,  November  22.  Mrs.  Agness  Vater,  died  Thursday 
the  15th,  in  her  ninety-first  year. 

1794 — Saturday,    November   22.      Mrs.    Hannah    Keech,    died    Monday 

i  last,  aged  71  years. 

1794 — Saturday,  November  22.  John  Swaine,  late  printer  and  pub- 
lisher of  the  Daily  Advertiser,  died  Monday  last  at  Philadelphia, 
in  his  thirty-second  year. 

1794 — Saturday,  November  29.  Anthony  Lamb,  son  of  John  Lamb, 
of  this  city,  Collector  of  Customs  of  the  United  States  for 
District  of  New  York,  and  Mary  Treat,  daughter  of  Dr.  Sam- 
uel Treat,  of  Burlington,  N.  J.,  married  at  Burlington,  N.  J., 
Saturday   the    8th. 

1794 — Saturday,  November  29.  John  Murry  and  Hellen  DeBois, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 

1794 — Saturday,  November  29.  Mr.  Durkin,  of  the  ship  Astrea, 
and  Sally  Goodwin,  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 

1794 — Saturday,  December  6.  James  Cock  and  Catharine  Ackerly, 
daughter  of  Samuel  Ackerly,  all  of  this  city,  married  Thurs- 
day last. 

1794 — Saturday,  December  6.  Elkanah  Conklin  and  Rebecca 
Smith,  both  of  Huntington,  L.  I.,  married  Sunday  last. 

1794 — Saturday,  December  6.  Capt.  Asa  Rodgers  Lapham,  of  Bos- 
ton, and  Mary  Dwight,  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

1794 — Saturday,  December  6.  William  Cunning,  printer,  of  this 
city,  and  Maria  Hand,  of  Morristown,  N.  J.,  married  Saturday 
last. 

[244] 


1794 — Saturday,   December   13.     John   Cross,   Jr.,   and   Sally  Coult- 

hard,   daughter  of   Isaac   Coulthard,   of   this    city,   married    Sat- 
urday last. 
1794 — Saturday,    December    27.      George    Hendrickson,    merchant    of 

this  city,  and  Mary  Smith,  of  Jamaica,  L.  I.,  married  Wednes- 
day  last   at   Hempstead,    L.    I. 
1794 — Saturday,     December    27.       Archibald    Robertson     and     Eliza 

Abrams,  married  Tuesday  last. 
1794 — Saturday,    December    27.      William    Prince,     Jr.,     and     Mary 

Stratton,  daughter  of  Eliphalet  Stratton,  all  of  that  place,  mar- 
ried  Monday  lat>t  at  Flushing,   L.   I. 
1794 — Saturday,  December  27.     William  Ogden  and  Mary  Mott,  both 

of  this   city,   married   Sunday  the  14th. 
1795 — Saturday,  January  3.     Francis  Bernard  Maximilian  Menie  and 

Abigail    Stout,    daughter   of    Benjamin    Stout,    married    Monday 

last. 
1795 — Saturday,    January    3.      James    Marsh,    of    South    Amboy,    and 

Eliza   Meeks,    daughter   of    John    Meeks,    of    this    city,    married 

Friday   the   26th. 
1795 — Saturday,    January    3.      Tunis    Schenk,    Jr.,    of    Bushwick,    and 

Gitty    Cornell,    of    Jamaica,    married    Thursday,    the    18th,    on 

Long   Island. 
1795 — Saturday,    January    10.      Oliver    Hicks    and    Susannah    Ver- 

millia,  both  of  this  city,   married   Thursday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,   January  10.     David  King,  of  Boston,  and  Elizabeth 

Bell,  of  this  city,  married  Tuesday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,    January   10.      George   Arnold   and   Elenor   Ramsay, 

daughter   of   John   Ramsay,   of   this    city,    married    Tuesday,    the 

30th. 
1795 — Saturday,    January    10.      James    Smith    and    Jane    Sell,    both 

of   that  place    (Cow   Neck)    married   Tuesday,   the  30th,   at   Cow 

Neck. 
1795 — Saturday,    January    10.      Elbert    Rosevelt,    of    this    city,    and 

Jane    Curtenius,    daughter    of    Peter    T.    Curtenius,    Auditor    of 

State  of  New  York,  married  Monday,  the  29th. 
1795 — Saturday,    January    10.       Job    Haines,    of    Elizabethtown,    and 

Margaret  Smith,  of  Princeton,  married  Saturday,  the  27th. 
1795 — Saturday,     January    10.      Thomas     Cornwell    and    Elizabeth 

Ackerman,  both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday,  the  21st. 
1795 — Saturday,   January   10.      Mrs.   Elizabeth   Cogswell,   consort  of 

William  Cogswell,  died  Wednesday  last,  aged  20. 
1795 — Saturday,  January  10.     Harriet  Banyer,   daughter  of  Golsbrow 

Banyer,  died  Tuesday  last,  aged  21. 
1795 — Saturday,  January  10.     Capt.   John  Palmer,   died  Monday  last, 

aged  61.     Buried  Trinity  Church  Yard. 
1795 — Saturday,   January   17.     Richard   Solomons    and   Betsey   Bur- 

ris,  both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,    January    17.     John   Fowler   and    Jane    Smith,    both 

of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,    January    17.      William    Lord    and    Ann    Cook,    both 

of  Fairfield,  Conn.,  married  Saturday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,  January  17.     Rev.  Joseph  Pilmore,  Rector  of  Christ 

Church,    this    city,    and    Mrs.    Wood,    of    Philadelphia,    married 

Saturday,  the  10th,  at  St.  Paul's  Church,  Philadelphia. 
1795 — Saturday,  January  24.     Peter  Kemble  and  Eliza  Nesbit,  both 

of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,  January  24.     John  Wright  and  Hannah  Goodballet, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,    January    24.      Joseph    Thomas,    of    Barbadoes,    and 

Flora  Lancaster,  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,    January    24.      Daniel    Strickland     and     Elizabeth 

Rowe,  both  from  England,  married  Saturday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,  January  31.     Richard  Creed  and  Abigail  Hendrick- 
son, both  of  Jamaica,  married  Saturday  last  at  Jamaica,  L.  I. 
1795 — Saturday,    February   7.      Mr.    Tydgatt,    late   of    Rotterdam,    and 

Margaret    Mahany,    late    of    Bearhaven,    Ireland,    married    Fri- 
day last. 
1795 — Saturday,  February  7.     Mr.  Triple  and  Margaret  Menzies,  both 

of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 

[245] 


1795 — Saturday,  February  7.  Lawrence  Yates  and  Matilda  Caro- 
line Cruger,  eldest  daughter  of  Henry  Cruger,  married  Mon- 
day last. 

1795 — Saturday,  February  7.  Nicholas  W.  Stuyvesant  and  Cath- 
arine Read,  daughter  of  John  Read,  of  Red  Hook,  married  Sat- 
urday last. 

