The New York Times from New York, New York • Page 35

i THE NEW YORK TIMES, JANUARY 12; 1902, 11 SALE OF STUYVESANT PROPERTY RECALLS OLD BOUERIE'S STORY IT i.a long err from IMS to 1902. and (or Just that length of Urns tha premises located en Fourteenth Street, ad-Jolnlnc the Fourteenth Street Presbyterian Church, at Second A venae, and which have been recently mid to Mandelbaum 4s Le win, were In the possession of the Stuyvesant family. The 234 years that hart, intervened since Petrus Stuyvesant Director Oeneral of the Dutch Mew Netherlands, received a arrant for what became known as "bouerie" or farm, have seen nearly, If not quit piece of land then patented change hands. But this little parcel, comprising' seven city tots, has remained In the line of the descendants of Its original owner, the doughty old fighter, nntil now the Trustees the Rutherfurd Stuyvesant estate find the demand for elevator apartments to have grown so urgent that they can no longer resist the good price offered. The plot has never been adequately Improved, the only buildings being a one-story shed, and two two-story brick dwellings, so that from the time of the old Governor's "bouerie" to the modern upstanding skyscraper, is but a single step, so to speak.

In order to understand what this lapse of time means in the history of our city) It Is necessary to take a slight retrospect. When this plot was acquired, only twenty two years had passed since the arrival of Feter Mlnuit Director General, first gave the New Netherlands a place in colonial history. He sailed from Holland Dec 19, 1625, and landed on what the Dutch wrongly called Manhattan Island," or the Island of the Uanhattoea "May 4, 1626 a nice long Winter voyage, of which at least one month was passed In the Ice of the Zuyder Zee. As the town bad no houses adequate for the accommodation of the distinguished persons, they remained aboard their ship Sea Mew until a place was prepared for them. It will be remembered the first thing Mlnuit did was to purchase the 'site of the future capital from the Indian occupants.

This be accomplished by paying the sum of 60 guilders for 11,000 Dutch tnorgens (about 22,000 acres) of land. Some authorities have It that a barrel of schnapps figured In the deal, thus Increasing the earnest money; but it Is the fact that if those 60 guilders had been put out at Interest and kept Invested with annual compounding, the total capital to-day would amount to something over This astounding calculation causes one to appreciate very vividly the length of time that these four Stuyvesant lots have laid True Daughters TZ-M TTi Rockwell and Hia rM of the Revolution Wf.mlly, fiS A DISPATCH to Th Times a few days since announced the death at Mata-moraa, Pike County, of Catherine Bowden, in ber ninetieth year, The two sisters who survive Mrs. Bowden, one oldtr and one younger than she, are the la-t members of a most remarkable family. Jabes Rockwell, their father, was the father of 14 children, 6 sons and 8 daughters. He lived to be nearly 80.

His oldest son died In 1881 In his ninety-seventh year. One daughter died in 1880 in her eighty-first year. Another died in 1880 aged 86, and another In 1890, aged 00. Another daughter died In 1803 aged 84. One daughter died In 1858, comparatively young, being only In her sixty-eighth year.

Mrs. Bowden, Just deceased, would soon have been 00. Mrs. Phebe Galnford, one. of the last survivors of Jabes Rockwell children, Is in her ninety-seventh year, and Mrs.

Luclnda J. Valentine, the other, is in ber eighty-sixth year. At the time of Mrs. Bowden's death the three sisters were living together at the home of a niece at Ma ta moras, and en-Joyed the distinction of being the only living family of genuine daughters of the Revolution. The two surviving sisters are beyond doubt the only living children of a hero of Valley Forge, and his vivid recitals of the terrors of that Winter In camp are still fresh In their memories.

They well remember, too, his tales of Germantown and Monmouth and Stony Point, in all of which engagements he participated, and his many reminiscences of personal contact, with AVashlngton, Arnold, Sullivan, Lafayette, and Wayne, under each of which commanders he served during the war. The father of these two women who link the Revolutionary time with this, enlisted In 1777, at the age of sixteen, at Rldgebury, In the Seventh Connecticut Regiment and served until February, 1780. At Valley Forge he was guard at Washington's headquarters. An Incident he was particularly fond of relating to his children occurred one day while he was on guard. He had breakfasted on a roasted sweet potato and a few hickory nuts, the best meal the camp could afford Just then.