1795 — Saturday,  February  14.  Daniel  Oakley  and  Mary  Baldwin, 
both  of  Huntington,  married  Wednesday  last  at  Huntington. 

1795 — Saturday,  February  14.  Capt.  Samuel  B.  Lewis,  of  this  city, 
and  Patty  Welling,  of  Jamaica,  married  Wednesday  last  at 
Jamaica. 

1795 — Saturday,  February  14.  William  Man,  of  Canada,  and  Eliza 
Shopman,  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  February  14.  Ebenezer  Chichester  and  Hannah 
Ketchum,  both  of  Huntington,  L.  I.,  married  Sunday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  February  14.  Silas  Whitman  and  Hannah  Ket- 
chum, both  of  Huntington,  L.  I.,  married  Sunday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  February  14.  Henry  Onderdonk,  of  Hempstead 
Harbour,  and  Sally  Van  Kleeck,  of  Poughkeepsie,  married 
Saturday  last  at  Poughkeepsie. 

1795 — Saturday,  February  14.  Jacob  S.  Mott,  printer,  and  Ann 
Hinton,  both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  February  14.  Abraham  Collins,  of  this  city,  and 
Mrs.  Zebriskie,  of  New  Jersey,  married  Sunday  the  1st. 

1795 — Saturday,  February  21.     Joze  Roiz   Silva,  merchant,   and  Mrs. 

Anna    Dumont,    both    of    this    city,    married    .    St.    Peter's 

Church,  New  York  City. 

1795 — Saturday,  February  21.  John  Elsworth  and  Sally  Hinton, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  February  28.  Jeremiah  Mann,  aged  88,  and  Miss 
Dexter,  aged  22,  both  of  Wrentham,  married  at  Wrentham, 
Mass. 

1795 — Saturday,  February  28.  Tobias  Miller  and  Elizabeth  Arcu- 
larius,  both  of  this  city,  married  Tuesday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  February  28.  Abraham  VanRanst,  Jr.,  of  Long 
Island,  and  Elizabeth  M'Dole,  of  Albany,  married  Saturday 
last  at  Albany. 

1795 — Saturday,  March  7.  Ann  Thomas,,  daughter  of  General 
Thomas,  died  Friday,  27th,  at  Harrison's  Purchase  in  West- 
chester County. 

1795 — Saturday,  March  7.  David  Willson,  of  Fort  Washington, 
and  Margaret  Kenny,  late  from  Ireland,  married.  By  Rev. 
Mr.  Beach. 

1795 — Saturday,  March  7.  Charles  Crommelin,  Jr.,  of  Hempstead 
Plains,  L.  I.,  and  Ann  Cogswell,  of  Charlestown,  near  Boston, 
married  Tuesday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  March  7.  Peter  Hegeman,  merchant  of  this  city, 
and  Rozette  Crooker,  of  Cedar  Swamp,  L.  I.,  married  Monday 
last  at  Cedar  Swamp,  L.  I. 

1795 — Saturday,  March  7.  Robert  C.  Degrove,  of  this  city,  and 
Miss  Smith,  of  Smithtown,  L.  I.,  married  Saturday  last  at 
Smithtown,   L.   I. 

1795 — Saturday,  March  14.  Capt.  William  Tapp,  of  this  city,  died 
Thursday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  March  14.  Richard  Webb,  aged  79  years,  41  months, 
19  days,  died  Saturday  last  at  Staten  Island. 

1795 — Saturday,  March  14.  Adrian  Kissam  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Bayard,  daughter  of  Rev.   Dr.   Rodgers,  married   Thursday   last. 

1795 — Saturday,  March  14.  James  Berrian,  of  Hell  Gate,  L.  I., 
and  Charlotte  Cooper,  both  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday 
last. 

1795 — Saturday,  March  14.  Jeremiam  Jessop  and  Elizabeth  Bruff. 
of   this   city,    married   Tuesday   last. 

1795 — Saturday,  March  14.  Elisha  Hart,  of  this  city,  and  Polly 
Dickter,  of  Greensburgh,  married  Sunday  last  at  Greens- 
burgh. 

1795 — Saturday,  March  14.  Joseph  Towers  and  Mrs.  Ann  Camp* 
bell,  both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

[246] 


1795 — Saturday,   March   14.      Henry   I.   Wykoff   and   Phbbe    Suydam, 

daughter    of    Ferdinand    Suydam,    of    Brooklyn,    N.    Y.,    married 

Thursday   the    5th    at   Brooklyn,    N.   Y. 
1795 — Saturday,    March    14.      Edward    Higgins    and    Susannah    Hig- 

gins,  both  of  this  city,  married  Tuesday  the  3rd. 
1795 — Saturday,  March  14.     Dr.   James   Tredwell,   of  Patterson,   and 

Mary  Van  Winkle,  of  that  place,  married  Wednesday  the  25th 

at  Aquackononk. 
1795 — Saturday,  March  21.     Daniel  Hall  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Bell, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,   March   21.      Jasper  Ward   and   Ann   Egbert,    daugh- 
ter  of    Benjamin    Egbert,    all    of    this    city,    married    Wednesday 

last. 
1795 — Saturday,   March   21.     Robert  Annan,   of  this   city,   and  Maria 

Hutchin,  daughter  of  Amos  Hutchin,   married  Monday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,  March  21.     Richard  Lewis  and  Amelia  Maghee,  both 

of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,  March  21.     John  Ackerman,  of  this  city,  and  Lydia 

Powles,  of  Tappan,  married  Saturday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,  March  21.     William  Heyer  and  Maria  Menzies,  both 

of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  the  11th. 
1795 — Saturday,    March    21.      Capt.    James    Mott    and    Sally    Mudge, 

both   of   that   place,    married    Tuesday,    the   10th,    at   Hempstead 

Harbour. 
1795 — Saturday,    March    21.      Jonathan    Tilton    and    Mary    Madden, 

both  of  Middletown,  N.  J.,  married  Wednesday  the  4th. 
1795 — Saturday,    April    4.      Hon.    Peter    Van    Gaasbeek    and    Sally 

Dumond,  both  of  Kingston,  N.  Y.,  married  at  Kingston   (Esopus). 
1795 — Saturday,  April  4.     Adrian  Bogart  and  Maria  Bartholf,   both 

of  this   city,  married  Thursday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,    April    4.      Israel    Hunt    and    Peggy    Johnson,    both 

of  this  city,  married   Sunday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,   April   4.      Winant   Debevois    and   Elizabeth   Kelly, 

both  of  Long  Island,  married  Sunday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,   April   4.      John   Marley,    merchant   of   this   city,   and 

Mary  Schuyler,  daughter  of  John  Schuyler,  of  Barbadoes  Neck, 

N.  J.,  married  Saturday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,  April  4.     Cornelius  Hertell  and  Grace  Riker,  both 

of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,   April   4.      Joseph  Clemhorn   and   Maria   Grimstead, 

both  of  this  city,   married  Monday  the  23rd. 
1795 — Saturday,   April   4.     Isaac   Blydenburg   and    Susannah   Smith, 

stepdaughter  of  Isaac  Smith,   of  Smithtown,  L.   I.,  married   Sat- 
urday the  21st. 
1795 — Saturday,    April    11.      John    Peters,    of    England,    and    Maria 

Bell,  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,   April   11.     Rev.   Charles   Layhatt   and   Mrs.   Sally 

Hallett,  both  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,   April    11.      James   Lee,   merchant,    and   Miss   Crook- 
shanks,  both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  the  29th. 
1795 — Saturday,   April   18.      Joseph   Byrnes,   merchant,   and   Rebecca 

P.    Clark,    both    of    this    city,    married    Wednesday    last    at    the 

Friend's  Meeting  House. 
1795 — Saturday,  April  18.     James  Hopson  and  Mary  Forbes,  both  of 

this  city,  married  Monday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,  April   18.     Capt.   J.   Walton,   of  Upper   Canada,   and 

Margaret    Ann    Thatcher,    daughter     of     Capt.     Thatcher,    of 

Trenton,  N.  J.,  married  Saturday  last  at  Staten  Island. 
1795 — Saturday,    April    18.      Hugh   Pollock,    of   this    city,    and    Miss 

Anthony,  daughter  of  Joseph  Anthony,  of  Philadelphia,  married 

Thursday  the  9th  at  Philadelphia. 
1795 — Saturday,   April    18.      M.    Marseiles,   merchant   of   Albany,   and 

Catharine    Mildenberger,    of    this    city,    married    Tuesday    the 

7th. 
1795 — Saturday,    April    18.      Noah    Sayer    and    Esther    Crane,    both 

of    Elizabeth-Town,    married    Saturday    the    4th    at    Elizabeth- 
Town. 
1795 — Saturday,    April    18.      Lucius    Cary,    printer,    and    Elizabeth 

Closs,  daughter  of  Rev.  Mr.   Closs,  all  of  New  Burgh,  married 

at  New  Burgh. 

[247] 


1795 — Saturday,  April  25.  John  Mitchell  and  Sally  Degrove,  both 
of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  April  25.  Glooder  Requaw,  of  Mt.  Pleasant,  and 
Judith  Comb,  of  Greenburgh,  married  Wednesday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  April  25.  Thomas  Stoutenburgh  and  Eliza  Linn, 
daughter  of  James  Linn,  of  New  Jersey,  married  Wednesday 
last. 

1795 — Saturday,  April  25.  Gerard  Rutgers  and  Margaret  Bayard, 
daughter  of  Nicholas  Bayard,  all  of  this  city,  married  Wednes- 
day last. 

1795 — Saturday,  April  25.  Jacob  Odle,  of  West  Chester,  and  Mrs. 
Ann  Brevoort,  formerly  merchant  of  this  city,  married  Mon- 
day last. 

1795 — Saturday,  April  25.  William  Carpenter  and  Lucy  Grant, 
both  of  Brooklyn,   L.   I.,  married  Thursday  the  16th. 

1795 — Saturday,  April  25.  Andrew  Commerdinger,  printer,  and  Mrs. 
Bloom,  both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  the  16th. 

1795 — Saturday,  April  25.  Allen  Clap,  merchant  of  this  city,  and 
Peggy  Redmond,  of  Philadelphia,  married  Tuesday  the  14th  at 
Philadelphia. 

1795 — Saturday,  May  2.  John  Hatfield,  of  Elizabethtown,  and  Eliza- 
beth Marks,  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  May  2.  Robert  Mott,  merchant,  and  Lydia  P. 
Stansbury,  daughter  of  Joseph  Stansbury,  both  of  this  city, 
married  Wednesday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  May  2.  John  Tillou  and  Maria  Reed,  both  of  this 
city,   married   Sunday   last. 

1795 — Saturday,  May  2.  Lewis  D.  Flinn,  of  this  city,  and  Sarah 
Crawford,  daughter  of  Col.  John  Crawford,  of  Philadelphia, 
married  Sunday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  May  2.  Thomas  Bloodgood,  merchant  of  this  city, 
and  Anna  Lawrence,  daughter  of  Col.  Daniel  Lawrence,  of 
New  Town,  L.  I.,  married  Saturday  last  at  New  Town. 

1795 — Saturday,  May  2.  Horace  Johnson,  merchant,  and  Cath- 
arine Thorn,  both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last  at  the 
seat  of  Mr.  Stuyvesant  in  the  Bowery. 

1795 — Saturday,  May  2.  Isaac  Stagg  and  Catharine  Lincoln,  both 
of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  May  9.  David  Jacobs  and  Margaret  Amar,  both 
of  this   city,   married   Saturday  the  18th. 

1795 — Saturday,  May  9.  John  P.  Haff,  of  this  city,  and  Sally 
Haff,  daughter  of  Lawrence  Haff,  of  New  Hackensack,  married 
Sunday  the  12th  at  New  Hackensack. 

1795 — Saturday,  May  16.  George  Furman  and  Rachel  Clark,  both 
of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  the  15th. 

1795 — Saturday,  May  16.  John  M.  Dunham,  printer,  and  Emily 
Burt,  married  Monday,  February  16,  at  Longmeadow,  Mass. 

1795 — Saturday,  May  16.  Joseph  Board  and  Margaret  Shierman, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  May  16.  Jacob  Varian  and  Hester  Murphy,  both 
of  this   city,   married   Sunday   last. 

1795 — Saturday  May  23.  Frederick  Gervis  and  Elizabeth  Cun- 
ning, both  of  this  city,  married   Saturday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  May  23.  George  Gervis  and  Nancy  Andes,  both  of 
this  city,  married  Saturday  night. 

1795 — Saturday,  May  23.  Dr.  Adam  J.  Doll  and  Christiana  Bau- 
man,  daughter  of  Col.  Sebastian  Bauman,  of  this  city,  married 
Thursday  the  14th. 

1795 — Saturday,  May  23.  Capt.  Keese  and  Sally  Carlton,  married 
in  this  city. 

1795 — Saturday,  May  23.  Thomas  French  and  Nancy  English,  mar- 
ried at  Boston. 

1795 — Saturday,  May  30.  Mrs.  Susan  Barr  Mesier,  consort  of  Peter 
Mesier,  Jr.,  of  this  city,  died  Friday  the  22d,  buried  New  Pres- 
byterian burying  ground. 

1795 — Saturday,  May  30.  John  Chisholm  and  Barbara  M'Donald, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

X795 — Saturday,  May  30.  Alexander  Black  and  Jane  Eason,  both 
of  Edinburgh,  married  Friday  22d. 