He had been on post but a few moments when Gen. Washington came out of the stone house where ho was quartered. Rockwell was only a boy. Washington stopped, looked at him a moment, and then said: "Have you breakfasted? The shfverlnk voung soldier replying that Idle or practically Idle. It would be curious to Inquire) how much tbey cost old Petrus In the beginning, aid then figure out what they stand His descendants "In (or.

"out," more probably,) on tha original outlay and interest for 254 years. In 1648 there were probably not 500 white males In the town. North of the city wall there was no settlement unless we except Wooter Tan Twiner's Bouerie on the North River, where now we have the Greenwich village. Swamps, hills, ponds, and rocks diversified the surface of the Island after a fashion that discouraged agriculture. There was no road leading; northward-only a' harrow bridle path along which the traveler toward the mainland Journeyed with trembling prayer both for deliverance from the savages and the wolves.

Stuyvesant's commission from the States General bore date July 28, 10W, but he did not arrive here until May 27. MHJ. The name Stuyvesant Is suggestive of things doing." or strenuousness," being composed of the words "stulven," to stir up, and or sand. A plenty of sand had he la good sooth, and as for stirring things up, he began the day of his 'arrival and kept at It right along. One of his first acts was to reorganise the military forces.

The fort was tumbling down; he built it up. The military was practically disbanded; he offered every Inducement to enlistment. When drums beat for parade the soldiers had to come promptly, bringing their guns, and they knew aUo that they must not come drunk, for so he ordained. On Sundays the taverns and dramshops were required to close until after church hours, which rule was an Improvement on that of New England, where they kept open. as long as they liked.

The Puritans being unused to water as a beverage, resented drinking it even on the Sabbath. During his Incumbency of the office of Director, Gen. Stuyvesant 'occupied a mansion located below the where now Whitehall Street is. It Is called "Whitehall on some maps, but these date from English times; It Is not certain what the Dutch called It. An ancient picture represents It as occupying about an acre of jutting out Into the river which surrounds it on three sides.

On the west it is protected by a high bulkhead, and on the east a Uttle canal runs to4eep water with a' pleasant pathway beside it Why the' canal one cannot say, since all around la water, but perhaps It reminded him of the Netherlands, and that waa something. The house, built apparently of brick or stone, was a substantial square structure he had; the General asked him what the ration was. When the sentinel told him of what the meagre meal had consisted a shade of sadness passed over Washington's face. He re-entered his quarters, and with hla own hands brouarht out to the sol- dier meat and bread from his own table. and.

with a hearty "God bless you! bade him eat It. Another Incident of the Winter at Valley Forge these daughters relate as one he often referred to was the selection of their father by Washington to assist In rowing him and an aide one bitter, fearful night, I across the Schuylkill River, on some mili tary mission. The night was dark. The river was high, and filled with great blocks of rushing Ice. Toung Rockwell and the others In the boat were compelled to constantly use their hands and oars to prevent the Ice floes from crushing the bat-teau, which, at best was a frail and unstable craft.

The crossing was a most perilous one, and the life of the Father of Hla Country, for at least one critical hour, depended on the strength, and courage of the lad Rockwell and his companion. "Washington." the veteran Rockwell was wont to say. showed no sign of fear during that dangerous journey, but constantly encouraged us with kind and assuring 'words, as we forced our way through the darkness across that ice-choked flood." There la now the Revolutionary relics in the custody of the Valley Forge Society of the Daughters of, the Revolution, at the old stone house which was Washington's headquarters while at Valley Forge, a powder horn which was carried by Jabes Rockwell through the war, from Valley Forge to Stony Point the history of which was one of his favorite personal reminiscences ot Washington. The vicissitudes of the campaign preceding the Winter at Valley Forge had resulted In the loss by many of the soldiers of their powder horns. From the heads of cattle secured by foraging about Valley Forge the camp butcher had saved the horns, and there was much strife among the soldiers who aad lost their powder horns to obtain possession of these.

There were so many applicants that a satisfactory division of the horns was Impossible. One' day Gen. Washington was riding through the camp, and young Rockwell and others of the soldiers were bold enough to solicit from him a decision by which the of three stories, with an extension on one aide. The whole was surrounded by a 'wooden fence, and, scattered about the grounds, were trees and shrubs. This was Stuyvesant's town house." He apparently preferred it to the official Government house In the a small Inconvenient little box of a place.