[248] 


1795 — Saturday,  May  30.  George  Stacy,  of  this  city,  and  Tact 
Beaven,  daughter  of  Davis  Beaven,  of  Chester,  married  Thurs- 
day the  21st  at  Chester. 

1795 — Saturday,  June  6.  George  Hicks  and  Eliza  Casey,  both  of 
Brooklyn,  married  Wednesday  last   at  Flatbush,   L.   I. 

1795 — Saturday,  June  6.  John  Reiser,  Sr.,  and  Mrs.  Simmerman, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Tuesday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  June  6.  Anthony  Ernest  and  Miss  Atwood,  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  B.  Bridgen  (sic),  married  Monday  last  at  Belle- 
ponte,   near  this  city. 

1795 — Saturday,  June  6.  Stephen  Wright  and  Elizabeth  Wright, 
daughter  of  Nicholas  Wright,  all  of  this  city,  married  Sun- 
day  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  June  13.  John  Cock,  merchant,  and  Rosetta  Lewis, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  June  13.  Mr.  Penprost,  of  Long  Island,  and  Mary 
Deusenbury,  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last  at  the  Friends 
Meeting-House. 

1795 — Saturday,  June  20.  His  Royal  Highness  Prince  of  Wales, 
and  Princess  Caroline,  of  Brunswick,  remarried  in  London 
by  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  and  Bishop  of  London. 

1795 — Saturday,  June  20.  George  Youle  and  Sally  Neill,  both  of 
this  city,  married  Monday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  June  20.  William  Hartshorne,  Jr.,  merchant  of 
this  city,  and  Jane  Ustick,  of  Flushing,  L.  I.,  married  Thurs- 
day the  11th,   at  Flushing,  L.  I. 

1795 — Saturday,  June  27.  Peter  Duston,  merchant,  and  Sarah 
Gidney,  both  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  June  27.  Peter  Delabigarie  and  Margaret  Beek- 
man,  daughter  of  Gerard  William  Beekman,  all  of  this  city,  mar- 
ried Tuesday   last. 

1795 — Saturday,  June  27.  Capt.  Ebenezer  Rosseter  and  Mrs.  Nancy 
King,  both  of  this  city,  married  Monday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  June  27.  Augustus  Sackett,  of  this  city,  and 
Minerva  Camp,  daughter  of  the  late  Doctor  Elisha  Camp,  of 
Catts-Kill,    married   Friday   the   19th   at   Catts-Kill. 

1795 — Saturday,  June  27.  Bash.  J.  Bartow  and  Eliza  A.  Honey- 
well, both  of  West  Chester,  married  Sunday  the  14th  at  New- 
Town. 

1795 — Saturday,  July  4.  Alexander  Campbell  and  Mary  Duryee, 
both   of   this   city,   married   Thursday   last. 

1795 — Saturday,  July  4.  Divie  Bethume,  merchant,  and  Joannah 
Graham,  both  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  July  4.  William  Weeks  and  Jane  Peck,  daughter 
of   George   Peck,    all    of   this    city,    married    Saturday    last. 

1795 — Saturday,  July  4.  Nevin  Willson,  of  this  city,  and  Cath- 
arine Boylan,  daughter  of  the  late  John  Boylan,  of  New  Jer- 
sey, married  Sunday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  July  4.  Edward  Coop  and  Mary  Marling,  both  of 
that  place,   married   Sunday  last  at  Brooklyn,   N.  Y. 

1795 — Saturday,  July  4.  Thomas  Whitlock  and  Eleanor  Burger, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  the  24th. 

1795 — Saturday,  July  4.  Peter  Joseph  Hareubel,  of  Harve  de 
Grace,  and  Eliza  Tillin,  of  this  city,  married  Tuesday  the 
23rd. 

1795 — Saturday,  July  4.  John  Hegeman  and  Martha  Craft,  both 
of  Cow  Neck,  L.  I.,  married  at  Jamaica  the  9th   (Tuesday). 

1795 — Saturday,  July  11.  Henry  Palmer  and  Laney  Itland,  both 
of  this   city,   married  Thursday  the  2d. 

1795 — Saturday,  July  11.  John  Burger,  "of  the  Two  Brothers," 
and  Mrs.  Low,  of  New  Jersey,  married  Wednesday  the  8th. 

1795 — Saturday,  July  11.  James  Morrison  and  Polly  Mills,  both 
of  this  city,  married   Sunday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  July  11.  Jacob  Hoops,  of  Philadelphia,  and  Cath- 
arine Doty,  of  that  place,  married  Thursday  the  2d  at  Oyster 
Bay,   L.   I. 

1795 — Saturday,  July  18.  James  Glean  and  Mrs.  Mary  Ogden, 
both  of  this  city. 

[249] 


1795 — Saturday,  July  18.  Rev.  Dr.  William  Linn,  minister  of 
the  Reformed  Church  of  this  city,  and  Mrs.  Moore,  widow 
of  Dr.   John  Moore,  married  Wednesday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  July  18.  Isaac  Governeur,  of  this  city,  and  Al- 
lh>a  Governeur,  daughter  of  Herman  Governeur,  deceased, 
married    Tuesday   the   7th    at   Claverack. 

1795 — Saturday,  July  18.  Mrs.  Ann  Dash,  consort  of  Mr.  John 
B.  Dash,  Jr.,  of  this  city,  died  Sunday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  July  25.  Mrs.  Sebra,  sister  of  Mrs.  James  Riving- 
ton,  died   Saturday   last. 

1795 — Saturday,  July  25.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Rivington,  wife  of  James 
Rivington,  died  Saturday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  July  25.  Samuel  Allen  and  Catharine  Conrey, 
daughter  of  William  Conry,  both  of  this  city,  married  Wednes- 
day last. 

1795 — Saturday,  July  25.  Matthew  Galloway  and  Jane  Peltreau, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  the  16th. 

1795 — Saturday,  August  1.  Thomas  B.  Saltonstall,  of  New  London, 
died   in   the   West   Indies. 

1795 — Saturday,  August  1.  Capt.  Gurdon  Saltonstall,  of  New  Lon- 
don,  died   in   the  West   Indies. 

1795 — Saturday,  August  1.  Dr.  Malachi  Treat,  health  officer,  of 
this  city,  died  Wednesday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  August  1.  Capt.  John  Clough,  of  Salem,  Mass., 
and  Kitty  Turner,  daughter  of  John  Turner,  of  this  city,  mar- 
ried Thursday  last. 

1795— Saturday,  August  1.  James  Manning  and  Eliza  Storm,  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  Storm,  merchant,  of  this  city,  married  Sunday 
last. 

1795 — Saturday,  August  1.  John  Whichurch  and  Jane  Freelon, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  the  18th. 

1795 — Saturday,  August  8.  Capt.  William  Swinburn  and  Susan 
Davis,  both  of  this  city,  married  a  few  days  ago. 

1795 — Saturday,  August  8.  Mrs.  Hay  Stevenson,  died  Tuesday  last, 
buried  Old  Presbyterian  Church  Yard. 

1795 — Saturday,  August  8.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Leaycraft,  wife  of 
Willet  Leaycraft,  merchant,  of  this  city,  died  Monday  last,  aged 
23,  buried  Trinity  Church  Yard. 

1795 — Saturday,  August  8.  Isaac  Andrews  and  Sarah  Nicholson, 
married   Sunday   last. 

1795 — Saturday,  August  8.  Henry  Overing,  of  New  Port,  R.  I.,  and 
Charlotte  Desbrosses,  daughter  of  James  Desbrosses,  of  this 
city,  married  Saturday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  August  8.  William  Davis  and  Margaret  Wilson, 
daughter  of  David  Wilson,  of  Kingsbridge,  married  Wednesday 
the    29th. 

1795 — Saturday,  August  15.  John  Gorkill  and  Polly  Denmark, 
married  a  few  days  ago  in  this  city  by  Dr.  Kuntzie. 

1795 — Saturday,  August  15.  Tobias  Lear  and  Mrs.  Fanny  Washing- 
ton,  of  Mt.  Vernon,  married. 

1795 — Saturday,  August  15.  Richard  Taterson  and  Betsey  Rogers, 
of  Cow  Neck,   married   the   6th   at   South   Hempstead,   L.   I. 

1795 — Saturday,  August  22.  Joseph  Strang  and  Nancy  Theall, 
both  of  Rye,  married  at  Rye,   Thursday  the  13th. 

1795 — Saturday,  August  22.  Thomas  Parcells,  Jr.,  and  Mary 
Hurst,  both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  the  8th. 

1795 — Saturday,  August  22.  Capt.  Francis  Young  and  Sally  Buck- 
master,  both  of  this  city,  married  a  few  evenings  since  by  Dr. 
M'Knight. 

1795 — Saturday,  August  22.     William  Lowe,  died  Sunday  the  9th. 

1795 — Saturday,  August  22.  Stephen  Purdy,  died  Friday  last  at 
Jamaica,  L.  I.,  aged  28. 

1795 — Saturday,  August  22.  John  Butler  and  Miss  Curtis.,  married 
Saturday  last. 

[250] 


1795 — Saturday,  August  29.     Peter  Houseman,  son  of  Aurte  House- 
man,  died  Tuesday  last,   buried  New  Dutch   Church   Yard. 
1795 — Saturday,  August  29.     Michael  Varian,  merchant,  of  this  city, 

died  Tuesday  last,  aged  21. 
1795 — Saturday,    August    29.      Mrs.    Jane    Post,    wife    of    John    Post, 

Jr.,  of  this   city,   died   Monday  last,    aged   24. 
1795 — Saturday,    August    29.      Alexander    Whylley    and    Sally    Coe, 

both   of   this    city,   married   Thursday   last. 
1795 — Saturday,  August  29.     William  Needham  and   Catharine  Van 

Vart,  both  of  this   city,  married   Saturday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,  August  29.     Isaac  Sniffin  and  Mrs.  Jerusha  Webb, 

both  of  Cow  Neck,   married   Saturday  the  15th. 
1795 — Saturday,     September    5.       Daniel    Nostrand,    of    Oyster    Bay, 

L.   I.,  and  Miss   Duryee,  of   South  Hempstead,  married   Sunday 

last. 
1795 — Saturday,    September    5.      Charles    Adams    and    Sally    Smith, 

both  of  this  city,  married   Saturday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,   September   5.      Felix   de   St.   Hilaire   and   Margaret 

Smith,  both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,    September    5.      John    Kohlevagen,    of    Surinam,    and 

Miss  Van  Hagen,  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 
7195 — Saturday,   September  5.     Charleston  Johnson  and  Catharine 

Bayard,  daughter  of  Nicholas  Bayard,   all  of  this  city,  married 

Thursday  the  27th. 
1795 — Saturday,    September    5.      David    Simons,    of    Petersburgh,    Va., 

and    Deborah    Abrams,    of    this    city,    married    Wednesday     the 

26th. 
1795 — Saturday,    September   12.      William   Ledyard,   son   of   Col.    Led- 

yard,    of    Groton,    Conn.,    died    yesterday    at    Col.    Stevens',    aged 

18. 
1795 — Saturday,    September    12.      Abraham    Brower,    printer,    of    this 

city,   died  Tuesday  last,   aged   23. 
1795 — Saturday,   September   12.     Abraham   Skinner,   Jr.,  died   Sunday 

last,  aged  19. 
1795 — Saturday,  September  12.     Peter  Bonett  and  Jane  Blake,  both 

of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,    September  12.      Joseph  Norton   and   Mary  Murphy, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Monday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,    September    12.      John    Scoles    and    Eliza     Sandys, 

daughter  of  Rev.   J.   Sandys,  all  of  this  city,  married   Saturday 

last. 
1795 — Saturday,  September  12.     John  A.  Chapman  and  Sally  Leland, 

daughter  of  Thomas  Leland,  all  of  this  city,  married   Saturday 

last. 
1795 — Saturday,   September  12.      Jacob   Schetsel   and  Maria  Heiser, 

daughter   of    Jacob   Heiser,    all    of    this    city,    married    Thursday 

the  3rd. 
1795 — Saturday,    September   19.      Samuel   Loudon,   Jr.,   Editor   of   the 

Diary,   died   Thursday  last. 
1795 — Saturday,    September    19.      Daniel    Stanbury    died    Wednesday 

last,  aged  35. 
1795 — Saturday,    September   19.      Michael   Fitzsimmons    and   Phoebe 

Hyer,  daughter  of  Walter  Hyer,  married  Friday  the  11th. 
1795 — Saturday,   September  19.     John  I.  Ketchum,   of  Bermuda,   and 

Susannah  Jauncy,  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  the  6th. 
1795 — Saturday,    November    14.      John    Morgan    and     Miss     Bunyan, 

married. 
1795 — Saturday,  November  14.     Alexander  Mowatt  and  Eliza  Post, 

married  at  Flushing,  L.  I. 
1795 — Saturday,   November   14.     Louis   H.   Guerlain   and   S.   Fowler, 

married  at  Westchester. 
1795 — Saturday,  November  14.     Henry  Rich  and  Phoebe  Van  Gelder, 

daughter    of   Abraham   Van   Gelder,   both   of    this    city,   married 

Saturday  the  31st. 

[251] 


1795 — Saturday,  November  14.  James  Smith  and  Ann  Ross,  married 
at  Flushing,   L.   I. 

1795 — Saturday,  November  21.  James  Davis  and  Ann  Turner,  both 
of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  November  21.  Levi  Dodge,  High  Sheriff  of  Ulster 
County,  and  Mrs.  Kemmana,  widow  of  Dr.  Kemmana,  of  this 
city,  married  Sunday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  November  21.  George  Jewenson  and  Polly  Ellis, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  November  21.  William  Hervey,  Jr.,  and  Cath- 
arine Van  Allen,  both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  November  21.  James  Raney,  of  Newtown,  L.  I., 
and  Elizabeth  Nichols,  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  the 
12th. 