If one can Judge from a contemporary print But the Bouerie Is so Intimately -associated with Stuyvesant that It Is here we think of hint: most Its- farms comprised all the land between Third Avenue, tha East River, and Sixteenth Streets. He apparently lost no time in acquiring It, for he only came over, as we have seen, in 1647, and we find him owning It In 1648. It- is not possible to give the date of the erection of his mansion house, which stood on the line of the present Tenth Street Just west of St Mark's churchyard, but It remained for over a century, and burned down in 1777. It waa a clap-boarded frame, building, two stories la. height with a small attic under the curved Dutch eaves.

Its second story projected over, the first story, thus making a sort of porch or covering for the doorway. The grounds in front were laid out In stiff Dutch garden style, arranged in geometrical figures squares, circles, and such-after the mode so highly admired by Will-lam of Orange, and Introduced by him Into his insular dominions with much satisfaction. After the capture of New Amsterdam by the British in 1604 Stuyvesant retired to the Bouerie," and continued there until his demise eight years later, excepting for a short absence in Holland, whither he went to give an account of his administration to States General after the surrender. It was on his return from this visit that he brought the slip from which -was grown the famous Stuyvesant pear tree, which he planted himself, according to tradition. -It stood fenced In from the attacks of goats, small boys, and relic hunters on the corner of Third Avenue and Thirteenth Street until 1867, when It succumbed to old sge.

Peter was fifty-five years of age when he came over. The inscription on the Stuyvesant vault reads: In this vault lie burled FETRCS STUYVESANT. late Captain Oeneral Governor In Chief of Amsterdam, in New Netherlands, now called New York, and the Dutch Wert India Islands. Died A. D.

1071-2. -Aged 80 year. It Is evident that this Inscription was made some time after the old gentleman's death, otherwise the exact date of so Important an event would not be omitted. As it is. we have only the approximate date, which thus appears to have been between coveted horns might be distributed without favor or dissatisfaction.

How many horns are there Washington asked. He was Informed that there were still ten undisposed of. Washington took a piece of paper from his pocket and wrote upon It a certain number. "This number." said he. "la between 1,500 and 2,000..

Each of the ten soldiers who guesses nearest to the number I have marked shall be entitled to a horn." The guesses were made, and one of the ten lucky gueaacrs was Jabes Rockwtll The numoer Washington had marked on the paper was 1776L Toung- Rockwell guessed 1750. From the horn he received he made a powder horn and cut this Inscription upon it with his Jackknlfe: "Jabes Rockwell of Rldgebury, Conn. Hla Horn, made In Camp at Valley Forge." After the battle of Monmouth he addend this to the Inscription: First used at Monmouth, June 28, 1778. This powder horn was presented to the Valley Forge collection of relics by Charles F. Rockwell of Honesdale, a grandson of the old soldier, and is cited by authorities as one of six Revolutionary powder horns out of 200 that are known to be in existence that have peculiar historical Interest and importance.

The daughters of this patriotic sire relate a romantic Incident with which he was connected at the battle of Monmouth. A comrade of his. Esekiel Hamilton, was mortally wounded during the battle. Rockwell bore him In his arms from the field. He lived but a short time.

Before he died he confided to his comrade a handkerchief and a ptocketkntfe, all his earthly possessions. He also gave Rockwell a letter he had written to his wife before the battle. These he charged hla comrade to In some way forward to his wife and daughter, who lived In New York State. This Rockwell was ablo to do soon afterward. When the war was over Jabes Rockwell having returned to Connecticut and married, be emigrated to Pike County, Penn.

On his way be atopped at the place where the wife and. daughter of his comrade, Hamilton, lived, and visited them. The daughter was about to be married, and Rockwell and hla wife remained to the This daughter and her husband soon afterward also emigrated to Pike County, where, in after years, her daughter married a son of the Revolutionary soldier, and that son's son is the Charles F. Rockwell who presented the historic powder horn to the Valley Forge Dauxh-ters of the Revolution great-grandson of the dying soldier, whom bis grandfather curried from the field at the battle of Monmouth. A reminiscence of this old soldier that Jan.