1795 — Saturday,  November  21.  John  Drake  and  Magdaline  Guion, 
daughter  of  Elias  Guion,  of  New  Rochelle,  married  October  31 
at  New  Rochelle. 

1795 — Saturday,  November  28.  John  Mackay,  Jr.,  of  Stanwich,  and 
Eliza  H.  Knap,  of  Horse  Neck,  married  Sunday  the  8th  at 
Horse  Neck. 

1795 — Saturday,  November  28.  Mrs.  Patty  Crook,  wife  of  Joseph 
Crook,  died  Wednesday  last,  aged  33. 

1795 — Saturday,  November  28.  Lawrence  Embree,  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  died  in  this  city,   buried  Tuesday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  November  28.  Charlotte  Mackay,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Mackay,  of  New  York,  died  at  Philadelphia,  on  the  5th. 

1795 — Saturday,  November  28.  George  Alexander  Caesar  Augustus 
William  Henry  Frederick  Pinchbeck  and  Mrs.  Catherine 
Rudolph,  married  Tuesday  the  10th. 

1795 — Saturday,  November  28.  Citizen  Dubcourt  and  Margaret 
Bancker,  daughter  of  Col.  Chris.  Bancker,  of  this  city,  married 
Saturday  the  14th. 

1795 — Saturday,  November  28.  Herman  G.  Rutgers  and  Sally  Gaine, 
married   Saturday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  November  28.  Abraham  G.  Claypool,  merchant, 
of  Trenton,  and  Elizabeth  Steele,  of  this  city,  married  Mon- 
day  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  November  28.  Samuel  Smith  and  Miss  M'Knight, 
daughter  of   Charles   M'Knight,   deceased,   married   Monday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  November  28.  Joseph  Conkling,  merchant,  of  this 
city,  and  Eliza  Dawson,  daughter  of  Capt.  Henry  Dawson,  of 
Brooklyn,  L.  I.,  married  Tuesday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  November  28.  Abraham  Freelon  and  Eve  Wal- 
dron,  daughter  of  John  Waldron,  both  of  this  city,  married 
Thursday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  December  19.  Thomas  Warren,  of  this  city,  and 
Elizabeth  Gilmore,  late  from  England,  married  Wednesday 
the  25th. 

1795 — Saturday,  December  19.  Samuel  De  Motte,  of  Hempstead, 
South,  and  Polly  Hewlett,  daughter  of  William  Hewlett,  of 
Rockaway,  married  Saturday  the  5th  at  Rockaway. 

1795 — Saturday,  December  19.  William  Wiggens,  of  Little  Brit- 
ain, Orange  County,  and  Phebe  Hewlett,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Hewlett,  of  Rockaway,  married  Saturday  the  5th  at  Rock- 
away. 

1795 — Saturday,  December  19.  Thomas  J.  Waldron  and  Amelia 
Wheeler,  both  of  Cold  Spring,  L.  I.,  married  Friday  the  11th. 

1795 — Saturday,  December  19.  James  Hegeman  and  Catharine 
Onderdonk,  both  of  Cow  Neck,  L.  I.,  married  Saturday  last  at 
Cow   Neck,    L.   I. 

1795 — Saturday,  December  19.  Anthony  Steenbeck  and  Sally 
Snyder,  both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  December  19.  John  Stilwell  and  Ann  Cumming, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

[252] 


1795 — Saturday,  December  26.  George  Buckmaster  and  Eleanor 
Whitfield,  both  of  this  city,  married  Thursday  the  17th. 

1795 — Saturday,  December  26.  Catharine  Arunderous  (formerly 
Provost),  died  on  the  15th  at  New  Town,  L.  I.,  aged  102 
years. 

1795 — Saturday,  December  26.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Ogilvte,  widow  of 
Anthony  Ogilvie,  died  Thursday  last,  aged  19. 

1795 — Saturday,  December  26.  Robert  Brown  and  Sally  Cox,  both 
of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 

1795 — Saturday,  December  26.  Henry  Whitfield  and  Hetty  Can- 
dell,  both  of  this  city,  married   Sunday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  9.  Jeremiah  Schurman,  of  New  Rochell, 
and  Susanna  Bailey,  eldest  daughter  of  William  Bailey,  mar- 
ried December   31st  at  Pelham. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  9.  Robert  Ross  and  Elizabeth  Litch- 
field, daughter  of  John  Litchfield,  married  Saturday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  9.  Capt.  Jonathan  Reynolds  and  Nancy 
Burger,  both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  9.  William  Lang,  of  Portsmouth,  N.  H., 
and  Maria  Bailey,  daughter  of  John  Bailey,  of  this  city,  mar- 
ried Sunday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  9.  William  Waters  and  Mrs.  Margaret 
Snyder,  both  of  this  city,  married  Tuesday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  9.  James  Cumberland  and  Mrs.  Burn- 
ham,  widow  of  Robert  Burnham,  of  this  city,  coppersmith,  mar- 
ried Thursday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  16.  Capt.  Daniel  Tingley  and  Eliza 
Sacket,  daughter  of  Dr.  Sacket,  of  this  city,  married  Thurs- 
day the  7th. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  16.  Samuel  Huntington,  died  January 
5th    at    Norwich,    Conn.      Governor    of    Connecticut. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  16.  William  Bleecker,  of  this  city,  and 
Elizabeth  Robinson,  daughter  of  Col.  Joseph  Robinson,  of 
that  place,  married  Thursday  the   7th   at  Jamaica,   L.   I. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  23.  Thomas  Service,  merchant,  and  Sarah 
Tinney,  daughter  of  William  Tinney,  both  of  this  city,  married 
Saturday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  23.  Capt.  Jacob  Stout,  of  this  city,  and 
Fanny  Carpenter,  of  Brooklyn,  L.  I.,  married  Wednesday  the 
14th. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  23.  Henry  Eagle,  late  of  Limerick,  and 
Christiana  Bull,  daughter  of  Jones  Bull,  of  Waterford,  Ire- 
land, married   Sunday  the  10th. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  23.  Abraham  De  Sart  and  Magdalen 
Eagles,  married. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  30.  John  Randiker  and  Maria  Hilliker, 
bot  hof  this  city,  married  Saturday  the  26th  December,  1795. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  30.  Isaac  Dreamer  and  Hetty  Hilliker, 
bot  hof  this  city,  married  Saturday  the  26th  December,  1795. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  30.  George  Onderdonk  and  Sarah  Rapel- 
jte,  both  of  Cow  Neck,  married   Sunday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  30.  Mr.  Gerrar,  a  gentleman  from  the 
West  Indies,  and  Hannah  Grigg,  of  this  city,  married  Sat- 
urday last. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  30.  John  Schoonmaker  and  Catharine 
Van  Beuren,  daughter  of  James  Van  Beuren,  both  of  Flatbush, 
married  Thursday  the  21st. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  30.  Patrick  Steward  and  Miss  Rae,  both 
of  this  city,  married  Wednesday. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  30.  Henry  Murk  and  Maria  Scott,  both 
of  this  city,   married  Wednesday. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  30.  John  Fisher  and  Cornelia  Rapalye, 
daughter  of  Garret  Rapalye,  deceased,  married  at  Brooklyn, 
L.  I.,  Tuesday. 

[253] 


1796 — Saturday,  January  30.  Duncan  M'Donald  and  Maria  Moorb, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Tuesday. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  30.  Thomas  L.  Ogden  and  Miss  Ham- 
mond, both  of  this  city,  married  on  the  23rd  by  Dr.  Moore. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  30.  Garret  Van  Dyne  and  Maria  Mon- 
foort,  both  of  New  Hackensack,  married  Thursday  the  7th  at 
New  Hackensack. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  30.  George  Pearson,  of  Albany,  and  Gitty 
Huck,  of  Claverack,  married  at  Claverack  the  4th. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  30.  Albert  O'Blemis,  of  Flatbush,  and 
Letty  Cortelyou,  of  New  Utrecht,  married  Sunday  the  3rd. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  30.  William  Cole  and  Betsey  Totten, 
daughter  of  Gilbert  Totten,  all  of  Staten  Island,  married  Thurs- 
day the  31st  at  Staten   Island. 

1795 — Saturday,  January  30.  John  D.  P.  Douw,  of  Albany,  and 
Peggy  Livingston,  daughter  of  Peter  R.  Livingston,  of  the. 
Manor,  married  at  Livingston  Manor  a  short  time  since. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  30.  Laurence  Egan  and  Catharine  Min- 
ehan,  married  Sunday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  January  30.  Richard  Ellis  and  Catharine  Van 
Tuyl,  both  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  6.  Mr.  Revough  and  Mrs.  Mary  Stit- 
cher, both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  6.  Daniel  R.  Durning,  merchant,  Jane 
Murray,  daughter  of  James  Murray,  all  of  this  city,  married 
Saturday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  6.  John  Adeel  and  Hannah  Smith,  both 
of  this  city,  married   Sunday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  6.  James  Morris  and  Helen  Van  Cort- 
landt,  daughter  of  Augustus,  married  Monday  last  at  Yonkers. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  6.  Andrew  Stout,  of  this  city,  Polly 
Humphreys,  late  of  Kinderhook,  married  Monday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  6.  John  Smith  and  Barbrah  Frazier, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Monday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  6.  William  Allen  and  Phoebe  Tred- 
well,  daughter  of  Dr.  Tredwell,  all  of  North  Hempstead,  mar- 
ried Wednesday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  6.  James  Wyatt,  aged  107  years,  and 
Mrs.  Anne  Yorke,  of  Mempnet,  aged  91,  married  at  West- 
harptry. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  13.  William  Pitt  Smith  died  yester- 
day, aged  36  years. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  13.  John  E.  Parker  and  Effee  Wool- 
sey,  married  Wednesday  the  3rd. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  13.  Alexander  Hutcheson  and  Wrc>ow 
Hutcheson,  of  this  city,  married   Saturday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  13.  James  Young  and  Christiana  Rida- 
bock,  both  of  this  city,  married   Sunday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  13.  W.  Manley  and  Ann  Thompson,  both 
of  this  city,  married  Monday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  13.  De  Witt  Clinton  and  Maria  Frank- 
lin, both  of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  13.  Robert  R.  Goelet  and  Margaret 
Buchanan,  daughter  of  Thomas  Buchanan,  married  Thursday 
last. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  13.  John  Deming,  aged  75  and  Sally 
Cushing,  aged  85,  married  at  Boston. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  20.  Henry  Waring,  of  this  city,  and 
Susannah  Peck,  of  Greenwich,  Conn.,  married  Thursday  the 
11th. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  20.  Nathaniel  Street  and  Esther 
Weaken,  both  of  Norwalk,  married  Sunday  the  24th. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  20.  Daniel  Duycking  and  Maria  Hildreth, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

[254] 


1796 — Saturday,  February  20.  Capt.  Giles  T.  Taylob  and  Ann 
Paxton,  both  of  this  city,  married  Monday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  20.  John  Fabeell  and  Jane  Bussen, 
lately  from  Ireland,  married   Saturday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  20.  John  Totten,  of  Huntington,  L.  I., 
and   Elizabeth  Bleecker,   of  this   city,  married   Saturday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  27.  Gerabd  De  Peysteb,  son  of  James 
W.,  of  Bloomingdale,  and  Mabgabet  De  Peysteb,  daughter  of 
John  De  Peyster,  of  this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  27.  Robebt  B.  Batt,  of  New  Rose,  Ire- 
land, and  Elizabeth  Stengeb,  daughter  of  late  Capt.  Stenger, 
of  Waterford,  married  Thursday  18th  at  Flatbush. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  27.  Whitney  West  and  Sally  Leek,  both 
of  this  city,  married  Thursday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  27.  Capt.  Chables  Harbison  died  Mon- 
day last  in  his  56th  year. 

1796 — Saturday,  February  27.  Susannah  Siemon,  died  Thursday  the 
18th,  in  her  15th  year. 

1796 — Saturday,  March  5.  Phillip  Allen  and  Mbs.  Chabity  Hulet, 
widow  of  Lawrence  Hulet,  married  Thursday,  January  28th, 
at  Great  Neck. 

1796 — Saturday,  March  5.  Isaac  R.  Wynans  and  Eliza  Kip,  both 
of  this  city,   married   Saturday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  March  5.  Capt.  Joseph  Cbook  and  Helena  Thomp- 
son, both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  March  5.  Mb.  Wall  and  Mbs.  Mann,  both  from 
Ireland,   married    Sunday   last. 

1796 — Saturday,  March  5.  Chables  Welling,  Jb.,  of  this  city,  and 
Eliza  Gbenoch,   of  Hallet's  Cove,  married   Sunday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  March  5.  William  Rimington,  merchant,  of  this 
town,  and  Rhoda  Bullin,  of  Midway,  Mass.,  married  Monday 
last. 

1796 — Saturday,  March  5.  William  Feost,  merchant  of  this  city, 
and  Sabah  Townsend,  daughter  of  James  Townsend,  of  Duck 
Pond,   L.   I.,  married  Tuesday   last. 

1796 — Saturday,  March  5.  Mbs.  Margaret  Low,  wife  of  Samuel 
Low,  died  Wednesday  last,  aged  26. 

1796 — Saturday,  March  12.  John  I.  Moegan,  of  this  city,  and  Cath- 
arine Warne,  of  Jamaica,  married  at  Jamaica,  L.  I.,  Mon- 
day the  29th. 