1 and March 25, 1672. tha very method of notation shows that the inscription was not put up until the coming in of the "new styie." In this same vault. 1f my information be not Incorrect remains of Gov. Sloughter, here buried by an act or hospitality extended on the sudden death of that gentleman in 160L 1 have never been able to comprehend why the stuyvesants. should have offered this tribute to the body of the Governor who condemned Jacob Leialer to death, and.

who Inflicted auch grevlous punishment on the Stuyvesants near kinsmen the Bayards. But that he-was interred in the Stuyvesant vault is a matter of historic record, and it la not discoverable that his body was ever removed. The Bayard and Stuyvesant families were auico; by marriage from tne nrst. jreixus Stuyvesant married Judith Bayard, sister of Samuel Bayard, who In turn married the Governor's sister. From this double eon-v nection sprang a family relationship which' continued for the" foUowlrur century.

Mine. Bayard, who came with the Stuyvesants, brought out three sons with her Peter, Balthazar, and Nicholas. The Bayard Farm Is as well known to, conveyancers as the Stuyvesant Farm, but unlike tne utter, I oouni ir any or me, Bayard land remains in the hands of the descendants of the original owners. If one Is curious to follow the same pathway that the doughty old Governor used to take In going from the Commons to his country home, all that Is necessary Is to will follow his route as accurately aa could any antiquarian. The very name of the Bowery Is a reminder of the times when It called the road to Stuyvesant's Bouerie." later It became a part of the Post Road to Boston," but the old Dutch name stuck, and the Bowery it Is onto this day, and ever will be, although from time to time disgruntled business men arising demand a change.

One can see the old mile posts along its sides here and there If he chooses to look for them. Of course, there were no mile posts In Peter's time, for there were no stage coaches then, nor, indeed, did the more) that led to the town extend beyond his farmhouse. There was not even a permanent ferry across the Harlem, nor was there any bridge connecting with what be- was mainly by water, and there was precious little of that And now. after two hundred and fifty-four years, the old blood is parting with a few rods of the old soD. It Is perhsps a wise step from a worldly viewpoint but It must be with a pang that the owners see this ancient holding of ground pass Into alien hands, and, if the soil itself could speak, how eloquent a protest in ancient Dutch.

Intprmmwd with fln.ni.h mm i. dlan idiom, we might hear! 8YLVANCS URBAN, his daughters relate with particular pride Is one about Lafayette, When Lafayette returned to this country in 1824 Jabes Rockwell and three other Revolutionary veterans were so eager to see their old commander once more that they traveled on foot from their home at Milford, PeniL. to New York, a distance of seventy mues. i ney went to tne hotel where Lafayette was quartered. The clerk at the.

hotel, an impertinent and officious young man, refused the old soldiers' request to show them the way to Lafayette. His sin1 In an effeusUe sua Imugttty manner, waa that they could not be permitted to Jola such company. They ex plained to him that they had made a two days' Journey on foot for the purpose ot seeing the General and could not be die-, appointed. The clerk ordered them to leave the hotel. Veteran Rockwell stralehtened un and said; Young man, we have traveled seventy miles on foot to see Gen.

Lafayette. Wa fought under him before' you were born. We are now under the same roof with him. and If It Is necessary to have another fight to see him, we are ready! That changed the clerk's attitude, but ha Insist that mm tK. VT A gresslonal Committee to receive Lafayette were then with the General, he would not see them.

The clerk, however, consented to send the names of the veterans In, and the names of the regiments to which they had belonged. Henry Clay was one of the) Congressional Committee, and when Lafayette learned that the old soldiers wera walttnv A mm htm Kentucklan to go and escort them to hltn. which Clay did. Their reception was such; that they became heroes of the occasion with their Idolised old commander. Rock- well was a Jacksonlaa Democrat ot tha most stalwart kind, but when Clay was tha candidate of the Whigs for President the old soldier cast hla -vote for him In recog nltlon of his courtesy to him and his comrades at the Lafayette reception.

These two remarkable Daughters ef th Revolution, the last survivors of Jabes Rockwell's family, the one nearly fivescore years old. the other long past fourscore, show very little the Infirmities ot age, Although the youngest Mrs. Valen- tine, has been an Invalid and a great physical sufferer for mora than fifty years. Mm rilnfUHf- olitor. Bravo Iv fcAwa lr Hat riit'l ulckn-U la.

At 6n Hm when Mrs. Valentine was sixty-six and -the youngest there were seven, daughtera and one son of the veteran Rockwell The son. the oldest daughter elghty-atx, a family ot children of the Revolution the like ot which the country boasts no revord-.