1796 — Saturday,  March  12.  Thomas  W.  Satterthwaite,  merchant, 
and  Catharine  Bache,  daughter  of  Theophylact  Bache,  mer- 
chant, New  York  City,  married   Saturday   last. 

1796 — Saturday,  March  12.  Peter  Bergen,  of  Brooklyn,  and  Maria 
Schoonmaker,  of  that  place,  married  Saturday  evening  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  March  12.  Rulouf  Jacobus  and  Catharine  Gal- 
loway, both  of  this  city,  married   Sunday  evening  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  March  12.  Jacob  Van  Nosteand,  of  this  city,  and 
Betsey  Smith,  of  Jamaica,  married  Monday  last  at  Jamaica. 

1796 — Saturday,  March  12.  Snyles  Kibby,  merchant  of  this  city, 
and  Miss  Cobnell,  daughter  of  Whitehead  Cornell,  of  Far 
Rockaway,  married  Tuesday  evening. 

1796 — Saturday,  March  19.  William  L.  Mott,  son  of  Jacob  Mott, 
merchant,  and  Miss  Scudder,  daughter  of  Samuel  Scudder,  all  of 
this  city,  married  Tuesday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  March  19.  Daniel  Dodge  and  Ann  Tueneb,  both 
of  this  city,  married  Thursday  evening  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  March  26.  Thomas  Rich  and  Sabah  Watson,  both 
of  this   city,  married  Tuesday   evening  the  15th. 

1796 — Saturday,  March  26.  John  K.  Banckeb  and  Margaret  Watson, 
both  of  this  city,  married  Tuesday  evening  the  15th. 

1796 — Saturday,  March  26.  Ezia  Weeks  and  Elizabeth  Hitchcock, 
both  of  this  city,  married   Sunday  last. 

1796 — Saturday,  March  26.  William  Wendoveb,  of  this  city,  and 
Eleanob  Fbost,   of  West  Chester,   married   Wednesday   last. 

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1796 — Saturday,    April    2.      William     Blydenburgh,     merchant,     and 

Sally  Arthur,  both  of  Smithtown,  L.  I.,  married  March  25th. 
1796 — Saturday,  April  2.     George   Townsend,  merchant,  of  this  city, 

and  Betsey  Browne,  married  Saturday  last. 
1796 — Saturday,   April   2.     Nicholas   G.   Rutgers   and   Cornelia   Liv- 
ingston, daughter  of  John,  married  Saturday  last. 
1796 — Saturday,    April    2.      Theodorus    Van    Norden     and     Alletta 

Langdon,  both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 
1796 — Saturday,   April   2.     Rev.  Philip  Milledoler,   of  this  city,   and 

Susan    Benson,    daughter    of    Lawrence,    of    Harlem,    married 

Thursday    last. 
1796 — Saturday,  April   16.     Charles   R.   Webster,   printer,   and   Cyn- 
thia   Steele,    both    of   Albany,    married    April    2. 
1796 — Saturday,    April    16.      Philip    Brotherson,    of    Demarara,    and 

Catharine   Brooks,   of   Enfield,   Conn.,   married   Wednesday   the 

30th    (March). 
1796 — Saturday,   April   16.      Henry   A.    Livingston   and   Eliza   Beek- 

man,    daughter    of    James    I.,    of    this    city,    married    Saturday 

last. 
1796 — Saturday,    April    16.      Peter    Conrey    and    Elehah    Duykinck, 

both  of  this  city,  married  Saturday  last. 
1796 — Saturday,    April    16.      Granville    Smith    and    Eliza    Kennedy, 

married  Sunday  last. 
1796 — Saturday,  April  16.     Richard  Van  Lew,  of  Jamaica,  and  Polly 

Cornwell,    of    Foster's    Meadow,    married    Sunday    last    at    Ja- 
maica. 
1796 — Saturday,    April    16.      William   Wood,    of   this   city,   and   Anne 

Craig,  of  Philadelphia,  married  Wednesday  last. 
1796 — Saturday,  April  16.     Jane  Kiersted,  widow  of  Benjamin  Kier- 

sted,  died  March  24th,  in  her  95th  year. 
1796 — Saturday,   April   23.     Matthew   L.   Davis,   printer  of   this   city, 

and  Sarah  Eayres,  of  Boston,  married  April  10th  at  Boston. 
1796 — Saturday,    April    23.      Allan    Pollick,    merchant,    of    this    city, 

and  Mary  Bradlie,  of  Boston,  married   "a  few  evenings  since." 
1796 — Saturday,   April   23.     Rev.   Mr.   Ostrander,   of  Pumpton,  N.   J., 

and  Maria   Duryee,  of  that  place,   married  April   14th   at  New 

Utreght. 
1796 — Saturday,    April    23.      Mott     Hicks,     merchant,     and    Esther 

Cock,   both   of   this   city,   married   Saturday   last. 
1796 — Saturday,  April   23.     Abraham  Wyckoff  and   Deborah  Stoot- 

huff,  both  of  Platlands,  L.  I.,  married  Saturday  last. 
1796 — Saturday,   April   30.      William   Maurice    Thompson   and    Sally 

Gale,  both  of  Goshen,  N.  Y.,  married  April  16th  at  Goshen. 
1796 — Saturday,   April   30.      William   Hulshart   and   Polly   Hernet, 

both   of    this    city,    married    Saturday   last. 
1796 — Saturday,    April    30.       Elliot    Hopkins,    printer,    of    Newton, 

and   Julia   Howell,   of   Goshen,   married   April   23d   at   Goshen, 

N.    Y. 
1796 — Saturday,  May   7.     Robinson  Thomas,  of  Elizabeth   Town,   and 

Eliza    Smith,    of    Princeton,    N.    J.,    married    Sunday    the    24th 

(April)    at  Elizabeth  Town. 
1796 — Saturday,    May    7.      James    Gill    and    Jane    Guthrie,    both    of 

this  city,  married  Sunday  last. 
1796 — Saturday,   May  7.     James  Anderson  and  Ann  Montanye,  both 

of  this  city,  married  Wednesday  the  27th. 
1796 — Saturday,   May   7.      James   Lewis   and   Sally   Wright,   both   of 

this  city,  married  Tuesday  the  26th. 
1796 — Saturday,   May   7.      David   Brown   and  Hannah   Bush,   both   of 

this   city,   married   Thursday   last. 
1796 — Saturday,    May    14.      Nathaniel    Valentine,    of    Phillipsburgh, 

and   Sally  Briggs,   daughter  of  George  Briggs,   of  Westchester, 

married  April  17th. 
1796 — Saturday,    May    14.      Stephen    Dutch,    of    this    city,    formerly 

of  Ipswich,  Mass.,  and  Ruth  Close,  of  Greenwich,  Conn.,  mar- 
ried 25th  April. 

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